Author's Note

WARNING: This chapter contains some strong materials, which includes sensitive depiction of suicide. Readers discretion is advised.

Some of the terms spoken with Loona in this chapter are based on the terminology from Erin Hunter's Survivors.

In the next chapter, the final showdown between our heroes and the evil Dr. Grogar!

38 – The Gargoyle

Shade Stalker carried Spike off into a dark cave, leading to the catacombs of Dr. Grogar’s manor.

Once inside, the pitch black darkness greeted Spike as if he was having the same nightmare again, but it has gotten even more terrifying than the last time he slept.

Without his flashlight, the only thing he could see was darkness.

His ears listened intently to the sounds of water dripping and hitting the floor, combined with the sound of Shade Stalker’s footsteps, splashing in the puddles beneath them.

Somewhere amidst Shade’s footsteps, are the crunching sounds of what Spike can only presume to be the bones of the catacombs deceased prisoners.

Compared to his first trek in the catacombs, the rotten smell of the catacombs has gotten milder. The stench wasn’t as strong before, but the pungent air was still unbearable that Spike would hold his breath, if he was able to. But the smell was the least of his problem.

‘What’s going to happen to me?’ Spike moaned in his thoughts at the possible horrors that await him. ‘What’s Grogar gonna do to me? What kind of animal is he going to turn me into? Oh lord! Once I’m a Man-Beast…and the girls see me…They’re going to kill me…LIKE THE OTHER MEN!’

Spike’s eyes watered tearfully at the horrifying thought of his last dying moment be his throat torn out by the She-Beasts. The very same She-Beasts he looked up to and thought of as his friends. Maybe more than just friends. Soon to be former friends.

'Aw man,’ Spike thought. ‘What’s Dr. Grogar gonna do to me? What kind of Man-Beast is going to turn me into?’

Spike could hardly think straight, feeling the anticipation was torturous enough than what Dr. Grogar would actually do to him.

‘I’ve seen way too many horror movies and read a few books to know how this could turn out for me. The old quack is probably gonna blend my DNA with a fly, and my last seconds will end with my head getting blown off! Unless there’s a Spider-Man who would be nice enough to make it quick and painless for me? Oh! I might end up being turned into a bug, like that novel I once read in high school about that poor guy who was neglected by his family who wanted him dead!’

Spike gasped mentally, while his heart was beating rapidly and he was beginning to feel his whole body again.

‘Oh! Why Professor Doodle! Why did you have to make me read that book? Now I’m living the story! Except I know why I transformed! But now those girls are going squash me like a bug when they see me as a grotesque cockroach! Oh, I can’t make up my mind! Fly? Roach? Either way, I’m going to die! Is there a fate worse than death from being mauled by savage She-Beasts?!’

As if he had tempted fate, or fate has a wry sense of humor, a dreadful thought popped up in Spike’s traumatized head. A mental image of himself, as a She-Beast.

*Rule 63 alert*

A wolf whistle could be heard, and Spike ended up howling in horror at the thought of losing his masculinity in such a way.

‘AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!’ Spike screamed, which came out as a pitiful wheeze.

However, his mind has been scarred for life, mentally screaming, ‘FATE WORSE THAN DEATH CONFIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRMMMMMMEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDD!!!!’

Spike silently started to pray for something more merciful than being torn limb-from-limb by the girls.

‘What did I ever do to deserve this?’ Spike asked himself in his thoughts. 'What did I do? WHAT? DID? I? DO?'

Meanwhile, the girls, plus young Kirin, had left what was left of their village, following Shade Stalker’s trail, with nothing but Spike on their minds.

They passed through the mosquito infested swamps, avoiding the octo-diles, before they came across a ravaged field; trampled-down forests, flocks of vultures and piranha-gulls ripping off the last remaining meats, from piles of rotting sheep, cattle, even the bones of humans and Man-Beasts were present.

Not too far away, was a large crater in the shape of two cloven hooves, where several devil monkeys laid still. Dead. Tirek was here.

Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, and Loona sniffed the air, following the scent trail of Shade Stalker, and Spike. However, Loona was the only girl lagging far behind the group, with her tail tucked between her legs, beneath her skirt.

She was still tasting the blood of a human in her mouth. Spike’s blood, after she had bitten his hand. She feels rather sick to the core, wrought with guilt, knowing that she had bitten him.

Loona couldn’t seem to remember why she did it, or what had come over. The only thing she knew was that she had bitten Spike, and his distraught face will forever be frozen in her memory.

