What Matters Most

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."