> The Fury of the Reindeer
>  by HopeFox
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Call to Adventure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was another beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, and birds were singing in the trees.

All of this was lost on Twilight Sparkle, who was buried in a pile of books in her new library.

Not literally, although that wasn't out of the question, considering the huge shipment of textbooks on mathematics, history and economics she had just received from Manehattan. Her friends had taken time out of their own busy schedules to help her sort through the piles and piles of tomes, and perhaps liberate a few for their own collections.

“Hey, my Aunt Orange is in this book!” said Applejack proudly, holding up a volume entitled An Economic History of Manehattan. “And some of her ancestors, too. Looks like that branch of the apple tree had its hooves in a whole lotta pies.”

“Or orange tarts!” giggled Pinkie Pie, her muzzle buried in a biography of the great clown Ponyacci.

Twilight was lying on her back underneath a bookshelf, using her magic to make a minor repair to one of its joints, with just her rump and hind legs visible to the others. “Thanks so much for helping me sort through these books, girls,” she said, her voice muffled by the shelving. “I've got a lot of work to do to make up for what I lost in the old library.”

Rainbow Dash laughed as she sorted through a collection of military histories. “Yeah, well, that won't happen again! These walls are rock solid. No monster is gonna blow this place up.” She grinned and looked up at the ceiling. “And, uh, no pegasus is gonna come crashing through the roof either. I'd just bounce straight off.”

“I think this is a lovely way to spend the day together, girls,” said Fluttershy softly. “It's so peaceful. No interruptions.”

Just then, the stars on Twilight's flank started flashing and swirling. She jerked suddenly in surprise from the buzzing sensation on her skin, and slammed her head straight into the underside of the bookshelf. “Ow. Horn. Stuck.”

Trying not to laugh, Applejack and Rainbow Dash levered the bookshelf off the floor while Rarity used her magic to extract Twilight from her predicament. “Thanks, girls,” she said, rubbing her head and smiling ruefully. “So it looks like the map is sending us somewhere, huh?”

“Actually, I think it's just you this time, darling,” said Rarity, looking around at the other ponies, none of whose cutie marks were moving.

“Oh.” Twilight frowned in disappointment. “Well, I'm sure the map has its reasons. Let's go check it out.”

The six friends hurried to the throne room and sat in their respective seats, ready to activate the map's magic. An image of Twilight's cutie mark rose from her flank and circled around the map, then moved north and west, past Vanhoover and over the western sea, to settle on a small group of islands near the coast.

Twilight leaned over the map and peered at her destination. “Hmm. That looks like...”

“Deerheim!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “This is gonna be so awesome!”

“Deerheim?” asked Applejack. “Can't say as I've heard of it. What's it like?”

Rainbow Dash leapt into the air and began soaring around the throne room. “It's the land of the reindeer, who are only the bravest, toughest, most awesome race of warriors ever to set hooves on this planet! Well, second bravest, anyway,” she amended, alighting next to Fluttershy and putting a front leg around her shoulders. “After us pegasi, of course.” Fluttershy squeaked and hid her face behind her mane.

“The reindeer are legendary!” Rainbow continued, flying around and gesticulating wildly with her hooves. “They fight dragons and giant serpents and all kinds of monsters in the frigid northlands. And in the warm months, they set sail in their longships and make terrifying raids on neighbouring realms, like Equestria! They come ashore, scattering ponies in terror, and plunder cities for gold and goods, leaving only death and destruction in their wake!”

“And they capture ponies and take them back to Deerheim as prisoners,” added Rarity. “They press strong, rugged stallions into service as farmers and labourers, and keep beautiful young mares as their concubines!” She pressed a hoof to her forehead and swooned against the back of her throne. “So romantic!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Girls, you've just described looting, murder, kidnapping, slavery and rape. How is any of that 'awesome' or 'romantic'?”

Rainbow pouted and slumped back onto her throne. “Geez, whatever, Princess Buzzkill.”

“You really must expand your literary horizons, dear,” Rarity chided Twilight. “I've got some saddle rippers that I think you'll find very enlightening.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “So does anypony know anything real about reindeer, anything that ain't from a two-bit novel?”

Twilight peered at the map, tapping her hoof against her chin. “They do live in Deerheim, that's a fact. They've got a history that stretches back as far as Equestria's, although most of it is oral. I do have a translation of the Cervid Eddas around here somewhere, though, it's in...” She sighed and her shoulders sank. “The old library. Darn it.”

“They sound very violent,” said Fluttershy. “Why would the map send Twilight there by herself?”

“That's a good question... but I think I know the answer,” said Twilight. “Deerheim is a completely separate realm from Equestria, it's not an autonomous vassal like Saddle Arabia or the Crystal Empire. Maybe it's my job to go there as an ambassador. I should let Princess Celestia know about this. Spike!” she called.

“What is it?” grumbled Spike, wandering in from the direction of his bedroom, towing a tiny wagon full of comic books. “You’re not the only one with a library to organise, you know.”

“Never mind that right now, Spike. I need you to write a letter to Princess Celestia.”

Spike’s pile of comic books disappeared in a flash, and he produced his quill and scroll eagerly. “Sure thing, Twilight! Your number one assistant is always ready to help.”

Twilight smiled and patted Spike on the head. “I know you are. Now… Dear Princess Celestia. As you know, the magical map in my new castle has been sending my friends and me on many adventures, in which we have spread the magic of friendship all over Equestria and to other lands. Today the map has suggested that I travel to Deerheim, alone.”

Spike transcribed Twilight’s words dutifully, then looked up at Twilight in surprise and concern. “Deerheim? Alone? Isn’t that going to be really dangerous?”

Twilight nodded solemnly. “It may be, Spike. And before you ask, I'm not taking you with me. Not when I already know how dangerous it might be. I don't think this will be like Canterlot High." Spike pouted but nodded reluctantly, and Twilight resumed her dictation. "I understand that Deerheim is a foreign realm that is at odds with Equestria in some ways, and therefore wish to consult with you before I go, especially as my actions now reflect on Equestria more than ever. Your faithful...  ugh, it's so hard to get used to this part, friend and vassal, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Got all that, Spike?"

Spike finished off the letter and sent it on its way with a burst of his fiery breath. "Done and done! So, uh, when do you leave?"

Twilight shrugged. "I don't want to go until I've heard from Celestia, so it might be a while yet. I guess I can start packing, though." She smiled at Rarity. "I'm so glad you made me that new winter wardrobe, Rarity. I'm going to need it up north."

"I'm just glad you let me design some outfits fit for a princess, darling," replied Rarity. "We can't have you representing Equestria in that shabby old fleece saddle you used to wear. I'll pick out a wardrobe for your trip - and don't worry, I'll include some practical garb in case you need to, ah, climb a glacier or something."

Rarity trotted off to Twilight's dressing room, while the others gathered around and discussed the upcoming trip. Barely a minute later, a loud explosion echoed from the dressing room, and Rarity stalked back into the throne room, her mane in utter disarray and strewn with streamers.

"Oh, yeah, I left one my party cannons in Twilight's winter stuff," said Pinkie Pie brightly. "I remember now!"

Rarity snarled and pounced on Pinkie Pie, although they were both grinning as they tussled. Rainbow Dash was alternating between being excited about Twilight's trip and whining that she didn't get to go along, when a loud burp and a burst of flame heralded Celestia's reply to Twilight's letter.

"That was quick," said Spike, snatching the letter out of the air. "I wonder what she... Twilight! Princess Celestia wants you in Canterlot at once!"




Twilight was ushered into Celestia's private study as soon as she arrived at the palace. Celestia was poring over a stack of tomes and a pile of letters, and a map of north-western Equestria was pinned to the wall, with several red markers dotted along the coast.

When the door opened to admit Twilight, Celestia looked up and smiled wearily. "Twilight Sparkle, my faithful friend. I am glad you're here. Equestria has need of your talents once again."

"Is this about Deerheim, your majesty?" asked Twilight.

Celestia nodded. "Let me explain, from the beginning.

"When I was young - when Equestria was young - the reindeer kept to themselves in their frozen islands. A few brave explorers made the journey from Deerheim to the mainland, and we greeted them as honoured guests, and recorded the tales they told of their homeland. It is an inhospitable place, as cold as the land around the Crystal Empire, with very little land for grazing or farming, and it is plagued with monsters worse than Equestria is. The reindeer I met in my youth were brave, hardy folk, well versed in survival and battle. I remember one great hero in particular, who called himself Dragon-Slayer. He lived up to his name on the occasions when diplomacy failed." She frowned as she reminisced on her old friends. "He met an unfortunate end when he took a ring from a dragon's hoard, which inspired unreasoning greed in all who saw it. But that is a story for another day.

"Over the centuries, the reindeer civilization grew. They discovered magic and developed technology that helped them to tame their frigid homeland. They spread all across their islands, and though their lands were harsh, they flourished. They built wonderful ships - small, sturdy craft that could brave the storms and carry the reindeer between their islands at great speed.

"It was these longships that were the birth of our current troubles. The reindeer discovered that they could sail to anywhere they wanted, and nobody could stop them. At first they used their ships to travel the world as traders, carrying goods from Saddle Arabia to Maretonia and from Griffonstone to Monacolt, and returning home with riches and items to help them eke out their fragile lives in Deerheim."

Twilight pursed her lips, guessing where the story was going. "And then one day, they discovered that they didn't need to trade for things they could just take?"

Celestia nodded grimly. "Just so. Not that they stopped trading, mind. But as I said, they are a brave, strong people. The skills and temperament that let them survive in Deerheim had also made them fierce and ruthless warriors, and with their longships, they were unstoppable. Our peaceful communities of farmers and artisans were helpless before their might, and they would strike and disappear before the Royal Guard or even the Wonderbolts could intercept them."

"What about our own navy?" asked Twilight. "Couldn't we fight them on the water?"

"We tried, and we had some victories," said Celestia. "In open naval battle, one of our warships was more than a match for a reindeer raiding party. But their longships are fast and agile, and they possess magic that lets them wield storms as skilfully as any pegasus. We were strong, but our strength only mattered when we could catch them. To protect ourselves from their raids, we would need to station dozens of soldiers in every farm, mine and village along the coast, and we simply don't have the horsepower to do that. We are a peaceable kingdom, and have given up the warlike ways of the pre-classical era, for which I am grateful, but... well, we do our best, and things certainly would be worse without our best efforts at protection. But the awful truth is that the reindeer have plagued our coasts for centuries, and there is very little we can do to stop them."

Twilight nodded solemnly. She stared at the map, and then at the carpet beneath her hooves. "So... how bad are these raids? I know they take our gold and supplies, but... do ponies die?"

"Sometimes. Mostly my subjects know not to value their property over their lives, and the reindeer do not go out of their way to kill them when they can take what they want. But our northern coasts are our furthest frontiers, and many frontier ponies will fight to the death to protect what little they have. The reindeer do not shirk from violence when presented with it. Casualties are not high, but they do occur.”

“I understand. And is it true that they take ponies as slaves, to work on their farms?”

Celestia nodded again. “Not often, but yes. With the state of arable land in Deerheim, it should come as no surprise that earth ponies and pegasi are in great demand there. A reindeer who captures pony slaves can look forward to greater wealth and influence from the lands they control. Or they can sell them back to Equestria for ransom. Of course we always pay a generous ransom to repatriate slaves, and of course that only makes the reindeer more willing to take them.”

“And… Rarity said… they capture mares to become their... concubines?”

"Not often."

Twilight waited, but that seemed to be all Celestia would say on that subject.

"Now you see why a solution to this problem is long overdue," Celestia continued after a few moments. "All of the envoys I have sent to Deerheim have been rebuffed if not attacked outright. I have travelled there myself several times, usually in the course of buying back captive ponies, but they have proven no more willing to listen to me. But perhaps you can make a difference." She sighed the deep sigh of a pony who had seen too many centuries of suffering and violence. "I dearly hope that you can, for our sake and for theirs."

Something about Celestia's tone worried Twilight. "Why now? What will happen if I fail?"

"War. I have been preparing a plan for the Royal Guard to attack Deerheim in force, to subjugate the entire island chain and impose Equestrian governance on the reindeer."

Twilight's jaw dropped. "That's awful!"

"Indeed it is, Twilight. Hundreds of ponies and reindeer would die, and the reindeer way of life would be stamped out forever. There are good reindeer in Deerheim - I have met them and made sound friends among them. Even the worst of them are not monsters in the vein of King Sombra or Lord Tirek. For centuries I have hoped for a way to get through to them, but every year I delay, more ponies have their homes, freedom or lives taken away by them, and I cannot allow it to continue.

"You are our last, best hope for peace - you, Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. I hesitated to send you to such a dangerous place, but if the Cutie Map endorses your journey, I believe we must trust its judgement. You will have the full resources of the kingdom at your disposal on your mission, and authority to make whatever bargains and offers you see fit. I will await your report before I make any move against Deerheim, and I will wait as long as I must."

Twilight bowed her head to Celestia, then, seeing how suddenly old and despondent she appeared, threw her front legs around her neck. "I'll make this right, princess," she promised the elder alicorn as she hugged her tightly, and she felt hot tears dripping onto her coat. "This won't end in bloodshed. I'll find a way."




Twilight watched the train pull away from the lonely platform on its journey back south into civilized lands. She shivered in trepidation as much as from the cold as she hitched herself to her small wagon, which was laden with food, warm clothing and books for herself, and gold, gems and spices to offer to the reindeer as gifts or trade.

She was dressed in her sturdy winter outfit - a new saddle made of tough leather and lined with thick wool, a fluffy woolen scarf, and well-crafted boots that kept out water and snow. At Princess Celestia's insistence - and Rarity's, of course - her crown sat high on her brow. This was not a mission where modesty would do her any favours. She was representing Equestria, and everyone she met needed to know it.

The train line terminated outside a small mining village on the north-western edge of the continent. The village was built on a line of cliffs overlooking the ocean, which the residents mined for coal and gems. Twilight stopped in the village to make a last-minute top-up of her supplies, then took to the air, her wagon floating behind her as she flew west.

Her map indicated that it was a two hour flight from the coast to the island and village of Shetland, from which she hoped to charter a boat to Deerheim. The deer homeland itself was too distant for her to fly there without rest, and she didn't want to trust her life to luck in finding safe islands or clouds along the way.

A few tiny islands passed beneath her as she flew, and she took a moment to observe the land's stark beauty. Some of them were covered in snow, and the rest were rocky and inhospitable, but here and there, she could see frontier ponies tending crops and herding sheep. She couldn't help but feel admiration for anypony brave enough to eke out a living so far from the company and comforts of civilization.

The air was cold, and her wings felt numb by the time she reached Shetland. She took in the lay of the village as she approached. The shore of the island was rocky and inhospitable, and only a single cove allowed boats to arrive and depart. The village itself was clustered around this cove, and the rest of the island - the parts that were not bare rock - was taken up by grazing sheep and tiny farms. From her vantage point in the sky, Twilight could see several tiny fishing boats dotting the water around the island. A tall tower stood much higher than the little houses that made up the village, overlooking the cove and the sea.

Twilight glided into the main square of the village and touched down, the wheels of her wagon bouncing awkwardly as she skidded to a halt. To her surprise, a white pegasus in Royal Guard armour was standing by the village hall. "Good afternoon, your highness!" he greeted her, saluting smartly.

"Er, hello!" she said, giving him a polite bow. "I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, but I guess you knew that already. What's your name?"

The pegasus stood at ease, though still alert. "Golden Flight, highness. Welcome to Shetland. May I ask what brings you here?"

Twilight nodded. "It's royal business... I need to get to Deerheim."

Golden Flight drew in a sharp breath. "We're no friends of the reindeer here, your highness. I doubt you'll find anypony who's willing to sail anywhere near Deerheim."

"I know about the raids. I want to bring an end to them, without bloodshed." She took in the guard's reaction, then looked up at the conspicuous watchtower. "Has there been reindeer trouble here?"

Golden Flight nodded solemnly. "Come with me, if you will, princess. There's somepony you should meet." He took to the air and flew above the layer of clouds around the island, waiting for Twilight to follow him. He circled around for a few moments, then approached a large cloud bank, where a white pegasus stallion with blue hair was working, pushing clouds out to the surrounding farms.

They alighted on the cloud bank, and the new pegasus flapped over to greet them. He looked middle-aged, with a world-weary countenance, and he favoured his back right leg as he walked across the clouds. "Good afternoon, stranger" he said briskly, holding out a hoof to her. "Name's Rain-Shepherd. I'm the mayor of this island. What can I do for you?"

Twilight shook the mayor's hoof and gave him a warm smile. "Twilight Sparkle. I'm here on... well... royal business, and Golden Flight said you could tell me about the reindeer situation here in Shetland."

Rain-Shepherd turned his head and spat off the edge of the clouds. "Reindeer. Damned monsters, they are. What do you want with them?"

Twilight did her best to maintain her composure, but she could tell this was a touchy subject for the Shetland ponies. "I, ah... Princess Celestia has tasked me with bringing an end to the raids, so I need to get to Deerheim and talk to their ruler. Do you know how to get there?"

Golden Flight grimaced, and Rain-Shepherd growled under his breath. "Oh, I know how to get to Deerheim. They gave me a first-class voyage there, and I enjoyed their hospitality for months."

Twilight swallowed hard. "They kidnapped you?"

The mayor sighed and folded his legs underneath him, making himself comfortable on the clouds and gesturing for Twilight and Golden Flight to do the same. "Might as well tell you the whole story. We've always had trouble with reindeer here in Shetland, but until last year they only came in parties of three or four, and didn't do any more damage than just looting the farms and the fishing boats. But that was before Blood Eagle got it into his head to make a proper attack on the island."

"Blood Eagle?" asked Twilight, not liking the sound of that name.

"The worst of a bad lot. The meanest, most bloodthirsty savage that ever came out of Deerheim. He came ashore one day last year with twelve other bucks, aiming to take everything in Shetland that wasn't nailed down. We did our best to fight him, but with only one trained soldier in the village, no matter how determined the rest of us were, we didn't stand a chance.

"I led the defence against Blood Eagle, and that's why he took me captive, to teach Shetland a lesson about fighting back. They put me on their longship like so much cargo, along with everything else they stole, and sailed back to Deerheim with me. I was a captive in Blood Eagle's castle for three days before he sold me to a farmer in the northern islands.

"Three months I worked on that farm, pushing clouds and pulling a plough. The doe who bought me wasn't so bad - she never beat me or starved me, and hard work is hard work wherever you are, but she wouldn't let me go. The only thing that kept me hanging on for all that time was knowing that my wife, Thunder-Haze, was waiting for me back in Shetland, and that if I endured everything, one day I'd be back with her.

"After three months, Princess Celestia herself showed up, with a bag of gold for my mistress and a royal carriage to bring me home. I thought I was going to be with Thunder-Haze again." He punched a hole in the cloud with a sharp strike of a hoof. "But Blood Eagle took that away too. Seems she tried to rescue me after Blood Eagle set sail for Deerheim. They killed her and threw her body into the ocean, and didn't even tell me they'd done it." He punched the cloud again, growling. "No wonder - if I'd known, I'd have broken that damned reindeer's neck or died trying."

Twilight sat in silence, listening to the horrid tale. Hearing a pony talking about wanting to kill another person was distressing, but if anypony had the right...

"So that's my story. And you'll not find anypony on Shetland willing to sail anywhere near Deerheim. We all remember that day, and we're not keen to invite a repeat of it."

Twilight nodded slowly, still stunned by what she had heard. "I understand. I wouldn't ask you to do anything to incur the reindeer's wrath. But I... I think I might be able to change things if I could talk to them myself. I'm... pretty good at that sort of thing."

The mayor sighed. "I'll ask the villagers if anypony is willing to take you there, but don't hold your breath. It's a long, dangerous journey, and -"

He was cut off by the pealing of a loud bell from the tower by the cove. The two pegasi jumped up and dived towards the ground. "That's the alarm!" shouted Golden Flight. "Get to the town hall, your highness! You'll be safe there!"

Twilight flew after them, mentally preparing herself for battle. "I'll help you defend the village! What are we up against?"

They landed near the cove, and the mayor began herding ponies towards the town hall. A few were panicking, but most were taking their places in an orderly fashion, bringing their foals and supplies into the hall.

Golden Flight took up a defensive posture on the path leading from the cove to the village, and pointed out to sea. Twilight looked where he indicated, and could barely make out the shape of a ship, with a long deck and a high prow. "Is that...?"

"A reindeer longship, yes. We might be lucky - they might pass us by, or there might only be a few of them... but we need to be prepared for the worst."

"I'll help you fight them, if it comes to a fight," she said grimly. Behind her, a small herd of sturdy farmers had taken up spears and pitchforks, and were forming a defensive line.

Mayor Rain-Shepherd came forward to stand next to Twilight and Golden Flight, carrying a spear of his own. "This might be enough to scare them off," he said, waving a hoof at the ponies behind him. "We aren't as weak as we were once."

The three ponies waited in silence as the longship approached the cove. As it drew closer, Twilight could see that the prow of the longship was carved to resemble the head and neck of a griffon. She heard the mayor give a sharp intake of breath. "No... it can't be..." he muttered.

The ship pulled up at the dock, and a hulking form stepped out, the first reindeer Twilight had ever seen. He was easily as tall as Big Macintosh, with a thick, shaggy brown coat. His body was draped in chain armour that clinked menacingly as he walked, and a pair of throwing axes hung from on his flanks from a harness. A much longer axe was slung over his shoulders as he walked menacingly down the pier.

But what struck Twilight more than anything else were the reindeer's antlers. They spread out from his temples in two large branches, each one forking out into six points. They looked blunt, but sturdy enough that she didn't want to be at the wrong end of a charge from them. The points formed a kind of crown around the reindeer's head, as if he were a powerful but brutal king. From the points hung an array of tiny charms or fetishes, similar to some she had seen in Zecora's hut.

The reindeer bellowed loudly as he stepped off the pier and strode confidently up the path to the village. Five more reindeer climbed out of the longship behind him and fell into a menacing formation, pointing their antlers at the ponies.

"My little ponies!" bellowed the lead reindeer, stomping his hoof in the dirt threateningly. "I'm sure you know what happens now. Bring me your gold and goods, or I'll lay waste to this pathetic village!"

In the village, ponies began to scream and panic in earnest.

"It's him! It's Blood Eagle!"

"He's back! Run for your lives! Fly away! Save yourselves!"

"Celestia deliver us from the fury of the reindeer!"

Twilight looked over her shoulder at the villagers, then turned back to the reindeer and stepped forward grimly. "I won't let you harm this village!" she shouted, drawing herself up to her full height and flaring her wings aggressively. "I am here on behalf of Princess Celestia to make peace between your people and mine. No blood will be shed here today. Take me to Deerheim and we can make an accord."

Blood Eagle stared at Twilight incredulously as she made her speech. Then he let out a hearty laugh. "Ponies!" he chuckled, shaking his head dismissively, the charms on his antlers clattering with the motion. "Always thinking you can have peace just for the asking. It seems like you already know me here... oh, I remember now!" He grinned evilly at Rain-Shepherd. "Shouldn't you be pushing clouds and wearing a harness right now? Give me everything I want, or I'll send you to meet your wife."

With that, the reindeer stepped forward, his armour jingling with every swaggering step. He had only taken three steps when his face collided with an invisible barrier that stood between him and Twilight.

Twilight smiled smugly. "Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, Equestria's Princess of Friendship, and I don't like to brag, but I am very, very good at magic. Now leave this village alone or you're going to regret what happens next."

Rain-Shepherd was quivering with rage, and he levelled his spear at Blood Eagle. "This is your only warning, Blood Eagle. Get back in your boat and leave Shetland forever. Stay and I'll mount your antlers over my door."

Blood Eagle tossed his head contemptuously, ignoring Rain-Shepherd and focusing his gaze on Twilight. "An alicorn princess. And I thought this would be just another boring raid. I'll be drinking mead from your horn this winter, pony!"

With a crazed bellow, he charged up the path, his head lowered as if he intended to impale Twilight on his antlers. Twilight stared at him confidently, her horn glowing as she channelled a bit of extra magic into her shield.

As Blood Eagle collided with Twilight's shield, his antlers flashed a bright orange, and her shield shattered. Twilight stared in disbelief for a split second, until the reindeer carried on with his charge and slammed straight into her. The impact threw her backwards, and she struck the wall of the village hall with brutal force, knocking the wind out of her.

As she slid to the ground and tried to draw breath, Blood Eagle laughed and scraped his hoof against the dirt. "Weren't expecting that, were you, princess?" he gloated. "These villagers know to be afraid of me and my raiders. It's time that you learned the same lesson!" With that, he lowered his head again and charged straight at her.

Acting more by reflex than strategy, Twilight leapt into the air and spread her wings, frantically flapping to gain altitude. She felt a breeze below her as Blood Eagle charged past, then heard a crash and a chorus of screams. She flitted a little higher before she dared to turn and look, but when she did, she saw that the reindeer had broken through the wall of the village hall. He shook his head to clear the rubble that clung to his antlers, and spun around, looking for Twilight.

The villagers were retreating against its back wall, huddling together in fear. The defenders clustered together, brandishing their weapons at Blood Eagle. "You'll never defeat us all!" shouted Rain-Shepherd. "We're stronger than we were!"

"Keep an eye on the other raiders!" yelled Twilight, as she hovered in the sky, watching Blood Eagle. "I'll handle this one!" The other reindeer seemed quite content to watch their leader fighting an alicorn princess, and were making no more hostile moves.

Twilight circled warily around Blood Eagle, wary of what other tricks he might have hiding in his antlers. She charged her horn and fired a stunning blast at him, but he swung his head to intercept the ray, and her magic sank harmlessly into the velvet of his antlers.

In retaliation, Blood Eagle drew a throwing axe from his harness, gripped the handle in his teeth, swung his head and hurled it at Twilight. The axe flew straight and swiftly, and she quickly dipped her wings and ducked out of its path. Looking behind her, she saw a symbol on the axe's haft glowing, and could have sworn that it had curved towards her when she dodged. More reindeer magic? she wondered.

There had to be a way to beat Blood Eagle, she reasoned. She might be able to break through the power of his antlers with sheer overwhelming force of magic... but the effort would weaken her, and the Shetland ponies might be hurt in the crossfire. She had the advantage of flight over him, and she needed to exploit that.

Twilight flew over Blood Eagle's head, firing spells at him experimentally. Each time, he turned his head to catch the beams on his antlers, and he alternated between bellowing in rage and laughing in satisfaction. "Is that all you've got, princess?" he shouted, and flung another axe at her. "Come down here! I'll rip your lungs out!"

As the axe sailed past Twilight's head, she snatched it with her magic, levitating it alongside her body. "Fine!" she retorted, and spread her wings to dive at him, brandishing the axe threateningly. "Let's fight hoof to hoof!"

Blood Eagle stared at Twilight in disbelief, but quickly unslung the long-hafted axe from his back. "You're kidding! You're kidding, right?" He hefted the axe in the crook of his right front leg, preparing to cut Twilight in half when she flew within reach.

