What's In A Name?

The Pegasi of Cloudsdale had certainly lived up to their promise. Canterlot had perfectly beautiful weather – not perfectly cloudless, but the clouds were only thick enough to provide ample comfort against the heat of the midday sun. Ponies were all enjoying the wonderful day. Except one, a downhearted blue unicorn with a blue and white mane inside an office.

“Why can’t I work here?” Minuette asked the pony in front of her, who had just turned down her application.

“You see, Miss... Minuette, we are looking for dentists here in Canterlot Dental Services. And your name, not to mention your cutie mark, do not seem fit for a dentist,” replied the brown unicorn stallion, with a large amount of snobbishness in his voice.

“But –“

“No buts, miss. We simply cannot accept somepony who doesn’t have dentistry as their life’s calling.”

The unicorn pointed to the door with a hoof and turned around in his chair, leaving a dejected Minuette to walk out on her own. The beautiful day outside did nothing to lift up her spirits. It was the third dental practice to reject her since she arrived in Canterlot, and several others had rejected her in various cities like Trottingham and Manehattan. All of them had the same reason – both her name and cutie mark did not signify talent in dentistry. It made her think – “so what if my mark is an

hourglass? Does that mean that once we get our mark we’re not allowed to marks in other fields?”

“I don’t know, miss, but you really should get inside, you’re blocking the door.”

Somehow Minuette had managed to end up at Pony Joe’s donut shop while lost in her thoughts, and somehow she managed to say those thoughts out loud.. Deciding that having a donut or two couldn’t possibly worsen her day, she stepped inside. The place was mostly empty, so she took a seat by the counter and asked for a mug of hot chocolate and a donut.

“So, miss, what’s on your mind?” asked the stallion after putting down a steaming mug of chocolate and a plate with a simple honey glazed donut on it.

“Ah, it’s nothing much. Wouldn’t want to trouble you, really. Mmm. This donut is tasty,” came the answer, and a donut with a good third of its volume gone was placed on the plate. “I can see why this food for the everyday pony made it in Canterlot. You know, with all the uppity ponies out here.”

“Thanks. Been a rough time here, but my donuts are selling, so I’m happy doing business here anyway. Even if Canterlot does have a... say, discerning taste. So, what’s up? And don't worry, there aren’t any other ponies in right now, so believe me, telling me is better than me simply sitting here doing nothing. Besides, you lose nothing anyway.”

“But –“

“It’s perfectly fine, miss – what IS your name?”

“Oh, okay then, if you insist. Everypony around here seems to hate ‘buts’ – ahem. Name’s Minuette, and I hate every second of having that name.” The hot chocolate went down in one gulp, leaving a satisfied look on the blue unicorn. “Another chocolate, please.”

The shopkeeper took the mug and refilled it, handing it back to an eager Minuette. He put his hooves on the counter and leaned forward slightly, asking, “What’s with the name? It sounds beautiful.”

Minuette sighed. “It is. I know that, but that name has kept me from achieving my dreams. Just because my name’s like that, ponies everywhere think my abilities are time related or dance related or something else, and they won’t even give me a chance to show what my talents really are!”

“So you’re down because ponies are rejecting you because your name doesn’t signify your talents?”

“Exactly!” She slammed the mug down on the counter, spilling hot chocolate on it. “Sorry about that...”

“No problem. Go on.”

“I mean, what’s in a name? Just because my parents raised me with something in mind, doesn’t mean that’s what I’ll do and excel at anyway! So what, if I name a foal something like ‘Roadkill’, that’s what he’s going to be? It isn’t fair that they judge and set based on names!”

Pony Joe set to work on the brown stains on the counter with a cloth and said, “I think it isn’t just the name. Nopony judges everything simply on names. Some of us aren’t that open – minded, but even the least open – minded among us base their decisions on more than that. Did these ponies who rejected you say anything?”

“They did say that my cutie mark wasn’t... fitting.”

The counter was spotless again, and the donut was also finished, so Joe fixed the mess before he started talking again. “There you go. The mark does say how you’ve made your impact to this world, and as yours is something time – related, letting you enter another field is kind of like making a big gamble – and most businesses around here simply can’t gamble something secure.”

“It isn’t just here in Canterlot! They also rejected me in Detrots. Again in Fillydelphia. Even in Manehatten they did the same!”

“Those are all big cities. There, one wrong move could put your work down under, and nopony’s willing to risk that in such a place.”

