“So, how is Coco doing?” Rarity asked.

“She seems to be doing fantastically, if doing so brightly red.” Rarity blinked. "Her marefriend seems intent on teasing her mercilessly.” he clarified. Rarity coughed.

“Oh, I see.” Rarity looked into her tea.

“Something wrong with that?” Robert asked.

“Oh? No, nothing at all. Just I don't know, I wouldn't have expected that to be her thing.” she said, not looking up.

“Why not?” Robert asked.

“Oh, she just...” Rarity met his eyes. "I figured her for stallions is all.”

“Ah. Well, no worries, it's not like you tried to set her up and it failed.” he shrugged.

“I suppose not.” she sipped her tea again. "How did the play look?”

“I don't know, but the crown fit.” Robert said. "The actress tried it on, and it set perfectly on her head.”

“Oh good, I'm glad. I hoped the measurements were correct. I know how hard it can be to get a proper fit without doing directly.” she noticed his face. "Something wrong?”

“Maybe. I got presents for everyone, and while most of them are things that it doesn't matter, I bought something for Rainbow and now I'm worried. I was told a fitting enchantment would help but...

“Well, of course it would. The crown wasn't designed with one in mind, so if whatever you've given her has one, it shouldn't matter.” Rarity asked, eyes twinkling.

“Well, it's not entirely finished, since there's one other enchantment that needs to go on. Robert looked around, at the bright airy windows. Rarity caught his look, and her horn glowed for a moment. Nothing seemed to change. He raised an eyebrow.

“A 'Not at Home' spell. An illusion that makes it appear as if I'm closed. I appear to have stepped out for lunch in this particular case. Keeps out everyone but you know who.”

“Who?” Pinkie asked.

“You.” Rarity said, looking straight up at Pinkie, who was standing on her head.

“Oh, okay.” Pinkie vanished. Robert was watching her, and still couldn't tell how she vanished. He blinked once, and looked back at Rarity.

“Right, yes.” he blinked again, then reached into his saddlebag. "Here. he passed the helmet over.” She stared at it for a couple of minutes.

“Okay, I give up.” she said.

“Give it a shake.” she did and the sides fell. "For her head.”

“Very interesting, but why?” she asked.

“Because she doesn't like anything that's not cool, and head injuries are not, but neither are the helmets you see. Plus the standard helmet is not exactly aerodynamic. So this collapses into just the mane cover. I figure that she can either activate it with a word, or have the spell automatically expand it when it exceeds certain limits.” Robert said. "Of course that's not my area of expertise.”

“Nor is it precisely mine. True, I have some talent in enchantment, but for something so complex, Twilight's touch is absolutely essential.” Rarity said. Robert nodded, and tucked it away in the bag.

“Thank you. Do you think she'll like it?” he asked.

“I'm certain she'll love it. What did you get me?” she asked, winking.

“Oh, now that would be telling.” Robert smiled. "Everyone will know at the party, but for now, tell me all about what I missed.” Rarity burst into flame...

---

Robert was still laughing rather hard when he left, now on a mission to find Twilight and enlist her help. She was busy reading. Absolutely no being in the entire universe was surprised. The fact that she was reading with Rainbow Dash was more interesting, but Robert paused. He certainly couldn't ask Twilight what he wanted with Rainbow Dash right there. He suddenly caught sight of Spike's tail in the kitchen. His tactic changed.

“Hey Twilight, is Spike around?” he asked. Twilight looked up, startled out of her book.

“Huh? Oh, he's in the kitchen. How was your trip?”

“Trippy.” Robert replied. Rainbow laughed, Twilight opened up to give him a lecture on linguistics, but he breezed past.

“How's my number one dragon bro?” he asked, disappearing into the kitchen.

“Rainbow, was that weird?” Twilight asked. Rainbow stared.

“Twilight, that was Pinkie level weird. Which is normal around here.: the pegasus shook her head, and went back to her book.

“Number one Dragon Bro?” Spike asked. You have another Dragon Bro someplace?” the little purple dragon asked.

“Not in so far as I am aware. Though circumstances may change.” Robert replied. Spike leveled a look at him. "Had to say something to get out of a words and meanings lecture from Twilight.”

“Fair enough. So did you come over for some particular reason?” Spike asked, pulling out a pan of muffins. He didn't need oven mitts though he checked over his shoulder to see if Twilight was watching before grabbing it with a bare claw. She always forgot he was mostly fireproof, especially the callouses on his claws. He wore the oven mitts she'd given him as much because she'd given them to him, than for any real need of them. Plus it set a good example when the Crusaders happened by, and since he knew they were in school, or out of town, he was safe enough to only check on Twiilight.

