Elements of Forgiveness part 2: Magic

by Lenora Goff

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character, Spike, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 15304

The second part of the series, focusing on Hokey Smokes and his interaction with the 2nd of 6.

What could have caused Hokey Smokes to be unable to do most magic?

This is a question that he had given up on answering, yet it was the one that Twilight Sparkle seems to have picked up. She had even gone to Sweet Apple Acres, picking him up from there after his final day of work. What will happen when she tries to figure out how it happened? Will she try to fix it, after what he had done? Does he deserve forgiveness?

Another thing that he has to go through is a strange metamorphosis. This isn't one of the body, but one of the mind. After the events at Sweet Apple Acres, he is starting to change as a person. Is it the influence of Applejack? Will Twilight Sparkle have a similar influence?

This is the second part of the series, and the third story that deals with Hokey Smokes. If you would like to go read the other two, it's possible.

Published 2012-05-17 15:44:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-11 21:30:12 UTC

Chapter 1: Getting to the Library

Forgiveness wasn’t something that came. The words that she had said, about looking at his horn, echoed through his mind. His time at Sweet Apple Acres had been enough to earn him the forgiveness of one pony, namely Applejack. That hadn’t been his hope when he had agreed to help, the promise of apples had been enough, but the few days had been an influence on him. Before that day, he didn’t feel as guilty about things that he now started to. Hokey Smokes hadn’t thought about what had happened to the Great and Powerful Trixie, and when he had embarrassed her, but twice during his job did it come to mind. The first time had been a memory, one that held no feelings either way. Then came the second time, and it was a time when he couldn’t help but feel as though he did something that could have permanently caused a young mare to feel inadequate. His thoughts moved back to the present, though, when he felt as though he was some sort of experiment. She didn’t care about him, didn’t want to give him forgiveness, or at least that was how it seemed to him. In his mind, he must not have been anything more than an idle curiosity, a puzzle that needed to be solved and then passed off.

He was a problem that she wanted to fix.

Wait it enough?

This wasn’t one of those situations where Hokey Smokes thought he deserved to be forgiven, at least not immediately. Part of him wondered if he really cared about that sort of thing. If it did, and it slightly did, then why did it matter? That was a question that he couldn’t answer, though he still wasn’t sure how much he cared about it. I know that Twilight Sparkle is somepony who is nice, but doesn’t seem to have forgiven me completely. Has she even thought about it? Does she truly know what happened? Maybe she could explain to me how it worked, with the Ursa. I still don’t know how it worked, and I’m the one who went through it. Oh well, maybe it’s better to not think about it anymore. If she knows, then I will ask her later. If she doesn’t, then nothing of value will be lost. Not a single word was being spoken, the two ponies simply walking toward their destination that was the library. Twilight Sparkle was actually walking in front, with him following closely behind. It wasn’t the smartest thing he had done, as he sudden stop led to him actually ramming into her backside.

“Ooof! Sorry!”
Hokey Smokes stood back up, holding a hoof out to offer the young mare some help to stand back up. Smooth move, dude. This is the pony who thinks that she can help you out, who will be trying to help you out, and you just rammed into her. For all you know, she could have been trying to talk the entire time. All you’re doing is getting stuck in your own thoughts. Now she- wait, she could have said something and you still wouldn’t have any idea. Gah! That is not exactly the right thing, stop thinking and start listening.[/I A shake of his head, he hadn’t been paying attention as well as he should have. The shake of his head actually came at a bad time, with a questioning glance from Twilight. She had, apparently, said something that he hadn’t responded to before.

“So you are going to just stand out here?”

“Huh? No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

What should I tell her? Should I admit that I wasn’t listening? That might come across as rude. Then again, honesty works out better than telling a lie. She won’t hate me too much if she knows the truth, that I have a lot on my mind. She might even understand! How nice would that be? Hokey Smokes chuckled, realizing that he was simply standing there glancing upward. It must have made him seem as though he was purposely ignoring her, which wasn’t completely the case. “I got lost in my thoughts. Even after all of this time, everything seems almost surreal. I don’t know how to explain it, Ms Sparkle, but-“

“Call me Twilight.”

“Alright, Twilight Sparkle.”

“No, just- nevermind. So, you just got caught in your own thoughts?”

“Pretty much.”

“Well, it’s time for you to come inside. I have some things I need to do, some tests to perform, and then we can get to you.” By this time, she had turned and walked in. Hokey Smokes didn’t feel comfortable with just walking in, but he forced himself to do it anyway. Something about this whole thing didn’t feel right, didn’t feel as though he was actually welcome. I am simply an idle curiosity. She will figure out my problem, and she will push me out. It is the thing I am sure will happen, and the thing I am not entirely against. When you expect something, it becomes easier to get over. Eyes scanned the room, the library hadn’t much changed since he had last seen it. There were more books, which could be seen as a plus, but everything else seemed the same. The only thing that struck him as different, actually, was that there was a purple creature that was glaring at him. This wasn’t a normal glare, this was almost bad enough to be considered a death-glare.

Yep, definitely not here to make friends. This is just going to be about my magic, she will surely be shipping me off as soon as she’s done. Hokey Smokes found a place to sit down, and did so. This was going to be the least interesting point of the day, which already hadn’t been terribly exciting. The pony who had brought him there, Twilight Sparkle, was exceptionally busy. She was working on many things, likely a few that he would never learn about, and was too busy to deal with him yet. That was alright; he could sit there and wait. The only thing that wasn’t alright was that he was being watched, the glare never leaving the face of the otherwise adorable little dragon. And I was once afraid of that. That definitely wasn’t my bravest point, it was actually my lowest. I’m just glad that I can put that behind me, try to move on. Well, I can’t move on yet. Minutes dragged on, and the only thing that he could think that might keep him awake was talking to the dragon. There wasn’t much of an indication that he would talk back, the creature didn’t seem to like him, but it was worth the effort to try.

“So, what’s it like to live in a library?”

There was no response, there was simply a glare.

Fine, fine, whatever. I don’t really need to talk anyway. Ten more minutes passed, not a single thing happening to keep him awake, and so he started to nod off. The boredom of sitting there became the boredom of lying there. This became the boredom of sleeping there, mixed with the snoring that didn’t actually have much reason behind it. His dreams were of the encounter with Twilight Sparkle, the one where he had proven to be a horrible pony. Shortly after it was done, there was a second one about how it should have gone. Hokey Smokes knew that he should have been a lot different, yet he hadn’t been. The dream world flashed, and it seemed as though his possible future was showing. He was friends with Twilight Sparkle. Actually, that wasn’t the best way to describe it. He saw cuddling, kissing, hugging. These were things that weren’t done between ponies who were simply friends. There were other things as well, things that caused a blush to appear over his face while he slept. He had just met her a few months back, they weren’t even friends. This was one of those times when it would have been really useful to have control over his dreams. At this rate, who knew what would happen?

“Wake up, sleepy head.”

Eyes opened up, though Hokey Smokes blinked a couple of times before he remembered where he was. He was on the floor, and it was morning. That doesn’t make any sense. It was afternoon when I got here, and now it is morning. Yep, I’m dreaming. He stood up, yawning and stretching, before glancing at the pony who had awoken him. It was Twilight Sparkle. Instantly, he remembered what his dreams had been. His face turned a dark red, and he looked up. A few moments of silence happened, and then she cleared her throat.

“If I’m going to figure out what’s wrong, we’re going to have to do a lot of tests. I hope you’re more focused today than you were yesterday…”

There were a lot of things that the tests could entail, but there was one thought that went through his mind. Yep, today isn’t going to be easy. I don’t know how I know it, or why I think it, but I have this feeling. Today is going to suck.

Chapter 2: A Basic Test

Tests.

