> Little Stars
>  by Shadowmane PX-41
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> "Why not the Dazzlings?"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ever since the events at Camp Everfree, the students at Canterlot High had been more abuzz than ever. Even with magic slowly being interlaced with the rest of the world, they quickly resumed their everyday lives as high-school students. As once in a lifetime it was, they all came to the agreement that magic would not overtake all their other thoughts and dreams.

Posters were being hung up all around the school by Sunset Shimmer and her friends, advertising the Fall Formal once again. Over a year had passed since the fateful day since Twilight Sparkle first came to the human world and dueled with her for the crown and everyone still couldn't shake off the events of the past. Even saying the words didn't feel satisfying anymore for them.

"You know, I don't get why we're having the Fall Formal again." Rainbow Dash stapled a poster to the walls and looked over at the rest of her friends. "I mean, everyone's already forgiven Sunset, but none of them seem as excited as they were last year."

"It's quite obvious why they're all upset, Rainbow." Applejack wiped the sweat off of her brow. "Wherever we go, magic just seems to follow us. They're all worried that something like Midnight Sparkle or Gaia Everfree's gonna happen all over again and disrupt the Fall Formal like it did last year."

"Don't worry, girls." Sunset Shimmer walked up to Rainbow Dash and Applejack. "If magic shows up at the Fall Formal again, we'll be right there to contain or stop it."

"Yeah! I mean, we've fought against Crystal Prep Academy, three evil sirens, and three evil demon girls!" Pinkie Pie popped up and blurted out. "I think we've got this whole magic stuff under control by now."

"I just hope so." Fluttershy finished putting up another Fall Formal poster and joined the girls. "I don't want to have to deal with just magic for the rest of the year."

"Don't worry about a thing, Fluttershy." Rarity added some lace to the border of her poster. "I'm sure that no matter what comes our way, we'll face it head-on and win against it. We've done so before, haven't we?"

"And besides, this year's Fall Formal is going to be entirely magic-free." Sunset nodded. "I've had a talk with Celestia and Luna about it and we've all agreed that we can contain and control our own magic, as well as any that might try and ruin the evening. Just consider us magical security guards for the night."

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Do we get to wear little uniforms?" Pinkie pulled a curtain out of her locker and rapidly dressed herself in a black tuxedo with an earpiece and black-tinted sunglasses. "Sorry, magic. You're not comin' in." She crossed her arms and spoke in a gruff accent.

"Not exactly, Pinkie Pie." Sunset held onto Pinkie's hand. "Just dress up like you would for the formal and be on the lookout. Other than that, have a good time there." She turned to the others. "Same goes for the rest of you. You can be as flashy and extravagant as you want, but just make sure that you don't let magic slip under your watchful eyes."

"I'm sure we can do this." Pinkie Pie changed back into her original clothes just as quickly as before, slipping the bouncer clothes she had back into the locker. "Magic's not gonna ruin the night. Not ours, not theirs, not anyone's."

"Let's just get back to putting them there posters up." Applejack took the rest of the posters that she had been assigned to and walked down the corridor. "I'll see ya'll at lunch."

"Yeah. See ya." Rainbow Dash took her remaining posters and walked down another corridor.

The remaining girls all dispersed to get on with their work, waving each other off as they departed.





Later, the bell rang, signalling the end of another period at CHS. Students poured out of their classrooms, chatting with their friends or looking up websites and images on their phones. They all had smiles on their faces as they walked towards the cafeteria for their lunch break.

Among them, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were looking at their latest video on the internet and looking at all of the comments and constructive criticisms that they had collected. There were two earbuds that the three of them were sharing between each other, taking turns one who listened to what their songs and what the people had to say about them.

"Hey, girls. Check this out." Sweetie Belle looked over at one of the posters and tapped on the shoulders of Applebloom and Scootaloo, attracting their attention immediately. They stopped what they were doing and read what was on the poster aloud.




Canterlot High Fall Formal


Buffet, friends, music from both the charts and from the students at Canterlot High will be provided on the night. Dress however you want to, but make sure that you're classy and well-groomed.

Plus, we're once more giving you the chance to become the Princess or Prince of the Fall Formal. Win over the crowd and get their votes through a series of events and you could be crowned on the big night.

The Fall Formal is on the last Friday of the month from 7PM to 9:30PM. Have fun!



"Hmm. What do you think, Crusaders?" Scootaloo asked her friends. "Do you think we've got a chance of winning the crown?"

"I dunno." Applebloom shrugged and looked away. "The Fall Formal isn't really exciting anymore after what happened last year. Plus, given what happened at the Battle of the Bands, Friendship Games, and even at Camp Everfree, I'm worried that magic's just gonna ruin it all over again."

"Applebloom, you worry too much sometimes." Sweetie Belle looked back at the poster. "Anyway, going back to the formal, I think we'd look great in the crown, don't you think?"

"It says a series of challenges." Scootaloo tapped the part of the poster she was referring too. "What does that mean? Home Ec? Fashion show? I don't really know."

"I'm sure there's something about that somewhere on here." Sweetie Belle put her eyes to the poster and looked around at the edges for something that she had missed. She picked up Rarity's lace border and noticed some miniscule writing with a little star next to it. "Ahah! Here we go."



There will also be a cosplay section that will count in the voting process.



"So all we gotta do is dress up? Doesn't sound hard." Applebloom nodded. "I'm sure that Applejack can hook me up with something nice for the night."

"Applebloom, she'll probably pick our Granny Smith's old wedding dress or something." Scootaloo put her hand on Applebloom's shoulders. "What we need is something special. Something flashy and chic. Something that the school wouldn't expect for us to wear."

"Not to mention that there's a cosplay section as well." Sweetie Belle pointed out the tiny writing once again. "Everyone's going to be on board if there's cosplay involved."

"Yeah, yeah. You're right." Applebloom scratched her chin and slowly paced away from the others. "What could we possibly cosplay as for the Fall Formal?"

"Witches?" Scootaloo raised her finger.

"Nah. Too close to Halloween." Applebloom shook her head. "That's not until the end of next month at least."

"Magical girl?" Sweetie Belle slowly stepped forward and tipped her hand.

"Too anime. And Applejack hates that for some odd reason." Applebloom lightly tapped Sweetie's hand, causing it to flop back down to her sides.

"Why not schoolgirl cosplays?" Sweetie Belle showed a picture of some girls dressed up in uniform, working at desks. "Everyone loves schoolgirl cosplays."

"Again, that's far too anime. Plus, Crystal Prep'll have already done that to death." Applebloom paced once again. "Something new. Something new. Something new..."

The other Crusaders were deep in thought about what they would dress up as for the Fall Formal. When they thought they had an idea, they then shook their heads when they envisioned the scenario of each outfit. Either their friends would laugh at them or they would look plain ridiculous.

After a long silence, Scootaloo finally gasped and shot her hand up into the sky. "I'VE GOT IT!"

"Huh? What is it, Scootaloo?" Applebloom ran over to her.

"Cosplay is all about dressing up as your favourite celebrity, game or movie character, or someone from your own imagination, right?" Scootaloo brought the other girls into a huddle. "So why not dress up as someone who really won the hearts of everyone?"

"Who exactly are you talking about, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle raised a brow.

"Well, cosplayers play as all these different characters, so why don't we cosplay as the Dazzlings?" Scootaloo showed off a picture of the sirens that had come to Canterlot High in the past.

"No way, Scootaloo." Applebloom broke off from the huddle and waved her hands in front of her face. "The Dazzlings divided us all over again. Plus, Sunset Shimmer and her friends would kill us for it!"

"I don't think they'd kill us, but they would be pretty disappointed with us for your choice, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle shook her head but couldn't look away from the photos. "That being said, though, they do have good looks. And in the Fall Formal, image is everything."

"Sweetie Belle! They're the Dazzlings!" Applebloom threw her hand towards the picture. "They played dirty and caused us all to fight against each other for their own personal gains! Applejack told me that they were the worst 'social paths' that she'd ever seen."

"I think you mean sociopaths, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle put her hands by her sides.

"What are you, a dictionary?" Scootaloo raised a brow and put the phone away. "But anyway, that's not what we're talking about here. If we cut out that social-whatever nonsense, I think we'd be a shoo-in for the cosplay vote. Maybe even the rest of the Fall Formal if we work hard enough on the outfits."

"And besides, you can't knock something up until you try it, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle stepped next to Scootaloo. "Who knows? Maybe this idea to cosplay as the Dazzlings will win us the Princess of the Fall Formal title and the crown that comes with it."

"Have you two lost your minds?! They're THE Dazzlings!" Applebloom threw her arms downward with her jaw agape and her eyes bulging wide. "Need I remind you that they single-handedly brainwashed everyone at Canterlot High—us included—and made us fight against each other over a silly musical competition?!"

"But we're not going to make each other fight, Applebloom." Scootaloo shook her head. "Besides, we're not freaky siren seahorse ladies from another world. We're just three teenage girls with a website channel and lots of videos. There's no way that we could brainwash anyone with our voices."

"But we'd still be ostricized by the entire school for acting and dressing up like them." Applebloom made a mental image of what would happen at the Fall Formal. "Sure, we'd look good, but no-one else would appreciate us. We'd be hated and get run off-stage, like the actual Dazzlings were."

"Sweetie Belle was right, Applebloom. You worry too much." Scootaloo brought the phone back up and zoomed in on the images of the Dazzlings' clothes. "Sweetie Belle? Do you think Rarity could sew us some clothes like this?"

"Sure!" Sweetie Belle chirped and walked down the corridors with her. "But she'd have to make some certain changes here and there so that we're not just trying to rip off their styles."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Scootaloo nodded and wrapped her arm around Sweetie's back. "Hey. I've got a great idea. Why don't we get a hairstylist to re-model our hairs so that they're the same as the Dazzlings' actual hairstyles?"

"Ooh! Yes! That'd work great!" Sweetie Belle nodded vigorously. "Accuracy is key when cosplaying nowadays. The closer it is to the real deal, the better the feedback from the audience. At least, that's how I see it in conventions nowadays."

"Hey, Applebloom, you comin' or what?" Scootaloo called back to Applebloom, who was still just standing there with her jaw wide open.

"Uhh..." Applebloom choked on trying to get her words out. "Yeah. I'm coming." She slowly chased after the girls and followed them towards the cafeteria. Why in tarnation are they going to cosplay as the Dazzlings?! she thought to herself. This is not going to work...
> Planning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright then, it's decided." Scootaloo looked at her fellow crusaders in a quiet room. Both she and Sweetie Belle had their arms raised while Applebloom sat with her arms crossed, pouting at the two of them. "For this year's Fall Formal, the Cutie Mark Crusaders will dress up as the Dazzlings to win the crown!"

"I still think that this is the worst idea we've ever had!" Applebloom sulked and snapped her head away from her friends. "The Dazzlings made everyone at CHS hate each other with no end in sight. You can't just dress up as them without provoking boos and jeers from the audience." She threw her arms towards her friends. "It's like cosplaying as Adolf Hitler!"

"C'mon, Applebloom. It can't be that bad, right?" Scootaloo walked over to Applebloom and put her hand on her friend's shoulders. "You're just jumping to conclusions without even considering the good things about cosplaying as the Dazzlings."

"I don't see how you could possibly make those witches seem good." Applebloom brushed Scootaloo's hand off of her shoulders. "I wanted to hang Applejack in a gallows when we were under their spell back at the contest, I was that mad."

"How did you think I felt when Rarity and her band made it through back at the contest like that?" Sweetie Belle walked up to Applebloom. "Listen, Applebloom, sisters fight, but they'll always be together forever. Even if we were mind-controlled by the Dazzlings, we're still always going to be the little sisters."

"By about three years." Scootaloo raised her finger. "Heck, we're still just on our first year at Canterlot High, and our sisters have been there for much longer."

"The point is that we're going to lose or we may not even be allowed to be in the Fall Formal at all!" Applebloom shook her head. "Even if magic doesn't show up, I don't want to be hated by the entire school for dressing up."

"Applebloom, no-one is going to gang up on you because we're dressing up as the Dazzlings." Scootaloo held out her hand. "Sunset Shimmer went through the same thing after last year and look at how she's grown now."

"That's entirely different, though!" Applebloom whined. "Sunset Shimmer used to be a ruthless rebel who held the school in an iron fist. She deserved the backlash we gave her back then." She hung her head and sighed. "We're just three nobodies in the crowd of bigger, smarter, faster, and stronger CHS students. I don't want to be rememebred for dressing up as one of the Dazzlings and being attacked by the entire school for it..."

"The students at Canterlot High aren't stupid, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle gently patted Applebloom's back and picked her up. "Even if the Dazzlings left a bad impression on the entire school, we're not going to become pariahs for dressing up as them."

"If anything, we nearly became piranhas after the whole Anon-a-Miss incident." Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head.

"It's 'pariahs', Scootaloo, not piranhas." Sweetie Belle cocked a brow at her before returning to Applebloom. "But she does have a point. We've already done some pretty bad stuff here. I know that dressing up as the Dazzlings to win the Fall Formal can't possibly be any worse than that."

"You keep saying that, but I'm still not convinced." Applebloom brushed some of her hair back.

"Please, Applebloom? Just do it for us, OK?" Sweetie Belle's eyes got wider as she got closer to Applebloom. "If we get hated, then that's fine. At least we'll still be friends."

"Yeah. C'mon, Applebloom. Join us." Scootaloo knelt down before Applebloom and held her hand out. "Cutie Mark Crusaders stick together. We can't do this without you. So what do you say?"

Applebloom lightly recoiled at Scootaloo's gesture and looked both her and Sweetie Belle in the eyes. Despite how much she thought about the plan backfiring, she and her friends had done everything together. No matter how big or small the trouble they had gotten into in the past, she didn't think that it would be right to leave them over a bad idea. She bit her lips and extended her own arm out, fighting back the tears in her eyes.

"Consarn it, girls." Applebloom let out another sigh shook hands with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Looks like you've roped me in..."

"Great!" Scootaloo exclaimed and stood back up straight.

"But I'm not gonna be held responsible if this whole plan backfires on us." Applebloom shook her head. "If it all goes wrong, then you're gonna be the one to blame, Scootaloo."

"Alright. Now that we're all on board with the idea, we need to decide on the most important thing," Sweetie Belle said. "Who's going to cosplay as which Dazzling?"

"I think you should cosplay as the one with the ponytail, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo pointed to the girl in one of phone's pictures. "She looks pretty cute."

"And you can be really cute sometimes." Applebloom nodded in agreement.

"They have names, you know." Sweetie Belle pointed out. "I managed to ask them back at the Battle of the Bands, and they said that their names were Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and the one you're referring to is Sonata Dusk."

"You do look like kind of a Sonata, Sweetie Belle." Applebloom gave her a pat on the back. "So, are you gonna dress up as her for the Fall Formal?"

"Sure." Sweetie Belle nodded. "Now we just have to decide on who you and Scootaloo are going to dress up as."

"I think I'll dress up as the golden-haired one." Applebloom tapped on Adagio's face on the phone. "She seems like the most level-headed out of the group."

"Guess that just leaves me with Aria Blaze." Scootaloo nodded and put the phone back in her pocket. "So, now that all of the roles have been filled, what else do we need to do, Sweetie Belle?"

"Well, I've been to a bunch of conventions with Rarity and my parents, so I've picked up a few cosplaying tips." Sweetie Belle walked over to her white and pink backpack and pulled out some pictures of cosplayers on stage, performing with their friends for a crowd. "I've already talked about how accuracy gets you more points, but on a stage, you have to quite literally be who you're trying to dress up as." She laid the pictures down on the table. "We might be able to look the part, but we'll need to act like the Dazzlings as well if we're gonna win the crown."

"But how do we do that?" Scootaloo lifted her arms and shrugged. "We barely even saw the Dazzlings around CHS. We were more focused on winning the Battle of the Bands instead of getting to know them better. What about you, Applebloom?" She turned to face her. "Do you know how we're supposed to act?"

"Well, I don't really know much about that," said Applebloom. "Applejack prefers me not to even think about the Dazzlings after what they did to us. She won't even let me know what songs they sang at the contest!"

Suddenly, Scootaloo gasped. "That's it!"

"What is it, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle jumped at Scootaloo's exclamation.

"If we don't know how to act like the Dazzlings, then we'll go to the only people in Canterlot High who do know." Scootaloo walked over towards the door. "The Rainbooms. Sunset Shimmer's friends."

"Scootaloo! Didn't we discuss earlier that—"

"More specifically, Pinkie Pie." Scootaloo nodded. "I know that Applejack and the others'll probably be disappointed, but with Pinkie Pie, there's very little that can make her sad or angry. I'm sure that she'll be able to tell us how the Dazzlings acted."

"Plus, it's for a cosplay. There's no way Pinkie Pie would ever say no to something like that." Sweetie Belle beamed and walked over to Scootaloo. "That's genius!"

"Thanks, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo gave her a smile.

"But we're not done yet." Sweetie Belle raised her finger. "We still need to either find their old clothes or make new ones, have our hairs done so that they look like the Dazzlings, learn their songs, and then put it altogether for a practice run before we're ready for the Fall Formal." She pulled out her own phone and opened up an app that allowed her to create her own digital checklist. She rapidly typed down all of the points that she had listed and quickly turned her phone off again. "Done, done, and done."

"If we can't find the Dazzlings' clothes, we can always ask Rarity to make some replicas." Scootaloo nodded as she opened the door out to the corridor and went back to get her backpack. "As for the hairstyles, we should grab some accessories and go to the local salon to get our hairs done like them."

"Wow. You two really thought this one out, huh?" Applebloom's jaw lightly hung open as she watched Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle exchange their plans.

"Yep!" Scootaloo grinned. "This has to be perfect if we're in with a chance of being the Princess of the Fall Formal."

"But we're still missing the most important part of the puzzle; the act." Sweetie Belle slung her backpack over her back and walked towards the door with Applebloom and Scootaloo. "Sure, we have all of the other parts nailed, but without a convincing enough act, we can't possibly win the contest."

"They did some singing, so I can imagine that we'd have to spring for someone at Canterlot High to give us a hand with that." Applebloom tipped her hand. "Maybe Vinyl can provide that?"

"You can't trust Vinyl Scratch with the music, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle looked over at Applebloom. "Half of the time, you don't even know what she's going to do. Heck, I don't even know if she's said a whole word this semester!"

"And recently, she's been hanging out with that Crystal Prep girl." Scootaloo twisted her hand around her wrist. "Lemon /Tart was it?"

"Lemon Zest." Sweetie Belle pointed out. "But the point still stands. We're gonna need someone who's good at making music to provide us with the soundtrack for our performance on the night."

As Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo discussed their act on the night of the Fall Formal, they were slowly but surely becoming more confident in one another. Even Applebloom, who had thought that the whole idea would fall to pieces when they tried to execute it, was having doubts about her take on the situation. It was a very tightly-woven plan with very little error. The only thing that they hadn't accounted for was the audience's reaction to them when the time drew near to decide the winner.

Despite how cheerful everyone was for the planning stage of the process, Applebloom still had a nagging instinct in the back of her head that everything would go horribly wrong. She hid it away exceptionally, though, as she knew that the Crusaders would fail anyway if she wasn't on board with the idea. No matter what would happen, she wouldn't leave Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo for anything—even cosplaying as the Dazzlings.
> How to Act Like the Dazzlings, by Pinkamena Diane Pie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked down the hallway side-by-side, looking around for Pinkie Pie. They poked their heads into each of the different rooms along the corridors but couldn't find her anywhere. Despite this, they continued on, looking around the foyer and up on the second floor to seek her out.

There were even more students on the second floor, filling out the corridor and almost completely blocking it off. The three teenage girls weaved and crouched through the crowd as they looked around for Pinkie Pie. There were just as many rooms to examine on that floor, and the CMCs returned to opening them and peaking in to try and find her.

"Ugh! Where is she?!" Scootaloo groaned as they came out of another room. "You'd think Pinkie Pie would be easier to find."

"Yeah." Applebloom rubbed her forehead, wiping away some of the sweat that she had gathered. "It's not like Pinkie Pie to be hard to find." She looked down both ends of the corridor in another attempt to locate Pinkie Pie, but couldn't see her anywhere. "Then again; Canterlot High is pretty huge."

"Maybe she's at lunch with the other Rainbooms?" Sweetie Belle shrugged.

"If she is with Sunset and her friends, then that might make it hard for us to learn how to act like the Dazzlings." Scootaloo walked down the halls again. "C'mon, girls."

"Yeah! C'mon, girls! Let's go and find me!"

Scootaloo and her friends jumped when they heard the voice. They swivelled around on the heels of their feet and immediately saw Pinkie Pie looking at the three of them with a goofy and innocent smile.

"Pinkie! Don't startle us like that." Sweetie Belle calmed down and slowly walked over to her.

"Sorry, Sweetie Belle." Pinkie gently patted Sweetie Belle on the head. "I was just running over to Dashie's next class to tell her that she'd forgotten her backpack at lunch. I was going to return it to her, but then I bumped into the three of you, and wouldn't you know it, you were looking for me." She slid up behind the girls and pulled them all into a tight hug. "So, what are you doing out here anyway?"

"I'd... love to tell you, but... you're kinda crushing my throat." Applebloom's face started to turn blue as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Oh! Sorry!" Pinkie dropped the girls immediately and let them reclaim their breaths.

"Since you're gonna give Rainbow Dash's bag back, we're not gonna keep you long." Scootaloo stood back up and brushed her t-shirt down. "The Fall Formal is coming up and we were going to cosplay to try and win the crown."

"Ooh! You're gonna be in the contest too? That's great!" Pinkie bounced up and down. "I mean, the Fall Formal's great without all of that weird magic-stuff. Take it from me, you three are gonna love it!"

