Canterlot The Edge [Open]

[Duskfall]

Running usually meant constantly moving. It meant keeping sharp and feeling the flow to be able to keep moving fast and safely. For once though, Duskfall's route had a segment where he could relax and take in the view. It's one thing to to sit in a chair and stare out a window from inside a passenger train; lying on top of the train is something else entirely. Duskfall took a deep breath as he took in the view of the rolling hills that slowly transform into the mountain city of Canterlot. The air seemed fresher than before, but perhaps that was because the Equestrians had managed to defeat Chrysalis.

Duskfall turned his head away from the scenic view and toward the front of the train. The tunnel into the mountains was coming up, and that meant that Canterlot would be coming up soon.

The job would have been very easy, just a package drop. Unfortunately the package was to be delivered to someone living in Canterlot, which had been invaded by his people. On top of that, he was heading straight into the heart of Equestria. Duskfall had no doubt that the Royal Guard would still be on high alert and would paying close attention for intruders, changelings especially. Disguising would be a futile effort. Not that it really mattered to Duskfall: he almost always preferred to roam undisguised. It just feels more. . . free.

Train station coming up.

Over by the exit, Duskfall saw several guards loitering around the platform.

Time for me to get off.

Duskfall got up on his hooves and launched himself off the train and onto the smoothing mountain just before the train station. Duskfall took note of a drainage pipe and ran for it, not bothering to see if anypony had noticed him. There wasn't any time for it.

He'd been hoping to eventually hire a pegasus, or at least some flight-able creature to assist him. A set of eyes in the air would help him run his routes much more effectively. It'd also help spot where the guards were so he could avoid them. Alone and in the capitol of Equestria, Duskfall would just have to hope he doesn't run into the Royal Guard. He grimaced at where his left wing used to be.

"Lots of hope and doubt. . ." he muttered to himself. Duskfall threw his front hooves onto the pipe and began to climb. The rhythmic clinking of his hooves hitting the piping signalling an inch closer to the top.

[Tiktaalik]

Canterlot... This place brought back a mixture of memories. In the past, Figment had done some very successful work here. There was certainly a lot of love to be had with so many ponies in one place. However, this is also where everything had fallen to pieces. He'd replayed the events in his head hundreds of times, and still wasn't sure where, exactly, it went wrong... He knew dwelling on it wouldn't help, but it just bothered him. It was unthinkable that the Queen could have made a mistake, but, there it was. Surely, it was just some sort of fluke. Next time would be different. Though, it might take a while... So, for now, he'd simply decided to check up on Canterlot. If not for info, than just to keep his wits sharp around these paranoid guards. They hardly ever suspected someone as friendly as Honey Smiles, though...

He flew around a bit, scanning the area for any ponies he could possibly aid in exchange for some affection as usual. But, then he saw something...odd, almost completely by chance. He was so stunned, he nearly crashed into a nearby building. He hovered in place, staring at...a changeling. With no disguise. At least they seemed to be attempting to stay out of sight, but still! He had to do something, but had never dealt with anything like this before.

After a moment of rapid pondering, he swooped over, though he at least tried not to startle them off their pipe or something. So, he landed on top of the building. As if some random pony being there waiting for them wouldn't be startling... He didn't really have time to think it through. At least he didn't look like a very threatening pony.

[Duskfall]

Duskfall was almost to the top of the building when he noticed a pegasus fly onto the rooftop from the edge of his peripheral vision. He immediately stopped climbing to consider his options. Looking around, Duskfall found no alternate routes to go through. Well, scaling the mountain was an option, but the flow was extremely weak there. Too dangerous.

So I could either try to break through those guards, but then the whole city would probably be on my flank.

Then Duskfall thought about the Pegasus in his way.

Or I could try to get past her, but then she'd would alert the guard. . . Then the city would still be on me. Unless I-

The thought of hurt an innocent bystander didn't bode well for Duskfall, but he's got to take of his own first. That meant himself and his clients. There wouldn't be any lasting damage. . . probably. He vaulted over the edge of the building.

At first glance the pony didn't look very threatening at all.

