He stayed in Canterlot for a few days. Not like he really cared about anything at that time. Princess Celestia offered citizenship to him but did not force it if he wanted she could arrange for him to go to any other nation but Lazlo just shrugged as it didn’t matter to him then at least he was somewhat familiar with Equestria and the princess also pointed out that he already had several friends here to help him, since he rejected her offer of a psychologist or any other specialist. Nothing could help him right now.

After becoming an official equestrian citizen and Celestia pointed out that despite from now he is her subject she still wanted to see him as a friend. Again the only response was a shrug and a small nod.

During his stay at the castle, he didn’t do much. If not for the current mental state he would’ve happily explored the castle town but right now most of his time was spent in his living quarters. From time to time Celestia came to him then they talked a little but she still had many duties. Luna did not show up after that night though he saw her in the dining room at breakfast lunch and dinner though they only talked a little. Princess Cadance visited him a few times and she was the one who managed to make him move out a little when offered to help him set up his own Vault account.

The Equestrian Vault or EV was the closest thing to a bank here just more simple. It was basically like the name suggested a vault where you could keep your money and take it out when wanted. Every equestrian citizen could make one personal account for free as it was basically its cost was basically built into the taxes. If you wanted another, or for your company then it did cost some money but not that much. It had a few other functionalities like you could transfer money from your account to another or you could ask for a loan here but other than that not much. It wasn’t a bank so no interest rates different kinds of saving services and other stuff that you could do just Lazlo didn’t pay much attention to them. While generally the cutie marks were used as the main identification since there were other species who could become equestrian citizens and also there were some rare occurrences of the same cutie mark a picture was made of him but his unique case as the only human that his species was the main ID in his case.

Today he was going to return to Ponyville. Princess Celestia made another offer before he left the castle though. They couldn’t send him home but he gave them much knowledge and research material that to compensate for their failure she will buy him a house. To be more accurate he will choose one from the available ones and she will pay for it not only for the house itself but for the furniture too. For this, he finally said a ‘Thank you’ besides the nod. She told him that she will send a pony from the Royal Treasury to Ponyville two days later to write down the costs and handle the payments. Lazlo thought that two days would be enough to find everything he needed since there wasn’t anything else he could do and there probably wasn’t that big variety in a small town like Ponyville.

As he walked to the Canterlot Train Station with a guard who was assigned to escort him there and also prevent anypony from stopping him for any reason. Celestia felt that even though Lazlo acted like an empty shell most of the time she knew that there were many feelings inside him and he needed a peaceful environment for the process of accepting the situation and Canterlot was more lively for his mindstate. The princess hoped that her little ponies in Ponyville will be able to heal his mind much faster than she or anypony here could.

The train car was relatively empty only a few ponies were sitting here and there. Upon noticing him they all looked at him some with confusion, some recognized the strange creature from the newspapers. He ignored them and sat down on one of the empty seats slightly leaning to the window and looking out still wearing a gloomy expression. He heard some ponies whispering but didn’t pay attention to them though most likely the quiet talking was about him. Soon the train left the station. Lazlo continued to stare out of the window for the whole journey not like he was actually looking.

As the train stopped at Ponyville station Lazlo stood up and left the car. He then began to walk towards the center of the little town. Familiar ponies noticed him and greeted him with a smile on their faces. Apparently, they didn’t hear about what happened yet. He ignored them and continued his way to the town hall.

When he arrived the mare at the reception showed him the document which contained the available houses. In Equestria, every house or land that can be purchased must be available at the town hall. No matter if the owner tries to sell it themself or through an agent, they need to inform the mayor about it and provide some documentation and a layout drawing so anyone who wants to buy one can see every one of them in one place. Of course, they cannot change the price nor any condition the owner put on the sale as long as they are within the laws of Equestria.

There weren't many houses on sale. It was a small town after all. It didn't take long for him to select the one he wanted. There was only one completely empty house. No furniture at all. It wasn't newly built so the previous owner probably wanted to keep everything he had. Because of this, it was cheaper not that it mattered to him.

The single-story house was on the outer parts of the town but since crossing Ponyville on foot wouldn't take too long, he wouldn't be too far away from some important part of the town like the market or the library.

He told the mare about his situation and informed her that two days later a pony will come to handle the costs so that's when he wishes to finalize the buy. The mare told him that she will inform the owner.

