//------------------------------//
// What I've Learned 
// Story: It Can't Be Taught 
// by RunicTreetops 
//------------------------------//

The castle is vibrant and beautiful. The murmurs of the well-dressed, well-mannered crowd prevent the space from growing too quiet, and there are ponies as far as the eye can see. The large corridors and marble rooms are flawlessly decorated for the occasion, and the atmosphere itself feels high-class. In a way, it's almost stifling.

"Well?" 

Anon nudges Cheerilee as he looks down at her. She seems completely mesmerized by the gala, and her jaw is slightly agape.

"It's even bigger than I imagined."

"That's what she said."

"Can you go ten seconds without ruining the moment?"

"Not when you're around." Anon gives Cheerilee a sly wink before walking further into the castle. "Come on, let's get the night started."

"Oh? You sound like you know where you're going," she says as she hastily follows behind him.

"I do. Well, I know where I'M going. What you do is entirely up to you."

"Wait, we're not sticking together?"

Anon doesn't respond. Instead, he guides Cheerilee around a particularly large crowd of ponies before nodding towards the back of the room. She follows his nod and sees a large staircase, upon which Celestia stands. She doesn't get a chance to see the princess all that often, and the regal aura she exudes is almost breathtaking. She stands much taller than the average pony, her alicorn form is downright majestic, and her dress is probably the fanciest thing Cheerilee has ever seen. One glance is all anyone would ever need to know that she is the ruler of Equestria. At the moment, she appears to be occupying herself by greeting the many nobles and other gala attendees who approach her, one at a time. Cheerilee looks down the steps and realizes exactly what the massive crowd in this room is: It's the line to greet Celestia. A formality, if she had to guess, but an honor nonetheless.

"Well. I guess I'd better get this over with."

"Oh, you're meeting with her now?"

"She didn't tell me when to do so, and I'd like to be done with it as soon as possible."

"A-alright."

Cheerilee's voice is hesitant, and Anon doesn't fail to pick up on it. He gives her a smile before kneeling down a bit to meet her at eye level.

"You go enjoy the gala, alright? I can't guarantee that we'll get a chance to do this again, so go live out your dream!"

"Trust me, I plan to. I... er..."

Anon chuckles.

"I'll go find you as soon as I'm done. I wouldn't want to leave my date alone all night, would I?"

He gives Cheerilee a nod as she playfully shoves him away with a smile.

"Alright, alright. Go let the princess show you off, Mr. Fancypants."

"I'm pretty sure Mr. Fancypants is in line, actually."

"Th-that's not-! Ugh, you're impossible sometimes. Go!"

Cheerilee pushes Anon in the direction of the line, causing him to laugh. Meanwhile, she steps away from the crowd and does her best to make herself scarce. However, she does not leave. Instead, she finds a quiet corner and watches on with curious eyes. How exactly will Anon, the human with some of the worst manners she's even seen, deal with Princess Celestia herself?

Those curious eyes of hers immediately go wide as she watches Anon ignore the line completely. He walks right around the crowd, which looks at him first with interest, then disdain, then anger. More than a few angry grumbles can be heard, but none dare raise their voice in front of Celestia. Sure enough, after a few moments Anon reaches the bottom of the stairs and begins climbing them before the mare being greeted by Celestia is finished. The princess smiles at the mare, causing her to walk away just in time for Anon to take her place. The customary thing to do would be to bow in front of Celestia, and perhaps kiss the back of her hoof. Anon does no such thing, opting instead to stand even straighter than he was before to meet her at eye level (despite being a couple of steps below her). His sharp eyes meet her own, and he smiles a wicked smile as if challenging her authority directly. The crowd gasps and waits for Celestia's response with bated breath. However, she seems to take no offense to this. In fact, her own eyes narrow ever so slightly as a similar-looking smile makes its way to her face. From this distance, Cheerilee can tell that they are exchanging words, but they appear to be whispering to each other on purpose, so she has no clue what they are actually saying. After a few moments, much to the surprise of the crowd, Anon ascends the last couple of steps and stands directly next to the princess, looking out at the crowd much like she is. When they're standing on even ground, he's easily a couple of heads taller than her. Frankly, if it weren't for the fact that she is centered on the steps, one might assume that he is the focal point here.

