Richard followed Princess Cadance into a room which almost defied description. One second he was standing inside a crystal hallway, the next he was standing on a beautiful, scenic hillside complete with a babbling brook and glorious midday sun. Hearing the door shut behind him, Richard turned and came face to face with a large tree, the outline of a door barely visible in its trunk.

"Wow, where in Equestria are we?" he asked as he turned to see Cadance walking down a small dirt track.

"Why, we're still in the palace of course, silly." Cadance giggled, glancing briefly over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at Richard, causing the fires inside him to do a back flip. "Couldn't you tell?"

"What do you mean we're in the Palace? We're on a freaking hillside!" yelled Richard as he quickly followed after down the path down the hill.

"Well, yes and no." replied Cadance. "Yes we're on a hillside, but it's not real. Not really. It's a replica of a hillside from outside the town I grew up in. Rather beautiful don't you agree?"

"Yes. Yes it is," Richard agreed. "So this is just a room in your palace? If I walked far enough I'd hit the walls?"

"Eventually, yes. Though I've never managed it myself. My aunts really did build this place well. Ahh, here we go, this is a lovely spot." Cadence ducked through a veil of leaves and took a seat underneath a willow, next to the trickling stream.

Richard followed her, pushing through the veil himself and taking his own seat on the grass next to Cadance, leaning back against the trunk for support.

"I think this would be a suitable place for a talk, don't you agree?" Cadance asked, Richard, so shocked by the sudden intense stare she fixed him with that he could only nod. "So tell me, what can I do for you?"

"It's kind of a complicated situation," Richard ran his hands through his hair. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Perhaps you should begin with the moment you made a drunken bet with my sister in law?" asked Cadence with a small smile spreading across her muzzle.

"You know?" Richard gulped. "You know about the bet?"

"Naturally. Twilight tells me everything, but that's beside the point. I believe we're meant to be talking about you, not Twilight. So what happened after the bet?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say it has nothing to do with Twilight," Richard shifted nervously. "But you're right, it all started after that bet. Or more correctly after I drank that potion that Twilight had for me, the next day."

"It started off pretty good, maybe a slight tingle across my skin but otherwise I felt fine. But as the day went on it just got worse and worse. It didn't help at all that Twilight decide to get all weird and start rubbing my chest up and down after I finished helping Roseluck with her fence."

Cadance's eyebrows raised slightly, "Oh, and why exactly did Twilight rubbing you up and down not help at all? Did it get you all hot an bothered?" she chuckled.

"Actually, yes, kind of." Richard looked down ashamed. "Last night, I couldn't stop thinking about her. And even when I fell asleep, my dreams included her, what little I can remember anyway. That's why I wanted to see you."

"Really?" Cadance hummed, and Richard was surprised, expecting her to chastise him for his thoughts about her sister-in-law. "And how can I help you with that?"

"I want to know if those thoughts are my own, or if they're caused by the potion? The last couple of days have been incredibly confusing, and I would feel better knowing how I really feel." Richard looked at Cadance hopefully.

"I can certainly help you with that," said Cadance with a rueful smile. "But in return I must ask you for one favor, nothing big, but I need you to agree to it before I tell you what it is. That's my price. What do you say?"

Richard took a deep breath as he considered his response, running his hands through his hair again as Cadance just gazed at him with a warm smile on her face. He considered his answer carefully, thinking over all the options in his head. On one hand he was from a world where you didn't just agree to do anything a person - or pony - you just met twenty minutes ago asked you to do.

On the other hand, Applejack had told him that the Princess could be trusted, and he'd never known Applejack to lie to him before. There was also the fact Cadance was Twilight's sister in law, and after everything she'd done for him, he trusted Twilight more than anypony he'd met.

"Okay," he said finally. "I'll do it."

"Good, and don't worry, it's nothing strenuous. All I want you to do is answer one simple question, do that and I'll help you work out how you feel." Cadance paused. "Alright, the question is, which result do you hope is the answer to your question? Do you want it to be the potion, or your own feelings?"

"I don't know." Richard shook his head.

"Yes you do, Richard." said Cadance. "You may not know how you feel, but I'm certain there's one answer you want to hear and another you'd prefer not to."

"I'm not sure," said Richard, hesitantly.

