@Beau Skunky  
Thank you.

@Background Pony #F025  
An admin just asked us to stop.

@Background Pony #F025  
@Beau Skunky  
Please take this to PMs.

@Background Pony #F025  
Thing is, you haven’t proven anything, just giving your opinions, or making things up. Yes, claiming Faust “never wanted to use Spike” WITHOUT proof is “making things up.” That doesn’t help your argument, it makes it look worse.  
I’m not saying Spike is the most/only important character, I just don’t see any benefit to getting rid of him.  
And frankly… Your “solution” to remove Spike is pointless anyway, as he already exists, and the show is already over 200 episodes long, and over with.
 
While I admit, I can kinda understand your dislike, as the “Spike Justice Warriors,” get on my nerves too, (like that teen whom drew Spike torturing show staff, because “they abuze Spake!” that guy has issues. And I tire of fans losing their schmitz if Spike so much as gets a peper cut) it’s a li’l unfair to say all Spike fans are bad, as honestly many average bronies like Spike, many Spike fans are nice, and honestly many other characters have bad/immature fans too.  
(Remember when Fluttershy fans were being stereotyped as also being “too protective” like with Spike? Or how many Luna fans were bashing Celestia, or Sunset fans were bashing Starlight?) Heck, I remember a guy was flipping out in the forums, because he was afraid Twilight wouldn’t be in the series finale for some weird reason. Alot of people get to fixated on certain characters. So by that logic, just get rid of them all.
 
We never saw “Dragon Land” ‘till later, and just because we don’t always see a character doesn’t mean they never existed. Like how Sweetie Belle wasn’t revealed to have parents ‘till season 2, or Twilight suddenly having a brother, and stuff. Nothing prior contradicts that. Only one that did was Maud Pie, (she was never hinted to exist in “Cutie-Mark Chronicles”) and fans all accepted her.
 
The elements of harmony have been shown to not always solve everthing, and only 6 ponies can use them. You also forget even with the Princess’s magical boost, Twilight still didn’t defeat Tirek in their li’l battle. She needed her friends, including Discord for that.
 

 
I don’t, and frankly you’re getting a li’l personal there. To say I only care about Spike is ironic, because I rarely ever discuss him here, or even defend him much if you look at my post history, and I don’t even have many Spike pics favorited compared to other characters. He’s far from my favorite character, but unlike you, I enjoy him, and I can recognize he has some small importance to the series, and Twilight’s character. (Remove him, or any other main character, and it just wouldn’t be the same show.)  
As I said before, I’ve even been accused of hating Spike before for criticizing him, as well, so it’s funny to suddenly be labeled a “Spike fanboy,” or something.

@Beau Skunky  
Even if I did manage to prove, (which I already did) you don’t have such evidence either to back up that Lauren DID want to have Spike in G4. The only cure is to have him removed… The Spike-fandom is just much worse than… Chernobyl radiation.
 
The dragon lord himself never had his appearance in the first scene of Dragon Land in the show, and he just “had” to retire. And Garble hated the ponies because one of them pushed him as he was passing by, fell into a mud puddle, and laughed at him? Couldn’t Twilight just borrow the princesses’ magic again like they did to fight Tirek? Or… what about the Elements of Harmony?
 

 
I can tell that you ARE, since if it’s all about defending Spike you only care about the whole time. Jeez… it’s like you think… it’d be the End of the World of Spike had no appearance in G4.
 
I DO understand that you love Spike, though, but… you know.

@Background Pony #F025  
I’m not depressed, and no offense, but stating “Faust doesn’t care for Spike/didn’t want him in the show” with no proof, makes it hard to agree with you, and honestly I believe the majority of MLP fans would “disagree” with you that Spike & non-ponies shouldn’t be in the show, that “dragons are weak creatures,” and stuff.  
Spike’s character gives Twilight a more personal character she grew up with, and knew before moving to Ponyville, and as I stated he makes a good foil for her in terms of both being a comic relief, and occasionally a word of reason with her when she goes overboard, or doesn’t understand something.
 
