Isle of She-Beasts

Dark clouds loom over the island. A storm was brewing. Fears have gripped the hearts of every living creatures, for they have more to fear than one problem.

The hunter was on the prowl. The sound of his breath, the beating of his heart, and the foul stench of his musk was carried on the wind, alerting all living creatures to beware of his presence.

No creatures, man or beast, are safe tonight. There is only the hunter. He who stalks the shadows of the trees.

Meanwhile

At first, all Spike could see was darkness, the sound of the gentle waters lapping, and the sounds of animals calling, outside the camp.

He didn’t sleep for long, when a gentle, but strong hand, tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey...hey, Spike...wake up...wake up...Spike..."

Spike groggily wakes up, opening his eyes up, and found himself staring into a pair of feline moderate cyan eyes.

Startled, Spike felt his heart, almost lurching itself out of his throat, as his eyes were snapped awake, and he impulsively screamed.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" Spike frantically climbed up a tree, and screamed for his life. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"It's okay, it's okay...WHOA, WHOA! It's okay! It's me," The hybrid reassured, before stepping into the light, revealing herself to be Sunset Shimmer.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" Spike hyperventilated. "Carnivores...Ugh..."

“Sorry,” Sunset apologized.

At that moment, the rest of the She-Beasts emerged from their den, with Rainbow Dash guiding Fluttershy.

“What’s all the screaming?” Rainbow asked. “Some of us are trying to sleep in. Not to mention one of us is nocturnal,” The falcon-woman said, gesturing to Fluttershy.

“I just got back from my patrol this morning,” Sunset expanded. “And I’m afraid I might’ve startled Spike a little too much…”

“A little?” Spike and Applejack both asked, skeptically.

“Anyway, I just got back from my patrol,” Sunset explained. “The area’s cleared. Chrysalis is gone.”

The She-Beasts and Spike all exchanged a collective sigh of relief.

“Great! Now I can get back to fishing!” Rainbow said, flapping her wings, and started to fly through the hole in the roof.

“Be back in 30 minutes, Dash!” Sunset called out. “It’s going to rain soon!”

“Got it!” The falcon-woman called as she disappeared out of sight.

“In the meantime, what should we do?” Applejack asked.

“I say we start packing up girls,” Spike cleared his throat, “…And boy,” Twilight chuckled, as she resumes, “Because we might be leaving sooner than you expect!”

The She-Beasts, except for Rainbow Dash, all exchange excitements and shocks at the revelation.

“You mean ya found a way to get us off this island, Twilight?!” Applejack asked.

“I most certainly do! All thanks to Spike!” Twilight smiled happily, gesturing to the single man in the group.

The She-Beasts all smiled and looked at Spike, who began to fluster, in embarrassment and fright.

“Uh, it-it-it was nothing, really,” Spike waved his hands dismissively, as he backed away, while sweating a storm.

“Nothing?!” Pinkie hooted. “Are you kidding me?! It’s definitely SOMETHING!!!” Before Pinkie Pie could scare Spike even further, with her wild monkey antics, Applejack pulled her away, by the tail.

“What the pink monkey gal was trying to say is…” Applejack smiled, emphasized by her wagging tail. “You’ve answered our prayers, Spike! Ya helped on finding a way for us to get off the island!”

“Indubitably!” Rarity added. “We can all go home!”

“Not just yet,” Twilight spoke up. “I said we ‘might’ be leaving soon. Me and Spike have only gotten some equipments to navigate the sea and back to the mainland. All that’s missing is a mode of transport. A boat, or a raft. And…”

“And what?” The She-Beasts asked.

“It needs to be big and strong to carry us all!” Twilight explained.

“That’s all?” Pinkie Pie scoffed. “No problem!”

“Pinkie, this is serious!” Twilight said sternly.

“Don’t get your ponytail in a knot, Twi!” Pinkie chirped. “We’re on an island! A very big island, and it’s got lots of trees! We’ll just cut down as many trees that we need, and we’ll be home free!”

“Easier said then done, Pinkie,” Applejack shook her head. “Like what do we even cut them down with? And how do we put them together? And does our ship come with a steering wheel, or something?”

“I’m still working on the details, Applejack,” Twilight explained. “But as of now, I’ve got a good feeling about this, that I could just kiss Spike right now!” Twilight blushed a shade of red, realizing too late what she just said.

“WHAT?!” Spike and the She-Beasts exclaimed on shock.

“Ooooh, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie smirked. “You sly mare!”

“Uh, appreciate the comment Twi, but…” Blushing a shade of red, sweating up a storm, and scared out of his wits, Spike took of running. “SEE YA!!!”

“Spike! Wait!” Twilight called out to the boy.

“Oh boy,” Applejack sighed. “I’m afraid ya might’ve scared the poor fella there, Twi.”

“I know…” Twilight sighed miserably.

“The poor dear,” Fluttershy whimpered. “I can’t imagine being that scared.”

“I hope I knew what happened to make him so terrified of…women,” Rarity pondered.

“Hey, Sunset?” Twilight called to her tiger friend. “Can you do me a favor? Any chance you could…”

Twilight whispered something into Sunset’s ears, to which the tiger-woman responded with a look of uncertainty.

“That’s a tall order, Twilight,” Sunset replied. “But I can’t guarantee it’ll work.”

“Just try. Not for me, but for Spike! If anyone can help, it’s you!”

“Phew! Plenty of catch! And just in time! That storm’s about to hit the island!”

Rainbow Dash was flying back to the camp with her latest catches, when she looked down and saw something that made her blood run cold.

Not too far from where their camp is, she spots a what almost looked like a human male that was around Spike's age. In appearance, he has jet-black medium length hair with blue streaks, dark blue wolf-like eyes, dark gray skin, and, most shockingly, had slightly pointed ears. For attire, he wore a black overcoat over a dark gray shirt that had a symbol of a wolf's skull on it, black jeans, and matching cleats. For accessories, he wore a dark blue bandana around his neck as well as a necklace that was made up of various animal teeth.

