@Phoenixflambe  
https://youtu.be/mRqbyeAoljE?t=18

@laofuzi  
And the stars come up.

Smolder: “Easy, guys. I learned at Twilight’s school ganging up on each other isn’t half as cool as you think.”
 
And if she ever catches you fighting each other again, she’ll beat your a$$ up until the sun goes down!

@LightningLazer  
I don’t blame Garble for being a dragon or acting like a dragon. Same goes for Griffons. It’s their nature, just like Discord being a force of chaos, it’s what he does. However, being a dirtbag is different. Sure Discord is chaotic, but throwing Fluttershy and everyone else under Tirek wasn’t part of that nature. On the flipside, Gilda was actually kind for a Griffon, only doing a couple of rude tricks, but otherwise tolerating most of what other Griffons had a zero tolerance policy for, mostly on behalf of RD.
 
I never said Starlight’s reasoning for what she did wasn’t weak. It was indeed weak and petty. That said, it’s a showcase of someone obsessing on something simple to the point it encompasses their life and shows just how dangerous someone with magic talent can be when their views on the world are so messed up. However, her real goal was peanuts and a misunderstanding.
 
Yes, Garble’s reasoning for wanting to genocide ponies is fairly petty as well, but his goal is extremely and intentionally malicious and he’s made no progress in recovering from that idea.
 
Ember seems apathetic, except it’s shown early on that she isn’t the same as the others. For one, Garble notes that no one should so much as look at her unless they wanted her father to eat them (and as we know, Garble is too stupid to make a lie). Second, Ember talks her father into letting Spike leave. Third, after Spike helps her, she instantly reciprocates by keeping Rarity and Twilight hidden from Garble. Meanwhile, Spike helps Garble in much the same way. Garble’s reaction? “Haw, knew you’d do it.” and then leaves him in the dirt. Ember shows precedent for being more open to pony life lessons than any other dragon, and it likely has to do with her close relationship with her father.
 
But yes, the main problem is it’s a “Spike” episode, which are notorious for having extremely poor writing with only a few being decent, and most of those, Spike is a secondary character.

@Daneasaur  

 
If you remember their last encounter from the abomination that is Dragon Quest, Garble has a reason for doing this to get revenge on Spike and the ponies for humiliating him and his crew, and seeing hows Dragons and Ponies living differently where the ponies live in prosperity and harmony while Dragons live solely in caves while hoarding treasures like in any other fairy tale and in this case the “Teenage” Dragons do stupid stuff like frat boys would do in collage and being portrayed as heartless baby killers. On hand you have a point but on the other considering how Dragons live and even have to be force to be kicked out in order to fend for themselves while in the process of going through puberty and the Ponies apparently being more condescending, can you really blame them?
 
I’d also like to point out Gilda was a total jerk and never returned 4 Seasons when we find out that the Griffons just like the Dragons are greedy and apathetic, and are living in poverty. Which gives us more insight and more explanation of why the way they are, minus Gabby. Sure, it doesn’t excuse Garble’s actions nor his intentions but at least it would explain a whole lot and makes more sense than Starlight’s, speaking of which…
 

 
Yes and why? Because that one friend she had got his cutie mark before she got hers and left her, and she responds to this by creating a cult and forcing other ponies their own cutie marks and identities so all ponies can be equal, and by her logic if that one pony gets their cutie mark and leave her then she believes every other friends she makes will leave her when they get their cutie marks. Do you know how ridiculous and unoriginal.
 
I’d also like to remind you AGAIN that Ember like any other dragon was apathetic until Spike changed her due to his chivalry and kindness. Once again Spike did not develop in that episode but rather developed someone as he originally wanted nothing to do with the Gauntlet of Fire (and perhaps his own race) to begin with until Garble announced his plans.
 
As with Smolder she was just as apathetic as any other Dragon but should notice that her character clearly didn’t develop yet when she was force to attend the School of Friendship and later interacting with the Young Five. From what I’ve seen so far in the show aside from Dragons being greedy hoarders, the dragons specifically the teenage ones always appear that they constantly wanna prove themselves and compete with other dragons to see who’s the best and the toughest.
 
