The Seeds of Romance

Chapters

The Arrival
Generosity Indeed.
Sisterhooves Sabotage
Seeds of Romance

The Arrival

Applejack was running around the house frantically. Everything had to be clean. Everything had to be perfect. She nearly ran over Apple Bloom as she headed into the kitchen to ensure that everything was pristine again.

"Applejack! Watch where you're goin'!" Apple Bloom said, as she straightened her bow. "What's the big rush anyway?"

"We have company coming over Apple Bloom! The house has to be perfect!" Applejack said. She straightened a dish towel.

"But it's just Tomato Seed. It's not like he's Princess Celestia or anythin'. I'm sure he won't mind a little mess," Apple Bloom said.

"Apple Bloom! A guest is a guest. The house needs to be clean. Now go make sure the upstairs bathroom is tidy," Applejack said, pushing her sister towards the stairs.

"I've check three times already, nopony's been in there all morning," Apple Bloom groaned.

"Go check anyways," Applejack said.

She watched as Apple Bloom mumbled to herself and went up the stairs. Applejack took a deep breath and tried to relax. The minute Apple Bloom had mentioned his name, her heart had begun to race. Tomato Seed was coming to visit the farm. To Ponyville. For a full two weeks. He was going to be here, in her house, and she was going to be the only pony he knew in town (aside from her family). They would have to do everything together. It was going to be perfect.

Applejack smiled to herself and ran up to her room. She looked herself over in the mirror. She had brushed her mane 100 times—something which she knew Rarity did every day—and had pulled it into a neat braid. Her tail (also brushed 100 times) she kept in her usual neat ponytail. She picked a loose thread off her hat and inspected her teeth, checking that nothing had randomly wedged itself between them while she had been cleaning the house.

She glanced over at the clock. She still had a few minutes before she had to leave to pick up Tomato Seed at the train station. She sighed to herself, somewhat dreamily, and opened a small box on her dresser. It was one of the fancier things she had in her room, this box, neatly decorated in gems in the shapes of apples. Rarity had made it for her for her last birthday, and as soon as she opened it, Applejack knew what she was going to use it for.

She carefully pulled out the stack of letters that lay inside. Before, the letters had been in an old shoebox. Now, since they were the most precious things she owned, she put them in her fancy box. The letters were letters that Tomato Seed—Tom as she called him—wrote to her. They had been pen pals for the past couple of years since they had met. They had written to each other at least each month since they had met when they were still foals.

They had met at an orchard farming camp for foals. It was open to all kinds of different farming, and Applejack had decided to go. This was just about right after she had gotten her cutie mark and had come back from Manehatten. With the renewed spirit of farming swelling within her, she had begged Granny Smith to let her go. Big Mac had decided to stay home and help Granny Smith—especially since little filly Apple Bloom had just been born—so Applejack had taken the train for the first time all by herself.

Once at the camp, all of the fillies and colts were divided into cabin groups by gender. Applejack shared a cabin with five other fillies. Some of them were a bit younger and some a bit older. Two of them were blank flanks, and the rest of them, Applejack included, had their cutie marks. All of them had, of course, come from farming families.

For the first couple of days, Applejack had spent most of her time with the fillies from her cabin. She learned about the different things they harvest and about where they came from. One filly came from a pineapple farm, which Applejack had found particularly fascinating.

It wasn't until near the end of the fifth day that Applejack met Tomato Seed. The camp was having a big festival and all of the foals who had come to camp were expected to make something with the crops that they grew at home. Applejack made her Granny Smith's delicious apple fritters.

Applejack stood at her booth, a big smile plastered on her face. She didn't know at the time that she still had flour in her mane. The fillies and colts were separated into two groups, so that each would have a turn walking around and sampling the others' food.

Applejack chatted with the foals who came and tried her dessert. As part of the "fair fun", as their camp leader had called it, the foals had also been required to write out the recipe they were sharing on little cards, so that those who were interested could take the recipe and try it at home. Applejack had printed as neatly as she could, and felt a small stab of pride whenever one of the fillies or colts grabbed her grandmother's recipe.

"Mmmmm, mmm, these are deeelicious!" said a yellow coated colt. Applejack smiled at him. His coat was a dark, golden yellow, and he had a sunset red mane. He was an earth pony and his cutie mark was a handful of seeds that Applejack didn't quite recognize.

"Glad you like 'em! I can't wait to see what you've made," she said.

"I actually just sold out," he said, "I was in this round too." He reached for another apple fritter.

"You sold out? Everypony must have loved what you had," Applejack said, "Too bad I won't get to try it."

"Here." He slapped down a recipe card on the table. Applejack picked it up and stared at the barely legible writing.

"It's for pan-roasted cherry tomatoes," he explained, "We grow tomatoes where I'm from."

"Where are y'ah from?" Applejack asked.

"A town called Neighgley," he said, "What about you?"

"I'm from Ponyville," Applejack said. "What's your name?"

"Tomato Seed, but most people just call me Tom," he said.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Tom," Applejack said, "I'm Applejack."

And from then on, the two were friends. For the remaining two weeks of camp, they did everything together. They met up in the breakfast hall, signed up so they were always in the same activity groups, and when the time had come to go home, they swapped addresses and planned to be pen pals.

In the beginning, Applejack had thought nothing of it. Tom was essentially her first real best friend, aside from her brother. They wrote to each other at least once a month, and a two years later, Tom had invited Applejack over to visit his farm.

At first, Granny Smith had been slightly reluctant to let her go. They were on the brink of teenage-hood, and Granny Smith had prattled on about something to do with raging hormones. Once Applejack had figured out what she was hinting about, she had been deeply embarrassed and explained that she and Tom were explicitly friends only. She practically thought of Tom like a second (slightly older) brother.

Neighgley was about a three and a half hour train ride from Ponyville. Tom's family was extremely nice, and his tomato farm was much smaller than Applejack's apple farm, but it was clearly very popular. Everyday different ponies from town would come directly to the farm to buy tomatoes.

"You guys don't have a stand in town?" Applejack had asked.