“Oh no!” Rainbow screeched, "I got to warn the others!!!"

Meanwhile, back at camp

After his recent "retreat" from the She-Beasts, Spike sat down, by his lonesome, on the banks of a gentle stream, in the camp area. Taking his remaining boot off, with his socks, the young man dipped his feet into the water. He was immediately overwhelmed by the cooling sensation of the water, washing away all his doubts and fears. To him, it was as cool and refreshing as dipping into the ocean.

Spike felt rather ashamed of himself, for earlier, when he cowardly ran away from the She-Beasts. They've been nothing but hospitable to him. Even if they had a rocky start, when the She-Beasts initially accused him of being another of Dr. Grogar's flunkies. Though, all the same, he can't stop being afraid of them, like he does with any other women.

'It's been over 14 years now, and I'm still as scared of women than ever!' Spike castigated himself. 'Why can't I just get it over with? Why can't I be like the other guys who aren't afraid to look at a woman?'

The young man was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the approaching footsteps of a She-Beast, coming from his right. It was only when she cleared her throat, when he finally noticed.

"Ahem! Spike?"

"AH!" Spike yelped, jumping up with a start and falling into the stream.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" The She-Beast apologized, as she reached her clawed hands out to help him up. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

"That's okay..." Spike coughed, wiping droplets of waters off him. "Just...don't do that...again..."

Spike wiped his face until the waters washed his eyes, letting him get a clear look to see it was only Sunset Shimmer.

"Again, carnivores..."

"Again, I'm sorry," Sunset apologized. "I didn't asked to be mutated into a tiger-woman, you know?"

"I know, I know," Spike replied, as he got out of the water to squeeze the excess out of his shirt. "But still, tigers are one of nature's perfect killing machines. They're practically made to move silently and deadly," A snort was heard, to which Spike turned to see Sunset, with a hand over her mouth, to supress a laugh. "What?"

"Silent but deadly," Sunset snickered. "That's a fart joke."

"Oh!" Spike chuckled, upon realizing his choice of phrases. "Right... Sorry."

"That's okay," Sunset chuckled, before she spoke, "Hey, Spike. I...I know you're a little...weary at the moment, but do you mind following me for a bit?" Spike was rather hesitant, given his past bonding experience with the other She-Beasts, except Fluttershy, always involving in disaster, or near-death experiences. "Don't worry. We're not going out of the camp, or anything. Just wanted to show you something personal of mine."

"Uh...okay?" Spike complied, but was also rather unsure.

“Wow!” Spike gasped, marveling at the mural drawings. “This is amazing! You drew all this?” He asked.

"Yup!" Sunset smiled proudly. "I'm glad that despite Grogar's torturous experiments he performed on me and the girls, my expertise as an artist is still intact."

All around him and Sunset were cavern walls that have drawings of cities, people, from all sorts of countries. From Paris to New York, even Tokyo. Though, what connected them all to each other was the sky, painted with clouds, rays of sunshine, and hearts, shared by the people, around the world.

The young man walked up to the cavern walls, reaching out to touch the paintings, when Sunset stopped him.

“Careful, they're still wet!” She cautioned.

"Oh!" Spike quickly pulled his fingers away, barely an inch form smearing. "Sorry."

"That's okay. Just look, but don't touch."

With that, Spike resumed gazing in awe at Sunset's artwork, while the tiger-woman crawled to the side, before she sat on her haunches, with her hands on the ground.

"I have to say," Spike began, "You're quite the artist! How did you do all this?"

"Well, it wasn't easy without a brush, and I had to do it all by hands," Sunset began. "But thankfully, I still remember a lecture in class that talked about how indigenous people in certain parts of the world can make colorful clays out of dirt, flowers, and other kinds of minerals, which they can use to paint. So that’s what I did.”

“Fascinating!”

Spike looked at the paintings, until he sets his sight on a group painting of seven beautiful women, with colorful hairs, gentle eyes, and loving smiles, jumping, frolicking, playing together, and having a good time.

It didn’t take long for Spike to realize a certain parallel, “Is…Is that you…and the girls…as humans?” He asked.

Sunset followed Spike’s finger to the drawing he was pointing. Like a wild cat, she crawled over on all four, before she stood up on her hind legs, exhaling a sad sigh of longing.

Spike, meanwhile, couldn’t help but gaze up at Sunset in wonder. To him, it was amazing to have watched how a She-Beast, such as Sunset, could move so naturally and gracefully, like that of a wild cat. But then, when she is simply standing on her own two legs, her posture changes from an animal to a human. A solemn reminder that this creature was once human.

And solemnly still, she, and her friends, were all the results of a sinister genetic experiment performed by an equally sinister scientist of a madman.

“Yeah,” Sunset spoke up, snapping Spike out of his train of thoughts. “Believe it or not, Spike. That’s us.”

“Really?” Spike looked back at the group painting, before he commented, “Wow, you girls are kinda cute!”

“Aw, thank you, Spike!” Sunset smiled to the young man.

“And happy!”

“Yeah, those were happier times…before all this…shit, and hell, we’ve had to endure since we came to this…place…” Sunset frowned, growling so angrily, it was enough to convince Spike that she was an animal.

Thankfully, Sunset composed herself, as she inhaled a deep breath and exhaled a sigh of relief.

Sunset looked at Spike, causing him to flinch a little from her soul penetrating eyes.

“Spike, why do you love animals so much?” Sunset asked.

“Huh?” Spike stammered, caught off guard. “What—Why—“

Sunset repeated, “Why do you love animals?”

After a moment of collecting himself, Spike answered, “I just love animals, y’know? They’re cute, they’re amazing, they’re beautiful. They come in all shapes and sizes. There’s always something new to learn from them, everyday! Who doesn’t love them?”

“I thought so,” Sunset nodded. “Fluttershy loves animals. She spends most of her times playing with her animal friends back home. And sometimes, she gets picked on by a lot of bullies, because of her unnatural love of animals.”

