The Good Fight

by CoyoteXray

3. Counter...Evacuate

"and you know that he can't be expected to control how his friends react. I mean, that really isn't his fault, don't you agree? They felt he was being attacked and..."

"Rarity...", Photo said as patiently as she could.

"...it's only reasonable that some people, when confronted with a situation like that might fail to control their reactions..."

"Rarity, thiz is your friend calling," Photo continued, trying once more to get through, "...you know, from ze earth? I am trying very hard to talk to you, but you juzt keep up with all of ze rambling. You are one of my favorite personz, but I'm really schtarting to zhink zhat you are in serious need of a checkup from ze neck up."

Finally the voice on the other end went silent.

"Photo, that was a terrible thing to say," Rarity finally answered, "how could you?"

Photo gave a frustrated sigh. She looked again to the phone sitting on her bureau and replied, "I know...I know. I am zorry. But what choice do I have? Your friend'z friends inzult me on ze web and call me all sorts of nazty names. Then you call me ze next morning. I think it is to apologize, or at least ekplain...fine, vonderful. But no, it is all to tell me zhat I zomehow brought this on myself for being zo nazty to your poor little friend. Really...vhat givez here? Did you not even talk to Tvilight?"

"Well no, I didn't really have the opportunity," Rarity replied. "Sunset decided that we probably shouldn't hang around once she figured out what Twilight did wrong."

Photo let lose an audible groan and said, "Indeed...zhat is all vell and good, but why didn't you call her later? She could have told you vhat happened. And vhen did I inzult him anyvay? I didn't even talk to him after ze morning. Did you even read my pozt?"

Photo heard a frustrated sigh, and then Rarity replied, "Well, he told me that you must pulled the one he saw down. He said you were calling him some sort of pervert or something. And then he said Pip posted another comment after that."

"Rarity," Photo responded, "vhy do you not believe me? Ve have had our problemz, but you are my friend. You're a talented and generouz person, and I value you. There waz one and only one post, I svear it, and it waz the one you saw." She looked to the clock on the wall, and sighed. "Ohhhh...I vill have to talk again later. It iz getting cloze to the time, and I am not even properly drezzed yet."

"Very well darling, I'm sure we'll get this straightened out," Rarity answered, "I'll see you there."

"Indeed," Photo answered, "later," she said, ended the call, and tossed her phone in her purse.

She stood before the mirror, threw her head back and groaned, before a knock on her door drew her attention.

"Kitten!" came the deep bass laden voice of her father, "Are you going to go to school today, or zhould I tell them to just bring everything here for you?"

Photo shook her head and replied, "Oh papa, zhat is not even funny."

The bedroom door opened, and a large man entered. He had a good foot and a half of height advantage on her and it took a bit of effort to look him in the eyes. The short girl's curse, as she called it.

"Vell, one has to vonder, he replied, "first your friend Violet, now ze Rarity girl. Pleaze zay you are not expecting anyone else?"

She threw up her hands and answered, "I waz not even expecting zhem. First ze ever impulsive Violet girl, talking about zome critical meeting with zome of ze new bandmates and zhat odd gurl Vinyl Zcratch, d.j. extraordinaire. Zeems zhey vant to rehearse a new song zhey wrote for ze band zhat haz mysteriously cume back to life. Zo I say 'Very well, but vhat song? How do I rehearse a song I have not zeen?', and zo it goes, blah, blah, blah. And after twenty minutes of zhat, Rarity calls and she iz mad at me over yesterday..."

Her father held up two fingers in front of his face, his traditional signal for silence. Then he said, "I see. Does this uther call have anything to do with zhe one I got at werk yesterday afternoon?"

Photo sighed and turned towards the mirror and started tying her tie before replying, "Yez, unfortunately. I did not mention zhat I got all sorts of naztiness on the interweb yesterday from the snake and his merry band of lowlifez, along vith other diztaztful little zurprises from so called friends." She paused and stewed over it for a minute before blurting out, "Oh papa, zhis whole zhing is like...schtepping in booble gum! It is making a mezz, and I just can't get avay from it! And I vas joost trying to do ze right thing..."

"...and you get trolled," her father answered.

Photo paused and thought about it for a moment, "Waz zhat a trolling? Hmmm...I guess I've never had one directed at me before."

