Feels like Spike isn't considered a real friend

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Where was he for Twilight's birthday in "Suited for Sucess"?, Where was he for Rainbow Dash's birthday in "Pinkie Pride", or when Pinkie introduced Maude to her friends? Why wasn't HE one of the friends that RD tried to impersonate, in Dashie's newest episode? (She impersonated every friend but Spike)

Edited May 12, 2016 by Nightmare Muffin

[Midnight Seashell 206]

To be honest I've been wondering the same thing

[Steel Accord 6,658]

@@Nightmare Muffin,

 

What are you talking about? Rarity and Twilight were willing to risk life and limb to watch over him when he ventured to the dragon trials not two episodes ago! He called them both his friends himself. That's not to mention the previous time they along with Dash followed to protect him. Then there's them trying to assure him that he is special when they visited the Crystal Empire, speaking of which his nightmare was that Twilight would send him away. When he broke out of the spell, the first thing Twilight did was tell him that would never happen and he was with her the rest of the time there.

 

Not being imitated means he's not a friend? 

[ManaMinori 4,143]

@@Nightmare Muffin,

 

What are you talking about? Rarity and Twilight were willing to risk life and limb to watch over him when he ventured to the dragon trials not two episodes ago! He called them both his friends himself. That's not to mention the previous time they along with Dash followed to protect him. Then there's them trying to assure him that he is special when they visited the Crystal Empire, speaking of which his nightmare was that Twilight would send him away. When he broke out of the spell, the first thing Twilight did was tell him that would never happen and he was with her the rest of the time there.

 

Not being imitated means he's not a friend?

 

ok, so then tell me where he was during the important events in his friend's lives. Not only MIA during Twilight's birthday, but Dash's, and from meeting Pinkie's sister. All their other friends were invited.

[Steel Accord 6,658]

ok, so then tell me where he was during the important events in his friend's lives. Not only MIA during Twilight's birthday, but Dash's, and from meeting Pinkie's sister. All their other friends were invited.

 

Have you attended every single birthday or every single one of your friends and/or relatives? I haven't doesn't make them less my friend.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Steel Accord

[ManaMinori 4,143]

Have you attended every single birthday or every single one of your friends and/or relatives? I haven't doesn't make them less my friend.

I don't celebrate birthdays. I don't see the point in trying to make this personal.

The mane 6 are always there for each other. They were all there on Spike's birthday, in spite his not being a pony. He could've been there for theirs, and any other important event for them. There's no excuse for him not being present, unless the ponies just don't consider him as good a friend as they lead him to believe.

He's only truly appreciated in the Crystal Empire, anyway, apparently

[Glike 487]

I don't celebrate birthdays. I don't see the point in trying to make this personal.

The mane 6 are always there for each other. They were all there on Spike's birthday, in spite his not being a pony. He could've been there for theirs, and any other important event for them. There's no excuse for him not being present, unless the ponies just don't consider him as good a friend as they lead him to believe.

He's only truly appreciated in the Crystal Empire, anyway, apparently

And by Pony Joe, Starlight, Princess Ember, etc.

 

Basically if you're not one of the main six characters you have a shot with Spike.

[Steel Accord 6,658]

 

 

They were all there on Spike's birthday, in spite his not being a pony.

 

Doesn't that answer your own question? They ALL showed up for HIS birthday! If he wasn't their friend, why would they have bothered? 

[ConcorDisparate 385]

It's fictional work , pick a choice :

 

-> Find a good, personal explanation which makes you happy.

-> Find something unhappy to get angry with.

 

Or, we can also find a good one together if you like the idea

Edited May 12, 2016 by ConcorDisparate

[HoovesOnIce 74]

Spike is barley ever in the show because nobody buys his toys. Blame little girls.

[cmarston1 5,952]

Why would anyone want to imitate Twilight's indentured servant?

Jk. But I am glad that Rainbow Dash didn't try to imitate him, that scene was already cringe inducing enough, it really didn't need to go on for any longer.

