Affair Of The Heart. How Do You Fall OUT Of Love!?
Flash: Hey guys, Flash Sentry here. Boy, can't believe that we're finally at the second to last chapter of season 1 of this story! Boy, what a wild ride! But now Ranma and the girls are facing a very big problem, and to make matters worse, an even BIGGER problem is on its way! But that's a spoiler. Anyway, I've got to wrap this up because me and the guys are actually a big part of this chapter. Ahem, kurenai ryu and Vegetasragebroke1994 don't own anything in this chapter. And now...Hit the music!
*Asterisk*
[Music starts playing as images of Ranma, Flash, Master Asia and the girls scroll by.]
miageta yozora no hoshi tachi no hikari
miageta yozora no hoshi tachi no hikari
[Music keeps playing as Ranma stands in the center of the screen as all his friends appear around him. As the drum beat hits, his friends fade out as he stands alone and smiles at the screen. As the guitar plays, the screen switches a red and blue split screen with white silhouettes of Ranma and Master Asia facing away from each other. As the music keeps playing, the screen becomes white with a red line on top and a blue line on the bottom with a red silhouette and blue silhouette of Ranma and Master Asia respectively. As they looked away from each other, a flim strip of all the people in their lives scrolled behind them.]
hitotsu futatsu kane no ne wa hibiku
[As the lyrics kick in, Ranma and the girls are seen in a parking lot, at night, under some street lamps. As the lyrics are sung, the camera zooms in on each of their faces.]
kokoro no naka he to hiroku fukaku
monogatari no you na hoshi no shizuku
sono naka ni hosoi senro wo kizuku
jikan to tomo ni jidai wa ugoku
nagareru hoshi wa shizuka ni ugoku
me wo tojite mimi wo sumaseba
G.O.O.D. BYE
[Scene changes to day as Sunset is seen looking across a street. Scene switches again to Luna and Celestia looking across some rails at something unseen. The scene changes to a top and bottom split screen of Celestia and Master Asia, Celestia looking sad and Master Asia looking serious before the screen changes to show a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes rimmed with fire looking behind him before a tilte card for the show pops up.]
hanate hikari makezu ni shikkari
ima tokihanate dareka ni todoku made
eikou no hikari wa kono mukou ni
KIMItachi to tsukutteku SUTORI
[A red screen with Ranma and Celestia's silhouettes is shown with the two of them arguing before turning their heads away from each other. They walk away and then a panda is shown triping and falling before it is trampled by the cast. The scene changes again to show the gang all standing of tree stumps in a park with Twilight struggling to keep balanced.]
miageta yozora no hoshi tachi no hikari
[Ranma is seen running through a fog and battling against shadowy ninjas. The fog clears enough to show Ranma knocking them away with punches and kicks before he does a spin kick to clear them away and jumping at the rest of them.]
inishie no omoi negai ga jidai
koe iroaseru
KOTO naku todoku
[The scene then switches to the rest of the gang spray painting the title of the show on a wall. Sunset and Twilight jump in front of the cameras and spray red and purple paint on the screen before running off.]
KIRARI hitomi ni utsuru dareka no sakebi
kaze ni omoi wo tsuki ni negai wo
chikara aru kagiri ikitekunda kyou mo
[Scene switches to show only the feet of the cast as they run across the screen in different directions.]
miageta yozora no hoshi tachi no hikari
inishie no omoi negai ga jidai
koe iroaseru
[Ranma is then shown at night, watching as the world spins around him before switching to show him and on one side of the screen and The Mane Seven on the other.]
KOTO naku todoku
bokura no omoi mo itsuka
dareka no mune ni
hikari tsuzukeyou ano hoshi no you ni
[Final scene change shows various pictures of Ranma and all his friends as the song comes to an end.]
"Girls, I have something to confess." Ranma said as he looked at his seven female friends. All the girls turned to face Ranma as he grips his fists tight in determination.
"What is it Ranma?" Fluttershy asks. Ranma takes a deep breath to calm himself. Then opens his eyes with determination blazing in them.
"I...(gulp) I'm in love with you! With all seven of you!" He said. And the girls...all growled at him and grew to giant size as they all blazed auras of hatred, causing Ranma to jump back in fright!
"YOU ASSHOLE!" Cried out Rainbow Dash.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WEASEL YOUR WAY INTO OUR LIVES AND STRING US ALONG LIKE SOME BIMBOS!?" Cried out an angry Rarity.
"AND TO THINK I ACTUALLY THOUGHT YOU WERE A NICE PERSON!" Fluttershy cried out.
"TURNS OUT YOU'RE JUST LIKE THAT ASSHOLE KUNO!" Applejack cried out in rage.
"WE THOUGHT YOU WERE OUR FRIEND!" Twilight shouted at the frightened Ranma.
"TURNS OUT YOU WERE JUST HOPING TO USE US!" Pinkie shouted.
"WE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER! YOU WORTHLESS FREAK! AND AFTER EVERYTHING WE DID FOR YOU!" Sunset said as she and her friends all threw giant sized fists at Ranma.
"Wait! Guys, wait! AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Ranma screamed as he shout up in his bed, sweat dripping down his face. He panted, trying his hardest to get his heart rate back under control. He looked down and saw a worried looking Tsukirou looking up at him with wide eyes.
"(Sigh) Sorry buddy." Ranma said as he picked up the little white wolf and cuddled him. "Daddy just had a bad dream." He said.
"And unfortunately for me, I think I'm going to be living that same dream in real life now that I'm awake." He said as he got out of bed and sighed.
Usually, Ranma would start stretching and getting ready for early morning training, but not today. Today he didn't even feel like training. Why? Because he was dreading seeing the girls he saw in his dream. Those seven girls, the ones that had somehow stolen his heart.
But that was NOT a good thing for him. Why? Because girls HATED men who claimed to love more than one person! Guys like that were always claimed to be cheaters, backstabbers, playboys, and the like. A prime example of that would be the blue idiot of Nerima Kuno. Ranma wasn't sure what he was more scared of, his friends hating him because he had fallen for all of them or having the very people he had fallen for comparing him to one of the people he really hated the most?