Before she reached him, Twilight hurled the axe at him. He reacted quickly, bringing his own weapon up to bat the throwing axe out of the air. He brought it back down to swing at where Twilight should have been, but instead of continuing her dive, Twilight had pulled up into a tight loop. Gritting her teeth against the pain in her wings, she flew behind Blood Eagle, twisted around in the air, and fired a stun ray that struck the reindeer firmly in the rump.

Blood Eagle's legs buckled and he collapsed to the ground, lowing in rage and indignation. Twilight wasted no time in landing behind him and firing spell after spell at him until he passed out.

Twilight folded her wings and panted heavily. "Is everypony okay?" she managed to gasp, as she looked around the village.

Villagers slowly filtered out of the hall, gazing at the unconscious reindeer leader. "You beat him," one of them said, with awe in her voice. "I didn't think anypony could."

"What are we going to do with him?" asked another.

"I'll tell you what we should do," said Rain-Shepherd, walking forward and scooping up Blood Eagle's axe. "Send him back to Deerheim without his antlers."

"No!" shouted Twilight, flaring her wings. "Nopony is cutting anything off anyone. He'll go to Canterlot to stand trial for what he's done. Golden Flight, can you send a message to Canterlot, and then keep Blood Eagle here until an escort can come for him?"

The soldier saluted Twilight sharply. "Yes, your highness! It won't be easy to contain him, but we can do it."

Twilight nodded, looking around the village. "Right. I wish I could do more to keep you safe from these raids, but... well, that's why I need to get to Deerheim. So..." She turned and walked over to the remaining reindeer, who were standing quietly, their weapons still in their harnesses. "Take me to your leader."

One of the reindeer stepped forward and bowed to Twilight. "Jarl Blood Eagle is our leader, your highness," he said respectfully. "Our loyalty is to him and him alone."

Twilight blinked in surprise. "Really? He's the one I need to talk to about stopping the raids?"

The reindeer laughed. "No good talking to him about it - it'll never happen! No, I guess you want King Furrypants for that."

"King Furrypants?"

He nodded. "That's what he calls himself, anyway. But he doesn't tell us what to do." He looked from Twilight to Blood Eagle and back, then shrugged. "We can take you to meet him, sure thing. You ready to leave now?"

"I guess so." She trotted up the path to speak to Rain-Shepherd again. "Will everything be alright here? I can probably get some extra guards to come from Canterlot."

The mayor shook his head. "I think we'll be fine, now that Blood Eagle is out of the way." He bowed his head. "We all owe you a great debt, your highness. Blood Eagle is... a nightmare. I promise I won't harm him, though. I want to see Princess Celestia sentence him for his crimes against our village and who knows how many others."

Twilight shook the mayor's hoof solemnly. "I can't give you back your wife, or the time you spent as their slave, but if my mission is successful, nopony else will suffer the same fate at their hooves."

"Then may a fair wind carry you to Deerheim, and then swiftly and safely home again, Princess Twilight."

> Warm Welcome in a Cold Climate
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight stood on the deck of the longship, inspecting the sails with great interest. "This ship is amazing!" she said excitedly, running her hooves over the mast and the lines. "I never thought a ship of this size could make such good time through the sea!"

The lead reindeer, a young buck named Wind Runner, paused in his trimming of the sails and gently batted Twilight's hoof away from the lines. "Don't touch that one. We'll drown." He smiled in amusement at her fascination, though. "Thank you. I built her myself. and I take charge of her when we're at sea. She's served us well through many voyages."

Twilight bit her lip, staring at the deck. "You mean raids, right?"

Wind Runner grinned proudly. "That's right! She's carried us back to Deerheim with gold, spices, magic items... all sorts of loot. Blood Eagle is the greatest warrior in Deerheim, and nodeer who follows him ever goes poor or hungry."

Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it - she should save her arguments for the king, and she had a feeling there would be many of those. Instead she asked, "So you don't mind that I beat him?"

The reindeer all laughed. "Why would we?" asked Wind Runner. "You beat him fair and square. I'm surprised you didn't kill him."

"I would never kill anyone I didn't have to!" gasped Twilight. "Why would I do that when I could take him down without hurting him?"

Wind Runner shrugged. "I'd have killed him, in your position. We know he's not invincible, anyway. He's good, but no match for Twilight Harmony-Bringer."

Twilight blinked. "Twilight Harmony-Bringer?"

"That's what they call you in Deerheim. Everydeer knows about your adventures." He laughed. "Blood Eagle should have known better than to fight you, but he never backs down from a challenge. We all know what you're capable of." He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Hey, are you married?"

"Huh?" Twilight blinked again in confusion. "Uh, no, I guess I'm not..."

"Want to marry me, then? I'm rich, and I have the loyalty of a dozen strong warrior bucks. And just between you and me, I'm very popular with the does too..."

One of the other reindeer snorted. "Don't listen to him, princess. The only deer who can attest to his sexual prowess are the other bucks who serve under him." He laughed heartily at that. "Get it? Serve under him? Because he..."

"She gets it," snarled Wind Runner. "And you're going to get it in your arse if you don't watch your tongue, and you'll be lucky if it's my cock in there." He brandished his antlers at the other reindeer, who shrank away and nodded in acquiescence.

Twilight walked to the front of the ship and rubbed her nose against the carved prow. "You did an amazing job with all of this woodwork, Wind Runner. You should be very proud of your ship."

"She's not mine, really. Blood Eagle commissioned it, so it's his." He suddenly grinned. "Or rather, it's yours now."

"Mine?"

"Of course. Blood Eagle tried to kill you, and you beat him. If you were a reindeer, you'd have every right to demand his ship as reingild - payment for the attempt on your life. But since you're a foreign warrior, well, nodeer's likely to question you for taking it."

Twilight fell silent for a moment, pondering the ramifications of this. Taking something from someone just because you could beat them up was the antithesis of everything the Magic of Friendship stood for... but on the other hoof, there was a way to make a real difference here.

"Then you should have it, Wind Runner."

Wind Runner looked taken about. "Are you sure, princess?"

Twilight nodded emphatically. "I live in the middle of Equestria – what would I do with a ship? I'm just glad that I could take it away from someone who was going to use it to spread terror and mayhem along Equestria's coast."

Wind Runner shuffled his hooves awkwardly. "That, um, that was sort of my plan."

Twilight fixed Wind Runner with a firm gaze. "I'm here to put a stop to the raids. I don't plan to do that by beating up every single reindeer I meet, but I'll make it happen one way or another. There are other ways to make your fortune as a sailor. If you want this ship, you'll pick one of them."

Wind Runner ruminated on this for several long moments, then nodded solemnly. "I'm a good enough sailor to know when the winds of change are blowing. I can make a decent life as a trader, or carrying passengers. You won't have any more trouble from me, I promise."

The reindeer extended a hoof to Twilight, and she shook it proudly. "I'm glad we could find common ground," she said. "And that we can be friends now!"

"Of course!" he said, smiling brightly. "Whyever would we not be?"

Twilight was too glad to have made an accord to argue, and she chatted happily with Wind Runner as she lay down at the bow of the ship, watching it cut through the water. She continued to lie there as the reindeer went about their duties, guiding the ship through the night.

As night fell and the ship sailed further northwest, the chill air cut through even Twilight's warmest clothing, and she started to shiver. She tried not to show her discomfort to the reindeer, who all seemed perfectly comfortable, but she felt a heavy blanket settle about her shoulders, and looked up to see the reindeer who had spoken up about Wind Runner. She smiled sheepishly and snuggled into the blanket. "Thank you," she said softly. "I hope I didn't get you into any trouble with Wind Runner back there?"

The reindeer shook his head. "Nah, that's how we always talk to each other. Name's Hearth Song, by the way. As long as I obey orders, he's happy. I shouldn't tease him about the bucks - they really are pretty fond of him."

Twilight chuckled. "I can see why - strong, talented reindeer like him. How about you? Are you going to tell me that you're a hit with the does and I should marry you?"

"No, there's only one doe for me," said Hearth Song with a grin. "She's why I signed on with Blood Eagle - I need to earn enough gold to buy her freedom."

"Her freedom? Is she a slave?"

"Not quite - she's a thrall. She owes a lot of reingild, more than she could pay by herself, and her creditor sold her service to a wealthy farmer. She's stuck working for her until she can pay her debt, and at this rate..." Hearth Song sighed heavily. "She'll be a thrall until she's fifty. But if I can earn enough loot under Blood Eagle, I can buy her freedom in a year or two."

Twilight leaned over and brushed her muzzle against Hearth Song's cheek, where she saw a tear clinging to his coat. "I'm so sorry. That must be awful for both of you. I hope you can earn the money you need by working with Wind Runner, without the raiding."

Hearth Song nodded sadly and leaned his large, shaggy head against Twilight's shoulder. "Thank you. I should be able to. It'll take longer, but... to be honest, I never really liked Blood Eagle. I don’t like raiding."

"I think you're making the right decision," said Twilight. "Maybe there's something I can do for you and your fiancée while I'm in Deerheim."

"I hope so. You are as wise as the stories say, Harmony-Bringer. And very beautiful, too. I hope fate brings your true love to you, as it has mine."

Twilight smiled softly. "Thank you, that's very sweet." She nudged his shoulder with her nose, then yawned loudly. "It's been a very long day, and this blanket is so warm. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

The reindeer left Twilight alone as they tended the ship, and she gazed out over the sea, deep in thought. These deer were a conundrum, she decided. Wind Runner was violent and aggressive, but seemed very happy to be Twilight's friend, even though he would have killed her without a second thought if he had faced her in battle. And Hearth Song was a sensitive soul, who didn't belong in such violent company at all, yet here he was, willing to kill ponies to win his love's freedom. This was not at all how she imagined these bloodthirsty raiders to act... yet bloodthirsty raiders they were.

The chill in the night air faded as her body heat warmed the blanket, and the rocking motion of the ship and the soft lapping of waves soon lulled her into sleep.




It was mid-afternoon before the longship came within sight of their destination. Twilight spent the morning learning about the ship and getting to know the rest of the crew. Some were eager warriors like Wind Runner, who were all too happy to talk about their battles and show off their scars. Others were more given to the callings of craftsdeer or poets, but sought the gold and fame that came with raiding to achieve their other goals - mostly to win the hearts of does and build stable lives in Deerheim.

As they sailed on, they passed many tiny islands, and Twilight could see figures moving on a few of them. Wind Runner knew the names of all of them, and could tell Twilight a little about their history and customs. The reindeer didn't seem to have different tribes the way ponies did - a reindeer was a reindeer - but the islands were almost like separate kingdoms in the ways they lived their lives.

As the sun began to dip towards the western horizon once more, a much larger island became visible in the distance. "Land ho!" shouted Wind Runner. "That's Reingard, the centre of trade and culture for all of Deerheim! And it's where King Furrypants holds court, for what that's worth."

Twilight paused as she looked towards the island. "You don't seem to think much of King Furrypants, Wind Runner. Why is that? You don't think he's a good king?"

"No, he does alright. He's strong enough, and his wife is the wisest doe who ever drew breath. I just don't think we need a king at all. Jarl Blood Eagle is all the ruler that the island of Goatland needs." He looked back towards Equestria. "Furrypants isn't an immortal goddess like your Princess Celestia. He's just a buck like the rest of us. I'd be glad to have him on my side in a battle, but I don't need him making decisions for me."

Twilight hummed thoughtfully at that. "I don't know what we'd do without Princess Celestia's wise rulership. I've never heard of anypony who doesn't want to be ruled by her, but I suppose things are different here."

The sun was just grazing the horizon as Wind Runner's ship pulled into the harbour at Reingard. She looked out over the town as the reindeer brought it safely against a dock, and found herself... disappointed. She had not quite been expecting the golden spires of Canterlot, or the sparkling splendour of the Crystal Empire, or the underwater paradise of Aquastria, but she had expected more than this.

Reingard, by comparison to those places, was just a drab collection of wooden houses, full of reindeer going about their daily lives. It bustled as busily as Manehattan, though, with the constant calls of merchants from the market square, the laughter of revelers at a dockside drinking house, and the raucous cries of fawns running underhoof, playing and fighting in the streets. Other ships were arriving at the docks, and goods were being unloaded onto wagons pulled by sturdy bucks.

An idle-looking buck who smelled strongly of honey sauntered up the dock as Wind Runner was mooring the ship. "Wind Runner!" he greeted him heartily. "You're back already! Where's the Jarl?"

Wind Runner clapped the new buck on the shoulders. "Shield Biter, old friend, you're not going to believe this. He got taken prisoner by the Shetland ponies."

"Ha! That is hard to believe! But at least you managed to get a slave out of them, I see." He leaned unsteadily towards the ship, leering at Twilight. "A pretty unicorn doe, huh? I'll give you fifty jinglers for her."

Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but words failed her. She stared blankly at Shield Biter, completely at a loss for what to say to someone who thought she could be bought and sold.

Wind Runner, for his part, seemed much more familiar with this sort of situation, and the appropriate response. He lowered his head and charged at Shield Biter, driving him back against the wall of the tavern.

Shield Biter squirmed and struggled, caught between Wind Runner's antlers and the wall. "Don't you dare challenge me, Wind Runner!" he snarled. "You know what I'm capable of!"

"When you're sober, sure," said Wind Runner with a contemptuous snort. "When was that last, five years ago? You're more beer-seeker than berserker these days." He shoved his head harder against Shield Biter, driving his antlers painfully into the drunken buck's chest. "Now apologise to Princess Twilight Sparkle or I'll have reindeer kebab for dinner. Marinated reindeer kebab."

"That's ENOUGH!" shouted Twilight, and lit up her horn. She wrapped both reindeer in her magic, being careful to grab them around their legs while neither of them could maneuver their antlers, and hoisted them into the air, separating them. "Both of you, cool your antlers before I dunk you in the sea!

"Wind Runner, I know you mean well, and I'm touched by your loyalty, but does violence have to be your answer to everything?"

The sailor shrugged helplessly, which of course he was. "It's the only language bucks understand," he protested, but he let his aggressive posture fade and bowed his head to Twilight.

"And you, Mister Shield Biter. I don't know what you had in mind for me, and I don't think I want to know, but I am a free pony! You should be ashamed of thinking you can own another person, and I won't stand for it."

Shield Biter grunted angrily, but was unable to free himself from Twilight's magical grasp. "Fine. I'm sorry I tried to buy you," he mumbled.

Twilight lowered both reindeer to the street. "Now shake hooves. You're obviously friends, and I don't want you being at odds with each other on my account."

Wind Runner rolled his eyes. "What are you, my mother?"

She gave him a bright grin. "No, but I'm the Princess of Friendship, and it's my duty to -"

"Spread the magic of friendship around Equestria and beyond, yeah, we've all heard the stories," said Shield Biter. "Fine, look, Wind Runner, I'm sorry I tried to buy your friend off you, and I'm sorry I threatened you. I guess she's your guest or something, and I should respect that."

"It's okay," replied Wind Runner, taking his friend's hoof and shaking it heartily. "I know things have been hard for you since Bright Hearth died. I shouldn't have called you a drunk. We should spend more time together."

The two bucks embraced, then parted ways. Wind Runner raised an eyebrow at Twilight. "Is this what you do all day? Stomp around and tell people to make friends or else?"

Twilight smiled awkwardly. "I try to be nicer about it than that, but I guess so?"

"Alright, well, it'll be night soon. We should get you to the castle if you want to meet King Furrypants. And you might want to get dressed up if you don't want anydeer else to think you're a slave."

Twilight looked around, and noticed that quite a few reindeer had stopped to watch their argument, and were now looking at her curiously. "I guess you're right, and I am here to represent Equestria. Just a moment." She dug through her saddlebags - having left her wagon in Shetland, as it was too large for the longship - and pulled out her crown, settling it on her head. She then drew out a long cloak, dripping with diamonds and amethysts, embroidered with her cutie mark and trimmed with the finest quality wool. It was as luxurious and resplendent as it was warm, and it left her free to spread her wings and fly - or prove her alicorn nature.

Wind Runner nodded approvingly. "I'd say you're ready, then. The castle is on that hill there," he said, pointing to a slight rise, on which sat a large wooden structure which Twilight thought rather unprepossessing for a royal castle. "The king loves guests. You'll get along just fine."

Twilight paused for a moment, then cautiously wrapped her front legs around Wind Runner's shoulders. "Thank you for all of your help," she said sincerely. "You've been better to me than I had any right to expect, and... well, you know that I'm trying to turn your kingdom upside down. I just hope that it'll be good for both of our peoples."

Wind Runner patted her shoulder gently. "You're a strong pony, Twilight Sparkle. Deerheim won't be the same once you're done with it, I know that much. And I have a ship now, and that's no small thing. I need to be in Reingard in a few days anyway for the thing, so I’ll sail you back to Equestria whenever you like. I certainly owe you that much."

She released him and smiled, then spread her wings and set off towards the castle. She turned back and waved to him as she soared above the city, and he waved back. "Offer's still open!" he cried with a grin.




As Twilight flew towards the castle, she decided that she had been judging it a little too harshly. The materials may have been unimpressive, but the building was actually rather magnificent. There was a simple wooden palisade around the castle, but it was decorated with flags and banners, and as she drew closer, she could see that some of the logs were carved with designs of reindeer fighting dragons and other monsters.

Rather than fly above the palisade - and risk the wrath of the stern-looking guards standing around it with spears - she landed and introduced herself. The guard she met looked her over briefly, then bowed deeply to her. "It is an honour, Princess," he said gravely. "Please, come with me and I shall announce you to the court."

Twilight took a deep breath as the guard threw open the doors of the throne room. She would never get used to being announced at court as a princess, she thought. At least in the courts of Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, she was a close friend of the local ruler, and felt a little bit at home. Here, she was most definitely a stranger in a strange land.

Like the capital itself, the royal court of Deerheim was far from opulent, but it was noisy. Reindeer bucks stood around tables, some of which were covered with maps or documents, others with cups and plates of food. Two bucks had their antlers locked and were straining against each other, while onlookers cheered and placed bets. Young does wove through the crowd, carrying platters on their backs and doing their best to ignore the bucks' crude remarks. Amidst the crowd, Twilight caught sight of a griffon and several goats, happily conversing with the reindeer.

The guard stomped a hoof loudly against the wooden floor three times, and the room quietened marginally as everydeer turned towards the doors. Twilight bit her lip and did her best to hold her composure as he made his announcement. "Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria!"

The volume of conversation dropped sharply, and every face was now fixed on her. She took a deep breath, held her head up high and spread her wings, the way Celestia and Cadance had taught her when presenting herself at court. She took a step forward, then froze when the guard continued his speech. "Redeemer of Nightmare Moon, and champion of the Long Night!"

A fierce blush rose to Twilight's cheeks, as the entire room fell silent. She did her best to give the room a bright smile, but the attention was more intense than even her coronation had been.

"Victorious over Discord, the pony who ended the Day of Chaos!"

"Please stop," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth, but the guard paid her no heed. A few reindeer began to stomp their hooves in a kind of slow, rhythmic applause between the announcements.

"The Sentinel of Magic, who shepherded all of the world's mystical forces from the ravages of Lord Tirek!"

"Sister to Prince Shining Armor, bastion of the Crystal Empire! Guardian to Great and Honourable Spike, the Brave and Glorious, saviour of the Crystal Empire!"

"Bringer of Harmony, the Princess of Friendship!"

Twilight bit her lip and waited in agony, but no further epithets were forthcoming. She looked around at the sea of fascinated reindeer and smiled weakly. "Er... hi, everydeer. It's... nice to be here?"

A tall reindeer buck strode down the middle of the throne room and bowed deeply before Twilight. His antlers almost touched her face as he lowered his head, and they were the most magnificent specimen she had ever seen, dwarfing Blood Eagle's and any she had seen on the deer of the Everfree Forest. Each antler forked into two branches near his skull, and each branch split in two again and again, giving him a grand total of sixteen points to his crown. Every inch of his antlers was covered in a rich brown velvet, and they curved up and out like a nest of scorpions ready to strike. There was a bright violet ribbon wound between his antlers in an intricate weave. She felt a faint tingle in her horn as his antlers passed near her, almost an echo of what she felt when Tirek had drained her magic.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle!" he boomed as he straightened up. "We have been eagerly expecting you. I am King Furrypants, ruler of Deerheim, and I bid you welcome to my court!"

Twilight bowed deeply in return, keeping her wings spread wide. When she straightened, she got her first good look at the reindeer king aside from his antlers. He was not quite as tall or as broad as Jarl Blood Eagle, but the lines of powerful muscles were clearly visible under his coat. He was younger than she expected the king to be, perhaps only a few years older than her brother. His face bore a wide grin that was honest and friendly, and his eyes were a warm, pleasant blue.

Her gaze was drawn to his antlers again, then down to his attire. Unlike most rulers she had met, he wore no crown other than the one he grew naturally. Instead, he wore a stole of purple wool across his shoulders, and his hindquarters and hind legs were clad in trousers made of a bright white fur that clashed jarringly with his dark brown coat.

"I'm very glad to be here, your majesty," she said, a little taken aback by his great presence. "I hope our two kingdoms can come to an accord while I am a guest in your great hall."

"Ah, it's a diplomatic visit, then," he replied. "Come, court is almost over, and I was about to join my queen for supper. Won't you be our guest?"

Twilight smiled brightly, and was grateful for the chance to step out of the attention of the entire court. "That sounds wonderful. I've been sailing and flying and riding the train for days. I feel like I've hardly eaten or slept since I first got the message to come here."

"Then you have come to the right castle, princess," said the king, offering her a hoof to guide her. "Nothing that walks in here on four hooves ever leaves hungry or weary." He turned to his court and stomped a hoof sharply three times. "Court is over! Stay the night or go home, but don't bother me about politics until tomorrow! I have a guest to entertain."

Twilight let Furrypants lead her out of the throne room, while the gathered nobles started to disperse and the staff cleaned up after them. She could have sworn she saw some bucks snicker and wink at the king as they departed, but she couldn't fathom why.




The interior of the royal castle was still rather sparse, but it reminded Twilight of the homely atmosphere of Sweet Apple Acres. Furrypants guided her along a hallway and up a wide flight of stairs, then into a suite of rooms that overlooked the harbour. Furrypants gestured grandly to the large windows. "A beautiful sight, isn't it, princess?" he said proudly. "Without the blessing of the sea, we would be stuck on our little islands, instead of being the masters of all we survey!"

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof. "Yeah, about that... you said you were expecting me. Do you know why I'm here?"

The king shrugged. "Why do heroes do anything? Glory, fortune, to see what lies beyond the horizon. There is no shortage of danger here, princess, nor opportunities for valour. Do you seek to test your magic against the chill wyrms of the northern glaciers? Or try your wings in the Eternal Storm of the Windigo? Or perhaps you have come to seek for something among my subjects - an apprentice, or a comrade in arms. Or..."

A soft, calm voice came from the bedroom that adjoined the suite's atrium. "Don't be a fool, husband. You know she's here for something much more important than that."

Twilight looked towards the bedroom, and a reindeer doe pushed open the door. She wore a simple golden circlet on her brow, and a purple stole upon her shoulders that matched Furrypants's. She was otherwise unadorned, save for a pair of leather pouches slung over her flanks, which had intricate patterns burned into them. The patterns looked familiar from Twilight's brief reading of the Cervid Eddas, but she couldn't interpret them herself.

The doe walked quickly over to Twilight and grasped her hoof, pressing it against hers as she looked directly into her eyes. Twilight noticed that the doe's eyes were almost exactly the same shade of purple as her own, and she felt a strange sense of depth and wisdom as their gazes met, such as she only ever felt from the other Princesses.

"Twilight Harmony-Bringer. Knowing you would soon come to my halls has filled me with such anticipation, and now, to meet you in the flesh... you are all that my visions showed me and more."

Twilight realised that she was holding her breath, and slowly exhaled, wrenching her gaze away from the doe's. "You, uh... you saw me in a vision? Is that how you knew I was coming?"

"Indeed it is. I am Storm Crow, Queen of Deerheim, and I see you have already met my dear husband. Come, the servants have set our table, and you are weary from your long journey."

Storm Crow led Twilight into their dining parlour, where a modest table had been laid, set for three places. They all sat down and began enjoying a simple but filling meal of spiced hay, roast vegetables, and a small side of lightly grilled fish, which Twilight politely declined. Coast-dwelling ponies like the Shetlanders might supplement their diet with fish, but the idea was just a little unpalatable to an inland pony like Twilight.

"You really did predict my arrival, then?" she asked Storm Crow, as she dined on some delicious honey-glazed carrots. "You were obviously expecting a guest for dinner."

Storm Crow nodded, unable to keep an amused smile from her face. "Indeed I did, princess, though when I say it was in a vision, I do not mean that I saw your face." She looked into Twilight's eyes once again, and Twilight felt the rest of the world retreating from her attention. "I would have remembered seeing such a strong and beautiful countenance. No, I saw what you represent."

Twilight swallowed hard and turned her gaze to her plate, pushing a piece of broccoli around with her hoof. "That's... nice. What did you see?"

Storm Crow's eyes seemed to take on a milky white sheen as she spoke, and her gaze was no longer focused on Twilight, or possibly anything in this world at all. "Conflict. Ponies and reindeer clashing together in blood and strife, yielding no glory, only suffering. Reindeer turned against reindeer as well, our courage turned to cowardice, our hospitality to stinginess and contempt. Eternal night shrouding the land. Our magic fading to nothing."

Twilight exchanged a glance with Furrypants, who nodded solemnly and placed a hoof against Twilight's, bidding her to keep listening.

"And through all of that, hope. A star, shining in the sky at the setting of the sun. The knowledge that disaster had been averted thrice before, and would be again, if we had courage and faith, and trusted in the one with the wisdom to save us all, pony and reindeer alike."

Twilight swallowed hard. "And... you think that's me?"

Storm Crow laughed and rubbed her eyes, and much of the tension flowed out of the room. "I had no idea who it would be, in truth. But I told my husband what I had seen, when the trance left me yesterday morning, and he knew at once that the vision spoke of you."

Furrypants grinned and nodded. "It spoke very clearly of your accomplishments. I enjoy listening to our skalds tell your stories almost as much as I like hearing them tell my own."

Twilight paused for a moment, thinking. "I... I was sent here by the Cutie Map, a magical map that appeared in Friendship Castle after I defeated Tirek. It showed me that there was some friendship problem that needed my help, like with my friends' visit to Griffonstone. I got the call yesterday morning, maybe at the same time as your vision."

"It may be so, princess. My magic is mysterious even to me, but it has never steered me wrong. We will certainly heed your words. Now, tell us - what is your purpose in coming here?"

Twilight took a deep breath, feeling very self-conscious that her journey was heralded in such a fashion. "Well... it's about the raids on Equestria. I ran afoul of Jarl Blood Eagle on the way here..."

"So I heard," said Furrypants with a chuckle. "You arrived in Blood Eagle's boat, without Blood Eagle. No doubt he challenged you and was slain by your hoof?"

