Chapters Sweetie Belle walked into the Carousel Boutique and found Rarity standing at a sewing machine guiding fabrics through it. Sweetie's entrance was no surprise. Rarity greeted her without looking up.
“How did you win the Cutie Cup?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“My role in the actual contest was short lived for I was only helpful during the third course,” Rarity began, “But between the courses, I made sure the other two were feeling at their best. I would do whatever to took to boost their confidence. It was I who made sure we were at our best during every course.”
“I don't understand. How can the moments between the courses have any benefit to winning?” Sweetie Belle questioned.
“Darling, there is more to playing a game than the game itself. You can have the best strategy, the strongest players, and even years of training, but you will not win if you lack energy and confidence. Our competitors tried to discourage us, but I successfully made sure their attempts failed. They loved to pick on Derpy, but she's a mare who will try at all costs, one who will never give up even when the world is against her! She did it! She found and captured the flag. Confidence in yourself and your teammates is very important! In fact, it may possibly be the most important asset.”
“But Scootaloo can't fly!” Sweetie Belle pointed out.
“Flight was never a requirement for winning,” Rarity assured. “In fact, pegasi who are capable of flying often preform poorly on the rock climbing course.”
“There are a lot of ponies faster than us,” Sweetie said. She hung her head in doubt.
“You don't need to be fastest,” Rarity told her, “Your team just needs to pass the finish line in under a minute. You three are definitely fast enough to do that.”
Sweetie Belle's ears shot up, “Really? You really think we have a chance?”
“I know you have a chance,” Rarity confirmed.
Sweetie Belle jumped up and hugged Rarity. Sweetie Belle knew she was going to win now. The two unicorns continued talking. Rarity asked Sweetie Belle to find the positive qualities of her friends, those that would encourage them to continue. Sweetie listed off the great things about her friends.
The door suddenly flew open as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo made their entrance. Scootaloo announced, “We should start training if we want to win and earn our cutie marks!”
Rarity stopped her, “The Cutie Cup will not give you your cutie marks, and for good reasons, too.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at her confused, so she continued, “Ponies are only able to compete in the Cutie Cup once. Your cutie mark should reflect on talents that you can live up to. I did not have my cutie mark when I competed. As you can see, my cutie mark has nothing to do with that competition.”
“We understand,” Sweetie Belle said. “I'm still afraid of cheaters, though.”
“Don't worry. You will be fine,” Rarity promised.
Sweetie Belle accepted the promise with a smile. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo quickly left. Sweetie Belle gave Rarity another hug before she followed her friends.
Rainbow Dash was at the same spot she was in when Scootaloo left. She noticed the three little fillies and stood up and put on a cool pose. Scootaloo was clearly excited with her wings flapping and her wide grin. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, while still excited, did not display it as much.
“Attention!” Rainbow barked. The Cutie Mark Crusaders instantly stood firm in a line. Rainbow smiled proudly at her skills and continued, “If you want to win the cutie cup, you need to train, and you need to train hard! Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes ma'am!” the three fillies responded simultaneously.
Rainbow continued, “The Cutie Cup is in five days! For the next five days, you will become closer to winning the competition!”
Rainbow Dash explained that they needed to pay attention to posture and breathing when they ran. She galloped around the park at an incredible speed as the fillies watched her every move. They watched as she lowered her head and used long strides. They even noticed that she inhaled when her front hooves were in the front and exhaled while they were in the back.
After she finished running, she told the three of them to run laps around the park. They noticed improvement in their speed by changing the way they ran. Rainbow paid attention to them to see where they needed improvement. She noticed that Scootaloo was the fastest, which was no surprise. She also noticed that Sweetie Belle, who came in last, always hit the ground with one hoof at a time. She had them stop and told Sweetie Belle to use both front hooves at the same time.
Rainbow Dash knew that the fillies needed to train on other courses, so she told them to stop. She then gave them one end of a rope and held the other. She and the Cutie Mark Crusaders played tug-o-war until the three fillies fell over.
“My jaw hurts!” Scootaloo complained.
“Where you gripping really tight?” Rainbow asked. Scootaloo answered with a nod, so she told her, “You need to grip the rope hard enough so it is secure in your mouth but not so hard that you end up hurting your jaws.” She paused for a moment to think. “Think of it like this. The rope is something very important, and I'm trying to steal it.”
