Jedi Storytime: Pods & Ponies

Tiebreakers & Wedding Crashers

Anakin struggled as he was tied up and had a cloth bag over his head. He couldn't scream either because he had a scarf over his mouth. He felt himself being grabbed and moved by who he assumed to be the two guards who'd nabbed him before, and he was placed in a chair, where the bag was removed from his head, the light hurting his eyes.
"So... this is the famous Anakin Skywalker." said a woman Anakin had never seen before. None other than the infamous Madre Talzin, owner and CEO of Dathomir Dress Magazine. "You're even more handsome in person."
"You monster!" Anakin said. "You kidnapped me!"
"I took you back. The whole race was postponed just so everyone could find you, and my patience has worn thin since Watto managed to get himself arrested. I am not going to have my magazine fail because he was stupid enough to lose the one who would give me another heir to my throne. Now, your master and I made a deal. I bail him out of jail in exchange for bringing you back to fulfill the rest of the deal. After you win the race, we shall announce your wedding to my daughter to take place tonight."
"No! I absolutely refuse to marry your daughter." Anakin said. "And there's nothing you can do to make me."
"I thought you might say that." Talzin said. "That is why I had my people gather some ammunition."
Anakin was shocked when Talzin snapped her fingers, and some more guards brought out none other than Shmi Skywalker as well as Fiesta, both of them tied up and muzzled.
"Mom! Fiesta!" Anakin exclaimed.
Anakin had hoped his mother was alive and that he'd see her again, but not like this! And now Ahsoka's horse was there too.
"Do what you want with me, but let them go!" Anakin said.
"Oh, I intend to, but only if you do as I say." Talzin sneered. "If you fail... let's just say you'll lose more than just a trophy."
Anakin breathed heavily both in fear and anger.
"You're a horrible, horrible person!"
"No one ever won anything by being nice in this world." Talzin told her men to take him away and prep for the race.
—————————————————————————
Anakin was placed in his old pod, which Talzin's men managed to locate, but Anakin was reluctant to get in, as he hadn't had the chance to make sure it was fully functional.
The three racers were all getting ready for this big tie breaker race, everyone excited for the big race to start. There were scouts from a lot of other big sponsorships in attendance, as well as some important guests, including some even Anakin didn't know about.
"Hello, race fans and welcome to what has become, quite simply, the biggest event in the history of pod racing. A three-way battle for the Boonta Eve Cup." Fode announced.
"Fode, there are at least 200,000 people here at the Alderaan City International Speedway." Beed said. "Tickets to this race are hotter than a black leather seat on a hot summer day in Tatooine!"
"The King, Sebulba, and Anakin Skywalker in a 200 lap, everything goes, winner-takes-all, tiebreaker race."
"I got a lot of time on me, as much as you, Bro, but let me tell you something, I never though I'd see anything like this. This is exciting!"
"In fact, the entire world has almost shut down to watch what many experts are calling "the race of the century.""
Gobi Glie was just finishing tightening a circuit in his pod's engine, when he got a sweet greeting from his goddaughter Hera.
"Uncle Gobi!" Hera hugged her godfather tightly. "Good luck in your last race. Someday, I hope I can be as great a racer as you."
"Thanks, Hera. I appreciate it." Gobi smiled.
"Be careful out there, okay?"
"You know I will."
Meanwhile, Sebulba was just showboating to everyone about how he was sure he was going to end this race in first place, and put Anakin Skywalker in his place...
"Last place!" Sebulba laughed, his entourage laughing with him.
Anakin, however, felt anything but ready for this race. Not only was he without a pit crew, but his mother and one of his friends was being held hostage to force him to win the race at any cost, his pod was probably still faulty, and he was going to be forced into a loveless marriage at the end of it all. But the worst thing of all, he would probably never see Naboo Springs or his friends from there again. It hurt even more now to force a smile on his face as he got into his pod and started to race.
"And there he is," said Fode. "Anakin Skywalker. Missing all week, and then he turns up in the middle of nowhere, in a little town called Naboo Springs, dressed in cowboy attire of all things."
