Development of the Sparity Romantic Story Arc, So Far · 12:19pm May 31st, 2016
In response to a question about when Spike and Rarity fell in love ...
The evidence isn't that Spike and Rarity "fell in love at first sight," but rather that Spike got a crush on Rarity at first sight (Season One, Episode One) and that this crush solidified over time into something approximating love. Timing is important, because Rarity treats Spike rather differently as the series continues. This is being written as a romantic story arc rather than a one-shot "characters fall in love" story.
The arc of course starts the moment Spike sets eyes on Rarity and is smitten by her charms. Obviously, at this point it's a very shallow crush on Spike's part -- he knows nothing about Rarity other than she's good-looking (in his eyes) and behaves in a gracious and ladylike manner. And Rarity, of course, does not yet reciprocate beyond perhaps "Gee, Twilight's baby dragon is kind of nice."
Relevant here is S1E19 "A Dog and Pony Show," in which Spike has a full-on romantic adventure fantasy of rescuing Rarity from peril and then does it for real and S1E20 "Green Isn't Your Color" in which he admits the crush to other characters (though they've kind of noticed by now). And note that this is still pretty shallow -- Spike is a natural hero imbued with the ideals of the Canterlot upper class, and he could have almost as easily plugged in any attractive and likeable female to the rescue-fantasy.
Rarity initially found the crush to be cute and flattering, but did not reciprocate Spike's romantic sentiments. She behaved in a friendly fashion to Spike, partly because she found his attentions endearing, and partly because she liked Twilight Sparkle and wouldn't be cruel to her adoptive younger brother. At the end of Season One we have S1E26 "The Best Night Ever," where Rarity abandons her ambitions toward Blueblood because he turns out not to like her at all.
Time passed. By Season Two Spike's taking definite actions to spend a lot of time in Rarity's company, and she plainly is starting to enjoy his company as well. In S2E10 "Secret of My Excess" it's established that Spike, for his part loves Rarity, because his love for her proves stronger than his greed. Rarity, for her part, plainly realizes this as well -- that's the whole point of her expression as they're falling to their doom.
In S2E21 "Dragon Quest," Rarity is one of the three Ponies who is willing to drop everything and go on a long and dangerous expedition in order to protect Spike. Let me point out that the other two are Rainbow Dash (who is Loyal to both Twilight Sparkle and Spike) and Twilight Sparkle (who is Spike's adoptive elder sister). Rarity is a businessmare who has no reasons to be there other than friendship to Twilight Sparkle and Spike, and of course social-climbing (Rarity is all through the series well aware that Twilight is higher-status than her) -- and possibly also a special concern for Spike.
In S3E02 (second half of Crystal Empire) Rarity is utterly horrified, to the point of near-paralysis with fear, when she sees Spike leaping off the top of the Crystal Palace apparently about to be devoured by Sombra. This is, incidentally, the act that makes Spike a Hero of the Crystal Empire, so it's not as if she's the only Pony to notice it. It's very obvious that by this point she sees Spike as someone very special to her. Soon after this, in Early Season Three, is when Nightmare Rarity seems to be set. In that, Rarity's love for Spike helps her overcome her Nightmare -- even in vanilla-canon terms, this implies a powerful emotion on her part. Thus, I would say that Early Season Three marks the key moment when Rarity is definitely returning at least Spike's SENTIMENT.
We can assume that at this point Rarity is noticing her feelings and they are disturbing her. Why "disturbing" her? Because she's (emotionally) reciprocating the romantic sentiments of an underaged male Dragon, and one who is the adoptive brother of her patron and one of her best friends, Twilight Sparkle. There are just so many things wrong about this from Rarity's POV that it isn't funny.
In Season Four Rarity sees another of her crushes fail, namely the one on Trenderhoof in S4E13 "Simple Ways." The relevance of this is that Rarity is not the very sexually-active mare that some imagine: her pattern (considering this in connection with "Best Night Ever") is instead of forming crushes on stallions she hasn't even met, only to be disappointed when she actually meets them. The fact that she's not dating a lot is evident in the intensity of her emotions and disappointment. In "Simple Ways" she's being more realistic -- she picks somepony who shares major interests with her and she corresponds with him first -- but she still fails.
Then at the end of Season Four there's a cluster of Spike and Rarity romantic subplots. In S4E23 "Inspiration Manifestation," Spike casually retrieves a Cursed Artifact for her (not realizing that it's cursed) in a manner which makes it obvious that he's not a helpless little creature any more (he melts armored steel with his breath, and rather rapidly at that) then manages to break her out of the ensuing curse by the strength of their feelings for each other (whether of Love, Friendship or both). Afterward, Rarity is notably affectionate and more respectful toward Spike ...
