“Whatever he had found, it made him a better person. Maybe that's what love was, finding the person who brings out the best in you and eliminates the worst.”

― Diana Holquist, "Make Me a Match".

The faintest hint of dawn began to stealthily show above the trees of the Everfree Forest. Karn had already been awake for some time. He had lain there with his body snuggled around Fluttershy like a cocoon. He listened to her soft, regular breathing and felt the gentle rise and fall of her chest. He could even feel her heart beating against him. He looked down at the alluring and delicate mare with whom he had been so powerfully captivated. She looked so peaceful and beautiful, lying there

She stirred a little after a time, gently nuzzling her head against his arm which rested beneath her head. A soft moan escaped her lips - it seemed she was slowly returning to the waking world. He was again in awe of how such a simple movement as this only served to increase his adoration for her. She very carefully opened her eyes, just enough for her to make out the room.

'Oh my goodness - he's still here!' she thought suddenly. She could feel his arms wrapped around her barrel, his strong legs wrapped behind her and the pleasurable feeling of his skin against her back. She had been so frightened that he would be gone when she woke.

"Good morning, Fluttershy," he whispered sweetly, kissing her lovingly behind her ear. She gave a satisfied sigh and rubbed her cheek against his arm beneath her once more.

"Good morning, Karn," she replied. He could see her smiling. More than life itself, he enjoyed seeing her so relaxed and so happy. He lightly snuggled his face into her mane, an action he found irresistible.

"I hope you slept well? You certainly seemed to," he whispered lovingly.

She managed a small yawn. "I slept wonderfully, thank you."

They lay together, both exuding contentment and enjoying the feeling of being this intimate. Karn tenderly curled his legs around her and snuggled as close to her as he could without causing her any discomfort. He caressed her chest with his free hand, gently sliding his hand along her. Unable to help himself, he allowed his hand to glide softly over her wing and along to her flank, finding where he guessed her cutie mark would be. She trembled a little in his arms and he kissed her delicately. Gently circling her hind quarters with his hand, he found himself far more excited than he had planned to be. He found her body so fascinating, so alluring. He could feel her tremble a little in his embrace and he froze his hand where it was.

"Fluttershy, I'm sorry - is this bothering you?" he asked.

"No, Karn, I don't mind ... as long as it's you. I'm just not used to this," she whispered, offering another yawn. "It feels so lovely, the way you hold me. The way you're ... running your hand over my ... well. It's very nice."

A low moan escaped his throat, before he offered her another affectionate kiss. "You're sure, now? I would hate to impose upon you."

Her smile widened and she rubbed her cheek back against the side of his face. "I think I like it when you impose upon me, Karn.”

"What a lovely coincidence. It just so happens, Fluttershy," and he kissed the back of her ear gently, "that I enjoy being very close to you, too."

Spooning her under the covers, he cradled her in his arms. She could feel his cheek resting against the top of her head, his warm chest pressed against her, the very pleasant sensation of his hand circling her cutie marks, his long legs wrapped behind her. She could feel that part of him that he had kept covered for the sake of modesty and decency. The curious sensation of feeling his surprisingly large, very firm male part resting between her thighs - even through the fabric of his suit pants - aroused odd feelings within her. She had never felt any manner of sensual desire for any stallion before, but he was different. First and foremost, he was such a dear friend - he was kind, devoted and curiously vulnerable at times. He was charming, and thoughtful, strong and yet so patient and gentle. She felt an involuntary shiver run along her spine as she found herself wondering what it would be like - to be closer, to belong to him. 'Goodness, that part of him is so .... oh my,' she thought to herself.

Karn was himself embroiled with his own issues stemming from their present situation. He could feel the enticing warmth from the back of her, the firmness of what he supposed were her thighs, and the close proximity of his phallus resting so temptingly close to that beautiful, warm, moist female part of her. He had never felt such an attraction as strong as this before, and yet steeled himself against doing anything that would jeopardize this relationship. The love they shared felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity - he was not going to make a fool of himself and he was most certainly not going to act like some kind of debauchee. She meant far too much to him for that.

"Fluttershy, I just wanted to apologize for all of the confusion these past two weeks," he offered.

"Karn, it's okay. I understand."

"I really should have made more time for you, to spend moments alone together. Just the two of us."

"Karn, please don't blame yourself? How could you have known?"

"Fluttershy, I could tell you were upset and that you'd become so withdrawn. I should have ... I should have asked you to dinner, or on a picnic, or just out on a stroll together. I'm so sorry you were so upset."

"I understand, Karn. It's okay, really. You couldn't have known how I felt about you."

"Well, that's just what's bothering me. Even if I was unaware of your love for me, as a very dear friend I should at the very least have made time to spend with you. Certainly I was very keen to have you all to myself, as silly and jealous as that sounds. I didn't make time to spend with you, and for that I am so very sorry."

Here was another demonstration of that compassionate nature he had, with which he had so easily won her heart. "Karn, please, I understand. I know you were busy and that so many of my friends were eager to spend time with you as well."

Karn brushed his hand delicately from her lovely flanks, carefully smoothing it along her adorably silky tail. She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, trying not to allow herself to become too tense. "You have such an elegant tail, Fluttershy," he said delicately. Quite suddenly, he realized that he was allowing himself to be far too familiar with her. "Oh my God, Fluttershy, I'm so sorry!"

"Oh, Karn, no! It's okay, it feels ... well, romantic. You don't have to stop, that is if you don't mind?" To her surprise, she found the sensation of him gently smoothing her tail to be extraordinarily pleasant - he was able to be so soft and delicate with those large, strong hands of his. A part of her mind wished he would slide his hand to her rear and from thence gently between her ... it was increasingly hard for her to keep these inappropriate thoughts at bay. "Karn, does it bother you that I have trouble expressing myself sometimes?" she asked suddenly.

