Hey - gramatically, kind of. Contextually, no. 'The reality' doesn't scan right here, the article needs to go. 'Reality had something else in store [for them]' would be more idiomatic. Making abstracts the subject of the sentence only really works in fixed phrases, otherwise it just sounds a bit odd. Matt

To make it a sentence, put a comma after "but". Reality lays waste to our brilliant plans. Reality doesn't have a mind. It cannot decide anything. That doesn't mean it can't have a mind in some poetic sense so your sentence can be said to make sense. However, your metaphor is not easy to interpret. Without context, it is puzzling. I see "reality" and "the reality" as being equally acceptable.

No. You could say "The Universe appeared to decide differently." Americans sometimes say "the Universe" instead of "God" if they are not religious. Good luck!