Chapter 6: Explanation.
After his first encounter with the two noble leaders of Equestria he was being led along by two ponies who wouldn't take no for an answer. "Hey uhh... Where are we going?" Asked Joe as the two ponies opened a door.
"Well, the princess instructed us that you are in need of a cleanup and a checkup as well. "Said the maid as she took the muddy jacket.
"That's right that's a lot of dried blood on your body isn't it? You may have sustained some injuries. "Said the nurse as she walked along them. "As soon as you are done, can you bring him to the infirmary miss Dusty?"
"As you wish Nurse Blue Heart." replied the one now known as Dusty."
The nurse pony gave a thankful nod and exited as Dusty turned back to Joe.
"Now Joe was it? Can you take off those other pieces of clothing so that I may wash them? They look positively filthy." asked Dusty handing him a towel.
"Uhh... Okay. Can I have a bit of privacy please? I will put em by the door as soon as I am ready." Replied Joe still bewildered by everything.
"As you wish sir. I will be right outside by the door." with that Dusty exited the room and did just as she had said.
While Joe stood there in awe at the things he had seen from the previous day he had up till now. He quietly thought to himself about what was going on. "This just can't be happening. There is no way that these things are real. I was... Heading home wasn't I? Did I trip and hit my head? Or am I dead... Or in a Coma?...what the hell?..."
The door opened a crack and Dusty asked in a calm tone. "Are you okay? Can I have the clothes now?" The sudden question caused Joe to nearly fall over." Yeah... Just give me a moment. "He replied. Then he removed all his clothes even his shoes and wrapped himself up in the towel. Then he handed the bunch of clothes over to her "Here you go."
"Thank you they'll be clean in no time and the bath is just behind those curtains" she said throwing them into an empty basket. She then closed the door and quickly left.
Joe then proceeded to see what lay behind the curtains. To his delight it was a big steaming bath tub that looked like it could fit three people. He slowly let himself in and began to wash the gunk from his skin with a little bath towel. "Damn this is exactly what I needed." he said as he relaxed into a more comfortable position. He leaned his head against the wall where a little bronze dragon head had water spilling out of its mouth. Whatever was in his mind seemed to have vanished for a moment. The only sounds that could be heard was the water flowing freely. Then he took the soap and shampoo that sat by the tub. Slowly he began to actually wash himself with the soap and bath towel.
After about fifteen minutes
He finally got out and dried off. He even washed out his broken glasses which he instantly put back on. With this sensation of being clean, he had chosen to try to get his clothes if they were ready. "Dusty wasn't lying when she said they'll be clean in no time." he said as he pulled the basket of clothes in through the door. He picked up a few of them to examine her work. They were all clean no mud nothing even the shoes looked new except for the bottom part having almost no grip left in them. When he got to the bottom of the basket he found three things. The bag of coins, the bag of gems and he checked his wallet to check if anything had been taken and quickly dismissed it upon seeing that it was never touched then he quickly threw his clothes on and exited the room.
Almost immediately Nurse Blue Heart came towards Joe. "Now that you're all clean, we can begin that checkup. Now follow me. We're going to the infirmary." she said as she took out her clipboard and pen.
"I'm fine I feel alright. I only had a few cuts and brui-" Joe suddenly paused himself in pain. The pain in his chest had suddenly caught up with him. Blue Heart rushed by his side. "No... No... I'm.. I'm alright." He managed to say as he attempted to stand upright.
"Still though it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides what kind of nurse would I be if I don't make sure everypony is healthy?" She asked as they walked.
"I guess that would make sense..." Joe replied as he looked about the halls. Ponies were staring at him as they stood in place. One even took a picture with a camera.
Turning the corner Nurse Blue Heart entered a room. "Now just have a seat over there and we will begin." she said as she got her medical examination tools out.
Joe went over and sat on the little chair. Everything that was in the infirmary looked and had what most current day clinics would have. "This place doesn't look too bad..." he said looking at a few of the things that sat around the room.
"Now first we will check that arm of yours it was covered in blood am I correct?" asked the nurse.
Joe took off the hoodie and let her examine his arm. "Yeah I did have a cut in the mines but, for some reason it disappeared when I took a second look at it."
