//------------------------------// // Intermission: The Conversation // Story: Not All Secrets are Worth Keeping // by Coyote Mustang //------------------------------// Both Rarity and Cobrajet heard a door slam, but knowing Sweetie Belle was still mad, they put it off as Rarity began with the suit she was preparing for him. Cobrajet wore a white silk shirt and blue tie, and draped over that was the beginnings of the suit jacket. “I must say miss Rarity, the work you do is simply the best” Cobrajet said as he looked himself over in the mirror, “But I must ask, why is it that I’m only hearing of you right now?” Rarity stopped working for a second, and she walked around to the front to face him. “I really like having my designs created and worn by ponies, but after the incident with Prince Blueblood, I realized that life is not for me” she said with a smile. “Sure my fashions are all the rage in Canterlot, but the reason why I have them shipped to Hoity Toity’s is that I can’t uproot from here. Ponyville is my home, and Sweetie Belle has so many friends here. So I’d rather lose profits and live with the limited fame, then uproot my sister and change her life in an instant” she finished as she moved back around to Cobra’s side to finish stitching his jacket to fit. “I wish my family had been more supportive, maybe then I wouldn’t have had to cover up these limbs of mine” Cobrajet mumbled to the mirror in front of him. “I’m sorry dear, did you say something” Rarity asked as she finished up the last of the jacket sleeve stitching. “Nothing” he quickly answered, a nervous twitch going through is body. Attempting to move the subject back to her Cobrajet quickly asked,” So Miss Rarity, how long have you and Sweetie Belle been in Ponyville?” Rarity had at this point moved on to the other sleeve of the jacket, and in the middle of a stitch she spoke, “please just Rarity, and I have lived here for most of my life and Sweetie Belle has for all of her life. Our parents have a home here, but with all the traveling they do, it’s hard for them to be here for us both. What about you, a stallion of your status and wealth could have lived anywhere, why here?” Cobrajet looked sternly into the mirror and began, “I moved us here for a few reasons. One is the location, I wanted to be close to my main place of work, but far enough away that some ponies won’t know who I am. I also move us here because of the school system in Canterlot drove me nuts when I attended, and here it doesn’t seem so bad.” “Oh yes, Miss Cheerilee is the best when it comes to education” Rarity interjected. “That she is” He answered back with a smile. The conversation melted into the background of the fitting, and before long the two of them had stopped talking and had fallen into a groove of designing and standing still. In the course of a few hours, she had finished the jacket and was about to start on the suit itself, but something caught her eye in the process. Rarity placed her hoof over the scars that lay across Cobra’s back and gently traced the lines that lay bare. Cobrajet felt her hoof go over them; it wasn’t hard for him to feel the slight magic that came off it. “There was a chariot accident 8 years ago, that took the life of a mother and severely maimed the son. The doctors gave him a 10 percent chance of survival, and if he did he would never fly again. That son was the Wonderbolt captain before Spitfire, youngest in Wonderbolt’s history, and there he was confined to the life of an earth pony, forever to stay on the ground. No offence” He said as he turned to her with tears forming in his eyes. Rarity took her hoof off of the scars, and slowly brought it over to his cheek, “It must have been very hard for you to endure the pain of it all. How did you manage to survive” she questioned him, while slowly wiping his tears away. “I met the two ponies that make my life as joyous as it is now” he said as he looked at the mirror and through tear soaked eyes gave a small smile at the memories. _____________________________________________________________________________________ The hospital chatter continued over the intercom system as the doctors walked the wards. A tall Stallion walked past the ICU and after talking with the nurses took a step inside. Only two sounds could be heard as he entered, the rhythmic sounds of the machines hooked up to the patients here and the sounds of a pony crying. The doctor walked to the curtain that held the sounds of crying, and as he pulled it back he saw a crib with a foal in it, sitting by a patient. “Nurse, why is there a foal in a crib right next to this patient” the Doctor asked. “This is his mother, she gave birth to him a few days ago, and he was brought in by a neighbor when they heard what had happened. We decide to keep mother and son together for probably her last night. The surgeon’s don’t think she’s is going to make it to tomorrow” the nurse said as she made her rounds. “Doesn’t he have any family to take him home” the Doctor asked, “This isn’t the sort of thing a young colt like him should have to go through.” The nurse walked to a different curtain and pulled it back. The pony that lay in this one looked far worse than the one he had seen previously. The bandages at the shoulders showed the extent of the amputation this one had suffered, and the wings on his back lay flat, the bandages on them as bloody as the rest. “The surgeon doesn’t think this one will fly ever again, if he even makes it at all” the