>>10104Nah, I think it was more the "first child suddenly isn't the center of attention" thing, with minor differences due to spike being a slave.
With automation, it really depends on what sort of automation you have in mind. I don't have any issue with "standard" automation. With universal human-like AI, that's decades old question and nobody still really knows has answers to the important questions…
>>10104The episode was made back in 2011, when automation was not a major or talked about issue, so hat was probably not the intent. I think the above poster's comparison to a new child in a family is about accurate. Of course, you are free to put whatever meaning over it you prefer, as the feeling of having a place, and then being replaced by an evidently more capable and loved other, evokes emotions that are universal and applicable to many circumstances
>>10104>>10119Since being replaced or undervalued is the main source of conflict in this episode, the metaphor can be applied to both.
>>10119This.
Spike is a pet. He felt threatened by the owl: a classic example of a mage's pet.
>>10119>>10131Good point. I guess the automation issue is the first place my mind went but since the show is aimed at children it is more likely trying to address the jealousy a child feels when a new sibling appears.
also
>Spike is a slaveI honestly I never thought of it that way but that's interesting. Obviously he has kind of a servile role to Twilight but I always thought of him as more like a pet or a sidekick. I assume Spike is implied to be the dragon that Twilight hatched during the exam where she gets her cutie mark, but that I don't know if that necessarily means he's bound to do her bidding or anything. She does seem to use him as a source of cheap labor though.
>>10119>>10370Spike isn't really slave. He is pet/roomate. Spike understands that he needs to pull his weight when he is living with Twi. She makes sure that he behaves so he wont eat ice cream for lunch evry day or start demanding gifts which will turn him into actual giant dragon.
Sometimes Spike would disappear on his own to find himself. He tried running away few times but it did not work out well for him. So when ponies came to look for him, he welcomed their help.
Spike is much more then slave. He is social engineering project of Celestia. It was her idea to make her student take care of baby dragon. Its another project in the name of harmony. She seeks to suppres Spike's natural inclination for being mean, wild dragon and make him integrate into Equine society.
This project was dor the most part a success. Strict day regime kept away spike from developing natural dragon urges but Spike remained having ambitious dreams. All dragons are proud and ambitious.
Later Spike for some reason fell in love with Rarity, which was the begining of his feelings of loyalty to Ponyville. This also what made him revert back from his true dragon form.
Finally, when he went to live with other dragons, he suceeded in their tests but couldn't hunt with them. He already developed strong sense of compassion for other living beings and couldn't hunt. At this point he probably doesn't think about leaving his Pony family anymore.
>>10370It's more of a running joke, with the way he gets treated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TbVFLFYX40MAS jokes this a lot for example and I'm sure many other parodies do something similar.