//------------------------------//
// Girls and Guys Night 
// Story: The Awesome Spider-Dash: Origins 
// by Flufux 
//------------------------------//


Minisode
Girls and Guys Night


Twilight's apartment wasn't really all that big, but she appreciated what little she had, and when one room was suddenly not available to her anymore, it felt a lot smaller than usual. Ever since Spike began with his 'top-secret' thing that he couldn't tell Twilight about despite the fact that everyone already knew about it, she had found herself missing her access to her living room. 

However, she made due in the kitchen, where she and Sunset Shimmer were having a conversation over a cup of tea. 

Since both of them were off the clock, they had forgone the lab coats for some more relaxed clothing. Sunset was wearing a pair of shorts and a purple sleeveless shirt with an image of stylised sun on it, while Twilight preferred a light blue shirt with purple pants. And while she usually tied her hair up into a bun while working, she was now opting for a loose ponytail instead. 

Having been working under Dr Silk Mane's harsh guidance all day, they were relieved to finally have some time to relax and talk about things that were not related to cross-species genetics. 

Given how completely obsessed and single-minded the good doctor they worked for was in finishing their assignment on time, and by the fact that she didn't seem to care about the feelings of all the people she constantly overworked to do so, Sunset was by now pretty sure that Mane was some kind of psychopath...though she lacked any concrete proof to confirm that.

Still, even after a whole day of working for someone like her, a nice cup of tea was all it took to get Miss Shimmer back in a good mood.

"Wow, is this strawberry?" Sunset asked after taking a sip of the cup she was given.

Twilight nodded, "Hmm-hm."

"I like it. Maybe I should try this stuff more often."

"I'm more partial to Earl Gray myself, but unfortunately...I'm all out."

Sunset put down her cup and looked around a bit, taking in the features of her friend's new apartment. "So...nice place. I'm a bit surprised you could afford it, actually."

"Oh, you can thank my parents for that. It's their place actually...well, um, half the time. I'm just living here while they're on their all-expense trip around the world...and I have my CelestiaCorp internship position."  

"Man, you're lucky your folks are so nice. I mean, giving you their apartment, adopting Spike, not constantly yelling at you all the time. I haven't even met them yet and I can already tell that they're a lot better than the ones I'm stuck with."

"Why do you say that?"

"If you'd met them, you'd know. With how much they shout at each all the time I think I should invest in sound-proofing my room or something. Seriously, I'd love to have my own place."

"Well, it's not nearly as easy as it looks. I'm really lucky to have Spike's help, because otherwise…I'd probably be eating nothing but breakfast cereals and have this room full of unwashed dishes."

With a coy smile, Sunset noted, "So you're not exactly a...kitchen person, then?"

"I can cook, it's just that sometimes...I...well, I...kinda forget to do it. Spike is really good at reminding me though that I still need to eat and sleep every now and then. I'm not sure if I could even survive an entire week without him." 

"I'm sure you could manage." 

"That makes one of us." 

"Hey, cheer up, Tiger, you'll learn eventually." 

"Pff-hihihi, What did you just call me?" Twilight asked with a small giggle.

Sunset raised a teasing eyebrow, "What? You don't like it?" 

"Well...I guess it's a lot better than 'Dorky Bangs' at least." 

"I sure hope so, Tiger, for that's what I'm gonna call you from now on."

They both laughed a little, simply enjoying this time to talk about silly things like that.

Twilight may not have known Sunset Shimmer nearly as long as she had known Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity, but there was little to no doubt that she was the one Twilight was closest to. While she loved her other friends as if they were her family, Sunset was the only one she had a lot of common interests with, and also the one who understood Twilight best. Despite the fact that Sunset had once been a bit of a bully herself when she was younger, she was very protective of Twilight, and didn't tolerate anyone trying to make fun of or take advantage of her. 

However, that didn't stop Sunset herself from teasing her.  

"By the way..." Shimmer began in a slightly mischievous tone.

"Hmm?" Twilight hummed curiously.

"...I heard from a little bird that you had taken an...interest in someone."

On cue, Twilight immediately started to blush, "I...don't know what you're talking about."

"...and not in a platonic way."