The reminder was gut wrenching and she whimpered, feeling hurt to her stomach, and a sharp pain pierced her chest, as if her heart has been torn out.

“Oh Spike…” Loona whimpered, in a way that a normal dog would express how saddened they are.

”…Loona…”

Loona gasped at the sight of a familiar silhouette, lying in the light. His face was barely visible, but Loona was certain from his hunched over body, his hand clutching his chest, he was hurting. From a distance, she thought it was Spike, but when she got closer, it changed into the shape of another human. A human she is very familiar with.

“That night,” The man began, without turning to look at Loona. “When I came home drunk, and you…you tucked me in bed… I thought you were starting to come around. I gave you a home. I gave you food. I loved you like a daughter. And what do I get? Why did you leave me to die alone? Why do you pretend to care? Why did you pretend to love me?”

Loona whimpered, feeling her lips quivering, her ears flattening, and tears falling from her eyes.

“Blitz…” Loona whimpered, walking up to the broken man. “I do love you. I just didn’t know it at the time… I’ve never loved anyone before…”

Loona’s eyes stung as the waters cascade down her cheeks, and she whimpered, limping to the man.

“I’m not cut out to be a human…” Loona sobbed. “I’m scared of Cozy Glow. Can I come home?”

”…Loona…Loona…? LOONA!”

Loona finds herself back to reality, when she finds herself being shaken vigorously by Bea.

“Loona! What’s the matter with you?” The Crocodilian hybrid asked. “You completely — how did the humans say? — zoned out there! What’s wrong with you?”

Loona turned to look at her former owner, Blitz, but was perplexed to see only a tree stump where she saw him. After she collected her thoughts together, Loona followed Bea and they quickly caught up with the rest of the girls.

Sunset Shimmer was leading the group, when she came across a large pile of light, thin sheets of translucent scaly skins that hung from the trees that have been cut by something sharp. Upon closer look at the skins and the claw marks, the first creature that came to mind was none other than Ēferno — Predator 00.

The island’s apex predator was near. The very thought of Grogar’s fiendish pet dragon was enough to send chills down Sunset’s spine, her hairs stand on end.

She still remembered how close both she and Spike were to be eaten by the dragon, after they were separated from their group, by Shade Stalker, after the Hunter destroyed their previous hideout.

At the thought of Spike, Sunset felt a sharp pain piercing her heart.

“Spike…” Sunset paused a moment to cry, flinching when she rubbed her black eye, on the left side of her face.

Eventually, the girls and little Kirin have arrived to the tall gates of Dr. Grogar’s foreboding manor.

“Never thought we’d actually come back here again,” Rainbow shuddered.

“If anyone we knew from the mainland were here,” Rarity began, “Then they would say that we’re crazy to be doing this. Which…we actually are, for Spikey-Wikey’s sake.”

Starlight cautiously inspected the gate and her webbed claws flinched from a sudden jolt of electricity.

“Ow!” Starlight yelped. “Uh…have those electric fences always been there before?”

“Looks like Grogar has tripled his security the last time we were here,” Twilight winced. “Nobody gets in and nobody gets out.”

“Like Fort Knox…” Applejack cringed.

“Maybe on the ground,” Rainbow flapped her wings and became airborne. “But not in the sky!”

Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash spoke too soon, when several bullets suddenly flew towards her, and the sounds of gunfire were ringing in the air.

“AH!” Fluttershy squeaked, covering her sensitive ears and crouching down to avoid the gunshots.

“Whoa, WHOA!” Rainbow screeched, falling to the ground, losing some of her feathers.

“DASH!” The girls shouted, as they all ran towards the downed Falcon-Woman.

“Rainbow!” Applejack whimpered, helping her up. “Are ya alright?”

“Yeah…I’m fine,” Rainbow replied. “I’m not doing that again…”

“So we can’t go through, and we can’t fly in,” Sunset shook her head. “But we have to get in and save Spike!”

Suddenly, without warning, Loona took off running from the girls and Kirin, charging furiously towards the fence.

“Loona!” The girls shouted after the canine Reverse Hybrid, who tripped and stumbled in her dress.

“Stupid…DRESS!!!” Loona growled angrily, biting and tearing away at the dress Cozy Glow forced her to wear.

With a loud scream, Loona took her mark and sprinted forward on all four, charging at the walls like a mad bull, until she was an inch away from the walls, kicked off the ground, and leapt up in the air, with her claws clinging the ledge of the wall.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!” Loona screamed, upon receiving a full blast of electricity from the wall.

