Fall Weather Friends

Fall Weather Friends is the thirteenth episode of the first season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. In this episode, Applejack and Rainbow Dash's sportsmanship is put to the test as they face off in a series of competitions to see who the better athlete is. The title is a play on "fair weather friends", which refers to people who are only friends when it is convenient (when weather is fair) and will abandon their friends during bad times.__TOC__
==Production==
According to the episode's writer, Amy Keating Rogers, Applejack saying "Pete's sake" was originally "Corn's sake", as a reference to the I Love Lucy character Fred Mertz. The line was later used in the season four episode Filli Vanilli.
==Summary==
===Iron Pony competition===
 Applejack and Rainbow Dash play a game of horseshoes at Sweet Apple Acres. When Applejack wins, Rainbow Dash challenges her to an Iron Pony competition to determine who among them is the best athlete. Twilight Sparkle agrees to judge as the two contestants engage in a series of athletic contests.
 After trading wins for the first eight events, Rainbow Dash starts using her wings to gain advantage, leading her to win the remaining events along with the competition itself. Applejack calls out the unfair advantage and challenges Rainbow Dash to race her in the Running of the Leaves, an annual community event to shake the autumn leaves off the trees by running through the forest. Rainbow agrees and promises not to use her wings.
===The Running of the Leaves===
 As the racers gather at the starting line, Applejack makes sure Rainbow Dash will keep good on her promise by tying her wings up. Twilight Sparkle joins them at the starting line to experience the event herself, remaining unfazed when they poke fun at her limited racing experience.
The marathon begins, and Rainbow Dash and Applejack soon take the lead running neck and neck as Spike and Pinkie Pie commentate from the Twinkling Balloon. When Applejack stumbles and falls behind, she assumes Rainbow tripped her on purpose, but Twilight soon catches up and points to a rock that she stumbled over. Applejack quickly catches back up to Rainbow Dash, who trips over a stump while the other racers pass by. Rainbow assumes Applejack caused her fall until Twilight comes by and points out the stump.
 As they run through White Tail Woods, Applejack and Rainbow Dash try to hinder each other with obstacles in the environment. Rainbow eventually gains the lead and flips a directional sign to trick Applejack into running the wrong way, though Pinkie Pie soon finds her and gives her a lift back into the race in the Twinkling Balloon. After Rainbow slingshots back into the lead, she collides with Applejack into a mountainside, where they are overtaken by the rest of the contestants before rejoining the race.
===Past the finish line===
 In the home stretch, Applejack and Rainbow Dash start deliberately bumping into each other. Rainbow's wings become untied in the fray, but Applejack tackles her as she tries to take off, and the two tussle all the way past the finish line. As they argue over who finished first, Pinkie Pie informs them that they tied for last, and Twilight Sparkle approaches wearing a 5th place medal.
When Princess Celestia shows up to celebrate the event, Applejack and Rainbow Dash apologize to her for their antagonistic behavior, and Twilight Sparkle remarks how the friendship in a competition is always more important than the competition itself. Celestia points out that many leaf-laden trees remain, and Applejack and Rainbow run off to race each other once more.
==Quotes==
:Applejack: You're a mighty good athlete... I'm just better.
:Rainbow Dash: All right, Applejack, you think you're the top athlete in all of Ponyville?
:Applejack: Well, I was gonna say in all of Equestria, but that might be gildin' the lily.
:Twilight Sparkle: And I'm here to...?
:Rainbow Dash: [grunt] I don't know. Why is she here?
:Applejack: To be our judge and keep score.
:Rainbow Dash: Right, heh. Somepony's gotta record my awesomeness for the history books.
:Twilight Sparkle: Rainbow Dash wins the Bronco Buck!
:Spike: Ugh! And I lose...
:Applejack: But have you ever run a race?
:Twilight Sparkle: Well, no. But I do know a lot about running.
:Rainbow Dash: And you know this from...
:Twilight Sparkle: Books. I read several on the subject.
:Rainbow Dash: What did you read... the Egghead's Guide to Running? Did you stretch up your... eye muscles to warm up? HA HA HA HA! Get it? "Eye muscles"!
:Pinkie Pie: Welcome to the official coverage of the Running of the Leaves! You know, Spike, despite its name, the leaves don't do any of the actual running. No, that's left to my little ponies.
:Spike: Why... yes, Pinkie! It's the running of the ponies that causes the leaves to fall.
:Pinkie Pie: Ugh... Those lazy, lazy leaves.
:Applejack: Not so easy without wings, is it?
:Rainbow Dash: Come on, Rainbow. Show 'em a little "dash"!
:Twilight Sparkle: Remember, Rainbow. This is just a game.
:Rainbow Dash: Yes, but the rules have changed, and two can play at that game.
:Pinkie Pie: I must say, Spike, that this has been the most interesting Running of the Leaves in Equestria history!
:Spike: With the most interesting announcing...
==Gallery==
==References==
ar:التنافس المدمر
de:Das Blätterrennen
es:Amigas Otoñales
id:Teman Musim Gugur
it:L'Amicizia Prima di Tutto
ja:アイアンポニーはどっち？
ko:낙엽 달리기 대회
pl:Jesienna przyjaźń
ru:Осенний забег
pt:A Corrida das Folhas
sv:Höstvädersvänner
uk:Осіннє змагання
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