She blushed even more. "Well, I...I...wouldn't-"

Sunset Shimmer's smile was impossibly smug when she saw her best friend's embarrassed expression. "So...would you be so kind as to maybe tell me who it is that you're so interested in?"

"Uhm...well, it's...uh...HEY! Who told you that?!"

"Actually...no one did. I just made it up." Sunset confessed before she morphed her face into a trollish grin, "However...judging by your reaction, I'd say that I was right on the mark. You do have a little crush on someone, don't you?"

"No I haven't!" Twilight insisted...very unconvincingly.

"Twilight Sparkle, you are a terrible liar. So come one, Tiger, its time to spill the beans."

Twilight's eyes darted around all over the place while her blush grew so big that she couldn't even rely on her dark skin to hide it. She was so flustered that all she could get out of her mouth were a bunch of nervous, "I...I...I don't...uh..."

"Wait, don't tell me! Let me guess." Sunset offered, making it very clear that she was really enjoying this, "Since you obviously wasn't into Flash, it's got to beeeeee...wait, is it Timber Spruce?"

Twilight snapped out of her ramblings and asked, "Um, who?"

Sunset's smiling face immediately turned to confusion, "Well...you know the guy we met in the Everfree forest when we were looking for that meteor the symbiote came from? I really thought there was something between you two."

"Ooooooh, that guy." Twilight answered after she remembered who she was talking about, "No, it's not him. I mean I did agree to go out on a date with him, and he's a really nice boy with a great sense of humour and a lot of things we could talk about, but...halfway through the date I realised that it wasn't going to work out. He took it well enough...though I haven't really met him since. There's nothing really wrong with him, I was just..."

"...in love with someone else?" Sunset finished for her.

Twilight nodded. 

"So who is it? Because if it isn't Flash or Timber, I can't really think of anyone. Is it somebody I know?"

"Well...yes, I guess you do know the person I have...a...crush on." Twilight stuttered, her face as red as a tomato, "Actually...you kinda...know that person very well."

"Really?!"

"Yes." Twilight squeaked out, visibly shrinking in a very Fluttershy-like manner.  

Sunset thought about that for a moment, mentally going through all the people that she knew, and all the people that she knew that Twilight also knew. Yet, after all that thinking all she could answer was, "No, I got nothing. You got to give me a hint."

"Do I? It's kinda...personal."

Sunset Shimmer's mood went from teasing to comforting while she put her hand over Twilight's and assured, "Look, if you don't want to tell me who it is, you don't have to. But know that I'll be here to help you if you need it. I may not be a relationship expert or something like that, but I've had some experience in the dating field. Well, when I say 'experience', I mean two past relationships that went up in flames...one of them almost literary."

Twilight really liked the feel of Sunset's hand on hers, and it made it a bit easier for her to finally say what she had wanted to say for a while. "Look, the thing is...the person that I have a crush on...is..."

However, by some twisted divine prank, at that very moment, the doorbell went off, thus stopping the love-struck girl from finishing that sentence. 

A little awkwardly, Twilight said, "Excuse me for...just a moment."

Sunset groaned a little at the phenomenally bad timing, but kept a smile on her face regardless, "Sure thing."

While Twilight hurried over to her front door, she wondered who it could possibly be that would show up at a time like this. She rarely got visitors in her new apartment, and when she did, they usually gave her a call before coming over. Well, Rainbow Dash didn't usually follow that rule, and as it so happened, when she opened the door she wasn't actually too surprised to see that it was indeed Rainbow Dash waiting on the other side.

What was surprising though was the Rainbow didn't show any signs of her haughty and playful attitude, instead she looked oddly glum for some reason. Also, the fact that she came through the front door instead of climbing through her window told Twilight that she wasn't really in an adventurous mood.

However, being as polite as she was, Twilight greeted, "Um...hello, Rainbow. Did you need something?"

Rainbow made her way into the apartment and answered, "Yeah, sorry for just dropping in like this, I probably should have called first or something." 

Now Twilight knew something was wrong. Rainbow usually didn't sound quite so...humble. "Are you okay? You sound a little down."

Dash leaned her back against a nearby wall, "Let's just say that yesterday kinda sucked, and today was no better."

"What happened?"

"It's a long story. I don't really feel like going into it."

"Oh...I'm sorry. So are you here for a social visit or...?"

