“I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be okay with being different, and with being this alive, this intense. (xxvi)”
― Eve Ensler

Karn had been able to regain still more of his strength courtesy of the comfortable bed that he had in the loft at Sweet Apple Acres. A couple of days had passed now since the commencement of Pinkie's work on preparing for this great celebration. Whilst he felt gratitude that anyone would want to offer him some kind of festival, the entire concept of one being held just for him was extremely difficult for him to accept. It made him feel uneasy and perhaps even a little guilty. Why he would be feeling guilty over this was difficult for him to pinpoint, but it was certainly shame of some kind.

He continued carrying out odd repair jobs and helping anywhere else he could manage around the farm, occasionally checking to verify that his early attempt at fermenting the apple cider seemed to be progressing okay. He still felt that the most difficult part of his little experiment would be to try and keep the temperature as steady as possible. He'd at least been able to prepare a fairly secure container, with a stopper to bleed off any gas. Only time would tell how well any of that worked.

The work at Sweet Apple Acres was a confidence boosting experience. The work was hard and long and he began to feel his strength returning. He also found himself enjoying the time spent with Applejack. She was a hard worker and a great companion to have along during the chores and work on the farm. She seemed to want to spend a lot of time with him whilst working, since her only other coworker seemed to be her brother Big Mac, he guessed she just needed some different attention during the long work days.

Time was something he felt as if he had a great deal of to spare presently. Provided Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would allow him the right to stay in Ponyville or indeed anywhere in Equestria, he was inclined to find somewhere to build a small place of his own and start to try and reconstruct his mind a little. The flashbacks had seemed to be under reasonable control for the moment, although it always felt as if they were buzzing around the back of his mind. It felt like any time he was working, exercising and pacing around the farm, something horrific might leap from the nearest doorway and shatter his senses completely. This troubled him but despite this, his thoughts shifted to Rarity.

The first couple of dance lessons with Rarity had not gone quite as well as he'd hoped and he had not hoped for a great deal. He'd spent an awful lot of time apologizing for stepping on her hooves and had left on both occasions wondering at her desire to continue to help him at all. She was certainly persistent in the lessons.

He'd been spending this particular morning - 'party day' minus twelve - being put to work doing some fencing. Karn had been exceptionally impressed by the methods that the Apple clan used to harvest in their orchard since they were very different from his own! Not only did it take considerable strength to beat apples out of a tree in the fashion they did, but it obviously took a lot of stamina; he was certainly amazed whilst observing their technique!

He'd been checking the fences and replacing beams that were wearing out when Twilight dropped by to see how he was doing. He'd seen her approaching along the road outside the orchard with Spike trailing not so far behind. Naturally enough, that accursed notebook of hers was neatly tucked in a saddle bag. She stopped at the side of the fence to speak to him, however Spike was quick to interject.

"Hi, Karn! I gather they've been keeping you pretty busy out here?" Spike said excitedly.

Karn wiped the sweat from his brow. "Well, being busy always beats the alternative, I guess. How have you been keeping? Has my gentle inquisitor kept your quill hand busy?" he replied, a slight smirk on his face.

"Huh, as usual," Spike replied, causing Twilight to throw him a brief frown. Spike looked up at her. "What? You always keep me busy writing, checklists, checklists to check the checklists, updates to Princess Celestia, checklists for the updates to ..."

"Ahem," Twilight coughed. "Karn, as I was trying to ask, how have you been? I realize it's only been a day since I checked in with you last, but I do tend to worry about you a bit."

Spike rolled his eyes, "A bit?"

Karn was happy enough to provide Twilight with an update. He was amused, however, by the young dragon’s remark. "Actually, aside from some minor mishaps and accidents with my dance teacher and the fact that I'm still not up to standard on the breakfast making front, things have been going very well."

Twilight smiled. "I'm pleased to hear it! I've certainly heard a lot of reports about just how much you've improved health wise."

'Clearly the grapevine here is flourishing' he thought to himself. "I've been getting in a lot of running, general exercises, light weights, calisthenics and the like. Combined with my bed over there in the hay loft, I can honestly say I've been improving in leaps and bounds - literally and metaphorically."

"How about your flashbacks?"

Karn took the chance to take a drink of water and collect his thoughts a little. The smile briefly disappeared from his face as grief replaced it. "I've had a few of them, Twilight. They've been minor ones, though, mercifully. I think keeping occupied with work around the farm here and always having one of the six of you nearby at all times is making the difference."

"So ... you've been avoiding your past, basically?"

"Basically?" he laughed grimly and looked up at her. "No, Twilight, that's precisely what I've been doing, avoiding it completely. I've had a lot of very bad episodes since leaving the hospital, Twilight, I really don't want to risk having another one."

"Karn, you'll need to ... well, talk about them sooner or later. I don't mean that you'd need to go overboard, but ... well, when you're ready."

"I know, Twilight. I'm ... well, I'm scared to be honest. I did some things that...", and he stopped again to shake his head, "... that I'm going to have trouble explaining to anyone. I'm not just worried about the possibility of flashbacks or terrors, but of giving somebody the wrong impression, of telling them about things that will change their opinion of me."

"Karn, I know none of us can understand what you went through, but any of us would be willing to listen."

He chuckled. "Any of you? Do you really think Pinkie Pie would make the best possible psychologist for me?"

Twilight giggled as well, "Well maybe not directly, no. But she'll help you in so many other ways. She's wonderful at brightening up your day, you have to admit that, right?"

"Are you kidding? After my last afternoon spent almost breaking poor Rarity's hooves, I'd swear she seemed to explode out of a drain pipe and showered me with hugs and questions about what colored table clothes I liked," he exclaimed, nodding his head. "She is something, alright."

The two of them shared a brief smile.

"Hey, Twilight, I don't wish to appear rude, but I really should get back to checking these fences. Applejack, Big Mac, Granny Smith and Apple Bloom have been very accommodating here, and my bed in that barn ... honestly, that's one of the most comfortable places I've slept in a century or so."

Having made his apologies, he returned to work on the fencing along the eastern edge of the farm.

He spent the remainder of the morning checking the fences along the section of the farm while the others were harvesting apples nearby. Much of the fence itself was already in good repair and he worried that he wasn't being a great deal of use to them. He was assured that he was and that even if the fencing itself was of a good standard, it would've still needed to be checked anyway - the act of making sure no immediate repair work was required and repainting areas as needed it, was saving time for the others. It still seemed odd that Applejack was intent on checking his work and engaging him in conversation. He put it down to his having worked on a farm back in his own universe for so long. It would be natural for her to be so curious.

Farm work aside, he'd also wondered whether he could be of any service at the hospital. Clearly he knew nothing of equine medicine, but he could at least change a bandage, handle suturing and suchlike. Still deep in thought, he finished the bread and butter he'd made for lunch, and washed that down with a glass of fresh milk. He'd made it a part of his plan today to go by and see Fluttershy. He was going to end up bumping into Pinkie, whether he planned to or not, so he just assumed she would explode from somewhere.

Whilst washing his face from the water pump next to the barn, he was met by the three fillies he'd learned called themselves the 'cutie mark crusaders'. Evidently the business of attaining a cutie mark was something of an achievement among these ponies.

