Just for Sidekicks

Just for Sidekicks is the eleventh episode of the third season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, and the sixty-third episode overall. The title of the episode is a play on the term "just for kicks".

Production and development
The episode is listed on Zap2it as the eighth episode of the third season. Storyboard artist Raven Molisee listed the episode as number 308 on deviantART, and show layout supervisor Tim Stuby wrote on Twitter that he'd "guess it is either 308 or 312" and that it's "not 312..."

Jewel-baking disaster
The episode opens on a small gallery of pictures of Spike looking after Peewee (the phoenix Spike hatched in Dragon Quest). Pictures shown include Peewee hatching from his egg, Spike trying to share some ice cream with Peewee, ending up with the carton falling on top of Twilight, covering her head in ice cream, which resulted in Spike eventually returning Peewee to his parents. Spike himself is seen mixing ingredients for a jewel cake while Owlowiscious watches. His intent is to mix jewels into the cake batter, but he ends up unconsciously eating them. Upon realizing that all the jewels are gone, he blames it on Owlowiscious. The owl shows Spike his reflection in a spoon, and Spike notices jewel dust on his lips; he'd eaten his own jewels. He shouts in despair at this revelation.

Spike the critter-sitter
As Spike despairs over his having no jewels (and thus no cake), there's a knock at the door; it's Fluttershy and Angel. Fluttershy is here to ask Spike for a favor since she and her friends are expected in the Crystal Empire the following day to help welcome the Head of the Equestria Games; Spike knows all about it and reminds Fluttershy that he wasn't invited. Fluttershy feels guilty over this and prepares to leave, saying that all she had to offer Spike in consolation was a jewel -- a rather large jewel, Spike points out. Spike agrees to do Fluttershy's favor (even if it means looking after Angel), and Fluttershy thanks him before leaving. Spike thinks to himself: Fluttershy isn't the only one whose pet might need looking after.



After a bit of sweet-talking and (in Pinkie Pie's case) silliness-dodging, Spike gets Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack to agree to letting him look after their pets as well, with some jewels as compensation. When they stop by the next morning to drop their pets off at the library, Twilight even lets Spike watch over Owlowiscious. Some warm goodbyes are exchanged between pet and owner, and the six friends leave to board the train. Twilight expresses concern that Spike might not be able to handle taking care of six animals by himself, but he assures her that he has it under control. Twilight says goodbye and leaves, and Spike closes the library door...and the six pets proceed to make a mess of everything.

A regular pet daycare
When Spike regains consciousness from Tank accidentally knocking him out, he finds the library in complete chaos; Winona is chasing Angel around in circles, Gummy is ruining Twilight's books, and Opalescence is ripping up the curtains. Spike attempts to enforce some order. He manages to get Winona, Tank, Owlowiscious, Opal, and Gummy in a row, but Angel has taken off outside the library.

With Winona's help, Spike soon tracks the rebellious rabbit to the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse, where Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo fawn over him. Since they've "hit it off so well", Spike tries to get the Crusaders to look after Angel for him, but the Crusaders have plans to get their cutie marks in skydiving. Spike -- the smooth talker he is -- convinces them to try and get their cutie marks for bunny-sitting instead; he even gets them to take the rest of the pets off his hands too. But he does end up having to relinquish one of his jewels so the Crusaders could buy food and toys for the pets.

When Spike passes by the clubhouse later that day, he finds the Cutie Mark Crusaders are having just as much trouble looking after the pets as he was. He's forced to assume responsibility for the pets again, and they drag him all over Ponyville. He crosses paths with Zecora, who believes she has the solution for Spike's "bad mojo": donating one of his jewels to the Filly Scouts. Down another jewel and reaching his wit's end, Spike wraps the pets up in ribbon and rolls them across town, having to surrender yet another jewel to Granny Smith to buy her silence.

After freeing himself from Spike's clutches, Angel sneaks aboard the train. Spike attempts to retrieve the bunny, but the train conductor refuses to let all the pets on without a chaperone. Spike sees the Cutie Mark Crusaders on a nearby bridge. He snatches them up and has them act as the pets' chaperones, and the conductor lets them board (in exchange for another jewel). Spike finally catches Angel, but the train has pulled away from the station. Next stop: the Crystal Empire!

Trouble on the train
The Crusaders fail to contain their excitement about seeing the Empire. Once again, the pets have gotten loose; they make a mess of Pony Joe's donut cart, and Spike is forced to relinquish one of his last two jewels to pay for it.

The train pulls into the station, and the Crusaders want to have a look around. Spike blocks and forbids them from leaving the train car, but after a bit of tickle torture with one of Scootaloo's feathers and some backup from Angel, they get past him. Spike chases after Angel and spots Twilight and her friends about to board the Ponyville-bound train. As the Crusaders admire some crystal snow globes through a shop window, Spike sees Angel running toward Fluttershy and gives chase again. Using his last remaining jewel, Spike obstructs Angel's path in a pile of luggage and catches him.

Spike, the Crusaders, and the pets board the train again, but so have Twilight and her friends; they're right in the next car! They hide under the seats as the ponies enter to sit down. Angel threatens to give Spike and the others away. Spike admits defeat and tells Angel to do his worst, apologizing for ignoring him, trying to pawn him off on someone else, and not fluffing his tail as promised. He extends this apology to the rest of the pets and faults his own greed. The pets quickly forgive Spike, but his growling stomach almost gives them away. Angel retrieves Spike's last jewel and force-feeds half of it to him to satiate his hunger.

Epilogue
When the train pulls into Ponyville, Twilight and her friends get off from one end of the train, while Spike, the Crusaders, and the pets get off from the other end, pretending to have come to meet them. Twilight and Fluttershy commend Spike on doing a good job taking care of their animal friends.

Back at the library, Spike goes back to making his cake, using half of his last jewel as an ingredient. He inadvertently eats it. In an ironic parallel to how the episode began, he cries in despair.

Quotes

 * Owlowiscious: [hoots]
 * Spike: ...is it...


 * Pinkie Pie: I love you more. No, I love you more! I LOVE YOU MORE!!!


 * Scootaloo: [muffled] Has anyone seen Tank's head? Where's his head?!
 * [door opens]
 * Spike: What have you done to the turtle?!
 * [pop]
 * Scootaloo: Ohh, totally forgot he could do that.


 * Applejack: Whooee, my dogs are barkin'.
 * Winona: [barks]
 * Applejack: Did y'all hear that? They really are!


 * Sweetie Belle: So we could hear all about the Crystal Empire, and find out if you brought us one of the crystal snowglobes that they sell at the train station!
 * Rarity: How did you know about the snowglobes?
 * Sweetie Belle: Um... lucky guess?


 * Twilight Sparkle: So what are you thinking? Bake 'em into a jewel pie? Mm, six-layer gem cake sounds pretty good!
 * Spike: Yeah, it does. [slurps] It really really does. [pause] Whyyyyyyyyy???!!!

Gallery

 * Just for Sidekicks image gallery