“Yeah, she told me about that, a few days ago,” Spike frowned in sympathy.

“And I should know, because…I was one of the bullies,” Sunset revealed, with her voice cracking, it sounds as though she was crying.

“You?!” Spike gasped. “You…were…a bully?” Sunset nodded, shamefully. “But…you seemed to be getting along so well with the others.”

“You’re right. I am. Because I’m a different person than before,” Sunset’s ears folded back as she looked down at herself. “Well, technically speaking, back when I was a person. But still…”

Sunset looked back at Spike, and both their eyes were locked onto each other, it seems that Sunset had him under a spell.

“Spike, what I’m trying to say is…I want to help you, just like how I helped Fluttershy get through with her doubts and insecurities, by becoming more confident in who she is.”

Spike was aghast to hear such words, from Sunset. But at the same time, he felt rather hesitant, because he didn’t want to relive the memory of a traumatic past.

“Please Spike,” Sunset asked softly, once again, sitting on her haunches, with her arms holding her up, like an actual cat. “Give me a chance. Trust me.”

There was a moment of silence between the two, until Spike was the first to break the ice.

“Well…”

Suddenly, a loud screech was heard.

“What the hell?” Spike asked, startled by the cry. “Is that…”

“That’s Rainbow Dash!” Sunset Shimmer confirmed. “That’s her cry of alarm! Something’s wrong!”

“Guys! GUYS!!!” Rainbow squawked as she frantically entered the cave.

“Whoa there Rainbow,” Applejack approached her, “What’s got you all saddled up?”

“It-It’s Shade Stalker! He’s close by! We gotta-!” Sadly, the blue falcon-woman was interrupted when a shotgun blast suddenly rang the entire cave.

Kai Tangata - Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood Music by Alien Weaponry

Everyone slowly turned towards the cave’s entrance and saw the mysterious person Rainbow spotted earlier with a shotgun in hand.

The She-Beasts look at this intruder with anger and fright, especially Sunset and Rainbow, while Spike is somewhat confused by this person. Like him, this intruder looked human but with some slight differences with his dark gray skin, slightly pointed ears and glowing blue eyes.

Unfortunately, Spike didn’t have time to think any further as Sunset grabbed him and practically shoved him behind her and the others, “Spike stay behind us!!!” The tiger-girl shouted.

Before Spike could question why, the intruder cocked his shotgun and took aim. The She-Beasts instantly scattered with Sunset grabbing Spike.

The intruder opened fire at the fleeing She-Beasts, trying to get a hit.

Sunset and Spike went behind a large stalactite to use it for cover.

“Who the fuck is this psycho!?!?” Spike exclaimed.

“Shade Stalker…” Sunset answered grimly, “Grogar’s most feared henchman and a ruthless hunter.”

Meanwhile, Applejack gets a little bold as she gets on all fours and makes a mad dash towards Shade. The hunter noticed this and opened fire at her with the wolf girl but AJ managed to dodge them. As she gets close enough, Applejack lounges at Shade and grabs his shotgun, resulting in a tug-o-war between the two.

As she was struggling against Shade, Applejack turned to the others and shouted, “I’ll keep this son of a bitch busy, Y'all get outta here!!!”

Hesitant at first, Spike and the other She-Beasts eventually replied and ran out the cave one by one with Rainbow screeching, “You come back to us alive, AJ!!!”

As they all ran out the cave, or flew in case of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, a thought crossed Spike’s mind.

“Why are we running from him?” Spike asked. “It’s just one guy. We can fight him together, can’t we?”

“Easier said than done, Spike,” Rainbow Dash shook her head.

“It’s impossible to fight him!” Sunset added.

“What do you mean impossible?” Spike asked.

“Because the last time we fought him, I almost died!” The tiger-woman roared.

“WE almost died!” Rainbow Dash screeched.

Spike stared at the two frighten She-Beasts in worries, before he asked, “I know I’m going to regret asking this, but…how exactly?”

“The last time we fought, I ended up getting this.” Sunset replied, showing him the scar on her back.

“And I got beaten to a bloody pulp!” Rainbow squawked.

“I can’t believe we left Applejack to face off against that… brute all by herself!” Rarity shouted.

“Don’t worry Rarity, if there’s one person we shouldn’t worry about, it’s Applejack. I’m sure she can handle Shade.” Twilight reassured her, “I hope…” She muttered that last part.

Back at the cave Applejack continues her tug-o-war with Shade, trying to take his weapon from him. However, with quick thinking on his part, he head-butts the wolf-girl right in the nose causing AJ to stammer back a bit and grab her now bleeding nose.

Taking aim once again, Shade was about to fire his shotgun again but AJ managed to kick the firearm out of his hands.

Glaring at the wolf-girl, Shade busts out a grenade from his coat and throws it at her.

Applejack manages to dodge it in time before it explodes. Shade then threw more grenades at her which Applejack ran across the cave to dodge the explosives.

However, the ongoing explosions have caused the cave to lose stability and slowly begin to collapse.

Both Shade and AJ realized this with the former making his way to the exit but not before leaving behind one last grenade. Sealing the cave behind him.

Thinking fast Applejack jumped up to and grabbed a stalactite that was near the ceiling’s atrium. After taking a few whacks at it, she manages to break the crystal ceiling and escape through there.

Back with Spike and the other she-beasts, they stopped to catch their breath.

“Jesus Christ, I never ran that fast in my life.” Spike panted between breaths.

“I-I think we lost him.” Twilight stuttered.

“I hope you’re right Twi.” Spike said. As he said that however, that was a flash of lightning and Shade suddenly appeared next to Spike.

The hunter grabbed Spike by the throat and pinned him to a tree.

“Hey! Get your hands off of him!” Twilight shouted. She then charged at Shade. Tackling him which causes the hunter to let go of Spike.

After a brief struggle, Shade shoves the pony-girl off of him. As he gets up, he brings out a small spear-like weapon. Pushing a button, the spear increased in length and Shade then got into a battle stance.

