It was October 23rd. That was the day of the year that Tomato Sandwich reserved himself to have a chocolate cupcake--frosted with a mountain of yellowish-orange frosting, with googly eyes placed on it.
To most other ponies, it would be a silly habit for a pony determined to be a hard-nosed killjoy, especially the googly eyes. His own mother ridiculed the practice, as did his neighbor and babysitter, wondering why he'd bake a single cupcake when that time would be better used for studying. His father would grumble about how the kitchen was a mess, and Tomato was sure that if anypony else knew, they'd find it silly as well.
He didn't have time to bake it this year, though; he was still getting the hang of college life. He instead purchased a cupcake from the food court, unfortunately settling for yellow frosting, and there were no googly eyes to be had that year. While the changes made no difference in his consumption of the dessert, he couldn't help the sinking feeling in his chest, as if he had betrayed his humble ritual.
Pegasi above were placing gray clouds in the sky, reflecting his mood. As he left the food court and walked through campus to the dorms, the very first drop of rain hit his muzzle. He cursed himself for forgetting his umbrella, and had to shield his cupcake by leaning over the hoof that held it, carrying the risk of the frosting staining his suit jacket.
Walking with three legs didn't make for speedy time, and before he knew it, the beige pavement was dotted with brown, and was rapidly gaining more spots. He was certain that he'd need a change of clothes when he reached his dorm, given the increasing frequency of the raindrops. Even worse, he was sure to drop his cupcake before then, as he couldn't rely on his hoof as much as he could his tail to hold things. Sadly, the tail brought the risk of getting the cupcake soggy, and putting his tail between his legs to protect it would have been awkward to say the least.
He took a rest stop on a bench, using one side of his jacket to protect his cupcake. He couldn't stay here for long before the clouds dumped a shower on him, but he was not looking forward to his long, awkward walk to his room.
However, he felt a presence next to him, and he was shielded by an umbrella. He turned to the culprit, who was none other than the mare that he tutored in math, Flora Peace. He did not know what to make of her presence, other than her apparently doing him a favor.
"Do you really want to sit out here in the rain by yourself?" Flora asked.
Tomato glanced down at his cupcake, wondering if she wanted it. "No, I was on my way to my dorm."
"Ah, I see. You want to walk there together?"
Tomato thought for a moment. While he'd like to lessen the risk of ruining his cupcake, he didn't want to continue on a tedious, three-legged walk there, even with an umbrella and a fri--acquaintance by his side. Right at the moment, he just wanted to rest his tired legs and his aching neck.
"I'll just have my rest stop for a little bit longer," he answered.
Flora shrugged. "Okey-dokey. I'll keep you company and enjoy the rain." She took a deep whiff and sighed happily. "I love the smell of rain."
Tomato wanted to mention that today was a day that he wanted to be alone; at the same time, he didn't want the umbrella to go away, nor the warmth that she was bringing to the bench. Staring at her strawberry blonde mane, he couldn't help but think of it as made of rays of sunshine, grouped with eyes that made him think of a clear azure sky and a flower cutie mark against a spring green coat that made him think of the month of May. A mare that could very well be the incarnation of spring sitting by him on a rainy autumn day was a nice change of pace from his usual October 23rd ritual.
Flora turned to him, looking at the cupcake as if she noticed it for the first time. "So, what's the cupcake for?"
And just like that, the warmth left. Tomato let out an annoyed nicker, wishing that she hadn't asked that question. He felt like shrinking when he thought of explaining his personal ritual, expecting her to laugh at him for his reasons behind it. Heck, explaining the entire story behind it would most likely sound contradictory to her, like it did to his parents.
So, he lied, "I... was hungry. Craving something sweet."
"Oh, I see." Flora said, stretching a hind leg to feel the rain. "I had no idea you had a sweet tooth."
"Learn something new every day," Tomato mumbled.
"Hmm..." Flora nodded. She tilted the umbrella a little, providing a bigger window for her to look at the sky. "I wonder if we'll see a rainbow today..."
Tomato scooted back and pulled his cupcake closer to avoid new raindrops. "Careful, I don't want my cupcake wet!"
Flora straightened her umbrella, giving Tomato a funny look. "Why don't you just eat it already?"
