The meadow was a soft place. Full of flowers and beautiful swaying grass. The sun was bright and warm, the sky was clear blue and was dotted with puffy clouds. Birds were chirping happily, some were hopping around on the grass, pecking around in hopes of finding little insects to eat for their breakfast.

This land was quite the opposite of the being that was currently unconscious in the grass. The creature's body was skeletal, entirely metal, save for the eye holes on his flat expressionless mask that now qualified as his face. Strange, six fingered hands and huge metal feet with sharp talons for toes, everything about the creature looked aggressive, he was the exact opposite of the soft and friendly looking world he was in.

Some of the birds, out of curiosity hopped onto the being's metal shoulder as he was currently lying on his right side. One of the little blue birds tentatively pecked his head, perched on the strange looking antenna than ran down the side of his head. A light 'ting' was the result. Other birds followed suit and began tapping pecking the creature hoping that perhaps he would be friendly and that they'd have a new friend to sing with.

- - - -

General Grievous twitched slightly, an irritable tapping noise echoing in his audio receptors, and Grievous was very quick to show his frustration. Growling in his deep voice a single reptilian yellow eye cracked open and glanced at where the sound was originating from. He saw it. A small, feathered creature. A bird. Furious he let out a warbling scream, rising to his full height of seven foot one and swiping at the air wildly. A flurry of blue feathers floated around him as the terrified birds flew away from the enraged cyborg.

After about a minute of gasping for breath and regaining his composure, the general began to look around and for once showed actual confusion at his location. Turning in circles, his cape swishing around his thin metal legs and his head turned to the sky.

'Where am I?' He thought. Quickly he held up his right arm and spoke into his com link authoritatively:

“This is General Grievous attempting to establish communication with The Invisible Hand. Over?” Nothing. Just quiet static.

“Come in dammit!” He hissed. Annoyed he deactivated his com link and once again began scrutinizing  the environment. He had been to hundreds of worlds, seen thousands of different environments and wildlife. But nothing quite as tranquil as this. The sky looked as though it'd never seen pollution a day in its existence. And those birds...perching and pecking on him. Animals normally fled!

Especially around him. Not that he objected to that, of course.

Grievous knew he wouldn't figure anything out by just standing around, it was best to start moving.

His cape brushed over the grass as he began his journey, his metal talons briefly stabbing into the soft earth, resuming his standard, hunched over form.

Progressing up a hill majestically he occasionally swiveled his antenna around to detect any sounds. Reaching he top of the grassy hill it gave him an overview of he area. Behind him was simply more meadow...and ahead of him, at the bottom of the hill, was a road.

'Good,' he thought gruffly to himself and proceeded down towards it. 'At least there is some civilization here after all.'  

The only thing he now had to worry about now was where it led.

- - - -

Grievous walked as he usually did, a rather foreboding stance and eyes fixed in a glare. His hands were behind his back as he continued his silent way along the road. The occasional tree or bush dotted the sides of the road and each one seemed to be abundant with life. Rabbits would joyfully hop across the path, birds would chirp and dance with each other.

He again witnessed two song birds singing together, playfully circled each other and flew away and in seconds rejoined one another on a little branch to continue their song.

Grievous glowered briefly and went on.

'Is everything in this world so sickeningly happy?' He wondered to himself. Glancing upward at the sun to see if it had moved at all. And it had, drastically. If he was correct it had to be at least noon.

'Not even a glimpse of any settlements,' his fists clenched angrily, 'and I'm not even sure if I'm going-'

That's when he was interrupted by what was perhaps some of the most beautiful singing he had ever heard. His antenna clicked quietly as he began searching for the source of the singing.

It was coming from the right, quickly going about his way and almost immediately found who he was looking for.

In all his years of space travel he'd never really seen a creature like the one that was before him.

It was definitely female, that much was certain. Butter yellow in color, a small snout and pointed ears, delicate wings which held her loftily off the ground. She had no hands, just hooves, light blue eyes and a pink mane and tail. And their seemed to be a sort of symbol adorning her flank, three butterflies.

“Okay everypony,” she spoke to about dozen red birds that were perched on the leaf covered tree in front of her.

'Stupid birds,' Grievous thought to himself and had decided this strange winged creature was going to tell him everything he needed to know about ...wherever he was.

“Excuse me.” It was not a question. It was simply a statement, the female gasped frightfully and the birds scattered. Some of them had even recognized the foul tempered cyborg.

The creature was puny compared to Grievous, only coming up to his thigh, just below his hip.

“Where am I?” He demanded in a dark tone. Hands once again behind his back and his eyes narrowed to slits. The shy thing's mane perfectly covered half of her face as she turned away from him. Shuffling her front hooves anxiously. One of Grievous' metal talons scraped at the soft dirt ground impatiently at her inability to respond.

Hunkering down he used a finger carefully placed under her chin and turned her to face him. Her blue eyes gleamed with fear, this pleased the cyborg at the fact he was able to intimidate easily in this world...but he'd hardly done anything! All he had done was speak to her and she was acting like he might torture her.

“Listen to me pest, I am General Grievous and I must return to my rightful place!” He hissed quietly. She only whimpered.

“Is there a problem here?”

The general suppressed an annoyed growl and glanced over his shoulder to see his obvious challenger. A cyan blue colored winged creature similar to the one he was interrogating stood just feet away from him. Her most obvious features were her purple eyes and rainbow colored mane and tail.

“No,” he put on a mock friendly tone, “I,” he placed a hand on his chest, “was just having a little chat with my new friend here.” He shifted his cape aside so the rainbow colored creature could see her trembling friend.

“Is this guy bothering you Fluttershy?”

Grievous suppressed a laugh at the butter yellow female's name.

“N-n-no. No problem,” Fluttershy cowered when Grievous glanced at her for a second.

“Sure seems like there's a problem to me.”

“There WILL be if you don't leave,” the Kaleesh cyborg snapped back, his low voice beginning to rise to a yell.

“Pfft, you don't know who I am do you?” The rainbow maned female said with pride. Briefly her eyes widened when the sunlight became blotted out by Grievous.

“You obviously don't know who I am, do you?” Grievous loomed over her ominously, purposely shifting his cape to a point where she could see just some of the lightsabers he had with him.

“I know what you're about to be...SCRAP METAL!” With her right hoof the rainbow maned female shot forward fast enough to a point where even Grievous didn't expect it!

CRACK!

For a few seconds she hovered there, her hoof had connected with his chest plate...and then she fell on her rear, clutching at her now sore hoof with her free one.

“OW! Geez what in the name of Celestia are you made out of...,” she reopened her eyes and looked up at the openly amused general, “oh right...you are metal.”

Grievous grabbed her by the scruff  with his left hand and easily hefted her up.

“Hey lemme go!” She began swinging her front hooves at his face but with his long arm Grievous simply held her away from his face and body.

“You've got spirit creature-,”

“My name is Rainbow Dash!”

Grievous chuckled.

“Do all members of your species have such ridiculous names?”

“I'll let you know that 'Rainbow Dash' is an awesome name! Now lemme go!”

Grievous had begun to reach into his cape with his free hand until Fluttershy spontaneously yelled:

“LOOK OUT!”

Both Grievous and Rainbow Dash swiveled their gaze towards the other side of the road. Gliding straight for them...was a bloodied, ravenous manticore!

- - - -

Disclaimer:

General Grievous is copyright to Lucasfilms/Disney.

My Little Pony:Friendship Is Magic is copyright to Hasbro. Next Chapter: Manticore attack Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 11 Minutes