Eyes On You

by UnlicensedBrony

27 - Home

Along a dirt road through the rolling green plains, a covered wagon jostled and jumped along under the warmth of the blazing sun. Twilight Sparkle poked her nose out from behind the wagon's fabric folds, the medal around her neck glistening a brilliant platinum. She pushed her mane out of her eyes and blinked into the sunlight, slowly focusing in on the familiar sight in the distance.

Pastel houses wore quaint, straw-thatched roofs like hats, clumsily crowded around the towering town hall that marked the centre of the village. A clear blue river ran its way across the plains and disappeared amidst the townhouses. The branches of a particular tree-library stood out above the rooftops, and overhead, a small group of pegasi cleared away the last of the scarce few tufts of cloud, making way for another broad, sunny day.

Ponyville.

Twilight's face lit up with a warm smile. It'd only been a week, but it felt like forever ago that she'd left for the Display. To finally be back was a wonderful feeling – like a weight lifted from her shoulders, or a nagging thought in her mind finally sated. Not only was she home, but she was just minutes away from seeing her friends again. And if they missed her half as much as she missed them, it was going to be a fantastic reunion.

“Are we there yet?” came a voice from behind Twilight.

She pulled back inside the wagon and turned to face Trixie, who was sat down on her haunches, idly fiddling with a trio of magical orbs of light that circled her horn. She wasn't wearing her cape – it was stowed in the saddlebags by her side – but the champion's medal still hung around her neck.

“Almost,” said Twilight, her voice bubbly. “I can see my library.”

The lights around Trixie's horn faded, and she looked up at Twilight properly, quickly becoming infected by the smile that lit her face.

“Good. I'm starving.”

Twilight let out a little giggle. “Is that all you're excited about?”

“That and the welcome-back party,” said Trixie, brushing back her mane in a lordly fashion. “I hope your friends have prepared a proper welcome for us.”

Twilight's smile grew wider still. “Oh, I'm sure they have. Pinkie Pie would never pass up a chance to throw a surprise party.”

Trixie seemed to shudder at the thought. Twilight couldn't imagine why.

As the wagon drew closer to Ponyville, the two mares picked up their saddlebags, and Twilight triple-checked that she had everything before slinging her own bags across her back. Stuffed as they were with the extra luggage she'd picked up in Manehattan – mainly the dress and saddle she'd bought for the dance – the straps wouldn't fit around her belly to fasten up, so she simply opted for balancing the bags on her back and stabilising them with magic.

She glanced down at the medal still hanging around her neck and smiled. 'I can't wait to tell everyone.'

The wagon slowly came to a stop, and as Twilight waited for Trixie to finish strapping on her own saddlebags, the folds of fabric at the back of the wagon were pushed to one side. A brown-maned stallion – one of those who'd been pulling the wagon – smiled up at them expectantly from outside. “Ponyville! Welcome back, Miss Sparkle.”

With a last smile at one another, Twilight and Trixie started forwards. Together, they hopped out through the gap in the folds and landed on the familiar, green grass of Ponyville Town Square.

For the split second Twilight had to think – whilst she recovered from the shock of landing with a hugely overloaded bag slung across her back – she wondered why the drivers had brought them this far into town, rather than dropping them at the wagon station. Once that split second had passed, it became terribly clear.

“SURPRISE!” came the sound of a hundred voices all at once.

Looking up, Twilight saw before her what must've been half the population of Ponyville. Mares and stallions, old and young, all smiling and meeting her eye with warm looks as she scanned the crowd. For a moment, she felt like she'd somehow wound up back in Manehattan. Except it wasn't the same kind of crowd as that which she'd performed for at the Display. These ponies were her friends and neighbours, and they'd all come out to meet her. To welcome her home.

A wide smile made its way onto Twilight's face, and she felt a heavy sort of happiness come over her – the kind that made her feel like crying.

“What in the hoof is that?” said Trixie, completely oblivious to Twilight's reaction. She was looking up above the crowd, at a banner hanging overhead. Twilight hadn't noticed it before, and she quickly did a double-take as she saw what was written.

'Welcome home, Twilight and Trixie!'

There was no doubt about it. That was Pinkie's hoofwork.

“'Twilight and Trixie'?” said Trixie. “How did they know we were both coming back?”

