The next morning, Cass had judged it was safe enough to remove the bandages. Upon this, she saw the wounds. A long gash near the base of her wing, where her feathers met her fur. It was mostly healed, however, was far from when she was hurt in Equestria. It was fairly obvious; thick, noticeable, and crusty with scabbed over blood. Rope burns and a few smaller scabs dotted her lower legs where the bola hit her. She couldn't see the wound on the back of her head, but Cass told her it was a big bruise that looked a bit like a squished blue passion fruit (whatever that was).

Rainbow was certainly feeling better, if still less so when she normally left the hospital after an injury. Well, better physically. When she asked if she had any of her things, Cass told her all they found was her goggles, which she gave to her. Everything else, the brigands now had. Her letter was likely just a few ashes in a fire pit.

When she saw the Pegasus's downtrodden expression and posture, Cass said, "Listen, sorry about that. I ain't the guards. Hey, how about I get you something for breakfast. Consider it a going away gift." She trotted into the building's main room, heading for a door on the far side. "Just stay here for a second."

Rainbow looked around the room. It was a waiting room of sorts, although it was, like everything about this place, a rather run-down version of the Ponyville hospital. It was mostly empty, the only furniture being a couple of shoddy looking wooden chairs. A small desk was against the wall against the door, also made of cheap wood and shoddy construction. The room she had come from was down a small hall, with another set of rooms in front of it. The whole place was a simple brown of the wood. The only light in the room came from a small window at the corner of the left wall, and a small lamp on the desk.

A few minutes later, Cass returned, carrying a small plate in her mouth. She set it down on the desk, nodding her head over at it to give her the hint. Walking over, she saw one of the oddest breakfasts she had ever seen. It was a small loaf of bread, a smaller chunk of cheese, and a small piece of strange-looking fat. Still, food was food, and her stomach cried in a mighty crescendo, begging for food.

She picked up the fat thing. It was a light whiteish-yellow color and was a shape of a long hay burger. It seemed a little crumbly, so she figured it wasn't the best idea to just look at it. So, she brought it to her mouth and took a small bite. It was crumbly in texture as well, yet it wasn't too bad either. A bit slimy, but it was a perfect mix of salty and sweet, with a slight bitter taste. "Not bad. What is it?"

"Smoked mountain bass."

From what she guessed by what the food was and how much of it there was, she guessed breakfast wasn't as important a meal her was it was in Equestria. It was the most important meal of the day there, but not so much here. It was light, meant to give a boost for a short time. At most, it was meant to take ten to fifteen minutes. Her first proper breakfast lasted an hour. Most of that was spent hunched over a bucket, puking out the bits and pieces of that first bite.

"How was I supposed to know you don't eat meat of any kind? Terrans can eat meat! I didn't think you had too much of a different diet!", she cried in defense of Rainbows yelling.

Not really having a legitimate come back to that, Rainbow just thanked her for the rest of the food and asked where the Demos Express was. Cass told her: "Just leave, follow the street down to the square, then turn left. You'll know it when you see it". Rainbow thanked her and slipped out the door, covering her eyes from the brightness.

When they adjusted, she saw what she could best compare to a rundown and dilapidated Ponyville. The street was a simple brown dirt path, uneven and bumpy. The buildings along the square, including the one where she came from, were all made of planks of wood and thatched roofs. All of the buildings were dirty, rundown, and one or two looked like they were falling apart. As seen in between the buildings, she saw the same wall of sharpened logs as she saw when she was chased down the road.

Sighing, she looked down at the goggles in her hoof. They were in pretty good condition, all things considered. The golden rims were a little dirty along with the lenses, but nothing a quick wipe down couldn't fix. I can't believe it. This is all I have left. She slung the band around her neck, letting the goggles dangle around her neck. She looked down the street each way. One way led to a dead-end along the wall, with no square or opening in sight. So, she turned and began to walk the other way.

As she walked, she took it all in. First, the buildings. Even a closer and longer look showed her that they weren't as well made as those in Equestria. She did see that they weren't just a bunch of cobbled-together logs and fabric. They had bases made of rocks or bits of what she guessed was hardened mud. Most of them appeared to be houses, however, she did see a few shoddy awnings and signs, indicating shops. These were mostly things that Equestria actually didn't have, and in fact, she couldn't think of a place that did. An armorer, a butcher shop (she couldn't help but shudder at the sight of it), a store that sold stims (whatever those were), a tavern, and one that she guessed was the store that the earth pony, or Terran, or whatever they called them here, came from.

Next, she took in the people. Most of them were the same four she had seen up until this point. She had learned from a talk with Cass that the cats were called Caragors, the griffin-like ones were Demigryphs, and the weird canine things were called Tao Tei, and of course the Terrans, or Earth ponies to her. Most of them that were out at this time looked at her suspiciously, as if she at any time would try to jump them and steal all of their stuff. Unlike in Equestria, most of them wore clothes, with only a few exceptions. Mostly these were cheap cloth shirts and hats, broken up by the occasional leather or padded clothes. Every so often, she saw the form of a metal-armored figure walking down the street, a weapon either clutched in their or strapped to their side. These were the guards that had saved her; maybe even one of them actually did.

The more she saw, the less she saw it was like Ponyville. In Ponyville, even on a gloomy day, most ponies were smiling and going about their business in a merry mood. This wasn't the case here, with most of the creatures possessing a grim radiance about them, as if life itself had beaten them down with a sledgehammer. The wall and the guards were also obvious differences, along with the unusual, at least to her, stores and creatures.

After about five minutes, she reached the Square. Once again, the contrast between her old home and this new town was visibly apparent. The town square in Ponyville was paved with a cobble floor and had a large statue of Princess Celestia in the center. This one didn't have a statue, and the square was simple worn down and hard-packed dirt. There was a similarity to that place; the market stalls that surrounded the perimeter of the square. These were also advertising products, which appeared mostly to be gathered wild then cultivated like at Sweet Apple Acres. Others were advertising meat and fish (Just ignore it, Rainbow. Just ignore that absolute disgusting display.), tools, and one or two those Stims again. She was almost tempted to go over to one, just to see what the buck a stim was when she saw her objective.

The Demos Express building was a massive contrast to the rest of the town. It was made of brick and had a roof of shingles as opposed to the buildings of wood and thatch around her. It also had a big sign made of painted wood that read 'Demos Express', giving no deception as to what this building was. Well, let's find out what this Steven wants.

Next Chapter: 17~Job offer Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 48 Minutes