As the smug alicorn princess and the cyborg general reentered the crystal, Grievous’ mind was in overdrive, trying to figure out some way what he had just seen could be possible. And if the other one could truly move the sun – a fusion-power ball of gas millions of times larger than any planet – that was even more impressive. Though he had to consider the possibility that she merely made the planet rotate. Either way, Grievous could think of a dozen ways to weaponize either talent in a heartbeat, and he was sure Lord Sidious would have even more uses for them.
So engrossed was Grievous in his thoughts on how to exploit these two creatures to kill Jedi that he missed hearing what the white one said next.
“Excuse me?” he said, blinking. “I didn’t quite catch that.”
“I said,” Celestia replied. “You mentioned earlier that your only wish was to leave our planet and return to the “Clone Wars”. Had you any plans on how to do it?”
Grievous considered lying about his plan, but then thought better of it. “I need to get to the debris on your planet’s moon. My ship crashed there after experiencing an enemy boarding action,” He decided it would be better not to reveal that he had boarded the Republic ship with the express intent of slaughtering every living thing on board.
It sounded off-putting.
“I was forced to eject,” he continued. “My escape pod made it to this planet, but the ship itself crashed onto the moon. If I can get there, I believe I can make use of whatever equipment survived the crash to create a long-distance communications array. With that, I will be able to call for Separatist ships to retrieve me, and I will be gone from your planet. The question is, of course, how to get there.” Grievous looked pointedly at Luna.
Not seeming to notice the look the cyborg had given her sister, Celestia asked another question. “Have you means to get there? The same way you came down, perhaps?”
Grievous shook his head. “No. The escape pods are designed to be picked up in space or survive a descent into an atmosphere. They lack sufficient thrust to exit one.”
“Unless they could be modified somehow…” he thought to himself. But that was a backup plan at best. The primary idea he’d had so far was standing right in front of him.
“Princess Luna,” he said, looking at her again. “You can apparently cause your moon to move in the sky. Do you have a way to get up there, or no?
“I…” Luna hesitated, taking a quick sidelong glance into her sister’s eyes before looking back at Grievous. “No, I do not. I am sorry.”
“But,” Celestia intercut. “We might be able to research something for you. But perhaps you could excuse us to take a look into that possibility for a moment, General Grievous?”
Grievous eyes’ narrowed. This was very suspicious. But he had little choice but to play along for the moment.
“Go right ahead,” he said.
“Thank you.”
The three alicorns chose to meet together in the library room of Twilight’s castle, which was naturally the largest room in any case. After casting a quick spell of silence to ensure nopony could eavesdrop on their conversation, they began their meeting in earnest.
“Princess Luna,” Twilight was the first to speak out. “Why did you lie to him? You can move ponies to and from the moon – I’m sure you could do the same for him.”
The dark alicorn sighed. “Because… oh forgive us for being so bad at it… we are still not quite back in the habit of modern diplomatic talking…”
“I can explain,” Celestia intervened.
Twilight looked up at her earnestly.
“The simple answer is because we do not trust him.”
“Why not? He’s not from our culture, we can’t just declare him bad because he looks scary.”
“According to what you wrote to us, the first thing you saw him do was kill another living creature,” Luna pointed out.
“In self-defense!” Twilight objected.
“Might he have done otherwise, had he not wished to take its life? Could he have defeated it non-lethally without endangering himself?” Celestia.
“Well…” Twilight hesitated. “Yes, he could have.”
Celestia placed a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Do not let your eagerness to discover something new blind you to what is in front of your eyes, my old student. Think. He could have spared a life, but did not. What does that tell you about his character?”
“He doesn’t take well to being attacked?”
“And what else?”
“He doesn’t have much mercy for his enemies?” Twilight guessed.
Luna nodded. “Exactly. Even Lord Tirek did not kill his enemies once they were defeated, not even ourselves. Yet this General Grievous did so within the first few minutes of his arrival on this world. That alone tells us we must be wary of him.”
Celestia nodded in confirmation. “But there is more to it. This Grievous is a general in an army, an army with access to more than one space-going craft of considerable size. If he is to be believed, he is not only the head of this army, but it is fighting a war on a scale so broad that it can be called galactic. Can you picture what that means, Twilight? Thousands of planets, tens of thousands, maybe even millions, all engulfed by a vast conflict between soldiers like Grievous has out there and these clone armies of the Galactic Republic?