"We have a shop actually," Tom said, "It sells both fresh tomatoes and tomato products that we make, such as ketchup, soup, paste... I'm still being trained to help out on the farm, but in a few months, my father says I can help my older brothers in the shop!"

Applejack had been deeply impressed. A shop? They had a shop, and yet ponies still came directly to the farm as well to get their tomatoes?

"The lines in the shop are too long sometimes," Tom laughed, when Applejack had asked. Impressive indeed.

Tom had a big family. Both of his parents were still alive, plus two grandmothers and one grandfather. He had three older brothers, one younger brother, and a younger sister as well. And even though the farm was small, they had two extra hires to lend an extra hoof.

The week long visit had come and by so fast. Applejack had learned a lot about tomatoes, and had finally managed to try some of that pan-roasted cherry tomato recipe that he had brought to the camp two years ago (she had never managed to read what his instructions were on the card).

On the train ride home, Applejack had begun to miss Tom already. Which is weird, because I just saw him less than an hour ago, she had thought to herself. But she shrugged it off and figured it was because they had become such close friends. She wrote to him as soon as she arrived back in Ponyville.

They kept up their pen pals, neither of them missing a reply. And after another three years went by, Tom wrote that he would be passing through Ponyville in a couple of days, on his way to a big Tomato Convention in a town south of it.

Applejack had never been so excited in all her life (except for the present of course). She made a long list of things that they could do together, even if it was just for a few days. Tom and two of his older brothers stayed at Sweet Apple Acres on their way down to the convention. His older brothers became fast friends with Big Mac, despite the big red stallion's strong shy side, and Granny Smith put them all straight to work on bucking apples.

Applejack showed Tom everything she knew about apples. She even told him about the zap-apples, even though they wouldn't be in bloom for another five months. Apple Bloom, who was just about to start school, would tag along with them. This slightly annoyed Applejack at times, because she wanted to spend as much time with Tom as she could.

And it wasn't until she watched him and his brothers continue on their journey to the convention that she realized why she had felt that way. It was because she had feelings for Tom. Romantic feelings. As a matter of fact, the more she thought about it, the more she figured out that these feelings had been there all along. She was started to fall for Tom. And she was falling hard.

The next couple of letters she had received from him she had scrutinized every single detail, trying to figure out if he reciprocated her feelings. But after she couldn't find any hints of anything, she tried to calm herself and appear as nonchalant in her replies as she could. Her next fear was that Tom would figure out her feelings for him in her writing, and that he would reject her.

But no such accusations had ever come. And part of Applejack had sort of hoped that her feelings for Tom would fizzle away, but they just continued to grow stronger and stronger with each letter she wrote and received. She began to debate about just telling him the truth, but she was so afraid. When she made friends with the other Elements of Harmony (the first set of real girl friends she had ever had), she debated about telling them about Tom too. Surely they would have some useful advice on how she could broach the subject. But a big part of her wanted to keep Tom to herself.

And now he was coming into town. He was going to be staying at her house for a full two weeks. She was finally going to be able to introduce him to her friends (she had written a lot about them), and then after they met Tom, maybe then she would ask her friends how she could bring up the subject of her feelings.

Applejack sighed softly to herself and carefully tucked the letters away. She put the box back neatly on her dresser and double-checked her appearance one last time. It was a lot of work, worrying and caring about one's appearance. She wondered how Rarity could do it on a daily basis.

"Alright, I'm goin' to pick up Tom from the train station!" Applejack yelled, as she walked down the stairs.

"Can I come?" Apple Bloom asked. Apple Bloom looked at Applejack's braid, which Applejack considered as a "fancy hairdo", and gave her a quizzical look. Applejack ignored it.

"Sure, why not," Applejack said. If Apple Bloom was there, maybe Applejack would feel a little more at ease. She was pretty sure her heart was going to burst from her chest at any moment.

The two made their way to the train station and waited on the platform with other waiting ponies. Applejack kept glancing nervously at the clock, but thankfully Apple Bloom didn't notice.

Applejack's heart began to beat faster than she thought was physically possible as she saw the train pulling into the station. She took a big gulp and began to shake, as she scanned the crowd of arriving mares and stallions.

"See him yet?" Apple Bloom asked. Applejack nearly jumped at her voice.

"N-no, not yet," she managed to respond.

But just as the words escaped her mouth, her heart stopped, for there he was. As if the god ponies were playing a trick on her, forcing her to melt even more, Tom was helping an old mare off of the train and was carrying her bags. He walked with her until she found her family and then tipped his hat at her and bid her a good day. He then scanned the crowd slightly and smiled when he spotted Applejack, and cheerfully made his way towards them.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod," Applejack muttered under her breath.

"What are you sayin'? Oh, look, there he is!" Apple Bloom said.

Applejack inhaled sharply and held her breath as Tom made their way to him.

"Hey there, Apples!" he said cheerfully. Apple Bloom ran up and gave him a big hug. Tom hugged her back and cracked some joke that Applejack hadn't heard. He then turned towards Applejack and smiled at her. She managed to smile back.

He began talking to her, and Applejack just nodded her head. She couldn't even really hear what he was saying. This was the first time they would be together when Applejack knew what her feelings meant, the first time together since she realized she was in love with him.

Author's Note

I honestly didn't even realize the whole "Rarity & Tom the rock thing" until after I started writing this and nicknamed Tomato Seed "Tom" for short. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! So, try to refrain from puns (no, it's ok, you can), because I honestly didn't do that on purpose.

Either way, enjoy!

Generosity Indeed.

The walk back to the farm had been almost too much for Applejack to bear. She found that she had too much excess energy. She had felt like dancing the whole way home. He was here! Finally!

She was thankful that Apple Bloom had been with her. Applejack was afraid that if she opened her mouth, her feelings would come spilling out or she'd say something stupid and make a fool out of herself. Apple Bloom kept Tom entertained, asking about his train ride, asking him how he got his cutie mark, and then launching into telling him every single detail about the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Once they got to the farm, Granny Smith fussed over Tomato. She had grown to really like him last time during his brief visit. She asked him all of the same questions Apple Bloom had asked, before even letting him off the front porch. Big Mac then helped Tom with his bags up to the guest bedroom.

