Spike the DRAGON · 4:03am Oct 24th, 2014
A surprising number of fanfic writers seem to regard Spike as fairly helpless -- as a harmless little creature whom some enemy might easily overpower and employ as a hostage against the Mane Six, or simply abuse for nefarious and sadistic purposes. They see him as being no more dangerous than a colt his size, and do not seem to grasp that he is physically quite formidable in his own right.
What I think they are misisng is that Spike is not, biologically, a Pony at all. He is instead a Dragon -- a member of a species which is considerably tougher than the Ponies, even the Earth Ponies. To quote a Dragon from another fictional universe (but the one which most directly inspired the MLP Dragons):
"My armor is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!"
(Smaug, The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien)
Now at this point, one may cry "foul." Smaug was the greatest Dragon of his day, a kaiju who destroyed at least three cities before going down. Spike is only a "baby" dragon, only around the size of a Pony colt. Spike is far, far weaker than a full-sized Dragon.
Indeed he is. But he's a lot tougher, pound-for-pound, than even an Earth Pony.
I. Tenfold Shields
To begin with, he's armored. This includes both thicker and structurally stronger bones than possessed by a pony (absolutely necessary or his muscles would tear apart his own skeleton at maximum effort). His diet includes far more minerals than those eaten by Ponies (remember all the crystals?) and a lot of this probably goes to reinforce bones, ligaments and exterior scales. His scales are partially metallic and attached to a mesoderm which I would expect incorporates silica and polymer webbing.
He's essentially clad in a composite of light chainmail and Kevlar, with a subtle microstructure such that it feels soft and flexible to the touch (as Rarity knows) yet sheds most light Pony-portable weapons (*). I'm guessing one would need something like a longsword, lance or heavy crossbow to reliably penetrate his hide -- and this is possibly only because he is still a young dragon. A bit older, and he'll be able to stand up to Princess Luna's sparring games.
Could a bucket to the head knock him out? Maybe! One thing that armor resists poorly is crushing weapons, because even if the shock is spread out evenly by the armor the inertial shock can cause damage. A blow to the head is effective even if the skull is unfractured, because it rocks the brain inside its casing, beating it against the interior of the skull.
But one should consider that Spike belongs to a species which has evolved to be able to take tremendous crushing impacts, such as Dragons would routinely deal one another even in play-fighting, let alone serious combat. The chances are that the brain is also better-cushioned than that of a Human or Pony. Why not? Mundane Earthly rams (male sheep) and other horned ungulates have such an anatomy, such that they engage in mating combat displays by literally smacking their heads together with all their might.
A really powerful Pony such as Applejack or Big Mac might be able to knock out or kill Spike by bucking him to the head. I don't think that an early-adolescent filly could do it with a blow from a bucket delivered with the forehooves.
II. Teeth Like Swords
Spike has jaws of immense strength, equipped with sharp teeth as hard or harder than diamonds. He has been shown, in canon, as being able to crunch crystals or bite right through solid rock. The significance of this is that he could do an enemy a lot of damage if he or she was stupid enough to put any part of his body within reach of his mouth (he actually attempts to do this to Discord in Twilight's Kingdom), and that anyone attempting to keep him bound by ropes or chains would be wise not to bind him in such a way that he could bring these bonds up to his mouth.
Spike has the anatomy one would expect of a creature with such capabilities, too. Aside from his greater strength (pound-for-pound, I would estimate, greater by at least an order of magnitude than a chimpanzee), he has a pronounced sagittal crest (the ridge along the top of one's head -- we humans have a much reduced version of that sructure) to which the appropriate jaw muscles might attach.
III. His Claws Spears
Unlike Smaug (or Red Haze), Spike's claws are far too small to literally impale Ponies. However, they are sharp and strong enough to tear through stone or score armored steel. What they could do to Pony flesh and bone would be pretty gruesome, and the implied strength is such that if he instead chose to merely grasp a foe, this grip would be unbreakable by normal Pony muscles.
What this means is that any enemy would also want to stay out of Spike's grasp; and any bonds would have to be organized so that Spike couldn't get hold of them. Even steel chains would not last long against the sort of force Spike can concentrate on the tips of those obdurate, sharp claws.
