Pinkamena crouched down, balancing on her blades in a wide stance. She knew the rules, she’d done this before. She was more than confident. The only difference here was that the rules were more lax; how much harder could that possibly make things?
Neither team had been up to another match, but they agreed to play a bit longer so that she could try it out. It was apparently not uncommon for ponies to want to take a shot at the sport, and there was time before the next match started when the track would be empty. They’d even agreed to let Pinkamena be the jammer, the player who scored the points, since that was what she had experience with.
She looked to her side, at the other team’s jammer, and grinned. The long, lean bat nodded back to her in a friendly way. She was a rookie, too, despite looking built for the sport, so she’d jumped at the opportunity to practice.
The whistle blew.
Pinkamena kicked off hard and sped forward. Her experience paid off, let her fall more easily into the rhythm of the game, and she burst ahead of the other jammer.
Her lead was short-lived, though, because as she was distracted looking back at the other pony, a massive blocker slammed into her and sent her flying out of bounds. She landed hard on her side, bounced, and then slid several feet before eventually coming to a stop.
Her head was still spinning when the other jammer rolled up to her and offered a hoof to help her up, which Pinkamena took gladly. It took her a moment to find her balance again.
“You good?” The other pony asked.
Pinkamena shook off the daze and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Can we go again?”
The bat pony laughed. “I’m game if you are.”
Pinkamena was more careful the second time, and it paid off. She sped past the other jammer again and managed to dodge the first three blockers who came after her. The fourth, though, stuck out a wing just as Pinkamena thought she was clear and clotheslined her, flipping her effortlessly onto her back.
The third round ended similarly, as did the fourth. She just couldn’t break past the pack.
The fifth round was the worst of all. Right when the whistle was blown, the other jammer swung her wing under Pinkamena’s legs and pulled them out from under her. It was over before it even began.
Pinkamena huffed as she pushed back to her hooves. “Well, that’s hardly fair!”
The other pony stuck her tongue out. “Push back if you don’t wanna get pushed around!”
“But I like scoring the points cuz I don’t have to hurt anypony! Not how I’ve played, anyway.”
“Well, clearly that ain’t good enough,” the bat pony said. “So either push back or quit whining when you lose!” She shot Pinkamena a prideful smirk.
“I’m not whining, I’m—”
Pinkamena was cut off by the sound of the whistle, and the other jammer sped away from her. It took her a moment to register what had happened before she zipped down the track as well.
With the pony’s words echoing in her head, Pinkamena pushed her way into the pack. She dodged the first blocker, and the second. Her team kept the third well away. Only one was left, the one she had yet to pass.
The bat pony stretched her wings out wide, making no attempt to hide her play. Pinkamena grimaced at the arrogance.
Push back, she told herself.
Just when she was about to get knocked down, Pinkamena kicked to the side and rammed her shoulder into the other pony’s. The bat’s cockiness had gotten the better of her, let her think she didn’t need to ground herself, and thanks to that Pinkamena blew right through her and sent her spinning.
Pinkamena winced as pain shot through her shoulder, but it was followed closely by a rush of adrenaline. She’d done it, she made it through the pack, and now she was coming up on the other jammer fast.
Pinkamena wanted to pass her without incident, but when the other pony looked back, the look on her face made it clear that that wasn’t going to happen.
Pinkamena braced herself as she rode up alongside the other jammer.
The bat pony smirked and, in a show of bravado, tried to repeat her move from before and swipe her wing under Pinkamena.
The adrenaline coursing through her let Pinkamena see the strike coming, though, and she bounced into the air, straight over the wing and out of danger.
Then her body moved on its own, and before she landed Pinkamena delivered a sharp kick to the bat pony’s side. It knocked her severely off balance, and as Pinkamena landed roughly on her wheels she saw the other pony topple over in the corner of her vision.
Pinkamena skidded to a stop and spun around to look at the bat pony sprawled out beside her. A mix of emotions flooded into her, sadness, guilt, worry, but more than any of it she felt an incredible, undeniable rush.
“Woo!” Pinkamena sprung into the air and flailed her hooves in a cheer. “I did it! I did it I did it I—”
As Pinkamena landed from one bounce, the bat pony on the floor spun around and took her hooves out from under her. The world became a blur, and the next thing she knew, Pinkamena was flat on her back with the bat standing over her, holding her down with a knee to the chest.
The fangs that showed when the bat pony grinned gave the expression a hint of something sinister, a hint that she played up by running her tongue over her fangs like she was staring down at a piece of captured prey.
Then she laughed. “Didn’t think you had it in you.”
Pinkamena chuckled nervously. “Yeah, uh, me neither.”
The bat pony stepped off of her and held out her hoof. “What’s your name?”
“Pinkamena.” She took the help standing back up.
“Cute. I’m Midnight Mist.” She grinned again, flashed her fangs, and wiped some sweat from her forehead.
Pinkamena blushed. That wasn’t a response she’d ever expected to her name, especially not from a pony like this.
Pinkamena found herself looking over Midnight Mist more closely. Up close, she could make out the slight green tinge to her dark, desaturated fur, which nicely matched the aquamarine ponytail that fell down around one shoulder. Strands of hair that had come loose during the game fell limp around her face. She was incredibly fit, so much so that she looked like she would have a serious chance in a race against Rainbow Dash, and it was only made more apparent by her height. If she’d been any thinner Pinkamena would have thought of her as lanky, but as it was she just looked lithe.
Pinkamena jumped when Midnight Mist started talking again and interrupted her thoughts. “You know, Pinkamena, this is my first time in Ponyville. I’d love a guide to show me around.”
“I-I, um—” Pinkamena stammered awkwardly. “I could try?”
Another pointed grin. A wing around her shoulders. A blur of things happened, and then Pinkamena was standing just outside the building with Midnight Mist, blushing deeply.
Pinkamena swallowed anxiously. “I’m, um, not sure how good I’ll be as a guide, Midnight Mist.”
“Geez, you’re nervous.” She gave Pinkamena a light, friendly shove. “Try to chill. And just call me Midnight.”
“Okay… Midnight.” Pinkamena smiled up at her. “Well, to tell you the truth, this is actually my first time down here, too. I don’t actually know my way around.”
“Hah! No worries. What’s the fun in knowing where you’re going, anyway?”
Behind them, the doors opened up and Vinyl Scratch and Octavia walked out. “Tryin to ditch us, P?” Vinyl asked, wrapping a leg around Pinkamena’s shoulders.
“No!” Pinkamena gasped. “No, I was just—”
“I’m joking.” Vinyl laughed. “I ain’t your babysitter. We’ll be at the card tables if you need us. If you don’t, well… See ya.”
“It was wonderful spending time with you, Pinkamena,” Octavia added as the couple walked away.
“Well,” Midnight mused, “you know what this means?”
“Huh?” Pinkamena gave her a confused look.
Midnight grinned and put a hoof to Pinkamena’s nose. “It means you’re mine for the rest of the night, and we’re gonna have some fun.”