You Say Tomato, I Say Tamater

by Scantrel

A bit of a problem

Two months later...

Applejack woke to the sound of glass breaking, followed quickly by a soft "Oh, horseapples!" curse of frustration. Applejack rolled out of her bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, then trotted down into the kitchen to see what incident had befallen Granny Smith. To Applejack's surprise, the elder mare wasn't the one fetching the broom and dust pan, it was Apple Bloom.

"Apple Bloom? What in tarnation are ya doin' up so early? An' what mess are ya makin' in here?" Applejack asked, walking into the kitchen, careful not set hoof on any little pieces of broken glass.

Apple Bloom turned to face Applejack, her eyes pleading for quiet as she held up a hoof in front of her muzzle to shush her older sister. "Shhh! Don't wake Granny, Sis. I'm gonna be in enough trouble as it is already!" Apple Bloom begged, her eyes brimming with frightened tears. Apple Bloom gulped and turned back to the mess on the floor, trying to sweep up the fragments quickly and quietly.

Applejack took a closer look and noticed that the glass in question had come from one of Granny Smith's Zap Apple Jam jars. 'Enough trouble' was an understatement. Once Granny Smith learned what had been broken, Apple Bloom was certain to be grounded for quite a spell. Still, the little filly clearly understood the gravity of her plight and Applejack crossed over to help finish cleaning up the mess.

Once the "evidence" had been swept up off the floor and the broom and pan put away, Applejack gathered up the sniffling filly in a hug. "Now what in Equestria possessed you to take one o' them jars off the shelf, anyhow?" Applejack inquired gently.

"Well, today's Twilight Time, an' I'd been workin' hard all last evenin' on my homework. I wanted to practice early today an' mix up a batch of my latest project an' take it with me to the lesson." Apple Bloom sighed. "The jar jus' slipped outta my hooves when I went to get it off the shelf."

"Ya coulda waited until somepony taller was awake to help, ya know," Applejack chided teasingly. "Let me put on some coffee, an' then I'll get ya another jar from somewhere other than Granny's Zap Apple stash." Applejack set Apple Bloom down and went to get the coffee brewing, then rooted around in the pantry until she found a spare jar tucked into the back. It took a little work to extricate it, but soon she got it free and handed it to Apple Bloom, who beamed as she took it.

"Thanks, Sis, you're the best!" Apple Bloom smiled. "Now I can get to the barn and work on my 'speriment."

"What sort of tonic are ya workin' up this time?" Applejack asked curiously.

"It's a potion that helps plants grow bigger!" Apple Bloom exclaimed proudly. "It's almost like a miracle growing potion, I can't wait to show ya once I finalize the formula." Apple Bloom paused, lost in thought for a moment. "Hey, Sis, you want some for yer tamater crop?"

Applejack smiled, but shook her head. "Nah, but thanks fer the offer, sugarcube. Today's the day Twilight an' I compare our results, it wouldn't be right to try an' use magic to change the outcome."

Apple Bloom perked up at that. "Oh, today's the day?" She rubbed her hooves together triumphantly. "That means I'll be a few bits richer then!"

Applejack tilted her head as she looked at Apple Bloom. "What do ya mean by that?"

Apple Bloom grinned from ear to ear. "I bet Sweetie Belle that you'd win, an' she bet on Twilight. When ya show her the tamater that Toby grew, I'm gonna be 10 bits richer!"

Applejack blinked, taken aback. "Y'all made a bet on this?"

Apple Bloom looked up at Applejack in surprise. "Well, sure. We ain't the only ones neither. Last I heard, Pinkie Pie was givin' 7 to 3 odds on ya to win."

"Now hold on one minute," Applejack protested. "This was a friendly lil' challenge between me an' Twilight. It ain't right for anypony to be bettin' bits on this."

"How come?" Apple Bloom countered.

Applejack thought about that a moment, then said, "It jus' don't feel right. It's one thing to say 'I betcha Applejack can do something', but by makin' a wager like that, you're also bettin' on the other pony to fail. I don't like that, not one bit, pardon my pun."

"So why did ya make a bet against Twilight that if you won, she'd have to come work at the farm fer a weekend?" Apple Bloom inquired innocently.

Applejack had no immediate answer for that. Leave it to her little sister to show her that she hadn't followed her own principle.

"I don't rightly know, I guess I was a mite stubborn in defending our traditions as farm-ponies," Appleack replied truthfully. "I guess in hindsight, I should have been more willin' to help rather than gettin' my mane in a tizzy." Applejack gave Apple Bloom another hug and went to fetch a cup of coffee. "Now run on an' get about yer chores an' such. I'm sure Twilight will be eager to see this here 'Miracle Grow' stuff ya came up with."

Apple Bloom smiled widely, "Thanks, Applejack!" she burst out before dashing out the door towards the barn.

