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.