Confession
Thorax blinked, utterly dumbstruck by what had just happened. His eyes shot between the back of Pharynx’s head and the downed drones that had only moments ago been trying to end his life. They lay perfectly still, the rain battering their unconscious forms into the soggy muck.
“He… he took them both down in one shot,” Thorax thought, swallowing heavily. At that moment, he had never felt more relieved that Pharynx was his brother. If they had turned out to be unrelated, Thorax did not want to imagine how things might have turned out for him when he was caught stealing from the Hive.
Pharynx turned back to face him. “Are you alright?” he asked as he approached. His tone was calm and quiet, not the least bit shook. It was as if he didn’t even care about the bodies behind them.
Thorax gave a shaky nod. “Uh… I th-think so,” he said. He tried to stand, only to disprove his words when firey pain exploded through the cracks in his side. He collapsed back to the mud with a cry of pain and a murky splash.
Pharynx was by him in an instant, resin flowing from his mouth to cover up the injury. Thorax held still, wincing in mild disgust as his brother patched him up. All the while, his eyes remained fixed on the crumpled forms of Scorpion and Mandible. They still hadn’t moved an inch, and in the darkness and rain, he couldn’t tell if they were breathing or not.
A cold feeling wormed through his veins at the idea. Had Pharynx… had his brother actually…?
“You can get that look off your face,” Pharynx suddenly said, tearing Thorax from his anxious ponderings. The elder drone sat up on his haunches, his work done, and stared into Thorax’s eyes. “I didn’t kill them. That spell only knocked them out. It’s not my call to make if they live or die.”
Thorax gave a sigh of relief. As much as he hated them, he didn’t want to imagine them dying.
“I will be taking them to Queen Chrysalis, though. It’s about time these morons got what was coming to them,” Pharynx went on.
Thorax wilted. “Oh… well, nevermind, then.”
Pharynx looked him over some more before grunting. “Gah… you’re really messed up. We can’t stay out here. I’m taking you back to the Hive,” he said in mild annoyance. He rose to his hooves and turned to trot for Scorpion and Mandible. “Just let me get these two bound up.”
Thorax’s eyes widened. Going back to the Hive? Now? “Oh, no, no no no… I can’t go back now!” he thought, his heart beating faster against his cracked chitin. Twilight had surely seen his signal flare, and that meant she was on her way. If he was gone by the time she turned up, she would get worried and start looking for him all over. But with all of the drones out right now, not to mention the Tatzlwurms, it would be extremely dangerous. The odds of her staying undetected were basically nonexistent.
“I have to find her,” he concluded, forcing himself to stand. He was still wobbly on his hooves, but for a mercy, Pharynx’s resin bandages did wonders to ease the pain. Good. He could find Twilight and escort her back to her cave with little to no issue. He’d have the chance to check in with her, apologize for disappearing, and make sure she knew where he was and why he couldn’t see her as often anymore.
There was a problem, though. Thorax grimaced before looking over to Pharynx. His older brood mate had just finished cocooning Scorpion and was already starting on Mandible.
“Pharynx won’t let me out of his sight. Not now,” he thought, his ears drooping. After everything that had just happened, Thorax would be lucky if Pharynx ever left his side again. There was no way he could go and find Twilight without either dragging Pharynx with him or running away. Neither option was appealing. Bringing Pharynx meant blowing Twilight’s cover, and running meant the risk of being labeled as a deserter.
Pharynx pulled his mouth away from Mandible to inspect his work. After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction before lifting both of them in his magic and turning to Thorax. “Okay, come on. We need to move.”
Thorax didn’t budge an inch, even as Pharynx drew closer. His heart was beating harder and harder in his chest, and a cold sweat was forming on his chitin to join the many drops of rain that ran down his body.
Pharynx frowned, seeing the growing anxiety on Thorax’s face. “What? Thorax, what is it? I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, you know.”