... and the change appears permanent. In the next episode, S4E24 "Equestria Games," Rarity is insisting that others respect Spike as well, and she is glad to see that he's a hero in the Crystal Empire. And in S4E25-E26 Twilight's Kingdom, at one of her darkest moments -- when she's had her magic drained by Tirek and is facing what looks like execution by him -- it is Spike to whom she is turning for comfort.
My conclusion from this is that by the end of Season Four, Rarity reciprocates Spike's love.
Now, pay attention to what I am not saying. I am not saying that they are lovers, in the sense of having carnal sexual relations including full sexual intercourse. The main reason why not is that while Rarity no longer perceives Spike as a "baby" or even a mere "child," she does perceive him as an adolescent (based upon the level of intelligence, sophistication and displayed motive he's attained by the end of Season Four) and Rarity is not an adolescent, she's a full adult mare. And Spike, who has upper-class Canterlot ideals and loves Rarity, is willing to let her set the pace of their relationship.
Rarity, for her part, still has problems with the situation. Her original plan was to marry a high-status stallion, preferably of her own age or older. This is very obvious in everything she does, romantically, in the vanilla-canon series (in the IDW comics she also seems to be having sexual flings on the side, though notably not when Spike is around). The problem is that Spike is a Dragon, not a Pony -- and he's considerably younger than her (though in the Shadow Wars Story Verse, he is by the end of Season Four over the local Age of Consent).
If Rarity admits that she may be loving him in the full romantic sense, then she abandons her original plan. If she merely uses him sexually and then breaks it off with him when she meets a "truly suitable" potential mate, then she breaks his heart (and possibly makes an enemy of his adoptive sister -- her good friend and patron Princess Twilight Sparkle). And, of course, she would be behaving despicably by her own moral standards, and she knows it.
It may be occurring to her that Spike actually meets her status requirements better than anyone of whom she is likely to win the love. Spike is the adoptive brother of one Princess, the friend of all four of the adult Princesses, and a Hero of the Crystal Empire. As Spike matures, his status grows. It is already much higher than Rarity's own.
Rarity's obvious strategy is to take things slowly: to mutually-flirt with Spike and perhaps engage in some very mild physical intimacies (some of which she does in public, which is very significant because in doing so she makes it obvious to everypony watching them that there is something going on between them). In the SWSV, they aren't actually going that far even in private -- they share some romantic kisses and some caresses which in their culture is probably somewhere around "first" or "second base" by our standards. They certainly aren't going as far as Twilight Sparkle worries, anyway -- and doesn't want to ask, for fear that she might not like the honest answer (by Season Five, Twilight is almost certainly aware that Spike and Rarity are falling in love).
This is not a matter of protecting Rarity's innocence. Rarity was the one member of the Mane Six I was almost completely sure wasn't a virgin from the start of the series. I also noticed a certain brittleness about her from the beginning that implies that her love life has not been a happy one.
In the SWSV, I decided she was seduced as a young teenaged filly, made pregnant, abandoned and then suffered a miscarriage. The experience has made her suspicious of stallions, and she hasn't gone all the way sexually with anypony SINCE then. One of the reasons she loves Spike is because he's honorable -- he would never leave her in the lurch like that.
Clearly, it is Rarity who is protecting Spike's innocence. And she is doing it both because she wants to keep Twilight Sparkle's good opinion -- and her own good opinion. In the SWSV, explicitly, Rarity does not want to use Spike as Rush Rocks used her. She loves and respects him too much to harm him that way.
In S5E03 "Castle, Sweet Castle," Spike is sleeping with a Rarity plushie. Full stop. That's a lover's gift, and its meaning is "you can sleep with this when you can't sleep with me." That's actually why I have the scene where Spike sleeps with Rarity (though he does not have sex with her) in Post-Traumatic. Sleeping with someone of the opposite sex to whom you are not closely related is a very intimate and trusting thing to do, and in the case of my Rarity (who has trust issues with males) very much implies love on her part. The significance of the toy is increased by the fact that Rarity herself was likely the one who made it for him.
From this episode on, Spike and Rarity are very comfortable around one another. Some fans imagine this means that the crush is dead. Quite the opposite. It means that their mutual love has been acknowledged. We still see little signs that they're special to one another, both positive and negative -- and notably, in S5E25-26, The Cutie Re-Mark, one of the things that horrifies Spike most about the Nightmare Moon Triumphant timeline is that the alternate-Rarity dislikes him. (This is rather signficant, as we've seen that even Humanoid Rarity from the Equestria Girls world is instinctively drawn to him; the implication is that the events of the alternate world have seriously damaged Rarity's character).