Anakin drove his pod to warm it up as the race was finally beginning. Of course, Sebulba got right to teasing Anakin, making an L on his forehead with his fingers, but Anakin didn't pay attention. He couldn't stop thinking about his family and friends. Most of all Padme. He'd finally found a woman he genuinely had feelings for, and who felt the same way about him. It was just like Gobi said. When Anakin was with Padme, he felt like a winner. She was more beautiful and more valuable to him than any trophy, no matter how big or how much money the metal that made it was worth. He never got the chance to say goodbye to her before he was taken back; he never even got to kiss her or tell her he loved her.
Anakin started to feel tears come to his eyes as he thought of the others again, and tried not to cry, knowing Mrs. Talzin would probably do something horrible if he let himself get distracted and lose the race. He forced himself to focus and got to racing!
Anakin's pod went really fast, like he was used to. At least, it was like that at first. But just a few laps in, Anakin's pod started shaking real, real bad! And when he tried to make it stop, he only succeeded in making his pod go even faster. It started to go so fast, he started zipping right past the other racers way too fast and nearly throwing them off course! Anakin was even starting to have trouble steering!
"What's going on down there?" Beed questioned. "I ain't never seen Skywalker go that fast! That's like light speed right there."
"Whatever speed that is, it's not like the usual Skywalker speed I've seen before." Fode added.
Anakin started needing to steer really quickly to make each turn, but that wasn't enough to avoid hitting the sides of the track at some point.
"Someone help me!" Anakin shouted. "I'm losing control!"
Anakin was terrified; this was just like when Anakin first arrived in Naboo Springs! Only, it was much scarier because this time it was on the track with two more racers he had to be even more careful to not crash into. But, this time the pod was starting to shake even worse than before, and now pieces of the pod were starting to fall out, leaving the audience gasping as Anakin's pod looked like it was on the verge of exploding.
"Everyone hit the deck!" Beed and Fode shouted at the same time.
And everyone did get down as the pod burst, and Anakin just barely managed to jump out in time.
However, Anakin didn't feel himself hitting the hard ground and getting hurt. Instead, he found himself riding something, or rather someone blue and furry.
"What's a cowboy without his horse?" a familiar blue pegasus who rescued Anakin called.
"Sapphire!" Anakin smiled.
Sapphire bumped Anakin up so he sat on her new saddle properly and hold onto the rein.
"I have to win this race, girl." Anakin said. "My mother and Fiesta are in trouble if I don't!"
"Beed, is this allowed?" Fode asked his brother.
The referees checked the rules of this race, and the only rule of this kind of race was everything goes. So, switching a broken pod for a horse... surprisingly, it was acceptable. The rules only specified that a racer needed a functional ride to participate. It didn't say it needed to be a machine, despite the name of the sport saying this was a pod race. Sapphire was clearly functional, fast, and could fly too. So, there was nothing stopping her from being Anakin's new ride.
Sebulba wasn't worried about Anakin beating him now. There was no way a horse could beat a super fast racing pod.
"You know," said Sapphire. "The hare was sure a tortoise couldn't beat him, but he was very wrong because he shared the same arrogance Sebulba does now."
Anakin thought about it and about his time with Padme again. Maybe he didn't need to be faster than Sebulba. Just smarter.
"Let's win this thing! Hyah!" Anakin snapped the reins, and with a whinny, Sapphire spread her wings and began to fly as fast as she could go.
"Look at that blue horse go!" said Beed. "A real fast beauty if I ever saw one."
"From pods to ponies, it appears Skywalker has made a switch." said Fode. "And don't he look great doin' it."
Anakin and Sapphire started to catch up to Sebulba, who then tried to ram his pod into them, but Sapphire flew higher and to the other side, making Sebulba crash into the wall, just barely managing to get himself back on course.
"Quick thinking, Sapphire!" Anakin said.
The racers soon came to the next turn, and Anakin remembered what his father said about steering the horse. It was a left turn, so he pulled the reins to the right to signal Sapphire to turn left, and leaned to the left, then Sapphire did turn left and swiftly fly sideways before turning vertical again on the next part of the track.
Sapphire was such a fast flyer, and she looked so beautiful too.
