Our hooves tapped loudly on the hard corridor floor. "I'm sure you'll like her." I rubbed my wrists as I lead Darcy down the halls. "She's a bit...rustic. You'll probably get along." The hall was a calm pale brown. The warm air being pumped in gave it a cozy feel despite the long walk to the next building. "It's on the way, mostly."

Darcy grabbed my hand. "Okay."

I pulled her along down the hall. "I'm sure--" I stopped dead as a satyr with a strange blue-green mane wandered past. "I'm sure...." I stopped and turned to watch her. "Uh...I, hey." I reached out after her. The girl just kept walking, leaving me standing like an idiot. I knew her, from some time, from some place, all lost to poor memory. "I know her."

Darcy walked around behind me. "Who?"

I looked back to her, her face honest and confused. "The mare-" I turned back to an empty hall. "-that-- She was just there." I looked around the dull brown corridor. "Um, nevermind." I rubbed the back of my neck and hurried back down the hall.

The constant tapping of our steps dragged on as we hurried down the hall. A pair of people at the far end caught my attention, a man and a mare were standing just outside the main floor of the college's main offices. "Bloom, I'm sure they'll let ya." One of my father's old friends was chatting idly to the professor I was looking for. His voice was thick, with a heavy bite to each of his words. "I don't think--"

"Aunt?" Darcy leaned to the side, shoving me over slightly. "Aunt Bloom?" She left me standing in the hall and walked over to the pair. I lagged behind and watched as the redheaded professor turned to face us.

Professor Bloom stepped into the center of the long hall. "Darcy? Hey, girl!" The mare walked over to Darcy in a hurry. "What the hay you doing here?"

I walked over, taking up a place beside the man. I looked up to him with a calm expression. "Professor Hicks."

The man looked down to me. "Aye-- Oh pissing hell! The little Anglo spawn again!" He laughed loudly and rubbed his prosthetic eye. "Glass, how ya been?" He stuck his hand out to me. "Burn any labs recently?"

I laughed weakly and met his hand. "Can't say I have...."

Professor Hicks nodded. "And you can call me Joel, not tutoring anymore so you can stop being so uppity."

I pulled my hand away and shrugged. "You're still--"

"Older, smarter, better looking, aye. But that doesn't mean you can't pretend we're equal." He slapped the back of my shoulder lightly. "Such a angsty uptight little shit, still-" he laughed through his teeth. "-glad to see ya again."

I rubbed my arm and looked over to Darcy and Professor Bloom. "Hmm, so what's happening? Why are you two not in your offices?"

Joel fixed his uniform and rubbed his eye. "Bloom's taking over a few alchemical classes, we were about to go celebrate." He rubbed his face, his beard scratching loudly as he did. It made my arm itch, my muscles aching to reach out and touch it. "Who's this?"

I licked my lower lip. "Date? Marefriend? Normal friend--"

"Again?" Joel leaned against the wall into the offices. "You ever take a break?"

I shook my head. "Still an uptight prick, remember."

Joel laughed. "You said prick."

I coughed roughly and looked down to my hooves. "Well, anyways. I think you might be able to help me." I turned to face him. "I need a uniform--"

"For her. Right. I figured." He pointed to Darcy and pushed off the wall. "New student or--"

"Maybe. Probably not--"

Joel scratched his head. "Glass, I can't really give away uniforms just--"

Professor Bloom coughed loudly. "Joel, go help this little filly into something warm." She pushed Darcy towards us, her tail popping up from the hoof on her ass. I stepped to the side as the redhead walked over and swept her hoof behind me. "Ya'll go get warm, I'll take care of this'in."

I mumbled slightly as I was pushed out into the center of the hall. The professor stopped me before I could reach too far from the doors and swung me around. She smiled at me and took a deep breath. "Oh boy, small world." She laughed softly and turned to face the door. "How the heck you bring me my niece outta the blue like that?"

I scratched my head. "Niece?"

Professor Bloom nodded. "Do ya not know my full name?" She smiled wide. "Bet ya can guess it."

I coughed roughly. "Apple...Bloom...." I rubbed my hands together. "Bit of a massive family."

