Garble shoved open the big doors, a prideful grin on his face. “Nailed it!”
The party was all smiles as they headed through the portal, and Garble put his guildchain into the white pillar of light, and it glowed. He wheeled around. “Toldja we had it this time.”
Smolder cackled with a teasing grin. “You didn’t say we had it, you just complained loudly we had to leave after the fourth time.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because we coulda had it that time, so obviously I had the faith we could do it this time.”
“There was a whole extra phase though!” Spike protested, also going up to the portal. “We never got to it before.”
“And good thing too,” the sourceless voice of Twilight rang out. “I’m not sure that it would have been as easy to run during that last phase, it was so chaotic…”
Sandra pat Twilight on her head. “Don’t worry, every other time we were able to get out, if it was too much we would have gotten out that time too.”
Lost in thought for a moment, Twilight plopped down on her rump. “Do you think maybe the tower doesn’t want us to not be able to ascend it? We have been able to escape more or less when we wanted, if things got too hard.”
“Who knows what the ‘tower’ thinks,” Smolder said. “It’s a place not a person, Twilight--er,” Smolder looked back, a little sheepish. “Professor.”
Twilight waved her hoof. “I already told you, there’s no need for formalities here.”
That was when Spike saw him, the older human he had seen several times before. Not even waiting to see that his friends likely couldn't see the man, he hurried over. "Hey."
"Hello yourself. You have reached another grand point. The tower acknowledges you as a proper challenger now." He nodded softly, eyes resting on those behind Spike, chatting animatedly and not seeming to notice his presence. "Do you have a question?"
"More than I can count," admitted Spike easily with a little smile. "Without using a question, don't suppose you could tell me how many I get, is it just one?"
"Just one, and I won't count that." He leaned forward, hands coming down on his knees. "You interest me. Ask."
"Just one… just one." He looked over his shoulder at the others. "Hey, if you had one question…" He trailed off, turning back to the man. "If I ask them, you'll take that as the question." The man smiled, but said nothing. "I'm getting the hang of this. Alright. We're headed to the top. We want to go home, and do it properly. If we get to the top, can we go home?"
"You can go home, certainly, but will you, at the top? That remains to be seen. Many roads spread before you. You see only one, but it branches on branches, and I watch and wait. Press onwards, little dragon. I await you on thirty."
Smolder set a hand on his shoulder. "Who are you talking to?"
Spike turned, pointing at the man. "Oh just…" But the man was gone when he looked back. "Nothing…"
The five of them walked out of the tower into the town proper, Twilight deciding to stick around a little more. Smolder squinted, the light of the setting sun across the town making it hard to see.
Twilight took in the sight of the exotic city and its many biped inhabitants. Unlike Equestrian High, most of them appeared well in their adult years, with only one child being led by a larger in sight, a parent perhaps? Most were human with strangely uniform coloration in shades of brown instead of the many hues of Equestria High.
That was the world Spike and the others had been living in, a city, alien and wonderful. Twilight felt warring urges to study and hide. She had seen them to safety, a break might have been in order. But as she was going to wave her farewells, a figure approached. “Well well well…” The familiar feminine voice said.
Tabitha stood ahead of them, clapping her gauntleted hands. "How'd it go?" She was looking directly at Spike. "Did you rise up to be a true divine lord? Or are less savory elements still holding you back?"
Garble folded his arms with a sneer. "Shove it. You're looking at a bunch of winners that don't have time for this."
Sandra looked on, the familiar depressed resignation hitting her. Tabitha was here to make her life miserable, and maybe she deserved it. But did it have to come right after they succeeded? It’ll be over soon and they can forget about Tabitha again…
Spike, however, folded his arms and looked proud. “That’s right. We cleared the boss of the twentieth floor.”
Tabitha strode up to Spike, confidently patting his shoulder. "I knew my training and your resolve would come together. Congratulations, anyone that makes it to 20 is real stuff."
Smolder hiked a brow. "Including me?"
Tabitha's eyes made a mighty roll. "Including you, Combat Culinarian. Even if you're using a strange class, making it to 20's a big deal." She crossed her arms under her chest. "It means you've encountered most of what the tower has. It only gets harder, but not different, get it?"
Sandra's fingers clenched around the ornate features of her staff as she stepped forward. "What about me? I did it too."
Tabitha turned away with a loud grunt. "It's the job of any good Divine Lord to carry and bridge the way forward, no matter what team they end up with. So long as they keep pushing, the Divine Lord will be the spear's tip." She thrust a hand up into the air, just to clench it into a fist at the apex of the motion. "Something we've both now done."
Garble lifted his shoulders, a puff of smoke escaping him. "Right, so you're done with the whole 'dragons ain't adventurers' thing, now?"
Tabitha waved the comment away, turning back towards them. "Obviously you dragons are adventurers, you made it to twenty." She hiked a brow. "But I'm still pretty sure you're not dragon dragons, those things are way bigger than you, and don't sign up for adventuring guild duties. Whatever, adventurers, you're those, demi-human or not."