“News travels pretty darn fast in this part of Equestria,” came a familiar, accented voice.

Both the mares turned to the side, where Applejack led the way for Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy, as the group made their way through the crowd. They were all smiling or grinning, and as soon as Twilight caught sight of them, they broke into a collective run towards her.

“Applejack! Girls!” cried Twilight, the smile overcoming her face as her friends collided with her, wrapping her in a group hug which she was all too happy to receive. She closed her eyes and revelled in the familiar warmth. “Oh, I missed you all so much! It feels like I've been gone forever.”

“We missed you too, Twilight,” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah! It's been, like, six... no, seven forevers since you left!” Pinkie pouted cheerily – in a way that only she could.

“A week is hardly forever,” Rarity chuckled. “But even so, it is far too long to have gone without seeing you, darling.”

It was. It really was, Twilight thought to herself.

She would've been happy to hold the hug for a lot longer, but when her friends began to pull apart, she reluctantly stepped back. Once again, she suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders - she felt light and free and happy... That sentiment became a lot less profound when she realised that her saddlebags had actually fallen off during the hug.

“Ah! No ya don't,” Applejack chided, drawing up alongside and effortlessly slinging Twilight's hefty saddlebags across her own back. “Wouldn't be right for somepony so 'Educated and Well-read' to be carryin' them around all by her lonesome, now would it?”

Twilight drew a hoof up to her mouth to hide her gasp. “How did you--”

“Come on, Twilight!” chirped Pinkie, bouncing forwards to pull her into a crushing hug. “Some of us do read the news, you know.”

Twilight glanced sidelong at Trixie, who simply shrugged.

“The news?”

Pinkie rolled her eyes, smiled and shook her head. She took a step to one side, revealing a certain baby dragon who'd been standing behind her. Spike held a newspaper in his claws.

“Spike!” Twilight cried, practically jumping forwards to meet him. But instead of showing the same enthusiasm to see her back, Spike simply folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at her.

Twilight came to a stop and quirked her head as Spike extended the newspaper to her. Confused, she magically took the copy of 'The Manehattan Gazelle' from his grip and glanced at the front page. Trixie looked in over her shoulder. Their eyes widened.

The headline 'Princess' Student and Showmare win the Manehattan Display!' was pressed in bold letters on the front page. But it wasn't that, nor the article that began alongside it, that drew their eyes.

It was the black and white picture of the two of them locked in a passionate kiss in front of Princess Celestia.

“'Girl stuff', huh?” said Spike.

Twilight felt her cheeks light up a brilliant red. Still staring at the paper, she began to stammer. “I... I... O-oh, well... Feathers.”

Her pony friends gave a collective laugh. Spike, though he was obviously trying to look disapproving, was smirking himself.

“At least they got my good side,” Trixie muttered into Twilight's ear.

Twilight just gave her a sidelong glare.

“I must admit, Twilight,” said Rarity, stepping forwards and smiling too, “I am very impressed. Although I didn't expect you to be one to pose for the cameras quite so... overtly.”

Twilight gawped at her. “I was not posing!”

“Sorry, Twilight, but you were totally posing,” said Pinkie.

“Eeyup,” said Applejack.

“Um, you kind of were,” Fluttershy chimed in.

“Hey!” said Twilight, flustered. “Trixie, help!”

Trixie though, had a smirk set on her face as she looked off to one side. 'Is she enjoying this?!'

Applejack let out another chuckle and patted Twilight on the fetlock to show that she was joking. “Congratulations, sugarcube.”

The four pony friends, along with Spike, glanced and nodded at one another, then pulled back and parted, making room. For a moment, Twilight looked at them in confusion, before she spotted the one pony who'd been missing from the group hug. Rainbow Dash stood there, with a faint smile on her face as she stared back at Twilight.

There was a long pause, during which Twilight stood staring and smiling back at her. As Rarity had said, it hadn't really been that long since they'd seen one another. But still...

“Hello, Rainbow,” she said quietly.

“Hey, Twilight,” said Rainbow.

Rainbow started walking towards her.

Twilight tried to speak up. She felt as if she should say something, but wasn't quite sure what it was. “Rainbow, I... Um--”

Closing the last of the distance between them with a long stride, Rainbow pressed a hoof to Twilight's lips. There was a momentary, breathless pause, and then Rainbow pulled her into a hug. Twilight felt a sudden heaviness in her nose, and her eyes began to water a little. She gladly returned the embrace.

