The Changeling Not-So-Civil War
Thorax’s head was spinning. The frontlines were failing, his soldiers were retreating, all appeared to be lost.
He knew it had been a longshot from the start. Igniting a civil war had been his final option for many reasons, but a primary one was that it was more a desperate final attempt at victory than a true way to bring harmony to Changelingia.
And of course, it hadn’t worked. A large part of the Heer had stayed loyal to Chrysalis, and the majority of Thorax’s forces were made up of ill-trained militias, no match for determined and skilled soldiers.
Frankly, that they had survived so long at all was a miracle. If Thorax was a more religious ling, he might even have called it divine will.
‘’Divine will, you say?’’
Thorax looked up from the war table and gasped.
There was a male royal changeling sitting in a chair that hadn’t been there a minute ago. Or well, he had the body shape of a changeling. Instead of the colour all changelings were - black with blue wings - this changeling was golden, almost shining with light, and his wings were emerald-green. Instead of neck frills, this changeling had the pony-like mane of a queen, coloured dark brown.
‘’What?’’ Thorax managed to ask.
‘’You asked about divine will,’’ the golden changeling said. ‘’’Well, here I am.’’
Thorax had certainly not expected a god to look like this. ‘’I-I am honoured,’’ he said. Really, what else was he supposed to say?
‘’No time for pleasantries,’’ the golden changeling cut in. ‘’You’ve got an army on your doorstep, almost literally too. Unfortunately for those lings, I am here.’’
‘’You’re going to help-’’ Thorax never managed to finish his sentence, as the world blurred for a moment.
Then they stood outside, right in the middle of the battle.
‘’Right,’’ the golden changeling said, his voice somehow perfectly clear over the sounds of gunfire, tanks, planes, and changelings doing everything from heroically charging to dying from the failure of said heroic charge.
‘’W-what are you doing?’’ Thorax asked. Surely one changeling, no matter how outrageous his biology, could not turn the tide of a battle?
‘’Just you watch, Mr. Thorax.’’
The golden changeling kicked himself off into the air, horn already surrounded by a green glow.
What followed was the most impressive display of magic Thorax had ever seen. In the span of five minutes, the golden changeling turned the entire Chrysalian army - a force that far outnumbered the defenders, both in lingpower and in terms of equipment and skill - on its head.
Golden beams of energy wrecked tanks and trucks, entire platoons of lings were eviscerated in brutal ways, lightning struck down the Chrysalian aircraft from the skies, and though Thorax barely saw him, there was no denying the golden changeling had won the battle for them.
Finally, the ling descended from the skies again, looking utterly untouched by the chaos and destruction he had just wrought upon the Chrysalians.
‘’You’re very much welcome,’’ was the first thing the ling said as he landed on the ground. ‘’That should buy you some time. I made sure to leave their equipment relatively undamaged, so you should be able to use some of that.’’
‘’Thanks?’’ was the first thing Thorax managed to say, before more questions rushed to his mind. ‘’Who are you?’’ he demanded to know. ‘’How did you do that? How did you get here? Why are you helping us?’’
‘’The name is Form,’’ the ling who was apparently called Form answered. ‘’I am a very powerful cosmic being, and I am helping you because it is the right thing to do.’’
Then, he smirked. ‘’Now, shall we head to Vesalipolis?’’
|-x-X-x-|
Vesalipolis had stood no chance against the Thoraxians, with Form on their side. He tore through any defenses the Chrysalians set up with terrifying ease and even more terrifying brutality, allowing the Thoraxians to capture the usually-traumatised survivors without issue.
As he looked up at the Great Queen’s Tower, Thorax reflected that he had never expected to get this far. Oh, he’d hoped, but he knew deep down that it was a fool’s hope. Not so foolish anymore though.
The way to the Tower was open for them, marked by the burnt-out tanks, bunkers, gunposts and trucks strewn along it, all neatly pushed to the sides. Most likely done by Form too; it seemed like there wasn’t anything the god-ling couldn’t do.
Still, in the few weeks Thorax had known him, he hadn’t been able to get much more information out of the golden changeling. He still didn’t know the true reason for why the god-ling had come to their aid, nor just what exactly he even was.
But then again, Thorax hadn’t pressed too hard. He was glad enough for the help to not ask too many questions. For now, at least.
The entrance to the Tower looked like it was torn open quite violently. ‘’Damn,’’ Pharynx said next to him, ‘’Form quite literally ripped the Tower a new asshole.’’
Thorax turned to face him and sighed. ‘’Must you?’’
Pharynx just grinned back. Thorax held his gaze for a few seconds, then rolled his eyes and looked back at the Tower.
Once they’d arrived at the entrance properly, Thorax and his escort - Pharynx and a cadre of guards - quickly made their way through the building towards the throne room. Along the way, they came across the corpses of many changelings, virtually all of them wearing the uniform of the Queen’s Guard.
‘’Brutal,’’ Pharynx noted as he observed a body that had been torn in three, innards spilling over the floor and parts of the ling scorched. Thorax really wasn’t very happy with the sight.
‘’Indeed,’’ he agreed, and quickly hurried on. The Queen’s Guard would never have surrendered willingly, but nobody deserved such a death.
Finally, they came upon the throne room, whose doors were wide open, just as all the other gates and doors had been. They entered, Thorax at the head, to see Form lounging on Chrysalis’ throne.
And the Queen floating in the air before it, bound by many golden chains of light.
‘’Ah, you’ve arrived!’’ Form greeted jubilantly. ‘’Welcome, welcome! Here, have a Changeling Queen, on the house.’’
And he telekinetically tossed Chrysalis towards Thorax, landing the Queen a few metres before the male changeling. Chrysalis glared murder at Thorax, but with her entire body bound that was the only thing she could do, so Thorax didn’t care too much.
‘’Thank you, Form,’’ Thorax said sincerely. ‘’We couldn’t have done this without you.’’
‘’You could have,’’ Form said in a very detached tone. ‘’Still, you are most welcome.’’
‘’What do we do with her?’’ Pharynx asked no-one in particular.
‘’We’ll give her a trial,’’ Thorax declared firmly before anyone else could speak. ‘’She needs to face justice.’’
‘’I agree,’’ Form said, ‘’but I won’t be there for that, I’m afraid.’’
What?
‘’What do you mean, Form?’’ Thorax inquired.
‘’I have other duties to attend, many of them in fact,’’ the golden changeling explained as he rose from the throne. ‘’I’ve already extended my stay here beyond my initial plan for it, I’m afraid.’’
‘’Oh.’’ There wasn’t much else Thorax could say, caught by surprise as he was.
Form smiled. ‘’Not to worry, I’m certain I shall return someday. But for now, I have to go. Still, I have one final gift for you, I think.’’
‘’Wha-’’
The world turned golden.
Thorax felt something shift inside him. He gasped; it felt warm and welcoming.
The normal world returned, and Thorax blinked. Form was gone.
He turned sideways, to see a dark green changeling.
‘’WHAT!?’’
Author's Note
I am aware this is random.