Indira felt her heart racing as she leaned in closer and closer, about to kiss Hunter for the first time, when someone literally came between them.

"Mind if I cut in?" said a man's voice.

Except, Indira's eyes went wide and she forgot how to breathe when she realized she recognized the voice of the man who was asking to cut in.

Hunter didn't need enhanced senses to see that Indira was terrified. He had a good feeling he knew why, and he also knew he had to do something.

"Yes. I do mind." Hunter said, getting Indira behind him.

But, the other man didn't leave.

"I think you'll want to rethink that. When I look at this girl, I like what I see." said the man, and he tried to touch Indira again.

"Too bad, because she's already taken." Hunter said.

Indira might not have kissed Hunter yet, but she wanted to now, seeing him being so brave. Unfortunately, it didn't look like being brave was going to be enough, as the man just pushed Hunter out of the way and started to get touchy with Indira.

"Now, where were we, Beautiful?" said Aghati.

"Nowhere!" Indira said. "Get away from me."

"Oh, don't be like that. You know you want me."

And then when he got his hand too close to a certain spot on her backside, Indira responded in a way she'd reacted to being inappropriately touched for years. With a loud whinny, she headbutted Aghati in the chest, which knocked his mask off his face.

"It's Aghati!" Indira screamed to alert everyone else.

Unfortunately, Aghati began to realize, or at least suspect who this girl really was, and when he tried to get his hand on her again, she bit him on the wrist. Hard. Indira ran the hell out of there. But Aghati snapped his fingers and ordered his men to go after her. And they did.

Hunter quickly contacted the others on his comlink.

"Mayday! Aghati is going after Indira!"

Hunter found himself for some reason removing his mask, if only to replace it with his signature bandana, and then sprinted on out of there, determined to save his princess.

Quickly, everyone took that as their cue to drop everything and spring into action. Except, the horses turned humans still had barely mastered walking, so they ran on all fours, as the only way they knew how, while the others relied solely on their own legs to race into the action.

"Let's go!" Zipp said, and then she jumped to fly, only to fall flat on her face. "Oh, that's right. No wings."

"Stop that girl!" Aghati demanded as he and his men chased Indira right outside of the castle and near where all the carriages were parked.

Indira ran as fast as she could, getting past obstacles and feeling a great sense of deja vu as she recalled this very type of running from when she was a child. Except, it'd been fifteen years since she'd run on human legs, and it didn't help when one of Aghati's men managed to grab her left foot and expose the birthmark on it.

"It's her!" the minion confirmed. "You're coming with us, Princess Kanti."

Indira screamed for help. But the minions kept a strong grip on her arms as they brought her before their master. Then, to Indira's horror, Aghati took out a whip and wrapped it around Indira.

"Thought you could run away from me, did you, Princess?" Aghati said, getting handsy with Indira again and running his fingers through her hair. "I'll admit however, your playing hard to get makes you that much more attractive."

Indira breathed heavily and shrieked for help.

"Your running days are over, Kanti. It's time to head back for our wedding."

"The wedding was off fifteen years ago, Aghati." Hunter said, getting out his blaster. "And the girl you have there is named Indira."

"Back away now, and I will let you live." Aghati threatened, his men ready to fight as they each took out a big knife.

"We don't scare off that easy." Wrecker said.

Suddenly, Aghati found himself being choked by someone he didn't see, and that turned out to be Anakin, who made Aghati let go of the whip, and Indira took the chance to run again, only for Aghati's men to chase after her, but they were stopped by more of the Jedi who took out their lightsabers, and the royal family who threatened to use their magic.

And it wasn't just the Batch, the royal family, or the Jedi surrounding Aghati's army. The High Commission and their guards surrounded him too. He was trapped.

"Durmukkah Aghati," said one of the guards. "You are under arrest for several counts of kidnapping, human trafficking, and harassment of a minor."

"None of you people know what you are doing." Aghati said. "You are interfering with an important marriage promised to me by law."