Eh, fans exaggerate, Spike is not “tortured,” all the time, and such, and sounds like you haven’t seen those episodes to really make that judgement if you only hear by word of mouth. And as I pointed out already all the begging happened later, so that still means fans weren’t responsible for Spike’s earlier episodes, and sympathetic moments. That’d be like saying fans are the only reason they brought Luna back in Season 2. (And Season 2 was being made before Season 1 started even airing.)
 
Um, do you remember the huge freakin’ dragon from Season 1? He alone could level Ponyville. To state dragons are all weak, is a pretty big exaggeration, and the show has shown that magic alone doesn’t always work on huge monsters. Otherwise, Trixie alone would’ve defeated that big bear easily, and such. (Most unicorns can’t even teleport, and such.) Not to mention, judging by the dragon migration, lots of huge dragons exist, and taking down an army of those might be difficult.
 
I’m not “pretending,” I seriously don’t understand your points, as you’re really not making any good justification for why Spike shouldn’t exist, making claims without proof, and such. You say my statements are “just my opinion,” but I can easily say the same about your’s.

@Beau Skunky  
Well, your own beliefs are wrong. You think I directly “assumed” that Lauren wouldn’t care of having Spike in G4 because it only would’ve been so… depressing for you if he didn’t appear? Everything I’ve told for you in my previous comments wasn’t meant to make you feel depressed or anything. I just hoped it’d open your eyes for once and agree with me on what I’ve said. Is it really that hard?
 
Yeah, I’ve heard and knew about some messed up episodes such as “Equestria Games,” “Gauntlet of Fire…” After Spike being tortured and used as a punching bag all the time, the fans wanted to give him a “new” character development by begging the writers to do so because they couldn’t stand any of that.
 

 
Spike got all credit for no reason in “The Crystal Empire” despite all the hard work and roles the other characters had played. Like Twilight, she did most of it. Twilight figured out where the heart was, found the hidden passage to it, made her way up to the top in lights speed with her up-side-down magic… and Twilight passing the burden over to Spike was her OWN idea, and Spike did nothing by just running 20 feet onto a ledge and then fell. Shining Armor saves him AND the heart, then Cadance flew all the way over there, caught it, and brought it where it needed to go. Spike is nothing compared to that and doesn’t deserve to be the “Hero of the Crystal Empire.”
 
In “Gauntlet of Fire,” I was wondering where Garble’s hatred of ponies came from and why anyone would invade an entire land just to get something more comfortable to sleep on, like pillows, instead of rocks. And dragons aren’t able to use magic, so they are without a doubt weak and harmless enough. Pretty much of an episode based off from someone’s own fanfiction, really.
 

 
Saying that he “deserves” to exist can be interpreted as it like it would’ve been very… heartbreaking if he didn’t.
 

 
Now that sounds like you think Spike would be… replaced.
 

 
Another typical way for someone just to defend Spike, nothing or no one else, by just pretending to not understand.
 
Well, if YOU feel like you want this debate to end, then okay. I’ve explained everything the best I could, anyway.

@Background Pony #F025  
So then, you’re basically just assuming Faust doesn’t care about Spike, and even if she did, so what? She’s not the only one who makes the show, and left after 2 seasons. (And honestly, I don’t believe she “never” wanted him, or anything, as nothing backs up this claim, that sounds like something you made up, or assume, no offense.)  
I still don’t believe Spike only got episodes just because of bronies, and as I pointed out his Season 2 appearances would’ve been written before the brony phenomenon took off. And if they did want his episodes to pander to bronies, then why is it bronies tend to hate the majority of Spike episodes? I’m not even sure Spike was that popular back then. I’ve been around the MLP fandom sense before Season 1 finished airing, and I don’t recall bronies demanding Spike get more episodes back then, and such.  
In fact, I recall, Faust said she actually wanted to give boy characters some episode focus before, even before the brony fandom started, but Hasbro wanted them to focus more on the girls. (Understandable, it is a “girl” show, so not complaining.)
 
