//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: The Uncivilized Foal // by smirker //------------------------------// Morning 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.