The Uncivilized Foalby smirkerChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 8Chapter 4Chapter 7Chapter 1Scootaloo was in Cheerilee's class and barely containing her excitement since Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood were coming to visit her again, the two gave her and her aunts a letter about coming over to see them about something urgent, the bell rung and Scootaloo headed home, "Aunt Holiday, Auntie Lofty, I'm home." Scootaloo said, "Welcome home, Scootaloo, Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood aren't here, yet." Aunt Holiday said, "I still wonder what this urgent thing is, they didn't explain in the letter, it looked like they wrote it in a hurry, too." Auntie Lofty said, "When will they be here?" Scootaloo asked, "We don't know, go on and do your homework, Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday said, and she did. Scootaloo worked on her math homework and had trouble, "Aw, if only Sweetie Belle was here to help me right now." Scootaloo said as she struggled on her homework, she wished her two friends were with her because she had the lowest grades between her and her two friends, with Sweetie Belle having the highest grades, and Apple Bloom being in the middle of the two, she sighed and put her head on the table, "There, there, Scootaloo, take a break and try again later." Aunt Holiday said, and Scootaloo did. Scootaloo ate Auntie Lofty's cookies and drank milk while she waited, the door opened and Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood entered, "Mom! Dad!" Scootaloo said loudly and happily, she ran to them and the two hugged her, they let go and they walked to her aunts, "Sorry we took so long, we brought a colt with us, we had to get him all cleaned and groomed before boarding the train because he stank so much." Mane Allgood said, "Wait, a colt?" Scootaloo asked, "Uh-huh, you can come in now." Snap Shutter replied, and a colt came in, "Say hello to Apex, he'll be staying here for the time being while we find guardians for him." Snap Shutter said, Apex was an earth pony, he had a bright red coat, short yellow mane and tail, and orange eyes, he did not have a cutie mark. Apex stood on his hind legs with his body reeled up, Scootaloo, Aunt Holiday, and Auntie Lofty looked on with discomfort, "He's an orphan and homeless, we're letting him stay here while we look for somepony who will take him in, we can't bring him along because of how dangerous our jobs are." Mane Allgood said, "Can he understand us?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Yes, I can speak, too." Apex replied, Scootaloo and her aunts smiled, "That's Holiday, my older sister, that's Lofty, and that's Scootaloo." Snap Shutter said, Apex looked at Scootaloo while she smiled at him, "Wow, I've always wanted a brother." Apex said, "Apex, I'm a girl." Scootaloo replied, "Really? You look like a boy." Apex said, "Yeah, I get that a lot." Scootaloo replied, "Well, make yourself at home, Apex, I think you'll enjoy it here." Aunt Holiday said, "And Scootaloo, don't take Apex to school, his behavior will get him in a lot of trouble. Well, we're off now, go get your things, Apex." Mane Allgood said, and he walked outside and came back in with black trash bags in his front hoofs, Aunt Holiday, Auntie Lofty, and Scootaloo looked on with shock, "What?" Apex asked, "Where's your saddlebag?" Scootaloo asked, "I don't know what that is." Apex replied, Scootaloo's jaw dropped, "You see, Scootaloo, Apex lived in the woods before we found him starving, we took him in, nursed him, and promised to find him a new home, we have to get going now, we'll come back when we find official guardians for Apex." Snap Shutter said, "Okay, bye mom and dad." Scootaloo said as she waved at them and the two left. Apex put his trash bags down and unpacked them while Scootaloo trotted to see what he had, she looked into the bag to her right and saw multiple items, she saw sewing needles made from bones and black threads, sticks and stones tied together with rope that was the same color as Apex's mane and tail to make tools and weapons, she saw spears, a hatchet, hammers, a bow, arrows, knives, another black trash bag, a cooking pot, four bottom parts of plastic bottles, a plastic water bottle, a fishing hook, a white fishing line, pieces of clothing, and an object she did not recognize, she picked it up, it was heavy and she almost fell over, "Hey, be careful with that." Apex said, "What is this?" Scootaloo asked, "A shotgun, it belonged to my dad, the muzzle has been sawed off, its recoil is strong and it's very loud. Put it down, Scootaloo, it's loaded." Apex replied, and Scootaloo did, "What's in your other bag?" Scootaloo asked, "That's my food." Apex replied, "What did you bring?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Anyone hungry for some snake?" Apex asked as he took out a snake on a stick, Scootaloo and her aunts gagged, "No, thank you, Apex." Aunt Holiday replied, "I've also got some roasted locusts and fried tarantulas." Apex said, Scootaloo and her aunts gagged again and almost vomited, "Apex, I'll handle the cooking." Auntie Lofty said, "Sure, I hope you got some crickets." Apex replied, Scootaloo's, Aunt Holiday's, and Auntie Lofty's stomachs turned again, "Um, Apex, we eat hay, fruits, and vegetables." Aunt Holiday said, "And Auntie Lofty bakes cookies." Scootaloo said, "What are cookies?" Apex asked, "You've never had cookies?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Well, come on, Apex, go ahead and unpack." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex did. Apex unpacked his items from his trash bags and Scootaloo almost vomited at seeing Apex's food, he had snakes on a stick, dried fox meat, salted frog meat, steamed fish, mushrooms, powdered crickets, roasted locusts, fried tarantulas, boiled silkworms, roasted cicadas, and grilled termites, "Wow, you have a... unique taste in food, Apex." Scootaloo said, "My parents ate the same thing, I ate all of my ants and cockroaches before I came here." Apex replied, Scootaloo gagged again, "Can we talk about something else?" Scootaloo asked, "Sure, what would you like to know?" Apex asked, "What did you drink before you came here?" Scootaloo asked, "Water, I never had any milk." Apex replied, "That's it?" Scootaloo asked, "Yup." Apex replied, "No punch or juice?" Scootaloo asked, "I don't know what those are." Apex replied, Scootaloo became speechless, "Well, make yourself at home, Apex, come on, you can sleep in my room tonight." Scootaloo said, "Can I see it?" Apex asked, "Sure, this way." Scootaloo replied, and he followed her while standing upwards and walking on his hind legs. Scootaloo took Apex to her room and he looked around, "Wow, it's quite a room you got." Apex said as he looked around, "Who is that?" Apex asked as he looked at the poster beside Scootaloo's bed, "That's Rainbow Dash, the greatest Pegasus ever." Scootaloo replied, "Is that your role model?" Apex asked, "Uh-huh, she's the fastest flier in Equestria, I can't fly, but I wish to be like her one day, she comes to visit me sometimes." Scootaloo replied, "Never heard of her." Apex said, "*gasp* You don't know she's one of the six saviors of Equestria?" Scootaloo asked, "Scootaloo, remember, I've been living and surviving in the woods, I was cut off from the world until your parents found me." Apex replied, "Oh, right, anyway, I'm the president of the Rainbow Dash Fan Club." Scootaloo said, "What's so special about her?" Apex asked, "Well, she's brave, she's fearless, she stands up to bullies, and she flies and does really cool stunts." Scootaloo replied, "Does she like having you around?" Apex asked, "Uh-huh, she treats me like I'm her younger sister." Scootaloo replied, "Do you do anything else besides idolize this Rainbow Dash?" Apex asked, "I'm a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, me and two of my friends did various activities to get a cutie mark, and when we got ours, we dedicated ourselves to helping our ponies get their cutie marks." Scootaloo replied, "That's cool, I never thought much about cutie marks, though." Apex said, "Well, if you want, me and my friends can try to help you find yours." Scootaloo said, "It's alright, it's not a big deal to me." Apex replied, "Well, if you say so, where are you from, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "Um, I don't know the name of the woods I grew up in, but the nearest town to the woods was called Sugar Town, it's famous for its sweets." Apex replied, "What about your parents?" Scootaloo asked, "My mom's from an indigenous tribe of earth ponies, where the males would fight and defend us from danger, and the females would take care of the foals and act as doctors, the woods I grew up in were my mom's home, so she had a lot of knowledge on what's edible and what's not, the area we lived in was far from where my mom was from, so I didn't see the ponies she grew up with, she passed away from illness two years ago." Apex replied, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, what about your dad?" Scootaloo asked, "My dad never talked about his home, I forgot the name of his home, it was Silent something, the second word started with an H, Silent Horse, Silent Home, Silent Hill, I don't remember, anyway, my dad didn't have a good time growing up from what I heard, since he would wake up screaming and having nightmares, he never talked about his childhood either, all I heard about his home was that it's scary, and full of creatures, my dad never went into detail, and I'll never know since he passed away in his sleep from a heart attack about a month ago." Apex replied, "Did your mom know?" Scootaloo asked, "No, he never told her anything, either." Apex replied, "Oh, so, your parents taught you?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, my mom taught me the plants and animals that are edible to eat, and my dad taught me how to make weapons and tools and set traps, both of them taught me how to hunt." Apex replied, "Well, don't hunt any animals here, Apex, there's a Pegasus in Ponyville named Fluttershy, she's friends with every single animal, and she'll be upset if you hunt and eat animals." Scootaloo said, "Even bugs?" Apex asked, "Yes." Scootaloo replied, "I highly doubt this Fluttershy can keep track of all the bugs there are." Apex said, "She can, you'll be surprised at some of the stuff she can do." Scootaloo replied, "Where does she live?" Apex asked, "At a cottage by the Everfree Forest, her home is full of animals." Scootaloo replied, "You do know that means her home is a food buffet for me, right?" Apex asked, "No! I'm going to say this now, Apex, do not eat Fluttershy's pets, you will upset her, and me and her other friends will be mad at you if you do." Scootaloo replied, Apex became quiet for a second, "Okay, so tell me, who are the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Apex asked, "Our leader is Apple Bloom, she's an earth pony, she works at Sweet Apple Acres, you can't miss it, the other one is Sweetie Belle, she's a unicorn, she works at Carousel Boutique, you can't miss that either, it's the fanciest house in Ponyville." Scootaloo replied, "You have school too, right?" Apex asked, "Yes, I go to school Mondays through Fridays, I'm off on weekends, but I usually don't come home immediately, I hang out with my friends or go watch Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo replied, "Don't worry about me, I've been in civilization before, so I'm a bit used to it." Apex said, "Good, because I don't want you acting like a wild animal and I have to get you and explain everything." Scootaloo replied, Apex chuckled, "Well, I don't really have much to unpack, these two trash bags are all I have." Apex said, "I'll share my bed with you, it's nice and comfy." Scootaloo replied, Apex looked and saw Scootaloo had a big bed, "Dinner's ready." Aunt Holiday said from the dining room, "Come on, Apex, Auntie Lofty's cooking's really good." Scootaloo said, and the two went to the dining room. Apex sat with Scootaloo, Aunt Holiday, and Auntie Lofty, he looked at his dinner, it was hay, lettuce, tomatoes, toast, and vegetable soup, "Is something the matter, Apex?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I'm accustomed to eating meat." Apex replied, "We don't eat meat, Apex, that's why we have hay." Auntie Lofty said, "Also, I didn't eat bread for grains back at home, I had rice." Apex said, "I'm sorry, Apex, but we don't have any rice here in Ponyville." Aunt Holiday replied, "Did you grow it all by hoof?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No, my parents bought it from the nearby town." Apex replied, "What did you drink back at home?" Scootaloo asked, "Water." Apex replied, "That's it?" Scootaloo asked, "Yup." Apex replied, "No tea or coffee?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "How about milk?" Auntie Lofty asked, "I never drank that before, either." Apex replied, "Wow, I'm sure you've seen some foods and drinks of civilized ponies before." Auntie Lofty said, "I have, my dad drank beer on several occasions." Apex replied, "No, Apex, you're not having alcohol in this house." Aunt Holiday said, "My dad didn't drink much, he said it was to wash away his memories of his childhood home, he never talked about his past." Apex replied, "Did your mom ever share her culture with you?" Scootaloo asked, "Yup, she taught me all about what plants to eat to survive and medicine." Apex replied, "Did you ever learn gardening?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Scootaloo, I think you should take Apex around Ponyville and let him make some friends." Aunt Holiday said, "Um... I'm not sure if they'll welcome him the way he is now." Scootaloo replied, Aunt Holiday looked and saw Apex was eating with his hoofs, "Use the fork and spoon, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, "Um, what's a fork?" Apex asked, "This is a fork." Scootaloo said as she held hers up, "And a spoon?" Apex asked, "This." Scootaloo replied as she held it in her other front hoof, she showed him how to use them and Apex copied her, "Did you use anything to help you eat back in the woods, Apex?" Auntie Lofty asked, Apex ate with his hoofs again, "*sigh* Besides your hoofs, Apex." Auntie Lofty said, "Knives." Apex replied, "That's it?" Scootaloo asked, "Yup, we didn't have forks and spoons in the woods, but my parents and I always had a knife with us, it is the most important tool to have in the wilderness." Apex replied, "How did you eat soup?" Scootaloo asked, "I just drank it straight out of whatever it was in." Apex replied, "Whatever it was in?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, my mom would put soup in bowls made from either wood or rock, usually rock." Apex replied, "What was usually in the soup?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Meat, leaves, grass, and various plants." Apex replied, "What about stock for the soup's flavor?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No stock, soup was just plain boiled water." Apex replied, "Come on now, Apex, eat your dinner." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex ate everything with his hoofs, he finished his dinner and burped loudly, Scootaloo listened and heard the birds flying away outside, "Excuse you, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, Apex smelled the plate and began licking the food off of it, "No." Aunt Holiday said, "No, Apex, we don't lick our plates." Auntie Lofty said as she pulled it away from him, he picked up the toast and bit it, he chewed slowly, "I taste something inside of this." Apex said, "It's butter." Scootaloo replied, "What's butter?" Apex asked, "Well, it's basically cream or milk, it's been smashed and moved around by a plunger to turn it into butter." Auntie Lofty replied, Apex continued eating the toast, "Well, do you like it?" Aunt Holiday asked, "It's alright." Apex replied, and he finished the toast, he picked up the bowl of soup next and began drinking from it, "Um, Apex." Scootaloo said, Apex looked at her, "You're supposed to eat the food at the top first, then drink the soup." Scootaloo said, Apex put the bowl down and tried using the spoon, he held it over his mouth and let the food drop into his mouth, "No, Apex, you put the spoon in your mouth." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex did with the next spoonful, "Well, I think this won't be too bad." Aunt Holiday said, Auntie Lofty and Scootaloo smiled and finished their dinners. Scootaloo took Apex to the sink and showed him how to use it, "The left valve is the red one, that turns on the hot water, the right valve is the blue one, that turns on the cold water, you turn on both of them to get warm water." Scootaloo said, "So I don't have to go out and look for a body of water to wash whatever these are?" Apex asked, "No, you don't, and they're called plates." Scootaloo replied, and Apex washed the dishes, Scootaloo put dish soap on the plates and helped Apex wash the dishes, "What is that?" Apex asked, "Dish soap, it's used to get rid of any germs or bacteria on the plates." Scootaloo replied, Apex hunched over, "What's wrong?" Scootaloo asked, "When I lived in the woods, we never had to add stuff like that to clean what we ate on." Apex replied, "What did you use?" Scootaloo asked, "Lemon juice." Apex replied, "You had lemon juice in the woods?" Scootaloo asked, "Not bottled lemon juice, my parents and I squeezed lemons by hoof to make the juice for cleaning, it's also good for cleaning wounds." Apex replied, "But it hurts." Scootaloo said, "You just have to endure it." Apex replied, "We have band-aids and ointments for injuries, Apex, no need for painful stuff like that." Aunt Holiday said, "What's a band-aid like?" Apex asked, "You put it on a scrape or a cut, and it heals it over time, but taking the band-aid off really hurts." Scootaloo replied, "How much?" Apex asked, "A lot." Scootaloo replied, "Finish washing your dishes, don't leave the water running like that." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex finished washing the dishes. Apex and Scootaloo went to Scootaloo's room and got ready for bed, Scootaloo put on a onesie, it was dark blue with rockets on it, it covered her entire body except her neck and head, "Come on, Apex, it's almost bedtime." Scootaloo said, "What are you wearing?" Apex asked, "It's called pajamas." Scootaloo replied, "Huh. I've never heard of that type of clothing." Apex said, "It's what people wear when they sleep, now come on, we have to brush our teeth." Scootaloo replied, and they went to the bathroom and Scootaloo brushed her teeth with mint flavored toothpaste and a toothbrush, "Um, I have my own method of brushing my teeth." Apex said, "You'll have to brush your teeth this way tonight, Apex, now come on." Scootaloo replied, and Apex did, he copied Scootaloo on how to use the toothbrush, she spat the toothpaste into the sink and then rinsed her mouth twice, Apex did the same, the two went back to Scootaloo's bedroom and shared her bed together, "Goodnight, Apex." Scootaloo said, "Goodnight." Apex said, and the two closed their eyes'. Apex tried to sleep but could not, he opened his eyes and it was dark, and Scootaloo was asleep, he picked up his two trash bags and headed outside, he looked for the nearest tree and saw it was right beside the home, he trotted there and put his trash bags down, he dug a small hole and buried his stuff, he then jumped and climbed up the tree and rested on a tree branch and slept comfortably. Chapter 2Scootaloo woke up the next morning and yawned and stretched, she looked and saw Apex was gone, "Apex?" Scootaloo asked, she got out of bed and took her pajamas off, "Apex?" Scootaloo asked as she walked around her home, "Apex, where are you?" Scootaloo asked as she continued to search her home, she soon walked outside, "Apex?" Scootaloo asked as she walked around her front yard, she looked and screamed when she saw Apex, "Apex!" Scootaloo said, Apex woke up and looked at her, "What are you doing in the tree?!" Scootaloo asked, "I'm not comfortable in a bed." Apex replied, "Why not?" Scootaloo asked, "It's not high enough off the ground." Apex replied, the two heard walking and Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty walked out of their home, "What's the matter, Scootaloo?" Aunt Holiday asked, Aunt Holiday was wearing a yellow long-sleeve shirt and a yellow night hat while Auntie Lofty was wearing a light pink long-sleeve nightgown, the two saw Apex in the tree, Aunt Holiday exclaimed and put her hoof over her own mouth, "Oh, my goodness." Auntie Lofty said, "Come down here, Apex, everypony will freak out if you sleep in the tree every night." Scootaloo said, "I can't sleep up here?" Apex asked, "No, now come on, Apex, come on down." Auntie Lofty said as she flew up to get him, she grabbed him and flew down, "We have to get ready for the day, Apex, so feel free to look around the yard, and go explore Ponyville, since Scootaloo has to go to school today, so go out and try to make some friends." Aunt Holiday said, and she went into her home with Auntie Lofty and Scootaloo. Apex took his trash bags out of the ground and took out fish, he began eating them and spat out any fat and bones in his mouth, he ate loudly and chewed with some of the meat hanging out of his mouth, he finished and began eating his roasted locusts next, Apex smiled while he chewed them and enjoyed hearing the crunches, he got full and soon finished having breakfast. Apex walked around and was reeled up on his hind legs, he walked like a bipedal creature while carrying his trash bags in his front hoofs, "Wait, is that?" Apex asked as he ran to it, "Sweet, a toothbrush tree." Apex said, and he took a knife out of one of his trash bags and cut off a piece of it, he trimmed the bark off of one end and held it in his mouth. Apex put the knife back in his trash bag and carried them back to Scootaloo's home, he sat and began rubbing the stick on his teeth, Scootaloo came out of her home shortly afterwards, "Breakfast's ready..." Scootaloo said before she exclaimed at seeing what Apex was doing, Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty walked wearing their regular attire to see what was going on, "What are you doing now?" Scootaloo asked, "This stick is from that tree over there, that's a toothbrush tree, you can use it to strengthen and clean your teeth." Apex replied, "But we just made breakfast." Aunt Holiday said, "I already ate." Apex replied, "Oh, well, you still shouldn't go around with that stick in your mouth, you'll gross out a lot of ponies." Auntie Lofty said, Apex looked down, "Come on, Scootaloo, eat your breakfast, you'll be late for school." Auntie Lofty said, and they entered the house. Apex opened one of his trash bags and put on an outfit, he heard the door open about twenty minutes later and he saw Scootaloo walking out with a saddlebag, Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty said bye to her while Scootaloo waved at them, she stopped and looked at Apex's outfit, he was wearing a black trash bag over his upper body, a jacket with the upper part having white fur on it, the lower part being made from black leather, the upper half of the right sleeve was made out of red cotton, while the lower half was made out of dark purple cotton, the upper half of the left sleeve was made out of blue cotton, while the lower half was made out of dark orange cotton, the top part of his pants were made out of blue denim, and the trouser legs down from his knees to his hoofs were dark red cotton sleeves of a blazer hoof sewn onto the pants, he was also wearing the four bottom parts of his plastic bottles on his hoofs as shoes that were secured on with rope, and the silver cooking pot on his head as a hat. Scootaloo and her aunts looked at him with dropped jaws, "What are you wearing?" Scootaloo asked, "I always wear this outside." Apex replied, "But... what is with your shirt and pants?" Scootaloo asked, "They're trash from the woods I lived in, I just found them, sewn them together with the fur of the animals I hunted, and made them." Apex replied, "Is that a trash bag you're wearing?" Scootaloo asked, "It's a poncho, trash bags are waterproof." Apex replied, "What about that pot on your head?" Scootaloo asked, "It's to keep my head cool, protects me in the rain, too." Apex replied, "But... what about those plastic bottles on your hoofs?" Scootaloo asked, "Makeshift shoes, the town near the woods didn't have any to protect my hoofs from stepping on sharp objects." Apex replied, "You can't go into Ponyville wearing that, you look ridiculous." Auntie Lofty said, "As I said, I had to improvise." Apex replied, "*sigh* Head on to school, Scootaloo, you're going to be late, and as for you, Apex, try not to cause trouble, Holiday and I have work to do, too, so we won't be available for some time." Auntie Lofty said, and she and Aunt Holiday went into the house while Scootaloo walked to the school. Apex picked up his trash bags and walked around, he looked and saw the Everfree Forest, "Sweet, a forest." Apex said, and he ran to it. Scootaloo was in school and working, she had trouble focusing on her work while she worked in class as she remembered what her parents said, "Scootaloo, don't take Apex to school, his behavior will get him in a lot of trouble." Mane Allgood said in Scootaloo's mind, she worked on her assignment while thinking about Apex, "Scootaloo?" Cheerilee asked, Scootaloo became startled and looked up, "Are you okay?" Cheerilee asked, "Yeah, I'm just a little tired." Scootaloo replied, "Really? Ya don't seem tired." Apple Bloom said, "Yeah, you've been shaking a bit while you write." Sweetie Belle said, "Sorry, a lot's been on my mind recently." Scootaloo replied, "Did something happen yesterday?" Cheerilee asked, "My mom and dad came home to visit me, and they talked about how they met these foals that are homeless and have no parents." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, I see, well, it's unfortunate, but yes, there are some areas in Equestria where foals have no home nor any parents, Princess Celestia is trying to the best of her ability to have them taken care of." Cheerilee said, "Well, my parents were talking about helping them, so they'll be gone again to tend to them." Scootaloo said, "I'm sorry to hear that, but try to focus, Scootaloo, you still have to do your class work as homework if you don't finish." Cheerilee replied, and Scootaloo tried to work. Scootaloo worked and sweated while thoughts about Apex in Ponyville rushed through her head, she saw Apex eating the pages in Twilight Sparkle's books, digging through other ponies' trash for items for him to use as tools, eating flowers from other ponies' gardens, sleeping on roofs, and taking apart clothes to make his own custom-made outfits, Scootaloo shook her head and focused on her work. Recess came and Scootaloo played with her class while having fun and she had trouble focusing a few times while thinking about Apex, "Scootaloo, the ball." Sweetie Belle said, she snapped back into reality and saw the ball, she caught it and threw it, the foals cheered and Scootaloo ran while she looked at Ponyville and wondered what Apex was doing. Apex was in the Everfree Forest and sitting on the ground, "Okay, let's see what we have here." Apex said as he sat and looked around, he walked around carefully and examined the trees and plants in the forest, "Okay, got some new trees I've never seen before, a few berries, and creatures hiding in the shadows." Apex said, he took a knife out of one of his trash bags and cut a piece of bark off of each tree to mark his path in case he got lost. Apex walked forward and saw a beehive in a tree, he examined it, "Okay, we got some honeybees in this forest." Apex said, he walked around and cut off a branch of every tree, he stopped at one tree, "Ooh, a gum tree." Apex said, and he cut some of the sap off and began to chew on it, he explored the Everfree Forest, he cut the tree bark off of one tree and stopped when he saw yellow ants with lemon shaped bodies on his knife, "Sweet, lemon ants." Apex said, and he began to eat them, he ate a few and continued exploring the Everfree Forest. Apex walked forward and soon came across a small cave, he ducked his head under and looked up, "Ooh, honey ants." Apex said, and he took some of them and bit into their abdomens to eat the honey, he ate five honey ants and continued onward. Apex cut off a part of the tree bark of every tree he came across and went farther into the forest, he came to an area with nothing around, "Okay, this looks like a good spot." Apex said, and he sat and rested, he looked around the forest and saw many eyes watching him from the shadows, he took a spear out of one of his trash bags while sweating, the creatures hid away and Apex heard walking, he put his spear back in the trash bag and took his bow and an arrow out. Apex aimed the bow and arrow as he heard the walking get closer, he saw a zebra come forward, "My, what have we here, I have followed the marks on the trees from all the way back there." the zebra said, "Ally or enemy?" Apex asked as he aimed his bow at her, "I am Zecora, I am a friend, because out here, people tend to meet their ends." the zebra replied, "Um, I marked my way back in case I get lost." Apex said, "Indeed, but you still just a foal, this forest is an area where you will probably let loose your bowels." Zecora replied, "I've lived in the woods all my life." Apex said, "While you have lived in the woods for many years in a row, how many of these plants and animals do you know?" Zecora asked, "Not much, actually." Apex replied, "Surely, you have a name, since some of you ponies look the same." Zecora said, "I'm Apex." Apex replied, "I live in a hut close to here, if you wish, I can take you there." Zecora said, "Okay." Apex replied, and he walked on his hind legs while he put his trash bags in his front hoofs, Zecora had an uncomfortable face at seeing Apex walk like a bipedal creature, she led him to her home while Apex kept his guard up. Apex arrived at Zecora's hut and he saw her herbal medicines and potions, "Wow, my mom taught me about medicine, but never this." Apex said, "Making medicines is one of my traits, it is not the only thing I create." Zecora replied, "My mom taught me how to use plants, animals, and bugs as medicine." Apex said, "While they have healing properties, I understand, but it is something most people cannot stand." Zecora replied, "Oh." Apex said, he looked around and saw Zecora's potions, they were unlabeled, so he did not touch them, "You seem busy." Apex said, "That I am, and I promise you that I am not a sham." Zecora replied, Apex smiled, "What do you say, would you like to stay?" Zecora asked, "No, I should head home." Apex replied, and he went outside. Apex walked down the path and went to where he was at before Zecora found him, he looked at the sky and saw the sun going down a little bit, he followed the marks he put on the trees to find his way out and headed back to Scootaloo's home. Scootaloo finished school and walked with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, "What do y'all wanna do today?" Apple Bloom asked, "Why don't we go see Pinkie Pie and see if she has any new candy?" Sweetie Belle asked, "That sounds good, but I have stuff to do at home today." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, really?" Apple Bloom asked, Scootaloo nodded, "Bye, then, we'll buy some candy for you." Sweetie Belle said, "Alright, thanks, bye." Scootaloo replied, and she trotted home. Scootaloo arrived home and Apex was nowhere to be found, so she entered her home and saw Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty working on a quilt, "Welcome home, Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday said, "Is Apex around?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope, he left to go explore, and he hasn't come back, yet." Auntie Lofty replied, "I didn't see him in Ponyville, either, I was worried he was eating other pony's stuff and digging through their trash." Scootaloo said, "Well, it's good he isn't, anyway, I'm sure he'll be back soon." Aunt Holiday said as she sat and drank coffee, Scootaloo did her homework and groaned while clutching her head since the homework was hard for her. The door opened and Scootaloo's attention was caught, "Welcome home, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, "Thanks." Apex replied, and he walked into Scootaloo's room, he put his trash bags down and took his outfit off, he walked to Scootaloo to see what she was working on, "What are you doing?" Apex asked, "Homework, it's work from school, any class work I don't finish becomes homework, too." Scootaloo replied, Apex looked at her homework and saw it, "Can you help me?" Scootaloo asked, "Sorry, but I'm completely illiterate." Apex replied, "I figured you would be." Scootaloo said, and Apex watched Scootaloo write, "How are you doing in school?" Apex asked, "I'm failing, I have trouble focusing cause it's so boring." Scootaloo replied, "Do you like school?" Apex asked, "It's alright." Scootaloo replied, and she continued working on her homework while Apex watched, Scootaloo groaned and put her head down, "You finished?" Apex asked, "No, I'm resting, my eyes are tired." Scootaloo replied, and Apex watched her, "Scootaloo, cookies are ready." Auntie Lofty said, Scootaloo got out of her chair and trotted, she came back with cookies, "Here, Apex, try one." Scootaloo said, and he did, "Hmm, it's not what I usually eat, but I like it." Apex said, "Like I said, Auntie Lofty makes the best cookies ever." Scootaloo replied, and the two ate them, Scootaloo went back to her homework while Apex went into her trash bin, "What the? Apex." Scootaloo said, Apex looked at her, "What are you doing in my trash?" Scootaloo asked, "Trash bins and trash cans were often sources of food for me back when I lived in the woods." Apex replied, "Eww. No, don't go into other ponies' trash, Apex, you'll make them mad if you dump them all over the ground." Scootaloo said, Apex looked and saw a lot of paper balls in her trash, "There's nothing but paper in my trash." Scootaloo said, "I eat paper sometimes." Apex replied, Scootaloo gagged while he held her mouth closed when she felt herself about to vomit, but it went back down, "Don't eat paper, Apex, it grosses out ponies." Scootaloo said, "It's only if I have nothing else." Apex replied, "Don't eat paper, period." Scootaloo said, Apex became speechless and Scootaloo continued doing her homework and finished, "*sigh* It's finally done." Scootaloo said, "Scootaloo, Apex, dinner's ready." Aunt Holiday said, and the two went to the dining room. Apex sat and saw dinner was spaghetti with tomato sauce and a side dish of tomatoes marinated in tomato sauce, Apex ate the tomatoes with his hoofs while Scootaloo and her aunts looked at him with dropped jaws, he then bent over and slurped noodles into his mouth without using his hoofs, "Apex." Scootaloo said, Apex looked at her, "You're supposed to eat it like this." Scootaloo said, and she spun her fork around to get a few noodles on it and ate it, "What's wrong with eating this way?" Apex asked in a muffled voice with noodles hanging out of his mouth, "Apex, don't talk with your mouth full, that's bad manner." Auntie Lofty said, "But my parents did it all the time." Apex replied with the noodles still hanging out of his mouth, "Well, don't do it in public, it's very bad manner." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex slurped the rest of the noodles and chewed and swallowed them, "What do you know about civilization, Apex?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Some, I know what a school is, I know what a store is, too, and my dad kept money in case he needed to use it to buy me and my mom supplies in case we ran out." Apex replied, "Where did you go today, Apex?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I went to a forest near the town." Apex replied, Scootaloo and her aunts jump back in their chairs, "You went into the Everfree Forest?!" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah. Why?" Apex asked, "That place is dangerous." Scootaloo replied, "Really? I didn't have any problems there, I found some interesting things in there, too." Apex said, "Like what?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Well, I found some lemon ants, you can eat those, I found some honey ants, you can eat those, too, and I found a gum tree." Apex replied, "A what tree?" Aunt Holiday asked, "A gum tree, you can eat and chew its sap like it's chewing gum." Apex replied, "How is it?" Scootaloo asked, "Well, it's chewy and sticky, not much taste, though, but it's good for cleaning and strengthening your teeth." Apex replied, "Did you make any friends today?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Well, I did meet a zebra in the forest today." Apex replied, "That's Zecora, we go to her for potions to cure sicknesses and diseases, she comes to town every once in a while." Scootaloo said, "Did she show you the way out?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No, I found the exit on my own." Apex replied, "How did you find your way out?" Scootaloo asked, "Let's just say I have my methods." Apex replied, "Okay, anyway, why were you sleeping in the tree last night?" Auntie Lofty asked, "It's from my experiences in the woods I used to live in, those who didn't sleep in high grounds would get attacked and eaten by the bears." Apex replied, "Oh, no wonder why you went into the trees." Aunt Holiday said, "Trees are not always safe, either, my parents and I had to check the tree to make sure there were no snakes in it." Apex replied, "They weren't friendly?" Scootaloo asked, "No, they'd bite and eat anything in the tree, they were poisonous, too." Apex replied, "Oh." Scootaloo said, "What were your parents' names and jobs?" Aunt Holiday asked, "My mom's name was Nature Lover, she didn't have a job and lived in the woods all of her life, my dad worked in the nearby town as a taxi pony, that's how I learned about money." Apex replied, "What was your dad's name?" Scootaloo asked, "Bickle." Apex replied, "That's a strange name, well, go on and finish your meal before it gets cold, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, and they had dinner, washed the dishes together, and went into bed. Apex could not sleep and he was about to go back outside, "Apex." Scootaloo said, he turned back and saw she was still awake, "Are you going outside?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah. Why?" Apex asked, "Well, I can't sleep, so if you want to, I can show you around Ponyville." Scootaloo replied, Apex thought about it for a minute, "Sure." Apex replied, "Hold on, I'm going to go get my scooter." Scootaloo said, and she got out of bed and took her pajamas off, the two headed outside and Scootaloo drove out her scooter and wagon, "Get on, Apex, I'll give you a quick tour of the town." Scootaloo said, and he went into the wagon and Scootaloo drove her scooter. Scootaloo drove her scooter into Ponyville while Apex sat in the wagon, she stopped at the train station, "This is the train station, we go here when we want to leave Ponyville and go elsewhere." Scootaloo said, "The town near the woods I lived in didn't have a train station." Apex said, "How many visitors did the town get?" Scootaloo asked, "Not many, mostly hikers." Apex replied, "Hold on tight, Apex." Scootaloo said, and she drove to the next area, "This is the post office, we send our mail here and the mailpony will deliver it to the receiver." Scootaloo said, "How far does it deliver?" Apex asked, "All over Equestria." Scootaloo replied, "The town near me didn't have a post office, either, so if you had to give something to someone, you had to walk and hand it to them directly." Apex said, "What if they live out of town?" Scootaloo asked, "You still have to walk." Apex replied, "Wow." Scootaloo said, and she drove to the market area, "This is the market area, this is where you buy your things." Scootaloo said, "No stores?" Apex asked, "There's a few, hold on." Scootaloo replied, and she drove to the next area, "This is Sugarcube Corner, this is where you buy all of your sweets and candies." Scootaloo said, "What kind of sweets?" Apex asked, "Anything, pies, cakes, lollipops, cupcakes, you name it, it's a popular place for kids to go to after school." Scootaloo replied, "Wow, the town near me at my old home only had bubblegum." Apex said, "Um... I don't think Sugarcube Corner has that." Scootaloo replied, "Thought it would, it's quite common, easy to make, too." Apex said, "Well, anyway, onto the next area." Scootaloo said, and she drove to her next destination, "This is Carousel Boutique, this is where dresses are made for fashion shows." Scootaloo said, "My mom hated dresses." Apex said, "They're alright for me." Scootaloo replied, "How many more places are there?" Apex asked, "A few more." Scootaloo replied, and she drove to her next destination, "This restaurant is famous for its hayburgers, I think you'll like them." Scootaloo said, "Are they free?" Apex asked, "No, you have to buy them." Scootaloo replied, "I can't have any, then." Apex said, "Well, maybe I'll buy one for you." Scootaloo replied, and she drove to her next destination, "This is the Castle of Friendship, it's Princess Twilight's home." Scootaloo said, "Princess Twilight?" Apex asked, "Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, she's an alicorn?" Scootaloo asked, "Never heard of her." Apex replied, "What about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Anyway, the next area's over here." Scootaloo said, and she drove to it, "This is the School of Friendship, it's focused on spreading friendship to areas outside of Equestria." Scootaloo said, "I didn't know there were other places outside of Equestria." Apex said, "There's plenty, we got a dragon, a griffon, a yak, a changeling, and a hippogriff in the school, Twilight's now trying to get kirins to attend." Scootaloo replied, "I've heard about kirins, my mom said she saw one when she was a kid." Apex said, "Well, I'll take you to two more places since it's getting late." Scootaloo said, and she drove to her next destination, "This is where Fluttershy lives, I go to see her sometimes." Scootaloo said, Apex saw the many animals at Fluttershy's sanctuary and his mouth watered, "No, Apex, don't think about eating them, Fluttershy will be mad." Scootaloo said, Apex tried to stop himself and Scootaloo drove to the last area, "This is Sweet Apple Acres, it's famous for its apples and cider." Scootaloo said, "Hmm, this place looks interesting." Apex said, "Look up above you, Apex." Scootaloo said, and he did, "Do you see it?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, the cloud city?" Apex asked, "That's Cloudsdale, only Pegasi can walk on clouds, Rainbow Dash takes me up there sometimes, she lives in that big fancy house you see up there, too." Scootaloo replied, "Wow, it's a pretty big city." Apex said, "Well, come on, let's go back home, it's getting late." Scootaloo said, and she drove home. Scootaloo drove home but stopped when she saw Cranky Doodle Donkey and Matilda walking together, "What are you kids doing up this late at night?" Cranky Doodle asked, "Sorry, I was just showing Apex around, my parents brought him here yesterday, he lived in the wilderness before they found him." Scootaloo replied, "Why don't you introduce him to the other ponies?" Matilda asked, "Because he doesn't act civilized, he sleeps in trees and eats bugs and meat." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, just like when we were kids." Matilda said, "Yup, stuff like that was normal back then." Cranky Doodle said, "Wait, it was?" Scootaloo asked, "Sure was, we didn't have the things we have now back then, and we lived just like Apex." Cranky Doodle replied, "I did find a gum tree in the Everfree Forest today." Apex said, "Oh, I liked gum trees as a kid, we boiled their saps back then." Cranky Doodle replied, "Yes, that was a fun time, you're welcome to come see us anytime, Apex, I'm sure we can help you with some of the plants you don't know around here." Matilda said, Apex smiled, "Wow, first, a zebra, and now donkeys, I'm making some strange friends around here." Apex said, "Well, head on home, you two, we should go, too." Cranky Doodle replied, and he and Matilda headed home, "What is that there?" Apex asked as he pointed forward, "Oh, that's the school I attend." Scootaloo replied, "It's pretty small." Apex said, "It is, well, let's head home." Scootaloo said, and she drove home and slept in bed while Apex could not sleep. Chapter 3Scootaloo'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. Chapter 5Morning came and Apex entered the house and went to Scootaloo's bed, she woke up and yawned and stretched, "Morning, Apex." Scootaloo said, "Morning." Apex replied, and Scootaloo walked out of bed and took her pajamas off, "I'm off from school today." Scootaloo said, "Okay, I can teach you a few things in the forest." Apex replied, "Okay, hold on, I have to pee." Scootaloo said, and she went to the bathroom and Apex went outside and jumped back into the tree branch to look around, he saw several ponies coming to the house. Scootaloo came out of the bathroom and had breakfast, knocking was heard at the door and Scootaloo and her aunts went to it, Aunt Holiday opened the door and the three looked on with surprise when they saw how many people came to visit, they saw Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, Cranky Doodle, Matilda, and Zecora, "What are you all doing here?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Howdy, Holiday, is Apex awake?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yeah, he's up." Scootaloo replied, "What brings you all here?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Well, since it's a weekend and we're off, we thought we might learn a thing or two from him." Cranky Doodle replied, "Hold on, I'll be down soon." Apex said, "Get down from there, Apex, we've been through this." Auntie Lofty said, "I'm coming." Apex replied, and he climbed down, "How do you climb up there?