Twilight felt the tension around her.

After their victory cheer, they remembered that there was still a human, they needed to deal with. However, before they could say anything, Spike barfed out a letter from the princess. It contained a congratulation and asked them to go to Canterlot because they will be rewarded. She also told them that a chariot would arrive shortly to transport Discord's statue back to Canterlot. So the mares all went rushed away to prepare. Applejack and Rarity went to check on their families before leaving, Pinkie did the same with the Cakes. Rainbow and Fluttershy went to retrieve the balloon that was somewhere outside of Ponyville, where they left it when coming back from Canterlot after Twilight realized where Discord hid the elements. Twilight left for the library because she felt obligated to inform the princess about what Lazlo did do. Celestia's reply was to bring Lazlo with them and they will address this after the ceremony.

Soon the chariot arrived and the guards placed the stone draconequus on it. Twilight also asked them if they could take Spike with them. She reasoned that the balloon would be already cramped and Spike could tell more details to the princess, and also help her if she needs anything. There was another reason, which she didn't mention. She got the feeling that the trip won't be peaceful and she wanted him away from that. Both the guards and the little dragon accepted her arguments and took off, soon the balloon followed them but it was slower. The four wingless ponies and the human did occupy the whole space and were almost at the weight limit, the two pegasi were flying beside the basket.

Lazlo was sitting on the ground the whole time, while they were away, staring at the ground full of sorrow. When Twilight informed him that he needed to go with them and told him to get into the basket, he nodded and complied.

"So Discord didn't force you to do it." Rainbow was the one breaking the silence a few minutes after taking off. It wasn't a question.

"No," Lacy confirmed in a barely audible voice and shook his head slightly.

"So it was completely your decision." Applejack spoke this time. Lazlo only nodded.

"Did you even care what would happen to all of us?" Rarity was the first to ask a question. The human did not give any answer to it. Either the answer was no or he did not deem it necessary to answer as it wouldn't matter right now.

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity. These three were the angriest at Lazlo. Pinkie and Fluttershy looked more sad than angry. As for Twilight... She was mostly disappointed, partly in herself. She felt somewhat responsible. She thought that she wasn't good enough as a friend to him and that's why he would've let her and everypony else at the mercy of Discord for good. Of course, that didn't mean that she didn't feel disappointment and some slight anger towards the man, after all, what he did was something she would consider cruel. Not his wish to go home but that he would even ruin this whole world for it.

"It wasn't nice what he did but..." Fluttershy tried to speak.

"Wasn't nice? He would've lest us defenseless!" Rainbow interrupted the other pegasus.

Twilight decided to stay quiet for now, she thought it would be better to have a normal conversation after they had some time to cool down a little and the princesses are present. Besides, her mind was still on what actually happened with the portal. She knew that Discord was crazy but she could imagine that he would be behind the behavior of the portal. She could imagine that if he couldn't send Lacy back, he would place him into some kind of illusion but this... This had to be something else.

"I believe that he had good intentions." Pinkie tried a different, calmer approach but it was too soon.

"I don't think anypony with good intentions would do something like that." Rarity commented.

"Maybe someone who wanted to get back what he lost." Lazlo quietly spoke.

"At the cost of our life basically." Applejack retorted. "What a good-hearted decision."

"All of you would've done the same in my place!" Lazlo started to raise his voice.

"You can't know that!" Applejack spoke louder too. "It was you, who made that decision, not us!"

"Well, be fucking glad for that!" Lazlo got more defensive. "Do you think I didn't know what will happen?! I knew and I felt horrible about it from the moment I made that decision! But have you thought about how I feel?! Or those that are missing me?! You have no idea how alone I am! No matter how many ponies are around me, I will be the only human here and I don't think anyone would want that. I wanted to get my old life back! See my loved ones, talk to them, spend time with them! Sitting at a desk most of my time, either working on a computer or playing video games, watching movies and shows, or random videos! There are many books and book series that I wanted to finish or start! And so many more things, that I wanted to do! But instead, I'm here and while it's a really good place for a vacation but getting stuck here was not something I wished for! So yes... I did accept his offer..."

"I think we need to stop now!" Twilight spoke up before anyone else could. "Lazlo, the princess needs to know this and we will talk later," she informed him. He let out a frustrated sigh but stayed quiet and the others did as well.

However, Twilight, despite trying to keep things calm and prevent more outbursts, was nervous. She wondered how the princess will react and what will she do with the man. Will she banish him? Or imprison him? Something else? Even with her current feelings about this whole situation, she didn't want to lose Lazlo. He was her friend and she enjoyed the times they spent together, either both learning about each other's world or just having a discussion about a random topic. He was intelligent and could come up with valid arguments even if they disagreed on certain things as he usually came up with the harsher side. He sometimes was lazy but when needed, he was there, well except for the last time. But all in all, she didn't want to lose him. But she won't object to any punishment the princess will sentence him either.

