This creature's body was narrow but still larger than the average pony's. It was covered completely in feathers, feathers so large it gave the impression that they were wearing a robe. Luster couldn't tell whether their five-taloned feet were separate parts of the their plumage or just another part of them, like their 'fingers'. His head was elongated forward, as though he had a beak, but when he spoke, no lips would move. Creepier to the young mare was the creature's lack of pupils. Their eyes were wide and open, but there was only white there.
"An...individual with interests. I'm BasKas, with a capital K, and I'm simply curious about what is inside the castle," he explained.
"I don't know who you are or what you want with me." Luster's eyes darted about while looking at the floor. She couldn't find what else to say in that scenario.
BasKas raised his wings and fingers, and Luster realized that his wings were wider than his body and almost touched the floor when they were left at his sides.
"Oh, it's not a bad thing. A simple thing. Harmless thing. And if I wanted to hurt you I would have done so already, wouldn't I?" he asked slyly.
"I guess," Luster agreed reluctantly.
"It took me a year to sneak over here." He dropped his wings. "And it took you a few seconds with teleportation magic." He started to lean left and right to get a better look at Luster. "Where's your rune, wizard?"
"Rune?" Luster repeated.
"Yes. Your rune. To allow you to teleport."
The mare frowned. "Why would I need runes to teleport? I'm a unicorn."
"You-!" BasKas dragged his wing across the side of his face. "So you're a unicorn that can teleport without runes?"
"Every unicorn can do that," Luster chuckled.
"Can they?" BasKas looked to the side and at some pegasi and other creatures flying through the air. He chuckled when two airships almost crashed into each other. "She even got through the protective barriers around the walls." He thought. "So why exactly are you trying to enter the castle, pony?"
"I'm trying to reach Princess Twilight," Luster said.
The avian gave Luster a blank stare. "Who?"
The student was flustered. "Why does nobody know her?! She rules Equestria! And then I look at what happened to Canterlot Castle and there's a sun and moon up there instead of her star."
"Uh huh. Say, who were the rulers preceding this 'Twilight Sparkle'?" BasKas asked.
Luster hummed pensively. "Princesses...Luna and Celestia." She tapped her head. "I keep forgetting about them unless I see a reminder."
BasKas nodded. "That sounds like...Well, I'll leave that surprise to you."
"What surprise?" Luster asked.
"Nothing much." He leaned down and grabbed Luster's shoulders. "Can you tell me what's in the castle? Like I said earlier, I've been trying to get into that castle for a year, and then you just show up. I want to know what's inside of that place."
"Why? Can't you see it for yourself?" Luster asked.
"How would I?"
"You could ask for an audience."
BasKas laughed loudly then covered his head. His feathers kept bulging outwards from his muffled laughter. "You're so naive to think that someone like me could get in there for just an audience."
Luster was confused. "Why? Princess Twilight would let anypony have an audience as long as it was necessary," she explained.
"Oh, so naive." The avian stood back up and peered around the corners. "I don't smell them. Just that overabundance of floral stench." He hacked in disgust. "I can get you out of that castle afterwards when you get caught."
"Nopony is going to harm me!" Luster stated matter-of-factly.
BasKas looked back at the pony and shook his head. "You're an idiot, but a very stubborn idiot. Just get in there, do what you want to, then I'll get you out."
"But you said it took you a year to get up here. How do I know it wouldn't take you another to get to the castle?" Luster asked.
"Suddenly thinking about me helping?" Luster didn't respond to the question. "There's always a way to and from the dungeons."
Luster couldn't speak, horrified at the implication that she would be imprisoned. "That's-!"
"Get going or you won't find your 'Princess Twilight'," BasKas mocked.
"Fine! I will!" Luster said.
She hurried around the corner, leaving the avian to his own devices.
"A naive pony that can do things besides levitation without runes." The avian stroked his solid 'beak'.
The sunlight was getting dimmer, so Luster had to hurry if she wanted to find Princess Twilight in time. There was yet another wall. Possibly the last, considering how close it was to the mountain castle. Luster took no time to teleport past the wall and its distracted caretakers. The path to the mountain was just like the one at Canterlot: A wide path of whitewashed stone flanked by small stones cut into semi-arcs. The trimmed grass, while a deep and lush green, gradually paled and increased in height, first turning yellow, then oranging the closer to the castle Luster got.
Thanks to BasKas, the guards had dispersed into the city and were no longer chasing after the intruder pony, but there were still the patrols on the castle grounds themselves. Seeing the tremendous outstretched platforms of stone and mortar made to accommodate and counter the increasing slopes of the mountain sides was an awe-inspiring feat of their own. The veritable army of guards glad in gold or silver armor, wielding spears, swords, bows, clubs, and other weaponry was nothing short of breathtaking for Luster Dawn. Several guard towers were thrice as thick as those few she had seen before, resembling fattened trees. These trees had holes carved into their sides, leaving several ballista to have an easy opening to shoot intruders, and both catapults or trebuchets could be found on every tower's top. Although, there were some topped with a contraption the mare had never seen in her life. She used the shadow made by a risen wall and the corner of some stairs to get a better look.
"What is that thing? Looks like a box with holes in it." She watched as an earth pony dropped a large, wooden crate in front of it and both he and a unicorn pulled out metal shards to place in the holes. "That looks barbaric!" Luster put a hoof to her chest and breathed deeply to calm herself. "It's okay, Luster Dawn. You just need to find the princess. The castle is right there. She has to be in it." She tried to wrack her head around potential explanations to her situation, but none came to mind.