"Pinkie? Can we just stay on track here?" Applebloom cocked a brow.

"Sure. What are you three gonna cosplay as?" Pinkie Pie pulled out a notepad and pencil.

"Well, we're actually going to cosplay as someone that you and the other girls don't really like that much." Sweetie Belle looked down and rubbed at the ground with the tips of her shoes.

"Who? Gilda? Principal Cinch? That pizza delivery guy who got me hawaiian instead of a pepperoni and double cheese pizza? God, I hate that guy!" Pinkie's brows furrowed before she looked back at the girls. "Sorry. Sorry. Go on."

"Actually... we're going to cosplay as the Dazzlings from CHS's Battle of the Bands." Scootaloo stepped forward.

"WHAT?!" Pinkie lurched backwards at Scootaloo's remark and dropped both her and Rainbow Dash's backpacks. "You're going to cosplay as three evil, yet attractive sirens who almost tore this whole world apart just to feed on everyone's hatred and hostility?!" There was a short silence between her and the girls. "Girls... That's a great idea!"

"We knew you and the girls would've been angry over it. We just wanted to—" Sweetie Belle's eyes shot open when the realization struck her "—what? You're OK with it? For real?"

"Yeah. For realsies." Pinkie Pie gave the girls another smile. "Speaking of realsies, that's kinda one of the things that Sonata says whenever I go to see her at the local gym. Sure, she's a mortal magic-less being now, but that doesn't mean that she and I can't be besties." She yanked out her phone and showed a picture of her and Sonata Dusk hanging out together. "I mean, look at her. She's freakin' adorable!"

"You're not gonna tell the others, right?" Applebloom came up to Pinkie Pie and held her hand. "I don't want Applejack or the others to get angry at me just 'cause I'm cosplaying as one of the Dazzlings."

"A secret cosplay, eh?" Pinkie kneeled down and lowered her eyelids, nudging on Scootaloo's shoulders. "I'm sure that I could keep it a secret."

"Do you Pinkie Promise?" Sweetie Belle and the other Crusaders came up to Pinkie, fluttered their eyelids, and looked up at her.

"Cross me heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Pinkie Pie recited her Pinkie Promise perfectly and even pulled a cupcake out of her back and put it into her right eye for good measure.

"Good." Applebloom nodded. "You won't go breaking that promise, though, right?"

"I abso-tiva-lutely promise that I will not tell anyone else that you're cosplaying as the Dazzlings!" Pinkie put her hand to her chest and closed her eyes, smiling proudly. "Because I know that breaking a Pinkie Promise is the fastest way to lose a friend..." She got up in the girls' faces. "Forever!"

"Oookay." Sweetie Belle tugged at her collar as Pinkie Pie stood back upright. "So... tell us what you know, Pinkie Pie."

"Well, judging from how they acted in the Battle of the Bands, I think it's safe to say that the Dazzlings quarrel just as much as any sisters do." Pinkie Pie wrote it down on her notepad. "Despite how perfectly in sync they are and how good their singing is, their key weakness is that they often can't get along with themselves. The most common example is how that purple-haired girl always has it out for poor little Sonata."

"She's called Aria Blaze, Pinkie." Scootaloo nodded. "I happened to grab their names at the contest."

"Alright, then. So Aria Blaze is often calling Sonata out for how free-spirited she is." Pinkie Pie continued to scribble on her pad. "Despite how capable Sonata is, she's just as goofy as I am and often gushes over tacos. And it's just that sort of attitude that riles of Aria ninety-nine percent of the time."

"I think we could handle that." Sweetie Belle looked over at Scootaloo and put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Whenever I correct Scootaloo on a pronunciation or math problem, she always calls me out on it."

"It's not my fault that I'm not supposed to know algebra or how to spell 'enzyme'!" Scootaloo threw her hands towards Sweetie Belle. "We're still just freshmen here at Canterlot High and we've still got a lot to learn."

"It doesn't help that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are on the top of their class every time." Applebloom tipped her hand. "Despite their grades, wealth, and how much more smart they are, they still have to gloat to us whenever they outdo us!" she scoffed. "Seriously, I think something's wrong with the two of them."

"Yeah. With all of their success, it's a wonder why Principal Cinch didn't enroll them at Crystal Prep instead." Scootaloo scratched her chin.

"Oh she did invite them, but they couldn't deal with the dress code and came to CHS instead." Sweetie Belle nodded and turned back at Pinkie Pie. "But we're going off-track here. Please tell us more about the Dazzlings, Pinkie."

"Well, you know about Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze, but the main Dazzling is the one with the golden hair; Adagio Dazzle." Pinkie Pie showed a portrait of Adagio on her phone. "She's the big kahuna of the group. Out of the three of them, Adagio is the most level-headed of the group."

"So she's the leader?" Applebloom tilted her head.

"Yeah. Adagio always keeps Aria and Sonata in line effortlessly. Heck, she treats them like how Mrs. Cake does me and the Cake Twins whenever we misbehave." Pinkie Pie rubbed her butt. "I'm still never gonna get over how painful her spankies are..."

"So let me see if I've got all of this right." Applebloom looked at what Pinkie Pie had written down on her notepad, ignoring the childish doodles and cartoonish creatures that she had written. "Adagio Dazzle is the leader of the Dazzlings, Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze are arguing the most, but they're still a strong group?"

"Yep. And one last thing." Pinkie leaned into the girls' ears and whispered, "They wore these little things around their necks that sucked up hatred and negativity. Kinda like a little vacuum cleaner but for green fart mist..." She stood back up and looked at the girls' blank faces in response to that sentence. "Well, that's all that I've got to tell you for now. I really have to get Dashie's backpack back to her." Pinkie scooped up both backpacks as the bell rang. "You should get to class too. Ms. Harshwhinny's pretty tough on punctuality. Bye!" And with that, she ran off, taking back the notepad and pen that she had used.

"Bye, Pinkie!" The CMCs all chorused together, waving Pinkie Pie off as they went to their next class as well.

"Alright, Crusaders. We've got one of the parts of our act done." Scootaloo pulled out her phone, opened up a sticky note application, tapped on one of the notes, and drew a tick on the checkbox labelled, "Acting like the Dazzlings."

"I still can't believe that Pinkie Pie was so co-operative." Applebloom turned her head to the others. "I seriously thought that as soon as we mentioned the Dazzlings, she would just walk away immediately."

"She's Pinkie Pie, Applebloom." Scootaloo put her hands behind her head as she walked. "Out of all of the Rainbooms, Pinkie Pie is the most... how should I say it? Gullible of the girls?"

"Yep." Applebloom crossed her arms. "That's pretty much it. The mere mention of candy, cake, or cosplays, and she just completely drops her guard. Sometimes, I'll never understand her."

"Let's not think too much about it now, girls. We got one of the parts down, and that's all that matters." Sweetie Belle put her hands on the shoulders of her friends. "Now that we've got the act, we need some clothes that look similar or at least close to what the Dazzlings actually wear." She grinned. "I'm sure that I could have Rarity fashion some up for us."

"You sure she'll be as helpful as Pinkie Pie?" Scootaloo raised a brow at Sweetie Belle. "She might be obsessed with fashion nowadays, but she's still gonna hold a deep grudge with the Dazzlings, just like how Rainbow Dash and the others do."

"I already told Pinkie Pie that it was a secret. Now we just need to make sure that Rarity doesn't find out about who we're cosplaying as." Sweetie Belle briefly cast her gaze on Scootaloo.

"But how are we gonna do that?" Applebloom asked. "We have the Dazzlings wearing their clothes, but we can't show the pictures to Rarity. She'd freak out big time!"

"Don't worry, girls." Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and exhaled smoothly. "I got this."
> Costumed Crusaders
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thanks again for helping us out with these outfits, Rarity." Sweetie Belle smiled as she handed her the phone with the picture of the Dazzlings' clothes on it. With some phone apps, she had edited it out so that the Dazzlings' heads and limbs had been covered with white paint. 

"It's no problem at all, Sweetie Belle." Rarity looked at the clothes and pushed an icon on Sweetie Belle's phone. With some more taps on multiple different symbols after that, she sent it to a large tablet close to her sewing table. "Those threads. That elegant combination of colour palettes. It's all simply wonderful! Though... I can't help but get the feeling that I've seen these designs before." She scratched her chin with a single finger as she looked at the clothes on her tablet.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders bit their lips and shuddered at Rarity's concentration. They knew that it she could recognize the clothes as the Dazzlings' clothes, then their entire operation would have been in shambles.

"Oh well, never mind." Rarity pulled out a strip of purple fabric and fed it through the sewing machine on her workbench. "How could I ever pass up an opportunity to recreate something as truly dazzling as this?"

"I don't really think that's the best word to call it, Rarity..." Sweetie Belle weakly raised her finger. "Couldn't you call it divine or lovely instead?"

"Now now, Sweetie Belle." Rarity turned from her work and pinched her sister on the cheek. "I'm the fashion expert around here, not you.  I can call it whatever I want, and this is truly dazzling, isn't it?" She went back to her work, humming herself a little tune as she pushed the fabric through the rapidly pounding needle.

"Sweetie Belle! She's gonna blow our cover!" Scootaloo whispered into Sweetie Belle's ears as lightly as she could.

"No, she's not!" Sweetie Belle whispered back. "I know Rarity, and once she's committed to making a dress, she has no time to ask about anything else." She pointed over to Rarity, who was still humming while working. "Something about her dressmaker's mindset thingy."

"Dressmaker's mindset?" Applebloom tilted her head to the side.

"It's just what Rarity calls her concentration." Sweetie Belle nodded and walked over to a nearby chest. "Now, while she's working, we have the time to find some accessories for the outfits." She pulled out an apple-shaped pin and came back to the other crusaders. "Here you go, Applebloom. This pin would look great on your outfit."

"We're also going to need to make something to go 'round our necks too." Applebloom took the pin and leaned in close to Sweetie Belle. "The Dazzlings wore something 'round their necks, so we should do the same, right?"

"Well, I had made these little things in shop class recently." Scootaloo reached into her backpack and pulled out three tiny shield-shaped blocks of wood with shades of red, pink, and purple. There was a symbol of an apple on one, a wing on another, and a star on the third. "I thought that we could wear these at class, but now that this whole idea of cosplaying as the Dazzlings on our minds, why not use them for the necklaces instead?"

"Wow, Scootaloo. Those are really impressive!" Sweetie Belle looked at the three shields and how much detail was on them. "How in the world did you make these?"

"A lot of time, devotion, and thoughts about you girls." Scootaloo took the one shaped like a wing and clutched it tightly in the palm of her hand. She then held out her other hand and gave the other ones to her friends. "Go ahead. Take 'em."

"Thanks, Scootaloo." Applebloom took the shield with the apple on it.

"Yeah, thanks!" Sweetie Belle took the other shield and held it close to her face. "The perfect necklace from a perfect friend. This'll go great with the rest of the cosplay."

While the Cutie Mark Crusaders found some more accessories in the chest that were close to that of the Dazzlings' accessories, Rarity continued to work on the dresses. She looked closely at each individual part of the outfit, checking the fronts and backs and editing the dress accordingly.

Despite her hard work, Rarity had a nagging thought in the back of her mind that she had seen the clothes before on someone. Even though she didn't know who exactly it was, she could still remember the clothes. She was about to think more about it, until she saw that the dress was about to be overfed to the machine. Breaking out of her train of thought, she went back to work.





"There! It's done!" Rarity pulled out the completed dresses and showed them off to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They were very closely accurate to the ones that the Dazzlings had worn, with all of the colours perfect to what she had seen on the picture. "A rather marvellous recreation, wouldn't you say?"

"At least she didn't say dazzling this time." Scootaloo walked over to her Aria Blaze outfit and picked it up, while Sweetie Belle and Applebloom took their respective uniforms.

"Well go ahead, girls. Try them on." Rarity stretched her arm out to the nearby changing rooms. "I hope that you like them."

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom all nodded as they took their dresses and walked over to the individual changing rooms and shut the doors behind them. Once inside, they quickly took their clothes off and slipped into their new outfits for the night of the formal. They also took the shield blocks that Scootaloo had made and stuck them onto a black necklace around each of their necks.

Once they all put their new clothes on, the Cutie Mark Crusaders all came out of the doors and posed for Rarity, giving her a few smiles as they did so. They tried to stretch their arms and be flamboyant, but they flopped and flung them around to the point where Rarity cringed slightly.

"Alright, girls. No need to strut your stuff just yet." Rarity walked over to the girls, blushing as she put their arms by their sides once again. "Save that for the Fall Formal."

"Still, you did a really great job on these, Rarity!" Applebloom felt her new outfit. There were no creases or wrinkles to be seen and the sleeves stretched as she did. "And it's snug too. Like I'm wearing one of Applejack's old farming gloves." 

"Yeah! You've really outdone yourself this time, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle looked at herself in the mirror. She blushed at how perfectly Sonata's clothes fit over her. "I don't know how it's possible, but I feel even more cute than before!"

"Well, that's great and all, but I'm still not gonna get over these high heels..." Scootaloo wobbled slightly as she tried to regain her composure. She now had to stand on tip-toes and it ate into her foot muscles the more that she stood. "How those supermodels do this, I'll never know..."

"Don't worry, Scootaloo. You'll get used to them in time. All of us girls do." Rarity chuckled as she held onto Scootaloo's arm, helping her to regain her posture and balance. "You know, I've never said this before, but you actually look great in a sleeveless shirt. If Rainbow Dash were here, I can guarantee she would say that you look awesome, as she puts it."

"Thanks, Rarity!" Scootaloo's grin flared up into a widespread smile at Rarity's comments.

"No problem." Rarity nodded. "Nothing but the best for some new up-and-coming cosplay aficionados." She took one more glance at the girls, the suspicion from before feeling much stronger now. "Although, now that I look at you, I get the feeling that I really have seen someone wear this before. Back at the Battle of the Bands..."

The Crusaders' faces froze as Rarity examined them from head to toe, sweating as she got up close to them, looking at each different detail. They stayed incredibly still and didn't make a sound as Rarity looked at their shoes now. One wrong move or word, and they would be exposed as the Dazzlings, and everything would be ruined.

"I know these were worn at the Battle of the Bands, but I just can't remember who by." Rarity crossed her arms. "Aside from all of the conflict and petty drama, the rest is just a blur. I never even got to examine the other teams' dresses—even when all eyes were on us!" She rubbed her own head. "It's so strange..."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sweetie Belle tipped her hand. "We just found these clothes on some kind of internet video and thought that we'd just roll with it."

"Oh really? What kind of internet video?" Rarity squinted her eyes and jabbed a finger at the girls.

"Uhh..." Sweetie Belle struggled to find an excuse. She knew that her sister wasn't stupid and that the wrong words could jeopardise the CMCs' entire plan for winning the crown. "It's from... Uh, an anime!" She coughed.

"An anime?" Rarity cocked her head to the side. "Since when did anime have such interesting clothes? What was the name?"

"Um... Uh..." Sweetie Belle looked at the other crusaders, who both threw their arms down and swung them, gesturing her to hurry up and make a feasible lie. "It's from... Cold Blooded End: Princesses of Conflict!"

"Really?" Rarity gave a small smile. "I might just have to watch that some time if the characters dress that well."

"Yeah. It had three seasons, and now it's on the fourth." Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and walked forward. "We're dressed as three members of the Pentagon of Democracy. Li'han, Sun'da, and Min'gri."

The other Cutie Mark Crusaders looked thunderstruck as Sweetie Belle continued with the lie, watching as she gave it even more detail to make Rarity believe their ploy. They performed more hand gestures, telling her to stop before she gave away too much.

"Anyway, you did us a real solid by making us these clothes, Rarity." Sweetie Belle shook Rarity's hand and lead the other girls out the shop. "I guess we'll see you on the night of the Fall Formal. C'mon, girls."

Rarity waved the girls off as they walked out of the boutique, looking at how their arms were over each others' backs. Despite what Sweetie Belle had told her, she wasn't entirely convinced, and gave a light stare as she watched them walking down the streets.





"That was way too close of a call, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo brushed the sweat off of her face once again as she and the others walked towards their next destination. "I thought we were going to get caught half of the time. I mean, she said dazzling and made you have to make up that lie to throw her off the scent."

"Don't worry, girls. Cold Blooded End doesn't even exist." Sweetie Belle smiled and rubbed her outfit. "I told you that I got this. I had to lie to Rarity about a lot of stuff when I was in pre-school. Who ruined her homework, made a mess in her bedroom, all kinds of things."

"Didn't you think you were gonna get caught?" Applebloom raised a brow and put her hand on Sweetie Belle's shoulders. 

"Nope." Sweetie Belle beamed from ear to ear. "What Rarity doesn't know won't hurt her. And besides, you saw how much she was working on those dresses. It was like she poured her heart and soul into them!"

"Well, however good she did it, I just hope that it gets us some extra marks on the night of the Fall Formal, 'cause I'm not wearing these without winning." Scootaloo still wobbled while walking down the streets.

"Don't worry, Scootaloo. We've got most of the pieces now." Sweetie Belle opened the list on her phone again. "Acting? Done. Dresses? Done. Now all we need is to go to the hairdressers and get our hairs done up. You can't be the Dazzlings without their hairstyles, right?"

"Right." Scootaloo and Applebloom nodded.

"Trust me, girls. This is going to work out just fine." She felt the shield dangling gently from her necklace; the light glistening off of the finely-carved, polished, and painted wood. It bounced with every step she took and lightly banged against her chest, as did the ones worn by the other Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"I just hope that that anime lie you told was a strong one, Sweetie Belle." Applebloom looked up to the skies. "Ever since I watched that one about massive monsters killing and eating humans, Applejack banned me from ever watching anime ever again, let alone talking about it."

"Sometimes a lie is much less painful than the truth itself." Sweetie Belle looked over at Applebloom and gently rubbed the back of her head. "If we just up and told Rarity that we were going to cosplay as the Dazzlings, she would've immediately stopped making the dresses and would've thrown us out. You know how much she hates those three..."

"I still think it's pretty bad to lie to her face; and about something so ridiculous." Applebloom gazed into Sweetie Belle's eyes. "She's going to tell all of the other Rainbooms about it and as soon as Applejack hears that it was an anime lie, then they're all going to get suspicious."

"So, what do we do now?" Scootaloo shrugged. "We can't just give up on this now that we've come this far, right?"

"No. No we're not, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle tightened her hands into fists as she passed by some people. "We're halfway to completing the Dazzlings cosplays. We can't stop now. Sure, the girls are probably going to have our heads, but we have to press on." She looked at some more cosplayers on her phone, browsing the photos that she had taken in the past. "The other part of cosplaying is to be as shameless as you possibly can. Don't be afraid to emulate which character you want to be—even if many other people hate you for it."

"I suppose that's true." Scootaloo looked around. "There's no need to hide who you are and what you want to be, right?"

"Yeah." Applebloom gave a sigh and flopped her head and hands back down. "Guess we're really stuck in the mud now, huh?"

"Hey, we're all in this together, Applebloom." Scootaloo came around Sweetie Belle and held on to Applebloom's hand. "If you get in trouble, then we all do; as friends."

"As friends." Sweetie Belle reached out for Scootaloo's hand and grabbed it.

Applebloom looked at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, stretched out both of her hands, and grabbed onto the girls' free hands, shaking them gently. "As friends..."
> The Hair Makes The Dazzlings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all walked into the local hairdressers in town, wearing their newly-acquired Dazzlings outfits. They all took their seats on a leather couch by the front door and waited for someone to attend to them.

The hairdressers was very well-kept, with black and white tiles adorning the floor. There was some hair underneath the chairs where other customers were having their hair cut, but it was hastily swept away by some of the members of staff. The chairs themselves were black with armrests for the patrons to lay their arms down if they so needed. There were also mirrors in front of both the workers and their clients, as well as many different barber's tools, spray bottle, gel tubs, and shavers with multiple different interchangeable clips.

"Do you think they'll even be able to get this right?" Applebloom raised her hand and gently brushed her hair back. "I mean, the Dazzlings had an awful lot of hair when they came to CHS, so I'm not really sure how they're gonna tackle this situation."

"Relax, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle coiled her arm around Applebloom's chest. "This place has great reviews on the internet. Rarity often comes here whenever her hair gets a bit frizzy. The staff here are all incredibly talented and'll definitely give us the Dazzlings' hairstyles if they can."

"Yeah. We even got the proper accessories to tie our hairs up like the Dazzlings do." Scootaloo opened her backpack and pulled out a spiked hairband, two hairclips with stars on them, and a small purple scrunchie. "We'll just show them what we want, give them the items, and then boom! Cutie Mark Dazzlings."

"Cutie Mark Dazzlings?" Applebloom glanced over at Scootaloo and tipped her head to the side. "That seems a bit too corny, don't ya think?"

"Kinda sounds like an awful lot to take in." Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Plus, we'd be too much on the nose for a group name."

"Look, I think we should just call ourselves the Dazzlings and nothing else." Applebloom gently pushed into both of her friends. "It's cosplay, after all, and we want to be as accurate to who we're trying to be if we're gonna win this thing."

"Applebloom does have a point there, Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle put her hand on Scootaloo's shoulders and helped her sit back down. "Accuracy is everything in the cosplay world; both for look and name. You don't want to cosplay as someone and pass it off as your own original character; it just doesn't feel right."

"I just don't see what's the problem of spicing up a bit." Scootaloo shrugged and watched a smartly-dressed man approach the three of them.

"Good afternoon, ladies." A man with glossy black hair greeted the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Can I be of assistance today?"

