A metal centaur with a terrifying skeletal appearance stood in the middle of the room. It was made from some unknown metal, bluish-grey with no reflection, no shine, had a damaged, sparking leg with smoking joints, and had a connection to the ceiling via a tether of glowing, pulsating crystalline fibres. For a moment, Tarnish considered charging it, but it didn’t seem threatening and he thought better of it.

One glowing blue cyclopean eye blazed brightly on the mechanoid construct’s face, and where its mouth would have been there was what appeared to be a brass grill. Light-emitting crystals protruded from its head in several places; some of which were bright, while others had gone dark and dull. Perhaps the most curious thing about it was its skeletal nature, and its two torsos, banded metal cages that surrounded precious mechanical equipment. A centaur, it could be said, was a creature of redundancy.

“Do come over,” the mechanoid said in a smooth, inviting voice, a living voice. “I am a Director, one of many. I will be happy to speak with you and answer your questions. I’ve been awaiting your arrival. But I really would appreciate watching my show first, if possible. Also, I ask that you do not abuse or bring harm to my assistants. Unlike the other automata in this place, they mean you no harm. ‘Twould go against their programming, I assure you.”

Tarnish did not lower his shield or wrench.

“We welcome the opportunity for a secure, safe chance to rest,” Daring Do said to the construct. “We’re peaceful, until threatened. Well, most of us. Mister Teapot, lower your weapons, if you please.”

Reluctantly, he did what he was told, but took quiet issue in trusting Daring Do’s judgment. He slipped his shield over his back and levitated his wrench near his side. Rainbow Dash was still bristling, which he took as a sign that she wasn’t comfortable with Daring’s judgment call either, and that made him feel better. Vinyl meanwhile, was already fearlessly studying the new model of mechanoid, and he hoped that she was observing its weak points.

“Do come over,” the automaton repeated, all while waving his mechanical hand in a come-closer gesture. “This is a rare sight to witness. A Chosen One is about to self-sacrifice, as Chosen Ones are wont to do.”

Still hesitant, Tarnish took a cautious step forward, and noticed for the first time that the floor was less than real. To look down was dizzy, disorienting terror. Down below him, he saw a ruined, wrecked city, and it appeared as though he was standing in the sky somehow. A battle was raging and incomprehensible pillars of fire rose skyward. Parts of the city were molten puddles of glowing orange liquid and the mountain it was built atop was crumbling.

“This world rejected hope,” the Director said, its smooth voice melancholy and filled with living regret. “Its Twilight Sparkle escaped. ‘Tis an awful thing when the Hopebringer is made to flee. A pony named Dim took on the mantle of the Destroyer, as Dim is wont to do. Alas, this world has mere moments left to live. The Dim models are frightfully good at what they do, though they are not unique. An angry Moondancer model, or a Twilight Sparkle gone Midnight is quite a sight to behold.”

An immense explosion blossomed beneath Tarnish, and for one moment, he was certain he could feel the heat rising from it. Beside him, Rainbow Dash was looking up, her jaw slack, and her eyes were wide with terror. When he looked up to see what had her in such a state, he saw a falling moon, a massive, cratered celestial object. It was right there, and seemed oh so very real. The moon was about to set—directly on the city below.

“How is he doing this?” Daring Do asked, incredulous. “He’s a unicorn. How?”

Tarnish looked down once more, his heart thudding against his ribs like a hammer, and he saw Daring pointing downward with her hoof. He squinted, and suddenly, the image grew larger, larger, and even larger still, as if he was zooming down out of the clouds. There, standing in a crater, was unicorn, the conductor for this concerto of calamity.

“Oh, some amulet of some kind,” the Director replied. “He went through much trouble to find it. Quite a powerful artifact, but I know almost nothing about it. We’re close now. Nightmare Moon is trying to stop the moonfall. She struggles to raise the moon, but Twilight Sparkle’s efforts have left her weak. Any moment now.”

The moon passed through Tarnish, and he was certain he felt something as it did.

When Tarnish blinked a few times, the horrific imagery retreated from him, shrinking, and he stood atop the sky, looking down at the ruined world below. Most of the oceans were gone, from what he could see, there was no green left, and it seemed as though the entire continent was on fire. This world was dying and he could feel it. The bones of the earth had been shattered, the skin flayed away, and it’s precious lifeblood—water—had been tainted beyond any and all hope of recovery.

