//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The Uncivilized Foal // by smirker //------------------------------// Scootaloo's alarm clock went off and she pressed it, she yawned and stretched, she looked at Apex, whose eyes were wide open and bloodshot, "You okay, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "I couldn't sleep last night." Apex replied, "Couldn't sleep well?" Scootaloo asked, "No, I was awake all night." Apex replied, "Oh, um... well, I have to get ready for school." Scootaloo said, and she trotted out of the bedroom while Apex let out an annoyed groan. Scootaloo used the bathroom and took a shower, she went out and saw Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty were already up, "*yawn* Good morning, Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday said, "Morning." Scootaloo replied, "I'm making cookies for breakfast, since I don't have much energy this morning." Auntie Lofty said, "Really? Thanks, Auntie Lofty." Scootaloo replied, and she yawned a bit more, the timer dinged and Auntie Lofty took the cookies out, "Apex, breakfast's ready." Auntie Lofty said, and he walked into the dining room very slowly, "Oh, you don't look well, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, "I couldn't sleep at all last night." Apex replied, "Wait, you can't sleep in bed?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No, I'm not comfortable sleeping in a bed, it's not high enough off the ground for me." Apex replied, "Well, you're not sleeping in the tree." Auntie Lofty said, "I'll try to find something." Apex replied, and he sat at the table, "What's this?" Apex asked, "They're cookies, try them, they're good." Scootaloo replied, and Apex tried one, "Hmm, it's not my usual tastes, but I like it." Apex said, and he ate more, "So, what did you do last night?" Auntie Lofty asked, "I walked around Ponyville a little to get a better idea of where things are at, I met two donkeys last night." Apex replied, "Oh, that's Cranky Doodle and Matilda, Matilda's friendly, but Cranky gets mad a bit often." Aunt Holiday said, "He was friendly with me, he said the way I live was the way everybody lived when he was a kid." Apex replied, "Look at that, Lofty, Apex seems to have already made a friend." Aunt Holiday said, "Yeah, and he's met Zecora, maybe he'll do well in this town after all." Auntie Lofty replied, Scootaloo and Apex finished breakfast and washed the dishes, "Well, I have to go to school now." Scootaloo said, "Alright, I'll go explore an area of Ponyville that caught my interest." Apex replied, and they headed outside and went to where they were going. Apex went behind the houses and crawled under houses to avoid the ponies in Ponyville, he looked and saw the many ponies in Ponyville, he hid behind a house and ran to the next house, he then crawled in a space under that house and hid until the ponies went by, he came out and kept going and arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, he went to it and looked at the vegetables in the garden, he heard pigs oink and he looked to his left, he saw the pigs looking at him, his mouth watered at the thought of eating bacon, he also saw chickens, his mouth watered again, he looked and saw the apple trees, he went to the ones to his right and looked at the apples, "What are these?" Apex asked, he looked at them but did not touch them, he walked around and looked at the trees and saw many apples, "Huh. I guess they are edible." Apex said, he yawned and was almost falling asleep, so he dug a hole in the ground and buried his two trash bags, he jumped onto the tree and grunted under his breath as he climbed, he jumped onto a tree branch and then jumped up, he grabbed the next branch and swung his own body up, he saw a good view, "This is good." Apex said, and he laid down on the tree branch and slept. Scootaloo worked in class and focused better than yesterday, she smiled as she worked and got through her morning work, "Alright, everypony, test time." Cheerilee said, and the students got ready, Scootaloo tried to work but saw she has forgotten to study yesterday, "Um, Cheerilee, can I go to the bathroom?" Scootaloo asked, "No, Scootaloo, you may not, you're not going to the bathroom so you can study like how you did last time." Cheerilee replied, "Shoot." Scootaloo said under her breath, and she tried to focus, she let out an annoyed