My Little Pony: Friendship's a B%!@#

All the ponies of Ponyville were gathered together for the Summer Sun Celebration, inside of the building where it took place. Many were gathered on the balconies but most had settled on the ground. A few pegasi flew up above, hoping flight would provide them with a better view. All was quiet. Everypony awaited Princess Celestia's appearance, to raise the sun. Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Pinkie Pie were amongst the ponies at the bottom closest to the stage.

“Isn't this exciting?!” said Pinkie Pie, gushing with joy, “Are you excited? Cause I'm excited. I've never been so excited -- well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went--” she stopped to gasp, “But I mean, really, who could top that?”

The introductory music started, trumpets and bird chirps sounding off together. Spotlights were focused on the stage, upon which Mayor Mare, the mayor of Ponyville, had suddenly appeared. She was an older earth pony in her late 40s, though she looked as if she were in her late 20s. She had a tan coat and her mane and tail were grey, though a more vibrant grey than one gained from aging. She wore half-moon spectacles and what seemed to be some kind of mistletoe tie? Her cutie mark was a diploma wrapped with a blue ribbon. She placed her gaze upon the audience.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” she spoke, with both an excellent speaking voice and excellent pronunciation, “as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!”

Ponies all around cheered loudly for a moment. Mayor Mare spoke once more after the cheering died down.

“In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria: Princess Celestia!”

Rarity, atop the balcony Celestia would appear on, pulled a string to open the curtains and then turned her attention back towards the crowd. As the curtains opened, a spotlight had focused on the area behind the curtain. Nothing was behind them. A few seconds later, Rarity took a look towards her side where the spotlight was, noticing nopony was there. She had expected to see the princess there.

“Huh?!” she shouted, confusion apparent in her voice.

The moment she spoke, the other ponies started to become nervous. They began whispering, speculating about Celestia's tardiness. Twilight was becoming pretty worried herself.

“This can't be good.” She was clearly worried. Her words made everypony within earshot even more nervous. Even Mayor Mare was starting to be affected.

“Remain calm, everypony,” she told the crowd, trying to alleviate the tension, “There must be a reasonable explanation.”

“Maybe she's in the can!” Pinkie Pie yelled.

Twilight face hoofed. That was the kind of thing you think and then quickly shove into the recesses of your mind. Not something you'd actually say out loud!

Regardless, the crowd reacted. One stallion laughed loudly, as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. An irate mare loudly shot back, “Our princess does not poop, you perverted simpleton!” The crowd grew silent for momentarily. Soon afterwards, everypony began having a serious discussion about whether or not the princess made regular bowel movements. “She eats doesn't she? Well, then yeah! It only makes sense.” “Were you there to witness it?” “Why the hay would I just happen to be watching her do that?!” “Oh, come on! Is that something any of us needs to see to know for sure?” “She's much too refined for that!” “She has her own personal bathroom. It's not like there's only a tub and a sink. She'd have the royal standard, which means she'd have a bidet too, so at the very least we know she pees.” “Don't you poop? Why wouldn't she? She's a pony, too! What makes her body work any differently from ours?” “You think that because she's so much better than us mere mortals that she doesn't have to do something that everypony does?” “Have you even heard her flush a toilet before?” “Have you ever seen a toilet flush before you savage?!” “The question is not can she, it's does she, and the answer is NO!”

A bloodcurdling scream came from Rarity.

“She's dead!!” she yelled in horror. “Somepony killed her!”

Everypony was terrified!

Without warning, Pinkie Pie screamed and looked upwards towards a different balcony, which caused everypony else to scream and try to leave the building. The doors slammed shut via magical interaction. Moments later, a sharp chill ran down the spine of everyone. On the same balcony Pinkie Pie had her eyes on, a sparkling aura of darkness slowly settled upon the stage. Only the dead could ignore that aura. You didn't need the magic senses of Twilight Sparkle to feel that it held a very special hatred for everypony there, perhaps everypony that ever lived. And yet as strong as that hatred was, it was very well-controlled, as if chained or caged. The aura mists uncovered to reveal an obsidian alicorn.

“Oh no! Nightmare Moon!” Twilight spoke in a hushed voice, backing away and keeping low to the ground out of fear.