Twilight's jaw dropped. "What? No! I would never kill anypony, or deer! No, he attacked Shetland, and I captured him and put him under arrest. He's going to be taken to Canterlot for trial." She pouted sadly, and her mane drooped. "We don't kill people in Equestria. Not if we can help it."

Furrypants shrugged. "It would have been your right. It must have been a great battle. So what did you want to say about the raids?"

"I... isn't it obvious? I want them to stop."

Furrypants seemed taken aback. "Oh. Well... that's impossible."

"But why? Why do you have to prey on ponies who can't defend themselves?"

Storm Crow placed a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder, but she shrugged it away, staring at Furrypants angrily.

"For a start, you clearly can defend yourselves, as Blood Eagle found out. And raiding is important to us. We wouldn't have nearly the wealth we do without it. Deerheim doesn't have much arable land or mineral wealth, so what else are we to do? And it's an important part of our young bucks' development - it lets them grow into mighty warriors and earn the gold they need to attract a wife."

"But... but there must be other ways to get all of those things. I know Deerheim is inhospitable, but your people are good traders as well as warriors. We can't go on the way our two peoples have for much longer."

Furrypants pursed his lips in thought for a moment, tapping his hoof against his chin, then shook his head. "No. This is not as simple a thing as you imagine, princess. If nothing else, even if I wanted to stop the raids, I couldn't. How would I enforce such a decsion? By sending warriors to every island, threatening to slay anydeer who broke my edict? The jarls would revolt. The kingdom would be split asunder, every island fighting for itself. You would face just as many raiders, unless they chose to plunder each other instead of you. I would have my hooves full simply keeping Reingard together, were I to make that law."

Twilight slumped back against her seat. Was her quest hopeless already? "Don't they respect you as king, though?"

"Not the way they respect your Princess Celestia. Oh, they know I am a mighty warrior, a great hero, a just ruler, all those good things. My tales are sung by skalds all over Deerheim. And yes, my words carry a lot of weight. But you're talking about changing our way of life completely. We would be... a different people. As well ask your people to give up harmony, as ask us to give up our warrior traditions."

Twilight looked at Storm Crow helplessly. "Is that it, then? Is there nothing I can do?"

Storm Crow reached out cautiously to touch Twilight's hoof, and she didn't shrink away this time. "Do not give up hope just yet, wise hero. You were not sent here in vain, I am sure of it. My husband has said his piece, and his word is law, but I promise you that he and I will both heed your words while you are our guest, and you may stay as long as you wish. If there is a way to bring this accord between our peoples, we will find it."

Furrypants nodded in agreement. "I want to help you, Harmony-Bringer. It would be an insult to your deeds to turn you away. Please, stay as our guest, and perhaps you will perform another of your miracles."

Twilight nodded slowly. "I can't ask for more than that. Thank you for hearing me out, at least. Maybe I'll come up with something in the morning."

Storm Crow tugged a rope hanging by the wall, and a young doe came in to clear away the empty plates. "This is House-Proud, my personal maid. I've asked her to look after you while you are here. I imagine you're more than ready for bed."

Twilight began to shake her head, but a huge yawn escaped her lips. "I guess so. Thank you for your hospitality, I... I don't think I've ever felt this welcome away from Ponyville and Canterlot. I will think about what we've discussed."

She bowed to the king and queen, and then allowed House-Proud to lead her to a guest suite, intending to collapse into the sleep she so desperately needed.




Sleep did not come to her.

Though Twilight was buried in thick woollen blankets, and a fire smouldered in the hearth near the bed, the chill of Deerheim still found a way into her body. Perhaps it was psychological - she was homesick, and distressed by the strange, violent ways of the reindeer.

There had to be a way to get through to them. She had never failed in a mission for Princess Celestia, nor had the map ever sent them on a failed quest. They were such a strange dichotomy, though. King Furrypants seemed to have no compassion for the ponies who were hurt or killed in his people's raids, and yet he was generous and friendly to Twilight now that she was here. Wind Runner was a hot-tempered, ruthless warrior, but he had befriended Twilight without a second thought, even before she granted him his ship, and defended her readily against threats and insults. Hearth Song was a romantic soul, more poet than warrior if Twilight was any judge, and yet he was prepared to kill, rob and enslave ponies to free his beloved.

She tossed and turned and pondered and planned, but neither sleep nor solution came to her. With a frustrated groan, she threw her blankets aside and clambered out of bed. She quickly levitated one of the blankets around her shoulders again as a makeshift cloak as the chill air seeped into her coat.

The door to her suite opened, and House-Proud poked her head inside. "Your highness? Is everything alright?"

Twilight jumped back a little, startled. "I'm just having trouble sleeping, that's all. Everything is very nice, but it's cold, and my coat isn't as thick as yours." She gave the young doe a wry grin. "I suppose you get used to it, living here, but it's all new to me."

House-Proud nodded and smiled softly to Twilight. "I understand, your highness. Shall I bring you some tea? I have a brew that helps her majesty sleep after a stressful day, and it is very warming, too."

"Tea would be lovely. And please, just Twilight is fine."

"Then I'll be right back with that tea, Twilight." House-Proud bobbed her head and slipped away, and Twilight paced around the atrium of her suite, trying to sort out the thoughts roaming around her head.

Before long, House-Proud had returned, bearing a tray on her back with two mugs of tea and a few biscuits. Twilight sat down on a couch and sipped from the mug, warming her hooves against it.

"This is very nice tea. So how long have you been Queen Storm Crow's maid, House-Proud? If you don't mind my asking."

House-Proud chuckled as she set down her mug. "For longer than she's been Queen Storm Crow. My mother was a thrall in her family's house, and we grew up together. We're sisters. Well, half-sisters, anyway."

"Oh, that's nice! No wonder you're so fond of her!" Twilight smiled, then blinked as she worked through what House-Proud had just said. "Wait, that means that your father..."

House-Proud shrugged. "These things happen. But I'm very glad that Storm Crow took me with her when she married Furrypants. She has so many responsibilities now, being queen, and with the duty that her magic lays on her, so having me around to handle the little things makes a big difference."

The mare and the doe chatted and drank their tea, and Twilight began to feel more at home in this strange land. Unfortunately, it didn't make her any more inclined to sleep, although the tea did spread a pleasantly soporific warmth through her body. Just as she was finishing up her mug, a knock sounded at the door.

"That's Storm Crow!" exclaimed House-Proud, and she leapt to her hooves, rushing to the door. She hesitated and turned back to Twilight. "Should I let her in? This is your room, after all."

"Hmm? Oh, of course, go ahead!" Twilight stood up and adjusted the blanket around her shoulders, and bowed when House-Proud ushered Storm Crow and Furrypants into the suite. Both were undressed, except for the purple ribbon still wound into the king's antlers.

"We couldn't help but notice you were still up and about," Storm Crow said to Twilight, while giving House-Proud an affectionate hug. "Are you settling in alright?"

"More or less," said Twilight. "It's always hard being in a new place, and I'm really not used to this cold. House-Proud has been keeping me company, though, so it hasn't been too bad."

Furrypants looked at his wife, who nodded to him. "We were wondering if you'd like to join us in our bed, princess. You would be very warm, and we would welcome your company."

Twilight was a little taken aback, but the king and queen had been nothing but kind to her, so she nodded. "I'd like that," she admitted, shuffling a little closer to Storm Crow. “You don’t mind, do you, House-Proud?”

House-Proud smiled knowingly and began gathering up the mugs. “Not at all, Twilight. I’ll do a bit of tidying up in here, and then I’ll check in on you in the morning.”




Storm Crow led Twilight back down the corridors to the royal chambers. “You honour us so greatly with your presence, Twilight,” she said as she ushered her into the suite. “I am glad you feel at least a little bit at home.” Furrypants walked behind them, and closed the door as the three of them stepped into the bedroom.

The bedroom was not as luxurious as Princess Celestia’s, but the wardrobes were of expensive oak, and a huge Saddle Arabian carpet covered the floor. A large fire roared in a simple stone hearth, and on the wall above the large bed hung a pair of finely crafted throwing axes.

Furrypants trotted over to the bed and drew back the fine cotton sheets and heavy woollen blankets, beckoning to Twilight. She wasted no further time in throwing herself onto the thick mattress and snuggling beneath the covers, feeling the warmth that the two reindeer’s body heat had left in them. “I feel warmer already,” she said, giggling and making herself comfortable.

“The pleasure is all ours, princess,” said Storm Crow as she slipped between the covers. Twilight turned to face her, and was once again transfixed by the reindeer queen’s purple eyes. “I’ve never met anyone with magic as powerful and fascinating as yours,” the queen continued, meeting Twilight’s gaze steadily.

Twilight felt Furrypants climb into bed behind her, and the chill of the Deerheim night was quickly driven away by the warm bulk of the two reindeer. She sighed contently as she listened to Storm Crow. “I hope I can show you more of it while I’m here, then, your majesty. And I’d love to learn more about your magic, too. I know a lot about magic, but visions and prophecy are unusual among unicorns.”

Storm Crow reached up and brushed her hoof against Twilight’s mane. “We will share our knowledge in good time, my comrade in learning. For now, let us be glad that fate has brought us together.”

Twilight smiled and closed her eyes as the queen stroked her hair. “I’m so glad I came to Deerheim,” she murmured, relaxing the way she would when Rarity would brush and groom her mane. “I’ll admit that I was scared at first, but you’ve been such wonderful hosts.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a guest like you, princess,” whispered Furrypants in her ear. The reindeer king pressed his body up against Twilight’s back, and wrapped a powerful leg around her barrel, drawing them close together. She felt his antlers brushing against her mane, and a slight tingle went through her body as they made contact with her horn.

Twilight laughed nervously and bit her lip. “Well, this is, um, cosy,” she said, then opened her eyes when she felt a warmth against her neck. Storm Crow was pressing her muzzle against Twilight’s neck, trailing kisses over her coat. “Okay, maybe I’ve, uh… I don’t mean to be rude, but – ”

She cut off abruptly when she felt something hard pressing against her rump, something that definitely wasn’t Furrypants’s leg or hoof. She gave out a panicked yelp and vanished in a burst of purple light.




Twilight stood outside the bedroom door, shivering from the sudden change in temperature. It’s okay, Twilight, she said to herself, as she calmed her breathing the way Princess Cadance once taught her. Nothing disastrous is happening, the reindeer just… thought that I wanted to… they had a very different reason for inviting me to bed than I thought. That’s okay! That’s a thing that people do, and it’s okay.

She steeled her nerves and knocked on the door, which was opened immediately by Furrypants. Storm Crow was sitting up in bed, looking at Twilight with concern.

Twilight cleared her throat awkwardly and focused her gaze on Furrypants’s face. “Hi, uh, your majesty… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disappear like that, I was just…”

“Startled?” asked Furrypants, bowing his head to Twilight. “No, it is we who should apologize, princess. We shouldn’t have been so forward with a guest, especially an ambassador on her first night in Deerheim. I’ll have House-Proud show you back to your room.”

Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. “No, it’s okay,” she said, giving the reindeer couple an awkward but genuine smile. “I’m not upset or offended or anything. We just had… different ideas of what was going on! And that’s… that’s normal…”

She trailed off as her eyes travelled down Furrypants’s body and were inevitably drawn between his legs. She had seen erect stallions before, of course, but in Ponyville, the custom was to look away politely and pretend not to have seen anything. Furrypants’s erection was much more difficult for her to ignore, not least because she had felt it against her rump a few minutes earlier.

She flared her wings awkwardly and forced her gaze away, looking at Storm Crow instead. “I’d actually like to stay anyway, if that’s alright? Just to sleep and be warm and in good company. We’re friends, right? At least, I want to be your friend, that’s why I’m here and all…”

Storm Crow gave her a gentle smile and beckoned her towards the bed. “Of course, princess. How could we not be friends? Come to bed and we’ll both behave ourselves, I promise.”

Twilight chuckled as she slid into bed with the two reindeer, who both turned their backs to her, letting her share their warmth. She made herself comfortable, nestling her head into the pillow and stretching out her legs.

“I should have asked sooner, princess,” said Furrypants. “Are you promised to another?”

“Huh? Me? Oh, uh… no. Not exactly. I mean, there is somepony who…” Twilight paused for a moment, thinking about her relationship with Flash Sentry. There was definitely something between them in Canterlot High, and she supposed that she would feel jealous if he started dating someone else, but a relationship between them just didn’t make any sense, when they lived in literally different worlds. And she had hardly said two words to the Flash Sentry working for her brother in the Crystal Empire. She had vague plans of pursuing a relationship with him – and had harboured fantasies of being with him in a very similar situation to this one – but her studies and her duties kept her from visiting the Crystal Empire very often, and when she did, spending time with her brother and her pegasister-in-law was more important.

“Not really, no,” she finished. “There’s somepony I might be, um, courting, but he lives a long way away and we’re not actually dating or anything.”

The three of them lapsed into a comfortable silence, enjoying one another’s quiet warmth and company. Twilight closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep, but her heart was still racing. Nobody had ever propositioned her so… intimately before. She had been asked on dates at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but of course she had turned them down without a second thought, just as with any other offers of friendship. A few stallions had expressed a vague interest in dating her in Ponyville, but nothing had ever come of it. And while she had danced with Flash Sentry at the Canterlot High Fall Formal…

Well, there was a big difference between that and being caught between a bloodthirsty warrior buck and his mystical queen, who had both been ready to make love to her without any further preamble.

She didn’t mind, really, now that she was calm enough to consider it. They did things differently in Deerheim, and it was her mission to understand those differences and find the common ground between reindeer and ponies that could put a stop to the raids on northern Equestria. Furrypants’s and Storm Crow’s advances had been very unexpected, but they had stopped as soon as Twilight had made her discomfort known. She couldn’t ask for more than that.

Twilight opened her eyes and watched Furrypants, seeing his shoulders rise and fall as he dozed. The antlers adorning his head were a truly impressive sight, and having seen Blood Eagle’s magic at work, she wondered just how powerful the king was. Powerful enough to break through one of her brother’s shields, or deflect her own strongest spells? Powerful enough to challenge Princess Celestia?

The thought made her shiver a little, and she cautiously reached out a hoof to brush against the reindeer king’s flank. Powerful muscles sat beneath the thick layer of fur and fat that protected him from the cold air. She shuffled a little closer to him and draped her leg over his chest, burying her muzzle against his neck. His scent was overpowering, like a stallion wearing too much aftershave, but it spoke of his strength and power in a way that mere words never could. Being so close to such a powerful creature, but one who wasn’t a danger to her or her friends, was… intoxicating.

She tilted her head and pressed her horn against Furrypants’s antlers, conjuring a tiny spark of magic. As she expected, the spark danced across the many points of his antlers before sinking into the velvet, disappearing without a trace. The king gave a low, throaty chuckle. “Testing my power, are you, princess?” he asked, placing his hoof over hers and cradling it against his chest.

“Maybe just a little bit,” she admitted, blushing. She felt his hoof moving up and down her leg, and she cuddled closer to him, enjoying his warm, muscular bulk. “When I fought Blood Eagle, I could feel his antlers absorbing and deflecting my magic, but I got around them, and I think I could have just broken through if I’d tried. With you, I don’t know if I could. I… I don’t know if anypony could.”

Furrypants rolled over to face Twilight, a wide grin on his face. “I have always wanted to raid Canterlot, to test my strength against the most powerful ponies alive. My name would live forever in the epics of my people if I became known as the great reindeer who broke through Shining Armor’s shields and withstood the wrath of the Princess of the Sun.” He chuckled as he slipped a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders. “Or the foolish reindeer who challenged the Sun and lost. Either way, it would be a tale for the ages.”

Twilight shivered again at the thought of Furrypants standing up to Celestia’s magic. “I’d… rather you not raid Canterlot, actually. There are a lot of really nice ponies there, and I wouldn’t want them to get hurt.” She brushed her horn gently against the side of Furrypants’s face. “But I’d love to try my magic against yours while I’m here. It would be a great, um, learning experience.”

Furrypants tilted his head to brush his antlers against her horn again, eliciting a shiver from both of them as their magics flared. He met her gaze, his bright blue eyes fixed on her intently. “Every moment with you is a learning experience, Twilight Sparkle,” he said, his voice low and inviting.

Twilight swallowed hard, her mouth feeling as dry as a desert. She felt her pulse pounding in her ears as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

Furrypants curled a second leg around her body and drew them closer together, and she felt the fur of his chest warm against her own. His mouth opened and his tongue brushed against her lips. Hesitantly at first, she opened her own mouth and took his tongue between her lips, sucking on it gently. Her hooves moved up and down his back, tracing out his muscles as they rippled with each movement of his legs.

After what seemed like hours, she broke the kiss, and panted heavily as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart was still pounding frantically, and she gazed at Furrypants in wonder as she tried to process what she had just done. Their bodies were still pressed together tightly, and she could feel his erection pressing hard against her stomach. She opened her mouth, but found herself at a loss for words.

Gentle hooves stroked her back, and a soft voice whispered in her ear. “He’s really something, isn’t he, princess?” said Storm Crow, as she nestled in close to Twilight’s back. “He has that effect on most does.”

“And mares,” Twilight murmured, relaxing a little as Storm Crow broke the tension between her and Furrypants. She planted a soft kiss on the leg that was draped across her shoulders. “That was wonderful, your majesty…”

“Just Furrypants is fine… Twilight?” At Twilight’s nod, Furrypants smiled and caressed her cheek. 

“It was wonderful.” He nudged her shoulder and nodded towards Storm Crow. “I think my wife wants some time with you. Go on, I’m not about to vanish.”

Twilight giggled. “Unlike me, you mean?” She leaned forward and kissed Furrypants’s cheek, then rolled onto her right flank to face Storm Crow. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she pursed her lips nervously. “Hey, uh… it’s okay that I kissed your husband, right? Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m even saying that, I would never kiss somepony else’s husband, I’m so sorry, what was I –”

Storm Crow silenced Twilight with a kiss of her own.

Twilight felt Storm Crow’s front legs settle firmly around her shoulders as their lips met. The queen’s scent was not as overpowering as the king’s, and was suggestive of a different sort of power from his, a power born of insight and wisdom, not raw might. It reminded her of the sensation of being around Zecora, with her aura of magic and hidden knowledge.

Storm Crow's lips were gentle but insistent, moving against Twilight's with a quiet intensity. Their eyes never left each other's, and Twilight's heart skipped a beat when she felt one of Storm Crow's hind legs moving between her own. As their bodies twined together, Twilight pressed her tongue against the queen's lips, and was rewarded by feeling them part for her. Her tongue flicked over Storm Crow's teeth inquisitively until she met it with her own.

By the time Storm Crow broke the kiss, Twilight found herself gasping for breath. She rubbed her legs against hers and grinned nervously. "I... guess you don't mind, then?"

Storm Crow laughed merrily, still gazing at Twilight with her bright purple eyes. "You would not be the first lover we shared, Twilight," she murmured, stroking the pony's shoulder with a front hoof, "although there have not been many. And I care little for how Furrypants spends his time on his voyages. He is loyal to me and he obeys me in my castle, and that is all I ask of him."

Furrypants cuddled closer to Twilight, resting his chin on her shoulder. "If my queen hadn't been so fascinated with you, I would have had to beg her to let me court you," he said, chuckling softly. "It would have driven me mad if she had refused, to watch you walk these halls and be forbidden from offering you my bed. But her word is law in this castle."

The reindeer's ways continued to surprise Twilight, and she doubted she would have had the same attitude towards a spouse of her own, but it clearly worked for this couple. "That's... rather beautiful, actually," she said, with a touch of wonder in her voice. "I think you are two very lucky reindeer, to have such a strong marriage, and to have each other."

"We are lucky," agreed Storm Crow. She shifted her leg deeper between Twilight's hind legs, and began to move it slowly back and forth. "But we would be even luckier if we had you."

Twilight let out a sharp gasp as she felt Storm Crow's fur brushing against her labia. She bit down hard on her lip, and she squeezed her legs together, trapping the queen's leg between them. "Oh... oh my," was all she managed to get out. Her left wing curled out to its full reach, and she felt her right twitching, straining against the mattress underneath it.

Storm Crow smiled sweetly and looked deep into Twilight's eyes again. "Too much, my little pony?" she asked, her tone playful, but she halted her movements for the moment. Furrypants remained silent, running his hooves sensually over Twilight's back and rump.

Twilight shook her head and slowly drew her legs apart again. "No, it's good... it's so good," she said, managing to catch her breath. "It's so much better than... than..."

"A solo voyage?" suggested Furrypants wickedly. He drew his wide tongue along the underside of her muzzle, while Storm Crow resumed stroking her intimately.

Twilight began to blush brightly through her coat. "Yeah, that," she admitted. She masturbated as much as any mare - so she presumed - but this felt so different, there was simply no comparing the two sensations. She closed her eyes for a moment, relaxing against Furrypants's embrace, moving her legs wider for Storm Crow's attentions.

Storm Crow drew her leg back with tantalizing slowness, and the tips of her fur glistened with moisture. "I think you're ready for my husband now, Twilight," she murmured in her ear. "If this is what you want. It's not too late to say no."

Twilight shook her head. "No! I mean, yes. I mean... I want this." An almost manic laugh escaped her lips. "I want this so badly! You're both so amazing, and I never want this night to end..."

Furrypants placed one front hoof on her right shoulder and the other on her exposed left flank, just 
above her outstretched wing. He gently guided her hind legs to form a right angle to her body, as if she were standing, and pressed his body closely against hers.

Twilight's chest heaved with short, nervous breaths, and her eyes were beginning to water. Storm Crow looked concerned, but Twilight shook her head. "It's okay, I'm not crying, I'm just excited... and nervous, I guess... is this going to hurt?"

Storm Crow leaned forward and kissed Twilight's lips softly. "Maybe a little, dear princess," she admitted. "My husband has never been called a gentle reindeer. But we will take care of you, that I promise."

"I've never been with a pony before, either, so I don't know how this will turn out," said Furrypants. "But that makes it another learning experience! Are you ready?"

Twilight took a deep breath, then nodded.

Furrypants gripped Twilight's shoulder and flank tightly with his front hooves, and pressed forward with his lower body. She felt his body shifting against hers, and his hard shaft probing along her rump and legs, until it found its way between her labia.

She whinnied at the unexpected rush of pleasure as Furrypants thrust into her, pressing the tight muscles of her passage apart. He moved slowly at first, and she gradually grew accustomed to feeling him inside her, in a place that had been hers alone until this night. She gazed at Storm Crow raptly, tears still welling in her eyes, but her mouth bore an expression of simple delight.

Storm Crow stroked her cheek and neck soothingly. "You're doing well, love," she whispered. "Just relax and enjoy it. You don't need to do anything else." She put a hoof over the one Furrypants had laid on her flank, balancing his forceful might with her gentle patience.

Furrypants gave a deep grunt and tightened his grip on Twilight as he pushed himself deeper into her. He began to breathe more heavily, throwing his full reindeer might into his thrusts. A pale blue light began to shimmer along his antlers, flaring with every thrust.

Twilight let out a cry of pain, and wrapped her front legs tightly around Storm Crow's barrel. "Don't stop!" she whimpered, gazing up at the queen desperately. "Don't let him stop, please, it's so good..."

Storm Crow pressed Twilight's head against her chest, burying her muzzle in her fur. "He won't, I promise," she assured her. She stroked the back of Twilight's head with her hooves, kissing her neck over and over again.

Furrypants pressed his hooves painfully hard into Twilight's shoulder and flank, and was rewarded by a frantic fluttering of her wing. He locked his powerful jaws onto the back of her mane, letting out a lowing cry of possessiveness and lust. He drove himself into her body ever harder, his fur pressing firmly against her rump, his breath coming in hot, rapid gasps against her neck.

Twilight squirmed against the powerful jaws and hooves holding her, and as Furrypants yanked her head roughly from Storm Crow's grasp, a long, drawn-out whinny escaped her lips. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her hips shook violently, her body spasming against the king. She clutched Storm Crow frantically as she whinnied and moaned, and finally collapsed against her with a deep sigh of exhaustion and contentment.

She felt Furrypants thrusting into her for a few more moments before he let out a great grunt and held himself tightly against her for several seconds. His hooves gripped her flanks painfully hard, but she was beyond caring about pain. Soon, she felt him withdrawing from her, and his grip softened, turning to a warm embrace. "Thank you, princess," he whispered in her ear. "Never have I made love to two such incredible creatures."

Storm Crow kissed Twilight's forehead as she settled down into the blankets. "We are beyond honoured to have shared you, Twilight," she murmured.

Twilight tried to think of some way to express her feelings, her gratitude and pleasure and amazement, but nothing seemed right. She merely smiled contentedly to her new lovers as exhaustion dragged into the realm of sweet dreams.

> Words, Runes and Chains
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight snuggled against the furry bodies holding her, feeling their warm legs and breath against her coat. Truly, this was bliss, to be so enveloped and warm in such a cold place. She turned her head and kissed the lover lying next to her, noting that she tasted of cotton and feathers.

Slowly she slipped out of the realm of dreams and realised that she was embracing a pillow. In her half-asleep state, though, she didn't care. She was warm and comfortable and loved.

The royal bed, large as it was, was empty, and sunlight was streaming in from the atrium at a distressingly high angle. As nice as it might be to lie in bed and muse on her new experiences, she had a mission to perform.

As she started to raise her head from the pillows, she heard a polite cough from across the room. She turned and saw House-Proud sitting in a corner, deftly sewing one of Storm Crow's shawls.

"Good morning, Twilight," she said, setting down her work and smiling. "I hope you slept well."

"I don't think I've ever slept like that," Twilight admitted. "This bed is so warm and soft, just what I needed after yesterday." She yawned and stretched out her legs, and immediately regretted it. Her body was stiff from her long journey into the frozen north, the extended flight, and her battle with Blood Eagle. She could feel a pair of bruises on her flanks, too, where Furrypants had gripped her with his hooves while he...

Twilight blushed and curled up under the blankets again. Last night had seemed like such a good idea at the time, but now she had to deal with the rest of the world. House-Proud was Storm Crow's sister - how could she face her after she had had her sister's tongue in her mouth? Slowly, she raised her head and smiled her best innocent smile. "It's so nice of you to look in on me, House-Proud! How are you doing?"

"Well enough," said the maid. "Storm Crow asked me to keep an eye on you. She said you needed your sleep, so she didn't want to wake you herself." She clambered onto the bed, looking at Twilight with concern. "Are you alright? You look like you've had a rough night."

"No! Not rough at all!" Twilight babbled. "I had a very peaceful night! I'm just... stiff from the cold, I guess."

House-Proud poked her muzzle into a bag that was slung over her shoulders, and drew out an odd little charm on a string. Twilight had seen similar charms on Blood Eagle's antlers and in the possession of other reindeer, but this was the first one she had seen up close. "What is that?" she asked House-Proud as she peered closer. "Is that reindeer magic?"

The charm was of a pale material, almost resembling wood, with a darker rim reminiscent of thin bark. On its surface an angular symbol had been burned, most likely with a hot poker. "This is sleighdr," said House-Proud, pronouncing the word with reverence. "Doe magic."

