And so we reach the finale to The Secret War of Sunset Shimmer. There's at least one more volume to the first collection, and it might bring out some feels.

Out of the chapters for this volume, this was originally written largely by myself, and it has seen a major overhaul to match the series' evolution. Enjoy!


Sub-Volume 4 - The Secret War of Sunset Shimmer

Chapter 14 - Jealous Guy (Lennon, 1971)

Written by Zack Wanzer and James Riddle

JUNE 20, 2013

Barely a week had gone by since the graduation ceremony for Canterlot High's Class of 2013. Flash and his band Flash Drive performed some songs with the Rainbooms in celebrations. Pinkie Pie had even set up a huge graduation party for her friends.

"With the way you set everything up, Pinkie," Vincent commented, "you must have a sort of cannon that fires party supplies."

"I doubt they'd let anybody of my age handle a cannon," said Pinkie. "But it does sound like a fun idea if it could shoot confetti."

"It would be very creative," added Fluttershy.

"Eeyup," said Big Macintosh, who had also been invited. Fluttershy and Big Mac reached at the snack table for an apple fritter, but they ended up touching hands by mistake.

"Um, sorry," she said meekly.

"It's quite alright," said Big Macintosh politely, a hint of blush on his cheeks. Fluttershy giggled. Big Macintosh was so strong yet sweet and gentle at the same time. I wonder if this is how Song Cue feels around Comet, she thought to herself. Song Cue noticed this and couldn't help but giggle.

"Aww," she said, "My cousin's in love." Fluttershy couldn't help but blush at her cousin's comment.

"B-B-Big Mac and I are just friends!" she stuttered.

"Of course you are," said Song Cue.

Before long, the party was over, and everyone was heading home.

"That was a wicked party," said Rainbow Dash. "But I bet next year's will be even better."

"See you later," said Flash. As everyone set out to go home, Sunset and Vincent bumped into each other.

"Oh!" cried Sunset. "Sorry!"

"We've got to stop bumping into each other like that," said Vincent. Sunset just chuckled.

"So what's new with you?" she asked.

"Nothing's really changed that much," said Vincent. "Just the same old, same old. You?"

"Nothing much," said Sunset. "Did you wanna meet up at the park?"

"Sure," said Vincent. "Whatever for?"

"Just a friendly stroll."

"Oh. Good enough for me."

What neither of them realized was that Blossomforth was secretly listening in on their conversation. She smirked quietly to herself.

"Trying to steal my Vincent from me, Sunset?" she asked herself. "Well, not if I get to him first."


The following Friday morning, Vincent came to the park bright and early.

"What a lovely day today," he said. "Now to wait for Sunset." As he was taking in the scenery, he felt someone hug him from behind.

"Hi, Vinny! It's me, your cuddle buddy Blossomforth!"

"Cuddle buddy?!" exclaimed Vincent. "Blossomforth, let go of me!"

"Not until you decide to go out with me and not that bacon-haired bimbo!" retorted Blossomforth.

"It won't happen!" insisted Vincent. "I like you, Blossomforth, as a friend."

"What does she have that I don't?" asked Blossomforth.

"Well, she never has crazy fan-girl moments around me, for one thing!" retorted Vincent.

"But does she have this?" Blossomforth lifted up her shirt until her belly was exposed. Vincent was beginning to blush.

"That's right," giggled Blossomforth. "Sunset may have the curves, but they don't compare to my plump, pillow belly. It's so soft that touching it would feel like kneading a cloud. Go on, Vinny. You know you wanna touch it."

"...No!" said Vincent at last.

"You're no fun!" pouted Blossomforth in disappointment. But then her smile returned. "Then again, you're just so shy." Taking Vincent's hands, she laid them on her belly. "Doesn't that feel nice? And just think about it. In years time, my belly will get bigger... and bigger... and bigger! Then it would be even softer than before. And who knows? Maybe you'll even get to feel our children in here."

Oh man, her belly's so soft... thought Vincent. But this isn't what I want. I have to get away from this girl before she tries to make me feel more than her belly.

Without warning, Vincent pulled his hand away and ran off from the crazy fifteen year old.

"Runaway!" he cried several times, feeling like he was in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

"Come back, my love!" cried Blossomforth, giving chase. Before long, she tackled Vincent to the ground.

Crap, thought Vincent. I'm a dead guy. If Sunset sees this...

Unfortunately...

"Vincent?!"

"Sunset?!"

"Bacon hair?"