Nightmare Moon wore a light blue helmet similar to the ones the Royal Guard wore, though without its decorative top portion. It was perfectly fitted to her head. Her horn was like a lance, very long and with a very sharp point. She didn't seem to have a mane or a tail. Her eyes were aqua colored and her pupils snake-like, accentuated by purple eyeshadow. She wore a necklace that bore her cutie mark, which was a half moon covered in a purple night sky. She was using a style of magic that Twilight was unfamiliar with, though it seemed similar to Celestia's. Everything about her screamed that she was of royalty, especially her voice and cadence. She stood tall before the audience, almost as if she were the one everypony had been waiting for. She had a very serious expression on her face, one that seemed to say she had little time for games.

“Oh, my beloved subjects!” she addressed the crowd, easily feigning delightedness. “It's been so long since I've seen your precious. Pathetic. SNIVELING little faces.”

She spoke very bitterly, suddenly exploding in bouts of anger as she spoke the last few words. Just about every pegasus that was in the sky had landed by now. Everypony was scared, especially the three fillies that had shown up. They were so scared that they were on the verge of tears.

Rainbow Dash took flight. “What'd you do with our princess?!” she yelled aggressively, addressing Nightmare Moon. Applejack tackled her out of the air and pinned her down with her body.

Nightmare Moon wasn't amused. “Thank you for holding the scruffy one down,” she said to Applejack. “If that rat had flown her little ass up here, I'd have smashed her!”

At that moment, the feeling her aura gave off became too much for most ponies in the room to bear. Rainbow Dash moved frantically, wanting nothing more than to take a shot at her. Applejack made desperately certain she had no room to escape. Spike clutched Twilight's neck tightly, baring his teeth at Nightmare Moon. Everyone else had mixed reactions of terror and hostility. The only one that seemed to be unaffected was Pinkie Pie, who stared at the alicorn more out of wonder more than fear. Three fillies that happened to be there were so scared that they seemed to be regretting that they were ever born at all. They huddled together and cried silently, eyes shut tight, unable to stomach what was taking place. Fluttershy noticed them almost immediately. She flew quickly towards the little ones and enveloped them in her wings. They hugged her with a death grip.

“I am trying my best to remain composed, but I will not restrain myself if you challenge me,” she said flatly. “Behave. Avoid arousing my wrath and you'll not die on this day.”

“Now,” she said, walking closer towards the edge of the balcony, her facial muscles working into a mischievous smile. “Where is your princess?”

Nopony knew how to answer that question. Nopony wanted to. The only one who could answer in this situation was Rarity, and even she didn't want to answer. But she had to.

“Your highness, she's dead already. You were the one that killed her, were you not?”

Nightmare Moon scoffed. She took on an expression that was simultaneously serious, dismissive, and bored. “That one wasn't Celestia. She had the awareness of a squash and the magical prowess of an ant. My sister would not die so easily, not even to me.”

Soon, everypony became as confused as they were scared or angry. Firstly, sister? This alicorn, the one threatening everypony, who had killed somepony, who wanted to kill Celestia, was supposed to be her sister?! Second, she introduced the idea that Celestia had a double. Since when? To most of the ponies there, the very idea that Celestia would send somepony to act in her place was outrageous to even consider, not to mention highly implausible. Considering size alone, Celestia was the largest mare in all of the land and nopony else came close. Others, like many members of the nobility, had suspected it, but there were too many other things to consider, like her trademark flowing mane. Twilight knew it to be fact, having been told and shown by the princess herself. Third, the way she casually bragged about her ability to take life, as if the worth of one's life was solely dependent upon their ability to slaughter others. Just what kind of pony was she?

“Your highness!” Fluttershy yelled with a voice strong enough to travel the room and yet calm enough to suggest that she was showing reverence. Nightmare Moon turned her attention towards the pegasus. She was noticeably scared, but a greater fear drove her to speak out.

“These three fillies are too young to deal with what's taking place here. They will be traumatized for life if they stay here any longer. If you allow me to, I'll escort them out of here.”

