Not What You'd Expect...

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Chapter 1

A sudden noise roused Leech from her slumber, causing her to groan and torpidly open her eyes. While it was relatively rare for her to wake up feeling like death warmed over, that’s exactly how her day - no, night kicked off. The nearly pitch black underpass of the sturdy, cobblestone bridge greeted her, doing little to help her.

Uneasily pushing herself up, her legs only begrudgingly obliging her, she struggled to remember what in Tartarus had happened. The last thing she recalled was helping Fenris trundle Kennel back to his house - well that and him plowing her on his bed. Her evening had started on a relatively decent note, finding a place to crash at and a stud to fool around with - sadly and somewhat mysteriously, she’d wound up back at her camp.

Replaying the events from earlier, trying and failing to figure out what the hay happened, a preternatural silence struck her ear. Ordinarily speaking, crickets and night life would be filling the air with their soft sounds, but that wasn’t the case. Either somepony was fucking about just outside her refuge, there was some sort of predator nearby, or she was suffering some sort of auditory hallucination - whatever the case, she wasn’t about to ignore whatever had wrenched her back to the waking world and, as far as she could tell, an absolutely terrible hangover.

“Hey,” she grunted, unsteadily shuffling around her makeshift windbreak, “would you mind keeping it down? Some ponies are trying to sleep.”

Though it was the middle of the night, the nearly full moon cast a dull light over the area beyond the overpass - just enough light for her to make out a figure laying just beside the babbling brook beneath the overpass. The sight of a motionless pony, their hoof resting in the flowing water, was enough to simultaneously worsen her headache and flood her system with adrenaline. Setting her brow, she rushed over to the limp pony.

“Hey!” she bleated, seconds before reaching the stranger.

Moments before reaching the pony, she noticed something that compounded her unease - she recognized the pony. Even though she could barely see, the pegasi very much looked to be Kennel, the very mare she’d met a few weeks ago then a second time earlier that very day, but something seemed off. The pony’s mane looked different, there was a hibiscus flower tucked over her left ear, a black choker was clasped around her neck, the cutie mark seemed different, and she seemed hurt.

Though Leech was far from any sort of a physician, she put what little medical knowledge she’d gathered to work. The pony who looked almost exactly like Kennel was breathing steadily, nothing appeared broken, and there wasn’t any blood on her - then again, she looked a bit roughed up and wasn’t conscious either. Giving the beleaguered pony a small shake, not getting any sort of a response, she pursed her lips and glanced over her shoulder.

She had fuck-all as far as supplies, but she couldn’t just leave the pegasus exposed to the elements. With few other options available, she reached down, grabbed the mare’s hoof, and started dragging Kennel toward the bridge. It may not have been as good as a Mareiotte hotel, but her shelter was better than nothing.

It took her a few minutes to get Kennel to her sanctuary, but she managed the job after a few minutes of cursing, tugging, and dry-heaving at one point. Considering she felt like absolute shit, was wide awake, and had company to tend to, she saw no point in trying to get back to sleep - as such, she gathered up some of the scrap lumber she had, tossed it into the fire pit, and blindly fumbled around for some matches. Fuck if she knew how long it was going to be before dawn, but she may as well be warm for the rest of the night.

By the time sun peeked under the bridge, with songbirds softly chirping outside, she’d managed to build a small fire, nibble on some nachos she’d purloined from behind a restaurant, promptly thrown up, and become all the more miserable - mercifully, Kennel appeared to be stable. Having checked on the pegasus at several points, she’d determined that the mare wasn’t sporting any obvious injuries and may have suffered the same bizarre fate she had the prior evening. Mired in a dismal haze, not wanting to abandon her companion, she didn’t notice her guest stir.

As Kennel’s eyes fluttered open, a peculiar disorientation settled over her. “W…wha…”

“You finally up?” a voice inquired, wrenching her attention to the side.

Looking over, she spotted a strangely colored unicorn seated a few paces away. With a white mane, tail, and splotch over her face, bearing an otherwise jet-black coat, the mare studied her with her strange pair of cat-like eyes. The sight of some unfamiliar pony would have been disquieting enough, but her unusual surroundings were what immediately set her nerves on edge. Leaping to her hooves, her heart pounding, she wheeled around and collapsed to the ground.

“Woah woah woah -” the stranger began, getting up and slowly approaching her, “take it easy.”

With her fight or flight instincts kicking into full gear, she somehow managed to stand. “Who are you? What did you do to me?”

The unicorn cocked her head and piqued a brow, studying her for a second before speaking. “Uh - I’m Leech. We met a few weeks back right here - well, no, right there,” she corrected herself, pointing out to the sunlit stream. “I was washing that jizz rag you left in the park ~ remember?”

Kennel stiffened, unsure if the mare was mistaking her for somepony else, mad, or some combination of the two. “What the hay are you talking about? I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

“Like heck you haven’t,” Leech stated, her expression hardening ever so slightly. “For buck’s sake, I helped you back to your house last night, after you got railed out at that club - at least I think it was last night. Listen, I had a rough evening, I feel like shit, and I’d really rather not argue right now.”

“I…” the pegasus trailed off, her mind going a mile a minute.

Rocking back to her haunches, she took a deep breath, held it a moment, then slowly exhaled. Something was terribly wrong, but be damned if she knew what it was. Her last memory prior to waking up under a fucking bridge had been casting a particularly potent spell, one which had been supposed to bring her to the love of her life, but something had clearly gone awry. She’d expected to be whisked away from her home, but she hadn’t foreseen blacking out and finding herself - well, she honestly didn’t know where she was.

“Hey,” she began, peeking over at her mysterious and disheveled host, “where are we?”

Leech rubbed her chin and looked up at the underside of the overpass. “You mean what town we’re near?”

“Yeah,” Kennel replied.

“We’re on the outskirts of Fillydelphia,” the unicorn stated, pointing over her shoulder. “Canterlot is about two-hundred miles to the west. There’s a train station that’s not too far away, if you’re trying to get somewhere in a jiffy.”

The pegasus cautiously stood and stretched her wings. “Trains are for chumps - anyways, if what you’re saying is right, the capital is about an hour north of here ~ right?”

The absurdity of the statement left Leech speechless. “I just said Canterlot is west of here.”

“Yeah, but I’m talking about the capital - you know, Manehattan,” Kennel clarified.

“Ok, you’re even more fucked up than I thought,” Leech murmured, pushing herself up. “Canterlot is the capital of Equestria, not Manehattan.”

Kennel balked at the preposterous assertion. Canterlot was a massive settlement, but it definitely wasn’t, nor had it ever been anything more than an urban sprawl centered around an airship hub. The apprehension she’d felt upon awakening roared back with a vengeance, as a cold knot formed in her stomach.

“You said you’d met me before?” she asked.

“Yeah, you and your brother, or maybe he was your coltfriend - either way, I was at your place just yesterday,” Leech sighed, shaking her head.

Her best guess was that her guest had befallen the same regrettable fate she had, possibly wandering off in a stupor and finding herself back at the bridge before passing out. Regardless of what had happened to her, she felt certain that getting her home would be the best course of action, though she was not looking forward to the hike. After snuffing the embers of her fire with a hoof, she trotted out from her shelter.

Attempting to reassure herself that a walk would help her pounding head, she waved for the pegasus to follow. “Unless you like stale tortilla chips, there’s no point in sitting around here all day. Come on…”

Just as confused as ever, yet curious to see if her apparent hobo was actually crazy, Kennel nodded and plodded along after the unicorn. While she couldn’t explain why the mare thought Canterlot was the capital of Equestria, the fact that she’d been recognized by name was as baffling as it was unsettling. Given how strange the drifter was, she would have definitely remembered running into her before.

“What’d you say your name was again?” she inquired, catching up to her wayward sherpa.

The unicorn rolled her eyes and glanced over at her. “Leech. Not Sparkle Leech, or Leech Sunshine - just Leech.”

Cresting the embankment by the stream, Kennel spotted a city in the distance. “What were you doing under that bridge? Don’t you have somewhere to stay?”

“I was camping,” Leech flatly responded, giving a snort for good measure. “Listen, some ponies don’t get to have a roof over their head, but that’s not important. Since we’re playing fifty questions, how’d you wind up out here? I mean, for fuck’s sake, you have a perfectly good bed and couch to crash on.”

Kennel cleared her throat, trying to ignore the somewhat ham-fisted counter about being homeless. “I was in the process of casting a spell, but something went awry. One minute, I was in my study - next thing I knew, I was waking up next to you; that’s all I know.”

Stopping dead in her tracks, the unicorn turned to face her. “What do you mean casting a spell? You’re a pegasus…”

“How astute,” Kennel huffed. Lifting a hoof and pointing at her collar, she proudly smiled. “While I may not have any natural means of sorcery, I made this little trinket years ago. This gem on it is -”

“It’s got some sort of funky bullshit that lets you cast spells, doesn’t it?” Leech interrupted, squinting at the innocuous choker. Seeing the stunned look on the pegasus’ face, she smirked. “I might not be the smartest pony, but I’ve been around the block a few times. That Fenris guy has something like that - that magic scarf he has.”

The pegasus stood in disbelief, processing what she’d just heard. So far as she knew, she was one of the only pegasi on the continent to fashion such an obscure artifact, not for the least of which reasons being the enchantments involved were dangerous, dubious, and generally frowned upon by society. The fact that her newfound companion knew who she was and was aware of a pony with a similar tool couldn’t be a coincidence, prompting her to dig further.

Choosing her words carefully, she gingerly plucked the hibiscus from her ear and stared at the delicate flower. “This Fenris guy, do you know how long we’ve been together?”

“Beats the hell out of me. He didn’t talk much, and I don’t remember most of what happened after getting back to his house, but he seems like a bit of a playboy,” Leech remarked, shifting and continuing along the path. “I’ve been meaning to ask, is he actually your brother or something? I swear, you two look like you could be twins - I mean, if you two are siblings, I won’t tell anyone.”

Absentmindedly placing the hibiscus back behind her ear, Kennel looked up at the sky. As unusual as the situation was, she’d be lying if she said her curiosity wasn’t getting the best of her. She was in an unfamiliar place, being guided by a pony she’d never met, yet the circumstances gave her an inkling of what may have happened - a preposterous, completely unbelievable inkling, but an inkling nonetheless.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” the unicorn added, snapping her from her thoughts.

Only then remembering her manners, Kennel looked away from her guide. “Thanks. I’m not sure what happened, or how I ended up by your camp, but I appreciate the hospitality.”

“You said you can use magic - if that’s the case, do you have anything that can cure a headache? I feel like I’ve been hit by a train,” Leech groused.

Without breaking stride, the pegasus extended a wing to her head and caressed her hibiscus. “Renovationis…” she intoned, deftly plucking and offering a single petal to the mare. With the gem on her choker glowing softly, she offered the petal to her companion. “Eat this.”

Leech slowed just enough to take the proffered piece of foliage from her guest. “Huh…That Fenris guy does something like that - spouts some mumbo jumbo and then his scarf starts doing all sorts of weird shit,” she explained, placing the petal on her tongue. “Where’d you learn how to do that?”

“It’s complicated,” Kennel sighed.

She’d prefer not to divulge the fact that she’d struck several accords with dark powers, so as not to cause her host any undue stress - nevertheless, she did have a question of her own. Something about the unicorn’s eyes and cutie mark, a rather ominous looking tome, piqued her interest. Peeking over at the mare, she adjusted her collar.

“If you don’t mind me asking ~ are you part bat pony? I’ve met creatures from all walks of life, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a unicorn with peepers like yours,” she noted.

“Honestly, I have no fucking idea. I don’t know who or what my parents are, and I don’t particularly care about where I came from. They weren’t there for me as a filly, so they don’t matter,” Leech darkly chuckled. “By the way, I think that little trick of yours is starting to work - that or it’s one of those placebo things.”

Kennel nodded and forced a smile, but she kept her mouth shut. The last thing she’d intended was to step on a touchy subject, so she’d be content letting the matter lie. Continuing on their way, they crossed into the suburbs and past the first few houses on the outskirts of town. She’d never been to Fillydelphia, but nothing struck her as strange or out of place. After some dozen minutes of silence, moving at a relaxed pace, her host slowed.

“There’s your house,” Leech declared, looking over at her. “If it’s not too much to ask, do you think I could maybe get a bite to eat before heading off?”

“Wait here for one second,” she instructed, trotting up to the unassuming house.

Veering off the walkway and toward what she assumed was a living room window, she crouched down and slowed to a crawl. Though there was a remarkably slim chance that her host had been correct, that she had some sort of doppelganger, she needed to play her cards carefully - not because it wouldn’t be fascinating, but because the implications would give a theory she had some weight. Creeping up and peering through the glass, keeping herself as low as possible, she went rigid.

It wasn’t the fact that the house was in shambles, with one wall having been partially demolished, that caught her eye - no, it was two of the three ponies inside that held her rapt attention. A kirin and two pegasi busied themselves with repair work, fastening drywall and reinforcing broken studs. Though she hadn’t the slightest clue who they were, the duo of winged ponies didn’t just look familiar - they appeared to be mirror images of herself.

For all intents and purposes, it was like looking at two reflections of herself - sure, the stallion was marginally bigger than she was, yet the similarities were beyond coincidental. As if having coats, manes, and eyes that were the exact same color, the distinctive fur tufts on their cheeks and uniquely pronounced canines left little room for doubt. Somehow, as unfathomable as it may have seemed, she wasn’t just looking at a pair of lookalikes - she was looking at some other versions of herself.

“That the f-” the abrupt and unforeseen comment from Leech was cut off, as she tackled the mare to the ground.

She hadn’t noticed the unicorn sneaking up on her, but she was not about to have her cover blown. With one hoof clamped over the mare’s mouth, she held her breath and swiveled her ears to the window for any sign that they’d been noticed - fortunately, after a tense few seconds of hearing the ponies inside continuing to work, her fear of being spotted lessened. Easing her hoof from her companion’s muzzle, she held a pinion to her lips and quietly blew.

“Be quiet,” she breathed.

Leech glowered up at the pegasus, but restrained herself from making a racket. “Why? What the fuck is in there?”

Without giving an explanation, her newfound associate crawled off her and mutely pointed up at the window. Intrigued and a little alarmed at the sudden turn of events, she shifted to the side, lifted her head, and peeked inside. Damned if she knew what to expect, but she sure as shit hadn’t anticipated seeing a second Kennel lurking within the living room.

Lowering herself back out of sight, she turned her attention back to the pegasus. “Why are there two of you?”

“I…I’m not sure, but I have a terrible feeling that I might know why. Come on, we gotta get out of here,” Kennel whispered, skulking along the wall and away from the front door.

Though she didn’t understand what was going on, Leech kept her mouth shut and followed along after the mare. As they reached the sidewalk, moving away from the home, the pegasus broke into a canter, then a gallop, leaving her in the dust. Running as hard and as fast as she could to keep up, it wasn’t until she watched Kennel’s wings unfurl and prepare for flight that she reached a tipping point.

“What the fuck is your problem!” she shouted, screeching to a halt. “I drag your stupid ass out of a stream, walk you all the way to town, and now you’re about to just ditch me?!!”

Kennel’s hooves skidded along the sidewalk, as she wheeled around and scowled over at the unicorn. “You can’t begin to comprehend what’s going on, so why do you give a shit?”

“Maybe because I don’t have anything better to do, or maybe because I want to figure out what in Tartarus has you so spooked - in the end, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that something has you bothered, and it’s not like I have anything better to do,” Leech shot back.

