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Title: The Gem That Shone Brightest Amongst The Clouds
Summary: Amethyst Gem, a batpony born only a few years after Discord's reign, tries to have her dream of touching the stars be realized in the only way she knows how- by creating the first maps of the stars. Princess Luna, mystified and intrigued by her designs, grants her a place to call home after a long journey with little rest, and, as she slowly loses herself, the favor must be repaid.
Chapter Title: A Book Of Maps
...
Despite the Princess' best efforts to help, Amethyst's group and the rest of the homeless ponies kept their distance from each other.
Personally, Amethyst didn't mind it. She had plenty of time- and paper- to start making her dream a reality and was soon too busy to think about it much. She was quick to realize, however, that making a star map book wouldn't be nearly as easy as she'd first thought it'd be. There were constellations and different hemispheres to think about, legends to be plotted down; Despite all the work she had ahead of her, Amethyst loved every minute of it.
Colors picked up the paint brush once again, and it was no real surprise to see her with one or more different colors of paint sticking to her fur. Cheery secluded herself to Amethyst's room and her own personal chamber and picked up knitting, creating blankets and clothes for the other ponies to have for free.
Seed Planter, having nothing better to do, started scouring the many bookshelves of the palace library for books that suited him. He didn't have much of an education, so it wasn't easy, but the challenge was what drove him to do it.
The other fillies avoided them like they were diseased, as though having a 'Fangface' for a friend made them inexplicably wrong. Amethyst Gem chalked it up to nerves; they'd never met a real life Batpony before, and they weren't quite sure what to expect. Months passed, however, and their attitudes didn't change. Something had to give.
It started when Seed Planter noticed a few of his clothes had gone missing. Having a thick coat due to his farmer pony genes, he wasn't particularly perturbed by this fact until some of Color's paints and brushes went missing.
They suspected the guards at first, but the guard made an even bigger effort to avoid them then the homeless ponies did. Amethyst hadn't seen hide nor hair of a single metal-suited stallion or mare since she'd arrived here, not counting the ones posted in the dining room.
Somepony took Cherry's knitting needles, and that's about when Amethyst started using her nocturnal nature to her advantage and waited up.
It took the thief a few weeks to gather the courage to enter her room, but enter he did. She listened to the infuriating sounds of her things being shifted around before silently sitting up.
The thief turned around to find her wide awake and watching, one of her better star maps in his muzzle.
He jumped, yelled, then took off like a bat out of Tartarus. Amethyst followed close behind, hissing in anger.
"You can't catch me, Fangface!" He spat, shoving the map into his satchel so he could taunt her. "Us earth ponies could outrace a whole colony of you dirt bags!"
The chase went on for a while, zig-zagging through most of the parts of the castle they were allowed to go into. The guards seemed to be deaf and blind to their shouts, stoically staring ahead as they passed.
Amethyst was ready to call it quits and walk dejectedly back to her chambers when a voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Enough!"
Princess Luna was smaller than Princess Celestia, but still able to tower over them menacingly, or so Amethyst gathered as she sunk to the floor in a bow.
Her mane and tail, while still made of dark purplish-blue fur rather than energy, almost seemed to embody the night itself. Her eyes were dark enough to hold the cosmos. She trotted over with her head high, face visibly angry- unlike her sister, who would've carefully masked the emotion. Her frown looked capable of reaching the floor, it was so long.
"Have thou no dignity; prancing through our halls like little foals?" She bit out.
Amethyst opted to remain silent. The thief, the main focus of her anger, trembled. "Your, uh, your majesty! I was just-"
"Stealing what isn't yours. We know. We have already ordered the guards to search your chambers. For the sake of your living here, we hope they turn up empty-hooved."
Judging by the look on the colt's face, they wouldn't.
"Go. We wouldn't dare to cross our path again, if we were you."
"Y-Yes, your majesty." He gingerly stood up and jogged out of the room, trying- and failing- to look nonchalant.
"Some ponies shall never learn, it seems." Princess Luna shook her head mildly. "And what of you, young batpony? Are ye well?"
"Yes, your majesty."
"Good. If we may be as so rude as to ask, what was it he stole? A painting?"
"N-No, your majesty." Amethyst's heart pounded in her ears. Now probably wouldn't be a good time to show the unhappy princess her maps. "H-He, uh, stole my friends paints, though."
"We see." She said, somewhat gentle. It's hard to sound nice when you're using the royal voice, but she was really trying. "You did not answer our question."
"It's nothing, your majesty! I mean, uh..." She sighed and gingerly nudged the map closer to her. "It was this."
Princess Luna enveloped the paper in her magic and brought it closer, scanning her neat writing. Her eyes widened. "Are these... our stars?"
Amethyst knew it was just the royal 'we', but the way the princess said 'our'... it sounded plural. Not possessive. Like they were for everypony to stare at and not just hers to create and show off.
Emboldened, she continued. "Yes, your majesty. I, uh, I make maps of the stars. I mean, I want to. I don't really have the proper tools for it right now, but..."
