Big Brother Garble

by ColtKit Productions


Redefining Family, Part 3

Garble glared at the... not so puny pony princess. She was actually taller then him! He didn't know ponies could get so big!

"Garble, this is my mom-" Garble didn't think there were words that could piss him off more then the ones that just left Spike's mouth.

"She's not your mom!" Garble snapped at Spike before the whelp could say her name.

Suddenly a yellow energy grabbed at the young teen's right fin. Garble yelped as he clawed at the offending magic as it dragged him over to the horse.

The large white pony glared dangerously at the rookie dragon, "I am more family then you," she snarled.

"I'm his blood!" Garble disagreed as he tried to lean into the magic so she wasn't pulling on his fin so hard. Tartarus, it was bad enough when his elders did this but a pony was damn right humiliating.

"Really? I don't recall seeing you beside me when I was changing his diapers or teaching him to read," The pony quibbed.

"You bloody horse!" Garble screamed as he pulled at his eternal flame. His entire body ignited into fire as the pony let go of his fin in shock, "How 'bout I make you bleed?"

Before he could charge Lava Frost suddenly grabbed both the boy's arms and held them so high, forcing the boy to dance on his tippy toes as he tried to regain his balance. Garble yelped and his flames immediately died as a large claw smacked his rear.

"All Father!?" Garble cried as he was smacked again.

"Don't All Father me!" Lava Frost barked, "Why are you so dead set on throwing our nations into war!?"

Garble danced about as the claw kept smacking him again and again, "She stole Spike!" he growled through the stinging, trying to stay strong, though he knew it couldn't last.

"She did no such thing," Lava Frost was taking her side! "You should be thankful her kind found his egg and took him in. Otherwise Spike would be DEAD right now, all because of your own stupidity," that got Garble crying. It didn't help that he was getting continuous smacks from a claw that hit his entire backside as if he was nothing more then a whelp.

Maker did it hurt. His butt was stinging worse then any punishment he had ever recieved before, and Lava Frost wasn't stopping!

Garble continued to dance on the tips of his toes as he tried to fidget the pain away. His eyes were burning from salty tears.

Lava Frost suddenly stopped but retained that look of sheer disappointment. He NEVER stayed mad after a Spanking!

"Now Garble," Lava Frost glared as he released the teens arms, "I would like to introduce you to, Princess Celestia," he gestured at the tall horse, "Goddess of the sun,"

Garble's eyes widened, "Celestia?..."

The tall pony nodded.

Lava Frost glared at the Rookie dragon, "perhaps now you will understand why we will be continuing this discussion, at length, when we return to the nest,"

Garble gulped, but steeled himself. He was strong. He would not backdown from anyone, not even the All Father. Not when the young rookie knew he was right.

"Just look how small he is!" Garble insisted, as he pointed at Spike, "They've been starving him! Feeding all their useless flowery crap! He wouldn't even try the fish I caught this morning! They've been neglecting him to the point he's TERRIFIED to eat meat! He's going to die before he even reaches adulthood at this rate!"

Celestia looked up, startled at that, but Lava Frost assured, "We got too him before that becomes an issue. Although he will always be small for a dragon, I will be able to work with him on a healthier diet," the reason he didn't today was Spike had just gotten here. He didn't want to overwhelm the child as he probably grew up with pony values regarding meat... he was kinda hoping he could trick the kid into trying fish and then explaining what that was... That got messed up by young Horrorcow as she traded plates with the whelp... the plan might have even gotten messed up before then, by the apprentice chef. Who accidentally it slip the rice dish was fish, or perhaps even before that by Garble and his less then subtle tactics.

Whoever was at fault now it was certain that whenever Lava Frost was forced to get the boy to eat meat, there would undoubtedly be a lot if tears.

For her own part Celestia looked down in shame, "My ignorance of dragons is partially why I agreed to let your nest take him,"

"Isn't it exactly why you shouldn't be allowed NEAR him, or any other whelp!" Garble roared... only to get smacked... by Spike. Garble lifted his leg, and grabbed his own shin. Looking down in shock at the little whelp that just kicked it.

