//------------------------------// // Boredom // Story: Unicorn Attack! // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// Sprout had to be perfectly honest with himself; he had more than half a mind to ask Izzy if she had some magic healing spell for his leg now that the unicorns had gotten their magic back. Because here he was with comics, a television with sixty new channels broadcasted from Zephyr Heights, a hot supreme pizza, and he was going absolutely freaking stir crazy. 'Just keep telling yourself that it's better than the hospital, Sprout,' he told himself as he nibbled at his current slice of pizza. He was fairly certain that it wasn't the activities, or lack of activities, but that he was currently feeling like a freeloader. Hitch wasn't letting him help with any of the upkeep around the house, and he was afraid that pushing the matter would indeed land him right back in Maretime Bay General. He had felt that the best way to get his point across was when Hitch brought him the pizza on his lunch break five minutes ago. "Could I at least paint the east wall so I can watch it dry?!" He had asked incredulously, causing Hitch to laugh as he left to return to work. He had unpacked his comics and books that he had brought over from his bedroom, and had quickly deduced that it was just a little too soon for a re-read. At least it wasn't deathly quiet in here; the television at least provided background noise when he wasn't paying attention to it. His attention snapped to the front door when he heard it open, and in walked Pipp Petals, who gave him a warm smile as she came into the den. "Afternoon, Deputy. Hope you're on the mend, and I've got something for you that will hopefully distract you from how long the healing process takes!" Pipp told him as she took a seat on the couch next to him, setting a shopping back on the floor in between it and the coffee table. The pegasus reached down into it, and came out with a small rectangular white box, which had a 'Z' on the lid, which she promptly pulled off and set to the side. Inside, was a small device that Sprout had most frequently seen in the hooves of the mare that was currently sitting next to him. "For you, Deputy Sprout," Pipp said, lifting it out of the indentation and offered it to him. "Um, wow. I don't know what to say. Or, um, what to call it," Sprout admitted as he accepted it, turning it over in his hooves. "A smartphone, the greatest cure-all for boredom known to pegasus kind!" Pipp said. "The most simple way to put it, is a phone, camera, and media player all in one. Not to mention canternet access." "Canternet?" The stallion asked. "A communication network, allowing for ponies across town, or now, across the region, to interact. You know, share pictures, videos, and status updates!" Pipp said. Sprout looked like a raccoonicorn staring at a tram's headlight. "Like, let's say you're gonna be a little late to work. Normally you'd call Hitch and hope he's at his desk? Well, now, you can just use that, and he can pick up anytime! You know, if he has his smartphone on him," Pipp told him. "He has one?" Sprout asked, tapping the screen with the tip of his hoof and saw the screen light up, showing the time and temperature outside. "Yep, all of our friends do now. I just stopped by Sunny's cart to give her hers," Pipp said. "There is no way it's that windy out," Sprout said, looking at the forecast. "Yeah, the weather app probably needs to be updated to account for the Maretime Bay tower now, it's probably still giving out Zephyr Heights' forecast," the pegasus said. Sprout was trying to keep up as best he could. "App?" "Short for application. There are quite a few on the store. I'm willing to bet that your favorite pizza place is going to have an app to place orders on in the near future," Pipp told him. The longer she saw him look at the device absolutely bewildered, the more she came to realize how overwhelmed earth pony was. "I'm guessing this is a fairly big leap in technology for you guys," Pipp told him. "I'll say. To think that CanterLogic could have been making stuff like this, instead of those stupid traps..." the stallion mused. "I've been meaning to ask... You're alright with Sunny having that factory, right? That's not going to create any hard feelings?" "What? Of course not. When everything is said and done, those are the absolute best hooves for that building to be in. She doesn't have a clue what to do with it right now, but I know she will eventually. So, I figured you'd be over at the new lighthouse, getting it ready to live in and everything," Sprout said. "That's where I'm headed next. I just wanted to get this dropped off and get you reading through this manual to see how all the bells and whistles work. With Hitch at work and everypony else at the lighthouse, I didn't want you to get too lonely here. You're probably going nuts, Sprout. After what you did for us, I didn't want to have you think that you'd been forgotten about, with all the crazy changes that have been happening around here." Sprout smiled warmly at her. "Thanks, Pipp. That means a lot, it really does. I'm hoping Hitch isn't too overwhelmed with all the new tourists coming to town; I'm guessing construction teams in town have got to be salivating at all the new projects to get more housing built. I know Hitch means well with not having me do anything around here to help me heal faster, but that isn't going to count for much if I go insane by the time I'm able to use all four legs again," Sprout complained. "Well, then lucky for you, that is the absolute perfect way to keep yourself occupied. You can watch videos on ClipTrot, go check out any number of community message boards on Hoofit, and share pictures on PonyGram. Those are three of the most popular ones by far, and there are so many more to see," Pipp told him. "Don't worry, I doubt you're the only one who is going to be struggling to figure everything out." "Still, it's finally something to stimulate my mind, gives me something to do. Just one question; how durable is it? Like, say if a certain somepony comes in and tells me to not touch the screen too hard because it'll make my recovery longer, can I throw this at them?" Sprout asked with a mischievous grin on his face. Pipp let out a giggle as she reached back into the bag, and pulled out a smaller box. She opened it, and came out with what looked to be another phone. She took the phone from Sprout, and he realized it was a case as she got it fitted into all sides, before popping the screen protector on, and gave it back to him. "Now it will. But I wouldn't do that honestly. As someone who has made the mistake of throwing it at my older sister, believe me, it would be all too easy for him to pick it up and take off with it, and you can't exactly keep up with him at the moment." Pipp said. "I take it you speak from experience," Sprout assumed. "Chased her around half the corridors of the castle before mom finally put a stop to it," Pipp said, offering a soft chuckle. "Well, I've got to see how they're doing at the lighthouse. I'm just a message away if you need help with anything," Pipp said, taking the owner's manual out of the box and setting it on the coffee table. "Though it would likely be a lot easier on me if you read that cover to cover first, just to cover the basics of how to work it." Sprout set the phone down on the arm of the couch and reached for the manual, setting it next to the phone before flipping it open to the first page. "Oh, one more thing," Pipp said, opening an inner flap on the box that the phone at come in. "Real good thing electrical standards have remained the same across all of our tribes!" Pipp pulled a plug and a cord out and went over to the wall and plugged the charger in, draping the cord over the left arm of the couch. "For when your battery gets low, it's the little port on the bottom. Well, here's hoping that everypony is a little bit better with their phones by dinner tonight!" With that, Pipp picked up her shopping bag, and was out the front door, leaving the deputy alone with the television, pizza, and new device.