Are Spike's friendships important?

[ManaMinori 4,149]

In a show caled Friendship is Magic, i can't help but feel like the friendships of the character who was the very one who concinced Twilight to make friends, has his own friendships kicked to the curb.

 

The majority of FiM focuses on Twilight's journey from being friendless to becoming princess, and then mentor of friendship, but never much on her loyal assistant. The very first episode makes you think that Spike is already good friends with the Canterlot ponies, Lemon Hearts, Twinkle Shine, Moondancer and Minuette, to know their names, prepare gifts and go to their parties, unlike Twilight. BUt "Secret of my excess" reveals the opposite, when Spike says in all his birthdays (note Lauren Faust said that he's around 8 years old), the only gift he got on his birthday, before coming to Ponyville, was a book from Twilight. Nopony else. Not from Sunbutt, not from Twilight's parents or Shining Armor (who are also his family), not from any of the ponies of Canterlot who Twilight made up with in "Amending Fences". And that's pretty sad.

 

Sadder still, when you consider that he's not really good friends with the main 6 ponies he met, after coming to Ponyville. We only really see him interacting most with Twilight and Rarity. Not so much the other Flutershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, or Applejack, or the CMC.

 

What ever happened to Litle Strongheart? Pony Joe? Why doesn't Spike hang out with Shining Armor or Big Mac? (And when he does, why is it offscreen?) Now he has Dragon Lord Ember on his friend list, but when are they really going to get an episode of just being friends and hanging out, Ember being taught friendship lessons?

 

Why doesn't Spike make friends with Holder's Boulder at Pinkie's parents farm, and maybe cause the egg to hatch, having another dragon friend?

 

Why is it that the mane 6 have made up with their past antagonists, and made friends out of them, but Spike can't get an episode or two with all the genuine friends he's already made- lemon Hearts, Twinkle Shine, Minuette, Moon Dancer, Lityle Strongheart, Pony Joe, Big Mac, etc.?

 

What are you guys' thoughts? Are Spike's friendships treated equally as he mane 6's friendships?

 

Is it fair that Spike's been receiving the short end of the stick since season 1, and even into season 6, they're not utilzing the friendships he's already established?

 

 

How many of his so-called "friends" (outside Twilight and Rarity) will we see celebrating with him on his next birthday?

[Mesme Rize 15,692]

Does Pinkie Pie get to hang out with Cheese Sandwich in the future?

Does Rarity get to hang out with Coco in the future?

Does Twilight get to hang out with Moondancer in the future?

etc.

 

It's not like only Spike gets this treatment. Characters like Ember and all the others i mentioned are called "secondary characters." They are there, to move the plot forward.

 

Also, friends aren't always people that you get to see everyday. There are friends who just see each other only once a year, or maybe even after 10 years again. Friendship is in somebodys heart.

[ManaMinori 4,149]

Does Pinkie Pie get to hang out with Cheese Sandwich in the future?

Does Rarity get to hang out with Coco in the future?

Does Twilight get to hang out with Moondancer in the future?

etc.

 

It's not like only Spike gets this treatment. Characters like Ember and all the others i mentioned are called "secondary characters." They are there, to move the plot forward.

 

Also, friends aren't always people that you get to see everyday. There are friends who just see each other only once a year, or maybe even after 10 years again. Friendship is in somebodys heart.

Twilight already had a sort of friendship with Moondancer in their school years. She visited her again in Amending Fences Rairiy hung out with Coco for a bit, in that episode with te Manehattan play. And Pinkie is friends with everyone, so she doesn't count

[Megas 28,146]

I'd be more worried about the lack of any meaningful interaction between him and the other mane characters than those between him and a couple of one-offs and BG characters

 

That said I still want him to interact with more characters not name Twilight and Rarity. The Crystaling and Spike At Your Service were nice but still feel lacking

[Buck Testa 5,505]

I have a feeling there are going to be Spike and Ember episodes in the future, If not this season I pretty much guarantee the next, that is way to interesting to pass up. 

[ManaMinori 4,149]

I'd be more worried about the lack of any meaningful interaction between him and the other mane characters than those between him and a couple of one-offs and BG characters

 

That said I still want him to interact with more characters not name Twilight and Rarity. The Crystaling and Spike At Your Service were nice but still feel lacking

I'm just as worried about his lack of friendship with the m6 who aren't Twilight and Rarity, as I stated in the op

But aside from Twi, his first friends were the Canterlot ponies from Amending Fences, so they should be taking more of a priority

[Scootalove 10,692]

They are, it's just that he needs more characters to interact with more than just his circle of friends.

[On-Locoweed 108]

Spike's a boy in a show about girls, for girls. His auxiliary role in the main character group dynamic makes him a character with little to develop. Character development, or character growth, in this show often comes from making friends, being friendly, or learning how to be a better pony. Given the logic of cartoons, Spike is a simple little boy stereotype and doesn't have to confront any major problems like the others. So, if he doesn't have much developing to do, then he doesn't need an abundance of relevant friendships to help him progress. His development is arrested...for now.