"Yes, please, sir." Sweetie Belle stood up and showed him a picture of the Dazzlings. "Me and my friends are taking part in some contest at our school, and we're looking to have our hairs done up like the people we're dressing up as. Do you think you can make our hairs so that they look like this?"

"A custom haircut?" The staff member squinted his eyes and looked closer at the picture. "I'm sure that we can work something out on that. May I ask, who's getting which haircut?"

"I'm getting this one." Applebloom pointed to Adagio's hairstyle.

"This one's mine." Scootaloo showed the man Aria's haircut.

"And if I'm not mistaken, this leaves this little lady with this ponytail haircut, am I right?" asked the man as he zoomed in on Sonata Dusk's head.

"Yep. That's me." Sweetie Belle fluttered her eyelids gently.

"Three custom haircuts. That will come down to fifteen dollars." The man pulled out a notebook and wrote down on it with a pencil.

"Wow, that cheap?" Scootaloo tilted her head at the man and fished a five dollar note from her pocket. "I would've thought it would've been more, seeing as these are tough haircuts to make."

"Oh no, it's no trouble at all, you three." The man lead them over to three separate barber's chairs once Applebloom and Sweetie Belle gave him their share of the money. He sat them down, boosted the chairs up, and tied black cloaks around their bodies and a large, thin black collar around their necks. "Just wait patiently and I'll get my best barbers on the job."

"You sure that these guys can do this right, Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom glanced over at her friend.

"Trust me, Applebloom. Give these guys a picture and they'll be all over it." Sweetie Belle pulled out her phone and flipped through more pictures of her with different hairstyles. "They've never let me down before, and I highly doubt that they're gonna start today."

"How many times have you actually come here before, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo raised her eyebrows.

"Two or three times. Maybe four at most." Sweetie Belle shrugged. "But they've never failed me before, I know that for sure."

"How can you be sure they're that good if you've only come two or three times?" Applebloom crossed her arms underneath her cloak. "I'd say that you'd need to come at least six times before you can judge whether or not they're good at their job."

"Look, Applebloom, just trust me on this, alright?" Sweetie Belle put her phone away and tipped her arm. "I wouldn't bring you two to this place if I knew that it was bad."

"Alright, but I'm not expecting much from this." Applebloom sighed and tipped her head back against the chair, closing her eyes.

"You worry too much, Applebloom." Scootaloo crossed her legs and cracked a smile for the mirror. "These people are trained professionals. They wouldn't even be working here if they weren't good at their jobs."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders simply sat back and waited as three separate ladies walked out of a door by the end of the building and came up to them. The ladies greeted their customers and pulled out a pair of scissors and examined their separate photos as vividly as they could. The teenagers laid down their accessories and gave the instructions to use them to hold up the hairstyles.

The girls were relatively silent as they let the ladies get on with their work. The sounds of scissors cutting hair, music from the radio, and water flowing into the nearby sinks filled the air as the CMCs felt their hairs being played around with by their separate workers. With how delicately they were being worked on, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo barely felt a thing as the proceedure went through. To them, the whole thing seemed therapeutic to them, and they simply closed their eyes and sighed peacefully as their old hairstyles soon disappeared and were beginning to look very close to that of the Dazzlings.





Eventually, when enough time had passed, the CMCs opened their eyes again and were met with a completely alien sight. Their hairstyles had been completely redone and were now identical to that of the Dazzlings—minus the colours in their hair. They felt their hair to see if it was stable with their hairpieces and smiled in approval afterwards.

"See? What did I tell you?" Sweetie Belle looked over at Applebloom and her new hairstyle. "They've never let me down."

"We strive for nothing but the best here at Canterlot Barbershop." Sweetie Belle's barber nodded as the three girls stood up and took their collars and cloaks off, letting the hair fall down onto the floor. "Your praise is welcomed and appreciated, girls."

"Looks like I'll definitely be coming back here after this." Scootaloo smirked and nodded, pumping her fist as she took one last look at her new hairstyle. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome, girls. Have a nice day now." Scootaloo's lady waved her and her friends off as they walked towards the door. "Good luck in winning that contest you girls were talking about!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked out of the building and down the road, the light of the sunset elegantly draped around their chests and shoulders. Their new hairstyles glistened in the light and were on full display for all to see. They still had issues walking on the tips of their toes, but they were slowly managing to cope with it, walking straighter and with more balance and composure than before.

"Well, looks like we've got everything done, right, crusaders?" Sweetie Belle asked as the group made it to the end of the path.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo nodded. "Acting? Check. Costumes? Check." She gently lifted up her two ponytails. "Hairstyles? Check. We've got this in the bag."

"I'll be honest, I didn't think ya'll would be able to pull this off when you came up with this idea, girls." Applebloom wrapped her arms around her fellow crusaders. "But you've really gone and blown me out of the water. These are really impressive!"

"Told you there was nothing to worry about, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle folded her arms and nodded as she turned the corner with the other girls and approached a nearby park. "Whenever I do cosplay, I make sure that everything's perfect. Straight down to the hairstyles."

"But it's not exactly perfect, is it?" Scootaloo pointed to the hair. "The Dazzlings have their hairs different colours. There's no possible way that we could dye them like that in time. Heck, we don't even know how to dye by ourselves."

You're perfectly fine, Scootaloo. What you just said applies to us." Sweetie Belle looked at how accurate Scootaloo's hair was to Aria Blaze. "But you do have a point. Without the proper colours, we might lose some points in the judging section."

"Not to mention that if we ask our sisters to colour our hairs, not only are they gonna get suspicious on how close we look to the Dazzlings, but if they do go through with it and find out after, we'll be in more trouble than a log at a logging factory..." Applebloom nodded.

"Wait a minute..." Sweetie Belle let the last sentence sink deep into her mind. "We look like the Dazzlings from head to toe."

"And?" Scootaloo nodded, then gasped when she realised what Sweetie Belle was thinking about.

"WE LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE DAZZLINGS!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders all cried out, alerting the attention of multiple different patrons in the nearby park.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man, we're so going to get busted!" Scootaloo ran on the spot, shaking her legs wildly. "If Rainbow Dash finds out, I'm gonna be ruined! She'll never like me after this!"

"Applejack's gonna ground me so hard, she won't even let me see ya'll! Not to mention the fact that we lied to Rarity and that I mentioned it was for anime!" Applebloom fell to her knees. "I'm doomed!"

"Girls, stop it!" Sweetie Belle slapped both Applebloom and Scootaloo's mouths with her hands, took in a deep breath, and exhaled loudly. "We're not in trouble yet. We just have to hide for now. No-one we know can see us, and no-one who doesn't know us can't know, alright?"

"But Sweetie Belle, we look just like—"

"I know we look like the Dazzlings, alright?!" She gritted her teeth and glared at Scootaloo before sighing and hanging her head. "Just stay low, hide from everyone, and when you get back to your houses, make sure that you hide your hair at all costs! Nobody must know!" She pulled her hands from her friends' mouths.

"We just have to get home without raising any suspicion and we're in the clear. Then, when we do get home, we just cover up our hair until the Fall Formal." Applebloom inhaled and exhaled deeply. "That can't be too hard, right?"

"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be a disaster?" Scootaloo mumbled as the three girls began to walk through the park, their confidence shattered by the risk of them being caught by Applejack, Rarity, or Rainbow Dash.

What had started out as a perfect plan for the Cutie Mark Crusaders now had the chance to end in tragedy with how much they stuck out. If so much as one of their big sisters found out about their plan to cosplay as the Dazzlings, then it would all be over for them. With that grim thought lingering in their minds, they pressed on, unaware of what the future held for them.
> Homecoming
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cutie Mark Crusaders ducked and dived behind newspaper stands, lightposts, and fire hydrants, almost falling over onto their chests a few times in doing so. Now that they were fully dressed for the Fall Formal, they were also fully exposed to the world around them. If anyone took notice of them and called out that they were cosplaying as the Dazzlings, everything would be in ruins for the three of them.

The sun began to set and scrape the top of the buildings as it sank into the distance. It didn't help much that the girls were staying close to the walls as they were now being illuminated by the golden ball's radiant rays. The shadows that they cast in the light were now elongating, almost to the point where they could touch the roofs of the buildings with them.

"How far is it to your house, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked as she wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "I don't think that I can keep hiding like this all afternoon."

"Yeah. Sooner or later, someone's gonna see us looking like the Dazzlings." Applebloom crossed her arms and followed Scootaloo down the pathways. "Whether it's them or our sisters, we're gonna be in a whole mess of trouble."

"Relax, you two." Scootaloo smiled and pointed to a house at the end of the road. "My house is all the way down there. You sure you don't wanna say goodbye now? I'm sure that you could get back home easily without me dragging you down."

"No, no. If we're gonna get caught, then we're all gonna get caught together." Applebloom held Scootaloo's hand and looked her in the eyes. "We all agreed on this idea. It'd be no fair if only one of us got punished by our sisters."

"Applebloom's right. If we get caught, it just wouldn't be right if one of us made it out scot-free." Sweetie Belle grabbed Scootaloo's hand as well. "If Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash find out, we should all take the blame—not just one of us."

"Yeah, but what about the rest of the Rainbooms?" Scootaloo raised a brow. "I don't think the others'd be so kind. Well... Maybe Pinkie Pie would, but that's beside the point!"

"It doesn't matter who finds us, Scootaloo. Just that if we get busted, we've all gotta live up to our actions." Applebloom shook her head and almost threw her hairband out in doing so. "Now, come on. We're gonna bring you home together."

"Alright then, but I still don't see what the point is, really." Scootaloo shrugged and walked down the street with her hands in her pockets. "I'm sure that Mom and Dad wouldn't even notice we were the Dazzlings."

The rest of the trip to Scootaloo's house was taken in silence as the girls exchanged glances with each other. They were so close to their homes, but now they were also at the greatest of risk. Even if they did get inside, they now had to conceal themselves away from their sisters and make sure that they didn't arouse suspicion from their family members.

"Well, looks like we're here." Scootaloo walked up to the door and pulled out a key from her pocket. She inserted it into the lock and quickly twisted it before shoving the door open. "Now, before I go, are you two absolutely sure that you can make it home and hide yourselves from Applejack and Rarity?"

"Well, Applejack? No. Rarity, maybe..." Applebloom pondered about how she was going to be able to hide her hair from her family. "Hey, we just need to hide our hairstyles, right?"

"Yeah. As long as they don't catch onto us, we can just hide our clothes and cover up our hair with something." Sweetie Belle smiled momentarily, but then looked at how expansive Applebloom's Adagio haircut looked. "Oh. You might need a little more than a hat, Applebloom."

"I'm sure that I could work something out..." Applebloom brushed her hair with her hands, feeling how bouncy it was as she pushed her fingers in and out. "Applejack's gotta have something to hide this bush. She's got a solution for everything."

"Well, whatever you work out, I just hope you have a good night." Scootaloo waved the girls off as they walked back up the road they had come from. She closed the door and locked it up before climbing the stairs to her room.





As Sweetie Belle and Applebloom walked up to Rarity's house, their stomachs began to churn with how slim their chances of being hidden were. They were right on Rarity's doorstep and didn't have much time to hide their hairs from her. They were already thinking about what she would do to Sweetie if they were caught.

"Well, guess it's time to face the music, huh?" Sweetie Belle put her hand on the door and took one last look at Applebloom. She took in a deep breath and laid her other hand on her friend's shoulders. "Hey, if I get grounded tonight and don't get to go to the formal with you and Scootaloo, I just want to say that it's been fun, Applebloom."

"Yeah. Even though I thought this idea would be terrible, it was still fun to do it with the two of you." Applebloom gave a smile of resignation and pushed the door open for Sweetie Belle. "Good luck in there and have a good night."

"You too." Sweetie Belle walked inside and shut the door, locking it up for the night as she walked towards the stairs leading up to her and her sister's bedrooms. "I just hope Rarity doesn't punish me too bad..."

Eventually, Sweetie Belle made it to the top of the stairs and walked down the corridor, looking into Rarity's room as she did. Fortunately for her, Rarity was too engrossed in looking at at a fashion magazine while working on her latest design. She was humming a little tune to herself as she fed the dress through the sewing machine and applied extra decorations to it.

Alright, I've got a bit of time on my hands. I'm sure I can find some way to hide my hai—

"Oh! Sweetie Belle! You're back!" Rarity looked out of her room and over at her sister. "And from the looks of things, you've redone your hair. Ponytails are the in thing right now, so I'd say you're making a bold fashion statement there."

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle almost jumped out of her skin as Rarity came over to her. "Uh... Th-this isn't what it looks like. I-I-I can explain!"

"Why, there's nothing to explain, darling." Rarity gently rubbed Sweetie's back and brushed her ponytail haircut. "I know fashion when I see it, and I think you've got some real potential going out like that. The clothes and hair compliment each other wonderfully."

"I know, I know. It was a stupid idea for me to cospl— wait, what?!" Sweetie Belle stumbled back at Rarity's praise. She thought that it would be the end for her and her plan, considering that she was almost identical to Sonata Dusk. "You mean, you're not going to punish me?"

"Punish?" Rarity lifted her eyebrows. "Why in the world would I ever punish you for looking so fabulous?"

"Because I look exactly like Sonata Dusk of the Dazzlings! Y'know, the sirens that tried to take over Canterlot High and enslave us with their songs?" Sweetie Belle pointed out both her clothes and her hair. "I mean, c'mon, Rarity, you should've known this from the moment you made us those clothes. They're EXACTLY like what Adagio, Aria, and Sonata wore to the Battle of the Bands!"

"Oh, I know all about that, you silly girl. It doesn't take a master fashionista's keen eye to know that you were just dressing up like someone else." Rarity chuckled and patted Sweetie's hair down. "But I don't really get why you and the other Crusaders would want to dress up like those heathens. It just doesn't make any sense, considering your sweet and innocent natures."

"You know how the Fall Formal's having a cosplay section this year?" Sweetie Belle looked down at the floor and brushed the ground with her feet. "It's about that. See, we're gonna..."

"You're gonna what?" Rarity asked.

"We're... gonna..." Sweetie Belle began to choke on her own words as she tried to get the sentence out. No matter what she would be able to say, Rarity would be onto her. "Dress up as the Dazzlings to do the cosplay section of the Fall Formal."

"WHAT?!" Rarity threw her hands onto her head and reviled at Sweetie's answer.

"It would just be the one time, OK?! It was just a silly idea that we had when coming up with ideas!" Sweetie Belle threw her arms down and looked up at Rarity's face. "We wanted to keep it a secret from you and the rest of the Rainbooms."

"You all knew that this would get you into trouble, so why in the world would you go through with it?" Rarity stared into Sweetie's eyes and coiled her hands into fists. "Especially when you knew that we would criticise you about it and potentially ground you?"

"Because I just wanted to know what it's like to win the Fall Formal for once." Sweetie Belle sighed and hung her head. "I thought that, maybe, with my friends by my side, we'd be able to pull this all off and win the crown. And yeah, I know it's for one person, but as long as at least one of us gets it, then I'm happy either way. Guess that's not gonna happen now, is it?"

"Definitely not like that." Rarity crossed her arms and shook her head. "Now, Sweetie Belle, I'm not entirely cross with you, but I'm very disappointed. You're just lucky I'm not Applejack. She would have your neck for this if you were in her family." She knelt down and tenderly massaged Sweetie's shoulders. "I'm not going to stop you from doing this, but I will let you know that you probably won't win with your act and get up. Usually, I would offer some helpful support, but I'm just letting you down easily just in case the crowd doesn't like you."

"It's not the crowd that I'm worried about, Rarity." Sweetie Belle looked her sister in the eyes and put her own hands on Rarity's shoulders. "It's Applebloom and Scootaloo. Their sisters are gonna ground them if they find out."

"Applejack might, but I'm not so sure about what Rainbow Dash would do to Scootaloo." Rarity looked out of the window. "Well, whatever the case, I just want to let you know that everything might not be as smooth as you girls might think on the night of the formal."

"I know, I know." Sweetie Belle's vision drifted off as she looked out at the descending sun one last time that day. "I just hope that the others are alright."





"Alright, Applebloom. You can do this." She paced back and forth in her room, using a light blue blanket to conceal her hair. "You've been in worse situations than this and you've made it through. Whatever happens now, I can't let Applejack see me like this. She'd have my hide!" She threw off the clothes and put them in her closet, proceeding to slip into her casual wear for the evening. "There. Outta sight, outta mind."

"Applebloom? Can ya'll come down and give me a hand in the kitchen?" Applejack's voice rang out through the house. "These floors ain't gonna clean themselves, ya know!"

"Uh, coming!" Applebloom quickly put her trousers on, bouncing around as she tried to slide her legs through the holes. She flopped back onto the bed and pulled them up to her waist, bouncing off and falling onto her back as she got them on. As she crashed onto the carpeted floors, her towel fell off. "It's, uh, gonna take some time, though."

"Applebloom, hustle your bustles and get down here as fast as you can," Applejack called once again. "I can't clean these floors without your help. Ya'll might be a kid, but you've gotta learn to be a bit of independence. Me, Granny, and Big Mac ain't gonna be 'round forever, y'know."

"I know, I know." Applebloom reached down and picked up the towel, wrapping it around her hair once again. She made sure to tie it up as tightly as she could as she walked towards the doors. "

Applebloom ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, seeing that Applejack was busy washing up the pots and pans in the sink. As she watched her sister cleaning up, she went over to the nearby closet and pulled out a ragged broom, nonchalantly sweeping as she tried to keep the towel on her head from falling.

"Where were you all day?" Applejack turned her head from the work she was doing and looked at Applebloom sweeping the floor with the broom. "Ah was gonna pick you up and take you home when class was over, but when I came out, there weren't hide nor tail of you or yer friends. Care to explain?"

"I was just, uh, playing a game of tag with the other Crusaders. That's all." Applebloom chuckled meekly and stared over at her sister, who crossed her arms.

"And seconds of all, why do you have that towel on yer head? Take it off, will ya? It just makes you look plum ridiculous if you ask me." She put her hand on the towel and clutched it as tightly as she could.

"Applejack! Wait! Before you do anything rash, let's just talk about this for a second!" Applebloom began to wave her hands in front of her face.

"Why?" Applejack yanked the towel off. "What could be so important that ya need to hide yer hai—" she made a loud gasp when she realised how Applebloom's hair looked "—WHAT IN TARNATION?!"

"Applejack, it ain't what you think it is!" Applebloom tried to cover up her hair, but it was simply too big to hide without the towel on.

"Oh, really?" Applejack's brows shot up as she stared at Applebloom. "Then what the heck is it?"

"Oh, fine. Guess ya caught me." Applebloom took a deep breath and looked up at her sister. "Me and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders wanted to dress up as the Dazzlings to try and win the Fall Formal. I was against the idea, but Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo roped me into it and we wanted to hide our hair and clothes away from you and the other Rainbooms because we knew you'd be angry with us."

Applejack merely scrunched up her hands and twitched her forehead muscles, looking down at her little sister. Of all of the things that she had seen her do, she had never in her life seen something so ballsy and so irresponsible in her life. She suppressed a snarl as her teeth gnashed together and her face began to turn red.

Finally, she took a deep breath and grabbed Applebloom by the ear, pulling her into another room. "Living room. NOW," she said, "You and I are gonna have a talk, little missy."
> Grounded
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Applebloom, Ah don't even know what to say to ya about this." Applejack paced back and forth in front of her sister. The muscles in her forehead twitched as she crossed her arms and glared at her sister. "Why in the world would ya'll want to cosplay as our worst enemies?!"

"I, uh..." Applebloom was unable to make up an excuse as her sister's gaze pierced her soul. Ever since she had been a little girl, she had always been scared of that visage.

"Applebloom, if you just cough up the truth now, maybe I'll be a little more easy on you." Applejack took a step forward and stomped her foot down on the wooden floors. "You of all of the Apples should know just how I can get when people lie..."

"Why in the world should I tell you the truth?" Applebloom almost regretted saying that as she too walked up to Applejack. "Why do you girls always have to hate on the Dazzlings? What is your problem, exactly?"

"What's mah—" Applejack stuttered as she watched her sister stand up against her "—I'll tell ya what my problem is! The Dazzlings tore our friendships apart and used OUR magic AGAINST us! And now you and your friends want to dress up and act like them?!"

"It's cosplay, Applejack! You wouldn't be able to appreciate it, seeing as how you've outlawed anime in this house!" Applebloom shook her head and pushed up to Applejack's face. "You know, ever since I was born, you've been pushing me around like I'm supposed to be some kind of second pet! I'm a teenage girl! You're a teenage girl! Why do you always want to take control of me like this?!"

"Applebloom! Ah won't hear another word!" Applejack threw Applebloom against the sofa and pinned her to it. "You're not going to the Fall Formal this year. I'm gonna make su—"

"Applejack? What in tarnation's going on here?"

Both of the Apple sisters looked to the side to see Granny Smith standing by the door. She walked up to the two of them and pulled Applejack away from Applebloom, keeping some distance between the two of them. She then stood in between the teens, looking down on both of them.

"Granny Smith! Thank my stars you're here..." Applebloom wiped her forehead and pointed over to Applejack. "Mah big sister was trying to keep me from going to the Fall Formal just because of my outfit."

"Don't you listen to these lies, Granny! Applebloom was trying to dress up as one of the Dazzlings from the Battle of the Bands!" Applejack spoke up, brushing past Granny to lock her eyes with Applebloom's again. "Ah ain't gonna let mah little sister act like someone evil just so she can try and win some goofy crown!"

"So? What's so bad about Applebloom playing dress-up for the formal?" Granny Smith turned towards Applejack. "Looks to me like she was gonna go out as the belle of the ball too."

