Preparations For The Galla Pt. 2
Celestia: Hello everyone. Celestia here. Ranma and the girls couldn't do the intro today because Rarity is trying to teach Ranma, Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie some etiquette for the big Galla coming up. And I know she'll be able to "whip" them into shape. Right? Right?...Um...well...cue the opening credits!
*Tonight, Tonight, Tonight*
[Ranma look up at the night sky as the sun begins to rise and the song starts to play. As the song starts, Ranma looks to see Sunset, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie jumped out from behind him.]
Woke up with yawn. It's dawning, I'm still alive
Turned on my radio to start up new day
As goddamned DJs chatter how to survive
Amazing news got over on the air wave
[Ranma starts reminiscing about his life up to when he got to Canterlot]
Tonight, love is rationed
Tonight, across the nation
Tonight, love infects worldwide
Almost another day
[Ranma gets up and charges into the sun rise. As he does, Master Asia appears and grins as he and Ranma prepare to spar.]
Woke up with yawn. It's dawning, im still alive
Turned down my radio to start up new day
As goddamned DJs chattered how to survive
Amazing news got over on the air wave
[Ranma smiles at the girls as he scratches his head]
Almost another day
[Ranma and all his friends are gazing at the stars in the night sky]
She's a shooting star, good night, good night
She's a shooting star, good bye
[The camera zooms in on Ranma as he smiles at a bunch of shooting stars]
See you some other day
We open up on Ranma, sitting in a chair with his arms crossed as he glares at the chalk board in front of him, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie as they wait for Rarity to come out of her walk in closet. Ranma blew some hair out of his face as he just sat there and mumbled to himself.
"What am I even doing here?" Ranma said to no one in particular. "Every ounce of my instincts told me to turn around and run for it, 5 blocks away from here."
"Aw cool it, will ya?" Rainbow said with a huff. "If we have to go through this crap, then so do you."
Ranma growled at her as he looked around. Applejack was just chilling and filing her nails while Pinkie was just bouncing in her seat. Suddenly, the closet door opened up and out came Rarity in, wearing a tight and white dress shirt with a few of the buttons undone to show off her bust, a purple blazer over it, a tight black skirt and pantyhose with black high heels. And to top off the look, she was wearing pair of stylish black rimmed glasses.
"Good morning class." She said as she strutted over to the blackboard. Ranma couldn't help but blush at the outfit Rarity was wearing. As for Pinkie...
"I'M HOT FOR TEACHER!" Pinkie said as her tung hanged out of her mouth. Rarity took a spray bottle from her desk and sprayed Pinkie in the face.
Pinkie cringed back as the cold water spray got her in the face and waved her hands in front of her face in a vain attempt to ward off the spray in a similar fashion to a dog. She even whimpered like dog.
"Well, now that I have your attention," Rarity said as she put spray bottle back on the desk. "I'd like to welcome you all to 'Rarity's Etiquette 101'."
"Eti-what?" Ranma asked with a tilt of his head.
"Who said something about something edible?" Pinkie said. Rarity growled at the two of them.
"No, not edible, etiquette." She said back at them.
"Oh..." Ranma and Pinkie said.
"What's that?" Pinkie asked.
"Yeah, what is that?" Ranma echoed. Rarity growled again.
"Huggghhh. What that means is that I am going to teach you proper manners, diction, and how to properly comport yourself at a high society affair." She said with an elegant wave of her hands.
"Huh?" Ranma, Rainbow and Pinkie said at the same time. Rarity pinched her nose in frustration.
"She's going to teach us how to talk all fancy like." Applejack said.
"Ooooohhhhhhhh." The three said in understanding. Rarity cleared her throat before she continued.
"Now then, first we shall discuss how to properly speak when attending a big social party like the Galla."
"Um, Rarity?" Ranma interrupted. "We already know how to talk." Rarity glared at the pigtailed boy.
"Ranma, I know you were raised on the road and don't have much in the way of common sense. But what I mean is, when at a big social party like the Galla, you don't talk like you do in public."
"I don't?" Ranma asked. Rarity nodded.
"No. When at an event like this, you must use the proper vocal etiquette." She said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"So, what you're basically saying is that, when we go to this party, we're all going to have to talk like you?" He asked. Rarity smiled.
"Yes. Exactly." She answered. At that, Ranma got up and tried to walk out the door. But Rainbow Dash was faster and dragged him back to his seat.
"Oh no you don't!" She said. "I told you, if we're stuck going through this crap, then you're goin to suffer along with us."
Ranma glared at his friend and student. Rarity shook her head. Why was Ranma making this so difficult?
"Look, Ranma, it's not that hard. Look, I'll show you, it's so simple even Pinkie Pie can do it."
"Yeah! Because I'm simple!" Pinkie said with her usual smile. Rarity cleared her throat as she stood in front of Pinkie.
"Now, Pinkie darling, pretend I am a person at the Galla who wishes to engage in conversation with you."
"Ok." Pinkie said.
"Now: How do you do, Ms. Pie?" Rarity said in, to Ranma at least, what sounded like a more pompous version of her usual accent.
"Howdy!" Pinkie said with a big smile. Rarity glared at her friend.
"NO PINKIE!" She said. "Uugh...Don't say 'howdy', you must say 'How do you do' or 'Good evening' to someone at a Galla. Don't talk to them like they're some chump off the street. These people are not the kind of people you can just chat up like people at a bar or at school. You must address everyone with the same kind of curtesy that you'd show royalty."
"Oooohhh. Okay! Redo." Pinkie said. Rarity cleared her throat again.
"How do you do, Ms. Pie?" Rarity asked again.
"Oh, fabulous!" Pinkie said, imitating Rarity's accent. "I just got off the airplane from Whales and I've just heard form my cousin, the Duke of Winsor, that momsy is going to be remarrying a prince in the next week or so."
Pinkie stifled a giggle at her own joke, as did Rainbow and Applejack. Rarity glared at Pinkie but Ranma just kept looking bored out of his mind.
"You're cousin may be a Winsor, but I still say this party is going to be a 'loser' fest." Ranma said. Rarity glared at the boy.
"I'm going to hurt you if you don't take this seriously." Ranma looked back at his beautiful friend and did a raspberry at her.
"I'd like to see you try."
"OK, that's enough!" Applejack said, getting in between the two friends who looked like they were about to come to blows.
"Ranma, look, I agree this is a little bit too rich for our blood, and honestly I'll be too busy selling my wears to even get into any hoi polloi, fancy pants talk. But the least you could do is try to learn something for Rarity's sake."
Ranma glared at Applejack, then took a deep breath, exhaled and looked back towards Rarity.
"Alright." He said, resining himself to his fate. "But just so you know, I'm only doing this because you're my friend Rarity."
"Very well then." She says as she took a deep breath of her own.
"Now, let's get back to business." Rarity said as she strutted back to the blackboard.
"Now then, Ranma, pretend that we're at the Galla and I am a debutant you are talking to."
"Ok, I'll try." Ranma said as he sat up straight. Rarity cleared her throat and placed a hand over her chest.
