“Love does not appear with any warning signs. You fall into it as if pushed from a high diving board. No time to think about what’s happening. It’s inevitable. An event you can’t control. A crazy, heart-stopping, roller-coaster ride that just has to take its course."

― Jackie Collins

Karn had found the evening spent sleeping in the barn's loft to be a most enjoyable one. His dreams had been pleasant and the bed was surprisingly comfortable and warm. He had been lying there on his makeshift mattress quietly dozing, when he was gently shaken back to the waking world by a strong pair of hooves.

"Hey, Karn! You awake? It's near sunrise!"

He opened his eyes and his vision was met by a smiling Applejack. "Ahm. Sunrise already?" he mumbled, slowly rubbing the sleep from his eyes and allowing his mind to adjust to reality. "Sorry, I guess I overslept a bit, then. I must've been a good deal more tired than I thought."

"Ah figured you needed some extra sleep. Normally 'round here we're up well before the sun is, but I know how tired you've been. In any case, if you don't come on down now for breakfast, you won't get a chance to meet some of the others livin' here on Sweet Apple Acres. They'll all be headin' off to work and you'll miss 'em."

"I certainly don't want to do that. Do you mind giving me a moment to make myself half decent? Or at least a good deal more decent than I am, presently? I figured I'd at least grab a bird bath and freshen up a little before making an appearance at the breakfast table."

Applejack seemed surprised. Karn's metaphorical speech had struck once again. "Um ... what exactly do you mean by a bird bath, Karn?"

"Huh, sorry about that. Well, whenever we are posted in the field, we don't have the luxury of a full tub of hot water. So we just take the first available container, put some water into that and just wipe ourselves down. So, dipping water out of a bowl, birds bathing in water, taking a bird bath?" Karn made bird imitations with his hands to try and drive across his point to Applejack. After a brief moment, the bit finally fell, so to speak.

"Ah, I get yer meanin'! Well, a bird bath it'll have to be if you want to meet some of the Apple clan. There's a pump fer water and a bucket jest outside the barn. By all means clean off there and head on inside the farmhouse."

"Thanks, AJ. I shall make my person a little more pleasant to be around and be right in."

Applejack started back off down from the loft in the barn. Karn slid out from under his makeshift bed and stretched. He was feeling a good deal healthier this morning than he had been yesterday. The headache was almost gone, he felt physically stronger and the bed that Applejack had put together for him had been something of a perfect fit. There was no residual muscular discomfort of any kind, as one would normally expect after spending a night lying in a strange bed. Briefly stretching his muscles, especially his legs and around his neck, he decided against using the stairs to head down from the loft. Taking a few long strides, he leaped off the guard rail along the upper floor and somersaulted neatly onto the ground. "It looks like I am back in good enough shape to commence exercises and such again," he remarked happily to himself.

Still carrying his jacket, he walked shirtless out the barn doors to the water pump and pail. He worked the handle a few times to fill the bucket. Leaning down, he used his hands to collect some water and splashed it directly into his face. The cold bit him quite sharply, but it certainly helped to wake him a little more. He scooped some more water and gave his hair a rinse, before scooping some more and washing down his chest, under his arms and across his abdomen. He examined the scars that had been left when Doctor Horse had repaired his collapsed lung. They had indeed performed a very good job - the scar itself was not large and was already very well healed.

Having cleaned himself as well as he could, he was then able to locate enough material in the barn to dry himself with, before putting on the tunic Rarity had made for him. Thus being as presentable as he could manage, he made his way happily towards the farm house. Feeling a good deal more rested and fitter than he had been for some time, he proceeded to perform a series of front aerial rolls towards the farmhouse. Applejack, observing his tumbling, was impressed yet surprised.

"Dang, Karn, you sure must be feelin' better if you can be kickin' around like that!"

"Thank you, AJ. I do indeed feel a lot more alive today than I have been. Once breakfast is through, I'm going to have to get in some stretches and exercise to see how I go."

"Well, don't you go overdoin' anything yet. We don't want yer to get injured again, jest as soon as you start feelin' better. Come on inside and meet everyone!"

The kitchen of the farmhouse was fitting for one associated with such a large farm. The dining area combined with that used for the preparation of victuals. It was warm and cozy, and as with so many of the farm houses he was familiar with from his own universe, it had this warm and friendly atmosphere.

There was no drama here. There was nothing here that was not necessary to aid the family in its quest to maintain the farm itself.

Clearly the morning meal had been prepared with a speed that only came with practice. The meal itself was oatmeal, which Karn enjoyed with a little milk to cool it and some honey for sweetness. It was the kind of meal he'd had many times before on his own family's vineyard - what made this particular breakfast interesting was of course the company.

"Karn, ah'd like you to meet some of the Apple clan! Over here doin' the cookin' is Granny Smith, right here in mah brother Big Mac whom ya met last night and of course this little filly here is Apple Bloom!"

"Please to meet you, again!" the young Apple Bloom remarked.

Karn could recall the last time he'd seen her. It had been the prior morning, just outside the hospital. "Ah yes, I remember. I'm sorry I panicked a little and took off the way I did."

