Finally! I'm all caught up once again with Demons Within! Of course, the story is far from finished; there's only seven more chapters before volume two is over, which I hope to finish by spring. Before I get to volume three, I'm thinking of doing a series of short stories called Untold Tales from Rainbow Falls as well as a Christmas special. It's essentially the series' equivalent to Past Masters.

Sub-Volume 5 - Demons Within

Chapter 7 - I'll Still Love You (Starr, 1976)

FEBRUARY 7, 2016

Vincent was sitting on a bench at the park. It had barely been a day since the bombshell dropped about him being the father to Aria Blaze's unborn child, so he figured that maybe a few hours at the park would help to clear his mind. It wasn't snowing, but it was still quite cold outside.

"That's winter for you," he sighed as he strolled along. "Still, it's peaceful."

Just then, he came across Sandbar and his friends in a snowball fight. Along with them were Silverstream's younger brother Terramar and Gallus' younger sister Gabby.

"Sandbar not catch Yona!" Yona giggled as she tried to hide behind a tree.

"Oh, yes I will!" He tossed the snowball, but it hit Silverstream by mistake.

"That's funny," said Vincent, observing the scene. "Yona and Sandbar, together? But what happened between him and Blossomforth?" He was about to find out, as within a minute, he came across Blossomforth taking a quiet stroll through the park herself.

"Hey, Vincent," greeted Blossomforth. "How are you doing?"

"Not great," Vincent admitted. "Have you heard about what happened?"

"Uh, no," said Blossomforth. "What's going on?" Vincent explained to her about how he'd been unknowingly raped by Aria Blaze whilst he had been drunk and had gotten her pregnant, as well as what led to the incident.

Blossomforth's breath caught in her throat. "No..."

"I wish I was making this up," sighed Vincent.

"Not even I was that desperate," said Blossomforth.

"I know," sighed Vincent.

"She needs to be locked up for life!" Blossomforth growled.

"I'm just worried that the baby may have to spend it's childhood in prison," sighed Vincent. "It's not their fault their mother took advantage of me."

"That's true," said Blossomforth. "Maybe when the baby is born, he or she could be sent back to relatives of the mother."

"Well, Aria does have two half-sisters," said Vincent.

"The baby should be fine then," said Blossomforth. "I just hope Aria can be brought to justice."

"Likewise," said Vincent. "How have you been going by the way?"

"Well, not sure if you know, but... Sandbar and I are no longer a thing," Blossomforth sighed. "I could just see he had a much more lasting relationship with Yona. They've known each other, plus Silverstream, Gallus, Ocellus and Smolder, since elementary school."

"I kinda guessed that was the case," said Vincent, looking back over at Sandbar and Yona. Although they were quite far away by this point, Vincent could see that the pair were now cuddling on a nearby bench. "You think you'll be alright, Blossomforth?"

"I will be," said Blossomforth. "In the end, Sandbar was just a fling, and I know he and Yona will have a bright future together."

"I know someone will come along in your life," said Vincent. "Don't give up."

"Thanks, Vincent," said Blossomforth. "You're a good friend. Is there anything I can do to calm you down after all this?"

"Well... do you think I could play with your belly?" Vincent asked. Blossomforth blushed and giggled. This was probably the first time Vincent had ever asked permission to play with her belly. She looked around to make sure nobody was looking.

"Here you go," she said, lifting up her shirt and coat, exposing her big belly. Vincent got down on one knee and then hugged Blossomforth's belly. Then he began to tickle her belly and poke a finger inside her navel.

"V-Vinny!" Blossomforth giggled. "That tickles!"

"You know something, Blossomforth?" Vincent commented. "Your belly is like a therapeutic pillow."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, by feeling how soft and cuddly it is," Vincent explained, "my stresses and worries seem to be going away a tad. I almost want to ask Sunset if you'd like to be part of a harem with us."