[Marimo 555]

Most of the normal episodes are ideas that the writers come up with. The reason they don't come up with a "Spike and Big Mac" episode or something comes from either one of two reasons: they're not interested in exploring that secondary character or that particular pairing, or there just isn't a story idea that they came up with involving them, at least one that they think is good enough. Spike episodes are born from stories they feel interested in telling about Spike, there's no real mandate for having to make an episode that involves Pony Joe or going back to Appleloosa to check in on his buffalo friends.

[ManaMinori 4,149]

Spike's a boy in a show about girls, for girls. His auxiliary role in the main character group dynamic makes him a character with little to develop. Character development, or character growth, in this show often comes from making friends, being friendly, or learning how to be a better pony. Given the logic of cartoons, Spike is a simple little boy stereotype and doesn't have to confront any major problems like the others. So, if he doesn't have much developing to do, then he doesn't need an abundance of relevant friendships to help him progress. His development is arrested...for now.

that's sexist snd that's bullshit. Mlp has audiences of both genders, and lesons tgat apeal to both genders. Sorry, but t th e "Spike is a boy so buck spike, no one has anything to learn from him" is crap. He's held td mane 6 together, he's stopped tem from getting killed, or going off the mental deep end, he's saved friggin empires. He contributes to the show and its lessons of friendship, fuck sterotypes. His friendships deserve to be explored

[On-Locoweed 108]

that's sexist snd that's bullshit. Mlp has audiences of both genders, and lesons tgat apeal to both genders. Sorry, but t th e "Spike is a boy so buck spike, no one has anything to learn from him" is crap. He's held td mane 6 together, he's stopped tem from getting killed, or going off the mental deep end, he's saved friggin empires. He contributes to the show and its lessons of friendship, fuck sterotypes. His friendships deserve to be explored

I admire your conviction, but my opinion's the same value as yours you know.

 

Spike's friendships are not emphasized as much as those within the Mane 6 because the viewer is supposed to see the Mane 6 as the center of the action/moral education/friendship magic. The show is set up so that they supply all the important stuff and so one can see how well their friendship works together. To be sure, Spike has had his moments, but they have not yet been so important to warrant a spotlight of his amazing ability to be a friend the way that the Mane 6 do consistently. Spike's role doesn't always call for him to be as important in the show as the Mane 6 are. It would be really cool if he did have an episode where his legitimacy as a friend was established, instead of him just being a sidekick forever. Things could change, things do change, and sometimes I'm uncomfortable defending or arguing points that will probably not matter in the future. Until then, when that episode airs and this conversation is rendered meaningless, I am going to assert that his friendships have not been covered because they are not as crucial to the story as those of the Mane 6 are.

 

Happy?

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

Spike's friendships should be the focus of at least one episode. The main obstacle to this is the intense focus the show has on the Mane 6's friendship, almost exclusively, but that doesn't stop secondary characters from having recurring roles. If it's possible for Pinkie and Applejack's families to recur or for one friend for a previous episode to come back many episodes later, it's not out of the question.

 

The main issues with Spike is how he had been short-shrifted for about three seasons, with little to no character development between the end of Season 2 and the start of Season 6, and also how different and insignificant his role is against the other main characters (including the Mane 6 and the Crusaders). In many adventure episodes, Spike is usually just parked on the sidelines if he isn't only a Tagalong Kid. He was never given any ambitions and motivations of his own while all his friends dreamed big and achieved big. The show could do great to acknowledge this but it never did, though it came close in "Dragon Quest", and tried to make up for it by giving him the credit for "The Crystal Empire" (which should have been shared with Twilight and the royal couple).

 

I'd like to see Spike's role in the community get an emphasis for an episode, but I get the impression that the writers and Hasbro feel that there are always bigger fish to fry.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Of course his friendships are important! Did you see how much Starlight and Spike got along in the premiere? They make great friends! No doubt it'll be shown again many more times this season!

[sweetolebob18 728]

For Spike's friendships to be important Spike would have to important & he isn't.  That's kind of mean, but accurate.

[CastletonSnob 3,089]

Why do you think Spike is underdeveloped?

[Gestum 2,493]

 

 

Why do you think Spike is underdeveloped?

 Because he isn't a main character. He's more of a sidekick. 

[BlinkZ 1,151]

Really his freinsihps would mean a lot more if the fandom didn't ship him with every female romaticaly on the spot.  Ember being the mos recent and starlight..ugh seriously just have hem be close friends not doing it in the bedroom stories..but that the fandom side.

 

As for one screen..well he seems to get along with the cmc just fine (He was the only kid to show up to thier after party, although it never explained why he was there but still counts)

 

I assume hedoes kind of spend a lot of time with twilight when she doing shelving or shoppping or needing lists made. I'm sure Twilight doe some chores.

[ManaMinori 4,149]

Of course his friendships are important! Did you see how much Starlight and Spike got along in the premiere? They make great friends! No doubt it'll be shown again many more times this season!

hell with hatever previously established friendships he made, and weren't brought back, right?