Blue Heart looked over where the cut had been and found nothing but the very small remains of a scar. "It appears to have been magically healed and these little bruises will need to be given an ointment. Here take this jar and apply small dosages to them." Joe took the rather large jar of red jelly and gently took a small scoop out of it. He looked at the bruises that covered his forearm and put it on slowly.
"Don't worry it doesn't hurt at all. Now are you feeling any other pains at all" smiled Blue Heart seeing that her patient was being highly cooperative.
Joe felt at his ribs and instantly felt the pain. "Yeah actually, my ribs are killing me..." he said as he began to take off his shirt to examine it. He saw what appeared to be two big bruises across his chest.
Blue Heart came a bit closer and inspected them a little better. These are quite serious bruises here. "Let me get a better look." Her horn lit up in a light blue aura. It moved from her horn and then onto Joe's chest. Whoever did this must've had some pretty strong hooves to do so. We're gonna have to have you wearing bandages for a while and from the look of these bruises it appears that you have about four fractured ribs. These will require you to apply ointment every day until it has completely healed." she said as she applied the ointment and wrapped Joe up herself.
"What is this stuff? It's medicine right?" Questioned Joe as he examined the jar for a name. "Product of The Royal Canterlot pharmacy." he read out loud.
"Indeed it is of a rare blend of magical herbs that several doctors out here grow and make a rather powerful mix." she replied as she continued to write things down on the little clip board.
"Hmm... Well whatever this is. It's freaking working." he said as she felt at his arms. He then checked the rest of his body to find any other signs of injuries. He didn't find any so he gave the Its okay sign to Blue Heart and threw his clothes back on.
"Well that seems to be it. Shall we go? Asked Blue Heart heading towards the door.
Joe nodded his head and followed without any objections. As they walked ponies kept staring. "What's their problem? It's as if they've never seen a human." Joe asked out of curiosity.
"That's the thing. I don't think they have ever seen anything like you. It's probably the reason why they have those goofy faces on. "She replied as they followed the same path they had taken before hand.
"Well I have never seen little talking horses before but, I'm not freaking out about it. I already had that settled when I saw the things in the mine." Joe explain.
Upon entering the throne room, there sat the Princess, Shining Armor with several guards, Dusty two Unicorns and a blue Pegasus in a police uniform. The Pegasus seemed to be speaking to Shining Armor and he seemed to be afraid.
"But Captain, he was asleep and I was hungry..." Said the Pegasus as he held his hat in one hoof.
"Oh so you rather go eat pie with your fillyfriend while a potentially dangerous creature could have broken free, like he did earlier?" The captain of the guard said as he put a hoof to his forehead as if he was getting a headache. "Soarin I've told you how many times before. You can't be doing these kinds of things on duty. You're lucky that he didn't cause any serious damage."
"B-B-But sir isn't that it right there? Asked the Pegasus staring continuously at Joe.
"Yes exactly, now keep quiet and listen to what the princess has to say." Commanded the captain.
As Joe walked up Blue Heart stepped back to join those who were watching. Celestia kept her eyes steady as if she was still in a deep concentration. "Your name is Joe am I correct?Now that you are all cleaned up has your mind calmed." Asked the pony leader.
"Yeah it has. You are Celestia right?" Joe replied. "Why am I here?"
"That is why we are here today. To discuss why you are here and if we can trust you at all." Replied Celestia." You helped save the captives at the mine and defeated a Changeling elite almost all by yourself."
"I remember I was there. What happened? The last thing I remembered was this huge ball of light in the night sky and the explosion. Then I woke up in that cell." Joe explained.
"We are aware of those. We were the ones who warded off the Changeling and his troops after he tried to kill you. Then we were able to bring you here. What was the meaning for that? Why did you try to escape?!" questioned Shining as he stepped forward. "Explain yourself."
"Well for that. I was a bit restless. Waking up in a strange place does that to a person." Replied Joe. "By the way where is this Equestria? I've never heard of this place. Is this some sort of circus thing or am I being set up for some sort of prank?"
"I am afraid this is not a joke. You are indeed in Equestria. This land is ruled by us Equines and several other races. Are you... Are you not of this world?" She asked.
"I don't think I am. I would've heard about this place." Joe replied.
"Your situation is quite a strange one. Explain yourself what are you and how did you get here." Asked Celestia as her advisors prepared quills and parchments.