"Doe magic? You mean bucks and does have different magic?"

"Of course we do. Bucks have all their magic in their antlers." She smirked wickedly. "And their brains, if you ask me. You've fought bucks, you know what they can do with their antlers. Well, this is what we can do."

Twilight nodded ruefully. "That was a rude shock. I didn't realise how powerful they could be." She cautiously reached out a hoof to touch the charm. "What is it made of?"

"Why, antler, of course."

Twilight yelped and scrambled away from the charm. "Antler?"

House-Proud raised an eyebrow. "You do know they grow back, right? Bucks shed them every winter and grow new ones in spring?"

Twilight blinked, then gave a sheepish smile. "I, ah, yeah, I did know that. Sorry. It's just that bucks have their magic in their antlers, and, well, unicorns have their magic in their horns. And those don't grow back. Losing my horn would be awful." She lay back down on the bed, and House-Proud slipped the charm around her horn. Immediately her muscles began to relax as if she had taken a long, hot bath. "Oh, that's so good! Forget anything I said about it being creepy."

House-Proud chuckled. "I understand, Twilight. It is perfectly natural for bucks to shed their antlers, and they say it doesn't hurt any more than losing a tooth. They do look very silly in the winter, though, without the antlers that they're so proud of." She looked around the room, then leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to Twilight. "Don't tell anydeer I said this, but I think that when bucks show off their antlers, they're really showing off something else that only bucks have."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Really? I would never have noticed," she deadpanned. "So do bucks just leave their antlers lying around, and does come along and cut them up?"

"Oh, no, there's much more to it than that. Sleighdr works best when the doe has a close connection to the buck whose antlers she's using. My father gave me his first shed after I came of age, which was very kind of him, really. He didn't have to do that."

The less said about Storm Crow and House-Proud's father, the better, Twilight thought. "So it's usually from relatives, then? Fathers and brothers?"

House-Proud nodded. "Or sons, for old does. But it's the most powerful when it comes from a husband. That's the beauty of sleighdr, it binds does and bucks together, even though we're so different. Bucks can't prosper without our magic and wisdom, and we wouldn't be able to survive in Deerheim without their strength."

Twilight pondered this. "That's nice. We don't really have the same division between stallions and mares in Equestria - everypony has the same kinds of magic, and we've got a pretty even mix of stallions and mares in the government and the military and everything. And I certainly don't need a husband, even if I want one someday, I guess." She turned her head to look at House-Proud speculatively. "You're not married, are you, House-Proud? Are you looking for a husband?"

The young doe gave a soft sigh. "No, I'm not married, and I don't care much for romance, but I do envy what my sister has. Such a strong, compassionate, powerful husband, and an entire castle of her own. I love looking after her castle, I really do, and helping her in any way I can, but I can't help but want more out of life. I know she'd buy me a nice cottage somewhere if I asked, and I'm sure Furrypants could find a husband for me, but... is it too much for a doe like me to want to marry a jarl and live in my own castle? Am I just being greedy?"

Twilight raised her head and nuzzled House-Proud gently. "I have a friend just like you, you know. She's always wanted to be a princess, and marry a prince and live in a beautiful castle. It hasn't worked out for her yet - she went on a date with a prince and he was dreadful to her, and the closest she's gotten to living in a castle is being able to visit mine. She's never said that she's envious of me, but I can tell that she is, and I feel awful about it. You shouldn't be ashamed of wanting great things, House-Proud. And who knows? Stranger things have happened - look at me." She flexed her wings, then winced at the pain in her flanks. "Ow. Do you have anything for bruises?"

House-Proud chuckled, and guided Twilight to lie down on her belly. "The rune-charm will help, but for faster results I do have an ointment that always works well for Storm Crow." She produced a small jar from her pouch and started applying it to Twilight's flanks. "Is that the spot?"

Twilight groaned and stretched herself out, letting House-Proud work. "Yes, I've got two bruises right there, how did you know?"

"Oh, Storm Crow gets the same bruises sometimes. They'll go down soon enough."

"Yeah, I guess she would," murmured Twilight. "After all, she..."

Twilight yelped and sprang up into a sitting position, tugging the blankets around her body tightly. "You mean you know? You know how I got those bruises?"

House-Proud backed away from Twilight a little. "I... it's not hard to guess, Twilight. I could see the king's intentions quite clearly last night, and he certainly seemed very proud of himself this morning. And of course I can read her majesty's feelings very well."

Twilight bit her lip and clutched the blankets. "I'm sorry!" she whimpered. "I don't know how it happened, it was all so fast! She's your sister and I don't... I wouldn't..." She bowed her head, sniffling. "Please don't think I'm a terrible pony."

House-Proud paused for a moment, then shuffled forward and wrapped her front legs around Twilight's shoulders. "Twilight, dear Twilight, why would I think any less of you? I haven't seen Storm Crow in this good a mood in weeks. She's so very fond of you."

Twilight hugged House-Proud back gratefully. "You don't think I'm being a... a loose pony? I mean, I always figured that my first time would be... alright, not my wedding night, that's just old-fashioned, but with somepony I've been with for a while. Not someone I just met. I really like your sister, and Furrypants, but the truth is I hardly know them. And they're married, which is... really not something I had planned."

House-Proud stroked Twilight's mane gently. "These things don't always work out the way we expect them to, Twilight. It's all part of life. You... you don't regret it, do you? You can tell me if you did."

Twilight shook her head fiercely. "Not for a moment! It was perfect. Just... please keep this to yourself, would you?"

House-Proud frowned. "That might be a problem. I won't say anything, but... the thing is, they'll love you for it. Furrypants is a living legend, respected by his subjects and feared by his enemies. Being known as his lover will only increase your prestige here in Deerheim. And vice versa - he will have the seduction of Twilight Harmony-Bringer as another tale that the skalds will sing of him." She trailed off when she saw the look of mortification on Twilight's face. "That's... that's not how it works in Equestria, is it?"

"I don't want to be known as someone's conquest!" she wailed. "I don't care how prestigious he is! I don't want anyone thinking about me as a... a pony who... this isn't... I don't want this to be what I'm known for here!"

"It'll be alright, Twilight, I promise," said House-Proud. "It's really not a bad thing. And really, you are renowned for so many deeds that this is hardly going to be the first thing anydeer thinks about when they see you."

Twilight sniffled and slowly dragged herself out of bed. "I guess you're right. I should go and face the music, anyway, however bad it is." She started to walk to the door, then halted. "On second thoughts, I'm going to teleport to my suite and get dressed there. I don't really feel like..."

"Walking out of Furrypants's room in the late morning, without dressing or bathing, with your mane a mess like that? I don't blame you." House-Proud looked speculatively at Twilight, and grinned. "Teleportation is something even the greatest mistresses of sleighdr can't match. If you take me with you, maybe I can help you with your mane?"
 



Twilight stepped out of her suite, clad in her regal cloak and as many layers of clothing as House-Proud could dig out of her saddlebags, but she still felt naked. At this hour of the morning, the castle was filling up with nobles, soldiers and servants, and though they were all going about their business, she could fell their eyes on her, and it made her shudder.

She saw a brawny reindeer buck waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, and almost teleported away before realising that it was Hearth Song. She trotted over to her friend and smiled brightly to him. "I'm so glad to see you," she said. "What are you doing in the castle?"

Hearth Song waved to Twilight in greeting. "Wind Runner needed to see the king to make sure everything was above board with him getting his ship. And to talk about Blood Eagle, actually. It's gonna be... awkward back in Goatland, what with him being your prisoner and all. What do you think Equestria is going to do with him?"

"Well, aside from the attack he just made, we've got plenty of witnesses to his previous raid on Shetland, and his murder of Thunder-Haze. He'll be tried for his crimes, and probably sentenced to prison for a long time, unless he proves that he's no longer a threat to society, in which case he might be released into community service." She sighed heavily. "We don't get many murders in Equestria, so there isn't much legal precedent for what to do with murderers. He is a citizen of another kingdom, though, so we could allow him to be extradited back to Deerheim, if he'll stand trial for his crimes here."

Hearth Song chewed his lip awkwardly. "Yeah, see, the thing is... he hasn't actually committed any crimes under reindeer law. So I guess you wouldn't send him back to us for that. How about a hostage exchange? We might have some ponies we could trade for him."

"I don't think you do. Princess Celestia is pretty diligent about ransoming ponies back when they're captured. I'm pretty sure I'm the only pony in Deerheim right now."

"Right, of course." Hearth Song stared at the floor, shuffling his hooves.

"Hearth Song? What's wrong?"

He looked up at Twilight with an anguished expression. "I've sworn my loyalty to Jarl Blood Eagle, and that means I have to do whatever I can to rescue him. So I'm supposed to try to take you prisoner and exchange you for him, but you're my friend. And you spared my life at Shetland, so that would be dishonourable of me. And you're too strong anyway. What if I agreed to be your slave instead? Or maybe..."

The poor buck looked so miserable that Twilight couldn't help but embrace him tightly. "Oh, Hearth Song, you're such a good reindeer. Your loyalty to Blood Eagle is admirable, even if I don't think he really deserves it. I won't let you be my slave - ponies don't have slaves. If you really want to help him, then help me end the raids. No matter what else, Princess Celestia won't let him go if he's just going to attack our villages again."

Hearth Song looked into Twilight's eyes for several long moments. "I want things to change, Twilight. I do. I don't want to be a killer, especially not of your countryfolk. I just want to marry Fire-Hammer, pay off her reingild and get her back from North Wind, and have a nice little farm or a smithy somewhere, and sing my songs, and raise lots of fawns." He reached down and took her hoof into his, kissing it reverentially. "If you can give me that, your legend will be sung in my family for ten times ten generations to come."

Twilight chuckled weakly. "I'm generally good with 'thank you', but that sounds kinda nice. I hope I can make a difference. And I'll look in on Fire-Hammer while I'm here, and see if there's anything I can do to get her out of her thralldom early. North Wind is the farmer holding her as a thrall?"

"That’s right. Thank you. You really are so kind, and wise. And beautiful. I'm sure that everything the king says about you is true."

Twilight blushed. "He keeps talking about my adventures and all the monsters I've defeated, and it's a bit embarrassing, really..." She noticed Hearth Song's expression and narrowed her eyes. "Wait, what has he been saying about me?"




The throne room was again bustling with nobles, officials and servants when Twilight Sparkle strode in, her crown sitting high atop her regally coiffed mane, her cape billowing in her wake. Reindeer and goats stepped hastily out of her way as she walked down the centre of the room, towards the dais where the king and queen had their thrones.

Furrypants waved aside the reindeer who was petitioning him for a judgement, and rose from his throne. "Ah, the beautiful princess awakens at last!" he exclaimed, stepping up to her and leaning in to kiss her.

Twilight turned her head so that his lips touched her cheek, and a chuckle spread through the court. Furrypants glared at them, then frowned as he looked to Twilight. "Is something the matter, dear princess?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"Yes, something is the matter!" said Twilight sternly. "How could you say those things about me?"

Furrypants blinked. "What things?"

"That I... that my..." stammered Twilight.

A huge reindeer buck, decorated with axes and a mighty pair of antlers, stepped up beside them. "That your hind legs are as strong as a mighty ox's, but part as smoothly as silk curtains? Aye, so he says, and I have no doubt that he speaks truth, mighty heroine." He bowed before Twilight and kissed her unresisting hoof, while she simply stood there, mortified and blushing.

"Ah... that's... I... have we met?" she managed to squeak out.

The warrior buck shook his head, his massive antlers swaying. Twilight thought back to her conversation with House-Proud, and her eyes involuntarily drifted between his hind legs. Sure enough, the buck's penis was as impressive as his antlers and his stature, certainly longer and thicker than Furrypants's, and was proudly erect with no attempt at concealment. Her eyes darted around the court, wondering how many other reindeer were harbouring similar thoughts about her.

"Nay, your highness. I would remember meeting such a legend in the flesh. I am Lightning Hoof, warrior among warriors. I have fought in the personal guard of the Emir of Saddle Arabia and faced a tatzlwurm without flinching. Kings would pay a fortune to have me fight for them, but I would serve you loyally for a year and a day if you served me for but a single night."

Twilight bit her lip as Lightning Hoof spoke, frantically trying to figure out what to say. "That's very... generous of you, sir," she said slowly, trying to keep her breathing under control. "You are most impressive, and I don't doubt that I would enjoy your company, but I... don't really need a bodyguard or anything right now." She gave him her best friendly smile. "I will keep your offer in mind, though."

Lightning Hoof smiled happily and wandered off, and Twilight rounded on Furrypants. "See what you've done? Now everydeer in Reinheim thinks I'm some sort of... I don't know what they think I am, but it's not true!"

Furrypants seemed genuinely surprised by Twilight's anger. "Isn't it? I meant everything I said about you last night. Why don't you want my subjects to hold you in as high regard as I do?"

"That's private!" she hissed. "I'm here to negotiate for Equestria, not to be your kept mare! Look, just... please keep what's between us between us, alright? I..." She leaned closer and softened her tone. "I really enjoyed last night, please don't think for a moment that I didn't, but we do things differently in Equestria, and in Equestria we don't talk about our... sex lives," she finished, barely able to force the words out.

Storm Crow walked up beside Twilight and laid a hoof on her shoulder. "I think perhaps I should take Princess Twilight to see more of Deerheim, husband," she said, her voice as full of wisdom and patience as ever. "If you and she are to come to an accord on the matter of the raids, we will need to understand each other better. I should be about my royal duties anyway, and I would be honoured to have her at my side as I do so."

Furrypants nodded. "Of course, wife. All of Deerheim is open to you, Twilight Harmony-Bringer - may you walk as freely as I do myself. I hope we will dine again together tonight."

Twilight bowed her head to the king. "We shall, your majesty, and it will be my honour."




Twilight and Storm Crow walked side by side along the main street of Deerheim, as the babble of voices and the clatter of hooves resounded around them. Wherever they walked, bucks and does would pause in their tasks to bow to them, and fawns ran alongside them, calling to Storm Crow for blessings or to Twilight for stories about Equestria. Storm Crow spoke kindly to the children and patted their heads, while Twilight told them a little about her life in Ponyville and her friends.

As they began to move on after one such encounter, Storm Crow cocked her head to one side, as if listening to something Twilight couldn't hear. "Wait, Twilight. Bring that young buck over here. Can't you sense it?"

Twilight looked at the rapidly retreating child and his friends. "Sense what? He seemed perfectly normal to me." Without waiting for an answer, though, she took to the air and soared over the crowd, alighting in front of the children. "Excuse me, young one," she said to the fawn in question, who was staring agape at her and her wings. "The queen has asked for you. May I take you to her?"

The fawn nodded eagerly and reached up with a look that Twilight knew well from the foals in Ponyville. She swept him up in her front legs and took to the air, carrying him over the crowd and eliciting a squeal of delight from her passenger, and cries of admiration from onlookers. She deposited him in front of Storm Crow, then stepped back to see what she had in mind.

Storm Crow beckoned the child forward, and reached a hoof into her pouch, drawing out a pair of runes and a ribbon. "Come here, child," she said, gazing at him with her almost hypnotic eyes. "Does your mother know that you're sick?"

The fawn shook his head. "I don't have a mama. I live with papa in the warrior lodge on Glacier Street. He can't do anything about it."

Storm Crow sighed sadly. "The warrior lodges are no place for a fawn your age. Hold still." She wound the ribbon into the fawn's fledgeling antlers, then threaded the two runes onto it. "That should drive the taint from your body. Bring those runes back to me at the castle when you feel better - or keep them for good luck if you like, you know I've got more than I can use."

He giggled and hugged Storm Crow. "You do! I'm going to be just like King Furrypants when I grow up, with the biggest antlers in the world, and the greatest magicians in the world will want to be my doefriends, like you two."

Twilight rolled her eyes and patted the fawn's head before he ran off to play with his friends again. "Bucks really do only have two things on their minds, don't they? Even the little ones." She couldn't help but giggle at the young buck's antics, though. "That was very kind of you. What was wrong with him?"

"I have no idea. I could simply sense that he was sick, and going to get worse without the aid of sleighdr," said Storm Crow as they continued on their walk, passing out of the urban area of Reingard. "Could you truly not sense it yourself?"

Twilight shook her head. "Unicorn magic doesn't work like that. We learn specific spells, and cast them when we decide to cast them. There's some latitude for spontaneous effects - my friend Rarity can sometimes detect gemstones even when she's not trying, and I can usually sense magic being done - but I don't have a sense for anything outside of what I've studied, and I've never really studied medicine. A trained unicorn doctor would have been able to diagnose exactly what was wrong with that boy, but most unicorns wouldn't know where to start."

Storm Crow nodded thoughtfully, and paused to lean against the fence of a farm just outside the city. They had left the crowds behind, and the only reindeer around were occasional travellers, and the tiny specks of farmers working in the distance. "Your magic is very unique to each of you, then, as are your special talents. We don't have those - not the way you do, at least. I am a skilled seer and bringer of blessings, while House-Proud is very talented at domestic magics, but that may be merely the product of our personalities and education. We don't wear our careers on our flanks the way you ponies do." She licked her lips and placed her hoof over Twilight's cutie mark, stroking her flank softly.

Twilight's eyelids fluttered, and she reached her front leg around Storm Crow's neck, drawing closer to her. She held her breath as she once more dared to look into the queen's entrancing eyes, and drew close enough to kiss her.

Her boldness was rewarded when she felt Storm Crow embracing her tenderly, her hoof stroking her mane with smooth, gentle motions. She pressed her tongue against Storm Crow's lips, and was pleasantly surprised when they parted for her, allowing her to explore her mouth and taste her tongue. She took the opportunity to become more intimately familiar with her teeth as well - she was not one to put aside curiosity for the sake of pleasure, not when she could indulge both.

Twilight was quite breathless by the time Storm Crow broke the kiss, and she leant against the fence post as she tried to catch her breath. She smiled at Storm Crow, blushing gently. "I'd been wanting to do that all morning," she admitted. "I wanted to be sure that last night wasn't just a dream."

"So did I, dear Twilight. I see so many things, past, present, future, and things that never were and never shall be. After I left you this morning, I thought that maybe our joining had been another vision, a prophesy of our two people coming together as one. But my husband assured me that our union had been much more literal than that."

Twilight giggled, and brushed her cheek against Storm Crow's. "Of course he's been talking about it all morning, hasn't he? I'm not very angry at him for that, really, it's just... this is all so new to me. I never expected any of this, and it's strange. I feel strange. I should be asking you all about how sleighdr works, and instead I just want to kiss you again. That's not like me!"

Storm Crow walked around behind Twilight and kissed the back of her neck. "Perhaps it is like you, Harmony-Bringer, and you have only just discovered this. Have I mentioned how beautiful your mane is? Even the fairest nannies of Goatland would envy you your hair. Your beauty and your conquests will live in our people's stories, whether you wish it or not." She drew her tongue sensually across Twilight's ear, and the young mare whickered in awkward delight. "But I shall not be the one who tells the tale. Now come with me and I shall show you sleighdr, for there will be time for other lessons after your princess brings the day to a close."

Twilight fell silent as she followed Storm Crow, wondering what Princess Celestia would think of her new experiences. She hadn't even told her about Flash Sentry, although she suspected that Princess Cadance had filled her in on her crush. And what would her friends think? This wasn't a topic for gentle teasing such as Rarity had subjected her to over Flash, it was much more serious than that.

Storm Crow walked down the road that led north from Reingard, occasionally stopping to test the wind or put her nose against the soil of a farm. "What are you doing?" asked Twilight. "Is there something wrong with the soil?"

The queen swept a hoof to encompass the farm. To Twilight's eyes, it wasn't great farmland, although better than she had seen in Shetland. A few reindeer and a goat were tending the farm, with a sturdy buck pulling a plough and the others planting seeds. In the distance, Twilight could see trellises covered with grape vines, and an abundance of flowers warned of the likely presence of bees.

"The land and sky are not favouring these farmers. It is planting season, and yet the bounty of the soil does not rise forth to envelop their seeds and give strength to their trees. The clouds promise snow, not the gentle rain and sunshine they need to prosper. We shall prevail upon these forces to turn their more beneficent faces to my subjects."

Storm Crow strode out into the middle of the field. The workers bowed as she passed, then returned to their tasks, although Twilight noticed their attentions drifting in the queen's direction as they worked. Storm Crow walked around the field as if threading an invisible maze, then folded her legs underneath her and sat just west of the field's centre, surrounded by a pile of wheat husks. Twilight sat near her, giving her enough space to... do whatever it was she was doing.

As Twilight watched, the queen shook her bag of runes and drew them out one by one, casting them onto the ground. She recognised a few of the runes from Storm Crow's previous workings, and also one that was similar to the one still looped around her horn, but the others were unfamiliar. Storm Crow hummed under her breath as she dropped the runes in an arc around her, then pushed them around with her hooves.

Twilight's horn glowed as she sensed the powerful magic Storm Crow was harnessing, and yet she couldn't see anything happening. An odd sensation made her look down at the earth, and while it definitely wasn't moving, it felt different against her hooves. As Storm Crow chanted and cast her runes, she felt a simple, strong power welling up beneath her, like the power she felt when she walked across Sweet Apple Acres during Zap Apple harvest. The wheat husks around Storm Crow shivered and disintegrated, their fragments sinking into the ground.

Twilight felt a cool breeze whipping her mane around, and she looked up into the sky. The thick clouds that had been threatening to snow on the farm were blowing away, to reveal a sunny sky, with but a few wisps hanging on, alongside a single large, grey cloud. The workers had all halted in their chores by now, and were watching Storm Crow with reverence and admiration.

Finally Storm Crow dug a shallow hole in the ground and placed one of her runes in it, speaking softly in an unfamiliar tongue as she covered it over. She held out her hooves, and Twilight helped her to stand, then caught her up with her magic when she suddenly stumbled. "Are you alright?" she asked, moving to support her with her shoulder.

Storm Crow leaned gratefully against Twilight. "I am. It was a tough fight this time - I was not expecting such resistance from the spirits who wish us ill." She chuckled softly and kissed Twilight's cheek. "Perhaps it is your presence that enrages them so, Harmony-Bringer."

"Evil spirits?" wondered Twilight. "What sort of evil spirits?"

"It is difficult to say. Cloud gremlins, perhaps - they delight in bringing clouds to spread misery. Or a nixie lurking just off the shore. The creature who beset us in Deerheim are not all ones we can fight with axe and antler." She shrugged. "But fight them we do, together, and together we survive another day."

"I can see that every day is a trial here. We have our fair share of monsters in Equestria, but they don't bother our farms too often. My friend Rainbow Dash drove away the cloud gremlins around Ponyville last year. We had a kelpie trying to build a dam on our river once, but that was resolved with no trouble at all, really."

Storm Crow bowed her head to a middle-aged doe who had come out from the farmhouse, and was now kneeling before them. "Many thanks, your highnesses. I did not know what would become of my farm if those spirits were not driven away. Will you take bread and mead from my hearth?"

Twilight smiled brightly. "Oh, there's no need for -" She felt a sharp nudge in the ribs from Storm Crow's front hoof. "I mean, of course we will! It would be our honour."

"I am just sorry that we could not drive away all of the evil clouds, dear Sunshine Hay. Your crops are vital to Reingard's economy and health, and you deserve the best protection the crown can offer."

"Oh, you mean that cloud? Gosh, I can take care of that. Just a moment." Twilight shook out her wings from under her cloak, and took to the air. She swooped past the cloud and felt the malevolence radiating from it, confirming Storm Crow's report, and it made her shiver. Still, evil spirits or not, clouds were clouds, and a pony didn't take flying lessons from Rainbow Dash without learning a thing or two about clouds.

She tussled with the cloud briefly, as it seemed possessed of a will of its own - or the will of something else. In the end, it took her unicorn magic as well as her pegasus weather manipulation powers to drag it from its position in the sky and wrestle it to the ground, whereupon she levitated a large rock and beat it until it had dissipated into vapour.

After a lunch which rivalled the hospitality of the Apple Family, Storm Crow and Twilight took off down the road again, with content hearts and bellies. After the third farm, each owned by a doe who insisted on rewarding their efforts with lunch, Twilight started to notice a pattern. "You seem to know all of these does. I guess you do this a lot? And how come all of these farms are owned by does, anyway? I've seen bucks working on the land, but never in charge." She bit her lip and continued in a small voice. "And I'm worried about how much of the food we ate was grown and cooked by thralls."

Storm Crow leaned over and kissed Twilight's forehead. "I know you don't have thralls in Equestria, dear princess. I do wonder how your kingdom deals with criminals, then, but I'm sure you have your ways. Yes, this is a regular duty of mine in spring. The king defends the kingdom, and the queen blesses it. Most landowners have the skill in sleighdr to coax the land into bringing forth its bounty, but sometimes they need a little help, and so I am called. And who else would own farms? Bucks?"

"Well, yeah. Why not?"

Storm Crow seemed genuinely surprised at the idea. "But of course a buck couldn't own a farm! A buck's magic is no use outside of battle. They wouldn't be able to bless the land properly. Sleighdr is does' magic. It would be like a unicorn or a pegasus trying to run a farm in Equestria. Besides, it's against the law."

Twilight nodded thoughtfully. "The magic is important, yes. I couldn't even grow a flower garden in my front yard before I became an alicorn... wait, it's illegal for bucks to own land? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? Land is the most important thing to be passed on from parent to child. The properties of a doe are split among her daughters when she dies. When a buck dies, who can say who his fawns were?"

Twilight blinked slowly. "Uh, the same as his wife's, right? I mean, unless one of them had fawns from a previous marriage, I guess, or..." She trailed off as she realised the implication. "Oh. Well... Equestria isn't like that! Mares don't go around having sex with other people's husbands!"

Storm Crow raised an eyebrow. "They don't?"

Twilight blushed a bright crimson and stared at the ground. "I don't make a habit of it, you know. And when these things happen in Equestria, the courts figure it out. We don't just make it illegal for stallions to own land, so it's easier to figure out who inherits it."

Storm Crow stepped closer to Twilight and ran her nose against her mane. "You are welcome to my husband, Twilight - you make him so happy. But you must remember that we are not like your people. The bucks fight and rule, the does work their magic and manage the land. Our laws and the power of sleighdr keep us in balance. The oldest tales say that things were not always so."

Twilight closed her eyes and leaned into Storm Crow's caresses. "I should read more of your stories and your history. We've never had that problem in Equestria. A long time ago the three pony tribes were in conflict, but not mares and stallions."

"Then let us pray that your harmony and ours both survive for centuries to come." She pressed her lips against Twilight's in a gentle kiss, then released her. "Come, I still have many farms to visit. North Wind is expecting me before dusk, and there will be more to visit tomorrow."

"North Wind? That's the farmer who holds my friend Hearth Song's fiancée’s thrall contract. You know where she lives?"

Storm Crow nodded sagely. "I do. I think it will be good for you to meet her. Let us make haste while the sun still shines."




