Hello readers. I am currently working on some new stories for Magical Jedi Tales, and will reference a few villains still in the works. If you think of any villains you'd like to see, a theme for a MJT story, or who you think should be Mariverde's next victim in a future chapter in this story or MJT, don't hesitate to leave a request in the reviews or PM. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Featured song:
"Some Things Never Change" From Frozen 2
Summer vacation was the time of year kids in schools looked forward to all year almost as much as the holidays when Santa came (if not, maybe more). A time when school's out, and kids can just have fun like the carefree spirited beings they are. They can spend their time at the beach, the mall, taking family vacations to the water park, eating ice cream and fruit slushies and looking for all kinds of fun ways to beat the heat, or sleeping late after a hard year of homework, tests, sports, and extracurriculars. But, all good things must come to an end.
Royal children were no exception to this rule. Especially not the Skywalker-Jinn children. Although, for them, they spent a lot of summer break fighting clavatized villains as well as landing escaped villains back in jail. There was Mama Bear, Tropi-Callous, Crescenda, Emo-Jacker, Whirlia, Anna Conda, Priyonka Atay, Tickler, Hocus Chaos, King of Hurts, Frostbite, Drag Queen, Junk Foodie... the list goes on.
But, a lot of good stuff did happen this summer too. Myra had the sweet sixteen of her dreams (even better than she imagined at that), Garrett reunited and reconciled with his family, the Monroe sisters reconciled with their parents, Mariposa found her father alive and brought him home safe and sound, Mona moved in and got Emeraldi as her new horse, Emeraldi made her mark, and Qui-Gon and Shmi finally got married. And despite the royal family and the Bad Batch dealing with missions and magical villains, they still had their moments of fun in the sun.
School was just a few days away, and the older Skywalker twins, Boba and Omega were going to start their very first year of high school too, and they wouldn't be alone. Their friend Myra Windu was entering her third year of high school, and another friend of theirs would be joining in her first year of high school too. Young Princess Comedia Evermare-Mundi.
It was crazy that Boba and Omega were already teenagers. Despite one of them being adopted much later than the other, and shortly before turning thirteen, Anakin and Padme couldn't help feeling tears come to their eyes seeing that Boba and Omega were growing up so fast.
As for the younger kids, for some of them, it felt strange to think that soon they would be going to different schools. And for one more of them, it felt even stranger that she would even be going to a real school at all. Garrett spent the last month tutoring Mona to make sure she passed a simple exam that showed she was ready to enter the third grade, as she would officially be turning eight soon (after doing some more digging into Mona's past, they finally managed to find her exact date of birth, and that she was actually a year younger than she thought. Time sort of gets away from you when you've never once been outside and never gained a real concept of time.)
But with all that was happening, it was mostly a big change for brother and sister Gabby and Boba Skywalker. With how much the family was growing, things sure got interesting for the two of them, as well as their parents. There were times, however, when they missed a simpler time. So, it was a rare and happy moment when Boba and Gabby could have some time alone, just the two of them like it used to be.
Today, the now seven-year-old Gabby and her big brother were having some time together under a special tree where Gabby's swing from the old Jedi Temple hung. When the two of them were much younger, one of their favorite things to do together was sit under a beautiful tree in the Temple garden and read a book, draw pictures, or enjoy a snack, and of course play on the swing or just talk. It was their special thing; their brother-sister time.
Gabby and Boba were very close, that was clear to everyone. Anytime the little kids wanted to play with the big kids, Gabby most often played with Boba. And Boba was still a wonderful big brother to her since the day he first came home. She still loved when he pushed her on the swing, and never got tired of playing Indiana Jones adventure with him. And Boba, in turn, never got tired of doing the big brother stuff. It felt good to have his younger siblings look up to him, although it felt like he was under pressure too in terms of setting an example for them. Especially with Gabby. She was the first sister Boba ever knew, and he never felt like he'd repaid his debt to her for how she saved him from a dark path, and he made a vow to himself and to her that nothing would come between their special bond. They might not have been related by blood, but they were an inseparable sibling pair.
Boba and Gabby were laying down on a blanket in the shade of their tree, and the boy chuckled as a big red leaf landed on his nose.
"Look at that," said Boba, picking the leaf up. "The leaves are already starting to change."
"Yeah. And it's starting to get cooler too." Gabby said, rubbing her arms slightly. "It really feels like time has just gotten away from us."
"I know. The tree isn't the only thing that's been changing though. Look at us. We've both gotten bigger."
