After the council meeting, Anakin and Obi-Wan went to the gardens and found Luke and Mara to be conspiring some kind of evil prank.
"Good afternoon, padawans." Anakin greeted.
Luke ran to his father trying to gauge his mood, it seemed rather good-natured and humorous. Anakin picked him up and hugged him, "I need to talk to you somewhere privately father." Luke sent telepathically.
Anakin lowered him to the ground and led him away to the Jedi living quarters. Anakin sensed his son's anxiety and he even seemed somewhat fearful. Anakin opened the door and removed his black cloak and sat on the sofa and looked at Luke intently. Luke took his father's right hand into his own and fiddled with the metal clasps. He was afraid, not something that Anakin enjoyed feeling from his own child or anyone else for that matter.
"Luke, tell me what's troubling you? You know you can tell me anything."
"You'll get angry."
Anakin sighed deeply letting the calm and serenity flow from the Force into his own body and across to his and Luke's bond.
"Just tell me Luke, please. The suspense is killing me."
"I fought with another one of the padawans."
"Why?"
"He was calling me names and he wouldn't quit when I asked him too. So I punched him and he ended up with a bloody nose. Master Yoda forced Marcus and me to work in the garden together, planting seeds. We eventually worked things out, he was so jealous of me; he thought that I always got special treatment as your son. I told him that it wasn't true that living in your shadow was difficult because it seemed so much was expected from me. That's why I sometimes pull pranks on folks so that way people will see me as Luke Skywalker not as the 'Chosen One's' son."
Anakin could relate all too well to this dilemma, it was the same reason he had done things in his youth to rebel; the moniker of being the 'Chosen One' haunted him and he felt that the whole galaxy was expecting him to make the right choice.
"I understand Luke, believe me. It's difficult when people expect you to be more than what you are. I'm sorry you are being eclipsed by my shadow."
"Yea, and because you are so tall, it's a big shadow!" Luke emphatically stated.
Anakin laughed at that and pulled Luke into an embrace; "Just remember Luke that for the most part fighting rarely solves anything. It's always the last resort; I'm glad you worked things out with Marcus."
"So are you going to um, you know."
"No, just try to think before going into aggressive negotiations. Do not use the Force in anger, Luke, no matter how tempting it might be. You will meditate on that until dinner."
Luke sighed it could be worse he supposed. After dinner he and Mara Jade went to the gardens and talked and then Luke started to giggle.
"What's so funny?"
"We need to think about that prank to pull on father." Luke smiled most deviously.
"You know what will happen if we get caught." Mara Jade sighed.
"We aren't going to be pretend to be a Sith or anything." Luke replied.
"Yes, I know."
Luke and Mara Jade conspired some more and then went to the supply store and told the clerk that they needed some ivory uniforms for Master Skywalker.
"He only wears black, children."
"Yes, we know but he's going to a wedding and they forbid black as it's assign of bad luck."
"Funny he didn't mention this to me." The seamstress crossed her arms.
"Okay. We are going to pull a prank on him we want some ivory uniforms to dye them a different color." Luke admitted.
"Why didn't you say so? Come inside, he was always pulling pranks on poor Obi-Wan; he needs to be paid triple-fold in my opinion."
Luke and Mara Jade had the ivory clothes dyed and when Luke returned to the apartment, he sensed his father at Obi-Wan's. "It's now or never, Mara Jade."
"Let's do it."
Luke and Mara entered the apartment and saw his father's favorite cloak hanging up, he removed shoved it into the bag, he did the same with all of his father's Jedi robes.
"How will you get rid of the one he's wearing Mara?"
"Master Skywalker never wears dirty clothes, besides I can wake up early and take care of it, while he's taking a thirty minute shower. What about the name?"
"I have some friends of mine making signs to put in the council chambers as well as in the hallway leading up to the council room itself."
The prank was setup; Luke and Mara Jade said good night to each other and Luke returned to his apartment. After saying goodnight, Luke went off to bed. Anakin finished his ale and decided to turn in as well.
"Good night, Obi-Wan."
"See you in the morning."
"Mm, be wary, Obi-Wan; Luke and Mara are up to something."
Obi-Wan agreed. Anakin saw Mara Jade asleep on the couch; he decided to leave her there. Anakin meditated and went to bed. The next morning, she heard Anakin singing in the shower, he normally had a nice voice but it was loud and booming this morning. She quickly went into his room and removed his dirty Jedi Robes and put them in the large bag. She knocked on Obi-Wan's door and Luke answered.
"Here get rid of the evidence; not permanently of course."
"Did you hang up the cloak?"
"Yes." Mara giggled.
After stepping out of the shower with a towel around his waist, he saw that all of his Jedi robes were gone, he did spy a new brown paper package on the bed, but ignored it, he hated new Jedi robes, the only thing that was in the dresser were his undergarments. He pulled them on and opened the package. The Jedi robes were a soft color of pink! PINK! He was a guy, he hated pink!
