What Matters Mostby PegasistersChaptersLoneliness HurtsBlue and Green Makes... Something?Not the Best New StartI HATE (LOVE) YOU!!Loneliness HurtsIt was the time of year where the summer foliage of Equestria would soon convert their green colors to a serene, calming collection of browns, oranges and yellows. In Ponyville it was a peaceful time for friends, families, and couples alike to enjoy the last days of summer and relish in the heat before the cold winds of autumn and the snow of winter crept in. Every weekday after school colts and fillies, who weren't immediately picked up, would race to local park. Colts and fillies were frolicking and playing to their heart's content. This was not the case for Hope Chaser. Just another day, another dark, lonely, pointless day. Hope thought, sadly. She was sulking alone with nothing to keep her company but her saddlebags and nothing else to comfort her but the wind occasionally tickling her wings. She had tear stains on her pale blue fur and her mane was messy. Hope was doing nothing but sitting against a lone tree away from the other foals. I feel so alone, and abandoned and I don't even know why. Other foals have so much to talk about, and they're so happy. And, well, look at me, I'm making myself looking pathetic by just sitting against a tree and crying. I wish I could disappear. Her thoughts were so poisonous that Hope even starting even hearing a voice insulting her. "I only see her as an irresponsible, lazy, brat." It's true. Hope curled in a ball and was beginning to cry into her hooves once more. "The way I see it, she's nothing more than a hindrance to her friends." I don't even know why those girls still keep me around. She thought, before sobbing quietly. Hope soon began to here a second voice. "A hindrance? Please, Rainbow Dash has prov-" Wait, what? Hope Chaser looked up from her position and wiped her eyes from the newly formed tears. She looked around and heard more of the argument. "-time again that she cares for her friends. Remember tha-" Hope looked behind the tree and found the source of the voices. She saw two older colts that Hope could only assume were from the town's middle school due to their size and saddlebags full of supplies and notebooks. One of them was an earth pony with a with a dark blue coat and a white mane. The other was a unicorn who seemed, coming from a little filly's standard, to be taller than most ponies his age. He had a lime green coat and a mane with a lighter shade. "Although her pet was going through hibernation, it shows how much she'll go beyond the call of duty to protect those she loves.", The green one said with a slightly concerned yet angered face. But the blue colt seemed to be having none of it, "Yea, but she blew the entire town sky-high in snow! Do you know how many lives she endangered just so she could keep her pet from hibernating? If anything, she sounds like a selfish jerk to me." He spat. The dispute seemed to be going nowhere and would seem to only get worse by the second. Hope knew she had to stop this before it could get ugly. She turned to the two boys and dusted her fur from the dirt she recently wept on. She fixed her mane as best she could and approached the two colts. "Umm, hey." Stay calm, I'll be fine., She thought, still under the brink of tears, if she broke down now the colts would surely use this as ammunition against her. She startled the two and they both faced her with their expressions softening. "I just overheard your argument and, well, we all have different opinions. But, I mean, everpony's gonna have their flaws, and that's okay. Personally, I think Rainbow Dash is cool, but you're right, she can be a bit mean and selfish. But hey, I guess that's just something she has to work on. She does have her good sides though, such as, she's always trying to push her friends to do new things, and of course, she's loyal. I'm not picking sides, cause I respect both of your opinions, but I just wanted to stop this argument. B-before you two would start f-fighting for real" She stated shyly. Both colts immediately shared a look of confusion at her then back at each other until the Grey colt spoke up, "Well, I thought this argument was over before you said all that, but fine, whatever." He then gave a small glare at the green colt then trotted off. The green colt however, looked towards Hope and smiled warmly. "Thanks, it was nice that you were trying to stop it." Hope Chaser mentally kicked herself. What was I thinking? Ugh, I should have paid more attention. Now I just said all that for nothing, Hope then looked down at the ground, embarrassed and ashamed, to hide her tears. "I'm sorry, I should have listened first, I was just trying to stop the argument. It had sounded pretty bad, sorry if I offended any of you." Ugh, stupid me, I should have payed attention. Why did i have to waste their time? The colt walked up to her and gently put a hoof on her shoulder,"No it's okay, really.", he said, "I know you were just trying to be a good pony, and I appreciate that." Hope, caught totally off guard by the unexpected response, jerked her head up and could see in his smile that he truly meant it. "R-really?" she asked, still a little stunned. "Yup, and to be honest, it was kinda getting harsh, and don't worry, we won't fight anymore, thank you very much for saying all that." He removed the hoof from her shoulder and used it to lightly ruff up her mane. "Hehe", she blushed, "no problem." Blue and Green Makes... Something?Hm, cute. Was how Darius could describe the now blushing filly. Unfortunately, the filly would only keep the adorable look for only a couple seconds before looking down at the ground again. Darius took this time to look her over, she had a dark blue curly mane, a light blue coat, and blue eyes with a green tint to them. Her cutie mark was a light-green heart with a fading, melancholy pony in the center of it. That's peculiar. Darius thought, he looked at his cutie mark that had a book with a speech bubble on the cover. Probably even for me. He then saw her face and noticed the bags under those red, bloodshot eyes with the occasional sniffle. And finally something all too familiar streaking down her muzzle like clear stripes. Tear strains. The signs were all there. Darius immediately felt sympathy for the poor filly, and now made it his life-long goal to get to the bottom of her despair. Only thing was, he had no idea were to start. So he started with something simple. "Is something wrong? You don't seem too happy." He said, hoping to get something out of the filly. She failed to hold back a sniffle and wiped her muzzle with her forehoof, trying to look like the half-hour of sobbing never happened. "N-no. I fine." Mares and gentlecolts, the world's greatest liar He sarcastically thought to himself. It was all to clear that something or someone did this. Banal questions weren't gonna work so he came from a different angle. "Are you sure you're alright", he said while cracking a smirk, "Because, no offense, but I don't think the mane and tear strains are in fashion right now." He winced at that last comment, fearing that he made the situation worse. "Wait no, I'm sorry!" He was preparing to say, "I was just trying to be funny. I'm not really good at it though." Instead he got an unexpected response. The little blue filly giggled and finally cracked a smile. "Yea, I'm s-sure" that stutter thought otherwise, she was a tough nut to crack. But then again, so was he when he was her age. Darius then moved to his last resort. He walked up to her, put a hoof on her shoulder and put on another caring smile. "I don't think so. C'mon you can tell me, I wont tell anyone, pinkie promise." * * * Hope looked up from the ground to see the