—————————————————————————
Meanwhile, some familiar faces arrived at the race disguised as maintenance workers, thanks to Caroline's sewing skills, and Mace showing his police badge. Strawberry had been professionally trained to sniff for things since she was a police horse, and recognizing specific horses' scents was no exception. If she could find Fiesta, they could probably find Anakin's mother and free them both.
Carmine was able to find a livestream of the race through his phone, and he could see very clearly from the moment Anakin stepped out for the race, he looked terrified. And when he realized their mother was nowhere to be seen, he knew something had to be wrong.
"You're sure this'll work?" Hunter said skeptically.
"It will if everyone does their part correctly." Tech said.
The plan was very simple. While Padme and Qui-Gon sought legal help, the Fetts, Ahsoka, and Comedia were launching a rescue mission. They had to find Fiesta and Anakin's mother before the end of the race. If they were being held hostage as they feared the slavers might be doing to force Anakin to race.
Strawberry sniffed around until she picked up the very scent she was looking for: the scent of homemade peach shampoo, Fiesta's favorite. And luckily, Ahsoka had given Fiesta a bath the morning before she was kidnapped.
"Got her!" Strawberry said.
The pink pegasus led the others to a hallway, where they found a door blocked by two of Mrs. Talzin's guards.
"Mom and Fiesta must be in that room!" Carmine whispered.
"Looks like we're gonna need a way to distract those guards then." Caroline said. "Omega, Boba. Time to put those adorable faces of yours to good use."
So, Omega and Boba went into different directions. Omega went first and pretended to be scared and lost.
"Excuse me, Mr. security guards. Can you help me find my mother?" Omega said, putting on her saddest face.
At first, the guards seemed unfazed, until Omega started screaming and crying. The two covered their ears and then one of them reluctantly took the girl's hand and started to walk her away.
"She's a good actress, isn't she?" Estrella said.
"Let's hope Boba can be as convincing." Ahsoka said.
So, Boba approached the other guard and asked a little too cutely.
"Excuse me, mister, I lost my daddy."
But not wanting to experience a potential repeat of Omega, the other guard just took Boba away.
Obi-Wan and Peppermint, as well as Zam followed after the kids to make sure they would get out safely. There was no way Zam was going to let her youngest children be involved in a potentially dangerous rescue mission; not without her along.
Caroline took a hair pin out from her hair and picked the lock to the door, and sure enough, when she opened it, Shmi was tied to a chair, and Fiesta tied on all four legs, both of them muzzled.
"Don't worry, Mom." Carmine said, untying his mother. "You're gonna be okay. And so is Anakin."
Shmi couldn't believe her eyes or her ears when she saw him.
"Carmine? Is that really you?" Shmi said. "Where have you been?"
"That's a long story we don't have time for. We gotta get you out of here!"
Ahsoka was relieved to see that Fiesta was alright.
"You had me worried, girl." Ahsoka said, kissing Fiesta's muzzle. "Let's get you out of here."
So, the rescue team quickly got Shmi and Fiesta out of the room and away from the stadium to get somewhere Mrs. Talzin wouldn't find them.
—————————————————————————
Meanwhile, Anakin was still racing with Sapphire, and just barely managing to avoid Sebulba's strikes.
Sebulba tried throwing things at Anakin, and tried to ram him so many times. But with Sapphire being not only smart, but a second set of eyes, she managed to dodge every single shot, as she was able to sense oncoming dangers moment before they happened, because she could sense Sebulba's intentions.
Pretty soon, Sapphire's smarts led them to even catch up to the King.
"See you at the finish line, your majesty!" Anakin teased, getting Sapphire to fly faster.
"Now that's a ride!" Gobi said, amazed by the gorgeous mare of a ride Anakin had.
Faster than you could say, "Ready, set go!" the racers were running into the final two laps, and Anakin was in the lead, unaware that his mother had been rescued.
"This is it, girl." Anakin said. "Just eight turns left, and we're out."
So, Anakin got to rushing Sapphire into the next turn, when Qui-Gon rushed in with Orpheus, looking for his son. However, there were some who began to take notice of the man, many recognizing him, unable to believe it was really him.
"Is that...?" said one camera operator. "That's Qui-Gon Jinn of Team Jinn & Justice! Fode! Beed! Jinn's back!"
