"You're kidding, right?" Church asked, staring slack-jawed at Delta. Delta nodded passively. "What did you do with the wolf?"
"I released the wolf and it ran off to find it's pack." Delta said, eyes trailing back to his cutie mark. "That reminds me, we must find it later and use the antidote on it."
"What happened next?" Church pressed.
"We finished getting the ingredients over the coming days." Delta said simply, when he saw Church giving him an unusual look. "Are you disappointed?"
"No, I'm surprised if anything." Church said, starting to look around the room, then stared at Zecora firmly.
"Do you wish to leave now?" Delta asked curiously.
"Yeah." Church sighed, getting up to leave. "Come on O'Malley."
"Omega? I do not believe I am mistaken, but-"
"The whole point of you coming to Ponyville was to fit in." Church interrupted with a shrug, turning to look at him. "Looks like you've already found your place here. I mean, the dangers in here clearly need to step their shit up if they even hope to touch you."
"Interesting proposal." Delta said slowly, thinking to himself. "May I have a few seconds to think?"
"Just try not to think too much about it, okay?" Church nodded.
"Tempting. Stay here and assist Zecora while she tells me what she knows about this world." Delta said quietly. He turned to Zecora and tilted his head to the side. "I would be interested in hearing your input on the matter."
"What you do will affect your future, so it is entirely up to you." Zecora said with a smile. "But know that whatever your choice may be, until the end you must follow through."
"Choice is yours buddy." Church added quietly
"Don't I get a choice in this?" O'Malley hissed.
"I'm going to go ahead and say no." Church smirked. "What would your choice be?"
"To slaughter all of you and bathe in your blood!"
"Thought so." Church muttered, turning back to Delta who was no longer in deep thought. "Made a choice?"
"Yes. I believe I should come with you." Delta said.
"Are you sure?" Church asked. "I mean, you seem to have it pretty good here..."
"I am sure." Delta confirmed, looking at Zecora.
"I guess." Church said resignedly.
"Come, Omega." Delta said as he rose from his seat.
"What?" O'Malley and Church asked together.
"I believe that me escorting you and O'Malley would be the wisest choice." Delta said, keeping his eyes on Church. "O'Malley, while obvious, he-"
"Hey!" O'Malley snarled.
"-still provides a clear and constant threat." Delta resumed. "Once we are more sure of his status and intentions then I will return to help Zecora, after I borrow a few books from the library of course." Delta turned to Zecora. "Does this sound acceptable?" Zecora smiled lightly at him and nodded. "Very well, when O'Malley is settled I will return to bring Theta and Sigma to Church, then I shall come back again and we can conclude our field research."
"You alright with that Theta?" Church asked.
"I think so. Zecora can't be here to help me watch Sig and O'Malley all the time, and I don't think I could watch both of them." Theta said hesitantly, turning to Delta. "But how will Zecora come to us without you here?"
"Everyday I will bring a basket full of fruits for you to eat." Zecora said before Delta could. "When you get hungry, use your magic to go up and grab the treats."
"Is that everything?" Church asked, looking around the catacombs, glad Delta said he would be the one to bring Theta and Sigma. Church elbowed Delta lightly after none of the fragments said anything. "Good. Beam us up Scotty."
"Very well." Delta mumbled. He closed his eyes and his horn flared.
"Have fun." Sigma said, smiling at Church.
Church glared at Sigma, wondering what he meant by his words, but before he could say anything he forced his eyes shut due to the bright green flash of Delta's magic. Church muttered a swear under his breath and opened his eyes to see Delta staring at him curiously, while Zecora kept her eyes on O'Malley.
"Are you injured?" Delta asked.
"No, just warn me next time you try to blind me."
"I did not mean to injure your eyesight, but if I intended to blind you then why would I warn you?" Delta asked, then saw Church staring at him, once again showing him being unimpressed. "Ah, you meant it as a joke."
