Sandra breathed heavily as she laid against the wall of the alleway. Smolder was above somewhere, calling out for her. She slid down to the ground, sitting down.

She didn’t know why she ran away when Smolder called for her. She just… didn’t want to talk with her.

What was she doing? Hiding from a friend after another former friend yelled at her? She didn’t want to be found. She didn’t want to have to think about it.

There was a tug on her magic, the summons. One of her summons was asking for attention? Maybe it was a good idea. She pulled back on the tug, and Twilight Sparkle popped into existence next to her.

Oh. She made a displeased noise.

Twilight tilted her head, making a soft horse noise.

“I don’t wanna talk about it, Twilight.”

“Why not?” Twilight’s voice rang in her head.

Sandra frowned.

There was a moment of silence, and Twilight broke it. “Spike was… just trying to help, you know?”

“You ask him about that?” Sandra murmured.

“Well, no, but I see no reason to disbelieve that he was being honest about it.” Twilight smiled. “I’m not sure if he thought going behind your back was good, but he probably shouldn’t have.”

Sandra made a groaning noise. He probably was trying to help. Even if it was a little rude. But… “I dunno. I dunno what I think about it.”

"You want to reach the top of the tower." Twilight looked to the tower that loomed high over the city. "But why?"

"Huh?" Sandra peered at her summon as if she had lost her senses. "That is what adventurers do."

"Clearly not all of them." Twilight looked back to Sandra, her wings fidgeting on her back. "Reaching twenty is considered a big event. That implies, to me, not everyone does it. Do they stop being adventurers?"

"Well, no…" Sandra worried her fingers together, hands touching. "Some do other things, I suppose. Why?"

"That is my question." She directed an equine hoof at Sandra. "Why do you want to get to the top? Don't say Spike and the others. You wanted it before you met them, did you not?"

"My parents… They made it up so far." She let out the last part in almost a sigh of a statement, looking alone.

But she was not alone, Twilight gently pressing her snout to Sandra's forehead. "How far?"

"Ninety-nine," she pointed up at the tower. "They were sure they were just about to reach the end… They said I'd be the one. Each generation pushed further. If they got to that, surely I could bring it home…" She threw her hands up in the air. "And then I messed it up. I messed it up for everyone that got stuck with me."

"So, out of tradition then?" asked Twilight, one ear up, the other drifting to the side. "I have a friend who would strongly empathize with that. I'd bring her, if I could." Her unspoken but heard voice laughed gently in Sandra's mind. "But what stopped them, your parents I mean? If they were so close…?"

Sandra recoiled, but behind her was a wall, causing her to awkwardly bump into it. "What do you think happened?! They died. They tried their hardest and paid the biggest price you can. You get that high, the tower stops wanting to see you struggle, and starts trying to end you." She just as suddenly turned to the side. "Not that they even died in there."

"Wait, you were just… How did they die then, if it wasn't the tower?" Twilight sat on her haunches, a little whicker escaping her. "I'm not trying to pry," she assured even as she pried. "I want to help."

"They were more than tower climbers. They were soldiers, heroes… They made a lot of friends, and a lot of enemies. One of those caught up to them… I was there, getting under their feet at the worst time…"

"You're their foal," argued Twilight. "I feel certain they didn't want you anywhere but safe."

"Well… they got that." She threw up a hand. "I'm alive and they're not."

Twilight inclined her head to the left as she rose up to all fours. "And you got scared." Sandra winced. "But who wouldn't?" Sandra looked to her confusedly. "I'd be a little rattled if my parents just… did that for me… But, that was some time ago, I get the impression?"

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"Yeah," she miserably allowed. "Look, Twilight." She pointed way up towards the top of the tower. "If you get to the top of the tower, you get a wish. You can remake this lousy world. I thought… maybe I could save them. I could get there, wish for them back, pay them back for all the work they did for me, you know?"

"You are making progress," noted Twilight in a cheerful tone. "And you're surrounded by--"

"Twilight," screamed Sandra suddenly. "You don't get it! One wish. One party, one wish." She kicked a bottle that smashed against the far wall, exploding into glass shrapnel. "I either fix the mistake I made and send your friends home or I rescue my parents, not both."

Twilight's cheerful expression broke, ears sagging, tail going limp. Her entire frame seemed to deflate a little. "Oh…"

"There you are." Smolder touched down, dodging bits of broken glass. "Eeesh, they haven't cleaned this place in ages. So what are you two whispering about?" She noticed Twilight and Sandra both hurriedly trying to compose themself and arched a brow. "Am I interrupting something?"

Twilight tried to reply, but whickers carried little of her meaning.

