• Published 4th Nov 2012
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Another World: Discovering the Unknown - Zen



A group of friends trying to restore peace and learn more about their new home.

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Plans and Stories

3: Plans and Stories

“What’s that?” Rainbow pointed at the device that James had brought out.

“This is a tablet Rainbow.” James replied. “When we left Earth these tablets were incredibly popular and considered to be top-of-the-line tech.” He turned the tablet on and started to open up some documents. “Actually, before I begin, I think our new friend here would be very confused about what I’m about to say without knowing anything about us. Zen, you’re better at describing our group than me, so why don’t you tell her a little bit more about us?”

“Alright.” Zen cleared his throat. “Back on Earth, there’s a country known as the United States of America, though most people just call it America for short. America is divided into 50 states, each working together as a single entity, despite the fact that they work independently enough as though they were separate nations. My group of friends and I are either from or were currently living in the western state of Colorado. Colorado is known for many things, among them are tourism, the mountains, the four distinct seasons, relatively low crime, less than average taxes, pretty good economy, the outdoorsy and athletic culture…the list goes on. The people in Colorado are also fairly friendly people. Like, they tend to keep to themselves when out in public but are friendly enough that if you start talking to them then they’ll usually listen and carry a conversation. That’s where my groups of friends and I differ to a bit.”

“Colorado seems like a pretty good place to chill.” Rainbow said.

“Yeah, people don’t really realize how awesome Colorado tends to be until they go there for themselves.” Zen replied. “For some reason we’re either a bunch of health nuts or barbarians…

“In any case, my friends and I are slightly different than your average Coloradan resident in that we’re all really friendly and willing to, in some cases, drive across several states and then some just to visit each other. We’re also willing to lend a hand out to anyone in need, hence why we insisted you stay and enjoy dinner with us.” Zan, Kevin, and James all nodded to confirm that final point.

“Tis true.” Zan added.

“Yeah, well when we elected to come here we had intended to come as a group and maybe start our own colony. Unfortunately most of us became separated when we arrived, and I’ve only managed to come into contact with a small number of those within our group.”

“And that alone is going to make our job that much more difficult.” James said.

“Huh…” Rainbow said after a moment. “So…wait then…Colorado sounds like the place to be. Why did you guys decide to leave?”

The four guys sent silent for a moment, and Rainbow felt like she had unintentionally hit on a touchy subject. “I didn’t me-“

“That’s a story for another time Rainbow.” Zen said, voice devoid of any emotion.

Rainbow wasn’t sure if she had somehow offended her new friends, but didn’t press the matter any further.

“I think I’ve covered just about all the important things that she might need to know.” Zen said to James.

James nodded. “Alright, well if you guys will just take a look at this…” He set his tablet flat on the table and turned it around so it faced the other four.

On it was a news article featuring a photo of what looked like a riot.

“What the.,,” Zan couldn’t believe what he was reading.

“When did this happen?” Zen demanded, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“A while ago.” James said solemnly. “Crystal City receives a lot of news from most places we’ve established. Any of you notice that one of them has suddenly gone quiet?”

Zen thought hard. He couldn’t think of any particular place that he hadn’t heard something from in recent weeks. Except for…

“Alliance.” Kevin suddenly said. “I haven’t heard anything from anyone in Alliance in months.”

“There’s a reason for that.” James said, turning the tablet back around. “And no it’s not just because Alliance is far away from most other cities.”

This didn’t make any sense to Zen. There hasn’t been any major conflict anywhere on Haven since humans and ponies first met, and even that only included a few confused scuffles before peace was established. Sure every once in a while someone would snap and stir some trouble, but by and large Haven and its cities were free of crime.

“When I first arrived here, I quickly came upon a large group of fellow humans and we decided that we were going to form a town. The location was good; it was in a large but shallow valley with a river and forested areas surrounding the open valley floor. We hadn’t decided on a name yet, but shortly after getting some basic structures assembled, we were set upon by a group of earth ponies. We were able to defend ourselves from getting too injured and it didn’t take much effort to calm them down. They were just scared, and we offered them asylum in our new city. As you can guess, the town was named Alliance to honor that meeting.