There had once been a time when that word would elicit a different response. Hokey Smokes had been the type of colt who studied, and that had translated out into tests being easier. That was actually something he had been good at, taking tests, and it had helped him graduate. It might have been better if he had tried a little harder, done a little more work. He was, by no means, the one who had graduated with highest honors. Second place wasn’t his spot, either, you’d have to start heading down. Out of a class of seventy-eight, he was fifteenth. It might have been fourteenth if he had put in more effort, or it might not have been. None of that was important right now, as those same tests would be impossible for him to pass. Everything had been so much easier before the events with the Ursa. Everything had been so much better for him, even if he didn’t like looking back at how he had been. What was more important to him, though? Was it more important to be magical or more important to be somepony that he could stand to look at? None of that could really be decided yet, though, he had to focus on the tests that were coming forth.

“What kind of tests?” He finally asked, bringing himself out of his own thoughts.

“We’re going to head downstairs and hook some wires up to your head. Then I’m going to examine you while you try to perform basic spells.”

Yep, today is going to be horrible. Thoughts were already going through his head about what could happen. If he failed at the basic spells, she wouldn’t be happy. If she was friends with everypony in town, his failure might spread around. This wouldn’t just end with him being out of a job, which was definitely a good thing to fear, but it would end with his graduation being nullified. All of his hard work would be for nothing; he would have to go back to the beginning. His eyes went wide at the thought; he had disliked the earlier grades. Tests were one thing, but dealing with the ponies that were in classes was another. There were a lot of rude ponies, a lot of them who were actually more skilled than him, and that had been back then. What would happen now? Hokey Smokes was an adult, it would be the most terrifying thing that he could possibly think of. The thoughts came with a widened expression, and of course a lack of paying attention to everything that was around him. How did any of that matter when he was going to be sent back all the way? How could today get any worse? Hokey Smokes just knew that he was going to be forced to take the entrance exams again, too. He would-

*smack*

That was one way to get him out of the fear. “I’m awake!”

“I told you it would be the easiest way to get him to focus.” The young dragon said, going over to pick up the apple that had been thrown.

“And that is why you’re my number one assistant!” She gleefully said, and then turned back to Hokey Smokes. “Don’t worry, the wires won’t actually be attached. It won’t hurt at all, I promise.” With that, she turned to start walking. It was almost as if she knew he would follow, even after he had frozen up only a few moments prior. The only other possibility was that she wasn’t thinking about that at all.

Should I tell her that it has nothing to do with the wires? I probably should. “If I don’t do all that well today,” he said as he started to follow her. “You’re not going to get me sent back to magic school, are you?”

At that point, she stopped and looked at him. He stopped as well, though it was only a moment before he would have run into her. Unexpectedly, after a few blinks, she reacted in the least expected way. Twilight Sparkle started to laugh. She wasn’t thinking, obviously, about the fact that he really meant it. Instead, she reacted in way that only caused him to worry. He averted his gaze, not knowing what he should do. Another few moments passed, and then she saw that it was bothering him. “Oh. You meant it. Why would I do that? Just come on, we have to get those tests done.” Once again, she turned to walk away with the knowledge that he was going to fbe following closely behind. It wasn’t a hope, it was a fact. He didn’t waste any time to start walking again; the slight fear of being sent back was something that had stopped him from wanting to do any of it. The day might still be bad, but there was the knowledge that it wasn’t going to be too horrible. I still have this feeling that it’s going to end with me passing out. That seems to be something that happens a lot lately, especially when I try to do anything major.

How many tests will I have to do?

“Alright, so just sit in the chair while I get everything set up.”

By the time, he was just doing as commanded. There was a chair, not a comfortable chair, that he soon found himself sitting in. Eyes moved around the room to find that it was a rather full room. The machines took up a decent amount of space, and then the chair in the middle, and that didn’t even take into account the wires that had strange suction cups attached to them. And that’s how it’s going to be attached. Wait, I wasn’t afraid of that anyway. Keep it together, Hokey, you have a lot of work to do today. If you do good, she might even tell you so. But… something tells me that it isn’t going to happen. Call it what you want, but I know when a day is going to end in pain. One, two, three, and finally four of the suction cups were placed on his head. There was a hum of machines that were being turned on, and Twilight Sparkle was looking at him with a smile on her face. This was going to be one of those moments of truth, the moment where he was able to show her that he was able to do a lot of powerful magic.

“The first thing I want you to do is…” A book was lifted, with her magic, and sat in front of him. “Lift this book. It shouldn’t be that difficult, and it can set a baseline for what should be happening with the rest of your abilities.”

This won’t be so bad; all I have to do is lift a single book. Then again, this is only the first thing. This is where the easy ends, after I lift this book. There was no time to just sit there, though, and he focused on the book. A few moments later, he could feel the energy flowing through his horn as it started to glow. There was nothing abnormal, or really difficult, about lifting a single book. The book wasn’t even that large book, possibly half a pound with a grand total of one hundred pages. Hokey Smokes didn’t look at the title; it hardly mattered to this little experiment. The only thing that mattered was that she was getting the information that she desired. He could hear the sound of the machine as it scribbled out something to Twilight. It would have been nice to actually see what had been said about him, or if it was even something that he could understand. She’ll tell me something when there’s something to tell me, right? This is just the baseline, this is just the thing that tells her how hard she should push me and what it should look like. I have nothing to be afraid of, nothing at all.

Then why am I so worried…

“Interesting.” That was all Twilight had to say about it. “I’d like you to do that again, but this time I’d like you to lift this one as well.” Another book was lifted, and then sat down in front of him.

It didn’t take a genius to realize what the test was.

Out of everything that he had learned in school, this idea had been one of the more difficult ones. Hokey Smokes had been able to lift one thing easily, as had a good number of his class. It was only when a second thing was added, and the focus of the magic split, that things became more difficult for younger unicorns. It had taken him almost a month to figure out how he was going to do it, practicing until he could finally lift multiple objects. At that point, it had started off with two. Today, he should have been able to lift those two without much trouble. They didn’t look like they were heavy books, that didn’t seem to be the test. If he was right, the test was to split the focus that he had onto the two separate objects. This was something that he had learned back in school, something that had been difficult until he had practiced. Back then, he had built up the strength required to do the thing that he was now being asked to do. Today, it should have been something that came to him as easily as it did to almost any other unicorn.

Why was he worried?

A deep breath was taken, and Hokey Smokes glanced at the two objects. He focused on the two of them, the energy started to surge through his horn. It was almost like when he had tried it the first time. One object started to lift, the second one barely moving. His horn started to glow more, more energy being thrown at the problem. That, as he would soon discover, wasn’t the solution. Within a few moments, both objects stopped moving. The machines stopped doing anything when that happened, and he started to breathe in more heavily. He had known that the day wasn’t going to be any good, and it was happy to oblige him. The worst part was that the day didn’t even seem to be over; it might not even be close. A defeat expression took hold, and he looked up at Twilight. She looked shocked, but only for a moment. Soon enough, she had buried her head in another book to try and decipher why it was that something like this had happened.

Yep, that day was not going to end well.

“Well, that wasn’t what I expected.” Twilight finally said something, and it was said in a baffled tone. What did she actually expect to happen? “Try it one more time; I just want to get a little more data about this before we break for some lunch.”

Alright, just one more attempt. This time, I have to do it. I can’t fail. With that, he looked down at the two objects again. All of his energy was poured into his horn; this would be the time that he would succeed. It started off just as before, with one of them lifting while the other merely started to wobble. This time, however, he didn’t stop. He knew that he couldn’t stop, not until he had finally done it. The headache, the one that he experienced when he was pushing himself too hard, came back. Like almost every other time, he ignored it and pushed on. There was no way that he would let something as small as a book, or even two books, defeat him. The same thing happened that had happened before, though, with consciousness leaving him quicker than he wanted. In his mind, though, he could still see himself trying. People only know they're dreaming when it's obvious, when something happens that just wouldn't happen. He wasn't even aware that he had lost consciousness, it had happened much quicker than usual. The only thing that told him he was sleeping was when Twilight Sparkle came up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Then he woke up.

