//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Training Day // Story: Learning To Fly // by CrimsonWolf360 //------------------------------// "You're gonna ask him to marry you!?" Sapphire shrieked upon waking up from fainting. "Uh... yes?" Midnight hesitantly replied. "Wh-but... We don't- I haven't... WE STILL HAVEN'T EVEN MET HIM!" She cried as she was helped back to her hooves by Ardent. "I know, and that's why I want you to meet him before I do that. I think you guys would really like him." Midnight explained. "Honey, you've only known this stallion for what? A year? Not even? We support you no matter what, but don't you think that you might be rushing things just a little bit?" Ardent reasoned. "I get what you're saying... but I just don't feel like there's any reason not to get married at this point. I mean, we know everything about each other... He's the kindest, most gentle stallion I've ever met and wants nothing more than to make me happy. Honestly, it already feels like we're married, we just don't have the rings yet." "Midnight, he sounds like a lovely stallion, but marriage? Is that even a thing in his culture? Does he even know that it's a thing in our culture? What if he wants a herd? We've already discussed that you're not the herd type..." Sapphire continued while pacing back and forth. "I've already talked with him about a lot of those things, mom. Marriage is a thing where he's from and it's almost always between two humans. No more. He doesn't want a herd either, so it's perfect. "Well what if marriage is only a short term thing for him? What if he just said that to get on your good side since you have connections with the princesses!?" Sapphire accused. "Mom... he's very good friends with all four princesses. Honestly, he's got better connections with them then I have at this point. And marriage is supposed to be a lifelong commitment for his species too. I've already asked him all of the things you're searching for right now." Midnight deadpanned. Sapphire sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "Well... I mean... you never know..." "Alright, now that that's all done..." Ardent sighed, " Can we please go back to just being happy to see our daughter again, dear?" He asked. "I want to meet him. As soon as possible." Sapphire declared. "Mom..." Midnight rolled her eyes. "No buts. I want to meet him as soon as possible and decide for myself if he deserves you." Sapphire turned her nose up, having made up her mind. "Ugh... geez... fine. I'll see if I can't get him to come down to Ponyville sometime this week. I'm sure he'll be really excited to meet you guys." Midnight relented. "Perfect! We can't wait to meet him." Sapphire cheered. "Geez... Anyways... As much as I'd like to just spend the day with you guys, I do have to go see Princess Twilight. She's expecting me in a little bit. Once I'm done I'll come back and hang out with you guys until my train leaves." "Of course, dear. Just stop on by whenever. We'll be around." Ardent replied, already moving to open the door for Midnight. Midnight stepped out the front door and waved her goodbye to her parents. "And don't you forget! We know where you live!" Sapphire called out as Midnight started walking away. "Ugh! Alright. Thanks mom! Thanks dad! I'll see you in a bit!" Midnight called back as she stepped off. Midnight arrived at Twilight's crystal castle to find the front door slightly ajar. After knocking a few times and receiving no answer, she let herself into the main foyer and looked around for any sign of the princess. She was met with bright translucent crystalline walls and a long red carpet leading down the hall to what appeared to be a throne room. Not wanting to waste any more time, Midnight made her way through the castle to the end of the long hallway and knocked on the large stained glass door. Her light taps on the entrance echoed throughout the castle, and reverberated back into her ears from all around. She looked around at the seemingly empty castle before the sound of hoof steps coming from inside the room caught her ear. The door slowly opened to reveal a dreadfully tired looking Twilight Sparkle. Her mane and tail were a mess of loose ends and split hairs, along with what looked like a slight bit of frizz, giving her a slightly 'mad scientist' look. Her coat was disheveled, messy, and there was a large coffee stain right on her chest fluff. Bloodshot eyes and wings with feathers sticking out at odd angles completed the look, and Midnight was sure she'd never seen anypony more exhausted in her life, let alone a princess. "Uh... Twilight?" Midnight asked, clearly taken aback by the sight in front of her. "Mmhmm?" Twilight managed. "Um... Have you slept? Like... at all?" "Once or twice..." She muttered while staggering for balance. "R-right... Well... I hate to ask you anything since you've clearly been up for a while and obviously need sleep, but uh... I was wondering if you maybe... had the crystal we talked about?" Midnight asked. "Hmm? Oh yeah.. yeah... crystals... there's one over there... and there... and on the ceiling..." Twilight replied as she teetered back and forth on the brink