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This character has been in development for a while now. Originally she was actually two characters, but I merged them because I felt it worked better :) Once reason I waited to introduce them/her is because they’re kinda originally made just to be friends with Zodiac -of course, I got to like them enough that they got developed way beyond that, but I wanted to have a good grasp on Zodiac before I settled on their, later her, design(s).

I’m also gonna be honest and say that she didn’t always have this type of facial mask. The character with the mask was more steampunk in their aesthetic, and the mask they wore was a bit more gas-mask looking. But then when I merged them together, 2020 had hit and I was inspired by all the cool designs of face masks there are. So it was altered to be a lot simpler in silhouette, but more varied and complex in the optional designs on it.

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So, Maquillage, “Mac”, goes to Twilight School for Gifted Creatures and is in the same grade and program as him when Zodiac starts there. Her parents work at the school, so she takes it upon herself to help new students -especially this one, as he seems very shy and it’s always nerve-wracking to start in a new place in the middle of the semester.

She’s small for her age, scruffy and fluffy, and very kind but kinda crude. It’s very common for ponies with fur as long as hers to grow beards regardless of gender -in her case, since she’s a teen she just has very patchy side-burns. Her parents asked if she wanted to dye them -as most teens do until their facial hair comes in properly and not in chunks -and she agreed. Dying them to give herself proper full side-burns, and sometimes adding a beard as well while she’s at it.

Her talent is special effects makeup -though, in the mlp universe, this mostly translates to stage makeup. There isn’t much in the way of movies, and cosplay is niche enough that special effects makeup isn’t all that common. She also knows how to do “normal” makeup very well, although she doesn’t really use much herself. She did do Zodiac’s though, when he started to want to experiment with that. Black Swan’s iconic glittery look was her creation.

She almost always wears a mask. The reason is that she has issues with her lungs; there’s scarring in the internal lining and she gets infections and inflammations a lot easier than others. Everyday colds usually nets her a stay at the hospital. Considering equestria’s most advanced medical aid when it comes to breathing and lung issues are magic- or steam powered iron lungs, it’s not a fun time at all.

The problems the masks help with are two; for one, she’s an earth pony -her main manipulator is her mouth. That does not go well with her having bad problems when sick, so a mouth guard is very necessary. The second reason is that her lungs hurt when she breathes in too cold air. So the masks with gems sewn into them heat up any air before she breathes it in. Now, she’s not actually required to wear the masks all the time -other ponies with similar issues tend to just wear a mask outside during winter, and have a mouth guard they only pick up if they need to grab something. But, as for Mac… She thinks her masks are heckin’ cool, and she’s gonna wear them as often as she can. She’s right.


When Zodiac finds out about her problems with cold, he tries to help. Now, pegasi magic does allow for them to heat up or cool down air, and Zodiac is a bit of a prodigy considering that he can do it at all at his age… but he’s effectively trying to heat up the entire outside, since he can’t simultaneously stop the wind blowing the heat away. So he can only keep it up for like ten minutes, and then has to stop and dry heave. Mac appreciates the sentiment at least, and holds his mane away from his face.

Both Zodiac and Mac enjoy music -even if Mac’s preference leans more towards metal and Zodiac prefers ballads. One of the reasons they actually became friends and not just friendly, is that Mac forced him to join her band (at that time it consisted of… her. She was desperate for more members, and the new kid looked like he could use something to force him out of his shell a bit). Mac played the drums and sung backup, and Zodiac was the lead singer. It took a bit for him to actually be heard though. But once he got his confidence up a bit, and the band got some more members (Snowflake played the guitar!), they got quite popular in the school. It was during one of their performances that Zodiac finally got his mark, and Mac often jokes that he’s got her to thank for it.

Upvotes at import: 17 | Stars at import: 9
Posted previously at: 2020-09-30T21:00:39 | Posted previously by: Mildgyth