//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: General Grievous in Equestria // Story: Victor Squad: New Frontier // by Legofan //------------------------------// ~~~Canterlot Tunnel System, Canterlot, 6 hours and 40 minutes after the Ambush at EGP-01~~~ Compared to the glistening whites and purples of the spires that dotted Canterlot, the tunnels that currently held Grievous, his company of droids, and his escort of guards were dull, dim, and spooky to the less hardened individuals. Grievous's walk to the throne room had gone underground almost instantly, so as to avoid terrorizing the citizens that were enjoying their war-free lives above them. The group had been walking through the tunnels for around ten minutes. During that time, one of the less experienced guards had attempted to start some sort of conversation with the droids and Grievous once or twice, but was either shushed immediately by one of the higher ranked guards, or was ignored completely. No further attempts at conversation were made, and now the only sounds that they made were the sounds of their hooves, pointed metal talons, and feet on the smooth stone surface. Several minutes later, the group approached a short staircase with a closed trapdoor at the top. One of the guards took the initiative to open the door and run ahead to inform the princesses that they had a visitor. The process of climbing the staircase was unexpectedly and embarrassingly more complex than it should have been. One of the magna guards hit its head on the ceiling as it climbed the stairs, causing it to stumble back a step. This wouldn't have mattered too much had the stairs been sized for the feet of a magna guard. But they were pony sized, and therefore, the magna guard's step back caused to lose its balance entirely, falling into one of the commando droids that was close behind it. After a few more failed attempts, some pushing, and moving limbs in directions that would have destroyed them had they been biological, the droids and ponies found themselves in one of the castle's storage rooms. It was large enough to hold them all and a large supply of boxes and barrels, and thankfully had a ceiling tall enough to accommodate the mechanical behemoths. One of guards cleared his throat. "Alright Grievous, we're close to the princesses. You've been compliant so far, so I doubt this warning will be necessary, but should you do anything suspicious, you will be apprehended and imprisoned until we decide what to do with you." Grievous looked down at the guard, uninterested, and said nothing. "Right..." the guard continued awkwardly. "Let's continue." The walk through Canterlot Castle was significantly livelier than the one in the tunnels just minutes before. Grievous continued to walk hunched over slightly with his hands clasped behind his back. He still had nothing to say, but at least he had something to look at. Something impressive to look at. The brick walls that surrounded him were massive, a common feature of most palaces, and seemed to glow with an uplifting white light. Large windows lined some of the more busy hallways that the group walked through, permitting generous amounts of bright sunlight in. Other corridors were lined with stained glass windows depicting what Grievous assumed were important ponies and events from the land's history. Around him, guardsponies patrolled and servants hurried about, casting glances towards him and the droids as they passed. Some, mostly the guardsponies, looked with curious or angry glances, which Grievous easily ignored. What Grievous couldn't ignore were the looks of absolute fear given unto him by the servants and other nonmilitary ponies. He couldn't tell whether to be proud of this, since that would mean that his mechanical body was working properly, or ashamed, since he obviously was making poor impressions. After some consideration, Grievous determined that the thoughts of lowly servants were negligible, seeing as he really only needed approval from the princesses. Mentioning the princesses in his thoughts reminded him that Dooku still hadn't told him why he was interested in them; Grievous was only told that the war effort may depend on his success, and that he was to let Dooku speak to the princesses. A wise decision; Grievous was not a fan of diplomacy. Grievous and company turned another corner before stopping abruptly. The guards that had been escorting him snapped to attention and gave a salute to the pony that blocked their path. "At ease, soldiers," said the pony as he stepped forward. This pony was obviously important; he had an all-white coat covered in a suit of purple armor with gold trim. He stood a couple inches taller than the ponies around him. He wore no helmet, and instead allowed his medium length mane of varying shades of blue blow