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Like this." Apex replied, and he jumped onto the branches and swung his own body up to stand on top of the branch and repeated until he was high enough, he came back down afterwards, "Can ya teach me one day?" Apple Bloom asked, "If I have the time, alright, well, there's actually a tree here we can use." Apex replied, and he took them to it, "This is the toothbrush tree, cut a piece off and rub it on your teeth, when the the fibers become like bristles, bite off that part and continue brushing your teeth with it, I personally prefer to skin the bark off, but that's optional." Apex said, and he brushed his teeth with his old stick, "Oh, this brings back memories, I brushed my teeth with these all the time when I was a kid." Cranky Doodle said, "I did, too." Granny Smith replied, "So did I, I loved using those when I was a kid." Matilda said, "Um, how does it work?" Applejack asked, "Like a toothbrush, but you don't need any toothpaste to use it." Apex replied, "You ever use one, Big Mac?" Applejack asked, "Eenope." Big Macintosh replied, "Come on, I think you all will like it." Apex said, and he gave a piece out to each one, they all tried it, "Wow, it's actually pretty good." Applejack said, "Yes, my teeth feels clean." Fluttershy said, "While I think this is a bit strange, a change in my lifestyle can be arranged." Zecora said, "Well, that's the first one, come on, I got more to show in the forest." Apex said, and they followed him. Apex and the others arrived at Fluttershy's sanctuary and the animals growled and gave angry looks at him, "Oh, um... I didn't eat any of your relatives back in the woods, did I?" Apex asked while sweating, the animals growled at him more, "Come on, everyanimal, calm down, he's not here to cause trouble." Fluttershy said, and they did, Apex and the others went into the Everfree Forest. Apex led the others into the Everfree Forest and showed them a beehive, "Those are honeybees, good for honey and edible to eat, just don't get stung." Apex said, "We used to harvest bees for honey when Ah was a filly, we stopped doin' it when honey became profitable." Granny Smith said, "How long ago was that?" Apex asked, "Long time ago." Granny Smith replied, "Well, the next thing is over here." Apex said, and he led them and showed them the lemon ants, "These are lemon ants, you can eat them, they taste just like lemons, so they're sour." Apex said, "Wow, Ah've never seen these before." Apple Bloom said, "How about the rest of you?" Apex asked, "Nope." Rainbow Dash replied, "Sorry, sugar cube." Applejack said, "Eenope." Big Macintosh said, "Mm-mm." Granny Smith said as she shook her head, "No." Scootaloo said, "No." Aunt Holiday said, "No." Auntie Lofty said, "Nope." Fluttershy said, "Those ants are interesting, you have got, seen them, I have not." Zecora said, "I have." Cranky Doodle said, "Me too." Matilda said, "Where?" Apex asked, "It was in a jungle I've been to, I think it was somewhere in western Equestria." Cranky Doodle replied, "Yeah, that sounds right." Matilda said, "Well, come on, the next things are over here." Apex said, and he led them to the honey ants, "These are honey ants, bite the bottom of them and you'll get honey." Apex said, Fluttershy looked at them, "They look like they're in pain." Fluttershy said, "Well, they are force fed." Apex replied, "Oh, you poor things, your tummies must hurt." Fluttershy said as she tried to comfort them with her wings, "Anyway, come on, I got one more thing to show to you all." Apex said, and they followed him, he led them to the gum tree, "This is a gum tree, you can chew its sap like its chewing gum, here, try one." Apex said, and he cut out pieces of the sap with one of his knives, he gave one to each person and they chewed it, "Wow, this is some tough tree sap." Applejack said, "It gets softer as you chew it more, it's good for cleaning and strengthening your teeth, too." Apex replied, "You know, Apex, back when Matilda and I were kids, we would boil these before eating them." Cranky Doodle said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yes, we used this tree sap and boiled it to make chewing gum." Matilda replied, "Wow, my parents and I always chewed tree sap and resin right off of the tree." Apex said, "We can't eat sap off of our apple trees, it'll weaken 'em." Applejack said, "Is there anythin' else to show us, Apex?" Apple Bloom asked, "Well, I wish I could, I'm noticing there's no moss in this forest, and I still haven't found a maple tree." Apex replied, "What's the maple tree for?" Apple Bloom asked, "You can harvest syrup from it." Apex replied, "What about the moss?" Scootaloo asked, "You can use it as a blanket." Apex replied, "Moss as a blanket? That sounds itchy." Aunt Holiday said, "It's not." Apex replied, they all looked forward and saw the carvings Apex put on the trees, "You have anything else to teach us, Apex?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Well, if you want, I can teach you all how to build shelter and set traps." Apex replied, "Nah, Ah'll pass, we have to work on the farm today." Applejack said, "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said, "I have Wonderbolts training, so maybe not." Rainbow Dash said, "And I have animals to feed." Fluttershy said, "I must go now, as I have to finish a potion for someone today since I made a vow." Zecora said, "Sorry, Apex, but Matilda and I have to do some shopping today." Cranky Doodle said, "Well, let's go then, y'all." Granny Smith said, and everybody got on with their days. Apex sat in Scootaloo's bedroom while Scootaloo worked on her scooter, "I hope you had fun, Scootaloo, I can probably teach you more if I find more things in the forest." Apex said, "I hope so, those were some pretty interesting things you taught us." Scootaloo replied, "You know, I have more ways to find my way back if I get lost than just carving trees." Apex said, "Really? I'd like to learn them." Scootaloo replied, "Sure, the other method's probably easier, too." Apex said, "What do I need?" Scootaloo asked, "A bunch of rocks, that's it." Apex replied, "I'll try it when the others want to learn." Scootaloo said, Apex smiled; the center of the floor burst open and Pinkie Pie came out while gasping, "Whoa!" Apex said as he jumped back, Scootaloo was startled as well, "I found you! I found you! I finally found you!" Pinkie Pie said, she stood out of the hole and hugged Apex tightly and let him go, "I thought I was going crazy when my Pinkie Sense told me there was somepony new in the town, but it kept telling me somepony new was here, and I've began searching the next day, I've been searching all over Ponyville for three days and this morning nonstop, and I finally found you! Come on, we're four days late and there's no time to waste, we've gotta throw your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party." Pinkie Pie said, and she trotted outside, "Who is that?" Apex asked, "Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's official party planner and party thrower." Scootaloo replied, "She's kind of loud." Apex said, "She's always like that." Scootaloo replied, "Well, I'll stay here for now." Apex said, "You're not going to go out to the party?" Scootaloo asked, "Not yet, I want to rest a bit first." Apex replied, "Oh." Scootaloo said, and Apex sat on the floor and got his energy back, "Apex." Pinkie Pie said as she opened the front door, he and Scootaloo looked at her, "Come on, your party's ready." Pinkie Pie said, and she headed out, Apex put his outfit on and he went outside with Scootaloo. Apex and Scootaloo headed into Ponyville and streamers and Pinkie Pie's party cannon went off, everypony partied while Apex looked around, "Hmph, quite a lively party." Apex said, he and Scootaloo walked together but everypony stopped partying and looked at Apex, "Apex, remember, we're not bipedal creatures." Scootaloo said, "I'm still not used to walking on four legs." Apex replied, the ponies murmured, Apex kept walking and Rarity screamed and ran to him, "What is this ridiculous outfit?!" Rarity asked with her voice cracking, Apex was wearing a black trash bag over his upper body, a jacket with the upper part having white fur on it, the lower part being made from black leather, the upper half of the right sleeve was made out of red cotton, while the lower half was made out of dark purple cotton, the upper half of the left sleeve was made out of blue cotton, while the lower half was made out of dark orange cotton, the top part of his pants were made out of blue denim, and the trouser legs down from his knees to his hoofs were dark red cotton sleeves of a blazer hoof sewn onto the pants, he was also wearing four bottom parts of plastic bottles on his hoofs as shoes that were secured on with rope, and a silver cooking pot on his head as a hat, "Well, since everybody is here, I'll just say it, I lived in the woods before I was brought here, this outfit was made from the scraps and trash I found in the woods." Apex said, "You can't wear that in town." Rarity replied, "I always wear this." Apex said, "No, no, no, this outfit belongs in the trash, it looks ridiculous, especially that cooking pot on your head." Rarity replied, "That's to protect me from the rain." Apex said, Rarity looked at him and screamed again, "Are you wearing a trash bag?!" Rarity asked, "Makeshift poncho." Apex said, "No! You most definitely cannot wear that, your shoes don't look normal, either." Rarity replied, "I made them from plastic bottles, and are secured to my hoofs with rope made from my mane and tail." Apex said, Rarity screamed again, "Shoes made from plastic bottles?! That is very uncouth, and held on with rope made from your mane?! You need to get a new outfit, you should come to my shop, and I'll get you a more proper and fashionable outfit." Rarity replied, and she walked away. "Who is that?" Apex asked, "Rarity, she runs Carousel Boutique, she's also Sweetie Belle's sister." Scootaloo replied, and Apex looked around a bit, "Apex, over here." Pinkie Pie said, and Apex walked to her, "Here, try some." Pinkie Pie said, Apex saw pies, cakes, and chips, he looked around and Pinkie Pie watched, he grabbed one and Pinkie Pie's smile widened, but she saw him pick up a cockroach and her smile went away, Apex began eating the cockroach and the ponies screamed, some of them spat out their foods and drinks while Roseluck fainted and Lily Valley and Daisy caught her, Rarity also fainted and fell on her couch. Pinkie Pie screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw Apex chewing the cockroach, "Apex! You're supposed to eat the pies, cake, and chips!" Scootaloo said, "I will after I finish this." Apex replied with his mouth full, and he swallowed the cockroach, "Tasty." Apex said, which made the ponies' stomachs turn. Apex grabbed a piece of a cake and pulled out a chunk at the bottom and put it in his mouth and chewed, "Too sweet." Apex said with his mouth full, "Come on, try a chip." Pinkie Pie said, "Which one's the chip?" Apex asked, Pinkie Pie handed one to him, "Oh, that's a chip." Apex said, and he ate one, he chewed slowly and saw how it tasted, "Too salty." Apex said, "Well, pretty much everything else I have is sweet, what would you like?" Pinkie Pie asked, Apex tried a sample of a pie, "Ooh, blueberry pie, one of my best." Pinkie Pie said, "What is this in the pie?" Apex asked, "They're filled with fruits, Apex." Scootaloo replied, "Fruits? My mom said the tribe she was from made pies with animal meat in them." Apex said, Pinkie Pie screamed again, "No! I am not making pies with meat, all of my pies have fruity flavors." Pinkie Pie said, "Um, actually, I've never had a pie before, my mom only talked about it." Apex replied, "You still shouldn't eat bugs and meat, Apex, that's a no-no in civilized areas." Pinkie Pie said, "What about you, Pinkie? I heard from Apple Bloom you grew up eating rocks." Scootaloo said, "I did." Pinkie Pie replied, "Really? I used rocks to make salt for preserving food and making fires." Apex said, "Ooh, I've always wanted to try rock salt, but mommy and daddy said no, but I do make rock candy." Pinkie Pie said, "What's candy?" Apex asked, "*gasp* You've never had candy?!" Pinkie Pie asked, "No." Apex replied, "Come on, I got some lollipops and cupcakes in my shop." Pinkie Pie said, "I'll stick to my meat and bugs." Apex replied, "Uh... suit yourself." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked away. Apex walked around while he looked at the others partying, "Wait, Apex." Twilight Sparkle said as she trotted to him, "You shouldn't walk like that, that's bad for your hind legs." Twilight Sparkle said, "I've walked like this all of my life." Apex replied, "Well, you shouldn't, our bodies weren't made to walk like that." Twilight Sparkle said, and he stood on all fours, "Do you have a horn and wings?" Apex asked, "Yes, I'm a princess, so I'm an alicorn, I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship." Twilight Sparkle replied, "As I said to Scootaloo, never heard of you." Apex said, Twilight Sparkle became speechless, "Um... what about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, rulers of Equestria?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Never heard of them, either." Apex replied, "Princess Cadence?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Did you hear about any of the threats in Equestria?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Only the Storm King." Apex replied, "Well, you have a lot of catching up to do, come to my library if you want to read anything." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'm illiterate." Apex replied, "That's fine, I can teach you, reading's really fun, I got some books for foals your age you might enjoy, come visit me in my castle anytime." Twilight Sparkle said, and she walked away. Apex walked around on all fours and kept looking around, he went to Scootaloo's home and came back with his trash bags and walked like a bipedal creature again, the others looked at him and he put his trash bags down, he opened one and began eating a frog, the ponies screamed while Fluttershy gasped and flew to him, she saw the bugs and animals he ate as food and began to cry, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack went to them, "What is this?!" Rarity asked, "My food." Apex replied, "Not that, why are you carrying your things in trash bags?" Rarity asked, "I just found them in the woods and decided to use them." Apex replied, "Where's your saddlebag?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Um, Twilight, Scootaloo and I learned that he didn't know what a saddlebag was before he came here, and Scootaloo let him try one of hers, he couldn't fit his stuff in it." Rainbow Dash replied, "What's in your other bag?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Apex took his tools out, "Wow, that's quite some stuff ya got there." Applejack said, "I made most of them myself, some of them are trash from the woods." Apex replied, "You never did say what the full bottle there is for." Scootaloo said, "Makeshift fishing rod, tie the string around it and you can fish with it." Apex replied, "How did you make those knives and hatchets?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I just carved and shaped some rocks and then tied them with rope." Apex replied, "You still shouldn't make rope from your mane and tail, we can style and groom it if you grow your mane out." Rarity said, "Rope made from one's mane and tail? Don't do that, Apex, nopony will want that, you can also buy rope from the store now." Twilight Sparkle said, "They didn't sell rope at the town close to the woods." Apex replied, "What do you use the rope for?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Usually tying weapons together and setting traps, I use rope for making shelter sometimes, too." Apex replied, "Did you say... setting traps?" Fluttershy asked, "Um, yeah, I have to eat." Apex replied, "Don't set traps in the Everfree Forest, Apex, you'll upset Fluttershy and the animals if you kill any of them." Scootaloo said, "Sorry, but if I sleep in the forest, I'm going to have to set traps around myself for self-defense reasons." Apex replied, "How are you going to deal with a roc?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I've got two long-range weapons for flying threats." Apex replied, "Two?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, he's got a bow and some arrows there, and he's got a gun right there." Rainbow Dash replied as she pointed to them, "Don't go shootin' that gun around, Apex, the last thing we need is being woken up at three in the mornin' by a gunshot." Applejack said, "My, I've never seen a contraption like that before." Rarity said, "Me neither." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Granny used to have one when Ah was a kid." Applejack said, "And my dad had one, guns are really loud, louder than my party cannon." Pinkie Pie replied, "Well, just wait a bit, Apex, I think I may have an alternate to trash bags for you to carry your things in, come on, everypony." Twilight Sparkle said, and the six mares walked away, "I didn't know they were all friends." Apex said, "They are, they're the six saviors of Equestria." Scootaloo said, "Seven." Spike said as he flew down to them, "I'm Spike, Twilight's number one assistant." Spike said, Apex held his tongue out while it watered, "Hey!" Spike said, "Sorry, but I can't help but think of you as lunch, I love dragon meat." Apex replied, Spike whimpered while sweating, "Don't eat him, Apex, he's a friend of mine." Scootaloo said, "Don't worry, I can restrain myself." Apex replied, "Well, you better, because you're going to have to answer to a very angry Twilight if you try to eat me." Spike said, and he flew away, "I didn't know this town had more than just ponies." Apex said, "There's more creatures at the School of Friendship, this way." Scootaloo replied, and she led him. Scootaloo led Apex to the School of Friendship and he saw the group of creatures, "The creatures are over there, those six are... huh?" Scootaloo said as she saw a new seventh member in the group, they went over to Apex and Scootaloo, "Hi, Apex, we've heard about you, we're students at the School of Friendship, I'm Sandbar, and these five are my friends, and we just got a new member this morning." Sandbar said, "I'm Smolder, I'm from the Dragon Lands." Smolder said, "I'm Silverstream from Mount Aris, nice to meet you, Apex." Silverstream said, "My name is Ocellus, I'm from the changeling kingdom." Ocellus said, "Me Yona, me from Yakyakistan." Yona said, "I'm from Griffonstone, call me Gallus if you want to see me." Gallus said, "I know what a dragon and a hippogriff are, but what about the rest of you?" Apex asked, "I'm a griffon, can't believe you can't tell by looking at me." Gallus replied, "I'm a changeling." Ocellus said, "And Yona yak." Yona said, "Okay, so who's that new creature with you guys?" Scootaloo asked, "Why, hello there, my name is Autumn Blaze, I just arrived here this morning as a new student, I am a kirin from Kirin Grove, we've been mostly forgotten because we've been silent, basically, two kirins argued, turned into niriks, burned our home down, and we were forced to become silent, but we just gained our voices back thanks to Fluttershy and Applejack, and have been forever grateful, Rain Shine sent me here to represent Kirin Grove and have been excited ever since, I'll be exploring Ponyville when I have the time, but other than that, great party." the new student replied, "I haven't forgotten about kirins, my mom mentioned you and hippogriffs in a bedtime story." Apex said, "Apex, did you know hippogriffs can also change to seaponies?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, I knew about that." Apex replied, his mouth watered again, "No, Apex, you're not eating a dragon." Scootaloo said, "I like bird meat, too." Apex replied, Silverstream screamed while Gallus got defensive, "Just go ahead and try it." Gallus said, "No, you're not eating birds, either." Scootaloo said, "Does Apex also eat yak?" Yona asked, "Never had one." Apex replied, "Phew." Yona said, "Say, Apex, have you ever tried a flower?" Autumn Blaze asked, "Yeah, I've had a few." Apex replied, "Great, I used to live in the woods, too, maybe I can teach you a few things." Autumn Blaze said, "I'll be looking forward to that." Apex replied, "Well, we'll be going now, till next time, Apex." Sandbar said, they walked away. Apex walked around Ponyville and the party was over, "Ooh, clovers." Apex said, and he picked them out of the ground and ate them, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, you could anger somepony." Scootaloo said, "Oh, sorry." Apex replied, and he stopped, he looked and saw the flower shop, he trotted to it and Scootaloo followed him. Apex arrived at the flower shop and saw Lily Valley, Daisy, and Roseluck selling flowers, "Hi, Apex, what would you like?" Daisy asked, Apex looked at the flowers, he saw an orange flower, "I'll take that one." Apex said as he pointed to it, "Ooh, that's a good choice, that'll be ten bits." Roseluck said, "Um..." Apex said, "I forgot my bits, too." Scootaloo said, "Tell you what, have your first one for free, consider it a welcoming gift." Lily Valley said, and she handed it to him, "Thank you." Apex said, "You're welcome." Roseluck replied, and he and Scootaloo walked away. Apex and Scootaloo walked together, "I didn't know you..." Scootaloo said shortly before Apex bit the flower and began eating it, the ponies who saw Apex gasped while the three mares screamed, "The horror, the horror!" Roseluck said, "No, Apex! Those are not for eating!" Scootaloo said, "Huh. I was wondering why they were also selling poisonous flowers." Apex replied with his mouth full, "They're for decorations and Hearts and Hooves Day." Scootaloo said, "Never heard of it." Apex replied, "You've never heard of Hearts and Hooves Day?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Then what did your parents do for wedding anniversaries?" Scootaloo asked, "My parents didn't celebrate them." Apex replied, "What? What about their wedding?" Scootaloo asked, "There wasn't one, my dad was hiding from something in the woods, my mom was exploring, they met each other, and fell in love at first sight." Apex replied, "Your dad never met your mom's parents?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Well, come on, Apex, the sun is setting, we have to head home." Scootaloo said, and the two went home. Scootaloo and Apex arrived home and saw Aunt Holiday drinking coffee and Auntie Lofty sewing, "Welcome home, how was the party?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I had some fun." Apex replied, "He ate a cockroach at the party." Scootaloo said, "He ate what?!" Auntie Lofty asked, "They were a delicacy back in the woods." Apex said, "Of all the things you eat, Apex, that is the last thing I want you to eat, that is the most disgusting bug there is." Auntie Lofty said, "Okay." Apex replied in a disappointed tone, "He also ate a flower." Scootaloo said, "A flower? That's rather unusual." Aunt Holiday replied, "Don't eat those, either, Apex, flowers are used for decorations and romantic relationships, you'll destroy somepony's work if you do." Auntie Lofty said, "I was surprised by the pies having fruits in them, my mom's tribe always made pies with meat in them." Apex replied, "Meat pie? You think we should bake a pie full of hay for him, Lofty?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I don't know, considering what his diet consists of, I don't think he's going to like it." Auntie Lofty replied, "I did try a pie, a cake, and a chip, I didn't like them too much." Apex said, "Is something the matter?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Pie and cake are too sweet, the chip is too salty." Apex replied, "Don't you put salt on your food?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Yeah, but not that much." Apex replied, "Well, I'll make dinner soon, so you two go ahead and rest." Auntie Lofty said as she sewn her quilt, the two went to Scootaloo's room. Scootaloo and Apex sat on the floor and Scootaloo worked on her scooter, the sun began to set and Scootaloo's bedroom window became white, she looked outside, "I guess tonight's gonna be foggy." Scootaloo said, she looked and saw Apex looking at the window with widened eyes, "What's wrong, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "My dad was scared of the fog." Apex replied, "How come?" Scootaloo asked, "Whenever there was a fog in the woods, my dad would tell me and my mom that we have to hide, he said it's because there are evil ponies in the fog who are coming to kill him." Apex replied, "Did he say anything about those ponies?" Scootaloo asked, "Only that they are led by a pony named Blake, that's it." Apex replied, "Blake? Are you sure he's not trying to scare you into not going anywhere dangerous?" Scootaloo asked, "I don't think so." Apex replied, "Why not?" Scootaloo asked, "Because there was one time when the fog came, my dad told me and my mom to run, I looked into the fog and I think I saw a silhouette of a male pony, black like a shadow with glowing red eyes, he had a sword, too." Apex replied, "Whoa, that is scary." Scootaloo said, "Yeah, I never saw it again, but my dad always told us to run and hide whenever the fog came." Apex replied, "Well, maybe you were just imagining it, you shouldn't worry about it." Scootaloo said as she walked around her room and looked at herself in the mirror, "My dad was scared of mirrors, too." Apex said, Scootaloo looked back at him, "What now? Something in the mirror you can't see when you look at it with your own eyes?" Scootaloo asked, "No, my dad said mirrors are portals to another world, he said if you touch it, you will reach into the other world, that world is a prison to a being called the Black God, he said its evil incarnate, and if you reach into the mirror, it will grab you in an attempt to come to this world." Apex replied, "That's just a folk story, Apex, that's not true." Scootaloo said, "Yeah, I don't believe it, either." Apex replied, Scootaloo smiled, "Scootaloo, Apex, dinner's ready." Auntie Lofty said, and the two went to the dining room. Apex had pumpkin for dinner and looked at it thoroughly, "It's a pumpkin, Apex." Scootaloo said, "I've never seen or heard of this." Apex replied, "It's a vegetable, we got that one from Sweet Apple Acres." Aunt Holiday said, "Pinkie also uses them to make pumpkin pie." Scootaloo said, "I thought she only made fruit pies." Apex said, "Pumpkins are an exception." Scootaloo replied, and he tried a piece, "Well?" Aunt Holiday asked, "What a strange taste." Apex replied, "Give it time, I didn't like pumpkin at first, either." Auntie Lofty said, "Have you ever seen a jack-o-lantern, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "No." Apex replied, "The town your father worked in never put them up for Nightmare Night?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I don't know what Nightmare Night is, but no, I've never seen a jack-o-lantern, my dad only talked about them being common from where he came from." Apex replied, "Do you know what Hearth's Warming is?" Scootaloo asked, "No." Apex replied, "Do you know any holidays?" Scootaloo asked, Apex stopped eating and thought for a minute, "Nope, my mom's tribe is too busy surviving to do anything for celebration, and my dad never talked about anything about his past or his home." Apex replied, "Not even parties or ceremonies?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Not a thing." Apex replied, Scootaloo and her aunts looked at him with surprised expressions, "Well, go on and finish your meal, Apex, it's almost bed time." Aunt Holiday said, and they finished their dinners and washed the dishes and headed to bed. Scootaloo and Apex laid in Scootaloo's bed and the two were still awake, "I can't sleep." Scootaloo said, "Me neither." Apex replied, "Well, how do you know about the dragons, hippogriffs, seaponies, and kirins?" Scootaloo asked, "Dragons came to the woods sometimes, hostile ones, my parents and I killed them in self-defense and ate them." Apex replied, Scootaloo almost vomited, "What about the other three creatures?" Scootaloo asked, "It's from a tale my mom told me before I fell asleep." Apex replied, "How does it go?" Scootaloo asked, "There is this deity called Mother Nature, she looks like a horse rather than a pony, and she has wings like a Pegasus and a horn like a unicorn, she has four elements, and controls the entire world, but as ponies got more civilized, industrialization and technology developed, and it made her powers weaker, so she transferred them to the other creatures, but her powers were too powerful for one creature to use, so she gave her powers to four people, a Pegasus, an earth pony, a hippogriff, and a kirin. The kirin's name is Meteorite Hellfire, she received the Element of Fire, she controls the flames throughout the world and also controls the volcanoes, the hippogriff is Tsunami, she received the Element of Water, she controls the sea and arctic areas, she has completely control over water and ice, my mom said she can change to a seapony to see what happens underwater, the earth pony is Earthquake, she received the Element of Earth, she controls the dirt, sand, soil, plants, trees, fungi, rocks, stones, and mountains, she has the most powers, and the Pegasus is Raging Tornado, she received the Element of Air, she controls the winds and tornadoes, she also has control over the skies, the four act in Mother Nature's place, and cause disasters when someone does something that displeases Mother Nature." Apex replied, "What did Mother Nature do?" Scootaloo asked, "Watch over the world, she has telepathic control over all animals, too, animals attacking us was seen as a sign that we did something to anger her." Apex replied, "So, what do the four elements represent?" Scootaloo asked, "Nature, and also physical capabilities, Meteorite Hellfire is the physically strongest, Tsunami is the most flexible and agile, Earthquake is the most durable, and Raging Tornado is the fastest." Apex replied, "Wow, I've never heard that story." Scootaloo said, "It's from my mom's tribe, they were isolated from the world, well, let's try to sleep, goodnight, Scootaloo." Apex replied, "Goodnight." Scootaloo said, and the two tried to sleep. Chapter 6Morning came and Scootaloo yawned while she saw Apex was not in the room, she went to go use the bathroom and went to the dining room, "Where's Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "He's outside." Auntie Lofty replied, and Scootaloo ate breakfast, she had cookies for breakfast, she finished and went back to her room, she looked out the window and saw Apex eating frogs, her stomach turned a little and she began to work on her scooter. Knocking was heard at the door and Scootaloo went to open it, she saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, "Mornin' Scootaloo." Apple Bloom said, "Morning." Scootaloo said, "Where is he?" Sweetie Belle asked, "He's not in the house right now." Scootaloo replied, "I wanna meet Apex." Sweetie Belle said, "Hold on." Scootaloo replied, and she walked out of her home and turned to her right, "Apex, you have a visitor." Scootaloo said, walking was heard and Apex came, "Yeah?" Apex said, the three fillies became bewildered when they saw Apex, he was still walking like a bipedal creature, but he was not wearing a shirt, he was wearing only pants, and the bottom parts of the plastic bottles only on his hind hoofs, he had nothing on his upper body, "This is Sweetie Belle, Apex." Scootaloo said, "Hi, Apex." Sweetie Belle said, "Hey." Apex replied, "Um, Apex, normal ponies don't dress like that." Apple Bloom said, walking was heard and Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty came out of the house, they looked at Apex and saw him, "How long have you dressed like that, Apex?" Aunt Holiday asked, "All my life." Apex replied, "Where did you get that dressing style from?" Auntie Lofty asked, "My parents." Apex replied, "Your mom or your dad?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Both." Apex replied, "Wait, yer parents only wore pants?" Apple Bloom asked, "No, my dad wore a shirt for his job, my mom wore one when it was cold, but other than that, yes, my parents wore pants and no shirts." Apex replied, "You can't go out in public like that." Aunt Holiday said, "Why not?" Apex asked, "Just look around, Apex, do you see anypony only wearing pants?" Auntie Lofty asked, Apex looked at Ponyville and did not see a single pony only wearing pants, "No." Apex replied, "See, there you go, that way of dressing is socially unacceptable." Auntie Lofty said, "Okay, it's going to take time for me to adjust, though." Apex replied, "That's okay, Apex, change is always hard to adjust to." Aunt Holiday said, more trotting was heard and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Sugar Belle, and Starlight Glimmer trotted to them while Spike flew, they all had fruits and vegetables with them, "What are you all doing here?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Oh, right, Ah forgot to mention it, they're here to try and any find civilized food that Apex likes." Apple Bloom replied, "Who are those two?" Apex asked, "Oh, right, you haven't met me yet, I'm Sugar Belle, Big Mac's girlfriend, I make pies for a living." Sugar Belle replied, "And I'm Starlight Glimmer, Twilight's student." Starlight Glimmer said, Rarity exclaimed and gasped when she saw Apex's outfit, "We brought our vegetables, Apex, ya can't go around eatin' meat and bugs, so let's see if we can find somethin' ya like." Granny Smith said, "Still, you should change your outfit first." Rarity said, "This and the upper piece is the only outfit I have." Apex replied, "That's not what she meant, Apex, you can't go around shirtless and wearing pants, that's not normal, ponies will think you don't know how to dress properly." Twilight Sparkle said, "What is proper dress, then?" Apex asked, and Rarity took his pants off and the bottom of the plastic bottles off of his hind hoofs, "Seriously, you shouldn't wear those on your hoofs, you should get yourself some proper hoofwear." Rarity said, and she dressed him in his outfit, "You shouldn't wear a trash bag, either, or a pot on your head, you can't go around like that in public in places like Baltimare or Canterlot." Rarity said, and she finished dressing him, Apex was wearing his trash bag and makeshift jacket, and had no pants on, nor anything on his hoofs, "What do you think?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I like pants and no shirt better." Apex replied, "You can wear pants if you wear a shirt with it." Sweetie Belle said, "Oh, good, I was a bit worried there." Apex replied, "Come on, Apex, let's see if we can find somethin' ya like." Applejack said, and they entered the home after Apex took his outfit off. Apex sat at the table while the visitors held the food, "Alright, Apex, we'll start with vegetables, Ah'm sure you had some in the woods, let's see if we can find one ya like." Applejack said, "I already tried pumpkin." Apex replied, "How was it?" Applejack asked, "Didn't like it." Apex replied, "Well, here, let's start with somethin' basic, this is a cabbage, take a bite." Granny Smith said, and he ate it, "I like this." Apex said, "Okay, good, we already found one, this is a lettuce, it's a bit watery, though." Applejack said, and Apex ate it, he nodded, "Alright, here, Big Mac's is next, this is a summer squash, Apex, it was picked last year, so it's a bit old." Apple Bloom said, "I assume it's going to be salty, then." Apex replied, "Why do you think that for?" Applejack asked, "Don't you preserve your food with salt?" Apex asked, "Actually, Apex, no, we put them in refrigerators and freezers." Twilight Sparkle replied, "They're right there to your left, Apex, the top's the freezer, and the bottom's the refrigerator." Aunt Holiday said, he looked at it, Big Macintosh put the summer squash on the table and Apex ate a piece, but soon spat it out and shook his head, "Okay, he don't like summer squash." Applejack said, "This is a zucchini, Apex, hope ya like it." Apple Bloom said, and Apex tried a bite and barely swallowed it, "Tastes bad, but I can eat it." Apex said, "Here, Apex, try a carrot." Sugar Belle said, and he ate it, he nodded, "Alright, this is an eggplant, Apex, we all like it." Starlight Glimmer said, Apex ate a piece and nodded, "Here, Ah've brought an apple, too." Applejack said, and Apex took a bite out of it, "Not my taste, but I can eat it." Apex said, "I've got something, too, Apex, here, try a tomato." Rainbow Dash said, and he ate it, he nodded, "Here you go, Apex, a cucumber I grown all by myself." Fluttershy said, and he ate it, he nodded, "Here you go, darling, a potato." Rarity said, and Apex tried it, he spat it out and shook his head, "Okay, here, Apex, a hayburger, one of my personal favorites." Twilight Sparkle said, Apex looked at it and saw a vegetable in it he did not recognize, "What is this?" Apex asked as he pointed at it, "That's a pickle, it's basically a cucumber made a special way." Granny Smith replied, and Apex bit into it, he got something red on his face, "What's this?" Apex asked, "Ketchup, it's used to make food taste better, that one's tomato flavored." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex chewed the hayburger, "It's so-so." Apex said, "Here you go, Apex, I brought fruits from my store, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, cranberry, huckleberry, peach, lemon, lime, apricot, cherry, banana, nectarine, pear, and pomegranate." Pinkie Pie said, "Lemon is used for cleaning." Apex said, "You can eat them, too." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Is this the huckleberry?" Apex asked as he pointed at one, "Uh-huh." Pinkie Pie said, "It looks just like the poison berries from the woods I lived in." Apex said, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped a little, "They're not poison berries, I check every fruit I get one at a time." Pinkie Pie said, Apex tried the strawberry and spat it out, "Too sour." Apex said, "Huh? My strawberries are supposed to be sweet." Pinkie Pie said, and she bit into it, she screamed, "Sour, sour, sour." Pinkie Pie said, Apex tried the blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry, he nodded with each one, he tried the cranberry next and spat it out, "Also too sour." Apex said, he tried the peach, apricot, cherry, banana, nectarine, and pear next, he nodded at each one, he looked at the pomegranate, he held the top and bottom and got ready to rip it open, "No, Apex, you're going to spill the seeds everywhere." Aunt Holiday said, "You have to cut it open." Auntie Lofty said, Apex put the pomegranate down and reached into a trash bag and took the straight razor out again, "A shaving razor?" Rarity asked, "We'll teach him another time." Twilight Sparkle replied, and Apex cut the pomegranate, he pulled it open and some of the juice came out since he cut some of the seeds, he tried a seed, "I like this." Apex said, the others smiled while Apex folded the straight razor and put it back in the trash bag, "Can we take him to school?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Sorry, but my parents told me not to enroll him into the school." Scootaloo replied, "Why not?" Apple Bloom asked, "You all seen how he behaves, he can't act like that in a classroom." Auntie Lofty replied, "Plus, I took him to the school a few days ago, and he ate the gum from under the desks." Scootaloo said, the ponies gasped while Pinkie Pie and Rarity screamed, "That's disgusting, Apex, you're going to get sick from that." Auntie Lofty said, "Gum was pretty tasty, though." Apex said, "Seriously, Apex, you gotta change yer diet." Applejack said, "You can use some hygiene improvements, too." Auntie Lofty said, "What's wrong with his hygiene?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Just look at his mane." Aunt Holiday replied, they looked and Rarity screamed, "Is that... dandruff?!" Rarity asked, "He's got blackheads and whiteheads in his snout, too." Fluttershy replied, "I've had them ever since I was four." Apex said, "Didn't your parents teach you how to get rid of them?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Um, Apex, you've got a cowlick on the right side of your mane there." Spike said, the others looked and saw it, Apex felt his own mane, "Oh, there it is." Apex said, and he held his head down, he reached into a trash bag and took a knife out, he got ready to cut the cowlick, "Wait, Apex." Twilight Sparkle said as she took the knife away with her magic, "I think it'll be better if you let somepony else do it." Twilight Sparkle said, "Hold on, Apex, just sit there for a minute." Auntie Lofty said as she got a pair of scissors, she cut Apex's cowlick, "Thanks." Apex said, "Don't mention it." Auntie Lofty replied, "You all have anymore food for me?" Apex asked, "No, that's all." Granny Smith replied, "Alright then." Apex said, and he reached into a trash bag and took out the stick from the toothbrush tree and rubbed it against his teeth, "What is he doing now?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That's how he brushes his teeth." Scootaloo replied, "Where's the toothpaste?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Don't need it." Apex replied, and he continued brushing his teeth, "Still, brushing your teeth with a stick, that sounds gross." Twilight Sparkle said, "If you lived in the woods like me, there's only two ways to take care of your teeth, this way, or chew tree sap." Apex replied, "Chew tree sap? I am not dirtying my teeth with that." Rarity said, "Actually, it's like chewing gum." Rainbow Dash replied, "What's it taste like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It doesn't really have a taste." Scootaloo replied, "Yeah, he showed us a gum tree in the Everfree Forest and we tried it, thing is sticky." Apple Bloom said, "If you wish, I can show the rest of you." Apex said, the others murmured in agreement, "I wanna learn your other way of finding your way back if you get lost." Scootaloo said, "Okay, I'm going to need plenty of rocks." Apex replied, "I have rocks you can use." Pinkie Pie said, "Good, that'll save me time trying to find some." Apex replied, "We're going back into the Everfree Forest, right?" Fluttershy asked, "Right." Apex replied, "What if we get attacked by timberwolves?" Fluttershy asked, "Relax, just light a torch and the fire will scare them off." Apex replied, "No need for that, Apex, I can breathe fire." Spike said, "Alright, we can use that, too." Apex replied, "You guys are lucky you weren't here the last time he came back from escaping wild animals." Rainbow Dash said, "What happened?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "He got animals to run away by making himself smell bad." Scootaloo replied, "What did he do?" Applejack asked, "He covered himself in mud and poop." Aunt Holiday replied, Pinkie Pie and Rarity screamed out of shock while the others looked at him with dropped jaws, "He did, and I had to wash him thoroughly in the shower." Auntie Lofty said, "The stench of the mud and fecal matter is one of the best things to use to fend off wild animals." Apex said, "No! I am not using such sickening methods, some bug spray and pepper spray should do the trick." Rarity replied, "What are those?" Apex asked, "Bug spray is used to keep bugs from biting or stinging you, and pepper spray is used to fend off animals, you spray it in their eyes." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I see, we didn't have those back in the woods, so my parents and I had to sleep in the trees so we don't get eaten, and we had to check the trees to make sure there were no snakes in it." Apex said, "The tree snakes weren't friendly?" Fluttershy asked, "No, they were aggressive, their bites were poisonous, too." Apex replied, "What if there are no trees?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Then dig a hole and sleep in the ground, set traps around yourself, too." Apex replied, "Can we go now?" Scootaloo asked, "Sure, let's go get some rocks." Apex replied, and Pinkie Pie dashed out and came back with rocks a second later, "Alright, let's begin." Apex said, and they headed outside. Everybody arrived outside and Apex began putting the rocks on the ground, he shoved them into the ground, "Put a rock down when you go somewhere, but make sure the rock in front of you is always in your eyesight, this is one of the first ways I learned to backtrack." Apex said, and he continued putting rocks in the ground while the others followed him, he arrived at Fluttershy's cottage but stopped for a minute, "What are they doing here?" Apex asked as he looked at the honey ants to his left, they no longer had swollen abdomens, "I decided to take them out of the forest and remove the honey from their stomachs, they feel so much better." Fluttershy said, "Where's the honey?" Apex asked, "In those jars to your right." Fluttershy replied, Apex looked to his right and saw the honey, "Well, let's keep going." Apex said, and he went into the Everfree Forest. Apex and the others entered the Everfree Forest and they looked around, "Ooh, there are marks here." Pinkie Pie said, "I made those." Apex replied, and he continued to lay down the rocks until he got to where he was last time, "Okay, this is where I was last time, there's a few paths to go." Apex said as he looked forward, "Um, can I choose since I know this forest inside and out?" Fluttershy asked, "Sure, which way would you like to go?" Apex asked, "This way." Fluttershy said, and she led them while Apex put rocks on the ground. Fluttershy led them to a river stream and everybody saw ducks swimming in it, "Good morning, duckies." Fluttershy said, and she rubbed her snout on them, the birds flew down to her and she rubbed her snout on them as well, Apex's mouth watered when he saw the ducks and birds, "Well, let's go back, let's see how effective those rocks are." Twilight Sparkle said, and they found their ways back home by following Apex's rocks, "Wow, I sure wish my Filly Guides Camp taught me that." Scootaloo said, "If you wish, I can also teach you how to store your tools and supplies inside trees." Apex replied, "You mean like on a tree branch?" Rainbow Dash asked, "No, I mean literally inside the tree." Apex replied, "Well, I don't know how much longer you'll be here, so when I have the time, sure." Scootaloo said, "How long he'll be here?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Once when her parents find people willing to adopt me, I'm leaving." Apex replied, "Well, come on, Apex, you need to learn how to read and do math, you're going to need it in a civilized area." Twilight Sparkle said, "How important are they?" Apex asked, "You won't be able to do almost anything, and if you don't know math, there's a lot of jobs you won't be able to get." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Well, I already know how to add and subtract." Apex said, "Come on, you need to learn how to multiply and divide." Twilight Sparkle replied, and he followed her. Apex sat at a table in Twilight Sparkle's castle and she gave him a book, "Alright, Apex, let's start off by reading a story, this book is popular for ponies your age." Twilight Sparkle said, "Don't you remember? I can't read at all." Apex replied, "Oh, right, well, we're just going to have to start from the beginning, then." Twilight Sparkle said, and she read the words for him and taught him the letters of the alphabet, Apex yawned as he learned, "Tell me, Apex, what did you use paper for before you came to Ponyville?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Eating and lighting fires." Apex replied, "You ate paper back then, too?