@Daneasaur  
True, but Torch didn’t want Ember to compete in the Gauntlet because he didn’t think she could survive, so that at least shows that they do have some consideration for their kids. I mean, I don’t think a dragon parent would kick their kid out during the molt if she didn’t think they could survive.

@QueenCold  
Rarity: My little Spikey-wikey is perfect the way he is.  
Spike: I don’t act like other dragons?
 
This is the problem; Rarity is GUSHING over him. It’s everything he’s ever wanted, but despite pining for her affection for two seasons, suddenly he doesn’t care when she is outright telling him that the whole reason she likes him is because he’s not like the other dragons? I honestly didn’t like that at all.
 
@PurpleWonderPower  

 
Smolder outright states they don’t care and just want to get rid of them, and as all the dragon episodes have shown, dragons don’t deal with their families at all and will abandon child and sibling during the molt.

@Daneasaur  
I’m pretty sure anyone would be protective of their kid, especially if they didn’t think they could survive on their own.

@QueenCold  
Yeah, Rainbow Dash was a bit insensitive with her teasing, but the others were just trying to compliment him. He just took it the wrong way.

@QueenCold  
The more we know about dragons, the more we know Torch and Ember’s relationship is exceedingly rare, if not a singular event in all of dragon families.
 
Since molt down happened, it means that when Ember molted, her family kicked her out. However, Ember is seen around Torch and Garble’s comment of; “I wouldn’t even look at her unless you want Torch to eat you.” says Torch is HIGHLY protective of her. Moreso, he deliberately stops her from going into the gauntlet because she’s not a “big strong dragon”, meaning he’s worried she’ll get hurt (and had Spike not competed, she would have in fact died).
 
This paved the way for Ember to understand family and caring about someone else as it means Torch welcomed her back into the “family” after her molting. This made a gateway for Spike to make friends with her and lead to Ember making Smolder attend the school of friendship.
 
Garble and the other dragons didn’t have this upbringing and thus are NOT open to the idea of friendship at the age they are at. This is why Garble can’t “understand” the concept of friendship as he and all other dragons only believe that only your own strength matters, which is also why he’d be incredibly frustrated when he’s trying to deal with one other dragon but another keeps interrupting to help his opponent, leading to the line of “I’m sick and tired of you two helping each other!”
 
Garble isn’t unique in his viewpoints, all the other dragons feel the same, they are just more open to obeying the dragon lord’s orders and don’t have such a hang up on ponies that Garble does.

@Daneasaur  
@PurpleWonderPower
 
Straight from the transcript:  
Spike: Yeah. Us dragons are definitely a force to be reckoned with.  
Rainbow Dash: [laughs] Yeah, right, Spike. That’s one of the scariest aprons I’ve ever seen!  
Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash: [laughing]  
Spike: What’s wrong with wearing an apron? You won’t be laughing when you spill blueberries all over your scales. Feathers. That’s one tough stain!  
Rainbow Dash: One tough stain against one lame dragon. [laughs]  
Rarity: You leave him alone, Rainbow Dash! Spike’s style is unique. He doesn’t have to look like other dragons.  
Twilight Sparkle: Or act like them.  
Rarity: My little Spikey-wikey is perfect the way he is.  
Spike: I don’t act like other dragons?  
Pinkie Pie: Oh, not even close!  
Applejack: But why would you want to, Spike?  
Rarity: Yes. You’ve got something those dreadfully fierce dragons can only dream of.  
Spike: What’s that?  
Rarity: The cutest widdle chubby cheeks! Ooooo!  
Spike: Cute?! Dragons aren’t supposed to be cute! Right?  
Rarity: Oh, sweetie, you are turning the most delightful shade of red. It is most becoming.  
Spike: Rrrgh!  
Rarity: Oh, isn’t he adorable when he waddles off in anger?  
Spike: Waddle?! Rrrrrggggh!
 
Anybody in Spike’s position would be insulted.

The way the show has handled dragons is confusing at best. We’re supposed to think they’re jerks, except when we’re not supposed to think that? I wish they were more consistent.
 
