Sunset

“Goldie, Goldie! Wake up.” Brownie Button said, shaking Goldie Sugar. The couple was laying in a soft warm bed. It was morning, but the sunlight wasn’t filtering through the window.

Goldie stirred, and lifted her head, “What's wrong Brownie?” Goldie asked, with a concerned look on her face. The gunsmith curled up closer to Goldie, and looked at the semi closed window.

“I don’t know,” Brownie Button said, a nervous frown on his face, “It’s morning, but there is no light,” Goldie shot up and jumped out of the bed, her wings splayed out. She opened up the windows and gasped.

There was no sun, and not much light except lamps and candles lit by frantic ponies all across Ponyville. Goldie pulled Brownie out of bed by his short red tail, and he flopped on the floor right as Goldie bolted out the door. He grabbed his glasses, and galloped outside to find Goldie.

She was standing in the midst of the street, were ponies galloped wildly and screamed in the darkness. Brownie stood next to her, mouth wide open at the sky. It was pitch black, as if an inkwell had been broken and filled the sky.

“But, it's morning… The sun is supposed to be up!” Brownie stammered, in a kind of fearful awe.

“Don’t worry, Brownie,” Goldie said, trying to reassure herself and Brownie, “The Mane 6 will help us.” Brownie nodded with a worried look on his face, as he stood and stared at the sky with Goldie.

That was, until a royal guard galloped into Ponyville, shouting “Equestria at War! Mane Six taken captive by King Sombra! Princesses in Coma! All able-bodied ponies wanted for war!” He passed by the couple, his speed ruffling Goldie’s mane and Brownie’s chest fluff. Brownie adjusted his glasses, and snorted angrily at the guard.

Another soldier passed by, but this time he wasn’t shouting. He was giving ponies little booklets on what to do in this new, apocalyptic emergency. Brownie held theirs with his magic, and flipped through the pages. His face fell as he read, and he passed it to Goldie. She read it, and her heart began to fill with fear. Goldie and Brownie looked at each other, crestfallen.

Goldie flew to the farmers market, hoping to get more answers to unseen questions. But all she found was angry ponies, fighting each other for produce to stock up on. Guards held citizens back from carts of food which were heading for a bunker, which just began being built. Goldie flew away, and met back with Brownie Button at their cottage.

“I just checked with the boss.” Brownie said, sullen, “he says that all the guns we were working on are going to the new Ponyville armory, situated near the castle.” He shook his head and sadly laughed, “We’re going to start up a little factory outside the ‘ville in a week, you know, to make more armory for the troops.” Goldie began to feel sadder, knowing that she would have less time with Brownie than before. She lit a candle and placed it on a table, next to a loaf of bread.

Brownie Button nervously started eating some bread, as Goldie Sugar started to pace, trying to think of what was going on right now. Goldies mind was going through many thoughts, most which were trying to figure out what was going on and how she was going to deal with it.

“Why is it so dark? Scientifically, even if Celestia forgot to raise the sun, there would still be a bit more light out. It wouldn’t be that dark outside!” Goldie ranted, her heart rising in her stomach,” It’s like all the light is being sucked out, or turned to darkness, or something.”

“Could this be something with King Sombra?” Brownie Button said, looking at Goldie, then outside a window. His cheeks bulged with a lemon poppyseed muffin.

“Well, I think so,” She sighed, “If hate and anger fill the Crystal Empire, then the darkness it brings is reflected all across Equestria.”

“King Sombra and the Crystal Empire will be Equestria's downfall,” Brownie said, shoving a cupcake in his mouth. His eyes were wide open, filled with fear and worry. Goldie wiped some crumbs from Brownies chest fluff.

“They said we’re at war. But I don’t see what I can do.” Goldie bemoaned, rearing up on her hind legs to see better outside.

Brownie Button adjusted his glasses nervously, and remarked, “Well, I can make weaponry, they'll need me for sure. Maybe even on the battlefield as a draft pony.”

“But Brownie! You can’t leave here! Don’t even think of that!” Goldie snorted with disapproval, “We can wait this out together! Remember the procedure? We can’t be put at risk”

“Goldie, you’re overreacting. We’ll stay here and wait this out. I can still make weaponry here, so I won’t be in danger.” Brownie said, putting a hoof on Goldie's side.

