//------------------------------// // With New Leads... // Story: Patrilineality // by Melody Song //------------------------------// “Why do I listen to you?” Pharynx asked with a sigh, crumpling up a scroll in his magic and tossing it aside. “I should be drilling my recruits, not sitting here with you. They're incompetent enough as is and they don't need to be slacking off on top of that.” “Please Pharynx, just a little longer.” Thorax begged, picking up the paper Pharynx had tossed aside and uncrumpling it. “Ugh… only for you Thorax.” Pharynx sighed. He grabbed another scroll of history records and his eyes widened as he unrolled it and read the contents. “Thorax! Guess what?!” “What?” Thorax asked eagerly, sitting up straighter. “This one doesn’t have anything important on it either!” Pharynx said in mock excitement, throwing it down and bursting into laughter. “Hah, got ya!” “...Not funny Pharynx.” Thorax said dryly. “Was so, you thought I was serious!” “Oh, get over here!” Thorax leapt at Pharynx, who sidestepped him, still laughing. Thorax crashed into a shelf of stored scrolls. Shaking himself to regain his senses, Thorax threw himself at Pharynx, who launched himself at Thorax in response. Pharynx then tackled his much larger brother and easily pinned him to the ground. Pharynx sat proudly on top of his younger brother's chest, grinning. “Get off Pharynx!” Thorax exclaimed, trying to shove Pharynx off him, to no avail. “Nah. Not until you learn your lesson about trying to pick a fight with me.” Pharynx said “...Gah, fine, just get off me Phar.” “Hah, victory is mine!” Pharynx cheered, laughing, but still didn't move. He then noticed a scroll that had gotten stuck on Thorax’s antler, and pulled it off with his magic. “What is that?” Thorax asked, craning his head up to get a better look. “The scroll got stuck on your giant antlers, probably when you crashed into the shelves, you big klutz.” “Why are you blaming me? You started it!” Thorax exclaimed “Yeah, yeah, I’m the best, I know.” Pharynx said, grinning. Pharynx used his magic to lift the scroll to his eye level and scan the contents. Something about the writing looked different from the other scrolls... as though it'd been written by a different changeling. And what was actually written there... “Pharynx, you know perfectly well that I didn’t say that you were the best-” Thorax began “Shh.” Pharynx shushed him, and Thorax sat up slightly, now that Pharynx had loosened his hold on him. “What is it? You better not be joking again, we don't have time for that.” “I'm not joking…” Pharynx showed him the parchment, and Thorax cocked his head at the writing. “It’s a letter Thor, but that's not the weird part." "What is then?" "...It’s dated the week we hatched.” “It’s what?!” Thorax sat up completely, making Pharynx fall off him. The changeling righted himself with his wings and hovered beside Thorax. “See? Here, I’ll read it.” Pharynx said, landing and turning the letter back around to read it. “Chrissy, I know you don’t want to hear from me. You have my complete and utter respect and understanding if you rip this letter up or blast it to pieces right now without reading a single word. But I just wanted you to know… I’m sorry. There’s another way out there, and you’re only leading the kingdom to ruin if you keep going down this path. I will come back to you, I promise. Once I’ve found another way… a better way, for our kind to survive. I never meant to leave, especially not after I heard you clutched… but I couldn’t take it. I’d been with you for so long… I nearly forgot. But I never could accept your way of thinking, your ideals and your methods. You know that. I’m tired of starving. Say hello to the kids for me. Please. Always yours, Meta” Pharynx finished reading the letter and he and Thorax looked at each other. “Chrissy... and Meta... Chrysalis and Metamorphosis…” Thorax said “He left the Hive… but I thought you were the first…” Pharynx said “She told you I was like dad right? Maybe that’s what she meant. We both left the Hive.” “Maybe… just… I wonder why she kept the letter.” Pharynx said, looking over the letter. "I mean, she stashed it in this place, where it could easily be forgotten about, but she still kept it." “Well... maybe she still loved him." Thorax suggested “Our mother? Still love him? Please.” Pharynx scoffed "She probably lost all love for him the minute she heard he left." "It’s still possible.” “No, it's not. I should know. When you left she said you were dead to her." "Maybe she was upset that it happened again. Our father leaving was forgivable, but her son following in his hoofsteps without realizing was the last straw." Thorax said, and Pharynx fell silent, unable to argue. "...Still, this is a lead. Come on bro.” Pharynx trotted to the door. “Let’s see what this can tell us.” “You mean a-” “A tracing spell, yeah.” Pharynx turned to look at Thorax, sympathy in his eyes. “You're sure you want to go through with this, right? You’re certain?” “...Let’s do it.” Thorax said, and Pharynx nodded -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- -:- “Alright, ready bro?” Pharynx asked. They were standing in an empty room with a circular table. The letter was in the center of the table, and Pharynx and Thorax stood side by side in front of it. “Yeah.” Thorax’s antlers charged up, followed by Pharynx’s. They blasted the letter with their magic, casting a spell. The letter lifted into the air. It folded into an arrow and pointed out the window. “North… he headed for Equestria.” Pharynx said. Pharynx's eyes narrowed in concentration as he thought back to the old days. How a changeling at the time would have acted upon leaving the Hive, using tactics they would have grown up with in order to survive. “He probably laid low after the invasion… that is… if he made it that far… and if he was around during that time.” Thorax looked over at Pharynx “I want to follow it.” “I know you do Thorax. But this means we could be gone a while.” “The others will survive. Sillia and Fema can take over for a few days, they're responsible.” “Fine.” Pharynx sighed “Ready?” Thorax nodded “Let’s go tell them, and gather some supplies, then we’ll go.”