Derpy couldn’t help but tap her hoof nervously as the elevator rose to the twentieth floor of the apartment complex. Her client, Neon Lights, hadn’t shown up for the meeting to decide on the cover for his latest single. Stepping out, she walked straight down the hall to the apartment that Vinyl and Octavia used to occupy.

Raising her hoof, she knocked the door lightly and called out, "Mr. Lights?"

No answer came, so she knocked again.

“I know you are in there. Open up.”

Again, silence. Frustrated, she fumbled with her key ring until she found the right one and unlocked the door.

The apartment was dark—all she could see inside was a sea of trash that seemed to move in the low light. Unwashed dishes piled up in the sink, a decorative wall lamp had been ripped off its mounting and hung by its cord like a gymnast on a trapeze, and plastic food wrappers surrounded the main path like cemetery headstones.

“Lights? Where are you?” she called into the darkness.

“Go away,” a low voice croaked from the bedroom.

Derpy's ears pricked as she walked over and threw open the bedroom door. A stallion with a bluish-gray coat and a grey mane laid on his side in the bed, partially covered by hastily thrown blankets.

“It’s two in the afternoon. We were supposed to meet at Manehattan Records two hours ago. Where were you?”

“Minding my own business. Talking to the suits is your job, isn't it? I thought that's what you manager types were good for.”

“I am, but I also have to make sure you're in a fit state to meet your deadlines.” She looked over at his bedside table, which was covered in empty bottles. “How much did you drink?”

“Not enough, apparently," Neon grumbled, rolling over to face the wall. "Why do you care, anyway?”

“Of course I care! I'm your manager. What if there was an emergency press conference today? Do you even think about things like that?”

"Mrm. Not my problem." Neon groaned as he reached for the one bottle that wasn't quite empty yet.

Derpy seized it and shook her head.

"No."

"But my head hurts. Ever heard of hair of the dog?"

"Yes, but you've drunk enough. I can smell you from here."

“Figures." Neon's hoof limply fell to his side. "I remember when all I had to do was make music by the deadlines. My last manager didn’t give a shit how I spent my free time.”

“Drinking and sleeping with random mares every night isn’t the healthiest way to spend your free time.”

“Just make the deals you've gotta make, help me sell my records, and stay out of my personal business," Neon grumbled. "But if you really want to be helpful, you could get me an aspirin."

"You brought this on yourself, so you can get your own aspirin. I'm your manager, not your mother."

"You can say that again," Neon said with a laugh, trying to sit up in bed and flopping back down. "Probably for the best, though; you'd make a terrible mother."

Derpy recoiled as if she’d been slapped, regaining her composure as quickly as she could and frowning. "I am a mother, you know."

"Yeah, I know. It hurts, doesn't it? That's how I feel right now, so feel free to stop lecturing me and get me a damn aspirin."

"No." Derpy turned her back on Neon. "I'm going to let this go because you've been drinking, but there won't be a second time. If Vinyl ever spoke to me the way you just did, she'd be out on her ass."

One of Neon's empty bottles exploded against the wall, inches from Derpy's head. "Vinyl Vinyl Vinyl!"

“Are you crazy?!" Derpy yelled as she whipped around to face Neon, but he continued as though he hadn’t heard her.

"You don't think I know that I'm just a replacement? That my childhood dreams only came true because some bitch cracked under the pressure and ran off?” He was ranting now, thrashing weakly, still half-buried under the covers. “Why do you think I'm on Vinyl's old label in Vinyl's old apartment with Vinyl's old manager?!"

"What, do you want sympathy now too? You just threw a bottle at my head!" Derpy took a step toward Neon and he shrank back, scrambling for another bottle.

"I have more! Stay back!"

Derpy took another step forward.

"Why do you hafta be such a bitch, huh? All I wanted was an aspirin! Or can't you do just one nice thing for me?"

"I am being nice. You just assaulted your manager. I should call the police. I should have you thrown out of here so fast it'll make your head spin. But instead, I'm going to give you one chance to say you're sorry, clean up this mess, and never let me catch you jeopardizing both of our careers again. Are we clear?"

"But—"

"Are. We. Clear?" Derpy stared at him, eye-to-eye.

Neon bit his tongue. Red-faced and breathing heavily, he seemed as though something inside him were boiling. "N-no! You can't control me like that! No wonder Vinyl left you! I'd leave too if I were stuck with such an uptight, bitchy, cross-eyed retard!"