Well, I can give TV examples, but you just ignore them.  
No offense, but comparisons to other fictional works are fine in a discussion, review, or debate, and just ignoring them like you do, claiming they have nothing to do with the conversation, just comes off as kinda a petty way to ignore points, no offense.  
Have you ever read thesises, professional literature/movie reviews, and such? People compare things all the time to help their point, it’s not just “my random way of defending Spike.”
 
Y’know, just because I stand up for a character doesn’t mean I’m obsessed with them. Spike’s not even my favorite character, but I still enjoy him, and am glad he’s part of the show.  
I’ve stood up for many characters before, including a few I don’t care much for, as many characters in MLP have brought something important to the series.  
Ironically I’ve been accused of being a “Spike hater” before, just because I’ve criticized the “overly defensive” Spike fans before, and because I honestly am not bothered by his more comical/clumsy role in the show. I’m not just mindlessly defending Spike to the death like a fanboy, I’m just stating he’s done more then be a goofball, that he deserves to exist as much as any pony character, that non-pony characters can/should exist, and that I don’t think what happened to Spike’s parents, or how his egg was found is important for his character, or the show in a whole. (As you said, “He’s just a character from a cartoon.”) Spike’s personality & being a supporting character, and foil for Twilight is what’s most important, I feel, and I feel he succeeds at that, which is why I don’t understand your points at all.
 
And it’s not just my opinion, judging by most comments & art I see online, I think most MLP fans like seeing non-pony characters, enjoy Spike, and such too. Ask any brony here if they think only ponies or humans should exist in MLP:FIM, and I’m sure you’ll find most disagree with you. If that happened, we wouldn’t have all the unique villains, and such.
 
And honestly, that’s pretty much all I have to say, if you wanna end this debate now, that’s fine with me, as I am getting a bit weary too.

@Beau Skunky  
Remember when I said that I only BELIEVED it was some of the fans who brought Spike aboard, instead of Lauren? Yes, G1 was Lauren’s childhood, but would she ever care about having Spike in G4 so badly or anyone like you do?
 
Still, TV shows and video games aren’t the same thing. In video games, you only take control of someone/something, yourself. That’s one of the differences between them. And, I bet you already know the other differences already, as well.
 
I saw lots of art of other creatures and such, yes, but no complaints about them being abused or mistreated, unlike Spike. This pic of Spike and the two princesses in it, it’s to show Spike, himself, some love. The princesses are in fact just being USED/BORROWED. Keep in mind about everything I’ve also said about it in my first reply.
 
Well, saying that just because the show’s title is “My Little Pony” doesn’t mean that anyone like Spike can’t be in it is your opinion, because… what I said makes without a doubt more sense in every way, to be honest.
 

 
Yes, because humans is the only species who can be focused on ALONG with such characters/creatures, always. Disney, Dreamworks… If you’ve noticed, the G4 ponies have human-like styles and looks; hair/moustaches, clothes… etc. (Like in Equestria Girls) Characters/species from previous generations had no appearances at all in the next ones. Spike were, of course, but I don’t see why HE “have” to.
 

 
I actually SHOULD. Because, bringing up other various TV shows and video games into this to try finding random reasons just to protect Spike… Come on…
 

 
Spike’s extistence in the show is way more complicated than Applejack’s. As I said, Spike wouldn’t have been born if it weren’t for them, and Lauren wouldn’t say that they “dumped him” or “died.” If Spike’s parents died, then HOW? Applejack’s parents either died of old age or sickness, something similiar, as I said also.
 
I respect that you like Spike, however, I do, but… you seem to care about him WAY too much. No matter what I say… you keep struggling to defending him who’s just from a cartoon, a media creation, and it’s… really getting out of hand. No offense here.

