Secret of My Excess

Secret of My Excess is the tenth episode of the second season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, and the thirty-sixth episode overall. Spike becomes greedy, which magically causes him to grow to a monstrous size.

Development and theme
The episode was called "Giving Dangerously" then "Attack of the 50 Foot Dragon" before changing to its current title, a play on the phrase "secret of my success". The previous title hints more to the episode's "giant monster rampaging through a city" theme that popularized by the 1954 film Godzilla. The kidnapping of Rarity and subsequent aerial assault on Spike draws parallels with the classic 1933 film King Kong.

The fire ruby
Twilight starts off the episode by holding a "re-shelving day", which involves her taking all the books off the shelves and sorting them. The sequence is accompanied by sound-alike music after The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Dukas, famously used in the animated film Fantasia. While using magic to spin books around and sort them out, she is distracted by Spike's chuckles, who enters the room and displays his birthday present to himself, a fire ruby, which he had been "aging [for] months, and it's almost ripe!"

Rarity then walks into the library and spots Spike's fire ruby, going on excitedly about its qualities. Twilight complains about the interruption, and Rarity apologizes, saying she "just came by to see if you had any books on historical fashion", but she returns to Spike and inquires on his intent to eat the fire ruby. Spike realizes that Rarity really admires the gem, and gives the gemstone to Rarity, who is so appreciative she gives him a kiss on the cheek. She giddily skips outside, and Spike vows never to wash his cheek again.

Spike's birthday party
The next scene opens with Twilight and Spike having just finished decorating for his birthday, when Twilight pulls out a washcloth to wash Spike's kissed cheek, which is smudgy and dirty. Spike resists, but after Twilight uses her magic to teleport him back to her repeatedly, Pinkie magically appears and distracts Spike with a "happy birthday" and streamers, giving Twilight a chance to get Spike and clean his cheek.

The rest of the main ponies arrive with gifts, and they pile them one by one in Spike's arms until the tower of presents collapses to the floor. He looks at the presents confused, and Rainbow Dash asks him "don't you know you get presents on your birthday?" He replies that it's his birthday in Ponyville, and that he usually gets only one present... from Twilight... a book. Twilight stops in her tracks and sheepishly hides her present, a book, behind her, accompanied by a sound effect of a sheep bleating. Rarity then shows the ponies her new cape and says she's going to make one for her friends, inspired by Spike's generosity of giving her the fire ruby.

Birthday presents
Spike sits amidst piles of numerous presents and thanks Applejack for the present she gave him and gives her a hug. Applejack reminds him that he's already thanked her fifteenth times, and he explains that he is just so grateful for their kindness, and wishes for the party to last forever. Hearing this, Pinkie Pie tells Spike that the party can't last forever because he has to go to Sugarcube Corner so he can collect the special surprise by the Cakes for his birthday.

Spike hurries to Sugarcube Corner where the Cakes give him a sapphire cupcake. Upon exiting he bumps into Cheerilee and drops the cupcake, but manages to catch it with his long forked tongue. He apologizes to Cheerilee, then eats the entire cupcake and helps her gather her dropped items. When she learns it's his birthday she gives him a feathered white fedora and wishes him a great birthday.

While walking through Ponyville, Spike reasons that when ponies learn of his birthday, he gets presents. He comes across Lickety Split who's playing with a ball, and solicits his ball from him this way. "Lickety Split" is the name of both a G1 Earth pony and a G3 Earth pony, although both are female. Spike comes across Junebug and tells her it's his birthday and asks her for the flowers she's carrying, but Twilight pulls at his "ear" with magic and apologizes for him getting carried away. When Twilight chides him he acts remorseful and says he'll give Cheerilee her hat back, but as soon as Twilight leaves, he puts the hat back on and asks "who else has a present for Spikey-wikey?" The shot is accompanied by rattlesnake sounds, with Spike blinking with vertical eyelids and sticking out a wiggly forked tongue.

