Why other ponies don't have Dragons like Spike as servants?

[Splashee 28,537]

So Twilight Sparkle is the only one with a dragon. And she hatched it herself as a test in Magic School (a test I think many would fail, but some would of course succeed). Why didn't other ponies do the same test? Spike turned out a very dedicated tool and a friend of course. But I can't seem to stop thinking about how useful he is as an assistant to Twilight. And if dragons were made to be assistants to ponies, it would be cool to have different dragon designs for each of the Mane 6?

[CypherHoof 26,479]

2 minutes ago, Super Splashee said:

So Twilight Sparkle is the only one with a dragon. And she hatched it herself as a test in Magic School (a test I think many would fail, but some would of course succeed). Why didn't other ponies do the same test? Spike turned out a very dedicated tool and a friend of course. But I can't seem to stop thinking about how useful he is as an assistant to Twilight. And if dragons were made to be assistants to ponies, it would be cool to have different dragon designs for each of the Mane 6?

It seems a bit odd. There doesn't seem to have been another dragon egg test other than Twi's... was she set up to fail?  Clearly, Sunburst got in and he can't magic his way out of a bag (although given what happened with Pharynix, nor can GlimGlam or Trixie...)

[Quinch 1,119]

Offhand guess, every school test is unique, or at least randomized. That would prevent would-be students from gaming the exam by practicing a specific spell they'd need to get in.

[Misty Shadow 7,085]

I don't think the dragons would be very happy about so many of their kin being subjugated by mamby-pamby ponies. Don't forget the Season 8 premiere, how quickly all the nations were to want to declare war. 

[Splashee 28,537]

Just now, Quinch said:

Offhand guess, every school test is unique, or at least randomized. That would prevent would-be students from gaming the exam by practicing a specific spell they'd need to get in.

You know how Twilight failing the test led to a completely different time line? And she failed it because of Rainbow Dash failing to do the Sonic Rainboom?

It shows how important Spike is to the story and success of the Mane 6. But at the same time, it is odd to me that Twilight had to perform this specific test in front of Princess Celestia and her own parents as well. It is too specific. Where did they get the egg? Why was it so important that magic was involved to hatch the egg?
And after that, Twilight has used Spike as a tool, to keep track of her studies. Like a butler.

And yes, Spike is a character from G1, so they had to find a place for him. But he just marks Twilight as being "the special one", instead of making it more interesting for the audience to figure out which pony the show is about.

[Quinch 1,119]

@Super Splashee Well, the parents could have been there for encouragement. Although I don't think Celestia was there initially, she showed up after the rainboom in case she needed to be captured by the invading giant dragon.

[Splashee 28,537]

Just now, Quinch said:

@Super Splashee Well, the parents could have been there for encouragement. Although I don't think Celestia was there initially, she showed up after the rainboom in case she needed to be captured by the invading giant dragon.

I am asking these questions because I will rewatch the entire series from start to finish in a while. And it has always bothered me about how Spike is treated as a born tool, without anyone questioning why.

Later in the series when every Mane 6 pony got a pet, you could see that Twilight didn't need one since she already had a Spike by her side...... Oh god, I am getting so horrible.

 

I am not against Spike. And the show's writers have made sure we know Spike has a free will, and want to be Twilight's number 1 assistant. But if you are born to do something, are you really going to question your position? It sounds so easy when you say you have free will, but it might not be that simple.

[Megas 27,067]

Most dragons seemed to reject pony culture. Spike was an anomaly

[Splashee 28,537]

1 minute ago, Megas said:

Most dragons seemed to reject pony culture. Spike was an anomaly

But did he have a choice?

 

If you were born in a loving and caring pony environment, having a "mother" like Twilight, would you really start asking questions about what is right or wrong for a dragon? And when you finally understand your own culture, trying to justify anything becomes very difficult.

 

Being forced to like something because you were born in a forced environment... He was born without his permission (like anyone really), but his parents were not dragons, and they didn't want him to be a dragon, but a "pony helper" instead. As a child, you cannot protest to what your parents tell you to be or do.  I just see this as wrong how they treated Spike, especially when he was an anomaly. He was a result of a single school test.

[Goat-kun 2,498]

Matriarchal society ☑

Non-pone child servants ☑

Incompetent heroes ☑

Shield Bro ☐

[Latecomer 438]

Lifespan of anione suggesting this in the Dragon Lands... about as long as it took me to tipe this sentence. And egg-grabbing poachers probabllu wouldn'v last much longer.

[Quinch 1,119]

19 minutes ago, Super Splashee said:

Later in the series when every Mane 6 pony got a pet, you could see that Twilight didn't need one since she already had a Spike by her side...... Oh god, I am getting so horrible. 

Actually, Twilight had Owloysius as a pet, not Spike.

13 minutes ago, Super Splashee said:

He was born without his permission (like anyone really), but his parents were not dragons, and they didn't want him to be a dragon, but a "pony helper" instead.

