Hello, readers. Just wanted to let you know, in the beginning of this chapter, some of the characters briefly talk about the topic of autism.

As I mentioned in an earlier chapter, mental health awareness is a cause I care deeply about. And given that the horses have switched riders temporarily, I decided this would be a good opportunity to show how important it is to remind those who aren't aware to be patient if someone they know or work with is on the spectrum.

I was taught that you should simply treat them as you would anyone else. As in, respectfully, and this is true. Compassion and patience can go a long way to making a new friendship that will last forever. Unfortunately, some folks are not always so patient, especially if not educated on the matter. I'm still learning about it myself, so please forgive me if my addressing the matter needs a little work.

Everyone woke up the next morning to what felt like another day. Mila awoke in Tech's bed that very morning. She didn't let her family know, but she and Tech started cuddling at night sometimes when Mila stayed for days at a time. Nothing strenuous. Mostly cuddling and kissing, and keeping each other warm through the cold night.

Mila's eyes fluttered open as she first saw the face of her sweet boyfriend. With or without his glasses, Mila thought he looked adorable when he was sleeping. And seeing, or rather hearing, as he was snoring, he seemed to have regained some consciousness.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Mila sang quietly, kissing Tech on the lips to wake him.

But, Tech kept sleeping. So, Mila decided to just get up and see if everyone else was up yet for breakfast.

Everyone definitely was up and at 'em today. That was when all the kids' parents suddenly got an alert on their phones.

"Oh! Would you look at that?" Anakin said.

"What is it, Dad?" Omega asked.

"Apparently, classes have been cancelled at Windy Falls today." Caroline added. "Some kind of... infestation?"

"Same for Walker Prep." Padme said. "Apparently something went wrong with graffiti clean up and they need all students to stay home today. So, it looks like-"

"Snow day!" Gabby exclaimed, startling everyone. "On a sunny day too!"

"Guess that means we have time to spend together." Peppermint said. "So, now that you have a day off, what do you wanna do?"

"You could catch up on your assignments," said Hydrangea.

"Did those already." Boba said.

"Even biology?"

"Even that." Omega rolled her eyes.

That was when Mila came in.

"Good morning, Mila." Padme said. "How are you?"

"Very well, rested. Gracias. Tech, on the other hand, is still asleep."

"Whatever happened yesterday must've really knocked him out cold." Comedia said, still munching on her waffles.

Everyone was very worried about Tech after getting to Ord Mantell. Hunter had to pilot the ship while Tech was placed on a cot to rest. Qui-Gon got out the medical supplies and confirmed Tech was alive and alright, but he couldn't determine what caused him to black out like that.

And eventually, Tech came out from his room, looking at his tablet.

"Tech! You're alright!" Omega exclaimed happily, running up and hugging Tech. Except, Tech didn't respond at first.

"You sound surprised." Tech said, not looking up from his tablet.

And as Tech sat at the table, he didn't seem to look at anyone else either. That was strange. Sure, Tech's social skills still left something to be desired, but he always said good morning when he joined everyone for breakfast, and ever since Mila came around his social skills improved a lot. And despite not being a big hugger, he always patted Omega on the back to show he was responsive to her affection.

Comedia snorted on Tech to greet him too, but Tech wasn't too responsive to that either.

"Tech, you know it's rude not to acknowledge people, don't you?" Comedia said. "Hello? Anybody home?"

Comedia flew up a little and spoke a little louder this time.

"Hey! Do you hear me? I'm talking to you."

Still, Tech didn't even flinch. Comedia even tried making funny faces to get his attention. But, the others just got concerned. It became clear to them that they all knew something about Tech that Comedia clearly didn't.

"Comedia," Hunter said, tapping Comedia's shoulder. "A word?"

Comedia stopped and settled down.

"There's a little something you need know about Tech."

Hunter told Comedia that she might have to be a little more patient with Tech than she might've thought; she didn't know him too well, so she didn't fully understand yet why Tech behaved the way he did sometimes. To be fair, equines weren't known to deal with such issues as this one. But, Comedia could tell at least from Hunter's tone that he was about to talk to her about something serious. Serious issues were scary to face, but Comedia learned it was better to face the truth than wait for unintended consequences to blow up in her face like a whipped cream cake with an inflated balloon inside the moment you stuck a knife in it.