Without hesitation Joe explained everything. The fact that he was a Human from Earth, that he was just a high school student, how he felt sick, waking up, the mines, his bag and then the escape. "The truth is I have no idea of how I ended up here nor how to get back home. Rex said in his letter you are the one who would know what to do." Joe finished explaining.
"That is it then? Your story is extraordinary. But let us check one more thing. We will have your memory explain it. I have a spell that will allow me to see into your very mind and view the truth of it. Please stand up here." asked Celestia as she began to gather her magic.
"Princess! Are you sure you want to do that?! What if his magic taints you?!" Shouted Shining as he tried to bring himself up as well.
"That's it! I keep hearing all this talk of magic. There is no such thing as magic!" Shouted Joe clearly agitated.
"I knew it! Restrain him!" Commanded Shining. Several Unicorns readied their horns and began to fire rings at Joe wrapping him up.
"Hey what the hell?!" yelled Joe as he broke the rings.
"Stop right this moment! All of you at once!" shouted Celestia in her Royal Canterlot voice. Everyone in the room stopped and returned to how they were before.
"Before anything your majesty, I want to know why this creature does not believe in magic." questioned Shining.
"Then we shall. Explain to us Joe why is it that magic is not real." asked the Princess in a calm inquisitive voice.
Joe stood silent before everyone looking at the ground. He didn't know how to explain. He took a long sigh and looked up towards her. "Where I am from there is no such thing as magic. There it is nothing but a bunch of cheap tricks like smoke and mirrors." He responded in a solemn tone.
Upon saying this everyone in the room remained silent. Stuck in a state of disbelief. "That couldn't be possible." said the Princess with a concerned look in her eyes. "There is no such land where magic doesn't exist. Magic can be found everywhere it is in everything, much like a life force. Your world must have some sort of documentation depicting the history of magic."
Joe sighed once more as he thought of the only way he can explain himself. Being the kind of person that he is found himself pondering things he hadn't read about for years. There was no easy way of explaining something that even the greatest minds on Earth couldn't completely explain themselves.
"It's like this way your highness. The only magic I have read about the most happened thousands of years ago. During the fifth century there was. A legend of a man who was trained by a great wizard to become a king by winning a war. The wizard along with a Goddess knew that the continuation of their magical ways were threatened by the religion of Christianity. So in turn the wizard and the goddess crafted a plan to ensure the survival of their magic by bringing rise to this king. But the king failed in keeping his duty he fell by the hand of his own creation. Soon after Merlin himself passed away thus discontinuing the cycle of magic." Joe explained. "But that's hors-... Ahem I mean that isn't possible. If there was magic wouldn't there have been anyone using it today? This story was probably a work of fiction. That whole timeline was never recorded but only made as a legend. Now a days the only thing you can call magic are those shows that people put on in Vegas. But even those aren't real." Joe finished.
Celestia and the audience remained silent. Clearly trying to take in the information that they had just heard. Celestia shook her head as she looked with curiosity.
"That story was nothing more than a brief summary of the tales I learned. Nobody can do magic. Whatever magic that they saw back then were probably the same as what we see today. "Said Joe as he began to stare at the ground once again. His voice echoed throughout the room bringing out the sadness of his voice.
"I see... It could be possible that the magic from wherever it is you are from is sleeping. Resting perhaps due to the war."
"That still wouldn't explain a thing..."Relied Joe still looking at the ground. "Enough of this. What I want to know is how can I go home?"
Taken aback by the question Celestia found herself in question. She never found a need for such a spell. She herself had no knowledge of any world than her own. She gave a sad nod. "I am sorry but there is no easy way of telling you this. I have no idea of how that is possible. She exclaimed. "My scholars may be able to find a spell that can send you back from whence you came but that will take time."
"I guess... We will have to wait and see." said Joe as he sat down with his legs crossed.
"Do not worry, we will find a way. Not now but hopefully soon." Said Celestia. The entire room was once again quiet. The look of worry sat on many faces along with the faces of discontent. Several of the members of the audience were still in belief that he wasn't telling the truth including the Captain of the guard.
"I still don't believe any of this. If your world doesn't have any magic, then how did you get here and how is it that you can break our spells?" Shining asked walking towards Joe.
"I would like to know this as well your majesty. He had no wounds. I could only find a few scars that were magically healed. But, nopony here has any spells that can heal on that level." inserted Blueheart as she stepped forward as well.