Applejack had retreated into the kitchen, her hooves shaking as she tried to set the table for dinner. She tried to calm her mind, taking the moment to herself. She set a plate down and then moved to the window, letting in the crisp, sun-setting air.

"You ok, deary?" Granny Smith asked. Applejack nearly jumped out of her coat, but then blushed slightly and nodded.

"Yeah, just a little heated from the trip back from the station. Was a hot day today," Applejack said.

"Hot indeed," Granny said, her eyes narrowing slightly. She then winked at Applejack and moved to check on something in the oven. Applejack stared at her grandmother, utterly confused and terrified, but didn't have time to ask what she had meant by the wink. Tom walked into the kitchen with Big Mac, Apple Bloom on their heels.

Everypony sat at the table, save for Applejack who helped Granny Smith bring out the various dishes they were having for dinner.

"Mmmmm, mmmm, sure smells good, Granny Smith," Tom said. He smiled, "And I see you've pan-roasted some cherry tomatoes!"

"It was an alright recipe, but nothing compared to my apple fritters," Granny Smith said, with a wink. She and Tom chuckled, and Applejack felt herself go red again. She wasn't even sure why.

"So, what do you all have planned for tomorrah?" Granny Smith asked, once she had settled down to eat. Tom looked over at Applejack.

"Well, I thought first I'd show Tom around the farm," Applejack said, "Thought maybe I could give you a proper tour this time, since last time you were here it was such a short visit and all."

"That sounds fun," Tom said, "Apple Bloom mentioned something about a Sisterhood Showdown or something, that you've got going on in a week, week and a half or somethin'?"

"Sisterhooves Social, yes," Applejack said. She had sort of forgotten that it'd be taking place while Tom was in town. Maybe she could impress him if she and Apple Bloom won. "It's an event we put on every year, for all of the sister-pairings in Ponyville."

"It's really fun!" Apple Bloom piped in, "Last year, one of my best friends Sweetie Belle and her sister Rarity competed for the first time! This year, we're going to make a bet on who's going to win, and the loser has to clean up the clubhouse for a month!"

"Anyways," Applejack said, slightly miffed that Apple Bloom cut her off, "After showing you around the farm tomorrow, I thought maybe we could go out for dinner and you could meet my friends."

"Sure! That sounds great," Tom said, "From what I've heard in your letters, they're a real special group of mares."

"Yup! They sure are," Applejack said, "They sure are."

The next day, Applejack felt a lot calmer about the whole "in-love-with-your-best-stallion-friend-and-he-doesn't-know" situation than she had the day before. At first in the morning she had been a bit jittery, but by the time she was showing him the south field, she felt at ease and more like herself. She had done up her mane in a braid again, although this one was more loose and messy. She wanted to look nice, but in a way that didn't look like she was trying to. She again, wondered how Rarity could do this on a daily basis.

Maybe if they tell me I should let him know how I feel, and if we go on a date or somethin', I can get Rarity to give me some cosmetic tips. I'm sure she wouldn't mind.

By lunch, Tom and Applejack were laughing at old jokes, reminiscing about their time at camp and their time on his tomato farm. A couple of times Applejack just wanted to sigh and tell him that she loved him, or just lean in and rest her head on his shoulder. But then she remembered that he didn't know how she felt, and that she was terrified to tell him. So she kept those urges bottled up.

The sun was low in the sky as she and Tom headed towards one of the quaint restaurants in Ponyville. It was one that she and her friends went to quite often.

"Apple Bloom told me that tomorrow I'm invited to a Cutie Mark Crusader meeting," Tom said, "Should I be afraid?"

"Very," Applejack said with a chuckle, "She and her friends are determined as warthogs to get their cutie marks. I'm pretty sure they'll soon run out of things to try."

"Warthogs?" Tom asked. He gave Applejack a quizzical look and smirked at her. Did I really just say warthogs? What in the hay is wrong with me? Applejack thought. But she pressed on.

"They've tried everythin' Tom, it's crazy. They've tried hang-glidin', suba-divin', canon ball shooting... They even recruited our cousin from Manehatten, who is now apparently starting a branch out there," Applejack said, "So, don't be surprised when the first thing they ask you tomorrow is how you got your cutie mark. And then they'll try to do the same thing."

Tom laughed as he and Applejack approached the restaurant. He held the door open for her, and she felt her cheeks go red at the gesture. There was something so nice about old-fashioned manners.

"They're here, they're here!" Applejack heard a familiar voice beam from across the restaurant.

Before she could even turn her head, Pinkie Pie was up in her face. How she had moved across the restaurant so fast, Applejack hadn't the faintest clue. She had long ago given up on trying to figure out Pinkie's surprising agility and stealthiness.

"Hi there, Pinkie Pie!" Applejack said, "Pinkie Pie, this is my friend, Tomato Seed. Tom, this is Pinkie."

"Hi! It's so so so so so nice to meet you!" Pinkie Pie said, shaking Tom's hoof much too energetically. She then bounced her way back to the table and somehow managed to land perfectly in the cramped middle seat. Applejack smiled sheepishly at Tom, who still looked slightly alarmed at the pink pony's exuberant greeting, and led him back to the table where the rest of her friends were waiting.

Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy all sat crammed on the booth side of the table. Three chairs were vacant on the other side of the table, and for some odd reason, Spike was sitting in a little foal's chair at the end of the table that wasn't pushed up against the wall.

Applejack and Tom said down, and Applejack introduced everypony and Spike.

"It was the only way I'd fit at the table without taking Rarity's seat," Spike mumbled. He sort of shot a glare at Applejack, who then realized she must have taken Rarity's seat next to Spike. It was known to everypony that Spike had an enormous crush on Rarity.

"Where is Rarity?" Applejack asked.

"Fashionably late, probably," Twilight said.

"Darling please, there is nothing fashionable about being late," came a sophisticated voice from behind Applejack, "Applejack, dear, I am so sorry I am late. Sweetie Belle was insisting that I help her made an 'honorary badge' for her little club."