Miss Apple Bloom and her two friends that he'd been introduced to had decided to learn almost as much about him as Twilight had. It was during one of these interrogations the day before that he had in fact learned that one them - Sweetie Belle - was Rarity's sister.

"Good afternoon, Karn!" greeted Apple Bloom.

"Good afternoon to you too, miss Bloom! And of course to you Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle! What has one done to deserve a visit from three such lovely, determined young ladies?"

"Haven't you left fer town yet? I thought Rainbow Dash was comin' to git you just after lunch!" asked Apple Bloom.

"Well, she is. I guess I just finished up a bit sooner than I'd intended to. I'm sure she'll be along shortly," he suggested, wiping the remainder of the water from off his shoulders.

"Is it true your a thousand years old, Karn?" she asked.

Karn laughed to himself. "Well no, not quite, miss Bloom. But I've been around a while, yes."

"Do many hoo-mins live to be as old as you, Karn?" asked Scootaloo.

"Well, I'm a special kind of human, what they call an 'adept', so my life span tends to be a good deal longer than other humans."

"It must be wonderful to be an adept, Karn!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

Karn was quiet for a moment. 'What was wonderful about it', he pondered. "What makes you think that, sweetheart?"

"Because you can live so long and see so many new things and go and visit so many other places!"

Karn smiled gently at the innocent fillies who had come to ask him such questions. 'Oh God, sweetheart. It isn't worth being hale and hearty if what you go forth and find ends up making every day a pants-pissing nightmare. You should value your innocence. It's a priceless treasure,' he thought to himself darkly.

"I guess you could say that a long life span does mean you can see a lot of different places. That isn't always a good thing, though. You have a wonderful town here, it's very peaceful. Other creatures have lives that are less fortunate," he protested as gently as he could. The three crusaders eyed him curiously - that they didn't quite grasp what he was trying to tell them made them all the more dear to him. His smile deepened. "I'm sorry, young ladies. I didn't mean to preach. I guess what I'm saying is that I've seen many places on my journeys, but none of them were as nice as Ponyville."

"Really?" smiled Scootaloo.

"Yes, sweetheart. Really!" he exclaimed. He found himself a little stunned to realize that this feeling was genuine, and his pleased expression was an automatic one.

"Why do you keep calling us 'sweethearts'?" asked Sweetie Belle.

He managed a small chuckle, kneeling down so he was at their eye level. "I'm sorry, it's an old habit of mine. You are all young, polite, well spoken and lovely company if one may say so. 'Sweetheart' seemed an appropriate compliment," he explained. He stood up again and used what had been an old blanket to dry the rest of his face and hair. "Is there anything else you'd prefer I called you? I do apologize, young ladies, it seems I forgot my manners."

"Hey, Club-man! There you are!" came a familiar voice behind him.

'Shit' he thought, 'I mentioned the name to one of them, how could it have spread this far already?' he asked himself, a little angrily. He turned to face his escort for the day. "Ah, Rainbow Dash. I was just waiting for your arrival. May I ask why you are referring to me as a 'club'?"

She seemed a little taken aback. "I don't know, AJ was just mentioning it was a nickname you had ..."

Karn just closed his eyes and shook his head. "Dashie ... It's a nice surprise, but I must ask you not to use that nickname? It has a connotation that makes it awkward to hear anyone use it."

"Oh ... well okay, then," she agreed, the curiosity in her voice being almost tangible.

"Let me fetch my clean, dry shirt. And yes, I have bathed, though I wear the same clothes, " he stated for the record, "as Rarity would have people thinking I refuse to do so since I have three copies now of the same uniform."

"Hah! I'd been wondering about that, it almost seems like you sleep in those weird things you carry around!"

Karn raised an eyebrow, playfully, as he changed into his clean shirt. "Weird things? Dashie, this happens to the be the uniform of a very seasoned secondary master adept. I happen to be very proud of it!"

"Proud of it? They're just clothes, Karn!"

"My other options presently are to wear saddle bags and crawl around on all fours, or I can go naked before my friends," he pointed out. The observation made him stop, and he looked up, attempting to look as if he'd just had a sudden revelation. "Now that would certainly make for a somewhat memorable party .... now that one thinks about it ..." God, but he felt up for almost anything this morning. He'd obviously managed to strike Rainbow Dash something of a blow - she hovered there, eyes wide and her face blushing.

"Ah ... Karn, you ain't serious are you?" He looked at her, his face was deadpan for some time, giving her the impression that it was indeed an act he was considering. Finally, she burst out laughing, "Dang it, you got me again!"

He broke into a wide smile. "I had to get you back somehow for uttering that nickname. In all honesty, Dashie, please don't use it. 'Karn' is all I wish to be known as."

"You got it, Karn! Sometimes you seem ..."

"Pretty awesome?" he offered and she laughed again. "Great news then, Dashie. I shall try to be twenty percent more awesome for tomorrow."

Thus far at least, a wonderful start to the day. The real challenge would be the dancing lessons, again.

The two of them made steady progress into the town, meeting Fluttershy and of course Pinkie Pie along the way. Pinkie had apparently been stocking all kinds of materials for whatever popular party games ponies played. She hinted that a certain amount of explosive was going to be involved in some of the display, but Karn wasn't entirely convinced that would be a great idea. He had let her know that if any kind of explosive was to be employed, it would be pertinent to let him know when such would be detonated. Having an incredibly vivid flashback following the eruption of something called a 'party cannon' was something Karn was keen to avoid, especially in front of the entire town again.

He had to admit to himself that the term 'party cannon' did delight his imagination. He'd not had the privilege of seeing one in action and the name conjured up images of clowns being rammed into open breaches. An odd combination of comedy and violence.

Pinkie had bounced joyfully alongside them as they all made their way to the Carousel Boutique. Once more Karn was intrigued to find out where she managed to get this kind of endless enthusiasm and energy.

"Pinkie, precisely how much farther are you planning to take these preparations of yours?" he asked.

"Karn, there's never been a party of this kind before and I want it to be one that every pony in town remembers! Trust me, after this party, everypony in town is going to remember your re-birthday!"

"Well, I'm certain I won't forget it."

"How could you possibly forget it? I'm going to be reminding you every time we meet about what day your birthday was changed to! Well, not so much 'changed' as ' adjusted', since you obviously already had a birthday or you wouldn't be here, so technically all I'll be doing is reminding you of the new date that we made up for your birthday given that you'd ..."

"Pinkie, I'm honestly delighted that you're so enthused with all of this, but please don't wear me out before ..."

"Hey! Do you realize that really it would be your first birthday?"

"Yes, I've never celebrated my date of birth before at any stage, but ..."

"So you'd be turning one!"

"I guess if you look at that way, but ..."

"Happy almost first birthday!" She again threw her hooves around him. Such an act now had ceased to be a surprise when he was near Pinkie, and he'd become a good deal more prepared for this kind of excitable behavior. He found it amusing that he now accepted random hugs such as this one with a degree of resilience. Just following his convalescence, a surprise hug like this would most likely have drawn a very unpleasant defensive reflex from him.

He managed a smile and even returned the hug. "Thank you, Pinkie."

"Oh Karn, you're so welcome!" The bouncing resumed and progress towards the Carousel Boutique continued.

"I do gather that I look somewhat weather-worn for somebody who is turning one?" pointed out Karn.

"No, silly, you look fine!"