North Wind's farm was smaller than some of the others they had tended, but it was abuzz with activity. Twilight left Storm Crow to work her magic on the soil, noting that the weather around this particular farm was already perfect for agriculture, providing just the right amount of sunshine and rain. While the queen worked, Twilight wandered into the farmhouse, in search of North Wind and Fire-Hammer.

As she crossed the threshold into the house, she was almost bowled over by an energetic fawn running past her. She skidded to a halt and looked up at her in surprise. "You're a pony!" she exclaimed.

Twilight gave the child her warmest smile. "I am, little one. I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, and I'm looking for North Wind. Do you know where I can find her?"

The fawn nodded eagerly. "That's my mamma. She's prob'ly in the kitchen, getting dinner ready for everydeer. Just down the hall."

Twilight patted the fawn's head and trotted along the hallway, rehearsing in her mind how she was going to broach the subject of Fire-Hammer's thralldom. It was difficult to be mindful of the reindeer's culture when it came to such abhorrent practices, but she knew she wasn't going to make any friends by being aggressive.

She poked her head into the kitchen and gasped in surprise. There was no sign of the reindeer who owned the farm, but a pegasus mare with brown patches on her white coat was standing at the counter, chopping up vegetables and throwing them into a pot of water.

Twilight quickly checked that the hall was empty, then cast a spell to dampen sound leaving the kitchen. She stepped inside and rushed to the pegasus's side. "It's okay, you're safe now," she assured her. "I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, and I'm here to rescue you."

The pegasus mare blinked slowly. "Rescue me?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes, from North Wind. You're her slave, right? I knew she had reindeer thralls, but I thought Princess Celestia had rescued all of the pony slaves from Deerheim already. Well, don't worry, I'll get you out of here. I've got enough money to buy your freedom from North Wind, and if she doesn't want to let you go, I'll get the king to put some pressure on her. You won't have to spend another day in this awful place, working for that wicked reindeer."

The pegasus stared at Twilight blankly for a moment, then snapped out her wing and struck her in the face with great force. "How dare  you come into my house and speak to me like that?"

Twilight shrank back, startled. "Your house? But... but you're a..." She looked down at the pegasus's flank, which was decorated with an image of an icy wind blowing from a glacier. "You're North Wind?"

"That's right! And when you're in my house, you'll..." She sighed and walked over to a large kettle sitting by the fire. "You'll sit down and have a cup of tea. Be welcome at my hearth, blah blah bah, make yourself at home."

Twilight found a seat and tried to make herself look small. "I'm sorry, it just never occurred to me... how can a pony live in Deerheim, and own a farm? And thralls?"

North Wind bustled about the kitchen, and soon sat down opposite Twilight with two mugs of tea. "You really want the whole story? Fine. You're not far wrong - I was a slave when I came here. I'm from the Pinto clan. We lived on the Cat Peninsula, in the far north-east of Equestria. My clan doesn't have much to do with the rest of Equestria, and I didn't have much to do with my clan, either. I had my farm where I grew wheat and turnips, and my nearest neighbour was an earth pony who owned a farm a day's walk away. I traded my crops for supplies and a few creature comforts, and sometimes didn't see another pony for months at a time. And that was the way I liked it."

Twilight sipped her tea as she listened to the story. "You sound like a pony I used to know," she mused quietly.

"It was late autumn when Furrypants and his bucks came in their longboat. They must have known when the Pinto harvest festival was, because they came the day after I came home from it. I'd sold most of my crops and traded them for spices, tools, warm clothes and gold, all nice and portable. Easy pickings for the king and his warriors."

"Furrypants himself came for you? No wonder you were captured. Did you fight him?"

North Wind snorted. "Of course I fought him. I had to face my fair share of monsters trying to wreck my farm, and he was no different. For all the good it did me, though. I had a nice big storm cloud I'd been saving for just such a fight, and the lightning bolt I bucked out of it should have laid him on his back for hours." She shook her head and chuckled. "It went straight into his antlers, didn't even singe his fur. I still had my spear, but it was five against one. Pretty soon, I was bridled and hobbled and on my way to be sold in Reingard, alongside all the loot they took from my land."

"I'm so sorry to hear all that. What happened next? Who bought you?"

"A farmer called Lucerne. You've probably met her daughter, Sunshine Hay. She owned all of the farmland around here, and she didn't waste any time in putting me to work pushing clouds and pulling a plough."

"That must have been awful... they work slaves so hard."

North Wind shook her head. "Compared to running my own farm in Equestria? It wasn't so different. Up before dawn, get the day's weather sorted out, head down to the fields, plant or harvest or whatever needs doing, break for lunch, push some more clouds around until dusk, cook dinner, fix clothes and do woodwork maintenance until bed. They weren't working me any harder than I was on my own. Only difference was, I couldn't leave, and I had a dozen reindeer thralls and free workers next to me."

"But they didn't mistreat you?"

North Wind fixed Twilight with a stern gaze. "You mean was I beaten? Mutilated? Raped? No. Nothing like that. They were good reindeer, and to them I was just another worker. One who wasn't allowed to quit, but still one of them. Lucerne gave me good food and clean blankets to sleep in, and she didn't let visitors mistreat me either. And after a few years... I guess everydeer just forgot I was supposed to be a slave."

"That's... nice of her, I guess," Twilight conceded. "But why didn't Princess Celestia buy your freedom? Doesn't she do that for everypony who gets captured?"

"As soon as she found out, sure. Nopony realised I was missing for months. That's what happens when you live right on the edge of society like I did. And apparently when it occurred to the Pinto chief to look for me, my farm was so overrun with weeds that he figured I might have just abandoned it and wandered off. It was three years before the clan decided I'd actually been abducted, and got in touch with the princess. She showed up on Lucerne's doorstep with a bag of gold, but by then I was free in all but name. I told her this was my home now, and she accepted that. Gave me the money anyway, though, to apologize for letting me be taken in the first place.

"Lucerne died a few months after that, and in her will, she left me part of her farm - the part you're standing on now. And that made me a free pony, too. With this land and the money from Princess Celestia, I made a pretty good start for myself, and it made me a pretty eligible mare, too." She chuckled, looking around the kitchen. "Plenty of bucks wanted me. Mostly just for my money and land, but there was this one buck who'd been sniffing around me when I was a slave. Lucerne made him keep his distance, because she didn't want anydeer taking advantage of me, but when she died, he was the first to go down on his knees to me. Turns out he didn't just want a pony slave to stick his dick in, he wanted a wife, and he'd loved me since the first day he met me."

Twilight sighed happily. "That's so sweet. And now you're married, and you have a fawn - I met her on the way in, she's very cute." A horrid thought suddenly crossed Twilight's mind. "Wait... reindeer and ponies can't breed, can they?" Her gaze darted around the room shiftily. "I'm asking for a friend."

North Star laughed sharply. "Don't worry, princess, you won't be bringing any royal bastards home with you. My husband sired her on Sunshine Hay, which was very considerate of her. We've both had our wills certified by Storm Crow, so that she'll inherit my land and not Sunshine Hay's, which is what would normally happen, of course." She pursed her lips speculatively. "You didn't happen to bring a stallion with you, did you?" she asked. "I know my daughter would love to have a pegasus for a little brother."

"Er, no, but I'll mention the offer to some of the pegasus stallions I know in Ponyville. It sounds like you've made a good life for yourself here, so that's... nice. But, uh, I'm here to talk about Fire-Hammer, your thrall."

North Wind took a sip of her tea. "What about her? She's a hard worker, very good at sleighdr, and she's... oh." She rolled her eyes. "Did Hearth Song send you? Unless you've got six hundred bells in your saddlebags, she's not leaving anytime soon."

"But why?" asked Twilight plaintively. "Can't you see how much he loves her?"

North Wind put her hoof to her chest and made a mock gasp. "Love? Oh, well, that's different. How could I possibly care about the hundreds and hundreds of bells I spent on buying her, and all the time and money I spend looking after her every day, and the sleighdr I can't run this farm without, compared to love? Why should she have to serve the sentence for her crime when there's a buck who loves her? I'll let her go right away."

Twilight brightened up. "Really?"

"No! I paid good money for her, and I'm not going to let her go just because of one love-struck buck. She can work off her debt like anydeer else."

"But can't you see that this is wrong? I know the reindeer have their laws and their traditions, but we ponies know better. Slavery is wrong."

North Wind snarled softly. "She's not a slave, she's a thrall. It's more like indentured servitude than anything else."

"That's still wrong! Celestia outlawed indentured servitude eight hundred years ago!"

North Wind rose to her hooves and started pacing around the kitchen. "Look, let's get one thing straight. I have a lot of respect for Celestia, but she's not my princess anymore. King Furrypants is my liege. Maybe that makes me a traitor to Equestria. Maybe that means I'm really a reindeer on the inside, and maybe I always was. But I live by Deerheim's laws and traditions now, and in Deerheim, this is how reindeer pay for their crimes. If I just let her go, that's making a mockery of justice."

As her rant wound down, she sighed and looked into Twilight's eyes. "I remember what being a slave was like. I know how lucky I was to have a kind, honourable mistress like Lucerne. Thralls and slaves both have legal protections and rights, but there are still reindeer who abuse them. I don't. Fire-Hammer and my other thralls are looked after as well as anydeer could hope to be. I value her contribution to my farm. And when she or her boyfriend or whoever else has raised enough money to cover her reingild, I'll let her go, but not a moment sooner. I took a risk in buying her contract, and it wasn't cheap, and if I don't recoup my losses on each of my thralls, it'll jeopardize my future, and my husband's, and my daughter's.

"That's how it is in Deerheim, princess. The ground is hard and so is life. I didn't care for anypony in Equestria, and now I have a family, and I've learned some important lessons about friendship. I'll always stand by my family and my comrades, but right now, that means making my thralls work until their debts are paid. You have to understand that."

Twilight bowed her head. "I understand. Hearth Song will get you the money one way or another, I know he will. Do you think maybe I can talk to Fire-Hammer while I'm here? She'll want to know that Hearth Song is thinking of her."

North Star shrugged. "Sure, as long as this isn't a trick to let the two of them be alone together. I know what'll happen if I turn my back on them, and I've got no use for a pregnant thrall. Go ahead, she'll be in the smithy at this hour."




Twilight noticed the smithy by the glow emanating from its door as the sun went down, and stepped inside. It was a small workshop, with a furnace and a single anvil. A tall, broad doe was using a hammer to pound on a ploughshare that glowed a dull red. She wore a thick apron and an patch over one eye, and an iron torc around her neck. When she noticed Twilight, she set down her hammer and thrust the ploughshare into a barrel of oil, where it hissed angrily.

The doe walked towards Twilight and kneeled before her, bowing her head. "Good evening, your highness," she greeted her. "How may I assist you? You are a friend of Mistress North Wind?"

Twilight smiled awkwardly. "Please, get up. My name's Twilight Sparkle, and North Wind and I aren't friends, exactly."

The prostrate doe quickly stood up and brushed herself off, her demeanour changing immediately. "Oh good. I hate having to play nice for North Wind's guests." She extended her hoof for Twilight to shake. "Name's Fire-Hammer. We don't get many ponies here, mostly just slaves, and they don't stay long. Were you looking for me, then?"

Twilight nodded. "I wanted to see if I could convince North Wind to let you go, but no such luck. I never thought a pony would do something as awful as own thralls."

"That's very nice of you to try, for a reindeer you've never met... unless Hearth Song sent you?" At Twilight's eager nod, she grinned blissfully. "I love him so much! He's never going to stop trying to get me out of my thraldom. Last autumn he sent me a hundred jinglers to help pay my debt. That was all the loot he'd earned in the raids last year. Anydeer else would have spent that money on mead, whores or equipment. How do you know him?"

They settled down onto a blanket near the furnace, and Fire-Hammer worked on some jewellery while they talked. "He was in the crew of a raiding ship that attacked Shetland Island while I was there. I took Blood Eagle prisoner, and Wind Runner and Hearth Song sailed me to Reingard."

Fire-Hammer blinked, then laughed uproariously. "You captured Blood Eagle? Hah! How humiliating, to be taken prisoner by a pony!" She coughed and smiled apologetically. "Uh, not that ponies aren't good warriors or anything. I've seen the Mistress fight, with her spear and her magic horseshoes, and she's more than a match for the average buck."

"No offense taken. North Wind has magic horseshoes?" Twilight asked with interest.

"Yep. Made them myself. I put just the right mix of metals into the iron, and carved the right runes into them while they were still hot, and now she can kick through a stone wall with them, or charge them up with lightning from a thunderstorm. I'd offer to make you a set, or send Hearth Song some enchanted armour, but I'm not allowed to take time off my duties."

"No wonder she doesn't want to let you go, if you've got that kind of magic. I wish there were something I could do. Six hundred bells is about four thousand bits, and that's nearly my whole life savings. I could talk to Princess Celestia about it when I get back to Equestria..."

Fire-Hammer shook her head. "Don't beggar yourself on my account, Twilight Sparkle. Hearth Song will have me free in a few years. I'll manage. I just wish I'd never met the damned Jarl of Trotlag."

"He's the reindeer you owe the reingild to?"

"Yeah. Well, his next of kin, anyway."

"Next of..." Twilight shrank back, startled. "You mean you killed him?"

Fire-Hammer blinked. "Uh, yeah. What did you think reingild meant? Reindeer-gold. Well, antler-gold, literally, but it applies to does too. It's the gold you owe for killing a reindeer."

Twilight began to have second thoughts about helping Fire-Hammer, but really, she had yet to meet a reindeer who hadn't killed someone, in all likelihood. "What happened? Was it self-defence or something?"

"Nah, it was stupid. He commissioned me to make him an enchanted throwing axe for fifty jinglers. I made it to his precise specifications - it was a good piece of work. I was proud of it. But when he came to collect it, he said it wasn't worth fifty jinglers. I said it was. He said I wasn't even worth fifty jinglers. So I hit him with my hammer. I wasn't going to take that sort of insult lying down! Only the most useless, incompetent slave would sell for fifty jinglers." She rolled her eyes. "And that's how the Jarl of Trotlag died. I didn't mean to kill him, but I didn't cry at his funeral."

Twilight sat silently for a few moments as she processed this. "Well... I hope you've learned your lesson. I'll help you if I can, though. What's done is done, and you still shouldn't have to live like this."

Fire-Hammer nodded. "Thanks, I appreciate it. If I think of anything, I'll... hmm. Actually, there is something you can do for me, and it won't cost you any gold." She rummaged around on her workbench, and drew out an antler charm on a fine silver chain. "I really want to see Hearth Song again, and he wants to see me, but North Wind doesn't want us spending time together alone, and he's always out sailing, and I'm always working..."

Twilight grasped the charm carefully with her magic and brought it close to her eyes. The strokes of a rune was etched onto each side of the slice of antler with incredible precision, and her horn tingled as it approached. "What's this?"

"One face has gebo, the rune of giving, of generosity and the transfer of power. The other has my personal bind-rune. If you wear that, and activate it with a drop of your own magic, then I'll be able to see what you see, hear what you hear, and feel what you feel, and also speak and act through you."

Twilight shivered. "Like being possessed by a spirit?"

"Sort of. Not quite. Think of it as two reindeer trying to steer the same wagon. You would feel my thoughts and emotions, and say the things I want to say, but you'd still be in control."

"That... doesn't sound too bad. As long as I can end the effect any time I want. So you want me to activate this and do... what, exactly?"

Fire-Hammer smiled eagerly. "Just visit Heart Song and tell him that I love him. And... well... whatever else happens between you, I'll feel it, and it will mean a lot to me."

Twilight swallowed hard, imagining just what this encounter might entail. "Well... okay, I'll do it. Anything to help you and Hearth Song." She slipped the chain around her neck and felt the charm tingling against her coat.

"Thank you, Twilight Harmony-Bringer. I can see why Hearth Song befriended you so swiftly. May you find all that you seek in our land."




The moon was high in the sky by the time Twilight returned to Reingard. Storm Crow had chosen to stay as North Wind's guest for the night, so that she could resume her duties more easily in the morning. The wink she gave Twilight suggested that she had other reasons for being out of the way for Twilight's second night in the castle, though.

Right now, Twilight stood outside one of the warrior lodges in Reingard, where Wind Runner and Hearth Song were staying. Now that she understood Deerheim's property laws, it was no wonder that so many unmarried warriors lived together in these lodges, nor that Wind Runner was so eager to be married even with no romantic interest in does.

She knocked on the door, and a young buck opened it. He took one look at her and yelled over his shoulder, "Hey, Wind Runner! It's your girlfriend!" He grinned at Twilight. "He won't stop talking about you."

The buck yelped as Wind Runner kicked him in the rump and shoved him aside. "Shut up!" Wind Runner yelled. "Show some respect to the princess." He stepped forward and hugged Twilight warmly. "It's good to see you again. What brings you to the Fortress of Masculinity?"

Twilight looked past Wind Runner, to see about a dozen warrior bucks drinking, gambling, or butting heads with each other. The musky scent of adult bucks hung thickly in the air. "Gosh, you're not kidding, are you? It's good to see you too, but I was hoping to talk to Hearth Song. In private, if that's at all possible?"

Wind Runner smiled. "You're in luck. I've got the best room in this place - which is to say, I've got the only room. I'll make sure you've got some space."

Twilight followed Wind Runner into the lodge, and looked around at the rows of bunks lining each wall. The lodge was clean and well-appointed, but crowded and almost completely lacking in privacy. Several bucks stopped and watched her as she walked towards the opposite door, and a couple started to make what Twilight was certain were lewd comments before Wind Runner stared them down.

"Storm Crow and I ran into a fawn who said he lived with his father in a place like this," she said as they walked. "She said it wasn't any place to bring up a fawn."

"She's probably right. I know a few bucks who had to bring up sons in the warrior lodges. It makes them good warriors, but it's no life for a fawn. It doesn't happen often, though."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Wind Runner looked at Twilight and cocked his head to one side. "Because a doe's much more likely to lose her husband than the other way around, of course. We do most of the fighting and the raiding. Some does join their husbands on voyages, but it's not common." He open the door to his private room and made a brief effort to tidy up old plates and misplaced blankets. "That reminds me - I got Shield-Biter to stop drinking, at least for today. I hope you don't hold his behaviour yesterday against him. He hasn't been the same since his wife died, and he has to look after two fawns by himself."

Twilight frowned. "Poor guy. So he wanted to buy a housekeeper and fawnsitter, then? That's... better than what I thought he had in mind, I guess. But slavery is still wrong." She smirked suddenly. "And I'm worth way more than fifty jinglers."

Wind Runner tilted his head to point behind Twilight, and she turned around to see Hearth Song approaching. She ran to him and threw her front legs around his shoulders. "Hearth Song! I'm so glad you're here. I got to talk to Fire-Hammer and North Wind."

Hearth Song nuzzled Twilight's cheek softly as he embraced her in return. "Isn't Fire-Hammer amazing? You can see why I just have to marry her, can't you?" He bit his lip nervously. "Did you get anywhere with North Wind?"

Twilight shook her head sadly. "I've never met a more stubborn pony, and I've met most of the Apple family. But she let me talk to her, at least, and she gave me something that you might find interesting. Can we... talk in private?" she said, canting her head towards Wind Runner's room.

"Uh, sure," said Hearth Song, following Twilight into the room and closing the door. "What is it?" He peered at the rune around Twilight's neck. "That's Fire-Hammer's magic, isn't it? I'd know it anywhere."

Twilight nodded, suddenly very nervous. She had run over the possibilities in her mind on the way back to town, and come to the conclusion that she was comfortable with the consequences of what she was about to do, but that didn't still her nerves. She stared at the floor and channelled a tiny burst of magic into the rune, then looked up at Hearth Song, the reindeer she was in love with.

He looked just as beautiful as he had the first day she met him, two years ago, when Blood Eagle's crew had tried to sell North Wind a captive yak as a slave. He had been standing in one of the fields, declaiming his poetry to an audience of the wind and the birds, when she came across him. They were an odd couple - she was the aggressive one, and he the artist - but somehow they knew they were right for each other. If she had not been bound by the chains of reingild, she would have left the farm with him that very day.

"Hearth Song," she whispered, stepping close to him and bringing a hoof gently to his face. "It's been too long since we've been together. My heart aches every time I hear you've left port on another raid. I'm always afraid you won't come back this time."

Hearth Song wrapped his front legs around Twilight's shoulders before he realised what was happening. "Fire-Hammer? Twilight, you... you sound just like her..."

Twilight giggled softly. "I am her, love. And also me. I'm using my magic to speak through her, and touch you through her." She rubbed her neck against his, revelling in his scent. "I've missed you, beloved."

Hearth Song brought his hoof up to stroke Twilight's mane, murmuring in contentment. "It is you, my darling. Being apart from you was unbearable, but I knew you would find a way to bring us together again. Your words are like sunshine after a thousand winters."

Twilight suddenly snorted, trying not to laugh. "I'm sorry, Hearth Song... that's very sweet, really. I've never had anypony speak love poetry to me before." She drew her muzzle along his neck, nuzzling him tenderly. "But I like it. We both do."

She ran her tongue along his neck, tasting the musk and sweat clinging to his coat, then along his jaw. She pressed her lips against his mouth and kissed him, hesitantly at first, but with more force as her heart swelled with passion for him.

Hearth Song wrapped his front legs tightly around Twilight's shoulders, returning the kiss with nervous energy. He gave a start when he felt Twilight's tongue forcing its way into his mouth, and fell backwards onto the bed, dragging her with him.

Twilight grinned happily as the kiss was broken, and she stood over him on the bed, looking down at him in rapture. "Damn, I've been waiting too long for that," she muttered, then looked shocked and held her hoof over her mouth. "I mean... oh my gosh, I've been..."

Hearth Song reached up and stroked Twilight's coat, gazing at her with eyes of love. "You always had a foul mouth, O fire of my heart, and I love you all the more for it. You’re making Twilight blush, though."

A lock of mane fell in front of Twilight's face as she looked away bashfully for a moment, but she quickly turned back to the reindeer beneath her, and bent down to stroke her horn against his antlers. Once again she felt as if her magic was threatening to burst out through her horn and escape, and a tingle ran through her scalp and neck and down her spine, making her wings flare out.

"I don't think I have very much blush left in me, sweetie," she murmured, allowing a tiny stream of sparks to escape her horn and jump into his antlers as she drew her head back. "I don't think modesty is a thing that exists in Deerheim."

"You're not wrong there. Life's too short to hide your victories or your passions. I'm glad you're getting into the spirit of life here." He ran his hoof along Twilight's barrel, caressing her soft purple coat. "Fire-Hammer, I had no idea your magic was capable of something like this. It feels so good to be with you again."

Twilight leaned close to Hearth Song's ear and lowered her voice to a sultry whisper. "It could feel a lot better," she told him as she bent her left hind leg, bringing her thigh up against his crotch to brush against his erection.

Hearth Song gasped and shuddered, and a drop of thick white liquid burst from the tip of his cock and clung to Twilight's coat. "Are... are you sure?" he asked, looking up at her in wonder and trepidation.

Twilight gazed deeply into Hearth Song's beautiful blue eyes, and nodded sincerely. "I've wanted this since we first met, Hearth Song. If we wait until we can be together in person, who knows how long that will be? I don't want to be a maiden for the rest of my thraldom, and it's time I made a buck out of you too."

He reached towards her, but hesitated again. "What about Twilight?"

Twilight tossed her mane nonchalantly. "I know what I'm doing," she assured him, although she felt more like the blind leading the blind. "I want to do something nice for you and Fire-Hammer, and..." She smirked as she stroked Hearth Song's cock again, feeling its warm girth against her leg. "And maybe I want to spite North Wind while I'm at it. But I... right now I love you more than I've ever loved anyone, and I know those are Fire-Hammer's feelings, not mine, but even so... well, you've always been kind to me, and there are much worse reindeer I could be with. I'm not going to regret this."

Hearth Song tilted his head and brushed his antlers against Twilight's shoulder, caressing her with his soft velvet while she stroked him. "Oh, Fire-Hammer, we're going to be together soon, I just know it. I won't rest until I... I... ah... oh no..."

He bit his lip as his cock pulsed and sprayed its load over his barrel and Twilight's leg. Twilight whinnied and jerked away in surprise. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know that could happen!"

Hearth Song looked downcast. "I know I'm not half the buck that the king is, Twilight. You deserve a much better lover than I can be."

Twilight shook her head fiercely and levitated a handkerchief from her saddlebags, dabbing carefully at Hearth Song's coat. "I don't want Furrypants right now, I want you. And Fire-Hammer wants you. That's all that matters." She eased herself down onto the bed and draped her legs across him, cuddling close and feeling his warmth. "Furrypants talks about what an amazing lover I am, but I know he's just making it up. I had no idea what I was doing last night, and I still don't, not really."

Hearth Song nestled against her, drawing her close and running a hoof along her wing carefully. "It's no wonder you're the Princess of Friendship, Twilight. You know just what to say to make me feel good about myself. And not many people would help us out like this."

"I'll never forget what she's done for us," said Twilight, feeling Fire-Hammer speaking through her again. "I can survive another ten years of thraldom knowing that I have your love. Now come on," she chided, wrapping her hind legs around one of his and drawing it in between them. "Show me what you want to do to me when I'm free."

Hearth Song gave an aggressive grunt as he slid his leg between Twilight's, grazing her labia with the soft pad of his hoof. Twilight gasped in surprise and spread her legs wider, pushing her hips towards him. "Oh, I like that," she murmured, closing her eyes. "Your hooves are so soft."

"You're lucky it's spring," he replied as he stroked her, eliciting a shiver and a trace of moisture from her slit. "In the winter they turn hard again, to walk on the snow and ice."

"That's really interesting!" she said brightly, ever the eager scholar. "And speaking of turning hard again..." She looked down at his crotch, glad to see that his erection was slowly growing again. "Take your time, beloved. No need to rush, and I'm really enjoying this."

Hearth Song kissed her neck and shoulders, and ran his tongue along her outstretched wing, coughing and spluttering as one downy feather came loose in his mouth. "Blech. That was a lot more sensual when I imagined it."

Twilight giggled, rolling onto her back and letting Hearth Song stroke her labia with the smooth fur of his fetlock. "When you imagined it just now, dear?" she smirked. "Or have you been wanting to fuck our little pony for a while now?"

They both blushed, Twilight from the language that was coming out of her mouth, and Hearth Song from shame. "She's not beautiful the same way you are, beloved," he assured her hurriedly. "And everydeer at court this morning was talking about her..."

"I'm teasing, sweetheart. You're allowed to say that she's beautiful, and if you ever want to have her again, that's up to her. I know that not even Storm Crow or the Sun Princess could steal you away from me."

Hearth Song sat up on the bed, breathing heavily, and gazed into Twilight's eyes. "I love you so much, Fire-Hammer. I would live on nothing but lichen and water if I had your love to sustain me."

Twilight kissed Hearth-Song's lips briefly but fiercely, and then clambered off the bed to stand on the floor, her hind legs set apart and her reddened labia signalling invitingly to him. "Then show me," she urged him, and her horn lit up, lifting him by his hooves and placing him atop her, his front hooves settling upon her shoulders.

Hearth Song shifted his weight onto his front legs and nudged his hips up against Twilight. "Is this right?" he hazarded.

