//------------------------------//
// Chapter 28 
// Story: Brotherhood and Sisterhood 
// by CartoonNerd12 
//------------------------------//

Lady Fleur was about to enter the parlor when she overheard the  princesses' voices talking to other girls, no doubt they were the maids  that were working on the princesses' makeovers when she left. While  Fleur would normally disapprove of such an interaction, she was quite  interested in what they were talking about.

From inside the room, Twilight questioned, "So you've been here your entire lives?"

Cheerilee  replied, "Very much so. Our parents, grandparents, and their ancestors  before them have all lived here serving the royal family so most of us  have never been outside the palace!"

Night Gilder mentioned,  "Besides, the work pays good and we have good living conditions verses  the stories we hear from some servants that got hired outside the castle  where they had terrible work conditions and poor housing, they tell us  that being here is ten times better!"

Sugar Belle added, "So leaving is not a good option."

Pinkie commented, "That's sad…"

Fleur  couldn't help but agree, she knew how it felt to live in the castle all  her life but even so it was better than what most had which was  nothing. So she took it upon herself to always be the proper lady her  parents wanted her to be and to not risk getting disowned by them. She  felt very lucky to have met Fancy when she did, giving them a chance to  properly court and to fall further in love. With him being the  Baroness's son, her family approved of the union right away.

When  Fancy told her the truth about his parentage, they agreed to forever  keep it a secret given it would risk Fancy's life and lower her social  status as a lady. Serving on the royal court was both a privilege and a  restriction. You were forced to serve no matter what. Something she  could strangely relate to with these maids. No matter your station you  had to be of service to your king.

She realized that the  princesses were maids before the wedding so it made sense they would try  to socialize with the maids of the palace.

Deciding she had to  get back in, she slowly opened the door and she could hear the hushed  voices of the girls with Rarity saying, "She's back, hurry!"

Fleur entered in to see the maids extra hard at work with the princesses sitting extra still.

The  lady commented, "Well, I can see that the makeovers all look perfect on  our princesses." she told the maids, "Well done, girls."

The maids blushed from the compliment and said with a curtsy, "Thank you, your ladyship."

Fleur  then addressed her students, "Now then, that's all the lessons I have  for you today, but tomorrow we'll be doing something very different. You  will be given dancing lessons and your husbands will be joining us."

She could see the brighten smiles on their faces.

"Yes,  I thought that would please you. Not only does this benefit you in your  lessons, it will benefit them as well. Now, you are dismissed. Good  day." and she walked out of the room, gracefully.





Once the girls exchanged partings with the maids, they went straight back to their rooms to get the makeup off their faces.

Their husbands were already in the rooms when they saw them. They were stun to say the least.

Spike commented while rubbing his neck awkwardly, "Gee, Applejack… um… that's an interesting look on you…"

Applejack  didn't say anything and went straight to the bathroom to pour water  into the basin and grabbed a towel to wet it then wiped her face clean.  She faced her husband.

"It was part of the lesson we had to do today."

"Let me guess, 'perfection is the objective'?"

"Yup."

He chuckled as he held his arms out having her go into them.

"Do you think I'm pretty enough?" she asked.

"Of course I do."

"Then that's good enough for me." she smiled.

He smiled as well and they went into a deep kiss.





Capper  said as Rarity was removing the overdone foundation, "I don't know why  Fleur thought you needed to have that stuff on, you're perfect just the  way you are."

Rarity gave him a seductive look and joined him on  the bed, "It's comments like that is what's going to get you an extra  special treat tonight." she twirled her fingers on his shirt, bringing  him closer to her face.

He smirked himself and the two shared a passionate kiss.





Cheese was laughing and his wife did the same.

"You look so funny!" he said.

"I know right!" she got a towel and wiped the paint off.

He made a heartfelt smile, "There's my Pinkie…"

She faced him and bopped his nose, "You're so cheesy, Cheesy."

They rubbed noses before kissing on the lips.





"So what do you think?" Rainbow asked her husband.

"Uhhh…" Soarin desperately searched for the right words, "It's… um… you?"

"Admit it, it's horrible."

Soarin sighed, "Yeah… I'm sorry, honey but it's really not you in the latest bit."

"Then why did you say it was?"

"I don't know, I guess I was afraid you would hate me if I told you otherwise."

She  got a cloth and wiped the white powder off, "Why you would think that?  Just because I get mad sometimes doesn't mean I would hate you." she  pulled off the fake mole making her remark, "Ow!"