same, loving, smile she saw only minutes before. Ugh, what's his aim?, she thought, Why would he care so much on how I feel? Why would he waste his time with this? With me especially. Hope couldn't wrap her head around it. Why would a colt, especially one that's considerably older, be concerned over something so mundane and unimportant as her? It just wasn't right. He's obviously up to something, and she would get to the bottom of it. She brushed the hoof her shoulder. "W-who put you up to this?" She asked loudly. "What?" Said the colt, taken aback by her sudden outburst. Hope began marching to him and grilled the lime-green colt some more, "Some pony must've put you up to this. Why? Who? Or were you just doing this to make fun of me?" She pushed her small hoof into the seemingly giant's chest. But the colt stood his ground, not backing an inch. "Why on Celestia's green earth would I do that." He asked, with a concerned, nearly heartbroken face. "I'd never hurt fillies. Ever, in my life." His persuading smile returned as he once again put the same hoof and the same shoulder. The hoof made her shoulder feel warm and relaxed. "Please, I only want to know what's hurting you, so I can help you feel better." It was that smile, that stupid smile combined with those stupid green eyes that made her clam up. Her tears were returning with a vengeance, she knew he had her. The two stayed silent with only an occasional sniffles from Hope. The colt's infectious smile never wavered. "Please,", he begged, "I only want to help you." Hope couldn't take it anymore. The eyes, the reassuring expression, the warm soothing feeling of his hoof, it was too welcoming for her. If this was all a trick, then he sure was committed to the act. But the look on his face was too much for her to resist any longer. Hope silently prayed to Celestia that she wouldn't regret what she was about to say. The colt removed his hoof so Hope could wipe the tears from her eyes before she began, she already missed the warmth on her shoulder. Hope returned to the tree and sat against it, the colt followed suit and sat across from her. "*sniff* W-well, when I t-ry, to talk to other ponies, they always turn me down in mean ways or just ignore me. Some even make fun of me for my sad cutie mark." Hope Chaser rubbed her nose again, not even thinking of mentioning what Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would say to her when she would walk in and out of class every single day. That's when it dawned on her that he probably didn't even know about her cutie mark, if he saw it then he would surely ridicule her. Hope immediately used her nearby saddlebags to cover her flanks. The lime colt clearly wasn't blind and saw her try to conceal them, but he seemed to push it aside. "Why?" "Why, w-hat?" Hope asked confused. The colt quickly shook his head as if he has getting his thoughts together. "I-I mean, uh, like why would they treat you like that. Surely there must be a reason." Hope was shaking again. "It's okay, I won't judge you" 'Judge' was the trigger word. Hope Chaser went back to sobbing "Y-yes you will!", she curled back in a ball, "Just go away! You'll judge me just like everypony else does!" She continued sobbing for what seemed like an eternity. When the weeping returned to just sniffles, she still was curled and assumed the colt already left. Just like anypony else would do. A sigh from nowhere scared her out of her stupor, causing her to immediately to sit up straight. She quickly looked around, nearly hyperventilating in the process, and saw a familiar pony was still sitting across from her. Why is he still here? The tall colt stood up, his face bearing a more somber look then before. "Listen", he said, "Even though ponies may assume and judge things about who you were, doesn't mean that there is nothing you can do about it. Convince them that you're trying to be a new pony, that you need their help. You seem nice and I'm sure that many ponies will accept who you are if you just show them." Hope sat there stunned, but listening intently all the same. "And besides, if you can't convince them", He said while offering his hoof. Hope, taking a while to process this, reluctantly reached for his hoof and pulled herself up. As soon as she stood, the smile she once hated returned. "actions speak louder than words." He ruffled her mane once more, and trotted away. Only one thought was going through Hope Chaser's head. How did he know? It was a simple question, but one she couldn't answer. "W-wait!" She exclaimed. Hope looked around for the colt, but he was already gone. She looked at the ground disappointed. "Thanks" She whispered to no pony in particular. Hope looked up at the sky and saw the sun was just on the tip of the highest tower on Princess Twilight's castle. Signalling her that it was time to go home. When she arrived home, she did nothing but do her assigned chores, eat dinner, and scowl at her brothers' mischief. When she went to bed, she pondered about the mysterious pony she met. Hope doubted she'll ever see him again, but something told her to heed his advice anyway. Tomorrow is gonna be a new day she thought. She soon fell asleep with her heart a little lighter than before. Not the Best New StartHope had woken up from her short slumber, since she had trouble sleeping again, and trotted off to school with her brother. She spotted her friends by the steps, sitting and chatting away until Miss Cherilee would call all the foals in for class. Hope walked up to her friends and decided, last night while trying to sleep, telling them about the strange colt she met yesterday. Should I even call him that? The filly still didnt know what to think of him, so she decided to look to her friends and see what they thought. She already felt discouraged when her friends noticed her arrival. Hope even had mentally prepared what to say all night and this morning yet all of a sudden she felt like she just couldn't say a word. What do I do? I already feel nervous again. They probably don't even want to hear what I have to say. "Hi Hopester. How's it going?" Radiant asked smilling. "Hi Hope." Mush Mush said with a radiant buzz. "Wassup?" Lilly Pad also asked. So many smiles. Hope thought. "Oh, it's going really good. I met this guy, he was really nice. He goes to middle school." Hope was already panicking over what to say next. She almost began hyperventilating on what to say next and more importantly, what her friends thought. Her friends exchanged looks, their smiles all retreating. Mush Mush began to trot towards Hope with a glare. "A guy from middle school, huh? You shouldn't trust older colts like that. They tend to be, well, jerks. Come on, you know better than to hang around with them. That's really bad of you to do. He'll probably just bully you. He's probably a phony anyway." Mush Mush had said. "Yea, a big, fat phony!" Radiant concurred. Hope, didn't even know what to say. Her day had already started terribly. So she just backed out of the conversation, again. What was I thinking? She started crying, but this time just on the inside. She had gotten very used to keeping it all in lately. She didn't like it when ponies saw her cry. She didn't want them to feel sorry for her. Or worse. A short yet loud giggle made Hope return her attention back to her friends. "I'm soooo nervous for middle school guys, it's a whole different work load! I'm really looking forward to the field trips though. They're field trips are so awesome!" Radiant said, in her usual super hyper tone bearing her oh so radiant smile. Now those thoughts made Hope smile as well. She was always nervoucited for middle school. Especially for the field trips. Hope's brothers and sister would tell her the amazing trips they did. Like