"So, Ranma, tell me what are your goals in life?" Rarity asked.
"Oh, well, I'm hoping to open up my own martial arts school, and continue the legacy my master left." Ranma said with a genuine smile. Rarity slapped her face.
"Ranma, can you NOT talk about martial arts AT ALL!?" She asked in a fit of rage. Ranma leaned back in his chair, slightly frightened by his friend's scary face.
"Hey, you asked me about my goals for the future, and I answered. It's not like I was lying." Ranma said, trying to defend himself.
"Well what did ya expect him to say Rarity? That he was going to open up a hair salon?" Applejack asked the purple hair fashionista.
"She's got you there, Rars." Rainbow said in agreement.
"(Sigh) I can't believe I'm going to say this Ranma, but when someone at the Galla talks to you, just lie!" Rarity said to the pigtailed boy.
"Lie?" Ranma asked in honest confusion. "I thought you women never wanted a man to lie?" Ranma asked the angry fashionista.
"In this case, I'll make an exception. If someone asks you anything about your ambitions for the future, just say you want to to go into the bodyguard business." Rarity said, trying to regain he composer. Ranma took a deep breath and sighed.
"Ok, let's try again." He said as Rarity cleared her throat.
"So Ranma, tell me, what are your goals in life?"
"Well, I think I might want to get into the security business." Ranma answered as politely as he could.
"Oh really?" Rarity asked in mock surprise.
"Yeah, it was my friends idea and I just went along so she'd shut up about it." Ranma said as with a chuckle. Rarity glared at him while the others giggled at how Ranma turned the tables on Rarity.
"Sorry, sorry. I just couldn't resist." Ranma said between laughs.
"Urgh!" Rarity said, massaging her temples. "Let's just move on." She said as she looked towards Pinkie.
"Ok Pinkie, let's give you a try." She said as she managed to calm down.
"OK!" Pinkie said with a smile.
"So, Ms. Pie, tell me what do you aspire to in life?"
"Well, I think I'll become a famous pastry chef." Pinkie said with an honest smile.
"I see. Will they be sugar free confections?" Rarity asked. And immediately regrated it. Pinkie's eye started twitching as she started grinding her teeth, smoke coming from her ears.
"You...FOOL!" Rainbow Dash said as she dived under Rarity's bed.
"What have you done!?" Applejack said as she ran out the door and braced herself against it. Ranma just sat there scratching his head. But then he looked over to Pinkie and gulped.
"Sugar...FREE!?" Pinkie screamed as fire shot from her eyes. Rarity gulped.
"Uh oh...RANMA! SAVE ME!" She screamed as she jumped into Ranma's arms.
"AAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Pinkie screamed as she literally exploded. Ranma opened his eyes to see Pinkie standing in the middle of a distroid pile of clothes Rarity was working on. She panted as she calmed down.
"Whoa..." Was all Ranma could say. Rarity gripped him tightly as she saw her friend calm down and turn back to the smiling Pinkie Pie she knew and loved.
"Heh heh. Oops, sorry about that guys. But Rarity, you've known me long enough to know how I get when someone asks me about making sugar free sweets." Pinkie said. Rainbow Dash came out from under Rarity's bed and looked at the fashionista.
"Yeah Rarity, what where you trying to do, get us all killed?" She asked the purple haired girl. Rarity just looked at her two friends and giggled sheepishly.
"Heh heh...oops. Forgot. Sorry." She said. Ranma and the others just glared at her. They turned their heads as they heard the door open and Applejack stuck her head in.
"Is it safe to come in?" She asked.
"Yeah, it's safe." Ranma said then turned to Rarity who was still in his arms.
"But I'm not sure it is for her at the moment." He said with a glare. Rarity gulped and got back to her feet.
"Um, let's put a pause on conversations and skip to the culinary arts, shall we?" She said with a nervous smile.
"What did you say about colons?" Ranma asked. As the others laughed, Rarity looked like she was about to try to kill Ranma. Applejack butted in, however and explained in simple words.
"Not colon, culinary. It means food." She told him.
"OH!" Ranma said, finally getting it. "Why didn't you just say so?"
Rarity was about at her wits end with the pigtailed boy. But swallowed her anger and went to the bell to ring for her butler.
"You called, madam?" He asked.
"Yes Geoffory, we're ready to begin the food portion of their lesson." She told the man. He nodded.
"Yes ma'am." He said as he went to retrieve the food that was prepared for the lesson. As he wheeled it in, Ranma, Pinkie and Rainbow all were rubbing their hands in anticipation of the grub they were going to eat.
Geoffory came back with a cart full of treys. The three students of madame Rarity looked eagerly at the treys that would soon feed their empty bellies.
"Brunch is served. Enjoy." Geoffory said as he removed the lids of the treys. What awaited our young friends was not what they had in mind.
"What in the heck is this crud?" Ranma asked with a disgusted look on his face.
"A sample of what might be served at the Galla. A serving of pâté de foie gras, followed by escargot and coq au vin in a Roquefort." Rarity answered with a smile. Ranma, Rainbow and Pinkie just looked at her with blank eyes.
"Huh?" They all asked her.
"Liver, snails and chicken with mold." Applejack answered for her high society friend.
"WHAT!?" They all gasped.
"I thought you said we were going to eat some food Rarity, not the crap that food eats." Rainbow Dash shouted at the purple haired girl. Rarity glared at her friends.
"Well, this is what you should expect from high society." She said. Ranma cleared his throat.
"Here's an idea. Why don't we all just eat before we go?" He said.
"I believe young master Ranma has the right idea. I'll even prepare something for you if you would prefer." Geoffory said. Rarity huffed at her friends and sighed.
"I guess we'll just skip this one too." She said as she reached for one of the hors d'oeuvres only to find Pinkie munching down on them. Ranma, Rainbow and Applejack and even Rarity all looked back at Pinkie in shock. Pinkie just looked at them as she swallowed.
"What?" She asked.
"You actually like that stuff?" Ranma asked. Pinkie just smiled at her male friend.
"Why wouldn't I? Food is food. And trust me, it's a heck of a lot better than any sugar free sweets."
Ranma scratched the back of his head as he just accepted yet another crazy thing about his pink friend. Rarity smiled, happy that at least one of her friends was willing to try some food from the higher class of life.
"Well, moving on." She said as she munched on some of the food herself. "Why don't we circle back to how to address people at the Galla."
Ranma sighed. Rainbow blew out some air as she slumped back into her chair.
"Jeeze Rarity, I really don't think we need to know this kind of stuff. I mean, the only reason I'm eve going to this big, fancy shmancy party is so I can meet the Wonder Bolts!" Rainbow Dash said with stars in her eyes.
"Yeah, and something tells me that a bunch of hot shot airplane acrobats are not going to be all that impressed with fancy manners and what not." Ranma added in.
"And to be fair," Applejack said as she sat up in her seat. "I'm only going so I can sell my home-made apple foods."
