Chris tossed a quartet of linked crystals onto Luna's bed as he closed the door behind himself, "Got something for you to look at, Luna. Test it out and let me know what you think." The quartet of crystals were linked very carefully in a diamond pattern with a connected fabric strip which was lengthy enough for Chris to wear as a belt.

Luna groaned irritably and shifted under her blankets, "Oh be silent, you infuriating oaf. The Royal Sleep is not to be disturbed."

Chris smirked and grabbed the crystals off the bed, "I guess I'll just take this to your sister, then." He opened her door and closed it without leaving the room.

Luna groaned and pulled the covers further over her body, "A week before our wedding and he barges in..." she began snoring once more before she even finished the sentence.

Chris quietly tied the crystal quartet around his waist then began to tiptoe behind his sleeping fiancé. He reached the far side of the bed and slowly inched his left hand under the covers, inching toward Luna's back. Having been working all night on his newest project deep within the bowels of the Royal Palace, Chris's hands were more akin to ice cubes when compared to Luna's toasty warm chambers. The Lunar Princess herself would certainly be nice and warm beneath her covers. Chris inched his hand closer to Luna's unsuspecting back, he could feel the warmth radiating off her skin. His fingers touched the fine hairs of her back and he was struck with inspiration. He leaned his right hand onto the bed to keep himself upright as he reached his left hand even farther. His hand bypassed her side and he stroked along until his fingers brushed against one of two velvety soft mounds. Snickering silently, Chris engulfed Luna's entire breast in his icy palm, squeezing gently.

"GAAAAAAAAH!"

In a flash of motion far, FAR too quick for Chris to follow, he found himself flying through the air. The trajectory of his body and the force thereof, knocked Luna's balcony doors open and Chris tumbled into an uncontrolled freefall right off the end of the balcony, bouncing off the railing like a rubber ball.

In less time than he imagined it would take, he hit the ground. As opposed to the normal result when one falls twenty-nine stories and hits the ground, Chris found himself buffeted as if by a powerfully swung pillow, 'Not exactly the way I was hoping to test this thing, but hey, if it works don't knock it.'

He saw a dark colored speck moving about on the balcony and had only a few moments before Luna teleported down right next to him. He looked up at his fiancé and smiled as he laced his fingers behind his head, "Lovely morning to lay out under the sun, eh madam?"

The expression of blind panic slowly ebbed away from Luna's visage, leaving a dark scowl in its place as she looked down at him. Her eyebrows knit together, "This fall should have broken nearly all the bones in your body, even with your more powerful blood. How are you not writhing in agony?"

Chris tapped the quartet of crystals on his waist, "Finally figured out how to dampen inertia. I tested it... a lot, before I brought it to you. I didn't know it could slow a fall like that though. Man, you won't even need a parachute if you want to go skydiving now."

Luna hiccuped loudly, drawing Chris's attention away from the sky. Her face was neutral, but the shimmer in her eyes told the burly man all he needed to know. The Lunar Alicorn was holding back tears. Chris reached up and pulled her onto his chest. Luna did not fight him, but her hiccups jerked her occasionally. Chris reached up and laid her head on his chest, "Okay Luna, okay. Message received. I won't do anything like that again." He spoke softly to her as he stroked the back of her neck.

Luna shuddered against him. Many long minutes passed before she spoke, "That..." she sniffed and continued, "That was reckless, a-and foolish, and just... STUPID!" She punctuated the word with by beating her left forehoof against his thigh, "I thought I KILLED YOU!" She closed her eyes and beat her hoof against his thigh several more times. Chris knew he already had burst capillaries from the repeated impacts. "Do you have ANY," *smack*, "Idea HOW MUCH," *smack* *smack*, "It would have PAINED," *smack*, "Me to know that I HURT," *smack*, "Somebody I care about, AGAIN!?" *SMACK* Chris winced at the last hit, biting his lip. His thigh throbbed painfully, but he knew Luna was not using all her strength. She could overpower him, even with Alicorn blood flowing in his veins.

