Mark of Name
By Kendell2
Commissioned by Alexwarlorn
“I like your pool, Diamond Tiara,” said Sweetie Belle, the group in Diamond Tiara's backyard next to her gigantic pony made body of water. The little filly then jumped and did a cannon ball into it.
“Especially when...yah know, we're actually having fun together instead of you just bribin' us tah get in on Twilight Time and make everypony else jealous,” Apple Bloom replied, already in the pool.
Diamond Tiara gave a proud look. “I know, I know...and yes, I know...I'm not giving up letting ponies be envious of me...I like that part of being rich.”
Scootaloo gave an eye roll, though included a small smile. “Yeah yeah...So are you going to actually get in the pool or just stand there?”
The rich filly blinked in confusion. “Huh...you know, now that you mention it, I don't do that very often...I normally just sit here sunbathing...” she muttered, then carefully put her signature item on the table next to her, and leapt into the pool.
Silver Spoon, who'd been doing much the same, took her glasses and pearls off and did a cannonball into the pool, and started swimming around with her friends. “This is more fun than sunbathing,” the gray filly remarked, giving a chuckle. Diamond nodded in agreement.
“See? Now you're acting like kids!” the orange pegasus said with a chuckle. “Wow...I didn't realize how sad that sounded until I said it...”
“...Yeah...But thanks to you three, I'm fine acting like one now...especially since mom is on thin ice with daddy as it is after Cheerilee busted her with the school board,” Diamond commented, seeming considerably more happy about that fact than she should be. “It's actually pretty fun.”
“Yeah!...But I really need to get a pair of prescription goggles if we'll be doing this a lot, cause I can't see anything, Diamond...” Silver Spoon commented, squinting at the purple and pink mass she was looking at.
Sweetie Belle blinked. “Uh, Silver, Diamond's over there,” she said to the gray filly looking her direction (specifically her pink and purple mane), pointing to Diamond.
The formed bully blinked, then looked to Diamond. “Sorry! I just saw a blob of pink and purple and thought it was you, Diamond!”
“It's fine. Thanks to me, you're not exactly used to having to deal with more than one pink blob when we're hanging out and you don't have your glasses...” Diamond Tiara replied with a hint of humility. Just a hint. The group got out of the pool and dried off, Diamond Tiara actually taking time to lead her near blind friend over to her glasses.
“It's weird seeing Diamond Tiara being nice...” Sweetie said, drying off the inside of her ear with her towel. “In a good way. Kinda like how meeting Santa Hooves and booping Rudolph's nose is weird but nice at the same time.”
“Yeah, tell meh about it,” Apple Bloom said with a smirk. “Not complainin' though. It's nice bein' friends with the new Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.”
Silver Spoon put her glasses on and adjusted them, the CMC slowly coming into focus. Specifically their Cutie Marks. “It's so weird seeing those three with their Cutie Marks, Diamond, isn't it?”
Diamond Tiara nodded. “Yeah...especially since they were still Blan-” The former bully caught herself. “Force of habit...I mean especially since they didn't have their marks when we became friends. If you told me that a year ago, I would've thought you were a Changelin-”
The two heard somepony clear their throat and looked over to the wall, finding local Changeling Kevin glaring through the gate.
“Uh...no offense...” Diamond said, rubbing her head. “I meant a year ago when the Changelings were still evil...except you...”
“It's fine...” muttered the black armored Changeling before flying off.
“I really need to work on the 'not hurting ponies feelings' thing...Oh! That reminds me!” The pink filly trotted over to the CMC, Silver following close behind. “Now that you three have your Cutie Marks, are any of you going to change your names?”
The trio looked to each other with raised eyebrows. “What's wrong with my name?” Scootaloo asked, giving a small glare.
“Oh nothing!...I mean that, that wasn't me setting up an insult!” Diamond replied quickly, then sighed. “Still working on the whole 'sincerity' thing...There's nothing wrong with your names, just you know, you got your Cutie Marks, so you can change them if you want to.”