Sunset had finally shown up and could not believe what she was seeing. From the looks of it, Vincent and Blossomforth were about to make out.

"Sunset, I can explain-" Vincent began.

"How could you?!" screeched Sunset, tears streaming from her face. "I trusted you! I thought you cared about me! I hate you, Vincent van Colt! Go ahead and be with that Buddha belly girl! I never want to speak to you or see you ever again!" With that, she raced away, crying.

Vincent felt his heart break when he heard Sunset say the words "I hate you" to him. He almost wanted to cry himself, but then he turned angrily toward Blossomforth, who now looked rather nervous.

"Are you proud of yourself?" he asked angrily, yet calmly. "You have just destroyed my friendship with Sunset Shimmer, and for what? Just so you could get a chance at getting in my pants! This is all your fault! I hope you're happy with what you've done." With that, he got off the ground and ran away.

Blossomforth could only look on in guilt. Clearly she had never intended for any of this to happen.

"What have I done?" she whispered.


As Vincent ran, he soon ran into Song Cue.

"Vincent, be careful!" she cried as they nearly fell to the ground. "What's got you in a hurry?" She looked at his face and realized that something must be wrong.

"I was waiting for Sunset in the park," explained Vincent tearfully. "Then Blossomforth came out of nowhere and tried to force herself on me. When Sunset saw it, she blamed me for the incident and wouldn't let me explain what really happened. Then she said she hated me and ran off!"

Song Cue was shocked at what she had heard.

"That's not Sunset at all," she remarked. "But don't worry, Vincent; I will find Sunset for you and try to straighten things out with her."

"Thanks," Vincent sniffled.


In another part of Rainbow Falls, Sunset was sitting on a bench, still crying quietly over what she had just seen in the park.

Why would Vincent do this to me, even after all he did? she thought sadly.

"SUNSET SHIMMER!"

Sunset yelped and stood up almost instantly. Who was it that yelled her name? She looked over and saw Song Cue, not looking happy at all.

"May I have a word with you?" asked Song Cue sternly.

"Um, I suppose so," said Sunset, still slightly shaken. Once Song Cue was close enough, she slapped Sunset hard across the face.

"Ow!" exclaimed Sunset, touching where she'd been hit. "Jeez, Songs! What was that for?!"

"How dare you!" snapped Song Cue. "How dare you break Vincent's heart like that! He saved you from yourself, and how do you thank him? By accusing him of a crime he didn't commit!"

"But... but..." protested Sunset.

"Vincent told me about the incident with Blossomforth," continued Song Cue. "But he told me what actually happened; Blossomforth was trying to force herself onto Vincent, but he was trying to run away from her." Song Cue took several breaths to calm down before speaking again, but this time more gently. "Do you even care about Vincent?"

"I... I do," said Sunset quietly.

"Then why didn't you give him the chance explain what really happened?" asked Song Cue.

Sunset hung her head in shame, the realization coming to her. "Because I was afraid," she admitted quietly. "Deep in my heart, I was afraid that Vincent would fall in love with Blossomforth instead of me. ...Oh, why did I react that way? I'm so stupid!" She buried her face in her hands again.

"No, you're not," said Song Cue comfortingly. "You just didn't think properly and made a mistake. It happens to everyone. But you can make things right."

Sunset gave a sad smile. "Thanks, Song Cue," she said, giving her friend a hug.

"That's what friends are for," smiled Song Cue, returning the hug.


Meanwhile, Vincent had gone back home. He was still upset by what had happened.

"You're home early," remarked Lullaby. "What happened, Vincent?"

"I don't want to talk about it," said Vincent quietly.

"Vincent, I'm your mother," insisted Lullaby. "Whatever it is that's wrong, I'm here to help."

Vincent sighed. He knew his mother was right.

"Okay, mom," he said as he sat next to Lullaby. "It's kind of complicated..."

At that moment, Flash was walking by. Seeing his brother and mother talking on the couch, he decided to hear what they were talking about.

"Sunset asked me to meet her in the park this morning," said Vincent. "But Blossomforth got there before she could and put my hands on her belly."

"She really did that?" asked Lullaby, surprised that it would even happen.

"Yes," said Vincent. "And when I tried to run away, she tackled me to the ground and Sunset walked in on it. She even accused me of being unfaithful and said she hated me." Vincent was nearly crying when he said the last few words. Well, when Flash heard this, he clenched his fist in anger. This was the last straw.

That Shimmer has gone too far this time! he thought angrily. Next time I see her, I'll teach her a lesson she won't forget! He walked away, completely ignoring the rest of the conversation.

