Lazlo stirred awake as he felt someone gently shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and met a set of concerned purple eyes. Taken by surprise, he fully awoke in a second and realized that the six mares and Spike were now in his house. He was in the living room. He remembered passing out on the couch.

“What?” he asked, clearly confused, not even knowing what time it was. “What are you doing here?” As soon as the question left his mouth, he recalled that they had decided to have the second day of Hearth’s Warming at his house. “How did you get in?” he asked quickly to avoid an unnecessary round of explanations.

“With the key under your mat,” Pinkie answered.

“I don’t have a key hidden around the door…” Lazlo said, feeling a headache coming on.

“But I do!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“We were knocking on the door for a few minutes, and when you didn’t open it, we got worried,” Twilight explained. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t need to answer, as the current state of his home was answer enough. He still had a bowl of fisherman’s soup on his table and a whole tureen on his stove. Why did he make so much when he knew it would go bad? More false hope. Besides, the fact that he was lying on the couch in his clothes, with clear signs of crying on his face, was also a giveaway.

However, he didn’t feel horrible anymore. Yesterday’s breakdown felt like nothing more than a memory. It had passed and didn’t even leave a bad taste in his mouth. Was the only thing he was truly accepting these breakdowns? Or maybe it was because he had company at the moment? He didn’t know. He didn’t want it to come back sooner than it would on its own.

“I’m fine…” he said, with little confidence in his voice, still a bit groggy from having just woken up. “Yesterday wasn’t the best, but I guess I slept it off.” He got up from the couch.

“Where are your decorations?” Rarity questioned, looking around.

“I don’t have any,” he answered. “To be honest, I never bothered with them since I always traveled home to my parents for Christmas before, so I never really decorated. As for here... well, I spent the last few weeks in Canterlot with you, and I didn’t think about it at all yesterday,” he further explained.

“Well, that just won’t do!” Rarity exclaimed.

“Yeah! Go clean up and let us handle everything here!” Pinkie offered.

“Okay…” Lazlo didn’t argue, still waking up. “Umm… make yourselves at home, there are snacks in the kitchen,” he told them, then went to his room to get some clothes before heading to the bathroom.

As he was taking a shower, he felt embarrassed for being a terrible host. He knew they had talked about spending the day at his house, and he had the entire day yesterday to prepare, but he hadn’t done anything. He thought about how to salvage the situation, but nothing came to mind. He had never really hosted any kind of gathering that required more effort than simply setting a date that worked for everyone.

He didn’t know how long he had been in the bathroom, but a surprise awaited him when he came out. His living room and kitchen were adorned with lights running along the walls, star- and fire-shaped decorations hanging from the curtain rod, and a fully decorated tree in one corner. On the table were several snacks and drinks—some his, others of unknown origin.

“Woah,” was all he could say.

“Isn't it better, darling?” Rarity asked. Lazlo just nodded.

They all sat down, with Lazlo bringing in chairs from the kitchen to have enough seating for everyone. He wasn’t sure what the traditions were for this day, and when he asked, the answer he received was that they just spent the day together however they liked. He brought out the few games he had, which were mostly card games he had sent to Fancy Pants to manufacture. However, they mostly talked, as the ponies were curious about how he used to celebrate Christmas, since it was a very similar holiday.

“We don’t really have anything special. Usually, Christmas Eve is at my mother’s house. My grandparents come, and Grandma brings her famous fisherman’s soup—which you can see there, though I couldn’t even get close to making a normal fisherman’s soup,” he gestured to his fireplace, where the soup still sat. “It turned out horrible, so I’m going to throw it out. I don’t think any of you would want to try it, and I wouldn’t want to poison you even if you ate fish.” He let out a dry laugh.

“Maybe some of my animals would eat it,” Fluttershy offered.

“Oh, then you can take it,” Lazlo said, before returning to the previous topic. “Anyway, so nothing special—just like any other family dinner or lunch. Eating, drinking, complaining about recent political and social news, telling stories, and then exchanging gifts. The next day, we go to my grandparents' for lunch. My uncle and his family come too, but it’s basically the same thing. Then the day after that, we visit my other grandparents. Usually, Dad and my sisters come too, so I can spend time with them as well.” He smiled sadly as the memories surfaced.