Applejack poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table to savor it, turning her thoughts to her meeting with Twilight at noon. Toby's tamater would stay out of the competiton, Applejack decided as she came to a decision regarding her "bet" with Twilight.

---

"OK, Twilight, I've finished cleaning the kitchen, can I go see if...Gahhh!" Spike jumped as Twilight walked up behind him, levitating a pair of something that looked like over-sized tweezers.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you, Spike!" Twilight apologized. "I'll be out in the garden, selecting the tomato to take to Sweet Apple Acres."

"What is that thing?" Spike asked, pointing a claw-tip at the device suspended in Twilight's magical aura.

"These are calipers. They're a measuring tool. I want to make sure to pick the largest, roundest fruit for going head to head against Applejack," Twilight replied, demonstrating how they opened and closed.

"Oh yeah, that's today, item number 14 on the checklist," Spike confirmed. "I have to say, I was very impressed with your results! You really outdid yourself with your garden, Twilight."

Twilight gave a light blush, "Thank you, Spike. I'm pretty sure I can give Applejack a run for her money at least."

Spike grinned and nodded. "Oh yeah, and speaking of money, I'll have to decide what to do with all the bits I'm going to win."

"Bits? What bits?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, the bet I made with Lyra," Spike answered. "We made a bet on who would win your wager with Applejack, and today is the day I get to collect!"

"Spike, I'm flattered that you would have risked your bits on a novice like me. Just promise me you won't spend all your winnings in one place," Twilight smiled.

"Ah, yeah, heh, right," Spike nodded, looking away. "I, uh, think I forgot to make my bed this morning, I better go do that." Spike quickly turned and ran back up the stairs.

"But that was number two on the list!" Twilight called after him as Spike disappeared into their bedroom. Before Twilight could head up to see why Spike was so suddenly interested in housework, a knock at the door interrupted her. Twilight levitated the calipers down and then used her magic to open the door.

"Good morning, Twilight!" came Rarity's cheerful greeting. "I was hoping to catch you before you left for Sweet Apple Acres. I have a little gift for you." Rarity turned to look beside the door and her horn lit up as she levitated a little box through the door. The light glinted from the sequins that had been affixed to the lid as Rarity maneuvered the box in front of Twilight.

"I made this so you would have something to transport your tomato to the farm in safety. You wouldn't want some unforeseen mishap to cause you to default." Rarity stated.

"Wow, Rarity, that is very generous of you," Twilight said gratefully.

"Not at all, darling. It's just something I tossed together. Best of luck, I know that Sweetie Belle is pulling for you. In fact, I'd say a fair number of unicorns are betting on you to win." Rarity added.

"They are?" Twilight asked in surprise. "What about everypony else?"

"Well, I'm not one personally to take sides, but from what I understand, the betting seems to be split fairly evenly between the unicorns wagering on you and the Earth ponies favoring Applejack. The pegasi by and large haven't expressed a great deal of interest. While I myself am not much of a gambler, I did give Sweetie Belle a few bits towards her own wager." Rarity answered.

"I see," Twilight said, not entirely certain she was comfortable with the idea of her research being the subject of mass wagering, certainly not if it was dividing Ponyville along tribal lines. "Thank you again for the tomato box, Rarity. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?" Twilight asked, stepping aside to allow Rarity to enter.

"No, thank you, Twilight. I need to return to the Boutique and finish the disguises I promised to make for Sweetie Belle and her friends for their study session this afternoon. The ones they wore for their last visit were simply ghastly!" Rarity declared.

Twilight giggled, remembering the outfits the Crusaders had worn for their last trip to the library. "Alright, I'll see you later then, Rarity." Rarity took her leave, and Twilight picked up the calipers again in her aura before heading outside to the garden.

It didn't take too long to select the largest, most round and heaviest tomato from her small crop. Twilight secured the fruit in the box that Rarity had made for her, then levitated the calipers and a small scale into her saddlebags. Satisfied she was ready, Twilight set off for Sweet Apple Acres. The walk would give Twilight time to ponder her growing discomfort over the news Rarity had shared regarding the gambling.

---

High Noon...

As Twilight passed under the arch at the entry to Sweet Apple Acres, she spied Applejack over by the barn, near a table with three apple buckets set on top. The time for the showdown had arrived. Before she could call out to Applejack, the orange farm pony turned around, and for a brief moment, the two friends locked their gazes on each other. The faint sound of the Ponyville clock tower gong striking twelve broke the silence.

"Come on over, Twilight," Applejack called after a moment, waving a hoof for Twilight to come over to the table. Twilight walked up and levitated her box onto the table next to one of the buckets.

'I guess this is it," Applejack said a little hesitantly. "Unless, of course, ya'd rather jus' call the whole thing off."

"I have to admit, I'm feeling a little trepidation about this as well," Twilight admitted. "I found out this morning that apparently lots of of ponies are betting on which of us will win. I can't say I'm entirely comfortable with that."