The announcers couldn't believe it. Qui-Gon was known for horse racing, not pod racing, but many race fans here still recognized him.
Qui-Gon had Orpheus run onto the track so he could catch up to his son.
"Dad?!" Anakin gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to get you out of here!" Qui-Gon said.
Of course, a lot of people who heard that first word that left Anakin's mouth, were flabbergasted.
"Qui-Gon Jinn is his father?!" many gasped.
"What a day for surprises this is race fans!" said Beed. "Sounds like racing runs in the family! History in the making."
"You said it, Beed." Fode said. "No one has seen the racing legend in almost thirty years!"
"Don't worry, Anakin! We have a plan. Just trust me on this. And win this race." Qui-Gon said before leaving the track to let his son keep going.
So, Sapphire kept running at Anakin's signal, with the King and Sebulba behind him.
Sebulba, of course, was furious. Not only was he behind the King like for every race of the season, but to make matters worse he was in third place rather than second.
"I am not coming in behind you again, old man!"
So, Sebulba did what he usually did, and bumped Gobi's bumper, but instead of just making him swerve like other racers, it sent the man's pod flying all out of control, and it fell on the ground, rolling at least ten times, denting the pod all over, and potentially injuring the racer inside. Everyone gasped when Gobi finally stopped rolling.
Anakin and Sapphire also saw this happen on the jumbo screen. Anakin remembered the picture from how badly injured his father had been just from his horse saving his life. Another difference between riding horses and machines, machines could do a lot more and a lot worse damage than even a horse's hooves and teeth together, especially if that machine was poorly made or poorly cared for.
There was only one thing to do in this situation. Anakin immediately made Sapphire stop and turn around to rush towards Gobi. Sebulba, of course, took the opportunity to cross the finish line, winning the race, which he was quick to gloat about. But, Anakin paid no mind to this. No one, especially Mrs. Talzin, knew what was going on.
Anakin and Sapphire approached the damaged vehicle, and worked together to get Gobi out. Sapphire chewed the seat belt off, and Anakin carefully got Gobi out and helped him get safely secured onto Sapphire's back.
"What are you doing, kid?" asked Gobi, amid the pain he felt.
"I think the king should finish his last race." Anakin said.
Gobi couldn't believe Anakin was doing this. Most racers would take advantage of one racer being injured; one less competitor to worry about and a bigger chance of winning. But, Anakin wasn't most racers.
"You just gave up the Boonta Eve Cup." Gobi winced. "You know that?"
"Yeah, but a wise man once told me you can have a hundred first place trophies and still feel like a loser. And I found a much better prize very recently. Like you said, I looked around, and met a special girl. And I found the best prize ever in her and the family I'd lost long ago."
People felt an amazing sensation in them as they watched Anakin walk his horse toward the finish line with Gobi on her back.
"Beed, is this even legal?" Fode asked.
"Hey, Fode. He's doin' no wrong. And looks like that horse of his knows what she's doin'."
Except, Sebulba was confused. No one was cheering for him, and they all seemed to be watching something else.
"What's going on?" Sebulba asked no one in particular.
"Now that's what I call racing out there!" said Hera's dad, he and his wife and daughter watching from the V.I.P seats.
Anakin and Sapphire crossed the finish line with Gobi, the two racers tying for second place, the crowd cheering, unlike for Sebulba.
Sapphire and Anakin helped get Gobi to the medics. Hera immediately ran up and hugged Anakin to thank him for saving her godfather.
"No problem. But it was a team effort." Anakin said, petting Sapphire's muzzle. "Without Sapphire, I don't think I'd be able to get him out of that pod or carry him to safety."
Of course, lots of reporters were eager to interview Anakin regarding this matter.
"Mr. Skywalker, does that blue race horse of yours have a name?" asked one reporter.
"Yes. Her name is Sapphire." Anakin said. "And it suits her perfectly, because she's a real gem."
"What advice would you give to all the aspiring racers watching you today?" asked another.