Something cool touched his neck, and Tarnish let out a startled whinny when he noticed that the mechanical centaur was stroking him, petting him. His terror was such that he almost lashed out with his wrench, but at the last moment, he regained control of his senses. This was kindness, affection, this was reassurance—and not harm.

“Do not be troubled, little one, for this is not the end, but a beginning. Watch. Wait. See. In time, you will know wonder. Dim is a terrible pony, but like all things, he serves a purpose.” With every word, the kind stroking continued, and Tarnish, much to his own shock and surprise, found himself leaning into the mechanical centaur’s soft touch.

“Amazing… you feel it, don’t you? The old magics are awake with you. How odd. This is unforeseen. I wish I could still feel.”

When the moon paused and hung in place, Tarnish held his breath, but was unaware that he did so. Below, the planet was already cracking—vast chasms yawned open—and gravity itself seemed to be in flux, because things rose and fell between the two celestial bodies that were far too close.

Rainbow Dash was clinging to his leg now, and with her every breath she trembled. Daring Do and Vinyl Scratch stood pressed together, comforting one another, and Vinyl appeared to be weeping. Tarnish, with his bird’s eye view, watched as the planet below shuddered during its last agonising moments.

The moon made a terrific impact. Fires blossomed into brilliant light as flames engulfed everything. This end, this terrible, horrible, witnessed end, was unlike anything ever seen and Tarnish felt as though he was a foal once more. A massive crack split the top half of the moon as the bottom half began to liquify.

Overall, the sight was mesmerising and the end came swiftly.

But, this was not the end. Tarnish watched astonished as the flames coalesced; they gathered, drawn together by some irresistible force. The moon shuddered like a shook custard and then fully ignited. He watched as the cadaver of the planet was sundered, almost split in two, and vast jets of liquified rock shot skyward.

Something impossible, incomprehensible was witnessed and Tarnish watched as the raging fires and the corpse of the moon became a new sun. It blazed to life, blinding, and then, much to his own awe and surprise, something flew out of the sun—no, somepony. From the heart of the newborn sun a familiar figure flew, and she rose up in blazing glory, a light to rival the infant sun.

The planet, consumed by flames, was reborn as a new sun rose into orbit.

“See, all hope is not lost,” the mechanical centaur said. “Do you see it?”

A dark shadow rose from the flames and joined the first. Tarnish struggled to make it out, as it seemed to have no form, no shape, no body. It rose to join the gleaming white alicorn that cast her beautiful radiance on the Tartarian nightmare down below. In the cold depths of space, asteroids were smashed together, and for a time, they blazed with molten glory. This malleable lump was shaped, given just the right size and mass, and then went into orbit with the newborn sun.

As the newly forged moon gained its celestial alignment, the shadowy figure took form; an alicorn stallion made of darkness joined Celestia. They did not diminish one another, but circled one another in perfect balance. Light and Dark coexisted with no animosity and the great celestial machine began to restore itself. Stars twinkled, silent witnesses to this restoration.

The two alicorns continued to circle and Light and Darkness wove together. Clouds formed in the atmosphere and with the clouds came rain. With the rain came steam and the scorched planet almost sighed with relief. Tarnish could feel it happening, he could feel life returning as the balance was restored. This was not an end, but a beginning, a rebirth. A violent rebirth perhaps, but a rebirth nonetheless.

Phoenixes were no less interesting for the violence of their birth.

“Dim models are quite unique, as they cannot be dissuaded from their own explosive ends,” the Director said in a hushed, reverent voice. “Inevitably, they self-destruct. It is in their nature to self-obliterate. But given a worthy cause, this self-destruction yields fantastic results.”

Sides heaving, almost panting, Tarnish watched as the familiar white alicorn broke away from her dark counterpart. She swooped into the flames, extinguishing them, drawing them into herself. When she landed on the molten surface of the planet, it rapidly cooled, gained solid form, and from her hooves the first solid continent was formed. Where she stood turned green and the first plants grew, reaching upwards for the precious, life-giving sunlight.

