The psychotic gentlegriff

It was midnight in the east sector of Canterlot city and the royal guards were on patrol, they had increased the number of guards on duty tonight. That was when a blood curdling scream was heard from a resident’s home.

Every guards stallion and guards mare rushed to help, tensions were high thanks to the Discovery earlier in the evening at the old tap bar.

Upon reaching the entrance of the house, they wasted no time and kicked in the door. Frantically searching the house, they eventually stumbled upon the dismembered and half consumed remains of a stallion.

They immediately sent a Pegasus to report this to the garrison and alert the captain.

“Hey you, there!!!!! Stop in the name of the princess!!!!!”

All the guards in the room rushed to the window and saw a large winged figure standing there menacingly as a guards mare approached.

“You are under arrest, you are our prime suspect as of.”

Slash*

Thud*

“ROOOOCK!!!! No!”

Before anypony could react, the figure decapitated the royal guard with traumatising speed as her colleagues watched in horror from the window.

They all rushed down the stairs and out the front door but when they arrived at the scene, the figure was gone without a trace.

A few of the guards broke down into tears at the gruesome sight of their colleague, no, friend’s headless body.

While the others took action and began searching the surrounding area in pairs of two.

When the guards stallion made it to the castle garrison to sound the alarm, a pair of yellow grinning eyes fell upon the resting forms of Anubis, Silver, Celestia and Eclipse.

It seemed to be content with watching from outside of the window but as Anubis began to shift, it took flight and fled.

Anubis was awoken by Zodiac, he proceeded to slip out of Celestia’s and Silver’s grasp, placing little Eclipse where he once was.

Going to investigate the window that Zodiac flagged up for him but just as he was about to open it, a panicked captain Graceful assaulted the door with rapid knocking.

Celestia’s head shot up and locked onto Anubis before drifting towards the door whilst Silver tried to hide under the soft pillow, Eclipse just continued sleeping. Happily snoozing away.

“W-who is it? And why are you at the windows?”

“I…. I was just admiring the night my love.”

Anubis went to get the door but Celestia’s aura took the handle and opened it.

“Oh I’ll get the door.”

“P-princess!! Gasp* huff* gasp* sorry your highnesses, Anubis.”

Anubis gave him a sort nod before going back to the windows in search of whatever it was staring at him and his family.

“Well I’m sorry to have to report this, but two more victims have been found.”

“Excuse me? Go on captain.”

This caught the large griff’s attention and he flipped an ear towards the captain, he didn’t remember killing any other ponies earlier in the day. The only two he murdered was the mare that stabbed him and that snob from the market.

“Not too far from the two instances earlier today…. But this time our guards saw a silhouette, “a large beaked beast with wings that vanished into the night, as tall as the princess.” Was the words of the Pegasus guard that alerted me.”

Celestia immediately turned to Anubis with a conflicted look in her eyes, she didn’t want to believe it but it was a horrible possibility.

“The first victim was an unidentified stallion, unfortunately his body was horrifically torn apart but the second victim was one of the first responding guards mares, privet Dusty Rock.”

“What?! Captain I want all guards from now on to conduct patrols in groups of four or more, I also order all guards to kill on sight if they come across this individual.”

“Yes your highness, is there anything else?”

“Please send the guard that alerted you here, I would like to speak with them.”

“Of course princess.”

As soon as Graceful left, Celestia rounded on Anubis with that same conflicted look.

“Sigh* do you want me to handle this.” She cut him off with her magic.

“It isn’t you is it?” Tears welling up in her eyes. “You would tell me if you killed somepony, right? Sniffle* I-i know you’ve not had a good foalhood b-but you wouldn’t eat ponies would you?”

“Of course not, what would give you such an idea?”

“I-I don’t know…. I just woke up and you were at the window and then the latest attack and the description was too perfect to be anything else.”

“Sigh* look I don’t eat ponies I promise and that’s very concerning that I fit the description…. But as for why I was at the window, that was because I thought something was watching me okay.”

