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…”