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Description
What if/Alternate headcanon:
Years ago in Canterlot, Spike the dragon went to kindergarten. Once per year a play was performed by the oldest foals. This year, the year that Spike the dragon was among these foals, the teacher had an ingenious, age and ethnicity appropriate idea for a play: a story about a dragon slayer. Many were interested in the role of the hero, Spike included, so they all had to audition. Whereas Spike’s performance was the most convincing, his teacher would not give him the role. She wanted to tell him dragons can’t be heroes, but stopped herself just in time, realizing how awkward saying that would be. Instead, she lied about having seen a better audition, but promised him he could be the stand-in in case the other got sick. She then proceeded to give the role to a little colt with perfect attendance.
However, on the day of the play this colt was sick. It was minutes before the start, so the teacher had no choice but to ask: “Spike, do you know your lines?”
He did.
The lights were dimmed, the spots went on and the antagonist was introduced. A little filly dressed as a red dragon trotted onto the stage. The audience clopped their hooves and “d’aww”-ed when she took a small bow. Then the hero was announced. This was it, Spike’s big moment. He entered the stage. He loved acting, he loved the attention, the crowds cheering… but what was this? This wasn’t cheering. This wasn’t cheering at all! They were laughing at him! But why? This didn’t make any sense!
“How ironic!” a stallion hollered in hysterics.
No! This wasn’t happening to him! He’d show them! He’d show them all what a great actor he could be!
Regaining his posture, he recited: “surrender, vile beast!”
The audience errupted in laughter again, even louder than before. Then it happened; what he had dreaded from the start… he forgot his lines. His lips were quivering, his knees shaking. Tears streamed down his face as he dropped his wooden sword. This simply wasn’t happening to him!
But it was.
And so Spike the dragon ran backstage, wailing.
Years ago in Canterlot, Spike the dragon went to kindergarten. Once per year a play was performed by the oldest foals. This year, the year that Spike the dragon was among these foals, the teacher had an ingenious, age and ethnicity appropriate idea for a play: a story about a dragon slayer. Many were interested in the role of the hero, Spike included, so they all had to audition. Whereas Spike’s performance was the most convincing, his teacher would not give him the role. She wanted to tell him dragons can’t be heroes, but stopped herself just in time, realizing how awkward saying that would be. Instead, she lied about having seen a better audition, but promised him he could be the stand-in in case the other got sick. She then proceeded to give the role to a little colt with perfect attendance.
However, on the day of the play this colt was sick. It was minutes before the start, so the teacher had no choice but to ask: “Spike, do you know your lines?”
He did.
The lights were dimmed, the spots went on and the antagonist was introduced. A little filly dressed as a red dragon trotted onto the stage. The audience clopped their hooves and “d’aww”-ed when she took a small bow. Then the hero was announced. This was it, Spike’s big moment. He entered the stage. He loved acting, he loved the attention, the crowds cheering… but what was this? This wasn’t cheering. This wasn’t cheering at all! They were laughing at him! But why? This didn’t make any sense!
“How ironic!” a stallion hollered in hysterics.
No! This wasn’t happening to him! He’d show them! He’d show them all what a great actor he could be!
Regaining his posture, he recited: “surrender, vile beast!”
The audience errupted in laughter again, even louder than before. Then it happened; what he had dreaded from the start… he forgot his lines. His lips were quivering, his knees shaking. Tears streamed down his face as he dropped his wooden sword. This simply wasn’t happening to him!
But it was.
And so Spike the dragon ran backstage, wailing.
Works with their “positive” view of dragons as wild yet majestic creatures I guess.
Given what we’ve seen of pony behavior in the show–ponies, like small children, are equally fascinated by and terrified of the unknown–Scenario B seems most likely.
It’s doubtful that any pony had ever seen a dragon up close before, so Celestia would’ve been under lot of pressure to put Spike on display to satisfy everyone’s curiosity. I kind of picture him as being a “child star” until she decided enough was enough, and put him to work in the library to give him some privacy.
They display startling amounts of ignorance regarding other sentient species.
They always strike me as just very fear-based whenever something new hits them. Maybe it was too much to say, but they do have a history of just being jerks.
Aside from Ponyville’s treatment of Zecora before the end of “Bridle Gossip”, when have the ponies been portrayed as “xenophobic twits”?
Oh, okay.
Scenario A: Celestia realized that Twilight wouldn’t really know how to raise a dragon, and she wanted to groom him a bit too. Decided to send him off to a school with other ponies to learn like a pony, but he was never accepted by them. Something similar to the picture happened and Celestia decided that working with Twilight in the library, where she would be his tutor, would be better for him.
Scenario B: Spike is a Canterlot celebrity from birth. Everypony wants to see “The Civil Dragon Foal” in “captivity.” He’s loved by everypony, but on the level that people admire a really cute polar bear in a zoo. Celestia puts an end to it and has Twilight care for him more, including giving him education.
Scenario C: Spike is a social butterfly in Canterlot. He’s Twilight’s messenger to the world, and is always cavorting with other ponies. Makes a few decent contacts and learns with Twilight as his tutor.
Do share.
Yes, I too like to believe that something happened to Spike back in Canterlot. Twilight (especially Canterlot Twilight) doesn’t strike me as someone who would be this involved in Spike’s upbringing and education for no reason, since she didn’t acknowledge friendship as something valuable back then and it would interfere with her studies.
Dunno if this is what the artist intended, but this could be one of the reasons why they decided to have Twilight have a hoof in raising Spike. There’s several scenarios I have in my mind for Spike in Canterlot, personally.
That description was just charming and really something I could see happening in the show as a flashback.
And ponies are still xenophobic twits as usual. ¬_¬
I almost wish I didn’t have that context to shatter 45% of my enjoyment of it.