What started out as a simple pickup after the Bad Batch got their ship stolen quickly escalated into a search and rescue filled with many twists and turns. After Omega tracked Gonky on the Marauder, not only did it lead her and her friends to the missing Marauder, but to the lair of a slaver named Mokko who deliberately starved many teenage boys into harvesting ipsium while secretly hogging the spoils for himself. Not only was he abusing these teens, but he was also buying illegally captured jewel pegasi and forcing them to turn all the rocks harvested from the caves into valuable gemstones. And one of them was Quartz Crystal, the long-lost father of Princess Kara's pony Diamond Crystal. But not all of the ponies were jewel pegasi. When Mokko discovered one horse that was poached was also a Jedi, he'd kept her prisoner too, knowing the Jedi would more than likely come after him and put his gluttonous lifestyle to an end in a snap. And it wasn't even just ponies.

Perhaps the craziest find that the Jedi and the Batch discovered was that in that town was Vince Hall, a runaway teen and former captain of the football team at Walker Prep High School. While other students seemed happy to have one less jerkish football player to worry about, there were those who worried about him. His father, obviously because that was his son possibly in danger. The coach at school, seeing as their star player was missing, and crazily enough, Boba, Omega, Comedia, and even Myra were worried. Vince had been acting off just before he ran off. Coincidence? I think not. The group had no idea how Vince even got there, mostly because he wouldn't say anything. But it was clear he was terrified of something.

Ever since the incident where the twins were clavatized into Fear Leader and Solar Flare, Vince definitely backed off from picking on the twins, but also anyone else. He'd even stopped hitting on the girls at school… except for one time when a new girl approached him first. And coincidentally, Omega had walked by just as Vince scared the other girl off, and he seemed to sigh with relief saying, "I thought she was never gonna leave me alone." Omega didn't say anything at the time or even now, but she thought it seemed strange.

At the moment, Quartz really downed all the horse biscuits Anakin fed him and gulped down an entire bottle of water.

"Ah! I really needed that." Quartz snorted.

"Once we get home, we'll get you checked out by a proper vet." Anakin promised, petting Quartz's muzzle.

Diamond once again rubbed her head against her father's chest, and Quartz welcomed it without hesitation.

"Oh, Princess. You'll never know how much I've been dreaming I'd see your little face again." Quartz licked Diamond's head both to show affection and to groom her, and she welcomed it.

Diamond even cuddled up beside Quartz on the ship as he literally took her under his wing and wouldn't let go until they were home. And you can bet Anakin told Sapphire she could let her sister Ruby know her husband was finally coming home.

Anakin rejoined his friends and their newest passengers on the ship as it was time to head back to Coruscant. Vince didn't say anything the whole ride back. He just hugged his backpack and looked terrified of something. Even Anakin could sense it. Sure, the guy acted like a bully towards his kids, but he was smart enough to recognize this kind of behavior; it did not just appear out of nowhere. Vince was showing clear signs of abuse. Something terrified him, and clearly the group needed to find out what.

"Boba, did Vince say anything to you when you found him?" Anakin asked.

"Well, not a lot. But it was bad stuff." Boba said.

Boba explained to Anakin how Vince told him he'd run off because of his brother and stepmother. He only knew that he tried talking to his dad about Tatiana, but Mr. Hall wouldn't listen.

"He also says he feels terrible about the way he acted before." Boba said. "And honestly… I think I believe him. It wasn't that long ago I fell down a dark path and acted a bit like a bully myself, all because I was grieving for my birth dad. Vince… I think he's still grieving for his mom."

Anakin looked at how Vince was just trying to look at anyone. Even those who appeared very big and strong and kept a tough guy act for years could only hold on for so long. And in this case, it seemed Vince finally cracked.

Luminara was concerned too. She remembered all too well when Barriss fell down a dark path after being so frustrated with the Republic and the Jedi. At the moment, there was nothing Luminara could do to help her former Padawan, but Vince seemed like he might have a chance if he sought the right help now. Except, he seemed terrified of asking anyone for help, and unsure of how he would even proceed. But, this wouldn't be the first time she'd seen a troubled teenager, and fortunately, she witnessed successful stories of those teens in need coming back to the light. Having seen all those bruises on Vince, and how traumatized he appeared, Master Unduli decided it was time to take a step Master Mundi had taken with Comedia when he learned why she acted out.

