If there was one thing Rarity was used to, it was ponies being overly dramatic in her boutiques. But the last pony she expected to be in Canterlot Boutique, in the midst of a colossal breakdown, was Starlight Glimmer.
“Oh my gosh, Rarity, this is just the worst thing!” Starlight cried out. “You were right the whole time, this tiara you gave me looks terrible with my manestyle.”
“Oh, please darling, it’s not that…” Rarity scanned her eyes over the mess of mane and jewelry before her. “Okay, so maybe it is a tad off putting. But, worry not, it can be fixed!”
Starlight groaned at the mirror. She tried to adjust the tiara a bit, but no matter what she did, it dug into her mane and made it look… “Ugh, my mane looks so ratty. How can you possibly fix this in time for the Gala?”
“Now, now, I never said it was going to be easy,” Rarity said. “Be that as it may, I’ve never backed down from a challenge and I refuse to do so now! Especially in an emergency such as this.” Rarity levitated a pair of scissors and a brush to her hooves. “Okay, so I’m not as much an aficionado at mane styling as some, but I think I can handle this.”
Once she had safely removed the tiara from Starlight’s head, Rarity’s hooves flew about her mane, dancing and weaving their way to the desired goal. Meanwhile, Starlight kept her eyes shut, praying to whatever deity was out there she wouldn’t open them and see a massacre on her head. “Just… be careful, Rarity,” she managed to squeak out.
“A few snips here, untangle this knot here… Let’s get rid of this, add some hairspray, fluff these bangs just a tad and…” Rarity tossed aside the tools she was using and stood back to admire her work. “Voila! It’s perfect! Good as new.”
Starlight hesitantly opened her eyes, and she brought a hoof to her mane. “Well it’s not exactly new,” she sighed. “I hate this style, Rarity. It… brings up bad memories for me,” she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
“What are you talking about, dear?” Rarity looked over Starlight. “You look positively beautiful!”
“I don’t know….” Starlight’s horn lit up, and she levitated the tiara over to her head. “It makes me feel… old. I haven’t used this style since, well, you know,” she chuckled nervously.
Rarity looked over her once more before her eyes widened. “Oh, dear, I apologize. I didn’t realize the similarities before now. If you want, I can change it for you. We still have some time before we have to meet the others at the carriage.”
Once the tiara came to a rest on her head, Starlight’s demeanor seemed to change. “Well, the tiara does work with it. I guess I could keep it like this for tonight.”
Rarity let out a sigh of relief. “That’s wonderful! I’d hate to hear that all our work was for nothing. And besides, the tiara does look absolutely splendid with this style. You’ll look dazzling for your first gala!”
Starlight blushed, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Thanks, Rarity. I just wish I had somepony to look dazzling with.”
“I understand, dear,” Rarity said. “It didn’t seem very fair for the Gala committee to deny Trixie access to the event as your plus one. I guess they didn’t think she was of the social standing for a royal event of this magnitude. But, as I’ve always said, there is absolutely no shame in going stag!”
“I know, I know. I just wish I knew somepony else who was going… stag,” she repeated Rarity’s word, tittering.
“Spike, just sit still!”
“I would if you weren’t trying to flay me, you mistress of torture!” Spike said, squirming in his seat. “Why am I the only one who has to have his scales polished?”
“Because you’re the only one at the gala that has scales,” Cadance giggled.
“Hmph.” Spike crossed his arms and sat back in the chair. “I love Gala’s as much as the next guy, but this is ridiculous. Is all this really necessary?”
“If only to satisfy the Canterlot Elite,” Cadance joked. “Besides, isn’t there somepony you want to impress?”
“Well, it’s not like I have a date or anything,” Spike said. “Honestly, I just planned on hanging with Discord and seeing what kind of random pranks he tries to pull this time around.”
Cadance let out a sigh of disappointment. “Ugh, well I suppose boys will be boys. What about Rarity, though?”
“That ship has sailed, my friend,” Spike said. “She’s my best friend and all, but man, I don’t think I could handle dressmaking and rock collecting for the rest of my life. Not to mention she already chose Sweetie Belle as her plus one. So, that’s not gonna happen.”
“You could always try asking somepony else,” Cadance offered. “I’m sure one of your friends doesn’t already have somepony they’re going with.”
