Inside, the three-story building was incredibly dark. A sliver of sunlight shone through the crack in the sliding doors and glinted off the bodies of tall, metal steam-tanks. Up above, the faint shadow of a catwalk loomed.
"Okay..." Rainbow muttered. She lifted her cap, wiped sweat from her brow, then looked all around. Her ears twitched to the sound of the riotous fight outside. "Better make this quick. That distraction is not gonna last forever."
"There's an elaborate catwalk system above us," Rarity said.
"So many thermal enchantments..." Twilight rubbed her horn. "This place is packed. Watch where you step, Rainbow. You might bump into something."
"One bruise at a time," Rainbow muttered, shuffling ahead. "Fluttershy?"
"They're directly above you, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said. "All three of them. Probably on the catwalk."
"Shhh!" Pinkie raised a hoof. "You hear that?"
Rainbow craned her neck. Her ears perked up. It was difficult to tell beyond the sound of angry workers outside, but she caught the faintest hint of a pained moan up above.
"That's them!" Fluttershy exclaimed.
"Cool beans." Rainbow trotted briskly ahead. "Rarity, find me a way up the catwalk."
"On it, darling!"
"The rest of you girls, keep an eye out for something I can use to break a bunch of chains." Whump! She bumped nose-first into a dormant steam tank. "Owie!"
"Told you," Twilight muttered.
"Where are you taking us?" Seraphimus asked as the Talon shuffled behind Dillon and a few other workers.
"Towards the northern factories," Dillon nervously explained. "I... uh... I-I recall that Ms. Longaze had arranged an emergency meeting with Steamfall security around that part of the facility. A few guards have been asked to move their post to the secondary boiler compartment."
"For what purpose?" Keris asked.
"I was never told." Dillon gulped. "Longaze answers directly to Brye Chandler. She has Omega Company Clearance, which goes way above my head."
"Figures." Sarda groaned. "What you boys have here is a mighty fine bureacracy."
"Why, thank you, Mr. Sarda."
"Eugh..." Sarda face-hoofed. "For Verlaxion's sake—"
"Hold up." Windburst suddenly spoke up. "Do you hear that?"
The Talon froze in place.
"Sounds..." Starstorm blinked. "...like a riot."
"In Steamfall?" Raptr blurted.
Windburst pointed. "Somepony's galloping this way."
Seraphimus and Keris squinted.
A panicked, sweating worker rushed down the street, approaching the group. "Sir! Sir! Mr. Dillon!"
Dillon stepped up, frowning. "What is the meaning of this?"
"There's a f-fight, sir!"
"What do you mean 'there's a fight?!'"
"It broke out of nowhere!" the nervous worker reported. "A bunch of off-the-clock employees in front of the secondary boiler chamber started beating the hell out of each other!"
Dillon bit his bottom lip.
Keris exhaled. "Coincidence...?"
"...there's no such thing," Seraphimus droned. "Rest easy, Mr. Dillon. We've got this." She broke into a sprint, wings spreading. "Talon! Take flight!"
Fw-Fw-Fwoosh! Dillon flinched as the griffons flew overhead, sharply slicing the smoggy air.
"Rrrrgh!" The executive stomped his hooves. "For the love of Verlaxion! Will somepony please tell me what's going on here?!"
"Dude, if you ask me..." Sarda calmly marched past him. "...you're totally screwed."
Dillon stood in place, ears drooping. After a gulp, he murmured, "I should have followed Mom's advice... become a rice farmer..."
"Rrrgh... hrkkk!" Rainbow bucked the locker for the third time in a row.
Crack! The door broke off its hinges. A large set of bolt-cutters fell loose.
"Httt!" Rainbow caught the tool in nimble hooves. She smirked into the shadows of the catwalk. "Good find, Pinkie."
"No problemo!" Pinkie bore a proud smirk as she waved a hoof. "I knew my spontaneous bolt-cutter senses would come in handy someday!" Her tail twitched. "Whoops! Better take a step back, Dashie!"