IV. My Breath Death
It is odd how many writers don't get that Spike can breathe fire -- and not only the mage-fire (which he uses to teleport small objects) but also hot fire. In canon he can use it as an area effect blast capable of turning a good-sized mass of foamed ice to steam, as a thermal lance capable of making armored steel run molten, or as a precise jet which can light a row of fireworks without detonating their pyrotechnic heads. In-show we've never seen him breathe any serious quantity of fire on a living being, probably because the effects would be too horrific.
What this means is that Spike has a ranged weapon with which to fight foes, and one which is flexible and precise enough that he could use it to drive back or put down a whole group of foes with a cone of flame, destroy a single focus that an enemy was using, or anywhere in between. He could also use it to free himself from captivity by burning or melting through most likely bonds. Oh, and since one of the magic effects he can do with his mage flame is to send a letter to the Ruling Princesses, he could call for some pretty heavy-duty help with his breath weapon.
V. Overall Might
Spike is extremely strong.
I don't know how anyone can miss this, because it's used as part of a running gag. Both Twilight and Rarity have been known to travel with absurd amounts of luggage -- books and magical paraphernalia for Twilight; clothing and fabrics for Rarity. When they do this, Spike is the one they call upon to carry the luggage. Spike often winds up under what must be literally hundreds of pounds, sometimes apparently almost a ton of supplies.
Now understand, he's not pulling this on a wagon. He's carrying this on his head or in his arms. He doesn't like doing this, and he is not exactly graceful doing this, but he can do it, and does do it, willingly, for anypony he loves.
Spike is only around the size of a Pony colt, yet he is as strong as a full grown Earth Pony. Clearly, Spike's muscles and ligaments develop much more power and have much more tensile stength than do those of a Pony.
This not only explains how he has the strength to crush rocks in his jaws and score steel with his talons, but also means that ordinary ropes would probably not hold him. Spike could exert himself, stretch and eventually snap most bonds. He might be able to deform and snap chains of soft steel, and almost certainly could break thin-steel chains such as those of ordinary leg-cuffs.
Conclusion
Spike is a tough little creature, whose toughness is de-emphasized in the show because (a) Twilight is protective of Spike and tries to avoid letting him get into dangerous situations, (b) enemies are rarely dealt with by brute physical force, and (c) Spike is a very nice creature and would never casually bully others with his superior might. But writers should be aware that he is tough: neither easy to overcome nor to hold, and very hard to kill.
Spike is, put simply, a Dragon.
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(*) Possible because it is essentially a "ballistic" material -- it reacts differently to a gentle caress delivered by a mare's hoof or muzzle than it does to a hard-driven kick or a crossbow bolt, stiffening when struck with great momentum.
Magic might be able to hold and hurt him... Nothing physical to resist, after all.
That being said, now I've got this horrific image of Spike being taunted by a unicorn captor, only to lean over and bite their horn off.
Spike may be hearty, and able to take a lot more abuse than any pony (see swimming in lava). But he's not the invincible warrior he likes to fantasize himself as.
BTW: REad this? http://www.fimfiction.net/story/222286/discords-discount-disguises
I remember somebody started a thread once along the lines of "how can we make Spike tougher", the idea being to give him powers on par with the Mane Six. My response was "Spike's a dragon. The very minute Hasbro wants him to be tougher they have full license to do so."
This is illustrated pretty well in A Dog and Pony Show after all. People often forget Spike put up a really good fight against thee adult Diamond Dogs. And he didn't lose, he just couldn't stop them from fleeing.
2552633
I didn't claim that he was "invincible." Among other things, he's no stronger than a strong stallion, and his short reach puts him at a disadvantage in hand-to-hoof fighting. His magic is limited. Someone like Shining Armor could probably defeat him easily.
But Spike's probably more than a match for most full-grown stallions.
2552595 Eh, it'll grow back.
I mean, they have to file it down, so it probably would actually grow back.
glad to see SOMEONE understands this. All these are why if (aka When) I make a Spike-centered fic, he won't be a victim
2552688
Yeah -- I mean I don't mind a story in which he is hurt or loses a fight -- he's a young Dragon, not Lord Omnipotus of Undefeatability, but it shouldn't be "Weak Sister bopped Spike on the head with a wet noodle. He fell down unconscious. She trussed him up with Silly String and when he woke up he realized he was trapped helplessly!"