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, it wasn't often, though." Apex replied, "Well, don't use it for fire, either, books are precious, Apex, they're what records our history and the things we do, I have a book on every subject." Twilight Sparkle said, "My dad bought me picture books sometimes." Apex replied, "Well, most books don’t have pictures, you need to learn the words and their meanings to read those." Twilight Sparkle said, and Apex continued to try reading while Twilight Sparkle told him what the words were, "I'll stop here, my eyes are tired." Apex said, "Okay, I got some math equations, too, I'll teach you how to write." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she put a number chart on the table, "These are ten numbers you will always use, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and zero, every number is made up of these ten numbers." Twilight Sparkle said, and she gave Apex a pencil and guided his hoof on how to write them, "My parents taught me how to count, but never how to write it." Apex said, "What was the highest number you've ever learned to count up to?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Nine hundred ninety nine trillion, nine hundred ninety nine billion, nine hundred ninety nine million, nine hundred ninety nine thousand, nine hundred ninety nine." Apex replied, "Wow, the next number after that is quadrillion." Twilight Sparkle said, "I know to put a comma after every three number places, I just didn't know what came after trillion." Apex replied, "I've got a scale on that, too, I'll show it to you after you learn how to read, I'll go ahead and have you do some adding and subtracting now." Twilight Sparkle said, Apex continued writing and soon stopped, he looked at his pencil, "Did something catch your mind?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "This would be good for backtracking and using as a knife in the woods." Apex replied, "Um, are there any other uses for it, Apex?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Well, maybe if I had a smaller bow, I could use this as an arrow." Apex replied, "Come on, Apex, you should work again, that pencil can be used for other stuff." Twilight Sparkle said, "Like what?" Apex asked, "Drawing, coloring, marking areas to cut in carpentry, make keys go into locks, make stuck zippers unstuck, and a makeshift nail to hang pictures." Twilight Sparkle replied, "My mom taught me to draw by moving my hoof around on the ground." Apex said, "Well, that's not going to work on the surfaces of my castle, you're not going to make any pictures that way." Twilight Sparkle replied, Apex tried moving his hoof on the table and no picture formed, "Oh, that's what you meant." Apex said, "There you go, come on now, Apex, back to work." Twilight Sparkle replied, and he wrote the numbers while Twilight Sparkle guided his hoof, he did letters next and Twilight Sparkle guided his hoof again, he wrote the upper-case and lower-case letters, "Very good, Apex, but remember, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Starlight Glimmer, Spike, and I won't always be available, we all have a school to run." Twilight Sparkle said, "That's fine, I'm sure Scootaloo and her aunts can teach me." Apex replied, "They can, but I don't think they're always available, either." Twilight Sparkle said, "Can we stop here, my hoof is starting to hurt." Apex replied, "Sure, just remember to keep practicing, I'll teach you how to spell when you get the hang of it, go on now, Apex, I have work to do." Twilight Sparkle said, and Apex left her castle. Apex headed outside and walked around Ponyville, he went back to his home to get his trash bags, he looked into one and saw he was low on fish, so he got his empty bottle, fish string, and fish hook, he wrapped the string around the bottle and tied the other end around the fish hook, he went to the water body at the School of Friendship and put a locust on the hook and threw the hook into the water. Apex waited for a bit while rolling his plastic bottle around to put the hook into the water deeper, he got a bite soon and began tugging and rolling his plastic bottle the other way, he fought and got a fish, he laid on the ground and got ready to hit the fish onto the ground to kill it, Fluttershy gasped and flew to Apex and grabbed the fish, "Hey!" Apex said as he tried to take it back, "No! That fish is one of my pets!" Fluttershy said, and the two struggled with the fish, Fluttershy got it and threw it into the water, Apex glared at her, "That was my lunch." Apex said, "No! You are not eating my pets." Fluttershy said, "Wait, that was one of your pets?" Apex asked, Fluttershy nodded, "Sorry, I didn't know." Apex said, "Come on, Apex, I've got some leftover cucumber sandwiches, I'll share some with you." Fluttershy replied, and they walked together, they sat at a table and Fluttershy gave Apex a cucumber sandwich, "Here you go, Apex." Fluttershy said, "Thanks." Apex said, and he tried it, he shrugged and ate it, "Well?" Fluttershy asked, "It's alright." Apex replied, "Here, I brought a drink, too." Fluttershy said, and she gave him a box of apple juice, "What's this?" Apex asked, "Juice." Fluttershy replied, "What is it?" Apex asked, "You've never had juice?" Fluttershy asked, "No." Apex replied, "Juice is when fruits and vegetables are smashed into becoming liquids." Fluttershy said, "Sounds bad." Apex said, "No, Apex, it's only one fruit or vegetable, not all of them put together." Fluttershy said, "Well, here goes." Apex said, and he drank from the straw, "Well?" Fluttershy asked, "What fruit is this?" Apex asked, "Apple." Fluttershy replied, "I finally found a drink I like besides water." Apex said, "What have you drank so far?" Fluttershy asked, "Coffee and tea, didn't really like either one, coffee was very bitter." Apex replied, "Um, you can adjust the flavors with milk and sugar, you can also use honey for tea." Fluttershy said, "Maybe next time." Apex said, "Are you full, Apex?" Fluttershy asked, "I can't eat another bite." Apex replied, "You should try to gain some weight, you're too skinny." Fluttershy said, "My mom said I'm average weight by her tribe's standards." Apex replied, "You don't look healthy, though." Fluttershy said, Apex looked at himself and saw his ribs through his own skin a little, "Well, go on, Apex, have a good afternoon." Fluttershy said, "Thanks, you too." Apex replied, and he walked away while Fluttershy waved bye at him. Apex walked around Ponyville and decided to go to Sugarcube Corner since many foals went there, "Hello, Apex, have a look-see." Pinkie Pie said, Apex looked at the candy she sold and did not recognize any of them, "I've never seen stuff like these." Apex said, "What about the town your daddy worked at?" Pinkie Pie asked, "It didn't have a store like this." Apex replied, "Then... what did foals eat after school?" Pinkie Pie asked, "I don't know, I never saw." Apex replied, "What's your favorite sweet food?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Don't have one." Apex replied, "Why not?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Almost nothing in the woods is sweet." Apex replied, "Well, here, try a lollipop." Pinkie Pie said, "Thanks, but I'm full from lunch." Apex replied, "Don't worry, it's got a wrapper on it." Pinkie Pie said, "Sorry, but I must refuse, I don't want ants in my trash bag." Apex replied, "Okay, I'll be here with treats if you want any." Pinkie Pie said, "What do the kids come here for after school?" Apex asked, "Their favorite snacks, it's different for everypony." Pinkie Pie replied, "Wow, you must be busy." Apex said, "I am, I have to arrange the files in the mayor's office and plan and throw parties, too." Pinkie Pie replied, "Well, I'll be going now, I shouldn't bother you when you have so much to do." Apex said, "It's okay, come again, Apex." Pinkie Pie replied, and Apex headed outside. Apex headed home and sat at the table, "Oh, you're early, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, "Twilight Sparkle taught me how to write, I wanna practice." Apex replied, "Hold on." Auntie Lofty said as she got a piece of paper for him and a pencil, Apex began to practice while Aunt Holiday watched him, he started with the numbers and wrote the numbers one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and zero, "What number is that, Apex?" Aunt Holiday asked, "One billion, two hundred thirty four million, five hundred sixty seven thousand, eight hundred ninety." Apex replied, Auntie Lofty chuckled, "Well, at least he knows how to count." Auntie Lofty said, "My parents taught me, highest numbers place I know is hundred trillions." Apex replied, "Very good, Apex, let's see you do letters now." Aunt Holiday said, and he wrote the letters while Aunt Holiday watched him, Apex wrote them slowly and stopped several times to remember what the letters looked like, "Good job, Apex, here, let's try spelling." Aunt Holiday said as she got a dictionary and opened it. Apex wrote down the words he saw and went from top to bottom, "Do you know how to read the words?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Not yet." Apex replied, and Auntie Lofty watched him write down the words, she stood up and walked to him to watch him practice, "Do you know what those letters in the parenthesis are?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No." Apex replied, "They're pronunciations, they're how you say the words out loud." Auntie Lofty said, "They look strange." Apex replied, "Well, they are a bit different from the usual letters, I really don't know how to explain why they look like that." Auntie Lofty said, "Did you have a hard time learning these?" Apex asked, "No, reading and Ponish were easy for me, it was math I struggled at." Auntie Lofty replied, "Where did you learn to use that thing there?" Apex asked, "The sewing machine? I first started making quilts when I was a filly, I liked it, kept doing it, and I got my cutie mark." Auntie Lofty replied, "I was taught how to sew by hoof." Apex said, "Well, it won't do you any good in civilization, sewing by hoof is too slow for most ponies." Auntie Lofty replied, "I can see why, making those clothes for me to wear in the cold and the rain took me a while, too." Apex said, "Which parent taught you how to sew?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Both of my parents." Apex replied, "How did they learn?" Auntie Lofty asked, "It is customary for ponies in my mom's tribe to make their own clothes, they used needles carved from wood and bones, and sewed using animal sinew as thread, while my dad used a needle and regular sewing thread, he taught me sewing patterns and how to tie the thread, he did seem uncomfortable sewing sinew together, though." Apex replied, "I don't blame him, most ponies would freak out if somepony wore clothes made from animal parts." Auntie Lofty said, "No, what I mean is he looked at it with his eyes wide open and he went silent, almost like it triggered a painful memory for him." Apex replied, "Did you ever find anything about your father's past?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No, he didn't have any records or anything." Apex replied, "What about your mother?" Auntie Lofty asked, "My mom doesn't have much about herself, grew up in a tribe, was an only child, gathered berries, took care of foals, ran away, met dad, had me." Apex replied, "Hmm, you should go see Twilight Sparkle, she has family trees on everypony in Equestria, maybe she can find something about your father." Auntie Lofty said, "Okay." Apex replied, "Come on, Apex, take a break, you'll overwhelm yourself if you work without resting." Auntie Lofty said, and he rested. Auntie Lofty baked cookies while Apex sat on the chair with his eyes closed, she put a plate of it on the table and Apex opened his eyes when he heard it, "You weren't asleep?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No." Apex replied, and he ate two cookies, "Don't eat much, do you?" Auntie Lofty asked, "I don't get hungry very often." Apex replied, and he put the cookies to the side after only eating two. The door opened afterwards, "I'm home." Scootaloo said, she came in with Rainbow Dash, "Welcome home, Scootaloo, I just finished baking some cookies." Auntie Lofty said, "Really? Thanks, Auntie Lofty." Scootaloo said, and she and Rainbow Dash went to the dining room, they saw Apex, "What are you doing, Apex?" Rainbow Dash asked as she flew to him, "Writing, Twilight Sparkle's teaching me." Apex replied, "Really? That's awesome, hopefully, you'll start reading soon." Rainbow Dash said, "I can read picture books." Apex replied, "Well, I don't have a picture book, but I do have books on Daring Do, I didn't like them at first, but I quickly grew to love reading." Rainbow Dash said, "I've never heard of Daring Do." Apex replied, "Well, of course you wouldn't, there aren't books in the woods, anyway, Daring Do is about a Pegasus with a broken wing that goes into ancient ruins to get treasures, and she evades all sorts of traps and dangers to get them, and she has to get out of the ruins before either another trap gets her or the entire ruin collapses." Rainbow Dash said, "Wow, sounds like a long story." Apex replied, "It is, but it's fun to read." Rainbow Dash said, "Can you try to find a picture book version for me?" Apex asked, "Sure. What did you read back home?" Rainbow Dash asked, "There were two big stories back at home, they were Great Detective and Phantom Thief, the stories were about both of them trying to catch one another, the stories were from their points of views, they were so popular, the stories were written in words, drawn in pictures, and some books had both. Great Detective tried to the best of his ability to try to catch Phantom Thief, but he would always get away, Great Detective was a loud, boisterous, and flashy pony who lives in the moment, while Phantom Thief is a quiet, reserved, and prefers to act in the shadows, he's always thinking about the future, the two also look the same, and are only told apart by color, Great Detective is blue with yellow hair and wears a white outfit, and Phantom Thief is red with purple hair and wears a black outfit." Apex replied, "Which one do you like better?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Great Detective, he's funny sometimes, Phantom Thief's always serious." Apex replied, "How do they behave?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Great Detective's always have of energy, he's always posing, spinning around, pointing his hoof at culprits, you name it, Phantom Thief doesn't do that, he always speaks at whisper levels, and only speaks when he has to." Apex replied, "Sounds boring." Rainbow Dash said, "It can be, but reading the part when he commits his crimes are always fun." Apex replied, "What does Phantom Thief's calling card look like?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He doesn't have one." Apex replied, "What?! Why not?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Because it'll leave behind evidence at the scene of the crime that'll incriminate him." Apex replied, "Still, how can call himself a phantom thief if he doesn't leave behind a calling card?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He just doesn't, plus, it's Great Detective who leaves behind calling cards." Apex replied, "What? He's the cop, he's not supposed to leave behind calling cards." Rainbow Dash said, "That's his personality, he likes attention." Apex replied, Rainbow Dash became speechless, "Anyway, I'd like to read them." Rainbow Dash said, "I'll see if I can find it here." Apex replied, "Move your stuff, Apex, I have to prepare dinner." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex did. Auntie Lofty cooked vegetable soup and served it to everypony in the house, Apex tried it with the spoon and spat it into the bowl, "You don't like it?" Aunt Holiday asked, "No, too hot." Apex replied, "You've got to blow on it when it's on the spoon." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex did, "Did you ever have hot food?" Scootaloo asked, "Not this hot." Apex replied, he only ate half and pushed the bowl away, "I'm full." Apex said, "Alright, just put it on the counter, I'll take care of it." Auntie Lofty replied, and Apex did and left, he continued writing in Scootaloo's room until she came in, "It's bedtime, Apex." Scootaloo said, and they brushed their teeth and Scootaloo put her pajamas on, the two laid down in her bed and slept. Chapter 8Morning came and Scootaloo woke up, she took her pajamas off and looked around, "Oh, not again." Scootaloo said as she realized Apex was gone, she went to go use the bathroom and then went outside. Scootaloo walked outside and she heard walking behind her, she saw Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle coming, "Mornin', Scootaloo." Apple Bloom said, "Morning." Scootaloo replied, "Has Apex been practicing reading and writing?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, he's been busy." Scootaloo replied, Twilight Sparkle smiled, "Apex, where are you?" Scootaloo asked, "Oh, not this again." Auntie Lofty said from inside the house, "Hope he's not in the tree again." Aunt Holiday said, and the two came out in their pajamas. Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty looked at the tree Apex slept in and he was not there, the two looked at their house's roof and he was not there, "Huh. He's not on the roof, either." Auntie Lofty said, "Where did he go this time?" Aunt Holiday asked, they all looked and soon saw the leaves and branches on the ground, Twilight Sparkle used her telekinesis to remove them and everybody saw Apex sleeping in a hole, "Apex." Auntie Lofty said, Apex was startled awake and he looked up, "You can't dig holes and sleep in them, either, come on out." Auntie Lofty said, and he did, "Are you all here to say goodbye?" Apex asked, "Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash asked, "What are you talking about?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Oh, right, we got a letter from my parents yesterday, they found parents for Apex and will be here to pick him up today." Scootaloo replied, "You mean he's leaving?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Yes." Scootaloo replied, "But we have so much more to teach him." Apple Bloom said, "Like what?" Apex asked, "Well, we were wonderin' if you knew gardenin', since you grew up in the wild and all." Applejack replied, "I never grew my own food." Apex said, "How about reading a pet's feelings?" Fluttershy asked, "Yes, my mom taught me all about it." Apex replied, "How about telling time in the wild?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "The sun or the eyes of a cat." Apex replied, "How about directions?" Spike asked, "Again, the sun, only at sunrise and sunset, though." Apex replied, "I still have some etiquette to teach you." Rarity said, "That reminds me, thank you for getting rid of his dandruff and blackheads and whiteheads, Rarity." Aunt Holiday said, "He didn't just have dandruff and blackheads and whiteheads." Rarity replied, "Wait, he didn't?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Yeah, Rarity and I discovered yesterday that he had calluses on his hoofs, too." Sweetie Belle replied, Auntie Lofty walked to Apex and lifted him up with her wings and saw white spots on his hoofs, "What do you know, I actually didn't notice." Auntie Lofty said, and she put him down, "Where's the rest of your family, Applejack?" Apex asked, "Granny's asleep, and Big Mac's busy dealing with bats right now." Applejack replied, "Vampire fruit bats?" Apex asked, "How'd ya know?" Applejack asked, "They were in the woods, too." Apex replied, "Oh." Applejack said, "Well, come on, let's go in, I've brought a drink for you, Apex." Pinkie Pie said, and they entered Scootaloo's home. Apex sat at the table while Auntie Lofty gave Apex cookies for breakfast and he ate them, "Here you go, Apex." Pinkie Pie said, and she gave him a bowl full of red liquid, "What's this?" Apex asked, "Punch, it's popular for parties." Pinkie Pie replied, Apex looked at it, he grabbed the bowl and was about to drink from it, Pinkie Pie screamed, "No, Apex, you're supposed to use the ladle there and pour it into a cup." Twilight Sparkle said as she used her telekinesis to put the bowl back on the table, Apex got a cup from the counter and put the cup in the punch and filled it, "You're supposed to use that ladle there." Starlight Glimmer said, Apex shrugged and drank it, "Well?" Pinkie Pie asked, "What a strange drink, I've never had anything like this before." Apex replied, "*gasp* You've never had punch before?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "You've never had milk, tea, coffee, and now punch, you really should try some more things, Apex." Scootaloo said, "Um, I found out yesterday he didn't know what juice was." Fluttershy said, "What?! You've never had juice before, either?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "You've never even had vegetable juice made from mushed vegetables in the woods?" Applejack asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Wow, I'm surprised you've never got tired of drinking water." Aunt Holiday said, "I like water." Apex replied, "Well, now that's out of the way, we've got to teach you some table manners." Rarity said, and she moved the bowl of punch away and put three forks, three spoons, two knives, three glasses, a cup and a saucer, and two plates on the table, "What the?" Apex said, "Now, Apex, if your parents are high class ponies, you have to learn proper etiquette, if you don't learn and behave like how you do at a formal dinner, you will be seen as an embarrassment and will get punished by your parents, so you have to learn this." Rarity said, Apex picked up and examined the two knives, "What kind of knives are these? There's no way I can cut meat with these." Apex said, "No, Apex, you will not be eating meat, that big knife is for cutting hay, and the small one is for spreading butter on bread." Rarity replied, "That sounds redundant." Apex said, "What do you mean redundant?" Rarity asked, "Back in the woods, we used one knife for everything for each meal." Apex replied, "What if you had to pick up something with a fork?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Use your knife." Apex replied, "What about soup?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Drink it straight from the bowl." Apex replied, "What if there's food in it?" Spike asked, "Stop drinking, chew it, swallow it, and drink more." Apex replied, "You can't do that at a fancy dinner, they'll kick you out, you have to use your spoon." Rarity said, "Which one?" Apex asked, "The big one." Twilight Sparkle replied, "What's the small one for?" Apex asked, "Dessert, it's usually going to be cake." Rarity replied, "Why can't I just use the same spoon?" Apex asked, "Because it'll cause more germs and bacteria to appear on the spoon and plates if you do." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Oh, what's this even smaller spoon for?" Apex asked, "That is for stirring and mixing sugar in the drink that goes into the cup on the saucer." Rarity replied, "Saucer?" Rarity asked, "That round thing under that cup there." Applejack replied, Apex saw it, "What's that for?" Apex asked, "It's so the table doesn't get stained, the drink goes down at the bottom of the cup." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I never had that happen whenever I drank from my mom's wooden cups." Apex said, "Did you ever stir anything in the woods?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Yes." Apex replied, "What did you use?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "A stick." Apex replied, Rarity's jaw dropped, "What if there was no stick around?" Spike asked, "Then I stirred it with my own hoof." Apex replied, "Yeah, you don't want to do that at a fancy dinner, the drink in that cup is usually hot, you'll get burned if you put your hoof in it." Rainbow Dash said, "It doesn't burn wood, too, does it?" Apex asked, "No, it's not that hot, but it can make wooden utensils weak and break apart." Rainbow Dash replied, "Speaking of drinks, these three glasses also hold drinks, the big one is for water, the medium one is for red wine, and small one is for white wine, I've brought them to help as well, since you can't fill them to the brim." Rarity said, and she filled them with her magic, she only filled the glasses a little, "When you lift your glass, Apex, you have to grab the handles there, you can't hold the bottom of the glass." Rarity said, "How many more rules are there?" Apex asked, "Quite a bit, the next one is you can't just drink and chug your drinks, you have to sip, and once you do, you have to sip that area of the glass for the rest of the meal." Rarity replied, "Okay, but what are the forks for?" Apex asked, "The big fork is for eating the hay, the medium sized fork is for salad, and small fork is for cake." Rarity replied, "Okay, is that all?" Apex asked, "No, it's time to teach you some manners, we'll start with the bread and butter." Rarity replied, and she cast a spell to make them appear on the bread and butter plate, "Alright, Apex, unless you are going to eat the bread, it stays on the plate at all times, but when you do eat it, you can't just take a bite out of it, you have to break a piece off, put the butter on it, then you can eat it, go ahead and try a piece, you're going to have to get used to it if you live with high class parents." Rarity said, and Apex tore off a piece, put butter on it, and ate it, "It's a bit strong." Apex said with his mouth full, "No, you can't talk with your mouth full, that's bad manner." Rarity said, and Apex swallowed it, "Make sure you try the wines and water as well." Rarity said, "Um, Rarity, I think he's too young to drink wine." Aunt Holiday said, "How old are you, Apex?" Rarity asked, "Ten." Apex replied, "Oh, you are too young, no need for the wine, then." Rarity said as she drank the two wines, "Also, Apex, you need to put that napkin there in your lap." Rarity said as she pointed at it, "What's that for?" Apex asked, "It's for if food falls onto your lap." Fluttershy replied, "I was taught to eat food off of the ground and floor if I dropped it." Apex said, "You can't do that at a fancy dinner, you'll get in trouble." Applejack said, and Rarity put the napkin in his lap, "Alright, now then, the main course." Rarity said as she made hay appear on the plate, "You have to cut the hay with the big fork and knife." Rarity said, and Apex did, "No, Apex, you hold the fork like this." Sweetie Belle said as she corrected him, "Remember, Apex, bite size." Rarity said, "How big is bite size?" Apex asked, "Well..." Twilight Sparkle said, she used her telekinesis to cut a piece of the hay, "That's about bite size." Twilight Sparkle said, and Apex ate, "Alright, good, now the salad." Rarity said as she used her magic to make it appear, "Wow, I always ate vegetables separately." Apex said, "Well, some ponies like them together, give it a try, Apex, you might like it." Aunt Holiday replied, and Apex ate it, "It's alright." Apex said, "Okay, and lastly, the dessert, it's different every time, but I'll just do cake this time." Rarity said, "Cake's too sweet for me." Apex replied, "There's a lot of cakes, Apex, some are less sweet than others." Pinkie Pie said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yes, let's try a regular vanilla cake with a strawberry on it." Rarity said, and she made it appear, Apex tried it, "Still too sweet." Apex said, "One more thing, Apex, when you eat, leave one bite size piece of food on your plate after you finish." Rarity said, "What? Why?" Apex asked, "It signifies you're full, having an empty plate means the food wasn't enough." Rarity replied, "That's wasting food." Apex said, "Now, now, Apex, I'm sure they use it for other things, but you have to have one piece of food on the plate to let them know the meal made you full." Rarity replied, "What if I don't want to eat something?" Apex asked, "Set it aside to the left side of your plate." Rarity replied, "Is that everything?" Apex asked, "One more thing, you need to tell others whether you like or dislike food or if you're full or still hungry with a fork and a knife, there are several." Rarity replied, and Rarity put a fork and knife together, "This one means you liked the meal, this one means you didn't like it, this one means you're ready for seconds, this one means you're pausing, and this one means you're full." Rarity said as she put the fork and knife on the plate together, "Wow, that's a lot to memorize." Apex said, "Take your time, Apex, there's no need to hurry." Auntie Lofty replied, "I'm still not used to eating bread, I miss eating white rice." Apex said, "Ooh, white rice? I've got rice pudding." Pinkie Pie said, "No, regular white rice." Apex replied, "Oh, sorry, Apex, but white rice takes forever to grow." Twilight Sparkle said, "That, and there ain't suitable soil for growin' rice in Ponyville, mah farm's soil can only grow fruits and vegetables." Applejack said, Apex groaned, "Come on, we gotta go to school." Apple Bloom said, "Yer right, Apple Bloom, go on and go, Ah need help with them bats again." Applejack said, and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle headed to school, "Go on and try to enjoy your last day in Ponyville, Apex, and try to come home early, we don't know when Scootaloo's parents will be here." Aunt Holiday said, and they all left. Apex followed Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack to Sweet Apple Acres and he saw the fallen apples, "Y'all see, them bats are back, and Ah need them off the farm before they eat all the apples." Applejack said, "Um, can I just talk with them again?" Fluttershy asked, "No, that didn't work last time, this time, we're gettin' rid of 'em by force." Applejack replied, "No, don't hurt them, those bats have feelings." Fluttershy said, "You got a better idea?" Applejack asked, "Um..." Fluttershy said, "See, there ya go, Ah'm gonna need you to stare at the bats and Ah'm gonna round them up in a net and send 'em to yer sanctuary." Applejack said, "Um, I don't think the animals will like them there." Fluttershy replied, "Ah, yer jokin', so they can't go to yer sanctuary." Applejack said, Apex looked and saw the vampire fruit bats, "I know those bats, we can eat them." Apex said, "No way, Apex." Applejack replied, "Oh, come on, they're edible." Apex said, "No!" Applejack and Fluttershy said sternly, the two went back to discussing what to do while Apex walked to the apple trees with his backpack, "So, what do y'all suggest?" Applejack asked, "Well, we could..." Twilight Sparkle said before a gunshot was heard, the six mares screamed and looked, they saw Apex on the ground and holding his shotgun, he stood up while the bats screeched and flew away. Apex turned around to face them, "There, problem solved." Apex said, a crow then fell into the yard, Fluttershy gasped and flew to it, she picked it up and saw it had a bullet hole in its abdomen and was dead, she put her head on it and began to cry, "Well, might as well eat it." Apex said as he grabbed it, Fluttershy and her friends tugged on it, "No! You are going to bury it." Rarity said, "Oh, come on, that's wasting it." Apex replied, "How is that wasting it?" Rainbow Dash asked, "There's meat on here we can eat, I can use its sinew for sewing clothes, and I can make tools and weapons with its bones." Apex replied, "No, Apex, you're not going to use it for that, you're going to bury it and pay your respects to it." Twilight Sparkle said, "Are all of you civilized people like this?" Apex asked, "Yes, we don't use animal parts for whatever yer gonna do." Applejack replied, "Come on, Apex, let's bury it, and pay your respects to it." Twilight Sparkle said, Apex sighed and went with her. Twilight Sparkle took Apex took to an area of open field near Sweet Apple Acres and dug a hole, he put the crow in it and Twilight Sparkle buried it and put a stick in the ground, "There, now pay your respects, Apex." Twilight Sparkle said, "How do I do that?" Apex asked, "Look down, close your eyes, and apologize to the crow, and say whatever else you have to say." Twilight Sparkle replied, Apex looked down and closed his eyes, "I'm sorry I shot and killed you." Apex said, "Good, now say whatever else you have to say." Twilight Sparkle said, "Forgive me for wasting valuable materials, Mother Nature." Apex said, "Mother Nature?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "A deity my mom's tribe worshiped, actions like this angers her, and makes her cause disasters as punishment." Apex replied, "Well, I doubt she will, I mean, you did apologize, so I think you'll be fine." Twilight Sparkle said, Apex smiled, "That reminds me, Auntie Lofty wanted you to do a genetic analysis on my family since I know nothing about my father." Apex said, "Sure, come with me, I have the equipment in my castle." Twilight Sparkle replied, and he followed her. Twilight Sparkle and Apex arrived at the Castle of Friendship and Twilight Sparkle analyzed Apex's genetics, the papers printed out and she looked at Apex's family tree, "Alright, let's see here, mom's name is Nature Lover, and... wow, your mom's ancestry is all from the tribe." Twilight Sparkle said, "What about my dad?" Apex asked, "Let's see here, Bickle's parents are... what the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "What's wrong?" Apex asked, "He doesn't have a family tree." Twilight Sparkle replied, "What?" Apex asked, "He doesn't, see, look." Twilight Sparkle replied as she showed him, Apex looked and saw he did not have a family tree on his father's side, "What in the world?" Apex asked, "Well, I don't have time to do another analysis, you should go around Ponyville and say goodbye to your friends." Twilight Sparkle said, "Wait, before I go, do you have any books on Great Detective?" Apex asked, "I should, hold on." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she flew around and looked through her books, "Okay, let's see... G... G-R... Great, Great..." Twilight Sparkle said, she soon flew back, "Sorry, but no." Twilight Sparkle said, "That sucks." Apex said, "Well, go say goodbye to your friends." Twilight Sparkle said, and Apex went outside. Apex headed to Fluttershy's cottage and saw what she was doing, "There you go, let the honey out." Fluttershy said, he looked and saw small jars, there was honey in them, he looked and saw Fluttershy getting honey out of the honey ants, "Um... Fluttershy." Apex said, Fluttershy looked at him, "They need that honey to feed their colony." Apex said, "I know, I'm just taking honey out of the ones with the swollen bellies." Fluttershy replied, "Why?" Apex asked, "Have you looked at them, their bellies are swollen, and they are in so much pain, I can't just sit back and let them have honey in their stomachs like that all the time." Fluttershy replied, "Where did you get the jars?" Apex asked, "Discord." Fluttershy replied, "Oh." Apex said, "Well, you should go, Apex, since you're leaving, I'm quite busy right now." Fluttershy said, and Apex headed home. Scootaloo was at recess with her class and playing dodge ball, she caught and threw the ball a few times before Pipsqueak hit her and she was out, she sat with the other classmates and watched, the game continued until only one pony remained and everypony cheered. The foals went back into the classroom and worked, Scootaloo worked slowly today, "Is everything alright, Scootaloo?" Cheerilee asked, "Yeah, it's just that Apex is leaving today." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, really?" Cheerilee asked, "Yup." Scootaloo replied, "Well, make sure you say your goodbyes, Scootaloo, I think he's going to miss you." Cheerilee said, "Maybe, even though things didn't go the way my parents wanted them to." Scootaloo replied, "What do you mean?" Cheerilee asked, "My parents wanted me to just keep him in the house and not introduce him to anyone for the time he stayed here." Scootaloo replied, "Scootaloo, you know Equestria runs on friendship, I think you did the right thing." Cheerilee said, Scootaloo smiled, "Well, go ahead and do your work, Scootaloo." Cheerilee said, and she did, she had lunch quietly and did afternoon work and then headed home. Scootaloo arrived home and she saw Apex was already home, "Did you say your goodbyes, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "Later." Apex replied, "Well, go on and do your homework, Scootaloo." Auntie Lofty said, and Scootaloo worked until she heard the door open, "We're here." Mane Allgood said, Scootaloo and her family and Apex trotted to the door, "Oh, Apex, you're walking normally now." Mane Allgood said, "Yeah, the others in this town taught me." Apex replied, "What? Scootaloo, you weren't supposed to introduce him to the others." Snap Shutter said, "I didn't, he traveled on his own, he met Zecora, Cranky Doodle, Matilda, the Apple family, and Fluttershy by chance when he went outside, and he met Rainbow Dash when she came to visit me, and then Pinkie Pie found him, threw his welcoming party, and the others met him." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, you all did say Pinkie Pie throws parties for new ponies in town, well, I guess it was only a matter of time anyway." Mane Allgood said, "Here are your new parents, Apex, say hello to Bushwhacker, your father, and Amazon, your mother." Snap Shutter said, and they walked in, they were both earth ponies, Bushwhacker had a light green coat, short yellow mane and tail, and yellow eyes, he was wearing a black short-sleeve shirt, black pants, and black boots that went up to his knees, he had a machete on his left side, and Amazon had a green coat, long light blue mane and tail, and light blue eyes, she was wearing a long-sleeve black shirt, black pants, a black belt, and black boots that went up to her knees, "Hello, Apex, we're campers and hikers, we travel around all of Equestria, we thought we'd be the best candidates for your guardians after hearing about you." Bushwhacker said, "Do you two know about my background?" Apex asked, "Yes, you lived in the woods all of your life because your mother is from an indigenous tribe that lived in those woods, and your parents passed away and you have nopony to look after you." Amazon replied, "Wow, what about you two?" Apex asked, "I come from a family of hunters." Bushwhacker replied, "And I'm from a military family, everypony in my family is or was a soldier." Amazon said, "And both of us are ex-pony scouts and ex-military, so we can teach you some things of our own about surviving in the wilderness." Bushwhacker said, "Great, I already got some knowledge and skills from my parents." Apex replied, "Just that one woods, Apex, there are a lot more environments and woods to learn survival in, each one is different." Bushwhacker said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yes, Snap Shutter and I have to survive in our jobs when we photograph wild animals." Mane Allgood replied, "What were the other parents like?" Apex asked, "Well, one couple was a bunch of farmers, another one were uneducated hillbillies, and one was a high class snobbish couple." Snap Shutter replied, "Yeah, maybe these two were the best choice." Apex said, "Well, come on, Apex, we're going to miss the train." Amazon said, and they went to the train, Apex boarded the train with his new parents and left while the people in Ponyville waved bye at him. Scootaloo, Aunt Holiday, and Auntie Lofty went back to their homes, "Well, that's the end of that." Auntie Lofty said, "Yes, I actually had fun with him here." Aunt Holiday replied, "Yeah, I did, too." Auntie Lofty said, "What about you, Scootaloo?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Yeah, I liked having him around, too." Scootaloo replied, "Well, go ahead and do your homework." Aunt Holiday said, and Scootaloo did her homework, had dinner, brushed her teeth, went to bed, and slept. A month passed and Scootaloo woke up the next morning, "Good morning, Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday said, "Morning." Scootaloo replied, "This came in the mail this morning, it's for you." Auntie Lofty said, and Scootaloo took the envelope and opened it, her attention was caught when she saw it was a letter from Apex, she read it, "Dear, Scootaloo, I hope you have been well, Bushwhacker and Amazon have taught me how to read and write, we have been having a good time, we're traveling all across Equestria and the two are teaching me how to set traps and tie more knots, I am disappointed that I was not able to teach you how to set traps during my time living with you. I can also do some math now, and I’m being home schooled by them, they live in a big house, and I have to do manners and etiquette like what Rarity taught me, but the two are patient and correcting me along the way, I am eating meat and bugs again since we are in the wilderness a lot, and I am glad I can finally eat white rice again, and Pinkie Pie has been sending new foods for me to try ever since she found my mailing address. While I am still disappointed I could not teach you more things before I left, I am grateful for you and your aunts looking after me, and want to thank you for your hospitality, I hope I can come back again one day. -Apex" Scootaloo smiled and put the letter on the table and headed to school. Scootaloo worked in the morning and focused, it was another quiet day in the school, "Alright, everypony, time to give out your tests from last week." Cheerilee said, and she handed them out. Scootaloo looked and her attention was caught, she has passed a test for the first time, Scootaloo smiled and continued on with her school day. Chapter 4Scootaloo woke up the next morning and yawned and stretched, she looked and saw Apex was not in her room, she went to the dining room and saw Aunt Holiday and Auntie Holiday were awake, "Good morning, Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday said, "Morning." Scootaloo replied, and she saw Auntie Lofty's cookies were for breakfast, she ate them and knocking was heard at the door, Aunt Holiday opened it and saw Apple Bloom, "Why, hello, Apple Bloom." Aunt Holiday said, "Howdy, Ah'm here to see Apex." Apple Bloom replied, "I don't think he's up yet." Aunt Holiday said, they heard Apex stretching and yawning on the roof, "What the?!" Auntie Lofty said, and she and Scootaloo trotted outside, the four looked and saw Apex on the roof, "*gasp* Apex!" Aunt Holiday said, "What?" Apex asked, Auntie Lofty flew up onto the roof, "No, Apex, you can't sleep on the roof, either." Auntie Lofty said, Apex groaned with disappointment and jumped down while Auntie Lofty flew down, "Mornin', Apex, Ah was just lookin' for ya." Apple Bloom said, "For what?" Apex asked, "Well, if ya wish, we can try to help ya get yer cutie mark, Scootaloo here can help, Sweetie Belle will be with us, too." Apple Bloom replied, "I've never thought getting my cutie mark was that big of a deal." Apex said, "You never thought about what your cutie mark might be?" Scootaloo asked, "Not really." Apex replied, "Well, come on, you three, breakfast's ready." Auntie Lofty said, and they entered the home. Apex ate the cookies with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, "Where are ya goin' today, Apex?" Apple Bloom asked, "Probably back to the forest." Apex replied, "You shouldn't go there, Apex, it's dangerous." Aunt Holiday said, "Don't worry, I have a lot of experience, I can defend myself, too." Apex replied, "Still, you shouldn't go there." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex drank the water, "Here, Apex, why don't you try this?" Aunt Holiday asked as she handed him her drink, "What's this?" Apex asked, "It's coffee." Aunt Holiday replied, Apex drank it but soon spat it out all over the table, "Bleh! This is bitter!" Apex said, "Here, Apex, try some tea." Auntie Lofty said as she handed him her drink, he drank it and barely swallowed it, "This is bitter, too." Apex said, "Well, you can actually modify the taste, milk and sugar are used to change its taste." Aunt Holiday said, "Sugar... sugar... where have I seen that?" Apex asked, "It's right there on the counter, Apex." Apple Bloom replied as she pointed to it, Apex looked at it, "Oh, that's what it is, I remember it now." Apex said, "How do you know what sugar is?" Auntie Lofty asked, "There was one time when I was preserving my food in the woods, and I put sugar on it by mistake because I thought it was salt." Apex replied, "*chuckle* I made that mistake once, too, when I put salt in my coffee instead of sugar." Aunt Holiday said, Apex smiled a little, "Are you two off today?" Apex asked, "No, we have school today." Scootaloo replied, "Sorry, Apex, but we can't hang out today." Apple Bloom said, "It's fine." Apex replied, and he ate slowly, "Well, you and Apple Bloom should finish breakfast, Scootaloo, you two are going to be late for school." Aunt Holiday said, and the two ate and they and Apex washed the dishes, they went outside and Apex went to the Everfree Forest while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo went to school. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo walked to Carousel Boutique and Apple Bloom knocked on the door, Sweetie Belle opened it, "Mornin', Sweetie Belle, ya ready to go to school?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yeah, hold on, I have to get my saddlebag." Sweetie Belle replied, and she trotted into her home, "Ain't ya gonna tell her bout Apex?" Apple Bloom asked, "Well, I haven't thought about it, I thought you and her would meet him at Pinkie's welcoming party for him." Scootaloo replied, "Now that ya mention it, Ah haven't seen Pinkie Pie around." Apple Bloom said, "She's not in Sugarcube Corner?" Scootaloo asked, "No, we last saw her two days ago, we haven't seen her since." Apple Bloom replied, "Two days ago? Hmm, Apex arrived at my home three days ago, maybe she's looking for him." Scootaloo said, "Who knows, Pinkie always does strange things." Apple Bloom replied, they heard walking and Sweetie Belle came out, "Alright, I'm ready." Sweetie Belle said, and the three walked to school together. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walked to school, "How do y'all two think y'all did on the test yesterday?" Apple Bloom asked, "I think I did pretty good." Sweetie Belle replied, "How about you, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked, Scootaloo groaned and looked down, "Aw, don't be like that, Scootaloo, maybe you passed this time." Sweetie Belle said, "I doubt it." Scootaloo replied, "Well, come on, the school's right there, let's go see our grades." Apple Bloom said, and she and Sweetie Belle trotted to class, Scootaloo looked down and walked to class. Scootaloo sat in class and Cheerilee handed back the tests from yesterday, "I did it, I passed." Sweetie Belle said, "Good for you, Sweetie Belle, Ah just barely passed." Apple Bloom replied, Scootaloo got her test back and did not look at her grade since she already saw it, she groaned and put her head on the desk. Cheerilee looked and saw Scootaloo, she trotted to her, "Oh, Scootaloo, don't be sad, you did better than last time, you should be happy." Cheerilee said, "I still failed, though." Scootaloo replied, "It's okay if you fail as long as you improve, and you did, I'm proud of you, so don't be so upset." Cheerilee said, "Still, I'm failing." Scootaloo replied, "Give it time, Scootaloo, maybe after a few more tests, you'll start passing." Cheerilee said, and she went back to handing out the tests, "Cheer up, Scootaloo, me and Sweetie Belle can help ya study, plus, mornin' work is about to start." Apple Bloom said, Scootaloo sighed and she and her classmates did their morning work. Apex was back in the Everfree Forest and at where he was last time, he put his outfit on and was chewing a piece of tree sap from the gum tree, "Okay, where do I go now?" Apex asked as he looked at the three paths ahead of him, he decided to go to the left path and cut off a piece of tree bark off of every tree he encountered with one of his knives, he kept walking forward and saw a cockatrice up ahead. Apex got defensive and stepped back slowly, he took his bow and an arrow out of one of his trash bags and aimed it carefully, the cockatrice turned and looked at Apex, he became startled and fired the arrow on impulse, but he hit the cockatrice in the head by chance, "Hmm, looks like I got dinner for tonight." Apex said, and he took the arrow out of the cockatrice, cleaned the blood off with the grass, and put it and his bow back in the trash bag, he then took out a hatchet and cut the cockatrice's head off, he trotted around and looked for a body of water, he found one and he washed the cockatrice and then took its feathers off and broke its feet off and then put it in the trash bag that carried his food. Apex kept trotting and marking his path on the trees, he found lemon ants in another tree and ate a few, he pressed onward and stopped at another tree, "Oh, good, pine cones." Apex said, and he used a knife to cut one off of the tree, he put the stem at the bottom of the pine cone into his right ear to clean the wax out, he got another one and used the stem at the bottom to clean the wax out of his other ear, "Ah, my ears feel so much better." Apex said, and he kept going. Apex walked around more and looked for more plants and animals, he heard growling and listened, "Wolves." Apex said, and he continued to hear them, he looked forward and saw the timberwolves. Apex quickly looked for a stick and found one, he bundled up some leaves and grass to make tinder, he got rope out of one of his trash bags and wrapped it around the stick, he got a knife and his flint out, he scraped the flint with his knife to make a spark, he tried several times and lit the tinder. Apex grabbed the torch and held it forward, the timberwolves whimpered and backed away from the fire, Apex walked forward and the timberwolves backed away slowly, Apex got ready to throw the torch at one of the timberwolves and they all ran away. Apex blew the fire out and continued forward, he looked around and saw bugs hopping on the ground, "Ooh, crickets, I'll eat them when I get hungry." Apex said, and he kept going into the forest and marked his path on the trees, he began to walk slowly and fell onto the ground, "Wow, I am tired, I guess I can build some shelter around here." Apex said, and he looked around. Apex cut the branches on the trees and stuck them into the ground, he then put sticks in the wedges at the top of the two tree branches, he then looked for moss to use as a blanket, "Hmm, no moss, well, it's just a temporary shelter." Apex said, and he put his trash bags on top of his makeshift bed and he got on it and sighed as he laid down. School has finished and Scootaloo was walking on her own, she was going to go see Rainbow Dash, "Excuse me, Scootaloo." a familiar voice said, Scootaloo looked up a bit and saw Fluttershy flying to her, she landed, "Do you know anypony who's been to the Everfree Forest recently?" Fluttershy asked, "Is something wrong?" Scootaloo asked, "The trees in the forest are marked, almost like somepony cut the bark off." Fluttershy replied, Scootaloo put two and two together, "When did you find them?" Scootaloo asked, "This morning when I was feeding the animals." Fluttershy replied, "Um... I don't know who would, it wasn't me, Apple Bloom, or Sweetie Belle, though." Scootaloo said, "I'm just curious on who did it, Scootaloo, nopony's in trouble." Fluttershy replied, "Sorry, but I have no clue." Scootaloo said, "Everypony I asked so far doesn't have a clue, either, and they're not deep enough and too straight to be claw marks, I'll go see if anypony has an idea." Fluttershy replied, "Okay, good luck, Fluttershy." Scootaloo said, and she flew away while Scootaloo walked. Rainbow Dash flew around and practiced for her next Wonderbolts training, she heard cheering and saw Scootaloo below her, "You made it, watch this." Rainbow Dash said, and she flew and did more stunts while Scootaloo clapped. Rainbow Dash flew down after getting exhausted, "Where's Apex?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He went back into the Everfree Forest." Scootaloo replied, "Really? He really should have somepony show him around instead." Rainbow Dash said, "I found out how he found his way back." Scootaloo replied, "How?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He's cutting the bark off of the trees in his path, so he's marking where he's going and can backtrack if he gets lost." Scootaloo replied, "Isn't that in your Filly Guides Camp?" Rainbow Dash asked, "No." Scootaloo replied, "Wow, I never thought of that before, either, maybe we can learn a few things from him." Rainbow Dash said, "I plan to, tomorrow's Saturday, so no school." Scootaloo replied, "I'll be coming along, too." Rainbow Dash said, "Thanks, it's getting a little late, I should head home." Scootaloo replied, and she trotted home while Rainbow Dash followed her. Scootaloo entered her home and her aunts saw her and Rainbow Dash, "Welcome home, Scootaloo, and hello, Rainbow Dash." Aunt Holiday said, "Hi, Aunt Holiday." Rainbow Dash replied, "Where's Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "He hasn't come back, yet." Auntie Lofty replied as she sewed her quilt, "He still isn't home?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, the sun's setting, too." Scootaloo replied, "Well, he's in the Everfree Forest, so either Fluttershy or Zecora will find him." Rainbow Dash said, "Well, dinner's ready, go ahead and eat." Aunt Holiday said, and Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash had dinner. Apex was walking around in the Everfree Forest and the sun was setting, he saw eyes' in the shadows, Apex looked around for a pile of mud, he looked around and found one, "Yes." Apex said under his breath, he took his outfit off and put it in a trash bag, he went into the mud and rubbed it all over his body, the animals smelled him and some of them groaned since the mud stank, "Okay, where's the other material? There it is." Apex said as he trotted to it, he picked up animal feces and rubbed it on his body, the animals smelled him and ran away while gagging while Apex laughed like a villain. Apex picked up his trash bags and walked around the Everfree Forest a little more, "Hey." a female voice said, Apex turned around and saw Fluttershy flying to him, "You should head home, the forest's dangerous at night." Fluttershy said, "I'm fine." Apex replied, "No, let's get you home, your family's probably worried, where do you live?" Fluttershy asked, "I'm staying at Scootaloo's place." Apex replied, "Come on, let's get you home." Fluttershy said, and she picked him up and flew to Scootaloo's home while she gagged and tried to hold her breath. Scootaloo was doing her homework while Rainbow Dash helped her, knocking was heard at the door, "Come in." Auntie Lofty said, and the door opened, they all saw Fluttershy, she put Apex down and he stood on all four of his legs instead of just his hind legs, Aunt Holiday exclaimed with shock with her front hoofs on her cheeks, "Apex!" Aunt Holiday said, Apex looked and saw Auntie Lofty, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash looking at him with shocked expressions, "He was like this when I found him in the Everfree Forest." Fluttershy said, "What happened to you?" Scootaloo asked, "I got the animals to leave me alone by covering myself in mud and fecal matter." Apex replied, everypony looked at him with shocked expressions, "I was wondering why you stink." Fluttershy said, Auntie Lofty flew to him and pushed him to the bathroom, "Come on, Apex, into the shower." Auntie Lofty said, the others followed her. Auntie Lofty put Apex in the bathtub and then went to the sink to wash her front hoofs, she used the pink soap bar on the side multiple times, she then flew to the bathtub and turned the shower on, Apex yelped when the water hit him, "Since when did ponies start washing themselves with hot water?" Apex asked, "We've been doing it ever since I was a filly, Apex, it's nothing new." Auntie Lofty replied, "My parents and I always used ice cold water." Apex said, "Well, most ponies don't like cleaning themselves with cold water, hot water cleans better, too." Auntie Lofty said, and she washed Apex while the others walked into the bathroom to see him, "Honestly, Apex, don't cover yourself in animal poop, you're going to get sick." Auntie Lofty said, "But I need its smell so the animals don't eat me." Apex replied, "We got bug sprays and repellents for that now, you don't need to get all messy anymore." Auntie Lofty said, and she cleaned him, she put shampoo and mane conditioner in his mane, "What is this?" Apex asked, "Shampoo and mane conditioner, the shampoo helps clean your mane and tail, and the conditioner will make your mane look better and feel better when somepony touches it." Auntie Lofty replied, and she washed Apex's mane, "What the?" Auntie Lofty asked, she took her front hoofs out of his mane and saw white flakes on her hoofs, "What's the matter, Lofty?" Aunt Holiday asked, "He has dandruff." Auntie Lofty replied, "Really?" Rainbow Dash asked as she flew forward, she looked and saw the dandruff in Apex's mane, "Oh, you should try to hide that, Apex, foals will make fun of you if they see that." Rainbow Dash said, "Wait, let me see his snout." Fluttershy said as she flew forward, she looked at him, "I thought I saw something, he has blackheads and whiteheads in his snout." Fluttershy said, the others looked and saw them, "I'm sure a little lemon juice can help with that." Aunt Holiday said, "My parents used lemon juice for cleaning." Apex replied, "Now, now, Apex, lemon juice has more uses." Aunt Holiday said, Apex looked at Fluttershy while Auntie Lofty washed him, "Is this another one of your friends, Scootaloo?" Apex asked, "This is Fluttershy." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, so you're Fluttershy, Scootaloo mentioned you liking animals." Apex said, "Yes, I have a sanctuary and give pets to those who want them, I have cats, dogs, snakes, elephants..." Fluttershy replied, "I like vultures." Apex said, "I don't have that." Fluttershy replied, "Also, Apex, she's my idol's childhood friend." Scootaloo said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yup, Fluttershy and I grew up together." Rainbow Dash replied, "I'm still surprised, I've never seen him before." Fluttershy said, "My brother and sister-in-law brought him here three days ago, he's a homeless orphan." Aunt Holiday replied, "Oh, you poor foal, you can stay at my place." Fluttershy said, "Thanks, but I like it here." Apex replied, "I'm a bit nervous introducing him to the other ponies, since Apex lived in the woods, and sleeps in trees and on roofs, he digs through trash for food, too." Scootaloo said, "Has he made any friends?" Fluttershy asked, "Well, he's already met Zecora, Cranky Doodle, Matilda, and the Apple family, but I don't know whether to call them friends or not." Scootaloo replied, "I need to get to know them better before I can call them friends." Apex said, "Do you consider me and my aunts friends?" Scootaloo asked, "Not yet." Apex replied, and Auntie Lofty got a pink soap bar from the side of the bathtub, "What is this?" Apex asked, "Soap, it's used for cleaning." Auntie Lofty replied, "Wow, washing in civilization sure takes a lot longer than in the wild." Apex said, "How did you wash yourself in the woods?" Fluttershy asked, "Find a body of water, jump in it, rub water on yourself, that's it." Apex replied, "What about drying?" Aunt Holiday asked, "We just walked in the sun." Apex replied, "Well, you won't be walking in the sun here, you're going to dry yourself with a towel." Auntie Lofty said, and she soon turned the shower off, she got a green bath towel and dried Apex with it, "That's a pretty long wash." Apex said, "Really? It's about average time for us." Aunt Holiday replied, "We didn't have showers in the woods, either, well, unless you count walking in the rain as a shower, but other than that, we always took baths." Apex said, "Walking in the rain is not a shower, Apex." Auntie Lofty replied, and she finished drying him, "Well, dinner's ready, go eat, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, and he went to the dining room while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash went home. Apex looked at his dinner and saw he was having lasagna tonight, "What's this?" Apex asked, "Lasagna, it's another type of pasta." Auntie Lofty replied, Apex stabbed it with a fork and lifted it up as he looked at it, "What's this at the top?" Apex asked, "Cheese." Scootaloo replied, Apex got ready to put the entire top layer in his mouth, "No, Apex, use your knife to cut it." Aunt Holiday said, Apex reached into one of his trash bags and took out a wooden handle, he unfolded the blade and Scootaloo and her aunts saw it was a straight razor. Apex cut the lasagna with the straight razor while Scootaloo and her aunts looked at him with bewilderment, "What?" Apex asked, "That's not a knife, Apex." Scootaloo replied, "My dad told me this is a folding knife." Apex said, "Well, it's not, that's a razor, it's used for shaving beards." Auntie Lofty replied, Apex just put the straight razor back in his trash bag and used the knife at the table and ate his supper, "Still, I wish you didn't go into the Everfree Forest, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, "As I said, I have my ways of finding my way back." Apex replied, "I know how you find which way to go, Apex." Scootaloo said, Apex looked at her, "You're cutting bark off of the trees with your knife." Scootaloo said, "How did you know?" Apex asked, "Fluttershy found some of your markings." Scootaloo replied, "I have other ways, too." Apex said, and he washed the dishes after he finished, he and Scootaloo went to bed shortly afterwards, Apex was still hungry and could not sleep, so he headed outside. Apex headed outside and got some of the grass and leaves off of the ground, he used his knife and flint to light a fire, he put the cockatrice he killed over it to cook it, the cockatrice finished cooking and he began eating, the door opened and Scootaloo walked out, "What is that light over..." Scootaloo said before she stopped and saw Apex sitting and eating meat, "What are you eating?" Scootaloo asked, "A cockatrice." Apex replied with his mouth full, Scootaloo became speechless, "Where did you get that?" Scootaloo asked after a minute, "The forest." Apex replied, Scootaloo's jaw dropped, "Oh, shoot, this isn't good, Fluttershy's not going to be happy." Scootaloo said, Apex finished eating and he went to the trash can in front of Scootaloo's house shoved the cockatrice's bones to the bottom, "We won't be in trouble if she doesn't find out." Apex said, "Still, she's going to be upset if she does, *sigh* let's just go to bed, Apex." Scootaloo replied, and she went into the house while Apex slept in the tree. Chapter 7Scootaloo woke up and Apex was not in bed, she looked outside her window and saw him cooking, he ate fox meat and Scootaloo covered her mouth when she felt the urge to vomit, he then took out and cooked some mushrooms, she headed outside to go see him, "Morning, Scootaloo." Apex said, "Where did you get those mushrooms?" Scootaloo asked, "The woods I lived in." Apex replied, the door opened and Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty walked out while wearing their pajamas, "What are you doing now, Apex?" Auntie Lofty asked, they looked and saw him cooking mushrooms, "Oh, you're cooking mushrooms, that's fine, Apex, but be careful, my brother said most mushrooms in Equestria are poisonous." Aunt Holiday said, "I'm not surprised, this is the only edible mushroom from the woods." Apex replied, "You could at least season them." Auntie Lofty said, "My mom always cooked them unseasoned." Apex replied, "Most ponies don't like mushrooms unseasoned, a lot of them like them with cooked garlic." Auntie Lofty said, "My mom used garlic to prevent tick bites." Apex replied, "How does that work?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Break the garlic apart and rub the liquid inside on yourself." Apex replied, "Did you ever eat garlic?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Yes, my mom and her tribe ate them raw." Apex replied, Scootaloo and her aunts had shocked expressions, "How were you able to eat something that spicy?" Aunt Holiday asked, "It took me a while, but I grew used to it after a while." Apex replied, "Don't eat raw garlic, Apex, it'll make your breath stink, that's not acceptable in society." Auntie Lofty said, "What about raw ginger?" Apex asked, "That's fine, you can use that for cooking, too." Auntie Lofty replied, "Hmm, my parents never told me that." Apex said, "What other spicy foods did you have in the woods?" Scootaloo asked, "One more, raw ghost pepper." Apex replied, Scootaloo and her aunts had shocked faces again, "How did you manage to eat that?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I endured the spiciness, they are sacred in my mom's culture, eating them is a rite of passage into adulthood, a pony has to eat it and swallow it without spitting it out, nor eat or drink anything to make the spice weaker." Apex replied, "What's the point of it?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Those who can swallow the pepper and endure its spice are considered adults by the tribe, those who fail are still kids, they can eat the pepper whenever they feel ready." Apex replied, "Well, that's nice, Apex, but I have school today, so I have to get ready." Scootaloo said, "Want a mushroom?" Apex asked, "I guess." Scootaloo replied, and he gave her one, she ate it and it was crunchy, "This doesn't have much flavor." Scootaloo said, "I know, they're always like that, I don't eat them often." Apex replied, "Would you like some cookies?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Actually, I'm full, this is heavy." Scootaloo replied, "Okay, go on and get ready, Scootaloo, as for you, Apex, stay in Ponyville today, we don't want you to go into the woods and get into trouble with the wild animals." Aunt Holiday said, Apex nodded, "Well, come on, Holiday, I need help on my quilt today." Auntie Lofty said, and the two entered the house. Apex ate a mushroom with Scootaloo and she then went into the house and came out with her saddlebag and went to school, Apex put the fire out and picked up his trash bags and went to Ponyville. Scootaloo sat in class and was ready to work, "Has everything been alright at home, Scootaloo?" Cheerilee asked, "Yeah, Apex is just mostly walking around Ponyville and exploring." Scootaloo replied, "Why don't you have him enroll here?" Cheerilee asked, "Well, one, when my parents find guardians for him, he's leaving, and two, they told me not to bring him here since his behavior is inappropriate for school." Scootaloo replied, "Well, I can see that, but he still should at least get an education." Cheerilee said, "Twilight's teaching him." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, good, he's getting home schooled, well, let's start our class." Cheerilee said, and she handed out the morning work. Scootaloo worked while she thought about Apex and what he was doing, she worked quickly and yawned since she was still tired, she finished after what felt like a minute, she looked up and saw almost everypony was done, the others soon finished, "Okay, class, very good, now team up with your friends and check your answers together." Cheerilee said, and Scootaloo got with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo checked her work with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and saw she has gotten about half of the answers wrong, Scootaloo groaned and put her head on the desk, "It's okay, Scootaloo, you're improving." Sweetie Belle said, "I still failed, though." Scootaloo replied, "Don't feel bad, Scootaloo, Ah just barely passed, too." Apple Bloom said, "I'm a bit worried about what my grade is when compared to the rest of the class." Scootaloo replied, "Sorry to say this, Scootaloo, but you have the lowest grade in the entire classroom." Cheerilee said, Scootaloo groaned again, "Don't be sad, Scootaloo, I'm sure you'll start passing eventually." Sweetie Belle said, "Yeah, yer doin' better than before, just keep tryin'." Apple Bloom said, "But still." Scootaloo replied, "Go ahead and rest for now, Scootaloo. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, let her know when the others are done." Cheerilee said, and she walked around class and watched the students check their work together while Scootaloo kept her head on the desk. Apex walked around Ponyville and looked into the houses, he saw Cranky Doodle and Matilda in one house and knocked on their door, Cranky Doodle opened it, "Why, hello, Apex." Cranky Doodle said, "I'm here to learn what you two did as kids." Apex said, "Sure, come on in." Cranky Doodle replied, and Apex entered his home. Apex sat on a chair while Cranky Doodle and Matilda came with a picture book, Cranky Doodle opened it, "This is when Matilda and I were kids, we used to build huts out of dirt and mud and we would play in them, we also helped our parents build shelters as well, it was a lot of fun." Cranky Doodle said, "What was the shelter built from?" Apex asked, "There's a picture of it right here." Matilda replied as she pointed to it, Apex looked and saw their shelter was built from dried dirt shaped like bricks, a cement-like liquid made from dirt and water, the inside was filled with leaves and branches, and the roof was made from hay, "Wow, the shelter my parents and I made were just made from dried mud." Apex said, "How often did you three make shelter?" Matilda asked, "Not often, we usually slept in the trees." Apex replied, "You sound like not all of your shelter was built." Cranky Doodle said, "It wasn't, my parents and I also dug holes in the ground and slept there, we covered the holes with tree branches and moss, too." Apex replied, "This picture here is us making chewing gum, we have tree sap in a pot over a fire and we're boiling it." Cranky Doodle said as he pointed at the picture, Apex chuckled a little, "I might try that myself." Apex said, "This one is us harvesting honey from bees, this was the biggest hive we ever found." Matilda said as she pointed to it, "You two didn't have honey ants?" Apex asked, "Not where we grew up, no." Cranky Doodle replied, "What's this one?" Apex asked as he pointed at it, "That's us making toothpaste from the ashes of a bonfire, we used those toothbrush tree sticks you use to brush our teeth." Matilda replied, "I did that once, but my mom said I didn't need it, so I never did it again." Apex said, "This picture is us harvesting vegetables and flowers to eat." Matilda said as she pointed at it, Apex looked at the picture, "I've never seen those flowers before." Apex said, "They only grew where we grew up. Anyway, this picture here is us celebrating a hunt." Cranky Doodle said as he pointed at it, Apex looked and saw a deer, "That must've tasted good." Apex said, "It did." Matilda replied, "I remember when my mom would tell me about the tale of Mother Nature, she said she is wrathful to trophy hunters." Apex said, "We were told about Mother Nature as kids, too, it's because it's wasting the food, so she brought disasters onto them as punishment." Cranky Doodle replied, "Wow, I didn't know people outside of mom's tribe told the tale about her, too." Apex said, "Well, she was popular when we were kids, but it got less popular as we got older, and almost no one knows about that story now." Matilda replied, "Did you all have any rites of passage for getting older?" Apex asked, "Of course, that's me right there as a teenager." Cranky Doodle replied as he pointed to a picture, "What are you doing?" Apex asked, "I had to stay in the wilderness for a night and be ready to fend off any wild animals that attacked me, I passed." Cranky Doodle replied, "Wow, my mom's tribe had ponies eat a ghost pepper." Apex said, "I've eaten one of those once, it was spicy." Matilda said, "About that, you can't eat or drink anything to weaken the pepper's spice during the rite of passage." Apex replied, "What age are you when you do it?" Cranky Doodle asked, "Any age, you can do it anytime, you can be as young as four and as old as eighty to eat the ghost pepper, but until you do, you're not considered an adult by the tribe." Apex replied, "What does it mean to be an adult in your mother's tribe?" Matilda asked, "More responsibilities, you also have to look after the ponies who are still considered kids." Apex replied, "That's it?" Cranky Doodle asked, "More respect from the tribe, too." Apex replied, "What did you do for fun in the woods?" Matilda asked, "Throw a beehive around with my parents." Apex replied, "Yeah, we didn't do that." Cranky Doodle said, "You guys didn't have beehives?" Apex asked, "No, we had balls instead." Cranky Doodle replied, "What's a ball?" Apex asked, "This is a ball." Matilda replied and Apex looked at it, "They come in many shapes and sizes, this is just the most common shape." Cranky Doodle said, "Do you all have any more pictures?" Apex asked, "Nope, that's all, come on, Apex, I'll show you something Matilda and I did as kids, let's go outside." Cranky Doodle said, and they headed outside. Apex, Cranky Doodle, and Matilda were outside and Cranky Doodle and Matilda began collecting sticks, "This is a ceremony we liked to do for fun at night, Apex, it's called a wicker pony." Cranky Doodle said, and the two began getting sticks and leaves, "Come on, Apex, you too." Matilda said, and he got sticks and Cranky Doodle and Matilda began building a small wooden sculpture, they worked and stopped for a minute, "If you're willing to learn, Apex, you need to interweave the sticks and leaves, like this." Matilda said, and she showed him how to do it. Apex began building the wicker pony and they made one the size of a foal, it was in the shape of an earth pony, "There, it's done, almost all wicker ponies are bigger than this, and they have a horn and wings, too, but we're only going to do a small one because there's not that much material here, and we're going to burn it." Cranky Doodle said, "You're going to burn it?" Apex asked, "Hmm-mm, we made these during winter nights, especially on New Year's." Matilda replied, "Ah, makes sense." Apex said, "Well, let's burn it, and watch it so the fire doesn't spread." Cranky Doodle said, and he came out with a match and lit it and threw it onto the wicker pony. Apex watched the wicker pony burn and it slowly burned, other ponies looked at the fire and watched the wicker pony burn, it burned down and Cranky Doodle and Matilda stomped the fires out, "Wasn't that fun, Apex?" Cranky Doodle asked, "It was alright." Apex replied, "We would then collect the ashes and store them in pots." Matilda said, "I wear one on my head as a hat." Apex replied, "No, not that kind of pot, a pot that is thin and tall, decorated with various designs on them." Cranky Doodle said, "Oh." Apex said, "Well, go on and have fun, Apex, you're welcome here anytime." Matilda said, Apex nodded with a smile on his face and left. Apex walked around Ponyville again and heard the bell at the school ring, he looked and saw the foals leaving the school, he looked and saw Scootaloo walking with her head down, she walked away and went to go see Rainbow Dash. Apex looked around and saw the ponies wearing clothes, he reached into one of his trash bags and put on his outfit, he looked around and saw how different his outfit was when compared to other ponies, "No, Apex, you can't wear that here." Rarity said as she walked to him, "You again." Apex said, "Come with me, Apex, let's make you an outfit more suitable for the environment you're in." Rarity said, and he followed her to Carousel Boutique. Apex entered Carousel Boutique and saw Sweetie Belle, "Hi, Apex." Sweetie Belle said, Apex waved at her, "Now, Apex, I need you to take that outfit off so I can measure you." Rarity said, and he did. Rarity used her telekinesis to measure Apex with a tape measure, "Um, Apex, darling, your waist is small for a colt your age." Rarity said, "I guess civilization's belief on weight really is different." Apex said, "What do you mean?" Rarity asked, "My mom said I'm average size for her tribe." Apex replied, "Average?! I can see your ribs through your skin." Rarity said, "My parents were like that, too." Apex replied, "Them too, you say? Well, anyway, I shall prepare your outfit." Rarity said, "I thought you only made dresses." Apex replied, "No, I make clothes for boys, too." Rarity said, and she began going through her fabrics, "A red coat, hmm, maybe plum will be a nice color for him, or maybe light turquoise, or green to complement his red coat color..." Rarity said, "I like black." Apex said, "Ooh, a versatile color, almost everything goes well with black." Rarity said, "Can you make my entire outfit black?" Apex asked, "You don't want another color?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No, just want to keep it simple, I'd also like a white outfit, since black is not comfortable to wear in hot weather." Apex replied, "Apex, this isn't about how your outfit functions, you have to look your best in public." Rarity said, "How about pink, Apex?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I only like pink when it's combined with gray." Apex replied, "Ooh, that's a nice combination, Apex, but personally, I prefer pink with white." Rarity said, "Are there any other color combinations you like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Of course, my favorite one is red, orange, and yellow." Apex replied, "Ooh, alright, an orange and yellow outfit, it is." Rarity said, and she began sewing, "Wow, those sewing machines are fast." Apex said, "You know how to sew, Apex?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, by hoof, I made this outfit myself." Apex replied, "Where did you get the sewing thread?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Nowhere, these things holding my outfit together is animal sinew that was covered in charcoal to make it black." Apex replied, Rarity screamed, "Those stitches is animal sinew?!" Rarity asked, "Yup." Apex replied, he saw Rarity had a horrified expression on her face, "Wait, how did you get sewing needles in the woods?" Sweetie Belle asked, "My mom carved them from wood and bones." Apex replied, "Most places don't use wooden needles, Apex, and they most definitely don't use bones, and as you can see, Apex, my needles are made from steel, they are the most common materials for sewing needles in Equestria." Rarity said, Apex looked around while Rarity continued sewing his outfit, "I wonder what kind of clothes your mom's tribe wore." Sweetie Belle said, "I don't know, I never saw them, but my mom hated dresses." Apex replied, "Well, that does make sense, the woods isn't a good place to wear a dress." Sweetie Belle said, "How about a skirt that goes halfway down your thighs?" Rarity asked, "She hated that, too." Apex replied, "What did your mother wear?" Rarity asked, "Pants, boots on her hoofs, and a jacket when it got cold, all made from bear fur." Apex replied, "What about your dad?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Jungle camouflage pants, military belt, black combat boots." Apex replied, Sweetie Belle became speechless, "It's done." Rarity said in a singsong voice, Apex saw she made an orange blazer, orange pants, a yellow shirt, and four yellow shoes, "I didn't think you'd actually make shoes." Apex said, "Of course, darling, you can't go around in public wearing plastic bottles as hoofwear, everypony will look at you strangely." Rarity replied, Apex saw her get more orange fabric and thread, "Okay, and now the last piece of clothing, the hat, I am going to make you a simple trilby, because you most certainly cannot wear a cooking pot on your head as a hat, ponies will think you're dumb." Rarity said, and she began sewing. Apex watched Rarity sew and was in awe at how fast she was, she kept working and soon finished, "There, it's finished." Rarity said as she looked at the orange trilby, she put all of the clothes on Apex and got him a mirror, "Ooh, you look marvelous, Apex, I hope you think the same thing." Rarity said, "I like it." Apex replied, his clothes then changed to his old outfit, "What the?" Rarity asked, Discord appeared in the shop, "No, he does not, his old outfit is better." Discord said, "No, it's not, he can't wear that mess of sewn pieces of clothing and animal fur in public, he stands out too much." Rarity replied, "Really, I thought he made that because he was being creative." Discord said, "Creative?! You call a trash bag as a shirt creative?" Rarity asked, "I thought it was, that outfit is very fashionable in my realm." Discord replied, "Fashionable? Since when did wearing a trash bag for a shirt, plastic bottles as shoes, and a cooking pot as a hat become fashionable?" Rarity asked, "It's always been fashionable." Discord replied, "No, it hasn't, change him back, Discord, he looks better in his new outfit." Rarity said, "Oh, relax, it's right there, in his trash bag." Discord replied, Apex reached into his trash bag and took the clothes out, "You'll have to replace those, too, Apex, I am not comfortable seeing you carry the clothes I made for you in a trash bag." Rarity said, "What's wrong with it?" Apex asked, "What's wrong? It makes me think you don't like the outfit and are throwing it away, I find that to be very insulting." Rarity replied, "Well, I don't have anything else to carry it in." Apex said, "Here, Apex." Sweetie Belle said as she gave him an item with her telekinesis, "What's this?" Apex asked, "It's a backpack, that one's used for hiking." Sweetie Belle replied, he found the zipper and opened it, he put his trash bags in it and then put the backpack on his back, "Oh, it's perfect, I think you will enjoy using that, Apex." Rarity said, Apex smiled, "By the way, Apex, my name is Discord, I'll be at Fluttershy's cottage if you want to see me." Discord said, "Nice to meet you, Discord." Apex replied, "Well, off I go now." Discord said, and he disappeared, "Oh, the nerve, changing Apex's new fashionable outfit to that mess of his old one." Rarity said, "Am I done here?" Apex asked, "No, next, we have to get rid of your dandruff, ponies will think you have poor hygiene if you don't." Rarity replied, and she took him to the bathroom. Rarity put Apex in the bathtub and turned on the shower, she scrubbed Apex's scalp gently, "Okay, now just a little gentle rub, put some anti-dandruff shampoo here, and some anti-dandruff mane conditioner, and you should be fine." Rarity said as she scrubbed his mane, she finished and dried him with a mane dryer, "I used to dry myself by walking in the sun." Apex said, "No, Apex, you'll get cold doing that, it's more comfortable to do it this way." Rarity replied, and she finished drying him, "Okay, next, the blackheads and whiteheads, it'll ruin your pictures." Rarity said and she went to her room. Rarity went through her things while Apex and Sweetie Belle waited downstairs, "Uh-huh, here it is." Rarity said, she came down with a bottle of light blue rubbing cream, "Alright, just rub a little bit of this on your snout, and let it sit, the blackheads and whiteheads should be gone by tomorrow." Rarity said as she rubbed the cream on his snout, "Am I done now?" Apex asked, "Not yet, one more thing, let me see your hoofs." Rarity replied, and Apex showed them to her, Rarity and Sweetie Belle became uncomfortable when they saw Apex had calluses on his hoofs, "Come on, Apex, to the spa, you really need a hooficure, you can't go around in public with calluses on your hoofs, either." Rarity said, and they went to the spa. Rarity and Apex arrived at the spa and they saw Aloe and Lotus Blossom, "Ah, Rarity, would you like the usual treatment?" Lotus Blossom asked, "No, no, no, not today, Apex here needs his hoofs filed." Rarity replied, "Have a seat over there, Apex." Aloe said, and he sat, the two spa ponies saw his hoofs and became shocked at seeing the calluses on his hoofs, the two ran and came back with filers. Aloe and Lotus Blossom filed Apex's hoofs while Rarity watched the calluses come off of his hoofs, "That tickles." Apex said, "Don't move, Apex, you need to stay still." Rarity said, and he did, "Finished." Aloe said, Rarity looked, "Ooh, brilliant, his hoofs are very soft now." Rarity said, "Alright, that'll be twenty five bits." Lotus Blossom said, and Rarity paid them, the two headed outside, "Wow, the ground is softer." Apex said, "That's what happens when you have soft hoofs, come on now, pack your things and head on out, you're ready to fit into a civilized area." Rarity replied, and he got his things from Carousel Boutique and headed home. Apex arrived home and went to go saw Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty sewing a quilt, "I'm home." Apex said, the two looked at him, "Oh, Apex, what has happened to you?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Rarity took me to her shop and groomed me." Apex replied, "Did she make you a new outfit?" Auntie Lofty asked, and Apex took it out of the backpack, "Good, you can wear that." Auntie Lofty said, "Where did you get that backpack?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Sweetie Belle gave it to me." Apex replied, "Alright, good, we've got a letter from Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood earlier this afternoon, we'll read it when Scootaloo comes home." Auntie Lofty said, "What does it say?" Apex asked, "You'll have to wait until Scootaloo comes home." Aunt Holiday replied, "Quick peak?" Apex asked, "Nope." Auntie Lofty replied, Apex groaned and he sat at the table and began to practice writing letters and numbers again. Apex wrote for about an hour until he and Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty heard the door open, they saw Scootaloo looking down and she headed to the bedroom, "Scootaloo?" Aunt Holiday asked, Scootaloo just went to her room, "Let's take a break, Holiday, I'll bake some cookies for Scootaloo." Auntie Lofty said, and she began making cookies. Apex wrote the words and numbers while Aunt Holiday watched him, Apex stopped writing and shook his hoof after a while, "Take a break, Apex, you've wrote enough." Aunt Holiday said, he looked and saw Auntie Lofty was gone, she soon came back, "How is she?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Still upset, come on now, Apex, move your things, Holiday and I need to get back to work." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex did and he went to Scootaloo's room. Apex walked into Scootaloo's room and saw her laying in her bed with her face buried into her pillow, he looked and saw an empty plate on the floor, "Scootaloo?" Apex asked, Scootaloo did not respond, he looked and saw her pillow was wet, "You okay?" Apex asked, she looked at him and Apex saw Scootaloo had dried tears on her cheeks, "What happened?" Apex asked, "I discovered today that I have the lowest grade in class." Scootaloo replied, "Is that bad?" Apex asked, "Yes, it means I'm failing school, if I don't bring my grade up, I'm going to have to repeat the grade." Scootaloo replied, "It's not because of me coming into your life, is it?" Apex asked, "No, I was failing even before you arrived, I'm actually doing better than before, but I'm still failing." Scootaloo replied, "That sucks, anyway, you should go see your aunts, they got a letter from your parents." Apex said, and Scootaloo got out of bed slowly and she and Apex walked to the dining room. Apex and Scootaloo went to the dining room and saw Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty working on the quilt, "In a minute, you two." Aunt Holiday said, and they worked and finished, Aunt Holiday took the letter off of the table, "Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood have found parents for Apex, they're campers and hikers, they'll be coming here to pick up Apex tomorrow." Aunt Holiday said, "Sounds good." Apex said while smiling, "Why don't you two go out and play, try to relax and cheer up, Scootaloo." Auntie Lofty said, and Scootaloo got a hoofball, "This is a hoofball, Apex, ponies like to play catch with this." Scootaloo said, "What's catch?" Apex asked, "Come on outside, I'll show you." Scootaloo replied, and the two headed outside. Scootaloo and Apex stood apart outside, "Okay, Apex, I throw the ball, you try to catch it, and you throw it back, okay?" Scootaloo asked, Apex nodded, "Alright, here goes." Scootaloo said, and she threw the ball, Apex ran and tried to catch it, the ball hit the ground and Apex picked it up, "Oh, I remember this game now." Apex said, "You've played this before?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, with my mom and dad, except we played this with beehives." Apex replied, Scootaloo exclaimed, "No! No throwing beehives, Apex." Scootaloo said, Apex looked down a little, "Come on, throw the ball back, Apex." Scootaloo said, and he did, Scootaloo caught it and threw it back at him and he caught it, the two threw the ball while the day passed, "What did Rainbow Dash do today?" Apex asked, "Just hung out, she was too tired to do stunts today." Scootaloo replied, "You feel better?" Apex asked, "A little." Scootaloo replied, and she threw the ball at him and he caught it, he threw it back, "Rarity groomed me today, she got rid of my dandruff and blackheads, she made me a new outfit, too." Apex said, "Yeah, Rarity's always like that, she's a bit nitpicky when it comes to appearance." Scootaloo replied, "Sweetie Belle gave me a backpack." Apex said, "I saw it, how's it feel?" Scootaloo asked, "A little tight on my shoulders." Apex replied, "You can adjust the straps." Scootaloo said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yes, I'll show you later." Scootaloo replied, and the two threw the ball at one another until Aunt Holiday came outside, "Dinner time, you two." Aunt Holiday said, and they went into the house. Scootaloo and Apex sat at the table with Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty, they were having peanut butter sandwiches with white bread, "What is this in the bread?" Apex asked, "Peanut butter." Aunt Holiday replied, "I thought I tasted nuts in it." Apex said, "What kind of nuts did you eat in the woods?" Scootaloo asked, "Pecans, acorns, hazelnuts, and every once in a while, hickory nuts, those are a pain to open." Apex replied, "Did you roast them?" Aunt Holiday asked, "No, my parents and I ate them raw." Apex replied, "You know, Apex, most civilized ponies like to eat nuts with salt on them." Auntie Lofty said, "I never put salt on nuts in the woods." Apex replied, "Well, keep that in mind, if you buy any nuts from the store, they're going to be roasted and have salt on them." Auntie Lofty said, Apex nodded, "Wait, your mom's tribe collected nuts and berries, right?" Scootaloo asked, "Yes." Apex replied, "Why would they collect poison berries for?" Scootaloo asked, "Oh, that, it's for a ritual in my mom's tribe, a pony has to eat a poison berry, they become a leader of the tribe if they survive the poison." Apex replied, "Who's the tribe's supreme leader?" Scootaloo asked, "The one who's been the leader for the longest amount of time." Apex replied, "What does your tribe see the leaders as?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Ponies who are favored by a deity called Mother Nature, they survive the poison because she has gifted them to survive it as a reward for not destroying nature for no reason." Apex replied, "What do you mean for no reason?" Aunt Holiday asked, "That the plants they pick and the animals they kill are eaten and used to make weapons and clothing, some people just rip plants out and kill animals for no reason and leave them to rot, the tribe believes that's why disasters happen, it is Mother Nature's wrath." Apex replied, "Would Mother Nature like Fluttershy?" Scootaloo asked, "Of course, she appreciates ponies who takes care of animals." Apex replied, "Sounds like your mother's tribe didn't like cruelty to animals." Auntie Lofty said, "Of course not, if you're going to hunt and kill, eat the animal and use its body to make materials, don't take its antlers or tusks and then leave it, my mom's tribe also hated poachers, she used to tell me tales that if a pony didn't stop killing animals for no reason, trophy hunting, or capturing animals and taking them away from their families, the male ponies of her tribe would track them down and kill them." Apex replied, "Oh my, it sounds like your mother's tribe didn't teach friendship." Aunt Holiday said, "Why would they want to befriend them for?" Apex asked, "Equestria is taught to look at both sides before coming to conclusions." Scootaloo replied, "Do you still punish them for their actions?" Apex asked, "Usually, no, we try to make deals that both sides can be happy with." Scootaloo replied, "That sounds like a stupid decision in those cases, they're killing animals and destroying nature for fun, I think befriending them and only letting them kill animals to eat would anger them." Apex replied, "Have they even tried to reason with them?" Scootaloo asked, "My mom did say once that a group of stallions from her tribe tried to explain to a group of animal killing ponies what they were doing was wrong, and those ponies killed them and sent their heads back to her tribe." Apex replied, "Oh my, maybe trying to win them over with friendship isn't going to work after all." Aunt Holiday said, "Yeah, it's a shame, really, we'd rather settle problems peacefully." Auntie Lofty said, "Well, I guess it doesn't always work." Apex replied, and they ate dinner and Scootaloo and Apex went to bed an hour later after Scootaloo showed Apex how to adjust the backpack straps. Apex could not sleep and went outside, he took his items out of his new backpack and began cutting holes into the ground with a knife and scooped out pieces of it with his front hoofs, he made a small hole and got some leaves and branches and put them in the hole, he then put more over them and went into the hole and slept.