“Wait what?!” asked all three at once.
“We can change our names just cause we got our Cutie Marks?!” Apple Bloom asked.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked to each other. “You seriously don't remember when I did it?” the rich pink filly asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Nope,” the farm filly replied replied. “Ah don't remember yah ever goin' by anythin' else.”
“Don't you remember, Diamond?” Silver asked. “You went by Diamond Tiara at school when you got the tiara, not when you got your mark.”
“Oh...right...Somehow I forgot that...” Diamond Tiara replied, rubbing her head.
“Why?” Scootaloo asked.
“Well...my birth name is...kinda...” the rich filly answered, her face growing a little pinker. “...I'd rather not say...”
“Mine was Silver Tray,” said Silver Spoon, picking up on her friend's distress and changing the subject. “I just thought Silver Spoon sounded better.”
Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her chin. “So you just decide to be something different when you get your Cutie Mark?”
“Well, there's some paper work and stuff,” Diamond Tiara explained. “My daddy helped me with a lot of it, so maybe ask him?”
“Daddy!” called Diamond as she and the others found their way to the family room. Or rather family room number five, Filthy Rich's favorite. Family room number three was Diamond's, two was Spoiled, four was Silver's during her visits, and one was Diamond's pet cat's.
“How do you find your way around this place?” Scootaloo asked, looking around the massive mansion.
“Practice,” the pink filly replied with a proud pose.
“Oh, hello there, Diamond Tiara, girls,” the rich stallion replied, putting down the newspaper he was reading. Spoiled Rich merely watched with a silent glare over the top of hers.
“Apple Bloom and her friends want to know about changing their names after getting their Cutie Marks, and you helped me with it, so I thought you'd know, daddy,” Diamond explained, looking up to her father.
“Oh, is that so?” the stallion asked, looking to the fillies.
Apple Bloom nodded. “Yes, Mr. Rich. We're kinda curious about it.”
“Well, it's not that complicated: the law of Equestria gives ponies the right to change their names when they get their Cutie Marks and there's some paper work to fill out about it. Not sure how it started to be honest...” Filthy Rich explained, thinking about it. “I never did because of family tradition. Though Spoiled did.”
“Huh? She did?” Diamond asked, looking as surprised as the Crusaders at that bit of news.
“Why would she change her name tah Spoiled Milk?” Apple Bloom asked, raising an eyebrow.
“How did you know that?!” Spoiled asked suddenly, eyes widening.
“Applejack told meh...”
Mr. Rich cleared his throat. “Mrs. Rich's Cutie Mark name is Golden Ring. She changed it back to Spoiled Milk when we got married to match the Rich family's theme naming. She just wanted to fit in is all.”
Diamond and Silver were the only foals that understood that translated to 'sucking up to the new family.'
“...Who names their kid Spoiled Milk?” Scootaloo asked.
Diamond stifled a giggle as her mother turned her nose up (or rather further up) with a humph.
“Well, Diamond Tiara changed her name as well. Her birth name was Tarnished Rich if I recall,” said Spoiled Rich with a bit of a malicious smirk.
The filly blushed heavy before she spun to face the CMC. “Don't laugh!”
Sweetie Belle cocked her head. “Why would we?”
“Because it's humiliating!”
“Diamond, yer our friend, why would we laugh at yah?” Apple Bloom asked, cocking her head.
“Yeah...though before we found out everything about you, we totally would've laughed,” Scootaloo admitted bluntly.
“Thanks...And given how I acted, can't blame you.” Diamond replied with a small smile.
Spoiled Rich gave a small growl but said nothing.
“...But Pinkie Promise you won't tell anypony!”
“Cross our hearts, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eyes,” the CMC replied, doing the proper motions.
“And that you will never speak of this again!”
The trio rolled their eyes. “Cross our hearts, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eyes.”
Diamond gave a small smile. “...Thanks...”