Loona fell to the ground, charred and burnt. But the Reverse-Hybrid soon got back up and charged toward the wall again. But like before, Loona was electrocuted from the wall’s security, and fell to the ground, spasm in shock. And again, Loona got back up and kept on throwing herself at the electric wall, repeatedly.

“Loona, it’s no use!” Sunset shook her head, as she and the girls gathered around the charred wolf-dog.

“Loona okay?” Leggy asked.

“NO!” Loona barked. “I’m NOT OKAY! I’m burned! I’m charred! I’m wearing a FUCKING DRESS THAT COZY FORCED ME TO WEAR! And I bit Spike’s hand!”

“WHAT?!” The girls exclaimed in shock.

“You bit him?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed in horror.

“YEAH! I BIT HIM!” Loona snapped at the pink monkey-woman. “All because he got in between me and the tiger! Now I HAVE TO SAVE HIM!!!”

“And how do you plan to do that?” Sunset asked.

“Whatever it takes! NOTHING IS GOING TO KEEP ME FROM SAVING THAT HUMAN!” Loona hyperventilated, repeatedly throwing herself at the wall, and electrocuting herself multiple times.

“I have to save Spike! I have to tell him I’m sorry! I wanna go home! I have to be there for dad! I! CAN’T! LET! THEM! DIE! ALONE!”

After she had slammed her head senselessly for the last times, Loona moaned and fell to the ground.

The other girls gathered around the shattered wolf-dog, who could do nothing but curl herself up in a fetal position, with her arms wrapped across her chest, and her nails digging into her arms, as she sobbed miserably.

“Spike…” Loona sniffed. “Spike…”

“There, there,” Fluttershy shushed, stroking Loona’s tail, though it looks as though she blindly intended on stroking her head.

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy consoled to the wolf-dog.

“No…” Loona sobbed tearfully. “It’s not okay…Spike’s gone…He’s gone through the one-way door…and it’s all my fault…”

“It wasn’t your fault Loona,” Sunset consoled the wolf-dog Reverse Hybrid. “Not entirely. We are all to blame for what happened…”

“What good is it now?” Loona sobbed. “He hates us! He hates me!”

The distraught wolf-dog hobbled on her feet, picking up a vine, much to the other girls’ shock.

“Loona? What’s are ya doin’ with that?” Applejack asked in concern.

“I’m not strong enough to be a wild dog,” Loona sobbed, while walking away from the girls. “Not smart enough to be a guard dog. Not even loveable enough to be a house dog. I’m not even a dog anymore. I’m not even human. What am I?”

Loona sobbed, tying a noose around her neck, and secured the other end of the vine around a tree branch, at the edge of a cliff, hanging over the ocean.

The girls quickly caught on, realizing what Loona was planning to do.

“Loona! DON’T!” Sunset cried out, racing towards the dog.

“I’m done trying to belong,” Loona whimpered. “There’s nowhere else for me…Blitz is gone…Spike is gone…I might as well just…die, before Cozy gets me again…”

With tears stinging in her eyes, Loona gulped, swallowing a lump in her throat, ready to walk off the cliff to end her life as quickly and painlessly as possible.

“LOONA! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” The other girls screamed, with time seemingly slowing down for Loona.

Loona opened her eyes to look at the setting sun, one last time before she dies. But instead, she was perplexed to find herself in a starry plane of existence.

The sky is so dark, that the stars were the brightest lights in the sky. The trees that stood tall around Loona were not like the trees of the evil doctor’s island. Instead, they were shaped like the traffic cones she used to see on human streets.

Furthermore, she was flabbergasted to find herself on all four legs, as her normal self again.

“What? What is this…place?” Loona asked herself. “Is this…what we dogs call…the Forests Beyond? The afterlife where all dogs go...to run with a pack...forever safe and happy?"

As if answering her questions, Loona's ears perked up to the sound of howling, coming from her left. She turned until her ears were facing in the direction of the howl.

Compelled by instinct, Loona lets out a howl of her own in response, letting the other dogs know where she was. A presence was felt, which Loona turned to look and sees a whole pack of dogs racing by her and disappearing into the trees. Loona quickly gave chase, running after the dogs, before arriving in a large clearing, where she was astonished to see a large circle of dogs, gathering together to howl at the moon.

"It's a Great-Howl," Loona gasped, slowly walked over and joined the circle, howling with the dogs together.

Loona looked at the dogs, left and right, when her eyes caught sight of a little dog.