@Background Pony #F025  
Do you have any confirmation of that? Because I don’t recall Faust ever saying any of that about Spike, and seeing how he was a G1 character, and Faust loved G1 MLP, I don’t see why she’d think his inclusion would be a “bad idea.” (And honestly most of the staff, and fans are fine with Spike’s backstory the way it is.) In fact, before FIM aired, and the brony phenomenon took off, nobody was really pressuring the show staff to give Spike more attention, and such. That didn’t happen until after the show got popular, and while Season 1 was airing, Season 2 was already almost finished being made, and part of Season 3 was in production too. (The average MLP episode takes one full year to make, from writing, animating, acting, and such.)  
So I don’t buy that Spike only got episodes to cater to bronies, he’s always been basically a main supporting character.
 
I was using Super Mario as an example of why all fictional characters don’t need complex backstories, and considering Miyamoto said he does that on purpose, because he wants fans to enjoy making their own headcanons, and backstories for Mario. The same could apply to some things in MLP, or Spike, It’s not necessary for us to understand where Spike’s egg from, or why the egg was abandoned/found/whatever. Not everything can be explained within a 22-minute time frame, and honestly, MLP:FIM is not some epic anime, with an overarching epic storyline, where every small detail is important. Yes, it has some continuity, and some nice complex backstories, but for the most part, the show is pretty episodic, and many episodes can be watched out of order, or just stand alone.
 
“Owl’s Well” wasn’t just about Spike “being a goof.” Spike does get better, and the episode does make you feel sorry for him, when he feels he upset Twilight, and tries to run away in sadness. So the episode has empathy for him, as well.  
On the contrary, I see many bronies (and pegasisters) whom like Spike, Ember, and other dragons. I see many MLP fans that love other species too, like griffins, changelings, and such, (look up how much fanart of them in the search above) so it’s rather ignorant to say bronies or MLP fans in general only like ponies.
 
Just because the show is called “My Little Pony” doesn’t mean non-ponies like Spike can’t be in it, or have some focus. The diverse cast of mythological beasts, monsters, and species are partially why fans like the show so much. It’d be dull if every character was a pony, including the villains.  
Heck, most of the time in the original G1 MLP show of the 1980s, the show focused usually more on the human characters.  
How can you argue “Spike has no story value,” but at the same time insist he needs more backstory? Which are you arguing for?
 

 
That makes no sense, as that would be like arguing that Bruce Wayne/Batman’s parents need to be alive in the Batman show, and we’d need to know everything about them, but he wouldn’t of ever become Batman, if they weren’t killed off.  
I’m using this as another fictional work example, so don’t just ignore it, and write it off as “off-topic.”  
My point with that is, if Spike’s parents were in the show, he wouldn’t be able to live with the ponies, and mess up the whole reason he’s with them, or why Celestia/Twilight/ect. took care of him. Just like having Batman’s parents still alive, would just get rid of all reason for Batman to exist.
 
On another fictional example, in Disney’s “Meet the Robinsons” movie, we never find out anything about his Mother, or why she abandoned him at the orphanage in the beginning, and this becomes an obsession with the main character, but in the end it’s not necessary to know why in the story, and the main character (spoiler) eventually realizes this himself that he can go on living, and having a good life without ever finding out why he was abandoned by his mother, and has a new family that can take care of him, and love him. Just like Spike does.  
The episode where Spike meets his fake Dad is even kinda similar in message to this.
 
If Applejack can exist without her parents, so can Spike. Some off-camera or dead characters aren’t necessary for the story.

@Beau Skunky  
I’ll explain a little bit more clearer in case you didn’t fully understand. I hope it helps.
 
Since Lauren knew having Spike in the show was a bad idea because of such reasons I previously told you about, she added Spike only for those fans’ sake, and to do that, his appearance had to be the goofy baby-dragon who has one role of being annoying, clumsy… so he wouldn’t be payed so much attention by anyone. Otherwise, they would become too curious and concerned about asking them where Spike came from and so on which neither the writers or Lauren can’t answer. I would never attempt to push on them like that. And honestly, I don’t feel like bringing anything unrelated up to MLP like Super Mario. It’s just a video game that doesn’t tell us the things like in TV shows. It’s completely different, and it has no value of just… protecting Spike.
 