nurse said as she let the curtain go, itself flapping as it fell. “Dear Celestia, what happened to them” the doctor asked, dumbfounded as to what could cause all this damage. "The family was returning from a night out in their chariot, apparently the pony pulling it was intoxicated. He swerved to keep from hitting another chariot and their chariot rolled over. It’s amazing the little one survived with as little injury as he has. The others weren’t so fortunate. The mother suffered severe head injuries, the swelling hasn’t stopped and if it doesn’t soon she won’t survive. But by far this one had the worst of it. He was thrown from the chariot as it rolled, but he wasn’t thrown far enough” the nurse answered, looking over the rest of the charts in the room. The doctor looked at the pony and wonder as to the nurse’s last comment, why it was bad that he wasn’t thrown far enough… “Oh” he said as he looked at the bandages. The doctor’s stare continued as he played out what he thought happened in this, shuddering in the process of it. He turned to walk out of the room when a question struck him out of the blue. “Nurse, isn’t he a little too young to be in a relationship with that women” he asked as he quickly grabbed his chart. The age written down was 22, and a quick look affirmed this age. “That is correct, that pony is the other son” the nurse answered as she proceeded to the door. “Then where is the father?” he asked quizzically. “County lock up, they just took him there a little while ago” she answered as she opened the door. “Why was he taken there” he questioned again. The nurse swiveled around ad with a single sentence answered all the questions that would come, “He was the pony pulling the chariot.” The doctor was about to respond when an alarm went out from one of the machines. The doctor and nurse quickly ran to the patient’s side and began CPR. “Oh Celestia, She’s crashing” the doctor yelled at the nurse, who immediately called the team and moved the crib in the same motion. “We have a code blue in the ICU I need all hands on deck” the loud speaker in the hospital sounded with the nurse’s voice. “Come on, breathe, Come on” the doctor yelled as he continued compressions. “Nurse, get me the paddles” he yelled as he thrust his hooves at her. The charging sound resonated through the ICU and as the word clear was yelled, a babies crying took over as the dominant sound and light began to show in earnest on one pony’s face. CobraJet’s eyes slowly eased open as sunlight flooded his vision. The blur of the world stood for a few seconds before his eyes adjusted and he looked around the room. They roved around until they landed on the face of the nurse leaning over him to look at his monitor. His hair tickled his nose as the nurses work progressed, causing CobraJet to giggle at the sensation. “Your finally awake” the nurse said as he looked at Cobra with a smile. “How are you today mister Block?” “Well enough to wake up, I guess” he answered with a soft smile back. His eyes tracked the nurse as he finished her rounds, moved on to a foal and it’s mother as they shared a soft embrace and at last fell upon the doctor that had entered the room. The stallion that had entered the room held an air of confidence around himself, but the tired expression he wore told him it had come with a lot of work. The nurse walked over to the doctor and with an exchange of eye lifts the doctor made his way over to CobraJet. “Good Morning Mister Block, how are we feeling today” he asked with a slight smile. That smile threw CobraJet off, it was a sincere smile but it still hid something, something he wanted to say, but was afraid of his reaction. “I’m fine; I just want to know what happened to me. The last thing I remember was flying in the air show yesterday and now I’m here” he answered as he looked up at the Doc. His smile had vanished and so did the air of confidence he had. “Mister Block, you have been in a coma for over a month. There was a terrible accident, you were badly injured” the doctor said as he walked over to a mirror. He positioned the mirror at the foot of Cobra’s Bed and displayed the extent of the damage he had suffered. CobraJet’s eyes scanned the mirror, but he couldn’t, no he wouldn’t believe that the stallion in the mirror was the person he was now. Both of his front legs were amputated at the shoulder, and his left wing was gone as well. The other wing lay limp against his side and his two hind legs lay in large plaster boots, disguising the true damage he had suffered. His mind began to race, bringing back memories of that night and the argument he had with his father years earlier. His eyes began to tear, and his crying grew louder and louder as time went on. CobraJet flew into a fit of hysterics, thrashing around loudly, yelling for this nightmare to end and shortly afterwards it was. The poke of the needle caused a feeling of euphoria to rush through him and shortly after he fell into a deep sleep. CobraJet awoke again, this time to a different room and a different nurse looking him over. He looked up at the stallion and thought he was still dreaming. The golden mane that hung down glowed in the light of the room and his smile made the world he had fallen asleep after disappear in an instant. “Good morning Mister Block, How are we today” an angelic voice asked him and the sounds of a pen clicking followed after. CobraJet’s smile wasn’t going to be contained after hearing an angel speak, and with as