"Spike?" Loona barked in surprise. "You're...Are you...dead too?"

In response, the little dog simply took off running, breaking away from the circle, with Loona giving chase.

"Spike, wait!" Loona barked, frantically chasing the little dog. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to...What the..."

Loona slid to a stop, when she saw several bright figures materializing before her.

The first figure she saw was a Wolf-Dog that looked just like, Loona. But with a whole litter of puppies. One of these pups is a playful little rascal who was biting and tugging on her mother's ear.

"...Mom..." Loona whimpered, walking towards the luminescent silhouette of her mother, reaching her nose out to lick across the old dog's muzzle, but only felt air.

The figures suddenly changed into the shape of some humans, snatching up the puppies – young Loona included – who were all barking for their mother, who lied motionless...lifeless...and helpless...

Loona could only growl angrily, watching as the cruel humans tossed the helpless puppies in the sack, tying them up with a rope, tied to a large brick, before they were all tossed into a river to drown. Except one pup managed to tear a hole open in the sack's skin, allowing her to escape. Unfortunately, her siblings weren't so fortunate and the pup could only howl in grievance at the loss of her family – her original pack.

Loona watched as her past puppy self went on to grow up into a lone-dog, wandering aimlessly in the Wild, confronting creatures called Giantfurs – bears to the humans – and Mountain Sharpclaws – mountain lions.

Eventually, Loona in the past arrived in the city, where she found more constant struggles for dogs. Every lone-dogs had to dig through human trash to find food. Foods that are tastier than papers, or any disgusting junks that humans have thrown out. This was Loona's life, until she was captured by the dog catcher, taken to a place called the pound, where dogs are either adopted or doomed to await the day their time is up and they enter the one-way door.

And just as she remembered, Loona was adopted five times. But each stories ended with her being returned to the pound. One family had moved away and left her behind. Another family kicked her out after one relative complained having dog allergies. The third family was having a baby, but the mother wanted nothing with Loona and had her kicked out. The fourth family was abusive towards her and wanted her to entertain some kids at a birthday party, until a trick was botched and she ran away. Lastly, the fifth family was just a cruel man who trained her in the circus. But rather than following his orders, Loona retaliated and bit the man and ran off, until she was caught by the dog catcher again.

Loona was certain she would've entered the one-way door, until one fateful day...a man named Blitz came into her life and adopted the young loner.

Loona kept on watching her memories play, letting her reliving some of the biggest moments in her life. She whimpered and looked down in shame, knowing that her owner and savior, Blitz, had been nothing but kind to her. Even wrote a song to her. He treated her like she was his daughter.

LOONIE (Loona’s Lullaby) - Helluva Boss [Fan Song]

Loona didn't show it then, but after she looked back on this memory, her tail started to wag. Appreciating the song that her owner wrote for her.

But then, her story with Blitz came to an abrupt end, when Cozy Glow arrived. And like the raging barks and lightnings of a warring Sky-Dog fight, Loona's life all went to hell from there, when she was one of many creatures who were subjected by Dr. Grogar to become Cozy Glow's new playmates.

Although, it wasn't entirely hell, because that was when she met Spike. As a matter of speaking, the last figure to materialize in front of Loona is the glowing silhouette of Spike Draco.

“Look. I know we humans aren’t always perfect, but…” Spike echoed in the past. “But at least try to cut us some slack. We may not get things right, but…we’re trying. And that’s more important than you think.”

"You are your own creature!" Another Spike from a recent past repeated. "You’re smart, you’re resilient, I mean you’re one tough dog. But more importantly, you’re our friend!”

"...as beautiful as dogs go. So, I’m sure when you find the right dog, you two can make it work.”

Loona walked up to Spike silhouette, putting a hand up to his head.

"I love you, Spike," Loona whimpered. "You're a human. You're...loud...kinda annoying...but you're also a good human. And I want to make it work with you... I love you, Spike."

Before Loona knew it, the entire Forests-Beyond was swallowed up by light.

Loona blinked her eyes open to find herself back to reality, where she was a foot away from walking off the cliff to end her life.

“LOONA, NO!” The girls behind her called, begging and pleading for the wolf-dog to reconsider from ending her life.

Thankfully, Loona heeded and stepped back onto solid ground.

“I have to save him…” Loona whimpered, pulling herself free from the noose. “I have to save him. And even if Spike doesn’t love me anymore, I still love him… human, dog, or whatever I’ve become, there’s only one Spike for me…”

"There's only one Spike for all of us," Applejack whimpered.