“I… I…”
Pharynx reached out and put his hoof on Thorax’s shoulder. “Come on, snap out of it. We can’t stay here, it’s not safe.”
Thorax stayed rooted to the spot, passively resisting when Pharynx tried to tug him along into the air. He screwed his eyes shut. He had no choice. With a horrible feeling of dread building in his gut, he lifted a hoof and brushed Pharynx’s aside. The confusion in his brother’s face only made it even worse.
“Thorax, what’s gotten into you? Are you sure you’re okay?”
Thorax took a deep breath, steeled himself, and spoke. “I can’t come with you,” he said softly.
Thunder punctuated the sentence, rolling over the badlands like a revelatory wave.
Pharynx stared at Thorax for a moment, his eyes narrowing in disapproval. “Thorax. I am giving you a direct order. You are coming with me back to the Hive, you are going to get patched up, and that is all there is to it-”
“I can’t!” Thorax exclaimed, loud enough for his voice to echo around them, even in the rain. “I can’t go back! Not yet! I have something I need to take care of out here, first!”
Pharynx growled impatiently. “What in the world are you blabbering on about?” he demanded, grabbing Thorax by the shoulder again. “We. Need. To. Go. You’re in no condition to be out here right now, patched up or not.”
“I’ll come back as soon as I can,” Thorax tried to assure him. He reached up to brush Pharynx’s hoof aside again, but this time the limb held firm. Thorax grunted. “But I have to do this! Please, Pharynx, just trust me!”
Pharynx’s eyes narrowed, his lips peeling back in an agitated snarl. “That is enough, Thorax!” he snapped, his grip tightening to the point of being like a vice. “I don’t know what worm you’ve got in your head that’s making you act like this, but if you don’t kick it out of there, I’ll do it for you!”
Thorax jerked himself back, trembling as he finally shouted what he’d wanted to tell his brother for so long now. “I can’t leave her out here, Pharynx!”
That got Pharynx’s attention, thankfully. He stopped tugging on Thorax and tilted his head. Thorax met his brother’s gaze, standing his ground with as much conviction and determination as he could.
Pharynx worked his jaw from side to side for a moment. “...Who?” he finally asked, his voice low and dubious.
Thorax swallowed heavily. “...Twilight. Twilight Sparkle,” he finally confessed, his ears drooping. “She’s a pony from Equestria. I met her in a cave out here the last time it rained. She’s why I wanted to go on those Lone Wolf patrols. She’s why I was stealing from the Hive. The food wasn’t for me, it was for her. She’s the one who taught me that spell you saw… But above all of that, she’s my friend.”
Pharynx inhaled sharply through his nose, his eyes widening and angling with disapproval while his wings twitched on his back. He leaned in, his lips peeling back while his voice slithered out in an infuriated hiss. “What?!”
Thorax held his ground as well as he could, though he could not stop himself from shaking. “She would have seen my signal. She’s out here right now. I have to find her and get back to her cave, or who knows what might happen to her!”
“Thorax, you… you IDIOT!” Pharynx roared, smacking Thorax across the face and sending him staggering to the side. “You absolute, braindead MORON! Do you have ANY idea what you just confessed to?!”
“Yeah, I do!” Thorax shot back, turning to meet Pharynx’s eyes again in spite of the pain in his face. “I confessed to having a friend! Someone I care about, who cares about me! A wonderful, charming, intelligent mare that inspired me to better myself! For my sake, and hers!”
“She’s an intruder, you sentimental oaf!” Pharynx shot back. “And you’ve been consorting with her?! You were stealing supplies for HER?! That’s basically treason, Thorax! If word of this ever gets back to Chrysalis, your life will be forfeit!”
“Fine! Let it be forfeit!” Thorax snapped, his eyes starting to mist over. He wiped a hoof over his face to dispel his tears before facing Pharynx again. “Maybe I’d rather that then let the only friend I have ever had be left all alone to fend for herself out here!”