“Would that really work?” Sweetie asked.
“It worked for Daring Do,” Rainbow told her. She recalled the scene from 'Daring Do and the Heir of the Highlands' where Daring Do had to protect a golden crown. The strong desire to protect the crown gave Daring the strength she needed. Rainbow thought it was some kind of magic, but Twilight later explained that it was a psychological thing.
The ponies continued playing tug-o-war. While they could not defeat Rainbow Dash, they were able to stay afoot much longer. Nevertheless, they continued training. They needed all the training they could get if they wanted to win the Cutie Cup.
During their training, they were interrupted by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. “It's awful!” Diamond Tiara cried out in distress.
“What's awful?” Apple Bloom asked.
“I was looking forward to competing against you in the Cutie Cup! I so badly wanted to see you three fall flat on your faces!” Diamond Tiara said in a melodramatic tone. She wiped a tear from her eye before informing the crusaders, “The Cutie Cup is canceled!”
“What?!” The crusaders shouted in unison.
“They found out that they won't have enough money to host the games,” Silver Spoon explained, “Maybe we can try again next year.”
The crusaders huddled together. “I don't understand why they're telling us,” Apple Bloom told the other two.
“Me either,” Scootaloo agreed.
“Maybe they're telling everyone,” Sweetie Belle said. The other two looked at her like she was crazy. “Diamond Tiara's father hosts the games.”
“Hopefully Rainbow Dash will still let us train,” Apple Bloom said hopefully.
“I think she will,” Scootaloo told her with confidence.
The three fillies got out of their huddle. They wanted to continue talking to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, but they were already gone. Rainbow Dash waited patiently, though.
“So it's canceled, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked. She wasn't paying much attention. The fillies nodded in unison.
“We can still train with you, right?” Scootaloo asked.
“Of course!” Rainbow confirmed.
They continued training until it was sunset. That was when the fillies needed to go home and get some sleep. They were disappointed that Cutie Cup was canceled that year. They were looking forward to it. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom didn't want to tell their sisters that it was canceled.
The next few days, the Crusaders continued training with Rainbow Dash despite the fact that they thought it was a waste of time. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle wanted to quit, but Scootaloo convinced them to continue by telling them that they would definitely win next year if they trained early.
It was Friday. The sun was still rising in the sky. Apple Bloom invited Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo over for breakfast as suggested by Applejack. They enjoyed apple cobbler and engaged in small talk. The fillies were still upset that it was canceled. They decided now was the time to tell them.
“Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon told us that the Cutie Cup was canceled,” Apple Bloom told her family.
“Pony feather!” Granny Smith spat, “Filthy Rich came here just yesterday to wish my Apple Bloom luck!”
The crusaders looked at each other in shock. Diamond Tiara lied to them! They were ashamed that they believed those two. The games were going to start in five minutes. They had to run if they wanted to get there on time. They got up without cleaning their messes and made their way to the door.
Applejack stopped them, “Hold your horses! If you run there, you'll be tired out! Why don't y'all let me take you there?”
The fillies grinned widely and hopped into the nearest cart. Applejack hooked herself up to it and ran towards the Town Hall as fast as she could. There were already a large crowd of ponies there. The Cutie Mark Crusaders found a group of other fillies. They were about to join them, but they noticed that the teams were already wearing hoof bands.
The crusaders found a booth that was occupied by Miss Cheerilee. There were three foals talking to her. After they were finished, she gave them each matching hoof bands. Apple Bloom galloped to the booth followed by her two friends.
“I'm sorry, but the booth is closed,” Miss Cheerilee told them.
“Why did the three in front of us get hoof bands, then?” Scootaloo asked.
“They got here just before the entries were closed,” Cheerilee informed.
The fillies looked at each other in horror. They had to find a way to enter. Sweetie Belle decided to try to act like her older sister, “Miss Cheerilee, I think we can all agree that you are our favorite teacher!”
“I'm your only teacher,” Cheerilee reminded.
That didn't go as planned. Sweetie didn't give up though, “We misbehave when we get substitutes because we really miss you. I want to stay in school for the rest of my life so I could be with you.” She fluttered her eye lashes.
