Twintwined In Twincest and Twinbreeding

Brandy placed a stack of steaming heart-shaped pancakes on the table and sighed. This was going to be the most traumatic Hearts and Hooves Day they'd ever seen.

The twins emerged from their room with a subdued demeanor.

“Good morning,” chimed their mother with put on zeal. “Sleep well?”

The twins exchanged is she for real glances as they pulled out their chairs.

“I hope you feel better today.”

“I don't really,” replied Pickle flatly, picking up a fork with his wing. “But thanks for the pancakes.”

“So, what do you have planned for today?” she asked cautiously.

“What do you mean?” asked Barley, drowning her hotcakes in maple syrup.

“Well, it's Hearts and Hooves Day. I know you both have someone special you like. You weren't by chance planning on giving them a little extra special attention or something, were you?”

Pickle blushed and looked away. “Uh… well… I was sort of gonna give Shady Fern something…”

She nodded in acknowledgement. “And what about you, Barley?”

“I was… just going to ask Seafoam if he wanted to go with me to the ice cream place after his game.”

Their mother sighed sadly. “I’m really sorry about this. I know this is going to sound mean but I think before you go any farther in your friendships you should make it clear that you can't be their special someponies.”

“Why?” gasped Barley.

“Because it's contrary to your true destiny and it will never work out. It's best to just end it early in the nicest way possible. You can tell them any excuse you like and you can still have them as friends, just not in a romantic way.”

“This is because of our freaking cutie marks?” scoffed Pickle bitterly.”

“Yes,” she admitted. “I know this is going to hurt, especially on today of all days, but trust me, it will only hurt worse the longer you wait. This is going to be kind of a rough transition for everyone but I promise things are going to get better once you start finding fulfillment in your cutie marks.” She smiled tentatively, not expecting them to return the sentiment.

“What exactly do you mean when you say finding fulfillment?” asked Barley, still whittling her hearts into little bite-sized pieces.

“Just let me worry about that part for now, honey,” she answered dismissively.

“Can't believe this,” muttered Pickle.”

The twins finished their breakfast in just as sour a mood as ever, said bye and left with their saddle bags stuffed with holiday cards and candies. They took to the air, gliding at a leisurely pace as their minds reeled desperately for the best path forward out of this train wreck.

“How are we supposed to do this?” asked Pickle absently. “What do we say? I can't think of an excuse for rejection that doesn't make me sound like a jerk and I don't want to lie.”

“Maybe we should just tell them the truth,” suggested Barley. “That's the only thing that makes sense and they'll understand. It's not like we asked for this. How can anyone look down on us?”

“But I still don't want to tell that to anyone,” he shook his head fearfully.

“Is it better or worse than lying and making enemies? I don't think they'll tell anyone if we just ask them not to.”

Pickle bit his lip apprehensively. It would be best if they had a single cohesive story that they stuck to or it would just make things worse. If they both told the truth, at least it would spare them from being caught in a lie.

“Fine,” he groaned. We have to make them promise though. - - -

Ready or not, the class had their Hearts and Hooves Day exchange right after first period. Fillies and colts excitedly made their rounds delivering treats and stock expressions of platonic love to every desk.

Pickle returned to his seat and began taking inventory of the candy collection in his box. It all looked small and generic, nothing special which was a relief until Shady Fern showed up timidly in front of him with a little heart-shaped box of chocolates and a card.

“He- here you go, Pickle,” she stammered.

His heart sank while simultaneously fluttering in his chest. This was clearly a larger gesture than what anyone else was giving or receiving. What was he supposed to do now, especially right here in the middle of class with everyone?

Pickle held out his hooves to take the box from her. “Thank’s, Shady.” His words felt like sand in his mouth. “Um, I have something for you too but… can I give it to you at recess?”

She smiled and nodded shakily “Okay.” She turned to leave for her seat but looked back at him once more before bumping absentmindedly into the desk catty cornered to his. She was happy about this. He felt awful. Through class he could think of nothing else but the willful misunderstanding they had and the eventual confrontation that would put a dagger in her heart.

He lifted the lid of the box to see an array of artisanal peanut butter chocolates from the old fashioned sweet shop in town. He didn't try one but he knew they were amazing. He opened the letter during math class even though the thought of reading it made him physically ill. He unfolded the pink piece of paper to find a short, simple question: Will you be my special somepony?

The bell rang and the twins were so preoccupied with their problems that they didn't even look for each other at line up. Pickle tucked his gift into a satchel and met up with Shady who'd waited for him just outside the door.

“C’mon.” He cocked his head toward the far end of the playground, wanting to make this exchange as private as possible. They crossed the field side by side till they were at the fence. When he turned to her, he saw a nervously expectant spark in her eyes that practically choked him.