"That's enough," Spike glared, "Mom loves me! And more importantly, I love her!!! If you're going to make me choose between you, you're not going to like my choice,"

"Spike..." Garble didn't know how to react, those words hurt more then the whelp had intended, but Spike wasn't done.

"Mom might not have fed me meat but she did feed me a lot of tofu and bean patties and lots of stuff high in protein and fiber. Then let's not forget the millions of Bits worth of gems I must have eaten over the years! I am FAR from neglected!" Spike insisted.

Lava Frost explained, "Such things are not a good substitute for meat, at least not for dragons. We need to eat flesh so that we can absorb the specific type of magic that lurks within it. It is the same reason we eat gems. They hold a different kind of magical signature we need. Our bodies do not even digest food the same way as most creatures, rather everything eaten is completely disintegrated by our eternal flame and it's lingering magic used to sustain our own pathways. Our bodies are made up of water and magic so we need both to survive,"

"I know that much," Celestia hesitantly smiled, "It only takes so long for a panicking mother to realize her newborn was only peeing in his diaper," Spike blushed and began to squirm at the comment but Celestia was unfazed as she went on with the story, "One extremely detailed physical later and I got a basic blue print of dragon organs and biology... unfortunately it appears it wasn't detailed enough..." she looked down in shame. Her merriment at the memory almost instantly gone.

Lava Frost looked on with sympathy, "You had no way of knowing this, nor could you. We dragons like to keep to ourselves and don't advertise our weaknesses," Lava Frost glared at Garble, "However, Celestia has left Spike in our care so the past is moot. In return for entrusting us with her ward she and the rest of Spike's pony family are allowed to visit whenever they please. Well here they will be treated as honored guest, as if from an allied nest. I will not tolerate anything else. Are we clear?"

Garble mutely nodded, still too hurt by the fact Spike said he'd always choose the ponies over him. Garble just didn't have it in him to argue his point right now.

###

It was several more hours later, after much calmer talks and a lot of pony cuddle piles on a certain whelp, when the ponies finally had to leave.

Lava Frost asked, "Sure you won't spend the night,"

Celestia sighed, "We lack the resources and I am due in court in the morning. Although this took precedence, now that I know Spike is safe, I must return to my duties. I will clear my calendar so that I can come back this weekend but until then I must return,"

Twilight added, "I'll pack up Spike's stuff and bring it with me next time I visit. He's got a few thousand comic books and tabletop games thanks to this one," She lightly kicked Shining Armor, who chuckled nervously.

Shining insisted to Spike, "Next time I visit how about I run an O&O game for you and your friends. I must continue my quest to convert all dragons to the ways of Nerddom,"

Spike grinned like a loon at the proposal, "Sure, I bet I can get Horrorcow to play,"

All the ponies stared at Spike at the name so Lava Frost explained, "Dragons believe a terrifying name will scare off Wendigos. It's an old superstition that kinda just stuck with the culture,"

"Is Solar a terrifying name?" Spike blinked. When Lava Frost blinked at him Spike explained, "It's my first name, Solar Spike,"

"The fury of the sun," Lava Frost smiled, "I can't think of any more worthy name,"

The little whelp looked all proud before looking at his family with a less confident expression, "You're all coming back... right?"

"Of course we are," Assured Blue Blood, of all ponies, "We'll leave dark and dreary Friday night so that we can be here first thing Saturday morning. Let's see how you like it when somepony jumps on your bed at midnight to wake you,"

Spike stuck out his tongue at his adopted brother before getting one last hug from his family. Then watched them board the ship and sale off. Then Garble picked up the little Whelp and flew him back to the volcano, with all the other dragons accompanying them.

Spike was so tired he didn't even mind being tucked into the furs on the lumpy mattress. Garble couldn't help but smile as he saw the whelp absentmindedly snuggle the Teddy bear well sucking his thumb... however the image couldn't last as Garble then reported himself to the All Father to continue his punishment.