"A harem?" Blossomforth giggled. "That would be rather fun. Though at the moment, I'm trying out something different."

"Like what?" asked Vincent.

"Like... dating girls."

Vincent was rather surprised. "I thought you liked guys," he said.

"Oh, I do," Blossomforth insisted. "But I guess I like dating girls too."

"So... you're bi then?" asked Vincent.

"No I'm not. I'm Blossomforth."

"I know that," chuckled Vincent, "but what I meant was that you're attracted to both sexes."

"Ooooooh," said Blossomforth, understanding what Vincent was talking about.

"Well, I'd better get going," said Vincent. "Take care."

"You too, Vincent," said Blossomforth.

Vincent started to head off, feeling much better about talking to a friend. He hadn't got far in setting off again when Sandbar, Yona and the rest of the group noticed him.

"Hey, Vincent!" greeted Ocellus. "Lovely day for a winter stroll."

"I suppose it is, Ocellus," said Vincent.

"What have you been up to?" asked Smolder.

"Well, I just saw Blossomforth," said Vincent.

"She's not upset about us separating, is she?" asked Sandbar.

"No, it didn't seem like it to me," said Vincent. "Sandbar, is there a bit more as to why things didn't work between you two?"

"Well, the flame was there," said Sandbar, "but it slowly started to fizzle out, and then when was hanging out with Yona during that time, I realized that I felt more... at home with her."

"That makes sense," said Vincent.

"Did Blossomforth have luck finding partner?" asked Yona.

"No, not yet," said Vincent. "I'm not sure who she's got her sights on though."

"I'm sure she will find someone out there," said Silverstream. "We'll keep our eyes open to see if she does."

"Thanks, everyone," said Vincent. He continued his walk around the park, but his thoughts changed to those of Sunset. She said she had gone to the local cafe to clear her head yesterday, and had gone back to her place without talking to him.

"Maybe I should check on Sunset and see if she's okay," said Vincent. He got his phone out and rang Sunset's house.

"Hello?" came Celestia's voice on the phone.

"Hi, is Sunset there?" asked Vincent.

"Yes, she's at home, Vincent," replied Celestia. There was a brief silence on the phone as Sunset picked it up.

"You wanted to speak with me?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah," said Vincent. "Did you get some clear thoughts at the cafe?"

"I did," said Sunset. "I met this girl named Bon Bon. She... used to be Lyra's girlfriend."

"She did?" asked Vincent, surprised at what he'd heard.

"Yeah," Sunset replied. "I didn't expect Lyra to be bisexual, considering she kept on trying to ask random male students to the Fall Formal at school."

"Did she ask any other girls besides Bon Bon?" asked Vincent.

"Not that I recall," said Sunset. "Not that I cared about Lyra anyway."

"Or anyone for that matter," Vincent chuckled.

"Indeed. Comet's family relationships have improved a lot since Lyra died," said Sunset.

"That's true," said Vincent. "Maybe we should get to know Comet's siblings better and invite Bon Bon on a group outing someday."

"Those are great ideas," said Sunset. "And... being around Bon Bon helped me to realize something else."

"What was it?" asked Vincent. Sunset paused for a moment, remembering what Bon Bon said before they left the cafe.

"If someone truly loves you, they wouldn't mind if you're straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans or anything like that."

"Vincent..." she announced, "I'm... bisexual."

At first, Vincent didn't say anything. He'd known Sunset his entire life, but this was news to him. He imagined Sunset sleeping in bed with another girl and surprisingly, the thought didn't bother him at all. If anything, it kind of excited him.

"Vincent?" Sunset asked when she didn't hear a reply. "You don't... hate me for that, right?"

"What?" cried Vincent, regaining his senses. "Hate you? Never!"

"Oh, good," said Sunset. "I didn't admit I was bi because I was worried how you would have reacted."

