The ride was long, painfully long for Spike. They woke up pre-dawn, and were already an hour’s travel in by the time first light came. They rested for only the briefest of moments, when the sun had boiled their covered skin, and their water canteens were as dry as bones in the sand. The featureless desert made Spike long for the variety of the other day, with its badlands and rising and falling seas of gold.

As the sun started to slowly wind down, heading from a late afternoon to early evening, their scouts returned with news. Hoofof was only about an hours pace away, and it was sealed tightly, with a collection of guards protecting the town’s main entrance, keeping a close eye on anyone entering or exiting.

“We set up camp here,” Al’Kair instructed, bringing his horse in front of the force, “I want the absolute minimum, no fires tonight, you want to keep warm, you better have a close friend.”

The soldiers nodded their agreement and Spike walked towards the man.

“Why not a night ambush?” he asked, cocking his head.

“Would you have me send four thousand men who have ridden in the desert sun for over twelve hours to attack a well defended wall full of alert and well rested radicals?” Al’Kair asked back, dismounting his horse. “Perhaps you should leave the strategy to me.”

“I’m just saying that attacking in the day isn’t going to be easy either,” he countered. “They’ll have more time to prepare, with us being such an obvious sight in the daytime.” Then, glancing behind him at the weary men, he shrugged. “But I guess an attack tonight wouldn’t work either, would it?”

“No. My men need rest, and so do you.” Al’Kair placed his hand on Spike’s shoulder, “as if I didn’t notice that you were up all night as it was.”

“Yeah,” he admitted. “It’s been a rough few days.” Spike ran a hand through his hair. “Can’t say I’m used to things like this.”

“That is a good thing.” Al’Kair nodded in agreement with his own words. “I pray that you never do.”

He looked down at the blade resting at his side, then up to the giant before him. “I might need a favor.”

“What is it that you require?” Al’Kair asked, handing his horse off to one of his men.

“I don’t think Hakem is going to surrender, is he?” Spike asked. “Even if I catch him with his pants down—in the metaphorical sense, not like he would be doing anything like that. I, uh, hope.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose, calming himself down and getting back on track. “He doesn’t seem the type to just give up.”

“Cowards are often most dangerous when cornered,” Al’Kair agreed, “and other than the failed metaphor, I’m assuming that you are asking for my help in the art of sword combat?”

“I don’t think I can trust being lucky enough to have a gun on-hand when I find him. Better to be safe,” Spike reasoned.

“I see,” Al’Kair said narrowing his brow before looking behind himself, “follow me.”

With that Al’Kair turned around, Spike hot on his heels. The two walked through large masses of men huddleing together, preparing for the cold night ahead of them. He wondered why Al’Kair was wondering through them, or why his eyes were focused on the ground, but soon enough he realized the giant’s intentions.

“You all, move,” he ordered, stopping in front of a large group. There was a small sound of disappointment, but in the end they headed their commander’s orders. “Here.” Al’Kair pointed to the ground and turned to Spike. “this is relatively flat sand, you wouldn’t twist your ankle so easily.”

Spike rolled his shoulders. “Makes sense.”

“Are you ready to begin?” Al’Kair asked, cracking his neck.

“No time like the present,” the boy replied.

“Very well,” Al’Kair nodded, giving his knuckles a quick crack before drawing his sword and pointing to a spot some ten feet away. “Take a position over there, be sure to have your sword drawn.”

Spike clumsily reached to his side, withdrawing the blade and grasping it firmly in his hands, his stance surprisingly decent despite his inexperience.

“I see you’ve had some formal training in swordsmanship.” Al’Kair smiled, taking a stance of his own, “I assume it was from the prince of the Northern Empire?”

“I guess he’s sort of a prince now. Shining Armor, captain of the royal guard.” He returned the smile. “And the Apple clan know a thing or two as well, believe it or not.”

“Well then, I guess this won’t be as hopeless as I previously thought.” Al’Kair chuckled, slowly shaking his head. “You may have the first move.”

Spike adjusted his grip and slowly stepped towards the man, circling clockwise in his approach. When he got within striking distance, he swept in from the side, swinging horizontally in a large arc.

Al’Kair’s torso didn’t even move, only the arm that carried his sword. It shifted, blocking Spike’s strike easily, the boy’s arms ached, it was like he swung directly into a brick wall. “Don’t telegraph your movements so much,” he instructed, looking to Spike. “A blind man would’ve seen that attack coming.”

