@goldenphoenix  
Or he could just be the one who was holding the camera if you want.
 
(Pardon my necropost)

@Background Pony Well it’s okay. I won’t force you to agree with my opinion. I mean, Impious does have a good point. But still, I think that the characters care about him enough to consider him more than a butler. And Dragon Quest, and an interview with Cathy Weseluck confirms that they all see each other as one big family, with spike being the little brother.
 
But I will agree that the writers downplay his interactions with them, and have the ponies hit him around so much, that people have trouble believing it. But as for Twilight’s birthday, I think that there could be many reasons why he didn’t show up. “Not being invited” doesn’t have to be the only conclusion.

@goldenphoenix I kinda have to agree with Impious in large part. I mean, I understand your points and I at least do respect them, but at the same time sometimes I have to wonder how much they really do regard Spike as a friend. Not only this picture above (and I thought of Lilo & Stitch immediately when I saw that episode, too) but also how he wasn’t present at Twilight’s birthday in Sweet and Elite, etc.
 
There’s just a lot that’s happened in the show which seems to say that they only value him so /much/ as a friend, I guess… kind of sad in a way but true.

Well I wouldn’t say he’s just a butler. He’s definitely a friend to them all. Owl’s Well that Ends Well, Twilight calls him her friend. And besides, if he was so worried that she didn’t love him anymore, it proved that they definitely have some bond.
 
And in Dragon Quest when he says they’re like family to him, they hug him, showing that they return his feelings (though again I think the writers shouldn’t have put that group photo in such a scene that was meant to be touching, but I digress).
 
So yes he’s viewed as a butler, yes he’s viewed as a friend, and yes he’s viewed as family.
 
I think now it’s up to the writers to show them caring more. Especially after the revelation he made in dragon quest.

They care, sure, but they don’t care anywhere close to enough. He’s more or less just a convenience. They only really go after him because, like good ponies, they couldn’t just let him get himself hurt. Past that, he’s a cute dragon butler and not much more.

@ThatGuyImpious It is true that he does like to spend time with them, but they DO care about him. If they didn’t they wouldn’t go after him in “Owl’s Well that Ends Well” (or compliment him for that matter) and “Dragon Quest.”
 
they just tend to be oblivious to the way they treat him. But despite how mean-spirited they are to spike, saying that they don’t care is too much.
 
Besides, it’s the writers, and how they show the relationships with the characters. Blame them for making him the butt of everyone’s jokes, and not be a part of the group.

Yeah, no one will hold it against Spike if he just leaves for good. He’s perfectly willing to be emasculated if it means spending time with them, and they still don’t really seem to care.

Spike could have been the one the picture.

The picture is good, but I actually don’t think they’re really all that connected. With lilo and stitch, Lilo and Nani didn’t know stitch yet in the photo. So they cut and pasted him into the family photo.
 
With My little pony, twilight already knows spike, so he should’ve been in the picture with them all. Though that’s studio b’s faut, for thinking that would be funny, when in retrospect it makes it seem like the mane 6 don’t even care if he’s not there, and can just be cut and pasted into a photo, and it’d be just as good.

Spike confirmed as a sentient pet. JK

my feeeeeee-lllllliiiiiinnnnnnnngggggggs

awww shit, you just had to pull this one…  
ffffff :/

Don’t do this to me.

“No one gets left behind…or forgotten.”

D: