# Just for Sidekicks > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Just_for_Sidekicks > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Just_for_Sidekicks.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_for_Sidekicks > Source revision: 1346996068 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 11th episode of the 3rd season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic "Just for Sidekicks" My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode Episode no. Season 3 Episode 11 Written by Corey Powell Original air date January 26, 2013 (2013-01-26) Running time 22 minutes Episode chronology ← Previous "Keep Calm and Flutter On" Next → "Games Ponies Play" My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 3 List of episodes "**Just for Sidekicks**" is the eleventh episode of the [third season](/source/My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic_season_3) of the [animated television series](/source/Animated_series) *[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic](/source/My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic)*. The episode was written by Corey Powell. It originally aired on [The Hub](/source/Discovery_Family#As_Hub_Network_(2010–2014)) on January 26, 2013. In this episode, [Spike](/source/Spike_(My_Little_Pony)) agrees to pet-sit for the [Mane Six](/source/Mane_Six) while they travel to the Crystal Empire, but the task proves more challenging than expected when he accidentally boards the train with the pets and the [Cutie Mark Crusaders](/source/Cutie_Mark_Crusaders). The episode takes place at the same time as the next episode, "[Games Ponies Play](/source/Games_Ponies_Play)". ## Plot External videos Just for Sidekicks (full episode) — Official upload of the episode onto YouTube My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Equestria Toyline Cutie mark Elements of Harmony Pony Spin-offs My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (2013–2020)(List of animations) My Little Pony: Pony Life (2020–2021)(List of episodes) Characters Mane Six Twilight Sparkle Rainbow Dash Pinkie Pie Applejack Fluttershy Rarity Supporting Spike Princess Celestia Princess Luna Princess Cadance Shining Armor Discord Starlight Glimmer Trixie Zecora Antagonists Queen Chrysalis Lord Tirek Cozy Glow Minor Derpy Hooves Background Six Cheese Sandwich Quibble Pants The Wonderbolts Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty Equestria Girls Sunset Shimmer Seasons & episodes Season 1 (2010–2011) "Friendship Is Magic" "The Ticket Master" "Applebuck Season" "Griffon the Brush Off" "Boast Busters" "Dragonshy" "Look Before You Sleep" "Bridle Gossip" "Swarm of the Century" "Winter Wrap Up" "Call of the Cutie" "Fall Weather Friends" "Suited for Success" "Feeling Pinkie Keen" "Sonic Rainboom" "Stare Master" "The Show Stoppers" "A Dog and Pony Show" "Green Isn't Your Color" "Over a Barrel" "A Bird in the Hoof" "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" "Owl's Well That Ends Well" "Party of One" "The Best Night Ever" Season 2 (2011–2012) "The Return of Harmony" "Lesson Zero" "Luna Eclipsed" "Sisterhooves Social" "The Cutie Pox" "May the Best Pet Win!" "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" "Sweet and Elite" "Secret of My Excess" "Hearth's Warming Eve" "Family Appreciation Day" "Baby Cakes" "The Last Roundup" "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000" "Read It and Weep" "Hearts and Hooves Day" "A Friend in Deed" "Putting Your Hoof Down" "It's About Time" "Dragon Quest" "Hurricane Fluttershy" "Ponyville Confidential" "MMMystery on the Friendship Express" "A Canterlot Wedding" Season 3 (2012–2013) "The Crystal Empire" "Too Many Pinkie Pies" "One Bad Apple" "Magic Duel" "Sleepless in Ponyville" "Wonderbolts Academy" "Apple Family Reunion" "Spike at Your Service" "Keep Calm and Flutter On" "Just for Sidekicks" "Games Ponies Play" "Magical Mystery Cure" Season 4 (2013–2014) "Princess Twilight Sparkle" "Castle Mane-ia" "Daring Don't" "Flight to the Finish" "Power Ponies" "Bats!" "Rarity Takes Manehattan" "Pinkie Apple Pie" "Rainbow Falls" "Three's a Crowd" "Pinkie Pride" "Simple Ways" "Filli Vanilli" "Twilight Time" "It Ain't Easy Being Breezies" "Somepony to Watch Over Me" "Maud Pie" "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils" "Leap of Faith" "Testing Testing 1, 2, 3" "Trade Ya!" "Inspiration Manifestation" "Equestria Games" "Twilight's Kingdom" Season 5 (2015) "The Cutie Map" "Castle Sweet Castle" "Tanks for the Memories" "Slice of Life" "Amending Fences" "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?" "Made in Manehattan" "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" "The Hooffields and McColts" "The Cutie Re-Mark" Season 6 (2016) "A Hearth's Warming