“‘I’ve never used a blade this heavy. GIve me a break,” Spike countered. Despite his complaints, he took a step back and rethought his approach. Taking another step, he rolled the sword over and thrust it forward, aiming for the man’s heart.

Once again, Al’Kair blocked his attack with ease, only this time he made a sweeping motion with his sword, catching Spike off guard. With one hard impact, Spike’s blade flew into the air, landing a good six feet away. By the time Spike’s eyes returned from his sword to Al’Kair, he already felt the cold steel of the giant’s sword pressing against his throat.

“I’ve killed you,” he stated simply, pulling his sword away. “and you made it easier for me by twisting your weapon at the last second, the curve of the sword makes it easier to disarm when the blunt edges meet.”

“Then how should I approach you?”

“Combat with a Scimitar differs from what you’re used to, seeing that your style resembles that of the Equestrian double-edged blade.” Al’Kair explained. He showed the elongated curve on his sword. “The design is more or less for a quick slashing attack, as opposed to stabbing. You need to come in quick and insure that your opponent cannot react, otherwise you may end up without a head on your shoulders.”

“Don’t stab, focus on just nicking at people rather than heavy blows,” Spike repeated to himself, sighing. “Ok, ok.”

“Are you ready to try again?” Al’Kair asked, “and do you want me to fight back this time?”

“He’ll be fighting back,” Spike replied, “that said, I’d prefer a training sword right now. A bruise is one thing, if either of us get wounded, though…”

“Then I won’t try to kill you.” Al’Kair shrugged. “So long as you don’t try to kill me.”

“I’m just saying, accidents happen. I’m not gonna try anything,” Spike countered. “But I guess we’ll just be careful.”

He took another cautious step away and observed the man. After a beat he dashed forward, keeping the blade near the center of his body and letting the force of his wrist guide the weapon while his upper body directed its blow. Before even confirming a hit, he rolled it quickly back, nothing more than a feint.

“Much better,” Al’Kair replied, “that time a near-sighted man wouldn’t have seen it coming.”

“I’ll take that as a complement,” Spike replied with a grin. “Now, you block with the flat of the blade like with an equestrian sword, right?”

“The flat,” Al’Kair agreed, “a well placed block could even disarm your enemy, as I showcased earlier.”

“Ok. Go slow, but take some swings at me. I need to get a feel for it,” Spike said.

“As you wish.” Al’Kair raised his sword above his head, “remember, timing.”

As Al’Kair finished his sword came down, fast, but still controlled enough for Spike to react to the swing. The boy brought his blade up, wincing a little in anticipation. The sudden force against his wrist almost made him lose his grip, but he managed to hold strong as the sound of metal clashing together echoed across the camp. He looked up to see that he had blocked the attack; a wave of relief swept through him, but he knew that this session was far from over.

Al’Kair’s sword rose once more, this time it turned, sweeping from the side. Reacting a little faster and with more confidence, Spike blocked the second strike, shooting a glance at Al’Kair as he did so.

“You learn quick,” Al’Kair said, bringing his sword up once more, “shall I go faster?”

“A bit,” he agreed, ignoring the vibration at his wrist, rolling it to get rid of some of the shock. “I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

Al’Kair nodded and picked up the speed of his swings, forcing Spike to think quicker on his feet. He manage to hold his own for a few minutes on the defensive, blocking and turning to dodge attacks, but wasn’t able to press any advantages he thought he saw in the man’s attacks. After several attempts at positioning himself to better attack, it became evident that he wasn’t as ready as he thought he was, especially when he felt the edge of Al’Kair’s blade press into his stomach.

“It seems that I have killed you twice.” Al’Kair remarked, bringing his sword to a more neutral position. “Do you wish me to try for a third?”

“Third time’s the charm,” Spike said, wiping at the corner of his mouth. “If I don’t work hard now, things are going to be even worse tomorrow.”

“Indeed,” he agreed, walking back to his starting position, “we’ll start from the top, you can—”

“Spike!” a faint, familiar echo interrupted, catching the boy off guard, “Spike!”

“What?” Spike exclaimed in surprise, stumbling for a moment, before realizing what it was. “Oh. Uh…” he clasped a hand to his pendent. “Twilight. Are you alright?”

