//------------------------------//
// Act 2; Downfall 
// Story: Rainbow Of Fate 
// by Lord Drayvon22 
//------------------------------//

As work solemnly continues at the staging post, even Princess Celestia gradually becomes more and more exhausted. After a day of stress and heartbreak, she's emotionally bankrupt and completely drained but refuses to rest. Seeing her sister subtly swaying side to side though, Princess Luna walks over. "Sister, you need to rest. You're completely exhausted and you need to be ready to combat Nightmare Moon in the morning."

Celestia shakes her head as she examines the battle plans for the four hundredth time that evening. "I can't afford to. Equestria depends on us and we can't afford to let ourselves be taken by surprise. I can't afford to fail my little ponies, not again."

Frustrated, Luna levitates the plans out of her sister's grasp who turns around annoyed. "None of us will be of any help to anypony if we're too weak to mount any significant defence when the time comes. You, Cadance, Shining Armour, and the Royal Guard need to rest. We'll stand guard with the Night Guard overnight." 

Celestia looks at her sister incredulously. "Won't you just wear yourself out?" 

Luna flashes a smile. "Something we picked up whilst imprisoned was the ability to siphon off lunar energy to keep ourself energised. Now, get some rest. We'll raise the alarm immediately if anything happens during the night." Celestia reluctantly nods and exchanges a look with Cadance and Commander Light Brigade before moving into her own tent. 

As the Royal Guards slowly move into the arrangement of tents, the Night Guard leadership descends. Luna smiles slightly to see her second in command standing to attention. "Is everything in place, Commander?" 

Commander Aegis Shield bows and nods. "The defences are in place and the Guard are ready, Princess Luna. All monitoring spells are still fully operational. If Nightmare Moon tries anything, we're more than ready." 

After a very long and stressful day, Luna allows herself to chuckle at Aegis Shield's formality. Even off-duty, he refuses to call me anything but Princess even after I told him that he should call me just Luna informally. He and Shining should compare notes. she nods in acknowledgement and the Guards man thier stations aside from Aegis who takes up his post beside his Princess.



Ponyvile




Ponyvile Park


After the initial shock, many of the ponies that had spent the better part of a morning cowering in terror in thier homes have decided to continue thier interrupted schedules. The Shadows seem to pose no immediate threat, even if they’re rather intimidating looking, and Ponyvile is no stranger to everything from Dragons, to ancient enemies to Parasprites appearing so they just roll with it if it poses no apparent immediate threat.

After an afternoon picnic, seeing as school had been all but cancelled after all this, DiamondTiara and Silver Spoon calmly walk home for the end of thier scheduled sleepover. As they do, Silfer Spoon keeps an eye on the Nightmare Shadows as they calmly walk by. "What do you make of them, Diamond?"

Diamond Tiara scoffs. "They look different but they're the same as everypony else. Most of them don't even have Cutie Marks." 

Before Silver Spoon can respond, the Shadows appear to receive a signal and immediately consume the nearest pony in mist. The two fillies exchange a look and race towards Rich Mansion as several airborne Shadows come after them as well. Although it almost completely exhausts them, they manage to reach Rich Mansion only to find the building in complete darkness. That's odd, mom and dad were home when we left. 

As they reach the front door, the Shadows dive bomb them so Silver Spoon shoves Diamond inside and slams the door shut just as the Shadows reach her. "SILVER!" Diamond soon can't hear anything above the whirling of the mist outside as she breaks down. Sh-she sacrificed herself for me. She gave herself up so I could escape. She could have just let them get me and saved herself but she didn't. Silv, I... Thank you. 

Before long though, she hears a gentle if timid knock on the door. "Diamond, are you still there?" 

She freezes at the sound of Silver Spoon's voice on the other side. "Go away, I just saw my friend die and you won't get me too."

The voice on the other side of the door becomes shaky on the other side. "I-I know it sounds impossible but I'm still Silver Spoon. Bump, bump, sugar-lump rump." Diamond swallows nervously as she tries to bite back the urge to cry out. It-it must be just using her memories to get to me. Soon though, she hears sobbing on the other end which makes her stomach churn. It's am awful sound and one she could hear from no other pony. 

