Spike at Your Service

Spike at Your Service
Season №:	3
Season episode №:	9
Overall episode №:	61
Original airdate:	December 29, 2012
Story by:	Dave Polsky
Written by:	Merriwether Williams
Storyboard:	Mike West and Emmett Hall
See also
credits • transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation
Episode guide
Previous Apple Family Reunion	Next Keep Calm and Flutter On

Spike at Your Service is the ninth episode of the third season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the sixty-first episode overall. In this episode, Spike insists on serving Applejack for life after she rescues him from timberwolves, but Applejack has no interest in the arrangement.

Production, development, and release

The episode is listed on both the iTunes Store and Zap2it as the tenth episode of the third season, and the keywords of Hasbro's YouTube upload of a clip from the episode include "Ep 310". Show layout supervisor Tim Stuby wrote on Twitter "Apple Fam Reunion is 309" in response to an Equestria Daily post that, at the time, listed Apple Family Reunion and Spike at Your Service as the respective eighth and ninth episodes of the third season, show storyboard artist Sabrina Alberghetti wrote on deviantArt that Apple Family Reunion was slotted as 9 when she "did it, but stuff like that changes all the time", and show storyboard artist Raven Molisee listed the episode as number 310 on DeviantArt.

A clip was released by Entertainment Weekly a day before the episode's scheduled airing. The episode was released on the iTunes Store hours before the scheduled airing.

The timberwolves, except for the big one, were modeled and animated with 3D cel-shaded graphics (instead of Adobe Flash) by John Cantlie in Autodesk Maya.

When asked about the Dragon Code, Dave Polsky admitted that Dragon Quest had shown Spike knew little about being a dragon but "[I] felt it credible he'd taken initiative to learn about his dragon heritage since".

In the episode's early stages, it was a Rarity and Spike episode. However, it was re-written because Rarity was too mean to Spike in the original script. The final version uses Applejack instead.

Summary

Spike's day off

Twelve books in one weekend? "Not a problem"!

The episode opens at Twilight Sparkle's library in Ponyville. Princess Celestia has assigned twelve books for Twilight to read over the course of a weekend. Realizing how busy such an assignment will be keeping her, Twilight gives Spike the day off. Spike jumps at the chance to do things he's been wanting to do, such as touching his nose with his tongue, playing bongos on his belly and smelling his own feet, but quickly runs out of things to do when it turns out he's not as good at putting together to-do lists as Twilight is.

Attack in the Everfree

No need to fear! Applejack is here!

Bored, Spike wanders through Ponyville for a bit before deciding to take a ride in the Twinkling Balloon. In his excitement though, he accidentally undoes the balloon's rope tether, and it takes off without him. He chases the runaway hot air balloon across Ponyville, nearly crashing into Granny Smith in the process, and eventually catches it as it floats over the Everfree Forest. Spike re-tethers the balloon to the ground before realizing where he's ended up. The horrors of the Everfree Forest are quickly made apparent to Spike, and he's confronted by a pack of three timberwolves. They chase him through the forest and soon corner him. Just before the timberwolves can make a quick meal out of the dragon, however, Applejack comes to the rescue. She distracts the beasts so that Spike can get away, and the timberwolves chase after her. Applejack, proving to be far more resourceful than Spike, dispatches the wolves and leaves them as piles of leaves and tree bark. Spike marvels at Applejack's skills and thanks her immensely for saving his life. It turns out that Applejack was in the Everfree Forest because she'd seen the runaway hot air balloon and came to investigate. With the balloon retrieved, Applejack and Spike leave the forest together. Behind them, the shattered remains of the timberwolves magically come alive.

The Dragon Code

Spike trying to get eggs for Granny Smith.

Applejack thanks Spike for walking her home and goes to see to her chores. Still thankful to her for saving his life, Spike offers to do Applejack's chores for her. She initially turns down his gesture, dismissing her actions as something friends do for each other, but relents when Spike is insistent. Finally, Applejack tells Spike that he can help Apple Bloom with whatever she needs. Spike ends up helping Apple Bloom wash a dirty pig. At first, Spike's services—while somewhat clumsy—are indeed helpful, as far as Apple Bloom is concerned. But as time goes by, and Spike becomes ever more determined to assist, and as a result, large messes are made.