Realizing that they have no other choice but to fight, the other she-beasts got into a fighting stance as well.

Rarity attacked first, pouncing at the hunter. But Shade raises his spear in time before Rarity could bite or scratch him. Shade then swipekicked her legs, causing the leopard girl to fall to the ground in which the hunter picked Rarity up and threw her away from him.

Rainbow Dash swooped in, with her claws out, and Sunset Shimmer flanking Shade. But the Hunter managed to catch both attacks and collide them into each other.

Shade then heard a loud rumbling sound behind him. He turns to see Pinkie Pie preparing her Banana Bazooka. With inhuman speed, Shade dashed towards the pink monkey-girl and jabbed her right in the stomach.

“Ooof!” Pinkie groaned as she got on her knees and clutched her stomach, a small, tiny poot was heard from her byoo-tox.

Shade then notices Spike and slowly approaches him. Thankfully, Fluttershy tackles Shade and lets out a very loud shriek in his ear, disorentating the hunter. Shade manages to push the bat-girl off of him despite the loud ringing in his ears right now.

As Twilight was helping Sunset get up, the pony-girl noticed Shade had been exclusively targeting Spike during this whole battle. “Spike, you gotta get out of here!” Twilight shouted to him.

“What?! Why?!” He exclaimed.

“Shade seems to be only interested in you. We’ll keep him busy, you need to run!”

Hesitant at first, he knew he couldn’t argue with her and started to make his leave. Unfortunately, despite his ears still ringing like crazy, Shade noticed this and wasn’t going to let him get away.

Pressing another button on his spear, it quickly contorted into a whip. Shade then struck Spike in one of the latter’s legs. Spike instant fell to the ground after that, clutching his leg and screaming in pain.

“Spike!!!” Most of the She-Beasts exclaimed with Sunset rushing to his aid.

Meanwhile, the sky was getting really dark and the downpour increased tremendously. Applejack managed to catch up to her friends and saw most of them injured and Shade a bit disoriented.

Grabbing Spike, Sunset made a mad dash to the woods, hoping to lose Shade there. The hunter was onto her however, and attempted to use his spear-whip again but was grabbed behind by Applejack and was thrown across the field.

Getting up, Shade glared at the wolf-girl and AJ did the same. The two stared each other down until lightning struck a tree near them.

The flaming tree fell down between them and Applejack, along with the other she-beasts, use this opportunity to escape.

By the time Shade managed to get around the flaming tree, the she-beasts are already long gone and the hunter lets out a frustrated, almost inhuman, growl.

End of Song

Meanwhile, Spike was gently set down by Sunset Shimmer, after escaping from Shade Stalker.

Both man and tiger-woman were catching their breaths, underneath a tree, as the storm continued to rage around them.

Spike’s heart was beating hard, like a drum, he could barely even breathe from the adrenaline of the latest attack he experienced from the likes of a hunter, like Shade Stalker. Is this how animals feel to be hunted?

“For real this time, have we lost him?” Spike asked, almost breathlessly.

“I hope so,” Sunset Shimmer replied. “But I’m afraid we’ve lost the others!”

“I hope they got away,” Spike said.

Despite his gynophobia, at this point, Spike was more scared of Shade Stalker than any other women, including she-beasts.

“What do we do now?” Spike asked Sunset.

“First of all, let’s find someplace to hide out,” Sunset suggested. “Someplace where we can sleep for the night, and hide out from Shade. Even a storm like this won’t stop him!”

“Okay…”

Spike followed Sunset, when a sharp pain shots up through his leg, that he immediately dropped to the ground.

“ARGH!”

“Spike! What’s the matter?” A flash of lightning reveals a stream of crimson red, “Oh no! Your leg!” Sunset exclaimed in horror.

“I’m fine,” Spike grunted. “Just go! Leave me...”

“No! Not without you!” Before Spike could protest, Sunset scooped him, up in her arms, and jumped into the tree branches. “Just hold on tight!”

“Okay.”

Spike wrapped his arms around Sunset’s neck and shoulder, with his hands linking behind her back, while she carried him with one arm, and sprinted through the raining jungle on all three.

The sky roared with thunder, like that of a giant lion, and cracks of lightning pierced across the sky, illuminating the island’s dark jungle.

Spike can feel his heart beating rapidly from the adrenaline, all the while hearing Sunset’s rapid heartbeat, from his left ear, smothering up close to her soft fluffy chest.

Both man and tiger-woman were all running for dear life as they brushed their way through the jungles. Pelted by the storm’s intensive cold raindrops, the wind biting at them, the leaf blades cutting at their skins, and the hooting sound of other Beast-Folks calling all around them.

“Did we lose him?” Spike asked.

“I don’t know,” Sunset replied. “But I’m not taking any chances to look back,” Sunset tightened her remaining arm’s grip on Spike, reassuring, “Everything’s gonna be okay, Spike. We’ll get out of this!”

Unfortunately, Sunset spoke too soon, when she slipped on some mud, causing both her and Spike to trip and roll across the ground, falling off a cliff.

“WHOA!!!”

Sunset quickly caught Spike by the arm, before she also managed to grab onto a vine, saving both herself and Spike from a dangerous fall.

“Don’t worry, Spike!” Sunset shouted. “I’ve got you!”

“Don’t let me go!” Spike panicked.

“I won’t let you go!”

Unfortunately, the vine speaks otherwise, when it began to snap. It wasn’t strong enough to hold up either man or She-Beast. Worse still, in a flash of light, Shade Stalker stood atop the cliff, glaring down at the two.

Both Spike and Sunset realized then and there, they were stuck between a rock and a hard place. They couldn’t go up and risk capture by the hunter, Shade Stalker. But they can’t go down and take any chances either. But time wasn’t on their side. The vine was snapping more and more, by the seconds. It could break completely at any moment.

“Sunset?” Spike whimpered.

Sunset looked back up at the top, where Shade is waiting for them. Then, she looked back down. At that moment, the vine finally gave away.