groan as she tried to think of the right answers on the test, she began biting her pencil's eraser as she tried to think, she sat and thought about what to write while her classmates finished and turned their tests in, Scootaloo sighed and tried to write down what she thought was the right answer and turned her test in. Scootaloo watched her classmates and saw only a few were still working, but she could tell from their smiles that they were confident they will do good, Scootaloo groaned and put her head on her desk while clutching the sides of it with her front hoofs. Scootaloo waited for the tests to end and still kept her head down, "Tests are finished, class." Cheerilee said, Scootaloo lifted her head up and saw some of the foals have fallen asleep, "Okay, class, let's continue where we left off in our math books yesterday." Cheerilee said, and the students took out their math books. Cheerilee lectured the class while Scootaloo zoned out and did not hear anything Cheerilee said, she just browsed through her math book page and did not pay attention to class, "Scootaloo." Cheerilee said, Scootaloo becomes startled and looked up, "Are you zoning out again?" Cheerilee asked, "No." Scootaloo replied, "Then stand up and answer question number three on page ninety six." Cheerilee said, Scootaloo looked at the question, it was a multiplication problem, she saw the question and stood up to answer, "What is the equation?" Cheerilee asked, "Nine times nine." Scootaloo replied, "What is the answer?" Cheerilee asked, "Eighty one." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, you were paying attention and listening, my apologies, Scootaloo, you may sit." Cheerilee said, and Scootaloo sat and sighed with relief, Cheerilee continued lecturing her class while Scootaloo zoned out again, "There goes Scootaloo zonin' out again." Apple Bloom whispered, "I know, I wish she didn't do it so often." Sweetie Belle whispered, "Ah mean, Applejack and Big Mac zoned out in school too from what Ah heard." Apple Bloom whispered, "Really? Rarity never did, she had fun in school, and I wonder if Rainbow Dash zoned out, too." Sweetie Belle whispered, Scootaloo heard her two friends and waited for the day to end. Scootaloo went outside for recess and played with the foals, she played and had fun, she went back to class to do more work, she worked but had trouble focusing since she was bored, lunch came and Scootaloo had lunch and worked since she did not finish it before lunchtime, "You okay, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, just bored and tired." Scootaloo replied, "Ya look more bored and tired than usual, though." Apple Bloom said, "I couldn't sleep well last night." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, no wonder why, come on, Scootaloo, take a break and eat, we're here to help you, too." Sweetie Belle said, Scootaloo did not and kept working, "She's right, Scootaloo, your health's more important than your work, go on and eat, try to relax a bit." Cheerilee said, and Scootaloo stopped working and ate lunch and drank chocolate milk, she finished and went back to working. Scootaloo did her afternoon work and was zoning out a bit again, she looked at the clock and groaned, she worked again and the bell rung after a while, "Class is dismissed, any work you didn't finish is homework." Cheerilee said, and the foals headed home. Scootaloo walked home and looked for Apex, she did not see him anywhere, "Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash said from the sky, she flew down while Scootaloo turned around, "I learned an awesome new stunt with the Wonderbolts, wanna see it?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Sure." Scootaloo replied, "Alright, follow me, this is going to be awesome." Rainbow Dash said, and she flew while Scootaloo trotted. Rainbow Dash flew around and did tricks in the air while Scootaloo watched and cheered, Rainbow Dash flew down with two tickets, "I also got two tickets for the next Wonderbolts show, front row seats for you, too." Rainbow Dash said, "Really?! Oh, thank you, Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo replied and hugged her, "I learned some more new tricks, too, watch this." Rainbow Dash said, and she flew around and did stunts while Scootaloo watched. Apple Bloom walked around Sweet Apple Acres and collected the fallen apples, she stopped