“I had no idea you liked me that way,” Cheerilee said, taken aback. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo snickered.
“No! I mean you're a great teacher and all, but you're too old! I mean... Rarity is much better at this.” Sweetie Belle gave up and started to leave.
Cheerilee stopped them, “Wait!” She gave the three of them blue hoof bands with gray swirls decorated on them. They grinned and jumped up to hug her. Then they dashed off to join the others. They agreed that it was a close call.
An announcer welcomed the spectators and told the contestants to make their way to the relay track. The crusaders, like everyone else, each went to one of the three legs.
Each race was one at a time to avoid clashes. A lot of the teams failed to complete the race in under a minute. Several others were disqualified after dropping the horseshoe. It was finally time for the crusader's to do their round. Sweetie Belle gripped onto the horseshoe and readied herself. The sound of a canon indicated that the race started. She galloped passed the starting line as fast as she could. She used the formation that Rainbow Dash taught her to run even faster.
Apple Bloom barely had enough time to react when Sweetie Belle gave her the horseshoe. She didn't waste any time, though. She focused on Scootaloo who was ready to take the horseshoe and complete the race. The passing was unnoticeable between them.
Finally, Scootaloo galloped with the finish line being the only thing she cared about. She heard Rainbow Dash's voice cheering her on. She didn't care if it was real or not, she took it as encouragement and ran faster than she ever ran before and passed the finish line.
The crusaders looked at their time and saw “0:55” and cheered. They qualified for the next round. There was no doubt they would make it, but they were expecting better than 55 seconds. They didn't dwell on it, though. Instead, they decided to talk to their sisters.
Apple Bloom found Applejack near the front of the crowd and galloped over to her. Applejack congratulated her younger sister on qualifying for the next round. Her excitement vanished when she saw a lot of the contestants.
Most of the teams that got disqualified had two or three unicorns, so that made the chances of the Crusaders going against an all earth pony team greater. Everypony knew that earth ponies were known for their strength, and tug-o-war never failed to prove it.
“Apple Bloom, there's a chance you'll go up against all earth ponies,” Applejack warned her, “But don't you fret. With all that time working on the farm and training with Rainbow Dash, I'm sure you and your friends got this!”
“Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo never worked on a farm,” Apple Bloom informed.
“That ain't important,” Applejack told her, “What's important is you try your hardest! Understand?”
“Yes ma'am!” Apple Bloom replied enthusiastically. She ran off to find her two friends.
The second course wasn't going to start for another five minutes, so they took the time to go over their plans. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo agreed to have Sweetie Belle in back, but Sweetie Belle wanted to be in the front. Apple Bloom reminded her that they trained with Sweetie Belle in the back, and she didn't want them to change things up.
Apple Bloom found a stray rope and suggested that they should practice. She took one end of the rope and held it firmly in her mouth while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo did the same with the other end. They pulled as hard as they could, but Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo fell forward. They continued to practice until the announcer told them that the next course was about to start.
They made their way to a large open area with scattered ropes. Each rope was two different colors and had designs which matched the team hoof bands. The crusaders searched for their rope and saw three ponies already there. They were going against a unicorn colt and two earth pony fillies.
According to the rules, if any pony picked up the rope before they were told to, their team would be disqualified. Most of the teams waited patiently with the exception of a few foals who were restless. Apple Bloom found Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, along with Peppermint Twist, in front of a rope not too far from them.
The announcer told the ponies to pick up the ropes, and everyone did so. They held them firmly. They were told to began, and they pulled at the ropes as hard as they could. Apple Bloom imagined that she was trying to pull a cart out of mud. Scootaloo's jaw started hurting, but she ignored it. Sweetie Belle struggled to not let go. The ponies against them didn't even break a sweat.
Most of the tug-o-war games were finished. The crusaders didn't want to give up, and neither did the team they were going against. They were able to make progress, though. The rope inched slowly towards their side until Sweetie Belle stepped on something slippery and almost fell over. Fortunately, a force pulled her back up. She was startled, but she didn't release the rope. The other three ponies were more surprised. Their mouths opened wide in surprise and released the ropes.
“How did she not fall over?” Garden Sprout, One of the earth ponies from the other team asked.
