Daimon had never seen such a party in all his life. Many ponies were celebrating and having fun with each other. So different from the parties he had been where small groups would form, normally only visited by other people which knew one or another person for a few minutes.

This seemed to be one only large group where everypony had a nice time with everypony and not even with Daimon being human he was seen differently. As his first proof of such a thing, Applejack herself had called him to make a small speech in front of everypony else.

Not knowing what to say, Daimon just mumbled about being lucky that his exile could be far worse and that he was really enjoying being there among these ponies. After noticing he was getting uncomfortable, though, Pinkie Pie called that speech to an end and took Daimon mostly against his will to dance.

There were a few laughs as the human tried his best to emulate the pony’s style of dancing, but then Daimon thought better and improvised a bit of human style dancing. The laughs he received where soon exchanged by excited ponies cheering.

Daimon then decided to take a break. With a large smile, he decided to have some pouch and generally enjoy the atmosphere. Not that he had always been a good dancer, but when you’re the only human around, you tend to be the best.

Rainbow Dash was the first to approach him; Daimon noticed that she had been drinking. “So, Daimon, enjoying the party?” she asked.

“I can’t say I ever went to a party this lively, actually,” he answered sincerely, both having a little trouble to be heard over the music. “Nice music rolling! Who’s the DJ?” he asked, almost sure that his answer would be a question about what is a DJ.

“The DJ, of course!” Rainbow Dash answered. “DJ Pon3 is the best of all the Equestria!”

“Wow… never thought that the ponies would have this nice music…”

“Good parties need good music, duh!” Pinkie Pie said, coming out of nowhere with a pouch jar to exchange by the now empty one at the table. “Can’t have a party where everypony will be bored with a boring song, ‘cause if they get bored they won’t enjoy the party and then they will be unhappy and I can’t see my friends unhappy!”

“I… see…” Daimon said, besides in truth he got lost somewhere in the explanation.

Pinkie Pie smiles and suddenly opens her eyes. “Sorry! Gotta go! Itching left hind hoof means muffins needs to be replaced!” and just like she appeared, the pink pony left.

“What… was that?”

Rainbow Dash just laughed. “There’s no need to worry… nopony knows how she does that, but Pinkie Pie has a ‘Pinkie Sense’. She can foresee some… random things about the future. We learned to trust those senses without really asking why,” she said.

“You mean…”

“That if you managed to follow her, she would find a table that needed more muffins,” the cyan pegasus smiled.

Daimon looked around the party. Each pony was completely different from the other, so it looked like a rather broken twisting kaleidoscope, plenty of colors dancing in front of his eyes in different directions.

When he was about to say something else to Rainbow Dash, he saw the pegasus flying over the crowd. He just shook his head. Still staying by the pouch side, serving his glass twice more, Daimon was soon approached by a unicorn female.

“Would you be kind?” she asked.

He just nodded and served some pouch to the unicorn. Only then he noticed she had a white coat slightly mixed with a very faint shade of yellow all over her body and pure white mane and tail, both slightly curly. Besides her fancy dress and a headband with a small red feather with golden tip, he quickly recognized her.

“Romantic Lily, I guess?” he said with a smile.

She only nodded and gave him a smile. “Sorry for bumping into you yesterday,” she started. “I was kinda… distracted. My books are quite a bit behind schedule and I don’t quite seem able to think in a proper way to continue the series…”

“You should try to relax a little,” Daimon suggested. “You choose your career as writer because you love it, right?” at her nod, he continued, “But you’re nowadays treating it as a work, as a job?” again, Romantic Lily nodded.

“That’s why you lost inspiration then,” Daimon said with a smile. “You lost that magic that suddenly attracted you to writing. Back at where I came from, there was a saying: choose a career that you really love and you won’t have to work a single day of your life, or other words for that effect.”

Romantic Lily thought about it for a while, “Maybe you’re right…” she allowed. “I will try relaxing a little and not working. But you never struck me as the kind to give advices…”

“Because I’m not,” Daimon answered. “However, in order to return home, I have to fulfill some tasks, let’s say. I’m just trying to do that.” Looking at Romantic Lily, he quickly downed his head, “Sorry for saying it that way. I sounded rather selfish, didn’t I?”

“Well… a bit actually,” Romantic Lily answered. “However, you’re trying to return to your home. I guess I would be a bit selfish myself and maybe even a bit rude…”

Daimon shook his head. “Why don’t you play with that idea in your next book?” he suggests. “A pony that was took away from his original home and need to learn something totally new to get back?”