"Well then, I can't help you," Cadance fixed him with a small frown before rising to her hooves and turning to leave. Richard looked at her hesitantly for a second before throwing his hands up in frustration.

"Wait!" he yelled, causing Cadance to pause and turn back towards him. "Okay, I'll tell you, but please, just don't judge me."

"Don't worry," Cadance sat back down and fixed him with a soothing gaze, "Nothing you say will leave this room unless you permit it."

"Thanks," said Richard gratefully.

"So, about that answer..." Cadance rolled her hoof through the air.

"I want it to be the potion." Richard whispered. "Don't get me wrong, Twilight is great, but..."

"But..?" asked Cadance.

"I don't know how I'd cope if I was in love with a pony."

"And that offends you? The idea of loving another species? A pony?"

"No," Richard turned away from Cadance. "It doesn't offend me, it terrifies me."

"How come?"

Richard didn't answer, at least not immediately. Instead he got and walked over the stream and dipped his hand in it, feeling the cooling water drive away the worst of his heat. Allowing him to think a little more clearly. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw Cadance just sitting there patiently, her face fixed in an expression that seemed a mix of curiosity and concern. It actually filled him with a great sense of awe. After a couple of minutes watching some fish in the stream dance around his dangling fingers, he went back to Cadance and sat down once more.

"I'm not sure you'll understand why I'm afraid," said RIchard. "Where I come from, my world, we're the only sentient species. Because of this, we view it as wrong to have relations with other species. Bestiality we call it."

"And you think of us like beasts?" Cadance asked accusingly, "Perhaps you'd prefer to force Twilight to wear a saddle and ride her around as a prized steed?"

"Of course not!" Richard shouted. "I'm sorry but I didn't mean it like that, I would never, could never think that about Twilight, or any of you. You took me in when I needed it most. But like I've told Twilight before, my world had horses and ponies of its own, but without the sentience you all possess. I know you and them are not the same, but it's a struggle to get over so many years of culture."

"And that is all?"

"Not quite. The other reason I don't want to be in love with Twilight is the fact that it's possible one day I'll be able to go home. I don't think I could put myself into a relationship knowing that I might have to leave them."

"Have to leave? Or want to leave?" mused Cadance.

"I wouldn't want to leave Equestria, this place is wonderful. The three months or so I've been here have been the best in my life. But I have a family back home. A mom, dad and a brother who I miss and must be missing me too."

"I see, and if you're so set against being in love with Twilight, why are you trying to find out what it is you feel? Why not just say it's the potion and be done with it."

"Because I need to know the truth. Even if it doesn't change anything, the truth is important." Said Richard.

Cadance laughed. "You remind me of Twilight, saying something like that. She used to say very similar things when I babysat her." Cadance stood up and reshaped her mane into a simulacrum of Twilight and posed heroically.

"When all else fails, Cadance, the truth will set you free!" she said in a frighteningly close portrayal of Twilight. "You know, I don't think you two would be a bad match."

"Ha, ha." Richard laughed sarcastically. "Not funny."

"I wasn't joking Richard, in your own weird way, you would make a cute couple."

"Right." Richard shook his head. "So how can you help me find out about my feelings for Twilight?"

"Me? I'm not going to do anything. You're going to work it out yourself, I'm just going to give you a push in the right direction."

"What kind of push?"

"Fancy some tea?" asked Cadance as she reached over to the trunk of the nearby tree and pressed a concealed button, causing a panel in the tree to open up. Inside the recess was a finely decorated tea set, steam pouring gently from the tea pot.

"I'd love some, but what about that push?"

"The tea is the push," said Cadance as she levitated the tea set out and placed it gently on the grass in front of them. "Although I must confess it's not a ordinary tea."

"Then what kind of tea is it?" asked Richard.

"Well, the literal translation from Neighpali is 'brew of sleepless dream that also reveals the innermost desires of those who imbibe it'. Not the snappiest title, but I guess it describes the brew perfectly. Personally I call it 'Hearts Desire'."

"So I drink the tea, and I find out if I like Twilight?"

"Well, it's a little bit more complex than that. But, with my help, and my personal modifications to the ancient Neighpalese recipe, yes." said Cadnace with a smile.