"Granny, I suppose I should try and start from the beginning." Applejack took a deep sigh, knowing that she wouldn't be able to convince Granny Smith without letting her know the whole story. "Back at CHS's Battle of the Bands, there were three girls called the Dazzlings who entered the contest, right?"

"Yes. I remember them. Rather sweet girls, really." Granny nodded and dropped her arms down by her sides. "That blue one sure had a hankerin' for tacos. She almost cleaned me out with how many she picked up."

"Let's just stay on topic here. It'll make the situation much quicker." Applejack groaned and shook her head, pushing her fingers against her head. "Anyway, the Dazzlings made everyone else fight and hate each other, all so that they could feast on their negativity and bad vibes—including me and my friends!"

"Really?" Granny Smith raised her brow at Applejack. "Ah remember there was some hooting and hollering at lunch, but ah didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary. They still seemed like regular girls to me."

"Granny! What's that supposed to mean?!" Applejack threw her arms down in front of her chest and stared bug-eyed at her. "We SAW the magic fly into their gems! Don't you remember?"

"Hmm..." Granny Smith tried to recall the events of the Battle of the Bands, but the more she tried to remember, the less clear it became to her. "Nope. Sorry, Applejack. Yer not convincing me in the slightest."

"But then..." Applejack had to pause briefly to take in what Granny Smith had just said, "you wouldn't say that unless you were still brainwashed by them!"

"Brainwashed? Me? What do you think this is? The time of communism?!" Granny grit her teeth together and stared down Applejack. "Ah might be old, but I certainly ain't mind-controlled by some evil voodoo person to do their bidding! You must have rats in yer brain if you're thinking about that!"

"Granny!" Applejack whined loudly.

"Please, Granny Smith. Can I just butt in for a second?" Applebloom gently got up from the couch and tapped on Granny's shoulders.

"Not now, Applebloom. I'm busy lecturing yer mean big sister." Granny idly waved a hand behind herself as she walked up to Applejack, making her step back towards the wall. "I knew you were a huge liar back when you were in elementary school, Applejack. Don't try to pull that whole thing back in yer teens, ya hear me?!"

"Granny! Please! I'm trying to—"

"Applejack! Be quiet!" Granny smashed her foot against the floor, causing the entire room to fall silent. Both of the girls jumped at the sight of their grandmother losing her temper and had lost any and all will to speak. She took deep breaths and turned back to Applebloom, sitting down beside her on the couch. "Now, go on, Applebloom. What did ya want to say?"

"Well, basically, Granny," Applebloom started, "me and my friends at Canterlot High were going to dress up and go to the Fall Formal to take part in the contest to win the crown this year. We were all worried that our sisters would freak out at the sight of us, so we wanted to keep it a surprise."

"I can see that." Granny Smith gently brushed the back of Applebloom's clothes. "So, why in the heck would yer big sister want to have a go at you for doing it?"

"Well, the thing is, Granny, we were dressing up as some girls who Applejack hated at the Battle of the Bands." Applebloom gulped, feeling unsure about whether or not she would be able to prove her innocence. "They're gone now, though, and we didn't really have any other ideas for costumes on such short notice."

"The Dazzlings weren't mean, Applebloom." Granny Smith patted Applebloom's shoulders and gave her a warm smile. "They were the sweetest, most kind, and clever girls ah ever did see. If they did something bad behind the scenes, then how were we supposed to know about it? Outta sight outta mind, as they say."

"I... guess?" Applebloom tilted her head at Granny.

"Now, you listen here, Applebloom. There ain't no shame in dressing up like that if'n ya wanna impress the crowd at the Fall Formal." Granny Smith tenderly held Applebloom's hands and patted her head. "But there is something called imitation. Copying someone else'll just make you seem like a buffoon. Same goes for the rest of your friends."

"Granny. Why are you being mer—"

"Ah'm not finished, Applejack." Granny Smith glared daggers at Applejack, forcing her eyes to dilute as she lurched backwards. She turned back to face Applebloom again and cleared her throat. "Like I said, imitation'll only get ya nowhere in life. It'll only make you and the girls the laughing stock of the entire school. Don't you remember when you tried to act like that girl Diamond Tiara back at the Spring Fling?"

"What was I supposed to do? She practically had all of the makings of the prettiest girl there." Applebloom tipped her hand.

"Now, Applebloom. I'm gonna let you off this once because Applejack looked like she was being unreasonable, but I don't want you dressing up like anyone else from now on." Granny Smith stood up and helped Applebloom onto her feet. "No matter what you are, you're you, no-one else. Yer a special one-of-a-kind girl, as are your friends. You look perfect just the way ya'll are and as long as you remember that, you'll be perfectly fine, alright?"

"Y-yeah." Applebloom gulped and nodded as she shakily got back onto her feet. "Thanks, Granny."

"And as for you, Applejack," Granny's voice turned bitter in seconds as she let Applebloom go off and prepare for the evening. "How dare you pick on Applebloom like that. She's just as much of a sister as you, heck maybe even more!"

"She was going to make herself hateable at the Fall Formal, Granny!" Applejack tried a last-ditch attempt to win her back. "Ah'm not gonna let mah little sister be the target of bullying and ridicule!"

"Applejack, I believe we've already been over this. You're not gonna win me back with that attitude of yer's." Granny took Applejack by the wrist. "I've been raising you and yer parents for as long as you can remember, so going against me is a fight you're never gonna be able to win, ya got me?"

"I'm still older than Applebloom! In this family, the kids have to be protected at all times by their big sisters and elders!" Applejack tried to pull her arm out of Granny's hold. It was a futile effort, though, as Granny's grip simply tightened with each flail and shake. "Applebloom's gonna be in a whole world of trouble at that Fall Formal!"

"Ah don't want to hear another word of it, Applejack." Granny shook her head vigorously and hauled Applejack up the stairs. "You were going to try and ground her just because of what she was wearing who she was trying to be! You might be older than her, but I'm still this family's legal guardian. And gall'darn it, I can do what I want with you, Applebloom, and Big Mac!" She arrived at a door and walked into a bedroom, sitting Applejack down on the bed as if she was carrying a slab of metal. "So I say, you're grounded for the rest of the week. Ya'll aren't gonna see those friends of yours outside of school hours, and you're not going to the Fall Formal either."

"Granny! This is ridiculous!" Applejack could only throw words around as she watched Granny Smith walk over to the window and lock the key, putting the key in her pocket afterwards. "I'm the big sister! I'm meant to be responsible for Applebloom!"

"And I'm supposed to be responsible for you!" Granny Smith picked up Applejack's laptop and phone and closed them up, taking them out of the room. "And if you're not gonna be nice to Applebloom, there will be punishments. These are staying in my room so that you can't tell your friends about any of this. You won't be getting them back until the end of the week."

Applejack could only watch as Granny Smith took the items out of Applejack's room and close the door. She heard the sound of a lock being locked shortly after the door closed. She hung her head and dropped her hat down by the side of the bed, flopping her face down onto it as well. She balled her hands into fists and began to punch into a pillow, grunting and screaming with each attack.

"Why?" Applejack began to shed a tear as she finally stopped hitting her pillow. "I only wanted to keep Applebloom safe... What's she gonna do without me to protect her?" She turned towards the window, looking out as the first stars began to appear in the night sky. "Now that I'm trapped in here, mah sister's gonna be teased, tormented, and laughed at by everyone at CHS and there isn't anything I can do to stop it!"
> An Apple a Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Applebloom looked at herself in the mirror that evening, she couldn't help but dwell on what had happened earlier with her and Applejack. She knew that she was going to get a verbal slap in the face from Applejack regardless, but she hadn't accounted for her getting off scot-free with it. She sighed and tightened the band around her hair, making sure that it was ready for the formal.

"Ah know that she was just trying to protect me, but it just ain't fair that she's getting punished for it..." Applebloom looked over towards Applejack's bedroom door and hung her head. A sensation had been eating away at her ever since Granny Smith had let her off the hook, and it simply grew the more she looked at it. "Oh, sis. You didn't deserve this. Ah did..."

All of a sudden, Big Mac came up the stairs and stood in between Applejack and Applebloom's rooms. He saw the look on Applebloom's face and walked over towards her, sitting down on the bed once he had made it inside.

"What's wrong, Applebloom?" Big Mac asked, twisting his wrist. "You've been quiet ever since Granny and Applejack had their falling out. Heck, you've been quieter than a country village after an earthquake."

"Big Mac," Applebloom started. "Have you ever done something wrong but someone else got the blame instead of you?"

"Eeyup." Big Mac nodded as Applebloom sat down beside him. "A while back, actually. When you were still in kindergarten, I got into a bit of a scrap with some bullies picking on Applejack. Ah beat them, sure, but it was them who got punished instead. Now, I know that I shouldn't have thrown the first punch, but they were being really rude." He put his hand on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Well... It's about what I'm wearing." Applebloom showed off her clothes to Big Mac and took another deep breath. "For the Fall Formal this year, me and my friends were going to go as the Dazzlings."

"Well, that's a right proper mistake if ya'll ask me." Big Mac crossed his arms and took Applebloom's headband off. He saw her hair flop down by her shoulders and coil around her arms. "You don't need to dress up like some silly sirens to try and win a beauty contest. Ya'll look good just as you are."

"Ah know, ah know." Applebloom suppressed her tears as she took another glance at Applejack's bedroom. "Granny Smith and Applejack told me too! It just ain't fair that she's grounded and ah'm not!"

"Well, ah can't sway Granny Smith on my own, but I do agree that Applejack didn't deserve to get punished for this." Big Mac turned his head towards Applejack's room as well. "The price of protection's a mighty hard one. Sometimes, when we try too hard to keep each other safe, we end up making them feel trapped instead."

"Trapped?" Applebloom tilted her head at Big Mac. "What do ya mean by that, big brother?"

"Well, ah've been noticing that Applejack's been mighty protective of ya recently." Big Mac stood up and looked down at his sister. "And while you've trusted her in the past, I can't help but feel that she's not letting you try anything new or trying to be independent. It's like she's treating you like a baby."

"But I'm not a baby. I can handle things myself." Applebloom got back onto her feet as well. "Heck, me and my friends make those awesome music videos online and those take some real workin' out. Stuff that Applejack and Granny still scratch their heads over."

"And I'm proud of you that you've got something to fall back on, but you've still gotta learn that Applejack's not always going to be around to protect you." Big Mac put both of his hands on Applebloom's shoulders and got down onto one knee. "If she keeps on treating you like this, you're never gonna be able to grow up and be as strong as her. Ya need to put this all behind you and learn some independence—the sooner the better."

"But what about Applejack?" Applebloom broke out of Big Mac's hold and turned her head back over towards Applejack's room. "She didn't deserve to be punished for what I did. She should still at least be able to go to the Fall Formal and be with the rest of her friends, not locked up in her room all night in place of me."

"Well, like ah said. I can't change Granny Smith's mind." Big Mac shook his head and walked out of the room. "But maybe you can make her feel a little better. She needs it after what happened tonight."

As Applebloom watched Big Mac walk down the stairs, the sensation that she had felt from earlier returned as her focus was now on Applejack's door. This time, though, it was so compelling to her that she didn't even notice that she had already begun walking towards her sister's room. By the time she mustered up the strength to do something, she had already arrived at the door.

"Applejack?" Applebloom rapped on the door as lightly as she could in the hope of getting her attention. She put her ear to the door and heard her sister walk over towards the door. "Are you in there? I'm sorry for what happened downstairs..."

"Applebloom," Applejack's voice became cold and distant as the door began to unlock. "Why? Why did Granny have to punish me for it instead of you?"

"Applejack, ah agree with you entirely, but there's nothing that I can do to change it!" Applebloom shed a small tear as she placed her hands on the door and stretched her fingers apart. "If I could just go back in time and fix this, I could, but I'm not magical like you and the rest of yer friends!"

"Well, it's too late now. Granny Smith's laid down her punishment and if I go against it, she'll be hunting me down like a dog alerted by the scent of drugs." Applejack unlocked the door and pulled it open slightly so that only her eye could be seen. "You just go off now. Enjoy the Fall Formal and all of the laughter and ridicule ya'll are gonna get."

"Applejack, that's not like you!" Applebloom kicked the door as hard as she could, slamming it against Applejack as opened all the way for her. She stepped inside and saw that her sister had collapsed and dropped a tiny hairpin. "Sorry for the kick and all, but ah can't just let ya sit on yer butt and mope! What happened to the sister that I used to know?!"

"She's still here, Applebloom, but I don't see why you and the other Crusaders are going to these lengths to dress up." Applejack grunted as she got to her feet and tried to conceal the new bruise that she had acquired from the door's impact. "Why in the world do you think that dressing up as our worst enemies is going to win you and the girls the crown?"

"Because it's cosplay, Applejack! COSPLAY!" Applebloom stomped forward and rolled up her sleeves, pouncing down on her sister. Her jump knocked Applejack back down onto her knees as Applebloom now arched her body over her sister's like a cat. "You wouldn't know about it even if it poked you with one of those red-hot stamping things they use on cows! Just as much as you hate anime, you hate us trying anything new and learning some independence! That's why I chose to dress up as Adagio of the Dazzlings!"

"Applebloom..." Applejack's eyes shrunk at her sister's sharp words. "What are you saying...?"

"I'm saying that I'm not a baby. I don't need to be changed, fed, burped, or taught what's right from wrong anymore." Applebloom crossed her arms and shook her head. "But you still keep treating me like one. It's like you don't even want me as a sister and more like a daughter. No matter how much you try to fight it, we're SISTERS. S-I-S-T-E-R-S! You're not the boss of me and you certainly aren't going to stop me from dressing up for the formal."

"Do you know how dangerous the world's become recently?" Applejack pushed Applebloom aside, brushed herself down, and looked towards the window. "After Sunset's little outburst at last year's Fall Formal, the world as we know it has changed forever. Magical beings and occurrences have been more popular than pancakes in February. The Dazzlings, Midnight Sparkle, and Gaia Everfree were just the start. Who knows what monsters could break into our world?" She took a brief look at the stars before she turned back to face Applebloom. "See, sis, you don't have magic like me the other Rainbooms, and if you were in trouble like that, you wouldn't be able to defend yourself. I never meant to treat ya like a baby. I just wanted to keep you safe from magic in the future."

"Applejack..." Applebloom tried to reach out for her sister, but she was met with one of Applejack's fingers pressing against her mouth as gently as possible.

"Sis. I know that I got a bit rash when ya came home looking like this, but I was simply trying to make sure that magic didn't hurt you or the other girls." She took in some air and composed herself. "I mean, what if, at this year's Fall Formal, some weird and wacky magic comes out of nowhere and turns you into the REAL Dazzlings? We'd need to hurt you in order to save you and that would be even worse! I'm just trying to make sure that nothing ever happens to you or the rest of the family." She tightened her hand into a fist and cracked her fingers as she did so. "We lost ma and pa. I'm not about to lose anyone else in the Apple Family."

"Applejack, I'm torn up about ma and pa as well, but Big Mac was right about the fact that you're babyin' me." Applebloom walked up to Applejack and gently rubbed her cheek. "If ya don't let me learn how to live my life like a regular girl, then I'll never be a success. What would you rather me be? Safe, unemployed, and nothing, or free, successful, and someone to remember the Apple Family name by? It's your choice."

"Applebloom, as much as I love you and am trying to keep ya safe, I don't think that ah can forever." Applejack took her hat off and tossed it over to the bed before she walked Applebloom over to it. "I might be a strong and dependable big sis, but even ah know that deep down inside of me that your time's gonna come sooner or later. I can't be around forever and we all know this. Even Big Mac agrees with me that I can't care for ya all the time. I just don't want all of that time to be for nothing..."

"It wasn't for nothing, Applejack. Whatever happened between us in the past was all special." Applebloom tipped her hand and gazed directly into Applejack's eyes. "Every bump, bruise, shout, or smile. We've both been there for each other ever since I was born. I don't think that any of your time was wasted with me. Heck, when I leave, you'll have lots of happy memories with me once I prepare to leave the farm and live like I want to."

Applejack simply let tears form in her eyes as she let Applebloom's words sink into her heart. She eventually blubbered and shed her tears as she pulled her sister into a hug. "Oh, Applebloom. I'm so sorry for what happened today. I'm sorry for treating ya like a kid. Heck, I'm even sorry for banning anime in this house. Can ya ever forgive me?"

"Of course, Applejack." Applebloom wrapped her own arms around Applejack's back and hugged her in return. "We're always going to be best sisters forever, no matter what differences we might have."

While Applejack and Applebloom hugged each other and cried in each others' embrace, Big Mac and Granny Smith stood by the open door with caring smiles on their faces as they watched the whole scene. They both knew that Applejack and Applebloom did have a wide array of differences, but seeing the two of them bond over an apology warmed their hearts. Now that they had put aside the squalor from earlier on in the evening, they both wondered about how Applebloom would do in the Fall Formal contest and whether or not she would be able to win it.
> Imitation is the Worst Form of Flattery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, the Cutie Mark Crusaders walked down the sidewalk together, fully dressed in their outfits with their hairs still styled to look like the Dazzlings. As their eyes lazily drifted from one sight to another, they saw that many of the people in the town were staring at them. Some because of their looks, and others with filthy expressions on their faces.

As the air wafted through their hair, the girls had some time to think and reflect on all of the stuff that they had done to make their cosplays look realistic enough. While they couldn't afford gems that had some faint resemblence to that of what the Dazzlings wore around their necks, the wood-crafted emblems that they had made for each other were what they considered to be a good substitution. And the more that they glanced at them, the more comfortable they felt parading around in their outfits.

"So, how bad was it, Applebloom?" Scootaloo put her hands behind her head as she turned to face her. "Did Applejack get mad at you?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't how ah thought it was gonna go down." Applebloom tipped her hand towards Scootaloo as she eyed her up briefly. "Granny Smith came to intervene and gave me a warning about not to copy someone else just to look good. Honestly, ah think that she's right. What point is there in dressing up if you're just gonna mimic someone else?"

"Look, are you still upset about when you tried to dress up as Diamond Tiara just to win the Spring Fling?" Scootaloo leaned in closer and gave Applebloom's shoulders a quick rub. "Because it was totally worth it to see the look on her face. I should've taken a photo."

"Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle grabbed onto Scootaloo's wrist and gave it a tight twist. She watched her wince as she retracted her arms before turning to Applebloom. "Look, Applebloom, it was fun to do this with you, but after the Fall Formal, I think we should just stick to being ourselves."

"Yeah. There ain't no fun in tryin' ta rip someone off." Applebloom looked up towards the sky, shielding her eyes from the scorching rays of the morning sun. "Especially if it makes yer sister get angry at ya and get both of you in trouble."

"I think you're right about that, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle brushed down the sides of her outfit with the backs of her hands. "There's nothing we can force on you, so if you want to leave this as a one-off, then I'll be fine with that."

"I mean, you were the one who questioned us dressing up like this in the first place when the contest was even announced," said Scootaloo. "Sure, you can drop out after the Fall Formal. We're not gonna stop you."

"Actually, now that I think about it, what if the Dazzlings are still somewhere in this city?" Applebloom's eyes darted around the park. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she considered how the three of them would react to having their styles ripped off by three ordinary first-year CHS students. "They might kill us if they saw us like this! Well, maybe not that blue one, but still, we'd have our guts for garters if they found out!"

"What makes you think that the Dazzlings would still be around, given what happened at Canterlot High with them and the Rainbooms?" Scootaloo raised one of her brows as she also began to examine the area around them. "I would've figured that the three of 'em would've skipped town to start fresh after that humiliating defeat in the Battle of the Bands." She caught up with Applebloom and gently massaged her shoulders. "Chill, Applebloom. Even if they do try to hurt, we'll still be by your side no matter what happens."

"Yeah. We wouldn't leave you because of some little scrap with some older girls—Equestrian monsters or not." Sweetie Belle patted Applebloom's back tenderly, like she was patting down the top of a lump of dough. "We're always gonna be friends. From next year, and the year after that, and even after we graduate! We're never gonna leave you behind."

"Thanks girls. Ya know that I'll always be there for you..." Suddenly, Applebloom's breath grew cold as her eyes landed onto a sight that she hoped that she would never had seen again. "Girls?"

"What? What is..." Scootaloo almost choked on her words as she too saw what Applebloom did. "Sweetie Belle?" She whispered into her ears. "We'd better hide."

"Why? Why do we need to—" As Sweetie Belle turned to see what both of her friends were looking at, her composure immediately shattered as her hands grew shaky "—hide?"

Standing before the Cutie Mark Crusaders were three girls that they knew all too well. The hairstyles and outfits matched that of the ones that they were wearing perfectly, with the colours of the hair being slightly different. There was no mistaking it. These were the Dazzlings in the flesh. The originals that they were ripping off with their cosplays.

"Hide!" Applebloom's voice was in between that of a shout and a whisper as she looked back at her friends. Then, without any hesitation, they darted down the path and crouched behind a mailbox, newspaper stand, and bulletin board, all holding their breaths as they watched the Dazzlings get closer. "Please walk by, please walk by, please walk by..."

The Dazzlings walked up to where the Cutie Mark Crusaders were hiding and stopped on their path. A faint wind blew past them as Adagio squinted her eyes. She didn't feel safe, as if she was being watched by someone. Looking in front and behind her, she eventually shrugged and led her sisters back down the path.

As Applebloom watched them go off and wiped the sweat off of her forehead, letting out a breath of fresh air. But that relief was soon brought to an end as she watched Adagio turn back, and so she hid herself again.

"I'm not that stupid, girls." Adagio yanked Applebloom out from where she was hiding, before moving on to snatch Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo. Gathering the Crusaders together, she put them against the wall. "If this is some kind of sick joke those snot-nosed brats at Canterlot High invented, it's not funny."