It was true. Gabby grew at least 1.5 inches taller over the summer. Boba was getting taller too, and both he and his sister had outgrown most of their clothes and shoes. Good thing Gabby got a lot of new clothes for her birthday, and Boba and Omega got some too from all their grandparents as an early birthday gift. On a little more embarrassing note, Boba noticed his voice starting to crack a few times. He worried the other kids would laugh at him if that happened when he got to school. But, Gabby didn't laugh at him for it.
"I've seen scarier things than what I already know about puberty." Gabby said. "It takes a lot to scare this girl."
"You've always been a unique case of little kids," said Boba, ruffling his sister's hair. "I always admired that about you."
"It just feels weird that we're gonna be going to different schools soon."
"I know. And it's even crazier how fast we both grew." Boba took out his phone and looked at some old pictures from his first year as a Skywalker. "Look how little and cute you were."
"You were cute too." Gabby chuckled. "And your hair used to be shorter."
"Yeah. But now I see why Grandpa and Uncle Carmine let it grow out. It feels great when the wind blows through it."
"You've certainly changed a lot. In a lot of great ways. But one thing that hasn't changed about you is that you've always been very brave and determined."
The two siblings laughed together.
"Some things never change, do they?" Boba said.
"Nope. Some things, you just can't change, no matter how much we've grown." Gabby sighed, looking up at the clouds.
Gabby:
Yes, the wind blows a little bit colder
And we're all getting older
And the clouds are moving on with every autumn breeze
Gabby looked at some of the fruits and veggies in the garden, and saw one of Mariposa's pumpkins starting to rot.
Peter Pumpkin just became fertilizer
The leaf Boba held also started to look droopy.
Boba:
And my leaf's a little sadder and wiser
Gabby:
That's why I rely on certain certainties
Gabby took her brother's hand and got him to stand up with her now that she was big enough not to have to stand on her toes to hold hands with him, and they started to dance around the garden together and have some fun.
Yes, some things never change
Like the feel of your hand in mine
Some things stay the same
Both:
Like how we get along just fine
Boba lifted Gabby up and let her run along one of the stone walls of the garden.
Boba:
Like an old stone wall that'll never fall
Some things are always true
Gabby:
Some things never change
Gabby jumped from the wall, and was caught by her big brother's strong arms.
Like how I'm holding on tight to you
The two of them hugged like they always did.
Meanwhile, Mariposa and Garrett were just coming home after a little trip, and having a special surprise for Mona.
Mariposa:
The leaves are already falling
Dear, it feels like the future is calling
Garrett:
Are you telling me tonight
We're telling Mona her surprise?
Mariposa
Yeah but, I worry 'bout she'll be feeling
It's been a real summer of changes
Garrett:
Maybe you should leave the complicated stuff to me
Garrett twirled his wife around and gave her a kiss. So much had changed for their family. Much like the Skywalker-Jinns, the Heartwood family was growing too. Though that was a big change, and not just because Garrett's side had a big family, there were some things that never changed about Garrett or his wife and children. But they hoped to make one change that involved growing their clan of the family, and Mona was a big part of it.
Yeah, some things never change
Like the love that I feel for you
Some things stay the same
Garrett looked into Mariposa's eyes, which Goldie inherited.
Like how our love is strong and true
And if we commit and we go for it
We'll know what to say and do
Right?!
Both:
Some things never change
Even as the whole family grows
Some folks, however, were feeling a little uneasy about how things were changing.
Padme Skywalker was one of those. The Clone War may have been over, but now the Doresho War had begun. Padme couldn't help worrying how this would affect the children's future. She, like so many others, thought that when the Clone War ended, it would mean their children would grow up in a peaceful galaxy. But instead, there was a crazy butterfly lady, the sister of her husband's teacher's wife, who was spreading chaos everywhere at random times. There was no telling where or when it would be safe again, what with all the clones disappearing. And sometimes, she could swear in her dreams some nights, she was starting to hear voices calling for help with the restoration of Solaris for more reasons than one.
Padme:
The winds are restless
Could that be why I'm hearing this call?
Is something coming?
I'm not sure I want things to change at all
Padme looked at the baby twins and Charlotte as Lamenta and Omega were playing with them. She knew the children were growing, and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Now she was starting to see how Anakin felt when Omega started hanging with a boy and he freaked out about her being too young for it and such.
These days are precious
Can't let them slip away
I can't freeze this moment
But I can still go out and seize this day
Just another day went by, surprisingly and thankfully no battle with any villains. But, it was still tiring as everyone was getting ready for another school year with the kids. Even Diamond was getting bigger. She hadn't yet made her mark, but she was getting bigger and stronger like the other kids.