“What about your friends?” Twilight asked.

“Nothing,” Lazlo shrugged. “We don’t celebrate much beyond sending messages wishing each other Merry Christmas. Sometimes we get together to celebrate the New Year, which is just a few days after Christmas. It was just after one of those parties that I ended up here…” he recalled.

“So, Christmas is basically just the first day of Hearth’s Warming?” Applejack questioned.

“Kinda… I mean, it has a religious origin, but for me, it was always just about being with your family and finding some peace by the end of the year,” Lazlo answered.

“So what else is there?” Pinkie asked. “Isn’t there any kind of play, like our Pageant?”

“Maybe, I don’t know. I’ve never heard of anything like that, but it’s possible that it’s a custom in some countries. Well, there is the... umm… I can’t remember what it’s called in English, but yeah, there’s a gathering at the church, though I’ve never attended. As I said, I’m not really a religious man,” he thought for a moment, then something came to mind. “Oh, and there was that movie that was always on TV around Christmas.” He chuckled at the memory.

“A movie?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah, I think it’s called Home Alone. It’s about a kid whose family travels somewhere for Christmas, but in the rush that morning, they leave their youngest child at home. Then a pair of burglars try to break in and steal valuables, but the kid sets traps around the house and basically tortures the two men.” He recalled the basics, though he hadn’t seen the movie in over a decade. “When I was a kid, I watched it every Christmas. It was basically ‘The Christmas Movie.’ The slogan for it was something like, ‘There’s no Christmas without Kevin.’ Kevin was the name of the kid.”

“That sounds stupid,” Rainbow said bluntly.

“Well, yeah, it didn’t have much logic, but it was funny and somewhat wholesome.”

“I don’t know,” Applejack chimed in. “It doesn’t sound very connected to the holiday if it’s similar to Hearth’s Warming. I mean, if the holiday is supposed to be about family, and it’s about a child who was left behind, why didn’t the family come back?”

“I don’t remember. I think they were already flying on a plane…” Lazlo tried to recall, but seeing the confused stares, he had to clarify. “You know, those flying machines humans use to travel long distances. They can’t just stop and turn around unless there’s an emergency related to the flight. Anyway, the movie had more to do with Christmas; I just don’t remember every part of it.”

Soon, Pinkie and Applejack went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Lazlo was again embarrassed about this, as he hadn’t really prepared much other than having the ingredients. After lunch, it was time for the gifts.

They had all agreed not to go overboard and only exchanged small gifts. The ponies mostly got items related to their work or hobbies, as well as sentimental things, like pictures of them together. Spike got some O&O gear and comics, and Lazlo mostly received decorations for his house.

“You know…” Lazlo began. “It’s really strange for me. This whole holiday is so similar to mine, yet the history behind it is different. But many of the symbols are the same, and it makes sense in a way. Though I’d say this might have a stronger effect. Maybe it’s because of that feeling I had at the end of the Pageant.”

“What feeling?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, you mean the Flame of Friendship?” Pinkie immediately caught on.

“Yeah. I guess it was some kind of magic. Fucking hell… This is weird. Magic…” He shook his head. “I mean, that feeling, and that song…” Then something came to his mind. “Twilight?” He looked at the mare. “When that song started, I joined in like everyone else, but I had no control over it. It was like I was forced to sing.” He tried to explain.

“Oh, that’s simple!” Twilight exclaimed. “You know there’s magic everywhere. We use the Magiconnector and Magicutilizer to handle and use magic. So this kind of song works like a spell that everypony can use. However, we usually don’t have control over it. It’s one of the rare spells we cast subconsciously, often when we feel strong emotions. But there could be other reasons too. That’s why there’s music, even when there are no instruments, and how everypony sings along perfectly and knows the lyrics,” she explained. The others nodded in agreement; it seemed to be common knowledge.

