> Two Lonely Souls > by Calico64 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dancing Wisp was not a normal roughneck bar. It had a certain class to it that drew Audina in. Though she didn’t visit on a regular basis, it was a nice place to decompress once in a while. To say it was a classy place was giving it a little too much credit, but it also had a good atmosphere about it. The white unicorn with a shining coat stepped through the door, not drawing too much attention to her as the rest of the patrons sat at the bar or some of the tables laid out across the main floor. It wasn’t especially crowded that night, which suited her quite well. As the young unicorn stallion walked across near her table, she signalled him and he smiled as he approached. They didn’t have uniforms in the tavern, but they had to dress at least to look somewhat presentable. His blue dress shirt and black pants matched his dark blue complexion and he seemed nice enough. “Help you, miss?” He asked as he got out his little notepad and pen. “Yes, I’ll have whatever tea is on the special for today.” She said and his nodded to her. He went to fill her order, and that was when she noticed a peculiar sight. There was a gray bat pony in one of the tables near the wall. As Audina saw her, she was looking at her watch as if she was not happy with what time it was. Though she knew it was rude to stare, Audina tilted her head as she saw the batpony with an empty glass on her table. Her beautiful streaked hair of red and orange between her fingers as she leaned her head onto her palm. Audina couldn’t help but think she was troubled. Not that being in a tavern was the worst idea when you were feeling down, but she at least wanted to help in some way. Audina had her own troubles when it came to the world. She made it a point to at least help those in need if she possibly could. Brightening another pony’s day was a reward in and of itself. The bartender across the room went to the end of the bar and cranked up the record player that sat near the edge. He placed the needle onto the record and out came such a beautiful melody from long ago. Classical music would never die, not so long as it remained timeless and its meaning never faded through the ages. Even the gray batpony seemed to look up as the violins began. The establishment was filled with music and it certainly seemed fitting as Audina noted her faraway friend was beginning to listen intently. That was when the young stallion returned with her drink in a tall tea glass, filled a little over halfway. He placed it onto her table along with a napkin. “Ummm, do you happen to know who that is?” Audina nodded toward the wall table where the bat pony checked her watch once more. She took up her glass and sipped it just a little bit. It was a rather good taste, though she noticed there was a distinct lack of sweetness. It was not lacking in fragrance, however. “Oh, yes, I have seen her here a few times before. I think she’s our only bat pony customer. I’ve served her once or twice, but I’ve never really talked to her. I don’t even know her name.” He said, then looked over to see another customer signalling for service. “Will that be all?” “Yes, go on, don’t let me keep you.” Audina smiled sweetly at the pony for his help. “Thank you.” He smiled back with a nod as he walked over to the other side of the floor. Audina was not much of a social butterfly for the most part. She wasn’t an antisocial pony by any means, especially when someone is very nice to her. However, when it came to cold cutting into conversations, she was at a bit of a loss. Still, it seemed worth the risk in this case. She figured perhaps some more of the liquid courage in front of her would help as she took one solid gulp of her red tea. Audina knew the hour was growing a little late, especially if her new potential friend was already scowling at the time. It was now or never, she figured. Audina brushed her red and blue streaked hair to the side in the front and took a deep breath as she stood. She took her tea glass and went to the bartender. Thankfully, he was already done with the mare he was helping and saw her approach. “Yes, ma’am?” The red pegasus said as he looked toward Audina. “Do you remember what she was drinking? The bat pony there by the wall?” She didn’t want to point and give herself away as the music playing drowned out her voice to other onlookers. She didn’t want to bring too much attention to the fact that she was going to be doing something nice before she actually did it. The awkwardness of that situation would have probably rendered her act inept. “What she always drinks, cider.” The bartender said. “I will give her one on my tab.” She said as she placed five bits onto the counter, paying for her own tea and the cider. The bartender took the coin and gladly filled a glass of cider for the young unicorn mare. With one deep breath, she made herself walk over to the young batpony mare. Even in her normal evening, casual wear, she felt a little out of place. This batpony was much more classy in her fashion sense. She even had garter belts holding up her leggings from her hips to her waist and her bright purple dress shirt matched her leggings and even went with her dark blue skirt. While Audina was there in blue jeans and a white shirt with a blue jacket, nothing even remotely fancy. Still, it seemed like the proper time, so she was going to go for it anyway. With her bright white complexion, it was not hard to see her approach. The bat pony turned her blue eyes toward Audina as she came closer to her table. “Ummm, hi. I was wondering if you would like to have a drink with me?” Audina asked as she slightly extended her hand with the cider in it toward the gray mare. She