“Regardless,” Filthy Rich continued. “It's a really common thing. If you want to do it yourselves, your families would probably be the ones to ask for help with it.”
“Alright, thank yah Mr. Rich!” replied Apple Bloom.
“So...should we change our names?” Sweetie Belle asked as they departed the Rich household.
“Ah don't know...everypony in mah family has apple names...” Apple Bloom replied. “But it could be cool.”
“Yeah!...Though what would we change them to?” asked Scootaloo, putting a hoof to her chin.
“Hmm...Diamond and Silver just like their new names better...” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “And Mrs. Rich's birth name is kinda...well...But we all like our names!”
“There's gotta be another reason or so many ponies wouldn't be doin' it,” Apple Bloom explained, not seeing how that many ponies could simply dislike their birth name that much. “So maybe we should ask other ponies about it and see if they did it?” she asked...then notice the smile suddenly on Scootaloo's face. “...Yah wanna ask Rainbow Dash, don't ya?”
“Of course! Who else would we ask?!” the orange filly replied.
“Rarity?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Applejack?” Apple Bloom asked.
“...Yeah, but Rainbow Dash had the big 'bring them altogether story last time!”
“...That's a good point...”
“Wow, I can't believe we actually found you first...” said Sweetie Belle, looking up at Rainbow Dash above them, cloud busting. “Last time we tried this we ran into everypony else trying to find you!”
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Yeah, I remember. Which was how we found out my totally awesome Sonic Rainboom got all six of our Cutie Marks!”
“Yeah, it was,” Scootaloo said with an excited smile at that memory.
“So can yah tell us anythin' about changin' yer name when yah get yer Cutie Mark?” Applebloom asked.
Rainbow Dash bucked a cloud...then rubbed her head. “Yeah, about that...I know about it, but I didn't do it.”
“Huh?” the trio asked at once.
“Yeah, you see my name was already so awesome I didn't feel like changing it,” the cyan pegasus replied with a smirk. “But I know a few ponies that did change theirs. Like Bulk Biceps.”
“What's his birth name?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Snowflake,” Rainbow replied. “His mom thought he'd be into making snow and he's got white fur. As you can probably guess, he was really into weight lifting...really into weight lifting. Oh, and Fleetfoot's birth name was Echo. I think Echo sounds like a cool name, but Fleetfoot fits her better...Oh! And Misty Fly's birth name was Icy Mist, but she decided that the ice part made no sense but she liked the mist part...that's about it, haven't asked any of the others about theirs...and the other Bolts don't have them on their collector cards. Maybe ask the other girls? I'm sure Pinkie Pie knows somepony...she knows everypony. Like literally.”
“Changin' names when yah get your Cutie Mark?” Applejack asked, bucking a tree. “Well Ah didn't do it, but yer big brother did.”
Apple Bloom looked over to Big Macintosh as he pulled an entire cart filled with baskets of apples. “Yah changed your name, Big Mac?”
The older pony nodded. “Eeyup.”
“What was your birth name?” Scootaloo questioned.
“Big Apple...Ma had a huge hankerin' for Manehattan style pizza while she was carryin' meh, so they were there a lot. Ah was gonna just go with Macintosh, but then Ah hit mah growth spurt.”
“...Ma was carryin' yah before she named yah?” Apple Bloom asked, cocking her head innocently.
Naturally, Rarity had been next on the list, but as fate would have it, they ran into someone else.
“Hello girls,” said Fluttershy, allowing a group of baby ducks she was helping to cross the road.
“...This seems really familiar...” Scootaloo pointed out.
“Hello, Miss Fluttershy!” called Apple Bloom with a wave. “...Hey, do yah know anythin' about changing yer name when yah get yer Cutie Mark?”
Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin. “Well, I didn't. My parents named me Fluttershy because, well, out whole family is kind of shy...except my brother...And Fluttershy sounded nice. I don't think they had butterflies in mind when they named me...Oh! But my brother did change his name when he got his Cutie Mark...mainly because it was another play on being shy...And he's not...at all...”
