A/N: alright everyone, a quick shoutout to everyone who's voted so far, thank you ladies and gentleman for helping me out. Four more chapters to vote, so hurry to my blog post if you want to influence the path this story takes! Current tally:
Trixie:3 Twilight:1 Gilda: 1 Zecora:1 Berry Punch:1 Lyra:1 Cherilee:0

You awake the next morning and groggily sit up, rubbing your eyes for a moment. You take a deep breath of the crisp clean air and allow yourself to crack a slight smile. It was truly a beautiful day. The sun was high, the birds were singing, and there was a cool breeze blowing to compensate for the heat. You sigh contentedly as you stand and throw your jacket around your shoulders, putting it on like they do in the movies, causing you to smile a little more. You look at your guitar, which you left under your bench, and wonder if you should leave it there, or take it with you just to be safe. You decide to leave it behind, thinking that there is no true crime in this world.

You light up as you walk away, not entirely sure of your destination. You walk slowly to admire the many flowers that adorn the side of the road, but still soon find yourself in the marketplace. You look around for a moment, wondering what you should do next. Your thought process is interrupted by the rumbling of your stomach, and you realize that you didn’t eat yesterday. You approach the apple stand and find a familiar face behind the wooden counter.

“Well hey there Joe! What can ah get ya?” asks the farmer pony with a smile.

“Hey Applejack.“ you say. You think for a moment and look over the stock, wondering what kind of apples she has. “Any chance I can get a red delicious?” you ask. She simply nods and walks over to the corresponding basket, then comes back holding a large, shiny apple by it’s stem, placing it on the counter.

“That’ll be four bits.” she says, and you reach into your pocket and pull out the bag Zecora had given you the previous day. You count out four bits, and the two of you exchange. You walk away, tucking the apple away until you’re finished smoking. You soon find yourself outside the bar and you sigh. You put out your cigarette and walk through the door, hoping Berry isn’t there today. She is, but to your relief she’s already hitting on someone. You chuckle lightly as you take the last open seat at the bar, next to a light blue unicorn mare with a silver mane, who seems to be passed out on the counter.

The bartender approaches, and you make the same order you did the other day. He brings you your drink, and the two of you chat for a while, exchanging names, talking about good times long past with friends you haven’t seen in years. You order another drink. He provides, then has to go attend to the other customers. The mare next to you, namely.

“Barkeep!” she yells drunkenly. “Get me another beer! I’m not drunk enough yet!” she says, and you swear that underneath the drunken slur, you hear a hint of sadness.

“Lass, I think you’ve had enough. Time for you to go home.” he says with the tone you’ve become accustomed to bartenders using; compassionate, but firm. She begins crying loudly, and you both sigh.

“You’ve done it now, Shamrock.” you say jokingly, and he just glares at you. He opens his mouth to say something, but is cut off by the mare.

“I don’t have a home to go back to!” she wails. “It was destroyed by that Ursa that came through, and I don’t have enough money to get it fixed!” she says, now crying harder, some of her tears falling in her glass. Shamrock finally gives in and gives her another drink, but the wailing doesn’t stop. “I used to be great and powerful! I used to have crowds of ponies, chanting my name! The great and powerful TRIXIE!” she yells, throwing her fore hooves wide, nearly falling off balance and to the floor. She regains her composure though, and continues drinking. “But now I’m here.” she continues, her tone quieter, more sullen. She sighs heavily. “Now I’m just a nopony, with no caravan, no friends, no fans… And spending the last of my bits on cheep beer.” she says, wiping a tear away before letting out a sad chuckle. “Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” she says. She opens her mouth to speak again, but you can’t take it anymore.

“If I fix your damn caravan, will you PLEASE quit your bitching!?” you ask, looking at her. She looks back at you, hope in her eyes. You sigh. ‘The shit I get myself into these days.’ you think to yourself.

“You’d do that?” she asks, putting a hoof to her chest. “For me?” you sigh and shake your head slightly.

“If it gets you to stop complaining about your problems and getting in the way of MY drinking, then yes, I will.” You say, finishing your drink. You’ve barely put it down when your tackled in a hug.

“THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!!!!” She yells before you both fall to the ground. You look at her angrily. She smiles sheepishly. “Um…. Sorry?” you shake your head slightly as you push yourself off the ground.

“So, where is this caravan of yours, anyway?” you ask as you place your bits on the counter and walk towards the door. She does the same and follows you out.

“Um….. That’s the thing… There’s kind of pieces of it everywhere..” she says, smiling sheepishly again. You face palm and shake your head.

“You’re fucking kidding me, right?” you ask. She shakes her head. “Jesus fucking Christ, woman! You expect me to able to repair something that’s completely destroyed!? Are you THAT drunk, or are you just stupid?” you ask, and she shrinks away, wincing at your words. You sigh. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t get that worked up over this…. Listen, I’m not gonna make any promises, but I’ll see if I can just build you another one, okay?” you ask, calming down slightly. She smiles broadly, then jumps and wraps her fore hooves around your shoulders, thanking you profusely yet again.

“The shit I do for strangers…”