"We need to get something for your horn, but I don't know the way back. Even if we had a map, we wouldn't know because the vines carried us when we were unconscious."
There were rustling leaves. The two bobbed their heads up. A unicorn guard jumped out of the brush and pointed a spear at Stormcloud's muzzle.
"Why have you taken Lady Belle hostage!"
He picked them both up using his horn.
"Wait! He didn't do anything!"
"Then why have you fled the unicorn base!"
"Classified work. He is one of my agents!"
He dropped Stormcloud and continued to hold Sweetie Belle.
"There is an emergency at the unicorn base. Lady Belle will come will come with me. You will continue your field work."
Stormcloud reached his hoof out as the guard galloped away, still holding Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle reached back as he disappeared over the horizon.
Stormcloud collapsed as the black of his horn creeped down. His vision started to blur. He tried to stand and go after Sweetie Belle. His breath became raspy and he passed out.
Sweetie Belle and the guard arrived back at the base. They locked her in the throne room.
"Why are you doing this! Stormcloud's in trouble!"
"It is one unicorn's life compared to all of ours. We had to do this."
Sweetie Belle kicked at the door and screamed, "You're all blind! He needs help!"
Eventually she stopped and slowly walked over to her throne. She payed in it, resting her head on one of the arms. She cried as she tried to think of ways to help Stormcloud. About half an hour later, she got up out of her chair and perked up. She started looking under fabric and tables. She found a loose stone and started to use her horn to pull it out. It came loose and Sweetie Belle smiled. She started to hoof the surrounding stones until they came loose. She squeezed through the small opening of the hole to reveal a tunnel. She started to carefully walk through. The path split into three separate paths. Each had a plaque over the opening. The first was a lightning bolt. The second was a diamond. The third was a leaf. She ran through the one with the leaf.
The unicorn general busted through the doors of the throne room. He looked around, breathing heavily. He galloped over to the hole that Sweetie Belle had made. He looked down it. He knew that only a filly could fit down it. He ran out and sent out a message to his family. His wife and son came back. He pushed his son near the hole, nodded, and left the room. The filly crawled in the hole and followed her hoof prints. He made it to the end of the leaf tunnel and opened a trap door. He emerged and saw Sweetie Belle looking around. He sprang up and tackled Sweetie Belle. Stormcloud saw the unicorn muzzle touching her.
"How could you Sweetie?"
Stormcloud's eyes closed and his head fell to one side. The other unicorn's horn turned black and he fell dead. She got up and ran over to Stormcloud. She stroked the side of his face with her hoof and laid her head on his chest. As tears ran down her face, she could feel his soft coat grow colder. She felt warmth and threw her head up. His mane was turning black. The black spread across his body, lastly covering where Sweetie Belle had laid her head. One his body was completely black, it disintegrated. She was completely stunned as she sat there staring at the ashes. Sweetie Belle looked over to where the other unicorn was. Only ashes. She felt a sharp pain in her head. Sweetie Belle fell backwards and put her hooves straight out in front of her. She watched as the black creeped down to her hooves. As the last bit of black covered her hooves, she became unconscious.