Apple Bloom decided not to note Fluttershy seemed mildly irritated discussing her brother...well, mildly irritated by Fluttershy standards, which was 'very mildly annoyed' by anypony else's.
“What was it?” Sweetie Belle asked, the trio leaning in closer to listen.
“Bashful Breeze,” the shy pony commented simply. “...I think it sounds nice.”
“Okay, so only four ponies we've asked actually changed their names, the rest just already had oddly fitting names...” Scootaloo commented, as usual acting as the engine of their scooter and wagon they were naturally using as their main mode of transport.
“It's kinda weird...” Sweetie Belle commented. “Do parents just have some weird future sight thing?”
“Come on, Ah'm sure the next pony we meet with will have somethin'!” Apple Bloom encouraged.
“Hey! What are you girls doing?”
The group looked next to them and noticed Pinkie Pie walking next to them...upside down. They looked up to see she had a bundle of balloons attached to each of her ankles, keeping the pink party pony afloat.
“...Hey Pinkie Pie...What are you doing?” Scootaloo asked, eyes wide.
“Walking!” the pink pony replied as if her situation was completely normal. Then again, she was Pinkie Pie, so it probably was. “But I asked you that first!”
“We're trying to find out about changing your name when you get your Cutie Mark,” Sweetie Belle asked as the group came to a stop.
“Oh!” Pinkie Pie replied, stopping with an exaggerated gasp...or trying to. Instead she floated away...then came running back a few seconds later, with the balloons untied and all held with her front hoof. “I did!”
“You did?” Apple Bloom asked, cocking her head.
“You bet, cousin!” said the pink pony replied, the two still enjoying thinking of each other as such, even without confirmation one way or the other. “My birth name is Pinkamena Pie!”
“I thought that was just your full name...” said Sweetie Belle, raising her eye brow.
“No! My full name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, silly!” the mare replied, ruffling the foal's mane. “But my Cutie Mark name is Pinkie Pie! They're both my name!”
“You can still go by your birth name after you change it?” Scootaloo asked, the three looking to each other.
“Yeah! Derpy does all the time!” Pinkie replied cheerfully.
“Her birth name is Ditzy Do?” Sweetie Belle asked, recalling hearing Derpy go by that name on a few occasions.
“No, her birth name is Muffins!” replied the pink party pony. “But she said that she kept thinking ponies were telling her there were muffins instead of calling her so she changed it when she got her mark!”
“Did somepony say muffins?!” asked Derpy, nearly crashing into them as she flew over at break neck speed.
Without missing a beat, Pinkie Pie produced a muffin from nowhere and hoofed it to the mailmare. “Here you go, Derpy!”
“Yay!”
As Derpy gobbled up the muffin and returned to...whatever it was she was doing before, Pinkie turned back to the trio. “Oh! And Carrot Top's birth name is Golden Harvest and she still goes by both! She just likes Carrot Top better because she looks like a carrot!”
“That's not it!” called the mare with a (currently undyed) green mane and tail in question, glaring at the party pony from her carrot stand. “It's because I love growing carrots and they're my special talent!”
“Oh...sorry! I'll fix that in your file!” Pinkie Pie called back sincerely. She then turned back to the CMC. “Oh! And my sisters' birth names are Inkamena and Blinkamena!...My Granny Pie made a deal with my parents that if they had more than one foal next time she'd get to name them! They had triplets! So Inkamena, Pinkamena, and Blinkamena! Or Inkie, Pinkie, and Blinkie! In that order! They changed their names to Limestone and Marble though.”
“Uh, Pinkie, Ah knew that last part. Ah've met them before, remember?” Applebloom asked.
“Oh...Oh! And Maud's birth name was Maude!” Pinke Pie replied excitedly.
Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. “So she didn't change her name?”
“No, silly! Her birth name is Maude and her Cutie Mark name is Maud! She considered Mod, but decided that didn't make any sense! Her talent is rocks not computers!”
