>"It's not that I'm not interested... as such... it's just... I don't see this as a long-term sort of thing."
The bat ponies were always the minority, even during their heyday as Luna's royal guard. 
After her banishment, there was an understandable backlash against those who served under her.
>"What if we give it time? I think we're a pretty good match. We can keep it on the down low. Co-workers aren't even supposed to be dating".
After a thousand years of ostracization and a not-entirely-untrue history of taking their mares by force, the bat pony tribe was diminished. The birth rate remained well below 1.0 for too long. 
>"...About that. Listen Sunny, I had a good time these last couple of weeks, but I don't want to lose my job. What if the warden hears about us?"
It was hard to even find a date. If he wanted to date in his own tribe, there were five Stygian mares he knew within his age-bracket in Canterlot. Three were married, one spoken for, and one poor filly-fooler who caught way too much flak from the rest of the tribe. And no, she would not "take one for the team". He tried that already.
>Sunshine Smiles hung his head, nodded, and headed back to the guard post and reported his rounds. Brass Shoe followed after an appropriate gap, but after an awkward minute, retreated to the docks. 
The prison was a typical position for the naturally intimidating bat ponies and it employed three, the highest concentration in Canterlot. Meadowlark gave him an apologetic grin. 
>"I've seen that look before. Don't take it so hard. I've tried 27 different mares this year. Half couldn't even meet my eyes when they turned me down. Remember that noble's daughter? She fainted on the spot. They just don't make mares like they used to."
Sunshine Smiles nodded in agreement. He thought to his sister and her husband, who would have head-butting challenges during their drinking games. Perhaps not the best showcase for the clan, but they knew how to cut loose.
>"Come on, let's get to the docks. Gotta get ready for the new fish."
She was sneering. It's an extra little detail that most would probably miss, but it's that extra little facial expression that Sunshine noticed when he first saw Nails. That and the missing tooth. The sneer helped expose the void where a tooth should be. Also the fact that she was biting the fetlocks of a Brass Shoe. He imagined there was an interesting story behind that, and reassured himself that the smile the image brought to his face was due to that tooth, and certainly not his recent rejector's screaming anguish.
>"GET HER OFF GET HER OFF GET HER OFF"
The processing of new prisoners was not going well. Arriving early with the dock understaffed, a small disturbance quickly grew into a serious event. With the arrival of the pair of bat ponies, the crowd quickly simmered down. But the instigator kept thrashing around and giving Brass Shoe a few new choice piercings. Sunshine and Meadowlark quickly waded into the fray and pinned her down while the other guards hobbled her and kept the others at bay.
>"That's a lovely sneer you have. You really should look into modelling."
Meadowlark glanced over at him, but the mare glared daggers and tried to thrash some more. The two bat ponies were easily able to simply lie on her and suppress any hope she might have of fighting back. Sunshine might have noticed her sneer first, but pinning her down he felt the hard tight muscles of a pony who could put them to use. The rough skin and matted fur he noticed showed repeated cuts and scraps. As the thrashing continued, Meadowlark gave out a laugh.
>"Whoa nelly, we've got a live one here."
He grinned at Sunshine and pressed down harder.
>"Alright you sad lot, single file, no pony makes a damn sound, and YOU! Straight to solitary. Maybe we'll forget about you in there."
The guard with the hobbles, Baton Rouge, started to lead her to the solitary confinement cells. Sunshine grabbed the lead and didn't quite push him so much as chose to occupy the space previously used by Baton. 
>"She seems pretty fiesty still. Better let me take her"
Sunshine lead her out into a hall and away from the ruckus of the processing room. He found Meadowlark taking up the rear. The three walked the slow pace of a hobbled pony as they made their way to the solitary cells. 
>"You put up quite a fight in there." "Fucking pigs, that bitch had it coming." "I'm sure she did.... so whom do we have the pleasure of escorting today?"
Sunshine kept looking back to chat, but Meadowlark was too busy following her flank to notice much of anything.
>"Nails... toughmphhmm" "Sorry, what was that?" "Toughas. Alright. FINE, you happy? My name is ToughAs Nails. You want to make something of it?" 
The earth pony was standing on the tips of her hooves trieing her best to intimidate a pony easily a head taller than her. Sunshine smiled and opend the cell. 
>"Wouldn't dream of it. Your stateroom awaits"
>"I already looked that up for you. Shove off if you can't remember simple things. Or you could try writing it down!"
Pen Prick wasn't the most friendly of ponies in the prison. If you excluded the inmates, he was in the running for least. But this bit of viterol from the clerk was out of line and so Sunshine did what he usually did when somepony stepped out of line. He furrowed his brow, frowned a little bit, lowered his head almost inperceptually, and generally just stood there, pointedly waiting. It was easy. And when he found he could be paid to do this he turned it into a career. And it worked. Pen Prick shifted uncomfortably in his seat, adjusted his glasses, and looked back over his desk at the bat pony's cutie mark.
>"eeehh, oh. Sunshine. Sorry. You all kind of look alike to me. Let me get you that Toughas Nails file."
Pin-headed racist. Sunshine tried to deliver a full bore double-eyebrow glare. The sort of thing that let lifers and the crack-addled know that things were about to get grim. But it was lost on the clerk who buried himself in the filing cabinet. 
>"She was brought in on disorderly conduct. Bucked the counstible at her hearing. Told off the judge. And now she's in for a 1 year sentance. Oh, and there's a note that she is elegable for a shortened sentence due to good behaviour, with a smiley face next to it. ListPuncher is a featherbrain fool down at the court house. You wouldn't believe some of the things she adds."
Sunshine walked back to the locker room and started getting ready to head home. He considered his options as he made his way throgh the Canterlot streets. He hardly paid it much mind anymore but he still noticed the unicorn that crossed the street as soon as he came ino view, and the noble that covered her face with a fan as they waited for a pause in the traffic together. His heart was heavy as he entered the apartment complex that he shared with most of the clan. He poked his head in the kitchen and found his sister making a cake.
>"What would you say if I said a mare tried to bite off my wings and called me offal spit out by tartaous whores?" 
She didn't even pause mixing the batter.
>"I'd ask when the wedding was set for?" "Heh. I can always count of big sis for dating advice. ...mmmmm... Meadow might be interested in the same mare."
>"Meddly? pft, he jumps at anything with a tail. Remember that minitaur in highschool? You're way more slick than he is. Go for it."
He dropped off his lunch pail, nuzzled his mother, settled on the couch next to his brother in law. A boxing match was on the radio. 
Family.