Chapter 5

The Date

My day had passed by rather normally, albeit with an ever important looming date to look forward to. I should have been excited to get out and meet my boss at his own house, but weather out of fear or cowardice, I couldn’t seem to shake a feeling of dread that I’d woken up with this morning.

As I sat at the table looking towards the wall, I imagined what Doctor Acardio’s house would be like. What would we discuss? What would be served for dinner?

“Why are you staring at the wall like that?”

Would we do anything else besides just discuss this ‘opportunity’ of his?

“Equestria to Scarlet…”

Was this whole ‘date’ even necessary?

“SCARLET!!!”

I immediately broke out of my trance as I nearly tipped out of my chair after being startled. I looked around frantically before my eyes fell on my roommate who sat adjacent to me at the table. Sheryl simply shook her head as she chuckled, “Are you under that anesthetic stuff or something?”

I rolled my eyes before huffing, “No…”

Again my Earth Pony roommate giggled, “Alright, what are ya daydreaming about this time, little miss head in the clouds?”

“Nothing.” I lied as I shifted my focus back to the fruit bowl I was eating prior to my ‘daydreaming’.

Annoyingly, Sheryl saw right through my fib, “Nope. Nice try. What is it? Come on, you can tell me.”

I sighed as I looked away from her. Without even seeing her, I could tell Sheryl was staring me down like a hawk to its prey. “Come onnnnnnnn. Spill ittttttttttttttt.” she chided.

I stayed silent, hoping she would just give up and leave me alone, but Sheryl was hardly one to back down and never seemed to mind bothering me when she knew I was hiding anything from her. “Scarlettttttt. Tell meeeeeeeeeee.” She prodded while just a few uncomfortable inches away from me.

I couldn’t take it anymore and turned my head suddenly before shouting, “I’M GOING OUT!! OKAY!?” I then grunted in annoyance before huffing again and folding my front hooves.

Despite having told the truth this time, Sheryl didn’t seem to believe me, “Going out, like… A date?”

“YES!! I mean-I don’t know…” I replied as I rolled my eyes and threw my hooves up.

“…”

For the first time in this bothersome conversation, I actually wanted Sheryl to speak up, “There, I said it! Happy now?”

My roommate was uncomfortably silent for a few seconds as she stared my way, “Wow… You’re actually going out with somepony…”

I nodded before going silent myself. I hoped she would drop the subject now but as my bad luck would have it, she piped up again, “Well!? Don’t keep me in suspense! Who is it?”

I rolled my eyes as I sighed before muttering under my breath, “Doctor Acardio…”

“I can’t hear youuuuuu.” Sheryl taunted with a devious smile.

I growled before shouting again, “It’s Doctor Acardio! He invited me to his house for dinner tonight! Is that good enough for you!?”

“I called it! You do like him!” Sheryl shouted with glee as she threw her hoof up in celebration.

I sighed again and placed my hoof on my face before shaking my head, “It’s not a ‘date’ date. He invited me there to discuss a work opportunity.”

My roommate’s eyes lit up again, “Wait, are you getting that promotion you wanted? But isn’t it like way too fast for that? You’ve only been there for a month.”

I shrugged, “I don’t know for sure. All I know is that he wanted me to meet him at his house at sundown to discuss it over dinner.”

Sheryl seemed to go quiet again which bothered me even more. I always knew in moments like these that she was coming up with some absurd notion about me that ignored logic. “Tonight huh. Well, date or not, we’re not having you show up to your boss’ house with hooves and a mane like that.” She stated as she pointed towards me.

“What do you mean ‘like that’!” I protested before I noticed her stand up and pull my chair back from behind me abruptly.

“Come on!” She said simply.

“I don’t have a choice here, do I?” I asked.

“Nope!” She answered with a smug smile.

