//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Not What You'd Expect... 
// by Some Leech 
//------------------------------//

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…