Luna stepped forward gingerly, shivering in the cold air, bare feet slipping on the frost-slicked slate: “I believe you forgot something.”
Reaper dashed across the broken, debris-scattered floor, and hastily removed his packs, tossing one aside, and opening the other.
“No,” he replied as he pulled out a heavy, grey woolen blanket. “I explicitly left that 'something' behind! What in the name of Celestia’s holy teats are you doing here?”
Luna sat on the same chunk of broken masonry Reaper had used earlier, as he wrapped her in the warm, dense fabric. She tucked her legs underneath, and pulled the blanket tightly around her shoulders.
“I did not expect it to be s-so c-cold,” she remarked as Reaper crouched next to her, rummaging through his packs. “Nor did I consider that I might lose my coat in the transition.”
“Obviously,” Reaper huffed as he pulled out a pair of thick socks and light, moccasin-style shoes. “We do have winter back in Equestria, too, if you recall!”
“True, though I am better 'dressed' for it there, you might say.”
She opened the blanket, leaned back and looked down the length of her torso, slightly spreading her legs in the process: “Well, there is a bit of hair left, I suppose, though I do not see that doing much good.”
Reaper handed Luna the socks: “Put these on. You have patches under your arms, too--just as useless for keeping warm, I’m afraid.”
Reaper crossed his legs and sat down on the nearly-empty pack that had contained his clothes and the blanket. He watched Luna work out the use of her fingers as she clumsily pulled on the dark blue socks, and bundled herself back under the blanket.
“We need to get you back. Help me construct another glyph circle, and let’s see if we can activate the portal from this side, too.”
Luna locked her eyes on Reaper’s: “No. I am here to help, and you will need that help.”
“Right, and any second now Twilight, or worse yet, Celestia herself will come barreling through that wall, demanding to know what’s going on!”
Luna smiled and shook her head: “Not this time.”
Reaper tipped his head sideways and furrowed his brow: “What do you mean?”
“My sister and Twilight already worked out a scheme to enable me to come here. This was her idea.”
Reaper’s eyebrows shot up: “Celestia’s idea?!”
Luna nodded.
“Dammit, you can’t trust anypony not to go behind the back anymore--not even Celestia!”
“Twilight convinced her that my presence in your dreams and visions implied I have a role to play here on this world. I have assumed that for some time, myself.”
Reaper closed his eyes and rubbed his temples: “To be honest I’ve had that same thought, too. But I didn’t want to take either of you--especially you--away from Equestria. You are integral to the world’s functioning. I don’t know what will happen if you fail to return!”
“Then let us see to it that neither of us fails to return!”
“Easier said than done. I know we’re too far north of Fort Torlek on the Zuri River, but I don’t know how far north. I’ll get a better sense of it when night falls and I can see the stars. I traveled a fair amount over the years and have a good eye for navigation.”
“Fort Torlek?”
“That’s where the battle will take place where I’m to be killed in, well, in an indeterminate number of days, actually.”
Reaper shifted uncomfortably and rubbed his chin.
“So you don’t know when we have arrived relative to the battle? Perhaps we have already missed it!”
“I don’t think so, though, again, I’ll have a better idea once night fully falls, and I get a look at the moons.”
Luna’s eyebrows jumped: “Moons? This world has more than one? How interesting!”
“Yes, it has two: the greater moon is called “Larg,” and the lesser is named “Arro.” Once I see them and their respective positions and phases, I should be able to calculate how far ahead of the battle we’ve arrived.”
Luna leaned sideways and peered at the saddlebags on the floor: “Will we have enough provisions? It seems unlikely you brought a great deal in that second bag.”
“Oh, I brought plenty,” he replied, pulling back the bag’s flap and removing a pair of small bags. He opened the first bag and poured out a handful of bits.
Luna furrowed her brow doubtfully: “That’s not much, in the grand scheme of things. I doubt that would buy two bushels of oats and some apples.”
Reaper smiled as he replaced all the coins in their bag, save one: “These bits are made of gold. Now on our world, gold is relatively common. It's still sought after, but is generally available. On this world, gold is exceedingly rare. I have a good-sized ransom in this bag.”
He set the bits aside and opened the second bag. Gems of various colors, cuts and sizes glittered in the fading light.