Sandra lifted her shoulders. "Sorry, I was being dumb. Spike's trying to get us to the top of the tower, that's all he was doing."

Smolder emphatically thrust up a thumb. "Oh, all good? Oh, wow, were you given a friendship lecture? She's good at those," she laughed in sympathy. "Well, we're already away from the boys, so how about a girl's night out?" It suddenly hit her. "Actually, what about that party they're supposed to throw us?"

"Yeah…" Sandra turned, pointing. "The guild's back that way, guess we should go report in."

"I'm here," came Twilight's gentle mental voice in Sandra's head. "We can always talk."

"Yeah," she sighed as she got to walking. "Always."

"Always what?" Smolder followed along, hands behind her head as she walked easily. "Hey, look. Spike's a bit of an idiot, but a good one. I know he wasn't trying to hurt any creature." She thrust a hoof at Twilight. "I mean, seriously, she's his big sister and she's the literal Princess of Friendship."

Twilight smiled in a horse-like fashion when Sandra looked at her. "She's not lying."

"You're a magic talking horse, but you're still a horse," gusted out Sandra, throwing her hands up. "Horses and dragons do not make each other."

Smolder blinked slowly. "I am missing most of this exchange, but, please, do continue…"

Twilight snorted softly, nostrils flaring as her voice echoed in Sandra's mind, "We're getting distracted. He's an adopted brother and I love him very much. Now, Tabitha, why are you so angry at her?"

"I'm not angry at her," Sandra suddenly shouted as they emerged onto the street in time for people to stare at her outburst. "I mean… Look, just seeing her makes me feel like a horrible person."

"Harsh." Smolder came up between Twilight and Sandra. "What's all the badness about? So you didn't rock the tower the first time in. Neither did we, but we got better, right?"

"It's more than that…" Sandra rubbed behind her head a moment before raising her staff, shoving it behind her back where it hung out of the way. "Look, when we met, she thought 'Oh boy, I get to adventure with the daughter of two amazing heroes. This is going to be great!' And I was, you know, nothing like she imagined. I let her down, and I let me down, a lot…"

"You got better," noted Smolder before her lips turned in a smirk. "Sure, it was after she was gone, but you got better. Not everyone can work with everyone else. You needed some dragons in your life." She ribbed Sandra from the side. "Who doesn't?"

Sandra smiled, returning the wry grin. "I can't argue that. A few dragons can make any day a little better." She rolled a hand as they walk. "Provided they aren't trying to burn your things."

"If I burn something, you deserve it," noted Smolder with a sandpaper dry edge.

"She doesn't mean that," quickly added Twilight, trotting behind them. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Sandra paused, causing Twilight to crash into her and almost sending them both tumbling, but she caught herself to a skidding stop. "Yeah… A little. I, look alright." She turned towards the two, Twilight and Smolder. "I owe her an apology, a real one."

Smolder hiked a brow. "What for, and who, Tabitha?"

"I blew her off." Sandra crossed her arms. "I did that. I have to live up to it. I got better, good, great even, but that doesn't undo what I did!"

"So, what? Gonna get her a makeup gift?" Smolder lifted her shoulders high. "A sorry card?" She snorted as they walked. "Sandbar got me one of those once. I razzed on him for days… But it was kinda nice."

"You did not!" But Twilight's alarmed expression didn't travel as well as the words that only reached Sandra.

"Something like that, but a card wouldn't work." Sandra frowned, facing ahead and resuming her journey. "She's a woman of action, that's what made her so mad in the first place, my not acting… How can I say sorry for that?"

Smolder suddenly smiled. "The same way you can patch things up with Spike."

"Hm?"

Smolder grabbed Sandra by the shoulder. "Convince Spike to give up something he got that's really shiny, maybe not the best stats, but fits their class. They both have the same class, right? Give that to her. Promise her you'll get something for her from each boss we punch in the face until we get to the top, as a thank you for putting up with your nonsense."

"That hardly seems fair," muttered Twilight. "It wasn't an entirely one-way relationship, was it?"

Sandra held up a lone hand at chest height. "No, you have a point there. That's action. That's putting up instead of just talking." She grinned. "Besides, we're going to get to the top, and I get to show off by raining little gifts on her every ten levels."

Smolder's teeth were quite sharp as she spread a wide smile. "Now you're getting it. You get to apologize and show off at the same time. Wins all around."

Twilight applied a hoof to her face loud enough to create a low thunk of a clop as she vanished, her connection between worlds snipped in a moment of complete exasperation. If they needed her, they could call her.

Sandra was smiling and laughing, directing their movement back towards finding Spike. They had an apology gift to give, and a party to set in motion!