After a few hours of work, Sheryl had gotten me into what she liked to call ‘Tip Top Shape’. I’d never been fond of cosmetics and beautification, however, as I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but marvel at the job Sheryl had done. My mane was cleaner than it had ever been, and I couldn’t spot a single blemish on my face. And true to her cutie mark, Sheryl had polished and styled my hooves expertly giving them a nice shine.

It felt silly to go to this much effort just for a simple dinner visit at somepony else’ home, but it was still nice to have seen Sheryl’s talent in all its splendor. “So, what do you think?” My roommate asked with a confident smile as she stood beside me.

I chuckled a bit, “I think you’re way too happy with yourself.”

Sheryl laughed before I replied, “I also think it looks great. Thanks a bunch Sher.”

I rarely used that nickname, but now felt as fitting of a time as any, given how much effort she’d put into this. “You’re welcome Scarlet. Now don’t you dare mess it up!”

I nodded and stood up from the chair before glancing up at the clock on the wall. I was shocked to notice that almost 3 hours had gone by. The sun was about to set over the horizon, and seeing as how Doctor Acardio had requested that I arrive at sun down, I figured I should leave now.

The address he’d given me was #24 Traian Moșoi, Tramplevania. I’d heard of this street name before, but I couldn’t remember where from. As I looked at a map of the city, I estimated that it would take me nearly 20 minutes to walk all the way there.

“Leaving now?” Sheryl asked as she followed me to the front hall.

I nodded, “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“You bet. And you’re gonna tell me all about it tomorrow.” She stated with a smug look.

I chuckled as I slung my purse over my shoulder before wrapping a scarf around my neck. “Alright. I’ll see you soon.”

With that, I headed on my way.

It felt nice to stroll through the city at this time of day. With the sun dropping over the horizon, it left a pleasant orange hue in the sky which was complemented by a number of small clouds. The temperature in the air had not yet dropped, but I had a feeling it would be a rather cold night.

The route was fairly simple to memorize with only a few turns. In no time I found myself rounding the final corner at Traian Moșoiu. The street looked much different than the rest before it. The road was more worn, and had much fewer street lights than the others. A tall and dense evergreen hedge surrounded nearly every house on the street. And from little I could see of the houses, it seemed this was a rather affluent area of the neighborhood.

I figured Doctor Acardio must be somewhat well to do given that he is the chief physician of our department so it made sense that he’d live in such a rich section of the city. The gaps between each house were very large. Almost big enough to fit 20 of my apartments in a line.

After an unusually long walk, I arrived at an elegant sign that read #24. Beside the sign was an opening in the large hedge which led to another path. I figured this must be the place, so I stepped on through. Once on the other side, however, my jaw dropped as I took in an incredible Castle ahead. Unlike any of the other houses on the street, this castle towered over them like a Dragon over an Ant.

I’d seen castles before, but never any like this. Of course I’d been to Canterlot before, but this one was different. Its build looked ancient, with large spires rising into the sky so high they could touch the clouds. The walls appeared to be built from sturdy stone bricks and were complemented by a number of red tiles on the roofs. It looked to be a very old building, but was still well maintained despite its age.

‘There’s no way this is his home…’ I thought to myself as I approached.

Despite being in utter disbelief, I decided to trust what my boss had written and made my way to the front door to check that I was at least at the right place. The entrance looked just as grand as the rest of the structure with a majestic arch over a set of two grand doors. On each door was a set of metal knockers in the shapes of a bat.

Just to make sure I was at the right place, I decided to knock multiple times. A few seconds passed as I waited while looking around the property. Besides just the castle, there looked to be a large pond as well as a forest.

Before I could bask in the property’s splendor much longer, I heard the doors behind me open as an accented voice followed, “Greetings lady Scarlet.”

Behind the doors stood a creature I hadn’t expected to see. While he wasn’t as tall as I’d heard them described before, this Stallion was indeed a Centaur. He had four hooves and a lower body like a pony, but had the upper body of an ape.

