A/N: alright everyone, going to make a chapter providing "you" with an extended one-on-one experiance each of the choices for shipping(though i might throw one or two in the same chapter), which means that after this chapter, you'll have six chapters at most to vote. so far there's a vote for Zecora, Berry Punch, and Trixie. on a side note, please forgive my terrable rhyming, it's not as easy as i thought it was. anyway, vote here at my blog, and enjoy.

After that incident, you walk over to a nearby bar, hoping you can use some of the money you have from home to pay for drinks. When you walk in, the bar goes silent, everypony stopping what they were doing to look at you for a moment. A minute goes by, but it seems like an eternity, and then everyone goes back to what they were doing, and you take a seat at the bar. “What can I get ya, lad?” the barkeep asks as he trots up to you.

“Whiskey, on the rocks.” Is all you say. He nods and trots off to get your drink. Suddenly, you get the familiar waft of alcohol breath, and look to your right to see a bright purple pony sitting right next to you, giving you a look you’re all to familiar with.

“So big boy…. You play guitar?” she asks drunkenly, badly slurring every word. You sigh heavily, but decide to go along with it anyway.

“Yeah, I play a little.” you say as the bartender slides you your drink.

“Well if yer any good, feel free at use the stage we got over there.” the bartender says before leaning in closer and whispering. “It’d be a wise idea ta get away from Berry before she tries somethin’. She’s persistent, that one.” he says before backing up with a laugh. “Unless yer inta that sort of thing.” you only laugh and shake your head before taking a sip of your drink, letting it sit in your mouth for a moment so that the flavor can set in before you swallow it, the alcohol slightly stinging the back of your throat.

“So… you come here often?” the mare you now know as Berry asks, making you laugh.

“First time.” you say, not wanting to say much as you drown your sorrows in peace.

“Don’t talk much, do ya?” she asks, suddenly wrapping a hoof around your shoulder, bringing her face in close to yours. “That’s alright, I hear that the quiet ones are always the loudest in bed.” she says, giggling. You only shake your head and show her your hand.

“Married. Sorry.” you say, wiggling your ring finger and showing off your wedding ring, not really feeling like explaining the species barrier at the moment.

“Aw, don’t give me that shit!” she says, getting closer to your face. “Like you’ve never cheated on her.” she says, making you sigh heavily.

“Actually, I haven’t. Now if you don’t mind, I’m leaving now. Come talk to me when you’re at least sober enough to now the boundaries.” you say before finishing your drink and standing up.

“Damn it Berry, how many times I gotta tell ya!? Stop drivin’ away my customers!” the bartender yells as he walks over. “I’m terribly sorry about her. She comes in every day and gets to shit-faced to remember her own name, then hit’s on anything she thinks she can score with.” he says, shaking his head. “Your drink’s on the house tonight, lad.” he says. You thank him and head out the door, wondering why she would get so smashed. Then you realize you probably would have been well on your way to that point if it wasn’t for her. You sigh, light another cigarette, and lean on the wall, soaking in the events of your day. As you sit there, you see a couple familiar faces. In the hopes that they could help you find employment, you walk towards them.

“Hey Twilight. Spike.” you say, causing them to turn towards you. You notice an unfamiliar pony, white with black stripes and a Mohawk, but pay them no mind. ‘Well at least zebras look vaguely the same as the do back home.’ you think to yourself.

“Oh, hey Joe! We were just talking about you.” Twilight says joyfully. “Oh! I almost forgot, Zecora, this is Joe, Joe this is Zecora, a friend of mine.” she says. You nod and take your cigarette in one hand, extending the other for a shake.

“Nice to meet you, Zecora.” you say. She takes your hand and shakes it slightly.

“It is nice to meet a creature so new.
Tell me Joe, how are you?
From what I’m told, your wounds were grave,
But obviously your life they managed to save.” she says, confusing you slightly. You wonder for a moment if all zebras rhyme in casual conversation.

“Yeah, the doctors patched me up real good.” you say, finishing your cigarette and throwing the expended bud at the ground, scattering harmless sparks across the ground, causing the two mares to rear back slightly in surprise before you step it out with the toe of your shoe. “Sorry ladies. I guess old habits die hard, eh?” you say with a nervous chuckle as you rub the back of your neck.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Twilight says after collecting herself.

“Psh, mares, am I right?” Spike asks, nudging you with an elbow. You only laugh slightly in response.

“Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without em.” you say, holding your hand out for a bro-fist.

“Brohoof accepted.” Spike says with a laugh, bumping your fist with his own.

“But…. Neither of you have hooves….” Twilight says with a confused look on her face, making you and Spike laugh even harder. Zecora simply stands on the sidelines, smiling. You decide that you might as well strike up conversation while you’re here.

“So, Zecora, what do you do around here?” you ask after your laughter dies down. She looks at you, seeming to take a moment to find the right words to say.

“I do not live in town,
For my presence once made the pony folk frown.
But now, thanks to Twilight and her friends,
I can come here to find the means to my ends.
I live in the forest, where I can find plants for my brews,
But I come to town to buy those plants rare, and to hear the latest news.” she says, causing you to look at her for a moment.

“Do you do that on purpose, or is rhyming casually just what you do?” you ask out of the blue before realizing you might have just offended her. “I’m sorry, my curiosity sometimes gets the better of me.” you apologize quickly, but she dismisses it with a smile and a wave.

“It is a question I receive often,
So your worries you may soften.
In my youth, I was a traveling bard,
Back then rhyming was fairly hard.
I asked a unicorn to cast a spell,
And the difficulty of rhyming went straight to-”

“Alright I think we get the point!” Twilight interrupted, jerking her head towards Spike. You can only laugh at censorship of Zecora’s tale. Then you remember your original purpose for coming to talk.

“Hey, I kinda need a job, I don’t suppose either of you could help me out?” you ask, looking from one mare to the other. Twilight puts a hoof to her chin in thought, then sorrowfully shakes her head ‘no’. Then Zecora speaks up.

“I have need of an assistant strong,
To help collect herbs that have eluded me too long.
Come, follow me to my hut,
And I will show you how to harvest the chakra nut.” she says, to which you nod and follow her on the road out of town.

“So, what’s so special about this nut, and why is it so hard for you to get?” you ask, getting straight to business.

“The chakra nut is said to clear the mind,
And to help one search for things that can not find.
I know where to find this nut, though harvesting it will prove challenging.
To reach it, I hope you are good at balancing.” she said, not bringing you much comfort. You never did have the best balance. She sees the look on your face, noticing your discomfort.
“Do not worry I am sure you will be fine,
For you always have the option to simply climb this ancient pine.” she said, bringing you some amount of comfort. Climbing you can do, but balancing? Not so much.

“So where is this tree, anyway?” you ask, not noticing that you were already deep in the everfree forest.

“Right here.” is all she says in response, and you turn to see a large pine tree, going higher than you can see.
“The chakra nut is at the very summit,
So be careful, or else to your doom you will plummet.” she says, causing you to sigh heavily.

“Why the hell does it always have to be heights?” you mutter under your breath as begin to climb the tree.