"Attention, everyone." Vice-Principal Luna took the microphone and patted it twice with her index finger. "Can we have your attention please?" Her words instantaneously commanded the attention of the students in the hall. "We are about to draw the results and see who will be crowned the winner of the Fall Formal."

"May our contestants please come back on stage and line up in an orderly fashion, please?" Celestia spoke into the microphone next, and almost immediately after, all of the cosplaying classmates appeared on stage, with Diamond and Silver being on one edge, and the CMCs being on the other.

Applebloom took one look at Diamond Tiara on the other side of the stage, her face scrunching as the regally-dressed Diamond gave her a snarky wink. Shuddering, she looked straight forward to the crowd again, holding hands with the other CMCs. The less that she thought of the competition, the better.

"You think we've done it?" Sweetie Belle asked, tugging on Applebloom's shoulders. "I don't want all that hard work we did to be for nothing."

"Well, it's all out of our hands now, Sweetie Belle." Applebloom pulled her friend's hand off and set it back down by her side. "Best we can do is smile and wave. And hey, even if we didn't win the crown, then at least we still had a lot of fun settin' this whole shebang up."

"Yeah. Plus, we made up an original song. That's gotta be worth some bonus points, right?" Scootaloo smiled. "How many other acts can say that they made a song out of thin air and won the crowd over with it?"

"Mmhmm." Sweetie Belle nodded. "But even with all that, it's not up to us whether or not we take home the crown. It's all up to everyone else here tonight. Let's just hope that we've twisted the message enough and made 'em like us; even with our get-ups."

"First of all, I want to give a big thanks to every one of tonight's students who decided to compete in the Fall Formal." Celestia stretched her free arm out towards the students, all clad in their cosplays, standing in a single-file line like soldiers in the military. "I think this has without a doubt been one of the best Fall Formals in years. So many people volunteered to battle it out for the crown, but now it's time to pick a winner." She turned to Luna. "Have you counted the ballots, sister?"

"I have, and I've got the envelope right here." She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to Celestia, who nimbly opened the loose seal with her fingers, fishing a slip of paper out of it.

"Thank you." Celestia gave the empty envelope back to Luna as she brought the letter closer to her face. "And now, it's time to announce the winner of this year's crown. The Prince and/or Princess of the Fall Formal are about to coronated."

The Canterlot Movie Club all held their hands together and tightened their grip as the air around them grew cold. Everything that they had worked for; everything that they had practiced for, was it all about to be for nothing? Or would this be one of their finest victories? All was about to be revealed.

Diamond Tiara knew already who was going to win. It was going to be her, of course. The Canterlot Major Crybabies stood no chance against her and Silver Spoon. Unlike those three dweebs, she had already been a master of the arts of being a cosplay princess, having spent most of her pre-teen years dressing up and acting like one. She didn't feel nervous at all. And now, all that was left for Celestia to do was to call her name.

Silver Spoon, on the other hand, wasn't as smiley as her associate, Diamond. She looked at the Cutie Mark Crusaders and how finely dressed they were as the Dazzlings. Everything that she had told them about getting the crowd on their side was replaying in her head. Now, the question was how much of it they had listened to and taken to heart. Silver finally turned back to the crowd, waiting for the answer.

"The winner of this year's Fall Formal crown is..." Celestia held the silence for a good few moments, watching as people of the audience clenched their hands and began to feel shivers run down their spines. Once she had worked them up enough, she announced loudly for all to hear, "The Canterlot Movie Club! Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo!"

The whole room erupted into applause and cheers as the Canterlot Movie Club let out a massive scream of joy as they ran over to Celestia and Luna before giving them a big hug, dancing, jumping, and running on the spot with their hands in the air as they celebrated and relished in the win.

"We did it!" Applebloom cheered and brought her friends into a tight squeeze. "We've really won the Fall Formal crown!"

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" Scootaloo hugged Applebloom back. "This is a dream come true! We've actually won!"

"Yes, girls. You've won." Celestia pulled out the crown from a box presented by Luna, setting it down on Applebloom's head, who stood out for the crowd as a camera girl took their picture. "I hope that you never forget this night. It's your night."

"Hold the crown high, but don't forget to have fun with your new title, girls." Luna squeezed in between Scootaloo and Applebloom. "After all, it's still a dance, and the night is still young. Enjoy what time you've got left before you have to go home tonight." She patted all three of their backs and took the microphone back from Luna. "But let's not forget everyone else who competed in this contest. Everyone else? Feel free to come on up for the crowd."

All of the other students approached, and joined the Crusaders in their celebration. They too received their fair share of applause and cheers from the crowd, for which, they all bowed.

All except for Diamond Tiara, who stood in the back with a scowl on her face. Steam practically billowed out of her ears as the Canterlot Movie Club relished in their prize, and the others joined in with their celebrations. She just stomped away as a stinging sensation built up in her head and her hands balled up into fists.

