There is no way he's gonna do that. Suck out my love, to prove he's the best changeling? No way I'm letting him. No way he's gonna risk his brother for image, but I'm not the one in charge of his choices.
Looking at Pharynx, it felt like he was gonna blow. He stood there with his eyes wide in horror. The last thing he's ever wanted to do was choosing between the thing he loved and the one he loved.
"Aren't there other ways to prove it than sucking all the love out of me?" I asked. "It doesn't really change a thing anyways..." Are there though?
"The choice is his to make. To see where he stands by for. The hive or his brother." Chrysalis said.
Oh. Loyalty. Even worse. My brother was the most loyal changeling I've ever known. It would be like asking me to choose between my brother or Spike.
Spike. It's been a while since I saw him. Would I ever see him again?
Pharynx's mouth started moving. His words were a murmur to me. Queen Chrysalis forced his words out. "What are you trying to say?"
"If it's loyalty you're asking for, I choose to stand by the hive." His voice was steady. He really does stand by the hive.
"Great." Queen Chrysalis said. "But just to be sure. Suck out your brother's love."
I thought Pharynx knew better than this...
I flew away from Queen Chrysalis and Pharynx. Pharynx gasped with realization. He tried to run after me and call out for me.
"Thorax! Where are you going!" He yelled.
I stopped and eyed at him. "I don't know!? Somewhere far away? Were you expecting me to stand there and be sucked?"
Pharynx looked at me and closed his eyes, letting the tears come out. "Thorax, you know how much I love the hive..."
I sighed. "Oh, don't worry. I know that you love being at the hive. I like it here too. It's somewhere I won't be judged of being a changeling, but it was you who made me love it." I gazed over at an empty space and continued. "I remembered how you stood up for me against Axery and Rythe. I admired that part of you. The protective, loyal you. Something I've never seen in anyone else."
Pharynx walked closer to me and lended out a hoof. I hesitated but put one of my hooves on his. "I would never stop caring about you, little brother, but it's not just you I care about. Axery, Rythe, even Queen Chrysalis, they may not be the kindest changelings around but they have a life too. It's my job to protect them."
"It's not necessarily your job to protect them." I told him, still holding on to his hoof. "You're leader of changeling patrol, not the father of all changelings."
Pharynx eyes dropped a little. I remembered what Queen Chrysalis said. She would remove Pharynx's position if he chose to stand by me instead.
Him running after me is a sign that he chose me instead...
Queen Chrysalis came flying after us. Her face was filled with rage. "We have some unfinished business to settle." she said.
Pharynx looked at her eye-to-eye. "I'm not doing it."
"What!?" she exclaimed.
"I'm not. Do I have to repeat myself?" He said again.
Queen Chrysalis frowned and sighed. "Very well. I suppose that someone else will be leader of changeling patrol..."
I spreaded my eyes widely in horror. I looked at Pharynx, surprised to see he's not offended. "Fine." he said. "Demote me if you want. I doubt you'll find a more suitable fit anyways."
Queen Chrysalis looked at us. "You're right... If you won't choose me." She looked at Pharynx with amusement. "I'll make you choose me!"
Queen Chrysalis levitated Pharynx towards herself and started to drain his love. I felt my eyes turning teary as I begged Queen Chrysalis to let him go.
"Stop it! Please... You're not gonna make him choose you by force!" I let out a yell. "You're killing him!"
It's not helping... She's still draining his love. How does he have so much love... There's no point in asking that right now!
Queen Chrysalis stopped draining Pharynx's love and dumped him in front of me as she walked away. How heartless... I ran over to Pharynx and broke down over him.
There aren't any medics, doctors or surgeons in the hive. The only thing I could count on was hope. Hope that he'll stay alive and well. I laid beside him. Pharynx, you have to stay, got it...? You can't go now... There's so much I need to talk to you about... I need you... Big brother. He never got the chance to refer Pharynx as his big brother ever since everything else happened. It made him unsure about it.
••••••
Pharynx had never felt so free or weak in his life before. He felt as light as a feather. He observed his surroundings, it was just a spacious area in white colour. Was he dead? He didn't think he was, he was still aware of the famaliar voice in his mind.
Thorax's voice.
Thorax was basically begging him to come back to life which was an impossible feat at the moment.
Perhaps, there's another way.
Pharynx focused on the white barrier around himself as hardly as he could. Images of certain events that happened throughout his life all started flashing in his mind at once. The times he stood up for his Thorax. The times he patrolled around the hive. The times he was in battle.
The feelings that collided all started to come back flowing towards Pharynx like a tsunami. He gained more than enough conciousness to return to his body. It was all a shock to him. He was relieved, hungry too. Since all his love is sucked, he can't function well.
He couldn't control himself to the point he doesn't know who to actually feed on. He lashed out to that one changeling he would be willing to die and kill for, Thorax...