“Oh thank the heavens…” Twilight replied, letting out a relieved sigh, “You haven’t said anything in a few days, I was getting worried that… that something happened. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day.”

“I guess I didn’t hear you. I’ve been on horseback with some people all day.”

“What?” Twilight asked, “Who on earth did you run into in the middle of the desert?”

“Al’Kair and some of the allies of the king.”

“You know Spike, I can’t believe your luck sometimes.” Spike could easily imagine her shaking her head as she said that, exasperated only in a way that she could be with him, but just as a smile came to his face she continued, “that’s not the only reason I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”

“What’s going on?” Spike asked, taking a few slow steps around the sands, looking less like a man handling a powerful magical artifact, and more a teenager on a phone.

“Spike…” she began, her tone growing very somber, “I just want you to know we tried, we tried so hard…”

“On what, Twilight?” It came to him. “Wait… do you mean Luna?”

“Every single plan,” Twilight said, defeated, “nothing pleased her, nothing seemed to be better than what she’d already come up with.”

“Great,” Spike dryly muttered out. “So she’s on her way, then?”

“She left with her hand selected unit of Elite Vanguard at about midday,” Twilight answered, “They should be close to Hoofof, they should be arriving any minute.”

“We’re just outside of Hoofof ourselves. Is there any way we can get a message to her?” Spike asked, glancing at the men around him.

“Well if I had thought about it then I could’ve done the same thing to her sword as I did to your pendant,” she admitted, “but I was understandably distraught as she said her goodbyes, if you could imagine.”

“How is she coming, then? Is there another train route? The railway I was on is fuck—” he caught himself. “Messed up. It’s messed up bad.”

“Never underestimate a princess and a collection of the strongest, most capable men that Equestria has to offer, Spike.” Twilight said, “I’ve seen the guard in action. One was able to hold me off the ground in one outstretched arm for almost ten minutes before even starting to look uncomfortable.”

“Magic or manpower to fix the rails. That would still set them back, no matter how capable they are. Maybe…” he sighed. “But not enough time, I bet. They’ll be here soon.” Spike glanced over at his horse. “But maybe I could ride and try to catch them before they storm the town.”

“You want to ride out into the desert at night and try to find a group soldiers and a princess who are more than likely going to be on edge because they are on foreign, and at the moment hostile, soil?”

“Fuck, Twilight,” Spike spat out angrily, not caring about his tongue this time. “What the hell else should I do, then?”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, whether it be from Twilight reeling from Spike’s outburst or her thinking of a better plan was anyone’s guess, but the silence did make him feel at least slightly guilty for snapping at her.

“Do what you think is right,” Twilight finally said, “you’ve grown up, no need for me to hold your hand anymore I guess.”

He stared hard at the sands, his grip briefly trembling. “I don’t know what’s right here,” he admitted after a time. “I can’t be everywhere, you know? But if I don’t try to get to them, and Luna or someone gets hurt…” He wiped at his brow. “When did they leave? Would I even have time to meet them on the railroad?”

“If the railroad had been in an optimal condition, they would’ve already set up a base of sorts before you and Al’Kair even saw Hoofof,” Twilight explained, “You’ve seen first-hand what magic-powered trains can do. They left around eleven-thirty this morning; they must be ill-prepared for repairing the train tracks, but in reality, with all the muscle and magic they’ve got, they’ve been setback a few hours at most…” Twilight paused, doing the math in her head, “they should be in your general location within the hour, give or take.”

“So there’s still a chance I could catch them?” he questioned, perking up.

“If you hurry, yes,” Twilight answered, much to Spike’s elation, “in fact it would probably be a good idea to do so, wouldn’t want allies killing each other, right?”

“I’m going now,” he quickly answered, tossing his hand off the amulet and sprinting to his horse. He climbed onto it and gave its reins a small tug, turning it southward, towards the railways.

The night was dark and black, the moon new, so he rode nearly blind, only the stars guiding his trek across the seemingly endless sands. He listened patiently, trying to, praying to hear the sound of a train making its way across the still night, or a light to guide his path. He heard nothing except for the wind sweeping across the seemingly endless desert and saw nothing except for the few random sands being kicked up from the winds.

Still he pressed on, the minutes flying by as he pushed his mount to the limit, leaning up directly onto the beast to cut the wind’s resistance against him. He knew he only had one shot to make the train, and so he rode, willing a sign to existence.

