World Experience
Cheerilee stands in an empty schoolhouse, her saddlebag still draped over her torso as she does whatever she can to keep herself awake. It's a good thing there aren't any students around, because the bags under her eyes would make her growing exhaustion obvious to anypony who saw her.
Her bored, tired torment comes to an end when she hears a knock on the door. Before she can answer it, however, her guest opens it on her behalf. Unsurprisingly, Anon is on the other side, his well-made suit still worn over his imposing figure. Just like the day prior, his sharp eyes pierce Cheerilee, a look of disdain all over his face.
"Good morning, Anon."
"...Yeah." Anon lets out a frustrated grunt. "I assume I need to take a seat again?"
"Not this time." Anon raises an eyebrow. "Twilight didn't just want me to teach you basic knowledge, she wanted me to help you adjust to your new life here in Equestria."
"If I had my way, that life would be short lived."
Cheerilee glares impatiently at Anon's comment, but chooses not to respond to it.
"Regardless, life isn't taught in a classroom. We're going to get you some real world experience."
"Right, because I don't have plenty of that already."
"Watch your tone, or we'll be going through a four-hour lesson on pony mating habits instead."
"...Pfft."
Anon glances away with an impatient huff, and Cheerilee celebrates her small-yet-significant victory silently in her head. With a smug look on her face, she walks past Anon towards the still-open door.
"Now, come on. I'm going to give you a tour of Ponyville. Luckily it's not too big, but it should have enough to cover everything I wanted to teach today."
Anon says nothing, opting instead to silently follow his new teacher with a scowl on his face. He has to actively slow himself down as he walks beside her, as his large stature means that his natural walking speed is a great deal faster than Cheerilee's. It doesn't take long for them to reach Ponyville's open-air market, filled end-to-end with stalls of all shapes and sizes.
"This is the market, where most ponies do their grocery shopping. There are some other hoof-crafted goods around too, but most of the time you'll find that the market is typically geared towards perishable items."
"I know what a market is."
Cheerilee withholds a sigh.
"I never claimed otherwise. That's not the point anyway." Cheerilee shakes her head and starts pointing at various stalls as she speaks. "I was hoping to highlight the specific types of things you can usually see at the market. Over there is Big Mac from the Apple family, who is predictably selling some fresh apples. That over there is the flower stand, run by Daisy, Roseluck, and Lily Valley. They take their jobs very seriously."
"Surely they don't get enough business to care that much?"
"Hm? Why wouldn't they?"
Anon glances down at Cheerilee with confusion.
"Outside of, like, holidays or anniversaries or whatever, what's the point of flowers? Besides, aren't there flowers all over Ponyville?"
"Well, sure, but you wouldn't eat a wildflower, would you?"
"I wouldn't eat any kind of flower. What do I look like, a cow?"
Cheerilee stares at Anon for a moment as she feels heat rising to her face. Hold it in, Cheerilee. It's not worth it. It's not worth it. It's not worth it.
"Excuse me?!" Okay maybe it's worth it. "First of all, that is extremely insensitive to cows, several of which live in Ponyville! Second of all, even if I were to take that as an insult, it was completely uncalled for!"
Anon looks surprised for a moment, but said surprise quickly turns to anger.
"I wasn't even trying to insult you, but hey, if the boot fits, feel free to take it as one!"
"What could you have possibly meant to convey if not an insult?!"
"Humans don't eat flowers, smartass!"
"Then why didn't you start with that, you... you..." She forces herself to close her eyes tight before taking a deep, deep breath. Keep it together, Cheerilee. You're better than this. With a twitching eye, she looks back up at her newest student, finishing her thought through gritted teeth. "I suppose we'll need to discuss the differences in our diets, won't we?"
"...Fine."
Anon's voice was noticeably quieter and less angry, catching Cheerilee by surprise. However, her anger has not yet subsided. Without another word, she trots right past Anon, motioning for him to follow her.
It's going to be a long day.
Cheerilee and Anon sit across from each other at a small outdoor table in front of a local sandwich shop. While Cheerilee appears to be uncomfortable around her human companion, it's clear that he is much more uncomfortable. However, this is most likely due to the fact that his large stature means that he is squeezed into his small metal chair extremely tightly, and his knees are higher up than he is likely happy with. His half-lidded eyes and (at this point, nearly permanent) scowl convey his feelings far greater than words ever could.
