“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”

― Samuel Johnson

It had taken several more weeks for Karn to slowly develop enough strength back in his legs to be able to be up and around on his own. One of those little habits Adepts had that he was trying his best to conceal from his new found friends, was that he could use some of his stored power to slowly regenerate muscle tissue. Rather than accelerate this habit now that he could feel himself once more able to utilize his abilities, he felt it was safer, at least for the moment, to keep such information secure.

Given that he was now able to walk without aid and that his muscular tone had returned, the medical staff and of course the few pony friends he had met thus far were all agreed that it was time for him to be introduced to the greater world outside.

For his part, Karn wasn't so sure. His present goal was to be become more active, and to be able to make better use of his legs. As it was, he was still somewhat unsteady and the fear at the back of his mind that he would collapse outdoors and make an utter fool of himself was an every present one.

Fluttershy, Twilight and of course Rarity had all arrived this glorious morning of impending freedom to prepare him for his first visit outdoors. Naturally this was all planned without his consent, and in true military style he made sure that he was carrying out this order under protest.

"Twilight, as things stand it is hard enough to get out of bed and just make my way around the ward. What makes you think that dragging me outdoors is a flash idea?"

"Karn, all you need to is take it easy. We will be there to keep an eye on you. You can't stay cropped up in this hospital room forever. You need fresh air, you need to get out and learn more about our culture, before you lose your mind!" she exclaimed.

He started at her for a moment, unblinking. She was sense, of course, being the academic soul she was. Finally, he offered her a smirk and a gentle nod. "Okay, my ever present interlocutor. I shall make the effort. Should I fall face first onto the ground and shatter my nose, may I have the honor of stating that 'I told you so'?"

"It's not going to happen that way, Karn."

"What makes you so sure? How many humans have you caught mid-fall, saving their faces from unwanted and unwarranted destruction of their visages?"

Twilight looked at him with that adorable 'look' she so frequently gave him when he was being whimsical. Finally offering a sigh, she said "Karn, you will be fine. We'll all be keeping a close eye on you. All you need to do is take small, careful steps."

"So the rapid three yard hard single men's dash for security isn't on the cards, then?"

The infamous 'look' from Twilight grew stronger, if that was possible.

In spite of his fears, the knowledge that he would shortly be free of this room was a tantalizing one. He had in fact been able to count each tile on the floor, each hidden screw in the wall and had even been able to use the defibrillator to determine that it was biphasic - approximately one hundred and eighty joules if he has to hazard a guess. Since he was an adept can could adsorb electricity that way, having that energy punching across his chest was little more than a mild cup of coffee. Aside from the furious dressing down that nurse Snowheart had given him, he'd been just fine. He felt a certain kind of eager anticipation about being able to see what was outside this place, and this feeling brightened his mood - a curious dichotomy of worry and anticipation.

"Twilight, lest I leave this place and become despondent - there are no other curtains outdoors which can be drawn, are there?"

Twilight flashed him a crooked smile. "No, Karn. The outdoors here is not at all like this room."

"What of the composition of the ground upon which I shall shortly walk? Is it ceramic?"

Twilight seemed to be getting a little more annoyed at these strange rhetorical questions, but seemed inclined to play along whilst Rarity made final adjustments to his Karn's new clothes. Karn found himself enjoying this unconventional discorse with the princess.

"No, Karn," and the sigh she gave was rather exasperated, "the ground is still the same dirt and grass and cobble stones that I described to you previously."

"Indeed? Then I shall be better able to maintain my balance, and not force you come to come to my aid," beamed Karn, with all the artificial exuberance that he could bring to bear. He flashed a sly smile at Twilight, hoping to demonstrate that his enthusiasm was in fact genuine, silliness aside. It did take her a moment or two to relax enough and the two found themselves chortling about the entire light-hearted exchange.

"It's at least good to see you have a sense of humor, Karn - even if it is somewhat ... odd."

"I don't know that it's necessarily odd, princess. Well, perhaps some of the terms pertaining to my home world are. Otherwise, I'd have said my sense of humor was just eccentric."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Very well, then I would insist that you are obscure!"

