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{{Infobox television episode | title = | series = [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]] | image = | image_alt = | caption = | season = 3 | episode = 9 | director = *[[James Wootton (animator)|James Wootton]] *[[Jayson Thiessen]] (supervising) | story = [[Dave Polsky]] | teleplay = [[Merriwether Williams]] | airdate = {{start date|2012|12|29}} | length = 22 minutes | guests = | prev = [[Apple Family Reunion]] | next = [[Keep Calm and Flutter On]] | season_article = My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (season 3) | episode_list = List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes }} "'''Spike at Your Service'''" is the ninth episode of [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 3|the third season]] of [[animated series|animated]] television series ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'' as well as the sixty-first overall. It aired on December 29, 2012. In this episode, Applejack saves Spike from a herd of timberwolves, and he insists on repaying her so that he can live up to the Noble Dragon Code. However, when he offers to help her with the chores on the farm, she is not comfortable with his attitude.
==Plot== {{External media |headerimage=[[File:YouTube 2024.svg|alt=YouTube logo|x20px|center]] |video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf780ip1OMc Spike at Your Service (full episode)] — Official upload of the episode onto [[YouTube]] | float= left| }} {{My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic sidebar}} {{more plot|date=November 2021}} When Applejack saves Spike from a timberwolf attack in the Everfree Forest, he insists on helping her around the farm in order to repay a life debt that is customary to dragons in their "Dragon Code". His efforts only make trouble for her and the other ponies, and they set up a fake timberwolf attack for Spike so that he can save Applejack from, thus making him feel satisfied with his debt. Their ruse draws a pack of real timberwolves, which Applejack easily crushes, but the pieces form into a single giant beast and she gets caught in a rockslide. Spike causes the timberwolf to fall apart by throwing a rock down its throat, and frees Applejack. Afterwards, Applejack convinces Spike to give up his debt.
==Background== "Spike at Your Service" was directed by [[James Wootton (animator)|James Wootton]], with [[Jayson Thiessen]] supervising, and written by [[Merriwether Williams]], based on a story by [[Dave Polsky]].<ref>{{cite episode|title=Spike at Your Service|series=My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|series-link=My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|date=December 29, 2012|network=[[Discovery Family|The Hub]]|season=3|number=9}}</ref> According to Polsky, though Spike is shown to know very little about being a dragon in "Dragon Quest", the Dragon Code {{nowrap|"[k]inda}} felt ... credible he'd taken initiative to learn about his dragon heritage since".<ref>{{cite tweet|number=285792116976795648|first=Dave|last=Polsky|author-link=Dave Polsky|user=DavePolsky|title=@Brian_Lay Can see your point, Brian. Kinda felt it credible he'd taken initiative to learn about his dragon heritage since, but good point.}}</ref> In the first treatment, Spike owed Rarity a life debt. Because Rarity was so cruel to Spike, it was changed to Applejack.<ref name="Crusader">{{cite web |author1=CouchCrusader |title=Panel Writeup: The Writer's Room |url=https://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/02/unicon-2013-panel-writers-room.html |publisher=[[Equestria Daily]] |access-date=November 27, 2021 |language=en |date=February 22, 2013}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2021}} The Timberwolves are dogs made of wood. According to Mary Jane Begin, author of ''My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria'', their threateningness mostly comes from their size, machine-like structure, and sharp geometric shapes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Begin |first1=Mary Jane |title=My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria |date=October 13, 2015 |publisher=[[Abrams Books]] |isbn=978-1-419-71577-8 |page=117}}</ref> They were modelled and animated by layout supervisor John Cantlie;<ref>{{cite tweet|number=285788329885192192|first=Jayson|last=Thiessen|author-link=Jayson Thiessen|user=goldenrusset|title=@StandbyPlease thanks. One of our layout supervisors, John Cantlie, modelled and animated them himself. saved doing it in flash.}}</ref> instead of the planned [[Flash animation]], the wolves were animated using [[Autodesk Maya]].<ref>{{cite tweet|number=285820651233755139|first=Jayson|last=Thiessen|author-link=Jayson Thiessen|user=goldenrusset|title=@YupTDO @standbyplease he just went ahead and did it on his own. We planned to do it in flash but he thought they would look better in Maya}}</ref>
==Broadcast and reception== The episode aired on December 29, 2012, on [[Discovery Family|The Hub]].<ref name="Busis">{{cite web |last1=Busis |first1=Hillary |title='My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic': Exclusive clip and art |url=https://ew.com/article/2012/12/28/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-exclusive-clip-applejack/ |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=November 27, 2021 |language=en |date=December 28, 2012}}</ref> It was viewed by 432,000 people and garnered double-digit year-to-year delivery gains in all demographics except kids aged 2–11 and 6–11, which gained one-digit gains.<ref name="Viewership">{{cite press release |title=The Hub Wraps 2012 with Fifth Consecutive Quarter of Year-Over-Year Audience Growth Across Key Demos |url=https://newsroom.hasbro.com/news-releases/news-release-details/hub-wraps-2012-fifth-consecutive-quarter-year-over-year-audience |publisher=[[Hasbro]] |access-date=November 28, 2021 |language=en |date=January 3, 2013}}</ref> Daniel Alvarez of ''Unleash the Fanboy'' gave "Spike at Your Service" three and a half out of five stars, calling it "[n]ot great and perhaps the weakest episode of the season, but enjoyable nonetheless".<ref name="Alvarez">{{cite web |last1=Alvarez |first1=Daniel |title=My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic 'Spike at Your Service' Review |url=http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/news/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-spike-at-your-service-review/38808 |website=Unleash The Fanboy |access-date=November 27, 2021 |date=December 29, 2012}}</ref>
==Home media== The episode has been released as part of the ''Friendship Is Magic'' season three collections, in Region 1 by [[Shout! Factory]] and Region 4 by [[Madman Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite web |title=My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season Three |url=https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-three?product_id=3202 |publisher=[[Shout! Factory]] |access-date=May 26, 2021 |archive-date=May 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526023931/https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-three?product_id=3202 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Season 3 Collection |url=http://www.madman.com.au/catalogue/view/34671/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-3-collection |publisher=[[Madman Entertainment]] |access-date=June 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407024739/http://www.madman.com.au/catalogue/view/34671/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-3-collection |archive-date=April 7, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb episode|2481120}}
{{My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes|3|state=expanded}}
[[Category:My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes]] [[Category:2012 American television episodes]] [[Category:2012 Canadian television episodes]]