“Retard! Retard! Cross-eyed retard!” The laughter of the other foals echoed across the playground as they circled Derpy, who lay huddled underneath the jungle gym. “Whatcha gonna do, retard? You gonna cry, retard? Come on, cry. Cry for your mommy, retard. Come on. Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna—”

Whump.

Suddenly, Derpy's hoof felt warm and wet, and it took several seconds for her to register that she had driven it into Neon's face. He lay on the bed, sobbing in the fetal position as a bruise formed around his eye.

"You hit me!" he squealed. "You hit me! I'll—I'll get you! I'll get you fired!"

"Go ahead. You go tell them how I hit you and then you can have fun explaining why I've got pieces of glass stuck in my mane." And my ear, Derpy realized suddenly, only noticing the cool trickle of blood as the adrenaline surge subsided.

"And besides..." Derpy turned and walked out of Neon's bedroom. "I quit."

Six months had passed since Vinyl and Octavia moved away from Manehattan and settled into Ponyville. While they were not living a life of luxury, the two ponies found life in the small town to be much more comfortable than in Manehattan.

Vinyl had continued relearning piano, while Octavia had spent her spare time playing in front of Sugarcube Corner, making a small, but adequate wage from tips.

Outside, the temperature was dropping. Snowflakes danced through the air and settled on the rooftops, making Ponyville look as though it had an ever-worsening case of dandruff. Octavia was engrossed in a saucy romance novel while Vinyl improvised a slow, calming piece on the piano. A few logs crackled in the fireplace, their warmth making the winter outside easy to ignore.

Two sharp knocks on the door jerked Vinyl out of his reverie.

“Who is that?” Octavia asked, lowering her book.

“I dunno. I’ll get it.” Vinyl got up and unlocked the door, slowly pushing it open.

Derpy was standing on the stoop in front of him, with Dinky hiding beneath her for warmth. Both were wearing coats and scarves to keep themselves warm from the winter weather.

“Oh,” Vinyl said to no one in particular, shuffling his hooves.

The two stood there for what seemed like hours, saying nothing. What was there to say?

As Derpy looked at Vinyl, she started to notice small changes from when she’d last seen him. He was still short and scrawny, naturally, but there was a firmness to his body that wasn’t there before. He’d kept that ridiculous mane and tail cut, but it seemed to suit him better than it did the first time she’d seen it.

The biggest shock, however, was his voice. He’d deepened his voice before, but it had always been clear that he was faking it; now, he spoke naturally in high baritone. He didn’t have a deep, macho tone, but it was definitely a stallion’s voice.

“Hey,” Vinyl said, breaking the silence.

“You look... different,” Derpy said quietly, not meeting Vinyl’s gaze.

“Do I?” Vinyl looked himself over. “I guess I haven’t really noticed. Transitioning has been… gradual, I guess.”

“Mommy, I can barely feel my hooves,” Dinky whimpered.

“Oh. Come in,” Vinyl said. “It’s, uh, not going to get warmer anytime soon,” he added, forcing a polite grin and opening up the door to let the two in.

“Vinyl, who is—” Octavia gasped as she recognized the pair. “Derpy? Dinky? What are you doing here?”

“Octavia!” Dinky yelled, jumping out of her coat and hugging Octavia.

“Way to make me feel left out, kid.” Vinyl closed the door behind them.

“You get a turn soon!” Dinky said, keeping herself wrapped around Octavia.

Derpy chuckled, hanging their coats and scarves on the nearest coat rack.

“So… we have a lot of catching up to do.” Vinyl looked between Derpy and Dinky. “But first, who’d like something to drink?”

“I want hot chocolate!” Dinky yelled, letting go of Octavia.

Derpy looked at her daughter and nodded. “I’ll just have a coffee,” she said, smiling shyly.

“I’ll have one too,” Octavia said.

“All right. Make yourself at home.” With that, Vinyl went over to the kitchen and filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove, wanting to get the drinks prepared.

Why is she back now? Vinyl thought as he waited for the water to boil. And without warning me at all? Did something happen?

In the living room, Dinky sat on a chair, bouncing as she told Octavia about the trip to Ponyville while Derpy walked around the living room.

“I haven’t been here in a long time, but it looks like you two have been keeping this place well maintained. It’s funny how so many things stay the same, regardless of how everything else has changed.”