“Congratulations, egghead,” Rainbow whispered. “You kicked flank.”

Twilight nodded and sniffled. “I did.”

Rainbow grunted, as if she'd just noticed something. “You've still got that feather.”

“Of course I have,” Twilight half-chuckled. “It kept me connected to you – and all of you – when I was away. And, believe it or not, it actually helped us win the Display.”

“It did, huh?” said Rainbow, pulling back slowly. “Sounds like part of a good story, you've gotta tell me all about it.”

Twilight was hesitant to release Rainbow from the hug. She knew that her own eyes were glistening with tears, and she felt like the warmth of Rainbow's touch was the only thing keeping them from flowing freely.

But the inevitable happened, and Rainbow drew herself up to look into Twilight's eyes. Immediately, the pegasus tilted her head and offered a typical, whimsical smile. “What's this for?” she asked, reaching a hoof up to clumsily brush away the tears from Twilight's face.

“N-nothing,” said Twilight, shaking her head. As Rainbow finished mopping off Twilight's other cheek, Twilight managed to return the smile. “It's good to see you again, Rainbow.”

Still smiling, Rainbow shook her own head and let out a quiet huff through her nose – the kind that said 'What are we going to do with you?'. Then she lay a firm hoof on Twilight's shoulder and said, “Good to see too, Twi'.”

A couple of voices quietly muttered their approval in the background, followed by a few more, and a few more, until they finally gave way to clapping and stomping hooves. Twilight turned her attention back to the crowd that had come to welcome her home, blinking a couple of times as she realised that they were actually applauding. It was as if they'd just seen her perform another amazing feat of magic... though, again, it was more of a calm, friendly sort of applause than that which she got at the Display.

Rainbow Dash scratched her neck in embarrassment, and Twilight actually hid her eyes for a moment. But it only lasted for a few seconds before they both looked up at one another again. A smirk crossed Rainbow's face as they mutually decided to make the most of it, and she took Twilight's hoof and raised it to the sky, almost toppling her in the process.

“Twilight's back!”

The party in Sugarcube Corner was lively and excited, and carried on very late into the evening. Streamers and banners with varying messages of 'Congrats, Champions!' hung from the walls, balloons bounced off of the ceiling, and confetti littered the tables and floor, giving the whole place a not-so-subtle, sparkling blue and purple ambience.

Twilight's friends all gathered around to hear her recount the events of the Display, from fighting off Mittens the Chimaera, to what the hotel was like, to the showdown with Flaire and Rose and even – as the evening got later, the conversation got more personal and Rarity began to pry more – the dance at the Mane Event Ballroom. She did try to garner some information from them as well, such as what they'd been up or what had happened since she'd left, but her friends always seemed to steer the conversation back to her.

She didn't really mind though – it was actually quite exhilarating to have a story of an adventure-of-sorts to tell. And it wasn't like she was going anywhere again, any time soon, so there'd be plenty of time to catch up later.

It was a great night, and a long one. Twilight would've been perfectly happy to stay up talking until the early hours of the morning, but after three consecutive yawns in as many minutes, Rarity had decided to put her hoof down.

“Darling, you really must get some sleep,” she said. She had an honest smile on her lips, but her tone held that quiet power of a mother telling her child that it was bedtime. “It's not fair of us to keep you up any longer.”

“But--” Twilight tried to protest, but Rarity would have none of it.

“Ah, ah! There will be plenty of time for us all to speak tomorrow. But there won't be if you end up spending most of the day in bed because you stayed up too late! Now go on, up you go. I'll make sure everyone knows not to disturb you.”

Eventually, Twilight surrendered. Thinking about it as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom, she realised that she was pretty tired after all. She supposed that the journey back to Ponyville had taken more out of her than she'd expected. That, coupled with the mounting exhaustion from the Display, had made for one very tired unicorn. Or two, if she counted Trixie. Which she did.

The party was still raging downstairs, though Pinkie had agreed – with a smile and a confusing wink – to keep the music down. Spike had decided to stay up and keep partying with the rest of their friends, so when Twilight closed the door to her loft, it left her alone with Trixie at last.

