Drag Queen Part 2

A little warning for some readers. This bit of the story goes a bit into the topic of body image, which I believe is a serious issue. I myself have been body-shamed quite a few times, and seen it happen too often to count. At one point, I even tried starving myself and nearly overworked myself trying to lose weight. Luckily for me, I never ended up in the hospital and got the right help to lose weight properly and live healthier. But, other victims of the emotional scars of body shaming aren't always so lucky.

It's always a good idea to try to be healthier, but remember, being skinny or having big muscles doesn't mean you're healthy. There are all kinds of body types, and all kinds have different healthcare needs that can't always be helped. What's important is that you learn to embrace your body. You were born with it for a reason, and it's one piece of what makes you special. And, the best way to take care of it is to not only eat a healthy diet and exercise as much as possible, but don't forget to look in the mirror and remind yourself that you are beautiful, flaws and all. And if people can't deal with you being too wide or too thin for their taste, then that's their loss. It's what's inside that counts.

To all the guys out there, you don't have to have huge muscles or six-pack abs to be good-looking. If you're a good person inside, and you're hoping to find a special girl someday, if she's really worth it, she'll love you no matter what you look like.

And girls, you don't have to look like a Barbie doll to be beautiful either (no offense to Barbie or her fans. I liked playing with Barbie when I was little, but I was more a fan of stuffed animals, cuddly toys)

Anakin got to gathering as many people as he could willing to help in the fight against this Drag Queen woman. The first thing they had to do though, was figure out what exactly she was after so they could get to the final destination before she did and send her back to jail.

"What was the last crime she committed before she was sent to prison?" Luminara asked.

Anakin pulled up Drag Queen's crime log and was dumbfounded by what he saw.

"You're not gonna believe this." He said.

Apparently, the last crime Dragon Queen had committed before she was sent to prison was holding her own daughter hostage in exchange for her ex-husband handing over some classified information regarding a secret project.

"She actually did that to her own child?" gasped Ahsoka.

"Um, I had an abusive mom. Abusive parents exist, and if justice isn't as blind as I've been led to believe, they go to jail like any bank robber or murderer does." Comedia said. "You're really surprised that some of the escaped criminals were probably abusive parents too?"

Ki-Adi pet Comedia's muzzle; it was a little touchy for her that there were folks who didn't seem to know that abusive parents existed. And the physical effects of her parents' abuse may have been healed, but the emotional trauma wasn't. Comedia still threatened to bite strangers if they startled her even a tiny bit, and anyone who knew enough about horses would know that a horse's bite could do serious damage.

That was why Ki-Adi contacted a teen therapist before he applied to adopt Comedia. Just getting a new, loving parent wasn't going to be enough for her to heal; she needed professional help to confront her emotions so she wouldn't grow up with emotional problems that could prove obstacles in whatever career path she chose or her social life.

Comedia snorted and turned her back and sat down.

"Sorry, Comedia. I didn't mean to offend you." Ahsoka said. "I do know bad parents exist. It's just still hard to believe such people even get to have kids to begin with."

"Unfairness of who gets to have kids set aside," said Anakin. "It says here she was caught and arrested before she ever had a chance to get the ransom."

"Whatever these secret plans were for," said Kara. "If she was willing to hold her own daughter hostage, it must've been something very valuable. Chances are she might be going after it again. Does it have her ex-husband's name?"

"Yup. Says here his name's Harley Goldberg."

"Isn'the the guy who made the new E-Phones?" Carmine said, taking out his phone.

Anakin decided to ask information retrieval to look up what information it could find on Harley Goldberg's latest works. An article came up from Science Wizards Weekly, a famous newspaper that talked about the latest in science in the magical world.

In this article, famous scientist Harley Goldberg was rumored to be working on a project that could revolutionize the galaxy. While his greatest breakthrough by far was updating the e-phone and creating a way for it to work all the way to other galaxies and solar systems, he was an inventor determined to create things for people in both the enchanted and ordinary worlds. For this particular project, he was rumored to be working on something to aid in one of the biggest issues in any galaxy: body size and weight.

