Isle of She-Beasts

The night was cold. The jungle was coated in a blanket of mists. The sound of a frighten girl screeched, through the jungle, along with the sounds of running footsteps that brushed the leaves and snapped the sticks on the ground.

Rainbow Dash was running as fast her legs could carry her. She frantically flapped her wings, struggling to get airborne. But for some reason, couldn't. She paused for a moment, leaning against a tree to catch her breath, before she turned to look behind her. Her eyes widened in horror, at the silhouette of a menacing figure, who stood in the moonlight, with eyes gleaming blue as the coldest ice, with the intent to kill.

The Mandalorian – Boba Fett Theme

"No!" Rainbow screamed, as she resumed running for her very life. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Fly! Fly dammit! FLY!!!"

But, once again, she couldn't get airborne. And so, the falcon-woman kept on running, until she reached a dead end.

"Oh, great. I'm TRAPPED!" Rainbow Dash turned around and looked to see the figure stalking towards her, with a knife drawn out. "Oh, hell no! Like I'd let you take me without a fight?! You want the thunder? I'll bring you the thunder!"

With that, Rainbow Dash lunged towards the figure, throwing a flying kick, only for the figure to catch her by the leg, crushing her foot.

"AAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!" Rainbow screamed in pain, losing all feelings in her foot, except for the agonizing pain that pierced her, like hot needles.

The figure then threw Rainbow Dash towards a canyon wall, and she fell limp to the ground. The falcon-woman looked up in horror, as the menacing figure, with eyes like those of a savage wolf, stood over her, before it took out a dagger and thrusted it down, into her heart.

End of Music

"AAAH!!!" Rainbow Dash screamed, waking up in cold sweat.

After a moment to compose herself, Rainbow Dash lifted her heavy eyelids, looking around, reassuring herself that she is safe, in her nest, in the secret hideout she is sharing with her friends, and their newly acquainted man, Spike Draco.

Speaking of whom, Rainbow Dash emerged from her den, looking across the underground oasis, bathing in the moonlight, shining from the opening in the ceiling. There, at the base of a tree, she saw the young man himself, practically reclining against the tree's base, his head snuggling against his backpack, used as a makeshift pillow, with his arms wrapping around himself.

The sight of the young man made Rainbow recall what Fluttershy had told her, last dinner.

"Oh, he's wonderful!" Fluttershy confirmed in the past. "Though, probably about scared as I am, but he's a good man. In fact, like me, he loves animals and knew what it was like to be bullied, for being different."

"Really?" Rainbow asked, looking curiously at Spike.

"You should get to know him, Rainbow," Fluttershy suggested. "Though, it may take some getting used to, considering his...phobia. But I'm sure he'll warm up to you, once he sees that you're a good person!"

With her mind back to the reality of the present, Rainbow Dash carefully walked over and looks down at the sleeping man. Up close, he seemed so peaceful, innocent, and human. It has been a long time since she's looked at a human male's face.

'Well, he's cute,' Rainbow thought to herself. 'I'll give him that.'

Bending down on her knees, Rainbow stretched her wing out, feeling his face with the tip of her feathers. She had almost forgotten that she once had fingers. To her, Spike felt warm. Still, she quickly flew back to her den, rummaging through her nest, before she pulled out a large sheet of blanket, from which a photo fell on the floor.

Upon noticing the photo, Rainbow Dash craned her neck, and her eyes began to water. In the photo, there she stood, as her true human self, smiling and winking, holding two fingers up for a peace sign, with her other hand wrapped around a little girl's shoulder, who is bound in a wheelchair, holding a tortoise in her lap. Standing behind them are a man and a woman, both dressed in clothes that are reminiscent to the late Steve Irwin.

Rainbow Dash weeped, as she picked the photo up, in her feathers, and placed it back in her nest.

"Hang in there, Scoots," Rainbow cried to the little girl in the photo. "I'm on my way... Stay strong for me, Squirt.”

Early, the next morning, Spike woke up, to find a sheet of blanket draped over him.

