"Don't just think about the plants you want to grow. Feel them in you." Garrett instructed as Anakin grew rows of beautiful roses, them forming in a big heart that surrounded Padme as she came by.
Fitting, as it was nearly Valentine's Day, and Anakin already knew a very special woman he was going to give the time of her life. His wife Padme, the very woman Anakin would run a marathon across Mustafar to prove his love to her, the one he wanted to give the sun, the moon, and the sky.
"Wonderful, Anakin!" Garrett clapped.
Anakin looked at his wife, and more flowers grew as he walked towards her. White snowdrops, red milla flowers, tulips, orchids, and peonies in pink, red, and white. All the colors of love. And their colors glowed brighter, their blooms growing bigger when Anakin hugged and kissed his wife.
"I think I just found the source of my power." Anakin smiled, looking into his wife's eyes.
"You aren't just saying that for extra credit in your lesson, are you?" Padme teased.
"Will I be graded better if I kiss you more?"
Padme said nothing and just leaned in to keep making out with her husband.
"Those two remind me so much of when we first got together." Mariposa said, coming in to check on the lesson.
Garrett took his wife's hand and kissed it.
"Still feels like only yesterday that happened." Garrett said. "As it should feel."
And here they were almost sixteen years later since their wedding day.
Sapphire started sniffing some of the beautiful flowers Anakin grew. Diamond was frolicking about in them, chasing a butterfly.
"Careful, Diamond. Roses have thorns." Sapphire warned.
"Don't worry, Sapphire. These roses are thornless."
"Yay!" Diamond cheered, and she quickly bit the stems of some and picked them out of the ground, wanting to pick some pretty flowers for her rider Kara.
Diamond rushed off to go find Kara so she could give the flowers she picked to Kara.
"Diamond sure is an excitable one, isn't she?" Padme chuckled.
"Yes, she is." Sapphire said, watching her niece run eagerly into the palace. "My sister Ruby has been sending countless messages asking about her."
"I can imagine why. Diamond is only seven and already she's moved out of her mother's home."
"It's common whenever the Ride of Love ceremony comes up. I don't know if Queen Reigna's told you, but oftentimes it is the younger horses who get matched with riders than full grown horses."
"How many horses get matched a year?" Anakin asked.
"I'm not sure. I stopped counting when I wasn't much older than Diamond. But it is a lot."
Sapphire practically grew up learning of the Equinaro royal family's history, including how the Ride of Love came to be.
A long time ago, Equinaro was beginning to get overpopulated. More and more of every kind of equine multiplied like rabbits. One of the major differences between sentient horses and ordinary horses was that the formers tended to have more babies than the latter. And unfortunately, the meadows, the villages, and even the palaces didn't have enough room for everyone.
So, the royal family started looking for homes for some of the equines. But, they couldn't give them to just anyone, especially knowing that there were those who treated equines as slaves. So, Reigna's ancestor Queen Hearthrob got a book with the names of every equine in Equinaro at the time and performed a spell on her magical jewels and asked it to search across the universe and find someone who could give her subjects a good home. And by some miracle, the book changed, and so did the crown jewels, thus creating the Equinary and the Hearts of Beauty, and creating the Ride of Love Ceremony.
Since then, children and adults all across the universe have been matched with the perfect equines for them based on what was in their hearts. But the one time an equine got sent back was when a horse was matched with one of the Jedi. It was before Anakin was even born.
Long ago, back when Reigna's mother was queen, a young filly got matched with a Jedi Padawan who was struggling with her emotions. That young filly was so happy when she met her girl for the very first time, and so was the girl. But, the young girl's master told her she couldn't keep the pony, as forming attachments to anyone, including pets, was forbidden at the time. So, to their great reluctance, the young filly was sent back to Equinaro.
"It was devastating time for both of them." Sapphire said looking down.
"I know the Jedi are changed now, but still. I can't believe they would do that!" Anakin said.
"To be fair, it was long before the Republic aligned with the Enchantra system." Sapphire said. "And, something good did eventually come from it."
"You mean that pony got matched with another rider? I thought the Equinary was never wrong."