when her sister, Glistening Silver, visited the Manehatten Museum of Art, or when her two brothers witnessed the natural wonder of The Rainbow Falls. "Yea, I'm looking forward to going to the sixth grade dunes trip, we actually get to stay there for three days! And the graduation cruise, that's also gonna be a blast!" Hope said, and very proud for speaking, "Whats the thing your excited for Mushy?" She asked. Mush Mush placed a hoof to her chin beginning to think before the bell rang, cause the foals to flock into the classroom. Later in the day during lunch Hope just finished her apple and PB and J sandwich. What her friend had said about the colt still lingered in the front of her mind. I know that I shouldn't have trusted a stranger, especially one that's older than me. But he seemed so nice. It was only Mush Mush that had said it, but the looks on her friends were clearly showing that what she said was pure fact. When Hope walked laps around the park to kill time, she noticed a younger earth filly on the swings, trying vigorously to push herself. She looked sad and lonely, her eyes seemed to water every time she failed. Hope pictured the little one as herself and her heart immediately went out to her. Hope couldn't watch her any longer and decided to help the poor girl. She sauntered toward the swing and sat sat on her haunches so she can gently push the filly with her hooves. The child immeadiatly jumped and squeaked as soon as she felt the touch of Hope's hooves and tensed. The beige filly eventually got enough momentum to push herself and began to relax. Hope couldn't help but smile at foal's occasional giggles as she pushed herself again and again. Hope Chaser was proud of herself knowing that she finally did something right. Actions speak louder than words He couldn't have been more right. A couple minutes passed before the filly stopped and exited the swing. "I'm sorry", she said as she began to turn around, "I never really thought about thank-" She stopped mid-sentance after looking over the pony that helped. The filly made a look that Hope was unfortunately familiar with. No It was the look of fear. Please Celestia, not again The filly began to whimper and double back as Hope moved closer and tried hard to put on a friendly face. The younger child only gave a small cry and began running toward the schoolhouse. Hope wanted to chase after the filly, but she knew what would happen, what the others would think. She began to well up with tears. "Wait!", she pleaded, "Please wait! I only wanted to help this time!" Her cries fell on deaf ears. Hope couldn't control herself and let her legs carry her to the only safe place she knew. As she was running she began to sob louder. Her muzzle being nearly covered with tears, and sense the of loniless coming back to her. It was all happening again, evrerytime she would try to fix something she would get turned away or driven out. Hope thought he advice she got from that stupid colt would work, but no. Everything was still business as usual. Nothing could help her now. Hope Chaser had lost all hope. * * * It was nearly the end of sixth period. Darius checked his watch for what seemed like the millionth time. This time the hands were exactly where they wanted to be, with the big one on the two the and the little one on the three. 2:15 Come on time, speed it up a little he thought. His classmates around him were already packed up and conversing with peers or reading their book to pass the last few minutes of the school day. The teacher, Mr. Thesis, never seemed to mind and was seen talking with his student aid. After looking at the same posters of Princess Twilight reading a book and plays Darius never heard of, the school bell finally rang and all the colts and fillies began to flock out of the school. Unlike the old elementary school, the children at the junior high usually walked or flew home on their own or meet their friends at hang out spots like Sugarcube Corner or even the Carousel Boutique. Since Darius didn't have any homework today Thank Celestia, he trotted his way down the familiar roads that lead to the park. He would usually be accompanied with somepony else, but that somepony wasn't hear today, which made Darius a little melancholy. He was always a little sad when he didnt get to talk to Lazlo. She was a blue earth pony with a more dark blue mane and blue eyes almost exactly like the filly from yesterday, although Lazlo had a darker shade. The colors for her were quite similar to his, except for the fact that he's green and she was blue. Her real name was Lapis Lazuli, but he decided to call her Lazlo instead. He was a little surprised to see her giggle when she heard it and said that he should call her that from now on, and they became friends ever since. Darius never told this to anypony but Lazlo was the first real friend he ever had, and to him and his Dad, this was a large step for him. Probably not as large as what happened yesterday actually. He began to ponder. To other ponies, cheering a foal up and teaching them a lesson was just kindness. To a "different" pony like Darius, this was something he never thought he would ever have the guts to do. Yet when he saw that sad little filly, alone and feeling unwanted, it was like a mirror. A magic mirror that showed the pony's self in the past if they looked in it. He needed to help her. "But... What if I was wrong" he mumbled to himself. "I mean, sure I could've explained it better, but I thought it was enough for her." After mumbling his own thoughts to himself some more, he arrived to his destination. Normally he would just wander through the paths and daydream or read one of his graphic novels until his Father would come home from work and he needed to go home. Today was different. Today he wanted to find that filly, and hopefully make another friend today. He kept searching and searching, he honestly didn't mind though. Since he always finished a very good amount of his homework during his free period, he didn't have to worry about it after school. Then it finally clicked. The tree! He thought. He was really hoping he was right. He trotted toward the tree in which he and the filly had met. But she wasn't there. Darius felt just a little discouraged, until he saw her, trotting away from the school campus. There she is. He thought with relief. Quickly, he ran after her, not too fast though. He didn't want to weird her out. When he finally caught up, he quickly said the first thing that came to his mind. "Hey, how's it going?" When Hope had heard his voice, she felt a wave of warmth and fear cross over her. "Oh, I'm so sorry for scaring you." I HATE (LOVE) YOU!!Hope Chaser had no idea what to do, think, or even say. She had kinda wanted to see him again, but what if her friends were right? What if he wasn't trustworthy? "It's fine." She said while wiping away her tears. "W-why do you keep following me?" Darius felt a little shocked at this question. "I just wanted to help you. I can tell you're sad." Hope only sniffed, "Well then, I guess you're wrong. Cause my day's going perfectly fine. In fact, I made a new friend today." She lied Darius then gave a look of confusion. "Really?" He asked. "NO!" Darius jumped, and Hope felt a little stunned herself. "Today has been absolutely terrible and I HATE myself! I deserve to just die, I deserve all the hate I get. I deserve all the problems I have. You should just go, before I hurt you too." Hope turned to walk away, holding in her tears so that she wouldn't have to give an explanation to her family, so they wouldn't have to feel the way she feels. Darius extended his hoof out, he couldn't let her go this time."Wait!" Hope froze, but didn't turn around. "Don't make the same mistake I made." Then