Written by: KartalTheWriter
Noteworthy had settled into his armchair by the fireplace, the stone hearth as cold as ice, nodding off silently. A few tears still glistened on his muzzle. The Hearth’s Warming party--or lack thereof--had been a complete disaster.
Paper dishware and trays of treats had been set out on the festive tablecloth in the den, but none had been touched. A few board games were stacked under said table for later, but it was starting to seem like they would not get any attention tonight.
Meanwhile a pink alicorn giggled silently into the cold night, her breath casting glistening white clouds into the air. Slightly above her head and enveloped in an affectionate blue aura was a delicately wrapped Hearth’s Warming present. As she approached the house, Cadance took a quick peek in the window.
“Awww, looks like I arrived just in time,” she sighed sympathetically.
The princess raised her hoof to the door but paused halfway through the act.
“The poor thing--I can do better!” And leaving the gift on the welcome mat, Cadance turned back and flew off into the night.
Inside, the blue stallion sighed because even a little doze couldn’t protect him from the awful truth of his failure.
“I had it all perfect,” he began to the painfully empty room. “I invited all my friends--granted, I’m not sure if they like me that much...” Noteworthy trailed off, shaking his head gravely. “I mean, my best friend Caramel at least said he’d be here. He said he wouldn’t miss it for the world. But then, he’s rather forgetful. What if his fillyfriend forgot to wake him up this morning and he just wakes up tomorrow thinking it’s today and he comes here and says ‘Where’s the party?’ and I have to tell him he’s a day late?”
Stepping out of his chair so he could pace the rug in front of the hearth, Noteworthy continued.
“Lucky said he may not make it. Something about this being the time Rarity takes her evening stroll...oh well...I didn’t think he’d show anyway. He thinks I’m a whiny loser.” Noteworthy stopped pacing at that exact moment, having come to a sudden realization. “I am a whiny loser!”
The blue pony stopped his path of self destruction for a brief moment and pondered what he had just said.
“I am a whiny loser...” he murmured deliberately. Slowly, he sat down right where he was on the rug and curled up into a ball.
“Nopony’s coming to my party. And why should they? Why should I have even bothered trying to have this party when I’m such a loser? How could I ask them to come give me their time like this? How selfish of me! What a jerk move! They’ve got better things to do than be here with me. I’m worthless.”
Suddenly there came a knock at the door. Noteworthy’s eyes flicked to the sound. With a deep sigh, he walked to the door, each step heavy. Taking a deep breath, he swung the door open and began apologizing profusely, eyes shut tight in fear.
“I’m so sorry I had to waste your time like that! Please don’t hate me! I mean, well, hate me if you want, but please don’t hold a grudge. I’m so sorry about this. So sorry.”
When no other sound came from whoever had knocked on the door, Noteworthy opened his eyes again. On his welcome mat was the most beautiful package he had ever seen. With its glittery green paper and topped with a spectacular scarlet bow, it was picture perfect. And even better, on the tag were five beautiful words: “To Noteworthy, from Somepony Secret”
Tears creeping into his eyes, the blue pony pawed at the beautiful paper until all that remained was a shiny white box. Trembling, Noteworthy lifted the lid and peered at his gift. Inside was a cuddly-looking brown bear. In its paws was a red card with white lettering. The letters read “Somepony out there loves you”. Slowly, Noteworthy lifted the bear out of the box, instinctively holding it to his chest and hugging it harder than he had ever hugged anything--or anypony, for that matter--before. Tears streamed down his tired eyes, conjuring long lost feelings of loneliness he had tried so hard to forget.
Just then there came another knock at the door. Noteworthy jumped, facing the door upon his landing. For a few moments, he stayed still. It barely occurred to him that he was still clutching the bear.
“Could it be?” He asked the empty, lonely air, hardly daring to believe.
“Open the door, Notes! I’m freezing my tail off!” an all too familiar voice shouted from the outside.
“C-Caramel?” the blue pony asked tentatively, squeezing the bear again and giving it an extra, unconscious nuzzle.
“Who’d ya think it was, the pizzamare? Open this door before we all turn into ice cream ponysicles!” Blindly obeying the commanding voice, Noteworthy trotted to the door and once again swung it open.
“Well it’s about time, Notes!” A tanish pony with blue eyes snorted. He took one glance at the scene in front of him and gave his friend a look, making his voice softer so only Noteworthy could hear. “Come on, Notes. You know we’d never abandon you. We’re your friends. Relax. We’ve got your back.”
“I love you,” Noteworthy murmured quietly before dropping his gift and giving his best friend a great big bear hug.
“Yikes, get off me! I have a fillyfriend, you know!”
“Oh, isn’t it sweet that you two are so close?” A light blue pegasus mare giggled lightly at her coltfriend and his best friend’s display. After a moment of thought, she declared , “It’s a good idea, really,” and hugged Caramel from the back. The next guests joined in the group hug, even the ones who hadn’t seen how it had begun. Somehow the spirit of the holidays was just enough that nopony questioned why the first ten minutes of the party was spent in a tangle of warm, enveloping hooves.
“Yo ‘Worthy, what are you doing with a stuffed bear?” somepony unspecified asked loudly.
Before Noteworthy could answer this random question, a deep-voiced red stallion answered for him.
“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with having a stuffed bear,” Macintosh murmured. Nopony questioned the powerful stallion.
“Hey uh...Noteworthy...um...I’m sorry about calling you a whiny loser...that was entirely off base. Friends?” Came another all too familiar voice somewhere behind the blue pony.
“Where’d you come from, Lucky? I thought you were going to walk with Rarity?”
“I could never leave you behind, buddy.”
As Noteworthy rejoiced in this moment of love and happiness with close friends, he sent a thought up for whoever sent the stuffed bear. Wherever you are, Somepony Secret, he said mentally to himself, thank you. Thank you for everything.