"The parents gave you this body and fostered the intelligence and love that are embedded in it; so, gratitude is their due."

― Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

The Friendship Express slowly pulled its way into the station at Ponyville. Karn had by now recovered enough to be a little more lucid. Following the simple experiment with Twilight earlier, he'd been left barely able to do a great deal more beyond mumbling profanity under his breath. It had never dawned on him until this moment to attempt to sense energy in any of the ponies directly when they had been utilizing magic. The sensation he'd discovered while doing caused a kind of pain akin to what he imagined staring into an arc welder would've exhibited. It had been physically painful, although neither he nor Twilight could determine why that should be the case. Magic wasn't energy in the traditional sense - at least in so far as an adept would have known it - and yet the two were quite naturally intertwined somehow.

Disembarking from the train, Karn found himself a little unsteady on his feet. He'd become accustomed throughout the centuries to sensing energy sources, but even while doing so around primary master adepts, he had never been as utterly astonished as he had been with Twilight during that moment on the Friendship Express. Since apparently only a small effort and quantity of magic was required to levitate a simple deck of cards, the thought of what a significant 'spell' might have done to him was a thought that caused both he and Twilight quite a good deal of concern. It was utterly inconceivable that magic and energy could be in any way connected - but quite apparently they were.

Twilight had of course immediately become fascinated with this topic, latching onto it like an angry rottweiler in an academic gown. The pain he'd experienced was equivalent to what he suspected would be a stick of white phosphorous burning within his mind.
Karn made it a point never to attempt to analyze energy flow through ponies or any other objects - alive or no - until this potential connection could be successfully isolated, or any of the thousands of theories that Twilight seemed to have hypothesized could be proven.

A proven hypothesis may not save his mind. At least if he inadvertently attempted to sense energy from a unicorn and had the back of his head burnt off, he would have the consolation of his final thought being 'ah, that's what Twilight meant'.

Even while disembarking from the train, Twilight was assailing his bruised mind with all manner of questions, queries, theories, and hypotheses. His mind had still not forgiven him for his actions on the train. If anything, his subconscious was angrier at the way his therapist now beat it around with endless scientific chatter, when it presently had far more important matters to attend to - like grappling with self-inflicted pain, for example.

"It could be a connection somewhat like that of light, with offset electric and magnetic fields? Or possibly the use of magic emits energy of some kind as a byproduct of channeling?"

"Twilight, could we continue this conversation at some other time?"

"I insist on it, Karn! This discovery is significant! In fact, I would like you to come and see me today."

"That would be lovely. Perhaps when my cerebral spinal fluid isn't running out my ears?" Karn said sarcastically. She glanced up at him in confusion. "It's just another figure of speech, Twilight. I need to hold ... I don't know, some manner of evening class to teach you about figures of speech. It may certainly ... " and he paused as his addled, angry mind decided to bite down harder on his diencephalon. Closing his eyes against the pain, he tried to continue with this train of thought, before it too ran screaming from its rails. " ... certainly, save all of us a lot of confusion."

Fluttershy followed him onto the platform, watching him with concern as he slowly took a seat on a bench and rested his head back against the wall of the station. His eyes remained closed as he gently reached out with his right hand until he found her. Finally, he was able to break into a smile. "Ahah!" he managed to whisper sweetly. "Found you, Flutter Puddle!"

"Karn, what on earth do you mean by Flutter Puddle?" asked Twilight, now almost as concerned as Fluttershy was.

"Nothing, Twilight. One is not losing the ability to speak; it's more of a nickname I was trying for her," he explained. "Rest assured; I have not sustained a brain injury quite that serious. Not yet, anyway," he reported, gently scratching Fluttershy behind her ear.

As much as she loved the sensation of his doing so, she was too concerned about the amount of pain he was feeling. She slowly climbed up onto the bench next to him, resting a hoof on his lap. "Karn, is there anything I can do to help you?"

Karn managed a sigh; his eyes still closed as his brain continued ignoring his pleas for forgiveness. "No, thank you, Puddle Cuddle. I think what I may have is a pretty substantial headache following that last experiment," he groaned. "You might look inside my designer made hessian sack there and see if you can find some of the pain tablets that the good doctor gave me? They should be inside a small container," he asked quietly. Fluttershy opened the bag and commenced a search for anything that might look like medication. "You might find it hidden in a jar with a label that says 'use in case of Twilight'" he moaned, although managing a weak smile of resignation. "Now, Twilight, I know you're giving me that look!"