Professor Bloomed smiled and nodded. "You bet. Glad to see little Darcy's gone and grown up. Been a long time since I've seen another Apple."

I bit my lower lip. "To be honest I had no idea." I looked at her uniform, pulled tight and ironed out. "No mark, not real-- I mean...I guess the accent." I looked down the hall. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

Apple Bloom cocked her head. "Depends, you in trouble before we talked?"

"No."

She nodded. "Then I can't really see you being in trouble now."

I rubbed my hands together. "So...." I coughed into my hands. "Uh...." I looked her over. "What's...new?"

Professor Bloom laughed heavily. "Oh boy, you really ain't all that relaxed, are ya?"

I interlaced my fingers and let them rest against my thigh. "Well, you are a professor--"

Bloom shook her head. "Not yet partner. Soon, but not yet." She smiled and moved a hoof to her stomach. "Probably gonna be a momma sooner than a professor."

I felt my eyes pop open. "Huh, congratulations?"

"Thanks partner." She smiled back to me and laughed. "Gonna be a little pony colt."

I bowed gently. "Again, congratulations."

Bloom stifled a laugh and looked up at me. "How in the heck you get a girl like Darcy to put up with that?"

I laughed and ran a hand through my tail. "No idea. Luck? Probably luck, or the nervous charm is finally working out for somepony."

Bloom shook her head. "I'll be danged if you don't have a little bit of adorability on ya. Still, gotta loosen up."

"Oh I am." I rubbed my arms. "Compared to when I left last winter, I'm about as loose as I'm going to get, sober."

Bloom shook her head. "Oh ponyfeathers. Just keep working on it."

I felt something heavy sink into my stomach. "That's actually part of the reason I'm back." I brought my hands together. "A bit of closure." I felt a shallow sickness settle in my gut. "Dear Celestia, I almost forgot." My eyes burned. "Um, do you know where Noteworthy is?" I rubbed my eye. "Dear Celestia, I actually almost forgot...."

Bloom put a hoof on my leg. "You alright partner?"

I took a deep breath and cleared my eyes. "Yes, yes, I'm fine." I rubbed the tip of my nose and fixed my posture. "Got caught up with Darcy, it seemed so much more important for a while."

Bloom rubbed my leg with her hoof. "You need a tissue sweetheart?"

I let out a long breath. "I think I'm okay." I stepped back, watching as a few ponies walked past, their heads down completely unengaged. A cold display, unenchanted by the emotion any of us were displaying in public. Where I would have drawn a crowd in Ponyville, I stood alone in Storm Side. "It's a bit cold."

Bloom smiled and turned to watch the ponies walk. "A little. But hey, if you need somepony to talk to--"

"I have them. I have her." I pointed to the door into the office building. "She's decent at taking my mind off things."

Bloom nodded. "She's a special girl, always done the best for everypony." Bloom's smile slowly turned to a frown. "But, if ya don't mind me asking. Wasn't there somepony else?"

I scratched my neck. "It's not my place to say." As if on cue, Darcy walked out of the offices. She was wrapped up in a thick grey uniform with blue accents running up and down the sides of the legs and the arms. I turned back to Bloom. "Now, if you'll excuse me?"

Bloom nodded. "Go on, you know where I'll be."

I walked up to Darcy and took her hand. She looked back to Bloom. "Uh, I'll tell Mac and AJ you said hi!"

Bloom waved at us as I slowly walked Darcy down the hall. "Yep, keep 'em healthy girl! Keep em strong!"

The tapping returned as we walked down the hall. I took Darcy's hand again. This time instead of the soft pat, a subtle scratch of cotton met my own gloves. "Warm?" I asked calmly.

"Warm." Darcy answered back. "You said ponies weren't nice here. They seemed--"

"They are nice." I held her close to me as we walked down the beige corridors. "You have to find them here though, they don't come to you."

Darcy huffed and pulled me into the center of the hall. "You make it so dramatic."

I pulled her back towards the right side of the walkway. "I suppose so." I thought back to the train, to why I was here for a brief moment. "Darcy."

"Hmm?" Her smile was sweet, her expression so king.

"Thank you for coming." Next Chapter: Hello Father Estimated time remaining: 17 Minutes