Rainbow walked over towards the kitchen, "Actually, I was hoping to talk to-" but stopped herself when she saw Sunset Shimmer drinking a cup of tea at the kitchen table, "Oh hi, Sunset, didn't see ya there."

Sunset looked puzzled for moment before she guessed, "It's...Rainbow Dash, right?"

"Yep, that's my name."

"I figured as much, the hair kinda gives it away. Also, I think I remember you being the captain of the Wondercolt team at Canterlot High when I went there. How's that working out for you?" 

Rainbow scratched the back of her neck, "Can we not talk about that right now?"

"Um...okay. Touchy subject?"

"Yeah."

"Was that what happened at school yesterday?" Twilight asked as she followed Rainbow into the kitchen.

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

"Oh right, sorry I asked. So why did you come here again?"

Rainbow Dash looked around a little, "Actually, I came here to talk with Spike. Is he home?"

Twilight did not expect that answer, "Spike?! What did you need to see him for?"

"I just need his help with something I've been working on. It has to do with..." she subtly pointed at the small, red, but mostly faded, spot on her right hand where the spider had bit her, "...you know?"

Twilight's face lit up in comprehension, "Ah...that. Well, he's here, but...now isn't really the best time."

"Why not?"

"Well, tonight is...'Guy's Night'."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Every once in awhile he and a couple of his male friends come here and take over my living room...while making it sure that absolutely no one without a Y-chromosome is allowed inside. And despite that fact that they're doing this in my own home they still won't tell me whatever it is that they're doing no matter how many times I ask."

"Well, that's guys for ya." Rainbow noted with a shrug, "Lucky for me, though, I'm practically one of the boys, so why don't I go in there and have a chat with him while you more feminine 'girly girls' stay back out here?"

"Hey!" Sunset objected, clearly offended at being referred to as a 'girly girl'. 

"I don't know..." Twilight said uncertainly, "He's awfully persistent about about the whole 'no girls' rule."

Rainbow waved her off, "Ah come on, it can't be anything too embarrassing."

"Are you sure about that?" Sunset asked from where she was sitting.

With an all too familiar cocky grin on her face, Rainbow replied, "Question: What do guys like to do when there are no girls around? Answer: Watch sports or play video games. And as it happens, I happen to do both. Ergo: I fit right in. I guarantee it!"





Meanwhile...in the currently dimly lit living room of Twilight's apartment, Spike and two of his friends were about to embark on a perilous journey to a magical land filled with excitement and adventure.

The only source of light in the room was a flashlight that Spike was using to light up his own face in an attempt to build suspense. He also spoke in a very dramatic voice when he narrated, "In a world where evil reigns supreme, a small band of warriors stands tall against the darkness. This is...Ogres and Oubliettes!"

Suddenly, the light switched on to reveal all three players sitting around the table where the popular role-playing adventure game was laid out on. 

Shining Armour, known for his professional attitude and sharp mindset he had as the captain of the police, was now off-duty and out of his uniform. And when he was off-duty, he was almost like a completely different person. In fact, hidden underneath the mask he put on when he was on the job, he was actually quite a goofball and maybe even a bit of a nerd. He had been playing Ogres and Oubliettes since he was a kid, and even now at the age of 28, he's still completely obsessed with it.   

The third and final player at the table was none other than Big Macintosh...Applejack's older brother.

Big Mac was certainly a man who lived up to the 'big' part of his name. Not only was he tall, but he also had big arms and broad shoulders: a sign that he was used to hard work just like his sister was. His scruffy blonde hair and freckles also made it easy to see that he and Applejack were related. However, unlike his Little Sis, Mac was not really that much of a hat person...his trademark was instead the red plaid jacket he wore most of the time.

Despite appearances though, Big Mac was a bit brighter than one might expect from someone as big and silent as him, and was probably the best Ogres and Oubliettes player in the room.  

How these three got around to having the tradition of playing this game whenever they all had a lot of time on their hands was a rather long story actually. The short version is that the three of them once ended up in a room together for far too long without anything to do...and then Shining Armour had an idea on how to pass the time...and then they all got really into it.

Still keeping his dramatic voice, Spike looked at Shining, who was sitting on the couch on his right, and inquired, "Prince Smarty Pants, are you prepared to enter the world of Ogres and Oubliettes?"