"I think these are the ones you meant. Something called Fen-tan-ill?" said Fluttershy at last.

"Fentanyl. That's the very one, thank you, Snuggle Pie," he groaned once more. He'd not had to use anything like this in a while, but half a tablet would be the most he would need, and it would, in fact, be significant overkill. As he didn't have to be operating heavy machinery for a few hours - possibly several years - it seemed like the best treatment to handle this kind of acute, breakthrough pain.

Fluttershy managed a giggle. "How many nicknames do you think I need?"

"I have no idea, Smoochie McCuddle. I shall try several permutations until I can find one that fits. I'm sorry, Cutie Fruity."

"Cutie Fruity? My dear, what on earth is this nonsense?" requested Rarity, joining those now gathered around the bench on the platform.

"It's a figure of speech, I gather," reported Twilight.

"It's a nickname, Twilight," corrected Karn.

Rarity looked in confusion from the one to the other. "It's utter silliness, I would suggest! My dear, you don't look very well."

"My lady, it is safe to report that things don't look any better from this side of my eyelids, either."

"You need to lie down and rest, my dear."

"I would love nothing more, my lady, but as soon as the fentanyl begins to work its magic, I shall be about other tasks. I do appreciate your concern."

"Hey, Clubster, you're looking even worse than you were on the train!" added Rainbow Dash.

"Ah yes, Dashie. Rarity was pointing that out to me."

"Why is everyone standin' round here for?" chimed in Apple Jack.

"AJ, it's okay - it's just that the last experiment I tried with Twilight almost reduced my cerebrum to a liquid."

"You did what, now?"

"Karn, was that one a figure of speech?" asked Twilight.

"It was indeed! You are getting better at that, and you're giving me that look again, aren't you?" Karn asked Twilight, a wry smile on his face. "I can tell. The fact that you didn't answer me only serves to prove it."

Twilight shook her head and managed a sigh of her own. "Karn ... "

"I know, I know. You don't know what you'd do if I weren't here, right?" Karn asked, rhetorically. The silence continued. "Gawkify!" he exclaimed all of a sudden.

The ponies all seemed taken aback. Twilight was the first to ask the obvious question. "Karn is that one of those unpleasant ... "

"No! It's the name I shall give 'the look' that you often give me from now on. You have 'gawkified' me, or you are 'gawkifying' me. The word is a combination of 'gawk' and 'electrify,'" he explained. "You're doing it now, in fact - I can tell, even with my eyes closed."

"That's not funny, Karn!"

"How would you know? I've never gawkified you before? Who knows, you might like it."

"Ugh! I give up! Karn, as soon as you're feeling better, you do need to come to my lab. Whatever has been happening could end up being very serious."

"I'll be there as soon as I'm able to, Twilight. If you don't mind, I'd like to fix your door first. At least that would save you from further jokes related to its current state," he said. The other ponies except for Fluttershy began to make their way off the platform. "AJ? Do you mind if I ask you something for a moment? Nuzzle Poodle, I need to talk to AJ about my moving out of the hayloft at Sweet Apple Acres - do you mind if we have a minute or two to sort out the details? The medication is starting to work. I'm feeling a lot better, I promise," he said softly to Fluttershy - this time, with both eyes open.

"Oh - okay. Are you sure you're doing better?"

He broke into a broad smile and placed his hands softly on the sides of her face, drawing her to him and kissing her. The kiss was soft, loving and the gentle nature of their lips meeting lent sensuality to the emotion she was feeling. "I'm doing much better now, Fluttershy."

She smiled up at him. "You called me Fluttershy!"

"So I did," he laughed, gently running a hand over her mane. "I couldn't think of a more beautiful nickname than that one for the moment. I'll come up with others, though. You wait!"

Fluttershy climbed down from the bench and began following the others back towards Ponyville. He waited until they were out of earshot before he and Applejack could speak.

"AJ ... I guess you know what I wanted to ask you about."

"Karn, it's okay. Ah understand. Really."

He looked at her for a moment. "AJ, I don't know what to feel. I mean, you know how I feel about Fluttershy, but ... God, I don't want to hurt you."

"Karn, ah understand. You can't very well love both of us, can you," Applejack said, trying to hide the sadness in her tone and not really succeeding.

He looked into her eyes and managed a half-hearted smile. "Well, no. That would be unseemly," he said softly before he once more became serious. "I'm so sorry, AJ, I never wanted either of us to feel any pain like this over how we feel."