“Huh? Who…who put this…” He didn’t ponder for long, when he guessed, “Oh. Must’ve been Fluttershy. Shouldn’t surprise me, since she’s a nocturnal and all. Might as well go and thank her.”

Getting up from his resting spot, Spike proceeded towards the den of the shy, clumsy, blind bat-woman. Before he had the chance to enter, however, he was stopped by Rainbow Dash.

“Fluttershy is still asleep,” The falcon-woman stated. “Yeah, all that sushi we ate last night wasn’t good for her, so… I think it’s better for her to just sleep in.”

“Oh, really?” Spike winced, feeling uneasy for Fluttershy’s condition. “Well, did you tell her to not hang upside down? I’m sure, even for a bat, it’s a little unhealthy with an upset stomach.”

“No worries,” Rainbow reassured. “Twilight’s been keeping an eye on her. She’ll make sure Fluttershy gets her proper rest.”

"Well, I guess I'll just leave this blanket out for her," Spike said as he folded the blanket into a neat fold and puts it outside. "It was nice of her to lend it to me, last night. It was rather chilly..."

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh, you're welcome."

"Huh?" Spike turned to face Rainbow Dash, with a confused expression. "What?"

"I said 'you're welcome' for borrowing my blanket. Duh!"

"Oh? Oh! Well...um...here," Spike said, nervously holding out the blanket to the falcon-woman. "You can have your blanket back, if you want it."

"No, no, it's fine, you can have it," Rainbow replied, with a brush of her wings.

"Really?"

"Yeah...now that I'm all...feathers and everything, I never really needed a blanket to keep me warm."

"Oh, well...thanks, I guess..."

"Anyway...since we're both awake, and everyone else are still asleep, how about you and I go out and do some hunting together?"

"Hunting?"

"Yeah. You know what they say. The early bird gets the worm," Rainbow Dash simply chuckled, when the look of disgust was written clearly on Spike's face. "Oh, relax. We're not gonna eat worms, or bugs...yet. And when we do, then hakuna matata."

"...Yeah...hakuna matata," Spike grumbled. 'But I am worried,' He thought to himself.

"Well, c'mon! Let's go!"

With a flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash takes to the sky, picking up Spike, by the shoulders, in her talons.

"Whoa, take it easy!" Spike screamed, as she carried him out of their underground camp, through the opening in the ceiling.

Later, somewhere in the center of the island, in the mountains, both Rainbow Dash and Spike were at a huge lake. Rainbow Dash was perched atop a tree, while Spike was given a makeshift fishing pole.

"So, what exactly are we hunting again?" Spike asked.

"We're here to catch a big fish," Rainbow Dash replied. "I wanna catch us a fish bigger than what we caught yesterday."

"Uh, if you say so," Spike replied. "Though, pray tell, any reason why I'm here? I mean, you seem capable of hunting fish. Aren't you half-raptor?"

"Raptor?" Rainbow asked. "Do I look like a dinosaur to you?"

"No, no, no, no," Spike shook his head, before he clarified, "Raptors, as in birds of prey. Like falcons, or eagles, like what you are. Or what Dr. Grogar turned you into..."

"Uh-huh," Rainbow scowled. "And your point is?"

"Well, raptors are made to hunt fish," Spike began. "They're the ultimate fish hunters, from the sky! They can spot a fish, swimming close to the surface, and then dives down to snatch them, with their claws! They're magnificent!"

"Wow, you know your animals, dude," Rainbow Dash complimented. "I can see why Fluttershy was so fond of you, last night."

"She...she was?" Spike asked, surprised to what Rainbow Dash had said.

"Are you kidding me? She wouldn't stop talking about you," Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Last night, she went on and on about how relatable you are, how you know your animals, not to mention how nice and approachable you are, and everything. You're a real pal."

"Uh...thanks, I guess..." This was the first time a girl was so fond of Spike, it was all a new sensation for the man.

Before the conversation could continue, Rainbow Dash's eyes widen in alert.

"Shhh! Something's coming..." She warned.

