Flora Peace always wondered what was up with her friend Tomato Sandwich.
From the moment they met, he had been either apathetic or prickly, which clearly made it so that no one stuck around him for long. She only stuck with him because he was generous enough to tutor her in math, and he was at least polite to her. And when he smiled, she had to admit to herself that it was kind of cute. Still, she wasn't sure that she could consider him a friend quite yet.
It was quite a surprise that during one lunch that a blue unicorn by the name of Bluejinx sat with them, revealing that he was Tomato's friend. She had assumed that Tomato had been friendless, but Bluejinx proved her wrong. He also seemed really happy that Tomato had made a new friend, though Flora still didn't feel ready to call him that.
One day, she was studying in the library when said unicorn came by and sat in the sat across from her.
"Yello!" he said. "Mind if I sit with you?"
Flora looked up from her book and shrugged. "Sure."
Bluejinx set down the stack of books he had been levitating, and took the one from the top. As he opened it, he asked, "So, whatcha studying for?"
"Psychology."
"Cool. I'm reading up on the history of reporting. I'm in journalism."
Flora smiled and cocked her head. "Should I be worried about you interviewing me in the future?"
Bluejinx waved a hoof. "Nah. I'll only do that to strangers." He looked around, noting how empty the library was. "Looks like it's just you and me. Hmph, I was actually expecting to run into Tomato in here. Oh, well."
Flora turned the page of her book, where she read something about motivations for a pony's behavior. That coupled with the mention of Tomato prompted her to ask, "Speaking of Tomato... how'd you meet?"
Bluejinx turned to her and blinked. "Oh? Well, we met when we were little colts on the first day of school. I was a shy colt, trying not to be seen, when all of a sudden he's in my face, shouting, 'Hi, I'm Tommy, do you what to be my friend?' He's been my buddy ever since."
"I see. He sounded friendly."
"Oh, he was. He used to be this little mischievous runt that was popular with all the other kids and was bouncing and running around all the time. Heck, he was considered the most fun colt on the playground." He leaned back and smiled, looking away as he reminisced about their colthoods.
"Sounds like my brother," Flora mumbled. She pursed her lips. "What happened to him? He seems a little... cold."
Bluejinx frowned, and his eyes darted left and right as he tried to come to an answer. It went on for a few moments before he leaned forward, rubbed the back of his head, and sighed. "Well, Flora... there's a good chunk that is not my right to talk about, and should be heard from Tomato himself. Even then, I'm sure he'll still be reticent about it."
"Well, anything you can tell me about what is contributing to his attitude?"
Bluejinx leaned in his hoof. "Most of his friendships were superficial. As long as he was that fun, goofy kid that didn't care about anything that wasn't fun, the others stuck around. They never really cared about who he was as a pony, about some of the things he truly cared for, and Tomato has told me that he kept his grades hidden from them because he feared he'd be labeled as a nerd."
Flora blinked. "So... peer pressure?"
Bluejinx nodded. "There was one thing that he never sided with those friends about, but it's one of those things..."
"Gotcha."
"Anyway, basically, when he came to school one day, distraught and depressed about something that happened, they just told him to get over it, and then he started a fight, and next thing I knew, all our friends became our enemies. He hasn't made a new friend since that day. Sure, he's been praised from time to time, but those were fleeting moments. He either wants sincere companionship or none at all."
Flora looked at her hooves on the table. Even though she didn't have the complete story, she got a basic idea of the why and how of Tomato's attitude. From the sound of things, he seemed to be a little lonely. She worried about just what those things that Bluejinx wasn't allowed to talk about were, and how bad they must have been to turn what sounded like a happy colt into a grumpy stallion. Were they as bad as Bananas' accident?
She looked up at Bluejinx. "So... why did you stick with him?"
Bluejinx smiled. "He had a big enough heart to be my friend during a time when I was grieving. I thought I'd at least try to return the favor when he went through his own grief. And from what I can tell, that heart of his hasn't been whipped out of him, just hiding."
She scrutinized him, pouting as she did so. Bluejinx seemed perfectly happy without a hint of hesitation or fear, even with a surly friend, and the fact that he stuck with that surly friend for years was amazing. Either he was really patient, or more willing to call Tomato out on his bad days. Or perhaps both.
And from the several tutor sessions she had with Tomato so far, there was hardly any doubt that there was definitely a heart there.
"Is having a second friend improving things for him?"
Bluejinx tilted his head, blinking as he stared and looking like he was about to scratch his head. It took a few moments before his eyes widened, and then he perked up as it clicked. He grinned at her proudly.
"If anything, I can tell that he likes you."