The sign came in the form of a small, brightly shining light in the distance. To most it would’ve meant nothing, but to Spike it meant the world. Slamming his heels into Hidalgo he urged the horse to go faster, and the beast replied in kind. Hidalgo galloped across the desert sands, nearly knocking Spike off of him as he sped towards the light. It seemed like mere seconds, but soon enough he made out the shape of the train that had brought him to Canterlot a few days earlier, stationary, unmoving.

He slowed his horse to a steady trot.

Cupping his hands to his mouth, Spike called attention to himself. “Luna! Princess Luna!” he bellowed. “It’s Spike!”

The doors of the train shot open. His eyes strained to see if anything stepped out in the light, but his question was soon answered when the silhouette of a massive, imposing man stepped out of the doorway, his size absorbing the light behind him like a vacuum. In his hands was a massive mace, and judging by how it was held, he seemed seconds away from using it.

“Where’s Luna? This is important,” Spike called out again.

The figure froze, nearly dropping his weapon in the sand. The figure put the mace behind his back and approached Spike with a much more relaxed posture.

“Spike?” the vaguely familiar voice of a man called out, “No shit, is that you?”

He took a moment, trying to recall the voice. Finally, it came to him and he took a few more cautious steps forward on his horse. “Aedan?”

“Well get me an eyepatch and call me a pirate,” Aedan replied, the light angling enough to finally reveal him. “The hell are you doing out here? Princess Twilight said you went back to Ponyville after the first day of our little back and forth.”

“It’s a long story. To really sum it up, though: I’m here to help.” He dismounted from his horse, moving to the man. Behind them, the train door shut with a clang.

“You’re here to help some of best trained men in Equestrian history, as well as a Princess who has studied the art of war for centuries?” Aedan cocked his brow. “I’ve gotta hear this.”

“Fighting en masse tomorrow is suicide. You know that, right?” Spike questioned, looking evenly at the man. “I bet you’re expecting heavy casualties.”

“Considering the main force is still a few days behind, having just Luna’s troops charging a city would be suicide,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. “But we’ve been briefed, four out of every five of us won’t see the end of it.” Aedan paused, pointing back to the train that illuminated them. “But we’re still alive now. That counts for something, right?”

“I’m here to make sure that doesn’t have to happen,” Spike said, crossing his arms. “I have an idea.”

“Really?” Aedan said, returning his weapon to his back, “Mind sharing that thought with the big boss and not the pawn?”

“If you lead the way to her, sure,” he agreed.

Aedan nodded and turned back into the light, prompting Spike to follow him back to where he had stepped out. Aedan approached the door and gave it a few slaps to its side. It slid open, revealing several large men armed with axes and polearms, all raised in preparation to strike. Spike looked frantically at the group, Aedan shrugged.

“Guys, come on, you’ll poke someone’s eye out with those things.” He reached forward with a finger, pushing a blunderbuss out of their faces. “Besides, look what I found in the sand.” He stood to his side, revealing Spike to the rest of the group that guarded the door. “Kid says he’s here to help, and that he’s got an idea.”

“More or less,” he mumbled out, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head as he noticed all the eyes on him. “But I want to talk to Luna about it first.”

“More or less?” Aedan asked blankly, “you sounded pretty confident in our little chat out there.”

“‘In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable,’” Spike quoted. On seeing the man still staring blankly, the boy shrugged. “It’s better to get a decent idea, than a rock-solid plan.”

Truth was, he had more of a concept or an idea than a plan, but still. Right now it was about speaking with Luna about it.

“Yeah, right…” Aedan said cocking his brow once more, “just how much of this plan do you have thought out?”

“Enough to know it could save lives. I’ll just need to pitch a few things to Luna, see if I can work something out.”

“Well, no point in wasting anymore time,” Aedan stated as the wall of men, armor and weapons separated like parting waves for the two.

Spike followed behind the man and they walked through the cart, then one more, before finally coming to a heavier door that Spike guessed was the royal carriage. Aedan knocked on it.

“Here’s hoping she’ll be in a good enough mood for a chat,” Aedan said, looking to Spike as the sound of the shifting tumblers in the door echoed. “She’s kind of been in a bad mood, she felt that her sister and Twilight were stalling her too much.”