"Zounds like it to me. How bad waz it?, her father asked.

"Oh, It incuded the "b" word more zhan a few timez," Photo answered, pausing before adding, "and alzo the "c" verd more timez zhan I would care to remember."

She looked back at her father and noticed his raised eyebrow.

"Mind if I take a look?" he asked, "and maybe get a second opinion."

She straightened her tie, and thought for a moment, before replying, "Unzinkable under normal zircumstances; but...thiz iz getting radiculous and I am at a lozz. Vould the 'second opinion' by chance come from ze principal?"

"Yez, hopefully," her father replied, "have you changed your passwerd recently?"

Photo buttoned up her vest before answering, "No, it iz the same. I have got to go. Juzt please do not make yourself late for verk."

Her father chuckled. "Yez mom," he replied.

Photo scowled, gave a harrumph and responded, "Careful...or I shall tell momma on you when she callz."

She came up to her father and gave him a tight hug, grabbed her purse and then turned to go, pausing only a moment to get a kiss from the dog as she went. As she left, her father went upstairs and fired up his computer, and soon found her personal page. He scrolled down and found the most recent postings, and carefully read through what was said. He then pulled out his cell phone and punched up recent calls, hitting the number he needed.

"Hello, Canterlot Central High School," came a cheery voice, "How may I direct your call."

"Yes," he responded, "Is the principal available yet?"

"Oh, just a second, yes she's just coming in now," the secretary answered, "can I put you on hold for a moment?"

"That would be fine," he answered.

---

The gym had cleared out as lunch period took hold finally, save for a few hangers on looking for a bit of peace. That was what brought Flash Sentry here on a Thursday. He had shot at least eight free throws so far, and was hitting about 50%, which wasn't bad. He was about to try again when an idea came to him. Instead of a traditional shot, he bent his knees and spread his legs, taking the ball down between his knees to try for a granny shot. He was just in the process when someone called out, "What in the world are you doing?"

The ball sailed over and missed the backboard entirely, bouncing up onto the adjoining stage and knocking over a fake tree. Flash groaned and turned to confirm who it was that distracted him, and sure enough it was Sunset Shimmer.

"Thanks a lot," he answered, "You just ruined my shooting streak."

"You're welcome," she replied, "You weren't even doing it right, you know."

"Don't be so sure," he said in reply, "So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Sunset moved over and leaned against the stage, letting lose a tired sounding sigh before she answered. "I need to quiz you a bit. You see, I have a problem."

"Let me guess; does it go by the name of Bold Venture?" Flash responded.

"Hmmm, hard to keep a secret around this place," Sunset answered, "So I guess I can cut to the chase then. I know that you know him better than I do. So I've got to ask, how much trouble am I in?"

Flash moved off a bit and picked up another ball, and dribbled around as he walked before answering. "Why ask me? As I recall, you spent some time around him when he arrived."

"Oh sure," Sunset replied, "during the leadup to my ever wonderful 'Take over the World' stupidity. Yeah, I talked to him, trying to recruit him. But after about ten minutes, I was left seriously wondering just who was going to be the evil genius and who was going to be the henchperson when all was said and done. But now, it's different. He's going after Twi."

Flash paused in his dribbling before saying, "She's not the only one. He's been chasing every girl he can get his hands on since he got here. And he's had success, assuming you can put anything into his bragging; with the unfortunate result that he's taken locker room talk to a new low."

"From what I've heard, it's probably not bragging," Sunset answered, "I've got a contact with the paper at his old school. She said that he was rumored to be connected to at least two unplanned pregnancies, among other triumphs. And after the second one raised a fuss over the summer, there was talk of him having knocked out two of her teeth."

Flash grimaced, and stood silently for a second. "That figures," he answered, looking away and taking a couple of deep breaths before continuing, "According to him, he tends to go after those girls he considers 'untested'."

Sunset let lose a long sigh, her head turned to the ground before saying, "You mean virgins, right? And there's probably nothing little ole' me could do to change Twilight's status in his mind, assuming the two of us were even at that stage yet?"

"Eeeyup... the wrong kind of test, as it were," Flash answered, coming over to Sunset's side and assuming the same position as she. "So what's your plan?"

