Twilight and Luna, who had a bundle upon her back, approached the five mares who stood in the clean white hallways of Ponyville General Hospital, outside a door on the third floor which directly overlooked the margin between wild Everfree and the currently peaceful Ponyville.

“Twilight, whilst I don’t doubt your meticulousness, this creature hasn’t been seen since Celestia and I came to power.”

“Of course, Princess, I would never lie about something this big... what happened that caused them to disappear?”

“Ah, Doctor, where is the creature? I desire to see it with my own eyes.”

“Right in here, Princess, though I doubt it’ll wake for some time, given the amount of painkillers we’ve pumped into it.”

Doctor Hooves ignored Twilight's miffed face. Twilight wasn’t one to leave such an important question unanswered. How could an entire species go on for thousands of years completely unnoticed? Especially one so... weird. The group entered followed Luna into the room. She could feel the tension. 'Won't wake for some time, my flank,' she thought. It’s eyes were wide open and it was looking directly at them. That is, until the Princess entered, and its eyes changed. The tension thickened as each member of the group had their own reaction; Pinkie and Rarity looked forlornly at the creature, Fluttershy looked with pity whilst Rainbow looked with hatred, Applejack seemed more concerned with keeping Rainbow in check than looking at the thing strapped to the bed. And then the Princess. She looked with with eyes so mixed Twilight couldn’t tell what she was feeling.

The Princess spoke softly, to the surprise of all the assembled ponies. “So you’ve survived all this time? In the Everfree no less. I don’t know how you evaded the search parties, but I know whatever mother placed on you didn’t fail.”

“Princess -”

“Twilight, calm. Thank you for finding my old pet. I thought she died a long time ago. And yes, I did say pet. She was a gift from my mother." Placing the bundle from her back at the foot of the bed and with a mock voice she began to say, "'Tis a creature like no other; truly a fitting gift for Princesses of the realm...”

Year 30: Before discord

"...and to ensure it doesn’t die I’ve placed enchantments upon it. Do ignore the scars; the only way to keep the runes active is to carve them directly onto the bone. It shall die not from age, nor minor wounds." Princess Platinum turned from the creature, "Now tell me, my foals. For what shall it be named?”

She spoke softly towards two fillies who stood looking intently at the creature lying down, unconscious and strapped a table. The first, white and pink, giggled as she looked at it, circling and taking in every last detail of the creature. The second, smaller and darker, looked at her hoof then to the crisscrossing scars across the creature's body. The creature itself was an oddity. Long legs with white lines on the thighs, long arms with those same lines scatted along them. It's ribs could be seen easily and it’s teats were in the wrong place compared to a pony. It’s face was the weirdest thing, however. To Luna it looked squashed and squishy, the eyes too small and had an odd quality. It's bared teeth were sharp and jagged. The hair was short and messy, just barely coming down below its ears.

“I wanna call it Lothral,” Celestia said, “after the beast in the stories!”

“A fitting name, Celestia, Lothral it is. May it be a terror to those who oppose us. Come, let us attend the feast; there are many important ponies to impress,” Platinum declared, turning to a door on her left. Celestia and Luna followed diligently.

They took their seats at the grand old table at the head of the room. Princess Platinum sat in a regal chair with long legs and a short support which only accentuated her larger than average size. Held magically above the headboard were three stones that, from the rest of the hall, would look as if they circled her horn. In the centre a ruby; to the sides, quartz and obsidian. To her left sat Princess Celestia, Archmage Sundry, and the mistress of ceremony. Lady Redblood. To her right sat Princess Luna, Archmage Nightshade, and the captain of the guard, Steel Shield. Before her sat the assorted Lords and Ladies of the realm. From the Chillblades of the east to the Hardburrows of the north, everypony with more than a smidge of power and royal blood sat at each table, with cups of wine and a feast of expertly prepared meals left untouched before them. Queen Platinum greeted them all and bid them their dues which, to Luna, was a dull and tedious affair. She never cared much for pompousness or prissiness when she could be doing so much more. Which right now, included eating her alfalfa, rosemary and flower salad which sat on the plate, silently daring Luna to eat it. After a round of cheers the assorted guests began to eat, and Luna took the opportunity to dive into her salad with all the drive and speed she could Regally get away with. Old Nightshade tried to incite her from her meal with small talk about her studies, to which the Princess nodded and agreed whenever Nightshade paused for breath or looked at her for conformation. She sat thinking about Lothral, what might it eat, she wondered? Would it like salads? Should she try sneak it some alfalfa, or did it prefer sweeter tastes? She pondered these dilemmas until a nudge from her right broke her from self-contained musing.