Immediately, both Spike and Rainbow Dash practically froze up. Spike tried to stay sill as a statue, while his eyes darted left to right, searching across the surface, for any signs of movements. There was a splash and he saw some rings, floating across the water, indicating something had broken the surface.

"Rainbow Dash?" Spike muttered, to which the falcon-woman shushed.

For the moment, everything seemed calm. But then, suddenly, something big and strong pulled on the line, at the end of Spike's fishing pole, and almost pulled the young man in.

"AAAH!!! I GOT A BITE!!!" Spike screamed, as he struggled to pull the catch, back to shore, but finds he's biting off more than he could chew. "Scratch that. Reverse it. It...it got me!"

"Hang on, Spike!" Rainbow screeched, as she swoops into action. "I GOT IT!"

With a spread of her wings, Rainbow Dash took to the air to get a birds-eye view. She glares down, unbothered by the morning sun's piercing ray, as she scans the water. It wasn't long before her eyes were fixed on a large mass of shadow, heading towards Spike. Locked on target, Rainbow Dash retracted her wings and plummeted towards the lake, aiming her beak at the shadowy figure. She kept on diving towards her target, which grew bigger and bigger, the closer she gets, until at the last second, she unsheathed her claws out and spread her wings.

Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash did exactly what the creature wanted her to do. A pair of webbed hands, with sharp claws at the end of its fingers, burst out from the water, and got ahold of the falcon-woman.

"HEY! AH!!" Rainbow screeched, frantically flapping her wings to fly away.

But her assailant was even stronger and heavier than she is, as it pulled her down into the waters.

"Rainbow Dash!" Spike yelled, getting up on his feet, preparing to jump in.

"Get back, Spike!" Rainbow screeched. "Stay where you are! This ain't a fish!"

Not willing to go down so easily, Rainbow Dash fought back the fish, as her talons found a throat, from which she squeezed hard, suffocating the life out of the fish monster. With that, the fishy beast went limp, allowing Rainbow Dash to drag its lifeless body, back to shore, where Spike was both shocked at its entirety.

"Whoa," Spike exclaimed. "Is...is that a...a..."

"A fish-man?" Rainbow answered. "Yes. Yes it is. A real-live Creature From the Black Lagoon."

"Yeah, but still...it was...human, wasn't it?"

"Yeah...it was."

"So...isn't it like, cannibalizing, to eat something, or someone, who was human?"

"Ain't like we got a choice on this island, Spike. It's survival of the fittest. It's kill or be killed. And besides, whoever this thing was, he's better off dead, and he's gone to a better place..."

"Are you even listening to yourself? You're...you...you just...we hunted...you killed–"

"And he would've done the same to us!"

"Yeah, but still...don't you think there's a way we could've, I don't know....changed him back?"

"Oh yeah, I'd like to see you try, Spike," Rainbow Dash argued. "What? You think we're just gonna bring this fish-man back to Dr. Grogar and say something like, 'Hey Doc! We found this fish-man. Can you do us all a favor and change him back? Make him human again?'" Rainbow mocked, before she resumed her usual tone, "Like hell I'd trust that quack of a doctor, as far as I can peck his eyes out, and eat his heart, for what he did to me and my friends..."

Spike clenched a fist, as he angrily struggles to think of a snappy comeback.

"I'm not saying we should trust, Dr. Grogar," Spike frowned. "All I'm trying to say is, what if we could sneak our way back in, and–"

"And get ourselves killed?" Rainbow Dash retorted. "Like hell, I'm going back to that madman's laboratory. The last time we were there, we almost got torn to shreds by his little attack dog. You should count yourself lucky to be alive, let alone, a human."

"Which is exactly what that fish-man was! And any hope of him becoming human again are gone, now that you've killed him!"

"HE'S FAR OFF GONE FROM BEING HUMAN AGAIN! All men who came to this island are gone!"

"What? What do you mean, gone?"

Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash solemnly explained, "Spike. Let me ask you this once. Have you seen any other men, or man-beasts, since you escaped from Dr. Grogar?"

"Uh...no? Can't say I have. But what's that got to do with this?"