Because, in “Owl’s End Well,” it’s to show Spike’s personality of being the one who always screws up and having bad behavior like an uncontrollable child with bad temper. Like the audience would be like “Ugh, Spike, you little idiot…” And I know that “Brony” stands for Bro + Pony. (Br-ony) Bronies are male fans who are addicted to the ponies, not dragons.
 
You can’t just say that… “a character doesn’t need a complex background to exist.” To make a show such as MLP, it needs characters, an accurate story, and much more alike. But Spike, he had no such value, especially because the show’s based on ponies and has the title “My Little PONY.” Sure, other characters can have an appearance, like they’re just… visiting or spending time together, like friends.
 
BP #9A02’s right. If Spike’s parents can’t be in the show, then Spike can’t. He wouldn’t have been born if it wasn’t for them for example, and he couldn’t just have randomly ended up on someone’s doorstep or anything just like that.

@Background Pony #F025  
A character doesn’t need a complex background to “exist.” Look at Super Mario. (Ignoring the cartoon/movie canons he actually doesn’t have an official backstory, heck his creator his creator Miyamoto doesn’t even consider him a “plumber”)  
Spike can exist even if we never find out about his parents, and perhaps, that’s not very important to his character.
 
If that was the case then why did some episodes like “Owl’s Well” focus on him? And honestly, speaking as a brony whom was around when the first season was airing, bronies weren’t that into Spike back then, so I doubt they influenced his character that much.
 
@Background Pony #9A02  
If they were, then he wouldn’t of been able to live with Twilight, or be her “little brother/assistant,” and such.

@Beau Skunky  
Sounds agreeable, but as what you mentioned about the Apple siblings’ parents, they either died of old age, sickness, or anything like that. But, Spike’s parents… that’s a question we can’t answer. That’s why having a character like Spike in the show is without a doubt impossible, and why I believe it was some of the fans who brought Spike aboard, not Lauren.
 
Since Spike’s first appearance in Season 1, he was just a background decoration, some small character who provides comic relief because he wasn’t supposed to be focused on…

@Beau Skunky  
Spike’s parents should’ve been alive and well in the show and the comics instead of him being orphaned. Makes more sense, actually.

@Background Pony #7991  
@Background Pony #14C5  
Considering the show basically confirmed the Apple siblings’ parents are dead, (cleverly without saying it) it’s not really unreasonable, or impossible to assume Spike could be an orphaned egg, as well.
 
@Background Pony #F025  
Late response, but sense then, it seems the show & comic implies Spike was mostly raised by Twilight, and her family. Basically, making him her adopted little brother.

@Background Pony #14C5  
Yeah… imagine someone say: “Ey Lauren, can u kill Spike’s parents, plz? I think it’d be so cute if he got adopted by Celestia instead.”

One major thing is that you cannot have a character like Spike in the show at all. What happened to Spike’s parents? Lauren wouldn’t say that they “just left him on someone’s doorstep,” or they “just abandoned him,” or they “just died…”

@Background Pony #F025  

@Beau Skunky  

 
Hmmm… yeah, that explains Spike’s “new” character development.

@Theknd
 
@Beau Skunky
 
I understand that you like to express your own thoughts about stuff and all like for this pic. But…
 
Lauren hasn’t said anything that “Celestia is Spoke’s mom,” when she only suggested one of her ideas, that was never meant to be considered canon, of her just raising him.
 
It doesn’t make anyone a mother/father or had “motherly/fatherly” moments when she/he are just taking care of someone, especially since it isn’t the same species.
 
Anyone like Celestia or Luna, who’s a beautiful and powerful alicorn, don’t ever fit as a “mom/aunt” for such a small, goofy, clumsy fire-burping character like Spike.
 
It ain’t worth to think or imagine this only because it’s just… cute.
 
From my point of view, this type of headcanon some fans’ have is just about Spike himself, nothing or no one else.

@Background Pony #C291  
But she was a little girl at the time.

@Beau Skunky  
Someone ought to give this idea to Hasbro.
 
Like, now.

@Theknd  
I like it too. :)
 
A Celestia, Spike, & Luna focused ep’ would be great.

Mommy Celly and Auntie Lulu! I love that concept :D