After he finished there he left the town hall and immediately noticed a cloud that was pretty close to the ground level and a certain pegasus with a noticeable mane and tail was resting on it. But she was awake at the moment and was looking at the human.

"Lacy! You're back!" she exclaimed and hopped down from the cloud and began floating around eye level with the human.

But Lazlo just ignored her and began walking. She was confused for a second but followed him.

"Hey! I get it you are sad and all but talk to me." she tried to start a conversation but Lazlo didn't say anything. "The girls all want to speak with you just like me." she went on.

"I'm not in the mood." Lazlo finally spoke his voice lacking any emotion. Rainbow stopped and huffed then flew away.

The man soon found what he was looking for. A furniture shop. Well, the only one that had all the furniture he needed, or at least he hoped they had.

While browsing through the wares he thought less about being stuck here and more about getting everything he needed. The mayor was kind enough to provide a copy of the layout with the sizes of the rooms so he could plan with that.

He thought that it would take more than one visit but after a few hours, he exited the store with many items put on hold for him. It probably helped that after a while he put every part of his mind on to find the best furniture and put them into places well at least on a planning table.

The kitchen will have some cupboards a refrigerator with a freezer part an oven and a sink. He didn't find a dishwasher which was an annoyance since he was usually too lazy to wash the dishes if it was more than only a plate and some cutlery. He also found a dining table with chairs well, the chairs didn't have backrests which also wasn't good but he will survive. Since there wasn't a dining room but the kitchen area was pretty big the table will be there as well. Next was the living room. Some armchair and a sofa with a small table and some shelves for now. The bathroom was kinda problematic. Bathtubs and showers were too small for him but the shopkeeper was kind enough to recommend a pony who was a house renovator. Lazlo probably needed one anyway to do the painting and tiling and stuff like that. That pony can turn one corner into a shower place so that was solved as well. Another annoyance was that there wasn't a different place for the toilet that needed to be put into the bathroom. Every house and apartment he lived in in his world had a secluded room for the toilet which was really convenient especially if diarrhea hit you while someone was showering. A sink, a shelf, and a mirror will be put there too but no washing machine but he will get one later until then he has to bring them to Rarity or the laundry shop. There were still two rooms left. One will be his bedroom the other... well he had no idea yet but it wasn't that important at that time. For his bedroom, he needed a bed, nightstand, wardrobe, commode those were the essentials though he also found a desk and a chair, plus a few bookcases as well. The bed was another issue. Ponies were smaller, and though Twilight had one that was just long enough for him it seemed that that was the only one in Ponyville. While the shop didn't have a large enough bed for him the shopkeeper yet again came up with a solution. A sofa that can be pulled out and turned into a bed for two ponies plus a simple bed to the end making it the size of two people bed for humans. Of course, that meant that he would buy even more furniture yet he wasn't the one paying for this so he didn't care.

After getting to choose everything he needed... well actually not like he did have many choices, this was a small shop after all. It had every kind of furniture that is needed in a house but there was not a big variety only a few if any. He wondered for a minute while exiting the building who the hell was so bound to their furniture that they even bring their damn bathtub with them when moving?

It was time to look for that house renovator pony and have a talk with him. On his way to the address, he was given he found that the six mares were close by waiting for him. Upon noticing the human they all trotted towards him.

"Lacy!" some of them shouted at the same time.

"Rainbow Dash told us you're back." Pinkie stated the obvious. "We were looking for you for hours but couldn't find you we even asked other ponies and some did see you but couldn't tell exactly where you were so we were just going around the town so we can find you and cheer you up because Rainbow said that you were sad and we understand that but we cannot let you stay sad because living the rest of your life sad is not a good life." she rambled while the others facepalmed.

"What she means is..." Twilight started after recovering from her reaction to Pinkie's monologue. "...that we are here for you and want to help. I can't even imagine, what I would feel in your situation." Then she realized where did Lazlo come out from. "By the way what were you doing in the furniture store?"

"I'm moving." he simply stated before continuing his walk.

"WHAT?" Twilight shouted, clearly surprised by it. "But... how? Why?" Lazlo stopped and looked at her.

"Celestia offered to buy and furniture a house for me in Ponyville as payment for those materials I provided to researchers, plus as an apology for not being able to send me back home. As for the why... I just want to be left alone for now. In a few days, I will move out of your library." he explained keeping it simple and short then decided to ignore her and the others and started walking again.