“Sniffle* sob* I-I’m so sorry but I-i have to put you down as a suspect Anubis, there’s too many coincidences. P-please forgive me, I-in the name of Equestria, I princess Celestia here by place you under arrest.”

“W-what?” Before Anubis could process anything, he had been placed in anti-magic shackles. “Sweet heart don’t be silly, you know these won’t hold me. Come on now, stop playing around Eclipse is watching.”

Celestia went to kiss him but pulled away with a deep look of sorrow, just before everything went dark for Anubis as he was forcefully teleported away, he heard Eclipse cry out to him.

Silver was wide awake now, she had Eclipse in her forelegs and gave Celestia a look of utter disbelief.

“What was that for?”

“Silver I’m s-sorry but I have to be sure, if the attacks keep happening with Anubis in a secure place. Then it isn’t him and everything will be fine….”

“Fine!! H-how could you suspect him? You didn’t even give him the benefit of the doubt!”

“I’m sorry but.” Their arguing was interrupted by Graceful barging in with a sickly look on his muzzle.

“Princess, the killer struck again but was unsuccessful. We have guards hot on his hooves but he can use soul energy.”

“Wha…. Oh thank goodness it wasn’t him, um ehh okay Captain I’ll be with you in a minute. Silver i need to deal with this but in the meantime please take care of Anubis.”

Celestia teleported him back into the bedroom but she was horrified to find that he was violently vomiting blood but it was made worse by the colour it was. A dark blackish red, Anubis struggled to keep his head up and out off it but this viscous black blood clung to him with reckless abandon.

“Anubis!!” Silverfeather went to help him but Celestia stopped her from touching him.

“No Silver, it might not be safe to touch…. Captain Graceful, do you think you and your guards will be able to handle this situation?”

“Yes your highness, we will bring this monster to justice.”

“Daddy! Get up! Sob* get up!”

“I-I thought teleporting him would only disorientate him, not t-this.”

“Does that look disorientated to you, he’s in fucking pain Celestia!!! Again, hurting Anubis seems to be something you’re really good at!!!”

“i-I’m sorry….”

“Sorry isn’t going to fix this, I’ve never seen him like this before and judging by the look on your muzzle, neither have you!!”

Eclipse was fully balling her eyes out now and Silver was ripping the solar princess a new one but their attention was then fixed on the tiny cub in Silver’s talons that had stopped crying.

They followed her eyes to Anubis’s body that was no longer moving, Silver assumed the worst and began to break down whilst Celestia was in shock.

Then the lifeless griff shot up with a thousand yard stare on his face, the black blood began to seep into him leaving nothing but a stained carpet.

“Gasp* cough* cough* cough* I…. Fuck, what just happened?”

Silver lunged at him and to everycreatures surprise, she knocked him over on to his back.

“Gaahh! Oof* ouch….”

“Oh thank the blue moon!!!! Anubis don’t ever do that ever again please!!! Sniffle* sob* Anubis!!”

“Cough* Cough* I guess my body doesn’t like being teleported with magic restricting shackles on…. Celestia.” He gave her a cold stare.

“I…. I’m just happy you’re fine and not the killer.” She went to pick Eclipse up but Anubis wrapped his tail around her and snatched his daughter from the Alicorn’s hoofs.

“Eep* Daddy! Wee.”

“A-Anubis?”

“Celestia.”

Silver took Eclipse and moved off of Anubis, getting to his claws he blocked Silver and Eclipse from the Alicorn.

“What are you doing? Anubis i was wrong.”

“I don’t care about that, you generally believed I would eat a pony.”

“Wait Anubis I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Then how did you bloody mean it Celestia!!”

The pure white Alicorn froze in her tracks.

“Exactly what I thought, look here I’m in no state to really do anything about it and I’m far to exhausted for this shit so you’ll have to deal with this on your own, don’t get yourself killed.”

“Anubis, p-please forgive me….”

“I’m not mad…. I’m just disappointed that you didn’t take my word for it, we’ll talk about this tomorrow or something.”