2552699 yeah.
It'll also help that Spike will have sprouted his wings by the time of the fic
Alas--the Spike stuff I have on the back burner remains on the back burner for now, but I've worked out the idea that Spike belongs to a very rare and previously thought to be extinct sub-species, Draco Nobilis. The Noble Dragon Code, it turns out, is a real thing. He's just very young, and what he'll look like and be capable of when full grown is very different from what he appears to be now.
I mean, look at the little guy's colors! They're literally regal. Romance aside, I picture him as a large but not ungainly gentleman with rippling scales like jewels, with a great deal of dignity, and who commands respect.
so, basically, the best bet to imprison him would be to drug him and then plop in a cube of fast-setting cement with his head barely outside of it, so his strength is too widely distributed to do any damage?
(or maybe hang him by his wrists with barding to make it impossible for him to move his head)
2552649
Also, I'd like to nitpick a couple of things because...well, I study chemistry and it immediately jumped out to me.
Kevlar is very, very vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation, the stuff the sun spits out at us every day; it makes it degrade, in essence. So either he goes around with a ton of sunscreen, or by chipping off the "skin" over his scales you could start making pretty big holes by leaving him in the sun.
Also I just checked my polymer slides, and it softens around 550°C (Nomex, on the other hand, MELTS at 375°C) so his mouth and belly (assuming he's got actual fire in his internal organs, which is not a given; he could have a bladder full of flammable liquid which he ignites by sparking his teeth; his mouth would still be exposed to heat though) are probable weak points.
Also also; he's vulnerable to chemical attacks. Well, not acid, since Kevlar is woven in concentrated sulfuric acid, but a strong base (lye, cleaning solution, or...well, cement) could give him extensive chemical burns. I think.
Anyway, thanks! Thinking about this from a real-world perspective was fascinating! :-P
Note: Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene CANNOT be in or around any part of him, even if its physical properties are better than Kevlar.
2552802
Yes!
It's not literally Kevlar, it's some high-temperature analogue. Incidentally, you can do most of what organic chemistry does with carbon by substituting silicon, and Spike canonically eats silicates as part of his diet. And most of the silicon analogues of carbon compounds are much more stable at higher temperatures than the carbon varieties.
No, his life processes are not silicon based. He's an archosaur, and no more alien than a crocodile, bird or dinosaur. That doesn't mean that he can't incorporate silicates into his integument.
It's a similar problem to Discord; the capabilities of other species are discounted because the author is used to working with ponies. Of course, in Spike's case, it's exacerbated, because at least the show writers actually respect Discord...
Oh dear, when this soapbox get under me?
In any case, yes, Spike is a dragon. That implies a number of impressive attributes, especially when he wants to intimidate silicon-based crustaceans. Thank you for reminding us of that.
Oh, and as of this comment, you have an open bold tag in the "Tenfold Shields" section header. Just a heads up.
One thing I note is that a lot of people use size as power by default unless overridden. A lot of universes have sufficiently young dragons as not exceptionally powerful, especially compared to fully grown dragons. Scale is always a factor. Also, Ponies have more power density than most entities do in most fiction, which matches dragons sufficiently even if not to the same scale as you imply. Effectively, this makes both Dragons and Ponies more powerful per size than Humans, which tends to balance out in people's minds, at least for a baby dragon, like Spike.
The canon itself doesn't, as said, show spike in that positive of a light, even with plenty of overshadowed things you brought up.
Also, why didn't you even bring up Greed Growth? Admittedly the exact cause of such is not entirely clear, that has really bizarre implications for the nature of MLP dragons. If understood well enough, being that it seems to have a psychological trigger, might be accessible as a berserk mode type thing.
He may be tough and strong but he just lack bravery, he is timid and doesnt even dare to face Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis or Discord. He usually hide behind Twilight with only exception being Diamond Dogs when Rarity was in danger. Thats why he is mostly portrayed as unreliable fighter. He is still a "baby". Even Hercules in a diaper will not be treated with respect
I'm reminded of the book "The Fat White Vampire Blues" Where the titular character has the typical vampiric abilities of strength, speed etc but psychologically limits himself and fails to realize it. He thinks of himself as he was as a human and so is low, ponderous and prone to running out of breath, despite not really needing to do any of those things.