He kissed the back of her head. "How you do mean?" he cooed.

"Well ... it's just that I don't know how to be very romantic."

"But Fluttershy, you are very romantic! You allowed me the honor of stealing a kiss from you last night, you've allowed me the privilege of spending the night here with you. You've told me so much about how you feel about me, that you love me, that you want me to be your stallion someday. I don't know how much more romantic you could be, without employing candles, string quartets and a party cannon!" he reassured her.

"Does it bother you that I'm so shy?"

"Fluttershy, of course not! You're not shy with me?"

"Thank you, Karn."

"Thank me? What for?" he asked, with a degree of surprise.

"For loving me."

Karn managed a broad smile, before resting his cheek against hers. "Fluttershy, loving you is the easiest thing in the world to do."

Fluttershy slowly rolled over to face him, meeting his alluring gaze. She was always so moved at the depth of his attention and after what has transpired the previous night, she noted something of a glint in his eyes. He gently reached out with his hand, cupping her cheek. He drew closer to her and they joined together once more in a passionate kiss. She wrapped her hooves around his chest as he ran his fingers through her mane, as what began as a gentle smooch slowly became more ardent. They pressed their lips further together, their breathing intensifying. Fluttershy closed her eyes, feeling more aroused than ever, tasting him and enjoying the feeling of his hands sliding over her.

Finally slowly breaking away from one another, they locked eyes once more. Karn's very nearly bewitching smile made her shiver involuntarily. Still smiling, he gently smoothed her mane back from her face and brushed his hand lovingly over her face. He rested his finger gently under her chin and fixed his eyes directly into hers, a look of seriousness momentarily there on his face.

"Fluttershy, I want to know that I will never leave you. I realize that last night you were afraid I would. I want to work very hard to put that fear of yours to rest. I will belong to you for the rest of time, if you will have me. I understand that you can be nervous and that you doubt yourself at times, but I shall never abandon you."

"Karn ... I ... " she started, once more feeling just a little overcome by this loving affirmation.

Noticing her budding tears, he wrapped his hands around her. "Oh, Fluttershy, no, please don't cry?" he said in attempting to soothe her. Once more, he lifted her up and onto his chest, cradling her head affectionately against him. "I am never, ever going to leave you, Fluttershy," he continued. She sniffed a little, enjoying the loving way he caressed her body as she lay atop him. He carefully kissed her across her forehead. "Although, who knows? You may grow sick of me."

Her head still rested on his chest as she looked upwards at the bottom of his chin. "Sick of you??" she asked in surprise.

"Well, I'm afraid there are a few things about me that you may find annoying."

"Karn, what could you do that would annoy me?" she asked, a little confused.

"Fluttershy, are you willing to allow me to cuddle you at any decent opportunity? To lift you up into my arms and to steal passionate kisses from you when you're not expecting them? What if I would like to be with you while we take long walks? Suppose I put my arms around you, caressed you, adored you and then smothered you with affectionate kisses and whispered very naughty things to you? God forbid that I might help you with our animal friends ... and then of course, imagine the horror of my asking to comb your mane? Or massage your sore muscles after you've been busy?" he implored, the mischief in his wide smile impossible to hide.

She rested her head back onto his chest and giggled. "I think I could handle any of those things for the rest of my life."

It had proven somewhat difficult for them to actually rise. The sensuous cuddling and pillow talk had made the proposition of getting up to begin the morning's tasks a hard decision to make. In the end, with the sun beginning to rise well above the trees, Karn took it upon himself to be decisive. Gently holding her on top of his chest, he slid gently off the bed. Cupping his hands under her rear, he stood slowly so that he was carrying her against his chest. Her delighted giggling served to broaden his smile. Holding her thus, he slowly and carefully made his way down the stairs to the kitchen.

Their animal friends by this time appeared to be a little apprehensive about this new 'human' that had taken it upon himself to spend the night. Whilst Karn did not speak a word of their disparate languages, their facial expressions were assuredly a universal dialect among them. He didn't need to observe Angel Bunny to know that he was angry - the rapid double-bass drumming on the floorboards told him all he needed to know about his present state of mind.

As Karn was still somewhat unused to providing meals for the varied species of friends that Fluttershy had, he did his best to keep her company and to help retrieve various ingredients as they were needed. Those animals that required nuts or berries and other simple fare he was able to take care of for her. He found it fascinating to watch the way she prepared the morning meal for Angel Bunny, though. He sat in an undersized seat and just watched her. She looked so happy, so content - just to be going about the task of preparing her pet rabbit his breakfast. She looked up and caught him watching her intently, before giggling and hiding behind her mane again.

"Karn, why do you do that?"

"Do what, Fluttershy?" he answered, grinning for all the world like a love struck school boy.

"Well ... the way you watch me."

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, does it bother you?"

"No, ... well ... I'm just not used to that kind of attention."

"I did warn you that I would exhibit behaviors you might find yourself getting sick of," he reminded her. "One such behavior happens to be that I adore watching you. If it makes you uncomfortable, my love, I'll try and make an effort to stop. But you'll have to help me."

"Help you? Um, help you to stop watching me?" she asked.

"Yes!" He stood from his chair, walked across and knelt next to her in the kitchen. Taking her cheeks gently in his hands, he looked affectionately into her eyes. "You need to stop being so adorable, Fluttershy," he chortled. Gently drawing her to him, he shared another passionate kiss with her. Their idyll was cut abruptly short by the rapid thumping of Angel Bunny's legs against the two of them. "Oops, sorry Angel. I just had some ... well, particularly mischievous thoughts on my mind."

