Recently, I was asked where Paint Swirl got her name. With Rainbow Dash choosing names like “Lightning Bolt” and “Firework” for her kids, it seems pretty unlikely that she’d name her child after something artsy and so not cool, right?
 
Let’s not forget that Soarin had a say in the naming process too! In fact, he drew inspiration from his own mother, Paint Swirl. Telling by her name, Paint the First was an artist, making a living off of making and selling all kinds of arts and crafts, including painted canvases, pottery, knitted goods, and more. But painting was her specialty. It was enough to support herself and her son, especially after her husband left her to join the Wonderbolts and eventually died. Soarin and his mother were always close; he admired her work ethic and strove to be more like her, not his father, as he climbed the ranks of the Wonderbolts. And his little girl reminded him so much of the mare that raised him that he named her after her grandma!
 
Paint the First was, naturally, thrilled to meet her new baby granddaughter. She was a devoted grandmother to all three of her grandchildren, but she and Paint were especially close. She died when her granddaughter was eight years old, not long after she got her cutie mark. Even then, Paint Swirl will always cherish her grandmother’s memory, all the way up until she ends up joining her at the pearly gates…