blinked as she eyed the drink and looked up at Audina’s smiling face. At first the white unicorn wasn’t sure if she’d made a mistake or not by her blank expression, but that was when the gray bat pony gave off her own little smile and nodded. She reached out and took the glass from her. For just a instant, their hands touched as she pulled it from her loose grip and set it down onto the table. “Sure, take a seat.” The bat pony said, eying her drink for a moment, not sure if she should drink it quite yet. She didn’t even know this mare’s name. “I’m Audina.” She said, as if reading the bat pony’s mind. “Grem. It’s spelled with an ‘e.’” Grem said, taking a sip from the cider. The two of them gazed at one another for just a moment. This was something Audina didn’t get into when it came to forward thinking. She had the perfect setup but now she had to follow through with something. “I couldn’t help but notice you keeping your eye on your watch with something of a gri--- grima--- uuhhh… sad face.” Audina said as she picked up a spoon from the side of the table and stirred her tea glass with a nervous smile. Grem’s eyes were a little wide as she spoke, blinking between her sudden pauses. She took another sip of her drink and set it down, clearing her throat. “Yes, well I am part of her majesty’s royal guard, and I’m going on night patrol in about an hour.” Grem attempted a smile, the thought was still palpable in its ability to weigh her mind down. “Ohh, that sounds exciting.” Audina sipped her own tea, which was now getting to a very drinkable temperature now. “It’s alright, I guess. It’s really not something I talk about much. What about you? What do you do?” Grem asked as she smiled toward her. As she raised her cider to her lips, Audina couldn’t help but notice the size of her breasts. She did her best not to stare, but as she moved her arm out of the way, they stood out as her bust was quite visible above her shirt. The purple and the gray of her complexion compared to her shirt made them stand out quite a bit as the two colors complimented each other quite well. “Hmmm? Oh! Yes, well I’m a violinist. I’m playing at the dining hall in the center of Canterlot for the next few months.” Audina’s eyes went from Grem’s eyes to her breasts more times than she cared to admit, but she still tried to keep her manners about her. “Oh, I think I’ve heard you play more than once. Unless there’s another Audina Puzzles who plays the violin in Canterlot.” Grem grinned toward her as her expression turned to that of flabbergasted wonder. “Really? You mean my reputation has preceded me?” Audina thought for a moment, she never gave Grem her last name, so it must have been true. This was actually quite exciting as Audina had never run into anyone who noticed her on the stage in those fancy restaurants. They were always kind enough to applaud their performance, but so few of them actually noticed the ones playing the instruments. “I suppose so. I’ve always wanted to play an instrument, but I never really had the time, nor have I really had the flare to pick one up and learn it.” Grem drank the rest of the cider and put it back on the table. “Thanks for the drink by the way.” “Of course, it’s always nice to run into a fan. Especially when you’re the first fan I’ve ever run into.” Audina took one last gulp of her tea before setting her empty, transparent tea glass back onto the table. “So, you’ve met Princess Luna then? Is she nice?” “About as nice as you could expect a princess of the night to be, I guess. I’ve known her for a long time, and being her royal guard is something of a sense of pride for me. But, again, not something I talk about all that often.” “Oh, yes, I do apologize for that.” Audina blushed a little bit, remembering she did say that earlier. Here she was bringing it up again. “It’s alright. I promise, I don’t bite,” Grem smiled big then, showing off her slightly elongated canines to Audina before closing her mouth with a very subtle “Too hard.” Then Grem was picking up her bag and draping it over her shoulder as she got up from the table. “I love to stay and chat, but I actually need to report in for the night. Maybe I’ll see you again?” “Yes, actually.” Audina pulled one of the napkins from the table and wrote on it quickly. She held it up to Grem who held it up to her eyes and saw that it held her number, along with her name. “Perhaps you could call me?” “Sure thing.” Grem stuffed the napkin into her purse as she started walking toward the door. “See you then.” She waved as she opened the door, and Audina waved back as she left. Audina draped her arm over the table and laid the side of her head down over it. Who knew that talking and trying to be witty could be so exhausting? Still, it didn’t go so badly. Whether Grem noticed that she was passing glances at her chest was still yet to be determined, but other than that she didn’t think she was being too overly rude. Then again, she did ask about her work when she expressly said that she didn’t like to talk about it. Audina sighed, perhaps she didn’t give off the greatest impression. Whether or not she called her was now up in the air, she supposed. Audina finally told herself to stop thinking about it so hard and got up to leave. She was very tired, after all. --------- Nightfall always made the castle have a somber visage. The sounds of crickets was heavy in the air that night but the evening was very still. Grem nodded to another guard who was arriving along with her as she flew toward the castle on that lovely night. The stars were in perfect view in that black, clear sky with a slight tinge of purple about it. Grem flapped her batwings a few more times as she neared the castle from the upper levels. At the guard entrance