My Little Pony VIII: Friendship is Music

[Thanqol]

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Well hey, I understand raw, primal fear. I'm just... I fail to see how someone as coherent as you would allow it to become a fear, is all. there is a point where rationalization can help one overcome phobias.

What really gets me though, and why I bring it up at all, is that your worst nightmare is, in my eyes, the definition o human potential. You are limited by your own constraints, yes, but each mask can build a better mask in turn. One can have multiple false identities (though false identity is rare; we pick up and design masks for ourselves based on what we want to be) and the counterpoint of each persona becomes a nodality. It is a system of infinite progress, infinite becoming, infinite ascension.

I also think it's rare for a person to develop their own masks. Instead, we each pick behaviors to shape the masks that others build for us; a mask is only external, so it is a construct of socialization more than of ones own making.

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Irrational fear though, huh? Mine is/was zombies (I'm mostly over it, to the point of having a zombie dream I loved*), and I mean like actual, crippling phobia. Couldn't go near windows. Still worry when I get up some mornings that one of mycats will knock aside the blinds, and then a lumbering cadaver will smash through my patio window. One day I just thought "what if zombies were real?" and spent six hours afraid to breathe until I fell back on the God's Great Plan(tm) defense.

Man, I could have sworn this was coherent when I first structured it. I guess I need sleep more than I thought; I am rambling. Lemme know if the point of his got across, aye?

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Oh, I am a man who knows well the value of false identities and reinventing oneself. When that pony personality test went around a couple of weeks back and I answered all the questions honestly? Twilight Sparkle. My own inherent instincts are deeply antisocial, analytical, unemotional, logical and contemptuous of irrationality and silliness. Wouldn't be able to pick that, aye? I've worked super hard on breaking those habits.

Seeing that Twilight Sparkle result actually spooked me a fair bit, to the point where I didn't post my response.

The mask, though, the Arcani mask represents the wrong side of that reinvention. It's when you become someone you don't want to be. When you commit personality suicide. Where you give up everything you to be the person other people want to see.

Thing is, the idea fascinates me as much as it terrifies me, to the point where I've basically adopted the symbol as my totem. I use variations of that picture everywhere as avatars, desktop wallpapers and the like. I've had commissions done of it. I'm looking into having an actual real-life replica of the mask made.

Hey, it worked for Batman.

This is the second best way to end the story ever. The very best way would be

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The CMC are unable to find the book. Upon inspection, Twilight Sparkle discovers the last pony on file to have checked it out (about 2 hours ago). She falls to the ground laughing hysterically.

After a couple beats, the CMC ask what's so funny. Her response?

"oh my gosh! Mirriam?!?! Bwa-hahahahahaha!"

I was going to have Twilight go into detail about x and y chromosomes, genetics, recessive genes and all the most boring bits of biology class but this is seriously excellent