"And we all love him," Rarity added.

"And he loved us," Sunset croaked. "Or at least...he used to..."

"You girls…women…YOU FEMALES ARE INSANE!” Spike's terrified scream echoed, to which Sunset cringed, remembering the last time Spike talked to them. “I actually thought you She-Beasts were my friends! We even sleep in the same bed together! I COULD’VE BEEN RAPED!!!!”

Sunset was barely keeping herself composed, straining to swallow her tears, recalling the time it all came crashing down, when Spike struck her with the tree branch before she could get the chance to explain what had happened.

“HOPE THAT’S…KINKY FOR YOU…BITCH!!!”

"I'm not a bitch..." Sunset sobbed. "I'm not a bitch! Not anymore!"

"You're a disgrace to the family, Sunset..." The voice of a man echoed in the tigress's memories, and her tears burned hotter. "I raised you to be better than this...What happened to the girl I once thought as my angel? Where did I go wrong? You're no daughter of mine... You're dead to me..."

"Dad, no!" Sunset screamed, startling the other girls at the tigress's sudden outburst.

"So is it all worth it now?" Another male voice haunted, driving the sharp pain even deeper in Sunset's heart. "You're popular. You're the Princess of the Fall Formal. Just like you wanted..."

"Flash, please. I'm sorry!"

"I loved you. I supported you. I did everything for you. I treated you like a queen. But it wasn't enough for you... I told you to take it easy, to take a break! Now my friend is dead, because of you!"

"Flash! I never meant for it to happen!"

"But you did," A much scarier male voice spoke in Sunset's troubled thoughts.

"No...No! Not you!" Sunset shivered, feeling her whole body freezing up.

"Sunset?" Twilight asked in worry.

"She's losing it!" Starlight exclaimed, stepping back.

"Not her fault!" Rainbow Dash explained. "She's kinda having PTD, or somethin'."

"PTSD, Rainbow Dash," Rarity corrected, before she looked back in concern for the tigress, who continues to be haunted by the voices in her head.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha. You really thought you could be rid of me that easy, didn't you, Sunny? You really think that your angel of a MILF, Tia, and her pet, Twilight Twinky, can get you out of work? To FUCK with me? To tear up your contract so you can be free? I own you...body...and soul! Or have you forgotten that?"

"No! I'M NOT YOUR PROPERTY! Not anymore!" Sunset cried, clutching her head.

"You were nothing...without me, Sunset Shimmy. You were cast out on the streets, before I found you. You were broke. But I rebuild you. You got to where you are in life, because of me! Bitches like you never have a future...until they met me. You owe your lives to me. I gave you a job to make money...for me... But then...you acted out of line... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. HA HA HA HA! No. You actually think you can change? Addict trash like you doesn't change. You belong to me, Sunny. Body...AND...soul..."

"Sunset?"

Sunset gasped, snapping herself back to reality, broken out of her thoughts to find herself back in the jungle, with a concerned Twilight putting her hands on the tigress She-Beast's shoulders.

"Sunset? Are you–" Before Twilight could finish, Sunset threw herself at the pony-woman She-Beast, wrapping her arms around her for a tearful hug.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay," Twilight consoled, gently stroking the fiery tigress's back.

"No...it's not okay..." Sunset sobbed. "Spike's gone...it's all my fault..."

"No...Sunset," Twilight continued to console. "It wasn't just you. It's all ours...we...weren't ourselves..."

"Twilight's right, Sugarcube," Applejack joined in, as the other girls gathered around Sunset. "We're all to blame for scaring the poor fella to death like that. We wouldn't have come at him so strong."

"And I wouldn't have bitten him," Loona whimpered.

"Or maybe we wouldn't be like that if I hadn't brought those stinky flowers in the first place," Pinkie Pie frowned sadly. "I didn't know that they could...you know...make us do all that...I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Pinkie," Rainbow gently patted the pink Monkey-Woman. "You didn't know."

"...Flowers? What flowers?" Loona asked curiously.

"Hydrangea," Twilight explained. "They're special types of plants that–Wait..." She did a double-take, turning to Loona and asked, "Loona? How can you not know? We burned them this morning, remember?"

"Actually...now that I think about it," Applejack scratched her head. "And if I'm rememberin' right, ah don't recall seeing Loona present before we went all...loopy. Where were you Loona?"

"Oh...that..." The wolf-dog blushed. "Well... I was out for a walk. Just...clearing my head."