"Me neither," Applejack agreed. "Apple Bloom was tellin' me this mornin' how she and Sweetie have made a bet, an' the last thing I want is fer them to get upset with each other over who wins an' who loses."

Twilight nodded her head. "I know. But I don't think we can call it off." Twilight's horn glowed, and she used her magic to open the lid to her box, levitating the large ripe tomato out from within. The tomato was just a bit larger than the size of her hoof, and it floated gently onto the surface of the table.

Applejack took a long hard look at Twilight's entry before her face broke into a large grin. "Hoo-wee! Now that's a right nice tamater, Twilight. That's really good fer yer first garden ever!"

Twilight blushed proudly at her friend's praise. "Thanks, Applejack."

Applejack reached into the left-most basket, and drew out a red, juicy tomato and set it down next to Twilight's. "This here's from Terry, the little feller worked so hard."

Twilight looked back and forth between the two fruits. Visually, they appeared to be just about the same volume and diameter. "This is going to be very, very close. Let me get my measuring tools." Twilight used her magic to draw out the calipers and scale from her saddlebags, but paused when she felt Applejack's hoof on her withers.

"Maybe we call it a draw? That way nopony loses their bet an' nopony has to be upset over the result?" Applejack suggested gently.

Twilight looked at Applejack and then back to the tomatoes. Slowly, a little smile worked its way onto her muzzle. "I think that's a great idea, Applejack." The tools floated back into Twilight's saddlebag. Twilight's gaze drifted over the other two buckets. "What is in the other buckets?" she inquired.

"Oh, nothing, no need to worry 'bout them at all," Applejack replied hesitantly. Something in her voice was off, which made Twilight suspicious. Using her magic, she levitated the bucket on the far right onto it's side and before Applejack could lunge to stop it, a huge tomato rolled out. It was easily four times the size of the ones that were already sitting on the table.

Twilight gasped in surprise, "But...how?" she sputtered.

Applejack moved to scoop the tomato back up into the bucket. "That was Toby's, I knew it would be hard ta beat, but we've already settled our bet, an' it was a tie." Applejack said resolutely.

"But how could you grow something so huge?" Twilight stammered. "I mean, I accounted for every variable, soil moisture, proper sunlight, everything."

Applejack chuckled. "Well all that's important, o' course, but what matters more is a little love an' attention, jus' part of that Earth pony magic I reckon." Applejack's expression turned more serious. "I know ya were tryin' to prove that science could do jus' as well, but that's not really the point. Jus' because yer friends don't do things the same way as you, doesn't mean they're doin' it wrong. If yer willin' to believe in your friends and how they do things, sometimes ya might learn something along the way."

Twilight drank that in for a moment. "That's a really good viewpoint, Applejack. I think I need to write that down in our diary."

Applejack smiled. "Before ya go, let's go to the house fer a glass of apple juice to beat the heat. An' take both of the tamaters home so Spike can make up some of his 'mazing 'mater marinara."

"Only if you come share it with me for dinner tonight," Twilight countered playfully.

"Ya got yerself a deal, sugarcube!" Applejack accepted happily. Twilight levitated the two tomatoes into the box Rarity had made for her, then the two friends set off for the farm-house to get out of the midday sun. As for how Ponyville would react to the outcome of the great tomato challenge, all bets were off.

Comments

[WildStallion]

Write it in her diary and a letter too Celestia maybe.

[Terrorizer231]

...I suspect maybe a drop of miracle grow dropped on Toby...

[BronyPonyMan]

we need an epilogue where AJ discovers that AB cheated with her miracle growth on some of the plants.

[Dapper Guy]

I was expecting more out of the ending but I guess this was a nice way to finish the story.
Pinkie Pie seems to be Ponyville's local bookie for all the gambling.

[Blue_Paladin42]

I kinda want to see what the town's reaction is. Especially if someone realizes that AJ would have grown a bigger plant.
Also, while it was not as close as I predicted, Twilight did do an impressive job on her first try.

4173798 4173998
Except we have seen that AJ can grow frighteningly huge plants.

[BronyPonyMan]

4174558 no, we saw her grow frighteningly huge apples. i figured since her and her family are freaking born to apples, that'd make sense. but i've never seen her grow an abnormally large fruit or vegetable other than apples. but applebloom has showed that she no longer cares for the normal laws of nature, what with her freaky looking 'apple tree.' so, i figured it'd make sense that she'd be capable of something like using a growth potion to cheat, since money is on the line.

[Blue_Paladin42]

4174587
Possible, however we do know the Apples grow other crops, so it stands to reason, if she really put the effort into it, AJ could probably grow a large tomato easy enough. Nowhere near as big as her super Apple of course. As for Applebloom, I would say it may just have never occupied to her since she hasn't perfected the formula yet, but since when has that stopped a Crusader.

[BronyPonyMan]

4174613 guess we'll never know, unless mister writer makes a sequel or epilogue.

[HB_DS2013]

Methinks AB poured some miracle tonic...