much grace as he could manage, he answered back. “Mmm Doning Fuin” a voice said, causing the Nurse to giggle slightly. “Perhaps we should turn down the pain meds, it seems to be affecting your speech center a bit too much” the nurse answered as he turned a dial on a machine near him. Cobra gave him a dopey smile and upon receiving one back he let his eyes fall his legs. The casts had been removed, and what stood in its place was a skeletal lattice of pins and rigging. The beeping of the heart monitor alerted the nurse, and upon seeing his eye locked on it he spoke quickly. “Mister Block, this is only temporary. The Doctors thought that this could heal the fractures in your legs faster, and still allow you the ability to walk relatively normal after they heal” he explained as he through a cover over the offending object, hiding it from view. Cobra’s heart beat began to descend; his eye’s no longer seeing the full skeleton of the machine, but just a bump in the white cover of the bed. He leaned back with some help from the nurse and settled his eyes on the nurse’s face and on his smile. “You have such a beautiful smile” he said out loud, the drugs betraying his thoughts in full revolt. A smear of red ran across the nurse’s face, and with little much else ran out the room and head first into the doctor that was entering. “Gold Comet, why are you in such a hurry, your shift isn’t over yet” the doctor yelled as he looked at the nurse. “I’m sorry doctor, I just…” he said, and with a slight break to think finished, “Had to run to the bathroom.” The doctor was about to scold him, but what stood where Comet was nothing but the nurses cap he wore and a puff of smoke. A swear was about to escape his lips, but upon seeing CobraJet sitting and looking confused, his mind focused on the task at hand. “Mister Block, I’m glad you’re awake” he said as he took a seat next to him. “Good morning Doc, I hope I didn’t harm you with my out bursts” Cobra said as he looked the doctor over. “Oh no, I didn’t suffer so much as a scratch, but the nurse that was there, he’s a different story” the doctor answered with a slight chuckle, “It’s amazing what strength a ponies body has in those situations.” “I didn’t break anything, did I” Cobra answered back rather worried. “Oh no, but you knock few of that nurse’s teeth out” he answered as he looked at the chart on his bed, “I wouldn’t worry though,he seemed rather happy for them to be knocked out by you.” Cobra’s head hung low, He had harmed someone that was trying to help him again. His mind wandered as the nurse from before arrived back. The doctor was about to leave when a question came from Cobra, one the doctor had wished would have come later then now. “What happened to me” he asked as he looked his body over in a nearby mirror. The doctor gave a large sigh and as he turned, Cobra noticed the smile he wore was gone and in its place was a look of sadness for him. He was told of the accident, his father’s arrest and lastly of his mother’s death. That one he took the hardest. His cries could be heard all around the hospital, but he kept his hysterics quelled as he processed the information. “We did all we could for her, but in the end the pressures were just too great” the doctor said as he place a hoof on Cobra’s shoulder. “It’s a shame your brother will never be able to know his mother, this breaks my heart as well” the doctor said as he placed his hoof on the ground. “I have a brother” Cobra exclaimed, completely shocked. “Yes, were you not told” the doctor questioned. “I was never told, I and my family were estranged to say the least” Cobra answered as he looked at the doc. The Doctor stood with another hollow smile and quickly looked at his clip board, in search of something to check on him, but a note on his clipboard brought him to the thing he wanted to talk about when he entered the room. “Mister Block, I want to talk to you about something” the doc said as he pulled a brochure out of his jacket. CobraJet listened as the doctor read the material it covered. It was a brochure about prosthetics. The images he was showed detailed many transformations of patient and the prosthetics available in the world. CobraJet’s eyes looked from page to page and at last the doctor came to a page on Pegasus prosthetics. He cringed at the lattice works of metal that made up the shape of wings on the pony in the picture. “I don’t know Doc, I just don’t see the use of a wing like that” Cobra said as he settled back on the bed. “All those do is give the appearance of the wing being there, they are lightweight, but they will just be a place holder, they couldn’t take the strain of actual flight” the doc said as he turned to another page. The page he turned to contained leg and hoof prosthetics as well as covers to make them look real. “These limbs, on the other hoof, are designed to look real and work just like real legs. Kowalski Prosthetics is very well known and their work is seen all across Equestria” the doc said as he looked Cobra in the eyes. Their conversation went on for a few hours, as Cobra made the decisions on what he wanted in terms of mobility and a fulfilling life on the prosthetics. By the time they had finished, the fitting appointments were set as well as the PT appointments to get him walking again. The doctor gave his goodbyes and Cobra was left to ponder his new life. His pondering was short lived as the door to his room swung open and a large group of Pegasi walked into the