A Lonely, Wandering Heart

by Ironfire Skies

Chapter 4 - Questions Answered

Questions Answered
By: Sango-Blazer Skies

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11:30AM - Noon

‘ My grandfather, my father’s father, did all this Hearth’s Warming Eve shopping when he knew he had a heart disease?’ I thought.

When grandpa was alive, he always did Hearth Warming Eves shopping in a variety of places in Equestria: Manehattan, Vanhoover, Ponyville, and Canterlot were his ideal spots. He loved shopping for quality gifts - fancy or not. How would I describe the previous gifts he purchased, during the busy winter holidays prior? They were unique, memorable, and worth keeping.

But what was underneath all that wrapping paper? What did he get for each of my friends? I wondered.

Grandpa always had a special innate ability when it came to gift giving, he knew immediately what somepony wanted for any occasion. He always followed the philosophy: “It’s better to give than to receive”. Even always forgot every Hearth’s Warming to purchase himself something. ‘Oh Grandpa’.

I transferred my mind back to reality to the coffee table I am sitting above. I am on the sofa relaxing with a bowl of oatmeal, topped with blueberries and strawberries as my lunch. My drinks: hot coco and a separate cup of hot water. I am cozy with holiday socks on my hooves - lined with small white stripes and painted snowflakes. After I finished my delicious oatmeal, I put the bowl down and began to bring the cup of hot coco towards me with my horn.

“Mmm, this hot coco is to die for”, I said out loud to nopony in particular. It brought back a memory of young me waiting for Grandpa Dusk to finish making hot chocolate on Hearth’s Warming Eve night.

---

December 24th, 2001
Night of Hearth’s Warming Eve

A five year old Twilight Sparkle is seen with her older brother Shining Armor, their parents Velvet and Night Light, decorating the fir tree with unique homemade ornaments. Night Dusk was watching his two grandkids from afar- with a smile - as he was making his family hot chocolate in the kitchen. He mixed the usual ingredients: coco powder, warm milk, and a special touch; fir tree-shaped marshmallows.

Fifteen minutes later, he levitates the six cups of freshly hot coco onto a tray - as he walked from the kitchen to the living room.

“Hot chocolate’s ready everypony!” Grandpa Dusk hollered gleefully.

Young Shining and Twilight’s ears perked as they ran to their Grandpa. “Yay, hot coco! It’s starting to get cold in our house anyways”, both siblings said in unison.

Shining Armor and Twi levitated two cups of hot chocolate from the tray. Both siblings closed their eyes as they slowly took a sip, embracing the taste of the “special touch” added to sweet holiday concoction. ‘Mmm, fir tree-shaped marshmallows’. Both of them thought.

Flashback fades.

---

The last time I witnessed my Grandpa ever making hot coco for Shining Armor and I was at age 5. Reminiscing it again, I tried my best to fight back my tears - tears were streaming down my face like light waterfalls. I slowly wiped these streams away from my muzzle with my hoof.

I finished my lunch - the bowl is empty, the cup of hot water is halfway finished. But the hot chocolate is still unfinished with more sips to come. I got up from my position on the sofa, and began my way from the vast living room to the spacious cabin’s kitchen. When I arrived, I levitated the finished bowl of oatmeal into the sink and soaked it with hot water and dish soap.

After scrubbing and rinsing my bowl and laying it onto the dish rack, I let my eyes wonder at the almost decorated living room. I raised my eyebrow. “What could possibly be missing in this holiday set up?” The tree was already filled with assorted ornaments of every color, a red ribbon for glamour, red and green LED lights. But what is it missing? Assorted ornaments, check ; one red ribbon, check; red green LED lights, check. 'Wait, that's it. Wrapped presents'.

The beautifully wrapped presents from Grandpa Night Dusk that were boxed up before my arrival. It must still be lying in the linen closet, waiting for me to retrieve it from its dark abyss. The first linen closet was in a built-in room below the staircase. Luckily the door to the closet was still closed.

When I was done washing the dishes, I decided to reheat the hot chocolate - it became cold by the time I was done dishwashing. The kitchen had a mug heater on the counter, I can use that to reheat my cold hot chocolate. I levitated my cold cup of coco onto the mug heater and plugged it in with my magic. Once the heater was plugged in, I turned it on using my hoof - the on-off switch was on the left side of it.

While my hot coco was being reheated, I left my position from the sink to the closet below the staircase. When I got there, I immediately opened the door with my horn. Then used my hoof to pull the switch on the light - with the only light source coming from a single bulb hanging on the closet's ceiling.

'Grandpa's design of this closet sure is old school' I thought.

I peered into the staircase closet, turned my head left to right to look at the shelves mounted sturdily on the wall. The wall shelves only contained extra towels, ten stacks of wooled & yarn blankets, additional soaps for the bathroom, luffas, and four rolls of holiday wrapping paper. 'Okay, where did I put that box with my friends' gifts?' I already looked left and right. However, when I looked down, the box was nowhere to be found.