of consciousness. "Uh... I got that... I was hoping you'd have the crystal we discussed in our letters... you know? The one that can help David?" Midnight pressed. "Wha? Oh! Right... This way..." She replied before lazily turning around and walking face first into the wall. "Twilight! Are you okay?" Midnight asked, already moving to her side. "Ow..." "Yeah, she tends to do things like that when she pulls an all-nighter... or four..." A soft, slightly prepubescent voice spoke out from inside the room. Midnight turned to face the source of the voice to discover a small purple dragon with lime green spikes jutting out of his scalp and neck. He walked over to the dazed princess and, by grabbing her mane, led her inside of what Midnight could only presume was the throne room. "Wha?" Midnight managed as she followed behind. "The name's Spike. I'm Twilight's assistant. Her number one assistant." Spike announced. "Oh, well... It's nice to meet you, Spike. I'm Midnight Shadow. Is... Is she gonna be okay?" Midnight asked, eyeing the lavender alicorn with concern. Spike gave Midnight a small nod of acknowledgement before leading Twilight to a small mattress in the corner of the room. She was out the second she hit the mattress, and the sound of soft snoring quickly reached Midnight's ears, "Oh yeah, she'll be fine. This happens at least once a month. You kinda just get used to it after a while." He answered. Midnight tilted her head in confusion, "That... sounds really unhealthy..." "Oh yeah, trust me, we've told her that a thousand times. It never really seems to register with her though. Eh, what can you do?" He replied with a shrug, "So what're you hear for? Can't be a friendship problem, otherwise the map would've said something." "Map?" Midnight asked. She turned to face the rest of the room to find, to her astonishment, that there was not only one throne, but seven. All were beautifully made out of some of the finest crystal she'd ever seen, and sitting in the middle of them all was a massive table with a map of the entirety of Equestria being holographically projected into the air. Her jaw dropped slightly, prompting the scaly dragon to chuckle. "Hehe, first time seeing something like this, huh?" He asked. Midnight had to manually close her jaw before replying, "Uh... yeah... What in the world does she need all this for? I mean, I get that she's a princess now, but this is ridiculous! Princess Celestia doesn't even have something like this..." "Well, Princess Celestia isn't the Princess of Friendship, now is she?" Spike beamed, striking a heroic pose. "I... I guess not... A-anyways, Spike, would you happen to know anything about the crystal I talked with her about? It's really important that I get my hooves on it as soon as possible." "Hmm... let me see." Spike replied before heading off into a previously unseen doorway. Midnight awkwardly pawed at the floor while she waited for the purple drake to return with the crystal, or something leading to the crystal, with only the sound of Twilight's soft snoring to keep her company. She hesitantly stepped over to the hologram of Equestria and gazed at the display. "Wow... there's Manehatten... Las Pegasus... Oh, you know what, I've never been there... Maybe David will want to go someday?" She asked herself. The sound of a door opening caught her attention and pulled her from her thoughts. She gazed over to see Spike reentering the room with several scrolls of paper in his claws and a small, ebony crystal held in the crook of his elbow. "Okay... so... Twilight's notes say something about this crystal being able to amplify a spell cast by a unicorn or alicorn. Something something... StarSwirl's first law of revolving magical energy, blah blah blah, and... okay. It says here that it can be charged with a single spell, which can be recast over an over while amplifying the spell to the tenth power. So basically, the magical structure of the crystal allows you to charge it with whatever spell you want and then you can use that to amplify your magic with regards to that particular spell. Sound like what you're looking for?" "Yes! That's exactly it!" Midnight exclaimed, "Uh, there was a spell that we were discussing too... If it isn't too much trouble, could I get that too?" She asked much more quietly. "Sure! Just give me a second to find that..." Spike said, setting down the crystal on the table and heading back through the door. Midnight followed him with her eyes until he was out of sight, before turning to the table and making her way over to it. She arrived at the side Spike deposited the black crystal on and eyed it with an intense gaze. "I hope you're everything I've been looking for these last few weeks." Midnight whispered to herself. Spike came through the doorway only a moment later with a large scroll spread out in his claws. He flipped it around and upside-down a few times until he seemed satisfied with its arrangement and set it down on the map next to the crystal. "Alright, here we go. As per Twilight's notes, this is the transfiguration spell that StarSwirl made all those years ago. She said in her notes that this was the spell you two were