Pickle fumbled for his satchel as he struggled mentally to navigate the sensitive situation. There was no going back. The best thing to do now would be to just go through the motions of a happy Hearts and Hooves Day confession.

“Um I- I made you this,” he held out an unorthodox looking card that appeared to be a long, folded up banner. Then he pulled it back from her hesitantly.

“But… before you open it… the thing is… I can't be your special somepony.”

Shady’s expression collapsed from anticipation to dismay.

“It's not because I don't like you. I just can't. I want to tell you why but you have to promise not to ever tell anyone.”

She paused as if trying to piece it together herself what could possibly keep them apart. Her pained expression grew. “I can keep your secret. I just want to know why.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m only supposed to be with one specific pony according to my cutie mark and that pony is… my…” He felt his throat trying to close up again before he could divulge something so anathema, so destructive to his image. “My… sister.”

Shady blinked and shook her head in disbelief. “Your sister? No way. I’ve never heard of something like that.”

“We researched it over the weekend and figured it out,” he explained gravely. “There’s nothing else it can be.”

“You’re supposed to be with Barley? Like… get married to her?”

“I… I guess so? I’m still getting used to the idea of any of this. I’m sorry. This doesn’t really mean what it was supposed to anymore but I still want you to have it.” He hoofed her his gift he’d made in earnest this time.

Shady carefully opened her card. It accordioned out to reveal a long paper with matrices of colorful candy buttons affixed to it. As she spread it out, she began to notice that some of the buttons were missing but strategically so. They made letters, a whole message, the same message she’d given to him: Will you be my special somepony?

“I won’t tell anyone,” she whispered.

On the other side of the grounds near the bleachers, Barley was having a very similar conversation with Seafoam.

She pawed anxiously at the dirt. “It’s completely because of the cutie marks,” she explained desperately. “Believe me, I didn’t want this at all. If I could be a blank flank for the rest of my life instead, I’d choose that in a heartbeat.”

Seafoam sagged like a deflating pool toy. “So… you’re saying your whole purpose is to be with your brother like seriously his wife or something? Are you supposed to get married and all that?”

Barley cringed at hearing it all laid out nakedly like that, right in front of someone she respected and had tried so hard to look cool in front of for months.

She pulled her beanie down low. “Well, I hadn’t actually considered that part of it but… maybe?”

“What? You actually might marry your brother?” came a derisive voice.

Barley gasped and the two looked up to see Hailstone leering down at them over the top seat of the bleachers, his lips curled in disgust.

“What are you doing here?” demanded Seafoam, angrily.

The blue pegasus began to goose step down the seats away from them with an obnoxious grin on his face. “I came over to hoot at you ‘cuz I thought you went to the bleachers to kiss or something for love day but that was next level gross, not what I was expecting.”

“Maybe mind your own business and it won't be a problem next time,” scoffed Seafoam.

“Wait, Hailstone,” pleaded Barley. “It's important that no one knows about our cutie marks. Please don't tell anyone.”

He looked back at them with feined sympathy “Oh, of course not. I won’t say a word about your little incest marks and your bro fiancé. You know me. Why would I want to stir up pointless drama?”

Barley frowned as she watched him flutter back toward the school buildings.- - -

The twins sat together at an empty table eating their lunch while the rest of the student body giggled and cast dirty looks over their shoulders. Even Shady and Seafoam, despondent as they were, were too embarrassed to sit with them right now. Never had the siblings felt so mortified just to be seen together. Every eye must have been on them. Every conversation must have been about them. Their social lives were over and it was all because of their cutie marks.

“Well, I guess we're all we have now,” mumbled Barley, eyes fixed on the table. “I guess that's all we need anyway, right?” She swallowed, trying to fight back her tears.

“Hey, when's the wedding?” laughed one filly.

“I am going to kill Hailstone,” whispered Pickle.

Barley and Pickle toughed out the rest of the school day as pariahs and laughingstocks but the second the bell rang, they were out the door. They went straight home as fast as they could fly, eyes full of stinging hot tears. They burst through the door sobbing and summoning their mother from her cleaning chores.

“What happened,” she gasped in concern as she galloped into the room.

“Everyone at school knows we're freaks now,” cried Pickle.

“No one would even come near us for the rest of the day after Hailstone told everypony,” choked Barley.

Brandy expected them to be consoling them about their quasi breakups at the end of the day, not the obliteration of their school lives.

She drew them into a comforting hug. “I'm so sorry this happened,” she cooed. She held them against her chest until their sobbing subsided into quiet shudders.

“You’re not freaks. Ponies can be so cruel.”

Pickle stepped away and wiped his eyes with his fetlock.“What are we gonna do?” he asked, shaking his head in hopelessness. “How can we even show our faces in school again?”

She tousled their manes. “I'm going to think of something but in the meantime, why don't you two go to the training grounds for an hour or so and when you come back I'll have something special for both of you.”