Shadow Men: Where Light Can't Touch

by DragonsHeart

Chapter 9 - The Taste of Blood

The following weeks after the trip to the lake, Pinkie and her friends kept taking Sorrow to hang out, trying to cheer her up… they’re still unsure whether it’s working or not. So Pinkie has now gathered her friends around a table at the Cake’s, to help decide their next move.

“Pinkie, I’m tried of having fun,” mutters Rainbow Dash, a sleepy look on her face.

“How can you be tired of fun?” Applejack asks, giving Dash a puzzled look.

“When you seem to be doing it none stop,” answers Rainbow Dash, yawning.

“I know what you mean. All these trips to the Cake’s, Bowling Alley, the woods and other places are getting tiresome,” agrees Spike, who has recently joined the girls in their effort to gain Sorrow’s trust.

“Have we even made any progress?” Rarity asks, curious, “I mean, have we learned anything?”

“Lots,” Twilight states, smiling, “Sorrow is very informative about Shadow Men, and it’s helped me make great progress in translating the Shadow Men book...”

“But about the murders?” interrupts Applejack, annoyed.

“Oh, then absolutely nothing,” Twilight says, sheepish, “But by translating the first book I am then hoping I’ll be able to translate the next one, which doesn’t seem to be as easy to translate.”

“Why is the second book harder?” asks Rainbow Dash, confused.

“I think whoever the second book, while they could understand the language, they couldn’t write as natural as whoever wrote the first book and made a few mistakes,” explains Twilight, nodding her head in agreement with herself, “So I’ll need a better understanding of the language to read it... I think.”

“So, what now,” Rainbow Dash asks, trying to change the subject to a less boring one.

“Well I was thinking of throwing Sorrow a big party!” Pinkie says, finally speaking.

“Oh, that sounds like a great idea!” Spike agrees, excitedly, “With lots of food and drink, lots of ponies dancing to sweet music, and lots of games as well!”

“Yeah! That is what I’m thinking as well!!” Pinkie says, happily.

“No, that sounds like a horrible idea!” Applejack says, shaking her head, “Getting a pony that murdered a large group of ponies and putting her in another large group of them.”

“Applejack has a point,” agrees Rainbow Dash, sighing.

“Wait, you are being a bit unfair,” Rarity says, frowning in disapproval, “I mean she hasn’t hurt any of us.”

“Yet!” Applejack and Rainbow Dash say in unison.

“But I think this party will really help,” argues Pinkie, pouting, “I think we’re really getting to her.

“How can you tell?” Fluttershy asks, curious.

“Yeah, I mean she wears a mask all the time,” adds Spike, curious as well.

“I just feel it here!” Pinkie says, proudly thumping her chest.

“Would she even want to come to a party?” comments Twilight, raising an eyebrow, “I mean, we’re always having to drag her to the other places.”

“I’ll work something out,” Pinkie states, confident.

“Well if you are sure I guess we could try it out,” Twilight says, smiling.

“We’re going to put a lot of ponies in danger if we do this” Applejack says, frowning.

“I believe that Sorrow is no threat,” Twilight states, turning towards Applejack, “And if Pinkie says it will work then I’ll believe her, I mean she has never let us down before.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack begrudgingly accept this as true.

“Great! I’ll start setting up the party right away!” Pinkie says, before zooming out the door like rocket, leaving the rest of the girls behind.

“I hope this works out,” Fluttershy says, echoing the rest of the girl's thoughts.

---

It is rather surprising what Pinkie can do in a few short days. Like for instance, she can set up a party, invite all of Ponyville, and even (and this is the most impressive part) convince Sorrow to come. But what type of party is it? Well it is not a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ kind since she knew Sorrow wouldn’t like to be the center of attention, so she decide on a ‘Masquerade Party’, now everypony will wear masks and costumes so Sorrow won’t look so strange.

“What a clever idea of Pinkie’s,” notes Rarity, as Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Spike head for the party, in their own costumes, wearing a carnivale costume, “I would've never thought of throwing a Masquerade Party for Sorrow.”

“I hope my costume is good enough,” Twilight says, adjusting a her mad scientist costume with goggles.

“Hey, compared to what Sorrow wears all the time, anything’s good,” jokes Rainbow Dash, smiling, wearing a superhero costume.

