//------------------------------// // Omelette du Fromage // Story: Dear Twilight Sparkle // by Penmore //------------------------------// “So together it would be Omelette du fromage. Which means… what?” Twilight looked to her student as she levitated the chalk to point at the word she had written in Prench. “Uh… cheese omelet?” Applebloom answered trying her best to remember the amount of knowledge she was presented by the purple unicorn. It had been two days since Twilight was kicked out of the farm and during that time Applebloom came and listened to the story of her birth and spent the better part of that day crying. It was Saturday morning and the two were once again in front of Twilight’s board going over what they had learned in their limited amount of time. Today and Sunday were the only few days Twilight had left to teach Applebloom enough Prench to help her guess what the lullaby consisted. The coming Monday marked the beginning of a new week and it meant Twilight would have no time to teach the filly due to having allotted that time week with Rarity. “Is there still nothing that sounds remotely to the humming Applebloom? I know it’s not right asking you to help the situation between me and A.J but I have no pony else to turn to right now.” “I’m sorry Twilight, I truly am but even when I try to hum the words I’ve learned so far it just doesn’t sound right. Maybe… maybe this is just a waste of time for the both of us. I mean, I don’t even know if it was something she made up on the spot or an actual lullaby.” “I thought the exact same thing, and while I don’t have any books on Prench lullabies, I did request one from the Canterlot Library. Spike should be bringing it back as we speak since it was returned today until then I can only teach you words and phrases until you recognize something.” “I know, but what exactly is me knowing the lullaby going to do? I know it’ll help me know the song my mother used to sing and get closer to her in some way, but I’ve got no clue as to how it’ll help things between you and A.J.” “See, my way of thinking is if she’s able to learn what exactly the song was then she’ll have something to remember your mother. If she has that then maybe, she’ll be able to forgive me enough to talk to me. I just want the chance to apologize properly for behaving the way I did.” “I guess that makes sense?” Applebloom scratched her head and looked back at the notes she had taken the past few days. “Hey, Twilight?” “Yes, Applebloom?” “You’ve taught me a lot of conversational Prench but what about the stuff that has to do with farms?” “Oh, well let’s try that next then. Since we’re on the subject of omelets, let’s talk about the products that make them. The first being fromage which is cheese that is a byproduct of dairy or laitier.” Twilight answered levitating a book in front of her and writing the words on the blackboard for Applebloom to copy. “Laitier” Applebloom mumbled as she copied down what was being written. “Right, and as we know dairy comes from a cow or vache. The eggs or des oeufs come from chickens better known as poulets. The s in poulets indicates the plural form just like des and the s at the end of oeufs indicates the plural form of egg.” “So the singular for egg is oeuf and for a chicken it’s poulet?” “Correct! You’re really catching on quickly Applebloom. I’m impressed with the progress we’ve been making even if this doesn’t go how I’ve planned. Once I’ve got enough free time how about you come back and I’ll continue teaching you Prench?” “Sounds good to me, this is actually kinda fun.” “Great!” Twilight smiled before turning back to the board. “Now let’s try forming a sentence. Given everything I’ve taught you before and what you’ve learned now. Form a sentence with the words oeuf and poulet.” “Ok, uh hold gimme a minute.” “Let me know when you’re ready.” Applebloom took a minute to look at her past notes and wrote down something in her notebook. Taking a minute to look it over she smiled, satisfied with what she had written. “I’m ready now Twilight.” “Go ahead Applebloom.” “Un blanc de poulet pondu un oeuf.” “Translation?” “A white chicken laid an egg.” “Correct! Now there are several ways to write that sentence one of them using the word hen instead of chicken which, funny enough, is similar to poulet except the t isn’t used which makes it poule. Which would make the sentence come out as Un poule blanche pondu un oeuf.” “Wait, what did you say?” “A white hen laid an egg, that’s the translation for the sentence. It’s amazing how one word can change how the sentence can sound.” “No, I don’t care about that, I mean how did you say it in Prench?” “Oh, uh, Un poule blanche pondu un oeuf. Is there something you don’t understand?” “Un poule blanche…” Applebloom went silent as Twilight watched her go from deep contemplation to humming. She hummed the song that Applejack had the day she visited