Fall Weather Friends

Fall Weather Friends is the thirteenth episode of the first season of Legends of the Multiverse: Friendship is Magic. In this episode, Sheriff Mulan and Sally Acorn's sportsmanship is put to the test as they face off in an Iron Animal competition 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.

Production
According to the episode's writer, Amy Keating Rogers, Mulan 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.

Iron Animal competition
The episode begins at Fa Family Acres during a game of horseshoes. Sheriff Mulan bests Sally Acorn by a ringer. While the farm pony assures her that it was all in good fun, Sally says she hates losing. She challenges her friend to an Iron Animal competition, a series of sports contests, to decide who's the best athlete. Rapunzel and Nene Amano are spectators, Kairi Sparkle is the events' judge, Olaf and Navi acts as announcer, and Spectra Vondergeist tallies the scores.

Sheriff Mulan completes the first event, the barrel weave, in 17 seconds, but receives a five-second penalty for bumping into one of the barrels. Sally Acorn brushes through flawlessly in 18 seconds, earning one point.

In the Strength Test, Rainbow Dash bucks the hammer hard enough to hit the bell at the top, but Mulan kicks the hammer hard enough to break it and send the bell flying, earning her a point. She credits her prowess to "years of chinabuckin'." and kicks the tree Dash is sitting underneath. Apples fall on Dash's head to the tune of Shave and a Haircut.

The goal of the next test, the Bronco Buck, is to buck Olaf off in the shortest amount of time; Sally wins this round. In Calf Roping, the contestants must lasso Olaf; Mulan easily does this as Sally accidentally ties herself to a tree branch. In the next round, Sally beats Mulan at balancing and bouncing balls. Mulan brings the score back to 3-3 by shot-putting a bale of hay a further distance. Sally wins the arm-wrestle, and Mulan bucks a football much further (4-4). Halfway through the competition, the ponies are tied 5-5, and most of Multiville has joined the spectator stands.

Refusing to lose, Sally Acorn starts winning more events by using her wings. She briefly flaps her wings to win a grueling push-up contest, propels herself forward in the Long Jump to gain a few more inches, and carries a flock of baby chicks on her outstretched wings in a race across some mud. In the last event, a game of tug of war, Sally flies up and tricks Mulan into talking and thus letting go of the rope. Mulan falls into the mud pit. With a staggering 15-5, Sally "wins" the competition. Mulan calls out her friend for cheating with her tails. Sally brings up the fact that she never said not to use her flying tails, but Mulan responds that she shouldn't have to. The farm fox girl challenges her to the annual Running of the Leaves, under the condition that she does not use her tails at all. Sally accepts the terms.

The Running of the Leaves
After Mulan and Sally agree to race in the Running of the Leaves, the scene cuts to black and fades to Kairi, Olaf and Navi walking to the race. Olaf and Navi mentions he wants to be the race's announcer, but the frame pans to Rapunzel in the Twinkling Balloon, who has already taken the role of announcer. She explains that the competition is one of Multiville's traditions and its purpose is to shake the autumn leaves off the trees with the pounding of footsteps.

Competitors
Several numbered competitors feature in the episode:
 * 00 – Sheriff Ting Tang, switched number to 10 while running
 * 00 – "Mireille Caquet"
 * 1 – Lila Sawyer
 * 5 – Chester McBadbat
 * 6 – "Candy Chiu"
 * 8 – Sheriff Mulan, who tied for last place with Sally Acorn
 * 10 – Aurore Beaureal, who switched to number 01 during the race
 * 11 – Sally Acorn, who tied for last place with Sheriff Mulan
 * 18 – Lyna
 * 42 – Kairi Sparkle, who won fifth place
 * 81 – Honey Lemon, who switches numbers to 18 and 6 while running
 * 88 – Cherry Jam
 * Harley Quinn
 * Shiki Misaki
 * Amethyst van der Troll
 * Princess Daisy

At the starting line
Rapunzel invites Spike to join her in commentating. As the racers gather at the starting line, Mulan makes sure Sally will keep good on her promise by tying her flying tails up. To their surprise, Kairi Sparkle joins the race to experience it herself, giving them the opportunity to mock their "egghead" friend. They are deeply amused by the fact that she has never run a race but has read on the subject.

The race begins
The marathon begins and Sally Acorn and Sheriff Mulan are already leading, determined to win once and for all. They are neck and neck before Mulan trips over a rock. She immediately accuses her rival of intentionally tripping her. With the exception of Twilight Sparkle, who is casually strolling behind and enjoying the scenery, the rest of the ponies rush past her. Kairi informs her that she didn't look where she was going, and Mulan dashes off to make up for lost time. Later, Sally slows to a comfortable step, confident of her lead, but Mulan runs past her. This time, the Pegasus trips over a stump and falls second-to-last next to Kairi Sparkle. She reminds Sally that this is just a game. Too stubborn to believe that her china-bucking friend would never stoop to such acts, Sally ACorn decides to play dirty. Rapunzel, Olaf and Navi still narrate from above.

Catching up to Sheriff Mulan, the two use the environment of the Enchanted Forest to their advantage, from branches to bees to tree syrup. Along the way, Sally Acorn flips an arrow sign, which points Sheriff Mulan to a dead-end up a nearby mountain. All the racers after Sheriff Mulan continue on the original path and run past Sally Acorn while she leans on the sign laughing. When Kairi stops by, she mentions that all the other racers just ran past her. Sal runs off to get back in the race. Meanwhile, Applejack reaches the mountain summit and realizes Sal tricked her. Pinkie Pie offers her a lift in the Twinkling Balloon.