If there was one thing that drove everyone crazy about fashion magazines, it was the fact that so many of them featured stick thin models or (more likely) photo-shopped pictures of models who were made to look impossibly thin with perfect hair, perfect skin, no flaws anywhere. That was usually associated with the females, but for the male side of modeling, a lot of magazines featured men with huge biceps and very define six or eight-pack abs. This habit of featuring such images often led readers or even just viewers of the covers to feel very insecure about their appearances when the only real concern should've been if the person was healthy emotionally as well as physically, and one didn't need to be a doctor to know that being thin or having large muscles doesn't equal being healthy or athletic.

Take Anakin for example. He had pretty much every man's dream body, but he had concerns about his health. Despite the war being over, he still faced trauma from forgetting to eat for long periods of time, and sometimes he forgot to eat even when food was placed in front of him.

Boba and Omega had entered puberty very recently, and still getting over some of the negative parts of it, like at the moment, Boba was wearing his hair a little differently, to the point where it was covering the right side of his face.

"One question," said Myra. "What's with Boba's new hairdo?"

"He says he's embarrassed because of some little zit." Anakin said.

"I wouldn't call it 'little', Dad." Boba said. "You literally haven't had any breakouts since you were my age."

Of course, despite his younger age, like a lot of parents with teenagers, Anakin assumed that Boba was just being dramatic.

"I'll have you know, I remember that well, and I'm sure you're just being-"

And that was when Boba lifted his hair to show he had a very visible pimple on his forehead and three smaller ones accompanying it.

"Okay, that's pretty hard to miss." Anakin said.

Boba rolled his eyes and placed his hair back over to hide the zits.

"Boba, it's just a little acne. It'll go away." Myra said.

"Speak for yourself." Boba groaned, knowing Myra rarely ever had acne herself.

Omega wasn't exactly feeling secure either. She didn't look it, but she'd weighed herself recently, and found out she'd gained about four pounds, which made her feel a little insecure about her body. But Padme told her it wasn't a big deal; she did eat a lot of pizza when she and her cousins and siblings went to the arcade two days ago.

"Anyway," said Anakin. "We gotta get a hold of Dr. Goldberg."

"I think I may know where to find him." Carmine said.

According to Carmine, there was an exclusive fashion show going on, and Dr. Harley Goldberg was a part of it. The reason Carmine knew about it was because Count Crescendo was asked to model some of the new clothes.

"Do you know what he's working on?" Anakin asked.

"Nope. He said it was classified and I would find out once I got there. But, I can give him a call to see if some of us can gain access somehow. Luckily, he left contact info on the invite."

"Go and give him a call then." Mace said.

So, Carmine did give Dr. Goldberg a call. When he explained to him that this was a matter of galactic safety and regarding his ex-wife's escape from prison, he did not hesitate to tell Carmine he could bring as much security detail as he wanted.

Carmine met with Dr. Goldberg and introduced him to his brother.

"It's nice to meet you, Prince Anakin." Dr. Goldberg greeted. "May I introduce to you, my beautiful daughter. Hannah."

Dr. Goldberg called over a young blonde girl who looked no older than eighteen years old.

"Your highnesses, this is Hannah, my pride and joy."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Goldberg." Anakin said.

"I can't believe royalty actually came to the show." Hannah said.

"You said over the chat that my ex escaped prison?" Dr. Goldberg said.

"Yes. Along with several other prisoners. She's calling herself Drag Queen apparently." Anakin said.

"That sounds like my ex. I still can't believe I ever married her."

"What exactly happened between you two, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Long story short, Darby for who-knows-how long, decided it was best to teach our daughter to let others do the hard work and then claim it as her own. But I disagreed. I gave her the ultimatum that she either do the right thing, or we were over. As you might've guessed, there was a divorce, and I fought for custody of Hannah, and eventually I found someone new. In fact, we just got engaged two nights ago."

"Congratulations. Who's the lucky lady?" Carmine asked.

