Obi-Wan and Ahsoka took their stolen horses deep within the forest and to the river to get a drink of water.
"You poor equines." Obi-Wan said, petting the pink one.
Ahsoka reached into her bag and cut an apple she'd smuggled and fed the horses, both of them seeming very satisfied by the sweet taste of the juicy fruit.
"Prince Almec is not the most pleasant fellow," said Obi-Wan. "But I must admit he has exquisite taste in horses."
"What are your names?" Ahsoka asked.
"We don't really have any." said the pink one. "the prince just calls us Pink Horse and Rose Mane."
"We never liked being called that." said the red one with a Spanish accent.
"I think we can fix that." Ahsoka said. "My name is actually Ahsoka Tano. I'm known to most as Little 'Soka."
"Obi-Wan Kenobi is my name. My reward poster lists me as Kenobi Hood." Obi-Wan pet Pink Horse's mane and took a good look at her. "And I think... Peppermint would suit you best. Do you like that?"
Pink Horse's tail swished like a happy puppy wagging its tail when she heard that name. Now and forever, she was Peppermint.
"Hmm... what to call you?" Ahsoka said, looking at Rose Mane. "You look like a Fiesta to me."
"Fiesta!" Rose Mane stood on her hind legs and whinnied happily.
"Fiesta it is then." Ahsoka chuckled.
Reward posters were hung all around villages of Mandalore. Mandingham was no exception.
"Even with the reward posters hung up, people kept their mouths shut," said Harmony. "Kenobi Hood kept robbing the rich to help feed the poor."
And it was a good thing he did.
At what appeared to be stocks, a Nautolan named Kit Fisto was held, labelled as a tax dodger. A beautiful blue Twilek named Aayla Secura, Kit's wife, was feeding him what little food she could get for him.
With the high taxes in action, the poor folks of Mandingham were starving.
"Uh oh," said Harmony. "Here comes old Bad News himself."
Sheriff Pre Viszla. He seemed all too happy to be taking money from the people, no matter how much they suffered from it.
Mandingham used to be a very thriving village filled with happy people and the horses that roamed the forests nearby. But now, hope was scarce for the people.
No one had money to buy food, clothes, medical supplies. Many had to resort to starving themselves to feed their children. Parents couldn't even put their kids in school anymore. The school was even shut down because the teachers and the school board couldn't pay their taxes or buy books for the library.
So many places lost business. The bakery, the tailors, the candlemakers, the infirmary, even the horse care centers. Some even had to sell their horses just to pay taxes, or stray equines roamed the streets, searching for food and shelter like anyone who'd lost everything.
Sheriff Viszla sang to himself as he passed through town. And that was when he saw Friar Yoda exiting a building, trying to hide a small pouch with what had to be money inside it.
"Well, would you look at that?" chuckled the Sherrif. "Friar Yoda, the old do-gooder. Out doing good again."
Yoda rushed over to another house, where he found his good friend the blacksmith Mace Windu.
The blacksmith had injured his leg in an accident some weeks ago, making it even harder for him to work. Taxes alone made it hard enough to afford the bare necessities, and it fell to help from his horse Strawberry Sundae to be able to do other tasks like lifting heavy objects. Since she was a pegasus, she couldn't help much with the tools and such; making horseshoes with one's mouth was very difficult.
"Well, good morning, Friar Yoda." Mace smiled.
Yoda quickly shushed the blacksmith.
"For you, this is." Yoda said quietly, pulling out the money. "From Kenobi Hood."
Mace took the pouch and felt so grateful. "Heaven, bless Kenobi Hood."
"What would we do without him?" said Strawberry.
Sheriff Vizsla soon came to the blacksmith's door and knocked.
"The sheriff, it is!" Yoda said on the other side of the door.
"Hide it! Quick!" said Mace.
Vizsla smirked and sang, "Ready or not, here I come!"
And he entered the house.
"Greetings from your friendly neighborhood tax collector."
"Oh, Sheriff. Please, take it easy on me." Mace pled. "With this busted leg of mine and all, I've been very behind on my work."
Viszla feigned empathy as he said, "I know, Mace. But you're very behind on your taxes too."
"Have a heart, Sheriff." said Friar Yoda. "See, can't you, hurt he is? Come, old friend. Sit, rest, you must."
Yoda moved a chair, and Mace used his crutch to help himself move to the chair.
The Sheriff could hear the jingling of credits close by. He knew immediately that the two friends were hiding the money in the cast. He put up a stool.
"Let me help you with that leg." said Vizsla.
And he lifted Mace's leg until the credits spilled out.
"What they won't think of next." chuckled the sheriff. He started patting the cast, much to the excruciating cries of pain from Mace until one more credit fell out. "It smarts, doesn't it? But Prince Almec says that taxes should hurt."
"See here, now!" Friar Yoda said angrily. "You- you-!"
"Now, now, Friar." said Vizsla. "Save your sermon. It's not Sunday, you know."
As the sheriff left, Strawberry came out from her hiding spot. She didn't want to be next on Prince Almec's list of repossessed horses.
The Sheriff then continued on his way, collecting more and more taxes.
Meanwhile, in a cottage farther in the village, there was a rather large family. The Jinn family.
There was the grandfather, Qui-Gon Jinn, his twin sons Anakin and Carmine, their wives Padme and Caroline, and the children. Boba, Gabby, and Lamenta. And a few special horses. Sapphire, Carousella, Remix, and Crescent.