“...What's a computer?”
“I think she means the things Button Mash plays...” Sweetie Belle said.
“Okay, other than my head hurting, that actually got us somewhere,” Scootaloo remarked as they arrived at Carousel Boutique.
“Yeah, apparently ponies can still go by their original names if they want tah,” Apple Bloom replied. “And apparently Pinkie Pie's granny had a weird sense of humor...”
“And there's a lot of words that sound like Maud...” Sweetie Belle pointed out, still trying to get them straight in her head. “Now let's see if Rarity knows anything!”
“Oh...so you want to know about Cutie Mark names, darling?” Rarity asked, turning from a dress she'd been working on.
Sweetie Belle knew her sister well enough to pick up on Rarity's nervous tone. “Is something wrong, Rarity?”
“Oh, nothing is wrong, dear...just...thinking...about something...” said the fashionista with a small fidget.
“So did you have a different birth name, Miss Rarity?” asked Scootaloo.
“Oh...well...yes, I did...” Rarity remarked, putting on a false composure. “I changed it to Rarity because it was much more fabulous!”
“So what was it?” Sweetie Belle asked.
The mare started sweating a little bit and biting her lip. “Well...it's not important, darling! It just was a less fitting name than the one I have now!”
The little filly narrowed her eyes, looking very closely at her sister's nervous expression. “Rarity, you're giving me that face!”
“What face, darling?”
“The face where I'm asking about something you're too nervous to tell me! Like the time I asked where babies come from!”
“...You are not ready to learn that...”
“I can kinda get that, considering what Pinkie said about Mr. Cake not having fun seeing the 'miracle of birth,' whatever that is...but your birth name can't be THAT bad! Mom and dad aren't that mean!” Sweetie Belle replied.
Rarity sighed. “Sweetie Belle, mother and father had an agreement. Father named the first foal, mother named the second...father had...different expectations than mother did...”
“So what is it?”
The fashionista recognized the look in the fillies' eyes. That child-like curiosity that wouldn't be sated until they got the knowledge they were seeking. “Fine...Just...Pinkie Promise you shall not tell! Rainbow Dash would never let me live it down!”
“Cross our hearts, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eyes!” the three chanted, doing the motions.
“Alright then...my birth name is...Touchdown!” Rarity spat out, acting like it was a horrible dark secret.
The trio blinked, looking to one another.
“That isn't so bad, Rarity,” Sweetie Belle said, cocking her head. “...But it does sound like something dad would come up with...”
“...To me it is...father expected a sports lover like himself,” Rarity replied simply. “So when I got my Cutie Mark, I changed it completely...Now, if you girls actually desire to know more about this process, I can-”
The group heard a meow. They turned to see Opal sitting on Rarity's desk and pointing at a dress.
Rarity gave a horrified gasp. “Oh no! I completely forgot! Sapphire Shores will be here later to pick up her dress! Sorry, girls! We must cut this visit short!”
“But...”
“No buts! I'm still on thin ice with Sapphire after that mess up with Trixie in Manehattan!”
“...So...where to next?” Apple Bloom asked as the group trotted back to their scooter. “We know WHY ponies change their names, but tah be honest, we still haven't learned anythin' else about how!”
“...Mainly because we kind of forgot to ask until Rarity reminded us,” Scootaloo acknowledged.
Sweetie Belle looked over at the Castle of Friendship. “Well...if there's one pony in Ponyville that'd know about how to actually do it...”
“It's Twilight!” all three announced at once and rushed off.
Princess Twilight Sparkle put a pile of books on the table with her telekinesis and opened it, clearing her throat as the Crusaders watched curiously. “'When a pony earns their Cutie Mark, by Equestrian law they are legally allowed to change their name to better match the Cutie Mark. Paper work can be obtained from the town hall and should be filled out with the aid of an adult, preferably a parent or guardian. Their original name is still legally theirs as well, just in case they come to regret the name change later in life. This practice originated after the Royal Sisters kept receiving requests from ponies to change their names to match their Cutie Marks to the point it was decided to make it an option available for the public at large.'”