Chapter 1Scootaloo was in Cheerilee's class and barely containing her excitement since Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood were coming to visit her again, the two gave her and her aunts a letter about coming over to see them about something urgent, the bell rung and Scootaloo headed home, "Aunt Holiday, Auntie Lofty, I'm home." Scootaloo said, "Welcome home, Scootaloo, Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood aren't here, yet." Aunt Holiday said, "I still wonder what this urgent thing is, they didn't explain in the letter, it looked like they wrote it in a hurry, too." Auntie Lofty said, "When will they be here?" Scootaloo asked, "We don't know, go on and do your homework, Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday said, and she did. Scootaloo worked on her math homework and had trouble, "Aw, if only Sweetie Belle was here to help me right now." Scootaloo said as she struggled on her homework, she wished her two friends were with her because she had the lowest grades between her and her two friends, with Sweetie Belle having the highest grades, and Apple Bloom being in the middle of the two, she sighed and put her head on the table, "There, there, Scootaloo, take a break and try again later." Aunt Holiday said, and Scootaloo did. Scootaloo ate Auntie Lofty's cookies and drank milk while she waited, the door opened and Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood entered, "Mom! Dad!" Scootaloo said loudly and happily, she ran to them and the two hugged her, they let go and they walked to her aunts, "Sorry we took so long, we brought a colt with us, we had to get him all cleaned and groomed before boarding the train because he stank so much." Mane Allgood said, "Wait, a colt?" Scootaloo asked, "Uh-huh, you can come in now." Snap Shutter replied, and a colt came in, "Say hello to Apex, he'll be staying here for the time being while we find guardians for him." Snap Shutter said, Apex was an earth pony, he had a bright red coat, short yellow mane and tail, and orange eyes, he did not have a cutie mark. Apex stood on his hind legs with his body reeled up, Scootaloo, Aunt Holiday, and Auntie Lofty looked on with discomfort, "He's an orphan and homeless, we're letting him stay here while we look for somepony who will take him in, we can't bring him along because of how dangerous our jobs are." Mane Allgood said, "Can he understand us?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Yes, I can speak, too." Apex replied, Scootaloo and her aunts smiled, "That's Holiday, my older sister, that's Lofty, and that's Scootaloo." Snap Shutter said, Apex looked at Scootaloo while she smiled at him, "Wow, I've always wanted a brother." Apex said, "Apex, I'm a girl." Scootaloo replied, "Really? You look like a boy." Apex said, "Yeah, I get that a lot." Scootaloo replied, "Well, make yourself at home, Apex, I think you'll enjoy it here." Aunt Holiday said, "And Scootaloo, don't take Apex to school, his behavior will get him in a lot of trouble. Well, we're off now, go get your things, Apex." Mane Allgood said, and he walked outside and came back in with black trash bags in his front hoofs, Aunt Holiday, Auntie Lofty, and Scootaloo looked on with shock, "What?" Apex asked, "Where's your saddlebag?" Scootaloo asked, "I don't know what that is." Apex replied, Scootaloo's jaw dropped, "You see, Scootaloo, Apex lived in the woods before we found him starving, we took him in, nursed him, and promised to find him a new home, we have to get going now, we'll come back when we find official guardians for Apex." Snap Shutter said, "Okay, bye mom and dad." Scootaloo said as she waved at them and the two left. Apex put his trash bags down and unpacked them while Scootaloo trotted to see what he had, she looked into the bag to her right and saw multiple items, she saw sewing needles made from bones and black threads, sticks and stones tied together with rope that was the same color as Apex's mane and tail to make tools and weapons, she saw spears, a hatchet, hammers, a bow, arrows, knives, another black trash bag, a cooking pot, four bottom parts of plastic bottles, a plastic water bottle, a fishing hook, a white fishing line, pieces of clothing, and an object she did not recognize, she picked it up, it was heavy and she almost fell over, "Hey, be careful with that." Apex said, "What is this?" Scootaloo asked, "A shotgun, it belonged to my dad, the muzzle has been sawed off, its recoil is strong and it's very loud. Put it down, Scootaloo, it's loaded." Apex replied, and Scootaloo did, "What's in your other bag?" Scootaloo asked, "That's my food." Apex replied, "What did you bring?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Anyone hungry for some snake?" Apex asked as he took out a snake on a stick, Scootaloo and her aunts gagged, "No, thank you, Apex." Aunt Holiday replied, "I've also got some roasted locusts and fried tarantulas." Apex said, Scootaloo and her aunts gagged again and almost vomited, "Apex, I'll handle the cooking." Auntie Lofty said, "Sure, I hope you got some crickets." Apex replied, Scootaloo's, Aunt Holiday's, and Auntie Lofty's stomachs turned again, "Um, Apex, we eat hay, fruits, and vegetables." Aunt Holiday said, "And Auntie Lofty bakes cookies." Scootaloo said, "What are cookies?" Apex asked, "You've never had cookies?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Well, come on, Apex, go ahead and unpack." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex did. Apex unpacked his items from his trash bags and Scootaloo almost vomited at seeing Apex's food, he had snakes on a stick, dried fox meat, salted frog meat, steamed fish, mushrooms, powdered crickets, roasted locusts, fried tarantulas, boiled silkworms, roasted cicadas, and grilled termites, "Wow, you have a... unique taste in food, Apex." Scootaloo said, "My parents ate the same thing, I ate all of my ants and cockroaches before I came here." Apex replied, Scootaloo gagged again, "Can we talk about something else?" Scootaloo asked, "Sure, what would you like to know?" Apex asked, "What did you drink before you came here?" Scootaloo asked, "Water, I never had any milk." Apex replied, "That's it?" Scootaloo asked, "Yup." Apex replied, "No punch or juice?" Scootaloo asked, "I don't know what those are." Apex replied, Scootaloo became speechless, "Well, make yourself at home, Apex, come on, you can sleep in my room tonight." Scootaloo said, "Can I see it?" Apex asked, "Sure, this way." Scootaloo replied, and he followed her while standing upwards and walking on his hind legs. Scootaloo took Apex to her room and he looked around, "Wow, it's quite a room you got." Apex said as he looked around, "Who is that?" Apex asked as he looked at the poster beside Scootaloo's bed, "That's Rainbow Dash, the greatest Pegasus ever." Scootaloo replied, "Is that your role model?" Apex asked, "Uh-huh, she's the fastest flier in Equestria, I can't fly, but I wish to be like her one day, she comes to visit me sometimes." Scootaloo replied, "Never heard of her." Apex said, "*gasp* You don't know she's one of the six saviors of Equestria?" Scootaloo asked, "Scootaloo, remember, I've been living and surviving in the woods, I was cut off from the world until your parents found me." Apex replied, "Oh, right, anyway, I'm the president of the Rainbow Dash Fan Club." Scootaloo said, "What's so special about her?" Apex asked, "Well, she's brave, she's fearless, she stands up to bullies, and she flies and does really cool stunts." Scootaloo replied, "Does she like having you around?" Apex asked, "Uh-huh, she treats me like I'm her younger sister." Scootaloo replied, "Do you do anything else besides idolize this Rainbow Dash?" Apex asked, "I'm a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, me and two of my friends did various activities to get a cutie mark, and when we got ours, we dedicated ourselves to helping our ponies get their cutie marks." Scootaloo replied, "That's cool, I never thought much about cutie marks, though." Apex said, "Well, if you want, me and my friends can try to help you find yours." Scootaloo said, "It's alright, it's not a big deal to me." Apex replied, "Well, if you say so, where are you from, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "Um, I don't know the name of the woods I grew up in, but the nearest town to the woods was called Sugar Town, it's famous for its sweets." Apex replied, "What about your parents?" Scootaloo asked, "My mom's from an indigenous tribe of earth ponies, where the males would fight and defend us from danger, and the females would take care of the foals and act as doctors, the woods I grew up in were my mom's home, so she had a lot of knowledge on what's edible and what's not, the area we lived in was far from where my mom was from, so I didn't see the ponies she grew up with, she passed away from illness two years ago." Apex replied, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, what about your dad?" Scootaloo asked, "My dad never talked about his home, I forgot the name of his home, it was Silent something, the second word started with an H, Silent Horse, Silent Home, Silent Hill, I don't remember, anyway, my dad didn't have a good time growing up from what I heard, since he would wake up screaming and having nightmares, he never talked about his childhood either, all I heard about his home was that it's scary, and full of creatures, my dad never went into detail, and I'll never know since he passed away in his sleep from a heart attack about a month ago." Apex replied, "Did your mom know?" Scootaloo asked, "No, he never told her anything, either." Apex replied, "Oh, so, your parents taught you?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, my mom taught me the plants and animals that are edible to eat, and my dad taught me how to make weapons and tools and set traps, both of them taught me how to hunt." Apex replied, "Well, don't hunt any animals here, Apex, there's a Pegasus in Ponyville named Fluttershy, she's friends with every single animal, and she'll be upset if you hunt and eat animals." Scootaloo said, "Even bugs?" Apex asked, "Yes." Scootaloo replied, "I highly doubt this Fluttershy can keep track of all the bugs there are." Apex said, "She can, you'll be surprised at some of the stuff she can do." Scootaloo replied, "Where does she live?" Apex asked, "At a cottage by the Everfree Forest, her home is full of animals." Scootaloo replied, "You do know that means her home is a food buffet for me, right?" Apex asked, "No! I'm going to say this now, Apex, do not eat Fluttershy's pets, you will upset her, and me and her other friends will be mad at you if you do." Scootaloo replied, Apex became quiet for a second, "Okay, so tell me, who are the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Apex asked, "Our leader is Apple Bloom, she's an earth pony, she works at Sweet Apple Acres, you can't miss it, the other one is Sweetie Belle, she's a unicorn, she works at Carousel Boutique, you can't miss that either, it's the fanciest house in Ponyville." Scootaloo replied, "You have school too, right?" Apex asked, "Yes, I go to school Mondays through Fridays, I'm off on weekends, but I usually don't come home immediately, I hang out with my friends or go watch Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo replied, "Don't worry about me, I've been in civilization before, so I'm a bit used to it." Apex said, "Good, because I don't want you acting like a wild animal and I have to get you and explain everything." Scootaloo replied, Apex chuckled, "Well, I don't really have much to unpack, these two trash bags are all I have." Apex said, "I'll share my bed with you, it's nice and comfy." Scootaloo replied, Apex looked and saw Scootaloo had a big bed, "Dinner's ready." Aunt Holiday said from the dining room, "Come on, Apex, Auntie Lofty's cooking's really good." Scootaloo said, and the two went to the dining room. Apex sat with Scootaloo, Aunt Holiday, and Auntie Lofty, he looked at his dinner, it was hay, lettuce, tomatoes, toast, and vegetable soup, "Is something the matter, Apex?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I'm accustomed to eating meat." Apex replied, "We don't eat meat, Apex, that's why we have hay." Auntie Lofty said, "Also, I didn't eat bread for grains back at home, I had rice." Apex said, "I'm sorry, Apex, but we don't have any rice here in Ponyville." Aunt Holiday replied, "Did you grow it all by hoof?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No, my parents bought it from the nearby town." Apex replied, "What did you drink back at home?" Scootaloo asked, "Water." Apex replied, "That's it?" Scootaloo asked, "Yup." Apex replied, "No tea or coffee?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "How about milk?" Auntie Lofty asked, "I never drank that before, either." Apex replied, "Wow, I'm sure you've seen some foods and drinks of civilized ponies before." Auntie Lofty said, "I have, my dad drank beer on several occasions." Apex replied, "No, Apex, you're not having alcohol in this house." Aunt Holiday said, "My dad didn't drink much, he said it was to wash away his memories of his childhood home, he never talked about his past." Apex replied, "Did your mom ever share her culture with you?" Scootaloo asked, "Yup, she taught me all about what plants to eat to survive and medicine." Apex replied, "Did you ever learn gardening?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Scootaloo, I think you should take Apex around Ponyville and let him make some friends." Aunt Holiday said, "Um... I'm not sure if they'll welcome him the way he is now." Scootaloo replied, Aunt Holiday looked and saw Apex was eating with his hoofs, "Use the fork and spoon, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, "Um, what's a fork?" Apex asked, "This is a fork." Scootaloo said as she held hers up, "And a spoon?" Apex asked, "This." Scootaloo replied as she held it in her other front hoof, she showed him how to use them and Apex copied her, "Did you use anything to help you eat back in the woods, Apex?" Auntie Lofty asked, Apex ate with his hoofs again, "*sigh* Besides your hoofs, Apex." Auntie Lofty said, "Knives." Apex replied, "That's it?" Scootaloo asked, "Yup, we didn't have forks and spoons in the woods, but my parents and I always had a knife with us, it is the most important tool to have in the wilderness." Apex replied, "How did you eat soup?" Scootaloo asked, "I just drank it straight out of whatever it was in." Apex replied, "Whatever it was in?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, my mom would put soup in bowls made from either wood or rock, usually rock." Apex replied, "What was usually in the soup?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Meat, leaves, grass, and various plants." Apex replied, "What about stock for the soup's flavor?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No stock, soup was just plain boiled water." Apex replied, "Come on now, Apex, eat your dinner." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex ate everything with his hoofs, he finished his dinner and burped loudly, Scootaloo listened and heard the birds flying away outside, "Excuse you, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, Apex smelled the plate and began licking the food off of it, "No." Aunt Holiday said, "No, Apex, we don't lick our plates." Auntie Lofty said as she pulled it away from him, he picked up the toast and bit it, he chewed slowly, "I taste something inside of this." Apex said, "It's butter." Scootaloo replied, "What's butter?" Apex asked, "Well, it's basically cream or milk, it's been smashed and moved around by a plunger to turn it into butter." Auntie Lofty replied, Apex continued eating the toast, "Well, do you like it?" Aunt Holiday asked, "It's alright." Apex replied, and he finished the toast, he picked up the bowl of soup next and began drinking from it, "Um, Apex." Scootaloo said, Apex looked at her, "You're supposed to eat the food at the top first, then drink the soup." Scootaloo said, Apex put the bowl down and tried using the spoon, he held it over his mouth and let the food drop into his mouth, "No, Apex, you put the spoon in your mouth." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex did with the next spoonful, "Well, I think this won't be too bad." Aunt Holiday said, Auntie Lofty and Scootaloo smiled and finished their dinners. Scootaloo took Apex to the sink and showed him how to use it, "The left valve is the red one, that turns on the hot water, the right valve is the blue one, that turns on the cold water, you turn on both of them to get warm water." Scootaloo said, "So I don't have to go out and look for a body of water to wash whatever these are?" Apex asked, "No, you don't, and they're called plates." Scootaloo replied, and Apex washed the dishes, Scootaloo put dish soap on the plates and helped Apex wash the dishes, "What is that?" Apex asked, "Dish soap, it's used to get rid of any germs or bacteria on the plates." Scootaloo replied, Apex hunched over, "What's wrong?" Scootaloo asked, "When I lived in the woods, we never had to add stuff like that to clean what we ate on." Apex replied, "What did you use?" Scootaloo asked, "Lemon juice." Apex replied, "You had lemon juice in the woods?" Scootaloo asked, "Not bottled lemon juice, my parents and I squeezed lemons by hoof to make the juice for cleaning, it's also good for cleaning wounds." Apex replied, "But it hurts." Scootaloo said, "You just have to endure it." Apex replied, "We have band-aids and ointments for injuries, Apex, no need for painful stuff like that." Aunt Holiday said, "What's a band-aid like?" Apex asked, "You put it on a scrape or a cut, and it heals it over time, but taking the band-aid off really hurts." Scootaloo replied, "How much?" Apex asked, "A lot." Scootaloo replied, "Finish washing your dishes, don't leave the water running like that." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex finished washing the dishes. Apex and Scootaloo went to Scootaloo's room and got ready for bed, Scootaloo put on a onesie, it was dark blue with rockets on it, it covered her entire body except her neck and head, "Come on, Apex, it's almost bedtime." Scootaloo said, "What are you wearing?" Apex asked, "It's called pajamas." Scootaloo replied, "Huh. I've never heard of that type of clothing." Apex said, "It's what people wear when they sleep, now come on, we have to brush our teeth." Scootaloo replied, and they went to the bathroom and Scootaloo brushed her teeth with mint flavored toothpaste and a toothbrush, "Um, I have my own method of brushing my teeth." Apex said, "You'll have to brush your teeth this way tonight, Apex, now come on." Scootaloo replied, and Apex did, he copied Scootaloo on how to use the toothbrush, she spat the toothpaste into the sink and then rinsed her mouth twice, Apex did the same, the two went back to Scootaloo's bedroom and shared her bed together, "Goodnight, Apex." Scootaloo said, "Goodnight." Apex said, and the two closed their eyes'. Apex tried to sleep but could not, he opened his eyes and it was dark, and Scootaloo was asleep, he picked up his two trash bags and headed outside, he looked for the nearest tree and saw it was right beside the home, he trotted there and put his trash bags down, he dug a small hole and buried his stuff, he then jumped and climbed up the tree and rested on a tree branch and slept comfortably.
Chapter 2Scootaloo woke up the next morning and yawned and stretched, she looked and saw Apex was gone, "Apex?" Scootaloo asked, she got out of bed and took her pajamas off, "Apex?" Scootaloo asked as she walked around her home, "Apex, where are you?" Scootaloo asked as she continued to search her home, she soon walked outside, "Apex?" Scootaloo asked as she walked around her front yard, she looked and screamed when she saw Apex, "Apex!" Scootaloo said, Apex woke up and looked at her, "What are you doing in the tree?!" Scootaloo asked, "I'm not comfortable in a bed." Apex replied, "Why not?" Scootaloo asked, "It's not high enough off the ground." Apex replied, the two heard walking and Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty walked out of their home, "What's the matter, Scootaloo?" Aunt Holiday asked, Aunt Holiday was wearing a yellow long-sleeve shirt and a yellow night hat while Auntie Lofty was wearing a light pink long-sleeve nightgown, the two saw Apex in the tree, Aunt Holiday exclaimed and put her hoof over her own mouth, "Oh, my goodness." Auntie Lofty said, "Come down here, Apex, everypony will freak out if you sleep in the tree every night." Scootaloo said, "I can't sleep up here?" Apex asked, "No, now come on, Apex, come on down." Auntie Lofty said as she flew up to get him, she grabbed him and flew down, "We have to get ready for the day, Apex, so feel free to look around the yard, and go explore Ponyville, since Scootaloo has to go to school today, so go out and try to make some friends." Aunt Holiday said, and she went into her home with Auntie Lofty and Scootaloo. Apex took his trash bags out of the ground and took out fish, he began eating them and spat out any fat and bones in his mouth, he ate loudly and chewed with some of the meat hanging out of his mouth, he finished and began eating his roasted locusts next, Apex smiled while he chewed them and enjoyed hearing the crunches, he got full and soon finished having breakfast. Apex walked around and was reeled up on his hind legs, he walked like a bipedal creature while carrying his trash bags in his front hoofs, "Wait, is that?" Apex asked as he ran to it, "Sweet, a toothbrush tree." Apex said, and he took a knife out of one of his trash bags and cut off a piece of it, he trimmed the bark off of one end and held it in his mouth. Apex put the knife back in his trash bag and carried them back to Scootaloo's home, he sat and began rubbing the stick on his teeth, Scootaloo came out of her home shortly afterwards, "Breakfast's ready..." Scootaloo said before she exclaimed at seeing what Apex was doing, Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty walked wearing their regular attire to see what was going on, "What are you doing now?" Scootaloo asked, "This stick is from that tree over there, that's a toothbrush tree, you can use it to strengthen and clean your teeth." Apex replied, "But we just made breakfast." Aunt Holiday said, "I already ate." Apex replied, "Oh, well, you still shouldn't go around with that stick in your mouth, you'll gross out a lot of ponies." Auntie Lofty said, Apex looked down, "Come on, Scootaloo, eat your breakfast, you'll be late for school." Auntie Lofty said, and they entered the house. Apex opened one of his trash bags and put on an outfit, he heard the door open about twenty minutes later and he saw Scootaloo walking out with a saddlebag, Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty said bye to her while Scootaloo waved at them, she stopped and looked at Apex's outfit, he was wearing a black trash bag over his upper body, a jacket with the upper part having white fur on it, the lower part being made from black leather, the upper half of the right sleeve was made out of red cotton, while the lower half was made out of dark purple cotton, the upper half of the left sleeve was made out of blue cotton, while the lower half was made out of dark orange cotton, the top part of his pants were made out of blue denim, and the trouser legs down from his knees to his hoofs were dark red cotton sleeves of a blazer hoof sewn onto the pants, he was also wearing the four bottom parts of his plastic bottles on his hoofs as shoes that were secured on with rope, and the silver cooking pot on his head as a hat. Scootaloo and her aunts looked at him with dropped jaws, "What are you wearing?" Scootaloo asked, "I always wear this outside." Apex replied, "But... what is with your shirt and pants?" Scootaloo asked, "They're trash from the woods I lived in, I just found them, sewn them together with the fur of the animals I hunted, and made them." Apex replied, "Is that a trash bag you're wearing?" Scootaloo asked, "It's a poncho, trash bags are waterproof." Apex replied, "What about that pot on your head?" Scootaloo asked, "It's to keep my head cool, protects me in the rain, too." Apex replied, "But... what about those plastic bottles on your hoofs?" Scootaloo asked, "Makeshift shoes, the town near the woods didn't have any to protect my hoofs from stepping on sharp objects." Apex replied, "You can't go into Ponyville wearing that, you look ridiculous." Auntie Lofty said, "As I said, I had to improvise." Apex replied, "*sigh* Head on to school, Scootaloo, you're going to be late, and as for you, Apex, try not to cause trouble, Holiday and I have work to do, too, so we won't be available for some time." Auntie Lofty said, and she and Aunt Holiday went into the house while Scootaloo walked to the school. Apex picked up his trash bags and walked around, he looked and saw the Everfree Forest, "Sweet, a forest." Apex said, and he ran to it. Scootaloo was in school and working, she had trouble focusing on her work while she worked in class as she remembered what her parents said, "Scootaloo, don't take Apex to school, his behavior will get him in a lot of trouble." Mane Allgood said in Scootaloo's mind, she worked on her assignment while thinking about Apex, "Scootaloo?" Cheerilee asked, Scootaloo became startled and looked up, "Are you okay?" Cheerilee asked, "Yeah, I'm just a little tired." Scootaloo replied, "Really? Ya don't seem tired." Apple Bloom said, "Yeah, you've been shaking a bit while you write." Sweetie Belle said, "Sorry, a lot's been on my mind recently." Scootaloo replied, "Did something happen yesterday?" Cheerilee asked, "My mom and dad came home to visit me, and they talked about how they met these foals that are homeless and have no parents." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, I see, well, it's unfortunate, but yes, there are some areas in Equestria where foals have no home nor any parents, Princess Celestia is trying to the best of her ability to have them taken care of." Cheerilee said, "Well, my parents were talking about helping them, so they'll be gone again to tend to them." Scootaloo said, "I'm sorry to hear that, but try to focus, Scootaloo, you still have to do your class work as homework if you don't finish." Cheerilee replied, and Scootaloo tried to work. Scootaloo worked and sweated while thoughts about Apex in Ponyville rushed through her head, she saw Apex eating the pages in Twilight Sparkle's books, digging through other ponies' trash for items for him to use as tools, eating flowers from other ponies' gardens, sleeping on roofs, and taking apart clothes to make his own custom-made outfits, Scootaloo shook her head and focused on her work. Recess came and Scootaloo played with her class while having fun and she had trouble focusing a few times while thinking about Apex, "Scootaloo, the ball." Sweetie Belle said, she snapped back into reality and saw the ball, she caught it and threw it, the foals cheered and Scootaloo ran while she looked at Ponyville and wondered what Apex was doing. Apex was in the Everfree Forest and sitting on the ground, "Okay, let's see what we have here." Apex said as he sat and looked around, he walked around carefully and examined the trees and plants in the forest, "Okay, got some new trees I've never seen before, a few berries, and creatures hiding in the shadows." Apex said, he took a knife out of one of his trash bags and cut a piece of bark off of each tree to mark his path in case he got lost. Apex walked forward and saw a beehive in a tree, he examined it, "Okay, we got some honeybees in this forest." Apex said, he walked around and cut off a branch of every tree, he stopped at one tree, "Ooh, a gum tree." Apex said, and he cut some of the sap off and began to chew on it, he explored the Everfree Forest, he cut the tree bark off of one tree and stopped when he saw yellow ants with lemon shaped bodies on his knife, "Sweet, lemon ants." Apex said, and he began to eat them, he ate a few and continued exploring the Everfree Forest. Apex walked forward and soon came across a small cave, he ducked his head under and looked up, "Ooh, honey ants." Apex said, and he took some of them and bit into their abdomens to eat the honey, he ate five honey ants and continued onward. Apex cut off a part of the tree bark of every tree he came across and went farther into the forest, he came to an area with nothing around, "Okay, this looks like a good spot." Apex said, and he sat and rested, he looked around the forest and saw many eyes watching him from the shadows, he took a spear out of one of his trash bags while sweating, the creatures hid away and Apex heard walking, he put his spear back in the trash bag and took his bow and an arrow out. Apex aimed the bow and arrow as he heard the walking get closer, he saw a zebra come forward, "My, what have we here, I have followed the marks on the trees from all the way back there." the zebra said, "Ally or enemy?" Apex asked as he aimed his bow at her, "I am Zecora, I am a friend, because out here, people tend to meet their ends." the zebra replied, "Um, I marked my way back in case I get lost." Apex said, "Indeed, but you still just a foal, this forest is an area where you will probably let loose your bowels." Zecora replied, "I've lived in the woods all my life." Apex said, "While you have lived in the woods for many years in a row, how many of these plants and animals do you know?" Zecora asked, "Not much, actually." Apex replied, "Surely, you have a name, since some of you ponies look the same." Zecora said, "I'm Apex." Apex replied, "I live in a hut close to here, if you wish, I can take you there." Zecora said, "Okay." Apex replied, and he walked on his hind legs while he put his trash bags in his front hoofs, Zecora had an uncomfortable face at seeing Apex walk like a bipedal creature, she led him to her home while Apex kept his guard up. Apex arrived at Zecora's hut and he saw her herbal medicines and potions, "Wow, my mom taught me about medicine, but never this." Apex said, "Making medicines is one of my traits, it is not the only thing I create." Zecora replied, "My mom taught me how to use plants, animals, and bugs as medicine." Apex said, "While they have healing properties, I understand, but it is something most people cannot stand." Zecora replied, "Oh." Apex said, he looked around and saw Zecora's potions, they were unlabeled, so he did not touch them, "You seem busy." Apex said, "That I am, and I promise you that I am not a sham." Zecora replied, Apex smiled, "What do you say, would you like to stay?" Zecora asked, "No, I should head home." Apex replied, and he went outside. Apex walked down the path and went to where he was at before Zecora found him, he looked at the sky and saw the sun going down a little bit, he followed the marks he put on the trees to find his way out and headed back to Scootaloo's home. Scootaloo finished school and walked with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, "What do y'all wanna do today?" Apple Bloom asked, "Why don't we go see Pinkie Pie and see if she has any new candy?" Sweetie Belle asked, "That sounds good, but I have stuff to do at home today." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, really?" Apple Bloom asked, Scootaloo nodded, "Bye, then, we'll buy some candy for you." Sweetie Belle said, "Alright, thanks, bye." Scootaloo replied, and she trotted home. Scootaloo arrived home and Apex was nowhere to be found, so she entered her home and saw Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty working on a quilt, "Welcome home, Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday said, "Is Apex around?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope, he left to go explore, and he hasn't come back, yet." Auntie Lofty replied, "I didn't see him in Ponyville, either, I was worried he was eating other pony's stuff and digging through their trash." Scootaloo said, "Well, it's good he isn't, anyway, I'm sure he'll be back soon." Aunt Holiday said as she sat and drank coffee, Scootaloo did her homework and groaned while clutching her head since the homework was hard for her. The door opened and Scootaloo's attention was caught, "Welcome home, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, "Thanks." Apex replied, and he walked into Scootaloo's room, he put his trash bags down and took his outfit off, he walked to Scootaloo to see what she was working on, "What are you doing?" Apex asked, "Homework, it's work from school, any class work I don't finish becomes homework, too." Scootaloo replied, Apex looked at her homework and saw it, "Can you help me?" Scootaloo asked, "Sorry, but I'm completely illiterate." Apex replied, "I figured you would be." Scootaloo said, and Apex watched Scootaloo write, "How are you doing in school?" Apex asked, "I'm failing, I have trouble focusing cause it's so boring." Scootaloo replied, "Do you like school?" Apex asked, "It's alright." Scootaloo replied, and she continued working on her homework while Apex watched, Scootaloo groaned and put her head down, "You finished?" Apex asked, "No, I'm resting, my eyes are tired." Scootaloo replied, and Apex watched her, "Scootaloo, cookies are ready." Auntie Lofty said, Scootaloo got out of her chair and trotted, she came back with cookies, "Here, Apex, try one." Scootaloo said, and he did, "Hmm, it's not what I usually eat, but I like it." Apex said, "Like I said, Auntie Lofty makes the best cookies ever." Scootaloo replied, and the two ate them, Scootaloo went back to her homework while Apex went into her trash bin, "What the? Apex." Scootaloo said, Apex looked at her, "What are you doing in my trash?" Scootaloo asked, "Trash bins and trash cans were often sources of food for me back when I lived in the woods." Apex replied, "Eww. No, don't go into other ponies' trash, Apex, you'll make them mad if you dump them all over the ground." Scootaloo said, Apex looked and saw a lot of paper balls in her trash, "There's nothing but paper in my trash." Scootaloo said, "I eat paper sometimes." Apex replied, Scootaloo gagged while he held her mouth closed when she felt herself about to vomit, but it went back down, "Don't eat paper, Apex, it grosses out ponies." Scootaloo said, "It's only if I have nothing else." Apex replied, "Don't eat paper, period." Scootaloo said, Apex became speechless and Scootaloo continued doing her homework and finished, "*sigh* It's finally done." Scootaloo said, "Scootaloo, Apex, dinner's ready." Aunt Holiday said, and the two went to the dining room. Apex sat and saw dinner was spaghetti with tomato sauce and a side dish of tomatoes marinated in tomato sauce, Apex ate the tomatoes with his hoofs while Scootaloo and her aunts looked at him with dropped jaws, he then bent over and slurped noodles into his mouth without using his hoofs, "Apex." Scootaloo said, Apex looked at her, "You're supposed to eat it like this." Scootaloo said, and she spun her fork around to get a few noodles on it and ate it, "What's wrong with eating this way?" Apex asked in a muffled voice with noodles hanging out of his mouth, "Apex, don't talk with your mouth full, that's bad manner." Auntie Lofty said, "But my parents did it all the time." Apex replied with the noodles still hanging out of his mouth, "Well, don't do it in public, it's very bad manner." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex slurped the rest of the noodles and chewed and swallowed them, "What do you know about civilization, Apex?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Some, I know what a school is, I know what a store is, too, and my dad kept money in case he needed to use it to buy me and my mom supplies in case we ran out." Apex replied, "Where did you go today, Apex?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I went to a forest near the town." Apex replied, Scootaloo and her aunts jump back in their chairs, "You went into the Everfree Forest?!" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah. Why?" Apex asked, "That place is dangerous." Scootaloo replied, "Really? I didn't have any problems there, I found some interesting things in there, too." Apex said, "Like what?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Well, I found some lemon ants, you can eat those, I found some honey ants, you can eat those, too, and I found a gum tree." Apex replied, "A what tree?" Aunt Holiday asked, "A gum tree, you can eat and chew its sap like it's chewing gum." Apex replied, "How is it?" Scootaloo asked, "Well, it's chewy and sticky, not much taste, though, but it's good for cleaning and strengthening your teeth." Apex replied, "Did you make any friends today?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Well, I did meet a zebra in the forest today." Apex replied, "That's Zecora, we go to her for potions to cure sicknesses and diseases, she comes to town every once in a while." Scootaloo said, "Did she show you the way out?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No, I found the exit on my own." Apex replied, "How did you find your way out?" Scootaloo asked, "Let's just say I have my methods." Apex replied, "Okay, anyway, why were you sleeping in the tree last night?" Auntie Lofty asked, "It's from my experiences in the woods I used to live in, those who didn't sleep in high grounds would get attacked and eaten by the bears." Apex replied, "Oh, no wonder why you went into the trees." Aunt Holiday said, "Trees are not always safe, either, my parents and I had to check the tree to make sure there were no snakes in it." Apex replied, "They weren't friendly?" Scootaloo asked, "No, they'd bite and eat anything in the tree, they were poisonous, too." Apex replied, "Oh." Scootaloo said, "What were your parents' names and jobs?" Aunt Holiday asked, "My mom's name was Nature Lover, she didn't have a job and lived in the woods all of her life, my dad worked in the nearby town as a taxi pony, that's how I learned about money." Apex replied, "What was your dad's name?" Scootaloo asked, "Bickle." Apex replied, "That's a strange name, well, go on and finish your meal before it gets cold, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, and they had dinner, washed the dishes together, and went into bed. Apex could not sleep and he was about to go back outside, "Apex." Scootaloo said, he turned back and saw she was still awake, "Are you going outside?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah. Why?" Apex asked, "Well, I can't sleep, so if you want to, I can show you around Ponyville." Scootaloo replied, Apex thought about it for a minute, "Sure." Apex replied, "Hold on, I'm going to go get my scooter." Scootaloo said, and she got out of bed and took her pajamas off, the two headed outside and Scootaloo drove out her scooter and wagon, "Get on, Apex, I'll give you a quick tour of the town." Scootaloo said, and he went into the wagon and Scootaloo drove her scooter. Scootaloo drove her scooter into Ponyville while Apex sat in the wagon, she stopped at the train station, "This is the train station, we go here when we want to leave Ponyville and go elsewhere." Scootaloo said, "The town near the woods I lived in didn't have a train station." Apex said, "How many visitors did the town get?" Scootaloo asked, "Not many, mostly hikers." Apex replied, "Hold on tight, Apex." Scootaloo said, and she drove to the next area, "This is the post office, we send our mail here and the mailpony will deliver it to the receiver." Scootaloo said, "How far does it deliver?" Apex asked, "All over Equestria." Scootaloo replied, "The town near me didn't have a post office, either, so if you had to give something to someone, you had to walk and hand it to them directly." Apex said, "What if they live out of town?" Scootaloo asked, "You still have to walk." Apex replied, "Wow." Scootaloo said, and she drove to the market area, "This is the market area, this is where you buy your things." Scootaloo said, "No stores?" Apex asked, "There's a few, hold on." Scootaloo replied, and she drove to the next area, "This is Sugarcube Corner, this is where you buy all of your sweets and candies." Scootaloo said, "What kind of sweets?" Apex asked, "Anything, pies, cakes, lollipops, cupcakes, you name it, it's a popular place for kids to go to after school." Scootaloo replied, "Wow, the town near me at my old home only had bubblegum." Apex said, "Um... I don't think Sugarcube Corner has that." Scootaloo replied, "Thought it would, it's quite common, easy to make, too." Apex said, "Well, anyway, onto the next area." Scootaloo said, and she drove to her next destination, "This is Carousel Boutique, this is where dresses are made for fashion shows." Scootaloo said, "My mom hated dresses." Apex said, "They're alright for me." Scootaloo replied, "How many more places are there?" Apex asked, "A few more." Scootaloo replied, and she drove to her next destination, "This restaurant is famous for its hayburgers, I think you'll like them." Scootaloo said, "Are they free?" Apex asked, "No, you have to buy them." Scootaloo replied, "I can't have any, then." Apex said, "Well, maybe I'll buy one for you." Scootaloo replied, and she drove to her next destination, "This is the Castle of Friendship, it's Princess Twilight's home." Scootaloo said, "Princess Twilight?" Apex asked, "Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, she's an alicorn?" Scootaloo asked, "Never heard of her." Apex replied, "What about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Anyway, the next area's over here." Scootaloo said, and she drove to it, "This is the School of Friendship, it's focused on spreading friendship to areas outside of Equestria." Scootaloo said, "I didn't know there were other places outside of Equestria." Apex said, "There's plenty, we got a dragon, a griffon, a yak, a changeling, and a hippogriff in the school, Twilight's now trying to get kirins to attend." Scootaloo replied, "I've heard about kirins, my mom said she saw one when she was a kid." Apex said, "Well, I'll take you to two more places since it's getting late." Scootaloo said, and she drove to her next destination, "This is where Fluttershy lives, I go to see her sometimes." Scootaloo said, Apex saw the many animals at Fluttershy's sanctuary and his mouth watered, "No, Apex, don't think about eating them, Fluttershy will be mad." Scootaloo said, Apex tried to stop himself and Scootaloo drove to the last area, "This is Sweet Apple Acres, it's famous for its apples and cider." Scootaloo said, "Hmm, this place looks interesting." Apex said, "Look up above you, Apex." Scootaloo said, and he did, "Do you see it?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, the cloud city?" Apex asked, "That's Cloudsdale, only Pegasi can walk on clouds, Rainbow Dash takes me up there sometimes, she lives in that big fancy house you see up there, too." Scootaloo replied, "Wow, it's a pretty big city." Apex said, "Well, come on, let's go back home, it's getting late." Scootaloo said, and she drove home. Scootaloo drove home but stopped when she saw Cranky Doodle Donkey and Matilda walking together, "What are you kids doing up this late at night?" Cranky Doodle asked, "Sorry, I was just showing Apex around, my parents brought him here yesterday, he lived in the wilderness before they found him." Scootaloo replied, "Why don't you introduce him to the other ponies?" Matilda asked, "Because he doesn't act civilized, he sleeps in trees and eats bugs and meat." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, just like when we were kids." Matilda said, "Yup, stuff like that was normal back then." Cranky Doodle said, "Wait, it was?" Scootaloo asked, "Sure was, we didn't have the things we have now back then, and we lived just like Apex." Cranky Doodle replied, "I did find a gum tree in the Everfree Forest today." Apex said, "Oh, I liked gum trees as a kid, we boiled their saps back then." Cranky Doodle replied, "Yes, that was a fun time, you're welcome to come see us anytime, Apex, I'm sure we can help you with some of the plants you don't know around here." Matilda said, Apex smiled, "Wow, first, a zebra, and now donkeys, I'm making some strange friends around here." Apex said, "Well, head on home, you two, we should go, too." Cranky Doodle replied, and he and Matilda headed home, "What is that there?" Apex asked as he pointed forward, "Oh, that's the school I attend." Scootaloo replied, "It's pretty small." Apex said, "It is, well, let's head home." Scootaloo said, and she drove home and slept in bed while Apex could not sleep.
Chapter 3Scootaloo'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.
