You know all those stories about magical creatures and people who can cast spells? Well, this story contains those kinds of things, but that's not the only kind of magic you may see.
You see, when you hear the word 'Magic', what comes to mind first for you? A magician pulling a rabbit out of his top hat? The Tooth Fairy appearing in your bedroom to take your baby tooth and leave money under your pillow? A fairy godmother turning a maid's outfit into a fancy gown? Or Santa Claus flying through the sky on his magic sleigh pulled by flying reindeer? Well, those are magical experiences, but magic can come in forms that are not necessarily sorcery.
You see, the thing about witchcraft, to put it simply, the kind to avoid altogether is when you try to play God and mess with the delicate balance of nature, but if somehow you were granted special powers, it is because there is something in you only a greater force can see. But, how you choose to use that power, it's either giving a gift back to your maker, or losing yourself in abusing your gift.
You don't have to take my word for it, if you so choose. The truth is though, you don't need the power to read minds or to turn rocks into diamonds to experience magic, because there are all kinds of magic in seemingly ordinary places.
There is magic in nature when new life comes about, especially in the spring when lots of beautiful flowers bloom, the trees grow lots of beautiful new green leaves, and many baby animals are born. There is also magic in imagination. All you have to do is let your mind wander for a moment, allow your thoughts to piece together, and sooner or later, you'll have a picture in your head that can lead to all kinds of great ideas, like a design for a new outfit, a story or a poem to write, or even a solution to a problem.
But a truly special kind of magic is the magic of love. Love, however, is a very complicated type of magic. It comes in a lot of forms, but what all of them have in common is that it is always between at least two people. There's love between a bride and groom, love between brothers and sisters, love between parents and children, love between best friends, love between a boyfriend and girlfriend, even love between pets and their people. However, love is often mistaken for other things. Love can be mistaken with greed, pride, fear, and especially lust. In turn, that becomes a leading cause of heartbreak and people falling apart.
Despite the complexity of the entire concept of love, it has a way of bringing people together, especially families.
In the case of a young couple by the name of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala Naberrie, or rather Padme Skywalker, there was a lot of love in the air.
If there was one thing that showed the very beacon of the power of love, it was a wedding. You know, the event when a man and a woman come together, get all dressed up, and they make a vow to each other to always be loyal, love each other, support each other, and to get through all the tough times together as a team. Marriage was not anything to enter into lightly, this not every couple knew. And at this particular time, the groom thought very hard about it and chose to risk it all to propose to the woman he loved.
At the moment, Padme and Anakin spent some time alone in Padme's quarters, the bride still in her wedding dress as she had her new husband's arms around her, and they were kissing non-stop. Anakin would need to return to the Jedi Temple soon. Most brides and grooms had a big party with a beautiful cake and lots of dancing or they took off in a beautiful limo or horse-drawn carriage on their way to their honeymoon. However, this couple was in a forbidden love story, which meant they needed to keep their romance and their marriage secret. The only ones who knew about it besides them were the five witnesses they had at their private ceremony. They would've invited Padme's family, but they had to be very discreet about the whole thing.
For the time being, Anakin wanted to make the most of what time he had left with his new wife before returning to the Temple.
Kissing his wife, Anakin felt like the most blessed man in the galaxy to be with such an angel. He pulled her closer and sighed happily feeling her lips against his. Padme felt the same as she deepened the kissing. The two barely stopped for air. It was as though kissing replaced breathing for them.
"I don't know how I ever got along without you." Anakin sighed, gently resting his forehead against Padme's.
"Oh, Ani, I love you so much." Padme sighed.
"I love you too... Mrs. Skywalker."
Padme closed her eyes with another sigh.
"Kiss me again, Ani."
"As you wish, my angel." Anakin whispered, closing his eyes and kissing his wife once more.
Padme knew as well as Anakin that keeping their marriage secret wouldn't be easy, but then again, no marriage was without its hardships. Plus, they would be going through this together, because marriage was a team effort, and so was parenthood.
As much as Anakin wanted to spend more time with his wife, he needed to return to the Temple with his sister and daughter. Anakin shared one last kiss with his wife and promised her he would do everything in his power to return to her as soon as possible. Until then, he told her anytime she missed him, the wooden ring he made her would serve as a reminder of his undying love for her.
A war had just begun between the Galactic Republic and a new group called the Separatist Alliance, who were being led by former Jedi Count Dooku, and he wasn't alone. Dooku had apparently taken a bride, a bride by the name of Gray Yolanda Morphina, but she went by Lady Morpha. And Gray had a sister who called herself Mariverde.
