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"[@Ferrotter":](/1852362#comment_7552646
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Phoenixes are not established as sapient individuals on par with ponies, griffons, dragons, etc. The phoenixes haven't displayed any behavior that sets them apart from the other critters in the show that Fluttershy communicates with (and sometimes feeds to each other, which has happened on screen).
 
The closest thing to a comparison we can make between a phoenix and a dragon is the comparison between a crow and a human. Crows are smart, but also considered lesser beings by the vast majority of the human population.
 
Furthermore phoenixes are self-renewing creatures that lay clutches of eggs, which means their population needs to be culled by a natural enemy. Since phoenixes are fire birds and dragons are resistant to high heat, dragons may well be the only creatures who can safely hunt them.
 
It is likely that hunting makes dragons naturally excited because their entire physiology screams that they are predators. They are omnivores in the truest sense of the word. They can digest just about anything, even rocks. Spike enjoyed those baked bads that had all that nasty stuff in ithem, including worms, without getting sick from them. It is incredibly likely that dragons consume meat on a regular basis and have a hunting instinct.
 
None of this makes the egg raid any nicer, but it's certainly not comparable to homicide.


 
As for Sludge's plan, there is no possible "no harm, no foul" scenario. The guy stripped Spike of his identity by making him live a lie for his own personal gain and Spike never finding out wouldn't have made it any better. That would have actually made it worse.


 
I can definitely see the argument for Garble having a higher moral standard than Sludge. Garble seems to value hard work and earning what you want by relying on your own skills. This is consistent with what we've seen from dragons. That's why he was so proud of Spike when he managed to get his claws on an egg and why he gets so angry when Spike gets help or simply lucky.
 
Sludge on the other hand has demonstrated that there is no low he won't stoop to in order to be an enabled lazy bum. The very second he found out Spike was an orphan he immediately concocted a plan to exploit a child's starvation for a parent's love.
 
Edit: Garble specifically instructed Spike to lure the parents away from the nest, so how exactly was he doing this to see their reactions?

"@Ferrotter":/1852362#comment_7552646
Phoenixes are not established as sapient individuals on par with ponies, griffons, dragons, etc. The phoenixes haven't displayed any behavior that sets them apart from the other critters in the show that Fluttershy communicates with (and sometimes feeds to each other, which has happened on screen).
The closest thing to a comparison we can make between a phoenix and a dragon is the comparison between a crow and a human. Crows are smart, but also considered lesser beings by the vast majority of the human population.
Furthermore phoenixes are self-renewing creatures that lay clutches of eggs, which means their population needs to be culled by a natural enemy. Since phoenixes are fire birds and dragons are resistant to high heat, dragons may well be the only creatures who can safely hunt them.
It is likely that hunting makes dragons naturally excited because their entire physiology screams that they are predators. They are omnivores in the truest sense of the word. They can digest just about anything, even rocks. Spike enjoyed those baked bads that had all that nasty stuff in it, including worms, without getting sick from them. It is incredibly likely that dragons consume meat on a regular basis and have a hunting instinct.
None of this makes the egg raid any nicer, but it's certainly not comparable to homicide.

As for Sludge's plan, there is no possible "no harm, no foul" scenario. The guy stripped Spike of his identity by making him live a lie for his own personal gain and Spike never finding out wouldn't have made it any better. That would have actually made it worse.

I can definitely see the argument for Garble having a higher moral standard than Sludge. Garble seems to value hard work and earning what you want by relying on your own skills. This is consistent with what we've seen from dragons. That's why he was so proud of Spike when he managed to get his claws on an egg and why he gets so angry when Spike gets help or simply lucky.
Sludge on the other hand has demonstrated that there is no low he won't stoop to in order to be an enabled lazy bum. The very second he found out Spike was an orphan he immediately concocted a plan to exploit a child's starvation for a parent's love.