in the back of the castle, there stood two unicorns. They stood straightfaced and looking outward, making sure that the only ones who entered were part of the royal guard. Grem swooped in to the very large balcony which stood out much like a whole platform landing pad on its own. She touched down on the large round extension sticking out from the beautiful, illustrious castle where both Celestia and Luna reside. She walked up toward the two unicorns and the two of them did not even glance her way. Even when she knew that neither of them could talk, or even move, she could feel their disdain for her and her kind. The bat ponies did not have a happy history with Equestria in times of old. In fact, they were very near considered slaves back before her time. Now, they were far better off than they were then. Though not wholly accepted in society with open arms, they lived in a general state of peace with the earth, unicorn and pegasus ponies. Still, there was always that ping of discomfort in the air. She past through the threshold, with another bat pony close in tow behind her. Grem popped her neck, tilting it to either side and sighing at the five audible clicks it made as she made her way down a very dark stairway. She reached the very end of it to the very large section of the lower levels they called the barracks. The barracks held the guards who lived in the castle for much longer shifts. There were entire rows of very large, tall lockers throughout the whole area. There were two dim torchlights on either side of the threshold throughout the locker room and already there were a great deal of batponies already there. She walked across the locker room, noticing that some of them already had on their armor and merely sat on the benches, waiting for the shift to change. Grem rolled her eyes, over achievers, they always wanted to show their stuff by showing up early for the shift, but she knew that when push came to shove, they wouldn’t have the stuff to protect the princess, should a time ever call for it. The gray batpony with red hair came to her locker, and input her combination within a single second, her fingers already knowing the code through muscle memory. There it stood. As she opened the door she looked into that hollow shell and it stared back at her through the two black eye holes. She sighed, knowing that it was more than likely going to be a very quiet night. It was one of those nights where you wish you could be using it for anything else. Perhaps a nice quiet walk in the park, or maybe reading a book by the candlelight. Perhaps having some tea with… she said her name was Audina? Grem took the napkin from her pocket and looked. Yeah, Audina was her name. Her eyes turned to the side and looked toward the bat pony that entered the locker room next to her as he was getting on his royal guard armor on as well. Grem sighed and put the napkin back in her pocket. It probably wasn’t going to happen. She may see Audina a couple more times or something, but she doubted that they were going to be much of a recurrence. As she put on her armor, she thought that maybe they could hang out this weekend, maybe get a shake at that new ice cream place. Maybe share a dozen doughnuts between them. Maybe she’ll take her to the Grand Galloping Gala. Grem scoffed a little bit. It was in two weeks and she’d picked out a dress for it, but she had no date. Audina was probably going to be playing violin or something, she wouldn’t need a date to get into it. Or she already had a stallion to go to, she just gave her a phone number to make her feel better. A pity number. Yeah, probably. That was when she noticed her entire suit of armor was on now, with her sword strapped onto her side. Was she really that far up with her head in the clouds? She barely even noticed her hands were moving. Her train of thought was going a mile a minute, it seemed. She checked the time up on the wall above the lockers to see she still had a good ten minutes. Grem took her helm off of the dummy in her locket, placing it on her head. Time for another night of weighing fifty pounds heavier. As much as she tried to avoid it, throughout the night on patrol, she could not help but turn her mind to that unicorn she’d met the night before. ------- Sweet, luxurious music in the air, a scent of glorious, expensive food hazed about the room. Quiet voices talking to one another as they ate their dinner and listened to the string quartet up on the stage in the middle of the restaurant. There was a young filly playing a very massive cello, she couldn’t have been more than sixteen years old, but the purple girl with yellow and black streaked hair played her cello just as well as any middle age pony with twice the years of experience. There was a red mare on the viola with a black and white dress to match the grayscale theme the whole quartet had. Beside her was a very tall, lanky stallion with a violin playing a smooth melody, perfectly in tuned, perfectly rhythmed with the rest of them. Audina stood beside him, and all of them faced the same way as they played. Their eyes closed as they did not pay attention to what went on around them, they simply played and stayed in line by ear. Audina wore a black gown as her white fur off set it perfectly to the dress theme they all had. The only time Audina opened her eyes was when she felt like two eyes were very much on her, watching her intently. She looked slightly to her left, her eyes widening as she saw Grem at one of the tables. She sat alone with a flower in a small vase in the center of her table. She had a glass of water in front of her as she had not even ordered anything yet. This did not deter Audina from keeping with the melody of the other three playing along with