Cheerilee watches in complete disbelief as Celestia motions for the next pony to approach. It's an older stallion, though his outfit and demeanor make it clear that he is another of Canterlot's elite. He bows before the princess and kisses the back of her hoof. Afterwards, they exchange more words Cheerilee cannot hear before he looks up at Anon, who gives him a completely informal nod of acknowledgement and says absolutely nothing. Celestia gives him a strange, almost knowing side-eye as the stallion walks away before allowing the next pony to approach.

Anon is going to die, isn't he?





Cheerilee stands by the refreshments table, doing her best to take up as little space as possible. She followed Anon's suggestion and explored the gala. In a way, it's everything she ever dreamed it would be. It's bright, it's fancy, it's grand, and it's almost overwhelming. However, in many other ways, she can't help but feel... well, "disappointed" isn't quite the word she's looking for.

She takes a sip of her drink. It's got a bit of alcohol in it, sure, and she's likely never going to get to try something this expensive ever again. However, it simply doesn't taste very good. To be honest, the only reason she hasn't thrown it away yet is out of embarrassment. Is it a faux pas to throw away a drink without finishing it at a place like this? She doesn't know, but she isn't willing to risk it.

Speaking of, that's her biggest problem. Her whole life, when she imagined coming to the Grand Galloping Gala, she always pictured herself among the nobility. Among the Wonderbolts. Among the princesses. She imaged herself as somepony that actually matters.

All she feels now is out of place.

Sure, she's gotten a few looks. A lot of looks, actually. It seems that Anon wasn't lying; she does look beautiful tonight. Heck, a few ponies have even tried to start a conversation with her, apparently enamored by the "mystery mare." However, once she told them that she was an elementary school teacher from Ponyville, they all quickly lost interest. She's starting to wonder if all those stereotypes about rich folk are true.

That discomfort permeates through every part of the gala. Over the past couple of hours, no matter where she went, she was always hesitant to actually try to do anything. She doesn't want to dance for fear of attracting attention to herself. The food is beyond her palate. The other ponies aren't exactly approachable either, save for Twilight and her friends. But even then, she's not quite sure what she'd say to them. Why go all the way to the Grand Galloping Gala just to talk to ponies she could see whenever she wants back at home?

Cheerilee sighs. Is she wasting what little time she has here? Ugh. Maybe this wasn't what she wanted, after all.

Suddenly, she freezes. She isn't exactly sure why, but the air around her suddenly feels tense. She feels her ears twitch as time seems to slow down. She looks around herself. She can still see everypony just fine, happily socializing with each other and enjoying the party. However, to her, it's like all sound has suddenly ceased. She feels her breathing grow slightly ragged, just as a voice finally graces her ears. It comes from directly behind her, each word cold and angry.

And it's the last voice she ever wanted to hear.

"Cheerilee."

She doesn't move. Despite the volume of the gala, she can hear the hoofsteps of the mare behind her, each one like a cannon going off in her mind. The mare slowly circles around Cheerilee, coming to stop directly in front of her and looking her in the eyes. She gulps.

"Spoiled Rich."

Spoiled Rich glares at her with a mixture of disbelief and rage.

"That's Mrs. Rich to you." Spoiled narrows her eyes at Cheerilee, the quiet fury present within them proving to be more than enough to send a chill down Cheerilee's spine. "And just what do you think you're doing here?"

Cheerilee tries to clear her throat, but her voice still cracks when she speaks.

"I-I got a ticket. Same as you."

"How? It makes perfect sense for a mare such as myself to attend a gala like this, but who in Equestria do you think you are? This is a gathering of the most important ponies in the country, and I promise you that you are NOT on that list."