"Either of us?"

"AJ, I don't want you to be upset ... you're so wonderful, and you've been so generous with the way you've been helping me to recover, and ... I feel so guilty about just packing up and moving out this way. It feels ungrateful."

"I'll be fine ... "

"I know you're strong, AJ. I know that you can keep these kinds of feelings buried under your hat ... remember?" To his amazement, she even blushed a little. "It's knowing that you'll be hurt anyway and that there's nothing I can do about that. I'm so sorry - I never, ever wanted you to be hurt that way."

"Karn, it's not yer fault. These things... well, have a way of happenin' on their own. I should've told you how I felt about you sooner than ... well," she managed, as she tried to keep back her tears without giving any hint of how she was feeling. "I'll be fine, sugarcube. You just make sure that Fluttershy is happy - she adores you, I've never seen her like she is around you."

"I promise, AJ," he whispered, before gently hugging her. "Please promise me you'll take care of yourself? Whatever else happens, you've been an incredible source of support to me - and I'll never forget that. Truly, I owe you my life."

'Dang it, Karn, don't you make me cry here like this,' she thought to herself. "It was my pleasure, Karn. Anytime you need help with somethin', just shout, okay?"

"I plan to. Perhaps not shouting, but I'll certainly call for you. You know you can call me if you need any help too, right?"

"Yup, I'll always keep that in mind."

He slowly released Applejack from his arms. "Thank you again, AJ. Really - for everything."

"I'll be seein' you, sugarcube!"

"Not unless I see you first," he smiled, collecting his hessian carry-all and turning to walk after the other ponies who had by now exited the station.

Applejack watched him walking away. A lone tear escaped from one eye and rolled off her cheek, yet her face remained composed. "I'm glad it's Fluttershy who won you," she whispered to herself. "I don't think I could stand it being any other pony."

The group made a good time making their way back through the town as there didn't seem to be any particular hurry. Most of the ponies, except Fluttershy, still felt somewhat cramped from the train journey. Karn had slept remarkably well, aside from his rather strange encounter with Princess Luna, and Fluttershy of course had been using him as a mattress - so she was undoubtedly well rested. Even the low dose of fentanyl that he'd taken had helped with the pain he'd suffered during the early morning. Indeed the fresh air and the chance to get out and walk around a little had not done any of them any harm.

"Karn, I would like you to make your way back to the lab as soon as possible after you get yourself settled in with Fluttershy," ordered Twilight.

"I shall not dawdle, Twilight. Be assured that I shall present my body at your laboratory with my brain accompanying me, for further examination at your leisure," he said melodramatically. Quite clearly he enjoyed moments like these. Twilight turned to face him. "Gawkified, again!" he exclaimed, proudly. "That's twice in one morning, Twilight!"

"Hey, Karn! We should keep a score board!"

"We should, Spike! Perhaps on the front of the door that I shall need to repair? As I recall, scientific study was to commence after the door was fixed, am I correct?"

"No, Karn. We agreed to a general scientific discussion after the door was fixed. This is much more serious - this requires some further study and experimentation."

"Well, she has me there, Spike. Very well, princess, I shall bring my cerebrum, cerebellum and all of the other cephalic hangers-on with me as soon as I can."

To his amusement, he could see Twilight fighting very hard not to 'gawkify' him. He leaned in closer, widening his eyes in mock anticipation. "It's there ... it's hiding ... right behind those eyes, Twilight! You see it, don't you, Spike? Right there! Don't fight it, Twilight!" he exclaimed. Unable to help herself, Twilight broke into a smile and laughed. "That wasn't what I was expecting you to do, Twilight!"

"Well, after you allow me to analyze the potential between your abilities with energy and ours with magic, maybe we can discuss silly faces then. Does that sound like a deal?"

"The same deal as the carpentry?"

"I think we can probably come to a mutual understanding, Karn," Twilight said, her tone thick with exasperation.

"Hmm. You know more about legal systems than I do. I need to borrow some of your books on such subjects. After you scramble my brain, then allow me to fix your door, we shall talk of clocks, measuring systems, astronomy and so on. There's a combination of words that I never thought I'd see myself using."

"Ugh! Enough, Karn! Please get yourself settled with Fluttershy and come back to my lab?"

"I'm sorry for being so facetious, Twilight. I can only put it down to the mild euphoria from the pain medication. I shall make sure I am suitably grumpy when I make it back to you!"