"You'd oughta be ashamed of yerself!" chided Granny Smith. "Runnin' off an' scarin' folks like that!"

"Granny, he didn't mean to! He just kinda ... well ..." interrupted Applejack.

"I panicked, is what happened," frowned Karn. "I apologize for behaving the way I did. I just wasn't quite prepared to be surrounded by so many new faces asking so many questions. It's a little odd being the center of attention for me."

"Well, you better be on yer best manners here at the table! Human or no, ain't no reason to be runnin' off on ponies like that!"

"I'll be sure to improve my behavior in future, ... um .... " Karn looked a little worriedly at Applejack, before whispering, "what should I call her? Out of respect?"

"Jest Granny Smith will be fine!" Applejack whispered back.

"I shall be sure to behave far better in future, Granny Smith. I do apologize again."

"Hmmm. Well, y'all sit down and eat up, there's a right long list a chores ta be done today 'round here!"

The four ponies sat down to eat their oatmeal, with an additional place set up for their human visitor. Applejack had very thoughtfully made sure that Karn's place was in a position where he could face the open door to the kitchen. "Umm, AJ? Did you set my place here, facing the doorway?"

"Well, yeah! I figured ... y'now, since you weren't keen on having yer back to doorways ..."

Karn felt at once touched. Fancy them remembering little things like that. "Thank you," he smiled, the gratitude he felt being warm and genuine.

The seat was a little small for Karn, but he felt it too impolite to make a fuss after being offered such fine hospitality. Apple Bloom made sure she sat as near to Karn as she could. Evidently she found the concept of a human to be an interesting one.

"So, Mr. Karn, what's it like ta be a hoo-min?" she asked.

"Well, for one thing, you can just call me Karn."

"Isn't that a might disrespectful?" asked Applejack.

"Not really," he chuckled. "I mean, nobody has ever called me anything else, and Mr. Rolltagen makes it sound like she'd be addressing my father."

"You don't wanna be called 'The Club' either, I guess?"

Karn almost choked on his oatmeal. "Um, no thank you, AJ," he replied, turning back to Apple Bloom. "Just 'Karn' is fine, my dear. If you really wanted to be formal, you could call me Sergeant Karn."

"Sergeant Karn? Like when you were a soldier?"

"Well, yes, that was when I was a soldier. For now, I really don't know what I am, though. If I'm to be here in Equestria for some time, I'm going to need a better trade," he observed. He looked down at Apple Bloom and gave her a smile. "What do you think, Miss Bloom? What kind of job could you see me doing?"

"Well ... I guess as yer tall and strong, you could help with buildin' and fixin' houses? Or some of our barns and sheds?"

"Now that is a very nice thought. That's certainly something I'm used to doing. It so happens, I grew up on a farm as well."

"Hoo-mins have farms?"

"We most certainly do! We were very proud of ours."

"Do some hoo-mins have wings or horns, like ponies do?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Bloom. We are very much earth bound creatures, unless we are using machines to help us fly. I can also state for the record that we most certainly do not have horns."

"Is it true that you eat other creatures?"

"Apple Bloom, how dare you ask our guest somethin' like that!" growled Applejack.

"No, that's okay, she's just curious. You see, Miss Bloom, humans are called 'omnivores'. That means that while yes, we can eat meat, we don't necessarily have to. I can live just as well on plants, berries, fruits, vegetables and of course this wonderful oatmeal."

"Do you like it here as much as where you came from?"

It would have been a rhetorical question, had it been asked by anyone other than an innocent youth. How on earth could one compare the peace of Equestria to the battered hell he'd left behind? "I most certainly do. In fact, I'm a lot happier here in Equestria than I was back home."

"But, don't you miss yer friends and family?"

Applejack looked up at Karn, a spoonful of oatmeal halfway to her mouth. Karn caught her eye as well and the unspoken answer to Apple Bloom's question was clearly shared between them. "Well ... yes, I do miss my friends, Miss Bloom, and certainly my family. But my friends ..." he started, then paused to try and form the words into a manner that would be fitting to pass along to a young child or filly.

'My friends,' he thought, 'splashed across the ground, blown to bits, blown quite out of their minds, cut to pieces, burned alive, buried alive.'

"... well, they will always be my friends, no matter where they are."

"Karn, why is yer hand shakin'?" Apple Bloom asked.

Karn glanced down in surprise - his hand was indeed trembling, but he hadn't noticed. "Oh! I just, well, after having been sick for so long, my hands are still a little ... well, they misbehave a bit now and then," he smiled at her.

It had taken some effort on his part to play so foolishly, but bringing up his friends was something that had clearly shaken him. Turning back to continue his oatmeal, he found Applejack resting a hoof gently on his left arm. She spoke not a word, just looked at him, the question 'are you okay' just behind her eyes. He managed a nod and a tired smile, before breakfast continued.

"Hey!! Is anypony home?" came a boisterous voice from the front door of the farm house.

"Yeah, c'mon in, Rainbow Dash! Yer jest in time for some breakfast, if yer hungry?"

"No thanks! I've already eaten before flyin' out here."