"Even still," Rarity said. "I do believe learning how to address these high society people will help you sell more of your wears, believe me." Applejack shrugged.
"Well okay." She said. "Teach away."
Time went by as Rarity continued to teach her friends the dos and don'ts of high society parties. Applejack actually tried to learn, Pinkie just smiled and nodded along with whatever Rarity said, but Rainbow and Ranma just sat around bored out of their minds. But then, Ranma was so bored that when Rarity came to him for verbal etiquette, he actually tried to mess up, just to get a rise out of Rarity.
"How do you do, Mr. Ranma?" She said.
"S'up?" He said as he laid back in his chair. Rarity was really tired of glaring at him.
"You really just don't want to blend in do you?" She asked.
"It really took you this long to figure that out?" Ranma asked her sarcastically.
"Look Rars," He said sitting up. "I'm just not really into being some mindless robot that blends in with the crowd. I'm...I'm Aladdin."
"Is that your middle name?" Pinkie asked. Ranma shook his head.
"No, it's an analogy. I'm a street rat. Only unlike Aladdin, I'm not really interested in being on the inside looking out like he was. I'm fine being on the outside of the palace because I just don't like rich snobs. Present company excluded." He quickly added.
"Fine. How about this, you can just be the muscle of our little group. And, if anyone messes with us, I'll let you scare the tar out of them." Rarity said.
Ranma looked up to his fashion forward friend.
"You mean that? Really? You'll let me scare some of those high-class idiots?" He asked with a smile and a devious glint in his eyes. Rarity grinned at this. Finally, she had something that grabbed his attention.
"Oh, so now you pay attention?" She said with a smirk. Ranma gave her a mean look but then just laughed it off.
"Sorry." Was all he said. Deciding to take all that she was going to get from the martial artist, Rarit shook her head and decided to continue with her lesson.
"Well, I suppose it's time to move on to the last thing on the agenda." She said, smoothing out her skirt.
"And...what would that be?" Applejack asked with a skeptical look. Rarity just smirked.
"Well, it's time to learn the art...of DANCE!" Rarity said dramatically while striking a pose. Ranma's eyes went wide as dread crept over him.
"Um...dance?" He asked.
"OH FUN!" Pinkie said jumping out of her seat. Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes.
"*Pshh* Rarity, we know how to dance. Don't you remember the awesome dance music video we all made together with Crystal Prep?" She said with her trademark smirk.
"Yes, I remember. But what I mean is, you must learn the art of ballroom dancing." Rarity said while doing a fancy twirl.
"You mean you want us to learn all that fancy slow dancing like you see in the movies?" Applejack asked. Rarity looked back at the blond farmgirl and smiled.
"Exactly darling," Rarity said.
The rest of the day went by awfully quick for the girls, but for Ranma, it was painfully slow going. He did everything he could to keep from getting up and dancing with the girls. As time went on, Applejack looked at her phone to see the time.
"Well, as much fun as this is, I've got to go. I've still got chores to do." She said as she went out the door.
"Yeah, I should probably get going too." Rainbow said. "I need to practice how I'm going to introduce myself to the Wonder Bolts!" She said with stars in her eyes.
"And I...just think I need to head for home and pick up some brownies on the way." Pinkie said as she bounced out the door with her friends. Ranma tried to sneak out the door with the rest of them, but Rarity grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him back.
"Hold on there, Karate Kid," she said. Ranma looked back at her with a sheepish look.
"Um yeah, I need to get back to my training." He said as he tried to pull away.
"Oh no you don't." Rarity said. "How come you didn't participate with the last part of the lesson? I caught you trying to sneak out at least five times, and you didn't even make any cracks about the lesson. What's the matter?"
Ranma looked away, sighed, and decided to come clean.
"Ok, the truth is... I can't dance." Rarity tilted her head.
"Is that all?" She asked. Ranma looked at her with a mean glare.
"Well, yeah. I'm sorry, it's just that, I didn't want to let you guys see how much of a completely awkward goof I am when I'm dancing." He said as he looked down at his feet.
"That and... I didn't want to step on your feet like a yutz." He added with a blush. Rarity smiled and shook her head.
"Oh Ranma" said Rarity. "We don't care that you're not perfect. And I suppose that I appreciate the fact that you didn't want to step on any toes."
Ranma blushed harder.
"Well, I should just go." He said as he tried to go out the door again. Rarity stopped him again before he could get out the door.
"Now wait just a minute," she said sternly. "Ranma, I know you really don't want to go to this Galla and that you don't care for the social graces,"
"Thanks for noticing," Ranma interrupted.
"But," Rarity continued. "I intend for you to learn how to dance."
Ranam looked at her like she had grown a second head.
"Um, why? It's no big deal," he said.
"Well, it is to me." Rarity said, taking off her teacher glasses. "Ranma, I whole heartedly intend to find my prince Charming at this Galla and dance with him, but I have a feeling that no one else wants to find a dance partner while they're there, so I would like it if they had someone they felt comfortable around to dance with. And that lucky someone is you."
Ranma was taken aback by that remark.
"But, do you really think that they'd like dancing with me? I mean, I'm not exactly prince charming. And I doubt that I'm what they'd consider boyfriend material," he said. Rarity smile at him.
"Trust me Ranma darling, when I'm done teaching you, prince charming will want to take lessons from you," she said. Ranma scratched the back of his head.
"So, um, you really think you can teach me how to dance?" He asked. Rarity put her hands on her hips and smirked.
"Tell you what, meet me back here at about 6 tonight, and I'll turn you into a dance master in one week, tops."
Later that night, Ranma returned to Rarity's house, not really knowing what to expect.
"Um, Geoffory?" Ranma asked over the intercom at the front gate.
"Mater Ranma, I presume?" Came the voice of the butler.
"Um, I'm here for that dance lesson Rarity promised me." He said.
"Come right in sir."
Once inside, Geoffory met Ranma at the front hall.
"Follow me to the ball room sir." Geoffory said as he and Ranma walked through the large house to the aforementioned ball room. And once Ranma walked in, his eyes shot wide open.
"Whoa!" He said as he looked around.
"Did I just step into Beauty and the Beast or something?" Ranma said as he looked around the beautiful room. It really did look like something out of Beauty and the Beast, so much so that Ranma felt very out of place.
"Oh good, you're here!" Came Rartity's voice. Ranma turned his head and saw Rarity dressed in a form fitting light blue gown, her hair done up in a high pony tail and her make up done up in a way that made her look even more radiant than usual.
"Wow..." He said as he looked at her star struck. Rarity couldn't help but giggle at the look on Ranma's face.
"Close your mouth darling, you might catch flies if you don't." She said. Ranma shook his head to clear it up.
"Sorry," he said. "It's just, you look...wow." He said as he gave her another once over. "Is that what you're going to wear to the Galla?" He asked. Rarity giggled.
"Hmph hmph. No, silly boy. This little number is just one of my outfits that I designed for myself. But thank you for saying it looks gorgeous on me." She said. She then looked at the outfit Ranma was wearing and frowned.