"Besides try not to totally freak out? I guess, whatever it takes," Sunset answered, "I could go to Celestia, but with no evidence other than rumor? And I doubt I could threaten him in any way; I think that he's beyond the power of blackmail. So that leaves confrontation, and the strong possibility of getting my ass kicked."

Flash set his ball down on the stage, and crossed his arms before asking, "So, what do you want me to do?"

Sunset looked at him, and responded, "I'm not asking you to do anything."

"Bull," Flash answered with a smirk, "Anyone he's met could have told you what I just did. So, why else would you come to your ex-boyfriend?"

"O.K...because I'm very fond of my teeth," Sunset replied, "and even if I weren't, I'm not sure that even that sacrifice would be enough to slow him down. And Twi can't fight him off, and she sure as hell wouldn't call on her alter ego. She's more scared of her than even that jackass."

Flash pondered it for a moment, then replied, "Do you really think that he would take me seriously? I really don't have that kind of rep."

"A lot more seriously than he'd take me," Sunset answered.

Flash stood up and began dribbling again, pondering the issue before turning back to Sunset.

"Sunset, I'll think about it, if you do me a favor," Flash answered.

Sunset stood up and came closer before asking, "What?"

"The word is that you have a way of messaging a certain princess friend of ours," Flash replied.

"Sure," Sunset replied.

"Just send her a message for me," Flash continued, "tell her, I miss her."

Sunset closed her eyes and smiled, then met his gaze and replied, "No problem." She took a step back and gave Flash a wave, and then turned and walked to the door.

---

Photo walked down the front steps. The day had seemed o.k. starting out, but the morning ended with a collision in the hallway with a stranger that moved on without saying a word. It wasn't unheard of, but it seemed to set the tone, as she met with her bandmates, who left her with more questions than answers; tried repeated to meet with Rarity, which never seemed to come together for one reason or another; and sat through classes that seemed to go out of their way to try her patience more than anything.

As she reached the sidewalk, all she wanted was to go home. But there was the rehearsal to deal with. She tilted her head back, and ran her hand back over her hair, savoring the sun on her face and the brief moment of peace.

When she looked again at her surroundings, she spotted Twilight Sparkle a short distance away, talking with her friend Fluttershy. She watched the pair, and thought about the soft spoken girl with pink hair. Photo had worked rather hard earlier in the year when she thought that the girl was interested in modeling, only to have her abandon it just when everything seemed to be coming together.

"Ah, Floottershy, two weekz of my young life zhat I shall never zee again," she said to herself.

As Fluttershy walked away apparently in pursuit of her friend Rainbow Dash, Photo found herself looking at Twilight. She was an unusual person that was certain. Suddenly, a question came to Photo's mind, and she found herself casually approaching, her eyes examining Twilight's bag closely. Apparently too closely, as Twilight suddenly turned and faced her.

"Umm, excuse me," came a voice that brought Photo back to reality.

Photo started, and recoiled back a couple of steps, only noticing then just how close she had strayed towards Twilight. "Oh...um...hello," she managed to choke out, "I waz not schtaring at you, really. I...I waz juzt distracted by something."

"Oh, I see," Twilight answered in a quiet voice, hugging the straps of her book bag a bit closer. "I was afraid you were looking for the...you know. You seemed to get a good laugh out of it before."

Photo's jaw dropped, and she suddenly felt her stomach clinch. "Oh no...no vay...I promise. I w-waz never laughing at you; it waz actually...uh...at your girlfriend...which I know zounds terrible. I'm...vell...I'm zorry." She folded her hands in front of her, and gave Twilight a shallow bow.

Twilight seemed to relax just a bit at this and answered, "It's all right. Well, you know...uh... I've been insulted by some of the best but, you're actually one of the first to apologize."

"Really?" Photo answered, obviously surprised. Then she slowly moved a bit closer, looking over Twilight's bag. "Vell, actually, vhat I waz wondering, if you don't mind me azking, is if you brought your little dog today?"

Twilight recoiled back a bit, and asked, "You know about that?"

"Vell," Photo responded, "it iz not that much of a zecret. I think I actually saw him last week when I zhink about it. So...vhat iz it like having a talking dog?"

Twilight just stood there for a moment, clearly flabbergasted by what she heard. But she thought about it for a second and replied, "Oh...well, it's...odd. And he does still freak out the vet. I still don't understand it, but I'm getting used to it."