Karn was a little mindful of the early hour. "Dashie, isn't it a little early in the morning to be heading out to see Fluttershy?"

"Actually, she'd be getting up soon to take care of her animals anyway, and I figured I might as well head over here and visit with you all for a bit."

"While ahm a-thinkin' about it, Dashie, could you let Pinkie know somethin' if you see her on tha way over to Fluttershy's?"

"Sure thing!"

"We were thinkin' of celebrating Karn's birthday here in two weeks, and we were goin' ... "

"Hey, it's your birthday in two weeks???"

Karn managed a smile of resignation. "Well, no, not really. Since I don't actually recall when my birthday was, we made an impromptu decision last night to just give me one in two weeks time. As the precise date is unknown, choosing an arbitrary one and just ... well, throwing a party anyway seemed like the thing to do."

"That's pretty weird! But I can just see the look on Pinkie's face when she hears about it!" laughed Rainbow Dash.

"So as ah was sayin', if you see Pinkie, can you let her know that we've got us a birthday to plan, on Friday in two weeks time. It'll be an open invitation, ah reckon. Anypony is welcome to come along."

"Consider it done!" exclaimed Rainbow dash.

Karn noticed something amongst the spice containers in the kitchen. "Would that ... well, happen to be baker's yeast that you have there on your counter?"

"Mmm hmm! It surely is!" replied Granny Smith.

"Is there anywhere around Ponyville that I might purchase some?" asked Karn, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Wah, yes! There's always some at the markets!"

"We can go past there on our way out to see Fluttershy if you wanna?" suggested Rainbow Dash. "But ... why in Equestria would you be wantin' baker's yeast? I'm even guessin' you could get some from Sugarcube Corner if you were that keen! Are you plannin' on bakin' something?"

"Well, you might say that. I was also wondering if I might exchange some work around the farm for a few bottles of your apple cider, if I may?"

"Well, shoot, ah don't mind that?" responded Applejack, before her smile was replaced with a look of concern. "Karn, are you up ta somethin'?"

"In fact I am, but it's a bit of a surprise. Just a bit of a tradition from my home town."

"Well, okay, I guess. Maybe we kin' all catch up somewhere after you visit Fluttershy?"

Breakfast having been completed, Karn helped clear away the dishes and offered to do the washing and drying - insisting this was the least he could do after having been offered such a comfortable place to sleep for the night.

The dishes thus put away, Karn ventured back outside with Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Apple Bloom to begin his journey across town to Fluttershy's cottage. Feeling reinvigorated and eager to stretch, he took off at a sprint and performed several aerials, terminating his run with a succession of backward flips.

"Wow! Where'd you learn to do things like that?" asked Apple Bloom.

"I've had a very long time to practice. You need to be able to master dexterity and balance. Not only does it mean you have to stay flexible, it helps keep you in better shape," he explained. Karn performed a series of one handed cartwheels back towards the other ponies, stopping just short of them. "Since I'd arrived here, I'd been in too much pain to really get out and stretch a great deal. I'm feeling a lot better at the moment!"

"Well, that tumblin' around is all very well, but you still can't fly!"

"Hah! Well, that's true. I'm sorry if we have to walk to visit Fluttershy, Dashie. If I could fly, I most certainly would."

"I don't mind! We might as well get goin' though. Fluttershy's cottage is over the other side of the town, so there's still a fair walk. Maybe I can show you parts of the market area on our way through?"

"That sounds wonderful to me! Please, lead on!" Karn was feeling in high spirits once more and was in fact looking forward to giving his legs a good stretch. His natural walking pace was in fact fast enough to necessitate Rainbow Dash's flying slowly beside him, instead of walking.

"You sure walk fairly fast for someone who only uses two legs!" she remarked finally.

"I'm sorry, did you want me to walk a little slower?"

"What, are ya kiddin' me? I'm just relaxing!"

"Then we're of the same mind! The country side here is lovely. Much better than the pock marked, mud smothered shithole that I left behind," remarked Karn, looking sideways out over the apple trees and the distant rolling hills.

"Karn ... what are ya goin' to do if they find a way to, you know, send you back where you came from?"

Karn's walking pace slowed to a stop. He stared at the ground in front of him, motionless.

"Umm ... are you okay?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Momentarily, Karn was oblivious to anything else around him. He looked at the dirt on the path leading away from Sweet Apple Acres ... only in his mind, the path began to contort. It began to become wetter, large holes began to open in it, the sweet green trees morphed into dead, splintered ruins, and at the back of his mind he could hear them. The voices - screaming, crying, pleading. A large, heavy set man in an officer's uniform stood in front of him, holding a severed head in his hand and addressed him. "Well? ... What are you waiting for? ... We can't stay here all day! ... Well? Hello? Anyone home?!?"

The vision of horror suddenly vanished as quickly as it had commenced, and he found himself staring into the face of a very confused Rainbow Dash. "Hello??? Karn, anythin' goin' on in there?"

"Ah, Dashie!! I ... sorry!"

"Ah, yeah, I just sorta mentioned you going back and you just kind of ... went all quiet. I hope I didn't upset you?"

