One of my headcanons is that much of the guard force does not like Spike at all (particularly in consideration of the events of "Cutie Mark Chronicles"). At best, they consider him a walking, talking safety hazard; at worst, he's a "timebomb" ready to "blow up" because of his species' instincts.



Shining, of course, isn't one of that number and does the whole "big bro" thing with Spike once he's old enough to actually appreciate it.