Ranma sighed as he got dressed and headed down the stairs. He was not looking forward to today. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw Master Asia looking rather surprised at seeing his young protégé actually walking into the kitchen instead of jumping out into the yard for his usual warmups.
"Ranma, are you feeling ok? You're usually outside warming up by now, not coming in for breakfast." He said. Ranma looked down, his hair covering his eyes.
"Not today shishou. Not today." He said, his voice dripping with depression. Master Asia sighed, he figured this was coming after the conversation they had the other day. He got up and walked over to his young student, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It's about the girls, isn't it?" He asked, not that he really had to. Ranma tried not to look his master in the eye, but to be honest, there was no real point in it.
"Yeah, it is." He said. Master Asia pulled his surrogate son into a hug, knowing that this was one battle that Ranma was struggling with. A battle that nothing, not any amount of training or preparation could prepare him for.
"What am I going to do?" Ranma asked. "How am I going to get out of this?"
"Get out of what exactly?" His master asked. "Love? Ranma, no one can help who they fall in love with. No one can fault you for that."
"Yeah, normally. But I'm in love with SEVEN women all at once! Not only that, but they're all my friends! I can't just walk up to them and say that I'm in love with them!" Ranma said as he started pacing around the kitchen.
Master Asia sighed as he walked over to his young student's side. He placed a hand on Ranma's shoulder, doing his best to try and comfort him.
"Ranma," He said. "I know you don't want to hear this, but I think that you should just talk to them."
"Now that's the LAST thing I want to do!" Ranma shouted as he backed away from his mentor.
"Look Master, I get that honesty is the best policy and all, but I don't want them to think that I'm some kind of pervert like that bastard Kuno!"
Master Asia shook his head at his young disciple. After everything he and those girls have been through, how could he think that they'd think of him like that fool of a samurai wannabe Kuno?
"Look, Ranma..." He tried to say, only for Ranma to dash away out the door.
"Sorry shishou!" He said as he dodged around his master. "But I'm going to be late for school. See ya!" And with that, Ranma dashed off. Master Asia shook his head, not really sure what to do. Asia bent down and picked up Tsukirou.
"Tsukirou, I'm not sure what we're going to do with that boy." He said as he scratched the wolf's head. Tsukirou looked at the door where his owner had run out of. He wined and looked on the verge of tears, wishing that there was something he could do for the pigtailed boy.
As Ranma kept running, he looked to the front of the school and freaked when he saw the girls standing in front of it. He paled, his nightmare rushing back to his mind as he pulled up to a stop in front of them.
"Uh...Hi guys!" Ranma said, trying to keep a straight face. He was so focused on trying not to make any dumb moves that he didn't notice that all of them looked almost as nervous as he did. And now that he was here, they looked even more nervous.
"UH, HI RANMA!" Pinkie said, trying to look like her normal happy self. Good thing Ranma wasn't paying attention, otherwise he would have noticed the panicking look on her face.
"Uh, hey Ranma." Fluttershy said, trying not to look Ranma in the face.
"So...uh..." Ranma was going to try and say something, but he was saved by the ringing of the bell.
"Oh! Uh, would ya look at the time?" Ranma said.
"YEAH! Uh, we should all get going!" Twilight said as she ran ahead of her group. They all ran into the school, not even bothering to look at each other.
Ranma did his best to not look at the girls all throughout school. Which was super hard to do since at least two of them were in each of his classes. He did his best to focus on school, but his mind kept turning back to the girls. And that horrible dream he had. Even gym class couldn't save him from his stupid mind.
'Why did I have to fall for them!? One would be fine, but all SEVEN!?' Ranma thought to himself. As Ranma kept doing his best not to look at Rainbow or any of the others, he saw Flash and had an idea.
"Yo! Flash!" He said as he slung his arm over the blue haired boy's shoulder. "Can I have a word with you after class?" Flash looked confused at his friend and teacher.
"Uh? Sure, but why?" He asked. Ranma leaned in close to whisper in his friend's ear.
"I need a BIG favor." Was all the young martial arts student would say. After class let out, Ranma met with Flash in a corner of the school where no one could find them.
"So, what's up?" Flash asked. Ranma took a deep breath.
"Flash." He said as he put his hands on Flash's shoulders.
"I NEED YOU TO HELP ME FALL OUT OF LOVE!" He all but shouted. Flash looked blank for a moment...then replied.
"HUH!?" Flash said. "What are you talking about?" Ranma sighed.
"Look, the night of the gala, something happened." And with that, Ranma told Flash everything that happened during the gala, including what happened afterwards. Flash listened intently to his friend's tale. After he finished, Flash adopted a thinking pose, worry etched on his face.
"I see. So, you somehow fell for ALL the girls? And now you want to fall out of love with them?" He asked. Ranma, his face down in shame.
"Yeah" Was all he said.
"So, what makes you think I can help?" Flash asked. Ranma sighed again.
"Well, you've broken up with people before, you must know some way to get rid of those feelings. I mean, I know you still have the hots for Queen Twilight but,"
"WHOA! WAIT! HOLD ON!" Flash said, raising his hands in defense. "W-what makes you think that I still have feelings for Queen Twilight?" Flash said. Ranma smirked at the blue haired guitarist.
"Flash, don't try to lie to me. You're worse at it than I am." He said. Flash scratched the back of his head.
"He's right you know." Came a voice that made both boys jump and adopt kabuki poses. They looked behind themselves and saw none other than the resident male brainiac, Microchips, standing behind them with a smug look on his face as he adjusted his glasses.
"Hello boys." He said. Ranma and Flash looked sheepishly at their friend. "Couldn't help but overhear your little conversation."
"Me too." Came the voice of the nature loving Sandalwood, causing the two boys to jump back in shock yet again.
"Hey! I thought you said this place was a private spot that no one came to!" Ranma said to his blue haired friend. Flash laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.
"Hahahaha...Yeah well..." Flash tried to defend himself.