"Spike. Here's the thing. Every men on this island are all beast-people for life. It means, they can never be human again. They're mindless, uncontrollable. Every memories, every senses of being human are gone, completely. Kaput!"

"...Then, what's the story about you girls? You seemed intelligent, still..."

Rainbow Dash looked solemn, before she replied, "For some reason, my friends and I are a special case. Though, according to Twilight, it won't be long until we... The point I'm trying to say is, a lot of us girls are still human, barely, and we're trying to survive. But for every men who go into Dr. Grogar's lab, they are gone. Once they go in as humans, they never come out as humans, ever again. They're animals."

Spike thought long and hard, struggling to process all this new information Rainbow Dash had relayed to him. If that were the truth, then could it be that, Newt Chimera is gone too? Is he...a beast-people, like Rainbow Dash said? It was all too good to be true, and Spike just can't seem to accept it.

"But then, what if one of these...man-beasts, are your friend?" Spike asked. "What if I became a man-beast? What would you do then? Would you still kill me? And for all I know, that fish-man could've been, say Newt Chimera. I should know. I saw the guy has gills. GILLS around his neck!"

"...Then they're gone, Spike..." Rainbow replied solemnly. "Accept it, and move on. I'm sorry...but it's the way things are. Besides, Newt gave his life to save ours. So, in a way, he's doing the same thing again..."

Before Spike could retaliate, a droplet of something foul and sticky dropped from the sky, and landed on his head.

"Ew! What the..." Spike reached up to wipe the substance off his hair. "Gross, what is this?"

"Uh, Spike?" Rainbow Dash pointed up, directing the man's attention to the tree branches, to see they weren't alone.

Surrounding them appeared to be seagulls, except they have sharp teeth, like those of a piranha, lined up in their beaks. The birds were all glaring down at both Spike and Rainbow Dash.

"Mine," One of them squawked.

Rainbow Dash slowly inched her head closer to Spike.

"Spike, whatever you do, don't make any sudden movement..." Rainbow whispered. "Just come to me, slowly, if you want to live..."

"And how do I know you won't gut me, later, like that fish-man?" Spike whispered.

"Mine," Another piranha-gull squawked.

"Because it's either me, or these guys, and they'll rip to shreds in a heartbeat..." Rainbow whispered.

"Well...ain't like I got a choice."

Doing as Rainbow told him, Spike carefully inched his way closer to the falcon-woman. Unfortunately, to complicate the matters, a bug happened to be buzzing around Spike's head, before it landed on his nose, causing him to feel an itch, twitching, as a sneeze coming on.

"Uh oh..." Spike sniffled.

"Spike...no!" Rainbow whispered.

"I-I-I-I..."

"Try to hold it in..."

"I-I-I-I'm try...I'm try...I'm try..."

But it was no use. Spike let out a loud, "AAAA-CHOOO!!!"

With that, the piranha-gulls sprang to life as they swarmed around Spike and Rainbow Dash, snapping their razor fanged beaks, squawking, that sounded like, "MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!"

"Get away from me!" Spike screamed, as he frantically swats a stick at every attacking birds, while they bit and clawed at him.

Without wasting a second, Rainbow Dash sprang into action as she grabs Spike, in her wings, and dashed away. With a flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash and Spike made a hasty retreat, determined to escape from the flock of hungry piranha-gulls.

"Hold on tight, Spike!" Rainbow screeched, taking flight, carrying Spike, by the leg, with her legs.

In her haste, Rainbow Dash failed to realize she was holding Spike, upside-down.

"Hold onto what?" Spike asked, as he dangles from the falcon-woman's talons, with his arms flailing about. "LOOK OUT FOR THAT ROCK!!!"

"WHOA!!"

Rainbow flew up, with Spike's hair barely touching the stone.

The Sound of Victory – Escape Chase

The race was on, as Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and flew like she's never flown before. Both she and Spike followed the river, until they reached the edge, that broke into a waterfall.

"Here we goooooooooo!!!!" Rainbow hollered as she dive-bombed, following the waterfall, with a screaming Spike wailing behind.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" Spike screamed at the top of his lungs, with the waters splashing into his mouth, and his eyes horrified to see the gulls still in pursuit.

