Author's Note
In this AU I made, these troops are actually Troops of Luna, but I never mention that here. I was going to write a backstory about Luna's troops, but I never finished.
"Linkin Pony" is just refering to the characters, the main six characters in this. They are all characters who were inspired by the memebers of Linkin Park. I'm trying my best to seperate them from their human counterparts, and I think this AU will help me with that. But the title of this AU/comic is inspired by one song in particular.
You can read the comic When They Come For Me on DeviantArt(click here), or now, newly, on Instagram, @wtcfm_comic
Becoming the Marshal
Guards surrounded in front of the Officer, his eyes wide with fear and tears. The Chief stomped his hoof and stood tall. “This is war now, feeble Trooper.”
The guards pointed their weapons to the Unicorn. He swirled around and ran out the door. Shouts came from behind him and yelled in all directions.The grayish-blue stallion galloped across the Tribe’s land past the long shadows.Tribe ponies watched him, and seemed confused. He knew that soon enough they would know what was happening. He was not sure if they were still following him, nevertheless that matter did not stop him from anxiously retreating to his own territory.
Hooves skidding to a halt at the river, the Unicorn looked for a place to cross. Luckily, there was a narrow, shallow part of the river near. He quickly crossed, the water coming up to his knees.He kept memorizing his leader collapsing after being struck with poison spears.
Outside the camp, ponies turned their attentions to the returning Officer. They were concerned as they watched his and looked to the sky. Many of them called out: “What’s going on?” “Why are the Tribals shooting off flares?” “What happened?”
“CharmingRhythm!” A voice came out from the crowd. A commander cantered up to the Officer. “What happened?” The Commander asked. He glared at the other Unicorn who was panting. “CharmingRhythm? Are you okay? What happened dude!” He glanced around. “Where’s the Marshal?”
“He’s dead.” CharmingRhythm cried.
“What?!” The Commander squawked.
“They… they stole from us then killed the Marshal-poison arrows-and spears- and… and still the Chief said.. this was war.” CharmingRhythm replied, shaking.
“What? Shit, dude, how could they do that?!” The gray Unicorn shook his head. “Rhythm- you’re the Officer… or at least you were.”
“Yeah…” CharmingRhythm bared his teeth. “He said I had to be the Marshal.” He suddenly flipped his head to the Commander.
“SilverFlash! How do I do that?! I can’t lead! What am I going to do?! Flash I… I can’t-” He spoke fast in between his short breaths that got faster and faster.
“Dude!” SilverFlash put his hoof on CharmingRhythm’s shoulder. “Calm down!”
Rhythm shook his head and shivered. “What...I can’t… how…” He could not speak in whole sentences. His breathing became wheezing.
“Rhythm! Calm down! Calm down, dude! You’re gonna have an asthma attack! Breathe!” Looking into his eyes, SilverFlash had both hooves on his shoulders. But CharmingRhythm still failed to calm down. “Bro! C’mon! You need to calm down. Just take deep breaths.” The Officer opened his mouth wide to inhale. “There ya’ go. That’s it.” CharmingRhythm breathed in again shakily. SilverFlash gently patted his brother’s shoulder.
“Oh, what am I going to do…” Rhythm murmured, still shaking his head. “We need to tell them… but how?”
“I can tell them,” The commander said with a comforting tone.
The two ponies walked deeper into the camp. CharmingRhythm followed SilverFlash to a wooden platform. They turned to face an open area. Flash’s magic grabbed a megaphone.
“Everypony, can I please have your attention. We need to have a meeting. It’s urgent. Get as many comrades here as soon as you can.” The commander’s voice echoed through the megaphone. The ponies began to move, some staying, other going to get more ponies.
“How exactly are you going to tell them?” CharmingRhythm pondered. “They’ll panic.”
“Just like you,” Remarked SilverFlash.
“I’m serious.”
“Well, I think they’ll take it easier coming from me,” SilverFlash answered.
“They wouldn’t take it easy coming from anyone.” The other Unicorn said.
Flash shrugged. “Eh, I’m more reassuring. Rain is a bit strict.”
“Speaking of the devil,” CharmingRhythm mumbled.
The stallions turned to see a light grey Pegasus trot up the stairs. She stretched her neck out and whispered to SilverFlash. “What’s going on?”
“Uh, we’ve had a bit of a-” He thought of a word. “Causality.”
Rain flustered her brow.
“The Marshal went to negotiate with the Chief and… got.... killed”
“What?” Rain snapped her head back. She tilted her head and looked passed the other commander. “Officer?”