“It took us longer than most to establish contact with the other cities, and once we did we tried our best to keep in touch with everyone else since we were so far away. However, we quickly learned that our distant location was fairly appealing to those who wished either for the life of solitude or to escape the supposed ‘troubles’ of the other cities, so Alliance began to acquire a rather sizeable number of disgruntled and detached residents, both human and pony alike. Things slowly began to deteriorate in Alliance because of it.

“Eventually a small group of individuals got together and decided that they were fed up with the way things were here and started a riot. This only served to attract anyone else who happened to be likeminded, and so they were very quickly able to overpower what little the city had to offer to protect itself. They barricaded themselves in a supermarket and only have one demand. They wanted as many people from our group specifically to go to Alliance to talk with them.”

As James had talked, the others grew more and more disgusted with what they were hearing. Rainbow seemed to be especially affected by what she was hearing.

“Ever since the riot started the town has done as best as it can to keep the news from spreading. The only reason I’m here is because the elected officials there sent me off to find you guys. Alliance has basically fallen apart, and from what I’ve heard things haven’t improved any since I left almost three days ago.”

“You’re keeping in contact?” Zan asked.

“I am.” James pointed to the tablet. “Cellular service in Alliance isn't all that great but at least our internet works well enough.”

There was silence for a few moments.

“…so what exactly do you want us to do, James?” Zan asked, stating what everyone was wondering.

“We need to find as many of our group as possible.” James replied. “After that we need to go to Alliance and clear out this mess.”

“Alright, then here’s what we’ll do.” Zen said. “We’ll meet up at the main monorail terminal off Coastal Boulevard and head out for the next town in the morning, say eight? I know that Colton lives somewhere in Junction Park, which is just across the bridge and a little ways inland. We can start there.”

“Alright, well I think I’ve got some packing to do then.” Zan announced and took off.

“Me too!” Kevin also got up and left. “See you guys tomorrow.” He called back over his shoulder.

“See you tomorrow!” Zen called back as he got up. “Well do you need a place to stay for tonight?” He addressed James.

“Thanks but I’m already set up at a hotel just off the coast.” James replied as he put his tablet away, threw his backpack across a shoulder, and made to walk off. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Alright then, see you tomorrow.” Zen replied as he stretched. “Well it was certainly a pleasure to meet you, Rainbow. It seems like both of us have some friends to find now.”

“Yeah, hehe.” Rainbow got up and flexed her wings. “It was really nice to meet you guys too! You guys are super awesome!”

“Heh, well thanks.” Zen started to leave.

“Zen…?”

Zen turned around and looked at Rainbow, who now looked nervous. “What’s up?”

Rainbow fidgeted for a moment before responding. “C-Can I come with you?”

Zen studied the mare for a moment before smiling. “Sure.”

Rainbow suddenly became very relaxed as a wave of relief overcame her. “Thanks Zen!” She beamed as the two made their way towards the exit.

“Don’t have a place to crash here?” Zen asked after a moment of walking.

Rainbow let out a dejected sigh. “Unfortunately I don’t. I can’t manipulate clouds here like I could back home, so I’ve had to find shelter everywhere I’ve been. I haven’t had the chance to sleep on anything but hard ground for weeks.”

“So there really was something else bothering you.” Zen stated.

“Well…yeah, but it wasn’t that. Okay, so it was that, but that’s not all that’s been bothering me.” Rainbow let out another sigh. “I’ve been all alone since I found myself here. No friends, no family, nopony to hang out with except the odd bum here or there. You and your friends are really cool, and you’ve been especially nice to me and we only just met!”

Zen smiled. “It’s what I do.”

“Yeah, well what got me down during dinner was the thought that you guys would go off on your little adventure and I’d be all alone again.” At this point Rainbow was visibly upset. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve felt like somepony cared about me….” Now a tear had formed in one of her eyes.

Zen stopped walking and knelt down next to Rainbow, who also stopped looked back at him. Gently placing an arm over her, he looked directly into her eyes as he spoke. “Let me tell you something. I hate seeing people in distress, whether I know them or not. In fact, on the way here I met a pony down on his luck playing a guitar for money on the streets. Being something of a musician myself, I felt compelled to donate what little cash I had on hand to help him out. I talked to him, and seemed like a respectable individual. I wish I could have done more. But I’m guessing that you feel as though you’re worthless, is this correct?”

