"So, how did you like Winter Wrap Up?" Twilight asked the human. It had already been a few days since spring and the new year arrived, and they were having their usual study session. Originally, Twilight had wanted to hold it the day after Winter Wrap Up, but the princess had sent her a few books and assignments, which took priority.

"This whole thing is crazy," Lazlo said, unafraid to speak his mind. "Though that song was catchy..." He shook his head. "Still... I get that you ponies control the weather and all, but isn’t it a little too much? I mean, why do you need to make such big changes in just one day? The temperature isn’t controlled as directly by you as the clouds are, so wouldn’t it be better to let the snow and ice melt naturally? Wouldn’t it cause, like, ecological problems or something?" he wondered aloud.

"The weather and nature scientists have studies proving that it doesn’t cause any issues. They provide guidelines and work together with the leaders of the weather factory and some weather captains," she answered.

"It’s still crazy. I think a lot of people would have an aneurysm if they knew you control the weather this much, and yet it doesn’t seem to cause global climate change or other drastic changes in nature."

"Global climate change? What do you mean by that?"

"It’s probably a good thing there aren’t other humans here. This is another topic that would make them go completely crazy. Basically, the global temperature is getting warmer. Milder winters, hotter summers, warmer springs and autumns. Less rain, more sudden weather changes... I’m not sure about all of it, but it’s probably connected somehow, and there are other effects too."

"And humans caused that?"

"Now that’s why people go crazy about it... We don’t know exactly. Some people deny climate change. Total morons. If nothing else, the unbearable heat during the summers should be a clear indicator. Sure, we’ve had hot summers a century ago too, but now it’s more consistent. Then there are others who like to fully blame humanity for everything. And by ‘fully,’ I mean they think it wouldn’t even be an issue without us. Morons too."

"That doesn’t sound so good. So what do you think about it?"

"That we’re affecting it, like everything else. We just have a bigger role in it. But it’s happening regardless, and we’re just speeding it up, or making it change at a faster rate. It’s not good, but it’s probably inevitable either way. Though, we should control ourselves better because we don’t know what will happen when the temperature begins to go down—or maybe it won’t, and the heat will stay with us. I don’t know… I’m not even sure if I’m right or not. I’m not a scientist, and they may have made new discoveries in the last few months."

"But why don’t humans do something about it?"

"Mostly because of money. We’re a greedy species." Lazlo shrugged. "But I think there’s also another reason that many people wouldn’t like to hear. We’ve been told again and again that our resources will run out soon. That huge catastrophes will come and destroy entire cities, or more. 'We have enough resources for ten more years,' they said fifty years ago, but then we kept finding more. Natural catastrophes may have increased in number and intensity, but probably not at the rate those people warned us about." Lazlo shook his head. "If someone yells ‘Fire!’ again and again, but the people around never smell smoke, they won’t believe it the next time, even if everything around them is in flames."

"Interesting..." Twilight said, looking at the paper she was levitating. She seemed to have trouble deciding what to write down. "I’d love to talk more about it, but I’ll need time to collect my questions, so let’s get back to Winter Wrap Up. Did you like working with Rarity?"

"Yeah, I think she enjoyed having someone else there with her. She only stopped talking when she asked me something." He laughed. "And I think she appreciated the help too, even if I wasn’t much help at the beginning… I’m really bad at making those kinds of things."

"She told me that since you helped her, she could also work on some other things she wanted to make, like decorations."

"Yeah, she mentioned that too. Also, it was weird that she couldn’t use her magic to do it," he recalled, thinking back to yesterday.

"That’s because Ponyville was founded by earth ponies. In fact, it was the Apple family."

"Really? Well, I guess it’s a nice place, and it’s close to the capital too."

"Indeed it is. I remember reading about the town’s history. It wasn’t that long ago, actually—Granny Smith was just a filly back then." She then proceeded to tell the tale of Ponyville’s founding. "According to the book, Granny Smith and her family were wandering around, searching for seeds and a land where they could grow them. Eventually, they went to Canterlot and met Princess Celestia, who gave them this land to cultivate and build an orchard."

"And they did. They built their first farm, but since it takes time to grow crops, they were running out of food quickly. To prevent starvation, Granny Smith went into the Everfree Forest to find food. There, she found a special type of apple they called Zap Apples. But there were Timberwolves there too, and they chased her back to the farm. However, she managed to grab a few apples and brought them back with her. They saved the family from hunger, and she also managed to get seeds of the most special apple known to ponykind."

"What’s so special about them?" Lazlo asked, trying to imagine what could be considered the most special apple in a land of magical ponies.

