I hate how the writers are basically making it canon with Father knows Beast (Wow, Sludge wasn't Spike's dad! Who would have thought! ) They could have picked Celestia, Twilight's parents, hell, even a maid mammy would have been better. But nope, lets give a little girl just enrolled at the most advanced school in the country a baby to raise.

It's OK, it's just how Celestia rolls. XD

I'm glad they made it canon because I like the relationship. Before I read the comic and saw this episode, though...I thought that Celestia raised Spike...which makes for sense because poor Twilert struggled at school, especially with widdle Spikey taking up all her study time. :/ At least it taught her parenthood.

Yeah, well, we also found out that a tween can choose to strap herself to an untested rocket and no responsible adult can gainsay her decision. And Celestia seems to be a very nice lady, but as the show progresses it’s becoming more and more clear that she’s batshit insane. It doesn’t surprise me that she’d treat Twilight hatching a dragon like a kid bringing home a puppy. “Fine you can keep him, but you’d better feed him and clean up his messes. “

6615454
I always thought that Twilight and Spike’s bond with one another was more like a sister-brother kind of bond. You know, like Lilo and Nani in the film “Lilo & Stitich”.

6615454
I find it hard it to believe someone like Twilight, at the time, could take care of a hatchling Spike. I knew Sludge wasn’t Spike’s dad even before we knew his name or what he looked like. I have seen enough TV shows to know how most tv shows go, so they can have a lesson that family isn’t defined by blood. Even if he was Spikes Dad, they would have just made him an asshole, to get that lesson. It would be a good twist if he actively tried to fit into the culture, but was unable to. With a heavy heart, he moved but promised to visit, this can also lead to one of the girls to have a cheesy line about how they are his family. So they can still have the message and give a good twist to a tired formula.

6615454 I will say I am a bit disappointed myself. I had kind of hoped that we would learn who Spike's parents were and I found the episode disappointing for the following reasons.

1) They made Spike extremely gullible. Sure it makes sense but that doesn't make it any less stupid. This is a guy who plays Ogres and Oubliettes (D&D) with the Lord of Chaos after all.
2) The fact that he has no interest in finding his parents (or even learning about them) after the events of the episode. I understand they are trying to be all sweet and say, he discovered that Twilight was like a mother to him. However, it doesn't change the fact that most children in either divorced families or adopted families still usually want to know about their biological parents. My older half brother can testify to that.
3) Aside from establishing, "Twilight's my mom," this episode did absolutely NOTHING to build upon Spike's character.

This could have been a good episode. We could have had a chance to explore some lore (sadly we can't say that any of the world building Sludge said was true since he is shown to be a liar), reveal Spike's parents and perhaps have the same lesson but in a more constructive measure.

Perhaps Spike's dad left on a trip (perhaps he is an adventuring dragon) and comes home to discover that his wife and her egg are missing and that somehow after all this time he manages to find Spike. Or you could reverse the roles and have it be the mother who went on this journey to find her husband and her son. That would have been way better than the episode we received.

Sorry, if I come across like a jerk, this episode really bothered me.

6615706
I haven’t seen the episode yet, but from what you say even I’m a little disappointed. Like you said, there could’ve been some genuine character growth for Spike. But no, instead we get a tire trope.

I always did play twilight has spikes mom, She did after all hatch him, and they did have their parents to help. Of course I always read that comic where Celeste you took care of spiky and I also use that head canon so it’s kind of a mixture of the two

6615775 I'm so sorry if I spoiled the episode for you.

6615454
That episode dosn't exist or you are remembering it wrong…

I don't remember it at all, though there was this wierd nightmare that sounds the same. Luna helped get rid of it though; so I'm fine…

Sorry but I'm not nor never will acknowledge Twilight as Spike mother for any reasons. She is to me Spike guardian at worst, big sister at best. Same goes to Night Light and Twilight velvet. You know lack of knowledge of dragon culture.

6615454
Preach!

6615454
While I see the points made by others in the post, I am gonna argue for why Twilight and Spike share a 'somewhat' mother-son relationship according to information we have gained from the show itself, without any use of fanfiction 'evidence'

1) owl's well that ends well
Here we see Spike run away because he didn't believe Twilight loved him anymore.
Now may I ask. What kind of brother-sister relationship is that? Because I have never heard of a sibling running away from home, because the other sibling was mad at them, or just plain told them they didn't like them.
When majority of siblings have a fight, they just go to their private rooms or wherever they can get some privacy and steam out the anger in silence, or just keep their distance from the sibling. But I have never in my life heard of a sibling running away from home because of a sibling-fight.

2) Father knows beast.
We see Twilight literally getting her heart broken when Spike says, and I quote

Maybe you just don't like that I have a real parent now.

We also hear Spike basically admitting that it was Twilight who raised him

That's because you raised me. Now I finally have a chance to see how I'm supposed to be.

(both sources are taken from the transcript of the episode itself. Not just memory http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/Transcripts/Father_Knows_Beast if you wanna check for yourself)
Now I ask again: What kind of sibling gets heartbroken if their adopted brother finds evidence of their real parent and wanna spend time with them, while also saying 'that I have a real parent now'. Note he said 'Parent' and not 'Family'
If it had been family, then it would be very within the sister-brother relationship, but the fact she gets heartbroken over him having a real parent, something that, according to you, should not bother her the slightest, really points towards her at the least thinking herself of a guardian or care-taker for Spike, than a sister.

6616104
All that can change. And by god, I hope it changes in the final season cause a filly Twilight raising a hatched dragon, who by this point ponies knew nothing about is really dumb.

On that note they brothers and sisters have been known to raise there younger siblings without the parents. And then maybe some stories (that are actually true) Floating around the internet about siblings running away. I don't know the cause.

6617055
wouldn't be the first dumb thing about children in the show.

A) Pinkie allowed to move to ponyville as a filly
B) Cheese Sandwich just allowed to leave town and no one looked for him.
C) Cutiemark Crusaders just allowed to take the train to the capital without any adults.

6617197
It's implied that Pinkie moved as a filly. I have to read that story where Pinkie talks about Muad and her other sisters.
I should stop trying to analyze this show.

6615454 As much as I know that a lot of people like the idea of Twilight and Spike being mother and son, it is something I have always hated and even with this new episode it is something I refuse to except, in fact I liked it better when what their relationship could be was up in the air and we as fans made that choice for are selves, because as much as people like the idea of them being mother and son and the reasons they give as to why they think this is their relationship, it's not like they can just make me and other people ignore all the holes and problems that Twilight and Spike being mother and son has.

6617422
she did move as a filly.

We saw in the flashback from Cheese Sandwich that Pinkie was in ponyville, making a celebration while clearly still a filly.

6625615
I've always assumed Mr. and Mrs. Cake were extended family.

6615454

She can still be his older sister, even if she raised him. Edward Lear (the fellow who wrote "The Owl and the Pussycat") was the youngest of about 21 children and was raised by his eldest sister.

For that matter, Apple Bloon was raised by her older siblings as well.

I can imagine Spike saying "Yeeaaaahh, she hatched me, so technically she's my mom, but that would have made her a mother at twelve and that's just gross. So we're brother and sister."