"You really dressed in your normal clothes. Couldn't you have dressed nice for our lesson?" She said in frustration. Ranma looked confusedly at her and then his clothes.
"But I did dress nice." He said, pulling on his sleeves. "This is some of my best silk."
Rarity's eyes nearly bulged out of her head.
"Wait. THIS IS ACTUAL CHINESE SILK!?" She screamed as she ran over to Ranma and started inspecting his clothing. Ranma blushed at the close contact.
"Um...yeah." He said. Rarity kept looking over Ranma's clothes until she noticed a few patches that looked like this shirt had seen battle. She glared at Ranma.
"Ranma." She said, venom dripping from her voice. Ranma started to sweat as fear crept into him.
"Y-yeah?" He answered.
"Have you ever been in a fight in these silk clothes?" Now, Ranma was scared.
"Um...maybe one or two?" He said, trying to smile but coming off as scared out of his mind.
Rarity's hands reached up as if she were going to strangle him. Ranma took a few steps back, fear officially taking over his body.
"How could you, get into a fight, in pure Chinese SILK!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?" She screamed as her hands gripped his neck. Ranma tired to hold her off.
"Hold on there Rars!" He said. "I didn't want to get in a fight in these clothes, but it just happened."
Rarity stopped trying to strangle Ranma and took a few calming breaths. After calming down she smoothed out her dress and got back to business.
"Now, I think it's about time we start your dance lesson my dear Ranma." Rarity said as she snapped her fingers and music started playing. Ranma whistled as the music filled the ballroom.
"Sometimes I forget just how rich you are." He said.
"Now," Rarity said as he took Ranma's hands. "Let's begin with just where to place your hands when dancing with a woman." Ranma blushed as she placed his hands on her shapely hips. He couldn't help but gulp.
"Now, if I feel your hands slip even an inch lower than this, you'll be bashed to pieces. Got it?" She said sternly. Ranma nodded.
"Yes ma'am." He said. Rarity smiled at that.
"Good. Now, let's begin."
As Rarity showed Ranma the steps, Ranma tried his best to mimic what she showed him. But as they danced, Ranma couldn't get a certain question out of his mind.
"Hey, Rars, there's something I don't understand." Rarity looked up into Ranma's eyes.
"What is it?" She asked him.
"Well, I don't get why dancing is such a big deal to girls." He said. Rarity giggled.
"Oh Ranma, for a man who has traveled around the world, you sure know very little." Ranma huffed at that.
"Gee, thanks a lot." He said. Rarity let go of Ranma and stepped out a little.
"Ranma, you see, to a girl, dancing is as much of an art as Karate and Kung Fu are to you. And when you dance, the feeling of a man who you hope to be your prince charming holding you close as you sway to and fro..." Rarity stopped talking as stars appeared in her eyes. Ranma shook his head at her.
"Well, that's you, but why do I have to learn to dance in case the others want to dance? Why can't you westerners just learn to slow dance solo? Why put so much pressure on a guy?"
Rarity came out of her daydream and gave a slight glare at Ranma.
"Ranma, a lady never dances alone."
"But you'll dance with some stranger that you've never met?" Ranma interupted her.
"Well you never know." She said. "Now stop stalling, put your hands on my hips and dance with me, or so help me I'll get my cat and..."
"Ok, ok!" Ranma said as he took Rarity in his arms.
"Now, you have Rythm, count out the beat. 1, 2, 3. And 1, 2, 3."
And the night went on just like that. Ranma was very clumsy as a dancer, but Rarity had patience. She took her time, and a few calming breaths after Ranma stepped on her feet a few times. After the latest misshap, Ranma let go of Rarity and threw his hands up in the air.
"I'm sorry, I'm just not good at this." Ranma said as he stomped away.
"Ranma!" Rarity called after the pigtailed boy. Ranma just turned away from his beautiful friend.
"Rarity, I'm sorry, but I'm just not cut out to be a ballroom dancer." He said as he started walking away. Rarity wasn't going to give up on her friend that easily.
"So, you're telling me that you basically just give up? You admit defeat?"
At hearing those words, Ranma froze mid-step. His eyes twitched as anger started to bubble up in his mind. He turned around and marched back over to the smirking Rarity.
"Look fashion trap," he said. "I never admit defeat and I NEVER give up."
Rarity couldn't help but smirk. Ranma may be one tough guy, but his pride was his biggest weak spot. Hit him there and you can get him to do almost anything.
"Well, in that case, shall we continue?" She asked, as she offered him her hand. Ranma took her hand and started dancing with her again. As they danced, Ranma frowned at himself.
'She totally played me.' Ranma thought to himself.
Day in and day out, the week went by and Ranma kept taking lessons from Rarity. He couldn't help but smile. He was having way more fun with these lessons than he thought he would. But part of him was wondering, was he enjoying the dancing or was he just enjoying dancing with Rarity?
Ranma shook his head. What was he thinking? Rarity was just a really good friend who was helping him learn to dance, and that was it. As Ranma thought back to all their lessons over the past week, he couldn't help but think about that one musical that Master Asia made him see a few times. The King and I.
The more he thought about it, the more he started to feel like he was the king from that musical. He shook his head.
'Like I'd ever be a king. Let alone a prince charming.' He thought. But since this was his last lesson before the Galla, he thought he might as well pull out a few tricks he had picked in between lessons.
As he interred Rarity's ballroom, he saw Rarity messing with the music player. Ranma brushed his hair back and strutted over to her, hoping to have a little fun. He tapped her on the shoulder and cleared his throat.
"May I have a dance, madam Rarity?" He asked with his best try at being a gentleman. Rarity turned around and smiled. Ranma gasped at how she was dressed tonight.
'Does she ALWAYS have to look so beautiful?' He asked himself.
Rarity had changed her attire to a sparkling purple dress, light blue gloves that went up to her elbows, purple shoes to match her gown, and her hair was free and flowing down her shoulders.
"Wow..." Was all Ranma could say. Rarity giggled at him.
"Wow yourself." Then she took a closer look at what Ranma was wearing.
"Is that the tuxedo you got from Gorgio?" She asked. Ranma smiled and nodded.
"Yep. I thought I'd wear it tonight and get a feel for it before the Galla. How do I look?" He asked as he did a spin around. Now it was Rarity's turn to blush.
'Has Ranma always been this handsome?' She thought t herself. She shook her head.
"Well, I must say, you may not act much like a prince charming, but you sure clean up like one." She said, making the pigtailed boy blush with a little pride.
"Aw shucks," he said. Rarity chuckled at Ranma's antics and pressed the play button on the music player.
"Well then, Shall We Dance?" She said as the song from the very musical Ranma was thinking of earlier was playing. Ranma looked up at the speakers hooked up to the ceiling, his eyes wide.
"Wow, I didn't know you liked 'The King and I'," he said. Now Rarity was shocked.
"Wait wait, hold on. How do you know anything about 'The King and I'?" She asked. Ranma smirked.
"Well, Master Asia took me to see a few musicals while we were on the road and that one was his favorite." He said. Rarity was shocked.