"I don't know... I couldn't explain that myself. I don't know It just happened." replied the saddened Joe. "I don't even know what to do anymore... "
"Now human, can you stand up for us please? In order to believe you I must see into your head. We must settle this conflict. This will be the only way to allow us to trust you." She said walking down to Joe. He stood up and looked her straight in the eyes. Celestia could see the anguish in his eyes. Which saddened her. She once again made her horn shine and closed her eyes. She casted a bright white aura over her head and onto the human. "I will now see into your mind." she said as her eyes opened to reveal that they were glowing white. Joe seemed to be doing the same with his eyes. Celestia flew into his mind allowing her to see his entire memory. She learned his entire life in just a few seconds she also learned of his thoughts, his mentality, even of the information about his home. Suddenly, she began to plummet into an area that seem to catch her attention. A soft glow in the center of the mind was present. "This energy... It's immense for one to possess. This is mysterious..." She said aloud as everyone watched on awe. Above Celestia Floated a spectral image of what she was seeing. As she turned to exit she was surprised to see another image. She let her mind wander toward it. She then began to scream. The images she had just taken in were Joe's nightmares they quickly began forcing her out of his mind. Upon exiting she closed her eyes the spell was successful. Several ponies in the audience quickly trotted to her side to see if anything was wrong.
"I saw through his mind. He is telling the truth. "She said as she slowly began to regain her posture. "Joe there are several things I need to discuss with you in private-" she said as she began to open her eyes. She froze upon still seeing the human floating with his entire body glowing. Everybody in the room gasped seeing this. The glowing human floated downwards to the ground. The glow began to slowly subside as Blue Heart rushed over and began to check if there had been any kind of damage done.
She began to shake his body to wake him. "?.. Mr. Joe are you alright. Mr. Joe?!" she began to shout as she began to pat his face.
Joe's eyes then began to open. "What... What happened?" he asked as he shot up unaware of what had just transpired
"I saw everything... We will try to find you safe passage home. W-We will speak of this later. Please, everyone you may be dismissed. Soarin please return our friend to his room." said the princess looking towards the floor. "I am sorry Joe the castle doesn't have any rooms accustomed to your size. We will make the jail your temporary room until we can find a home for you. For now I will need to rest.
"I'm alright with that. I will sleep anywhere." said Joe as he walked out with Soarin. "Princess please can I see the outside first I need some fresh air.
"You do not need my permission do what is needed." Responded Celestia as she sat staring at the ground. "This poor Creature... He has been through so much. Things are gonna be so much harder for him..."
Back to Joe and Soarin.
Soarin led Joe out of the castle to an area outside of the castle. "Here you go will this be enough for you?" asked Soarin cautiously. "You're not going to run away are you?"
Joe took a long breath of air and sighed trying to hide his angst . "Why would I? Would there even be a point? There isn't any thing for me here. But, I gotta admit this place is a bit like a paradise..."he then walked over to a small bench and sat down enjoying the view in silence. The outside of the castle was just as extraordinary as the castle itself. Plants were nice and well cared for, the buildings were nice and formal and the ponies who stared at them seemed to be well groomed and high class. The sight reminded Joe of how regal things looked in the past. Soarin just stood where he was. He began to feel a bit worried that this job was gonna be a bit too much for him so he began to devise ways of trying to get on the humans good side.
"Hey, do you know anywhere a guy could get a glass of water officer?" asked Joe. "I'm feeling thirsty."
"Yea.. Yes I know a place. lemme take you there." Replied Soarin as he snapped back to reality. "Let's get back inside we can get some over in the kitchen." The kitchen wasn't that far from where they were it was just a bit around the entrance. It had two double doors that exposed the busy bodies on the inside and a little window for maid service pickups like a hotel. It smelled of all sorts of confectionary delights that made Soarin drool when he entered. Unfortunately when Joe entered he was greeted with silence and stares as everyone stopped working. "Can I get a glass of water?" asked Soarin breaking the awkward silence in the room. As everyone began to move a young pink unicorn filly came out levitating the glass of water into Joe's hand.
"There you go mister. Hope you enjoy it." she said as she trotted away smiling.
Joe looked at it then drank it down. He set it down on a counter where someone must've taken it cause the second he turned away it was gone.
