Here we are again. It’s time to watch “Fall Weather Friends”, by Amy Keeting Rogers. Before this, she’d done Bridle Gossip, Applebuck Season, and part of Ticket Master. Mostly the fleshing out part.

Applebucking was once Applebumping, in fact, and involved bashing your head against trees. They decided having an episode where Applejack is bashing her head against all the trees in the orchard and possibly gets a serious concussion was a bad idea, I guess.

This is the Applejack x Rainbow Dash episode, though, where they repeatedly bite each others tails, and Rainbow Dash gets tied up.

This should be fun. Let’s watch!

So, Applejack and Rainbow Dash are playing horseshoes. Those horseshoes are way too big to go on your hoof, though. Just sayin’.

Of course, they seem to be doing mouth and snout throws with them, and getting some good results. I can’t help but think in a later season, they’d be pitching them with their hooves and maybe Rainbow’s wings, and it would be worse for it.

They have some great chemistry and rivalry going here, though. Applejack’s hoof-spitting from Look Before You Sleep is back, but Rainbow matches it. And now they are on for an Iron Pony competition.

Nice how they have “Pony Girl” and “Applesnack” going back and forth, and Applejack brushing Rainbow’s face with her tail.

The last Applejack x Rainbow Dash episode was “The Non-Compete Clause”, wasn’t it? That was horrible. So far, this is way better.

So we now have Rainbow doing stretches with Applejack there, and Twilight is now also there with Spike, because back then, they remembered Spike more often, for better or worse.

Also, Twilight’s going to judge (spoiler: we never see her actually judging), but Spike gets to be the announcer, and seems to think a stick is a microphone. Maybe Twilight enchanted it to act as one.

Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy seem to have come along as an audience. I guess we needed the full cast to be here.

First contest is trying to run a course of barrels without hitting them in the shortest time, timed by Spike. Applejack seems to usually do this for the rodeo, so she probably has the advantage here.

Time of 17 seconds, plus 5 for hitting a barrel. Applejack’s doing really good at slang this episode, too, saying things like “nuts and barrels”.

Rainbow got 18 seconds, so winds by a bump. At this point, Applejack is encouraging Rainbow and saying things like “It’s all in good fun” and being a good sport.

And Fluttershy is changing the scorecards.

Next is one of those bells with the thing you hit on the bottom as a test of strength. Rainbow does well, and ponies are… tossing horseshoes in the air? That seems like a bad idea.

Applejack, though, actually breaks it when doing it, and apparently the most property damage wins, She also knocks a buncha apples on Rainbow’s head.

For the next event, we get Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom watching. Where’s Scoots?

This appears to be the ‘abuse Spike’ event. Spike sits on their backs, and they try to buck him off. So obviously Spike is going to fall off two different ponies in this event, while wearing a silly hat, though there is hay for him to fall in.

Spike is naturally concerned, saying “Why me?” and I can’t blame him. Twilight, don’t let your friends abuse Spike!

And Rainbow Dash wins, presumably for tossing Spike the furthest and potentially causing him the most in the way of injuries. Good job.

Next event is… oh. Abuse Spike, round 2. I seriously did not remember these.

Spike wears a different hat with big yakish horns, and Applejack ties him up and has her way with him. Or ties him up, anyways.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash seems to have gotten the wrong idea, and tied herself up. Or maybe she wanted to be the one tied up.

And we got away from the abusing Spike events to ball bouncing, which Rainbow Dash was already a master at from Dragonshy. Nice consistency, given that wasn’t even one of Amy’s episodes.

Next we have hay bale hurtling. Rainbow Dash was sticking out her tongue at Applejack here, and got hit by a bale. Nice. And I guess Applejack wins without even giving Rainbow a turn? Angel changes the cards here.

Rainbow beats Applejack at hoof wrestling. They are sure going through these events fast! Probably because they don’t really have that much time in this episode to get through all this.

The audience got bigger somewhere along the line, too.

Now they are kicking American footballs. I’m, um, not sure what the goal was here, because Applejack’s knocks her scorecard off and a higher number replaces it. Er, that’s not how that works…

Spike’s back at announcing with the stick. “Fillies and gentlecolts!”. And now there’s a huge audience, and they are tied.

There are even acrobats, I think?

This round was pushups, and Rainbow wins. Wonder if her wing muscles affect things? Applejack is telling herself to be a good sport, which doesn’t bode well.

No they are hurdling themselves, and Rainbow Dash won but she was about to come down in second place, then sorta bounced ahead in the air. Did she cheat here?

For the next event, they both go through mud with baby chicks on their backs. Who comes up with these things? Rainbow sticks them all on her wings and wins, which seems a bit unfair.