“I though it would work,” Clef, the unicorn told her.
Sweetie Belle heard what they said. 'Those cheaters,' she thought. She wasn't sure how she didn't fall over either. It was like some sort of magic pulled her up. It wasn't long before she remembered how the magic felt. It was familiar in every way, similar to Rarity's magic. It was Rarity's magic!
Sweetie Belle scanned the audience for her sister who sat near the center in the front row. She was talking to Twilight about something, but Sweetie couldn't hear anything. She trotted up to her and gave her a big hug. That startled Rarity, but she returned the hug.
“Thanks for saving me!” Sweetie squealed.
“I told you I will look after you, dear,” Rarity reminded.
“They cheated!” Sweetie told her.
Twilight interjected, “That was what we were talking about. It was definitely deliberate.”
“They are disqualified. I do not see why we must take further action,” Rarity said.
“Rarity, the fact that they were not disqualified for cheating is the problem.” Twilight informed.
“Yes, but didn't I cheat, too?” Rarity pondered aloud.
The question silenced Twilight. Rarity did cheat. She did it to even things out, but nevertheless, she cheated. It was her duty to report all cheaters, but was it necessary to report her? She did the right thing. It wasn't like she never used magic to help someone else. She remembered when she lit the flame during the Equestria Games after Spike failed numerous times.
“You prevented the success of a cheater, nothing more,” Twilight informed.
The announcer told the contestants to go to the field for the third course. Sweetie Belle found her friends and got ready for the item finding. They agreed on a strategy to find the items quickly. All three of them agreed to memorize the list and look around their section for any of the items:a blue horse shoe, a red quill, an orange belt, a green toy boat, and a purple rope. Sweetie Belle took the left section, Apple Bloom took the middle, and Scootaloo took the right.
Scootaloo walked through the pile of junk making sure not to step on anything. She was able to make out every individual item, but she didn't see any of the items on her list. She didn't give up, though. She continued searching. Near the buckets, she saw one of the items she was looking for, a toy boat. She runs to the buckets and drops the boat into an empty one and went back to searching.
Apple Bloom scanned her entire section for any of the items. She thought the item search was going to be like searching for bruised apples, but she was mistaken. It was more on the lines of finding a key in a trashcan. She moved items around just in case her items were hidden under something. As she continued moving things around, she felt something tickle the bottom of her hoof. She lifted her hoof to find a red quill sticking up from the ground. She picked it up and searched for a bucket to put it in. She found one with a green boat and remembered that it was one of the items on the list. She went back to her section and continued her search.
Sweetie Belle looked around everywhere. Her attention to detail was nothing compared to Rarity's. In fact, it was non-existent. All she saw was a large mess. She couldn't find anything on the list. She feared that she was going to cost her team the Cutie Cup until she turned around and saw something hidden behind an orange helmet. She couldn't tell what it was except that it was blue. She got close to get a better look and saw a blue horse show, one of the items on her list. She picked it up and hurried to one of the buckets. She searched for an empty one with no luck. She thought she lost until she noticed a green boat and red quill in one of the buckets: two of the items on the list. She dropped the horse shoe in that bucket and continued searching.
Scootaloo's search continued her search. She didn't know what items were on each section, so she looked for everything. It was hard to not to step on anything in the mess, but she was careful. Her search paid off because behind a yellow wagon wheel was an orange belt. She retrieved it and quickly put it in her bucket and continued looking for the items.
Apple Bloom knew that the boat and the quill were found, so she searched for the other three. Some of the items had to have been in the other sections, but she had no way of knowing. She dug through the mess hoping to find another item. As she searched more, she started to think that her section only had one item. That was until she saw it near the end. It reminded her of Applejack with the orange color. It wasn't her sister's rope, but it would have matched her. She carried it to the bucket and noticed that the other four items were in there. She told her friends, and they stopped looking around.
“We're gonna win the Cutie Cup!” Apple Bloom told her friends.
“This is only the third course,” Scootaloo pointed out. She didn't want to get her hopes up yet. The crusaders had practice rock climbing, but she wasn't sure if it was enough.
“Scootaloo's right,” Sweetie Belle agreed, “we don't know who we're going against.”