The afternoon seemed as if it was going rather well. Pinkie had once again helped fit him out with a happy smile and he was once more able to spend some time with Fluttershy. She'd seemed very happy to see him, but had been a little distant since Pinkie had begun cavorting around. He wondered if it was all of the additional chatter that was annoying her. "Fluttershy, are you okay?"

"Um, yes Karn, I'm fine."

It was odd that she seemed a little distant. "I hope all of the silly chatter isn't getting to you?"

"No, I don't mind," she whispered and looked up at him to offer a brief smile.

'Perhaps I'm just overreacting and worried about things' Karn thought. Everything appeared to be going rather smoothly as far as his physical recovery was going at least. He put his concern about Fluttershy seeming quieter than usual down to his hyper-vigilance, but his worry about her remained. He still felt a nagging sense of confusion about the manner in which Fluttershy was acting, suddenly. "I hope you won't mind my asking, Fluttershy, but would you mind at all if I visited you again this afternoon?"

"No, I don't mind!" she exclaimed happily.

"No you don't mind my asking, or you don't mind my visiting?" he responded with a smile, hoping to engage her a little further.

"No, I meant ... well, I wouldn't mind if you visited," she replied.

There had been the faint hint of a smile, there. He found his heart skipping when she gazed up at him - but the curious feeling of hesitation on her part made him worry that much more. Perhaps she'd be a little more relaxed this afternoon? He longed to have a chance to enjoy some time with her again. He realized that with each meeting, his trips into town were increasingly motivated by a desire to be with her, than for any of the other tasks he would be about. This was very confusing for him. He tried to brush these feelings off. She was sweet, quiet and so gentle. He guessed that these attributes made him wish to spend so much time with her.

"I had been wondering earlier, which is always a risky undertaking on my part. I have had the honor of discourse with the 'cutiemark crusaders'. I gather there is a certain amount of prestige which you all attach to these cutie marks you bare?"

"Oh, you betchya!" chimed Pinky, without breaking time with her bouncing.

"It's somethin' that ponies earn!" explained Rainbow Dash, allowing a little more detail. "You have to find a unique talent you have, the talent you're destined for! Once you earn a cutie mark and discover you true talent, there's a celebration that follows, called cute-ceañera!"

"I see," mused Karn. "I guess that all makes a lot of sense now. So my ever present and highly energetic party designer of course sports the balloons, that makes a great deal of sense. Rainbow Dash, you of course sport rainbow lightning, as it sorts well with your speed and aerobatic prowess."

"Huh! Naturally!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash, her snout lifting into the air.

"Twilight had what I noticed was some kind of star, that at least sits well with her name Twilight Sparkle. Rarity of course sports diamonds, a rare and beautiful gem if there ever was one. Do any of you realize that diamonds are in fact the same thing as soot for the most part?" The ponies with him glanced around at him in surprise. "I am not attempting any kind of wit here, diamonds are in fact composed of carbon. The same element predominately found in graphite and soot. You just take the carbon and arrange it into just the right lattice structure, with some other transition metals for color and ...", he stopped having noticed the blank stares being aimed his way. "I'm sorry. I shall cease the lesson."

"Karn, how much time are you spending with Twilight? You're starting to sound like her!" laughed Rainbow Dash.

"Dashie, I enjoy spending time with Twilight!" Karn remonstrated. "Anyway, Twilight's cutie mark relates to her magical prowess, Applejack bares the apples of her trade, sorting well also with her incredible strength and skill in the harvesting of such. Fluttershy carries the butterflies that demonstrate her kindness towards living creatures, her patience and her dear care of others."

"Oh, thank you, Karn. That's very sweet of you."

He found himself once more surprised at how distant and cold she seemed to be. 'Fluttershy, what I have done to upset you?' He decided to try and lighten her mood. "I did suggest to Applejack that I need to get a cutie mark of my own tattooed upon my thigh. I had in mind a pair of boots, to demonstrate that I am now, unlike on my earlier jaunts within town, able to walk unassisted."

Rainbow Dash thought that was hysterical.

Pinkie Pie leapt into the air. "HEY, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!!! Karn, we could throw you you're very own cute-ceañera!"

"Oh, no, Pinkie, please!" he exclaimed, trying to hide any hint of desperation from his voice.

"Karn ... you ... don't like my parties?"

"Oh! Pinkie, no, please! It's just that I have never had a party of any kind before, and I would like to at least experience the one party, before I go further and consider any other acts of public celebration! Truly, one is looking forward to your birth of a birthday party party!"

"Not as much as I am! I just live for making ponies happy! Humans too, of course! So I love it even more if the party is for both!" she said, the happy, effusive tone returning to her voice along with her bouncing gait.

The somewhat merry band made its passage through the town and across the brook towards the Carousal Boutique, where Karn's very patient dance instructor waited for him.

"Karn, my dear, it is lovely to see you once again! I have just a few minor alterations to make to some garments, before I can continue our dance lessons!"

"My lady, I do wish to apologize wholeheartedly for the pain I caused you on our last dance lesson together. I have been practicing a little in my evenings at Sweet Apple Acres, trying to at least master the waltz that you have been teaching me."

"My dear, it is wonderful to hear that you are practicing, and my hooves today are feeling a good deal better!"

He winced a little. "If it isn't an offer that makes you uncomfortable my lady, may I check your hooves? I've been worried about bruising you or causing you further pain through my own clumsiness."

Rarity was a little taken aback about this offer. "Er, well, my dear ... that's not necessary ..."

"I understand if that would make you uncomfortable, my lady. Rest assured, my motivations are those of a gentleman and by a concern for you not to continue exposing your poor hooves to further damage on my part."

"Well ...", she stumbled, not really quite sure what to think, "... I guess if you insist?"

"My lady, not if it makes you uncomfortable. I am nothing if not a worrier, albeit a most grateful worrier."

"Oh ... well, then I, ahm, guess that would be okay, once I finish these alternations," she acquiesced, finally. "In fact, Karn, I was wondering if you would mind if Dashie, Fluttershy and Pinkie kept us company today?"

The blood in Karn's veins very suddenly felt like ice. He suddenly felt hunted and quite terrified. "I ... yar ... I ... my lady! An audience? Now?!?" He could feel his cold, clammy skin begin to perspire, his sympathetic nervous system deciding to ignore a few gears and go clear to the top of the tree.

"Aw, come on, Karn! We're just here to help! We won't laugh, I promise!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"It's okay, Karn!!" cheered Pinkie. "We're just here to offer you an audience! Besides, if I'm going to share a dance with you, I should at least be ready for whatever waltz you're going to be sharing with me!"

He turned slowly and looked across to his friends. His face held very much the look of a man who had been told he would have to cross open ground in broad daylight, using only isolated cover, to fetch something as mundane as fresh coffee.

Fluttershy could see this look of fear on his face. The brook of her natural concern flowed gracefully into the love she felt for him, and she began to worry. "Karn, I can leave if that would help you feel a little more at ease?"

"Oh, Fluttershy, no! It isn't that I don't like any of you being here, and I really do appreciate the support but ... dancing!"

Rarity completed her work and placed her various seamstress tools back into the prim and proper places.

