@Brass Beau
But one of the things people like about the Manes, I think, is that they’re not
simple characters. Although on the other hand, I have had some difficulty grasping Starlight due to a lack of straghtforward traits… so I suppose it can go either way. Here, let me try a less off-hand answer.
Spike is certainly Twilight’s friend, but also sort of her servant/employee, and while not exactly her brother or her son definitely family. He’s pretty mature and competent for his age, but not always as much as he thinks he is. And while he’s quite close to most of the Manes (
very close to those of them born as unicorns) he is in the end of different age, gender, species and not an Element Bearer, which means there will be times the group has no place for him.
Now, did the writers always get the balance right? Probably not. But then, you could say the same about several characters.
@Brass Beau
Where is this stated? The comics?