 

Besides that the mane 6 are the stars of the show, and if you aren't them then you are out of luck when it comes to focus in the show for a lot of the time.  Which can explain why he wasn't there for episodes like Pinkie Pride and Sweet and Elite.

Edited May 12, 2016 by cmarston1

[FlareGun45 2,221]

What makes you think he wasn't in Rainbow's Birthday party? There were so many other ponies there, he had to be in the crowd somewhere, buried. Also the impersonating thing - she didn't do Starlight either. The Maud one, maybe he did meet her, but didn't show it on-screen. The Twilight birthday one though, I do agree with, but that was a long time ago. They consider him a friend now.

 

Also Spike's got Starlight as his friend now! What's to worry about? He's got his own friends, doesn't he? He doesn't need the Mane Six (even though two of them need him). Basically Twilight can't do anything without him there, and Rarity doesn't want to dirty herself, so she gets her friends to do it for her.

 

So yeah, Spike's a friend to them, but the six ponies weld the Elements, and he doesn't. Quite frankly, Spike's got his own life and his own friends. He doesn't need the other Mane Five.

 

Don't forget, Spike has had more potential now than he ever had in past seasons! The writers are really improving with him!

Edited May 12, 2016 by MegaSean45

[cider float 2,535]

Where was he for Twilight's birthday in "Suited for Sucess"?, Where was he for Rainbow Dash's birthday in "Pinkie Pride", or when Pinkie introduced Maude to her friends? Why wasn't HE one of the friends that RD tried to impersonate, in Dashie's newest episode? (She impersonated every friend but Spike)

I suppose Rainbow Dash didn't want to imitate males because she's female?

[Gestum 2,493]

 

 

Where was he for Twilight's birthday in "Suited for Sucess"?

Somewhere else. Perhaps he had something more important to do, maybe he was sick.  Maybe the writers didn't feel that he was necessary for that episode. 

 

 

 

Where was he for Rainbow Dash's birthday in "Pinkie Pride"

Well it was a big party so it's possible that he was hidden in the crowd. Or he didn't feel like going to the party and instead wished her happy birthday and gave her his present either before or after the big party.

 

 

 

when Pinkie introduced Maude to her friends?

Perhaps Pinkie didn't want to introduce all of her friends at once and therefore choosed to only introduce the other mane six. 

 

 

 

Why wasn't HE one of the friends that RD tried to impersonate, in Dashie's newest episode?

Perhaps she can't impersonate him and therefore did not try to impersonate him.

[Eloquence 2,076]

I feel like I say this over and over again in "why isn't Spike part of the mane six" topics, but I will say it again here, as it seems to be an easily-looked-over fact in the fandom (and somewhat understandably so)

 

Based on what the characters are doing with their lives and how they behave, I would presume the mane six to be in their early to mid twenties, and I would presume Spike to be around ten. Even if this is inaccurate, the simple fact that he is referred to as a baby dragon while the mane six are shown having careers and living on their own indicates that they're in different age brackets. Each of the mane six clearly love Spike, but their friendship with him will naturally be different than their friendships with each other based on this age gap.

 

To put it in perspective, say you have a little sibling that's 8-10 years younger than you. You're going to love and care about them, but you wouldn't invite them to hang out with your friends all the time, because they're so much younger that you and your friends wouldn't be able to relate to them in the same way you relate to each other.

[Truffles 2,033]

It's all about the writing. They are his friends, or at least they are supposed to be, but depending on who's writing an episode Spike will get envisioned by that writer in wildly different ways.

 

There are swaths of every season (except 6) where he's more like a doormat than a friend, and then you'll get a bunch of episodes where it is totally integrated.

 

For example, first half of S5? Not so great for him. Second half? You can see he's loved. In S6 he's been fairly well represented, though this new writer that did "Newbie Dash" seems to have based his character on how Spike was treated in earlier seasons. His only purpose was to get crushed in a suitcase and act as a tool for Pinkie. =/

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

Spike's been getting his own friends through seasons 5 and 6. He has Big Mac, Starlight, and Ember. 

