//------------------------------// // Doomsday // Story: The Trotzamore Stratagem // by The Rarispy //------------------------------// “Princess Luna… what’s happening out there?”   “I don’t know…”   Lilac Candescence dashed out of the cave to take a look outside, and gasped at what she saw.   “No… They didn’t make it in time. Equestria… is plunging into a loveless chaos!”   She had just witnessed the tail end of the white wave as it passed over the mountains near Trotzamore, on its way to plunge Equestria into monochrome madness. … Hey look, I applied alliteration there! Shoot, sorry.   Anyway, so Lilac ran back into the cave again to fetch Luna.   “Luna, you have to see this! Something strange is happening, and I think Trotzamore is at the center of it all! … Luna? Luna!? LUNA!”   Luna turned around to face her former student… but she wasn’t so happy anymore. Now, she was monochrome like the others, and her face looked deathly grim. It didn’t help that Rachelle Ruby seemed to have gone back to torturing her with the flashing crystals and red lightning bolts.   “Lilac... there is no hope,” she mournfully uttered. “Equestria is doomed… and there’s nothing we can do about it.”   Lilac growled at her in response. “Oh, yes there is! You just watch me, Will,” she said with a smile. She made a 180 and darted out of the cave once more.   “No, Lilac, save yourself this time… instead of looking out for me.”   She tried and tried with all her might to get in, but it was useless. The Gate to Trotzamore just wouldn’t open for Lilac. Rachelle’s magic surrounded the plaque that was supposed to check for worthiness.   “Whoever’s behind all of this certainly seems to thought of everything,” Lilac lamented.   But she wouldn’t give up that easily. With a fierce look of determination on her face, she backed away a few steps and gazed upward at the white wall of light.   Concentrating sharply, she started charging up an impressive display of magic, perhaps rivaling even that of Twilight’s. The Gate was doused with almighty flames of orange. However, despite the cavalcade of fire, the Gate still wouldn’t budge.   “Now’s my chance…” Lilac panted. “It’s time to make things right… and fulfill my destiny…”   With a powerful scream, she fired a magnificent blue blaze at the cursed plaque. She fired and fired away, working up an immense sweat under the strain. The entire Gate flared up white, as the flames completely shrouded it. It light up like a giant beacon, to the point that a few Changelings could be seen flying towards it.   Finally, there was a ping. Lilac’s hard effort was rewarded. The magic broke away, and the plaque… was now listening with a gleam.   “How’s that for proving myself, Luna?” Lilac triumphantly muttered, wiping her brow.   She touched the plaque with her hoof, and though it struggled to against Rachelle’s influence, it still glowed for her.   “HEY! I know you can hear me in there!” she shouted. “Please, I know there must be some element of good left in you! Oh, Trotzamore, the majestic force that returned me to this world! Please, with whatever power you have left to spare… I beg of you, help me find somepony, anypony, in this land, who can assist me in saving you!” She leaned close to the gate and whispered to it, “Please. Do it for the sake of everypony who’s ever had a strong heart because of you.”   A sort of swishing noise sounded in the air above her. As Lilac looked up, a small string of light broke away and started dive-bombing right for her glimmering eyes.   “Thank you…”   It finally impacted, and when the smoke cleared, Lilac Candescence was gone.   The light from the Gate fought so strongly to retain itself that it even reached inside the cave. The red lightning dissipated as the light shone in, and Luna looked around as the crystals finally dimmed. As she turned towards the shining cave entrance, a warm smile grew up on her face.   “That’s my girl.”   When Lilac regained consciousness, she found herself in an unfamiliar place. It was a town square, centered in a small village of hay-thatched houses and creatively-designed buildings. A single fountain decorated the square. It was of pink marble and depicted a mare balancing on a ball with a smile on her face.   “Ohhh… now where am I?” She looked at the location around her. “Mmm. What a quaint little settlement. So then… if it sent me here, then there must be a pony somewhere around here that can help me. But where?”   As she walked onward, a large stallion suddenly came up to her and licked her face like a dog.   “Aaagh!” The stallion proceeded to bark at her. “Down dog, down!” The stallion whimpered and wandered away, his ears drooping. “How strange…”   She still pressed forward, trying to ignore what had just happened. Other discolored ponies were running amok in the town, showcasing all sorts of bizarre behavior. An elderly mare was tap-dancing past with a cane in her hooves, and a pony with ruffled hair and a Cutie Mark of bubbles flew by, flying carefully to avoid the buildings. Somepony threw a muffin up at her in spite, and she just tossed it back.   “Straight-eyed freak!” shouted the derp-eyed pony from below. Sporting three smiling flowers for a Cutie Mark, she suddenly noticed an equation written on the board. It had “1 + 1 =” on it. She pulled out her pencil and filled it in with a sideways G, chuckling to herself with a hillbilly-like laugh.   But Lilac kept going, until she spotted a building in the distance. Funnily enough, the building was constructed to look like it was made entirely out of pastries and sugary treats. She stared up at it with a perplexed gaze.   “That’s… a fascinating design philosophy.” A female unicorn with a scruffy mane sat near the door, snacking on a rotten eggplant. “Um… excuse me?”   “Yeah-huh!” the mare cheerfully replied. Her repulsive breath caught Lilac’s attention and made her cover her nose.   “Oh, goodness. Don’t you ever brush your teeth?”   “Huh? Brush my teeth? What kind of loser actually brushes their teeth?”   “Right, then…” She cleared her throat and stopped covering her nose. “I was just wondering, could you please tell me where I am? What is this town called?”   “You’re in Ponyville, ma’am! The wildest, wackiest, and messiest place this side of Equestria!” She knocked a garbage can over to illustrate her point. “And PROOOOOOUD of it!”   “Okay, then…” Lilac looked through the trash and spotted a scented candle. She lit it with her magic and stuck it on top of the pony’s head, much to her astonishment. “Thank you! Good day!”   As soon as she stepped inside the confectionery, a male voice boomed at her from inside.   “WE’RE CLOSED! GO HOME!”   This roaring voice was followed by the sound of a couple of babies crying upstairs.   “HONEY, COME OVER HERE AND SHUT THESE LITTLE BRATS UP!”   Lilac immediately noticed a small filly sitting alone at a table, crying softly. Most peculiarly, she wasn’t monochrome like, as she had to assume, EVERYPONY ELSE in Equestria. She had a white coat, topped with a half-purple, half-lavender mane and tail, both ending in swirls.   “Hi, there… are you okay?” Lilac asked the filly from afar.   “Huh?” The filly stopped crying and looked up at her quizzically. “Who are you?”   “A friend.” Lilac pulled up a chair and sat at the table with her. “Please… can you tell me what’s happening in this town?”   “I-- I-- I DON’T KNOW!” she screamed, getting ready to bawl again. “I was just walking along in the park, and then suddenly I felt this weird sort of feeling, like a really strong wind, and then the next thing I knew, everypony around me was GRAY! And acting all funny!”   “That’s horrible! Is every pony around here monochrome and acting strange?”   “YEAH! I-- I even went to see my friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and they were gray too! Not only that, but they were saying mean things, and doing the exact opposite things that they usually do!” She started hugging Lilac. “Please, can you help me? I’m so scared!”   Lilac considered this revelation.   “You’re absolutely sure that everypony you know in this town is behaving like this?” she asked.   “Well… I think so, yeah. I’ve been around and seen everypony today. Well… except for Spike.”   “Spike?” She stood up. “So, is there a chance that this ‘Spike’ hasn’t been affected?”   “I suppose so, but… we had a fight, and he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore…”   “Well then, let’s be going!” She grabbed Sweetie Belle and placed her on her back as she raced out of the confectionery.   “Wh-where are we going?” the filly asked.   “To find your friend Spike, if you can point me to where he resides!” Though looking apprehensive about it, the filly nodded. “By the way, what is your name, child?”   “Sweetie Belle. And… what’s yours?”   “The name is Lilac Candescence, but you can call me Lilac. OH, DEAR!”   They stopped short in front of two jewelry-donning fillies that were in the road in front of her, having almost stepped over them.   “I’m so sorry!” Lilac apologized.   “Oh no, don’t be. It was our fault,” said the filly wearing a tiara.   “Yes, please, excuse us.”   They both moved out of the way for Lilac and Sweetie Belle.   “Now there’s a case I wouldn’t mind,” Sweetie Belle admitted.   Spike was sitting alone inside of the library, on Twilight’s bed. All around him, he had placed several pictures he drew of himself and Sweetie Belle. There were even a few old pictures of Rarity underneath them.   He gazed at them, trying to hold back the tears in his eyes. He finally poked his head up to look at one of his most prized possessions.   The great blue sapphire given to him by Sweetie Belle, those three months ago. The thing that started this whole mess in the first place. It still sat proudly on its shelf, glimmering against all the madness happening in the world around it.   Spike couldn’t help but lick his lips.   “I guess I might as well…” he moaned. He hitched up the ladder on the floor and was about to climb up towards it. However, he was interrupted by a knock at the door.   “Huh?”   Lilac came in through the door, as Sweetie Belle stepped off.   “Hello?” she called. “Is anypony home?”   Spike couldn’t help but give a curious stare as he walked down the stairs.   “Um… who are you?” His eyebrows rose when he noticed Sweetie Belle. “Hey! What is she doing here?”   “Spike, please, you’ve gotta listen to us!” Sweetie Belle pleaded. “Something really freaky is happening around here! Everypony in town has gone all gray, and they’re acting completely different and strange!”   “What!?” Spike exclaimed. “Not again!”   “I’m afraid it is much worse than that,” said Lilac. “It’s very possible that every single pony in EQUESTRIA is now like this!” They both gasped. “It is because of the Field of Trotzamore! Somepony is abusing its power!”   “Oh, no! Is Twilight okay?”   “And my sister Rarity?”   “I fear not, if they are still inside.”   They gasped again. Lilac turned towards both of them, raising an eyebrow as she seemed to be thinking about something.   “…If you do not mind me prodding, what pray tell were you two fighting about?”   “It’s… it’s nothing,” replied Sweetie.   “Please tell me. It could be vital.”   “Well, you see, Spike and I were… sort of dating,” she explained. “For over three months, actually. Until…”   “…Until you started overreacting when I said the huge gem you gave me as a gift was ‘great’!”   “Yeah… and that was my fault,” Sweetie admitted. “You see… right before Rarity and everypony else left, I overheard Rarity saying that young love is cute, but it doesn’t last. So… I don’t know. I guess I got all nervous, and afraid…”   “Paranoid,” Lilac clarified.   “Yeah, paranoid. You’re right, I overreacted. I became so paranoid that I even thought if I just tried to stay away from you, I could keep our love from ‘fading away’ any further. That was so dumb of me, all I did was help it fade … And I really am sorry, Spike.”   “Yeah…” said Spike, now rubbing his arm in guilt. “I’m sorry, too. When you started avoiding me, I took that as a sign that meant you didn’t care about me anymore, and I didn’t even ask you first. I just… assumed that.”   After Spike said his piece, there was another knock.   “Huh? Now who could that be?” asked Spike, as he went to open the door.   He opened it, and who else should be standing there, but…   “Pipsqueak?” said Sweetie Belle. “What are you doing here?”   “I heard the whole thing,” he explained, walking in. “Can I just say something? My mum once told me… she told me that young love can last against all odds. The only difference is that you have to become mature more quickly, so you can make the right decisions and understand your partner as an adult would.”   This boy speaks of much wisdom for his age, Lilac realized. And… he speaks with the same flavor as the ponies of my time. Could it be that… he was also sent here by Trotzamore to watch over his loved one?   “This colt speaks truth,” she stated. “Had you engaged each other more civilly and maturely, as you are doing now, perhaps you could have avoided this problem at the off-set.”   “Yeah!” Pipsqueak chimed in. “You can love as kids, but it’s all about learning. You have to learn to think as the other one thinks, and then and only then, you’ll be in perfect harmony! … According to my mum, anyway.”   “Gee, thanks, Pipsqueak,” said Sweetie Belle.   “Don’t mind me. I’m just here to help. Ta-ta!”   Lilac bowed before Pipsqueak. “Farewell, fellow guardian angel from Trotzamore!”   Pipsqueak gave a nonplussed look at Lilac, before eventually just leaving.   “Such wise words, that lad.”   Sweetie Belle turned to face Spike.   “So… are we friends again?”   “No,” he said, shaking his head.   “No?”   Spike grabbed her by the hoof, and kissed her right on the lips. Sweetie Belle’s eyes lulled shut, and a smile spread on Lilac’s lips as she watched.   “I want to be much more than friends,” said Spike, holding out his arms. Sweetie accepted his gesture and joined him in a big hug.   “I love you, Spike.”   “I love you too, Sweetie Belle.”   “Let’s promise to never fight again… or, at least not let ourselves get carried away when we do.”   “Deal.”   Lilac stepped in and broke them away.   “I do apologize for interrupting this moment, but our time is short!” she reminded them. “We need to get to Trotzamore! NOW, before Equestria is made to stay this way forever!”   “Trotza-what, now?” Sweetie Belle questioned, looking confused.   “There must be some way to go back to there, just as quickly as I came!” Just then, an epiphany struck her. “Sweetie Belle! Can you do magic?”   “Well… I, sort of. Twilight’s been teaching me.”   “Are you able to do a teleportation spell?”   “Uh… kind of,” she said. “I’m still learning that one. I haven’t been able to get it completely right so far. That frog I did it on still hasn’t shown up anywhere…”   “Ohh! There must be a less risky way!” Lilac clamored.   “Wait!” said Spike. “I have an idea!”   He dashed upstairs, and then came back down holding Twilight’s mirror above his head.   “A reflecting mirror?”   Spike plopped it down in front of them.   “Well you see, I can breathe a special kind of flame that sends things I use it on to Princess Celestia in Canterlot!” he explained. “Now… this is a really crazy idea, but… maybe if I blow into the mirror and have the flame bounce back and hit us just as Sweetie Belle is doing her spell…”   “…then it might end up taking us to that Trotzamore place through the express route instead!” Sweetie Belle finished.   “Exactly! Do you think it will work?” he asked Lilac.   “It… is definitely worth a shot,” she said. “Even if it doesn’t work correctly, we should still end up in either the olden town or back here. So… fire away!”   “Okay, Sweetie Belle! Get ready!”   “I’ll signal when.” She took a deep breath and started concentrating her magic. As she strained, her horn started to glow a deep blue. She bit her lip and tensed. Lilac was fidgeting as well, out of nervousness. “Alright… one… two… three… NOW!”   Spike belched up a mighty flame, which true to his word, reflected off the mirror and struck the three of them instead, just as Sweetie Belle’s teleportation spell kicked in. In a mix of green smoke and blue magic, all three of them disappeared from that spot.   After they were gone, the door nudged open, and Pipsqueak peered in again. He pulled out a photograph and stared lovingly at it.   It was a black-and-white photograph of Sweetie Belle from the Foal Free Press, cut out from the larger picture of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ ventures as newspaper reporters.   “Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.”