"Child Protective Services," said a woman over the phone.

"Yes, hello? I'd like to report possible abuse of a sixteen-year-old human boy, possibly long-going. He has many bruises on his arms, possibly more in other places, he won't speak, and he's terrified." Luminara spoke quietly enough so Vince wouldn't hear her. "And he ran off from home recently."

After a while, Vince fell asleep on the ship, using his backpack as a pillow.

Luminara decided not to bother him; he definitely seemed like he needed the rest.

The police and a bunch of reporters rushed to the scene when Master Luminara took Vince to the station so he could talk to the officers about why he ran off.

Except, Vince either couldn't or wouldn't say anything. He just sat there with tears in his eyes. It was already overwhelming enough when reporters swarmed about, as it somehow was leaked that the missing heir to the Hall fortune was found.

"What's the matter, kid? Cat got your tongue?" said Divo. Vince just growled at him.

Koa just told Divo to let him handle this. He had much more experience with kids of all ages in all the time he'd been a detective. That, and looking after his nieces and nephews.

Vince just looked away as Koa sat down to talk with him, and said nothing.

"It's okay, Vince." Koa said. "You're not in any trouble. We just need to know why you ran off. If someone is hurting you, we can put them behind bars and make sure they don't hurt you again or do the same to anyone else."

"My dad doesn't believe me, why would you?" Vince said with a bit of attitude.

"Believe it or not, my brother ran away from home when he was your age too." Koa said. "In part, because our parents chased him away with high expectations, and much like you, he felt unheard too. We were lucky to get him back, but other families, sadly, aren't. Somehow, they end up losing a child, and then they have to live with the guilt for the rest of their lives. And my family feared we would be one of them. We didn't know where Garrett was for a long time, and when the police couldn't find him, that was part of why I studied law enforcement and then became a detective. I guess you could say part of me thought I could find him again."

Vince still didn't say anything. But, Koa noticed Vince pulling his jacket in a little more, as if he were trying to hide something underneath.

"This might be a little uncomfortable, Vince….but would you mind taking off your jacket?"

Vince, sure enough, was uncomfortable. But, reluctantly, knowing the adults wouldn't stop asking unless he did, he took his jacket off, showing he had a lot of bruises and a few scratches on his arms. Koa wasn't a doctor like his sister, but he could tell a few of them looked fairly new. And there was a mark near Vince's right wrist that looked like he'd been grabbed there… hard.

"Vince, who did this to you?"

Master Luminara stood outside while Vince was speaking with the officers. She was speaking with CPS officers, and so were Boba, Comedia, and Myra.

"Excuse me! Move it!" exclaimed Mr. Hall, pushing through the reporters, making his way inside. "Vince! I'm here?"

A couple of officers tried to tell Mr. Hall that he couldn't just barge in there, but he didn't listen.

"I'm not leaving until someone tells me what's going on? Where's my son?" Mr. Hall said.

"Sir, please. What's your name?" said an officer.

"Armando Hall. I was told my son Vince had been found and brought here." Mr. Hall said. "Is he alright?"

"Your son is alive," said one of the CPS agents. "But we have some concerns."

"Can I just see him?" Mr. Hall tried to move forward, but the officers stopped him.

"I'm afraid, Mr. Hall, your son is going to be placed in our custody for now, on the grounds that we have reason to believe he has been abused."

Mr. Hall, however, was appalled by that.

"But that's ridiculous! Vince would tell me if he were in danger. My wife has been with all three of my sons, and she takes good care of them."

"That doesn't appear to be the case," said Luminara. "To our knowledge, it appears you've been neglecting your own son, and leaving him in the care of abusers."

"Look, Mistress Jedi… this is a family matter. I need to speak with my son."

"That will have to wait until we conduct a proper investigation," said one of the agents. "Until then, Master Unduli has volunteered to look after him in the meantime."