Applejack once again tries to send Spike on his way, but the little dragon will hear none of it, explaining that his intent to help is part of his 'dragon code'; he owes his very life to Applejack. Granny Smith mentions Twilight, and Spike comes to a realization: he has to "break the news" to her. He returns to the library and finds Twilight studying. He explains to her that Applejack saved his life and that, according to his dragon code, he must now serve her for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, Twilight did not pay any attention due to her obsession with studying and simply said "Mhm". Heartbroken and teary-eyed, he leaves to start his new life at Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack and Granny Smith are beyond surprised to hear that Twilight's given Spike her "blessing", and Spike, still committed to serving Applejack, proceeds to make a mess in the kitchen that Applejack and Granny Smith just got through cleaning. The two look to each other in profound worry.

A not-so-number-one assistant

Applejack explains to Spike that she respects his adhering to his dragon code, but she's uncomfortable with his devout servitude to her. Spike disputes that the dragon code is a part of him, that he must be true to himself, and that defying it means he's no longer a "noble dragon". Applejack has no intention of belittling Spike's integrity and quickly looks for something for him to do—something that won't end up with him making a mess or getting himself hurt. They decide to take the pie he helped make to Rarity.

Not helping, Rarity.

Rarity eyes the pie Applejack and Spike brought her with a wince, but a facial cue from Applejack tells her she shouldn't disappoint him. She samples the pie (which, judging from her expression, is clearly inedible), and Spike—at Applejack's behest—excuses himself to do Rarity's dishes. Applejack gives Rarity the full story: she saved Spike's life from timberwolves, and now he's forever indebted to her. Instead of being sympathetic to Applejack's plight, Rarity expresses envy. This sentiment doesn't last long, as Spike quickly makes a mess of Rarity's kitchen as well, to which Applejack comments "sometimes Spike's help isn't that helpful".

It's at this time that Rainbow Dash makes her entrance and is too given an explanation of Applejack's predicament. Rainbow believes she has the solution: task Spike with something exceedingly difficult and drive him to quit. She gives Spike such a task: build a large tower of rocks for Rainbow Dash to smash through. Believing this to be a request of Applejack's, Spike naturally accepts. To Rainbow Dash's surprise though, he doesn't give up, and ends up stacking a large tower of rocks as requested. Rainbow Dash follows through on her bluff and brings the tower down, leaving her in a daze. With that done, Applejack takes Fluttershy's advice and tells Spike she can't think of anything else for him to do. Desperate, Spike rationalizes that maybe she needs help thinking of things she needs help with, like her back needs itching, to remember her favorite song, even breathing.

Pinkie Pie's REALLY into mustaches today.

Applejack is at her wit's end. She seeks out Twilight, who's still muzzle-deep in a book. When Applejack manages to finally get Twilight's attention, she explains what she believes Twilight to already be aware of: that Spike is following his dragon code and serving her forever for saving him from timberwolves. This is news to Twilight, who was too distracted to be aware of anything that was going on around her. But now that she's brought up to speed, she has the answer. Applejack keeps Spike occupied while she convenes with her friends (now including Pinkie Pie) in the barn. The plan: have Spike save Applejack's life from a timberwolf!

The staged timberwolf attack

The fake timberwolf.

Just outside the Everfree Forest, Applejack and the others make ready to put their plan into action. Before Rarity could call into question her believability as a "damsel in distress", Spike approaches, prompting everypony to take their places. As Spike is put to the task of gathering leaves, the plan is put into motion. Rainbow Dash roars like a timberwolf, Rarity flees and screams past in terror (while Pinkie Pie screams for the fun of it), Twilight brings a timberwolf puppet to life with her magic, and Fluttershy (with buckets tied to her hooves) makes the "timberwolf's" clomp sounds. During this, Applejack pretends to get her hoof caught in a pile of rocks, unable to get away. This appears to have Spike fooled at first, but he soon catches on, citing the lack of timberwolf breath as a dead giveaway. But when he catches the whiff of an actual timberwolf's breath, and Twilight and Rainbow Dash panic, the fake threat is made genuine: real timberwolves have appeared!

