Misty, Shaggy and Scooby had bolted toward the docks as fast as their feet could take them, not wanting to be on this island another minute. Misty had tried to convince Shaggy and Scooby to go back and help their friends, but did agree with one thing-- if they get off the island, they may be able to find someone to get help.
As soon as they reached the dock, they halted as soon as they saw Jacques lowering the gate. “Jacques! Like, are we glad to see you!” Shaggy exclaimed. “There’s no time to waste!” Misty agreed. “We think our friends could be in huge trouble!”
“I am happy to see y’all,” Jacques chuckled, just before he let out an unhuman roar, shifting into a cat creature like Simone and Lena. “AHHH!!!” Misty screamed, staggering back a few steps before the three ran for their lives once more.
XXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, Sunny and the ponies tried to break themselves free to reach the voodoo dolls, but Lena had enchanted the ropes so they couldn’t be undone. “If you’re as old as you say you are,” Velma said, “then I’ll bet you’re the one who found Morgan Moonscar’s treasure!”
“Morgan Moonscar!” Simone growled with a look full of hatred. “He was the cause of all of this!” Simone’s statement caused the ponies to look at one another, wondering what she meant. “I was one of a group of settlers who made this island our home. We looked to our Cat God for a bountiful harvest… until that night, when he came ashore.”
“Moonscar?” Zipp asked, causing Simone to nod. “He chased the settlers into the bayou, all except for Lena and myself… where we watched our families be devoured by the alligators.”
The group looked at one another with a hint of sadness, but wondered if they should believe Simone or not. “We uttered a curse on the pirates,” Simone went on, “to destroy them as they had destroyed our island. Our wish was granted-- we became cat creatures, and destroyed the pirates. Only afterwards did we discover that invoking the Cat God's power had cursed us as well.”
“Over the years,” Lena continued, “boats continued to come to our island. “One was full of spice traders who started a pepper plantation. The plantation flourished.”
“At least, until the harvest moon,” Simone went on, and Sunny spent her spine go numb at the echoing screams that rang through her mind of the innocent people that were drained of their life force. “Sometimes it became necessary for Lena to lure outsiders back to the island,” Simone went on. “Just like you lured us!” Fred realized. “I’ve had years of practice,” Lena smirked. “And those zombies,” Daphne realized, “are just the poor souls you drained. They were just trying to warn us so we wouldn't suffer the same fate they did!”
“Pretty smart… for a television reporter,” Simone said. “But… what about us?” Sunny asked. “You acted so normally around us. Did… you drain ponies from our time too? Ones that might have gotten lost here from Equestria?”
At this, Simone seemed to get some pity in her eyes. “No… but there was one that showed up a year or two after the spice traders… a powerful pony that required power. We shared some of our immortality with her, so that even as an alicorn, she would live for many harvest moons. I have not seen her since, but I knew then that you… ponies might return.”
Suddenly, there came a roar, echoing throughout the trees, which made Lena smirk. “Sounds like Jacques has found your frightened friends.”
“Jacques?!” Izzy blurt out. “We needed a ferry driver. The old man wanted immortality,” Simone explained, “so we gave it to him.”
This only made Izzy that much more worried. “Misty… please, keep yourselves safe for a little while longer…”
XXXXXXXXX
Shaggy, Scooby and Misty continued to bolt for their lives after Jacques revealed his other form, but he leapt out in front of them on the path, causing them to shriek to a halt. “Goin’ somewhere?” he sneered before grabbing Shaggy and Scooby and hoisting them into the air, while Misty tried to yank on Scooby’s tail to free him. “What’s the matter?” Jacques asked them. “Cat got your tongue?”
The cat creature let off a roar, causing Shaggy and Scooby to scream again. Misty desperately tried to get her friends free, but it wasn’t her who saved them-- it was the zombies! They pushed Jacques to the ground, allowing Shaggy and Scooby to free themselves from his grip. “Come on, guys!” Shaggy urged. “Now’s our chance!”
The three fled for their lives while Jacques let out a series of roars, which grasped Lena and Simone’s attention. “Jacques is in trouble!” Lena cried. “Forget about him!” Simone pointed to the group. “They must be drained, now! While the moonlight is still in the midnight alignment!”
Fred, Daphne, Velma and Beau struggled in their enchanted position, while the ponies tried desperately to free themselves and Sunny and Hitch created plants to temporarily block the cat creatures from coming.
But at the last second, Shaggy and Scooby and Misty slid into the cavern, knocking the cat creatures off their feets and knocking the voodoo dolls off the pedestals. “Guys!” Hitch cried. “You’re safe!”
“Sunny, it’s Jacques! He’s--” Misty tried to say. “A betrayer, I know,” Sunny nodded. While Shaggy and Scooby recovered from the slide, they looked over and saw their friends magically binded in their positions. “Like, what are you guys doing?” Shaggy asked. “Charades?”