her. She dragged the bow across the string with all of them, they played off of one another perfectly, and soon the final song came to an end. Their harmony closed perfectly in sync and all of them bowed as the restaurant began their light applause. As the manager started to play a smooth easy listening record in the player, the quartet started to pack up their instruments in their cases. As Audina put her bow and violin in her case, she carried it over to Grem’s table. It had been a whole day since their first meeting and Grem had not called her, though she wasn’t really expecting her to in the first place. She most assuredly didn’t expect to see her show up to one of her shows. “Grem?” Audina said, and the bat pony signalled to the waiter, who promptly came. “Yes, Madam?” The bright blue waiter asked, getting out his notepad. “My party has arrived, I am ready to order drinks. If we could have hot tea, please. No lemon.” Grem said, and the waiter nodded, scurrying off to the backroom. “Hi. You told me you were a violinist, but I didn’t know you could play like that. How do you know how to angle the bow to get the sound you want?” Audina had been asked this more than once, but honestly had no idea how to answer such a question. “It takes finesse. How did you know I was playing here?” She sat at the table, seeming more happy than surprised to see her. Grem pulled out her cell phone to show her a picture of a sign. “It said a quartet was playing. Your name was at the very top of the list.” Audina’s eyes widened as all four of them were on the sign. She remembered when that picture was taken, it was about two months ago before their small tour started throughout Canterlot. “It was by a sign for the Grand Galloping Gala, but I didn’t see your name on that poster at all.” Grem said, tilting her head. “I would have thought you’d be a shoe-in for the Gala.” Grem smiled as Audina blushed. The waiter came back with two teacups, and a pot to pour them both tea. “Well, the choosing process is a bit more political than that. I would love to have been chosen but the simple fact is that they already had an orchestra chosen before I could even enter my resume. I’m not too disappointed, though. Because they wanted me to be there anyway, they gave me an invitation.” Audina reached into her violin case and pulled out a shining ticket. Grem looked at it with wide-eyed wonder as she saw it. “They gave me a ticket at a severely discounted price. The wonderful thing about it is that they also gave me the option of a plus one.” Plus one, the words rang out to Grem like sweet song lyrics. However, she knew not to get her hopes up. Assuming that she would even consider her as a plus one was a gigantic leap, seeming how they had only just met a few days before. “And I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.” Audina asked and Grem’s heart began to race. Her pulse went ten times faster. She wasn’t entirely sure, but she thought that she may even be on the verge of tears. “With you?” Grem clarified. Audina nodded. “To the Gala?” This made Audina nod again. “You…” She looked down at her teacup, which still had a nice little haze of steam emitting from it as it was just freshly brewed. “You would do that for me?” “I was hoping to do it with you.” Audina said this, and both of them paused for a moment. The words came out and they were there. The wording was not intentional, and Audina didn’t even notice what she had said until Grem’s eyes widened, and her lips pursed, then tightened. Audina came to the realization, and then her expression changed to match Grem’s. The two of them began to laugh. It was not especially loud, but it was intense. Audina tried her very best to muffle her laughter with a hand over her muzzle. Grem’s face turned beet red as tears started to roll down her cheeks and the two of them began to draw subtle looks from around the restaurant; not so much that they were disturbing them, they simply were curious as to what was so funny. “Well,” Audina said as she began to calm down. “Now that I will never speak again for as long as I live, I suppose that means you would like to attend the Gala with me?” Grem got her final giggles out as she nodded to her. There was a moment of silence between the two of them as they immersed themselves in one another’s company. They drank their tea and smiled as the sounds of classical music resonated throughout the restaurant. They talked for a very long while. They sipped tea, had a few appetizers as they got to know one another. The two of them expressed their excitement for the Gala and Grem couldn’t stop saying thank you for inviting her to go with her. Already, there were many plans to go out the next day. They left the restaurant after a few good hours, and Grem started to walk Audina home. “I suppose that means I will have to get a dress for the Gala. I have some nice clothes, but nothing up to that caliber. Judging by what you wear to your quartets, it looks like you have clothes to spare in that regard. I wouldn’t want to under dress if I’m going to be your plus one.” Grem said, smiling at Audina who looked off to the side as she carried her violin in front of her with both hands on the handle. “Oh, I’m not too worried about that. There is a dress code, but I don’t think you need to worry too much. I’m sure you’ll look beautiful.” They smiled at one another and giggled a little bit. “It’ll be nice to go with someone, I would hate to be the only pony there all dressed up with no one to share it with.” They walked on that crystal clear night, much like the one before. Only this time the moon was a bit more full. The light from the moon was fantastic and the two of them basked in it as they walked down those fairly busy streets of Canterlot. There wasn’t a huge rush that night as there normally was. It was the middle of the week and the sidewalk had minimal passers by. “Were you expecting to dance? I’m not really much of a dancer.” Grem asked as they crossed the street toward a street of small duplexes. Audina saw her house down the street and she decided to walk a little slower. “Oh, I’m not really expecting to dance. It’s not really something I have a flare for. It’ll just be nice to be there.” She said as she was putting it nicely. The last time she tried to dance she made an absolute fool of herself, and she didn’t want to make the same mistake, especially in front of Grem. Despite her efforts, Audina’s home snuck up onto them as they finally got to her entryway at the end of a short concrete path. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” Audina said and Grem’s smile grew over her face. They stood there for a moment, gazing at one another. That was when Grem took a few steps toward her, getting very close to Audina. Audina’s first instinct was to move away from her but she did not. There was a instance of trust, followed by the warmth of Grem’s hands as they rubbed up Audina’s arms. Audina gazed at her as she neared her face to face. Before she knew it, the bat pony traced her cheek along Audina’s and wrapped her arms around the unicorn. That moment of warmth felt absolutely amazing, even giving Audina goosebumps as Grem cuddled up to her in a very tight embrace. It took a moment, but the white unicorn met her in a warm nuzzle between the two of them. She tried to ignore it, but the unicorn could very clearly feel the bat pony’s large breasts against her own. Such a spike of sensation made her cheeks flush. Grem finally pulled away from her and the two gazed into one another’s eyes. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.” The bat pony said, hugging her a little tighter for an instant before pulling away from her. “I look forward to it.” She smiled at Audina before backing up from her entryway, waving to Audina, who returned it, then turned to expand her wings to fly away. Audina gazed at the bat pony in absolute awe as she saw her flap her wings to soar higher into the sky. Audina’s vision was impaired at that moment. She didn’t know what it was, but she was growing hot and her pulse was sporadic. The white unicorn began to see hearts. ------- More and more, the two ponies found that they were thinking of one another as they laid in bed, waiting for sleep. Audina was exhausted after that day. The fact that she did an entire quartet number that day and then saw that bat pony she thought of so much give her a surprise visit, well it was all just too much excitement. Now they were to attend the Grand Galloping Gala together. How could things have turned out any better? Little did she know that the bat pony was thinking of something very similar from her own residence. The two of them laid in their own beds. Anxious for things to happen, both of them laid in bed with their eyes wide open. Did Audina regret not asking Grem to come into her house? Maybe just a little. She wanted more of her company but she also didn’t want to come off as tacky. Audi thought it was a good idea to play the slow game. Still, the very thought of getting Grem into her bed gave her something of a flush in her cheeks. It wasn’t long before she began to feel a heat between her legs as she laid there on her mattress. She wore a very short nighty, one that barely covered her large breasts, and the bottom of it only stayed just below her hips when she was standing. Now that she was laying on her back, the very short nighty raised up over her pelvis, and showed off her tiny gray panties. However, she didn’t care about what she was wearing. She could feel her quim starting to dribble out juice as she clenched her legs tight and cringed as she felt it. She felt that raw pleasure of an overworked and under sexed vagina. The pleasure and heat burned inside of her pink pussy lips as she brought one hand down onto her crotch and squeezed. She gasped as a jolt of pleasure caused her legs to twitch sharply. In no time her fingers started to rub her vaginal lips in circles. A small moan escaped her lips as she imagined what Grem looked like underneath those sexy clothes she wore. Audina couldn’t help herself as she pulled her panties down off of her legs and over her feet, throwing it onto the floor of her room. She put two fingers onto her inner labia. Audina felt the soaking wetness sliding under her fingers before she finally slid two fingers into her pussy hole. She began to push her digits deep inside of herself. The white pony was sweating now and it wasn’t long before she was able to reach a very large orgasm. Her legs twitched and pressed together with her inner thighs enveloping her hand as she continued to rub herself through the climax. She sighed, trying to gather up the energy to go clean herself up. However, she was a little too lost in thought to get up at that moment. Before she knew it, she fell asleep. -------- They had kept up a very strong line of communication between the two of them before the big day. Though, they thought it would never come, the day finally arrived. The makeup process was long and tedious, but they got it just the way they wanted it. Their hair was fixed, and their dresses were nigh perfect. With just ten minutes before the actual Gala began, they arrived hand in hand. The carriage pulled up along with the others. It was a beautiful, bright purple wagon with cloud-like designs all over it to accentuate its beauty. The two of them exited it, and began to go with the rest of the arriving parties to the Gala. So many ponies in their best tuxedos and flowing dresses. Many of