"Well, Princess, I have been called many things and many of those things worse than 'obscure'. If you refer to me as obscure, then I shall take it to be a compliment," he conceded. It had been so long since Karn had been able to engage in the silly, somewhat high banter that he had enjoyed annoying his companion Coron with - and it felt exquisite.

He was well aware that there was a good deal of conjecture outside the walls of his 'cell' (which he had come to refer to his hospital room as being). The sensation he had wasn't precisely fear, or discomfort - he was well aware that he was capable of taking care of himself if there was trouble. However, that was the crux of the matter- he didn't wish to find any trouble. He wondered about the kinds of characters he would find in Ponyville and how they would differ from those he had met so far.

"Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity?" he asked suddenly. The three ponies stopped and looked up at him. "I'm not used to saying such things, but I just wanted to say ... well, thank you for volunteering to show me around today. I know that whatever is out there is going to be strange, and I really do appreciate your willingness to guide me through your customs," he acknowledged. He looked down towards the boots that Rarity had recently fashioned for him - a very comfortable fit, to his amazement. "I just wanted to say thank you ... really, for everything."

"Darling, it's absolutely fine! I would be more than happy to introduce you to the citizens of Ponyville and to our system of etiquette!" smiled Rarity.

Twilight was the next to chime in. "You're very welcome Karn! The ponies living here have largely never seen a creature such as you before, so it would be best to be accompanied by one of us for a while - at least until we know there won't be any panic or misunderstanding."

Karn, now dressed in his rather nice new uniform - fashioned at his insistence and to Rarity's chagrin as a replicate of his old uniform - Karn raised his six foot five frame, snapped to attention which earned another squeak from Fluttershy.

"Well, then," he growled, facing the door of his hospital room, "let us venture forth and see what this new world has to offer."

Karn's first steps into the sunlight were both blessing and curse. His eyes had become so accustomed to being indoors dealing with the unnatural lighting, that the warm brightness striking his eyes was almost too much to bear. He closed his eyes to temporarily shield his retinas from the sun's assault, and took a deep breath. The air was so fresh and sweet - something he had not experienced in such a long time. The scent in the air was of flowers - species he could not readily identify. There was the scent of blossoms on trees, of green grass. His eyes being closed, his mind focused fully on the simple joy of a breath of fresh air. No smell of explosives, mud, the sickly sweet stench of decay. Indeed, neither the smell of disinfectant, starched hospital sheets and the over oxygenated air.

He stood there with his head raised to the warmth of the sun, eyes closed, holding his breath. Oh Christ did this feel good.

It was odd that the thought that brought Karn from his heavenly reverie was something that he could not sense. Voices - he expected voices and yet his ears could hear none. It was strangely quiet - he could hear wind gently bustling leaves in the trees, the chitter of birds, the soft whisper of the air passing his ears, even the subtle sounds of insects ... but these gentle sounds were the only things to reach his ears. Opening his eyes and glancing suddenly downward, he found himself surrounded by what he supposed was a good portion of the local equine population. They were almost mannequin-like, with their eyes fixed on him. The extent of this attention was unexpected - and it was not in the least pleasant.

Passing his eyes slowly over his astonishing audience, he could see a range of mixed emotions amongst them. Some were clearly just surprised, others actually quite frightened.

Others seem perplexed, as if they were children who had heard an elephant described to them but could not comprehend the creature until actually physically confronted by one.

Still more of them just seemed interested, which was a relief. They had a look of confusion, but pure curiosity about this unusual, bipedal creature that they had not seen before.

Karn wondered what it was that all of these ponies actually beheld. His hair was long and jet black, straight but not unkempt. His face and skin were dried and somewhat worn from the many years of hardship and combat he'd endured. A dark mustache adorned his face - not bushy, but well trimmed and brushed. His brow was ever so slightly creased and curved downwards as he was in deep concentration. His arms were lean and very muscular - there were several scars that had healed over the years, leaving reminders of ancient horrors. The hands were gnarled, but not disfigured - strong and obviously accustomed to hard work. His shoulders were broad and muscular, a combination of training and exertion over the years. He was considerably taller than any of those who had come to see this 'sideshow' as he felt himself to be.