"Ow! Lower. Have you been taking lessons from Wind Runner?" They both shifted their hips until Twilight felt the long-overdue sensation of a thick shaft pressing between her lips, probing the soft flesh of her passage.

Hearth Song grunted as he began to thrust in earnest, holding himself close to upright against Twilight's shoulders, his cock buried deep inside her and his balls slapping against her legs. Twilight tossed her mane as she whinnied in pleasure, calling him Fire-Hammer's pet names and urging him on with language she would never have used by herself.

He lowered his head and barrel closer to Twilight's body as he sought to touch deeper places inside her, and was rewarded with a sharp whinny of delight. His breath was hot against her ears, and she felt a trail of saliva against the back of her neck that might have bothered her once, but not tonight. She felt the muscles in her vagina twitching against his shaft, and tried to flex them around him, but she had no idea if he even noticed or not.

She could feel her fluids beginning to flow as his cock pulsed and thrust inside her, with a feeling as though she were a dam that was about to burst. It suddenly occurred to her that she had felt the same way when her horn had touched his antlers, and she knew she would never be able to separate the two sensations again. She let out a long, whickering cry as the dam finally gave way. Her pent-up arousal overwhelmed her senses as her passage twitched and ran wet, and a stream of magic escaped her horn. She was dimly aware of Hearth Song tightening his grip on her shoulders and ramming his hips roughly up against hers, fixing himself firmly in place as his cock pulsed and shot his seed deep inside her.

(Miles away to the north, a reindeer thrall paused in the midst of her chores and stuffed her hoof into her mouth to keep from crying out as a powerful orgasm overwhelmed her body. She gingerly shuffled off to bathe before anydeer noticed the change in her scent.)

Hearth Song clutched Twilight tightly until their orgasms were both spent, and they collapsed onto the bed together. Twilight brushed her nose tenderly against his neck, feeling Fire-Hammer's magic leaving her spirit.

"That was incredible," Hearth Song murmured, tilting his head back for Twilight's caresses. "I had no idea sex felt like that."

"It's so different with someone I'm in love with," Twilight mused. "I wanted to feel every inch of your skin against mine. I was so desperate to have you in any way I could." She hummed to herself for a moment. "I kind of want to keep you for myself now."

Hearth-Song chuckled. "Really?"

"Not really, no. You and Fire-Hammer make such a good couple. I might have just the teensiest tiniest crush on you, though.”

“That’s an odd thing to hear you say when you were promising me we’d spend the rest of our lives together just a minute ago,” he said, batting at a stray strand of her mane. “I will never understand the mysteries of sleighdr. My life with Fire-Hammer will not be a boring one.”

“You will be very happy together, I know it. I’m just glad to be playing some small part in helping things work out for you.”

“And we are very fortunate to have your assistance. And I am fortunate to have had you.” He planted a gentle kiss on her lips, touching her hooves with his. “Are you sure King Furrypants isn’t going to be angry at me for this? I really don’t want to be on his bad side.”

“Let me handle Furrypants,” Twilight admonished him, sitting up in bed. “If he doesn’t like me having other lovers, I’ll make sure he takes it up with me, not you. Besides, I haven’t promised him anything except that I’d have dinner with him tonight.” She blinked, then jumped out of the bed and started levitating her clothes and saddlebags around her in a frenzy. “Oh my gosh, I wasn’t keeping track of time! I hope I’m not too late. Sorry I have to rush off!”

Hearth Song watched her gather her things, staying out of her way. “It’s alright. You’re here as an ambassador, of course you have to spent time at the castle. I’ll see you again before you go back to Equestria, though, won’t I?”

“Of course you will. I won’t leave without saying goodbye to my new friends.” Twilight threw her saddlebags and cloak onto her back, then leaned down to kiss Hearth Song’s cheek. “Oh, and one last thing? Please, please please please don’t talk to anydeer else about this? It’s hard enough having everydeer talking about me and Furrypants, and I don’t even know how to start explaining… this.”

Hearth Song looked hurt for a moment, but nodded. “Alright, I can do that. Good luck with the king.”

Twilight kissed him again, then lit up her horn and vanished in a purple flash.
> Dragon Slayer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight appeared in the hallway between the kitchen and dining hall of the royal castle, and placed a hoof against the wall to steady herself as she caught her bearings. Servants were filing out of the kitchen with trays and platters balanced on their backs. Twilight started making her way gingerly towards the dining hall when she spotted House-Proud emerging from it.

"House-Proud!" she exclaimed, rushing over to her urgently. "Has dinner started yet? I promised the king I'd be here for it."

"They're just sitting down to eat now, Twilight," said House-Proud, her nose twitching. "Are you sure you don't want a bath first?"

"No time!" cried Twilight. "I can't be tardy for the king!" She nuzzled the maid's cheek swiftly, then trotted into the dining hall, straightening out her crown and her cape. As predicted, the king and about a dozen courtiers and nobles were settling into their seats, with Furrypants occupying a large, comfortable chair at the head of the table. The seat at his right hoof was vacant, and when he saw her, he bowed and held out the chair to her.

"Ah, Princess Twilight! I was afraid my queen had roped you into blessing farms and pushing clouds all night. Your reputation for diligence precedes you. Come, you must sit in her place while she is about her duties." He kissed Twilight's hoof, politely and chastely, as he guided her to her seat.

"Thank you, your majesty. I'm sorry I'm so late." She sat down gratefully, and looked around the table. Immediately to her right was a goat clothed in bright red silk, and beyond him was the warrior Lightning Hoof, who gave her a hearty smile as she made herself comfortable.

"Not at all! Storm Crow wanted you to meet our subjects and experience our kingdom, and you have been busy." He sniffed the air near her, and broke out into a broad grin. "Very busy indeed."

Twilight blushed and looked down at the plate of hay and vegetables in front of her. "I was working hard," she admitted. "I'm probably still sweaty from cloud-busting over the northern farms."

A low chuckle spread around the diners at that, and a young buck across the table from her gestured at her with a carrot. "If my wife 'worked' as hard as you do, princess, I'd have three more sons by now."

Twilight shrank back from the table as the buck's comment elicited raucous laughter from the others. "W-what do you mean by that?" she demanded in a shaky voice.

The goat at her right leaned in close to Twilight and murmured softly in her ear. "He means that you stink of a buck's musk and seed, dear. It's obvious to everydeer that you've claimed a new lover."

"It is?" squeaked Twilight. She looked around at the table, and saw that all of the reindeer who weren't currently stuffing their faces were grinning or leering at her suggestively. "I didn't realise... please don't look at me like that, everydeer..."

"What's to be ashamed of?" asked the buck who had spoken earlier. "At this rate, you'll soon bring an alliance between our kingdoms by enthralling us all with your mesmerizing qui-"

The table shook as Furrypants slammed his front hooves down upon it. "There will be no more talk of Princess Twilight's sex life at this table," he demanded, snorting angrily. "Anydeer who brings it up again won't be able to please a mare or a doe ever again, do I make myself clear?"

The buck nodded meekly. "Yes, your majesty. My apologies, your highness."

"No harm done, I guess," mumbled Twilight, nodding to the buck.

"Besides," said the goat in red, leaning forward across the table, "why talk about her when you could talk about me? I'm the best mount any of you have ever had, and I dare you to say otherwise."

"That you are, Silk-Beard," said Lightning Hoof, running one hoof along the goat's shoulder. Twilight realised that she had mistaken the goat for a billy, but the silk garment she wore could only be described as a dress, and her voice was high and lilting. "Nodeer could compete with you."

Twilight smiled at Silk-Beard, grateful for the distraction, as, indeed, the conversation around the table had turned to the goat lady's beauty and sexual prowess. "Thank you. That was so embarrassing. Are you Lightning Hoof's wife?"

Lightning Hoof let out a bark of laughter. "Hah! No, I'll never settle down, and Silk-Beard isn't the marrying kind."

Silk-Beard nudged Twilight and grinned. "That's his way of saying that I'm a whore, dear princess. Or a courtesan, if you like, and the best one in all the isles. Oh, don't look so shocked, my little pony. I've been to court in Canterlot, and I know I wasn't the only paid companion there."

Twilight blushed some more, but at least now she wasn't the centre of attention. "I, uh... yeah, I guess I always suspected a few of the mares in Canterlot of... that. Not that there's anything wrong with that!" she added, sincerely. "It's just... you know..."

"Not your cup of tea? Of course." Silk-Beard took Twilight's hoof in hers and squeezed it gently. "I like to be talked about. You, maybe not so much. I'll keep these bucks off your back."

"Because we'll be on hers instead!" interjected another buck. Silk-Beard laughed and winked at Twilight, who couldn't help but giggle, finding herself able to relax a little.

"You can't afford me, darling," she shot back. "And Lightning Hoof has me for tonight anyway."

"Then I'll fight him for you!"

"Go ahead - seeing him gore another buck to death always gets me wet." She patted Lightning Hoof's thigh, and the other buck laughed nervously and turned back to his food.

Furrypants suddenly clapped his hooves together. "Skald!" he cried, and a colourfully-dressed buck trotted over from among the servants. "We have a guest from foreign lands tonight. Give us the story of Dragon-Slayer!"

A hush came across the dining hall as the skald began his tale, in a poetic cadence that was strange and enthralling to Twilight's ears. The image of the legendary warrior buck Dragon-Slayer grew in her mind's eye as he told the epic tale. As she picked at the last scraps of her meal and sipped cautiously from a cup of mead, she heard how Dragon-Slayer rose from humble origins to be the saviour of a reindeer kingdom from the depredations of the ferocious dragon Fluffnir, and had been rewarded with a princess's hoof in marriage, and then inheritance of the kingdom.

There was no magic in the skald's performance, and yet Twilight could see the story as clearly as if a unicorn had projected the images onto the wall. She squirmed a little in her seat, and placed her front hooves in the laps of Furrypants and Silk-Beard, when the tale moved on to Dragon-Slayer's seduction of the goddess Hross-Sunna. The name was unfamiliar to Twilight, but the skald's words painted a luscious and erotic picture of Dragon-Slayer's conquest, as he fulfilled the challenges Hross-Sunna set before him, and then mounted her triumphantly, claiming this beautiful, white-furred goddess as his lover.

Furrypants stroked her hoof sensually as the story reached its climax and culminated in Dragon-Slayer's tragic end. The skald completed his performance and bowed to the assembled nobles, who stomped their hooves in rapturous applause. Twilight joined them, a little chagrined to have been so aroused by a story with so many other people around, but she couldn't help but show her appreciation. Lightning Hoof and Silk-Beard stole away soon afterwards, their intentions obvious, but not before Silk-Beard gave Twilight a gentle hug and an assurance of future friendship.

Twilight lingered behind with a few other nobles, talking about the history and legends of the reindeer. The heroes they held in esteem were, again, a study in contradictions to Twilight's sense of morals - the same hero might be celebrated in one tale for saving a reindeer island from a horrible monster, then praised in another for slaying an entire army of camels and bringing their females back to the kingdom as slaves, or for killing a dozen bucks who were courting the same doe as he. No hero ever turned against his family, though, nor betrayed their subjects, and Twilight knew her friends would approve of that, at least.

Furrypants disappeared in the middle of one of these stories, pausing only to kiss Twilight's cheek. She was grateful for not being seen to be leaving with him, even if the entire court knew of their affair. Not long afterwards, she had retired to her own suite and cast off her regalia, and was stretching her wings and pacing around her bedroom, trying to decide what to do.

If she really wanted everydeer to stop talking about her sex life, the only sure solution was to stop having sex. But that went against everything she had learned from her friends in Ponyville. How could she tell Fluttershy to pursue her love of singing, if a little gossip could stop her from embracing something that she enjoyed?

She flopped down on the bed and closed her eyes, and the images of Dragon-Slayer and Hross-Sunna came unbidden to her mind's eye again. She rolled over and placed one of her front fetlocks between her hind legs, rubbing her own slit firmly as she saw the mighty hero mounting the mysterious goddess. It had barely been three hours since she and Hearth Song had made love, and yet she knew she was eager for another ride.

Twilight indulged her fantasy for a few minutes longer, then clambered to her hooves. Dragon-Slayer and Hross-Sunna were all very well, but Furrypants was flesh and blood and antler and right here in the castle, and all she had to do was walk out into the hall and to the royal chambers and take him.

She poked her head out of the door, then ducked back in when she saw a servant walking past with a pile of blankets. Sighing, and cursing her own cowardice, she gathered her magic and teleported straight into Furrypants's bedroom.





Twilight barely had time to regain her balance before something slammed her into a wall with brutal force. She struggled and tried to charge her horn with magic, but she was firmly trapped, and her magic would not answer her.

"Twilight?"

As Twilight's senses came back to her, she realised that Furrypants had trapped her between his antlers and the wall behind her. She relaxed, knowing that she wasn't under attack, but that did nothing to extricate her from his antlers.

"Furrypants! Hi. Could you, uh, let me go, please?" She bit her lip as the thought of being completely at Furrypants's mercy aroused some strange feelings deep inside her loins, but now really wasn't the time.

The reindeer king leaned backwards and braced his hooves against the wall, but was unable to move his antlers. "Uh... I think I'm stuck. I'm sorry, I thought you were some sort of assassin or monster. It wouldn't have been the first time. Can you teleport or levitate me or something?"

Twilight shook her head. "I can't cast anything when I'm trapped in your antlers like this. I mean... maybe if I tried really, really hard... but then I might hurt you. Or myself. Or the castle."

Furrypants chuckled. "Only the mighty Harmony-Bringer would worry about accidentally damaging an entire castle. Best not to risk it, you're right." He twisted his body around and barely managed to snag a bell-pull with a hind hoof.

A few minutes later, House-Proud trotted into the bedroom. "How can I help, your majes...ty?" She took in the scene, while Twilight blushed and Furrypants had the decency to look a little awkward. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"My antlers have gotten us into a bit of trouble, that's all. Would you give me a hoof?"

House-Proud pursed her lips, evidently trying not to laugh or smirk. "Of course, your majesty. I know it can be hard to keep your antlers under control." She carefully hooked a hoof into one branch of the king's antlers, and managed to ease them out of the wooden wall, where they had left a rather deep gouge.

Furrypants shook a hoof at her in mock anger. "You're lucky you're my sister-in-law, or I'd send you to polish the Ghostly Glacier for your impertinence. With a toothbrush." He touched her shoulder gently and smiled. "Thank you."

House-Proud bowed her head to him and smiled at them both. "Glad to be of assistance. I'll be just down the hall if you need me again."

Furrypants closed the door behind House-Proud, and slowly turned to face Twilight. "Now, princess, what can I do for -"

He was cut off when Twilight slipped a hoof between his antlers and dragged his head towards her, plastering her mouth against his in a fierce kiss.

His surprise only lasted a fraction of a second, and soon Twilight felt his leg curling behind her neck, drawing them together. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and brushed against his, tasting the lingering aftertaste of hay and vegetables. She edged closer to him, nudging her bodies together gently as she held the kiss.

After several long moments, Twilight broke free and gasped for air, leaning heavily against Furrypants. She smiled blissfully, taking in his bright blue eyes and strong features.

"I was starting to worry you had lost interest in me, dear Twilight," he murmured, running his hoof along her back. "That your new lover had stolen your heart."

Twilight brushed her cheek against his. "Never, Furrypants. I've been thinking about last night a lot, and I want more of it." She giggled and drew her tongue along the curve of his jaw. "I want you to mount me like Dragon-Slayer mounted Hross-Sunna. I've never heard a story told so vividly, so... erotically."

Furrypants laughed and walked around behind her. "Books are a rare commodity in Deerheim, as are the reindeer who know how to read them. A talented skald is worth his weight in gold, and can drag his audience into the depths of terror or the heights of passion." He lowered his head and sniffed between her legs, eliciting a surprised yelp from Twilight. "Getting started without me, were you?" he teased her. "Tell me, is Hross-Sunna as beautiful as the sagas make her out to be?"

Twilight blinked. "You're asking me? I'd never heard of her before tonight."

"Isn't she your liege? The one you write your letters to?"

"No, that's..." A horrible realization stole upon Twilight as she thought back to a primer on the old reindeer language she had skimmed on the train. "Hross-Sunna... horse of the sun... I was clopping to Princess Celestia?" She threw herself onto Furrypants's bed and covered her head with pillows to muffle her shrieks of horror.

She felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder as Furrypants settled onto the bed next to her. "Surely you didn't think she was a maiden, after so many centuries."

"I guess not," admitted Twilight, still whimpering. "Sometimes I wish she had a coltfriend or a marefriend to help her relax. But she's like a mother to me! I... I just..."

"You can't handle thinking of her as a sexual creature."

Twilight made a muffled grunt of agreement from beneath the pillow.

"I think maybe you can't handle thinking of yourself as a sexual creature, either."

Twilight threw the pillow aside and blinked up at Furrypants. "Huh?"

Furrypants gazed down at her, a gentle but serious expression on his face. "You're an eager lover to me, and you've made another conquest since this morning, and yet a little court gossip makes you hide your head under your wing. You're not ashamed of your adventures, or you wouldn't be here now, but you don't know how to think about yourself anymore. You know all about Twilight the great magician, Twilight the master scholar, Twilight the Princess of Friendship, Twilight the mighty hero... but now you need to deal with Twilight the mare who loves reindeer cock, and you don't know who she is."

Twilight sighed softy as she listened to Furrypants. "You're right. I'm scared. Not of you or Hearth Song, or of the bucks who keep looking at me the way they do, but of myself. I feel like I'm not going to be the same pony when I go home, and that's scary. And everypony is going to look at me differently, too, and I really don't know how to handle that. It's like becoming a princess all over again, without the wings."

"I don't know what your pony friends will say about you," he admitted. "But you are held in high esteem here, and my respect for you has only grown deeper now that I know your body as well as your legend." He chuckled as he stroked her mane. "Hearth Song? Really? Blood Eagle's little poet?"

Twilight grinned sheepishly. "It's a long story. It was kind of a favour for his fiancée, Fire-Hammer." She peered up at him and raised an eyebrow. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"Jealous? Hah! Who would I ever be jealous of? No, I just wondered how a timid buck like him could hold your interest."

Twilight rolled over onto her back and batted at Furrypants's chest. "If you're fishing for compliments, then yes, you're a much better lover than he is." She started to relax, finding that discussing her sex life with her lover was easier than she had expected. "But he's sweet, and clever, and very devoted to her. And we had an emotional connection that was... different from what you and I have." She licked her lips and lit up her horn, focusing on the king's furry white trousers. "But he didn't have your strength, or experience, or confidence, or... this!"

She tugged at the trousers with her magic, expecting to bare Furrypants's crotch dramatically as she spoke her last word, but her magical grip slid off them as if she were trying to grip a glass wall with her hooves. She stuck out her tongue and concentrated, but they were still impervious to her levitation spell. In frustration, she fired a stun bolt at Furrypants's rump, and it merely bounced off his pants and struck the wall with a dull thud.

"You have magic-proof pants too?" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

Furrypants chuckled and bent his head to kiss the tip of her horn. "The skalds could have told you about that, dear princess. When I journeyed north to fight the great ice serpent, I slew and skinned a polar bear, then waded through the runoff of the Ghostly Glacier to impregnate the fur with magical ice. Since then, they have been impervious to most magic, and proof against most blows, too." He turned his back to her and wiggled his rump, showing off the article in question. "You didn't think I was named for my fashion sense, did you?"

"I was wondering, yeah," said Twilight as she knelt down behind him, working at the ties of his trousers with her teeth and hooves. Slowly they came undone, and she took the hem in her teeth and slowly dragged it off his body. As she had hoped, he was already quite erect, and she briefly observed that his cock was much longer and thicker than Hearth Song's, although still not quite as impressive as Lightning Hoof's. She slid her fetlock between his hind legs and rubbed his crotch, feeling her coat brushing against his shaft and balls.

"Now that is nice," murmured Furrypants, setting his legs a little further apart for her. "I like this new confidence in you."

"Oh, I'm just getting started," Twilight replied, projecting much more confidence than she felt. Still, she had had two lovers - three, counting the queen - and nothing disastrous had happened, so why shouldn't she enjoy herself? "I do have a trick I've been dying to try out..."

Furrypants looked over his shoulder at her. "Intriguing. Make it quick, though, before I run out of patience and mount you against my bedside table."

Twilight chuckled and eased herself down onto her back, then edged between his legs, looking up at his belly. From this vantage point, she could examine every inch of his genitals, and they looked more comical than anything else. She carefully raised her head and ran her tongue along the length of his cock, feeling the texture of his bare skin.

Furrypants gave out a shudder and a groan. "Oh, Twilight... what new sorcery is this?" He shifted his hooves and tried to look under his barrel to get a glimpse of her at work.

"Just a little something I saw in a magazine once. I didn't think about it much at the time, but I figured that if I ever got the chance..." She moved her head carefully, lapping her tongue against the head of his cock, and tasting a tiny bead of his semen. The taste almost made her gag, but she hadn't precisely expected it to taste like vanilla ice cream, and so she held her composure and kept working on him with her tongue.

Furrypants began a gentle lowing, soft and sensual, as Twilight explored his cock and balls with her tongue. He stopped trying to talk or watch her, instead closing his eyes and losing himself in the new sensation.

Growing bolder, Twilight twisted her head around and took his cock into her mouth. She ran her lips along its length and leaned forward until she felt its tip pressing against the back of her mouth, then shuffled backwards a little to relieve the sensation of needing to throw up. She fastened her lips around his girth and began to suck on him, her tongue moving rapidly against him.

Furrypants cried out in surprise and pleasure, his hips moving against her, his hooves clopping against the floor in frenzied delight. He started to speak, then suddenly gave a grunt of pain. Twilight twisted her head suddenly, and he cried out again, trying to shuffle away from her. "Ow! Stop. Stop! Are those your teeth?"

Twilight carefully extricated herself from between Furrypants's legs, blushing furiously. "Sorry! I was being careful, I swear!"

Furrypants took a deep breath, then nodded to her. "It's alright. Nothing new and worthwhile is without risk. But you were poking me in the stomach with your horn, and you're a lot pointier than a unicorn. Are you sure this magazine was meant for ponies?"

Twilight scuffed her hoof against the carpet. "Actually, it was... well... from a long way away," she said, cursing herself for thinking that the porn that Pinkie Pie had shown her - the bipedal Pinkie Pie of Canterlot High - would translate to her pony body at all well. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

In response, Furrypants threw himself onto her, grabbing her shoulders with his front hooves and ramming his crotch painfully hard against hers, quickly entering her with a grunt of deep satisfaction. Twilight whinnied in surprise, and her wings flared out violently as a violent spasm of pleasure ran through her body.

Furrypants lowered his head over hers, touching his antlers to her horn, and Twilight again felt her magic straining against the tugging force of his own power. She leaned her weight onto her front hooves and simply moved as Furrypants made her move, surrendering herself to his directions. His grip on her shoulders was painfully tight now, and his body slammed against hers without any concern for her comfort, but these sensations only aroused her more.

"Yes!" she screamed as he ravaged her. "Fuck me, Dragon-Slayer! Don't hold back! Show me everything you've got!" She beat her wings frantically, hard enough that she would have taken off if not for the heavy weight on her back, and channelled magic from her horn into his antlers. She tried to wrap him in a levitation aura, and savoured the sensation of her failure.

Furrypants took a hank of mane between his teeth and tugged at it, eliciting another cry of pain from the pony beneath him. He curled one front leg around her barrel and held her tightly as he rammed into her, his long, hard erection jabbing painfully against the sides of her passage. His free hoof pressed against her shoulder, fixing her in place and bruising her flesh.

Twilight began to shake and twist in Furrypants's grasp, trying to throw him off her. "Hold on if you can!" she cried. "You can handle a little pony, can't you?" Her wings kicked up a fierce wind, which scooped up a cup sitting on the king's bedside table and dashed it against the wall, smashing it to pieces. She tugged her mane free of his jaws, but her horn was still locked within his antlers, and though she forced more and more power into her spell, there seemed to be no limit to his ability to resist her magic.

"I will conquer you yet!" shouted Furrypants, leaning his weight heavily forwards and keeping an expert grasp on Twilight's body. "You can't escape me! Now feel... my... triumph!" As he cried out, he gave a final mighty thrust of his loins, and Twilight distinctly felt her passage flooding with his seed. In return, Twilight felt her own body reaching its climax, and as she gave a long moan of fulfilment, a powerful burst of magic escaped her horn, wrapped around Furrypants and hurled him against the wall with sudden force. Twilight's wings propelled her into the air, and she hovered above the bed as her body shook with an intense orgasm.

Both lovers stared at each other as they slowly came down from the heights of passion, and returned to their senses. Twilight's magic still held Furrypants against the wall, several feet from the ground, and she flitted over to him carefully. "I... hope I didn't hurt you?" she said, suddenly timid.

Furrypants reached out and wrapped his front legs around her barrel, drawing her close in a fierce hug. Twilight yelped as her wings were snared in his embrace, and they both fell to the floor in a heap.

"Never has anyone bested my antlers with their magic, Princess Twilight," he said, almost reverentially. "No lover has challenged me the way you have. You are worthy of all the honours you bear, and many more."

Twilight blushed and nuzzled Furrypants's neck softly. "Um, thanks, you're really nice too." She eased herself upright and winced at the pain in her shoulders, wings, rump and crotch. "I'm going to be paying for this in the morning... but it was totally worth it."

"It was. Now you should be abed, if you want to pursue your mission again tomorrow."

Twilight nodded as she dragged herself into the warm bed, and Furrypants curled up next to her, letting her rest her head on his front leg. "We're going to find a way to coexist in peace, reindeer and ponies," she murmured, closing her eyes. "You and I, together... we're going to make it work."

"We will," came the whisper in her ear as she fell asleep.





And so they did. Twilight and Furrypants stood together on the dais in Princess Celestia's throne room, addressing a huge crowd, while her friends stood just off to one side.

"Ponies of Equestria!" she announced. "Today marks a great day in our history, a day of peace between Equestria and Deerheim! No longer will our coasts be terrorized by raiding parties, our crops stolen, our citizens slain or abducted. Today we are joined in friendship, and may that friendship last forever!"

The crowd cheered wildly and stomped their hooves. Twilight's friends looked prouder than ever, and Princess Celestia bowed her head to her in acknowledgement of her great deed.

Furrypants spoke next. "My people owe a great debt to Princess Twilight. Her wisdom and her understanding of the magic of friendship has made this peace possible."

He stepped behind Twilight and started rubbing between her legs with his hoof. "And, of course, let's not forget how many reindeer she fucked to make this happen."

The throne room became deathly silent. Princess Celestia peered down at Twilight with a look of deep disappointment. "Is this true, Twilight?"

Twilight whimpered and stared at the carpet beneath her hooves, while Furrypants exposed her arousal for the whole crowd to witness. "I... I just wanted to do whatever I had to do to bring peace..."

"Don't you lie to us, Twilight!" scolded Applejack. "You don't care about peace! You just couldn't get enough of that reindeer cock, could you?"