Dr. Goldberg took a photo out from his wallet. In it he was with Hannah when she was a little younger, and they were accompanied by a lovely Pantoran redheaded woman.

"Her name's Nessa. She became Hannah's new pediatrician when we moved after the divorce. That's how we met. But if she's targeting us again."

"Last time your ex-wife came after you, you were working on some kind of weight loss supplement?" Anakin said.

"Yes. They were more like a hormonal balance kind of thing, though." Dr. Goldberg said. "They don't guarantee weight loss. But, they are very effective with lessening menstrual cramps, improving pubescent mood swings, and lowering the chance of breakouts. We have two kinds made, one for males and another for females, seeing as their bodies each work a little differently. But they have to be taken according to the instructions to work."

"So, that project is already on the market."

"Yes. So, if Darby is coming as you claim, there might be a chance she's coming after this new line of clothing."

"Whose line is it anyway?"

"Actually... it's my daughter's." Goldberg said. "She took on her mother's interest in fashion, but luckily for us Hannah isn't going down a dark path like she did. I hope."

"Your daughter must be really talented."

"She is. In fact she enlisted my help in making the idea possible."

"How so?" Anakin asked.

Dr. Goldberg brought the twins to a part of the stage where there were several mannequins with all kinds of cool looking clothes. Some of them looked like they had patterns of musical instruments in them.

"Musical clothes." Goldberg said.

He guided them over to a dress that looked to have piano keys on the skirt.

"Go on. Run your fingers across the keys." said the doctor.

Anakin ran his fingers across the keys on the skirt. They made sounds like a piano.

"Wow!" Anakin said. "You actually made these?"

"Hannah designed them and came up with the idea. I just aided in the technological parts to ensure they would be safe for people, as well as various magical creatures to wear, seeing as many equines have been getting matched as of late. That's why we asked Count Crescendo to model some of the male outfits."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be happy to." Carmine said. "And, seeing as you have a lot of outfits for children too, we brought our children with us, if you would find with them modeling some of the outfits."

"Well, we could use a few younger members. May I meet the children?"

"Of course."

Dr. Goldberg was introduced to the royal children, as well as Myra and Comedia.

"Oh, Lady Comedia." Dr. Goldberg bowed. "I wasn't expecting to meet you."

"Not that surprising." Comedia said. "Fashion was never really my thing."

Dr. Goldberg got a good look at all the kids. They were all pretty adorable.

"What's your name?" he asked Myra.

"Myranda Windu. You can call me Myra."

"I see you have a guitar on your necklace. Are you fan of music?"

"Rock n' roll is my jam." Myra said.

"You're a very beautiful girl too. Since you enjoy rock, I think you'll find the rock versions of Hannah's outfits a good fit for you." Goldberg said, and he looked at Boba and Omega. "And you two are twins, correct?"

"Yeah, we are." Boba said.

"I think you two would be great wearing matching outfits together on the runway." Goldberg said. "And the little ones, I can't imagine anyone not finding you adorable."

"We've been told we have that effect." Gabby said.

"Would all of you like to be in the fashion show?"

The kids all seemed to like the idea... well, except Boba and Omega.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. I kinda have a zit on my face right now." Boba said, embarrassed.

"Not to worry, I'm sure the makeup team can help with that." said Dr. Goldberg. And he called over two members of the crew. " Janna, Karen. Get the children's measurements and pick some outfits for them to wear for the show."

"I'll accompany the children, if that's alright." Sapphire said.

"My horse, Sapphire." Anakin said. "She has some modeling experience herself."

"Of course. She can watch over the children. It might be best for the children to have some guards just to be safe, including on the runway."

The kids got measured for some new outfits for the fashion show. With a little convincing from the kids' parents, the members of the Batch agreed to model some of the clothes too, in part because they needed some adult models, but also so the kids would have guardians if Drag Queen did attack the show.

Boba looked in the mirror and felt a little more secure when the makeup team successfully covered up his acne. You couldn't even tell it was ever there by the time they were done.