"That may fly in your tribe, but here, as it is in all the kingdoms, it's called domestic abuse and kidnapping." Qui-Gon said.

"I will not be stopped from having what is rightfully mine!"

Except, Aghati was not going to be stopped easily, especially when a mariclava made its way over, and it landed on Aghati's whip.

"I can help with that, my dear." Mariverde said. "You were robbed of your powers long ago when your ancestors were banished for taking what was theirs. I can give you the power to ensure you have your bride come to you whether she likes it or not and so much more."

"You can give me all I want and more?" Aghati asked to confirm. "What are you asking in return?"

"Not much. Only that you bring me the crown jewels of the royal family of Solaris. At the moment, their steeds have become humans, as your bride has hidden doing the reverse. Lone Rangler, I give you and your men the power to capture them and use them to your advantage. But you must give me what I ask in return once your deed is done. Do we have a deal?"

"We do!"

And then, Aghati was clavatized, and his whip resembled the electrical ones the Zygerrians carried, and soon all of Aghati's minions were powered up to, their outfits changing to make them resemble royal guards in red, while Aghati's outfit made him look more like a king.

The Chairwoman ordered all the guards to ready their weapons, but when they did… Aghati's men attacked… with magic. Aghati and his men attacked everyone, and while his men were keeping everyone distracted, Aghati snapped his whip at all the horses who'd been turned into humans, and each time he did, they vanished into thin air.

And when Agahti was done grabbing the horses, he saw one more target he liked in the form of Goldie.

"Mmm. You are a fine piece." Aghati said, and then he snapped his whip around Goldie too, the child screaming, which immediately caught the attention of her mother.

"Mommy! Daddy! Help!" Goldie screamed.

"Goldie!" Mariposa exclaimed. And she ran over and tried to stop Aghati, but he vanished in a poof of red smoke before she could reach him. And then Aghati's men all disappeared in poofs of red smoke too!

"Where'd they go?" said Myra.

"He's taken Goldie!" Mariposa said, rushing to her husband.

"What?!" Garrett gasped. "We have to find out where immediately."

"While we're missing people," said Ki-Adi. "Has anyone seen Comedia?"

"Carousella's gone too!" Gabby said.

"So are Remix and Estrella." Boba confirmed.

"Fiesta? Are you here?" Ahsoka called.

But it wasn't just the royal children and Ahsoka. Everyone who had a horse was missing. And Queen Reigna and her family were nowhere to be found. But not quite all the horses were missing. Indira was hiding in the forest nearby. She'd run away from Aghati before; she figured this time wouldn't be much different, aside from the fact that he'd found her after fifteen years, and now she really didn't know where to go.

"Indira! There you are!" Mila said, glad to see her brother-in-law's horse (well, girl now) was okay.

"Is Aghati captured?" Indira asked.

"Well… not exactly." Mila wasn't exactly sure how to explain what just happened. But she took Indira's hand and insisted she follow her.

Everyone at the gala was panicking when they realized an attack had just occurred. And unfortunately, it looked like this year's gala had to be cut short due to the fact that several equines as well as a child of the Commission's greatest teacher were kidnapped by a dangerous criminal.

Indira quickly realized what was going on. Aghati kidnapped all these people trying to get to her, and she had no doubt he was planning to do something awful to all of them.

People were being safely escorted to their carriages to head home early, and to ensure they got out of there in one piece. All young women especially were advised to hold a weapon or have a bodyguard at least until Aghati was caught. Myra didn't even get her chance to perform a song.

"I can't believe this!" Myra said angrily. "I was about to get my chance to perform, and then some perv comes in and ruins everything! Tonight was supposed to be a great night too."

Kara was signing with Elliot how she was worried about what was happening too, especially since she knew just how dangerous this man was. Elliot signed that he was more disappointed that they didn't get as much time to spend tonight as they would've liked.

"When can I see you again?" Elliot signed.

Kara responded by giving him her contact info so they could holo-chat sometime. At least someone's night went somewhat well.