This episode could give Garble a redemption but it would still be redundant and I still stand by that. I’m still partially worried that the episode might not be good because it’s a “Spike” episode with Fluttershy being involved with the addition of her finally overcoming her fears of dragons once and for all since the show is on it’s last legs. But your pessimism is so grating and it just comes off as pretentious.

@LightningLazer  
It doesn’t make garble sympathetic in the slightest. He’s been the alpha male of the “teen” dragons and has out performed every one of them. He was also going to win the gauntlet of fire and it required Spike AND Ember working together, along with a distraction of Twilight and Rarity in order to keep him away from the scepter. Why was it so important to stop him? Because his rule = Full on dragon war with equestria.
 
I’ve said this before, Starlight was going to cause catastrophic damage, but what was her intended goal? The removal of cutie marks. That’s it. She didn’t intend for Sombra to rule, for Chrysalis to win, for Flim and Flam to turn the world into a mechanized dystopia, or for the world to be burned into a barren wasteland.
 
Garble is a dragon. A home grown dragon with no pony philosophy in his life. It’s been shown that ANY weakness is exploited by other dragons for personal gain. Ember was unique in that her father actually cared about her so much he refused to let her participate in the gauntlet (with good reason as, without spike, she would have died shortly after the starting line). Moreso, who was the one who smashed into her and made her fall? It was Garble.
 
Ember had a predisposition to kindness other dragons don’t showcase. Smolder being a prime example of this relishes stories of abuse, loves dispensing harsh news to others, and was overjoyed to make Spike think his life was over. While showing that she HAS a soft spot she’s horrified to show is nice, it doesn’t change what she actually has done in front of, or to, others.
 
Garble had a chance for redemption, and the episode was called Shadow Play. So, did he calm down any? Nope, he was as aggressive as ever, and exploited a loophole in the dragon lord’s law so he could attack Spike. If anything, he was MORE aggravated than before.
 
But no, lets just forget about that, forget about his genocidal goals, and feel sorry that his art project isn’t going as planned.

@Hope Caster  
Shocker…

@LightningLazer  
Everyone becomes the good guy! SSB style

@Daneasaur
 
@VermiIIion  
If Garble truly is Smolder’s brother then would explain a lot about his behavior when Smolder explained the effects of the molt and how the dragons kick their young out to fend for themselves and harden their resolve. It wouldn’t give us a lot of insight about Garble’s past but it would make him slightly more sympathetic. Though these “redemption” arcs the show give these characters are repetitive at best and redemption at worst but at least Garble’s motives and reasons for acting this way makes more sense than Starlight’s will ever be.
 
But I honestly think they’re doing this just because the show is at it’s peak and there’s no other way to continue with this charade.

Also, I kinda see a Billy looking more like Ember. The blue fins, no spikes, smooth horns, and multiple color scales. But I also suppose dragons have clutches of eggs, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all related.

@Daneasaur  
Oooookay? Still hoping it’s Garble.

@CyanHide  
It still might be

@CyanHide  
So was I.

Awww. I was hoping her brother was going to be the Dragon from Dragonshy

@Hope Caster  
Interesting interpretation

@Darth Shy  
He’s the most relevant character, and that revelation could have actual conflict for spike. billy, i don’t know if he’s even had a speaking roll, would just be an “okay that’s a thing”, not to mention that, at least in my opinion, if it’s not Garble, then the most logical thing for writers to do would be to create a new character. I get that they look similar, but, I don’t know, no siblings on this show, aside from the twins “look similar” with the color pallet order.

I want it to be Garble, but yeah, it’s gonna be Billy. (If it’s not a totally new character, I mean.)

@Hope Caster  
How come?

@Darth Shy  
I’d put money on Garble.

this ep is tommorow on italy…..

@PawelS  
That seems quite likely

@Phoenixflambe  

@Darth Shy  
My bits are on Billy, his color scheme is similar to Smolder’s.

@Background Pony #E751  
I don’t know how I’d feel about that