So far in Season Six we've had one big confirmation of Rarity's feelings for Spike. In S6E05, "Gauntlet of Fire" (the episode that many feared or hoped would sink the ship), Rarity is the only other member of the Mane Six besides Twilight Sparkle herself to come along on the expedition to protect Spike and study the Dragons. Now, Twilight is there because Spike is her adoptive baby brother. Why is Rarity there? Well, rather obviously because she ALSO has a special relationship with Spike. But she is no kin of his. She's his (at least in the emotional sense) lover.
And she shows all the behavior one would expect of a lover. She's extremely protective of Spike (note the scene at the start where she ignores her own physical appearance and hygiene because she's worried about Spike) and she acts both suspicious and jealous of Ember. Watch the expressions in her eyes at various scenes. Also, notice the point at which she becomes happy -- when it becomes obvious that Ember won't betray Spike and Ember will stay to be Dragon Lord while Spike goes back home to Ponyville.
That's as far as the Show's gone so far, and I'm personally astonished they've gone this far. The aversion to sexual relationships between older and younger people, quite beyond the issue of Age of Consent, is a very strong taboo in the modern West, especially America, mostly in reaction to the Sexual Revolution of the Counterculture of the mid 1960's to mid 1970's. It's weaker younger male / older female than older male / younger female (probably because girls get pregnant) and I suspect the Show would never have dared this between, say, Barb and Unique (R63 Spike and Rarity).
I don't know how the Show is going to handle this, though one possibility (based on some toys I've seen) is that they'll give Spike a growth spurt. Moral Guardians are stupid creatures, after all, and easily impressed by appearances.
What do you all think?
Seems pretty logical to me, though of course neither one could probably put a finger on the moment they actually fell in love... (Spike would say "at first sight" but he'd be mistaking a crush for love there) they've both grown into it.
One thing I have noted is that Rarity's use of "Spikey-Wikey" has definitely decreased as the show goes on, and she's become more respectful of his feelings.
I'd also say that Simple Ways had one last attempt by Rarity to prompt Spike to give up on her. She knew that things would only get more serious if they continued along, and the problems might have seen insurmountable to her.
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Oh, Spike, how could you ever know what it's like to be totally obsessed with a pony only to find out they're obsessed with somepony else?
You make a very persuasive point. I honestly give the ship little positive or negative consideration in my own work, but that applies for most ships. My usual stance is that if an author can support the ship in his or her work, I'll support in that work, and you certainly fulfill that criterion with Sparity. That said, I would like some further elaboration on Rarity's implied flings in the comics. I'm not that well-versed in them, but I've never seen that implied.
And personally speaking, I would love it if Shining Armor really does ride Spike as a noble and glorious steed.
While I agree with you, and your logic is more than sound, I can't help but feel as if they're going to kill it somehow...
Sounds legit, but ya gotta admit that if the show were to progress the ship to a point where they are physically showing affection (on the same level for a kid show), giving an older look would work.
They won't age Spike due to him being unnattractive as a toy/plushie. And if they don't age him theres also no chance of him being a love interest toward any adult character.
The preteen/teenage relationship like EmberSpike is the only real possibility for Spike. The CMC don''t really seem to be interested in him in any way and i would also assume that the show would rather give him a partner with similar life span and rate of growing up.
3986021 I agree with you as well; If an author can support a ship, then I can go with it. After all what is fan-fiction if you can't explore the possibilities. The only caveat is I don't like to see bashing in order for a ship it work. I.E. if the author wanted to ship someone with Night Light then he or she needs to write a very good reason Twilight Velvet isn't around anymore.
As for Spike and Rarity, who knows. I was surprised that the let Cadence and Shinning Armor have a baby, cause that implies healthy marital congress at least once. And the show also allowed Rarity to expand her shop and Rainbow to join the Wonderbolts so... yeah.
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I thought they just wanted to conserve Flash resources. That would explain why the Crusaders haven't grown an inch over, at barest minimum, two and a half years.
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I've been wondering if "Saddle Row"'s Plaid Stripes was a test run for an adolescent model. I would so love to see maturing CMCs, and they've already done an astonishing amount of shaking up the status quo.
3988319
I had the same thought myself recently! I'm guessing that they'll handle it via Offscreen Age-Up, where from one ep to the next they suddenly look older. There are signs that Show is finally coming to terms with the fact that years are passing.
3987276
The CMC seem to have been too obsessed with their Cutie Mark Quest to be interested in colts. That can change now. A lot of things can change now.
I think that Sweetie Belle may have a bit of a crush on Spike; but he seems to have eyes only for her older sister.