Growth spurt
The next scene opens with Twilight waking up to finds a larger, ganglier Spike sleeping under a pile of various objects. He looks at his new limbs and claws, and in a brief shot from his perspective, various items in the library appear glistening. Twilight tries to talk to him, but he gets distracted by a glistening globe. Twilight takes away the globe, but Spike quickly takes it back and stacks it on top of a pile of objects. He asks to take one of the books, but Twilight takes it away from him and comments on how grabby he is. When he replies, he finds his voice became deeper, and becomes concerned about the changes.

Twilight takes him to a pediatrician and then a veterinarian, hoping to find out what's wrong with him. However, neither has any experience with dragons, and Spike keeps hoarding items. Finally, she visits Zecora, who explains "A dragon's heart is prone to greed, a steady diet to make growth speed. Then, the resulting bigger size only makes their hunger rise. If this trait should go unchecked, if Spike continues to collect, more growth will certainly occur. He is going to turn into a monster. If his monstrous ways you wish to impede, you must prevent him from practicing greed." The frame expands to show all the items from Zecora's hut missing, the door open, and Spike gone.

Attack of the fifteen-foot dragon
Twilight gallops back to Ponyville and finds Spike trying take Scootaloo's scooter from her. Twilight lures him back to the library with an "amazing broom", and on his way he grows larger and starts walking on all fours. She tosses the broom into one of the rooms and closes the door behind Spike, who struggles at first but then goes quiet. When she comes in to check, she finds he's clutching a pile of books. She takes all the books out and closes the door again, but then hears loud crashing noises and finds a Spike-shaped hole in the library's wall, with Spike gone. The scene wipes to Applejack wondering "Now who in Ponyville would steal my apples? For that matter, who would steal my leaves?" Twilight rushes to her and asks for her help to lasso Spike. Applejack laughs at the idea of Spike running wild, but then he runs across them with a pile of apples and leaves.

Twilight and Applejack run after Spike with a length of rope and lunge at him, but miss and manage to tie themselves to a tree while Spike continues on his rampage. Rainbow Dash spots them and laughs at their predicament, afterwards Fluttershy's scream is heard in the distance and the three rush to find her. She's hiding in a tree, and she tells them "a giant, rampaging dragon stormed through", who pulled her chicken coop out of the ground and filled it with "apples and stuff".


 * Twilight Sparkle: Pinkie Pie! Stop giving him cake!
 * Pinkie Pie: I'm not giving him cake, I'm assaulting him with cake!

The ponies next hear Pinkie Pie scream, and they find her pelting Spike with cakes while he collects some of them into his chicken coop of stuff. Spike grows so large that he crashes through the ceiling of Sugarcube Corner, with Pinkie frozen in shock at the sight.

Attack of the fifty-foot dragon
While Rarity tries out her cape at the Carousel Boutique, Spike's gigantic eye peeks through the window, and he reaches in to kidnaps Rarity. The scene fades to alarm sirens going off, which Spike grabs. Ponies panic in the streets of Ponyville while Spike rampages and tears off the top of a water tower to puts his hoard in it. He roars at Rarity, who's held captive with the end of Spike's tail coiled around her. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fly by and try to get Spike to release Rarity, with Dash at one side of him shouting at Spike, and Fluttershy at the other side, adding softening and polite remarks to Dash's demands. Spike turns around and swings Rarity at them, and manages to catch both of them in her cape, which tears off and plummets, with Dash and Fluttershy inside, into a river.

The Wonderbolts fly overhead and make some close fly-bys to Spike, accompanied by sound of polishing blades. Spikes spots a nearby steep mountain and climbs it, with Rarity still captive. The Wonderbolts perform a few more fly-bys and one of them manages to shave off some of Spike's spines. Spike empties the water tower tank into a cave he spotted, and then traps the Wonderbolts in the tank and pins it to the mountainside.

Rarity goes on an angry diatribe scolding the dragon, culminating in her taking what's left of her ripped cape and declaring it a "crime against fashion." Spike then notices the fire ruby that she is wearing, and Rarity, seeing it got his attention, tells him she won't let him have this gemstone: "This was given to me by my dear friend Spikey-wikey... the kindest, sweetest, most generous dragon ever. And it is too precious to me to give to a greedy old beast like you!" Spike looks at the gem wide-eyed and a flashback plays, showing him giving the ruby to Rarity and receiving the kiss. He touches his cheek and starts quaking, then winces and returns to his old self, with both him and Rarity still hanging in the air. Rarity, shocked, realizes that Spike was the rampaging dragon, and the two plummet through the air.