“I don’t think that very nice Dash,” Fluttershy says, disapprovingly, wearing a cute masked butterfly costume.

“Look, we’re almost there,” Applejack states, pointing out a large gathering of ponies, while wearing a desperado outfit with mask.

The party is being held outside in the fields besides Ponyville, right under the starry night. The girls enter the party to find that it seems fully underway, with ponies dancing, talking to each other, and eating & drinking, and each wearing different costumes, although quite a few ponies are wearing Phantom of the Opera costumes. They eventually find Pinkie deeper within the party.

“Hey guys!” Pinkie says, coming to greet them, “Enjoying the party?” She is wearing a clown costume with a non-scary clown mask.

“We just got here, but I’m loving what I’m seeing so far,” Rarity says, happily.

“Hey where’s Sorrow?” Applejack asks, looking around.

“Oh don’t worry about her,” Pinkie says, waving her hoof dismissively while smiling, “Last I saw her she was hanging around the catering bench, she was even talking to some ponies! Isn’t that great.”

“What about?” Twilight asks, curious.

“Mostly asking what her costume is supposed to be,” Pinkie replies, frowning before then smiling again, “But still, ponies are talking to her.”

“So no problems?” Applejack asks, relived.

“Of course, what do you expect to happen?” Pinkie says, rolling her eyes, “Just enjoy the party!”

Applejack smiles, nodding her head before turning to Rainbow Dash with a smirk on her face. “Hey Dash, bet I can out dance you!” she challenges.

“You’re on!” Rainbow Dash says, before they both rush off to the dance floor.

“Umm Rarity, my I have the honor of having the first dance with you?” Spike asks, shyly.

“Of course you can Spiky,” Rarity says, smiling at the shy dragon, before she leads the lovestruck dragon to the dance floor as well.

“Well now that they are gone, can you take me to see Sorrow? I want to see how she is doing” Twilight asks Pinkie.

“Sure, I was going to check on her soon anyway,” Pinkie says, beginning to skip off.

“Can I come too?” Fluttershy asks, not wanting to be left alone in this large group of ponies.

“Of course you can,” Twilight replies, following after Pinkie with Fluttershy in toe.

---

They find Sorrow still hanging around the cantering table, looking at the things on the table, occasionally ponies would stop and stare at her but move on, since she is now not the weirdest thing here.

“Hungry?” Twilight asks, forgetting who she is talking to.

“I can’t really remember what hunger feels...” Sorrow states, looking at Twilight, her usual sad voice attracting some attention from passing ponies before they too, move on. She continues, “Isn’t like a pain here?” she points to her stomach.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Twilight begins to say, but stops when she sees Sorrow still staring at her. “Yes, it is sometimes like a pain there,” Twilight answers, since for some reason it seems like the right thing to say.

“Yes, I remember now…” Sorrow seems to says in a dreamlike state, “Hunger is often linked with sadness…”

“Ok, let’s move on,” Pinkie says, hatting where this conversation is going, “Enjoying the party so far Sorrow?”

“It is a party…” Sorrow states, looking around before saying, “I don’t belong here, in this place of happiness.”

“Don’t be such a party pooper!” Pinkie says, cheerfully slapping Sorrow on the back, “Even a creature of sadness needs to have fun!”

“....maybe…” Sorrow says, sounding unconvinced.

“Come on, let’s dance!” Pinkie suggests, trying to drag Sorrow to the dance floor.

“No,” Sorrow says, being strangely to the point and refusing to move.

“Pinkie, I don’t think you should force somepony to have fun,” Fluttershy says softly.

“Oh fine, but I’ll get you to dance sooner or later,” Pinkie says in challenging voice.

Sorrow doesn’t respond to this and just avoids Pinkie gaze.

“Come on, let’s join our friends on the dance floor,” suggests Twilight, thinking they should leave Sorrow alone right now.

“Ok, everypony clear a space on the dance floor! Twilight is coming to dance!” Pinkie pretends to yell.

“Very funny,” Twilight says, giving an embarrassed smile.

“What? Your dancing style is mad,” Pinkie giggles, skipping towards the dance floor, “The ponies must be warned.”

“That’s not funny,” Twilight pouts, chasing after Pinkie. She stops at the edge of the crowd and turns towards Sorrow, “We’ll see you later Sorrow.”