As they approach the home stretch, Mulan and Sally fight harder than ever before to finish first. When the finish line is in sight, they start deliberately bumping into each other sideways. In the resulting tussle, Sheriff Mulan accidentally unties Sally Acorn's ropes, allowing her to break her promise at the last second and fly. Sheriff Mulan intercepts her and they fight all the way to the finishing line. They start arguing about who finished first, but to their shock, their constant clash and mutual obstruction had caused them to fall behind and tie for the last place. Even Kairi got fifth place, and she explains that she followed the advice from her books and paced herself throughout the race, before going all-out when most of the racers were worn out. Twilight says this is a good result for a first-time racer.

Epilogue
As Sally Acorn and Sheriff Mulan feel sorry for their own embarrassingly poor sportsmanship, Princess Palutena steps forward. The Princess was watching the entire event as fall is one of her favorite seasons. She forgives them, saying that anybody can get swept up in the competitive spirit. She points out that the two missed some of the leaf-laden trees. Realizing that friendship is more important than any competition, the two last-place racers run off together to finish off the rest of the trees.

Quotes

 * Sally Acorn: Looks like this Pegasus can pitch better than the workhorse!


 * Sheriff Mulan: You're a mighty good athlete... I'm just better.
 * Sally Acorn: All right, Sheriff Mulan, you think you're the top athlete in all of Multiville?
 * Sheriff Mulan: Well, I was gonna say in all of Multitopia, but that might be gildin' the lily.


 * Kairi Sparkle: So you two are doing what-now?
 * Sheriff Mulan: An Iron--
 * Sally Acorn: Iron Animal competition.
 * Sheriff Mulan: See, we've set up a bunch of events to decide which one of us is--
 * Sally Acorn: The most athletic animal ever! [grunt]
 * Kairi Sparkle: And I'm here to...?
 * Sally Acorn: [grunt] I don't know. Why is she here?
 * Sheriff Mulan: To be our judge and keep score.


 * Sally Acorn: Ready for another Animal Ride?
 * Olaf: No!
 * Kairi Sparkle: Go!


 * Kairi Sparkle: Sally Acorn wins the Bronco Buck!
 * Olaf: Ugh! And I lose...
 * Navi: Come On!


 * Sally Acorn: What?! You're not an athlete, you're a... well... you're an egghead.
 * Kairi Sparkle: I am not an egghead! I am well-read.
 * Sally Acorn : Egghead...
 * Sheriff Mulan: [snickers] But have you ever run a race?
 * Kairi Sparkle: Well, no. But I do know a lot about running.
 * Sally Acorn: And you know this from...
 * Kairi Sparkle: Books. I read several on the subject.
 * Sally Acorn: 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"!


 * Rapunzel: Welcome to the official coverage of the Running of the Leaves! You know, Olaf and You Too Navi, despite its name, the leaves don't do any of the actual running. No, that's left to my little animals.
 * Olaf: Why... yes, Rapunzel! It's the running of the animals that causes the leaves to fall.
 * Rapunzel: Urgh... Those lazy, lazy leaves.
 * Navi: Maybe an Our!


 * Olaf: You know Rapunzel, these two ponies have a bit of a grudge match they're trying to settle, trying to prove who's the most athletic.
 * Rapunzel: Yes, and "grudge" rhymes with "fudge".
 * Olaf: Yes it... does? What?
 * Rapunzel: And I like fudge, but if I eat too much fudge I get a pudge and then I can't budge.
 * Olaf: So, no fudge?
 * Navi: Say What?! These fudge more than chocolatey
 * Rapunzel: No thanks, I had a big breakfast.


 * Sheriff Mulan: Not so easy without flying tails, is it?
 * Sally Acorn: Come on, Sally. Show 'em a little "fly"!


 * Olaf: I don't believe it! After a huge setback, Sheriff Mulan is back at the front of the pack!
 * Rapunzel: She's the head of the pack, all right. The pick of the litter! The CAT'S PAJAMAS! Oh, wait! Why would Sheriff Mulan take some poor kitty's PJs? That's not very sporting of her.
 * Navi: Here We Go!
 * Spike: Oookay... Let's get back to the race.


 * Kairi Sparkle: Remember, Sally. This is just a game.
 * Sally Acorn: Yes. But the rules have changed. And two can play at that game.


 * Olaf: And Olaf. Looks like Sally is doing her best to catch up.
 * Rapunzel: I'm not sure how ketchup is going to help at this contest. Now, in a hot dog eating contest it can make them dogs nice and slippery. But personally, I prefer mustard. How about you, Spike?
 * Olaf: Uh... I like... pickles?
 * Navi: Pickles!?? What?! Pickles!?
 * Rapunzel: Aaand it looks like Sheriff Mulan has found herself in quite a 'pickle' as Sally overtakes her.


 * Kairi Sparkle: Oh my, Whitetail Wood is just lovely. Hey, Rainbow, shouldn't you be up ahead?
 * Sally Acorn: [chuckling] I'm sure I'll win now.
 * Kairi Sparkle: Except that the other racers just passed you.
 * Sally Acorn: Oh animal chinese apples... See ya!


 * Rapunzel: I must say, Spike, that this has been the most interesting Running of the Leaves in Multitopia history!
 * Olaf: With the most interesting announcing...
 * Navi: OLAF!!!!
 * Olaf: Okay.... Technology?


 * Sally Acorn: Look, ma, no wings.


 * Kairi Sparkle: Forgive me, girls. I know I'm not an athlete, but shouldn't the Running of the Leaves actually involve running?
 * Sally Acorn: You know, I think Kairi's right.
 * Sheriff Mulan: You do?
 * Sally Acorn: Yeah! If you wanna beat me, you better... RUUUN!


 * Sally Acorn: I don't believe it. Kairi beat us!
 * Kairi Sparkle: Well, with all your horsing around it was quite easy.