Rainbow slid back across the catwalk. Two seconds later... Cl-Clang! A bowling ball fell off the locker's top shelf and rolled to a stop beside her.
"... ... ...'kay, then." Rainbow turned around to face three limp shapes fastened to the catwalk's railings. "Pony saving time."
"They look so limp." Twilight gulped. "And look at all that dried blood."
Rainbow knelt before the middle-most stallion. "Are they still alive, Flutters?"
"Yes, Rainbow Dash."
"Then that's all that matters..." Rainbow lifted the bolt-cutters in her grasp. "Stay still, buddy."
"Mrmmmffff..." The weak stallion managed, his head nodding.
"That's right..." Crkkkk-SNAP! One link at a time, Rainbow cutted through the chains that fastened him to the railing. "I'm gonna get you out of here." SN-SNAP! "Your friends too."
"Grnnngh... must... warn Braum..." The stallion winced, coughing through chapped, bruised lips. "...she's coming."
"News bulletin for ya. She already showed up." Rainbow licked her lips as she snapped through the last link. "And totally got her but whooped."
No longer anchored, the stallion slumped forward. "Mrmmfff..."
"Whoah there!" Rainbow dropped the bolt-cutters and caught him. "Easy does it! Just breathe easy and... and..." She looked aside. "Any of their limbs broken, Rares?"
Rarity shook her head. "No, but they do appear to have suffered multiple lacerations."
"Yeesh..." Pinkie grimaced. "Those are the worst kind of lacerations!"
"Grffff..." The stallion leaned back. His pained eyes squinted at her. "Rainbow... Rogue...?"
"Meh... just call me R-Squared." Rainbow gently lowered him to the catwalk floor. "It takes less of a breath."
"Why..." The stallion grimaced. "...are you doing this?"
"Cuz what happened to you sucks and you deserve better." She picked up the bolt cutters again. "Come on, dude. Any other pony would do the same."
"Right there, Rainbow." Fluttershy pointed at the chained stallion to the left. "That's Kayman."
"Gotcha." Rainbow dug at the metal links. SNAP! "How's the crowd outside?"
"They're... uh... starting to dissipate."
"We have to figure out a way to get these three out of Steamfall safely," Twilight said.
"I think we just might have an opportunity." SN-SNAP! "Fluttershy, how far away are the Talon?"
"Uhhhhhhh..."
"Quickly, girl. We gotta come up with a plan."
Fluttershy gulped. "You sure you wanna know...?" She smiled nervously.
Fw-Fwooosh! Seraphimus landed in the middle of the paved street. She was soon joined by Keris and the others.
Her charcoal eyes darted across the rambunctious crowd. Ponies were reeling on the sidewalk, clutching their bruised limbs and muzzles. Others were wrestling with the Consortium guards, snarling and biting at the air.
"Oye..." Startstorm grimaced. "Some Month of Thawing celebration."
"Hell..." Windburst shrugged with a smirk. "Count me in."
"We need to break this up somehow," Raptr remarked. "I-I'm not sure we have the resources to do it non-lethally."
"Perhaps if we allow the fight to run itself into the ground," Keris suggested. "There'll be fewer miscreants to deal with and we—"
"CEASE THIS BRAWL AT ONCE!" Seraphimus shouted, her voice echoing off every piece of concrete.
The ponies instantly froze. All eyes locked on her. Within seconds, the workers stepped away from one another and stood at attention. The smoggy air was silent—save for the groans of the injured.
Keris took a deep breath. "Or that will do."
The Commander marched forward, glaring through the crowd. "Now..." Her eyes glinted. "...will somepony kindly tell me how all of this got started?"
There was a brief pause...
...and then the street filled with bickering, rambling, and hoof-pointing. The commotion rose and rose as the workers growled and spat at each other, trying to get the loudest word in.
Seraphimus sighed. She slid a claw beneath her helmet and rubbed her temple.
"Well, you got us halfway there, Commander," Keris said with a smirk.