with the gentle breeze coming from the nearby open windows. Grievous was about to note how this pony's horn was slightly longer than the horns of other horned ponies (Unicorns. They're called unicorns, Grievous remembered), he had seen, but his mental processes were interrupted when the pony spoke. "Hello. I'm Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard, the protective forces of Princess Celestia. I've been told by Private Longbow here," Shining Armor gestured to the guard behind him, the guard who had gone ahead several minutes ago, "that you are seeking an audience with our Princess. Before I let you into the throne room, I'd like you to introduce yourself and state your business here in Equestria." Grievous was impressed with the bravery shown by the captain; he showed no signs of fear or hesitation. Out of respect, Grievous complied. "I am General Grievous of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, CIS for short. My business is to meet with your leader." Shining Armor's brow lowered, and with agitation in his voice, he replied "I'm aware of that. Be more specific." "My master has not provided me the details pertaining to the nature of my visit," Grievous responded, growing impatient. Shining Armor moved his head out a little, gaze narrowing further. "That's awfully suspicious. How are we supposed to trust you when even your mas-" His statement was cut off by a loud, low growl from the general. "Listen here, Captain," Grievous said with a raised voice. "I know not what my master has planned for your princess, but it shouldn't matter. I am aware of good intentions; that is all." He let his words linger before adding, "And even if I was told to attack your princess, I have no weapons, so I doubt that I could do harm." What a lie. The pony put a hoof to his chin and hummed in thought for a moment. "I do suppose you're right, Grievous. Come, let's see Celestia." ~~~Throne Room, Canterlot, 7 hours after the Ambush at EGP-01~~~ The massive wooden doors creaked open, glowing with an aura matching the pinkish glow coming from Shining Armor's horn. Grievous, his droids, and the now dozens of guards accompanying him entered the castle's grand throne room. They stepped onto a long and wide red carpet. It stretched from the doorway to the base of the immaculate golden throne in the back of the room. The throne was empty, but to its right stood the most unusual pony Grievous had seen yet. The pony, which Grievous assumed was the princess, was facing away from the group who had entered the room, gaze focused out of one of the many windows that covered the walls of the throne room. Its coat was the purest white, with the exception of what Grievous assumed was a sun-shaped tattoo on its butt. Its mane was long and was patterned with four stripes in the colors of light blue, light green, bluish purple, and a darker shade of pink. Its tail had a similar coloring to it, and both its mane and tail seemed to move and flow of its own accord. The pony had a large set of wings, but strangely, it also bore a horn that seemed disproportionately long relative to the size of its skull. "Princess Celestia, this is General Grievous of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the one who wished an audience with you," Shining Armor spoke. Celestia turned away from the window that she had been staring out of to look upon the newcomers. Now that she was facing him, Grievous could pick out more distinguishing features, such as the gilded horseshoes and other accessories she wore. What struck him most were her eyes. They were a deep purple, and radiated an air of age, wisdom, and experience. They were beautiful in a way, but also sad. "Grievous it is a pleasure to meet you," Celestia said. "Likewise," Grievous said after a moment of hesitation. Shining Armor spoke up. "Grievous doesn't seem to be one for small talk, princess. Perhaps it would be best to get straight to the point?" he inquired. "Yes, I'd like to make this as quick and painless as I can," Grievous agreed. Before the princess could respond, he reached for a small, round device attached to his waist. He grasped it and threw it to the floor a few feet from the princess. The guards in the room tensed and raised their weapons. "My master is the one who wishes to speak to you, Celestia, but he is unable to come here in person. He has sent me in his stead, and will be contacting us in a few minutes at the most," Grievous elaborated. As if on cue, the device Grievous had thrown came to life, emitting a life sized hologram of a hooded figure. "Greetings, Princess Celestia," said the figure as it pulled down its hood. It was Dooku. Dooku's hologram glanced around to observe his surroundings. He was met with the stares from many a confused guardsponies. Even Shining Armor was taken aback at