“Diamond Tiara,” Apple Bloom answered under her breath.
The other two looked around and saw Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Peppermint Twist relaxing. She thought they would have been out last round. Even if they were all earth ponies, there was no way they were strong.
“We should do some push ups to prepare for the rock climbing, get our upper body strengths up,” Scootaloo suggested. The others agreed, and they did twenty-five push ups each.
Scootaloo looked at the wall. It was taller than she imagined. The wall was slightly angled, but it still looked like it was straight up and down. She cautiously backed away and slammed into somepony. She quickly apologized and realized it was Rainbow Dash.
“Hey, Scoots, are you nervous?” Rainbow asked.
“Of course not!” Scootaloo lied. Beads of sweat fell from her forehead, and her hooves slightly shook.
“That's good!” Rainbow responded. She knew Scootaloo was nervous, but she knew not to call her out. “Just remember, you are one of the five teams to get this far. If there were champion rock climbers, chances are that they were disqualified during one of the previous courses. I know you and your friends are strong enough to get to the top!”
“You really think so?” Scootaloo asked excitedly.
“I know so,” Rainbow told her confidently.
Scootaloo went back to her friends just as the announcer told them to get to the wall. She rolled her eyes in annoyance because she just came from there. The other two happily made their way to the wall, though.
The wall was in the shape of a pentagon with a platform on top. They needed to be one of the first two teams to get to the top to make it to the final round. All of the foals were hooked up, but according to the rules, only one member of each team could start in a five second interval. They agreed to let Sweetie Belle start followed by Scootaloo and finally Apple Bloom.
The announcer announced to start of the course, and Sweetie Belle made her way to the top. She occasionally slipped on a couple of the holds, but she was able to keep her balance. Scootaloo started next and knew which holds to grab. It was different than climbing a mountain, but it wasn't necessarily harder. Apple Bloom's strength gave her a big advantage. She was able to pull herself up to the top quickly. Scootaloo reached the top first and waited. Apple Bloom quickly joined her. Silver Spoon and Twist made their way to the top, too. Sweetie Belle continued slipping, but she quickly made it to the top. Diamond Tiara got there quickly after. Apple Bloom groaned in annoyance. They were going to go against Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. She was hoping to go against a likable team.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were excited about getting to the final round, but they didn't want to go against ponies that constantly teased them. Unfortunately, that's how things turned out, and they couldn't do anything but accept it.
“Are y'all thinking what I'm thinking?” Apple Bloom asked. Her eyes were narrow with suspicion. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shook their heads. She told them accusingly, “I wouldn't be surprised if they cheated to win!”
“How did they cheat?” Sweetie Belle asked, confused.
“I don't know if they did, but I have a feeling they will,” Apple Bloom replied.
“We have no proof that they would cheat, but I'm going to tell Rainbow anyways,” Scootaloo told the others before galloping off. She found Rainbow Dash and repeated what Apple Bloom thought.
“We'll keep an eye out on things,” Rainbow agreed. Her friends nodded. Cheaters didn't deserve the Cutie Cup. Rainbow knew she cheated from time to time, but she played fair when it mattered. The Cutie Cup was an important historical event that didn't happen often. Winning it was a one in a life time opportunity.
Scootaloo wanted to stay with Rainbow Dash, but she had to get back to her friends to discuss the final course and their strategy. She waved goodbye to Rainbow Dash and galloped back to the others. She told them that Rainbow was keeping an eye out on things, and they agreed to not worry about that. They had other things to worry about.
The capture the flag course was different from an actual game of capture the flag in the sense that the teams only had three members. It didn't matter what roles the members of the teams used, but it was highly advised to get the role suited for their strengths. It was against the rules to put the flag in an area that none of the team members could reach, so narrow spaces and clouds were off limits. Sweetie Belle wanted to hide the flag in a crack with her unicorn magic, but rules were rules. The final course was going to take place at the town hall.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders quietly discussed their plan. Scootaloo was going to search for the flag that the Tiaras were going to hide while the other two were going to stay on their side to protect their own flag. All three were confident that they could win with their strategy.