"Never be afraid to admit something like that, Sunset," said Vincent. "Rarity also said she was bisexual, Trixie and Cherry Crash are dating, my aunts Holiday and Lofty are married, it's totally okay."

"You're right," Sunset agreed. "I guess I was being a bit silly. Bon Bon is also a lesbian, but hasn't found a new partner yet."

"Nor has Blossomforth," said Vincent. "In fact, I was speaking with her earlier."

"I figured Sandbar and Blossomforth wouldn't work out in the end," said Sunset. "He and Yona seemed to share better chemistry."

"Yes, I saw them cuddling earlier," said Vincent. Sunset was quiet for a moment, thinking about how both Blossomforth and Bon Bon had lost their relationships.

"Maybe Bon Bon and Blossomforth can become friends over this experience," said Sunset.

"Maybe," said Vincent, "but how do we get them to interact? I don't think they've ever met, and heck, we never saw Bon Bon at Canterlot High, did we?"

"She went to Crystal Prep," Sunset explained, "and just because they haven't met doesn't mean we can't introduce them."

"Right," said Vincent. "Like I said, we just got to figure out how."

"Why don't I go to where you are and we'll talk about a plan?" asked Sunset.

"I was kinda thinking somewhere warmer," said Vincent, "mostly because I can't stand being out in the cold for a long time."

"Okay," chuckled Sunset. "Where's the nearest public building you can go into? I'll meet you there."

"The Sweet Shoppe's not too far from where I'm standing," said Vincent.

"Okay, catch you there," said Sunset. Sandbar and his friends had overheard bits of the conversation from Vincent's end.

"Who is this Bon Bon, I wonder?" asked Silverstream.

"You got me right there," Gallus shrugged.

"Never saw her at Canterlot High, or any school we went to for that matter," Smolder commented.

"They were talking about Blossomforth too," said Ocellus. Then she gave a giggle of excitement. "Maybe they are trying to get Blossomforth and Bon Bon together."

"That would be so sweet," said Silverstream. "Maybe they need help with that! I'm on board for a bit of matchmaking!"

"I have got to see this too," said Gabby. "Count me in!"

"I'm not sure, guys," said Gallus. "It sounds like a bit of a stretch. How will we know if they will get together?"

"Yona think it worth try," Yona perked up. "Blossomforth and Bon Bon deserve second chance at love."

"Well... I think we could give it a shot," said Sandbar.

"So, how are we supposed to help them get together?" asked Terramar. "It's winter, so a picnic is kinda out of the question."

"Maybe they can go ice-skating," Ocellus suggested. "The pond is frozen over really thick."

"But we don't know what size ice-skates to get," sighed Smolder.

"I know!" said Gabby. "Why don't we bake some sweets for them? Blossomforth loves her food."

"That sounds like something we can do," said Gallus, hugging his sister.

"Terramar's and my mom loves cooking," Silverstream smiled. "Come on, let's go to her house."

Down at the Sweet Shoppe, Sunset had finally walked in. She was pleasantly surprised to see two young figures helping their parents with the baking.

"Sunset!" smiled Pumpkin as she was putting some toppings on a cake with her mom. "Nice to see you."

"Hey, Pumpkin," smiled Sunset. "You're growing up quickly."

"What about me?" asked Pound Cake.

"You are too, Pound," chuckled Sunset, seeing Pumpkin's twin rush out to get some sweets to decorate some cupcakes with his dad.

"It's hard to believe they are now old enough to do simple tasks in here," came a voice from a nearby table.

"There you are, Vincent," said Sunset. "And yeah, it seemed like yesterday when they were just babies watching people talk and eat." Both of them chuckled as Sunset took a seat next to Vincent and they started to get to business.

"Bon Bon really had some bad luck falling for Lyra," said Vincent.

"She sure did," said Sunset. "And while Blossomforth set her eyes on good people, she didn't really think through her choices."

"No, not at all," said Vincent. "But hopefully third time will be the charm."