"Oh, it never is wrong about which horse would be right for anyone, but even it cannot predict every move. And most importantly, it doesn't determine the will of the rider or the chosen equine. Ultimately, it is up to both of them to come together as one. And yes, that pony did get matched with another rider."
"Did you know that pony?" Padme asked.
"I do know her. Because that pony was me." Sapphire said.
Anakin couldn't believe it. Sapphire got matched with another rider before him when she was a filly?
"So, I could've gotten matched with another horse?"
"If I had gotten to stay with my first match." Sapphire said. "Most likely. After that day, when Reigna became queen, she promised to never stand for anyone else getting their heart broken the way mine was back then. According to what I know, heartbreak is sometimes necessary, because oftentimes from those moments, we learn just how important it is to show kindness especially to those who have been hurt."
Suddenly, it started to make sense to Anakin and to Padme. At the time Anakin got Sapphire, he'd had his heart broken. He spent so much time crying and feeling alone.
Two years ago...
It had been just an ordinary day in the palace of Equinaro. Sapphire was doing her usual duties guarding the royal treasury with her older sister Ruby, whose five-year-old daughter Diamond was with them. This time around, it was their turn to stand outside the door as Queen Reigna was searching the Equinary for yet another match.
Diamond was running around in circles in the hallway while her mother and aunt were working.
"Slow down, Diamond." said the red jewel pegasus. "Before you break something."
"Sorry, Mommy." Diamond said, screeching to a halt.
Sapphire liked what she did for a living now. It had been more than twenty years since she'd been sent back to Equinaro only hours after being matched with a young girl in the Jedi Order. Sapphire was devastated when her girl's master told her to send her pony back, it being against the rules of the Jedi to have a pet or any form of attachment. The poor filly cried all night, heartbroken that her rider was forced to reject her.
A then Princess Reigna nuzzled her, and so did Sapphire's big sister Ruby. Princess Reigna made a promise to Sapphire that day, that she would help her through her heartbreak and make sure she found a place she felt she belonged if it took her twenty years.
And on this day in the palace, when she and her sister were called yet again to guard the room with the Equinary, Ruby worried that this would be a hard moment for her sister every time, knowing that she'd had her heart broken after her own Ride of Love ceremony. But Sapphire insisted that she was fine now, it having been twenty years since it happened. But since then, a lot happened.
Ruby got married and had a baby, but Sapphire was still single and without a rider too. And Ruby worried about her sister. She herself didn't worry about getting a rider, as her place was beside her husband and their daughter, but Sapphire spent all her time working, if not, watching Diamond.
Still, Sapphire insisted she was fine.
"If it wasn't meant to be, I'll be fine without a rider." Sapphire said. "And sometimes, like Queen Reigna's mother used to say, heartbreak is a necessary thing because it closes the doors to lead us to the open one we truly need."
And at that moment, the door to the Equinary chambers opened, and out popped Queen Reigna's head.
"Sapphire, would you please come in immediately? It's urgent." Reigna said.
Sapphire was surprised by that request. She hadn't been summoned to the equinary chamber since she first started working as a treasury guard. And when she walked in, Reigna had an important message for her.
"Sapphire Beauty, do you recall twenty-three years ago when you had your heart broken by a Jedi?" said Reigna.
Sapphire looked down without a word. She remembered all too well. Why the queen brought it up now, she didn't understand at first, until she said...
"I believe your time has finally come."
Reigna showed Sapphire a page in the equinary that showed a picture of a handsome man who looked to be in his early twenties with sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
"This is Anakin Skywalker. He is a Jedi Knight in the changed Jedi Order, and a long-lost prince of the kingdom of Solaris."
Sapphire's eyes went wide when she heard this news.
"But Solaris hasn't had leadership or citizens in almost a hundred years!"
"That's right. Only recently did Anakin's daughter Gabriella discover the truth of what happened to Princess Miranda and the descendants of the Starling family after the kingdom's fall. About a year and a half ago, the Jedi Code was changed due to Anakin and his daughter proving that Jedi could function better by understanding the magic of the bonds between true friends and family and being able to express and experience their emotions. Because of these changes, now Jedi can have equines of their own. Already, we've matched both of General Mareheart's children with Gabriella Skywalker and Lamenta Jinn, as well as Peppermint Twist with Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. And now, Anakin has had his heart broken similar to how yours was before he was born."
