# Secret of My Excess > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Secret_of_My_Excess > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Secret_of_My_Excess.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_of_My_Excess > Source revision: 1347406606 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 10th episode of the 2nd season of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic "Secret of My Excess" My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode Spike (left), now a full-sized dragon, grabs Rarity (right). Episode no. Season 2 Episode 10 Written by M.A. Larson Original air date December 10, 2011 (2011-12-10) Running time 22 minutes Episode chronology ← Previous "Sweet and Elite" Next → "Hearth's Warming Eve" My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 2 List of episodes "**Secret of My Excess**" is the tenth episode of the [second season](/source/My_Little_Pony%3A_Friendship_Is_Magic_season_2) 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 [M.A. Larson](/source/M.A._Larson). It originally aired on [The Hub](/source/Discovery_Family#As_Hub_Network_(2010–2014)) on December 10, 2011. In this episode, [Spike](/source/Spike_(My_Little_Pony)) celebrates his first birthday in Ponyville and receives many gifts from his friends, but this triggers a dangerous hoarding instinct that causes him to grow into a giant dragon and threaten the town. ## Plot External videos Secret of My Excess (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 At the Golden Oak Library, [Spike](/source/Spike_(My_Little_Pony)) proudly displays a fire ruby he has carefully aged for months as a special treat for his approaching birthday. When [Rarity](/source/Rarity_(My_Little_Pony)) visits to borrow a fashion book and becomes captivated by the spectacular gem, Spike abandons his original plan to eat it and instead offers the ruby as a gift, which delights Rarity so much that she kisses his cheek before departing. During his birthday celebration with the [Mane Six](/source/Mane_Six), Rarity reveals she has incorporated the ruby into an elegant necklace and used Spike's generous gesture as inspiration for designing new capes, while the abundance of presents from his friends fills Spike with excitement and a desire for the festivities to continue indefinitely. After receiving more gifts from the Cakes and an encounter with Cheerilee who offers him a hat, Spike begins actively approaching other ponies around town to request birthday presents. The following morning, Spike awakens significantly larger and more gangly, and he displays an obsessive compulsion to collect and hoard various objects. Consultations with local doctors prove fruitless until [Zecora](/source/Zecora) diagnoses the problem as dragon greed—a condition where accumulating possessions triggers physical growth—but Spike escapes with her belongings before they can intervene. Spike's transformations accelerate as he rampages through Ponyville, growing progressively larger with each hoarding episode until he reaches enormous proportions and begins terrorizing the entire town. His destructive spree culminates when he snatches Rarity from her boutique and carries her through the streets despite desperate rescue attempts by the other ponies and even the [Wonderbolts](/source/Wonderbolts). However, when Rarity's torn cape exposes the fire ruby necklace during his rampage, the sight triggers Spike's memory of giving her that precious gift, instantly reversing his growth and returning him to normal size just before he and Rarity plummet toward the ground. [Rainbow Dash](/source/Rainbow_Dash) and [Fluttershy](/source/Fluttershy) safely catch the falling pair, and Spike surveys the widespread destruction he caused and becomes overwhelmed with remorse. Rarity praises his ability to overcome the greed and gives him another affectionate kiss. Spike learns that the joy of giving meaningful gifts to those you care about far surpasses the temporary satisfaction of receiving them and writes a friendship report to [Princess Celestia](/source/Princess_Celestia). ## Reception Sherilyn Connelly, the author of *Ponyville Confidential*, gave the episode a "C+" rating.[1] In her review of the episode in *[SF Weekly](/source/SF_Weekly)*, Connelly noted the parallel to the previous episode ("[Sweet and Elite](/source/Sweet_and_Elite)") in that both episodes feature characters who "struggle with who they are, and who they want to be."[2] In a critical analysis of the episode, author Jen A. Blue described "Secret of My Excess" as "one of Season 2's frontrunners for worst episode" and wrote that it has a bad reputation among fans for being boring. Blue criticized the episode's exploration of what she called "[biology-as-destiny](/source/Biological_determinism)", arguing that it problematically suggests a person's nature and actions are primarily determined by biological factors rather than environment and choice. She analyzed Spike's transformation as problematic gender representation and identified what she called "Sitcom Sexism" that simultaneously depicts men negatively while suggesting their behavior isn't their fault, which places the burden on women to civilize them. Blue wrote that the episode implies Spike's biology prevents him from maturing while retaining his intelligence and pony-like personality. However, Blue also offered an alternative redemptive reading in which Spike represents a [corporation](/source/Corporation) that [starts small](/source/Startup) and personable but must pursue greed to grow, eventually becoming a callous entity that tramples individuals without malice. Blue concluded that while this corporate reading could work as a primer on [capitalism](/source/Capitalism)'s problems for children, it was obtuse, and the toxic gender-based interpretation remained more accessible.[3] *Anime Superhero News* called the episode "great" and praised its superb characters, humor, and entertainment value. However, the review criticized the episode for using an overly clichéd [King Kong](/source/King_Kong) parody that the reviewer felt was too frequently done.[4] Raymond Gallant of *Freakin' Awesome Network* gave the episode a rating of 9 out of 10 and called it "one of the best episodes to come out of the show yet." He praised the episode as providing much-needed redemption for Spike's character and complimented its perfect blend of action, comedy, and adventure, though he criticized the quick resolution of the ending, which he called "a bit terrible".[5] ## Home media release The episode was part of the Season 2 [DVD](/source/DVD) set, released by [Shout Factory](/source/Shout!_Factory) on May 14, 2013.[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. 78 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Connelly, Sherilyn (2012-06-13). ["My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 2, Episodes 9 & 10"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120713011125/http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/06/my_little_pony_recap_season_2_episodes_09_10.php). *[SF Weekly](/source/SF_Weekly)*. Archived from [the original](http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/06/my_little_pony_recap_season_2_episodes_09_10.php) on 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2025-06-13. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Blue-S2_3-0)** Blue, Jen A. (2014-10-25). "You are a natural! A natural disaster! (Secret of My Excess)". *My Little Po-Mo: Unauthorized Critical Essays on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Season Two*. pp. 84–90. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** SammyT (2011-12-13). ["MLP: Friendship is Magic "Secret of My Excess" Recap"](https://animesuperhero.com/mlp-friendship-is-magic-secret-of-my-excess-recap/). *Anime Superhero News*. Retrieved 2025-06-14. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Gallant, Raymond (2011-12-12). ["My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 2, Episode 10 Review"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140308054112/http://www.freakinawesomenetwork.net/2011/12/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-2-episode-10-review/). *Freakin Awesome Network*. Archived from [the original](http://www.freakinawesomenetwork.net/2011/12/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-2-episode-10-review/) on 2014-03-08. Retrieved 2025-06-14. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season 2"](https://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-Magic/dp/B00C0YUY4Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top). *Amazon*. February 27, 2013. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210404071625/https://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-Magic/dp/B00C0YUY4Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2013. ### 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 - ["Secret of My Excess"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2071863/) 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 2 "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" --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Secret of My Excess](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_of_My_Excess) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_of_My_Excess?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.