"Uh, Twilight?" Applejack asked from her seat in the throne room.
Twilight calmly replied from her own seat. "Yes, Applejack?"
"Are y'all gonna take a look at that book in yer saddle bag?"
The alicorn looked down at her side where her pale blue saddle bag was lightly buzzing. A small amount of light was visibly shining through the opening even as the bag was latched shut. "Oh, I'm sure it's nothing."
The rest of the group looked around at each other, confused.
"But isn't that the book that lets you communicate with Sunset Shimmer in the other world?" asked Rainbow Dash.
Twilight sighed. "Sunset doesn't just write for disasters. She writes me about her life and how things are going in the human world. I'm sure she's fine. Besides, that's not what we came here for today, is it?" She turned to Fluttershy. "So, Fluttershy, what's going on again?"
The yellow pegasus cringed slightly at being made the center of attention. "Um. Well. It's probably not that important. I was worried about..."
"Twilight!" shouted Applejack. "Do not change the subject like that!"
"Yeah," said Rainbow Dash. "For all you know, the fate of all of our worlds hangs in the balance! Just look and see--"
"You know," said Twilight. "It's not very polite to interrupt somepony." Rainbow Dash folded her arms across her chest. Twilight looked back at Fluttershy. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy. You were saying?"
The mare cowered in her seat, the butterflies on her throne and her flank were nothing compared to the ones growing in her stomach. "Oh. It's nothing, really. I'm not upset about being interrupted. In fact, how about we just forget about the whole thing and go home?"
Before she could respond, Twilight's bag began to emit its buzzing sound again.
"That's it," Rainbow Dash declared, standing up and flying across the table toward the bag. Without even acknowledging the action, Twilight smoothly lifted her saddlebag out of the way with magic and placed it in her lap as Rainbow crashed into the wall behind her.
"Really, Twilight," said Rarity. "This is not how a princess should behave. Can't you at least look at the book to see if Sunset is in trouble?"
"Look," said Twilight. "We can deal with that later. The last time something went wrong in the human world, everyone was able to fix it without my help. I'm sure they'll be fine for a few hours. If they really needed me that badly, one of them could just come through the portal."
"Say, where is the portal?" asked Pinkie Pie. "And if you took the book out of that thingy you made for it, then can't they only come through once every thirty moons?"
Twilight shook her head. "Where the portal is right now doesn't really matter. What matters is what Fluttershy came to talk about today."
"I know where the portal is," Applejack hopped out of her seat and walked out of the room. Pinkie, Rarity, and a slightly bruised Rainbow quickly followed her. Twilight remained seated and looked at Fluttershy.
"So, what's up?"
"Twilight," said Fluttershy. "I think you should probably look at the book."
"Ugh! Again with the stupid book," Twilight threw her hooves in the air. "Seriously, Fluttershy, I thought you came here to tell us something important."
The pegasus' eyes narrowed, "And I thought you were better than somepony who would ignore a friend in need." With that, Fluttershy gave a "hmpf" and left her chair to join the others in the hall.
After waiting a moment, Twilight shook her head and followed.
Out in the hallway, Applejack was trying to open one of the many doors. "I helped Twilight move the portal in here." The mare strained against the door. "I don't know why she'd lock it. The thing's just a closet!"
"Well maybe I don't want random folks waltzing into my castle unannounced." Twilight defended from behind the group, who turned to face her. "That mirror leads to another universe, so that door is like a front door into my home."
"Open it," demanded Rainbow Dash.
"No!" said Twilight. "We're not dealing with this right now."
"Yes you are!" came a muffled voice from inside the closet. Everyone turned to the door.
"Is that Sunset Shimmer?" asked a shocked Rarity. The group again looked to Twilight.
Twilight's eyes darted left and right. "What are you talking about? I didn't hear anything..."
"I know you heard me, Twilight!" said the voice, drawing attention back to the closet. "If I can hear you, I'm pretty sure you can hear me!" The handle jiggled from the inside. "Oh, for the love of-- Open this door!" The sound of a hoof banging on the inside of the door could be easily heard by everypony in the the hall.
The whole group glared at Twilight. "Open it," said Applejack, pointing to the door.
"We have no idea who that is," said Twilight. "It could be one of the Sirens for all we know!"
"It's Sunset Shimmer," the voice proclaimed. The pounding continued.
