[SPOILERS] Transvestite Dragon?

Copied from the comment I left on Dr Wolf's review of Princess Spike:

My issue with the episode was more that the eventual disaster (the trees falling on the water main) really had nothing to do with Spike's later power abuse - he was stuck between a rock (let the construction go on at the cost of waking Twilight) and a hard place (stop the construction at the risk of later problems) brought on by scheduling issues outside his control, and so he had to make the best call he could - and given that his main task had originally been to ensure Twilight got her rest, it makes sense that that's what he'd go with. Fate punishing him for that really just undermined the moral.

But I do agree that his forgiveness seemed a bit too easy.

On the other hand, though, his offenses this episode weren't nearly as bad as previous ones, and it took him until the third act to start really doing anything that could be considered abuse - even when he was attending the meeting with the jewel mare in Twilight's place, he was still mainly doing it for her sake, which shows that he has at least grown a little. Plus, his actions throughout seemed to stem from his frustration at being ignored, which I think is a perfectly legitimate feeling.

But the main reason I didn't mind this episode as much as others seem to is Cadence. She was really great here, especially during her talk with Spike near the end of Act 2, recognizing that he may be going about things poorly, but trying to bring that to his attention and trusting him to correct it. Plus, there's the sense that she's also busy trying to keep things running when off-screen; she's pulling her own weight as well and generally proving why she is Best Princess.

So idunno; it may just be a personal preference thing. If nothing else, I really appreciated the return to Canterlot, which has felt somewhat neglected after the Magical Sparkly Crystal Empire Of Big Sales appeared.