The hospital was close by to the prison but it was still too far for Rainbow Dash to travel under her own power, as both she and Chief Constable Barnaby learned. She was annoyed at having to wait around some more and be treated like an invalid, but in the end they had to have a nurse and stretcher come into the cell block and wheel her out. The good news was that the stretcher sure was soft and it felt way better lying down on it than the hard concrete of the prison. The bad news was she didn’t get to glare and gloat to the guards who had beaten her since Barnaby had sent them away long ago.
“I don’t even remember going down these halls before,” Rainbow Dash said as she went along through the halls of the prison with the nurse and Barnaby alongside her. “This is a pretty big place.”
It wasn’t all just cells either but offices, training rooms, a gymnasium, quarters, and other places she ended up getting wheeled past. Any guards they met along the way stiffened up and greeted Barnaby with a sharp “Sir!”. Obviously some of his subordinates were rotten eggs but he seemed to command the respect of most. The hallways were well lit up by electrical lights but they hadn’t walked past any windows yet, they must’ve still been in the interior of the prison.
“There are a lot of ponies in Oreville, that means a lot of policing to do and unfortunately an active crime scene. But we do our best,” Barnaby told her. “Although some of us simply add to the problems.” He added, bitterly.
It was certainly a bit different from Equestria, where crime was low and the word corruption might as well not exist. But Rainbow Dash knew well by now that not every place was as harmonic as her home.
When Rainbow Dash was wheeled into the lobby of the prison she took a look around at it since with any luck she wouldn’t be back here again. The back half of the lobby was sectioned off by a wooden barrier at desk height that had two doors in it on either side, flanking a large circular desk in the middle of the lobby where a mare, likely a receptionist, sat. There were a few closed doors going off into other hallways, along with some benches in the front of the lobby. From the ceiling hung a number of lights and the front wall of the lobby was taken up by large glass doors and even larger glass windows above them.
“You can say goodbye now if you want,” Barnaby said as he opened up the front doors to help the nurse push her stretcher out.
“I’m good, thanks,” Rainbow said.
The nurse smiled at her the moment they were outside. “Copper District Hospital is right down the street, you just relax now until we get there.”
Rainbow nodded but still took a look back at the prison before resting her head. It was a huge facility, no doubt, and it looked to be built directly into the rock wall of this underground cavern they were in. Rainbow Dash saw it stretching up several stories with row after row of windows (some barred and some not) on the cement exterior. Between the glass doors and windows of the front lobby was a cement beam that supported them both, and on the outside was a metal panel that ran across it painted with the words: OREVILLE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
Yeah, unless she was visiting Barnaby she kind of hoped she wasn’t coming back.
But now that she was out of the prison she could take her first real look around this part of Oreville. Since her memories of being brought here were muddied quite a bit.
It took only a single look for her to notice she was in a completely different part of Oreville. The ceiling was much lower and they clearly weren’t underneath or inside of any hollowed out mountain. The ceiling also wasn’t just left as a bunch of stalactites but looked like it was braced and reinforced by a layer of cement with several supporting pillars and ribs running up the sides of the walls. That being said it was still a pretty huge place, Rainbow Dash could see down several blocks of street in every direction and there were numerous buildings all over the place. However it wasn’t like what she had seen when she first entered Oreville, and Rainbow Dash belatedly realized that was because of the time.
There were hardly any ponies out on the streets at all and there were no lights shining down from the ceiling. The only things that were lit up were several street lamps that lined the streets. Barnaby had said when he first visited her cell that it was around midnight and after all the talking the two of them did it must be at most only around 3 or 4 in the morning. No wonder the streets were still so empty.
“Right now this is just about the westernmost section in all of Oreville,” Barnaby said. “There are only a few more smaller areas past this place.”
“I wasn’t sure what direction we were going in, I really need to look at a map of this place some time,” Rainbow said.
Barnaby laughed. “I’ll bring you one while you’re in the hospital if I can. Or ask a nurse to fetch it. There’s probably going to be quite a bit you’ll need to learn about our city, I’ll fill in for you what I can.”
“Thanks, so uh-”
“But first comes your hospital visit. You need to recuperate,” Barnaby cut her off.