“I came over looking for Twilight, but the request involves a secret from Rainbow Dash and I can't very well ask Twilight for a favor I can't explain. Any idea how long they're going to be at it?” Robert asked. Spike took a breath. He was miffed that Robert hadn't come for him, but at the same time, he understood the problem. He kept the emotion mostly to himself and looked out into the main area.

“Rainbow's got the new Daring Do. She'll be here all day, then blow out ten minutes before her shift ends and do everything.” Spike sighed. "Better luck tomorrow.”

“No problem. What're you doing the rest of the day?” Robert asked, annoyed, but unwilling to let such a small problem ruin his mood.

“Chores, comics, more chores, checklists.” Spike shrugged. "The usual.”

“Twilight, can Spike have the day off?” Robert called. Twilight answered before Spike could speak up.

“Sure, just be back by bedtime.” she called. Spike started.

“See, now you've got no plans. Wanna hang out?” Robert asked. Spike goggled at him.

“So what I'm your second choice and you think I'd rather hang out with you?” he asked.

“You'd prefer chores?” Robert asked, raising an eyebrow.

“So, you wanted to hang out where?” Spike asked.

“I know just the place.”

---

“This isn't really a good idea.” Spike said. They were walking along the edge of the Everfree.

“Why not?” Robert asked curiously.

“That's the Everfree forest. It's full of the most concentrated scary this side of Sombra.” Spike said, waving his arms.

“Who?” Robert asked. Spike stared.

“You've never heard of King Sombra?” The little dragon asked, blinking.

“Nope.” Robert replied.

“Oh, um... let me tell you the story.” Spike did, as they continued to walk. "Then Cadence snatched me out of the air and we lit the heart and let Sombra have the what for.”

“Spike, you're a hero.” Robert said.

“I am not, Twilight is. She did all the hard work.” Spike deferred.

“Voluntarily throwing yourself off a tower isn't exactly sane behavior, and doing it willingly to deliver an item of vital importance is pretty heroic I think.”

“Well...” the conversation was interrupted at this point.

“What in the name of Luna is that?” Robert asked, glaring at the thing before them.

“It's a timberwolf.” Spike said, without the slightest trace of fear in his voice. On closer inspection, Robert understood why. The creature before them was made entirely of wood. Fighting Spike was not likely to end well. "Hey you, back off!” The timberwolf hissed. Spike snorted, blasting a gust of flame in the direction of the wolf. It shied away, but didn't back off. "That's weird.”

“What?” Robert asked. He was perhaps less afraid of it than he should have been.

“It's not attacking. But it's not fleeing.” Spike stared for a moment. "Back up. The pair backed away.” The timberwolf followed them forward. "Forward.” They walked forward a few steps. The timberwolf turned, trotted a few steps, then looked back. "I think he wants us to follow.”

“I don't think that's a very good idea.” Robert suggested. “At least, not without someone knowing where we're going and why.”

“Umm, right.” Spike pulled a pad and pencil out of nowhere, and scribbled a quick note. He lit it with his fire and waited. A moment later, Twilight appeared in a purple flash. Rainbow Dash arrived a couple minutes later, with Fluttershy in tow.

“What's going on?” Twilight asked.

“We went for a walk and this guy appeared. He seemed to want us to follow him.” Spike said.

“Spike suggested we get some help so we didn't get ambushed.” Robert piped up. "So I guess he called for help?”

“More or less.” Twilight answered. "Though he said it was your idea.”

“He's just too modest.” Robert shrugged. "It's always easy to be brilliant when someone else can take the credit.” Spike glared at him.

“Well, you did the right thing Spike.” Twilight said. She looked at Robert. "I suppose you wanted to follow it?”

“I was going to suggest Spike go for help. I didn't know he could send messages directly to you. Robert shrugged.

“Why send Spike?” Twilight asked. Spike braced himself.

“Simple, I'm a lot tastier looking. I know I'd rather eat a nice juicy me, than a spiny, scaly fire breather like Spike.” Spike's jaw opened and closed. Twilight shook her head.

“Oookay, anyway. Fluttershy?” she glanced at the Pegasus. As expected, she was quietly communing with a ravening monster that would otherwise be tartarus bent on trying to kill them all.

