Well, this is it. Tomorrow, Pinkie Apple Pie airs. One way or another, this episode promises to be a doozy for us. On one hoof, the episode might do for us what Look Before You Sleep did for Rarijack. On the other, we might be an incest ship after it airs.

I'm not certain I'm ready...

Anyone got plans? Watching a stream somewhere? Hanging around a chat? Breathing rapidly into a paper bag while internally debating how many levels of cousins it takes to be acceptable? (Maybe that one's just me.)

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I highly doubt they will be related, because it's a show about six friends, not six friends, and a couple of them are cousins for whatever. Hopefully at the end it'll have a line like 'you're part of the family anyway'. Basically, all it means it fabulous shipping for us small group of fans.
And I'm going to watch the stream live

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According to scientists in New Zeland. First cousins and beyond are genetically safe. . So yeah there's that. AJ'd have a 75% chance of having a healthy child with her first cousin, and possibly a normal rate with second cousins or higher.

I do the YouTube. Because I never wake up in time for the actual tee vee air time. Don't worry, Esle, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't mess with the group dynamic this way. Although, a part of me thinks it would be way interesting if they did. But regardless, it'll probz be a 'we may not be blood related, but that doesn't mean we can't be family!' episode. Which is cool too.

2571155 You're probably right. It would make the most narrative sense to go that route.

I just can't quell the little doubt that's telling me it wouldn't be the first time this season they've pulled something unexpected that Changes EverythingTM. Where did those fancy necklaces go, anyway?

2571167 Well, there's that, then. But the social taboo and the chance for genetic maladies aren't necessarily directly tied. With magical, candy-colored lesbian horses, the genetic viability of their offspring isn't specifically the concern. The idea that Apple Pie would fall under the same category as AJ x Braeburn is.

I'm sorry for sounding so pessimistic here. I'm sure everything will turn out fine, it's just... incest is a particularly squicky subject for me for personal reasons, so I'm a bit jumpy at the possibility, remote though it may be, of my OTP being classified as such.

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First cousins are about twice as likely to end up with birth defects as the public at large, which is a big increase, but just ONE instance of inbreeding isn't, typically speaking, super bad. The real issue with inbreeding is repeated inbreeding, which has very negative consequences. If you marry your cousin, that's not so bad... but when you marry your cousin, and your father married their own cousin, that's a lot worse, as it becomes iterative. Double cousins (that is to say, people who are first cousins twice) are even worse off.

2571310 I completely share your worries on the matter, but I'm taking the Pinkie Pie route and not losing hope until it airs.

I'll be at work when it does... So I'll be a nervous wreck through the entire end of my shift.

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You Americans (I assume) and your hangups with cousins. Most of the world has no problem with it.

2571146 Definitely YouTubing it because I'm home for the holidays and my parents are accepting-ish of my pony-time but don't want it cutting into family time/ chore time...

But I'm really, really hoping the cousins thing isn't actually true. Because as awesome as it would be to have Pinkie at family reunions, I would definitely prefer her to be there as super-honorary-family or horse-girlfriend. But more interactions between the two of them would make me a very happy person if cousin-stigma stays far away.

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I've shipped ApplePie since The Last Roundup and I didn't give up hope for an ApplePie episode.
And now my wish is complete

Hell or high water I stand by this ship. It's just so cute and appropriate.

2573388 *salute* We'll go down with it together.

Also watching on Youtube, and most likely will miss the ep because of timezones. Always confuse me.
Heh, I thought it was the only one who thought things will get kind of squicky if they are related. Then again, I will still ship them even if related, I just found it funny.
I do hope they are related even if really really really distant, I hate the Status Quo is God trope, I like when things change with time.

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I'll probably be watching Haxmega's stream in the morning as I can't justify getting cable for one channel to the Mrs. I reeeeaaallly don't want them to be cousins, and I'm sure it'll end with the "friends are the family you find" theme anyway. If they are though, I'll still happily write about it.

2574552 I never noticed until just now: this picture has Discord shipping himself... with himself.

That is pretty great.

Well,

Schrödinger's cousins it is. <-- Don't mouse over that until you watch the episode.

Don't you worry guys, ApplePie is still going strong. It ain't incest. The moral was "You may not be related to us by blood, but you'll always be a part of our family." Meaning she's an honrary family member, permantely.

Everybody watch the episode already, so we can HAVE DISCUSSIONS.

I wish I had found this group sooner, I went through all the pages of groups and couldn't find it nor when I searched. I ended up feeling fed up not finding a group and made one, to then be directed here. Anyway glad I was! :D

I guess even if they are, it's not exactly confirmed yet dang cliffhangers, they aren't close cousins anyway. I don't consider 4th cousins close enough to actually matter incest-wise. I will always stand by this ship anyway! It's so adorable!

This eppy was so d'awwtastic. I can't even. I was grinning the entire time. Also, dat duck face.

4th cousins twice removed? That doesn't count as incest anywhere. No worries.

THE SHIP ISN'T SUNK! :D :D :D

Ermagerd, you guys. I loved this episode. Pinkie was at the absolute top of her game, and I was laughing through at least 75% of the episode. This has restored my faith in Season 4.

If you need me, I'll be over there, writing some Apple Pie.

Trying to resist writing ApplePie, there are too many stories I need to do already!

Even if they are distantly related...thats too far away to be considered family...let alone cousins.