Rainbow rolled her eyes but didn’t press the issue, to be honest she could really use some medicine and a few strips of gauze anyways. “Fine.”
As they made it to a four-way intersection, Rainbow Dash looked down the streets and saw mostly some more squat buildings made of stone and cement. But she also saw several tunnels and elevators leading to other places built at the far walls of this artificial cavern. It made her wonder how deep underground she was now. She had entered at a place that was practically ground level but at this point she could be pretty low.
“There’s the hospital,” Barnaby said and pointed ahead.
Rainbow Dash looked and saw that her destination was not exactly especially inviting. It didn’t look broken down or dirty or anything but the cold gray cement exterior wasn’t exactly good looking. Seemed these ponies cared more for practicality than aesthetics when it came to making their buildings down here. The only thing that let Rainbow know it was a hospital just by looking at it was the big red block letters spelling “Hospital” standing on the roof.
“Rest assured, you’ll receive excellent care,” Barnaby smiled.
“Ow!” Rainbow Dash yelped as the painful iodine swab was rubbed against her wounds.
“I’m sorry dear,” her nurse apologized with a well-meaning smile. “You’ve really been beaten up pretty badly.”
“T-Tell me about it,” Rainbow grit her teeth.
Nurse Abernathy was a chartreuse earth pony mare with a dark orange mane that she wore in a heavy braid behind her head. For the past thirty minutes she’d been looking over Rainbow Dash and doing an initial check-up on her to make sure there weren’t any serious internal injuries or broken bones. After being satisfied that all of Rainbow’s damage was external, then came the painful healing.
“I just can’t believe our own officers of the law would do something like this to you,” Abernathy frowned.
“Well to be fair, I did punch one of them in the face.”
“Still...” Abernathy continued to swab around and clean up Rainbow’s wounds, putting ointment and bandages on the darkened spots of her body. When she was just about done and Rainbow Dash was covered in bandages, her eyes naturally drifted to Rainbow’s wings. “Your wings aren’t hurt either are they? I’m sorry but I’ve never treated a pegasus before, I don’t know how your physiology might differ from ours, I hope I did a good enough job.”
“It’s cool, back home doctors always had the same treatments for everypony as far as I know,” Rainbow shrugged. “And don’t worry, my wings are the one part of me that doesn’t hurt.” She then got a thoughtful look on her face. “That reminds me of something I was thinking about.”
“Hm?”
“I’ve only seen earth ponies here. I know there aren’t any pegasi but are there any unicorns? Or is it only earth ponies in all of Oreville?” Rainbow asked.
Nurse Abernathy smiled. “Only earth ponies, I’m afraid. There have been unicorn visitors, more than pegasi at least, but not so much in recent years.”
“Well I totally understand why pegasi wouldn’t want to live underground. Permanently at least. I wouldn’t. But I’m surprised there aren’t any unicorns. Do they have their own place like the Weeping Mountain or whatever?”
“Hmm, I’ve heard that there are plenty of unicorns in the villages to the south, but I really don’t know.”
“Meh, pretty sure there are still plenty of places back in Equestria that are basically all one tribe or another. Whatever works.”
The nurse laughed briefly. “It’s certainly always been fine here in Oreville. Anyways, your wounds wont require any surgery or serious medication but you should still get some rest for a day or two. The swelling around your face will also go down soon, I’ll get you an ice pack to help you with that. Besides that you’ll only have a couple of mild painkillers to swallow down. Once Barnaby comes back I’ll get those for you.”
“Right,” Rainbow nodded.
Upon entering the hospital, Barnaby had left Nurse Abernathy to take Rainbow Dash to her room while he spoke with the leading doctor on shift about his new important guest. He said he wanted to talk to the hospital director himself but it was far too early in the morning for him to be around. Now Rainbow was just blithely waiting for her guardian and guide to return.
Thankfully after all the time it took Nurse Abernathy to treat her it didn’t take much longer. Barnaby walked in with a smile on his face that only grew when he saw Rainbow Dash.
“Ah, good to see the nurse has been treating you well,” Barnaby said to them.
“Thank you, Chief Constable,” Abernathy replied. “I’m going to go get some things for Miss Rainbow Dash now.” She said, excusing herself from the room.