Comedia wanted to make good friends with Tech, but that was easier said than done for a lot of reasons. They'd only been switched for three days, and still no progress. Neither of them seemed to have much in common, not that they talked much. It felt kind of awkward at first for Comedia. She worried that maybe she did something wrong. Was Tech mad at her for that whoopee cushion prank? Did he not like her jokes? If that were the case, he didn't seem too vocal about it. Normally, Comedia could sense what others were feeling, but when it came to Tech, it was a little more... complicated sometimes. Last night, she snuck out to go see Master Mundi and she told him about how she was struggling with her new rider.

And Master Mundi told her, "You just need to have patience, Comedia. It took time for us to bond when we first met, remember? I'm sure with time, you and Tech just might become closer than you might've imagined."

All the horses needed to be patient with their new temporary riders, especially due to differing personalities among many of them, but some might have gotten trickier partners than others. Comedia came to realize Tech didn't respond to her pranks the same way as everyone else did. She thought maybe he just had a harder sense of humor to unlock, like Crosshair did sometimes. But, Tech also didn't seem that interested in talking when she wanted to strike up a conversation. Even when she made confetti for him when he won the race, he didn't respond much to that either.

Comedia liked Tech. She liked all the Batch; the only problem was connecting. And at the moment, she felt sure it was her fault Tech wasn't talking to anyone right now.

"What did I do wrong?" Comedia asked.

"Well, I don't think you meant to do anything wrong. But, I guess you didn't know."

"What?"

Hunter was silent at first, and then Anakin spoke for him.

"Tech has autism." Anakin said simply.

Comedia was confused.

"What's that?"

"You didn't learn about this in psychology class?"

"No. We haven't gotten to that chapter yet. But, now I'm curious. What is autism exactly? Is it contagious?" Comedia started to back away from Tech a little and put a wing over her mouth and nose.

"No, Comedia." Padme said. "Autism isn't a disease. It's like..." She thought for a moment. "You know how sometimes you have scary dreams from bad memories, or certain events trigger negative emotions in you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That's called Post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD for short. You can't always help it when those bad memories are triggered or how you might react to them. And, sometimes, autism patients experience similar issues when trying to get along in the world."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"It means Tech may not always respond to things the same way we do." Caroline said. "Things that seem normal to us might seem strange to him, kind of like how some of us might feel when we travel to different worlds with new customs."

"Like how my family felt when we first came to this world." Mila said. "Everything that's normal to you here, while some things looked like what we had back home, a lot of it looked foreign to us, and we didn't have proper guidance at first. But when we did find friends to help us, we were slowly able to get along better in this universe."

"That's right." Padme said. "Or even when the horses first moved in with us. They had to get used to different rules, different routines, different everything."

"Tech's mind works a little differently than yours or mine." Caroline said. "Sometimes, it may take him a little longer to learn new things. It doesn't mean he's not smart. He just needs time and patience so he can learn in his own time, like all of us do at some point. But, a lot of people tend to treat these patients like they're a problem, when truthfully, they just need some extra guidance."

"If it's not a disease, why do people treat it like one?" Comedia asked.

"Insensitivity," said Mariposa. "Ignorance, or simply they don't understand what it's like for patients of this condition. There's no cure for it, at least that we're aware, if one even exists. But, it can be treated, and patients slowly improve in their communication and social skills. An important thing to remember is that they're just as much people as we are, and we have to be patient with them."

"I dealt with anxiety growing up." Carmine said. "It's completely different, but a problem nonetheless. Similar to Tech, I had trouble making friends, but... one difference in my condition was that I felt scared of embarrassing myself, and I spent most of my time hiding and being afraid. I wanted to make friend and knew what I wanted to say, but I felt myself being stopped because my heart beat really fast, my palms got sweaty, and I chickened out."

"Anxiety is a little more common these days," said Susy, taking her adoptive son's hand. "But it can also be treated and overcome. The important thing is to not let it be any reason not to pursue your dreams."

Now Comedia felt bad about how she treated Tech. She had no idea there were people who had conditions that made it harder for them to learn or make friends. She knew from the therapist her adoptive father sent her to that she had gained PTSD and anxiety from her abusive upbringing with her birth parents, but she never realized there were folks who didn't have to experience that same abuse to struggle with certain things. It made her start to wonder if it might be part of why some seemed to have very terrified or hurt responses to some of her pranks in the past. Her ears drooped at that moment.

"I'm so sorry, Tech. I had no idea." Comedia said, rubbing her nose against Tech's head, except he didn't respond again. "Okay... I'm gonna let that go for your sake."

"Comedia, don't beat yourself up. I've taught several students with autism and similar conditions, and it isn't always easy." Garrett said. "In fact, it's often a challenge especially when you don't know a lot about it yet. Autism, in particular, is more common in males than females, but is serious nonetheless. It doesn't mean Tech doesn't care or he's less capable than us. He just may need a little help socializing or learning at times, and in some cases, they may not respond at first when people talk to them. Only..."