Twilight tried to picture such a war in her head, and found the image utterly appalling. So many dead, and how many worlds snuffed out forever?
“And,” Celestia continued. “Can you imagine what would happen if such a conflict were to be brought here?”
Twilight shuddered. The entire nation of Equestria – no, the entire world – could be drowned in blood and crushed between two vast alien superpowers they knew nothing about.
“We have no knowledge of the character of this Confederacy of Independent Systems, save that they choose to employ a warrior like General Grievous to fight for them. And that does not speak well for their benevolence,” Celestia shook her head. “And as to this Galactic Republic, we have even less knowledge, save what their chief enemy has to say about them. We cannot predict how they might react to us.”
“I shall find and explore this ship of his,” Luna added. “But I do not know how much that will be able to tell us.”
“That is why,” Celestia took over for her sister. “We cannot yet risk allowing General Grievous to contact these powers. Until we can get an idea of what they will do – of what he will do – to Equestria if has a fleet and army at his back, we cannot risk the safety of our kingdom.”
“But what if he finds out?!” protested Twilight. “Wouldn’t that make it even worse for us if they do come?”
“That is why he must not find out, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said. “What is said here must never leave our number. Not even your friends must know.”
“Not even Spike?” Twilight asked.
Celestia shook her head. “Not even Spike. Nopony must know.”
“… Alright,” Twilight said. “What’s the plan?”
“As General Grievous does not seem immediately violent, I am prepared to leave him here, under the care of yourself and your friends. After Fluttershy’s success with Discord, it may be that time with you will change him, or at least ensure he bears us no ill-will. However,” Celestia’s face went hard. “He could be quite dangerous. We know little of his capabilities. If he should become violent, do you feel you would be able to contain him, Twilight Sparkle?”
Twilight thought back to the many foes she’d battled. Eventually, she nodded her head.
“Then we are prepared to trust you with his safekeeping,” Luna smiled slightly. “We know you can do it.”
“So, you want me to keep him here… how long?”
“We simply don’t know,” Celestia answered. “Until we have reasonable assurance that he will not order his armies to invade Equestria the moment he is able to do so. You must study his character, and if you can, do your best to show him the magic of friendship. When you feel he is ready, or if he should prove uncontrollable, contact us again.”
“Princesses,” Twilight asked. “One more thing: what happens if somepony shows up looking for him before we have our assurance?”
“Then we welcomed him into our midst and provided all available hospitality and aid,” Celestia replied. “And we shall have to pray that that is enough.”
"General Grievous?"
The cyborg looked up from where he paced to see all three princesses emerging from wherever they had been, Celestia once again taking the lead.
"Yes?"
"We are afraid that there is good news, and there is bad news," Luna said. "The good news is that we may be able to use magic to send you to the moon after all. The bad news is that creating this spell may take some time.
Grievous' eyes narrowed. "How long?"
Luna looked embarrassed. "Several weeks? Perhaps longer."
The cyborg's fists clenched.
"But," said Celestia, injecting herself once more. "In the meantime, we would like offer you Equestria's hospitality. In fact, we have a place where you and yours might stay..."
Oh joy, this type of celestia and luna..... Im gonna hate this already.
I really hope he finds out and does something about it
so far the story is good, wonder if pinkie is the one pony that will make grevious lose his temper.
Really?
Fucking Really man?
If I was there I would get annoyed and just tell Grevious that they are lieing! Telling fibs!
I mean for freaks sake he doesn't want to stay there -_-.
Whatever. It was still interesting but you better make sure that you make up for it next chapter. Because it Looked like Grevious was mad when he clenched his fits.
You want to teach General GRIEVOUS... the magic of friendship?
5509402
What type? They're just being careful and responsible.
I can't wait to see the result of the egotistical, and stubborn Rainbow Dash meeting an unstoppable jedi slaying cyborg
5509424
I see controlling, snooping around where they don't belong type
read it and loved it, im just suprised that the general didnt send a droid to spy on them
5509402 While I'll admit that I'm not an immediate fan of versions of the alicorn princesses that manipulate newcomers to Equestria and prevent them from leaving, you have to admit, this time they're right to do so.
I think this is extremely smart of the Royal Sisters. Grievous is an unknown, and their reaction to him is 100% in character. Loving this story more and more. Keep writing, I love it!
