Scale Collectors

The Scale Collectors are a (presumably fictitious) race or group of creatures that, according to the, inhabit the Land of the Scale Collectors and hunt Dragons.

History
Sludge mentioned the Scale Collectors in connection with the story of how he supposedly became separated from 's egg while searching for Spike's mother. After stumbling into their territory, Sludge was forced to choose between allowing the Scale Collectors to imprison him or allowing them to take possession of Spike's egg. Unwilling to sacrifice his son, he allowed himself to be imprisoned, leaving him unaware of the egg's fate and how it eventually made its way to Equestria. Ultimately, Sludge's claim that he was Spike's father-and thus his story-were proved to be false, as he simply wished to take advantage of Spike and his pony friends for his own benefit. Sludge seems to have fabricated the existence of the Scale Collectors and their land off the top of his head, having initially named real distant locations and their inhabitants before learning that Spike and the Mane Six had in fact visited them.

Behind the scenes
The Scale Collectors only appeared in the visuals conjured up by Sludge's narrative, and were depicted as bulky, shadowy figures with glowing red eyes and what appeared to be horns. They seem to have been modeled upon Storm Creatures, notably resembling the shadowy versions seen in What Lies Beneath.