"My dear, I am going to need to lie here for a moment," exhaled Rarity. Clearly, she had been quite hard at work today, and this combined with the pain in her hooves was clearly causing her a certain amount of pain. Karn shook his head - a physical attempt to throw the terrifying thoughts of dancing in front of his friends as far from his mind as he could throw them, metaphorically at least.

He crossed to the sofa where Rarity was now reclining, and knelt at the end closest to her feet. He could see at first glance that she had been working very hard to hide the pain that her hooves were causing her . They were a little swollen and the bruising was quite evident. "Oh, my lady," he whispered, the regret and concern in his voice quite apparent following his initial examination. He looked upwards at her, noticing that even her lovely smile could not hide the grimace that was sitting just beyond her expression. He looked back down to her poor hooves, examining them a little close. "My lady, would you by any chance have some ice available?"

"My dear, why on earth would I need ice?"

"Proximal from here, you have some obvious swelling, doubtless caused by my own clumsiness," he noted. Climbing up onto the sofa at her hind legs, he took a few cushions and placed them on his lap. "Do you mind if I at least rest your hooves here, elevated on these cushions? That will at least help a little. Can anyone find a wash cloth or such and at least moisten it with cold water for me?"

"My dear, you do not need to bother yourself with ..."

"My lady, I am responsible for causing you this much pain. You have showed the utmost patience, generosity and care for me. I would at the very least like to reciprocate that care? Please, my lady? I feel to be ... no, I am indeed responsible for these injuries."

Rainbow Dash returned with two very cold wash cloths. He gently took them, waved them in the air a little to help cool them still further, then gently folding them up, he rested them very gently across poor Rarity's hooves as they lay above his lap. She managed a wince, until the soothing sensation of the cool cloth finally helped to alleviate some of the pain from the swelling. He looked back up at his beautiful dance instructor. She managed a very relieved smile and rested her head back onto the sofa.

"My lady, I really think that continuing any dancing lesson today would be a bad idea. As terrifying as dancing is for me, especially in front of an audience, you could end up causing further damage to yourself. That's simply going to make your work difficult and course make it impossible for me to dance at all."

Since massage of any kind over a soft tissue injury this soon after it'd been acquired was obviously not a good idea, he wondered if gently running his hands around her poor, tired hooves would at least help her feel a little more relaxed. Rarity, for her part, just lay back on the sofa and groaned. "Oh my goodness, my dear. That feels so much better. I cannot begin to tell you how much my poor hooves have been aggrieved with me since ..."

"Since I stepped on them repeatedly the other day," Karn reiterated, as he continued to gently and soothingly rub his hands around her sore hooves.

"My dear Karn, you don't need to do this."

"I know, my lady," he admitted. "But one lives to serve," he stated, matter-of-factly. The smile he gave to her was genuine, although mischievous. "You may want to get your doctor to double check, but in the meantime, you need rest off your hooves. Keep them elevated if you can, iced or cooled whenever possible, since I cannot ask you to wake every so often during the night to replace the cool cloth. I shall find somebody around here who sells ice. Would you be at all offended my lady, if I were to drop by tomorrow morning to see how you are doing?"

Rarity smiled warmly up at Karn. 'My dear, you are a treasure. How can you possibly be so charming, sensitive and kind, and yet be so eager to spend time on your own?' she wondered to herself. "You are welcome of course any time. And I would most certainly appreciate your company."

Fluttershy watched Karn tending to Rarity's injured hooves. "If you don't mind, I think I need to get back to my friends - I want to make sure that they're behaving themselves."

The timbre of her voice struck Karn like a blunt object. He looked immediately up to face her. She seemed to be smiling, but there was something about the way she was forming that smile. It didn't appear to be natural. It gave the impression that it was forced for some reason - and the way she spoke, it was measured. Her voice sounded overly controlled. He was immediately concerned.

"Fluttershy? Are you okay?"

Her smile suddenly looked even more forced. "Yes, Karn, I'm fine."

"Well ... I guess I'll see you at your cottage in a while? That is ... well, if you don't mind?"

"You don't have to come and see me if you don't want to, Karn."

"Um, well only if it's okay? I don't want to go annoying you?"

"No, Karn, really ... I don't mind, Karn. I'll see you soon."

Those words having been spoken, she left the room as quickly as she could, only taking to the air and flying towards her cottage when out of sight of her friends.

Karn remained seated on Rarity's sofa, caring for her injured hooves, whilst remaining somewhat sad and baffled by Fluttershy's strange behavior.

Having made sure Rarity was feeling a good deal more relaxed, he'd carried her to her bed to rest, gently propping up her poor hooves onto as many cushions as he could without making her uncomfortable. She was most grateful for his attention and care. Karn certainly felt it was the least he could do, having been born with two left feet and being thus being the cause of her present incapacitation. Dutifully, he'd made sure that she had something to drink and a light snack next to her bed, so she could eat a little and stay hydrated whilst resting.

Rainbow dash insisted she at least escort Karn as far as Fluttershy's cottage. Having made the short trek from the Boutique to the bridge leading across to the cottage, he stopped to say goodbye to Rainbow Dash. He was actually feeling very excited about the chance to have some time alone once more with Fluttershy. Maybe she would be a little less nervous around him this time? He certainly hoped so.

"I was really hopin' to see you in some dancing action back there, Karn!"

He tried to hide the sense of relief he was presently feeling at avoiding such a catastrophe before he'd been able to address the worst of his inability to actually dance without making an utter fool of himself, injuring his partner or almost certainly both. "Well, Dashie, I imagine you will get a chance to see me make a complete idiot out of myself upon a dance floor one day very soon."

She turned to fly back towards the town. "I still think you'll be awesome!"

"But not awesome enough, Dashie!!" he called after her.

He turned to face Fluttershy's lovely cottage - it was of course a lovely scene of natural activity. The birds flew and chased one another around the trees, others nestled into the bird houses placed around the grounds. Others sat in branches and appeared to be practicing songs together. He'd not seen so many different species of avian cooperating in a fashion such as this before, to produce the most wonderful music. That Fluttershy was able to communicate with them and indeed conduct their singing so well was one of the many things about her that fascinated him.

He took another deep breath and crossed over the bridge to the door to the cottage. He knocked gently on the door. "Fluttershy? Are you home?" he asked hopefully. There was a muffled squeak from the other side of the door somewhere. A few seconds later, the door slid gently open, and there she was. She looked out at him, her expression momentarily pensive.

"Have I chosen a bad time to come and visit, Fluttershy?" he asked solemnly.

"No, Karn, I'm okay!" They stood facing one another in front of the open door. "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry, please come in!"

He made his way inside and she gently closed the door behind her. He felt overjoyed to see the familiar animal friends he had made on his last visit inside the cottage. A warm, wide smile spread across his face, and once more he lay himself on the floor to pose less of a threat to them. To his delight, they once again came to see him. There were the squirrels, raccoons, birds, beavers - so many different woodland friends. They all seemed to want to chat with him again, although he was unable to understand what they were saying. The younger critters began to treat the rest of his body as some fortuitous playground equipment, chasing each other up and down his back, nibbling his boots and generally carousing. "They are all so lovely, Fluttershy! Do you know what they're saying?" he asked.

She smiled down at him, prostrate upon the floor. "They're all very happy to see you again! The children love it when you come around. They love to climb over you and are telling each other how much fun you are to be around. They ... they seem to love you, Karn ... they trust you," she observed.