Nightmare Moon's expression didn't change, though she walked around the balcony a little as Fluttershy waited to hear her answer. After a few seconds, she spoke up.

“Do as you wish. If you ponies are too stupid to tell that Celestia will use a substitute if necessary, then you're also too stupid to keep her secrets.”

She looked down upon them in disgust, as if wondering how such pathetic creatures were alive at all. Then she walked around a little more, still thinking about something. Fluttershy quietly made her way to the door with the fillies. As soon as she opened the door, a group of Royal Guard unicorns quickly stormed in. Pegasi slipped in through the windows at the top of the building, swooping down on Nightmare Moon. Mayor Mare followed behind the last of them, apparently leading the attack.

“SEIZE HER!” she barked viciously. Twilight was startled; she didn't even notice her exit, nor did she know that Mayor Mare could sound so hostile.

“KNOW YOUR PLACE, FOALS!!” Nightmare Moon bellowed powerfully as the hatred in her aura became absolutely unbearable.

Her aura quickly took on a blob-like shape with multiple tentacles. As the pegasi approached her, the tentacles shot upwards and lightning shot at the pegasi from their tips. Every pegasus in the air dropped. A few of the unicorns casted telekinesis spells to ensure a safe fall for the few living pegasi. Others casted telekinesis on Nightmare Moon's limbs and head. Others still fired light at her balcony. A large majority of them seemed to be focused on working on a single spell for a widespread aural net that scaled along the walls.

Nopony wanted to be caught up in that mess. Everypony was panicked and fled the building en masse. Amongst the crowd were Twilight, Spike, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. Even from far outside the building, Nightmare Moon could be heard.

“Remember this day, my little ponies, for it was your last! I decree that from this moment forth, the night will last *FOREVER!!*”

Twilight rushed harder than any other pony. She wasn't fleeing for her life; she had a purpose to fulfill. She had to reach her home and learn something -- anything at all – that could help her stop Nightmare Moon. She had to find some answers, and she had to find them fast.

Twilight burst through the door of her home. As quickly as she could, looking for any book that could give her answers on how to locate the Elements of Harmony. The first thing Spike did when they got home was pass out in his bed. Twilight didn't pay too much attention to him. She couldn't blame him; he'd been up for almost a full day. On the other hoof, she had to focus. The entire world was in danger, and as far as she knew, she was the only one who could do anything about it.

She had found her book. The Elements of Harmony, A Reference Guide. Twilight read one of the passages aloud.

“There are six elements of harmony, but only five are known. Kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty, and loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said that the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now known as the Everfree Forest.”

And that's where she was headed. She couldn't ever be absolutely certain, but she read the book a little more to determine whether or not she'd need it or any reference other books on her trip. From a cursory search, it appeared that she had everything she needed. She left a note for Spike to let him know what she was up to. She donned her backpack, dropped a few potions into it, and rushed out of her home. As she was locking up, she spotted Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who were rushing towards her.

“Hey, you! Stop!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

“No time to stop!” Twilight yelled back urgently as they approached. Though she did stop for them. Once the two had caught up with them, Rainbow Dash pointed at Twilight.

“I noticed that out of all the ponies at the gathering, you were the weirdest!” she said, very irate about something. Twilight simply stared at her. How does anyone respond to something like that?

“Uhh. What?”

Applejack smacked Rainbow Dash upside the head.

“OW!” said Rainbow Dash, grimacing.

“Look, I done toldja that ain't how it works! Accusin' ponies 'fore you even know what's goin' on!” said Applejack, scolding Rainbow Dash.

She cleared her throat. “What she means to say is that you seem to be in the know-how,” she clarified. “Ya did seem to know 'bout that evil pony. Can ya fill us in?”

Twilight nodded, though she decided she'd give them a much more simplified explanation. Nopony in the know would take her seriously if she explained to them that sometimes legitimate research came from unexpected sources, like a foals' story books.

“I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon. It seems she's been developing her magic non-stop while imprisoned in the moon. Right now, she's too powerful for anyone to beat, even the princess. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only known things that can stop her. There are six of them. They're in an ancient castle of the royal pony sisters located in the Everfree Forest.”

Rainbow Dash squinted at her. “What?”