she turned around, confused. "I know it looks like there's nothing left, but just you wait, please." Hope approached Darius again, she just couldn't understand why this dumb colt wouldn't leave her alone. "But there really is nothing left. You don't understand, nopony understands." She said remorsefully. "I understand." That stupid smile returned, but it wouldn't fool her this time. "No you don't!", she yelled, "Just stop! Stop following me! I can't change, I can't. There's no hope left for me, it's all gone. Please, just leave me alone." Hope then started trotting off. She began to plot what to do if he visited her again. Ohhhhh, he'll be sorry once he sees my brothers, that's for sure. Hope thought. Darius saw this and immediately acted fast. Please don't have this come back to bite me. He galloped to her and scooped her up with his magic. Hope began to flail her hooves and struggle in vain. To Darius though it looked kind of adorable. He took her to the back of the school where nopony liked to hang out because of rumors that it was "haunted". "Foalnapper!", She yelled "Foalnapper! You better let me go before I call the gaurds on you!" "Hehe, I highly doubt that.", He said skeptically, "Now please, sit down and talk to me. You don't have to be afraid, I'm not gonna hurt you." Darius set the filly on the ground and put on a face so sweet, you could just imagine a halo right on top of his green head. He offered a hoof as she was getting up, but Hope just swatted it away and briefly dusted herself off. "Speak. Now." He said a little too assassertively. Hope first looked around for anyway of escape. A window, something to climb, anything that'll let her escape from this creep. She contemplated on just simply running but he'd most likely just catch her with his magic again. When Hope couldn't think of any escape plan she decided to just get it over with so she would never see him again. "Well first of all, I'm reporting you. Second, why are you helping me?" Hope looked at him deviously. "Because", Darius put a hoof on her shoulder. "I know how you feel. Please tell me what happened. I wanna help you." He hesitated for a second. "I wanna be your friend." How can he know. Hope was now confused. "H-how would YOU know how I feel." She questioned. As much as Darius wanted to tell her, he just couldn't take any chances yet. "Because I just do, ok?" He answered. Hope raised her eyebrow. They both knew that answer wouldn't suffice. Darius sighed. "Yesterday, when you explained why you were crying, its just," Darius stammered and rubbed the back of his neck, "I-I felt bad and I really wanted to help. It- it made me remember how I was when I was small. H- how much I wanted help but couldn't ask for it." Darius didn't say too much information, for he didn't want the little filly to hate him or anything for who he used to be. "Why didn't you ask for help?" Hope was still a little confused, wondering if he was telling the truth. "Why should I believe this?" Hope asked with doubt again. "You're just some stranger I don't know a thing about except that you go to middle school." And that's super nice and loving and- Ugh!! What am I thinking? This guy needs to LEAVE ME ALONE!! Well, he's nice but, my friends are right. He could be be dangerous. In fact, he IS dangerous. Foalnapping me like that. Should I trust him? I don't even know... "Because I understand what you're going through. Please, tell me what's wrong. I wanna help you." Hope remained silent. How can I get her to talk? Should I let her go? No, I can't do that again. I just have to prove somehow that she can trust me, but how? "Not until you answer my question." Hope said with an assertive scowl, "Why didn't YOU ask for help if you needed it so much?" Hope had enough of this colt's odd obsession in trying to help her, now she would finally get to the bottom of it. Why would HE of all ponies would would want help her, or even care about her? The green colt sighed, "Because I thought I would never need help. I don't want to say much because I'm worried that you'll be afraid of me or worse, but to put it short I know what your going through." Hope began to stutter. "Y-you don't care about me, and you most of don't know what I'm going through!" "Yes, I do" he said. He smiled and put a hoof on her shoulder. Hope wanted swat it or pull away but couldn't bring herself to. Once his hoof pressed against her shoulder she felt warm and fuzzy, just like when he did the same thing yesterday. It felt so warm and comforting that all she wanted to do right then and there was to nuzzle into it. But she still had her gaurds and wouldn't surrender to the colt with the stupid, comforting smile. "Your lost and don't know what to do, I know that for sure." He heartingly assured. It took Hope a couple moments to process this. That can't be true. She meant to say. She opened her mouth but nothing came. It stayed there moving up and down. She wanted to deny, yell, and accuse him for lying. Nopony has lived like her, nopony can or even would want to help her. So why does he want to help me? Why does he care? Nopony cares about me! She began to hyperventilate. Why is he playing with my emotions like this? Hope began to whimper and shake uncontrollably. Hope's eyes began to overflow with tears. Nopony knows the pain I'm in! So why does he care? How should he know what I'm going through and why do I have to be so..helpless!??!?! Hope flopped to the ground and began to sob and wail in anguish and loneliness. Her face was covered by her hooves and her body was rocking back and forth. She didn't care if the colt was watching, right now all she wanted was to let all her pain out. Darius, meanwhile, was mentally kicking himself with a look of horror.What have I done? I only meant to make her happy not THIS!! He tried desperately to think of a way to salvage this. He never meant to hurt her. When word gets out, what would his classmates think? Darius gasped. Or worse! What would Lazlo think? If she found out that he made a little filly cry she would never want to be friends with him anymore. Hope's continuous wails weren't helping either. Every wail and sob reminded him of when he was a foal, and what would always calm him when he was crying or having another breakdown. Darius then had a "lightbulb moment". He knew exactly what to do. He didn't care that it was something he never, he didn't care if it made him uncomfortable. Right now, the only thing that mattered was the filly in front of him. Hope Chaser continued to sob uncontrollably. She was sure that colt already left and she was alone again. She sat up and began to cover her eyes with her hooves. Every time she wailed, her head began to hurt, which caused her to cry more, creating a horrible cycle. She jumped when she felt a hoof wrap around her sides and was slowly pulled to the colt's side against a wall. Hope began to whimper and sniffle again when she felt his hoof rub up and down her back. "Shhhhh", he whispered, "It's alright, I'm here for you." Hope Chaser couldn't hold it in and, without thought, wrapped her hooves around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. Hope couldn't care less that she barely knew him or even his name, but she knew one thing for sure. She needed his comfort. Hope felt warm and safe when he began to softly stroke her mane. Hope was soon back to sniffling and shaking after a few minutes, Darius began to sit up and shuffle from his position as if trying get up and let her go. No, please not now. She never wanted this to end. "Please don't go." she whimpered as she tightened her grip around his neck. Darius got the message and sat back down. He gently stroked her mane some more and smiled. "You have nothing to worry about", he said as the filly looked up to see his eyes, "because I'm never gonna leave you."