"Wow, you guys are good." Boba said.

"We used a little skincare treatment for that. Just be sure to remove the makeup properly when the show is over. Keeping makeup on too long can damage your skin a lot worse than trying to pop pimples." said the makeup artist.

"Thanks for the tip." Now Boba knew not to try popping any zits again.

The Batchers looked at themselves in the mirror as they tried on various jackets and such to model in the show.

"Musical clothing," said Tech, looking at the guitar on his jacket, it making music when he ran his fingers across it. "Interesting concept."

"You gotta hand it to these scientists," said Hunter. "They do good work."

Out came the children with their new outfits.

"What do you guys think?" Gabby said, twirling in a pink piano themed outfit, it making a beautiful sound as she twirled. "This one makes music when I spin."

"That's beautiful, Gabriella." Echo chuckled. And Mini-R2 agreed.

"I'm a disco belle of the ball." Lamenta said, twirling in a very sparkly dress that had tiny mirrors on it, and it made some very upbeat music when she danced.

"Look at mine!" Goldie said, coming out in a pretty red dress that made violin music when she stepped like she was dancing. She even had a matching headband in her hair.

"That's nice, Goldie." Hunter said.

Myra, of course, loved the rock and roll themed pantsuit she got to where.

"What do you guys think of this?" Myra said.

"I think it rocks." Gabby said, giggling. "Pun intended."

Of course, there were professional supermodels involved in the show too. They were all getting primed and prepped for the show too.

"Who are all of you?" said one model whose name was Marcie, known as famous supermodel Marcie Greystone. "This place is for models only."

"We are models." Myra said. "Who are you exactly?"

"Big surprise. I shouldn't expect people who look like you to know the greatest supermodels of all time." said Marcie.

"If you're so great, you don't have to be so rude." Tech said.

Marcie looked at Tech and Crosshair and had quite a bit to say about them.

"Just two examples of men who need serious help. I see no muscle on you. Just a scrawny body on both of you. And Muscles here, you could definitely do with some pilates and less food." then Marcie looked at Myra and said, "Maybe you should wear a bigger suit, because your rear is too huge for you."

"Hey, that's not nice!" Goldie said.

Marcie rolled her eyes at Mona and just continued to insult everyone.

"Pft! Who styles that hair of yours, one of your friends here?"

Goldie self-consciously touched one of her pigtails and backed away.

"Hey, Goldie makes pigtails look good and she's a lot smarter than you think!" Gabby said, standing up to Marcie.

"How about you stay in your own business, Pinky?"

"How 'bout I show you how huge a mark I can leave if you don't shut your pie hole?" Myra said, grabbing Marcie by the front of her dress and threatening to punch her.

"Myra! Let her go!" Qui-Gon scolded. "I am very sorry, Madame. Myra was probably just-"

"Save it!" Marcie said. "Be glad I don't sue over things like this. And what's with the hair? You do realize you look like a woman from behind, don't you?"

"That's enough!" Sapphire said. "Why don't you go mind your own business before you insult any more royals?"

"Hmph! You expect me to believe these are royal people? The only crown anyone would put on these people are paper bags."

And Marcie walked off.

"Well, she was pleasant company." said Gabby sarcastically.

Wrecker, however, couldn't help looking at himself in the mirror.

"Uh... you don't think I'm too big, do ya?" Wrecker asked.

"Wrecker, don't let that bratty model get to you." Myra said. "She's just one of those closed-minded freaks who thinks looking like one of those Barbie dolls is how every girl should look to be beautiful."

But Wrecker looked at his reflection in the mirror again and looked worried.

"Uh... I think I'm gonna go for a run before the show." Wrecker said, rushing out.

"Wrecker!" Myra called.

"You don't think I am too skinny, do you?" Tech said, looking at his reflection.

"Tech, you can't help it if you're thinner than some guys." Mila said. "I think you're perfectly handsome just the way you are."

Except, Tech started thinking.

"I think I need to have a bantha burger... and a milkshake." Tech said, rushing out too.