His lack of stature was due in no small part to his very poor posture which looked rather painful. However, despite his off-putting physical appearance, he was very sharply dressed with a nice suit, shirt, and a bow-tie.

I wasn’t sure how to respond, so instead I asked, “Sorry, is this Doctor Acardio’s residence?”

The Centaur nodded, “It is. Master Acardio has been expecting you. Please come in.”

I graciously nodded and entered before taking in the amazing interior of the castle. It was somehow more majestic on the inside than the outside with a grand hallway that extended quite a ways forward. The ceiling stood very high above the floor and the smooth stone walls extended the whole way up with elegant lighting neatly placed throughout.

“May I?” I heard the Centaur speak as he pointed toward the scarf and purse on my neck.

“Oh, yes. Thank you.” I replied as I removed each item and handed them to him.

The creature kindly took the items and placed them on a rack on the wall. “Master Acardio is right this way if you will please follow me.” He said as he started on a light saunter.

I did as such and followed the Centaur up the hall. But despite the fact that I was at the right place, I still had so many questions. While trailing shortly behind my guide I decided to ask the first, “Excuse me, but who are you?”

The Centaur did not glance back but replied, “I am Master Acardio’s butler, Rupert Renfeild at your service lady Scarlet.”

This answer was about what I was expecting, but with Doctor Acardio it seemed I could never expect the ordinary. Still, I had a few questions left to ask, and as we began up a staircase to the second floor, I decided to ask the next one, “Does Doctor Acardio own this entire Castle?”

Even with his hunched neck, the Centaur nodded, “Yes. This castle has passed down through three generations of this family. Now Master Acardio is the sole landlord.” Renfeild then stopped for a moment and pointed up at one of the walls where a series of painted portraits hung.

Each picture depicted a Mare and a Stallion pair which I could only assume were Doctor Acardio’s relatives. They all looked aristocratic in nature with their expensive clothing and jewelry. It seemed Doctor Acardio’s father and grandfather in particular liked to wear large black cloaks with untucked red collars. Though strangely, I could not see Doctor Acardio in any of these portraits.

Having spent long enough staring at the pictures on the wall, however, the Centaur continued onward. After following Renfield up to the second floor, we neared another room which I assumed was the dinning hall. Surely enough my presumption was correct, only this was no ordinary dining room. In the center of the massive chamber was a long elegant wood table that I guessed could fit more than 20 guests at once. On it was a full set of expensive silverware along with fine glass chalices.

Before I could remark on the amazing presentation any longer I heard another voice perk up, “Miss Vessel! I am glad to see you made it.”

I turned around to notice Doctor Acardio who adorned a very sharp looking outfit. Like many of his relatives that I saw on the wall, he wore a very stylish tuxedo along with a thick black cloak but with his collar folded instead.

As he approached me, the Batpony glanced over at his butler and nodded. The Centaur then dismissed himself on queue presumably to go retrieve the food for this ‘dinner’ Doctor Acardio had promised.

Once alone with me, the Batpony spoke once more, “I see you have met Renfield.”

I nodded, “Yes, he was very kind to me.”

“Yes. He has served me well for many years.” The Doctor explained as he stared off for a moment.

After a second or two, he brought his focus back to me, “Dinner will be served soon, let us sit.”

I nodded as I followed him to the large table. Like a proper gentlecolt, he pulled out a chair for me to which I nodded and sat down. He then made his way to the other end of the table and sat directly opposite to me.

As the two of us sat, I noticed the Batpony staring at me for an uncomfortably long time, but before I could spark a conversation, he spoke up, “Forgive me miss Vessel, I was merely admiring your appearance. You look very pleasing tonight.”

His compliment had taken me fully by surprise. I had to clear my throat as I responded, “Thank you. You look nice too.”

Though my response wasn’t what one would call subtle, it seemed Doctor Acardio was nonetheless grateful as he nodded.