The animals all fed, it was their turn to obtain a little morning sustenance. Karn opted to cook an omelet for the two of them, whilst Fluttershy agreed to brew up some of the lemon tea for which Karn had decided she was famous. Seated together, they sipped the tea and enjoyed the unusual combination of herbs that Karn had been able to find to add to the eggs.

"Fluttershy, I'm so sorry about what happened last night. I didn't mean for you to be so upset."

"Karn, I understand, it's okay. I just didn't realize you felt that way about me. I just assumed that .... well, you and Pinkie ... "

"I still feel bad about having not made the effort to spend more time with you, though. Especially since I was so worried about you."

"Oh my, I didn't mean to make you worry so much, Karn!"

"Fluttershy, I'm a born worrier," he explained. He momentarily stopped eating to gently place his hand on her cheek. She closed her eyes, smiled and softly rubbed her face against his warm, strong hand. God but he was in love with her. "I realize that it's not the most romantic subject in the world to bring up, my love, but ... well, what do we tell the others?"

She looked away a little sheepishly. This was obviously an unpleasant thought that she knew would have to be discussed and she had been trying to avoid broaching it. "I really don't know, Karn. I've never been in love before and I honestly never thought I ever would be."

"Fluttershy, no matter what happens or what anyone says, I want you to always remember that I love you. Nothing is going to change that. But I think we may need to be careful about how we break the news of our relationship."

Fluttershy looked up at Karn, very nearly heartbroken. "Karn ... are you ashamed of me?"

He very nearly fell from his seat.

"Oh God, no! No, Fluttershy! Please don't ever allow such a thought to pass your mind! I'm just concerned that there will be people here who may not think kindly about our love for each other. Doubtless they'll be as surprised as I was last night, and I'm not sure how they'll take it or if they'd even understand. Fluttershy, I love you more than life itself, but if the news of our love broke so suddenly and ended up causing you pain and discomfort ... I don't want you to have to deal with that. I love you with all my heart, Fluttershy! Please do not ever doubt that, not for a second!"

She looked down to her breakfast, having lost her appetite.

"Fluttershy, remember how I said I'd have to find ways to remind you that I love you?" She nodded sadly. He moved closer to her, running his hand lovingly through her mane. "Do I need to teach you a lesson right now?" he whispered to her. She finally managed a weak smile, but hid her gaze from him. "Ah, I see ... playing hard to get, are we?" He gently rubbed his cheek against hers, letting the scent of her overcome him once more, before gently kissing his way down her cheek and from thence to her neck. She began to squirm a little, as the ticklish sensation of his lips on the skin of her neck worked its magic. "I love you, Fluttershy, and there is nothing in this world or the next that will change that. I just couldn't live with myself if I put you into a position where you'd be likely to get hurt. Besides ... " he stopped to look around at the photos on the mantel above the fireplace, " ... I'm curious to know what your parents would think of you falling for a human."

"Umm ... Karn, I ... don't think we'll have to wait very long to find out."

He turned back to face her. Her tone had told him everything he needed to know. "Your family is coming to visit ... aren't they?"

She nodded to him. "In a few days. Please don't be too nervous, Karn, I think they're going to love you as much as I do!"

"Do I need to order another suit of clothes for this encounter, Fluttershy?"

She smiled and wrapped her hooves around his neck, passionately kissing him to his great surprise. "No, my love. I think you'll be fine just the way you are."

Once more accompanied by Rainbow Dash, she and Karn made their way across the town to Sugarcube Corner. He was happy to enjoy the varied greetings and hearty congratulations once more from those were about their business. It still felt somewhat odd for him to receive these well wishes, but he accepted them graciously. If he was ever to remain here and start on his road to recovery, he reasoned that being on good terms with the members of the town and acting like a good citizen was certainly the best possible way to start.

Rainbow Dash observed the way he seemed to start fidgeting with his hands a little and looking around distractedly after he'd finished each meeting.

"Karn, are you okay?" she asked, curiosity finally getting the better of her.

"Dashie ... I need to sit down somewhere quiet and out of sight just for a moment."

"Um ... well, okay. There's a somewhat dark alleyway here, if that'll do?"

The two made their way as stealthily as possible into the shadowy side street. Karn glanced anxiously up and down the pathway to make sure they was alone. Finally, he sat down onto some old wooden crates that had been stacked nearby. He inwardly offered his deepest thanks to whomever had laid them there so fortuitously. He rested his back against the wall of the building behind him, rested his hands on his knees, closed his eyes and took a very deep breath.

"Um, Karn? Are you sure you're okay?" asked Rainbow Dash, clearly concerned.

Karn slowly opened his eyes once more and looked across at his escort. "Yes, Dashie. I shall be fine here presently."

"Did someone say somethin' to upset you?" she inquired.

He offered her an affectionate smile, touched by the degree of concern she had. "No, Dashie, nothing like that. I just feel really uncomfortable being around so many people ... well, ponies. I don't really know them all very well as yet, and being the focus of so much attention is just something that causes me a good deal of anxiety."

"Well, you've told us before how you don't like being the center of attention, Karn, but they mean no harm, they're just ... "

"It's exhausting, Dashie."

"Saying hello to ponies in the street is exhausting?" she asked. The sudden look of surprise on her face made him momentarily imagine her as some kind of biological traffic light. The light is orange - don't start to cross unless you happen to have a spare arse to replace the one you may lose.

"Dashie, the thing is, I have been training myself for a long time to be aware of anyone walking around me. Doubtless you remember my first encounter with the town outside Ponyville Hospital?"

"Oh yeah. I doubt anypony is likely to forget that!"

"Precisely. Every time one of them approaches me, my mind automatically begins to weigh them up. Are they a threat? If so, what kind of a threat? If they're not a threat, could they become one? If they are not an immediate threat, are they distracting me from somebody who is?"