"Well, if I had to pick one piece of advice, remember that there's more to winning than trophies or medals. The real prize is one that only comes once in a lifetime. People we love. Our family, our friends. Getting to have them in your life will always be the most important prize you'll ever have to win, and the most important prize you'll always fight to keep if it truly means anything to you, but most importantly cherish every moment with them."
"I couldn't have said it better myself," said Mrs. Talzin, wrapping an arm around her forced soon-to-be-son-in-law.
"Mrs. Talzin, is it true you're to become Anakin Skywalker's new sponsor?" asked another reporter.
"Yes, it is. But not only that. Very soon, he will be my son-in-law as well." Mrs. Talzin said. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a wedding to finish planning."
But as Anakin was pulled away, the reporters, and some fans noticed him doing something with his hand behind his back. He tucked his thumb into the palm of his hand and then tucked it under his fingers. He did so over and over again as though trying to make sure people saw him doing it. That drew some concern in many.
Sometime back in Naboo Springs...
Mace was giving a safety lecture to the children, and some of the adults too. He had Tech go into another town to use a library's wifi and download some online videos, seeing as their connection was still being repaired.
"Now, pay attention, everyone. This is a very simple distress signal." Mace said. "If you're in danger because of another person such as a kidnapper or an abuser, but you can't speak for any reason, make sure someone sees you do this signal."
Mace demonstrated to everyone how to perform it and had them repeat it back to him. He also told Anakin that it would ever find himself trapped again, using that signal would give him a fighting chance of being free.
Present Day...
"Steven?" said Shera Nova to her cameraman. "Call 9-1-1 and have someone follow them."
—————————————————————————
Later, Anakin was forced into a dressing room and placed into a suit, then forced to stand at the altar, where one of Talzin's men stood to make sure Anakin didn't have the chance to run away. Mrs. Talzin's sisters and employees all sat as witnesses (though, the workers were there against their will, much like the groom was).
The doors opened, and the wedding march sounded like a song of doom to Anakin as Asaajj Ventress walked down the aisle in her designer wedding dress. Anakin didn know that Talzin knew about the hostages being missing, and she planned to keep it that way until after he and Ventress were married.
The preacher opened his book to begin the ceremony.
"Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today to witness the union of this man and this woman in the sacred bonds of holy matrimony. If anyone here should object to this union, speak now, or forever hold your peace."
Suddenly, the doors burst open.
"I object!" Padme said.
"As do I." Qui-Gon said, stepping in.
"Padme! Dad!" Anakin smiled.
"What is the meaning of this?" said Mrs. Talzin.
"I am judge Qui-Gon Jinn."
"And I am Padme Naberrie, attorney at law. We've just gotten an emergency injunction barring you from having the man known as Anakin Skywalker in your custody."
"That's not all." Mace said.
Just then, a couple of policemen arrived in the form of a couple of Mace's old friends from the police academy. Kit Fisto and Eeth Koth.
"Mrs. Talzin," said Officer Koth, handcuffing the woman. "You are under arrest for multiple counts of fraud, kidnapping, abuse of power, unlawful imprisonment, and accomplice to slave trafficking."
"You have the right to remain silent." Officer Fisto said. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
"No! NO! You can't arrest me!" Mrs. Talzin struggled as she was taken away.
Anakin was delighted to have a way out of this forced marriage, and even happier to see Padme again, who he immediately spun in his arms in a big hug.
"How did you know where to find me?" Anakin asked.
"I never told you about my good friend Bail Organa. The mayor of Alderaan." said Padme. "Apparently, he's been receiving a lot of reports of potential slave trafficking rings going on, and your story helped confirm it."
"And now, thanks to you," said Qui-Gon. "It looks as though many slaves will soon be rescued as well."
Anakin was beyond delighted to hear this. And even more delighted when he saw who else was with his father and girlfriend.
"Mom!" Anakin immediately hugged his mother.
"Oh, Ani. I'm so glad you're safe." said Shmi, giving her son lots of kisses. "And you found your father and your brother."
"Yeah, I was surprised that I happened to stumble on them too." Anakin said. "I guess we finally got the miracle we've been praying for."
And Anakin, Carmine, and their parents joined in a group hug for the first time since the twins were babies.
—————————————————————————
Now, don't think for a moment that this story ends here