Loneliness HurtsIt was the time of year where the summer foliage of Equestria would soon convert their green colors to a serene, calming collection of browns, oranges and yellows. In Ponyville it was a peaceful time for friends, families, and couples alike to enjoy the last days of summer and relish in the heat before the cold winds of autumn and the snow of winter crept in. Every weekday after school colts and fillies, who weren't immediately picked up, would race to local park. Colts and fillies were frolicking and playing to their heart's content. This was not the case for Hope Chaser. Just another day, another dark, lonely, pointless day. Hope thought, sadly. She was sulking alone with nothing to keep her company but her saddlebags and nothing else to comfort her but the wind occasionally tickling her wings. She had tear stains on her pale blue fur and her mane was messy. Hope was doing nothing but sitting against a lone tree away from the other foals. I feel so alone, and abandoned and I don't even know why. Other foals have so much to talk about, and they're so happy. And, well, look at me, I'm making myself looking pathetic by just sitting against a tree and crying. I wish I could disappear. Her thoughts were so poisonous that Hope even starting even hearing a voice insulting her. "I only see her as an irresponsible, lazy, brat." It's true. Hope curled in a ball and was beginning to cry into her hooves once more. "The way I see it, she's nothing more than a hindrance to her friends." I don't even know why those girls still keep me around. She thought, before sobbing quietly. Hope soon began to here a second voice. "A hindrance? Please, Rainbow Dash has prov-" Wait, what? Hope Chaser looked up from her position and wiped her eyes from the newly formed tears. She looked around and heard more of the argument. "-time again that she cares for her friends. Remember tha-" Hope looked behind the tree and found the source of the voices. She saw two older colts that Hope could only assume were from the town's middle school due to their size and saddlebags full of supplies and notebooks. One of them was an earth pony with a with a dark blue coat and a white mane. The other was a unicorn who seemed, coming from a little filly's standard, to be taller than most ponies his age. He had a lime green coat and a mane with a lighter shade. "Although her pet was going through hibernation, it shows how much she'll go beyond the call of duty to protect those she loves.", The green one said with a slightly concerned yet angered face. But the blue colt seemed to be having none of it, "Yea, but she blew the entire town sky-high in snow! Do you know how many lives she endangered just so she could keep her pet from hibernating? If anything, she sounds like a selfish jerk to me." He spat. The dispute seemed to be going nowhere and would seem to only get worse by the second. Hope knew she had to stop this before it could get ugly. She turned to the two boys and dusted her fur from the dirt she recently wept on. She fixed her mane as best she could and approached the two colts. "Umm, hey." Stay calm, I'll be fine., She thought, still under the brink of tears, if she broke down now the colts would surely use this as ammunition against her. She startled the two and they both faced her with their expressions softening. "I just overheard your argument and, well, we all have different opinions. But, I mean, everpony's gonna have their flaws, and that's okay. Personally, I think Rainbow Dash is cool, but you're right, she can be a bit mean and selfish. But hey, I guess that's just something she has to work on. She does have her good sides though, such as, she's always trying to push her friends to do new things, and of course, she's loyal. I'm not picking sides, cause I respect both of your opinions, but I just wanted to stop this argument. B-before you two would start f-fighting for real" She stated shyly. Both colts immediately shared a look of confusion at her then back at each other until the Grey colt spoke up, "Well, I thought this argument was over before you said all that, but fine, whatever." He then gave a small glare at the green colt then trotted off. The green colt however, looked towards Hope and smiled warmly. "Thanks, it was nice that you were trying to stop it." Hope Chaser mentally kicked herself. What was I thinking? Ugh, I should have paid more attention. Now I just said all that for nothing, Hope then looked down at the ground, embarrassed and ashamed, to hide her tears. "I'm sorry, I should have listened first, I was just trying to stop the argument. It had sounded pretty bad, sorry if I offended any of you." Ugh, stupid me, I should have payed attention. Why did i have to waste their time? The colt walked up to her and gently put a hoof on her shoulder,"No it's okay, really.", he said, "I know you were just trying to be a good pony, and I appreciate that." Hope, caught totally off guard by the unexpected response, jerked her head up and could see in his smile that he truly meant it. "R-really?" she asked, still a little stunned. "Yup, and to be honest, it was kinda getting harsh, and don't worry, we won't fight anymore, thank you very much for saying all that." He removed the hoof from her shoulder and used it to lightly ruff up her mane. "Hehe", she blushed, "no problem."
Blue and Green Makes... Something?Hm, cute. Was how Darius could describe the now blushing filly. Unfortunately, the filly would only keep the adorable look for only a couple seconds before looking down at the ground again. Darius took this time to look her over, she had a dark blue curly mane, a light blue coat, and blue eyes with a green tint to them. Her cutie mark was a light-green heart with a fading, melancholy pony in the center of it. That's peculiar. Darius thought, he looked at his cutie mark that had a book with a speech bubble on the cover. Probably even for me. He then saw her face and noticed the bags under those red, bloodshot eyes with the occasional sniffle. And finally something all too familiar streaking down her muzzle like clear stripes. Tear strains. The signs were all there. Darius immediately felt sympathy for the poor filly, and now made it his life-long goal to get to the bottom of her despair. Only thing was, he had no idea were to start. So he started with something simple. "Is something wrong? You don't seem too happy." He said, hoping to get something out of the filly. She failed to hold back a sniffle and wiped her muzzle with her forehoof, trying to look like the half-hour of sobbing never happened. "N-no. I fine." Mares and gentlecolts, the world's greatest liar He sarcastically thought to himself. It was all to clear that something or someone did this. Banal questions weren't gonna work so he came from a different angle. "Are you sure you're alright", he said while cracking a smirk, "Because, no offense, but I don't think the mane and tear strains are in fashion right now." He winced at that last comment, fearing that he made the situation worse. "Wait no, I'm sorry!" He was preparing to say, "I was just trying to be funny. I'm not really good at it though." Instead he got an unexpected response. The little blue filly giggled and finally cracked a smile. "Yea, I'm s-sure" that stutter thought otherwise, she was a tough nut to crack. But then again, so was he when he was her age. Darius then moved to his last resort. He walked up to her, put a hoof on her shoulder and put on another caring smile. "I don't think so. C'mon you can tell me, I wont tell anyone, pinkie promise." * * * Hope looked up from the ground to see the same, loving, smile she saw only minutes before. Ugh, what's his aim?, she