During the fall, Sunset twisted around so that she would be at the bottom, while holding Spike protectively on top of her.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Spike and Sunset screamed as they plummeted into the River below.

*KER—SPLASH*

Upon hitting the cold water, Sunset’s life flashed before her very eyes. She could almost see herself, as a baby, to blowing her first birthday candle, her mother and father’s loving smiles, her first day at school. It was like living all over again.

This must be life’s way of making her death seem less hurtful. To relive all of her cherished memories.

Her flashbacks were interrupted by a flash of cracking thunder, above the water, outlining the silhouette shape of a body. Her eyes widened in shock, with her heart beating rapidly, as if she’s gotten a second wind.

She quickly kicked her feet and thrusted her arms out, swimming towards Spike, collecting him in her arms, until she resumes swimming.

With a loud gasp and a mighty splash, Sunset Shimmer broke the surface, carrying Spike in her arms.

“I’ve got you, Spike,” Sunset panted heavily.

With the fury of storm blowing across her face, Sunset could barely see the trees, or the banks of the river. It was when a lightning had struck a tree, setting it ablaze, that she could see where the nearest land.

Sunset swam to shore, while carrying the unconscious Spike in her arm. Once on land, Sunset gently set Spike on the ground to check up on him.

“Spike?” Sunset said, while smacking his face. “Are you okay? Say something!”

But she didn’t get a response. Spike was unresponsive. An overwhelming wave of fear gripped the Tiger-Woman. Sunset’s heart was beating more rapidly as her mind ran wild with her, as she feared for the worst.

She needed to do something quick. Anxious, Sunset pinched Spike by the nose and started to breath gusts of air into his mouth, before she pressed on his chest, repeatedly, for a minute. She hoped to get the waters out of his lungs, so that Spike would regain consciousness again.

Thankfully, her effort wasn’t in vain. With a cough, and a burst of breath, Spike was awoken.

“Spike!” Sunset smiled. “Thank goodness you’re…okay?”

Sunset’s moment of relief can to a quick stop, when she noticed the young man shivering, groaning, and moaning incoherently.

“So hot…” Spike groaned. “…Newt…Newt…”

Sunset puts her hand on Spike’s head and her fear was realized.

"Omigosh, Spike! You’re sick!" Sunset exclaimed frantically. "You've got a fever! You're burning up!"

"...Just let me...rest...in..." Spike said deliriously.

“No, Spike…don’t talk like that!” Sunset shook her head. “Just stay here. I’ll…I’ll do something.”

Sunset looked around her, before she spotted what appeared to be a Minotaur, trudging through the shrubs, nearby. It is definitely a Man-Beast, meaning its humanity is long gone, which meant Sunset Shimmer doesn't need to hold back, and it allowed her to see an opportunity.

"Let's hope there's still some good left in you, for Spike's sake," Sunset said, under her breath, as she got down on all four, and sprinted forward.

With a loud roar, Sunset lunged at the startled Minotaur, jumping onto its back, sinking her claws into its skin, and clamping her teeth viciously onto its neck. In retaliation, the Minotaur threw itself against the trees, even reaching from behind to grab Sunset by the shoulders, struggling to pry the Tiger-Woman off. Eventually, Sunset was thrown off, by the angry Minotaur, after it held a firm grip on her arms. But in the process, the Tiger-Woman had torn off a large chuck of flesh from his neck.

Angered for the attack, and injury, the Minotaur retaliated, by charging after the Tiger-Woman, intending to gore the She-Beast, with one of its large horns. At the last second, Sunset rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. She watched as the Minotaur tripped and fell into a muddy puddle. The large bovine-man hybrid tried to get up, but it slipped, lost its footings, and fell in the mud pit.

Seizing her chance, Sunset lunged forward and clamped her teeth hard on the Minotaur's neck. Letting instinct take control, she clamped hard, crushing the beast of the man it once was, by the neck, and fatally putting him out of his misery. The Minotaur had ceased its struggles. Its body fell limb, held in the jaws of Sunset Shimmer, whose eyes were seething with hunger. Her predatory instinct compelled her to eat, had her humanity's rationality not reminded her of the necessity.

"Whoever you are, I hope you're at peace now," Sunset said to the dead Minotaur, dragging its carcass back to Spike, whose fever has gotten even more hotter, it almost felt like a steam boiler.

"Newt...Newt..." Spike called in his delirious state.

"Hang on, Spike," Sunset quickly got to work, slashing her claws across the Minotaur's throat, down to its pelvis, cutting it open, and spilling out its innards. "This may smell bad, but it'll keep you warm until I find us some shelter," She crawled over to gently pick Spike up, off the ground, and stuffed him into the carcass sleeping bag.

"Newt..."

"Oh man!" Sunset grunted in disgust. "Can tigers eat raw meats, like this?"

After her work was done, Sunset Shimmer proceeded to look for a place, where she and Spike could sleep for the night, or until the storm passes. In the meantime, she hopes the other She-Beasts have escaped Shade Stalker.

Meanwhile, with the other She-Beasts

Somewhere in the island, the rest of the She-Beasts were hiding out, underneath some trees, after escaping from Shade Stalker.

"It's all gone!" Pinkie Pie hooted sadly. “The camp! Everything…”

“We’ve all lost a lot of things today, Pinkie,” Twilight sighed, stroking the Monkey-Woman’s back in comfort. “But at least we’re all here.”

“Not quite, Twilight,” Applejack spoke up. “Sunset Shimmer’s missing. And so is Spike…”

“Oh dear!” Fluttershy whimpered in worry of Spike. “The poor dear. He must be scared half-to-death by now!”

“Now, now Fluttershy,” Rarity began, soothing the scared Bat-Woman. “Let’s not assume the worst, just yet! After all, Sunset is with him. I’m certain she’ll take care of him.”

“I hope so.”

“That is, if Shade Stalker doesn’t catch them first.” Rainbow squawked, causing Fluttershy to panic again.

“RAINBOW!” The other She-Beasts spatted in outrage.