"Really, Twilight, I thought better of you," said Rarity. "Why, I can't believe I'm even friends with somepony so base and uncouth!"

Rainbow Dash glared at her angrily. "Sleeping with the enemy, Twilight? You should be fighting the reindeer, not having sex with them! That makes you no better than them!"

"I... I don't think I can be friends with somepony who's, um, intimate with those horrible creatures, Twilight," said Fluttershy. "I'm sorry, but that's just how I feel."

Pinkie Pie pouted and turned away from her. "Going off on an adventure and having all this fun without us? Hmph! See if I ever throw you a party again! You'd probably just sleep with all the guests, wouldn't you?"

Twilight looked around at her friends as they turned against her, tears welling in her eyes. "It wasn't like that, I promise! I'm still the same pony I always was! I haven't turned against you!"

"I'm very disappointed in you, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia intoned, shaking her head sadly. "I expected better from my faithful student."

Furrypants laughed. "You'd better come home with me, then, little lavender whore. I've always wanted an alicorn slave for my bedroom."

Twilight threw herself to the floor and covered her head with her wings, sobbing, as her former friends surrounded her and shouted their taunts.

"Traitor!"

"Slut!"

"Party pooper!"

"Scarlet mare!"

"Failure!"

"Brute!"

"Whore!"

"ENOUGH!" shouted an imperious voice, and Twilight felt a comforting shadow spread over her body. She looked up and saw Princess Luna shielding her from the crowd with her wings. "Leave this mare be! She has done no wrong!"

"But they're right, Princess Luna," whimpered Twilight. "I did all of those things. They're right to judge me."

"Shall I show you who is judging you, Twilight Sparkle?" asked Luna. Without waiting for a response, she fired a burst of moonlight from her horn, which washed over the crowd. Like changelings dropping their disguises, each jeering, mocking pony revealed its true form - a purple alicorn.

"The only pony judging you is yourself, Twilight Sparkle - the harshest judge of all. You think the worst of your actions and motivations, and condemn yourself most cruelly."

Twilight gently laid her head against Luna's flank. "Is this a dream?"

Luna nodded, and banished the scene around them, leaving them in the starry realm between dreams. "I came to visit you, knowing not that your mind was in such turmoil. Are the trials of Deerheim too much for you to bear?"

Twilight chuckled softly as the horror of the dream faded. "No, if anything, I'm enjoying myself too much. Is that wrong? The reindeer, they... they do terrible things, Luna. Furrypants abducted a pony from the Cat Peninsula and sold her as a slave, and he's probably killed ponies too, and other reindeer. Is it wrong to be the lover of someone like that?"

"You are here to make friends, Twilight Sparkle, as is your destiny. And make friends you have. Your friendship with the reindeer king will surely bring about the peace my sister and I long for. Is it wrong for friends to become lovers too? Of course not."

Twilight hugged Luna warmly. "Thank you, Princess Luna. I have been too hard on myself. So you don't think my friends will think I've done anything wrong?"

Luna pursed her lips. "I cannot say that. Your friends have their own feelings on everything, and so does the greater society of Equestria. But you should do as you have always done - take your friends' counsel, but choose your own actions, and take pride in them.

"Now take heed, Twilight Sparkle. I came to you not to protect you from nightmares, but to bring you a warning. A mighty dragon threatens the northern reaches of Reingard Island, and the king will need all the aid he can gather to defeat it. Wake him and prepare him for battle."

Twilight swallowed hard and nodded. "Thank you, Luna. I'll do whatever I can to protect him and his subjects." She spread her wings, then paused. "Oh, and Luna... I'm sorry you had to see Furrypants... you know... touching me in my dream. That must have been the most embarrassing thing you've ever had to see in a dream, right?"

Luna blinked, then chuckled. Soon, she was rolling on the floor of her dream realm, howling with laughter. "Oh, dear filly... you have no idea... now go, the king needs you!"





Twilight awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed. Luna's laughter rang in her ears, but it soon faded, leaving only her dire warning.

She shook Furrypants's shoulder desperately. "Furrypants, wake up!" she urged.

"Huh? Twilight, you're lovely, but I'm just flesh and blood. Go back to sleep."

"No, wake up! Deerheim is under attack!"

Furrypants rose to his hooves in a single fluid motion, the blankets flying into a corner as he stood up and grabbed his axes from the wall. "Who? Where? What do you know?"

"Princess Luna came to me in a dream. A dragon is attacking the northern coast of the island. I don't know how long we have until it reaches the farms, but we have to hurry!"

The king paused for just a moment, then nodded. "I will gather my warriors and head north. Use your magic to find my wife and bring her, and anydeer else you think can help. My war sleigh will be ready by the gates in twenty minutes. Sleighdr speed your wings, princess."

Twilight blew Furrypants a hasty kiss and cast her teleportation spell, arriving high in the air above the northern farms. The cold wind grasped at her bare body with icy tendrils, and she gritted her teeth against the chill as she dove towards North Wind's farmstead.

She burst into the kitchen and found North Wind curled up by the cooking fire. The pegasus jerked awake as the door slammed open. "Princess Twilight? What's going on?"

"Dragon attack!" she cried. "Where's the queen?"

"In my bedroom, first door on the right. What can we do?"

"I'll teleport back to the castle with the queen. If you have any warriors to spare, tell them to meet the king on the road north." She galloped down the hall and into the bedroom, rushing to the queen's side. "Storm Crow, your husband needs you at once."

Storm Crow opened her eyes and immediately threw her front legs around Twilight's barrel. "I saw death in my dreams. Take me to him, that we may avert it."

Twilight focused her magic again, and they appeared in the royal bedroom, which was deserted and bereft of arms and armour. "Furrypants is marshalling his troops," she said, as she picked up her crown and cape. "They're going to leave from the north gates soon."

Storm Crow stepped up to Twilight and kissed her lips briefly. "Will you fight alongside us, Harmony-Bringer?" she asked solemnly.

"Of course! I love this kingdom already, and we... we all have to stick together, no matter what. I'll meet you at the gates!" She ran down the hallway to her own room, and threw on whatever scarves, tunics and gloves she could find to protect her against the cold night air, while all around her the castle was an uproar of activity.

Finally, sufficiently warded against the cold, she flew out the window and soared towards the city's north gates. Below her, she saw three huge sleighs, each pulled by a team of eight armoured reindeer. Furrypants stood at the head of the central sleigh, resplendent in gold-washed chain armour, with his purple stole and ribbon, and of course his bright white trousers. He was shouting orders to the reindeer around him, who were loading the sleighs with weapons, shields, and themselves. Storm Crow was moving among the castle staff, giving orders more quietly but with no less confidence.

Twilight touched down near the king and saluted him to indicate her readiness. "Where do you want me, your majesty?"

Furrypants paused in his preparations for a moment. "I'm not asking you to fight alongside us, princess. This isn't Equestria under attack."

"The magic of friendship isn't just in Equestria, it's everywhere. That means I'm here to help. Where do you want me?"

He gave a broad smile. "I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. You can ride on my sleigh, but if you could fly ahead and guide troops from the northern farms towards our army, that would save us some time."

Twilight was in the air in moments, soaring above the path leading north. In the darkness in the distance, she saw the glow of a large fire. At first she worried that the dragon was already laying waste to reindeer's homes, but when the fire suddenly changed colour from red to green, she reasoned that it must be a signal fire, from some watchtower. She hoped that whoever the deer was who had lit the fire, he would survive the night.

The moon was full and shone brightly on the ground below her, and she could make out some dim shapes gathering along the road. She began to dive towards them, then pulled up sharply as a creature flew out at her from behind a cloud. She charged her horn with light, revealing the newcomer as a brown and white pegasus. "North Wind? You're coming too?"

North Wind was decked out in a strange combination of reindeer chain armour and a pegasus helmet. She carried a spear tucked under one leg, and horseshoes gleamed menacingly on her hooves. "I'm protecting my home, Twilight, and the homes of my countryfolk. Of course I'll fight for them."

Twilight paused, then nodded. "Of course you will. I'm sorry, this is your kingdom now, I should remember that. Did you get many warriors to come with you?"

"All of my able-bodied employees and thralls are on the road now, and I spread the word to the nearby farmsteads. Everydeer knows to answer the call to battle, even the ones who don't go seeking it beyond the isles."

"I'm glad to hear that. Thank you. Come on, let's meet up with your bucks and I'll make sure you can join the king's army."

The two ponies dove towards the ground, gathering the warrior bucks they found and guiding them towards the mustering point. There were more than a few does willing to lend their strength and magic to the fight, too, including one who bore a rune-covered hammer. "Fire-Hammer!" cried Twilight, embracing her friend. "I'm glad you're coming with us."

"Of her own free will, too," said North Wind firmly. "I won't let it be said that I send my thralls into danger."

"And that means that I get to keep any reward the king gives me for fighting with him," said Fire-Hammer with a wink. "I'm fighting for myself, not for my mistress."

"Well, I think you're both very brave, and I hope everydeer witnesses your courage. The king will be here soon. I'm glad you've managed to rouse so many warriors."

They waited together for another fifteen minutes, stamping their hooves against the cold, until the sound of sleigh bells rose in the south. At home, Twilight had always associated the sound with Hearth's Warming and the fun of winter, but this was a much more threatening jingle. The thundering of hooves soon reached their ears as well, and then the king's war sleigh drew into view. From the road, it was a fearsome sight, drawn by eight soldiers and crewed by another dozen, with room for more on board. King Furrypants tugged on the reins and the draughtsdeer slowed to a halt, being careful not to let the sleigh overrun them or tip over.

"Ho ho ho!" he boomed, vaulting to the ground and approaching the gathered warriors. "What have we here? Another dozen warriors - no, two dozen - eager for the fray? Looking for a slice of the dragon's horde? Hop on the sleigh, bold subjects, and we ride to meet our doom! Last one alive is a mouldy carrot!"

Twilight couldn't help but giggle at the king's antics, and they seemed to put the other reindeer at ease, even though death was surely at the front of their minds, as it was hers. She had faced all manner of monsters in her adventures with her friends, and come out alive, but there was no guarantee that tonight would end the same way.

Eight reindeer climbed aboard the lead sleigh, leaving the others to wait for the rest of the convoy. North Wind flew ahead to scout the path, while Twilight rested her wings and moved up and down the sleigh, speaking with the warriors, who were all enthused to have her as a comrade. She found Hearth Song first, and hugged him tightly before Fire-Hammer dragged him to the rear of the sleigh to smother him with kisses.

She turned away to give them what privacy she could, and found herself facing Wind Runner and Shield Biter. The latter bowed his head to her, his antlers almost brushing against her face. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, we meet again," he said, sounding much more sober than he had on their first meeting. "I thank you for your kindness and wisdom, in the face of my rudeness."

"Uh, that's okay, really," she said, placing a hoof against his shoulder. "I'm just glad you two are still friends. You, um, you haven't been, uh..."

"I haven't touched a drop since Wind Runner sorted me out. He reminded me of everything I have to live for. Glory, battle... and my fawns. They deserve a father who isn't a drunk. I miss Bright Hearth more than anything, but she'd want me to make something of myself, and give our fawns a good childhood and a good future."

"Wind Runner told me about your fawns. I'm so sorry. I hope you find somedeer who can help you raise them. Just not a slave. And especially not a slave you buy for fifty jinglers! Seriously, what am I, chopped millet?"

Shield Biter grinned sheepishly. "I didn't realise how important or talented you were. And, well, money's been tight. I want to move to a smaller house, but my daughter owns our house now, and she's too young to sell it, so we're stuck there for a while."

Wind Runner clapped his friend on the back. "With a bit of luck, you'll be filling your coffers with dragon gold before the night is out. So, who here has fought a dragon before?"

A couple of reindeer raised their hooves, saying that they had fought alongside Furrypants against one dragon or another. Lightning Hoof claimed to have slain several, and regaled the sleigh's passengers with a story from his travels. Twilight sensed that his exploits were at least a little embellished, but there was real tactical wisdom in his story, and advice on how to avoid a dragon's breath and its crushing claws and tail.

The warriors' eyes then turned to Twilight, and she grinned sheepishly. "Uh, when it comes to dragons, I mostly know about negotiation and running away. I've never really tried to fight one." She paused for a moment, thinking back over her adventures. "I do know that if you have to fight or evade a dragon, try to do it in a forest. Dragons are really bad at avoiding trees, especially when they're flying."

Wind Runner nodded. "Good advice. I'm not sure we'll be able to make use of it, but I'll keep it in mind. Do you know what to do if you get lost in a Deerheim forest, princess?"

"No, what should I do?"

"Stand up."

"Oh." Twilight looked around at the countryside flashing past the sleigh, and while the trees she saw were healthy, they were neither tall nor numerous. "Well, that's all the advice I have. Should we try to negotiate with the dragon before we have to fight? That worked for my friend Fluttershy once... well, it wasn't a negotiation so much as a scolding."

"Ah, yes, Fluttershy the Beast-Tamer," said Lightning Hoof. "Her reputation is well earned, it seems. What other tales of your comrades do you have for us?"

Twilight was grateful for the chance to talk about her friends' adventures instead of her own, finding it much easier to fit in with the reindeer's tradition of heroic boasting when she wasn't talking about herself. Rainbow Dash would fit right in here, she thought. Except for all the murder and slavery and things.

A shout from above them broke up their revelry. "Dragon ahoy!" came North Wind's voice, and all around Twilight, reindeer stood up and hoisted their axes, swords and bows, or simply began swinging their antlers menacingly. King Furrypants reined in his sleigh and allowed the other two to catch up while he took North Wind's scouting report.

Storm Crow hurried to Twilight’s side and braided a pair of rune-charms into her mane while they waited. “Eihwaz for sight, and raidho for speed,” she said, and embraced Twilight tenderly. “May sleighdr speed your wings, and Harmony guide your horn.” Before Twilight could respond, she had trotted off to tend to her husband, while other does prepared similar charms for their husbands, brothers or friends.

Furrypants turned to address his army when the report was done. "My brave warriors!" he cried, holding his head up high as the reindeer gathered around him. "My wise magicians! North Wind has sighted our foe, and he is immense! A great blue wyrm, with scales as cold as ice, but breath as hot as the forge! But there is good news as well - it has no wings! We will not be at its mercy as it flies above us, but we shall do battle with it on the ice. Not all of us will live through the night, but know that your courage will be witnessed! Those who fall here, fall as heroes! What are we?"

A mighty shout rose among the assembled warriors, accompanied by the clattering of weapons and shields. "War bucks!"

"I can't hear you!" shouted Furrypants. "What are we?"

"WAR BUCKS!"

"What are we?"

"WAR BUCKS!"

"War bu... uh... ponies!" shouted Twilight, getting caught up in the raw power of the war cry and Furrypants's charisma. She felt her blood hot in her veins, and her wings stretched out and beat fiercely as she fell under the king's spell. All around her, reindeer were waving their weapons in the air and stamping their hooves against the decks of the war sleighs. Shield-Biter was lowing fiercely, brandishing his short axe, and gnawing on the wooden edge of his shield, and Twilight could have sworn that he was foaming at the mouth. North Wind beat her wings as well, gazing at Furrypants with much the same expression that Twilight supposed she had.

"Each war sleigh will deploy its armament against the dragon, in an attempt to wound it and pin it in place! Then, we dismount and attack with blade, bow and antler! Beware the creature's breath, and claws, and tail, and jaws... look, it's a dragon, you know what it's capable of! Pony friends, take to the air and fight, watch and support us as best you can! Now, my comrades... to battle!"

The three war sleighs lurched forward, and Twilight and North Wind took off, soaring above them. As the sleighs crested a slight ridge and began to gain momentum on the downward charge, Twilight spotted the dragon, its scales a bright blue against the white snow. It must have been eighty feet long, larger than the green dragon that had tried to kill Spike, with a wickedly barbed tail and four powerful limbs extending from a sinuous body. It was crouched on the ground, clawing at a cave in the side of the hill, in which Twilight could barely make out the forms of at least two reindeer. Negotiation did not seem to be on the table.

North Wind turned to her and asked, "Are you ready for this, princess?" Twilight nodded grimly, and the pegasus smiled in satisfaction. "Thank you, for defending my people. I know you disapprove of our ways..."

"I won't abandon people in need," said Twilight, gazing down at the dragon calculatingly. "And I came here for Deerheim's sake as much as Equestria's. Our people can work together in peace, I know we can. Maybe tonight will help to prove that."

The two ponies waited for the war sleighs to engage the dragon, rather than attacking it on their own. Twilight bit her lip as she watched Furrypants's vehicle draw closer to the beast, wondering what surprises the king had in store. The eihwaz rune tingled against her neck, and she found she could see each scale on the dragon’s hide as clearly as if she were standing beside it, even with the snow that blew through the air.

The dragon twisted around as it heard the lead sleigh approaching, and slithered towards it, fangs bared. The reindeer pulling the sleigh changed course, heading directly for a stretch of the dragon's body that lay perpendicular to their route. For a moment Twilight thought they intended to ram the dragon with their bodies, but instead they leapt over it, each pair of reindeer jumping in succession. The sleigh sailed into the air and soared forward, but did not have enough momentum to clear the dragon.

Twilight saw Furrypants pull a lever on the sleigh, and a set of gleaming spikes shot out from beneath it. The sleigh landed on the dragon with a sickening noise, spraying blood everywhere. The reindeer vaulted out of the sleigh as it landed, and its draft deer shrugged out of their harnesses and lowered their antlers, ready to fight.

The dragon screeched and twisted around, its body caught between the sleigh and the ground. It breathed a jet of fire that carved a line of meltwater along the ground, but failed to scorch any of the reindeer with its first attack.

As the reindeer circled around the dragon, Twilight and North Wind dropped into a dive, North Wind with her spear outstretched, Twilight with her horn glowing like the sun. They ducked beneath the dragon's head and struck at one flank each. Twilight's attack spell partially glanced off the creature's bright scales, but it left a dark scorch mark. The momentum of North Wind's dive let her drive her spear deep into a joint between two scales, where it lodged in spite of her best efforts to free it. The dragon roared in rage and twisted its head to snap at her, and she brought her back hooves up in a powerful buck against its nose. A clap of thunder rose from her horseshoes, and the dragon reared back in surprise, its face scorched by lightning. Twilight twisted around in the air with strength and flexibility enhanced by the raidho rune, and easily evaded the dragon’s retaliatory strike as she soared out of its reach again. I wish Rainbow Dash had seen that! she thought, filled with pride and adrenaline. She sensed similar magic working on North Wind’s wings as the pegasus hovered beside her again.

On the ground, Furrypants raised his head and shouted an order. Acting as one, a circle of twenty warrior bucks charged the dragon, while others unleashed arrows and throwing axes at it. Some of the attacks did nothing more than annoy the great beast, but others struck true, drawing blood. Fire-Hammer fought between Furrypants and Hearth Song, lashing out with a hammer that blazed with fire, true to her name. Furrypants hurled an axe into the dragon's belly, where it dug deep, and then charged with lowered antlers, glowing purple as they bit into his foe's flesh.

The dragon roared in pain and rage, and thrashed about on the ground. One sweep from its front legs sent a dozen reindeer scattering like bowling pins, and with a mighty heave, it ripped the war sleigh out of the ground and tossed it aside, leaving its body bloodied but free. Furrypants called a retreat, and the army circled the dragon once more, peppering it with arrows and waiting for the right moment to strike.

The few does in the army were frantically chanting in the old reindeer tongue, and casting runes onto the snow and at the warriors. One rune landed beneath the dragon’s foot as it took a step forward, and the snow beneath it crumpled into powder, causing the dragon to stumble. Twilight sensed sleighdr working on the warriors, granting them strength and energy to carry on the fight.

The dragon reared up onto its hind legs and dove at Furrypants, who rolled out of the way just before the huge head crashed down where he had been standing. He bellowed and charged head-first at the dragon, which opened its mouth and breathed a huge gout of flame directly upon him. Twilight shrieked in horror, but as she dove towards the fight, she saw that Furrypants's antlers were absorbing the fire, although they were turning black before her eyes. Swiftly she conjured a force field between the two, which protected the king for the few moments he needed to close with the dragon. She removed the field at just the right time for Furrypants to ram his antlers into the creature's mouth.

Twilight swooped down and fired spell after spell into the dragon's neck as it struggled to crush Furrypants in its jaws. The warriors charged and laid into the beast with their weapons and antlers, wounding it grievously. Storm Crow cried out an ancient spell, and storm clouds materialized above the battle. A moment later, five lightning bolts arced into the dragon, as North Wind pounded the cloud with her magic horseshoes.

The dragon was clearly weakening, and one of the points of Furrypants's antlers was protruding through its jaw, but its jaws were slowly closing on him. Even as it suffered a barrage of injuries, it drove Furrypants to his knees, and was perilously close to biting him in two.

A blood-curdling war cry came from behind the dragon, and Twilight saw Wind Runner and Shield Biter charging at it, brandishing their axes. Shield Biter fought like a rabid wolf, foaming at the mouth and chopping savagely at the dragon's neck with his axe. Wind Runner howled and fought with him, and the two reindeer carved bloody chunks out of the foe that threatened to crush their king.

With a pained roar, the dragon stood up and tossed its head, ripping Furrypants out of its jaws and tossing him aside. Twilight teleported swiftly and managed to snatch him out of the air, wrapping her legs around his torso as she hovered a short distance above the ground. His mail was torn and his coat was matted with blood, but he smiled grimly as he caught his breath, watching his subjects with pride.

The dragon was not yet finished, though. It slammed one giant foot down on Wind-Runner, then scooped Shield-Biter up into its jaws and bit down hard. A horrifying crack reverberated across the battlefield, and the world seemed to slow down before Twilight's eyes. The dragon tossed its head again and threw Shield-Biter across the snow, where he bounced, skidded and stopped in an unmoving heap.

Twilight hung in the air, her wings barely keeping her aloft. At Furrypants's urging, she swooped down and dropped him onto the dragon's back, and he methodically buried his axe into the back of its skull, over and over again, until it crashed to the ground and moved no more.

A ragged cheer spread through the warriors, but several reindeer were already running to Shield Biter’s side. Twilight teleported beside Wind Runner, who was already kneeling in the snow, holding his friend's hoof. Shield Biter managed to stir just as Twilight arrived, although his body was bloody and mangled. Storm Crow galloped up beside her, and Twilight looked at her plaintively. The queen cast her expert eye over Shield Biter’s injuries, then shook her head sadly.

"We did it, old friend," said Wind Runner, tears streaming down his face. "We killed the dragon, and nodeer else had to die."

A smile spread across Shield Biter's face. "And you didn't think I had any berserker left in me." He clutched Wind Runner's hoof tightly. "My fawns..."

"Will live in my protection. Now go on. Everydeer has witnessed your courage. You don't want to be late to your next battle."

The light faded from Shield Biter’s eyes, and Wind Runner gently closed them for him. Twilight shuffled closer and wrapped her front legs around Wind Runner's shoulders. He buried his head against her chest and sobbed bitterly, and Twilight soon joined him.

"Fuck," he managed to gasp when he was spent. "Now I really need a wife. I can't raise two fawns by myself."

As Twilight comforted Wind Runner, Storm Crow ensured that Shield Biter’s body was carried to one of the war sleighs with dignity. The other warriors were congratulating each other on their victory and making plans to find the dragon’s treasure, but they bowed their heads solemnly in respect for their fallen comrade.

> Feast and Famine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight sat with Wind Runner for most of the journey back to Reingard. Two sleighs carried the warriors who wanted to return home quickly, while the third waited for those who braved the cold night in search of the dragon's hoard. North Wind had returned to her farm, preferring the company of her family to that of the warriors, and Fire-Hammer had accompanied her dutifully, after stealing a few more kisses from Hearth Song.

Wind Runner had mostly calmed down, and was lying with his head in Twilight's lap as she cleaned the blood and gore from his antlers. "I don't see why you're so upset," he mused, closing his eyes. "You barely knew him."

"I know, but I've... I've never..." Twilight swallowed hard and tried to hold back a second barrage of tears.

"Never watched anyone die? After all the epic battles you've been in?"

Twilight managed a rueful smile. "Most of the villains we've fought wanted to enslave or corrupt ponies, not kill them, really. And when it comes to the less devious monsters, we usually either negotiate or run away. I guess we've been lucky like that."

"Maybe. I'd say we get more dragons and things than you, but not so many of the more subtle threats. We get some cloud gremlins, the occasional changeling. Windigo. Not much."

"Windigo? You have them here? Is that why it's so cold?"

Wind Runner grinned, some of his old energy returning. "Hah! No, they can hardly get a bite from us. Look around. Do you see a land full of hatred and bitterness?"

Twilight opened her mouth to point out all of the violence she had witnessed from the reindeer, but then she was reminded of the way they had all fought together against the dragon without a second thought, and of all of the hospitality she had been shown during her stay. Of the camaraderie between Wind Runner and Hearth Song, and the loyalty between him and Shield Biter, in spite of their fights. Of the great hospitality and warmth she had been shown by all of her reindeer hosts, even the ones who had pony blood on their antlers.

"No, I don't," she said in a quiet voice. "I see violence and short tempers, but also friendship. You fight each other, but you fight for each other, too. There's so much more to this place than I could see when I first came here."

They both fell silent, as Twilight ruminated on her journey and her mission. Her thoughts soon drifted back to Shield Biter's death. "What did you mean, about him being late to his next battle?"

Wind Runner chuckled and sat up, drawing himself into a sitting position against the side of the sleigh. He bowed his head as Storm Crow walked up quietly beside Twilight, waiting to hear him speak.

"I was wishing him well on his journey to the Fields of Halla. When a warrior dies in glorious battle or a doe perishes in fawning, they are carried away in sleighs drawn by beautiful white deer, to a land of bright sun and fertile fields, where there is grazing enough for everydeer."

Twilight smiled softly. "My friend Rarity believes something similar. She says that the Elysian Fields are a place of beauty and peace, where a pony who has worked hard all her life can rest and graze to her heart's content."

Wind Runner laughed. "Are her Elysian Fields filled with warriors who fight and kill each other all day, then rise again at dusk to feast, drink and fuck all night, then fight again in the morning?"

"Er... no, not quite." She grinned wickedly. "Although I dare say she wouldn't mind visiting your Fields of Halla, if it's where all the brave, handsome warrior bucks end up. Is this what everydeer believes?"

"Not all of us," said Storm Crow quietly. "My sister and I believe that the fallen linger on this earth as ancestor spirits, to impart their wisdom to those who take the time to listen. They speak to us in visions, in dreams and in the knowledge that sleighdr imparts to us. As long as we honour our ancestors, they will not fade."

"That's... very nice too. I'm sure Shield Biter's fawns will be comforted to think of that. I... I guess nodeer really knows for certain?"

Wind Runner shrugged. "Nah. I'll raise a runestone in Shield Biter's memory when I get the chance. Maybe he'll stick around and appreciate it, maybe he'll be too busy slaughtering his way through the Fields to care, but I'll do it anyway."