But looks can be deceiving.

Duskfall didnt want to take a chance. He broke into a sprint at the pegasus. At a meter from the pony, Duskfall dropped to the floor on his side and went for a slide kick to the chest. The clock was already ticking, so Duskfall didn't bother checking to see if his attack actually connected. After the kick, Duskfall rolled back onto his hooves and ran. He was still in the less rich area of Canterlot, so the rooftops here were a very simple flattop unlike the richer buildings that had the pointed dome designs. There were some cinderblocks and a plank lying around, conveniently at the edge of the building forming a ramp. Duskfall went for that and jumped to the next building from the train station.

[Tiktaalik]

He raised a hoof in greeting, but before he could even say anything, he received a kick like he hadn't felt since the invasion. He really should have expected that... He flopped over a for a moment, trying to catch he wind that had been knocked out of him, twitching a bit. What was that drone doing? If he was a real pony, he could easily report that..! After a moment of shaking the kick off, Figment stood up, glancing in the direction the other changeling had gone, and was surprised at the distanced he'd gone. Whoever they where, they were fast on their hooves...

Not as fast as hm in flight, though. He flew after the changeling, hesitating a moment while trying to think of what to say to get them to stop. He flew up close, though, not too close. He really wasn't fond of getting kicked. "...Uh, hey! Wait..! I'm not gonna hurt you! I just wanted to ask you something, Mr. Neat Changeling Guy..!", he blurted out in as friendly a tone as he could while flying after him. Surely, this undisguised changeling was starved for love, which Honey Smiles had plenty of. Though, he almost felt a bit bad that he'd be disappointing this changeling when he revealed himself.

[Duskfall]

Instead of calling the guard, the pegasus had apparently decided to pursue him. This calmed Duskfall down somewhat, at least the Royal Guards wouldn't be after him. . . for now. The pony was right behind him now and was trying to get Duskfall to stop.

". . . Uh, hey! Wait..! I'm not gonna hurt you! . . ."

Duskfall blocked out the rest of what the pegasus had to say.

"Like hell you're not going to hurt me!" Duskfall didn't look back at his pursuer.

Duskfall spotted a building about 4 blocks away with a balcony. If he could force the pony inside the building, he could possibly lose him in there. Duskfall vaulted and slid over the various nodes and pipes on the rooftop. The next building was fairly close to the one he was on, so jumping there wasn't an issue. Nothing much here, except a chain link fence. Duskfall climbed over that one.

Up ahead was a sizable gap between the next building.

Horseapples, cornered.

Then he spotted a billboard extending from a node to the side. Perfect. Duskfall banked right and ran towards the billboard. Duskfall made a small leap, and began running off the side of the billboard. He found himself slightly amused at it. Serious business is serious business, but Duskfall still couldn't get over how awesome he felt when he finally perfected his wall running.

Duskfall finished the move by leaping off at the end of the billboard. The drop onto the next building was pretty high, but a good recovery roll would prevent broken bones. Duskfall leapt back onto his hooves and continued running.

[Tiktaalik]

Figment couldn't blame them for not stopping. He definitely wouldn't have. But, he couldn't just let them get away... By this point, he'd noticed that they were missing a wing, which would explain all of the running. It didn't explain why they weren't in disguise, but either way, they needed help! He might have to force them to stop for their own good. Just...in some way that wouldn't send them tripping off of a building or something. Though, judging from their skill, that seemed unlikely.

No matter how good or fast they were, though, he could just fly over and through all of these obstacles. As they made a rather far and steep jump, he swooped down after them. "I was telling the truth...", he said in a voice more like his own. He glanced around to make sure no ponies would see, before using some magic in an attempt to hold the other changeling's limbs to the ground. Or...roof. Or whatever. "Sorry, but you didn't give me any other choice.", he added.

[Duskfall]

The third rooftop was devoid of any obstacles whatsoever and the flow was extremely strong here. There's just one path to go through. Duskfall was about to make the jump when he suddenly lost all momentum and hit the ground hard. Duskfall's thought grinded to a halt and he suddently felt light-headed. Mustering what strength he had left he tried to get back up. All his efforts were in vain as his legs refused to move.