But before that, the royal family traveled to Solaris to announce that construction on some of the most essential buildings was finally complete. And one of those buildings that was being opened today was a museum that would help revive Solaris' history teachings, and hopefully help them find the truths they didn't know yet. Slowly, as houses and villages were restored, descendants of Solaris, and even some non-Solarans looking for a new place to call home started to move in, and of course the royal family promised all were welcome, enchanted or not, no matter what their species.
Everyone:
Ah ah ah ah ah ah
The wind blows a little bit colder
Diamond:
And you all look a little bit older
Gabby:
It's time to count our blessings
Gabby & Boba:
Beneath an autumn sky
Everyone:
We'll always live in the kingdom of plenty
That stands for the good of the many
Qui-Gon:
And I promise you the flag of Solaris will always fly
Qui-Gon & Shmi:
Our flag will always fly
Everyone:
Our flag will always fly
Our flag will always fly
Some things never change
Turn around and the time has flown
Some things stay the same
Though the future remains unknown
May our good luck last
May our past be past
Time's moving fast, it's true
Some things never change
Padme (hugging Anakin):
And I'm holding on tight to you
Mariposa & Garrett (hugging):
Holding on tight to you
Qui-Gon & Shmi (hugging):
Holding on tight to you
Boba (hugging Gabby)
Holding on tight to you
Gabby:
I'm holding on tight to you
"Hmm. Eenie, meenie, minie..." Comedia looked at a bunch of different school bags.
This was her very first year of high school, and she wanted to make the best of it, especially on the first day. She'd seen shows about high school before when she was younger, and heard stories from Myra since she'd been in high school for two years already. It was said to be a battlefield. Except, instead of facing battle droids and getting shot at with lasers, you faced these kinds of things: cliques, mean girls, jerky jocks, mean teachers, trying to fit everything into your locker, popularity contests, and of course final exams at the end of the year.
Comedia wasn't worried though. She was sure after living with her abusive parents for fourteen years, she could survive anything high school had to throw at her.
"Have you decided yet, Comedia?" Ki-Adi asked after finding other supplies Comedia would need for school.
"Still looking." Comedia said. "I wanna find one that screams 'Here I am! Ready to start the day!' You know."
"The appearance of the bag isn't nearly as important as what it holds, Dear. Remember that."
"I know, but still." Comedia kept looking.
Ki-Adi would probably never understand teenagers and their need for trendy clothes and accessories, even when it came to school supplies.
Finally, Comedia spotted a beautiful trendy backpack that was on sale. They were very stylish with little shiny rhinestones in a diamond weave on the front pocket, and it came in four colors. White, royal blue, sunny yellow, and Comedia's favorite... purple.
So, Comedia went to grab the last purple backpack, when a hand also grabbed it at the same time as her.
"Oh! Sorry, but this is my bag." Comedia said to the blonde girl she'd encountered. And then she froze. "You?!"
"What the hell are you doing here?!" said the blonde, who turned out to be none other than the Evermare sisters' old enemy Brittney Parisia.
"I should be asking you the same thing."
Brittney started shouting for someone to call the authorities, claiming there was a wild animal in the store. Comedia took that as an opportunity to take the backpack she wanted and rush away back to her father.
"I found the bag I want! Can we get out of here?" Comedia panicked.
"Comedia, was that-?" Ki-Adi said.
"Don't worry about it. Let's just go!"
Comedia sighed with relief after she and her father finally got out of there and away from Brittney.
"I probably could've handled that better." Comedia said. "But there was no way I was gonna stick around for more trouble with that brat after the way she treated me and Emeraldi."
Both the alicorn and Cerean would've thought Brittney would've been in juvenile detention or something after what happened with Emeraldi at the pageant, but at the same time it didn't surprise Comedia to see her out. Even without the separatists corruption, money talks to certain people, and there were still rich families who got away with anything by buying their way out. Thank heavens that Comedia wouldn't have to worry about running into her later. She hoped.
Omega looked in her closet for an outfit to wear to her first day of school. It didn't seem too hard. She figured she would simply wear her new green pants a red shirt and dark blue jacket. It looked cool to her. But then, she thought again. Should she go for a dress instead?
Omega was okay wearing dresses for special occasions when she needed to look her best, but she personally preferred to wear pants instead of skirts. Even on the occasion she did wear a skirt, it was usually a skort.