Crosshair looked at himself. He didn't show much expression in his face, but he went to follow Tech.

"I think I'm gonna run with Wrecker." Omega said, also rushing out.

"Oh, boy." Myra groaned.

"Be honest, girls." Qui-Gon said. "Does my hair make me look like a female from behind?"

Qui-Gon turned his back to the kids so they could get a look at his hair from behind.

"Uh... no." Gabby said, the tone clear in her voice. "But, come on, Gramps. You're kinda tall to pass for a woman. And your clothes don't exactly say female either."

"Gabriella, I may not be looking at your face right now, but I can tell you aren't being completely honest." Qui-Gon said, not looking back.

"Okay, so your hair may make some mistake you for a female from behind, but not everyone. If anything, that girl was just being mean." Gabby said, getting out a brush and using the Force to start brushing Qui-Gon's hair. "But we like your hair, right girls?"

"Yeah, Grandpa. Your hair is beautiful." Lamenta said getting in front of her grandfather. "I don't know a ton of people at your age who lack split ends. Seriously, I've even seen you do crazy fighting techniques and somehow manage to keep your hair just so."

Goldie got Qui-Gon to pick her up and started to feel some strands of his hair.

"It's so soft too. What shampoo do you use?" Goldie said.

Qui-Gon chuckled and said, "I suppose I needed to hear that. Never mind what that girl says. All three of you girls are beautiful as well. I don't say that just because two of you are my granddaughters either."

The fashion show was two days away, and there was still a lot to be done. So far, the royal family knew that Drag Queen was targeting jewelry stores to steal gems to power her devices.

According to Dr. Goldberg, the technology used in these musical clothes ran on a special program that could be programmed through a computer. While this particular set of clothes was made so the clothing would make music when people made certain motions, and they could only be reprogrammed by those with the password to access it, should it ever malfunction in any way in the wrong hands, someone could reprogram it for catastrophic reasons. And in Drag Queen's hands, she may try to embed it in her gun to have the dresses be programmed to enslave victims or do who-knows-what.

"Do you really think you can stop her?" Goldberg asked Qui-Gon. "My ex is not someone you want to encounter unarmed."

"We have faced quite a few villains." Qui-Gon said. "Everyone in this family is well trained and works together, as are the Jedi. We will do everything in our power to ensure Drag Queen does not ruin the show and send her back to prison."

"It's not the show I'm worried about." said Goldberg, looking as his daughter was looking over some more garments with the tailors.

"There's gotta be something you like." Hannah said, talking to Comedia.

"I'm just not the kind to wear dresses." Comedia said.

Dr. Goldberg remembered it all too well when Hannah was held hostage by her own mother. She was only five years old at the time, and literally was being held at gunpoint; it was the most traumatizing moment in the girl's entire life. It was only thanks to the cops taking the shot at the right moment that they were able to disarm Drag Queen long enough for Hannah to make a run for it into her father's arms.

Dr. Goldberg remembered all too well too how scared Hannah was. Even with his ex-wife going to prison, he was so worried about his daughter's safety, he didn't even take her home after the incident. Instead, he had them stay in a hotel that night and immediately looked up a new place to move so if Drag Queen escaped or was released early, she wouldn't be able to find him, and more importantly, his daughter.

"I understand perfectly." Qui-Gon said, realizing Goldberg's main concern was his daughter. "I have several children and grandchildren, and losing even one of them is something I dread more than anything. My family may live in a palace with beautiful jewels and gold, but it's they who are the true treasure."

"Giving me Hannah was the one good thing my ex ever truly did." Goldberg sighed.

"Would it help if one of the royal guards stayed with Hannah until after the show?" Qui-Gon asked.

"You would do that?"

"If one of my granddaughters doesn't mind loaning her horse."

Qui-Gon called Gabby over.

"Gabriella, would it be alright if Dr. Goldberg borrowed Carousella for his daughter's protection? Just until after the show."