A few seconds passed by as a silence grew between us. Whether out of boredom or a need to end the awkward moment, I decided to bring up a new topic that was on my mind, “I didn’t know you lived in a castle. Your family must be very wealthy to have afforded a place like this.”

“You could say that.” The Batpony answered.

I wasn’t sure what this answer meant, but luckily he continued a moment later, “My family profiteered greatly from the mining operations in the second millennia. They owned more than 10 gold and diamond mines throughout Equestria and they invested some of their profits into the construction of this Castle.”

Just as he finished his story, a series of footsteps sounded through the hall as the Centaur from earlier arrived carrying a tray with a plentiful selection of wine bottles. “Would Lady Scarlet care for a glass of Feteasca Neagra?” He asked politely.

I hardly considered myself a boozer, and I didn’t often drink even when going out with my friends. But as I was about to kindly refuse in favor of a simple drink of water, the Batpony spoke up, “You will not find a finer aged wine in the country Miss Vessel. It has been in our stores unopened since the 32nd century.”

Seeing the look on the batpony’s face, I decided to take him up on his offer, “Okay, yes please.”

Renfield went ahead and poured my glass halfway full with the pure red fluid. I thanked him as he brought the tray over to my host across the table. Though instead of pouring the same bottle for Doctor Acardio, the Centaur opened another and poured another red liquid into his glass. I could only assume this was a different wine, but I still felt it odd that he’d gone out of his way to praise this aged wine but hadn’t opted to have some of his own.

Regardless, with our drinks having been served, Renfield left us again, presumably to go prepare the meal that would go along with our beverages. Once alone again, I heard the Batpony address me, “Now then. I assume you wish to know what offer I had in mind for you yesterday?”

I nodded my head, “Yes sir-I mean-”

I had to stop myself as I realized I’d messed up again with addressing him. A moment later he began to chuckle. He seemed to react this way every time I’d make this mistake, but this time he laughed for a few more moments before he dawned a smile, “It’s Athan. You may call me by my given name here.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to this. Though I’d seen his name tag in the Hospital, it hadn’t listed his name before, only his initials. To avoid another awkward silence, I continued my original reply, “I would like that, Athan.”

It felt weird calling him by his first name seeing as how I’d always referred to him like my superior at work. Still, it was relieving to know he respected me enough to have me address him normally.

“Very well. As I mentioned the day before, your skills and expertise are well beyond the confines of your current position.” The Batpony reaffirmed while looking me in the eye.

“However, I believe even as a dedicated surgeon your talents would be wasted. I believe you would be best suited to a higher role, one where you could push your abilities to greater heights and truly excel. And that is why I would like to offer you a position as the Assistant Chief Physician of Department C.”

Though I was outwardly silent for a long moment, my mind immediately exploded after hearing his offer. I’d only formally started my job a month ago and now I was being offered a role as Doctor Acardio’s right hoof at the department. It felt like winning an Iron Pony competition for the first time while having never attended a competition before…

“You’re serious? You would trust me in a position like that?” I asked while still being unsure about the whole proposal.

Acardio smiled as he nodded, “Yes. You have earned my trust, and you have earned this position. Your skills far exceed anyone else in the department.”

“But, I’ve only been on the job for a month. I mean, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but isn’t it way too soon for me to be promoted to this level?” I asked again.

Now he raised a brow, “Do you doubt you would be a good fit for this role?”

I was quick to respond this time, “No! It’s not that sir-I mean Athan. It’s just-”

“Scarlet Vessel, listen to me. I would not have offered you this position if I did not believe you could do it. From the first day you stepped in that Hospital, I could sense something that differentiates you from the rest of the Department. I have met many surgeons and doctors in my years, but never have I seen anyone as talented as yourself.”

After hearing his complements, I felt my cheeks blush slightly. ‘Did he really mean that? Or is he simply praising me this much so I’ll accept his offer…’ I thought as I fought my emotions.