Most of the Republic didn't know much about these two sisters, but that was what the Jedi Council summoned Anakin and Kara to their chambers to discuss.
Carousella waited outside of the Council chambers on Anakin's command, but the alicorn had her ear against the door to listen in.
According to Chairwoman Laverne, who was on holo-call with the Jedi Council, Mariverde and Lady Morpha were sisters both in crime and biologically. Both of them were on the EHC's Most Wanted list, and their species, Doresho Gypsies, were among the most dangerous of all the dark creatures. According to notes of their past crimes, Lady Morpha was known to enslave people with her moths and to control moths to the point of doing anything she wanted, including murder. And, she was also infamous for seducing powerful men in order to use them for nefarious purposes, but this was the first case they'd heard of her marrying a man. Maybe there was something about Dooku that made him particularly attractive to her, like a moth to light, only this time it was a moth attracted to darkness.
Mariverde, however, though she was the younger sister, was much scarier and a lot more dangerous. No one had ever seen her face because she always kept it hidden under a standalone hood, and she almost never appeared out in the open. Little was known about her, but according to what little they did know about her, Mariverde was very manipulative, and she literally created villains using what she called mariclavas, which she used usually on inanimate objects, but sometime she used them on living creatures too, and she was very sneaky too.
To make matters worse, it appeared that while Lady Morpha was captured, it merely served as a distraction for Mariverde to commit another crimeâ of unlocking every cell in M.A.R.E.D.
"What's MARED?" Gabby asked.
Chairman Laverne explained that MARED was an acronym for the Maximum Armed Rogue Enchanteds Detention; it was the most secure maximum security prison in all of Enchantra, which inhabited many of that system's worst criminals. In that prison, criminals were in magic-proof walls that were custom made to be inescapableâ at least until Mariverde managed to use her mariclavas to trick the guards into releasing all of the prisoners and deactivating the irremovable tracking collars all of them wore for the rare event any of them escaped. But all of them at once?
"How many prisoners are we talking about exactly?" Kara said.
"Just about a few... Hundred." said the chairwoman awkwardly.
"Pfft! We faced a few thousand battle droids, that's nothing." Anakin huffed.
"But did those battle droids have dark magic that could bring your worst nightmares to life, manipulate natural disasters, and cause inanimate objects to attack?!"
That was just the tip of the iceberg, though. There were criminals of many species that used to occupy that prison, and all of them were wanted for different things in various kingdoms, most of them more than two. Many of them were in there for years, some centuries even, and not just because some naturally lived longer than others. M.A.R.E.D also had a spell on some of its cells that prevented certain prisoners from aging to force them to live a very long sentence rather than take the easy way out, because think about itâ what's the point of having eternal youth if you're trapped in a literal prison?
The Jedi could see they were going to need help with this battle, so the commission discussed with the Nine Kingdoms, whose leaders agreed to send some of their best warriors, as well as experts to teach them everything they needed to know about various enchanteds and their abilities.
And, the commission sent over a special tool. A whole crate of it, in fact. Inside were what looked like gold bracelets, each with three butterfly shaped stones on it. A little green one, a little red one, and a big white diamond. These were called clava-detectors. The green stone, if tapped once, would turn into a real butterfly, and could be used to locate a person if given the name. The red stone, if tapped, could be used as an emergency beacon if a wearer needs to call for help, and the diamond changed color. If doresho magic was anywhere nearby, it would change from white to green, and the closer it was, the greener it changed. Plus, they were very fashionable.
"Pretty." Gabby gasped, her eyes lighting up when she admired the new bracelet on her wrist.
"Yes, they're very pretty, little one." Chairman Laverne chuckled. "But remember, don't touch the red gem unless it's an emergency."
Every Jedi Council member put a clava-detector on his or her wrist, so did Anakin and Kara. It was imperative that they kept them on at all times, and remember the three main rules of fighting dark enchanteds:
Know your target Do not engage unarmed
And most importantly…
Never try to fight a dark force enchanted alone.
"And since you have an enchanted child in your midst, she will require a bodyguard of sorts."
"As luck would have it," said Anakin. "She has one now. The best in her field."
"Excellent."
The Council thanked the Commission for their time, and they ended the transmission to get down to some business they had to deal with in regards to Gabby's new guard. As many were aware, Anakin and/or Kara couldn't be with Gabby every second of the day, and there could come an event where at least one of them was too sick or injured to play babysitter. The Council members looked after her sometimes, but they had a million places to be too. And being a princess, Gabby required a special guard.
Anakin let Carousella enter the Council Chambers so the Council could meet her. Some of the masters felt a hint of deja vu; they definitely experienced something like this before, except this horse was purple, younger, and she wore armor.