Barnaby watched her go and as soon as she closed the door he walked over to the side of Rainbow’s bed. “You look… better.”
“I guess the bandages look better than the bruises,” Rainbow snorted.
Barnaby sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Anyways, while I know you’re going to want to get up and about and see more of Oreville, I strongly suggest you rest here for another day or two. You still need to recuperate and it would also be a little awkward for citizens of Oreville to see you walking—or flying—around while looking like this.”
“Fair enough,” Rainbow furrowed her brows. “Doesn’t mean I won’t be totally bored or anything.”
“Sorry, there’s also something else I need to do for you to make your stay in Oreville easier,” Barnaby said. “While it’s still too early at the moment, later today I’ll be visiting Lord Silver and Lord Gold and getting you a diplomat’s visa.”
“A what? A who?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head.
Barnaby chuckled. “I see we can turn this time into an impromptu lesson for you.” He pulled up a stool and took a seat by her bed, coughing into his hoof before beginning. “You see, Oreville is divided into three districts; Copper, Silver and Gold. Each one governed by its own Lord.”
“Okay, I was going to ask if that Lord Copper guy was in charge of Oreville. Really good to know he’s not.”
“He wishes,” Barnaby nodded. “Although he does have considerable reach and power he is at most simply equal to Lords Silver and Gold. That’s why I’ve never been afraid of getting on his nerves or doing something he wouldn’t like.”
“How’d a jerk like him get the job in the first place?” Rainbow asked.
“It’s a hereditary position. His father held it and his father before him. It’s how the Lords have always operated. He’ll be Lord Copper until the day he dies,” Barnaby said. “Fortunately for us all, Lord Silver is much more amiable and Lord Gold is… well, not as young as he used to be but also very unlikely to speak out against you or anything. I’ll be telling them about you and get their seal of approval for your visa. It’s something that hasn’t come up in ages as far as I know but it’ll be good for essentially getting you everything you need here and anywhere you want to go. And it will make you completely untouchable to Lord Copper.”
“Sounds cool. But if Lords Silver and Gold are nice, why isn’t he?”
Barnaby shrugged. “His father was a fine Lord, but I think Copper has always been too ambitious for his own good. He doesn’t like sharing power with the other Lords and only governing the smallest section of the city.”
“Wait—hold on. You’re saying this huge city, this whole Copper Section or whatever, is the smallest one of Oreville? How big is this place?” Rainbow asked.
“Gold Section is about twice the size of Copper Section,” Barnaby answered. “Oreville is a big place and there are a lot of ponies living here. Although I don’t actually have anything to compare it to...”
“Geez, no kidding...”
“Although Oreville has a long history and Copper Section has been here for hundreds of years, it’s also the youngest and least affluent section of Oreville. Something I suspect has given Lord Copper a bit of an inferiority complex.”
Rainbow Dash knew “least affluent” was basically a code word for poorest. That being said though, it didn’t look like the average pony in the Copper Section was unhappy or that the place was destitute. Just like how Ponyville was less affluent than Canterlot, it certainly didn’t mean Copper Section was actually a bad place compared to Silver and Gold. So ponies here didn’t live in big mansions? Big deal. “Got it. So are you like, only the Chief Corncob of Copper Section then?”
“Heh, Constable,” Barnaby corrected with a grin. “And no, I’m in charge of security and criminal justice for the entirety of Oreville. The prison we just came from is the only one in the city, situated in Copper Section because the Gold and Silver Sections didn’t want something like that there, but there are numerous stations for constables and guards like myself throughout all three sections. My force in total, adding up all the myriad types of guards, investigators, and beat constables, numbers well over a thousand ponies.” He frowned. “Although as you’ve unfortunately discovered already, some see fit to take orders from someone else. And I always find myself with a mess of red tape tying up my hooves when it comes to dealing with those ponies in a lasting way.”
“Yeah I don’t envy you. I like having the freedom I have in my life, nothing chaining me down, you know?” Rainbow Dash quickly considered what she had just said. “Er, besides my obligations as an Element of Harmony and stuff like that. But that’s different.”
Barnaby shrugged. “It’s exhausting and frustrating at times but I still wouldn’t give up this job for anything. It’s about duty I suppose. Oreville simply needs me. And if one day I am ever able to laugh in Lord Copper’s face and see him dragged through the mud I’m not going to want to miss that.”
