When one lived as long as Starswirl, dwelling in a realm between realms where time and space would never act in the way they should, you'd have a lot of time to kill. The old unicorn sat quietly in his favourite chair, watching the fires before him, with a beloved book within his hooves. A sigh escaped him, and he'd flip through page after page, enjoying the story as best he could. Granted, he'd read this book many times over, which was odd when he literally had every conceivable book anyone from any reality could have ever written. But, when you had your favourites, you tended to go back to them. A smile was upon his lips, and overall, it looked as though he was in a good and relaxed state right now. But, as the moments passed, his eyes would drift over to the table in the centre of his study, and he'd show hesitation. But then, he'd look back to his book, and then back and forth, before finally releasing a deep exhale, setting his book aside.

"...Very well then."

Taking hold of his cane, the old wizard struggled to get himself out of his chair. After all, just because a person didn't age here didn't mean they weren't still subject to all the same maladies and strains of mortals. But, he'd eventually managed to get himself out of there, and slowly walked over to the table. Yet another moment of hesitation came to him, but in the end, he finally placed his hoof upon the ancient object before him. Immediately, it lit up, and many images appeared around him. Visions of worlds after worlds swirled about his head, and he'd look to each of them, as though looking for something specific. Then, his eyes narrowed, for he had found what he was seeking. One world that stuck out like a sore thumb among the myriad images. Dark and cold and lifeless. A vision of an Equestria that no longer was. Whatever life there might have been there, it was long gone, and Starswirl frowned deeply to that sad image.

"...Dead."

He turned, looking upon yet another image of a once-thriving world. This too was barren, devoid of even the tiniest blade of grass. All peoples and creatures swept away from it, never to return.

"...Dead."

He looked to image after image, world after world, seeking all the specific ones he'd seen so many times before. He knew they wouldn't be different, he knew nothing would have come back, but even so, he could not help but look to them again. He found the worlds he was looking for, and as his eyes passed over each of the visions provided to him, he kept muttering the same words to himself.

"...Dead...dead...dead...dead...dead...dead...dead...dead..."

"Um...Sir?"

The stallion paused what he was doing, turning slowly to see the worried face of the young mare walking up behind him. Starlight, looking more than a little concerned for him right now, simply stared at him, half-pleading with him over what he was doing. Starswirl looked back to her, his expression softening considerably, and he sighed yet again. Looking back to the table, he lifted his hoof from it, and the images finally stopped. Now, it was just him and his ward in his study. Nothing exceptional to suggest the otherworldly nature of where they were. Starlight watched as her mentor again struggled to walk back to his chair, and she moved forward to aid him. He smiled in appreciation to her, and before long, he was back in it.

"Thank you, Starlight."

The mare gave a sigh of her own, casting a glance back to the table.

"Why do you keep doing that to yourself? You know what you're going to see."

Starswirl's expression became somewhat harsher.

"I just...need to remind myself sometimes. I need..."

Slowly, he too looked to the table.

"...I need to remember the worlds beyond this place...the worlds that suffer and die."

Starlight looked to him, despondent.

"You can't interfere, you know that. I've heard almost nothing else from you since I got here."

The stallion nodded.

"Yes. My privilege...and my burden."

His grip on his cane tightened.

"Here...I am safe. Free to watch the worlds from high above, always beyond their knowledge."

His grip loosened.

"But...I cannot save them. Time and time again, I see the same danger come for them. Breaking through the barriers between worlds...it always comes for them."

Stepping forward, Starlight placed her hoof upon his.

"One day...it might be stopped. Maybe one Equestria, out of the many out there...might halt it in its tracks."

A dry chuckle escaped the ancient wizard.

"Oh, how I wish it were so, my apprentice. But...I have seen countless worlds...and none have had the strength to stop it."

His eyes narrowed at the table.

"Once...there was a world that had no magic, and no weapons of any kind. A world that couldn't even try to fight off what was coming for them."

A grimace came to him.

"In that moment...I broke my vow...and came to that world's defence."

Starlight looked to him, astonished, but said nothing as he continued.

"I...I finally came face-to-face with the threat I had spent so long watching...the doom of all those other worlds...and I fought it."

He turned, once more staring at the crackling fires nearby.

"From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought it. I used all my greatest spells, all the experience and knowledge of magic I had."

His eyes shut tightly.

"And in the end...it was not enough. I failed...and retreated."

Another sigh.

"I returned here...and that world fell...just like all the others."

Silence fell between the two, and for a long time, Starlight didn't know what to do or say. She could see he was ashamed and guilty over everything right now, whether justified or not. She wanted to cheer him up, to try and say something that would convince him not to hate himself this much. But, in the end, she could only think of one thing. Carefully, she walked around his chair, standing next to the fire herself and looking deeply into it.

"You...you saved me."

Gradually, Starswirl looked to her, seeing her speak again.

"You showed me my future. You showed me what...what I would become if I carried on my path."

She frowned.

"A mare of anger and bitterness, ruining the lives of others. You..."

Turning to him, she smiled.

"...you kept me from that. You taught me, guided me...made me better."

A moment of hesitation, and then, she walked back to him, getting down to her knees before gently placing her hoof upon his again.

"I know you feel you failed all those other worlds, and that you must feel frustrated beyond words at whatever limitations you feel you have here. but..."

Her smile widened.

"But you're no failure, Starswirl. You've done good in your time here. Not just watching...but acting in the moments where it counted."

She stood tall once more.

"Maybe you can't save everyone...but I know you saved me."

Another silence crept in between them, and Starswirl looked at the honest and well-meaning young mare before him. She'd meant every word of that, and he knew it. Slowly, and after much consideration, a smile returned to him, and he gave a slow nod to his pupil.

"Thank you, Starlight. I suppose...I haven't been all bad, eh?"

A giggle escaped her, but she soon looked on to see her mentor look yet again to the table.

"Still...I wonder if any of the warnings I have ever given will be heeded? That measures will be taken to...to do what I could not?"

Starlight similarly looked to the table, before looking back to her teacher with a degree of optimism in her voice.

"You've warned many, Sir...and the danger can't keep winning forever. One day...it will be halted."

Looking back to her, the old unicorn let out a dry laugh.

"Ah...to be young and full of hope."

His apprentice cocked an eyebrow to that.

"Well...one of us has to be."