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// Chapter 13: A Potential Problem 
// Story: A Time to Think 
// by The Sonic Mage 
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“Did she look shocked when you told her?” Pharynx followed behind Thorax, as his brother sifted through a stack of letters with his magic.

“Yes, she did.” Thorax continued marching towards his room, glancing at each envelope while Pharynx tried to keep up. 

“Did she say anything afterwards?”

“No, she didn’t.” 

“Well, what happened after-”

“Pharynx!” Thorax looked back at Pharynx with a mixed look of exhaustion, agitated frustration, and anger. “I just can’t right now.”

“Can’t do what?” 

“This!” Thorax exclaimed, as he entered his living quarters. “I can’t deal with Chrysalis and your pressing questions at the same time!” 

“Thorax, you know that I know that isn’t what this is about!” 

“Then what is it about then?”

“This is about you, being very worried about Chrysalis’ reaction to what you told her. You’re worried about what she thinks of you and the Hive.” 

Thorax flopped the letters down on his desk, holding his face in his hooves. “I feel like such an idiot!”

“To be fair, you really didn’t have any other options.”

Thorax threw his hooves up in the air, “There must have been something else I could have said!”

“Like what?” Pharynx arched an eyebrow dubiously, as to question the actual likelihood of his brother’s claim.

“Well, I could have...uh...I…” Thorax’s mind turned up with nothing, not a thing he could have said that wasn’t what he told Chrysalis at least 20 minuets ago. 

“Exactly,” Pharynx stated clearly, “ And besides, you told her that we care about her. Isn’t that what you wanted to convey the whole time?” 

“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell her,” Thorax clarified, “I just didn’t want to say it so obviously.”

Pharynx sighed. “Well, what’s done is done. All we can do now is make the best of it.”

“I just hope we can make the best of it.”

“Hey,” Pharynx placed a hoof on his brother’s shoulder, “Promise me something?”

“What?” Thorax seemed a tad perplexed. 

“Don’t make a sobbing mess out of the bed sheets again, okay?” 

Warm laughter followed and lasted for the next few minutes.

However, in all the day’s excitement, Thorax had completely forgotten to look through the stack letters on the table. 

Especially one that had a particular seal on it…