when she heard soft breathing in the tree, she looked up, "What in tarnation?" Apple Bloom said when she saw Apex sleeping in the tree, she ran back to the barn, "Applejack, Big Mac, Granny, there's a foal sleepin' in one of them apple trees." Apple Bloom said, "Say what now?" Applejack asked, "There's a pony sleepin' on a tree branch, come on, he's over here." Apple Bloom replied, and she ran to him while her family followed her, "What the?" Applejack asked, "See, Ah told ya." Apple Bloom said, "Hey! Wake up!" Applejack said, Apex woke up and groaned as he looked down and saw the Apple family, "What are you doin' up in mah apple tree?" Applejack asked, Apex groaned as his vision became less blurry. Scootaloo watched Rainbow Dash do stunts and had a lot of fun, "Get down here, you should know better to sleep in a bed." Scootaloo heard Applejack say, "Uh-oh." Scootaloo said, "What's wrong, Scootaloo?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Hold on, I'll be back." Scootaloo replied, and she ran to Sweet Apple Acres while Rainbow Dash flew and followed her. Apex looked down at the Apple family, "I can't sleep here?" Apex asked, "No, you may not, now come down here." Applejack replied, "Apex!" Scootaloo said as she ran to the Apple family with Rainbow Dash flying behind her, "Apex?" Apple Bloom asked, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash arrived at the scene, "You can't sleep in other people's yards, come on down." Scootaloo said, and Apex came down and stood on his hind legs like a bipedal creature, "I'm sorry, everypony, my mom and dad found him starving and sleeping, he's staying at my home for temporary residence until my parents can find somepony to adopt him." Scootaloo said, "Wait, he's an orphan?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yeah, he's homeless, too." Scootaloo replied, "He looks to be quite well groomed for a homeless orphan." Granny Smith said, "That's because my parents taught me how to take care of myself in the woods." Apex replied, "Wait, in the woods?" Applejack asked, "Yeah, he lived in the wilderness before my parents found him." Scootaloo replied, "That still doesn't explain why he's sleepin' in mah tree." Applejack said, "It's from the woods, those who slept on the ground got eaten by bears." Apex replied, "Eaten by bears? Apex, there's only one bear in Ponyville, and he's a friendly one, so ya don't have to worry about gettin' eaten." Applejack said, "Come on, Apex, let's go home." Scootaloo said, and Apex took his trash bags out of the ground, "What the?! Apex, you can't just bury your things in other people's yards." Scootaloo said, "I can't?" Apex asked, "Eenope." Big Macintosh replied, "Wait, you carry your things in trash bags?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah. Why?" Apex asked, "Don't ya have a saddlebag?" Apple Bloom asked, "As I said to Scootaloo, I don't know what a saddlebag is." Apex replied, Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, and the Apple family dropped their jaws', "What?" Apex asked, "What are you carrying anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked, and Apex showed them his tools and food, Apple Bloom gagged and covered her own mouth when she saw his food, "Wait, is that...?" Applejack asked, "Oh, shoot, I forgot to mention it, Apex eats meat and bugs." Scootaloo replied, "Say, you have pigs, right?" Apex asked, "Yeah, why?" Applejack asked, "Do you guys have any leftover bacon?" Apex asked, Applejack's and Big Macintosh's jaws' dropped again, "Now you must be out of yer dag gone mind askin' a pony for any meat, who in the right mind would eat that?" Granny Smith asked, "Don't you guys eat the runt pig?" Apex asked, "No, they live with their mamas." Applejack replied, "If yer hungry, Apex, ya can eat them apples up there in the trees." Apple Bloom said, "Apples? Is that what they're called?" Apex asked, "Didn't the woods you lived in have any fruits in it?" Scootaloo asked, "Lemons." Apex replied, "What else?" Scootlaoo asked, "Um... Do poison berries count?" Apex asked, Scootaloo slapped her own forehead and shook her head, "You didn't eat the apples?