Spike's Character Going Forward

[Rocky 68]

Somewhat disagree. It's not that Spike hasn't done important things - he's helped move the plot along in various episodes in very important ways. It just that the recognition for that is seemingly forgotten by the next episode. He helped save the Crystal Empire, but Cadence and the other Crystal delegates in "Princess Spike" are suspicious of their "hero" and don't even speak up for him when he gets interrupted by that pony that insults him as "some random dragon."

 

If the DA poster was really meaning to ask, "Should have Spike's plot threads been finished before the CMC's?" then that is another matter, though I'm kind of undecided on it because I'm not sure they are more important than the CMC's marks. I will say it would be nice if:

• Spike would find out his origins and how his egg came to be in the hooves of Celestia.
• We find out why his greatest fear is being abandoned.
• Some closure on his relationship with Rarity (though it's been backburnered so much now it almost doesn't matter.)

His crush on Rarity, Rainbow's desire to be with the Wonderbolts, and the CMC's quest for marks have been the show's 3 main tropes, and one is definitively closed, the other is getting close. So only his crush is left and is pretty much where it was at the start of the show; "Secret of my Excess"-tender-moment-at-the-end notwithstanding.

It just disappoints me that the CMCs get all the development and all the love to the point where it's pretty much because of them that Spike's character suffers. They haven't spent the time giving him character development while, though I do like them, lets be honest they've been developing three character that technically don't need to exist. 

 

When you have a baby dragon character who's oozing with potential. Not just for him but for the overall structure of the show. You can have him grow up physically. You can have him find a dragon village for good world building. You can have him cross paths with another dragon that lives amongst ponies. You can have Celestia tell him his main purpose is being the key that brings dragons and ponies together. You can do so much that fanfic writers have done and done well. 

Edited October 13, 2015 by Rocky

[redaxted 1,765]

There have been plenty of missed opportunities for Spike to grow as a character, and he's had some pretty cringe-worthy lines and writing. But honestly, I still love him. I think he adds something different to the show, seeing as though - well, he's a dragon! And he's quite funny and cute a lot of the time. Although episodes that are based around him aren't the best, and there's room for improvement, I do like him a lot. But he does need better writing to progress as a character well, I think.

[Lucky Star 971]

I want major back story concerning his origin, or at least an episode telling us that unicorns having dragons live with them isn't as odd as we've been led to beleive. And he needs a little dragon friend! 

Hopefully he gets this stuff, but I've not much hope for it as long as the writing team keeps using him like a joke character all of thr bucking time.  make it happen Hasbro.

[J. Brony 313]

You can have him cross paths with another dragon that lives amongst ponies.

 

How about Spike meeting a pony who was raised by a dragon?  I think that would be epic.

[碇 シンジン 27,427]

spike is spike he is in the backgroud being himself but if he is in the spotlight 

[Rocky 68]

How about Spike meeting a pony who was raised by a dragon?  I think that would be epic.

Interesting idea. I like it!

[Castle Bleck 19,163]

Shining Armor could be the male figure in Spike's life that can help him become tougher mentally as well as physically.

 

Aren't they technically stepbrothers anyway?

[Buck Testa 5,503]

They definitely need to write the little guy better, can't tell you how many long winded posts I've written about the subject. Someone needs to get that dude a dragon friend as well.

[Rocky 68]

One thing that should be clarified is the relationship between Twilight and Spike. What is it supposed to be exactly? It's never really explained. Only to be hinted at and for fans to come to their own conclusions. 

[Jeremiah 1,586]

They should give him like a 2 parter episode of sorts that focuses on him and his internal struggle of whatever happens to be the conflict in the episode/season.

[Spikey-Wikey 378]

Well, I wouldn't want him to change too much, but a bit of change would be interesting.

 

What I mostly want to see is a Spike episode focusing on him and anypony that is NOT Twilight or Rarity. In Spike At Your Service, it clearly didn't work out.

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,024]

he needs a goal or job to do, this i believe would keep him the same as a character as people seem to like. However a job or goal would then give him more purpose so that hopefully it would make both sides happy

[Rocky 68]

Well I was just sit this bit of somewhat encouraging info. 

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

Do you think the BG ponies are more developed than him?