Chapter 3: Again on my Own

It was only when he woke up, and saw the room for what it was, that he finally realized that it had all been a dream. Things could have been worse, but there was still the concept of the failure that had just happened. Something told him that he hadn’t achieved the task that he hadn’t done what was expected of him, that he hadn’t been able to do something that students could easily do. How did that make any sense? Hokey Smokes was a stallion, not simply some colt who couldn’t do magic. There shouldn’t have been any trouble; he should have been able to do something as simple as that. A shake of his head, he wanted to push that thought into the back of his mind as quickly as he could, and then he glanced around. Where was Twilight Sparkle? There was also a lack of a purple dragon watching him, something that he had almost gotten used to. The machine wasn’t powered up, either, which was something that made him think that the experiment might have been concluded while he was unconscious.

Why didn’t she wake him?

A hoof moved to swipe at the few things that were connecting him to the machine. He tried to stand up, but practically fell on his face. You don’t stand up too quickly, silly. I should have come up a bit slower, especially after passing out like that. Oh well, you live and learn. When he had fallen back down, a hoof had actually knocked over a nearby table. It was the best thing that could have happened, though, as he soon saw a piece of paper floating to the floor. Hokey Smokes might not have been the strongest, but he was capable of lifting the single piece of paper.

Dear Hokey Smokes,

You are, no doubt, wondering what happened to me. I had thought about staying behind, if only to make sure that you were alright, but there were urgent matters that I have to attend to. I’m afraid I can’t tell you more; I have to head out quickly. You are more than welcome to borrow a book on basic magic, and practice it to see if your condition improves. I shouldn’t be gone for any longer than a few days, and then we can conduct a few more tests.

I will also ask the Princess if she knows anything about what might have caused your condition.

Twilight Sparkle

That wasn’t much information to go on, but he was sure of one definite piece of information. Hokey Smokes didn’t feel right staying there. To him, it didn’t matter if this was a library. This was somepony’s home. He simply had to get out, though there was still the book that he was told he could borrow. Should I really be going back to the basics, though? Being tested with the basics is one thing, but having to study them is another. I should be able to do this, I shouldn’t need that book. Eyes moved to the bookshelves, and there were a lot, with the thought of finding the book that he was told he could borrow. Did he want to? That was something that would be a little more difficult to answer. Then again, I might be able to push myself forward. I should be able to do something about the fact that I’m not able to do magic as well as I should. He started to walk toward the shelves. If he knew anything about the way libraries were set up, and he did, then the basics should be around where he was looking. Alright, all I have to do is find the one book that will help me with this problem that I-

No!

That final thought, the decision, was not likely a good one. Hokey Smokes turned, started walking, and soon left the library. He had decided that he didn’t need the book, that he would figure this out on his own. There was no way that somepony with his knowledge, experience, and raw talent would ever stoop to being forced to read the basics again. Well, okay, maybe I don’t have all of that right now. I did once, though, and I will figure out what it is that took that from me. After I do that, I’ll be as powerful as I was before. After that, I’ll be able to do that basic test that Twilight Sparkle set up. He scanned the crowd for anyone following him, he didn’t really want that. This wasn’t out of some fear of being followed, he simply didn’t want to be seen practicing. His ego had died a lot since he had regained his memories, and figured out that his magical talent was barely there, but there were some things that he still didn’t want. Letting Applejack or Twilight Sparkle know about it is one thing, but that’s as far as it goes. I don’t need everyone knowing that I’m slightly more magical than a carrot. That won’t be forever, though! I will fix this, I will figure out a way to make sure that I can’t perform spells beyond imagination.

That wasn’t likely, but it was still possible.

Alright, all I have to do is find a nice spot in the woods and practice. It shouldn’t be that bad, really. It should be close to the entrance, just in case I need to run. It shouldn’t be too close, though, on the off chance that somepony else shows up. That wouldn’t work out well for me. He didn’t even turn to look at anyone else, there was no reason to. Hokey Smokes needed to get to the good destination, he needed to practice, and he needed to make sure that nopony saw it. Alright, I’m getting close… I can feel it. I see the forest, I don’t think anypony is following me. Everything is working perfectly. It was unknown to him, of course, that he was being followed. Spike hadn’t left with Twilight Sparkle; he had stayed behind to make sure that Hokey Smokes didn’t do anything to the library. It hadn’t made Twilight Sparkle any happier, she didn’t like the idea of such a lack of trust, but she had given in when Spike had insisted. Things might not have gone so well for the small dragon in Canterlot anyway, he wasn’t sure. The thing that he did know was that this new person wasn’t to be trusted.

Spike would prove it.

Hokey Smokes, on the other hand, was just determined to be able to lift two twigs at the same time. Weight shouldn’t have been a factor, but there was still the simple fact that he didn’t know his new limits. The only thing he did know was that he couldn’t lift two things. Maybe I should start with a single thing, and make sure that I can lift large objects. I should start by trying to… Eyes scanned around, trying to find something that could help him out. The only thing that seemed to be big enough for a good test was a tree branch. It would be a good way to see if he could lift the branch, and if he could pull it off. The thing wouldn’t be ten pounds or anything, but it was a thick enough branch that it might be a good test. A glow enveloped his horn, and then the branch. He took a deep breath, and then he did his best to pull the branch down from where it was. Sadly, the branch came off easily. When it hit the ground, he saw that there had been damage to the other side. No, no, no. I’m trying for something too small. I have to push my limits with a single object, I have to find something that weighs a good fifty pounds or more. Eyes moved around, trying to find the perfect thing that could help him push himself.

And then he saw it, a fallen tree.

The tree itself was too large for him to do anything, but the remaining stump was definitely something that he could work with. Alright, I just have to move that. I should be able to pick it up, I should be able to move it. If it didn’t work the first time, he was willing to sit here for hours until it did. His magic would improve; he would find that special thing that helped him fix his problem. Maybe it’s like muscles. I just have to work on my magic, it will come back. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. A deep breath came, and then he did his best to move the stump. A glow enveloped his horn, and then the stump. The only bad news came when he tried to lift, and barely anything happened. The dirt around it moved, as if to show that somebody was trying to move it, but that was it. There wasn’t anything real that had happened, nothing that could be measured anyway. Hokey Smokes was starting to sweat, his breath becoming quickened for the effort I should be able to lift that. There have been reports of ponies being able to lift hundreds of pound. Lifting something as small as that should have been easy, it just should have been.

He didn’t give up, though.

Once again, his efforts came to nothing. The only thing that happened was that he was soon a passed-out stallion in the forest.

”You can do it, Hokey Smokes.”

The voice of his mother was always one of encouragement. This had been his seventh birthday. The only thing that he had wanted was a single book, something to help him learn the basics of magic. If he could learn the basics, he might be able to help out with things. Aside from that, there was always the school for gifted unicorns. It would be great to know that he was skilled, but that wasn’t even the only reason. It would be nice to make his family proud, to make sure that the family name was one that everypony looked up to. That was something that had pushed him to looking at the most difficult thing that the basic book had. He was supposed to be able to turn water into ice, something that was well beyond his skill. It would have been nice to be able to do that, but nothing was happening. The water wasn’t even becoming chilled, which would have at least been a step in the right direction. If nothing was happening, he might not have the skill that was needed to get into the school. He might not have been a gifted unicorn; he might have just been like every other one out there. If he wasn’t special, in any way, he wouldn’t be able to help out. A single tear left his eye, and his mom was quickly trying to console him.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to do it. All you have to do is practice.” After she said that, she whispered something in his ear. “And you might want to start with something a little smaller.”

That wasn’t what he had wanted to hear, but it was probably true. What was it that he should start with? One thing came to mind, and that was lifting things. He wasn’t bad at it, this was a basic skill that all unicorn learned at some point, but there was always room for improvement. All he had to do was flip to the section that told him about it, and then he could start practicing…

When Hokey Smokes woke up, he could still feel the moist tears on his cheeks. He missed her so much, but he would find his family eventually.