the thought of something as big as the hologram (obviously not knowing that it was a projection, not actual matter) coming out of such a tiny...thing. "Celestia, before our meeting continues, I would like to request that your guards leave us. The information I have for you is highly classified and sensitive. For now, it would be wise for only you and perhaps your most trusted soldier to hear this. I can assure you that Grievous will not bring harm upon you." The hologram said the last sentence with a wave before putting both hands between its back and cape. She complied, and all the guards filed out except for Shining Armor. A soundproofing ward was placed over the doors to ensure that none of the guards were eavesdropping. Dooku watched Celestia place the ward, staring intently at her horn as the spell was cast, a smirk slowly forming on his face until Celestia returned her attention to his hologram. His face quickly regained its unreadable stoic expression, and his gaze fixed back to Celestia's face. "Princess Celestia, allow me to introduce myself. I am Count Dooku, though may also hear me called Darth Tyrannus. Either is fine. And this, my ambassador," he gestured towards Grievous before returning his hand to behind his back, "is Grievous, as you already know. I am the head of a grand organization called the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and Grievous is the general of its armies. We have grave news to share with you." "Please do explain what your Confederacy accomplishes, Count Dooku," Celestia stated. "Very well. The Confederacy is a large alliance of planetary systems in a galaxy not far from your planet, relatively speaking. Almost every planet in the Confederacy is ruled by a monarchy or a diarchy, like yours, and are independent from each other except in military. Our goal is to cleanse our galaxy of a vile organization called the Republic and their allies, the Jedi. They are troublemakers; they invade Confederate systems and overthrow the monarchs, then try to establish their slow and ineffective democracy." "That's all fine and well, Count, but I'm not seeing how Equestria fits into this. I hope you don't mean to bring us into your conflict," Celestia responded, clearly confused and irritated. "Dear Celestia, I'm afraid you've already been drawn in." Celestia cocked an eyebrow; Shining Armor visibly tensed. "As you may or may not have been able to figure out, my civilization has mastered interplanetary travel. And, regrettably, the Republic has found your planet." In Celestia's mind the pieces of what Dooku had told her clicked together. "Our ships followed a Republic vessel into your planet's space and managed to prevent it from landing on your planet, but they will send more ships in your direction," Dooku continued. "And what would happen if the Republic were to successfully land on this planet?" Celestia queried. Dooku lowered his head slightly and frowned. "They would land and send out their troops. They would work to remove you and your sister from your seats of power, most likely by killing you, and then establish their own leaders. They would kill any who oppose them. Chaos would spread throughout Equestria." Celestia cringed as Dooku said this. "But they wouldn't stop there. No, their hunger for power is insatiable," Dooku said with disgust. "Once your kingdom is in ruins, they would spread their efforts to the other nations of this planet, if they haven't already crumbled by the time Equestria falls." Dooku raised his head and stared at Celestia intently. "Your conflict is violent? This is...an unsettling revelation. I have two more questions for you before you are dismissed: first, what are the Jedi? And second, why are you telling me this?" "The Jedi are self-proclaimed peace-keepers; soldiers for peace. But they do not see that they are actually monsters, driven by lust for power and control. I could tell you of their horrible deeds all day, but I believe Grievous would give a better account of the atrocities that the Jedi perform." Dooku looked to Grievous after finishing his sentence. He was seething in rage, likely reflecting on the day the Jedi stripped him everything he held dear. Dooku smirked before looking back to the princess. "To answer your second question, I tell you this because I wish to offer my services at protecting your country." Grievous and Shining Armor looked at the hologram, shocked. Celestia began to listen more intently. "The Confederacy is a generous organization; we are willing to assist any system with repelling the Republic. And though it may seem disrespectful, I must assume that your army is not strong enough to resist the Republic for any extended period of time." "Hey!" Shining Armor objected, offended. "My Royal Guard is the finest military institution from all of this