Karn smiled softly back at Fluttershy's friends. "Well, I am very pleased to meet all of you again, too!" he managed. "I should like very much to spend more time with you all."

"Karn ... would you like some lemon tea? I hope it won't cause you to be upset like last time."

"Oh Fluttershy, that would be lovely, thank you! You make the most exquisite lemon tea, if I may say so!"

She began to prepare the tea and produced a few muffins from Sugarcube corner that she had been saving.

"So, was Rarity doing better when you left?" she asked.

"I feel so sorry for her. I am just completely uncoordinated when it comes to dancing, Fluttershy. I really made a mess of her, no matter how hard I'd tried not to," he continued. Apologizing to the animals he now considered mutual acquaintances, he rose slowly to his feet and crossed to Fluttershy's kitchen. The kettle had not quite boiled, and she was retrieving the lemon tea from her shelves.

"Thank you for letting me come and visit you, Fluttershy. I hope you don't mind my doing so?"

"Oh no, not at all! I like it when you visit!" she admitted.

He managed a smile. "I'm glad to hear that," he replied warmly.

It took her a moment to realize she had been staring at him. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, turning quickly back to face the slowly steaming kettle.

"Um, that's okay, Fluttershy," he said, in confusion. "So! Is everything okay? Here at the cottage, I mean? I'm running out of odd jobs to do at the farm, so if there's any I can do here to help at all and you don't mind Equestria's foremost dancing disaster being allowed to wield a hammer, I'd love to help fix anything that needs repair? I promise, I shall endeavor to offer not so much as a two step until my training with Rarity is complete!" he managed, hoping the light hearted attempt at silliness would serve to glean the cause of her recent change of feeling towards him.

"Karn, I ..." she started, before trailing off.

"Fluttershy?"

She stood with her back to him, the better to hide the tears gently running down her cheeks. "Karn ... I don't want to appear rude, but ... I'm sorry, I think I just need to be alone for the moment. I'm ... I think I'm just not feeling too well ... I'm sorry."

Her words thrust into his chest like a hot knife.

"Fluttershy ... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you," he whispered sadly. "I'll ... give you some peace. I understand if you want time to be alone."

He turned and slowly walked back to the front door, as Fluttershy bit her lip to stop herself sobbing. He stopped at the door, turned to face the back of her once more. "I hope I haven't done something to upset you, Fluttershy. If I did, then ... well, please know that I'm very sorry," he said to her, gently. He opened the door, quietly stepped outside and closed it behind him. He walked back across the bridge and back towards Sugarcube corner, where he'd agreed to meet Rainbow Dash before heading back out to Sweet Apple Acres.

His mind was awash with a bewildering variety of confusing and conflicting emotions. What was happening?

It had finally reached 'party day' minus two. Karn was now starting to feel his nerves ratcheting up a gear. In order to try and alleviate that, he'd decided to go for a morning run around the orchard. As it was just before dawn, it would soon be time to rise and commence work anyway. Rising from his bed and completing some stretches, he made another check of his cider brewing experiment before putting on his clean uniform shirt and vaulting down from the hay loft. 'If my nerves aren't going to leave me in peace,' he thought angrily, 'I'll just put them to work for a while instead.'

There was a gentle breeze blowing this morning, but there was no bite in it. The morning was still, only a few birds in some of the trees bothered to stir. The light of a nearly full moon lit his path along the side of the fence line perfectly. As quiet as things were, he found his mind drifting to the subject of Fluttershy. He continued jogging across the last of the apple trees at the side of the fence line, just before the curve in the path that led to the farm house. It felt like a reasonable distance for one leg of his run. Thoughts of Fluttershy crept back into his mind, gently nudging aside his attempts to distract himself by focusing on planning his path.

'Why has she suddenly become so distant?' he wondered. They had seemed to be very close, but this past week, she had become a lot more withdrawn. Sometimes it seemed like she wanted to ask him something, but was hesitant to. Had he frightened her somehow? He thought back over their interactions, carefully trying to figure out what he could have done to have made her so tense. He'd tried to strike up a conversation with her so many times, but she'd been reluctant to converse with him. 'Has anything about me changed that much to make her dislike talking with me anymore?' he thought sadly. He focused momentarily on the ground in front of him, as he tried to increase his pace through the orchard.

The sun was ever so gently starting to break the horizon as he crossed the halfway mark of the route he had planned. He found himself running, and watching the gently changing colors across the sky.

After completing the fourth and final leg of his morning run, he slowly approached the farmhouse. Applejack had apparently just made her way out of the farm house to go and rouse him and was surprised to see him walking back up towards her from the orchard, flushed and sweating after his exertion.

"Good mornin' sugar cube! Did ya decide to get started early with work?" she laughed. Evidently his desire to use running as means to calm his nerves was a source of humor for her.

"Well," he panted upon finally reaching her, "if I'm going to be here any longer, I'm going to need to start learning how to kick apples out of trees! I'm almost out of sheds, barns, doors and fences to repair and maintain. Unless you'd like me to traverse the boundary and give the strainers another coat of paint?"

She just smiled and shook her head. "You don't need to be worryin' about that jest yet. There's always something around here ta keep ya busy. Sure is a beautiful sunrise a-comin'!"

Karn stood with his hands on his hips, his breath once more having caught up with him. Beads of perspiration slowly evaporated from his skin in the cool morning air. He turned around to face the sunrise. "Yep, it's certainly a wondrous view," he agreed.

The horizon was dark against the contrast of the sun, as the first morning rays blew red and orange across the sky. The few stars left that fought against its brilliance were beginning to twinkle out of existence. The endless horizon - dark, featureless. 'You shouldn't be looking at the light - you'll lose your night vision' a voice that had worked to the front of his thoughts said. This was dangerous, he thought, too exposed.

He needed cover.

The red and yellow of the sky before him slowly began to twist and shake, forming itself into plumes erupting across the edge of the horizon. 'Get the fuck down before you get your head shot off,' someone roared, 'Get down before I stick my dick in your ear and fuck some sense into you!' ordered another. Overhead, the artillery shells of a bombardment roared, sounding for all the world like some giant, unseen evil was throwing its fists through the morning sky. His platoon was ready - fresh reinforcements had arrived to replace those dead or wounded. Some of them were awfully green - they shook with each explosion that roared back from the wall of metal and death that filled the skyline before them.

The order to advance came and men rose and moved as rapidly as they could through the shell cratered ground. He'd found himself carrying his rifle, moving adroitly through the mud and decaying corpses - a sight so common for him by now as to barely register when his adrenaline flowed. Flashes of light and bolts from energy weapons defiled the morning air. The sickening, tearing sound of them finding warm, human targets and shattering them. The blood curdling screams of those not killed outright assailed the air. There were so many wounded already, this battle was only minutes old. 'You're too exposed' he'd thought angrily to himself.

Don't stop. Keep moving.

More bolts had flown and the private beside him had evaporated into a haze of blood and atomized flesh, as yet another weapon had found its target. He had wiped the blood and remnants of his comrade from his face and continued his push forwards. The screams around him had grown louder - some pleaded for God to save them, others in terror and still others had been roaring encouragement.

Keep moving.