"That sounds good. Shall we get started?" Richard reached for the tea pot, however was stopped short by one of Cadance's hooves.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Richard? Despite what you said before, sometimes the truth isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Richard shook his head, "I'm not sure about any of this, Cadance. I'm in a magical land of talking Equine; am experiencing heat due to a drunken bet and might just be in love with the Princess I made that bet with. I'm not sure I'll how I'll ultimately feel about this, all I know is I couldn't sleep last night and if I want to sleep tonight, I need to deal with this."

"Okay, then all you need to do is drink an entire cup of this tea; close your eyes and think about Twilight until you slip into unconsciousness." As Cadance spoke, she picked up the tea pot in her telekinesis and poured a single mug of tea. "The next thing you know, you'll be in a dream realm where your subconscious, combined with the magic of the drink, will reveal your deepest desire in regards to Twilight." Cadance finished just as the last drop of tea filled the mug near to the brim.

The sound of the babbling stream filled the silence as Richard stared at the mug of tea before him, even though he had committed himself to it, he was struggling to force his hands to perform the actions. 'Just pick up the tea and drink it, that's all you have to do, Richard. Just pick up the tea and drink'.

Slowly, Richard reached out with shaking hands and grasped the mug between them. Its distinct warmth flowing through the china into him, along with a faintly familiar tingle that he last felt when he had been taken the Hospital when he first arrived in Equestria. It was a mostly pleasant feeling, though it was slightly poisoned by the memories of pain it brought to the surface. It was the feeling of magic flowing through him.

'Wow,' Richard thought. 'Must be potent if I can feel it through the mug. I hope it doesn't cause me harm.'

Richard could distinctly remember as he was discharged by the hospital, how the doctor had explained to him how their preliminary tests seemed promising, that his body had shown minimal reactions to both the background magic of Equestria as well as the small bursts of concentrated magic they'd exposed him to. That being said, they'd advised him to avoid too much magical exposure due to the fact they had no idea what the long term effects of magical exposure on his body would be.

Still, he hadn't suffered any harm yet and he spent a lot of his free time with one of the most powerful Unicorns turned Alicorns ever to exist. It was probably safe to drink.

"Bottoms up," Richard whispered, fixing an image of Twilight in his mind as he raised the mug to his lips.

The first thing to hit him, as he titled the mug backwards, was the scent of the tea. It smelled, to him at least, uncannily like old parchment and melted candle wax. Then came the sugary sweet taste of 'Parma violets' as the warm liquid poured into his mouth. He paused for a second, letting himself savor the taste before swallowing. He repeated this action twice more, drinking and savoring the taste before the mug was empty. Each time he did so, his head became fuzzier and it became harder and harder to focus on anything apart from the image of Twilight; which grew brighter as the world around him grew darker.

When at last the mug was empty, he felt himself falling backwards into oblivion. The last two things he would remember were the vivid violet of Twilight's eyes before him, and the sensation of magic as Cadance eased his fall.

Twilight's day had started no different from usual. She awoke, like always, to the sound of Spike knocking politely on her door, his cheery call of 'Rise and Shine, Twilight' thankfully muffled slightly by the thick oak wood. And, as she usually did, Twilight ignored the call; turned over; and buried her head in her pillow. Next came the sound of the door opening, before closing again with a click, followed by the gentle clack of claws on marble as Spike crossed the room and slowly peeled back the drapes.

Twilight shifted and squired as the watery sunlight, and the heat it provided, slowly inched its way across the back of neck and shoulders.

'Treacherous Lizard,' Twilight thought, 'Why does he insist on torturing me every morning.'

"Come on Twilight," Chirped Spike. "It's time for you to get up. Or did you forget you have an appointment with Rarity this morning."

"Burgh, fine." Twilight spat a wad of pillow out of her mouth, before slowly lifting her head up and blinking angrily at the bright room. Bringing her hooves up to rub the sleep from her eye, she couldn't help but notice Spike, badly trying to conceal a chuckle behind his claws. A quick glance at the mirror across the room showed her why. Her mane was a messy heap of tangles and knots. Clearly her late night reading session had not be kind to her.

"Spike, could you please prepare some breakfast while I quickly take a shower? The last thing I want to do is give Rarity a heart attack by letting her see me like this."

"Certainly, Twilight," tittered Spike with a slight bow. "After all, what else is the worlds number one assistant for?"