"We'll need to get them to meet up here so they can talk one-on-one," said Sunset.

"Plus, there's only a week until Valentine's Day," said Vincent. "Hopefully that'll be enough time to figure out how to get them to interact."

"We can figure it out," said Sunset. "Too bad the four of us sans Blossomforth are out of school right now; otherwise, we could have set it up there."

"Doesn't she graduate this June?" asked Vincent.

"She does, with many of our other friends," said Sunset. "Pinkie is especially excited to get out of high school so she can join us at college."

"I bet she will be bouncing around the hall when everyone's names had been called out and the after party starts," chuckled Vincent.

"Thankfully we're in the real world and not a cartoon," said Sunset.

"Right," laughed Vincent before clearing his throat. "Anyway, do you know where Bon Bon lives?"

"Well... no," Sunset admitted. "I never got to ask for her address."

"That's going to make things a bit tougher..." sighed Vincent.

"But I do know that when she's at her house at college, she's roommates with Ringo and this girl named Autumn Blaze," Sunset put in.

"Well, that narrows things down a bit," said Vincent.

"Maybe Ringo knows where Bon Bon lives," Sunset suggested.

"We should ask him," said Vincent.

"Looking for me?" asked a voice. Vincent and Sunset looked over to see Ringo coming in the door of the Sweet Shoppe.

"Oh, hey there, Ringo," said Sunset. "We were just talking about Bon Bon."

"You've met her?" asked Ringo. "When?"

"Yesterday," explained Sunset.

"Ah, I see," Ringo nodded. "She's a good sort."

"We were hoping to get her to come here," said Vincent. "Do you know where she lives?"

"Well, she has moved into a house in town when she's not at the college house," said Ringo. "It's not far from my place actually."

Ringo paused for a moment, seeing that Vincent and Sunset were grinning at each other. "What have you two been doing?" Sunset quickly explained the plan to Ringo.

"Now, that's very interesting," said Ringo. "I'm almost certain Blossomforth is straight though because she's never shown interest in girls to my knowledge. But they could become friends."

"She came out as bisexual to me," Vincent explained.

"I see," said Ringo. "Well, maybe they do stand a chance. Come on, let's go get Bon Bon and Blossomforth."

Ringo went to get Bon Bon while Sunset and Vincent went off to find Blossomforth.

Soon, Vincent and Sunset got to Blossomforth's house.

"Blossmforth?" Sunset knocked on the door.

"Hey, Sunset. Oh, Vincent," she said upon opening. "Seeing you twice in one day. This is a surprise."

"Yeah, I know," said Vincent. "But we just found out something happening at the Sweet Shoppe."

"What is it?" asked Blossomforth.

"They are giving away free samples," Sunset said quickly.

"Samples?!" cried Blossomforth. "Yum! Let's go!" She started to race off.

"It doesn't take much for her to get moving," said Vincent.

"No, it doesn't," agreed Sunset. "We better catch up in case she hurts herself."

"Good plan."

Meanwhile, Silverstream and Terramar had brought their friends to their house and were baking away in the kitchen with Ocean Flow.

"You guys have learned quite a lot from cooking class," Ocean Flow smiled.

"Well, Terramar and I had you to learn from, so we're a bit ahead," grinned Silverstream.

"Well, there's that," chuckled Ocean Flow.

"You should see what mom makes on the holidays," said Terramar to his friends. "She makes the best pineapple fritters."

"That sounds really nice," said Sandbar. "Now I'm hungry for fritters."

"If you guys like," said Ocean Flow, "once we do this, I can make some pineapple fritters for you."

"I'd like that," said Smolder.

"Thanks, Miss Flow," smiled Ocellus.

"Not a problem, Ocellus," she replied.

Not too far away, Ringo had just knocked on Bon Bon's door.

"Hey, Ringo," she greeted. "Good to see you."

"Hello, Bon Bon," said Ringo. "I just wanted to tell you that there's some food samples down at the Sweet Shoppe."