“How do you ever get used to that amount of energy?” said Trixie, dumping her saddlebags in an empty book alcove.

Twilight smiled, eyes half-lidded, and magicked her own saddlebags up onto the hook on her door. It bent a little under the weight.

“If I ever do get used to it, I'll let you know.”

Trixie gave a mildly amused grunt, which quickly morphed into an infectious yawn. She covered her mouth with a hoof and glanced around the room. Eventually, her eyes settled upon the bed, raised up by a small stairwell.

“You don't have to ask,” said Twilight coolly, starting the climb herself. “Just let me make the bed first.”

She flashed Trixie a smile, which the showmare quickly returned as she followed Twilight up the stairs. “Make the bed? You haven't slept in it for a week, and I remember you making it twice before we left for the Display.”

“Yes, but it never hurts to be thorough,” Twilight chirped.

Trixie rolled her eyes as Twilight began to fluff the pillows and rearrange the duvet with magic. “Right. For a minute there, I forgot who I was talking to.”

“Ooo,” Twilight emoted, before sticking her tongue out at Trixie.

Trixie watched with thoughtful eyes as Twilight made the bed. There was something soothing about watching the way her partner worked her magic now – calm, methodical, structured. Or maybe the relaxing part was simply knowing that when Twilight was done, they could both collapse into bed and get some much-needed rest.

“So, I've been thinking,” said Twilight, still working away at the bedsheets.

Trixie's sleepy smile widened. 'There's a surprise.'

“Since the Display is over now,” Twilight went on, “what do you think you'll do next? Are you going back to your travels? Does your answer from before still stand?”

Trixie gave an airy sort of nod. She'd been wondering when Twilight was going to bring this up. Even so, she hadn't prepared much of an answer.

“I suppose I might,” Trixie said. “After all, with all the fame and adoration from the Display, my travelling performance is bound to be ten times as popular as it ever was. Ponies will come from miles around just to watch.”

Twilight nodded sagely as she laid the sheets down on the bed. “You'd make an even bigger name for yourself – maybe even become 'Equestria's most famous showmare'. Just like you always dreamed, right?”

“Hmm, no doubt about it,” said Trixie, in half-confirmation. Her lip curled up to one side in a smirk. “But it seems that something has... 'come up'... which might make taking my performance back on the road a little difficult.”

Having just put the finishing touches on the bedspread, Twilight sat down atop it and smiled up at Trixie. “Oh?” said Twilight. “And what might that be?”

“Oh, it's just a little thing,” said Trixie casually. She took a seat beside Twilight and fixed her eyes on the bookshelf on the opposite wall, still smirking. “I met a mare from a little town called Ponyville. At first she was kind of annoying, a bit of a know-it-all--” She paused for effect. “--but I think I might just be starting to enjoy her company.”

At Trixie's side, Twilight made an obvious gulping sound. Perhaps she hadn't picked up on the joke, because her voice was quiet when next she spoke. “I hope you're not going to let this mare keep you from your dream.”

Trixie shot her partner a sidelong look, finding that Twilight's gaze had fallen to the floor. “Of course not,” Trixie assured her. “Nothing will keep the Great and Powerful Trixie from her dream!”

Twilight's smile widened with what might've been pride. But her eyes – even if Trixie didn't have a clear look at them – told that pride wasn't all there was.

“Unfortunately,” Trixie continued, “this mare has a life of her own here. She has a home, friends, her studies... She might come with me if I asked her to, and she'd probably really enjoy it, but I wouldn't want her to leave everything behind.”

Finally, Twilight lifted her head enough to meet Trixie's eyes. The smile on her face had fallen a bit, but it wasn't completely gone. More than anything, she looked confused.

“So,” said Trixie, “if I want to stay with her, that means I'm going to have to find a way to keep my show going without travelling around so much.”

Twilight licked her lips anxiously. “And... do you want to stay with me? Er, with 'her'?” There was actually a hint of worry in her tone, which was odd, considering everything the two of them had been through. There should've been no doubt in Twilight's mind.

'Maybe she just needs reminding,' Trixie pondered.

And so, after a smirk and a playful roll of her eyes, Trixie leant in to plant a long kiss on Twilight's lips. She felt Twilight draw a sharp but unstartled breath through her nose, as she accepted the gesture. Trixie was still smirking as she held the touch for a good while, making sure that Twilight got the message.

