Talk:Ember/@comment-7345250-20160418071020/@comment-7345250-20160418105236

It has everything to do with this. The revelation that Big McIntosh would have been allowed to compete anyway was a surprise that came up only at the end of the episode. It is the exact same idea with the exact same purpose.

As for SilverSpoon's point, that was a work of improv that well considerably short of being brilliant. It convinced Garble, but he proves himself dim in the exact same scene.

I'm starting to think the idea behind this character is that she is more compassionate than other dragons, hence her defense of Spike on at least three occasions. However, that word doesn't fly in a culture like the dragon's, so that got morphed into being smarter. We see quite a few glimmers of Ember being compassionate—when she asks that Spike be allowed to leave in peace, when she conceals the presence of the ponies, and when she tussles with Garble—but nary an instance of her being smart.