There was no way she was going to let Kennel get away - not with all the weird shit going on. Trotting forward, she reached out and patted the mare’s shoulder. She’d been through some rough patches in life, met all sorts of eccentric creatures, and been on more than a few of what most would call adventures, so she wasn’t about to let Kennel slip through her hooves that easily.

“Look,” she sighed, lowering her tone, “how about we go somewhere to talk about this, because I’d bet my bottom bit that, judging from your reaction back there, you’re just as confused as I am.”

Trying her best to figure out what was going on, Kennel looked to the ground. “This is going to sound crazy, but I think I fucked up.”

“Is that all?” the unicorn laughed, inching trotting over and nudging her shoulder. “I fuck up all the time! This one time, I thought it would be a good idea to try and fuck an entire rugby team. They weren’t even done with me before -”

“I mean I think I may have broken reality,” she blurted, lifting her head to lock eyes with the mare. “I’m still trying to sort it out, but it’s the only thing that makes sense right now.”

Staying right where she was, utterly unfazed by the statement, Leech’s smile never left her face. “Like a parallel universe or something? No, wait, are you from the future?”

She knit her brow, uncertain if the unicorn was mocking her or making a genuine guess. “The former. Think about it - I’d been trying to cast a spell that would teleport me. If I screwed something up, that might explain where I ended up in a world where Canterlot is the capital and there’s another version of me.”

“Huh -” Leech grunted, withdrawing her foreleg and rubbing her chin. “Ok - if that is the case, how do we fix it?”

“Well if I reverse a few runes and the incantation, that might bring me back to my house. Even if my theory is incorrect, carefully enacting the ritual a second time should put me back where I belong. The problem is that it's going to take some time and resources I don’t have. I’m going to assume powdered opal and dragon bone aren’t cheap, so I’ll -”

“Would a dragon tooth work?” Leech interjected, catching the pegasus off guard. “I’ve got one back at my camp. As for bits, well, I may not have many, but I’ll let you have them if you need them.”

“Lemme get this right,” she scoffed in disbelief. “You’re homeless and destitute, yet you’re willing to give me, a perfect stranger, what little money you have for a spell that may or may not work?”

The unicorn shrugged, as her smile broadened ever so slightly. “I’m used to being broke, so it’s no big deal. If you have a home to get back to, I’ll consider it an investment.”

The idea that somepony was willing to give up what few things they had for somepony they didn’t know was as or more absurd than the idea of being whisked to a different universe. Scanning the mare’s face for any sign of deception, her muzzle split in a grin. Though she’d only just crossed paths, there was something almost otherworldly and disarming about the unicorn, and she couldn’t help but feel at ease because of it.

“Is there a library around here?” she asked.

“Oh yeah, there’s a damn good library not too far from here; it’s right by the shelter and soup kitchen, so we can get some breakfast too,” Leech chirped, trotting past the pegasus.

Trotting up to her side, the pegasus matched pace with her. “If there’s a shelter, why are you staying under a bridge?”

“Because it’s against the rules to fornicate with the residents, and I got my three strikes a long time ago,” she giggled.

“I…Oh…That’s lame. Why the hay don’t they let the ponies staying there fool around?” Kennel griped.

Shaking her head and fighting back her laughter, Leech glanced over at her apparently displaced companion. “Something about morals or some stupid shit. It probably doesn’t help that I got caught knotted to a griffon, but it was definitely worth it. The knot on that guy,” she hummed, shivering at the memory, “hot damn, I was walking funny for like two days!”

“Yeah, griffons can be fun in the sack, but have you ever been knotted by a timberwolf?” the pegasus responded, nearly causing the unicorn to stumble.

Leech only barely caught herself from falling, but she managed to remain upright. “If you’re asking what I think you’re asking - maybe. You’re - uh - you’re not a cop, are you?”

“Pffffft,” Kennel rebutted, dismissively waving a wing. “I’m no narc. Just saying, if you ever did fool around with a timberwolf, take my advice and use some hundred-grit sandpaper; trust me, they like it more than belly rubs.”

The remark sundered Leech’s composure, tickling her fancy and making her guffaw. “Shit, you’re nasty! I’m totally not gonna write that down in my journal - you know, for posterity.”

She wouldn’t have guessed her day would take a sudden and wildly scandalous turn, yet she launched into a riveting conversation about all manner of debaucherous conquests with her self-imposed charge. It was fair to say that she hadn’t met many ponies as depraved as herself, but it didn’t take her long to determine that Kennel would give her a run for her money. In spite of the rocky and yet unsolved enigma of her appearance, the mare was just as much of a strumpet as herself! Though their trip to the library wasn’t a short one, taking nearly an hour, their conversation made the time practically fly by - unfortunately, it didn’t stay that way for long.

Once they’d reached their destination, Kennel scurried off to reference several tomes of the arcane, while she dithered away her time looking over magazines. She’d never been anything close to a scholar, so the lack of entertaining literature left her with little to do. Leaving her friend to her studies, it didn’t take long before she nodded off in one of the chairs dotting the place.

Periodically glancing over at the softly snoozing unicorn, Kennel poured over various grimoires, scrolls, and papers. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was looking for, considering the spell she’d enacted was an invocation she’d crafted herself, but finding something - anything to give some validity to her hypothesis would be well worth her time. It was after she’d requested and been given supervised access to the rare books section did she find anything of interest.

Buried in an old journal of Starswirl the Bearded she uncovered mention of a portal that linked their world to another. The references were terse, but she was astounded by what she read. Apparently there was an artifact which could create a portal to an alternate reality, one dramatically different to her own; if the ancient sorcerer hadn’t scribbled down some fever dream, it meant her prevailing theory as to what had happened to her was validated outright.

Potential substantiation of her hypothesis aside, she didn’t find much material of use. The artifact Starswirl had written of was supposedly locked away in the bowels of the Canterlot Castle, kept under lock and key by the royal guard, so her chances of utilizing it were slim and none. All told, the good news was that she probably wasn’t crazy - the bad news was that she was left to try and reverse engineer the spell she’d used. After placing the tome back in its place, and thanking the employee who’d dutifully watched over her for nearly an hour, she meandered back to where the unicorn slumbered.

As she approached the dozing mare, the corners of her mouth turned up. Slumped back in a chair, drool leaking from her open mouth, Leech snored softly and gave the occasional twitch. It was funny to think she’d find comfort from such a quirky little pony, but strange times bore strange fruit. Stopping just shy of her companion, she reached out and gently nudged the unicorn’s shoulder.

“B…but you’re half - Mmmm - my age…” Leech muttered, grinding her thighs together.

Stifling a snicker, Kennel gave a second, harder shove. “Wakey wakey…”

Leech lurched forward and nearly fell out of the chair, her eyes bolting open in confusion before settling on the pegasus. “So did you…” her question died, as she yawned. “Did you find anything?”

“Not really, no, but that’s not a huge problem. So long as I can get my hooves on an opal, powdered or not, and that tooth you have, I should be able to get things sorted out,” she explained. “You said there’s a soup kitchen nearby? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a bit hungry.”

“Yup,” Leech replied, hopping from her seat and giving herself a stretch. “It’s about three blocks west of here, if I remember right. It’s been a while since I’ve been there, so I hope they’re still open.”

Watching the unicorn trot toward the nearest exit, Kennel lifted a brow. “And if they’re not?”

“If they’re not, we’ll hit the buffet,” the unicorn smugly stated, winking over her shoulder at her.

The declaration gave her a moment for pause, laying in contrast to what her companion had said earlier. “I thought you were broke.”

“Oh I am broke,” Leech hummed, “but there are a couple of choice restaurants downtown that are, shall we say, liberal with discarding old produce. It might not be some hoity-toity, five-star buffet, but there’s plenty of vittles if you’re not too picky.”

Though she opened her mouth to speak, she found herself at a loss. She’d heard about the trials and tribulation that less fortunate ponies went through, but she’d never encountered, much less dealt with a drifter. Giving a simple nod, she trailed along behind her host and out the front door.

She’d always worked hard, having taken odd jobs throughout her time in school, but speaking with somepony who was impoverished enough to eat from dumpsters really put things into perspective. Leech’s mention of not having parents left her to assume the mare had been on her own for most of her life - heck, maybe her entire life, which she found simultaneously inspirational and depressing. If a little mare could get by with nopony but herself to lean on, she knew she’d be alright.

“I have another question for you,” she began, trotting up and catching her friend’s eye. “You know anywhere that we could make some bits busking?”

The unicorn peered over at a street sign and gave a halfhearted nod. “Yeah, but I ain’t all that good with magic - never have been. Unless you plan on doing something risque, which the cops probably wouldn’t take too kindly of, I don’t know what you plan on doing.”

“What if a pair of mares were magically growing flowers and dancing - you can dance, right?” Kennel pressed, flashing a toothy grin at her guide.

Glancing at the pegasus’ collar and hibiscus, Leech smirked. “Yeah…Yeah, I think that might make us enough for a meal…”

Chapter 2

Cursing under her breath, Kennel crushed a dragon’s tooth between two large, smooth rocks she’d found by the stream. Despite the bizarre circumstances of the morning, waking up to discover she’d inadvertently whisked herself away to another reality, her day hadn’t been all that terrible - well, for the most part. Though she and Leech had managed to rake in enough bits for a pizza, drinks, and even some extra garlic knots, things had inevitably taken a turn.

“You get that fire going?” she called out, looking over her shoulder at the encampment.

With her horn buried in a bundle of tinder, Leech glared over at her guest. “It’s not like I’m not trying. I told you I ain’t good with magic.”

“Remind me to try and teach you some arcane fundamentals,” the pegasus grouched.

While her host was incredibly savvy and street-smart, she couldn’t fathom how the unicorn didn’t have a grasp of basic sorcery. Unlike herself, the mare actually had the inane means to cast magic, something she’d taught herself through the use of her charmed collar, yet Leech didn’t seem capable of casting even the simplest spell. Rubbing the two stones together, grinding the sturdy enamel of the fang into the finest powder she could manage, she shook her head.

The night was swiftly approaching, with the sun dipping over the horizon, and a chill was already in the air. Leech had had the forethought to check a newspaper before they’d left town, discovering that a cold front was moving through the area - still, though the forecast was useful, it didn’t exactly help their situation. It would have been bad enough to not to have any proper shelter, but going without a fire to warm themselves would be downright tragic.

Grunting in frustration, Leech stood and marched back to her meager trove of supplies. “How about you make a fire and I’ll mill that tooth down?”

“Because you’re probably stronger than I am and because my magic doesn’t work that way. My choker lets me manipulate things, but it can’t just spontaneously generate material or make something from nothing,” Kennel countered.

Leech had been in relatively good spirits, all things considered, but running out of matches had soured her mood. It was supposed to get close to freezing, she only had one windbreak, and she didn’t have much to keep them warm. With only a single blanket and a minotaurian hoodie she’d managed to grab from a thrift shop, they were going to be in for a long night.

“Hey, quick question,” she shouted, rummaging through her effects, “you got a problem sleeping with me?”

“What?” the pegasus responded, her concentration sundered. “You mean, like, in an intimate way or a platonic way?”

“I mean in the ‘maybe we won’t get pneumonia’ way,” the unicorn hollered back.

Abandoning her efforts, feeling the wind starting to pick up, Kennel gathered the dust she’d managed to produce into a piece of paper, tied it with a length of twine, and retreated back to the relative shelter of her sanctuary. There was nothing saying she had to cast the spell to be sent home that day, but she wasn’t exactly looking forward to spending the night outdoors.

As she came around the makeshift wall, spying her companion rummaging about in a satchel, her eyes settled on a single, threadbare blanket on the ground. “Please tell me you have more than one blanket…”

“Nope,” Leech chipperly noted, “but I have a plan. Go grab as many rocks as you can from near the stream - the bigger the better. I haven’t frozen to death a single time, and I don’t plan on popping that cherry.”

Kennel set the pulverized tooth down and scampered back to the brook. She had no idea what the rocks were supposed to be for, but she trusted Leech as much as she would trust anypony who’d managed to survive on their own for years. Leaving her friend to hopefully get a fire started, she rushed back to the water’s edge.

“Thank fuck,” Leech whispered to herself, finding a second pack of matches.

Looking back at the fire pit, noticing it wasn’t in the best area, she scrunched her snout. If she’d known they were going to get a cold snap, she would have constructed her camp differently, but it was too late to fuck around with trying to reconstruct the wall. They had food in their bellies, and they should be able to keep each other warm, so they’d be fine - she hoped.

Seeing the pegasus moving closer, carrying one large stone on her back and kicking another, she picked a match from the book, struck it and placed it in the tinder. “Ok, put those as close to the fire as you can manage. If you can find about three or four more rocks that size, that’d be great - if not, don’t sweat it. I’m gonna get our bed ready.”

With a strained grunt, Kennel heaved the small boulders into place. “I saw a few more on the shore, so I should…What the hell are you doing?”

She’d assumed the stones were to protect the fire, yet that thought was upended when she saw Leech pawing at the earth. Unless the mare was planning on sleeping in a hole with her, she couldn’t explain what she was seeing. Trotting closer, she cocked her head to the side.

“Old - Unf - trick. You fill a trough with hot stones, bury them, then put your bedroll on them. Think of it like a vintage heated blanket,” Leech huffed, kicking dirt away. “Plus if I can get this deep enough, it’ll help keep the wind off us.”

“I…Huh…” Kennel mumbled. “I gotta say, you seem like you’d be useful in a pinch.”

Peering back at her with a sly grin and twinkle in her eye, the unicorn tittered. “Just remember that in a few hours. Fair warning, I’m a bit of a cuddler.”

Turning around and strolling back to the water’s edge, looking up at the dark, clouded sky, Kennel’s thoughts wandered. It was sad to think that her companion had to make due with so little, but it was wildly inspiring that the mare not only managed to get by but somehow maintained a chipper disposition. If she’d been home, her home, she would have invited Leech to stay for a while, if only until she got her hooves under herself - regrettably, she couldn’t do much to help herself, much less her friend.

Bucking a particularly large stone from the soil, she began rolling the rock up the embankment and toward the camp. Seeing the unicorn digging away, contentedly humming to herself, she grimaced - sure, she may not have known the pony for long, less than an entire day, yet she felt bad regardless. She’d never really given much consideration to her modest, two bedroom home, but her somber circumstances made her miss the comfort of a bed - moreover, she felt a pang of guilt for having undervalued creature comforts.

“There ya go, right there,” Leech remarked, giving an approving nod as she placed the stone by the soundly burning fire. “Two or three more like that and we should be good. Now if you can just find some graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows, we’ll be able to really call this camping.”

“Say,” she began, rubbing the back of her neck, “this might be a dumb question, but are you happy living like this?”

The unicorn cocked her head and slowed, turning her attention to her guest. “Happy enough, I guess. I just wish I’d known about this shitt weather we’re supposed to be getting.”

Inching closer, Kennel gave a sheepish grin. “If, and that’s a damn big if, I could bring you back with me, would you want to come along? It’s not like I’m loaded or anything, but you could crash in my spare room for a while if you wanted - you know, at least long enough for you to get a job and -”

“Look, I get that you’re trying to be nice, but I’ve been through this song and dance before. I’ve been offered couches here and there - heck, I even had a few ‘lucky breaks’,” the unicorn scoffed, lifting and quoting with her forehooves, “but it never works out. I’m thinking that this is the first time you’ve had to rough it and now you’re feeling sentimental.”