Karn found himself shaking. "Dashie ... I think I need to sit down."

They walked slowly to the side of the track, where Karn sat on the ground and rested his back against the well cared for fence. Rainbow Dash sat near his feet, looking very concerned. "Do you want me to get someone, Karn? Like, the Doctor?"

"No, thanks, Dashie. I'll be okay. I just had a bit of a flashback."

"A flashback?" she asked.

"Yeah. A bad one. Not as bad as the nightmares I'd had, but this one was strong."

"What in Celestia's name is a 'flashback'?"

Karn took a deep breath, and tried to calm his shaken nerves. "Dashie, sometimes when you go through certain things, your mind likes to keep track of them. This isn't normally a bad thing. You remember doing something and how it hurt you, so your brain reminds you not to do that again."

"Well yeah, that makes sense. What's that got to do with ..."

"Sometimes, you go through things that are ... particularly awful, and your brain tends to remember those and then it goes and recalls them. If what you've experienced is bad enough, it can often recall them quite suddenly and at unexpected times. Those recollections can be startlingly real and very terrifying."

"I'm sorry, Karn, was that because of what I asked you?"

"That triggered it, I think. But there's nothing to apologize for! It's my brain that's broken, not yours!" He tried to smile at her, to help her feel a little less guilty. It didn't work though and she looked a little downtrodden. "Hey, Dashie, it would always be worse. Imagine if your mind just began arbitrarily recalling Pinkie's pranks on you. Several times a day and at random!"

"Huh, yeah. I guess that'd be funny."

"Think about it! Pushing for one of your speed records I hear about, then suddenly finding yourself staring at Pinkie dressed as a chicken!"

Finally, Rainbow Dash broke into a laugh. "Pfff, yeah. I guess. I'm still sorry about what I just did, though."

"Don't mention it, Dashie. No, I mean, really, don't mention it. I'm just a little damaged. It might take me some time for my brain to start to 'forget' some of those things and remember the pleasant things instead."

The two friends finally made their way out of Apple Acres and into the western side of Ponyville, not too far from the Golden Oaks Library. "That's somewhere I'll have to visit more often when we have some free time," remarked Karn.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "I had told Twilight that the two of you were probably into books!"

"... am I to take it that you've been holding a wager about whether or not I'm inclined to read?"

"Well, not a wager exactly. I mean, we didn't actually bet anything, but I just ..." she spluttered. She could see the way Karn was smiling at her - clearly he was just jesting. "Ah, knock it off!" she huffed.

"Sorry, Dashie. Sometimes a conversation flows somewhat like a game of chess, and control of the center of the board is vital."

"What's chess??"

"It's a shame you don't play it here. I'll have to how you sometime. I think Twilight would probably enjoy it more, though."

They continued their walk further to the east and through part of the Market Row. All kinds of things seemed to be out for sale. Karn was curious about the goods on offer, but of course not having any ready currency, viewing the wares for sale was all he could do. He did make a note of where to locate a source of yeast, though. Whilst he did intend to use baker's yeast to brew alcohol from the fruit juice in the apple cider (which could be done, though the taste might be a little odd), he was hoping to keep this little side drink to himself. Not out of a motivation for greed, but because he wasn't sure that adding alcohol to the diets of ponies would be at all an intelligent idea.

"Well, we're nearly there. Just over the brook here!"

Rainbow Dash led Karn over a bridge spanning a brook - by all accounts known as the "Bucephalus Brook". The water appeared clean and flowed gently. Clearly, sanitation was a strong point amongst these ponies. It was apparent that they had reached Fluttershy's cottage - directly on the opposite side of the bridge was a large tree, well stocked with bird houses. Birds of various colors and varying sizes flew amongst the trees, feeding from well-stocked feed stations. Other trees nearby sported nests for larger birds, holes within trees suggested the presence of owls and a good many small forest creatures scurried around the grounds of what happened to be a very lovely looking cottage.

Like so many other buildings in Ponyville that he'd observed, it seemed that it was half house and half tree. It was difficult to locate the precise points at which the existence of the one ended and the other began - but the effect was a pleasing one! The dwelling was cozy looking, lovely, picturesque - 'very much like the owner' Karn thought to himself.

The two made their way across the brook, to the front door of the cottage. Karn knocked softly on the door, expecting to be greeted by Fluttershy herself. The door instead opened to reveal a white rabbit who appeared somewhat impatient. It looked up at Karn with a scowl that suggested he was not going to be trusted. It made him think of the way Rainbow Dash had viewed him when he was still on Ponyville hospital.

"Angel Bunny, I'd like ya to meet Karn! Karn, this is Fluttershy's pet, Angel Bunny", Rainbow Dash introduced them. Karn held out his hand to the annoyed looking white rabbit, expecting it to want to at least shake hands. If he was being introduced thus to a rabbit, it was clear that the thing must be very intelligent - well beyond comprehending simple sentences. Angel was having none of it. Ignoring Karn's outstretched hand, he just stood there arms akimbo and continued to scowl.