Cheerilee steels herself for what is about to happen.

"B-be that as it may, I still have a ticket."

She produces the ticket from one of her dress pockets, which Spoiled immediately snatches from her and begins inspecting.

"Hah! A plus one?! I knew you wouldn't be invited to an event like this."

"But... aren't you Mr. Rich's plus one?"

Spoiled's face immediately goes red, and she forcefully gives Cheerilee back her ticket. Cheerilee stuffs it back into her pocket as her gaze falls to the floor.

"That's irrelevant!" Spoiled clears her throat in a much more dignified manner than Cheerilee had before continuing. "And where did you even get... that?"

Spoiled points at Cheerilee's dress, and Cheerilee notes that Spoiled's isn't nearly as well-made as her own.

"R-Rarity made it for me. I'm very appreciative of-"

"And how exactly did you afford it?!"

"I... I'm sorry?"

"I know you don't have-!" Spoiled's eyes go wide for just a moment before she composes herself once more. "I was under the impression that you didn't have that kind of money."

"It was a gift."

"A gift?! Hah!" Spoiled grabs the bottom of Cheerilee's dress and pulls on it, forcefully bringing Cheerilee even closer to her as she inspects it. "Not even I can deny that it's an incredible dress. Too bad it's wasted on the likes of you."

"..."

Cheerilee stays silent, afraid of what might happen if she were to voice her thoughts right now. This is quite possibly tonight's worst-case scenario, and it's playing out right in front of her. All her life, she dreamed of going to the Grand Galloping Gala. Now, she wishes she could be literally anywhere else.

"Go home, Cheerilee." Cheerilee finally looks back up at Spoiled. She's breathless as she tries to process Spoiled's words. "...Well? You heard me."

"I... I don't have any reason to leave yet."

"Of course you do. I'm tired of peasants like you dirtying the sanctity of this gala, and I want you gone. That should be all the reason you need." Spoiled leans in extremely close, her face mere inches away from Cheerilee's as her voice turns to a hushed whisper. "Heck, I may as well raise your 'rate' while I'm at it. Since you can get your hooves on a dress like this without much issue, I suppose paying a bit more won't be a problem either."

"No... please..."

"Now get out before I march right over to Chancellor Neighsay. He's here too, you know."

Cheerilee feels tears beginning to fill her eyes. What can she even say in a situation like this? What could she reasonably do except give in to Spoiled's demands? Of course, even if she does, she could never hope to afford another increase in her payments. No matter what she does, she's done for.

And as she comes to this realization, she feels her vision begin to grow blurry. It's all just too much.

She can't take it anymore.

...

...

...

"Get away from her."

Cheerilee suddenly snaps back to her senses. She looks up to see Spoiled still standing in front of her, but she isn't the only one there. Towering above Spoiled is Anon, who stands directly behind her with his arms crossed. A quiet fury is evident on his face, and Spoiled's frustration only seems to grow as she turns around to greet the new arrival.

"Ugh! Who let you in here?!"

"Princess Celestia."

Spoiled Rich's eyes go wide, though they appear no less angry than before.

"Wh-what?!"

"I was invited by the princess herself. Since Cheerilee is my plus one, you could say the same is true for her. If you have a problem with that..." Anon bends over to get his face right into Spoiled's, much like she typically does to Cheerilee. "You're free to take it up with Celestia."

"I..." Spoiled attempts to clear her throat again, but much like Cheerilee, she utterly fails and causes her voice to crack when she speaks. "I trust the princess's decisions. I will say no more on the matter."

Spoiled attempts to walk away, but Anon moves to block her path. His arms are still crossed, and Cheerilee looks on with shock and confusion. She's seen Anon in many different contexts. Heck, she's seen him absolutely livid before. And yet, never has she seen him speak with such clarity and conviction as he is doing now.

It makes her heart skip a beat.