Silver Spoon watched as Diamond stormed off, reached out for her, then ended up retracting it, looking back at the jubilating crowd. After seeing such a moment, she didn't want it to be ruined with her having to listen to elongated rant on Diamond Tiara's defeat at the hands of Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Instead, she went back to the stage with everyone else.

"Thank ya kindly, everyone." Applebloom spoke into the microphone. "I'm glad that all of y'all came out to support us tonight."

"Yeah! You guys were all totally awesome to have voted for us." Scootaloo clutched it as well. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"But, before we take the crown and have our little moment, we kinda wanna clear things up a little." Sweetie Belle rubbed the ground with her shoe tips and put her hands by her skirt.

"We put so much time, effort, and practice into these outfits, the acting, and to that little song we performed, but really, we just did it because we were trying to be unique. And, in doing so, we kinda became someone else." Applebloom stepped forward. "Being picked to win is one thing, but being original and unique is also pretty good too. Tonight, we kinda went away from the unique part by being the Dazzlings; and even then, the odds were against us. Ah didn't think that we were gonna get any votes at all, considering how much y'all wanna raise yer pitchforks and torches at those girls."

"But just because we put on some new duds, changed our attitudes, and became completely new bad girls, we're not gonna change who we really are." Scootaloo added. "We're the Canterlot Movie Club through and through, no matter who's mask we're wearing or what we're acting out."

"And when you really think about it, that's the best prize of all; being who you really are on the inside." Sweetie Belle watched as some of the students in the crowd teared up, including her big sister, Rarity. "No amount of glitter, clothes, or drama lessons are gonna be able to dictate who you really are, so you should enjoy everything about you, not change something just to get ahead in life."

"And that's why we're gonna be packing in this little cosplaying act tonight, just when we got started." Applebloom nodded. "We've had our fun, but now, I think it's time that we went back to being who we really are: Three freshmen girls who like hangin' out together, watching movies, and havin' fun."

"It's better to be successful once, then to move on to something else. Your fifteen minutes of fame, after all." Sweetie Belle winked.

"Only, instead of fifteen minutes, we've got all the rest of the Fall Formal. And we plan on making it the greatest Fall Formal ever!" Scootaloo punched the air. "Hope you're all ready for some fun! DJ, hit me with your best beat and let's get this show on the road!"

The DJ at the booth took a record out of the desk below, put it into her turntables and filled the whole room with bright lights and special effects as the Canterlot Movie Club all leapt into the crowd and started to dance their best moves. Shuffles, flicking and kicking legs, hip dances that would rope anyone in, and much more as they started to let the rhythm take them away.

Celestia and Luna were just left stunned as all of the other students rushed off and began to dance as well, the music of the DJ flooding their ears as the audience burst into life as well. They just recomposed themselves, rubbed the backs of their heads, and walked back behind the stage.

Now, the Fall Formal was in full swing, with everyone dancing, and shaking, and moving to the groovin' as the music covered every corner of the hall. There wasn't a single soul in there that wasn't dancing. Even if some of them looked like they weren't, they were at the very least swishing their hips or tapping their feet to the beat as they got themselves another drink of the punch.

Later, when the party was just beginning to settle as slow music played on the speakers, the CMCs, now dressed in formal attire, stood by the wall alone as they took their own drinks. "Nectar of the gods" as Sweetie Belle coined it, feeling hers trickle down her throat and land in the depths of her stomach.

"Hey, girls." Silver Spoon walked up to the CMCs, with a gentle smile on her face. "Congratulations on the win tonight."

"Hi, Silver." Scootaloo put her cup of punch down. "How's Diamond? Not taking the loss graciously?"

"Yeah. She's kinda not wanting to talk to anyone tonight." Silver twiddled her fingers. "I mean, I still respect her as a person, but when it comes to these kinda things where competition is involved, let's just say that she can get a little bit... too competitive, if you know what I mean."

"We get it." Applebloom took another sip. "Tell Diamond that it's not whether you win or lose, but it's how you just enjoy yourself." She tapped her feet against the wall. "Though, knowing how much Diamond said she was gonna win, that's just gonna come off as salt in the wound. Eh, you can decide what you wanna say to her."

"I'll be sure to let her know. Right after I tell you that you did a great job swaying everyone on to your side." Silver Spoon walked up and patted each of the CMCs on their shoulders. "Dressing up and acting are the key fundamentals of a good cosplay like that, but when you really commit to the act and get the crowd to vote for you, then you've got yourself a bright place in that world." She nodded. "Diamond has the manipulation part down, but let's just say that her act was rather..."

"Cringey?" Sweetie Belle lifted a brow.

"Well, let's just call it underdeveloped and shallow, compared to the performance you put on tonight," said Silver. "I'm sure that she'll come back fighting the next time there's a competition like that." She turned her back to the girls. "I hope the rest of your night goes well, girls."