At last, the announcer announced the final course. The Crusaders were given a blue flag while the Tiaras were given a red one. Both teams hid their flags in a strategic point within the parameters of the area. After both teams hid the flags, the final course began. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom agreed to be close enough to the flag so they could protect it but not so close that the location was obvious.
Scootaloo looked around for anything red. Artificial trees were set up all around the town hall, so it was easy to hide the flag. She couldn't see any sign of red. She knew it had to be somewhere unless the Tiaras cheated and never hid the flag in the first place. She wasn't about to jump to conclusions, though.
Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle saw Diamond Tiara searching for the flag. She hid behind a tree to stay out of sight. She didn't want Diamond Tiara to win. The crusaders had to win. They deserved it more than the Tiaras did.
The sky continued getting darker, and it was getting harder to see anything. The cold air pierced through the ponies' fur covered bodies. Sweetie Belle wished that she had one of Rarity's scarfs. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo didn't mind though. As for the Tiaras, all three of them were shivering. No one gave up though.
Scootaloo saw something red in the corner of her eye and went to check it out. She grinned as she saw her flag. Silver Spoon and Peppermint Twist were guarding it. Scootaloo knew that Twist's peripheral vision was poor, so she easily sneaked pass her. She grabbed the flag, and the announcer announced the end of the final course. The Crusaders won.
The cheers of the audience were deafening. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon angrily stormed to the crowed, but Peppermint Twist congratulated the winners before joining the other two. Cheerilee came up to them and also congratulated them on their performance. She then told them to go to the front of the town hall for the trophy.
The citizens of Ponyville cheered as the Cutie Mark Crusaders stood on stage. They waited patiently for the trophy. Scootaloo made several different poses as the audience captured pictures of them.
Mayor Mare finally gave an announcement, “Ladies and Gentle Colts, this has been a long yet exciting day for Ponyville! Foals of various ages competed in the Cutie Cup, but now this competition draws to an end. During the competition, we saw ponies who showed hard work, determination, and team work. This has been the most exciting Cutie Cup Ponyville had in a long time! Now it's time to name the winners!
“The winners of the 45th Ponyville Cutie Cup are the Cutie Mark Crusaders! They conquered the challenges of every course and made it here! They rightfully deserve to be awarded the Cutie Cup trophy!” The crowed cheered as two unicorns levitated a large trophy to the Crusaders. Their grins widened as the trophy got closer.
The crowed died down as ponies left, but the Crusaders stayed. They had another problem on their hooves. They couldn't decide who was going to keep the trophy. Applejack kept the trophy from when Applejack, Rarity, and Derpy won, so they were stuck between Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They had a short argument, but Apple Bloom suggested the Cutie Mark Crusader Club House, and they agreed on it.
They carried their trophy to the club house and put it in a glass case. They wanted to win the Cutie Cup, but they were surprised that they actually succeeded. They decided to lay down on the hard wooden floor out of exhaustion.
Their rest was cut short with a knock on their door. Sweetie Belle used her magic to open it, and standing at the door were Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity. Sweetie Belle quickly jumped and hugged Rarity. Apple Bloom's energy was suddenly restored, and she jumped in circles around Applejack. Scootaloo asked Rainbow Dash if she was proud, and she confirmed it. All of them were proud.
Ribbons decorated with assortments cutie marks surrounded the parameter of the class room. The words “The Cutie Cup” were written boldly on the black board, surrounded by other cutie marks. All of the foals talked among each other about the Cutie Cup. Miss Cheerilee was busy organizing some papers.
After five minutes of rowdiness, Miss Cheerilee was finally finished. She needed to tell the students about the Cutie Cup, though, “Can I have your attention?” Everypony stopped talking and listened attentively to the teacher. The sudden silence surprised Miss Cheerilee, “Well, thank you! As you all already know, the Cutie Cup is coming up! Who knows what the that is?”
Apple Bloom raised her hoof. The teacher looked at her, and she explained, “The Cutie Cup celebrates the first cutie marks ever! Long before Equestria was found, even long before the tribes, only a small group of ponies existed. During that time, cutie marks didn't exist. They would put foals through five difficult tasks and brand them based on their performance.
“One day, a filly had an unusual branding. It was of a basket of berries, and there was one on each flank. Some of the ponies held her in high respect while others thought she was a fake. Later, markings, which are now known as cutie marks, appeared on the ponies naturally.” Apple Bloom nodded to indicate that she was done.
