Destiny was a strange thing sometimes. People tried to understand it, tried to figure it out, but in the end they were simply walking down a path to where they assumed they were supposed to go. This was the case with a particular man, the one who had been referred to as Hokey Smokes, as well as everyone else. The only real difference was that his destiny, or what he assumed would lead him to his destiny, was all about him. He wanted to go somewhere that would allow him to figure out why he didn’t know anything about himself. I’m not even completely sure about my own name. Something definitely is wrong here. But that’s why I’m going to… what was it? Manehattan? That doesn’t sound real, but that’s the whole point of this. This whole thing will become clear when I get to that town.

Half an hour had passed already; there were no clear signs of life anywhere. The country, a place where he didn’t like to be, that was where he had been taken. How much longer would he have to walk? There was nothing for him to do beyond sing to himself. All he had to do was think of a song. Another ten minutes passed, and he gave up on that. Probably for the best. Am I a good singer anyway? I haven’t tried, but I doubt it. Singers are few and far between. Maybe I should just focus on figuring out what it is that I’m going to do when I get to Manehattan. There are likely a lot of pon- people there. I should be able to find one, at least one, who knows who I really am. Or the lesson. Yeah, somebody there will know the lesson that I’m supposed to learn.

About that time, he realized that there were plenty of buildings in the distance.

Either there’s another town, I took a wrong turn, or this is where I was heading. It took the sight of a sign, welcoming him to Manehattan, to give that query a satisfying conclusion. Of course, this was only the start. Michael had to find somebody who knew where he was supposed to be, knew who he was supposed to be. That meant that somepony there would have to actually know him, or be a mechanization of his dream. Aren’t they all? Alright lesson, here I come. That thought was in his head as he slammed directly into somepony with a weird hat. It might have been good if he had actually been paying attention, the woman was glaring at him as she started to get back up. A hoof was offered to help, but she ignored it.

“Why don’t you watch where you’re going?!”

“I’m sorry. I guess I was just… not paying attention.”

“Hmph!” With that, the woman just turned her head and started to walk away.

Rude much?

No time for him to do anything about it, it was time for him to head to the hospital. The hit to his head, the one when he had run into that mare, had gotten him thinking. If there was any way for him to figure out what he was supposed to know, it would likely come from a place with records. There would be some sort of name; there would be some sort of idea where he should go. Alright, all I have to do is figure out exactly where the hospital is. That shouldn’t be so hard. All I have to do is find somepony who looks like they might know. Anypony will do…

It didn’t catch in his mind what he had just thought, just that he needed to do something. Eyes looked around, then a little colt ran up to him.

“Are you alright, Mister?”

“Actually, I’m trying to find the hospital.”

“It’s… right beside you.”

Eyes looked over to see it, and a blush showed on his face. “Oh… I feel silly.”

“No problem, Mister. Maybe you can give me a bit for helping you…” Begging eyes looked up at him, and Hokey Smokes tried to think of a way out of it. He didn’t have any bits. He didn’t even know what bits were. The only thing that saved him was the fact that a mare showed up and carted him away. Saved by a concerned parent. That’s definitely something that I’m glad happened. And now to the hospital… A turn, and he entered the building. Immediately, everything started to look familiar. There were white walls, sterile looking, and nurses. There was also a mare at the desk, with a bored look on her face.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for anypony who might know something about me.” The confused look came to him, and Hokey Smokes decided it was time for him to explain. It wasn’t every day, or at least he assumed it wasn’t, that something like this happened. “I’ll keep it brief. I woke up in a hospital, forget which. I think it was here, since this place is close. I was told I’m Hokey Smokes, but I have no clue if that’s even right? Is it?”

“How should I know?”

“Don’t you keep records?”

“Well, yes, but I’ve never seen you before. Are you sure you came here?”

