Spike knew, he just knew what Garble was saying was the truth, but still he didn't want to believe it. He was too shocked to think anything.
"Those ponies you love oh so much stole you as an egg," Garble roared, "You were all I had left of our parents and they took you from me!"
Spike gulped, something in his throat felt like it was trying to crawl out, "C-Celestia said they found me abandoned in the woods,"
"You weren't abandoned! I just left to catch myself breakfast. I put your egg in a fire to keep you warm and to keep critters away but ponies just have to stick their noses in EVERYTHING. I know it was them because the whole place reeked of pony. They must of used their teleporting trick because I couldn't track them! THEY STOLE YOU FROM ME!" He slammed his fist against a rock, crushing it to bits.
Spike stumbled back in fear but Garble calmed down quickly enough.
Garble sighed, "I've been looking for you, Spike. and then you found me at the Dragon Migration... I was so happy... then you ran away... ran away with your pony captors... like an idiot,"
Spike gulped and hesitantly walked over to Garble. Standing at his side and looking up at the older Dragon's face... he looked so sad. Hesitantly Spike reached up and took Garble's claw.
"I... I'm sorry," Spike got out, "I didn't understand what was going on... I didn't know you were... I thought you were going to hurt me,"
Garble sighed, "I would never hurt you,"
Spike hesitantly gave a cheeky smile, "Well you did just spank me,"
Garble looked at Spike a moment before shaking his head, "Idiot,"
###
Spike blinked as Garble put a bucket of worms in front of him, "What are these for?"
"To catch breakfast," Garble informed holding his fishing rod and sitting in front of the lake.
Spike turned green, "You mean you... you w-wanna eat the f-fish,"
Garble sighed, "We're dragons, trust me. You'll never eat anything better then fish," besides Phoenix eggs but that was a lost cause.
"C-can't we just eat the worms?" Spike asked.
Garble raised an eyebrow, "You like worms?"
"Well Pinkie and Applejack once made some really good muffins. I don't know what was all in it but they had Earth Worms and those tasted REALLY good,"
Garble nodded, dragons did survive off worms and other bugs when they first hatched, but Spike was kinda old to still be eating that stuff.
"Alright," Garble nudged the baby dragon closer to the bucket with his tail, "You can snack on them but leave enough to catch breakfast. And you have to promise to try the fish without throwing a tantrum, deal?"
Spike shifted uncomfortably.
"Deal?" Garble repeated, staring the little whelp down.
"Do I have to?" Spike begged, "Can't I just... eat the worms. I can bake them into pancakes,"
Garble groaned but as long as Spike was eating the right protein it should be fine, "Fine you can eat the worms for breakfast but lunch is fish and I better not hear one complaint about that,"
"O-okay... I'll try the fish," Spike gulped. Fish shouldn't be too bad. After all even Fluttershy fed fish to her critters. Spike just hoped he didn't have to eat anything worse then that. He didn't think he could handle it. Most animals had near pony levels of intelligence. Fluttershy even said the critters she trained could READ. Spike could never eat something that could actually THINK. Fish were about as smart as worms though. He hoped he could eat it without crying. He didn't want Garble to think he was a sissy.
"After breakfast I'll drop you off at daycare,"
"Daycare?" Spike scrunched up his nose.
"Well yeah I can't exactly take you to work with me,"
"You have a job?" Spike blinked.
"Sorta," Garble shrugged, "I'm apprenticing as a healer,"
"REALLY!?" Spike yelped, "You're a DOCTOR!"
"Apprentice," Garble corrected, "and I'm a healer not some puny pony bandaid applier. I use real magic and potions to heal dragons near death or cure diseases that would be terminal to less skilled hooves," Garble said 'hooves' instead of claws as a jab at ponies, but Spike was so used to the word 'hooves' being used in passing conversation that the insult went right over his head.
"Wow," Spike awed never guessing Garble would be a healer of all things.
"I'm in a class with about 20 other dragons so it's not THAT big a deal," Garble grunted but Spike noticed a slight blush on his face.
"Wow..." Spike repeated, "I can't wait to tell Twilight,"
Garble growled with irritation, "Forget her," he insisted.
"What?"
"This is your home now. I'm never returning you to those pony slavers,"
"I wasn't a slave," Spike gaped, "Twilight treated me like family,"
"I'M YOUR FAMILY!" Garble roared.
"I-I know but so's Twilight. She raised me since I was an egg,"
"You mean she kidnapped you as an egg,"
"Twilight had nothing to do with that," Spike tried to make the older dragon understand, "She was only a filly when she hatched my egg. Celestia said I traded hooves a few dozen times before I got to her, because no pony knew how to hatch me,"
Garble scoffed, "Figured it out though, didn't they?"
Spike shifted, "Would you have preferred they didn't hatch me?"
"I would have preferred it if I hatched you. Like I was supposed to,"
Spike shrugged weakly.
Garble sighed, "It doesn't matter. Your here now. We're together, and nothing can change that,"
"What... what about Twilight?" Spike asked
"Now that your back with your real family you don't need some fake pony substitute,"
"But... I love Twilight," Spike insisted, "She raised me, and took care of me when I was sick, and read me bedtime stories and-" Unfortunately all this just made Garble angry.
"She's NOT your Mom!" Garble yelled.
Spike shrugged, "I know she's not but that doesn't change the fact she did raise me,"
Garble scuffed, "Just eat your worms,"