She puts a hoof on the doorknob but hesitates for a moment. Do you really want to do this? Those things will get you if you go out there. "My friend is out there suffering. I'm not going to abandon her for anything." She throws open the door, runs out, and hugs Silver Spoon as the mist moves in.



Derpy's House


Dinky Doo watches from behind her bed as an enormous cloud of darkness encompasses the street outside and everything is plunged into almost total darkness. Outside though, she can hear multiple frightened screams get abruptly cut off by loud swooshing. Where's mom? She should have been back over an hour ago. I hope she's okay and hasn't been caught up in this. She shivers at the thought of what could have happened only to hear the front door open. Squeaking in terror, she dives under her bed and tries to be as still as possible.

"Dinky? Dinky, are you home?" Dinky almost cries out with relief at the sound of her mother's voice but something instinctively tells her to stay hidden. "I've got a surprise for you, Dinky. A wonderful, beautiful surprise I never thought possible." As Dinky tries to make herself as small as possible, she hears her bedroom door open and sees two hooves come towards her. She holds her breath but a head soon bends down to stare her in the face. "Found you." 

Dinky nearly screams at the glowing yellow eyes looking right at her but stops herself as she recognises them. "M-mom?!" She finds herself scooped into a hug by her mother which she happily returns. Mom is a little different but I don't care. Mom is still mom. "Mom, thank goodness you're safe. I was so scared. What's going on?"

Derpy smiles even though Dinky can't see it. "Something wonderful. Rainbow Dash gave me a wonderful surprise that fixed my eyesight. No more slamming into walls for me." 

As her fear has slightly subsides, Dinky notices that her mother's eyes are no longer criss-crossed and are instead completely focused on her. "That's wonderful, mom." 

Dinky looks outside again worriedly as more screams erupt and Ditzy sighs. "Rainbow Dash's gift is what's best for everypony but they just haven't realised it yet. Sometimes, you don't understand how much you need something until you have it." Seeing the fear in her daughter's eyes, Ditzy rubs a comforting wing down the unicorn's back. "If you want, you can receive the reward too."

After a few minutes of serious thinking, Dinky looks at her mother nervously. "Will it hurt?"

Ditzy smiles reassuringly. "It's quick and completely painless. You won't even know what happened before it's over." Dinky looks at her mother one more time before nodding her consent. As her mother turns to mist around her, she manages to keep her nerves at bay by reassuring herself that her mother knows what's best for her.



Not far away


Thunderlane slams his front door shut and holds it closed with his body. Dear Celestia, those things are fast. He hears the creatures slowly stop trying to break down the door and fly away so he slinks down with relief. "Those-those things were doing such unspeakable things to ponies that I just couldn't... Maybe I should have..." 

Thunderlane shakes his head. No, you're being ridiculous. There's nothing that you could have done for them and you would only have been caught yourself. He inhales and exhales twice before getting up. "Now I just have to find Rumble and-RUMBLE!" He realises that his brother may have been caught outside and begins to panic until he hears familiar movement upstairs. He races upstairs to find the door to his brother's room closed but the sounds of him waking up are clear. "Rumble, are you okay?"

He hears his brother jump from inside. "Thunderlane? Is that really you?" He opens the chained door and Thunderlane can't see inside. Before he can speak, the door shuts again and then reopens as he is nearly bowled over by Rumble. "Are you okay? I was with Dinky when suddenly day turned to night and these weird shadow things appeared so I ran and hid." 

Thunderlane sighs with relief as he looks over his brother for sign of injury. Finding nothing, he puts Rumble onto his back as he spreads his wings. "Hold on tight, Rumble. I'll get us to Canterlot as quickly as possible."

Before he can take off, Rumble jumps off. "Before we go, I need to get something first." Confused, Thunderlane follows his brother into his room only to immediately regret it. Waiting for him is one of the creatures from outside sitting as quietly as if it had been invited. "Rumble, get back!" He tries to back out of the room only to find Rumble in his way. "What the?" 