“My Princess, do you like your mother's gift? It gave us a bit of a runaround when we first caught it, and the Archmages struggled for two days and nights to carve the necessary runes.” Captain Shield spoke between bites of his own salad.

“Oh yes, Captain, it’s certainly special. Pray tell, what is it? Where did you come across it?”

“We don’t know from where it came, though it’s certainly far beyond the borders of Equestria. As to what it is, I asked the Archmages the same thing!”

“And neither of us, nor the castle bestiary, granted illumination on the beast's origin. I have begun it’s entry now, perhaps you might aid me in its creation, Princess?” Nightshade added for Captain Shield.

“surely there must something; perhaps the commoners know of a story of one?” Luna interjected.

“I shall have my guards keep an ear out, Princess, perhaps you are correct.” Captain Shield finished. The usual small talk and chatter continued until well past the finishing of the meal.

By the time she had managed to escape the feast it was time for the Archmages to lower the sun. She wandered around the halls for what felt like hours until she came upon the room where Lothral was still strapped to the table. Pushing the door open and lighting the candles revealed the creature, her new pet, its eyes wide, staring straight at her.

“...and so she named her Lothral, after a great beast from a legend.” Luna said, concluding her story.

“If it was your pet, do you know what it is?” Twilight asked.

“We never did get a concrete name. She was called anything from chimp to dog but nopony could ever agree. Most just called her the Royal Pet, or Lothral. I always found that a bit of a mouthful so i called her Lo.”

“Princess, why was she covered in fur if she doesn't normally have it?” Rarity asked, eyeing the furs the Princess had laid down upon the creature's bed.

“It’s called a pelt. Fur taken from an animal.” Luna explained to the green faces of half of the ponies present. “It was the same year we got her, and the air began to chill. A Griffin delegation had just arrived...”

Year 30: Before Discord

“Take these pelts as tokens of goodwill between Gryphos and Equestria, they come from the great cats up north, and they are a kingly gift, your highness.” The Griffon spoke in rough Equestrian as the delegation crossed the drawbridge into the castle grounds.

“You have my gratitude; rest assured goodwill is all I intend with the Northen Kingdoms. Whilst we may attend to the manner of your visit on the morrow, it is a long trek south and you must be tired. Come join us for supper, we shall have hot baths and rooms prepared for you after.” Queen Platinum spoke in eloquent tones, directing them towards the hall with a turn of her head. “Princess Luna, see to it that these... fine gifts are stored safely then join us in the hall.”

“Yes, my Queen,” Luna replied dutifully, taking the pelts in her magic and making her way to a door to the side of the keep.

“I’ve heard of the magic of unicor-”

This was all she could make out before she passed through the door into the many crisscrossing corridors. 'Mother told me where to store them, not how long to take,' she thought as she made a beeline to the fourth floor, where Lo was kept. Entering the room she called out, “Lo, come! I’ve got a gift for you since the cold troubles you so.” Lo came from one of the barred windows up to Luna, and she now stood at twice Luna’s height. Hair smooth and past her shoulders, and eyes holding that dull look that all animals had. Luna gave a pelt to Lo before placing a few in her cage; a small comfort, but in these winters Luna was glad she could give Lo that much. Perhaps she could sow on a clasp...

“Without fur of her own how could she stay warm? Winter was harsh. She always loved to wear them around the castle.” Luna smiled softly. “I might ask for some privacy with her, it has truly been a long time.”

A round of ‘yes, Princess’ was given and the group turned to leave. With a hoof on Twilight's shoulder Luna asked “I trust you have sent word to my sister about this?”

“Of course, Princess.” Twilight replied, sharing a smile with the Luna before soundlessly closing the door behind her.

Princess Luna walked up to the locked window and opened it, looking outside. She spoke softly in the ancient tongue. “You did always like to look out to the sky. I guess it’s only natural given what you are... what you were. I admit I enjoyed our nights together towards the end," she turned to face the woman on the bed... "I still think about it.”