"But Karn, they're all your friends here! You don't have to be afraid of them, they're just ... "

"Dashie, I know that. I can sit here like this and agree with you without hesitation! I know they're not a threat to me. But understand, that my autonomic reflexes are by nature hard to suppress and after a while of walking my way through a busy crowd like that ... well, it's exhausting having my mind constantly warning me. Someone will walk out of a doorway and my attention focuses on them. Someone else laughs and my attention is drawn there. Someone else calls my name and I'm suddenly focused in their direction, whilst checking behind me for other dangers I may have missed. Dashie ... I'm just exhausted," he finished, with a degree of exasperation. They shared a moment of quiet in the somber alleyway, as Karn continued slow breathing exercises in an attempt to calm his rattled nerves. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm actually ever going to recover from these neurosis," he growled, staring at the cobblestones beneath them. What would Fluttershy think of him, if she knew the half of the experiences he'd been through? If she knew of things he'd done, of the acts he'd committed? She was kind and forgiving to a fault, but even she had to have a point beyond which that acceptance borne of her gentle nature would refuse to follow.

"Karn, what makes you say that? It may take you a long time, but I'm sure you'll get better eventually?"

"Thank you," he muttered finally.

"What for?"

"For putting up with somebody as utterly broken as I am," he replied.

"Karn, we all know that you're not a hundred percent yet."

"I doubt I am twenty percent, presently."

"Now that I think about it, who told you about that whole story?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Dashie, if you're going to go using my own detested nickname, then I am afraid I shall have to continue to quantify degrees of awesomeness."

His smile was warm and Rainbow Dash had to acquiesce. "You're on, clubman!" she exclaimed.

His nerves now a good deal more settled, the two friends left the side street and continued their trek on towards Sugarcube Corner.

They arrived at the front of the delightful Mr. and Mrs. Cake's shop. Karn found himself standing in front of the doorway, staring at the sign that proclaimed that this particular place of business was most assuredly open.

"Karn? Are you okay? What are you waiting for?"

"I'm just steeling myself for whatever surprises Pinkie may have for me when I enter," he replied solemnly. Turning slowly to face Rainbow Dash, he continued. "Shall we?"

He may very well have had his hand within an inch of two of the door when he was forced to leap sideways and vault to safety. The shop door burst open and a pink blur all but exploded from the edifice. The source of this sudden eruption was naturally Pinkie herself, and she was not going to take a defensive backflip as a good enough reason not to want to be close friends. She leaped onto Karn, who had now accepted that this particular pony was not actually a threat. His resistance having left him, he fell backwards onto the ground. Pinkie pounced and stood on top of him, although whether to stop him from escaping or simply because she enjoyed standing atop his chest he wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps she just didn't want to get her hooves dirty? Whatever the reason, Karn lay there with four pink hooves planted firmly onto his chest and abdomen, and allowed his wonderfully joyful friend to commence beating his ears.

"CLUBBY! Oh! Sorry, I mean KARN! OH it's so wonderful to see you! I've been waiting for you to come over after Twilight told me last night that you'd had to go and look for Fluttershy, which was kind of weird, because I didn't know she'd actually left the party when she did, it was so sweet of you to go and look for her, did you like the cake? I thought it was 'fantabulastic' really, I couldn't think of a nice enough word to describe how it tasted so I just decided to come up with my own word instead, do you make up your own words? I do, words are great fun when you make them up or you hear a word that's funny, have you heard a word that's ... "

Karn could only smile up at her as her exuberance continued without any sign of abating. "I'm fine, thank you Pinkie, how are ... "

"... like 'trouser', that's a funny word! Or 'flabbergasted', that's another one I like, but oh I'm so glad that you got to dance with me last night, even though I know you're so afraid of dancing, why were so afraid of dancing, especially when you were so good at it ... "

"I love conversations with you, Pinkie ... "

".... and that waltz was really quite lovely, maybe we could do it again on your next birthday! I've already been thinking up of plans for another cake of my own special design, since it has to be even better than the last one ... "

"... they take so little effort on my part."

"... and I was just saying to Mrs. Cake that we should TOTALLY get all three of us together to create something really special for next year, are you looking forward to your next birthday, Karn? Well, are ya, are ya, are ya?"

Karn lay flat on his back on the soft ground, a sly smirk across his face. She may not be the most pre-eminent psychologist around these parts, but he felt certain she could take a solid chunk of steel and make it smile. "Good morning, Pinkie, it's lovely to see you."

"Thank you, Clubby! I mean, Karn!" She began to bounce lightly up and down atop his chest. "Oh, wasn't last night lovely? Did you enjoy your rebirth of a birthday party party, Karn? I hope you did, I really wanted you and everypony in town to have a wonderful time!"

"Argh, thank you, Pinkie, yes, I did," he grimaced, before finally grasping her front hooves with his hands and deftly twisting her onto her back in one swift movement. To her surprise, he was now firmly ensconced atop her, her front hooves pinned to the ground at either side of her head. "Now that I have you somewhat at my mercy, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for that wonderful party last night!" Releasing his grip on her hooves, he laughed and stood up, deftly lifting her up and onto her feet. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, I hope I didn't hurt you?"

"Oh course, not silly! That was actually kinda fun, how did you do that so quickly?"

"I could just as well ask how you manage to run through a solid door with such rapidity, without so much as making the hinges creak," he returned. "But in all seriousness, Pinkie, last night was absolutely wonderful. Thank you for going to all that trouble for everyone to have such a wonderful time!"

"I love organizing parties! It was no trouble, Clubby!"

"It's 'Karn'," he smiled.

"Yes, I know!"

"Yes, Pinkie, I mean my name. It's just Karn."

"I know it is, Clubby!"