Tail" "The Times They Are a Changeling" Season 7 (2017) "The Perfect Pear" Season 8 (2018) "Grannies Gone Wild" Season 9 (2019) "The Last Crusade" Series finale Media Films & specials My Little Pony: The Movie (2017) My Little Pony: Best Gift Ever (2018) My Little Pony: Rainbow Roadtrip (2019) Music Theme song "This Day Aria" Movie Soundtrack "Rainbow" "Off to See the World" Games My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day Gameloft video game Collectible card game Other media Home video releases IDW comics Issues My Little Pony/Transformers Brony fandom Fan works (list) 15.ai Voiceverse NFT plagiarism scandal A Brony Tale Bronies (documentary) Derpibooru Equestria Daily Fimfiction Fallout: Equestria Friendship Is Witchcraft Legends of Equestria Love & Ponystep Ponysona PONY.MOV Them's Fightin' Herds Fandom people 15 hotdiggedydemon Jenny Nicholson Odyssey Eurobeat Sethisto The Living Tombstone Vylet Pony Fan culture Analysis Brony music Bronyspeak Charity Criticism Fan art Clop Ponysona Fan fiction Military bronies /mlp/ Online communities My Little Pony conventions BABSCon BronyCAN BronyCon Czequestria Everfree Northwest GalaCon Ponyville Ciderfest RuBronyCon TrotCon UK PonyCon Vanhoover Pony Expo v t e [Spike](/source/Spike_(My_Little_Pony))'s plans to bake a jewel-encrusted cake crumble when he realizes he has consumed all the precious gems while mixing the [batter](/source/Batter_(cooking)). Soon, [Fluttershy](/source/Fluttershy) approaches him, seeking pet care services for Angel Bunny while the [Mane Six](/source/Mane_Six) travel to the Crystal Empire on official business. Recognizing a chance to replenish his gem supply, Spike eagerly expands his offer to include all six pets in exchange for payment from each owner, confident that caring for a few animals will be simple work. However, the pets immediately begin wreaking havoc throughout the Golden Oak Library, destroying furniture and creating complete chaos. Overwhelmed, Spike attempts to delegate the work to the [Cutie Mark Crusaders](/source/Cutie_Mark_Crusaders) by convincing them that pet-sitting could earn them their [cutie marks](/source/Cutie_mark). The eager fillies prove equally incapable of managing the unruly animals, and their various approaches to pet care only create more problems while costing Spike one of his precious gems for supplies. As Spike struggles to maintain control while leading the pets through Ponyville, a series of mishaps forces him to spend his remaining gems one by one. Angel escapes and boards the train bound for the Crystal Empire, forcing Spike to purchase tickets for himself, the Crusaders, and all the remaining pets. Spike desperately tries to keep the pets hidden from the Mane Six, who are traveling in the same car on their return trip to Ponyville. When Angel threatens to expose their presence by attacking [Applejack](/source/Applejack_(My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic))'s seat from below, Spike finally confesses his selfish motivations and apologizes to all the animals for treating them as obstacles rather than the companions that they really are. Touched by his remorse, the pets forgive him. After successfully returning to Ponyville without detection, Spike greets the Mane Six at the station and receives praise for his excellent care of their pets. Spike returns home and once again realizes that he has no more jewels for his cake, to which he cries out in dismay. ## Reception Sherilyn Connelly, the author of *Ponyville Confidential*, gave the episode a "B" rating[1] and wrote that it (along with "[Games Ponies Play](/source/Games_Ponies_Play)", which she gave an "A") was the highest point of the season. She wrote that the two-parter was an "interesting experiment in [story structure](/source/Story_structure)."[2] In a critical analysis of the episode, author Jen A. Blue described "Just for Sidekicks" as "yet another sitcom flail, in this case the hoary 'character takes on a new job they think will be easy, fails miserably' story" and analyzed Spike's behavior through a [capitalist](/source/Capitalist) framework, arguing that he functions as a perfect match for a real-world [corporation](/source/Corporation). Blue compared Spike's recruitment of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to work for free to real-world exploitation of young people in creative professions, especially in [unpaid internships](/source/Unpaid_internship) and contests that promise exposure instead of payment. However, Blue additionally offered a more redemptive interpretation of the episode and wrote that Spike's greed doesn't transform him as it did in "[Secret of My Excess](/source/Secret_of_My_Excess)" because he has already accepted and integrated this trait, and suggested that "he had an idea of how to channel his negative traits, of which he is now fully aware, into positive results, but that effort failed because it is essentially capitalistic" in a show whose core values are inherently [anti-capitalistic](/source/Anti-capitalistic).