The Commission, however, asked the Jedi and the royal families of Solaris and Maamoh-Yah to stay to discuss the issue at hand.

Indira felt so guilty. All the horses and innocent little Goldie were in grave danger all because Aghati was coming after Indira.

"This is all my fault!" Indira said, starting to cry. "He was after me, and I let my friends take the fall."

"Indira… don't you dare blame yourself." Hunter said. "You're not the one who came in here and got all handsy on an innocent girl and kidnapped our friends. None of this is your fault."

No one could understand why this was happening.

Mr. Hall began to speak with Jacob's babysitter on his phone. Jacob had to stay behind at home, and now that there was a dangerous criminal on the loose, Mr. Hall wanted to ensure both his sons' safety.

"I don't understand it." Vince said. "Why would that guy take our horses? Who is he anyway?"

"Durmukkah Aghati." Indira said, stepping up. "A horrible man my birth parents tried to force me to marry when I was just a child."

"There's still child marriage in the galaxy?"

"That's what I said!" Anakin said.

The Chairwoman stood up and spoke with what guests remained.

"This is a serious crisis." said the Chairwoman. "Chief Aghati is the most dangerous of all the rogue tribes banished from Maamoh-Yah. According to our knowledge, while he's been kidnapping young girls looking for Princess Kanti Mannan, he's also murdered at least twenty-five people in the process."

That shocked some of the group; they suspected Aghati would resort to murder, but it was a shock nonetheless that he was a confirmed serial killer.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Omega said. "He has our friends."

"And my daughter!" Garrett said.

"That is why we have all of you here. Since many of you here are victims of horse kidnappings, we'll require all of you to aid in this process." said the Chairwoman.

"I think I might know where Aghati took them," said Indira, stepping up to the Commission. "I'm the one he's been after all these years."

"Ah, yes. Indira Ghoda." said one of the members, checking the files on his tablet. "Formerly Kanti Mannan, deemed a refugee in Equinaro, adopted by Jalebi and Sarmi Ghoda."

"I never meant for any of this to happen. I swear."

"We are not blaming you, Princess Indira." said the Chairwoman. "But seeing as you appear Aghati's primary target, you many be our best chance at luring him out of hiding."

"Wait, wait, wait…" Hunter said. "You're saying you want to use her as bait? That… doesn't sound like a good idea."

"You heard me earlier, Hunter!" Indira said. "Aghati won't stop until he has what he wants. And right now, he wants me, and it may be the only way to get them back."

"And even if you did give yourself up, how do you know he didn't take Goldie for the same reason he wanted you at that age? Huh?"

"I don't know. But I do know I can't let my friends suffer at his hand because he wants me. I'm willing to do what I must to set them free."

"It still doesn't answer why all the horses became humans," said Lamenta. "Garrett?"

"Oh, yes! The analysis." Garrett realized.

According to Garrett, Mila, and Tech's analysis of the gummy bears, they were contaminated with a potion that wasn't even a transformation to begin with. It was actually a tonic called Conflicted Heart Syrup.

"What the heck is that?" Boba asked.

Conflicted Heart Syrup was a kind of potion that unveiled unresolved matters of the heart. When mixed in with the DNA of the intended victim before being ingested, it would only take effect once the target took it. It appeared somehow Mariverde got a hold of a piece of someone's DNA and they were having a conflict within their heart. However, if other people ate the same thing that was contaminated with the tonic before the target did, the spell would affect the others the same way it would affect the target. But, the effects varied.

"Is there a way to reverse it?" Indira asked.

"Yes. The one who is conflicted in his or her heart must confront the motive behind their confliction." Garrett explained. "The only problem is we don't know who's conflicted in the heart or why it would've turned every non-human who ate the gummy bears into humans."