She reflexively took a step back, taken by surprise by the poignant observation. “I mean it is, but -”

“Seriously, don’t sweat it. I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I’d just be bumming around on another world before too long,” Leech interrupted, willing her grin not to waver. “I know how things work here, so I’ll be just fine.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned her attention back to the task at hoof and kept digging. She realized the pegasus meant well, but she also knew the feeling would be fleeting. If everything worked out, Kennel would be home soon and, with or without her, she’d forget the experience of being without and go back to her usual routine. As nice as it was to be offered a roof, if only temporarily, she’d rather stay where she was - after all, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.

Peeking over, noticing her companion going back to fetch another stone or two, she finished with the trench and stepped over to the mound of earth she’d created. While she wouldn’t have a ton of dirt to work with, after she’d buried the heated rocks, even a shallow secondary wall would offer a bit of added protection from the wind. Shuffling the soil into a tiny berm with her forehooves, she crossed her hooves that they weren’t going to be in for a long string of bad weather.

With the preparations made, preparing to hunker down for the night, Leech was joined by her company by the crackling fire. “Since you might know how to get back home, do you have any idea how you ended up here?”

“This might sound dumb, but I was trying to find my special somepony,” Kennel murmured, staring into the embers.

Stepping beside the pegasus, Leech nodded. “Trying to settle down and start a family?”

“Nah,” Kennel scoffed. “I was hoping to find a nice, strong, preferably well-hung house-stud, but you see where that landed me.”

“I may not have a cock, but if you get me a strapon,” Leech chuckled, elbowing her friend, “I’m pretty sure I could scratch that itch for ya.”

Kennel laughed, but there was no heart in it. Her longing to find true love had landed her in one of the worst situations she’d been in, making her quest to find a mate seem downright trivial in comparison. If reversing the spell did work, she’d have to reevaluate her circumstances - if it didn’t, there was a very real chance she’d have to start life anew.

Leaning over and snatching a broken stick from the pile of firewood, she prodded one of the stones she’d gathered. “How long until they’re hot?”

“Shouldn’t be too long,” the unicorn noted, trotting to her satchel and retrieving the large hoodie. “I only have one of these, but you can use it.”

As her host tossed the garment to her, Kennel pursed her lips. “No, I’ll be fine, you should use it.”

“Bullshit,” Leech insisted. “You’re my guest and I say you get to use it. It ain’t like it’s dirty or anything.”

Kennel lifted and studied the oversized sweater, only then realizing its size. “What if we either pop the seam and use it as a blanket or both squeeze in it.”

“Hmmmm,” the unicorn hummed, rubbing her chin. “That’s kinda gay, but I like the way you think. And you’re totally ok with snuggling up with a hobo?”

“First time for everything,” the pegasus snickered. “I ain’t saying you get to use the best ear warmers on the planet,” she added, reaching back and caressing her thigh, “so don’t get your hopes up on that one.”

“Damn,” Leech groused, kicking at the dirt beneath her. “And here I thought I’d get to check the ‘fuck somepony from another dimension’ off my bucket list.”

Kennel tried to hold back her laughter, but it was no use. Once again, over the span of a mere day, her guide proved to have an almost infectious air of positivity about her. “And you’re sure you don’t want to come with me? I could use somepony like you around.”

“I’d just be a bother. Having a unicorn around who can’t use magic, eats out of the trash, and has a bad habit of finding trouble would only make your life more complicated than it is,” Leech observed. “Besides, if I was sleeping in your guest room, you’d keep getting woken up by all the moaning; lemme tell ya, I’m not exactly the quiet type in the sack.”

“Like that’d bother me,” Kennel scoffed. “I’ve had the guard called on me a hoofful of times and gotten a number of noise complaints myself. As far as I’m concerned, you could be as loud as you want - having said that, if you snag a particularly good lay, you’d have to share with yours truly.”

Though the unicorn held her gaze for only a second before turning away, it was long enough for her to notice something - the briefest flash of sadness or regret. She’d read somewhere that the most cheerful ponies tend to struggle with depression or dour thoughts, but she couldn’t say she’d ever noticed it in somepony before - then again, it wasn’t like she socialized that frequently. After her childhood friends had moved away, starting families or pursuing careers, she’d withdrawn and focused on her studies.

Staying quiet, disinterestedly poking the fire with her stick, she stifled a yawn. “If my plan doesn’t work - heck, even if it does work, what’re you going to do tomorrow?”

“With winter coming on, I’ll probably be hopping a train to head south soon. Appleoosa ain’t exactly a big town, but the folks around there are nice. There are a couple of decent saloons, and the cowponies in town aren’t shy about paying a mare for a little love and attention,” Leech nonchalantly stated. “Just don’t get caught by one of their wives; that can get really sticky. How about you ~ what are you gonna get into once you get home?”

“I’d like to study this spell a little more, but it might be a good idea just to forget all about it. I’ve had invocations misfire or fail, but this has got to be the worst fuckup I’ve ever done - well besides that one time when I thought I could woo a chimera,” she groaned, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “If you think being under a bridge is rough, try sneaking away from a very affectionate monster with three heads.”

Strolling over to the modest stack of wood, Leech grabbed a length of broken timber and started rolling one of the softly steaming rocks toward the trough she’d dug. “Tomorrow morning, before you go, remind me to tell you about when I got really, really drunk and found a bugbear - for now, we should probably hunker down and get comfy. Help me get these in place.”

Working in tandem, under the unicorn’s supervision, the pair had prepared their sleeping space for the night, draped the blanket over the heated soil, and wriggled into the hoodie. It was through sheer dumb luck that the garment happened to be large enough to fit the both of them, with just a touch of extra space to spare, but it made for a decent sleeping back of sorts. Listening to the rain pattering on the ground beyond the overpass, they laid down and rested their heads on their hooves.

“I’ll probably be up before you, but I’ll try to be quiet,” Leech breathed, closing her eyes. “G’night, Kennel.”

Kennel mirrored her host, struggling to keep her eyes open. “Night…”

She’d doubted she’d be either warm or comfortable, yet the improvised bed and the body heat of the mare proved otherwise. With the sound of rainfall in her ears, more exhausted than she cared to admit, she drifted off in what felt like seconds. The last thing she remembered was wondering what she would have done if she hadn’t been lucky enough to have found the resourceful little ragamuffin of a unicorn.

…

“Hey,” a voice called, rousing Kennel from her slumber.

Her haze of waking up was compounded by the momentary confusion of being somewhere unfamiliar, but her memories of the last day came flooding back in an instant. Pushing herself up and into a seated position, with the hoodie draping over her shoulders, she rubbed her eyes and peeked out to see Leech standing over her. Balancing on three legs, the unicorn lifted and bit a piece of dried something in her forehoof.

“What is that?” she groggily inquired, unsure of how the mare had gotten up without waking her.

Holding the leathery substance out, Leech smiled. “Jerky. You want some?”

She recoiled at the word, fighting a wave of involuntary disgust. “You eat meat?”

Leech apathetically shrugged and tore another strip of dried flesh with her teeth. “Yeah. Friend of mine,” she slowly explained, chewing on the mouthful of desiccated muscle, “was a griffon. Ever since I had this stuff as a filly, I’ve had a taste for it. You wanna try some?”

She knew good and damned well that meat eating was frowned upon by most ponies, only tolerated while in the company of omnivores or carnivores, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. Salted, dried flesh had a remarkable shelf life, was easy enough to prepare, and she honestly did enjoy the taste. Watching her companion grapple with the concept, clearly put off by the idea, she relented.

“I guess mine aren’t for show,” she teased, swallowing her mouthful and opening her mouth to reveal her canines.

“Clearly,” Kennel grunted, awkwardly freeing herself from the voluminous sweater. Looking out and seeing the skies had cleared, she folded the article and looked over to the partially ground tooth. “I’m gonna get back to it. If I can…” she trailed off, as the unicorn passed her the bundled paper containing the fang.

“Way ahead of you. To be fair, I did tell you that I’d probably wake up before you,” Leech mused, grinning from ear to ear. “Unless there’s anything special you need to do to it, you should be good to go.”

While she didn’t have the foggiest clue as to what her guest needed the powdered tooth for, she’d put herself to work and finished grinding the fang over the last hour or so. The sooner the mare got home, the better off things would be for everypony. While she didn’t mind lending a helping hoof or looking after somepony, having another mouth to feed would be arduous at best and a nightmare at worst. It wasn’t like she didn’t enjoy the company, far from it, but she’d always tended to operate better alone.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Kennel grumbled, taking the proffered parcel. “It’s not like there’s a rush.”

“You ever train-hopped? Know what kind of mushrooms are safe to eat? How about spending a night in the pokey so you don’t get frostbite?” Leech pressed, stepping closer and driving the pegasus back. Seeing the alarmed look on the mare’s face, she smugly grinned. “Yeah, I figured as much. I ain’t doing this to be a dick - I’m doing it because you don’t belong out here.”

The sudden change and harsh questions from her host put Kennel on the backhoof. There was no denying that she was out of her element, and a part of her understood what the unicorn meant - nevertheless, she’d hoped to have a bit of time before she departed. Glowering at the neatly wrapped tooth, she stomped off to the stream’s bank and began etching runes into the soil.

“What’re those things?” Leech asked, inching closer to watch her.

“They’re called sigils. Earth ponies and pegasi in the old days used to have magic like this, but they stopped using it when they allied themselves with unicorns. These marks harness and focus the power of the elements, but there’s a catch; this type of sorcery isn’t nearly as safe or predictable as what unicorns,” she paused, glancing over at the mare, “most unicorns can manage. The slightest error with a line or placement can cause the whole thing to explode - literally explode.”

Leech shifted in place, yet she didn’t back away. “You think that might be how you ended up here?”

Kennel worked her way in a circle, inscribing the dirt as she steadily moved, and shook her head. “I highly doubt it. Considering this invocation is relatively tame, only meant to create a portal, it would have likely fizzled out had I screwed something up,” she commented, stepping back to inspect her work.

That was probably the biggest mystery of the mess - how in the hay something so simple could have breached the walls of reality. If she’d sacrificed something or, the abyss forbid, somepony, she may have been able to explain the interdimensional mishap, yet that wasn’t the case - for fuck’s sake, all she’d used was a tooth that she’d borrowed from a dentist in town! With her brow furrowed, having looked over the runes no fewer than three times, she carefully opened the paper and sprinkled a circle around the inscriptions.

With everything in place, seeing no point in delaying the inevitable, she reached up, plucked a petal from her flower and brought it to her lips. “Aufer me a dilectione mea…”

“I thought you said your juju can’t make something from nothing,” Leech grunted, watching her drop the pedal to the center of the ring of etchings.

“It doesn’t,” Kennel huffed, “I’m using it to focus the power I called upon; think of it like a lens - it’s not making light, just magnifying it.” Having completed her task, the fine white powder carefully filling the various marks she’d made, she hopped back and out of the circle. “Stand back.”

The pair stood motionless, their eyes glued to the glyphs carved into the earth. Seconds passed and nothing happened, until a soft hum filled the air. Seemingly from nowhere, the droning noise grew louder and louder, as the earth vibrated beneath their feet.

“Is - uh - is it supposed to do that?” Leech bleated, shuffling back.

She’d seen all sorts of weird magic before, and even some alchemy that bordered on sorcery, but this - this was different. The smooth stones on the embankment softly clattered together, the air felt charged, and small arcs of carmine power leapt from one rune to another, while the spell gathered power. Though she had no way to tell if the sorcery was working as it was supposed to, a welling feeling of unease grew stronger with every passing moment.

Backpedaling and shaking her, Kennel swallowed hard. “N…no. Something’s not right with -”

“Can you turn it off?!” the unicorn shouted, giving the pegasus her full attention.

“Breaking the circle might dissipate the forces involved, but that would mean - No!” she yelled, seeing her companion dash forward.

Wincing, Leech kicked one of the glyphs from the soil. She didn’t know what was happening - shit, she barely understood what the spell was supposed to do, yet something told her that she needed to put an end to it. There were a number of rules she abided by, things that helped her survive, but one of them sat high above the rest - trust your gut. Rushing to and destroying a second mark, cutting through the dead center of the ring, a bolt of crimson lightning erupted from the symbol she’d just defaced and struck her squarely in the neck.

“Leech!” Kennel yelled, rushing to her friend before the name had left her mouth.

Coming to the mare’s side, heedless of the quaking earth and stones levitating around her, she froze. She knew next to nothing about treating serious injuries, but she could instantly tell things had gone from bad to worse. A smoking, blasted patch of charred flesh rested on Leech’s neck, just above the shoulders, and she was completely motionless.

Adrenaline surged through her, her vision tunneled, and her lungs burned, as she stooped down, grabbed the mare’s hind leg, and started pulling her friend away from the infernal seal she’d created. “Wake up, damn it!”

Her desperate cry went unheard, as she hauled the limp unicorn out of the circle and up the embankment. A gale cut through the air, bolts of power erupted from what remained of the runes, and the droning sound became deafening, yet she could think of nothing else but her companion. Had she been by herself, she would have been the only pony to get hurt - alas, in an attempt to help her, Leech had paid the price.

She only came to a halt when she was a dozen paces away from the havoc she’d unwittingly created, kneeling down beside the mare. The relief she felt seeing that Leech was breathing was immeasurable, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. Reluctantly lifting her head and peeking over at the invocation, praying to see some sign of it dissipating, her worst fears were realized. Not only was the spell-work still active, it was somehow getting more intense.

There were perilously few times when she’d felt true dread, yet this was one of them. The urge to flee, to fly away as fast and as hard as she could, screamed at her, clawed at her sanity, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave her friend. Leaning over and taking the mare’s leg, she noticed her companion stir.

Helping the unicorn stand, she gave uneasy glances to the ongoing maelstrom. “Can you walk?”

“The fuck happened,” Leech slurred, listing to the side and nearly falling.

“We need to go,” Kennel firmly stated.

Ushering the unicorn in a small circle, she faced away from the haywire spell - that was until something snagged her leg. Peering over her shoulder, her blood ran cold. Wreathed in eldritch fire, a gaping void in reality hovered over the blasted earth; the sight would have been terrifying in and of itself, yet that wasn’t what broke her composure.

A panicked scream escaped her, as an inky black tendril pulled her toward the wound in reality. She’d known that there were forces beyond comprehension, things that mortals had no right meddling with, but she’d always assumed they were the stuff of nightmares. Fear - raw primitive fear grasped her, stripping her of the ability to think or act, while she dug her hooves into the ground and fought to free herself.

Only just stopping herself from falling, wrenched to the side and driven off balance, Leech watched her friend being dragged away by what she could only call a tentacle. The world spun around her, a coppery taste filled her mouth, and there was an odd pain in her neck, but that didn’t stop her from jumping forward to grab the pegasus’ outstretched hoof. As she braced her legs, trying and failing to wrest her companion from the beast’s grasp, she set her jaw and pulled with all her might.

“I - Cough - I gotcha,” she weakly growled, screwing her eyes shut.

Try as she might, her hooves skidding through the pebbles and sand, she was unable to stop the otherworldly creature’s retreat. Every inch she lost brought Kennel closer to the fell portal, and all she was able to do was watch the pegasus struggle. It was only when she noticed tears streaming down the mare’s face did she finally realize what she had to do.