Chapter 4: Judgment

What's the matter with me? Every time I try to do something of note, anything at all, it turns out poorly. Teleport? No. Lifting that stump? Nope. I should be able to do this, I know I should. There had to be something that could take his mind off of his other problem, off of the fact that he was completely alone. Where was his mom? Where was his dad? Where was his family? No, you can't think about that. There's no way I can show up like this. She was so proud of me being able to do something with myself, there's no way that I'm going to take that away from her. There's no way I'm going to take that away from myself. Hokey Smokes stood back up, slowly, and glanced around. How long was I out for? I came out here decently early, so maybe I should just figure out where the sun is. Of course, that means I have to leave the forest for a little. Once more, he glanced around to try to figure out if anypony else was around. He didn't even like to know that ponies were watching him train, he certainly didn't want any of them to see that he had passed out in the attempt. I have to be able to do something big before Twilight Sparkle comes back. I can't fail, I have to make sure that I can lift two things. But before I can do that, I should work on a single object. Magic is something that should be practiced, honed, and then strengthened. I can do this.

At the time, though, he wasn't actually doing anything. Each step brought him closer to the edge of the forest, and closer to the purple dragon that was now trying to think of a way to make sure that he wasn't seen. Think, Spike, think. He'll be here any second, and I doubt that he'd be too happy to see you around. Remember what he did to Twilight. Well, okay, he didn't really do much to Twilight. But he tried! Spike couldn't really do anything other than try to climb up the tree. And my claws save me again. He might have fooled her, but there's no way that he can fool me. I'll show Twilight that she was far too trusting. I will find out what it is that's wrong with this Hokey Smokes. I don't quite know what it is yet, but I know that something just isn't right. Green eyes glanced down at the stallion, watching him as he made his way out of the forest. Gah! I should havce made sure that I got closer. I don't know what he's doing. I couldn't have gotten too much closer, though, or he might have heard me. Yep, that was the perfect distance. I just should have figured out a way to hear from this far. Maybe I should talk to Twilight about that. As the small dragon kept debating with himself, his prey had been constantly moving. Wait, focus Spike. That pony was right.... oh, this won't end well. By the time that he looked down, there was no pony.

There were three timber wolves, though, glancing up at him.

Spike hated this forest so much.

Hokey Smokes glanced up, trying to calculate the placement of the sun to figure out an approximate time. This was something that scholars had done for centuries, it was something that any smart pony should be able to do. It was also something that hadn't been practiced much in decades, the need not being there. He had only learned it in passing, the knowledge being one of those things that seemed as though it could be useful at some point. The only problem was that he didn't do it enough to get a firm grasp, and now he could only see that it was some time after noon. There won't be too much time before dusk, though. Maybe three hours. And even I know that it's better to be in a house, or even just not in the forest, at night. It didn't go well for me last time, and I don't think I'm going to risk it again. I should be able to get in a little more practice, though. I should really be careful, I need to make sure that nothing bad happ- A loud yell, or something that might even be able to be classified as a scream, shook him from his thoughts. It would have been bad enough if it had been somepony he didn't know, he might have just been able to ignore it. Who am I kidding? I would rush in there, try to do something, and probably fail. The thing that made it worse, though, was that it was a voice of somepony, or more accurately some dragon that he actually knew.

What was Spike doing in the forest?

No time to think. I have to go in there, and figure out what's wrong. Twilight Sparkle wouldn't forgive me if something happened to her friend. And then I wouldn't be able to figure out what's wrong with me. To him, it didn't seem bad that he was thinking of it like that. At the very least, the stallion was still rushing back into the forest to try to figure out exactly what was happening. It could have been anything, actually. There was even the chance that nothing had happened that would cause him to need to help. It might have been something that had managed to sneak up on the dragon, frightening him into making such a loud noise. That would have been the best case scenario, but it was also the thing that didn't turn out to be true. When he started to get close, that was when he noticed exactly what it was that was wrong. One of those things would be bad enough, but three is definitely too many. I have to get them out of there, and I have to rush Spike away. Yep, hero time. Now where's my rewar- waitm I haven't done it yet. A breath was taken, and he started to charge faster. Hokey Smokes couldn't think of how to deal with the wolves as a group, but he did know that he had to find a way to get their focus. I can also deal with one of them right here and now. All I have to do is... Head was held down, horn was pointed at one of them, and he kept charging.

Slam!

To say that it hurt would be an understatement. This wasn't something that had been thought out, debated internally, and then agreed on. Slamming himself into one of them was the only thing that he had thought to do. Green eyes looked down at him, though he didn't notice where Spike was until he heard the sound of his voice.

“Up here!”

“Well, you're going to have to come down here! Jump!” There was no time for anything else, the wolves were only going to be shocked for a moment. Come on, I have to think of something. Eyes glanced around, looking for anything. Nothing was there, so the only thing he could do was slow them down until Spike actually listened. Think, think, think. I got it! Any use of magic was probably going to hurt later, but for now he remembered a spell that would do some good. His horn started to glow, the spell being formed in his mind. A couple of seconds later, it was ready. “Close 'em, Spike!” The only hope was that he would have listened quickly, as there was soon a brilliant flash of light. Even something as simple as that wasn't simple, the concentration was enough to make the incoming dragon almost knock him over. Well, I did tell him to come down here. And now... time to try to run out of here. With that, he turned and galloped as quickly as he could. There was no time to stop, no time to slow down, no time to see if the wolves were still behind them. Hokey Smokes might have been able to do something about them at one point, but this was definitely not that point. He shouldn't have come out here. Then again, I might have had to deal with those wolves myself. They would have been able to sneak up on me, and that would have been the end of it.

Good thing he- why was he out here, again?

When he had been in the forest, his vision remained forward. Hokey Smokes still thought about all of the things that were going on, but he didn't focus on any of them. He had to move out of the way of trees, jump over stumps, and just generally make sure that he didn't slam into anything that would have prevented him from moving forward. As soon as he got out of the forest, though, he started to look around. He still didn't stop running, he needed to make sure that they weren't being followed, but it might have been good to actually think about where it was that he was going to eventually end up. I should take Spike back to the library, and then I should figure out somewhere to go. I doubt he'll want me to stay. Of course, I also have to figure out what he was doing out there. That thought, the question, was not leaving his mind. The only thing that brought him out of his thoughts was when he felt a heel dig into his side. “Ouch! What was that for?” A sudden stop wasn't fun, not at all, but at the very least it gave him the opportunity to figure out what exactly the small dragon wanted.

Spike was still trying to figure out how all of this had happened. He had just wanted to make sure that Hokey Smokes, if that was his real name, wasn't the threat that he thought he was. The thing that was happening now, with the constant galloping, was not helping at all. Come on, Spike. He has stopped. Now you can tell him thanks. Oh, and it's a perfect time to figure out why he was out there. The idea that the same question might be asked to him didn't come to mind, it was just enough that he wanted to ask it. “Thanks for saving me back there.” That would have been enough for most ponies, but he continued. “So... what were you doing out there? I thought you were supposed to be studying something till Twilight came back.”

“What were you doing out there?”

“Hey, ( asked first!”

“I had to clear my head, so I took a walk.” He doesn't need to know that I'm still unable to do as much as I used to.

“Sure looked like training to me!” Spike quickly glanced around nervously, right after he had said that. Oh wow. I didn't think that one through. Now he knows I've been spying on him. He's not going to be happy, and this definitely won't end well.