"Well, your master has very good tastes." She said. She then cleared her throat and strutted up to Ranma.
"Well then. Shall we dance, my dear Ranma?" She asked as she curtsied. Ranma smiled and bowed.
"I would be delighted miss Rarity." He said. Ranma took one of her hands in his own and placed his other hand on her hip.
We've just been introduced
I do not know you well
But when the music started
Something drew me to your side
So many men and girls
Are in each others arms
It made me think we might be
Similarly occupied
Ranma and Rarity danced in each other's arms, smiling as they stepped to the beat of the song.
Shall we dance?
On a bright cloud of music, shall we fly?
Shall we dance?
Shall we then say goodnight and mean goodbye?
Ranma spun Rarity out and pulled her back as he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
Or perchance
When the last little star has left the sky
Shall we still be together
With our arms around each other
And shall you be my new romance?
Rarity turned around to face Ranma as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as his hands went to her waist.
On the clear understanding
That this kind of thing can happen
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?
Ranma and Rarity danced again. As they did, Ranma couldn't help but count out "!, 2, 3 and," as Rarity sung the next lines of the song. While Ranma sings a little bit here and there like Yul Bryner.
Shall we dance?
Ranma: "1, 2, 3 and"
On a bright cloud of music, shall we fly?
Shall we dance?
Ranma: "1, 2, 3 and,"
Shall we then say goodnight and mean goodbye?
Ranma: "1, 2, 3 and,"
Or perchance
When the last little star has left the sky
Ranma: "1, 2, 3 and," and then the two sing the final stanza together.
Shall we still be together
With our arms around each other
And shall you be my new romance?
On the clear understanding
That this kind of thing can happen
"Hold on." Ranma said interrupting the flow of their dance.
"What's wrong?" Rarity asked. Ranma put his hand to his chin.
"Something doesn't feel right." Ranma thought for a moment then snapped his fingers.
"Aren't I supposed to hold you like this?" Ranma asked as he put one hand on Rarity's waist and took one of her hands in the other. Rarity giggled as she took Ranma's hand and placed her other hand on his shoulder.
"Like so." She said with a smile. Ranma smiled brightly.
"Good." He said.
Aaaaand, 1, 2, 3 and 1, 2, 3
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?
They both sang as they continued their dance. As they did, Rarity couldn't fight the urge to rest her head on Ranma's chest.
'I almost feel jealous of whatever girl gets a chance to dance with him after all the work I put in to teaching him.' She thought to herself as they swayed to the last bit of the song. As they did, Rarity couldn't help but imagine herself as the lead from 'The King and I', Anna, and Ranma as the King.
Ranma was having the same daydream, not that he would ever admit it. But as he held Rarity close, he felt a weird feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.
'I know Rarity has her heart set on dancing with her prince at the Galla, but...' His thoughts trailed off as the song came to an end.
'Yeah right, like Rarity would want to dance with a street rat like me at some fancy party.' He thought as he and Rarity let go of each other.
"Well...that was fun." Ranma said with a blush. Rarity, somewhat reluctantly, separated herself form Ranma and looked up at his eyes.
"Yes, it was." She said.
'Have his eyes always been this beautiful?' She thought. She shook her head and turned away from Ranma with a shy smile and blush of her own.
"By the way Ranma, just who taught you how to dance so marvelously?" She asked playfully. Ranma smirked at her.
"Well, if you must know, I took a week's worth of lessons with Madam Rarity." He said. Rarity pretended to be impressed.
"Well, tell her I said she does good work." They both laughed at their little joke. Ranma and Rarity smiled at each other, and for some reason, they both felt very uncomfortable. Scratching his arm in embarrassment, Ranma tried to find a way to break the awkward silence.
"Um, so...do you think I'm ready to dance at that Galla, Rars?" He asked. Rarity snapped back to reality as her brain registered what Ranma asked her.
"Hmm? Oh, uh...yes!" She said with a big smile. "I can guaranty that whoever dances with you will not be disappointed."
Ranma smiled at her praise. Deciding that their night was done, Ranma stretched his arms and pretended to yawn.
"Well, I guess it's time for me to head off. Applejack said she might need a little more help with some of the stuff she wants to prepare for the Galla so I might as well head home and get some shut eye."
"Ok then. Well, I should get some sleep as well I suppose. I need to put the finishing touches on mine and the others gowns for the Galla." Rarity said. But for some reason, she felt really bad that Ranma wanted to leave.
'Why the hell do I feel like this?' She asked herself. But in reality, she smiled as she walked Ranma to the door.
"Well, goodnight Ranma." She said as he stepped out the door.
"Goodnight Rarity." He said. "And thanks for the lessons. It...it was more fun than I thought it would be."
And with that, he kissed her hand and walked off. Rarity closed the door and put her hands to her heart.
'What is wrong with me?' She thought. 'Shake it off Rarity. It was just the magic of the music and the moment, n- nothing more.'
And with that, Rarity headed back to her room to get ready for bed. As she laid her head on her pillow, her mind drifted to her favorite fantasy of dancing with her prince charming at the Galla. But for some reason, the prince in her dream didn't look like any of the ones she fantasized before. Instead...the prince looked like Ranma. And the funny thing was, Rarity slept with the biggest smile of her life that night.
But having dance lessons with Rarity wasn't the only thing Ranma did that week. No, in between those lessons, school and either training his students and his own personal training, Ranma found himself taking a few trips to the Apple family farm. As Ranma walked up to the farm, he couldn't help but whistle.
"Wow. Applejack sure has one nice looking farm." Ranma said to himself as he walked up to the farm. As he did, he noticed Applejack herself working on knocking down some apples from a couple of apple trees. He also noticed that there was another girl, a few years younger than Applejack with long red hair, helping her out by putting the apples into a few baskets.
"Hey you two!" Ranma called out. Applejack and the red-haired girl turned their heads to see who was calling them. The red head was confused to see some strange guy she hadn't seen before, but Applejack smiled at seeing her friend and mentor strolling up to them.
"Hey there Ranma!" She called out. Ranma waved back at her as the blonde-haired girl whacked another tree, causing more apples to fall. The red-haired girl tried her best to catch the apples as they fell, only to be outdone by Applejack using the speed punching technique Ranma taught her to catch almost all of the apples as they fell.
"Nice use of the Amaguriken technique to catch those apples AJ." Ranma said with pride. Applejack blushed and laughed at the praise.
"Thanks sensei." She replied.
"Sensei? Sis, are you telling me that this is the guy you've been telling me about? The one who you and Rainbow Dash have been training with?" The red-haired girl asked.
"Yep. You bet sugar cube." She said, placing an arm around the girls' shoulder.
"Ranma, allow me to introduce you to my little sister, Applebloom. Applebloom, this is Ranma, mine and the others' new friend and martial arts teacher."
Applebloom looked at the Japanese boy. He dressed to part, but he sure didn't look all that impressive. He was thin, wearing his long sleeve Kung Fu shirt with it's sleeves rolled up to his elbows, had baggy dark blue pants and black shoes that didn't have any straps or laces. Honestly, she wasn't sure if this guy was all her big sister said he was cracked up to be.