The two sit in awkward silence for a minute or two before a waiter arrives at their table. He slides menus over to each of them, but not before giving Anon a judgemental side-eye. Cheerilee notes that such side-eyes have been a common sight since they left the schoolhouse. After they both receive their menus and are served a couple of glasses of water, the waiter departs, leaving the two alone yet again. Apart from them, the establishment appears to have no patrons. Cheerilee is thankful for the umbrella over their table, as without it, the hot sun would almost certainly make this an even more uncomfortable lunch.
"So. This is a sandwich shop. The menu is a bit limited, but the options should give you an idea of what a lot of common ingredients are in Equestria."
"This part here just says 'hay.'"
"Hay is a pretty common side dish. Or, if you'd prefer, some have it as their whole meal. It really is the cornerstone of most diets."
"Humans don't eat hay. Well... not on its own like that, at least. I think."
"Ah. If you ever go to an establishment for food, you'll probably need to specifically request to not get hay. It usually comes with a meal."
"...I see."
Cheerilee looks up from her menu at Anon, who doesn't notice on account of being absorbed in his own menu. He's being strangely compliant right now.
"Well, most of the other items on the menu are sandwiches or salads, so I guess this just boils down to what kinds of sandwiches or salads you like."
"You ponies don't eat meat, do you?"
"What?! N-no, of course not!"
"Hm."
"...D-do you?"
"Used to. Looks like I won't be anymore."
Anon never takes his eyes off of his menu. His voice sounds strangely disappointed, lacking the gruffness and icy tone she is used to hearing from him. Cheerilee feels a slight chill run down her spine.
"Did you... er..."
"If you're about to ask if I ever ate pony meat, no, I didn't. That wasn't exactly commonplace where I'm from. I suppose it's not completely unheard of to eat horse meat, but I've never done it." Cheerilee cannot find the right words to say as her mouth hangs slightly agape. Anon continues to read from his menu for a moment before finally looking up at Cheerilee, a slightly amused expression on his face. "Settle down, I'm not gonna eat you."
"Then what are you going to eat?"
"There are plenty of things I can have on this menu. I'll just have to stick to a vegetarian diet while I'm here."
"Oh. G-good!"
Cheerilee isn't quite sure how to follow up on that conversation, leading to the two falling silent once more. Eventually, their waiter comes around and takes their orders. Cheerilee gets a lily-and-mayo sandwich while Anon just gets a salad. It doesn't take long for them to get their food, and they end up eating their lunch in silence. However, before Anon can finish, he suddenly freezes.
"Um... are you paying for this?"
"I was going to, yes. I figured you didn't have a job."
"I don't." Anon stares into his salad silently for a moment before he goes back to eating, but not before mumbling something that Cheerilee barely catches. "Thanks."
"Um. Y-you're welcome."
Cheerilee stares at Anon, who pays her no mind as he continues digging into his food. Did he just thank her? Like, sincerely? She certainly wasn't expecting that out of him, that's for sure.
...Ugh, why can't she get a read on this guy?!
The rest of the afternoon went about as Cheerilee expected. She showed Anon various landmarks around Ponyville, each with an associated lesson on pony culture. And for each thing she tried to teach, Anon retaliated with sass or a thinly veiled insult. In a strange way, she almost feels like she's getting used to it. For better or for worse.
Now there is only one landmark left for them to cover, and she already knows that he is going to have no interest in it whatsoever.
"Finally, this is the town hall. It also doubles as Ponyville's courthouse, though with how little crime there is in Equestria, that part rarely gets used. I suppose the only reason you'd really need to go here is if you had business with Mayor Mare, like if you wanted to get a permit or something, or if you wanted to access somepony's income information."
"Income information?"
"Well, yeah. You know, their salary, their expenditures, their tax payments, all of that."
"First of all, they just have that information ready to go? Second of all, what do you mean by 'somepony's?' Surely you just mean my own, right?"
"Why wouldn't they have that information? Also, yes, I was mostly referring to your own, though I guess it doesn't necessarily have to be. I don't know why you'd want somepony else's income information, but it is publicly available."
"Isn't that a huge breach of privacy?"
"Uh..." Cheerilee is shocked by the intensity with which Anon is suddenly asking questions. With the exception of lunch, this is the most engrossed she has seen him all day. "Not really? I haven't really given it much thought."
"You could learn a lot of invasive things about someone with that information!"
The two of them continue to walk as they converse.
"But why would somepony even want those 'invasive things?'"
"There are tons of reasons! There's no way that doesn't lead to all sorts of fraud."
