((Excuse me for taking so long with this, but I was saving the “850th post” slot for the wedding post, and answering this when I got it would have ruined it. I’m picky in the weirdest ways… XD
Yeah, Pinkie didn’t mean to upset him. In fact, you can see that when she said that she and Tomato were more alike than it seemed, she meant it as a compliment. It’s just that Tommy’s bitter about how his life went and that he had to conform himself to a certain interpretation of what his cutie mark meant. He’s been made to believe that a personality overhaul was necessary for him to fit his cutie mark.
But, as Luna once said, a cutie mark is a reflection of who you are. Pinkie pointed out that Tommy’s cutie mark was kind of silly–and she’s right, it is. But, you know what? Tomato is a silly pony deep down. There’s still a remnant of that goofy, fun-loving colt he was in youth. He’s naturally a quirky character.
His cutie mark is supposed to reflect that–as does his hair (no matter how hard he tames it, that single forelock curl springs back up–in fact if the forelock doesn’t come back up or goes limp, something’s seriously wrong with him).
But, you know, he hasn’t quite figured it out yet.
In other notes, I’m glad you like the memory thing. I was thinking of Inside Out when I wrote it. Plus… I just wanted to write Beans and Panini. And little Cheese.))