Twilight and Spike made their way into the library via what was left of the door. The others made their excuses and headed off to their own homes and places of business. Pinkie naturally made sure to give everyone the most extraordinary hug before leaping her way off to work. Rarity insisted on obtaining some beauty sleep and a chance to make herself more presentable for dress making at the boutique. Rainbow Dash took off with yet another comment directed his away referring to him as a club. This finally seemed to catch Fluttershy's attention, much to Karn's horror.

"Karn - why does Rainbow Dash keep calling you a Clubman, or Clubbie or ... "

"Oh God, Fluttershy. It's a silly nickname I used to have. I had never intended anyone else to find out about it, but well - somehow it got out of its cage."

"I see ... I don't understand why anypony or human would want to call you a club? You don't seem dangerous?"

"Well, the nickname wasn't anything to do with my being dangerous as such it was more of a ... just a silly nickname, Bubble Snuggle."

The two made their way through the eastern market areas of Ponyville, before crossing the familiar bridge to Fluttershy's cottage. The plethora of birds, small forest dwellers and other creatures big and small seemed delighted at Fluttershy's return. Karn watched in amazement as she appeared to greet every one of them by name. He could think of no other pony - and most certainly no human whatsoever - who had this beautiful connection with the animal kingdom. Karn recalled the day they spent together sitting on one of Twilight's tree branches and his being astounded that she could understand what any of the animals were saying to her. Even after all this time, he still felt moved by this sweet nature of hers - ordinarily, such timid creatures would shy away from anything that came their way - instinctively, defensively. Apparently, they knew someone (or somepony) with a heart of gold and an angelic soul when they met one.

The greetings out of the way, Fluttershy turned and noticed Karn standing there smiling at her, in some strange way. It wasn't a smile suggesting humor, nor was it a smile that suggested contentment.
There was something else about his gaze that she couldn't make out - but she found herself enjoying the attention, as she always did from him. "What is it, Karn?"

He shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid I'll have to apologize for what I'm about to do in advance, Fluffy Snuggle," he said in a soft, kind voice. Leaning down, he deftly lifted her to cradle her on her back along his forearms. She managed a squeak and a surprised expression, while he nudged open the door. He walked over to the sofa in her lounge and sat down, gently rolling her over and onto his chest. "This," he said sweetly, "is all your fault!"

"My ... my fault?" stammered Fluttershy.

"You are too adorable!" he laughed, hugging her a little more tightly. "I am worried that I'm going to prove to be a huge handful to you, with the issues that I still have, my love. Whatever happens, you do know that my feelings for you will never change, don't you?"

"I know, Karn. If I didn't trust you that way, I'd never have let you move in here with me."

A critical recollection leaped suddenly to his mind. "Um ... there is one other issue here, Fluttershy."

"Have you run out of nicknames?" she giggled, playfully rubbing his chest with one of her hooves.

"Well yes, there's that ... but as I recall, your parents are supposed to be visiting you tomorrow afternoon, aren't they?"

Fluttershy froze momentarily. "Oh my goodness! With everything that's happened, and so quickly! I'd not thought about that!"

"Are you still sure that they'll be okay with me? You thought they would be, that morning after the rebirth of a birthday party party?" he asked her.

"Oh, I'm sure they will, I'd just ... well, didn't expect them to find you already living here. I think that would prove to be ... well, a surprise for them!"

"Would it be easier if I moved out? I don't want to cause you any problems with your family, Fluttershy."

"No, Karn, I'm sure it will be okay. We might have to ... well, break the news a little gently to them."

He fell backward onto the sofa, lying on his back, allowing Fluttershy to flop down onto his chest. He let his latent feelings of sensuality for her to rise slowly within him as he gently slid his hands down her back until he was firmly holding her flanks in his hands. "I need you, Fluttershy," he whispered.

Kissing him softly, she rested her lips near his ear and whispered back. "I need you too, Karn."

The shape of Twilight's door was an interesting one. There was some rational part of Karn's mind that stared at the arched shape of the doorway and wondered why on earth they didn't go with a rectangular door. Certainly, those would be easier to produce - and in this case of course to repair.

Karn stood there looking at the door, Spike next to him. "Well, I suspect the first thing we shall need is some wood," Karn suggested finally.

Spike blinked once or twice. "That'd be a good place to start, I'd say."

"I shall have to locate some, just as soon as Twilight has finished ... I don't know. As long as it doesn't involve her inserting anything into my skull, I think I'll probably come out of this unscathed. Tell me the truth here, Spike. Have there ever been any ... you know ... survivors?"