and upon reaching a certain part sang aloud. “Un poule blanche…” “Applebloom?” “That’s it! The song, it had those words in it Twilight! I’m not completely sure but it fits the rhythm. Do you know any song in Prench that have those words?” It took a moment before Twilight realized what she was asked and began to put her magic into overdrive. She picked out dozens of books from the shelves pertaining to songs and Prench culture. None of them seemed to be what she was looking for but alluded to a song existing with the words. No title was ever present and only a few tidbits of information were scattered in the many volumes and tomes. Applebloom watched in awe as the purple unicorn scanned through each book that was swirling in a vortex of written word and paper. It was an amazing sight to see the smartest pony in town scrambling for the information she was asked to find. “Argh! None of these books have it! Some of them have something along the same lines but I can’t seem to find those words exactly. Just when we figured out some form of a clue, this is infuriating.” The books were put back in their proper place on the shelves and Twilight looked back to her student to see her downcast. “I’m sorry I can’t be of much help Applebloom.” She put a hoof around her young charge in an attempt to comfort the filly. “It’s alright Twilight, I did get my hopes up but I understand if you can’t find it. At least we have a clue now right? That’s something to celebrate at least.” They both turned as the door to the library opened and Spike walked in with a loaded cart of books. He struggled to force it inside only for it to jerk through the door and tip the books it carried. Before they could fall on him Twilight caught them in her magic and set them down back on the cart. “Welcome back Spike, are you ok?” “I’m fine Twilight. I got the books you wanted, along with a few others that I’ve been meaning to get since we’ve moved. How’s learning Prench going Applebloom?” “Il va tres bien.” “C’est fantastique. Avez-vous faim?” “Oui!” “I’ll go prepare lunch then, let me know if you want anything specific otherwise the menu is a vegetarian lasagna with mashed potatoes and peas.” Spike walked off towards the kitchen and put his apron on before heading inside. “Oh, and for dessert it’s apple pie with ice cream on top.” “Thank you, Spike! That’s my favorite kind of dessert.” Applebloom said with a smile. Twilight turned her attention to the cart and put away its contents checking to see if it was the one she had originally asked Spike to acquire. It wasn’t until she reached the bottom that she found the book titled “Tous les jours Berceuses” she opened it scanning each page for only a second but it was all she needed. It only took a minute before she found it, and felt as if one obstacle to regaining her friendship with Applejack had been passed. “Applebloom it’s here, I found the lullaby your mother used to sing!” “Really?!” she yelled bounding towards the older mare who showed her the lullaby in question. “I only understand some of these words, and it’s so short… Is this really it Twilight?” “Well let’s try singing it, that way you’ll know the melody and be able to tell if it is or not.” “But, I’m still learning Prench. You sing it Twilight.” “Me?” “Please?” Twilight watched as Applebloom made her lower lip quiver and her eyes looked at her like those of a puppy. It was an immediate knock out to her sense and knew she couldn’t say no. “Ok, I’ll sing it Applebloom.” “Yes!” Applebloom bounded to the couch and took a seat ready for the song that might be the connection to the mother she never met. “Now, I apologize if it doesn’t sound quite the same as I’m still a bit rusty with my Prench.” “No worries Twilight.” Twilight took a deep breath and read the passage one more time; committing the words to memory she relaxed and started to sing. “That was it… that’s the song A.J hums to me whenever I have a bad day. Twilight, thank you so much.” Applebloom tackled the mare to the ground hugging her with tears in her eyes. “Oomph, no problem Applebloom. I’m happy that you finally know what the song was your mother used to sing. Perhaps now you two can be a little bit closer.” Twilight hugged the filly back and stroked her mane as she cried with a smile on her face. The two held each other until Applebloom was ready and composed. Spike had heard the song in the kitchen and came out to see the result as lunch was finished. He let them enjoy the moment a while longer as he set the table in silence and cleaned the kitchen. When he came back out the two ponies had gotten up and cleaned themselves in order to eat. They enjoyed the lunch that Spike prepared and talked about the song during. After lunch, both Twilight and Applebloom set to work on more lessons; this time pertaining to the song and proper pronunciation. At the end of the day as the sun was setting Applebloom