"Aww, lay off them a bit, Dagi." Sonata Dusk pulled Adagio's arm from the girls and freed them from the wall. She gently brushed her hand through their hairs and gave them an innocent smile. "I think that they're great. They look like nicer, less evil, and more kid-friendly versions of us."

"Kid-friendly? What are you even trying to say, Sonata?" Aria raised a brow and crossed her hands as she eyed up the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "That we're just some inappropriate whores that deserve to be in a stripper's joint rather than in high school? You disgust me."

"What? I'm just telling the truth." Sonata whined as she threw her arms down in front of her.

"Well, I hate it when you tell the truth, Sonata." Aria scoffed and brushed her hair back. "Just as much as I hate your love for tacos, your annoyingly childish voice, your stupid obsession with pink things, and most importantly—"

"SILENCE!" Adagio slapped Aria across the face and threw her to the ground, slamming the purple siren against the hardened pavement. "I apologise for Aria's behaviour, you three. She's not really a lady-like character, if you understand."

"Yeah. We could tell." Scootaloo watched Aria snarl and get back onto her feet faster than a bullet being fired from a gun. "That's why I'm dressed up as her. My friends have more manners than I do."

"Watch yourself, runt." Aria came up to Scootaloo's face and tightened her hand into a fist. "After those stupd Rainbooms stripped us of our power, we've had to live off of scraps for a living. Kinda like those talking hyenas in that one movie but less pretty than that. So you'd better watch your mouth, or I'll rip it straight from that puny head of yours."

"Aria! Behave yourself." Adagio snatched Aria's fist and twisted her arm as tightly as she could. "I'm the leader of the Dazzlings. I'll handle this. You just keep your mouth shut and talk with Sonata while I handle business here."

"Really, Adagio?" Aria yanked her arm out of Adagio's and grabbed her by the face. "You're gonna make me sit down and listen to that brain-dead lunatic instead of kick the butts of three fashion theives?" She violently jabbed her finger at Sonata, who was busy scrolling through pictures on her phone. "I would rather die than do that."

"Fine by me. There's a garbage truck just across the street from here." Adagio calmly looked out towards a couple of men handling bins. "Feel free to throw yourself in there if you can't handle talking to Sonata to pass time."

"Adagio, you know as well as I do that something like that can't kill us," said Aria. "We might be stuck in these fleshy meat-suits because of that  wizard back home, but we're still strong enough to survive stuff like this. You're just trying to stop the argument, but it's not happening to me, sister."

"And you also know that the more you run your mouth, the more you jeopardise our chances of even getting a fresh start in this miserable hate-filled world." Adagio gritted her teeth and held Aria's mouth shut with both of her hands. "Now would you kindly shut your trap, go towards Sonata, and leave me to deal with this trio of trouble-making teenagers alone?"

As the CMCs watched Adagio and Aria argue, a million thoughts ran through their heads. Many of them were about what would happen to them, whether it would be a punch in the face for being copycats, a shake of the hand for how accurate they were to the Dazzlings, or if they should ponder running away while they were given the chance. However, given that either of the three girls could've seen them if they tried to make a break for it, they quickly blotted out their thoughts of escape as they remained stuck to the spots, too unsafe about their options.

"I've had enough of this." Adagio grabbed Aria with one hand and Sonata with the other before taking them across the street and across the street, plopping both of the other Dazzlings down on the bench. "Now you too sit, behave, and don't do anything stupid. I'll have a talk with those three ruffians."

"You're a real jerk, y'know that?!" Aria called from the bench as Adagio walked off, but the elder siren was unfazed by it as she returned to face the Cutie Mark Crusaders herself.

"So... Aria?" Sonata tapped on some buttons on the keypad of her smartphone to spell out the name of a website. With one last tap, it showed a pink background with lots of baby animal pictures laden around it. "Have you see the newest pictures from Babyanimals.com? They're soooo cute!"

"If there is a god in this ape-infested world, I just hope that he lets me die within the next five minutes..." Aria whispered to herself as she facepalmed and slowly slid her fingers down her face.

Adagio Dazzle walked back across the road and came back to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, watching them shudder on the spot. "Thank you for waiting all this time, girls. I would've done this sooner, but my sisters are as educated in being grown-ups as a foal knows how to build a portal. Now then. Let's get back to business..." She gave them a toothy grin as she once again backed them up towards the wall, cracking her knuckles as she stepped closer.

This ain't good... Applebloom could only imagine of the things that Adagio was about to do to her and her friends. And none of them seemed pleasant to her or the other crusaders. As she felt the gold-haired siren get closer to her, she felt her confidence slowly melting away as her entire body shivered from head to toe. Ma? Pa? If yer up there, yer little baby's coming...
> Bow Before Your Queen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, you want to try and win a competition based on both beauty and talent but wanted to dress up like us to give yourselves a better shot?" Adagio stared deep into the Crusaders' souls with folded arms. "You do realise that we were monsters who craved off the anger and seething hatred of other people in order to gain power, right? Didn't you at one moment see the smoke you were all emitting?"

"Not really." Applebloom shook her head. "Ya'll just sang in the cafeteria and the rest is all a blur. It was like we'd all gone to sleep and forgotten about it until the end of the contest."

"Really? Not one moment of independence from our grasp where you girls were able to think freely or just spend a moment with your family or friends?" Adagio raised a brow. "Sure, we're sirens, but that doesn't mean that we're slave drivers. Beauty isn't all just good looks and a suave voice, you know. It's about treating people the way that they want so that you in return gain their respect and adoration."

"Adagio, what are you trying to say here?" Scootaloo tipped her hand at her.

"What I'm saying is that if you're going to dress up and act like us like the children that you are, then you should at least pay your respects to the source material first." Adagio tapped her foot on the ground. "You can't just walk into Canterlot High looking like me and my hair-brained sisters without a sense of sophistication." She took a little glance at Aria and Sonata, who were both fidgeting and throwing their arms around at each other. "Alright. Maybe a little less like Aria and Sonata. Seriously, I think they should be in a day-care centre rather than living with me with how often they get into arguments."

"I still don't know whether you're complimenting us or are just getting ready to beat us up, Adagio." Sweetie Belle raised her finger.

"Now why would a lady ever resort to violence?" Adagio's eyes grew as she tilted her head at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "I might be the cream of the crop of this world, but that doesn't mean that I should have brawn as well as beauty. More often than not, if I ever get close to hitting someone in the face, it's usually either Aria or Sonata because of how they drive me up the wall."

"So you're not going to hurt us?" Applebloom asked.

"Of course not! What indication did I give that I would ever try to mare-handle the three of you?" Adagio raised her voice, but then took a deep breath. "Sorry about that. Never let it be said that I'm not courteous—even in defeat."

"So, if you're not gonna beat us up, what are you going to do?" Scootaloo relaxed her shoulders and slumped her arms before taking a few steps towards Adagio.

"Well, my sisters are far too invested in whatever gobbledegook they're rambling on about over there to do anything, so I guess that the burden falls onto me alone." Adagio scoffed at Aria and Sonata as they began to scuffle around on the floor, pushing each other and pulling at their hairs as they tried to win in their little fight. "I'm going to teach the three of you exactly how to master the art of being one of us."

"Thank you kindly fer the offer, but we already know how to act like the Dazzlings, Adagio." Applebloom shook her head and clasped her hands together.

"Yeah. Pinkie Pie already taught us everything about how to act like the three of you." Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded at Adagio. "We know how to walk the walk, talk the talk, and sway the hips. I'd say that we're good to win the Fall Formal now."

"Pinkie Pie?" Adagio reviled at the name and flexed her arms and fingers like a praying mantis. "Do you mean the Rainbooms' member who had cotton candy for hair?"

"Yeah. That's the one." Scootaloo nodded.

"Yuck. Honestly, if it weren't for her ability to play those drums, then I might have classified her as an oversized baby back at the BOTB." Adagio shuddered at merely thinking about Pinkie Pie and her friends. "Well, whatever she told you, it's clearly wrong. If you want to try and mimic someone, then you need to learn who you're trying to copy straight from the actual person; not a child who spends too much time in those overly-pink candy worlds.

"Anyway. First, you shouldn't take the advice of those greasy toddlers that defeated us back at Canterlot High." She began to circle around the Crusaders. "You might think that the Rainbooms are all that they're cracked up to be, but they're not. We know all about that fashion-over-all-other-life diva Rarity; that annoying western girl Applejack; that cute but frightened Fluttershy; that overly-cocky Rainbow Dash; and don't even get me started on Sunset Shimmer and that princess from Equestria." She cracked the knuckles in each of her fingers and slithered up to the CMCs' ears. "We were only feeding like we usually do to stay alive and the Rainbooms just left us to die. How do you idolise someone who kills three innocent sirens who were only following their way of life?"

"Killed you? Feed? What are you talking about?" Sweetie Belle shivered as Adagio danced around their bodies like a snake.

"The cat's already been let out of the bag, hasn't it? You know all about the fact that magic exists in this world too, don't you?" Adagio brushed her finger on the Crusaders' chins and pushed their heads up. "You know about what happened at Canterlot High with those surges, don't you?"

"You mean last year's Fall Formal and the Friendship Games?" Scootaloo lifted her finger. "We didn't think anyone else took notice. I mean, they were just so sudden, y'know? These things come and go and we thought that only we'd be able to see it."

"There was also that little incident back at Camp Everfree too, but to be fair, we were all the way out in the middle of the forest with no-one else around." Sweetie Belle added.

"We still don't know what ya mean by the fact that the Rainbooms killed you." Applebloom gave Adagio a gentle tap on her nose, watching as she scrunched her mouth and cheeks up. "You look perfectly fine to us."

"It's a figure of speech, you three. If we really died, then we wouldn't even be here, talking to you or having a stupid little catfight across the street." Adagio deadpanned. "When I mean that we died, I mean that we're about to expire because the negativitiy we feasted off of gave us more substance than that of human food. In fact, we find the foodstuffs of this world to be repulsive and tasteless, no matter what condiments or additions you make to it."

"Oh! You're like those ghouls in that one anime that I watched!" Sweetie Belle's face immediately lit up once she figured out what Adagio meant. She then saw her other Crusaders who stared at her with their mouths open. "So, without the hatred and anger we showed back at Canterlot High, the Dazzlings are going to starve."

"Exactly. And now that those Rainbooms destroyed our pendants, we then can't eat the hate to revitalise ourselves anymore." Adagio turned her back to the Crusaders and saw a lot of people in the park nearby. "You don't know what it's like to be the bad guy, you three. We were only trying to stay alive back at the Battle of the Bands, and now those teenage paint cans have ruined our lives."

"Aw, don't say that, Adagio. I'm sure that you'll be able to bounce back once the students at CHS hear your story." As Applebloom patted Adagio's stomach, she heard a rumbling noise coupled with the sound of spectral wind. "And I'm sure that you'll find something else to eat soon."

"Hmm..." Adagio rubbed the ground with the tip of her foot as she felt her tummy as well. She could feel the vibrations as she heard it growl. "You girls seem sweet and all, but we have business to attend to first. We need to get rid of everything Pinkie Pie told you and teach you how to really act like the Dazzlings do."

"And how are you going to do that?" Scootaloo asked.

"You'll see. But first, I need to control dumb and dumber before they end up hurting someone that isn't themselves." Adagio walked towards the edge of the road and put her hands to her cheeks. "ARIA! SONATA! WHATEVER YOU'RE FIGHTING OVER, SONATA'S RIGHT. NOW GET YOUR BUTTS OVER HERE AND HELP ME OUT WITH THESE TEENAGERS, WOULD YOU?!" She looked back at the Crusaders, who just stared at her with their jaws open. "What? You think that if I tried acting sweet to them they'd listen? Aria and Sonata are harder to handle than two-year olds."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders watched as Aria and Sonata walked back over the road, covered in dirt, twigs, leaves, and bruises. Both of their hairs lacked their accessories and now hung down over their backs and shoulders, pointing out in all directions. They could hear the two of them mumbling underneath their breath as they regrouped with Adagio.

"So, what's up, Dagi?" Sonata's smile returned immediately as she turned to face Adagio.

"Listen, girls. Believe it or not, there are still some people who are interested—if not fascinated by us." Adagio put her hand on Sonata's shoulder and the other one on Aria's. "These three teenagers are trying to dress up and act like us in order to win some kind of competition called the Fall Formal."

"Well, if they're gonna be going like that, then I wouldn't say they've got a good chance." Aria pouted and crossed her arms. "First of all, my skin is purple, not caramel. Secondly, this girl seems a bit too happy to show how I really act towards everyone. Thirdly, the whole idea is stupid, even for people their age. We wouldn't get the same respect if we dressed up as the Rainbogs or whatever they're called."

"Aria, stop being a grump." Sonata pushed Aria's nose back into her head. "These girls want to be us. We barely get any love anymore these days." She looked at the other Crusaders and grinned. "I say we take the opportunity and teach them while they're still into us."

"Sonata, I couldn't give a shit about whether or not these girls want to love us after what we did to them." Aria crossed her arms and cast a stink-eye at the CMCs. "You touch my face like that again, and I'll break your bones so hard that you'll still feel pain even if we go back to Equestria!"

"Both. Of. You. Stop. Fighting." Adagio put her fists in both Aria and Sonata's mouths, lowering her head as she closed her eyes. "I found these things the other day when I was walking past a kindergarten. Perhaps they'll be able to silence you when I'm trying to close a deal." She opened her palms, revealing a pair of pink pacifiers. With an elegant movement of her hands, she put them in both of her sisters' mouths as she brought her arms back down to her hips.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS, ADAGIO?!" Aria roared as she dropped the soother into her hands. "Why in the f—" Before she could finish her sentence, Adagio cast a death glare at her which caused Aria to put the pacifier back into her mouth immediately.

"There we go." Adagio turned back to the Crusaders. "I say that if you'e not going to act your age, then you should be treated the age that you're acting. Since they want to act like babies, then I'm going to treat them like babies. I might even end up having to put them in diapers and fill their rooms with building blocks and infant toys if they step out of line like that again."

"Oookay..." Applebloom couldn't take her eyes off of Aria and Sonata. She saw Sonata smile while Aria just remained quiet and crossed her arms as they both kept the rubber bulbs in their mouths. "So, when do you want to get started?"

"Right now." Adagio gained a wicked grin as she walked up towards the Crusaders. "Trust me, girls. By the time we're done with you, the students at Canterlot High are going to be calling you the popular kids for years to come..." She couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as she advanced on them.
> A Deal Within A Deal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright. If you're going to try and impersonate the three of us, then you need to embody three important parts of being a Dazzling." Adagio cracked her fingers and flexed her arms like a ballerina. "Poise. Composure. And allure. I'm going to teach the three of you all of these straight away, so that you're better prepared to handle the competition."

"I have a question." Sweetie Belle raised her hand.

"Go on." Adagio replied.

"Do we have to have pacifiers?" Sweetie Belle tilted her head to the side.

"What?" Adagio turned around to see that both Aria and Sonata were still sucking on the pacifiers with their hands behind their heads. "Oh, for goddess's sake, you two. We've got business at hand!" Adagio yanked both pacifiers out of Sonata and Aria's mouths. She saw Sonata was about to wail as loud as she could, but she slapped her hand over the blue siren's mouth. "Get over it, Sonata. You're a grown woman, for crying out loud..." She turned back to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who couldn't help but stifle a giggle. "You'll have to excuse them. They're both idiots."

"Alright. So... how do we act like you?" Scootaloo asked.

"It's going to take a while to teach you all, but I'm sure that we can manage." Adagio's smile returned as she walked back up to the crusaders. "I assume that you and the other CHS students are fast learners?"

"As fast as we're gonna be." Scootaloo shrugged and pointed the tip of her shoes at the ground. "Miss Cheerilee says that we're a special case at times. Says that we focus too much on being internet stars half the time."

"Eh, good enough." Adagio walked into another room, leading her sisters and the CMCs into it. "Now then. I'm going to be teaching you some pretty big words, so if you don't know what they mean, feel free to grab a dictionary."

"Or just use your phone! It's much faster!" Sonata raised her finger and wagged her hips.

"Sonata, who's teaching this class?" Adagio leaned in and gave her an alien look.

"I thought we were all teaching it together." Sonata gave a ditsy smile. "I mean, we're gonna be teaching these kids to act like us so they can try and win a silly little contest."

"Ugh. Sonata, it's time like this were I wish you were a little bit smarter." Aria scowled and looked the other way. "At least smart enough so that you could've actually helped us out with this."

"I can too help you girls!" Sonata stomped her feet.

"Now I'm regretting taking those things out of your mouth. You're just going off the handle again..." Adagio facepalmed and slid her hand down her body. Letting out a groan, she went back to the crusaders. "I do apologise. Before my sisters get into any trouble—again—I'm just going to give you a lesson in being a lady."

"I think we're kinda getting some good stuff already." Sweetie Belle fished out a notepad and pencil from her backpack and began writing down notes. "Anyway. Go on, Adagio."

"The first rule of being a lady like me is to learn the proper etiquette." Adagio stepped forward and slithered behind the girls. "Being the leader and all, you are expected to be both smart and strong at the same time. You can't have one trait without the other, after all."

“So, do we need to go to the gym as well?” Scootaloo tilted her head.

“What?” Adagio lifted her brows.

“Well, you said strong and smart in the same sentence, so do we have to go to the gym and work out?”

“No! That’s not what I me—”

“If you say that we’ve gotta get stronger, then that means you want us to be lifting weights and doing bench presses?” Applebloom stared at Adagio bug-eyed. “I mean, I’m all fer a bit of exercise, but doesn’t it seem a bit weird?”

“Yeah. How are muscles going to make us look more attractive?” Sweetie Belle lifted her finger. “That’s like if you want a nerd to take up bullying lessons to make him seem tougher.”

“Girls, just let me—”

“Adagio. You’ve got some weird teachings y’know.” Scootaloo crossed her arms. “Rainbow Dash might like the idea of me getting stronger, but I’ve gotta agree with Sweetie Belle on this. We’re trying to look beautiful, not ripped.”

“Shut it! All of you!” Adagio ferociously stomped the ground with her feet and blew smoke out of her nose. “At NO POINT did I ever suggest that you three go to the gym and work out! It’s just a figure of speech!” She was about to run towards them like a bull to a matador, but too some deep breaths and stretched her arms. “No. No. I am a lady. A true lady doesn’t let frustrations get to her...” she whispered to herself.

“Says the Dazzling who almost murdered three little girls.” Aria scoffed and turned her back to Adagio. “Some lady you are, Adagio.”

“At least I’m not some tramp who likes heavy metal over orchestral magnificence!” Adagio glared daggers at Aria. “How many times have I had to listen to whatever bullshittery you put on every night in bed without me wanting to kill someone?! Answer me that!”

“Hey! Watch your mouth, Dagi!” Sonata stood up and pouted, puffing out her cheeks. “There are kids here! Watch your profanity...”

“Oh, grow up, Sonata.” Adagio slapped Sonata’s head away. “They’re high schoolers. One way or another, they’re gonna learn to swear once someone breaks them in.”

“The reason we’re still together is something no-one’s ever going to understand.” Aria facepalmed and shook her head, walking out of the room. “Well, enjoy your little class, Adagio. I’m gonna go somewhere that isn’t full of losers.”

“Aria! Get your filthy ass back here right now!” Adagio snarled and darted over to Aria, tightly latching on to her shoulders. “We are trying to turn these three little snot-nosed brats into us, so that they can win some poncy little contest and TRY to re-establish our good graces with the students of CHS!”

“Well, I think it’s a wasted effort, we’re powerless pariahs, and we’ve gotta just live with it.” Aria threw Adagio to the ground. “You should just learn to accept failure as well, Adagio. We lost Equestria, we lost the Battle of the Bands, and now we’re gonna lose our lives because we don’t have our pendants anymore. We might as well try to LIVE whatever’s left of our mortal lives before we die with no-one coming to our funerals!” She yanked the door shut, leaving Adagio on her haunches.

“Whoa.” Applebloom broke the silence and watched Adagio climb back onto her feet. “Are you girls always like this?”

Adagio simply sighed and brushed some of her hair back. “No. No we weren’t, you three. In fact, we used to be in sync with one another.” She took a quick glance at the door. “Well... most of the time.”

“We had everything we could’ve ever wanted, we didn’t fight as much as we used to, and everything just seemed to go well for us. Kinda like we were celebrities.” Sonata walked forward and brushed Adagio down. “But then the Battle of the Bands happened and... the Rainbooms ruined our lives.”

“Listen, girls. We’re a bit on edge because we haven’t had anything to eat in a few months.” Adagio put her hand to her forehead and groaned. “Siren magic isn’t anything like the magic you’ve had to deal with. We NEED to eat to stay alive. And because the Rainbooms shattered our pendants, we can’t eat. We’re going to starve and die any day now.” As if the timing couldn’t have been more perfect, Adagio’s stomach growled loudly. “I’m hungry and no mortal food is going to cure me. I NEED to feast off of anger and hatred, as do Aria and Sonata.”

“Why?” Applebloom began to tear up and moved towards Adagio and Sonata, who both clutched their stomachs, wincing in agony as more growls escaped from them. “If mah sister had known about all this, she would’ve stopped the Battle of the Bands completely. It ain’t right something like this to happen.”

“Yeah. Not even Sunset Shimmer would’ve let you three end up like this if she knew the truth.” Sweetie Belle tenderly patted the sirens’ bellies. “And now there’s nothing that we can do. We’re not exactly magical pony people from another world, y’know.”