It was his gaze that most of the ponies present noticed. There was nothing outwardly astonishing about his eyes - they were a dark brown and very clear. It was the manner that he looked upon his unexpected guests. To those present near enough to notice his face in any detail, the look he gave was one of ... tension. It was a tenseness that was automatic, as if he was sizing up the ponies present somehow and calculating what any of them might be capable of. Watching and weighing each of them in his mind. His gaze began to shoot back and forth across the crowd, as he found himself reflexively forming fists with his hands.

Twilight was closest and thus the first to notice this sudden change in Karn's demeanor. On first exiting the hospital, the expression on his face had been so peaceful, so relaxed - he was obviously loving the new found freedom and the joy of being outside. It was when he noticed that they had company. His entire body seemed to become immediately strained - almost as if he was coiling himself into a spring. His right foot shifted backward, almost as if to brace himself, and his hands clenched. Looking up into his face, Twilight could see that his demeanor was suddenly watchful. He was looking at the throng before him and instinctively treating them as a potential threat.

The realization of what was happening exploded in her mind. He was determining how he would have to kill them, if he had to. She felt a sudden shudder of fear.

Swallowing deeply, she gently approached him and tried to capture his gaze. Speaking softly and gently, she tried to break what was probably some part of his persona that had served him well and kept him alive from whatever kinds of hell he'd been through. "Karn ... Karn, please listen to me ... it's okay ... nopony is here to harm you ... they are just curious, Karn ... they have never seen a human before ... please try and understand - you're safe here."

Karn's eyes darted downward to meet Twilight's imploring expression. He saw the look of fear in her eyes, the fear of a creature that felt danger near and was trying so hard to defuse it. 'Jesus, what am I doing?' he thought to himself in horror. He slowly unclenched his hands and the furrowed, intense, analyzing gaze slowly melted away in the presence of this kind princess. He had to give in. She was quite beautiful - he no longer cared if she was a pony.

His speech was tighter, flatter that it had been a moment ago indoors. "Twilight ... I'm, um. I'm not really used to being around ... well, being around ponies, or indeed anyone like this. One becomes used to death being ever present, Twilight. It can come from anywhere; from someone you thought a friend, from things you didn't see. The ones you don't see are the ones who kill you, Twilight! I'm just used to measuring people. It's very hard to explain at the moment, but I'll try to when we're ... well, just later on," he promised. There was a gentle nod and a caring smile from the pony he felt himself referring to as his philosophical mirror. "Please understand though, that I was not going to harm any of them. It's just that when I'm in that kind of a situation, I have a habit of making sure I'm aware of everything around me."

He looked back up at his pony audience, who were now looking to each other and muttering between themselves about what this human fellow meant to Ponyville.

Karn continued his explanation to Twilight, who listened intently. Naturally enough, she was madly writing in her notebook. "I look out at all these ponies and try to determine where I would go if I was attacked, how I would face that threat and neutralize it. I don't like having my back to a wall, or being in places with one exit. Twilight, I will never sit in a room where I am not facing the doorway and where I cannot reach a way out, even if that means slashing my arms by smashing my way through glass," he stated, holding out his scarred muscular arms to illustrate his point. "Twilight, you are truly amazing. I am afraid you will need a certain degree of patience with me as I ... well, get accustomed to not expecting death each time I meet anyone."

Turning to face the ponies who had indeed, as it were, come to see the elephant, Karn took another deep breath and let the tension within him, physically and mentally, flow out with his breath.

"Okay, Twilight. Let us go forth and see what world this is that I have arrived in". Turning and looking down at his pony friend, a broad, very nearly mischievous smile on his face, he continued. "Please, princess - lead on!"

Author's Note

The reference of the elephant here from Karn's perspective is a nod towards the novels by Bernard Cornwell - specifically "Rebel" (ISBN 0-00-617920-7) . I hasten to add, that the use of the metaphor is borrowed and certainly not copied verbatim! Buy the book - it's an interesting read!

The phrase the character used that has remained glued to my mind since is "you won't piss your pants when you see the elephant". What a simple, earthy way to express the attribute of courage in the face of something strange and unknown! It's a statement that should be a motto somewhere. I know not if "Non vides ut elephantis pantorum defricatus urina" would even be grammatically correct.

POST EDIT 2017-03-25:

Minor expansion of some dialog, removing some soppy text, fixing some grammar issues and tidying up the formatting.