[Truffles 2,033]

One thing that should be clarified is the relationship between Twilight and Spike. What is it supposed to be exactly? It's never really explained. Only to be hinted at and for fans to come to their own conclusions.

 

It is a unique and special relationship that defies labels. I once referred to Twilight as Spike's ward, but it doesn't quite do the relationship justice. She's like a mother, a sister, an employer, and his best friend in the whole world. It's so hard to pin down that I find it jarring when a fanfic writes things like, "Spike's sister said" or "Spike's mother said" when tagging Twilight's dialogue with him. It's so bad that it takes me out of the story for a moment.

 

Well I was just sit this bit of somewhat encouraging info.

 

This is awesome news! Hopefully it means there's plans beyond being relegated to role of "background pony" in S6.

 

Do you think the BG ponies are more developed than him?

 

Not really. Even though BG ponies were focused on in "Slice of Life", we didn't really learn much about them, except that Steven Magnet knows Cranky and Bon bon is a former secret agent.

 

Ponies like the CMC and Big Mac are one level above BG ponies but not considered main characters (well, actually the CMC might be now...) It's fair to say the second tier characters like these have had more development than Spike.

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

 

It is a unique and special relationship that defies labels. I once referred to Twilight as Spike's ward, but it doesn't quite do the relationship justice. She's like a mother, a sister, an employer, and his best friend in the whole world. It's so hard to pin down that I find it jarring when a fanfic writes things like, "Spike's sister said" or "Spike's mother said" when tagging Twilight's dialogue with him. It's so bad that it takes me out of the story for a moment.

 

 

This is awesome news! Hopefully it means there's plans beyond being relegated to role of "background pony" in S6.

 

 

Not really. Even though BG ponies were focused on in "Slice of Life", we didn't really learn much about them, except that Steven Magnet knows Cranky and Bon bon is a former secret agent.

 

Ponies like the CMC and Big Mac are one level above BG ponies but not considered main characters (well, actually the CMC might be now...) It's fair to say the second tier characters like these have had more development than Spike.

 

Do you think Shining will be developed in this Saturday's episode?

[Rocky 68]

If it were up to you, in what way would you have Spike's character developed? 

[Rocky 68]

There's something I've always wondered when it came to Spike. Since he's around the same age of the CMCs, why doesn't he hang with them more often? In fact, why doesn't he go to school? 

[chirox the pony 1,334]

They simply have to write him better. He doesn't seem to have had much character development and he just generally seems like a character generally used for cheap gags.

[Rocky 68]

They simply have to write him better. He doesn't seem to have had much character development and he just generally seems like a character generally used for cheap gags.

And there has never been a character in a show generally used for cheap gags that was every funny and/or memorable. 

[Sidral Mundet 1,666]

Here's what the writers need to do with Spike: HAVE HIM INTERACT WITH OTHER PONIES!!!

Seriously this is my biggest gripe with the guy, he's always isolated from everyone else.  I mean at least in season 1 he was interacting with most of the cast but after that he seems to be he own entity, always by himself and I think that's a massive problem with the way he's written.  It's part of the reason he was so awesome in EQG 1, he was being supportive and helpful while interacting with Twilight but they never really let him have scenes with any of the other cast member outside of Twilight and Rarity. 

[Rocky 68]

Here's what the writers need to do with Spike: HAVE HIM INTERACT WITH OTHER PONIES!!!

Seriously this is my biggest gripe with the guy, he's always isolated from everyone else.  I mean at least in season 1 he was interacting with most of the cast but after that he seems to be he own entity, always by himself and I think that's a massive problem with the way he's written.  It's part of the reason he was so awesome in EQG 1, he was being supportive and helpful while interacting with Twilight but they never really let him have scenes with any of the other cast member outside of Twilight and Rarity. 

That's...a pretty good point. It does feel like 80% of the time he interactions with just Twilight and Rarity. The three characters I'd like to see him interact with more at the top of my head are Big Mac, Discord, and Fluttershy.

[Truffles 2,033]

If it were up to you, in what way would you have Spike's character developed? 