“Stop Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony. That means we're goin' with her,” said Applejack.

Before they could move a muscle, they spotted Rarity running towards them.

“Has anypony seen Fluttershy?” she asked, very worried. “My sister Sweetie Belle was one of the fillies she left with.”

“Mine too,” Applejack commented. “Name's Apple Bloom. I'm not too worried though, she can take care of herself.”

“I saw her up ahead earlier,” Rainbow Dash told them. “We're headed that way now.”

“Oh, thank heavens!” exclaimed Rarity.

“We're not headed that way for them,” explained Twilight, “we're going there to put a stop to Nightmare Moon.”

Not having heard the evil pony referred to by that name, it took a short moment of time for Rarity to connect the dots. Afterwards, a look of doubt appeared on her face, as if she hadn't even considered that to be a possibility.

“Stop her? Twilight, even the princess will have her hands full with that murderous mare. What can the three of you do?”

She gave Rarity the same explanation she had just given Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Rarity didn't know what to think. If what Twilight said was accurate, then it was definitely of great importance. On the other hoof, it sounded very dangerous. Besides, finding Sweetie Belle was her top priority.

“Hey! You should come with us. We could use some more hooves!” said Rainbow Dash to Rarity. Applejack and Twilight agreed, both trying to convince her to join.

“After you've made sure your sister is safe, of course,” added Twilight.

Rarity held a dubious look. “I'll go with you up until I find Sweetie Belle.” she stated simply. “I really don't feel like risking my life today.”

Nopony could argue with that. It would most certainly be risky, and there's no point in forcing somepony who didn't want to go. As the four made their way towards the Everfree Forest, they spotted Fluttershy and the three fillies near her cottage. The two ponies loudly called out for their little sisters.

“Sweetie Belle!!” Rarity called out, galloping full speed towards her sister.

“Apple Bloom!” said Applejack, following Rarity's example.

“Rarity!”

“Applejack!”

The two groups converged on the bridge leading to the cottage.

Sweetie Belle was a unicorn filly with a coat the same shade of white as Rarity's. Her mane and tail were curly, colored pink with a purple streak, and her eyes were green. As one would probably expect of Rarity's sister, she was very well-groomed. Apple Bloom was an earth pony. Her coat was yellow, her mane and tail red, and her eyes orange. and she wore a pink ribbon in her hair. For the most part, her appearance was very plain. The last filly was a pegasus with an orange coat and a mane and tail of dark pink. Her coat, mane, and tail were a little rough and she had a few cuts on the back of her neck, though they had long since healed. Her eyes were purple eyes like Twilight's and seemed to scream “I will survive!” even in her worried state. The other two, though obviously shaken up, were starting to get a grip on themselves. Aside from being young, the three fillies had one other thing in common: none had a cutie mark.

Sweetie Belle and Rarity nuzzled closely while Applejack simply smiled lightly and put her hooves around Apple Bloom for a moment.

Tears started to stream down Rarity's face. “I was so worried about you! I'm so glad you're alright!” she said to her sister.

Sweetie Belle cried as well, though she didn't say anything. It was a heart warming scene.

“I'm glad everypony's safe and sound,” said Twilight, trying to hold back tears of her own.

“Hey, who's this one?” Applejack gestured towards the orange filly. “Haven't seen her 'round Ponyville before.” Applejack knew most, if not all of the residents and visitors of Ponyville. The little pegasus didn't seem familiar, nor did she seem similar to anyone she knew.

“Her name is Scootaloo,” Fluttershy answered. “She says her parents were still in the building. We're going to find them once everything settles down.” The orange filly immediately turned her gaze downwards. That didn't escape Applejack's notice.

“Alright,” said Twilight, getting the attention of Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “Is everypony ready to go to the Everfree Forest?” Rainbow Dash showed immediate enthusiasm, while Applejack looked silently towards the entryway to the forest.

“What?” said a shocked Fluttershy. “No, nopony should go in there if they can help it. You should all stay away from there.”

“But I have to go!” Twilight argued, raising her voice. “If we don't, then Nightmare Moon will destroy the world for sure!”

“Twilight,” Applejack started, voice as cool as the night breeze. “I don't think that the three of us can do this on our own.”