But that was when Indira realized something. She'd been conflicted about where she belonged. She wanted to be a pegasus again, at least she thought she did, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to remain a human anymore either. In both worlds, there was something that made her happy. As a pegasus, she had the loving family she deserved, and having wings to fly and being able to run super fast wasn't bad either. But as a human, it meant she would have a better chance at being with the man she loved… assuming he would even have her to begin with. She didn't know which world she belonged in. And, she felt that such a decision would be determined if Hunter loved her the way she did him. But, she also worried how her parents would respond. And she was afraid Hunter and everyone else would laugh at her for being in love with her rider.

"Is there any way we can find out, Daddy?" Mona asked.

"I'm afraid not, Sweetheart. This is a matter of the heart that needs to run its course. When and if whoever is conflicted in the heart reveals themself, then we might be able to help them confront the issue. Until then, we need to first find the horses."

Fortunately, they did have a bunch of Jedi who were calm and ready to fight... usually. Except even Master Yoda looked worried.

"If as dangerous as you claim, Aghati is, quickly we must locate him." Yoda said.

"The only question is how." Ki-Adi said. At elast being transformed into a human didn't seem to affect his Force abilities. But, meditation wasn't really an exact science.

"I might know a way to find them." Obi-Wan said, taking out his phone. "After that incident where Olivia was kidnapped, Satine and I looked into that Lost and Found feature Mila and Tech run. And if memory serves correctly, Peppermint was wearing a red hair bow tonight, in which I installed a tracking chip."

"She was definitely wearing a red bow." Carmine said. "A bow with a peppermint candy center is kinda hard to miss."

So, Obi-Wan looked at the app, and it pinged when it confirmed a location for Peppermint. If Peppermint was there, chances were the other horses were too!

"It's probably gonna be harder to do this mission without the horses," said Echo. "Times like this make you realize just how much you shouldn't forget to appreciate your teammates."

Omega hugged Echo in response to that. She knew all too well how much it hurt to be missing someone.

"Sapphire and the other horses have been there for all of us since the moment we each got matched." Anakin said. "Now it's our turn to help them. Let's go!"

"I'm coming too!" Vince said.

"Vince, I'm sure we appreciate the enthusiasm, but this is dangerous stuff." Myra said.

"I survived a stormy shipwreck, an abusive stepmother and older brother, and a dangerous ipsium mine slave market. Marigold helped me before too. Now I'm gonna help her."

Myra began to think Vince really had changed.

"Plus, I know what it's like being pressured into marriage, and my case was nothing compared to Indira's. Someone's gotta teach that jerk Aghati a lesson."

"We may need backup for this mission, knowing how dangerous Aghati is."

"I know where to go for backup." Gabby said. "I can think of a few friends who also would find this a personal matter."

Indira couldn't believe her eyes when she heard everyone offering their own contributions to how to proceed with this mission. Inside, however, she was still terrified. She got lucky once to be able to run off on her own, and then she was lucky to be rescued a second time, only to lose many friends in the process. What were the chances she'd be rescued a third time?

"You can stay behind if you want, Indira." Hunter said, caressing Indira's cheek. "I don't want to put you in danger of that man anymore than you do."

Indira held a look of awe in her face, and as she looked into Hunter's eyes again, she could feel all kinds of wonderful things running within her. She wanted to kiss him right then and there so badly, but she was worried how he might respond if she did. Besides that, there was a more pressing matter to attend to.

"No! No more running." Indira said. "I'm done running from Aghati. He can mess with me, but no one messes with my friends."

Indira was determined to rescue her friends from Aghati, but she also had no idea what she was walking into.

All the horses struggled as Aghati's men placed them all in chains and placed them against the wall. Aghati seemed particularly interested in a few of the many females in the group. Particularly Diamond and Sapphire.

"Ah, a real vision you are." Aghati said, running his finger around Diamond's chin. Unluckily for him, Sapphire kicked him in the face with the heeled shoe that came with her transformation. And she left a serious mark on him too.

"Touch my niece again, the next one won't be so gentle." Sapphire threatened.

Aghati growled as he snapped his whip and tried to massage the pain away from his jaw.