I left it in the linen closet upstairs all this time, and I thought I was a studious pony. I was so occupied with my thoughts during lunch that I completely forgot the location of the gift box for my friends. I was in such a ruffle.

---

-Upstairs in the cabin-

After I trotted this cabin's twenty flight of stairs, I arrived at the desired linen closet next to the bathroom. 'Yes, made it'. I panted, feeling very out of breathe. I had always knew that the stairs were my worse nemesis as a filly. Whenever I walked a flight of stairs back in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, those flights of stairs I encountered felt like the mountain I would never climb. But enough about stairs, let's go get my friends' gifts.

I arrived at the second floor of the cabin, and walked to the linen closet next to the bathroom. I opened the closed door with my horn lit with its usual magenta aura. As the door slowly opened, I casted a locator spell to help me track the placement of the nicely wrapped gifts. It took me thirty seconds to utilize the use of spell properly. I kept my horn alit as I closed my eyes, and concentrated on the spell more.

Eventually, I heard a slight crackle from my horn. 'The gifts must be close, I'm getting warmer'. As I got warmer, my horn began to crackle much louder. "I think I found it", I said.

My friends' gifts were still located at the very bottom of the closet, thank the lord it stayed untouched! The rest of the shelves housed extra home items needed for the six bathrooms in the cabin.

I lifted the heavy box of their gifts with my magic and decided I was gonna carry it back downstairs. And that's what I did. I closed the door to the closet and headed down the hall that led back to the row of stairs.

---

I arrived downstairs eventually with the heavy box with everyponys' gifts. The box was slightly heavy, but I did not have too much trouble carrying it. I set it down beside the half completely decorated fir tree and took each gift out one by one. The first wrapped present contained rainbow wrapping paper on its exterior, along with a red - green ribbon neatly tied on top. I flipped the box upside down, to see if there was anything else embedded on top; there was an embroidery of Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark, at the very bottom of the ribbon.

I gasped softly, as I was also in shock at the stunningly wrapped gift. “Wow, how did Grandpa manage to wrap Rainbow’s gift so nicely?” I didn’t want to use this spell, but I had to. I casted a gentle see - ray spell on the present, desiring to know what was inside. As the spell took a second to take effect, it revealed presents to even blow Dashie’s mind; it contained the latest Daring Do book (Daring Do and The Forbidden Cloud City), a new pair of rainbow mittens, two yellow - lightning streaked sweat shirts with a blue lining the sides and hood and an empty picture frame designed with her cutie mark atop.

"This is the most well, thought out present I had ever witnessed", I said. "I wonder what else everypony got."

I set aside Rainbow's presents, and moved on to Applejack's next. Her gift was wrapped in paper, adorned with apples all over, atop a white background. I levitated AJ's gift towards me and used the same spell. The see - ray spell took effect once again, revealing something as special as Dash's gift; a red bandana scarf patterned with tiny polka dots, one window sticker with three red apples and an empty photo album.

I thought. 'Grandpa, you really outdone yourself again. How do you do this?'

It was time to move on to Rarity's gift. For the third time, I use the same spell I performed on my other friends' presents prior. What could Grandpa Night Dusk possibly get for some pony as fashion forward as Rarity? Her gift was wrapped in paper with white diamonds and a purple background. Through the spell, the inside of the box showed me something unique as Rarity was herself. These were the items it contained: one limited edition mane curler (non heated), a hair clip with a white diamond atop it, and a white diamond charmed along a gold stainless steel chain.

"These are the most thoughtful gifts ever", I said.

Lastly, I decided to use the see - ray spell on Pinkie and Shy's gift at the same time. As the spell took its effect for the last time, the two boxes in my magic grasp revealed items as special as both of those mares. For Fluttershy's present, there was a green turtleneck sweater, a pink butterfly hair clip, a nature guide on Equestria's animals, and a whistle. Whatever Grandpa purchased for Fluttershy, all these items were deemed useful.

Pinkie Pie's gifts were more surprising, to say the least. Grandpa Dusk bought her an event planner - customized with an outer pink cover, with her cutie mark on the front; a special designed pen, in pink, also with her cutie mark - for her to write down party ideas; and a jigsaw puzzle.

My mind was blown away. No words can express how heart felt these gifts truly are. I wish my Grandpa was still alive to see the smiles he would put on my friends' faces. Each gift represented the pony it belonged to. But one question remains. How was he able to do all this two months before he passed away?

I had already set down all my friends' gifts to the side. But where was mine? What did Grandpa give me for Hearth's Warming Eve? I almost teared, I feared Grandpa may have forgotten about me.

As I was stacking my friends' gifts underneath the fir tree's skirt, an unknown force pushed the box (originally containing my friends's gifts) down unexpectedly - making me jump. I peered around the living room to see who it might be, but no pony or creature was present.

"Is any pony there?", I hollered out, frightened.