"Don't be mad at him Ranma." Sandalwood said. "We just happened to see you acting strange and we decided to follow you." Now it was Ranma's turn to look confused.
"Huh? What do you mean you saw me acting strange?" Ranma asked. The two newcomers shook their heads.
"Well," Microchips started to say. "You're normally always with the girls, but today you seem to be avoiding them for some reason. Naturally, as both a curious man of science and a caring friend, I was worried. So, when I saw you and Flash going off somewhere, I thought we should check in on you."
Ranma sighed, so much for keeping his problem quiet. He looked at his three friends and decided to just come clean.
"Yeah, it's true. I'm madly in love with Sunset, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. I'm madly, shoot myself, I wanna slit my own throat in love with those girls. But I don't want to get in trouble with them by having them think I'm some kind of womanizing playboy and I definitely do not want to be the one who screws up their friendship! WHAT DO I DO!?"
He screamed as he grabbed Micro by the shoulders and started shaking him. Sandalwood and Flash tried to grab Ranma and calm him down until he finally let Micro go, the poor boy's eyes spinning like saucers.
"Sorry about that bud." Ranma said sheepishly.
"NoOoOoOo PpRrOoBbLlEeMm..." Miro said as he shook his head to clear it. He fixed his glasses and took a deap breath.
"Well, Ranma, this IS a pickle. Normally a person doesn't try t fall out of love until AFTER a relationship ends. But now you're trying to do it in reverse."
"So, can we help him?" Sandalwood asked. "I mean, we had enough trouble with Flash and he still has a shrine of the other Twilight in his locker."
"HEY!" Flash interjected, blushin beat red. "I do NOT have a shrine to her in my locker!"
"Yeah, you do." Ranma said with a smirk, causing the blue haired boy to blush even more.
"H-HEY! We're talking about your problem not mine karate boy!" He said, trying to get the subject off of himself. Micro cleared his throat, catching the attention of the other three.
"Ok, listen up. It won't be easy, but I think we can help." He said, walking in front of the three like a professor talking to a class.
"Thankfully, there exists a playbook for helping someone get over a former lover, we're just going to have to hope that it'll work for Ranma's little problem."
Ranma perked up at this. If this worked, then he could still be friends with the girls and not have to worry about his feelings for them putting that friendship in jeopardy! And to be honest, he was really starting to miss his female friends. He hated how awkward things had become between them and he wanted things to go back to the way they were!
"Ok professor! How do we fix me!" He said with conviction. Micro smirked at being called professor.
"Alright, first, we start by getting you to list all the things you don't like about each of the girls." He said. Ranma smiled.
"*Scoff* Easy! Ok, Applejack: That farm girl accent of hers...no. Actually, I think it's cute and I can't picture her without it. Ok, uhhh...Oh! All that farm lingo she uses! And all she talks about are apples, apples, apples! And...well, to be fair I do like apples and all the fancy stuff she can make with them is pretty tasty."
"Not helping the cause Ranma." Flash said, snapping him out of it.
"Right, uh...OH! Her competitive streak! Yeah, her and Rainbow both! Seriously, those two can NOT go two seconds without turning something into a competition! I mean, they're worse than me and Ryoga. And that laugh of hers, why does it have to be so cute!? And does she have to be so precise and nitpicky about everything being perfect!? And what about...about...actually I can live with all those things. Heck, her competitive streak helps with her training, she's the best carpenter I know...OUCH!"
"FOCUS!" Microchips said as he bopped Ranma on the head, only to wince in pain from how hard Ranma's head was.
"Sheesh, what is your head made out of?" He asked.
"Just bone hardened from years of conditioning, why?" Ranma replied. Flash shook his head.
"I think we're getting off track." He said.
"Uh, maybe you should try one of the other girls." Sandalwood said. Ranma nodded his head.
"Right. Let's see, Rainbow Dash: Well...actually I like her competitiveness. Her taste in music...actually she has great taste in music. Uh...Darn it." Ranma said, finding it hard to find something not to like about his rainbow haired friend. Then he snapped his fingers.
"OH! Ok! She's always showing off, more than me, she acts like she has to be the main attraction most of the time, She always thinks she's the best, even if I think she is cool sometimes, she's impatient and...and kind, always helping her friends, hates bullies, always pushes her friends to try and be better than they think they can be, and...OW!" He said, as this time Flash bopped him on the head.
"You're doing it again." He said. Ranma shook his head.
"Sorry. Uh, RARITY! Easy: She's spoiled, obnoxious, WAY TOO preppy, always wears too much make when she'd look just fine without it, always trying to force me to model some of her dumb outfits that she makes, she talks like some overseas high-class snob, she wears too much perfume, she tries too hard to look pretty and adorable, always wants me to give my opinion on how smokin' hot she is, is too funny when she makes fun of other rich snobs, is always asking me to dance with her, even though I don't mind sometimes, she can be kind of bossy, but she's cute, and sometimes I think that accent of hers is cute, even if I think it's fake, she's too helpful, she's always fixing my clothes in case they get messed up from training or a fight, she can make me smile, she's too freaking pretty, and helpful, and generous to a fault and I'M DOING IT AGAIN!"
Ranma said as he started bashing his head against a wall when he realized he was starting to list things he liked about Rarity. Honestly, that shocked him. Soooo many things about that woman that ticked him off, but he could honestly live with it because she was pretty, kind, sweet, adorable, loving, and...BASH BASH BASH!
Micro and the others shook their heads.
"And you were doing so well on that one too." Microchips said. Ranma stopped bashing his head and looked towards his friends.
"Sorry. But she has WAY too many redeeming qualities that make up for everything I can't stand about her." Ranma said. Sandalwood shook his head.
"Sounds like love to me. Real, strong love too."
"Try Sunset. I could always find something I didn't like about her back when we dated." Flash said. Ranma nodded.
"Well...she's...a game addict, she sometimes uses her magic to sneak a peek at my thoughts...She has a rage problem sometimes but for some reason I don't mind it and I constantly think it could be worse."
Somewhere in Nerima Japan, Akane Tendo sneezed hard.
"And...I've got nothing." Ranma said in defeat. Flash sighed.