"Just...clearin' yer head?" Applejack raised an eyebrow, clearly knowing there was more to Loona's story. "Of what exactly?"

But before Loona can answer, Pinkie Pie started blabbering, "You were walking in the woods, because you've been harboring a secret crush for Spike, but you decided to keep it to yourself, because you were afraid of being vulnerable to your own feelings. But then you worked up the courage to put yourself out there for Spike, trying to admit your feelings to him, with a bouquet of flowers, except you found him hyperventilating, having a heart attack, so you comforted him until he was feeling better to talk again. Am I right?"

Loona simply stared at Pinkie Pie with her jaws hanging wide open, uttering a squeak, until she finally asked, "How did you know?"

"Just a hunch!" Pinkie squeaked, as the girls all looked at Loona with sly looks on their faces.

"Soooo..." Rainbow grinned. "You have a crush on Spike, don't you?"

"You really do like him, don't you?" Starlight added. "And by that, we mean like him, like him?"

With her face burning up from the embarrassment, her ears flattening for further emphasis on her expression, Loona struggled to muster up a growl in a vain attempt to look tough.

"So...what if I do?" Loona frowned, before she whimpered sadly. "It doesn't matter anyway. I bit him...he hates me."

"Hate is kind of a strong word," Twilight spoke up. "Granted, he may be a gynophobic, but he could never hate females. He's just scared. And...he just doesn't know the full context of what happened."

"Hence, why we have to find him and explain everything to him," Sunset added, while gently rubbing the sore area around her black eye.

"That is...IF we'll ever find him before Grogar turns him into a mindless Man-Beast," Rainbow Dash frowned, while remembering of the time she and Spike went fishing, and how it disturbed him that they were fishing a Fish-Man.

"Y'know, at first, I didn't have any problem killing Man-Beasts because they're long gone," The Falcon-Woman winced. "But...if Spike does become a...I really hope it doesn't come to that..."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Loona barked at Rainbow Dash, while also scaring Fleur to run up a tree. "None of you will kill Spike as long as I have ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!"

"Okay, okay, chill!" Rainbow coaxed the wolf-dog.

"And keep yer voice down, Loona!" Applejack advised the Reverse-Hybrid. "We don't want to alert Grogar that we're here."

Loona nodded and lets out a deep sigh, "I'm sorry...I'm just...really worried for Spike."

"We all are, Sugarcube," Applejack consoled.

"That being said..." Fluttershy spoke up. "Why did you bit Spike to begin with?"

"There was a high pitching sound," Loona explained. "It...It was driving me crazy and...I don't know what I was thinking. The next thing knew, I bit Spike..."

"Hey...I also heard a high pitching sound too!" Sunset exclaimed.

"So did we!" Applejack added. "In fact, I think we all heard the noise sometimes after that weird flower was clearing out of our systems!"

"...We all lost our minds because a noise?" Rainbow asked. "Even Spike?"

"Actually, Rainbow, Spike might not have heard that sound," Twilight explained. "To my knowledge, there are some sounds that only animals can hear. Animals...like what we've become! Spike is still human, so he wouldn't have heard it!"

"Oh yeah..." Applejack winced. "Now I know how ma dog, Winona, must've felt whenever I blew a dog whistle..."

"It was no whistle," Called a voice. "It was one of Dr. Grogar's tricks..."

The girls and Kirin all turned in the direction of the voice to see Scorpan walking out from the trees.

"Scorpan!" The girls exclaimed.

"Wh-What are you doing here?" Twilight asked.

"Same reason as you girls–" Scorpan took notice of little Kirin in Leggy's arms. "–and fawn – are here. The whole island has gone mad, ever since Dr. Grogar had played that signal of his. Called it the Call of the Wild."

"Hmmm. Like the novel," Twilight rolled her eyes. "Although, I'll have to admit, it is rather apropos, in an evil twisted clever way."

"Not the time for your egghead talks, Twi," Rainbow said to the Pony-Woman, before she turned to the gargoyle-like Man-Beast. "Continue."

"As I was saying," Scorpan continued. "The moment I heard the Call of the Wild, I knew that Grogar was up to something. He rarely activated that signal, unless it was absolutely necessary for him to drive the entire population on the island into madness. Many other Beast-Folks have become more aggressive than usual, I'm afraid."

"I know I'm going to regret asking," Starlight began. "But on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad are we talking about?"