"Well, they just suddenly appear on the trees, and there’s only a short time to harvest them. But there are signs that show when to expect them. They’re also rainbow-colored and have a very unique taste, though I haven’t confirmed that myself. I’d love to get some for both tasting and testing. Mostly, they make jam out of it and sell it to Barnyard Bargains, where you can buy it. But I’m sure Applejack can set a few jars aside for us, because a lot of it is shipped all across Equestria, and the small amount that remains here sells out quickly," she explained.

"And they can only grow it here? I thought the Apple family was all over Equestria and shared their crops with each other," Lazlo wondered.

"They tried, but it turns out the trees need to be near the Everfree Forest—or at least close to it. My hypothesis is that they need the special magic in and around the forest," Twilight explained.

"Special magic?"

"The forest has a very unique magic that seeps out beyond its perimeter, almost like an aura. Researchers theorize that, besides housing unique creatures like the timberwolves, this magic gives ponies a feeling of unease whenever they’re in this ‘aura,’ making them think the forest is more terrifying than it actually is. The leading theory is that, because the Castle of the Two Sisters is there—where Princess Celestia fought Nightmare Moon—the immense power of the two alicorns’ battle altered the magic in that area, creating this ‘aura.’ This also explains why the forest hasn’t grown or shrunk over the centuries."

"Okay, I think I get it now. It kind of makes sense, even if we’re talking about magic, which hardly makes sense to me… Anyway, I guess this special apple was popular, other ponies came to live here, and the place slowly developed into the town it is now. Am I correct?" Lazlo asked with a smile.

"Well, yes. That’s basically what happened." Twilight nodded. "Is that how towns form in your world too?"

"Kind of… I mean, we don’t find magical apples in strange forests and then build farms next to them. I’m not exactly sure how towns form nowadays, but I guess it’s something like someone—or a group of people—buys land, builds houses, and eventually other people move in, bringing shops and other buildings until it grows into a new town. But that’s just how I think it happens; I don’t know of any town that’s been founded since I was born."

"What about the town you lived in before coming here?"

"That was the capital city, Budapest, which became a single city after the unification of three cities: Pest, Buda, and Óbuda. That happened around a hundred and fifty years ago, though those cities existed throughout my country’s entire history—and even further back, there were settlements there thousands of years ago. But even the town I grew up in has a history going back about six hundred years, when the ruler at that time granted it a certain rank as a… well, I don’t know exactly how to translate it—something like a ‘farmer town,’" Lazlo explained. By the end of his explanation, he seemed lost in thought, his expression a little hardened, as if he was recalling a memory. He often talked about his world, but usually only in general terms or with a few examples from his country or family. Most of the time, he could speak about it without issue, but sometimes memories came rushing back. He could usually ignore them, but sometimes the feelings would slip through, and his mood would drop.

"I see," Twilight noted, then looked at him, noticing the change in his mood. She had observed this shift on a few occasions and had figured out what was usually behind it. At times like this, the best thing to do was to change the subject. "By the way, have you visited Sugarcube Corner recently?"

"I’ve been there a few times, buying some sweets," he answered, already aware of the reason for the sudden change of subject, but appreciating it nonetheless.

"And did you see the twins?"

"No, I was unlucky—they were sleeping whenever I went. Though I’ve only been there a few times and always around the same time, so... But I did see them at the hospital when they were born. I just hope Pinkie can behave." He recalled how chaotic Pinkie Pie had been that day, nearly tearing down his door and dragging him to the hospital, where the others were already waiting to see the Cakes' babies.

"I'm sure she can. Despite her behavior, she’d never do any harm to anypony, especially babies," Twilight assured him.

"I know that, but after seeing her at the hospital, I have my doubts that she won’t cause issues unintentionally. I thought they might even ban her from entering unless she’s the one needing care. Anyway... I remember I wanted to ask you something that came to mind when we saw the twins. So, their parents are earth ponies, but one of the twins is a pegasus and the other is a unicorn. They mentioned having pegasus and unicorn ancestors, but do you know how it’s decided what type of pony a foal will be?" He recalled the question that had come to him at the time.

"It’s in the DNA," she replied with a short answer, then grabbed a book from one of the shelves with her magic. She opened it and flipped through a few pages until she found the right section. "When a pony is born, and the parents are from different tribes, you’ll find genes from both tribes in the DNA. However, only one tribe’s genes can be active. When the foal’s DNA is formed, one tribe’s genes become dominant over the others, and that determines which tribe the foal will belong to." She closed the book and returned it to the shelf. "Of course, it’s not as simple as one tribe’s genes always being dominant over the others. The likelihood is influenced by the ratio of different pony tribes among your ancestors. Also, even if one tribe’s genes are dominant, the others are still there, just inactive, and they can still be passed down to the next generation."

