Both Argyle and Shining were laughing and having a good time walking their way back.
“We just need to follow the map back out. Just remember to put the disguise back on ok.” Said Shining.
“Ok Shining.” Said Argyle cheerfully following her.
When suddenly out of nowhere he tripped over something. And a big net came out of the ground and yanked him up into the trees.
“Agh!” Screamed Argyle.
“Argyle!” Shouted Shining. “What do I do!?” Shouted Shining. “Shining toss me the rope and pull me down!” Shouted Argyle.
She immediately started fumbling in her back, got the rope out and tossed it. And Argyle caught it. But then a booming shrill voice came out of nowhere.
“Get away from our loot!” Another unicorn jumped out of the bushes and grabbed Shining.
“Go find your own prey, little lady!” Shouted another voice. Several ponies jumped out of the bushes. One of them took the rope down.
“Wooo hoooo! Live earth pony boys!” Shouted a unicorn stallion. And several unicorns came out of the bushes and one of them cut the trap down. While two more held Argyle down when he fell out.
Shining tried to break free of the pony holding her and she did. She immediately started pushing and hitting the other ponies around her until one knocked her over and held her down again.
“Now where do you think you’re going?” Asked one of the colts.
“Now what do we have here?” Asked one stallion. Presumably the leader of this gang.
“This mare tried stealing our prize sir. What should we do with her?” Said the stallion holding her.
“She seems pretty feisty.” Said the leader chuckling. He leaned down to her face and said. “Ok little missy we can either do this the hard way or the easy way.” Grinning.
Shining spit in his face and screamed. “Let the earth pony go!”
The stallion wiped his face and got angry. “The hard way it is then huh? Waste her!” Screamed the stallion.
Two stallions pulled her back as she desperately tried to run forward. “No! No! Argyle! Argyleeeeeee!” She screamed. Tears rolled down her face as she watched Argyle being dragged away from her and locked in a cage. “Shining! NO!” He immediately shook the cage until one stallion threw it into a tree and knocked him out.
“NO!” Screamed Shining until she herself was thrown into a tree and knocked her out.
…
Morning had come. And Shining woke up. She immediately panicked.
“ARGYLE!” She screamed. And she ran into the forest where she saw the hunters go.
She ran for hours screaming his name the whole way down. Until she finally couldn’t take in anymore and collapsed into a breakdown.
“Argyle!…”
She whimpered before breaking down completely.
===
Meanwhile Argyle wasn’t doing any better. He woke up and was surrounded by the same hunters from last night. He was in a wagon being taken to whoever knows where. He figured it would be better to not talk though.
His captors seemed pretty ruthless.
===
Shining simply walked along the trail for the rest of the morning. Until mid day arrived and she looked in her bag for food.
When she suddenly found one of the prism stones and the unicorn crystal in her bag.
Something about the prism crystal was off though. It wasn’t glowing anymore. Presumably from her sadness. It was ignited by love after all.
She picked it up. And closed her eyes. “Please… I love him with all my heart… don’t go…” she said putting it to her face.
===
Argyle sat alone in the cage. He was next to several other creatures in cages and treasures.
When suddenly he got an idea. He had enough space to wiggle the cage out of the wagon. And so he did.
He pushed his weight against the cage and it fell out of the wagon. “What the!?” Shouted one of the hunters.
And the cage fell off the roadside and into another clearing below. He didn’t make it that far from the hunters though as he could still hear them before passing out again.
The hunters caught up with him. And one of the annoyed colts said. “Maybe we should secure the earth pony’s cage this time.”
===
Suddenly the prism stone shining held glowed a little brighter. Her eyes went wide and she heard a faint voice in the distance.
“Maybe we should secure the earth pony’s cage this time.” She heard the voice.
“The earth pony?” She realized. “Argyle!?” She shouted. As the prism stone started going out again.
She moved closer to where the voice was in the trees. And it glowed brighter.
She gasped in realization. “The other prism stone! Our love! The stone is helping us find each other!…
I’m coming Argyle!” She started running forwards.
As she ran though something started growing in her. She reached the clearing and saw markings in the soil and foliage.
And she looked up to see where the trail was leading. “Unicorn hunters…” she frowned with her eyes growing angrily.
She immediately climbed up with no issue. And she followed the road to where the trail was leading to. “I swear when I get my hooves on them… I absolutely promise! They will be in a world of hurt!” She shouted.
It started boiling bigger and she ran faster. “Oh yeah! I’ll make them see!”
She ran faster and got angrier. “YOU HEAR ME LOW LIVES!” She screamed.
===
The hunters kept going until they heard the scream in the distance.
Argyle’s cage was now binded to the wagon. But he knew that voice. His ears perked up and he smiled.