"Very bad," Scorpan answered grimly. "Carnivores have started to compete with each other for new hunting grounds, with the herbivores being abnormally aggressive than usual, attacking anything on sight. And worst, my brother, Tirek, and his colleagues, the Berserkers, are on their way here."

"Berserkers?" Applejack exclaimed.

"Colleagues?" Twilight gasped.

"Herbivores?" Loona asked.

"Carnivores?" Fluttershy whimpered.

"Pinkie!" Pinkie Pie chirped.

"PINKIE!" The others scolded angrily.

"If by colleagues and Berserkers," Rainbow Dash began. "You mean like...the Storm King, Chrysalis, Sombra, and your brother included."

"Even...Cozy Glow?" Loona whimpered. "She's coming...here?"

"Then we don't have much time!" Applejack stammered. "It's bad enough, knowing that Spike's in there! But those hoodlums are on their way here? This changes everything!"

"Wait a minute...Spike is in there?" Scorpan asked. "Grogar has captured him? How long? When? What happened?"

"Long story short," Rainbow Dash began. "We lost our mind when Grogar played that Call of the Wild of his, and now he's got Spike!"

Sunset soon took over, "So now we're trying to come up with a plan to save him before he gets turned into a mindless Man-Beast! Or something worse..."

"The only problem we have is this stupid electric wall that Grogar had set up!" Loona barked angrily.

"And we can't fly our way in," Rainbow Dash frowned. "Trust me, I tried. And I nearly got blasted, like Duck Hunt."

"Hmmm," Scorpan scratched his chin. "I think I know of a way in. But I'm afraid even Grogar isn't foolish enough to not set up traps in case of any potential break-ins. And there is still the problem concerning your...inner beasts. Considering how easy it was for Grogar's signal to drive all of you into madness, then I fear the worst. The animal DNAs that Grogar has engineered into your very beings have become too strong. It's only a matter of time until it has completely overridden all of your rationality that you ended up as feral as all the Beast-Folks before you."

"Then...what should we do, Scorpan?" Twilight asked.

"We have to save Spike!" Applejack barked. "We can't let Grogar hurt him and turn the fella into a mindless Man-Beast!"

"And we can't lose our minds again!" Sunset added. "And we don't want to kill Spike!"

Soon, the girls were all howling and bellowing their anxieties to the gargoyle-like Man-Beast, who had enough.

"SILENCE!" Scorpan shouted. "I understand you're all scared. But I can help. Now listen well...and learn."

Meanwhile, with Spike, a sudden burst of light pierced through the darkness, burning Spike’s eyes so intense, he thought he would go blind.

Worse still, Spike was still paralyzed and he couldn’t close his eyes to shield himself from the burning light. It was like staring into the sun. And while his body was still paralyzed, he could still feel the cold touch of large straps binding him to a large chair. A chair that patience normally sit in, at the dentist’s office.

Spike strained to look to the left and he almost had the urge to jump out of his own skin. There were some large tanks, containing bizarre looking creatures preserved in liquid solutions, looking almost like oversized jars of preserved specimens found in science labs, or at natural history museums.

What's most disturbing was that the creatures inside the tanks are alive. One such creature looked like a misshapen blob of flesh and organs, with heads, arms, and legs sticking out of it in different places. In another tank, a creature looked like a cross between a man and a fly, like something from a horror movie. Another creature that looked like it came from a horror movie appeared to be a man, but with scaly fins and gills of a fish, webbed hands and feet with massive claws at the tip of its fingers.

Spike was certain that the mad scientist had been busy making even more horrible creations since the last time he was here. He would look if he could, but Spike was still paralyzed, so his squeamish fears can only be left to the imaginations.

“Ah, good evening, Mr. Draco,” Called an eerie voice, that Spike dreaded to hear.

He could barely turn his head. His eyes darted to the side, until he sees the mad scientist, wheeling into the room, with a sinister grin that sent shivers down Spike’s entire body.

“I must commend you on your survival skills, Mr. Draco. No humans, besides myself and Bray, would last more than a day on my island. But you have surpassed some expectations! You had somehow managed to survive more than 6 months! Congratulations. I trust that by now, you are familiar with the inhabitants of my island. The creatures I have created living in their natural habitats. And of course, your lady friends, the She-Beasts.”

If he wasn’t paralyzed, Spike would question how Grogar could’ve known. He had an urge to tense his whole body up to express how surprised he was to learn that Dr. Grogar had known about him and the girls.