“I think he needs help.” silence. "Oh, umm...” this way. the others followed after her, as she was lead by the timberwolf into the woods. It led them well off the normally charted paths, but none of them were bothered. Anything they couldn't handle could be escaped. The area was intermittently dense enough to require them climb over and around or under in Spike's case, thorny vines and brush that didn't bother a wooden creature like the timberwolf that would have torn great bloody chunks out of the rest of them. Even Spike had climbed up on Twilight to be flown over. Robert had to go around, because he simply couldn't fly through the forest canopy. He rejoined them on the other side, just in time to find a wall completely impassable.

“It's on the other side.” Fluttershy said. The timberwolf seemed to understand her, and nodded vigorously. Rainbow flew straight up. The wall was forty meters high, built from solid stone. Rainbow landed on top, and looked in.

“There's... you've gotta see this.” she called. Spike climbed aboard Twilight, and she flew up. Robert glanced at Fluttershy.

“I'm going to stay here with him.” she nodded to the wolf.

“I'll stay too. I have... questions.” Robert grinned. Fluttershy quailed.

---

“Okay Rainbow, you're right.” Twilight looked down. Spike had dropped on top of the wall, and was looking down. He wasn't afraid of falling. No one was faster than Rainbow Dash, and Twilight had some experience in catching him. He was also fairly certain he could survive the fall without much issue if it came to that. Twilight wouldn't be amused, but he'd be willing to accept her being angry as long as he was alive. Even so, he wasn't interested at all in a live test of the theory. There was a pack of timberwolves down on the ground. Several of them were... injured wasn't the right word. Not for a species that could reform wooden bodies at will.

Trapped was the correct description. The wall went all the way around the area where they were, and Twilight could see how they'd gotten in. The ground had swelled up around one side of it, leaving a nice convenient ramp, which they could have run up and gone in. The question however, was what had chased them in. There were few things that timberwolves feared. The Dragon that had chased Spike would be high on the list, but he was in a different part of the forest, and Fluttershy had gently explained what would happened if he threatened anything in the forest again, the line of demarcation stopping at the edge of his cave. She wouldn't leave him completely defenseless after all. Twilight wasn't about to point out that nothing short of an Ursa Major could give a full grown dragon real trouble.

Something had chased them and they hadn't looked where they were going. They were agitated though, as if it were still hanging around. Twilight looked around.

“Do you see a way to get them out of here without blowing a hole in the wall?” Twilight asked Rainbow Dash.

“No, but I'll take a look.” she stepped off the wall, and swooped around the outer edge. She disappeared for several moments behind a piece of rubble, then appeared. She made two circuits, a fast first one, and a slower second, then landed by Twilight. "Two exits. One under that earth over there.” she pointed to the ramped slope. That was useless, the earth piled up would cover the exit, and Rainbow said as much. "The other one looks like it leads further down. They don't want to go near it though.”

“Twilight? Any idea what this place is?” Spike asked.

“I think it's an old dueling arena.” Twilight said. "But it's strangely shaped, and most dueling arena's I know of didn't have those pillars. Hang on...” she threw herself off the wall and hovered close to one of the pillars. Magic flared and cleared some of the moss and vines off of a section. She dropped a couple wing beats, then flew back to the wall. "It's not a unicorn arena. It's one of the old Earth Pony trial by combat arena's. I thought they were all gone.”

“What 'chu talkin' 'bout Twilight?” Rainbow asked. Twilight stared as if she was crazy for a minute.

“Earth Ponies had courts of law before Unicorns discovered magic. Lawyers were a unicorn addition. Before that, Earth Ponies would go before a judge and he would either rule for one, or the other.” Twilight took a breath. "If he couldn't or didn't want to for reasons of his own, he'd send them to Trial by Combat. They'd be dropped into an arena, to fight it out.” she shuddered. "Barbaric.

“Epic.”

“Sounds like the dragon migration all over again.” Spike snorted. The others glanced at him. "They fought a lot, and weren't very nice.”

“Well, this was a little more civilized. They fought to the last pony standing, but it was still brutal. I'd rather not damage it to get them out.” Twilight considered it. She leaped off and made her own slow flight. Half way through she landed. She examined the wall, then leaped into the air. She flew back to Spike and Rainbow. She touched down, wings still spread. "Rainbow, get Robert and Fluttershy up here. Spike, I need you to watch my back.” Spike climbed on. Rainbow jumped off the side, and returned a moment later with Robert, and Fluttershy. The latter touched down gently, the former landed, and slipped. He caught himself in the stone work before going over. He pushed up and hovered in the air.

“I think I'm a little big too fit.” he suggested. "What's up?”