“Don’t forget to have fun!!” Pinkie shouts over the crowd.

The two disappear in the crowd, leaving Fluttershy and Sorrow to enjoy each other's silent company in the slightly calmer area around the cantering zone.

---

Pinkie later returns to the cantering tables to check on Sorrow again, this time with Rarity. They met up with Fluttershy, helping herself to some punch.

“Heya Fluttershy, still here?” Pinkie asks, remembering that they left her behind before.

“Yeah, I like it here,” Fluttershy says, sipping some punch, “Lot calmer and not so many ponies.”

“How’s Sorrow doing?” Pinkie asks, looking around for her.

“She’s over there,” Fluttershy says, pointing to another cantering table, where Sorrow is sitting in front of a plate full of jelly.

“What is she doing with a plate of jelly?” Rarity asks, curious.

“She was looking at bowl with jelly in it, so I served her some… is that not alright?” Fluttershy asks, worried she may have done something wrong.

“No, I can’t imagine jelly causing any problems,” Rarity says, reassuring Fluttershy.

“Unless you choke on it,” Pinkie adds, unhelpfully.

“I think she is beyond that Pinkie,” notes Rarity, frowning.

“Do you like jelly, Sorrow?” Pinkie asks, changing the subject.

“...I think Joy did,” Sorrow says, poking the jelly, “She found it calming… I think.”

“That sounds a bit odd,” Rarity says, tilting her head in thought, “But I think I get what you mean.”

As they continue to talk about jelly, Rainbow Dash and Applejack return from the dance floor.

“So who won?” Rarity asks, noticing the two head over.

“No one, we called it a tie before somepony could get hurt,” Applejack says, rubbing her fore hoof awkwardly.

“It got kind of heated,” Rainbow Dash says, casting nervous looks behind her, “You should've seen some of the stink eyes we were given.”

“I can only imagine,” Rarity says, giggling.

“So where’s Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asks, trying to change the subject.

“I think she’s still dancing,” Pinkie guesses, shrugging.

“We should probably get her before she hurts somepony with her ‘dancing,’” notes Applejack, smiling.

“Good idea,” Rarity says, before giving a cheeky smile, “Well, off you go Applejack.”

“Wait, I just got off the dance floor!” Applejack says, annoyed.

“Hmph, so did I,” Rarity says, taking a sip out of the punch she just poured, “And I want to drink this lovely punch.”

“Ok, who hasn't just been to the dance floor?” Rainbow Dash asks, looking around.

All eyes eventually ended up on Fluttershy, who looked around nervously.

“I guess I could get Twilight…” Fluttershy says, hopelessly, looking nervously into the crowd.

The girls start to feel really bad that they put Fluttershy into the spot, but before anypony else can volunteer Sorrow speaks up.

“I’ll go,” Sorrow says, walking up to Fluttershy, “In thanks for the jelly.” Sorrow places the plate with the jelly on it on Fluttershy’s head, “Can you look after my jelly until I get back?”

“Umm, ok,” Fluttershy says, looking up confused at the jelly on her head.

“I’ll be back,” Sorrow says, disappearing into the crowd like a shadow.

“Well that was nice,” Rarity says, impressed.

“Maybe she is changing?” Applejack notes, also impressed.

“Can somepony help me take this plate of jelly off my head?” Fluttershy asks, nervous that it is going to fall off.

---

Sorrow slips through the crowd unnoticed, just like a shadow she slips under everyone's gaze. She eventually finds Twilight by herself in a clearing, doing something that Sorrow would only call dancing because that is what her friends said she was doing, but in Sorrow limited gained knowledge from Joy would never call it so, it looked like she is spinning while bucking uncontrollably. Sorrow slips out of the crowd and head towards Twilight.

“Twilight, your friends….”

CRACK!!!

---

Twilight stops mid-dance, for one her hind hooves just whacked against something hard. Fearing she just hit somepony she turns around, and sees that her fears are confirmed when she sees a hooded pony sitting on the ground, holding her fore hooves to her face.

“Oh Celestia, are you alright…” Twilight stops as she suddenly recognizes the robes. “Sorrow… is that you...?” Twilight asks, scared at what just happened.

Twilight manages to pull down Sorrow hooves slightly, and sees Joy’s frightened eyes looking back at her, unmasked and exposed.