“Jinkies! Look out!” Velma shouted, and Simone and Lena growled as they began to stand. “I’ve had enough of that meddling… dog!” Simone snarled. “Dog? Where?” Scooby glanced back and forth, just as their cat forms began to evolve to get more fur, tearing their clothes in the process. “ZOINKS!!” Shaggy yelped, pulling Scooby aside. But when they ran past the dolls, they kicked them closer to the fire, causing the group to get suddenly hot, but when the zombies entered and they fled, they kicked them away, restoring the gang to normal temperature. “Izzy, can you scoot my doll over to me?” Velma whispered. Nodding, Izzy used her horn’s magic aura to lift the doll to Velma’s feet amidst the chaos. “If… I can just…” Velma strained, but then looked up and gasped. “Oh no!”
Lena and Simone had Shaggy and Scooby in their clutches, and instantly, Pipp and Zipp got an idea, nodding to each other and letting their cutie marks glow. Flapping their wings perfectly in sync caused some of the zombies to stagger into the were-cats, causing them to throw Shaggy and Scooby aside. But then, the were-cats threw the zombies onto the end of the table, catapulting Shaggy and Scooby up into the air before they came down again… right into the arms of a zombie. “WAH!!!!!!!”
“Shaggy! The zombies are the good guys!” Sunny cried. “Like, are you out of your mind?!” Shaggy blurt out, just before he and Scooby ran for the exit. But, they were blocked by Jacques, who grabbed them by their scruff and t-shirt. Finally, Velma attempted to grab the rope on her doll and yanked them down, freeing herself before moving onto the others, who freed the ponies. Then, seeing a piece of Lena’s blouse gave Zipp an idea. “Zombies! You have to help my friends!” Misty pleaded. “They’re about to be devoured by that cat creature!”
The zombies seemed to understand her, cause they staggered right toward Jacques, who still held Shaggy and Scooby, even when they tried to escape him. As they crashed to the ground, several peppers came from Shaggy’s shirt pocket, giving Scooby an idea. He grabbed a pepper in his paw and shot the juice right at Jacques’ face, causing him to yelp in pain. Now was their chance! “Come on, Scoob!” Shagy urged his best friend in order to temporarily get away… until Simone and Lena caught them and began to drain their life force. Misty gasped in horror upon seeing this. “NOOOOOOO!!!!”
Just as Shaggy and Scooby were about to become zombies themselves, Lena and Simone were flung back by a supernatural force that once they recovered made them gasp-- Daphne and Velma had made voodoo dolls of them to get revenge. “You’re not the only ones who like playing with dolls,” Daphne smirked, pulling Simone’s arm down, causing her to knock Lena to the ground before they slammed the dolls against the wall, causing them to float up and crash into it while the others rushed to Shaggy and Scooby. “Shag, Scoob! Are you guys okay?” Zipp asked, just as Shaggy and Scooby slowly recovered. “Like… I was beginning to feel like a raisin,” Shaggy said just before Misty and Sunny enveloped them in a hug. “We were so worried!” Misty said breathlessly. “Come on… let’s get rid of these bad kitties.”
Jacques pushed past Daphne and Velma, making them lose their grip on the dolls and crash into the zombies. Once they recovered from injuries, the were-cats began to move toward them. Beau tried to stop them with a torch, but Jacques smacked it away. But before the others felt like they were gonna die, smoke began to emit from the were-cats, causing them to roar in pain. That’s when Zipp saw what was going on-- the moon dial had moved past midnight, and now the cats were losing their immortality. “Looks like your nine lives are up!”
The cats yowled in pain as their fur and bones dissolved into nothing, leaving nothing but their clothes in place, making the group gasp with wide eyes. The zombies were still coming, however… until the green supernatural magic began to dissolve the zombies too. “Zoinks! Like, what’s happening to them?” Shaggy wondered. “Their spirits have been avenged, Shaggy,” Velma explained, “so they can finally rest in peace.”
Everyone watched as the magic dissipated into the skies above, and the same civil war ghost from before appeared and saluted to them from nearby. “Thank you all,” he said before disappearing to the afterlife, and Daphne let out a sigh. “I can’t believe all this. And without our video tape, no one else will. I’ve got nothing for my show.”
“Yeah… and the police will never believe this story either,” Hitch frowned. “Don’t be so sure,” Beau pulled out a police badge from his pocket. “I'm Detective Beau Neville. Been working undercover investigating the island disappearances.”
“Jinkies! So that’s why you were digging around!” Velma exclaimed. “Yes, ma’am,” Beau nodded. “Just trying to dig up evidence. “Not positive my superiors will buy this story though.”
But just then, Daphne got an idea. “Beau-- um… Detective Neville? Have you ever been on TV?”
Beau smiled at her, just as Pipp realized something. “Daph, I got some stuff on my camera too!” she exclaimed. “I can upload them to a video tape so you can use it on your show with the detective’s interview!”
“Pipp, you’re a genius! Thank you,” Daphne hugged the pink pegasus. “Well… there’s only one thing left to do now,” Sunny said. “Let’s go home.”