thought, Why would he care so much on how I feel? Why would he waste his time with this? With me especially. Hope couldn't wrap her head around it. Why would a colt, especially one that's considerably older, be concerned over something so mundane and unimportant as her? It just wasn't right. He's obviously up to something, and she would get to the bottom of it. She brushed the hoof her shoulder. "W-who put you up to this?" She asked loudly. "What?" Said the colt, taken aback by her sudden outburst. Hope began marching to him and grilled the lime-green colt some more, "Some pony must've put you up to this. Why? Who? Or were you just doing this to make fun of me?" She pushed her small hoof into the seemingly giant's chest. But the colt stood his ground, not backing an inch. "Why on Celestia's green earth would I do that." He asked, with a concerned, nearly heartbroken face. "I'd never hurt fillies. Ever, in my life." His persuading smile returned as he once again put the same hoof and the same shoulder. The hoof made her shoulder feel warm and relaxed. "Please, I only want to know what's hurting you, so I can help you feel better." It was that smile, that stupid smile combined with those stupid green eyes that made her clam up. Her tears were returning with a vengeance, she knew he had her. The two stayed silent with only an occasional sniffles from Hope. The colt's infectious smile never wavered. "Please,", he begged, "I only want to help you." Hope couldn't take it anymore. The eyes, the reassuring expression, the warm soothing feeling of his hoof, it was too welcoming for her. If this was all a trick, then he sure was committed to the act. But the look on his face was too much for her to resist any longer. Hope silently prayed to Celestia that she wouldn't regret what she was about to say. The colt removed his hoof so Hope could wipe the tears from her eyes before she began, she already missed the warmth on her shoulder. Hope returned to the tree and sat against it, the colt followed suit and sat across from her. "*sniff* W-well, when I t-ry, to talk to other ponies, they always turn me down in mean ways or just ignore me. Some even make fun of me for my sad cutie mark." Hope Chaser rubbed her nose again, not even thinking of mentioning what Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would say to her when she would walk in and out of class every single day. That's when it dawned on her that he probably didn't even know about her cutie mark, if he saw it then he would surely ridicule her. Hope immediately used her nearby saddlebags to cover her flanks. The lime colt clearly wasn't blind and saw her try to conceal them, but he seemed to push it aside. "Why?" "Why, w-hat?" Hope asked confused. The colt quickly shook his head as if he has getting his thoughts together. "I-I mean, uh, like why would they treat you like that. Surely there must be a reason." Hope was shaking again. "It's okay, I won't judge you" 'Judge' was the trigger word. Hope Chaser went back to sobbing "Y-yes you will!", she curled back in a ball, "Just go away! You'll judge me just like everypony else does!" She continued sobbing for what seemed like an eternity. When the weeping returned to just sniffles, she still was curled and assumed the colt already left. Just like anypony else would do. A sigh from nowhere scared her out of her stupor, causing her to immediately to sit up straight. She quickly looked around, nearly hyperventilating in the process, and saw a familiar pony was still sitting across from her. Why is he still here? The tall colt stood up, his face bearing a more somber look then before. "Listen", he said, "Even though ponies may assume and judge things about who you were, doesn't mean that there is nothing you can do about it. Convince them that you're trying to be a new pony, that you need their help. You seem nice and I'm sure that many ponies will accept who you are if you just show them." Hope sat there stunned, but listening intently all the same. "And besides, if you can't convince them", He said while offering his hoof. Hope, taking a while to process this, reluctantly reached for his hoof and pulled herself up. As soon as she stood, the smile she once hated returned. "actions speak louder than words." He ruffled her mane once more, and trotted away. Only one thought was going through Hope Chaser's head. How did he know? It was a simple question, but one she couldn't answer. "W-wait!" She exclaimed. Hope looked around for the colt, but he was already gone. She looked at the ground disappointed. "Thanks" She whispered to no pony in particular. Hope looked up at the sky and saw the sun was just on the tip of the highest tower on Princess Twilight's castle. Signalling her that it was time to go home. When she arrived home, she did nothing but do her assigned chores, eat dinner, and scowl at her brothers' mischief. When she went to bed, she pondered about the mysterious pony she met. Hope doubted she'll ever see him again, but something told her to heed his advice anyway. Tomorrow is gonna be a new day she thought. She soon fell asleep with her heart a little lighter than before.
Not the Best New StartHope had woken up from her short slumber, since she had trouble sleeping again, and trotted off to school with her brother. She spotted her friends by the steps, sitting and chatting away until Miss Cherilee would call all the foals in for class. Hope walked up to her friends and decided, last night while trying to sleep, telling them about the strange colt she met yesterday. Should I even call him that? The filly still didnt know what to think of him, so she decided to look to her friends and see what they thought. She already felt discouraged when her friends noticed her arrival. Hope even had mentally prepared what to say all night and this morning yet all of a sudden she felt like she just couldn't say a word. What do I do? I already feel nervous again. They probably don't even want to hear what I have to say. "Hi Hopester. How's it going?" Radiant asked smilling. "Hi Hope." Mush Mush said with a radiant buzz. "Wassup?" Lilly Pad also asked. So many smiles. Hope thought. "Oh, it's going really good. I met this guy, he was really nice. He goes to middle school." Hope was already panicking over what to say next. She almost began hyperventilating on what to say next and more importantly, what her friends thought. Her friends exchanged looks, their smiles all retreating. Mush Mush began to trot towards Hope with a glare. "A guy from middle school, huh? You shouldn't trust older colts like that. They tend to be, well, jerks. Come on, you know better than to hang around with them. That's really bad of you to do. He'll probably just bully you. He's probably a phony anyway." Mush Mush had said. "Yea, a big, fat phony!" Radiant concurred. Hope, didn't even know what to say. Her day had already started terribly. So she just backed out of the conversation, again. What was I thinking? She started crying, but this time just on the inside. She had gotten very used to keeping it all in lately. She didn't like it when ponies saw her cry. She didn't want them to feel sorry for her. Or worse. A short yet loud giggle made Hope return her attention back to her friends. "I'm soooo nervous for middle school guys, it's a whole different work load! I'm really looking forward to the field trips though. They're field trips are so awesome!" Radiant said, in her usual super hyper tone bearing her oh so radiant smile. Now those thoughts made Hope smile as well. She was always nervoucited for middle school. Especially for the field trips. Hope's brothers and sister would tell her the amazing trips they did. Like when her sister, Glistening Silver, visited the Manehatten Museum