//------------------------------//
// Into the Fire 
// Story: The Day the Darkness Died 
// by lunabrony 
//------------------------------//

	Chrysalis and Pinkie Pie stood face to face. Chrysalis was less than enthusiastic about this sudden development, but Pinkie Pie seemed un-bothered. Heck, did ANYTHING bother her? Last time Chrysalis had seen her, before the Crusaders incident anyway, Pinkie had been playing hopscotch with her own clones on the battlefield of Canterlot.

"Cinnamon Bun?" The party pony asked, that wide, everlasting genuine smile plastered upon her features. It was not the smile of a psychotic, although to a subtle extent Chrysalis suspected PInkie was exactly that. No, it was the smile of somepony who just wanted to make friends, no matter who they were or what they had done.

"No, I don't want a cinnamon bun, or any other foolish offering you may have." The Queen snorted. "How did you even get here, anyway? I thought you'd be with your friends." She hesitated, and quickly looked over her shoulder, as if anticipating an ambush from behind. But that was unlikely. This was the only way into her cave, one of many long since abandoned secret passages that had once led into the castle of Celestia and Luna, which was now hardly more than a crumbling foundation. What had once been the pristine example of royalty a thousand years ago was now in ruin.

"Nope!" Pinkie exclaimed. "They're slowpokes, so I took a shortcut. And now I'm here!" She said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But how did you GET here?" Chrysalis demanded. "I have traps all over the place, surely at least one of them would catch y-"

"One does not simply catch Pinkie Pie," she said, puffing on a pipe which she'd pulled out from behind her. The pipe gave off several soapy bubbles which burst in midair. "I thought you would have learned that by now, sillypants. Oh, wait, that doesn't work, you're not WEARING pants." She frowned. "Can we start over?"

Chrysalis was confused.

"Start over with what?"

"This whole thing! You back up and come around the corner again, and I'll say 'Cinnamon Bun?' and you can look all grouchy with that face that looks like someone is annoying you. Yes, that one, the one you're doing right now!" Pinkie bounced up and down.

"No, we are not starting over, and we are not playing any of your stupid games!" Chrysalis growled. How in Celestia's name did anypony put up with her?

At this, Pinkie withered, and her mane slightly deflated. "My games... are stupid?" She asked in a timid voice. She looked as if she hadn't even been told this before, and was, for perhaps the very first time in her life, at a complete loss for words.

"NO THEY'RE NOT!"

Twilight came charging out of the jungle, flanked by three of her friends. Rarity and Applejack on the left, Rainbow Dash on the right. Fluttershy came trotting up a bit behind, a baby squirrel balanced on her back. "Um, if it's okay, can you guys keep it down? Mr. Peanut is trying to get his nap in."

Applejack looked at her in exasperation. "Can this wait, sugarcube? We're in a bit of a pickle."

"Oh, but he got separated from his family when the Diamond Dogs moved in!" She frowned. "Those dumb meanieheads." Her ears flattened. "Oh, gosh, excuse my language." Reluctantly, she set the squirrel down. "You just stay here and be safe." She whispered.

Pinkie, however, had perked up while listening to Applejack. "Oh! Oh! I LOVE pickles! Especially with wheatgrain and-"

"That's enough!" Twilight ordered, and everypony else suddenly turned their attention on her. "We're not here for baby squirrels, and we're not here to eat lunch! We're here for SPIKE, and I want him back! Now." She narrowed her eyes. "Give him back now, and I won't use number thirty seven on you."

Rarity and Rainbow Dash shuddered. "Twi, you WOULDN'T."

Chrysalis waved them off. "Very well. Who am I to stand in the way of friendship?" She asked endearingly. "Of course you can have him back."

Rarity stomped her hoof. "We won't take no for an answer, Chrysalis! If you strike us down now, we'll become more powerful than you can possibly- wait, what?"

"I said you can have him." Chrysalis shrugged, and stepped aside. "He's just through there."

"Oh, thank you, ever so much!" Fluttershy squeaked, and began to trot inside. Twilight teleported in front of her, and turned to face the others. 
"What's the catch?"

"No catch, foal. If you can find him, you can have him. Simple as that. And then we fight."

Twilight approached Chrysalis, and looked her in the eye. Chrysalis just smiled, but Twilight was unamused. "We aren't going to fight you, Chrysalis. We're going to get Spike back, and then we're going to leave, without any sort of confrontation. I Pinkie Promise."

Pinkie and Rainbow Dash both gasped. Pinkie looked shocked. "But Twilight, that's the most super duper biggest promise you can make! You can't ever ever ever forever never EVER  break it!"

"I know. And that's how you know I mean it."

Chrysalis looked stunned. Of all the possible endings she had foreseen for this situation, this was not one of the ways she had anticipated it turning out. "I don't understand. I threatened you, almost killed you, attacked your princess, abducted your children and kidnapped your dragon. And yet you do not wish to inflict any form of punishment on me? What sort of foal ARE you?" She demanded.

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Applejack had begun to enter the cavern, all on guard, determined to be reunited with their  missing dragon.

"I've already punished you," Twilight said.

Chrysalis looked confused again.

Pinkie spoke up this time. "Your punishment is just being yourself. Living alone, without any friends. Not having any friends is... I can't even THINK about how awful that is." Her eye twitched, and she as well turned to enter the cavern.

Twilight just gave Chrysalis one last look, and followed her friends into the cave. For a moment, Chrysalis looked truly stunned, but then regained her composure. "I'll manage," she said simply, and stepped down a hidden grate in the tall grass. Almost immediately, there was a deep, ominous rumbling from within the cavern.

"What's that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

An enormous boulder fell from overhead, near the entrance of the cave. A relentless boulder of death, which began to roll towards the six with increasing speed.

"IT'S THE REVENGE OF TOM!" Pinkie shrieked.

Rarity glared at her. "I thought we agreed never to speak of that again."

"Never mind! Run!" Twilight yelled, and burst into a gallop. It didn't take long for all but Rarity to follow suit.

"But I might chip a hoof!" She protested.

"RUN, CONSARN IT!" Applejack yelled.

Rarity ran.