them waited in the courtyard, while others were gathered in line to be accepted into the Gala. Audina and Grem walked on by as many eyes turned their way. The gray bat pony wasn’t entire sure if they were looking at her dress, or the fact that she was a bat pony coming into the largest event in Equestria. She knew ponies that would kill just to get to the courtyard. Her dress was quite the unique blend of color, though. It took them hours to come up with something that complimented Grem’s fur complexion. In the end, she decided on a shining blue dress that bled colors into a luxurious purple. Her bust was quite visible at the top of the dress, showing off her enormous breasts. Depending on where you looked at it, it was either color and as she walked, the colors seemed to move. Audina went a bit more conventional in her dress. With her shining white fur, she decided to get something to make it pop, so she went solid black. Her dress accented her fur perfectly, the opposites attracted quite nicely and brought her a confidence she hadn’t felt in a long time. The line was ridiculously long, but it was moving at quite the brisk pace. From what they heard, there were a few Galas that they didn’t really plan around the fact that everyone could very well show up at the same time. There were times when the line went on for literally over a mile. It took some time, but they finally got into the castle, where the Gala was in full swing. Beautiful orchestral music played throughout the castle, food was served in small bits, the aristocratic ponies were out and about, mingling with fellow colleagues and everything looked amazing. The beautiful ice sculpture in the middle was a cloud formation along with both the sun and the moon in a yin and yang effect. Waiters and waitresses served finger food while the band in the middle played both brass and string instruments. At first, Grem thought that Audina would be a little put off by the sight of another pony playing the violin in her stead. However, the unicorn seemed to love the sweet sound of the quartet as they masterfully played their respectful instruments. “Wow, it’s so lovely.” Audina said as her arm wrapped around Grem’s waist. She nodded to Audina as they shared a moment, looking around at the beautiful purple marble floors, the wonderful tapestries hanging in front of the stained glass windows and all of the beautiful fashions that everyone embellished in. There was even Princess Luna who approached them, and her dress was amazing. So amazing, in fact, that Grem didn’t even notice that she was looking straight at the bat pony and approaching her with a smile on her face. There was a moment between them as they gazed at one another that Grem had completely forgotten herself. Her eyes widened and her heart caught into her throat as she came to the realization of what was going on. As Luna came within a few feet of the couple, Grem instantly went down to her knees and bowed herself as low as she could possibly go. Audina watched her do this with wide-eyed amazement. “By my honor and all I hold dear, I live to serve you, your majesty!” Grem said this quite loud, even drew a few looks from the rest of the crowd around them. Audina looked to Luna with a nervous smile and bowed herself while also raising her dress in a curtsy. “Rise, my child.” Luna spoke in a soft voice and a smile on her face. Grem rose up to her feet and looked up at Princess Luna with tentative eyes. Luna smiled at her and put her hand underneath Grem’s chin, raising it up just a little bit so that their eyes met. The princess laid a small kiss onto Grem’s forehead and all of the sudden every piece of history between them began to come flooding back. The way Luna helped her in her gravest hour, nothing could ever repay it. The love between them was beyond any compare, but all of that didn’t seem to matter right at that moment as Luna stroked the bat pony’s cheek with a soft hand. “Be at ease, my dearest guardian. Enjoy yourself tonight and be sure to come and see me when you can.” A more assuring smile came to Grem then. Luna looked to her, then over to Audina with the same smile. She nodded to Audina, who returned with a bit of a lower bow. Then Luna stepped away from the two of them, leaving them alone in the crowd. The two of them did not speak for a moment, really, what could be said after that? They looked at one another once again, and while Audina had all kinds of questions for Grem about what transpired there, she decided that those questions could be saved for later. “So, hey, you want something to drink? I thought the punch looked pretty good.” Grem said, her voice going back to a surprising regularity after everything that just transpired seconds earlier. Audina nodded to her, and then noticed a small pack of very young rich teenagers off behind the bat pony. All of them seemed to be laughing and giving little points toward the two of them as they chattered amongst one another. “Yeah, some punch sounds good.” Audina thought about going with her but the bat pony smiled and gave her a little embrace before beginning to walk toward the beverage table. As she looked over toward Grem walking away, she heard the chattering of the suited colts coming closer. When she turned around, three of them were right next to her. One of them had a very straight blond mane with tan fur. The other had pure white fur with red hair, and on the other side of him was a taller one with yellow fur and turquoise hair. All of them were in black and white tuxedos, and all of them wore a grin that made Audina’s stomach churn. “Can I help you?” The frown on her face was palpable, but it only made their grins even larger. “We just happened to notice you ladies didn’t seem to have