 

In one of the previous Spike threads, I posted some ideas on some interesting plots they could use to further define his character. These are the ways I'd like to see his character develop, now modernized for the show's current canon:

• We learned he has abandonment issues back in S1 with Owlicious and S3 when under Sombra's spell. What is the origin of this fear? Is it the knowledge of his birth? This is something that should definitely be explored.
• The above ties into the idea that we still don't know how he was acquired nor who his parents are. Even if he's sworn off being a "real" dragon, I would think he still wonders who his biological parents are. They should do an episode - or even better, an entire seasonal arc - that puts his past into focus.
• They've been trying to background his crush on Rarity, but it would be better for his character if they answered it for sure one way or another. If they really don't want him going on a actual date with an older pony, then they should have her finally tell him to stop coming on so strong. Maybe this hurts him, but I think if they're really friends they could patch it up and it would make for a good episode.
• Dragons live a lot longer than ponies. They even take 100 year naps where many ponies he knows when he goes to sleep likely won't be around when he wakes up. Have him worry about that and have his friends reassure him he doesn't have to do that kind of nap if he doesn't want to. (That's a bit of a "maybe" since the show has never canonized whether dragon naps are necessary for their survival or something like a vacation to them?) Actually, a fear of napping ties in nicely with his abandonment issues as well, only in reverse (he doesn't want to abandon his friends by sleeping through their lives.) So this is another way to explore that topic.
• When do baby dragons get wings, if ever? Are they they dragon version of cutie marks? Spike should ask Twilight if he'll ever be able to fly like other dragons, and she could involve the CMC in such an episode since it fits nicely with their new Crusader roles.
• Is Spike small because he's not greedy or will he grow up someday anyway? He has grown since his birth (check out his design as a hatchling compared to his current one) so in my head he does still grow, but maybe it's not as fast as regular dragons? And he does want to grow up - almost all kids do, and this is especially true for Spike - but he's afraid of becoming a monster again. Have an episode where he deals with this conflict of him fearing that monstrous version of him vs. being stuck as a small whelp through most of the lifespan of all his friends. If he still really wants to be with Rarity one day, that dream alone could spur the impetus for him to want to grow up a bit.
• How about an in-depth exploration of Spike's various talents? We know he can send messages, we know he can cook, can play certain instruments. It doesn't have to be an episode dedicated to this, but learning more about where he learned all these things would help develop his character.

 

There's something I've always wondered when it came to Spike. Since he's around the same age of the CMCs, why doesn't he hang with them more often? In fact, why doesn't he go to school? 

 

For me, the CMC have always been in the 8-10 year old range, and Spike is anywhere from 13-15, so it doesn't seem too unusual that he doesn't want to hang out with them since he probably thinks of them as foals. As an example see how he treats them in "Just for Sidekicks", and how they act around him.

 

It's pretty clear all he wants to do is hang with the grownups. One explanation for this is if you believe the canon that Celestia raised Spike and he wasn't assigned to Twilight until she was a teenager. (I don't necessarily believe this but it could be true since there is some Faustian lore to that effect.) So he's never really interacted with anypony in his age group, and even then, the ponies in his age group would have grown up a lot faster that he could so they would still look "older" to him. Finally throw in the fact that he's always trying to prove himself a reliable, grown-up dragon to the Mane 6 and you've got a good backstory into what drives his avoiding the fillies and colts.

 

As for why he's not required to go to school is perhaps Twilight (being a genius) already taught him everything he needs to know and he already "graduated" from the equivalent of pony high school? This is one of the reasons why I think he's closer to being 15 years old and he simply passed all the exams needed for graduation.

 

It could also be that because he was originally "assigned" to Twilight and thought of as a pet or servant that perhaps in pony society child servants aren't required to go to school. (Yikes, if that's true!  ) Or perhaps in Canterlot the elementary schools there did not want to have a dragon in any of the classrooms out of fear of his species or him being a distraction? It would be funny if they brought such a bit of history up and Cheerielee said she would be OK if Spike attended school. He'd suddenly be faced with having to go to school with a bunch of ponies younger than him. 

 

Though in his case, I think it would be a waste of his time to go back to school since he's already shown himself to be an exceptionally talented dragon. 