She immediately noticed the mess of papers and other materials scattered around and atop the piano. What really drew her attention, however, was a framed photo of Claret sitting at the front of the open piano “Well, mostly. Is Vinyl… playing piano again?”

“He’s picked it back up quite well, ever since…” Octavia paused, staring at the photo of Claret.

“He told you about Claret?”

“Yeah.”

“She was a great mare, probably the closest thing to a mother I had.” Derpy smiled, cradling the photo. Despite the smile, Octavia could hear the sadness in her voice.

“So, are you still playing?” Derpy said, placing the framed photo back on the piano.

“Oh, yes. I have been playing at Sugarcube Corner for some time now. It’s not the Canterlot Royal Symphony, but I enjoy it. At first I was skeptical, but ponies have been showing up pretty regularly and they keep coming back. At the end of the day, I make a good chunk of money from tips while the business itself gets more customers.”

“That’s great to hear.”

“Sorry for the wait,” Vinyl said, walking into the living room holding four cups in his magical aura.

“Thanks,” Derpy said, grabbing it with her hoof. Vinyl lowered Octavia’s cup to her and she accepted it gingerly.

“Thank you.” She blew across the rim of the cup to cool it down.

“Yay!” Dinky grabbed her cup of hot chocolate and took a sip, immediately wincing and spitting it back into the cup. “Hot!”

“I didn’t think I would have to tell you it was hot,” Vinyl chuckled, sitting on the sofa next to Octavia.

“I’ll sue!” Dinky yelled.

Derpy sat next to Dinky, stroking her daughter’s mane to calm her while trying to think of something to say.

“So... you are probably wondering why we are here.” Derpy said.

“Vacation?” Vinyl shrugged, sipping his coffee.

“Actually, I quit my job just two weeks ago.”

“Oh.”

“I thought Neon Lights would have helped keep my career alive, but— if anything— I think the company assigned him to me because they wanted me to quit.”

“What was so bad about him?”

“Well, he made music, but whenever he wasn’t, he was drinking and having sex with who knows how many mares. I’m not against having a good time, but his habits were interfering with his duties. He didn’t have much respect for me either.”

“What made you quit?”

“He missed a meeting, I found him hungover at his apartment, and when I confronted him, he threw a bottle at me and…”

Derpy stopped, shifting in her seat.

“And what?” Vinyl asked, leaning forward in his.

“He called me a retard.”

“Oh wow. I’m sorry, Derpy.” Vinyl scratched the back of his head. “After that one time in school, I thought that was behind us.”

“Am I missing something?” Octavia asked, stepping into the conversation.

“Derpy was bullied a lot for her eyes throughout her youth. The other foals called her retarded because of them, and I sometimes had to back her up.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine,” Derpy said, taking a sip of her tea. “At the very least, I managed to hit him pretty good before I said I quit.”

“Heh, nice.” Vinyl grinned.

“Not really. Sure, it felt great, but now I am out of work and I lost all my benefits.”

“So that’s why you are here now?”

Derpy nodded her head.

“I’m sorry,” Vinyl said.

“For what?”

“For quitting right there on the spot. That was foolish of me.”

“It’s fine.” Derpy took a sip of her coffee. “I am sorry for telling them everything about you. It was a part of my job, but, at the same time, I almost ruined our friendship.”

They all sat in silence for a moment.

“Do you have anywhere to stay?”

“No.”

“You and Dinky can stay here then,” Octavia chimed in. “We only have one extra bed, but you can stay here until you find a place to live.”

“Thanks, Octavia. I’ve actually found a place, but it turns out it doesn’t open up until tomorrow. I didn’t really want to ask, but...”

Vinyl shook his head. “It’s fine, really. It gives us an excuse to make use of my old room. Besides, what am I gonna do, tell Dinky to sleep in the snow?”

Derpy threw her arms around Vinyl. “Thank you, Vinyl. This really means a lot.”

“No prob.” Vinyl waved it off with a slight smile. “But if you’re moving down here, I’d assume you already have another job lined up, right?”

“Well…”

“You don’t?”

“I have enough saved up to get by for quite a while. I have time to find something that matches my skillset and interests.”

Vinyl cleared his throat, looking at Octavia and then back at Derpy. “Well, if you aren’t doing anything yet… I’ve actually been looking over mom’s past compositions, doing a little tweaking here and there. I think the label she worked for could be interested in it. I just need someone with some good business skills to make a deal with them.”