"She has a troubled feel," echoed Twilight's thoughts in Sandra's head. "I've seen ponies like her before. Not that she's a pony, but that doesn't change much. Why is she avoiding you?"
"Because she hates me," replied Sandra out loud, glaring at Tabitha. "I did it, Tabitha. I made it. I got to twenty too," she almost growled out, a strange new sense of anger welling up in her. "You told me to give up--"
"--You told you to give up," interrupted Tabitha, finally looking at Sandra. "I tried dragging you. I tried convincing you. You gave up, not me! And you dragged us along for the ride along the way."
“What was all this crap about how I shouldn’t be an adventurer!” Sandra’s voice cracked.
“You shouldn’t! You had all the damn advantages.” Tabitha started extending her fingers, one by one. “Your parents are famous powerful adventurers. You had your first class when you were younger than anyone else I know, and the training to match! You have the magic to back up that, too. You are here and you almost never have to worry about money, because, once again, famous parents. And I gave you nearly a dozen chances.” She got up closer to Sandra, anger unseen contorting on her face. “And you threw it back in my face, time and time again.”
Sandra tried to put up a fight. “W-well that’s not an excuse for how you’d talk to me.”
“Are you aware of what I went through for you?” Tabitha’s voice was grave. “My name was mud. I kept trying to start new groups and the word got around that I was unreliable. I couldn’t make anything work. I had to get newbies from out of town to trust me. And that day you didn’t show up… I just told them that I guessed someone welched on me. We went out, and had a successful day. A long day.” She paused, letting that settle a little. “That day, for the first time, I felt like the bridge that was bringing a party together, instead of someone making excuses for her friend.”
She stepped back, gesturing to her party. “And here it is, yet another new chance. Another spoon in your mouth. A whole party, inescapably yours, ready to drag you over the finish line.”
"I'm not useless." She had meant to state it, nice and evenly, but it had come out more as a shrill call that had everyone in the area looking at her. Her cheeks darkened with a combination of rage and embarrassment. "I've pulled my weight. I'm helping." She gestured to the surprised magic-horse standing beside her. "I have their precious friend right here, and I'm going to reunite them at the top of that damned tower!"
Garble huffed at the exchange. "Whatever. She's helped us a lot more than you have, jerk. You're just lucky they don't allow fights in the middle of the street. Get out of our faces. We have a celebration to do." He marched right past her, almost running into her friends.
"Pardon me," Tomás deferred, dancing to the side. "I hear my team-mate is making people scream over here."
"I was doing no such thing," defended Tabitha with a bit of a pout. "They got to twenty and--"
"Congratulations!" interrupted Tomás with a bright smile. "This is a great day then. Tell the guild, they will throw you quite the party."
The dragons looked to Sandra questioningly. Sandra blinked. "What? I never got to twenty myself…"
"It is true," insisted Tomás, moving to slap a hand on her shoulder as if they had long been friends. "Just tell them and let them do the work. Everyone will want to know the news." He turned just as suddenly on Tabitha. "We will come, assuredly."
His unspoken challenge was heard clearly. "No, thank you." Tabitha folded her arms tight. "I already congratulated my student. Good job." She about-faced, walking away briskly.
Tomás made a disappointed face. He looked back. “Well, I will be there, at least.” He waved and jogged to catch up at Tabitha’s pace.
The five of them watched Tomás and Tabitha leave, turning the corner. Smolder turned to Spike. “Her student?”
Spike laughed weakly. “I needed some help with being a Divine Lord… and her name was on the list. I kinda thought--”
“That you’d go behind our backs, huh?” Smolder said, huffing out a bit of smoke.
“I didn’t think it was a good idea to tell anyone!” Spike protested. “Yet. I mean tell anyone yet.”
“You do realize Tabitha has been awful, right?” Smolder said, anger in her eyes.
“S-she was cool without Sandra around. She was helpful.”
“You’ve seen what she did,” Smolder held her hands out. “And how she treated our friend and now you’re taking her side?”
“I’m not-I’m not taking her side,” Spike protested. “I thought I could help!”
Smolder got up closer to Spike. “Well fine help you were. Watching her be a jerk to Sandra, right here. If you were so chummy with her, why didn’t you do anything?”
“I-I’m not her best friend now!” Spike said, holding his hands up defensively. “I was just trying…” He looked at Sandra. Her expression was hard to read, something mixed of frustration, betrayal… she turned away, walking away as briskly as Tabitha did.
Spike reached out. “Sandra!”
Smolder stopped him and flew out after Sandra, leaving Spike there with Garble and Twilight.
Twilight moved over to Spike, nuzzling him in comfort, and he smiled.
Garble just looked down, his eyebrow raised. “Wow you really screwed this up, huh?”
Twilight opened her mouth, but only a soft nicker escaped before she vanished in a purple haze of sparkles.