"Oh my," Photo replied, "Not oonderstanding must be tough for a scientist."

"Well," Twilight replied, "It's just one of many mysteries in my life these days."

Photo pondered the situation for a moment, "Hmmm...I cannot imagine how I'd feel if my puppy could talk."

Twilight's smile burst forth at this and she answered excitedly, "Oh you have a dog too, that's great! What breed is it? I bet it's a dachshund right?"

"Uh...a viener dog?" Photo questioned, then smiled and replied "Oh no no, my little girl, she is a zheltie."

"Ohhh, shelties are so pretty," Twilight answered, "and she's a girl too? We have GOT to introduce those two."

"Uhmm, maybe...not zure I'd vant talking puppiez," Photo pondered out loud, and then looked around and asked, "Uh, may I ask, vhat are you vainting for here?"

"Oh well, it's nothing much," Twilight responded, "Rarity just offered to drive me home today."

"Hmmm, zhat is shtrange," Photo replied, "I do not zhink zhat I recall zeeing Rarity's little red car in ze parking lot today."

"Oh...really?" Twilight answered, before a car horn caught her attention. Out on the drive, a large black car pulled up, and Rarity stepped out of the passenger side door. She waved to the pair, before pausing, obviously concerned. The driver's side door then opened, and out of the car came Bold Venture, who called to Rarity.

"She vants you riding vith him? Really?" Photo growled, "Arghh, zhat gurl has lost her mind!"

Photo looked back to Twilight, and saw her frozen in place, shaking her head and repeating over and over, "Oh no...no way...no way...I can't...no way..."

"Mizz Schparkle?" Photo inquired.

Twilight looked to her only for a second before she turned her head back to what was coming.

Rarity watched from the street. She didn't know what to do next.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Bold Venture called out to her, "Go get her."

Rarity looked back to him, holding out her hand to signal him to wait. "Darling, she's with Photo Finish. Who knows what they're doing? We can't just rush in."

Photo shifted her attention back and forth between the street and Twilight, trying to manage the scene. But the longer the wait, the more stressed Twilight seemed to get. By now, she was standing there clutching her book bag like a life preserver and repeating to herself, "No...no...no way."

"Mizz Schparkle...Mizz Schparkle..." Photo repeated, trying to get a response. Finally she positioned herself directly in Twilight's line of sight, pulled off her sunglasses, and looked Twilight directly in the eye and asked as calmly and clearly as she could, "Twilight, are you all right?"

Finally Twilight seemed to focus, and she said, "I can't go with her. I can't...not with him." Then she looked around quickly before asking "Say...uh...could you possibly drive me home? Oh...please...please, please, please." She paused and brought her hands in front of her, pleading with Photo, whose mouth fell open.

"Oh Gott! Tell me you are kidding? Rarity vould schtrangle me," Photo answered, but one look told her it was no joke. Photo looked back to Rarity and gave a nervous smile.

"Uh, vell...I suppose zomezing could be arranged," she finally answered.

"Great, let's go," Twilight responded, grabbing Photo's sleeve and dragging her in the general direction of the parking lot.

Rarity watched from the drive, not sure of what was happening. "What are they doing?" she asked.

"They're taking off on us!" Bold Venture responded excitedly, "What are you waiting for? Go after them!"

"Darling, it's not going to help anything if I chase her!" Rarity protested, but her companion just urged her onward. "Oh for...urgh ," Rarity growled as she took off in pursuit.

Upon seeing Rarity approach, Twilight broke into a run, towing Photo part way until she finally matched her pace. The pair rounded the side of the building, passing Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy before pausing.

"What's up?" Rainbow asked.

"Uh...well," Twilight answered, trying to catch her breath, "We have a little problem." She looked back towards where they came from, and spotted Rarity just reaching the edge of the building. She looked around frantically, and then she grabbed Photo's arm and yanked the girl into the tall bushes.

"Mizz Schparkle," Photo growled as she tried to right herself, "Maintain your coompuzure. Ve are trying to go home from schkool, not ezcape from a P.O.W. camp." It was then that Rarity arrived, looking about frantically.

