"Ugh," fake Twilight groaned. "Why is it that somepony from that family is always the root of the problems with my plans? I mean... why is it that he can't let me be recognized and honored?"
"Because," Twilight yelled as she ran to the scene. "It's not you who is being recognized. It's ME." Everypony gasped.
"Twilight...?" Fluttershy, who was in the front row with her friends, asked hesitantly.
"Don't be fooled, everypony. The princess on stage is Queen Chrysallis, who wants to take over Equestria for the changelings."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Fake Twilight scoffed. "SHE'S the changeling. I mean, look at her! She has holes in her wings, for pony's sake!"
"Okay, since you won't reveal yourself like you did last time, I will!" Twilight performed a spell, and fake Twilight's body melted away to reveal the queen of the changelings, causing everypony to gasp.
"Humph," she guffawed. "I was getting cramped in that SMALL body, anyway."
Twilight growled at the remark. The queen laughed, and began to perform her love-feeding spell on everypony, every attempt countered by Twilight.
"You think that you can defeat me again? Fool! The only pony who was able to put up a fight with me was Celestia, and she's...otherwise occupied."
"I may not be able to defeat you with my magic alone," Twilight declared. "But I CAN defend my subjects."
After a while, the queen shrunk back, her horn smoking. "Isn't this the part where somepony tries to banish me to the Bad Lands?"
"Twilight!" Apple Jack yelled. "Catch!" She threw Twilight's crown to her. "We brought the Elements of Harmony, just in case."
The crown landed perfectly on Twilight's head. The Elements of Harmony were activated, and a brilliant light surrounded the wielders and the queen. Once it disappeared...nothing had happened.
"WHAT?" The wielders cried out. Chrysallis laughed.
"The Elements of Harmony only work if all six are activated" the queen pointed to Twilight, who hadn't activated her element.
"Twilight? What are you doin'?" Apple Jack asked. "Activate your element so we can defeat the queen!"
"No." Twilight declared. "I won't use my element to banish Queen Chrysallis." Her friends' mouths hung open.
"Then it's up to us," Shining Armor stepped forward. "Cadence, come on. We'll link up our magic, like last time."
"No." Cadence stood her ground.
"What?!"
"I refuse to banish Chrysallis again. Exile is only a temporary solution; they'll just come back again, stronger still."
"And you have an idea for a more permanent solution?"
"I do, and I believe Twilight has the same idea; am I right?"
"I think so." Twilight replied. "We need to appeal to the queen's good side, no matter how small that may be right now." She turned to the queen. "Why did you come back here?"
"You know why: to take over Equestria as a food source for my subjects."
"But why? Why do you have to locate food for them?"
"I am their queen! I have to provide for them."
"Surely that isn't the ONLY reason, or you might have given up long ago. Any other reason...?"
"What ARE you getting at?"
"You must care for your subjects, too, deep down inside."
"Well...yes, I suppose in a way, I do care for them."
"Would you go as far as saying that you LOVE them...?"
"Get to the point."
"The holes on your body are caused by misery, which wears on anypony; even me, as you can see. There's no love in the Bad Lands, so the holes form and you have to go elsewhere to get food, but love is only given if it is received, too. Your attempts to get love from us fail because you try to get it by forcing it out us. But what if you were self-reliant?"
"What?"
"You love your subjects. If you only showed that love, your subjects would be built up from it, and in turn share it among themselves. Eventually, if you all love each other, you can keep EACH OTHER strong and still have love to spare. You won't have to suck love out of everypony: they would give it. But you have to take the first step, and love THEM. Will you do that?"
"But if we don't need to get love from ponies from other lands, of what use are our powers to transform?"
"That's easy," Cadence interjected. "Say a pony that somepony loves is gone. You could transform into that pony and REMIND them of the love that they feel for them."
Everypony was silent for what seemed an eternity as the queen mulled over all Twilight and Cadence had said.
"I...I never thought of love that way. It always seemed more of a physical thing, nothing more. But...you're right. I... I love my subjects. They look up to me, and respect me. I... I'll do it! For my subjects!" Something showed in Chrysallis' face that had never been seen in her before: joy, hope, and love. She smiled. A greenish light appeared, and surrounded the queen. Once it was gone, many of the holes in her body had closed.
Celestia and Luna, broken from the spell that had imprisoned them, stumbled forward. Twilight ran to help her mentor stand. "Princess Celestia, are you alright?"
"Twilight... thank goodness you're alright. Your brother saw through the queen's disguise, and called her on it, but we didn't believe him. But after a while, I began to see through it, too, and would have gone to find you, but then she cast that spell on me." She looked up and saw the queen. "Chrysallis..." she readied her horn, but Twilight stepped in front of her.
"No, Princess Celestia! She's... she's good now. Can't you see?" Twilight pointed out that some of the holes in the queen's body had gone.
The queen sheepishly smiled. "Hello, Celestia. I'm sorry I put you and your sister under that spell. I thought that love was only a physical thing to be taken. But I see now that it is so much more. It has to be given, but first earned, a luxury I fear I'll never receive from you now."
"We can discuss that later. Right now, I can say that you're forgiven. Right, sister?"
"Right." Luna agreed.
Everypony cheered for the reformed queen, and the princesses who had reformed her. The celebration went on as planned, and afterwards, the queen returned to the Bad Lands, and the princesses and Shining Armor, along with Twilight's five friends, walked back to where they were staying.
"I still can't believe you reformed the queen!"Celestia couldn't hide her pride.
"Well," Twilight replied "I couldn't have done it without Cadence."
"Aw," Cadence blushed. "I didn't do all that much. I may have helped, but in the end it was you who convinced the queen to be good."
"Hey, Twiley," Shining Armor interrupted. "I've saved YOU for once. Guess we're even now, huh?"
"Hmm... unless I'm mistaken, I saved you twice." His sister teased.
"Three times, if you count scoring the Equestria games for the Crystal Empire." Cadence joined in.
"We'll settle up later, ok?" Shining Armor laughed.
"Twilight..." Rainbow Dash said. "What happened to your wings?"
"Um... tell you later, ok, Dash?"
"I'll hold you to it, Twi!"
So everypony settled down in their respective rooms, and slept through the night, confident that everything was fine.