Well, it seems that he was treated more like family by Twilight's parents {though not by Twilight herself} when she and Shining were children, at least that's the vibe I got during Sparkle's Seven. And he is referred to as a "baby dragon" in the pilot, which implies that he had very little age to him at the series' beginning. Though that does make me wonder about his education at that point, since he doesn't seem ignorant and is clearly literate, so I wonder if he was basically homeschooled by Twilight.

[Splashee 28,537]

2 minutes ago, Quinch said:

Though that does make me wonder about his education at that point, since he doesn't seem ignorant and is clearly literate, so I wonder if he was basically homeschooled by Twilight.

That is really interesting. I didn't even think about that. He needs proper and non-biased education. Having Twilight do the homeschooling might not be the best alternative for non-biased history and religion and stuff like that.

 

Also, ponies didn't know much about the dragons' history or society, as implied in the episode where Spike has to leave the ponies to seek out his own kind. Making education even more biased towards ponies and how they treat non-ponies. Spike thought he was more pony than dragon at one point. Did he do that because Twilight or her family forced that belief upon him at a young age?

[Rarity Gemstones 189]

Is not what Twilight partakes in considered indentured child servitude? I do not believe most of Equestria would endorse such a thing.

 

[SharpWit 2,472]

Perhaps attempting to hatch the dragon egg is like taking the Kobayashi Maru training exercise from Star Trek, in which you're presented with a no win scenario to test your character. She may never have been meant to actually hatch the egg, but rather show a combination of not willing to give up and raw magical output, since some natural ability is required on top of what you've learned. Twilight just so happened to do what was considered impossible which is why it caught Celestia's attention, other than the giant dragon sticking out of the school roof.

Twilight would then go on to learn under Celestia's supervision and literally nopony was equipped to raise a dragon, so it was probably made the responsibility of Twilight to deal with since she was the source of the "problem", and would act as a lesson in its own right.

While Spike is the butt of many jokes and is clearly overworked on occasions, he generally likes helping others, and you're expected to do your part within a family unit by doing chores and so on as contribution, so that's all he's really doing rather than actual servitude.

I doubt anything was really forced upon him beyond taking responsibility for his own actions, and there's nothing wrong with that.

[Latecomer 438]

10 minutes ago, Rarity Gemstones said:

Is not what Twilight partakes in considered indentured child servitude? I do not believe most of Equestria would endorse such a thing.

 

Uou'd think. but no-one ever objects. I wonder if ponies just assume he's older than he looks?

 

 

 

 

[Venomous 18,813]

I think that the writers wanted Spike’s case to be especially unique. Make him the only dragon that lives among ponies the way he does.  Also, I wouldn’t classify him as a servant. That’s a bit harsh. Yeah, he works for her but he is more of a friend than anything else.

[Evil Pink One 12,990]

Because first of all, she didnt just hatched a dragon, she also made her parents into vegetation and turn that baby dragon into a giant dragon, and thus become a candidate for princess hood. And in the comics rasing spike was part of her challenge.

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

That's racist. And creepy.

[Splashee 28,537]

3 hours ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

That's racist. And creepy.

Are you quoting someone?

I just wander what part is considered racist? Creepy = yes!

[Latecomer 438]

53 minutes ago, Super Splashee said:

Are you quoting someone?

I just wander what part is considered racist? Creepy = yes!

Considering dragons as mere servant material for ponies. It would be like considering ponies a mere snack for dragons.

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

44 minutes ago, Super Splashee said:

Are you quoting someone?

I just wander what part is considered racist? Creepy = yes!

The reason why it's creepy is because it's racist. As far as I know, dragons and ponies are both intellectual sentient beings, not like dragons to ponies are like dogs to human (duh). The idea of each ponies having a servant based on it's race is racist, but don't let the word 'racist' scare you, it was not a serious comment or relevant to the real world. If the idea of all of them having a pony servant is strange, then having a dragon servant is strange as well.

By the way, Spike is like her brother. She took care of him and bonded with him. If someone start to think them as their useful servants, they won't be willing to make that kind of dedication.

Also, Spike was a very rare case, I think ponies knew almost nothing about dragons at that point, and Celestia saw sometging really special in Twilight she made her to try the very special test. And even so, if someone tried to approach dragons to reise them as servants, they would be dead.

2 minutes ago, Latecomer said:

Considering dragons as mere servant material for ponies. It would be like considering ponies a mere snack for dragons.

But... but they are snacks for dragons! 

[Latecomer 438]

8 minutes ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

But... but they are snacks for dragons! 

Have we ever actuallu seen FIM  dragons eatng meat? Mineral, vegatable, but is "animal" even im their preferred diet? Hmm, that could be a thread...

[Sepul-Coloratura 756]

3 minutes ago, Latecomer said:

Have we ever actuallu seen FIM  dragons eatng meat? Mineral, vegatable, but is "animal" even im their preferred diet? Hmm, that could be a thread...

Maybe because it's too dark for a kids show?

[Latecomer 438]

11 minutes ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

Maybe because it's too dark for a kids show?

Eating meat is no stranger to kids shows - predation might be, though.