With confidence in his voice, Shining Armour answered, "Hehe, You bet I am."

Spike moved his gaze to the left where Big Mac was sitting in a comfy chair, "Sir McBiggen, are you also prepared to enter the world of Ogres and Oubliettes?"

In a deep and steady voice, Big Mac answered in only one word. "Eeyup."

"Then let's begin!" Spike decided, "Now, as we all remember from last time, the Squizzard was just about to awaken the dreaded Owlbear Demon Princess from her eternal resting place, which could mean the end of all of Spiketopia if we don't do something about it. However, the Legendary Rabbit-foot Arrow, the only thing capable of smiting it, is locked behind a massive stone gate. Now if my memory's right, it was...Prince Smarty Pants' time to choose our next course of action."

"Uhm, wasn't it Sir Mcbiggen's turn?" Shining asked while trying to remember what happened last time they played this game.

"Nope." answered Big Mac.

"Right, let me think. Hmmmm...now that's a tricky one..." 

He took a moment to mull over that conundrum. Somehow, he managed to look completely serious...while at the same time looking like he was the exact opposite. Sure, this was only a game, but he had no intention of losing it...well, not this time at least.

After a short while, Shining had an idea, "Alright, what if I use my high lockpicking skills to pry the gate open?"

"That could work." Spike answered while looking through one of the game's rulebooks, "Given your class and skill points, that would mean...hmmmm...ah-HA, you're in luck! You only need to get a three or higher to succeed."

Feeling a bit cocky, Shining picked up a 20-sided dice and commented, "That all?" before he threw it on the table...only for it land on a...'2'.

He did not see that one coming. "Argh, dammit!"

The odds were 18 to 2, and somehow, Shining Armour had gotten such bad luck that he narrowly lost at that. Karma was clearly not on his side today.

Snickering a little at his adoptive brother's expense, Spike narrated, "The lockpicking...failed, and Prince Smarty Pants begins to feel deeply and personally humiliated."

Shining gave him a slightly grumpy look, "Do you really have to rub it in?" 

"I'm just following the script, and the script demanded it." Spike defended, trying to sound professional. 

"You're the one writing the script."

"And that is exactly how I know what it demands. Now, Sir Macbiggen, you're up!"

To communicate his next move, Big Mac put on his best war face and moved his arm as if he was swinging a sword. 

Needless to say, he was not much of a talker.

Spike understood him for the most part, but he still needed to be sure, "Wait, are you saying you want to...smash through the door...with only your sword?"

"Eeyup."

"I don't know...that's going to be really difficult, you'll need a full twenty to succeed. Are you sure you don't want to try something else?"

"Nope."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn ya." Spike noted while Mac picked up the dice and tossed it. 

Whatever bad luck spell had cursed Shining Armour...had apparently not affected Big Mac in the least...as he somehow managed to score a perfect twenty despite the fact that the odds were sorely stacked against him. 

With vigour, he shouted, "EEYUP!" 

"Seriously?!" Shining asked, clearly surprised at the result.

"Well...that was unexpected." Spike commented, "Alright. Ahem, Sir Macbiggen strikes the door with his massive sword, and he swings it so hard that not even the mighty stone door that once held an entire army at bay could survive. The door crumbled, and our heroes finally found the-"

Suddenly, the door to the living room was slammed open and Rainbow Dash blundered in and asked, "Hey guys! What'ya doing?!"

Because Spike was completely focused on his narration and was sitting with his back to the door, the sudden unexpected visit made him jump a little, "AAARGH! What the!?" 

All three guys soon found themselves staring at new arrival as if she had caught them doing something illegal. After all, what they were doing during 'Guys Night' was only supposed to be between the three of them. If it had been Twilight or Sunset, who Spike had explicitly told not to disturb them, who had entered without knocking, then he would have really been upset. 

Still, Spike really had to ask, "Rainbow Dash?! What are you doing here?"

"I just came to see what's up with you guys." The prismatic-haired teen replied.

"Couldn't you at least knock first? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Spike, you're fourteen, you're way too young to have a heart attack. And as for your question, well, that's just how I roll. I thought you were used to it by now." 

She then looked at Big Mac and said, "Hi Mac, didn't expect to see you here, and..." though her mood lowered a bit when she saw the third guy in the room, "...hello to you too...Shining Armour."  

