Celestia's sun was slowly inching its way down the sky, staining the heavens gold and pink and orange. In the light of the dying sunbeams, three depressed-looking fillies dragged their way across the field of Sweet Apple Acres to the barn. Applebloom had invited her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo over for a sleepover, in the hopes of more crusading opportunities. However, they had failed at every turn.

"We're never gonna get our Cutie Marks!" exclaimed Applebloom as the barn's immense bulk loomed over them.

"We've tried everything," added Sweetie, stretching out her forehooves to express the magnitude of the situation.

"Skating, animal-taming, basketball-playing, painting," reeled off Scootaloo.

"And our flanks 'r as still as blank as one of Spike's scrolls!" finished Applebloom.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders moaned as one. They were eager and enthusiastic little fillies, albeit sometimes quite loud, but when it came to crusading they pulled out all the stops. And yet nopony had managed to get the message to them that they should test their hooves in areas that they were good at. Sometimes the other Ponyvillians felt as though they were speaking to a brick wall when they conversed with the Crusaders.

The Crusaders were greeted happily by a certain orange earth pony, whose cowpony hat was missing from her head. Applejack waved enthusiastically and ushered the fillies inside.

"It's nice of ya'll ta come 'n stick 'round," said Applejack, leading them up the stairs. "But it's been a long day, 'n ah'm sure ya'll're tuckered out after all that crusadin' ya've been up ta'!"

"Yeah, we are, big sis!" replied Applebloom enthusiastically.

Sweetie Belle stifled a yawn behind her hoof before adding, "But we still have tons of things left to try!"

"We still haven't gotten our Cutie Marks!" whined Scootaloo.

All three fillies displayed their Mark-less flanks. Applejack chuckled and creaked open the door to Applebloom's room. "Ya'll need ta get some rest, now," she whispered. "Ya got a huge day ahead of ya!"

The Crusaders nodded sleepily and yawned in unison. They trooped inside Applebloom's bedroom, the orange cowpony trotting after them. From downstairs, Applejack heard the wheezy cry of Granny Smith. "Applejack, ya'll gotta c'm down soon! Let them fillies have their hoot-nanny!"

Applejack chuckled to herself before calling back. "Ah'm on it, Granny! Comin'!"

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were already safely tucked up in bed, their eyes shut. All three fillies snored slightly. Scootaloo, being a pegasus and therefore accustomed to heights, had taken over the top bunk, while Applebloom and Sweetie shared the bottom.

Smiling to herself, Applejack placed a quick kiss on her sister's forehead, before turning off the lights and creaking the door closed. "G'night, sis," she whispered, before the door shut with a quiet 'snap'.

---

Granny Smith was still rocking steadily in her chair when Applejack came down. Big Macintosh was standing in a corner, fulfilling his duty and the strong, silent type.

"So what's a-hootin', Granny Smith?" asked Applejack, leaning against the wall with her blond hair flopping slightly over her freckled face.

"It's about yer Element, Jacky," replied Granny.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. It had been forever since Granny Smith had called her "Jacky". So why was she using it now? Assuming the tone that Applejack had heard Twilight use when talking to the Crusaders in one of their spazz-attacks, Applejack said, "Whut Element?"

"Don't play dumb, Jack!" snapped Granny, but there was a twinkle in her orange eyes that told Applejack that she was joking. "Ya know whut ah'm talkin' 'bout! Ya old Element o' Harmony!"

Applejack felt an eruption of surprise in the pit of her stomach. Attempting to keep her voice even, the orange earth pony said, "The one ah used tah defeat Nightmare Moon?"

"Pree-cisely," said Granny Smith. She got up from her chair and began pacing back and forth across the room.

"Whut about it?" asked Applejack curiously.

"We gawt a letter from the Princess," explained Granny, still pacing ceaselessly. "It said... well, it said summin' 'bout ya Element."

"Where's the letter now?" said Applejack.

Granny Smith turned to face the orange cowpony. She stamped one hoof on the ground. "Big Mac! The letter."

"Eeyup," said Big Mac, and drew out a piece of parchment tucked inside his yolk. The royal seal of Celestia had been previously broken, but the parchment still curled up at the ends. Applejack gazed at the letter, astonished.

"This was delivered yesterday, y'see," said Granny, as Applejack unravelled the scroll. Her green eyes scanned the letter with the utmost attention, slowly lapsing from curiousity into astonishment.

"Applebloom?" exclaimed the cowpony, when she had finished. "How c'n she handle this? It's... it's way too important to be left in the hooves of a filly! She hasn't even got 'er Cutie Mark!"

"We know," said Big Mac, in a slow, reassuring voice. "But Princess Celestia didn't say nothin' 'bout givin' it to 'er now, did she?"

"I guess not," muttered Applejack, throwing down the letter to try and mask her confusion.

"Sugarcube, maybe wait fer a bit," soothed Granny, trotting up to Applejack and placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Give 'er sum time tah get responsible, maybe even get 'er Cutie Mark. Then ya c'n tell her."

"A-alright," said Applejack. She swallowed a bit, then hung her head. "'S just I guess I've grown connected to mah Element. Ah can't bear tah see it in the hooves of another."

"But ya'll never be less honest," said Big Mac, placing his hoof upon his younger sister's left shoulder.

"Thanks, Mac," whispered Applejack.

Granny Smith cleared her throat. "Which is why," she added with another twinkle of the eye, "Princess Celestia decided ta give yeh ya Element back."

Applejack's head snapped up and a beam quickly replaced her unsure frown. Granny smiled back, and withdrew the Element of Honesty from underneath her scarf.

Even in the dim light of the barn's single bulb, the Element of Honesty winked and sparkled. The golden bands that made up the necklace clasp shone and glimmered, and the orange apple-shaped gem contrasted perfectly with the emerald of the apple leaves. Applejack took her Element in her hooves, and as her eyes grew wide, her granny and brother saw the Element reflected in them.

Finally, Applejack spoke. "When'll ah have tah give it up?" she asked softly, her voice a little wobbly.

Granny swept her granddaughter up in a hug. "When ya need tah," she whispered into the orange mare's ear.