Dang it, what the hell happened?

Duskfall looks down to his hooves and saw them enveloped in green glow. Wait, wasn't it a pegasus that was pursuing him? Unless. . .

Oh shi-

Duskfall blacked out before he could finish his sentence.

[Tiktaalik]

Figment winced slightly as the other changeling was forcibly grounded. That...hadn't been his intention. They'd been moving around too much! Well. At least they didn't end up on the pavement. And it couldn't have been more harmful than running around with no disguise. He flew over quickly, checking to see if they were alright, frowning when he saw they'd apparently been knocked out, feeling more than a bit guilty...

He glanced around for a more secluded area, and spotting a nearby roof with some kind of tarp to block the prying eyes of any pegasi. It seemed like it was under construction or something, which might be ideal... Whatever he case, it'd have to do. He scooped up the other changeling, straining his wings a bit as he lifted them over to the new building, setting them down easily. He removed his disguise, seeing as it did nothing but frighten them before, and gently nudged them with a hoof. "Hey...if you can hear me...wake up..! Please." Figment was not enjoying the thought of having to drag him outside the city to recuperate. Or, even just sit up here for any long period. While waiting for them to wake up or not, his eyes wandered over to some sort of package they'd been carrying. He eyed it curiously, tempted to see what, exactly, it was...

[Duskfall]

"Hey. . . if . . . hear me . . . up!"

Duskfall could hear bit of pieces of the words being spoken to his, probably by his captor. As he slowly opened his eyes, Duskfall saw the changeling, who was probably the pegasus eyeing the package he was supposed to deliver. As he recalled, it was a scrapbook of a mare and her family. Apparently they had a foal several months ago, and they wanted to send a gift to their parents before they left for vacation.

Duskfall was quite surprised he was able to recover so quickly, but he would question that later. He slowly and painfully got back onto his hooves.

"That's a gift to a good pony family, not a trophy, backstabbing scumbag." Duskfall's voice was dripping with venom. Didn't Chrysalis realize that hey needed the ponies to thrive if they wanted to do so as well?

Slowly, and painfully, Duskfall stepped closer to the other changeling. Each step Duskfall winced in pain, but it wasn't bad compared to when he got his wing cut off. He took a another step. Then a third step. Then a fourth step. Duskfall almost collapsed on the fith, but he managed to recover. At this point he was almost in the other changeling's face.

[Tiktaalik]

Figment was relieved when the changeling regained consciousness so quickly. However, he was not expecting the aggressive reaction he got, and seemed extremely confused and apologetic. "...I'm not a backstabber..! It was an accident... I'm sorry." However, he quickly regained his composure, looking a bit on the stern side. He was more concerned than angry, though. "Are you out of your mind?! What were you doing, running around with no disguise? You're putting yourself and any other drones here in danger..." His gaze drifted back to the other's wing. Or, lack of one.

"If you need help getting back to the hive, I can offer assistance..." He was trying his best to be helpful, but something still seemed...wrong. They seemed unreasonably angry at him. He recoiled slightly as the other changeling got extremely close. "Or, you could just...tell me what's wrong..."

[Duskfall]

"Are you out of your mind?! What were you doing, running around with no disguise? You're putting yourself and any other drones here in danger..."

Duskfall ignore the questions, assuming them to be rhetorical. What he really took notice of was the mention of other drones in the city. After one catastrophic failure going to try again? Or maybe it was the changelings just trying to lick their wounds. . . It any case, Duskfall mentally put informing the authorities on his list of things to do.

"There are other changelings in the city? Hmm. The guard will know by the end of the week; I'll make sure of it." Duskfall head was still throbbing, but he managed to keep his thoughts together and his focus straight. Duskfall turned away from the other changeling and strapped his package back onto his back.

"If you need help getting back to the hive, I can offer assistance . . ."

Duskfall scoffed. "I'm not going back to the hive. Not in a week, not in a month, not in a year, a decade, or ever. I'm not following that incompetent fool, Chrysalis."