Chapter 5Morning came and Apex entered the house and went to Scootaloo's bed, she woke up and yawned and stretched, "Morning, Apex." Scootaloo said, "Morning." Apex replied, and Scootaloo walked out of bed and took her pajamas off, "I'm off from school today." Scootaloo said, "Okay, I can teach you a few things in the forest." Apex replied, "Okay, hold on, I have to pee." Scootaloo said, and she went to the bathroom and Apex went outside and jumped back into the tree branch to look around, he saw several ponies coming to the house. Scootaloo came out of the bathroom and had breakfast, knocking was heard at the door and Scootaloo and her aunts went to it, Aunt Holiday opened the door and the three looked on with surprise when they saw how many people came to visit, they saw Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom, Cranky Doodle, Matilda, and Zecora, "What are you all doing here?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Howdy, Holiday, is Apex awake?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yeah, he's up." Scootaloo replied, "What brings you all here?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Well, since it's a weekend and we're off, we thought we might learn a thing or two from him." Cranky Doodle replied, "Hold on, I'll be down soon." Apex said, "Get down from there, Apex, we've been through this." Auntie Lofty said, "I'm coming." Apex replied, and he climbed down, "How do you climb up there?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Like this." Apex replied, and he jumped onto the branches and swung his own body up to stand on top of the branch and repeated until he was high enough, he came back down afterwards, "Can ya teach me one day?" Apple Bloom asked, "If I have the time, alright, well, there's actually a tree here we can use." Apex replied, and he took them to it, "This is the toothbrush tree, cut a piece off and rub it on your teeth, when the the fibers become like bristles, bite off that part and continue brushing your teeth with it, I personally prefer to skin the bark off, but that's optional." Apex said, and he brushed his teeth with his old stick, "Oh, this brings back memories, I brushed my teeth with these all the time when I was a kid." Cranky Doodle said, "I did, too." Granny Smith replied, "So did I, I loved using those when I was a kid." Matilda said, "Um, how does it work?" Applejack asked, "Like a toothbrush, but you don't need any toothpaste to use it." Apex replied, "You ever use one, Big Mac?" Applejack asked, "Eenope." Big Macintosh replied, "Come on, I think you all will like it." Apex said, and he gave a piece out to each one, they all tried it, "Wow, it's actually pretty good." Applejack said, "Yes, my teeth feels clean." Fluttershy said, "While I think this is a bit strange, a change in my lifestyle can be arranged." Zecora said, "Well, that's the first one, come on, I got more to show in the forest." Apex said, and they followed him. Apex and the others arrived at Fluttershy's sanctuary and the animals growled and gave angry looks at him, "Oh, um... I didn't eat any of your relatives back in the woods, did I?" Apex asked while sweating, the animals growled at him more, "Come on, everyanimal, calm down, he's not here to cause trouble." Fluttershy said, and they did, Apex and the others went into the Everfree Forest. Apex led the others into the Everfree Forest and showed them a beehive, "Those are honeybees, good for honey and edible to eat, just don't get stung." Apex said, "We used to harvest bees for honey when Ah was a filly, we stopped doin' it when honey became profitable." Granny Smith said, "How long ago was that?" Apex asked, "Long time ago." Granny Smith replied, "Well, the next thing is over here." Apex said, and he led them and showed them the lemon ants, "These are lemon ants, you can eat them, they taste just like lemons, so they're sour." Apex said, "Wow, Ah've never seen these before." Apple Bloom said, "How about the rest of you?" Apex asked, "Nope." Rainbow Dash replied, "Sorry, sugar cube." Applejack said, "Eenope." Big Macintosh said, "Mm-mm." Granny Smith said as she shook her head, "No." Scootaloo said, "No." Aunt Holiday said, "No." Auntie Lofty said, "Nope." Fluttershy said, "Those ants are interesting, you have got, seen them, I have not." Zecora said, "I have." Cranky Doodle said, "Me too." Matilda said, "Where?" Apex asked, "It was in a jungle I've been to, I think it was somewhere in western Equestria." Cranky Doodle replied, "Yeah, that sounds right." Matilda said, "Well, come on, the next things are over here." Apex said, and he led them to the honey ants, "These are honey ants, bite the bottom of them and you'll get honey." Apex said, Fluttershy looked at them, "They look like they're in pain." Fluttershy said, "Well, they are force fed." Apex replied, "Oh, you poor things, your tummies must hurt." Fluttershy said as she tried to comfort them with her wings, "Anyway, come on, I got one more thing to show to you all." Apex said, and they followed him, he led them to the gum tree, "This is a gum tree, you can chew its sap like its chewing gum, here, try one." Apex said, and he cut out pieces of the sap with one of his knives, he gave one to each person and they chewed it, "Wow, this is some tough tree sap." Applejack said, "It gets softer as you chew it more, it's good for cleaning and strengthening your teeth, too." Apex replied, "You know, Apex, back when Matilda and I were kids, we would boil these before eating them." Cranky Doodle said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yes, we used this tree sap and boiled it to make chewing gum." Matilda replied, "Wow, my parents and I always chewed tree sap and resin right off of the tree." Apex said, "We can't eat sap off of our apple trees, it'll weaken 'em." Applejack said, "Is there anythin' else to show us, Apex?" Apple Bloom asked, "Well, I wish I could, I'm noticing there's no moss in this forest, and I still haven't found a maple tree." Apex replied, "What's the maple tree for?" Apple Bloom asked, "You can harvest syrup from it." Apex replied, "What about the moss?" Scootaloo asked, "You can use it as a blanket." Apex replied, "Moss as a blanket? That sounds itchy." Aunt Holiday said, "It's not." Apex replied, they all looked forward and saw the carvings Apex put on the trees, "You have anything else to teach us, Apex?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Well, if you want, I can teach you all how to build shelter and set traps." Apex replied, "Nah, Ah'll pass, we have to work on the farm today." Applejack said, "Eeyup." Big Macintosh said, "I have Wonderbolts training, so maybe not." Rainbow Dash said, "And I have animals to feed." Fluttershy said, "I must go now, as I have to finish a potion for someone today since I made a vow." Zecora said, "Sorry, Apex, but Matilda and I have to do some shopping today." Cranky Doodle said, "Well, let's go then, y'all." Granny Smith said, and everybody got on with their days. Apex sat in Scootaloo's bedroom while Scootaloo worked on her scooter, "I hope you had fun, Scootaloo, I can probably teach you more if I find more things in the forest." Apex said, "I hope so, those were some pretty interesting things you taught us." Scootaloo replied, "You know, I have more ways to find my way back if I get lost than just carving trees." Apex said, "Really? I'd like to learn them." Scootaloo replied, "Sure, the other method's probably easier, too." Apex said, "What do I need?" Scootaloo asked, "A bunch of rocks, that's it." Apex replied, "I'll try it when the others want to learn." Scootaloo said, Apex smiled; the center of the floor burst open and Pinkie Pie came out while gasping, "Whoa!" Apex said as he jumped back, Scootaloo was startled as well, "I found you! I found you! I finally found you!" Pinkie Pie said, she stood out of the hole and hugged Apex tightly and let him go, "I thought I was going crazy when my Pinkie Sense told me there was somepony new in the town, but it kept telling me somepony new was here, and I've began searching the next day, I've been searching all over Ponyville for three days and this morning nonstop, and I finally found you! Come on, we're four days late and there's no time to waste, we've gotta throw your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party." Pinkie Pie said, and she trotted outside, "Who is that?" Apex asked, "Pinkie Pie, Ponyville's official party planner and party thrower." Scootaloo replied, "She's kind of loud." Apex said, "She's always like that." Scootaloo replied, "Well, I'll stay here for now." Apex said, "You're not going to go out to the party?" Scootaloo asked, "Not yet, I want to rest a bit first." Apex replied, "Oh." Scootaloo said, and Apex sat on the floor and got his energy back, "Apex." Pinkie Pie said as she opened the front door, he and Scootaloo looked at her, "Come on, your party's ready." Pinkie Pie said, and she headed out, Apex put his outfit on and he went outside with Scootaloo. Apex and Scootaloo headed into Ponyville and streamers and Pinkie Pie's party cannon went off, everypony partied while Apex looked around, "Hmph, quite a lively party." Apex said, he and Scootaloo walked together but everypony stopped partying and looked at Apex, "Apex, remember, we're not bipedal creatures." Scootaloo said, "I'm still not used to walking on four legs." Apex replied, the ponies murmured, Apex kept walking and Rarity screamed and ran to him, "What is this ridiculous outfit?!" Rarity asked with her voice cracking, Apex was wearing a black trash bag over his upper body, a jacket with the upper part having white fur on it, the lower part being made from black leather, the upper half of the right sleeve was made out of red cotton, while the lower half was made out of dark purple cotton, the upper half of the left sleeve was made out of blue cotton, while the lower half was made out of dark orange cotton, the top part of his pants were made out of blue denim, and the trouser legs down from his knees to his hoofs were dark red cotton sleeves of a blazer hoof sewn onto the pants, he was also wearing four bottom parts of plastic bottles on his hoofs as shoes that were secured on with rope, and a silver cooking pot on his head as a hat, "Well, since everybody is here, I'll just say it, I lived in the woods before I was brought here, this outfit was made from the scraps and trash I found in the woods." Apex said, "You can't wear that in town." Rarity replied, "I always wear this." Apex said, "No, no, no, this outfit belongs in the trash, it looks ridiculous, especially that cooking pot on your head." Rarity replied, "That's to protect me from the rain." Apex said, Rarity looked at him and screamed again, "Are you wearing a trash bag?!" Rarity asked, "Makeshift poncho." Apex said, "No! You most definitely cannot wear that, your shoes don't look normal, either." Rarity replied, "I made them from plastic bottles, and are secured to my hoofs with rope made from my mane and tail." Apex said, Rarity screamed again, "Shoes made from plastic bottles?! That is very uncouth, and held on with rope made from your mane?! You need to get a new outfit, you should come to my shop, and I'll get you a more proper and fashionable outfit." Rarity replied, and she walked away. "Who is that?" Apex asked, "Rarity, she runs Carousel Boutique, she's also Sweetie Belle's sister." Scootaloo replied, and Apex looked around a bit, "Apex, over here." Pinkie Pie said, and Apex walked to her, "Here, try some." Pinkie Pie said, Apex saw pies, cakes, and chips, he looked around and Pinkie Pie watched, he grabbed one and Pinkie Pie's smile widened, but she saw him pick up a cockroach and her smile went away, Apex began eating the cockroach and the ponies screamed, some of them spat out their foods and drinks while Roseluck fainted and Lily Valley and Daisy caught her, Rarity also fainted and fell on her couch. Pinkie Pie screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw Apex chewing the cockroach, "Apex! You're supposed to eat the pies, cake, and chips!" Scootaloo said, "I will after I finish this." Apex replied with his mouth full, and he swallowed the cockroach, "Tasty." Apex said, which made the ponies' stomachs turn. Apex grabbed a piece of a cake and pulled out a chunk at the bottom and put it in his mouth and chewed, "Too sweet." Apex said with his mouth full, "Come on, try a chip." Pinkie Pie said, "Which one's the chip?" Apex asked, Pinkie Pie handed one to him, "Oh, that's a chip." Apex said, and he ate one, he chewed slowly and saw how it tasted, "Too salty." Apex said, "Well, pretty much everything else I have is sweet, what would you like?" Pinkie Pie asked, Apex tried a sample of a pie, "Ooh, blueberry pie, one of my best." Pinkie Pie said, "What is this in the pie?" Apex asked, "They're filled with fruits, Apex." Scootaloo replied, "Fruits? My mom said the tribe she was from made pies with animal meat in them." Apex said, Pinkie Pie screamed again, "No! I am not making pies with meat, all of my pies have fruity flavors." Pinkie Pie said, "Um, actually, I've never had a pie before, my mom only talked about it." Apex replied, "You still shouldn't eat bugs and meat, Apex, that's a no-no in civilized areas." Pinkie Pie said, "What about you, Pinkie? I heard from Apple Bloom you grew up eating rocks." Scootaloo said, "I did." Pinkie Pie replied, "Really? I used rocks to make salt for preserving food and making fires." Apex said, "Ooh, I've always wanted to try rock salt, but mommy and daddy said no, but I do make rock candy." Pinkie Pie said, "What's candy?" Apex asked, "*gasp* You've never had candy?!" Pinkie Pie asked, "No." Apex replied, "Come on, I got some lollipops and cupcakes in my shop." Pinkie Pie said, "I'll stick to my meat and bugs." Apex replied, "Uh... suit yourself." Pinkie Pie said, and she walked away. Apex walked around while he looked at the others partying, "Wait, Apex." Twilight Sparkle said as she trotted to him, "You shouldn't walk like that, that's bad for your hind legs." Twilight Sparkle said, "I've walked like this all of my life." Apex replied, "Well, you shouldn't, our bodies weren't made to walk like that." Twilight Sparkle said, and he stood on all fours, "Do you have a horn and wings?" Apex asked, "Yes, I'm a princess, so I'm an alicorn, I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship." Twilight Sparkle replied, "As I said to Scootaloo, never heard of you." Apex said, Twilight Sparkle became speechless, "Um... what about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, rulers of Equestria?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Never heard of them, either." Apex replied, "Princess Cadence?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Did you hear about any of the threats in Equestria?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Only the Storm King." Apex replied, "Well, you have a lot of catching up to do, come to my library if you want to read anything." Twilight Sparkle said, "I'm illiterate." Apex replied, "That's fine, I can teach you, reading's really fun, I got some books for foals your age you might enjoy, come visit me in my castle anytime." Twilight Sparkle said, and she walked away. Apex walked around on all fours and kept looking around, he went to Scootaloo's home and came back with his trash bags and walked like a bipedal creature again, the others looked at him and he put his trash bags down, he opened one and began eating a frog, the ponies screamed while Fluttershy gasped and flew to him, she saw the bugs and animals he ate as food and began to cry, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack went to them, "What is this?!" Rarity asked, "My food." Apex replied, "Not that, why are you carrying your things in trash bags?" Rarity asked, "I just found them in the woods and decided to use them." Apex replied, "Where's your saddlebag?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Um, Twilight, Scootaloo and I learned that he didn't know what a saddlebag was before he came here, and Scootaloo let him try one of hers, he couldn't fit his stuff in it." Rainbow Dash replied, "What's in your other bag?" Twilight Sparkle asked, Apex took his tools out, "Wow, that's quite some stuff ya got there." Applejack said, "I made most of them myself, some of them are trash from the woods." Apex replied, "You never did say what the full bottle there is for." Scootaloo said, "Makeshift fishing rod, tie the string around it and you can fish with it." Apex replied, "How did you make those knives and hatchets?" Rainbow Dash asked, "I just carved and shaped some rocks and then tied them with rope." Apex replied, "You still shouldn't make rope from your mane and tail, we can style and groom it if you grow your mane out." Rarity said, "Rope made from one's mane and tail? Don't do that, Apex, nopony will want that, you can also buy rope from the store now." Twilight Sparkle said, "They didn't sell rope at the town close to the woods." Apex replied, "What do you use the rope for?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Usually tying weapons together and setting traps, I use rope for making shelter sometimes, too." Apex replied, "Did you say... setting traps?" Fluttershy asked, "Um, yeah, I have to eat." Apex replied, "Don't set traps in the Everfree Forest, Apex, you'll upset Fluttershy and the animals if you kill any of them." Scootaloo said, "Sorry, but if I sleep in the forest, I'm going to have to set traps around myself for self-defense reasons." Apex replied, "How are you going to deal with a roc?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I've got two long-range weapons for flying threats." Apex replied, "Two?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, he's got a bow and some arrows there, and he's got a gun right there." Rainbow Dash replied as she pointed to them, "Don't go shootin' that gun around, Apex, the last thing we need is being woken up at three in the mornin' by a gunshot." Applejack said, "My, I've never seen a contraption like that before." Rarity said, "Me neither." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Granny used to have one when Ah was a kid." Applejack said, "And my dad had one, guns are really loud, louder than my party cannon." Pinkie Pie replied, "Well, just wait a bit, Apex, I think I may have an alternate to trash bags for you to carry your things in, come on, everypony." Twilight Sparkle said, and the six mares walked away, "I didn't know they were all friends." Apex said, "They are, they're the six saviors of Equestria." Scootaloo said, "Seven." Spike said as he flew down to them, "I'm Spike, Twilight's number one assistant." Spike said, Apex held his tongue out while it watered, "Hey!" Spike said, "Sorry, but I can't help but think of you as lunch, I love dragon meat." Apex replied, Spike whimpered while sweating, "Don't eat him, Apex, he's a friend of mine." Scootaloo said, "Don't worry, I can restrain myself." Apex replied, "Well, you better, because you're going to have to answer to a very angry Twilight if you try to eat me." Spike said, and he flew away, "I didn't know this town had more than just ponies." Apex said, "There's more creatures at the School of Friendship, this way." Scootaloo replied, and she led him. Scootaloo led Apex to the School of Friendship and he saw the group of creatures, "The creatures are over there, those six are... huh?" Scootaloo said as she saw a new seventh member in the group, they went over to Apex and Scootaloo, "Hi, Apex, we've heard about you, we're students at the School of Friendship, I'm Sandbar, and these five are my friends, and we just got a new member this morning." Sandbar said, "I'm Smolder, I'm from the Dragon Lands." Smolder said, "I'm Silverstream from Mount Aris, nice to meet you, Apex." Silverstream said, "My name is Ocellus, I'm from the changeling kingdom." Ocellus said, "Me Yona, me from Yakyakistan." Yona said, "I'm from Griffonstone, call me Gallus if you want to see me." Gallus said, "I know what a dragon and a hippogriff are, but what about the rest of you?" Apex asked, "I'm a griffon, can't believe you can't tell by looking at me." Gallus replied, "I'm a changeling." Ocellus said, "And Yona yak." Yona said, "Okay, so who's that new creature with you guys?" Scootaloo asked, "Why, hello there, my name is Autumn Blaze, I just arrived here this morning as a new student, I am a kirin from Kirin Grove, we've been mostly forgotten because we've been silent, basically, two kirins argued, turned into niriks, burned our home down, and we were forced to become silent, but we just gained our voices back thanks to Fluttershy and Applejack, and have been forever grateful, Rain Shine sent me here to represent Kirin Grove and have been excited ever since, I'll be exploring Ponyville when I have the time, but other than that, great party." the new student replied, "I haven't forgotten about kirins, my mom mentioned you and hippogriffs in a bedtime story." Apex said, "Apex, did you know hippogriffs can also change to seaponies?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, I knew about that." Apex replied, his mouth watered again, "No, Apex, you're not eating a dragon." Scootaloo said, "I like bird meat, too." Apex replied, Silverstream screamed while Gallus got defensive, "Just go ahead and try it." Gallus said, "No, you're not eating birds, either." Scootaloo said, "Does Apex also eat yak?" Yona asked, "Never had one." Apex replied, "Phew." Yona said, "Say, Apex, have you ever tried a flower?" Autumn Blaze asked, "Yeah, I've had a few." Apex replied, "Great, I used to live in the woods, too, maybe I can teach you a few things." Autumn Blaze said, "I'll be looking forward to that." Apex replied, "Well, we'll be going now, till next time, Apex." Sandbar said, they walked away. Apex walked around Ponyville and the party was over, "Ooh, clovers." Apex said, and he picked them out of the ground and ate them, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, you could anger somepony." Scootaloo said, "Oh, sorry." Apex replied, and he stopped, he looked and saw the flower shop, he trotted to it and Scootaloo followed him. Apex arrived at the flower shop and saw Lily Valley, Daisy, and Roseluck selling flowers, "Hi, Apex, what would you like?" Daisy asked, Apex looked at the flowers, he saw an orange flower, "I'll take that one." Apex said as he pointed to it, "Ooh, that's a good choice, that'll be ten bits." Roseluck said, "Um..." Apex said, "I forgot my bits, too." Scootaloo said, "Tell you what, have your first one for free, consider it a welcoming gift." Lily Valley said, and she handed it to him, "Thank you." Apex said, "You're welcome." Roseluck replied, and he and Scootaloo walked away. Apex and Scootaloo walked together, "I didn't know you..." Scootaloo said shortly before Apex bit the flower and began eating it, the ponies who saw Apex gasped while the three mares screamed, "The horror, the horror!" Roseluck said, "No, Apex! Those are not for eating!" Scootaloo said, "Huh. I was wondering why they were also selling poisonous flowers." Apex replied with his mouth full, "They're for decorations and Hearts and Hooves Day." Scootaloo said, "Never heard of it." Apex replied, "You've never heard of Hearts and Hooves Day?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Then what did your parents do for wedding anniversaries?" Scootaloo asked, "My parents didn't celebrate them." Apex replied, "What? What about their wedding?" Scootaloo asked, "There wasn't one, my dad was hiding from something in the woods, my mom was exploring, they met each other, and fell in love at first sight." Apex replied, "Your dad never met your mom's parents?" Scootaloo asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Well, come on, Apex, the sun is setting, we have to head home." Scootaloo said, and the two went home. Scootaloo and Apex arrived home and saw Aunt Holiday drinking coffee and Auntie Lofty sewing, "Welcome home, how was the party?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I had some fun." Apex replied, "He ate a cockroach at the party." Scootaloo said, "He ate what?!" Auntie Lofty asked, "They were a delicacy back in the woods." Apex said, "Of all the things you eat, Apex, that is the last thing I want you to eat, that is the most disgusting bug there is." Auntie Lofty said, "Okay." Apex replied in a disappointed tone, "He also ate a flower." Scootaloo said, "A flower? That's rather unusual." Aunt Holiday replied, "Don't eat those, either, Apex, flowers are used for decorations and romantic relationships, you'll destroy somepony's work if you do." Auntie Lofty said, "I was surprised by the pies having fruits in them, my mom's tribe always made pies with meat in them." Apex replied, "Meat pie? You think we should bake a pie full of hay for him, Lofty?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I don't know, considering what his diet consists of, I don't think he's going to like it." Auntie Lofty replied, "I did try a pie, a cake, and a chip, I didn't like them too much." Apex said, "Is something the matter?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Pie and cake are too sweet, the chip is too salty." Apex replied, "Don't you put salt on your food?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Yeah, but not that much." Apex replied, "Well, I'll make dinner soon, so you two go ahead and rest." Auntie Lofty said as she sewn her quilt, the two went to Scootaloo's room. Scootaloo and Apex sat on the floor and Scootaloo worked on her scooter, the sun began to set and Scootaloo's bedroom window became white, she looked outside, "I guess tonight's gonna be foggy." Scootaloo said, she looked and saw Apex looking at the window with widened eyes, "What's wrong, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "My dad was scared of the fog." Apex replied, "How come?" Scootaloo asked, "Whenever there was a fog in the woods, my dad would tell me and my mom that we have to hide, he said it's because there are evil ponies in the fog who are coming to kill him." Apex replied, "Did he say anything about those ponies?" Scootaloo asked, "Only that they are led by a pony named Blake, that's it." Apex replied, "Blake? Are you sure he's not trying to scare you into not going anywhere dangerous?" Scootaloo asked, "I don't think so." Apex replied, "Why not?" Scootaloo asked, "Because there was one time when the fog came, my dad told me and my mom to run, I looked into the fog and I think I saw a silhouette of a male pony, black like a shadow with glowing red eyes, he had a sword, too." Apex replied, "Whoa, that is scary." Scootaloo said, "Yeah, I never saw it again, but my dad always told us to run and hide whenever the fog came." Apex replied, "Well, maybe you were just imagining it, you shouldn't worry about it." Scootaloo said as she walked around her room and looked at herself in the mirror, "My dad was scared of mirrors, too." Apex said, Scootaloo looked back at him, "What now? Something in the mirror you can't see when you look at it with your own eyes?" Scootaloo asked, "No, my dad said mirrors are portals to another world, he said if you touch it, you will reach into the other world, that world is a prison to a being called the Black God, he said its evil incarnate, and if you reach into the mirror, it will grab you in an attempt to come to this world." Apex replied, "That's just a folk story, Apex, that's not true." Scootaloo said, "Yeah, I don't believe it, either." Apex replied, Scootaloo smiled, "Scootaloo, Apex, dinner's ready." Auntie Lofty said, and the two went to the dining room. Apex had pumpkin for dinner and looked at it thoroughly, "It's a pumpkin, Apex." Scootaloo said, "I've never seen or heard of this." Apex replied, "It's a vegetable, we got that one from Sweet Apple Acres." Aunt Holiday said, "Pinkie also uses them to make pumpkin pie." Scootaloo said, "I thought she only made fruit pies." Apex said, "Pumpkins are an exception." Scootaloo replied, and he tried a piece, "Well?" Aunt Holiday asked, "What a strange taste." Apex replied, "Give it time, I didn't like pumpkin at first, either." Auntie Lofty said, "Have you ever seen a jack-o-lantern, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "No." Apex replied, "The town your father worked in never put them up for Nightmare Night?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I don't know what Nightmare Night is, but no, I've never seen a jack-o-lantern, my dad only talked about them being common from where he came from." Apex replied, "Do you know what Hearth's Warming is?" Scootaloo asked, "No." Apex replied, "Do you know any holidays?" Scootaloo asked, Apex stopped eating and thought for a minute, "Nope, my mom's tribe is too busy surviving to do anything for celebration, and my dad never talked about anything about his past or his home." Apex replied, "Not even parties or ceremonies?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Not a thing." Apex replied, Scootaloo and her aunts looked at him with surprised expressions, "Well, go on and finish your meal, Apex, it's almost bed time." Aunt Holiday said, and they finished their dinners and washed the dishes and headed to bed. Scootaloo and Apex laid in Scootaloo's bed and the two were still awake, "I can't sleep." Scootaloo said, "Me neither." Apex replied, "Well, how do you know about the dragons, hippogriffs, seaponies, and kirins?" Scootaloo asked, "Dragons came to the woods sometimes, hostile ones, my parents and I killed them in self-defense and ate them." Apex replied, Scootaloo almost vomited, "What about the other three creatures?" Scootaloo asked, "It's from a tale my mom told me before I fell asleep." Apex replied, "How does it go?" Scootaloo asked, "There is this deity called Mother Nature, she looks like a horse rather than a pony, and she has wings like a Pegasus and a horn like a unicorn, she has four elements, and controls the entire world, but as ponies got more civilized, industrialization and technology developed, and it made her powers weaker, so she transferred them to the other creatures, but her powers were too powerful for one creature to use, so she gave her powers to four people, a Pegasus, an earth pony, a hippogriff, and a kirin. The kirin's name is Meteorite Hellfire, she received the Element of Fire, she controls the flames throughout the world and also controls the volcanoes, the hippogriff is Tsunami, she received the Element of Water, she controls the sea and arctic areas, she has completely control over water and ice, my mom said she can change to a seapony to see what happens underwater, the earth pony is Earthquake, she received the Element of Earth, she controls the dirt, sand, soil, plants, trees, fungi, rocks, stones, and mountains, she has the most powers, and the Pegasus is Raging Tornado, she received the Element of Air, she controls the winds and tornadoes, she also has control over the skies, the four act in Mother Nature's place, and cause disasters when someone does something that displeases Mother Nature." Apex replied, "What did Mother Nature do?" Scootaloo asked, "Watch over the world, she has telepathic control over all animals, too, animals attacking us was seen as a sign that we did something to anger her." Apex replied, "So, what do the four elements represent?" Scootaloo asked, "Nature, and also physical capabilities, Meteorite Hellfire is the physically strongest, Tsunami is the most flexible and agile, Earthquake is the most durable, and Raging Tornado is the fastest." Apex replied, "Wow, I've never heard that story." Scootaloo said, "It's from my mom's tribe, they were isolated from the world, well, let's try to sleep, goodnight, Scootaloo." Apex replied, "Goodnight." Scootaloo said, and the two tried to sleep.
Chapter 6Morning came and Scootaloo yawned while she saw Apex was not in the room, she went to go use the bathroom and went to the dining room, "Where's Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "He's outside." Auntie Lofty replied, and Scootaloo ate breakfast, she had cookies for breakfast, she finished and went back to her room, she looked out the window and saw Apex eating frogs, her stomach turned a little and she began to work on her scooter. Knocking was heard at the door and Scootaloo went to open it, she saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, "Mornin' Scootaloo." Apple Bloom said, "Morning." Scootaloo said, "Where is he?" Sweetie Belle asked, "He's not in the house right now." Scootaloo replied, "I wanna meet Apex." Sweetie Belle said, "Hold on." Scootaloo replied, and she walked out of her home and turned to her right, "Apex, you have a visitor." Scootaloo said, walking was heard and Apex came, "Yeah?" Apex said, the three fillies became bewildered when they saw Apex, he was still walking like a bipedal creature, but he was not wearing a shirt, he was wearing only pants, and the bottom parts of the plastic bottles only on his hind hoofs, he had nothing on his upper body, "This is Sweetie Belle, Apex." Scootaloo said, "Hi, Apex." Sweetie Belle said, "Hey." Apex replied, "Um, Apex, normal ponies don't dress like that." Apple Bloom said, walking was heard and Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty came out of the house, they looked at Apex and saw him, "How long have you dressed like that, Apex?" Aunt Holiday asked, "All my life." Apex replied, "Where did you get that dressing style from?" Auntie Lofty asked, "My parents." Apex replied, "Your mom or your dad?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Both." Apex replied, "Wait, yer parents only wore pants?" Apple Bloom asked, "No, my dad wore a shirt for his job, my mom wore one when it was cold, but other than that, yes, my parents wore pants and no shirts." Apex replied, "You can't go out in public like that." Aunt Holiday said, "Why not?" Apex asked, "Just look around, Apex, do you see anypony only wearing pants?" Auntie Lofty asked, Apex looked at Ponyville and did not see a single pony only wearing pants, "No." Apex replied, "See, there you go, that way of dressing is socially unacceptable." Auntie Lofty said, "Okay, it's going to take time for me to adjust, though." Apex replied, "That's okay, Apex, change is always hard to adjust to." Aunt Holiday said, more trotting was heard and Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Sugar Belle, and Starlight Glimmer trotted to them while Spike flew, they all had fruits and vegetables with them, "What are you all doing here?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Oh, right, Ah forgot to mention it, they're here to try and any find civilized food that Apex likes." Apple Bloom replied, "Who are those two?" Apex asked, "Oh, right, you haven't met me yet, I'm Sugar Belle, Big Mac's girlfriend, I make pies for a living." Sugar Belle replied, "And I'm Starlight Glimmer, Twilight's student." Starlight Glimmer said, Rarity exclaimed and gasped when she saw Apex's outfit, "We brought our vegetables, Apex, ya can't go around eatin' meat and bugs, so let's see if we can find somethin' ya like." Granny Smith said, "Still, you should change your outfit first." Rarity said, "This and the upper piece is the only outfit I have." Apex replied, "That's not what she meant, Apex, you can't go around shirtless and wearing pants, that's not normal, ponies will think you don't know how to dress properly." Twilight Sparkle said, "What is proper dress, then?" Apex asked, and Rarity took his pants off and the bottom of the plastic bottles off of his hind hoofs, "Seriously, you shouldn't wear those on your hoofs, you should get yourself some proper hoofwear." Rarity said, and she dressed him in his outfit, "You shouldn't wear a trash bag, either, or a pot on your head, you can't go around like that in public in places like Baltimare or Canterlot." Rarity said, and she finished dressing him, Apex was wearing his trash bag and makeshift jacket, and had no pants on, nor anything on his hoofs, "What do you think?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "I like pants and no shirt better." Apex replied, "You can wear pants if you wear a shirt with it." Sweetie Belle said, "Oh, good, I was a bit worried there." Apex replied, "Come on, Apex, let's see if we can find somethin' ya like." Applejack said, and they entered the home after Apex took his outfit off. Apex sat at the table while the visitors held the food, "Alright, Apex, we'll start with vegetables, Ah'm sure you had some in the woods, let's see if we can find one ya like." Applejack said, "I already tried pumpkin." Apex replied, "How was it?" Applejack asked, "Didn't like it." Apex replied, "Well, here, let's start with somethin' basic, this is a cabbage, take a bite." Granny Smith said, and he ate it, "I like this." Apex said, "Okay, good, we already found one, this is a lettuce, it's a bit watery, though." Applejack said, and Apex ate it, he nodded, "Alright, here, Big Mac's is next, this is a summer squash, Apex, it was picked last year, so it's a bit old." Apple Bloom said, "I assume it's going to be salty, then." Apex replied, "Why do you think that for?" Applejack asked, "Don't you preserve your food with salt?" Apex asked, "Actually, Apex, no, we put them in refrigerators and freezers." Twilight Sparkle replied, "They're right there to your left, Apex, the top's the freezer, and the bottom's the refrigerator." Aunt Holiday said, he looked at it, Big Macintosh put the summer squash on the table and Apex ate a piece, but soon spat it out and shook his head, "Okay, he don't like summer squash." Applejack said, "This is a zucchini, Apex, hope ya like it." Apple Bloom said, and Apex tried a bite and barely swallowed it, "Tastes bad, but I can eat it." Apex said, "Here, Apex, try a carrot." Sugar Belle said, and he ate it, he nodded, "Alright, this is an eggplant, Apex, we all like it." Starlight Glimmer said, Apex ate a piece and nodded, "Here, Ah've brought an apple, too." Applejack said, and Apex took a bite out of it, "Not my taste, but I can eat it." Apex said, "I've got something, too, Apex, here, try a tomato." Rainbow Dash said, and he ate it, he nodded, "Here you go, Apex, a cucumber I grown all by myself." Fluttershy said, and he ate it, he nodded, "Here you go, darling, a potato." Rarity said, and Apex tried it, he spat it out and shook his head, "Okay, here, Apex, a hayburger, one of my personal favorites." Twilight Sparkle said, Apex looked at it and saw a vegetable in it he did not recognize, "What is this?" Apex asked as he pointed at it, "That's a pickle, it's basically a cucumber made a special way." Granny Smith replied, and Apex bit into it, he got something red on his face, "What's this?" Apex asked, "Ketchup, it's used to make food taste better, that one's tomato flavored." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex chewed the hayburger, "It's so-so." Apex said, "Here you go, Apex, I brought fruits from my store, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, cranberry, huckleberry, peach, lemon, lime, apricot, cherry, banana, nectarine, pear, and pomegranate." Pinkie Pie said, "Lemon is used for cleaning." Apex said, "You can eat them, too." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Is this the huckleberry?" Apex asked as he pointed at one, "Uh-huh." Pinkie Pie said, "It looks just like the poison berries from the woods I lived in." Apex said, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped a little, "They're not poison berries, I check every fruit I get one at a time." Pinkie Pie said, Apex tried the strawberry and spat it out, "Too sour." Apex said, "Huh? My strawberries are supposed to be sweet." Pinkie Pie said, and she bit into it, she screamed, "Sour, sour, sour." Pinkie Pie said, Apex tried the blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry, he nodded with each one, he tried the cranberry next and spat it out, "Also too sour." Apex said, he tried the peach, apricot, cherry, banana, nectarine, and pear next, he nodded at each one, he looked at the pomegranate, he held the top and bottom and got ready to rip it open, "No, Apex, you're going to spill the seeds everywhere." Aunt Holiday said, "You have to cut it open." Auntie Lofty said, Apex put the pomegranate down and reached into a trash bag and took the straight razor out again, "A shaving razor?" Rarity asked, "We'll teach him another time." Twilight Sparkle replied, and Apex cut the pomegranate, he pulled it open and some of the juice came out since he cut some of the seeds, he tried a seed, "I like this." Apex said, the others smiled while Apex folded the straight razor and put it back in the trash bag, "Can we take him to school?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Sorry, but my parents told me not to enroll him into the school." Scootaloo replied, "Why not?" Apple Bloom asked, "You all seen how he behaves, he can't act like that in a classroom." Auntie Lofty replied, "Plus, I took him to the school a few days ago, and he ate the gum from under the desks." Scootaloo said, the ponies gasped while Pinkie Pie and Rarity screamed, "That's disgusting, Apex, you're going to get sick from that." Auntie Lofty said, "Gum was pretty tasty, though." Apex said, "Seriously, Apex, you gotta change yer diet." Applejack said, "You can use some hygiene improvements, too." Auntie Lofty said, "What's wrong with his hygiene?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Just look at his mane." Aunt Holiday replied, they looked and Rarity screamed, "Is that... dandruff?!" Rarity asked, "He's got blackheads and whiteheads in his snout, too." Fluttershy replied, "I've had them ever since I was four." Apex said, "Didn't your parents teach you how to get rid of them?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Um, Apex, you've got a cowlick on the right side of your mane there." Spike said, the others looked and saw it, Apex felt his own mane, "Oh, there it is." Apex said, and he held his head down, he reached into a trash bag and took a knife out, he got ready to cut the cowlick, "Wait, Apex." Twilight Sparkle said as she took the knife away with her magic, "I think it'll be better if you let somepony else do it." Twilight Sparkle said, "Hold on, Apex, just sit there for a minute." Auntie Lofty said as she got a pair of scissors, she cut Apex's cowlick, "Thanks." Apex said, "Don't mention it." Auntie Lofty replied, "You all have anymore food for me?" Apex asked, "No, that's all." Granny Smith replied, "Alright then." Apex said, and he reached into a trash bag and took out the stick from the toothbrush tree and rubbed it against his teeth, "What is he doing now?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "That's how he brushes his teeth." Scootaloo replied, "Where's the toothpaste?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Don't need it." Apex replied, and he continued brushing his teeth, "Still, brushing your teeth with a stick, that sounds gross." Twilight Sparkle said, "If you lived in the woods like me, there's only two ways to take care of your teeth, this way, or chew tree sap." Apex replied, "Chew tree sap? I am not dirtying my teeth with that." Rarity said, "Actually, it's like chewing gum." Rainbow Dash replied, "What's it taste like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "It doesn't really have a taste." Scootaloo replied, "Yeah, he showed us a gum tree in the Everfree Forest and we tried it, thing is sticky." Apple Bloom said, "If you wish, I can show the rest of you." Apex said, the others murmured in agreement, "I wanna learn your other way of finding your way back if you get lost." Scootaloo said, "Okay, I'm going to need plenty of rocks." Apex replied, "I have rocks you can use." Pinkie Pie said, "Good, that'll save me time trying to find some." Apex replied, "We're going back into the Everfree Forest, right?" Fluttershy asked, "Right." Apex replied, "What if we get attacked by timberwolves?" Fluttershy asked, "Relax, just light a torch and the fire will scare them off." Apex replied, "No need for that, Apex, I can breathe fire." Spike said, "Alright, we can use that, too." Apex replied, "You guys are lucky you weren't here the last time he came back from escaping wild animals." Rainbow Dash said, "What happened?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "He got animals to run away by making himself smell bad." Scootaloo replied, "What did he do?" Applejack asked, "He covered himself in mud and poop." Aunt Holiday replied, Pinkie Pie and Rarity screamed out of shock while the others looked at him with dropped jaws, "He did, and I had to wash him thoroughly in the shower." Auntie Lofty said, "The stench of the mud and fecal matter is one of the best things to use to fend off wild animals." Apex said, "No! I am not using such sickening methods, some bug spray and pepper spray should do the trick." Rarity replied, "What are those?" Apex asked, "Bug spray is used to keep bugs from biting or stinging you, and pepper spray is used to fend off animals, you spray it in their eyes." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I see, we didn't have those back in the woods, so my parents and I had to sleep in the trees so we don't get eaten, and we had to check the trees to make sure there were no snakes in it." Apex said, "The tree snakes weren't friendly?" Fluttershy asked, "No, they were aggressive, their bites were poisonous, too." Apex replied, "What if there are no trees?