“What?!” The Falcon-Woman shrugged. “You gals all know from experience than I do, Shade’s a tough customer. Remember? And besides, we should be looking for them now, instead of hiding out here!”

“We can’t!” Twilight argued. “Not in this weather! And even without Shade Stalker, it’s still too dangerous for a search party!”

“But Spike and Sunset are still out there!” Rainbow exclaimed anxiously. “We gotta go and find them!”

“We’re waiting in here until the storm passes!” Twilight repeated.

Rainbow Dash grunted in defeat, falling to the ground, on her tail feathers. Rarity walked over and consoled the Falcon-Woman.

"I don't like it anymore than you do, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity reasoned with the Falcon-Woman. "But Twilight is right. We can't find them in this weather! Not so long as that horrible brute, Shade Stalker, is out there!"

Rainbow Dash wanted to snap back and argue. But remember from a post-traumatic experience, she slumped down in defeat, folding her wings.

In the meantime, Applejack's ears perked to the sound of tearful sobbing. She turned to see Fluttershy was covering her eyes with her wings, weeping another waterfall of tears.

"Oh, Fluttershy," Applejack consoled the Bat-Woman. "Shhh. It's alright."

"We've lost our...our home," Fluttershy cried. "We've lost Spike...and Sunset? And now, we're being hunted by Shade Stalker...can this...this..." Fluttershy sniffed as she continued to cry, with Applejack holding her close. "I'm scared!"

"I know, Sugarcube," Applejack whispered. "I know... But we gotta hold out and hope that...our friends are okay."

Meanwhile

“What…what…where am I?” Spike moaned.

His throat as rough as a tree bark, with a fever as hot as a fire, and his whole body coated in wet sweats. His nose was so stuffed up, he couldn’t smell, and could breathe properly.

The young man could hardly think clearly as he struggled to collect himself. It was at that moment he realized the bloody innards he was wrapped in.

“What is…what…the…” Spike looked down and was scared out of his mind, to realize he was in the body of the Minotaur.

“OH GOD! WHAT HAVE I BECOME?!!!” Spike screamed in horror. “I’m in a Minotaur! I’M A MINOTAUR!! I’M A BEAST!!! Which means…Oh no!”

A newfound horror gripped Spike’s frantic thought, as he realizes, “If I’m a Minotaur, then that means…I’m now a Man-Beast! And I’m…I’m a goner! If the She-Beasts see me like this, they’re gonna kill me! I GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!”

In his delirium, Spike stood up on what he believed to be his cloven hooves. He struggled a bit, to find his balance, due to the newfound weight of his horns, on his head. Then, his ears perked to the sound of a haunting voice, calling out to him, on the winds of the storm.

“Spike…Spike…”

“Huh?” Spike turned his head to the side, and his fears were realized.

Standing before him, leaning against a tree, stood a strange looking woman, with wild hair, freckled face, and big loving hearts in her eyes. But the most bizarre features about her are an Adam’s apple, saggy breasts, few rotten old teeth, most likely gum disease, and a withered body of an old lady.

With a lustful howl, the woman roared, “A MMAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!“

“Zoinks!” Spike mooed at the very sight of this abhorrent admirer of his. “Not you again!”

Minotaur-Spike quickly turned tail and ran for his life, knocking down a tree in the path of the creepy woman chasing him. Unbelievably, however, her lips were strong enough to break through a tree, until she breaks the tree into smithereens.

“YOO-HOO! LOVER BOY! IT’S LENA HYENA!!!!”

“I’M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND!!!” Spike shouted to the woman, not realizing he has run off a cliff.

“OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

Spike screamed, flailing his arms in desperation, until he grabbed ahold of a branch.

“Talk about a cliffhanger,” Spike moaned, when he looked up to see a familiar yellow tweety bird walking along the tree branch.

“Oh wook! Piggies!” Said the tweety bird.

“Hi Tweety!” Spike greeted.

“This whittle piggy went to market,” Tweety said, removing Spike’s index finger. “This whittle pig stayed home!” It said, upon removing the Minotaur’s middle finger.

“Oh no!” Spike pleaded.

“This whittle piggy had roast beef,” Tweety said, after removing Spike’s ring finger. “And this whittle piggy had—“ Before the bird could finish, Spike had fallen off and plummeted towards the bottom.

“Well what do ya know? I wan out of piggies!” Said the Tweety Bird, giving a sly smirk.

Spike kept on falling down to the bottom, screaming and hollering, wanting this cartoonish nightmare to end.

Spike kept on falling and falling, until his descent got so deep, his surroundings grew so dark, he could hardly see the bottom, until he landed.

*SMACK*

“Ow!” Spike moaned, picking himself off the floor to look at his new surroundings.

The supposed young man-turned-Minotaur is now, what he estimated to be fifty feet, underground, in a labyrinth. A single ray of light shines through the hole in the ceiling. The way he fell through.

“Oh man. Where am I now?” Spike asked, as he turned and walked. “I gotta get out—“

*CRACK

Startled by the distinctive cracking sound, Spike looked down to see he had stepped on the skull of a human.

“UGH!” Spike cringed in horror as he immediately stepped away, but ends up stepping on another rotting bone.

This time, it belonged to what appeared to be a little dog. Before long, Spike soon realized the floor of the labyrinth is littered with bones.

“No!” Spike exclaimed in horror. “Why is this happening? This can’t be happening!”

“But it can,” Called a voice, followed by another that echoed from the complex twists and turns of the maze.

“Who said that?” Spike asked. “Who are you?”

“We are you,” The voices answered. “We are nature at its core! We hear the calls if the wild! We are all Lords of the Flies! We are as one! As one!”

It was at that moment that Spike looked down to see the animal and human skulls, turning their empty eye sockets in Spike’s direction, with their nightmare-inducing grins.

This was unnerving as it is unsettling. How could anything, with no eyes, be possibly staring back at him?

Nevertheless, the skulls spoke in their haunting voices, “We are the very essence of your being. We are every voices you have ever heard inside your head.”