As Applejack and Spike run away from the attacking wolves, Applejack climbs to the top of a pile of rocks and pushes a large boulder onto them as they run past; they're smashed to pieces. Suddenly, the rock pile collapses underneath her, and she takes a tumble and actually gets her hoof stuck. Like before, the remains of the timberwolves come alive and assemble into a single, much larger Timberwolf King. Applejack tells Spike to run, but Spike resolves to stay and save her. He chucks one of the smaller rocks at the giant timberwolf, and it becomes lodged in the beast's windpipe. The timberwolf starts choking. Spike pries Applejack's trapped hoof loose, and the two run away as the giant timberwolf "dies" of suffocation.

"That's what friends do"

Oh Spike!

Applejack's friends are surprised to hear that she'd actually gotten herself stuck, and she both thanks Spike for saving her and apologizes for attempting to trick him. Reconciling, the two agree if one ends up saving the other's life in the future, to say "that's what friends do" and leave it at that (on the condition that they try to avoid such situations). They seal the deal with a hoof/claw-bump.

That evening, Twilight is back in her library studying in the dark. Spike walks up with a lit lantern, and she thanks him. Spike hugs her leg, saying he's "really really really happy to help", and Twilight laughs.

Quotes

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

Spike: "Touch nose with tongue." Eeeng... done! "Play bongos on my belly." Done! "Smell my dirty feet." [sniffs] [sigh] Done!

Spike: It's... been an honor... being your faithful assistant.

Twilight Sparkle: [distracted] Sounds good.

Rainbow Dash: What are you having him do? Wash your laundry? Clean your room? Help you with your unfinished novel? Mine's about this awesome Pegasus who's the best flyer ever, and becomes the captain of the Wonderbolts!

Rarity: However did you come up with that ingeniously woven intricate plotline?

Rainbow Dash: Just came to me.

Spike: See? There are plenty of things I can help you with, and you don't even have to trouble yourself with thinking of them!

Applejack: No, I'll think of 'em. Lemme think of 'em.

Applejack: Alright, y'all, here's the deal. Spike needs to save my life.

Pinkie Pie: And you want us to shoot you out of a cannon towards a hornet's nest and give Spike a butterfly net so he can catch you mere seconds before you hit the nest and are stung by a thousand angry hornets! I'll wear this mustache.

Applejack: ...No. I am gonna be attacked by a timberwolf!

[gasps]

Pinkie Pie: Can I still wear the mustache?

Spike: Oh, by the way, there are exactly twenty-four million, five hundred and sixty-seven thousand, eight hundred and thirty seven blades of grass at Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack: I can't believe you counted every single one of 'em...

Gallery

Spike at Your Service image gallery

References

v • e Episodes, films, and animated shorts

Make Your Mark
Episode 1 Izzy Does It	Episode 2 Growing Pains	Episode 3 Portrait of a Princess	Episode 4 Ali-Conned
Episode 5 The Cutie Mark Mix-Up	Episode 6 The Traditional Unicorn Sleep-Over	Episode 7 Hoof Done It?	Episode 8 Have You Seen This Dragon?
Episode 9 Top Remodel	Episode 10 The Jinxie Games	Episode 11 Sunny Side Up	Episode 12 The Manesquerade Ball
Episode 13 A Little Horse	Episode 14 Missing the Mark	Episode 15 Cutie Blossom Bash	Episode 16 Family Trees Pt. 1
Episode 17 Family Trees Pt. 2	Episode 18 Father of the Bridlewood	Episode 19 Mane Smelody	Episode 20 Nightmare on Mane Street
Episode 21 The Isle of Scaly‎‎	Episode 22 Roots of All Evil Pt. 1‎	Episode 23 Roots of All Evil Pt. 2