• Member Since 8th Dec, 2011
  • offline last seen 3 hours ago

Dafaddah


Stories about families, friends, the past, the present, the future, the science of magic and the magic of science.

More Blog Posts172

Dec
27th
2015

It feels good to publish something again! · 10:21pm Dec 27th, 2015

It's been months, and it feels great to be back. Work not only kept me occupied but pretty much ate up all of the leisure time I usually devote to writing. This is a piece originally started for a contest and that I wasn't able to complete in time to submit. I finally found a few hours to complete and submit it. It's something I wrote because it depicts something I would like to see happen: Spike being viewed as something more than a second-banana. I hope you enjoy it!

Report Dafaddah · 317 views · Story: Elementary Dragon · #Spike #Elements
Comments ( 4 )

Was this for one of the "write some 'cliche' story but well!" competition? Seems like a "seventh element" story from that kind of competition.

It's nice to see you back, though!

3646824

Yes it was! But I forget which contest... I'll blame the lapse of memory on burnout from the intense ride I had with the OC Slamjam contest, coupled with a particularly intense last three months at work.

I'm glad you liked the story!

3647015
I did enjoy it... but I guessed it was a "seventh element" story by design because... Spike getting a cutie mark is already significant enough! If it ended with just that it would have been pretty good, and the seventh element kinda felt like stacking on accolades.

3647809

You're bang-on on all counts!

The 7th element was the contest objective, and I added the cutie-mark aspect as a foreshadowing that Spike, despite not being a pony, is part of the overall magical fabric of Equestria. I wrote the first draft without the cutie-mark, but then felt that its lack created a major difference between his EoH experience and the mane six's, so I added it in. Doing the 7th element without the cutie-mark felt wrong.

If I was just writing about Spike fitting-in with Equestrian society, then I agree it would have been better to stop at the cutie-mark. However, my objective with this story was to have recognition of Spike that was more proportionate to the importance of his contributions to Equestria. Just a cutie-mark doesn't suffice, IMHO. I can say with justification that he has personally done more for Equestria than almost any of the EoH, especially in the last few seasons. He has more than earned EoH status!

One last thought: why "Courage"? Spike truly shines when he shows that when others have failed, instead of succumbing to his fears, or resigning himself to being small and powerless, he roars back and shows everyone the intelligent, resourceful dragon inside. That's why I thought he was a shoe-in for the Element of Courage.

Login or register to comment