Year 20 Before Discord

The brisk air circled the window, trying to chill its current occupants. Luna’s midnight fur intermingled with Lo’s black cloak as the two sat silently stargazing under the moons pale light. The two sat with the open sky in front of them, and the cage behind. “Thank you for tonight, it has been a pleasure. I suppose we shall always have the night sky, shan't we?” Lo rested her head against Luna’s.

“I await the next time Lo. Goodnight.” Luna finished slowly walking towards the door and unlocking it.

“Farewell.” Came the rough reply.

Lo held a small jagged dagger in her bound left hand. I remember.

“It has been a long night, and you must be tired.” Luna spoke sweetly, locking the door behind her. “Goodnight.”

The soft click echoed through the room, followed by the sound of muffled voices outside. Lo tore through arm restraint and got to work on the others. After five minutes of fiddling, she managed to free herself of the restraints and began to take in her surroundings. The white tiled room reflected the dim light of the moon illuminating it. Outside the window she could see a town basking in the dull light, covered in the deathly stillness of night. Putting on the furs Luna had left, she perched atop the windowsill and carefully took in the features of the worn brick wall around her. From the drainpipe to the numerous windows scattering its face, she noticed it all. Then, carefully, she climbed out.

The room was dark, and most of its inhabitants, bar Twilight, were dead asleep. Their deep breathing became a beat as Twilight sat by the door. Her idle stare was interrupted by the sound of heavy hoof-falls on ceramic.

"Luna, I came as soon as I heard. Is the beast still there?" Princess Celestia ran to Luna. "How many did it kill?"

"Calm down Tia. She is still there, I can assure you. From what I can tell only one pony was felled by her paw." Luna paused. "You need your sleep, Tia, you can't keep waking up at this hour."

Twilight checked the clock. It must be wrong, it can't possibly be 3 already.

"What if there's an emergency like before?"

"Then I shall be there to solve it, Tia. I can't solve your tiredness; nor can cake or cream."

"What are you suggesting, Luna? If it's about that birthday cake, it was over two thousand years ago and it was well past the day. It would've gone bad if I hadn't eaten it."

Luna huffed. "What about last year? That delicious constellation cake with my cutie mark on it?"

"My fridge, my rules," Celestia replied with a short laugh.

"On your flank be it." Luna replied, receiving a soft slap in return. This was followed by fading giggling as the duo walked out of earshot.

Twilight looked around the room, laid her head down and then shot up as she heard Princess Celestia shout. She opened the door and saw nothing but a dim hallway lit up from the room to her right. Treading softly she sneaked up to the closed door and pressed her ear to it.

"I couldn't have, I was asking the Elements how they found her." Luna spoke in a terse tone.

Celestia's voice, quiet and sharp, replied, "You know how hard that thing is to catch, and how dangerous it is. It could be anywhere by now. Who knows what it could have done already?"

"You flew here. If it was near Ponyville, you would have noticed. It's probably out in the Ever-"

"Do you not remember what happened last time it got free? Discord, Sirens..." Celestia paused. "... Mother."

"I know what its escape means, I've had my share of it's trouble too... you need rest, I'll send the guard out to deal with it. Stay with Twilight and her friends next door. I can handle this, Tia," Luna said in a strong voice.

Celestia paused. "Not whilst there's a chance it could hurt my ponies." Twilight heard her hooves approach and slowly edged backwards. "I'll organise the Day Guard then... come back here."

As her voice reached the door Twilight had made it a few scant meters backwards. "Thank you. It's still night, so..." Princess Celestia opened the door and took a few steps outside followed by Luna. The pair of whom looked directly at the creeping Twilight.

"Uh... um... hi, Princess, I was just -"

Celestia interrupted gently, "Driven by curiosity to study the Creature, I suppose?" Twilight nodded. Phew. "We can't keep it here. It's dangerous, so please don't try and get close to it, Twilight." Celestia shook her head. "I'll get you a report on its physiology, but only in the morning. If you sleep, we can talk then." Twilight nodded. Celestia smiled and walked back down the hall.

"Don't go chasing her, Twilight. My sister is correct, Lo is dangerous." Luna spoke with a soft smile. Turning to the door she cast a spell then walked after Celestia.

The alicorn returned to her bed sheepishly and found her friends fast asleep. But, try as she might, Twilight could not join them.

Author's Note

This is being written at the same time as its sister stories. There may be stretches of hiatus when involving certain characters. I will be updating the other storied regularly in the hopes that i can avoid too long a hiatus.