“What?!” Twilight responded, obviously angered now. “Are you backing out on this now?”

“Now calm down,” she ordered as she turned to Twilight. She wasn't angry with her but she sure as sugar wasn't about to be talked down to either. “That ain't what I'm sayin'. I'm sayin' it won't be a walk in the park. The three of us will get chewed up 'n spit out if we go in so low in numbers.”

Rainbow Dash seemed to strongly disagree, though nopony seemed to pay much attention to her. “Who's gonna chew who up? I bet we can take on anything in there!”

“I can go by myself if I have to! I don't need anyone's help!” she snapped.

She was quickly becoming annoyed. Applejack obviously knew a bit more about the forest than she did, so she knew Applejack spoke the truth. But she also knew that the Nightmare Moon wouldn't defeat herself. She had originally planned to go alone, despite not knowing much about the forest. With her magic, she would be able to defend herself against any threats in the forest, especially ones that possessed no advanced magical abilities. Applejack was taken aback by Twilight's sudden outburst; she didn't know what to do right away. Which caused Twilight to make a certain misinterpretation.

Twilight sighed. “I'm sorry, I hadn't considered everyone's safety,” she said, her voice in its normal tone. “I'll just do this on my own.” She started to move, but Applejack stood in front of her to block her off.

“Simmer down,” Applejack said again, this time asking more than ordering. “I'm sure not letting any friend of mine go into that creepy place alone.”

Twilight cringed momentarily, hearing her refer to her as a friend.

“'sides,” Applejack continued, “if somethin' happens to you while you're in there, we'd end up losin' the only pony who knows anything about this whole mess. I can't just sit back and let that happen.” She approached Twilight and looked her in the eyes. “If we're gonna do this, we need help. There's no gettin' around it.”

It was strange being on the other side of things. Twilight had spent most of her life convincing others to do the things she wanted them to through persuasion. It was a first for her to be persuaded by somepony else. And unfortunately (or fortunately) for her, she could feel it working on her. She sighed.

“You're right, Applejack.” she said finally. Her anger was still there, but she had nothing to direct it towards. “But we still have to go as soon as possible. The clock is ticking even as we speak.”

It was at this moment that Rainbow Dash had noticed Pinkie Pie in the group. She screamed and flew backwards, causing everyone to look towards her. Pinkie Pie giggled at the pegasi's antics.

“How long were you standing there??” asked Rainbow Dash, completely surprised.

“Silly! I was here the whole time!” she answered back. 'Impossible!' thought Twilight.

“So, are you still headed to the Everfree Forest?” she asked.

Twilight couldn't understand how she could always have her friendly and exuberant attitude.

“Oh! Hey! Can I come with you guys?” It was less of a question and more of a statement.

“Ooh! Ooh! It'll be like an RPG! I'll be the unorthodox rogue, Twilight can be the sorceress, Applejack can be the tank, Rarity can be the assassin, and Fluttershy can be the beastmistress!”

Rarity blinked so many times it seemed like morse code. “Assassin?!”

Everypony looked at Pinkie Pie. Then, to each other. Then towards Twilight, hoping for an answer of some sort.

“Don't look at me!” she said defensively. “I have no idea what she's going on about!”

“What about me?” asked Rainbow Dash out of curiosity.

“Hmmm,” said Pinkie Pie, uncertain at first. “You'd be a dragoon lancer!”

Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment. “Okay, that sounds cool.”

“What about me?” asked Scootaloo. Aside from talking with Fluttershy, it was the first time all night that she had spoken.

“Oh, you'll have to stay behind,” she told her. “You're too young and haven't trained hard enough long enough so you don't have any good abilities or or skills or stats yet!” She patted her on the head. “Maybe once you get older though!”

Once more, everypony focused on Pinkie Pie and then towards Twilight, though this time out of a familiarity with being lost rather than for answers. Twilight still felt the pressure of having to provide an answer.

“I just don't know, okay!” she yelled defensively. “She's crazy!”

“Well, that's four now.” said Applejack, changing the topic completely. “Fluttershy, can I convince you to join us?”