And the final event, they are both tugging on opposite ends of a rope with a mud pit in the middle. Rainbow totally cheats on this one, flying up over the pit, and Applejack falls in while protesting her cheating. Not sure why Rainbow Dash is awarded the points for this one. She was going to fall in when she started flying.

What’s with Applejack repeatedly being called “the workhorse”, anyways?

Applejack calls out Rainbow on her cheating, does one of her now customary tail pulls on Rainbow Dash that vanished in later seasons, and challenges her to a race at the running of the leaves with no wings.

“Why are you so excited for the Running of the Leaves? It’s only for ponies.” Goody, another racist holiday in Ponyville. Spike could’ve run the course…

Spike wanted to announce, but it seems like Pinkie Pie got that job.

Not sure I really buy that the leaves wouldn’t fall without the running, but whatever.

There’s Bon Bon happily doing stretches, Carrot Top running in place, Berry Punch awkwardly lifting one foreleg, and some other pony, then we move over to Applejack, ready as ever, and Rainbow Dash struts up, full of herself as always, and has her usual exchange with Applejack.

Rainbow Dash suggests being tied up, perhaps not being satisfied with earlier, and Applejack is happy to oblige, and ‘trusses her up like a turkey’. What do you do to turkeys over on Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack?

And Pinkie Pie is actually nice to Spike this round, and brings him on board to be co-commentator.

Meanwhile, Twilight has also joined the race. While Applejack is 8 and Rainbow is 11, what number would Twilight ever be but 42?

“I’m not an egghead, I’m well read.” You tell them, Twilight. Neither Applejack or Rainbow Dash is taking her seriously, but, of course, they are all caught up in the competition, and not even interest in the actual (racist Ponyville) holiday they are participating in.

Rainbow Dash is certainly obnoxious here, and Applejack hides it better, but is still sniggering. Jocks.

There are a lot of other ponies racing, too, but they don’t really count. In fact, when you look at them all racing out, they went and repeated the first batch of racers behind our main characters exactly to flesh them out! I see 5 different ponies marked as number 10, and several 00’s.

And Spike and Pinkie Pie have the best commentary here. I’d quote it, but I’d probably end up quoting all of it! They really are great together!

First we go on about lazy leaves, then the fudge bit, and what percentage of a nose Applejack/Rainbow Dash is ahead by. Wonderful.

“Come on Rainbow, show them a little Dash.”

Applejack was ahead, then Rainbow catches up, and… Applejack trips over a rock and falls. All the other ponies stampede by, without anyone stopping to help her up. Then along comes Twilight at her own pace, who is taking her time and enjoying herself.

Applejack somehow manages to catch up and pass Rainbow Dash after all that, maybe because Rainbow Dash slowed down, thinking she’d won.

Okay, I will quote this bit of commentary: “She's the head of the pack, all right. The pick of the litter! The cat's pajamas! Oh wait, why would Applejack take some poor kitty's PJs? That's not very sporting of her.”

This time, Rainbow Dash trips over a stump, with Twilight helpfully points out to her.

Rainbow Dash is convinced Applejack cheated, though, and decides to play dirty. (Though, seriously, Rainbow started the cheating earlier…)

Oh, boy, the ketchup jokes. *Snerk*.

Rainbow Dash sprints ahead, spots a tree branch, and pulls it and smacks it straight into Applejack’s face, permanently blinding her in one eye!

Okay, no, no eye injuries, but it could have happened.

Applejack decides there are no rules, and catapults herself ahead with the branch. What is this, a rubber tree?

Then Applejack knocks a beehive down right in front of Rainbow Dash… which doesn’t really work out, because a Rainbow Dash being chased by bees is even faster.

Rainbow Dash gets away by hiding behind a bush, and decides to sabotage the race course sign. It’s not like anypony else is running this race, right?

Actually, they all run in the right direction anyways. Only Applejack is fooled. And there’s Twilight taking her time, coming patiently along. Er, Rainbow Dash, in a race, it’s usually a bad thing if everypony passes you.

Twilight helpfully points this out as well. “Oh, horseapples!”

Having run the wrong direction and gotten to a cliff, Applejack lets out a horsy snort of the sort they still did in season 1, and gets a lift from Pinkie Pie, flying ahead of Rainbow Dash, who still has her wings tied back.

And that was maple sap being collected in buckets on those trees.

In fact, in the next dirty trick, Applejack spills it on the ground, getting Rainbow Dash stuck in place.

And somehow the maple syrup hurtles Rainbow ahead, knocking into Applejack and turning her into a hurricane and things get all Looney Tunes.