"There are?" asked Bon Bon.

"Yep," replied Ringo. "Come on." Little did Ringo, Vincent and Sunset know was that there was some truth to the lie that they made up...

"Okay, we're all done," said Gabby.

"Where did you find a nice scone recipe like that?" asked Ocean Flow to Gabby and Gallus.

"Well, there was an old friend of ours from school, Gilda," explained Gallus. "She helped us to make and perfect the recipe."

"Wasn't she a friend of Rainbow Dash?" asked Smolder.

"There was a brief point in time where they were not friends," admitted Gabby. "Gilda resorted to bullying some students in middle school."

"Why?" asked Sandbar.

"We're not 100% sure on the details," said Gallus. "Maybe she ended up with bad parents or something."

"I still don't understand why people mistreat their kids," sighed Ocean Flow. "They should be treated with love and kindness, not bad names."

"Is anyone of age to drive?" asked Gabby.

"Trying to trick us, are you Gabby?" giggled Silverstream. "We've all got our licences by now."

"Actually, it's only me, Sandbar and Gallus," explained Ocellus.

"I think you tricked yourself, sis," chuckled Terramar.

Silverstream just blushed in embarrassment. "Er, yes, just testing..."

"Let's load these up and get a move on," said Smolder, already grabbing one of the containers with the food.

"I hope we can get there in time," said Ocellus, quickly following suit.

"Yona call Vincent about news." Yona got out her phone and quickly rang.

Vincent was about halfway to the Sweet Shoppe with Sunset and Blossomforth.

"Oh, that's mine," he said. "Hello, who is this?"

"Yona speaking, Vincent," came the reply.

"Yona?" asked Vincent in surprise. "What's going on?"

"Oh, Yona and friends wanted to lend hand with getting Blossomforth and Bon Bon together," she explained.

"You overheard what Sunset and I were talking about on the phone?" Vincent asked in surprise. Now this complicates things a bit, he thought worriedly.

"It work out. Trust Yona," she said in her ever cheerful voice. "Friends work super hard."

"Okay, Yona, if you say so," said Vincent. "Thanks for telling me."

"What's up, Vincent?" asked Blossomforth.

"Oh, nothing," Vincent shrugged. Sunset wanted to ask Vincent what was happening herself but decided it wouldn't be wise to do so with Blossomforth in tow.

"That Yona is always up for a conversation, isn't she?" Sunset commented.

"She sure is," nodded Blossomforth.

Meanwhile, Ringo and Bon Bon were about halfway to the Sweet Shoppe themselves.

"How has Brawly Beats been doing with his new daughter with Twinkleshine?" asked Bon Bon.

"All three of them are doing fantastic," said Ringo. "Little Lemon Roll is becoming very inquisitive about life around here."

"As all babies should be," chuckled Bon Bon.

"All the same," said Ringo, "I'm worried about how it's affecting him. I mean, he doesn't exactly have the most self-control when it comes to his impulses."

"She does have Twinkleshine," said Bon Bon. "From what you mentioned about her, she sounds like a good mother."

"You're right there, Bon Bon," said Ringo. "And Lemon Hearts' legacy shall live on..." He sighed before continuing. "I hope Autumn Leaves gets better over the loss of his girlfriend. He's been taking it pretty hard."

"He hasn't cracked a smile in six months," agreed Bon Bon.

"We'll have to look into cheering him up," sighed Ringo.

At that moment, unknown to Blossomforth or Bon Bon, the Young Eight arrived with Ocean Flow.

"Okay, let's get this set up," said Ocellus.

"I bet they will really connect over this," said Silverstream, getting one of the containers out.

"I hope so too," said Smolder.

"Who wouldn't want a nice chat over a treat?" Sandbar smiled, getting out some of the cupcakes that were baked.

"That's so true," said Gabby. "If there are any leftover, maybe our families could share them."