3987509
I'd be very surprised if Show let it get to a mutual declaration of love, because too many would hate it simply because Spike was a child when they first met. But Show has surprised me by how much they've implied or even outright shown of Sparity so far.
3986019
I think you're right.
If you look at the difference in Rarity's attitude toward Spike in my fiction, you'll notice that I'm showing her attitude changing. In Divine Jealousy she behaves in a very slightly sexual manner to him when she thinks that Discord's about to come back any moment and destroy her sanity, possibly forever -- this has a strong touch of "I'm doomed anyway, I might as well cuddle him before this happens," and she might have gone a little further in conditions of greater privacy.
In Post-Traumatic, just half a year or so later, she wants him to spend the night with her and sleep with her to help protect her then-fragile sanity and soul from the Night Shadows, who want her back as Nightmare Rarity. They do not have sex, but their cuddling is more romantic and sexual, and she comes very close to offering herself to him because she's decided that she loves him romantically, for sure.
She still hasn't decided that she wants him instead of the high-status older Pony stallion of her dreams. But she's starting to see that dream as increasingly unrealistic; Spike is real, and he loves her. Her greatest remaining inhibitions come from his youth, and the knowledge that if she takes him as a lover and then drops him she'll break his heart. She loves him too much to do this to him.
and notably, in S5E25-26, The Cutie Re-Mark, one of the things that horrifies Spike most about the Nightmare Moon Triumphant timeline is that the alternate-Rarity dislikes him. (This is rather signficant, as we've seen that even Humanoid Rarity from the Equestria Girls world is instinctively drawn to him; the implication is that the events of the alternate world have seriously damaged Rarity's character).
Or she did like him, a little (they'd only just met after all), but Rarity was wary due to however many years of living in a tyranny and didn't know if this was some sort of trick or even a test of her loyalty. We didn't see enough to get just how jumpy and paranoid Nightmare Moon was. And I used to know a lot of older people who would often react with seeming coldness in public to their own kids, let alone those of others, just to make sure no one felt they could get at them through their child.
3988391
That's a very good point. Who knows what reasons Rarity might not have to fear in particular being suspected and subjected to a loyalty test, or simply the bad temper of a mad tyrant?
Well said. Very well said.
3988342 I don't know about an age-up between episodes, but one between seasons wouldn't surprise me at all. (And would actually make me pretty gleeful.) I'm just SO glad and impressed that they're allowing some lasting changes rather than maintaining a six-year status quo; my jaw dropped when Rainbow Dash made it into the Wonderbolts and stayed there.
3991139
You're right -- they're more likely to do it between seasons. And this show is willing to risk change to its major characters in ways that few are. Which is why I have hope for Sparity.
This is probably the most coherent argument for Sparity I've come across yet. Looking at it like this, I could almost see it work. Still, I'm not really a fan, which is close to a crime with many fans of the show.
One of my central problems was, and is, the fact that the relationship has a dynamic nearly exactly like I've witnessed in real life.
Not personally, but with friends. Several times, in fact: The often-younger male staying close to the object of his affection (often starting out as physical attraction, as was the case with Spike), trying to make themselves useful and subordinating themselves under her. And it never works out.
Or at least I've never seen it to. I've seen it fail, though. Repeatedly. Things get better once they stop trying to win their romantic attraction by being helpful.
That's why fics wherein Spike is angry at being denied Rarity's love (as if that was something you get to earn via 'niceness points') and presented as in the right tend to p*ss me off. Rarity isn't a bitch for not wanting to pursue things with Spike. She doesn't 'owe' him, and least of all does she owe him her body. She's not forcing him to stay. The choice is and always has been his alone.
And while it's true that Rarity's love life hasn't exactly been successful, it does establish a certain pattern. I used to have a picture I can't find right now, but it basically showed Rarity blushing/swooning over a number of tall and/or masculine stallions.
Anyhow! I can see an off-screen aging up happen. If it's really just about saving flash resources, why did they change Twilight's appearance?
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I would've liked seeing something come to pass between Sweetie Belle and Spike, because the age thing is also a factor. Also, this pic is just too cute.
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But, nothing happened. Unfortunately. Some folks see it as going for the little sister as some form of surrogate or consolation prize, which is a terrible way to look at it; and a little unfair to Spike, too, since he's not that shallow anymore.
Curiously enough, there are now two different dragon females who he could potentially form a relationship with. The IDW one, Mina, is kind of annoying, however. The bluntness of the plot surrounding that story doesn't help. Ember is more interesting. A bit ironic since we know little about her compared to Mina. Then again, we saw her struggle with her own flaws in a relatable way.