21.
Zero stared ahead as he guarded the royal bath house, Lilly, Lady Fluttershy and Lady Scarlet Grace were all within. He stood next to the guards appointed for Lady Fluttershy and Scarlet Grace, one was a young Pegasus mare with a mane of gold and silver, the other guard was a bored unicorn stallion with a black mane.

“My charge is so easy to take care of, as soon as she is with her husband I can take my break.” The unicorn muttered.

“My charge is my aunt.” The Pegasus said proudly sticking out her chest.“Who is your charge?” Zero asked.

“Aunt Fluttershy.” The Pegasus stated proudly. “My mother is one of her friends, so I call her my aunt.”

“I am guessing your charge is the Lady of Chaos?” The unicorn asked Zero.

Zero looked at him and nodded. “Yes.”

“Oh, I hear she is difficult, she hates every pony.” The Pegasus stated. “Which I find odd because Lilly and I used to play when we were little. She was so sweet then, just that… every time a boy liked her, she would do something to scare them away.”

“I hear she has a disposition of a viper.” The unicorn muttered. “Good luck to you then.”

They all suddenly snapped to attention when all three walked from the bath house. Fluttershy was smiling and talking to her daughters lovingly. “I am so glad we were able to spend time together again.” She approached Lilly and hugged her. “I am sorry to hear that you will be leaving in a few days. Please write to me and your father.”

“I will.” Lilly said.

“Why are you leaving again?” Grace asked as she rubbed her swollen belly. “Paradox is better and you are leaving again. You probably won’t see the baby born too.”

“I still haven’t found what I am looking for.” Lilly stated and smiled lightly at her Mother and sibling.

“What if, what you are looking for isn’t out there, but here?” Grace asked.

“Then I shall find it later than sooner.” Lilly answered, she stretched her bat wings as she suddenly turned to her guard. “Zero. I am going for a flight by myself. I will be at my room later.”

“Wait.” Fluttershy stated before her daughter took off. “I need you to meet my guard!”

Lilly looked at her mom lovingly. “Okay…” She turned to look at the guards and she smiled suddenly. “Silver Dash!”

The Pegasus guard bowed to Lilly and Lilly shook her head. “Silver! You don’t need to bow! How is Aunty Rainbow?”

Silver started to blush deeply. “Well you know… She is always trying to whip the new Wonder Bolt recruits into shape. I am just glad she let me become a royal guard. It’s easy taking care of Aunt Fluttershy.”

“Well, I can think of no one better.” Lilly smiled and gave her friend a hug. “Give your mother love from me.”

“I will. I am so glad you remembered me.”

Lilly smiled some more which shocked the unicorn guard and Zero. “I cannot forget one of my best friends.” She then looked over to her mother and her sister. “Thank you Mom. We’ll talk later.” She spread out her wings and she flew up into the sky. Zero put his head down and sighed deeply.

Fluttershy and Scarlet Grace both walked off, their guards following them, Fluttershy had a friendly conversation with her own guard. Zero started to trot off quickly, he knew if he showed up too late Lilly would reprimand him, so he rushed as he trotted through the castle to the tower where Lilly’s room was.

He was panting as he arrived at the tower where she usually retired for the night. He walked into her room and started to get the room all ready for her. Lighting candles, throwing more wood onto the fire and making sure the place looked perfect for her. He smoothed out the sheets on the bed and trotted out the doorway of her room then stood stoic and still.

She landed delicately on the balcony and trotted past Zero without even looking at him. She walked in her room; clicking her tongue the door slammed shut behind her.

Zero sighed deeply and relaxed a little bit. Suddenly the door opened again, he heard her tongue click and he was magically pulled into the room and the door shut again.

“I commend you on getting my room ready Zero.” She smiled as she walked over to him. “You even smoothed the sheets on my bed.”

“I do what I can… Lilly.” He nodded. “It’s what is required of me.”

She thought his same reply was quite funny as she chuckled. “So if I required you to get in the bed… you would?”

“Of course.” He tried not to blush as he looked at her… she was slowly walking around him as if sizing him up for something.

“I am going to be leaving in a few days and I am curious as to what you will be doing while I am gone.” She moved close to him and he suddenly felt her long tail curl slowly around one of his legs briefly.

“I don’t know.” He honestly answered as he stepped slightly to regain his balance.

Her tail seemed to have a mind of its own as she talked to Zero. It slowly snaked up his back leg and started to rub up against him. He gulped in air as he felt her tail slowly rub against his growing need. “So, I am guessing that you won’t miss me then?”

He felt his temperature rise as she moved closer to him. She slowly tilted her head and pressed her lips against his. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and he kissed back their tongues entwining.

The door to the room opened suddenly with a loud bang. Lilly quickly pulled away from the kiss with Zero her tail untangled instantly from around his body. She clicked her tongue as quietly as she could and Zero felt her magic tingle around him he looked around confused and saw her place her hoof against her lips. “You are paralyzed temporarily. Don’t worry.” She whispered to him.