“These are rarer still. If the bits are a ransom, this is a small fortune. I’ll have to sell them for coin at some point, likely in a larger town, but the bits we have will do the trick for the time being.”
“Where did you come by these bits and gems?”
Reaper raised an eyebrow: “Really? I’ve haunted every corner of our world for millennia, and seen the dying visions and confessions of thousands. I doubt there’s a buried treasure I don’t know about, by now!”
Luna tipped her head knowingly and grinned: “True. I, too, would have little trouble locating countless dreamt-of hoards, and liberating some, if the need arose.”
Luna repositioned the blanket and shifted to a cross-legged posture as Reaper stood up and handed her his cider flask.
“Not a lot left in there, I’m sorry to say, but we should be able to get some food and drink shortly. I doubt this old shrine, abandoned though it is, is all that far from some rudimentary civilization.”
“I hope we will also be able to locate some suitable clothes,” Luna said. “This blanket is fine as far as it goes, but is hardly usable for daily wear!”
“I’m sure we’ll be able to rustle something up.”
“Something in blue or purple, I hope. I must say, though I do rather like the sleek black mane, I am disappointed I did not retain my indigo color.”
“First: that “mane” is just called “hair,” and second: it’s going to be hard enough to go incognito with you wearing the skin you have now, let alone if you were indigo!”
“How so?”
Reaper sighed and pulled a sleeve up beyond his elbow: “Do you see this sort of middling tan color?”
“Yes--it is similar to your coat back in Equestria.”
“Correct. The vast majority of Kurlin share some close variation of this shade--some a little darker, some a little lighter. But skin as dark as yours--that oiled walnut color--is quite unusual, to say nothing of your hair.”
He pulled back his cloak’s hood: “My hair’s relatively dark brown, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary. Again, most Kurlin have some sort of brownish or sandy hair--not black!”
Luna bit her lip: “So what are we to do?”
Reaper drummed the fingers of his right hand on his knee: “There is a race or tribe of people in the north, on a large island well to the west, called the Zaldun. They’re not mythical, more like legendary. Stories of them arise every generation or so, and a few have been seen in the flesh over the centuries, just often enough to lend the stories credence.”
“And you believe this will offer sufficient explanation for my unusual appearance?”
“It’ll have to. Hopefully it’ll help mask our second problem.”
“Which is?”
“U'letzen a did'zu?”
“What?”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured: you don’t understand the speech of this continent. Most of Kur can understand a dialect of this language, but it is believed that the Zaldun have been isolated for so long that they no longer speak a compatible tongue.”
“I see. So you will have to interpret for me.”
“Right. Which just adds another layer of complexity to this endeavor.”
“What kind of pon--er, what was the word you used?”
“People.”
“What kind of people are the Zaldun? Why are they so isolated?”
“They’re fierce warriors who eschew contact with outsiders. No tribe or nation has attempted to subdue or annex them in centuries. No one even knows for sure if they have trade relations.”
“So how will I be able to help?”
Reaper opened the second saddle bag and began pulling out additional garments: “I’m not sure. Twilight thinks you have a part in this, and I reluctantly agree. We’ll just have to play it by ear.”
He stood, removed his hooded cloak, and handed it to Luna: “Put this on--it’s warm. I’ll switch over to my other cloak.”
He leaned down and picked up a long white cloak, trimmed in black, bearing his old cutie mark across the back.
Luna looked over as she pulled the hooded cloak over her head: “I thought that was destroyed.”
Reaper tugged the cloak close and belted it tightly with a white sash: “It was. I had a seamstress make me a new one. She was a bit confused as to the dimensions.”
Luna smiled: “I’m sure she was! Speaking of dimensions…” She ran her hands down the front of the cloak and patted her breasts.
“These seem rather large, and in an unfamiliar place!”
Reaper grinned as he sat down and began to unlace his boots: “Well, you’re a biped now. I don’t think having teats down below your belly would make much sense. And before you ask, no one on this world sports a tail, either!”
“So I noticed,” she replied, looking over her shoulder. “Nor wings, I take it.”
Reaper handed Luna his second pair of breeches: “Stand up and put these on. You’re tall, so these will likely fit kind of short, but that’s OK--we’re going to have to get you totally re-outfitted anyway.”