“Fucking magic…” he sighed. Then another thought came to him. “Wait! Wait!” He stood up. “You’re saying it’s a spell you cast, right?” he asked, and Twilight nodded. “And the Magicutilizer is responsible for casting spells, for using the magic,” he continued.

“Yes!” Twilight smiled, likely proud that he remembered. They had discussed a bit about magic before, but it had been less than the bare minimum, and Lazlo hadn’t been in the best state of mind, so she probably assumed he didn’t remember.

“But if I remember correctly, Princess Celestia said that I only have the Magiconnector in me!” he went on.

“Yes, but it wasn’t you who cast the spell. It was the seven of us in this case. The Magiconnector handles magic—not just the ambient magic around you, but active magic too. For example, if I use my telekinesis to lift you in the air, I’m activating the magic around and inside you. The Magiconnector makes sure the rest of your body follows wherever I command it to be; otherwise, I’d only move the magic inside you, and that would be quite painful—like when you put your hand through that portal Discord created, only this time it would be your whole body.” She cringed as she gave the example, but it was probably the best way to explain it without getting into gory details. “For non-living things, it’s somewhat different since they don’t have Magiconnectors, but to our knowledge, magic interacts with them differently,” she continued, before a polite cough from Rainbow made her realize she was getting off-topic. “Anyway, Magiconnectors are responsible for any connection between your body and magic—that’s where their name comes from. So, the point is, the Magiconnectors are why you were able to sing along,” she finished.

“But what about the song I started?” he asked. That question caused everyone to look at him in surprise.

“What? When did that happen?” Twilight asked immediately.

“That night when I learned I’m stuck here. The night of the Gala,” Lazlo answered.

“Tell me everything!” Twilight summoned some paper, a quill, and ink.

“I was on the balcony of my room when music started playing and some guards outside began singing. I felt the urge too, but I tried to resist. Eventually, I couldn’t anymore and started singing along.” He gave a quick summary.

“And you’re sure it was you who started it?” Twilight asked after writing down everything she needed.

“Pretty sure, yeah. I mean, the song was about how I felt back then,” he answered.

“I can’t believe it!” Twilight looked deep in thought. “I’m not sure what that means. There are several theories. It could mean that there are spells that use Magiconnectors for casting, maybe only subconsciously cast spells, or just this one. But it’s also possible that it has something to do with you being human. There’s also a slight chance the test that was done on you had a false result, though that’s almost impossible since most tests are done twice, or even more in your case. I need to write to the Princess—maybe she already knows, or she can pass it on to the research team that did those tests.” Twilight continued, her thoughts racing.

“Um… Twi,” Applejack spoke up to get the mare’s attention, as she was getting a little carried away. “I think that message can wait ‘til tomorrow.”

Twilight wanted to argue, but seeing the looks from the others, she relented. They were right. Besides, she didn’t want to bother the Princess on a holiday. But Lazlo also felt there was more to this than just some anomaly. He still didn’t know how he got those magical parts in his body. It was a mystery—one that no one had yet been able to answer or even form a valid hypothesis about.

He hoped that someday he would have those answers, but the reality was that this seemed to be the first case of its kind in this world, and there were many unknowns. In this case, magic was a lot like science—you have to run a lot of tests just to form uncertain ideas when something new comes up. To top it off, he was a sapient living being, which luckily put him under the protection of an ethical code. That was good, because even if they wanted to do invasive or painful tests, since he was the only test subject, they probably wouldn’t even qualify as valid.

But Applejack was right—this wasn’t the time to think about that. They had worked so hard to make this day better for him. He owed them a good time, even if he felt like a horrible host. With that in mind, they continued to have fun and celebrate the second day of Hearth’s Warming.

Author's Note

New chapter! Yay!
Anyway, as I wrote this chapter, I realized that since I created Lazlo's character as he is, he wouldn't have a lot to tell about how he spends his holidays... However, since I just keep piling stuff I owe to explain to you guys, I decided that this will be a perfect opportunity to take something off of that pile. Not like it's a big reveal or anything, I keep those for later.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the story altogether!

Next up, continuing with the show, but soon Lazlo will finally meet other species. I can't wait for that!