“Hmm, you might have a point,” Spike said, scratching his chin pensively. “Fluttershy has Discord this year, Applejack and Rainbow have the other two crusaders, and you know Twilight and Pinkie are dating. That pretty much covers everyone.”
Cadance put a hoof to her chin in thought. He was right. All of his friends were already taken, so perhaps he really would have to— “Wait!” She shouted, a huge grin crossing her features. “What about Starlight?!”
“Starlight?” Spike rolled the idea around in his head. From what he knew she didn’t have a date of any kind, and they were hitting it off pretty well in day to day life. But on the flip side, she was still a bit of a loner and she’d probably prefer to be on her own. “That could work, but I’m not sure she’d be down for it. I think she still has some friendship issues to work out. You know how it is with reformed villains and all.”
“Have you ever considered that the root of her friendship issues is that everypony thinks she ‘prefers to be on her own’?” Cadance asked sarcastically.
“I thought the root of her problems was that she tried to destroy Equestria out of jealous rage?”
“Spike, everypony has their reasons for doing what they do. What’s important is showing them that they’re worth your time. Do you honestly think Starlight would be happy knowing that all of her friends have dates, and she doesn’t?”
“You know what the problem with that question is, Cadance?” Spike asked, turning his full attention towards the mare. “You used the term ‘think’, insinuating that males think before action in general. But I see your point. And I guess it’s worth a try. She’s pretty cool in her own right.”
“And just how do you know the word ‘insinuate’?” Cadance chuckled.
Spike drooped his head. “I hang out with Twilight too much. I need more friends…”
“Well, looks like you and Starlight have something in common,” she laughed.
Spike sighed in defeat. “Alright, I’ll ask her. Besides, it’s just going to the gala. Not like I’m asking her to go out with me or anything. But, I swear, if this fails and I end up looking stupid, as per the usual, I’m blaming you.”
Cadance giggled, adjusting his bowtie. “Fine by me, Spike.”
Rarity and Starlight stood outside the hotel, awaiting the arrival of their carriage with their friends and plus ones.
“Ooh, aren’t you excited, Starlight?” Rarity squeaked. “It’s your first gala!”
“I know I am!” Sweetie Belle sweetly squeaked, hopping about with the other crusaders.
“It was so nice of Princess Celestia to convince the Gala Committee to give you a ticket,” Twilight commented.
Starlight smiled, if only to satisfy her friends. Truthfully, she was upset that Celestia hadn’t extended the same gratuity to her only friend outside of the group. Gently adjusting the tiara on her head, she settle on, “I’m sure it will be fun.”
“Of course it will be!” Pinkie shouted right in her ear. “It’s the Gala! It’s the most funnest, craziest, wildest most awesomest parties in the world! Like, ever! It’s gonna be so awesome!”
Starlight recoiled a bit, but managed to offer up a weak nod. “I’m… sure.”
“Now don’t you worry a bit, sugarcube,” Applejack said with a wink. “I know these big social parties can be a bit intimidatin’ your first time, but trust me, it’ll be a heap of fun. It’s like wrangling at your first rodeo. A bit nervewrackin’ the first time, but then you end up loving it.”
“I’m sure it will, I just—”
“Hi, girls!” Everyone turned to see the two they’d been waiting on walking up to the group. “Sorry we ran a bit late. I was just helping Spike figure something out,” she said, sending him a very obvious wink.
Spike rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the help, Cadance. And good evening ladies. You all look—” Spike was cut off mid-sentence as his eyes fell on Starlight. “—beautiful.”
Her dress was a custom fit one designed by Rarity, sporting an assortment of beautiful gemstones. It was a soft purple color that brought out her fur and body beautifully. In addition to that, her mane was set perfectly to accentuate the tiara she was wearing. After a couple of moments, she seemed to catch on to his staring. “Is… something the matter, Spike? Do I have something on my face?”
“Oh, nothing at all is wrong,” Spike said. “I’ve just never seen you like that before. You look great! Er, I mean, you all look great!”
Cadance tried to stifle a laugh and whispered in his ear, “Nice save there, buddy.”
“You don’t look half-bad yourself there, Spike,” Rainbow said, nudging him on the shoulder. “Try not to break too many hearts tonight, alright?”
