The sun was setting. The cupcakes were baked. The pantry was well-stocked. Gummy was dozing in the tub. Pinkie Pie's mane and tail were poofy and tangled.

All was as it was supposed to be at Sugar Cube Corner.

Pinkie snuggled happily into the cupcake-decorated quilt, nuzzling her pink pillowcase. The pink earth pony felt all cosily and snuggly, and she was ready to bounce off to dreamland where she would become a giant cookie or cupcake and befriend some chocolate chips.

Suddenly, there was a knocking at the door, and Mr and Mrs Cake trotted in, smiling benevolently.

"Hello, Pinkie Pie," greeted Mr Cake. "Have a nice day?"

"Yessiree!" exclaimed Pinkie, sitting straight up, all signs of sleepiness evaporating instantly. "I helped all sorts of pony folk, and I baked some super-duper-luper yummy-for-your-tummy cupcakes! Yaaay, cupcakes!"

"That's nice, Pinkie," smiled Mr Cake.

"Now, Pinkie," began Mrs Cake, "we have a letter for you."

Pinkie's baby-blue eyes lit up happily. "Ooooh! Yippee! I can't wait! Who's it from? Is it from the Hoofington Baking Society? OOH! Did I win a trip to all the best baking-cupcake spots in Equestria?!"

The Cakes looked at each other. Apparently, they felt pretty awkward talking to the once-so-sleepy earth pony. In the end, Mrs Cake took over.

"Pinkie," said Mrs Cake gently, "we've received a letter from Princess Celestia."

"OOH!" Pinkie gasped in excitement. She literally bounded out of her bed and hopped over to the Cakes, her eyes wide. "Is it about my cupckaes? Does she want cupcakes! Cuz, duh! I can bake cupcakes for anypony in Ponyville! I dunno about Canterlot, but definitely in Ponyville!"

"Actually," corrected Mr Cake, "it's about your Element."

Pinkie actually froze for a few seconds before replying. "What's up? Did some meanie-head like Discord break free and steal 'em? OH NO! Discord didn't steal them, did he?! I'd better get to Canterlot on the double!"

But before Pinkie could react, Mrs Cake held a restraining hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "Don't worry Pinkie, your Element is right here!"

And she held out the scroll, so identical to its others, sealed with the royal symbol. Pinkie grabbed it gleefully.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she jabbered happily, breaking the seal with ease and unfurling it swiftly. "I can't wait to read it! Ooh boy! Okay... um... Element... worthy foals? Huh, weeeird! Anyway, let's go on... wow... really?! Omigosh, I totally have to go quickly! I can't wait to give it to another filly or colt!"

Mr and Mrs Cake looked alarmed. "Pinkie, what - " began Mr Cake, but he was interrupted by the spawning of Pinkie's Element.

The Element of Laughter was in a pristine state. The sapphire balloon-shaped gem glittered and shone as brightly as the balloons at one of Pinkie's parties. The wing-like golden clasps somehow reminded Pinkie of cupcakes, and the way the icing curled at the top.

"I-I can't believe it!" breathed Mrs Cake, both she and her husband both awed and startled by the sudden appearance of one of the Elements of Harmony.

"The Element of Laughter!" gasped Mr Cake.

"Shiny, isn't it?" said Pinkie, gaily attaching it to her neck. "Oh, man, I can't wait to get this to Twilight and the others! We'll totally have fun looking for somepony to give our Elements to!"

And without further ado, Pinkie had taken the scroll of royal parchment and had bounced off into the night, leaving a very confused and flabbergasted Mr and Mrs Cake to make Pinkie's bed, go back downstairs, check on their foals and hope for the best.

---

Elsewhere, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were far too excited to go to sleep. Instead, they were camping out at their clubhouse, Applebloom (as the leader) pacing furiously, while Sweetie Belle hummed a tune under her breath and Scootaloo stretched her wings experimentally.

"Well, we've got one half 'o the puzzle," mused Applebloom, slightly out of breath as she paced faster.

"What our special talents are!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

"But we don't know - " continued Applebloom.

"How to earn our Cutie Marks," finished Scootaloo with a sigh.

In fact, all three fillies sighed, for they had spent so long crusading, and now that they had the answer to Mark-dom, they simply could not find a way to actually get there. Trying to distract herself, Applebloom looked out at the window she had expertly repaired. The night had descended, and the sky was now a velvety darkness.

"We should be gettin' sum sleep," remarked Applebloom.

"We'll definitely earn our Cutie Marks tomorrow!" vowed Scootaloo.

"Rarity'll be so proud," murmured Sweetie Belle, who was already half-asleep.

In a slight daze, the Cutie Mark Crusaders stumbled to their new bunk bed, moved with the help of Applejack. Snuggling into the apple-green blankets, the Crusaders' eyes slowly closed. Pretty soon, all three fillies were fast asleep in dreamland, longing for the Marks to don their blank flanks.

---

Twilight's library was the ideal place for a meeting. Mostly because it was almost smack-dab in the middle of town, but also because nopony (unless they were blind) could miss it. And so, Twilight successfully gathered Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash to discuss the royal letters they had received. With Spike safely fast asleep tucked up in bed, they were safe to be as loud as they needed to. However, Pinkie Pie was not there.

"Oh no," gulped Fluttershy, as Twilight paced impatiently. "What if Pinkie didn't get our letter? What if she's been kidnapped?! What if - "

But Fluttershy was immediately proved wrong as Pinkie burst into the room, wearing her Element with a scroll clutched in her mouth.

"Well, that was easy," remarked Rainbow, who was chilling on a cloud she had brought herself.

"Hiya, everypony!" greeted Pinkie, after placing the scroll down on the nearby table and bouncing inside.

"Hello, Pinkie," said Rarity. "Did you get our letter?"

Pinkie giggled. "Silly filly! That letter was from Princess Celestia, not Princess Allmybestestfriends!"

"You mean you didn't get our letter?" demanded Applejack.

"Nope!"

"Rainbow!" exclaimed Twilight, rounding on the cerulean pegasus.

"What?" replied Dash rudely, lazing on her cloud with her back to the ceiling.

"Didn't you deliver that letter we told you to give to Pinkie?"

Rainbow yawned widely before falling back on her cloud with her eyes shut. "Naw, I got too caught up in my exercises. Then I... kinda lost the letter."

Everypony else - excluding Pinkie - groaned exasperatedly. Applejack looked up at Rainbow Dash with an annoyed expression. "RD, ya gotta start bein' a bit less careless, 'n a little more contributing."

"I contribute all the time!" exclaimed Dash, getting to her hooves and glaring down at the cowpony. "I'm the weather manager of Ponyville, I always get my work done, and I still make time to hang out with you guys!"

"We know, but - " began Fluttershy, but she was cut off by a very annoyed Twilight Sparkle.

"Listen, can't we just get this crazy conversaton back on topic?!" demanded the unicorn.

Everypony blushed and nodded. Twilight heaved a big sigh, uttered a thank-you, and teleported herself to the top of the stairs.

"Everypony, it has come to my attention - well, mostly the Princess's, but you know what I mean - that the Elements of Harmony need new wielders, new bearers, new ponies. We are responsible of whose hooves the Elements fall into. However, I have three suggestions."

At this, she looked directly at Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity.

"Your sisters."