“Nope.” That wasn’t the best answer, but it was the honest one. It was also one that got some eyes rolled at him, which caused a nervous reaction. Hokey Smokes couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. The mare gave him a glare, and then looked through her records a few times. Ten minutes later, with somepony else helping, there was a single sheet of paper was found. It was a request for some records to be sent for, with the name Hokey Smokes. “Ah, here you are Mr. Smokes. It seems as though you came to the wrong place. You’re going to need to go to a place called…”

The waiting was almost painful. Hokey Smokes couldn’t quite understand why it was that she waited, or why she had a grin on her face. Was she making the whole thing up to get rid of him? Every other pony had been kind, aside from the woman who he had run into. “Ponyville. It’s not too far from here. Maybe an hour?”

That seemed like a question, and that meant she wasn’t sure.

“It’s getting late out there, though. There are plenty of nice places to stay for the night.”

There seemed to be the assumption that he had cash to spend. It seemed likely, using common sense, that bits were money. It also seemed likely, using more common sense, that he would need to have some if he wanted to stay somewhere for the night. I shouldn’t worry her. After all, this is a dream. And that means that I have everything I need. If I don’t have bits, I won’t need them. I’ll just find my way to Ponyville. I might find something there that ends this dream. After all, all signs point to that being the destination I require.

A smile was on his face as he nodded. There was no point in telling her otherwise. “Thank you. Would you be so kind as to tell me the best one? You probably know way better than I do.” Probably is an understatement. I don’t know anything about his town. Then again, I might. After all, I know everything I need to know.

Apparently, he had looked attentive enough. It didn’t matter, he was going to be walking to Ponyville tonight. He didn’t need anything more than his journal and some food. All he needed to do was get there. All he needed to do was learn that lesson that he was supposed to learn. At Ponyville, that would be there he would finally discover the end to this bizarre dream. Who was he? Why was he here? Why did everything here seem so perfect? All of those questions, and more, went through his mind. All of those questions would be answered by somepony in Ponyville.

“Thank you again, and take care.”

“You too. Tell the people there that I sent you. Nurse Joy is the name.”

That name seems to be a misnomer. “Will do!”

With those final words, the lie in place, it was time for him to start heading to Ponyville. There was, of course, only one problem with his journey to Ponyville.

Where was Ponyvile?

“Excuse me. Sir?” The first person who stopped gave him a bored look. Did anyone ever smile? “You wouldn’t happen to be able to point me to Ponyville, would you?”

“Ugh… Ponyville.” The stallion gave him a look, almost as if he didn’t believe that somepony would seriously have to ask. Hokey did his best to look serious, so it was soon explained to him. The explanation was simple, it was a turn with a hoof being pointed down the street. “It’s as easy as walking down that road. You keep walking for a couple of hours, and you’ll be there.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“No problem.”

Those final words between them, and Hokey started to walk toward the place. I should rest somewhere before I get there. Eyes looked up to see that the moon had already started to rise. Where had the day gone? There was nothing that could be done, except walk until he got tired. The sad thing was that it was only an hour, about half-way there, before he gave up on making it anu further. The stallion needed his sleep.

A path led to what looked like the perfect place, and he simply lay there. There was nothing else for him to do, though he had the compulsion to write something down. This was something that gave his mind a way to stitch together the pieces of information that had come over the day. Perhaps he would come up with the solution to his problems, if he still wanted to, by putting words down on the paper.

Dear Journal,

Today was definitely interesting. Manehattan is a big town, but there are so few happy people. There are nice people, but happiness seems to be void. Maybe it would be nice to see a few.

That leads me to my next big problem. Who am I? Who do I want to be? When I get to Ponyville, everything will become clear. Actually, the question itself, about who I am, leads me to more questions than ever. What if I figure out something bad? What if I don’t like what the lesson of this dream is? What if I turn out to be somebody who is evil? What would the lesson be? All of those questions are hiding the one that I don’t really want to utter. Even writing it seems as though it might be a betrayal of my mind. I have to do it, though.

Do I want this to end? Do I want this to be the dream?

Everything here seems to be great. It seems to be becoming second-nature, or maybe even first. Is this even a dream? Maybe I’m just overthinking things. That means it’s time to sleep!