[3] Daniel Alvarez of *Unleash The Fanboy* gave the episode a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and called it "definitely the weakest of the season and one of the weakest overall" and further asserted that Spike cannot hold his own episode. He criticized Spike's portrayal as "devious" and wrote that the episode made viewers dislike Spike; despite this, he praised the other supporting characters for providing the episode's entertaining moments.[4] Raymond Gallant of *Freakin' Awesome Network* gave the episode a rating of 8.5 out of 10 and called it "a very strong [filler episode](/source/Filler_episode)". While Gallant acknowledged that the episode was not strictly necessary because the season had already focused on Spike, he praised Corey Powell's writing and found the episode far more enjoyable than expected.[5] Brendan Kachel of *[flayrah](/source/Flayrah)* wrote that the episode was the "much more interesting" part of the two-parter with "[Games Ponies Play](/source/Games_Ponies_Play)", which Kachel described as "weird".[6] ## See also - [List of *My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic* episodes](/source/List_of_My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic_episodes) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Connelly (2017)](#CITEREFConnelly2017), p. 80 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Connelly (2017)](#CITEREFConnelly2017), p. 138 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Blue-S3-JFS_3-0)** Blue, Jen A. (2016-01-20). "SPIKE WANT! (Just for Sidekicks)". *My Little Po-Mo: Unauthorized Critical Essays on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Season Three and Derivative Works*. pp. 67–72. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Alvarez, Daniel (2013-01-27). ["My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic 'Just for Sidekicks' Review"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130203212603/http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/news/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-just-for-sidekicks-review/41610). *Unleash The Fanboy*. Archived from [the original](http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/news/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-just-for-sidekicks-review/41610) on 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2025-06-30. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Gallant, Raymond (2013-01-28). ["My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 3, Episode 11 Review"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130225065041/http://www.freakinawesomenetwork.net/2013/01/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-3-episode-11-review/). *Freakin Awesome Network*. Archived from [the original](http://www.freakinawesomenetwork.net/2013/01/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-3-episode-11-review/) on 2013-02-25. Retrieved 2025-06-30. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Kachel, Brendan (2014-05-25). ["Review: 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic' Princess Twilight Sparkle DVD (with bonus 'Equestria Girls' review)"](https://www.flayrah.com/5639/review-my-little-pony-friendship-magic-princess-twilight-sparkle-dvd-bonus-equestria-girls-revi). *flayrah*. Retrieved 2025-06-30. ### Bibliography - Connelly, Sherilyn (2017-04-01). [*Ponyville Confidential: The History and Culture of My Little Pony, 1981-2016*](https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ponyville_Confidential/E3VPDgAAQBAJ). McFarland. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4766-6209-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4766-6209-1). ## External links - ["Just for Sidekicks"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2516580/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) v t e My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes Seasons 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Season 3 "The Crystal Empire" "Too Many Pinkie Pies" "One Bad Apple" "Magic Duel" "Sleepless in Ponyville" "Wonderbolts Academy" "Apple Family Reunion" "Spike at Your Service" "Keep Calm and Flutter On" "Just for Sidekicks" "Games Ponies Play" "Magical Mystery Cure" --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Just for Sidekicks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_for_Sidekicks) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_for_Sidekicks?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.