planet's kingdoms!" Grievous gave an amused laugh. "Foolish pony. The Republic has machines that fly in space; would it only make sense that they have similarly advanced weapons?" "I-I guess?" Shining Armor stuttered. "Enough!" Celestia intervened. "Your petty rivalries can wait till after this situation has been handled." She turned to Dooku. "I am appreciative of your offer; certainly you request something in return for your services?" "Nothing too extreme, dear princess. All that I need in return is access to whatever is required to establish effective counter-resistance measures. More specifically, all I need is permission to use your airspace freely, as well as permission to station troops where Grievous sees fit. He is my general after all. Which reminds me. Should you accept my offer, Grievous, my best soldier, will be staying to organize the defenses, and perhaps he can better your army. He is...exceptionally skilled with his trade." Dooku stood silent for a moment, contemplating an idea. "In fact, I believe that I could provide your civilization with some of our technologies if you're willing to house Grievous for the duration of his stay." Now it was Celestia's turn to contemplate. She sat for several long moments that eventually dragged into minuets. Dooku had provided her with some dreadful information; she didn't want to think about the kind of anarchy that the Republic was bound to bring upon her fair country. But then again, she didn't know whether or not anything that Dooku had said was true. Celestia decided that such a decision could not be left to her alone. It would be best to consult with Luna and get her opinion. After all, her voice, though louder and Royal Canterlot, was just as important as Celestia's, especially in a matter as significant as this. "I thank you for the information, Count Dooku," Celestia started. "I will take everything you've said into consideration. However, with you being a leader, you must understand that choices such as this must not be made too hastily and ill informed. If it is within your patience, I'd like to discuss this with my sister, Luna, and get her view on the situation, before coming to an agreement." "I understand perfectly, dear Celestia. However, I must warn you to not take too long. Grievous may be needed back here soon, and should that be the case, we will be unable to provide you with protection." A muffled and incomprehensible droid voice could be heard in the background from the hologram, and Dooku's attention was pulled away from Celestia for a few seconds. Once the droid had finished its business, Dooku returned his attention to Celestia. "I apologize if I have not been able to satisfy your inquiries, Celestia, but I have urgent matters that I must attend to. If you have any more questions, Grievous will answer them to the best of his abilities. I await your decision." The hologram cut out, producing loud static, but "choose wisely" could be faintly heard over it. Grievous went and retrieved the hologram-emitting device from the floor and placed it back onto his waist. He strode back to his original spot and looked at Celestia expectantly. "Is there anything else you would like to know?" "As of right now, I'd like to think over what I've been told," she replied. "I am interested in hearing your story with the Jedi. However, that should wait until later; perhaps during dinner?" Grievous grunted. "Very well." "Excellent. Shining Armor, why don't you find a room for Grievous and each of his men, then show them around the castle. Provide them with the greatest hospitality Canterlot has to offer." "Yes, your highness," Shining Armor agreed. "I'll send a servant to fetch you when it is time to eat. In the meantime, enjoy yourself," Celestia said as Shining Armor, Grievous, and his droids departed. Once they were out of the company of Celestia, Shining Armor turned to Grievous and his droids and said "I'll find a room for each of you, then have everything of yours delivered to them." "My droids need only one room," Grievous said. "But...don't they all need a bed to sleep on? And a bathroom? And-" Grievous cut him off by saying "They are droids; they do not have biological needs, and don't need beds." Shining Armor stared awkwardly at the droids following Grievous before turning back to Grievous, saying "Okay then...whatever you say; you know them better than I do." ~~~Canterlot Castle Sparring Grounds, Canterlot, 8 hours and 25 minutes after the Ambush at EGP-01~~~ Grievous watched as Shining Armor went through basic spear drills with his men...er, ponies. They moved well in sync, but were still far inferior to his droids. He had been watching them for around a half hour, silently analyzing them and their fighting style. Based on what he could judge, they fought using old, primitive block