• Published 11th Sep 2020
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Patrilineality: Making Up For Time We Lost - Melody Song



Metamorphosis experiences daily life at the Hive, starting with someone he's all too familiar with resurfacing.

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Chapter 19: A Trip Down Memory Lane

Metamorphosis blinked and rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again, the nymphs were gone.

“I-I must be seeing things…” Metamorphosis mumbled.

“Seeing things?” a familiar voice made him look up.

“Oh, there you are Thorax.” Metamorphosis stood and trotted to the alpha.

“Well, Apex is napping so I thought I’d check how the decorations were coming along.” Thorax said, as a grumbling Pharynx trotted up behind him. “Oh, Pharynx, there you are. Why’d you stay back?”

“Oculus.” Pharynx grunted. “If ever a changeling asked to have his wings torn off… Ocellus’ father or not, I can’t stand him, or his mate.”

“That’s obvious.” Thorax mumbled, but nuzzled his brother in comfort. “Don’t let them rile you up too much, Pharynx. They’re just voicing their opinion.”

“They could do it without making me angry.” Pharynx grumbled

Thorax chose to ignore this, turning to Metamorphosis. “So, dad, what were you saying about seeing things?”

“I-It’s nothing…” Metamorphosis said, but Pharynx fixed a stern gaze on him.

“You didn’t drop it when I called the nightmares ‘nothing’.”

“Heh, fair enough.” Metamorphosis nuzzled Pharynx. “It’s just… I thought I saw… you two, as nymphs.”

Thorax blinked. “Us as nymphs? Uh, dad, do you think you might have caught Pharynx’s cold?”

Pharynx rolled his eyes, and Metamorphosis shook his head.

“It’s not that. It sounds strange, but it was almost like a memory.”

Pharynx seemed lost in thought for a minute, then locked eyes with Metamorphosis. “What about the desire-crystals?”

Metamorphosis recalled the term. Desire-crystals. Blue shaded crystals said to show you or any other creature whatever you desired to see. He had been thinking about missing Thorax and Pharynx’s childhood so it made sense. There was only one problem.

“Those things are myths, Pharynx-” Metamorphosis started to say

“They’re real.” Pharynx interrupted, beginning to lead his father and brother down the hallway. “I was shown them when I was made General. Chrysalis led me there herself. She claimed to have placed them near the nursery in order to subconsciously teach the young of our history with ponies.”

“But in reality…” Metamorphosis began

“In reality, I believe they were placed here because no one would ever think to look here.”

With that, Pharynx stopped in front of a wall densely covered by vines.

“These vines were once old and dry, but thanks to Thorax’s ‘reformation’ of the Hive, they grew back.” Pharynx explained, antlers glowing to lift aside the vines.

Metamorphosis’ eyes widened in wonder as he stepped forwards. Sheltered behind the vines was an alcove. Nestled inside as carefully as eggs, and just as fragile, were smooth, shining blue crystals of varying sizes.

“Desire-crystals.” Metamorphosis breathed

Pharynx reached and carefully took one, holding it in his hoof. “I guess they sensed you wanting to see us as nymphs… but why were you?”

“I just…” Metamorphosis sighed. “I missed so much of your lives. I never got to see you grow, see you as eggs, or…”

Thorax nuzzled him. “Dad…”

“Well, you can see that.” Pharynx nodded to the crystals.

“Really?” Thorax asked “We can use them to see us as nymphs?”

Pharynx nodded. “We’ll need three.” he said, taking two more from the alcove. “And a quiet room to watch the memories.”

“Alright.” Thorax smiled and turned. He led them to an empty room near the nursery.

Metamorphosis watched as Pharynx laid the stones in the center of the room.

“Alright, now dad, speak your desire.” Pharynx instructed “But be warned, there will only be three memories, because there are only three stones. So specify clearly what you want.”

Metamorphosis nodded. “I… I wish to see what my sons were like… as nymphs.”

The crystals glowed, and suddenly, the room was changed. They were in the hallway by the nursery, and the two nymphs Metamorphosis had seen before reappeared. Thorax and Pharynx. The two brothers moved closer to their father, watching their younger selves.

“Pharynx, it’s so big!” Thorax proclaimed. Pharynx rolled his eyes.

“Course it’s big. Did you think the whole world was the nursery?”

Thorax clopped his front hooves together nervously. “Maybe…”

“Really? Ugh, you’re such a grub, Thorax.”

“F-Funny, Pharynx…”

“Come on, I want to check out the armory.” Pharynx said, trotting away quickly.

“B-But Pharynx, mother said we’re not supposed to-”

“She’s just trying to keep you a weak little grub. Let’s go, how else are you going to be able to defend yourself?” Pharynx looked back at his brother.