Rarity sat down and sighed somewhat. She then cheerfully turned to Tom and extended her hoof, "You must be Tomato Seed. You should be warned that our little sisters are planning on making you an honorary member of their crusaders' club, even though you clearly already have your cutie mark."

Tom chuckled, "Yes, Apple Bloom has told me a lot about this club. Please everypony, call me Tom."

"So, Tom, Applejack just mentioned briefly that you two met a long time ago during a summer camp," Twilight said.

"Yes," answered Tom. And he went into detail about how the two met. Applejack would join in here and there, and every now and then the two would share a laugh.

Once the story of how they met and how they became pen pals was cleared out of the way, the group ordered their food and settled in over appetizers.

"Applejack has already told me so much about all of you," Tom said, "but I'd like to know more. Please, tell me a bit about all of yourselves."

"Well, as, you should already know, I'm the only known pegasus who can do a sonic rainboom," Rainbow Dash started off. Once Tom asked what a sonic rainboom was, Rainbow Dash chatted non-stop for fifteen minutes. Applejack had never heard Rainbow Dash talk so much all in a row. But once she finished telling Tom about her current training at the Wonderbolt Academy, Rainbow Dash realized she had been talking non-stop and turned to Twilight.

Twilight then began a very boring speech about her time at the library. There were components of it that made Applejack think it was more of a lecture than a brief summary about her life. Spike would then pipe in here and there, trying to make it sound more interesting, but it would only make Twilight correct his exaggerations and go into further details.

Pinkie Pie yammered on about cupcakes and sugar sweets. She then proceeded to ask Tom what his favorite-of-everything was, and then told him that she was going to throw him a big party sometime next week.

"She throws everypony a party," Applejack murmured to him.

Fluttershy spoke shyly about how she took care of animals. Tom asked her what kind of animals she had, and told her that at one point he wanted to become a veterinarian when he was younger, but then found his love for farming instead.

"And what about you, Rarity? What sort of things do you do in your spare time?" Tom asked politely. How he could have patiently sit through non-stop chattering from her friends, Applejack didn't know. But it did make her like him more. Such manners he had!

"I am all about fashion," Rarity said, "I own a boutique here in town, and am hoping to someday soon expand over into Canterlot. I do get quite a few orders from ponies over there, and it would be just so much easier if I had a storage facility over there, instead of having to ship them and whatnot."

"Oh, fashion eh? My sister, Solanum, she wants to be a fashionista when she gets older. She has quite the talent for sewing. Her cutie mark is of a pin cushion and pins. She was a little upset that the pin cushion is shaped like a tomato," Tom said with a laugh, "She loves the farm and all, but she actually hates tomatoes. Sometimes my mother swears Solanum must have been mixed up at the hospital when she was born or something."

"Oh! Well I'd love to help a fellow fashionista get started! I wrote out a small notebook with a few pointers, and I gave a copy of it to my little sister, Sweetie Belle, since she too is determined to be a fashionista. She made me this absolutely adorable scarf for Hearth's Warming, and although I adore it to pieces, the stitching was a bit sloppy, so I gave her a few pointers and she has greatly improved," Rarity said. "I'd be more than happy to make another copy of my notes for you sister."

"Thank you! I'm sure she would absolutely love that! That's so generous of you," Tom said.

"Well, it is her Element," Twilight said. A few of the girls giggled.

"How about I swing by tomorrow to pick them up?" Tom asked. He turned to Applejack, "That'd be alright, won't it AJ?"

"Yeah... yeah, that'd be just fine," Applejack said.

But as they continued with their dinner, chatter and laughter, Applejack started to feel less and less fine about the whole situation.

Applejack had barely slept a wink that night. She had tossed and turned, and on more than one occasion thought she was going to be strangled to death by her sheets. How in Equestria was she supposed to compete with Rarity? Rarity, the most beautiful unicorn—no pony—in all of Equestria? It was no wonder that last night Tom kept turning to Rarity and asking her more questions about her business. The way he would sort of lean in when he was talking to her. The way he never took his eyes off of hers when they spoke.

Applejack had been quiet on the walk back home, and when Tom asked her if she was ok, she said she was fine, and just thought the food wasn't agreeing with her. That had also given her an excuse to go straight to bed when she got home. Apple Bloom had come to see if she could get her something to feel better, but Applejack pretended to be asleep.

The next morning, Tom went with Apple Bloom to her crusaders meeting. This gave Applejack time to cool off and try to figure out just exactly what the situation was. There was no real proof that Tom liked Rarity. Heck, he barely knew the mare. Yes, he could be attracted to her—really, which stallion wasn't?—but that didn't mean he wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with her, right?

Applejack sighed. She was starting the early preparations for the Sisterhooves Social. She moved a few bales of hay around, grumbling to herself every now and then.

"Hey there, stranger! Feeling any better?"

Applejack whipped her head around. Tom was walking towards her, a smile on his face. He had a makeshift badge pinned to his vest. Applejack gave him a quizzical look. Tom looked down at the badge and then back at her.

"So, how was it?" Applejack asked.

"It was... interesting," Tom said, as he laughed, "They certainly are determined to get their cutie marks. They asked if there were any foals I knew in Neighgley who would maybe want to start a branch there. I said I couldn't think of any, but I'd bring a few pamphlets and see if my sister knew. She just got her cutie mark last year, so she still knows some of the youngins."

"Well that's mighty nice of y'ah," Applejack said. She turned back to her bales of hay and repositioned one of them.

"What are you up to? You never answered my question; are you feeling better?" Tom asked. There was a slight indication of concern in his voice. "I didn't even get to see you this morning."

"I'm better, thank you," Applejack said. She sighed. She had to remind herself that she didn't know all of the facts. There was no solid proof yet that Tom liked Rarity. "I'm just slowly starting to set up for the Sisterhooves Social."

"Speaking of sisters," Tom said, "Do you mind if you show me where Rarity lives, so I can go get the notes for my sister? We don't have a lot of fashionista ponies like Rarity in Neighgley, and I just know Solanum would really appreciate this."

Applejack tried to ignore the fact that at the mention of "sister" he jumped right into talking about Rarity. Innocent until proven guilty. Applejack smiled.