Lazlo Kis was angry. Angry at the universe or any creature responsible for getting him here. Angry at Discord for tricking him. And angry at himself for believing him. He was so desperate to go home. He was ready to doom millions of others just so he can get what he wants. He should've known. The whole deal was physically nothing to him. A way back to his world and in exchange take a souvenir with him. Though emotionally it would be a rough road, probably full of nightmares and regrets but still worth it for getting back to his old life, or at least most of it. Nevertheless, this whole deal was too good to be true for him. And as it often turns out, it wasn't true after all. And now, he will suffer the consequences. Not like he wouldn't suffer them had he chosen differently but this was probably the worst case in this whole mess of a situation.

After arriving at Canterlot, they were led to the throne room by a pair of guards. The mares were told to stay out as the princess already prepared an award ceremony for them. Lazlo was told to go in and after the ceremony, the princess wants to talk with him.

The throne room was beautiful. Lazlo was standing near the main door behind the crowd that filled the room. On the other end of the hall were a few stairs and on top of the podium were the two almost equal thrones. The only difference is that on the top of them, one had a figure of the sun, and the other was a figure of the crescent moon. Before the thrones stood Princess Celestia. She was in her usual royal regalia, looking at the crowd before her smiling. As her eyes wandered around she noticed the human standing at the wall beside the main door. While her smile hadn't faded upon seeing him, the man felt it wasn't as honest as before or even after her gaze left him. Beside her stood Spike and there were several purple pillows close to him. On those pillows were items he couldn't see properly but he guessed they hold whatever award the girls will get.

On the sidewalls, huge windows made sure that the whole room is bright during the day and not being pitch-dark during the night. Some of those windows had stained glasses. One was themed after the sky in the daytime. Light blue background, the sun shining, and a few white clouds. Another one was the sky at night. Dark blue, almost black background, the moon and stars giving some light in the darkness. There was also one showing three ponies, one from each tribe as standing like they were each at a corner of a triangle. In the middle, there was a purple fire that was shaped as a hearth. Lazlo wasn't exactly sure what it symbolized, probably something about the equality of the three pony kinds. There were some others too but due to his current position, he could see only a part of them.

Suddenly music started playing, the big door opened and the six mares began walking towards the podium. The middle lane was free, red carpet was laid all the way. On both sides, royal guards stood every few meters, creating an invisible border to the crowds, which mostly consisted of the citizens of Canterlot but Lazlo spotted a few ponies he sometimes saw in Ponyville. There were probably ponies from other cities and towns as well but not many due to the short notice.

The six mares soon reached the last step on the stairs and stopped there. The princess' smile grew in size and began her speech.

"Mares and gentlecolts! First of all, my dear sister and niece send their congratulations and apology to you six for not being able to attend but they are still traveling around Equestria, visiting towns and cities to make sure that everything went back to normal and we all agreed not to postpone something they already long overdue. These six ponies showed us again that the magic of friendship can triumph over the direst situations. That no matter what, you cannot lose faith in harmony. This is the second time these ponies wielded the Elements of Harmony to save Equestria, maybe even the whole planet. We, the princesses came all to the conclusion that they all deserve one of the highest awards in Equestria. The Pink Heart of Courage." As the princess finished with her speech, Spike came a little closer holding the first pillow. The princess grabbed the item on it with her magic and then began to address the mares by name one by one.

"Applejack." the said mare came forward, and the princess placed the award, which was a pendant with a pink cord and a pink, heart-shaped gemstone surrounded by a two-dimensional golden heart-shape with small wings. After the pendant was given to the mare, she walked back to the others, meanwhile Spike prepared the next pillow. The same happened with each mare called.

"Fluttershy."

"Pinkamena Diane Pie."

"Rainbow Dash."

"Rarity."

"And Twilight Sparkle."

When all six of them received the award and a promise from the princess that a new stained glass window will be put among the others as soon s it was finished, they turned to the crowd, who stomped loudly. This was their method of cheering. Lazlo clapped his hands along with them.

"And let's not forget about Spike the dragon." Celestia continued, gesturing towards the dragon. "While he does not represent an Element of Harmony but he too did his part in defeating Discord. Because of that, a special gift will be sent to him in a few days but right now, he deserves the cheer just as much as the others." Spike was a little taken aback but soon was grinning madly at the crowd.