"Oh, but I have plenty to say on the matter." Spoiled practically snarls at Anon, but he doesn't back down. "Do you recall the last time we met?"

"Peh, barely. I have little reason to remember such trifle matters."

"Well, you indicated to me that I should know who you are."

"Of course you should! I am a member of the Rich family, the most important family in Ponyville!"

"I won't deny your family's importance, nor their integrity." Anon narrows his eyes as his mouth contorts into a cocky, almost devious smile. "But I will question yours."

"Excuse me?!"

"I did exactly as you asked. I looked into your family. Well, to be precise, I looked into you specifically. So I could 'know who you are,' of course."

"Tsk. And where are you going with this?"

Anon stares at Spoiled for a moment before reaching into his suit. From somewhere inside, he produces an unmarked, tan-colored folder filled with a few papers. He hands the folder to Spoiled, who briefly recoils before snatching the folder from him and looking at its contents.

"I have to say, for a mare who is listed as a 'school board member' and an 'EEA official,' you sure seem to make a lot of money. I mean, those are lucrative jobs, but these numbers still don't line up."

"Wh-why do you have these?!"

"Financial records are public in Equestria." Anon turns to Cheerilee and winks. "That's something I learned not too long ago. Surely there's no issue with me looking into yours?"

"O-of course there is! Aren't I entitled to a bit of privacy?"

"Officially, no. You're not."

Spoiled Rich scoffs.

"Peh. I suppose I'll need to speak to Mayor Mare when I get home. It sounds to me like some policies need changing. At least then I'll be able to keep nosy little brats like you out of my business."

"Ooo, nice threat. I'm almost impressed. However, it falls flat considering that you aren't actually going to follow through with it."

"And how can you be so sure I won't? Trust me, beast." Spoiled's voice drops, sounding almost growl-like. "I have more influence than you could ever dream of."

"And I have the mystical power of not giving a shit." A few nearby ponies, who were clearly listening in on the conversation, gasp at Anon's audacity, Spoiled herself included. "Besides, that would be a detriment to you, wouldn't it? I mean, how could you possibly hope to spy on Cheerilee's income if her records weren't public?"

Spoiled's eyes go wide. She makes a strange grunting noise as if she had a retort ready but lost it when Anon caught her off guard.

"E-excuse me?! How DARE you make such an inflammatory claim?!"

"Mayor Mare didn't have any qualms with telling me that you look at Cheerilee's records almost monthly."

"That good-for-nothing...!"

"Actually, I was interested in her records myself."

Now it's Cheerilee's turn to look at Anon in shock.

"Why would you want to look at my file?!"

"Well, I overhead an interesting conversation the other day." Anon smirks as he begins to circle around Spoiled, much like she tends to do to Cheerilee. "Putting aside the derogatory remarks made about me, I couldn't help but hear some hushed whispers about payments. Payments that sounded a lot like blackmail, mind you. And I will admit," he says, loud enough for anypony nearby to hear, "I haven't been in Equestria for very long. But even I know that blackmail is very illegal."

"Your accusations have gone far enough!" Spoiled glares at Anon with fury, sweat beginning to form on her brow. "You have no proof that I have been doing anything of the sort!"

Anon's smirk disappears as his expression goes cold. It's enough to make both Spoiled and Cheerilee freeze in place. Slowly, he reaches into his suit and pulls out another folder.

"Don't I?" Anon continues his slow circling of Spoiled, ensuring that she doesn't move from where she's standing. "These are Cheerilee's records. It says here that her monthly expenses have been going up lately. On top of that, they're way, way higher than they should be considering typical Ponyville living expenses. Curiously, that difference is listed under the 'miscellaneous' section. Strange, wouldn't you agree?"

"I... I don't see how that has anything to do with me."

"Well, why don't we take a look at your records then?"

Now appearing quite distressed, Spoiled clutches the folder containing her records close to her chest.

"I don't think you'll be doing anything of the sort!"