"Yeah, she really has gotten rid of just about everything you could hate about her." He said.
"What about Pinkie Pie?" Micro said. Ranma perked up.
"Sure. Uh, she's crazy!" He paused. "She's a sugar nut, she's ALWAYS looking for a reason to throw a party, she constantly wanted to feel me up when I had my female curse, she can be a pervert sometimes, she's a nutloaf, she's always doing something...weird. And...*sigh* I love her parties. She's the first one to every throw me one, she's a great cook, she always knows how to make me smile, and well...I can't hate her." Ranma said before bashing his own head again. The guys were starting to worry. It shouldn't be THIS hard to make a list of things to hate about so many people.
"Twilight?" Micro suggested. Ranma sighed.
"Sorry, but besides her using big words I don't understand and always obsessing over science I've got nothing." He said. Then he looked away, a scowl on his face.
"Her DAD though, I could give you a heck of a list." He said under his breath.
'No where NEAR as big as the one about MY dad though, but still.' He thought.
"Fluttershy?" Sandalwood asked. Ranma shook his head.
"Forget it. Honestly, what's there to hate about that woman?"
The others sighed and nodded. Honestly, you'd have to be completely heartless to hate Fluttershy. Micro pinched the bridge of his nose, this was going to be a LOT harder than he thought.
"Ok, on to step two." He said.
"Which is?" Ranma asked.
"Getting you to look at other girls around the school." He said with a smile. Flash perked up.
"Yeah, this place is full of cuties and hotties. I'm sure at least one of them can help you get over the girls."
And so, after school let out, that's exactly what they did. They introduced Ranma to just about every girl in school. And they weren't kidding, a lot of the girls at the school were just as beautiful as the mane 7...but none of them made his heart feel the way they did. Especially not Trixie, who annoyed the poor fighter to the depths of Hell.
The school's resident DJ, Vinyl Scratch was a possibility, but Ranma just couldn't feel a spark with her. He liked her sure, her taste in music was awesome, and she was cute and cool, but the more he thought about trying with her, the more he felt like he was cheating on the girls.
They even tried to get him to have a hopeless crush on one of the faculty members. Ms. Zecora's large booty helped to distract him, and Celestia and Luna were the most beautiful women he had ever seen...but it did no good. He still ended up thinking about the girls...and then proceeded to bash his head against another wall.
"Sheesh!" Microchips said as Ranma finally stopped bashing his head for the who knows what time today.
"I have NEVER seen a guy feel this guilty about scoping out other women. Even though he's not IN a relationship!"
"Whelp, I guess there's only one option left." Flash said. Sandalwood nodded.
"Yep, it's the only chance he has at this point really." Ranma looked up at his three friends, a look of confusion on his face.
"What? WHAT!?" He asked, on his hands and knees.
"Strip club." They all said in unison. Ranma went blank faced for a moment and tilted his head.
"Eh?" Was all his brain could think to say. Microchips sighed as he readjusted his glasses again.
"Look, I'm not really a fan of having to go this far, but there is a reason for it. And that reason is to weaponize the libido in order to overpower your reasons for liking someone."
"In other words, it's hard to keep liking someone specific when you're surrounded by a whole building full of scantily clad or completely naked women dancing all around you." Sandalwood said.
"Heck, we had to take Flash to a few strip clubs just to get him over the other Twilight a whole bunch of times." Flash blushed and jumped back at Sandalwood's last comment.
"HEY! Dude! Not cool, don't go blabbing that around." Flash said to his now blushing green-haired friend.
"Sorry bro." He replied. Ranma shook his head and smirked at the two.
"Ok, well, if you guys think that a strip club is the best cure for my problem, then let's do this. Got one in mind?"
And with that, the boy took Ranma to one of the 'shadier' sides of town. They come up to a place with a neon sign that looked like a sexy and busty woman. Ranma gulped, he had seen his father go into such places when they were on the road together, but he had never gone into one himself. Now, here he goes, going into a place that might help him get over his feelings for his seven friends.
"Whelp, here goes nothing." He said. As he and his only three male friends walked into the place. And as soon as he went in...he blushed. The second he took his first look inside, he saw a bunch of sexy women winking at him.
"Whelp, here we are." Said Flash, also blushing. "Take your pick Ranma, it's basically an all you can eat buffet of women."
And for the next few hours, Ranma had been subjected to lap dances, strip teases and every other dirty fantasy a man could dream of. Red heads, blonds, brunets, and girls with just about every other hair color a man could think of.
Top heavy, bottom heavy, shy type girls, slutty girls, you name it, this place had it! And the guys made sure to make Ranma enjoy every one of the shows. Or at least, he tried to. But truth be told, he wasn't really able to enjoy it for very long.
Sure, every one of those girls was hot as all heck. But, for some reason, no matter how hot they were, Ranma just couldn't help but feel like he was technically cheating on the girls. Even when this one girl was all over him and kissing his face, he felt...dirty. And not in the good way.
Heck, some of those strippers who were in costumes, he felt like Pinkie would just LOVE to wear stuff like what they were. The ones that were wearing glitter kind of made him think of Rarity. Especially the one that liked to wear outfits covered in diamonds.
He saw one who dyed her hair pink and had a nice sized rack, but to be fair, she was nothing compared to Fluttershy. She was slutty and hot, but it just made him miss Fluttershy's shy and gentle personality. And don't ask him how, but he knew that Fluttershy's breasts were softer.
There were even two who liked dressing in costumes that he swore he saw in a video game that Sunset tried to introduce him to. He thought they were hot, but it just made him miss Sunset, heck, he even thought for a fact that she could have pulled off those outfits better.
And the girls that were twerking? All he could think about was how much he preferred to see Rainbow Dashs' butt in that unitard that Pinkie Pie got her to wear during that mess with Kodachi. Their butts may be bigger, but he still liked Rainbow's better.
Even the girls pretending to be sexy teachers didn't do more than just make him think about Twilight. She may not be as sexy as these strippers, but she was cuter, and definitely smarter. He preferred their tutoring sessions together over these fake brainiacs.