Spike was about to mention that they were, but decided to keep that one to himself. From within, they both hear the indistinguishable voice of the princess.

“I beseech thee. Enter,” she called out.

Aedan grabbed hold of the handle and pulled the thick metal door open with one hand then dryly bowed, using his free hand to urge the boy inside. “After you, big man.”

Spike stepped into a fairly lavish cart, with heavy leather chairs and tables bolted to the floor. Luna sat at one, a pair of glasses adorning her tepid face as she read over a large pile of notes by candlelight.

Aedan cleared his throat to draw her attention. “We’ve found a very unexpected guest.”

“Mmm?” she questioned, looking up. She froze, looking at the man, then boy beside him. “Spike?” she asked unsurely.

“Last I checked,” he weakly joked.

“How?” she simply asked. He gave a small shrug of his shoulders.

“Train. And a lot of walking,” Spike replied.

“And somehow a horse too,” Aedan pointed out.

“I met up with a collection of men loyal to the king. They’re not too far from here and are planning an assault on Hoofof tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” both Aedan and Luna asked at once.

“Yeah. Tomorrow,” he confirmed. “They’re attacking the town in the morning.”

“How fortuitous!” Luna exclaimed. “Mayhaps we can join forces with them and bolster their offenses.”

“Woah there, Luna,” Aedan suddenly said, raising his hands in a slightly defensive manner, “first off, there’s one hundred one of us—counting you and me—and an estimated eight thousand radicals. We’re damn good at what we do, but we’d still be extremely outnumbered. Second, the main force Celestia ordered our way is still a few days out. Don’t you think we’d be better off with an additional ten thousand on our side?”

“And what shall we do in the meantime?” Luna countered, irritation in her voice. “Wait, as my sister pleaded with us to do?”

“Well…” Aedan trailed off, then looked towards Spike, “Kid here said he had a plan.”

“Yeah.” Spike licked at his lips. “I got something.” He looked between the two. “Is there a map or schematics of Hoofof?”

“A warrior does not enter battle blind, Spike. We have schematics of such, alongside that of the palace,” Luna lectured.

“What are you planning to do, kid?” Aedan asked, folding his arms across his chest, “Please tell me it’s not some half-assed plan that involves sneaking into the city and getting one innocent life out while hundreds of soldiers take its place.”

“It’s a full-assed plan that involves sneaking into the city,” Spike answered dryly.

“Spike. I have no time for games. Please explain thineself,” Luna countered, rubbing a temple.

“He’s right about a few things. I want in there and I think I can get in there with a distraction. And he’s right about…” Spike drummed his fingers against his side. “Getting someone out. But that’s not all there is to it.”

“Speak thine piece then. I shall judge if it has validity.”

“Alright…” he rubbed at his mouth. “You’re probably not going to like it, but at least hear me out before you judge it as a crappy idea.”

“Believe me, child. I don’t rebuke a notion until fully expressed. Otherwise I would have struck Aedan dead many a time for some of his quips.”

“Ok.” He exhaled. “I need inside the town and a map of the palace. Still alright with it so far?”

“A map is a certainty, but how do you propose entering the town?” Luna questioned.

“The king’s men and your own run a distraction, bring some of the men out. Someone casts a spell, invisibility, a chameleon spell, something. When they open the doors, I’ll sneak in, blend in, and make it to the palace walls.”

“That, actually, isn’t half bad.” Aedan said, giving Luna a quick glance.

“And why should we not simply have one of our own take your place?” the princess casually asked, raising a brow.

“Well, let’s be honest here: who seems less suspicious to see on the streets? A boy or a man? Especially since the men there would probably have been forced into military. I don’t like looking like a kid, but I think right now it’ll help me more than anything.”

“You’ll need a better argument than that, Spike,” Aedan countered, folding his arms across his chest, “You said yourself that you’re still a kid, and I’m sure Luna would agree with me about sending you into a hostile city alone.”

“Looks like a kid,” Spike corrected for the man. “Not actually one. And everyone’s going to be taking risks here. You guys especially.”

“We’re highly trained servicemen, you’re a guy who wants to walk into a city full of people who’d kill you on sight because you don’t look like them.”

“And they wouldn’t you?” Spike countered. “Besides, I can always have makeup put on me.”

