Randomly talking about Ahuizotl and Garble again.
I don't think Ahuizotl is an antagonist that needed to be reformed, because in the grand scheme of things he's really not that important. Rainbow Dash is involved in each episode he appears in, but she doesn't have a personal connection to him, Daring Do does.
I don't mind Garble getting reformed because I think if Spike reformed him, it would serve as a good character progression for him. Keep in mind that Garble was the first dragon friend Spike ever made (before they broke up, lol), so themematically it makes sense for them to become friends again in the final season.
The problem with both of their reformations is that their characters were retconned/the writers ignored their villainous actions to make them work. Which is honestly crazy, because neither Ahuizotl or Garble have that much character to begin with, they're pretty one-note antagonists.
I decided to do some research to see if there was any hint of something deeper to their characters prior to them getting retconned in season 9.
No, lol.
I guess these are implying that Garble is jealous of Spike's relationship with his pony friends, also there's a line of dialogue in Shadow Play Part 1 that might imply that too:
Garble: Ugh. Why is he always hiding behind ponies?
He could either view this as Spike being weak, or he's jealous of his friends. This could be seen as foreshadowing that either Garble's relationship with his own friends was exactly as it was portrayed in Sweet and Smoky, or their friendship was fine, but Garble secretly wanted more out of it but he couldn't get it because dragon culture prevents them from being really sensitive and open with each other and getting mental health help (or any help) which led Garble to acting out and... stuff.
Ember in Triple Threat:
Ember: Well, you know what us dragons say. "Push past the pain!" Now, let's go.
Wow. That's actually kinda deep. That's not a bad idea, but the way they wrote it in Sweet and Smoky was soooooo stupid… also the episode was attempting to justify the bad things Garble's done (and threatened to do) by being like “he acted like a bully so he himself wouldn't get bullied, so he's actually a victim”. Kinda similar to what happened with Babs Seed, except worse, because Garble's actions are way worse than Babs… (this show isn't great when it comes to bully characters).
Ahuizotl
For Daring Doubt, I made a mild rewrite that doesn't retcon Ahuizotl's character:
Original dialogue:
Ahuizotl: Well... the thing is, I'm in charge of protecting this jungle. If another artifact goes missing on my watch, I'm going to be in so much trouble with the other guardian creatures.
Fluttershy: Awww. That sounds like a lot of responsibility.
Ahuizotl: [stammers] It is! And those two have taken so many relics from my land, my job is on the line! So... maybe I am a little violent and ferocious. Can you blame me? [blows nose]
Daring Do: The only reason I've been taking the artifacts is because I thought I was protecting them.
Dr. Caballeron: I was stealing them to get rich. But I never realized you had a noble cause. I thought you were just being a monster.
Ahuizotl: [sighs] I get that a lot.
Rainbow Dash: Maybe there is something to this whole listening-to-everypony thing.
Fluttershy: It doesn't always mean they're telling the truth, but everycreature deserves kindness.
Ahuizotl: True. And because you returned the Talisman and took the time to understand me, I will let you all go.
AU dialogue:
Ahuizotl: Well... the thing is, I'm in charge of protecting this jungle. If another artifact goes missing on my watch, I'm going to be in so much trouble with the other guardian creatures.
Fluttershy: Awww. That sounds like a lot of responsibility.
Ahuizotl: [stammers] It is! And those two have taken so many relics from my land, my job is on the line! So... maybe I am a little violent and ferocious. Can you blame me? [blows nose]
Daring Do: The only reason I've been taking the artifacts is because I thought I was protecting them.
Dr. Caballeron: I was stealing them to get rich. But I never realized you had a noble cause.
Daring Do: But you once tried to doom the valley to eight centuries of unrelenting, sweltering heat! Among other terrible things.
Ahuizotl: It's true. But, it's my job to make sure every artifact in the jungle is used to their *exact* purpose. Whether the purpose is for good, or evil.
Daring Do: It's still wrong, even if it is your job.
Ahuizotl: *shrugs* Hey, I need this job.
Rainbow Dash: Maybe there is something to this whole listening-to-everypony thing.
Fluttershy: It doesn't always mean their actions are good, but everycreature deserves to be listened to.
Ahuizotl: True. And because you returned the Talisman and took the time to understand me, I will let you all go. This time. You won't be so lucky next time.
Garble
For Sweet and Smoky, I rewrote the entire episode. In my AU Smolder isn't Garble's sister and she and the other Young Six members aren't relevant (except for Ocellus). So the story is completely different.