“It would be nice; however, my story doesn’t quite have that flexibility…”

“Maybe you should start writing a new story just to set your mind at easy, as a small side story to explain something from yours or just to take your focus from your work? It could even be a story just for yourself and close friends, just so you can allow your mind breath a bit of pure air?”

“I will think about it,” Romantic Lily nodded with a sincere smile. “And talking about pure air, I’m going to have some. See ya.”

Daimon nodded as he saw the unicorn slowly walk away. Only then he noticed that he had a nice chat with somepony that not even knew his name and, for her, that seemed to not matter at all.

The party continued like that for a lot longer. Daimon would often join somepony in a nice talk and share some stories, opinions and laughs. And that went on until, even over the loud music, everypony could hear a loud howl.

“A timber wolf?” Daimon heard somepony comment. “This was pretty close to the barn… What are it doing there?”

“Do not panic, my little ponies!” Daimon heard the voice from up and looked to see Twilight hovering above everypony. She was rather majestic in that position, he had to admit and remind himself that she was a Princess. “The timber wolf or wolves won’t enter this barn. There’s nothing for you to fear.”

Daimon, though, quickly remembered something and started looking around. Taking an advantage point to better see over the crowd of ponies, he quickly decided it would be impossible for him to single out one pony alone, so he started making questions.

After the tenth time he received the same answer, though, he got worried. But also it wasn’t in his nature to ask for help or to give any reason others should give it to him. Daimon just got to one of the stable windows and discretely as possible jumped through one of them.

Now outside of the barn came the hardest part, find track of the pony he was trying to find. From the barn’s door, he noticed couple sets hoofprints leaving. One was heading towards Ponyville, the other, though, was going deeper into the farm. And that he followed.

Suddenly, the hoofprints that were slowly walking turned to a side and become sparser. A bit ahead of the further change, he saw the reason, big canine-shaped pawprints. He shook his head, turned and ran towards the direction where now was a set of hooves and another of paws heading to.

Even at the dim light, he managed to see a small feather among the bushes at edge of what looked like a dense forest. Picking the golden-tipped red feather, he was to place it on his pocket, but remembered that Rarity didn’t know what those were for and never put one. Placing the feather between the pants and his skin so it wouldn’t fall, He kept running.

Inside the forest, while focusing his eyes to keep focus of the prints he was following, Daimon grabbed a large and sturdy wooden branch that worse came to worst, he could use as a crude club.

“I don’t know what are you doing, but back is where you should be going,” Daimon heard a voice say from somewhere of the forest. Raising his weapon to defend himself, he looked to the voice’s source and saw another pony, besides one rather different, like a zebra in truth. Basically a white body covered in stripes with a tribal sun on her flank and lots of golden rings on her right foreleg and along her neck. Daimon also noticed a pair of rather heavy-looking earrings on each of the zebra’s ears.

“Sorry, but that won’t do,” Daimon said, fighting to find again his track and return to the hunt. “Somepony needs help and I’ve tracked her down to this forest.”

“And why somepony would run to Everfree? This place isn’t exactly secure, not even for me.”

Daimon shot a quick glance at the zebra. Her rhymes will probably set him off sooner or later. But he had something else to look for right now. “I don’t know why she came there,” he answered. “But maybe it was because there was some big predator thing hunting her down.”

The zebra nodded. Then Daimon noticed her focusing her vision better at the ground. “Head there and you’ll find your pony,” the zebra pointed a direction. “I’ll you fetch help if I can find any.”

He barely nodded and rushed towards the north, his club firm on his hand. As between the leaves some of the moonlight entered at the forest, he looked to the ground and saw that the hoofprints suddenly turned in another direction, but he remembered the words of the zebra. ‘Head there and you’ll find your pony.’ He was decided to track down Romantic Lily, but and what if the zebra was trying to give him a shortcut?

‘We’re trying to show you what true friendship is, and that starts with trusting.’ That was the phrase that Twilight had told him at his very first day at Ponyville. Not knowing why he suddenly decided to trust strange ponies, he turned his eyes from the trial and kept heading north.

Avoiding strange noises not to engage any more problems than he needed to, Daimon suddenly reached the ruins of an ancient castle. Rushing to the ruins, he could hear the howling of wolves, seemed to be three of them. Getting from behind the tree, Daimon looked at the scene and saw, just outside the ruins, that Romantic Lily had managed to get up a huge boulder with a large tree covering her back and was now shoving every timber wolf that tried to attack her.

And Daimon cursed. “Damn… when they said timber wolves, I thought it was… wolves…” he whispered to himself.

The human was terrified at the vision of immense wolf-like wooden statues, only that they were completely covered in many different kinds of vines that seemed to work as muscles to move each of them around.