Spike managed a laugh and looked up at him. "Karn, it's not that bad! I'm sure she'll do her usual experimental type stuff. There'll be a lot more note taking. At least at that point, you get to work on the door. I'll be spending the rest of the afternoon handling dictation of an update to Princess Celestia."

"Huh - that reminds me, I need to set to work on building her a fountain pen. Of all of the magic that seems to be used here, with all of the scientific knowledge that this society possesses - you're telling me nobody thought to upgrade writing implements from a quill to a pen? Or a pencil?"

"Well, no, whatever those are - but then I guess everypony was pretty happy just using quills, and none of them ever got around to trying anything new."

Karn twisted his lips thoughtfully to one side and nodded his head. "Hmm. That makes sense when you put it that way."

Spike lead Karn in through the remnants of the entryway and down to Twilight's laboratory. Karn fought back a slight sense of dread, recalling one of the previous experiences in this room. The other had involved Rarity cutting his hair short and shaving him - while that experience wasn't traumatic, it had taken him a few days to become accustomed to having lost his once customary Alsovian visage. As he gingerly made his way down the pony-sized steps, he attempted to lighten his mood.

"Look, master! Fresh meat!" he exclaimed.

Twilight looked up from one of several tomes she appeared to have set out across one of the few areas of her desk not presently smothered in scientific apparatus. "Karn, I'm so glad you've finally gotten here! What took you so long?"

"Well, I could have used time dilation to get here faster, but I've been reluctant to do that anymore - after what happened earlier."

"That seems wise," she replied. "Firstly, I need you to give me a better idea of what you experienced on the train this morning! What was it that you could sense? Have you ever tried doing that before?"

"Normally, I can reach out with my senses and feel energy flowing. There are forms of energy that are easier to sense than others. Electricity, heat and even alpha and beta radiation. I can't sense those directly, but they do leave net charges where their particles flow, and that net charge is something I can sense quite easily."

"Alpha and beta particles ... can you expand on that?"

"Radiation, Twilight," he explained. She cocked her head a little. "Particles? Atomic particles?" he suggested, hoping one of the terms would trigger a thought. "Okay, well let's leave it with my being able to sense electricity or electric charge quite well."

"I do recall you telling me you could absorb energy?"

"That's true, yes."

"So, if a lightning bolt were to strike you ... "

"I would absorb the bolt and store it."

"That wouldn't cause you any pain?" Twilight asked in surprise.

"None whatsoever."

"I see - so, I gather you were sensing bioelectric flow ... wait! You were sensing bioelectric flow through me?" she asked, suddenly realizing what he'd been doing in the first place.

"Twilight, it's not like that - it's nothing obscene, nothing intrusive - it's just that when electricity flows, it emits electromagnetic waves and I can sense those. You're an antenna, basically," he said. The way she continued to glare at him suggested that she wasn't convinced. "Does the word 'passive' mean anything to you? Imagine you standing there and reading poetry to me. Okay? It isn't like I was running my hands through your saddlebags or breathing down your neck! I was, in a sense, sitting there and listening."

The glare softened a little. "Okay. So it was passive. So you were sensing that flow of electricity."

"Correct. That's when you reached for your suitcase using your horn ... your ... whatever it is you do," he fumbled, gesticulating wildly with his hands. "Suddenly that mild flow of electrical energy I was sensing became something else entirely. It wasn't electrical; it wasn't any form of energy I've sensed before, it ... was like an explosion."

Twilight's eyes opened widely. Karn knew the look all too well. "Hmm," she mumbled.

"Oh God. Twilight, how many Doctorates are you going to be earning from studying me exactly, and do I get any kickbacks?"

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

"I know! I'm good at it."

"Ugh - so this was an explosion that you'd not sensed before?"

"Well, no. I mean, I've been around when ponies have used magic, and its never been an issue nor caused me any discomfort. It was while I was so focused and deliberately feeling for it that it hit so firmly. I've not experienced anything that strong since the da-" and he suddenly froze, a look of horrified realization on his mind. "Oh fuck," he growled. "The only other thing I've sensed that strong was that ... that thing ... that entropy the day I came here," he growled under his breath.

"Now, Karn, please don't leap to any conclusions here. At this point, we have no idea what it was that happened to you - even the notion of how you got here to Equestria at all is still just a theory."