Instead of waiting any further, the mare teleported between empty spots she could find in the growing shadows. Stairs, walls, crates, building material used to fix damages to the buildings and platforms. Finally, she reached the foot of the mountain castle, and Luster had no ability to look far up enough, even within the tree she had teleported into. Doors big enough for the previous king of dragons, and then some. Gates that were black at their feet and gradually transitioned to a night blue with sparkling, white gems ingrained into their tops. It contrasted with the bright white surrounding them; a bright white that followed the sunset color scheme that Luster had seen in the city down below.
"At least I know I didn't hallucinate this!" she whisper-yelled to herself. There was a large assortment of guards walking about the grounds, stressing Luster out. "How do I get in there? I'm exhausted." She massaged her sore cheeks. "I just need to get inside to reach the throne room." Looking at the floors, Luster saw an empty corridor no one was patrolling. She winced. "I suppose I don't have a choice."
Focusing, the mare threw herself onto the floor of this new castle. She expected the sounds of the servants cleaning up the rooms and the heavy metallic steps of guards patrolling the corridors and using the stairs, but she could hardly hear anything more than her own strained wheezing. Her hooves rested upon a completely carpeted floor that needed either cleaning or replacing, judging by the darker stains in the green.
She instantly snorted in disgusted and covered her muzzle with a hoof. "What is that awful stench? It smells like a hospital, lavender, and oranges. What kind of weirdo would use that as odorizer?"
Unlike the castle Luster knew, this one didn't have much in the way of hallway decorations. Most of them were simply plants in large pots, smaller ones on stools, or a landscape painting nailed through the wallpaper. Said wallpaper was still white, but it was enchanted to reflect the weather outside. Luster was certain that it was slowly turning purple then black with the night. Maybe stars would appear at some point.
"That's so weird. I can see the sun from this angle, but not from over here."
Luster slowly reached out to try and touch the wallpaper to analyze it, but was quickly reminded of her purpose in the castle when guards slid down the wooden stairs leading to the upper floor.
"I found the intruder! They got into the castle!" one of them shouted.
He pulled a stick from the side of his armor and cracked it between his teeth, then threw it at Luster. A blinding red flash scared Luster away back where she came from, but the flare was not meant to simply harm or scare her. Two fully armored pegasi burst in through the windows followed by a larger and much more angular creature and a sound so loud it destroyed the rest of the windows in the hall. The mare was thrown back into several rolls by the amount of wind that came from whatever it was. The creature was almost two-dimensional based on how thin it was.
Of course, there was nowhere left for the exhausted pony to run, and she was grabbed by several of the guards and stopped where she was. One of them eyed her up and down, his face a mixture of anger and perplexion.
"How did you even get in here? You have no runes." This guard's left eye was bruised, and his golden armor bore multiple discolorations from scratches. Once again, Luster couldn't get a good look due to the proximity and being shaken around a lot. "Well? Answer me!" He narrowed his eyes momentarily. "No. More importantly: What are you here for? To attempt to assassinate the royal family? To steal secrets of the kingdom to sell? What is it? What's your angle?"
"I-I-!" Luster was unable to utter any word.
"I say we hang her preemptively, and then look for whomever let her into the castle grounds in the first place," one guard suggested.
One of the pegasi stepped forward. Her body was encased in plated armor of a resplendent white. Luster was certain they were mirrors thanks to how crisp everything's reflection was in them. "And lose our only lead to said worm? We need to report this to the captains, then have her sent to the dungeons where the wordsmith can coax a name out of her."
A few of the guards laughed, but others grumbled and shifted in place uncomfortably.
"Wordsmith?" Luster struggled in her bond. "If they are a book writer, then I'm certain we could come to an understanding. I-I'm not here to hurt anyone!"
Several of the guards laughed at her words, but Luster's captor and the fliers stared at her.
"You can't be that stupid," the captor gawked. "A wordsmith is not a book writer." He stammered before finding the right words. "How old are you?"
"I'm almost eighteen."
The captor looked at the razor-thin creature. "They hire the spies and assassins younger these days?"
The creature waved two long claws that curved so sharply they nearly pierced its own leg. "Let go of her. She can't do anything at this point, and we might as well try and reeducate and aid this one if she really is so young." Luster grunted from having her forelegs unrestrained and looked up at the creature. "Why exactly were you sent here, pony?"
"I-I wasn't sent. I'm just looking for Princess Twilight," Luster explained.
Mumbling was shared between the guards. "Who?" the thin creature said.
"P-Princess Twilight! We're in the castle! She has to be here!" Against her will, Luster was starting to tear up and cry. "I don't know what's happening! I just want to see Princess Twilight! I don't want to be in this place anymore! Was I sent to another place that has the same names as my home?!"
"What's happening here? Who is this?" a deep and regal voice asked.
All guards immediately scrambled to attention and bowed, surprising Luster.
"Your majesty," the captor said.
Luster turned around and saw a giant of a pony. His tall, well-toned body was painted in a vibrant white coat. He was at least three heads taller than Luster, and his horn followed suite. Golden clasps rose from his hooves and ended at his shins, creating the impression that golden veins rose out from his skin. His face was stern but elegant, thanks to his boxy muzzle. A goatee of pastel colors grew from his chin, and a mane and tail of the same style flew behind him in short braids. Deep, purple eyes glared at Luster from an unflinching, unbowing head.
"Who is this?" he asked.