Soon the ceremony was over and as the crowd started to leave a guard that was standing close to the man motioned him to follow. While walking, Lazlo's worry started to come up. He knew what he had done was betrayal in their eyes and the punishment would probably be severe. He had no choice but to accept anything they will put him through. An empty feeling came over him. He felt like losing everything again and this time not his old life but the one he made here so far. Thinking more and more about it made him anxious. Will they allow him to stay here? Will he have to leave the country? Prison? What would he do then? What life could he build up somewhere else? He basically could do anything here because of all those friendly ponies who were so selfless and kind to him. And he betrayed them. No matter how justified his action seemed to him, he couldn't deny that in their eyes it was a crime.

They stopped at a door in the middle of some random hallway, he had no idea where they were going but at least it didn't seem like a dungeon. The guard told him to wait and they stood still for a few minutes before Princess Celestia came with the six mares and the dragon.

None of them said anything, the princess just led them through the door which he stood by. The room could be best described as a living room. In the middle of it were ten large cushions in a circle with a table in the middle, well more of a tabletop. On the white walls, there were paintings, most of them are about different locations across Equestria, and many were a landscape that had a part of a town or city on them. There was also a fireplace, above it a large portrait of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna together. Under that is a smaller portrait of Princess Cadance and Princess Celestia together.

Celestia gestured for them to take a seat. The ponies lay down on their stomach, while the dragon and human sit. Before anyone started to speak a maid came in with a tray with water and snacks on it. Celestia thanked the maid, who bowed and left.

"Lazlo." the princess addressed him. "Tell us everything that happened between you and Discord."

So he did. He told them every interaction between him and the draconequus. What they were talking about, the offer, even his inner debate. It didn't take long, after all, he did not interact with Discord much more than anyone else here. Finally, he told them about the portal and what happened to his hand when he pushed it through the door, describing the many small holes in his skin, the bleeding, and the pain.

"I will accept any punishment you deem fit, Princess." he finished with this sentence, though his voice was a little shaky at the end.

The princess nodded, acknowledging this.

"Please go to the opposite room, I would like to discuss this with the girls and Spike here," she instructed. He nodded and left, going to the other room, which was a simple waiting room.

While he was waiting, the worry in his mind grew stronger. This uncertainty was starting to eat him. He hated this feeling. This was the biggest mess he'd ever been. And he was very afraid. Afraid that he didn't know what will happen to him. And even more afraid that he had no idea what would be the worst case. Probably banishment because where would he go? He became terrified as he imagined himself in a forest, far from any civilization as he was about to do one of the worst things, which was the only option for him in that situation. A few tears began rolling down his face. He tried to keep it together but was about to fail at any second.

Twilight watched the human leave with a sad, yet a little surprised expression. That last sentence was a little unexpected from him since she had the impression that he would continue to fight for himself as he did on the way here. However, he seemed to not care what will happen to him anymore, though he didn't sound too convinced of himself.

"So, what is your opinion?" the princess asked them after Lacy left.

"We will follow your decision, Princess." Twilight quickly answered, afraid that some of her friends would suggest something really drastic. Then realized that the princess could come up with those too.

"Well, I think he should learn his lesson." Applejack spoke up before Celestia could react to her student's words.

"Don't you think he already did?" the princess asked the farmer.

"He didn't show it on the way here." Rarity said.

"But he did say that he felt horrible about it." Pinkie came to his defense.

"That doesn't change things," Rainbow spoke.

"But we too did bad things." Fluttershy joined in.

"But we were influenced by his weird magic." Applejack reasoned.

"It isn't only magic that can twist the mind." Celestia decided to take back the word. "Words can be just as powerful sometimes. By the way, I also sent letters to my sister Luna and my niece Cadence before you arrived, asking for their input on the matter."

"How are they, Princess? I haven't seen Princess Luna since she left Ponyville and I don't even remember when was the last time Princess Cadance and I spoke." Twilight interrupted her.

"They are doing fine but let's not change the topic, please," Celestia answered. Twilight nodded. "Now then. My dear sister told me in her letter that while she's not happy about what happened but since she too was given a second chance after what she did, it wouldn't be fair to deny Lazlo that right. Cadance's letter did have similar statements." This got all of them thinking. They all did forgive Princess Luna. "And I can only agree with them. After all, I too was given another chance by my sister. Nightmare Moon was my fault just as much as Luna's. Besides, did you notice the state Lazlo was in?" they all looked confused for a second, except Twilight, who remembered his last words, before leaving them to this discussion. "One would imagine that he feels lost and alone right now, unsure of what will happen to him. And while this is true, I think what really terrified him is that he feels that he lost all control of his life. From what I've learned about his past, he was independent and in control. However, he lost most of it since coming to Equestria but since there was the hope of getting back, he could contain his fears now he feels these losses again and now he tries to grasp anything from his old life that he could get. In this case, he takes responsibility, and accepts the consequences."

