Updated 3/28/16!

So here's some of my speculation on Silver Spanner--who she is, some ways one might characterize her, and even the kind of ponies she might associate with. If you were hurting for ways to get a fic started with our favorite tinker pony, this could be a starting point for you!

The MLP wiki provides some info on Silver, and I even found a YouTube video that covers her, but I think we can squeeze out a bit more information with some keen observation and careful extrapolation. Let's skip the basic stuff first:

First, Silver's good with tools. Obviously. Second, she likes cider. Now while a skilled writer might be able to do something with that detail, I don't feel that is especially unique to Silver Spanner. Lots of ponies like cider, so who cares? We want to know what makes her special. Third, her old placeholder names by fans (before the MLP CCG officially named her) were Quickfix, Lefty Loosey (or Lefty Lucy), Rusty, and an OC very close to her called Clockwork.
(Thanks to Admiral Biscuit for cluing me in to these!)

Disclaimer: These are just some ideas to get people started on writing fics for Silver Spanner. I'm not claiming these are "right" or other ideas are "wrong". If you want to write her as an insane robot creator, or a plumber, or a modern metal artist, then go for it!

What We Know

1. She knows how to fix small appliances.
Source: The MLP Collectible Card Game.

But from this, we can probably also guess that...

2. She ADORES fixing things!
Source: The MLP Collectible Card Game.

Silver Spanner isn't just good at what she does, she loves what she does, which is a pretty important distinction. This is the kind of pony who will likely take her work home with her. She's probably got pet projects that would have most others scratching their heads. She may enjoy the challenge of a broken device, and also finds the inner workings of appliances fascinating. She could dabble in invention, trying to improve on some of the designs she encounters on a daily basis.

This trait may lead you to asking questions like, "What technology would exist in Equestria for Silver Spanner to fix?" World building! It's your friend!

3. She dumpster dives.
Source: The MLP Collectible Card Game.

Straightforward information, but we can get more than just the surface details from this. What kind of pony dumpster dives? Not a hoity-toity fancy pony, that's for sure. She's not afraid to get her hooves dirty, and this relates to clue #3 that she loves her work so much she's willing to crawl around in trash to find treasures related to her interests. Even more, this could give us clues as to the kind of places she frequents.

4. The kinds of places she hangs around.
Source: None - Just plausible guesses derived from other clues!

If Silver Spanner wants to sort through garbage in search of parts or discarded appliances, she probably won't be hanging around much in affluent/clean areas. (Not that she wouldn't want to sort through rich ponies' garbage, but I doubt the guards would let her...) Maybe she hangs out in the ghettos a lot, trotting down back alleys, and hanging out at junkyards? What kind of ponies would she encounter in these places? How would it affect the way she behaves? Is she like teflon--ebullient and energetic despite her otherwise unattractive surroundings; or is she prickly and guarded, wary of any in her vicinity?

Drawing further from the quote on the card above, think about certain events she might frequent from the show's canon. I'd imagine she'd be a regular at the annual Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange from the MLP episode Trade Ya.

5. She's got a friend in Thor Pony Mjolna.
Source: Season 2, Episode 15; Season 4, Episode 12.

I know the creators put certain ponies next to each other because they just look good together in the background, but Lyra and Bon Bon became an inseparable pair in the fandom's eyes this way, why can't these two?

This one's kind of easy, but I'll start you off anyway: Why are these two friends? How did they meet? How long have they known each other? How do they talk to each other? What do they do for fun? Are they JUST friends?

6. Her age.
Source: Plausible guess!

One of my followers brought this to my attention--but what if Silver Spanner is older than the Main 6? If she was, she may even be working with completely technology than what we would regularly see on the show. The idea for this was mostly drawn from the fact that she was seen prominently in the Pinkie Pie flashback seen above, but it's just as plausible that she's the same age (if not close) to that of the Main 6, because she's also seen during the Flim and Flam cider episode. Still, I thought this was worth including because it could create some interesting possibilities for anyone hurting for ideas.

7. She supports (or would support) the Rich family (as in Filthy Rich) over the Apple family.
Source: IDW Comic Ponyville Days #30, page 12

This one comes from Admiral Biscuit, who managed to find the page Silver Spanner is seen in. It's a small cameo, but it might be an important one.

The context of this comic is that some kind of anniversary celebration for the founding of Ponyville is taking place, and the youngest of the family who built the town's oldest structure will be named "princess" for the festivities. The Rich family claim that should be Diamond Tiara, while the Apples argue that it's Apple Bloom. As you can see, Silver Spanner and Mjolna side with the Rich's.

What could that mean? Well, my personal guess is that it means Silver Spanner and her pal are pro-corporation. The Rich family helped Ponyville get their start by reselling the Apple family's zap apple jam, thereby turning it into a profitable business that grew. I think this one's fairly open to interpretation though. Maybe Silver Spanner had a more personal stake in supporting the Rich's...?

8. Her accent.
Source: Her name!

I think a lot of people assume that ponies have some version of the American accent unless they are from outside of the Equestrian kingdom, and/or are from Canterlot. But given Silver's name, it's possible that she could have a non-American English accent. Why? In America, her name wouldn't be Silver Spanner, it would be Silver Wrench. The rest of the English-speaking world calls the same tool a spanner. So what does that give us? What it could mean is that Silver could have a British, Australian, South African, or any other non-American accent that I can't think of!

And that's all I've got so far! If anyone wants to throw in their ideas, finds, or speculation, then please feel free to share!

5129151 And we are back!

5129170

We certainly are! Even updated it with a new thingie thing.

5129172 And I've got sweet new credentials! Win-win!

5129181

Congrats!

I'm kind of hoping someone can clue the rest of us in on that IDW comic Silver Spanner makes an appearance in. I suspect it might not be much, but if it even shows her doing something marginally interesting, we could squeeze it for some characterization possibilities.

I'm hoping someone will take this and write a story about her upgrading the super speedy cider squeezy in the hopes that the apples will use it (I'd write it myself, but my muse has taken an extended vacation)

5129201
Friendship is Magic issue 30. I haven't read it yet, so I don't know the context, but this should be the page:

5129589 So Mjolna and Silver Spanner are on the same side of the issue, eh?

Much ships.

5129589

Woohoo! Thanks for sharing that! I'm pretty sure we can squeeze something out of this... Maybe Silver is pro-corporate?

...Wow, I just had a flash of Robocop. Maybe she could invent Robopony for a megacorp in the distant future!?

(I really just need to write something)