Thunderlane's eyes go wide as he sees his brother's eyes glowing in the dark; something he saw several times on the way here. Instinctively, he takes flight and bolts for the window just to bounce off of it like it were made of elastic. He tries again to the same result so he turns with a fighting stance to the creature as he prepares to launch at it. Before he can, he sees mist closing in around him and smiles with slight pride as he realises who is must be. Well done, bro.



Above the Ponyvile Sweet Shop


Lyra and Bon Bon finish sealing the doors and windows with wooden boards and the most protective shield magic that Lyra knows. "Are you sure this will hold them, honey?"

Lyra sways slightly from the strain of keeping so many powerful charms going at once. "It has to. Princess Celestia will be here soon; we just have to hold out until then."

Bon Bon catches her wife when she trips over her own hooves and helps her onto the sofa. "Lyra, this isn't sustainable. You're only going to hurt yourself even if we do stay safe until help arrives."

Lyra glares angrily at her beloved. "And what do you suggest?! There's no way out!" Seeing the hurt look on her wife's face, she sighs and looks at her apologetically. "I'm sorry but what can we do? I can't let those things get in. I couldn't live with myself if anything were to happen to you."

As they embrace, there is a loud bang against a window and Lyra jolts in pain. "Dear Celestia, those things are strong." With each slam, Bon Bon watches her wife strain to keep up the magical protections. "I'm o-okay, it just hurts a bit."

Bon Bon looks mournfully at Lyra as she tries to hold in tears of pain when the most powerful strike yet slams the window. "Lyra, enough! You can't do this!” Her voice softens after a moment. “I won't let you. I won't allow you hurt yourself just to keep me safe." 

Her wife looks at her sadly. "I-I have to. If I release the spells, they'll get you."

Bon Bon takes Lyra's hoof in her own and looks her bravely in the eyes. "Then they'll get both us together." As Lyra cries out in pain at the next strike, she looks into her wife's eyes for the final time before they kiss and Lyra releases the spell. The next slam breaks in the window and the last thing either pony sees are each others' eyes before they are consumed by the mist.



Outside Ponyvile Town Hall


Mayor Mare forlornly watches her ponies getting consumed by the all encompassing mist. Some scream in terror, some try to run, some have panic attacks, some break down into tears, some cling to thier loved ones, some faint dead away, and others take the chance to confess thier feelings to thier secret crushes. As she watches the mist creep towards her, and knowing how futile trying to run is, she sits in place with a small content smile. "Well, I had a good run."



Behind Sugarcube Corner


"ATEEEEEEENTION!" The few Royal Guards left inside Ponyvile snap to attention before Commandant Hard Flank. "We may be stuck here but that doesn't mean we can just stand around waiting for rescue! Our mission is to stop those creatures and save as many ponies as possible! We can't rely on the Princesses this time so I expect professionalism!!! Do I make myself clear?!"

"SIR YES SIR!" Hard Flank is about to yell new orders at his men when he is cut off in surprise. Somehow, his men have started to levitate into the air and twirl around in big circles. I have got to lay off those drinks when I have work in the morning. The fact that ten fully armoured and quite large Guards of assorted builds and races are being spun in the air by what appears to be a yellow and orange newborn foal certainly isn't helping his view on his own sanity. I really need to get my head examined. He opens his mouth to deliver troop deployment orders just as a large cloud of shadow engulfs him.



Ponyvile Schoolhouse

 
Cheerilee slams the door shut and braces it against her back, breathing heavily after having ran all the way here. If it were up to her, she would have fled towards Canterlot the instant the attack happened. However, her duty is to rescue her students and damn her to Tartarus if she will forget that! As she looks around though, she sees no-pony even though the school is designated as a refuge. “Hello? Is any-pony here? It’s okay, it’s me.”

From under a desk gradually creeps out a familiar patchy colt. “Mrs. Cheerilee?”

Cheerilee breathes a slight sigh of relief. “It’s good to see you’re okay, Pip. Have you see any-pony else here?”

Pipsqueak shakes his head. “Nah, I ram here the instant everything went dark earlier. I haven’t seen anything.”