Your friend,
Hokey Smokes

The sleep was void of dreams, just the darkness of before. At least when he woke up, rested more than he thought possible from a sleep on the ground, he was able to see perfectly. The sun was bright, the day was nice, and soon he was walking. Things were so amazingly boring as he walked, but it was better than running into somepony. Better boring than exciting. I think I’ve had enough excitement for my entire life.

That thought was put on hold, the sight of smaller buildings coming into view. Of course, things couldn’t quite be perfect. When something good was happening, there had to be something that slammed him back to reality. In this case, it was the most literal form of slam. Hokey had barely stepped into town, and he heard a scream of unbridled terror. No, that’s not terror. That’s more lik-. The thought didn’t get finished as he soon found himself being slammed into the side of a building.

Before he faded form consciousness, he heard something and saw something. There were so many colors of hair. That was the sight. “Ummm… ooops?”

Yep, life was always interesting.

It seemed as though there was something working against him. Every single step forward was met with something fighting back. Most of the time, it seemed as if the thing that would hit him was something of a physical nature. This was one of those times when it wasn't an exception, the unconscious pony having been sent to the hospital again. And here I go again. So I wake up, in a hospital, get taken care of, leave, go to figure out the lesson of the day, and then when I come to Ponyville, I get hit again. What is it with me and being physically maimed? Oh well, nothing to do now except open my eyes.

It was easier said than done, but Hokey was able to do it.

Just as had thought, with the voices of people who sounded as though they were nurses, he was in a hospital room. Eyes were still slow to open, the light being something that he couldn't adjust to quickly. Alright, so what happened? I know I got hit, but come on. Think, think, think. Another few moments, and his eyes moved over to the guest that was in the nearby hospital bed. A blue pony, multi-colored mane and tail, looked back at him with a sheepish grin. It was only then that it hit him what happened. There had been an accident, and that pony had slammed into him.

It hadn't been pleasant.

Eyes moved from her, the vicious assailant, and to his own injuries. From what he could gather, the crash had hurt him more than it hurt her. He had a broken leg, that much was obvious. One of his arms was in the sling. Neither of them hurt much, but there was a bag that was dripping something into a tube that led to his arm. It couldn't possibly have been that bad. Alright. What's wrong with me? Logic told him that there had to be something internal, or at least really bad, if he needed to be here. Another few minutes passed, and then a doctor came in.

"Good to see you're up. The surgery on your head wound was a success. The bones should heal up within the next couple of weeks. We're going to want to keep you here for the next few days, to make sure that nothing goes wrong. You should be fine, though."

The word should wasn't exactly the most encouraging, but that was likely the best that they had to tell him. "I don't even know what happened." Hokey couldn't remember it perfectly, and perhaps it would be best to have somebody else tell him. It might even be a case where he didn't know at all. His mind was a powerful thing, as all minds were. Perhaps he had seen this pony, and his mind had filled in details that he didn't have. That happens, right? Of course it happens. But... okay, what does it mean if I'm doing this? Does it mean anything?

"I'll let your roommate tell you later. She knows a lot better than I do."

Hokey didn't even have to look to know that there was a glare. Most of the time, people didn't like those sorts of comments. He knew that he didn't like those sorts of comments. Yet he couldn't help but think that he should try to get an apology from her. If she was the cause of his problems, she would likely have something to say. Then again, I can't force an apology. If she doesn't want to, she won't. But she doesn't seem like the type that would outright refuse to apologize if she did something wrong. Or maybe I'm just over-thinking about somepony that I don't know anything about at all. Do I even know her name?

A few seconds of thought later, and the answer was a resounding no.

Another few moments of gazing over at the pegasus, and then he turned over and started to try to go back to sleep. There was something about this whole situation that made him just want to nap all day. It could have been whatever was dripping through the tubes, actually, but it hardly mattered. Hokey was unable to stay awake, and was soon asleep again. The tube must have been removed while he was asleep, he could feel something like a pinch. That wasn't the thing that woke him up, though. The thing that woke him up was something hitting him right on the side of his head.

It was a ball.

"Hey. You awake yet?"

"Ugh?"

"Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?"

