Sludge (dragon)


 * Not to be confused with .

Sludge, also known as Shale, is a male.

History
A disreputable character embodying the worst stereotypes of his kind, Sludge arrived in Ponyville by way of a fiery crash which left him with sprained wings and a broken arm. Smolder and, younger dragons residing in the town, took pity on him despite his gruff refusal to explain his rather spectacular arrival. He was also reluctant to accept their help and that of the resident of the town, though they treated him with nothing but courtesy. However, Sludge soon began to enjoy the benefits of being cared for, and upon learning that Spike hatched from an orphaned egg devised a scheme to insure his continued welcome.

Sludge claimed that he was, in fact, Spike's father, and had come to Ponyville while searching for his long-lost son. He preceded to weave a fabricated tale of how Spike's mother had been chosen by Dragon Lord Torch to scout out a path for the Great Dragon Migration, forcing her to leave their egg in Sludge's care. Claiming to have wanted Spike to know his mother, Sludge pretends to have later followed after his supposed wife, traveling near Mount Aris in the course of his path. When the Mane Six surprised him with knowledge of both the Hippogriff Kingdom and Klugetown, Sludge hastily concocted yet another falsehood: that his pursuit of Spike's mother had led him to the Land of the Scale Collectors.

To conclude his narrative, Sludge asserted that the Scale Collectors had forced him to choose between becoming their prisoner or leaving Spike's egg in their clutches, and had chosen the former. He expressed truthful ignorance, though with false emotion, regarding how Spike's egg eventually made its way to Equestria. Spike, fully accepting the story, soon embraced his "father" and set about seeking to make up for lost time. Sludge, eager to continue taking advantage of the ponies' hospitality, eagerly went along with Spike's list of things he'd always hoped to do with his real father.

Sludge eventually convinced Spike that he wanted to teach him to act like a "real" dragon; in reality, he was simply using this pretense to make Spike work like a slave while he lazed about in the luxury of the Castle of Friendship. Twilight, recognizing Sludge's duplicity, confronted Spike about the matter, but the naïve young dragon was quick to defend his elder's actions. Believing that Twilight's accusations were based on ignorance of true dragon culture and jealousy of his "real" parent, he refused to listen to her. It was only when Smolder heard about what Sludge had been putting Spike through that Sludge's charade was brought crashing down.

Offering to "help" Sludge and Spike live like real dragons, Smolder convinced Spike that the two of them should move out of the castle and into a cave. Confronted with giving up his stolen luxuries, Sludge finally confessed to his lies, and claimed that he had done what any dragon would do. Smolder angrily refuted this statement, and Sludge left in a huff, leaving Spike to make amends with Twilight.

Personality
Though dragons in general were not known for being the best-mannered creatures in the Era of Twilight and times previous, Sludge's behavior is disgraceful even by these standards. Lazy and duplicitous, he was willing not only to take advantage of creatures who showed him nothing but kindness in order to get out of tending to his needs himself, but to lie to them in order to gain further sympathy when he no longer actually needed their help due to recovering from his injuries.

Appearances

 * "Father Knows Beast"
 * My Little Pony: Magic Princess