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

 

In one of the previous Spike threads, I posted some ideas on some interesting plots they could use to further define his character. These are the ways I'd like to see his character develop, now modernized for the show's current canon:

• We learned he has abandonment issues back in S1 with Owlicious and S3 when under Sombra's spell. What is the origin of this fear? Is it the knowledge of his birth? This is something that should definitely be explored.
• The above ties into the idea that we still don't know how he was acquired nor who his parents are. Even if he's sworn off being a "real" dragon, I would think he still wonders who his biological parents are. They should do an episode - or even better, an entire seasonal arc - that puts his past into focus.
• They've been trying to background his crush on Rarity, but it would be better for his character if they answered it for sure one way or another. If they really don't want him going on a actual date with an older pony, then they should have her finally tell him to stop coming on so strong. Maybe this hurts him, but I think if they're really friends they could patch it up and it would make for a good episode.
• Dragons live a lot longer than ponies. They even take 100 year naps where many ponies he knows when he goes to sleep likely won't be around when he wakes up. Have him worry about that and have his friends reassure him he doesn't have to do that kind of nap if he doesn't want to. (That's a bit of a "maybe" since the show has never canonized whether dragon naps are necessary for their survival or something like a vacation to them?) Actually, a fear of napping ties in nicely with his abandonment issues as well, only in reverse (he doesn't want to abandon his friends by sleeping through their lives.) So this is another way to explore that topic.
• When do baby dragons get wings, if ever? Are they they dragon version of cutie marks? Spike should ask Twilight if he'll ever be able to fly like other dragons, and she could involve the CMC in such an episode since it fits nicely with their new Crusader roles.
• Is Spike small because he's not greedy or will he grow up someday anyway? He has grown since his birth (check out his design as a hatchling compared to his current one) so in my head he does still grow, but maybe it's not as fast as regular dragons? And he does want to grow up - almost all kids do, and this is especially true for Spike - but he's afraid of becoming a monster again. Have an episode where he deals with this conflict of him fearing that monstrous version of him vs. being stuck as a small whelp through most of the lifespan of all his friends. If he still really wants to be with Rarity one day, that dream alone could spur the impetus for him to want to grow up a bit.
• How about an in-depth exploration of Spike's various talents? We know he can send messages, we know he can cook, can play certain instruments. It doesn't have to be an episode dedicated to this, but learning more about where he learned all these things would help develop his character.

 

 

For me, the CMC have always been in the 8-10 year old range, and Spike is anywhere from 13-15, so it doesn't seem too unusual that he doesn't want to hang out with them since he probably thinks of them as foals. As an example see how he treats them in "Just for Sidekicks", and how they act around him.

 

It's pretty clear all he wants to do is hang with the grownups. One explanation for this is if you believe the canon that Celestia raised Spike and he wasn't assigned to Twilight until she was a teenager. (I don't necessarily believe this but it could be true since there is some Faustian lore to that effect.) So he's never really interacted with anypony in his age group, and even then, the ponies in his age group would have grown up a lot faster that he could so they would still look "older" to him. Finally throw in the fact that he's always trying to prove himself a reliable, grown-up dragon to the Mane 6 and you've got a good backstory into what drives his avoiding the fillies and colts.

 

As for why he's not required to go to school is perhaps Twilight (being a genius) already taught him everything he needs to know and he already "graduated" from the equivalent of pony high school? This is one of the reasons why I think he's closer to being 15 years old and he simply passed all the exams needed for graduation.

 

It could also be that because he was originally "assigned" to Twilight and thought of as a pet or servant that perhaps in pony society child servants aren't required to go to school. (Yikes, if that's true!  ) Or perhaps in Canterlot the elementary schools there did not want to have a dragon in any of the classrooms out of fear of his species or him being a distraction? It would be funny if they brought such a bit of history up and Cheerielee said she would be OK if Spike attended school. He'd suddenly be faced with having to go to school with a bunch of ponies younger than him. 

 

Though in his case, I think it would be a waste of his time to go back to school since he's already shown himself to be an exceptionally talented dragon. SpikeSureSm.png

 

 

I don't know if Spike should go to school. Isn't he at least as smart as Twilight?

[Singe 2,109]

First episode has Fluttershy open up and talk to Spike where he tells her his back story. The End.

That's all there is to Fluttershy and Spike. A huge missed opportunity to continue with those two.