When she finally pulled back, she saw that Twilight was smiling too – and looking as if she felt a little silly.

“Right,” said Twilight. “Good answer.”

The two shared a quiet giggle.

“Well, in that case, I might have something that can help us out,” said Twilight.

Trixie raised a brow. “Oh, really?”

“I said I'd been thinking, didn't I?”

Trixie smiled. “Alright, humour me – you have something in mind?”

With another giggle, Twilight shook her head. “Nope. I'm afraid you'll just have to wait and see.”

Trixie raised a brow. “You think you can keep secrets from Trixie?” She leant forwards, so that her snout was barely an inch from Twilight's, giving her bedroom eyes and a sultry smile. “I have ways of making ponies talk, you know?”

Twilight seemed impervious to the threat. She leant in and touched snouts with Trixie, pushing gently back against her. “You're welcome to try, but I think you're going to have to be patient. Think you can manage that, Miss Great and Powerful?”

“Oh, I can manage it,” said Trixie, pushing back against Twilight. “If it comes to that...”

A week had passed, and it'd been a busy one for Twilight. Despite the showmare's best efforts, Trixie remained in the dark about Twilight's plan, and that thought made the prospect of finally revealing the secret that much more exciting. As she stood out on the grass in Ponyville Park, Twilight took a deep breath of that sweet, country air – something she'd come to miss while staying in Manehattan.

“Ready, AJ?” she called, looking over towards Applejack.

Squinting in the noontime sunlight, the farmpony smiled around the trio of ropes in her mouth and gave a firm nod.

After nodding back, Twilight turned her eyes to the sky. “Rainbow Dash? Fluttershy?”

The two pegasi, each holding a rope of their own, waved to signal that they were ready.

With a satisfied smile, Twilight lit up her horn and grabbed the pair of ropes at her own hooves. Like the others, these ropes were attached to a complex pulley system that rose high into the air, designed and set up by Twilight herself. She'd spent days planning this, and she had a very good feeling that it was going to work.

“Alright, on three! One. Two. Three!”

As one, the four ponies pulled back on their ropes. From the ground in front of them, wooden beams and boards began to rise up, guided by the pulleys. As well constructed as her system was, there was still a lot of wood, so it took a bit of effort.

Twilight ground her hooves into the grass as she focused her magic, and one by one, the wooden pieces began to come together. After barely half a minute, everything had fallen into place.

“Okay, let go!” said Twilight, as she stayed her spell and let the ropes fall to the ground.

Her friends did the same. The pulley system fell away of its own accord, leaving the newly erected wooden structure standing. Just as planned. But they weren't done yet.

“Pinkie Pie, Rarity!” Twilight called. The two of them were on it even before she opened her mouth.

Pinkie rolled her party cannon to a stop before the structure, whilst Rarity stood by the side – horn alight a brilliant blue. As ever, when Pinkie brought out her cannon, the party pony was brimming with excitement and grinning from ear to ear.

Twilight found herself grinning too. “Ready?” she called. “...Fire!”

With a yell of “Woohoo!”, Pinkie reared up onto her hindlegs. She brought her forehooves down and stomped on the back of the cannon--

Bang!

Confetti, streamers and all manner of brightly-coloured decorations shot forth from the cannon towards the structure. On cue, Rarity jumped forwards and reached out with her magic, engulfing the projectiles in the same blue glow as her horn and guiding their trajectory.

A split second later, the blue glow turned to white. It glowed brighter and brighter, and soon reached the point that Twilight had to cover her eyes with a hoof to keep from being blinded. And when she opened them again, her grin had become wide, toothy and practically beaming.

Before her, there stood a grand, wooden stage, literally glistening in the midday sun. A short few steps led up to the sleek, wide performance platform, which had a huge amount of room to move about on. A red curtain flowed gracefully down to make up the stage back, leaving a little room behind it for a couple of ponies to move about unseen. All over the brilliant structure, there hung purple and blue banners, streamers and stars.

And at the very top of the structure, in the centre so that everyone could see, there was a fold-up, wooden carving, which depicted a pair of cutie marks...

Twilight was still smiling madly as her friends joined her to look over the fruits of their labour.