“Even if the Battle of the Bands was a bit of a mess, it’s not fair on any of you that anyone—even the Rainbooms ruined your lives like this.” Scootaloo came over and wrapped her arm around Sonata’s shoulders. “I used to look up to those girls whenever disaster struck Canterlot High. But after seeing this—” she held her arms down around the two felled sirens. “I wouldn’t even look in their directions. You might all have been the bad guys, but that doesn’t mean that you’re really bad girls, right?”

“We were never evil. What might have looked like us acting malicious was really because we reveled in seeing others tear themselves apart with petty feuds.” Adagio coiled some hair around her fingers. “We couldn’t help causing chaos and misery for the students of Canterlot High at the tournament; it was just who we were. There was no changing what we were, what we had to do to stay alive, and how we were going to get what we wanted and needed.”

“But the Rainbooms just saw us as evil sirens who were hellbent on conquering this new world since we’d been kicked out of Equestria by that meanie, Starswirl the Bearded.” Sonata brushed her face. “It’s not fair, I know. We keep saying that to ourselves each and every day after we lost the Battle of the Bands. But it’s the bed we’ve made so we’ve gotta, like sleep in it, y’know?”

“And even though the bed might seem like a piece of shit thrown together by some stupid peasant who doesn’t know the different between a treble clef and a bar note, and that it might have been peed on by someone else, we’ve still gotta sleep in it.” Adagio turned her back to the Crusaders and pressed her head against the wall. “No other place wants us now that we’re down on our lucks.”

“Aw... Adagio...” Applebloom rubbed her hand through Adagio’s long locks of hair and gave her a calm smile. “We never knew this. If we did, we would’ve rushed against the Rainbooms, screaming at them to stop the fight.” She swallowed and held her hand into a fist. “Actually... I think I’ve got an idea in mind.”

“An idea?” Adagio tilted her head and looked up at the Crusaders.

“You’re going to help us learn to act like you. And I feel that, in return, we should do something for you.” Applebloom felt the heartbeat in Adagio’s chest get slower. “We’re gonna find some way to get you your powers back once the Fall Formal’s over, and we’re gonna make sure that no-one takes it away from you again—not even the Rainbooms.”

“Applebloom? What are you saying?” Sweetie Belle’s jaw dropped at Applebloom’s proposal. “We can’t go to Equestria, the Rainbooms wouldn’t want to help the Dazzlings out, and we don’t even know the first thing about magic! We’ve got more chance of becoming brain surgeon astronauts than getting the Dazzlings’ magical powers back.”

“I know, but we can’t just sit back when there are people like this in danger!” Applebloom turned back towards the Crusaders and threw her arms down towards them. “Look. This goes beyond the Battle of the Bands. Because our big sisters took their powers away, they’re just gonna starve to death if no-one gives them a hand. Magic or not, we’ve gotta try and get the Dazzlings rehabilitated and back on their feet.” Another few rumbles burst out of Adagio and Sonata’s stomachs. “And fast...”

“Look, Crusaders. I appreciate the concern you all have for us, but I’m afraid that your talking marshmallow is right.” Adagio stood back up, wobbling around on her legs as she felt the struggles of hunger begin to eat away at her. “I don’t think anyone who comes from this world will be able to help us. Only the Rainbooms know about Equestrian magic, and I doubt that they’ll ever want to help us after the way we treated both them and the students of Canterlot High. If anything, they’ll just leave us alone, laugh in our faces, or just point us towards the other students, who’ll do the same thing, but even worse.”

“No they won’t.” Applebloom shook her head. “Because we’re going to make sure that the students don’t laugh at you, Dazzlings. Once they hear your side of the story, they’ll all feel really sorry for you and try whatever they can to get you back to what you do best.”

“How can you tell?” Sonata asked.

“We’ve been at Canterlot High for a long time now. Things are starting to quiet down after the Battle of the Bands.” Scootaloo nodded. “After the Friendship Games and trip to Camp Everfree, Twilight seems to be the talk of the town. Not the Twilight you know from Equestria, but the one from this world.”

“You can’t mistake her,” chirped Sweetie Belle. “This new Twilight wears glasses, has some kind of weird purple locket around her neck at times, and even has a little lab back at Crystal Prep. Don’t know what’s happened to it now that she transferred to CHS, though.”

“Look, we’re gettin’ off track here!” Applebloom waved her hands out in front of the Crusaders. “The Dazzlings’ days are numbered, and whether the Rainbooms like it or not, we’ve gotta help these three out!” She turned back to the Dazzlings and held her arm out. “So, do we have a deal? You help us learn to act like you, and we try to get you your magical powers back.”

“Well... it’s a bit of a weak compromise for us helping you win the Fall Formal...” Adagio let the request sink around in her mind and dance within her inner recesses. She had already lost everything, and didn’t see the negative side of allying with the CMCs. “Alright. Looks like we have a deal, girls. Let’s see what you can do.”

“We won’t let you down, Adagio.” Applebloom shook Adagio’s hand.

“And if we do, then we’re sorry.” Sweetie Belle rubbed the ground with the tip of her feet.

“Alright. Let’s get back to business, shall we?” Adagio smiled as she stood up straight and led the CMCs back to their places. “By the time we’re done here, that little competition should be in the bag for you three.”
> The Big Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stars twinkled above the sky as cars rolled up to Canterlot High, dropping students off one by one. They were all dressed up in smart attire, with some extra clothes in bags on their backs, or hanging on their arms. All of them walked up through the doors, down through the corridors, and straight into the gym.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked up to the school, still with their special hairstyles, but with a different set of clothes. Their Dazzlings outfits were tucked away in sticker-coated backpacks, zipped up tightly. They now wore white, pink, and aquamarine dresses, with little gemstones weaved into the fabric.

"Well, girls. This is it." Applebloom passed the remains of the statue. "The big night of the Fall Formal."

"I still can't believe we made it this far." Scootaloo put her hands to her hips. "I thought for sure that this wasn't gonna work sometimes. Especially with how Applejack blew a fuse with you, Applebloom."

"Yeah. I thought for sure that Applejack or Granny Smith would've grounded you for dressing up like Adagio." Sweetie Belle tipped her hand.

"Well, ah don't really wanna talk about that right now, girls." Applebloom shook her head. "Ah don't want the night to be ruined before it even starts. That'd be even worse than being embarrassed at the Fall Formal."

The girls walked up the steps and through the doors, trailing behind some of the older students as they passed through the darkened corridors towards the sound of bass, echoing throughout the building. Almost every beat vibrated through the walls and ground. The louder it got, the closer the CMCs got to the Fall Formal.

"Hey, have you got any idea on a strategy for the Fall Formal?" Scootaloo tapped on Sweetie Belle's shoulders. "I mean, we look the part, but without something to back it up, we might come in last place."

"Well, we've got the outfits, we've got the dress, and we've got the act. I don't think there's much more that we need." Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. "Plus, miss Adagio was pretty nice to give us a little warm-up. I think she really cares about us."

"Or she might be trying to seduce us." Applebloom cocked a brow. "Convincing or not, something in the back of my mind is still telling me that we can't trust the Dazzlings, or that this'll even work at all."

"C'mon, Applebloom. I thought we were past that." Scootaloo grinned and slid her arm across Applebloom's shoulders. "We've got this in the bag."

"You don't know that, Scootaloo," said Sweetie Belle. "The most terrifying thing about cosplaying is that you never know who's gonna win. It might be the most complicated or the most simple act of all. Heck, even Derpy could enter the contest and win!" She threw her arms out. "We've just gotta make sure that we win the crowd over the most."

"Good luck with that."

Behind the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a pair of teenage girls around their size and age approached. One had pink hair with white stripes and wore little tiara-shaped earclips, while the other had grey skin and hair and a pair of blue glasses on her face. They were both dressed up like royalty, with gem-encrusted dresses, gloves, and high-heeled shoes.

"Of all of the nights..." Scootaloo slapped her face and groaned. "Diamond, Silver, what are you doing here?"

"What do you think we're doing?" Silver Spoon asked. "Going to the library at the middle of the night? Get real."

"This year, the Fall Formal's open to all, now that Sunset's more of a goody horseshoes." Diamond Tiara smirked. "Which means it's the perfect time for us to take the crown." She patted her pink backpack. "And trust me, girls. We've been practicing way before the Formal was even announced. And with the upcoming anime convention hitting Canterlot in a few days' time, why not kill two birds with one stone?"

"Speaking of which, who are you going as?" Silver eyed up the crusaders' bags. "Not that it'll matter once you see our outfits."

"C'mon, girls. Let's just get a move on." Applebloom picked up the pace and pulled her friends along with her, running to the doors of the dancefloor. "And before you two say anything, we're not runnin' scared! We're just gonna have a little fun before the contest!"

"Suit yourself." Diamond smirked. "Have fun while you can. Because come the contest, we're gonna win the crown easy-peasy lemon-squeezy." She shared a little giggle with Silver Spoon before coming to the doors of the hall.





All the students in Canterlot High were dressed up smartly for the Fall Formal. Every jock, nerd, fashionista, drama class student, and every other stereotypical kind of student the CMCs could think off were all wearing ties, dresses, and anything that made them look high-class. Even the teachers were taking part in the festivities, garbed in white dresses, with bright lipstick and eyeliner on their faces, with the faintest hints of mascara on their lashes.

Light streamed all across the room, both being reflected on the glitterball and shooting out from the ceiling lights in a vast array of different colours. Many of the students were captivated by the lights, awestruck by their beauty and radiance. Smiles were plastered on all of their faces as they danced, twirled, and laughed underneath the deafening sounds of the DJ's turntables and the glimmering light splattering around every corner of the dancefloor.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders found the cloakroom and put their bags away in it, making sure to mark them with their names scribbled down onto adhesive notes, making extra-double sure that they hadn't mixed one of their bags with someone else's. Once they had finished with that, they shut the cloakroom door and went off to the dancefloor.

The next song began, and almost immediately, the lyrics were distorted or blurred out by the excessive amounts of bass. But that didn't stop people from enjoying the song for what it was. They danced as much as they could, mostly keeping in rhythm with the heavy hits of every bass barrage blasting out of the speakers.

The dancing went on and on until at last, the Cutie Mark Crusaders saw the Rainbooms walk into the venue. Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, and all of the others clamoured in, all dressed up in bright, expressive, and colourful dance attire. Everyone smiled at first, but when Applejack saw Applebloom, she couldn't help but drop her grin by a tiny margin.

"Girls! Why, it's ever so nice to see you!" Rarity approached the crusaders and gave Sweetie a small hug. "I do apologize for us being here a little late, but I had a realization that I looked much better in this new dress and I simply couldn't stop myself," she stifled a chuckle behind her mouth. "So? How are you enjoying the Fall Formal?"

"Rarity, we only just got here." Sweetie Belle pushed herself out of Rarity's hold. "But thanks anyway for making us these dresses. I don't know what we would've done without 'em."

"Yeah. Ah'm no fan of pretty clothes, but these do make me feel pretty fancy." Applebloom blushed as she gave her dress a small twirl. "Kinda like Princess Twilight back there in Equestria."

"I gotta agree with ya there, kid." Rainbow Dash nodded. "I'm no fan of dressing up like this, but it is called the Fall Formal for a reason. Though, I wouldn't mind if it was called the Fall Casual."

"I wouldn't mind, either! It'd be the perfect time for me to dress up in a candy dress!" Pinkie squealed. "Just like the one Countess Coloratura used for her last tour! She didn't stay in it the whole show, though, but I'm sure that she used real candy and that it tastes delicious!"

The girls all shared a small chuckle before Fluttershy tugged on Pinkie's shoulders. "Oh, I don't think it'd be all that delicious," she whispered. "It might've gotten dirty being stuck to the fabric like that. Oh, and I don't even want to imagine what kind of stuff would've been on it if the dress was just candy and nothing else..."

"Oookay. I did not need to hear that tonight." Twilight blushed once she knew what Fluttershy meant.

"Anyway..." Sunset rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty excited to see who's gonna be in the contest for the crown. Granted, me and the girls aren't in it because, well, it's kinda obvious at this point. But still. I'm looking forward to it."

"Sunset? You mean you don't know that the CMCs are in the Fall Formal contest this year?" Rarity asked.

"No. But I guess I do now." Sunset smiled down at the three teens and put her hands on their chests. "Just don't get stage fright. That kinda stuff won't be good for your performance."

"Oh, we don't have any confuddled stage fright." Applebloom crossed her arms. "We took part in the Battle of the Bands, didn't we?"

"Yes. Yes you did." Rarity's complexion almost shattered upon recalling the memories. She quickly shook her head and snapped out of it. "Sorry. I'd prefer not to remember that. When Sweetie Belle came home the night before the finals against the Dazzlings, she was so mad that she ended up crying and punching my chest like a little toddler."

"RARITY!" Sweetie Belle cried. "You TOLD THEM?!"

"Well, to be fair, you were brainwashed by three evil sirens and drove away everyone else who was in the tournament back then. I thought you wouldn't remember that part," said Rarity. "Still, though, you were pretty angry back then. I thought for sure that you were going to run away."

"Ta be fair though, Applebloom did the same thing." Applejack crossed her arms. "She threw at least a hundred apples at me in spite when I got home ta Sweet Apple Acres."

"Ah threw a hundred?" Applebloom tilted her head. "Sounds like a lotta wasted apples. Ten would've been enough if ah were mad at ya, sis. Man. Guess them sirens really did a number on our heads..."

"Yep. But the Rainbooms had your back, even though you threw food at us, called us names, and told us that we were all pathetic, weak, horrible teenagers that shouldn't be allowed to win at anything including a music competition." Pinkie Pie smiled innocently. "Yeah. I know. Weird." She was about to say something else, but the next song began. "OOH! Is that the newest Sapphire Shores single?! I GOTTA GET ON THAT DANCEFLOOR!" And she ran as fast as she could to the center of the room, leaving a trail of smoke behind her.

"Well... enjoy the Fall Formal anyway, girls." Sunset strolled off towards the nearby buffet table. "I'll be rooting for you in the competition."

"One more thing to remember is just to have fun with it." Twilight patted each of the CMC's shoulders. "When I was in school, I had an awful lot of stage fright when it came to stuff like spelling bees and awards ceremonies. But I gradually overcame that fear, and now, I'm not nervous at all going onto a stage."

"Thanks, Twilight." Applebloom smiled again. "We'll be sure to remember that."

"Good! Now, if you need me, I'll be with Sunset all evening." She looked around. "Oh, and good luck in the Fall Formal contest." And with that, she walked off.

"Bye!" The crusaders all waved Twilight off.

"So, what now?" Sweetie Belle asked as the crusaders all got themselves into a giant group huddle. "Should we get some last minute practice into our act, or should we do a bit of dancing first?"

"Ah vote on dancin' first," said Applebloom. "We don't wanna turn the Fall Formal into just the contest. It's better to dance first, then get ready for the contest as soon as it's ready."

"I dunno..." Scootaloo tapped the tips of her feet on the ground. "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are in the competition too, and I don't think they're gonna go easy on us with the crown on the line." She scratched her chin and looked up at the ceiling. "Dance and enjoy it, or practice so we can whoop Diamond and Silver's butts at the contest? Which one's the better option?"

"What do you think, Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom asked. "Ya'll were the one who thought this up, so ah reckon it's only fair that you decide what we do. Dance and enjoy ourselves, or get ourselves ready to put Diamond and Silver in their places?"

"Just because we're in the contest doesn't mean that this isn't a party, girls." Sweetie Belle watched everyone continue to dance. "Plus, we're really only gonna be wearing these dresses for the first half of the Fall Formal, so we might as well strut our stuff in them before we totally trash Diamond and Silver."

"Alright. So that's two for partying." Applebloom turned to Scootaloo. "Looks like we're gonna have fun first, Scoots. Don't worry about practicing. This is gonna be a total cinch for us to win."

"Plus, it'll make the party even better if we both have fun and win at the same time." Sweetie Belle beamed from ear to ear. "Now, come on, crusaders! Let's bust a move and get into the groove!" And she ran towards the dancefloor.

"I don't know if that was a sign that we should start dancing, or if Sweetie Belle's just started making really weird battle cries." Scootaloo shrugged and walked with Applebloom by her side.

Soon enough, all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were lost in a tidal wave of laughter, dancing, lyrics drenched in bass, and the many different coloured lights dancing on the ground just as wildly as the other students. After all of the work that they had put into their dresses, they deserved to dance and enjoy the festivities of the Fall Formal, as they knew that the contest would be tough on all of them.
> The Competition Is Fierce
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Attention, students. May I have your attention please?" Principal Celestia took a hold of the microphone as the entire audience turned to face her and Vice Principal Luna. "I am very glad to see that so many of you chose to come to this year's Fall Formal. Especially after the last couple of years we've had..." She was met with a blank silence for a few seconds, with one person letting out a small cough. "B-But enough about the past. Now, we need to look forward to the future, and that future is deciding who gets to wear the crown for this year's Fall Formal!"

"So, may I ask that all of this year's participants please step up to the stage now?" Luna swiftly snatched the micrphone from Celestia. "We wouldn't want to keep your audience waiting now, would we?"

"That's our cue," said Applebloom. "C'mon, girls. Let's do this."

The CMCs, Diamond and Silver, as well as a few other contestants came up to the stage, all dressed up for the contest. They had the looks, they had learned the acts, and now was the time for them to bring it all together underneath a sea of stars, with a crowd of watchful students piercing into them every step of the way in the hopes of winning the crown.

Applebloom was about to wave at the crowd, when someone on the stage caught her eye. One of the contestants looked well over her twenties, and wore what looked like a wedding dress and gown. A small little flower hairpin could be seen hanging just behind her face, and she had a tender smile on her face.

"Ms. Cheerilee?!" Applebloom's eyes went wide when she finally put all of the pieces together. "Why are you in this contest as well? Ain't it supposed to be fer the students?"

"Oh, Applebloom. This isn't just a game for teenagers you know." Cheerilee couldn't help but let a small chuckle slide from her lips. "Plus, I'll have you know that I've seen a couple of strapping young men who are really into this sort of thing these days. Almost like it's a bit of a second life for them. I think they called it... LARPing, was it?"

"LARPing?" Applebloom scratched her chin.

"It stands for Live-Action Roleplaying, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle tugged on Applebloom's shoulders and whispered softly. "Button Mash taught me about it when he invited some of his buddies over for a game of Ogre and Oubliettes a few weeks back."

"Still, that's Ms. Cheerilee! She's way older than us and she's competing in a contest for teens!" Applebloom threw her hands in front of her and the others. "Shouldn't Celestia and Luna have a rule against this?"

"Yeah! We should go up to them right now and tell on her!" Scootaloo tightened her right hand into a fist. "It doesn't matter how good she is, it's still unfair to have one of our own teachers playing against the students."

"Actually, you three, Celestia and Luna pulled a lot of strings this year to get me in on the contest this year. In fact, they said that the contest was open to anyone this year." She gave the girls a wink and blew them a kiss. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to go easy on you."

The crusaders just hung their mouths open as Cheerilee smiled and fluttered her lashes at them. Of all the things they had been expecting tonight, none of them could have predicted in a million years that they would be in a cosplay competition against their own teacher.

"Now, I know that some of you are new to the concept of cosplaying, but we don't want any of you to feel worried or intimidated by any of this," said Celestia, regaining control of the microphone. "In fact, I hope that tonight's Fall Formal is a great induction for you all into this exciting new world. Maybe after this, some of your own passions for this kind of stuff will be ignited."

"Celestia, a moment of your time?" Luna grabbed Celestia's shoulder. "I think we still need to have a discussion about this whole thing."

"Luna. You always do this." Celestia's smile melted into a small frown as she turned towards her sister. "Every year when the Fall Formal begins and we get our competitors, you always want to steal the show while I'm telling everyone how it works. Don't you have your own business to attend to?"

"I still think that it's a very outlandish idea to have cosplaying be the main theme of the Fall Formal this year." Luna lowered her brows. "You know as well as I do just how weird this idea is; having people make their best recreations of their favourite movie, video game, or animated characters. It's like this place is more of a Fall Casual with the way you've decided to go about it."

"Luna!" Celestia quietly growled. "Can't you just have a little fun for once in your life?"

"I have to spend the entire evening organizing the papers you neglect to finish, as well as making sure that Canterlot High's stock is all safe and secure in the event that we get burgled. And only then, when all my own paperwork is finished am I allowed to lock up." Luna took a step forward and pressed her chest against Celestia. "So, no, Celestia. I can't have any fun. And neither should you. We are principals. Are we really just throwing our namesakes to the ground like this?"

"Luna!" Celestia's voice grew louder, and it reverbated on the microphone to the entire audience. Now, all eyes were on them, and it wasn't in a good way. Both of the adults were bathed in a spotlight and their faces quickly contorted to looks of surprise as they turned to the crowd again. In a flash, they stood upright and sweated, forcing large grins. "Uh... I think we'll let the contestants get ready now. In the meantime, I'll hand you back over to our resident DJ, Vinyl Scratch." And they both stormed off backstage.

As the music started up again, Applebloom took the other crusaders behind the curtains with the others following suit. Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and the others all gathered by the two ends of the stage, standing right by the doors as they waited further instruction.

"Hey. Is it just me or did Celestia and Luna seem a little bit off tonight?" Applebloom watched the two principals trudge down the hall mere split seconds before the door closed. "Ya think somethin' might've happened to them?"

"Oh, don't worry about them, Applebloom." Scootaloo shook her head. "People argue all the time. I'm sure they'll work things out eventually."

"Yes. But instead of focusing on them, you should focus more on winning the contest." Diamond Tiara gave the crusaders a snarky look as she took a small red lollipop and plopped it in her mouth. "Because I've got my role in the Fall Formal's contest hands down. This year, the crown belongs to me and Silvs!"