"I'm starting to get an idea." Chris grunted. The two of them lay there on the snow as Luna tried to calm herself down. Chris was almost always playful, but rarely was he negligent enough to do something genuinely dangerous. The fear that she had killed the man she loved, on a reflex, had torn viciously at her heart. Seeing him alive and well reversed the emotion with an abruptness that would give a Dragon whiplash. Luna took deep, slow breaths as she tried to calm her turbulent emotions. Finally her breathing slowed down to somewhat manageable speeds, "This is an emotional time for me, Christopher." Chris knew from experience that ever since they became engaged, when she used his full name, he had to take her seriously. If she used his full name, it was not a time for any jokes.

"I'm going to be the first Alicorn to marry outside my race. The nobles and the newspapers are having a field day already. There are protests outside the Royal Palace every day now." She hung her head, "I do not see them stopping once we both say, 'I do'." She sighed, "It will lose its novelty after a time, I know. Until then it is going to be unpleasant."

Chris reached his hand up and scratched her behind the ears, "Have you decided where you want to have our honeymoon?"

Luna nodded and sighed, "Right here," she lifted her left forehoof and gestured to the Royal Palace, "In our home." She lowered her forehoof and rested it on Chris's stomach. The two of them lay quietly for a time before Luna spoke up again, "I want to conceive on our honeymoon."

Chris choked on solid air for a moment before he coughed, "Wait, really?" He asked, voice full of concern, "Luna, are you sure? I mean, are you REALLY sure about this?" He gently lifted her head so he could see her eyes, "For all intents and purposes, we have two-thirds of eternity to get to know one another. Are you really, really sure this is what you want?"

Luna nodded, brushing her face against his neck, "I am certain. I have been barren for too long. I want a foal... I want a foal with YOU. I want a little filly or colt to raise and teach, to play with, to sing lullabies for." Luna sighed contentedly as she lay in the snow with her fiancé.

She gazed up at the sky and realized what time it was. Illuminating her horn, she lowered the moon as her sister raised the sun from her own balcony. Luna smiled and snuggled further into Chris' chest. He was warm even though they were laying on snow, "Despite how irritating you can be on occasion, I hope our foal gets your sense of humor, cleverness, and playfulness."

Chris chuckled quietly, "And I hope they inherit your sense of duty, your sweet voice, and your nobility." He gently ran his fingers through her ethereal mane, "And your hair, it's super cool." He spouted as an afterthought.

Luna giggled, "You could do the same thing if you wanted."

Chris heaved a heavy laugh, "Luna, if I did that, I would look like a 'Super Saiyan'... except with brown hair instead of blond."

Luna turned her head and looked him in the eyes, "What is a 'Super Saiyan'?"

* * *

Lord Smokey Puff or just Lord Puff to his court and subjects stared down at the strange procession in front of him. The muscled, blue Earth Pony stallion was standing in his public audience chambers while his court and guards all stood around the perimeter of the room, looking at their guests nervously. He had heard the stories of Changelings attacking Canterlot and were easily they were defeated, but the tales of their treachery and trickery were what had caught his interest. Once he heard the news, he had vowed that if any Changelings were ever discovered in Free Run, he would have them imprisoned and sent away to Canterlot. Surely the Princesses would be willing to offer a great reward or even a boon for the capture of one of the vile creatures.

Imagine his surprise when a small procession of them politely knocked on the city gates and requested an audience with him. The so-called 'Queen' in front of him had just stated that she wanted a portion of the city/state's land and that she was willing to purchase it. She claimed it would be used for farming. His thoughts had instantly gone searching for any possible real reason for the offer. Certainly the Changelings did not actually need the land for farming as the 'Queen' claimed. They had to be planning something. Did they honestly believe he would buy the claim that there were Ponies living with them? No Pony would even subjugate themselves to being walking buffets for the monsters. It had to be a ploy to get close to the city. An easy place from which to prepare an attack... no... it was so obvious! It would be a distraction! Yes. And while the Changelings were doing... whatever it was they were planning, Lord Puff and his court would be too focused on watching THAT and miss the real attack coming from another direction.