of Art, or when her two brothers witnessed the natural wonder of The Rainbow Falls. "Yea, I'm looking forward to going to the sixth grade dunes trip, we actually get to stay there for three days! And the graduation cruise, that's also gonna be a blast!" Hope said, and very proud for speaking, "Whats the thing your excited for Mushy?" She asked. Mush Mush placed a hoof to her chin beginning to think before the bell rang, cause the foals to flock into the classroom. Later in the day during lunch Hope just finished her apple and PB and J sandwich. What her friend had said about the colt still lingered in the front of her mind. I know that I shouldn't have trusted a stranger, especially one that's older than me. But he seemed so nice. It was only Mush Mush that had said it, but the looks on her friends were clearly showing that what she said was pure fact. When Hope walked laps around the park to kill time, she noticed a younger earth filly on the swings, trying vigorously to push herself. She looked sad and lonely, her eyes seemed to water every time she failed. Hope pictured the little one as herself and her heart immediately went out to her. Hope couldn't watch her any longer and decided to help the poor girl. She sauntered toward the swing and sat sat on her haunches so she can gently push the filly with her hooves. The child immeadiatly jumped and squeaked as soon as she felt the touch of Hope's hooves and tensed. The beige filly eventually got enough momentum to push herself and began to relax. Hope couldn't help but smile at foal's occasional giggles as she pushed herself again and again. Hope Chaser was proud of herself knowing that she finally did something right. Actions speak louder than words He couldn't have been more right. A couple minutes passed before the filly stopped and exited the swing. "I'm sorry", she said as she began to turn around, "I never really thought about thank-" She stopped mid-sentance after looking over the pony that helped. The filly made a look that Hope was unfortunately familiar with. No It was the look of fear. Please Celestia, not again The filly began to whimper and double back as Hope moved closer and tried hard to put on a friendly face. The younger child only gave a small cry and began running toward the schoolhouse. Hope wanted to chase after the filly, but she knew what would happen, what the others would think. She began to well up with tears. "Wait!", she pleaded, "Please wait! I only wanted to help this time!" Her cries fell on deaf ears. Hope couldn't control herself and let her legs carry her to the only safe place she knew. As she was running she began to sob louder. Her muzzle being nearly covered with tears, and sense the of loniless coming back to her. It was all happening again, evrerytime she would try to fix something she would get turned away or driven out. Hope thought he advice she got from that stupid colt would work, but no. Everything was still business as usual. Nothing could help her now. Hope Chaser had lost all hope. * * * It was nearly the end of sixth period. Darius checked his watch for what seemed like the millionth time. This time the hands were exactly where they wanted to be, with the big one on the two the and the little one on the three. 2:15 Come on time, speed it up a little he thought. His classmates around him were already packed up and conversing with peers or reading their book to pass the last few minutes of the school day. The teacher, Mr. Thesis, never seemed to mind and was seen talking with his student aid. After looking at the same posters of Princess Twilight reading a book and plays Darius never heard of, the school bell finally rang and all the colts and fillies began to flock out of the school. Unlike the old elementary school, the children at the junior high usually walked or flew home on their own or meet their friends at hang out spots like Sugarcube Corner or even the Carousel Boutique. Since Darius didn't have any homework today Thank Celestia, he trotted his way down the familiar roads that lead to the park. He would usually be accompanied with somepony else, but that somepony wasn't hear today, which made Darius a little melancholy. He was always a little sad when he didnt get to talk to Lazlo. She was a blue earth pony with a more dark blue mane and blue eyes almost exactly like the filly from yesterday, although Lazlo had a darker shade. The colors for her were quite similar to his, except for the fact that he's green and she was blue. Her real name was Lapis Lazuli, but he decided to call her Lazlo instead. He was a little surprised to see her giggle when she heard it and said that he should call her that from now on, and they became friends ever since. Darius never told this to anypony but Lazlo was the first real friend he ever had, and to him and his Dad, this was a large step for him. Probably not as large as what happened yesterday actually. He began to ponder. To other ponies, cheering a foal up and teaching them a lesson was just kindness. To a "different" pony like Darius, this was something he never thought he would ever have the guts to do. Yet when he saw that sad little filly, alone and feeling unwanted, it was like a mirror. A magic mirror that showed the pony's self in the past if they looked in it. He needed to help her. "But... What if I was wrong" he mumbled to himself. "I mean, sure I could've explained it better, but I thought it was enough for her." After mumbling his own thoughts to himself some more, he arrived to his destination. Normally he would just wander through the paths and daydream or read one of his graphic novels until his Father would come home from work and he needed to go home. Today was different. Today he wanted to find that filly, and hopefully make another friend today. He kept searching and searching, he honestly didn't mind though. Since he always finished a very good amount of his homework during his free period, he didn't have to worry about it after school. Then it finally clicked. The tree! He thought. He was really hoping he was right. He trotted toward the tree in which he and the filly had met. But she wasn't there. Darius felt just a little discouraged, until he saw her, trotting away from the school campus. There she is. He thought with relief. Quickly, he ran after her, not too fast though. He didn't want to weird her out. When he finally caught up, he quickly said the first thing that came to his mind. "Hey, how's it going?" When Hope had heard his voice, she felt a wave of warmth and fear cross over her. "Oh, I'm so sorry for scaring you."
I HATE (LOVE) YOU!!Hope Chaser had no idea what to do, think, or even say. She had kinda wanted to see him again, but what if her friends were right? What if he wasn't trustworthy? "It's fine." She said while wiping away her tears. "W-why do you keep following me?" Darius felt a little shocked at this question. "I just wanted to help you. I can tell you're sad." Hope only sniffed, "Well then, I guess you're wrong. Cause my day's going perfectly fine. In fact, I made a new friend today." She lied Darius then gave a look of confusion. "Really?" He asked. "NO!" Darius jumped, and Hope felt a little stunned herself. "Today has been absolutely terrible and I HATE myself! I deserve to just die, I deserve all the hate I get. I deserve all the problems I have. You should just go, before I hurt you too." Hope turned to walk away, holding in her tears so that she wouldn't have to give an explanation to her family, so they wouldn't have to feel the way she feels. Darius extended his hoof out, he couldn't let her go this time."Wait!" Hope froze, but didn't turn around. "Don't make the same mistake I made." Then she turned around, confused. "I know it looks like there's nothing