"Wait a minute," said Pinkie, rubbing her chin with a hoof. "If Twilight has the book in her saddlebag, and you need the book to open the portal, and it hasn't been thirty moons since Twilight went there the first time, then..."
"What's in the bag?" asked a concerned Fluttershy, pointing to the saddlebag upon Twilight's back.
After looking face to face and finding only anger or confusion, Twilight admitted defeat. The mare walked through her group of friends and used her magic to unlock the door.
A yellow mare with a bacon colored mane emerged and glared at Twilight. "Give it back!" she demanded.
"I don't know to what you're referring," said Twilight, looking up at the ceiling.
"You know exactly what I'm here for." Sunset held out a hoof. "Give back my smartphone!"
Twilight remained silent and refused to look at Sunset. The rest of the group looked to each other. When the rest either shook their heads or shrugged, Rarity cleared her throat. "Excuse me for interrupting, but, um, what is a 'smartphone?'"
Sunset looked over at Rarity. "It's a multipurpose computing device and communications tool." The group's expressions remained vacant upon hearing this revelation, with the exception of Pinkie, who nodded and smiled, understanding everything. Sunset sighed at the lack of effect her explanation had on the rest. She continued, "Basically, it can do math and let's you talk to people far away."
"Well that sounds lovely," said Fluttershy. "It sounds like having your own dragon assistant!"
"But Twilight already has one of those," said Applejack. "So why would Twilight take yer smartphone away?"
"Because she's still jealous of what it can do," Sunset said. "I let her use mine for a few hours on her last visit and now she thinks she needs to have one of her own."
"Just leave it to Twilight to fall in love with a math device," Rainbow Dash laughed.
Twilight blushed. "It does more than that," she defended. "It also let's you play games and read books and browse news articles and take photos and do all sorts of other things."
"What kinda games?" asked Rainbow Dash, now much more interested in the concept.
"That doesn't matter," declared Sunset. "It doesn't belong in Equestria and I need it back in the human world."
"Why not just buy a new one?" Twilight looked Sunset dead in the eye. "Everyone over there has one, they can't be that expensive."
"In Equestrian terms, it's about 300 bits," said Sunset, looking right back. "Plus about 20 bits a month for service fees."
Applejack whistled. "Woo-wee, that's not exactly a cheap toy."
"Because it isn't a toy," Sunset was still looking at Twilight. "And I need it back."
"Yeah, well, I want to keep it," Twilight announced. The two mares glared at one another.
"Hold on," said Pinkie Pie. "If Twilight didn't want you to get the smartphone back, why didn't she close the portal?"
"Because the portal needs to be open for it to work," said Sunset. "Cell phones don't work by magic like our books. They communicate via pulses of electromagnetic energy. If you want to use one, you need to be in range of a cell tower. I'm sure it's picking up signals through the portal."
"I'm afraid to ask," said Applejack. "But what in the hay is a 'cell tower?'"
Sunset waved a hoof. "It's really not that complicated. A cell tower is just a metal tower with antennae that transmits signals so phones can communicate with each other."
"Well that's strange," piped up Fluttershy. "Because I came to tell you all today that there's some sort of giant metal tower in the Everfree Forest."
"What?!" Twilight exploded. "That's impossible! I put a spell on that so no ponies could perceive it! How did you..." Twilight facehoofed. "It was the animals, wasn't it?"
"Hold it," Sunset rounded on Twilight. "You're building a cell tower in Equestria and hiding it from everypony with magic? Just so you could play games on my phone?"
"Oh, like you're one to talk," retorted Twilight. "You brought magic into the human world. Magic! So much magic that the Sirens almost regained their power after a thousand years and the other me almost destroyed reality itself! I doubt one little cell tower would do that much damage."
"Well the animals certainly don't appreciate it," Fluttershy complained.
Sunset held out a hoof. "Give it back to me, Twilight. It doesn't belong here and you know it."
"You know, a phone can do more than just play games," Twilight continued. "I can also use it to read up on the human world. Your intermesh encyclopedia has millions of articles."
"Inter-net," corrected Sunset. "And I don't care how educational my phone is to you. If anything, that's worse! You could flood Equestria with foreign knowledge and really mess things up here. Now where is it?"
Twilight laughed. "Ha! I'm not telling you that!"