It all ends up just as they planned, Rainbow Dash on the bottom, still tied up, with Applejack right on top of her. Of course, the section of cliff they are on collapses at that point.

Twilight comes by and observes that the running of the leaves should actually involve running. Everyone else is ahead of them again, of course. How many times can they get behind everyone, then ahead again?

Not enough, apparently. The fact that everyone else is standing there as they race towards the finish line, ramming into each other should’ve been a hint.

Applejack even bites Rainbow Dash’s tail again. And this time Rainbow bites Applejack’s tail back! And Applejack bites off the rope Rainbow Dash had tied on her, which seems counterproductive.

Rainbow Dash starts flying, Applejack pounces on her, and AppleDash shippers lean forward in anticipation… but they are just fighting. And they continue fighting across the finish line.

And they tied! For last. Which should come as no surprise.

Twilight didn’t win, bust she did get fifth place, and as she points out, that’s pretty good for not running a race before. Especially since she’s not athletic or anything.

She was actually smart, in fact, and paced herself, then sprinted to the finish at the end of the race. No idea why that didn’t occur to the ponies who are actually theoretically interested in racing. Have Applejack and Rainbow Dash never competed in the running of the leaves before?

“I don't believe it. Twilight beat us.” “Well, with all your horsing around, it was quite easy.” *snerk*

And Princess Celestia turns up out of the blue, and everypony throws themselves on the ground, as usual. That gets kinda old. Why is she in Ponyville?

Apparently fall is one of her favorite seasons, but it still doesn’t explain “why Ponyville?”. Oh well. Still, we get the moral in person, and one of the most shippy endings ever.

“Fall is one of my favorite seasons, so I came to celebrate the Running of the Leaves.”
” I'm sorry you had to see us being such poor sports, Princess.”
“That's all right, Applejack. Anypony can get swept up in the excitement of competition.”
“It's important to remember that the friendship is always more important than the competition.”
“Exactly, Twilight. Now, unfortunately, because the two of you were busy tricking each other instead of shaking down leaves, many of the lovely trees of Equestria are still covered.”
“Why, Princess, I bet we can knock those leaves down for you lickety-split. Whaddya say, friend? Wanna go for another run?”
“I'd love to stretch my legs.”

And they race off into the distance, friends.

For all the issues I had along the way, this was a lovely, fun episode, with a good moral, though I’d also say to be like Twilight, not either Rainbow or Applejack.

It did kinda feel like two different acts. With the timing and the fact that early on, they’d planned for episodes to be 11 minutes instead of 22, I wonder if they bolted two RD x AJ episodes together for this? If that’s what happened, it did work, though.

It’s funny how Spike gets the best and worst of this episode. His involvement in the Iron Pony section was rather messed up, but the segments with Pinkie announcing were beautiful, and they played well off each other. I would’ve liked more of that.

Next week should be fun, too, as we get “Suited for Success” with Rarity singing a great musical number based on Stephen Sondheim's “Putting It Together” and Opal getting flattened with a bolt of fabric. Good times.

See you then!

--Sweetie Belle

7104157
The first episode I watched on it's own after becomnig a fan! And as it taking so long for anyone to post in the thread might indicate, not the most memorable or inspiring one - just a simple, straightforward showcase of the relationship between our two more masculine leads.

Applebucking was once Applebumping, in fact, and involved bashing your head against trees. They decided having an episode where Applejack is bashing her head against all the trees in the orchard and possibly gets a serious concussion was a bad idea, I guess.

Always a good Exhibit #1 when people start quoting from the Gospel of Faust.

So, Applejack and Rainbow Dash are playing horseshoes. Those horseshoes are way too big to go on your hoof, though. Just sayin’.

Of course, they seem to be doing mouth and snout throws with them, and getting some good results. I can’t help but think in a later season, they’d be pitching them with their hooves and maybe Rainbow’s wings, and it would be worse for it.

And to contrast, something Faust (or maybe Renzetti) did bring to the show, and sadly left with them. (As for what horseshoes are for in this world, you've got me.)

What’s with Applejack repeatedly being called “the workhorse”, anyways?

Gentle ribbing at her long hours and lack of a social life?

“Why are you so excited for the Running of the Leaves? It’s only for ponies.” Goody, another racist holiday in Ponyville. Spike could’ve run the course…

I think you're pushing too far in the other direction - I could see other quadrupeds, but a baby dragon? (Come to think of it, do we see any foals running? Maybe "only for grown-ups" would have been better.)

And Spike and Pinkie Pie have the best commentary here. I’d quote it, but I’d probably end up quoting all of it! They really are great together!