By this point he decided to concede defeat. He could see Rainbow Dash, two hooves jammed into her mouth in an effort to prevent herself from laughing. At least he had the consolation of knowing that they had no idea what had inspired the stupid nickname in the first place. "Well ... anyway, Pinkie, I also wanted to apologize for having had to leave so suddenly. I was just very worried about Fluttershy when she went off on her own without saying goodnight to anyone."

"I know! I was worried, too! Did you find her?"

"Well, yes I did. I think she's going to be just fine."

"You're so sweet to look after her like that, Clubby!" squealed Pinkie, throwing her hooves around his neck and giving him yet another hug.

"Well, as I was saying, I do apologize. I should have at least had the decency to approach you and let you know directly that I was heading out, but ... well, I got very worried about her and just had to go. I'm so terribly sorry."

"Oh, Karn! It's fine! You met more of the ponies in town, you stayed to dance with me, you enjoyed the cake and stayed for the happy birthday!"

"Hey, Pinkie! You called me Karn!!"

"Pfff, I know, Clubby! That's your name!"

Rainbow Dash and Karn continued around to Twilight's abode. As he now considered Twilight to be something akin to his therapist, this wasn't exactly a visit he was looking forward to. The last time they'd discussed anything, he'd only expressed his love for Fluttershy. Since things had moved along a great deal since then, he wondered how she would take things this time? If he was to repay the friendship and concern that she showed him, then it followed that he must be as honest with her as he could - even should it prove painful and uncomfortable to do so.

Rainbow Dash once more thumped on the door. "Dashie, I think I'll go into the door repair business."

"Huh?"

"Well, between you smashing them with your hooves and my attempting to dig them apart with my bare hands, it may prove a viable source of income."

"Clubman, I don't hit doors that hard!" she remonstrated.

"I know, Dashie, but you must admit that you have considerable strength there," he smiled. "Someday you'll forget yourself and end up earning me another client in my burgeoning door-fixing venture."

"Karn, if I was really gonna thump the door, I'd do it like this!" she exclaimed. Karn didn't have the chance to stop her as she smashed her hoof directly into the door. The wood exploded, sending smatterings of paint, splinters and large chunks of the door a considerable distance into Twilight's house. A stunned looking Spike was standing just a few feet on the other side, having obviously just been making his way across to answer the first knock. "Oh ... I er, sorry Spike."

"Wha- ... what just happened?" he asked bemusedly.

"Nothing, Spike," replied Karn. "Dashie here was just demonstrating how she could go about drumming up business for me."

"... she what, now?"

"What on earth is going on down here, you three?" came the unmistakable and very irritated voice of Twilight. "What in Celestia's name happened to the door?!?" she growled.

"Rainbow dash was helping Karn start a business," Spike replied. The answer didn't do a great deal to clarify the absurdity of the situation, and it certainly didn't ease Twilight's temper.

"I'm Sorry, Twi'. I'll get it fixed," blushed Rainbow Dash.

"Ugh. Karn, come in." Karn and Rainbow Dash made their way in through the now rather superfluous doorway and into the ground floor of the building. "So, Karn, how did things go last night? You didn't make you way back to the party and apparently Applejack didn't find you out at Sweet Apple Acres. Did you find Fluttershy, was she okay?" Karn very nearly flinched at the endearing look of concern on Twilight's face.

"Twilight, I do realize this is somewhat unusual, but would you mind if you and I were to chat somewhere alone?"

She was taken aback, but after a moment of careful consideration she acceded to his strange request. "Spike? Rainbow Dash? Do you two mind waiting here whilst I go and hear what Karn has to report?"

"Sure thing, Twilight!"

"And Dashie? Please don't go opening any more doors?"

Twilight trotted up the stairway to her library, with Karn following behind her with his now customary stoop so as to avoid striking his head on the ceiling. Once upstairs, Twilight pulled up a chair next to her desk - that interminable quill and ever present notebook both primed and ready. Karn looked across at the pony-sized chair he would normally use during these discussions, but he decided against making use of it.

"Would you mind if I sat here on the floor and rested my back against the wall, Twilight? I think I might be more comfortable there and ... well, I'm going to need to be to explain."

His demeanor was already starting to raise a look of disquiet on Twilight's face - this in turn did not help to ease Karn's fears as to how she was going to react.

"Karn, obviously something terrible happened last night."

"Well, yes and no, Twilight."

"Karn, that's not much of an answer."

He brushed his hand from his brow, over his head, and tried to determine precisely how he could explain any of this to her. "Twilight, I left the party and headed straight to Fluttershy’s cottage. I figured that was the most likely place to find her," he explained.

"That would certainly be the first place I'd have gone to look."

"Yes, well, that's the first problem. When I arrived, she wasn't there."

"... she wasn't at home?" repeated Twilight. "That's a little out of character, but the next place to look would have been with her forest friends?"

"That was what I was thinking at the time, but given how late it was and that most of her friends were still there around the cottage, that didn't appear to be where she'd gone to either."

"Karn, please, where did she go to? Clearly you found her?"

He gently locked eyes with Twilight. 'Oh, princess, how I can possibly explain this?' he wondered. "I found her near the edge of the Bucephalus Brook, Twilight. She'd been sitting there and ... well, she'd been crying."

"She was upset? What had happened? Did somepony say something to her at your ... your party of a re-party birth ... "

He cocked his head slightly. "Rebirth of a birthday party party, Twilight."

"Yes, yes, but what happened to make her so upset?"

"Twilight ... I am going to have to answer that question in two parts, and I must make you promise not to jump to the wrong conclusions when I state the first half of my explanation."

That he'd seen the need to ask her such a thing immediately made her feel uncomfortable. "Karn ... you're asking that because something happened and it's because of something you did to her, isn't it?"

"Yes and no, Twilight. Two rather emotional stories are at work, one good and one bad. Please allow me to finish before you get upset at me? It will make sense to you, I promise."