talking about?" He asked with a scratch of his chin. "Yes! This is exactly what I've been looking for! Thank you so much, Spike. This really means a lot to me." Midnight cheered, wrapping Spike in a hug. "Ehehe, thanks, but it was really all Twilight's work. Dozens of hours of collaborating with Cadence over in the Crystal Empire to get the crystal in the first place, literally days of trying to power it enough to handle the spell you wanted, and another week or so of channeling the spell into the crystal so that all it takes to work is a simple 'on' spell that any unicorn could do, and she's gotten maybe... an hour of sleep since last weekend." Spike recounted as Midnight released him. Midnight's eyes widened considerably, "She did all that? T-that's absurd! She didn't have to break her back for me like that..." She said, her eyes falling on the sleeping alicorn in the corner. "Nope, but she wanted to. Believe me, I told her to take it easy a few times... but once she's got an idea in her head, she goes and goes until she can't anymore. She kept saying something about hearth's warming last year and how she still felt bad about what happened. Do you know anything about that?" Spike asked. Midnight sighed, "Yeah... I remember. Suffice to say what happened wasn't her fault. I wish she hadn't beat herself up so much over it." She explained. "Ah, well, it's all said and done now. She'll be out like a light until at least tomorrow morning. Are you staying in town?" "I wish, but my train leaves for Canterlot in a couple hours... but I am planning on coming back later this week. Is she gonna be available? I'd like to properly thank her for doing all this for me." She replied, scratching the back of her neck. "Yeah, she'll be here. Can't say how free she'll be, but if I know Twilight, she'll be ecstatic to see you and David again." He said with a smile. "You know David?" She asked. "Eh... Not really, no... Well... I did get to meet him one time when Twilight was doing her weekly meetings with him and she let me come with, but that was almost a year ago now. He was really scared of me for some reason. Said that dragons didn't exist on his home world. After a few hours though, he was really friendly." Spike recalled. "Hehe, that sounds like him. He was terrified of just about everything when he first got here." "Haha, it's weird that he was so scared of all of us when we were just as scared of him." He chuckled. "Like two kittens too scared to talk to each other." She added. A silence filled the room as both parties eyed each other for a few moments. "So... you're really gonna try to make him human again with this thing?" Spike suddenly asked. Midnight was caught off guard by the sudden directness of the drake, and stuttered over her words for a moment, "W-well... I-I was gonna ask him first..." She sighed, "It's not right that he was forced to change into something he's not. If there's any way that I can help make things easier for him, even just a little bit, then I'm gonna do everything I can." She stated, firmly. "You know that this crystal hasn't been tested before, right? I mean, not to try to tell you what to do or anything, but this could be dangerous." He cautioned. "I understand. That's why I fully intend to have a long conversation with him about it first. If he decides that this is something that he wants for himself, then I'll give it to him... I just... I just wanted a backup in case he really hates being a pony. I hate not being prepared..." Midnight admitted. "What's so wrong with him being a pony?" Spike asked, genuinely curious. Midnight's brow furrowed in thought for a few moments before she sighed deeply, "There's nothing wrong with being a pony... it's just that he's a human... and I want him to be able to have that back. I took that choice away from him before by my own selfish actions... I'm not making that mistake again." She answered before turning to the door and walking away, "Thank you for everything... And please let Twilight know that I'll be back in town later in the week with David. I'll pay her back for everything she's done for me." With that, she walked away. David jumped into the air with as much force as his legs would allow. He shot his wings out and spread them wide as the updraft from the incoming headwind flooded under them. He grit his teeth as he poured as much of his energy into his magic and keeping himself airborne. For a split second, it looked as if it would work, and his body hesitated before coming back down to the ground. His hooves connected with the soft grass with a dull *thud* and he angrily sighed in frustration. "God dammit... Why is this so hard!?" He wondered, while kicking a rock with his hoof. "Come on, Davey. Don't give up." Storm said from her position in front of him. "I'm not. It's just frustrating." "You've been doing well this whole time, but you're starting to reach a mental block. You need to push further and try harder. Confidence is key when it comes to flying, and from what I'm seeing, it doesn't look like you have the confidence yet." Storm chastised. "What are you talking about? I just picked something up for the first time