“Can’t make any promises,” Spike replied with a smirk. It wasn’t much longer before the tell-tale sign of hooves clopping against cobblestone alerted the group to their carriage arriving. “Ugh, finally.”
Cadance giggled. “Anxious to go to the Gala, are we, Spike?”
“I think we’re all very anxious to get the night underway,” Rarity smiled. They only had to wait a few more moments for the carriage to come to a stop in front of them, and Rarity gave a very out of character whinny of delight. “It’s time, girls!”
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentledrake!” The carriage rider said, hopping out and opening the doors for the passengers. “If you’ll kindly make your way inside, we’ll get over to the Gala at the palace, post-haste!”
One by one, the ponies strode in, ready for their night of fun. Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, AppleJack, Rainbow and the Crusaders, followed by Spike and Starlight bringing up the rear. Spike excitedly hopped in when it was finally his turn, and took a seat. Being the gentledrake he was, he reached out a claw to assist Starlight in entering the carriage. However, his claw was unceremoniously smacked away by the carriage attendant.
“Sorry, but this carriage has reached its pony limit.” The driver frowned at Starlight. “Sorry Miss, but you’ll have to wait here for the next carriage for about five minutes. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
Twilight let out a sigh. “Are you sure she can’t fit? I’m certain we could move around a bit and make room for her. It’s her first gala.”
“Sorry ma’am, but those are the rules. I don’t make ‘em, I just enforce ‘em. She’ll have to wait on the next one.”
Starlight took a few steps back and forced a smile. “It’s alright, guys. I’ll just wait for the next carriage and meet you there. Totally not a problem.”
Everypony could see plainly that she wasn’t actually okay with it, but nopony made a move, likely scared that their plus one wouldn’t want to wait. “Wow,” Spike spoke up, “are you girls seriously just gonna sit here and let her wait alone? Fine,” He continued, hopping out of the carriage and nonchalantly smacking his tail against the driver’s leg. “I’ll wait here with you, Starlight.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly ask you to wait with me, Spike. You sho—”
“You don’t have to ask,” Spike said with a smile. “I’ve got your back. Let’s just wait together.”
Starlight didn’t know what to say, this was one of the nicest thing anypony had done for her. So, she decided to simply look back to everypony in the carriage. “We’ll be right behind you, girls.”
“Thanks, Spike. That was really cool,” Rainbow Dash grinned.
The driver rolled his eyes and brought out his pocket watch in plane view of all the ponies in the carriage. “Well, yes, that’s very nice, but we’re running out of time. Let’s get this show on the road! Have a nice trip on carriage number two my friends!”
Without giving them a chance for a single wave goodbye, he swatted the door shut and hopped in the driver's cab and took off.
“Wow, that guy was a jerk,” Spike said. “He’s probably just jealous he’s stuck driving us around instead of going to the gala.”
Starlight giggled, but the driver wasn’t who she was focused on. “Thank you for staying behind with me, Spike. It means a lot.”
“Of course,” Spike said. “I couldn’t just let you stand out there by yourself, especially not for your first Gala. That wouldn’t be cool.”
“I know, I know,” Starlight smiled, rolling her eyes. “It’s just, I was already afraid I’d be spending the entire night by myself, and then that happened.” She pulled the surprised drake into a little one-legged hug. “You’re a really good friend.”
Spike blushed and hugged her back. “No problem.” After he was released from the hug he wiped the crinkles from his suit and looked at Starlight. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you think you’d spend the whole Gala alone? You’ve got plenty of friends that are gonna be there with you.”
Starlight let out a sigh, plopping down onto her rump on the cold sidewalk. “You already know about my anxiety problems when it comes to friendship. I love Twilight and the girls, I really do. But sometimes, I don’t feel like they think of me the same way I think of them.”
“What do you mean by that?”Spike asked, shrugging his shoulders. “We all think you’re awesome! At least to my knowledge, that’s the case.”
“What I mean is that I like to think of them as my friends, but sometimes I think that to them, I’m just another former villain,” she replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.
“Trust me, I know the feel,” Spike said. “Maybe not on your level of villainy, but I’ve definitely made some mistakes in the past. No offense, by the way.”
Starlight lifted her head back up, regarding her little friend curiously. “What did you do?”