"You forget your place, ladies." Aghati said. "You are made to serve me. I always get what I want. And what I want is my bride and her gorgeous body. A fine touch, she is."

Maybelle stomped her foot angrily and snorted as best a human could imitate a horse snorting.

"Touch one hair on her head, you're gonna die!" Maybelle said, amid Aghati laughing at her and calling her just a lady. "Why don't you unchain me so you can prove that?"

"I couldn't risk harming a gorgeous face like yours." Aghati said. "A little change in your wardrobe, and you'll make a fine addition to my collection."

"We're more than just pretty faces, you sicko!" Buttercup snarled.

But Aghati ignored Buttercup's remark, and made his way to Goldie.

"While I'm waiting for my bride to arrive, I think a little playtime is in order." Aghati said. He snapped his fingers again and had his men take Goldie from the wall of chains and bring her to his quarters.

Goldie was placed on a bed and chained at one of the posts. Aghati came over and had a hungry look in his eyes as he approached her.

"Beautiful." said Aghati, and he began to sniff her hair, which smelled like the islands of Lokahi-Hana, probably because of her new shampoo. "Ah, an exotic island girl. How I will love to play with you while I wait for my Kanti."

Goldie had a bad feeling this was the something bad Indira had mentioned Aghati doing to her before. This wasn't good! And she did want to wait for whatever was going to happen next. But luckily for her, Aghati forgot to do something when he kidnapped Goldie: check the full extent of her species.

Goldie allowed herself to concentrate, then her eyes changed like her father's did whenever he got angry, and she gained the strength to break out from the chains and grew fangs as she growled.

"What the-?!" Aghati gasped.

"You wanna play with me?" Goldie growled. "Alright. Let's play. I could use a chew toy for my new fangs!"

Goldie's fangs grew bigger, and she also grew claws and unruly fur as she growled and got closer to Aghati, who for the first time in his life, looked afraid of a girl.

"Nice doggie." Aghati said slowly. "Be a good girl and change back to pretty."

"Who you calling a doggie?! The only dog I see here is you!" Goldie growled. And then she howled a werewolf's howl of attack, and she jumped him.

Meanwhile, Hunter was beginning to feel confused. He'd felt worried about Indira's safety before, but this time, it felt different. His palms were sweaty, he'd lost his speech when he saw her as a human, and he was beginning to look at all the time he'd spent with her differently, like there was something he'd missed he was only beginning to notice. Not to mention, he and Indira almost kissed! What was that all about?

"Ugh. What's wrong with me?" Hunter asked himself.

"What is it, Hunter?" Carmine asked.

"I don't know. I keep feeling this weird feeling in my stomach." Hunter answered. "There's this girl, and... I've known her for a while. But for some reason, I'm suddenly feeling all these weird... things."

"What are your symptoms?"

When Hunter listed all these things, Carmine was sure it didn't take a doctor to diagnose this.

"Hunter," chuckled Carmine. "I think you're in love."

Hunter's eyes went wide at that, and he plopped into a seat on the Marauder as he froze when he came to terms with the realization. He was in love with Indira? But she was his horse! At least, she used to be a horse, but she was also born a human. Hunter couldn't believe this! Why was this happening to him? It seemed very weird, despite that Indira was technically a human to begin with. But, they were matched so Hunter would have a steed, not a wife. They were from totally different worlds. Then again, Tech and Mila were from literally different dimensions, and they were happily married now and trying to have a baby.

Hunter shook himself. Why was he thinking about marriage all of a sudden? He and Indira had only been together a little over a year, and not like "together" together. But, Hunter couldn't stop feeling all these feelings when he even just thought about Indira now after spending time with her as a human. But, he wasn't sure how she felt. If she felt the same way as him, could they be together? And if they couldn't, what would that mean for their friendship? Where their relationship stood now was already hanging by a thread. But, Hunter couldn't worry about that now. His brothers' and friends' horses were all in danger, and so was Mona's sister. He had to focus on this mission.