“Okay….”

He went to leave but nearly fell down, so Anubis opted to collapse onto the bed and a tear stained Silver followed.

Celestia was about to leave to help her guards but just as she was about to drag herself out, Eclipse had head butted her leg.

She then looked up and hugged Celestia’s foreleg.

“Awwwww Eclipse sweetie, it’s bed time….”

“Don’t be upset, daddy’s just being grumpy because you didn’t kiss him good night…. And tel-ported him.”

The adorable cub kissed Celestia’s foreleg as it was the highest point she could reach, this warmed her heart.

“Oh….. heh maybe you’re right, anyway I have something to do so good night Eclipse….”

She gave Eclipse a kiss on the head before she ran back and used her dad’s tail to climb up into the bed.

“….love you and good night Anubis, Silver…. Sigh*”

“Love you too Celestia…. But you’re still an idiot and I’m sure Anubis would say the same, if he wasn’t out cold.”

“I just hope he doesn’t hate me, I didn’t know teleporting would do that to him. It normally just makes him vomit and dizzy….”

“We both know he won’t hate you and I think he’s more annoyed that you suspected it was him but as for teleportation, you are not to use it on him or Eclipse because clearly their kind don’t handle it well.”

“You’re right, I shouldn’t have used it on him…. W-what if I had teleported Eclipse?”

“Oh shut up, for a ruler that’s lived thousands of years you’re acting stupid. We can’t live off of what ifs, now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to bed.”

“Sigh* yes I suppose so and night Silver.”

Meanwhile Graceful and Sky were both chasing the one they believed to be the Canterlot Carver, they were simultaneously impressed and frustrated with his speed.

But the kicker was his soul technique, this mysterious beast possessed the ability to morph into the shadows.

So every time they got close, he disappeared from their grasp. Both captains had decided to call off the regular guard out of fear for their safety.

“This fucking prick is slippery Graceful!!”

“You don’t say! Come we need to come up with a strategy of some kind?”

Sky looked to the rifle wrapped around her barrel and thought of something.

“Got one, this weapon Anubis gave me can kill Dream Spirits so it might be able to kill him but I’m still learning how to use it.”

“But you can kill it?”

“If I hit the twat in the head then yeah.”

“Good, I’ll make an opening for you then.”

Got it but just don’t get yourself killed dude, your marefriend will murder me.”

“Then don’t miss.”

Graceful flew at the killer and with his sword, he threw a storm of blows at the shadowy fellow. Said fellow retaliated with his own flurry of blows which the captain of the guard dodged in a fashion true to his name.

Captain Sky was hidden by her own soul technique whilst she lined up the shot.

BANG!!!!!*

Upon firing, her invisibility stopped working and a super charged soul energy bolt was sent hurling towards her target with same day shipping.

The target noticed the projectile and couldn’t move in time but the bolt just passed through him without any resistance or dumping its explosive force into the killers head.

Graceful took a punch to the chest which his armour took the brunt of and watched in shock as the large beasts shadowy mass solidified and locked eyes with him.

Graceful was able to confirm that he was a long-eared griffon but he was a sharp red all over with piercing yellow eyes.

“Heheheh~ you almost got me kiddo, please send my regards to Anubis, it’s been far too long.”

“W-what? How do you know him?! What do you want monster!?!”

Graceful was furious but kept his distance as the first rays of sun began to dance across the sky and the killer disappeared into thin air with a smug smile plastered across his beak.

Sky rushed over to aid her fellow captain but when she arrived, he was already removing the crumpled chest plate.

“Shit stud, you okay?”

“Cough* Cough* y-yeah I’m good just confused….”

“By what Captain?”

Upon hearing that voice, both captains straightened up and saluted.

“Princess Celestia, we are sorry to say that we allowed the killer to escape justice.”

“I see that but are you okay?”

“Of course, I might bruise but nothing to worry about I can assure you your highness.”

“Good but please go get looked at just in case, now what has you confused captain Graceful?”