Then, with a spread of her wings, Rainbow Dash made a sharp upward lurch, before she made a quick dive for the jungles.

"Fasten your seatbelts, Spike!" Rainbow Dash screeched, as she attempted to lose the gulls, in the trees.

"What seat–Ow!" Spike was repeatedly interrupted, by the branches, and leaves, preventing him from finishing. "What seat-Ooh! What–Ow! Oh!"

"What?" Rainbow asked.

"Nevermind..."

Rainbow Dash was flying in a zigzag of motions, as she performed somersaults, hard rolls, even doing a corkscrew movement, losing some of the piranha-gulls off her tail feathers. Poor Spike finds the adrenaline and the aerodynamic motions sickening. Under normal circumstances, he would enjoy this rollercoaster ride. But his face turned green, and his nose bleeding, from being held upside-down.

With a burst of speed and strength, Rainbow Dash burst through the treetops, still holding onto poor Spike, who had some leaves, twigs, and some bugs, in his mouth.

"Ptewie!" The man spluttered, spitting his mouth clear of random things. "Can you fly a little higher?" He asked.

"I'm trying my best," Rainbow replied. "But I'm not used to carrying people!"

Ahead, both Rainbow Dash and Spike saw they were flying towards a tree.

"Turn left!" Spike pointed, not realizing that an upside-down left is actually a right, right side-up.

"OK!" Rainbow complied, taking the left turn, accidentally smashing Spike's head against the tree.

*Cartoon BONK!*

"OW!" Spike exclaimed. "Right in the schnoz?!"

"You said left, didn't you?"

"I meant MY left!" Spike shouted.

"What'd you mean your-" Rainbow asked as she looked down but soon realized she had him upside down, "Oh. Er sorry. Here, give me a second."

"What do you mean by tha-AAHHH!!!" Spike screamed as Dash threw him up and catches him again. This time by the shoulders. "Warn me when you're going to do that!"

"Noted, now stay focused so we can get away from these guys."

Spike looked behind him to see the piranha-gulls were still snapping their beaks, relentlessly chasing him and Rainbow, cawing their caws that sounded like, "Mine! Mine! Mine!"

"These guys just won't quit!" Spike frowned.

"Doesn't surprise me," Rainbow Dash replied. "They're half-piranhas!"

"Y'know, I've heard about flying fishes. Or fish out of water. But these guys...Dr. Grogar just had to take it up to eleven with them!"

"Are we really talking right now?"

"Sorry..." Turning his attention back at the piranha-gulls, Spike began, "There's gotta be a way we can loose these guys!"

"Well, Fluttershy told me that you know your animals," Rainbow said. "You think of something!"

"Let's see...they're half-seagulls and half-piranhas," Spike frantically analyzed. "So...seagulls hunt in flocks, they're smaller and maneuverable, they plunge-dive into the waters to snatch up their preys."

"Into the waters?" Rainbow scoffed. "We're in the air!"

"Uh, right..." Resuming his analysis, Spike thought out loud, "Piranhas hunt in schools. They can skeletonize their prey in a heartbeat. But they have natural predators, namely crocodiles, river dolphins, and–"

"Hold on, crocodiles?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah?"

"Alright, we can work with that. Hold on tight, Spike!" Rainbow warned, as she proceed to dive bomb, into the swamp below.

Spike screamed at the top of his lungs, as they fly through the trees, barely weaving through a narrow hole, amidst the vines and branches. Looking beneath his feet, Spike's eyes widened in horror, realizing that both he and Rainbow Dash, were flying above an entire float of sleeping crocodiles. What's terrifying to note is that these crocodiles appeared to be the size of buses.

"WHOA! Dash, are you out of your mind?!" Spike screamed, completely terrified for his life.

"Trust me! It's now or never," With that, Rainbow inhaled, before she let out an earsplitting screech that stirred the crocodiles awake.

"Well, they're wide awake–HOLY SH–" Spike screamed.