The voices continued, “You are afraid to be taken advantage again. You are angry. You hated being afraid. You hated feeling weak and sorry for yourself.”

“No! Stop it!” Spike shook his head. “Go away! Leave me alone!”

“You can’t escape, Spike,” The voices continued. “You can only survive. Give into the beast you have become. Humanity and beasts are all alike. We are two sides of the same coin. You live, you hunt, and you kill together. You either kill, or be killed.”

“Kill.”

”Kill.”

”KILL!”

“Spike!” Another voice called. A woman’s voice.

Spike turned his bull-like head to the source, to see the scary cartoon woman from before, running towards him.

”SPIKE! Wake up!” The woman shouted, in a familiar voice. “SPIKE! It’s me!”

Scared out of his mind, Spike retaliated by throwing a fist at the scary cartoon woman, who evaded and dodged his attack. The Minotaur then aimed his horns with the intention to gore the woman. But the woman was surprisingly strong, as she grabbed Spike by the horns, standing her ground, and repeated.

“SPIKE! Wake up!”

Without warning, a loud, throbbing, burning sting was slapped across Spike’s face, and his world turned white. With that, Spike’s nightmares were gone and the young man found himself staring back, into the eyes of the tiger-woman, Sunset Shimmer.

“Spike! Come on!” Sunset shouted. “Let’s go! I’ve found us shelter!”

“Shelter?” Spike moaned in his delirium.

“Come on! On your feet!” Sunset reached down to pick Spike up, by the shoulders.

However, instincts kicked in, “NO!” Spike spatted in denial. “Leave me alone! I don’t wanna go with you!”

“Spike! Snap out of it! Stop twitching so much! I’m trying to help!”

“You won’t take me alive!”

“You’re as stubborn as a bull!” Sunset said, metaphorically.

Spike, in his feverish delirium, continued to struggle with Sunset the rest of the way.

It continued to rain hard outside, as Spike and Sunset finally got settled into their new shelter. A cave.

Sunset Shimmer managed to get a fire going, as she and Spike sat around to warm themselves up. After the earlier “Minotaur” scuffled, there was nothing but an awkward silence, a few sneaking glances, with neither man or She-Beast uttering a single word.

Sunset Shimmer looked to Spike, who was still wrapped up, in the Minotaur she had stuffed him in, to save him from freezing to death. Though, he seemed rather withdrawn than before. His face boiling an alarming shade of feverish red, with sweating beads, or droplets from the rain, trickling down his face. Spike’s life was hanging on by a very thin thread.

Spike was the first to break the ice, when he suddenly let out a horrible, raspy, coughing fit. Sunset sprang to life.

“Spike!” Sunset exclaimed, springing to life to check up on the sick man.

The Tiger-Woman held a hand up to his forehead, alarmed to feel it has gotten hotter. Reaching for the pile of herbs she had collected, Sunset held a few specific ones to Spike’s mouth.

“Quickly, eat these!” Sunset instructed. “They should help bring down your fever and cure your coughs!”

Spike quickly did as he was told, resulting in him gagging, grimacing in disgust of the taste.

“What did you expect? Honey drop?” Sunset asked rhetorically, until Spike’s coughing calms down. “Get some rest. I’ll be right here if you need me…”

With that, Sunset turned and walked back to the other side of the cave, across Spike, pass the fire.

Sunset huddled herself up against the wall, resting her chin on her knees, all the while watching Spike, to see that he closed his eyes for a sleep spell. He looked very peaceful this way, it made Sunset relieved to see him not in any sort of pain, or suffering.

Deciding to get some sleep herself, Sunset stretched herself, on all four, like a cat, and instinctively plopped herself on the ground, resting her head on her arms. Sunset herself finds this sleeping posture to be rather unusual, uncomfortable, and yet, normal. Has she started becoming an animal herself to sleep this way?

She didn’t have time to ask, when she suddenly closed her eyes, plunging her word in darkness. She fell asleep to the warmth of the fire, the pouring rain outside, and the sound of her own breathing.

At least about an hour later, Sunset woke up to the sound of yawning. She looked to see the fire had gone out. But more important, Spike had awoken and was looking well.

“S-Sunset?” He called out quietly.

“Spike!” Sunset gasped, slowly crawling over to him. “Thank goodness! You really scared me there!”

“You’re…scared?!” Spike asked, weakly, but incredulously.

“So how are you feeling?” Sunset asked. “Any better?”

“…Just…a little…dizzy,” Spike moaned. “But okay…”

Sunset nodded in acknowledgment, before she asked, “Do you need anything, right now?”

“Water…I need…water…”

“Okay.”

With a kick of her legs, Sunset sprinted out of the cave.

Outside, the storm had turned into a gentle trickle, but it was still raining. Using the top half of the Minotaur’s skull, Sunset collected water from the rain. After the task was done, Sunset ran back to the cave, and gently poured the water down Spike’s mouth to drink.

“Thank you,” Spike said gratefully. “For saving my life.”

Sunset nodded in reply, “You’re welcome, Spike.”

“You’re really taking care of me…”

“Of course! I always look out for my friends!”

“I see…It’s just…I’ve never had a friend who is…a girl…so…”

“I understand.”

Spike’s eyes started to wonder, to which Sunset followed, and realized he was checking her out. When she looked back up, Spike’s face turned a shade of red, except it’s not a fever, and he squinted his eyes shut, as if bracing himself for a strike.

“Spike, there’s no need to be afraid of me,” Sunset Shimmer reassured. “I’m not going to bite.”

“I…I know,” Spike replied, still looking rather ashamed.

“And…I know I’m not much to look at..”

“No, no, no! I think you’re beautiful!” Spike instantly gasped, with his blush intensifying, realizing too late what he just said.

Sunset could hardly believe her ears, “You…think I’m…beautiful?”