He found himself bolting over obstacles, dead and wounded, past armored vehicles that had been desiccated - their lifeless operators spread ghoulishly over their still-burning hulks. Shells, not yet depleted, exploded from the burning wreckage and showered metal fragments at the adepts who had continued to charge around them. Some had fallen silently, their bodies riddled with holes - others torn to pieces by larger flying shrapnel had just collapsed into rumbled heaps, held together only by the remnants of their uniforms.

'Don't stay here, God dammit. Forget the dead. For them, the fucking nightmare is over.'

There was shelter - finally. He found himself madly grasping at a door handle. Someone was desperately trying to hold him back.

"Get the fuck off me! We need the fucking shelter, for Christ's sake! You want to get us all fucking killed?" he roared.

"KARN! IT'S ME! IT'S APPLEJACK! SLOW DOWN! IT'S OKAY!"

"What ... fuck, you're not safe here!! The fucking ..."

"KARN!!! Listen to me! You're here in Equestria! Yer safe! It's me, it's AJ! Remember?"

He slowly collapsed against the door of the barn, sliding slowly down until he was seated on the ground. His fingers were bleeding from where he'd been clawing at the doors to get inside. He was breathing very heavily and his heart was racing. "... Applejack?" he gasped.

"Karn! Yer okay, d'ya hear me? Yer safe here, it's me! Yer here at Sweet Apple Acres! This is Equestria! D'ya remember now?" She was now on top of him, pinning his legs down as firmly as she could.

"But ... there was ..." he pleaded, as he stared blindly at Applejack. He sat there, panting. His breathing slowed and reason began to wrest control back from his terror and brought the world around him into focus. He began to realize what had happened. Another Goddamn flash back, blindsiding him again. His addled mind punishing him for having had the audacity to - what? Gaze upon a sunrise? The pain at the tips of his fingers began to register. Slowly raising his hands in front of his face, he could see the abrasions. They were mercifully not very deep, but splinters of wood from the barn door studded his finger tips. He let his hands slowly sink into his lap and he sat there, exhausted and just looked up at Applejack.

"Karn, it's okay. Ahm right here, I ain't lettin' you go."

"Applejack ..." he mumbled, overcome with emotion. He closed his eyes as tears joined the perspiration on his face. Shaking his head slowly from side to side, he felt confused and terrified. "Applejack ... please help me," he sobbed quietly.

"It's okay, Karn, it's over. It was jest one of yer turns - yer safe now, sugar cube," she soothed, as she placed her hooves gently around him. To her surprise, he was actually shaking - from fear or crying she wasn't sure. "It's all over now, I gotya."

It wasn't exactly the sort of morning chore he ever thought Applejack would have to be doing - that of gently washing the blood off his hands and helping him up into the farmhouse to sit down.

"I regret to have to inform you, AJ, that I currently do not have any kind of appetite."

"Well, ah pretty well figured you wouldn't. Are you able to sit down here at the table fer a bit?"

"That would be lovely. Thank you," he whispered. He slowly took a seat at side of the table facing the door - his customary place.

"What in tarnation did you do ter yer hands?" asked Granny Smith.

"Oh, Granny, don't go pesterin' him about it. He just had an accident is all."

Apple Bloom looked at the ends of Karn's hands. "Karn? Are you okay?"

"Yes, miss Bloom, I'm fine. I just had a small disagreement with the barn door."

"A what with the barn door?"

"Don't you go askin' him a load of questions this morning, he's had a bit of a rough time."

Karn managed a gentle smile for Apple Bloom. "Thank you for asking, miss Bloom, but I'll be okay. I just need to remove some of these splinters and I suspect I shall be ready for action again," he reassured her. He looked back up to Applejack. She didn't seem to want to be more than about five paces away from him at the moment. He certainly couldn't hold that against her. "AJ, could I trouble you for a needle? It seems I have some splines that need to be recovered from my person," he asked. The attempt at dry wit did little to ease her concern.

"Okay, but please rest here. And don't you move."

Karn gently rested his hands palm upwards on the table. "I promise, AJ. I won't be running anywhere else for the moment. I shall assume the anatomical position and ... remain here," he stated, almost breathlessly. He rested back against the chair as well as he could, given its relative size. He closed his eyes and concentrated on deep breathing, ignoring the annoying pin pricks that he could feel across his fingers. Was there nowhere sacred for him - was there nowhere he could trust himself to be without visions of hell exploding in front of him?

A fine needle was duly produced. Applejack sat in the chair nearest to him. "Do yew want some help?" she asked softly, her own adrenaline having worn off as well.

"After everything you've done for me already?" He flashed her a smile. "Thank you, AJ, but I think my hands have stopped shaking enough now for me to do some digging here as it were," he said as gracefully as he could. He took the needle and commenced the business of removing the splinters from his hands. "Who knows," he offered, "this might become a peculiar hobby of mine."

"Karn, don't be sayin' that," replied Applejack, softly.

He continued prying at the irritating wooden spears within his digits. "Well, at least the removing of splinters would keep me busy. Busier than my run this morning was supposed to."

"Now that you mention it, jest what were yew thinkin', headin' out into the orchard before dawn on yer own?"

"Actually, I'd awoken quite early, and strange to tell, my anxiety was particularly bad. Being unable to sleep, I thought I'd get up do some exercise to keep myself busy," he explained. God but some of these things were deeper than he'd thought, he winced. "To be fair, the run itself was pleasant and helped wake me up. It was ... well. The sunrise, I guess. For a moment, the colors gave me the impression of a battlefield that I was on some time ago."

Applejack studied him carefully. "I knew somethin' was wrong. You sort of blanked out and said something about gettin' under cover. Next thing I knew you were runnin' and vaultin' yer way across to the barn and dang near ripped the doors of their hinges," she recalled. Her retelling of the morning's events gave him an involuntary jerk. He grimaced again as the needle struck his finger. "I think we'd better be lettin' Twilight know about this mornin'."

Karn could only look up and nod his agreement.

Applejack had taken the morning off work to help escort Karn back into Ponyville. The trek out towards Twilight's house had been a quiet one. He wasn't depressed so much as he was haggard. He was fatigued, having not slept terribly well the night before. He had thought the early morning run would have helped calm his nerves, yet now he had a very concerned pony companion and sore hands for his trouble.

Having left Karn in Twilight's very capable hooves, Applejack had made her apologies and returned to Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight was, as he'd expected, quite upset at him for having acted so rashly.

"Karn, what were you thinking, for Celestia's sake? What if you'd had a flashback when you were out on your own in the back of the orchard? Who knows what could have happened to you!"

"I am on the floor of the hospital again," he said tiredly.

She looked at him with concern. "You're ... not having another one, are you?"

He smiled a little and shook his head. "No, Twilight. It's just the way you pointed out my foolishness made me think of that morning on the floor of the hospital."

"Karn, I'm not trying to be mean to you ..."

"I know, Twilight. Don't misunderstand me, I concur with you. It was very foolish of me to go tearing around the back of the farm. Had I experienced such a flashback as I had this morning whilst on my own," he agreed, looking down at his hands, "things could have been a good deal worse."

"What in Equestria triggered your episode this time?"

He sighed and gazed back up at her. Not for the first time, he was surprised at just how beautiful they could be, these ponies, when they were concerned or focused on anything. "The sunrise," he muttered finally.

"The sunrise, Karn?" She raised an eyebrow, incredulously.