Cheerilee tries to take that as evidence that they found safety and not the… alternative. “It’ll have to do. Come on, let’s get to safety.” As she turns to leave, she fails to notice the mist coming from behind until she is completely consumed.



Ponyvile Theater


The crowd roars as Trixie pulls a magically compressed Pegasus out of a matchbox. "Thank you, thank you! The Great and Powerful Trixie loves you!” As it turns out, when the world goes to hay, ponies like to have something to take thier mind off the problem if it doesn't seem to pose an immediate threat. Fortunately for them, Trixie had just come off of a tour and been setting up another show so it worked out very well. Sure, the weird misty creatures that appear to be pure shadow are new but she let them in anyway. New races of ponies and creatures seem to be coming out the woodwork lately and didn't seem to be hurting anypony so she decided what the hay. 

“And now for my last trick!” Just as Trixie prepares her coup de gra though, a spell she's been testing that'd allow her to teleport without a flash, her attention is drawn to a strange black mist creeping across the crowd. That isn't part of the act.



Ponyvile Hospital


Nurse Redheart forces herself to keep a straight face as her patients become increasingly distressed by what they can see outside. She has just finished helping to call down a colt with a broken leg who is worried about his mother when she bumps into Dr Plaster. "How bad is it, Nurse?"

Nurse Redheart shakes her head. "The patients are terrified and the foals are worried about thier families. I've sedated the worst cases to keep them calm but everypony else is on the verge of having a panic attack." 

Dr Plaster node but, before he can respond, the distant but familiar sound of the front desk's bell ringing drifts down the corridor. "Please excuse me, Doctor." She hurried to the front desk with a patient smile. "I'm sorry but visiting hours ended over five hours ago. Can you come back to-" 

She's cut off by a face full of Pinkie Pie. "Hi, Nurse Redheart! I'm sooooooo sorry for being so late but I was just so, so, so, so, so, so excited to get here that I lost track of time! I've got everything I need for my monthly "get well soon" party!!!" 

Nurse Redheart shakes her head, passing off the mare's black coat as just another example of Pinkie's weirdness. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, but it's much too late for a party now. It's almost eight o'clock." 

She sees Pinkie's mane start to deflate so she looks over at the party pony with a sorry smile. "B-but I always throw them a party on the first Sunday of every month!" Before Nurse Redheart can apologise again, Pinkie suddenly perks up. "Ooh, I've got an idea." 

As Nurse Redheart is about to object, Pinkie turns into mist and passes around the nurse. As the mist drifts off down the hall, Redheart is too surprised to move. As she collects herself, she hears a frightened cry from Button Mash. Nodding to the security guard on duty, they hurry down the hall and burst in. "Pinkie, I must strongly insist that you-" 

To thier surprise, Nurse Redheart and the guard don't find Pinkie scaring Button Mash but instead a large swirling mass surrounding Button's bed. The guard can barely believe his eyes. "Uh, what am I supposed to do about that?" At the same time, similar cries ring out from across the hospital including one that sounds like Dr Horse. Before either can react, the mist turns back into Pinkie Pie and reveals a black coated Button Mash who immediately jumps to his feet. 

On instinct, Nurse Redheart rushes over and gently pushes him back onto the bed. "Steady there, you still have to heal." 

Button Mash looks at here with a smile. "Pinkie healed me!" He wiggles his broken leg but, instead of wincing in pain, it moves perfectly normally. 

Nurse Redheart is speechless as she hears Pinkie giggle behind her. "Night-time Flare sent me to make aaaaaaall the ponies in hospital better." The guard is paralysed with shock so Pinkie takes the opportunity to consume him next and Nurse Redheart takes the opportunity to leave.  Since when could Pinkie Pie perform medical miracles? What is... No, you didn't just see any of that, you imagined everything after a stressful night.  She breathes out before turning the corner to find a shadowy creature staring at her. She isn't even able to scream before being consumed.




Similar scenes play out all across Ponyvile at around the same time as Night-time Flare's plan starts to come to fruition. On the far side of town though, two exhausted and emotionally drained fillies flee towards thier final bastion of possible safety.