Upon seeing the falcon-woman and human man, one of the crocodiles let out a bellowing grunt. To further Spike's horror, a mess of tentacles, with suction caps – like those of octopi and squids – burst out from the crocodiles' mouths. The tentacles wriggled and slithered in the air, before they darted towards Spike and Rainbow Dash. One of the tentacles grabbed ahold of Spike's shoe, before pulling it off, just as another plucked some of Rainbow's feathers, from her wings.

"Those things have tentacles?!" Spike shrieked in horror.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Rainbow asked, before she turned and looked at the piranha-gulls. "Too bad we can't say the same for them..."

Spike looked behind him to see the piranha-gulls ensnared in the crocodiles' tentacles. One by one, each of the gulls were stuffed into the crocodiles' jaws – somewhat reminding Spike of the Sarlacc Pit from the movie Return of the Jedi. Though, most of the gulls managed to avoid the gruesome fate of their members.

"Yeesh..." Spike grimaced, not wanting to be in the piranha-gulls' positions.

Suddenly, a tentacle shot up, briefly smacking Rainbow Dash and Spike. Disoriented, both falcon-woman and man crashed into a tree. Rainbow Dash was barely holding onto a branch, with her wings, while Spike was hanging onto a branch, beneath her.

"Oh! That hurts..." Rainbow winced, rubbing a scratch on her cheek, with the joint of her wing, where her hand was.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!" Spike screamed, to which Rainbow Dash looked down in alarm.

"SPIKE!"

"SAVE ME!!!"

Spike was hanging onto his branch, dangling dangerously over the slithering tentacles of a crocodile's snapping jaws. The crocodile did a few hops on its feet, reaching for the man, until one of its tentacles grabbed ahold of Spike's legs.

"OW!" Spike winced in pain. "They've got hooks!"

"I've got ya, Spike!" Rainbow Dash screeched, clamping her talons on the man's hands, much of an insult to his injury.

"OW!" Spike though to himself, 'I don't know what hurts worst. The tentacles with hooks, or the claws...'

"Ugh! It's not easy, without my hands," Rainbow complained, as she barely hold onto Spike, with all her strength.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash heard a squawk, turning her head to see a piranha-gull, flying towards her. Thinking fast, Rainbow smacked the piranha-gull, into the fighting crocodile's mouth. Startled, the piranha-gull snapped its fang-ridden beak, onto one of the crocodile's tentacles, cutting Spike free.

"Hold on, Spike!" Rainbow shouted, throwing Spike onto her back.

In the process, though, Spike ended up groping Rainbow Dash's breasts, when he nearly fell off her back, and frantically regained his hold. Turned on, and her face turning red, Rainbow Dash swallowed her pride as she quickly flapped her wings, escaping the piranha-gulls, and the crocodiles.

[End of Chase Song]

"Phew...I don't think we'll be seeing anymore of them, for awhile," Spike sighed in relief.

"Oh believe me, Spike," Rainbow replied. "There's plenty more freaks that are twice as dangerous, compared to those things..."

"So...now that that's over. What do we do now?"

"First off all, take your hands of my breasts, before I drop you into the ocean, for the sharks," Rainbow threatened.

"Oh! Sorry..." Spike blushed, as he carefully moved his hands up, to wrap around the falcon-woman's neck. 'Though, I gotta admit, they're soft to the touch...why am I thinking that?' He thought to himself.

"And second off, let's go find some crabmeats..."

"As long as we don't run into anymore piranha-gulls..."

With a turn of her body, Rainbow Dash headed towards the beach.

Once they arrived at the beach, Spike and Rainbow Dash began combing the nearby coves, for small fishes and crabs. Though, Rainbow Dash was doing all the fishing, while Spike was basking in the sun, recovering from the bumps and bruises he received from their recent near-death experience.

Spike was resting on the soft sands, with his arms, legs, and his upper body, wrapped in seaweeds. A large leaf was covering his eyes, to keep the suns out. Unfortunately, this also left him vulnerable, blinded to an upcoming rude awakening.

Spike was sound asleep, when...