"Of course I don't mind!" she said, almost a little too cheery. But Tom didn't pick up on her fake tone.

Applejack tried to gather as much information from Tom as she could on the way to Rarity's boutique. She asked him what he thought of her friends.

"They all seem really nice! A great group of gals," Tom said, "Though it sounded like that Twilight was a little too smart for her own good."

"Yeah," Applejack said, "What about the others though? Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie... Rarity?"

"Pinkie Pie has to be the most exuberant pony I've ever met!" Tom said, "I've never had a pony I just met decide to throw me a party! I felt so honored, I didn't know what to say. I know you said she throws everypony a party, but still!"

"Mmmhmm, mmhmm, yeah, Pinkie's great," Applejack said.

"Rainbow Dash seems very focused on her goals. It's a good quality I don't see around in a lot of ponies," Tom said.

"Yeah, she's focused," Applejack quipped.

"And Rarity is... well, Rarity is..."

Is what? Gorgeous? Beautiful? The mare of your dreams? Your future wife? What? What is she!?

"It's just such a nice thing she's doing for Solanum," Tom said, "She's never even met my sister and she's going through all this trouble to help her out. I just guess... when I first saw Rarity, I was quick to judge her as a bit of a selfish pony. But she's not. She's like the complete opposite!"

"Well, her Element is the Element of Generosity," Applejack muttered.

Applejack sighed as they rounded the corner and the boutique came into view.

"This is it," Applejack mumbled.

She knocked on the door. Rarity answered almost instantly.

"Hello Applejack, Tom! Come on in!" she trilled.

Tom walked in and Applejack followed. She couldn't help but scrutinize Rarity's home, and began to compare it to her own. Since the main entrance into the boutique was indeed, the boutique part of the building, it was a bit messy, with rolls of fabric lying here and there, a half-finished piece on a ponyquin, scissors and bits of threads covering the surfaces.

"I see you're now an honorary member of the CMC," Rarity said. She nodded towards Tom's badge.

"Ha ha ha, yes," Tom said, "Your sister is quite the charming little filly."

"Ugh, yes," Rarity said, "Well, she does take after her big sister."

The two continued to chat and Applejack tuned them out. She just watched as Rarity and Tom talked, neither of them failing to smile or laugh at the others joke. Rarity pulled out a crisp new notebook from one of her drawers, and Tom went on and on about how grateful he was, and about how she hadn't needed to go through so much effort. The more Applejack stood there and watched as her best friend and her best friend she was in love with chatted happily and effortlessly with each other, the more Applejack began to feel a twist in her stomach. The more she began to feel her heart cracking and breaking into pieces.

Sisterhooves Sabotage

"Is everything ok, Applejack?"

Applejack looked up from her cup of tea. She looked at Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy, somewhat a little confused as to what they were doing there, but then remembered she had been invited over to Twilight's for tea.

"Mmm... yeah," Applejack mumbled. She spun her spoon around in her tea slowly, watching as the liquid swirled round and round. She sighed and the spoon clanged on the table.

Rarity and Rainbow Dash were supposed to be with them as well. Rainbow Dash had canceled at the last minute because of some weather emergency, and Rarity... well, she was out with Tom. Again.

Applejack groaned and buried her head into her hooves. The first week of Tom's visit was up. And he had spent most of it was Rarity. Every day he seemed to be going off to the Carousel Boutique for long hours, and by the time he would arrive back at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack would be so hurt and heartbroken, that she could barely stand to look at him. She tried to not worry about it, to remind herself that their friendship was what was important, but her feelings for him were too strong.

After Rarity had given Tom the notebook with sewing tips in it, they had continued to chat. Applejack had tuned most of it out, as she stood there, stirring in jealousy and heartache, but now she wished she knew what they had been talking about. Because then, she would have maybe had some idea of what Rarity had done to bewitch Tom. He was going off every day to spend some time with Rarity. Sure, Rarity was gorgeous, but she must have done something else to win over super sweet Tom. Applejack wouldn't be surprised if she had a wedding invitation in the mail soon.

"Applejack? Earth to Applejack," Twilight said.

"Huh?" Applejack said. She lifted her head out of her hooves and snapped back to reality.

"Applejack, are you sure you're ok?" Twilight asked again. She and the others stared at Applejack, waiting for her to answer.

"Yes," Applejack said, a little more firm this time. Yes, she would be fine. She promised herself, she would be fine. Her friends still looked at her uncertainly, and she gave them a winning smile.

"How's your visit with Tom going?" Fluttershy asked.

Applejack involuntarily sighed again. She had been debating over the past couple of days if she should tell her friends how she felt. Surely they would have some idea on how to deal with the situation. But what if they thought less of her because she wanted to ruin Rarity's potential happiness? What if they got mad at her for not telling them about her feelings for Tom sooner?

"It's been good, I guess. He's been spending a lot of time with Rarity," Applejack said slowly. Maybe they could tell her more information on what was going on. Just so then she wouldn't be blindsided to learn that her best friend and the love of her life had eloped or something. Although she already knew that eloping wasn't Rarity's style.

"Yeah! Tom's been giving her a lot of advice on setting up a shop in Canterlot," Twilight said, "Since he has the experience with the shop his family owns in Neighgley. I think today they were going to look at a small boutique, just as a potential site for Rarity."

Applejack recalled Tom saying something about helping Rarity with real-estate and on the workings of how to run and manage a shop. But she had been avoiding him a bit, so she couldn't be too sure.

"It's just so nice of him," Pinkie Pie said, "And I think I heard Rarity say something about giving his sister more insider tips on sewing and stuff. He seemed really grateful that she was helping his sister."

"So... that's all they've been doing? Helpin' each other out?" Applejack asked, as innocently as she could. Twilight smiled a little too cheerfully.

"Yes, that's all," Twilight said. "Why, what did you think was going on?"

"Nothing," Applejack said quickly. She took a deep breath and a long sip of tea. Everything was going to be ok. Maybe she would hang out with Tom later tonight, assess the damage that may have occurred from her sort of ignoring him the past few days. Things would work out.

