It was just another day in the palace. But it was raining outside. And it was Saturday. Thus, all the kids were stuck inside, and they were bored out of their minds with no idea what to do.
They'd played all their board games, the art supplies needed more paint and some new crayons, and there didn't seem to be anything good on TV today.
"I hate the rain." Omega said.
The rain reminded Omega of the stormy nights on Kamino. Now that she had a new family and lived in a place where she could go outside whenever she wanted, having to stay inside again just felt like a total bummer.
"I know what you mean." Boba said. "At least here it waters the plants. But it also means we can't go outside."
Suddenly, the lights went out, and there was the sound of little kids screaming.
"It's dark in here!" Gabby's voice screamed.
Omega and Lamenta both lit up the room with their powers, Gabby clinging to Omega.
"Gabby, what are you doing?" Omega said.
"I'm scared of the dark." Gabby said.
"Children, are you alright?" said Qui-Gon. "The power's gone out."
Carousella, Remix, and Estrella all lit up their horns.
"Ow! Ow! OW!" Anakin yelled. "I'm okay. Just tripped on the stairs."
Everyone managed to find some lanterns to light up the palace.
"That's better." Caroline said, setting Lamenta down after lighting the last one.
But it was still raining outside.
"What do we do now?" Carousella asked.
Remix pressed a button on the TV remote.
"Without power, the TV and charging systems won't work, and neither will my DJ equipment." He said.
"You're a musicorn, Remix." Crescent told his cousin. "You can make music with your horn."
"Yeah, but I can't work my lights. We can't play Dance Prance Revolution either."
"Well, we don't need electricity to read a book." Qui-Gon said. "You always love a good story."
Anakin pulled out a book from the shelf. It was titled Pinocchio, a classic story about a puppet who became a real boy.
"Hey, I remember this." Anakin said. "It was my favorite book when I was a kid."
"Classic." Carmine said.
"We've read that story before, Daddy." Gabby said.
"But I bet you haven't heard the version I know." Qui-Gon said, getting another book out. It was called Getting Real "In this version, the story takes place more in our time, and instead of puppets in this story, we see androids."
"I haven't heard that version of the story." Anakin said.
"That is because it is fairly new. I will read to you all."
And so, Qui-Gon opened the book.
"A tale as old as time. Many believe if you wish upon a star, your dream will come true. Have doubts? Well, this story just might change your mind. It all began not so very long ago with a toymaker who wanted to protect his family..."