"Can we please get out of here I'm getting a bit hungry?" asked Soarin as he stared at the counter full of covered food.
Joe nodded his head in agreement and followed him out. "Where can we go now" asked Joe looking around.
"I don't know. Maybe we can head back over to the jail so we can see what they have done.
"Hey Soarin! There you are! I've been looking for ya." shouted a voice from the entrance. "Are you off duty yet cause me and the team were gonna go try out a new flight maneuver and what the heck is that thing?!" The Pegasus was dressed in a blue spandex type of suit and flew over to where the two had been standing.
"Spitfire! I completely forgot!... I'm still on duty I have to watch over this guy and... I'm afraid that I won't be able to go I'm under Celestia's and Shining's orders..."
"Aww it's alright big guy. We can move the practice day. How about you what's your name?" asked the Wonderbolt mare.
"My name?... It's Joe" he replied looking at her in wonder. "What's up with the suit and goggles?"
"Oh this thing? It's my flight suit. Haven't you ever seen us? " Questioned Spitfire. Soarin rushed up to her and began to whisper into her ear. "OH... Well that explains it." she said as Soarin moved away from her. "It's nice to meet you Joe welcome to Equestria. If you need somepony to show you around town you can count on us." she extended her hoof in a gesture to shake hands.
Joe took it and smiled as he shook. "Same here." he replied as they shook.
Backing away from Joe, Spitfire jumped back into the air. "Well see you guys later. I gotta jet and tell the others." she said as she began to fly out of the castle. "Hey Joe you've gotta see one of our shows if you can got it mmkay bye!"
"Well that was random of her. Let's get going then. "said Soarin as he began to walk up the stairs.
"Yeah she's nice. She wasn't scared of me like the rest of you guys." replied Joe. "What did she mean by show?"
"Wait I'm not scared of you... much... And the show she was talking about is the air shows we put on. We do one every month. They are pretty alright." Soarin replied noticing what he had said. As they walked up the stairs a grey Pegasus flew down stairs nearly bumping into them. "Hey Ditzy do you think you can deliver this to The Canterlot Bakery? It's for Cream pie and could you tell her I'm gonna be late? "He said as he pulled a letter out of his pocket and handed it to her. The grey Pegasus gave a stare at Joe then nodded yes as she grabbed the letter with her teeth and walked down the stairs. "Bye Ditzy, I'll see ya when I see ya." said Soarin as he waved goodbye with his hoof. "Now then shall we continue?" Joe asked as he stood farther up the stairs.
Soarin sighed and continued on as well turning corner after corner until the door could be seen wide open and a few ponies could be seen walking out. Joe and Soarin both walked up to the door and walked in. One cell was converted into a bedroom type of setup and a basket that lay on the bed. A familiar face exited from out of another cell and was surprised to see Joe.
"Oh, we set up your room the best we can. We hope you enjoy it." said Dusty as she walked out of the way and bowed her head smiling.
"Wow thanks! This place looks great. I don't know how I'll ever be able to pay you guys back" Joe replied. Joe began to feel at his pockets. "Wait I know! Here you can have some of these." Joe pulled out the bag of coins and handed some of them over to dusty.
She gasped as she took them. "Ahh! platinum and gold bits! Thank you, so much." she gave him a hug as she began to exit the room happily. "Oh yes and I almost that basket arrived for you. It's from the Apples in Ponyville. They must be thanking you for the mines. Any way I'll be going now."
As soon as she exited the room Soarin just began to look at Joe in a confused way. "You have bits?...platinum bits? Where did you get those?!" he shouted in an astonished way.
"Well... They were on one of the Diamond dogs in the mine. I even got this little bag of gems as well." replied Joe as he held em out.
"That's crazy. You're one crazy person. Each one of those bright silver ones have got to be at least worth Three hundred bits. That's a lucky grab!" replied Soarin in an ecstatic tone of voice.
Joe stuffed both bags into his pockets as he walked over to the bed that looked big enough for a king. He sat down and pulled over the basket and opened it. Inside laid a bunch of baked goods, an envelope and a big bottle of what he guessed to be cider. Among the contents of the basket he chose to open the envelope which to his surprise was a little homemade get well soon type of card. It was decorated with little apple and cloud designs. It also seemed that someone went crazy with a bedazzler.