"Well, it doesn't. As I said, there is next to no crime in Equestria, fraud or otherwise."
"..."
"I don't know what it's like with you humans, but we're just fine having our income information publicly accessible. It's really not that big of a deal."
Anon sighs, his face suddenly appearing almost as exhausted as Cheerilee's.
"If you say so."
The pair comes to a stop in front of a small, bland-looking home. Cheerilee suddenly realizes that ever since their conversation started, Anon has been the one leading the way. She was so engrossed in what he was saying that she failed to notice until now, leaving her confused as to where they are.
"Where have you taken us?"
"This is my new home, I guess."
Cheerilee carefully inspects the shoddy looking home. It's a great deal smaller than her own, and it doesn't look to be in much better condition. In fact, it appears to be falling apart. If she had to guess from its size, she'd say that it likely has a kitchen, a small living area, a bathroom, and a single bedroom. Pretty much the bare minimum that a house in Ponyville can get away with.
"I thought you said you didn't have any money."
"I don't. Twilight pulled some strings for me."
"It's, uh... a bit of a fixer-upper, don't you think?"
As if on cue, one of the shutters next to a nearby window falls to the ground with a loud cracking sound. Anon takes a deep breath. Cheerilee notes that his expression has changed, now seeming almost wistful.
"Maybe, but I don't plan to complain."
"Heh. That's surprising, coming from you."
She immediately covers her mouth with her hoof, realizing that she just said that out loud.
"I won't downplay the fact that buying a house is a major financial burden. Twilight has relieved me of that burden." Anon sighs before finishing his thought. "And I've saddled her with it in the process. The least I can do is be thankful for it. Well, until I can actually pay her back, that is."
"You're going to pay her back? For a whole house?"
"When I get a job and can afford it, yes." Anon finally looks back at Cheerilee, the wistful expression never leaving his face. "Is that really so strange?"
"No. No, I suppose it isn't."
Cheerilee isn't quite sure what to make of this situation. Anon is sending her all kinds of mixed signals, knowingly or otherwise. Plus, she can't imagine being in his shoes. He's right, after all. Even in Equestria, which has a very strong economy, buying a house is no laughing matter. If she were offered a house, she wouldn't think twice before saying yes. And if it were a gift, like Anon's seems to be, she wouldn't even consider paying it back. She doesn't have that kind of money! That's why her house looks just as run down as this crummy little thing!
"Well, if that's all, I think I'm going to go inside now."
"Oh! R-right. Have a nice evening, Anon. I'll see you again tomorrow."
Anon says nothing, opting instead to raise his hand in a low-effort wave before entering his home and closing the door in Cheerilee's face. Now alone, she turns away from the small house and begins walking in the direction of her own humble abode.
The orange-yellow glow of the afternoon sunset illuminates Cheerilee's path as she slowly makes her way down the winding dirt roads of Ponyville. Countless thoughts race through her mind as she questions Anon's behavior today. Somehow, he ended up being exactly as rowdy, rude, and unapologetically flippant as she was expecting. And yet, here and there, she could swear that she got a glance at something else underneath, like a genuine curiosity about the world around him. That's not even mentioning the attitude shift when his house was involved. Was he really showing gratitude towards what is quite possibly the biggest gift Twilight could have given him, or was that just a result of whatever it is about Twilight that gets him into such a tizzy?
Ugh. How troublesome.
As Cheerilee finally makes it home and steps into her dark, quiet, lonely house, she decides to just shake her head and simplify all of her thoughts down into one easy-to-digest sentiment.
She still doesn't like him.
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Jeez, couldn't he have clarified that the meat he eats doesn't come from sapient beings? The way it's framed, Cheerilee would see him as a murderer.
11711361
Where’s the fun in that?
Thanks for the chapter.
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Huhh!? Brother you cannot say that.
Heh. If it would be up to me, I'd say, "Good luck, Miss Cherilee."
She's too darn nice to be put in this situation.
Also, I cannot help but to think or the phrase "Hot for teacher". Yeah, yeah, I'm dating myself with that Van Halen/David Lee Roth Reference. Can't help it with every story I have read having Cherilee in it. I am curious to discover what direction this story is going, what with that "Romance" tag and all. The Comedy bit is certain to follow, but where's the romance thing? Hm, Runic?
I wonder if this may be a more significant factor in Anon’s behavior than he’s letting on. Finding a job to pay back the house may be difficult.
You don't make a threat like that without some kind of Romantic tension whether she wants to admit it or not.
served*