Reigna explained to Sapphire how Anakin faced trouble in paradise with his wife Padme, and he was so heartbroken by it. He was crying, he was emotional, and he felt alone.
"Despite being allowed to feel his emotions now, he still requires support. And he needs it from someone who understands heartbreak better than anyone else."
Sapphire couldn't believe this! After so long, she was finally getting a rider. Or so she hoped. Despite it being two decades since the disaster with her first Ride of Love ceremony, Sapphire felt terrified of being summoned for the Ride of Love again out of fear that she would be rejected again. She'd been rejected in so many other places after that too. By stallions she felt attracted to, by some of the kids at school, even by places she'd applied to work for. But then Queen Reigna asked her to be a guardian of the treasury, as it was well known that jewel pegasi were very protective of various gemstones. Sapphire had a small bit of hope that someone would accept her again. And now, Reigna showed her that someone needed her.
Reigna wrote the message and placed it around Sapphire's neck.
"Be sure to approach Anakin with utmost care and kindness. He's been through a lot and requires delicate care."
"Of course, Your Majesty." Sapphire bowed. "I won't let you down."
And so, Sapphire stood in the garden as Reigna called the Hearts of Beauty to send Sapphire to her new rider.
Present Day...
"I didn't show it at the time we met," said Sapphire. "But inside I felt terrified of being sent back a second time. But then, as I comforted Anakin, in a way, he comforted me with his presence and willingness to open up."
"I had no idea." Anakin said, petting Sapphire's muzzle.
"It was then I learned why the Equinary sent me to a rider who couldn't keep me." Sapphire said. "I needed to understand heartbreak in order to be able to help the rider who could and would have me stay. It was because of that incident that I was able to help you in your time of need and know just the right course of treatment."
"A very wise thing to say." said Mariposa. "Not many know this, but the heart is not merely the source of life in every living body. It is also the very thing that helps make the most important decisions that determine one's path in life. A heart is not so easily persuaded as the mind is. While logic and reason are important tools to being rational, the heart knows what is needed most of all if guided and nurtured by the good things in life."
According to Mariposa, one thing that was special about her people was that they didn't rely on material possessions or corporate made products to grow or thrive as many societies today did. Those who stayed on the path of light knew in their hearts that what they needed most was the people they loved, and their memories of what their love meant to them.
"When I was a little girl, my father used to tell me many powerful sayings the doreshos held dear. One of the most important he told me was that when one leaf falls, another grows. Maybe not one that was there before, but something stronger and more beautiful than what was there before. Change is what nature is all about, and what doreshos praise and practice more than anything else. The only problem is not all folks handle change in a calm and rational way. This was especially so in the days of Butterfly Meadow before its fall."
Anakin started to think
"Valentine's Day is coming up. So, there should be a lot of love in the air that inspires good change, right?" He said.
"There should be plenty, yes." said Mariposa. "However, in an unfortunate reality, Valentine's Day is also when some of the worst heartbreaks occur. If it's not a couple breaking up, it's one being rejected by someone they'd hoped would be their valentine. And judging by all the times Mariverde has targetted someone thus far, her next target could be anyone anywhere."
"Then it looks like we'll be spending Valentine's Day looking for more than just cards and chocolate." Anakin said.
So, the best the royal family could do know was list any couple they already knew, as well as ask everyone who they intended to ask to be their valentine, and advise them to be careful with how they act or respond to avoid catching Mariverde's attention.
Gabby asked the ponies in the Temple, and she got a surprise when she heard from Strawberry that Master Windu had a girlfriend.
"Oh! I'm so happy for him!" Gabby smiled hugely. "Have you met her yet?"
"Not yet." Strawberry shook her head. "I do know she likes butterscotch and apple cake, so she's definitely a lady with good taste. And Mace did tell me her name. I think it was Brenda."
"She sounds pretty."
And just then, Mace was walking by, but seemed stressed.
"Hi, Uncle Mace." Gabby said.
"Oh! Gabriella. Perfect timing. Is your brother here?"
"Which one?"
"Boba. I need to borrow him for a bit. It's urgent."