"SCREEEEEEEEEEEECCCHHHH!!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Spike screamed, jumping up on his feet, before he tripped and fell on his back. "Ow..."

"Gotcha!" Rainbow Dash laughed.

"That was not funny! YOU GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!!!" Spike scowled, beating his chest, while clutching his ringing head. "And a headache..."

"Lighten' up, Spike. We're long gone from those piranha-gulls," Rainbow smirked. "Besides, look what I got."

"Lemme guess. A jar of dirt?"

"Haha, very funny," Rainbow rolled her eyes in sarcasm, before she held up her latest catches of fishes and crabs, in a large fishnet, both she and Spike had salvaged, from the wreckage of Newt Chimera's ship.

"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed, straining to get a better look at their latest quarry. "Oh! Ow..." He grunted, only for Rainbow Dash to gently ease him back down.

"Easy there, tiger," Rainbow shushed. "Don't strain yourself."

"Was that before, or after, you decided to give me a heart attack and a headache?" The man grumbled.

"Serves you right for groping my breasts, like a perv, pervert," Rainbow rolled her eyes. "So consider that as payback."

"I said I was sorry. Besides, my hands slipped. And you did a good job with my hands, might I add..." He showed his hands, now with bloody gashes, courtesy of the falcon-woman's talons.

"Well, what am I supposed to hold you with?" Rainbow asked. "My wings? Or my beak? It's not like I still have hands..." Wanting to change the subject, Rainbow Dash began to show off her latest catches. "Anyway, we've got fish, fish, lotsa fishes, more fishes, and oh, big surprise, even more fish. And a whole great white shark!"

"Really?" Spike asked, rolling over to get a look. "You caught a shar–WHOA!" He yelped, startled at the sudden appearance of a shark, with its gaping mouthful of teeth, next to his face.

"Yup," Rainbow smirked proudly to herself. "Caught this big bully, attacking a sea turtle. So, I did what anyone would do, and saved the turtle's life!"

"...You gutted a shark..." Spike asked, looking rather displeased. "An endangered, vulnerable species of predator, just because it was trying to eat? Yeesh. And I thought people who drink shark fin soups are cruel..."

"Ugh, seriously?" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in exasperation. "The shark's not even human. You should be thankful it's not like...like...that fish-man we hunted, before we were chased by the piranha-gulls..."

"Yeah, but still, it's an animal. And animals do what they do best. They hunt. They eat to survive."

"Newsflash, Spike! After what that Dr. Grogar did to us, we're practically considered animals as well. So sue us! We've been trapped on this hell hole of an island for months. MONTHS! Do you know what that's like? Think about it. If you were in our position, then you would've done the same as well, and hunt some other beast-people, or animals, for food! It's eat or be eaten..."

"...Even your own friends?" Spike asked.

"What?" Rainbow cringed in disgust. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well, because you're a predator?" The man stated, making it sound obvious. "I mean, look at you! Your feet, your beak, and...your build. You're half-falcon. You're a bird of prey. You're literally engineered to be one of nature's fearsome hunters. And...not to sound the alarm, but...bats are one of the falcon's main diet? So..."

There was a moment of awkward silence, as Spike and Rainbow Dash exchanged awkward blinks, before the falcon-woman inched her beak, dangerously close to the man's nose.

"If I had known that, then would Fluttershy still be with us, now?" Rainbow scowled.

"Okay, okay, okay! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I take it back..." The man apologized as Rainbow Dash pulled her head away. "This place. This island. Every creature, it's...it's all wrong..."

"It's messed up alright," Rainbow replied, as she began to tie up the net, for flight. "But who knows? Maybe after a month or two, you'll get used to it."

"And what if I don't? I mean, c'mon. Seagulls with piranha teeth? Killer crocs with tentacles? A psychotic madman of a doctor, reengineering humans with animal DNAs? That all sounds...sounds...sounds..."

"Like something out of a sci-fi movie?"

"Yeah. Exactly. It just doesn't make sense anymore," Spike sighed as he slumped back down in the sand. "I just wanna go home, where it all makes sense..."