The girls tried to talk to him but it was now pointless. After a few minutes, they seemed to give up finally understanding his wish to be left alone.

When he found that renovator pony was an earth pony stallion with a light brown coat and dark blonde mane and tail, cutie mark is a pair of hooves breaking down a wall with some also some tools near it. He explained to him what he wanted and he assured him that he could do it easily. He also offered to paint any part of the house he wished but based on what he was told at the town hall it didn't need any repainting as it was in good condition. Lazlo didn't want to waste any day on it so he declined his offer and stayed with only the shower corner. That and some tiling that was necessary.

After everything was done, he went back to the library. Only a few days now and he will have his own home. Yet he wasn't excited at this. He just wanted to go back to his apartment where all his belongings were where he could contact his family and friends and tell them that everything is okay. He even wanted to go back to his workplace and work on their software. He missed the technology, the people he knew, and the life he had. But he had to let go of that and accept this new one in a completely different world far away from everything he knew as the only human. Even with all those sentient creatures here he was alone. A lone human in a world which wasn't designed for him and he wasn't designed for it.

The next day was eventless yet annoying. Since he got back to the library from the renovator pony Twilight and Spike tried to talk with him but he just told them that he was tired and wanted to sleep. This day however was worse. Many ponies came to address their sympathy for him as the news of him being stuck here got around the little town and eventually made it to the newspapers as well. Every time a pony came in trying to have a chat with him he would just tell to leave him alone. At first, it was only a lifeless response but as more and more ponies came and sometimes in smaller groups it became more forceful and rude.

The next day started as the same but eventually, a pony arrived who claimed to come from Canterlot to arrange the payment for the house and the furniture and any other costs that came up.

As they went to the town hall at first Lazlo had finally one reason to be happy. It didn't take so long to arrange everything. Basically, the stallion whose name he forgot a minute after introduction just wrote the necessary information down to a paper that seemed like some kind of contract form filling the information that can change like the cost of the house he the mayor and Lazlo signed and basically, the house was his he even got the key. He didn't meet the previous owner as he couldn't come here on such short notice but apparently, his presence wasn't necessary just his signature on a document that was spent to him with express delivery two days ago and arrived this morning back here. It confused the man for a little bit but in the end, he didn't really care as he will get his money and he got the house.

Next, they went to the furniture shop where after another quick talk and making some documents the furniture was on their way the shopkeeper promised that everything will be delivered and placed in their place by the wishes of the customer on the next day.

After that, they went to the renovator pony whose name if Lazlo remembered correctly was Wall Breaker. A few minutes later the three of them were on the way to the house. As they arrived there Lacy thought about how this will be the first time he will actually see the inside. On another note, he was also surprised but glad that apparently, this place either didn't have such a fucked up bureaucracy or maybe the princess did something to fasten things up but point was that he didn't need to wait days or weeks to process one step because of damn reasons beyond his understanding.

Opening the door for the first time should have been something special, after all, moving to a new home is not something people does often. Well, there are exceptions but Lazlo wasn't one. When he was born they lived in a quite big house, then after their parents' divorce, they moved to an apartment in one of the panel buildings in the small town he's from, then to the dorm when he went to high school, though that's not really the same, finally the apartment in the capital city. So basically two and a half. He remembered being sad when they first moved. He loved that big house he lived there for seven years but then his parents decided to 'spend some time apart' as they said to him back then. However, when he finished high school and moved to the big city and his mother decided to buy an apartment for him, he was excited when he first stepped into his new home. Even if his relationship with his mother wasn't all that good back then, repainting the rooms and assembling the furniture with her and his grandparents who also came to help was a happy memory for him, one, he liked to recall from time to time.

As he stepped in he could see the whole length of the house. On the other end many meters away there was a window. On his left side, a wall went all the way towards the other end it had three doors. Based on the layout the middle door led to the bathroom while the other two to two rooms one will be his bedroom probably the closest one the other will be empty for now, he had no idea what to do with it right now. On his right was also a wall but that only run for a few meters on the right was the biggest space which will be his living room. Going further from there, on the right was another room that didn't have a door but a rather wide arch. That will be his kitchen and dining area. The whole place was big enough for a small family one child and the parents.