Derpy blinked. “So, after losing both of our jobs and moving to another city where we’re far away from the music industry’s infrastructure and where we have little to no influence, you want me to manage you as a musician?”

“I’m not hearing a no~” Vinyl said, waggling his eyebrows.

Derpy sighed, letting out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “You know what? Why not?”

The rest of the evening passed in relative silence. Dinky had plenty of energy, of course, but she soon wore herself out running around and talking about things that were only important to her, and collapsed on the sofa. Derpy talked over some more details with Vinyl, then went upstairs to sleep in Vinyl’s old bedroom, while Vinyl and Octavia retreated to the master bedroom.

“Hey, Tavi.”

“Yeah?”

“Have I changed? I think both of them were looking at me differently.”

“Physically? Yes. Personality wise? Not a bit.” She kissed him on the lips.

Vinyl returned a smile and laid his head on the pillow.

“I still feel Derpy may hate me for what I did earlier.”

“I don’t think so. There may be some tension, but I think she is stressed from losing everything like we did.” Octavia turned off the lamp and laid down next to Vinyl. “We can talk about all of this tomorrow. Let’s just be happy she and Dinky are here and safe.”

“Yeah. Night, Octavia.”

“Goodnight, Vinyl.”

Derpy woke up late in the morning, still tired from traveling. She slowly sat up and walked down the stairs, not minding her bedmane and rubbing her eyes to clear her vision. Walking into the kitchen, she found everyone else sitting at the table and eating breakfast.

“Morning ma!” Dinky smiled.

“Hey sweetie. What time is it?” Derpy asked as she sat down at the table.

“Almost eleven,” Vinyl said, drinking from his mug of coffee.

“Wow, I haven’t gotten that much rest in a while.”

“One of the unemployment’s many benefits. It’s not so bad, y’know. Aside from the whole having no money thing.” Vinyl rose from his chair and got a cup of coffee for Derpy, passing it to her.

“It’s nice." Derpy sipped her coffee. "So, Vinyl... Not to be rude, but how did you change so fast?"

"What?"

"Well, your body structure and voice. You just look and sound so different compared to months ago."

"Oh, the doctor here in town made me sign a waiver and I got on the drugs I wanted to get on for months. It's coming close to six months now. At my last checkup, they actually increased my dosage."

"Well, you look handsome. I'm jealous, Octavia."

"Don't get any ideas." Octavia snickered.

"Mom, where am I going to school?" Dinky asked.

"Probably where I went, Dinky,” Vinyl said. “The school here isn't that bad. Better than the public schools in Manehattan, at least."

“Dinky and I are looking to check out my place later this afternoon. Do you want to come with, Vinyl?”

“Sure.”

A few days had passed since Derpy and Dinky moved into Ponyville. With Vinyl’s help, they managed to move their belongings into a house in a neighborhood that was close to Vinyl and Octavia. Aside from a few differences here and there, the layout of this home was similar to Vinyl and Octavia’s house.

Inside, Vinyl carried a mattress with his magic, surrounding the object with his magical aura. He stood at the top of the stairs, pulling it up behind him while Derpy pushed from below.

“I didn’t think they could put this much stuff on a carriage,” Vinyl said while the two placed the mattress in a bed frame.

“Well, I wasn’t lucky enough to have a home already full of furniture when moving.” Derpy sat down and took a breather.

“You didn’t spend two days dusting an entire home either.” Vinyl fell onto the mattress, exhausted from using his magic.

“Touche.” Derpy shrugged and sat at the end of the bed.

From downstairs, Vinyl heard the sound of the front door being unlocked and opened. “Hello!” Octavia yelled as she closed the door behind her.

“Up here, Octavia,” Derpy called. She grabbed the bottle of water she kept at her side and took a swig from it.

“Hey, can I have some of that?” Vinyl asked.

“I’ve got more bottles downstairs.”

Octavia poked her head around the hallway and walked into the bedroom.

“Hello.” Octavia waved.

“Something up?” Vinyl said.

“I got a call from Fancy Pants.”

“That name sounds familiar.” Derpy scratched her chin.

“He is the owner of the Canterlot Royal Symphony Hall.”

“Oh! Yes! I remember him! I had a small chat with him before a few months back before Vinyl’s performance. He said he was interested in the ponies it would bring to his theater for the first time.”

“Interesting. So, what did he call about?” Vinyl asked.

“He said he will be here in town tomorrow. He will be visiting us tomorrow afternoon.”

“What for?”

“Something grand, he said.”