"Oh, that's fine." Anon's smile returns as he reaches into his suit a third time, producing yet another folder. "I brought more than one copy." Spoiled looks like she is about to throw up as Anon opens the folder. "Now, let's see here. As we briefly discussed earlier, you're making quite a bit of money. And I will admit, most of that clearly comes from your family. However, some of it still can't be directly traced." Anon clicks his tongue. "It's that pesky 'miscellaneous' section again. What a strange way to categorize a source of income. Of course, if you hadn't listed the income at all, I'm sure Equestria's tax services would have loved to have had a word with you." Anon glances at Cheerilee again, who just watches on wordlessly. "Regardless, I thought that number looked familiar." Anon chuckles. "Well, I won't beat around the bush any longer. Spoiled, you've been mysteriously making the same amount of money Cheerilee has been mysteriously losing. Between that and what I overheard at the schoolhouse... well, it would be remiss of me to not give you a chance to explain."

Spoiled opens her mouth to speak, but she begins to stutter. She's red in the face, and clearly becoming drenched in sweat rather quickly. Cheerilee doesn't know quite what to say or what to do. All she can do is watch on as Anon continues questioning the mare that has tormented her for moons. As she waits for Spoiled to respond, however, she makes note of something that Spoiled does not. The room has grown almost completely silent. Both the music and the voices have stopped. Nearly all eyes are on them, and those that aren't waiting for Spoiled's response are looking at the pair of ponies approaching her from behind.

"Th... this proves nothing! How dare you accuse a Rich of such a thing?! I don't care what Celestia says, you will never see the light of day again when I am done with you! Do you understand me?!" Spoiled is now yelling, her voice echoing throughout the large, quiet room. However, her tirade does not stop as her attention now turns from Anon to Cheerilee. "And YOU! You can be certain that Chancellor Neighsay will be hearing about this!"

"About what, exactly?"

Spoiled's eyes go wide as her heart drops. Slowly, she turns to face the stallion that just spoke. Anon smiles a cocky smile, and Cheerilee just watches silently as two ponies make their presence known. From behind Spoiled Rich, Princess Celestia and Chancellor Neighsay stand side-by-side, their faces serious and cold.

"Ch... Ch... Chancellor Neighsay?"

"I heard everything, Mrs. Rich. If I were you, I'd avoid making an even bigger fool of myself than I already have." His voice is cold and commanding, spoken with a confidence only a pony of his stature could produce. "Princess Celestia and... he already told me everything, anyway." Neighsay speaks with disdain when referring to Anon, which Cheerilee doesn't fail to catch. "And while I will admit that I have more than a few reservations about his presence at this gala, I trust Princess Celestia's judgement. Besides, I am much more concerned with you at the moment."

"M-me?"

"Your actions are an embarrassment to the EEA. In the past, Ponyville has produced some of Equestria's best and brightest ponies. Their education is to be treated with the utmost care. You, it seems, have been taking measures to circumvent that."

"I... I have done no such thing."

"Really? Because from what I hear, the policies that we introduced not too long ago proved to be greatly detrimental to the health of both students and teachers across Equestria. Policies that, may I remind you, were put into place at your insistence."

"A-and those policies work."

"No, Mrs. Rich. No they do not." Neighsay looks over at Cheerilee. He carries a naturally cold and oppressive demeanor, but he looks at her with genuine kindness. "Ms. Cheerilee here has proved that."

"W-wait, so you knew she was breaking the rules?!"

"Nothing gets by the EEA, Mrs. Rich. You should know that by now. And if it weren't for your position, you wouldn't have gotten by us, either." Neighsay closes his eyes and raises his voice, apparently preparing to make a point for all to hear. "And as such, you are hereby fired. You are never to work alongside the EEA again." Spoiled's lip quivers. For the first time in her life, she's at a complete loss of words. Cheerilee can hardly believe what she is seeing, and she almost smiles until Neighsay looks back at her. "And as for you, Ms. Cheerilee. I am aware of your past deeds. However, thanks to your part in finding this... rat amongst us, as well as the flawed nature of our recent choices, we are choosing to overlook them." Neighsay smiles, which is a rare sight to behold. "Please continue to be the excellent teacher you always were. It's no coincidence that you're Ponyville's only teacher."