said her goodbyes to the residents of the library and walked towards the farm with a spring in her step. Twilight stood at the doorway smiling a moment longer before putting away all the teaching tools they had used that day. “Twilight? What are you going to do now that she knows the song? I still don’t get how this is going to work out.” Spike asked as he swept the room and helped store the materials. “I asked Applebloom to invite Applejack over so we can show her everything we’ve worked on and for a chance to apologize.” “You think she’s going to accept it? I mean, I understand that it’s a sore subject for her and the being able to know the song might have been a good idea. However, the one you taught was Applebloom since A.J didn’t want to come. Not only that, do you know if she ever told A.J about coming here and learning from you?” “I’m not sure, but I have to hope for the best. This will work out you’ll see, I’ll apologize and we’ll be friends again.” Spike kept silent as he dumped the trash into a bag. He took a look at Twilight to find her eyes missing the usual sparkle that she used to have before all this happened. Before the reply from the Princess and before the events with Applejack. It hurt him to see her out of it, but there was nothing he could do during this situation. It was something one lesson she had to learn herself about the hardships of being a friend. “Has the Princess sent a reply yet Spike?” Twilight asked snapping the dragon out of his deep concentration. “Oh, uh… not yet Twilight. I’m sure she’ll send one soon, what with everything that’s going on between you and A.J.” “I hope so Spike. I hope so…” They finished cleaning and Twilight set to work on what she would say to Applejack the following day. Spike kept silent watch until it was time for him to sleep. He took one last look downstairs at Twilight working on her plans for tomorrow before heading inside. Just before he went to sleep he let out a quiet burp and a scroll fell into his claws. “I’m sorry Twilight.” Sunday brought a new day with new possibilities; one of them being the renewal of friendship between A.J and Twilight. Which was the reason Twilight was in such a good mood that day. Spike watched as the smile she wore never left her since she woke up. For the better part of the morning, she kept watch on the front door and getting everything ready for the Apple sisters to arrive. However, as time passed, her enthusiasm dwindled leaving her with face down on the dining room table with Spike just going about his daily tasks. “Maybe, they aren’t coming Twilight. Last time I talked to Applejack she seemed much too angry, even for Applejack.” “I’m sure they’re just a little late. Let’s just wait a while longer. Is the food ready?” “It’s been ready for the past hour, but I guess I can go reheat it.” “Thank you, Spike.” As she watched the baby dragon go into the kitchen a knock came from the entrance. She immediately got up and went to the door. She took a moment to take a breath and opened the door. “Hi, girls! Welcome, come in please.” She said stepping aside and allowing both of the Apple sisters to step in. Applejack didn’t move and wore a stoic face as she stared at Twilight. The tension was high and it wasn’t until Applebloom pushed her sister that they went inside. “Applejack, you promised to at least listen.” “Fine, but I ain’t got all day. Let’s make this quick.” She stepped inside and walked past Twilight who was still trying her best to smile. “For all our sakes.” They all sat at the dining room table with Applejack and Applebloom right next to each other while Twilight sat across from A.J. The room was silent save for the sounds from the kitchen as Spike brought out the reheated lunch. A.J just sat starting at Twilight with an eyebrow raised and Twilight nervously replied with a smile. “I thought you’d be hungry so I asked Spike to make us something to eat. I hope you don’t mind.” “It’s no problem at all, right Applejack?” “Let’s just cut to the chase. What is so important that you had to rope my sister into getting me to come here?” Twilight's smile was gone and her ears were folded at the way Applejack was acting. She looked over to Applebloom and saw her mouth a sorry before hitting Applejack's side. "I called you here because Applebloom and I wanted to show you what we've been working on for the past few days." "This is where you've been going? You told me that you were doing extra credit at the schoolhouse!" "Well, it's kind of extra credit since Twilight's been teaching me Prench." "What?!" Applejack yelled and slammed her hoof on the table shaking the tableware and frightening both her sister and Twilight. "I thought I told you that I didn't want to participate in that." Twilight regained her composure and smiled meekly. "Well technically, you didn't learn anything. Applebloom is the one that wanted to learn after I met her