I find myself wondering if perhaps Spike is in a similar situation, of not realizing his exceptional abilities simply due to being treated more as a pony than a dragon. I seem to recall when he met the teenage dragons he was afraid of being hurt by the lava, due to his inexperience.(But I could be misremembering.)
2552595
He's going to get to do something very similar if I write my planned prequel to Nightmare Rarity. Let's just say that some of the minor minions of the Shadows are executing a Xanatos Gambit (planned by a brilliant and manipulative Pony in service to the Shadows) to harass Rarity and erode her sanity. Part of this plan runs into Spike, and assumes that he's harmless.
They're wrong.
2552747
I like the concept of Spike being a Noble Dragon.
Also, both in canon and in my fanon, Rarity find Spike's shimmering scaly skin very attractive. In canon she once calls him "Precious Scales," and in an incredibly affectionate tone, just this side of being clearly romantic.
One prevalent aspect of dragon mythology that is almost completely ignored today is how, depending on the legend dragon blood is supposed to be one of the most potent poisons in the world, enough so that merely touching it would kill you (that or it would grant you immortality by bathing in it) admittedly given the shows ratings this would never once be demonstrated in cannon but given that dragons in the story are based on Smaug, who in turn was mostly based on (I believe) Norse and Scandinavian myth, I believe that they have something like that.
2556818
I think their blood must be to some extent toxic, given what they can do. I might have assumed the same thing of their other bodily fluids (and made Spike and Rarity both very sad), except that in canon they've never been careful of avoiding things Spike eats and drinks, and I had already decided that ki-rin Pony-Dragon hybrids were possible.
This makes a lot of sense to me. Spike's a child, and psychologically not all that tough because of that fact, but he's a smart kid who was raised by a genius who used him as a research assistant, and he's a dragon. In any context other than "his foster sister/mother is a nascent goddess and all of his close friends are superheroes", he would be a total badass.
2552963
I've never actually noticed the show forgetting that Discord is not a pony, or what he is capable of. He's routinely shown contorting his body into shapes impossible for a pony, being up in trees in ways that wouldn't be easy for a pony, walking bipedally, and using his opposable thumbs.
The show doesn't make a big thing of Discord being draconic, but then, God of Chaos outranks dragon, so when would he have opportunity to demonstrate any strictly draconic talents? When his powers were taken by Tirek, Tirek massively outclassed pretty much anything and probably could have beaten Smaug at that point.
2557143
I'd guess it's toxic if you drink it, but I don't see much reason to assume it's toxic to the touch. It's likely full of heavy metals and silicates and may be very hot, but I'd be a lot more concerned with dragon vomit than dragon blood. (Have we ever seen Spike throw up? Because I would suspect it would be acidic enough to eat through anything.)
2563692
In terms of the problems Rarity (*) might suffer at some point in the future if Spike's bodily fluids are toxic, I was thinking more of fluids other than blood, and of their effect on her mucous membranes. This doesn't even have to get X-rated: among Spike's bodily fluids are his spittle. And children would be Right Out.
Since I've already established that dragon-Pony hybrids are possible in this fanon, though, it follows that most draconic body fluids can't be all that toxic.
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(*) Or any potential mate, really -- it's pretty obvious that Spike is sexually oriented toward Pony mares.
2563691
Besides, Discord prefers doing interesting and funny (to him, anyway) things to his foes. Merely biting or burning an opponent would be boring.
2563686
(*nods*) Even Rarity, who is not the most physically-formidable of the Mane Six, is a sufficiently skilled martial artist that she could beat most stallions (let alone mares) in direct combat. And the power levels of Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are pretty awesome (each in her own different way).
2563691
I meant fanfic authors rather than show writers when it comes to recognizing different species' capabilities. (Though that enormous timberwolf probably was flammable.) Tying Discord's fingers together to nullify his powers, that sort of thing.
Ah! Shame I missed this back when you first posted it. But it is good to read this and be reminded just how tough little Spike is. I wonder if some of this may have been in the back of my mind when I wrote the scene with Spike and the timber wolf in My Little Balladeer, where he certainly didn't need to be rescued by anypony.
2568999
I liked how you handled Spike in My Little Balladeer -- the story was only peripherally about him, but you didn't forget that he was there, he remained an active character when he was in scenes, and you most specifically didn't forget that he was tough. I also found his reaction when he thought Rarity had been killed to be believable, rather than over-the-top.