The flow was lost to him now, and without the worry of the Royal Guard pursuing him, Duskfall took this moment to take in the view of Canterlot and the Royal Castle and sat on the edge of the roof. Shame that he wasn't here under more peaceful circumstances. Looking over cities was truly a beautiful sight. Maybe if his clients were willing, he'd take them out here, out above the gloss and glamor.

"Tell me, suppose Chrysalis's invasion did succeed. Suppose that the real Princess Cadence was never found and the changeling did take over the Greater Equestria. Then what? What happens when we finally drain the love out of all the ponies. Who are we going to feed off then? And besides that, what about the political fallout, or even the celestial fallout! If we were successful, who's going to move the bloody sun and moon!?"

Duskfall took a few deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. He took another deep breath taking in the view of Canterlot. "The ponies need to thrive and succeed of their own volition, not while we puppet them."

[Tiktaalik]

Figment's expression quickly went from concern for a fellow changeling, to looking quite...mortified. He'd heard of drones going going rogue before, but never seen such a thing in person before. He even had the nerve to insult the Queen! "Wha...you...you're the backstabber here!" He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing, and glared back at the other changeling. "And...don't ever talk about our Queen like that. She takes care of us. She took care of you!"

He attempted to calm himself a bit as the other went on about things he couldn't possibly know so much about. "...That's just an excuse. A bad one. You think you know better than the Queen? Her plan most likely was much more...intricate than that. There was a fluke, though... And even if what you said was true, it's not our job to question it.", he responded, a bit more composed. "It's not like ponies are the only things to feed off of. Just the most worthwhile."

Figment huffed lightly at his last statement. "And what about us? Are we supposed to just starve? No one gives changelings love on purpose. They all hate us; they'd be glad to get rid of us. So, we take it. You should know this..." As this point, he'd almost forgot that they were undisguised in the capitol city, and he kind of wished he had. "You're going to get yourself thrown in a dungeon running around here like that..."

[Duskfall]

Duskfall's choice of words were. . . not very tactful. It's not exactly this particular changeling's fault that he acted this way. He was just taught what he was taught. Duskfall on the other hand never stuck to one place for a long time. His occupation meant he was always on the move, not that he didn't mind or enjoy it. Being alone and always on the move meant he'd have to teach himself how to do things. Duskfall mentally chuckled at his multitudes of injuries when he was teaching himself how to run.

The city was a beautiful one, and the view from up above was even more beautiful. Duskfall felt his senses coming back to him, and he could feel the flow once more. Still need to head for the balcony, but he could probably just over it. No need to alert anyone else. As Duskfall began remembering the geography, he recalled that the building he was about to break into was, in fact, a local police station. Ironic.

"And what about us? Are we supposed to just starve? No one gives changelings love on purpose. They all hate us; they'd be glad to get rid of us. So, we take it. You should know this..."

"I don't know what you guys have been doing, but think you'd be surprise to hear that I have pony friends. . . well, just friend. The others are just clients, ponies I work for." Duskfall tapped the package on his back. "Who'd you think I was delivering this to?"

Duskfall was already late on his delivery, so he got up and walked toward where the other changeling had pulled him up from as a gesture that he wanted to leave soon.

"You're going to get yourself thrown in a dungeon running around here like that..."

"Didn't ya see what I've been doing? Running is what I do best."

[Tiktaalik]

Figment have the other changeling a highly skeptical look. "That's impossible. Why would a pony want to be friends with you?" It didn't make much sense to him. Though...this changeling must have been getting love from somewhere. "...Do they just let you willingly feed on them?" That would be interesting. Maybe worth experimenting with in the future. "Or are you just manipulating them, but with no disguise?" That would also be interesting. Both were horribly risky, though, something he didn't like at all. Even though he completely supported Chrysalis in every way...he'd much prefer it if they went entirely unnoticed and had as little impact on anyone as possible.

He frowned as the other changeling seemed like they were about to leave. "I caught you easily enough..." His wings buzzed as he flew in the other's path. "And, I can't just let you go. If you want to abandon us all, then...fine. But, trying to get other changelings hurt or captured is too much. Plus, what makes you think the guards wouldn't just clobber you?"

[Duskfall]

Duskfall chuckled at the other changeling's skepticism. As amusing as it was, he wasn't really surprised. Had he not been in the overall situation he was in now, Duskfall would have been shocked at the revelation as well. Getting the first client was an extremely difficult task. He couldn't advertise publicly or else the authorities would be up and about trying to hunt him down. Getting a pony to trust a changeling isn't an easy task to say the least. Duskfall was thankful his first client was. . . well, his first client. It was a shaky relation at first. Duskfall was metaphorically watching his back, making sure that his client didn't call the guard on him secretly. His client was watching his metaphorical back making sure Duskfall wasn't trying to con him.

It felt very nice when his client told him he regarded Duskfall as a friend.

"That's impossible. Why would a pony want to be friends with you? ...Do they just let you willingly feed on them or are you just manipulating them, but with no disguise?

"A little quality service and transparency goes a long way. Heh, feed. I haven't fed on love since. . . actually I can't remember the last time I fed on love. I think the proper way of saying what I've been doing would be 'earning love'".

"Plus, what makes you think the guards wouldn't just clobber you?"

Mention of this made Duskfall grimace. He loved running, no doubt about it. Sometimes though, he misses flying. But the past is the past.

"They might have taken my wing, but they didn't take all of me yet. Heh. By the way, you know that tip that made Captain Armour put up that giant shield around Canterlot? Guess who sent it. Go ahead, use your imagination."

Dung hitting the proverbial fan in three. . . two. . . one. . .

[Tiktaalik]

"I have to 'earn' love too, you know. Doing something similar. All kinds of inane favors... You'd be better off in disguise, though.", he said, trying his best to stay civil. this changeling may have been a treacherous deserter, but...he was part of the hive at one point. He was willing to cut other member a great deal of slack. However, most of that slack vanish upon hearing his last statement. "What.", he hissed, suddenly not looking so brotherly.

"How could you do something like that to us!? We're supposed to trust each other completely. The entire swarm, and the Queen...they all trusted you..! Not to mention you wouldn't even exist without them." Figment could hardly handle this. He'd never met a changeling so...purely evil and malicious! "And you just sold them all out... Though. Despite that, they still beat you up as thanks, didn't they?". he added, eying the empty space where his wing should've been. Maybe they hit him in the head, and that was why this drone has gone so errant...

After managing to cool down slightly, Figment quirked an eyebrow. "...Why are you goading me like this, anyways? You can't possibly be up to something." He seemed quite confident in his ability to beat this crippled changeling in a fight if he had to. Even though he was considerably stronger, physically...

[Duskfall]

"How could you do something like that to us!? We're supposed to trust each other completely. The entire swarm, and the Queen...they all trusted you..! Not to mention you wouldn't even exist without them."

Trust. . . Trust is a fragile thing. Truth is something that one can spend a lifetime building and is something that one can destroy in mere seconds. Trust was a topic that Duskfall could discuss freely. "And I do thank them for that. Yes, we were supposed to trust each other. And I did trust you, and the swarm, and the Queen. You know my stance on Chrysalis. Did you know I was a messenger for the swarm before I went off on my own? Being a messenger gets you a lot of information, and when I when I put all the pieces together about the invasion. . . I'm not going to change my mind about how I feel about Chrysalis or how the rest of you guys are going about this whole mess, but you're okay. I suppose."

"And you just sold them all out... Though. Despite that, they still beat you up as thanks, didn't they?"

Duskfall didn't need to look at the changeling to know what he was referring too. For a time after the incident, Duskfall did question what he was doing; he questioned the path he was taking. He knew trust took time though, so he ejected his doubts from his mind and kept persevering. "Yes, of course they beat me up. We had just invaded their capitol and attempt to stage a coup. A few words isn't going to convince them I'm trustworthy. Besides, that was a different encounter. I lost my wing. . . five days after the invasion?"

". . .Why are you goading me like this, anyways? You can't possibly be up to something."