“Princess, the killer is in fact a long-eared griffon. A deep red one with yellow eyes, he appears to be a similar size and build to Anubis…. But what concerns me is that he said that it had been far too long since he saw the griff as if he’s familiar with him….”

“Captain I beg your pardon but….” Celestia bit her lip and began pacing nervously. “I’ll tell Anubis about this.”

“Speaking of him, may I ask if you managed to straighten everything out with him before you left?”

“Um well…. No.”

“I’m sure he’ll be right as rain after some rest princess, he doesn’t seem like one to hold a grudge.”

“You’re right but…. But I really made a mistake and we didn’t even catch the one responsible for what I blamed him for.”

“Your highness, nopony is perfect so relax and I’m sure tall gray and strong will miss your royal rump.”

“Sky!? You can’t say that!”

“What?”

“Thank you Captain Sky, we’ll have to file a report and issue a warning to the public along with a detailed description of this red griffon.”

“Sigh* you know the noble cast will try to pin Anubis as no different to this killer, right?”

“Unfortunately yes but I will announce his engagement to Princess Silverfeather.”

“What? But what about yours and his relationship?”

Celestia looked a little downtrodden.

“I-I’ll keep it under wraps for now, we’ll announce it once he’s married Silver. I’d hate to take the spotlight from her.”

“I see princess, I’m sure she’ll thank you after the marriage.”

“Why?”

“Stallions will never understand.”

“Oh captain Sky, you can’t be mad at him. They don’t understand.”

“Understand what?”

“Nothing.”

As they took flight to the castle, they failed to notice that a yellow pair of eyes was watching them leave.

“it’s good to finally have some entertainment.”

As Celestia and her two captains landed at the castle gates, she dismissed them and quickly rushed to her private armoury to change out of her royal armour.

On her way to her bedroom she walked past Silver with Eclipse, the alabaster Alicorn trotted right up to them and gave both griffons nuzzles.

“Good morning Celestia, Anubis is still out cold. So go patch things up with him.”

“Sigh* I don’t know about good morning but it is definitely morning Silver, oh and morning to you too Eclipse.”

“Good morning mommy Cel, daddy was a little grumpy this morning huff* he didn’t want to play!?”

“Heheheheh~ well I’ll let him know how upset you are with his behaviour.”

“Good.”

“See you two later.”

“See you Celestia.”

“Bye Cel!”

She went straight for her room where Anubis slumbered in, once she got to the bedroom doors she began pacing around trying to come up with the words to fix her blunder from the previous night.

“Sigh* okay Celestia, he’s not one for holding grudges so I’m sure he’ll see where I was coming from, right?”

“Um your highness, is that a rhetorical question?”

“Ehhahah ha~ yes.”

The pure white Alicorn stole herself and wrapped her aura around the door knobs, opening them and quietly trotting in.

She immediately noticed her griff resting under the covers, Celestia climbed onto the bed and tried to cozy up to him. But little did she know that he was awake.

“Celestia.”

“Eep, Anubis?”

“We need to talk.”

“Sigh* please forgive me.”

“Oh relax yourself dear, I’m just upset that you honestly thought I would eat a pony. That hurt me.”

“I’m sorry but there was way too many coincidences, I just didn’t know what to do so I-i just.”

“Oh sssssssshhh~ I don’t care, yes it hurt but I understand that you’re sorry. I mean you’re crying swan neck.”

“I-I am? Oh I am…. How silly of me.”

“I would roll over if I could…. I still feel so weak right now, so please be gentle. I know that’s hard for you Alicorns but please try your best.”

“Sniffle* shut up, I can be gentle and caring.”

“So did you catch the killer?”

“No…. B-but he was a red long-eared griffon like you, he seemed to know you. He said that it’s been too long since he’s seen you….”

“What?”

“I was just as confused about it when Graceful told me, I don’t like the implications Anubis.”

“You and me both…. I’ll do some investigating and see to it that this long-eared griff is killed.”

“What? No murder, you’re better than this.”

