//------------------------------//
// Outlooks 
// Story: My Little Caboose: Blue is Magic! 
// by DarkWing 
//------------------------------//

"I apologize for the wait, while it was unexpected, doing this was necessary." Delta said after he had crossed the bridge from the ruins.

"There is no need for you to apologize, my friend." Zecora said, raising her head to look through the leaves. "The day is still young, so we have much time to spend."

"I am glad you feel that way. Now, you said you were still missing some ingredients?"

Zecora nodded towards another path that branched off the one they were standing on..

"I apologize, but you will have to escort Gary out yourself." Delta said, looking at Church.

"Yeah, sure, have fun on your date." Church said quietly as he started down the path.

Delta nodded and began following Zecora down the path, going deeper into the Everfree.

"So what ingredients are we going to be seeking?" Delta asked after a few moments of silence. "Are we going to have to go into harms way like the others had when Grif was infected?"

"Worry not, there are no creatures we will have to harm or slay."

"Then what is it we are looking for?" 

"Mostly plants, but we do not have to find them all in one day." Zecora said quickly, then started down another path. "First I need to go home and check on a few things, as well as prepare a few tools I must bring."

"Very well. I assume we will need jars to carry the items in." Delta agreed as he walked after her, quickly catching up to her side. They remained silent for the length of the trip, until they arrived at Zecora's hut. "Just out of curiosity, how long have you lived in this forest?" Delta asked as they entered.

"A number of years I have lived by myself in this forest, in this house, but I prefer living in an area that is as quiet as a mouse." Zecora chuckled as she pushed open her door, then instantly began looking for the tools she needs. "Many a times I have been tempted to move into Ponyville, but due to the sparsity of ingredients I don't think I will."

"Ah, you chose to be in the epicenter of the forest where you have equal access to everything, rather than live in an area where you could not get any work done. I admire that greatly."

"You do?" Zecora asked.

"Certainly. It is not often one follows their passion wholeheartedly. It is an admirable quality to have."

"Thank you."

"I simply wish York would have done the same."

"York?" Zecora echoed, then quickly broke eye contact with Delta. "Oh, he was the freelancer you were assigned to."

"Do not feel the need to apologize. It was a likely outcome for a bad situation." Delta shook his head.

"I see. What was it in life that he wanted to do?"

"He wanted to help people." Delta said simply. "That was why he became a freelancer. He wanted to protect people who did not have the means to protect themselves. By becoming a freelancer he hoped to do good things. That is sadly what led to his downfall." Delta said, and his eyes were unnaturally soft. "Had he not decided to help Allison in her time of need, he would have lived. Had I just..." Delta stopped, then smiled at Zecora when he saw her frowning at him. "Never mind that. The past is the past. What else do we need?"

Zecora watched Delta in silence as he walked around the hut, grabbing jars, labels and tow bags, one for either of them. Delta opened a the bag and began putting the items in them.

"Delta, I hope you do not blame yourself for your friends death." Zecora said, making Delta come to a stop. "I am sure he never blamed you, not even with his last breath."

"I know he would not. That is why when Allison offered to take me with her, I chose to stay with him in his final moments, even if I was supposed to perish when his armor shut off." Delta said dismissively.

"You chose to die by his side?" Zecora asked, mouth hanging open slightly.

"It's just part of what makes us human." Delta stated.

"I'm sure you doing that filled him with a sense of pride." Zecora said, bowing her head in a sign of respect.

"I am sure of this as well, Zecora." Delta said, bowing his head too, before looking back up to the bag of bottles. "Is that everything?"

Zecora nodded and put one of the bags on her back. She then turned to Delta and watched as he put on his own with his magic.

"I find it remarkable that in such a small amount of time you have become just as good at magic as I have at rhymes." Zecora said once he was done.

"It is easy once you know how." Delta said as Zecora opened the door and walked out. "So what about your family and friends? What led you to live here, rather than where your family was?"

"The answer to that I am not entirely sure. Perhaps I wanted to live in an area that was no longer impure."

"You do not like civilized society?" Delta asked curiously. "Why live near Ponyville then?"

"No, I do, which is why I live so close to one. But I prefer living as we did when we begun."

"By that I assume you mean you like fending for yourself, as nature intended?" Delta asked, to which Zecora reponded to with a nod. "Another admirable trait. Not many would even consider doing the same."

Zecora paused and began looking around, ears moving slightly as if trying to catch a sound.

"Is something the matter?" Delta asked, trying to look through the forest for any signs of a threat.

"I thought I heard something, but now I believe it to be nothing." Zecora shook her head hesitantly before resuming her path. "I am glad you've decided to stay and help me with my brewing and chores." Zecora said, not looking at Delta. "I used to not mind, but doing that alone is something I've begun to abhor."

"Not at all, you have been most generous with your help. Had you not done anything the chances of us having lived-"

"It is best not to think of the past in terms of what ifs. Instead, look at the things that have happened as gifts." Zecora said, smiling lightly at Delta.

"That is a wise philosophy, but unfortunately I have been programmed to look at and examine all outcomes of an event." Delta said, looking at a tree to his left. "For example, looking at that tree by itself I calculate all the things that go wrong, such as the tree falling down, either on top of us, on something else, or onto nothing. Or maybe a forest fire will start, and any animals living in it will be forced to retreat, or even perish."

"Hmm. I did not realize that your mind could not see anything but bleak." Zecora sighed. "Perhaps it would be best if we kept to the walk and stopped with the speak."

"You misunderstand, I do not see everything in terms of how they could go bad. I see both the good as well as the bad. Take that same tree for example. It provides life for the beings of this world. Both the ponies, as well as the creatures in this forest. In a way, without that tree some may not live, and without it the world would be in a significantly worse state." Delta explained, then looked through the leaves of the branches above him, catching glimpses of the sun's rays. "It is the acceptance of all outcomes that I think to. If you ignore all the bad things that could happen then you live recklessly. The good does not outweigh the bad, nor vice versa. By accepting both, I live as one should. Peacefully, accepting of what life gives out, no matter how good or bad the end result is." Delta looked to Zecora and she noticed a small glimpse of helplessness in his eyes. "The whole world could crumble, but there would be no use mourning as there is nothing one could have done to prevent it. As is life. A series of events that no single being can be held accountable for."

"That is why we live life as we see fit, rather than worry about the end of it." Zecora said with a nod of understanding.

"In friendlier terms than mine, but precisely how I feel." Delta said, smiling at her.