"Yeah! You girls haven't got a chance in heck at beating us. We've got this all locked up." She brushed her back against Diamond's and leaned back, lowering her glasses for a brief moment. "But don't feel bad. I'm sure that you'll be in with a chance next year."

"Don't count yer chickens before they hatch, Diamond Tiara." Applebloom put her hands on her hip. "Ya'll never know. We could pull it out of the bag this year and ya'll might be in last place."

"Uh, that's statistically impossible." Diamond crossed her arms.

"Even Trixie agrees with you." A student with silver hair and a purple star hairclip approached the five girls. "You three are dressed up as the Dazzlings; the most infamous people in CHS. Why, Trixie wouldn't be surprised if you three came last place this year."

"Well, everyone loves a good villain, right?" Sweetie Bell shrugged and kept the smile on her face. "Plus, it's like Applebloom says. You shouldn't think it's in the bag until the contest ends."

"Girls... One day, you're gonna find out that works both ways." Diamond took a lick of her lollipop and put her hands behind her head. "Still, you're really putting yourselves at a disadvantage here with dressing up as the Dazzlings. Good luck in trying to win the contest, though. I won't hold my breath, but it'd be cruel of me not to be a good sport."

"If you do win this as the Dazzlings, then I'll be impressed." Silver Spoon nodded. "I mean, it's gonna be pretty hard trying to take their names and do anything good with them after the stunt they pulled here."

"Exactly. Silver says it all, girls. You're up a creek without a paddle dressing up like them this year," said Diamond. "This isn't me being mean personally, but I do think that it's one of your worst ideas to date. Even more so than when you tried that career uploading music videos."

"Hey! It's not our fault that none of us can afford some of that fancy editing stuff the pros use!" Applebloom stomped.

"I would continue this, but then I'd just be wasting my breath for the actual contest." Diamond walked off with Silver close behind her. "Still, though, good luck, girls. You're gonna need it."

"Like, REALLY, going to need it," Silver added.

Applebloom felt the sweat running down her forehead as Diamond and Silver left her and the others alone. No matter how many times she wanted to deny it, she knew that it was the truth. The three of them had their work cut out for them, and Diamond and Silver had just reminded them how easy it would be for them all to fail. Now, to the three of them, every second of their act mattered. If there were any faults, then it'd just make the gap between winning and losing even harder for all of them.

"Don't let it get to you, Applebloom." Scootaloo snapped her out of her trance with a simple pat on the back. "We've already got all the parts we need. The acting, the hairstyles, the attention to detail..."

"Now we just need to bring it all together and we should be able to win this easily." Sweetie Belle smiled. "Just don't let the competition get to you before the contest."

"True, true. But let us not forget the most important thing with trying to act in a contest such as this. Enjoy it." Trixie smiled as she watched Celestia and Luna return to the stage at last. "For it might be the only chance you have in the limelight. And if you squander it, then you may never get another shot. That is why Trixie will not waste this chance. This time, Trixie will win over the crowd easily, and become one of the most popular students in all of Canterlot High!"

"Uh huh, because the Battle of the Bands was such a big break for you, wasn't it?" a nearby student snickered.

"Hey! Trixie heard that, Lyra! Don't think that she won't be done with you after this!" Trixie yelled at the student, who was dressed in a full body suit of a green horse. "Ahem. Pardon my little outburst, girls." She turned back to the CMCs. "But Trixie is still determined to get at least some form of fame in this world."

"Don't you think that fame is a bit unhealthy for you, Trixie?" Sweetie Belle lifted a brow. "Sure, it might seem good at first, but even some of the big rockstars out there have big issues or scandalous news articles about themselves."

"Trixie is aware, and she chooses not to listen." She crossed her arms and gazed out to the crowd of students once again. "It doesn't matter what kind of hardships she might face. When Trixie becomes the winner of the Fall Formal, everyone will have to listen to her. It will be a glorious time for I, the Great and Powerful Trixie!" In her moment of ecstasy, she locked gazes with Sunset Shimmer and the Rainbooms. Then, she hid back behind the curtains. "Well... at least in school hours, that is."

"C'mon, Trixie. Suck it up." Scootaloo grinned. "We all know we're never gonna be on Sunset and her friends' level. They've only saved the world, like, four times now! Try topping that."

"I'm well aware of Sunset Shimmer's exploits, but let's not forget that she had a rocky past as well." Trixie walked up to the wall and propped her foot up against it. "Honestly, I think she's the perfect example that proves that fame can be good for you, but only if you know how to use it well. Otherwise, it becomes something of a curse, and that's not what Trixie wants at all."

"Yeah. Fame can be a bit of a double-edged sword at times." Sweetie Belle sighed and put her fingertips on her forehead. "Behind Countess Coloratura and Sapphire Shores' success, I can only imagine what kind of problems they must have these days... Schedule conflict, family issues, their record deals having trouble with them..."

"While Trixie is admittedly a narcissist, she too knows the troubles as well as the pleasures of fame." Trixie tugged at the collar of her red vampire robes. "Still, we must all grin and bear it. You don't want the fans to know that you're unhappy with your fame and prosperity now, do you?"

The CMCs were now thinking hard about their position in the contest. Was fame and fortune really all cracked up to be as they believed? Or was there something else hidden deep beneath the surface that they had yet to discover? Regardless of what the answer was, they had allowed doubt to sink back into their minds and knew that they would not have much time left to choose, as the first contender for the Fall Formal's contest took the stage.
> The Curtain Rises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the CMCs watched the other contestants in the show perform, show off their clothes, and do little performances on the side, they kept thinking more and more about what Trixie had been saying. Was victory really essential to the contest? Or were they just chasing something that they didn't even need? Either way, they couldn't back down from the challenge now. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had already thrown down the gauntlet, so they needed to meet them and at least take them up on their word; otherwise, the students at CHS would never let them hear the end of it.

"Girls. I've been thinking." Sweetie Belle lifted a finger. "What song are we gonna sing? Like, should we use one of their old songs, or should we try and come up with something original?"

"I don't know, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo shook her head. "I mean, those girls can't even sing anymore for some odd reason, and because we were hypnotized by 'em back at the Battle of the Bands, I don't even remember what they sang or how they sang it!"

"Wait, you don't remember? I fought for sure you would've..." Applebloom tapped her hand to her forehead. "Their songs were like... uh, doo-doo, do, la-la-la, or something like that."

"That's so weird, though..." Sweetie Belle lifted her brows at her friends. "None of us remember any of their songs? Or how they sang them?"

"Nope." Applebloom shook her head.

"Nuh-uh." Scootaloo did the same.

"Then this might be a problem." Sweetie Belle put a hand to her head and started mumbling to herself, trying to think of something to sing on the spot. No sooner than when she got the melody in her head did she hear the next student dressed in cosplay to take to the stage. "C'mon, Sweetie Belle. Think!"

"What's up, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked, tapping on her shoulders.

"I'm trying to make a song out of literally nothing over here!" She broke out of her train of thought. "Quick! Someone hand me a blank music sheet and a pencil! I wanna get everything down as soon as I can before we go on!"

"Sweetie, we don't have to sing y'know..." Applebloom just rolled her eyes at the sight of her friend's struggles. "Some of the students are just goin' on out there and not doing anything."

"I know, I know! But we're dressed up as girls who prided themselves on singing, so we've gotta sing something or our act isn't gonna be convincing enough!" Sweetie Belle began to sweat bullets as she scrambled around for something that she could write on. "C'mon, school. Don't let us down!"

"Having some trouble there, Sonata Ditz?" Diamond Tiara mocked from the other end of the stage as Sweetie Belle began to panic. "Doesn't surprise me, seeing as how nobody likes the Dazzlings."

"Diamond, don't you have anything better to do?" Applebloom gruffly shook it off as she started to help Sweetie out. "I mean, other than that silly act you and your friend are doing."

"Harrumph! I'll have you know that being the Queen of Hearts is in my nature." Diamond put her fingers to her chest and pushed them out. "I've always enjoyed telling others what to do and showing them their rightful place."

"And I, being the Queen's faithful servant, will prove that Diamond's authority is heard and understood." Silver nodded. "What are you gonna do? Pepper them with your awful singing and make them fall under your spell? Ha! Don't make me laugh!"

"Oh, go suck on a tart, girls." Scootaloo patted Sweetie on the back while giving them a glare. "We don't need your down-heartening taunts getting in the way of the competition, y'know."

"I know, it just feels nice to let off some steam every now and again. And also, this is partially me and Silver warming up before we go on out." She chuckled to herself and watched another student leave and be replaced with a pair. "Time's running out, girls. Last chance to back out. You can still enjoy the Fall Formal without this nonsense and nobody'll be the wiser."

"We came this far and put this much time into it, you two." Sweetie Belle finally turned towards the two girls. "You probably got your outfits from your mommy and daddy's dress-up closets. They don't seem all that creative to me." She put her hands to her sides.

"Oh! Run your faces under a tap, you two, because you just got burned!" Scootaloo jabbed her fingers towards them. "Now, if you don't mind, we've got a competition to win. Just... as soon as Sweetie comes up with the song we're gonna sing."

"We'll see just how long that confidence of yours lasts when the crowd starts booing you." Diamond crossed her arms and heard her name being called. "Come on, Silver. Now's the time to wow the crowd."

"Good luck at winning the competition, ladies. You're gonna need it. SERIOUSLY need it." She giggled to herself as she and Diamond burst through the curtains and took to the stage.

"Don't mind them, Sweetie Belle. They're just looking for attention." Applebloom turned back towards the wall and watched as Sweetie finally settled on a phone and started pounding down the lyrics onto a digital notepad. "You still trying to figure out how that song's gonna go?"

"Yeah. That, and I'm trying to come up with a back up plan in case we don't have enough time." Sweetie Belle barely turned back to face the other as she stared down at her phone. "I didn't wanna do this, but we're really running on empty. If only we'd been able to remember the Dazzlings' songs, then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Are you having trouble, girls?" Trixie walked up to the CMCs and knelt down to them. "I know what it's like, going on stage for the first time. Your heart feels like it's going to explode and dribble all over the floor. Hundreds of eyes, locked on you and only you. But once you get over that, the rest of the act becomes a snap." She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

"Trixie? Have you ever had one of those shows where you're all geared up, ready to go, but then you forget one of the most important things of all and start to come up with something on the spot to make up to it?" Sweetie pried her head up from the bright screen and stared up at her. "Because that's what we're going through right now. Without the songs of the Dazzlings, we're having to work overtime to make up the lyrics for something original."

"Oh, I've been there before, girls. Many times when I was in third grade, in fact." Trixie nodded. "To be fair, I was only seven years old at the time, so such accidents were pretty common. But now, that rarely happens to I, the Great and Powerful Trixie!" She threw her arms out, before being met with cold glances from the CMCs. "But whatever you need, I'm sure I can help. It's no fun to see an incomplete performance."

"Well, unless you've magically saved a copy of the Dazzlings' songs, I don't think there's a lot unless you can make a song up." Applebloom twisted her wrist.

"Unfortunately, I don't have their music saved." Trixie shook her head. "But, at the very least, I can give your show a little more razzle-dazzle. If all else fails, rely on special effects to get the job done. That's how I operate, at least."

"It's a kind offer, Trixie, but I don't think any of the other acts out there used any special effects to jazz up their shows." Scootaloo looked out through the curtain, watching Diamond and Silver perform for the others. "Thanks anyway. Maybe we'll take you up on that if we try this kinda stuff again."

"Fair enough, I suppose." Trixie peaked out as well, subjecting herself to the ear-grating screeches of Diamond and Silver's royal voices. "Ugh. What wannabes. Trixie might be a boastful young lady, but these two pretenders let everything get to their head. Couple of blowhards, if you ask me."

"Yeah. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon always take a mile if you give them an inch." Sweetie Belle folded her arms. "Whenever there's not a contest or a pageant going on, they're tolerable at least."

"But when there is, they often do anything to win. Just... not sabotage. They're only first-years here at CHS like us, so they don't know how to properly do that just yet." Applebloom lifted a brow. "Still, they're meaner than a bull seein' nothing but red."

"Oh, they're just children. Let 'em have their little playtime." Trixie scoffed. "If they were a couple of years older, then they'd be a challenge."

"Yeah. Tell me about it." Scootaloo deadpanned. "I don't wanna have to deal with either of them as seniors..."

"I'm sorry that I can't help out, but I'll still be rooting for you three all the same." Trixie began to walk off. "I hope that you don't let us down."

As Sweetie Belle watched Trixie walk off out of the room, she began to have even more doubts about the whole contest. Now that she and the others were strained for time, the consequences would be massive if they failed now. They would face mass ridicule and mockery if this all went south, and there was a very high chance that it would because of their inability to remember the Dazzlings' actual music over them as a whole.

"Girls..." She finally broke the silence. "I don't know how to break this to you, but it looks like we're gonna have to wing it." She finally closed the phone and slipped it back into her pocket.

"Wing it?" Scootaloo almost jumped at that remark. "But we've done so much. How can we just wing it now if all of this other stuff worked out so well?"

"Yeah, Sweetie? Why are ya throwing in the towel so quickly?" Applebloom wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. "We're your friends. We can do this without having to sing, y'know."

"Look, girls, I don't usually like doing this, but we're gonna have to at this point." Sweetie watched the next students take the spotlight. "We're going on stage in, like two minutes and we don't have a song. And we're playing as three singing divas. That's like playing as a chocolatier in a movie and not knowing what the heck chocolate even is!"

"Even if we do come up with a song that quickly, how are we gonna know that it'll work and win over the crowd at the end?" Applebloom asked, looking down at her outfit. "For all we know, it could re-light their fire for Dazzling hate and we'll really be in big trouble."

"Well, it's like we've been saying this whole time since you wanted to join the contest." Scootaloo's smile once again returned. "We'll take it all together."

"Yep. When we go out on stage, meet the crowd, perform for them, possibly get tomatoes splattered all over us..." She held Sweetie's hands gently, looking into the twinkle in her eyes. "We'll do it as friends. Like we do for everything."

"Come rain or shine, love or hate, one of us doesn't have to be responsible for it all." Scootaloo held onto the other hand. "So what do you say, Sweetie Belle? You wanna do this?"

"Girls..." Sweetie's own hand held the other CMCs hands back as she looked each of their warm, smiling faces. Suddenly, every one of her stresses seemed to evaporate and disappear. Her own lips began to quiver and shudder before they finally curled into a sloppy grin of her own. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Next up, the Canterlot Movie Club as The Dazzlings!" Celestia's voice echoed out across the room.

"Well... this is it." Applebloom walked towards the stage, hearing the small applause of the students. "Time to face the music. With or without it."

"Come on, Sweetie Belle. Let's at least try to go out with a bang." Scootaloo walked as well, with Sweetie bringing up the rear.

All three of the girls stepped out through the curtains, looking down at the many students who had been watching the show. Celestia and Luna sat, as always, on the table at the front, judging the whole contest. They came up to the microphones, bathing in the radiant beams of light that poured out from the spotlights at the top.

Applebloom looked closely into Applejack's eyes from afar, knowing that everything felt so much heavier on this one performance than any other part of the build-up leading to it. The falling out that she had shared with her big sister also played out in her mind, and how a similar one would potentially happen if she messed up here. But she knew that she couldn't concentrate on any of that now. It was time for a show. And no matter how good or bad it was, she knew that she had to at least do something.

"Welcome, girls. Now, I know that this is might be a struggle for you, but I assure you that the crowd's not going to attack you or do anything like that to you." Celestia's brows stayed roughly semi-lowered, no matter how caring her voice was. "Now, what do you have planned for us?"

"Well, we were going to sing one of the Dazzlings' old songs, but..." Applebloom slightly chuckled. "We can't seem to remember 'em." She got some small chuckles from the crowd.

"So, we wanna try coming up with one of our own songs. If... that's an option?" Sweetie Belle took over the microphone.

"Of course it is." Luna nodded, and motioned to the DJ over at the booth to the side. "Do you ladies have any preference?"

"Not really. Just give us a beat. Any beat. We'll see what we can do." Scootaloo looked at the DJ and gave her a thumbs up. "And if it's bad or cringy, then we're sorry in advance. We're literally making this whole thing up as we go along..."

"Well, good luck anyway, girls." Celestia watched as the girl in the booth pulled out a vinyl record and set it up on the tables. "And, make sure to enjoy yourself."

"We will..." The CMCs all chimed together as the music kicked into life. Now, it was do or die. There would be no going back after this...
> Showtime!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lights dimmed around the room, with a faint beat pumping in the background that gradually increased the bass with each beat of the speakers. One powerful spotlight shone down on the CMCs, who all looked out at their crowd with confidence. As a smoke machine puffed from behind the curtains, the girls finally broke the semi-silence.

"Alright, girls." Applebloom put her hands on both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo while she tried her hardest to slur and transform her voice into something similar to Adagio's voice, yet it made her sound like she had a medical condition. "You both ready for the comeback tour?"

"I suppose." Scootaloo's part was easier, and she barely had to do anything about the voice as she gave Sweetie a stare. "Provided Sonata doesn't spend all the budget on candy again."

"Can you blame me? I love bubblegum!" All Sweetie Belle had to do was look pretty and deliver just as good an act. Sure, it might've been cheap for the cute vote, but she didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of CHS. "Where do you think pop music comes from?"

"I thought it was from the popping bubbles in your—"

"If you're going to fight, do it after the show." Applebloom covered both Sweetie and Scootaloo's mouths. "For now, just focus on the song. Plus, we're in front of a crowd, aren't we?" She pointed to the students of CHS. "Let's give them a show they won't forget any time soon."

You might think we're all deceptive,
Telling lies to get our way.

Turns out, you're pretty perceptive,
But that's not for us to say.

Alright, I admit. We bent the truth a bit.
But you can't deny that the tournament was lit.
So many few faces, bringing talent to this stage.
No matter what genre, level, or even difference in age!

The lights swung upwards and shone out, illuminating the whole dancefloor as the CMCs stepped forward provocatively, swaying their hips towards their audience. It looked like their lessons with the Dazzlings was beginning to pay off as the crowd wasn't immediately up in arms against them.

We're sure it left you all starstruck
Even if you had a string of some hard luck
'Cause there's always a chance for you to bounce back
And get all your special talents back on track.

Applebloom and Sweetie pointed to Scootaloo, who held the microphone close to her chest.

And yeah, I get it, you're mad.
Both at yourselves and all of us too.
But really, you just gotta know that.
We did all of that stuff for you.

The attention went back to the others.

Starstuck
Even if you had a string of some hard luck
'Cause there's always a chance for you to bounce back
And get all your special talents back on track.

Trust us when we say, that we're here to stay.
And we've brushed of the past, it's all gone now,
so let's all hear you stand up and shout now!

Most of the students thought about how the CMCs were singing and just how they interpreted the lyrics. Even with such infamous figures like the Dazzlings on their minds, these three girls were twisting their message and painting them in an entirely different light. Sunset Shimmer and her friends especially began to have mixed thoughts about the whole scenario; especially Applejack, who had fought against it all when Applebloom told her about it.

The next to take up a solo portion of the song was Sweetie Belle; her Sonata cosplay getting a spotlight all on its' own as she stepped forward.

It seems you all just see the bad parts,
all the dysfunction and hatred and stuff.

But that's not really who we are now,
Our power's gone and we're living it rough.

It seems like we may never be as good as the other kids here,
And I know it's a hard thing, to have to live constantly in fear,
But all we ask is another chance, to see us another way.
And if you give throw us a bone then, that might all just happen today!

As she walked back, the others came forward, forming a simple line again, their body language still on full display as they did so. Alluring, but not entirely so that they looked menacing.

We wanna leave you all starstruck
Even if we had a string of some hard luck
'Cause there's always a chance for us to bounce back
And get all our special talents back on track.

Applebloom had the next solo, allowing the others to step backwards.

You think that we're all mean,
But we're all just like you.
Just fighting with each other,
But that's what siblings do.

The others came back forward, as if it were like a routine schedule by this point.

Starstruck
Even if we had a string of some hard luck
'Cause there's always a chance for us to bounce back
And get all our special talents back on track.

Don't give us all the cold shoulder, and try to push us away
Because we're here and the past is the past now,
We're gonna and turn it around now.

As they looked out at the students, they saw that the majority were dancing and hobbling along to the song, seemingly enraptured by it. Scootaloo actually thought they were performing magic on the students as they sang, but really, it was how well the beat and harmony of their voices resonated with everyone. Though, she still liked to think it was a super-secret power they had instead.

Silent and alone, we've been waiting for the day,
Where we get to come back here and, take this another way.
We're all the same like you, just more so than before,
So give us all this second chance and you'll see that we can soar!

They say forgive and forget, so won't you do the same?
Treat us like one of your kind, and don't give us mass shame?
It's all that we can ask for, considering the past.
Just give us the wheel and we'll show you, that the three of us can last!

With one more, slightly longer techno beat build-up from the DJ booth, a series of laser lights also came on, shining out towards the hall. These didn't come from Trixie herself, and had been there for a long time; maybe even longer than the original Fall Formal itself.

We wanna make you all starstruck
Even if we had a string of some hard luck
'Cause there's always a chance for us to bounce back
And get all our special talents back on track.

It's something to cherish; redemption,
Even if you feel we don't deserve it.
It's better to just be rejected,
Than to be scared you'll never receive it.

Starstruck
Even if we had a string of some hard luck
'Cause there's always a chance for us to bounce back
And get all our special talents back on track.

Sisters hand-in-hand, bonded through and through.
We'll take all of the hate on together,
And we'll stay by each other forever.

By now, everyone was getting into it, including Celestia and Luna on the judging table, who were also shaking their hips and dancing along with the song.