"Yes, Delta, I meant it as a joke." Church sighed. "Why is it you can do mathematical equations in a quarter of a second, but you can't-"
"In less than one one-thousandth of a second." Delta corrected him.
"What? That doesn't matter, I mean-"
"It matters greatly, actually." Delta disagreed. "Imagine, if you will, a bullet is travelling towards you at speeds of-"
"Alright, I get it, you're fast. Just forget about it."
"That is impossible." Delta said, but then saw Church glaring at him. "Er, memory deleted?"
"Glad to hear it."
"If you deleted memory than why hasn't Epsilon exploded into a fine red mist yet?" O'Malley chuckled. "Perhaps you wanted to give me the honors?"
"Perhaps it would be best if stopped talking and left posthaste, rather than wait for one of you to be turned into a paste." Zecora said impatiently as she began walking away, not liking O'Malley's attitude.
"Good thinking." Church agreed.
"I was about to say the same." Delta nodded, staring at Zecora.
"If anyone is going to be turned into a paste it will be all three of you." O'Malley muttered as Delta and Church followed Zecora to the bridge.
"You coming?" Church asked loudly when they started to cross.
"Yes, just start going without me." O'Malley said, quickly walking up to the start of the bridge. His eyes flickered to the two poles sticking out of the ground, supporting the bridge, and then to the three who were barely halfway. He smirked and lifted his hoof, about to kick the bridge. His smirk disappeared and he spit on the ground, then began to cross the bridge. "They made that too easy."
Once they crossed the bridge they said their farewells to Zecora, while O'Malley pleasantly told her how one day he will have her head on a shelf. After a few minutes they walked out of Everfree and caught sight of Grif sleeping on a cloud floating just near the entrance, Haley curled up on his stomach. She stuck her head up at the sight of the three stallions and began to bark.
"Oh, there you guys are." Grif snorted, still half asleep.
"Were you waiting for us or something?" Church asked, raising a brow at him. "Did Gary do something?"
"Probably, but not that we've noticed." Grif said, tilting his head to them, grinning brightly.
"Tell me about it." Church huffed, glancing back at both Delta and O'Malley.
"Probably going to need your guys's help with that."
"Even O'Malley?" Delta asked, showing a slight look of surprise.
"Never know when you need a double agent." Church shrugged.
"You grabbed both of them?" Grif asked rhetorically. "I didn't think that was the plan."
"Plans change."
"Oh yeah? Tell that to Sarge and try to get him to not try and kill me in almost all his plans."
"Correction, plans that aren't planned by a nutcase can change."
"Correction, you're a nutcase." O'Malley smiled.
"Good point." Church nodded thoughtfully. "Correction, plans that aren't planned by Sarge can change."
"Depending on the situation, I am sure that Sarge..." Delta began, and trailed off when Church looked at him. "We shall just leave it at that."
"Glad to hear it." Church nodded, then looked back up at Grif and Haley. "Is she safe up there?"
"Probably not." Grif shrugged, then put his head back down to sleep.
"If you need us we'll be at the orchard."
"Will Sarge be there?" Grif asked without looking back at him.
"Probably."
"Then anything I need can wait." Grif said, half waving at them. Haley curled back up onto Grif's chest and fell asleep.
"If I was that dog I'd be shitting myself right now." Church shook his head while turning to Delta. "Ready to go to the acres?"
"If it is all the same to you, do you mind if we stop at the library?" Delta asked as he continued walking. "There are a few subjects I'd like to find books of, and perhaps Twilight has them."
"You have any objections?" Church asked and O'Malley opened his mouth. "Of course you do. Let's go."
They quickly changed their path, much to O'Malley's audible protests and threats, and arrived at the library within a few minutes. Delta looked at the door and then to Church, before nodding at him to go ahead.
"Hey!" Church called out as he walked up to the door and twisted the knob. "We decided to grab-" Church was cut short when a ball of flames hit him on his forehead, sending him crashing into the ground, horn singed. Church looked up in a blurred daze, unable to see anything. "What the fuuuuu..." He groaned as his he lost consciousness.