“Sigh* I’ll try….”

“I have a question, what was that weapon Sky used?”

“That was a magic-tech precision rifle. It’s still in its early stages of development but she’s field testing it for me, so how affective was it?”

“Scarily accurate and I’ll assume that it would have killed if it had connected.”

“Nice I’ll have the captain of the Wonderbolts tell me her experience with it during the debriefing.”

“And who appointed you to head of defence, that’s my sector you naughty griff.”

Celestia nipped Anubis’s ear, causing the weakened griff to attempt to fight back.

“Awwwwww look at you all helpless against me, the things I could do to you my love.”

“Hehe heh heheh but you won’t, right?”

“I guess I’ll let it go this time….”

“So can I be head of weapon development please? I’m already head of Unit 8 as well as all my other projects like magic-tech.”

“Mhmmm Prince Anubis, the prince of souls…. I like that.”

“Why the prince of souls? And more so, what a random thing to say Celestia.”

“Because you discovered soul energy and soul techniques, you also created magic-tech engines and other stuff too. My handsome inventor who keeps amazing me, when will you invent a foal in me?”

“Okay that was corny as all hell swan neck and thanks…. I kinda like that title, it’s fitting.”

“It was worth a shot but good because it will be your new title my love.”

“Okay now, you don’t need to lay it on that thick. I forgive you.”

“Heheheheheh sorry, but as for making you the head of weapons development…. I don’t know…. Sigh* no…. I don’t want to be preparing for war, it might make the other nations paranoid.”

“Fuck them…. Sorry, I understand but if you loved me….”

“Silly griff.”

“And Necro Arms would have been a great name too, oh why won’t you let me chase my dream my Beautiful mare.”

“Really?” She had a deadpan face whilst Anubis rolled over to face her.

“Okay okay I was just testing my luck…. Sniff* sniff* mhmmm you smell good Celestia, are you using a new shampoo?”

“Okay now, there’s no way to convince me to give you that position Anubis.”

He ignored her and presented his beak into the crook of her wing.

“Oh um what sort of good?”

“Like really good, fruity good. Mhmmmm pineapple, I like that…. T-that’s not shampoo, is it?”

“No…. It’s actually because I’ve been eating a lot of pineapples lately.”

“Wow…. Well keep eating them dear because you smell tasty.”

“Oh my goodness, you’re not going to eat me are you?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him as she snuggled up to him.

“Hehehahahah~ not this morning swan neck, I’m still feeling the effects of being teleported.”

“Sorry about that and I don’t know what got into me just now, I’ve got an emergency speech to prepare for….”

“About the murders?”

“Yes….”

“Celestia, I had a weird dream last night…. I met a stallion who was scared and horrified, he said he was murdered and I judged him or something….”

Celestia looked up in concern at her mate.

“I sent him to a better place in my dreams…. Then a mare who seemed out of it, she didn’t believe she had died but once she said her name i immediately knew she was dead too, her name was Dusty Rock….”

“….”

They laid there in silence until a happy little griffon cub ran in followed by her mother with a trolley of food for Anubis.

“Awww Silver, Eclipse. You shouldn’t have.”

“But we did daddy!”

“Thank you, you little menace. So what did you make me?”

“Waffles!!!”

“With fruit and ice cream.”

“Wow, I’m getting that VIP treatment Celestia.”

“Huff* I’m a little jealous….”

“Fine, you can feed me. Is that enough?”

“I… wha? No Anubis, I meant that I was jealous because you were getting breakfast in bed, not because I didn’t help.”

“I know but you can still feed me.”

“Wha? The audacity.”

“Fine then.”

“Hey I never said I wouldn’t…. But I have to make sure that it’s not poisoned.”

“Hey we would never poi-sen daddy!!”

“Sigh* you're way too paranoid Celestia.”

“I’m not, I just need to make sure that you cooked it right.”

“Hey I can cook!”

“Mhmmm I don’t know, your track record would suggest otherwise Silver.”

