Rainbow Falls

For the village, see Locations#Rainbow Falls.

Rainbow Falls
Season №:	4
Season episode №:	10
Overall episode №:	75
Original airdate:	January 18, 2014
Written by:	Corey Powell
Storyboard:	Sherann Johnson and Dave Wiebe
Featured characters:	The Wonderbolts Bulk Biceps
See also
credits • transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation
Episode guide
Previous Pinkie Apple Pie	Next Three's A Crowd

Rainbow Falls is the tenth episode of the fourth season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the seventy-fifth episode overall. In this episode, Rainbow Dash leads the Ponyville aerial relay team as they seek to qualify for the Equestria Games, though her loyalty is tested when the Wonderbolts invite her to join them on the Cloudsdale team.

Production and development

Season four promotional image using Rainbow Falls as a background

The episode is included in the DVD A Dash Of Awesome, which was announced in early December 2013.

The title of the episode was previously revealed in early August 2013 on Amazon as part of the title of the upcoming April 8, 2014 24-page storybook Welcome to Rainbow Falls!, in which "the ponies attend the famous sporting event known as the Equestrian[sic] Games", before its name was replaced with "Spring 2014 8x8" on the Amazon listing in mid-August 2013; some other websites' listings of the book still include the name.

A small part showing Pinkie dressed up as a cheerleader reappears in Cakes for the Memories.

The scenes when Rainbow Dash qualifies Ponyville for the Equestria Games and when she admits her wrongs to her friends reappears in Deep Tissue Memories.

Summary

Pegasus pep talk

"Gimme a 'P' for 'Ponyville'!"

In a clearing near Ponyville, Rainbow Dash gives a pep talk to the town's aerial relay team—consisting of herself, Fluttershy, and Bulk Biceps—about the upcoming tryouts for the Equestria Games taking place at Rainbow Falls. Pinkie Pie shows up in a cheerleading outfit while Applejack soon arrives with a cartful of treats. As Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps perform a warmup maneuver, however, they end up colliding with Rainbow and crashing to the ground.

The Equestria Games tryouts

On the train ride to Rainbow Falls, Twilight Sparkle commends Rainbow for joining the Ponyville team with relatively weak flyers, given that contestants can only participate in one event. Rainbow assures Twilight that she'll be able to pick up their slack, and the rest of the Mane Six express excitement about competing in the tryouts.

The Wonderbolts at the Training Grounds.

The group soon arrive at the tryout grounds and overhear that the Wonderbolts will be representing Cloudsdale in the aerial relay event, whereupon Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot approach Rainbow and greet her as "real competition". As Rainbow leads her team in a series of practice sessions, she begins to notice differences in ability and coordination between them and the Wonderbolts and grows discouraged, even as Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity borrow ideas from their support staff.

"This is your chance to fly with the winners."

During one of the Wonderbolts' practice sessions, Soarin clips his wing on a hoop and begins falling toward the ground. Rainbow manages to catch him just in time, though he finds that his wing is injured and gets carted off for treatment. Impressed by her quick reaction, Spitfire and Fleetfoot invite Rainbow to practice with them while Soarin recovers, pointing out that she can fly with them since Cloudsdale is her hometown. After some initial hesitation about practicing with a competing team, Rainbow agrees to do so in secret.

Between two teams

This is a decision Rainbow has to make herself.

For the next several practice sessions, Rainbow secretly moves between the Ponyville and Cloudsdale teams before Twilight catches her in the act of switching. Rainbow protests that she has more fun practicing with the "winners" than the "non-winners" and argues that Ponyville will still qualify with her on the team. Moments later, however, Spitfire and Fleetfoot approach and ask Rainbow to join their team permanently, reporting that Soarin won't recover in time. Rainbow's initial excitement about the opportunity quickly turns to dismay when Twilight reminds her of all the ponies she'd let down, and when Rainbow asks what she would do, Twilight tells her it's a decision she has to make on her own.

Rainbow fakes an injury to avoid a tough decision.

Later, Rainbow Dash appears on the tryout grounds covered in bandages and bound to a wheelchair. She feigns injury and wails about being unable to fly with either team. Twilight is skeptical of the obvious ruse.