Rainbow nodded with a small sob.

“Well Rainbow, you are not worthless. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to suddenly go from somebody to essentially nobody literally overnight, but that doesn’t mean you’re worthless. If you were worthless would I be here right now talking to you?”

Rainbow didn’t respond to that question, so Zen continued. “When I was growing up, I was a ‘nobody’. I had very few friends and was often bullied at school, so I know what it’s like. I know just how bad it sucks to have nobody to turn to when you need them the most. I actually think that you’re pretty awesome yourself. So then, Rainbow…”

“…yeah?”

“Can I be your friend?”

No sooner had the words left Zen’s mouth then had Rainbow grabbed Zen in a tight hug, almost knocking him over. “I don’t want to be alone anymore…” She was fighting back tears as Zen returned the hug.

“Well I certainly hope that you won’t be alone anymore after today.” Zen assured her. “I’d actually like it if you came with us.”

“You w-would?” Rainbow asked through another sob.

“You haven’t had any luck finding your friends on your own, right? Well what if you came with us instead of just wandering around aimlessly? I think the odds of you finding your friends are much higher if you’ve got extra pairs of eyes on the lookout.”

Rainbow let go of Zen and tried drying her eyes. “I’d love to come with you guys.”

“It’s settled then.” Zen let go of Rainbow and stood up, and almost lost his balance again as he suddenly regained feeling in his bent leg. “And it just so happens that I’ve got a spare room in my suite, so you’re more than welcome to it tonight.”

The prospect of new friends and a cozy place to crash for the night was almost too much for the depressed mare. “For reals?”

“For reals.” Zen replied with another smile.

Rainbow seemed to cheer up almost immediately, which made Zen pretty happy. “So where’s your place?”

“I live in one of the really tall condos out by the beach.” Zen replied as they started heading to the exit again. “It’s not that far from here.”

“Awesome, let’s go!” Rainbow almost flew to the door but remembered her new friend couldn’t fly, so she was content with walking for the time being.

Once outside Zen noted that the sun was still pretty high in the sky and that it would still be awhile before the island began to cool off a bit. There was also hardly a cloud to be seen, meaning that the potential storm he had spotted earlier in the day had either already passed or had dissipated. The two made their way for the condos, chatting the whole way like they had been friends for years. It occurred to Zen just how desperate Rainbow was for friendship and it pained him to know that she had gone without for so long. Soon however he rationalized that she would no longer be going without and that he would do his best to keep it that way.

It didn’t take them long to reach Zen’s suite. Once they were inside Zen got himself a glass of water, and he offered the same to Rainbow who gladly accepted as she set her saddlebags down by the front door. Zen handed Rainbow the glass of water and sat down on a couch in the living room with his. Rainbow drank half the water before joining Zen in the living room on a couch opposite of his.

“This is a pretty nice place you’ve got here.” Rainbow observed as she looked around. “Better than anywhere I’ve been in Equestria, and that’s saying something.”

“Heh, thanks.” Zen took a drink of his water. “It’s actually pretty simple compared to what a lot of people I know would like, but I’m more than happy with it. Especially since I get this place for pretty much free.”

Rainbow was about to take another drink but stopped and simply looked at Zen like she didn’t believe me.

“What?” Zen asked.

“There’s no way you get this place for free!” Rainbow said. “An awesome place like this has to be really pricey!”

“Well if I had to pay for it then yeah it would cost me a pretty penny.” Zen answered and took another drink.

“Why do you get to live here for free?”

“Because, just as James helped build Alliance, I helped build Crystal City. I happen to know the owners of these condos and to show their appreciation for the work that I did to build and help get this town running, they give me this place for free and a monthly bonus for helping keep the peace.”

Rainbow looked even more surprised, and unable to find her voice for a moment. “That. Is. So. Awesome!”

“Yeah, I think it’s pretty cool.” Zen propped his feet up on the metal coffee table between the two couches and lounged a bit in the one he was currently sitting in.

Rainbow finished off her water and set the glass down, suddenly looking confused again.

“What’s on your mind?” Zen inquired.

“Am I that easy to read?” Rainbow protested.

