//------------------------------//
// Sounds of the Motor City in Four Part Harmony. 
// Story: The Band 
// by Ben Matthews 
//------------------------------//

Four Part Harmony (Intermission)

Trixie's trailer arrives on the outskirts of Detrot. "Any idea where we can park the trailer?"
"How about a park?" suggests Octavia,
"Don't trailer parks attract tornadoes?" asks Lyra
"In Trixie's case, it's  ursas." jokes Vinyl.
Trixie grimaces, "Please don't remind me." 

After some searching, they park the trailer in an abandoned, empty, lot.
Sweetie Belle watches Trixie cast an illusion spell, hiding the trailer and its contents from plain sight. Then looks at the rest of the band. "Everypony remember where we parked."

Sweetie Belle threw the newspaper into the trashcan in disgust. For such a booming city, there is surprisingly very few jobs available, They must have been snapped up so quickly. What's worse for the band; All the concert venues of any type are booked; Even some of the dive bars that were likely to be worse then the Blue Parasprite back home in Ponyville. 
Sweetie sighed as she got back on her tired hooves to pound the pavement again, in search for work of any kind.



Trixie Lulamoon and Wild Rover walked down the streets; searching each others eyes more often then the want ads posted on some of the  walls.



Lyra Heartstrings grins as she watches the new couple walk away together. As Rover and Trixie fade away in the distance, so does her smile. Magically manipulating pen and parchment out of the saddlebag she is wearing. Lyra composed a letter to Bon Bon. Sometimes drawing a line through a word or sentence, 
When done, she folded up the letter, to be mailed latter. Placing it, and along with the pen, back into her saddlebag.



Octavia Melody looked up at the sign."Hitsville, Equestria. Quite pretentious for such a small recording studio." The cellist shrugged her shoulders; She has been accused of the same. 
"Well, we have to start somewhere, All the other places have been booked for weeks. We don't have the money to wait for a random opening. Great! I am talking to my self!" Shaking her head as she goes through the door "Hope I don't start answering myself."

The manager, Berry Hits, greets Octavia, a fellow earth pony. "Hello, what can I do for you?"
"Hello, my name is Octavia Melody. The Band, which is the actual name by the way," The musician briefly shakes her head, "would like to record a single or two; to  be played on the radio. Unfortunately, we don't have plenty of cash. The promoter from our last concert is slow in paying us."
"We might work something out, depending on how well your group sounds. I am looking for new acts. If you are as good as you look and sound..."
A dangerous glint appears in Octavia's eyes, "Don't get any bright ideas! I am only here to play music. And Sweetie Belle, the lead singer, is not so sweet when band members are taken advantage of."
Berry raises his right front hoof, "Easy there.Those thoughts barely had a chance to form. Besides, I don't have time for that sort of nonsense. This operation is barely surviving as it is."



Meanwhile back in Ponyville...

Button Mash was actually cleaning his room at a good and efficient  pace. With Sweetie Belle away, his passion for video games has somehow diminished; Which gave him the opportunity to get into other kinds of trouble he normally didn't get into.
His mother was worried that that he was sick or something. Button nodded to himself; Yeah, he caught a bug, the Love Bug. How gross!



Sounds of the Motor City

"Octavia, are you sure we can afford this? We simply do not have the money for a recording session. Even if its in... " Pauses as Sweetie Belle looks over the old building. " a place like this."
"I made a deal. If they like one or two songs of our songs, they will record us at a discount. I haven't made many recordings, But I doubt that is a normal arrangement."
"If this back fires..." 
Wild Rover.said with reassurance,"Don't worry. Sweetie; With your Special Talent, they may even record us for free." Then he smiles, "I may even have the perfect song right now.:"



During the break, Lyra asks, "Rover, is it true?"
"What is true?"
"That Trixie and you ran into your mother."
"Yeah, and lets just say that they did not get along very well, at all."

After the break,Wild Rover records another song



Berry Hits, approaches, the band. "I heard him sing a couple of songs, and they are good. But, I would like to hear one of the ladies sing as well."
Sweetie Belle nods at the manager,"I have a song I would like to sing."



As soon as Sweetie is done Berry Hits shouts, "Print it! Print them all. We got ourselves a winner here."
Octavia approaches, with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "So the deal is still on? A discount for three songs."
Berry Hits knew that look in her eyes. Despite hard times, he tried to run an honest business,He had no intention of cheating."Forget the discounts. I am letting you record these free, I  will make up the costs of the recordings when we sell millions of copies!"

The band cheers, realizing they may have hit the big time.
Even Trixie lets loose a few fire works, to the horror of the record manager.  Fortunately for the studio equipment, the display was an  illusion.