earlier!" David rebutted. "Exactly. Now you need to push yourself harder than ever before. The magic is in you, Davey. You just don't have the confidence to push yourself and use it." She lectured. David gave her a flat look, "Alright, fine. What do you want me to do then?" Storm gave him a toothy grin before turning around and walking back over to the weights and other equipment set out by the wagon. "We're gonna have you fly a little bit." She called back to him with a grin. David's eyes widened before he hesitantly followed over to the wagon to find Storm laying out a series of ropes and belts on the ground. "Uh... what're all these for?" David asked. "It's a buddy flying system. We use it in the guard for ponies just getting into physical therapy and such. The idea is that I strap you to me with this, and then you can attempt to fly from an elevated position with no risk of falling and hurting yourself." Storm explained. "Huh? Well that sounds awesome! Let's do this." David moved over to the straps Storm had laid out on the floor and started stepping into them. With her help, in a few seconds, he was secured and strapped in. A moment later, she strapped herself in and secured the ropes to her barrel and withers. She gave an experimental tug to see how secured the straps were, and when they didn't budge at all, she gave a smile. "Alright, looks like we're good to go." Storm announced. "Awesome... Now what?" David asked. "Well, now I'll pull us up and just keep us airborne. Since you can't really fly yet, you're just gonna kinda dangle underneath me. Your goal is going to be to use those big fancy wings of yours to pull us around and eventually, get to the point where you're flying level with me. The goal is for there to be slack in the straps. If there isn't any, then I'm doing all the work and you're not getting anything out of this." She clarified. "Okay... but there won't be any slack since I can't even get any lift right now... I mean, I can't even glide for a second right now. How am I gonna pull you anywhere?" He asked. "I'll be able to tell. Trust me, I've spent a lot of time in one of these. When you're in the air already, it's a lot easier to move around then starting from the ground. Besides, the main point of this exercise is just to help strengthen those wings of yours. I don't expect you to be able to pull me around like you own the place or anything, but I do expect you to put forth as much effort as you can to move forward." "Alright. That sounds easy enough. Let's do it." David said, a winning smile adorning his face. Storm unfurled her wings and gave them a few test flaps before squaring herself up and wiggling her hips. She gave two good flaps and was airborne. David watched in awe at the sight of her so effortlessly taking off and leaving the ground behind. He was so enamored with her grace and ease of flight that he almost didn't notice the slack in the straps go taught. He quickly unfurled his wings and gave a few flaps the resembled a pigeon trying to maintain balance, before he was hoisted off of the ground. He gave out an audible yelp as he was suddenly jolted upwards, and his hooves dangles uselessly under him while his wings strained to gain any kind of lift on their own. He could not only see, but feel the straps digging in to his coat due to the strain on them and utter lack of slack due to the futility of his efforts. He squeezed his eyes shut and flapped his wings. The pain on his barrel only made him flap his wings harder, and within seconds, he was starting to sweat from the strain of attempting to mimic a fly with wings his size. Seconds turned into minutes, and David's wings grew sore just as quickly. He flapped as hard as he could and strained to move forward, but it was all for naught as he didn't budge an inch. The burn in his aching wings quickly turned into exhaustion as he struggled with the air to no avail. No matter how hard he struggled, it seemed like he only became more stationary. David panted for breath as he fought, but no amount of air seemed to help him, and he quickly began to feel cramps forming in the joints where his wings met his withers. His muscles burned and his lungs heaved for air but he pressed on, determined to at least budge an inch or two. Finally, after what felt like years, but was only a minute, he felt the ground reach up and kiss his hooves. He opened his eyes just as he was standing on his hooves and collapsed onto the ground in a heavy, exhausted mess. He felt the straps go slack on his barrel just a second later as Storm gently brought herself down to the ground beside him. "...Damm...it..." David muttered through heavy breathing. "That was amazing!" Storm cheered. David turned his head to face her. A quizzical expression formed on his face as he thought over what she just said and he couldn't help but feel like she was mocking him.. "...What?" He asked, a hint of aggression in his voice. "Look at how far you pulled us!" She exclaimed, pointing a hoof back towards the wagon. David cast his gaze over to said wagon to find it ten feet behind them. He glanced back at Storm to find her beaming back at him. "Wha? That's... but