"He's back home at the palace." Gabby said. "Whatever you need him for, maybe I can help."
Mace thought about it for a moment. She knew Boba better than anyone else he could name, and was quite a social butterfly, which might have also contributed to Boba nicknaming her Butterfly.
So, Mace took Gabby's hand and brought her to an apartment where he introduced her to a lovely woman with beautiful brown skin and curly dark hair. Her name was Brenda Dawson.
"It's nice to meet you, Princess." Brenda smiled.
"You can call me Gabby." said the little girl.
"I brought her here for a special reason." said Mace.
And that was when Mace brought Gabby to a room, where he knocked on the door.
"Go away!" said a female voice on the other side of the door.
"Myra," sighed Mace. "You have a different visitor this time."
Mace opened the door, and inside the room was a young girl about sixteen years of age who looked a lot like Brenda, except... she had eyes like Mace's.
Wait a minute... she seems familiar. Gabby thought.
"Myra, put the phone down." Mace said.
"You're not the boss of me," said the girl with attitude.
"Myra, meet Princess Gabriella."
Myra looked up from her phone and saw the little girl, recognizing her from news stories.
"Oh, hello, Princess." Myra got up and bowed. "Had I known you were coming, I would've cleaned up in here."
Mace whispered something to Gabby then.
"Get to know her as best you can. And if possible, try to tell her about me too."
And Mace left the room to let the two girls be alone.
Gabby then started to see why Mace needed Boba to talk to Myra. She'd seen stories like this before. A classic story of a single parent getting a new boyfriend or girlfriend, and the biggest issue being getting along with any children either of them had.
So, for a while, Gabby and Myra talked and got to know each other better. Myra was pretty cool too. She was a black belt in karate, she loved hamsters, and she dreamed of being a rock star someday and being a great singer like Count Crescendo.
"My aunt and uncle work for him, you know." Gabby said. "And I got to meet him. He's really nice."
"Is he now?" said Myra.
"Yeah, and Uncle Carmine's best friend is in a rock band too. The Red-Hot T's."
"I love those guys."
Myra picked up her guitar and played a bit of music on it. Gabby couldn't deny it: Myra was what Carmine would call a natural-born rock star.
"I auditioned for Melody Academy two years ago, but they said I was too hard a rocker." Myra said.
"They must have judges with not as good taste in music as when my aunt and uncle auditioned to go there."
Gabby looked at a picture on Myra's nightstand. It looked like a picture of Myra when she was little with her mom and a man Gabby had never seen before.
"That's a nice picture." Gabby said.
"Yeah. It's an old family photo. You can't replace your family." Myra said.
"That's true. Is... that your dad?"
"Yeah. Well, he was actually my stepdad. But, that picture was taken on our first family vacation after he and my mom got married. I was your age when it happened. And he was the best dad I ever knew."
Gabby was afraid to ask, but...
"Where is he now?"
Myra sighed.
"He passed away three years ago. Just before I started high school. And now, my mom is with this guy who wouldn't know being a dad if it hit him in the face."
"You mean Uncle Mace?" Gabby said. "But he's not that bad. Actually, he's pretty great. Sure, he can be kinda grumpy, but he's a nice guy, and he cooks too."
"Does it he do it because Jedi are supposed to?"
"Well... the Jedi were rough around the edged before. But that's changed."
"Wasn't your dad the only one brave enough to choose being a parent over being a Jedi?"
"Daddy never had his around when he was little," said Gabby. "So, he chose to be the daddy he always wanted and needed."
"Yeah, well... mine chose to leave my mother to be a Jedi long before I was born." Myra said. "Forgive me, Princess, but not all moms are lucky enough to come from wealthy backgrounds to be able to support a baby after the father leaves them. My mother had to work two jobs while she was pregnant just so she would be able to take care of me, and then she had to slam the door on another one who came by when I was two after we found out I was Force sensitive."
Gabby couldn't believe what she'd heard from Myra.
"Wait... is your father...?"
"He was never my father." Myra said, looking like she'd start crying. "And then he just shows up and thinks he can be that now after the way he broke my mother's heart all those years ago?"
Gabby could see Myra was upset, and she hugged her, only for Myra to pull herself away.
