"So, I guess I'll see you all next stream, Pippsqueaks. Remember: Pipp, pipp, hooray!" Pipp declared with a bright smile, her wings folded out to either side of her as she stood there, facing the camera on her phone. Then the light turned off and everything was silent. That was it, the stream was over.
The pudgy pink popstar pegasus looked all around for a moment, as if expecting something to happen. When it didn't, she let out a sigh and dramatically put a hoof to her forehead. "That was my fifth livestream in just four days."
Pipp's sigh of lament did not go unheard. As it so happened, because she had been livestreaming from Mane Melody, her remark had been overheard by none other than Rocky Riff. And Rocky came strolling up to check on the pony who more or less served as his boss (whenever she was around the salon anyway). "Hey, you're doing great, Pipp. Really. Every livestream you host is better than the one before it."
"Thanks, Rocky," Pipp replied with a smile, before slumping down into a nearby chair. "But nopony understands just how much time and effort goes into making them. It's not an easy thing. I have to set up links, check all my equipment, think up content, and if something goes wrong midstream I have to correct it all by myself. Much as I hate to admit it, I think I need a break."
Rocky blinked his eyes, more concerned than surprised. "A break from what, Pipp?" Deep down, he already suspected what she meant, but a part of him was hoping it wasn't true.
The popstar princess sighed anew as she slumped further in her chair. "A break from livestreaming, from always being online. You know what it's like, right? Every now and then, you just get burnt out from doing the same thing, so you need to step away. Get away from it all."
The pegasus stallion with golden wings was still hesitant and unsure. "Are you really going to go through with what I think you're going to go through with?"
Pipp nodded ever so slowly. "Yes, Rocky. I'm officially going unplugged! Tomorrow, I am going to be phone free for an entire day! I mean it!"
That bold declaration prompted a gasp from Rocky! "But think of your fans, the Pippsqueaks!"
"Hey, they all have lives too," Pipp retorted. "It's not the end of Equestria if I'm not online every day. I've managed without a phone before. I can do it again if I have to," She rose slowly from the chair and with a fiery look in her eyes she dramatically proclaimed! "That's it, my mind is made up and I'm not changing it! I won't even look at, let alone touch my phone all day tomorrow! It'll be my first fully phone free day in... I don't even know how long. But I'm going to do it." And just like that, it was settled.
Of course, the popstar pegasus wasn't about to just leave her fans hanging. Before going to bed that night, she made sure to send out a brief message letting all her Pippsqueaks know that she would be going unplugged tomorrow, and that they shouldn't be alarmed if they didn't receive any notifications or updates from her. Once that was taken care of, she climbed into bed and closed her eyes. Where tomorrow might take her, she had no idea.
It felt surprisingly nice to Pipp to be able to sleep in the next morning, not having to think about getting up and preparing for a livestream or some kind of update, and no needing to worry about checking all the social media sites for the latest trends. There really was nothing like a good night's sleep.
The pudgy pink pegasus princess knew she couldn't stay in bed all day, however. That would be taking the easy way out on her phone free day. Since she was truly going unplugged, the least she could do was get up and go outside to see what the day had to offer for her.
Surprisingly, by the time Pipp had made her way downstairs for breakfast, the Brighthouse wasn't entirely void of ponies. Zipp was still there, apparently going over some notes scattered clumsily about on a table.
"Morning, Zipp." Pipp cheerfully greeted as she fixed herself a quick breakfast of cereal and milk. It wasn't as great as when Izzy made pancakes or Hitch prepared breakfast for everypony, but it wasn't bad. It gave her time to think about things, things other than the fact that she was going unplugged. After all, part of the reason for her doing this was because she was hoping to find a bit more inspiration for her next post or song.
Zipp looked up from her notes ever so slowly, surprised to see her sister eating her breakfast and not even absentmindedly scrolling through her phone. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Pipp?" She questioned in an unamused tone of voice.
The younger pegasus princess playfully retorted. "Very funny, Zipp. You know it's me."