dates.” He spoke in a voice that was still reminiscent of his prepubescent period and he drank punch as if it were alcoholic. She could smell it from there, if there was alcohol in it, there really wasn’t much at all. “Ummm, she is my date. Where’s yours?” Audina said, then her eyes darted to both of the guys beside him. This drew a sneer from the colt who wreaked of overly expensive and hairspray that his mother more than likely put on him. “Hey, my Dad owns the vast majority of the pawn shops in Canterlot and Las Pegasus. I’m--” “Pawn Shops?” Audina raised her eyebrow at him. “That’s how your Dad got rich? Selling used saddle bags and washing machines?” The anger on the kid’s face was becoming quite noticeable at this point. His complexion darkened into a deep red. Before he could throw his drink to the side in order to approach her, though, the bat pony came up beside Audina with their drinks and eyed the boy with a dubious glare. “There a problem here?” Grem asked as she handed over a cup of punch to Audina. This brought an uncomfortably sly grin to the young colt’s face as he saw the two of them together. “Oh, I get it.” Grem said as she gave him a good look over. “Mommy won’t give him attention, so now he seeks it elsewhere.” “What did you say?!” The colt said as he reared back for a punch. As he threw it, though, Grem easily caught it in midair. She comically compared his punch to that of a slow pitched softball. “I said you smell bad.” Grem grinned back at the kid, her hand easily holding onto his fist as he struggled to pull it away. He stopped pulling, furrowing his brow harder toward Grem. His anger was obviously growing.” “Sure must be nice for a unicorn to look after Princess Luna’s pet!” Grem’s grin disappeared in an instant as she stared the little shrimp down. Before he could utter a laugh, before he could say one single thing else, or even notice that she was severely upset with him, her fist came around for a serious haymaker across his chin. The hit knocked him for a loop, his eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped to the floor. She glared down at his unconscious state and really wanted to kick him while he was down, but decided better of it. Audina watched as Grem began to shake her head at the kid. She looked around to see that everyone in the Gala was now looking their way. No one approached them, though. And the kid’s two friends didn’t do anything except start backing away from the two of them. When Audi looked back toward Grem, she saw that she was already gone. The gray bat pony was scurrying toward the balcony that looked over the castle garden. That little bastard didn’t know what he was talking about. Grem looked at her first to see that it had a tiny blemish on it from where her fist landed, but otherwise it wasn’t bad. She wanted to kill that kid, his smug little face thinking that he can say whatever he wants without any consequences. She sure as hell showed him otherwise, but it never seemed like it was going to be enough! Grem’s adrenaline was pumping through her bloodstream at a mile a minute. Before long, she could hardly breathe and her gasping soon degraded into tears. Grem put a hand over her mouth, sobbing into it as tears rolled down her cheeks. What little eyeliner she wore soon began to smudge. That hatred she once felt for the general populace came back at that moment. She couldn’t stand those ignorant ponies who hated her for the sole fact that she was of the bat ponies. She felt two hands gently wrap around her stomach, over her pretty blue dress. She looked down to see the white hands, and the shine from them confirmed who it was. Audina leaned her head onto Grem’s shoulder, and she leaned her head onto Audina’s. Her sobs came gentler now. “I’m sorry.” Audina whispered in her ear. Grem turned her head toward Audina and she sniffed. “For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.” She turned away from her a little. She felt the unicorn’s hands begin to rub her abs. “I know, but I feel I should apologize anyway.” That sentence she spoke caused the bat pony to close her eyes and shake her head. She turned around toward the shining unicorn in the black dress and to Audina’s surprise, her lips met with hers. Grem’s arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. At first her alarms were going off in her head, but it was not long before she melted into the kiss and pressed against Grem’s lips even harder. Their kiss seemed to last forever. They were so warm on such a night as this. They took their time, felt one another’s very being. Slowly, their kiss broke, and Grem’s eyes stopped drawing tears as she looked into Audina’s eyes. Her loving look melted all of Grem’s inhibitions away and they held one another close. “Should we go back inside?” Grem asked. To her surprise, Audina shook her head. “We can do this again next year. Right now I feel like we should go.” The unicorn nodded her head toward the balcony’s edge. This puzzled Grem a tad bit. “Go?” Grem mimicked her nod toward the balcony’s edge. This drew a very sly grin from Audina and she nodded. The bat pony looked off into the distance, and then shrugged, figuring why the hell not. She swept Audina off of her feet and into her very strong arms. Grem ran across the balcony, her wings expanding to their very fullest until she finally jumped straight off of the rail and then proceeded to dive toward the ground to gain up wind resistance in her wings. She flapped one time and the two of them began to swoop straight over the castle’s garden, and alert many of the party’s attendance. All of them marveled as the bat pony continued to gain altitude and grow smaller as she flew into the distance. ------- It took a moment for Audina to catch her