formations, placing their spear-holders in the front with their archers in the back. After another five minutes of instruction, the soldiers took a break. Shining Armor walked up to Grievous, evidently fatigued, but satisfied. "Well, now that you've seen some of my forces in action, what do you think?" he asked, eager to hear the general's compliments. Grievous took a moment to word his response correctly before replying. "Your guard is ill suited for combat." The guard captain froze for a second before glaring at Grievous accusingly. "What's wrong with my forces?" "Your spear wielding technique is wrong and doesn't allow for maneuverability; your aerial troops are not being utilized correctly; your ground formation is suicidal; your equipment is subpar, and your soldiers are weak." "My men are not weak!" Shining retaliated. "They are strong, devoted, courageous, and smart! They-" "Prove it, then," Grievous challenged. "Have your best soldier spar me, and I'll judge how strong and smart they are. Or even better, spar me yourself, and show all your men how courageous you are." "Alright then, we'll spar right now," he agreed. "Excellent," Grievous said in an amused tone. "I'm feeling generous right now; I'll refrain from using any weapons." A few minutes later, Grievous and Shining Armor found themselves in a small patch of dirt outlined by a painted white circle. Grievous stood hunched with his hands behind his back, as per usual. Shining Armor stood opposite of him, dressed in is entire suit of armor, steel-tipped spear held in his right hoof. Another pegasus guard stood in the middle, wearing standard guard gold, but with a black and white striped plume instead of the typical blue. "Alright, here are this match's rules," the guard started. "You may use any tactics to incapacitate your opponent except for choking, limb-breaking, or other such forms of lingering bodily injury. If a strike you launch would be the lethal blow, you are to halt your attack and announce 'dead', indicating the end of the spar. Understood?" The combatants grunted in understanding. "Begin!" But aside from Shining Armor hefting his spear, neither of them moved. They stood still, gazes unwavering, waiting for the other to strike first. Grievous's patience gave out after a couple minutes of staring, and he made deliberately slow steps toward Shining Armor. Between each step, he straightened himself and let his arms drop to his sides. By the time he was within Shining Armor's reach, he stood at his maximum six and a half feet tall. He glared down at Shining, admiring the fear shown on his face. Obviously, confronting him to chat was much less nerve racking than confronting him in combat, even though it was simulated. Shining Armor's resolve broke and he panicked, thrusting his spear up towards Grievous's chest. Before Shining Armor could react, Grievous had grabbed and snapped off the tip of his spear, and now had it pointed towards his unprotected face. "Dead," Grievous said simply. Shining needed to spend a few moments composing himself after having had his life flash before his eyes. He looked up to Grievous, who had by now retreated a couple steps and had tossed away the tip of Shining's spear. "Again," Shining requested. The crowd of guards around them looked amongst each other with concern in their eyes. "Yes, sir," the pegasus from earlier acknowledged. Once again, Grievous and Shining Armor faced each other in the same circle. This time, Grievous stood at his tallest, arms hanging to his sides. Shining Armor had equipped himself with a sword this time, and had removed his helmet. "Rules from the previous spar are still in effect," the referee pegasus noted. "Begin." This time, Shining Armor made the first move. Gripping his sword in his mouth, he charged straight for Grievous. Grievous lunged at Shining, stretching out his left arm to grab him by the head. His arm was inches away from Shining when he suddenly disappeared in a flash of white light. Grievous stumbled forward and fell, maneuvering himself so he landed on his back. Above him, Shining Armor reappeared, dropping quickly with his sword aimed for Grievous's chest. Grievous lifted a leg, grabbing the end of Shining's sword with his taloned foot, and yanked it out of Shining's mouth, bending the blade as he did so. Immediately afterwards, Grievous's other leg rose and snatched Shining out of the air, talons clamped firmly around the entirety of his head. Shining's momentum carried his body down, pulling hard against his neck, causing it to crack and giving him pain. So there Grievous lay, resting on his back, with one leg raised holding a struggling Shining Armor in its grip. Deciding to stand and end this quickly, Grievous twisted his head and hips around, simultaneously splitting and lifting himself with his