Luckily, our conversation was cut short after the timely arrival of our meal. Renfield entered the room pushing a cart with multiple trays on it. I could see several types of warm soup, an assorted vegetable salad, and an exquisite fruit tray.

“Four trays as you requested sir.” The Centaur stated.

“Thank you Renfield. That will be all for tonight.” Athan replied.

With that, the Centaur nodded his hunched head before excusing himself from the room leaving us to our own again. With his servant gone, Doctor Acardio stood up, “Help yourself to anything you like.”

It felt weird to have full permission to just take whatever items I wanted, but after seeing the Batpony take a plate full of fruit along with a bowl of soup, I decided to serve myself. Each tray looked delicious, however, right now I was most craving the vegetable salad and some of the tomato soup.

After bringing my meal to the table, I waited to see if Athan would start to eat first. It seemed he was aware of my hesitation, so he began to eat his meal in a way prompting me to do the same. I decided to start with the salad seeing as how the soup was still very hot. The assorted greens were very nice and had great seasoning as well. It wasn’t a type of salad I’d ever heard of before but perhaps some family recipe of Athan’s that went back many years.

I couldn’t remember eating a finer meal than I was now. While simple, the recipe for both the salad and the soup was excellent. I hadn’t even noticed I’d been eating much faster than Doctor Acardio until I’d finished only to look and see he had yet to touch his soup. I felt a bit embarrassed by my lack of restraint, but thankfully my host did not seem to mind in the slightest.

“Was it to your liking?” He asked with a smile.

I nodded in response with a smile of my own.

“Very good. Now, back to our conversation earlier. Would you be open to accepting my offer?” He asked as his smile shifted to a serious glare.

I didn’t know what to say. Though I should have been thinking about this while eating dinner, I’d been too caught up enjoying the delectable food. The only thing holding me back from immediately accepting his proposal was the looming thought of what everypony else would think about it. A new rookie promoted nearly to the top of the department after only one short month of being on the job…

After a few moments of contemplation, I decided to trust my instincts and nodded, “Yes. I would sir-I mean Athan.”

My response seemed to please him, “I am glad to hear that, Scarlet Vessel. You will make a very fine Doctor.”

It felt crazy to hear those words ushered about me. If somepony had gone back in time to tell me this was where I’d end up after only a month on the job, I’d have thought them a lunatic… Regardless, this was happening, and I had Athan to thank for it.

“Thank you for the opportunity sir, I won’t let you down!” I replied with confidence.

Yet again the Batpony looked pleased. He then picked up his wine glass and raised it in the air, “Here is to you, Scarlet Vessel. The new Assistant Chief Physician of Department C.”

I took my own wine glass and extended it forward before lightly clashing with his as both chalices made an audible ‘DING’ sound. I then took a sip of the bitter drink just as he did with his. The wine was indeed very nice just as he’d told me, however as I drank from my glass I briefly smelled a strange aroma in the air. It didn’t smell like wine or food, but rather like… Iron?

As I set my glass down, I looked over to the other side of the table only to notice Doctor Acardio was still drinking from his Chalice. I wouldn’t consider myself a lightweight by any means, however, the Batpony was putting me to shame as he downed the entire glass in one go before setting it down and licking his lips. ‘Wow… He really enjoyed that wine…’ I thought to myself as I stared.

“Apologies.” He stated as he noticed me looking on at him.

I chuckled, “It’s okay. The wine is very good. Thank you.”

Instead of returning a friendly gesture, however, he looked away as if in deep thought. ‘Was it something I said?’ I asked myself as I watched him.

A moment later, however, the Batpony rose from his chair abruptly, “Excuse me.” He said as he quickly left the room.

‘What in the Hay is going on…’ I thought as I glanced back at my plate.

After his sudden leave, I’d patiently waited at the table for Athan to return. But after several more minutes alone, I was beginning to worry. Had I offended him? Or was there something more urgent he had to attend to? Regardless, I couldn’t stow my curiosity much longer and decided to try and find him.

