"Starlight, wait! Please!"
Twilight called after her student, who was whimpering and crying as she galloped away from her through the hallways of her castle. Every single time she caught a glimpse of her, she would dart around the next corner, or wink out and take off from behind her. She felt like this had been going on for hours. Once again, the unicorn winked out, and Twilight whipped around, and came face to face with the Princess of the Night.
"P-Princess Luna!"
"It's alright, Princess Twilight. You're dreaming."
Twilight took a breath and looked around.
"Well, that explains why these hallways are more like a maze than anything else. Oh, oh! Did you find her?" Twilight asked. Luna nodded.
"Yes. She is alright. She's mainly worried about who you told and what you think of her."
"Well I haven't told anyone. And as for what I think... I'm still trying to piece it all together," Twilight immediately told her.
"How did you find out about this?"
"I forgot to return an assignment to her. I knocked on her bedroom door, and from the sounds of it, I startled her. She had knocked a lamp over, and I heard her hit the ground. The door was locked, but I thought she had hurt herself. She was dressed like a... a...
"A foal." Luna finished. Twilight nodded.
"She looked at me for a second, said it wasn't what it looked like, and vanished."
"So, you said you were trying to piece it together. What have you come up with?" Luna asked.
Twilight paused for a moment to consider her words.
"So far... That it was exactly what it looked like." Twilight finished.
"I see. Well, I told her that I'd try my best to make you understand. Can you come with me, please?"
Twilight nodded, and Luna took her across the field of dreams. They two of them passed into another dream orb, and found themselves standing in a neighborhood streets.
"Do you recognize this place?" Luna asked. Twilight looked around, and did indeed recognize the location from her time traveling escapades.
"This is her hometown. Hoofington, if I recall correctly."
"Then that's one more piece in place for me. Has she ever told you anything about her past?"
"No, not really. The only thing I know is that this is where she grew up with Sunburst." Twilight told Luna.
"Mmm. Perhaps he can shed more light on this." Luna said. Her horn lit up, and a strand of light extended and opened a portal. One the other side, was Sunburst, who was casting all manner of powerful spells into the night sky. He looked behind him, and noticed the portal.
"Oh, uh, Princesses! I guess this means I'm dreaming... Uh... What can I do for you?" He asked.
"We'd like your help with something, Sunburst." Luna replied.
"In that case," the Crystaller began, stepping through the portal. "How can I help?"
He then looked at their surroundings.
"Hoofington?" He asked, Twilight and Luna nodding.
"It's Starlight's dream." Twilight said.
"Sunburst," Luna said, walking over to him. "You may discover a side of Starlight here that you did not know about before now. If it's something you're not comfortable with, I can make it so you will not remember this dream when you wake up. As her oldest friend, we thought you could offer some insight."
"I'll offer whatever I can."
Luna nodded, and the three of them approached the patio of Starlight's childhood home. Luna opened the front door, and the three of them stepped inside, Luna casting a soundproofing spell to not disturb anyone inside.
"This... Is not how I remember the den..." Sunburst said.
Starting with the left wall, there was a playpen, a crib, and changing table making up the left corner. Next to the playpen was a rocking chair. A sleeping filly version of Starlight was being cradled by a silhouetted stallion, with a similarly silhouetted mare standing next to the chair. Every feature of these two ponies was jet black and indiscernible.
"What...?" Twilight wondered.
"Starlight's psyche is a complicated one," Luna began. "This is a part of it, a part of her, that has never grown. It froze, probably years ago."
"Years ago... I wonder if it was when I left for Celestia's school." Sunburst guessed.
"She said you and her did everything together." Twilight told the Crystaller.
"I'd say that's fairly accurate. She spent more time with me and my family than she did her own. Her dad did what he could, but he was just so busy working to keep a roof over their heads. Her mom was never really in the picture. I don't even remember her."
"This part of her psyche takes comfort in items and activities of a foalish nature. Notice how colorful and vibrant everything is, save for the two caregivers." Luna continued.
Twilight and Sunburst looked around, and indeed, it was a lively, popping room.
"So, why are the two... Parents... Blacked out?" Twilight asked.
"It is likely something she is still longing for. Ponies to perhaps share this side of her with. To fulfill the role of parents who were never there." Luna said.
Twilight looked on, noticing how peaceful Starlight was sleeping.
"Thoughts, Twilight?" Luna asked, as she noticed how Twilight had fixated on the sleeping Glimmer.
"Just... How I'm sorry that I barged in on her like that. I was just afraid she had gotten hurt by tripping over something."
"Sunburst?" Luna glanced at the Royal Crystaller.
"Me leaving... Did this to her?" He asked.
"We can't be certain of that. Many ponies are 'ageplayers' for a variety of reasons. Some can pinpoint it to an event in their childhood, and some wonder their whole lives where it originated from. It's not likely that you are the entire reason."
"I mean, just last weekend, she had made a spell that turned the throne room into, well, this, except it didn't have any of the foal furniture. And it also made us foals again."
"She said you were quite uncomfortable with it." Twilight said.
"With myself being a foal, but if she likes it... I mean, what's the harm?"
"I agree. She's kept it behind closed doors, I've never noticed anything unsanitary about her room... So if she wants to do this, it's harmless. But... At the same time..."
Luna and Sunburst looked at the Princess of Friendship, waiting for her to continue.
"If she doesn't want to keep it to herself... If she's been wanting to share this side of her... I mean... Sunburst, you and I have experience with Flurry Heart. Do you think... Maybe..."
"Maybe we could be her caretakers, or... Well, parents?" Sunburst said, his cheeks tinting slightly.
"Do... Do you really think we could fulfill those roles?" Twilight asked, both to Sunburst and Luna.
"Well... If you're asking me what I think... Yeah. I think so. I think you and I would be the most comfortable with letting her explore this side of herself." Sunburst told her.
"Yeah, no offense to Trixie, but this may be a little too far out there for her." Twilight added.
"I don't believe you two would be having this conversation if either of you thought you couldn't. But there is one more thing; you still have to talk to Starlight herself to see how she feels about it." Luna advised them.
Twilight looked over to the sleeping filly, knowing she had been disturbed enough for one night.
"Well, I'll be waiting for her when she gets back in the morning, hopefully." Twilight stated, knowing that this was likely going to be one of the most awkward conversations of her life.