"This is Carousella Mareheart." Anakin said.
"Newly recruited Lieutenant of Equinaro's royal guard," said Carousella.
"How old are you?" Mace asked.
"Nine years old."
The Council was confused; Queen Reigna let a child run the royal guards?
"My father is captain of the guard and my mother is one of the highest ranking guards, and rest assured, the queen wouldn't stand for nepotism. I've trained since I was two."
"She was sent for me, and I really love her!" Gabby said excitedly, hugging Carousella. "Can she stay, please?"
The Council needed a bit of convincing though. So, Carousella decided to give them a little demonstration. Carousella's sweet demeanor changed to that of a drill sergeant. She had Gabby and her family stand back.
"You... Master Windu, front and center." She stomped her hoof.
Master Windu stood up and approached Carousella.
Carousella circled around Mace and looked him head to toe like she was inspecting him. For a kid, she had a serious attitude, and not like she had a problem with authority.
"A thing about horses, they can sense the energy and intentions of an individual ten miles away. Me? I learned how to detect from a thousand miles away, because my job requires me to find the threat before it finds the target."
Inspecting the energy surrounding Mace, Carousella could sense a bit of arrogance and someone who could strike a blow, but that was small potatoes to her.
"You must be quite a warrior to be second in command of this council."
Mace was shocked, so was the rest of the council.
"How do you know I'm second in command?"
"Positioning of the seats and quality of Master Yoda's robes. As far as I can see, his robes have a more cape-like quality, and noting the distance between the various seats, yours is two inches closer to Yoda's than Master Mundi's."
"And how do you know everyone's names already?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Simple. Gabriella is very talkative, and she spoke of each of her quote unquote, 'aunts and uncles' in detail. Uncle Obi-Wan being her favorite, I might add."
"I thought I was your favorite," said Kit, seeming hurt.
"I never said anyone was my favorite," said Gabby.
"As I suspected. Master Fisto, you are more sensitive than you let on. Deep down, many of you compete for the girl's attention and affection because none of you have had the chance to raise children of your own."
"By God. She's like a mind reader!" Master Koth said.
Part of being a guard was being observant.
"Not to mention, I know how to disarm an opponent easily." Carousella said, rolling Mace's lightsaber under her hoof.
Mace felt his belt and found his weapon missing.
"How did you do that?!"
"That's my little secret."
Carousella kicked the weapon to Windu's feet.
"Still don't believe my skills?"
"HYAH!"
Carousella broke two boards with her strong hooves. Then five boards, and ten boards. That was just a warmup for her.
Carousella was a black belt in every form of martial arts, and she was quick to demonstrate her physical abilities. She could put serious dents in solid steel, shatter cinder blocks, kick a boulder ten times her size, and she had the keenest sense of smell of most horses in Equinaro.
And when the council put her up against the little ball that shot lasers to train younglings in lightsaber combat, she dodged every shot and kicked it right into the wall.
Carousella was shown to be very alert, intelligent, and physically capable beyond belief. But most importantly, she was good with kids. She was friendly enough to pet, young enough to interact with a child, and she was a very special type of alicorn: a music-corn.
"A music-corn?" Obi-Wan said, sounding confused.
Carousella smiled and switched from her armor to a lovely pink saddle before she place Gabby onto her back.
"There's a reason my name is Carousella," said the alicorn. "Remain seated and keep your hands on the rein and feet in the stirrups at all times.
Carousella started to run and then she spread her wings and started to fly as her horn began to glow, and something magical sounded.
(Cue: "Be Our Guest" Carousel version)
Carousella flew around, going up and down and round and round like on an actual merry-go-round, to Gabby's delight.
"This is even better than the merry-go-round at the park!" Gabby squealed in delight. "Woohoo!"
"Be careful!" Anakin exclaimed, a bit worried about his daughter being up so high, especially when Carousella did a loop.
Once the ride started, Gabby didn't want it to end, but Carousella stopped to calm Anakin and speak to the council.
"That's what a music-corn does."
The Council was impressed by Carousella's performance.
"Can she stay? Can she?" Gabby fluttered her lashes at the Council members.
The Council said they needed to think about it, but Anakin gave them a look. Obi-Wan in particular looked at Anakin, who was clearly saying something in his eyes, and he had a good sense of what.
"There is a chance of attachment," said Mace.
But then Obi-Wan reminded the Council about what happened years ago when Anakin had a pony sent for him, and then the council decided he couldn't keep her. Obi-Wan remembered all too well.