“Oh yes. I know, Mr. Draco,” Grogar chuckled, as if he read Spike’s mind. “I have been watching you, courtesy of my son, Shade Stalker. I‘ve known for quite some time! You had come into contact with the remaining She-Beasts who still retain a fragment of their dwindling sentience and intelligence. Together, you eventually came into contact with the Reverse-Hybrids in their village.”

Dr. Grogar pressed a button on his keyboard, revealing photos of Spike living with the girls for the past 6 months. Spike was horrified at the revelation that this madman had known all along about his location, his state of living, and the girls.

“Newt was right about you, Mr. Draco,” Dr. Grogar chuckled. “You have a way with animals. And something about you has certainly brought out the best of these girls. It was almost like watching something from a fairy tale. But sadly, real life isn’t a fairy tale. And like all things in life, all good things must come to an end, which you have discovered when the girls have — how should we say? — gone savage.”

Dr. Grogar chuckled wickedly as he wheeled closer to Spike and continued, “Now, now, don’t be so hard on the young ladies. We are, after all, in the endgame. Meaning their time is just about over, you see. For some strange reason, like all the other She-Beasts before them, they have all managed to hold onto their sentience longer than their male counterparts. But only temporary. Afterwards, they eventually begin to exhibit erotic behaviors before finally succumbing to their inner beasts, which you have had to witness.”

Spike felt as if his heart was breaking, realizing that if what Dr. Grogar said is true, then the She-Beasts are losing their identities. The girls he knew have become the savage beasts that he had witnessed. The girls he thought he knew and loved are now gone.

“Well, never you mind, my good man,” Dr. Grogar continued, wheeling himself around Spike. “Soon, they will be out of our lives, forever. Now that the She-Beasts have lost themselves to their inner beasts, then it won’t be long now until they become human again. But by then, they’ll be without their identities and have completely forgotten their existence.”

Dr. Grogar continued to gloat as he wheels towards some machines, switching on several buttons to bring the machines to life.

“I’m sure it hurts you mentally, Mr. Draco, more than that ghastly bite you received from the wolf-dog. How you and these magnificent creatures have grown so close together, only to have it all taken away from you. But as I’ve said, all good things must come to an end. For now, your time has come to serve a higher purpose, in the name of science.”

Before Spike could regain any feelings in his entire body, he suddenly heard what sounded like the whirring sound of an engine’s wheels turning, coupled with the humming sound of electric wires.

“First, I require something of you,” Dr. Grogar grinned deviously as a giant robotic arm came into view, equipped with large syringes.

Meanwhile, back with the girls.

“Once, we were merely humans and animals,” Scorpan lectured to the girls. “But on this island, courtesy of Dr. Grogar, we have all become much more. We are all Beast-Folks.”

Scorpan marched in front of the girls as he continued, “Grogar had altered our DNAs to become who we are, both inside and out. But somewhere inside us, he had engineered strands of our DNAs to match our animal DNAs. Our inner beasts.”

Scorpan turned to the Rainbooms, “I’m certain you girls have resisted your inner beastly instincts many times before. And that was your first mistakes. You are all Beast-Folks, now. Your beastly instincts are part of you. Your struggle to resist the temptation only makes them stronger and harder to control.”

Scorpan turned to look grimly up at Grogar’s manor.

“That was how Dr. Grogar took advantage over many of us. He has a signal, called the Call of the Wild. Any Beast-Folks who hear it will turn completely feral, lose all senses of awareness and rationality.”

“Then…what do we do?” Sunset Shimmer asked anxiously.

“You must accept both sides of yourselves. Humans and beasts,” Scorpan lectured.

The girls all exchanged looks of uncertainty between one another, before they all closed their eyes and concentrated on Scorpan’s words.

“Feel your inner beasts deep within your subconscious. Bring your beastly instincts and your humanity together. Let them work in harmony and let them both make you stronger than you were before.”

Sunset Shimmer was the first to growl loudly, as she connects to her inner tiger. Scorpan and friends all watched as Sunset fell to the ground, down on all four, growling ferociously, baring her fangs, and her eyes dilated to a small dot, until she shook her head.

“Whoa…” Sunset exclaimed, quickly regaining control of herself. “That feels…that was…kinda…strange…but in a…good kind of way…”

“As long as you don’t try to eat us, then that’s good with us,” Starlight replied.

“But if ya can do it, then so can we!” Applejack barked.

“Remember,” Scorpan lectured. “Never try to fight your inner beasts. Let them help your human mind, both in battle and in peace. And the fate of young Spike, rests in your hands. Now let's go! Hurry!”