"It's in her saddlebag," the other five said in unison.
Mortified, Twilight looked to her friends, "How could you take her side?"
"Twilight, dear," said Rarity. "Stealing isn't nice."
"Smartphones don't belong in Equestria," explained Applejack.
"And the animals don't want you to build a cell tower," finished off Fluttershy.
Looking from pony to pony, Twilight realized that she wasn't going to get any support from her friends. And she knew they were right. She just wished they knew how amazing this device really was. In fact... With a small grin, Twilight hung her head. "Fine." Twilight's saddlebag opened and the plastic phone was lifted out. As she moved it toward Sunset, the magic changed from magenta to amber. However, just before it had totally changed over, Twilight pulled the phone back. "Although," she said. "It does seem like a waste to have brought this phone all the way here without showing it to my friends."
Sunset's eyes narrowed, "What are you getting at?"
"I just think it would be nice if my friends here in Equestria could try out a smartphone before you take it back."
"Twilight. I don't think--" Sunset began. However, Rainbow Dash flew through the air and snagged the phone out of Twilight's aura.
"So what kinds of games does it have? And how do you use it?"
"All sorts of games," said Twilight, smugly. "And all you do is touch the screen to move things around."
Rainbow Dash tapped her hoof to the screen and the device lit up. "Swipe to unlock," she read aloud, pulling her hoof across the screen in the direction of the arrow. The screen changed to one with about a dozen icons. "Now what?" asked Dash.
"Every one of those little pictures is something the phone can do," explained Twilight.
"Whoa!" gasped Rainbow. "All this stuff on this tiny little thing?"
Sunset facehoofed. "Sweet Celestia." However, the moment she said that, the mare looked up and beamed. She turned around and walked back into the closet.
"Is Sunset really just giving up like that?" asked Pinkie Pie.
Suddenly, Rainbow shouted, "Hey, what gives? I was just starting to figure out how this thing worked and now it's telling me it can't connect to some network!" Twilight flew up next to Rainbow Dash and looked at the phone. A moment later, Sunset emerged with Celestia's book in her hoof.
"I think you might need this," said Sunset, smugly. "Now, you have until the count of ten to give me that phone back," Sunset warned.
"Or else what?" asked Twilight with a laugh.
"Well, Princess Celestia personally charmed these books. I know a spell that can use this book's connection to her to tell on you!"
Twilight's eyes went wide. "You're bluffing!"
"We obviously haven't spent enough time together, Twilight," said Sunset. "Or else you'd know I don't bluff."
Biting her lip, Twilight considered the veracity of this statement.
"One." Sunset began to count.
"You know, Sunset. We're both grown mares."
"Two."
"We can work this out without involving Celestia."
"Three."
"Isn't this a bit foalish?"
"Four."
"Oh, come on!"
"Five."
Twilight weighed her options. On the one hoof, she really liked that phone.
"Six."
On the other, she had no idea what Celestia would do if she learned her former student had stolen from her other former student and brought alien technology into Equestria.
"Seven."
Twilight rubbed her temples. If only she'd finished that tower last night, but she'd gotten so distracted playing one of those games...
"Eight."
"Okay! Fine! You win!" Twilight grabbed the smartphone out of Rainbow Dash's hoofs and threw it down at Sunset, who gratefully snatched it with her hoof.
"Thank you," Sunset then turned back toward the open closet door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have homework to do."
Rainbow Dash groaned. "Oh, come on! I didn't even get to really use it."
"Yer not supposed to," argued Applejack.
Rarity nodded, "Yes, Rainbow Dash. I'm afraid some things are just better left alone."
The rainbow mare shook her head.
"It was good to see you all. I feel like I already know you, but I know we've hardly even met," said Sunset, waving slightly. "Next time I'll stay longer. Promise." With that, the mare closed the door behind her.
The five turned back to Twilight. "Now," said Applejack. "What was this about you buildin' some sorta tower in the forest?"
Twilight bowed her head. "I'll go take it down..."
"Wait a minute... You said everypony in that other world has one of those?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Every-body," Twilight corrected. "And yes. Why?"
"Oh, no reason," said Rainbow non-nonchalantly. The group then began to make their way out of the castle, but Rainbow Dash looked back at the closet door for a moment before continuing. "I was just... curious."
Author's Note
I only have one thing to add...