“Consider me pretty decent at knowing when people are thinking hard about something.” Zen said with a wink. “So tell me, what’s up?”

“Well…I can see why you would like living here so much, but I still don’t know why you would leave Colorado since it sounds like a really awesome place.”

Zen pursed his lips and stared off into space for a moment. “I’ve got a lot of reasons to have wanted to leave Colorado. Some of those reasons are more private than others. Colorado is very high in elevation, and it’s also very dry. My body doesn’t function very well at high altitudes and I can’t stand dry climates. I’m actually not originally from Colorado, but instead I’m from another state called Florida, which is very much like this island here. Florida is a giant peninsula in the southeast part of America where the climate is pretty much identical to Crystal City, so being here reminds me of my real home. I also don’t have to deal with allergies here, which is another bonus.

“I, along with many millions of other people back in America…yes, millions.” Zen emphasized the amount when he saw Rainbow’s stunned reaction to that number. “Millions of people were incredibly unhappy with the way our country was run. Our government was originally there for the people it was supposed to govern, but now it’s all about who has the money and can smear the most mud against the opposition, and once someone’s in office all they care about is lining their pockets instead of actually helping to improve the country.

“It doesn’t help that people in America come off as hypocrites and are generally very uneducated compared to the rest of the industrialized world. America used to be the answer to everything…and when we left America was basically just one gigantic business calling all the shots without regard to what the nation actually needed.

“Crime was also a pretty big issue. Lots of very unsavory people lived in America, and people weren’t afraid to use very underhanded and cruel means to get ahead and get what they wanted. I got sick of it, and I know I’m not the only one who came here because of that reason alone. Colorado had somehow managed to escape the worst of it for the longest time, but towards the end there were very few places where even the most heinous of crimes weren't being committed…” Zen’s voice trailed off and he continued staring off into space.

“I’m sorry Zen…” Rainbow said after a moment. She could see and hear how painful it was for Zen to be talking about the place he left behind.

“It’s not your fault.” Zen said. “I came here looking for a better life away from the bigotry, hypocrisy, and the cruelty of the world I left behind. And for the longest time it seemed to have worked…but with what happened in Alliance in mind, I’m not so sure anymore. I don’t want to see Haven turn into another Earth.”

“You okay?” She sounded concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I don’t mind talking about Earth and the evils that it’s home to, but that doesn’t mean I won’t get slightly homesick. I do miss my family and a lot of the more desirable aspects of the country I used to live in.”

“Yeah…” Rainbow fell silent for a minute. “I miss my home too…”

“I can only imagine.” Zen got up to put the two empty glasses away. “It seems to me as though you were taken from a very nice place, and unlike me you actually had a lot of things going for you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I was jobless, broke, and didn’t have a damn skill or any experience with which to advertise to get a job.” Zen leaned on the kitchen counter and faced Rainbow. “All I had were my friends. Basically I was just another schmuck who was caught in a very cruel and unforgiving system.”

Rainbow winced slightly. “You can’t be serious! There had to have been something you could have done.”

Zen shook his head. “Without experience or a college degree attached to my name nobody was willing to even give me a chance.”

“That’s just awful.” Rainbow got up and walked over to the kitchen. “I guess I can’t really blame you for wanting to leave so badly, even if at first it sounded like a really cool place.”

“Well don’t get me wrong, America was still far better off than many other places on Earth. We weren’t being ruled by tyrannical dictators who supported mass genocide in their own countries.”

Rainbow froze at that statement, jaw to the floor. After taking a moment to fully absorb what Zen had just said she collected herself with a protest. “Why would anyone ever put up with that? Why couldn’t they overthrow whoever was in charge?”

“If it was that simple Earth would be a much better place.” Zen said solemnly. “Those people ruled using fear and their religion was their excuse. The really sad part was that these madmen often had the support of a good portion of their country to help justify their killing off the ones that they simply didn’t like.”

“That’s…that’s just…” Rainbow couldn’t finish her statement, and Zen simply nodded. At this point Rainbow almost felt bad for asking Zen to tell this much. She was really beginning to sympathize with him and there was now very little doubt in her mind that Zen really liked it here better.

“What about you though?” Zen wondered.

“Huh?”

“Tell me about the home that you left behind.”

“Oh. Well do you want to hear about any place in particular or Equestria in general?”

