//------------------------------// // Prompt #28: I Fold // Story: Twinkle/TOCP's Thirty Minute Ponies Stories // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// The Prompt: One of the Mane Six or Spike reveals a skill nopony expected them to have. "Ughhh..." Rainbow Dash groaned. "So BORED!" Applejack nodded quietly in response. She was always taught by her family that only those with weak minds got bored, because there was always some sort of way to occupy oneself. She knew her mind wasn't weak, and neither was Rainbow's, but she couldn't deny her utter boredom. The two had done nearly everything they could think of, and nothing was interesting enough to keep their attention for very long. AJ sighed lightly and looked over to Rainbow then blinked a few times. "...The hay is that, Rainbow?" Applejack asked, staring intently. Rainbow raised a brow, then glanced down at her hooves, where AJ was looking. In her hooves was an origami swan. Rainbow blanched. "N-nothing!" Rainbow said nervously. "Nothing at all!" Applejack stood up and trotted over. "Well, if s'nothin', then ya won't mind me doin' THIS!" AJ snatched the swan as Rainbow yelped. The earth pony looked it over in wonder. It was immaculate. Every fold was perfect. "When the hay didja learn ta do this?" Applejack asked. Rainbow sighed; the jig was up. "I learned how to do origami when I was a little filly," Rainbow answered, hiding her face. "I promised myself I'd never do it again, but sometimes when I'm bored, I don't realize that..." "Never do it again??" Applejack asked. "Why in Equestria wouldja promise never ta do this again? This is amazin'!" Rainbow began to answer, but Applejack shoved a hoof in her mouth, her eyes lighting up. "We could make a lotta money offa this, Rainbow!" "Money?" Rainbow repeated, confused. "MONEY!" Applejack shouted. "We could travel 'round Equestria an' show off yer talent! Ya could fold yer papers up an' make tons'f lil' toys an' trinkets fer other ponies, an' we'll make a fortune!" Rainbow Dash facehooved; this wasn't what she wanted at all, and she was determined to make this known to her friend. "AJ, I don't wanna..." Rainbow had no time to finish her sentence, as AJ snatched her up onto her back. "C'mon, Rainbow! We're gunna be rollin' in bits!" With that, Applejack galloped out of the farmhouse, scooping up a pile of papers as she went. Hours later, the stand that AJ had set up in the market was the most popular thing Ponyville had ever seen. Applejack greeted every paying customer with the biggest smile she could muster; she was an accomplished salespony, after all. Rainbow, for her part, folded masterpiece after masterpiece, but she never matched the smile that Applejack wore. Ponies from all over town were paying big money for Rainbow's artwork, but her heart simply wasn't in it. Worse yet, there was no convincing Applejack that she didn't want to do this. Every single bit that Rainbow's work garnered just encouraged the entrepreneurial AJ to keep Rainbow going. "Can ya b'lieve all this cash?" Applejack swooned, showing off the bags and bags of bits that Rainbow had earned. "This is fantastic! Yer a wonder, Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow groaned. "So we're done now, right?" Rainbow pleaded. Applejack shook her head vigorously. "You kiddin'?" Applejack said, chuckling. "We're goin' off ta the big one t'morrow!" "The big one?" Rainbow inquired. "The big one!!" Applejack repeated. "The Canterlot Origami Expo's t'morrow, Rainbow! We're gunna blow 'em all away!" Dash paled; she had completely forgotten about the COE. "Applejack, we can't..." Rainbow started to argue. "We cain't lose!" Applejack finished gleefully. "Ah know! An' we'll win that prize money, an' we'll never hafta work a day in our lives again!" Rainbow groaned and slammed her forehead on the table. ------ It was a busy day in Canterlot the next day. Nearly everypony within 50 miles of Canterlot had shown up for the event, as usual. There weren't many events in Equestria that drew more attention than the Canterlot Origami Expo, and if the sheer enthusiasm hadn't attracted ponies around the area, the hefty bounty for first place certainly would have turned their heads. Applejack strode proudly into the arena, Rainbow Dash following close behind. AJ glanced back at the blue pegasus. "The hay is the matter, Rainbow?" AJ asked. "Ya love competition! Why're ya hidin' yer face like that?" Rainbow didn't respond. She simply continued to follow, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else.'' "Greetings, origami enthusiasts!" Princess Celestia shouted, and the crowd that had gathered in the coliseum roared. "Are you ready for some fantastic folding??" the Princess continued. The crowd roared even louder. "Then let the games...BEGIN!" Celestia yelled. Right on cue, the Wonderbolts flew over the coliseum, their smoke trails forming a big piece of paper in the air. The crowd went absolutely nuts. "First up..." Celestia said, looking down at her list. Suddenly, her face contorted into a grimace. "...Rainbow Dash??" The crowd murmured, as Rainbow covered her face with her hooves. Applejack looked to her friend, confused. "What's with all the murmurin'?" AJ asked. "I tried to tell you..." Rainbow moaned. Before either could respond, palace guards had grabbed the cyan pegasus. AJ tried to pry them off, but was restrained as well. With a loud crack, Celesta teleported in front of the two ponies. "I thought I told you never to show your face at an origami expo again, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said sternly. "Ever since you folded my prized one-of-a-kind Chroma Splash sketch into a worthless, although still quite well-done, origami frog!" Rainbow's head dropped. AJ looked at her, bewildered. "Now, you two will have to be thrown in the royal dungeon!" Celestia said. "Unless you can pay for the sketch you ruined! Do you have 300,000 bits to make up for your indiscretion?" Rainbow looked straight to AJ, who went white. That was exactly how much they'd earned yesterday at their stand! Rainbow looked at her with pleading eyes, and the earth pony sighed. ------ The next day, AJ and Rainbow sat around the farmhouse again, staring up at the ceiling. "So BORED..." Rainbow groaned. She started to unconsciously fold a piece of paper, but AJ slapped it out of her hooves. "No," AJ said. "Never again."