But, Omega didn't know enough about high school to know how she would need to dress. Since she was a princess now, and high school was a place where expectations were set higher than during childhood, Omega started to wonder stuff. Would everyone be expecting her to wear a dress to school all the time? Would the other kids even like her? Would she do well in her new classes? Hera wasn't going to be attending high school with her, so she worried about making new friends.
Boba also felt nervous about starting high school. And not just because of puberty or the fact that he wasn't sure if he should wear his cheer outfit or something a little more princely. He thought about what Gabby said about going to different schools. It was a big change for them, even though they'd only been going to the same school for one year. He'd gone through more changed in his young life than he could count. He hadn't expected this kind of life when he was a bounty hunter. He wasn't sure which was more intimidating, chasing difficult targets like his birth father used to, or the thought of all kinds of scenarios that could occur in high school.
Mona, on the other hand, wasn't sure how to feel about going to school with the other kids. She hardly felt safe when she was prison schooled in whatever facility her mother kept her in. And people seeing her wings was the least of her worries. She thought other kids might not like her because she was so shy and quiet most of the time, and scared of the outside world with little knowledge of what children her age typically do for fun. But she felt even more scared known that when she was at school, the grownups would leave her there, and she didn't like the idea of leaving Hunter behind, and Emeraldi couldn't come with her either. The grownups, her aunt and uncle especially, reassured her that they would always come back for her after school, and that if she struggled at all, it was always a good and smart idea to ask for help from her teachers.
"Why don't you take Squishy to school with you?" Emeraldi suggested. "You love your duck."
As much as Mona loved Squishy, she still felt terrified.
It seemed everyone was getting nervous about school starting for one reason or another, including the grownups. Although, with the children at school, it would give them some time to focus on other things. Qui-Gon and Shmi were still overseeing the opening of a new school in Solaris, with Kara's help of course, Carmine was coming very close to earning the rank of Jedi Knight and needed all the time to train he could get, The Batchers were getting into more missions, Caroline was helping Brenda and Mace finalize everything for their wedding in a couple of weeks, and Anakin and Padme were both working at the Senate as representatives for Solaris and assembling a plan for how they would locate Mariverde and defeat her.
Chancellor Bail Organa began to find himself at his wit's end when people began to question him more what he planned to do about this crazy gypsy who was cursing people and setting criminals loose, thus endangering the Republic possibly worse than the Separatists were before. He tried to assure everyone he was doing all he could, but with no magic of his own or knowledge of doresho gypsies, he wasn't sure what he could do at this point. So, when Padme introduced her family's new teacher and his wife, Bail was glad to hear Garrett knew a lot about Mariverde's species, but after being made to take an immortal oath, he was also shocked to find that Mariposa was a doresho gypsy and Mariverde was her sister.
"Once you've heard the whole story, I know you will feel differently." Mariposa had said.
She got out her crystal ball and some of her butterflies and showed the chancellor what really happened all those years ago before doreshoes were labelled as monsters. Before then, they weren't even called doreshos. Their species used to be called maricambas, and they were more sorcerer than gypsy, and while mostly native to Solaris, there were many tribes of them all across the kingdoms, and all these butterfly sorcerers had powers that created some form of change. But after ancestral Solarans began spreading rumors about them using butterflies to enslave people and cause chaos, they were labelled in every book of dark creatures as Doresho Gypsies.
"They only started calling us gypsies because we've been forced to move from place to place due to the fact that no place has been safe for us to walk freely in centuries." Mariposa said, looking frustrated.
Bail couldn't help feeling sorry for Mariposa after learning all she'd been through because of the Galaxy's prejudice toward doresho gypsies, or rather maricambas. Losing her father to crazy hunters when she was only a child, having to forage and raise herself for over a decade, and having to hide her daughter's heritage just to keep her safe. And Mariposa seemed like a wonderful woman, and Garrett was obviously a very smart man... so if he was able to fall in love with her even though he'd initially been afraid, how bad could she really be?
Back at the Temple, Myra was going over a list of her school supplies she needed to start the new school year.
"Notebooks? Check. Pens and pencils? Check. Erasers, rulers, and calculator? Check, check, check!" Myra checked off her list. "Why do I feel like I'm missing something?"
"Could it be a new backpack?" said a familiar voice, entering Myra's bedroom.
And in came Mace with his hands behind his back.
"Dad, you didn't." Myra said.
Mace smiled and presented Myra with a new backpack she'd been eyeing for a while. It was a black backpack with the Red Hot T's band decorated logo on it. He even put a little red guitar key chain with Myra's name on it.
"What future rock star could survive without her perfect backpack?" Mace said as more of a statement than a question.
