"So...just so I know, what time is it?" Sunset asked.
Rainbow shrugged. "About eleven?"
"And she hasn't even shown signs of waking yet?" Twilight enquired with obvious shock.
"Apparently not, darling," Rarity answered.
"Heck, the day's half-gone already! What's she still doin' in bed?" Applejack wondered, her voice tinted with irritation.
"Well, maybe she had a hard time getting to sleep last night, so maybe she's making up for it?" Fluttershy suggested.
Rainbow shook her head. "Nope, no dice, Flutters. Asked her sister about it. She just came up here, put her head on the pillow and then boom, asleep. And if the snores they heard during the night are anything to go by, she was asleep the whole night, so no, she's not 'making up' for anything."
All the girls looked to their usually-bubbly friend, still snoozing away in her bed, about as flayed-out as it was possible to be for a person in the morning. Some scratched their heads, some looked to the party-girl with disapproval, but Sunset just looked amused by the whole thing. "So, do we just wake her?"
"Oh, wouldn't that be rude?" Fluttershy worried.
Applejack waved her off. "Nah. Y'all know how much stuff Pinkie likes ta pack into her day. She'll probably thank us fer it." Stepping forward, Applejack gently placed her hand upon Pinkie's shoulder, nudging her there. "Hey, Pinkie? Time ta get up now." But then, all she got for her trouble was an especially-loud snore on Pinkie's part, prompting another frown for her. "Ah said...it's time ta wake up now, Pinkie!" Applejack said with greater effort. But no, still nothing.
Cackling, Rainbow rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward, gently pushing Applejack to one side. "Stand back, AJ. Let a pro show you how it's done." She ignored the sight of all her friends rolling their eyes to that, then got down to one knee, put her face right up to Pinkie's ear, took in a deep breath, then bellowed out as loud as she was able to. "HEY!!! PINKIE!!! TIME TO WAKE UP!!! GET ON OUT OF THAT BED ALREADY!!!" She smirked, fully expecting her friend to just jump out of her bed instantly with that shout. Instead, she just got another snore, leading to obvious dismay on Rainbow's part. "...What?"
Folding her arms, Applejack chuckled. "Huh, guess the 'pro' is havin' an off-day today." She took a moment to savor the look of irritation Rainbow gave her after that, then looked around to the others. "So...anyone else?"
Sunset scratched the back of her head. "Well, if Pinkie were the one trying to wake someone up, she probably wouldn't be subtle about it, so..." Hesitantly, she stepped forward, taking hold of Pinkie's unmoving shoulders, then roughly shook her there. Nothing serious, but enough to wake up pretty much anyone else in the world who might have been in a deep sleep. Alas, this too had no effect on the slumbering girl, and as Sunset stepped backwards, she sighed. "Okay, she just has to have taken some sleep-aid pills or something, there's just no other explanation."
Clearing her throat slightly to gain everybody's attention, Rarity put on a little smile before sauntering over to Pinkie's bed. "Pardon me, friends, but if I may?" The others stood aside, watching with interest as Rarity reached around for her purse. Then, after rummaging around inside it for a while, she found what she was looking for, holding it up triumphantly. To everyone's surprise, and confusion of course, it appeared to be a small pea, which Rarity then began to tuck under the mattress Pinkie was sleeping on. Looking satisfied, Rarity took a step backwards and watched for a while in silence, as did everybody else. After almost a full minute though, there was no response, and Rarity look quiet dejected over it. "Oh...I was sure that would work. Everybody knows that ladies simply cannot stand having peas under their beds."
Applejack arched an eyebrow. "Maybe in fairy tales."
Sunset, by contrast, had a more pressing issue on her mind. "So...you just carry a pea around?"
Rarity smiled back to her. "Oh, just in the even of pea-related emergencies, darling."
Adjusting her glasses, Twilight giggled. "That settles it, Pinkie's definitely rubbing off on us." The girls all laughed for a time, but when they released that this too did not cause their friend to rouse from her sleep, their laughter halted. They looked to one another, uncertainty growing, as was their concern.
Then, after a moment, Fluttershy spoke up. "Um...could I try, maybe?"
Sunset, letting out a long sigh, shrugged. "Sure, why not? Nothing else we do is working."
Nodding, Fluttershy walked over to Pinkie's bed, her friends giving her a wide berth. Then, after kneeling down beside her normally-energetic friend, Fluttershy leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "Pinkie? Your breakfasts's ready."
Instantly, Pinkie's eyes snapped open, and she leapt out of bed at a speed hitherto undreamed of for a human being. The girls took an immediate step backwards, almost terrified at just how suddenly their friend was up and about, and so stunned were they that they didn't even get a word in as Pinkie started speaking up for the first time today. "Oh! Were we having a slumber party?! Did I miss it?! Well, that's a shame, but hold up! I just gotta go and..." She rushed off, darting inside her nearby open closet and slamming the door behind her, and then, after just a second, the re-emerged, fully clothed, with her hands upon her hips. "There we go! Much better!" She raised a single finger. "Don't know why you're all here, but it's gotta wait. I've got breakfast to eat! And you're all welcome of course, because trust me, my sisters make loads in the morning!" Rushing to the door of her room, Pinkie halted, then looked back and gave her friends a wide smile. "Thanks for waking me by the way. I was pooped after all that partying I did yesterday. Toodles!"
And just like that, she was gone, leaving an exceptionally bewildered group of girls behind her, all of whom now stared unblinkingly to Fluttershy, who simply gave a smile and a shrug. "Well...never underestimate the appeal of breakfast."
Author's Note
No joke, but one day, many years ago, a small earthquake hit the UK during the night, and I didn't even know about it until people told me about it the next morning 😅