After Anakin had the news broken to him that Sapphire wouldn't be allowed to stay with him, the poor boy was heartbroken. Anakin spent all night the first night crying, and in the daytime, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He'd draw pictures of her all the time and stick them to his bedroom wall.
While Gabby and Carousella went to play, Anakin went to his room and pulled something out from under his pillow. A blue ribbon. The same blue ribbon, in fact, that Sapphire had given him ten years ago to remember her by. He hadn't seen or heard from her since. People kept telling Anakin to forget, to let go. But he couldn't. He missed her so much; Sapphire was the first real friend he had since he was freed. The first friend who really showed him how to be a kid. She promised she would never forget him, and Anakin believed she meant it, so he refused to forget her.
Now, Gabby had a pony and the council said they had to "think about it," which meant a chance that Gabby would get her heart broken too.
Anakin curled up into a ball and held the ribbon close to his heart, tears stinging his eyes.
Anakin decided he needed to talk to Gabby about something serious. He had her sit down on her bed as he explained to her that there was a chance the Council might not let Carousella stay.
"Why not?" Gabby asked, sounding worried.
"This happened to me when I was a little boy."
Anakin explained to Gabby what happened with Sapphire years ago and how the council said she couldn't stay because of the attachment rules. Gabby, however, didn't understand. If Sapphire loved Anakin and he loved her, shouldn't that have been enough reason to let them stay together? Anakin had just lost his mom and his potential teacher and the only father figure he knew before Obi-Wan. And they just had to make him lose a dear friend too.
"The difference between then and now, we can have Carousella live at the penthouse, and you'll get to see her whenever you're with your mom."
Gabby was still a little confused. If Jedi were supposed to be compassionate, why would they have rules against forming relationships? It didn't sound fair.
"Yeah, it never made much sense to me either, even now." Anakin said.
"Then how come you never just left the order so you could stay with Mommy and me?"
"Believe me, I thought of it, Baby Girl. But, your mother insisted I shouldn't have to give up on my dream of being a Jedi. So, I stayed to complete my training. And right now, with the war going on, we need every fighter we can get. And attachments and love... they're not the same thing."
"Why?"
"Well, when you're attached to someone or something, you become possessive of it. Kind of like when someone has a toy and they don't like to share it with anyone else, and they treat it like it's more important than anything else. But, loving a person. That's something special. The people we love, unlike material objects, can never be replaced. Family is one of the most important things to appreciate in life, and that's why I'm fighting for them. When we love someone, we fight for them no matter what."
Anakin showed Gabby the blue ribbon he got from Sapphire.
"That's why I keep this ribbon. Sapphire gave it to me so I'd always remember her, and every time I see it, I feel like she's still here."
Gabby could see Anakin was on the verge of crying again. She hugged her father.
Anakin froze and wrapped his arms around his little daughter; he wouldn't be surprised if one of her powers were magic hugs, because they certainly put a spell on anyone she hugged. And in this case, his tears started to fade away.
Eventually, the Council made its decision. After much debate, the Council realized with the war beginning and the dangerous criminals running amok in the galaxy, Gabby was going to need more protection than ever before. So, they said,
"YAY! CAROUSELLA CAN STAY!" Gabby squealed.
In case you hadn't guessed, Carousella was allowed to stay.
Carousella didn' stop at being Gabby's guardian, however. She took safety very seriously. She even had a notepad to write citations.
"Lack of emergency hammers regularly placed by windows, insufficient supply of fire extinguishers, several ships lacking safety restraints, and Master Windu should not be allowed within ten feet of any cooking appliances."
Gabby didn't say it out loud, but that last notice, she believed to be true. After the last time she walked by Master Windu's apartment and smelled smoke, Anakin made it clear Mace was not to cook anything when he was watching Gabby.
"Is she a royal guard or a cop?" One of the younglings said.
"She and Obi-Wan are gonna get along just fine." Anakin sighed.
However, playtime was going to have to wait, because Anakin was called to go on a mission on Christophsis, and Kara was assigned to attend another mission in Equinaro.
Anakin rushed to a ship to head on the mission, but he didn't know that there were two extra guests on the ship.
Gabby and Carousella were conducting another inspection to make sure the ship had everything in order, but the next thing they knew, it was moving. Carousella was quick to fly to keep her balance as the ship rocked back and forth, and she grabbed Gabby by the back of her dress with her teeth.
"Gotcha!"
"What's happening?" Gabby gasped.
"We're taking off."
There wasn't enough room for Carousella to run and activate her magical horseshoes, so she quickly got Gabby onto her back again.
"Looks like we're going for a new kind of bumpy ride, Gabby." Carousella said. "Hang on, Princess."