He... was watching me? “You can head back to the library on your own.” His failure was not something that he liked for others to see. An aura encompassed the small dragon, lifting him from Hokey Smokes' back. “I'm going to be back when Twilight gets back. I'm sure you'll be fine.” Without another word, Hokey Smokes started to walk back into town. He had to come up with a way to get some bits, and then he had to find a place to stay for the night. Or maybe I can spend another night under the stars. Yeah, that would be something that might be nice. I could get some practice in, and then I can go to sleep. It's going to be just like camping out! Yeah! This turned out to be a good thing after all... He couldn't convince himself, even, but there was no point in heading back to the library. One more night under the stars wouldn't be so bad. I just hope that Spike listens to me, heads back, and doesn't bother me. He came out there... to spy on me. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less, really. But, still, that just sucks. A yawn escaped, the day had been rather hectic near the end of it. Maybe it would be better if he didn't train, and just took the night to rest.

Yeah, sleep sounded good.

Chapter 5: A mother's love...

What have I done?

It was obvious that something was wrong with what had been said. Spike hadn't even thought about this particular downside of being caught. To him, the only thing that could come out of this was him being hurt. Even when he had admitted, although accidentally, he still had that worry that it would have ended with him being in some sort of pain. That didn't turn out to be the thing that happened, though, with the actual result being that he simply felt guilty. He watched as the stallion, Hokey Smokes, started to trot away. What's wrong? Did he want to keep it some sort of secret? I guess I might of messed up with that one... The problem was that now he didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to head back to the library, and hope that Hokey Smokes would be alright. He still didn't know what to think about this situation, nor did he particularly like the stallion, but that didn't mean that he was completely without compassion. The only thing that made that option viable, at all, was the fact that there wasn't much that could hurt Hokey Smokes in Ponyville. If the unicorn stayed within the confines of the town, nothing bad would happen. The only trouble was that there was a chance that he would leave town, that he would try to do whatever it was that he had tried to do before. If those wolves returned, then there wouldn't be much of a chance to fight back.

That was only the first option, though.

The second option was to ignore what had been said. Spike needed to apologize, he knew it. When somepony wanted to keep a secret, or just to not have something thrown in their face, that is exactly what should have happened. I don't have to like him, I just have to treat him like he's a fellow being. I should really apologize. But what if he doesn't want to hear it right now? What if I can't find him? What if he's angry? That wouldn't end well. That wouldn't end well at all. There was also the fact that he didn't know where to look. The town wasn't huge, but it was big enough that somepony could hide if they really wanted to. It didn't seem likely that Hokey Smokes wanted to be found, so it was likely that he wouldn't be found before it was time to go to sleep. Yep, sleep is definitely a good thing. I can try to find him tomorrow, and I will. He'll be alright for one night, I'm sure. It isn't as though he went back to the forest, right? A yawn escaped, and he tried to quickly make it back to the library before he went to sleep. Spike had barely made it through the door, and didn't make it to his bed, before he curled up on the floor and went to sleep. Yep, the floor will do nicely...

~Near the outskirts of Ponyville~

The rest of the day hadn't gone well, not well at all.

There had been the hope that he would be able to find a place to stay, a place that wasn't the ground, but that didn't seem to be the case. Hokey Smokes didn't want to head to Sweet Apple Acres, even if there was the chance that he could guilt them out of a bed. He didn't want to head back until it was time for him to show that he could do magic again. Maybe I can show Applejack that I'm powerful... if I ever get that way again. By the time that he had given up, the moon was high in the sky. There hadn't been a single place that he could stay, but that wasn't all bad. The thing that he did look forward to, at least tonight, was looking up at the stars as he drifted off to sleep. Somewhere, mom and dad are looking up at these same stars. I really wonder what they're up to. Why aren't they looking for me? No matter, I'll find them sooner or later. It was times like this, quiet times, when he could look up and start to think about what it was that he needed to do. They were out there, somewhere, and he was going to have to look for them. He was going to have to find them. It would take a lot of time, and more effort than he had given so far, but it would be worth it.

“I'll find them.”

As he said that, his eyes closed. The ground had gotten more comfortable than when he first started camping, which was a nice way of saying that he didn't have a home to go to, or maybe he had just gotten used to it. As he drifted to sleep, Hokey Smokes was greeted by the normal things that seemed to come to him these days.

”I can do it this time!”

Months had passed since he had tried it before, and had been told to try something smaller. Hokey Smokes still hadn't perfected the last thing he had tried, or even got it right, but that wasn't what he was going to do today. He had been told to start with something smaller, or more accurately his mom had given him the advice to start smaller, and so he had. He had actually moved to something else, lifting things with magic. Every unicorn could do it, every one with any real magical talent. There was a look of determination in his eyes as he looked over at the bookshelf. It weighed a whole fifteen pounds, it wasn't exactly the heaviest object in the room. It was still something that he wanted to share with his mom, who seemed to enjoy seeing the progress that her child made. When he had said those words, trying to get her attention, she hadn't thought that it would be anything like this. As much as she loved her son, she didn't expect that he would be able to do much more than lift a book. Having faith in somebody was one thing, but realism was something that prevented people from being disappointed.

“What is it, dear?”

A glow overtook his horn, just as always. The same glow covered the entire bookshelf. Hokey Smokes was focusing hard, having to shut out everything else, he was determined to do this right. The bookshelf started to wobble for a moment, and a worried look overtook his face. He focused his energy even more, the glow intensifying around his horn. With that, the wobbling lessened, the shelf started to move. He had known that he could do it, this was the second time in that day that he had done it. Even though he had to quickly sit it down, and then go to pick up a book that had fallen off, this was a victory. Hokey Smokes knew that lifting multiple things was way beyond his level, so he had come up with the next best thing. All he really needed to do was lift up something carrying multiple things, it would make him seem awesome. It would be something that would make sure that the people who looked at him did so with pride. Most importantly, though, it was make sure that his mom smiled.

“That's amazing.” The tone sounded sincere, which was good. “I actually have a surprise for you, too. Since you seem to be taking this so seriously, your father and I were able to get you into the School for Gifted Unicorns. Well... if you're able to pass a test, that is. You'll make us proud, I know it!”

The sun rose, as it did every day, and this time it awoke the sleep stallion.

Hokey Smokes slowly stood back on his feet, a yawn escaping his mouth, and he glanced around. There was a crowd of people, apparently it wasn't normal to sleep where he had decided to. What are they looking at? You'd think they'd never seen a sleeping unicorn before. Regardless, he didn't waste any time looking at any of them. They might have been able to help him, but he just wanted to find something to do for the rest of the day. The next day, that would be when Twilight Sparkle would be back. And that means I have a place to sleep tonight. I doubt that she would want to wait to start those test again. A smile was forced onto his face, and then he started to walk toward the forest again. There wasn't really a lot for him to do, and something had caused him to regain hope in his abilities. I bet it was mom. She's always been like that... The dream, the one from the night before, was still on his mind. His parents were coming to his mind more and more, he started to miss them more with each passing night. He would find them, he just knew that he would. Mind was focused on his parents, he didn't even notice that somepony, or more accurately some dragon, was standing in his way.

“Ooof! Sorry about th-” It was around that time that he was Spike. So he decided to follow me again? That is just so annoy- That thought wasn't even finished, Hokey Smokes looked down to see that the dragon looked scared. Was he really that frightening. “I'm not going to hurt you just because you're following me around. I didn't hurt you yesterday, did I?”

“Nope.” The look of fear slowly removed itself, but Spike still didn't seem happy. “Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't know you wanted to keep it a secret.”

“Well, I did. And I have some very important business to take care of today, so if you don't mind I'll be going now.” Then again, he'll probably just follow me. I suppose I should let him know about my plans for the night. “If it isn't any trouble, I'll return for the night later. I doubt that Twilight Sparkle would want for her test subject to not be there when she returns. Is that alright?”

“Errr... sure? Can I join ya? I promise I won't cause any trouble.”

It would have been easier to say no if Spike hadn't looked up at him with those begging eyes. A sigh came, right before the foregone conclusion. “Alright, just make sure you don't get those timber wolves to chase you again...”

“Ehehehe, I don't think that'll be a problem.”

“Fine, let's head off then. I have a lot of work to do before tonight.”