Pharynx spluttered incoherently, his face twitching with a mixture of rage, confusion, and complete disbelief. “Y-you… You can’t be serious!” he finally barked, his wings buzzing angrily on his back. “You can NOT be serious! I can’t believe you’d say something like that! Why is the pony so darned important that you’d throw your life away for her?! That you’d betray the Hive?!”
Thorax bristled and jabbed a hoof at the cocoons floating behind Pharynx. “Because what is left for me back at the Hive except for changelings like them?!”
Pharynx froze, his eyes widening in surprise. He glanced back at the cocoons before releasing his hold on them, sending both falling to the mud with a wet squelch and a small splash. He stood there for several seconds, his face torn with conflict. “...I should drag you before the queen myself,” he seethed.
Thorax took a step back. “Pharynx… please… I’m begging you, just let me do this. I won’t be long, and she’s no threat to us. I swear it.”
“How can I believe that, Thorax?” Pharynx demanded, marching up to Thorax and shoving his muzzle in his little brother’s face. “You’ve lied how many times now? First, you lied about why you were going on patrols all on your own. Then you lied to me about the thefts. Then, in front of the queen herself, you lied to the entire Hive about why you were stealing! How can I trust that you aren’t lying to me again, Thorax?! How can I believe a word you’re saying now?! What assurance can you give me?!”
Thorax swallowed heavily, now keenly aware of just how sharp Pharynx’s fangs looked. He took a deep, shaky breath before giving his answer. “B-because I’m opening up to you now, aren’t I? We’re alone out here… and I trust you, Pharynx.”
Pharynx glared at him for several seconds. “Is that so…?” he asked skeptically.
Thorax nodded. “It is. How many times have you looked out for me, Pharynx? How many times have you stood up for me no matter what I did wrong? How many times have you been there to watch my back and pick me up when the others knocked me down? How many times have you tried to get me stronger so I could take care of myself? Why wouldn’t I trust you?”
Pharynx stared at him for several seconds, not looking convinced. Thorax swallowed again, finding it difficult to meet his brother’s gaze.
Finally, though, Pharynx gave off a quiet sigh. “...The funny thing? I only believe you because I know you aren’t smart enough to pull a con this elaborate,” he said with a humorless chuckle.
Thorax blinked. “Huh?”
“You’re a coward and an idiot, Thorax… and you’re sickeningly nice,” Pharynx went on, lifting his head with a strained smile on his face. “Maybe that’s what I find so endearing about you… something in me just can’t stand to watch you suffer, because I know you can’t take care of yourself out here the way you are. You’re far, far too gentle. Puts a big target on your back...”
Thorax offered a tiny smile of his own. “Eheh… thanks? I think?”
“I didn’t mean it as a compliment, but if you want to take it as one, be my guest,” Pharynx pointed out with a roll of his eyes.
Thorax managed a weak laugh at that before turning to look up at the sky. “So… does this mean you’ll let me go to her?” he asked carefully. If he left now, he could probably find her before she got too far from the cave. The longer this discussion went on, though, the harder things would become.
“...On one condition,” Pharynx finally spoke up, drawing Thorax’s attention back to him.
“What’s that?”
Pharynx turned to meet Thorax’s gaze. His eyes shone with a solemn resignation, even though his lips were curled up into an affectionate smile. “...That you take her as far away from here as you can. Get her out of the Badlands.”
Thorax blinked. “Pharynx?”
Pharynx put his hoof on Thorax’s chest. “She is an intruder, Thorax. If you care about her as much as you claim, then you know perfectly well that she isn’t safe here. If any other drones find her, she’s done for… and I know you well enough to know that losing her like that would break you, just as surely as losing you would break me.”
“It would break you…?”
