“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.