~A few hours later~
The training had started off innocently enough. Hokey Smokes started to try to lift a single twig. He knew that he could do it, but there was the fact that he simply wanted to make sure that it was still as easy as it was the prior day. It hadn't proven anything, though, so he moved up to a branch. That had been where he saw improvement. It wasn't that he hadn't been able to do it before, but it seemed easier this time. Hokey Smokes didn't want to rest on any laurels, if he even had any, and had upped the ante. Limbs got bigger, until it was obvious that he had needed to take a break. The two of them, Spike hadn't actually caused any trouble, went to get lunch before they had come back for a little more work. Noon had passed, and now it was time for the heavy lifting to happen.

That stump is mine!

Energy flowed into his horn, and soon it overtook the stump. It was still something that he wasn't sure about, though he still did his best to psyche himself into believing that it would be simple. Inch by inch, the roots were pulled out of the ground. Sweat was starting to cover his face, but there was no way that he was going to give up yet. Spike looked on, not particularly amazed as he had seen Twilight Sparkle do even bigger feats. It was obvious that the little dragon wouldn't vocally make the comparison, though. Regardless, Hokey Smokes felt the need to prove that he could be just as magical as those around him. Right now, it meant lifting the stump that was slowly starting to be removed from the ground. A whole three minutes later, it was four inches above the ground. That had signaled victory, that signaled that he was able to do something that he had previously failed at. That means that I'll be able to do bigger things, and maybe I'll get back to where I was before the accident. Maybe I'll be able to do it...

Of course, the effort didn't come easily. Hokey Smokes hadn't noticed that he had basically collapsed.

“Woah. You okay there?”

“I'm.... fine. I just need a few minutes, and we can head back.”

“But... it's only a little after noon. Didn't you want to work a little more?”

“I've decided to take this victory and be happy with it. Besides, I can always read a few books...”

That elicited a groan, as if thoughts of re-shelving books came to mind. It didn't matter to him, he wasn't going to pull them all off the shelves anyway. The thing that he was going to do, though, was read up about lifting two objects at once. That was something that he still needed to do, that he still wanted to show Twilight Sparkle when she got back. Hokey Smokes got back on his feet, and motioned for Spike to follow him. “No use staying out here all day. I've got some studying to do.”

“This should be fun.” Obviously sarcastic, Spike jumped to land on Hokey Smokes' back. The problem was that he wasn't prepared, and collapsed.

“I was hoping you'd walk...”

“Oh... hehe. Sorry?”

“No harm done, just please get off me.”

The snap of a nearby twig told him that it was definitely time for them to get out. Hokey Smokes wasn't sure what it was, but Spike had heard it too. The two of them were soon sprinting out the forest as quickly as they could move. Neither of them stopped running until they were at the library, though there was little chance that it would have followed them out of the forest.

Whatever it was.

The rest of the day seemed to go quicker. Hokey Smokes spent the day reading, with dinner being a welcome distraction. He still didn't know what he was doing wrong, still didn't know why he couldn't lift multiple objects It should have been so easy, but for some reason it just wasn't happening. Oh well, tomorrow will be a new day to try again... With that final thought, he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 6: How it all started...

”Today's the day.”

Hokey Smokes looked up a the building, knowing that there was going to be a test today. He had practiced, daily, different tasks to try to cover what it might be. What would the task be? There were so many things that could be done by magic, so many things that it could be. They would want to see how powerful he was, what type of talent he had, if he had the potential to actually be a student there. His mom was supportive, but that didn't really help in this case. What would happen if he failed? What would happen if he went home with the knowledge that there wasn't any chance that he was going to be able to live up to the expectations set forth by the constant belief that he would succeed. At that point, the constant praise from his mom was the thing that worried him. He didn't want to fail her, didn't want her to think that there was something that he couldn't do. There was nothing that could help with that right now, though, and the young colt could only go in there and try to do the task at hand. Failure might happen, but he knew that it was a definite if he didn't try.

He could only hope that the test wasn't too hard.

The room, the one that he was going to be tested in, didn't help with his paranoia. It was a large room, with plenty of chairs. This was likely one of the many rooms that were used as classrooms, with there being large classes of unicorns who came for the lessons that were only taught within this prestigious academy. There were three people, however, who were staring down at him. None of the three looked to be that excited, and all three of them had the same expression on their faces. These were the ponies who would be judging him, his talent. In a way, they were judging his worth as a student, they were judging his worth as a unicorn. That might have b been a little harsh, but it was how Hokey Smokes saw it. A unicorn had a horn, and magic. To him, it would be like a pegasus that couldn't fly. There were likely more things that were a factor, but the young colt wasn't exactly in a position to do a lot of deep thinking. Right now, the main thing that was going through his head was what would happen if he wasn't able to do the simple task ahead of him.

There was a small egg, and his task was to make a small bird come out of it.

How was he supposed to do this? All of the things that it meant to hatch a bird. While he was still a colt, books had told him everything about it. Nutrients were fed to the developing bird, along with the heat that kept it from dying. After a certain amount of time, different depending on the species of bird, changes would happen that would lead to a small bird breaking from the shell. That was the miracle of life, or more accurately it was the process of which a bird was made. Hokey Smokes knew this, the basic knowledge, but it didn't give him all that many ideas about what it was that he was supposed to do. A panic overtook his face, and then he looked over to the people who were watching. They still didn't look excited, there was even a yawn that told him that they were losing the small amount of interest that they had. What was going to happen if he didn't start soon? He had to think of something, had to do something. It would all have to start with him getting a grip on things, he had to stop panicking and get to thinking.

They wouldn't ask for him to do this unless it was possible.

“We don't have all day, Mr Smokes.”

A breath was taken as he went through all of the knowledge in his head again. There really wasn't a lot that he could really do, really think to do at least, that would end with the bird being born. Only one thing came to mind, one thing that he hoped would actually work. His horn started to glow, the egg soon being covered with the same color. Sweat started to drip from his forehead, the spell that he was trying was something that he was creating right then and there. Out of everything that he had done, everything that he had put himself through, hatching a bird wasn't on the list. It hadn't even been anything that he had thought might be asked of him. The glow started to increase, both around his horn and around the egg. Nothing was happening, though. From everything that he had thought to do, it should have been forming a baby bird right about now. He was putting in too much effort to fail, though, so there was only one more thing that came to mind. Hokey Smokes was going to try to touch his horn to the egg, hope that the metaphorical spark of life was something that could only happen that way.

When he walked over and touched the egg with his horn, he quickly saw the spark and felt himself being thrown backward.

One final burst of light happened as the horn met the egg, and it came from the egg itself. With any luck, that would be what was needed. A lot of things went into the birth of a baby bird, one of which was something he wasn't sure he could replicate. It was all about time. The only thing he could do now was wait to know if he had failed or succeeded. Hokey Smokes slowly stood up, looking at the egg that was starting to move. A few cracks started to form, and eventually a small bird made its way out. It had been a success, he was going to be able to join the school.

“Hey! Wake up! Twilight should be back soon. I don't think you'd want to be asleep when she gets here.”

A yawn escaped as he stretched, the morning had come entirely too quickly. His dream had been a good one, another memory of times when things were better than they were now. Would he even be able to do that trick again? At the current pace of what he was doing, it might happen eventually. Hokey Smokes still remembered what had happened that day, how he had been able to adequately pass. It hadn't been great, but it had been something that had caused the life he had experienced up until now. Eyes looked around, wondering if he should offer to help with the books. There had been a few scattered around when he had gone to sleep, each of them giving small clues about what he needed to do. When he looked around right now, however, there weren't any. That didn't make any sense to him, he knew that there had been books here that he needed to do something about. There should be some books here, anyway.

“I'm used to having to pick up books.” Spike said, almost as it he had read the stallion's mind. “You wouldn't believe how often Twilight practically empties entire shelves during her longer study periods.”