"This is just the backpack I wanted." Myra smiled and hugged her father. "Thanks, Dad."
Even their family was facing a few changes. Kade was especially skeptical about all the changes going on. His mother was getting married soon, and he would officially have a new father too. But, as happy as he was for them, he also felt worried. He liked Mace just fine, but still felt unsure how to address him, and sometimes he felt worried by how others seemed to look at his family oddly whenever they walked in public together.
Sadly, it wasn't the first time Kade experienced such looks. Any time he'd gone out with his mom and Myra, people (mostly humans) seemed to whisper or give odd looks because Kade was the only light skinned individual in a family with dark-skinned members. He'd gotten his skin color from his biological father, much like Myra had dark skin likely because both her biological families were dark-skinned too. Kade still didn't understand why some humans looked at his family in such a way. What did their skin color have to do with anything? They lived in a galaxy filled with all different species who got along just fine.
Kade had seen a lot more than his biological family might've known. He didn't remember the accident as well as his sister, but sometimes, he had nightmares about a terrible crash, and he could hear sirens and cries of pain and despair. And though much of it was a blur, he remembered his sister being distressed for a while, and that day they ran into a strange man in the grocery store who had eyes like Myra's, Kade couldn't help looking over his shoulder when Myra walked away with him after their mom sent them off supposedly to talk to the guy. But when his mom announced she had a new boyfriend and the same man came to their home for the first time, Myra looked angry and seemed more protective than ever of him. He always knew he was a little different, but now he felt even more different.
Even Kade was growing and changing. He didn't need magic or the Force to go through big changes. And he could see a lot was changing for his big sister too. She seemed so sure of herself, determined, and ready to face a challenge. But, he had no clue what he wanted to do yet. Luckily for him, he was only entering the second grade, so he had time to figure out his future.
For now, his future stepfather approached him.
"I didn't forget you, Kade." Mace said, ruffling his future stepson's hair.
Kade looked at the backpack Mace got him. It was green with giraffes on it. Kade always loved animals, and when he learned his stepfather was from the same heritage as his grandfather, he grew more curious about their heritage and the wildlife on the planet they're heritage resided in, and Kade soon learned that savanna animals fascinated him the most. One thing Kade did know for sure, whatever he wanted to be when he grew up, it would be something to do with animals.
Pretty soon, there came the day for the first day of school. The royal family sat at breakfast that morning, hoping they were ready for what would be the beginning of another busy school year.
"It still feels weird, Big Brother." Gabby said. "We're going to different schools now. And you're gonna be with a bunch of new kids too."
"I know," said Boba. "I'm nervous too. But hey, we'll still see each other after school all the time, and we'll still be in Garrett's class when we take lessons too."
"Yeah, that is true. I just hope high school isn't as scary as movies make it look."
"You and me both."
"Same," said Omega.
Anakin looked at the time and saw it was time to take the children to school.
"Come on, kids. Time for school!" Anakin said.
The kids quickly grabbed their bags and went to their designated escorts. Hunter, Anakin and Padme were taking the younger children to school, while Qui-Gon and Shmi took the twins to their new high school. Their new school wasn't even on Naboo. Rather, it was on Coruscant.
This new school was also a private school with high learning standards, and teachers who took ensuring their students' future very seriously. A lot of teenage children of big successes as well as talented students attended this school, which made it perfect for Boba and Omega, as well as an intelligent mare like Comedia, and a determined spirit like Myra.
The Jinns met with Masters Mundi and Windu as they each had their children all ready to head to their new school.
Comedia was dressed in a new purple sweater her father made for her, and she rode in the speeder with him as well as Master Windu and Myra.
"New sweater?" Myra said.
"Yup." Comedia said. "Dad made it for me for my first day of school."
"You look good."
Soon, the two speeders came to arrived at a fancy-looking white building where there were lots of other kids walking in.
Myra seemed the most familiar with the building, but Boba, Omega, and Comedia all looked nervous.
"Ready to go in?" Myra said.
The others all looked at each other and gave the same response.
"As we'll ever be."
The kids all hugged and kissed their parents goodbye.
"Be good, you two." Shmi said, kissing her grandchildren's heads.
"Grandma!" Boba whined.
"You're growing up so fast, I wish we could keep you little forever."
"Doesn't every parent?" Myra said more as a statement than a question. "Let's get in before we're late for homeroom. Don't worry, everyone. I know this place like the tunes to every Red Hot T and Count Crescendo song there is."
The others weren't sure how to respond to that. But, they walked in with Myra, ready to begin their very first day of high school.