Discord walked into the room. “Lilly? You are leaving again? When were you going to tell me?” He looked around the room and saw the guard standing there. “Oh… Lilly were you talking to your guard?”

“Yes, I was giving him instructions in how to take care of my room while I was gone.” She looked at her father and felt so vulnerable. “I didn’t think you would have a problem with me leaving again. Mother seemed comfortable with me leaving.”

“No, she isn’t.” He rubbed his muzzle. “Your mom is worried.”

Lilly sighed as she glanced over at Zero. “I am sorry she is worried, but… I must go. I have to find my destiny.”

Discord tapped his hoof and looked around her room then he looked at the guard. He approached Zero and looked at him. “LillyRose…”

Lilly looked at him. “Yes Father?”

“Paralyzing your guard? Why?” He poked Zero with a claw.

Lilly blushed and looked away from Discord. “No reason.”

“Then… you wouldn’t have a problem with me doing this.” He snapped his fingers and Zero suddenly collapsed to the floor and let out a deep breath.

Lilly stood there, her cheeks burning with a blush. “Dad, why did you do that?”

Zero suddenly stood up. “Sorry Lady and Lord… May I leave?” He started to back out of the room as fast as he could.

“STOP!” Discord commanded.

Zero stopped in his tracks and he started to sweat as Discord approached him. “Yes My Lord?”

Discord frowned and suddenly smiled as he handed Zero his helmet. “You dropped this.”

“Thank you my Lord.” Zero took the helmet jammed it on his head and made himself scarce.

Lilly frowned. “He was my guard.”

“Just because he is your guard, really doesn’t make him your sex toy Lilly.” Discord muttered to her. “Don’t do that to them. They have feelings too.”

She gasped. “How did you know?”

Discord sighed and looked at her. “Do you think I am that clueless?”

She didn’t answer as he walked over to the door and looked out, he then shut it. “I’m your father first and foremost, when I found out that you had been with that guard I wanted to kill him. Your mother though she’s was all: Discord your daughter is older now and she can make her own decisions…” He did a perfect impersonation of Fluttershy. “So today I was hoping to catch you before you did anything so you’d stop playing around with that guard’s feelings. Unless of course you love him then all this is a moot point.” He sighed as he looked at her.

Lilly shuffled her hooves, she hadn’t had to listen to her father give her a lecture in a long time and she hung her head. “That is why I am leaving.”

“Because you have feelings for a guard?” His ears went forward.

“No, um maybe. I just don’t know Dad. I need to do something; the ponies here fear me except for Zero.” She looked up at her father and she had some tears in her eyes. “I want to find somewhere that doesn’t shun me because of yours and my reputation.”

“I’ll have you know I have a very good reputation.” He grinned and then got serious again in a blink of an eye. “You are not a villain you are trying to keep Equestria safe, just because the ponies here don’t understand our intentions doesn’t mean they fear us. They are more afraid of the unknown; Luna alleviates a lot of those fears. Maybe you should sit on the throne a few hours and see if these ponies really fear you. I don’t envy Celestia any longer after being in charge now.” He placed his paw on his face and looked worn out. “If you want to leave you can, I only want you to know that your mother and I have your best interest at heart. It was so nice that you did return when your mother was at her wits end; Paradox was in a very dark place before you came back. I thought we’d lose him.”

Lilly shuffled her hoof again. “Dad, I would have felt terrible if anything bad had happened to Paradox. He was the reason why I left to begin with. I had to find a way to make him happy again. When he was in that dark place; made me feel like I was in that same dark place and felt like I was drowning.”

Discord sat down heavily on the chair nearby. “How did you come to the realization that we are all monsters?”

She sighed heavily as she focused on the fire in the fireplace. “You told me that there were a lot of different creatures out in the world. I came across one. Some weird bird deer cross breed. He made me realize that we are all… monsters but not all monsters are evil. So, I am going to search out this creature again, I have questions for him that I need answers to.”

Discord blinked in shock. “A peryton? You seek answers from a peryton? Lilly, be careful… perytons can be a little unpredictable.”

“Like the Lord of Chaos?” Lilly asked.

Discord looked at her and smirked. “Yeah, I can be unpredictable, except when your mother is involved, she can predict me. I still don’t know how she does it.”

“Probably from being around you for so long.” Lilly said. “So what do you know about perytons?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know a whole lot about them. The pony you should ask is your mother.”

“No, I don’t want to ask her. I’ll try to find him in the last place that I met him. I won’t leave yet Dad. I will stay for a few more days. I am sorry I did what I did… I will not do it again.”

Discord stood up. “Okay Lilly, I guess we’ll appoint you a new guard, unless you really do care about Mr. Zero?”

“I don’t know Dad.” She was blushing. “He knows what I like and he’s not afraid of me.”

“I’m sure…” Discord made a face. “A new guard it is.”

She stared at him in shock. “But…”

“I have made the decision for you.” Discord stated as he walked out of her room. “I’ll let you tell your previous guard the news of his dismissal. Maybe with you telling him it will lessen the blow.”

Lilly frowned. “How do I tell him?”

“Figure it out my little double flower.” He then disappeared.