"Thanks, Spike."

Twilight waited for the echo's of Spikes claw steps to disappear to nothing before, with great effort, pushing aside her covers and hauling herself out of bed. Yawning as she stretched her aching body, she looked eagerly across the room towards the bathroom door, but her attention was caught by the glinting of the mirror once more.

Making her way over to stand before the mirror, Twilight inspected her whole body for the first time in years. In fact she couldn't remember the last time she stood in front of a mirror and really looked at herself. Starting at her head and moving to her hooves, she rotated on the spot to try and inspect as much of herself as she could, and what she saw made her frown.

She'd never really considered herself from a 'beauty' standpoint before, but as Rarity had politely put it the day before, she had no flirting experience. Which in turn highlighted the point she'd never once in all her life been asked out, not even since she had become a Princess. Because of that she could only surmise she didn't exactly match up to traditional standards of beauty.

Studying herself carefully she could see why; even though her friends had often talked about, in private, of their many interactions with members of the opposite sex; she was often left unnoticed. She didn't have the predilection of fashion sense or glossy, well groomed coat of Rarity; nor did she have the exaggerated curves of Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, had the lithe and toned body of an experienced Athlete, while Applejack had the perfectly sculpted muscle of a hard working farm pony. Then there was Fluttershy, who's shy nature was anything but off putting if her many tales were anything to go by.

Instead, as she looked over herself, while she did have curves; they were nowhere as near as voluptuous as Pinkies nor where they as perfectly placed. Her curves, instead of being carefully managed by the mix of candy and constant movement of her pink friend were the result of the occasional binge eating and far more common binge reading sessions. Then there was her coat. Whereas Rarity's coat had a bright, healthy gleam, hers had the muted grey tinge that was indicative of too much time spent indoors. Obviously she'd hardly been the most outgoing pony in the world, and the recent winter hadn't helped things, but she really should get out more.

Finally, ignoring Fluttershy's adorable nature since it wasn't a trait that could really be worked upon without changing her personality, there was her lack of exercise. Sure, the days of locking herself up for weeks at time in a room with a box of candles and a stack of books was behind her, but that didn't change the fact she often sent Spike out to do most of the basic errands.

Twilight sighed and turned her back on the mirror, hoping to wash away her new worries away with a quick blast of hot water and a thorough cleansing. However, as she shut the bathroom door and set the water running at a temperature just below scalding, one thought still clung to the back of her mind.

"Why on earth does Rarity think I will have any effect on Richard," she muttered to herself as she prepared herself a fresh towel ready for after the shower. "I know they all joke about him looking at me, but that can't be more than a joke right? I mean, why would he look at me compared to them?"

Twilight shook her head as she tested the water temperature with her hoof, flinching at the intense heat of the spray.

'Perfect,' she thought. 'Just what I need to get my mind off this.'

Stepping carefully into the shower, Twilight allowed herself a few seconds to get used to the water before spending the next few minutes vigorously cleaning herself. Starting with her mane, she used copious amounts of a special shampoo. Not special like Rarity's 'froo froo' shampoos from Prance, but a special Canterlot blend designed to clean hair while providing as little interference with her spell casting. Or as the bottle snappily mentions, 'No more surges'. Though of course, Twilight knew that was an exaggeration, shampoo wasn't likely to increase the chance of magical surges, not even in the most powerful and untrained toddler alive, unless it contained a large amount of sapphire.

'Or emerald," Twilight thought as she considered the possible debris that, if located near the horn, could cause major havoc with spell casting.

That said, however, recent studies had shown that the condition of a unicorns hair immediately surrounding the horn could have minor effects both positive and negative. Plus, because the shampoo contained micro-beads, it felt simply wonderful against the skin of her scalp as she worked it in.

Once the shampoo had been both worked in and her mane rinsed clean, it was time to work on the rest of her body. For this, Twilight used a violet scented body wash, once again complete with micro-beads. She just couldn't get enough of that feeling as it scrubbed her skin clean.

When this task was also finished and Twilight was as clean as she could be, she stood face up under the stream, running through a checklist in her head and preparing herself mentally for the day ahead. Which turns out was a mistake as she remembered that she was due to meet Rarity soon and continue her lessons on seducing Richard.