With such a basic premise, what this episode has to rely on is the writing and the details, and thankfully all are perfectly on form here. It's a testament to the quality of this season that I consider this episode an average, representative one.

And that was maple sap being collected in buckets on those trees.

I thought you harvested that in the spring, not the autumn - I remember someone ranting about how ponies couldn't have it because they wrap up winter too quickly.

Twilight didn’t win, bust she did get fifth place, and as she points out, that’s pretty good for not running a race before. Especially since she’s not athletic or anything.

Another positive aspect of the early seasons I think unfortunately got a bit lost - it's not the winning, it's the taking part.

And Princess Celestia turns up out of the blue, and everypony throws themselves on the ground, as usual. That gets kinda old. Why is she in Ponyville?

It was a smaller world back then, I guess. Although Twilight's presence is enough to attract her attention at least, and despite what the finale tried to suggest, it's really not far from Canterlot as the alicorn flies - or teleports.

As I've said, I consider this "the average" of Season 1, and I honestly think it makes a good baseline to which other eps can be compared - "it' alright if you're not better than this, but it's a problem if you're worse". However, this review has helped remind me that it's a pretty darn good show in it's own right, just overshadowed by many excellent and flashier episodes in it's home season - stick it in most later ones and it'd be one of the best!

7104157 Now this is a classic. Though I have to ask, why is Applejack the only one to complain about Rainbow Dash's cheating when it becomes blatantly obvious? You'd expect at least the final challenge to have a few ponies complaining about what Rainbow was doing.

My favorite part of this episode was seeing Derpy throw a rose down to Fluttershy, it was adorable.

7104157 Woo, AppleDash episode!

I didn't used to ship AppleDash, and this ep wasn't what sold me on the pairing. But that's a tale for another time.

One thing that I always liked about this ep was how both Applejack and Rainbow Dash feed each other's negative aspects. Rainbow Dash is obviously determined to win, for reasons that *at this point in time* aren't terribly apparent (but will become so in Sonic Rainboom), that being insecurity, but Applejack is also loathe to lose control of the contest as well and tries to claw it back whenever Rainbow makes a move to take it away by cheating or using her wings. So Rainbow cheats harder and Applejack has to cheat harder still, and so on...

That's the connecting theme between the first Iron Pony contest and the Running of the Leaves, as far as I can tell. I liked how it felt kinda natural though, and I obviously remember the ep fondly after I went back to look at it again at a time when I actually enjoyed the show more.

7104249

And to contrast, something Faust (or maybe Renetti) did bring to the show, and sadly left with them. (As for what horseshoes are for in this world, you've got me.)

Yeah, it seems to me like mlp was really good, not because of Faust alone, but the combination of her and the others she was working with. She put together a great base, but some of her initial ideas needed work and got it.

Sweet Apple Acres is a better name than Big Apple Orchard, and Big Macintosh is decidedly better than Big Apple namewise, for example.

I think you're pushing too far in the other direction - I could see other quadrupeds, but a baby dragon? (Come to think of it, do we see any foals running? Maybe "only for grown-ups" would have been better.)

Oh, he wouldn't win it, but I could see him tackling it the same way Twilight did. The idea it was only for ponies was what bugged me. No griffins, donkeys, dragons, yaks...

With such a basic premise, what this episode has to rely on is the writing and the details, and thankfully all are perfectly on form here. It's a testament to the quality of this season that I consider this episode an average, representative one.

The Pinkie Pie writing was just wonderful here. But it is Amy Keeting Rogers, and Pinkie Pie was a character she handles well.

I thought you harvested that in the spring, not the autumn - I remember someone ranting about how ponies couldn't have it because they wrap up winter too quickly.

Entirely possible. Of course, it's fall and it was winter two episodes ago...

Another positive aspect of the early seasons I think unfortunately got a bit lost - it's not the winning, it's the taking part.

Yeah. Hurricane Fluttershy is another good one along this line.

As I've said, I consider this "the average" of Season 1, and I honestly think it makes a good baseline to which other eps can be compared - "it' alright if you're not better than this, but it's a problem if you're worse". However, this review has helped remind me that it's a pretty darn good show in it's own right, just overshadowed by many excellent and flashier episodes in it's home season - stick it in most later ones and it'd be one of the best!

I can say it is certainly better than the average episode in the last season or two for me. This is actually pretty helpful in reminding me of what the show was like when I got sucked into it...

--Sweetie Belle

7104268

Now this is a classic. Though I have to ask, why is Applejack the only one to complain about Rainbow Dash's cheating when it becomes blatantly obvious? You'd expect at least the final challenge to have a few ponies complaining about what Rainbow was doing.

Yeah, I'm really not sure on that, either...