"You're right, from now I'll be more honest."

"Glad  to hear it, but you don't have to tell the truth all the time, a little  white lie now and then is fine." He smiled as she wrapped her arms  around his neck, "Just knowing that you're there for me is all I could  ask for…" and they went in for a kiss.





"'Perfection is the objective'. I've been there." said Flash as his wife was cleaning her face.

"It's to help us keep up our appearances; at least that's what she told us."

"That's what it means alright." he sat on the bed and held his face in dismay.

Twilight looked at her husband in concern, "Flash…? Is there reason those words are making you sad?"

He  scooted over so she could sit next to him. He told her, "It's what  Father always told me and my brothers when we were little. More so to  me… I was always getting everything wrong in his eyes. So he would make  me repeat those words every day until I got it right."

"Oh Flash… I'm sorry…" she wrapped her hands on his arm.

He slightly smiled as he brought her closer to him, putting his arms around her.

"Well, now that you're here… I feel nothing can go wrong ever again."

She smiled at his words and touched his cheek making him move closer and leaned in for a kiss.





Discord helped Fluttershy wipe the makeup off, "There we go, no more blush covering that gorgeous face of yours."

A real blush went over her face from her husband's words.

"Darling, I don't think that'll come off."

She giggled.

Discord  sighed in content, hearing her laugh lighten his sullen mood from  before. The meeting with his father certainly gave him a scare when it  came to his wife's safety.

She said, "I really don't like wearing makeup."

"Like you have to, you're far too beautiful for that kind of thing."

"You always say the kindest things to me."

"I should, shouldn't I? I'm your husband."

She landed her head on his chest while closing her eyes in bliss.

He held her close to the point he was clutching onto her.

"Discord…" she tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Oh, sorry, my love." he let go but reluctantly.

"Is everything okay? You seem more clingy than usual."

"I'm not that clingy, am I?"

"Well… maybe a little."

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy but it's hard for me to be apart from you, from anyone I care about really."

"What about your parents?"

"That  was different, they wanted me to be a prince and I agreed to it.  Besides, it's not like they were the best parents in the world so I  don't miss them so much."

"That's very sad…"

"Hey, it all worked out in the end, I got my brothers and I got you. And that's what matters to me the most."

Fluttershy made a small smile, "Well… if you're sure…"

He chuckled as he brought her close again, "My darling, with you, I'm always sure…"

That  made her smile widen and she kissed him on his face. He took her face  and moved her lips to his where they had a long and fervent kiss.





Fancy  met with a traveling animal caretaker that sold exotic pets and  escorted him to the castle and into the gardens. He told him, "Please  set the animals here, while I go get their majesties."

He went  straight into the castle and to the wing where the royal suites were. He  knocked on all six doors and the princes answered.

"The gifts have arrived." he told them with a wink.

The boys exchanged a smile and urged their wives to come out.

The girls were confused on what was going on.

Fancy said, "Follow me."

He  led them right into gardens where small animals of all kinds like  bunnies, cats, dogs, an alligator, owls, a tortoise, and a lizard were  in a pen.

Fluttershy let out a huge gasp with her eyes twinkling at the sight.

Discord smiled and told her, "For you, my darling, to choose any pet you like."

Cheese said to his wife, "Same goes for you my Pinkie-Winkie."

Flash said to Twilight, "It's a late wedding gift for you."

Capper said to Rarity, "Go ahead, pick any one you want."

Spike mentioned to his wife, "I hope you'll find a pet you like."

Soarin said to Rainbow, "I know it's not the best gift idea, but maybe a pet would be great to have."

The girls were speechless by the gesture before they went to the animals and gushed over them.

The boys exchanged a smirk knowing they did the right thing.

Fluttershy proclaimed, "There's so many that I can't decide which one I want!"

Rainbow said, "I'm trying to find one that's the best one for me! It has to be amazing just like me!"

Rarity commented, "They're all so adorable!"

Applejack agreed, "They are!"

Suddenly a brown and white collie jumped on to Applejack making her fall on her back with the dog licking her face.

AJ giggled, "Looks like you did the picking for me!" she rubbed the dog's head.

Spike went to her and took the dog in his arms, "Do you want her?"

Applejack  looked straight at the dog while the collie barked at her happily.  Making her smile and replied, "Yes." Taking the dog into her arms and  petted her.

