//------------------------------//
// Handled With Care 
// Story: It Had Worked Like Magic 
// by Comma Typer 
//------------------------------//

Alone in bed, Starlight lay. Her kite hung beside Trixie's spare cape and coat, soaking in the twilight through the window.

Groggy, she trudged to her desk and the journal that lay on top, alongside a box of old toys, fresh plants, and DIY instructions. According to Sunset via journal, there'd be a little get-together with Earth's Applejack later in the week.

At the end of the latest page, Oh yeah, Starlight, don't forget, you've got another focus thing you agreed to this Thursday. Hoping to see you again soon!


~~~


While her fellow pony interviewees went out to sightsee the city for lunch break, Starlight sat inside the office, enjoying the vista of icy streets and the cars that danced around. The intense smell of mocha drifted to her nose; she breathed in.

"We haven't talked much, have we, Starlight?"

Starlight turned around to meet the young student/researcher/entreprenuer-in-the-making Cosmic Dust, barely an adult. "Hiya! What's up?"

"A lot!" He laughed, though his eyes searched everywhere. "We've got a lot of promises and a lot of competition, but we're getting by. How about you? I did my research... headmare of the School of Friendship, with a tendency to grow a cult of personality?"

"Heh-heh, yes to the headmare part, though I'm on break. And yes to that cult part, but I've changed a lot since then, like channeling my passion for understanding magic in more benevolent ways." She glowed her horn, much to Cosmic's delight.

"Glad to have you on board. Between you and Sunset..." He took a set and leaned in close. "Are your pasts… let’s put it this way… taboo?"

"Oh, no! Not at all. Battling a princess in a battle of time and destiny made me realize how much friendship can change the world... or two." After a pause, Starlight tilted her head. "I take it that Sunset's been good to you?"

"Been good to us? It's charity at this point! She knows her stuff, she's got her connections... ah, she's not exactly a party person, but she's great to hang out with, too."

But Cosmic was called by Spectral to someplace else, leaving Starlight to sip on colder mocha.


~~~


"Apologies for the hectic talks today," Sunset muttered as Starlight fumbled into the passenger seat.

"Especially when everyone's ogling at me like I'm the only unicorn left," Starlight said as she put on her seatbelt in Sunset's car. "Still, I was the center of attention!"

Sunset giggled as she drove out of parking, back to wet, cold streets. "That's not true; I also was the center of attention back there, more so than most."

"Because everyone would love to have an Equestrian on their team." Starlight poked her on the arm. "But more importantly, you're an Equestrian with hands-on human experience."

"Heh, lucky for them... but also just living and breathing magic compared to the rest of Earth."

"Yeah, you've got me, the two Twilights—"

Her car skidded to a halt. The red light glared from above. Starlight gripped the door handle. "Sunset, what in the world—?!"

"Oh, sorry, just... triggered some memories. Haven't really seen her in a long time, you know." She checked the car behind her. "Both of them."

"Yeah, go figure; Twilight's been stuck with more paper work over the past few weeks. Hmm, speaking of Twilight, I'd imagine Twilight here must've been pretty stoked to see Earth's top scientists collaborating with our own here."

The light turned green. "True. I swear, she would've loved to be here when it all went down."


~~~


Sunset's house set the stage for another round of coffee. Instead of the news, cheesy Yuletide pop songs played on the TV.

Sunset took a sip. "Twilight wrote to me that you focused too much on purely magical solutions when you were still her apprentice."

Starlight sighed. "Yeah, I've moved on from it, but she's not wrong. Even now, friendship is sometimes... not as in-depth or as interesting as Severed Nape's Treatises, for example. It's a passing feeling, but maybe it's... indicative of something deeper?"

"Most likely," said Sunset, about to hold her hoof before stopping herself. "You feel it more when you're alone, I assume?"

Starlight tapped her chin. "That’s… close, yes. When, say, Fluttershy or Pinkie come along... even Octavia, once in a while, when she's free to help with guidance counseling... I don't think about it as much. I like their presence. But unicorn magic isn't exactly their forte, and my bookshelves at the school are pretty much, well, that."

Then Sunset tapped on her mug. "It's a start, at least. You also got Twilight and me to write to. And I'm sure Twilight's old Canterlot friends would appreciate a new pen pals. I'll tell Twilight to give them a heads-up, actually..."


~~~


Another round of coffee later, Starlight sat on the car ride to the portal hub.

"There should be some good offers here in a few years, should you want to pass the headmare's office to somepony else early on," Sunset finished as she parallel-parked into the one free spot on the sidewalk. "The field of computing bears a lot of similarities with spellcasting."

Saying her goodbyes, Starlight got out of the car, finding herself cozy in the crowd of latecomers heading home past rows of guards and cameras.

Sunset's car burned rubber as the unicorn waved. She could not see a hand waving back at her.