“Grrrrrrrrr* I think you have duties to take care of princess Celestia.”

“Oh are we using titles now? Very well princess Silverfeather of the second griffon empire.”

“Mommy and mommy are fighting.”

“Yep….”

“Can we watch?”

“Yep.”

“But should we daddy?”

“No…. But we will enjoy the show.”

“Yay!”

Whilst his two mates were arguing over nothing actually important, Anubis and Eclipse began to help themselves to the trolley of waffles and fruit.

After about a minute or so, Celestia and Silver began to laugh at themselves confusing Eclipse. Although she was just happy that they weren’t really upset with one another.

“sigh* well unfortunately I should probably get going…. I have some horrible news to brake to my subjects, I also need to go to the royal seamstress for my dress for the Grand galloping gala.”

“Oh I might join you for that?”

“Please feel free Silver.”

“Well ladies, if you need me to measure every inch of your bodies. I can.” He was waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Eclipse smacked him with her claws and gave him a disappointed look.

“Dirty daddy.”

“Wha? Sweetie how could you say that?”

“You being a pervert….”

“And is there anything wrong with that?”

“….”

“Well Eclipse?”

“Um I don’t know….”

She looked at her mums for guidance, both of them were nodding their heads.

“Um yes?”

“Then why do your mums like it when I’m being a pervert?”

“I… don’t know.” She was thinking really hard about it now, to the little cub it didn’t make sense. “Why do you like daddy being a creep?”

“Eehhh….”

“Ouch Eclipse, I’m not a creep am I?”

“Hey now, we accept your father’s weirdness, we don’t encourage it.”

“Yes you do? Mommy Cel you are the one who’s a pervert.”

Anubis and Silver both burst out laughing at the now blushing mare.

“Well like I said, I have to go…. And Anubis, no weaponising Eclipse against me okay.”

“Oh you think it’s bad now, wait until we have a cub Celestia.”

Celestia adorned a warm smile and climbed back onto the bed, giving Anubis a nuzzle and kiss before leaving to tackle the long draining day ahead.

“So…. How did it go?”

“Well actually, although it took a while to get her to stop apologising. She honestly seems to be in good spirits considering what had transpired last night, she sees those subjects of hers as her children.”

“Yeah…. I’m just glad it was straightened out so fast, I wouldn’t want you two to brake up….”

“Well today’s gonna be hard for her…. Plus the nobles are gonna try to say I’m the prime suspect as well.”

“But you were here?”

“That’s business baby, they don’t like me. It doesn’t matter to them, I’m not a noble and I’m a griffon.”

“But that’s not fair.”

“No but it’s life, but once they find out where the new equipment came from. Then things will get interesting.”

“You think they’ll care?”

“Not the nobles, any of them will a good mind will want in and try to win favour with me. As for the public, they more than likely take my side because it’s against the nobles or just because I’m attractive, likeable and make the weapons that the royal guard use to protect them.”

“…Anubis…. I…. You clever griff, you technically have a crown contract to supply arms and equipment to the royal guard. Both captain Graceful and captain Sky are friends with you, not to mention you’re a sub for the Wonderbolts and marrying into griffon royalty.”

“Yep, I’m almost untouchable to Canterlot’s noble cast. Not to mention my little ace, Silver Blood who is basically royalty in title because of a number of dull reasons.”

“If she shows you any inkling of respect then, others will follow suit not wanting to be disliked by her.”

“And how easy would it be for me to make her bow before me?”

“Hahahahah~ extremely easy, I mean you literally con.” Silver caught herself before she let anything slip out in front of Eclipse.

“Settle down there honey, our daughter is present.”

“Yeah…. Anyway I’ve got to prepare to start another day of self-study, I’m starting off with economics but please feel free to join me Anubis.”

“We will in a bit, I’m gonna spend some quality time with the little rascal.”

“Ahhh! No let me go!!! Mommy help!”

“Sorry Eclipse but I can’t hear you! Bye!”

“Noooooo!!! Daddy smells!!!”