But the princess didn't seem to be listening. She scanned and re-scanned the paper multiple times, as though she couldn't quite believe it were there.
"Uh, Princess Luna...?"
Princess Luna broke herself out of her trance with a shake of the head. "We... would like to speak with you in private. If that is no bother, of course."
A bother? A thief breaking into her chamber and making off with a rough draft of the Western part of her latest star map was a bother. A full-fledged Princess asking to talk to her 'in private' wasn't a bother.
"It's not a bother, your majesty." She hesitantly uncurled herself out of her bowing stance. "I'd be honored."
Princess Luna led her down the main hall, through her plush room (which she wasn't allowed near) and out onto the terrace (which she definitely wasn't allowed near) that was perfectly centered under the glowing full moon. The stars glimmered like far away jewels lit by fire, and the familiar longing to touch them- or, in this case, sketch them- welled up in her chest. Amethyst ignored it.
The princess stared up at the moon a long moment, then took a deep breath. "Sit with us?" She offered, sounding surprisingly shy. It wasn't often that the princess of the night had company, and it showed.
The break in the royal voice (the volume portion of it, at least) made Amethyst feel even more on edge. Was she going to be thrown in the dungeons? Exiled from the castle? Execution seemed a bit far for a case like this, but she was a princess, so...
"No thank you, your majesty. It wouldn't be right of me to just sit by you like an eq-"
"Please." Her voice, quiet but strong, made her shut her mouth immediately. Luna looked away, as though ashamed of herself. "We would... like you to sit with us. It would be nice to have company other than the guards and our sister."
Amethyst stood up and trotted over to stand beside her. Unlike Luna, whose head and shoulders were above the railing, the batpony had to hook her hooves over the top and stand on her hindhooves to get a good view.
"If you don't mind my saying so, your majesty, you have many upper class ponies you can speak with. And the other homeless fillies."
Princess Luna was silent a moment. Amethyst was starting to worry she'd crossed the line when she spoke. "The upper class visit our sister. Not us. The same goes to the homeless. They could care less about us. But you..." She glanced at her, then back up at the sky. "You and your comrades are different from the rest. That is why you are secluded from them, tucked away in our wing of the castle."
Well, that explained the darker colors. Amethyst bit her lip. "I'm sorry if we've intruded upon you, your majesty."
"Not at all. We've... enjoyed the company, honestly. Not matter how distant it may be. Tell me, young one... what is your name?"
Amethyst blinked. "Amethyst, your majesty. Amethyst Gem."
"Amethyst." She tested the name out on her tongue, nodding her approval. She paused. "That... wasn't originally the question we were going to ask. We wanted to ask you if you liked the stars, but got sidetracked once we realized introductions were still in order." She cleared her throat. "We are Princess Luna, younger sister to Princess Celestia."
Amethyst already knew that, but she wasn't about to say as much. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Princess. Er, your majesty, Princess."
"Princess works as well. So... do you like our stars?"
Amethyst nodded enthusiastically. "I love them, your majesty."
"More than the sunlight?" Another nod. Luna scanned her face to make sure she was lying. "You... do not think they are creepy?"
"Hmm..." She thought about it, then shook her head. "No. I used to be afraid of the dark when I was little, though." Now she was just afraid of ponies. She bit her tongue. "My mother used to say that ponies who are afraid of the dark are actually just afraid of themselves, and I like to think I'm pretty nonthreatening, so..."
"Your mother soundth like a very wise mare." Luna paused. "We heard what happened to thy colony. 'Tis a horrible loss."
She shook her head emphatically. Amethyst's ears lowered, but she didn't comment.
"You... wish to continue making these... maps?"
"Yes, your majesty. I want to make a book."
"A book?" The princess echoed. She sounded like she couldn't believe it.
Amethyst nodded. "A book of maps and legends. To help ponies find their way at night, or fill them curiosity... That's my dream, anyway."
Princess Luna smiled for the first time since she'd met the young batpony. It took years off her face. She turned and laid down on her forehooves so they were level and eye-to-eye. "If we... gave thee a house for you and your comrades to preside, would you start on this book of maps post-haste?"
Amethyst just about had a heart attack. "Princess Luna?"
Luna looked sheepish, but also a tad mischievous. "We have recently had some homes built in a town far away from here. It would be a long journey, but the deed be yours for no price. We could get you some tools and proper mapping paper, and you could be on your way."
The young mare didn't know what to say. "Your majesty, I... I would love that, honestly. But it would be too much-"
"Nonsense. The town needeth new blood to keep it running. Likewise, the night needeth a boost to thrive alongside our sister as an social equal."
"But-but... are you sure? This is a really big commitment, just giving a house away like this, and..."
"Indeed." The princess nodded. "We only ask to see it before you have it published. Take it two days or two lifetimes, we will wait."
"Well..." What could she say to that? Amethyst nodded with a goofy grin. "Okay."
Author's Note: The house has been granted! But what about repayment? =)
Random Fact Of the Day; Batpony's were naturally scrawny and short back then. Amethyst, while barely on par with other ponies her age, is actually tall for her species.
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