Heck, he even felt angry at the fake farm girl strippers for botching up things that Applejack wouldn't. She was also WAY more toned than these girls, and her tan wasn't fake like theirs either.
He sighed, it was no use, he just kept thinking about the girls. No sexy stripper could make him stop thinking about then no matter how hard they tried. Heck, he even pushed away a few who tried to steal a kiss from him. He felt like if he did kiss them, he'd get emotionally sick from it. And after leaving the club...he went right back to bashing his head into the side of another building.
"I just don't GET IT!" Microchips said in disbelief. "You were surrounded by the most sexiest girls in all of Canterlot, and yet you STILL couldn't stop thinking about seven specific women!?"
Even Flash was shocked, Sandalwood too. How could one person turn down all those women and keep choosing seven other women over them? Either Ranma had a real head problem, or he really was just that much in love with the mane seven. Ranma kept bashing his head over and over again, until a whole chunk of the corner of the building was bashed clean off.
"Uh, oops." He said, grinning sheepishly as his forehead started bleeding a little. Flash and the others shook their heads.
"Well, looks like that plan backfired." Flash said. Ranma lost his grin and wiped the blood off of his head.
"So, what else is there?" Ranma asked.
"Well, I'm out of ideas." Sandalwood said. Ranma started pulling out of his hair in frustration.
"Oh come on! There's got to be some other plan, right!?" Ranma asked. Microchips sighed.
"Well, at this point I'm afraid that there's really only one option left." He said.
"And that would be?" Ranma asked. Microchips took a deep breath.
"Shoot yourself."
"WHAT!?" Ranma shouted out. Even Flash and Sandalwood were shocked at what their friend said.
"I'm sorry guys, but I can't see any other way for him to get out of this. I mean, statistically speaking, no straight man alive should have been able to think about anything other than those girls that were all over him. The fact that he still keeps thinking about the girls is just...it just defies the laws of scientific study of emotions!" Micro said as he gripped his head. Ranma threw his arms up in disgust.
"Really, so that's all you got!? Just shoot myself!?" He said. Flash decided that there was only one other thing to say to Ranma. It would save Micro from his rath, but Flash himself may end up being the one to take the bashing from the pigtailed boy.
"Well, there is one other thing you could do." Flash said. Ranma dropped his rage and looked at his blue haired friend.
"Oh yeah? What? What!?" Ranma asked. Flash took a deep breath.
"Just go up to the girls and tell the how you feel."
Ranma just stood there staring at his friend. After a few seconds...
"WHAT!?" Ranma shouted at his friend and student as he grabbed him by the collar.
"I'm really sorry Ranma, but at this point, that's just about all you can do. I mean..." Flash started to say, only for Ranma to cut him off.
"Oh save it!" Ranma said as he shoved Flash away. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
"Sorry bud." Ranma said. "I...I didn't mean it. I...I just, don't want..." Ranma tried to say. Sandalwood put a hand on Ranma's shoulder.
"Look, I'm sorry man, but I think Flash may be right. I mean, honesty is the best policy after all." Ranma looked at his green haired friend and sighed.
"Look Sand, that's the exact LAST thing I want to do right now. I don't want to tell the girls how I feel." He said. Flash sighed as he walked back to his friend and mentor.
"But why? Just what is it that you're afraid of?" Ranma sighed.
"I...I don't want them to be mad at me." He answered. Flash and the others looked at him like he was crazy.
"Why in the heck would you think that they'd hate you just cause you tell them you love them?" Sandalwood asked.
"Because...I, I don't want them to think I just acted like their friend just to try and ask them out. And I don't want them to think I'm anything like Kuno."
"OK stop right there!" Flash said as he grabbed ahold of Ranma for once. "Let's get something straight right now! YOU ARE NOTHING LIKE THAT ASSHOLE KUNO!"
"He's right man," Sandalwood jumped in. "For one thing, Kuno wouldn't think twice about trying to ask all of them out like a jackass, but you, feeling like it would be wrong, proves that you're WAY different in the head and the heart than that creepo!"
"I agree." Microchips chimed in. "Ranma, all things aside, you really should just come clean. Because honestly, we really are out of ideas. Good and bad."
Ranm sighed as Flash let him go. He took a deep breath and tried to get himself back together again.
"Ok, I guess there really is only one option left." He said.
"So, you're actually going to go and talk to the girls?" Flash asked.
"HECK NO! I'm going to go and join the foreign legion!" Ranma said as he marched off in a huff.
"Ranma! You can't just join the foreign legion!" Microchips said as he and the others ran after him.
"OH, just watch me!" Ranma said as he rounded a corner.
"No! I mean, the Foreign Legion only takes in people as young as 17! You're still 16!"
Ranma froze in his tracks. He grits his teeth as he kicked at the ground.
"Shoot." He said as his three friends caught up to him.
"Look Ranma, I'm sorry. I know you think that not talking to the girls is the way to go, but I really don't think that running from how you're feeling is going to help you out at all." Flash said as he put a comforting hand on Ranma's shoulder.
"He's right Ranma." Sandalwood said. "I think you really should just talk to them. I mean, it's better to just get it out of the way and hope for the best. I mean, better to be t rejected than to not know at all right?"
Ranma sighed. They just didn't get it. He was trying to avoid talking to them to avoid possibly ruining their friendship. He knew his friends were just trying to help him out, but in the end, it looked like their best efforts just didn't cut it.
"Whelp, I guess I really do only have one option." Ranma said.
"So you're actually going to talk to the girls about your feelings?" Flash asked.
"No, find other friends with better ideas." Ranma said as he vanished in a burst of speed. Flash and the others sighed as the gust of wind kicked up by Ranma's vanishing act blew their hair back.
"Sheesh." Microchips said. "What a grouch."
"Yeah, no need to be so rude." Sandalwood said. Flash sighed and shook his head.
"Don't take it personally guys. Ranma acts rough but he means well. He's just going through something personal. I mean, Twilight and Sunset went through something like that too, remember? I went through it to after Queen Twilight left." He said, trying to explain his friends' actions. Micro and Sandal both sighed. Yeah, Flash and the two girls mentioned all went through their own little drama phases after certain events.
