//------------------------------// // The Bad News // Story: The Cutie Cup // by Mathew_The_Raridash_Fan //------------------------------// 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.