Rainbow Dash is brought to a hospital bed, continuing to fake being hurt. When Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps check in on her, they tell her not to worry about the tryouts, having found a replacement flyer: Derpy. They also promise that, if they qualify for the Equestria Games and win gold medals, they'll give them to her. Rainbow Dash's friends leave to let her rest, and before she joins them, Twilight tells Rainbow that "choosing not to choose isn't really a decision".

Rainbow realizes that her friends are more important than winning.

In the adjacent hospital bed, Soarin is envious of Rainbow Dash and her friends, noting that no one's visited him during his stay. When he tells Rainbow that his wing isn't hurt and that he's been benched due to Spitfire and Fleetfoot's concerns, Rainbow realizes both she and Soarin have been lied to. As sunlight enters the room and covers a dropped flag in colors, Rainbow Dash's eyes shimmer with a rainbow-colored aura.

The magic of loyalty

Rainbow Dash truly shows that she is the element of loyalty.

Rainbow Dash also confronts Spitfire and Fleetfoot for lying to her about Soarin's wing just to replace him with her—which Soarin is also displeased about. The two Wonderbolts commend Rainbow for her loyalty, saying that they could learn a lot from her, and invite Soarin back onto their team. As the Cloudsdale team flies off, Rainbow and the Ponyville team join them.

Just as the Cloudsdale team finishes qualifying for the Equestria Games, the Ponyville team begin their own qualifying run, with some encouragement from the Cloudsdale team and cheerleaders. Despite a bit of fumbling with the horseshoe baton pass, Rainbow Dash speeds for the finish, and Ponyville just barely succeeds in qualifying for the Games. As Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Bulk Biceps are awarded medals for qualifying, Spitfire also gives Rainbow Dash a Wonderbolt pin.

Epilogue

A lighting bolt badge has a rainbow on it.

In the Golden Oak Library, Rainbow Dash writes her latest lesson in the Mane Six's journal, reflecting that while she enjoys winning, her love and loyalty to her friends will always come first.

Rainbow hangs her medal and Wonderbolt pin on the journal's lectern before joining her friends outside. As she leaves, the Wonderbolt pin briefly shines with a multicolored light the same way the spool of thread shone in Rarity Takes Manehattan.

Quotes

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

Bulk Biceps: Yeah! (numerous times)

Rainbow Dash: So, do I need to remind you of what our goal is here?

Bulk Biceps: Uh, maybe?

Applejack: Looks like they got better aim.

Fluttershy: Oh Rainbow Dash, I'm so proud of you. You scooped Soarin out of the sky and brought him down to the ground and now, now he's okay. At least, I hope he's okay. [to Soarin] Are you okay?

Bulk Biceps: 'P' is for Rainbow Dash!

Fluttershy: [whispering] Um, "Rainbow Dash" actually starts with an 'R'.

Bulk Biceps: Never mind!

Spitfire: We put you through some pretty intense workouts at the Wonderbolt Academy and you handled those just fine.

Rainbow Dash: I, uh, tripped on a, uh, foam hoof, and landed on a [mumbles, near unintelligible] pokey stick coming out of the ground...

Pinkie Pie: Grrrr!! If I get my hooves on that [matching unintelligible gibberish], it'll be in big trouble!

Twilight Sparkle: You know, choosing not to choose isn't really a decision.

Pinkie Pie: Gah! What am I gonna do with all these now?!

Applejack: Uh, what were you gonna do with them before?

Gallery

Rainbow Falls image gallery

References

v • e Episodes, films, and animated shorts

Make Your Mark
Episode 1 Izzy Does It	Episode 2 Growing Pains	Episode 3 Portrait of a Princess	Episode 4 Ali-Conned
Episode 5 The Cutie Mark Mix-Up	Episode 6 The Traditional Unicorn Sleep-Over	Episode 7 Hoof Done It?	Episode 8 Have You Seen This Dragon?
Episode 9 Top Remodel	Episode 10 The Jinxie Games	Episode 11 Sunny Side Up	Episode 12 The Manesquerade Ball
Episode 13 A Little Horse	Episode 14 Missing the Mark	Episode 15 Cutie Blossom Bash	Episode 16 Family Trees Pt. 1
Episode 17 Family Trees Pt. 2	Episode 18 Father of the Bridlewood	Episode 19 Mane Smelody	Episode 20 Nightmare on Mane Street
Episode 21 The Isle of Scaly‎‎	Episode 22 Roots of All Evil Pt. 1‎	Episode 23 Roots of All Evil Pt. 2