While walking through the halls of his castle, I admired the unique art on the walls. There were many antique paintings and sculptures which I could guess had been collected over the many generations of Doctor Acardio’s family. A fair number of the pieces depicted bats which I could easily understand the significance.

Though after a few minutes of wandering the halls and appreciating the fine art pieces, it seemed I’d lost my way. I’d navigated through complex buildings before, but never any as convoluted as Doctor Acardio’s grand castle. It seemed every passage I followed led to another, but after roaming the halls for a few minutes, I seemed to have found a room.

Though I knew it wasn’t the dining room or an atrium, my curiosity compelled me to explore nonetheless. As I popped my head in, I noticed it was a form of study with a number of tall, stocked bookshelves on the walls and a table at its center. On top the table sat a thick binded book accompanied by what looked like a set of vials containing different samples of blood.

Were I in anypony else’s house this would be very concerning, but seeing as how he was a doctor this was likely just a room where Athan would experiment and do independent research. After taking a closer look at the vials, I found one of them looked a bit off. There were five vials filled half of the way with fresh blood, however, the last looked very pale almost to the point of being rose.

I wasn’t sure what to make of this, but before looking into it much longer my eyes rested on the book on the table. It looked quite old based on the aged binding and partially degraded pages inside. More interesting yet, it was not written in our Equestrian language. Though I couldn’t decipher what these foreign words meant, I could see the black and white illustration of a random Batpony along with lines that pointed towards vital anatomical sections of its body.

From what little I could understand, this appeared to be an anatomical encyclopedia of sorts. And after scrolling through a few pages out of curiosity, my suspicion was confirmed. This book seemed to have passages on every kind of creature known to Equestria. After scanning through a few pages, my hoof ran across a bookmarked page near the middle. Though I did not understand the language, I immediately noticed a pattern in the writing and deduced the page must be about the different blood types among Equestrian species. However, what I found odd was that next to each type there were a few lines of notes jotted down which were clearly not from when the book was published.

But unlike the rest of the language in the book, they were written in our modern language. While still curious, I decided to read through them.

Next to type A- it read ‘Bland’

For type B- it read ‘Viscous’

For type A+ it read ‘Thin and runny’

And lastly for type O- it read ‘Ideal’

I raised my brow after scanning through these notes. I couldn’t understand what they meant or why they’d been written into the page. As I glanced back to the table, I noticed four of the five vials were filled with each blood type I had just read about on the page. It was difficult to notice a difference between them, but they were likely samples Doctor Acardio had borrowed from the Hospital for research.

And yet, I still wondered what this last vial contained. It was far too pale to be deoxygenated blood. “Perhaps it’s really low on Iron…” I muttered to myself as I examined it more closely. What was the purpose behind this research? I wondered as I set the book down.

“I see you discovered my study.” A voice spoke from directly behind me.

I jumped and accidentally caught my hoof on the table as the Batpony’s voice had startled me. All the contents on the table would have been ruined were it not for Athan’s incredible reaction speed. Using his wing and his hoof, the Batpony immediately caught both me and stabilized the table before any of the vials could spill.

I glanced behind only to notice Athan holding me up and keeping me from falling forward. My heart was racing, but not from the shock of the surprise. The Batpony’s red eyes nearly glowed as they peered into mine.

“Pardon me. I did not intend to startle you.” I could nearly feel his breath as he spoke, being only inches away from him. The mellow tone of his voice almost felt hypnotic as he held me in place with his strong hoof.

An awkward moment elapsed as I tried to form words, but to my dismay all I could do was blurt out, “I’m sorry.”

The Batpony continued to stare at me as if peering into my soul. Words could not describe how uncomfortable I felt in this moment. And it seemed Athan knew this as he gently let me down and backed away a step. “No, I should be the one apologizing to you. I should not have left you by yourself.”