Raptr gulped. "I think I'd much rather have punched them all to sleep."
"Mrmmmfff!" Rainbow Dash grunted as she marched down the catwalk, supporting a slumped stallion's weight with her shoulder. "Yeesh... feels like it's getting louder outside? What's going on now?"
Pinkie's head phased through the building's wall. "Now they're just arguing over who started the fight!" She giggled snorted. "Boy will this take a while!"
"What matters is that they're holding the Talon at bay." The tall metal steam tanks reflected Rainbow's figure as she shuffled towards the cracked sliding doors. The first of three stallions lay on his side, wincing in pain. "We're halfway through. Grfff... then we can ditch the stallions for the Talon to pick up and make our way to the railyard!"
"Rainbow..." Twilight murmured.
"It'll be the perfect distraction!" Rainbow smiled as she dragged the second stallion to the door. "Won't the Desperadoes be proud!"
"Rainbow, we've attracted enough attention as it is." Twilight gulped. "Maybe... m-maybe if we found a place to hide while all this clears over."
"Yeah, and what are the chances of that happening?" Rainbow muttered. "Besides, we've gotta rendezvous with this 'Remna' chick sooner than later. I'm not sure I can make it to Wyvern Point alone." With a deep breath, she heaved and dropped the stallion next to his companion.
"Careful, darling—!" Rarity reached out.
"Aaaaaugh!" the stallion yelped loudly.
Rainbow hissed. "Ah jeez!"
"His flank is terribly bruised!" Rarity growled. "You can't just drop him like that!"
"Well why didn't you tell me his body was sore there?!"
"I thought it was terribly obvious from the copious bruises all over his handsome posterior!" Rarity snapped.
"Girls! Girls!" Fluttershy hissed. "Shhhh... Rainbow Dash..."
Rainbow winced, frozen in place.
"Uhhhhh..." Pinkie phased in again. "Third stallion time?"
Rainbow nodded. "Third stallion time." She galloped back to the catwalk's stairwell.
"Go! Go!" Twilight insisted. "Hurry!"
A few seconds ago...
Seraphimus twitched. She looked away from the arguing crowd, blinking curiously.
Keris saw it. He tilted his head towards her. "Commander?"
"..." Seraphimus held up a talon. She craned her neck towards the large building across the street.
A door lay cracked open. Through the shadows, the Commander thought she spotted two equine figures lying on the ground. Her helmet still rang from the unmistakable sound of a yelping voice.
"That..." Keris squinted. "Judging from the size of it, that looks like the Boiler Chamber that Dillon spoke of."
Seraphimus quietly nodded. She motioned with one claw.
Silently, she and the Lieutenant crossed the street. They left behind the other three members of the Talon as they dealt with the arguing, bickering employees of the Consortium.
"They're coming!" Fluttershy squeaked. "Rainbow Dash! Keris! Keris and the Commander! They're coming this way!"
"Right... right..." Rainbow gritted her teeth as she hurried down the steps with Kayman leaning against her shoulder.
"This is no joke, Rainbow!" Twilight grunted. "You have to leave! Now!"
"Right right right right right!" Rainbow ultimately slumped Kayman down onto the floor just beneath the catwalk's stairwell. "Let's make like a donkey and bray!" She galloped straight for the sliding doors.
"No, not that way!" Fluttershy stammered. "That's where they're coming from!"
"Ahhhhh-jeez." Rainbow scampered in place, spun about, and ran for the far side of the interior. "Better find another way out! Rarity! Start looking!"
"But Rainbow Dash—!" Rarity protested.
"You can do it! Just scan!" Rainbow hissed as she threw herself into the shadows.
Milliseconds later...
Keris and Seraphimus stood in the narrow space of the doorway. They heard nothing but the echoing groans of the stallions.
"Good Goddess..." Keris immediately knelt down. Despite only having one front limb to work with, the Lieutenant fished through his armor and produced a first aid kit. "This must be them! Sarda's companions!"
