//------------------------------//
// Family Matters 
// Story: A Shining Example 
// by Shakespearicles 
//------------------------------//

Twilight plodded along the path to Sweet Apple Acres from her library. She could just as easily teleport there in the blink of an eye, but she was not looking forward to this. In fact it took all her willpower to not turn and run and hide out at Zecora's jungle hut until this whole thing blew over. The more she thought about it the more she liked the sound of it. She was just inside the fence's gate when she decided to run and hide.

"HAY Twilight!" Applejack called out to the purple unicorn.

"Hey Applejack. What's up?" Twilight asked as she trotted closer.

"What's up with yew? You're the one who came here." Applejack closed the door to the barn behind her.

"Oh. Right. Yes. I did. I, um." AJ just waited for her friend patiently, with that same old gentle smile. Twilight sighed, "Applejack, can we talk?"

" 'Course we can sugar cube. What a 'bout?"

Twilight started in general, "Well it's about the wedding you see..."

AJ beamed, "Yup, exciting stuff that! I was just digging through a couple of Granny Smith's ole cook books for the occasion!"

Twilight smiled weakly, "Yes, um that's nice and all, but it's not about the preparations. It's about, it, I..."

Applejack tried her best to be patient, "Well come on now sugar, spit it out already."

Twilight tried to steel herself and just say it. "OK. Applejack."

"That's me."

"Yes, that's you. OK, you know how I have a brother?"

"Uh huh."

"And you have a brother."

"Riiight."

"And they're both brothers. We both have brothers." Twilight couldn't believe how stupid she must have sounded.

AJ tried to help, "Twilight are you feeling OK? You been getting too much sun today or somethin'?"

Twilight shook her head. "Yeah, I mean no, I mean, I'm fine. I just, have you ever had a problem with your brother?"

AJ thought for a moment and chuckled, "Well sure we've had the ole tussle or two. Nothing a couple a mugs a the ole Apple Family Cider can't sort out, he he."

Twilight frowned slightly.

Applejack could tell this was serious. "Well now, lemme think a sec. I suppose no, then. Nothing too serious. When you're family, it's easier to forgive and forget I guess." she looked at her friend, concerned. "What's this about Twi? Is there a problem 'tween you and your bro?"

Twilight snapped to attention at the exactness of the accusation. "You could say that... So you and you brother have always been close?"

AJ smiled again, "Aw sure. He's my BBBFF, just like you." Twilight smirked at the reference.

Twilight took a deep breath. This would be the hard part. "I guess what I'm trying to ask is if you were ever close."

AJ didn't understand, "I just told you, we've always been close."

Twilight tried again, "No, I mean cloOose!" she physically could not raise her eyebrows any higher with them still being attached to her face.

The realization began to wash over Applejack. "Oh... OH! I smell what your stepping in." she move in closer to Twilight putting her foreleg around her and whispered, "OK, now Twilight, when I tell you this, you need to swear on your life that this stays just 'tween yew an me, got it." Twilight nodded vigorously. " Kay," Applejack checked over her shoulder one last time, "Me and Big Mac? We ARE close."

Now it was Twilight's turn to be shocked. "Oh my gosh!" AJ glared at her. Twilight lowered her volume. "I mean, oh my gosh. But, but isn't that wro-"

"Wrong?" AJ cut her off. "I don't think so. He don't think so. And frankly we don't care what other ponies think so." Twilight was a bit taken aback at AJ's sudden forwardness about the subject. Clearly this was something that she had rehearsed for such an occasion for some time now. She was past shock now and now just fully inquisitive.

"But, but I thought there were rules against... that sort of thing." Twilight said

AJ rolled her eyes. "Pfft, I don't care what some big wig wrote in some book some wheres. All I knows is what I feels. I mean, sure it ain't right to be breedin' with kin because of birth problems. But as long as you're careful, and make sure not to be... playing around... on you're fertile cycle, then you're sound as a pound.

Twilight was still absorbing everything. "So this is a... normal thing?"

It was Applejacks turn to stammer a bit, "Well I- I wouldn't say so for, for most siblings, mostly all. It's pretty rare I'd imagine. But then it's not like they'd tell the world about it. Hell it's our biggest secret. Maybe it's more common than we think."

Twilight thought about that for a moment. "So, so how did that even happen with you two. Like, how did that start?"

Applejack shuffled her hooves a bit, "Well Twi, that's, that's a bit of a long story there. But it started out the way I imagine it would for most... close ... siblings." her term for what they were. "I had just gotten my cutie mark and was getting to be a grown mare. And a course I was feeling those- urges- you know?" Twilight blushed. "So a course I was curious about boys but spent all my time on the farm working. So a course my only point of reference was..." AJ pointed over her shoulder at the farm house behind her. "Started out innocent enough. It's not like Canterlot with their clothes all the time, so it was easy peeking. And you know for a stallion... that just happens sometimes."

Twilight's blush deepened. She did remember peeking at his brother whenever he got... excited around the house. It was mostly out of curiosity though. AJ continued, "Well I got to the point where I was just figuring out how to um, do the ole lovin-the-muffin?"

"Clopping?" Twilight deadpanned

"SHHH!" AJ put her hoof over her mouth. "Just shout it why don't ya?" she sighed, "So yeah, I had just started doing... that, and I was curious if boys did that too. So one night I snuck down the hall and I caught him... doing that." AJ paused for a second and gauged Twilight's reaction so far. "Well one time I was watching and I got caught by him. He wasn't mad er nothing. He could tell I was curious so he just let me watch." 

OK, that part surprised Twilight. "Wait, so he just let you waltz in and watch him... jerkin the gherkin?"

AJ laughed out loud at the euphemism. "Ha ha, yeah I guess. Well one thing led to another. Watching led to touching, which led to helping, etc, etc."

Twilight was really amazed, "Oh my goodness! This whole time, I would have never guessed!"

Applejack had a sudden realization, "Hay, now Twi, I'd say I been real accommodating with your questions all about my personal business. Would you please tell me what this is all about?"

Twilight remembered what she had come to talk about in the first place. "Oh, it's just that, well I guess close siblings are more common than I thought."

The sun was beginning to set. Applejack pressed the issue, "So... did you and your brother ever... were you close?"

Twilight just stared at her hooves in the fading light, "Yeah, yeah, you could say that," She looked up at Canterlot on the distant mountainside,  "but it didn't go so well..."

________________________________________________________________


Shining Armor sat in his chair on the balcony, looking down at Ponyville in the sunset. Round loaded he spun the cylinder of his revolver.

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz *click*

He levitated it to temple and pulled the trigger.

*CLICK*

He sighed, disappointed. "Not today." he mumbled as he unloaded and put the revolver away in the drawer and locked it. He poured himself another glass of Applejack Daniel Cider. It was going to be another hard day's night.