“You sure this 'Champion' thing ain't going to your head?” said Applejack, scrutinising the stage with a doubtful look.

“Huh?” said Twilight intelligently.

“Yeah, narcissist much?” Pinkie chimed in, frowning in mock disapproval.

“What? What d'you mean?” said Twilight, glancing between the two of them and the stage. She hadn't the faintest idea what they were talking about...

A scratchy chuckle drew her eyes upwards. “Ah, don't listen to them, Twi'. It looks awesome!”

“Yes, awesome,” said Fluttershy quietly, smiling as she settled down beside Twilight.

Applejack chuckled and bumped her on the shoulder. “Darn right it does. But I guess we ain't the ones you're aiming to please...”

Realising that Applejack had been making a joke, Twilight let out a quiet sigh of relief. She adopted a smile again and turned to look over her shoulder. “Well, Trixie, what do you think?”

Twilight's friends parted to make way for the showmare who'd been standing in the wings. Trixie ambled forwards slowly, gaze fixed on the beautiful stage before her. Her eyes were wide like saucers as she came to a stop beside Twilight.

“I-it's... very--” Trixie gulped, clearly struggling to find the words. “--very me.”

Pinkie piped up. “Like I said, narci--” Rarity shoved a hoof in her mouth to silence her, offering Twilight a gentle smile, which was gratefully returned.

“Thank you, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie managed, grabbing Twilight's attention back. Trixie met her eyes now, with a proud and joyful smile on her own face. “It's perfect.”

Twilight tilted her head and gave a wide, illustrious smile of her own. “I'm glad you like it.”

The two of them stayed, staring into one another's eyes as the world began to fade around them. It was one of those moments Twilight had become very fond of, over this past week--

“Hey! Is it ready?”

“It looks ready!”

“It looks awesome!”

The suddenly erupting chorus of voices drew Twilight and Trixie's eyes to the side. There, a fair distance back from Twilight's group of friends, a crowd was gathering. There were about a dozen ponies there, with more coming in to join them from the direction of the town square.

Twilight smiled again and turned to the bemused-looking Trixie. “Shall we?”

Trixie blinked and gave her a questioning look. “...Now?”

Twilight waved a hoof at the gathered crowd. “Everypony here is still waiting to see our performance from the Display,” she said.

“They are?”

“That goes double for us,” said Applejack, the rest of the group rallying around her to one side. They all had varying degrees of expectant smiles on their faces. “And we've got a half-dozen ponies from Canterlot should be here any minute,” she added. “Plus a couple from Manehattan, and those two over there--” She pointed into the crowd. “--they've come all the way from Trottingham.”

“But...” Trixie glanced at Twilight for confirmation. Twilight just smiled. “How? Why?”

Applejack rolled her shoulders. “Might've mentioned to a couple o' my cousins that y'all were gonna be performing today. And they might just've let it slip in casual conversation.” She winked at Twilight.

“It's not exactly a huge crowd,” said Twilight, “I decided to keep things small for now, because I wasn't sure whether you'd like the idea. But if you do, I know we could reach a much bigger audience. And where money is concerned, some of the local stores have already agreed to give us a cut of their profits for the extra business our shows will bring them. We could maybe even sell tickets to private shows if you wanted to, and... um--” She trailed off, realising that she was going into a rant. With a cough to clear her throat and a timid smile, she simply said “What do you think?”

Trixie's eyes were still wide as she moved her gaze from Twilight, past her friends and over the stage and the gathered crowd. For a pony who was never surprised, Trixie certainly looked the part...

When, at last, the showmare seemed to regain sense of herself, she turned to face Twilight again. Trixie blinked a couple of times. And then her mouth crept up into a smile as she offered Twilight a hoof. “I think that our audience is waiting.”

Twilight gave another toothy grin, overwhelmed by the warmth of happiness. Without another thought, she took Trixie's hoof and allowed herself to be pulled forwards. The two of them fell onto all four hooves and trotted up towards the stage, amidst cheers and applause from their little crowd.

“Go get 'em, Twilight!”

“Break a leg!”

Twilight hopped up onto the stage with her partner, already flexing her legs and lighting up her horn to test her magic. With Trixie by her side, she felt all of the excitement and next to none of the anxiety that came with being in front of such an audience of ponies. She was confident, excited, and happier that she'd ever been.