"Yeah, right," Zipp sarcastically replied as she strolled over and started tugging on Pipp's mane. "There's no way it's actually you, Pipp. I don't buy for a second this whole 'Unplugged' thing. No way are you going phone free for a full twenty four hours. You're always livestreaming something."
Pipp Petals groaned in annoyance as she swatted her sister's hoof away and had to resist the urge to frown and growl. "What? I can't take a break every now and then? I can't suffer from burnout and want to get away from it all? I don't always need something big or dramatic to get me to put the phone down."
The elder pegasus pony reluctantly backed off, apparently convinced. Still, she couldn't resist a teasing smirk. "I know for a fact you're not gonna be able to stay away from your phone all day long. You're practically tied to it. By the end of the day today, you'll be back on your phone and all will be normal."
The pastel pink pegasus pony proudly proclaimed as she puffed out her chest. "Well, there's a first time for everything, Zipp! I mean it when I say I'm going unplugged and staying unplugged all day! And if you've got a problem with that, well... I don't care! You're not gonna change my mind!"
Zipp just shrugged her hooves. "Hey, you do what you feel like doing. I'm not going to stop you. If you somehow pull it off, I'll be impressed." Then she made her way back to her side of the table and scanned over her notes again, soon appearing to be lost in thought about what was written on them.
Once breakfast was finished, Pipp didn't hesitate to leave the Brighthouse and head out into Maretime Bay. It was the perfect kind of day to be outside in her opinion: Not too hot and not too cold. The sun was shining, but there were just enough passing clouds to keep its rays from being too bright and blinding.
With no particular destination in mind, the popstar princess decided to just wander and trot about from place to place. If something caught her eye, she would stop to look at it more in depth. Who knew? Maybe she'd even bump into one of her Pippsqueaks.
So Pipp wandered from one place to another, taking in the sights of Maretime Bay in all its glory. There were so many things she'd never even given a second thought to before, but now she was noticing them more in detail and finding herself admiring them. The hustle and bustle of the town was broken up every so often by the clanging chime of a bell from the trolley, before it would come cruising down its track. Every so often, it would slow and ponies would board it or get off it, but it never truly stopped.
Hitch could be seen making his usual patrol rounds with Sparky in tow and the little "squad" of critters that so often followed in Hitch's wake not far behind. Occasionally, the sheriff might blow his whistle or shout at somepony, scolding them for breaking a law or engaging in bad behavior. But for the most part he just went about his business without a word and with a smile on his face.
And of course, there were ponies flocking to the Canterlogic factory that had been converted into a movie studio. Sprout was on hoof to give guided tours, looking much more cheerful now that he had something to do compared to how he'd once sulked about town doing odd jobs.
Suddenly, Pipp's ears picked up the faint sound of whirring and spinning wheels. She turned to look, just as she saw a large scooter come screeching to a halt right in front of her, miraculously managing not to shower the pegasus with dust.
"Oh, hey, Pipp!" Izzy greeted with a look of wide eyed wonder as she lifted up her helmet and gave her friend a hug. "So, you're really going through with this whole 'Unplugged' thing, are you?"
The popstar pegasus sighed ever so faintly. "Not you too, Izzy. Why doesn't anypony believe me when I say I'm going to do it for a whole day?"
Izzy chuckled. "Oh, I know you can do it, Pipp. It's just surprising, that's all. I don't think you've gone unplugged since we went to that abandoned dragon colony."
The pastel pink pegasus princess proclaimed in response. "Hey, all the more reason to do it now. It'll prove to everypony that I'm not completely attached to my phone after all! Besides, being online all the time is exhausting. And don't you ever get tired of doing the same thing day after day?"
The unicorn mare with a pretty pink coat just shrugged her hooves in reply. "I guess maybe it would if I was doing what you were doing. But I'm not you, Pipp," She then looked back to her scooter. "I'd love to stay and keep talking with you, but you know me: Got places to go, crafting projects to complete, and ponies to help. Never a dull moment in my life!" And after securing her helmet back on her head, she turned her scooter and sped away as quickly as she had appeared.
Not long after Izzy's departure, Pipp happened to stroll past Mane Melody. It seemed to be packed with ponies, as usual. But aside from a small, fast moving line just outside the salon, everything seemed to coming along just fine.