we only... moved ten feet..." He said, confusion clear in his voice. "Davey, that's amazing! For a pegasus who's never even used his wings before? You did great! Come on, let's keep going. I know for a fact that you have more in you." Storm enthusiastically replied. David turned around and looked at his wings. They hung limply at his sides and laid out onto the ground below, but at Storm's words, they seemed to almost perk up on their own accord. Previously exhausted tendons and muscles found new life, and his sore wings managed to find their way back up to his sides. . . . . . . "My wings... My back... good god it hurts so much... how long has it been? An hour? Two? I don't even know anymore..." David thought to himself as he panted for breath on the ground. David's wings limply laid on the ground at his sides, neither one having enough energy or strength to even retract to their original positions. As he tried to catch his breath, in a literal puddle of his own sweat, David desperately clawed for a reason, any reason at all, to continue on. "Come on, Davey. You're almost there. Don't quit. We've got one more set. Give it everything you've got." Storm encouraged, her friendly voice raking at his ears as they flicked back in protest. "I... I can't... I don't... My wings..." David breathed. "Come on, on your hooves," Storm said as she pulled him up into a standing position, "Don't you quit on me. You're making progress, but you need to push past your limits, Davey." She explained before tightening a loose strap on David's chest. "Storm, I... I can't even... my wings... I'm done..." He said, choking back a whimper. "You're not quitting now. I know you can do more. You know you can too. Deep down, you know that you can do this. Get ready, we're starting again." Storm asserted, uncharacteristically sternly. David's ears flicked back against his skull and a hurt look crossed his face before Storm flapped her wings and took flight. Once more, the straps quickly went taught against his barrel, and the sharp pain of the tightly woven fabric digging into his coat, against his skin, caused his eyes to water. He was immediately hoisted up, and the full weight of his body caused the straps to dig in even deeper, making him hiss in pain. His tired wings slowly arched back and spread to their full length before he gasped from the soreness of his muscles. He flapped his wings in slow, shaky motions, and it soon became clear that he wasn't going to move anywhere. "Come on, Davey! I know you can do better than that! You're dead weight right now! Push harder!" Storm shouted from above. "I-I can't!" David breathlessly shouted back. "The fact that you have enough air in your lungs to tell me that you can't, is proof that you have more to give. You want to fly? Then give me one hundred percent! Now!" She hollered from above. David grit his teeth and flapped harder. His wings immediately caught more air, and the burning in his muscles increased dramatically. A stabbing sensation quickly spread all throughout his wing-joints, and up to the ends of each individual feather, as every ounce of strength he had left was poured into flight. "Grraaahhhhh!!" He cried. His voice was full of pain and anguish as he tried, in desperation, to keep going. "You're almost there! Give me thirty more seconds! Don't you dare quit now! Come on! Push!" Storm ordered. David cried out in pain as a cramp formed right in his right wing-joint. The stabbing pain pulsed with his rapidly beating heart, and within seconds, tears began to stream from his eyes. He tightly shut them, and struggled for breath as each second of pure agony made him feel dizzy and lightheaded. With every muscle fiber in his body feeling like it was completely torn or exhausted, David finally felt the grass reach up and kiss his hooves. Immediately upon reaching the ground, he collapsed in a pile of nearly sobbing exhaustion. He fought for each breath, and his completely spent wings refused to move, opting instead to lay where they fell. A moment later, the straps went slack, and the soft *thud* of hooves connecting with the ground reached David's ears. "You did good, Davey. You did real, real good." Storm praised, gently stroking David's mane with a hoof. David only managed to wheeze and gasp as the overwhelming pain in his wings and back prevented him from really answering. Instead, he could only continue to let the tears fall. Two streaks of dampness marked the fur on his cheeks, but even if he wanted to, he didn't have the strength to wipe them away. "Hey now, what's wrong? You did it!" Storm comforted, laying down next to him. "I just... I can't... I can't do this anymore..." He whispered between heavy breaths, "My... my wings... they hurt so much..." "Davey, there's nothing more to do today. You did it. You made it to the end. You pushed so hard, and you did exactly what I knew you could. Be proud! Stop the waterworks, you should be celebrating!" She exclaimed, rubbing his wither with her hoof. David shakily lifted his head up to look her in the eye, "What are you talking about?" "Davey, look at where we are." She replied. He slowly turned his head around to find