"Are you excited about the Sisterhooves Social?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Yes," Applejack said, relieved at the change of conversation, "Only two days to go! Apple Bloom is super excited, as always, especially since Rarity and Sweetie Belle will be competin' again."

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack all stood, and thanked Twilight for the wonderful late evening. As they made their way through the streets of Ponyville, Applejack continued to chat about the Sisterhooves Social. Pinkie Pie talked about her two younger sisters, and about how one year she would have to convince one of them to try it with her. As they passed one of the restaurants in town, something caught Applejack's eye. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy at first didn't notice that she had stopped and had continued walking a few feet.

There, inside the restaurant, under the twinkling lights and in the soft glow of the candles on the table, where Rarity and Tom. Rarity was laughing at something Tom said, and Tom had a big, gorgeous smile on his face. As Applejack stared at them, they seemed to be in their own little world. Tom leaned in as Rarity began to tell him a story, and there was just something so intimate about the whole thing. There was no way that this was anything but a new friendship, no way that this was just a big act of generosity between the two, helping one another. This was something romantic.

"Applejack?" Pinkie Pie asked. Applejack whipped her head away from the window and looked towards Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, who were slowly starting to walk towards her. Applejack stepped away from the window so they wouldn't see what she saw and ask questions.

"Yes?" Applejack. She could clearly hear the croak in her voice. She tried to push back the tears that were making their way to the front of her eyes. Slowly, another feeling began to take over. Jealousy. Extreme jealousy.

"I was asking you if you thought the Sisterhooves Social was going to be fun?" Pinkie asked.

"Oh yes," Applejack said, as she stepped back into line with her friends. She took one last look at the restaurant over her shoulder. "Yes, it's going to be very fun."

Applejack avoided Tom for the next two days. She barely saw him in passing. She waited until he would have breakfast and leave before she would go downstairs. She would try to spend her time on the opposite side of the farm that he was on, and if he came towards her, she would come up with an excuse to get away from him.

But she wasn't mad at Tom. Really, who wouldn't fall in love with Rarity? She was a gorgeous, generous pony. She was ambitious and delightful. Applejack couldn't be mad at Tom, it wasn't his fault. But she could be mad at Rarity. A good friend would have gone to Applejack first before potentially starting anything with Tom. Why hadn't Rarity come to Applejack at all? She hadn't seen her since she had introduced Tom to her friends.

Applejack spent most of her time preparing for the Sisterhooves Social. She had finished making up the last bit of the race track, and had put together all of the other small events. She had washed and mended all of the team tunics, and had printed out the finalized list of the sisters competing.

On the day of the Sisterhooves Social, Applejack got up bright and early. She pulled her mane into her signature low ponytail, and made a big breakfast for everypony in the house. Apple Bloom was up early as well, too excited about the event.

Tom came into the kitchen and smiled brightly when he saw Applejack.

"Hey Applejack!" he said. Applejack looked up as she set the table and flashed him a big smile.

"Hey there, Tom! Hope you're hungry," she said, the smile still plastered on her face. Tom smacked his lips and rubbed his hooves together. He sit down at the table and Apple Bloom sat next to him.

"I haven't really had the chance to see you that much the past couple of days," Tom said, when Applejack sat down across from him, "And I'm leaving in three days."

"Yeah, well, I've been busy gettin' ready for the Sisterhooves Social," Applejack said. She broke eye contact with him and began to pile food onto her plate.

"You must be excited that the big day has finally come! I can't wait to see it!" Tom said.

"Yeah. Rarity and her sister will be here too," Applejack said.

"Yes, Rarity was telling me about it. She mentioned about how you helped her and Sweetie Belle better their relationship together last time through the social. That was really nice of you!" Tom said. "She was really grateful."

"Yeah, I'm sure she was," Applejack muttered. She knew she had brought Rarity up, but now she didn't want to talk about her any more.

"I hope you're not upset because I've been spending a lot of time with your friend Rarity," Tom said, "She just had a lot of questions about running a business, especially if it was going to be from a distance."

"Uh-huh," Applejack said. She shoved food into her mouth, "I'm not mad. Why would I be mad?"

Tom opened and closed his mouth. He looked at Applejack, and there was something about his expression that she couldn't quite explain. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't.

Applejack swallowed her food. "Excuse me, I've got to go start things up for the social. I'll see y'ah later."

"See you," Tom said in a quiet voice.

Applejack stood from the table and walked towards the hall. She took one last look at Tom before she left.

Applejack kept busy for the first half of the day. Since she and Apple Bloom only participated in the big race at the end, Applejack oversaw the pie eating contest, the apple bobbing, and the smaller races (six-legged race and sack race).

She would wave at Tom here and there, as he walked around with Big Mac to check out the various events. When she saw Rarity and Sweetie Belle arrive, she knew it was almost time for the big race. She waved politely at her unicorn friend, and walked with Apple Bloom to meet them.

"Good afternoon, Applejack, Apple Bloom," Rarity said.

"Hi Sweetie Belle! Hi Rarity! You guys ready to race?" Apple Bloom asked excitedly.

"We sure are!" Sweetie Belle said, "I'm so excited! Be prepared to lose, Apple Bloom! It's on!"

Oh, it was on alright. Applejack smiled at Rarity, and just as she opened her mouth to say something, Tom approached them, along with her other friends. They all chatted and exchanged pleasantries. Then the horn sounded, the sign that the race was about to begin. Tom and the others headed for the stands, while the pairs of sisters made their way to the starting line.

The row of sisters lined up, Granny Smith made her speech about having fun and a clean race, and then sounded the horn. The sisters took off.

Applejack and Apple Bloom sprinted off, Rarity and Sweetie Belle right behind them. They raced down the dirt path. As they approached the mud pit, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle laughed with each other as they raced across. Applejack glanced at Rarity, who was a step behind her. Applejack slowed a second, and just as she was at the edge of the mud it, she jumped at the same time as Rarity, and knocked into her, pushing the white unicorn deep into the mud.

"Eekkguhgg!" Rarity said, as she slammed into the mud.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle shouted. She waited for her sister on the other side of the pit, as Applejack and Apple Bloom raced past them, Applejack's dirty deed going on unseen.