Rarity looked at the felines in the pen and asked her husband, "What do you think, darling?"

Capper  looked over the cats before he spotted a white Persian grooming  herself, he pointed it out to his wife, "That one kind of reminds me of  you."

Rarity saw what he meant and told the caretaker, "I would like that one, please."

The  caretaker grabbed for the cat while it hissed at him but when she was  given to Rarity, the cat felt at ease and meowed at the princess.

Rarity smiled as she exclaimed, "I love her!"

Pinkie snorted while pointing out, "Cheesy, look at this alligator! It's eyes are so funny!"

Her husband looked and laughed with her, "You're right!"

"Can I have that one, please-pretty please?!"

"But of course, my little dumpling!"

"Yay!"

The couples next to them exchanged a worried look hoping they weren't making a mistake.

Pinkie  was given the small alligator with it's eyes blinking in a weird way to  her. She took that as, "Aw, he likes me!" then his mouth open and she  could see only gums in his mouth. "Look, Cheesy, no teeth!"

"Well I'll be! Hey, how about we name him… Toothless!"

"Hmm… that does sound like the perfect name for him, but he looks more like a Gummy than a Toothless to me."

Cheese rubbed the alligator's head with his finger, "Alright, Gummy it is then."

Discord  looked on with a smile at seeing his wife so happy with the animals.  Suddenly he saw a white rabbit trying to make a run for it and caught it  in time, "Gotcha!" but the rabbit used its feet to kick him making him  shout, "Ow!" and was force to let go. He gave chase to the bunny and  every time he came close to capturing it again it would always find some  way to escape his clutches. The rabbit started to run again but this  time it went straight to Fluttershy.

"Oh hello there." she said and picked up the bunny and started to pet it much to its pleasure.

Discord saw this and yelled, "Fluttershy, don't touch that! It's a demon bunny!"

"Oh Discord, how can you say that? He's nothing but a sweetheart, a little angel."

"Darling, I hate to burst your bubble but that thing is a monster, I alone had a hard time trying to get it back here."

"You just need to know how to handle a bunny rabbit right. So I think we should adopt him so you can get along with him better."

"But-but-but Fluttershy!"

"It'll be good for you." she firmly stated.

Discord grumbled under his breath and could see the rabbit having smug look on his face. Making him scowl and thought, Oh, this isn't over… not by a long shot…

Twilight was admiring the owls and one hooted at her. She held her arm out and it landed on her.

"I think you and I are going to get along great."

The owl hooted in agreement before it nuzzled against her face.

Flash watched on in pride.

Rainbow Dash looked at the remaining pets and was having a hard time deciding which one would be great for her.

Soarin saw the dilemma and suggested, "How about that lizard?" pointing to the yellow and black spotted lizard on the ground.

"Weelll… it is an amazing animal but it's pretty small don't you think? If it lived in our room, chances are it'll get lost."

"Hm, you're right. Okay then, how about that tortoise?"

"Hmm…"  Dash looked at the reptile, pondering on whether or not she should get  it. She ended up looking straight at the tortoise and the tortoise did  the same. The two made eye contact and suddenly a bond was formed.

She declared, "I'll take him!"

Shortly afterwards, the girls introduced their pets to the others and thanked their husbands for such a thoughtful gift.

"It's  really Fancy we need to thank." said Flash, "He's the one that helped  us figured what to get you and was able to arranged this whole thing."

Fancy  told them, "No thanks are necessary, I was simply doing my duty." he  bowed. "Now we best get back inside, it's almost time for dinner, and as  you know we can't have you be late."

They agreed and went back inside the castle with their new pets.

Timber  and Sunset had witnessed the whole thing given they had been in the  gardens that afternoon for their date. They came out from their hiding  place in the stables as they saw the animal caretaker corralling the  animals he had left. They decided to help him.

Grateful for the assistance, he told them that they could have an animal for themselves.

Sunset  lit up at the prospect and looked over the animals. Finally her eye  caught on the lizard and instantly fell in love with him, "Well, aren't  you a little ray of sunshine." she held out her finger for him and he  crawled on. "Timber, look. Isn't he cute?"

Timber smiled, "He sure  is. But honestly I never thought of you as the gecko type. Girls of  your station are always disgusted over anything that's slimy or gross."

She playfully wacked at him making him chuckle.

"Well,  I don't care for that, this little guy is adorable enough for me and  that's all that matters." she nuzzled her face to the leopard gecko as  it did the same.