room. CobraJet smiled as his soon to be replacement on the team smiled back at him. “Good evening Spitfire, it’s nice of you to visit” he said as he looked the group over, “You as well Soarin, ThunderChaser, and FleetFoot” “We heard you were finally awake, Boss” Spitfire said as she looked him over. Her eyes wandered for a while, her eye’s showing the disbelief of it all. “It’s not as bad as it looks” Cobra said with a slight chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood. Unfortunately it really didn’t work as he wanted. Some of them smiled, but he still saw the shock on their faces at the state he was in. “We came as soon as we heard, hoping you would be ok” Spitfire said as she placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Thank you all, it’s nice to know you still have my back” Cobra answered as he nuzzled her hoof. Their conversation continued until the nurse arrived to tell them visiting hours were over, so they said their goodbyes and parted ways for the night. The nurse walked over to take his vitals and gave a small smile to Cobra as he exited and turned off the lights. The next month was a blur to Cobra as the prosthetics were fitted, the PT was done and a friendship was formed between Cobra and the nurse.He had learned his name was Gold Comet and he was an interning nurse at the hospital. Time seem to flow past him as the doctors came and went, the nurses rotated and eventually Cobrajet began to notice that Gold Comet wasn’t around him anymore. He continued for the rest of his stay looking for his smile but after a while of his return never coming, he finally asked another nurse about him. “Oh, Gold Comet finished his rotation a week ago, he was sent to a different hospital for additional training” the nurse he had asked told him as she looked over the skin grafts around his wings. Cobrajet’s frown held its place for a few days, despite the doctor’s reassurances that he would be released soon. And as that day approached, a representative of the Kowalski Prosthetics approached him with an offer. They asked if he would model their products as the face of the brand. He agreed half-heartedly not really wanting his face all over Equestria in the state he was in but he knew he had to pay the bills somehow. The day had finally come, the doctor’s all congratulating him on his recovery and all the well wishes in the world awaited him as he walked out of the hospital to a large amount of fanfare and light bulb flashes. The interviews were had, the products were plugged, and finally he made his way to his home. As he approached it, all he could think of was getting home and getting good night’s sleep. He smiled at this prospect up until the point when he saw his house. The mansion hung in the air, taunting him and his inability to fly. “Looks like ill need a new house” he said as he lowered his head in defeat. He would have sat staring at his house for what seemed like forever, but a voice brought him back to the real world. “Excuse me, are you CobraJet Block” a timid female voice said as she walked closer to him. “I’m sorry, but I can’t give you an autograph” he said as he continued to stare at his home. A small laugh came from the mare as she searched for something in her bags. ”oh no, I’m here representing FrostFire Adoption agency, my name is Silver Lining” she said as she gave him her card. Cobra took the card, but with a frown looked at her. “I’m sorry, Miss Lining, but I can’t adopt a colt or filly right now” he said as he looked at her. “Oh no, I’m here to talk to you about your brother” she said, and was about to go into her bag again, when a face was shoved into hers. “What about my brother” Cobra said, a small smile on his face. Silver took a step back, her space clearly being invaded, and spoke with slight hitch in her voice. “Mister Block, I’m here to assess whether or not we can release him into your custody” she said as she retrieved a clip board, covered with questions. This, Cobra recalled, was the toughest interview he had ever had, not even the one for the WonderBolts was these hard. They stood below his home for a few hours; questions being answered, promises made and a shake of a hoof sealed the deal. Cobra would have to sell his home, and find one that was suitable for him and his brothers needs and he would take custody of him. The smile Cobra held was the largest it had ever been and he left for the local hotel for a nights rest and some good food. He knew as he laid his head down that the next few days would be the biggest stress and the greatest reward he would ever have in his life. “And that’s how I gained a brother and now I have the colt friend I had wanted from that day I woke up” Cobra said as he looked at Rarity with a smile. Rarity stood with her mouth agape and her eyes far from tear free, but slowly a smile crept across her face. “So this isn’t to cover things up it is” Rarity said as she pointed to the jacket. Cobra blushed slightly, but with a smile he spoke again, “No, this is for a later date, when I get the courage to ask him to marry me.” Rarity gave a small squeak as she learned of this information, but composed herself and continued on, “When you do, you will come to me to make it wonderful, right?” Cobra smiled and with a laugh spoke, “Of course, where else would I go in this town for that?” Rarity smiled and with a small movement pulled Cobra into a hug, leaving his started. Cobra looked at this and with a small motion he returned the gesture.