The other students stared at her with their jaws dropped. Apple Bloom's obsession with cutie marks inspired her to read about its history, but no one else know that. Even Miss Cheerilee was astonished by the detailed description. She was expecting her to talk about the games itself.
Miss Cheerilee explained that the Cutie Cup was a competition that was divided into five courses: relay race, tug o war, item finding, rock climbing, and capture the flag. The relay race was timed while the others had a certain number of teams to move on. The tug o war allowed half the teams to move on, item finding allowed five teams to move on, and rock climbing allowed two teams to move on to the final round, Capture the flag.
Each team consisted of three members. Even though the three member team was meant to be a symbol of unity, there were no set rules about the species of each member. The original rules required one of each type of pony to be on each team, but a lot of Earth Ponies were left out.
The Cutie Cup courses were far different from what the ancient ponies had to go through, and unlike the tasks to get their cutie mark, the Cutie Cup courses stayed the same. They were also played with teams of three rather than individuals.
The bell rang to dismiss the students, and Apple Bloom searched for Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. She found them just outside the door. The three fillies walked straight to the their club house. As they walked, they decided to be on a team together.
They reached the club house and walked in. Everything was decorated in Rainbow Dash pictures from the courtesy of Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle looked at the pictures and asked Scootaloo, “Don't you think it's strange to put up pictures of her when she never won the Cutie Cup? I think this place should be decorated in pictures of Rarity.”
Apple Bloom's head shot up, “I remember Applejack telling me that she won the Cutie Cup with Rarity and Derpy!”
“Rainbow Dash couldn't have played in the Cutie Cup. Cloudsdale never celebrated it!” Scootaloo explained. Cities that only had one type of pony like Cloudsdale and Appleloosa never celebrated the Cutie Cup. It wasn't that they couldn't. It just felt wrong for there to be a symbol of unity for the different types of ponies when there was only one type of pony in those places.
“Maybe we can ask Applejack for help!” Apple Bloom suggested.
“Applejack couldn't find anything during the item finding course,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.
Apple Bloom's ears dropped as she sighed. Sweetie Belle was right, Applejack wasn't the best as searching for stuff. She had poor attention to details. Still, without her, the other two didn't stand a chance at tug-o-war. Applejack also saved her team during the relay after Derpy tripped over and cost them ten seconds.
“I think Rarity would be a great pony to talk to!” Sweetie Belle told the others.
“Yeah, if she didn't almost cost her team during the rock climb,” Apple Bloom explained.
“Everyone knew that she stepped on a faulty rock!” Sweetie argued. “They still won!”
“That's because Applejack went back and saved her!” Apple Bloom stated, “My sister was clearly the best!”
“Rarity was far better than Applejack!” Sweetie Belle retorted.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle continued arguing much to Scootaloo's dismay. She wanted to leave and hang out with Rainbow Dash, but she didn't want to abandon her friends. Rainbow Dash wouldn't have done that. The argument got so intense that her patience reached its limit, “Enough, you two!” she hollered.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stopped arguing and looked at Scootaloo.
“If it wasn't for Applejack, Rarity, and Derpy, they wouldn't have won! Apple Bloom, when Derpy tripped over, Rarity went over to help her. After the race, she made sure that everything was OK. Sweetie Belle, sure Applejack wasn't able to find anything during the item finding, but it doesn't mean she didn't try. If it weren't for Derpy, you wouldn't have won the capture the flag!” Scootaloo explained to them in an annoyed tone.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said, “sorry,” simultaneously.
The fillies talked more about the Cutie Cup. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom wanted to enter to live up to their family names while Scootaloo wanted to enter to make Rainbow Dash proud. The three of them agreed that it was a great opportunity to earn their cutie marks, though.
They needed a lot of help if they were going to win the Cutie Cup, so they decided to ask their sisters. They left their club house and split up to search for their sister. Apple Bloom headed towards her house, Sweetie Belle headed towards the Carousel Boutique, and Scootaloo headed towards the park where Rainbow Dash often hung out around that time.