Darkness too, came down, and where he flew, oceans flowed, deep, dark, and mysterious. Tarnish felt tidal magics at work as the flames—a raging placenta—slipped away from the newborn planet. Already, the first trees were growing, sprouting green and beautiful, and Tarnish could sense that oxygen was rapidly returning.

“Celestia and Dim, now reborn, will be left weak after this creation. Once the world becomes self supporting, they will retreat into heavenly bodies, their celestial residences, and they will sleep a restorative sleep. But first, they have to make life and for that—well, I feel that we should respect their privacy.”

“But… I wanna watch,” whined Rainbow Dash.

The mechanical centaur chuckled.

“You say they will sleep?” Daring Do broke away from Vinyl and with a few bold steps, she stood at the Director’s side. “Will they return?” I mean, what would the world be without Princess Celestia?”

“In time, they might return… if they are needed. With a world in balance, they are free to slumber. It is only when the balance is broken that they will become necessary. They will return to shepherd and to be stewards of life, should it be required.” The Director’s voice was sad and somehow heavy.

“Life has a way of doing everything it can to destroy itself,” Daring Do said, almost muttering.

The Director sighed, an odd sound, and nodded.

Suddenly, Tarnish understood Skyreach; at least he thought he comprehended a part of its function. Everything he witnessed was a product of what had been done here, in this place. The means to reset and restore life. With magic, there were threats that could potentially end a planet—threats such as Grogar, or Nightmare Moon. A sort of safeguard had been constructed, a safeguard he could barely understand the scale and scope of.

Down below him, the two alicorns were rushing through a hurried romance, getting to know one another, and preparing to make new life. Ponies, it seemed, would exist, but what of other things? Without even asking a question, an answer formed within his mind, and he understood. How did he understand? He felt an odd sense of vertigo and suffered some crazy thoughts, such as the fact that he had been the one to help plan for these very contingencies.

Life would migrate; it would be drawn through incomprehensible doors. The ways and means did not present themselves within his mind, but he understood the outcome. Once life was established, more life would come—it was just the way of things. There were doors between worlds, emergency exits and entrances, just like the one that Twilight had used to escape her doomed world. These doors were vital, necessary, central to the planned means of restoration.

To tamper with these doors would be folly.

Above and below, the projected imagery faded from view, and as it did, Rainbow Dash whined. Tarnish, small, humbled, confused by his impossible knowledge, did nothing as everything faded away. When he felt a soft touch against his side, he look down and saw Vinyl looking up at him. Without a word, he somehow knew what she was thinking. Were there other Vinyl Scratches? What were they like? When she slipped one foreleg around his and leaned against him, he too, began to wonder. What might other Tarnished Teapots be like?

“Twilight, after she escaped, she came through here?” asked Daring Do.

“Now comes the questions,” was the Director’s knowing reply. “Yes, she came here and was drawn into the inter-planar detritus confinement and disposal lab. I don’t know if it is functioning or not. It’s been a long time. But she came here, to my lab, and very nearly shot my leg off. I tried to reason with her, but she was quite distraught. At least she didn’t damage my optics. I let her go. What else could I do?”

“The silver dragon?” Daring Do gestured at the door they had come in.

“Ah, Silverslip.” The Director froze in place for a moment and several crystal nodes protruding from his head flashed. “She was to be the caretaker for this place after the shutdown. The guardian. When the invaders came, she gave her life to defend this place from their plundering. Oh, by the way, I’d be very careful roaming about this place. There’s an infant godling trapped in here, and she’s very, very angry.”

“Spear Breaker,” Tarnish said after finding his voice.

“Yes, I do believe that was her name when she was mortal. She’s grown beyond mere names now. If you try to fight her, you will die. The weapon to end all wars was discovered here, in Skyreach, and I fear that she has ascended into weapon-form. Containment failed momentarily, but was restored. I don’t think any of the weapons escaped.”

“What is it?” asked Rainbow Dash. “I mean, what are these weapons?”

“I don’t know,” the Director replied. “I do not have access to those files. I am aware of their existence, but I know not what they are.”

“I have a question,” said Tarnish while looking directly into the Director’s cyclopean eye. “What is Skyreach?”

Author's Notes:

Ascended into weapon-form. That's quite a thing to say.