Unpopular opinion time

@Badumsquish  
Ah. So obviously the way in which I felt Season 9 largely wasted them wouldn’t bother you. (At least they got to be key at the end.) I also felt that the School was a better destiny for Twilight than ruling Equestria - especially for no good reason.
 
As a whole, though, I just found many episodes an unforgivable waste - many of the Manes last focuses did them no favours.

@Tirimsil
 
The Summer Sun Setback was where she said she was done freaking out, one episode after that.

@Latecomer
 
It was definitely not a good idea to introduce Backup Rangers to season 9 in full knowledge this was the last season, unless they intend to use them in G5 of course. There simply wasn’t any time to give them a story equivalent to the 8 years the main team got.
 
They were still able to play a key role in the finale, but they suffer a bit from Wesley Syndrome.

@Tirimsil  
They wern’t introduced in Season 9 - they were introduced in Season 8, and had a central role there. It was this Season - particularly, the latter half - that dropped the ball on them - what was the Treehouse for anyway?

@Latecomer
 
I kinda marathon’d it a bit and must have misplaced their debut.
 
Either way, they weren’t about to get enough screentime in the final season, and they didn’t really serve to underscore the transition of the protagonists from figurative daughters to figurative mothers any more than was unavoidable, so it was a silly idea.

@Tirimsil  
Early plans for Season 9 actually focused heavily on the Manes mentoring them as successors to the Elements - that’s the plot the Treehouse is left over from. Still don’t know why they changed it.

As far as I’m concerned, I don’t really care much, regarding where Spike’s egg came from.
 
What did his biological parents contribute further than its existence and it not being smashed by them?
 
Nothing.
 
What did Twilight and her friends and family contribute? Everything.
 
Put it simply, he’s a dragon that just so happens to have a family of horned equines, and that’s that, in my eyes.

@AC97
 
Indeed, Spike’s story arc notes his unknown parentage and underscores that it isn’t really important. What would be gained by Spike finding his biological parents? In the best case scenario, it damages the relationship he’s had with Twilight’s family since he hatched. This is not in anyone’s best interests, unless Spike’s parents are assholes the way Sludge was.

I concur heatily - Father Knows Beast was the best “Spike’s family” episode. (It would only be better if Twilight’s parents had had a role at the end.)
 
I would like to know how his egg found it’s way into Twilight’s test, though, if only because they really should know that.

@Latecomer
 
They probably could’ve done a better job at explicitly going “Twilight is Spike’s big sister, but she has been his guardian for quite a while, and that shapes it somewhat.”
 
But at least it’s reasonably presumable, that take.

I do like the “Twimom” headcanon for the Spike and Twilight’s relationship. Although the show has made the relationship pretty ambiguous a lot of the time is hard to pin down what exactly they are.

To quote myself from some months ago when I was feeling more poetic.
 

@Latecomer
 
I have a story for it in Reverie Equestria. It would actually fit into the show canon, too… probably.
 
In fact it’s sitting in my FIMFiction queue and hasn’t been published because I’m not 100% happy with it (or anything I write, generally.)
 

 
@Twi Clown
 
The Sibling Supreme firmly establishes that Spike is a little brother to Shining and to Twilight. It’s just that “big sister” and “mother” are indistinct when it’s just the gal and her younger brother living (mostly) alone, like Twilight and Spike do.

@Tirimsil
 
Well, again, the whole thing is rather ambiguous.

@Tirimsil  
She’s also his boss, don’t forget. A lot of dynamics wrapped up there, but all with her on top. Even Princess and Royal Advisor.

@Twi Clown
 
Cute as it may be, “Twimom” runs into the problem of “Twilight is a child busy being Celestia’s protégé, and she has good parents too,” coupled with him being declared their brother, regarding Twilight and Shining.
 
It would be kinda cruel if she were the primary caretaker from day 1… which fortunately doesn’t seem to be the implication.
 
Don’t get me wrong, regardless of interpretation, primarily mother/son or primarily brother/sister (I prefer the latter), Twilight did become his guardian, and he does look up to her.
 
As far as how Spike feels, and how Twilight’s parents do, a kinda workable explanation I think is that they weren’t ever really pushy on Spike calling them “mom and dad,” let him decide that for himself, or something like that.

I find Twilight and Starlight have one of the more interesting relationships in the show and I kinda wish it could’ve been explored more.

@AC97
 
Well, since is a headcanon anyway.
 
I don’t think however Twilight being busy would make up in a siblings relationship either, she has been always rather distant.
 
I could also buy that elestia took care of Spike’s necessities like diapers and feeding, but as Twilight and Spike grew closer, they kinda got that relationship.

I’ll always find Chrysalis fanboys annoying. I mean, do you have to comment on every image than even hints her in a monologue to bash on the other changings for “not being faithful” to her.

@AC97
 
I do have a more through take on it on the other side of that link… or should I post it here? It’s a bit long…

@Meanlucario
 
Few people would be faithful to their enslaver.

@Twi Clown  
Try telling that to the fanboys, and they’ll talk your ears off with their headcanons that justify her actions and paint everyone who doesn’t see her as the best princess are evil bastards or idiots.

@gingerninja666
 
Yeah, I think they did make for an interesting enough duo, the two of them. How they’re kinda kindred spirits, yet somewhat different.
 
It’s a bit of a shame that we didn’t get more screentime involving her and the other five either. At least S8 gave us a bit of that.
 
 
@Latecomer
 
In any case, I should say upfront I am unlikely to change my mind, lol.

@Meanlucario
 
I know that feeling.

I don’t think Chrysalis did anything wrong, but I don’t think the Changedlings did either.