"Only?" Comedia was confused again.

"For as long as I've known Tech, he's usually more responsive than today."

And Garrett was right, this was strange behavior for Tech. As obsessed with his tablet as Tech appeared sometimes, everyone else felt sure it wasn't any mental health condition making him behave this way. His brothers especially, who've known him the longest, knew Tech didn't ignore everyone like that... not even when he was little.

"Tech, is everything okay?" Comedia asked gently. "Okay, now I'm not sure how I'm supposed to speak to him."

"Just talk to him like you do the rest of us, Comedia." Citrus said. "Still... hey, Tech! What's going on with your tablet?"

Finally, Tech looked up from his tablet.

"Sorry I have been unresponsive." Tech said. "I was in the middle of doing some important coding for a project that is being completed today."

"What kind of project?" Gabby asked.

"I was asked to assist with putting together a new game at the arcade that is being released as we speak."

Mona hadn't been to an arcade yet, so she was naturally curious about that.

"What's an arcade again?"

"You remember those games we played on the TV?" Lamenta said. "You know, Pac-Man, Mario Party, or Dance, Prance Revolution?"

Mona nodded.

"Well, an arcade is a place where you can play games like that, only bigger. And when you play these games-"

"You can get prizes!" Gabby said. "But you gotta win a lot of tickets for the good stuff. So, you gotta be super skilled at gaming. And there's lots of different games at this arcade. What kind of game is this new one, Tech?"

"A virtual reality one. As a matter of fact, I mentioned to them I happen to work for the royal family, and they were wondering if you and the children would like to be the first to try it."

"Can we?" The kids all asked their parents at the same time.

"What do you think, Padme?" Anakin asked.

Padme thought about it.

"Well, if school's out, then I don't see any harm in taking the kids to try out a new game."

The kids were super stoked to get going to the arcade.

"Let's go!" Gabby said, immediately getting ready to go.

"Come on, Daddy! Come on!" Gabby said impatiently as Boba and Omega pulled Anakin and she was riding on his back.

After dropping the babies off to be watched by Ahsoka and her family, Padme and the rest of the family went to the arcade, and the kids were all too eager to get going.

"Okay, why am I carrying three of the kids?" Anakin whined.

"I thought you were used to carrying a lot on your soldiers, Master Jedi." Padme chuckled.

"Yeah, and Lamenta won the coin toss." Gabby said, seeing her cousin riding on their grandpa's shoulders. "So, she got Grandpa."

"That's what happens when you have kids," said Garrett, being pulled by both his daughters. "Whoa! Girls! Slow down!"

"We can't! We're too excited!" Goldie said. "If school's cancelled, everyone's gonna be there!"

"And it's my first arcade trip!" Mona said. "What kind of prizes do they have?"

"Lots of stuff." Gabby said. "There's the small prizes that are usually the kinda boring stuff. Shaped erasers, plastic rings, spinning tops, a rubber ball. Things like that."

"But if you save your tickets," said Omega. "You can trade them for something really cool like a stuffed animal, a basketball, and all kinds of great stuff you can imagine."

Mona tried to imagine a cool prize she might look for at the arcade to win. Maybe they had one of those pull toys with little ducks that quacked when you pulled them around. Or maybe one of those singing bird cage music boxes she saw in the store the other day when Garrett was looking for a present for his sister Minka's birthday. Birds really fascinated Mona. Like butterflies, they had colorful wings, except theirs had soft feathers, and they lived in all kinds of places and had different ways of surviving too. Woodpeckers, macaws, and blue jays were among the most beautiful Mona had seen in books, but ducks remained her favorite, especially when she learned ducks are considered good luck in lots of places.

The only time Mona slowed down on this rush to the arcade was when she wanted to stop and watch a mama duck and her babies walk across the grass to the lake.

"Aww! Look how cute they are." Goldie practically squealed, seeing what Mona wanted to stop for.

"No video game can replicate a sight like that." Mona sighed happily.

Watching those baby ducklings jump into the pond with their mom and dad, it was an adorable sight. Mona couldn't help feeling touched when the mama duck turned around and waited for the last duckling to jump in, making sure none were left behind. Like a good mother should.

"As cute as ducklings are," said Boba. "Can we get going already?"

"Be patient, Boba." Shmi said. "One must never forget to enjoy the little things."