"Hey Rars," Rainbow said with a smile, moving quickly to intercept her friend, "am I ever glad to see you. Fluttershy here has a problem." She then dragged Rarity over to her other friend, who just stood by with a confused look on her face. "Go ahead, tell her Flutters," Rainbow prompted.

The pink haired girl just stood there for a moment, before finally asking "Tell her what Rainbow?"

Rarity rolled her eyes and answered, "Girls, I don't have time for this. I'm trying to find Twilight."

Twilight tugged Photo's sleeve, and the pair slowly worked their way out the back and made their way to the parking lot.

"Twilight?" Rainbow asked, "What's up with you and Twi?"

Rarity gave a frustrated sigh and replied, "She was supposed to get a ride from me and my friend, but she ran from me for some reason."

"Well, that's interesting, right Flutters," Rainbow responded, with a nod to her other friend, "I wonder why she ran?"

"Urgh, I don't know!" Rarity groaned, "Girls, I don't have time for a conversation. I have to find her."

It was then that the black car pulled up into the adjoining driveway, and Bold Venture sprang out of the driver's side, and called out "Well, where the hell are they?"

Rarity could only wave her arms in frustration and reply, "I have no idea!" It was only then that she spotted it, the dark grey hatchback belonging to a certain photographer, making its way to the parking lot exit. As it came to the curb, she thought for a moment that she caught the eye of the driver before she heard the roar of acceleration and the brief chirp of the tires that announced the vehicle's departure.

"Aww, what the hell!?!" Bold Venture shouted, "They're getting away!"

"Darling, what do you mean by 'getting away'?" Rarity inquired, "We're not trying to capture her for crying out loud."

"All I know is that YOUR friend just made YOU look stupid," Bold Venture fired back, "You gonna take that!?!"

Rarity stood there and stewed for a moment, and then answered, "No!" before she jumped off the adjoining sidewalk and ran to the black car and joined her companion inside. The car then backed out of the lot and proceeded after the other vehicle.

Rainbow watched the scene, with Fluttershy beside her, shaking her head. "Bad call Rars," she said to no one in particular.

Photo worked her way through traffic and eventually hit the four lane while Twilight Sparkle sat quietly in the passenger seat. At first she could only think of the trouble they were in. But then, Twilight broke the silence.

"Wow, I guess I didn't notice before," she finally said, "but this car is a manual, isn't it?"

Photo gave her a quick glance before turning back. "Uhm, vell...yes, it is. It waz my papa's idea. He sayz that a manual forcez one to pay more attention to vhat you are doing. And he's a big believer that if you can drive a schtick," she said, pausing for effect as she downshifted, "you can drive anyzhing."

Twilight smiled at this, and answered, "So I see. I envy your confidence. Given my driving record, I'd be afraid to try one."

"Oh, it iz not zhat hard," Photo answered with a smile. She looked back again, and noticed that Twilight was still looking at her. She looked back to the road, wondering what was next.

"Can I ask another question, well...about your eyes?" Twilight asked.

Photo tensed up immediately. 'My eyes?' she thought, 'Oh please tell me this isn't the prelude to a come on.'

"Vell, I guezz," she replied.

"It's just that I noticed all the care you take to get your makeup so sorted out," Twilight replied, "you know, eyeshadow and mascara. And yet you wear glasses all the time. Why is that?"

"Vell, actually it is an attempt to overcome some of my veaknesses." Photo replied. "You zee...no vone is impressed by a little girl like me. But I've been told though that if zhey can not zee your eyes, zhey have to guess vhat you are thinking. It zhould give you an advantage."

Photo looked over when she hit another stoplight, and saw Twilight had taken off her glasses and was looking at them. "Does it work? Just once, I'd love to have an advantage," she asked.

Photo sighed. "Only zometimes. Uther times, it just gives zhem an excuse to call you 'bug eyez', and avoid you." Photo heard Twilight give a long drawn out sigh. It was obviously not the answer she wanted to hear. "I am zorry I could not give you better newz," Photo continued.

Twilight shook her head and smiled. "It's o.k.," she answered, "It figures. It seems like none of the problems in my life can be handled easily."

It was then that a sound distracted the pair. It was coming from Photo's cell phone, and from the radio as the connection kicked in. Photo looked down and read the caller i.d. . It was Rarity calling.

"Ohhh," Twilight grimaced, "I'm betting that I just got you in trouble."