left, but just you wait, please." Hope approached Darius again, she just couldn't understand why this dumb colt wouldn't leave her alone. "But there really is nothing left. You don't understand, nopony understands." She said remorsefully. "I understand." That stupid smile returned, but it wouldn't fool her this time. "No you don't!", she yelled, "Just stop! Stop following me! I can't change, I can't. There's no hope left for me, it's all gone. Please, just leave me alone." Hope then started trotting off. She began to plot what to do if he visited her again. Ohhhhh, he'll be sorry once he sees my brothers, that's for sure. Hope thought. Darius saw this and immediately acted fast. Please don't have this come back to bite me. He galloped to her and scooped her up with his magic. Hope began to flail her hooves and struggle in vain. To Darius though it looked kind of adorable. He took her to the back of the school where nopony liked to hang out because of rumors that it was "haunted". "Foalnapper!", She yelled "Foalnapper! You better let me go before I call the gaurds on you!" "Hehe, I highly doubt that.", He said skeptically, "Now please, sit down and talk to me. You don't have to be afraid, I'm not gonna hurt you." Darius set the filly on the ground and put on a face so sweet, you could just imagine a halo right on top of his green head. He offered a hoof as she was getting up, but Hope just swatted it away and briefly dusted herself off. "Speak. Now." He said a little too assassertively. Hope first looked around for anyway of escape. A window, something to climb, anything that'll let her escape from this creep. She contemplated on just simply running but he'd most likely just catch her with his magic again. When Hope couldn't think of any escape plan she decided to just get it over with so she would never see him again. "Well first of all, I'm reporting you. Second, why are you helping me?" Hope looked at him deviously. "Because", Darius put a hoof on her shoulder. "I know how you feel. Please tell me what happened. I wanna help you." He hesitated for a second. "I wanna be your friend." How can he know. Hope was now confused. "H-how would YOU know how I feel." She questioned. As much as Darius wanted to tell her, he just couldn't take any chances yet. "Because I just do, ok?" He answered. Hope raised her eyebrow. They both knew that answer wouldn't suffice. Darius sighed. "Yesterday, when you explained why you were crying, its just," Darius stammered and rubbed the back of his neck, "I-I felt bad and I really wanted to help. It- it made me remember how I was when I was small. H- how much I wanted help but couldn't ask for it." Darius didn't say too much information, for he didn't want the little filly to hate him or anything for who he used to be. "Why didn't you ask for help?" Hope was still a little confused, wondering if he was telling the truth. "Why should I believe this?" Hope asked with doubt again. "You're just some stranger I don't know a thing about except that you go to middle school." And that's super nice and loving and- Ugh!! What am I thinking? This guy needs to LEAVE ME ALONE!! Well, he's nice but, my friends are right. He could be be dangerous. In fact, he IS dangerous. Foalnapping me like that. Should I trust him? I don't even know... "Because I understand what you're going through. Please, tell me what's wrong. I wanna help you." Hope remained silent. How can I get her to talk? Should I let her go? No, I can't do that again. I just have to prove somehow that she can trust me, but how? "Not until you answer my question." Hope said with an assertive scowl, "Why didn't YOU ask for help if you needed it so much?" Hope had enough of this colt's odd obsession in trying to help her, now she would finally get to the bottom of it. Why would HE of all ponies would would want help her, or even care about her? The green colt sighed, "Because I thought I would never need help. I don't want to say much because I'm worried that you'll be afraid of me or worse, but to put it short I know what your going through." Hope began to stutter. "Y-you don't care about me, and you most of don't know what I'm going through!" "Yes, I do" he said. He smiled and put a hoof on her shoulder. Hope wanted swat it or pull away but couldn't bring herself to. Once his hoof pressed against her shoulder she felt warm and fuzzy, just like when he did the same thing yesterday. It felt so warm and comforting that all she wanted to do right then and there was to nuzzle into it. But she still had her gaurds and wouldn't surrender to the colt with the stupid, comforting smile. "Your lost and don't know what to do, I know that for sure." He heartingly assured. It took Hope a couple moments to process this. That can't be true. She meant to say. She opened her mouth but nothing came. It stayed there moving up and down. She wanted to deny, yell, and accuse him for lying. Nopony has lived like her, nopony can or even would want to help her. So why does he want to help me? Why does he care? Nopony cares about me! She began to hyperventilate. Why is he playing with my emotions like this? Hope began to whimper and shake uncontrollably. Hope's eyes began to overflow with tears. Nopony knows the pain I'm in! So why does he care? How should he know what I'm going through and why do I have to be so..helpless!??!?! Hope flopped to the ground and began to sob and wail in anguish and loneliness. Her face was covered by her hooves and her body was rocking back and forth. She didn't care if the colt was watching, right now all she wanted was to let all her pain out. Darius, meanwhile, was mentally kicking himself with a look of horror.What have I done? I only meant to make her happy not THIS!! He tried desperately to think of a way to salvage this. He never meant to hurt her. When word gets out, what would his classmates think? Darius gasped. Or worse! What would Lazlo think? If she found out that he made a little filly cry she would never want to be friends with him anymore. Hope's continuous wails weren't helping either. Every wail and sob reminded him of when he was a foal, and what would always calm him when he was crying or having another breakdown. Darius then had a "lightbulb moment". He knew exactly what to do. He didn't care that it was something he never, he didn't care if it made him uncomfortable. Right now, the only thing that mattered was the filly in front of him. Hope Chaser continued to sob uncontrollably. She was sure that colt already left and she was alone again. She sat up and began to cover her eyes with her hooves. Every time she wailed, her head began to hurt, which caused her to cry more, creating a horrible cycle. She jumped when she felt a hoof wrap around her sides and was slowly pulled to the colt's side against a wall. Hope began to whimper and sniffle again when she felt his hoof rub up and down her back. "Shhhhh", he whispered, "It's alright, I'm here for you." Hope Chaser couldn't hold it in and, without thought, wrapped her hooves around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. Hope couldn't care less that she barely knew him or even his name, but she knew one thing for sure. She needed his comfort. Hope felt warm and safe when he began to softly stroke her mane. Hope was soon back to sniffling and shaking after a few minutes, Darius began to sit up and shuffle from his position as if trying get up and let her go. No, please not now. She never wanted this to end. "Please don't go." she whimpered as she tightened her grip around his neck. Darius got the message and sat back down. He gently stroked her mane some more and smiled. "You have nothing to worry about", he said as the filly looked up to see his eyes, "because I'm never gonna leave you."