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Then dig a hole and sleep in the ground, set traps around yourself, too." Apex replied, "Can we go now?" Scootaloo asked, "Sure, let's go get some rocks." Apex replied, and Pinkie Pie dashed out and came back with rocks a second later, "Alright, let's begin." Apex said, and they headed outside. Everybody arrived outside and Apex began putting the rocks on the ground, he shoved them into the ground, "Put a rock down when you go somewhere, but make sure the rock in front of you is always in your eyesight, this is one of the first ways I learned to backtrack." Apex said, and he continued putting rocks in the ground while the others followed him, he arrived at Fluttershy's cottage but stopped for a minute, "What are they doing here?" Apex asked as he looked at the honey ants to his left, they no longer had swollen abdomens, "I decided to take them out of the forest and remove the honey from their stomachs, they feel so much better." Fluttershy said, "Where's the honey?" Apex asked, "In those jars to your right." Fluttershy replied, Apex looked to his right and saw the honey, "Well, let's keep going." Apex said, and he went into the Everfree Forest. Apex and the others entered the Everfree Forest and they looked around, "Ooh, there are marks here." Pinkie Pie said, "I made those." Apex replied, and he continued to lay down the rocks until he got to where he was last time, "Okay, this is where I was last time, there's a few paths to go." Apex said as he looked forward, "Um, can I choose since I know this forest inside and out?" Fluttershy asked, "Sure, which way would you like to go?" Apex asked, "This way." Fluttershy said, and she led them while Apex put rocks on the ground. Fluttershy led them to a river stream and everybody saw ducks swimming in it, "Good morning, duckies." Fluttershy said, and she rubbed her snout on them, the birds flew down to her and she rubbed her snout on them as well, Apex's mouth watered when he saw the ducks and birds, "Well, let's go back, let's see how effective those rocks are." Twilight Sparkle said, and they found their ways back home by following Apex's rocks, "Wow, I sure wish my Filly Guides Camp taught me that." Scootaloo said, "If you wish, I can also teach you how to store your tools and supplies inside trees." Apex replied, "You mean like on a tree branch?" Rainbow Dash asked, "No, I mean literally inside the tree." Apex replied, "Well, I don't know how much longer you'll be here, so when I have the time, sure." Scootaloo said, "How long he'll be here?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Once when her parents find people willing to adopt me, I'm leaving." Apex replied, "Well, come on, Apex, you need to learn how to read and do math, you're going to need it in a civilized area." Twilight Sparkle said, "How important are they?" Apex asked, "You won't be able to do almost anything, and if you don't know math, there's a lot of jobs you won't be able to get." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Well, I already know how to add and subtract." Apex said, "Come on, you need to learn how to multiply and divide." Twilight Sparkle replied, and he followed her. Apex sat at a table in Twilight Sparkle's castle and she gave him a book, "Alright, Apex, let's start off by reading a story, this book is popular for ponies your age." Twilight Sparkle said, "Don't you remember? I can't read at all." Apex replied, "Oh, right, well, we're just going to have to start from the beginning, then." Twilight Sparkle said, and she read the words for him and taught him the letters of the alphabet, Apex yawned as he learned, "Tell me, Apex, what did you use paper for before you came to Ponyville?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Eating and lighting fires." Apex replied, "You ate paper back then, too?!" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, it wasn't often, though." Apex replied, "Well, don't use it for fire, either, books are precious, Apex, they're what records our history and the things we do, I have a book on every subject." Twilight Sparkle said, "My dad bought me picture books sometimes." Apex replied, "Well, most books don’t have pictures, you need to learn the words and their meanings to read those." Twilight Sparkle said, and Apex continued to try reading while Twilight Sparkle told him what the words were, "I'll stop here, my eyes are tired." Apex said, "Okay, I got some math equations, too, I'll teach you how to write." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she put a number chart on the table, "These are ten numbers you will always use, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and zero, every number is made up of these ten numbers." Twilight Sparkle said, and she gave Apex a pencil and guided his hoof on how to write them, "My parents taught me how to count, but never how to write it." Apex said, "What was the highest number you've ever learned to count up to?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Nine hundred ninety nine trillion, nine hundred ninety nine billion, nine hundred ninety nine million, nine hundred ninety nine thousand, nine hundred ninety nine." Apex replied, "Wow, the next number after that is quadrillion." Twilight Sparkle said, "I know to put a comma after every three number places, I just didn't know what came after trillion." Apex replied, "I've got a scale on that, too, I'll show it to you after you learn how to read, I'll go ahead and have you do some adding and subtracting now." Twilight Sparkle said, Apex continued writing and soon stopped, he looked at his pencil, "Did something catch your mind?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "This would be good for backtracking and using as a knife in the woods." Apex replied, "Um, are there any other uses for it, Apex?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Well, maybe if I had a smaller bow, I could use this as an arrow." Apex replied, "Come on, Apex, you should work again, that pencil can be used for other stuff." Twilight Sparkle said, "Like what?" Apex asked, "Drawing, coloring, marking areas to cut in carpentry, make keys go into locks, make stuck zippers unstuck, and a makeshift nail to hang pictures." Twilight Sparkle replied, "My mom taught me to draw by moving my hoof around on the ground." Apex said, "Well, that's not going to work on the surfaces of my castle, you're not going to make any pictures that way." Twilight Sparkle replied, Apex tried moving his hoof on the table and no picture formed, "Oh, that's what you meant." Apex said, "There you go, come on now, Apex, back to work." Twilight Sparkle replied, and he wrote the numbers while Twilight Sparkle guided his hoof, he did letters next and Twilight Sparkle guided his hoof again, he wrote the upper-case and lower-case letters, "Very good, Apex, but remember, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Starlight Glimmer, Spike, and I won't always be available, we all have a school to run." Twilight Sparkle said, "That's fine, I'm sure Scootaloo and her aunts can teach me." Apex replied, "They can, but I don't think they're always available, either." Twilight Sparkle said, "Can we stop here, my hoof is starting to hurt." Apex replied, "Sure, just remember to keep practicing, I'll teach you how to spell when you get the hang of it, go on now, Apex, I have work to do." Twilight Sparkle said, and Apex left her castle. Apex headed outside and walked around Ponyville, he went back to his home to get his trash bags, he looked into one and saw he was low on fish, so he got his empty bottle, fish string, and fish hook, he wrapped the string around the bottle and tied the other end around the fish hook, he went to the water body at the School of Friendship and put a locust on the hook and threw the hook into the water. Apex waited for a bit while rolling his plastic bottle around to put the hook into the water deeper, he got a bite soon and began tugging and rolling his plastic bottle the other way, he fought and got a fish, he laid on the ground and got ready to hit the fish onto the ground to kill it, Fluttershy gasped and flew to Apex and grabbed the fish, "Hey!" Apex said as he tried to take it back, "No! That fish is one of my pets!" Fluttershy said, and the two struggled with the fish, Fluttershy got it and threw it into the water, Apex glared at her, "That was my lunch." Apex said, "No! You are not eating my pets." Fluttershy said, "Wait, that was one of your pets?" Apex asked, Fluttershy nodded, "Sorry, I didn't know." Apex said, "Come on, Apex, I've got some leftover cucumber sandwiches, I'll share some with you." Fluttershy replied, and they walked together, they sat at a table and Fluttershy gave Apex a cucumber sandwich, "Here you go, Apex." Fluttershy said, "Thanks." Apex said, and he tried it, he shrugged and ate it, "Well?" Fluttershy asked, "It's alright." Apex replied, "Here, I brought a drink, too." Fluttershy said, and she gave him a box of apple juice, "What's this?" Apex asked, "Juice." Fluttershy replied, "What is it?" Apex asked, "You've never had juice?" Fluttershy asked, "No." Apex replied, "Juice is when fruits and vegetables are smashed into becoming liquids." Fluttershy said, "Sounds bad." Apex said, "No, Apex, it's only one fruit or vegetable, not all of them put together." Fluttershy said, "Well, here goes." Apex said, and he drank from the straw, "Well?" Fluttershy asked, "What fruit is this?" Apex asked, "Apple." Fluttershy replied, "I finally found a drink I like besides water." Apex said, "What have you drank so far?" Fluttershy asked, "Coffee and tea, didn't really like either one, coffee was very bitter." Apex replied, "Um, you can adjust the flavors with milk and sugar, you can also use honey for tea." Fluttershy said, "Maybe next time." Apex said, "Are you full, Apex?" Fluttershy asked, "I can't eat another bite." Apex replied, "You should try to gain some weight, you're too skinny." Fluttershy said, "My mom said I'm average weight by her tribe's standards." Apex replied, "You don't look healthy, though." Fluttershy said, Apex looked at himself and saw his ribs through his own skin a little, "Well, go on, Apex, have a good afternoon." Fluttershy said, "Thanks, you too." Apex replied, and he walked away while Fluttershy waved bye at him. Apex walked around Ponyville and decided to go to Sugarcube Corner since many foals went there, "Hello, Apex, have a look-see." Pinkie Pie said, Apex looked at the candy she sold and did not recognize any of them, "I've never seen stuff like these." Apex said, "What about the town your daddy worked at?" Pinkie Pie asked, "It didn't have a store like this." Apex replied, "Then... what did foals eat after school?" Pinkie Pie asked, "I don't know, I never saw." Apex replied, "What's your favorite sweet food?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Don't have one." Apex replied, "Why not?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Almost nothing in the woods is sweet." Apex replied, "Well, here, try a lollipop." Pinkie Pie said, "Thanks, but I'm full from lunch." Apex replied, "Don't worry, it's got a wrapper on it." Pinkie Pie said, "Sorry, but I must refuse, I don't want ants in my trash bag." Apex replied, "Okay, I'll be here with treats if you want any." Pinkie Pie said, "What do the kids come here for after school?" Apex asked, "Their favorite snacks, it's different for everypony." Pinkie Pie replied, "Wow, you must be busy." Apex said, "I am, I have to arrange the files in the mayor's office and plan and throw parties, too." Pinkie Pie replied, "Well, I'll be going now, I shouldn't bother you when you have so much to do." Apex said, "It's okay, come again, Apex." Pinkie Pie replied, and Apex headed outside. Apex headed home and sat at the table, "Oh, you're early, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, "Twilight Sparkle taught me how to write, I wanna practice." Apex replied, "Hold on." Auntie Lofty said as she got a piece of paper for him and a pencil, Apex began to practice while Aunt Holiday watched him, he started with the numbers and wrote the numbers one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and zero, "What number is that, Apex?" Aunt Holiday asked, "One billion, two hundred thirty four million, five hundred sixty seven thousand, eight hundred ninety." Apex replied, Auntie Lofty chuckled, "Well, at least he knows how to count." Auntie Lofty said, "My parents taught me, highest numbers place I know is hundred trillions." Apex replied, "Very good, Apex, let's see you do letters now." Aunt Holiday said, and he wrote the letters while Aunt Holiday watched him, Apex wrote them slowly and stopped several times to remember what the letters looked like, "Good job, Apex, here, let's try spelling." Aunt Holiday said as she got a dictionary and opened it. Apex wrote down the words he saw and went from top to bottom, "Do you know how to read the words?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Not yet." Apex replied, and Auntie Lofty watched him write down the words, she stood up and walked to him to watch him practice, "Do you know what those letters in the parenthesis are?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No." Apex replied, "They're pronunciations, they're how you say the words out loud." Auntie Lofty said, "They look strange." Apex replied, "Well, they are a bit different from the usual letters, I really don't know how to explain why they look like that." Auntie Lofty said, "Did you have a hard time learning these?" Apex asked, "No, reading and Ponish were easy for me, it was math I struggled at." Auntie Lofty replied, "Where did you learn to use that thing there?" Apex asked, "The sewing machine? I first started making quilts when I was a filly, I liked it, kept doing it, and I got my cutie mark." Auntie Lofty replied, "I was taught how to sew by hoof." Apex said, "Well, it won't do you any good in civilization, sewing by hoof is too slow for most ponies." Auntie Lofty replied, "I can see why, making those clothes for me to wear in the cold and the rain took me a while, too." Apex said, "Which parent taught you how to sew?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Both of my parents." Apex replied, "How did they learn?" Auntie Lofty asked, "It is customary for ponies in my mom's tribe to make their own clothes, they used needles carved from wood and bones, and sewed using animal sinew as thread, while my dad used a needle and regular sewing thread, he taught me sewing patterns and how to tie the thread, he did seem uncomfortable sewing sinew together, though." Apex replied, "I don't blame him, most ponies would freak out if somepony wore clothes made from animal parts." Auntie Lofty said, "No, what I mean is he looked at it with his eyes wide open and he went silent, almost like it triggered a painful memory for him." Apex replied, "Did you ever find anything about your father's past?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No, he didn't have any records or anything." Apex replied, "What about your mother?" Auntie Lofty asked, "My mom doesn't have much about herself, grew up in a tribe, was an only child, gathered berries, took care of foals, ran away, met dad, had me." Apex replied, "Hmm, you should go see Twilight Sparkle, she has family trees on everypony in Equestria, maybe she can find something about your father." Auntie Lofty said, "Okay." Apex replied, "Come on, Apex, take a break, you'll overwhelm yourself if you work without resting." Auntie Lofty said, and he rested. Auntie Lofty baked cookies while Apex sat on the chair with his eyes closed, she put a plate of it on the table and Apex opened his eyes when he heard it, "You weren't asleep?" Auntie Lofty asked, "No." Apex replied, and he ate two cookies, "Don't eat much, do you?" Auntie Lofty asked, "I don't get hungry very often." Apex replied, and he put the cookies to the side after only eating two. The door opened afterwards, "I'm home." Scootaloo said, she came in with Rainbow Dash, "Welcome home, Scootaloo, I just finished baking some cookies." Auntie Lofty said, "Really? Thanks, Auntie Lofty." Scootaloo said, and she and Rainbow Dash went to the dining room, they saw Apex, "What are you doing, Apex?" Rainbow Dash asked as she flew to him, "Writing, Twilight Sparkle's teaching me." Apex replied, "Really? That's awesome, hopefully, you'll start reading soon." Rainbow Dash said, "I can read picture books." Apex replied, "Well, I don't have a picture book, but I do have books on Daring Do, I didn't like them at first, but I quickly grew to love reading." Rainbow Dash said, "I've never heard of Daring Do." Apex replied, "Well, of course you wouldn't, there aren't books in the woods, anyway, Daring Do is about a Pegasus with a broken wing that goes into ancient ruins to get treasures, and she evades all sorts of traps and dangers to get them, and she has to get out of the ruins before either another trap gets her or the entire ruin collapses." Rainbow Dash said, "Wow, sounds like a long story." Apex replied, "It is, but it's fun to read." Rainbow Dash said, "Can you try to find a picture book version for me?" Apex asked, "Sure. What did you read back home?" Rainbow Dash asked, "There were two big stories back at home, they were Great Detective and Phantom Thief, the stories were about both of them trying to catch one another, the stories were from their points of views, they were so popular, the stories were written in words, drawn in pictures, and some books had both. Great Detective tried to the best of his ability to try to catch Phantom Thief, but he would always get away, Great Detective was a loud, boisterous, and flashy pony who lives in the moment, while Phantom Thief is a quiet, reserved, and prefers to act in the shadows, he's always thinking about the future, the two also look the same, and are only told apart by color, Great Detective is blue with yellow hair and wears a white outfit, and Phantom Thief is red with purple hair and wears a black outfit." Apex replied, "Which one do you like better?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Great Detective, he's funny sometimes, Phantom Thief's always serious." Apex replied, "How do they behave?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Great Detective's always have of energy, he's always posing, spinning around, pointing his hoof at culprits, you name it, Phantom Thief doesn't do that, he always speaks at whisper levels, and only speaks when he has to." Apex replied, "Sounds boring." Rainbow Dash said, "It can be, but reading the part when he commits his crimes are always fun." Apex replied, "What does Phantom Thief's calling card look like?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He doesn't have one." Apex replied, "What?! Why not?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Because it'll leave behind evidence at the scene of the crime that'll incriminate him." Apex replied, "Still, how can call himself a phantom thief if he doesn't leave behind a calling card?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He just doesn't, plus, it's Great Detective who leaves behind calling cards." Apex replied, "What? He's the cop, he's not supposed to leave behind calling cards." Rainbow Dash said, "That's his personality, he likes attention." Apex replied, Rainbow Dash became speechless, "Anyway, I'd like to read them." Rainbow Dash said, "I'll see if I can find it here." Apex replied, "Move your stuff, Apex, I have to prepare dinner." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex did. Auntie Lofty cooked vegetable soup and served it to everypony in the house, Apex tried it with the spoon and spat it into the bowl, "You don't like it?" Aunt Holiday asked, "No, too hot." Apex replied, "You've got to blow on it when it's on the spoon." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex did, "Did you ever have hot food?" Scootaloo asked, "Not this hot." Apex replied, he only ate half and pushed the bowl away, "I'm full." Apex said, "Alright, just put it on the counter, I'll take care of it." Auntie Lofty replied, and Apex did and left, he continued writing in Scootaloo's room until she came in, "It's bedtime, Apex." Scootaloo said, and they brushed their teeth and Scootaloo put her pajamas on, the two laid down in her bed and slept.
Chapter 8Morning came and Scootaloo woke up, she took her pajamas off and looked around, "Oh, not again." Scootaloo said as she realized Apex was gone, she went to go use the bathroom and then went outside. Scootaloo walked outside and she heard walking behind her, she saw Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle coming, "Mornin', Scootaloo." Apple Bloom said, "Morning." Scootaloo replied, "Has Apex been practicing reading and writing?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Yeah, he's been busy." Scootaloo replied, Twilight Sparkle smiled, "Apex, where are you?" Scootaloo asked, "Oh, not this again." Auntie Lofty said from inside the house, "Hope he's not in the tree again." Aunt Holiday said, and the two came out in their pajamas. Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty looked at the tree Apex slept in and he was not there, the two looked at their house's roof and he was not there, "Huh. He's not on the roof, either." Auntie Lofty said, "Where did he go this time?" Aunt Holiday asked, they all looked and soon saw the leaves and branches on the ground, Twilight Sparkle used her telekinesis to remove them and everybody saw Apex sleeping in a hole, "Apex." Auntie Lofty said, Apex was startled awake and he looked up, "You can't dig holes and sleep in them, either, come on out." Auntie Lofty said, and he did, "Are you all here to say goodbye?" Apex asked, "Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash asked, "What are you talking about?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Oh, right, we got a letter from my parents yesterday, they found parents for Apex and will be here to pick him up today." Scootaloo replied, "You mean he's leaving?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Yes." Scootaloo replied, "But we have so much more to teach him." Apple Bloom said, "Like what?" Apex asked, "Well, we were wonderin' if you knew gardenin', since you grew up in the wild and all." Applejack replied, "I never grew my own food." Apex said, "How about reading a pet's feelings?" Fluttershy asked, "Yes, my mom taught me all about it." Apex replied, "How about telling time in the wild?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "The sun or the eyes of a cat." Apex replied, "How about directions?" Spike asked, "Again, the sun, only at sunrise and sunset, though." Apex replied, "I still have some etiquette to teach you." Rarity said, "That reminds me, thank you for getting rid of his dandruff and blackheads and whiteheads, Rarity." Aunt Holiday said, "He didn't just have dandruff and blackheads and whiteheads." Rarity replied, "Wait, he didn't?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Yeah, Rarity and I discovered yesterday that he had calluses on his hoofs, too." Sweetie Belle replied, Auntie Lofty walked to Apex and lifted him up with her wings and saw white spots on his hoofs, "What do you know, I actually didn't notice." Auntie Lofty said, and she put him down, "Where's the rest of your family, Applejack?" Apex asked, "Granny's asleep, and Big Mac's busy dealing with bats right now." Applejack replied, "Vampire fruit bats?" Apex asked, "How'd ya know?" Applejack asked, "They were in the woods, too." Apex replied, "Oh." Applejack said, "Well, come on, let's go in, I've brought a drink for you, Apex." Pinkie Pie said, and they entered Scootaloo's home. Apex sat at the table while Auntie Lofty gave Apex cookies for breakfast and he ate them, "Here you go, Apex." Pinkie Pie said, and she gave him a bowl full of red liquid, "What's this?" Apex asked, "Punch, it's popular for parties." Pinkie Pie replied, Apex looked at it, he grabbed the bowl and was about to drink from it, Pinkie Pie screamed, "No, Apex, you're supposed to use the ladle there and pour it into a cup." Twilight Sparkle said as she used her telekinesis to put the bowl back on the table, Apex got a cup from the counter and put the cup in the punch and filled it, "You're supposed to use that ladle there." Starlight Glimmer said, Apex shrugged and drank it, "Well?" Pinkie Pie asked, "What a strange drink, I've never had anything like this before." Apex replied, "*gasp* You've never had punch before?" Pinkie Pie asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "You've never had milk, tea, coffee, and now punch, you really should try some more things, Apex." Scootaloo said, "Um, I found out yesterday he didn't know what juice was." Fluttershy said, "What?! You've never had juice before, either?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "You've never even had vegetable juice made from mushed vegetables in the woods?" Applejack asked, "Nope." Apex replied, "Wow, I'm surprised you've never got tired of drinking water." Aunt Holiday said, "I like water." Apex replied, "Well, now that's out of the way, we've got to teach you some table manners." Rarity said, and she moved the bowl of punch away and put three forks, three spoons, two knives, three glasses, a cup and a saucer, and two plates on the table, "What the?" Apex said, "Now, Apex, if your parents are high class ponies, you have to learn proper etiquette, if you don't learn and behave like how you do at a formal dinner, you will be seen as an embarrassment and will get punished by your parents, so you have to learn this." Rarity said, Apex picked up and examined the two knives, "What kind of knives are these? There's no way I can cut meat with these." Apex said, "No, Apex, you will not be eating meat, that big knife is for cutting hay, and the small one is for spreading butter on bread." Rarity replied, "That sounds redundant." Apex said, "What do you mean redundant?" Rarity asked, "Back in the woods, we used one knife for everything for each meal." Apex replied, "What if you had to pick up something with a fork?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "Use your knife." Apex replied, "What about soup?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Drink it straight from the bowl." Apex replied, "What if there's food in it?" Spike asked, "Stop drinking, chew it, swallow it, and drink more." Apex replied, "You can't do that at a fancy dinner, they'll kick you out, you have to use your spoon." Rarity said, "Which one?" Apex asked, "The big one." Twilight Sparkle replied, "What's the small one for?" Apex asked, "Dessert, it's usually going to be cake." Rarity replied, "Why can't I just use the same spoon?" Apex asked, "Because it'll cause more germs and bacteria to appear on the spoon and plates if you do." Twilight Sparkle replied, "Oh, what's this even smaller spoon for?" Apex asked, "That is for stirring and mixing sugar in the drink that goes into the cup on the saucer." Rarity replied, "Saucer?" Rarity asked, "That round thing under that cup there." Applejack replied, Apex saw it, "What's that for?" Apex asked, "It's so the table doesn't get stained, the drink goes down at the bottom of the cup." Twilight Sparkle replied, "I never had that happen whenever I drank from my mom's wooden cups." Apex said, "Did you ever stir anything in the woods?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "Yes." Apex replied, "What did you use?" Starlight Glimmer asked, "A stick." Apex replied, Rarity's jaw dropped, "What if there was no stick around?" Spike asked, "Then I stirred it with my own hoof." Apex replied, "Yeah, you don't want to do that at a fancy dinner, the drink in that cup is usually hot, you'll get burned if you put your hoof in it." Rainbow Dash said, "It doesn't burn wood, too, does it?" Apex asked, "No, it's not that hot, but it can make wooden utensils weak and break apart." Rainbow Dash replied, "Speaking of drinks, these three glasses also hold drinks, the big one is for water, the medium one is for red wine, and small one is for white wine, I've brought them to help as well, since you can't fill them to the brim." Rarity said, and she filled them with her magic, she only filled the glasses a little, "When you lift your glass, Apex, you have to grab the handles there, you can't hold the bottom of the glass." Rarity said, "How many more rules are there?" Apex asked, "Quite a bit, the next one is you can't just drink and chug your drinks, you have to sip, and once you do, you have to sip that area of the glass for the rest of the meal." Rarity replied, "Okay, but what are the forks for?" Apex asked, "The big fork is for eating the hay, the medium sized fork is for salad, and small fork is for cake." Rarity replied, "Okay, is that all?" Apex asked, "No, it's time to teach you some manners, we'll start with the bread and butter." Rarity replied, and she cast a spell to make them appear on the bread and butter plate, "Alright, Apex, unless you are going to eat the bread, it stays on the plate at all times, but when you do eat it, you can't just take a bite out of it, you have to break a piece off, put the butter on it, then you can eat it, go ahead and try a piece, you're going to have to get used to it if you live with high class parents." Rarity said, and Apex tore off a piece, put butter on it, and ate it, "It's a bit strong." Apex said with his mouth full, "No, you can't talk with your mouth full, that's bad manner." Rarity said, and Apex swallowed it, "Make sure you try the wines and water as well." Rarity said, "Um, Rarity, I think he's too young to drink wine." Aunt Holiday said, "How old are you, Apex?" Rarity asked, "Ten." Apex replied, "Oh, you are too young, no need for the wine, then." Rarity said as she drank the two wines, "Also, Apex, you need to put that napkin there in your lap." Rarity said as she pointed at it, "What's that for?" Apex asked, "It's for if food falls onto your lap." Fluttershy replied, "I was taught to eat food off of the ground and floor if I dropped it." Apex said, "You can't do that at a fancy dinner, you'll get in trouble." Applejack said, and Rarity put the napkin in his lap, "Alright, now then, the main course." Rarity said as she made hay appear on the plate, "You have to cut the hay with the big fork and knife." Rarity said, and Apex did, "No, Apex, you hold the fork like this." Sweetie Belle said as she corrected him, "Remember, Apex, bite size." Rarity said, "How big is bite size?" Apex asked, "Well..." Twilight Sparkle said, she used her telekinesis to cut a piece of the hay, "That's about bite size." Twilight Sparkle said, and Apex ate, "Alright, good, now the salad." Rarity said as she used her magic to make it appear, "Wow, I always ate vegetables separately." Apex said, "Well, some ponies like them together, give it a try, Apex, you might like it." Aunt Holiday replied, and Apex ate it, "It's alright." Apex said, "Okay, and lastly, the dessert, it's different every time, but I'll just do cake this time." Rarity said, "Cake's too sweet for me." Apex replied, "There's a lot of cakes, Apex, some are less sweet than others." Pinkie Pie said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yes, let's try a regular vanilla cake with a strawberry on it." Rarity said, and she made it appear, Apex tried it, "Still too sweet." Apex said, "One more thing, Apex, when you eat, leave one bite size piece of food on your plate after you finish." Rarity said, "What? Why?" Apex asked, "It signifies you're full, having an empty plate means the food wasn't enough." Rarity replied, "That's wasting food." Apex said, "Now, now, Apex, I'm sure they use it for other things, but you have to have one piece of food on the plate to let them know the meal made you full." Rarity replied, "What if I don't want to eat something?" Apex asked, "Set it aside to the left side of your plate." Rarity replied, "Is that everything?" Apex asked, "One more thing, you need to tell others whether you like or dislike food or if you're full or still hungry with a fork and a knife, there are several." Rarity replied, and Rarity put a fork and knife together, "This one means you liked the meal, this one means you didn't like it, this one means you're ready for seconds, this one means you're pausing, and this one means you're full." Rarity said as she put the fork and knife on the plate together, "Wow, that's a lot to memorize." Apex said, "Take your time, Apex, there's no need to hurry." Auntie Lofty replied, "I'm still not used to eating bread, I miss eating white rice." Apex said, "Ooh, white rice? I've got rice pudding." Pinkie Pie said, "No, regular white rice." Apex replied, "Oh, sorry, Apex, but white rice takes forever to grow." Twilight Sparkle said, "That, and there ain't suitable soil for growin' rice in Ponyville, mah farm's soil can only grow fruits and vegetables." Applejack said, Apex groaned, "Come on, we gotta go to school." Apple Bloom said, "Yer right, Apple Bloom, go on and go, Ah need help with them bats again." Applejack said, and Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle headed to school, "Go on and try to enjoy your last day in Ponyville, Apex, and try to come home early, we don't know when Scootaloo's parents will be here." Aunt Holiday said, and they all left. Apex followed Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack to Sweet Apple Acres and he saw the fallen apples, "Y'all see, them bats are back, and Ah need them off the farm before they eat all the apples." Applejack said, "Um, can I just talk with them again?" Fluttershy asked, "No, that didn't work last time, this time, we're gettin' rid of 'em by force." Applejack replied, "No, don't hurt them, those bats have feelings." Fluttershy said, "You got a better idea?" Applejack asked, "Um..." Fluttershy said, "See, there ya go, Ah'm gonna need you to stare at the bats and Ah'm gonna round them up in a net and send 'em to yer sanctuary." Applejack said, "Um, I don't think the animals will like them there." Fluttershy replied, "Ah, yer jokin', so they can't go to yer sanctuary." Applejack said, Apex looked and saw the vampire fruit bats, "I know those bats, we can eat them." Apex said, "No way, Apex." Applejack replied, "Oh, come on, they're edible." Apex said, "No!" Applejack and Fluttershy said sternly, the two went back to discussing what to do while Apex walked to the apple trees with his backpack, "So, what do y'all suggest?" Applejack asked, "Well, we could..." Twilight Sparkle said before a gunshot was heard, the six mares screamed and looked, they saw Apex on the ground and holding his shotgun, he stood up while the bats screeched and flew away. Apex turned around to face them, "There, problem solved." Apex said, a crow then fell into the yard, Fluttershy gasped and flew to it, she picked it up and saw it had a bullet hole in its abdomen and was dead, she put her head on it and began to cry, "Well, might as well eat it." Apex said as he grabbed it, Fluttershy and her friends tugged on it, "No! You are going to bury it." Rarity said, "Oh, come on, that's wasting it." Apex replied, "How is that wasting it?" Rainbow Dash asked, "There's meat on here we can eat, I can use its sinew for sewing clothes, and I can make tools and weapons with its bones." Apex replied, "No, Apex, you're not going to use it for that, you're going to bury it and pay your respects to it." Twilight Sparkle said, "Are all of you civilized people like this?" Apex asked, "Yes, we don't use animal parts for whatever yer gonna do." Applejack replied, "Come on, Apex, let's bury it, and pay your respects to it." Twilight Sparkle said, Apex sighed and went with her. Twilight Sparkle took Apex took to an area of open field near Sweet Apple Acres and dug a hole, he put the crow in it and Twilight Sparkle buried it and put a stick in the ground, "There, now pay your respects, Apex." Twilight Sparkle said, "How do I do that?" Apex asked, "Look down, close your eyes, and apologize to the crow, and say whatever else you have to say." Twilight Sparkle replied, Apex looked down and closed his eyes, "I'm sorry I shot and killed you." Apex said, "Good, now say whatever else you have to say." Twilight Sparkle said, "Forgive me for wasting valuable materials, Mother Nature." Apex said, "Mother Nature?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "A deity my mom's tribe worshiped, actions like this angers her, and makes her cause disasters as punishment." Apex replied, "Well, I doubt she will, I mean, you did apologize, so I think you'll be fine." Twilight Sparkle said, Apex smiled, "That reminds me, Auntie Lofty wanted you to do a genetic analysis on my family since I know nothing about my father." Apex said, "Sure, come with me, I have the equipment in my castle." Twilight Sparkle replied, and he followed her. Twilight Sparkle and Apex arrived at the Castle of Friendship and Twilight Sparkle analyzed Apex's genetics, the papers printed out and she looked at Apex's family tree, "Alright, let's see here, mom's name is Nature Lover, and... wow, your mom's ancestry is all from the tribe." Twilight Sparkle said, "What about my dad?" Apex asked, "Let's see here, Bickle's parents are... what the?" Twilight Sparkle asked, "What's wrong?" Apex asked, "He doesn't have a family tree." Twilight Sparkle replied, "What?" Apex asked, "He doesn't, see, look." Twilight Sparkle replied as she showed him, Apex looked and saw he did not have a family tree on his father's side, "What in the world?" Apex asked, "Well, I don't have time to do another analysis, you should go around Ponyville and say goodbye to your friends." Twilight Sparkle said, "Wait, before I go, do you have any books on Great Detective?" Apex asked, "I should, hold on." Twilight Sparkle replied, and she flew around and looked through her books, "Okay, let's see... G... G-R... Great, Great..." Twilight Sparkle said, she soon flew back, "Sorry, but no." Twilight Sparkle said, "That sucks." Apex said, "Well, go say goodbye to your friends." Twilight Sparkle said, and Apex went outside. Apex headed to Fluttershy's cottage and saw what she was doing, "There you go, let the honey out." Fluttershy said, he looked and saw small jars, there was honey in them, he looked and saw Fluttershy getting honey out of the honey ants, "Um... Fluttershy." Apex said, Fluttershy looked at him, "They need that honey to feed their colony." Apex said, "I know, I'm just taking honey out of the ones with the swollen bellies." Fluttershy replied, "Why?" Apex asked, "Have you looked at them, their bellies are swollen, and they are in so much pain, I can't just sit back and let them have honey in their stomachs like that all the time." Fluttershy replied, "Where did you get the jars?" Apex asked, "Discord." Fluttershy replied, "Oh." Apex said, "Well, you should go, Apex, since you're leaving, I'm quite busy right now." Fluttershy said, and Apex headed home. Scootaloo was at recess with her class and playing dodge ball, she caught and threw the ball a few times before Pipsqueak hit her and she was out, she sat with the other classmates and watched, the game continued until only one pony remained and everypony cheered. The foals went back into the classroom and worked, Scootaloo worked slowly today, "Is everything alright, Scootaloo?" Cheerilee asked, "Yeah, it's just that Apex is leaving today." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, really?" Cheerilee asked, "Yup." Scootaloo replied, "Well, make sure you say your goodbyes, Scootaloo, I think he's going to miss you." Cheerilee said, "Maybe, even though things didn't go the way my parents wanted them to." Scootaloo replied, "What do you mean?" Cheerilee asked, "My parents wanted me to just keep him in the house and not introduce him to anyone for the time he stayed here." Scootaloo replied, "Scootaloo, you know Equestria runs on friendship, I think you did the right thing." Cheerilee said, Scootaloo smiled, "Well, go ahead and do your work, Scootaloo." Cheerilee said, and she did, she had lunch quietly and did afternoon work and then headed home. Scootaloo arrived home and she saw Apex was already home, "Did you say your goodbyes, Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "Later." Apex replied, "Well, go on and do your homework, Scootaloo." Auntie Lofty said, and Scootaloo worked until she heard the door open, "We're here." Mane Allgood said, Scootaloo and her family and Apex trotted to the door, "Oh, Apex, you're walking normally now." Mane Allgood said, "Yeah, the others in this town taught me." Apex replied, "What? Scootaloo, you weren't supposed to introduce him to the others." Snap Shutter said, "I didn't, he traveled on his own, he met Zecora, Cranky Doodle, Matilda, the Apple family, and Fluttershy by chance when he went outside, and he met Rainbow Dash when she came to visit me, and then Pinkie Pie found him, threw his welcoming party, and the others met him." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, you all did say Pinkie Pie throws parties for new ponies in town, well, I guess it was only a matter of time anyway." Mane Allgood said, "Here are your new parents, Apex, say hello to Bushwhacker, your father, and Amazon, your mother." Snap Shutter said, and they walked in, they were both earth ponies, Bushwhacker had a light green coat, short yellow mane and tail, and yellow eyes, he was wearing a black short-sleeve shirt, black pants, and black boots that went up to his knees, he had a machete on his left side, and Amazon had a green coat, long light blue mane and tail, and light blue eyes, she was wearing a long-sleeve black shirt, black pants, a black belt, and black boots that went up to her knees, "Hello, Apex, we're campers and hikers, we travel around all of Equestria, we thought we'd be the best candidates for your guardians after hearing about you." Bushwhacker said, "Do you two know about my background?" Apex asked, "Yes, you lived in the woods all of your life because your mother is from an indigenous tribe that lived in those woods, and your parents passed away and you have nopony to look after you." Amazon replied, "Wow, what about you two?" Apex asked, "I come from a family of hunters." Bushwhacker replied, "And I'm from a military family, everypony in my family is or was a soldier." Amazon said, "And both of us are ex-pony scouts and ex-military, so we can teach you some things of our own about surviving in the wilderness." Bushwhacker said, "Great, I already got some knowledge and skills from my parents." Apex replied, "Just that one woods, Apex, there are a lot more environments and woods to learn survival in, each one is different." Bushwhacker said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yes, Snap Shutter and I have to survive in our jobs when we photograph wild animals." Mane Allgood replied, "What were the other parents like?" Apex asked, "Well, one couple was a bunch of farmers, another one were uneducated hillbillies, and one was a high class snobbish couple." Snap Shutter replied, "Yeah, maybe these two were the best choice." Apex said, "Well, come on, Apex, we're going to miss the train." Amazon said, and they went to the train, Apex boarded the train with his new parents and left while the people in Ponyville waved bye at him. Scootaloo, Aunt Holiday, and Auntie Lofty went back to their homes, "Well, that's the end of that." Auntie Lofty said, "Yes, I actually had fun with him here." Aunt Holiday replied, "Yeah, I did, too." Auntie Lofty said, "What about you, Scootaloo?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Yeah, I liked having him around, too." Scootaloo replied, "Well, go ahead and do your homework." Aunt Holiday said, and Scootaloo did her homework, had dinner, brushed her teeth, went to bed, and slept. A month passed and Scootaloo woke up the next morning, "Good morning, Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday said, "Morning." Scootaloo replied, "This came in the mail this morning, it's for you." Auntie Lofty said, and Scootaloo took the envelope and opened it, her attention was caught when she saw it was a letter from Apex, she read it, "Dear, Scootaloo, I hope you have been well, Bushwhacker and Amazon have taught me how to read and write, we have been having a good time, we're traveling all across Equestria and the two are teaching me how to set traps and tie more knots, I am disappointed that I was not able to teach you how to set traps during my time living with you. I can also do some math now, and I’m being home schooled by them, they live in a big house, and I have to do manners and etiquette like what Rarity taught me, but the two are patient and correcting me along the way, I am eating meat and bugs again since we are in the wilderness a lot, and I am glad I can finally eat white rice again, and Pinkie Pie has been sending new foods for me to try ever since she found my mailing address. While I am still disappointed I could not teach you more things before I left, I am grateful for you and your aunts looking after me, and want to thank you for your hospitality, I hope I can come back again one day. -Apex" Scootaloo smiled and put the letter on the table and headed to school. Scootaloo worked in the morning and focused, it was another quiet day in the school, "Alright, everypony, time to give out your tests from last week." Cheerilee said, and she handed them out. Scootaloo looked and her attention was caught, she has passed a test for the first time, Scootaloo smiled and continued on with her school day.