I can believe it. To him, he still didn't think that Twilight Sparkle was doing what she did out of some sense of kindness. From everything that had happened, and from what he had heard about her, the mare seemed to like to solve problems. That being the case, Hokey Smokes was sure that was what she saw his current predicament as. She was simply going to solve a problem, and he was going to go back out there and find out where his parents were. He didn't need anything more, didn't really want anything more, than to hug his parents again. Thinking about it right now won't help me, though, I have to figure out.. actually I need a good bath right now. It's been a while since I've had one. Eyes drifted to Spike for a moment, and then he gave a small grin.

“There wouldn't be a problem if I took a bath, right?”

“I wasn't going to say anything about it but... yeah, you should.” A finger pointed off toward the direction of the bathroom, and Hokey Smokes quickly trotted off in that direction

-Thirty Minutes later-

It had been a nice bath, perfectly warm water, but now it was time for him to get back to studying. Hokey Smokes was determined to figure out his problem, he was determined to be able to lift two objects. When he walked into the main room, ready to find a book, he soon discovered that his hostess was walking through the front door. It didn't take a mind reader to realize that the last few days had been difficult, or at least tiring. He didn't know what to say, so he simply walked over. If he wanted to know what was wrong, he'd have to ask. “What's wrong?”

His question must have caught her off-guard, or maybe Twilight Sparkle didn't expect him to walk up and ask, as the shocked look overtook her face. A few moments later, she simply shook her head. Whatever it was that was bothering her, she didn't want to talk about it. “Don't worry about it.” It didn't take a genius to realize that this wasn't true, but there was nothing that could be done about it. She took a few steps forward, Hokey Smokes made sure to move out of her way as she continued toward her room.

There might not be a single test that day.

“I'm going to take a nap. It shouldn't be longer than a couple of hours.”

That was his sign that there wouldn't be any tests today. Even though she had been able to get back quick enough, on schedule even, something obviously wore her out. Was it teleporting the long distance? If she doesn't want to talk about it, I can't make her. It's a real shame, though... Hokey Smokes had learned enough, recently, to know that hiding something like that wasn't something that led to anything good. I hope it isn't too bad. His gaze turned to the room, the door now closed to make sure that nobody went in there. I guess this is a good chance for me to go talk to Spike some more. He seems friendly enough, now that he doesn't think I'm trying to kill them all. He doesn't think that anymore, right? “Spike?” In his mind, the dragon might have been anywhere. He started to walk around, trying to find him, when he heard his voice. The only problem was that it was coming from inside the room, the one that he probably shared with Twilight due to the size of the library. It was wrong of him to want to listen in, he knew that there could be consequences that he didn't want to deal with.

He did it anyway.

“I don't know what to say to him, Spike. I thought I could fix it, but I'm no so sure anymore.” The voice came from an obviously distraught Twilight Sparkle. Was she talking about him? Why did she care so much if she was able to fix his problem? Wasn't he just another problem that had to be solved? Wasn't it likely that she was going to shove him out the door as soon as viable? Those ideas flew in the face of what he was hearing now. If she really did want to help him, Hokey Smokes would have to rethink his opinion about her. If she wasn't talking about him, then it would definitely be good to know.

“What do you mean, Twilight? Didn't the library have something?”

“That's the thing, Spike, it had only a single book about it. And it really wasn't all that helpful. When a unicorn loses their horn, they're not supposed to be able to get it back.”

“But that's what he said happened. And you saw him before, you said he didn't have one.”

“Well, yeah, but that's the problem. If I believe what he said, then he's the first case of something like this happening. That means I have no clue if he can even go back to normal...”

That wasn't the news that he wanted to hear, since this was obviously about him. Who else did she know that could have the same story? I'm the only one. What if she can't figure out what's wrong with me? What if I'm never able to do magic right again? It was worthless to stew on things, to think about the worst, but that was all that went through his mind. Twilight Sparkle had said that she didn't know anything like this, that she didn't know if she could solve his problem. Hokey Smokes didn't even know why it had happened. There was no way that he was going to be like this for the rest of his life. A unicorn that can't do magic is like a pegasus who can't fly. It's... unacceptable. He started to walk away, a defeated expression covering his face. What could he do, other than hope that she came up with a solution? His own attempts had brought his abilities back a little, but there were still things that he couldn't do yet. The main thing that he wanted to do, but still couldn't, was lifting multiple things. This had been something that he had done before, but for the life of him he had stopped thinking about the way he had started to be able to.

There was something that he did, something that had helped, and he had to think of it again.

At the very least, I can try to read a little more about the subject. The books that are about the basic spells should be right... here! A small victory was still a victory. Hokey Smokes grabbed a book, using magic, and sat it down in front of him. The book was about the practical application of minor spells, something that would hopefully tell him about lifting up two objects. It wasn't practical, after all, to only limit yourself to a single object. A breath was taken as he opened the book, and started to read every single word. In his mind, he knew that he would find the solution to the problem at hand.

-One Hour Later-

No solution was found.

This isn't right. There should be something. I know there isn't anything about my unique condition, but there has to be something about the practical application of this type of magic. It was almost as if it was assumed that something like this would be easy, as if he should be able to do it if he was able to do any of the other things. That wasn't the case, of course. Maybe I should just try to muscle through it again. It's either going to work really well, or it's going to fail miserably. Nothing will go wrong either way, I'm sure. Another deep breath was taken, and then he got another book from the shelf. There was no reason why he should start too large, something smaller would help him get the concept down. One eye looked at one of the books, the other stared at the second. His horn started to glow, and so did the first book. Another moment later, the second started to glow as well. The first of the two quickly lifted off the floor, which was completely expected. Once again, however, the second refused to do much more than simply start to shake. This time, it shook more than usual, but it still didn't lift. Once again, this was his sign that he had to muscle through it.

And, in the end, once again he was left unconscious on the floor with the first book soon following.

Chapter 7: A breakthrough!

It was six months after he had started school, finally gotten in, and he had already hit the wall. Every other unicorn was able to do something that he couldn't. At least, Hokey Smokes didn't see anyone else failing to lift something as simple as two books. Every time he saw one of them try, it ended up happening. There were times when he saw them struggling with it, though some pulled it off easily. Whenever he tried, though, it seemed as though there was something wrong. There was something about this that was beyond him, something stopping him from being able to do it. He couldn't figure it out, couldn't come up with the secret of being able to lift multiple objects.

How was he going to do anything major if he couldn't do that?

Dreams of being gifted, much like the school's name had said he was, were starting to drift off. He felt like this was when Celestia herself would come down, berate him, then send him from the school. In the end, he would get sent from the school that made him happy. How would that make his parents feel? That was something else that he didn't want to think about, knowing how proud his mom was that he was able to get into the school. She had been so happy for him, now he was blowing it. Nights were spent studying, trying to overcome this problem. If Hokey Smokes tried, he knew he could come up with something. Night after night, he barely slept, for a whole week. It was only on the last day that it hit him, in the form of an arts and crafts project.

Somepony thought it was funny to throw one of those things.

When Hokey Smokes looked at it, he realized it was supposed to be something existential. It kind of looked like a bunch of trash that was linked together, though. Eyes widened, and then a hoof moved to his forehead. That was the one thing that he hadn't thought about. Every other time he had lifted something, he had been lifting that single object. When he had been lifting multiple things, it had been just that. Hokey Smokes had been focusing on one thing, then the other, and that split had been something that had caused his failure. There was only one way for him to figure out if this was the solution, at least for now. Two books, that was what he was having trouble with. Eyes looked down to them, the two books he had been studying. He focused on them both, as if they were as linked as the 'art' project that had pegged him in the back of the head.

Both of them lifted!

This time, Hokey Smokes was startled awake by his dream.