"Let me give you an example," she continued. "In my family, most ponies are unicorns. Because of that, the chance of a foal being born a unicorn is very high. But of course, since there are pegasi and earth ponies among my ancestors, sometimes a pony is born as a pegasus or earth pony, even if both parents are unicorns. The same applies to the Cakes as well. The chances of their twins being born as a pegasus and a unicorn were small, but it happened. Though it might have something to do with them being twins—but that's just a hypothesis."

"So it's basically a big spinning wheel with different-sized sections that gets spun, and wherever it lands decides the pony's tribe?" Lazlo thought out loud.

"That's a good way to picture it, though there are probably other factors that we don’t know yet," Twilight said with a smile. "I'm actually happy you asked this. We mostly talk about your world, and while I love learning all I can about it, I also like telling you about this world. And my invitation still stands to join our get-togethers." She made this offer every time they met.

"Thanks, but I’d still feel weird as the only guy there, and even if Spike were there, he’s still a child. Besides, I spend some time with the others too, occasionally."

"Really? Please, do tell me! Maybe something I could write to the Princess about, too?" She quickly summoned a new parchment and grabbed her quill with her magic.

"I don’t think any of it is worth a letter, but that’s up to you. So, Fluttershy brings me fish every week, and we chat a little. I also bring back the parts of the fish I don’t eat so she can give them to her animals who do, and then she invites me in for tea and more conversation. I also go to Sugarcube Corner sometimes, as I already mentioned, to get some good treats, and Pinkie is always there and wants to talk. Mostly, she has me listen to her rambling about everything that’s happened since my last visit." They both chuckled at that. "Sometimes Rainbow flies by when I’m out and stops to ask how I’ve been doing, especially with my workouts, and she teases me about Agile. She also brags about her new tricks and shows them to me—some of them are pretty impressive. I mostly see Applejack when I’m at the market to buy things, and we talk a little."

"What about other ponies?" Twilight asked.

"Well, the chess club is still going, though it’s been moved to the Ponyville Culture House after the Discord incident. I also go to Rarity’s place sometimes to get new clothes or fix up the ones I have. We chat a bit while she measures me each time, deciding which colors would look good on me. She also asks a lot about fashion in my world, partly to make my attire resemble what I used to wear. Recently, I ordered a few suits for that summit," Lazlo continued.

"Oh right, the GSSC. How will you get there? Did the Princess contact you about it? When will you leave?" she asked.

"Yes, the Princess sent me a letter asking me to come to Canterlot the day after tomorrow. She said she usually invites the delegates to a dinner the night before we depart, and then we leave together the next morning. She also mentioned that ambassadors will be present this time—they’ll want to finally meet me and probably prepare me for meeting the leaders of their nations," Lazlo explained.

"I wish I could come with you. It would be a great opportunity to learn about different species and their cultures," Twilight said. "But only the rulers, representatives, scribes, guards, and staff can go."

"Well, I can tell you about it after I come back, if it’s not meant to be kept secret. And maybe I’ll have the opportunity to talk with others there, learn about them, and share it with you," he offered.

"Most transcripts are available to the public, but I’d appreciate it if you could tell me what you learn about other species. Then I can compare it to the books I have here and see if any need updating."

Soon it was time to end the session. Lazlo left the library and went to get some groceries before returning home. By the time he arrived, the sun was close to the horizon.

As he ate his dinner, his mind drifted back to the topic of the upcoming meetings—not just the Summit, but also the one with the ambassadors. He was a little nervous, but he knew it was unavoidable. It was something he couldn’t keep avoiding, and he knew he’d been lucky to do so for this long. He just hoped that the meeting and the Summit would go smoothly.

Another thought weighed on his mind: while the ponies had accepted him and treated him as one of their own, he didn’t know how the others would see him. His best hope was that they’d find him unremarkable and leave him alone.

But he couldn’t shake off his worry.

Author's Note

It's been some time... A few things happened that took away my mood from writing. I'm still getting back to it so sorry for the boring, filler chapter. Though maybe it's better this way, as I had no idea what to do for this episode, and I wanted to write more about how one of these study sessions go between Twilight and Lazlo.
But there are other ponies and other creatures in this story, luckily they'll get some focus too soon.

As always, I hope you liked this chapter! And I hope I won't make you wait for the next one this long again!