Spike opened his mouth, but was quickly shut up by the sound of hooves clopping in the distance. “There’ll be time for that later,” Spike said. “Here comes the reject carriage!”
For the first time that day, Starlight laughed outright. “You’re a funny little guy, Spike.”
“It’s true,” he said. “But that’s just how I roll. It’s not easy being this awesome all the time.”
The two of them shared a laugh as the carriage pulled up. “Hi there!” The new driver said. “You all ready for the gala?”
“You bet!” Starlight grinned excitedly. She wasn’t sure how, but that little dragon had raised her mood quite effectively.
“Well, if that’s the case, then hop right in!” The driver smiled and opened the door for them. “Just the two of you for this ride?”
“Yep, just the two of us,” Spike said, getting in. Once again, he reached out his claw to assist Starlight, and this time she gently placed her hoof in it. She climbed in, and the driver offered the two a smile.
“The ride to the Gala will be about ten minutes, and the doors will open about fifteen minutes after your arrival. I wish you two a great night!” He said, gently closing the door to the carriage. With that, the two were left alone.
“I’ve never actually been in a carriage,” Starlight said. “Is it bumpy?”
“A little bit,” Spike said. “But you get used to it pretty fast. Then again, I’ve ridden on Twilight while she learned how to fly, so maybe I’m just used to bumpy rides.”
Starlight giggled at his wording, and the carriage started moving. “Well, as long as my mane doesn’t get messed up any more than it was earlier. You should have seen it. It was a disaster.”
Spike looked intently at her styled up hair. “It’s impossible to tell, if that makes you feel better. Speaking of which, I was gonna ask. Your mane looks a lot like you had it before. Was that intentional, or did Rarity just go into one of her crazy modes and completely reinvent your look out of inspiration?”
Starlight grinned nervously. She knew someone would notice eventually. “My usual mane style was getting in the way of my tiara,” she replied, eyes looking up at the head piece. “Rarity just happened to put it back in this style by complete coincidence. Why? Do you like it more this way?”
“Honestly, I think it looks great!” Spike said. “Of course, I’m no mane expert or anything, but it has a lot more personality. But, I mean, I’m sure you’d have looked great either way.”
Starlight felt her cheeks heat up a bit. “Oh, well, t-thanks. I couldn’t help but notice that you got your scales polished, by the way.”
“Oh, sweet Celestia, don’t remind me. Have you ever gotten your hair plucked before?” Spike said, glaring into her eyes. “It’s basically like that. I can handle lava just fine, but once you start scraping at my scales, I’m done. I’m just grateful Twilight only makes me do it once a year… For the Gala.”
“I’m sure it’s not as annoying as having to repaint your cutie mark once a night,” she chuckled. It wasn’t like her to make light of what she’d done so callously, but she felt a lot more comfortable around Spike. “You wouldn’t believe what paint does to fur.”
“Luckily, I won’t have to live your pain,” Spike said. “No cutie mark and no fur. Sometimes, being a dragon is a blessing.”
“Yeah, that’s true. But then, you can’t do this,” she smirked, her horn lighting up as she lifted the dragon into the air. She spun him around a few times, then plopped him back down. He looked dizzy, and that made her snort with laughter.
“Ugh, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being tossed around by unicorns,” Spike said, shaking the dizziness away. “But, you’ll never be able to do this.” Spike took a breath and blew out small burst of fire. It reached just far enough to singe a few threads on the seat fabric opposite them, but then it withered away before doing any damage.
“Heh, I guess that’s true.” Starlight paused for a moment, trying to think of a way to word what she wanted to say next. “Spike, would you like to—”
However, she was cut short by a voice from the driver up front. “Sorry guys, but in accordance with the carriage rules, please keep all magic, flames and any otherwise destructive force to a minimum at all times while in the carriage.”
“S-sorry,” Starlight replied, chuckling nervously.
“Sorry, sir! Won’t happen again!” Spike called out, before turning his attention back to Starlight. “Now, what were you saying?”