 * Spike: Rarity? I need to tell you something, just in case we don't make it! I've always sort of had a crush–

Spike tries to confess about his crush, but Rarity stops him and smiles, her eyes welling with tears. Meanwhile Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy speed towards the two with the piece of the ripped cape from the river and catch Spike and Rarity in the air, safely lowering them to the ground. With the emergency over, the shot cuts to the water tank on the mountainside which peels off revealing the Wonderbolts huddled together shivering. They notice the tank fell off, strike a gallant pose to the sound of a hunting horn, and fly off.

Epilogue
When safely with the others, Spike sits sadly on the bridge and compares his hand with the footprint that he made when he was large and rampaging. Rarity comes up and says she's proud of him for stopping... himself from destroying Ponyville, calling him her hero and giving him a kiss. The scene cross-fades to Spike narrating and writing a letter to Princess Celestia about the value of kindness and generosity, which are "more valuable than anything in the world. Well... almost anything." He turns to face the other way to reveal his cheek to the camera with Rarity's kiss framed like a picture. The episode ends with a kiss-shaped iris wipe on Spike's cheek.

Re-use of Flash assets
Amongst the hoard Spike collects in the library, and in the library during his party, are some noticeable objects from previous episodes, including: He also later makes use of the water tower, previously seen being used as a baby bottle for the Ursa minor in Boast Busters.
 * An Elements of Harmony orb from Friendship is Magic, part 2
 * The flowers from The Ticket Master
 * Applejack's trophy from Applebuck Season
 * Pinkie Pie's rubber chicken from Dragonshy
 * Twilight Sparkle's manebrush from Bridle Gossip
 * The tuba Pinkie Pie borrowed in Swarm of the Century
 * A painting hanging in the library from Winter Wrap Up
 * Ace's tennis racket from Call of the Cutie
 * Rainbow Dash's rainbow football from Fall Weather Friends
 * Rarity's kitchen sink from Suited for Success
 * Pinkie Pie's foam finger from Sonic Rainboom
 * A bowling ball from the bowling alley in The Cutie Pox
 * The record player from various episodes
 * Scootaloo's scooter from The Show Stoppers

Quotes

 * Twilight Sparkle: No distractions. Today is too important. Re-shelving day.


 * Spike: I will never wash this cheek ever again.


 * Rainbow Dash: Don't you know you get presents on your birthday?
 * Spike: Well actually, this is my first birthday in Ponyville. I usually just get one present... From Twilight... a book.


 * Spike: Applejack, I can't thank you enough for this great blanket, I really needed a new one.
 * Applejack: Come on Spike! You'd already thanked me fifteen times! I'm starting to get a little embarrassed!


 * Spike: Who else has a present for 'Spikey-wikey'? [hisses]


 * Spike: Spike WANT!


 * Applejack: Now who in Ponyville would steal my apples? For that matter, who would steal my leaves?
 * Twilight Sparkle: Applejack, help! Spike's running wild and I need you to lasso him!
 * Applejack: [laughs] Oh, that's a good one, Twilight. Sweet little Spike, running wild. Ha, what a laugh.
 * Spike: [stomping]
 * Applejack: Twilight, get my rope.


 * Twilight Sparkle: Pinkie Pie! Stop giving him cake!
 * Pinkie Pie: I'm not giving him cake, I'm assaulting him with cake!
 * Spike: [grunts]
 * Pinkie Pie: How dare you take the cake!


 * Spike: [roar]
 * Rarity: How rude.


 * Rainbow Dash: Put her down, right now!
 * Fluttershy: If you wouldn't mind, that is!
 * Rainbow Dash: I mean it dragon boy!
 * Fluttershy: We'll be ever so grateful if you'd be so kind as to possibly consider...
 * Rainbow Dash: Drop her, scaly!

Gallery

 * Secret of My Excess image gallery