“You’re my brother. You’re the only family I have ever been allowed to know. All we have is each other. Of course, it would break me if I lost you,” Pharynx replied quietly. “It would break me into a hundred pieces… The only difference there is I know you aren’t strong enough to put yourself back together. And I don’t want to see that… I don’t want to watch you grieving. So you get her out of here, and spare both of you that fate.”
Thorax just looked at him for a moment before regaining hold of his spiraling thoughts. “A-alright… w-what about you? What will you tell them back at the Hive?”
Pharynx glanced back at Scorpion and Mandible. “I’ll tell them that a ravine opened up in the sand because of a mudslide and that I was attacked by a Tatzlwurm on the way. I dropped you and lost track of you in the rain. You’ll be MIA, and that should give you a few days to get back before anyone gets suspicious.”
Thorax was dumbstruck. It was hard for him to imagine that Pharynx would go this far for him, especially given how harsh and cold he had been immediately following his punishment for stealing from the Hive. To tell such a lie, to give Thorax this chance to escort an intruder out of the badlands… just how far out was Pharynx going to stick his neck for his brother’s sake?
A whole new wave of affection and appreciation blossomed in Thorax’s heart. With a quiet laugh, he threw himself against Pharynx and gave him a tight hug, much to the older drones’ annoyance. “What the- hey! Stop that!” Pharynx protested, though his attempts to pry Thorax off were half-hearted at best.
Thorax ignored that command, burying his face into Pharynx’s shoulder. “Thank you, Pharynx… Thank you so much.”
Pharynx squirmed for a few more seconds before sighing in defeat and awkwardly patting Thorax on the back of the head. “Yeah yeah, you’re welcome. Just make sure you get back to me in one piece, you hear? I’m not letting you go just yet.”
Thorax pulled back and smiled. “I will, don’t worry.”
Pharynx’s expression flattened. “Thorax.”
Thorax chuckled. “Okay, okay. Worry an appropriate amount, then?”
Pharynx raised an eyebrow. “...Fine.”
Thorax chuckled again before releasing his hold and stepping back. “Really, big brother. I mean it… thank you.”
“You said that,” Pharynx dismissed, lifting up the cocoons in his magic. “Now get going. And be careful.”
“You, too,” Thorax called as Pharynx prepared to take off. Just before his brother could go, Thorax spoke one more time. “And Pharynx?”
“What is it now?”
Thorax’s smile softened. “...I love you.”
Pharynx blinked and glanced back at Thorax. “...Yeah, uh, okay, that’s nice?” he asked uncomfortably.
Thorax chuckled. “Heh. I just wanted you to know that.”
“Oh, I know,” Pharynx grumbled, rolling his eyes in exasperation. “Believe me… I know.”
With that, Pharynx kicked off, flying into the air. The cocoons followed shortly behind him. Thorax watched them go, his smile slowly fading until, at last, both his mirth and his brother vanished entirely from view.
Thunder boomed overhead, and the distant cries of Tatzlwurms grew louder.
Thorax took a deep breath and turned in the direction of Twilight’s cave. “Okay, Thorax,” he whispered to himself as he took to the air, flying away from his brother. “You can do this. You can do this…”
Lightning split the sky, and Thorax disappeared into the darkness that followed.
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nice work
And it's finally spilled. Eagerly waiting to see how this progresses.
Yesssssssssss
Yup. Just like I thought. Pharynx's first thoughts were "intruder" and "giving food to intruder = treason". After that, though, it's nice to see that Pharynx knows and trusts Thorax well enough to believe him and let this "intruder" go.
Well, nice of Pharynx to spare Twilight
we might have all expected it anyway, but it's still nice of him
Beautiful. Thorax finally gets his opportunity to get Twilight out. Pharynx is a great brother.
Well this was a nice chapter.
Are you planning a sequel?
and so the secret is out in the open. now the march to freedom begins.
Well, not quite one shot. He used one on one drone, and then repeated it for the other...not that we're counting or anything...