Twilight was now quite visibly angry. "Karn ... if you hurt Fluttershy in someway .... "

Now it was his turn to feel anger. "God dammit, Twilight, I didn't set out to hurt her! I love her! I still love her! Do you remember me telling you how withdrawn she'd become from me? How she'd been so quiet around me and seemed to be avoiding my presence over the past couple of weeks?"

Twilight, her face still showing the red signs of her inward fury, could only nod her head.

"It was because of ... well, she misunderstood what was happening between myself and Pinkie."

The sudden silence was such that Karn could almost hear the movement of the tendons in his fingers. Twilight didn't move - the fuse of her anger lit, she remained quite frighteningly still. "... you and PINKIE, Karn?"

The tone of her voice suggesting quite clearly which conclusion she had jumped to, Karn slammed his hands onto the floor of the library. "Twilight, for fuck's sake, not like that! I mean, she had seen me becoming closer to Pinkie and had drawn the wrong God damn conclusion! Don't treat me like I'm a fucking hedonist!"

His explosion and the sudden realization of what had actually happened extinguished that slow burning fuse. Twilight's eyes flew open and she involuntarily jerked her head back. "Karn ... you mean, she thought that you ... you and Pinkie were ... "

"Together, yes. That's exactly what she thought," growled Karn, allowing his own temper to settle.

Twilight looked away from Karn for a moment, contemplating the significance of this information. "But, you're suggesting she was ... jealous, Karn?"

"Oh, Twilight, you know Fluttershy better than that," he insisted. He took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. "She left the party when she did without telling anyone, because she didn't want to 'be in the way'. Those were her very words. She'd gone down to the edge of the brook to be alone and to be out of everyone's way, since she'd just assumed that I had an attraction to Pinkie."

"But ... you don't have an attraction for Pinkie ... do you?" He glared at her once more. "I'm sorry, Karn, that wasn't fair."

"At any rate, I tried to engage her in some small talk. She suggested that she'd gone there to be alone, so I made my apologies and began to leave ... and ... "

He stopped, his mouth firmly closed. Palms open, he upraised his hands in front of his face.

"... and what, Karn?"

"Twilight ... she burst into tears, told me over and over that she was in love with me and then she flew back to her cottage."

The effect of his words on the princess was what he imagined would happen if a bolt of lightning struck her.

"Oh my goodness! She ... she really said that?" Now it was Karn's turn to give her 'the look'. "I'm sorry, Karn, it's just ... I've never seen Fluttershy act like that, nor heard of her saying such things. All this time she hasn't shown the slightest interest in a colt or a stallion, and has avoided anything like that. Yet she said that she loved you?"

"She did, Twilight."

Twilight stared once more at the ground, her eyes wide, allowing the cogs within her mind to digest the facts surrounding this turn of events. The obvious question for her to ask ended up being one of the last she arrived at.

"Well, what did you do?"

"At first, I just stood there at the edge of the brook like a fool. I mean, I'd had no idea she felt like that. None whatsoever! Suddenly, everything that had happened over those two weeks began to fall into place. Oh God, Twilight, the sound of her cries, I just ... I just couldn't let her go!"

"You followed her back to her cottage, didn't you," Twilight stated flatly. It was a statement more than a question.

"Twilight, I had to! She was ... just sobbing! She was so completely despondent, I had to follow her!"

"Karn ... well, what happened after you ... after you, well ... "

"Twilight, I'm not that kind of person," he frowned. "As it happened, Angel Bunny allowed me in and ... " His demeanor slid from one of exasperation to remembered pain. "She was just lying on her sofa, Twilight," he continued softly. "She was crying so uncontrollably. It was just heartbreaking, Twilight! I moved to her side to console her and ... well, that's when I let her know that I loved her as well."

"You told her how you felt?" Twilight asked, wanting to confirm the train of events.

"Twilight, I couldn't stand seeing her like that. I had to smooth away her tears, to let her know that she'd gotten things confused about Pinkie and I. I told her I loved her and opened my heart to her. I opened myself up to her in ways I'd never dreamed of doing so to anyone else in my entire life, Twilight."

"Karn, you stayed there at her cottage overnight with her, didn't you?"

"Yes, Twilight, but it wasn't anything indecent. We were both quite frankly a mess, and we spent the night just cuddling together in her bed - that's all. Nothing untoward or ... how can I put it. Nothing 'ungentlemanly'."

It was quite probably the first time since his arrival that he could remember Twilight having appeared both flustered and at a loss for words. The fact that she hadn't put her quill to use as yet was a fairly substantial clue that this state of affairs was clearly not one she had even remotely considered.

"Karn ... I'm ... ahem, well surprised to say the least."

He looked questioningly at her. Her statement didn't give any hint as to whether she approved of the situation or not. It was even possible she may have no opinion one way of the other. It was her silence and her apparent indecision as to how she felt about this new turn of events between himself and Fluttershy that made him especially anxious.

"Twilight, what am I going to do? I love Fluttershy dearly and if the feelings we exchanged together last night are any guide, she loves me just as much. Knowing the wonderful soul she is, she quite probably loves me more than I can understand. I just don't want that situation to be a source of pain or conflict for her."

"Well, the situation between the two of you is certainly a unique one," Twilight said finally.

Karn finally managed a grin once more. "It's nice to see you can add rhetoric to your long list of gifts, Twilight."

"Ugh. Karn, I really don't know what to say. I mean, you kept your promise and didn't hurt her feelings. It seems quite the opposite, you appeared to have inflamed her desires. When you left her this morning, would you say she was happy?"

"Twilight, I think the two of us were the happiest we've been in our lives."

Now it was her turn to raise a smile. "Then Karn, I am glad for the both of you. However, whilst I presently wish the best for both of you, I would advise you to be cautious about this. It's a very big step for the two of you, between her shyness and your ... well."