Cheerilee looks back at Neighsay for what feels like an eternity as tears slowly start to fall from her eyes. Eventually, she finds her voice again.

"O-of course, Chancellor Neighsay!"

She courteously bows her head. Meanwhile, Anon strolls up alongside her, his arms still crossed and a smile still on his face. However, he says nothing. Instead, it is Celestia who finally speaks up.

"Now, then. EEA business aside, I believe we have other matters to attend to, Mrs. Rich."

"O... other matters?"

"Blackmail is a crime. Surely you were taught that in school?" Spoiled has no words, and she puts up no fight as two members of the Royal Guard approach her from the rear. "Now, why don't you do as these fine stallions say? They have a few questions for you. Outside the gala, that is."

"W-what?! You can't do this to me!"

Spoiled continues to fruitlessly make claims about herself as she is escorted away by the Royal Guard. Her voice can still be heard in the quiet room up until they turn a corner and make their way outside the castle. Once they are gone, Celestia and Neighsay turn their attention towards Anon and Cheerilee. To Cheerilee's shock, Celestia bows before her.

"Ms. Cheerilee. I cannot apologize enough for how you've been treated."

"P-Princess Celestia, please! You don't need to bow for a pony like me!"

"I must disagree. You've suffered long enough, and only because of my failures as a ruler. If even one creature in Equestria is unhappy, then I'm not doing my job well enough." Celestia rises once more, a warm, apologetic smile on her face. "I hope I will be able to make it up to you one day."

"Y-you don't need to do that. Just... not being extorted is good enough for me."

"Hmhm. Then you may consider thanking Anon, here. This was all his idea." Celestia winks at Anon. "And it was quite bold of you to propose such an idea right there on the steps in front of everypony. You didn't even bow."

Anon laughs.

"Well, I've never really been one for tact, and you hadn't earned my respect yet."

"Oh? Past tense?"

"...I may be reconsidering my opinion of you."

"Haha! I'm glad I could make such an impression."

Chancellor Neighsay clears his throat before looking at Anon. His expression is serious, and it's just as cold as when he was confronting Spoiled Rich.

"I stand by the EEA's opinion that Equestrian education is for ponies only. However, it seems like Ms. Cheerilee has already taught you everything you need to know." Neighsay closes his eyes and lets out a resolute sigh. "So long as you stay out of trouble, the EEA will not bother you. But we will be keeping an eye on you."

"Chancellor Neighsay, is that really necessary?" Celestia's voice is soft and gentle.

"It's alright, princess." Anon smiles, but rather than the cocky demeanor he had before, he carries a certain warmth and sincerity that Cheerilee has only seen behind closed doors. "I'll be on my best behavior."

Celestia sighs.

"Very well, then." She looks up at the room around them. Immediately, the many onlookers go right back to their own business, and the space is filled with voices and music once more. "I suppose we should be getting back to the gala. Please, enjoy the evening! You are my guests, after all."

With a smile and a chuckle, Celestia turns and walks away with Neighsay trailing behind her. Anon turns to Cheerilee, who looks back up at him with a mixture of emotions on her face. What is she supposed to be feeling right now? So much has happened in such a short span of time, she's not sure if she can process it all. What should she say? What should she do? What should-

"Hey, Lee. Want to go get some air?"

"H-huh?"

"Over in the garden. You know, I've heard it's awfully beautiful out there."

"...Y-yes. I think I'd like that."

With a smile, Anon offers Cheerilee his hand. She looks at it with confusion for a moment before locking eyes with him, prompting him to give her a big, toothy grin. She hesitantly places her hoof in his hand, and the two slowly make their way through the gala and towards the gardens of Canterlot Castle.