Smokey watched with tears in his eyes as Thorn struggled with a bunch of animals.
"Hey!" he heard a male voice say. He then realized this dragon was not Thorn. Thorn was a female. This dragon could only be...
Spike. Her son.
Suddenly all the memories were worth it.
..."Three apple pies, please."
"6 bits," the desk pony said.
"But I'm working here! Mrs. Apple said they were free for her workers!"
The desk pony carefully peered at Smokey. "I don't think she'd hire a dragon. And surely not a runt! After all, only strong ponies can do this job!" Smokey sadly grabbed some empty baskets and walked away.
"Here are the baskets, they wouldn't give us pies," Smokey explained.
"Why not?" Thorn asked.
"Because I'm a dragon."
Dronedo sighed. "Let me try."
"What's that? Something smells good," Thorn said. Dronedo came back, carrying 6 pies smugly.
"Do you really think we'll be able to eat six pies?" Smokey asked.
"He gave me extras," Dronedo explained.
"Well, I am hungry. Thanks, Dronedo," Thorn replied.
"And guess what! I found a train that goes to Las Pegasus!" Dronedo said excitedly. "Since we have to work until the end of the week to get paid, I bought us tickets for Saturday!"
"That's great!" Thorn cried.
"Yeah, great," Smokey agreed. "I'll miss this place, though. Maybe I'll come back in a few centuries!" He and Thorn claw-fived.
"And maybe I'll be right beside you," she breathed. Smokey realized Thorn didn't want to leave any more than he did.
Dronedo just shrugged. "You guys can stay, if you want. But I'm tired of this boring old place. Las Pegasus, here I come!"
"No, we'll be there," Smokey said hurriedly.
Thorn shot him a worried glance and whispered, "But you can't fly!"
Smokey's eyes widened. He realized he needed to do something, and fast.
Thorn muttered something to him. "Don't worry, I've got a plan!"
"What is it?" Smokey asked.
"You'll see..."
"...so you see, it's the only way he can go," Thorn finished.
"Hmm," Mrs. Apple looked thoughtful. "I'll pay him for the work he's done today, and then he can go."
"Thank you!" Smokey cried, about to give the pony a hug. Mrs. Apple blushed. "Oops, sorry."
Smokey looked out the window. He'd never been on a train alone before. Sure, there was the one to Ponyville, but that was different. Then he had friends with him. This time was different. He was literally alone.
He watched as the train slowed to a stop. Too late to turn back now. Sure, he could always go send a letter to his friends and go back home, or go back to Ponyville and buck apples for the rest of his life. No, he needed to move on. This was his life now. And Thorn and Dronedo were his friends. He couldn't turn his back on them.
He got out of the train and walked towards the Canterlot Castle. He'd start there.
Once he arrived, he walked towards the Canterlot Library. Once there, he saw...
"Princess Celestia!" he breathed. He knew he shouldn't be too surprised, after all, it was her castle.
"Yes?" asked the princess, not looking up from her book.
"I- I'm just surprised, that's all," Smokey replied. He grabbed a book off the shelf.
Celestia looked up. "Flight Spells for the Flightless Pony?" she mused. She looked at his wings.
"I can't fly, Your Majesty," Smokey muttered embarrassedly.
"Mm hm," she said. She looked at him. "I know of a unicorn who's a professional at this sort of thing. Her name is Dawn Shine..."
"Dawn Shine?" Smokey breathed, walking into a tent.
A pony looked up. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked, pursing her lips.
"N-no, ma'am," Smokey replied. "I do have a note from the princess though."
"Let me see." The desk pony grabbed the note and looked it over. She looked at Smokey, blushing. "O-of course. Right this way, please."
She lead him into another room. "Dawn Shine? This is Smokey. Princess Celestia requested you see him."
"She did, did she?" A pony in a cloak said. "Let me see that note." The desk pony hoofed it over. "Wow, it's real!" she cried, shocked. "Come right this way, Smokey." Smokey walked over carefully. "What do you need?"
Smokey took a breath. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. "I'm a runt. I can't fly or breathe fire. And my friends and I are going to Las Pegasus, so I need to be able to fly."
Dawn Shine sighed. "That's not because you're a runt, Smokey. Your parents never bothered to teach you. They probably believed the runt would be a weak flyer, and not to waste their time." Smokey realized it was true. After all he'd been through, his father letting him ride on his back, his mother letting him jump on her stomach; he'd run away from it all. He realized he ran away from the dragons that loved him. Just because he wanted more. It was in a dragon's nature to be greedy, but he didn't realize how much hurt it would cause. He looked at Dawn, fear in his eyes.
"But- but-" Smokey realized his mistake. Two days ago it seemed like the right choice. But now-
His parents would be gone by now. They would have left for a new cave. He would never find them! And it was all his fault.
"Smokey, I can give you a spell that will let you fly for a week. But you need to learn how to fly. After that week, you're on your own." Dawn pursed her lips. "Well, not entirely. I'm tired of boring old Canterlot, so I'm coming with you. That is, if you're okay with it."
Smokey nodded. She would help him discover things about himself he hadn't known before. She would help him find out who Smokey really was.
"Go ahead."
Smokey and Dawn were standing at the train station, waiting for the train. He could see in her eyes they were both thinking the same thing.
"Las Pegasus, here we come!"
Smokey sighed at the memory. It was both good and bad, but he'd rather focus on the good parts. Even as he listened to the Pegasus, he couldn't help but think-
If I didn't know, I would be wondering what would come next.