#scalio mlp

[onebadpunspoilsabunch]

I like to imagine an alternate version of Sweet and Smokey where Smolder doesn't exist, and it's just Fluttershy and Spike reforming Garble. Smolder only exists as Garble's sister just to be the plot device that reforms him.

Actually, you can make an argument that Smolder acts as simply a plot device in every Spike-centric episode since she was introduced. 

In Molt Down, she acts as the plot device that causes Spike to freak out over the Molt and believe Twilight will kick him out.

In Father Knows Beast, she acts as the plot device that causes Spike to realize that something is off about Sludge. 

In Sweet and Smoky, she acts as the plot device that causes Fluttershy and Spike to even go to the Dragonlands to help Garble.

...

Oh, anyway, a possible version of Sweet and Smoky without Smolder…

One thing I will say for S&S is that they choose the perfect two characters to reform Garble. Spike obviously, because he has the most personal connection with Garble, and Fluttershy because she had a hatred for older dragons, and Garble had a hatred for ponies.

Like I said before, I kinda understand what they were (maybe) going for in S&S when it comes to the Spike and Garble comparison. They're both products of their environment, culture, and upbringing. Spike isn't afraid of being sensitive because he grew up in a society where it's mostly accepted. On the other hand, dragon society is a bit rougher than that, and they prioritize pushing down softer emotions and being big and strong and whatnot. The younger ones are encouraged to put down their peers for being soft and whatnot, so that explains Garble's behavior. 

Interesting thing to note is that not all dragons are shown to be happy like this. The brown dinosaur one nicknamed Barry wants to sleep on pillows, and the big blue one named Scalio secretly enjoys hugs, and playing harmless pranks…

So we have Spike, who isn't afraid of being sensitive because he grew up in a more accepting society, and then we have Garble, who tries his best to act in the way that's accepted by his society.

The conflict would be that Ember and Spike had successfully helped the dragons become more friendly with each other, and are even starting to be nicer to other creatures. Even Garble's friends. Garble is the only one who is stuck in his ways, because he believes that it's going against everything dragons stand for, and he's afraid of the dragons abandoning their culture for pony culture, or at the very least the two cultures incorporating aspects from each other. Basically he wants to keep the culture “pure”.

And you know what? There's nothing wrong with Garble being proud of culture. In the episode, they could have Garble showing Spike the positive/cool aspects of dragon culture that Spike hasn't seen YET (keep in mind it's been implied through scattered dialog that since Gauntlet of Fire that Spike and Twilight have learned more about dragon culture, but they still don't know EVERYTHING), like their art, or the treasure they collect, the different armors they wear, their battles, different types of dragon species like elemental dragons and Chinese dragons, their long history, etc etc you name it. Spike will be genuinely interested and excited about Garble's lesson, and Garble will feel a sense of pride in educating this young dragon who doesn't know the deeper aspects of his species and culture. 

That will show that there's nothing wrong with Garble being proud of his culture, it's just that dragons shouldn't prioritize the negative/outdated aspects of their culture. 

Maybe one of the reasons Garble's pissed at Spike is because Spike is the ambassador helping Ember make important decisions and changes to dragon society, but Spike didn't grow up in dragon society, so he isn't as engulfed in the culture and Garble sees it as him making changes to make dragon society more like pony society. 

If Garble were to explain that to Spike, he would understand, and say that he's not trying to erase dragon culture or whatnot, but he actually wants ponies and dragons to get along and share each other's cultures with each other, but in order for that to happen the dragons need to drop the negative aspects. 

I didn't forget about Fluttershy. While Garble is I guess educating Spike, Fluttershy is with Ember watching the dragon eggs hatching.

Ember uses the Bloodstone Scepter to summon the actual parents, the bigger dragons. Fluttershy is still terrified of older, bigger dragons.

But when watching the dragon parents interact with their newborn babies, Fluttershy realizes that older dragons are still capable of love and kindness, and she starts to interact with them, her fear beginning to go away.

Later in the episode where Spike has given up on Garble's attitude, and Garble has given up on changing Spike's mind on changing dragon culture, Fluttershy runs into him. Of course he acts rude to her, and she puts him in his place. She is still happy from her interaction with the dragon parents, and hopes to return to the Dragonlands sometime soon to interact with them, and maybe learn more about dragon society. Garble is confused on why a “soft and sensitive” pony would want to interact with dragons and learn more about their culture, and Fluttershy confesses that before she was afraid of dragons, but after interacting with them sees that not all of them are scary. Garble educates Fluttershy in the same way he did Spike, and Fluttershy is interested. She points out similarities between pony and dragon culture, and Garble acts like he's not interested. But Fluttershy tells him some impressive things that ponies have done, and Garble can't pretend to be unimpressed anymore. He begrudgingly asks to hear more about pony culture. 

After all that, Garble (once again, begrudgingly) approaches Spike, and tells him that what he's trying to do for dragon society isn't completely terrible (Garble's words, not mine). He had believed dragon culture was superior, and was afraid of it going away or being watered down by dragons accepting friendship, which he viewed as something strictly for pony culture, which he saw as inferior. But pony society has rich and interesting aspects, which he learned from Spike and Fluttershy. 

Spike says that pony society isn't perfect either, and there have been examples of ponies looking down on other species as well (Chancellor Neighsay for instance). 

So Garble gets past his hatred of ponies, Fluttershy gets past her hatred of older dragons, and Spike further helps pony and dragons get on better terms with each other. Not only that, but Spike and Garble are friends again.

Keep in mind that Garble is the first dragon friend Spike ever made (before they became enemies), so thematically it makes sense for them to become real genuine friends again in the final season.

And no horribly contrived crap, like Smolder being Garble's sister, or laugh fire being introduced out of nowhere, or completely retconning Garble's character.

Who knows, maybe they can even keep the beat poetry thing. Have Garble be into it, and he teaches Spike about it because it's a part of ancient dragon art, only for Spike to reveal that ponies do that too. 

Garble automatically assumes that ponies appropriated it from dragons, but in reality a long time ago a friendly dragon taught it to a pony, and was ok with the pony taking it back to their society. 

Either that, or it's just something that both societies came up with. That's cool too.

Wow, this is long. If you made it to the end, I salute you :)

[onebadpunspoilsabunch]

Charcoal, Cinders, and Scalio as baby dragons

[zenlesszonezero]

Join Zenless Zone Zero with Tsukishiro Yanagi, the deputy leader of Hollow Special Operations Section 6! Beneath her ordinary office lady exterior lies a meticulous, emotionally intelligent big sister to the team.

[onebadpunspoilsabunch]

"How do you do, fellow dragons?"

[onebadpunspoilsabunch]

Charcoal, Cinders, and Scalio as adults