Mr. Hall wasn't so sure though. He'd heard the Jedi changed things in their home, and a few had adopted or conceived children of their own by now. Many of them even applied to be foster parents and branched out to be guardians to children in need in the event they had no other relatives or friends to turn to. But, Mr. Hall wasn't so sure how well any Jedi could care for his son. The Temple looked like a palace, but wasn't exactly a five-star hotel.

"Don't worry, Mr. Hall. I will take good care of your son for the time being. And I'm sure other Jedi will be willing to aid as well. We all help take care of the children living in the Temple."

As reluctant as he was, Mr. Hall decided to let Luminara look after Vince, not that he had a choice. That was when the officers took Vince out of the interrogation room, which prompted his father to want to see him.

"Vince! There you are!"

"Dad?" Vince gasped.

Mr. Hall quickly hugged his son.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?"

"Oh, now you notice when I'm not well?" Vince said, pushing his father away. "When it hits the news? Is that what it took?"

"Vince, you are in a lot of trouble now. You could've been killed!"

"What are you gonna do? Take my phone? I got rid of that thing when I ran off. I never had anyone I wanted to be calling anyway."

"Well, don't expect me to buy you a new one, young man."

"I don't care about you buying me stuff! You should've seen my running off coming the minute you married that bitch!"

"Don't speak about your mother that way!"

"She's not my mother! She's my stepmother, and she's literally young enough to be my sister. And she and Derek are the ones who did this!"

Vince took off his jacket again and showed the bruises and scars he had on his arms.

"Vince, you probably just got those bruises in football practice. And the scratches are probably from a cat at the shelter"

"How would you know if I even went to work or a game? You're never home! The guinea pigs paid more attention to me than you do."

"Before anyone says something they'll regret." Luminara said, getting between the father and son and pushing them apart. "Vince, I think now is a good time to head out and calm down."

The other teens couldn't help feeling bad as they saw Vince's dad being taken to talk with CPS, and Vince being taken by Luminara to go get settled into some quarters at the Temple and see a doctor.

"Is Vince gonna be okay?" Comedia asked Koa.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Koa said. "But he may need to speak with a therapist, and there may be a chance he'll have to go into the system."

The twins definitely didn't like the sound of that. Knowing Carmine had been in the system when he was younger, and how awful it was, they knew they couldn't let that happen to Vince. Even he didn't deserve that. But, they were kids themselves. What could they do?

Legally, not much. But, they asked the CPS agents if Vince could go back to school soon, if they could help him out in any way. The adults spoke to Principal Brenden, who was glad to hear Vince was okay, and he was also glad when the twins and Myra offered to help him catch up on the homework and stuff he missed when he was missing.

"But Vince's dad couldn't be abusing him," said Comedia. "I don't get an abusive sense from him, and horses can sense an abuser a mile away. And even before the news came in, he was worried when Vince wasn't at school."

"Even if he's not the one striking the blows, if Vince's stepmother and brother are being allowed to do such and his father isn't doing anything, that constitutes negligence. But at best, Mr. Hall can do something about the problem and win back his parental rights."

Vince was taken to the Jedi Temple with Master Luminara being his acting guardian for the time being. There was going to be a lot of investigating done, particularly on Derek and Tatiana, and it looked like little Jacob was going into the system. Him being much younger, he would have a fighting chance of being adopted, heaven forbid it came to that.

Luminara brought Vince to what used to be Barris' room. It didn't look like much, but there was a bed and a nightstand, so it would do for now.

"I know it's not some five-star hotel you might be used to, but it's comfortable." Luminara said. "I'll let you get settled in. They'll be serving dinner in the commissary soon."

So, the Jedi did let Vince be by himself for a bit.

Vince sat on the bed, taking his Cookie Monster plush out of his bag, but also taking out a book he'd taken when he ran off. Inside it were lots of pictures, all of them featuring the same woman with strawberry blonde hair and eyes like Vince's. From the day Vince was born and she held him so lovingly in her arms, up to when he was six.

"I miss you." Vince said, tears falling from his eyes.

Vince took out one of those pictures from when he was six. In it, he was sitting on a picnic blanket, a dalmatian with a blue collar licking him, his mom laughing with young Vince.