“Is that seriously the best you can think of?” Aedan asked, letting out a mocking laugh, “Oh man, listen to this kid! As if they wouldn’t notice things like, oh I don’t know, your eyes. No wait don’t tell me, sunglasses, at night… full proof.”

“Aedan, cease thine prattle. Spike mayhaps be within grasp of a better plan than first accredited,” Luna rebuked, silencing the man. She rose, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, the gears in her head turning as she slowly stepped around the room. “An older generation’s approach to espionage. Makeups, forgery, dialects. Even as the world grows and moves on, there still lies many uses to such things. Even if some cannot appreciate them.”

“You’re seriously considering letting him do this alone?” Aedan asked, surprised that he seemed to be in the minority. “What would Twilight say if she found out he died while we knew he was here? If anything we could just as easily have a few of those guardsmen Spike was talking about ‘capture’ a few of us and parade us into the city.”

“You know what draws attention? Parades. ‘Tis a much better approach to not have any attention drawn at all to thee in regards to a situation such as this.” Luna shook her head. “There is indeed a strength within numbers, but announcing that we’re anywhere but at the battlefield simply makes an attempt on the head of the snake harder.” She once more took to rubbing her chin, her pacing increasing in fervor. “Increased guards, provided you simply aren’t executed on the spot, not to mention every man accompanying Spike is one less man warring.” Luna raised her finger up in thought, almost at an idea. “Aedan, are thou familiar with many of the customs within this land?”

“I read up on a bit of them, yeah.” He nodded after a beat.

Luna stopped her pacing, her smirk triumphant. “Then thou should know exactly how Spike will make his way through this valley of shadow.”

Aedan looked to her confused for a few moments before the the wheels in his head began to turn. “Oh you cannot be serious…”

“Deathly so. He has the frame for it, and what of your earlier complaints about his body not matching their own? Such a thing would void that, would it not?”

“I can’t believe this…” Aedan shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, “first off, you’re willing to let him do this alone, second you want to dress him up like a woman…” he paused, looking to Luna with a disbelieving smirk, “you just love making me wrong, don’t you?”

“That’s part of it, perhaps.The other part is simple: I believe in the bloodkin of Twilight, nay, of the whole Sparkle clan. No matter how great a task hath been given to them, they have never disappointed. Now will not break this.”

Aedan looked to Spike, then to Luna, then back to Spike again. “I’m going on the record between the two of you that I didn’t approve of this,”

The man once more turned back to Luna, “but if he does die, just be sure to tell Twilight that this was my plan. There’s already enough women that hate me, for various reasons of course, so what’s one more?”

“I will do no such thing. Truth is the only option for the knight-errant, so it shall fall to my responsibility to inform her.” She raised a brow at Spike, who had remained silent for most of the engagement. “At least, ‘twould be if she did not know already.”

“What?” Spike repeated, blinking.

“No need to act coy, child. The night before your departure, I was awake, guarding the night against those who would harm this land. I didn’t not see the spell Twilight channeled into you, or rather, a piece of what you wear now, but I did sense the arcane arts being performed. I presume a tracking spell, mayhaps?” She cocked her head, looking down at Spike. “I can feel an aura from something belonging to you even now.”

“Fucking magic…” Aedan grunted, folding his arms over his chest once more.

“Nay, Aedan, ‘tis practical magic,” Luna replied, misunderstanding his response. “A tracing spell hath no purpose within the bedsheets.”

“Well that depends on the day of the week, sweetheart.” Aedan replied with a smirk, “and whether or not you want to experiment with something you saw in your sister’s magazines.”

“If thou are trying to embarrass me in front of our guest, during a time like this, I’ll simply mention the time you tried something you saw in mine sister’s magazines. Shall I clarify the matter to him?” Luna asked, doing her best to maintain her neutral expression towards him, but her eyes sparkled in a dangerous sort of mirth.

“First off,” Aedan said raising a finger, “that was nothing compared to what you wanted to do three weeks ago.” He paused, looking to Spike as his neutral expression started to falter. “Second; let’s not get that detailed into our sexlife in front of people whom I’ve only known for a grand total of three hours tops.”

“Gods, please,” Spike agreed with a brisk nod.

“The man doth not do pink well,” Luna commented, this time her smirk breaking through for a brief, miniscule moment, before she cleared her throat. “But I digress. Tonight, we make your disguise and discuss how, exactly, we’ll get you in position. And tomorrow, well, we hope like fools.”