This is the only Chapter.
"But Pinkie, why-" Twilight Sparkle was saying before she froze in place.
The usually cheerful Pinkie Pie sighed heavily as she looked at the unmoving expression of one of her oldest friends. But she had expected this to happen. She was used to it, somepony was always part way through a sentence when it happened. Looking past Twilight, Pinkie saw the looks on both Rarity and Applejack’s faces. They were listening to the conversation. But, well, they were frozen too.
Everything was, Pinkie sighed once more. She didn’t even question the odd nature of events as she simply took a notepad and pencil out of her mane and began scribbling notes about what she was talking about and her overall aura at the time. Twilight was asking Pinkie about something, but...really...it didn’t matter right now. Not for a while anyway.
Twilight wouldn’t be talking again for quite a while, so Pinkie turned away and began to walk off, absentmindedly noting the unmoving clock on the wall. It said the same thing it did every time this happened. It didn’t matter though. Pinkie just walked past a frozen Spike in the kitchen, making something delicious. Pinkie couldn’t wait for him to finish and share it with everypony.
Pinkie’s hooves echoed on the floor of the castle as she made her way out of the crystal palace. Eventually she made her way to the door and looked out on the day. It really was a beautiful day out today. The sky was just the most perfect shade of blue, with clouds breaking up the single colour and making it all look just right. There were birds unmoving in their flight. They looked so happy, Pinkie really wished she could join in on their joy, but she couldn’t bring herself to smile at this time.
There was so much to be happy about, but Pinkie was unable to gather the energy to put on her signature smile, she just listened to the echo of her hooves on the path back into town. She absentmindedly walked back to Sugarcube Corner, her place of work and home. But stopped briefly as she passed by the market.
So many ponies were in the middle of going about their day when it happened. Going about their business, buying food, flowers, quills, anything really. And so many looked so happy about themselves, Pinkie wished she was like them, going about her life without a care in the world. The way they thought she was.
Pinkie looked at Rose buying apples from Big Mac's stand and walked over to her. Pinkie wasn't afraid of being seen, nopony every could, but she looked long at Rose's unmoving expression. She was part way through a word. Maybe 'found'? it was an 'ow' sound based on how her lips were shaped. Pinkie sighed longingly at this pleasant exchange between two friends, wishing she could have it herself, before lowering her head and walking on.
It wasn't until another 20 minutes later that Pinkie's hoofsteps echo'd through the unsettlingly still, though full, streets of ponyville and she arrived at Sugarcube Corner. She didn't bother saying hello to the Cakes as she passed them unmovingly conducting their business. Pinkie gave up talking to everypony years ago.
How long had it been, since she got her cutie mark? To anyone else it had to have been maybe 15 years? More than that? She really couldn't remember, it'd been so long since then. But, her emotionless steps finally brought Pinkie to the party cave and she walked over to one of the filing cabinets.
It was an unassuming affair, looking much the same as any of the other dozen or so cabinets. Pulling out the bottom drawer she noted that it was filled with scrolls, all marked with numbers. After a moment looking at all of them, Pinkie pulled out a scroll labelled 19 and unrolled it, revealing a long list of items. Each items was scratched out, and the list continued to get longer and longer as Pinkie went down it.
The final item was still uncrossed, and after Pinkie read it, she sighed again, before she placed the scroll back in her filing cabinet and closed it with her tail before turning away from it, pausing for a full 30 seconds to think back on everything that had been crossed off of her most recent to-do list and moved on.
She'd done so much in her life. She'd read so many books, met more than her fair share of ponies, and made and tested every recipe she could think of. Plus she'd learned so many skills and even did simple small things, like hide balls everywhere in Ponyville. She'd told everyone it was in case of a 'ball emergency' but she knew the real reason was because she just needed something to do. It was the same reason she did anything. Novelty.
Pinkie had written books, more than she could remember, eaten every food combination and basically seen everything Equestria had to offer. There was still new things to discover of course, she hadn't been everywhere, she couldn't, that'd require time she didn't have, but, well, she'd certainly been to every nook and cranny in all of Ponyville.
Pinkie Pie was cursed, plain and simple, just like everyone in her family. it was something different for each of them. Maud had Equestria ending strength. Limestone couldn't touch anypony without feeling unbearable pain, and Marble just wasn't able to sleep or eat. It affected all the mares in her family line, starting a couple generations back. She couldn't remember, but it only manifested once you figured out your destiny.
Pinkie often wished she had their curses instead of her own as she found a lever hidden behind one of the filing cabinets revealing a giant dug out tunnel leading off into the distance. Pinkie looked down the seemingly endless tunnel and somberly smiled, the first she'd had since she saw her friends maybe half an hour ago.
So, rolling her shoulders slightly, Pinkie began walking down the silent and pitch black tunnel. She thought back on all the time she spent digging out this thing. She always made sure the ground above her was supported, but she wanted to be able to go to distant places by herself, no need to buy a train ticket, just build her own train and take it through her tunnels.
Pinkie really didn't like how much time she had on her hooves, but what could she do? she'd could control her curse, but it never made it go away or lessen, it just meant she could activate it anytime she wanted in addition to it already happening by itself. So she only did that when she wanted to have a moment to think. Not that she ever actually needed a moment to herself to think, She ran out of wanting that basically the day she got her cutie mark. Probably happened that same hour.
But what can you do to something that runs in your blood? Pinkie had already read every medical book and as it turns out, genetic magic isn't something you can change. Or remove. Or even really tolerate if it was bad as her curse.
Pinkie spent maybe an hour walking down her dug out tunnel until she ended up at the end. Her supplies waiting for her, untouched and in the same condition she left them. An engraved pickaxe sat in her cart waiting for her, so she turned on her miner's helmet and placed it on her head, ready to get back to work. She had time after all.
I mean, when time freezes for a week every hour of the day, you didn't really have anything else.
Author's Note
I had a random idea for a story while out for a walk, which is vaguely based on a Tumblr post I saw several months ago. But obviously, I took it in a different direction.
In any case, I'm not entirely proud of the execution of this one, no matter how interesting I find the idea. So if anyone thinks they can do better, I highly encourage you to try, and then please link your story in the comment section below.
At any rate, thank you for reading ^-^