"Perhaps the truth lies between," said Storm Crow thoughtfully. "There are those who remain to guide their children and their children's children, but the Halla take them away when they feel they have done their part and desire their eternal reward." She bowed her head solemnly. "For certain, though, Shield Biter died with honour and glory, as was witnessed, and his spirit will move on without shame."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "He died a hero, that's for certain. It's sad... it's very sad... are you going to be able to take care of his fawns?"

"It won't be easy," said Wind Runner. "I have money, but my hoard is looking a lot smaller now that it has to serve three reindeer. Four, if they're going to have a mother. And what doe is going to marry a buck like me, with two fawns to raise?"

"You could move to Equestria," Twilight suggested. "You could marry a buck or a stallion there, and buy some land. Our laws don't prohibit either of those things."

"That's tempting... but do you really think I'd fit in in Equestria? My raiding days may be behind me, but I'm still a bloodthirsty savage in pony eyes, isn't that right?"

"I... wouldn't call you a savage..."

"Just bloodthirsty, right. Besides, I'll need somedeer to teach sleighdr to Shield Biter's daughter. He'd want them to be raised in Deerheim, not Equestria." He sighed heavily, then shrugged. "I might just have to hire a servant, or buy a thrall. Money's going to be tight, but I won't fail in my duty. I've always been an uncle to those two fawns... I guess it's time to be a father now."

Twilight leaned over and embraced Wind Runner, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "I think a doe would be lucky to have you for a husband, Wind Runner. I know you'd treat your wife like a princess."

"Aye, that I would, Twilight. That I would."






It was almost dawn when the sleighs arrived back at Reingard, and Twilight lost no time in teleporting to her suite and burrowing into her bed. Furrypants had said something about a feast to celebrate their victory, but Twilight would worry about that after she caught up on lost sleep. Her wings ached from all of the flying she had done before and during the fight, and her legs and crotch were still sore after being mounted so fiercely by Furrypants.

She was dimly aware of House-Proud helping her undress and building up the fire in her hearth, but otherwise her nap was blissfully undisturbed, even by the tiniest nightmare. Her room was in the gloom of dusk when she was woken by Furrypants's cheek nuzzling against hers. "Wake up, princess," he murmured. "You don't want to miss the feast."

"Mmm, of course I'll marry you," said Twilight sleepily. "Just as soon as the candle eats the pancakes."

Furrypants laughed and whipped the blankets off Twilight's bed. "There's a hot bath ready for you, but you'll have to tend to your own mane - House-Proud and the other servants are all busy preparing the feast, and so is my wife. And everydeer's wives. It's worth it to celebrate such a victory. Now get up if you don't want me carrying you into the hall like a sack full of treasure."

Twilight roused herself quickly enough, and took a much-needed bath once Furrypants had returned to his duties about the castle. Dressed in her finest clothes, and with her crown sitting proudly atop her acceptably coiffed mane, she strode into the crowded dining hall.

The informal gathering of the previous night could not compare to this feast at all. There were new tables running the whole length of the hall, and every space was filled with reindeer or goats. Servants were weaving through the crowds with platters piled high with food and trays full of tankards. The high table was occupied by the king and queen and many of the warriors who had fought the dragon with them. She spotted Lightning Hoof and his caprine companion and gave them a friendly wave as she headed towards the table. She tried to catch Wind Runner's attention, but he was too busy making out with another buck to notice her.

Furrypants gestured to the empty seat at his left hoof, and Twilight sat down, after giving Storm Crow a warm hug. There was already a plate piled high with the finest lucerne hay, baked potatoes drowning in butter, warm bread and sliced peaches. A tall mug sat next to her plate, filled with warm, spiced apple cider.

"This all looks amazing!" said Twilight, pressing her head against Furrypants's shoulder. "Thank you so much. Some of this has to be imported - no amount of magic would make peaches grow in a place like this."

"Ah, but princess, you forget that we have been traders longer than we have been raiders," said Furrypants. “I think you'll find it was our sailors who first brought peaches from the camel emirates to Equestria. Now eat! Drink! Be merry, for tonight we still live!"

Surrounded by revelling reindeer as she was, Twilight found it easy to slip into the atmosphere of a party that would have made Pinkie Pie proud. She remembered that she hadn't eaten since the night before, and her adventures since then, both martial and sexual, had given her a ferocious appetite. Her plate was bare before she knew it, and her mug drained of what she was quite certain was very hard cider. House-Proud appeared as if by magic as she set down her mug, refilling it from a small barrel balanced on her back.

Seeing House-Proud reminded Twilight of a thought she had had on the way back from the battle, and she scurried over to whisper in Storm Crow's ear. The queen smiled in approval and beckoned to her sister. "House-Proud, dear. You've done such a good job setting up this feast, you shouldn't need to work so hard all night. How about you just go and look after Wind-Runner? Make sure he has plenty to eat and drink, and whatever else he needs."

House-Proud seemed confused, but trotted off to do as Storm Crow bid. Furrypants patted Twilight on the shoulder. "If you're planning what I think you're planning, princess, then it's a fine plan. Worthy of your title."

Twilight blushed at the praise. "Thank you, your majesty. I just knew I had to help."

She was halfway through her third plate of food and her fourth cup of cider when Furrypants stomped his hooves loudly on the floor, drawing the attention of the entire hall. The conversation died down, leaving only the clatter of plates and mugs against the wooden tables.

"Reindeer! Goats! Honoured guests! I'm sure you all know why we are feasting tonight. Not that we ever need an excuse, but this is a victory celebration! Last night we slew a mighty foe - a dragon that would have despoiled our farms and devoured our countryfolk! Thanks to the courage of our warriors and the wisdom of our magicians, we were victorious, and lost but a single reindeer to its jaws.

"Now, I know many of you heard 'dragon' and are wondering about its hoard. It has been found, and delivered to the castle, and appraised at no less than eight thousand bells!"

Twilight gasped. That was more than fifty thousand bits! She had seen dragon hoards before, but never actually thought about them in monetary terms.

"And in accordance with our traditions, ten shares shall go to the reindeer who found and secured the hoard, braving the dangers of the Ghostly Glacier to find it. Enjoy your reward, Lightning Hoof!"

Some reindeer grumbled at the already wealthy and famous Lightning Hoof winning yet another fortune, but most seemed pleased at his success. Silk-Beard draped herself across him seductively as he raised his hoof in victory, and Twilight could practically see the coins shining in her eyes.

"Ten shares to the kingdom's treasury, to build our prosperity and strengthen our defences, and repair the damage dealt by the dragon to our farmsteads.

"Ten shares to the family of Shield Biter, who gave his life in the battle. May his spirit meet with a hero's reward in the Fields of Halla, and may he forever be remembered by his kin and comrades."

There was a solemn stomping of hooves around the hall as reindeer paid homage to Shield Biter's sacrifice. Twilight glanced at Wind Runner, who looked immensely relieved at the prospect of extra money for his new dependents.

"And one share to each of the fifty warriors who fought the dragon! You each have a hundred bells coming your way. Don't spend it all in one place, or if you do, make sure she's worth it! Don't go anywhere, there are toasts to be had."

A round of laughter spread through the hall, and the conversation picked up again as Furrypants sat down. "Any plans for your share of the hoard, Twilight?" he asked. "I'm sure a hundred jinglers would buy an awful lot of books."

Twilight moved her hoof around on the table, not meeting Furrypants's gaze. "It doesn't feel right, spending money that I got for helping to kill someone, even a dragon who was going to kill lots of reindeer. I don't know."

She was still lost in thought when an antler nudged her shoulder gently, and she found Hearth Song at her side, grinning in joy. "A hundred jinglers each, Twilight! For me and Fire-Hammer! That's a third of her reingild paid off in a single night!"

Twilight smiled and nudged him back. "I think you mean half of it. I know what I'm doing with my share now."

Hearth Song blinked in surprise, then threw his front legs around Twilight's shoulders and hugged her tightly. "I don't believe it. How did we ever deserve to have a friend like you? We won't forget this."

Twilight kissed his cheek gently, and patted his back. "Everyone deserves good friends, and you've been very good to me too. Just keep Fire-Hammer out of trouble. Now go on, before the king gets jealous."

Hearth Song bowed to Furrypants, who gave him a hearty grin, then scooped up Twilight for a long, passionate kiss. Twilight briefly pondered objecting, but the kiss was very pleasant and she was feeling rather light-headed already. Nearby reindeer stamped their hooves in appreciation for the display, and Storm Crow beamed happily.

"And now for toasts!" he cried, releasing Twilight, who stumbled before returning to her seat. "To our brave warriors! To reindeer strength!"

"To strength!" cried the crowd, stomping their hooves in between sipping from their mugs.

"To Shield Biter, may his memory never fade!"

"To Shield Biter!" Twilight joined in the toast with great enthusiasm and joy, though tears still prickled at the corners of her eyes.

"To my wife, the wisest, most beautiful doe in all the islands!"

"To Queen Storm Crow!"

"To our friends from across the sea, who fought beside us without hesitation! To Princess Twilight Sparkle, and to Equestria!"

Twilight almost spat out her cider in surprise as the crowd raised their mugs in Twilight's direction. "To Princess Twilight and Equestria!" they all shouted.

Twilight began to feel that maybe her mission would be a success after all, if the reindeer were warming up to her like this. She levitated her mug of cider in front of her and shouted, "To King Furrypants and Deerheim!"

The crowd's roar was deafening, and Furrypants roared his approval before draining his mug dry and smashing it on the floor. "To Deerheim!"

The toasts were finished, and the guests set to feasting and socializing in earnest. Several started to take their leave in pairs, looking for greater privacy elsewhere. Others were being carried away from the hall by their friends once they were too intoxicated to stand. Twilight turned to Furrypants with a broad, sincere smile. "That was well said, your majesty. Your people are..." She pressed her hoof against the table to steady herself as the cider began to take its toll on her. "They're good people! I really think we can come to some sort of lasting peace."

"Of course we can!" said Furrypants, throwing a leg around Twilight's shoulders. "You ponies are the greatest." He waved his hoof at the table in front of him. "Where's my mead? I had mead here a moment ago."

"You, uh... you smashed your cup on the ground. Did you mean to do that?"

"Sure I did! Shows I'm serious about a toast. Somedeer will bring me more, anyway."

A soft clopping of hooves against the floor behind Twilight alerted her to House-Proud's approach. The young doe looked as though she had been working hard, but she was beaming from ear to ear. "Your majesties, you'll never believe what just happened! Wind Runner asked me to marry him!"

Storm Crow gave a satisfied grin. "I thought he would, dear sister. I think he'll make you a fine husband. What did you tell him?"

"I told him I needed to talk to you first. And, well, he was pretty drunk, so I should probably talk to him about it when he's sober. He's gone off with one of the warriors from the northern farms, so we won't see him until the thing tomorrow, I expect. But I... I really want to marry him. He's got a lovely house now, and a good fortune, and those poor fawns will need a mother..."

"If you're asking for my permission, of course you have it," said Storm Crow. "You deserve to be mistress of your own house." She embraced her sister tightly. "Don't worry about me - I'll find somedeer to fill your shawl, even if she won't be as skilled as you."

"But you still work for us now!" exclaimed Furrypants. "I have a need for mead. In my best cup!"

"Your best cup, sire?" asked House-Proud. "But I thought you said -"

The king stomped his hoof hard against the wooden floor, and House-Proud trotted off obediently. Twilight shared a glance with Storm Crow, not pleased with Furrypants's temper, but the queen just shrugged and gave her an apologetic smile.

Furrypants butted his antlers against Twilight's shoulder playfully, his mood swinging around again. "How are you liking the feast, princess? Not much like your pony parties, is it?"

Twilight grinned, feeling quite light-headed by now. "It's nothing like the Grand Galloping Gala, no. It's much... louder. And with a lot more alcohol. But it's fun! I'm really having a great time."

"Good! If anydeer leaves this hall hungry or bored, I've done something wrong. And the same for goats, and the same for ponies!" House-Proud returned with a tray of drinks on her back, and Furrypants snatched up an ornately glazed mug for Twilight, and a strange conical blue cup for himself, both brimming with mead. He raised his cup in Twilight's direction. "To us, and to peace between our kingdoms!"

"To peace!" said Twilight cheerfully, and raised the mug to Furrypants, and then to her lips. The mead was of exceptional quality - just sweet enough to be pleasant, and strong enough to make her mouth tingle. She watched Furrypants drinking from his own cup, and thought about how lucky she was that her visit was going so well.

She spluttered and sprayed her mouthful of mead into Furrypants's face when her gaze came to rest on his strange cup, and she recognized what it had once been.

"That's a unicorn horn!" she shrieked. "You're... you're drinking out of somepony's horn!"

"Hmm?" mumbled Furrypants, wiping his face on his fetlock. "Yeah? So what?"

"So... so... that's somepony's horn! You killed a unicorn and cut off her horn and now you're drinking out of it!" The conversation and laughter had died down around the hall, as everydeer strained to listen to Twilight's conversation with the king, without being seen to be eavesdropping.

The colour of the horn matched that of her friend Minuette too closely for comfort, and Twilight had a sudden image of her Canterlot friends screaming and running from a bloodthirsty reindeer raiding party. "That could have been one of my friends! Do you even know whose horn that is?"

Furrypants shrugged. "I dunno. I kill a lot of ponies."

"That's the problem! That's why we're in this mess! You don't care about our lives! You don't care about anyone's lives!"

Furrypants thrust his antlers in Twilight's direction, snarling angrily. "And who cares about our lives, princess? You? Great! You saved a dozen lives last night helping us fight that dragon. How many more of you are there? Because there are a lot more dragons where that one came from. Dragons and frost drakes and sea serpents and kelpies and mermares who would like nothing better than to raze our lands, sink our boats and tear us apart!"

Twilight knew that she should back down and let the king say his piece without challenge, but self-control was the last thing on her mind, and she met Furrypants's antlers with her horn, planting her hooves firmly and straining against him. "That doesn't make it right to go raiding everyone else! Why can't you just leave us alone?"

"And do what? Stay on our shitty little islands and starve? Wait for the monsters to eat us all? It wouldn't even come to that. Listen to our histories, princess. If we're not fighting you or the camels or the griffons, we're fighting each other. Island will turn against island, brother against brother, and the windigo will feast on our frozen hearts. Is that what you want?"

"Maybe that would be better than -"

"That's enough." Storm Crow's voice cut across the shouting match, comparatively quiet but firm. She stepped between Twilight and Furrypants and placed her hooves on her horn and his antlers, forcing them apart.

"Twilight, you're drunk and you're saying things unworthy of you and your position. You have to stop."

Twilight took a deep breath and bowed her head. "I'm so sorry. I'm being a terrible guest."

"It's alright, dear heart. Just take some time to clear your head." She turned to glare at her husband. "Furrypants, get out of my castle."

Furrypants lowed angrily and stamped his hooves, then spun and stalked out of the great hall, followed by a dozen other bucks. The rest of the revellers waited to see what would happen next, then went back to their food, the entertainment over.

Twilight swayed unsteadily as the adrenaline drained out of her, leaving the alcohol to take its toll. "You can do that?" she asked Storm Crow. "Just make him leave?"

"Even the king of Deerheim doesn't own so much as a hovel or a scrap of dirt in these islands, Twilight. That's the law, and it keeps the peace."

"Well... where is he going to go now?"

"Probably to a tavern to drink with his jarls and his warriors. He'll get into a fight - which he'll win, unless he picks a fight with Lightning Hoof - and wake up in an alley or on somedeer's floor. He'll be fine. As for you, we should get you to bed. I can see you're not used to drinking so heavily." She stomped on the floor and addressed the crowd. "We are retiring for the night, but there will be food and mead until dawn! Stay any longer than that, and you have to help clean up!"






Storm Crow and House-Proud helped Twilight to the royal suite, and by the time they arrived at Storm Crow's door, Twilight was feeling a little steadier. House-Proud hugged them both, then returned to her duties in the feast hall.

Twilight smiled bashfully at Storm Crow and shuffled her hooves. “I’m really sorry about what happened back there. I can get to my room from here, you don’t need to keep looking after me.”

Storm Crow put out a leg as Twilight turned to go, halting her movement. Twilight turned back and found herself gazing into the queen’s beautiful purple eyes. “There’s no need for you to go,” she said, stepping closer to Twilight. “You know there’s always room for you here.”

Twilight pressed her muzzle against Storm Crow’s cheek and inhaled deeply, picking up the scent of rare woods and incense in her coat. She felt Storm Crow’s mouth lipping at her ear, and a shiver ran down her spine.

“I… I guess it might be nice to stay with you tonight,” she said, hesitantly, still feeling nervous even after everything that had happened. “If that’s alright?”

Storm Crow kicked open her door and pressed her head against Twilight’s shoulder, urging her inside. She shut the door behind her as Twilight sat on the bed, stroking the sheets. “It’s funny,” said Twilight. “I was here last night with Furrypants, but then everything happened with the dragon, and it feels like that was a week ago. All that flying, and the fighting, and… and Shield Biter…”

Twilight felt four warm legs wrap around her body as Storm Crow settled down behind her and rested her head on her shoulder. “You are a friend to danger but a stranger to death, Harmony-Bringer,” she murmured, as her front hooves caressed Twilight’s barrel soothingly. “But we need not speak of death tonight, nor of my husband. You asked me to show you sleighdr, and so I shall.”

With that, Storm Crow slipped a rune-charm around Twilight’s horn. She felt its magic suffusing her body, and her horn tingled with a familiar sensation. “This is eihwaz, isn’t it?” she said. “I remember that it sharpened my sight when we were fighting the dragon.”

“That’s right, dear heart,” said Storm Crow. “Now relax and allow its magic to open all of your senses.”

With that, Storm Crow drew her hooves and fetlocks along the fur of Twilight’s barrel, and it felt like every hair on her body was electrified. She shivered and tilted her head back against Storm Crow’s body, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation of the queen’s soft touch upon her sensitized body.

She lost herself in bliss for what seemed like minutes, feeling adrift in a sea of pleasure, and then was brought back to the world by the sensation of Storm Crow’s lips against hers. She could taste the sweetness of fruit and honey on the queen’s tongue, and feel the cool softness of her nose. The mystical scents that clung to Storm Crow’s coat almost overwhelmed her as she opened her mouth in the kiss. The sensation of a slippery reindeer tongue sliding between her lips briefly made her want to gag, but it soon turned pleasurable, and she met it with her own tongue, feeling its width and roughness.

By the time Twilight felt the need to catch her breath, the queen’s kiss had thoroughly transfixed her. She was lying on her back on the bed, panting heavily, but rather than give her a moment of peace, Storm Crow ran her lips down her neck, tickling her skin and coat with her tongue. Twilight shivered and splayed out her legs, her head tiling back as she surrendered herself to Storm Crow’s ministrations. She felt the soft pads of Storm Crow’s hooves running down the underside of her barrel, sliding against her coat and pressing into the soft skin beneath. Twilight breathed slowly and tried to keep her reactions under control, but when she felt hooves brushing gently over her nipples, made even more sensitive by the rune hanging from her horn, she let out a sudden grunt of arousal, and her hind legs twitched involuntarily.

Twilight bit down hard on her lower lip and scrunched her eyes shut, anticipating what was coming next. She waited, but the next touch never came. When she opened her eyes, Storm Crow was watching her with concern. “Are… are you alright, dear heart?” she asked. “Do you want me to stop?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, don’t stop,” she said hurriedly. “It’s a lot of feelings all at once, and I feel like I’m going to burst, but I don’t want you to stop. I never realised magic could feel like this. I can handle it. Please… please don’t stop.” She tried to lift a front leg to touch Storm Crow’s face, but it dropped weakly onto the bed.

Storm Crow smiled mischievously and leaned down to kiss Twilight again, once more filling her mouth with the sweet taste of mead. As they kissed, Twilight felt a faint brush of fur against her clitoris, igniting every single nerve ending in the hard nub. Her wings unfurled and beat hard against the bed as she struggled to keep herself from kicking out with her hind legs. The sensations grew too strong to bear as she felt Storm Crow’s fetlock rubbing against her labia, and her body spasmed, putting her through an orgasm despite her best efforts to hold back. She groaned loudly and thrashed her wings, and only refrained from jumping off the bed because Storm Crow had climbed on top of her and was bearing her down with her full weight.

After half a minute of writhing in bliss, her body finally calmed and was still. She still felt Storm Crow’s comforting, sensual weight atop her, and the eihwaz rune allowed her to sense every hair on her body, but the urgent need had drained from her. She wrapped her legs around the queen’s barrel and clung to her tightly, burying her muzzle in her coat and inhaling her scent deeply. “That was incredible,” she murmured. “I never realized magic could be so… could feel like that.”

Storm Crow chuckled as she licked Twilight’s neck. “Sleighdr is not all about curing plagues, growing crops and foretelling doom, dear princess,” she whispered sensually in her ear. “It is the magic that binds does and bucks together. Is it any wonder that it has a place in the bedroom? But surely unicorn magic is no different.”

“I’ve studied the magic of friendship, not the magic of sex,” said Twilight, looking away bashfully. “But… now that you mention it…”

She gave Storm Crow a grin just as mischievous as hers had been, and ignited her horn, wrapping the queen in her magic’s purple aura. She levitated her about a body-length off the bed, and watched with delight as the queen flailed her legs briefly, then relaxed, waiting to see what Twilight would do next.

“Comfy?” she asked her, as she lounged on the bed, easily maintaining control over the queen’s weight.

“Very,” replied Storm Crow, licking her lips as she looked Twilight over.

“Glad to hear it,” said Twilight, with a playful smirk. “Now you just relax, and I’ll take care of everything.” She stuck her tongue out as she concentrated on her levitation, and Storm Crow’s legs began to move under her control.

Storm Crow shivered as she felt her hooves and fetlocks sliding over her barrel. She struggled briefly, then closed her eyes and allowed Twilight to work her magic on her. The touches began as playful, stroking the upper reaches of her barrel gently, but soon grew more earnest and lower down. She tossed her head in agitation when she felt her hoof being dragged roughly between her hind legs, and her thighs twitched, trying to move but held fast by Twilight’s power.

This continued for several minutes, as Twilight gazed up at Storm Crow and watched her reactions to having her limbs manipulated. She gave a wicked grin when she saw the queen’s body reacting to the touches, her nipples peeking out from beneath her coat and her clitoris stiffening. “Princess, you know it’s unseemly for a… for a queen to beg,” Storm Crow managed to gasp. “I can’t take much more of this teasing…”

Twilight grinned, but nodded sympathetically. The royal reindeer couple were some of the most dignified people she had ever met, and she had no desire to see that dignity lessened. Rather than drag out the torment, she compelled Storm Crow’s legs to move more quickly, rubbing her fetlocks against her labia and nipples. The queen’s breathing became sharp and ragged, and she closed her eyes tightly, surrendering herself completely to Twilight’s control as her own body brought her to orgasm. Twilight kept her suspended, but allowed her body to writhe and thrash about as it would, watching the display with delight. Finally, she carefully lowered Storm Crow back to the bed, and dragged her tongue slowly over her labia. Her heightened senses let her taste the queen’s arousal and climax with acute sensitivity, and the taste almost made her ready for a second bout of lovemaking.

When Twilight released Storm Crow from the spell, they twined their legs together and snuggled close, kissing and lipping at each other’s ears. “You are full of surprises, Harmony-Bringer,” the queen murmured. “You have no experience in the bedroom, as you say, but you have the most intriguing tricks at your disposal.”

Twilight blushed and turned her head aside, letting Storm Crow groom her mane gently. “I have a good imagination, that’s all. I’ve thought about what I want to do with my first lover… I’ve thought about it a lot. I just… never really put much thought into making it happen. But you and the king have been so good to me…” She sighed and relaxed against the bed. “I hope he’s not still mad at me tomorrow.”

Storm Crow tossed her head carelessly. “He will think with a cooler head tomorrow, and realise that you were right. The days when reindeer should prey upon ponies are coming to an end.”

“He doesn’t understand how we feel about it, that’s the problem. He thinks that might makes right, and that we shouldn’t be angry at his people for attacking us. It’s like… he thinks that we would do the same to Deerheim if we had the chance. But we wouldn’t. We’re not like that. Our people are the way they are, and they’re never going to change.”

A light sparkled in Twilight’s eyes. “And neither are his!” she said with a gasp, and sprang off the bed, sending Storm Crow sprawling.

“I know what to do! I know how to stop our peoples from fighting each other!” She summoned paper and quill with a burst of magic, and began writing frantically. “I kept hoping the reindeer would change their nature, so they would stop attacking us, but that’s impossible. You can’t change who you are. I don’t want you to change who you are. But together, we can change what happens between us!”

Storm Crow picked herself up off the floor and trotted to Twilight’s side, peering at her writing. “I… I see what you are planning, princess. It may work. It will be a hard sell, but it may work. If you present this at the thing tomorrow, we may have the peace we so desire.” She bowed her head solemnly. “Sleighdr and Harmony willing, we may have peace.”





Golden Flight yawned as he kept watch over the converted sheep pen where Blood Eagle was being held prisoner. It was almost midnight, and there had been nothing to report all day. He expected that a detachment of Royal Guard would arrive the next day, to escort Blood Eagle to face trial in Canterlot. Until then, it was up to him to make sure that he didn’t escape or hurt anypony else.

Blood Eagle was bound by ropes that tied each of his legs to a different corner of the sheep pen, leaving him able to move in only a small area, and making it impossible for him to use his antlers against the ropes. He had paced around, yelled curses and threats at his captors, and generally acted like a wild animal in a cage, but had come no closer to freedom.

A mist was rising from the ocean, and Golden Flight peered up at the sky in an attempt to judge the time. He was starting to feel exceptionally sleepy, and it was obvious that the captive wasn’t going anywhere. In truth, his job was more to keep Blood Eagle safe from the Shetland ponies than the other way around, and nothing was going to happen at this hour. There was no reason why he shouldn’t just put his head down and take a nap where he stood…

When Blood Eagle heard his captor snoring, he sniffed the air and looked through the mist towards the docks. His antlers were glowing a faint orange, alerting him to magic pervading the air, magic against which he was protected. Around the village, the few other ponies who had been walking around were now asleep as well.

A few minutes later, a familiar reindeer was at his side, severing his bonds with a few deft strokes of a knife. “Velvet Curse,” he rumbled, pressing his head against her shoulder. “You came for me.”

“Of course I did, husband,” whispered the doe as she kissed his cheek. “As any wife should. Now let us be away before these ponies awaken.”

Blood Eagle swung his antlers towards Golden Flight. “Let me kill this one before we leave. He’s the one who kept me tied up like an animal, and I owe him a reckoning.”

Velvet Curse rested her hoof against her husband’s shoulder. “No, my love, we must leave now. My sleighdr will not hold the entire village in slumber for much longer, and we must reach Reingard in time for the thing. Celestia’s little purple whore has bewitched the king and made him into a pawn of Equestria. It is time to put Deerheim back into strong hooves, hooves which will guide it to glory and honour once again.”

“Indeed,” said Blood Eagle grimly as they made their way to a boat where several loyal warriors waited. “My hooves.”