//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Not all who wander... // by TDR //------------------------------// “I'm sorry, but.... Look I like you as a friend but that's all.” That was what she said. Simple words really, things he had been expecting for a while now. But words hurt, and these struck his poor heart of glass and shattered it utterly. He had stuck by her through everything, listened to her troubles, saved her life from countless foes, nearly all of them brought about by the one she chose. Her life was in danger every moment she stayed near him. “The wedding is in two weeks... do you think you can make it?” Come to the wedding of his love and his most hated enemy? Sure, twist the knife deeper. “Sorry... I don't think I'd make it on time....” A lame excuse, but given what usually happened to him when he was distracted , it was one she accepted readily. The others wouldn't accept this, he knew them. He'd fought with and against them so many times, their motivations insane yet, they often mirrored his own. They fought for what they believed was love. He thought the same and from any one else he would have fought as well, but to hear her speak the words, to listen to her explain her plans and what she was going to do.... after what they had all been though. She had led him on at times, her joy at seeing him when he arrived with a gift, the hugs she gave, the rare kiss. He had gotten the nerve to ask her out once, and the man she was going to marry ruined it. There was always a hope for another try, but in the later hours she had spoken her true mind, claiming to feel sorry for any one who dated him. That was when the first real cracks appeared in his heart, but he pushed it back ignored the pain continued to win her. Now this. “Congratulations on the wedding.....I'll see you later......” “Oh well, take care.” He turned and shouldered his bag and started walking. He always found his way back to that house, no matter how long he was gone. He thought his love was what kept bringing him back, but clearly it was a twisted fate, something that only wanted to torment him. Either that or fate was just trying to show him he had no chance. He set off walking, not caring where he ended up this time. He moved like a zombie, one foot in front of the other, never looking to either side simply at the ground as he walked. He passed city's, gawked at by passerby, screamed at by motorists, he was hit by a bus once, but he was pretty sure every one on board was okay before he ripped out of the front and kept walking. He had been hit with worse, thousands of impacts against solid rock and falls from insane heights barely phased him, what was a few tons of steel? He walked through smaller towns, rural villages, farmland, deserts, he walked a lonely road, the only one that he ever knew. He had no real friends, only rivals and the occasional partner in the pursuit of his love, though they always had their own motivations. But now that was gone. He hadn't seen his parents in years, his dog in a few less than that, but she had her puppies to care for now. She didn't need to worry about him, and she could take care of herself. His mind wandered as he walked, focusing on her face, how she had been the first to treat him with any kindness. The first to reach his heart, to let him know what love could really be. And in the end . She hadn't picked him, she had picked that bastard, that ass had made his life a living hell. And just when he had found a small bit of heaven, the bastard took it from him. He was loyal to her. There were other times he could have gone with another, that pig farmer, the skater, heck a lot of people thought he and the okonomiyaki chef were a thing. That womanizing bastard had dozens of women chasing him, and he still flirted with more and lead them on. He kept walking. He walked through deserts, lush forests, what he thought was some sort of jungle, it didn't matter where he went, so long as it was away. He recalled stopping to eat occasionally, the food tasting like ash in his mouth. He recalled it rained from time to time and that he walked with his umbrella out. He recalled camping sleeping occasionally. He recalled more cites and towns, seeing the ocean, seeing what looked like the earth spinning in a dark void as he walked some gray desert some where startling some guys in bulky white suits. He walked on. He needed to leave her be. To let her have her life. She made her choice and as much as it hurt, he was going to support that. That meant staying away. If he went back then the bastard and him would fight, and he would try to kill that womanizing scum. He knew the wedding would fail, the others who wanted him wouldn't let it happen properly. There would be a fight, just like always. It wouldn't solve anything and would just ruin any plans any one might have. He was done with it. So he walked. A swamp, a west Virginian wasteland, Ohio.... man that place was horrid, a frozen landscape. At some point he realized he was on all fours and still walking. Not much of a surprise, it was probably raining and he missed it, not the first time. He was used to walking on hooves by this point. He didn't notice his pack hadn't crushed him like usual. He trod on, walking through another dark and foreboding forest in the middle of the night, though he thought it had been morning not that long ago. Nothing new really, he was losing time as he wandered, it happened. He came to a river, easily hopping across the tree branches over it. Not that he cared he was already wet it seemed. A chasm was passed the same way, a bit of spent ki and he was over it. He walked on stepping past some great archway and walking inside it took him a few moments to realize he was walking on some old stone and ratty carpet. Lifting his head for the first time in a while he took note that he was inside some old ruins. The stone walls had numerous hallways leading off of it, wall scones that were old and rotted and rows of rotted tapestries that hung from bars still held up in the vaulted ceiling. Shattered stained glass windows lay ruined on the floor, the windows not surviving the wear of weather. At the far end of where he had come in on a raised dais, there were a pair of thrones. A bright golden one and a much darker blue and black one. Above the thrones hung a pair of mostly intact tapestries. Over the golden throne, one depicting a solar theme, and the one on the left over the darker throne depicting a moon and a lunar theme. Etchings on the walls showed more moon and solar symbols, but they were only carved on the side of the hall that the matching thrones were on. The wanderer turned his head taking in this strange place. Old rusted armors lay strewn about at the end of the hall, all of it seemingly designed for horses. With a small sigh he lowered his head, he had expected to get lost but really? “WHERE ON EARTH AM I NOW!?!”Ryoga Hibiki cried out, the sound echoing off the chambers around him as he screamed to the heavens. [In another part of the castle ] “Did you guys hear that?!” Applejack questioned , her ears perked up as she surveyed the halls in the dark castle each one looking like something could spring from the shadows at any moment. “The book said, 'when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed.” Twilight Sparkle recited. “What in the hay is that supposed to mean?” Applejack demanded looking back. “I'm not sure , but I have an idea. Stand back. I don't know what will happen.” Twilight ordered. “ Alright. She needs tah concentrate. Lets give her some space and check out what that scream was, might be some other pony got dragged in here with Nightmare Moon that needs help.” Applejack offered getting nods and affirmative noises from the other mares. The five left the purple unicorn heading deeper into the castle of the two sisters. TDR Presents. A story about neither puppies , nor stone. Not all who wander... A Ranma ½ cross over.