“So I can’t be a dentist because they don’t trust my abilities?”

“No, you can’t be a dentist because – wait, you got that right.”

“What do I do then?” she asked, banging her head softly on the now spotless counter. “Give up on my dreams? Let go of everything I ever wanted?”

“No, of course not. If you want it that badly, then you have to work towards it. Even if neither your name nor your mark is related to what you want to do or to be, you can always fight for your destiny. Whoa. When I said that just now, that sounded like a zebra talking.” Joe grinned at Minuette, who smiled back faintly in return.

“But how do I do that if nopony wants to accept me? I can work a private practice but I won’t make it here, or in Manehatten, or in Fillydelphia, or anywhere similar! I can’t just set up shop here and expect patients, I’ve got way too much competition here if I do that.”

“Ah. See, you said the solution just now.”

“I did? What is it?”

“You said you ‘can’t just set up shop here’. There's one word there that's the answer.”

Minuette started thinking. “Can’t just set up shop here. That is true, but what can I do about it? Here, there’s plenty of big names to fight with – wait! Here, I have no chances, but... That’s it! I have to try somewhere else! I can start my own dental practice somewhere smaller!” She exploded with joy as the realization that she could still be a dentist and live her dreams.

“Bingo!” Joe grinned again, and pointed to the half - eaten donut, asking, "You going to eat that?"

"Oh, of course," Minuette replied, taking the donut and finishing it, putting the empty plate back on the counter top.

Minuette was happy again and she was beaming, showing a perfect set of teeth. She was extremely grateful for the wisdom of the stallion in front of her. She pulled him across the counter into a hug, shouting, “Thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you – wait, I don’t know your name.” She released him, an act for which he was most grateful considering he was practically suffocating from the hug. “J- Joe. Pony Joe, but Joe is fine.”

“Thank you so much, Joe!”

“N - no problem.”

And with a new plan for her future as a dentist, Minuette trotted off outside the store, fully appreciating the beautiful day for once. The shining sun seemed to smile on her, as though Celestia herself was wishing her luck on her journey. The clouds were thin and the breeze was soft, relaxing her from her ecstatic dash into a normal walk. The city was a happy place again in her eyes, with unicorns walking around seeming less uppity than usual, Derpy delivering a piece of mail without crashing into anything, and a brown Earth pony stallion with brown hair and an hourglass cutie mark looking directly at her.

She froze when she noticed the brown pony. She blinked, and he wasn’t there, so she wrote it off as her mind seeing things. Soon enough, she was at the Canterlot train station, buying a ticket for her train ride to a new home, and possibly where her rise as Equestria’s greatest dentist would start. She rode off to Ponyville, not noticing the brown stallion on the station watching her train speed off into the distant horizon.

Ponyville seemed perfect for her purposes. It was a small city, and luckily one without a single dental care – dedicated facility. However, it was connected by train to several other cities, meaning her name could spread throughout Equestria from there.

Her name. She remembered how ponies based judgments on names and marks. Nervousness flooded her again and she froze on the station, thinking about how to get past this obstacle. After a moment or two, she finally thought about how to fix her naming conundrum. The mark on her flank, the hourglass, she could do nothing about. But the name, she decided, would be different, and her decision was not a moment too soon, as a pink earth pony with a fluffy mane bounced her way to her and gasped audibly. Minuette – no, not Minuette any longer -  watched the pony with a face of shock and amusement as she descended slowly to the earth and regained her calm – a calm that lasted only a split second before bursting into a most exuberant welcome, every word in the rapid speech punctuated by a bounce.

“Oh you’re a new pony in town! I know, because I know everypony here in Ponyville and unless you were invisible for the last few years I would know you since I’m friends with everypony here! Since you’re new then that means you’re not my friend yet, but you will be! Oh my gosh I totally forgot! We have to go give you a welcome party! There’s going to be cake and balloons and games like pin the tail on the pony! Of course, we have to write a banner with your name on it, so everypony knows who you are! What is your name anyway?”

The blue unicorn was staring distractedly at the pony who defied all logic she had, until said pony put her face closer and asked with one raised eyebrow, “Are you okay? Maybe you’re tired from the ride! I should let you rest now... Wait! What’s your name so I know what to call you?”

She sighed and decided that this was the moment that would change her life forever. Here was the first time the name of the pony fated to be Equestria’s greatest dentist would be heard by pony ears.

“Name’s Colgate. I’m a dentist.”