“Joy?” Twilight says, instantly wishing she didn’t.

Joy’s pupil’s sinks, and she starts muttering.

“No no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO NO....
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

Suddenly Joy screams, her voice carrying across the entire party as it drowns out the music and crack nearby glass. All eyes are on Twilight and Joy, as she continues to scream. Ponies cover their ears as they try and block out the banshee like noise.

“JOY PLEASE CALM DOWN!!” Twilight yells, trying to be heard over Joy’s scream, as she looks around for mask, but she can’t see it.

“WHAT’S HAPPENING!!” yells Rainbow Dash, who as come over with the rest of Twilight’s friends, while she tries to block out the scream.

“I THINK I KNOCKED OFF HER MASK BY ACCIDENT!!” Twilight yells back, blocking her ears as well, “I THINK IT FLEW INTO THE CROWD!!”

A nearby light explodes, sending sparks across the crowd, frightening them more.

“WE BETTER FIND IT SOON!!” yells Applejack, looking around for the mask, “BEFORE SOMEPONY GETS HURT!!”

“WE'LL LOOK FOR THE MASK!!” orders Rarity, shouting to be heard, “PINKIE! YOU AND FLUTTERSHY TRY AND GET HER TO CALM DOWN!!”

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Twilight head into the frightened crowd, leaving behind Fluttershy and Pinkie to deal with Sorrow.

“JOY! IT’LL BE ALRIGHT!!” Pinkie yells, trying to calm Joy down, “WE ARE GOING TO GET YOUR MASK BACK!!”

Joy doesn’t seem to care or possibly notice, she just continues to scream like it would somehow suppress the pain she is now feeling.

“SHE WON’T STOP! FLUTTERSHY DO YOU HAVE ANY….” Pinkie asks, turning towards the pegasus, only to notice that she isn’t there any more.

Did she run away? With Fluttershy it isn’t an impossibility, but she wouldn’t… but before Pinkie can dwell on that question further, Fluttershy appears, carrying a plate of something.

“SORRY! I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT HELP!” Fluttershy yells, in her loudest voice she can manage, which isn’t very loud but still manages to make it’s way through the scream.

The plate held a piece of jelly on it, which jiggled madly under the sound, but before Pinkie can question ‘why jelly?’, she remembered that Sorrow mentioned that Joy found jelly calming.

“GOOD IDEA FLUTTERSHY!!” Pinkie yells, taking the jelly from her and holding it in front of the screaming Joy, “LOOK JOY! JELLY!!”

Joy seems to notice the jelly right away, and thankfully it seems to have a instant effect and she stops screaming right away, relieving everypony. She watches as the jelly jiggles and shakes, causing a strange but angel smile to spread across her lips, and she starts giggling.

“Jelly!” Joy says, in sweet filly like voice.

Both Fluttershy and Pinkie found themselves smiling as well at Joy’s angelic smile, at least Pinkie seems to have brought a smile to Joy’s face… but sadly nothing last forever. Suddenly Joy coughs, sending an inky black liquid to the ground, Joy wipes her mouth and notices that it came away covered in more. Her eyes widen and her pupils shrinks as more black liquid drips from her mouth.

“I… I, I can taste it again!” Joy whimpers, her voice trembling.

“Wait, what can you taste?” Pinkie asks, confused at what is happening to Joy.

More of the black liquid drips from Joy’s mouth, pooling on the floor as she looks up at Pinkie with terrified look on her face.

“It’s…. it is… I taste BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!”

Joy scream again, somehow louder than before. It shatters row after rows of lights, sending huge amount of sparks over the crowd, while it shatters glass and pops balloons, some ponies even faint this time. Pinkie wonders if even Canterlot can hear this?

But just in time, Twilight flies out of the crowd, holding Sorrow’s mask.

“JOY HERE!!!” Twilight yells, handing her mask.

Faster than lightening, Joy snatches the mask away and places it on her face. The screaming suddenly stops, leaving the world in a deafening silence, and by the time the rest of the girls return, they find the other three alone for Sorrow has disappeared.

Author's Note:

Another chapter at least, hope you enjoy it.

Comments

[Randomizer77]

The ending was enough to put me on edge... perfect.

[Doomhunter]

loved the ending of this chapter.

hope to see more soon