"Wait, Silver! Before you go, tell Diamond Tiara that there's one more thing we wanna say." Scootaloo tapped Silver's back. "Tell her that it was a lot of fun playing against her tonight. No joke, she actually made it pretty interesting for us."

Silver smiled and blushed. "I'll make sure she hears it." And then she walked off. "Have a good Fall Formal, Canterlot Movie Club."

Once Silver Spoon left the CMCs to their own devices, the Rainbooms were next to greet the three of them.

"Hey, girls!" Twilight was the first to break the ice. "How's it feel to be the Princesses of the Fall Formal?"

"It feels great, Twilight! We really pulled it out of the bag this time!" Sweetie Belle walked up to her and beamed from ear to ear. "And I'm glad that you and everyone else voted for us tonight."

"Yeah, Rainbow Dash. You and your friends' votes totally got us this crown." Scootaloo slipped the crown onto her head, polishing it with the palm of her hand. "Now I know what it must be like to be Twilight." She stared at Twilight and said, "Not that one. The other one. The one that's chillin' in Equestria?"

"Yeah, I get what you mean, Scootaloo." Twilight tousled Scootaloo's hair, making sure not to scratch her arms on the sharp edges of the star atop the crown.

"So, what are you gonna do now, girls?" Pinkie Pie slid up to the girls and stood on her tiptoes as she leaned into Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo's faces. "Wanna show off that crown to the whole entire town? Or maybe grab yourselves another round of that super-duper punch I made? There's plenty of it left." Pinkie pulled another full goblet of it out of her hair. "Don't you worry about any shortages."

"Well, tomorrow, there's a few people we've gotta see again." Applebloom put her hand to the emblem on her neck, remembering the Dazzlings' situation. "I need to make sure that you all bury the hatchet with them, so long as they decide to do the same. Then, you won't have to worry about them plottin' their revenge or continuously spitin' y'all."

"You mean you wanna speak with the Dazzlings?" Sunset Shimmer stepped up, pushing through the others gently. "Look, you may have cleared everyone else's names about them tonight, but those girls are real. And regardless of what they may say, think, and do, they're all a bunch of socipaths; people who'll sway and persuade people to their cause without taking their best interests into account." Sunset hung her head. "I know because I was one myself."

"Yeah, but you were able to turn yourself around once that pony Twilight came to our world and fixed everything." Sweetie Belle walked up to Sunset and held her hands. "And since then, you've done a heck of a lot of stuff. And you've saved our butts more than a few times over." She rubbed hers for emphasis. "So, if you can change, then I'm sure that the Dazzlings can as well."

"Sweetie Belle..." Sunset looked into her eyes. "Are you sure that you're making the right choice?"

"Well, I know that we can't do it without your help." Scootaloo approached the Rainbooms as well. "You might not like them and they might not like you, but I at least want to see them one more time so that we can thank them for adding the final touches to that act we did onstage."

"And, if we're lucky, we can get 'em to say sorry for brainwashin' the place and taking our good vibes away." Applebloom flapped her eyelids like butterfly wings. "Please, girls? Won't y'all join us in thankin' the girls that got us this far?"

The Rainbooms were deep in thought over the idea of joining the CMCs on their little trip. The Dazzlings had been a big problem for the seven of them, and had almost nearly won, dragging the Magic of Friendship through the mud with their little contest. But now that their names had been cleared and the school was no longer harbouring resentment and denial for them, was it really worth considering them threats anymore? Especially when Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were now twisting their minds as well?

"Aw, to heck with it." Applejack burst through the girls. "Ah'll join ya." And she shook Applebloom's hand.

"You sure about that, Applejack?" Fluttershy asked, pulling her back softly. "Those girls are—"

"Evil? I can see why you'd think that, Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash interjected. "I mean, they had those weird stones on them that turned everyone against everyone. But now they don't, and they're just as regular as everyone else here at this school. Just saying hi to them couldn't hurt, right?"

"Exactly." Rarity nodded. "Plus, I do kind of want to get some tips on those girls on how they were able to style their hairs. Seriously, they're like the eighth wonder of the hair flair world!"

"We're gonna see them tomorrow." Applebloom nodded. "For now, we're just gonna enjoy the rest of the Fall Formal. After all, we're the princesses now, right?"

"Don't get too full of yourselves." Sunset playfully jabbed their shoulders. "It's still just a title, after all."

"I know. But it's a pretty good title." Scootaloo took off the crown and held it up in the air. "Even if there's just one crown to go with it."

"You think we could stretch the crown out so we could all wear it?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"That's a good thought." Pinkie pulled out a notepad and a pink pen. "Note to self: at next year's Fall Formal, make a crown with extendable pieces. That way, people with big heads, wide heads, or even more than one guy or gal gets to wear it together."

To that, everyone else shared a laugh.