Lazlo will be living here alone. Family is another thing he will never have of his own. Twilight told him that interspecies relationship is accepted here and adoption is unfortunately available here too and there is a chance that one day he will catch someone's eyes but he didn't think he could ever go into a relationship like this. He came from a world with only one sapient species. Romantical love for any other species was very rare and basically forbidden in most places at least to his knowledge but he was also raised that way. And it wasn't even close mindlessness, after all, animals did handle this whole thing differently since for them it was mostly about just the reproduction, passing along their genes.

Since based on the layout of the plans of where to place everything was already finished Wall Breaker started working on the shower corner which is on the left far corner of the bathroom from the door.

Wall Breaker did bring everything with him so he started working on the plus wall so at least that will be ready today. Well except for the tiles because it was unknown to them what color of tiles were there it turned out it was simple aquamarine. Lazlo offered to go and get some so that could be also done today. Luckily the paint was really in a good condition so the man decided to keep it for now. The kitchen was light yellowish almost white-colored, all the other walls were light brownish-purplish colored.

Wall Breaker did work fast. By the end of the day, he was finished with everything that was his job to do. His payment was handled by that pony from Canterlot, whose name Lazlo still couldn't remember and probably won't by himself. During the day Twilight came to his soon-to-be home to talk with him but just like since he got back from Canterlot told her that he didn't want to talk about anything. She tried to persuade him but it only ended up in more and more rude declines. Finally giving up she left and Lazlo could hear her talking with others probably the other mares and Spike.

After Wall Breaker finished, he left and that other pony told him that everything was done by his end, so he will return to Canterlot. Lazlo was left alone in the empty house. He just stood there in the middle of his future living room enjoying the silence that finally came. After some time, he left and went back to the library for his final night there.

Upon entering, he spotted both Twilight and Spike the former reading a book, the latter a comic book. They looked at him for a moment but then went back to their readings much to his relief. Spending some time alone did calm him enough to feel some remorse for being so rude to the mare but he knew if they start speaking to him again the anger will come back.

Going straight to his room not even paying attention to his stomach which was trying to let him know that it's been empty for some time now. He started to pack the few things he owned here. The phoenix feather he got from Philomena as an apology for wounding his arm, the clothes Rarity made for him, and those games that Fancy Pants' factory spent him. Rarity was kind enough to make him a bag that he can put everything in it. His belongings filled it yet Lazlo still felt as it was empty.

Comparing how much stuff he owned. His computer, a laptop, television, tablet, phone, alcoholic drinks, wristwatch, everything in that apartment, like books, pictures, not to mention the things on his computer. That reminded him that he still needed to get a few more things he forgot like cutlery and plates and glasses. Well, he can always go and buy some at some local shop. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He went to open it expecting Twilight but he only found a plate with two sandwiches on it and a glass of water beside it. For the first time since coming back to Ponyville, he felt actually glad that they finally left him alone as he wished and because of that he could think a little more clearly and in this mindset, he made a mental note to make up for this to Twilight. Finishing up with the food and drinking the water he left the plate and glass on the nightstand and went to sleep.

Today was the day. It should have filled him with excitement but that was something he just couldn't feel right now. The only feeling he had was tiredness. He slept little last night. Those few shut-eyes were also interrupted by nightmares. He got up and did his morning routine then immediately grabbed his bag with his belongings and left the library. As he arrived at the house he saw an earth pony pulling a cart with some of his furniture. He greeted the pony who introduced himself as Heavy Lifter which amused the man for a moment and was glad for it as all these distractions worked on his mind momentarily filling the emptiness within him.

The next hours were filled with furniture placing. Heavy Lifter brought the furniture into the room it will be then with Lazlo they placed everything into its place. After that, he went to bring the next pack as on the cart there was space for only a few pieces so he had quite some errands to run. It was already afternoon when everything was in their place. They even managed to connect the taps, shower, and toilet to the plumbing system.

The house also had electricity. Well, at least something similar to it. Machines like refrigerator oven etc... needed to be plugged in but the 'electricity' of the house (and for every building) was provided by a special crystal that could turn the 'magic in the air' into something similar to electricity. And since magic wasn't something that the environment could simply run out of since the Sun and the Moon both radiated magic plus the leftover of a pony using its own magic no matter which tribe they belong to and some other factor as well. At least that's what stuck with him when Twilight talked about it.