He tried to rest back a little on the undersized chair. Subconsciously, he determined that his next task should be to start making himself some furniture. "The sunrise against the horizon. It just looked so frightfully similar to a scene before a particularly unpleasant battle I was involved in many cycles ago ... or 'years' ago, I guess."

"That was all? Just the sunrise?" she questioned, raising both eyebrows.

"I suspect a combination of factors were involved, Twilight. The sunrise, anxiety about this party that's coming up, my lack of sleep the night before, worrying about ..." he broke off abruptly. ‘Worrying about Fluttershy', he realized.

"You had trouble sleeping? Have the nightmares returned?" asked Twilight.

"No, mercifully. They have stayed well away from me since my fever broke in the hospital."

"You mean since that night that ... well, Fluttershy ..."

"Well, yes," he said, sadly.

The two exchanged looks for a few moments.

"Karn ... I think I need to ask you something."

"Is it about the color of confetti or the shapes of napkins and such?" he asked, attempting to use humor to divert what he knew was going to be a serious topic. Twilight gave him 'the look' again - the one that managed to say 'don't be silly' and 'oh, seriously' simultaneously.

"Karn ... it's about Fluttershy ... oh my goodness, it's hard to have to bring up this subject," she said with the reluctance palpable in her voice.

He nodded. "I know. I have the same difficulty."

She must have noticed the sad tone in his voice, certainly he hadn't tried to deceive her by covering it. "Karn. I've ... I've noticed the way that you, well, look at her sometimes. The way you act around her, the way you've been ... well, comfortable around her."

"The way that I look at her?" he asked, absently.

"Well, yes. It's ... oh how can I put this. It's occurred to me that ... well, that you ... "

"That I think about her a great deal," he admitted.

There was the look again. Her voice was soft, but her tone had that academic insistence that he’d come to know her so well for. "Karn ... you have feelings for her, don't you?"

He was silent for a moment. It was one thing to consider his attraction to Fluttershy within the confines of his own mind. To have someone else bring up the subject of his 'feelings' for her was still a surprise for him - although it was clear where Twilight had been going. He looked back at her sadly. "You are so amazingly observant, Twilight."

"You're avoiding my question, Karn."

"Twilight, how do you define 'feelings'?"

"Well, I meant that you ... well, you like her ... "

"Like her?" he very nearly hissed. He felt momentarily stunned at the sensation of anger that tinged his voice. It was born of frustration, he realized, but it was not a tone he'd been reaching for. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that."

"Karn, please, I'm not angry at you, it's just that ..."

"Twilight ... I cannot recall having passed a five minute interval since that night in the hospital in which I have not thought about Fluttershy," he offered suddenly. He remained with his eyes fixed on her. Any hint of anger had flown from his voice, replaced only by sadness. "I go to sleep at night with her on my mind, I wake in the morning to thoughts of her. I think of her whether I am working on repairs at the farm, or cleaning my uniform. Even the time spent this morning trying to remove remnants of the barn from my hands brought on pain that could not take her from my thoughts," he admitted. Twilight had suspected that Karn had some kind of attraction for her friend, but this clearly surprised her. She sat in her library across from him, her eyes opened a little in shock. "I have spent an awful lot of my time trying to reason my way out of how I feel about her, Twilight. I've tried to put it down to everything from some twist of my sense of gratitude for the kindness she showed me in hospital, through to some ... some kind of silly, primal instinct ..."

The surprise on her face slid slowly away, replaced by what was a degree of sadness she shared with him.

"Karn ...", she asked softly, "... your feelings for Fluttershy ... you ..."

"Yes, Twilight. I am in love with her."

She smiled at him gently, the sadness still in her eyes. “Karn, I wasn't prepared for you to tell me that, but ... well, it explains the way you've acted when you're near her," she reasoned quietly. "Thank you for being so straightforward with me."

He smiled slightly. "It's not really one of my strong points, is it? The whole business of 'brevity' I mean."

"You're changing the subject again, Karn."

"Twilight ... I love her but I am terrified of hurting her. She is such a sweet soul. God, that sounds almost patronizing. I have only ever been what I would describe as 'in love' once before and the feelings I had then pale into insignificance whenever I so much as hear Fluttershy’s name being mentioned," he continued, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He looked down at the floor once more. His voice was lower, almost a whisper. "She robs me of words, Twilight."

"Karn, it's beautiful that you feel this way about Fluttershy ... I really don't know what to say, other than to ask you to please be gentle with her?" He opened his mouth to speak, the shock that she would suggest he would be anything other than such with Fluttershy quite apparent, "Karn, you are so gentle with her! I've watched the two of you, the way you're so kind and considerate towards her. I meant ... just please don't hurt her feelings? She is so sensitive ..."

"She's incredibly sensitive."

"... yes, and she's very ... well, vulnerable at times ..."

"She's delicate, yet strong. She is beautiful yet so kindhearted. She is patient and understanding."

Twilight sighed and smiled back at him. "You didn't mention you were a romantic, Karn."

He returned the smile in kind. "Well, it helps to have the appropriate muse, Twilight. Do you mind if I ask you a favor? You won't tell her about this, will you? If she knew ... I'm terrified that she'd refuse to be anywhere near me again."

She walked closer to him. "I understand. Just ... please, Karn. Promise me you won't hurt her feelings?"

"Twilight, her happiness means everything to me," he said, raising his right hand and placing it over his heart. "I promise."

She continued gazing into his eyes. "Thank you."

It had taken a good deal of effort to convince Applejack that he would be safe in the barn loft that evening.

“Karn, after this mornin’, I really think you oughtta spend the night in the farmhouse. Just so ah can keep an eye on you.”

“AJ, I really appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine. I’m going to get my uniform ready for work in the morning, get into my expedient yet delightful bed in the barn, and then my only intention is to rest,” he insisted. It was clear from the blank expression she wore that she had not been convinced. “Look, I’ve had a very eventful day …“

“You dang nearly tore the barn door off its hinges!”

“Yes, and I didn’t sleep well last night …“

“You took off on yer own without tellin’ anypony!”

“Anyway, after today I am simply exhausted. I just need some quiet time to clear my mind, meditate a little and relax.”

“You near ripped the skin off yer hands, Karn!”

Clearly her concern for him was very strong - just one of the many things about her he found so endearing. What was it about the way she sat there, arms akimbo? The way she looked at him with such concern?

“Applejack, I realize that I did something incredibly foolish this morning. I am feeling a lot less anxious presently and am frankly just tired. If you don’t mind, I’d just like to lie down, relax and take stock of what I did wrong,” he explained. “I promise, I will not be going out into the orchard, or indeed anywhere else on my own. I don’t want to have to put any of you through this kind of worry again. Really, I’ll be fine. If you’re worried, you are welcome to drop in and check on me at any time. If I’m not asleep, I will be lying down and just trying to stay calm. No more jaunts out to the orchard, no more unpleasant remonstrations from my inquisitor following aforesaid acts of stupidity and certainly no more hospital floors.”

“... Hospital floors, Karn? … Yer not havin’ another …“

“Huh, no Applejack. I’m not having another turn. I would just like some time on my own, to relax and debrief myself if you will,” he very nearly pleaded. She studied him very closely for a few moments. He slowly knelt in front of her and rested his right hand onto her shoulder. “Applejack, thank you for this morning. I cannot hope to find words to describe my gratitude. I promise, I will be just fine in the barn.”

