//------------------------------// // Grievous Return // Story: My Little Pony: Exiles of the Empire // by Hikarikurai24587 //------------------------------// Chapter Nineteen: Grievous Return Spike watched as Celestia took a step forward keeping her head up high asking. “For what reason are you attacking us?” Grevious's eyes shifted towards Anakin. "You allied with this Jedi scum. Lord Sidious wants you all dead." His eyes turned back to Celestia. "Any last words?" “A few, for one General Skywalker himself has said that the Jedi are no more. Meaning he is merely a trained individual protecting those who were placed in a situation they did not know how to navigate. Another is that we have not been properly introduced. I am Princess Celestia.” Celestia replied, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “What shall I call you?” Grievous made a motion in the hologram slamming a fist down. "I don't care who you are, and the Jedi lied to you. There are Jedi still alive and I won't stop hunting them until they are all dead! You're all going to die by my hand, General Grievous!" "Grievous. I don't know how you're alive but if it's Jedi you want then leave them out of it and face me, or are you still a coward?" Anakin responded back, his brows furrowed. Grievous growled as he turned off the transmission. His ship flew into another position for an attack run. Celestia looked at Anakin saying. “You know his strategy better than anyone, can I trust you to lead them?” "Yes your highness. Let's hurry and get this done before damage." Anakin answered as he looked to Spike. "Are you with me?" “I am, Master.” Spike said as Celestia turned to face the window pointing her hoof towards a pony. “Summon Hallow Glow and the remainder of the Bearers. I am in need of them.” “Yes Princess Celestia.” the pegasus replied before getting on the comlink. Spike looked at Anakin asking. “What are we going to do?” Anakin was about to respond when the ship shook from another barrage of lasers. Spike stumbled for a moment as Luna appeared from the shadows. “Sister, the ponies are in the most protected area of the ship. What are we going to do?” “On that ship he has the advantage, he is a skilled pilot and we are still new. Defending is hard.” Celestia answered thinking for a moment. Anakin watched the ship his brow furrowing, something felt off. He watched the ship fly around firing at them. He frowned muttering. “Something’s not right.” That was when he realized that it was almost like the ship was locked in a flight pattern. He turned to warn Celestia when the door to the bridge was ripped open. Heads turned as ponies gasped witnessing the large mechanical form of Grievous step in. Two arms keeping the doors pried apart and two arms holding onto struggling ponies. Both of the princesses took a step forward to do something, to say anything to release their charges. Grievous moved through the door releasing it. The moment it slammed shut he pulled out two lightsabers with his free hands and killed the ponies. His gold eyes locked with Celestia’s as he deactivated the sabers growling under his breath. Spike hid his face into Anakin’s robes as Celestia’s horn glowed and the bodies of the ponies began to turn to ash. Celestia glared fully at Grievous, her mane turning into flames as she spoke. “You should not have done that General Grievous.” “Sister, wait!” Luna called out using her magic to form a barrier around her sister. “He wants you to be angry. This is neither the time nor the place.” Luna knew that it was breaking Celestia to be losing so many ponies so fast. She had to take charge of this situation. In town hall she had failed but here, this was her moment. “General Grievous, you seem to have arrived here quickly and with little attention drawn towards your approach. It is almost as if you are quite the master assassin.” Grievous’ eyes locked with Luna’s as if he was insulted as he said. “If you must know, your highness, the last barrage was not myself, it was my droid who was the distraction as I made my way inside.” The ship was blown up as Derpy spoke. “Oops.” Grievous charged towards the pegasus as Luna dropped the barrier around her sister to protect the pony. A ball of flames hit Grievous in the shoulder as Celestia spoke. “Leave.” Flames spun around her as she took a step forward as Grievous cackled. “I am not afraid and I will not leave until you are all dead!” Celestia flew forward, once she was close enough the flames wrapped around them causing the two to vanish. The lift door hissed as it opened up revealing the ponies that were previously summoned. Applejack took a look around asking. “What in tarnation happened here?” “We shall explain on the way, prepare yourself.” Luna ordered before turning to address Anakin. “I suspect my sister left you in charge here?” “She did your highness.” Anakin answered moving towards the front of the bridge so everyone could see him. “Grievous is a dangerous enemy, even more so than before. However I have also fought against him many times, if we push him enough he will flee like the coward he is.” “Then we better make sure to push him hard enough to make sure he isn’t coming back!