Rainbow Dash simply nodded in sympathy, as she finishes tying up her net, full of fishes. She turned her head to look solemnly at Spike, noting the bruises he had to endure, during their recent chase from the piranha-gulls, and the mutant killer crocodiles that nearly ate them alive. It's plain to see how, understandably, frighten Spike is.

Walking over to the resting man, Rainbow sat down on his right, looking across the horizon of the ocean, noting how high the sun has risen.

"Wow, noon already?" Rainbow began. "Time flies fast, when you're being chased, huh?" Spike said nothing, and covered his eyes. "I mean, c'mon. The early bird was suppose to catch the worm, er...fish, but..." Seeing as how her small talk wasn't getting anywhere, Rainbow Dash decided to cut to the chase. "How are ya feeling, Spike?"

"For now, I'm glad to be on solid ground," Spike muttered. "And not getting my face wrecked, by trees, or half-eaten..."

"Yeah," Rainbow chuckled nervously. "I'm...sorry about that. I...first time I ever flew with...passengers."

"It's fine," Spike sighed. "I just hope we never have to do that again..."

"Yeah. But enough of that...about the shark, I...I don't know what your deal was. I mean, c'mon. It's either the big fish, or the turtle. And for all I know, it could be one of Tank's cousin, or whatever. I had to save him."

Spike turned his head to Rainbow Dash, with piqued interest.

"Tank?" He asked. "Who's Tank?"

"My pet tortoise," Rainbow confirmed. "And my best friend."

"Really? Uh, I hope you don't mind my saying, but...you don't look like the type who would want a tortoise for a pet. I mean, no offense, but you're all about speed and daring. Tortoise are...the opposite."

"Hey!" Rainbow squawked. "Tank may be slow, but he's tough, and he's a great guy to talk to."

"Take it easy, take it easy!" Spike calmed the falcon-woman. "I was just trying to grasp the big picture. Anyway, continue..."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Rainbow Dash continued, "So, anyway, Tank and I are best friends. Sure, he may not be as fast as me, or run, or fetch, like a dog, or a bird, like me, or whatever. But I like the guy. Me and Scoots do. So, in a way, I guess I have a soft spot for turtles, and tortoises."

"Fascinating," Spike nodded in acknowledgement, before another newfound information intrigued him. "Uh...who's Scoots?"

Rainbow Dash looked solemnly, before she revealed, "Scootaloo is my little sister, back home. We're not related by blood, but still, we're pretty close."

"Ah, so you two are best friends, and you enjoy hanging out together, that you're practically sisters then?"

"Exactly! And she really looks up to me. Back home, before I became...this. I was Captain of the Wonderbolt's Soccer Team. And Scootaloo cheered the loudest from the audience. She never missed a single one of my games, bound to a wheelchair and all. Her two aunts made sure of that."

"You don't say," Spike replied, further intrigued. "And, if you don't mind me asking, how did she ended up in a wheelchair? Broke her leg, or something?"

"No, not like that," Rainbow frowned sadly. "She's sick. The doctors say that she's got this disease that's..." Shaking her head, straining to fight the tears from bursting through her eyes, Rainbow sighed, "I promised I'd always be by her side, and...I wanted to make every last moment of her life as valuable as I could but..."

Once again, Spike looked up at Rainbow Dash. Just like before, with Fluttershy, the young man couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards Rainbow Dash. For a moment, he didn't see a regal, fearsome falcon, but a human, who was worried, and scared for a precious child, far away, beyond her reach.

Wanting to console her, Spike said, "I'm sure she's very grateful to have a sister, like you."

"Thanks..." Rainbow blinked her eyes, shaking her head, to shake a tear away, "Anyway, let's go. I think the fishes are starting to stink and...let's get outta here before their stenches attract some more piranha-gulls..."

With that, Spike and Rainbow begin their trek back to their hidden camp. Though, all the same, Spike can't help but think about these newfound feelings for the she-beasts. And furthermore, he couldn't stop thinking about the fish-man, and how it's better off dead. Does this make him, or the she-beasts, less human than animals?