Fluttershy quickly turned her head to the side. “Oh, no, I have to stay here for Scootaloo. But um...” her voice trailed off. But then she spoke up. “Shouldn't you be more focused on getting Apple Bloom home?”

Applejack was starting to wonder if she and Twilight were the only ones capable of seeing the big picture.

“Think of it more like this, hun. If nothing's done about this Nightmare Moon situation, won't none of us have much of a home to come back to.”

She sighed, looking away. Then she focused her attention back on Fluttershy and Rarity, a smile on her face as she gave a grim account of the possible future.

“With Nightmare Moon keepin' the moon up all the time, we won't get any sunlight. Ponyville'll start gettin' cold fast. That'll take bout a few months. All the while, food'll be really hard to grow. Some of us'll die to the cold, the rest of us to each other. The more stubborn of us would go underground where it's warmer, but then they'd end up dyin' too. Can't grow no food without the sun, yanno, and ain't no real good substitute for that.”

Twilight was impressed. While Applejack did give a very convincing argument, that's not what she noticed. Her convincing tone and appeal to their emotions was having far more of an effect than what she actually said, and she sold her point of view masterfully.

It was Twilight's turn to chime in. “Even if survivors somehow manage to make food while underground, they might just end up suffocating. With the absence of the sun, the planet's atmosphere will eventually break down and slowly cause the surface of the planet to reach subzero temperatures. All of the air left will fall to the ground and take a snow-like form. In order to breathe, they'd need to be able to go back to the surface and carry the oxygen back underground and burn it just so they can breathe.”

“Wow. That really blows,” said Rainbow Dash in a depressing tone of voice.

Fluttershy remained silent, but disturbed.

Applejack put her hoof around Rarity. The two locked eyes. “If nopony's gonna try and stop her, I guess it's best to start diggin' real soon.”

Rarity's eyes widened in fear. She realized there wasn't anything they could do to avoid confrontation. This was a threat that spanned the entire globe. They had to confront her, or quickly learn a new way to survive. For the greatest chance of survival, they'd have to fight and win.

'Oh, she's good!' thought Twilight as she eyed Applejack, taking mental notes. 'This mare could be an earth pony princess!'

“Will you two help us see this thing through?”

By this point, Applejack had dissolved all resistance. There was only one thing for them to do: agree. Fluttershy nodded.

Rarity looked towards her sister and the other fillies. “I could never ask Sweetie Belle to live the rest of her life out like that.”

“Alright!” said Rarity, fear still rattling her voice, “I'll go with you. But what about the girls? We can't just leave them by themselves.”

“We can, and we'll have to,” said Applejack. “'sides, they're big girls. They can handle themselves for a while.”

Rarity bit her lip. Her resolve was starting to be affected.

“The girls can stay at my place,” said Fluttershy.

She motioned for the fillies to follow her to the cottage, where she explained to them, in a very loving and motherly tone, “I want you girls to go inside and stay upstairs. Keep the doors and windows locked at all times. Don't open them for anypony, even if it's somepony you know. When we come back, we'll let ourselves in and call for you. If anyone tries to break in, you have to stop what you're doing and immediately leave through the roof window. Okay? Now, repeat all of it back to me.”

The fillies nodded and recited their own version of what Fluttershy had told them.

“Good,” she said, smiling pleasantly. “There's some food in the frige for when you get hungry, and the bathroom is upstairs.”

“Um. Okay,” said Sweetie Belle.

She was hesitant to leave them there by themselves, but she knew Applejack's way was the best way. She escorted them inside and personally checked that all windows were locked and the curtains covered them.

“Stay safe, girls,” she said, before hugging them all one last time.

“We'll miss you, Fluttershy,” said Scootaloo. Tears started to flow from her tiny eyes. Tears started to flow from Fluttershy's eyes as well. She closed the door and locked it behind herself.

Twilight was impressed all over again. Fluttershy had handled that situation perfectly. If she hadn't done what she did just then, they would've surely lost Rarity.

“Wow. You're really good with children,” said Twilight, addressing Fluttershy.

Fluttershy blushed nervously. “I love children and animals.”

“Okay! Is everypony ready to go now?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Everypony else nodded or spoke in agreement.