Rainbow grinned. “Now there’s something I can relate to. Speaking of him again though, you said his title is hereditary or whatever? So does he have any kids or something that will become Lord Copper when he croaks?”
“He doesn’t have children of his own. Or a wife for that matter, anytime another pony asks him about it he says he’s “married to his job”, the liar.” Barnaby snorted in derision. “But he does have other blood relations, an uncle, a cousin or two. If Lord Copper passed away or was ever stripped of his position for some unfathomable reason, the closest living relative would get it and then the position would be passed down by their line.”
Rainbow Dash was about to reply when light suddenly poured into her hospital room from the window outside. She winced and shut her eyes out of reflex. “Ugh, what?”
“It’s 5 am now. That’s when the ceiling lights come on in the city,” Barnaby explained.
“Could’ve used a warning...” Rainbow Dash grumbled as she rubbed her eyes. “So all the ponies are going to be up and about now? I saw yesterday how busy the streets were.”
Barnaby nodded. “It’s always busy in Oreville. The work never stops, we’re an industrious society of ponies.”
“I think Applejack would fit right in here,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Your farmer friend? Probably,” Barnaby agreed.
“Yeah but me not quite so much,” Rainbow Dash leaned her head back and rested on her pillow. “I don’t mind visiting and seeing all your cool stuff, but no way could I live here all cooped up, underground with nowhere to fly.”
“You’ve got restless blood in you. I can’t say I’ve ever had the desire to travel so much, but maybe if I ever witnessed the Weeping Mountain myself or some of the villages to the south of us it might change my mind,” Barnaby smiled. “But unfortunately that kind of thing will have to wait until I’ve retired. Duty calls for the present.”
“Good luck with all that stuff. And you totally should give traveling a try, you’re missing out on how awesome the rest of the world is,” Rainbow said.
“Don’t I know it after meeting you...” Barnaby sighed and looked out the window at the now lit up streets and buildings. “I suppose it’s time to go meet with Lords Silver and Gold. Though I doubt they’re even awake yet it will take some time to set up a meeting anyways and I want this done with as soon as possible.”
“Sounds like it’d take a long time for you to travel all the way over there anyways, what with how big you make Oreville sound.”
“If I was going by hoof, yes. But I’m going to be taking the tram. We have a rail line that goes through all three sections, it’s quite useful,” Barnaby told her.
“Have fun, dude. I’ll be… sitting here… doing nothing. For like two days,” Rainbow Dash groaned and looked up at the ceiling. “Hospitals are so boring, I don’t even have a Daring Do book to read.” She glanced at Barnaby. “Do you guys have any awesome adventure novels or something I can read while I’m here?”
Barnaby chuckled. “You can ask Nurse Abernathy to find something, along with that map I promised.”
“Thanks,” Rainbow saluted him.
“You’re welcome, and goodbye for now, Rainbow Dash. I’ll be back as soon as I can be,” Barnaby politely bowed and stepped out of her hospital room.
Pretty much instantly after he left, Nurse Abernathy came back in. She was likely waiting outside the door for their business to be done. On her back she balanced a metal tray that had an ice pack, a cup of water, and some pills on it. “Okay, dear. Now we can make you nice and comfortable for the rest of your time here. Which hopefully shouldn’t be very long at all.” She winked.
“A day is all I’m planning, even if I’ve still got some bruises at the end of it,” Rainbow said.
Nurse Abernathy giggled and had Rainbow Dash take her medicine while also putting the ice pack on her face. It made her shiver at first but eventually she became numb to the sensation and simply let herself relax in the bed. Her swollen face would hopefully be back to normal soon.
“So I don’t know if you heard but-” Rainbow Dash started.
“You want a book?” Nurse Abernathy raised an eyebrow. “No problem, I’ll find something from the hospital library that I think you’ll like.”
Rainbow Dash just smiled as she rested her head on her pillow, holding the ice pack in place and letting the other medicine do its thing. She closed here eyes and listened as the soft hooves of Nurse Abernathy left the room. By the time the nurse had come back, Rainbow Dash was fast asleep.