Withdrawing his hand, Karn pressed a little further. "Well, good morning, Angel. Dashie and I were here to see Fluttershy, if she's around?" he asked. The rabbit pointed back into the cottage with a paw, and with that he left the door open for the visitors to enter. Karn turned to Rainbow Dash. "Is it something I did? I've never seen a rabbit that sapient before, and he quite clearly wasn't fond of me," observed Karn.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Angel is pretty well always a bit on the angry side. Fluttershy is about the only one of us he'll put up with," explained Rainbow Dash.

A familiar soft voice emanated from further inside. "Angel Bunny, how rude of you to treat our guests like that! Please, come in!" Fluttershy was busily engaged with making breakfast for the animals that she had with her in the cottage. Karn was surprised at how well organized and neat everything was, considering this abode was quite clearly shared by a lot of different animals. Everything from birds, to small rodents. It was like walking into a zoo, where the walls had been removed and the creatures within had been given a higher level of intelligence.

The combination of the sounds of the creatures, the way in which the cottage was built and the company he was sharing - Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy - it all felt beautiful and very peaceful. A curious kind of peace, not related to sound, as the animals themselves were making quite a ruckus, but a peace built on care and kindness. There was no hate here, no anxiety, no feeling of loneliness or pain. It was just peaceful - and Karn found himself loving this place very much. He fought back the desire to be holding a rifle and just try to adjust to the surprising calm of his surroundings.

He observed the smaller animals on the floor and knelt down next to them. They appeared to be squirrels - normally very intolerant of anyone getting near them. He gently held out his hand towards one of them, and tried to entice it to come closer. The squirrel observed him cautiously for some time, eyeing him up and determining if he was a threat. Then slowly, testing the waters as it were, the animal gingerly clawed up onto his hand. It stood there and chattered at him, and to his amazement it appeared to be smiling at him.

"He says that he's pleased to meet you," explained Fluttershy, who had been observing this interaction.

"Well, I'm pleased to meet him, too!" exclaimed Karn. He actually felt very pleased - he'd never been able to approach an animal like this before. As a human and therefore a great curiosity to them, several other critters made their way over towards him. Karn slowly slid down to the floor such that he was prone and held both of his hands out. "I'm pleased to meet all of you," he said, as others climbed onto his hands. A mixture of chitters and chatters reached his ears - it all sounded like it was positive, so he returned the smiles that they were giving him.

"My goodness, they all really seem to like you! Normally they're a little afraid around strangers, but they're certainly fond of you! Most of them are asking questions about who you are and where you're from, and what kind of animal you are," explained Fluttershy.

"I see, I am being asked questions again," grinned Karn. "Very well, I shall commence the lecture! My name is Karn Rolltagen and I am a human. I come from a place that's ... well, either far away or doesn't exist anymore. I am therefore presently living here in Ponyville," he explained, as clearly as he could to all the creatures now examining him. They climbed onto his head, his back, along his legs, examining his boots and generally checking him out. He found the experience wonderful - it was like playing on the floor with a lot of curious children! "As you can see, I do not have a great deal of fur, beyond that on my head. I appear large, but I assure you I mean none of you any harm. As a visitor here, I therefore extend to you all my heart felt thanks for your hospitality," he continued. Finally, satisfied that he was indeed safe to be around, the critters climbed off him and returned to their breakfast and their homes.

'I have never seen my friends so calm around a stranger like this before' thought Fluttershy to herself. She observed him still lying on the ground, playing with a few young raccoons that had made their way over. He was so gentle with them - and they trusted him so implicitly! It was as if they just knew he was trustworthy.

Karn turned to look up towards her. "Fluttershy? I'm sorry if I was bothering your friends. I just wanted to meet them, they seemed really nice."

"No, Karn, that's okay! I'm glad they like you. They don't take so well to strangers and yet they love you," she said.

Karn tried once again to get back into training. Rolling rapidly up and forwards into a handstand, he slipped himself back up and onto his feet. The animals in the room were surprised by this sudden movement, but didn't seem to be too scared by it. "I hope my sudden movements didn't frighten any of them? That was a bit foolish of me, I'm sorry."

"Well, they didn't seem to be too freaked out about it! It's a shame you don't have wings, I bet ya could pull off some cool stunts!" noted Rainbow Dash.

"Hah, well if I did, I'm sure I wouldn't be up to your standards. I think I'd be good at just doing maneuvers whilst floating in the same place."

"Um, Karn, would you like to see where my friends and I live?" asked Fluttershy.

"I would love that very much."

Fluttershy lead Karn around her cottage and once again he felt a certain amazement at the way ponies were able to construct houses from the inside of trees in this curious fashion. The front room was graced with a large rug adorned with a flower, which he thought was appropriate. A rather cozy looking green couch and a similar chair lay against one wall, near a stair case leading upstairs. Climbing the steps proved to something of a challenge, since they were pony size. With care, he was able to make his way upstairs without damaging anything, although he once again had to bend down substantially to fit in through the doorway.