"Mara Jade!" He stormed out of the bedroom cursing in Huttese.
"Good morning, Master."
"What is the meaning of this? Where are my Jedi robes?" He tossed the pink tunic at Mara Jade.
"This won't fit me master; it's too big."
"I have a council meeting in ten minutes, Mara Jade you better get my robes out of hiding right now!"
Just then the bell rang, "Come on Anakin we have to hurry, there's an emergency council meeting! You aren't dressed yet, hurry up."
"I'm not going out of this apartment without my black Jedi robes, Obi-Wan."
"We don't have time; we received a threatening letter from some guy who's threatening to kill all of the Jedi. Come on its serious!"
"Mara Jade you will be dealt with later; I promise you." Mara gulped. Obi-Wan winked at her.
"Promise me you will put a healing spell on me after he's done." Mara Jade whispered.
Obi-Wan hugged her. Anakin came out of his bedroom wearing the pink Jedi robes the scowl on his face was priceless. Luke came out of the apartment and started to laugh until Anakin turned around and glared hard at Luke, who immediately stopped laughing. "We will deal with this later, my son and may the Force help you when I'm done with you." Anakin threatened.
Leia and her friends had tacked up the signs all over the chambers and including the hallway leading to it. "Beware of Darth Ani." "Darth Ani is coming to get you." "Darth Ani wears all pink." When Anakin walked into the council chamber all the Jedi Masters saw him and none could contain their laughter, the entire Jedi council burst out laughing most were laughing so hard that they were falling out of their chairs and practically rolling on the floor. "Look good in pink you do, Anakin." Yoda snickered.
"That's it!" Anakin stormed out of the council chambers he pulled the signs off the walls and shredded them as he continued. When the younglings, padawans, and the Jedi Knights saw him they too started laughing. Luke and Mara Jade were on their way to the archive when they saw a frightening visage of Anakin storming towards them; they could feel his anger through both of their bonds. "Mara?"
"Yes?"
"RUN!" Luke exclaimed as he grabbed her hand.
"Get back here or else this will go harder on you!" Anakin yelled.
"Save us from Darth Ani!" Luke yelled.
Cin Drallig came out of the training room and saw what was going on, Luke and Mara Jade ran into the training room.
"Uh, Luke?"
"Yea?"
"We're trapped."
Luke looked around and saw a vent, he managed to get it open and Mara jumped in after him.
"Uh, Anakin?"
"What?"
"Something happen to your other robes?" Cin was trying desperately not to laugh.
Anakin glared at Cin. "My padawan and my son pulled this prank on me; they hid all my Jedi robes and then pasted signs in the Council chambers about me being Darth Ani."
Cin lost it and started to laugh hysterically. Anakin opened the door and sensed both Luke and Mara in this room.
"Come out now and I'll go easy on you. The joke is over."
Luke and Mara opened the vent and jumped down. Anakin grabbed Luke's padawan braid and Mara's left ear.
"Let's go."
Luke and Mara looked at each other and sighed in defeat. "Luke, how are your healing abilities?" Mara asked.
"Obi-Wan is training me; but I only know how to heal small cuts."
Mara and Luke were brought before the council as Anakin sat in his chair glaring at the both of them.
"Padawan Jade and Skywalker, seems you have a lot of time on hands before the tournament next week." Master Windu stated.
"Yes, Master."
"Good, practice you will on your lightsaber drills and on your cleaning abilities." Yoda replied.
"First, you will find my robes, and then you will wash and iron them. Then you will sweep and scrub the floor in here as well as in the hallway."
After the assignments were given, Luke and Mara Jade were sent to Anakin's living quarters and did as they were told.
"I'm surprised that was all, I thought there would be more to it than that." Luke sighed.
"There will be Luke; That was just the council's punishment, I'm sure Master Skywalker will deal with us on a more personal level after he has calmed himself."
"No, please don't tell me that, Mara." Luke cried.
"It was your great idea to pull a prank on Master Skywalker, Luke. You know what always follows."
"Always, are sure it's always? Could it be possibly sometimes?"
"It's never sometimes, Luke. It's always, I tried to tell you."
"But, we didn't pretend to be a Sith, I didn't think it would involve that!"
"Oh, come on Luke, you're naïveté is most charming."
Anakin went to the stores after his meeting and gathered up a spare uniform and after changing he went to the Jedi Council Garage and started working on one of the fighters to work through his anger and frustration. He was never going to live this down; fixing things always had a way of calming him and to help him think about things. It took most of the afternoon for Anakin to be calm enough to deal with his padawan and his son. "My son is definitely a chip of the old block; this was definitely the most devious prank I have ever experienced. That's okay because revenge is a dish best served cold."
Author's Note:Hope you enjoyed reading it as I did writing it. Thanks for all of the reviews. – DarthGladiator45