"Because I didn't put the candle on it!" When he realized what he had said, he covered his mouth and looked away from her.
Flora blinked. "Candle? Is it your birthday?"
Tomato stared at the cupcake, letting only the patter of the rain break the silence. There it was, the shame for having this dumb ritual of his. He was sure that if Flora knew what it was about, she'd question why he'd be doing it over somepony that he had been fighting bitterly with for years. Most sane ponies would avoid every reminder of them; but his brother's birthday couldn't be avoided. While most would try to ignore the birthday of an estranged family member, Tomato was trying to fill the hole in his heart with a little birthday celebration for him, which he was sure he would find himself too angry to actually do in said brother's presence.
Tomato shook his head. "No... I just miss somepony. Surely you know what that's like."
Flora stared at him for a second, before casting her eyes down, gripping her umbrella tighter and pressing her cheek on the rod. "You got that right. It feels so weird to be out here on my own... my shoulders to cry on, my sources of advice, the friends and family I've known for years... they're all back home, too far for me to reach for immediate comfort." She sighed. "I'm not used to being so alone. Sometimes I wonder if I should have stuck with the college closest to home so I didn't feel so lonely."
Tomato nodded. "It's easy to feel lonely in this city."
Flora looked up at him. "Yeah, I guessed as much. But... well..." She straightened up. "Having some friends around here does help ease the homesickness a little. You and I could be homesick buddies, keeping each other company when we're lonely. After all... Bluejinx has told me that you could use another friend."
Tomato wasn't sure if he could be called 'homesick'--unless he could call his big brother 'home'. And in his mind, it didn't seem like much of a stretch, aside from that 'home' being a bit hostile to him these days. It was unfortunate that it was too late to apologize for his own offenses.
He looked at Flora, and was immediately drawn to her eyes. He couldn't quite place it, but he swore he could see a light in them, like a sun in a summer sky, which was bringing back the warmth that he had felt earlier. She was just so inviting, so soft, and so sweet, especially with gentle smile being her eyes' companion. Merely looking at her was making him feel lighter than air. Regardless of what exactly he was feeling and whether he could pinpoint it or not, he certainly wouldn't mind her being another 'home' of his.
He looked at his cupcake once again, unwrapped the cup from it, and tore it in two. With a glance away and a little pout to try to remain casual, he wordlessly hoofed over one half of the cupcake, much to her surprise.
"Oh, for me?" Flora asked.
Tomato nodded, and pointed with his muzzle to tell her to just take it. Looking at both her hooves gripping the umbrella rod, he drew his tail out from the rain and wrapped it around the rod. "I'll hold the umbrella."
Releasing her grip on the rod, Flora took the cupcake, and took a bite. She hummed happily, blissfully unaware of the frosting that was on her nose and lips. It was the only time that Tomato found something with a resemblance to a clown funny, though he kept his laughter inside, even after she noticed and wiped it off.
When her half cupcake was half-eaten, Flora looked up, noting that the rain had thinned into a drizzle, and that the sky was half-cloud, half-sky. With a deep whiff of the wet air, her eyes were drawn to one particular colorful arch of light in the sky. With the arch being especially bright, Flora couldn't help but smile at it, and said, "Found the rainbow."
Tomato looked at the rainbow as well, perplexed at the contrast of the bright colors to the dark sky. The color among the gray stuck out, as if it was calling out to him to give him some hope once again, even when he himself had dashed it time and again, simply by being difficult.
He nearly crossed his front legs, only stopped by his half of the cupcake. "Oh, so you have. Haven't seen one of these in a long time."
Flora giggled. "One of my favorite activities as a filly was looking for one. It's nice to see one after it rains, you know?"
Tomato held up the cupcake, placing it directly under the rainbow in his line of vision. "Huh... it sure is."
He glanced at Flora, who was beaming at him, and he wondered where they made ponies like her. For once, he was glad not to be alone on what was usually a sad day for him, especially since it rained this time. He turned back to stare at his half of the cupcake and sighed, a tiny, wistful smile creeping up on his face.
Happy Birthday, Cheese.
After his silent declaration, he finally took a bite of the cupcake.