"I just hope Ranma can get over himself and his fear after he calms down a bit." Flash added.
As Ranma kept walking across the streets of town, he started to feel bad for how he left things with the guys. If he actually managed to force himself to stay in town, then he'd talk to them tomorrow and apologize. But he still had something important to figure out.
Just how was he going to get out of this jam he was in? This wasn't a problem he could just punch or kick his way out of. His friends, his seven beautiful female friends. The first true friends he ever made since that one friend, Ukyo, from when he was just a little kid. He didn't know how it happened, but somehow those seven women had wormed their way into a heart he wasn't even sure was capable of falling in love. If he had fallen for just one of them he could find a way to make it work and not screw up his friendships, two, it be harder, but now all seven!?
Ranma finally stopped and sighed. What to do, what to do? He felt a breeze blow through his hair and looked up and saw something he didn't expect to see. His mouth fell open slightly, was this fate? Was he somehow drawn here? He wasn't sure, but as long as he was here, he might as well go for it.
And with that, Ranma took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and did something he never thought he would ever do...he walked into a church. As he walked in, he felt a strange sense of calm wash over him as he walked into the building. He looked at the stained-glass windows as he walked through the church hall, each one depicting a scene from the life of Jesus.
He looked around and found a nice-looking spot to sit and sat down, looking around, not really sure what to do now. He decided to just clasp his hands together and bowed his head. If nothing else, maybe he could at least get some thinking done.
'God, if you really ARE listening, why did you have to go and do this to me?' Ranma thought to himself, or rather to God he guessed.
'I mean, why make me fall for all of them? Why make me screw up my first real seven friendships like this? I mean, heck, I'd be happy with any one of them, but why make it so that they'd think I'm some kind of womanizing freak like that idiot Kuno!? WHY!?' Ranma was on the verge of tears. His heart was hurting, so much so that he didn't even notice that someone was walking up to him.
"Having trouble son." Came a calm voice. Ranma's head shot up and he wiped his head around to see a kind looking old man, probably around his 60s, with short grey, a neatly trimmed short grey beard, brown eyes, and a kind, grandfatherly smile.
"Uh, am I that obvious, sir?" Ranma asked. The old man smiled.
"Pretty much. When a young man like you comes walking into a church on the verge of tears, it usually means that he's having some kind of emotional trouble, am I right?" He asked. Ranma couldn't help but smile. There was just something about this man that reminded him of master Asia. Kind, wise, and strong, but in a different way than his master was. This man's strength was more of an emotional and spiritual kind of strength, not physical or martial.
"Well, I guess you can say that." Ranma said, scratching the back of his head. "Name's Ranma. What's your name Mr. Preacher?"
"My name's Martin Hottel." The old man said with a smile as he sat down next to Ranma. "So, tell me my son, just what is it that's brought you to the house of the lord today?"
Ranma sighed. Honestly, he'd never thought much about religion, mostly due to the way he was raised. In all honesty, he was sure that God either didn't exist or just didn't care about him. Ever since meeting Master Asia and the girls, he'd come to reevaluate that thought, but now that he was in this mess, he didn't know what to think? Could he really trust this preacher? Well, he really didn't have any other options.
"Well," Ranma started to say. "Truth is, I've fallen in love with seven people all at once. And it's not just some dumb Hollywood star crush or having some dumb crush on some schoolgirls. I've fallen in love with seven women who were my first real friends. Heck, now they're the first loves of my life. What's worse, I hate myself for falling for them because I think I actually have a decent shot with at least one of them."
"If that's true, then what are you so afraid of?" Martin asked. Ranma sighed.
"I'm afraid that I may end up being the one who ends up destroying a good friendship. Plus, to be honest with you father, man it feels weird saying that, I'm afraid I can't really choose between them. I mean, I've tried for the past few days and all it's done is pull my heart in seven different directions. I've tried falling out of love all day and what's it done for me? I'm even more in love with those girls now than I ever was before."
Ranma sighed again, truth be told, it did feel good to get that off his chest. Martin sighed himself and shrugged his shoulders. He'd heard a lot of stories as a preacher, but this one was a first. A man or woman having an affair, yeah, he heard a lot of those. But a man who was in love with seven women that he wasn't even dating? And to make things crazier, he spent a few days trying to fall out of love with them just so he wouldn't mess up their friendship with each other or with him?
"Well, I've got to say that I've never heard a story like yours, son." He said. "But I've got to say, I think there's only one thing you can really do."
"Yeah yeah, I know. I need to tell the girls how I feel. But I hate that option so much that I've been looking everywhere for a way to avoid doing that. I don't know why I thought coming here would do me any good." Ranma said in a huff. Martin couldn't help but smile and chuckle a little at this young man,
"Well, if you ask me," He started to say. "It seems like you didn't come in here looking for simply a way NOT to tell them, but for a way to just avoid the issue forever. And believe me my friend, that is not a way to live your life."
Ranma looked at the preacher with a skeptical look.
"Yeah, well then what should I do?" Ranma asked.
"Like I said, it would be best just to be up front with them. There really isn't any magic Bible verse I can recite or story I can tell that can take away what you're feeling." Martin said to the emotionally distraught boy.
"However," He continued. "The one thing I CAN tell you, is that God has a reason for all the things he does or causes to happen in all our lives. I'm sure whatever reason he had for leading you to these seven women it was a good one. I mean, think, honestly think, have you ever cared about someone so much that you spent so much time worrying about how best NOT to hurt them?"
Ranma had to stop at that question. No. No, he had honestly never cared about anyone this much before. But these girls were different. They...they were his light. He looked down and smiled. A smile of defeat, this preacher had bested him in a way no one ever had. With words and honest truths. Where was this guy when he was stuck with his dead-beat father? Ranma looked up at the preacher.
"No. Those girls are the only ones I've ever felt this way for. I guess I just care a little too much huh?" He said with a chuckle. Martin just laughed at the boy.