I shrugged slightly and got up from where I sat opening my friends' gifts earlier. I shoved the box gently, out of sight from the half decorated tree, to see another letter, laying on the floor, that would answer this one question: "How was he able to do all this, two months before he passed away?"

I lifted the fancy parchment of paper towards me from the floor and began to read.

To my dear granddaughter,

This is Grandpa Night Dusk, writing to you for the last time before I perish from this world. I knew you were wondering about how I was able to purchase all those gifts for your friends. And, did you think I had forgotten about you? My own grand baby, of course not. Your gift is waiting for you at your final destination, in Manehattan, where Coco Pommel is.

Coco is still ill with the flu and bedridden. Her fever is still high at this moment, but I have faith that you can bring her the medicine she needs to be healed of that horrible sickness.

The gifts that I had purchased, with all my saved up bits, are either from my brief trip around our cities or were made by me. The nature guide book I bought for your friend Fluttershy, is from a bookstore in Canterlot. The rainbow mittens, Daring Do book, and wonderbolt hoodie are items I bought in Cloudsdale for Rainbow Dash at a local shop that sells many merchandise of various vendors. The homey gifts for Applejack were made with my own sewing/crafting materials I had laying around the cabin. The presents that were for Rarity, such as the mane curler, hair clip, and necklace are from a store in Manehattan (which I forgot the name to).

For Pinkie Pie, her gifts are from a stationery store in Ponyville that sells mainly sofas and quills. But luckily, the owner decided to add additional products to sell.

Now, to answer your question about how I was able to purchase all these items before my passing. Well, I had some help from that foal hood friend of yours. Which, I can tell that he is like another brother to you. Dr. Hooves. He helped me when I was handicapped - riding on a wheelchair - to take me to all those places to buy all those Hearth's Warming gifts for your friends.

If you were wondering about how I knew each of your friends' dislikes/likes, I had some help from your former mentor: Princess Celestia. I was out in Canterlot in November to talk to her about what your friends liked. Unfortunately, Dr. Hooves had to wheel me into the castle in my wheelchair. You had a wonderful mentor, Twilight.

I end this letter with a goodbye, and that I will always be with you in spirit. Remember the box that fell down unexpectedly, that was me Twilight.

I wish you an eventful Hearth's Warming!

Yours truly and forever,
Night Dusk.

I put down the letter, shocked, that it answered my one question. He was fighting a heart disease, but at the same time, he went out of his way to do all this for me. I am so touched. Thank you Grandpa!

Now that I got an opportunity to curiously look at my friends' gifts, my hot coco must be done warming up.

Author's Note:

This is most long time awaited update of this story. There was a lack of updates, due to real life taking up so much of my time off this site. I apologize to anybody who still has this story in their bookshelf for the lack of progress. My personal life had been all over the place. But I am back on FIMfiction now to get back into writing.

I will start writing Chapter 5 when I have time, until then. I have my other works to revive.

Comments

[Hoofprintz]

A fairly interesting story so far. In particular I liked the Rarity scene where the Mane 6 were decorating and the fact that you included Celestia telling her grandpa about the others.

Will read when you post more.

[Ironfire Skies]

11549765
Thank you for reading. I hope this story has connected with you on a somewhat more personal level.

[Hoofprintz]

11550248
It did make me feel pretty down or at least made me ponder my past. 3 of my grandparents died when I was pretty young. (before 7) So I never really got to know them. My grandma who I was closer to died about 3 years ago but she also wasn't directly in my life at the time.

Grandparents are hard. They can be highly influential on their grandkids lives but reading this story made me realize just how little affect mine had on me.

It was a pretty melancholic feeling, but an interesting one to experience none the less.

[Ironfire Skies]

11550592
I never knew my grandfather on my dad’s side. He passed away even before I was born. So, I can kinda relate to where you were coming from. My mom’s side, however, I know my grandparents. They’re still alive and well. They’re a big part of my life, even though they live overseas in Hong Kong.

I’m Chinese American, fyi. And I’m glad my story connected with you in some way.

[Hoofprintz]

11550727
Ah, that's great that you have a good relationship with those grandparents and I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather. Events like that are always unfortunate.

Chinese-American? That's pretty cool! I'm a Mexican-American though I was born and raised here so I don't even know how to speak Spanish.

And yeah good story, I'll move back to read the first asap. I tend to jump around a lot.

[Ironfire Skies]

11550730
Same, I was born in the USA. Though I learned Chinese as my second language. I can speak it, but not write it.

I spoke English as my first language, and still do.

What do you mean?

[Hoofprintz]

11550765
If you're asking what my last statement meant, I was referring to a Mysterious Explosion, I'll be going back to finish reading that story as soon as possible since I've finished this one.

[Ironfire Skies]

11550770
Oh, okay. Take your time with that story then. Cause the events in each chapter are happening all over. The timezones in Saddle Arabia and Equestria interchange.