He stared blankly at the wall on the opposite side of the lab for a moment; his strong jaw clenched tightly shut. Twilight looked at him, wondering how it was that his teeth didn't shatter. Finally, he breathed a little. "I guess you're right," he said, quietly. "Let's take this one step at a time. Twilight, I think actively using my abilities with energy is going to be a terrible idea, until either of us or Princess Celestia and Princess Luna come up with a definitive explanation."

"Karn, the only thing I want to do with you today are some very, very small experiments."

His eyes slowly shifted focus from the back wall of the laboratory to Twilight's face. "Small experiments, you say?"

"Very small, I promise."

"Am I to assume you want me to try to sense your bioelectric flow, while you utilize magic?"

"That would be correct," she affirmed. Karn stared at her, frowning. The stare continued for an uncomfortable period. "Karn, I am talking about using enough magic to move a single strand of hay - just a single strand - enough to barely move it."

Karn sighed in resignation. "Very well, Twilight. I am assuming you want me to wear that colander of yours?"

"I'm afraid so - I'd like to get some readings of the activity across your brain as we're doing this."

Settling himself cross-legged on the floor, the only realistic position in which he could feel comfortable, Twilight attached the sensitive equipment. This task was not a difficult job in itself, in that it did indeed appear to be very much just a colander with a lot of electrodes attached to it. The equipment once more whirred into life, and it produced a trace of Karn' brain waves.

"Okay - firstly, I want to get a base reading. See if you can sense anything bioelectric about me at the moment."

Somewhat reluctantly, he reached out and focused on her. The familiar ebbs and flows, pulses and sparks of bioelectricity flowed through her body. He could sense her heart, the flow along her axons within her mind, the flow through her muscles. "Okay - this much I am used to. As I said, I can sense this kind of energy a lot easier here in Equestria than I could at home."

"Thank you - now, I'm going to very, very subtly try to move this single strand of hay, okay?"

"... Okay."

The very faintest hint of magical aura appeared around Twilight's horn, as the tiny strand of hay sitting on the desk moved almost imperceptibly.

Karn's eyes flew open, and he gasped audibly. Twilight immediately released her hold on her magic. "Karn??? Are you okay?? What happened, are you hurt??"

He blew the air out of his lungs and remained seated with his eyes fixed on hers. "Wow ... Twilight ... I need you do that again, with just that amount of magic ... nothing more than that, please. I want you to do that and hold onto precisely that amount of magic. I'll let you know when I've finished my observations," he said, in a strange, monotone voice.

"Well ... okay, but please don't do anything silly?" she cautioned him. Turning again to face the desk, she again held just the faintest amount of magic needed to make the hay strand vibrate.

Around Twilight's horn, down the path to the insignificant strand of hay on the table, Karn could observe that time was ever so slightly bent in on itself. Not only was it bent, but the space between Twilight and the strand of hay was compressed as well. He could observe the strange lensing effect of the light in the room between Twilight and the desk - it was subtle, so incredibly subtle, but it was most definitely there. Her bioelectric energy was trivial to sense, but it was the magic that was making the difference - it had nothing to do with electricity. He'd been mistaken on the train - it was as if the magic she was emitting was releasing a form of energy of its own, and he found himself absorbing it. It was unlike any energy he'd ever heard of or studied - but whatever it was, he was collecting it. He was primarily a lightning rod for whatever this strange energy that co-existed with magic happened to be.

"Twilight ... I need you to stop now."

She released her gentle hold and raced over to him. "What was it? Did you notice anything?"

"I can certainly explain why my adeptic powers appear to be so much stronger these days. But that isn't the half of it, Twilight."

"I don't understand? Are you saying you can use magic?"

"No - I can't use magic," he said anxiously. "But I have a feeling that if I tried to use energy that I've absorbed directly, while anyone else around me is using a powerful enough spell ... " he looked up at her. "... then we could end up in a world of shit."

She looked back at him, horrified.

"Twilight, you need to sit down, and we need to talk."

Author's Note

Yes, the title of this chapter is a nod towards Megadeth (and yes, I realize that their noun is 'dread' and not 'anxiety').

I had intended to write a larger chapter, but I think I want to start off on a clean slate with where I'm going with this, rather than try to combine too much of this faux scientific nonsense with Karn's having to deal with meeting Fluttershy's parents - and of course, getting materials to fix the door.

Another side. He is deliberately using "anyone" and "everyone" and is deliberately avoiding "anypony" and "everypony".
POST EDIT 2018-05-02: A lot of grammar fixes, spelling fixes and a lot of cleaning up of the body copy.