She managed a frown of resignation. “Well, … alright, Karn. But ah’ll be droppin' by to check on you! You better be in yer bed up here and behavin’ yerself! No runnin’, leaping, vaultin!”

“AJ, you have my word. Just rest.”

“I’ll be keepin’ you to yer word, Karn!”

He smiled at her. “Oh, AJ. I’m counting on it.”

He stood up and turned back towards his present farm residence, his ‘second floor studio apartment complex’ as he had decided to christen it.

“Karn!” called Applejack. He turned back to face her. She opened her mouth as if to say something but appeared to reconsider it. “Nothin’ … jest, please be careful?”

“AJ, careful is my middle name!” Her frown returned for a moment. “Well, no, it isn’t, I do not actually have a middle name, perhaps ‘careful’ should be my sobriquet? Karn the Careful?” The frown appeared to be permanent. "Allow me a certain amount of leeway here, AJ, at least I've convinced you not to call me Karn the Club!"

She finally let the frown slide. Shaking her head and smiling, she wished him a good evening. “Karn, ah dunno what ahm gonna do with you.”

“You could get me to check the shingles and such on the farmhouse?”

“Hah! Well, goodnight, sugar cube. You rest, and I don’t wanna see you outta this barn 'til mornin'!”

“I shall remain within, until I am called upon!”

It was in this frame of mind that he found himself lying once more under the covers in the hayloft, feeling fatigued following an eventful day. His bleary eyes stared up at the wooden ceiling of the barn as he attempted to take stock of what had transpired and to possibly - although he felt it unlikely - make some sense of his situation.

“So, pal, let’s try and summarize. You’re most likely in a parallel universe, populated with very sapient and highly intelligent ponies. You’ve earned just enough trust to be allowed to sleep without supervision. You have one pony who is hell bent on writing a thesis about you. Then you have a very concerned pony worried about you hurting yourself on a farm, another that may erupt from anywhere at anytime to ask you questions about party favors, a very well spoken and patient dance teacher, a young dragon with whom you share a commonality in the humor department, an indescribably patient seamstress and dance teacher . And then there’s the adorably kind one that you have fallen in love with against your better judgment.”

He managed a wry smile as he gently shook his head from side to side, rested as it was on his pillow. Even after the past fortnight, the hay filled hessian sack had in fact held up very well. As he often did in the evenings, he brought his hands up and rested them under his head and pondered all of the day's events.

He continued whispering to himself. “It’s wonderful that she’s so concerned about you sleeping out here. Pal, you’ve got to stop making an idiot out of yourself and giving them cause to worry so much about you. It’s not fair on them, and it’s not going to help you get any better,” he whispered to himself rhetorically. He suddenly thought back to this evening’s exchange with Applejack. “What was that about? I thought she was going to say something there, yet she stopped herself. That’s odd.”

Allowing himself to look at the barn roof for just another moment, Fluttershy inevitably consumed his train of thought. Gently closing his eyes, he allowed his breathing to slow and his mind to clear. The ruminations of his inner dialog thus controlled, he slid into a deep, relaxing sleep.

Applejack lay in her bed, the blankets drawn up, scowling at the roof of her bedroom. "What in land's sakes is wrong with me. He didn't need to be hearin' that kinda nonsense from you, and you had no business thinkin' it - jest as well you stopped yerself."

'The day is finally here', Karn thought to himself. He stood in front of a mirror in the Apple farm house and studied his reflection. It was an odd experience, given that his hair was now cut short and his face was clean shaven. To add to this was of course the new suit of clothes he was wearing - 'a birthday suit indeed' he thought and managed a smile. The person reflected in the mirror looked completely removed from whom he thought himself to be.

He was still feeling quite anxious about the entire concept of having a party in his honor of any kind. At no stage in his life had he ever had to prepare himself for anything such as this. Old fears began to claw their way across his mind. His now innate paranoia, combined with the unfamiliarity of the situation he was in, made him feel a little cold. Certainly his reflected image in the mirror appeared pale. The smile had disappeared from his visage, leaving in its place a studied frown.

"Karn? How are you doin' in there? Is everythin' okay?" asked Applejack from outside the room.

"I, um ... I think so," he stumbled. "I am decent presently, if that's what you're asking."

Applejack opened the door and came in. "Hey, you look swell all done up like that!"

"Thanks, AJ," he managed. He was obviously uncomfortable.

"What's up, Karn? Yer not havin' one of yer spells now, are you?"

"Not really."

"Whadda ya mean, not really? Either you are or not. Do you wanna talk about it?"

He took a seat on the nearest item of furniture that would realistically hold him - the bed which happened to inhabit the only room with a mirror large enough for him to prepare himself in front of. She walked over and sat next to him, waiting.

"AJ, I'm just really nervous about what this evening is going to bring. I've never been involved with a party such as this one before and I'm still not in complete control of my wits around a lot of strangers. I'm terrified that there'll be a surprise of some kind, or something will happen that I'm not expecting ... and well, you remember what happened just outside here a couple of days ago."

"Karn, I know you must be afraid of all of this, but jest remember, we're all here for you. You won't be headin' out there on yer own. We understand that yer feelin' nervous, sugar cube, but no matter what happens, we'll have yer back."

Her encouragement was down to earth, as all things were with Applejack. He was not only touched but very grateful. He gently put his arms around her in an embrace, which she returned. "Oh God, thank you AJ. I'm sorry I keep gibbering away like a frothing lunatic at times, but thank you for helping me through some of the worst of it."

"Ain't a problem, Karn. It's been great to have you here, we kin' always use a bit of help 'round the farm," she responded. She smiled at him, warmly as she always did. "I reckon yer a bit like findin' a new cousin we didn't know we had."

"Well, since I'm now having a birthday that I've never had before, I would be deeply honored to gain a cousin I've never had before into the bargain," managed Karn.

Released from the reassuring hug, Karn sat on the bed and faced forward. He took a few deep breaths and steadied his nerves.

"This evening is going to very interesting, AJ. One way or another."

Author's Note

Particular thanks must go to the very wise and exceptionally patient "Daring Cookie, The", for the work editing this particular chapter and proof reading it. Thank for the great advice and the notes, especially on what proved to be very short notice. I am in your debt.

It's been difficult to prepare this chapter. The one chapter I wrote originally had to be split into three in order to make the story flow. It was either that or submit the one, bacon-filled 18,000 word chapter and that just seemed at odds with the rest of the story.

Thank you to the folks who have stopped by to give feedback on things I can change and characters that needed to be introduced into the story. I appreciate that.

I do not consider Fluttershy to be a "doormat". She is able to exercise the most extraordinary sacrifice on her part, willing to sacrifice the human she has fallen in love with in order for him to be happier with one of the other ponies. This has taken a lot of strength on her part. She wants her friends and the man she loves to be happy, even at the cost of her own happiness. She is an interesting character. She is strong when she needs to be, yet keeps that incredible strength and courage hidden behind her shyness. She is easy to misunderstand.

POST EDIT 2017-04-26:

Removed a lot of the heavy romantic treacle, but left the core premise of Karn's growing love for Fluttershy intact. Lots of minor grammar fixes, a few spelling mistakes.