“It’s true,” The blue-gray Unicorn confirmed.
“Damn.” Rain looked downward.
The three watched the number of ponies’ collect. CharmingRhythm let out a deep sigh.
SilverFlash turned to his brother. “You’re just freaked out because this is all happening at once.”
“Yeah..”
SilverFlash put his hoof on Rhythm’s back. “ You’re gonna be a great marshal.”
Rhythm coughed out a nervous laugh. “Yeah right. Why do you be the Marshal? You’re so confident.”
“I’m not good at make good decisions. I know you can. I can’t make orders, I can only follow them out.”
“But they all like you. What if they don’t like like me? What if I let them down…”
“Dude, you're thinking too much, like always.”
CharmingRhythm bit his lip and nodded his head.
SilverFlash picked up the megaphone again and spoke to the ponies below. “Thank you everyone for coming. I am sorry for such short notice,and I know it’s late. Also, not everypony is here, so i need you to spread the news.”
“Did the Marshal ask you to tell us?” Someone questioned.
“N-no.”
“Then shouldn't the Officer tell us?” Another one said.
The commander glanced at the other unicorn. “Um, The Officer isn’t exactly comfortable with this.” he turned back to the crowd. “I want everyone to know, for what I’m about to say, please do not panic. We need order to get the news across. Things have happened, beyond anything that we have imagined-”
“Get on with it already!” One blurted out.
Rain shouted loudly without any help of the megaphone. “Do not interrupt your authority!”“
“Uh..Yeah…” Flash hesitated “Some may know that the Marshal went to negotiate with the Chief earlier this evening. Things didn’t go as planned… The Marshal was attacked…with poison spears.”
Suddenly the crowd stirred. Caterwaul bursted from all corners. Silverflash jolted back, almost dropping the megaphone. “Everypony please- calm down!”
“I told you.” CharmingRhythm muttered.
SilverFlash ignored him and continued trying to speak over the cacophony. “Everyone please quiet down!-”
Commander Rain snatched the megaphone. “EVERYPONY STOP RIGHT THIS INSTANT.” Then it only took two seconds for the mob to become dead silent. Rain handed the megaphone back over.
Flash took a deep breath. “I am just as shocked as all of you. But panic will only lead to more mishaps.”
“Why are the Tribals setting off flares?”
“Yeah! Are they celebrating” One said with the utter most disgust and anger.
“I believe they are warning their own about what is to come-” SilverFlash concluded.
“What is that?”
“The Officer said The Chief declared war."
Again, discord broke through the crowd. Voice layered over each other, a language that would make the ear bleed.
“Let the officer speak.” Rain ordered.
“But he-”
“Let him speak”
“He doesn’t want to," SilverFlash tried to defend his brother.
“LET HIM SPEAK.”
“Geez, okay.” SilverFlash looked to CharmingRhythm, giving him the megaphone. The other Unicorn stared at it blankly. “They need to hear from their new leader.”
Rhythm swallowed hard and brought the object to his face. “Everypony.” At first, no one noticed, then as the Officer repeated, a few more gave him their attention. Almost a chain reaction was set off, from the front to the back, each pony calmed as they heard a new voice.
Speaking to the troop ponies, the Unicorn froze. “Uh... hello.”
SilverFlash slammed his hoof on his face. CharmingRhythm glanced towards his brother and gave a scornful expression.
One pony in front inquired “Officer, are you going to be the new marshal?”
“I am.”
And the ponies shifted a bit, but did not break into panic.
The new Marshal closed his eyes and thought of what was to be said. “Everyone, my fellow troopers, I understand this is a bit disturbing. I never asked to be the marshal, but I was left with the job. So I hope you all understand if I’m not as coordinated as your former Marshal.”
CharmingRhythm looked to the left, where stars began to poke through the evening sky. Brown eyes then reset on the crowd. “I know this is shocking. The Tribals were our friends. They still should be. Perhaps sometime in this war to come, we will come to an agreement, the Chief will understand, and we can go back to peace. That is what is just. So I do not want any of you going to an extreme of attacking the Tribe.” He paused. “Organization is a must. Your cooperation is all I’m asking from you… Thank you.”
After idling for a few moments, The Marshal then swirled around, placing the megaphone down. SilverFlash followed his steps.
“Now see, that sounded like you know what you’re doing,”The grey Unicorn remarked.
“Ha.” Rhythm gave weak smirk and shook his head. “Flash, I may be able to put it into words, but I’m going to be a mess.”
“Don’t say that. You don’t know how things are really going to play out.”