“Hey,” she whispered, somehow catching her companion’s attention, “take care of yourself…”

The flash of understanding and pure horror in Kennel’s eyes didn’t stop her, as she relaxed her grip, jumped over the mare, and tackled the sinuous appendage. Thrashing violently, her teeth sinking into the monstrosity’s soft flesh, an odd sensation overtook her. Laying in stark contrast to her violent, quite possibly suicidal actions, she felt quite tranquil.

The abomination released the pegasus in the blink of an eye, giving the belligerent unicorn its full attention. Coiling around her body and limbs, joined by a trio of similar tendrils, the long, impossibly strong tentacles hastened their pace in drawing her to the eldritch doorway. She’d been a fuck-up most of her life, making one bad decision after another, but as she looked up and saw her friend, growing further and further away, she smiled.

Kennel barely registered what had happened until it was too late. By the time she got her bearings, she was watching Leech’s lower half disappear into the nothingness of the hovering gateway. In spite of her dread, the sight of her companion’s smile kindled an unbridled rage in her. Flying in the face of reason, abandoning her judgement, she sprang forth and grabbed the mare’s foreleg.

“Just - Nnnngh - fight it!” she blared, only managing to slow the unicorn’s disappearance.

Leech attempted to shake her limb free, knowing it was too late. “Just go! Don’t worry about -”

“Fuck you!” Kennel howled, staring daggers at the mare’s infuriatingly tranquil face. “Your stupid ass should have never tried to help!”

She was only partially aware of what she was saying, but she was too pissed off to care. She was supposed to pay for her mistakes, not some random pony who’d been too kind for her own good! With all the speed and unimaginable force of a glacier, the unicorn slowly disappeared into the nothingness of the hovering portal.

The cold blackness crept up her body and to her neck, leaving a numbness in its wake. She could feel herself slipping, like being submerged into frigid water, and she knew there was no stopping it. Drawing a shuddering breath, she locked eyes with the pegasus and gave the best goodbye she could muster.

“Kennel, I want -”

Kennel tumbled back and fell to the ground, as the unicorn was wrenched from her grasp. The droning noise had stopped, the earth was still, and a soft breeze swept through her mane, as she stared in disbelief down at her empty hooves. Shock - unrefined, cold shock washed over her, but it didn’t stay that way for long.

Lifting her head and peering at the then closing portal, she felt like she’d lost some part of herself. There were no words to describe how she felt, torn between sorrow and confusion, but her righteous fury at being ripped from her friend bubbled to the surface. Only barely aware that she’d bolted to her hooves, feeling her wings unfurl, she leapt through the doorway and winked from existence.

Chapter 3

Throwing her head back, Kennel gasped for air. Primal fear, born from the primordial, survivalistic portions of her mind, had rocked her back to the waking world. She hadn’t even realized she was wet until she scrambled to her hooves, coughing and heaving fluid from her lungs, as she struggled to comprehend what had happened.

The spell she’d cast, the very spell which was supposed to bring her back to her reality, had failed in the most nightmarish way possible - a way that simply shouldn’t have been possible. While her incantation had created a portal, the doorway she’d opened allowed something to breach into the world and attack both her and Leech. The memory of her friend flinging her from the danger, attempting to sacrifice herself to save her, caused her to rub and open her dampened eyes, though she immediately regretted the decision.

An endless sea of motionless blackness rested about her hooves, stretching into infinity in every direction, awaited her. Thick and black, far too viscous to be any sort of water, the liquid was only a few inches deep. As she turned her head up and looked to the heavens, the ice froze in her veins. Where a gold, blinding sun should have shined, a hellish star hung and ominously cast its light upon the land.

The faintly blazing sphere, menacingly glowing the color of congealed blood, plucked at the strained strands of her sanity. She’d assumed that she’d survived the harrowing experience beside the creek, that she’d recklessly flung herself after the intrepid and foolish unicorn who’d tried to save her, but maybe she was wrong - maybe she’d slipped from her mortal coil. Tearing her eyes off the cursed star, she wheeled around and sent ripples cascading in every direction.

“Leech!” she shouted, her voice slowly drowned out by a deafening silence. “Leech, where are you?!”

Though the inky ocean seemed without end, its shallow depths were punctuated by rocky crags and uneven mounds of stone - no, not stone, walls. Though the closest outcrop was several dozen paces away, she could barely make out the stone blocks and lines of mortar on the construct’s surface. She was unsure if knowing that some creature had clearly been there made her more or less concerned, yet she continued her survey all the same.

As she cautiously stepped through the liquid obsidian, silently pleading to any higher power that would listen for a miracle, she went rigid. Off in the distance, so subtle that she’d nearly missed it, something broke the tranquil sea’s surface - something that lay still and motionless. Her reservations, doubts, dread, and despair were discarded in an instant, when she realized what she was looking at.

It took her only a hoofful of moments to reach her destination, yet it felt like a lifetime. Throwing herself into the almost syrupy liquid, she hauled the limp form out of the muck and into the air. While her mane, tail, and marking on her face were stained black, she immediately knew who she’d found - still, a part of her wished she hadn’t. Utterly lifeless, her eyes shut and limbs slack, the unicorn lolled in her grasp like a rag-doll.

As she held the unresponsive mare, initially numb with shock, some part of her mind gave way. Shaking the unicorn and screaming at the top of her lungs, issuing both threats and promises should her companion wake up, her ability to reason fled from her. While she couldn’t say how long she desperately tried to rouse her friend, her frantic actions gradually drew to a close.

Tears streamed down her face, her throat felt raw, and her muscles ached, as she held the unicorn and softly sobbed. Losing somepony she knew would have been devastating enough, but losing Leech somehow felt worse. She’d only known the mare for a day, the blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things, yet the quirky unicorn had done nothing but be selfless toward her for the entirety of their fleeting time together.

“Stupid asshole,” she whimpered, rocking to her haunches and pulling the mare into a hug. “It should have been me…”

With only the sound of her voice to give her comfort, the quiet stillness of the strange land gnawed at her sanity. There was nopony to help, nowhere to go, and nothing she could do to help herself - much less her friend. For the first time in her life, she was alone - totally and completely alone, or so she thought.

Though she couldn’t say when it began, or if it had been there all along, the sensation of being watched inevitably settled upon her. Easing the unicorn down, leaving her face and muzzle just above the unnervingly tranquil liquid’s surface, she slowly turned in place. If something was observing her, she couldn’t fathom what it was or where its motives lay.

“Child,” a voice resonated from everywhere and nowhere at once, “you have lost your way and pierced the veil - a transgression that can not be forgiven…”

As she looked behind herself, Kennel’s terror was giving form. Standing a half-dozen feet away, having materialized from the ether, a creature placidly studied her. Although the thing’s figure bore some similarity to a pony, being roughly the same size and shape, it was the distillation of a nightmare. Black as pitch and somehow defying reality, its form somehow absorbed the carmine light from above.

“What…” Kennel muttered, taking a small step back. “What are you…”

The beast cocked its head to the side, as a quartet of glimmering amber eyes languidly opened on its nearly featureless face. “It matters little to one such as yourself, but you may consider me a keeper of sorts.”

A chill crept into her bones, as Kennel heard it speak into her mind. She couldn’t fathom what she faced, briefly considering if she’d gone utterly mad, yet that wasn’t about to break her - not yet at least. If the creature could talk and reason, having abilities she dare not speculate, it may be of some use. Her despair overtook her fear, as she held her ground and faced the interloper.

“Can you help my friend?” she asked, her voice quavering as she peeked down at Leech.

Twisting her head at an unnatural angle, the thing turned its attention down at the unicorn. “The aberration, yes, I presumed it had a hoof in this,” it mused, lifting its piercing gaze back to the pegasus. “And why would I help it?”

“She’s my friend,” Kennel bleated. “It wasn’t her fault, she’s not supposed to be here. Please, if you can do anything for her…” she croaked, her chest tightening.

“How amusing,” it chuckled, its words laced with maddening, cacophonous laughter. “Pray tell, how was this not her fault?”

While the thing’s appearance, whatever it was, was alarming enough, its otherworldly voice shook the very core of her being. It was hard to describe, but the entity sounded like a legion of creatures speaking in tune. Old and young, male and female, the drone of changelings, the gruff sound of yaks, the hiss of dragons, somehow the embodiment of diverse creatures of various ages channeled into her head to convey speech as only the being knew how. Unwilling to leave her friend, despite her dread, she clung to her shred of hope like a drowning pony to a life preserver.

The pegasus closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and fought to compose herself. Though she knew not what she faced, or even if she was still among the living, even the faintest chance that she could get aid was better than none at all. As she lifted her head and opened her eyes, she stumbled back and collapsed into the shallow ocean surrounding her. Without making the slightest bit of noise, the creature had appeared just before her.

“I…I was…” she fumblingly began, struggling to control the wild beast that was her horror. “I was trying to find my lover. I’d cast a -”

“I’m aware of that,” it interrupted, disdain dripping from its statement. “What brought you here? How is this not her fault?”

“I was trying to go back home, to undo what I’d done, but something went wrong. When I opened the doorway, this…this thing attacked me,” she murmured, reliving the chilling event by the brook. “Leech tried to rescue me and got dragged in.”

Turning to face Leech, the liquid somehow going undisturbed around her legs, the creature peered down at the mare. “She chose this, chose to act, so it is very much her fault…”

“Please,” Kennel repeated, her voice as faint as a whisper on the wind. “Please help her…”

“No…” it coolly countered, shifting its focus back to the crestfallen pegasus. “Because there is no need to help, and because you -”

A fit of coughing and retching cut through the stagnant air, as Leech bolted upright and spewed dark fluid into the murky, infinite pool. The suddenness of seeing her companion spring to life took Kennel by surprise, leaving her in shock, yet she didn’t stay petrified for long. Rushing to and kneeling by her friend’s side, she patted the unicorn’s back.

Leech drunkenly listed to the side, only barely managing to thrust out a leg to catch herself, as she looked around in a stupor. She thought she’d felt bad the day before, back when she’d apparently gotten so hammered she’d woken up back at her camp with amnesia, but this - this was an entirely new level of shitty. Looking over at the smiling pegasus beside her, the corners of her lips turned up.

As happy as she was to see her friend, it didn’t take her long to comprehend that something was wrong - seriously wrong. Looking past her companion, seeing the vast emptiness of plutonian darkness, she scrunched her snout, turned her head upward, and shielded her eyes. She hadn’t been sure why everything had a red hue, falsely assuming she had blood in her eyes, yet she hadn’t expected the sight that greeted her.

Squinting up at a crimson sun, she noticed a shadow moving over her. Looking up and to her left, opposite of her friend, she stumbled back. Like something dredged from the bowels of Tartarus itself, a towering, umbral creature loomed above her. As disquieting as the beast was, with its tetrad of glowing eyes, an odd sense of familiarity settled over her - one which her mysterious and admittedly disturbing visitor took keen note of. Leaning to the side and pushing herself up, she stared over at the thing.

“Do I know you?” she inquired, as a seam appeared on the being’s lipless snout.

It may have sounded insane, but she knew she’d seen the thing before. As she surveyed the area, getting her first good look at the place, vague, incoherent visions tickled her mind. Either she’d been to the strange world before, she’d lost her marbles, or she’d died - heck, maybe some combination of the three. Bringing her focus back to the creature, giving it her full attention, a single word - no, a name cut through the haze.

“Fours,” she noted, stunned by the memory. “Your name is Fours ~ isn’t it?”

“Amusing -” Fours hummed, her slavering mouth opening dripping drip tar-like substance to the ocean of shadow beneath her, “very amusing. She remembers us…”

“You know this thing?” Kennel blurted, taken aback by the revelation.

Peeking back at her friend, Leech halfheartedly shrugged. “I mean, I guess I know her. I can’t really explain it,” she continued, looking back at the creature, “but maybe she can.”

Rearing back ever so slightly, her maw opening to reveal an abyss of darkness writhing with ebony tongues, Fours inched closer. “Brazen little aberration. You come to my realm, flung to me by your foolish hubris and fumbling understanding, and question me about things you can’t understand…”

“If you’re not going to explain it, fine, but at least tell us how to get back,” the unicorn pressed.

Kennel watched the exchange in mute awe. As inexplicable as it was, totally unmoved, Leech conversed with the eldritch creature as if it were just another pony on the street. Looking between the mismatched pair, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on and how in the wide world of Equestria they knew one another. Reluctant to intervene, yet curious to see how things would play out, she bided her time and kept her mouth shut.

“Get back?” Fours parroted, shifting her gaze over to the mute pegasus. “Us? Sweet child, she didn’t belong with you in the first place, yet her meddling and your valor have brought you both to me.”

Leech knit her brow and locked eyes with the abomination. “Hey, it’s not like we asked to come here, so let’s get down to it; you don’t want us here, and we want to leave - seeing as how we both want the same thing, what do you have to lose from sending us back?”

Trotting atop the murk, Fours shook her head. “Because you’ve created a small dilemma. Returning you to where you belong would be easy, but that would…” she paused, seemingly contemplating her words. “That would complicate certain matters. I’ll remove you from this realm, but I have a warning for each of you - a warning which you may not share with any other.”

“Sure, lay it on us,” the unicorn grunted.

Giving a reluctant nod, Kennel shuffled over to her friend. “If it means we can leave, go ahead.”

Fours looked over to Leech, her eyes staring through the unicorn. “You are forbidden from stepping hoof in Fillydelphia, lest you wish to risk losing everything,” she intoned, lifting and waiving a hoof.

“The heck’s wrong with -” Leech was unable to finish, as a quintet of tentacles burst from the inky liquid around her feet, coiled around her, and pulled her below the surface.

Kennel froze, unable to comprehend what had happened. The watery muck around them was only a few inches deep, so it should have been impossible for a full-sized mare to simply disappear into it - moreover, the tendrils had emerged without the slightest bit of warning. With her eyes glued to the spot where her friend had vanished, seeing the ripples slowly dissipate, her despair came roaring back.

“And you,” Fours smoothly continued, stepping over to the petrified mare, “heed me and heed me well. Ensure your friend follows my orders, or I’ll come for you - both of you…”

“Wait,” Kennel yelped. “Why do you call her an aberration?”

The creature squinted down at the mare, an impish glint in its quartet of eyes, as it rose to its full height. “Should you find yourself in Fillydelphia, you may find out…”

As Fours finished speaking, a sextet of long, powerful tendrils emerged from beneath the Kennel and dragged her into the void. Physics and time lost meaning, as she tumbled through the nothingness and screamed. She may have fallen for an eternity or the beat of a butterfly’s wings, yet the final result was the same. With a dull thud, impacting and rolling against something hard and wet, she reached her destination.

The sound of rain greeted her, followed immediately by the sensation of cold water pattering on her fur, as she opened her eyes. While she definitely wasn’t in the realm she’d just departed, she hadn’t the foggiest idea where she’d ended up. With dense underbrush all around her and towering trees overhead, she could be in any number of Equestria’s forests.

“Kennel?” a familiar voice called.

“Leech!” she shouted, her ears swiveling toward the source of the noise. “I’m over here!”

Pressing through the scrub, over the uneven, root-lined earth, she kept her head low and used her wings for cover. She had more questions than she could count, with a good many revolving around how her friend apparently knew what the enigmatic and otherworldly Fours, but those were concerns for another time. Grumbling as a thorny branch scratched her flank, a sudden movement caught her eye.

“Fuck, I’m happy to see you,” Leech chirped, charging forward to embrace the pegasus. As much as she would have liked to savor the hug, there were more important things to worry about. Releasing the mare and trotting between a pair of massive pine trees, she waved at her companion. “Unless you saw any shelter where you landed, follow me. We need to find somewhere to get out of this storm.”