'He's a human anyway,' thought Twilight, continuing the train from earlier. 'He probably wouldn't like ponies anyway.'

"So why did do they all say he looks at me like, like he's interested?" she whispered.

Twilight stood like that for a few more minutes, water running down her body as she considered the current situation. On one hoof she doubted that Richard liked her as much as her friends had joked about. On the other she didn't know how to react if he did.

'Should I be flattered?' she wondered. 'And if he was to ever ask me out, how would I answer?'

By the time Twilight turned off the shower and stepped out to dry herself, she was more confused than before she had begun. Now, not only did she think she was unattractive, but she was questioning her feelings towards her friend.

Sighing, she gripped her towel in her magic and began to dry herself. For a moment, she was able to forget her problems again as she relished the feeling of the clothe against her fur and skin. When that was done, she moved over to the bathroom mirror and cleaned the steam from it with the damp towel. Next, she picked up a comb and started to brush her mane to its usual style, taking extra care to get the edge of her fringe just perfect. The last thing she needed today was Rarity to comment on her looks as well.

Once that was done, she began the process of combing her fur flat, however she had barely started when she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Twilight," said Spike. "Sorry to bother you, but I thought you'd like to know Rarity is here."

"Thanks, Spike. Could you please go downstairs and tell her I'll be down in a minute?"

"Well, actually Twilight..." began Spike.

"I'm up here, Darling." Finished Rarity.

"Wait, Rarity, what are you doing up here?" asked Twilight, confused. "I thought we would be doing more stuff to do with the bet."

"We are," said Rarity. "But I think it would be better to start off in your bedroom."

Hearing this caused a small blush to rise to Twilight's cheeks.

"My b-bedroom, Rarity? Why would you want to start t-there?"

"I'd rather not say with Spike here, darling, I don't think it's suitable for such young ears." Then clearly Rarity had leaned up close to the door because Twilight heard her whisper. "But I can say it involves a idea I had late last night."

Twilight gulped, and started staring around the room in panic, hundreds of worries running through her head at once. 'Why does Rarity want to use my bedroom? Does she think I need to be willing to go all the way to win the bet?'

Taking several deep breaths, Twilight turned to the door and did her best to avoid her voice cracking and revealing her anxiety as she answered.

"Okay, Rarity, I'll be out in a minute."

'What do I do? How do I tell her I'm not interested?' Thought Twilight. 'And what if it's worse than I think? What if she wants to do it in my bedroom to give me practical experience help? She does know I'm a virgin, but I don't think i could let her close to me. Or what if she wants to demonstrate using herself?'

Twilight began panicking, the attack hitting her so fast and so hard that her breathing was almost causing her to pass out. Her salvation only came when she heard a click from the room outside and there was another soft knock at the door.

"Spikes gone now, Twilight. Everything okay in there?"

"Uh." Twilight took a deep breath. "Huh."

"Okay." Said Rarity, a note of skepticism in her voice. "Only it sounds like you're trying to blow down this castle. And I don't think I need to remind the most read pony in Equestria that the story doesn't end very well for the Diamond Dog who tried that."

Several seconds of nothing but the sound of Twilight's frantic breathing filled the two rooms with Rarity growing more worried by the second.

"Darling, would you please let me in? Whatever's wrong, I'm sure I can help you."

Twilight didn't answer, instead she used what little concentration she had left to unlock the door as darkness closed in on her vision.

What appeared to be only seconds later, but was more likely minutes, Twilight opened her eyes and found herself lying on her bed with Rarity mopping her forehead with a wet cloth. Noticing she was awake, Rarity wasted no chance in drawing Twilight into a hug.

"Celestia above Twilight, you almost gave me a heart attack fainting like that. Are you feeling better?"

"Much," said Twilight, smiling weakly, glad she could breath normally again.

"That's good to hear, Twilight. But what in Equestria happened to you?"

"It's nothing, Rarity. It was just a small panic attack."

"Small panic attack?" Rarity shook her head. "Celestia above, what I went through was a small panic attack. Watching my friend gulping down gallons of air a second and pass out. No, darling, what you went through was a serious issue. What in Equestria would have caused such a thing?"

"Actually, Rarity," said Twilight as she broke the hug and lay back down on the bed. "It was just me being silly. Can we just forget about it?"