"Yes, Lieutenant." Seraphimus squinted, peering through the shadows. She saw row after row of dormant tanks lingering beneath a catwalk. "An expert observation."
"But... b-but where's the third?"
Seraphimus blinked. She spotted Kayman beside the stairwell. "I see him." She marched into the interior.
Keris looked up from where he was bandaging one of the stallions' limbs.
"Take them outside!" Seraphimus called over her shoulder. "Into the daylight! Starstorm is good at healing! Have her take a look at them and then send Raptr to find Sarda!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Seraphimus knelt down low. With gentle arms, she scooped up Kayman, helping the aching stallion to his hooves. "Do not worry. The Right Talon of Verlaxion is here to assist you. We shall take you home."
"Mrmmmffghhh... goddess..." Kayman winced.
"Yes, she is most merciful." Seraphimus gave him an armored shoulder to lean on. "Take your time. Gather your wits." She shuffled across the floor. "Perhaps you can tell me who freed you?"
"It... it..." Kayman hissed, then quietly exhaled. "...it was the Rainbow Rogue."
"... ... ..." Seraphimus froze in place, blinking.
"She's... she's still in here..." Kayman murmured, limbs limp. "She h-helped us..."
Keris trotted in to drag the second stallion out. "Everything okay, Commander?"
"..." Seraphimus cleared her throat. "Yes, Lieutenant. Please proceed." She marched toward him with Kayman.
"Rarityyyyyy..." Rainbow hissed, trotting down a solid wall of concrete. She slid under and over pipes, frowning. "Rarity... gonna need that exit right about now..."
"Blast it, Rainbow, you didn't give me a moment to say my peace!" Rarity pouted.
"Huh?"
"I was trying to tell you! There is no other exit!"
Rainbow froze in place. "...what do you mean there's no other exit?"
"It's the front entrance and that's that!"
"What kind of a stupid company would build a boiler room with only one entrance?!"
"I don't know... the same kind of company run by lunatic unicorns who set taverns on fire?!"
"Oh for the love of—"
"Shhhhh!" Pinkie hissed, glancing across the dim interior. "Something's happening."
"Like what, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie gulped. "Wait for it..."
Outside, Keris finished sliding the second stallion into place.
"Just rest here. We'll get you taken care of. That's a promise." The Lieutenant turned tail and trotted up to the door.
"Here." Seraphimus hoofed the last victim over. "Be careful. He's hurt the worst."
"As I can see." Keris braced the stallion with his good shoulder. "Mr. Kayman, I presume."
"Didn't... d-didn't mean for it to end like this..." Kayman stammered. "Sarda..."
"...will be very glad to see you. Don't worry." Keris laid Kayman on the ground. "Commander, would you mind looking after these gentlecolts while I go to fetch Starstor—?"
His ears rang with a loud, grinding sound.
"... ... ...?" Keris looked up. "Commander—?"
THUD! The massive, sliding doors to the complex slammed shut.
Commander Seraphimus slid a large bolt in place, locking the entrance from the inside.
On scraping claws, she swiveled around.
A deep breath, and then...
"I know that you're in here, Rainbow Rogue."
Rarity covered her muzzle. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie trembled behind Twilight.
Rainbow froze in place, glaring across the shadows.
The Commander's voice echoed: "And I know that you saved these stallions... and that you protected the lives of the villagers back in the fire at Braum..."
"Nevertheless..."
Seraphimus slowly slid her helmet off.
"...none of these actions—however noble—absolve you of the crimes that you've committed. Such is the nature of Rohbredden law... as authorized by the Council of Verlaxion... the same Council that has charged me with your capture."
She held the helmet at her side as she gazed calmly across the sea of steam tanks and pipework.
"So, that puts us at quite an impasse. By Verlaxion's authority, I cannot ignore your wrongdoings. And yet, by her grace, I cannot deny your good deeds."
Her voice echoed against the lingering metal...
Then, silence.
"There is no way out, Rogue," Seraphimus spoke. "But fear not." She clenched her beak. "I only wish to talk."