"That's a good idea," said Sandbar. "I'm sure Beach Comb would give anything to pinch one of these."

As Blossomforth, Vincent and Sunset approached the Sweet Shoppe, Blossomforth could smell something really good.

"You weren't kidding about the samples," smiled Blossomforth. "Come on, let's go get some!" She sprinted ahead of the other two, leaving Sunset to turn to Vincent with a questioning look.

"What did Yona ring you about, exactly?" asked Sunset.

"She said she wanted to help us get Blossomforth and Bon Bon together," Vincent explained. "But she was vague on the details."

"Guess we're about to find out," said Sunset as the two carried on their way. The three of them soon got to the Sweet Shoppe.

"Oh, wow!" cried Blossomforth when she saw the Young Eight. "You guys all worked on this?"

"We sure did," said Gabby.

"Ooh, could I please have one of the scones?" asked Blossomforth.

"Sure," said Gallus, giving her one, and told her about Gilda's involvement with the recipe.

"Really, I never knew she had a soft spot for you two," said Blossomforth as she bit into her scone.

"Whoa, nice stall you made!" came Bon Bon's voice.

"Thanks," said Yona. "Yona assume you Bon Bon?"

"That's my name," said Bon Bon.

"And, you mentioned your name was Yona. What about the rest of you?"

"Oh, my name is Sandbar," he said and quickly gestured toward his friends. "That's Silverstream, her brother Terramar, Gallus, his adoptive sister Gabby, Smolder and Ocellus." The group gave cheerful waves to Bon Bon.

"So you're this mystery Bon Bon I've been hearing so much about," said Blossomforth. "My name is Blossomforth."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," said Bon Bon. "I can't believe there's so many goodies here."

"Yeah, I wish to get recipes like these myself," said Blossomforth. "Do you like cooking?"

"I sure do," said Bon Bon.

"Maybe we can cook down at my house together," said Blossomforth. "My mom knows a lot of recipes herself."

"So does my dad and my sister," said Bon Bon, "Ooh, this will be great!"

"Well," said Ringo, strolling to his friends, "I think it's safe to say this went better than we could have ever thought."

"Not to mention with some unexpected help," said Sunset, giving a quick wink to the Young Eight. "Guess there was a bit of truth to what we said after all."

"Talk about becoming the mask," agreed Vincent.

AUGUST 10, 2038

"That's one way to play matchmaker," said Dawn.

"It sure was," said Vincent. "Plus, it helped me to forget that I'd been taken advantage of."

"Oh yeah, and whatever did happen to Aria Blaze and our other cousin?" asked Dusk. "Aria was arrested, but you didn't tell us anymore about it."

"Yeah, last I saw her," said Dawn, "she wasn't in jail."

"Well, that's a story for later," said Sunset to her daughter.

"Did things work out for Blossomforth and Bon Bon?" asked Twilight V.

"They sure did," said Vincent.

"And what about Autumn Leaves?" asked Violet Glow. "Did he find love again?"

"He did," said Twilight. "With Electric Sky, of all people. She was fed up with spending time with her lazy boyfriend Ponet and wanted to change her own ways."

"Wow..." gasped Dusk. "Surprise ending, mom."

"I don't know about you," said Flash, "but it's getting late and I'm tired. Let's tell some more stories tomorrow."

"That's a good idea," yawned Vincent. "Let's all turn in for the night."

Everyone started to retreat to their own rooms, the kids utterly curious as to what may have happened to Aria Blaze and her then-unborn child.

FOOTNOTES

The original plan for the chapter and the last one was for Sunset and Vincent to get into a fight because Sunset thought Vincent cheated on her on purpose, but we ended up with both of them (rightfully) pinning the blame on Aria instead. Besides, after the last few chapters, we needed something more light hearted.

Though not mentioned anywhere, Gallus and Silverstream have gotten together by now as well as Terramar and Ocellus.