Duskfall simplied huffed. "I'm not up to the things you're thinking of. Like I said, you seem okay enough, so I'm not going to kill you. Kindly get out of my way so I can do my job."

[Tiktaalik]

Figment continued to be skeptical. "...Like I said before...you can't possibly know the Queen's entire plan. Only she knows it. And she'd never lead us down a dead end like that anyways. You're mistaken. You should rejoin the hive for everyone's sake...", he said, still trying to reason despite the entire situation. If he could sway them to come back, or at least stop being traitorous, he'd be satisfied. "And, even if that was her plan...surely, she learned from the fact that it didn't work. The hive is operating with more subtlety now." He knew full well that it was mostly due to their weakened state that they were being more quiet and cautious, but Figment would say whatever he had to to get his way.

"...Five days after?", he asked, raising a brow. That sounded odd. Though, any behavior was possible with a rogue drone. His pondering was interrupted as he scoffed. "Oh, please. You couldn't beat me. I already subdued you once. And...no. I'm at least going to keep an eye on you. You brought it on yourself. I even promise to behave around your pony friend...", he said, smirking and conjuring up his pegasus disguise. "I like making friends!", he beamed in-character.

[Duskfall]

"You're mistaken. You should rejoin the hive for everyone's sake. . ."

Duskfall shook his head. "Mistaken or not, I will not turn back. I'm not going back to the hive and I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing. Nothing ain't going to convince me otherwise."

Green flames erupted from the other changeling, bringing forth his previous pegasus disguise. Duskfall raised an eyebrow. Now it was his turn to wonder he was up to. Was this disguise created from scratch, or was he replacing somepony. Though, if he were replacing somepony, he'd be near whoever he was leeching love from and not on the Canterlot rooftops. Must be the former then.

Very well.

"Fine, you can come along. And this one's not a friend. He's just a client, so not today, Holmes." Duskfall step to the side of the disguised changeling and lept to the lower area of the rooftop. "You better not rat out my clients, or you're going to have a very bad day."

Assuming that the changeling could keep up, Duskfall began his run. The jump to the next building was a very long one. Just like he remembered before he was unceremoniously halted by his. . . "comrade", there was a pipe that he could jump to and climb onto the building. With the distance between them though, he would land at the very bottom of the pipe. . . hopefully.

Duskfall jump. He could feel the air flying past him as the city streets came closer and closer. Duskfall reached with his front hooves.

Catch the pipe. Catch the pipe.

With a satisfying "clink", Duskfall anchored to the very bottom of the pipe. He released the breath he'd realized he was holding. Duskfall looked downward to see if there was anything else he could have grabbed onto had he missed the pipe. Nothing. Running was a dangerous activity. One misstep, one misjudgement of distance, one jump that didn't push hard enough and you could be plummeting to your death. Living on the edge, just how Duskfall liked it.

Duskfall hadn't noticed his body went on autopilot until he found himself already three quarters of the way up the pipe. After vaulting over the edge at the top, Duskfall turned around to see if his changeling shadow was still with him.

[NeoExlucky]

A big black griffin by the name of Balador stayed by the train station as his a little mare wearing red robes approached him. The pair seemed to be working together in some type of business.

"Canterlot, the capitol of Equestria. Surely there are some ponies with the talents we need, Aselia."

"Sir, are you sure we'll find somepony here?"

Balador didn't answer her question, he did however see something odd to him. A pony vaulting over a rather peculiar wall. The strange circumstance puzzled him for a moment. He couldn't see the pony clearly but was sure there was someone there.

"Come Aselia, this way."

With that the big black griffin ran off toward the figure. Leaving poor Aselia in the dust.

"Sure, leave me with all the luggage." She rolled her eyes and levitated two packages up. One was a tiny bag filled with glasses and other objects. The other was large and held a few scrolls, a large wood shield, and some small pieces of plate mail.

