Featured song:
1. Falling For Ya" by Grace Phipps from Teen Beach Movie
Please enjoy and review
It was beginning to get dark at the borders of a city called Coruscant, a very big city. Two young adventurers walked by a trailer park and saw that they were very nearly there.
"Are we there yet?" Mona yawned, riding on Mila's horse.
"Almost, Mona." Mila said. She pet the brown horse's muzzle. "Don't worry, Bonita. We'll find a place to rest again soon. For now, everyone. We have to try to blend with the locals."
Mona rubbed her eyes tiredly, and then became more awake when she looked up and saw something she'd never seen before!
The lights were bright like millions of stars from the sky to the ground, and there were vehicles that flew up in the air and drove on the ground, people walking down big streets surrounded by enormous buildings that had to be at least the size of the mountains around the Encanto!
"Wow!" Mila gasped. "The city."
Mila and Mona walked down the sidewalk and took in the sights of the city.
"Look at all this!" Mila said. "It's muy grandé."
"It's ginormous!" Mona said. "I wanna see everything."
"Unfortunately, we don't have time for sightseeing. We have to find tough folks to help the kingdom."
So, Mila got Bonita to cross the street with her and Mona, except they very nearly got run over by several vehicles. Fortunately, they were able to get to the other side in time.
"Get off the road!" shouted one driver.
"You blind or something?!" shouted another angry driver.
"That was close." Mila sighed with relief. "You okay, Mona?"
"I think so," said Mona, a little shaken up.
The two girls kept on going, but ran into a lot of rather rude people who pushed them out of the way instead of saying 'excuse me,' or didn't even watch where they were going because they were staring down at their devices, and one even got a little touchy around Mila.
"Hey, Beautiful."
Of course, Mila waved her hand and literally threw him to the side.
Mila and Mona kept looking around the city until they both started to get hungry.
"Mila, I'm hungry. Can we stop and eat something?" Mona asked.
"I think that's a good idea." Mila said, but when she checked in the bag. "Uh oh! We're out of food!"
"Oh no! Now what do we do?"
Luckily, Mila spotted something just down the street. A place called Dex's Diner.
"Mira. There's a diner over there." Mila said. "Come on. Let's get some comida, and then maybe we'll be able to find someone who can help us."
In Dex's Diner, it was a busy night. Mila got a table for her and Mona to sit at. Mona liked all the coloring activities on the kid's menu she got.
After they ordered their food, Mona saw that there was an indoor play area for kids.
"What's that?" Mona asked.
"That's a playground, Mona." Mila said. "Oh, and there's a ball pit. That looks like fun."
"Can I go in?"
"Sure, Mona. I'll call you when our meals get here, okay?"
So, Mona went to go play in the playground, and there she found some other kids playing there. She was a little nervous at first, but she started to climb on the ladder, when she bumped into a girl in a yellow dress.
"Oof! Oh! Sorry." Mona said.
"It's okay." Goldie said. "I didn't see you there either."
"I'm Mona."
"I'm Goldie. First time here?"
"Yeah."
"Me too! My parents and I are here with our friends. They're trying to find new jobs."
"My friend Mila's looking to give someone a job."
"Really?"
Meanwhile, out in the dining room, the grownups and the older kids were all eating something, and trying to work out a way to find work. So far, they'd tried to get hired at hotels, restaurants, even at homeless shelters they'd stayed at. But none of them could get hired.
"I used to teach the rich and famous," sighed Garrett. "And I can't even get hired as a tutor. How humiliating."
"Let's face it," said Anakin, taking a sip of his drink. "Nobody wants to hire former circus performers."
"That's not true, Anakin." Padme said. "We just have to keep looking."
But, she was looking doubtful too.
"For the kids' sake, we have to get new jobs soon."
"We could start our own circus." Comedia suggested. "I'll admit, I didn't like the collars, but I liked being a clown."
"That might be too dangerous." Ki-Adi said.
"He's right," said Brenda. "If Palpatine survived the fire, he could find us too easily. We have to lay low for a while."
"Maybe there are positions here for us." Ahsoka said. "We could wait tables. The little ones seem to like the play area too."
"I'm gonna check on Kade." Myra said, leaving the table.
While Mona was playing in the play area, Mila decided to ask around to see if anyone would be interested in helping her back in the Encanto, but no one seemed interested.
"Excuse me," said Obi-Wan to a Besalik male, the owner in fact, Dex himself. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. My friends and I were wondering if you were hiring at the moment."
"Can you cook or wait tables?" Dex asked.
"Yes, we can do those things, and we are experienced entertainers."
"Is that so?"
As luck would have it, Dex's regular late-night singing act quit recently, and he needed a new musical act. And Carmine and Caroline were a perfect fit for that.
"Very well, show me what you can do. Show everyone a show they won't forget, the job is yours."
So, Carmine and Caroline got on stage, and so did Echo. Echo got on the drums, Carmine got his guitar, Anakin on bass guitar, and Caroline went up to sing with Padme and Mariposa as backup.