Glancing upward, hearing thunder in the distance, Kennel cursed under her breath. “So much for flying.”

“I doubt you’d be able to see much through the canopy,” Leech scoffed, pausing by a partially buried boulder. “This really isn’t good…”

“Yeah, no shit,” the pegasus grumbled.

Though she wasn’t well-versed with camping or outdoor activities, she knew their situation had gone from bad to worse. Her friend’s camp had been far from luxurious, but it had protected them from the rain and most of the wind. Sticking close to the unicorn, looking around for anything that might keep them dry, she spotted something in the distance.

“Wait,” she shouted, tapping the unicorn’s flank and pointing to what had her attention. “Is that something over there?”

Keeping her head low, Leech veered to her right and trudged in the direction Kennel had indicated. Fuck if she knew what her companion had seen, if the pegasus had seen anything at all, but she continued onward and kept her hooves crossed. As she moved up a small embankment, moving past a blackberry bramble, she stopped dead.

“Remind me to ask you how the fuck you noticed that,” she grunted, breaking into a canter.

Thanking her lucky stars, she charged toward a small building in the distance. At a glance, the structure didn’t look like much - shit, it barely even looked like a shack, yet she wasn’t about to get picky. Glancing back and ensuring her friend was close behind her, she weaved past several saplings and to the little cabin’s side.

Coming to a stop just beside the unicorn, Kennel fought to catch her breath. “You…you think anypony actually lives here?”

Rearing into her back hooves, Leech peeked through a window. “It’s too dark to see anything inside.”

“Screw this,” Kennel groused, trotting past her companion and around the side of the shack.

As she rounded the corner, spotting a small porch resting against the wall, she steeled herself. Considering the cabin wasn’t lit and was in the middle of nowhere, she presumed the place was either abandoned or was only used on rare occasions by somepony - either way, she wasn’t about to let courtesy get in her way. Reaching the front door, finding it unlocked, she let herself inside and stepped out of the rain.

“Hello?” she hollered, fruitlessly looking through the gloom. “Is anypony home?”

Silence greeted her, before Leech trotted up to her side. She could only barely make out a single room, with what appeared to be the outline of a fireplace resting to one side, but that wasn’t saying much. Reaching out and blindly nudging her friend, she recalled the unicorn’s keen night vision.

Nodding to the interior, she waited for Leech to say something. “Can you see anything?”

Leech cautiously crept deeper, steadily swinging her head from side to side. “If somepony is in here, they’re damn good at hiding.”

The stale air and eerie stillness told her that nopony had been there for quite some time - nevertheless, they needed to be cautious. Creeping over to the fireplace, noticing a small box resting next to a few split logs, she held her breath and issued a silent prayer. Finding shelter had been lucky enough, but having a fire would be a godsend.

As she flipped the little crate’s lid, her muzzle split in a grin. “Bingo!”

“What’d you…” the pegasus went quiet, wincing as the unicorn struck a match.

“Tinder box,” Leech replied, carefully lifting and igniting a shred of char cloth.

Kennel strolled over and grabbed two of the smaller logs from the pile. “I’m not sure if you’re lucky or unlucky, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“Shit, if you hadn’t seen this place, we’d still be wandering around out in that mess,” Leech amusedly grunted, nodding back at the doorway. Quickly scraping some bark and twigs from the firewood, she gently blew upon the growing flames before straightening up. “Thanks…”

“For what?” Kennel scoffed. “If anything, I should be thanking you.”

Reassured that they weren’t going to freeze outside, subconsciously grappling with the bizarre experience they’d had with Fours, their chuckling blossomed into hearty laughter. With steady tapping of rain on the tin rooftop, the single room was bathed in warm light. A desk sat against one wall, with a little bunk situated on the cabin’s opposite side, and a number of wooden boxes occupied one corner.

Moving over to the bed, the unicorn patted the dusty yet made blanket over the mattress. “What do you think this place was used for?”

“Forestry, maybe a getaway spot - who knows,” Kennel responded, systematically opening the drawers of the desk. With little light to work with, finding only a notepad and pencil, she turned and walked over to the small stack of crates. “Maybe it’s the cabin of a serial killer.”

“You know what, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Leech snickered, pressing her chest to the floor and reaching under the bed. “After all the weird shit today, I wouldn’t be shocked to find out there are bodies buried under the floorboards.”

Peering into the uppermost wooden case, Kennel stopped dead. “No fucking way…”

“Did you find the victims already?” Leech quipped, getting up and trotting over to join her companion. Stopping just beside the pegasus, she beamed. “I could fucking kiss you right now - in fact…” She went quiet, leaning over and pecking the feathered pony's cheek.

Kennel stiffened, her cheeks darkening in the dim light of the growing fire, as she lowered her wings into the crate and lifted a pint-sized mason jar into the air. “You think it’s still good?”

The unicorn gently reached over and depressed the top and felt it hold firm. “Still sealed, so I’d say it is. You wouldn’t have any bread or toast stashed away, would ya?”

Leaving her friend be, curious to see what else they’d find, she plucked a second jar from the crate, cracked the lid, and sniffed its contents. She’d assumed their luck had gone from bad to worse, losing what few provisions she’d had and being flung into the woods of who knows where, yet she’d been mistaken. Somehow, laying in stark contrast to all the weird and admittedly shitty happenings of the day, they’d stumbled upon a treasure trove of preserved goods.

“Lemme see here,” she hummed, removing and inspecting each sealed jar. “We’ve got pickled cucumbers, carrots, some - uh - I don’t know what the hell this one is, and some jelly.”

Kennel beamed, unscrewing the ring and popping the lid of the jar she’d brought by the fire. Sure enough, giving the contents a sniff and a careful taste, she was greeted by the cloyingly sweet flavor of fig preserves. Grabbing a length of dried lumber, having sat the jam on the floor, she caressed her collar and held the wood aloft.

The timber twisted under her touch, splitting and contorting into a pair of crude, albeit functional spoons. As she placed one implement beside the preserves, she turned to her companion. “Just be mindful of splint-”

“Hmmm?!” Leech grunted, shoveling a pickle into her muzzle.

“Leech, for fuck’s sake, just because we’re acting like raccoons doesn’t mean we need to eat like raccoons,” Kennel groaned, offering the utensil.

Wiping her mouth, Leech held the spear of cucumber aloft. “Speak for yourself. Say - you think we’ll be able to get squatter’s rights on this heap?”

The pegasus eased herself down by the fire and stirred the fig jam, peering up at the somewhat dilapidated ceiling. “Is that even a thing?”

“Damn right it is!” Leech snickered, sitting down next to her friend. “If you can live in a place for a certain length of time, without the rightful owners charging rent or caring for the property, you can keep it - at least that’s what I’ve always been told. Just think, we could have a little garden in the back, put a kitchen in that corner, and even build a guest room for company!”
Amused with the unicorn’s grand and somewhat questionable aspirations, Kennel giggled. “Can’t forget about having a master bathroom somewhere!”

Nodding vigorously, Leech swallowed down another bite of her pickle. “Oh yeah, totally!”

“Well that shouldn’t be an issue, especially because - ya know - somepony probably owns this place,” Kennel sighed, scooping up a spoonful of ham. “Like I told ya before, you can stay with me for a while.”

“You presume I’d be shackled to one place,” Leech scoffed, proudly holding a brine-soaked hoof to her chest.

“Did I say you could stay forever? I don’t mind you crashing for a bit, but I don’t need a live-in scavenger cluttering up my place with rubbish,” Kennel laughed.

Reaching over and nudging the mare’s shoulder, Leech smirked. “I’ll have you know, I’d actually make a wonderful roommate! How many ponies do you know that can patch a roof, cook, and look damn good in an apron?”

Kennel scrunched her snout, examining the unicorn. “I’m calling bullshit on that. If you were that useful, I’m sure some stallion would have scooped you up and made you a wife by now.”

“Gods, if only I was that lucky,” Leech groaned, leaning back and looking up to the ceiling. “I’ve had a few close calls, big studs talking a good game and wanting to pump a foal into me, but I haven’t found the right one yet - besides,” she faintly added, wiggling her eyebrows over at her companion, “who said I’m exclusively into stallions? If I found the right sugar mama, I’d consider settling down.”

Nodding to herself, Kennel stared down into the jar of preserves. “Tell me about it. Don’t get me wrong, I love dick as much as the next mare, but I’m not opposed to finding a marefriend - you know, a marefriend who actually gives a shit and won’t leave me hanging…”

“My sister from another mister,” Leech giggled, extending a foreleg to bump hooves with her companion. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been burned a few times myself. Actually had a pretty sweet setup with this big pegasus stud a while back - unfortunately, I found out he was more into his sister than he was me. And when I say he was into his sister, I mean he was really into his sister - like balls-deep levels of into her…”

Kennel shuffled closer to the fire and weakly smiled, having returned the hoof-bump. As pleasant as the conversation was, not to mention the comfort of having a fire and roof over their heads, something had been bothering her - the interaction they’d had with Fours. Now that they’d addressed the pressing concern of finding shelter, her curiosity about the exchange got the better of her.

“If you don’t mind me asking ~ what’s the deal with that Fours thing? You said you knew her?” she asked.

“It’s hard to explain,” Leech muttered, setting the pickles aside. “I could swear I met her before, but I can’t be completely sure. I have a lot of weird dreams - like a lot of weird dreams, and she’s not the type of thing I’d easily forget.”

With little else to do, happy to ride out the cold, dank night in the relative comfort of the cabin, Kennel smiled. “Aside from Fours, what other weird dreams have you had?”

The unicorn shrugged and stared into the fire. “The usual, I suppose. Dreams where I’ve got a family, or that I’m a stallion, and even a few where I’m this tall, two-legged version of myself - like, those are bizarre; my tits are all the way up here!” she explained, lifting a hoof to pat her chest. “But enough about that. What kind of interesting dreams do you have?”

Smirking, Kennel glanced over at her friend. “Nothing that crazy, but I’ve had a few memorable ones. Tell you what - how about we knock the dust off that bedspread and those pillows before we do anything else. I’m not sure about you, but I’m looking forward to having a mattress to sleep on.”

“If you think you’re gonna bogart the bed, I’ve got some bad news for you,” Leech teased. Getting to her hooves and crossing to the bed’s side. “Don’t go thinking this is going to become a regular thing. As soon as we get you home tomorrow, depending on exactly where we are right now, I’ll be happy to get a couch or a pile of clothes to sleep on.”

“Yeah, we should probably prioritize finding out where we are tomorrow,” the pegasus yawned, pulling the blanket and pillows from atop the mattress. “Then we can try to plan what our next steps are.”

“Shit, that reminds me,” Leech grumbled, reversing course and going back to the neatly stacked crates. Rummaging about in the boxes for a moment, she grinned and lifted a pair of empty jars. “Regardless of what we end up doing, having some water is going to be important. I’m gonna set these outside to hopefully catch some rain.”

Kennel simply nodded, trotting over to and opening the shack’s single window. Removing the cases from the pillows, holding them up and beating the dust out of them with her wings, her mind wandered. The weight of the day bore heavily upon her, she and Leech had apparently been dumped in the middle of nowhere, and she had a sneaking suspicion that Fours was keeping an eye or three upon them, yet those weren’t her biggest concerns.

Though they’d left the nightmarish world with its blood-red sun and ocean of blackness, there was no guarantee they’d been deposited back in her world - the world she’d been cast from just the day prior. They should be able to get back to her house in a number of days, if they really were lucky enough to be back in her homeland, even if it meant using her companion’s dubious traveling skills. Peeking out at the night sky, flapping the blanket with her wings, she tried not to think about how their luck might take another unfortunate turn…

Chapter 4

While Leech hadn’t truly intended to stay in the derelict cottage they’d stumbled across, Kennel had convinced her that using the structure wasn’t a bad idea whatsoever. For starters, the building afforded them shelter and wasn’t that dilapidated - secondly, since they’d had no idea where they’d ended up, their secluded refuge allowed them to stay well-away from prying eyes. Unfortunately, with their limited supplies and a need to establish their location, they eventually had to venture into the wide, possibly alien world.

It was only after some protracted bickering that they’d settled on a plan - one which Leech reluctantly admitted was better than anything she would have come up with by herself. Exploring together, using the sun to navigate their direction, they wandered north for several hours then returned home; the following day, they repeated the process but headed east. It wasn’t until their fourth excursion, moving west, that they discovered anything of note.

Cresting a small hill, with the trees thinning around them, they spotted a small village resting in a grassy valley. Relieved to have found civilization, even if it was nearly an hour’s hike from the cabin they’d claimed, they moved onto the next phase of Kennel’s scheme - gathering intel. Step one had been simple enough, cautiously meandering to and through the settlement to make passive observations - after that, once they’d determined the ponies who resided there seemed normal enough, they’d become a bit more bold.

Had it been up to Leech, they would have taken the direct approach - chatting with townsponies and asking questions about their location and the world in general, however Kennel was much more cautious. The pegasus had argued that, for all they knew, the laws, history, and even society could be vastly different to anything they were experienced with - as such, it would be prudent to stay under everypony’s radar. Only begrudgingly conceding that her friend made a good point, the unicorn agreed to do some covert reconnaissance.

Breaking from their routine of working as a team, the mares went through town to browse shops, eavesdrop on conversations, visit the local library, and surreptitiously learn of the world. Just because everything seemed unremarkable, with ponies going about their daily lives acting normally, that didn’t mean this version of Equestria didn’t have strange laws or customs. The last thing they needed was to go on the lam from scientists or the fuzz, so they had to make sure they didn’t unintentionally draw the wrong sort of attention.

Mercifully, after several trips into the hamlet they’d learned was named Ponyville, they’d figured out that the land they’d landed in wasn’t all that different from their respective homes - well for the most part. Apparently this Equestria had suffered through a rather rough decade, dealing with various, apparently highly dangerous villains who’d threatened to upend the order of things in some form or fashion. Had it not been for a sextet of heroes and their friends acting as champions for the various creatures of Equus, the world at large, everything would have gone to Tartarus in a hoofbasket.

With the more pressing surveillance concluded, having worked out that they wouldn’t be persecuted for doing anything they considered commonplace, their pursuits became a bit more focused. Having figured out she wasn’t in her homeland, and therefore didn’t have a house or job to return to, Kennel engrossed herself with research on the eldritch creature who’d flung them to what she determined was an alternate reality; Leech, on the other hoof, contentedly set to foraging and putting her efforts into sprucing up what she’d started calling their mansion. All in all, going without fear of persecution or immediate starvation, they were thankful things hadn’t ended up more poorly than they had - regrettably, things were far from perfect…

The sound of a catcall whistle caught Kennel’s ear, distracting her and nearly causing her to trip on a root protruding from the uneven forest floor. Though they’d managed to clear a crude path from the cabin, one which had existed prior to their arrival, the protracted hike to town and the disuse of the campsite made the journey a long and arduous one. Scowling and only just catching herself, she looked around in confusion until the noise repeated itself.

“Well look at what the cat dragged in,” Leech called, waving from atop the lodge.

Squinting up at the unicorn, seeing what looked like a small paddle in the mare’s hoof, Kennel frustration grew tinged with confusion. “What’re you doing up there?”

“Fixing the - Fuck,” Leech blurted, nearly dropping her wooden spatula. “Fixing the roof! What the hell did you think I’ve been gathering all that pine pitch for?”

The pegasus rolled her eyes and continued toward the front door. “Please don’t kill yourself on accident. I’d really rather not drag your mangled ass through the forest and to a clinic.”