His words felt sincere, yet now my curiosity piqued up again. I wanted to ask why he’d left so abruptly, but that question came second to the fact that he’d managed to get right beside me without making a single sound as if he’d been there the whole time.

Before I could ask either, however, the Batpony spoke again, “Are you well, Scarlet Vessel?”

I quickly replied, “Yes, I am. I was just lost. Do you have a restroom I can use?” I lied.

Athan nodded, “Down the hall and to the left.”

“Thanks, I’ll be back in a moment.” I said as I left the room.

Once alone in the restroom I began to calm down. I couldn’t explain why, but being so close to the Batpony had brought a strange feeling. His hoof was not warm like other Ponies, but it was very strong and firm. Each time he stared into my eyes it felt like a chilling wind crashing into me.

After washing my hooves with warm water for a minute, my heart rate had returned to normal again. I took a deep breath as I dried them on an elegant towel before making my way back to the hall. Athan had waited for me patiently as he stood by the exit.

“Feeling better?” He asked as I approached him.

I nodded, “Yes. Thank you very much.”

After responding, I took a glance out a tall window only to notice the dark night sky. ‘Have I really been here that long?’ I thought to myself.

As if reading my mind, the Batpony spoke, “I believe I have taken up enough of your time this night, Scarlet Vessel.”

“Yeah, I should probably get going.” I answered simply.

Athan nodded subtly, “Very well.”

Without saying another word, the Batpony led me back out towards the main entrance. Once at the doors, I found my purse and wrapped my scarf around my neck again. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner Athan, I hope I can be a good assistant to you.”

“You have my full confidence, Scarlet Vessel.” He stated with a proud smile.

I returned a genuine smile of my own, “Thank you for inviting me for dinner. It was very nice.” I said.

The Batpony nodded, “You are very welcome.”

As I turned around and prepared to head out the door, I heard the Batpony pipe up again, “Are you sure you will be fine walking home on your own? I could accompany you.”

I raised my brow as I looked back at him. Athan’s behavior continued to puzzle me, however, his words did bring up a good point. Despite this, I nodded anyway, “I think I’ll be okay-”

“I insist.” He stated as he took a step forward.

I supposed a little company couldn’t hurt, and besides, it wasn’t too long of a walk home. With that, I shrugged, “Okay. Thank you.”

Like many of my moments thus far with Athan, my walk home was rather awkward. Neither he nor I said so much as a word to one another as strutted along the path. Truth be told, I couldn’t really think of anything to say to him.

Despite knowing I should feel safer with him by my side, I still had an unexplainable feeling in my body as I had all night. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Athan, but something about him seemed… Off. He was a very mysterious stallion, and I supposed it would take a while before I could understand him fully. But nonetheless, I was very grateful to have met him, and even more grateful to know that he already trusted and believed in me so much.

As we approached my apartment, I stopped before the front walkway, “This is it. Thank you for walking with me. It was… Nice…”

The Batpony nodded but remained silent as he watched me.

I felt very uncomfortable in this moment. I cleared my throat before continuing, “Well, I think I’ll head inside now. But thanks for inviting me to your Castle! It was a pleasure.”

Athan took several steps forward until he was right next to me, “The pleasure is all mine.” He said before raising my front hoof with his own and looking me in the eyes. “I will see you soon. Have a fine evening, Scarlet Vessel.” He said simply.

Before I could respond, he lowered my hoof and took off into the night sky using his bat-like wings. As I watched him quickly vanish from my sight, I stood before my apartment thinking to myself, ‘What in Equestria just happened…’

Author's Note

Nope! I'm not dead! Yet...

This chapter took a while to complete, both because it's quite long and also because of having to work a lot of hours for my job lately. But I'm glad to keep this story going! Things are starting to move along and it seems Scarlet is starting to learn more about her mysterious boss... I hope everypony enjoys this chapter and I hope you come back to read the next one coming soon!