"No, Twilight, I'm not just going to forget about it. Whatever it is, it was serious enough to trigger an episode and I would be remiss as a friend if I let the issue continue unabated."

Twilight sighed, and steeled herself by taking a single; measured; deep breath.

"Fine, Rarity, I'll tell you. What caused my panic attack was me worrying about this whole thing with Richard."

"Oh, Twilight. Why would that cause a panic attack?"

"Because I worried you would..." the end of Twilight's sentence was lost as her voice trailed off into a whisper that would make Fluttershy seem loud.

"Sorry, darling, but I'm afraid I didn't quite catch that."

"I said, I was worried you were going to teach me how to have sex with Richard." Her voice was still a whisper but just barely audible this time, which was unfortunate because Rarity suddenly burst out into laughing.

"You thought I was going to... And that caused you to..." Rarity struggled to keep herself on her hooves with how vigorously her body shook.

"It's not funny, Rarity."

"Actually, Twi, it's very funny." Said Rarity wiping tears from her eyes with her hoof. "You just can't appreciate it because you're the one involved."

"Well, if you weren't going to teach me that... stuff," Twilight rolled her hoof through the air. "Why did you want to do your next 'winning the bet' lesson in my bedroom?"

"Two reasons my petit dejeuner." said Rarity as she moved over to a large, black cloth covered shape near the door. "Reason one, there are several lessons I'm going to impart today that aren't fit for a young gentledrakes ears. Reason two, the first lesson of your training into seduction today is, dress to impress." Rarity punctuated the last statement by whipping the cloth off the object to reveal a rack of mylar covered clothing.

"Wow, Rarity, it looks like you went through a lot of work." said Twilight as she started to get out of bed.

"It was no trouble darling," said Rarity. "Anything to help you win this bet."

"You, know, about that," said Twilight as she walked over to inspect the clothes. "I'm not sure this will work."

"Of course it will, Twilight," said Rarity, fixing Twilight with a fierce gaze. "If there are two things I know it's fashion and romance. There is no chance this will fail."

"I'm sure your clothes are excellent, Rarity, that's not why I think it wont work."

"Then why?" asked Rarity.

"Because of me, Rarity." Twilight glanced over her shoulder at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. "I've been thinking and I don't think there's any chance I'll catch his eye."

"That's nonsense Twilight, you've already caught his eye. He stares at you all the time."

"That can't be true."

"Of course it's true, why wouldn't it be true?" asked Rarity, a note of concern in her voice.

"Because, look at me, Rarity. Who would look at me compared to one of you girls? Compared to you five I'm not noticeable."

Rarity shook her head.

"That's simply not true, darling, you're a pony of very exquisite beauty. I'm sure there a hundreds of ponies interested in you."

"Then how come nopony has every asked me out? How come every time we have a sleepover you all have stories about your suitors and I have nothing to add to the conversation?" Twilight sat roughly down on her haunches and tears began to fill her eye. "Truth is, even if Richard was interested in ponies; and that's not a guarantee; he wouldn't even think about failing the bet to me. It would be better if you tried."

Rarity looked at her defeated friend, unsure on how to proceed. It always upset her when ponies failed to see their own beauty, even more so when it was somepony she cared about. Helpless, she stared on as her friend looked hopelessly at her own reflection when an idea came to her head. Walking over to Twilight, she embraced her from behind and whispered gently in her ear.

"Do you trust me Twilight?" Twilight nodded in response. "Then please, give me a chance to show you just how beautiful you can be. When I'm finished, I'm certain you'll realize how foolish you've been and how sexy you really are."

"Okay," hiccuped Twilight, as she ran a hoof across her damp muzzle. "But I still think Richard wouldn't look twice at me."

"Twilight," Rarity whispered, her voice dripping with sex. "When I'm finished with you, you'll be able to easily wrap Richard around your hoof, or anywhere else you want for that matter."

Twilight blinked the last tears from her eyes and turned to look at her friend, the look of intense determination in Rarity's eyes causing her to shiver.

'What have I gotten myself into'

Author's Note

Well, here it is, finally. The next chapter of my story. Please forgive my errors in grammar as I currently don't have an editor. I also want to give thanks to Shardikku for helping motivate and give ideas and preread. Wouldn't have got it done without them.