“I-I thought… maybe we could just be friends with the other nymphs…?” Thorax suggested

“...You’re stupid.” Pharynx deadpanned “Come on, to the armory.”

As the two nymphs headed away, the memory faded. Pharynx and Thorax looked at each other. Thorax was wearing a smirk, surprisingly.

“Not so stupid now, am I?”

“Oh give me a break, we were five!”

Thorax just chuckled, and Metamorphosis shook his head with a smile. The scene then changed again. The young Thorax seemed a bit older.

Thorax was sitting in a corner of a room stacked high with weapons, playing with some dolls made of sticks. A little way away, a young Pharynx, the same age as his brother, was staring, awed, at the weapons in question. They were in the armory, clearly.

“Interesting, aren’t they, young prince?” a new female changeling wandered up.

“Yes ma’am.” Pharynx said, and she levitated over a small blade and holster. Pharynx gasped softly.

“This shall be your starter weapon.” she laid it in Pharynx’s outstretched hooves. “As current General, it will be my duty and honor to train you to use it. Keep it safe, and when the time comes, I will show you how to fight with it.”

Pharynx clutched the blade to his chest, nodding. “I will protect it, General Fortuna, ma’am.”

“I am glad.” she looked over at Thorax. “Do me a favor. Watch over your brother, young prince. He is younger than you and clearly in need of proper guidance.”

“Yes ma’am.” Pharynx said, still staring at the blade.

With that, Fortuna rubbed his head and left the room. Pharynx tucked the blade safely into the holster, which he strapped around his flank. Then, he proudly trotted to Thorax, sneering slightly at the younger nymph but the faintest hint of glee in his eyes.

The memory once again faded. Pharynx smiled softly.

“Fortuna. The best mentor I could have wanted. She not only gave me my first blade, but trained me in everything I know.”

Metamorphosis wrapped a foreleg over his son. “I’m sure she was a great mentor.”

Pharynx nodded. Then, as Thorax nuzzled him, the memory changed again, for the third, and last, time.

“Pharynx?” The Thorax here seemed a teenage nymph, no more than thirteen or so. He walked towards his brother, who had a sword sheathed and strapped to his side. Pharynx seemed to be waiting on him.

“There you are. Come on, let’s get going.” Pharynx said, but Thorax held still.

“But… but I don’t want to train.”

“Well, you have to.”

“But-” Thorax was cut off as Pharynx held up a hoof to stop him. He began to speak.

“Look, brother, I know you’re not a fighter, and frankly, Hivemother forbid you ever end up in my forces. But unless you want to get on our mother’s bad side, and face punishment, you’re going to have to learn to defend yourself.”

“But I can’t…”

Pharynx rolled his eyes. “I know that you feel like you can’t do it. And stop trying to hide your emotions, you know I can taste them as well as any other changeling. Now, just get out there and start training! I don’t care if you have to partner with me again, Thorax, get out there!”

“But Pharynx, I…” Thorax trembled slightly, and Pharynx rolled his eyes.

“Yeah yeah, I get it, you’re scared. But you think I care about your namby-pamby feelings? Get going, brother, or I’ll get you to be chased by Hydras again!” Pharynx snapped, as Thorax began to cry. “Oh, so you’re gonna cry?! You think I care?! Because I don’t. I… really… don’t…”

Pharynx trailed off and sighed as Thorax wiped his eyes. His gaze softened and he laid a hoof on Thorax’s shoulder.

“Look, just… just go grab your sword and follow me.”

“Wh-Why?”

“I know a quiet place we can practice, I’ll teach you some basic defense moves. But hey!” he lifted Thorax’s hoof and punched him with it, making him squeak. “Don’t you go soft on me because you’re worried about hurting me. Trust me, I’ll be safe from your weak blows. You better give it your all, then maybe I’ll consider not playing the hitting yourself game to you afterwards. Alright?”

“O-Okay Pharynx.”

“Okay.” With that, Pharynx led Thorax away.

The final memory faded, and Metamorphosis found that he, along with both his sons, was tearing up. Pharynx leaned against Metamorphosis, who hugged him.

“You really loved him, deep down.” Metamorphosis whispered

“Y-Yeah…” Pharynx admitted. Thorax smiled and leaned over to nuzzle him.

“Good thing I always knew that. Things like that proved it for me.” Thorax said

“I…” Pharynx wiped his eyes. “I love you, baby bro.”

“Heh, I love you too, big bro.” Thorax said, pulling him into a hug.

Metamorphosis hugged them. “I love you both.”

“D-Do you want to see more?” Pharynx asked

Metamorphosis thought for a minute, then shook his head. “I think… it’s best to leave the past in the past. We shall remember it, cherish the good and bad memories equally, and smile at days that have passed us by. But we shall look to the future as well.”

“I couldn’t agree more dad.” Thorax murmured, beaming.

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