Continuing to slather the thick resin over the wooden shingles beneath her, the unicorn gave a dismissive shrug. “Wouldn’t be the first time I got hauled to a doctor and it probably wouldn’t be the last - anyways, you find anything good?”

“No,” Kennel huffed, marching inside and out of sight.

Leech peered over the side of the roof and knit her brow. As much as she would have liked to continue working, something told her that she should check on her friend. Over the last week or so, shortly after learning she didn’t have a home to return to, Kennel had been acting strangely. Looking over her shoulder at the spot she’d just shellacked, hoping it would fix one of the two leaks in the ceiling, she trotted over the far corner of the structure and awkwardly climbed onto a makeshift ramp she’d fashioned from felled timber and a discarded palate she’d found behind the dumpster of a bakery in town.

“You know,” she began, trotting through the front door, “it might be my imagination, but you’ve been kinda - I dunno - grumpy lately.”

“Hmmph -” Kennel grunted, glancing up from a book in her lap, “easy for you to say, you didn’t lose your house and all your shit by being sent here.”

Undeterred, brushing off the slight, the unicorn sauntered over and seated herself next to the disgruntled pegasus. “Technically I did lose all my shit. My bag, all those snacks, and my favorite -”

“You don’t get it!” Kennel snapped. “I had a life and a job, things I’d been working hard to get, and now they’re all gone - gone!”

As she tried and failed to maintain her composure, Leech’s lip curled. “Hey, it’s not my fault this shit happened! I know this ain’t exactly ideal for you, but we’re in the same crappy situation.”

“That’s just it, we’re in the same situation! What the hell am I supposed to do if you hurt yourself or, abyss forbid, one of us gets sick out here? We don’t have any bits, we’re barely scraping by with food, and there’s no way I’m going to try to open another portal - not knowing that thing may be waiting for us!” she barked, leering over at her friend.

As impressed as she was with the unicorn’s odd assortment of skills, the mare’s eccentricities and frankly reckless behavior had been wearing her nerves thin. It had been hard enough to stop her companion from merely trotting into Ponyville to grill random passersby about random topics, but things had only become more concerning since then. She’d be the first to admit she was far from an survivalist, but fucking about alone in the woods, trying to cobble together tools from literal junk, and scrounging through garbage couldn’t be as safe as her companion made it out to be.

For one of the few times in her life, she didn’t know what to do. While they weren’t in any immediate danger, it sure as hell felt like they were directionless. As happy as she was to have the meager provisions they had, not to mention the roof over their head, there was no long term plan - no end game of what they should be working toward. Fueled by frustration that was in no small part driven by her foolhardy roommate, she locked eyes with the mare seated next to her.

Leech glared at the pegasus, a scathing rebuttal forming on her lips, but she kept her mouth closed. Despite having led a life far departed from her companion, a small sliver of her could sympathize with the mare’s plight. She hadn’t had much ripped away from her, but Kennel apparently had. Lifting a forehoof and pinching the bridge of her snout, she conceded the staring contest.

“I’m sorry ~ ok?” she sighed, shaking her head. “I’ll try to be a little more careful, but you should trust me more - I mean, it ain’t like I’ve had folks looking after me before…”

Kennel’s ire faded, if only slightly, as she closed her eyes and massaged her temple. She’d only known Leech for a relatively short time, yet her gut told her that the unicorn’s promise wouldn’t last for too terribly long. A lifetime of self-reliance had been ingrained in the mare, so breaking it on a whim would be no easy task - unless…

Getting to her hooves, placing her book beside herself, she trotted to the door. “Come on…”

Peeking out, seeing the pegasus by the door, Leech cocked her head. “Come on what? You wanting to make another trip today?”

“No, we’re just not doing it inside,” Kennel answered, trotting into the overgrown front yard and away from the house. “We’re going to need some space for this.”

“For what?” the unicorn pressed, cantering after her.

“For you me teaching you how to use that bony can opener sticking out of that thick skull of yours,” Kennel grunted, glancing back at the unicorn.

Leech stopped in her tracks, staring in disbelief at her friend. She may not have been as well-read or scholarly as the pegasus, but even she could see a problem with the notion of being taught how to use magic. First and foremost, though she felt certain Kennel meant well, there was no possible way the mare could know what being a unicorn felt like - secondly, it wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to harness her arcane potential before.

“And how are you gonna do this, great swami?” she groaned.

“Baby steps,” Kennel smoothly replied, stopping just short of a small, relatively clear patch of land. “Alright, you gotta promise to take this seriously; no fucking around or trying to ham it up. Magic is a powerful tool that can -”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I know,” Leech interrupted. “I might not be good at it myself, but I’ve seen the shit sorcery can do.”

Stepping aside, giving her friend a bit of breathing room, Kennel pursed her lips. Despite being a pegasus, she’d done more than her fair share of research of the arcane - hell, if she was being honest, she may know more about how magic worked than most unicorns. Unlike most inherent users of sorcery, who wielded mystic power like one might use a limb, she’d had to craft tools to perform even simple tasks - something she took no small amount of pride in.

While she’d never anticipated using her knowledge to teach, their less than stellar situation demanded they use every tool they had available, including the pointy one on Leech’s crown, but she’d need to pace herself. Before she could do anything, she’d need to gauge her friend’s talents or lack thereof. Clearing her throat and standing straight, she did her best to act like she knew what she was doing.

“Ok, step one, show me what you can do,” she instructed, waving at the vacant area before them.

Leech stood motionless and blinked, a cool breeze dancing over her hide, before she stifled a giggle. “Seriously? You seriously want to see what I can do?”

Nodding firmly, Kennel stood unmoving. “Yes. If you can’t do anything, that’s fine.”

“Well,” the unicorn grunted, stooping down and lifting a dried leaf from the forest floor, “I can sometimes make a spark with it. Fuck if I know why this damn thing only works every so often,” she added, reaching up and brushing her horn, “but it seems broken more often than not.”

“Try to set that on fire,” Kennel insisted, “and explain the process while you’re doing it.”

Holding the small leaf by its stem, Leech closed her eyes. “I’m - uh - picturing it getting hot - like it’s getting crispy and smoldering.”

Kennel watched closely, her eyes shifting between the mare’s face and horn. Seconds passed, the unicorn’s face contorted with strain, and only a faint, perilously brief amethyst glow appeared around the bony protrusion. It was worse than she thought, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. Though it had lasted no longer than a fraction of a second, the flicker of magic told her that there was hope.

“You have to relax,” she murmured, inching closer to her friend. “Magic isn’t like your muscles or physical strength. Take a deep breath in, hold it for a second, then slowly exhale.”

“Here we go with the hippy-dippy bullshit,” Leech muttered under her breath. “It’s magic - it ain’t like I’m giving birth or - Ack!” She dropped the leaf and leapt away, as something pressed against her side. Seeing the pegasus beside her, looking just as startled as she was, she snorted. “What the hell?”

“I was trying to rub your shoulder. Seriously, you need to pull that stick out of your ass and just breathe!” Kennel coolly noted. “Here, sit down and I’ll give you a little massage while you try again.”

Leech’s jaw flapped for a second, taken completely off guard by the offer. “You’re fucking with me ~ right?”

“Not in the slightest,” the pegasus remarked.

Keeping her mouth shut, Leech begrudgingly eased herself down to her haunches, closed her eyes, and forced herself to take several slow, steady breaths. She wasn’t about to say it, but the whole exercise seemed like an exercise in futility and flew in the face of how the world worked. Honestly, did anything ever get done that didn’t require a bit of effort and strain? As a pair of hooves pressed to her upper back, causing her to flinch, she fumbled around to find another leaf.

“There we go,” Kennel whispered, “just imagine coaxing the fire into being - like you’re asking it to happen.”

“You do realize how stupid this sounds ~ don’t you?” the unicorn sarcastically inquired.

Fighting the urge to give a glib rebuttal, Kennel focused her efforts into working the kinks out of the mare’s shoulders. From her understanding, regardless of who or what was harnessing it, nearly all magical power worked the same way. If a creature had the proper equipment, be it an inherent biological one or an artificial one, all they had to do was focus and channel their inner energy to accomplish a goal - sure, some may have more natural talent than others, but anypony with enough determination and patience should be able to pull off a few simple spells.

Seconds turned into minutes, with the tranquil sounds of woodland birds and the wind filling their ears, as they remained in place. If Leech really had been able to ignite something in the past, even on a single occasion, she should have been able to repeat the process - sadly, even with her impromptu massage, the mare only seemed to get increasingly stressed. Shifting and pushing herself up, letting the leaf fall to the ground, the unicorn stood and petulantly grunted.

“I think I figured it out,” she began, turning to face the pegasus. “I’m gonna trot into town, find some lonely soul who wants to blow off some steam, then come back with a pack of matches and some pizza - that way we can have dinner and I can burn as many leaves as you want.”

“You have to be patient,” Kennel exasperatedly sighed. “It’s not like anypony was born and instantly knew how to do this kind of thing! Once you get the hang of it, I bet you’ll actually be pretty good at using your horn.”

“I’m pretty good at giving stallions a good time, not dying in ditches, and finding the best cuisine in dumpsters, but that’s about it,” Leech snickered. “As much as I appreciate you trying to help, I don’t see this going anywhere anytime soon.”

As the unicorn turned and walked away, heading in the direction of the sleepy hamlet in the valley, Kennel’s mind raced. It wasn’t like she was opposed to her companion wandering off and coming back with food, but she wasn’t about to throw in the towel on something they’d just started. Thinking fast, struck by inspiration, she snatched up a twig and cantered to and in front of the retreating mare.

“If you can set this on fire, I’ll finish the roof and cook us dinner tonight,” she chirped.

Cocking a brow, Leech altered her course and trotted past the pegasus. “Pass. Some fresh pizza and a lay would be better than another dandelion salad and pickles.”

“But,” Kennel hastily interjected, “what if I come with you and we do another magic act to make a few bits? The last few times I was in town I saw plenty of fillies and colts around - fillies and colts who’s parents might toss us a few bits.”

The unicorn slowed and looked back at her, a look of consternation on her face. “And if I can’t burn the stupid leaf?”

“Sausage,” she flatly stated, “with extra cheese. Just try to shower before you come back. I don’t mind sleeping with ya, but I’d rather not be smelling some big, probably out of shape stallion on you in bed.”

Glowering and wheeling around, Leech held a hoof to her chest. “Believe it or not, I’m a whore with standards - well, no, most of the time I have standards. But sure, fuck it - it’ll probably be a few hours until anypony is out looking for a good time anyways, so I’ll give it another go.”

Seeing the unicorn grin and step closer, Kennel couldn’t help but smile. At worst, if the little trial didn’t work, they’d wind up with a hot meal and some matches - at best, they’d make the trek into the village, make a spectacle of themselves, and possibly make enough cash to get themselves something to eat. Thinking about it, weighing the two outcomes, she honestly wasn’t sure if one was better than the other - regardless, at least the exercise, banter, and potential excursion were proving to be an entertaining distraction.

“Try to find your happy place,” she urged, holding the small twig before her friend’s horn. “Let your troubles fade away.”

“Yeah, sure, like it’s that easy,” Leech blurted, screwing her eyes shut. “If I’m supposed to be relaxed for this shit, maybe we should try after I’ve had a roll in the hay.”

Stars above, if the pegasus was serious about being loosened up to use sorcery, maybe her glib comment wasn’t that far off. It wasn’t like she stooped to Equestria’s oldest profession regularly, nor was she particularly proud of selling herself, but she’d be lying if she said it wasn’t a pleasant way to unwind and make some dough. With her thoughts wandering into lecherous waters, wondering if she’d get lucky and find a cute stallion, something soft brushed her cheek.

Cracking one eye, seeing Kennel smiling over at herself, she held her breath. Given all the wild goings on and bizarre circumstances, she’d like to say she’d been getting along well with the mare after they’d crossed paths - nevertheless, since things had only just started to slow down over the last few days, she hadn’t really taken the time to appreciate her newfound companion. In spite of the insanity they’d gone through, as she peered into the pegasus’ eyes, she found herself thankful that they’d met.

“Shit,” Kennel hissed, shattering the moment and shaking her hoof.

“What’s…” Leech trailed off, looking down and seeing an ember on the slender twig’s base. “Bull fucking shit - you did that!”

“Yeah, I totally lit it somehow, while you were looking right at me, and burned my hoof just for fun,” Kennel countered, sucking the tip of her forehoof. “But you know what this means?”

“That - uh -” the unicorn faltered. “That you gotta take a hike with me and hope we can find some burn cream?”

She knew good and damned what the development meant, but that didn’t mean she believed it. Somehow, after only a few minutes’ worth of trying, she’d managed to harness her power to actually do something - all because of the weird little pegasus who’d all but literally plopped into her lap. As she lifted her gaze from the smoking bit of wood, beaming from ear to ear, she found herself pulled into a hug.

Kennel couldn’t be more bothered by the small singe on her hoof or that she’d be spending the better part of two hours on her hooves - after all, they were small prices to pay for such an uplifting development. Truth be told, she hadn’t expected much from the little experiment, merely hoping to set the stage for further lessons, yet things had shaped up remarkably well. Now that her friend had made a spark, even though it was too small to properly ignite anything, she’d gotten a baseline of the unicorn’s arcane skill.

“Considering we’ve only got a few hours of light left, we might want to head out,” she hummed, releasing her friend and backing away.

Turning and trotting away, headed toward the tried and true path they’d been using, Leech smirked over her shoulder. “Even if we end up coming home in the dark, we don’t have much to worry about. With these little bad-girls,” she tittered, shooting the mare a wink, “I think we’ll be able to make it back in one piece.”

Moving at a brisk pace, once her friend had caught up with her, she started the long, relaxed journey to Ponyville. Though the shack they’d claimed was far from perfect, with a litany of things to repair or improve, its location suited her needs perfectly. So long as nopony showed up and demanded they leave, she could see herself clearing out a plot of land by it, starting a garden, and living a quaint, reclusive life - still, her grand machinations aside, she was curious about something.

“You mind if I ask you something?” she inquired, glancing over at the pegasus.

Still smirking to herself, Kennel met her gaze. “Shoot.”

“So if you can’t head home, your home, what are you going to do with yourself?” Leech asked.

Bringing her attention back to the path, lest she accidentally trip on a root or partially buried rock, Kennel gave herself a moment to think. “Honestly, I have no idea. I’ll probably need to get a job somewhere, get my hooves under myself, and start building my life again. How about yourself?”

“If we can keep that cabin, I might actually settle down - you know, try my hoof at staying in one place for a while. Maybe I’ll like setting down roots, maybe I’ll hate it and go back on the road - either way, I figure it might be worth a shot,” the unicorn mused. “It’s not like I’ve checked, but you could probably land some work in town if you started beating the bushes. I’ll stay home and be your trophy wife”

Kennel guffawed at the remark, unable to contain her mirth. “Oh of course! My little slutty wife, safe and secure at the homestead, waiting for her hard-working wife to come home! I can imagine it now, you’d probably prancing around in an apron while making me dinner and tending to the chickens out back, wistfully fantasizing about all the ways you can keep me happy - yeah, that’d be fucking rich.”

“Ok, see, you think this shit’s funny, but I could totally pull off the homemaker thing - in fact, I think it’s fair to say that I’d be quite the catch for somepony! How many mares do you know who can build a shed out of scrap lumber or make soap from scratch?” Leech shot back, flashing her fangs.