5509419
well there was this old story which was actually called 'friendship is grievous' (sadly removed) and Grievous did actually learn ' the magic of friendship'. aaaaand slaughtered a dragon without even a struggle.
With the whole sun/moon moving thing, you do know that the conservation of momentum states that if Luna did spin the planet instead of move the moon, everything that was not affixed to the planet would go careening off to the side at high speeds, right?
Also, moving the celestial bodies doesn't just seem impossible, but also just flat out pointless. If the sun and moon have mass, and orbit can occur on its own, then why bother moving the sun and moon in the first place?
Wow, people really can't take opinions.
I'm loving how fast this story updates!
Here is my 2 cents. If you keep the royal sisters in this state of mind, have Luna snoop in his dreams......assuming he ever will sleep.
Also who can fit the role of Ronderu if anyone can?
Like almost all crossover fictions, this relies on the understanding of the characters and their interactions with one another. How the Equestrians deal with beings who or what are essentially aliens to their own world and way of life. And how well they'd be able to get along with them. So far you've nailed each character quite well. It makes this story highly enjoyable and leaves me wanting to read more. I also appreciate it that you are able to update it as frequently as you are right now. You've done a great job with the story so far.
5509402
What? All they want is to avoid a scenario where they help Grievous get help only to hear: "Hey guys, thanks for helping me find my friends. By the way, my friends and I are going to invade and enslave your planet now and there's nothing you can do about it."
And considering who he works for, that's not actually an unrealistic possibility...
General Grievous VS Discord
I wonder what he will think when he finds out that all unicorns can do considerable feats of magic, at least by Star Wars standard. Most Jedi can only push and levitate small things, and that comes from decades of training for average Jedi. A Jedi Master could throw a bus at you, but they're usually very old. Yet that seems to be the one thing that all unicorns can do from birth. Then there's the Pegasi with there weather manipulation, which sounds like a terrifying thing to have to face in a war.
Is this story going to be science fiction, or fantasy?
(By the way, I'm using my definitions of sci-fi and fantasy, which are that sci-fi follows the rules that the author sets for the story's timeline, and fantasy has no rules at all. The sci-fi and fantasy genres have nothing to do with the aesthetic setting of the story.)
Oh wow. I am really enjoying this. General Grievous has always been one of my favourite characters and you've nailed him quite perfectly. Your characterization of the princesses and spike are also spot on, reacting the way they should. I'm engrossed and can't wait to see what happens next.
an excellently written story, good characters, fast updates, and a unique idea? how could I not favorite?
after reading the generals wiki page, it sounds like you did your research as well.
5509665 discord, but only because he isn't force sensitive. seriously, if Grievous was capable of using the force then he would be a supreme sith lord
5509533 And that's not even mentioning that any sudden shift in the sun's position, such as the time that Twilight raised it, would tear the planet apart.
I like what I've read so far. Excellent work. Most of the "Alternate character enter Equestria" premise start the interloper being throw into the series on the premiere episode, so I'm completely unsure of what to expect. Unfortunately, that also means I'm not sure on how to provide you useful feedback. Oh well(!) may as well try. Your characterization on Grievous and the Princesses were very pleasing, and the way you've updated so quickly has me awed. So quickly, in fact, that I assume that you've prepped a couple chapters beforehand. Or are you just something of a speed writer?
Oh, that's right. While I enjoyed the fight between the Jedi Master and the General – both for its style and its representation – it seemed she lasted a little too long against the quad-wielding light-sabre killing machine that is Grievous. So unless she really is that good, it seemed a bit contrived that she didn't at-least receive a couple of minor wounds from the battle before the mortal one was dealt.
5509522 I remember that one- it got removed?
Hot damn. Grevious is going to kill them all I just know it. He hates being lied to as much as he hates jedi. Oh, this is so suspenseful! I can't wait to see what you do next! Just wondering, at what point is this in the Clone Wars?
5510301 yeah, it said "story no longer exists". I proceeded to jump out a window
5510323 Yeah, I just took a look on the dude's page. He's been gone a month and is deleting comments. However, someone there said something about a rewrite, so...
Yeah them change General Grievous. They'd have better luck teaching Khorne how to not love blood. Or the Emperor to not lead the Imperium of Man. Or the Necrons to not worship the Nightbringer aka Death.