Still, the popstar princess found the idea of an unofficial visit refusing to leave her alone. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since she could recall having her mane styled. That was something she was about to correct as she joined the line. Rocky and Jazz would be surprised.
Indeed, surprised might have been an understatement if the expressions upon the faces of both Rocky Riff and Jazz Hooves were anything to go by. The moment they saw Pipp, they seemed to be at a loss for words, if only for a moment. They quickly recovered, however, and Pipp was glad they didn't appear to be giving her special treatment just because she was their boss.
Whilst having her mane styled and being pampered, the pudgy pink pegasus was thinking in her mind, trying to picture the words for her next song. She already had the melody in mind, she could practically hum it out loud if she wanted to. But the words to go along with it just weren't coming to her. They were there, just out of reach. Yet as hard as she tried, she could not seem to grasp them.
Oh well, there was still plenty of time to come back to them and think it over later. This phone free day wasn't even half over yet. There was still so much more to see and to potentially do.
Upon exiting the salon, the popstar pegasus princess walked along for a little while longer, lost in thought with no particular destination in mind. That is, until a sweet scent started tickling at her nostrils, reminding her that it had been a few hours since breakfast.
So Pipp let her nose lead her to a small restaurant with a lovely view of the surrounding bay and beach. And the food there tasted every bit as delicious as it smelled. She was glad she'd found it, because it was a place she could not recall ever having visited before. Normally, she would just order food to be delivered to her or go to Sunny's smoothie cart due to how busy she'd be. Today, she had nothing but time on her hooves to sit down, look over the menu, and place an order.
The experience also gave the pegasus more time to think of those words. They were so close now, they were on the tip of her tongue. All it would take was that one little spark of realization. Yet as she dwelt upon them, she found that they still wouldn't come to her just yet.
After lunch, Pipp spent the rest of the day either trotting or flying around Maretime Bay, just letting the breeze guide her while she kept thinking in her mind about the lyrics to her song. Everything was starting to come together. If she could just get the lyrics to go along with the beat, it would all be perfect.
It was amazing to the pink popstar pegasus how much slower time seemed to pass when she wasn't spending every minute on her phone. But she didn't care. Today was the perfect kind of day to linger, a day to do nothing. And a do nothing day would allow her to return to her usual online life the next day refreshed, recharged and ready to throw herself into her work wholeheartedly.
By the time the sun was low on the western horizon, preparing to set, Pipp Petals was certain she had taken in every square inch of Maretime Bay possible. She had explored all its shops, all its businesses, and everything in between. The peace and quiet was so different compared to the hustle and bustle of Zephyr Heights. Yet she had never really noticed it until just now. It was something to really appreciate and admire.
Then, like a flash of light, it came to the pudgy pink pegasus! The lyrics that had eluded her all day now practically landed in her lap! She knew instantly what they were and what she wanted them to say. They were the perfect lyrics to go along with her slow, soothing melody.
Not wanting to risk letting them get away from her, Pipp raced back to the Brighthouse as fast as her hooves could carry her! Once inside, she immediately raced not for her phone but to grab a pencil and paper so as to write down the lyrics before she forgot them.
Zipp watched the whole thing unfold with something of an amused smirk. Yet she waited for her sister to finish writing and put down the pencil before declaring. "Wow, Pipp! I have to admit, I'm impressed. You really meant it when you said you were going unplugged for a whole day. And it seems like it paid off."
Pipp smiled, holding up the piece of paper with her hastily scribbled down lyrics. "And you thought I couldn't do it, Zipp!"
The elder pegasus princess replied. "I never said you couldn't, Pipp."
The younger pegasus sibling rolled her eyes. "Come on, you know you doubted me!"
Zipp sighed. "Well if it makes you happy then yes, I guess I did doubt you. Congratulations on proving me wrong."
Pipp Petals nodded back. "Yup. In fact, I'm starting to think I should go unplugged more often. Sometimes, it seems like the best way to get inspiration is to get away from the screens and the online world, and just experience life face to face."