“Whichever.”

“Hmm…well Equestria is a pretty awesome place. It wasn’t perfect, but I certainly loved it. Princesses Celestia and Luna were really kind to us and everyone else. They weren’t mean or cruel or anything. I mean, yeah they were immortal but nopony ever really had a problem with them. They helped make sure that we were safe and that everything ran smoothly. Canterlot was pretty cool too I guess, but I never cared for all that fancy high society stuff that was always going on there.

“Ponyville was where I spent most of my time though. That place was usually a really quiet town out in the country but every once in a while some crazy stuff would happen there to change things up. I liked the quiet mostly though; it helped me focus on my training. Sure it got boring sometimes, but I had a regimen to keep to if I wanted to get into the Wonderbolts so it wasn’t all bad. At least most of my friends were there and were willing to hang out when they could, and there really wasn’t a shortage of places to go. It was also nice that most store owners knew me by name, so I guess that was pretty cool.

“But no matter where you were in Equestria, we never had the technology that you humans have brought here. At best we’d have devices that ran with magic, but they were often very simple and hardly what I’d consider to be reliable.”

“So I imagine that adjusting to the lifestyle that ‘we humans’ are used to had taken a while.” Zen said with a small grin.

“You have no idea!” Rainbow said, throwing her front hoofs in the air. “All of it was new to me and I wasn’t sure if I should have been afraid or interested or anything else! It’s partially why I stayed by myself for a long time after coming here; I was afraid that I was going to get hurt by one of your machines or that you guys were out to get us ponies.”

“Heh. So what do you think of it all now?”

Rainbow remained silent for a second and cast her gaze towards the outside balcony. “It’s still a lot for me to take in, and I’m still not used to it all. But I do know that you guys aren’t anything to be afraid of. Not because I think I’m better or anything, but because I’ve seen for myself just how well humans and ponies alike get along and how you guys just want to be friends. Just like earlier today…” Her voice trailed off, and a curiously pensive look stole across her features.

Zen waited a few moments before speaking again. “What’s on your mind?”

“Huh?” Rainbow blinked. “Oh, a lot of things actually. I miss my home, I wish I had somewhere to actually call ‘home’ here, I miss my friends…” She then said something that Zen didn’t quite hear.

“Sorry, what was that last part?” Zen asked, leaning in slightly to hear.

“…I just want to be appreciated.” Zen could hear the reluctance in Rainbow’s tone as she said this statement. Whether it was because she was afraid to admit it out loud or for some other reason Zen wasn’t sure.

“Well I appreciate you.” Zen said, repositioning himself next to Rainbow.

Rainbow looked up at Zen for a moment with a small laugh. “I don’t know why you would, but thanks.”

Zen smiled back. “I think you’re awesome and deserve better than what you’ve been getting.” He resisted the urge to laugh as Rainbow’s face turned a very slight shade of red. “And as for your lacking of a place to call home, you are more than welcome to use my spare bedroom whenever you wish or I can set you up with your own place here.”

Rainbow’s eyes lit up. “Are you being serious?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

The pegasus then grinned from ear to ear as the realization that she would no longer have to constantly be seeking shelter on the streets or out in the wilderness dawned on her. “Zen, just when I thought you couldn’t get more awesome you went and proved me wrong! I think for now I’d like to stay here with you, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Of course.” Zen said, but then was tackle-hugged again.

“How am I going to find a way to repay you?” Rainbow asked, now clearly ecstatic about the prospect of both friends and a permanent home to boot.

“You can…stop crushing my…ribs!” Zen struggled to say as he held Rainbow in return but found breathing to be difficult in her tight embrace.

“Oops, hehe.” Rainbow said sheepishly as she let go of Zen, who rubbed his sides gently for a moment and hugged her again.

“So long as you’re happy with things, then I’ll be happy.” Zen stated. “Since you’re my friend it’s the least I could do, and don’t worry about paying me back. It’s really no trouble at all.”

“Thanks Zen.” Rainbow beamed. “You know, nopony has ever been this nice to me since I came here.”