“Uh…well, it comes with the territory of tigers, I guess,” Spike stammered on his words. “I mean, I know my big cats, and tigers are considered to be one of the most beautiful animals in the animal kingdom. And granted, you’re a tiger, but you also have a…a…an impressive build, b-b-but…I…”

“Spike…”

Spike ceased his babbling and sighed, “Yes, I think you’re beautiful…human, or tiger…” Sunset couldn’t help but smile at the compliment.

“Are you going to tear me to ribbons now?” Spike asked.

“What?!” Sunset exclaimed, almost chortling. “Why would I-Of course not! That was the nicest thing any man has ever said to me. Why would ever tear you apart for that?”

In response, Spike was hesitant to reply.

Wanting to get to the bottom of it, Sunset began, “Is it about the girl you mentioned earlier?”

“What?” Spike asked, sounding caught off guard.

“When you were delirious from the fever,” Sunset recalled, “And when you…you mentioned about how ‘I’ tried to…force ‘myself’ onto you…again. Was that why you are so…scared…of women?”

Again, Spike was hesitant to answer, “I—“

“Spike,” Sunset reassured softly. “I’m not going to bite you. I…I…You can tell me anything. Can you?”

Looking at the tiger-woman, Spike looked to see the calm eyes, without a hint of deception. Going with his gut feelings, Spike took a deep breath and explained his story.

“I was only six, when it happened. A sixteen, or seventeen, year-old girl, came at me, took off her clothes and forced me to do the same. She then started doing… things with me. Why did she do it? Her motive? I don’t know. I just know that she was soon arrested and charged for attempting to molest a minor.”

“Oh my goodness!” Sunset shivered. “That must’ve been awful.”

“It was traumatizing. I’ve never been so scared my whole life! Since then, I’m terrified of girls, older than me, or even bigger than me. Everywhere I go, whenever an older woman is around, I get so tense up, like, I’m being watched by vultures, circling around, getting ready to pounce.”

“Wow,” Sunset commented. “I mean, yikes. I…I understand. I mean, if I were in your shoes, I’d react the same way…if a man tried to force himself on me…”

Spike pulled his knees closer to his chest, as he hugged himself, for comfort.

“And since then, I can’t even look at a girl, and have a civil talk the same way, ever again. It’s like…that girl just flipped a switch in me, that makes me so afraid of women.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Spike…” Sunset expressed her sympathy.

“But…you know, Spike…” Sunset continued. “Not all of us women are like that. I know some of us can be scary, but there are some good ones too!”

“…Yeah, I know,” Spike replied, feeling regretful for any ill-feelings he had towards the girls. “Still, I just…can’t help but be afraid…”

“Baby steps, Spike,” Sunset advised. “Baby steps. We’ll help you get through this. Because for what it’s worth, you’re precious to us.”

Spike looked up, raising an eyebrow, at the tiger-woman.

“You were?” He asked. “I am?”

“Mmmm-hmmm,” Sunset confirmed. “You’re our friend, Spike. And we always look out for each other. I’m always looking out for my friends. Because friends are family.”

Looking at the tiger-woman, Spike stared deeply into her eyes, noting how calm, loving, and still they are. Definitely not the eyes of a hungry predator.

Spike wondered if he really means this much to the girls. Do they really value him this much? And how?

“Well,” Spike yawned. “It’s getting late. Let’s try to get some sleep. Hopefully, after the rain is over, that Shade Stalker might lose the trail and…we’ll find the others…”

Sunset nodded, “Okay then,” She proceeded to lay herself, on the ground, on her side, when Spike called to her.

“Uh, Sunset?”

“Yeah, Spike?”

“Uh…c-c-can I…sleep with you? This Minotaur’s skin is warm and all, but…it’s kinda…rotting?”

Sunset didn’t argue. She complied as she walked over to Spike, pulled the man from the Minotaur’s corpse, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close for warmth and comfort.

"Like this?” Sunset asked.

“Y-Y-Yeah,” Spike stammered, when one of his hands happened to brush her midriff. “Wow!”

“Wow what?” Sunset asked, while still a little flustered from his hand on her stomach.

"What...shredded...abs you have..." Spike answered.

"Oh! Thanks," Sunset smiled, feeling her face burning red. "I never skipped ab crunches. Just ask Rainbow Dash.”

“Is…that also why you’re so…hot?” Spike asked, while panting heavily. “I mean, I get we’re warm-blooded and all, but…you’re on fire!” He said, while stroking her slender, but muscular arms.

“It’s not like that, Spike,” Sunset answers solemnly. “When you’ve been subjected to a number of tortures, like I have, and you came out with a full coat of fur, like me, you just couldn’t wear the same clothes from before.”

“I…I can see that, but Rarity…she still wears clothes, and…”

“Rarity’s fur are different than mine. Hers are short. Mine are engineered by Dr. Grogar to keep me from losing body heat,” Sunset gulped a lump in her throat, with her face blushing red, as she instinctively cuddles Spike. “Even a shirt would feel like fire…”

“Oh. Sorry I asked…” Spike apologized.

“It’s not your fault, Spike,” Sunset reassured.

In truth, Sunset herself felt rather embarrassed being made as a She-Beast wearing a bikini for modesty sake, otherwise she’d risk a heatstroke.

“But if it’s any consolation,” He began. “I think you’ve got nice curves!”

Sunset blushed and giggled in response, “Thanks. Hmmm?”

The Tiger-Woman looked down and noticed the man had already dozed off, sawing logs, and his face was practically buried deep in her fluffy chest.

This brought on a gentle smile to her face. This is proof that she’s making progress with helping Spike overcome his phobia. He’s finally opening up and accepting her, and her friends. The Tiger-Woman couldn’t wait to share this newfound progress with the rest of her friends.

Sunset gave Spike a quick peck on the head, before she wrapped her legs around him, holding him closer.

"Good night, Spike," Sunset whispered softly, before she too drifted off to sleep.

But all the same, knowing that Shade Stalker is on the prowl has made Sunset Shimmer restless, that she kept one eye open and her ears stood up at the alert. Half-awake, Sunset held Spike close, protectively, and vigilant for any signs of danger. It will be a long night to sleep and to survive.