condition." "That's not the point here Twilight! You went behind my back again and this time, you involved my sister in a lie!" she took a moment to think about what Twilight said and sat down to look at Applebloom. "What condition?" Applebloom at this point had retreated in her seat and her ears were folded as she looked away. A.J's gaze was harsh as she waited for an answer only to turn away as she got it from the source of her anger. "She wanted to know about the day she was born... That was the condition she set for me teaching her." "You... You told her?! Did you tell her about that? You're not even family and you have the nerve to barge into our business?! She should have heard the story from us, her family!" Applejack had gotten up at this point and walked over to where Twilight was sitting. She stared the unicorn down and kept poking her with a hoof. Twilight was sweating and looking everywhere except A.J's eyes trying to avoid the scornful look. Spike was coming to separate the two of them but Twilight lifted a hoof to stop him. Applebloom was still cowering in her seat as she watched her sister angrier than she'd ever been. "Please A.J, I know what I did was wrong and I should have let you tell her the story. However, she wanted to know about it. What else was I supposed to do?" "You could have told her no! You could have said that it was something she needed to discuss with her family. Instead, you just told her so you could use her to get me here." "Stop it A.J!" Both mares turned to see Applebloom with her forelegs on the table. Tears streaming down her cheeks as she got off and walked over to separate the two. She wiped the tears from her eyes and pushed A.J away, she stood between them and looked to her sister. "Just... Just stop it. I asked her because I wanted to know. You, Big Mac, and Granny have been keeping me in the dark about these things for too long! I deserve to know what happened to Mom and Dad!" "Applebloom..." A.J tried to reach for her sister only for Applebloom to pull away. "Twilight told me what happened that day and at first, I was sad and then I got angry. Sad that Ma passed away like she did so soon after Pa, and angry at myself for having part of the blame." "That ain't fair! You didn't have a say in the matter, she would have chosen you being born safely over anything else!" "I know that now! Don't you think I'd be able to take it? I may have hardly known them but the things they taught both you and Mac are what you've both taught me! I realized why they choose to do what they did and I've come to terms with it!" Twilight and A.J watched as the small filly was shaking with anger and grief. The whole time they kept silent as Applebloom tried to compose herself enough to continue. Spike passed the filly a hoofkerchief during the silence and patted her with a knowing look to take her time. She thanked the dragon and he left with the used article. "Sis... It's been so long. Why can't you accept their deaths? Is it because I'm around? Do I remind you of the time Ma passed away?" "Stop it! You know that ain't true! I don't blame you for anything!" "Then what is it? Why can't I ask about Pa or Ma without having you change the subject? Why don't you want to know her native language? What is it you're afraid of?!" "I'm afraid of forgetting them!" Applejack yelled causing everyone to retreat in surprise from the outburst. "You have it easy Applebloom, you might not remember them so it might be easier to accept that they're not here. But what about me?! I remember both of them! I remember Pa's funeral and I held Ma's hoof as she died! I can't forget those moments for the rest of my life, but I can hardly remember them before that anymore!" Applejack turned away and tilted her hat down to cover her tears. "I can't remember Pa's voice or his face. I can't remember Ma's laugh or even the way she used to scold me. I was around them long enough to have it engraved in me and yet I can't remember anything! The only things I have left is this hat and a song I can't even sing or understand." The room went silent save for Applejack's efforts to fight off her tears. Twilight didn't dare say anything a the moment. Applebloom was still shocked at the confession but was the first to compose herself. She looked at Twilight and gave her a slight nod, and then she took a deep breath. "Dodo, l'enfant do, L'enfant dormira bien vite Dodo, L'enfant do L'enfant dormira bientot." "Une poule blanche Est la dans la grange. Qui va faire un petit coco Pour l'enfant qui va fair' dodo." "Dodo, l'enfant do, L'enfant dormira bien vite Dodo, L'enfant do L'enfant dormira bientot." "Tout le monde est sage Dans le voisinage II est l'heure d'aller dormir Le sommeil va bientot venir." Applejack listened as the song echoed through the air and watched as her sister sang it as if it was completely natural. She recognized it right away for