Yes, he could use that. If he sold the land to the Changelings, already aware of the attack coming from another direction, he could have the city prepared for when the attack came. The Gryphons would surely come to the aid of the city/state, all he needed to do was to have his citizens stay safe until it happened. His mind was made up. He would alert the Gryphons immediately after he sold the land. With some allies, the Changelings' plan would fall apart quickly and easily. Other hostile species would hear of the foiled attack by the clever citizens of Free Run and the city/state would be free of enemies for generations to come.

Lord Puff pinched his face into mock concentration and hummed a few times, "What sort of goods would you be offering in exchange for the land? We only have so much land on our claim after all."

Queen Cynecia did NOT like being in the position in which she found herself. It gave the pompous Earth Pony who called himself a 'Lord' the position of dominance and strength. She could tell he was planning something, it was all but written all over his smug little face. Nevertheless, Queen Cynecia did not wish for the situation to deteriorate to the point of hostility. Her subjects needed land and she was not willing to throw away any lives unnecessarily in such a pursuit.

"What is it you require, Lord Puff? I am positive an acceptable arrangement can be reached. Or, barring that, a compromise." Queen Cynecia said in a regal tone.

Lord Puff considered the offer, 'She will have to make good on the arrangement before she attacks, I'll make certain of that. What do the citizens need?' He pondered. The answer came to him quickly, 'They do not actually NEED anything. They have what they require. So, if a need cannot be filled, what would they WANT instead?' He quickly realized that he did not know, 'Am I out of touch with the citizens, my fellow Free Runners? That is unacceptable.'

Lord Puff drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Queen Cynecia, would it be any difficulty to ask for some time to confer with the citizens?"

Queen Cynecia sneered, "Delaying? For what purpose?"

"We need nothing and I would be a poor example of a ruler if I assumed what the citizens wanted when striking a deal. I shall make a inquiry to the citizens at large and ask for their input. Where could we send a messenger to deliver our answer?" Lord Puff asked.

"The limestone quarry to the East. I will have a Changeling waiting there to receive messages." She shook out her name irritably, "How soon should we expect the messenger?"

Lord Puff inclined his head, "Hopefully no more than a week, if that is acceptable?"

Queen Cynecia nodded, "It will do. I take my leave." She lit up her horn. She and her entourage disappeared in a flash of light.

As soon as she was gone, Lord Puff snorted. He turned to his guard Captain, "Send a messenger to Gryphonvale. Inform them that Changelings are planning to attack us. Give them the specifics of their claim and be sure to specify that I am absolutely certain they are planning treachery. King Myrmidon has been an acquaintance for many years. He knows I am not prone to flights of fancy."

The guard Captain nodded and turned to leave, but stopped as Lord Puff spoke again, "Send another messenger to Canterlot. The Princesses must have a way to identify disguised Changelings. The only reason for the Queen to come here in person was to distract us from some of her insects replacing citizens. We need to root them out and recover our citizens." The guard Captain nodded solemnly, "As you say, my Lord."

Lord Puff patted the Captain, his brother, on the shoulder as he left. The Earth Pony then turned to his court, "Be wary. We are entering a time of great danger. These Changelings are planning something and it cannot be good. They are a threat to our city-state. A threat we are not powerful enough to deal with on our own." He stomped hie right forehoof against the stone floor, "We may be but one small drop of water in the ocean, to the bugs, but everybody fears the power of a flood. Our allies will aid us in the coming conflict. We will owe them for their efforts, despite the Gryphons never wanting repayment for their work. We will show our appreciation... somehow." His words were far more confident than he actually felt, 'I cannot, I WILL NOT let the citizens be food slaves for the bugs. They failed in Canterlot, and they will fail here. I will do whatever it takes,' images of dead Changelings flooded his mind. The images made him feel ill, but his will was set, 'Whatever it takes.'

Author's Notes:

Having a great deal of difficulty finding the drive to write. Please let me know if you spot any typos.