“I think that’s just downright unfortunate.” Zen replied, suddenly fascinated by Rainbow’s mane. Despite the fact that it was obvious that Rainbow hadn’t had the chance to properly wash in a considerable amount of time, her mane still shone with a natural brilliance that Zen had never seen before. The fact that it was also naturally rainbow colored was also very intriguing to him.

“…what are you looking at?”

That curious inquiry brought Zen back into focus. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful your mane is.”

“Oh, that. Yeah it is pretty cool. Would be more awesome though if I could actually take care of it like I used to.”

“Had nowhere to really get all the grit and dust from the road off?”

Rainbow shook her head.

“Hmm…I’m not sure if I happen to have anything that’s designed for pony hair but you’re more than welcome to my shower.” Zen gestured to a door at the beginning of a short hallway on the other side of the kitchen.

“Do you have a brush of some kind?”

Zen thought for a moment. “You know…I think I just might…” He walked over to a closet near the balcony and dug around in it for a few moments. “Aha!” Zen produced a brush and gave it to Rainbow, who smiled and headed over to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Moments later Zen heard the sounds of the shower being turned on. With not much else to do at this point, he turned the monitor on and resumed the game he was playing earlier. Zen considered himself to be a fairly competent gamer, but he was at a point in this game where he was absolutely stuck with no clue of what to do next. He poured over his mission log, but when nothing became apparent he decided to just go grind for money and experience. If nothing else it was a mindless task that he could do while he pondered other things.

“What a day this has been…” He mumbled to himself after roughly fifteen minutes of mindlessly obliterating anything he came across. Glancing outside, he could see the sun setting low in the horizon, lending a golden glow to both the clear sky and the sparkling ocean.

Putting his controller down, Zen walked outside to the balcony and leaned against the railing, staring out over the water. Back home he was often treated to wonderfully colorful sunsets with the mountains serving as a beautiful silhouette. Here the horizon was perfectly uniform, but Zen found it just as beautiful in its own way. The water reflecting the sunlight was, in his opinion, just as gorgeous as seeing the sunsets that he grew up with.

Moments later he heard the tell-tale sound of hoofs striking linoleum. He glanced behind him, and immediately noticed that Rainbow’s coat, mane, and tail now shone as if someone had lifted a thin dark veil from her. “Feeling clean yet?” Zen joked.

“I hadn’t noticed just how much dust I had all over me.” Rainbow admitted as she placed her front hoofs on the railing next to Zen. “You sure do have a wonderful view from here.”

“Yeah, I’m really lucky to have been able to get this place.”

A minute of silence passed.

“Can I tell you something?” Rainbow asked.

“You can tell me anything.” Zen replied.

Rainbow let out a sigh before continuing. “I’m not quite the same mare I was back in Ponyville.”

“Oh?”

Rainbow shook her head. “No. Back then I was incredibly arrogant and hot headed. Had quite an ego too. I still try to act like I used to, but it’s not worth it anymore. Since coming here I’ve learned a lot, and it’s definitely brought me down to earth, pardon the pun.” Zen snickered a bit but didn’t comment. “Anyways, I’ve learned to appreciate what I have and that winning isn’t everything. Being competitive only helps so much. I’m a lot calmer now than I used to be.”

She then gently prodded Zen’s arm with a hoof and a smile. “But like it or not I still have a debt to pay back for your kindness. I may have changed a lot, but believe me when I say that I’m still incredibly loyal to those I consider my friends and I will do anything I can to help you out.”

Zen simply smiled back at Rainbow for a moment. “Well I appreciate that.” He then stretched and headed back inside. “I’m going to go get some rest. Gotta get up early for that long journey ahead.”

“Rest sounds like a good idea.” Rainbow followed Zen back inside. “Which room is the one you said I could use?”

“The one at the end of the hallway.” Zen replied. “Mine’s right next to it, and if you need anything don’t be afraid to wake me up.”

“Alright. See you tomorrow?”

“Yup. See you tomorrow.” Zen walked back into his room. Shutting the door and stripping himself down to his briefs he collapsed in his bed. He lazily reached over and set the alarm for an early morning and contemplated the day’s happenings. He had caught up with Zan and Kevin, James had paid him a surprise visit bearing some unfortunate news, and he had not only met Rainbow Dash but had also befriended her and now she was living with him.

That was about all he got to contemplate however, as sleep quickly stole up on him.