the song that her mother used to sing whenever she had a nightmare or experienced a bad day. It was the song she hummed to Applebloom whenever she experienced the same. Now, she listened as her baby sister was singing the original to her. Applebloom finished and looked around to see Twilight sitting back properly on in her seat. Spike was standing in the doorway to the kitchen still wearing his apron and smiling at her. When she turned to face A.J all she found was a mass of yellow fur as the older mare held her close. She felt water drop on top of her and guessed what was happening. She held her sister close and ignored the sobs coming from her always strong sister. "Thank you Applebloom. Thank you for singing that song. It's been so long since I've heard it and it's just as beautiful if not more coming from you." "It was Twilight that helped me learn it. She did her best trying to teach me in order to figure out what the song was, I just practiced it." A.J held the filly a while longer trying and wiped away the leftover tears when she let her go. She turned towards Twilight who was still sitting down with nervous anticipation of what A.J would say. Applejack took a deep breath and walked over to the unicorn. Twilight was starting to get increasingly nervous the closer she got and closed her eyes. She felt hooves wrap around her and opened her eyes to A.J hugging her. "Thank you, Twi." "You're welcome Applejack" she replied. She wrapped her hooves around the mare. "I'm so sorry for everything. Can you ever forgive me?" A.J let her go and took a step back to look at Twilight. "No." Twilight was left dumbfounded. It wasn't the answer she was expecting. Not after everything that happened. She thought that A.J would at least forgive her, she did thank her after all. Did that count for nothing? "Wha.. why?!" "Why? Because you still betrayed my trust Twilight. I told you that I trusted you and what did you do? You ignored it and went behind my back! I can't forgive that Twi." That was all it took for Twilight to start crying. Spike rushed to her side and held her hoof. Applebloom went to her teacher and tried to console her as well. "But sis..." "I know Applebloom, but no matter what she's done for the both of us. It doesn't change the fact that she completely ignored my warnings. For that, I can't just forgive her so easily. My trust and friendship aren't things that come so easy; especially after being betrayed." "I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry A.J! Please! Please forgive me!" Twilight was rubbing her eyes of tears trying to keep her voice from breaking but failing as A.J only stared at the scene. "Then work for it." Everypony looked up from what they were doing to look at A.J. "Wha...what?" Twilight squeaked out wiping her nose with the hoofkerchief Spike presented her. "If you want my trust, and more importantly, my friendship again. Then you have to work for it. We may have saved all of Equestria and you may have given me and Applebloom something to remember our mother. But, that doesn't excuse you of what you did. So from now on, you'll have to work at being my friend. No cutting corners and no excuses. Do you think you can handle that?" Twilight blew into the hoofkerchief once more and nodded. She kept nodding until everypony thought her head would fall off. "Good." A.J extended her hoof towards Twilight and smiled. "Pleasure to meet you Twilight Sparkle." Twilight grabbed her hoof and shook it with a small smile. "Nice to meet you too, Applejack." Applebloom and Spike watched as their respective older family members shook hands in agreement. Twilight's plan hadn't fixed everything that happened between her and A.J. A.J hadn't forgiven Twilight for everything she'd done. But now, their friendship would start anew with Twilight working her way to being a true friend. "Alright then. Let's eat, I would hate to waste all the food that Spike prepared for us." A.J said as she broke the hoofshake and waved her hoof towards the lunch prepared for the meeting. "Yes, let's eat; maybe we can get to know each other better?" Twilight asked with a meek tone in her voice. "I'd like that Twilight. I'd like that a lot." They sat down in their seats and thanked Spike as he brought out the rest of the food. They ate and talked for the rest of the afternoon and said their goodbyes. A.J asked Twilight to visit the farm once more when the rest of the visits were done and Twilight readily agreed. They didn't hug, instead, they nodded to each other once more as a sign towards the right path. The day was about to end when Twilight and Spike finished cleaning up after their get together. Twilight prepared some last minute things for her stay with Rarity the following day and was finishing her final triple check on everything she was going to take; when Spike called out to her. "Twilight?" "Yes, Spike?" "You've got a letter..."