Why wasn't Spike in It Isn't The Mane Thing About You?

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

Seriously, this has bugged me for a while. You'd think we'd have at least seen him reacting to Rarity's ruined mane or new manestyle.

[TotallyNotNyx 15,563]

Heh, I honestly preferred it that Spike wasn't there 

While I don't mind Spike's crush on Rarity, I would also prefer not to see it so often. Therefore him being absent from the episode isn't that big of a loss

 

 

[Latecomer 438]

Huh - I didn't notice, but it reallu is quite odd, especiallu given how it's treated like a "all hooves on deck" affair. I guess even bi that point he wasn't completlu established as an essential part of the group - in-universe, all I can think is that he was off visiting the Dragon Lands or something.

what role would you have given him, if he was present?