“Aright,” Goldie sighed, with a small smile on her golden face. She looked at Brownie, who had a frown on his face, still trying to hide the worry clouding his eyes.

“It just isn’t right.” Goldie Sugar mumbled, concerned and worried.

The day passed on without much happening. Goldie and Brownie stayed inside baking and playing video games. They peeked outside a bit, but only to see darkness and frantic ponies, galloping this way and that. Goldie only went outside to give a guard she recognized a cupcake and a glass of water. Coffee Clock was his name, a balding green pony with a pleasant smile.

Inside the house Brownie and Goldie sat, looking at candles while watching an uninteresting show.

“I wonder what the Princesses are up to.” Brownie Button remarked as he watched two actors stumble onto the set, their acting as awful as the Flim and Flam brothers. Goldie Sugar looked up from a bowl of sugar cookie batter and cringed.

“Uh, in a coma,” Goldie said with a frown as she added cocoa powder into the mix. Brownie laughed, a laugh that simpily said ‘I’m stupid, but funny’.

“I’m guessing you haven't been paged to do some illustrations for the hospital.” Brownie nonshalontly said, shaking his head at the antics of the characters in the show he was browsing.

“Yup.” She tried to laugh. She look outside, “I wonder why.”

“Oh, I mean, that would be good if we weren't at war. You know, since we were planning to watch ‘Mad Mares: Fury Road’ tomorrow at the Appaloosa.” Brownie stuttered. He was awkward with romance and dates. He adjusted his glasses, while tilted to the side after his stuttering.

“It’s alright Brownie, after all of this strangeness happening, I can understand.” She said, trotting up to Brownie and sitting next to him after she put the cookies in the oven.

The two curled up playing Manecraft and eating sugar cookies, not thinking about what was happening. But their not so ignorant bliss was interrupted by a knock at the door. Brownie Button grabbed his trusty .22 that he kept near the door, and looked out a window to see who it was knocking at their door.

“Uh, Goldie?” Brownie turned around,” It’s your sister, you know, Sequin? The Wonderbolt one?”

Goldie ran to the door and opened it, beckoning in a weary looking wonderbolt. The Wonderbolt took off her goggles, and untied her long blue and rose gold mane. Her light blue coat was soaked with sweat and rain, and her wing feathers looked frayed.

“Sequin! What are you doing here?” Goldie asked, “Uhh, where's A.J.?”

Just then, a little black hamster with pearlescent blue wings shot into the cottage, blowing past Goldie and slamming into Brownie’s chest fluff.

“Sorry!” The hamster squeaked, peeling herself off Brownie’s chest.

“No problem,” Brownie smiled, fixing his lopsided glasses once more. The little hamster flew over to Sequin, who had sat on a couch and sipped some water. She looked shocked, like a deer being blinded by Manehattans city lights. Goldie sat next to her, patting the pegasus’ back in a gentle, sisterly way.

“Hamster Sequin, my dear sister,” Goldie said, using a low comforting voice, “why are you here?”

“I have awful news big sis, really big news,” Sequin announced to her sister and Brownie. She petted A.J.’s head slowly, calming her frazzled Wonderbolt and fashionista nerves. She took a breath, and went on.

“Celestia, Luna, and Cadence have fallen into a coma, along with having some rocky crust on their horns.” Paris paused, and looked at her sister’s shocked eyes, “The best doctors in Equestria are tending to them, but nothing seems to be working. I may not have the medical knowledge you have Goldie, but I’m thinking two things: Sombra did this.”

“And ?” Brownie asked, munching on a random bag of popcorn.

“And I’m thinking the rocky crust thingy is causing the coma. Like when Sombra tried to come back that one time and Shining Armor ended up getting that crust on his horn. I think it’s like that, but worst.”

“That's why nothing is happening, you know, with the weather, light… wow.” Brownie Button said, shocked and a little queasy looking.

“So what does that mean, for Equestria?” Goldie Sugar asked, nervousness tinting her voice.

“Well, shall I say; Welcome to the Apocalypse. “