"He sure dresses weird, Applejack." She said, making Ranma give her a dirty look. Applejack couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yeah, I know he may dress a little funny, but believe me when I tell you that he doesn't just talk the talk. He's one tough fighter, and he's the reason why I've been able to collect apples faster than usual."
That made Applebloom look back at her sister in shock.
"You mean he's the one who taught you how to move your arms so fast!?" She asked. Ranma smirked and put his hands on his hips, puffing his chest out.
"You better believe it kid." He said. Applejack shook her head at Ranma.
"Ok Ranma, enough. Now are ya going to help with the apple collecting or not?" She asked. Ranma just smiled, cracked his neck and knuckles.
"Wanna make it a race?" He asked. Applebloom smiled and shook her head.
"Are you sure he's not related to Rainbow Dash?" She asked. Applejack chuckled again.
"Ok Ranma, how about this, if I win, you have to help with whatever I want for a whole week. And if you win, I'll let you have any of my apple sweets for a whole month."
Ranma grinned at this. Free sweets for a month? Who could pass that up?
"Ok AJ, it's on!"
And with that, Applebloom watched in astonishment as Ranma and Applejack took off at breakneck speed. They started striking at the trees and catching the apples as they fell to the ground. While Applejack was able to catch almost all of the apples before they hit the ground, Ranma never let a single one of his get near the ground!
Applebloom's eyes bulged out of her head and her mouth fell to the ground. They were moving so fast she could barley see what they where doing. In little less than a few minutes, they had farmed almost ALL of the trees on the farm. As they came back to the awestruck red head, Applejack had a very impressive haul, but Ranma had at least three baskets more than the tanned farm girl.
"HA! I win!" Ranma said as he pumped his fists into the air.
"Aw shucks!" Applejack said as she slapped her hat over her knee, embarrassed that she had been beaten by Ranma. But she smiled and put her hat back on her head.
"Well, you got me sensei." She said with a chuckle. Applebloom just stared at the two of them slack jawed.
"You ok there, squirt?" Ranma asked as he closed Appleblooms' mouth. Applejack waved her hand in front of her little sister's face.
"I think her brain's broken." She said. Just then, Applebloom shook her head to get herself back together.
"WHOA! That was amazing Applejack! I didn't' know you could move that fast! And you where right, this Ranma guy is awesome! Do you think you could teach me how to move that fast mister Ranma, sir?" The young redhead asked. Ranma rubbed his nose as he felt a little pride well up inside of him from the praise.
"Well, maybe someday. If your big sister will ever let me." He said, looking at Applejack. She chuckled.
"We'll see." She said as she ruffled her sister's head. She then picked up two of the baskets and turned towards her house.
"Well, come on everybody! Let's get these apples inside so we can start trying out some recipes for that fancy party."
And with that, Ranma and Applebloom picked up a few of the rest of the baskets and headed for the farm house. As Ranma got closer to the farm, he couldn't help but look around at the place again. He never stayed at a farm before, but from the look of place, it felt kind of homie. Applejack let them all into the house and they placed their loads of apples on the floor.
"Sheesh sis, just how many things are you going to make for that Galla thing?" Applebloom asked. Ranma was of the same mind.
"Yeah AJ. You look like you're getting ready to feed an army here." He said. Applejack laughed.
"Yeah well, I want to make sure that I have enough to feed all of those high society folks. I just know that once they taste my apple delights, I'll be making so much money I'll have enough cash for both the farm and college."
Ranma laughed at his friends talk. He may not care much for college or the Galla, but he was starting to see that his friends were really taking this thing seriously. He wasn't the only one who felt this way, Applebloom was also shaking her head at her big sister.
"Well, if you really think so sis. How can I help?" She asked. Applejack smiled at her sister.
"Well, you can help me get started on the rest of my chores so I can get started on these recipes."
"I'll do it." Ranma said. That made both girls turn to look at him.
"Huh?" They both asked.
"I said, I'll handle your chores for you." He said. Both girls looked at each other. AJ knew that Ranma was a traveler and was no stranger to working with his hands, but she wasn't too sure he was made out for doing farm work.
"Uh, I don't know sugar cube. Are you sure that you can handle that? I mean, have you ever worked on a farm before?"
Ranma shook his head.
"No. But it sounds like it could be a good work out. Plus, I'm bored. Come on! Let me be a farm boy for a day." He said, flashing a smile at the two farm girls. They giggled at the boy.
"Ok, if you really want to." Applejack said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.
"Here. This is a list of all the chores that need doing around the farm."
Ranma took the paper and looked it over. It didn't seem too hard for him. He smiled and nodded his head at the blonde farm girl.
"Ok. You get to work and just leave everything to me."
Ranma went outside and took a deep breath.
"Well...HERE WE GO!" He said as he dashed off.
He worked at break-neck speeds, herding a herd of cattle into the pin where they were supposed to go. It wasn't too hard for him, but some of the cows looked as though they were spooked by the sight of a human moving so fast that he left afterimages. Ranma laughed at the shocked faces of the cows as he closed the pin.
"Welp, that's one thing down, what's next?" He asked himself as he looked at the list Applejack had given him.
After a while, Applejack and Applebloom came out to check on Ranma, a pitcher of lemonade on a tray with a few cups in their hands. As they walked, they were shocked to see just how much Ranma had gotten done. Applejack couldn't help but whistle.
"Wow, Ranma sure has been working hard, huh?" She said. Applebloom nodded.
"I'm surprised. Honestly, I thought he was going to be one of those pretty boy city slickers that would quite after a while," said Applebloom.
Applejack laughed. Clearly her little sister didn't know just what kind of person Ranma was. He never gave up on a challenge. And if he made a promise to a friend, he would move the Earth to keep it. They looked over to the water silo and saw a figure working on it and figured that it must be Ranma.
"Hey Ranma!" Applejack called out to the figure.
"We brought you some lemonaaaaaaadddddddeeee..." Her voice trailed off as the figure came into view. Yes, it was Ranma, but he was dripping with water and he had taken off his short sleeved red shirt, revealing him to be in a drenched white tank top, showing his well-defined muscular chest.
The girls nearly fell over themselves as Ranma gave them an unintentional show. He wiped some sweat and water from his brow as he finished his work on the silo and turned his head to see the two farm girls looking up at him from the ground.
"Oh, hey girls!" He said as he jumped down to the ground and grabbed his discarded shirt and walked over to the blushing mad girls. He tilted his head when he noticed that the two of them were just staring at him with red faces and blank eyes.
"Um, you guys ok?" He said tilting his head. Applebloom just kept staring at his abs poking through his wet tank top while Applejack...
"LEMONADE!" She shouted.
"I mean, we brought you some lemonade. Because, you're hot. I MEAN, you look hot. I MEAN, you look like you could use a drink!" She said, tripping over her own tongue as she gave a glass of lemonade to Ranma.