arms. Grievous looked towards the terrified guards before flipping himself upright on his feet, body twisting back into place and arms reconnecting. He made sure not to put his weight on the foot that still held Shining Armor, who had now been forced to the ground with the general standing on top of him. "Dead," Grievous said again. To emphasize this, he leaned a little harder on the leg holding Shining Armor, putting pressure on his skull. He released Shining Armor after a couple seconds of crushing him. Shining Armor refrained from moving any part of his body except for his eyes, looking up towards the now leaving Grievous, petrified. He lay there, unmoving, until the referee came to help him up. Shining didn't need the help; Grievous had left his body unharmed. He took the help anyways, as to not be rude. After dusting himself off quickly, he looked in Grievous's direction, and saw him heading back to his temporary chamber, resuming his typical posture. "That guy's got skill," was all that the referee could think of saying. "Perhaps too much skill for us to be safe," Shining Armor responded. He then began to trot after Grievous, catching up to him within a few seconds. "Hey where are you going?" "Back to my quarters," Grievous answered without facing him. "I must admit, I underestimated you," Shining said while rubbing a part of his face that was beginning to grow irritated due to the tight clamping it had just experienced. "You put up a good fight." They had reached the door to Grievous's room. He opened the relatively small door, and stooped into his room. "You didn't," he said before tossing the door closed behind him. ~~~Canterlot Castle Banquet Hall, Canterlot, 13 hours after the Ambush at EGP-01~~~ It was evening now; more precisely, it was the time that two very important alicorns had their supper. Tonight, however, they had more than just the company of their servants to dine with. Tonight, Celestia and Luna were prepared for several more mouths to feed. Grievous had been in his room since his spar with Shining Armor, and spent his time going over how weak he and his men were, and how to improve them. Ten minutes ago, he had received a message from one of the servants, telling him that he was wanted at the banquet hall. He now stood in front of the doors to the hall. Unlike most doors in the castle, these were tall enough to accommodate his height without him needing to lean forward. He pushed the doors apart, shocking the servant who had led him there, since none were known to be strong enough to push the solid chunks of wood without magical assistance, and stepped in. Before him stood a medium sized rectangular table. Upon it were several platters of variously prepared vegetables and glasses of water for the ones who were seated around it. He saw Celestia sitting at the head of the table, with who Grievous assumed was Luna, her sister, to her right. To Celestia's left was another alicorn with a pink coat and a gold, pink, and purple striped mane. To that alicorn's left sat Shining Armor, looking slightly glum and upset. Across the table from Celestia sat another chair that was empty, presumably his. He approached the table unspeaking, and looked down to find that is reached to just above his knees. He continued to stare at the short table, confused on how to handle his seating arrangement. The pink alicorn gave a soft giggle as she noticed the height disparity between him and the table. Finally, Grievous opted to take the chair he was provided with and place it next to Luna before sitting as cross-legged as his legs allowed where his seat used to be. He looked up and turned to meet the gazes of the three alicorns looking at him and the zoning-out Shining Armor. He waited for one of them to begin conversation, though was content with remaining silent. Celestia was the first to say something. "Welcome, Grievous. I'm glad you could join us. I don't believe you've met everpony here, so please allow me to introduce them. "This is my sister, Princess Luna," she said nodding towards Luna, "and this is Princess Cadence, Shining Armor's wife," she said, this time indicating the pink alicorn. Grievous gave a nod to each as they were introduced. "I'm General Grievous, Supreme Commander of the Separatist droid army," Grievous replied. "It is a pleasure for us to meet thee, General Grievous," Luna chimed, though the volume more closely resembled someone hitting a bass drum as hard as they could. "Sorry," she said quietly after catching herself using the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Yes, it's very nice to meet you," Cadence said light-heartedly, smiling. "Shiny here told me about how you spent afternoon together, and he made you to seem like an interesting character," she said, tone going from serious to irritated as her sentence