Owl's Well That Ends Well

Owl's Well That Ends Well is the twenty-fourth episode of the first season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. Returning from watching a meteor shower with Spike, Twilight Sparkle befriends an owl, whose new presence creates turbulence. The title of the episode is a play on the phrase "all's well that ends well".

Prologue
The episode opens with Twilight Sparkle and Spike preparing for a centennial meteor shower by gathering stargazing equipment and snacks for a picnic. Twilight compliments Spike for being such reliable assistant; the compliment pleases Spike so much, he gets her to say it twice more. On the way out of the library, Twilight asks for a book on astronomy to bring to the event. Spike finds it; it is covered with dust, which causes him to accidentally sneeze out fire, burning away the book's pages. To avoid making Twilight mad, he hides the book away and suggests to her that someone might have borrowed it.

The meteor shower
Twilight believes him and sets up a picnic on a hill, meeting with the other main characters. Rarity gives Spike a bow tie laden with jewels. The ponies enjoy the meteor shower and the food, but Spike falls asleep in the punch bowl.

The owl
Twilight Sparkle decides to take him back to the library and into bed, and then starts writing down her findings on the meteor shower. Hearing a tap on the balcony door, she checks, but finds no one there. Shortly afterwards, she opens a window after hearing another sound, which causes a gust of wind to blow away her report. While she bemoans the fact that retrieving the scroll would normally be a job for Spike, an owl comes in through the window and hoots at her, the scroll in its beak. Twilight thanks the owl and invites it to stay the night.

Spike meets Owloysius
The next morning, Spike wakes up in a panic, immediately noticing that he overslept. He rushes down to apologize to Twilight and make up for lost time, but is informed that everything has already been taken care of by their "new junior assistant", Owloysius, which is what Twilight calls the owl. Spike suspects that this new assistant is "after [his] job", and warns the owl that he would be keeping a close eye on it.

"That bird is after my job! He wants to be #1. I'll prove to Twilight that I deserve to be #1; not Freaky Feathers over there..."

- Spike

Later that day while reading a book about owls, Spike overhears a conversation of Twilight's friends outside the library. Fluttershy is fascinated by the bird, and much to Spike's dismay, Rarity gives Owloysius another one of her bejeweled bow ties. Seeing him take off in a huff, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy suspect Spike feels jealous, or even threatened, of the newcomer. Later, Spike tries to assist Twilight as usual, but Owloysius is always one step ahead of him. In one case, Spike asks around all over Ponyville to find a new quill pen, before finally managing to take a feather from a chicken. When he returns, he sees that Twilight already has a new quill: one of Owloysius' feathers. In a huff, Spike announces he will now do all the chores the owl hasn't finished yet, but falls asleep in exhaustion almost immediately.

He is woken up in the next scene: Owloysius has found the charred astronomy book, and Twilight is very upset that Spike lied to her. He storms out of the library, proclaiming that he intends to get even with the bird.

While outside, he sees a mouse scurry away and remembers that owls eat mice. He leaves the scene, only to return in a villainous disguise. He sneaks into Rarity's boutique, takes Opalescence's toy mouse, and ventures back into the library, where he intends to make a mess using the now-destroyed toy, pillow feathers, and ketchup, hoping that the owl would get blamed. But before he can finish, Twilight catches him in the act. Twilight says once more how disappointed she is and how "this is not the Spike I know and love". Spike is devastated by these words, and the next scene sees him in the Everfree Forest with a bundle on his shoulder.

Running away
Hungry, cold and wet from a sudden rainstorm, Spike finds shelter inside a nearby cave, where he first discovers a trove of gems, and then the apparent owner of these gems: a giant green dragon who is upset that Spike has been eating some of the jewels. Spike tries to reason with the dragon, citing their relation in species, but the dragon is not placated and attacks. Just as he is being cornered, Owloysius and Twilight arrive. With the owl's guidance, they distract and outmaneuver the adult dragon before escaping into the forest. Twilight later explains that she was very worried when he disappeared, and that they followed the tracks Spike's ketchup-covered feet made.

Twilight assures him that she only spent her time with the Owloysius because he was awake during the night-time and because Spike is still too young to stay up late. Spike apologizes for being so jealous, and Twilight apologizes for not being sensitive enough to notice Spike's feelings.

Epilogue
Back at the library, rather than write her usual report, Twilight convinces Spike that he should do it. He starts to do so, but falls asleep before he can finish the report. Owloysius hoots, which Twilight initially mistakes for a question, and in the final shot, the owl turns its head 180° degrees and winks at the camera.

Quotes

 * Rainbow Dash: I wish I had somepony to do whatever I told them.
 * Scootaloo: Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me! Me! I'll do whatever you want, Rainbow Dash!
 * Rainbow Dash: Oh, yeah, pipsqueak? How about taking out the trash?
 * Scootaloo: Yes ma'am!


 * Spike: Gosh. You guys are embarrassing me. Stop it.


 * Twilight Sparkle: [commenting on Spike sleeping in a punch bowl] Aww, he's worked himself to the bone.
 * Pinkie Pie: And now the punch has been... Spiked!


 * Spike: Uhh, hi there. I'm Spike. I'm sure Twilight has told you all about me.
 * Owloysius: Hoo?
 * Spike: Uhh, Spike. You know, assistant number one?
 * Owloysius: Hoo?
 * Spike: I'm Spike! And who are you? WHAT are you?
 * Owloysius: Hoo.
 * Spike: Who?
 * Owloysius: Hoo!
 * Spike: I thought your name was Owloysius?
 * Owloysius: Hoo?
 * Spike: Ok, Who, Owloysius, whatever! I'm Spike, okay?
 * Owloysius: Hoo?


 * Spike: But the store is called "Quills and Sofas"! You only sell two things!
 * Davenport: Sorry, junior. All outta quills until Monday. Need a sofa?


 * Spike: Ever seen a dragon sneeze?
 * Twilight Sparkle: I've heard a dragon lie.


 * Spike: You set me up! Well, two can play that game!
 * Owloysius: Hoo?
 * Spike: Not who! TWO!


 * Dragon: (To Spike) What are you doing in MY cave, and why are you eating MY gems?

Gallery

 * Owl's Well That Ends Well image gallery