"Maybe Ranma, but I think the way you feel isn't a bad thing. Just take some time to think it over. After all, it's better to tell someone you love them and be rejected then to never tell them and to spend the rest of your days wondering what might have been." Martin said. Ranma got up and shook hands with the man.
"Thanks, Martin. I...guess I really did need this." He said. Martin put a comforting hand on Ranma's shoulder.
"Anytime my son. Remember, if you ever need an ear to talk to, or some good advice, just come and ask for me. The churches door are always open."
And with that, Ranma left the church, not really happy, but feeling like a load had been taken off of his shoulders. But he still cared a sizable weight on his heart. The sun had started to set, and the stars were starting to make their nightly debut. Ranma looked up at the starlit sky and sighed. Everywhere he went people kept giving him the same advice. But the question was, could he?
He would love nothing more than to tell them how he felt, but knowing that it could end in disaster made it harder for him. He hated himself, but more than that, he hated feeling this way. Like there was no way he could win. He took in a deep breath and returned his gaze to the sky as memories of his friends, the day they met, the gala and everything in between.
(Cue Music)
There's a calm surrender
To the rush of day
When the heat of a rolling wind
Can be turned away
An enchanted moment
And it sees me through
It's enough for this restless warrior
Just to be with you
Ranma looks down as he starts to sing. As the wind blows his hair, he walks further along, looking up at the sky as the stars start to shine. As Ranma continues to sing, he starts to remanence about his times with the girls.
And can you feel the love tonight?
It is where we are
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer
That we got this far
And can you feel the love tonight
How it's laid to rest?
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best
Ranma thinks about the first time he met Rainbow Dash and then her friends. He starts to think about all their adventures together. His minds drifts to each girl, one at a time. First Rainbow, then Applejack, thinking about each one of his fondest memories with them. His thoughts drift to Pinkie and Fluttershy, thinking of how they made him smile. All his happiest memories, memories that they helped him create. As he stops remembering for a moment, he keeps walking.
There's a time for everyone
If they only learn
That the twisting kaleidoscope
Moves us all in turn
There's a rhyme and reason
To the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star-crossed voyager
Beats in time with yours
Ranma starts thinking about Twilight, thinking of her smarts, her smile, all the times she helped him learn things so he didn't end up a stupid bum. As his thoughts drift, he begins to think of Rarity and her smile, her style, and the elegance that only she could produce.
And can you feel the love tonight?
It is where we are
It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer
That we got this far
And can you feel the love tonight
How it's laid to rest?
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best
Ranma thinks of the memories he had with Rarity. Sure she drove him nuts, but he always liked being with her, dancing with her, and just being happy with her. Then he thought about Sunset. He thought about how he and her hung out, played games together, the times she and him got close to one another. How she was the only one who truly understood a bunch of his hardships, after all, she has literally been inside his head. He smiles sadly, but still happily at the memories he created with those seven girls. No wonder he loved them. As he finished singing, he started to tear up, smiling at the sky, knowing what he had to do, as he closed his eyes, opened them up, a new resolve in them, and marched back home.
As he opened his door and walked in, Tsukirou ran up to his master. Ranma smiled at his wolf, picked him up, and hugged him. He then walked into the living room where his master was meditating, waiting for him. Master Asia opened his eyes and looked to his young student.
"So, have you made up your mind?" He asked. Ranma nodded his head solemnly.
"I have." He said. "I'm gonna do it. I'm going to tell the girls how I feel about them." Ranma said with a determined smile. Master Asia returned that smile with one of his own.
"Good." He said. "I'm proud of you Ranma."
"Yeah. Hang on to that Master." Ranma said as he started walking to Tsukirou's little bed pillow and laid him down and gave him some food.
"Tomorrow is going to be the hardest day of my life." He said sadly. "I might just be losing seven dear friends."
As Ranma is going through this, we cut to a park, where the seven girls that Ranma was thinking about were having a meeting of their own.
"Ok," Sunset said with a sigh. "I called you all here because, there's a very big elephant in the room that we need to address."
"You mean the fact that all seven of us are in love with Ranma?" Pinkie asked.
"Well, no sense in hiding it." Applejack said as she walked over to the center of the group of friends.
"Ok, I'm in love with Ranma, and apparently, so is everyone here. SO, what are we going to do about it?" She asked. Unfortunately, no one really had any ideas to share.
"AGH! Why did this have to happen? I mean, how on Earth is it that all seven of us could fall for the same man!? I mean, how does something like this even happen!?" Rarity exclaimed. Fluttershy sighed.
"I'm not really sure." She said. They all looked down, too ashamed to even look at each other. Pinkie looked around at her sulking friends and growled.
"OK! Listen up! I know you're all going to shoot me down for bringing this up but hear me out!" She said as she walked into the center of the gathered friends.
"Just hear me out here, look, since we all like Ranma, and none of us want to date him because we don't want to hurt anyone else's feelings, why don't we just share him?"
Silence. The other six girls all just looked at Pinkie with dumbfounded expressions.
"Uh, Pinkie," Twilight said. "You do know that we're talking about a human being, not a toy or a piece of food, right?"
"I know that!" She cried back at the glasses wearing girl. "But come on! I mean, I know for a fact that I wouldn't mind sharing him with you guys. Not only that, but I also know for a fact that Sunset is bisexual."
"WHAT!?" Sunset cried out. "H-How do you know that!?"
"Wait. You mean you really are bisexual?" Rainbow Dash asked. Sunset looked away embarrased.
"Um...yeah." She said in defeat. Pinkie smirked.
"And I know because of the way she would keep checking us out whenever we're changing in the locker room at school."
"WHAT!?" All the others cry out. Sunset blushed even more.
"Look, yes I'll admit I'm a bisexual and I've looked at you guys a few times, and I've had a few thoughts about you guys too, but can we please get back on topic here!?" She said.
"Yeah, I agree." Applejack said. "Look, I agree that I don't want to get into a fight about a boy that we all happen to like, but Pinkie, sharing a boyfriend usually is doomed to failure. You know that right?"