It was in the middle of the night, but that didn't matter. Why hadn't I thought of that? It's what I used to do as a little colt, to make up for my lack of magical strength. I haven't had to do that for a long time, but that doesn't really matter. At the very least, I should be able to lift those two books again. Maybe I'll even be able to lift three if them. That would be the most awesome news ever. At the same time, though, he thought about going back to sleep. The moon was still high, it wasn't the time to be making a lot of noise. Twilight Sparkle's been nice enough to let me keep passing out here, after all. I don't want to be inconsiderate, that wouldn't be right at all. But maybe I don't have to do it here. I'm sure there wouldn't be too much trouble if I walked out, did a couple of things, and came back in.

That made perfect sense to him.

Without any sound being made, Hokey Smokes made his way out of the library. He didn't go too far away, just somewhere that he thought he could find some things to test his old-new method. Fortunately for him, it didn't take long for him to be able to find small rocks, about five to be exact, for him to test it out. Books didn't weigh much, rocks weighed less, but none of that was important. He wanted to get the method down, and then he could focus on something heavier. First, I'll start with one... and then move up from there. Who knows? I might be able to lift all five. Wouldn't that be awesome! A deep breath was taken, and then he lifted the first rock. It wasn't difficult, not in the slightest. He hadn't expected it to be. As quickly as it dropped down, the second one obtained the same aura around it. In his mind, they were both linked by a string. That was how he visualized it, trying to make sure that he thought of them with the same togetherness that had helped him in his youth.

Both of them lifted!

Three hours passed, with him lifting various numbers of them to make sure that it wasn't some fluke. The good news was that it wasn't, he had discovered the secret that he had discovered a long time ago. Why couldn't he have remembered that before? Hokey Smokes could barely contain his joy, barely stop himself from yelling out that he had done it. The sun was just starting to rise, though, so it was likely not a good idea. And... now I should go get some breakfast. Maybe I'll be able to sneak back into the library. If I make it look like I was there the entire time, she won't say anything. That was an idea that didn't turn out to be a good one, since he opened the door to find a certain baby dragon looking at him.

“Whoa! You really scared m- I mean us, there. Yeah, us. We thought that something might have caused you to run away.” Spike started, looking back to Twilight to make sure that she didn't have a problem with being included.

Twilight merely rolled her eyes, smiling until she looked at Hokey Smokes. It must have been what she had said before. A few seconds of her staring, then she started to force a smile. “Yep. It would have set up back a lot if you had run off.”

The problem comes first. Then again, that's mean of me to think. She seems to be nice and caring, and she really seems to want to help. Hokey Smokes smiled back, before looking over at the meal that had been placed on the table. There were pancakes of some sort, with the drink being milk. It all looked delicious, but there wasn't any for him. Makes sense, I disappeared for a while. They thought I had run away, or at least he did. I don't really know what Twilight Sparkle though. Almost as if his mind was being read, Spike practically sprinted over to the cupboard.

“I'm sure Twilight won't mind if you have some cereal.”

“Nope, everypony needs breakfast.”

Soon the cupboard was open, and the cereal sat on the counter. Milk was gotten out of the fridge. “Allow me.” Hokey Smokes cut in, trying to show off with what he had figured out the night before. His horn started to glow, and once again he had to visualize them both linked in his mind. Both of them, cereal box and milk, lifted off of the counter. He had to keep focused, he knew that this was where things would get exceptionally tricky. First he poured the cereal, then the milk, and both were sat back down. Oh wow, that was a lot harder than I thought it'd be. Maybe it's the weights... they're so different. By now, he was slightly panting. It had been a tiring success, but it had been a success.

Twilight just looked at him, shocked. Spike couldn't help but rush over and give him a hug, which actually knocked him over.

“You did it!” Spike practically yelled. The only downside was that he was right there, and it really hurt Hokey Smokes' ears.

Chapter 8: Finale

I really did it. I finally did it.

The sound of the yelling was still ringing in his ears, but that didn’t make it any less of a success. Hokey Smokes had been able to show off his ability to lift two things. It was true that, to him, the success had happened previously. There was still something to be said about the fact that he was able to do it again. He was able to show Twilight Sparkle, and Spike, exactly what it was that he had figured out on his own. The other important fact was that he was really tired, winded from the effort. That was a problem that he would have to figure out, fix, and then come up with a way to be able to lift more and more weight.

Eventually, it might be nice to be able to lift ponies again.

That’s something that won’t come for a while. I doubt that I’ll even be in Ponyville when I am. Maybe I should send Twilight Sparkle a letter of thanks when I do, it was her help that got me this far. Okay, so it was mostly me... but her books helped. Yep, she was helpful. He continued to glance at her for a few moments, not realizing he was staring, and then quickly looked over at the bowl. Smooth move. She’s probably going to think you’re some sort of creepy pony. No words were spoken as he walked over, say down, and started to take some bites of food.

Yummy food, always a good way to make sure that words didn’t have to be used.

It seemed as if she didn’t have much to say to him, either. The shocked expression had faded within a couple of minutes, and she had went back to eating. Maybe she just didn’t know what to say, since this would likely be one of the last times they sat down for breakfast. Even though Hokey Smokes had been wrong about her wanting to help him, or more accurately why, there wasn’t anything that was keeping him there. It wasn’t even as if there was anything that would make it to where she would likely want him to be there.

Even kindness had its limits.

By the time that the meal with finished, Hokey Smokes had figured out that he needed to go. Where did he need to go? That was something that he couldn’t come up with. He had gone to a lot of towns, cities, and other assorted places. There were still plenty more, but he could spend the rest of his days walking around trying to figure it out. A direction, that was what he needed. Once he got a direction, and left, he would be one small step closer to being able to hug his mom and dad again.

That would be a great moment for him, since everything he did was really all his mom’s fault.

Is it really fault if it’s something good?

“So, where do you go from here?” The purple dragon caught his attention, though the question wasn’t one he was sure he could answer if he wanted.

“Spike!” Twilight gave him a stare, as if to say that it was a bad thing to ask.

“Don’t worry, I have no problem saying I have no real clue. I have to figure out which town to head to next. I’m sure I’ll find ‘em eventually. It’ll take some time, but you can’t just forget your parents.”

“Why don’t you stay h-”

“Spike! This library is just big enough for us. Besides, I don’t know if it’d be right. He has to go find his...” Twilight glanced at him, almost asking for his help in remembering.

Did I not tell them?

“Parents. I was with them before the thing happened with my horn. It would be rude of me to not make sure they know I’m alright.”

Twilight simply nodded, then turned to Spike. That seemed to be enough to quiet the dragon’s protest, even if he looked as though he wanted to say something. There was no way that Hokey Smokes was going to stay here, even if both of them had invited him. He had to go out into the world, had to find them to make sure that everything was alright. Even though he told them that it was about letting them know he was alright, there was a small fear that they might be at some hospital somewhere.

“If you don’t know where you’re heading, though, I’m sure you can work something out with one of the places around here. If you’re not going to stay long, that is.” Twilight had turned to face him, a smile on her face. It seemed as if she was genuinely wanting to help, just as before.

I really shouldn’t take that for granted like before. “Thanks. It’s nice out there, sometimes, but sometimes a bed is really comfortable. Heck, even a floor is pretty comfortable in comparison sometimes.” There was no time for Twilight to say anything, and Hokey Smokes started to walk for the door. “Thank you for everything, Twilight Sparkle. Good luck with... whatever it is that you do around here.” Once again, no time for her to say anything. This time, it was because he walked out the door.

Tonight would be a night of rest, at a hotel, and then tomorrow he might do something about finding some temporary work. All he needed was a few bits, enough to get the supplies to go somewhere else. I also need to know where I’m going. I’m sure I could figure out a way to come up with a direction. All I need to do is talk to one of the ponies around here, they’ll be able to do something. Of course, that’s if they plan on helping me at all. Oh well, I’ll figure that one out when the time comes.

For the first time in a while, Hokey Smokes fell asleep in a comfortable bed. There was a lot that he needed to do, but that would come tomorrow.