Cursing a bit more than usual, he tightened his grip on the impromptu club, he broke free and rushed to the wolves, screaming a battle cry and hit with his club the first timber wolf closer to him, stunning him and the others for barely a moment before backing away and registering what he had just done. Now there were three hungry looking wooden wolf-like monsters slowly getting at him. Holding his club with both hands, Daimon gritted his teeth.

When the wolf began rounding him, Daimon noticed he was done. There would be no tomorrow for him.

The wolf jumped and closed his eyes. Next thing he felt was something abruptly pushing him forward and suddenly he was… galloping? Opening his eyes, he saw that Romantic Lily had magically pulled him from the attack of the timber wolves and now was trotting with her on her back.

“Are you crazy? Do you wanna die?” she yelled while focusing on the path in front of her.

She decided to go inside the ruins to avoid being ambushed by the timber wolves: the bridge would only allow one of them to pass at a time. Daimon turned backwards and quickly moved his arm, giving another timber wolf a terrible headache, or he really hoped he had.

“No, but I wasn’t going to stay stopped and see you die!” he shouted back.

“I thought you didn’t care about ponies!”

“I never said that!”

“You sounded like!” the bridge was still a few meters ahead of them. Another attempt of getting at them was denied by Daimon’s strong hands and sturdy weapon.

“Sorry if I was a bit too harsh!” he said looking at her. “I had… family back at home that can’t exactly take care of themselves! Returning home is my first priority!”

Romantic Lily’s hooves now hit the wooden bridge instead of the dirty ground of the forest behind them. The wolves though weren’t giving up and kept following them. Strengthening the grip on the club, he swung and just not hit the wolf because it stopped. Not surprising with a large gorge down under the point and just no sound of water running at all. That, thought, gained time for him and the pony.

“DAIMON!” they heard a voice from somewhere.

The human though, knew this voice. Looking up, he saw a rainbow blur flaying at him followed by another pony, a purple one.  He turned to Romantic Lily and said.

“Trust me! I’m not crazy!” he said to her.

“I kinda believe you! I also heard it!” she answered.

“Not that! But what you’ll have to do!” he said. “Turn and jump!”

“WHAT?” she asked in disbelief.

“Trust me okay? I’m not crazy!” he said one last time.

The wolves were closing on them again. Afraid of doing so, she still decided to trust him, “Now?”

“No!” he turned to the blurs in the sky and signed them down the bridge. When both flying ponies dived he shouted, “NOW!”

Closing her eyes and jumped over the bridge, her heart ponding hard. Daimon though managed to part from her and opened his arms. Rainbow Dash aimed at him and the other pony, now that they were close Daimon recognized to be Twilight, at Romantic Lily. They then slowly flew away from the ruins of the castle and returned to Ponyville.

Romantic Lily looked at them and then at Daimon, surprised as hell. Knowing her unasked question, Daimon just said, “Sometimes, you just to place your trust in somepony else…”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Zecora came to us and told what happened. You’re insane, Daimon! Why didn’t you call for help?”

“I usually don’t need help… And I didn’t trust people… or pony… before,” Daimon answered. “Zecora?”

“The zebra at Everfree Forest,” Rainbow Dash answered him. “She’s a very good friend of ours. A bit reclusive, but a good zebra.”

“How did you found us?” Romantic Lily asked.

“Zecora said that she had sent Daimon straight to the old Princesses Castle,” Twilight answered. “She said, though, that the strange bipedal monkey-like creature didn’t seem to trust her too much, and she doubted we would find him there. He would probably be lost in the forest.”

“What made you follow Zecora’s suggestion, Daimon?” Rainbow Dash asked really curious.

He smile and nodded. “My sister said that… she was going to study to be very smart, like the character of some series she’s fan… Zecora… her name sounded like that character name so I decided to try…”

“So you trusted your sister instead of yourself?” Twilight asked.

“She’s family… if you can’t trust family, whom you will trust?” Daimon asked.

“Friends,” Twilight and Rainbow Dash answered together. Daimon just chuckled.

***

Daimon, Twilight and spike where just returning to the library after the party, which had suddenly turned into a ‘successful rescue’ party, completely tired and with the winged unicorn a bit drunk clipping about the human and the baby dragon sleeping on his arm.

Twilight kept insisting all the way that she was just fine and just needed some rest. He just chuckled. Before they could enter the library, though, they were approached by Romantic Lily.

“Hey… can we talk?” she asked.

“Come inside. I have to put these two on their beds,” he answered.

After a hard time helping a tripping Twilight upstairs to her room and placing spike on his basket, Daimon returned to the lobby where he met with Romantic Lily was waiting for him.