“Huh...I honestly expected it'd be harder than that...” said Scootaloo, rubbing her head.
“Most ponies tend to earn their Cutie Marks as foals, it can't be rocket science,” Twilight explained. “I didn't do it myself, but I can certainly see why it'd be a desirable option. Your Cutie Mark is the representation of everything you are, so it's only natural many ponies would want a name that fits with it.”
“Then why do so many ponies ALREADY have fitting names for their Cutie Marks?” Scootaloo asked. “It's kinda freaky.”
“I honestly felt the same way...” said Starlight Glimmer, naturally present seeing as she was Twilight's student. “But in one of our many...many...many...many debates on the subject...”
“She has a LOT of Cutie Mark related issues,” Spike commented in a deadpan tone.
“I know! It was the source of my world view! Of course I have a lot of issues with them!” Twilight's student replied.
“Huh, I almost forgot you used to be a equality obsessed, Cutie Mark removing dictator. You'd think that'd come up more often,” Sweetie Belle commented, then realized what she'd said. “...No offense...”
“...None taken...Regardless, ” Starlight replied, shaking off her brief moment of guilt. “Twilight had a good answer for that question I hadn't considered.”
Twilight nodded. “And a simple one. A Cutie Mark is the representation of everything you are, so it makes sense that whatever part of the soul or mind that creates your mark would make it fit the thing you see as identifying who you are: your name. In other words, Cutie Marks often suit a pony's name because that name is part of what they see as making them them. That's also why ponies feel compelled to change their name if it doesn't match: it's a dissonance between who they identify as and the representation of all they are.”
“So ponies have names that fit their Cutie Marks cause their Cutie Marks are who they are and names are what we see ourselves as?” Apple Bloom asked. “And ponies that feel like their name doesn't fit 'em is because it ain't who they really are and they don't like how it feels clashin' with their Cutie Mark? That kinda makes sense.”
“...I LIKE my name...” Sweetie Belle said, for once seriously considering whether or not she actually should change this. They'd been so curious about finding out about it, they'd forgot what'd inspired them to go looking in the first place. “It still feels like me...”
Scootaloo blinked, likewise giving it serious thought. “...Same here...Scootaloo kinda just feels right...”
Apple Bloom nodded. “...Now that Ah think about it...Ah kinda feel the same way...At least Ah think Ah do...”
Twilight gave a small smile. “Girls? There's no real time limit on changing your name. If you ever change your mind, you can always change it later.”
The trio looked to one another, then to their Cutie Marks. They slowly looked to Twilight. “Ah think waitin' is what we'll do, Miss Twilight.”
“But...we just spent the whole day finding out about this stuff!” Scootaloo said, a hint of frustration in her tone. “It feels like a waste if we don't do something with it!”
The three Crusaders got a thoughtful look until Sweetie Belle gave an excited gasp. “I've got it!” she said, giving a smile. “We can teach other ponies who feel something off about their name and their mark about it! Or ponies who have just earned their Cutie Mark so they know about it!”
“That's a great idea Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom replied. “We can make it part of the Cutie Mark Crusader's guide to Cutie Marks!”
“Yeah!” Scootaloo blinked. “Wait, we have one of those?”
“No...but we can make one!”
Twilight looked quite excited herself. “I'd be glad to help you girls with that project. It's quite a constructive idea.”
“Thanks Miss Twilight!” replied the trio.
“...There may be one problem, though...” Spike pointed out.
“What?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“...How's Gabby going to react to learning about this?”
The End
Author's Note
Something that was cut because it just didn't fit organically with the flow?
Starlight admitting that Starlight Glimmer is HER Cutie Mark name, and her birth name is Aurora (her original intended name) and she kept it even after developing her beliefs because she intended to change back when she could finally remove her Cutie Mark.
I liked the idea, but it was just too clunky to include.