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I didn't know what they were, so no." Apex replied, "Ah see what yer gettin' at, they ain't poisonous, Apex, ya can eat them just fine." Applejack said, Apex nodded and packed his things into his trash bags, "By the way, Apex, this is Apple Bloom." Scootaloo said, "Oh, so you're Apple Bloom, Scootaloo told me about you and Sweetie Belle." Apex said, "Howdy, this is Applejack, that's Big Mac, and that's Granny Smith." Apple Bloom replied, "And this is Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said, "I remember you, I saw posters of you in Scootaloo's room." Apex said, "So you've heard of me, I'm a savior of Equestria and help those in need, and I'm a Wonderbolt." Rainbow Dash replied, "Are we the first ones besides Scootaloo to meet ya, Apex?" Apple Bloom asked, "No, I already met three people here yesterday." Apex replied, "Yeah, he met Zecora yesterday, and met Cranky Doodle and Matilda last night." Scootaloo said, "Wait, met Zecora? What were you doing in the Everfree Forest?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Exploring." Apex replied, "When did you come here?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Two days ago." Apex replied, "Well, head on home, Apex, just don't sleep in mah trees or bury yer stuff in mah yard." Applejack said, and the Apple family went back to the barn, "How did you get here without being seen by the others?" Scootaloo asked, "I hid behind and crawled under the houses." Apex replied, "Still, I'm surprised nopony saw you." Scootaloo said, "Wait, he knows his way around here?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, I showed him around last night." Scootaloo replied, "Well, I'll be seeing Scootaloo for now, so I'll be coming with you guys." Rainbow Dash said, and they went to Scootaloo's house. Apex sat at the dining room table while Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash stood behind him, and Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty scolded him, "You slept in a tree in somepony else's yard? That's a no-no, Apex, you don't sleep in other ponies' yards." Aunt Holiday said, "I know you're tired and all, Apex, but normal ponies don't sleep in trees, and they most definitely don't sleep in other ponies' yards." Auntie Lofty said, "Think about your actions for now, we'll call you in for dinner." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex went outside and Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash followed him, "You okay, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, I'm still having a hard time understanding why you all behave the ways you all behave." Apex replied, "Truth be told, Apex, I've never met anypony who behaves like you." Rainbow Dash said, "How many ponies have you met?" Apex asked, "I've literally been all over Equestria and beyond, I've never met anyone who sleeps in trees and eats meat." Rainbow Dash replied, "Me neither, and I have a lot of clients as a Cutie Mark Crusader, nopony brushes their teeth with a stick or eats tree sap as chewing gum." Scootaloo said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yes." Scootaloo replied, "Wow, I guess country and city ponies really are different from me and my parents." Apex said, "Um, I think you mean to say civilized ponies, Apex, it doesn't matter if they're from a farm or a village, any civilized pony doesn't behave like you." Rainbow Dash replied, "I am kind of surprised by how civilized ponies walk." Apex said, "We're quadrupedal, Apex, we're supposed to walk on four legs." Rainbow Dash replied, "Really? My parents walked like this all the time." Apex said, "Really?" Scootaloo asked, "Yup, my mom said it makes us look taller and makes wild animals more scared of us." Apex replied, "Well, don't walk like that in public, ponies will think you're a weirdo." Rainbow Dash said, "I still have to carry my bags." Apex replied, "Oh, right, you can't put all of your knives and spears in a saddlebag, they're going to stab right through it." Rainbow Dash said, "What does a saddlebag look like, anyway?" Apex asked, Scootaloo went into her home and came out with her saddlebags, she laid them both on the ground and opened them, "What the? This is a saddlebag? I can't fit any of my stuff in this." Apex said, "Let's give it a try." Scootaloo replied, and Apex took his things out of his trash bags. Scootaloo tried fitting Apex's food in her saddlebags and saw his snakes did not fit, "Wait, is that what I think it is?" Rainbow Dash asked, she picked up Apex's shotgun, "Hey, careful, it's loaded." Apex said, "Awesome! I've always