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed before looking at Anakin with a huge grin on her face. “What’s the plan?” Anakin thought for a moment, what he would have normally done would be to go after Grievous himself. He couldn’t, he couldn’t be that example to Spike, he knew that he had started Ahsoka on the downward spiral. Instead he had to think like Obi-Wan, to actually have a plan. "Our main focus should be to get Celestia. If we are successful, we need to set up a perimeter around the ship as best we can so he can't get to the ponies. As long as we keep our eyes on Grievous and push him back he will flee." Anakin instructed as he looked at Spike and the ponies around him. "Do not and I repeat do not do anything reckless. He's cocky but he's smarter than he looks." “Understood sir.” Applejack spoke up before looking at Rainbow Dash, she was concerned for her friend. However she did know that Rainbow Dash would do anything to make sure the princesses and the ponies on the ship were safe. Anakin moved forward and looked back at the group. "I want the closer range fighters in towards the front and the ranged at the rear. Let's go!" The group headed out with Hallow Glow checking her bag. Pinkie Pie bounced forward rapidly as one of the ponies said. “I will tell you where they are once I’ve located them.” “Good thinking Thunderlane!” Rainbow called back as she ran to catch up to Anakin a bit slowed down by the leg. “So what do you mean by ranged?” "Anyone who is more proficient in fighting at a distance than up close." Anakin said looking down at her. Rainbow Dash gave him a look before looking at Rarity who looked quite pleased that she got to stay at a distance. Hallow Glow gave a confused look before asking. “What got Celestia in attack mode?” "Grevious...he killed a couple of the ponies in front of all of us. She got angry and went after him alone." Anakin answered back as he kept pressing on. Hallow Glow frowned for a moment mumbling. “More like protecting the rest of us.” Anakin heard what she said and stopped to look at her. "That may be true, but there was definitely a look of revenge." “If that’s the case then we risk more than a simple fight, Celestia might fall to darkness.” Hallow Glow warned and the ponies’ eyes widened before Thunderlane contacted them. “I found them, one of the training rooms without windows. Three decks below the Promenade.” "Let's move out!" Anakin shouted as he made his way looking back at the group. The ponies followed him quickly trying to keep themselves from running ahead. When they finally managed to get down the floor of the ship was beginning to shake. Anakin grabbed Spike making sure they didn't get separated. The door to the training room was malfunctioning as Discord stood outside having an uncharastically worried look on his face. "Discord?" Anakin asked urgently. "Give us all the details!" “It is best if you see for yourself.” Discord replied, snapping his fingers and teleporting them in there. Celestia was firing beams of magic as Grievous flickered around the room. As if teleporting, anytime he went near Celestia something would knock them away from each other. Hallow Glow tilted her head to the side watching the fight closely. “I think we will need to calm Celestia down and make sure that General Grievous doesn’t grab any of us while he takes off.” Anakin attempted to use the Force to stop the both of them but it wasn't working. "Why...can't I stop them?" Anakin said as he struggled to use the Force. Hallow Glow began to rummage through her bag saying. “Okay, so it seems like there is something suppressing any use of magic or whatever you just did. So that means we need to get Grievous out of here and Celestia to calm down.” “I think you’re volunteering for… that…” Rainbow Dash paused as Hallow Glow was halfway in her own bag looking for something. Anakin watched both Celestia and Grievous, feeling helpless. He turned around to Hallow Glow and asked. "I assume you have a plan?" Part of a chain came flying out of the bag before the other end came out wrapped around a large pillar. Then she pulled out a bottle of what seemed to be sand. “Alright the chain is for Celestia, the boulder cancels out magic so she can’t destroy it. This sand is to create an invisible barrier to keep Grievous from going anywhere but out.” She brought more bottles with a grin. “Cut off the exits pushing the General towards the docking bay. How does that sound?” "I'm not quite sure I get it, can I trust you to lead us Hallow Glow?" Anakin asked, kneeling down. Hallow Glow shot him a grin before saying. “I don’t know, can you keep up?” Rainbow Dash made an annoyed noise, but was shocked when Hallow Glow looked at her saying. “I’m going to need you to trust me. Just this once.” This caused Rainbow Dash to pause before nodding her head. Anakin smiled giving Hallow Glow a thumbs up. Hallow Glow passed out the bottles before looking at Celestia picking up the chain and handed it to Pinkie Pie. She grabbed the bottle saying. “I need a distraction. Can you block the next attack from Grievous when we bind Celestia?” “On it.” answered Anakin, Hallow Glow nodded her head as they began to draw the lines around the room. Some of the ponies sealing off the paths, Discord moving to reprogram the lift. Pinkie Pie ran towards Celestia at breakneck speed. Celestia’s head turned her next attack vanishing when she saw the pink party pony running towards her. Grievous took the chance to attack only to be blocked by Anakin as Pinkie Pie moved away. Celestia’s wings were bound by the chain trying to get free. Hallow Glow walked behind Anakin placing the sand on the ground. The sand sunk into the ground glowing a bright blue. "No matter what tricks you have up your sleeve Skywalker, you will die!" Grevious yelled as he swung wildly at Anakin. Anakin blocked the attacks with his own lightsaber keeping in mind where the ponies were. He jumped back just as Hallow Glow moved between them quickly her line meeting Rainbow Dash’s blocking Grievous from anywhere but out. The others had their own route out to ensure that Grievous leaves but he wouldn’t be able to get to them. Grevious looked around at them all with a growl. His eyes ended up fixated on Hallow Glow who foiled his attempt. "I might have not won but I will not leave back to Sidious empty handed!" He shouted as he snatched Hallow Glow and fled.  “I should have been on the other side of the line! Help!” were the last words anyone heard from Hallow Glow. Rainbow Dash looked around asking. “What now?”