Caroline tapped the mic to test it.
"Hello, everyone." Caroline said, albeit nervously. "My name is Caroline, and my friends and I are here to sing a special song. This is going to be called Falling For Ya."
Caroline:
The day started ordinary, boys walking by
It was the same old story, too fresh or too shy
I'm not the kind to fall for a guy
Who flashes a smile (it goes on for miles)
Before long, people started to get up and dance.
Don't usually swoon, but I'm over the moon
(Backup: 'Cause he was just too cool for school)
And now I'm falling for ya, falling for ya
I know I shouldn't, but I
I just can't stop myself from
Falling for ya, falling for ya
Can't hold on any longer
And now I'm falling for you
So far, people started to like Caroline's singing. But, Mila got roped into dancing with everyone else. She tried asking everyone she could if they knew how to fight, but every guy she danced with seemed more interested in asking her to dinner or to come to his hotel room or something, which meant more slapping and kicking guys than recruiting.
Now we're goin' steady
He's the cat's meow (meow, meow)
He says I'm a Betty and we paint the town
The other performers got roped into dancing too. Hunter and his brothers danced with a few pretty girls they met
I'm not the kind to fall for a guy
Just 'cause he says, "Hi" (Backup: when he's cruisin' by)
He's ready to race and I'm catching his gaze
(Backup: Down-low, on like this for days)And now I'm falling for ya, falling for ya
I know I shouldn't, but I
I just can't stop myself from
Falling for ya, falling for ya
Can't hold on any longer
And now I'm falling for yaIt feels like I tumbled from another world
Into your arms and it's so secure
Maybe I'll stumble, but I know for sure
Head over heels, I'm gonna be your girl
The music just continued to go on, and Mila found herself climbing onto a table just to get out of all the craziness of guys wanting her attention, but as she climbed, Mila started to lose her balance and fall over. But just before she could hit the ground, a pair of strong arms caught her.
Mila then found herself looking into a pair of spec-covered brown eyes that belonged to none other than Tech. Unlike the other guys, something felt different. When Mila looked into his eyes, she felt... frozen.
Tech probably didn't realize, but he had the same look of surprise on his face when he gazed into Mila's eyes.
And now I'm falling for ya, falling for ya
I know I shouldn't, but I
I just can't stop myself from
Falling for ya, falling for ya
Can't hold on any longer
And now I'm falling for you
"Uh... hello." Tech said.
"Hello." Mila said. "I'm Milagro. What's your name?"
"Tech."
Suddenly, that was when trouble began to stir. A group of thugs burst into the diner with guns and threatened all the patrons.
"Nobody move!" said one thug, presumably the leader. "You there! Hand over all the cash you got."
Someone tried to call the police, but they got shot, to everyone's great shock. Tech quickly got Mila to hide under a table and motioned for her to be quiet.
However, it appeared someone outside managed to call the police, as there were cars outside the diner, but the thugs weren't letting up. And one of them grabbed a hostage, and unfortunately, that hostage turned out to be Omega.
"Let me go!" Omega demanded, but she froze as the thug held a blaster to her head... until he was tackled by a big and brawny someone.
"No one messes with my sister and gets away with it!" Wrecker said, mercilessly punching the thug over and over again, and it wasn't even just him who fought.
All the former circus performers jumped in and began fighting the thugs. Carmine played his guitar, and magic came from it. When Anakin moved his hands, he made enormous plants grow from anywhere, and a few of the others showed ability to move objects with their minds like Mila could. And Mariposa, of course, flashed her wings to temporarily blind some of the thugs while Anakin tied vines tightly around them.
Mila peeked out from under the table and couldn't believe her eyes when she saw how well everyone was fighting.
Pinto kicked another thug really hard, and Brenda managed to flip one into another, knocking them both into a counter to fall unconscious. Padme incapacitated one by punching him in the nose and then tossing him to Maybelle, who caught him in a lasso.
It didn't matter what the thugs tried; every single one of the performers and their horses fought hard, and made it out nearly completely unscathed.
Before they knew it, the police managed to finally get in and cuff the robbers, and it was safe for Tech and Mila to come out.
"Are you okay, Miss?" Tech asked.
"Yes. Thank you for saving me." Mila said, and she kissed Tech's cheek.
Tech froze when he felt that kiss on his face.
The grownups immediately checked on the children.
"Children! Are you all okay?" Shaak asked. "Turha? Gabriella?"
"Mommy!" Turha ran into his mom's arms.
"Has anyone seen, Goldie?" Mariposa asked, looking around.
"Here I am!" Goldie said, popping out from the ball pit with Gabby and Lamenta.
"Thank heavens you're all okay." Padme sighed with relief.
"You're perfect!" Mila said, getting all the performers' attention.
Mila looked at all of them. At first, everyone started to believe she must've been a talent scout of some kind. This was their chance.