Today, the family was celebrating a birthday. Gabby's birthday.
The kids and the horses were singing a birthday song for Gabby.
Today's your birthday, we're all here for you
So make a big wish, and it will come true
You're one more year older, and so we all say
We love you Dear Gabby on your special day
On your special day
The family didn't have much, but they all scrounged together what they could to give Gabby a special present.
Anakin, Gabby's father, presented his daughter with a little box with a ribbon tied around it.
"Happy Birthday to you!" sang the Sheriff as he entered the cottage, startling everyone.
The Sheriff caught a glimpse of Gabby's birthday gift.
"Well, little lady, that box is done up nicely, isn't it?" said the Sheriff.
"Well, it's my birthday present, Mr. Sheriff." Gabby said innocently.
"It sure is. Why don't you open it?"
And Gabby did open the present.
"Ooh! Ten whole credits!" Gabby smiled, about to take out her gift, only for the Sheriff to take it, to her dismay.
"Have you no heart?!" Padme said angrily. "We all scrounged and saved to give it to her!"
The whole family was furious that the sheriff could be so heartless as to take away a little girl's birthday gift.
"Let me at him!" Boba said angrily, pulling up his sleeve, ready to beat the sheriff for hurting his baby sister.
"Boba!" Anakin said, holding his son back. "No."
Then Anakin glared at the sheriff.
"Let me at him! No one gets away with ruining my little girl's day!" Anakin said, looking ready to beat the sheriff to a pulp. But Caroline held him back. "Do you have any idea how hard we all worked the even save half that much?!"
"It's very thoughtful of you all," said the sheriff. "The family that saves together pays together."
Gabby looked like she was trying desperately not to cry. But failed miserably as Padme took her into her arms.
"Now, now, little one." the sheriff patted Gabby's head. "Prince Almec wishes you a happy birthday too."
That was when what looked like a blind old man came in with a metal cup.
"Any spare change for the poor?" said the man.
"Hmm..." Viszla thought, and he did something unbelievable.
Sheriff Vizsla threw the credit into the cup hard, making it and the other credits jump out of the cup so he could take them.
Padme gasped.
"A very cheerful morning, this has been." chuckled Viszla. "Keep saving, all of you."
And the sheriff left.
"What a dirty trick!" Padme said angrily as she passed her daughter to her father-in-law.
Qui-Gon took Gabby into his arms and comforted her as she was crying.
"You poor old man," said Padme, helping the man. "Come in and rest yourself."
Carousella pulled up a chair for the man.
"Thank you kindly, Madame." said the man. "Tell me, did my old ears here a birthday song in here?"
Gabby sniffled. "Y-Yes, Sir. And that mean Sheriff took my birthday present!"
"I would've really taught that jerk a lesson!" Carousella snorted.
"You know why we can't attack, Carousella." Sapphire said. "Almec has already repossessed half the village equines.
And it was true, Almec took a lot of people's horses. Every stallion, mare, and foal who belonged to a family with absolutely no money to pay taxes was taken as new compensation for Prince Almec's greed.
"There now, beautiful little lady." said the man, removing his glasses and speaking in his real voice. "Don't you let it get you down."
Gabby gasped.
"It's Kenobi Hood!" she smiled.
"Happy Birthday, little one." Obi-Wan smiled, taking off his cloak.
Lamenta felt starstruck, seeing the hero.
"Oh, he so handsome." said Lamenta. "Just like his reward posters."
"Tell me, little girl. How old are you today?" Obi-Wan knelt down to Gabby.
"I'm five years old today." Gabby stood proudly. "Going on six."
"Five now, eh?" Obi-Wan said. "You are becoming a young woman very fast, aren't you? I believe I have just the right present for you?"
And Obi-Wan presented Gabby with... a bow and arrow of her own.
"For me?" Gabby gasped. "Thank you so much, Mr. Kenobi!"
Gabby practiced aiming the little arrow.
"How do I look?"
"Not much like Kenobi Hood, even if he were a girl." Boba said.
"Your brother is correct." said Obi-Wan. "There is something missing. Ah! I know."
And Obi-Wan placed his hat on Gabby's little head. It was too big though!
"Now how do I look?" Gabby said, moving the hat off her eyes.
The other kids and the horses laughed.
"The hat's too big." Remix chuckled.
"Mind your manners, all of you." Padme scolded.
"Not to worry," chuckled Obi-Wan looking at Gabby. "You'll grow into it, young lady."
"Oo-de-lally!" Gabby cheered. "I'm gonna try it out!"
And Gabby ran outside, her brother and cousin following.
"Be careful with that arrow, Gabby." Anakin called.
"Don't worry, we got her." Carousella said, going after the kids with her brother.
Anakin smiled and put a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder.
"Thank you so much." said Anakin. "You really helped turn our little girl's birthday around."
"How can we ever repay you?" Padme smiled.
"I only wish I could do more." said Obi-Wan, handing Padme a pouch of credits. "Now, keep your chins up. Someday, there will be happiness in Mandingham again."
Obi-Wan put his disguise back on and resumed his guise as an old man.
"Oh, Kenobi Hood." sighed Qui-Gon, watching the hero leave and seeing how happy his grandchildren were now. "You do so much to keep hope alive for all of us. Bless you."