I finished hanging the lavender in the hallways and decided that it was time for me to start the night as usual. Walking to my room, I pass by Celestia who talks with a few other ponies. She even laughs with them. Well, it's nothing to be jealous of, really. Just something she does every day. Whether she ignores my flowers or not. I roll my eyes and walk to the porch, raising the moon. With a neutral face I walk to my room.
Arriving, I close my eyes and cast the spell that comes off now as habit. When I open my eyes again, the whole world seems just to be a night sky, filled with stars. But looking closely, you can see that each star is actually a little orb containing visions. Visions of everypony's dreams. And nightmares, of course. I roam around the sky for a bit, searching for a bad dream. Somepony I can help comfort. Usually this part is easy. The pony with the nightmare has the bigger stars. Easy detection. Right now there aren't many nightmares. That's a good sign.
And then I see it. A big orb in the far corner. As I approach it, I start to hear a voice become clearer. The first thing I can comprehend goes, "I just cause a bunch of problems." That's not a good sign. I walk closer and then I see the one with the nightmare.
She's pretty new to me, but I recognize her because Celestia and Twilight had a little talk about her a few days back. Twilight discussed plans with Celestia, though I'm sure she was bent on giving her new pupil a home and some friends. Meanwhile, she sat in the room next door, listening to their faint whispers. Her horn was glowing too, so she was probably casting some spell that made things louder. I was rather surprised when I first met her.
Twilight said she had been a super powerful dictator, that she'd almost destroyed Equestria by time traveling. But as of right now, she was reformed. And it seemed to me like she'd never even done any of it. She just sat there, listening to the conversation, her eyes dull and heartbroken. It felt terrible. I went up and introduced myself, but she didn't have much to say. She just bowed. I hadn't even known her name. Twilight later said "Starlight." I figured that was her name.
I shake the memory from my head and look back into the ball. Starlight gazed down with tears that made the rain and walked away. I jumped into the dream and called after here, seemingly in the body of Twilight Sparkle. "Starlight!" I call after her. "Starlight, come back!" She looks back in my direction with confusion and fear. I burst the image of her mentor and reveal myself to her. I reveal my wings, too, waiting for her to say the first words.
She stutters for a bit. "A-a-are you..." I stand there with amusement as she searches for her words. I tuck my wings again and wait for an answer. "P-princess Luna?" I nod and she stares at me with even more confusion. "Why are you here? W-what happened to T-t-twilight?"
I see her oblivious to the obvious and tell her, “Starlight Glimmer, I am here to protect you from what is hurting you. Dreams are my specialty.”
She seems very shocked. "A dream?"
With a sting of nostalgia, I answer her with another nod. "Listen. I know of your pain. I was once cruel, as you were, but I am reformed now. Changed, because of six fine ponies." I think of when I first met Twilight and her friends. They had defeated me, and then I remember that Starlight had gone through a similar process. "I happen to know that the same ponies helped you change, too, and that they are now your friends, are they not? You know, friends can do a lot, and can be hurt if their friend is hurt.”
She almost breaks down after hearing that, but she takes a slow, deep breath. I hear the guilt in her shaky voice as she starts speaking again. “Yes. They are. I think they are hurt because I was. But mostly because I ran away. And I feel... guilty that I did something bad to my friends.”
I think of myself and how Twilight and her friends helped me overcome as much guilt as Starlight is currently experiencing. “Well, as friends, they will surely be able to help you, no matter how much you think you can’t live up to her." I know for a fact that she is very lucky to have them as her friends. "Just tell them how you feel. I know for a fact that they can help you.”
The advice feels lame, but I hope it's enough to help her manage.