"Oh sweet, thanks." He said as he started drinking. As he drank, the two farm girls couldn't help but stare. As he gulped down the lemonade, the song 'Rock You Like A Hurricane' started playing in their heads.
Everything seemed to be going in slow motion for them as they watched Ranma finish drinking and shake his head to fling some hair out of his eyes. He pressed the cool glass to his head to try and cool off his face as he looked to the two girls who looked like they were trying to impersonate tomatoes with how red their faces looked.
"Um...sis, can I have some of that lemonade?" Applebloom said grabbing one of the glasses.
"Ye-Yeah sure!" AJ said as they both downed the drinks, steam coming out of their ears as they did.
"AW! That hit the spot! Thanks guys!" Ranma said as he handed the glass back to the girls. The two finished their drinks and took the glass from Ranma.
"Y-you're welcome Ranma." Applejack said. Ranma wiped his forehead with his shirt before taking a breath.
"Welp! Back to it I guess!" He said as he headed towards the barn to take care of the bales of hay.
"Um, do you need any help?" Asked Applebloom, her face as red as her hair.
"Nah!" Ranma said, looking over his shoulder. "I can take care of it myself. But thanks Applebloom."
After another few seconds, Ranma had made it to the barn, and picked up one bale of hay before tossing it into the air and jumping after it before kicking it up into the upper part of the barn. Applejack shook her head at her friend.
"Show off. Even worse than Rainbow Dash." She said.
As for Applebloom, the poor girl's eyes looked as if they were about to po out of her head and her mouth had dropped right to the ground. Applejack looked at her little sister and smirked. She remembered when stuff like this surprised her too. She reached over and closed her sister's mouth.
"Come on, sugar cube." She said. "Let's get back to the kitchen and decide which foods we'll have Ranma try out first."
As Ranma kept knocking and kicking the bales into the air and then the upper part of the barn, a young man, Applejack's brother, Big Macintosh, was coming out to do his part of the chores. But then he heard something. He looked to the barn, and nearly had a heart attack as he saw Ranma kicking bales of hay like they were soccer balls! As Ranma kicked the last one into place, he wiped the fresh sweat from his forehead and turned to leave, but then came face to face with someone he could only assume was Applejack's brother.
"Um...hi." He said. "Um, are you Applejack's and Applebloom's brother?" He asked. The man nodded.
"Y-yeah, that's right. Big Mac's the name." He said, still in a daze at seeing Ranma at work.
"Nice to meet ya, Big Mac. Name's Ranma." Ranma said, holding out his hand to the taller young man.
"Likewise." He said. "How...how did you do that?"
Ranma tilted his head, but then straightened up after he realized what the other man meant.
"OH! Well, let's just say that I'm a really good martial artist." He said. That made Big Mac come to a realization.
"Oh, so you're the kung fu boy Applejack's been talking about." He said. "Well, I always thought she was over exaggerating about you, but now I see she wasn't."
Ranma laughed, scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment.
"Yeah well..." He was cut off by the sound of a bell.
"COME AND GET IT!" Applejack shouted as she rang the bell. Ranma and Big Mac smiled at the thought of food.
"Well, let's talk over some grub." Ranma suggested to the other boy. Big Mac nodded.
"Heh heh, sounds like a good idea to me!"
After coming inside, Ranma and Mac's mouths dropped and started to water at the smell and sight of all the food that Applejack and Applebloom had laid out in front of them.
"What smells so good down here?" Came the voice of an old woman coming down the stairs. As she came down, she saw the spread of food on the table and whistled.
"Well well, what's the occasion?" She asked. She saw her grandson come up to the table...and some strange boy she hadn't seen before and grinned.
"Oh...now I see." She said.
"GRANNY!" Applejack said as she looked towards her grandmother.
"It ain't like that! This is my friend Ranma that I told you and the others about."
"Oh, the kung fu boy? Well lan sakes girl! I wish you would have told me we where going to have company so I could have dressed a little nicer." Granny Apple said as she pulled up in front of Ranma.
"Nice to finally meet ya sweety! I'm Granny Applesmith, but you can call me Granny." She said, extending her hand to Ranma. Ranma, remembering his etiquette training with Rarity, took her hand and kissed it.
"Pleasure to meet ya, ma'am." He said. Granny Smith giggled and blushed slightly.
"Applejack, you better watch out for this one. He's a charmer." She said. Ranma blushed slightly, but Applejack blushed like crazy.
"I-shut up Granny!" She said, causing her two siblings to laugh. Ranma chuckled a little as Applejack regained her composure.
"Anyway..." She said as she gestured to the table full of goodies.
"Here's a sample of some of the things I'll be selling at the Galla. I want yall to tell me what ya think."
"ALRIGHT! Let's dig in!" Ranma said as he took one of the apple dishes from the table.
"Healthy appetite too." Granny Smith said, making her granddaughter glare at her.
"Wow." Ranma said.
"WOW!" He said again as he chewed and swallowed.
"I'm taking it that you like my granddaughter's cooking young fella?" Granny Smith asked.
Ranma looked over to Applejack as he took a swallow of left over lemonade to wash down his food.
"AJ," He said. "Rarity may be the one going to that fancy party to find her prince charming, but I swear, one taste of THIS and YOU'LL be the one that walks away with a husband."
That made the blonde girl blush like a tomato as the rest of her family laughed at her. Applejack shook her head as she tried to laugh off what Ranma said.
"So...which ones do you like best sugar cube?" She asked.
"Already at 'sugar cube' eh?" Granny Smith asked with a sly smile, only to receive an elbow in the ribs from Applejack.
"Honestly," Ranma said, sucking on his fingers. "I'd say a little bit of everything and you'd be set to go AJ."
"Ya hear that Applejack?" Granny asked. "You're boyfriend here says your cooking is good to go."
"GRANNY!" Applejack said, her face now redder than her little sister's hair and Ranma choking on some food in his mouth after hearing what the older woman had just called him.
"I-I'm not her boyfriend!" Ranma protesteed.
"D-don't listen to her Ranma." Applejack said, waving her hands and trying to defuse the situation.
"Granny's just crazy." The embarrassed girl said. "Granny's senile."
"Granny's dead if this keeps up." Applebloom whispered to Big Mac who chuckled.
"Yep." Was all he said.
The rest of the day went on without any other incidents. Ranma would have left sooner, but Granny Smith insisted that he stay for the rest of dinner. Ranma agreed and talked and laughed with the Apple family.
"Well," Ranma said as he stretched. "I think it's about time I head out."
"Let me walk you out sugar cube." Applejack said, giving her big mouthed grandmother a glare that promised pain if she said anything.
As the two teens reached the door, Ranma brushed the back of his head with his right hand as he smiled and chuckled a little.
"Well, your grandmother seems nice." He said. Applejack rubbed her arm as she looked away from the Japanese teen as she blushed.
"Heh heh, yeah. I'm sorry about her. She's been wanting me to find a fella for a while now. Saying that I need to think about settling down at some point." Ranma chuckled at that.