[Scootalove 10,684]

Spike is considered a real friend to all of the friends that he encounters or met on the first day, but be as it may he still has friends just the writers sometimes forget that.

[Wind Chaser 4,767]

I'd just put it up to the writing. There's no set trend. In some episodes the Mane 6 will put their lives on the line for him, in others they ignore him, talk down to him, or forget he even exists.

 

In all truth, I think some writers have admitted that they don't see him as equal to the Mane 6, which explains the inconsistent writing he's often saddled with. Some writers are better with him than others. They also work independently for the most part and usually don't have the encyclopedic knowledge of the show that us fans have.

 

That's why you go from having two of his best character moments on the show ("The Crystalling" and "Gauntlet of Fire") to having him once again be relegated to a visual gag by one of the most slapstick-happy writers on the show (in reference to Dave Polsky and "Newbie Dash").

Edited May 13, 2016 by Wind Chaser

[FlareGun45 2,221]

I'd just put it up to the writing. There's no set trend. In some episodes the Mane 6 will put their lives on the line for him, in others they ignore him, talk down to him, or forget he even exists.

 

In all truth, I think some writers have admitted that they don't see him as equal to the Mane 6, which explains the inconsistent writing he's often saddled with. Some writers are better with him than others. They also work independently for the most part and usually don't have the encyclopedic knowledge of the show that us fans have.

 

That's why you go from having two of his best character moments on the show ("The Crystalling" and "Gauntlet of Fire") to having him once again be relegated to a visual gag by one of the most slapstick-happy writers on the show (in reference to Dave Polsky and "Newbie Dash").

 

So if he ain't so equal to the Mane Six, perhaps it's best to find others that are more equal to his position... like Starlight.

 

I don't think it really matters if he's a gag character or not in episodes he just plays a minor role, but if it's an episode he stars in, leave it to the professionals who know how to write him. Lady Writers and Josh Haber proved themselves worthy. Dave Polsky does too. It was the other Dave, the new writer that wrote the episode and made him a gag character.

[cider float 2,535]

I just overlooked that as the writing.

[Conred 274]

Same goes with Discord. He has no frineds other than Mane6 and mostly Fluttershy, yet he isn't invited on either Haloween or Chirstmas holidays.

[Slashy 101]

Where was he for Twilight's birthday in "Suited for Sucess"?, Where was he for Rainbow Dash's birthday in "Pinkie Pride", or when Pinkie introduced Maude to her friends? Why wasn't HE one of the friends that RD tried to impersonate, in Dashie's newest episode? (She impersonated every friend but Spike)

Spike and RD aren't friends. He tends to stick around with Twilight,Starlight, Fluttershy, and Rarity, though he seems to be nice to Pinkie Pie.

 

Also to everyone who brings up Newbie Dash, not only was Starlight NOT there, but you forget that Spike was trying to remind a clueless Pinkie that she was abandoning a friend. Pinkie was essentially written as an uncaring jerk in that episode, much of the same vein as Filli Vanilli.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Slashy

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

Same goes with Discord. He has no frineds other than Mane6 and mostly Fluttershy, yet he isn't invited on either Haloween or Chirstmas holidays.

Discord is well cause A. when he's around he's inevitably gonna steal the spotlight because he's freaking Discord and B. Delancie can only be used so much, he's both more expensive than most VAs and also in LA.

[FlareGun45 2,221]

Spike and RD aren't friends. He tends to stick around with Twilight,Starlight, Fluttershy, and Rarity, though he seems to be nice to Pinkie Pie.

 

Also to everyone who brings up Newbie Dash, not only was Starlight there, but you forget that Spike was trying to remind a clueless Pinkie that she was abandoning a friend. Pinkie was essentially written as an uncaring jerk in that episode, much of the same vein as Filli Vanilli.

 

I wouldn't go so far as to say Rainbow and Spike aren't "friends". They're not close though, but they're friends. But their friendship is pretty much like her friendship with Big Mac: friend of a friend. Every thing else though I agree with.