wanted a shotgun." Rainbow Dash said, "You know what that is?" Scootaloo asked, "Uh-huh, you can't even buy these, these are great for self-defense and scaring off aggressive animals." Rainbow Dash replied, "Yeah, it is, but the gun's recoil still pushes me back and makes me fall." Apex said, "Do you have a second one?" Rainbow Dash asked, "No." Apex replied, and Rainbow Dash put the shotgun down. Apex's stomach growled and he picked up and ate one of his boiled silkworms, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash gagged at watching him eat a bug, he then ate some of his powdered crickets. Apex tried to fit his things into the saddlebags and got his ropes in with ease, "Say, they're the same color as your mane and tail." Rainbow Dash said, "That's because they’re made from my mane and tail." Apex replied, "You had scissors back in the woods?" Scootaloo asked, "No, I cut my own mane and tail off with a knife." Apex replied, "My parents did say they had to take you to the barber shop before coming here." Scootaloo said, "Yeah, I'm still upset that the barber put my cut mane and tail in the trash, I was going to use them to make more rope." Apex replied, "So, what do you think of Ponyville so far?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Not too bad." Apex replied, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash smiled, Apex felt his own teeth with his tongue, he got the stick he took from the toothbrush tree and began rubbing it on his teeth again, "What is that?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He said that tree's sticks and branches can be used for brushing your teeth." Scootaloo replied, "If you two wish, I can show you two the gum tree." Apex said, "Maybe another time." Rainbow Dash replied, Scootaloo nodded, "How old are you, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "Ten." Apex replied, "Wow, you're about the same age as me." Scootaloo said, "Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, Apex, dinner's ready." Aunt Holiday said from inside the house, and the three entered the house. Apex had dinner with Scootaloo, her aunts, and Rainbow Dash, the dinner tonight was mashed potatoes, a toast with butter, hay, and corn, Apex looked and watched Rainbow Dash eat like a pig, he looked back at the mashed potatoes and was about to lean down and bite the top of it, "Use your spoon, Apex." Auntie Lofty said, and he did, he ate slowly, "You don't like it, Apex?" Aunt Holiday asked, "No, it's not that, it's just Rainbow Dash's way of eating, my parents always taught me not to eat a lot." Apex replied, "She needs it, Apex, Rainbow Dash does a lot of training and exercising." Scootaloo said, "Yeah, Wonderbolt training burns a lot of calories." Rainbow Dash said, "The reason my parents told me to never eat like that is because they said I have to stay in shape, and being overweight will make me unable to outrun wild animals." Apex replied, "Wild animals do attack Ponyville sometimes, but it's not often." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex ate his dinner, "Say, Apex, how do you preserve those foods in your bag?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I put rock salt on them." Apex replied, "Your food's getting cold, Apex, you should finish." Aunt Holiday said, and he ate, he had to force himself to finish, "What was the average serving size of food for you back then, Apex?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Less than a spoonful, this is a feast for me." Apex replied, "What?! This is small for me." Rainbow Dash said, "Clearly, you've never went a few days without eating anything." Apex replied, "Actually, I have, but I wasn't in the wilderness, so I didn't have to move like you." Rainbow Dash said, "Lucky you, you probably would be exhausted on the third day." Apex replied, "I doubt it, I'm the fastest flier in Equestria, so I'll probably already be at a restaurant or a friend's house." Rainbow Dash said, "Do you have any other sources of food?" Apex asked, "Well, there's making food at home, but I don't do that often." Rainbow Dash replied, "Speaking of sources of food, don't put your trash out, Rainbow Dash, Apex digs through trash for food." Scootaloo said, "I... would probably do that if I'm really hungry, but yeah, don't dig through trash on a daily basis, Apex, you'll stink." Rainbow Dash said, "Wow, you, Zecora, the two donkeys, that farm family, and Scootaloo and her aunts here are more accepting of my way of living than most ponies from the town my dad worked in." Apex said, "That's because I like fast stunts and getting dirty, Apex, my aunts are familiar with my parents' work of photographing wildlife, Rainbow Dash likes to get dirty, so does Apple Bloom and her family, Zecora lives in the forest, and Cranky and Matilda did the same things when they were younger, if there's anypony else you can get along with, it's probably going to be Fluttershy." Scootaloo replied, "Have you introduced Apex to the town yet, Scootaloo?