Scootaloo rode her Scooter across Ponyville to the park. She wanted to get there as fast as she could. She didn't want to miss Rainbow Dash. When she reached the park, she scanned the premises for Rainbow Dash. She thought she was too late for a second, but she found a rainbow tail hanging down on a tree to her right.
“Rainbow Dash, I need a lot of help to win the Cutie Cup!” Scootaloo instantly shouted. She didn't even give Rainbow a chance to wake up.
There was a loud thump as Rainbow Dash hit the ground. She sat up and rubbed her head. She opened her eyes half way and saw two Scootaloos standing in front of her. Her vision gradually went back to normal, then she stood up. “Warn me next time,” Rainbow told her.
Scootaloo apologized then said, “I know you've never competed in the Cutie Cup, but I'm sure you would have won if you did!”
Rainbow flew slightly above the ground and puffed out her chest, “Of course I would have!” she stated proudly. She flew back down on the ground, “What do you need help with?”
“Everything,” Scootaloo admitted.
Rainbow cocked her head, “Really? Listen, I will definitely help you with the relay race and tug-o-war, maybe capture the flag, too, but you're on your own with rock climbing and item finding.”
“I thought you would be great at rock climbing!” Scootaloo told her.
“I never needed to. I can fly,” Rainbow pointed out. Scootaloo lowered her head. Rainbow didn't mean to hurt her. “You'll be a rock climbing champion in no time! You should ask Applejack for help on that, though.” She noticed Scootaloo's head rose back up to normal level. “Are you ready for your training?”
“I should probably get Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle first,” Scootaloo said as she ran off towards Sweet Apple Acres.
Apple Bloom found her sister bucking apple trees. There were a lot of apples that needed to be harvest, and she didn't want to wait for her to finish, “I want to enter in the Cutie Cup, and I really need your help!”
Applejack told her, “Winning the Cutie Cup ain't an easy feat, Apple Bloom. You need determination, dedication, and teamwork.” She continued bucking trees as she talked.
“I know! I really want to win it like you did!” Apple Bloom begged.
“Alright. The best thing is to play on each other's strengths. You need a team member who is very fast for the relay race. They need to be on the final leg, that is important. When it comes to tug-war, earth ponies are your greatest asset. You would fit that role rather nicely. For the item finding, you should get somepony with high attention to detail. One who can find stuff in a large mess. For the rock climbing, you need someone with great upper body strength, especially one who is capable of carrying another pony if ever needed. Finally, you need a pony who is fearless, a pony with strong defense, and a pony who is skilled at finding things. A great team has three ponies who can fit those descriptions.” Applejack explained.
“Scootaloo is pretty fast, and Sweetie Belle has great attention to detail!” Apple Bloom pointed out.
Applejack sighed, “Sweetie Belle lacks attention to detail. You are comparing her to her sister, Rarity. Scootaloo's attention to detail is far better. Sweetie Belle is mighty strong for a unicorn, though.”
“So Scootaloo is best with the relay and item finding, Sweetie is best at tug-o-war, and I'm best at rock climbing! Then we can all work together for capture the flag!” Apple Bloom calculated.
“Exactly!” Applejack agreed.
Applejack and Apple Bloom went on to talk about weaknesses. They all lacked patience, and Applejack was worried they were going to work too hard. She also worried that their reasons for wanting to win weren't strong enough to motivate them. Her reason for winning was because the farm was running down, and the Apple family wasn't able to make enough money, even with the apple sales. Winning the Cutie Cup gave her enough money to fix the farm. Rarity's reason was to help the orphanage while Derpy's was to fix a house she accidentally demolished. There was no family title nor the desire to earn their cutie marks.
Scootaloo shouted, “Watch out!” and smacked into one of the apple trees knocking off all the apples. A few hit her head. She moaned and got back on her hooves. “Sorry. Rainbow Dash agreed to help us with the training!”
“So did Applejack!” Apple Bloom said.
“No I didn't!” Applejack told her, “I gave you advice on winning. I never said anything about helping y'all train!”
“Rainbow Dash will still help us,” Apple Bloom said sheepishly. “Let's go and train, Scootaloo!”
“Sweetie Belle should train, too,” Scootaloo reminded her. “We should get her first!
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo left without any warning and sped through Ponyville towards the Carousel Boutique.