The headache was there, though the ball shouldn't have done that. It was likely a normal headache, maybe with the cause of whatever trauma slamming into the building had caused. Or maybe it was something else altogether. Either way, Hokey Smokes opened his eyes and glanced over at the pegasus who had likely been the assailant. There isn't anyone else in here to throw the ball at me, after all. It had to be her...

"Great. A deaf pony. Out of all of the people I could have ran into, or be stuck in a room with, it has to be a pony who can't hear. Well, at least that means it wasn't my fault..."

"What are you going on about? What wasn't your fault?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me!"

A sigh was heard, and this time it wasn't from him. This time, it was from the pony who had assaulted him twice now. It was obvious that she didn't want to talk about it, but that didn't matter much. Hokey wanted to know what it was that had happened, and he assumed that it coincided with whatever it was that this pony didn't want to talk about. It must have been something bad, actually to illicit the type of reaction that she gave. Did she dive down to hit him on purpose? "Listen. I'd love to tell you, but you'd probably get mad at me and... I'm going to be stuck here for the next few days with you. At least now I know that you aren't deaf..."

Fine. If you aren't going to tell me, I'm going to go back to sleep. Maybe when I wake up, the headache will be gone. With that, he turned his head away. That didn't go well with the blue pony, who started to try to get his attention. It started with her clearing her throat, loudly actually, and then moved on to more obvious things. An apple hit the side of his head, followed by an orange. If things continued, he might have enough for some sort of fruit salad. He might also get hit wherever the head injury was, which wouldn't be good at all.

None of that worked, so the blue pony was forced to use words.

"Come on. You can't ignore me forever. I'm going to get you to say something."

"You first. Who the hay are you?"

Hokey turned to look at a pony with a smile. It seemed as though she just wanted to get some interaction. The only other potential reason for such happiness was that the question was the right question. But who would be so self-absorbed as to want to be asked about themselves? It seemed to be much more likely that she had simply wanted somebody to talk to. There had been some words spoken to that effect before, something about being stuck in there for a few days with him. That might not have been the happiest way of putting it, but it was likely what could be considered the most honest way of putting it. Neither of them wanted to be there.

Might as well make the best of it.

"I am Rainbow Dash, best flier in all of Equestria. I must have hi-." There was a pause, an expression of shock, and then a few coughs. "You must have hit your head pretty hard to not know me. I'm pretty amazing."

Really now? Interesting. So she's Rainbow Dash. That name does seem familiar. I can't quite place where I know that name from, though. Another couple of minutes passed, and then he realized that he had read something about her in a book. If his memory served him right, she was the one who had caused some damage with something called a Sonic Rainboom. He still didn't know what that was, but it was likely something unimpressive and unimportant. Those types of names always did signify something bland and uninteresting.

"And you are?"

"Hokey Smokes."

"No. Really."

"Yes. Really."

"Sure, sure. If that's what you want to call yourself."

That last line didn't make any sense. That was his name, right? He had woken up in a hospital, then he had been told that this was his name. He didn't choose it. There was still something about it that seemed to be surreal. Regardless, there was something else that was coming to mind. How could he have forgotten to get the story from her? He knew her name, now he had to get her to spill the beans. He looked at her, no smile on his face, and simply said what he thought would have the greatest effect on her.

"If you don't tell me what happened I'll just ignore you for the rest of the time we're here, Ms Dash."

"Ms Dash? Really? Promise to not call me that again, and we have a deal."

"Fine. What would you like to be called?"

That question got a weird look, and then she simply laughed at him. "What else would I want to be called? Call me Rainbow Dash."

"Fine."

"Alright. But you can't get mad." That was how all stories went that ended with somebody doing something stupid. This time, however, his response was a nod. There didn't seem to be a point in getting mad, especially since her mistake hadn't cost him too much. It only cost him the ability to walk for a few days. "It started off like any other day. I took care of the weather, got some awesome pranks in, and then started to practice."

"For what?"

"Do you want to know what happened or are you going to keep interrupting me?"

"Sorry, Rainbow Dash."