They raced on to the next leg, jumping through the barrels. Applejack glanced behind and saw that Sweetie Belle and a very dirty Rarity were catching up to them. Applejack ran faster, and helped Apple Bloom jump up the crate pyramid. As Rarity and Sweetie Belle came to the pyramid, Applejack 'accidentally' caused one of the crates to tumble down towards them. Both unicorns had to dodge it out of the way. Applejack's plan had backfired though, because now the pyramid was shorter and they had less to climb, and caught up again quickly.

"Applejack!" Rarity called. She tried to signal towards Applejack that she wanted to talk to her, but Applejack ignored her and raced on.

As they approached the pie eating table, Apple Bloom and Applejack ate quickly. Rarity and Sweetie Belle ate quickly as well, but the Apples finished first. Just as Apple Bloom and Applejack were leaving the table, Applejack swung the empty tin out of her mouth, and it hit Rarity in the side of the head.

"Ouch! Applejack!" Rarity whined. But Applejack didn't care. Her heart had been broken and it was all the unicorn's fault. Jealousy had taken over completely.

Applejack and Apple Bloom, who still seemed oblivious to the things her sister was doing, ran up to the bale of hay and began to push it towards the designated distance line. But Rarity and Sweetie Belle were suddenly beside them, pushing their own bale very fast. Applejack's jealous surged again. She began to push so that her bale of hay ran into Rarity's, and it began to push the unicorns off course.

"Applejack, what are you doin'!?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Whoops! Sorry, wasn't payin' attention!" Applejack said.

Apple Bloom seemed to buy it and they continued on with the race. They raced around the bend and came up to the juice making portion. Applejack threw in the grapes as Apple Bloom began to press them. The whole time she glared at Rarity's back in the tub next to them. Applejack and Rarity began to bring their jars of juice towards the stools at the same time.

"Applejack, are you ok? Are you mad at—"

Applejack cut off Rarity, both in speech and on the way to the stools. She bumped into Rarity, causing her jar to fall over and smash. Applejack didn't look back as she continued down the track.

Apple Bloom was waiting at the far end to catch the apples. Applejack jumped on the bench and sent the bunch of apples flying in the air towards their bucket. Apple Bloom caught them easily and they continued over to the chicken coop. The two carefully carried the egg to the basket and began to race towards the finish line.

Applejack wasn't even sure what the other teams were doing. All she was aware of was that Rarity and Sweetie Belle were right behind them. Apple Bloom ran ahead and was almost at the finish line. Sweetie Belle was just passing Applejack when she acted. She turned around slightly and stuck out her leg. Rarity had no time to respond and ran full force into it, and tripped, falling hard to the ground. Applejack ran past and crossed the finish line.

But as she crossed the finish line, nopony came to congratulate her and Apple Bloom. As a matter of fact, Apple Bloom was looking at her with a look of horror on her face. Some ponies from the crowd were rushing from the stands to something behind her. Applejack turned around. Rarity was standing slowly, and wincing sharply as she tried to put weight on her left foreleg. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy held her up between them. Sweetie Belle looked in tears as she stared at her big sister.

"Applejack! What the buck was that about?" Rainbow Dash asked. She flew down into the earth pony's face. When she moved aside, Twilight Sparkle and Tom were walking towards her.

"Applejack, why did you intentionally hurt Rarity? You sabotaged the whole race for her!" Twilight said.

"I just... I... It was all an accident," Applejack stuttered. She glanced towards Rarity, the jealousy fading away fast, guilt quickly replacing it. Rarity looked like she was in a lot of pain. Applejack hadn't meant to trip her that hard. What if her leg was broken? Rarity was looking towards Applejack, a hurt look on her face, tears in her eyes.

"Why would you do that to your friend, Applejack?" Tom asked her quietly. Just his voice made her heart ache. The way he was looking at her, disappointment plastered all over his face, was unbearable.

"Oh, of course you'd be concerned for her," Applejack said, some of the jealousy seeping in again, "She is your girlfriend after all!"

"What are you talking about?" Tom sputtered, "We're just friends! I have no interest in Rarity!"

Applejack stared at him dumbfounded. The guilt quickly came washing in again, and this time it was ten times stronger. He wasn't interested in Rarity? He hadn't been this whole tine?

"Is that why you did this to her? Because that's what you thought?" Tom asked, putting two and two together.

"I—I just—" Applejack stuttered.

"I've just been helping her with her business! As a way to repay her for helping my sister! And she was nice enough to give me some dating advice, because it was you I was interested in, Applejack, but after what I just saw... I'm not so sure any more," Tom said.

Tears began to swell in Applejack's eyes. Rarity had been giving Tom advice on asking her out? He wanted to be with her? Except now that was all a maybe. It was all jeopardized because of what she had done.

The tears began to spill down Applejack's cheeks. She couldn't take the look of disappointment from everypony any more.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Then she shut her eyes and ran away.

Seeds of Romance

Applejack didn't leave her room for the next two days. One morning she had tried, but Apple Bloom was giving her the cold shoulder and she couldn't find Tom anywhere. She decided it would be better off never to see him again, and then she could work on apologizing to Rarity.

After holing herself up for two days straight, Applejack sighed on the third morning and rolled out of bed. It was Tom's last day in town. After much debate, she decided that never seeing him again would be the coward's way out. And Applejack was no coward. Being a coward was being dishonest, and darn-it if her element wasn't Honesty!

Applejack walked downstairs quietly. Everyone was still asleep. It was earlier in the morning than she had anticipated. She moseyed into the kitchen and slumped at the table. What was she going to say when she saw Tom? What was she going to say when she saw Rarity? How on earth could she explain her situation without completely further embarrassing herself?

She groaned to herself and dropped her head on the table. She turned it to one side and stared at the wall. There, in one of Apple Bloom's pink crayons, she had circled today's date and written a PP on it.

Oh, that's right. Pinkie Pie is having a farewell party for Tom...