Starstruck
Even if we had a string of some hard luck
'Cause there's always a chance for us to bounce back
And get all our special talents back on track.

It's not a sprint, it's a long-going marathon,
And it's one that we'll take in our stride.
Because we don't want to be blinded,
By some silly little thing as pride.

Starstruck
Even if we had a string of some hard luck
'Cause there's always a chance for us to bounce back
And get all our special talents back on track.

Now we're at the end, so you get to decide.
Do you throw us all out to the wayside?
Or do we get to stand by your side?

With the last beat, the other lights and effects died down as the CMCs lowered their heads and were met with slim silence from everyone, which slowly and gradually escalated from one person clapping, to a handful, and then the entire hall. They bathed in the praise for a few seconds before finally looking back up, taking a bow, and walking off backstage with the other students who had been performing before them.

Once the Crusaders slinked away behind the curtain, they all let out a massive sigh of relief, their hearts in their throats as they made it out of the gauntlet that was their performance. Even after not having any plans for a performance or a way to entertain the crowd, they still managed to find a way around that problem at the last minute. To put it simply, it was a miracle for them all.

"Oh my goddess..." Applebloom had trouble swallowing, given how fast her blood had been pumping. "That. Was. Close!"

"Tell me about it." Sweetie Belle wiped some of the sweat off of her brow. "I thought for sure we were gonna mess up the lyrics at some point or another."

"But look at the crowd! They loved us!" Scootaloo held up the corner of the curtain, looking out at the whooping and hollering crowd, all of them completely won over by their performance. "I don't even care if it was almost a disaster. We cleaned up out there!"

"If by cleaned up, you mean made everyone feel sick inside that they have to look at your gross outfits, then yeah. I'd say you cleaned up fine, girls." Diamond came back with a wide smirk on her face. "I mean, the song was nice and all, but who's ever gonna vote for you dressed up as gaudy and tacky-looking as that? You might as well put stickers on those clothes."

"We're not gonna get fazed by your snide comments, Diamond Tiara." Sweetie Belle came up to her face and booped her nose with her fingers. "We'll let the vote decide on who's better; fashion sense or not."

"Alright, alright. I get it. You just don't wanna look sad and humiliated in your victory photos." She put her hands to her hips. "Provided you even get them, that is. Come on, Silver. It's time to get set-up for our prize."

"Look, if I can be real with you girls, Diamond's kinda got a point here." Silver's tone of voice wasn't as sarcastic as Diamond's was. "I mean, you look the part and play it right, but the real question here is whether or not you really changed everyone's minds. If you have, then good for you. But if not, then you just put yourself right in the middle of the firing line."

"What do you mean, Silver?" Applebloom tilted her head to the side.

"Just..." She clutched her hand tightly and brought it to her chest, before sighing and patting all three of the girls on theirs. "Good luck, girls. It was fun to be in this competition with you."

"Thanks." Sweetie shook Silver's hand. "You too."

"Silver!" Diamond called from the door at the side of the stage.

"I gotta go." She gave all of the girls a smile before turning off after Diamond. "Let's see if your performance left enough of an impression on them."





Back out at the hall, the other students were still talking about the CMCs performance. Most of them were talking about the past and how these girls' outlook on the girls was entirely different, while some of the others were commenting on the song, nitpicking at some of the details, or talking about the effects that went with it.

"You think they did enough to win it?" Sunset Shimmer asked her friends. "I mean, not counting their song and all?"

"I don't know what just happened, but these girls did a pretty interesting performance." Rainbow Dash leaned back against the retracted bleachers. "They were dressed as the Dazzlings and got everyone to like them. That's pretty impressive."

"I know. Especially considering their crimes not only towards the students, but to fashion itself!" Rarity nodded and took a sip of the punch in her hands. "Why, the way that my sweet little Sweetie Belle and her friends twisted the message, it could almost make you think those girls are entirely different deep down."

"Well, I don't mind either way." Pinkie shrugged. "But... I kinda think that Sonata could've used a bit more work and the Aria could've been a little bit more of a grumpy-guts, but I really loved the performance myself. Plus, it's the Canterlot Movie Club doing it, and those girls could sweet talk anyone into doing anything. Plus plus, two of 'em are Applejack and Rarity's little sisters, plus a kid who Rainbow Dash really likes, so that's another bonus."

"Well, she likes me, and I like Scoots' guts." Rainbow nodded. "Heck, I'd take her in as my own kid if she didn't have family of her own."

"And ah'll admit it. I wasn't really much of a fan of the idea, but I talked it out with Applebloom and Granny, and let's just say my arm got pretty twisted." Applejack tipped her hat. "Call it a bit of a southern hunch, but I thought the whole thing wasn't gonna go smooth at all."

"But look at how wrong the girls proved you, Applejack." Twilight clasped her hands together and looked out to the stage. "They managed to not only put on a great show, get matching uniforms, and perform like that without much time to practice outside of homework, but they performed like they were putting their heart and soul out there. That in itself deserves some merit."

"So, you gonna vote for them?" Fluttershy squeaked. "I mean, not that we wouldn't vote for them just because they're dressed up as villains, but..."

"Fluttershy, chill. It's just a costume." Rainbow patted Fluttershy's back and pulled her close. "They're not actually gonna turn evil on us. They're just kids. Kids can't go evil, right?"

"Well, there was that time when I was babysitting the Cake Twins and they just would not go to sleep..." Pinkie's eye twitched. "Even now, I get nightmares about how they would just wake up and play every single time that I tucked them in, turned out the lights, and sang them a super-soothing lullaby..."

"Relax, girl. The CMCs aren't gonna go bad on you." Rainbow tousled Fluttershy's hair. "Plus, they're better at doing cute than evil. I dunno, I guess I'm more into their non-acting kinda stuff really."

"I hope so." Fluttershy brushed some of the hair out of her face. "I think we've had just enough battles with magic and evil in this world. The last thing we need is those girls getting a dark side. Oh, just the thought of Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo turning against us with magic... It'd be horrifying."

"Well, anyway, you decided on who you're voting for?" Sunset finally spoke up. "The vote's gonna open once the last act plays. And, I don't know about you, but those three have my vote."

"Mine too! They put on a pretty good act for first-timers!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"I should vote for them too, I guess." Fluttershy smiled and held her hands down by her hips. "Just for the attention to detail, though."

"Well, my vote goes to them too for the way they distorted the Dazzlings and made them seem completely new." Rarity tipped her hand. "You don't see many acts these days do that kind of stuff, where the villain is painted as a hero in their own right or a tortured soul with some validation in their plans."

"Aw shucks. Just for Applebloom, I'll vote for 'em too." Applejack took her hat off. "But just for Applebloom, ya hear? Wouldn't do the same otherwise."

"What the hay? I'm in too." Rainbow nodded briefly. "That, and most of the other acts were kinda brief and didn't do much other than show off their clothes."

"I'll vote too, if all the others agree with it," Twilight added. "So, together, that makes seven votes for the girls. I'd say that's a good boost for them, right?"

"Yeah. You said it." Sunset stepped forward and watched the last few acts perform, still with the CMCs and their act on her mind. After all of this was done, she needed to find the Dazzlings again; just to see if they could be changed and be seen in another light. How long has it been, Adagio? And how much has changed for you and your friends since the Battle of the Bands? Because right now, with what I've seen tonight, I'm starting to think you're not all bad deep down...
> The Results Are In...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"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.
> Special Thanks (END)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Canterlot Movie Club walked down the streets, dressed in their regular clothes now that the contest was over. Hand in hand, they were accompanied by the Rainbooms, who walked close behind them. The group of ten approached the Dazzlings' house and walked up to the small gate leading into the garden.

"You really think this is a good idea, you three?" Sunset Shimmer lightly squeezed through the CMCs and put her hands on their shoulders. "I mean, the Dazzlings are masters of persuasion; even without their gems, they've still got a silver tongue that'll wrap you around their fingers."

"Still, we couldn't really say no to them." Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head. "They're... kinda in a bad state right now."

"Yeah. Last I remember, Adagio said she didn't feel so good. Said somethin' about how that gem was kinda like her heart or something. And now that its' gone, she ain't got long to live..." Applebloom twisted her wrist.

"You're sure about this?" Applejack crossed her arms as the group walked into the garden and up to the door. "Them there Dazzlings are slipperier than a bunch of eels coated in baby oil. Ah'm sure that they just said that in an attempt to get something out of ya'll."

"Even if it's true, Applejack, what were we supposed to do about it?" Applebloom's eyes widened. "We couldn't just say no to 'em like that."

"Girls, I know that you wanted to win this contest, and it's good that you did. But now, I think that it's time to put all this behind you and go back to your normal lives." Sunset tousled the CMC's hairs. "I mean, the Dazzlings might be powerless, but they're definitely not good people. You remember how they turned the whole school against each other with their own contest, right?"

"The contest, I remember. Everything else is just a blur..." Sweetie Belle rubbed the back of her head. "Like, I don't remember anything outside of it."

"So you don't remember the time you tried to fight me because we made it into the finals and you didn't?" Rarity lifted a brow to her little sister. "Because you were really steamed back then. You said, and I quote: How could you do this to me, Rarity?! I'm your little sister! Sisters aren't meanie-pants like that, y'know!"

"I never said that!" Sweetie stumbled backwards, nearly tripping off the landing and into a bunch of roses. "Or, at least, I think I didn't say it..."

"Applebloom was pretty mad too. Like a bull seeing red. The red being me, of course." Applejack sighed and walked up to Applebloom. "She threw pretty much everything in the kitchen at me before Big Mac had to strongarm her back to her room."

"Plus, there was squirt here." Rainbow Dash patted Scootaloo's head. "She's lucky I took up a karate club at Canterlot High, or we could've been fighting forever!"

"Wait..." Applebloom looked up at Applejack, and then out to the rest of the Rainbooms as she let the story sink in. "Did we... really try hurtin' ya'll during the Battle of the Bands?"

"Eeyup." Applejack crossed her arms. "The Dazzlings REALLY drilled the idea of winning into your tiny little heads. Forget about push coming to shove. It was more like shove coming to steamroll with how hot-headed you were."

The Canterlot Movie Club began to feel their hearts crumple and twist once the story of their violence settled in. Now, as they looked at the Dazzlings' front door, they were beginning to have doubts about meeting them again; especially after they had acted like them and won the Fall Formal with their guises.

"Have we really been playing as people like that?" Applebloom asked, breaking the silence at last. "The kinda people that make you wanna fight your big sister because they're doing better than you at a contest?"

"Yeah. But I don't really blame you for it." Sunset held Applebloom's hand and looked her in the eyes. "You didn't remember a thing about it. No-one else but us did after the magic wore off. All they did remember was that the Dazzlings were mischievous and slippery."

"But you totally painted another side of them with that routine of yours." Rainbow Dash smiled. "Not to mention, you won over all of our hearts without having to resort to some cheap magic tactics."

"Yes. I must admit. Although it was just a silly little contest, you really managed to pull it out of the bag, so to speak." Rarity nodded. "You got so many genuine votes that night. Not many other people who dressed up like those three could ever have that kind of acclaim."

"Yeah, but now I'm starting to think twice." Sweetie Belle twiddled her fingers and rubbed the tips of her shoes on the ground as she looked down. "They really were that bad?"

Before anyone could say anything else, the door opened up behind the Canterlot Movie Club. Standing by it were Adagio, Aria, and Sonata. All three of them were dressed in their formal attire and their hair was still just as styled as the day they came to Canterlot High.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Adagio asked, looking to the group with a raised brow.





The Canterlot Movie Club, Dazzlings, and Rainbooms all sat together in a wide living room with teal wallpaper and fluffy carpet. Pictures hung from the wall depicting all sorts of things, like puppies and landscapes, and even the odd taco restaurant here and there. A coffee table sat in the middle of the room with a glass surface. Small coasters daintily lay on top of it, with some small coffee stains visible on them. There was a large plant in the corner of the room, with a long and slender trunk with flowers only starting to bloom on each of the leaves. Finally, there was a TV welded into the wall, with a sleek black frame and stretched towards both of the windows.

"Well. Either this is a weird analogy for a thank you party, or you want something else entirely, girls." Adagio cocked a brow at the group of girls.

"Just don't waste your time, girls." Aria folded her arms. "You just wanna rub it in our faces, say we're the scum of the earth, then walk away and never have to see us again."

"Actually, that's not why we're here," said Sunset Shimmer, stepping forward. "We saw these girls at the competition last night, dressed up as the three of you."

"So it's a lecture then?" Adagio lowered her brows. "Sunset, do you think we've changed since that nonsense at your school? For all we know, we could still be heartless monsters waiting for our next big break; and the scheme that could ultimately cause you and your friends' downfall."

"Or we actually have changed, don't want to say it, and just want a quiet life so that we don't have to be hated by you and all your friends again." Sonata interjected, immediately grabbing Adagio's attention.

"No. It's neither of those things, girls." Sunset pushed her hands out. "If anything, we wanted to personally come along with the Canterlot Movie Club, just so they could thank you for it all."

"So you won? Heh." Aria just cracked a small grin. "How many people wanted your heads? A few? Dozen? More? Because I'm pretty sure that after the stunt we pulled, anyone even thinking we were different people would've been tormented, like, to death."

"You... really have issues, girl." Rainbow Dash tilted her head at Aria Blaze.

"Don't we all?" Aria retorted. "I'm pretty sure you girls don't stay together because of sunshine and rainbows all the time."

"Anyway..." Sweetie Belle put hands on both Aria and Rainbow's mouths. "First, thanks for giving us that little extra boost we needed, girls," she said to the Dazzlings. "But, if it's alright, can we just ask a teensy-weensy question?"

"Sure. Ask away." Adagio nodded. "We've got nothing to lose, so we might as well answer." She tapped her neck where her pendant once hung.

"Are you really... that nasty?" Sweetie Belle asked, everything she had been told hanging in her mind as she continued. "During the Battle of the Bands, people were really riled up. Did we... really try to take out our own sisters because they were winning and we lost?"

"Look, girls. Siren magic is not like regular pony magic." Adagio shook her head and kicked up her feet. "Sure, the Rainbooms have their magic act with the light show, but our magic stems purely from emotion and feel. We have—or rather, we had the power to make people really, REALLY want something."

"And if the side effects include domestic violence, long-distance relationship break-ups, and other generalized anger and frustration, that's just a bonus." Aria lifted a finger. "Plus, people are way too lovey-dovey and happy these days. If they don't vent their problems one way or another, they're just gonna really freak out later on and do something totally reckless. Guess that's what happened with your little girls, girls."

"But why?" Scootaloo asked, clasping her hands together. "Why did you make it so hard for all of us? To make all those rifts that might never have been mended if not for the Rainbooms?"

"Our magic was beginning to fade after Starswirl the Bearded and his cronies left us here in this realm." Adagio rubbed the back of her neck. "If we didn't eat up, we were gonna starve and run out. Do you know what a siren is without magical power?"

"Plus, every hero needs a villain, after all." Sonata shrugged. "I mean, if there's no bad guys to fight, the world gets dull and boring. Who'd wanna live a boring life anyway?"

"Tell me about it, sister." Pinkie Pie patted Sonata's shoulders.

"But that doesn't justify turning the whole school into a battleground, does it?" Sunset tilted her head. "Why take your hate out on all those innocent people when you could've just gone back to Equestria and found this Starswirl guy yourself?"

"As far as we're aware, there's no way to even get back to Equestria." Aria scoffed and blew her hair up. "This is like one giant prison for us; just with food, drink, and a bunch of other prisoners."

"Still, why us?" Rarity tipped her hand. "There are so many others you could've fed from, but you chose to go for Canterlot High of all places. Why would sapping the hate of a bunch of teenagers benefit you in any way, shape, or form?"

"Three words, girls." Adagio stood up and booped the noses of the Rainbooms as she said, "Magic. Of. Friendship."

"Oh." Sunset began to feel so many holes begin to fill in her mind. "The Fall Formal. The night I went crazy."

"Yep. And now we've come full circle, haven't we?" Adagio stood before the Rainbooms and Canterlot Movie Club. "Sunset Shimmer went evil, and her magic pretty much led the three of us to Canterlot High, therefore sparking the Battle of the Bands and all the nonsense involving us." She sat back down, putting her hands on Sonata and Aria's shoulders. 

"And that in turn, I came to Canterlot High during the Friendship Games to investigate the magical goings on and..." She gasped, remembering as her old demon self flashed in her mind. "Midnight Sparkle."

"Funny how your school attracts bad guys these days." Sonata Dusk kicked up her legs. "What, do you girls have some kind of bad guy magnet or is it just you?"

"We never wanted any of those battles, alright?" Rainbow groaned and slapped her face. "So what if we just keep on getting villains and monsters in our lives? We just keep carrying on, whooping their butts with our superpowers. You don't ever see us complaining about it."

"Face it, girls. You're gonna be working full time now." Adagio slid her arms down the backs of her sisters. "With how much magic you've got in your bodies, it's only a matter of time before the next disaster happens and you girls have to take action."

"Can we just get back on track here?!" Applebloom shouted, stomping the ground violently. The force caused the cups on the coffee table to vibrate and bounce gently. "Thanks, Dazzlings. Darn you for being such horrible bad people who made us fight our sisters. And now we know that the Magic of Friendship attracted one bad guy after another. Gah!" She facepalmed. "You try to say one simple thing to a bunch of girls you draw inspiration from and you end up getting so much more..."

"Sorry, Applebloom." Applejack patted Applebloom's back and tousled her hair. "We didn't want to drag it out like this."

"Well, you kinda did." Sweetie Belle came over to Applejack and the girls. "It's great that you got to find out more, but this really over-complicated things a little for us. We're still grateful to the Dazzlings either way; even if they are a bunch of sociopaths."

"At least we're on a path." Sonata scoffed and put her hands to her hips.

"But still, we're not gonna forgive you for what happened to our school, Dazzlings. But we will still say thanks for the boost at the contest last night." Scootaloo turned to the Dazzlings. "Also, didn't you say that you were dying?"

"Oh, that? Well, it's just the last little bits of magic leaving our bodies. Without a pendant to hold it in, it's just gonna go all over the place and fizzle out. Kind of like when a firework blows up and all those ashes flutter down to the ground," said Adagio.

"So you were never really dying?" Applebloom felt her hands tighten up as she lowered her head. "It was all just a ploy to make us feel sorry for you?"

"Can you blame us, girls? Old habits die hard." Aria twisted her hand. "We're still a bunch of hateful, deceitful, liars who want to say anything to get our ways. Even if we don't have any magic, we can't just stop being who we are."

"You could at least try, y'know." Applebloom's voice turned bitter. She was seconds away from pouncing on the girls if not for Applejack squeezing her arms across her sister's belly.

"Look, girls. Can we just bury the hatchet and say goodbye already?" Sweetie Belle, again, pushed past the Rainbooms to get  to the sirens. "Even if they tricked us, if we fight them, then we're no better. Never try to solve problems with violence and threats." She held a hand to Applebloom, which made her head rise again. "No matter how awful the person, the least you can do is put it out of your mind. And besides, have they actually tried to get revenge on us after the Battle of the Bands?"

"No." The Rainbooms all shook their heads in unison.

"Exactly! The Dazzlings are just chilling out here, living their lives the way that they want to. If they're not trying to get revenge, that must mean that they've accepted defeat and are taking it like real girls." Sweetie nodded and reached out to the sirens.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, you're right there, kid." Aria stood up and laid a hand on Sweetie Belle's shoulder. "We can't even get revenge on the Rainbooms even if we tried. This world is still pretty new, and there's a heck of a lot of things that we've gotta adjust to. Seeing as how we're never gonna get back home, we might as well get used to this one."

"Plus, why would I wanna destroy a world that's got some super-duper yummy stuff?" Sonata stood up now. "I mean, those tacos at the restaurant on 9th Street are to DIE FOR!" She squealed.

"You all... really believe this?" Sunset asked, looking at the three standing sisters. "After all this time's passed, you accept that you lost and are taking it like this?"

"There's no use fighting over nothing." Adagio shrugged. "No pendant, no chance. That, and I really don't want to stoop to the level of some of the creeps here who keep on holding a grudge."

Weirdly enough, a smile began to form on Sunset Shimmer's face. After all of this time worrying about the Dazzlings, now that she had heard that they weren't trying to fight back or use underhanded tactics on her and her friends had lifted a heavy weight from her conscience. She slowly found herself reaching out for Adagio's hand.

"Girls..." she said, her smile still standing firm. "Don't ever change, alright?"

"Hmm..." Adagio was hesitant for a moment, but she ended up smiling as well and took Sunset's hand, shaking it. "You too, Rainbooms."

"Ooh! So does that mean we're friends now?" Pinkie Pie perked up her voice and slung her arm around Sonata's neck. "Because I think you could all use something to eat by now, and that taco place on 9th Street sounds pretty appetizing right about now..." she sing-songed the last part.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Sonata beamed from ear to ear and barreled out the door with Pinkie. "Let's go! It's all on me!"

"Might as well follow her before she ends up breaking something." Aria walked past the others. "See ya there, girls."

Before Aria could leave, Sunset held her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "Hold on. We're coming with you."

"Why would you wanna do that?"

"Isn't that what acquaintances are for?" Twilight felt a small smile appear on her face as well.

Aria Blaze couldn't help herself, and ended up catching the contagious disease of smiles as well. "Alright, girls. Looks like there's no getting out of this, is there? Last one to the restaurant's a loser!" And she ran off out of the house.

The other Rainbooms and Adagio looked at each other and nodded, running after Aria with the Canterlot Movie Club close behind. Together, the group of thirteen made their way on the long trek towards the restaurant, where a veritable feast of tacos and other such food awaited them...