Photo shook her head before answering, "Do not vorry about it. Now, maybe you give me zome directions, yez?"

Twilight looked to the driver and smiled. "Well, first turn right here," she suggested.

No sooner had they cleared the corner than a second call came in, from Pixel. Photo quickly cancelled the call, not wanting to make Twilight feel worse. After a half dozen additional turns, the pair reached the large brick home in the center of the block, and spotted the large black car parked in front. Photo tensed up immediately and carefully pulled around into the driveway. As they parked, Twilight got out and stood alongside the car, looking towards the street. It was then that she heard the phone ring again. This time Photo answered.

"PHOTO FINISH ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?!" Rarity's voice boomed out from the speakers, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FOOLISH YOU MADE ME LOOK!?! I SWEAR YOU REALLY PUSH THE BOUNDS SOMETIMES! AND WHAT IN THE WORLD DID YOU TELL TWILIGHT TO GET HER TO DO SOMETHING THAT INSANE!?! YOU HAVE FINALLY GONE OVER THE LINE WITH..."

Photo disconnected the call.

Twilight grabbed her book bag, closed the car door, and walked around to the other side and knelt down next to the driver's door, looking in at Photo, who hung her head in silence, save for the sound of some deep breathing.

"Are you o.k.?" she asked.

Photo didn't reply at first, distracted for a moment as another call came through. She then answered, "I waz juzt vondering if zhere's anyone of my friends out zhere who are not mad at me right now."

Twilight thought about it for a moment, and then reached in the window and patted Photo on the shoulder and answered, "Well, I can think of one."

Photo brought her head back up and took a deep breath, and then she turned her head towards Twilight and smiled. She then reached down and pulled her glasses out of her pocket and put them on, before finally replying, "Zhank you."

Twilight stepped back, and Photo gave a wave as she slowly backed out of the driveway and pulled way. Meanwhile, Rarity and Bold Venture watched the scene from the black car.

"I do not believe this!" Rarity stewed, "What the hell has gotten into those two. They actually ran from me! This is pure insanity!"

"HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW!!" came the response. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU PUT UP WITH THAT NAZI BITCH!!"

"What in the world am I supposed to do about her!?!" Rarity answered, "She wasn't even supposed to be there! What in the world has gotten those two so damn scared anyway?"

Bold Venture pointed at her and growled, "Don't start with me! It's bad enough that this whole thing got so damn jacked up. I'm not going to sit here and take a bunch of crap from you, you got it?"

Rarity gave a frustrated sigh, and replied, "Whatever darling."

"I don't think you understand," Bold Venture replied, giving her an intense stare, "I don't want to hear another friggin' gripe from you, got it? I SAID 'HAVE YOU GOT IT'!?!" he screamed as he slammed his palm into the center of his car's instrument panel, a loud cracking sound resounding through the car. Rarity's eyes went wide as he pulled his hand away, exposing the broken plastic underneath.

Rarity sat there for a moment, afraid to even breath, let alone respond. She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself, before she finally answered, "O-o-of course. No-no problems. Uh darling, maybe I should just stay here and see if I can get a word in with Twilight. I mean, who knows, maybe I can calm her down a bit."

"Whatever," he replied as he unlocked the door.

Rarity slowly exited the car, grabbing her bag as she went and carefully closing the door behind her. Bold Venture then pulled away and sped off down the road as Rarity watched him go. It was only after he was out of sight that she lowered her head, her body trembling as she let her bag hit the ground. Rarity heard Twilight came over to her, and felt Twilight's hand on her arm. She then said in a hushed voice, 'Oh Twilight...darling...I think I've just made a huge mistake."

Comments

[diablo4000]

REALLY REALLY you made a msitake a long time ago you MORON! Sure you're friendship with Photo is damaged badly as well.

Jeeze was wondering when she see the blasted light.

[Speedy Silverstreak]

Twilight needs a boyfriend who can defend her since all her friends except Photo clearly can't. I'll be in the auto shop if you need me

[PonyPuffy 2012]

'Oh Twilight...darling...I think I've just made a huge mistake."

Gee Rarity you think?! It's not like Photo and everyone else have been trying to tell ya that Shit Venture is bad news and you refused to believe them even when you saw that Twi was clearly in distress over his crap.