2570101
Thanks. That's the problem with doing a story with such a big cast, let alone a crossover, making sure that everyone gets the right amount of screen time, and keeping them in character.
Yeah, I figure that if anything happened to her in particular, that Spike would be devastated. The only way it might be worse would be if it were Twilight
2570382
You also plot more tightly than I do -- I allow indulgences like the character development I gave the Mane Five minus Twilight plus Spike in Divine Jealousy, which was actually rather tangential save in that it gave some contrast on how the others handled love issues.
Speaking of "indulgences," one of the things I love about writing Rarity is the contrast between her extremely decadent, self-indulgent side and her incredibly hard-working and professional side -- even Pinkie Pie doesn't have that much contrast, because in her case partying (or at least arranging parties) is her profession. Rarity will work like a demon, then relax with long, luxurious spa treatments or other diversions. And she's very different when she switches between modes.
2571004 Thank you for the praise. I really do appreciate it.
Yes, this is something to remember about Rarity. She likes her pleasures, but she is willing to work hard to get them.
Wow that analysis is spot on.... Spike is basically overpowered so yeah he must restrain himself or else all Tartarus will break free....
3131836 One thing that was left unmentioned here: GREED GROWTH. Spike is capable, even if its only done through instinct, of growing to the size of a teenage dragon in an instant, a mid grown in maybe an hour or two, and a FULL grown in a day. Imagine if he learned how to control that? Like initiate it and keep control during? Equestria'd have a DRAGON on its side whenever there was a threat incoming!
3132045
I left this out because it's never been explained if this is normal for Dragons or is some strange combination of the kind of Dragon Spike is and the magic that was originally used to hatch him. My guess is the latter, but I can't be sure.
3131836
Spike is afraid of harming Ponies. What's worse, the Ponies he would be most likely to hurt if he didn't throttle-down his own strength would be one with whom he was physically close -- a short list of two or maybe three Ponies -- Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Fluttershy. In Rarity's case, the circumstances might be especially upsetting for them both.
3132045 That would be awesome who needs giant robots when you got a giant magical dragon on your side.....
3132712 I heard Hasbro said that Spike is in adult years stuck in a baby form....
3133395
Sounds to me as if they're planning to justify Sparity, possibly with an instant age-up to a larger and more mature-looking form. I hope they don't do it in an instant, but I'm glad to see that they are planning on justifying rather than torpedoing Sparity. It seemed to me as if they were pushing it, given her increasingly-affectionate manner toward him over the seasons.
3133419 well yeah.... I'm not a big fan of SpaRity but they did justify the age part.... Also the most intimate stuff Rarity done to Spike is a kiss in the cheeks
3133448
They haven't actually done much more in my fanon, mostly because Rarity is afraid of taking advantage of Spike. She already loves him romantically and lusts after him sexually, though. And is worried that she's a bit depraved because of the latter, and because she sees him as childlike.
Rarity really and deeply admires his character, and enjoys his company, though.
3133464 like a kid fantasying about his crush its both disturbing yet fascinating for me
3133477
Spike's not psychologically a child any more, though. He's psychologically an adolescent. Still a bit too young for Rarity, but he's getting there.
3133553 yeah to bad Frost of Hasbro spoke that there will never be a romantic Sparity moment
3133584
There's already been more than one. They mean an explicitly romantic moment. Plus, I don't trust them one little bit when they say things like that.
3133626 maybe I do hope so for a proper ending
3133636
It occurred to me that Rarity has always wanted to marry a Prince. Depending upon the details of the title system employed by Equestria, Spike -- as the brother of a Princess by coronation and a Prince by marriage, and brother-in-law of a Princess by right, may already be a Prince. What's more, there are many suspicious aspects of Spike's background story which imply that he may be a very special Dragon -- he may well be a Prince among Dragonkind. In short, Rarity's ambitions and sentiments may be eminently reconciled.
3133671 that would be awesome I once taught that there's a good reason why Celestia posses such an egg
If any villain made a plan such as this:
derpicdn.net/img/2014/7/25/683302/large.png
Equestria is doomed!!!
Remind me, which episode showed him melting armor? Anyway, great essay.