"Why didn't she let you explain what really happened?" asked Lullaby.

"I don't know," admitted Vincent. "I feel guilty for this; if I'd arrived later in the day, this might've been avoided. And... can you keep a secret, mom?"

"Of course, Vincent. What is it?"

"I'm in love with her."

"I had a hunch you did," chuckled Lullaby. "My baby's growing up so fast."

"I'm not a baby anymore, mom."

"I know, sweetie," said Lullaby. "But you'll always be my son, and I'm sure Sunset will see the error of her ways and apologize."

"You really think she will?" asked Vincent hopefully.

"That's what a true friend does," said Lullaby.

Just then, Vincent's phone went off. "Oh! I better take this," he said. "Who's it from?" Vincent looked at the caller ID. It read "Sunset Shimmer". Curiously, Vincent answered.

"Hello?"

"V-Vincent?" a slightly shaky voice called from the other end.

"Sunset, is that you?" asked Vincent. "What's wrong?"

"C-could you meet up with me at the old stone bridge near Town Hall?" asked Sunset.

"Sure."

"Thanks. I'll see you then." And she hung up before Vincent had the chance to reply. He looked toward his mother. "Sunset wants to meet me," he said.

"Go to her," said his mother. Nodding, Vincent headed for the door.


Sunset was standing by the bridge leading to Town Hall. It was a stone arch bridge with four wooden supports and a river flowing underneath it. Two wooden bridges also crossed over the river, one on either side of the stone bridge.

"Sunset?"

She looked up and saw Vincent walking towards her.

"You said you wanted to see me," he said. Sunset's mouth quivered, and without warning, she ran up to Vincent and hugged him tightly, sobbing into his chest.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Vincent! I never should have yelled at you. I should have let you explain what was really going on, but I was afraid that you preferred Blossomforth over me. I was so stupid. You have every right to be angry at me."

But to her surprise, she felt Vincent stroking the back of her head, and looked up, her face with soaked with tears.

"Sunset," he said softly, "I don't hate you. I would never hate you. And I don't blame you for over-reacting that way."

"You... you don't?"

"Of course not," said Vincent. "Truth be told, I would have probably panicked like that if it were the other way around. But that's all water under the bridge now."

Sunset wiped her tears and looked into Vincent's eyes. "Vincent? Can I tell you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" he replied. Sunset took a deep breath.

"I l- I love y-" Come on, SunShim; you can do this! she thought. All she had to say were three simple words. Yet why was it so difficult to? But alas...

"I love that we met," she said.

"I'm glad for that too," said Vincent. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be here right now." Sunset nodded. But deep down inside, she was kicking herself for not confessing her true feelings to Vincent. Maybe some other time, she thought. Now doesn't seem appropriate... Right now, she wanted to enjoy her time in Vincent's arms.


AUGUST 3, 2038

The children could not believe the story that had recently been told.

"I can't believe you accused dad like that," commented Dawn.

"I know," sighed Sunset. "I shouldn't have over-reacted that way."

"Whatever happened to Blossomforth after that?"

"She did eventually get over her crush on me," said Vincent. "But that's a story for later."

"Would you look at the time?" remarked Comet. "It's almost ten in the evening!"

"My goodness, how time flies," said Song Cue. By now, Math Equation had logged off from online chat, so Twilight had put her laptop away.

"You remember what tomorrow is, don't you, Flash?" she asked her husband.

"I do indeed," sighed Flash. So did Vincent and Fictionary.

"That day again," said Fictionary quietly.

"The anniversary of the day mom passed away," said Vincent.

"Why did grandma have to die that day?" asked Dusk.

"There's more to her death than what we've said before," explained Flash.

"Can't you tell us?" asked Twilight V. Lullaby's three offspring looked to each other.

"We'll explain everything in the morning," said Vincent gently. "But right now, you need some rest."

"Okay, uncle Vincent," each of Flash's kids said. With that, the children went to bed.

Vincent looked over at his wife, a look of anxiety on his face.

"You really don't want to talk to them about it, do you?" she asked.

"Not exactly," said Vincent. "It just brings back terrible memories. But, they deserve to know. Besides, you were brave enough to tell them about your past."

Sunset nodded and put a comforting hand on Vincent's shoulder. "You're a very brave person, Vincent," she whispered. "That's why I'll always love you." Then the two embraced in a kiss.


FOOTNOTE

Comet Tail was originally with Song Cue when confronting Sunset, but his role ended up being cut as it felt superfluous.