"My broken mind?"

“Karn, I worry about you having another episode whilst you’re with her … “

“The fact that I am effectively a talking monkey?”

Twilight flashed him a frown. “Well, I wasn't going to put it quite that way, Karn, but .... well yes."

"I offered Fluttershy the same advice while we had breakfast this morning. It took some work to convince her that I hadn't changed my mind about my feelings for her, but that I didn't want our love for each other to cause her grief and to bring further problems her way."

Twilight walked over and sat next to Karn, resting an authoritative hoof on his shoulder. "That's very wise advise, Karn."

"At the time, it felt like I was channeling you, princess."

The two shared a laugh.

Spike suddenly appeared at the top of the steps carrying a sealed letter from Canterlot. "Hey, Twilight! Sorry to bother you when you both asked to be alone, but this just arrived from Princess Celestia and I knew you wouldn't want me to wait for you!"

"Thanks, Spike!" She tore open the seal and read the letter. "Karn? It, er ... seems that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are summoning you to Canterlot."

"Do they mention the reasons for my summons?" he asked.

"I believe it has something to do with your request to stay here near Ponyville and live."

Having finished talking over the situation between Fluttershy and himself with Twilight, Karn and Rainbow Dash made their way back to Sweet Apple Acres.

"Thank you once more for the honor of being escorted home by one so strong and, dare I say, awesome!" chipped Karn happily.

"Of course I'm awesome!!" she exclaimed, that familiar, very nearly smug look on her face. "And it's no problem escorting you anywhere, Karn, you're pretty awesome yourself!"

"High praise, indeed!" Karn laughed. "I had best go and check in with Applejack, since I'm rather late getting to work this morning."

"Catch you later ... " she called, turning to fly back towards town, before yelling "CLUBMAN!"

Karn watched as she sped effortlessly across the sky and wondered at the power she exuded when in flight. He felt pleased with himself for having been able to earn her trust. He could recall the way she had distrusted him so completely after he left the hospital and yet now they were close friends. Aside from anything else, he knew she would never let go of the God damn nickname. At least he was thankful knowing that she didn't understand how he'd earned it. If that part of the story ever leaked out, he'd have to pack his bags and leave.

Still smiling, he turned and walked towards the barn to change out of the suit Rarity had made for his birthday. If he was going to be out working on fences, barns, sheds and the like, his uniform and combat boots would be far more practical attire.

Trying his best to ignore the scratch marks on the barn door that had resulted from his last flashback, he gently pushed them open and walked inside. He was suddenly aware of a curious giggling noise from up in the loft. Who on earth would be up there at this time of the morning? Applejack and Big Mac had to be out on the farm working by now - the sun was well up and it was very nearly noon.

He slowly climbed the ladder up into the loft.

That's when he saw her.

Applejack was lying across his straw bed, her hat thrown to one side and her mane filled with a few strands of hay that had escaped the mattress. She was giggling to herself for no reason he could discern. Momentarily confused, he suddenly realized with horror what the issue was.

She was drunk.

She had somehow decided to try the cider he had been attempting to ferment - and evidentially that process had worked.

"Oh! Heya, Karn, ah'd been ... jest up here tryin' this here cider you were keeping."

"I can see you had, AJ. How are you feeling?" he asked, genuinely worried about her condition. A glance at the large fermentation container told him that she had in fact consumed quite a lot of it.

"Ah have to say, it ... tasted kinda funny. Bit like bread dough!" she laughed heartily. "But whew, it certainly makes me feel mighty funny."

"I imagine it would, AJ. May one ask how much of this you consumed?"

"Oh, ah dunno. I had a few glasses. Then ah just started ta feel all silly like, 'n decided to lie here. Mah brother didn't know what was up with me, 'n jest left me here! Looks like it's jest you 'n me, Karn!"

"AJ ... I'm not sure how to explain this, but you are inebriated," explained Karn, taking a seat on his hayloft bed next to Applejack, lying on her back with her legs spread in a very risqué 'come hither' fashion. Instinctively, he focused on her eyes, putting any curious thoughts about a mare's anatomy firmly into the back of his mind.

"Ahm ... ahm what, now?"

"Inebriated, AJ. The cider you drank contains ethanol, better known as 'alcohol'. It's an intoxicant. You are, to be blunt ... well, pissed."

She screamed with laughter at the way he'd used the colloquialism. "Pissed! Ah like that! Hey, Granny, ahm PISSED!" she cackled wildly.

"Perhaps a less offensive term, AJ, would be to say that you are 'drunk'. You've consumed a good deal of alcoholic cider, and ... well, you're drunk and Twilight is going to kill me."

"Kill you? Why? 'cause ahm layin' here on yer bed and laughin'?"

"Because I began brewing cider so I could have a glass now and then, and foolishly allowed one of her friends to get to it first," he clarified. "I can see her jotting down notes in her book now. 'Subject appears to be delivering intoxicating chemicals to ponies. Outbreaks of hilarity, pegasi crashes and pools of vomit mysteriously appearing near the front of doorways are being reported'."

"Did you used to drink a lotta this stuff where you came from, Karn?"

"Well, not a lot of it, AJ, but yes. Mostly wine and spirits."

"... spirits?" she asked.

"Spirits are a bit stronger than this cider, AJ. It's made through a distilling process that increases the alcohol content," he explained. Looking at her laying there, spread suggestively on the bed, he quietly congratulated himself on not having tried to make a still - things could have gotten a lot worse.

Applejack's laughter subsided and she lay there smiling up at him, slowly getting her breath back after all the laughing. "Hey, Karn, did you find Fluttershy?"

He felt a sudden pounding in his chest. Memories of that astonishing moment near the brook where she'd professed her love for him returned. "Yes, AJ, I found her alright."