“O-oh,” Starlight was caught off-guard this time. “I was just going to ask if, well, you wanted to—”
The carriage door flew open revealing the driver once again, all smiles. “Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala! I hope you have a wonderf—”
“THAT IS IT, I AM TIRED OF BEING INTERRUPTED WHEN ALL I’M TRYING TO DO IS ASK MY FRIEND A QUESTION. BE. QUIET!” Starlight shouted, drawing the attention of many nearby ponies, including their group of friends. “I mean, ahem, just give us a moment,” she clarified in a much softer tone, closing the door to the carriage.
Spike’s eyes were wide as saucers as he looked from the now shut door back to Starlight. “Um, what was that about? You feeling okay, Starlight?”
“I’m fine. I was just tired of being interrupted,” Starlight replied. “Now, what I was going to say, Spike, is… Would you like to be my date for the Gala?”
Spike tried to respond, but he felt like his lips were sewn shut. He had completely forgotten that it was his original intention to ask her the same question. So, her asking him… that wasn’t quite the plan he had in mind.
However, after taking a few moments to recover from the initial shock, he was at least able to mutter something remotely intelligent.
“Sure.”
>TFW not invited to the collab party
7308127 Bruh, you hate Spike. You would've somehow transformed it into an anon story by 2k words with your superior writing class.
One again, surprised at the magic that is pony hooves and how they can hold sharp implements without killing someone.
All in all, enjoyed the story.
Well, that was a cute little short.
Kinda felt like it ended rather abruptly though.
7308152 We're debating on writing a sequel right now. Depends on if people like this or not. I mean, if it goes well, great! If not, we'll look at what went wrong and try something new.
This was so sweet But, I was kinda hoping to see them actually at the gala, not just waiting for the carrige. Still, like you said, a sequel would be nice.
7308131
DON'T YOU KNOW THAT NOPONY IS SUPERIOR IN OUR TOWN? GOD
Aww, never thought of them as a possible romantic pairing, only family. Sorta how like I do most often with Twilight and Spike.
7308217 In our town, In our town... *hums and smiles*
i think you guys gave applejack a more "formal" country twang than you might have intended too. just seems odd that she'd talk the way like any ordinary character from the show would talk. i saw what you guys tried and it was good, but not enough twang.
7308271 I try not to go overboard on her accent. But I'll take that into consideration, my friend!
Screw you, you can't just finish it off just like that. That was adorable! Dang it, I'm falling for this ship.
7308316 Perhaps we'll write some more? ...Or maybe not!
i1103.photobucket.com/albums/g474/zQZXzAgent0/YouTube%20Related/nigahiga_gif__epicface_by_ikenks-d49e2wk.gif
Good
7308161
You got my vote. I must know what happens next. How will Twilight and friends react when they find out Starlight and Spike are going out? What will Celestia say? Will they kiss? I got to know.
7308277 it's not that you'd go overboard on her accent. it's just the way that the show portrays her, since it is a part of her character. it's like writing rarity without her being a fashionista.
Man, shipping Starlight and Spike is becoming the new thing, huh?
MORE PLEASE THIS IS BECOMING MY OTP
This is my new favorite ship!
But now I'm hungry for more, Starlight and Spike!
And is it just me or does anyone else find it weird that, Twilight and Starlight, both have light in their names and that all of, Twilight's, pony enemies/forgotten friends and/or rivals are unicorns that have star based names! Seriously! What is up with that?!
Ok, that's done. Good story. But, again, I want MORE! Later.
You know? You're starting to make me hate Spike. He's stealing all the waifu! So Op, Much hate!
Just kidding. You know I love you right?
This is pretty cute, but feels like it needs about four more chapters. It makes a good hook for a longer story, but doesn't really stand on its own.
7308614 I do my best to write well :P
But in all seriousness, the reason the story flows so well, and has the great grammar that it does, is because Famous and I share very similar writing styles. I try to be a tad fancier with my stories, which tends to show in these collabs we do. Not to mention, I'd like to think that I'm fairly decent at writing Starlight Glimmer, and he's good at writing Spike.
7308640 I just vomit on the page and hope for the best.
7308644 Of course you do, baby doll.
D'aw!
Sparlight rules! Right next to Sparity, but for now, Sparlight!
Very cute! This appeals to muh OTP.
As a few other comments have said, it pretty much ends at the climax. I'd definitely like to see a sequel.