“I'm going to... cut a hole in the wall over there.” Twilight pointed with a wing tip. "I'd rather not, but there's no other way to get them out, not without digging through several tons of earth.”

“What can we do?” Fluttershy asked.

“Spike is going to sit on my back while I cut the hole, and if any of them try anything, he's going to lightly toast them.” Twilight smiled at the dragon. He nodded firmly. "Rainbow, you're going to stand on the wall above me, and watch for the same kind of thing. If Spike doesn't see it, let him know. Robert, I was going to put you up with her...” she paused. "Fluttershy, they'll need to be shown the way out. Robert, stay with her.” they all nodded. Robert hovered with Fluttershy. Twilight's horn flared. Energy slowly began to cut it's way into the wall, not through the stone, but into the mortar. Rainbow watched the timberwolves. One of the braver ones edged around the debris and sat on it's haunches, watching. Twilight stopped when she'd carved away enough of the mortar. It was old on the outsides, but in the center it was harder than the stone around it, but she'd worked with Rarity often enough to know a little bit of stone working. One didn't dig stones out of the ground without learning a little about stones, and by extension masonry. Plus Pinkie was a font of information both clever and occasionally insightful. And just as often completely useless. She'd launched into an entire diatribe on the taste of certain stones. Spike was fascinated, but Twilight had nodded off in the middle.

Still, she had enough to work with. “Opening the wall!” she called. Telekinesis, the simplest unicorn trick available, the most versatile. It was the basis for levitation, for shields. For flight, if the unicorn had enough power. Twilight had, even before her change, but had never tried. Still, it was potentially one of the most draining powers at their disposal. She gripped the wall, and pulled. It budged half an inch. And then she braced herself, focused on that little used earth pony strength to brace herself, and PULLED. The wall screamed in protest as a section was wrenched free, but after a moment, it was free. She swung it to the side, and set it down. She was exhausted, but the way was open. She spread her wings. “Hold tight.” Spike grabbed on to her flanks, not wanting to turn around. She flapped her wings, and they rose into the air. “Clear!” she called as they rose ten feet into the air.

“Alright everyone, this way.” Fluttershy encouraged the timberwolves on. Some of them started to move, one of them made noise and those stopped. The one who'd made the noise was bigger than the others. It stepped forward. Fluttershy leveled her stare at it. It growled. They held there, transfixed, battling for control for several minutes. Then it reached up and swatted her out of the sky. Tried anyway, Twilight saw the movement and wrapped Fluttershy in a shield. She bounced off the wall in the shield, shook her head, and flew out to the top of the wall. Robert leveled a glare of his own.

“That was not nice.” The timberwolf lunged forward. Robert beat his wings once, falling back before the assault. Claws kicked out and raked the muzzle of the big timberwolf. It fell back a half step. Few things dared stand up to a timberwolf. Fewer still would dare strike one. Robert landed, settled his wings. “Apologize.” The wolf roared, lunged. Robert caught the blow with a wing. It was heavy enough to roll him, but he came up, and lunged. The timberwolf started, and fell back just shy of getting hit. Robert landed, and lunged again immediately. The timberwolf fell back.

“Don't hurt him!” Fluttershy called. None of them were sure who she was talking to. Robert lashed out again, this time catching the wooden foreleg. The timberwolf counter attacked, hitting the tiger on the shoulder. He rolled, came up, blood running down his leg.

“Apologize.” The timberwolf, frustrated, turned towards Fluttershy. It made a noise. "Well?”

“He's sorry.” Fluttershy answered.

“Good. Out the hole.” the timberwolf turned to the pack, made a noise. The pack flowed to the hole, out. The big timberwolf turned to Robert. The tiger braced himself, but his opponent simply nodded, and backed away. Robert moved, not letting the other out of his sight. They walked like that to the hole. Once it was out, the timberwolf turned to the pack and trotted away, then they sprinted into the woods. Twilight dropped to the ground, looked at the wound, then grabbed the piece of wall. She jammed it into place.

“Fluttershy, he's going to need some stitches.” Twilight said.

“Right, I guess we should head home.” the yellow pegasus said.

“Sorry Spike.” Robert said. The purple dragon looked confused. "We didn't get to hang out much.”

“You kidding? That was FUN.” he grinned. "I normally don't get to go.” Twilight coughed. "No worries Twilight.” he nuzzled her neck. "I know all the reasons. It makes the ones I do get to come along on that much better.”

“Perhaps next time we can find something a little less exciting.” Robert said. "Particularly since I seem to be bleeding rather profusely.”

“Oh my.”