"That's better. As I was saying, I was practicing. I had just about gotten through my routine. I wanted to be able to do the Sonic Rainboom whenever I tried. Practice makes perfect, so I tried it again." Her eyes seemed to light up. Even the tale of a failure seemed to bring back memories, and not bad memories at that. Hokey could only wait for her to be brought back to reality. "It didn't go as well as I hoped, as then I ended up getting a sprained wing for my trouble." The next part was barely audible, he had to really strain too hear it. "And I might have crashed into you."

Yep, it was just as he thought. This was the reason why he was in here.

"I forgive you..." That was always the first step. Hokey Smokes was willing to put the past behind them, and forgive her. He would be stuck with her for the next few days, he might as well. There was only one problem that soon became obvious.

"I didn't apologize..."

This was going to be a long day.

Is she kidding me? She acknowledges that she ran into me, that it is her fault that this has happened, yet she isn't apologizing? That is more than a little rude. What would make her think that she shouldn't apologize? There was the obvious look of shock on his face. Even somepony who was barely focused on him, like Rainbow Dash, was able to see that there was something that needed to be said to have the hope of having somepoony to talk to. He saw a hoof move to her chin, as if she was trying to think of what to say next.

"Well, you don't apologize for things you don't mean to do. Accidents are just that... accidents."

That wasn't completely true, or even partially true. It didn't matter if a person had meant to do it or not, it was simply wrong. It was simply something that warranted an apology. How could somepony be so self-centered, not to mention rude, as to think that accidents didn't warrant an apology? The look on his face was, once again, enough to make sure that he didn't have to say anything. The blue pony looked up, once again sitting her hoof on her chin.

"Besides, you could have moved out of the way."

"But I didn't see you until it was too late."

"That's just... erm... stinkin thinkin! Yeah, that's what it is!"

"Stinkin thinkin?"

"Yeah. stinkin thinkin."

"And... that is?"

That question brought about a few more minutes of her hoof on her chin. Either the blue assailant had said something she didn't understand, or she was simply trying to think of the best way to actually explain one of the weirdest phrases that Hokey had ever heard. Either way, there were a couple of minutes ofd silence for him to think of what it was that he was going to be saying to her for the rest of their jail sentence together. It feels like a jail sentence, anyway. I don't even know a lot about her, except that she's rude.

Well, I also know that she can fly. And I know that she is bad with apologies, and that she has some of the strangest vocabulary. What else should I know that actually matters? Anything else, she'll likely tell me eventually. Or not, and we'll both go our separate ways at the end of this. I win either way... Those few precious moments, the silent moments, were squandered thinking about the pony who was laying in the bed that was next to his.

"Negative thoughts, duh. My friend Applejack taught me that. Positive thoughts become positive actions."

That seemed to be different from the way she was likely to talk. It sounded more like a dictionary, and Rainbow Dash was obviously no dictionary. She was obviously a pony. And the award for most obvious observation goes to...

"So... where are you from?"

That was strange. Nopony cared about where he came from, who he was, why he was there. He wasn't even sure he could answer that question. Where was he from? That was a question that he hadn't asked himself in a while. I know where I woke up at. Should I tell her that? Yeah, Rainbow Dash doesn't seem like the type that will ask followup questions. She seems like the type that will simply take what I tell her and not care about anything else. It's likely just for conversation... The entire time, his own hoof was on his chin.

"Well, I woke up in the hospital about two hours outside of Manehattan. Before that? I wish I could tell you, but it just isn't in the cards." That shouldd have been enough, but there was obviously more needed. He could see the glare. Even if he hadn't, he could have felt it. A few more minutes passed, and it became unbearable. Hokey almost yelled out the question that came next. "What?!"

"I didn't ask you where you came from before you were here. I meant like... born."

"Can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't."

"Sure you can. I won't judge you."

That was obviously true, but it didn't matter. Hokey wasn't withholding information that he had. He wasn't withholding anything of importance. He just didn't know. "I really can't tell you."

"Tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

"I don't know where I came from!" The final fact was down, and it came with a shocked expression. It was obvious that Rainbow Dash didn't know what to think of the idea that somepony was unaware of their own start. If Hokey hadn't been the one to deal with it, he wouldn't know what to think either. That was all he wanted to say on the matter, but it wasn't enough for her. Instead, the glare only lessened.