"I think you should go." Myra said. "I know he just brought you here thinking you could make me like him better. He shouldn't be using little girls as pawns for this. Just make sure you tell him if he tries to come between me and my mother, he's got another thing coming."
So, Gabby did leave the room, and she found Mace with Brenda, and they were kissing. Gabby froze for a moment. It didn't take much to put two and two together. Mace had been in love with Brenda once, and then probably the same way or at least similar to how her parents had her, Brenda got pregnant. But then, she realized why Myra seemed familiar, and she recalled a couple of times her grandfather told her and the other kids stories they'd made up together.
In one of them, Caroline mentioned a character named Myra, and on Life Day, Qui-Gon told her and the other kids a classic holiday story with a twist that the Scrooge had a daughter named Myra he didn't know existed until the ghosts of holiday past and present showed him. Did Caroline and Qui-Gon know about Myra and/or Brenda before telling the stories? Or was it just a weird coincidence?
She had to find out.
So, Gabby went to find her grandfather first, and she asked him how he knew about Brenda and Myra.
"I knew of Brenda long before this." Qui-Gon said. "Mace first met her seventeen years ago. I knew they were in love, but Myra I know of through Caroline."
So, Gabby went to see her aunt next.
"Mace confided in me that he'd found out he and Brenda had a child together. He recalled that Brenda loved dancing, so he came to me for advice, and then discovered he had a daughter who didn't seem to want anything to do with him because he was never around. And then, I told him to speak to Carmine since he had experience with a father not being around, yet they still have a good relationship."
Then, Gabby went to talk to her uncle.
"I told Mace that if he wants a relationship with his daughter, he should tell her that not just through words, but through actions too. Do you know what he's done so far?"
"Not yet."
So, Gabby went back to Mace and asked him what he'd done before to get close to Myra.
"I've tried talking to her to get to know her, but she doesn't seem to wanna open up." Mace sighed. "I found this trendy pair of shoes I'd seen a lot of teen girls fussing over, but she hated them. I asked her if she'd like to get ice cream, and then she said she's on a diet. And every time after that I've tried to speak with her, she keeps pointing out all my past mistakes. Killing a bounty hunter who was a father, leaving her mother to continue Jedi duties, and separating you from your father too. That's all she sees."
"Maybe it's not as bad as you say." Gabby said. "She had a stepdaddy before. And from what she said, they had a great relationship. So, maybe she acts this way because she's worried that if she takes another father figure into her life, it's like she's replacing him. And she said you can't replace your family."
And Gabby knew someone else who knew that very well. Carmine lost his family at a young age. First his father, then his grandmother. But then he eventually got an adoptive mother who loved him very much, only to lose her to slavers. But then, he got her back, as well as his biological mother. Despite having his biological mother back, Carmine didn't cease from calling Ms. Susy 'Mom,' no did he ever stop loving her as his mother. Biologically, Shmi was his family, but she wasn't his mother just because of blood. She and Susy were both his mother because they each loved him unconditionally and wanted what was best for each of their children.
If Mace's relationship depended on Myra and him having a better relationship, she was gonna find a way to make it happen.
As for Tech, he was about to put his exceptional mind to extra good use in the name of love.
With a little research, he managed to put together a small gold band he believed would be the perfect size for Mila. There were lots of pretty rings in the jewelry stores, but none of the ones he saw seemed to say 'Mila.' So, he decided to customize a ring himself. Teatra helped him in digging for gold in a mine she knew of in Equinaro, and then he got a little help from Caroline, a great drawer, to help him design it. Then, he engraved the words 'amor solus vitae meae,' which was Latin for 'sole love of my life' into it. All it needed now was a diamond. And, he found a marigold flower in the garden, which he had Diamond turn into a diamond flower. Of course, he did compensate everyone who helped him.
And finally, the ring was perfect. All it needed now was a finger to wear it.
"I don't know if all the data in the universe can predict what will happen at this point." Tech told the ring, thinking of his lady. "All I can do now is hope all goes well and all this work wasn't for nothing."
So, Tech wrote a note and went to the mirror to Mila's house. She and the family weren't home right now. So, he taped the note on her door so she would find it once she got home.