"Oh, Archie. If only you were here. You always made me feel better."

Meanwhile, Emeraldi was ecstatic when she rushed to the Temple, where Comedia said she'd found Marigold.

Emeraldi couldn't believe her eyes when she entered the room and she saw Marigold.

"Cousin Emmy?" Marigold said.

Emeraldi felt tears beginning to form in her eyes. The only ponies who called her Emmy were her Uncle Artemis and Cousin Marigold.

"Cousin Marigold?" Emeraldi gasped.

Marigold nodded with a smile, happy tears filling her eyes.

The two mares both whinnied excitedly and began running in circles and nuzzling each other happily.

"I can't believe it! You're really alive!" Emeraldi said. "I thought you were gone forever."

"I thought I'd never see you or Comedia again," said Marigold. "I've been praying for a miracle for so long, and now they've finally been answered. Thanks to Comedia and her friends, I think the jewel pegasus population will be saved."

Comedia was happy to see her sister and cousin so happy; it was obvious they were close. And now, they were finally reunited. However, Comedia was curious.

"I have so many questions now." Comedia said. "When did you find out you were a Jedi? Did you know I was one too? What happened? How did you end up in that prison?"

Marigold's ears drooped as she recalled the dreadful day everything turned for the worst.

Thirteen years ago….

It was shortly after Dooku left Equinaro. Marigold couldn't believe it when a Jedi came back to Equinaro, or at least who could've been one. She couldn't be sure then if they were Jedi or Sith, but she had to protect her little cousin. So, she went to tell her father about this.

Artemis knew for a while that his sister and brother-in-law were not good to either of their daughters, and he was working to find evidence so he could get custody of his two nieces.

Except one day, Cordelia asked Artemis to go on a walk with her at night. But, accepting was the most foolish decision he could make. Cordelia lured her brother to the forest, knowing there were carnivorous wolves in that area, and Artemis never made it out. The authorities deemed it an accident though.

But, Marigold knew her aunt did this, and she was determined to prove it. Except, she found herself being roped and caged as a pair of jewel pegasi were being captured by poachers. Marigold tried to get out, but they knocked her unconscious with a sharp blow to her head, and by the time she'd woken up, she was chained. But since Marigold couldn't turn things into jewels, she was forced to pull heavy wagons of gemstones by herself. It didn't help that she wasn't classically trained in the Force. For years, she had to teach herself how to concentrate her power, and in doing so, she focused mainly on using her power to heal the jewel pegasi, hoping she could buy them some time to be rescued from this horrid place.

Present day….

"It wasn't until yesterday that we all finally received that miracle." Marigold said. "But throughout that time, I'd worried that Aunt Cordelia had done something awful to you too, Comedia. Or worse, Emeradli, as well as Queen Reigna and her family. But I'm glad you're all okay. How long have you known you were a Jedi, Comedia?"

"About… six months, at least." Comedia said. "And I got a rider, well… he's actually my dad now. It was an open adoption."

"It's true." Emeraldi said. "Master Mundi takes much better care of Comedia than our birth parents ever did."

"Hmm, that's the first time I've heard of a rider becoming an actual parent to an equine." Marigold said.

"Yeah, I thought it was crazy too. But, it turns out there's a lot more to him than even those who've known him since he first got to the Temple know. He's told me that ever since I came around, it's made him a better person. For someone with two brains in that big head of his, he hasn't always made the wisest choices in his life. But, us getting to be a family helped him realize his two hearts are bigger than his brains or pride. He just needed a little help to let out his better self. A lot of Jedi turned out to need that for a long time."

"A lot has happened since you disappeared, Cous." Emeraldi said. "I'm only sad Uncle Artemis isn't here to see us all safe together now."

Marigold looked down; it still hurt to think about her father. Her mom died two years before Artemis was killed, and Marigold felt so alone when she was imprisoned with the jewel pegasi. Now her cousins were all the family she had left, and both of them had riders now. She wasn't sure where she'd go, but the royal family and Master Mundi each said Marigold was welcome to stay at their places until she figured out her living situation. For the time being, she chose to stay with Comedia and tutor her in Force training.