"Go on..."

"There isn't much to say."

"Oh yeah there is. How could somepony not know where they come from? That doesn't make any sense. Add that to the fact that you're obviously using a fake name and..." It seemed that today was going to be filled with thinking for Rainbow Dash. Another few minutes later, and it seemed as if she had come up with some epiphany. "Are you a spy?"

"No. And that isn't a fake name... I think." It was time for Hokey to think. He had become accustomed to using that name. The name was given to him by people he didn't know, at a hospital.

"Okay, now you have to tell me."

"No I don't."

"Yeah."

"No."

"Do it!"

"Nope."

"Please? I'll do anything! I'm dyin here!"

"Apologize!"

"For you using a weird name? Fine, I'm sorry you used a weird name."

"No, for running into me."

"Never!"

"Okay then, have it your way." With those final words, he turned over and pretended to go back to sleep. It wasn't that the idea didn't appeal to him, but Hokey knew it was the easiest way to get what he wanted. He knew that she wanted to know something, and he knew that he was going to get her to apologize. It would happen, even if it took time for her to actually cave in and tell him the words that he wanted to hear.

"Fine! I'm sorry. There? Happy?"

"Happier than you will ever know."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." With that, he stopped pretending to try to sleep. He looked right at Rainbow Dash, and smirked. "So... what was it that we were talking about?" It was his hope that she had forgotten. However, fate was not so kind to poor Hokey Smokes.

"You. We were talking about how somepony could actually have no clue where they came from. And then you say that you don't think your name is fake. How could somepony not know if they're using a fake name?"

"Simple. I know nothing about me." That elicited a look that seemed to come to her often. Hokey knew she would ask, so he held out a hoof. "Allow me to elaborate. It has been about a week, I think, since I woke up in that hospital I told you about. The thing that I didn't tell you, and can't, is where I was before then. I woke up there, and got told what my name was. And that's why I know my name, or at least what I think is my name. That is also why I don't know anything else, because I haven't been told."

"Huh?"

"It really hurts when I try to think about anything before then. And you giving me a head-wound isn't likely to help the process."

"Oh."

"Oh indeed."

"So... what's going to happen when you get out of here? Why come to Ponyville?"

"Just a feeling, like this is where I'm supposed to go. There's something here, some way for me to figure out what I'm missing. I just have to find it." The thought about the dream came back. It hadn't really been prevalent, but it was still there. Was this still a dream? He knew to come to Ponyville because he knew this was a dream. This all felt so real, though. And there was the fact that he had a dream where he had fingers.

Or was that the dream, and this the reality?

That was something that hadn't been thought about for a while. It was a common thought over the past few days, but it had been pushed to the side whenever possible. It hurt his head to think, at least when it came to thinking about that. Nope, I should just stick to the stuff that I know for now. It will all come to me. If this is a dream, it will fix itself. If it isn't, I won't need to fix anything.

"Well, I wanna help you out. It just seems wrong to not know that sort of stuff."

"How can you help? The doctor didn't seem to have much information. He didn't even seem to have an answer for whether or not something could be done. Or maybe I just didn't ask." Did he? That was something that should have been asked, but apparently it wasn't. Hokey almost wanted to face-hoof. That probably would have fixed everything.

"I know an egghead that can solve everything. Her name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm sure she'd have no problem coming up with something that could help you out."

"I'm willing to try anything at this point. Thank you."

"No problem. Just... don't tell anypony I apologized."

"Deal."

"Alright, so... when's dinner, anyway?"

Another few minutes later, their dinner was brought in. It wasn't the best, but it was better than starving.

-A few days later-

Amicable conversations after that had been the norm, but that was likely to change now that they were free. Would she still remember what she said? Hokey wasn't sure, he could only go by what had happened the rest of the time that he could remember. It wasn't anything against her personally, but there was a look of shock when she reminded him by simply starting to push his wheelchair.

"Come on, Twilight's place is this way."

Sometimes, he got good surprises...