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No, I don't think they're going to like his ways." Scootaloo replied, "Well, food's getting cold, let's finish." Aunt Holiday said, and they finished dinner and washed the dishes, Rainbow Dash flew home while saying bye to Apex, Scootaloo, Aunt Holiday, and Auntie Lofty, they went to bed after Rainbow Dash left. Apex and Scootaloo laid down in Scootaloo's bed and Apex could not sleep again, Scootaloo got out of bed and began walking out, "You can't sleep, either?" Apex asked, "No, I have to use the bathroom." Scootaloo replied, "What's a bathroom?" Apex asked, "Well, it's a room where you get rid of body waste and clean yourself." Scootaloo replied, "You don't bury your body waste?" Apex asked, "No, we put it in the toilet and then flush it down." Scootaloo replied, "Flush it down? How do you do that?" Apex asked, "There's a handle to push down on the toilet that sends it down into the sewers." Scootaloo replied, "Wow, so that's how civilized ponies handle defecation." Apex said, "What did you do?" Scootaloo asked, "Dig a hole, defecate, bury it, it fertilizes the soil, if there was no hole to dig, we'd hold it or use an item as a bag, we wiped our butts with sticks, leaves, and rocks." Apex replied, "That sounds painful." Scootaloo said, "It doesn't hurt that much." Apex replied, "How did you handle pee?" Scootaloo asked, "We just urinate where we are, and just leave it." Apex replied, "Wait, you just leave it?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, we didn't bury it or anything." Apex replied, "We flush that down, too." Scootaloo said, "So you get rid of that, too." Apex replied, "Yup, and vomit, we flush that down as well." Scootaloo said, "We buried that, too." Apex replied, "Well, I'll be going now." Scootaloo said, and she went to use the bathroom, Apex heard the toilet flush and Scootaloo came back, she laid in bed and tried to sleep but could not, "I can't sleep." Scootaloo said, "You want to explore Ponyville again?" Apex asked, "It's kind of too late for that." Scootaloo replied, "Can I see your school?" Scootaloo looked at the time, "There should be enough time, come on." Scootaloo said, and she took her pajamas off and she and Apex went outside, Scootaloo drove her scooter and went to the schoolhouse. Apex and Scootaloo entered the schoolhouse and Scootaloo showed him her class, "This is my classroom, Apex, my desk's over there." Scootaloo said as she pointed to it, Apex looked at the books and could not read the words on the covers, "Do you have any picture books?" Apex asked, "Sorry, but no." Scootaloo replied, she went to Cheerilee's desk and looked for her test, she found it and saw she got an F, she groaned and put her head on Cheerilee's desk, "What's wrong?" Apex asked, "I took a test today and I failed it." Scootaloo replied, "Hey, there's always next time." Apex said, "Not this test, Apex." Scootaloo replied, and she looked and saw Apex feeling the bottom of a desk, "What are you doing?" Scootaloo asked, Apex felt something and he pulled it off from under the desk, Scootaloo saw Apex had a piece of gum on his hoof, he put it in his mouth and began chewing it, "Eww." Scootaloo said, "Tasty." Apex said, Scootaloo gagged at what he said, she soon composed herself, "No, Apex, somepony chewed on that beforehoof." Scootaloo said, "Well, their loss." Apex replied, "That's not the point, it's covered with germs." Scootaloo said, "Oh, well, it's too late now, I just swallowed it." Apex replied, "Don't eat anymore, now come on, Apex, let's go home, it's late." Scootaloo said, and they got on her scooter and Scootaloo drove home, Apex climbed up the tree and jumped onto the roof of Scootaloo's house while Scootaloo went back into her bed and slept.