"So what will happen to Lazlo?" Twilight asked, starting to get anxious about the fate of her human friend. Meanwhile, the others looked like they were still thinking about the princess' words.

"I have an idea if you're open to it." Celestia smiled at them, then told her suggestion.

That really short walk Lazlo had to do between the two rooms when a guard came in to inform him that Princess Celestia wanted him back felt ten times longer than it actually was. In his mind, many horrible plans played out, and each had a big chance of ending in a disaster for him.

He didn't sit down. He was standing in front of them, trying not to look too defeated.

"Lazlo Kis." Celestia addressed him. He stiffened a little more. "Everybody deserves a second chance so it would be unfair of us if we wouldn't grant that to you too." Lacy's eyes widened after hearing this. "Everyone makes mistakes, some are smaller, some are bigger. After Luna returned to my side we both talked about our mistakes that led to what happened and made amends with each other. I wish you do the same with these girls and Spike. I would like to receive letters when they fully forgive you." Lazlo's heart was beating faster with every word. This meant that he can stay, that he won't lose everything he got here. Relief filled him and he was very glad. He could barely believe that this was real.

"Thank you. But... why?" he dared to ask the question.

"I already told you the main reason," Celestia answered, smiling at the human for a moment before a small frown took over her face. "But there are also two things, one that I should've told you earlier. One is that the portal Discord opened was probably real, his magic is really different and unique so I think that his offer was really an honest one." Everyone gasped, hearing this. All of them thought that Discord wasn't really sending Lazlo back to his world but to an illusion maybe. "The other one is something that I could've told you because it was something that we were almost completely sure of but the researchers, who were helping me get you home needed to do some more tests but I think it's confirmed now. There is magic inside you." Lazlo looked very surprised at that. "More precisely those parts that handle magic in your body and of course the magic that is connected to them." this confused him.

"I don't understand."

"We don't have much knowledge about it, it's something we still can't research properly sadly but our main hypothesis is that magic is similar to chemical elements but it's in everything." the princess began to explain. "Our bodies have something that can connect to this element, which we named Magiconnector and something that can use them, which is named Magicutilizator, that is why the unicorns can use magic, why the pegasi can fly so good, earth ponies have that special connection to the earth, or any other species have their own magical specialty. It seems that you have Magiconnector in you but not the utilizator. So since there is magic inside you, when your hand went through that portal that magic wanted to go out of your system towards the place that has less concentration of magic, in that case, zero. It is the same, why we cannot open a portal to your world without magic making its way there."

The princess' explanation both gave some light to the situation and brought more confusion and questions. Lazlo couldn't even process everything due to him still being in a weird mix of happiness and relief because of the second chance. But one question did come to his mind instantly and by looking at Twilight, he knew that she had the same one in her mind too.

"But then wouldn't this happen to me, when I got here first?" he asked. "If that would've happened then I..." realization hit him.

"Yes." the princess nodded. "You wouldn't have survived it. And we have no idea how did these Magiconnectors get into your body. But I should've told you earlier about it."

A knock on the door interrupted their discussion. The door opened and the head of a guard poked in.

"Your Majesty." he walked in and bowed. "Diplomats and messengers from other countries arrived and wished to speak with you about what happened," he informed the princess.

"Tell them that I will be meeting with them soon." the guard bowed and left. Celestia sighed. "I'm sorry but I have to go and ease their minds. Lazlo, I won't make public knowledge of your deal with Discord, it's up to you. Twilight also can give you more information about magic but you also send me letters if you have any questions. Also, there is something else, I wished to inform you about, a completely different matter but it's not urgent yet and I really must go but I will send a letter to you about that one and if you want to know more, we can set a meeting in a later date." with that the princess stood up and said her goodbyes then left the room.

"Come on, let's go home." Twilight stood up, and the others followed her.

Soon they were flying back to Ponyville and Lacy had still mixed feelings but he tried to concentrate on the good stuff. Namely that he got another chance.

I will never go home. I will never get my old life back. But I had to get a new life here and even after I messed up, they gave me a second chance. I can't make this mistake again! I owe them even more now. And I will repay it!

Author's Note

Alright, it came out longer than I originally expected, not that anyone would mind, I think. Anyway, just the usual... A few answers, more questions, some well-deserved awards, and let's not forget the second chances, which is one of the key parts of the show in my opinion and it's certainly one of the main reasons that I love MLP.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Until next time!