balance again. Grem flew her all the way back to her house with little difficulty. She wondered how Grem could fly with the added weight, but little did she know how much the Royal Guard armor weighed her down. The bat pony’s first instinct was to leave her home, but to her surprise, Audina’s grasped her wrist with some force, and began walking her inside. She led her to her room on the second floor, and then walked inside, looking out the window just above her bed. Grem’s hands closed into both of Audina’s shoulder, and her chest pressed against her back as she looked over her into the window. “Why did you bring me up here?” She whispered into her ear. “I needed someone to help me get out of this dress.” Audina whispered back, her cheeks deepening red. She looked back at Grem, whose eyes widened a little bit. With a little hesitation, she began to pull down the zipper to the back of the black dress and Audina watched over her shoulder. As she did this, Audina shrugged her dress downward, letting it slide down her body. Her red and blue streaked tail slipping through the skirt as it fell. What was left was a very tiny set of black lingerie. “My bra too?” Grem’s fingers worked the back of Audina’s bra strap, and with little difficulty, she released her breasts from their confines. They were nowhere near as big as Grem’s, but the bat pony found them wonderful anyway. That was when Audi turned around and put her hands on the bat pony’s chest, softly massaging her breasts through her beautiful blue dress before pulling it down to reveal her bra. The bra had slid down, partially revealing Grem’s nipples. Finally being able to see her enormous tits was very exciting to the unicorn. Her beautiful dark pink nipples were so wondrous. The two of them stood there until Audina led them onto the bed, both of them on their knees against the mattress. Their lips met once again, only this time their hands explored one another’s bodies. Slowly, their palms felt every surface of their skin, their soft fur, and their lips rubbed against each other’s. “Have you ever done this before?” Audina asked as soon as her lips became free. Grem opened her eyes, seeing that Audina was now bare aside from her garter belt that held up her stockings. “I want to,” Grem whispered to her, giving Audina another kiss. “With you.” The bat pony’s heartbeat became sporadic as she reached down to Audina’s bare quim. Her fingers sank down into her vagina, caressing the inside of her tube with ever more lubricating with her flowing juices. Audina couldn’t help but return the favor as she eagerly reached into Grem’s tiny panties that were much closer to a thong. Their moans grew ever more as they caressed one another with growing passion. The gray bat pony couldn’t take it anymore. She pushed Audina onto her back and before the unicorn could say anything, Grem latched her lips onto her sweet little pussy. Slowly her tongue began to massage her pink labia with the tip of her squirming tongue. Audina’s voice became especially high pitched and her hand gripped the back of her head. Grem’s tongue found every crevice of Audina’s slit as she licked hard, even sucking on her whole cunt. The more she felt Grem’s warm tongue caressing her pussy, the more she became unable to contain herself. She couldn’t help but cum! Audina trembled hard, and her legs twitched as she felt the wondrous climax overtake her body. “Oh Grem! That was… that was wonderful.” Audina said, breathless and smiling with a flushed face. Grem came up to her face to face and kissed her on the lips, Audina met her in kind and began exploring the inside of her mouth with her tongue. The white unicorn caressed the bat pony’s tits with a firm touch as their tongues rubbed and wrestled between their mouths. That was when Audina decided to push Grem this time. With a simple tug, the bat pony’s panties slid down her legs and off her feet. With a flick of her wrist, her underwear was on the floor. Grem’s back hit the bed, and before she knew it, Audina intertwined her legs with her own. “What are you-- OH!” Grem cried out as her pussy touched Audina’s. The unicorn began to rub their vaginas together, ever moistening as they caressed one another. Grem was sweating at this point. Her hand went down and caressed her own clitoris as her pink pussylips grinded all over the soaken wet unicorn’s cunt. The bat pony started to lose strength in her arms as she held herself up as best she could. She cried out hard, clenching her eyes shut tight. Grem reached the most amazing orgasm she had ever had in her entire life. Her toes curled over the mattress sheets hard and her gasps came hard and fast as sweat ran all over her fact. Even after such a hard cum, Grem still found the strength to continue rubbing her cunt against Audina’s. It took no time at all to get the sexy unicorn to cum again. Her tits flopped back and forth as she moaned, gritting her teeth and gazing lovingly into Grem’s eyes. Finally, both of them collapsed. Audina crawled slowly up to Grem near the headboard and cuddled up to her. They laid there, panting softly as their sweat intermixed between them. It took them a moment to calm down. They smiled at one another after a while, and Audina nuzzled her cheek and gave it a little kiss. “Do you mind if--” “Stay with me tonight…” Audina said as she wrapped an arm around Grem’s stomach. She looked surprised at Audina, but smiled as her arm wrapped around her shoulder and neck to hold her near. She did stay with her that night. Then the night after that. Together they stayed, and together they began anew. Having found one another in such a savage world, it was an answer to one of life’s great questions. It was an answer they could live with for a very long, long time.