And now, because no one else wants to be "that guy", some nitpicks:
The word "gala" is inconsistently capitalized. It can go either way as a proper noun (short for Grand Galloping Gala) or a common noun to refer to the place/thing.
To me this is OOC for Spike, he's not exactly the self-deprecating type.
Makes it sound like Cadance became a guy and adjusted his own bowtie (lol), instead of adjusting Spike's.
????????????????
This is really dropped out of nowhere, and it's never explained or even talked about again.
Is there any purpose to it other than inserting a random irrelevant ship?
7308873 We wrote the TwiPie thing for no reason other than getting a weird reaction from readers.
This... feels cut off, tbh. I feel like tracking this story in case you add more as well as following you in case of a sequel. Either or, this story needs to continue.
7308873
The episode Power Ponies had a lot of Spike being Self-depricating.
This is nice how it is, leaves me with a pleasant feeling. The cutoff while abrupt works with where it happened. Can definitely see where it can go though.
If this Starlight x Spike keeps floating around I'm gonna actually start believing it.
This was wonderful! I really hope you decide to continue it.
7308909
Well, he is a good writer, so it must be
Cute. I ship it.
TFW I shipped these two before it was cool.
To be honest the story isn't bad, its just too short. When I read the synopsis I expected to also read about their time at the Gala and see their relationship build into a better friendship or something more...cdn.everyjoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/oh-well.jpg
I'm always down for some Sparlight, especially when it's this well written.
7308873 I've always felt Spike is 1/3 snarky, 1/3 self-deprecating, and 1/3 optimist, myself.
I knew it was only a matter of time. I'm surprised you still haven't written an Ember x Spike ship.
7309333
I think he's not self-deprecating. He's the opposite! He puffs himself up humorously, instead of putting himself down humorously.
Depending on the writer with how genuine he'd be when he talks himself up.
Okay, I know this song has nothing to do with what's going on, but . . .
Since there was nothing like this before, I guess the nobility got fed up with Celestia's guests wrecking it every year...
...Though I guess even they're not stupid enough to say no to Discord.
...Or maybe everyone but Starlight just hates Trixie.
7309369 I guess I was including his penchant for occasional exultant behavior in the snarky and optimistic parts of his personality, but you're right - he likes to feel self-important, too!
When I think of him being self-deprecating, I think of episodes with scenes of him showing his more vulnerable side, usually manifesting as a pity party for himself. Examples include Owls Well That Ends Well, Dragon Quest, Spike at Your Service, Equestria Games, and Princess Spike. The only Spike episode where he's been 100% confident in himself is Gauntlet of Fire (which I thought was kind of OOC for him, but it's still a great episode).
I guess if I were to refine my percentages (switches into Twilight mode, ahem ) it's 22% snarky, 20% self-pitying, 25% egotistical, 30% optimist, and 3% I-will-literally-burn-your-face-off-of-you-angry. (OK the last one is somewhat wishful thinking, but he's pretty amusing when he gets angry at Angel. )
7309343 I'm surprised, too. But the issue with that is that so many other users did it at the time of the episodes release, even I got kind of meh about it.
7308909 That's probably true, but I honestly don't always strive for perfection when writing horsewords. I try to write something entertaining and have fun while doing it. If I generally succeed in both of those aspects, I've done my job.
7308517 Love you too, bae.
So cute and we'll thought out! I shipped these two at the start of the season six premiere, I you remember what happened, I thought I was so weird for thinking that. Then, there where stories and pictures like this, I love it! This is one of my favourite sparlight stories, and the picture too! stories like this always brighten up my day.
7309458 wha... damn I can't help but absolutely love this randomness XD
It had a couple neat little moments, like Starlight with Rarity, Spike reassuring Starlight, and that funny bit where Starlight yells at the driver at the end, but otherwise this just feels incomplete. It felt simultaneously like it was getting ready to go somewhere, while at the same time did nothing.
For kind of an oddball ship like SpikexStarlight... I really think you need more content than this.
From a technical standpoint? Very well executed. Good spelling and grammar, good formatting, very readable dialogue.
I just wish there was about 2 or 3 times as much fic in order for this to really come together as a story.
No veins piping out this time, Starlight? (hears booing noises) Oh, come on!! That was clever!!
7309769 Yeah, the second I saw it, I told Famous that our search was over and he agreed completely.