7104307
Didn't notice that!

7104311

One thing that I always liked about this ep was how both Applejack and Rainbow Dash feed each other's negative aspects. Rainbow Dash is obviously determined to win, for reasons that *at this point in time* aren't terribly apparent (but will become so in Sonic Rainboom), that being insecurity, but Applejack is also loathe to lose control of the contest as well and tries to claw it back whenever Rainbow makes a move to take it away by cheating or using her wings. So Rainbow cheats harder and Applejack has to cheat harder still, and so on...

That is one of the great things about it is how you see things spin out of control. Early on, things were quite sportsmanlike, and by the end, they are just outright fighting, and have totally lost touch with the race they were supposed to be doing.

Meanwhile, Twilight did things exactly the way the race should have gone.

That's the connecting theme between the first Iron Pony contest and the Running of the Leaves, as far as I can tell. I liked how it felt kinda natural though, and I obviously remember the ep fondly after I went back to look at it again at a time when I actually enjoyed the show more.

They are connected, and I can see why they put them together. It just struck me as they transitioned that it pretty much was done as if it was two 11 minute episodes that were meshed together. They did work them together, though, carrying on things like Spike's announcing, and it was done naturally. I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't already known about the 11 minute thing with Ticket Master.

It was a nice reminder of what I liked about the show that made it special, rather than just another show I watch occasionally...

--Sweetie Belle

7104501

The Pinkie Pie writing was just wonderful here. But it is Amy Keating Rogers, and Pinkie Pie was a character she handles well.

I know some would disagree, seeing how both Friend in Need and Filli Vanilli were her's.

7104516

Yeah, I'm really not sure on that, either...

Probably some cultural baggage we'd never get but makes perfect sense to ponies.

That is one of the great things about it is how you see things spin out of control. Early on, things were quite sportsmanlike, and by the end, they are just outright fighting, and have totally lost touch with the race they were supposed to be doing.

This show has some memorable antagonists, but it can be argued it's at it's best when the characters are their own or each others worst enemies. (Then again if that was the whole show, one might wonder why they were friends...)

And the episode feels perfectly natural as a 22-minuter to me - the first half doesn't have any resolution on it's own, and the second makes the characters look worse without the first as build-up.

7104521

And the episode feels perfectly natural as a 22-minuter to me - the first half doesn't have any resolution on it's own, and the second makes the characters look worse without the first as build-up.

It's possible that they had different openings and endings if they were both originally conceived as 11 minute stories, and then combined into a 22 minute episode.

Here we have a situation that’s very similar to “Look Before You Sleep”, which is two characters acting like a couple of schoolponies over something stupid. Basically, Rainbow Dash and Applejack get a little too competitive over something that’s not even supposed to be a race, but is supposed to be a nice, relaxing activity, and they end up beating the ever-loving crap out of each other as a result.

What started this whole fiasco was a friendly competition. Despite Applejack telling Rainbow Dash that it’s all in good fun, Rainbow Dash decides that it’s a competition to be won and cheats through most of the challenges using her wings. Common sense should have told her that she wouldn’t be allowed to use her wings in the competition, as this would give her an unfair advantage. But, then again, this is Rainbow Dash we’re talking about, a pony who isn’t very bright. So of course, Applejack has to be the one to tell her this. The two of them agree to have a rematch during the annual Running of the Leaves.

Throughout this entire competition, Spike has been serving as the announcer, though he sometimes managed to get himself roped into helping out with the competition. Somehow, this competition attracts the attention of all of Ponyville by the fourth competition. Must have been a day off from work for most ponies or they must have been bored.

Twilight decides to compete as well, leading to ridicule mainly from Rainbow Dash, but Applejack doesn’t make any attempts to hide the fact that she’s laughing at Twilight as well. She at least had the decency to wish Twilight good luck.

During the Running of the Leaves, Pinkie Pie and Spike provide commentary. Pinkie Pie keeps getting sidetracked throughout it, however.

Very much like episodes such as “Look Before You Sleep” and “Bridle Gossip”, I have a problem with who’s learning the moral. Again, this kind of setup sounds like it’d be something more suited for the schoolponies. Let’s say it turns out that Silver Spoon is good at chess. Instead of being a good sport, she goes around tooting her own horn, saying how she’s the best at chess and whatnot. Sweetie Belle challenges her on this, saying that the two should settle on a chess competition to see if Silver Spoon really is as good as she says she is. Silver Spoon ends up losing the competition, allowing her to learn the lesson of being a good sport instead of going around bragging about how good she is. Regardless, this moral taught here is a good one, and it’s what led to one of the most popular Rainbow Dash pairings when it comes to shipping.