All in all, I liked this chapter. It's an excellent portrayal of the characters of both Thorax and Pharynx, how they contrast...and how they maybe aren't so different after all.
10198248
well, there'd better fucking be
10198248
10198746
I do have plans for future 'The Bug in The X' stories, but there won't a direct sequel to this one. Just like Bug in The Herd and Bug in The Basement, this is a wholly standalone narrative.
A thrilling and emotional climax. Looking forward to the feels-good denouement.
10198928
...
with all the depression and otherwise nothing in this story, you're saying there's not going to be a direct sequel
what are you smoking? cuz i want some if it makes me that fuckin loopy
10199374
The stories I write are, by definition, sad and depressing. And this one, from the beginning, was meant to be a character drama about Twilight and Thorax and the strange friendship they form. It then evolved into being about the resulting consequences of said friendship, hence Thorax being found stealing from the hive and punished so intensely. There is also the deal with Pharynx's character arc as Thorax's brother.
I dunno how all of that qualifies as 'nothing.'
As matters stand, we have five more chapters to go that will wrap everything up nice and neat. I planned this stuff out in advance, and there won't be any need for a direct sequel. There will be no loose threads to pick up, so any follow-ups would be forced. Sequels are best when they are needed, and this one will not need a sequel.
At the end of the day, if this story was not your cup of tea, then you are more than welcome to that opinion.
10199407
on second thought, maybe i don't want what you're smoking, cuz it seems to be destroying your brain
darkness-induced audience apathy is a very real thing
and when i talk about "nothing", i mean to say that there's an almost complete lack of anything but depressive elements
10199519
Insulting my intelligence is not going to make me come around to your way of thought. I have tried to sprinkle in humorous things where I can to avoid the apathy that has claimed you in record time. It is not, however, up to me to ensure YOU specifically find them amusing.
I get your critique, but I do not believe that it is, in this case, justified. You are thus far the only person to vocally take exception to the level of darkness in this story, and you have not done a good job expressing that view in a way that is productive. After all, I distinctly recall you saying you hoped the drama would go away forever on this, a drama story.
Your opinion is yours, at the end of the day, and your criticism IS noted. But as you are as yet the only one to voice them, I am not going to alter course.
All I ask is that you judge the story when it is complete, and not be pointlessly hostile or insulting about it.
10199814
Hoo boy.
Hans, get the flame-war-extinguisher
Hmmm, how is Pharynx going to explain away the two jerkholes? Their testimony won't jive with his apparent intended narrative, unless he plans on simply using his influence to silence them?
Thorax is given a directive, but one that sounds impossible to achieve. The whole point of their delay was due to lack of provisions, and now they need to book it out of the badlands with nothing at all? Yikes.
At least Twilight will be able to feed him, but what about the reverse? It's not like changeling resin is overly edible...
Keep going! ;)
10200284
The delay was actually a result of Thorax not having enough time off to see Twilight to the edge of the Badlands and then get back without someone noticing he was gone. As for Scorpion and Mandible, they're unconscious. They aren't going to be awake for a while, and so they won't have any way of knowing for sure if Pharynx is lying to them or not about what happened to Thorax.
10200194
I'd hardly classify this as a flame war. A flame war implies everyone involved is throwing around blatant insults and a lot of swearing, with generally immature conduct and a lack of reasonable arguments across the board. What I would classify this as is a simple debate where one side is visibly more aggressive than the other and nothing more.
10200826
Fair nough
Great chapter though
This chapter made me smile. Good job!
Wow that was pretty intense of these two talking to each other going to the fact that thorex just confessed to pharynx for the reason for all this happening it's because he was protecting Twilight of course he got mad about that and he felt like his head was about to explode From this revolution of his brother but thorax trust him and that's why he told him everything knowing that he will get in trouble even more but it looks like pharynx really has a heart and letting thorax to get Twilight out of the Badlands and hopefully none of the changeling will be a wiser
Ah, yes. The final act. It is finally here.