Now that Heavy Lifter left he was once again alone just as he would've liked. And yet another thought occurred.

Now what?

Will he live his life in solitude keeping contact with others at the minimum? Can he return or even get close to the life he used to have? Will he feel better over time to open up again and wish for the ponies' company? Or will he shrink into such depression that will result in his death probably in a form of suicide?

He didn't know the answer but one thing was fix. He wanted to be left alone for some more time. But it wasn't given to him. A set of knocks rang through the silent rooms. He got up from his sofa and went to open the door.

Not surprisingly Twilight Rainbow Dash Rarity Pinkie Pie Applejack Fluttershy and Spike were there.

"Hello." Twilight greeted the others followed the human just stared at them. He knew where this was going and he didn't want it as he was still relatively calm for now. "You moved out without saying goodbye..." Twilight continued then used her magic to take out a sack from her saddlebags. "...And your money." Lazlo took the sack and nodded to her.

"Darling! You look terrible!" Rarity observed. "I understand that you feel on the edge now, but you shouldn't give up on yourself because of that."

"We want to see you smile again!" Pinkie said but surprisingly this time her voice wasn't that squeaky.

"We want to help you," Fluttershy said quietly.

"And we can only do that if you let us." Twilight finished while Spike Applejack and Rainbow both nodded but neither of them spoke up. Applejack because she and Lacy weren't on the best terms Rainbow because she wasn't good enough for handling this situation with words the same was with Spike.

"I just want to be left alone for now," Lazlo spoke feeling his dry throat as he barely drank anything during the day and now also remembered that he hasn't eaten anything this day. There wasn't any food in the house yet and he didn't feel like going anywhere today. He will bear it for today. He also thought that maybe he should've asked Celestia for staying in the castle for some more time as at least there was the only time he was pestered when somepony came to tell him that it was time for breakfast lunch or dinner. Celestia Luna Cadance even Shining Armor came to try to talk with him but after the first time, he told them 'no' they all agreed to leave him to his own. But these girls didn't stop. They didn't get it. And Lazlo's mind started to get worked up on that thought.

"Lazlo please talk to us! We can help you! Our friendship became strong over these months and we can't bear to see you like this! Let us do this for you!" Twilight spoke but it only pushed him onto the edge.

For days he told them that he didn't want this now he told them what he wanted. He told them both in polite and rude ways. And yet nothing changed. And it was finally enough for him to snap.

"What didn't you get of what I told you before?!" his sudden change of mood startled them. "I've told you in every possible way that I don't want your help! What didn't you understand when I told you to fuck off?! How else should I tell you that the only thing I want is to LEAVE ME ALONE!" by the end, he was shouting at them. The reaction for his episode was between teary eyes and shaking in fear.

He turned around to go back into the house when he heard Twilight.

"Dear Princess Celestia" she said between a few sobs. "Today, I've learned that sometimes a friend can be in such a critical state that no matter how hard you try to help them it will only deepen the gap between you two. You cannot simply force your way towards a solution. Sometimes you just have to give your friend space and time to let them adjust to that big change."

Lazlo thinking that she's finished muttered a 'finally' before opening his door but then Twilight continued this time her voice wasn't filled with sorrow but with determination.

"But you should never leave them! You just have to find a different way to help them without damaging the friendship between you and forcing them to do things they don't want. It might take time to find that way but I believe that in the end, it will only strengthen the bond between you. Your Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle." she finished.

Lazlo only sighed and entered the house.

Author's Note

So... Those who read my blogposts (probably not many, which isn't a surprise, they're not very interesting, or important, plus I suck at all this blog stuff...) already knew, but I'll tell you here as well, my laptop kind of died on me before Christmas and I had basically nothing to write on for weeks (and I will never write on my phone, even if you threaten me with warm, piss-poor beer). So yeah, it took me some time but now I have a pretty good PC, so back in business.

Anyway, here's the next chapter, not the best quality or pacing, I admit, but this time it was partly intentional. Except for the description of Lacy's house, because in that I suck, so I created a basic layout in Paint so at least you'll have some kind of idea of how it actually looks like (well, kinda, since the proportionality isn't perfect.)

Here is the layout: (I know, I'm a shitty designer too...)

Next up is another original chapter, a special one. I can't wait to share it with you, so hopefully, you won't have to wait that long for that one. Until then...