“That’s fair, but I only need one hoof to count the number of mares I know who eat out of dumpsters or can get by squatting under a bridge,” Kennel smugly noted.

Slowing only slightly, Leech gasped. “I would not eat out of a dumpster! I’d take the food out, brush it off, then put it on a plate before I eat it!”

Kennel threw her weight to the side and lightly body-checked the unicorn. “Well you’d better hope the townsponies are pretty wasteful with food. With as far of a walk as this is, you’re gonna burn more calories than you eat and risk losing that juicy flank you’ve somehow managed to keep!”

“If you’re trying to keep pounds on while on the streets, haunt bakeries and grocery stores; the amount of cakes and cookies those places end up tossing is galling!” Leech griped. “You know those big displays of pastries in those places?”

“Yeah,” the pegasus answered, “what about them?”

“As crazy as it sounds, most places will toss that stuff before they close for the night,” Leech huffed.

Shaking her head and closing her eyes, Kennel snorted in frustration. “That’s so wasteful!”

“Some places donate the stuff to shelters the day afterward, instead of tossing it in the trash, but most just don’t give a shit,” the unicorn murmured, her smile fading slightly. “Point being, if you’re going to be a hobo, it doesn’t hurt to have a bit of a sweet tooth.”

“Not to draw out the subject, but do you want to hit up that little bakery in town? If we can scrape up enough bits, maybe we could get something to celebrate,” Kennel mentioned.

Piquing a brow, Leech looked over. “Celebrate what? Being dumped here after fucking with some crazy-ass magic?”

“More like celebrate that we’re not dead and not currently homeless,” the pegasus snickered.

“Fair point,” Leech admitted.

Their unfocused banter, wandering from topics of dating and foraging to mysticism and grand aspirations of sorcery, made the trek a short and pleasant one. In no time at all, they were moving through the settlement and to the town square, having settled on a family friendly act which would hopefully net them enough bits for a meal and, if they were lucky, a dessert to cap off the evening. As they slowed before the town hall, with a decent number of residents out and about, they silently began their busking.

While they didn’t have any instruments or particularly unique tricks up their nonexistent sleeves, Kennel’s grasp of natural magic and Leech’s penchant for showmareship proved to be a winning combo. As the pegasus grew a small assortment of flowers around them, drawing in a number of spectators in and of itself, the unicorn plucked the blossoming, colorful plants to sell to those attending the show. It may have been a simple display, but it worked magnificently; by the time they were finished up, with the sun already dipping over the horizon, they’d made enough for dinner and sweet with some left to spare.

Having given the few flowers to a group of school fillies who’d caught the final minutes of their show, Kennel faced her friend. “I gotta admit, we make a pretty good team.”

“Damn right we do!” Leech chirped, extending a foreleg and swiftly receiving a hoof-bump. “Let’s go get some grub and head back home. Not that I mind being out, but all the pandering and housework from earlier has me bushed.”

Biting back a yawn, Kennel nodded. “I’m right there with ya. Horn or no horn, cranking out carnations like that can really take it out of a mare.”

“Screw it, we can get pizza later,” the unicorn flippantly asserted, spotting the familiar sign of a Hayburger less than a block away. “Takeout will be cheaper and faster - plus they make some damn good sweet potato fries.”

Leading the way, the pegasus waved with a wing. “Sounds good to me.”

Generally speaking, aside from the minor frustration at the cabin earlier, the day had been a good one. They’d made some cash, Leech had apparently fixed part of the roof, and she had enough reading material to keep her occupied for the better part of a week! If things kept going the way they’d been going, she suspected their situation would only continue to improve, but that was a relatively big if. Strolling down the sidewalk and to the restaurant’s front door, she saw herself in, looked toward the register, and did an abrupt about face.

“What the - Mmmph?!” Leech’s protest was cut short, as the pegasus jammed a wing over her muzzle.

“Don’t make a scene,” Kennel hissed in the mare’s ear. “Just turn around and act casual…”

With the feathery appendage slipping from her face, instinctively turning away from the closing door, Leech noticed what had her friend so out of sorts. Standing by one another, making an order at the front counter, lingered a pink earth pony mare and an all too familiar figure wearing a crimson scarf. Appearing like a mirrored image of Kennel, albeit as a stallion, the pegasus was the last pony she’d hoped to run into - or so she thought.

Reaching around and pawing at Kennel’s retreating behind, she scrunched her snout. “Wait! We should watch them for a bit!”

Kennel wheeled around and pulled the unicorn away, only glancing back to ensure they hadn’t been seen. “Why does this keep happening? Can’t I go at least a month without weird shit going on?”

Wriggling free from her companion, Leech grimaced. “We should figure out who they are! If there’s even a small chance that they can help us, it’s worth the risk!”

“And what if it makes the universe implode ~ what then?” Kennel retorted, stopping to face her friend. “It’s not like we know what happens when -”

“Um - excuse me?” a voice called, causing both the mares to turn. Having walked out of the eatery, with his associate lingering just behind him, the stallionly doppelganger uneasily locked eyes with Kennel. “Do I know you…?”

Chapter 5

“That’s the asshole from before - the one who was treating you like you - er - the other you like shit!” Leech bleated, furrowing her brow.

Askance, the stallion’s eyes widened. “I beg your pardon? I’ve never met you - either of you before. The name’s Fenris and -”

“Hah!” Leech scoffed, leveling a hoof at him. “I fucking knew you were the guy!”

“Listen, I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you need to back the fuck off,” the mysterious mare flatly stated, stepping in front of Fenris.

“Kara, please, I’m sure this is a misunderstanding,” he interjected, moving alongside her and patting her shoulder. “It’s clearly a case of mistaken identity - speaking of which, I don’t believe I caught your names.”

Mutely watching the exchange, Kennel did her best to process what was happening. As improbable as it was, she was left to believe that Fenris was this universe’s version of herself - a fact that was as disquieting as it was seemingly impossible. If what Leech had told her about the other Fenris was accurate, that he was a womanizing prick, they had good reason to be leary - that said, they had no way to know if this Fenris was a ne’er do well.

“Ahem -” she cleared her throat, bringing the trio’s attention over to herself. “This is going to sound crazy, but would you be willing to do a little experiment?” she inquired, locking eyes with Fenris. Stepping forward, she plucked a hair from her mane and dropped it on the ground. “Put one of your hairs on that for me ~ if you don’t mind.”

“Great,” Kara huffed, rolling her eyes, “they’re both nuts.”

Shooting his companion a displeased look, Fenris obliged Kennel’s request. As the pair of hairs made contact with one another without causing some sort of dimensional cataclysm, she sighed in relief. There was perilously little literature covering multiversal travel or interaction, with her having read practically none of it, so she was going to take every precaution to avoid a reality-destroying mishap.

Extending a forehoof in his direction, she forced a smile. “Touch my hoof.”

“Don’t!” Leech shouted. “He’s got weird magic bullshit. I don’t know how it works, but -”

“Would you shut the fuck up!” Kara snarled, trotting to and jamming a forehoof against the unicorn’s chest. “I don’t know who you are, but you’re really trying my patience.”

Leech balked and glowered over at the mare, the hair on her back rising. “Fuck off! It’s not my fault that you have a good for nothing, trashy coltfriend!”

Seeing Kara’s cheeks darken, in spite of her curling lip, a twisted grin crept across her muzzle. It was as plain as day that she’d crossed a nerve, but exactly what nerve was it? Had the mare realized too late that she’d fallen for a misogynist, or perhaps she really was ignorant of how wicked he could be - whatever the case, she seemed to be keen on a fight. Holding her ground, she locked eyes with the flustered, angry mare and pressed her luck.

“Oh you didn’t know he uses magic to fuck with mares’ heads,” she chuckled, glancing over at him and his scarf.

“One more word out of you and I’ll shut you up myself,” Kara seethed.

Kennel blinked and stared over at the stunned stallion. “Is that true?”

“I mean, I can use magic, but I’d never use it for anything questionable,” he replied, pawing at his scarf.

“I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess he got all lovey-dovey with you after he - Pwah!” Leech’s goading comment never finished leaving her mouth, as Kara knocked her to the ground with a right hook.

“Kara!” Fenris shouted, leaping over to restrain his incensed friend.

Spitting blood onto the cobblestone beneath her, Leech shook her head and pushed herself up. “Got a mean right hook on you, bitch. Maybe if you didn’t sucker punch me, I’d -”

“Leech, please,” Kennel sighed, trotting to and helping her companion stand, “you’re not helping.”

“Hey, you don’t know how bad this guy is!” the unicorn asserted.

Looking the stallion over, seeing him trying to calm Kara down, she pursed her lips. If he really was a dick, he wouldn’t have put an end to what would likely be a very one-sided fight. The peculiar circumstances, their lack of funds, and the fact that her doppelganger wasn’t overtly hostile led her to a single, inexorable conclusion - civility wasn’t just prudent, it was downright necessary.

Having ensured Leech wasn’t going to try and enact revenge, she trotted forward and extended a foreleg. “Let’s try that again.”

“I really, really think this is a bad idea,” Leech grumbled.

“Yeah,” Kara huffed, watching the stallion trot over to his marish lookalike, “I hate to admit it, but I agree with the skank on this one.”

Kennel held her breath, while Fenris reached out and gingerly shook her proffered hoof. Fortunately for her, as they came into contact with one another, the world didn’t end, a singularity didn’t form, nor did either of them explode; for all intents and purposes, it was no different than shaking anypony’s hoof. Releasing him and stepping back, he sheepishly smiled over at her.

“Sorry about Kara, she can be a bit hot-headed at times,” he admitted, earning a grumpy snort from the still-fuming mare next to him. “Anyways, we got off on the wrong hoof. I’m Fenris and this is my marefri -” he cut himself off, shooting an uneasy glance at his associate, “my friend, Kara. And you two are…?”

“Kennel,” Kennel replied, dipping her head. “And that’s Leech.”

“If you don’t mind me asking ~ what was your friend on about?” he pressed.

“It’s a long story,” Kennel sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple. “Listen, as much as I’d like to stay and chat, we should really get going. We have a long hike ahead of us, it’s getting dark, and we were just trying to get something to eat before we head home.”

“Oh!” he chirped. “If that’s the case, would you like to join us?”

“What?!” Leech and Kennel croaked in near unison.

Shuffling back and hooking a foreleg over the unicorn’s neck, Kennel struggled to keep her congenial grin. “Excuse us for just a second.”

Turned around and led some dozen paces away, Leech glared back at the two. “You mind explaining what the hell you’re doing?”

“Am I a bad pony?” Kennel asked, keeping her voice low.

“No - I mean, you hog the blanket, but that’s not -”

“If I’m not bad, then wouldn’t it be fair to say he might not be bad?” she interrupted, quirking a brow. “Look, all I’m saying is that we give them a chance. We’ll stay alert, learn a little about them, then hightail it back to the cabin ~ how’s that sound?”

Glancing over, catching Kara scowling over at them, Leech set her jaw. “Hey, since you guys suggested it, who’s payin’?”

“I guess we could - Ouch!” Fenris yipped, withdrawing when Kara stomped on his hoof. “Like I was saying, I guess we could cover for you two.”

Giving a terse nod, Leech brought her muzzle to Kennel’s ear. “Considering we’ll be saving bits from dinner, we’re getting a bottle of wine before we head home - I don’t care if it’s the cheap shit.”

“Fine,” Kennel groaned, pinching the bridge of her snout. “Just keep your eyes and ears open. I’m all for feeling them out, but I’m not going to go trusting them - not after your experience with that other Fenris.”

“Deal,” Leech muttered, giving a small nod. “But if we end up chained up in some sex dungeon, I’m blaming you for it.”

With the smallest smirk, Kennel bumped her shoulder against the unicorn. “Like you wouldn’t want to have me in a sex dungeon.”

“It doesn’t count if we’re both hemmed up and squirming,” Leech snickered, flashing her teeth. Straightening up and wheeling around, she faced the duo and held a hoof to her chest. “We accept your offer for dinner.”

In spite of Fenris looking hesitantly pleased with the turn of events, Kara rolled her eyes. “Peachy - now we get to have dinner with two - Oof!”

Elbowing and quickly silencing his companion, Fenris kept his eyes on the pair of mares across from him. “Do you two have a preference of where we go? As I’m sure you know, there are a few places in town we could choose to eat at.”

Kennel’s eyes narrowed, looking between the duo. It may have been her paranoia speaking to her, but the seemingly innocuous question could have been bait - a subtle trap to see what they knew about the area. Licking her lips, she motioned to the Hayburger they lingered outside.

“Here will work,” she remarked. “There’s even a little place outside where we can sit to enjoy the fresh air.”

“Sounds good to me!” Fenris hummed, turning to the entrance.

As Kara followed him inside, Kennel waited for the door to close before looking over at Leech. “Don’t cause us any problems.”

As if stricken, Leech reared back. “I would never do such a thing!”

“Uh-huh…” Kennel grunted, slowly trotting to the entrance. “Just play it cool, keep an eye on them, and try to pick up on anything suspicious.”

Leech trotted alongside her friend and smirked. “Like how Kara’s eyes changed color before she punched me?”

The pegasus stopped dead in her tracks and stared over at her companion. “What?”

“It was fast, but they went from blue to red,” Leech nonchalantly explained, moving to and pulling the door open. “But we can talk about that over the wine later.”

“Right…” the pegasus murmured, seeing herself in. “After we hoof it back to the cabin in the pitch dark.”

The pair entered and saw themselves into the queue leading to the register, stopping just behind Fenris and Kara. Between the chatter in the restaurant, the shifting line, and the unease of the bizarre circumstances, little was said until they’d made their order. Mercifully, with their meals having only taken a hoofful of minutes to prepare, the quartet strolled back outside and to a small picnic area resting beside the building. Fenris and Kara moved themselves on one side of a vacant table, while Kennel and Leech crossed to the other, before they all sat.

Glancing down at her food, her mouth already watering at the thought of her chicken sandwich, Leech forced herself to wait until her gracious hosts had just been about to dig in to clear her throat. “Aren’t you going to say grace?”

“Don’t listen to her,” Kennel groaned, dashing some salt on her steaming sweet potato fries. “She’s a little different.”

“You don’t say…” Kara mumbled, watching the unicorn sink her teeth into the cooked fowl.

As Fenris halfheartedly doused his salad with vinaigrette, his eyes moved between the pegasus and unicorn. “So are you two new to town? I ask because I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“Nah,” Leech replied through a mouthful of bread and meat. “We’re from another universe. She’s you,” she added, cocking her head over at her friend, “or you’re her - one or the other. Oh and there’s another two yous where I’m from which isn’t where she’s from.”

“Don’t mind her, she’s always been a little bit different,” Kennel anxiously laughed, desperately trying to dismiss the unicorn’s spontaneous admission. “We came to do a bit of camping. Her psychiatrist suggested that some fresh air would do her good.”

Testily shaking her sandwich at the pegasus, Leech shifted in her seat. “I don’t have one of those!”

Kara snickered and shook her head, digging into one of the three spinach wraps she’d ordered. “Knew she was crazy.”

“I’m guessing she’s schizoaffective?” Fenris inquired, entranced by the carnivorous unicorn.

“Actually she’s histrionic and schizotypal,” Kennel responded, surprised with the stallion’s astute assumption. “Don’t worry though; she’s harmless enough.”

“Yeah, unless I black out and destroy another house - anyways,” Leech hummed, bringing her attention over at the duo seated opposite, “what’s your deal? You two a couple ~ finally got hitched and moved to a small town to have a foal together?”

