Rarity wasn't "abusing" Spike, but it doesn't change the fact it's still Spikabuse. So far this season, Spike is relegated to the comic relief character, including Power Ponies. He's shoved into the background where we can laugh at his misfortunes, from stepping into the pail to launching from one of the fortress's booby traps. Even after Power Ponies, he reprises his role as the unfortunately-one-note character to laugh at. In RTM, he had no other role besides carrying the bags and being the center of annoying comic relief. One-dimensionalizing him to the singular comic relief role when there are layers in him degrades his character (and, by default, the others, too).

Rarity wasn't "abusing" Spike, but it doesn't change the fact it's still Spikabuse. So far this season, Spike is relegated to the comic relief character, including Power Ponies. He's shoved into the background where we can laugh at his misfortunes, from stepping into the pail to launching from one of the fortress's booby traps. Even after Power Ponies, he reprises his role. In RTM, he had no other role besides carrying the bags and being the center of annoying comic relief. One-dimensionalizing him to the singular comic relief role when there are layers in him degrades his character (and, by default, the others, too).

I actually will agree with this description of his portrayal this season wholeheartedly, except maybe with the degrading the others, too. I have found them all acceptable but Pinkie, and 4 out of the remaining 5 of the mane 6 I've loved thus far.

Yet, as is the case with every anti-Rarity argument it seems, they nitpick certain areas, blow them out of proportion, and disregard much of her actions in past episodes, and I felt I needed to address this as such, so I could at least say I tried to stop it when I end up facepalming myself so hard I break my own nose.

Lets not forget Spike was willing to take needles in the back to help Rarity with her dress work in previous episodes. (he as scales, he feels nothing from them XD)

@@ghostfacekiller39, You're sensationalizing your argument, and it's killing your opinion. The constant treatment Spike gets is extremely annoying, but claiming this as an "anti-Rarity" (or "Rarity-hate" *rolls eyes*) argument is lunacy. (The fact that pro-Rarity bronies were critical of his treatment should suggest for you to toss the strawman.) It's a major criticism of Spike's role because he never escapes from it. In fact, sometimes it gets worse, and when Spike gets an episode, he's written very poorly as an out-of-character butt of jokes. Now that Power Ponies aired, his overall treatment this season now sticks out like a sore thumb, and one of the biggest issues FIM has is retconning character development as if it never happens.

And just because they weren't as vocal over Spike's repetitive role then doesn't mean they weren't as annoyed with it then compared to now. If someone else gave Spike the same treatment last week, he or she would've gotten the same flak.

@@ghostfacekiller39, You're sensationalizing your argument, and it's killing your opinion. The constant treatment Spike gets is extremely annoying, but claiming this as an "anti-Rarity" (or "Rarity-hate" *rolls eyes*) argument is lunacy. It's a major criticism of Spike's role because he never escapes from it. In fact, sometimes it gets worse, and when Spike gets an episode, he's written very poorly as an out-of-character butt of jokes. Now that Power Ponies aired, his overall treatment this season now sticks out like a sore thumb, and one of the biggest issues FIM has is retconning character development as if it never happens.

 

And just because they weren't as vocal over Spike's repetitive role then doesn't mean they weren't as annoyed with it then compared to now. If someone else gave Spike the same treatment last week, he or she would've gotten the same flak.

I really didn't make this point for Spike, just so you know. You seemed to bring him up more than Rarity, the pony I made this post for in the first place.

And honestly, I made it because people seem to be making a mound out of a mole-hill out of this because of his feelings for her and nothing more, and I felt the need to make this post to say that it was bullshit

thank you!! I'm tired of telling everybody that Rarity isn't abusive of Spike and definitelly she's not manipulative, at least not in a super vane way.

He wasn't forced to do anything.... And according to several fan fics, he gets... " serviced" for his services XD.

He wasn't forced to do anything.... And according to several fan fics, he gets... " serviced" for his services XD.

*vomits*

I've been participating in this discussion back over in the episode topic, but just wanted to reiterate my thoughts here: I think the genesis of this issue is in the fact that Spike has this terrible crush on Rarity, but she doesn't actually see him at all the same way - not that she doesn't like him, but that she sees him as a little kid (which he basically is), not as a potential romantic equal.  So she likely doesn't even KNOW how he feels for her, or sees it as "puppy love".  The fact that she calls him "Spikey-Wikey" is about as plain an expression of "Aww, aren't you a cute widdle baby?" as I think she can make.  And while she does this in an affectionate manner, it clearly frustrates him at times.

But as for how she lets him do stuff for her all the time: I think it's a mix of her enjoying and basking in the attention (something she clearly likes to do anyway), and humoring him because she thinks he just wants to be useful.  If we consider that she's on a completely different page than he is, then there's no room for her to be malicious and intentionally stringing him along, because she really wouldn't have any notion of that at all.  Nowhere in the show, aside from Secret of My Excess (where it's hinted), has Rarity actually acknowledged that Spike has romantic feelings toward her.

And given that individual writers can be inconsistent with all of the main characters at times, I wouldn't necessarily use Secret of my Excess as evidence that she does acknowledge him as more than an eager helper kid.

I've been participating in this discussion back over in the episode topic, but just wanted to reiterate my thoughts here: I think the genesis of this issue is in the fact that Spike has this terrible crush on Rarity, but she doesn't actually see him at all the same way - not that she doesn't like him, but that she sees him as a little kid (which he basically is), not as a potential romantic equal.  So she likely doesn't even KNOW how he feels for her, or sees it as "puppy love".  The fact that she calls him "Spikey-Wikey" is about as plain an expression of "Aww, aren't you a cute widdle baby?" as I think she can make.  And while she does this in an affectionate manner, it clearly frustrates him at times.

 

But as for how she lets him do stuff for her all the time: I think it's a mix of her enjoying and basking in the attention (something she clearly likes to do anyway), and humoring him because she thinks he just wants to be useful.  If we consider that she's on a completely different page than he is, then there's no room for her to be malicious and intentionally stringing him along, because she really wouldn't have any notion of that at all.  Nowhere in the show, aside from Secret of My Excess (where it's hinted), has Rarity actually acknowledged that Spike has romantic feelings toward her.

 

And given that individual writers can be inconsistent with all of the main characters at times, I wouldn't necessarily use Secret of my Excess as evidence that she does acknowledge him as more than an eager helper kid.

I do agree she views him as young and maybe more childish than he his, I think it's been made clear that she also places value on him past Pincushion status

Not in a romantic sense though. (Thank god )

I see an episode where spike gets over rarity in the near future...

@@Pixel Stick nails it and is the only one with a really solid viewpoint in this whole debate. Although she's not doing it maliciously, she definitely basks the attention he's getting from. He has a crush on her, but it's unrequited.

And he's definitely right with how inconsistent the writers have been with their characters. Rarity is no exception, and it damn sure ain't no exception with poor Spike and how inconsistent he's been written.