“And my hooves…?”
Reaper finished pulling off his boots: “Feet. Sit back down and I’ll help you get these on and laced. You’re still figuring out fingers, I can tell.”
Luna set down on the blanket and lifted her left foot so Reaper could slide on a boot: “Yes, they are interesting. It certainly makes me appreciate the ability to manipulate things with magic!”
Reaper repositioned the sock on Luna’s right foot and slid the second boot on: “Well, get used to it. There’s no magic in this world, at least not the way you think of it. The closest it gets here is potions and illusions--that sort of thing.”
“So, like Zecora?”
Reaper pulled on a second pair of socks and the discarded moccasins: “Exactly. She’d do just fine here.”
Luna tipped her head sideways and squinted at the boots: “These appear to be dragon hide! Celestia banned its use long ago!”
Reaper grinned as he collapsed the now-empty left saddlebag and stuffed it into its right-side counterpart: “That’s true, but recall my comment about knowing the whereabouts of a lot of hoards? Some of those hoards are guarded by now-dead, hide-covered skeletons. And some well-compensated craftsponies don’t ask too many questions when given “mystery material” to work with.”
Luna rolled her eyes: “I suppose an exception could be made for long-dead dragons…”
“I would hope so. I have a few other items made from that same chunk of hide--some gloves, a sheath for this short sword,” he held up a short stabbing blade in a shiny black scabbard, “a belt, that sort of thing.”
He stood up and adjusted his cloak and sash, then slipped the sword through his belt and pulled the belt tight.
“Yet another thing to add to the list. We’ll need to get you some sort of sword, too. You can’t very well be a mysterious warrior from legendary lands without a sword.”
Luna stood and folded the blanket: “A mysterious warrior. I rather like that!”
“I figured you would. I still don’t know how this is all going to play out, but we might as well play it to the hilt!”
Reaper packed the blanket in the reconfigured saddlebag and slung it over his shoulders. He took one last drink from his flask, then handed it to Luna. She emptied it and put it in the cloak’s interior pocket.
They picked their way through the roots and rubble until they were clear of the shrine’s sagging entrance. They stood for a moment looking west at the dusk’s fading orange glow.
“Which way?” Luna asked.
Reaper looked up at the emerging stars, and turned fully to his left: “That way is south, and given the alignment of the major constellation to the left of Kur’s polestar, I figure we’re a good 100 miles too far north.”
He began walking briskly down a lightly-wooded slope toward a stream.
“A bit slower, if you please!” Luna pleaded from behind, stumbling and fighting to keep her balance. “These legs take a bit of getting used to!”
Reaper stopped and turned around: “Sorry! I forgot that this is your first real time walking upright! Do you need some help?”
She leaned against a tree and caught her breath: “No, I ask only that we keep the pace moderate for a bit, especially given the rough terrain!”
Reaper nodded toward the stream: “It looks like the land runs gently down south along that stream. We should find the going a bit easier, there. I’m just eager to find a town or village and get some real directions.”
Luna hiked up her breeches and began walking again: “I understand. I, too, am eager to get somewhere we can replace these clumsy and uncomfortable leg coverings!”
Reaper smiled: “Well, I didn’t have them crafted with your frame in mind, you know!”
“True. So where are these moons of which you spoke?”
“If it is the time of year I think it is, Larg should rise from the east in about another hour. Arro will follow about two hours after that.
“I wonder if I will be able to sense their presences…”
“I doubt it. Like I said, we come from a world drenched in magic and enchantment. If that ever existed here on Kur, it faded long, long ago, back with the oldest of gods and legends.”
“That is a pity. I cannot conceive of a world without magic and all its attendant wonders.”
“Get used to it, Luna. This is a grey and grim world compared to the one we left behind. Its charms and pleasures are few and far between.”
“Still, I shall take delight in my first sighting of two moons. Am I not named Luna? How could I feel otherwise!”
Reaper smiled: “I still don’t know how we’re going to work out all the kinks, but I’m glad Celestia and Twilight let you come!”
He quickened his pace: “Come on--we’ll have a better view of Larg’s rising once we clear this bit of woodland. I wouldn’t want you to miss it!”
Luna broke into a happy jog, and moved up beside him.