"All of you. I've been looking for people with your exact talents." Mila said. "My kingdom needs people with your exact talents. We've been forced to prepare all this food, and we need your help. Tell me, which of you is in charge here?"
"That would be me," said Qui-Gon. "I am Qui-Gon Jinn. My wife, Shmi."
Qui-Gon introduced the others, and they all told Mila their names.
"Well, you know our names, but we don't know yours." Kara said.
"Si, how rude of me." Mila said. "My name is Milagro Madrigal, but you can call me Mila. This is my friend Mona. We really need your help. Time is of the essence, and my family can reward you greatly for your services. Por favor. Please! Will you help us?"
The others thought it sounded like a great opportunity; whatever the job was, if they would get rewarded, it could be helpful.
"Where exactly would we be working?" Padme asked.
"I am from a kingdom called Encanto. It's not on most maps, not considered important to many big countries, but important to me."
Now they knew they had to take it. If Encanto was hidden, they could lay low from Palpatine.
"We'll take the job!" Qui-Gon said.
"Really?" Mila said. "Oh, gracias! You have no idea how badly I need you for this job."
"And you have no idea how badly we need this job." Anakin said. "You can explain the details on the way."
Everyone got onto their horses as Mila led the way. Luckily, Garrett had a little magic trick up his sleeve to give the horses without wings temporary flight so Mila could lead the way to her kingdom quickly.
"So, what's this kingdom of yours like?" Anakin asked, getting Sapphire to fly a little closer.
"Oh, you'll love Encanto. It's a beautiful kingdom." Mila said.
Mila told her new friends all about the beautiful things that existed in her kingdom. The many plants, crops, the animals, the beautiful towns, and of course that she had a big family she couldn't wait to introduce to all of them.
"I have to warn you though, my abuela can come off as rough around the edges, but she can also be very sweet." Mila said. "Now, my familia is big, but not nearly as big as yours. Have you all known each other long?"
"You could say that." Kit said.
"I honestly have to say, I can't say I've seen any bipeds besides humans." Mila said. "Are there more like you out in the world?"
"Yes, there are." Ki-Adi said. "I cannot say we've interacted much with the outside world much, however."
"Welcome to my world." sighed Mila.
"You never left your kingdom before now?" said Comedia.
"Nope. It's always been Encanto for me."
"Must be nice to get to stay in one place as long as you want." Ahsoka said.
"Not as great as you might think."
"Are there kids in your kingdom?" Myra asked.
"Yeah, lots of children, big and small. I actually have a little brother and sister the same age as your youngest members, and a cousin about Turha's age."
"Sounds like a wonderful place." Shaak said.
"Si. Except, being a girl there is not exactly easy. My kingdom is kind of stuck in another century where women basically are stuck as house maids, but I know I can do so much more. I invent all kinds of great things, and I get no appreciation for them. But, now that I've found all of you, I think the people will change their minds, not just for the sake of the women, but I also think it's about time we got a little taste of what's beyond our land. A safe haven is good for security and a home to return to, but adventure, never knowing what's coming next... that's where we find our true strengths."
"You got spunk, Mila. I'll give you that." Hunter said.
"That's what everyone says about me back home," giggled Mila.
Tech couldn't help smiling a little when he heard Mila laughed. For some reason, it sounded extra sweet to him, but then he got this odd feeling in his chest he couldn't quite explain.
"You okay back there, Tech?" Teatra asked.
"Y-yes. I'm fine." Tech said.
"So, tell me more about your abilities, everyone." Mila said.
It turned out, many of the members of this family had some kind of a magical power, similar to Mila's family.
In the Fetts' branch of this family, each sibling had a special power.
Hunter, for example, had heightened senses, meaning he could hear very well, sense disturbances, and he had a highly developed sense of smell and sight. Wrecker was super strong, Tech was the genius of the bunch, Crosshair had the sharpest shooting skills, Echo could talk to machines, Boba could breathe underwater, talk to fish, and control water, and Omega could control light.
Then there was Mace Windu's family. Mace was strong physically and with this telepathic ability. And his daughter Myra could do that too, but she did so more strongly with a guitar.
Actually, there were quite a few with this telepathic ability, among some other skills.
Plo could do that, as well as pilot pretty much anything and withstand nearly any atmosphere, including the vacuum of space for a brief amount of time, whereas his wife Shaak could sense pain and heal, and their daughter Ahsoka had quick agility. Kit Fisto could use telepathy, and he was also a strong swimmer and could breathe underwater, and his wife Aayla was a skilled fighter too.
And in Qui-Gon's branch, there were many powers too, including among his granddaughters. Lamenta could basically read minds, detect lies, and enter dreams. Goldie, on the other hand, specialized in talking to bugs, especially butterflies. And Qui-Gon himself had great super strength as well.
The rest of the group, though they didn't have magic, was very skilled in his or her own right at different things.
"I think the family is going to love all of you." Mila said.
And so, Mila and her new friends continued on their way to Encanto to find their destiny.