The police officer took note of the salty tone she used when she addressed him and nervously replied, "Rainbow Dash, nice...to...see you. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great!" Rainbow answered, her voice completely dripping with sarcasm, "I just had to tell my soccer team I was leaving them for good after having all my lovely community service duties laid out for me for the coming month. Oh, and I'm going to meet Zecora the school counsellor every Tuesday from now on. I bet that will be fun!"

Shining sighed, "Look, Rainbow...I was only doing my job, and I have nothing against you personally. So you think we could bury the hatchet for a bit...at least while I'm out of uniform?"

Rainbow shrugged, "I guess I could. You're a pretty cool guy, Shining, I'm just a bit cranky right now."

"Is it about what happened with Gilda?"

"Yeah, mostly it is...but enough about me, what are you guys doing in here?"

Spike gave her a slightly immature look and declared, "We were having a guys night, and that means that no girls are allowed. So I'm afraid you have to-"

"Sweet! Can I join you?!" Dash asked, clearly missing the point Spike was trying to make.

"No you can't!" the boy insisted, "Do you even know what a guys night is?"

"Well duh...of course I do." 

"Then you should know that only guys are allowed to be at them."

"Yeah, that's why Twilight and Sunset have to wait outside, right?"

Spike facepalmed. He wasn't sure if Rainbow was messing with him or if he actually had to spell it out to get her to understand. Hoping it was the latter, he said, "Yes, and that is exactly why you aren't allowed in here either. You do know you're a girl too, right?"

"So you're saying I can't join because I got boobs? Wow, Spike, I didn't think you were that sexist."

"WHAT?!" Spike spat out in complete disbelief, "I'm not sexist, I just...just..."

To prevent Spike from saying something he would surely regret, Shining offered, "How about we make an exception...just this once?"

"Eeyup." Big Mac agreed.

"Fine!" Spike conceded, "Just shut the door and don't you dare tell Twilight what we're doing in here." 

However, before he sat back in his chair, he looked her straight in the eyes and added, "And don't call me a sexist again either!"

"Jeez, chillax, Spike, learn to take a joke! Oh, and I won't tell Twilight about...wait, what am I not supposed to tell her about?" 

"Well...me, Shining and Big Mac have this thing that we do whenever we have some spare time together. It's called 'Ogres and Obliettes', and its a fantasy role-playing adventure game, and pretty much the best game ever if you ask me."

"Eeyup." Big Mac chimed in.

"Riiiiight..." Rainbow noted sceptically, "That sounds...fun...I guess?"

"So...you want to join us?" Shining asked with a hopeful smile on his face. "With this game, it's definitively 'the more the merrier', but…it's been kinda hard to find someone who's interested in playing with us."

Rainbow considered it for a moment. Save a few, she had never really been into role-playing games, and she had never even heard of 'Ogres and Oubliettes', let alone played it. However, given the amount of stress she was dealing with since that whole Gilda incident, playing a silly fantasy game with a couple of friends wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. 

"I might be up for something like that. I mean, it couldn't hurt to at least try it."

"That's the spirit!" Spike exclaimed, "So let's start with a character for you to play as. There are warriors, mages, rogues and archers. They all have different stats specific to their specific class that allows them to..."

When he started to get into a very complicated explanation of how each character class affected the game, Rainbow Dash found it a bit hard to keep up. And after spending a full minute staring at him with a dumbfounded look, not really comprehending what he was saying at all, she decided, "Uhh…you know what? On second thought, I think I'll pass. The game sounds fun and all, but…it may be a bit complicated for me."

"It's not that complicated." Shining noted, "Trust me, the other version is waaaaay more complicated than this. You just have to play it a bit to get a feel for it."

"Well, sure...but…maybe later." She then remembered something, "By the way…Spike, I need to talk to you about something."

The kid raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously, "Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's about Rarity, but…I can kinda only talk about it with you."

The simple act of just mentioning her name immediately got Rainbow his full attention, "Rarity!?"

"Yeah…that's what I just said. However, she said I could talk to you, and you alone, about this. So you know any place that isn't occupied right now?"