continued. Shining Armor looked down towards the table as his wife spoke. "We didn't know what kinds of things composed your diet, so if you have any requests, feel free to request them. What we have here-" Celestia stated before Grievous interrupted her, saying, "I don't eat." "Certainly thou must hunger though?" Luna part asked, part declared, stunned that a living being didn't need to eat. "I am artificially sustained. I have no need of food and little need for rest. Also, I physically can't eat, seeing as I have no mouth," Grievous stated. Cadence spoke up. "I hope you don't feel offended or disrespected by us eating without you." "Such insignificant things are not a bother to me." "Teriffic! Then let thine consuming begin!" Luna announced happily, signaling the ponies in the room to begin eating. For being princesses, the way that Celestia and Luna ate was rather...uncouth. Luna was the worst offender, not using silverware and letting the juices and fluids from her fruits and vegetables spray as she bit into them eagerly and aggressively. Grievous was glad that he was so distant from the lunar princess. Cadence was the polar opposite, pacing herself and using her silverware to ensure her bites were not excessively large. Grievous noted that Shining Armor had eaten almost nothing. Then there was Celestia, who had done well in making her eating civilized until cake was brought in for desert. At that point, Celestia went primal. Grievous could have sworn that on multiple occasions Celestia's jaw dislocated itself to expand entirely around a large piece of cake before closing and fixing itself, like a snake. Somehow, during her ravenous gorging, she had managed to splatter small amounts of icing on Grievous's faceplate. Eventually, the three princesses and the captain had finished their supper, and were now sitting quietly while the servants cleared the table. They sat like that for a few minutes, until the last of the servants left them. Grievous noticed that Celestia was watching the last servant intently as he left, indicating to Grievous that she wished to discuss something important with him. Once Celestia determined that the servant was out of range of their voices, she turned to Grievous and began speaking. "Luna and I have been discussing the information and offer your master has provided us with. It is a heavy decision, and therefore, we cannot make a bad choice." Luna turned to speak to Celestia. "Sister, did you not tell us that Grievous is one who prefers to quickly get to the point?" Her gaze turned to Grievous. "We have considered your master's offer, but we have decided that we need more information regarding the scenario before we meet his request." "What do you want to know?" Grievous asked. Celestia spoke this time. "When we were talking with your master earlier, he mentioned this group called 'Jedi', but failed to elaborate what they were and what they do. He told me that you would be able to tell us who these 'Jedi' are, so this is what I'd like to hear from you." "The Jedi are evil. They are monsters, and they let civilizations fall to ruins. They committed such atrocities against me and my people." His anger rose as he reflected on the pain the Jedi had brought to his people. "This was the extent to which Dooku described the Jedi. It's not enough to make an educated decision with. Could you possibly tell us what they did to you and your people?" Celestia inquired. "I can, though I'll not enjoy it." "If the memory becomes too painful, let us know and we will let the issue rest," Luna reassured. "Fine," Grievous relented. After taking a few seconds to organize his thoughts, he began his tale. "You know me as General Grievous, but that is not my birth-given name. My real name is Qymaen jal Sheelal. I also used to be an organic organism, but that has been taken from me by the Jedi. I'll explain later. My home world is a planet called Kalee, and I, being one of the planet's inhabitants, am a Kaleesh. We are reptilian species that has always been experiencing hardships. As far as I can remember, and as far back as my parents and their parents and their parents still can remember, our species has been struggling for survival against the Huk. The Huk, for all intents and purposes, are oversized, soulless mantises. For several generations, they had been attacking and raiding our planet, capturing my people for the slave trade and desecrating our sacred grounds." "Eventually, I showed up and proved to be effective for fighting off the Huk invaders. My partner in war, Ronderu lij Kummar, and I were able to drive the Huk off of Kalee, though at the cost of her life. After removing the Huk from Kalee, I led a campaign against the Huk and, with the assistance of a group of Kaleesh generals, known as the Izvoshra, we managed to drive them