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.