[Tiktaalik]

'We'll see...', Figment thought to himself. Life with the Hive was obviously better that being a stray changeling. Surely he'd come around eventually. He pouted for a moment upon learning they weren't actually meeting with this alleged friend. "Aw. Oh well!", he chimed. "I'll come along anyways. I won't be any trouble!", he went on, still all smiley and in-character. He snickered at the other changeling's threat. "It seems like we're even. So...you don't do anything bad to me or the Hive, and I won't do anything bad to you. You gotta promise, though..! You have my word."

Figment, or 'Honey Smiles', simply flew after the changeling, watching him curiously. "Uhm. Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just pick a disguise and walk like everypony else..?", he inquired.

[Duskfall]

"Uhm. Wouldn't it be a lot easier to just pick a disguise and walk like everypony else. . ?"

"Remember when I was talking about transparency? It ain't just for my clients. It's for everyone. Tell me, if the ponies were to start to not dislike us anymore, if they were to allow us into their society just as they have with the gryphons or the zebras, that would be a good thing, yes?" Duskfall jumped up toward the roof above the balcony and grabbed the ledge. He continued his train of though as he hoisted himself up. "I believe that we can achieve that. Getting the ponies to allow us into their society, I mean. The first step toward that is a sacrifice though, and I'm pretty sure no one else is going to do it. But all that replacement stuff's gotta end, or else all my efforts would be in vain."

There were various nodes, pipes and fences sprawled across the surface of this roof. First obstacle was the fence; fences were always easy to get by. The nodes and pipes could be harder to traverse; it really just depended how they were laid out. The pipes were raised above the ground for some reason, not that Duskfall cared. He simple vaulted over them. "Besides, I like running. Cuts down on the traffic too."

Duskfall could see his target building to the left. The gap between the buildings, separated by the city streets below, was very long. Luckily, he spotted a wire running down towards the building on the other side. Perfect. Duskfall banked hard to the left and sprinted for the wite. At top speed, he lept from the edge of the building and onto the wire, hanging from both his front hooves as he ziplined across. Nearing the building, Duskfall brought his rear legs in front of him. They hit the brick with a dull thud. He turned his head around. "Plus, my clients say it feels more personal. I'm inclined to agree. By the way, we're here. We just need to get to the right room. Thank Luna they've got an apartment on the outside of the building."

[NeoExlucky]

Balador landed with great big thud behind the two changelins. His wings hurt, as he was carrying his shield on his back and it weighed a ton, he felt like he was carrying a wall of bricks on his back. "I've found you, changelings! Your...oh hello DuskFall."

[Tiktaalik]

Despite Figment's feelings n the matter, he seemed to insist on remaining in-character while disguised. "Wow..! You're reeeally an optimist, aren't you?", he said, snickering at him. "I don't think any race would ever like changelings... I mean. Zebras and griffins and stuff don't need to drain love out of anyone! Who cares if changelings just stay disguised? If they do it right, no one would know the difference anyways! Uhm...without the kidnapping part, anyways..." He just kept chattering as he continued following Duskfall, impressed that he hadn't gotten himself killed frolicking about rooftops like this...

Then, finally, they arrived. Unless Duskfall was just leading him into a trap. Figment might not have been much of a fighter, but surely he could handle a single crippled changeling. "...Pbbbfth. That's Silly. You're silly!", he commented obnoxiously. And then...a thud, and words that nearly sent him into a panic. He quickly looked towards the sound, frowning nervously. A griffin was something he likely couldn't fight... But, they seemed to know Duskfall. "Uh..! I'm not a changeling..! ...You aren't gonna hurt him, are you? He's not doing anything wrong, really..!" He hoped the other changeling would appreciate this help, at least...

[Duskfall]

The next thing that Duskfall had noticed was a gryphon landing on the rooftop behind his shadow. Almost instantly he lept from the wire and landed onto the ground into a battle stance. However, the last words that the gryphon had utter caught him completely by surprised. Duskfall stayed his stance, albeit more loosely, despite his suspicion of the interloper.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Duskfall shouted back at the gryphon. Then he looked at his changeling shadow. "Get behind me."

Canterlot, the heart of the Greater Equestria, capital of the pony nation. . . and apparently where Marephy's Law likes to present itself in every possible situation.