"Well...wait," He said as something just popped into his head. "AJ, when was the last time you even had a date?"
Applejack bit her lower lip as she blushed even more. She tried to look away from Ranma, not really wanting to answer the question. Ranma tilted his head.
"Applejack...?" He said. The girl took a deep breath and exhaled as she gripped her arm tighter.
"Never." She finally answered, leaning herself against the wall next to the door.
"Never?" Ranma said. She nodded.
"I've spent my whole life working on the farm. Ever since my parents died, I set my whole focus on working on the farm, being the provider, being what my little sister needed me to be. I worked hard on everything, sacrificing having a normal childhood just so we could keep this farm going."
She sighed as she slid to the floor. Ranma knelt by her side, pulling her into a hug.
"You mean, you never went out and did anything with your friends?" He asked. Applejack shook her head.
"Up until I ended up at CHS, I didn't really have any friends. Except for Pinkie Pie, but that's because she always kept bugging me to hang out." She said with a laugh. Ranma was happy to see her smile again. He hated seeing one of his friends cry.
"The way you guys are, I kind of thought that you were always friends." He said.
"It happened slowly." Applejack said. "Heh. I remember Rainbow Dash saying that if I lost to her in a game during P.E. I would have to be her friend. Come to think of it, that may be the reason why we're so competitive."
Ranma arched an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" He asked. She smirked at him.
"To this day we've never finished that stupid game."
That got Ranma to laugh. Applejack joined in the laughter, saying it out loud made it seem even funnier.
"So, being miss responsible means no dating?" He asked. AJ stopped laughing but didn't let her smile drop.
"Well...yeah." She said. "The girls tried to set me up on a few dates, but I always found a reason to blow them off or not go for a second date. I mean, yeah I'd like to have a boyfriend but I don't have the time...OW!" She shouted as Ranma bopped her on the head.
"What was that for!?" She said. Ranma shook his head at her.
"You have time for friends, right?" He asked. Applejack looked at him like he was crazy.
"What does that have to do..."
"Right?" Ranma asked again, cutting her off. Applejack looked down and then back at Ranma.
"Yeah."
"Do you have time to come and train with me and Rainbow?" He asked.
"Yeah." She answered again.
"You have time to go on trips, hang with your family, all those school clubs, how do you not have time for a boyfriend?" He asked. Applejack stood up.
"I DON'T KNOW!" She screamed.
"Then get one." Ranma said, getting to his feet, saying it like it was the simplest thing in the world.
"You should have a boyfriend." He said, taking the blonde girl by the shoulders. "In fact, if you ask me, you deserve one more than anyone I know."
Applejack blushed at that as she tried to look away from Ranma. Finding herself to be missing her usual confidence.
"AJ...Applejack," Ranma began, turning Applejack's head back to him.
"Listen, you've been forcing yourself to be the mother of this family for longer than you should. Your friends helped show you how to have fun again. Your own grandma even wants you to get off of this farm and find someone to spend your life with. Trust me, I bet there is someone out there just waiting for someone like you to come into his life. Heck, I bet if we met for the first time somewhere else, I'd think to myself, 'Man! That farm girl is hot!'"
That got Applejack to laugh. Ranma smiled at her.
"My point is, don't throw your life away just because you think you have some obligation. Trust me, I almost fell into that trap, remember?"
She did. Oh boy she did. Just thinking of what his father Genma had tried to force him into, she clenched her fist for a second.
"Yeah, I get what you're saying." She looked into Ranma's eyes, which seemed brighter than usual. "Thanks, sugar cube."
She said as she leaned in and gave Ranma a kiss on the cheek. Ranma blushed as he scratched the back of his head.
"Well, uh, I think it's time for me to go." He said, reaching for the door handle, only for his and Applejack's hands to over lap on it for a second. They looked at their hands, then each other and then moved their hands away, blushing and laughing nervously.
"Um," Ranma tried to say. "I'm gone."
"Wait." Applejack said. "Uh...re-remember to shower before your dance lesson with Rarity. She'd hate it if you showed up smelling all sweaty."
"Heh heh. Right, good call." He said. "Well, see ya later. Oh! And if you ever need help around her, just give me a call, we'll make a training session out of it."
"You got it." Applejack said as Ranma walked out the door. Applejack took a deep breath and walked towards her room.
"Well," Came the voice of Granny Smith. "Are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?"
She said with a sly smile. Applejack wanted to retort harshly, but she took another breath.
"No Granny. And stop trying to find something that ain't there." She said.
"Ok." Came Granny Smith's voice in a snarky tone. "But just so you know, if I were a few decades younger, I wouldn't let that tall drink of cider get taken by some little miss fancy pants rich chick."
She said as she went off to her own room. Applejack shook her head and went to her room, all the while thinking that after the Galla, she would take Ranma's advice and look for a feller. After all, the perfect man wasn't going to come flying into her barn like Ranma did into her life, right?
Twilight: Hey guys, Twilight here. And in the next episode, Ranma finds out that Master Asia might stop training him if he doesn't pass the end of term exam, so he comes to me for tutoring. And afterwards, Rainbow Dash asks Ranma for help with practicing for meeting the Wonder Bolts and Kuno shows back up with a new ally. It's a two on two fight on the next episode of Equestria Wild Horse: Preparations For The Galla Pt. 3! See ya there!
Ending Song: Kanpekigu No Ne (Sung By Twilight Sparkle)
gu no ne
The face of a grandfather clock spins as Twilight relaxes on the ground.
dokoka e tsurete itte
BURIKI no uma ni notte
futari de
Twilight overlooks a sunset.
GO GO LET'S GO ROMANSU
kataomoi no DOORU wa
kotoba ni dekinai kara
setsunai
GO GO LET'S GO ROMANSU
Pinkie is seen snacking on candy as she gazes at the night sky. As she does she imagines herself and the other girls dressed in bunny suits dancing in a chorus line.
namida ga dechau
yowamushi da ne
anata no koto
omou tabi ni
tsuki no (tsuki no)
yoru wa (yoru wa)
itsumo (itsumo)
USAGI o sagashiteru
Twilight is running on the beach as the scene switches to her looking out her window.
gu no ne denai kurai ni
(HEY HEY HEY)
mahou o kakerareta mitai
zutto yume kara samenai no
koi wa hitorigoto
gu no ne denai kurai ni
(HEY HEY HEY)
KOTENPAN ni suki nan desu
donna jumon o tonaetara
tsutawaru no deshou
kanpeki gu no ne
Tilight is next seen brushing her teeth after getting out of the shower, only for Pinkie to show up ogling at her.
(HEY HEY HEY HEY)
Twiligh is seen spreading her wings flying through the air.
gu no ne are ya kore ya de
(HEY HEY HEY)
mucha kucha ni suki nan desu
itsuka anata ni iwasetai
mairimashita nante
ogaeshi gu no ne
Twilight is sadly broken out of her daydream as she notices Ranma, Pinkie, and the others eating at her table. She rages at them for eating her food.
(gu no ne mo denee ze)