Her question hit like a sack of bricks, causing the two to instantly blush and start squirming in place. If Kara’s not so little response to her comment about him being her coltfriend hadn’t been a dead giveaway that they were an item, their ruffled reaction was a dead giveaway that the two had some romantic connection. Equally amused and proud of herself for hitting the nail on the head, she leaned back and sank her teeth into her sandwich.

“Called it,” she clumsily noted, speaking around her bite. “I’m guessing that’s why you’re eating for two,” she gibed over at the flushed mare.

“I am not eating for two!” Kara barked, slamming her hoof into the table.

“We…we are actually dating,” Fenris confessed, a silly little grin plastered on his muzzle, “but that’s all we’re doing. What about you two? Is this little therapy trip a couple’s retreat?” Moving in near unison, Leech and Kennel recoiled, looked at one another, and burst into laughter.

“Date her?” Kennel guffawed, tittering like a school filly. “No - sweet Celestia, no.”

Leech’s mirth dwindled away, replaced by annoyance, as she leaned across the table and closer to Fenris. “Don’t let her fool you. She’s just in a huff because she knows she couldn’t handle all this,” she loudly whispered, drawing a forehoof down her chest.

“As if,” Kennel countered, wiping a tear from her eye. “She’s just jealous that I haven’t asked her out on a date yet.”

“Nope,” Leech lightheartedly groused, reaching over and plucking a fry from her friend’s tray, “not my type.”

Leaving her food be, her anger having faded just a touch, Kara straightened in her seat. “So you’re just friends who fuck about and pick fights with strangers - sure, that’s believable.”

“Actually, I’m a freelance scholar,” Kennel chirped. “And she’s currently between jobs.”

Fenris’ eyes widened ever so slightly, giving the pegasus his full attention. “What do you study?”

“Mostly esoteric means of mana transferal and spellcraft - how about yourself?” she smoothly answered.

“We’re adventurers,” he proudly proclaimed.

“I’m an adventurer, he’s more like my sidekick,” Kara corrected.

Leech brushed off her shoulder and leaned back, putting her forehooves behind her head. “I’m a bit of an adventurer myself. Lemme tell ya, you don’t trot across the southern half of Equestria without seeing some shit. This one time…”

Though Kennel had hoped to use their dinner to glean anything useful about the couple, the remainder of their time that evening was spent bantering and at times bickering over travels and strange happenings - nevertheless, it was far from a total loss. Both Kara and Fenris had boasted about their martial prowess and adaptability to dangerous situations, if they weren’t bullshitting, and they seemed to relax as the better part of two hours passed by. With the cloud-veiled moon hanging overhead, and the coolness of night settling over them, their conversations drew to an eventual end.

“Yeah, no, I’m calling bullshit on that story about you and the pack of diamond dogs,” Kara grunted, pushing herself up and lifting her tray from the table.

“And I’m calling bullshit on that story about you two with that dragon,” Leech rebuffed, remaining where she sat.

Smiling and shaking his head, Fenris got to his hooves. “You’re either one hell of a storyteller or you really have seen some shit - in either case, it’s getting late and we’ll leave you two be for the evening.”

“Yeah,” Kennel breathed, already lamenting the long trip back to the cabin. “Well it was a pleasure talking with you two.”

“And thanks for the grub,” Leech chimed in, trotting up to her companion’s side. “We should do this again sometime.”

Kara quirked a brow, though her faint trace of a grin never faltered. “If we do, you two are buying.”

“Or I could cook for us. Not to suck myself off, but I’m decent in the kitchen,” Leech argued.

Nodding, Kennel stretched her wings. “It’s true, she is a pretty good cook.”

“How about we come over to your place friday? We’ll pick up some food, I’ll cook, you two host - it’s a win-win!” Leech merrily stated, smiling broadly over at the pair.

Before Fenris could reply, Kara wrapped a foreleg around his neck and turned him around. “Give us just a second.”

“Yeah…” Kennel murmured, glaring at Leech. Waiting until the two were heatedly exchanging worse, she lowered her head. “What are you doing? I said to be cautious!”

“I am!” Leech hissed. “Scoping out their place will give us more information - plus we could rob them if we need to.” Seeing Kennel’s stunned expression, she rolled her eyes. “I said if we need to. I’m still getting a bead on them, but are you telling me you wouldn’t want to have a pair of useful, charitable friends?”

Seeing the logic in her companion’s statement, Kennel scrunched her snout. “Fine, you have a point, but I still don’t like this.”

“Neither do I, but it’s what we call a gamble,” Leech smugly noted, lifting her head and peering over at the couple. “So what do you two say?”

Fenris’ uneasily grinned back at them, as he was led away. “Let’s just meet here Friday afternoon at five ~ is that alright?”

“We’ll see you then!” Leech shouted, enthusiastically waving at the retreating duo. “And thanks for the dinner!”

Batting a wing, Kennel watched the pair trot away. “Take care!”

Waiting a few seconds, ensuring Fenris and Kara had rounded a corner and moved out of sight, Leech trotted to a nearby trash can and unceremoniously dived in. “Hard-headed bitch threw out most of her wraps.”

“You’re not seriously going to eat those…” Kennel sighed.

“Damn right I am,” Leech bleated, extracting herself with the discarded scraps. “It’ll be a great drunk snack later.”

“And you still want to drink?!” the pegasus cawed, face-hoofing. “Listen, I don’t think getting tanked is a good idea; we could be saving what few bits we have or -”

“Look,” Leech objected, cutting her friend off, “we need to talk about Fenris and Kara, it’s been a long, long fucking week, and I really wouldn’t mind relaxing for a change. Loosening up would do us both a little bit of good.”

Though Kennel lifted a hoof to protest, she didn’t have the energy - in fact, thinking about it for a second, she found it hard to disagree with the unicorn. The day had been long, their week had been longer, and there was much discuss - as such, having a stiff drink would be far from the worst option. Throwing in the towel, she gave a resigned shrug.

“Fuck it - I’m not gonna say you’re right, but I am gonna say we’re not getting wine,” she grumbled, trotting off in the direction of a general store that she hoped sold booze.

Cantering after the pegasus, precariously balancing her scavenged leftovers on her forehoof, Leech scrunched her snout. “If we’re not getting wine, what are -”

“Brandy or something with some oomph,” Kennel cut the mare off. “If I’m going to knock a few back, it’s not going to be with cheap-ass wine.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Leech whooped. “Finally gonna have a mare’s night with my new best buddy!”

Kennel chuckled and shook her head, smirking over at the unicorn. “I’m honored…”

After a quick stop at the local corner market, procuring a bottle of applejack and a bag of veggie crisps, they began their arduous journey back to their camp. The trail was dark, the air steadily grew chilly, and the path was no less rocky and root-laiden than usual, yet they were able to get home in just under an hour - an hour spent in relative silence while passing a makeshift torch between them.

“Gimme that,” Leech panted, tossing the burning stick into the fireplace and snatching the unopened bottle from her friend’s grasp. “So for starters, I’ve changed my mind, I don’t think Fenris is bad. The Fenris I knew was a smug bastard, and this Fenris ain’t that.”

Seeing the unicorn take a slug of brandy, recoiling and coughing, Kennel took the bottle and helped herself to a sizable sip. The cool, slightly sweet liquid flowed past her lips and over her tongue, burning slightly as she swallowed. While she wasn’t familiar with the brand of the stuff, she knew one thing for sure - whoever made it knew what they were doing.

“Fuck, this is pretty good,” she remarked, moving to and sitting herself by the fireplace.

Joining her friend, Leech carefully placed a few small logs onto the fire. “It definitely isn’t as harsh as some of the shit I’ve had before. So what’d you think of your other self?”

Kennel shrugged and passed the bottle. “Honestly, I’m not too sure. It’s weird to meet another pegasus who can use magic - then again, since he’s a different version of me, I guess it makes sense. You’re sure that the other Fenris you met was bad?”

“Yeah,” Leech grunted. “I don’t remember much, but he did some fucked up shit that screwed with my head. He might not have been serial killer levels of evil, but he’s definitely bad news.”

Pushing herself up and trotting to the corner of their one-room home, Kennel gathered up two of the smaller mason jars they’d collected. She wasn’t opposed to drinking directly from the bottle, but having glasses, even makeshift ones, felt just a touch more civilized. As she came within reach, her friend extended her leg and poured them both a rather sizable portion.

“Lucky for you,” the pegasus began, seating herself next to the unicorn, “I’m not that bad.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Leech snickered, taking a nip from her jar. “This whole thing has me wondering - you think there’s another me out there somewhere?”

While she wasn’t sure what she’d do when meeting an alternate version of herself, the thought was novel and more than a little entertaining. Would this world’s Leech be as slatternly as herself? Maybe this universe’s Leech was a successful business mare with a family? In truth, she may never know what divergent forms of herself were like, if they existed at all, yet she liked to think there were some that led comfortable, happy lives.

“Who’s to say,” Kennel hummed, swirling and peering into her brandy. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and meet another you someday.”

Though she hadn’t lied, there was a slight omission to her statement - something she hadn’t mentioned to a soul since being flung through the portal with Leech. Fours, the extradimensional abomination, had cryptically mentioned something about Fillydelphia and the reason why she referred to Leech as an aberration. Considering the metropolis was nearly a day’s train ride to the east, it wasn’t likely they’d be able to visit the city anytime soon - nevertheless, she felt uneasy thinking about it.

“I’m betting she’s a slut - maybe not as big of a slut as me, but I’m sure I could teach her a few things,” Leech haughtily remarked.

Kennel smirked over at her friend, listening to the crackling fire and the trees rustling outside. “You never know, the Leech here might be a stallion!”

The statement caught Leech mid-swallow, causing her to sputter and loudly cough. “That’d be too fucking funny. Leech the stud, bane of all the fertile young mares in the land.”

“Not if he’s gay,” the pegasus mused, her smile growing broader by the second.

“Nah, he’d never be totally gay - a switch, sure, but he’d still fool around with mares,” Leech corrected.

Turning her attention to the fireplace, Kennel gave a small shrug. “If you say so…”

As the minutes dragged by into well over an hour, slowly working their way through the brandy, their conversation began to wander. It wasn’t like they’d intended to get side-tracked, having had every intention to deliberate their next move and what, if anything they were going to do about Fenris and Kara, yet their chatting grew increasingly less coherent. With Kara lounging on their bed, and Leech pointing at a hastily scribbled doodle she’d produced, the duo glared at one another.

“I’m tellin’ ya, peaches would be our best bet. There’s already that big-ass apple orchard on the far end of town, so I’m betting the locals would go wild for some different fruit,” Leech attested, wobbling ever so slightly.

Though Kennel had tapped out nearly half an hour earlier, content with the buzz she’d gotten, she was still far from sober. “Lemme guess ~ we could make schnapps on the side and sell that too.”

Leech downed the rest of the brandy from her jar and set it at her hooves, nearly losing her balance in the process. “Damn right we will! We’ll name it Liquid Silk and have a suspiciously ass-shaped peach on the label. Trust me, it’s bulletproof.”

“And just how do you suggest we clear all the land, buy the equipment, and convince everypony in Ponyville that we own this property?” Kennel inquired.

“Pffft - you worry too much,” the unicorn dismissively replied, shambling over to the half-full bottle. “I could pull a few strings and…” she fell silent, coming to an uneasy half. “Well I could have pulled a few strings if we’d been home - my home.”

Quick to note the somber tone in her friend’s voice, Kennel pushed herself up. “You really had those kinds of connections?”

“I did, yeah - well kinda,” Leech muttered, turning to face the pegasus. “I might not have had the easiest go, but I’ve met all sorts of nice, really cool ponies and creatures over the years.”

Kennel piqued a brow, taken aback by the admission. “If you don’t mind me asking ~ what happened to them?”

With her shoulders slumping, Leech turned away from the brandy. “Most moved on, took jobs, got a lucky break - hell, a few of ‘em ended up settling down with a special somepony. It’s just one of those things that happens in life ~ ya know?”

While she wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, having only had a small hoofful of acquaintances herself, Kennel knew she had to say something. The day, as strange as it had been, had shockingly decent, so the last thing she needed was for it to end on a sour note. Slipping from the bed and crossing to her friend, she folded a wing over the unicorn’s shoulders.

“For what it’s worth, I ain’t going anywhere,” she firmly stated, bringing Leech’s cat-like eyes up and over to her face. “And if you are determined to try and start a peach orchard, I’ll do what I can to help. I might not know the first thing about distillery, but I could definitely be useful with growing the trees.”

The corners of Leech’s lips turned up, as she locked eyes with the pegasus. “You know, you’re a good pony and, for what it’s worth, this adventure has been an absolute blast.”

“Even the decrepit cabin?” Kennel giggled, hearing the structure creak around her.

“Especially the cabin,” Leech slurred, drunkenly waving a foreleg at the room around her. “Once we build on a kitchen, a bathroom, and a master bedroom, we’ll be living high on the hog.

With a conspiratorial smirk, Kennel reared away. “Oh ho? So you don’t want a bedroom for yourself?”

In the blink of an eye, the redness in her face clashing against her white and black coat, Leech averted her gaze. “We’d have to share for a little while - that or one of us has to be on the floor. I’d understand if you didn’t want me rolling around in your bed every night, but…”

She stiffened, her heart skipped a beat, and a shiver rocketed up her spine, as she was softly kissed on the cheek. There had been a number of things she’d expected from the mare, yet the display of affection took her completely off guard. Listing and stumbling to the side, only barely able to keep her hooves under herself, she leveled a hoof at her friend.

“You’re just trying to butter me up so you can steal the blanket,” she groused, unable to stop grinning.

“Nope,” Kennel responded, trotting to and hopping onto the bed. As she lifted and pulled the covers aside, easing herself onto the battered mattress, she beckoned with a wing. “You gotta admit, sleeping with somepony is way, way better than sleeping alone.”

The unicorn defeatedly shook her head and chuckled to herself, crossing to the bed. “That’s fair, but I can tell you’re up to something.”

“For somepony who’s gotten by on her lonesome for so long, your judgment goes right down the shitter when you’re drunk,” the pegasus whispered, sliding back and making room.

Wriggling onto the mat, Leech pressed her back to the pegasus’ chest. “That’s because I only get tanked around ponies I trust…”

“I’m honored that - what are you doing?” Kennel asked as the mare wriggled in place to face her.

“You agreed to get the booze, you kissed me on the cheek, and you got me feeling all mushy, so it’s your fault I wanna cuddle now,” Leech explained. Wrapping a foreleg and hind leg around the pegasus, she drew her companion in. “Plus now it doesn’t matter if you steal the blanket.”

The little fire popped, the wind outside had picked up, and Kennel could swear she heard thunder in the distance - still, she was as comfortable as could be. Folding her wings around the unicorn, she contentedly sighed. It had been ages since somepony wanted to simply snuggle with her, excluding the times after a passionate exchange, but she wasn’t about to complain. As she lovingly caressed her friend’s back, the mare’s exotic scent and the smell of brandy in her sinuses, she cherished the moment.

“Just promise me we’ll get a bigger bed someday. I’m not sure -”

The faint sound of deep, steady breaths silenced her, letting her know that Leech had dozed off in her grasp. In a funny way, despite all the uncertain future she faced, she took solace in the moment - simply happy to have somepony to rely on and be with. With her eyelids growing heavy, unsure of what tomorrow would bring, she pulled the blanket over them and gradually fell asleep.