The second story was very cozy. It was equipped with a fireplace, somewhat smaller than the one downstairs. Several bird houses hung from the exposed rafters, along with nests in a few places. It surprised him once more that the place was still so clean and well organized, even with the room being quite clearly shared by various animals at times. A pony sized double bed lay against the far wall, with a large chest at the foot. He assumed the chest was for bed linen and such. A bedside table held a lantern, a few books and some pictures.

'It is elegant', he thought to himself, 'organized, and ... well, pretty I think is the word I'm looking for, though it's an odd word to use,' he mused. "It's very beautiful, Fluttershy! It's a lovely home you have here - very peaceful. I love your other friends there, too!" he smiled to her.

Fluttershy appeared a little flustered but accepted the praise gratefully. "Thank you! I'm glad you like the cottage, I've always found it lovely and peaceful out here on the edge of town."

"Hey, don't ya think it's time to head out to show Karn where he arrived here?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Oh my goodness, I'd forgotten, I was going to offer you some tea first, but since you ..."

"Actually, a cup of tea sounds lovely, if you don't mind? There'll be plenty of time to start the forensic work afterwards."

Fluttershy lead the two of them downstairs and brewed some tea. As a treat, they even shared some cupcakes made by Pinkie. Karn, having learned his lesson, went easy on the cupcake. He didn't want to go through the surreal experience he had the last time Pinkie had fed him anything.

He found himself in a relaxed mood - sipping his lemon tea, observing the animals that not only frequented Fluttershy's house, but also outside. When the other ponies had explained to him that her gift was for animals and other creatures, they certainly weren't kidding. It was the harmony he felt within his present situation. In times gone by, a meeting of friends was usually in a large shell hole, or behind a scrape, in a dugout or hiding underground. The meetings were rapid, quick, a few remarks, a quick laugh, but always the feeling of being a wound up spring - being ready for action at any instant. It made such times spent together somewhat awkward - almost as if you were having a conversation with someone who was only half there - one half was listening to you, the other concentrating on looking for danger. To be seated here, albeit on a pony sized stool, sipping tea, enjoying wildlife that ran free and fearless. The contrast between his previous life and his 'new' life was both breathtaking, yet baffling. He felt like he should be ready for action. That he should have his rifle ready, that he should have his kit with him and his medical gear - that he should be ready to draw energy to form blades of pure power at a moment's notice. Yet here, there was no need for such things. Indeed the concept of such would be anathema to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

No rifle, no readiness to wield energy. It was a curious, naked, unnerving sensation he began to feel. He wondered if his hands were beginning to look pale and feel sweaty.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy cut short their conversation when they noticed Karn sitting there. He was holding his cup of tea halfway to his face - but the look on his face and the manner in which his eyes were fixed, almost like he was looking at something a thousand miles away, something other worldly obviously. They'd seen him like this before, and it was troubling.

Fluttershy gently reached out and touched his free hand. His face jerked suddenly as his eyes once more focused on the room he was in and of course the company he had. "Oh ... sorry, Fluttershy ... I was just off thinking about ..."

"Were you thinking about where you came from?" she asked delicately. "I've seen that look on your face a few times."

'My God, she'd noticed that?' thought Karn to himself. 'Beautiful, kind, considerate, sweet natured, sensitive ... and observant ... she also makes wonderful tea,' he continued. "Fluttershy, I was just thinking about the difference between being here, sharing tea with both of you, and what it was like meeting friends back ... well, back there."

"Were you having one of those flash back things again?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Flash ... flash backs?" squeaked Fluttershy. "Oh my, that sounds awful!"

"Well, they're not very nice. It's all related to trauma, Fluttershy, as I was explaining to Dashie earlier. Sometimes when you experience something very traumatic, your brain likes to record it for you. It's something your brain normally does. You know, so when you burn your hand on a hot stove, you remember not to do it again."

"I guess that makes sense," whispered Fluttershy.

"But with very severe trauma ... well, your brain likes to replay your experiences. It likes to drag out those memories and play them back, almost like they're real again," he explained. He looked at his tea cup for a moment as the two ponies silently watching him. "Sometimes you remember odd things you did because they relate to where you are presently. Sitting here with you and drinking this lovely tea ... " he observed, as he looked up at Fluttershy's eyes. He could spend eternity just looking into those cyan pools. "... well, I began thinking about meeting up with my friends where I came from and how different that was. I mean ... I'm sitting here, perfectly safe, yet I'm so used to having a rifle with me, or to be treating an injured friend in a scrape somewhere, or hurriedly throwing down some lukewarm coffee. And always having an eye out for danger, listening for danger, constantly on alert for danger ... you get wired to do it automatically, Fluttershy," he finished. He gently lifted the cup to his mouth and drank the last of the lemon tea, enjoying the lovely flavor as it ran over his tongue, and the scent of it as it filled his nostrils. "I'm sorry I get that way sometimes, Fluttershy."

"Oh Karn, I'm sorry that having tea like this upset you ..." she began, apologetically.