"Well," Sunset chimed in. "There have been some cases of people sharing a boyfriend that have actually worked out."
"Wait, are you seriously considering this dumb idea of Pinkie's, are you?" Rainbow asked her red-headed friend. Sunset sighed.
"Well, kind of." She said.
"What!?" Rarity exclaimed. "Sunset, darling, I like you, but really? How could you be considering this?" Sunset sighed again.
"Well, to be honest," She said. "Back in Equestria, there's a higher number of females than there are males so a single male with multiple partners may not be very common but it's not unheard of."
"Really?" Twilight said.
"Wait, you mean harems are actually a thing in Equestria?" Fluttershy asked. Sunset nodded.
"Yeah, so, while I get that it may be a crazy idea, and I personally never thought that I would consider it, but..."
"Wait a minute!" Rarity called out. "I mean, I...(sigh) I really don't know what to say at this point."
"Well I do." Fluttershy said as she got in the center of her friends.
"I think we're all forgetting one important thing. How Ranma feels."
That made everyone sober up. In the excitement of their own feelings, they had forgotten that there was indeed one other person in this mess with them.
"Jeeze." Sunset said. "In a way, we almost just forgot to even consider Ranma's feelings. Just like his father."
"HEY! We are NOTHING like that jackass of a dad of his!" Rainbow Dash said.
"That's right!" Applejack chimed. "We actually care about Ranma! We would never just ignore his feelings."
"OOO! If I ever see that man at all in my life..." Rarity said, clenching her fists tightly.
"Ok, listen up." Sunset said. "Tomorrow is the second to last day of school. We'll talk to Ranma then and after that, we'll see how he feels about us."
All the girls nodded their heads and brought their hands together. Vowing to not let their conflicting feelings for Ranma destroy their friendship. They all headed home, bracing themselves for whatever may come their way when the dawn comes, completely unaware that one young man also shared their feelings of dread.
Meanwhile, down by the docks, a couple of homeless men were sitting by a fire sharing a drink. As they were enjoying their night, they heard a noise and turned to see...a panda? Yes, a big and slightly overweight looking panda bear crawled out of the ocean and shook the water off of his body.
The panda walked over to the two men drinking and put a kettle over their fire. The men were too shocked to fully comprehend what they were seeing. Maybe they had too much to drink again? When the kettle started to whistle, the panda took it out of the fire and poured the hot water on himself.
As soon as he did, the panda transformed into a fat, bald headed man with glasses wearing a dirty karate uniform that he pulled out of nowhere. They both dropped their drinks and jumped back at the sight they just saw. The man coughed and pulled a picture out of his top.
"Pardon me kind sirs." He said. "But have either of you seen the boy in this picture anywhere?"
He then held up the picture showing a young Japanese boy with black hair in a braided pigtail, blue eyes, and a cocky smirk on his face. The two looked at the picture, both still a little too drunk to fully understand what they just saw.
"Oh!" One of them said. "That's that karate boy that's been causing a racket over at Canterlot High."
"Why are you looking for him though Panda man?" The other asked. The man put the picture back in his top and stood up.
"Because he's my no good, responsibility shirking son!"
Ranma: Hey guys! Ranma here, and on the next episode of Equestria Wild Horse, the big chapter that's been two years in the making FINALLY arrives! I'm going to tell the girls how I feel about them, and it seems they all have something they want to say too. Unfortunately, someone I REALLY don't want to see shows up to try and start trouble! This is one fight I've actually been DYING to have for a very long time! So don't miss the season finale of Equestria Wild Horse: Confessions of the Heart! Ranma VS. Genma! See ya then!
Ending: Life Is Like A Boat (Sung By Celestia)
Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along
Who's gonna comfort me, and keep me strong
[Celestia is seen in a white kimono, holding a red cloth to her chest. She seems sad and a single tear is rolling down her eye. She closes her eye as she starts to cry. But that's when Ranma and Master Asia put a hand on each of her shoulders and she turns to see them smiling at her.]
We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on comin' and we can't escape
But if we ever get lost on your way
The waves would guide you thru another day
[She crys again as she gets up and hugs the both of them. The camera zooms in on her face as she drops the cloth as an image of a man, shrouded in shadows, the only thing of him that can be seen are his red hair and eyes, appears at her feet.]
Far away, I'm breathing, as if I were transparent
It would seem I was in the dark, but I was only blindfolded
I give a prayer as I wait for the new day
Shining vividly up to the edge of that sea
[The two martial artists lead the crying woman out of the dark room she was in and into a bright light. Outside they see Luna and all of Ranma's friends waiting for them.]
Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don't give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong
[Luna runs up to her sister and hugs her as Celestia falls into her arms. Ranma and Master Asia lead the two off into a beautiful sunset.]
People's hearts change and sneak away from them
The moon in its new cycle leads the boats again
[Ranma looks back at the two sisters and then to his master. He looks forward as a serious look crosses his face. The girls and Flash crowd around him as they look into the horizon.]
And every time I see your face,
the oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
and soon I can see the shore
[They all smile as they run into a field. Ranma jumps and lands in a crouch as he looks up at Canterlot from a distance. Everyone crowds around him and they all share a smile.]
I want you to know who I really am
I never though I'd feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along
I will follow you, and keep you strong
[Celestia smiles sadly and looks towards Ranma. Ranma smiles at her and gives her a thumbs up. Celestia blushes and and nods her head at him.]
And still the journey continues on quiet days as well
The moon in its new cycle shines on the boats again
I give a prayer as I wait for the new day
Shining vividly up to the edge of that sea
[The scene changes to Ranma walking the streets and images of his friends flash by. Celestia is then seen walking and images of her sister, her parents and Master Asia flash by and so does the mysterious man with red hair.]
And every time I see your face,
the oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
and soon I can see the shore
[Close up to Celestia as she wipes away her tears and adopts a serious face.]
We are rowing the boat of fate, but the waves keep attacking us
But isn't that still a wonderful journey? Aren't any of them a wonderful journey?
[Ranma and Celestia stand in front of each other. Images of their faces appear above them as they smile at each other.]