5509522 I was reading that at some point, however I am glad I did not finish it and that it was removed. If there is one type of fic I hate on this site the most, is the type where a clearly evil to the bone character(Such as Darth Sidious, Naga Shadow, or the Joker) comes to Equestria and these damn ponies are somehow able to teach them their bullshit "Magic of Friendship." They may have been able to reform Discord, but remember he is the Spirit of Chaos. Chaos isn't good nor evil, it is what it is. Thus the reason why they were able to reform him. But take someone like Grievous who is just straight up evil and you'll either end up with someone who will twist the whole "Friendship" thing into something bad(by which I mean bad but good to me) or it just won't work.
5510321
They're in the third and final year by this point.
5510385 well grievous was actually a kind soul, hero to the Kaleesh and great friends with another Kalee named Ronderu. the Huk killed her and he renamed himself Grievous. he left his planet to become an enforcer until his whole race was eviscerated by the Huk and the republic. then driven by rage, he returns home to kill the Huk, but unbeknownst to him, there was a bomb aboard his ship, luckily he survives and becomes an apprentice under Count Dooku as the supreme General of the Droid Army (I know how he got his cough and his gravely voice. Mace Windu basically crushed his lungs early in the clone wars after abducting Palpatine)
5510478 True. It's hard to say for sure but I have faith in this author. He/she seems to know what she/he's doing. I love the timely updates though. Wish I was that good.
5510483
Fyi, I'm a guy.
5510500 Sorry. I try not to assume after I accidentally insult a girl once before. I probably should have asked. Sorry.
5510515
It's in my bio.
5510523 ... Now I feel stupid. I rarely actually read them. Gosh. Well time to do some research on my favorite authors! You're on that list too now.
Ok then.
I've read all that has been posted so far, and it's pure gold. There were literally 2 grammar errors I noticed, and the Star Wars terminology being used correctly is music to my... Eyes. Hm.
Anyways, I'm thinking that Luna finds some incriminating evidence on the moon and they have to either reform him, or terminate him.
Also Dooku shows up.
Can Luna please crush an entire Confederacy ship with the moon?
~Wywint
I like idea of this fic, not Grievous in Equestria thought I won't lie he's an amazing character with good solid backstory, but what you build here. Magic as an aspect of Force, 'evil' crossover character neither going into grimderp murder rage nor into full ooc friendship and magic, good writen politic!Celestia that not just trust complete stranger nor throw him into a dungeon always nice to read, pleasant lack of sudden Rainbow kick from the sky, nice writen fight scenes. This can actually become a good story. Favorite and wait for more
I get the feeling Grievous might encounter Blueblood sometime in this fic, or Discord.
I was wondering, what version of Grievous are you writing? Is it the movie version, the clone wars series version, or the 2003 two parter version? The 2003 version is by far my favorite except for his voice but that's it. Also I really enjoy the elaboration on his character, despite whatever his backstory is, in his film version he is always straight to violence and often suffers for it. So its nice to see a version of him where he knows how to play his cards right to get what he needs and not try to force them. Good job.
What if someone else tells Grievous that Luna can transport things to the moon. It wouldn't be that much of a secret, and considering that ponies would speak highly of their monarchs, even if it was ponies would just assume and or make logical reasons as to why she would be able to. I am also interested to see what other conflicts you are going to put into the story. You have a good reason for the General to have to stay around ponies for quite some time, and you also have ponyville, were things go horribly wrong every other day. Not to mention the general reaction to an alien. It would be interesting to see if they tried to hide him initially or if he is let out to roam on his own. I think that he will find trouble either way.
Love how surprised Grievous was when Luna moved the moon definitely my favorite part so far.
It's gonna be a nightmare when he meets Pinkie for the first time and even worse when she tries to throw him a party. And when she finds out that he can't eat her cupcakes... Dear God.
Hmm... looks familiar...
XD Fluttershy trying to change Grievous! XD I can just imagine how awkward it'd be "what do you like mr Grievous?" "I enjoy defeating my enemies completely and utterly! Ensuring not even a barest whisper of their retaliation is heard!" "... Oh... What about rabbit? " there's sadly no Fluttershy awkward smile
I believe you're missing an of there. So far so good character reactions actually seem IN character. I can only wait to see Grievous' reaction to one third of the populace being able to use magic not to mention the creatures of the forest.
Wait you want to teach THE General Grievous about FRIENDSHIP!?
Holy shit his fucking name MEANS GENERAL EVIL!
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5509402
You know Luna made it so that if he does have an army he will make them slaves?