"No! Oh no, no, no Fluttershy!" exclaimed Karn, learning forwards. "Please don't misunderstand! I love being here sharing this experience with you! The tea, incidentally, is absolutely wonderful. But it's just the act of sitting with friends that made me think back like that! The mind is an incredible machine, Fluttershy, sometimes ... well, it becomes broken a little and it takes some time for it to put itself back together. I am ... well, broken, Fluttershy. I will need some time to heal and to let go of habits and horrors that have programmed me to be what I am," he reached his hand out and gently held her hoof. "I need to thank you for being so patient with me, Fluttershy. You too, Dashie. You've all been very patient and understanding about this ... cracked mind of mine," he lamented. "Thank you for allowing a creature who is malfunctioning to be a part of your group, and a friend of yours."

"Karn, we all love you! We're just worried about you. We'll do anything we can to help ya feel better," stated Rainbow Dash.

"Yes, we'd love to help you get better! I'm so sorry you have so many bad memories," added Fluttershy.

"Well, now that we've finished this wonderful tea and incredibly strong cupcakes, I'd like to see where it is that I landed, if you wouldn't mind?"

"Oh, yes of course!" agreed Fluttershy. "It's not very far from my cottage."

The three friends ventured outside and along a dirt track that towards the Everfree Forrest - a place very much out of bounds as near as Karn could tell. It appeared to be more or less like any forest that he'd seen where he was from - at least, what a forest looked like before it was bombarded from space, blow apart by artillery and chopped down to reinforce positions.

They finally walked to a place on the dirt track, where the grass was still growing after having clearly been burnt quite severely. In a few places, the dirt had in fact been melted into a glass substance and the ground cover had been unable to grow through it. It was as if his arrival here had scarred the very ground.

"Well, this was where it happened," pointed out Fluttershy. "When you appeared, Pinkie and I were playing with our pets just over there," she indicated further down the track towards her cottage, "when there was a quiet crackling at first. It was sort of like distant thunder, then it got incredibly loud. There was this bright light and what sounded like an explosion, and when it cleared ... well ... you were there, on the ground ... badly hurt," she continued.

Karn turned from Fluttershy to look back at the ground. Nothing about it seemed to give him any clues as to what had transpired. He carefully knelt down and reached out his hand, gently trying to sense energy or power. There was a very faint hint of it - like someone had made a recording of a recording of a recording - it was faint, but still there. He closed his eyes to help him concentrate more. The residual power was tied up within the matrix of the grains of sand - almost like they had become a slate upon which his arrival had been recorded. It had obviously been very strong, but it didn't 'feel' like the kind of power he was used to, raw energy - lightning, fire, electricity. It had an odd signature, almost as if one expected to find a positive charge, but was instead faced with a negative one. Or indeed a mixture of such polarities, where he'd expect just one. This indicated some kind of a great confusion - almost as if something had torn itself here.

He stood up slowly, the hard concentration fixed on his face. He'd come up with a theory of how he arrived. It was just that, nothing more than a theory, and it was a crazy one. If the entropy - the joining of raw chaos and raw order during that battle - had enveloped him, just as he was shielded and dilating time, what if he had somehow been ... 'burnt' through the fabric of the universe he was in? What if that sensation of timelessness, of being but not being, was just his existence outside of his original universe, existing as nothing more than pure energy? If he had somehow struck another universe, where universes are assumed to be infinite, then that may explain how he ended up here.

How long had it taken between his 'death' in his former world and his arrival in this one? What had happened to the others in his own universe if this was the case? Technically, if he now existed here, then the universe he came from didn't really exist anymore. Even if it did, with infinite universes it would be impossible to locate where he was from, and on his arrival on any similar world would be just that - the creation of yet another branch of an existing universe.

If this was the case, even just being a theory as it was, he was here forever. He needed to talk this over with Twilight. He needed to ... he needed to dig.

Dig?

Dig. To be safe.

The ground around him had become a wasteland while he'd been standing there thinking. The green forest was gone, now nothing more than shattered stumps and shell holes. The rain was incessant, filling the holes that had opened in the ground before him. The sickly sweet smell of decaying flesh reached his nose, as all around him exhausted men marched forwards and armored carriers crossed the sea of mud. The mist of the rain made it hard to see - but he could hear the orders. His platoon was with him - advancing in arrow formation as best they could over the open ground, his lieutenant holding their position as strongly as possible. There was a roar to his half left - a massive explosion that shook the ground and spewed chunks of earth into the misty air. Someone shouted 'CONTACT FRONT' and they advanced to battle.

The enemy had been so close that Karn abandoned his rifle and instead seized the power and formed blades extending from his hands. With a scream, their platoon charged into what there was of the chaos adepts in their advanced position. Blow met blow, fist met face as men beat and stabbed at each other. Blood, teeth and body parts began to fly, as the soldiers - fueled with adrenaline and rage - attempted to butcher each other as desperately as possible.

The soldier Karn was facing was obviously comparatively inexperienced. His tunic was relatively new and he did not have the service chevrons one would expect to find on a seasoned soldier. With one last desperate thrust, Karn rammed his left energy blade clear though the young adept's stomach. The stench of blood and flesh being burned with power filled the air, as the man's abdomen began to smoke and bubble - the heat of the blade actually cooking him from within. The man's eyes were wide open, staring directly at Karn - just as he brought his other blade across and severed the man's head at the neck. His blow had in fact been so swift, that it had not quite cauterized the arteries in his neck, and blood gushed momentarily into the air from what was left of his body.