Applejack sat up straighter and stared at the calendar, determined. A plan was forming in her head. Whether or not it worked was out of her hooves, but at least she would try. If she couldn't salvage any hope of being romantically involved with Tom, then at least she would try to save their friendship. Or aquantainceship. Or penpalship... Or... something. She couldn't lose him all together because her emotions had taken over her. Never again would she make fun of Rarity for being over dramatic. At least her drama hadn't ever caused a friend to break a leg.

Applejack stood up and ran back up to her bedroom. She grabbed the box from her dresser and haphazardly began to go through it. She snatched the recipe card for pan-roasted cherry tomatoes and held it preciously in her hooves. Granny Smith had made the recipe on the first night Tom was in town, but she had put her own variation on it. Applejack had never tried the recipe herself. She could never read Tom's colt writing. But today she was determined. She was going to make this recipe for the first time and bring it to Pinkie's. And if that wasn't a good start to an apology, then she didn't know what else would work.

Much later, Applejack stood back from the counter and stared at her... er... "masterpiece."

"I hope because you made in haste, the food here will not lack in taste," Zecora said, as she too, stared down at Applejack's creation.

They didn't look anything like the ones Granny Smith had made, and they were nowhere close to how she knew they would look if Tom had made them. Zecora gave her a grim smile. Applejack tried not to groan. Right after she had grabbed the recipe card, she had rushed into town. She bought the tomatoes and other necessary ingredients and then headed over to Zecora's. She wanted it to be a complete surprise and therefore, couldn't have used her own kitchen, lest Apple Bloom ask what she was up to.

She had also refused all of Zecora's help. It had to be her and her alone that put the effort into this disastrous turn-out of a meal. Tomatoes were just too different from apples.

"There's no time to even try them," Applejack said. She glanced up at Zecora's clock. "Even if I leave now I'm gonna be late for the party. I can't be any later!" she said. Even though she had had an early morning start, gathering all of the ingredients and deciphering Tom's terrible writing had taken a lot longer than she had anticipated.

Zecora and Applejack carefully packed up the pan-roasted tomatoes. Applejack then quickly checked her appearance in the mirror. It was not a pretty sight. She hastily re-tied her frizzy mane into a ponytail and tried to get most of the tomato-seeds off of her hat. She then thanked Zecora and then made her way towards the party.

The party was already in full swing when Applejack arrived. She took a deep breath as she stood outside of Sugarcube Corner. Balloons were streamed from every window, from which laughter and music poured outside. She could hear Pinkie Pie's laughter and Twilight telling somepony a story about geometry.

Applejack straightened up and rolled her shoulders. She held her head high and stepped towards the door. She firmly knocked it on twice and waited. Rainbow Dash opened the door, half finishing a story to someone over her shoulder. Her mouth dropped open slightly when she saw Applejack, and she turned and exchanged a look with Twilight.

The laughter and chatter died down. The obscenely cheerful music Pinkie always played continue on in the background, making what would have been an uncomfortable silence even more awkward. There was a large cake on a table in the background, surrounded by other various treats. A small pile of gifts lay on another table, and the room was filled with streamers and balloons. Applejack spotted Rarity and Tom standing off to one side. Her jaw trembled slightly. Rarity had a large cast on her foreleg.

Pinkie Pie—who was wearing a hat that looked like a large tomato on her head—quickly glanced around the room in panic.

"EVERYPONY!" she suddenly shouted. "It's time for pin-the-teeth on the alligator! Come oooon over here!" She then zipped across the room, grabbing several ponies along the way.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat awkwardly. "Hey."

"Hey," Applejack said. Rainbow Dash stepped out of the way and Applejack entered the room. Ponies whispered as she walked by, and Applejack tried not to hang her head in shame. She was coming here to apologize, to make things right. She had to be strong.

Applejack walked straight up to Rarity and Tom. Both of them stopped talking and turned to her. Applejack carefully put her terribly cooked appetizer on the table next to them and took a deep breath.

"Rarity, I don't even know where to begin with mah apology," Applejack said. "I—"

Rarity put up her foreleg and wobbled a bit, unbalanced. She then regained her composure and smiled. "It is quite alright, Applejack. I forgive you. I know that you are not as privy to emotions as I am, and that you sort of lost control. A lot of control. But nonetheless, I accept your apology. Let it all be water under the bridge."

Applejack stared at her, stunned. She glanced at Tom and then back at Rarity. "But, Rarity, I—"

"Please, excuse me," Rarity said. She smiled again and looked between Applejack and Tom. "You two need to have a chat that I am no part of. Oh Twilight, would you be a dear and help me over to that sofa?"

As Twilight came over and helped Rarity away, Applejack stared at them in silence. How could Rarity be so forgiving so easily? Generosity indeed.

"Um, Applejack? What in Equestria are these supposed to be?" Tom asked. Applejack turned and watched as Tom slowly unpacked her pan-roasted tomatoes. He held one up to his nose and made a face. Applejack could feel her cheeks turning red. Tomato red. Or apple red, depending on how you looked.

"Erm... those are pan-roasted cherry tomatoes," Applejack said, her voice three times as high its normal pitch. Tom looked at the snack again and then slowly back to Applejack.

"You made my recipe?" he asked.

"For the first time," she said. She could feel her face getting redder. If she didn't stop blushing soon, her mane was going to be as red as Apple Bloom's.

A peak of a smile appeared on Tom's face. He slowly raised one of the appetizers to his mouth and then threw it in and began to chew quickly. Applejack held her breath. Maybe they didn't taste as bad as they looked. Maybe they turned out absolutely perfect except for the cosmetics. Maybe she had a knack for cooking, no matter what the recipe.

Tom made a face and stuck out his tongue. He sipped from his glass of water nearby and made a face again. "We need to work on your pan-roasted tomatoes."

Applejack burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that tears began to pool in her eyes. Her sides hurt and she could not stop. Tom started laughing too and it sounded so good. Everything was going to be ok. This was his way of forgiving her, of letting her know that they were back to the way they were. Rarity had forgiven her and so had Tom.

And it wasn't until Pinkie Pie came over and joined in the laughter, that Applejack realized that Tom had taken her hoof in his.