"Whoa... This thing looks... Okay..."Said Joe as he opened the card.
"Dear mister thank you for saving me and my friend we hope you will be alright. Me and my friends would like it if you paid us a visit one day so we may thank you properly." said the card in very poor handwriting. On the side of the writing was a photograph of the two little ponies that he had saved in the mine and another one standing in front of a really big red barn.
"Wow... I didn't expect to get something like this... Is this how things are usually here? Soar-" asked Joe. Soarin seemed to not pay attention to Joe or anything he said. His eyes were fixed onto the stuff that was in the Basket. Joe snapped his fingers and came back to his senses.
"Hey listen. Heyyy! Come on...I guess we can eat em no sense in letting this food go bad." the moment Joe took out the pie Soarin stuck his head right into it and began to eat. "Aww come on! I wanted some of that!"
"Sorry. Mmnmpph couldn't resist. Mmnphh" said Soarin in between mouthfuls.
"I guess these will do." Joe took a bit of the fritters and couldn't help munching it all down. "I see why you couldn't resist. These are the best apple fritters I've ever tasted." he finished before eating more.
After an hour or so
The basket was completely empty of its contents. Only the bottle and the pie tin remained. Soarin sat at his little desk knocked out while Joe lay in the bed staring out toward the window to the evening sky. "I guess this place is great. A lot of the people are friendly they trust me enough to not have me killed. And I've already made friends with a few of them. But, still I don't know if I can take it here any longer. I bet those guys are gonna be wondering what happened to me. I can't let them suffer like that and what about the plans I made. I've gotta get home." Joe thought to himself.
"That's a very good question indeed. From what I can see you mean a lot to your friends. You stayed with them despite the trouble they brought you." said a voice stepping in.
"Princess Celestia!" shouted Soarin as he jumped from his chair and into a bowing stance. "I was just resting my eyes your Majesty *Burp* excuse me..."
She nodded towards him and stepped into the room to where the cell was. "You have quite a courageous spirit, a tenacious mind and an open heart for those who approach you."
"I guess but what exactly did you see?" Joe questioned as he say in an upright position. "And you can read my mind?"
"I simply took in several of your memories and your intelligence and learned from them. I even witnessed your dreams which seem to be a constant dread for you." she replied." my mind is still tethered to yours that is why I am able to see what you are thinking."
"Aside from that have you found anyway to send me back?" Asked Joe in a worried tone. "I'd also like to find where the things I brought with me went"
"That's what I came to tell you. The scholars are working with haste to find a spell that can send you back but, it may take them days before they can. "She replied. "Aside from that I have a theory that you may have come here through a magical break... You have magic hidden within you that you must've never been aware. It's a very strange magic that I have never seen it emits a great force. It also matches the presence I detected two days ago, that must have been when you entered this world through that rift."
"A rift? What the hell is that?" Joe managed to say as Celestia tried to continue.
"There was a magical tear in your universe that took you in. On that day you fell here you were experiencing magical fluxes within your magic, such as the light your arms emit. Your magic knows when you need it that is why you gained strength quickly and without you really knowing. It also explains why you did not get any major injuries nor die from the explosion. From what your world has proven, your world has granted you a gift of magic." Said Celestia as she magically lifted Joe's hand to expose the glow. "You will need to learn how to control it. Your magic may become a risk if it is not."
"So this...magic... How do I do that? "Joe asked as he took his arm away from her magical grip.
"It is best we find that out later. For now you will need to get used to living here for a while. "She replied "I know you may be determined to go home, but please don't lose hope we will find a way. Just keep an open mind." A bell began to ring causing her to sigh. "It is time, I must go." she said as she turned suddenly. Her horn began to glow and a book appeared. "Please read this it explains the history of this land and its people." she finished as she levitated the book to him and exited the room.
Soarin broke his stance and sighed. "Seems I gotta go too pal. I gotta go home and sleep. Besides I have to go see Cream pie."
"Who's Cream pie?" Asked Joe in wonder.
"She's my... Fillyfriend and we've been dating for about 5 months." Replied Soarin as he looked up at the ceiling. "So, yeah. See ya later." and he just like that he left the room.
Joe sat at his bed in wonderment. This was the first time he found himself questioning what he was. This posed many questions that would need to be answered. He threw himself back into the way he laid before and stared back out into the sky as it slowly turned into night.