That head.

Karn had fought so many battles and had butchered other humans in many different ways. He'd beheaded enemy soldiers with energy blades, cleaved them in two from the shoulder to the hip, cut them in half - clear through the spine - at the abdomen. So many legs, arms, disemboweled enemy solders, some of them pleading with Karn to finish them to end their pain. Over and over, battle after battle ... so many dead.

That head.

It had rolled into the forward chaos position and remained there - its lifeless eyes still staring up at Karn.

That head.

All the other heads.

All of the death he had helped spread.

The widows he'd made, the fatherless children he'd created, the tearful fiancés he'd helped bring to hysterical screams, the families ruined.

So many dead men. So many unmarked graves. Weeping mothers without so much as a stone monument to cry over.

He stared at the blades of power extending from both his hands.

He fell to his knees. The ground seemed somewhat firmer than he expected. The rain had stopped - the sound of fighting ... it had gone. He slowly raised his face to look around and found himself kneeling on the dirt track next to the forest. He was still holding onto the blades of pure energy in his hands. His breathing was rapid and he was sweating.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had retreated a certain distance away from him. Rainbow Dash looked at him cautiously, whilst Fluttershy seemed terrified. Why were they frightened?

The blades.

He realized he was still holding the power, those blades extending from his hands. He looked at them a little incredulously, then released the power and the blades faded away, leaving him once more unarmed. He slowly looked around at the green field he was in, at the curious forest and towards the clear blue sky.

The things he had done! The pain he had caused! Guilty!

'I am guilty of these things - guilty of all of them, guilty of an endless list of crimes committed in the name of order,' he lamented. 'What kind of order was that? What kind of order spreads its ideals in that fashion? Why have I survived, when guilty of such crimes, I should have been incinerated along with the rest of my platoon?'

Falling forward onto his hands, he burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. "Oh, Christ, what did I do?!?" he heaved through his tears. "What have I done? Why did I do those things, commit those crimes, fucking why?" He stared at the ground with his tears pattering the burnt earth, very much like the rain drops in his flash back.

He could hear the footsteps approaching him. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash cautiously made their way towards him.

"Karn, are you okay now? I guess that must've been a really nasty flashback you just had," offered Rainbow Dash.

Karn, controlling his sobbing once more, could only manage a slow nod.

Fluttershy slowly came over to him and carefully sat next to him. He'd expected her to run from him, or admonish him - to berate him for the horrific deeds he'd committed.

Instead she raised her hooves to his shoulders, and looked into his eyes. "Karn ... I can never understand what you must have gone through. I know that it must have been horrific and tragic for you, and that you ..." she shuddered a little, "... had to kill a lot of your fellow humans in that war you keep mentioning ... but I know that you have remorse for what you did. I think you had remorse at the time you did those things, it's in your nature. Karn, you are not there anymore. You are here, with us. And whatever you've done in your past, you're not going to do here. I won't let you. I intend to help fix that poor, 'broken' mind of yours and help you be happy again!"

"Fluttershy ..... can you forgive me? For all those deaths? For those widows? For the fatherless .... "

The way he spoke was so filled with anguish and regret, it broke her heart - both because of what it had done to him, and because of the results of what he'd been forced to do. "Karn, I forgive you. I think you're better than that, whatever horrible things you did, you were in an awful place, filled with horrible people and awful things. You don't have that now. I forgive you, Karn, I really do - I really care for you, and I'm not going to abandon you!" She wiped the tears off her cheeks before placing her hooves back onto his shoulders. "Karn, I am going to help you mend that poor, broken mind of yours! Even if I have to take it out and use wood glue!" she exclaimed. She even managed a smile.

Karn looked back into Fluttershy's eyes. "You really do forgive me?"

She managed a gentle laugh. "Yes, Karn! I forgive you! We all do - and we want to help heal you!" she replied.

"Fluttershy, thank you." Karn muttered. A soft, thankful smile crept across his lips.

Still shaken, he stood slowly and again glanced at the spot upon which he had landed in this world.

"I think I may have a theory regarding how I got here," he said softly. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at each other in surprise. "We need to see Twilight - I think I have a few things to discuss with her."

Author's Note

Shellshock - the primary basis for this particular chapter. The horrors of modern mechanized warfare, combined with almost Napoleonic tactics. These have combined to turn what were one just place names, into words we associate with mass, industrial death. The Somme. Ypres. Verdun. Villers-Bretonneux. Passchendaele. Fromelles. So many men - blown completely out of their minds.

If you have the strength, you can observe first hand the kind of horrors that humanity is capable of inflicting on itself. No visible scars - just minds, cracked and broken.

So many poor, broken men.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1MixQbB-K0

I am basing the approximately building locations and residences off a map by "Wolfboy183" as drawn in June of 2015.

2017-04-20 POST EDIT
I've removed a little more the soppy romance at this stage of the story, fixed some grammatical issues with the dialog and tried to tighten things a little.