While Spike really wanted to continue the game without any more interruptions, his very obvious crush on Rarity made him surprisingly easy to motivate. A clever enough manipulator could conceivably make him do almost anything for her...though the one that used that trick the most was ironically Rarity herself. The fashionista-turned-master thief may have been one of the kindest people around inside and out, but she was also really good at charming or manipulating people into doing what she wanted them to do. 

Spike turned back to the others, "I'll be back in a bit. Don't continue without me!"

"Don't worry, we won't." Shining assured.

"Nope." Big Mac added.

With an eager smile on his face, Spike jumped out of his chair and led Rainbow Dash into the one room left in the apartment that he was allowed to be in and wasn't currently occupied: his own bedroom. Twilight's bedroom was out of the question, and she didn't really feel comfortable having people be in her workroom when she wasn't around either. So it would have to do.

Well, it was either that or the bathroom...and that would just be awkward.

Unlike his sister's, Spike's room wasn't quite as mathematically organised, but at the same time, way more tidied up than the mess Rainbow Dash lived in. It was a lot smaller then either of their's though and only had room for a bed, a desk, and a window from which one could actually see the headquarters of the 'Daily Bugle'. 

After the two had made it inside, Spike took a seat at his desk chair and asked, "So what did Rarity say about me?"

Rainbow Dash closed the door and sat down at the end of his bed. "Only that you're the one to talk to in case of fashion emergencies." 

"Yeah, that's right! Wait...since when did you care about fashion?"

"Didn't you know?" Rainbow asked jokingly, "I always dresses in style!" 

"Seriously?" Spike questioned in a deadpan tone.

"Nah, I'm just kidding. But I do actually have a fashion emergency this time."

"That's a first. So what is it?"

Rainbow reached into her back pocket and pulled out an envelope before handing it over to him. "Rarity said that you used to do her orders ever since she ended up in prison. Well, here's the next one for ya."

The letter wasn't sealed, so Spike had no problem opening it and checking out the contents inside. Said contents turned out to be a few folded papers that were written in Rarity's handwriting and were detailing a brand new outfit for Rainbow Dash. And it was no ordinary outfit either.

His eyes lit up when he figured out what the suit was for. "Wait...does this mean you're giving my superhero idea a shot?"

"What, no!" Rainbow immediately denied, "That's a stunt costume. It's just meant to help me web-swing better and look cooler while doing it."

"I don't know...it looks much more like a superhero costume to me."

"So what if it does?!" Dash asked, starting to sound a bit annoyed, "I already told you I'm not doing the superhero thing!"

"Why not? I mean with your powers, you'd be-"

"Look, I already got one annoying lecture in 'responsibility' from my mom yesterday, and I'm so not in the mood to get one from you too."

Spike sighed, "I'm just saying you have a golden opportunity here that you're completely wasting."

"An opportunity to do what? Get killed by some lunatic with a gun, or better yet, end up arrested for taking the law in my own hands? Maybe I can even give Rarity some company in prison. I'm sure she would like that very much. And I suppose you want to be my sidekick or something too, huh? Well, it's not gonna happen, just accept it!"

Spike was a bit taken back by just how quickly Rainbow had gone from being joking and chipper to being downright angry. Guess she woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning, he supposed.

"Uh...sorry. I had no idea you were so sensitive about this."

"I'm not sensitive about..! Actually, never mind, I'm just a bit frustrated at both Gilda and my mom right now."

"Why, what happened?"

Instead of answering that question, she decided to change the subject entirely, "You know what? I just decided what I could use the suit for."

Spike tried to ask, "But what about-" 

But Rainbow just ignored him, "I saw in the paper this morning that there's this brand new amateur wrestling tournament downtown in a week or so, and with my new powers I could get it done in ten seconds flat. And if that suit is finished quickly enough, I could wear it and do the whole thing incognito. That way I could kick some serious butt while saving up some cash for my troubles. It's the perfect idea!"

"But Rainbow-"

She silenced him with a glare and said, "Look, all I need from you is to get that suit done. And what I decide to use it for is my own business. Got it?"

"I suppose. But it may take me some time to make this thing...just so you know."

"How long would that be?"

"About a month."

"A MONTH?! But that tournament is just in two weeks!"

"Hey, I'm no Rarity."

Rainbow sighed, "We'll just have to work something out then..."