that they were in a completely different part of the field. Despite feeling like he was only moving at a snail's pace the whole time, David saw the wagon well over three hundred feet away. His jaw dropped, and his eyes shot wide open. "Flying is about confidence, Davey. I know it was hard for you understand that at first - you had the mental block of thinking that because you weren't born a pony, that you couldn't do things like this, but I hope that this shows that you can do it. Oh, and by the way, we've been at this for six hours straight, just so you understand exactly what you're capable of, when you don't quit." Storm explained, a smug smile on her lips. David only stared. He had no words, no reaction for what Storm told him. All he could do was look back at the wagon and sigh. After a few moments, he let out a light chuckle before turning to Storm and wrapping his forelegs around her. She gasped at the sudden contact, but eagerly hugged him back upon recovering from the shock. "Thanks... for everything. You're the best, Storm." David said, his voice slightly muffled by the fur of Storm's wither. "Of course... What are friends for, silly?" Storm happily replied. David pulled away from her and gave a friendly smile before he cast his gaze out to the horizon and saw the setting sun. He squinted as the orange light bathed the world around him in its warm hue, and he smiled again as he realized what that meant. "Mid's probably back by now!" He celebrated in his head. "Alright, Stormy. I've gotta get back to Mid." He said. "You gonna tell her you can fly?" She asked, with a grin. "Nah. I haven't told her that I can pick stuff up yet either. I'm gonna surprise her with it when the time is right." He explained. "Ah, surprising her with all your progress once it's done, now that, sounds like a plan. You're pulling the wagon back though." She replied, a smug smile quickly forming on her face. "Wha-I, but... Why?" David stuttered. "Because you're getting stronger every single day that you pull it. Now that you have working wiiiiiiiiings.... you get to pull the wagon both ways." She explained, that smug smile never leaving her lips. David muttered a few choice words under his breath before walking over to the wagon and attaching himself to it. He strained against the weight of the heavy load for a few seconds before it began to budge and move. "Ugh... sometimes I think you overload this thing just for me..." He groaned as he picked up some momentum. "I do." David whipped his head around and glared at the navy blue pegasus. She simply smiled back at him and trotted off ahead. He grumbled under his breath for a few more seconds before blowing a strand of his mane out of his eye and trudging along the four mile journey back to Midnight's house. David waved goodbye to Storm as she trotted off with the wagon hitched to her barrel. He turned around and walked back up the steps of the front porch and made his way through the front door. After taking a few steps into the house, he called out to Midnight. "Mid, I'm back!" "Over here!" She called back from the living room. David walked over to the living room to find Midnight reading a book on the couch. She dropped the book as he entered the room and craned her neck to look back at him. David leaned over the couch and gave her a quick peck on the lips before walking around and tiredly plopping down on the couch beside her. "Hey, handsome." She said. "Evening, beautiful." He replied. "How was your day?" She asked as she pulled her book back up. "Pretty tough. I'm gonna be really sore tomorrow. How about you? How was Twilight?" "She was alright. Pretty tired after everything she's been up to the last week, but otherwise doing alright." "What was she up to all week?" David asked as he laid his head down on a pillow. "Well, you know... Princess stuff... I guess..." "That makes sense. She does get pretty busy sometimes." He said, clearly not very invested in the conversation anymore. Midnight frowned behind her book at David's lack of interest. She took a tentative glance over her book to find David with his eyes already closed and drifting off. She let out a hurt sigh before an idea popped into her mind and she decided to quickly act on it. "Hey, David... I need to ask you something." A confirming nod told her to continue, "So... you know how my parents live in Ponyville, right?" Another nod allowed her to continue, "Well, today I saw them... and I told them about you..." "You mean you hadn't already?" He asked, propping and eye open in curiosity. "Well... let's just say that mom can be a little... overprotective and I didn't think you needed to deal with that for a while." She explained. "Oh... Okay..." "Anyways... They want to meet you." David was silent for a few moments. Midnight waited patiently for his answer, but the longer it took for him to speak, the more her heart began to sink. She glanced up at his face to discern his emotions from there, but he maintained a fantastic poker face when he really wanted to. Finally, she got her answer. "That sounds awesome. When can I meet them?" He asked, much to Midnight's relief. "Well... I was thinking Friday."