As for Garble, he’s a character that is specifically written to be antagonistic and uncompromising to ponies and pony sympathizers, without any apparent deeper motivations, at a time when people crave complex bad guys, so it’s no wonder people dislike him.  
At the same time it’s important to remember that he’s never actually behaved any worse than the rest of the dragons and he’s also not unusual in his disdain for ponies. Ember, Smolder and Spike are portrayed as notable exceptions, not the paradigm. All three of them are the way they are because they all benefited from pony intervention somehow. Yet Garble, who reaped no such benefits from being around ponies and has been consistently a credit to his species according to the lore we’ve learned, gets treated like he’s remarkably bad.  
The final season seems a bit late to address this, but in all fairness it should happen. It’s an inconsistency that becomes more obvious each time we learn more about dragons.

@Daneasaur  
I think he just took the compliments the wrong way, because he was watching the dragons, and Rarity’s compliments didn’t match the other dragons, and Spike was disappointed because he thought he should be like other dragons.

@PurpleWonderPower  
While I agree that the moral was needed, I wasn’t quite so happy with how it got to that point, especially since it contradicted how spike loves any and all compliments from rarity about anything and instead made him… just a rebel. I would have been a bit happier with him being more concerned that “this is all there is to his life”, thus him tailing the dragons.

@Daneasaur  
I totally agree that the new writers are terrible and have been making many characters extremely OOC. Couldn’t agree more. I did think Dragon Quest was good though, and the moral was extremely important, that Spike needed to learn to ignore peer pressure and be himself, and understanding who he really was. That was very important.

@PonyPon  
Oh gawd, this one is going to talk about siblings?
 
Spike is an orphan and his only sibling is twilight. End of discussion, as has been the case for nearly 10 years.
 
 
@Background Pony #51D4  
They weren’t actually. Smolder has no connection to spike and no interactions with him of any meaning. If anything, she’s more of a bully to him.
 
The two episodes they interact have her:  
A: Tell him how he’s going to be kicked out of his family and possibly eaten, but conveniently NOT telling him he’ll get wings, instead taking pleasure in how miserable she’s making him feel.  
and  
B: Contradicting her entire past in order to be a grump towards Spike (rejecting the pillow gift).
 
They do not have a “frendship” and the only interactions that they had outside of this are when the writers slap the pen out of josh haber’s hand and Spike is treated as an authority OVER the student 6.
 
@PurpleWonderPower  

 
Dragon quest was TERRIBLE, but it was over and done with and Spike said “I don’t need dragons, I have ponies.” End of story. The other two were great, but there is a problem…
 
josh haber wasn’t a primary writer of the episodes at that point, and he is now. So unless i got confirmation that josh was just removed from the team due to his poor writing, this episode will pull a father knows beast; ignoring the past of all involved characters, making characters act OOC, making spike an idiot, and when it’s over, you might as well have ignored it even happened.

@Daneasaur  
Father Knows Beast was definitely awful, but what about Gauntlet of Fire, or Dragon Quest, or The Times They Are A Changeling?

@FurriesandFlurries  
We got confirmation josh haber isn’t writing these episodes?
 
No?
 
Incoming bad spike episodes where spike’s progress is forgotten, his IQ drops sharply, and the general consistency of the plot is thrown away for an episode that ends up being worthless and can be skipped.
 
See also:  
-Father knows Beast

@Daneasaur  
Aaah, sod off.

Oh boy, another terrible spike episode along the way.

@MadVillain  

 
In other words, another shitty episode involving a female character trying to steal Spike’s thunder.

@FurriesandFlurries  
They don’t suit him. Also, I always liked how Spike is Twilight’s little innocent sidekick who skips at her side and rides on her back. That was really cute, and getting wings ruined that.

I will enjoy seeing the dragons one last time before the end.

Aw. No Fizzle or Belcher

@FurriesandFlurries  
I haven’t seen people hating the wings, but I think they hate it because it was a sudden and unexpected change I guess.

@PurpleWonderPower  
The wings were the best thing to happen to him

@PurpleWonderPower  
And WHY dislike the wings?

@Background Pony #E82F  
I hope so

@Background Pony #E82F  
I believe it too, it also can be a normal visiting for both Spike and Smolder.

this could be a friendship quest episode