But, upon Tech insisting they needed to hurry up, they continued on their way to the arcade, where to the family's great surprise, no one else seemed to be there, aside from a few droids and people who worked there. That seemed strange to everyone at first. But then, Tech guided everyone to a spot in the back of the arcade, whereas the horses and one of the Batchers got distracted by other stuff. Wrecker wanted to play the Whac-a-Mole, Citrus stopped to play Dance, Prance Revolution, and Comedia spotted a seahorse plushie she really wanted to win. Luckily, she had some of her allowance with her, so she got herself some tokens to go play for it. Of course, everyone knew that was a difficult game to play, so Zipp and Magenta came to offer a little assistance to the alicorn princess.

The royal family and the Batch came to what looked like a set of booths. Enough for all of them.

"Is this the game?" Lamenta asked.

"Yes, it is. Now, if you will all step into a booth, you shall receive further instructions to how this game works."

So, the royal family, as well as Hunter, Echo, and Crosshair each stepped into a booth where they were scanned from head to toe, and then had virtual reality helmets placed on their heads.

To everyone's great surprise, they all found themselves in what looked like an empty field. Except, they all found themselves in rather odd outfits.

Anakin looked at himself and found himself dressed in blue overalls and a red shirt with a matching cap.

"What the heck?" Anakin said. "What's with the outfit?"

"Hey, we practically match." Carmine said, noticing he had an outfit like Anakin's, but in green.

"Ooh! I like Mommy's outfit!" Gabby cheered, seeing her mom in a pretty pink gown with a golden tiara. "And Aunt Caroline's too."

Caroline looked at herself, and sure enough, she was in an orange ball gown of sorts.

"What about me?" Omega said, finding herself in a cyan colored dress. "Why are we all dressed in different clothes"

"Aah!" Boba panicked when he saw himself in his outfit.

Boba's sisters couldn't help laughing when they caught sight of Boba in a green dinosaur costume.

"Why am I in this suit?!" Boba panicked.

"I think it's part of the game." Carmine snickered, trying not to laugh at his nephew's expense.

Boba's face turned red.

"This is so embarrassing!" Boba whined. "I'd rather be wearing that sailor outfit Grandma Jobal made me."

"Be glad you're not dressed like this at least." Crosshair said, looking at himself, Echo, and Hunter, as they all were dressed like they were in a hip-hop music video.

"I kinda like it," Echo confessed. "I could get used to this look."

"Hmm. Look at this." Susy looked at herself in a racer outfit. "And look at how cute you girls look.

Gabby and Lamenta were both dressed like race car drivers too, whereas Qui-Gon was dressed in a tuxedo, and Shmi in a red dress, like she and her husband were in a spy movie or something. And Kara, for some reason, was dressed like a space pilot.

"Welcome, said a new voice." That voice turned out to belong to a figure whose face was covered by what looked like another virtual reality helmet, the entire outfit in greenish blue and black, like he was a humanized computer or something. "You have entered the multi-world virtual reality game titled...Give or Escape."

"That's an odd name for a game." Anakin thought out loud.

"I am Gamer," said the figure. "I am the rule maker of this game. You will all be facing various worlds in this game, each of which you must conquest before leveling up. To end play at any time, simply say, 'Mariverde has won'."

"What?!" Everyone said at once.

Suddenly, there was the sound of laughter coming from behind the players, and they saw... Mariverde herself.

"Mariverde!" Anakin exclaimed angrily. He tried to tackle the woman, only to fall right through her, finding that she was just a hologram.

"Foolish royals! You've fallen right into my trap." Mariverde said. "You play by my rules now. If you wish to end it now, simply give me your crown jewels, and I will set you free."

"Never!" Qui-Gon said. "We will not allow you to commit any more damage to this galaxy."

"Very well. If you wish to be free, then you'll have to win the game. Which will be impossible."

Mariverde laughed as she vanished and Gamer reappeared.

"While you're here... Gamer..." Mariverde's voice echoed. "Why don't you share a glimpse of who you really are to our guests?"

To the confusion of everyone else, Gamer lifted the visor of his helmet to reveal...

"TECH'S BEEN CLAVATIZED!" everyone screamed.

DUN, DUN, DUUUUUNNNNNN!

"I am no longer Tech. I am Gamer now. And the rules are as follows."

1. Each player will only have three lives. If they lose all three, they will be expelled from the game into a banishment vortex.

2. There were no cheat codes of any kind in this game

3. In each world of the game, each player may only compete in one level.

4. To win the game, at least one player had to win. If they did, then all of them would be set free. If not, Mariverde won.