User blog comment:Guildmaster Grovyle/JLE Role Play, Fall 2016/@comment-7345250-20160923190929

Goldfin: "Ow-!"


 * Zap! She spasms and collapses towards Sandy Shores.


 * The royal guards give Goldenheart a very dirty look, though they are not entirely sure that they really just saw a pony snorting fire.


 * There is scarcely a trace of Inari among the maelstrom of beautiful proto-forms. They are still vague and indistinct, much like window-display mannequins. They are an ideal.

Parlys: "Speak up. Otherwise, your crazy friend here will start to see a like mind in me."


 * He shrugs and holds out his hoof, still awaiting its removal. He knows Inari is capable.

''The notes, sure enough, are ancient excerpts pertaining to the past life of one Princess Amore. Judging from the display on the slender poles, they have led to some success in the search. There are a few more shards here now than when Inari last visited.''

''The scroll, however, is in flowery writing unlike any a crystal pony might use. It is evidently Parlys the Pale's personal journal. In it is a full account of his doings in the Crystal Empire, including the hunt for Amore, a few encounters with an outlandish Crystal Hoof, snide remarks about the royal crystaller, and more recently...''


 * Alas, the artist's imagination wanders and wonders. I have perused every last scribble about the unfortunate Princess Amore, and yet her body remains far from completion. The Crystal Empire no longer avails my effort. There is nothing else to do here but test Cadenza's patience.


 * Thus, I wonder. To what end am I pursuing this task? No, more on that later. For now, the vital conclusion is that I must leave the Empire. This, of course, breeds its own problems. Seeking a diplomatic role is not an option, since I struck a nerve with that Mr. Govern-mint. Nor can I ask the ponies of Equestria to let me roam the land on my own for any extended length of time. The logical answer is to flee, which means risking the wrath of the princesses who have agreed that I may hold some semblance of liberty in exchange for my service to the restoration. Tricky but doable. Once I no longer have to worry about keeping their minds at ease, I will be free to pursue...


 * Yes, now I return to the question. To make any further progress on Amore, I must leave her behind. This is what got me thinking. Princess Amore was very beautiful, very noble, and very beloved in her time. While I remain perhaps her sole admirer in the present, I have to wonder if she is even worth the effort of deceiving all ponykind. Could I, through the same deception, do better ? It is a curious idea and something to ponder. I have long made life into paint, and I have even brought paint to life, but might I somehow—instead of optimizing the equine gene pool or resurrecting the greatest mare of her time—create true life? Even Princess Amore must have her flaws. She was a suitable pasttime while I cruelly aspired to perfection, but I find myself discontent to settle now for anything less than perfection. [Note well: this course of action does not require leaving home base for some time.]


 * Dear Amore, I have met a dead end. Take solace in the knowledge that I will honor your memory with my next masterpiece—one appreciably more modest than the extermination of thousands.