out of their colonies and back to their home world." "This is where the Jedi get involved. We were close to our retribution when the Huk consulted the Republic for help, and they got that help, despite being the aggressor and the ones taking my people for slavery! The Republic sent about fifty Jedi to mediate the situation, and while we Kaleesh were certainly the victims in this conflict, the Jedi sided with the Huk. My people were faced with hefty and unjust fines. My planet was thrown into economic crisis, causing hundreds of thousands of impoverished Kaleesh to die." "But the crimes of the Huk and the Jedi don't end there. As a result of my planet's debt, I had taken a contract with the InterGalactic Banking Clan. I was to be their collection agent and they would pay off the debt. Kalee's economy managed to stabilize, but after hearing that the Huk were vandalizing sacred burial grounds, I left to exact revenge. I gathered the Izvoshra and boarded one of our troop shuttles, the Martyr, which had unknowingly been rigged by the Jedi to explode. Shortly after takeoff, the ship exploded, killing the Izvoshra, and damaging my body beyond repair." "My memory of the time between then and reawakening as I am now is not very clear, but Dooku had informed me that he had found me after my ship had been rigged, and that it was the Republic that did it. Since then, I have been serving justice throughout the Jedi order alongside the Separatists." Grievous hadn't noticed that he had stood while telling his story. He also hadn't noticed that he had smashed a corner of the table in a fit of rage. He looked to the four ponies that were watching him and soaking in the story he had just told them. Grievous decided that he didn't wish to converse anymore. "The Jedi took everything away from me, and from too many Kaleesh as well," was his parting phrase. He didn't look back until the doors to the banquet hall slammed behind him. ~~~Grievous's Room, Canterlot, 14 hours and 20 minutes after the Ambush at EGP-01~~~ Grievous sat silent in his room. His thoughts were wandering all throughout his past, reminding him of random snippets of his past, though they occasionally strayed to Ronderu, the cause of all of his happiness and all of his grief. Soon, all of his thoughts were centered on his life with her, feeling more and more empty and alone the longer he dwelled. In an attempt to relocate his thoughts, Grievous tried field-stripping his pistol, which had been delivered to his room a few hours earlier, as promised by Shining Armor. Working on his pistol succeeded in getting his thoughts off of Ronderu, but strangely, they now pointed to Celestia. He had noticed that his thought had been being interrupted annoyingly often since he had landed in Equestria, something that usually aggravated him greatly. This time, he couldn't be more grateful for the interruption as his holovid shimmered to life, projecting a miniature Count Dooku next to Grievous. He stopped fidgeting with his pistol and looked at his master. He'd have bowed had he not been cramped in the room already. "My lord, what is it?" Grievous inquired. "I need an update with regards to Celestia's decision," the hologram responded. "She has discussed it with her sister and they have agreed that they need more time to consider." "This is most unsettling. Give them two days to come to a decision before resorting to...aggressive negotiations," Dooku commanded. "Yes, my lord," Grievous complied, deactivating the holovid. ~~~Throne Room, Canterlot, 1 day and 1 hour after the Ambush at EGP-01~~~ Grievous approached the throne room after having been informed that his presence was required as soon as possible by the princesses. As he neared the doors, he saw that it was protected by two spear wielding unicorns, one near each door. Using their magic, they opened the doors for him once he got to them. His first glimpse of the room's interior was Celestia and Luna sitting in their grand thrones. The doors continued to open, granting Grievous view of Cadence and Shining Armor next to them. The doors were finally open, and he saw that the room had been filled with Royal Guards, standing in orderly rows that faced the unoccupied red carpet in the center of the room. He strode through the room, panning his head from left to right and back, observing the guards. Grievous had to admit that they were more disciplined than he thought they'd be. He quickly reached the base of the small stairs leading the Celestia's and Luna's thrones. Celestia sat a couple inches higher than Grievous. Grievous cleared his throat, or at least did whatever his mechanical body does to simulate that, before saying "You summoned me?" "Yes, Grievous, I did," Celestia started. She began to smile slightly, continuing. "Luna and I have reached a decision..."