"Twilight said you mightn't be comin' back here last night, so I kinda thought you had!"

Karn, still seated on his mattress, looked out the window at the top of the barn. It was clear that his mind was elsewhere.

"So where'd you end up sleepin' last night? I came in here to check 'n see if you’d made it back, but you weren't here."

"Well, AJ, I ended up sleeping at Fluttershy's cottage, once I'd found her," he admitted. He looked down to Applejack, three sheets to the wind. Her ethanol fueled smile had narrowed a little but her eyes remained fixed on his.

"Karn?" she asked.

"Yes, my lovely hammered landlady?" he quipped.

"You .... you love her, don't you?"

He was momentarily taken aback. He could understand why Twilight may have noticed, being as studious and keen with her observations. He'd never have guessed that his feelings would have been so apparent to Applejack. "AJ, it just so happens that ... well, yes I do. I love her very much, in fact."

She remained lying there with her eyes fixed on his. "Well ... ah guess that's ... well, swell," she said, the smile disappearing from her face. "I figured somethin' like that would happen."

"Something like what, AJ? My falling in love with Fluttershy?"

"You bet ... I mean, she's lovely, she's ... real sweet. Ah can see why you'd love her."

He shook his head. "You really have had far too much of that cider, AJ."

"Dang it, Karn," she said, suddenly angry. "Why do you always change the subject like that?"

The subject of Fluttershy was still one that was difficult for him to reason with. He loved her dearly, but he wasn't sure that sharing the news of their happy attraction with the rest of the town just yet was a very good idea. "AJ ... please. I'm just not ready to discuss that with anyone yet."

"Oh, you ain't?" she said, her anger subsiding a little. "There's a lotta things you don't like ta discuss, ain't there?"

"AJ, I don't understand. What on earth is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean you have things on your mind about where your from, and you have things on your mind 'bout how you feel, but you can't bring yerself ta really tell anyone. You must know what that's like, ah mean? To keep things hidden, ta have a secret you don't want anyone ta know about?"

Her gaze, though clouded with alcohol, was surprisingly sharp. He realized she was known amongst the others for her honesty, and that for her to be hinting at keeping secrets must have been a hard burden for her.

In any case, he was still hopelessly confused. "AJ, you want to know what I'm hiding?"

He was shocked to see her actually starting to cry, rocking her head slowly back and forth on the bed with her eyes still fixed on his.

".. .what you’re hidin'? ... Karn, you ... you jest ... why now?"

"Why now, AJ? Why what?" he said calmly, becoming more concerned now about her state of mind. Did alcohol affect ponies this strongly?

"Why ... I mean, you .... you jest go an' turn up here like that?" He felt momentarily hurt, but put it down to her being angry at him about something. "Karn ... you jest go and show up and ... well, you’re jest the way you are ... and, well, ahm happy fer the two of you."

She rolled over and turned away from him.

"AJ ... I'm sorry, but I really don't understand what it is that's upset you? Is it because I didn't come back here last night?"

She paused for a moment. "Yes, Karn. Ahm madder than a cut snake about you not comin' back here last night."

"I'm sorry, AJ, it's just that Fluttershy was dreadfully upset and I had to go and find her. I couldn't leave her alone like that."

"You should've been back here, Karn!"

"I know, AJ, but she was seriously very upset. I just couldn't let her go?"

"Yew should've been here ... you ... you should've been here with me, dang it."

"AJ? What do you mean, here with you? Here in the hay loft?"

She turned around suddenly and sat upright, her glazed but surprisingly passionate eyes digging right through him. "I meant next ta me, Karn!! I meant lying next ta me!!" she all but yelled at him. Karn felt his heart nearly stop. "Karn, ah love you! Didja know that? I've wanted to ... well, jest be with you and ... ah dang it, all that kind of silly stuff. I wanted you ta love me, Karn. I tried so hard to keep that to myself, when ah could see you lookin' at Fluttershy ... dang it, Karn, it hurts so much. Ahm sorry, I should never have told you! It ain't fair on you and it sure ain't fair on Fluttershy, ... but ah jest ... ah jest wanted you ..."

It was finally too much and she broke down.

Karn was utterly lost for words. How on earth did this manage to happen? He'd been able to fix one broken heart, only to destroy another.

"Oh God, AJ ... I'm sorry, I had no idea."

She put her hooves around him and rested her head against his chest and sobbed. Clearly the alcohol had reduced her inhibitions just enough for her to admit how she felt. Another reason for him never to have attempted to brew that stuff.

"Dang it, Karn, ah love you and it ain't fair ... " she sobbed.

He gently held her close to him and cradled her slowly in his arms, trying his best to soothe her. "Shhhh. AJ, I'm so sorry. I had no idea you felt this way."

He rested his head on top of her disheveled mane, feeling her shuddering as her pent up anguish found release.

'I came here to a land of peace and have brought nothing but heart ache', he thought to himself.

"Karn, ah love you ... ah love you ... "

"Shhhhh, it's okay, AJ ... I understand. I've got you."

'No release from visions of hell lunging into my consciousness without warning ... and now the agony of knowing I have unwittingly broken a dear friend's heart into the bargain.'

He gently smoothed Applejack's mane and held her tightly. Unsure of what else he could do for her, he kissed the top of her head. She snuggled her head a little more firmly under his chin.

'If there is such a thing as fate,' Karn thought angrily to himself, it needs a fucking good kick in the balls.'

Author's Note

There are all manner of things happening in this chapter. It is mostly dedicated to romance, but with continued therapy there with Twilight. The end of the story was something I had wanted to add into the mix for a while, just to keep the story interesting.

Trust me - this story DOES have an ending. This is not a soap opera, even though it reads like one.

2017-06-13 POST EDIT
Removed more of the sappy kruft from the story. Minor fixes and edits.