"Well, if it's okay with her." Gabby said. "But make sure she has enough food and water while she's with you. And her favorite food is strawberries."

"Of course, Princess. We'll take good care of her until she goes back home."

So, the royal family was staying at Bail Organa's palace with his wife Queen Breha until after the show.

Everyone joined the queen for dinner... well, almost everyone.

"Has anyone seen Wrecker or Omega?" Padme asked.

"Crescent took them for a run." Lamenta said.

"Yeah, and now they're both busy doing push-ups." Crescent said.

Tech and Crosshair however, started wolfing down their food.

"Tech! Crosshair! Slow down. You'll give yourselves indigestion." Shmi said.

"Isn't Wrecker usually the one who eats like that?" Goldie said.

"Yeah. It's not like him to wanna skip dinner." Hunter said. "Wrecker! Omega! Come inside for dinner."

"We're not done here!" Wrecker called back.

"Both of you, get in here right now!" Padme called sternly.

Knowing not to try and disobey, Omega and Wrecker both came in and sat down for dinner. Except, Omega wouldn't eat any spaghetti and meatballs and just stuck with a simple salad. Wrecker, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to eat, but was scared to.

"Wrecker, are you okay?" Lamenta asked.

"Uh... yeah. I'm just... not that hungry." Wrecker said. "I'm goin' to bed early."

"Does that mean I can have his?" Tech said, already grabbing Wrecker's bowl, only for Crosshair to try and take it. "Crosshair! I grabbed it first!"

"Well, I'm younger. I need it more!"

"I'm older! I get first pick!" Tech argued.

"What has gotten into everyone?" Anakin said.

"I think it may have to do with what that mean model said." Gabby said.

"What mean model?" Anakin asked.

Gabby told her parents about Marcie insulting everyone, saying Wrecker was too big and that Crosshair and Tech were too skinny.

"She insulted Grandpa's hair too." Lamenta added.

"Seems like everyone's getting insecure about their appearances this week." Carmine said, noting how Omega didn't eat much of her salad, and Boba was still hiding his zits behind his hair despite the makeup hiding it.

"Omega, you really need to eat more than just salad." Anakin said.

"I'm trying to shed off a few pounds." Omega said.

"Omega, it's good you're trying to take care of watching your weight," said Padme. "But your father's right. You need a variety of healthy food so your body can work right."

"It's true, Sweetie. You don't get a body like mine or your mom's eating only one kind of food." Anakin said. "Take it from me, I wish I'd had more time for eating during the war. Sometimes I forgot to eat for so long, I ended up collapsing right before I was supposed to lead my team in. If I was lucky. Besides, you're already beautiful."

"You're just saying that because you're my parents." Omega said, not seeming any better. "I'm going to bed early too."

Anakin and Padme were both concerned for their daughter, and for her biological brothers too.

"Tech, I think you've had enough." Teatra said, taking the plate from Tech with her magic.

"You too, Crosshair." Maybelle added, doing the same, and cleaning her rider's face with a napkin. "And next time, try not to get sauce all over yer faces."

When everyone went to bed that night, there were a few folks who didn't seem so well. Tech and Crosshair both had stomachaches as they lay down in bed, Wrecker and Omega's stomachs were grumbling, and Omega spent at least ten minutes in the bathroom, washing his face with every acne treatment and soap he could find.

"The poor dears," said Shmi sadly.

"Hopefully they'll all feel better in the morning." Qui-Gon said.

Everyone went to sleep. Boba, however, looked frustrated as he dried his face for the last time and saw that the acne was still there.

"These bottles said they're supposed to make acne go away fast!" Boba groaned. "And I still have all these zits!"

Boba just left the bathroom and went to go to bed, and he didn't notice the reflection of a certain green hooded figure appear and watch him with a sinister chuckle.

"Your reflection is about to become your worst enemy, dear prince." Mariverde smirked underneath her hood.

Back in her lair, Mariverde called several moths over and sprinkled a special dust on them.

"Mirror, mirror, moths unite, make every reflection an unbearable sight."