Chapter 4Scootaloo woke up the next morning and yawned and stretched, she looked and saw Apex was not in her room, she went to the dining room and saw Aunt Holiday and Auntie Holiday were awake, "Good morning, Scootaloo." Aunt Holiday said, "Morning." Scootaloo replied, and she saw Auntie Lofty's cookies were for breakfast, she ate them and knocking was heard at the door, Aunt Holiday opened it and saw Apple Bloom, "Why, hello, Apple Bloom." Aunt Holiday said, "Howdy, Ah'm here to see Apex." Apple Bloom replied, "I don't think he's up yet." Aunt Holiday said, they heard Apex stretching and yawning on the roof, "What the?!" Auntie Lofty said, and she and Scootaloo trotted outside, the four looked and saw Apex on the roof, "*gasp* Apex!" Aunt Holiday said, "What?" Apex asked, Auntie Lofty flew up onto the roof, "No, Apex, you can't sleep on the roof, either." Auntie Lofty said, Apex groaned with disappointment and jumped down while Auntie Lofty flew down, "Mornin', Apex, Ah was just lookin' for ya." Apple Bloom said, "For what?" Apex asked, "Well, if ya wish, we can try to help ya get yer cutie mark, Scootaloo here can help, Sweetie Belle will be with us, too." Apple Bloom replied, "I've never thought getting my cutie mark was that big of a deal." Apex said, "You never thought about what your cutie mark might be?" Scootaloo asked, "Not really." Apex replied, "Well, come on, you three, breakfast's ready." Auntie Lofty said, and they entered the home. Apex ate the cookies with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, "Where are ya goin' today, Apex?" Apple Bloom asked, "Probably back to the forest." Apex replied, "You shouldn't go there, Apex, it's dangerous." Aunt Holiday said, "Don't worry, I have a lot of experience, I can defend myself, too." Apex replied, "Still, you shouldn't go there." Aunt Holiday said, and Apex drank the water, "Here, Apex, why don't you try this?" Aunt Holiday asked as she handed him her drink, "What's this?" Apex asked, "It's coffee." Aunt Holiday replied, Apex drank it but soon spat it out all over the table, "Bleh! This is bitter!" Apex said, "Here, Apex, try some tea." Auntie Lofty said as she handed him her drink, he drank it and barely swallowed it, "This is bitter, too." Apex said, "Well, you can actually modify the taste, milk and sugar are used to change its taste." Aunt Holiday said, "Sugar... sugar... where have I seen that?" Apex asked, "It's right there on the counter, Apex." Apple Bloom replied as she pointed to it, Apex looked at it, "Oh, that's what it is, I remember it now." Apex said, "How do you know what sugar is?" Auntie Lofty asked, "There was one time when I was preserving my food in the woods, and I put sugar on it by mistake because I thought it was salt." Apex replied, "*chuckle* I made that mistake once, too, when I put salt in my coffee instead of sugar." Aunt Holiday said, Apex smiled a little, "Are you two off today?" Apex asked, "No, we have school today." Scootaloo replied, "Sorry, Apex, but we can't hang out today." Apple Bloom said, "It's fine." Apex replied, and he ate slowly, "Well, you and Apple Bloom should finish breakfast, Scootaloo, you two are going to be late for school." Aunt Holiday said, and the two ate and they and Apex washed the dishes, they went outside and Apex went to the Everfree Forest while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo went to school. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo walked to Carousel Boutique and Apple Bloom knocked on the door, Sweetie Belle opened it, "Mornin', Sweetie Belle, ya ready to go to school?" Apple Bloom asked, "Yeah, hold on, I have to get my saddlebag." Sweetie Belle replied, and she trotted into her home, "Ain't ya gonna tell her bout Apex?" Apple Bloom asked, "Well, I haven't thought about it, I thought you and her would meet him at Pinkie's welcoming party for him." Scootaloo replied, "Now that ya mention it, Ah haven't seen Pinkie Pie around." Apple Bloom said, "She's not in Sugarcube Corner?" Scootaloo asked, "No, we last saw her two days ago, we haven't seen her since." Apple Bloom replied, "Two days ago? Hmm, Apex arrived at my home three days ago, maybe she's looking for him." Scootaloo said, "Who knows, Pinkie always does strange things." Apple Bloom replied, they heard walking and Sweetie Belle came out, "Alright, I'm ready." Sweetie Belle said, and the three walked to school together. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walked to school, "How do y'all two think y'all did on the test yesterday?" Apple Bloom asked, "I think I did pretty good." Sweetie Belle replied, "How about you, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked, Scootaloo groaned and looked down, "Aw, don't be like that, Scootaloo, maybe you passed this time." Sweetie Belle said, "I doubt it." Scootaloo replied, "Well, come on, the school's right there, let's go see our grades." Apple Bloom said, and she and Sweetie Belle trotted to class, Scootaloo looked down and walked to class. Scootaloo sat in class and Cheerilee handed back the tests from yesterday, "I did it, I passed." Sweetie Belle said, "Good for you, Sweetie Belle, Ah just barely passed." Apple Bloom replied, Scootaloo got her test back and did not look at her grade since she already saw it, she groaned and put her head on the desk. Cheerilee looked and saw Scootaloo, she trotted to her, "Oh, Scootaloo, don't be sad, you did better than last time, you should be happy." Cheerilee said, "I still failed, though." Scootaloo replied, "It's okay if you fail as long as you improve, and you did, I'm proud of you, so don't be so upset." Cheerilee said, "Still, I'm failing." Scootaloo replied, "Give it time, Scootaloo, maybe after a few more tests, you'll start passing." Cheerilee said, and she went back to handing out the tests, "Cheer up, Scootaloo, me and Sweetie Belle can help ya study, plus, mornin' work is about to start." Apple Bloom said, Scootaloo sighed and she and her classmates did their morning work. Apex was back in the Everfree Forest and at where he was last time, he put his outfit on and was chewing a piece of tree sap from the gum tree, "Okay, where do I go now?" Apex asked as he looked at the three paths ahead of him, he decided to go to the left path and cut off a piece of tree bark off of every tree he encountered with one of his knives, he kept walking forward and saw a cockatrice up ahead. Apex got defensive and stepped back slowly, he took his bow and an arrow out of one of his trash bags and aimed it carefully, the cockatrice turned and looked at Apex, he became startled and fired the arrow on impulse, but he hit the cockatrice in the head by chance, "Hmm, looks like I got dinner for tonight." Apex said, and he took the arrow out of the cockatrice, cleaned the blood off with the grass, and put it and his bow back in the trash bag, he then took out a hatchet and cut the cockatrice's head off, he trotted around and looked for a body of water, he found one and he washed the cockatrice and then took its feathers off and broke its feet off and then put it in the trash bag that carried his food. Apex kept trotting and marking his path on the trees, he found lemon ants in another tree and ate a few, he pressed onward and stopped at another tree, "Oh, good, pine cones." Apex said, and he used a knife to cut one off of the tree, he put the stem at the bottom of the pine cone into his right ear to clean the wax out, he got another one and used the stem at the bottom to clean the wax out of his other ear, "Ah, my ears feel so much better." Apex said, and he kept going. Apex walked around more and looked for more plants and animals, he heard growling and listened, "Wolves." Apex said, and he continued to hear them, he looked forward and saw the timberwolves. Apex quickly looked for a stick and found one, he bundled up some leaves and grass to make tinder, he got rope out of one of his trash bags and wrapped it around the stick, he got a knife and his flint out, he scraped the flint with his knife to make a spark, he tried several times and lit the tinder. Apex grabbed the torch and held it forward, the timberwolves whimpered and backed away from the fire, Apex walked forward and the timberwolves backed away slowly, Apex got ready to throw the torch at one of the timberwolves and they all ran away. Apex blew the fire out and continued forward, he looked around and saw bugs hopping on the ground, "Ooh, crickets, I'll eat them when I get hungry." Apex said, and he kept going into the forest and marked his path on the trees, he began to walk slowly and fell onto the ground, "Wow, I am tired, I guess I can build some shelter around here." Apex said, and he looked around. Apex cut the branches on the trees and stuck them into the ground, he then put sticks in the wedges at the top of the two tree branches, he then looked for moss to use as a blanket, "Hmm, no moss, well, it's just a temporary shelter." Apex said, and he put his trash bags on top of his makeshift bed and he got on it and sighed as he laid down. School has finished and Scootaloo was walking on her own, she was going to go see Rainbow Dash, "Excuse me, Scootaloo." a familiar voice said, Scootaloo looked up a bit and saw Fluttershy flying to her, she landed, "Do you know anypony who's been to the Everfree Forest recently?" Fluttershy asked, "Is something wrong?" Scootaloo asked, "The trees in the forest are marked, almost like somepony cut the bark off." Fluttershy replied, Scootaloo put two and two together, "When did you find them?" Scootaloo asked, "This morning when I was feeding the animals." Fluttershy replied, "Um... I don't know who would, it wasn't me, Apple Bloom, or Sweetie Belle, though." Scootaloo said, "I'm just curious on who did it, Scootaloo, nopony's in trouble." Fluttershy replied, "Sorry, but I have no clue." Scootaloo said, "Everypony I asked so far doesn't have a clue, either, and they're not deep enough and too straight to be claw marks, I'll go see if anypony has an idea." Fluttershy replied, "Okay, good luck, Fluttershy." Scootaloo said, and she flew away while Scootaloo walked. Rainbow Dash flew around and practiced for her next Wonderbolts training, she heard cheering and saw Scootaloo below her, "You made it, watch this." Rainbow Dash said, and she flew and did more stunts while Scootaloo clapped. Rainbow Dash flew down after getting exhausted, "Where's Apex?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He went back into the Everfree Forest." Scootaloo replied, "Really? He really should have somepony show him around instead." Rainbow Dash said, "I found out how he found his way back." Scootaloo replied, "How?" Rainbow Dash asked, "He's cutting the bark off of the trees in his path, so he's marking where he's going and can backtrack if he gets lost." Scootaloo replied, "Isn't that in your Filly Guides Camp?" Rainbow Dash asked, "No." Scootaloo replied, "Wow, I never thought of that before, either, maybe we can learn a few things from him." Rainbow Dash said, "I plan to, tomorrow's Saturday, so no school." Scootaloo replied, "I'll be coming along, too." Rainbow Dash said, "Thanks, it's getting a little late, I should head home." Scootaloo replied, and she trotted home while Rainbow Dash followed her. Scootaloo entered her home and her aunts saw her and Rainbow Dash, "Welcome home, Scootaloo, and hello, Rainbow Dash." Aunt Holiday said, "Hi, Aunt Holiday." Rainbow Dash replied, "Where's Apex?" Scootaloo asked, "He hasn't come back, yet." Auntie Lofty replied as she sewed her quilt, "He still isn't home?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Yeah, the sun's setting, too." Scootaloo replied, "Well, he's in the Everfree Forest, so either Fluttershy or Zecora will find him." Rainbow Dash said, "Well, dinner's ready, go ahead and eat." Aunt Holiday said, and Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash had dinner. Apex was walking around in the Everfree Forest and the sun was setting, he saw eyes' in the shadows, Apex looked around for a pile of mud, he looked around and found one, "Yes." Apex said under his breath, he took his outfit off and put it in a trash bag, he went into the mud and rubbed it all over his body, the animals smelled him and some of them groaned since the mud stank, "Okay, where's the other material? There it is." Apex said as he trotted to it, he picked up animal feces and rubbed it on his body, the animals smelled him and ran away while gagging while Apex laughed like a villain. Apex picked up his trash bags and walked around the Everfree Forest a little more, "Hey." a female voice said, Apex turned around and saw Fluttershy flying to him, "You should head home, the forest's dangerous at night." Fluttershy said, "I'm fine." Apex replied, "No, let's get you home, your family's probably worried, where do you live?" Fluttershy asked, "I'm staying at Scootaloo's place." Apex replied, "Come on, let's get you home." Fluttershy said, and she picked him up and flew to Scootaloo's home while she gagged and tried to hold her breath. Scootaloo was doing her homework while Rainbow Dash helped her, knocking was heard at the door, "Come in." Auntie Lofty said, and the door opened, they all saw Fluttershy, she put Apex down and he stood on all four of his legs instead of just his hind legs, Aunt Holiday exclaimed with shock with her front hoofs on her cheeks, "Apex!" Aunt Holiday said, Apex looked and saw Auntie Lofty, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash looking at him with shocked expressions, "He was like this when I found him in the Everfree Forest." Fluttershy said, "What happened to you?" Scootaloo asked, "I got the animals to leave me alone by covering myself in mud and fecal matter." Apex replied, everypony looked at him with shocked expressions, "I was wondering why you stink." Fluttershy said, Auntie Lofty flew to him and pushed him to the bathroom, "Come on, Apex, into the shower." Auntie Lofty said, the others followed her. Auntie Lofty put Apex in the bathtub and then went to the sink to wash her front hoofs, she used the pink soap bar on the side multiple times, she then flew to the bathtub and turned the shower on, Apex yelped when the water hit him, "Since when did ponies start washing themselves with hot water?" Apex asked, "We've been doing it ever since I was a filly, Apex, it's nothing new." Auntie Lofty replied, "My parents and I always used ice cold water." Apex said, "Well, most ponies don't like cleaning themselves with cold water, hot water cleans better, too." Auntie Lofty said, and she washed Apex while the others walked into the bathroom to see him, "Honestly, Apex, don't cover yourself in animal poop, you're going to get sick." Auntie Lofty said, "But I need its smell so the animals don't eat me." Apex replied, "We got bug sprays and repellents for that now, you don't need to get all messy anymore." Auntie Lofty said, and she cleaned him, she put shampoo and mane conditioner in his mane, "What is this?" Apex asked, "Shampoo and mane conditioner, the shampoo helps clean your mane and tail, and the conditioner will make your mane look better and feel better when somepony touches it." Auntie Lofty replied, and she washed Apex's mane, "What the?" Auntie Lofty asked, she took her front hoofs out of his mane and saw white flakes on her hoofs, "What's the matter, Lofty?" Aunt Holiday asked, "He has dandruff." Auntie Lofty replied, "Really?" Rainbow Dash asked as she flew forward, she looked and saw the dandruff in Apex's mane, "Oh, you should try to hide that, Apex, foals will make fun of you if they see that." Rainbow Dash said, "Wait, let me see his snout." Fluttershy said as she flew forward, she looked at him, "I thought I saw something, he has blackheads and whiteheads in his snout." Fluttershy said, the others looked and saw them, "I'm sure a little lemon juice can help with that." Aunt Holiday said, "My parents used lemon juice for cleaning." Apex replied, "Now, now, Apex, lemon juice has more uses." Aunt Holiday said, Apex looked at Fluttershy while Auntie Lofty washed him, "Is this another one of your friends, Scootaloo?" Apex asked, "This is Fluttershy." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, so you're Fluttershy, Scootaloo mentioned you liking animals." Apex said, "Yes, I have a sanctuary and give pets to those who want them, I have cats, dogs, snakes, elephants..." Fluttershy replied, "I like vultures." Apex said, "I don't have that." Fluttershy replied, "Also, Apex, she's my idol's childhood friend." Scootaloo said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yup, Fluttershy and I grew up together." Rainbow Dash replied, "I'm still surprised, I've never seen him before." Fluttershy said, "My brother and sister-in-law brought him here three days ago, he's a homeless orphan." Aunt Holiday replied, "Oh, you poor foal, you can stay at my place." Fluttershy said, "Thanks, but I like it here." Apex replied, "I'm a bit nervous introducing him to the other ponies, since Apex lived in the woods, and sleeps in trees and on roofs, he digs through trash for food, too." Scootaloo said, "Has he made any friends?" Fluttershy asked, "Well, he's already met Zecora, Cranky Doodle, Matilda, and the Apple family, but I don't know whether to call them friends or not." Scootaloo replied, "I need to get to know them better before I can call them friends." Apex said, "Do you consider me and my aunts friends?" Scootaloo asked, "Not yet." Apex replied, and Auntie Lofty got a pink soap bar from the side of the bathtub, "What is this?" Apex asked, "Soap, it's used for cleaning." Auntie Lofty replied, "Wow, washing in civilization sure takes a lot longer than in the wild." Apex said, "How did you wash yourself in the woods?" Fluttershy asked, "Find a body of water, jump in it, rub water on yourself, that's it." Apex replied, "What about drying?" Aunt Holiday asked, "We just walked in the sun." Apex replied, "Well, you won't be walking in the sun here, you're going to dry yourself with a towel." Auntie Lofty said, and she soon turned the shower off, she got a green bath towel and dried Apex with it, "That's a pretty long wash." Apex said, "Really? It's about average time for us." Aunt Holiday replied, "We didn't have showers in the woods, either, well, unless you count walking in the rain as a shower, but other than that, we always took baths." Apex said, "Walking in the rain is not a shower, Apex." Auntie Lofty replied, and she finished drying him, "Well, dinner's ready, go eat, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, and he went to the dining room while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash went home. Apex looked at his dinner and saw he was having lasagna tonight, "What's this?" Apex asked, "Lasagna, it's another type of pasta." Auntie Lofty replied, Apex stabbed it with a fork and lifted it up as he looked at it, "What's this at the top?" Apex asked, "Cheese." Scootaloo replied, Apex got ready to put the entire top layer in his mouth, "No, Apex, use your knife to cut it." Aunt Holiday said, Apex reached into one of his trash bags and took out a wooden handle, he unfolded the blade and Scootaloo and her aunts saw it was a straight razor. Apex cut the lasagna with the straight razor while Scootaloo and her aunts looked at him with bewilderment, "What?" Apex asked, "That's not a knife, Apex." Scootaloo replied, "My dad told me this is a folding knife." Apex said, "Well, it's not, that's a razor, it's used for shaving beards." Auntie Lofty replied, Apex just put the straight razor back in his trash bag and used the knife at the table and ate his supper, "Still, I wish you didn't go into the Everfree Forest, Apex." Aunt Holiday said, "As I said, I have my ways of finding my way back." Apex replied, "I know how you find which way to go, Apex." Scootaloo said, Apex looked at her, "You're cutting bark off of the trees with your knife." Scootaloo said, "How did you know?" Apex asked, "Fluttershy found some of your markings." Scootaloo replied, "I have other ways, too." Apex said, and he washed the dishes after he finished, he and Scootaloo went to bed shortly afterwards, Apex was still hungry and could not sleep, so he headed outside. Apex headed outside and got some of the grass and leaves off of the ground, he used his knife and flint to light a fire, he put the cockatrice he killed over it to cook it, the cockatrice finished cooking and he began eating, the door opened and Scootaloo walked out, "What is that light over..." Scootaloo said before she stopped and saw Apex sitting and eating meat, "What are you eating?" Scootaloo asked, "A cockatrice." Apex replied with his mouth full, Scootaloo became speechless, "Where did you get that?" Scootaloo asked after a minute, "The forest." Apex replied, Scootaloo's jaw dropped, "Oh, shoot, this isn't good, Fluttershy's not going to be happy." Scootaloo said, Apex finished eating and he went to the trash can in front of Scootaloo's house shoved the cockatrice's bones to the bottom, "We won't be in trouble if she doesn't find out." Apex said, "Still, she's going to be upset if she does, *sigh* let's just go to bed, Apex." Scootaloo replied, and she went into the house while Apex slept in the tree.
Chapter 7Scootaloo woke up and Apex was not in bed, she looked outside her window and saw him cooking, he ate fox meat and Scootaloo covered her mouth when she felt the urge to vomit, he then took out and cooked some mushrooms, she headed outside to go see him, "Morning, Scootaloo." Apex said, "Where did you get those mushrooms?" Scootaloo asked, "The woods I lived in." Apex replied, the door opened and Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty walked out while wearing their pajamas, "What are you doing now, Apex?" Auntie Lofty asked, they looked and saw him cooking mushrooms, "Oh, you're cooking mushrooms, that's fine, Apex, but be careful, my brother said most mushrooms in Equestria are poisonous." Aunt Holiday said, "I'm not surprised, this is the only edible mushroom from the woods." Apex replied, "You could at least season them." Auntie Lofty said, "My mom always cooked them unseasoned." Apex replied, "Most ponies don't like mushrooms unseasoned, a lot of them like them with cooked garlic." Auntie Lofty said, "My mom used garlic to prevent tick bites." Apex replied, "How does that work?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Break the garlic apart and rub the liquid inside on yourself." Apex replied, "Did you ever eat garlic?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Yes, my mom and her tribe ate them raw." Apex replied, Scootaloo and her aunts had shocked expressions, "How were you able to eat something that spicy?" Aunt Holiday asked, "It took me a while, but I grew used to it after a while." Apex replied, "Don't eat raw garlic, Apex, it'll make your breath stink, that's not acceptable in society." Auntie Lofty said, "What about raw ginger?" Apex asked, "That's fine, you can use that for cooking, too." Auntie Lofty replied, "Hmm, my parents never told me that." Apex said, "What other spicy foods did you have in the woods?" Scootaloo asked, "One more, raw ghost pepper." Apex replied, Scootaloo and her aunts had shocked faces again, "How did you manage to eat that?" Aunt Holiday asked, "I endured the spiciness, they are sacred in my mom's culture, eating them is a rite of passage into adulthood, a pony has to eat it and swallow it without spitting it out, nor eat or drink anything to make the spice weaker." Apex replied, "What's the point of it?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Those who can swallow the pepper and endure its spice are considered adults by the tribe, those who fail are still kids, they can eat the pepper whenever they feel ready." Apex replied, "Well, that's nice, Apex, but I have school today, so I have to get ready." Scootaloo said, "Want a mushroom?" Apex asked, "I guess." Scootaloo replied, and he gave her one, she ate it and it was crunchy, "This doesn't have much flavor." Scootaloo said, "I know, they're always like that, I don't eat them often." Apex replied, "Would you like some cookies?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Actually, I'm full, this is heavy." Scootaloo replied, "Okay, go on and get ready, Scootaloo, as for you, Apex, stay in Ponyville today, we don't want you to go into the woods and get into trouble with the wild animals." Aunt Holiday said, Apex nodded, "Well, come on, Holiday, I need help on my quilt today." Auntie Lofty said, and the two entered the house. Apex ate a mushroom with Scootaloo and she then went into the house and came out with her saddlebag and went to school, Apex put the fire out and picked up his trash bags and went to Ponyville. Scootaloo sat in class and was ready to work, "Has everything been alright at home, Scootaloo?" Cheerilee asked, "Yeah, Apex is just mostly walking around Ponyville and exploring." Scootaloo replied, "Why don't you have him enroll here?" Cheerilee asked, "Well, one, when my parents find guardians for him, he's leaving, and two, they told me not to bring him here since his behavior is inappropriate for school." Scootaloo replied, "Well, I can see that, but he still should at least get an education." Cheerilee said, "Twilight's teaching him." Scootaloo replied, "Oh, good, he's getting home schooled, well, let's start our class." Cheerilee said, and she handed out the morning work. Scootaloo worked while she thought about Apex and what he was doing, she worked quickly and yawned since she was still tired, she finished after what felt like a minute, she looked up and saw almost everypony was done, the others soon finished, "Okay, class, very good, now team up with your friends and check your answers together." Cheerilee said, and Scootaloo got with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo checked her work with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and saw she has gotten about half of the answers wrong, Scootaloo groaned and put her head on the desk, "It's okay, Scootaloo, you're improving." Sweetie Belle said, "I still failed, though." Scootaloo replied, "Don't feel bad, Scootaloo, Ah just barely passed, too." Apple Bloom said, "I'm a bit worried about what my grade is when compared to the rest of the class." Scootaloo replied, "Sorry to say this, Scootaloo, but you have the lowest grade in the entire classroom." Cheerilee said, Scootaloo groaned again, "Don't be sad, Scootaloo, I'm sure you'll start passing eventually." Sweetie Belle said, "Yeah, yer doin' better than before, just keep tryin'." Apple Bloom said, "But still." Scootaloo replied, "Go ahead and rest for now, Scootaloo. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, let her know when the others are done." Cheerilee said, and she walked around class and watched the students check their work together while Scootaloo kept her head on the desk. Apex walked around Ponyville and looked into the houses, he saw Cranky Doodle and Matilda in one house and knocked on their door, Cranky Doodle opened it, "Why, hello, Apex." Cranky Doodle said, "I'm here to learn what you two did as kids." Apex said, "Sure, come on in." Cranky Doodle replied, and Apex entered his home. Apex sat on a chair while Cranky Doodle and Matilda came with a picture book, Cranky Doodle opened it, "This is when Matilda and I were kids, we used to build huts out of dirt and mud and we would play in them, we also helped our parents build shelters as well, it was a lot of fun." Cranky Doodle said, "What was the shelter built from?" Apex asked, "There's a picture of it right here." Matilda replied as she pointed to it, Apex looked and saw their shelter was built from dried dirt shaped like bricks, a cement-like liquid made from dirt and water, the inside was filled with leaves and branches, and the roof was made from hay, "Wow, the shelter my parents and I made were just made from dried mud." Apex said, "How often did you three make shelter?" Matilda asked, "Not often, we usually slept in the trees." Apex replied, "You sound like not all of your shelter was built." Cranky Doodle said, "It wasn't, my parents and I also dug holes in the ground and slept there, we covered the holes with tree branches and moss, too." Apex replied, "This picture here is us making chewing gum, we have tree sap in a pot over a fire and we're boiling it." Cranky Doodle said as he pointed at the picture, Apex chuckled a little, "I might try that myself." Apex said, "This one is us harvesting honey from bees, this was the biggest hive we ever found." Matilda said as she pointed to it, "You two didn't have honey ants?" Apex asked, "Not where we grew up, no." Cranky Doodle replied, "What's this one?" Apex asked as he pointed at it, "That's us making toothpaste from the ashes of a bonfire, we used those toothbrush tree sticks you use to brush our teeth." Matilda replied, "I did that once, but my mom said I didn't need it, so I never did it again." Apex said, "This picture is us harvesting vegetables and flowers to eat." Matilda said as she pointed at it, Apex looked at the picture, "I've never seen those flowers before." Apex said, "They only grew where we grew up. Anyway, this picture here is us celebrating a hunt." Cranky Doodle said as he pointed at it, Apex looked and saw a deer, "That must've tasted good." Apex said, "It did." Matilda replied, "I remember when my mom would tell me about the tale of Mother Nature, she said she is wrathful to trophy hunters." Apex said, "We were told about Mother Nature as kids, too, it's because it's wasting the food, so she brought disasters onto them as punishment." Cranky Doodle replied, "Wow, I didn't know people outside of mom's tribe told the tale about her, too." Apex said, "Well, she was popular when we were kids, but it got less popular as we got older, and almost no one knows about that story now." Matilda replied, "Did you all have any rites of passage for getting older?" Apex asked, "Of course, that's me right there as a teenager." Cranky Doodle replied as he pointed to a picture, "What are you doing?" Apex asked, "I had to stay in the wilderness for a night and be ready to fend off any wild animals that attacked me, I passed." Cranky Doodle replied, "Wow, my mom's tribe had ponies eat a ghost pepper." Apex said, "I've eaten one of those once, it was spicy." Matilda said, "About that, you can't eat or drink anything to weaken the pepper's spice during the rite of passage." Apex replied, "What age are you when you do it?" Cranky Doodle asked, "Any age, you can do it anytime, you can be as young as four and as old as eighty to eat the ghost pepper, but until you do, you're not considered an adult by the tribe." Apex replied, "What does it mean to be an adult in your mother's tribe?" Matilda asked, "More responsibilities, you also have to look after the ponies who are still considered kids." Apex replied, "That's it?" Cranky Doodle asked, "More respect from the tribe, too." Apex replied, "What did you do for fun in the woods?" Matilda asked, "Throw a beehive around with my parents." Apex replied, "Yeah, we didn't do that." Cranky Doodle said, "You guys didn't have beehives?" Apex asked, "No, we had balls instead." Cranky Doodle replied, "What's a ball?" Apex asked, "This is a ball." Matilda replied and Apex looked at it, "They come in many shapes and sizes, this is just the most common shape." Cranky Doodle said, "Do you all have any more pictures?" Apex asked, "Nope, that's all, come on, Apex, I'll show you something Matilda and I did as kids, let's go outside." Cranky Doodle said, and they headed outside. Apex, Cranky Doodle, and Matilda were outside and Cranky Doodle and Matilda began collecting sticks, "This is a ceremony we liked to do for fun at night, Apex, it's called a wicker pony." Cranky Doodle said, and the two began getting sticks and leaves, "Come on, Apex, you too." Matilda said, and he got sticks and Cranky Doodle and Matilda began building a small wooden sculpture, they worked and stopped for a minute, "If you're willing to learn, Apex, you need to interweave the sticks and leaves, like this." Matilda said, and she showed him how to do it. Apex began building the wicker pony and they made one the size of a foal, it was in the shape of an earth pony, "There, it's done, almost all wicker ponies are bigger than this, and they have a horn and wings, too, but we're only going to do a small one because there's not that much material here, and we're going to burn it." Cranky Doodle said, "You're going to burn it?" Apex asked, "Hmm-mm, we made these during winter nights, especially on New Year's." Matilda replied, "Ah, makes sense." Apex said, "Well, let's burn it, and watch it so the fire doesn't spread." Cranky Doodle said, and he came out with a match and lit it and threw it onto the wicker pony. Apex watched the wicker pony burn and it slowly burned, other ponies looked at the fire and watched the wicker pony burn, it burned down and Cranky Doodle and Matilda stomped the fires out, "Wasn't that fun, Apex?" Cranky Doodle asked, "It was alright." Apex replied, "We would then collect the ashes and store them in pots." Matilda said, "I wear one on my head as a hat." Apex replied, "No, not that kind of pot, a pot that is thin and tall, decorated with various designs on them." Cranky Doodle said, "Oh." Apex said, "Well, go on and have fun, Apex, you're welcome here anytime." Matilda said, Apex nodded with a smile on his face and left. Apex walked around Ponyville again and heard the bell at the school ring, he looked and saw the foals leaving the school, he looked and saw Scootaloo walking with her head down, she walked away and went to go see Rainbow Dash. Apex looked around and saw the ponies wearing clothes, he reached into one of his trash bags and put on his outfit, he looked around and saw how different his outfit was when compared to other ponies, "No, Apex, you can't wear that here." Rarity said as she walked to him, "You again." Apex said, "Come with me, Apex, let's make you an outfit more suitable for the environment you're in." Rarity said, and he followed her to Carousel Boutique. Apex entered Carousel Boutique and saw Sweetie Belle, "Hi, Apex." Sweetie Belle said, Apex waved at her, "Now, Apex, I need you to take that outfit off so I can measure you." Rarity said, and he did. Rarity used her telekinesis to measure Apex with a tape measure, "Um, Apex, darling, your waist is small for a colt your age." Rarity said, "I guess civilization's belief on weight really is different." Apex said, "What do you mean?" Rarity asked, "My mom said I'm average size for her tribe." Apex replied, "Average?! I can see your ribs through your skin." Rarity said, "My parents were like that, too." Apex replied, "Them too, you say? Well, anyway, I shall prepare your outfit." Rarity said, "I thought you only made dresses." Apex replied, "No, I make clothes for boys, too." Rarity said, and she began going through her fabrics, "A red coat, hmm, maybe plum will be a nice color for him, or maybe light turquoise, or green to complement his red coat color..." Rarity said, "I like black." Apex said, "Ooh, a versatile color, almost everything goes well with black." Rarity said, "Can you make my entire outfit black?" Apex asked, "You don't want another color?" Sweetie Belle asked, "No, just want to keep it simple, I'd also like a white outfit, since black is not comfortable to wear in hot weather." Apex replied, "Apex, this isn't about how your outfit functions, you have to look your best in public." Rarity said, "How about pink, Apex?" Sweetie Belle asked, "I only like pink when it's combined with gray." Apex replied, "Ooh, that's a nice combination, Apex, but personally, I prefer pink with white." Rarity said, "Are there any other color combinations you like?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Of course, my favorite one is red, orange, and yellow." Apex replied, "Ooh, alright, an orange and yellow outfit, it is." Rarity said, and she began sewing, "Wow, those sewing machines are fast." Apex said, "You know how to sew, Apex?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Yeah, by hoof, I made this outfit myself." Apex replied, "Where did you get the sewing thread?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Nowhere, these things holding my outfit together is animal sinew that was covered in charcoal to make it black." Apex replied, Rarity screamed, "Those stitches is animal sinew?!" Rarity asked, "Yup." Apex replied, he saw Rarity had a horrified expression on her face, "Wait, how did you get sewing needles in the woods?" Sweetie Belle asked, "My mom carved them from wood and bones." Apex replied, "Most places don't use wooden needles, Apex, and they most definitely don't use bones, and as you can see, Apex, my needles are made from steel, they are the most common materials for sewing needles in Equestria." Rarity said, Apex looked around while Rarity continued sewing his outfit, "I wonder what kind of clothes your mom's tribe wore." Sweetie Belle said, "I don't know, I never saw them, but my mom hated dresses." Apex replied, "Well, that does make sense, the woods isn't a good place to wear a dress." Sweetie Belle said, "How about a skirt that goes halfway down your thighs?" Rarity asked, "She hated that, too." Apex replied, "What did your mother wear?" Rarity asked, "Pants, boots on her hoofs, and a jacket when it got cold, all made from bear fur." Apex replied, "What about your dad?" Sweetie Belle asked, "Jungle camouflage pants, military belt, black combat boots." Apex replied, Sweetie Belle became speechless, "It's done." Rarity said in a singsong voice, Apex saw she made an orange blazer, orange pants, a yellow shirt, and four yellow shoes, "I didn't think you'd actually make shoes." Apex said, "Of course, darling, you can't go around in public wearing plastic bottles as hoofwear, everypony will look at you strangely." Rarity replied, Apex saw her get more orange fabric and thread, "Okay, and now the last piece of clothing, the hat, I am going to make you a simple trilby, because you most certainly cannot wear a cooking pot on your head as a hat, ponies will think you're dumb." Rarity said, and she began sewing. Apex watched Rarity sew and was in awe at how fast she was, she kept working and soon finished, "There, it's finished." Rarity said as she looked at the orange trilby, she put all of the clothes on Apex and got him a mirror, "Ooh, you look marvelous, Apex, I hope you think the same thing." Rarity said, "I like it." Apex replied, his clothes then changed to his old outfit, "What the?" Rarity asked, Discord appeared in the shop, "No, he does not, his old outfit is better." Discord said, "No, it's not, he can't wear that mess of sewn pieces of clothing and animal fur in public, he stands out too much." Rarity replied, "Really, I thought he made that because he was being creative." Discord said, "Creative?! You call a trash bag as a shirt creative?" Rarity asked, "I thought it was, that outfit is very fashionable in my realm." Discord replied, "Fashionable? Since when did wearing a trash bag for a shirt, plastic bottles as shoes, and a cooking pot as a hat become fashionable?" Rarity asked, "It's always been fashionable." Discord replied, "No, it hasn't, change him back, Discord, he looks better in his new outfit." Rarity said, "Oh, relax, it's right there, in his trash bag." Discord replied, Apex reached into his trash bag and took the clothes out, "You'll have to replace those, too, Apex, I am not comfortable seeing you carry the clothes I made for you in a trash bag." Rarity said, "What's wrong with it?" Apex asked, "What's wrong? It makes me think you don't like the outfit and are throwing it away, I find that to be very insulting." Rarity replied, "Well, I don't have anything else to carry it in." Apex said, "Here, Apex." Sweetie Belle said as she gave him an item with her telekinesis, "What's this?" Apex asked, "It's a backpack, that one's used for hiking." Sweetie Belle replied, he found the zipper and opened it, he put his trash bags in it and then put the backpack on his back, "Oh, it's perfect, I think you will enjoy using that, Apex." Rarity said, Apex smiled, "By the way, Apex, my name is Discord, I'll be at Fluttershy's cottage if you want to see me." Discord said, "Nice to meet you, Discord." Apex replied, "Well, off I go now." Discord said, and he disappeared, "Oh, the nerve, changing Apex's new fashionable outfit to that mess of his old one." Rarity said, "Am I done here?" Apex asked, "No, next, we have to get rid of your dandruff, ponies will think you have poor hygiene if you don't." Rarity replied, and she took him to the bathroom. Rarity put Apex in the bathtub and turned on the shower, she scrubbed Apex's scalp gently, "Okay, now just a little gentle rub, put some anti-dandruff shampoo here, and some anti-dandruff mane conditioner, and you should be fine." Rarity said as she scrubbed his mane, she finished and dried him with a mane dryer, "I used to dry myself by walking in the sun." Apex said, "No, Apex, you'll get cold doing that, it's more comfortable to do it this way." Rarity replied, and she finished drying him, "Okay, next, the blackheads and whiteheads, it'll ruin your pictures." Rarity said and she went to her room. Rarity went through her things while Apex and Sweetie Belle waited downstairs, "Uh-huh, here it is." Rarity said, she came down with a bottle of light blue rubbing cream, "Alright, just rub a little bit of this on your snout, and let it sit, the blackheads and whiteheads should be gone by tomorrow." Rarity said as she rubbed the cream on his snout, "Am I done now?" Apex asked, "Not yet, one more thing, let me see your hoofs." Rarity replied, and Apex showed them to her, Rarity and Sweetie Belle became uncomfortable when they saw Apex had calluses on his hoofs, "Come on, Apex, to the spa, you really need a hooficure, you can't go around in public with calluses on your hoofs, either." Rarity said, and they went to the spa. Rarity and Apex arrived at the spa and they saw Aloe and Lotus Blossom, "Ah, Rarity, would you like the usual treatment?" Lotus Blossom asked, "No, no, no, not today, Apex here needs his hoofs filed." Rarity replied, "Have a seat over there, Apex." Aloe said, and he sat, the two spa ponies saw his hoofs and became shocked at seeing the calluses on his hoofs, the two ran and came back with filers. Aloe and Lotus Blossom filed Apex's hoofs while Rarity watched the calluses come off of his hoofs, "That tickles." Apex said, "Don't move, Apex, you need to stay still." Rarity said, and he did, "Finished." Aloe said, Rarity looked, "Ooh, brilliant, his hoofs are very soft now." Rarity said, "Alright, that'll be twenty five bits." Lotus Blossom said, and Rarity paid them, the two headed outside, "Wow, the ground is softer." Apex said, "That's what happens when you have soft hoofs, come on now, pack your things and head on out, you're ready to fit into a civilized area." Rarity replied, and he got his things from Carousel Boutique and headed home. Apex arrived home and went to go saw Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty sewing a quilt, "I'm home." Apex said, the two looked at him, "Oh, Apex, what has happened to you?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Rarity took me to her shop and groomed me." Apex replied, "Did she make you a new outfit?" Auntie Lofty asked, and Apex took it out of the backpack, "Good, you can wear that." Auntie Lofty said, "Where did you get that backpack?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Sweetie Belle gave it to me." Apex replied, "Alright, good, we've got a letter from Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood earlier this afternoon, we'll read it when Scootaloo comes home." Auntie Lofty said, "What does it say?" Apex asked, "You'll have to wait until Scootaloo comes home." Aunt Holiday replied, "Quick peak?" Apex asked, "Nope." Auntie Lofty replied, Apex groaned and he sat at the table and began to practice writing letters and numbers again. Apex wrote for about an hour until he and Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty heard the door open, they saw Scootaloo looking down and she headed to the bedroom, "Scootaloo?" Aunt Holiday asked, Scootaloo just went to her room, "Let's take a break, Holiday, I'll bake some cookies for Scootaloo." Auntie Lofty said, and she began making cookies. Apex wrote the words and numbers while Aunt Holiday watched him, Apex stopped writing and shook his hoof after a while, "Take a break, Apex, you've wrote enough." Aunt Holiday said, he looked and saw Auntie Lofty was gone, she soon came back, "How is she?" Aunt Holiday asked, "Still upset, come on now, Apex, move your things, Holiday and I need to get back to work." Auntie Lofty said, and Apex did and he went to Scootaloo's room. Apex walked into Scootaloo's room and saw her laying in her bed with her face buried into her pillow, he looked and saw an empty plate on the floor, "Scootaloo?" Apex asked, Scootaloo did not respond, he looked and saw her pillow was wet, "You okay?" Apex asked, she looked at him and Apex saw Scootaloo had dried tears on her cheeks, "What happened?" Apex asked, "I discovered today that I have the lowest grade in class." Scootaloo replied, "Is that bad?" Apex asked, "Yes, it means I'm failing school, if I don't bring my grade up, I'm going to have to repeat the grade." Scootaloo replied, "It's not because of me coming into your life, is it?" Apex asked, "No, I was failing even before you arrived, I'm actually doing better than before, but I'm still failing." Scootaloo replied, "That sucks, anyway, you should go see your aunts, they got a letter from your parents." Apex said, and Scootaloo got out of bed slowly and she and Apex walked to the dining room. Apex and Scootaloo went to the dining room and saw Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty working on the quilt, "In a minute, you two." Aunt Holiday said, and they worked and finished, Aunt Holiday took the letter off of the table, "Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood have found parents for Apex, they're campers and hikers, they'll be coming here to pick up Apex tomorrow." Aunt Holiday said, "Sounds good." Apex said while smiling, "Why don't you two go out and play, try to relax and cheer up, Scootaloo." Auntie Lofty said, and Scootaloo got a hoofball, "This is a hoofball, Apex, ponies like to play catch with this." Scootaloo said, "What's catch?" Apex asked, "Come on outside, I'll show you." Scootaloo replied, and the two headed outside. Scootaloo and Apex stood apart outside, "Okay, Apex, I throw the ball, you try to catch it, and you throw it back, okay?" Scootaloo asked, Apex nodded, "Alright, here goes." Scootaloo said, and she threw the ball, Apex ran and tried to catch it, the ball hit the ground and Apex picked it up, "Oh, I remember this game now." Apex said, "You've played this before?" Scootaloo asked, "Yeah, with my mom and dad, except we played this with beehives." Apex replied, Scootaloo exclaimed, "No! No throwing beehives, Apex." Scootaloo said, Apex looked down a little, "Come on, throw the ball back, Apex." Scootaloo said, and he did, Scootaloo caught it and threw it back at him and he caught it, the two threw the ball while the day passed, "What did Rainbow Dash do today?" Apex asked, "Just hung out, she was too tired to do stunts today." Scootaloo replied, "You feel better?" Apex asked, "A little." Scootaloo replied, and she threw the ball at him and he caught it, he threw it back, "Rarity groomed me today, she got rid of my dandruff and blackheads, she made me a new outfit, too." Apex said, "Yeah, Rarity's always like that, she's a bit nitpicky when it comes to appearance." Scootaloo replied, "Sweetie Belle gave me a backpack." Apex said, "I saw it, how's it feel?" Scootaloo asked, "A little tight on my shoulders." Apex replied, "You can adjust the straps." Scootaloo said, "Really?" Apex asked, "Yes, I'll show you later." Scootaloo replied, and the two threw the ball at one another until Aunt Holiday came outside, "Dinner time, you two." Aunt Holiday said, and they went into the house. Scootaloo and Apex sat at the table with Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty, they were having peanut butter sandwiches with white bread, "What is this in the bread?" Apex asked, "Peanut butter." Aunt Holiday replied, "I thought I tasted nuts in it." Apex said, "What kind of nuts did you eat in the woods?" Scootaloo asked, "Pecans, acorns, hazelnuts, and every once in a while, hickory nuts, those are a pain to open." Apex replied, "Did you roast them?" Aunt Holiday asked, "No, my parents and I ate them raw." Apex replied, "You know, Apex, most civilized ponies like to eat nuts with salt on them." Auntie Lofty said, "I never put salt on nuts in the woods." Apex replied, "Well, keep that in mind, if you buy any nuts from the store, they're going to be roasted and have salt on them." Auntie Lofty said, Apex nodded, "Wait, your mom's tribe collected nuts and berries, right?" Scootaloo asked, "Yes." Apex replied, "Why would they collect poison berries for?" Scootaloo asked, "Oh, that, it's for a ritual in my mom's tribe, a pony has to eat a poison berry, they become a leader of the tribe if they survive the poison." Apex replied, "Who's the tribe's supreme leader?" Scootaloo asked, "The one who's been the leader for the longest amount of time." Apex replied, "What does your tribe see the leaders as?" Auntie Lofty asked, "Ponies who are favored by a deity called Mother Nature, they survive the poison because she has gifted them to survive it as a reward for not destroying nature for no reason." Apex replied, "What do you mean for no reason?" Aunt Holiday asked, "That the plants they pick and the animals they kill are eaten and used to make weapons and clothing, some people just rip plants out and kill animals for no reason and leave them to rot, the tribe believes that's why disasters happen, it is Mother Nature's wrath." Apex replied, "Would Mother Nature like Fluttershy?" Scootaloo asked, "Of course, she appreciates ponies who takes care of animals." Apex replied, "Sounds like your mother's tribe didn't like cruelty to animals." Auntie Lofty said, "Of course not, if you're going to hunt and kill, eat the animal and use its body to make materials, don't take its antlers or tusks and then leave it, my mom's tribe also hated poachers, she used to tell me tales that if a pony didn't stop killing animals for no reason, trophy hunting, or capturing animals and taking them away from their families, the male ponies of her tribe would track them down and kill them." Apex replied, "Oh my, it sounds like your mother's tribe didn't teach friendship." Aunt Holiday said, "Why would they want to befriend them for?" Apex asked, "Equestria is taught to look at both sides before coming to conclusions." Scootaloo replied, "Do you still punish them for their actions?" Apex asked, "Usually, no, we try to make deals that both sides can be happy with." Scootaloo replied, "That sounds like a stupid decision in those cases, they're killing animals and destroying nature for fun, I think befriending them and only letting them kill animals to eat would anger them." Apex replied, "Have they even tried to reason with them?" Scootaloo asked, "My mom did say once that a group of stallions from her tribe tried to explain to a group of animal killing ponies what they were doing was wrong, and those ponies killed them and sent their heads back to her tribe." Apex replied, "Oh my, maybe trying to win them over with friendship isn't going to work after all." Aunt Holiday said, "Yeah, it's a shame, really, we'd rather settle problems peacefully." Auntie Lofty said, "Well, I guess it doesn't always work." Apex replied, and they ate dinner and Scootaloo and Apex went to bed an hour later after Scootaloo showed Apex how to adjust the backpack straps. Apex could not sleep and went outside, he took his items out of his new backpack and began cutting holes into the ground with a knife and scooped out pieces of it with his front hoofs, he made a small hole and got some leaves and branches and put them in the hole, he then put more over them and went into the hole and slept.