“I’m not exactly living here to actually offer you something, but for water,” he said with a smile.

“Don’t worry with that,” she said also with a smile. However, hers quickly faded. “I… just… Why had you made something as crazy as that? If I wasn‘t a unicorn, you would be dead!”

“I’m not used to stay still when I put something in my head,” he said. “I had done my share of bad things in the past, but everything for the sake of my family, I assure you.”

“And what put into your head that you should save me?”

“I just thought that saving you could grant me an easier away back home,” he answered. “Sorry, I’m sounding selfish again…”

“I would like to hear more about your story,” Romantic Lily said.

“Can it be later? The day had already raised and I have some sleeping to do now,” he said. “And maybe also has you.” She just nodded. When Romantic Lily turned to leave, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Before you go, I guess this belong to you,” producing the feather he had held for her. “I found while tracking you down and you looked rather beautiful with this on.”

She blushed a bit, not hard to see when she had a white coat, and looked at him. “Well… thank you…” she paused a little. “Only now I remembered I never really learned your name…”

He chuckled. “Sorry. My name is Daimon Gryffin,” he said.

“Gryffin huh? Sounds imposing,” she smiled.

“You’re the first to say I’m not a griffin.”

“I had a guess that you already knew that.” They chuckled a bit before Romantic Lily floated the feather from his hand. “Well… better we part then.”

Daimon nodded. “Later, Romantic Lily.”

“Just Lily is good enough. Later, Daimon.”

***

Daimon was still the first to wake up. Since they went to sleep when the sun was already showing, he had the blinders closing the window and a nice shadow took place of the room. He saw both Twilight and Spike still sleeping and decided to go down for bathroom and a glass of cool water.

At the kitchen, though, he decided to try making a bit of the breakfast, but quickly dismissed the thought. They would be at lunch time by now. Deciding on wait and see, he sat at the lobby, picked his Equestrian History book and restarted his reading.

Twilight woke up not too much later and seemed to be nursing a terrible headache, and there was still no signal of Spike coming down.

“Aw… I hate when Pinkie Pie spice my drinks… I almost always end up with a hangover…” Twilight said.

Daimon chuckled not taking his sight from the book he was reading. “That’s it, blame others for your drinking,” he accused.

“They’re my friends, not saints…” she shot back before hitting the bathroom herself.

When Twilight returned, Daimon looked at her, “And about lunch?”

“Not in the right mood to cook… Wanna lunch out today?”

“Besides not being a typical choice, I would recommend somewhere with lots of sugar. It helps the hangovers, I’ve heard,” Daimon said.

“Lunch at Sugarcube Corner sounds fine…” she agreed.

“Shall we call Spike?”

“No… let him sleep…” she answered. “He’s just a baby dragon after all…”

“Then, let’s go.”

But Twilight quickly regretted that decision. As soon as the door was opened, the bright outside hit her as a baseball bat. After adapting to the bright view, she guided Daimon to the bakery. Upon seeing the building mostly likely made of gingerbread, Daimon couldn’t help but think of something else.

“Are you sure it’s safe? Last time I heard about a gingerbread house, two small children were almost turned into lunch…” he commented.

“What?” Twilight asked.

“Nothing… forget it… just some old fairy tales from my world… stories that you tell to children…”

“Strange… why would you tell stories like that to your children?”

“Later I tell you the full story so you can understand,” he said as they entered the shop.

“Hello, Twilight! Daimon!” the human was taken aback by the sudden pink face in front of them.

“Ouch… hi, Pinkie… A bit lower on the volume please?” Twilight asked. “Still nursing a headache from the party…”

“Oh, sorry for that…” Pinkie Pie quickly felt bad for that, but quickly put a smile on her face again. “Anything I could do for you?”

“I would like some of those extra chocolate cupcakes, please…” Twilight asked.

“Do you have something with a bit less sugar for me?” Daimon asked.

“Hmmm… Maybe I could offer you some apple pie?” Pinkie Pie offered to Daimon.

“That would be nice,” he answered with a smile.

“I’ll be right back!” and then Pinkie Pie went to fetch their orders.

Twilight and Daimon, though, made themselves comfortable at one table while they waited.

“So, Daimon, why had you ventured out with timber wolves outside the barn to save a pony?” Twilight asked.

“Can’t say it was for altruism exactly,” he said. “I just thought that with some heroic act I would be sent back home earlier.”

“Well, silly human… I could certainly say that you’re a step closer to returning home,” Twilight answered. “You’ve learned an important lesson and that will be with you until the very end of your life, be there or be anywhere.” Next Chapter: Episode 05: The Writer Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 22 Minutes