Mariverde huffed and stood straight and tall.

"If it's a fight you want...."

The doresho gypsy let out an inhuman screech that had everyone covering their ears, and millions of little green and black moths filled the air like clouds of smoke. People were scared by this site, but Anakin and Carmine stood their ground.

"This is what we trained for!" Anakin said.

"We're all in this together!" Carmine added, reminding the others why they came back.

Naturally, that didn't come easy, as Mariverde sent her moths everywhere! They flew at the people, and swarmed everywhere anyone tried to hide. People tried to swat them away, but they just kept coming.

But then, Myra remembered what Mariposa had said about moths and loud noises, so when she spotted a couple of metal pots and pans, she immediately grabbed a pot and pan and started banging them together, and the moths that were surrounding her and her mom started to fly away.

"What's the matter, moths? Not a fan of rock n' roll?" Myra taunted, drumming more on the pots and pans.

"Way to go, Myra!" Anakin said. "Everyone, don't be afraid. You're bigger than this, you're bigger than the moths. Use your skills to fight them!"

"Don't worry if your skills seem out of the box. You can find a way to make it ammunition."

Anakin swung his lightsaber and took out a few of the moths while Carmine took on a more dance-like approach where he just whipped his hair back and forth to brush some moths away, the way he'd seen some of the horses use their tails to swat flies. It proved surprisingly effective.

"Mariposa, get the pegasi for air support!" Anakin commanded. "Padme, Bo-Katan, get everyone to use their skills to fight the moths."

"We'll take care of Madame Butterfly." Carmine said.

The twins took out their scrolls.

"You want the scrolls, Mariverde?" Anakin taunted.

"Come and get them." Carmine sang.

And the Gemini Dragon Warriors made their way to the roofs of the village and headed in the direction of the forests just outside of town.

"You wanna dance, pretty boys?" Mariverde taunted. "Let's take this

While the twins ran after Mariverde the Furious Five took their orders from the twins and split up to get the villagers out of hiding and remind them what the twins taught them before they came to the village.

Padme managed to gather a small group and explain to them the plan.

"Remember, moths don't like the smell of lavender or vinegar. So, those of you with skills in chemistry, cooking, and crafting, find a way to disperse that. Anyone who can build things or play music, use anything you can for loud noises. And anyone who knows about bugs, use those skills to repel as many as you can."

So, the villagers started doing everything they could using whatever skills they had.

One family in particular had a skilled bunch of kids. The oldest child, named Hunter, was very good at tracking things and had a highly developed sense of smell and hearing, so naturally he helped out his brothers with a special moth bomb that didn't use poison.

"Good thing Mom got essential oils last grocery run." said Omega, the youngest child, and the only daughter in her family.

Using Hunter's heightened sense of smell, he was able to help figure out the correct dose of lavender to add in, whereas his brainy brother Tech used a little chemistry to mix together the lavender with some other things that would turn it into a gas cloud upon impact, while Wrecker and Crosshair, one having great throwing skills and blow things up, while the other had sharp shooting skills, took care of throwing or sling-shooting the balloons that the twins Omega and Boba filled up.

"Fire in the hole!" Wrecker shouted, throwing one balloon. As soon as it hit the ground,

Everyone in the village began working together in different ways.

People who were good at math, science, and crafts were definitely helpful; those who could make music played together and made as much noise as possible. Those with skills in gardening knew where all the best lavender plants grew and how to use them to repel moths. Others used their skills to attract the moths to bug zappers, nets, and other traps.

The Jedi all used their lightsabers to fight the moths or helped out the villagers in any way they could. Comedia also found a way to use her silly pranks to face the moths. Mainly with sticky traps and a couple of glitter bombs filled with lavender scented glitter. Even the dancers proved effective in their fighting skills, using their skills to parkour to higher places, and some even used their deejaying skills to create stronger soundwaves to drive off even more moths. But somehow, more moths kept coming.

"There's too many of them!" Ahsoka said, standing back-to-back with Bo-Katan. "Incoming on your left."

Bo-Katan jumped up and kicked a bug zapper at another swarm of moths that nearly got to her.

"Carmine better have his big boy pants on if he's gonna survive this." Bo-Katan said.

"Stop making fun of Carmine!" Ahsoka said. "Besides, he's with Anakin. They're the Gemini Dragon Warriors. And more importantly, they're brothers, they stick together. Right now, they're taking care of the problem at its source, so they need us here to make sure the village doesn't get eaten by moths."

Mariposa got as many flying horses as she could, and people brave enough to ride them to help her out. Using her big blue wings, she was able to flash a little light at the moths and lure them into nets and bug zappers the flying horses and their riders were carrying.

Qui-Gon was among those fighting the moths, and protecting his wife as she was using what skills she had in cooking to measure out a little something she called Carmine's third grade science project, which involved baking soda and vinegar to drive off the moths with a tiny volcanic explosion, and a smelly one at that.

"I still can't believe you used to do this all the time!" Shmi said.

"I may be older now, but I've still got it." Qui-Gon said. "I only hope the twins know what they're doing."

___________________________________

With the villagers and the Jedi fighting Mariverde's bugs, Anakin and Carmine rushed into the forest in order to get her away from the village. If they could keep her away from the village, not only would it mean hopefully less damage to the valley, and keeping her as far away from her moths as possible.

"You can run, but you can't hide, boys!" Mariverde sang.

The twins ran deep into the forest before they stopped and stood back-to-back, being wary of their surroundings. This forest was different from the one Mace had them train in. The forest here was bigger, bushier, and darker too. The trees were so bushy they blocked out almost all the sunlight here. It was hard for them to see where they were going.

"It's getting dark here." Carmine pointed out.

"Leave it to me," said Anakin, igniting his lightsaber again for light.

"What exactly is our plan here?"

"Right now, we're winging it. But if we can lure her to a place where we can trap her, we can defeat her for good."

"We'll have to be careful about it though." Carmine said. "Remember she's a tricky woman. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we'll have to find some place unstable to trap her, so she won't be able to get the jump on us easily."

"But, it has to be stable enough so we can be a step ahead and make it out alive." Anakin added.

This was gonna be tricky. What kind of place would be stable, but also unstable?

"Oh boys. Come out, come out." Mariverde sang. "I'm going to find you."

"I think we both know what to do now." Anakin said.

"Run?" Carmine said.

That was it.

The twins both ran as fast as they could, jumping over rocks, swinging off branches, and flipping over rocks across a river to get even deeper into the forest until they got to a cave, where there was a sign that read BEWARE FALLING ROCKS.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Carmine said.

Anakin looked at the sign and then at his brother. Normally, Carmine would say they should stay out of a dark cave, especially with a sign clearly saying there were falling rocks inside, and he'd probably run away screaming once he heard rocks crumbling. Even Anakin wasn't reckless enough to just go into a cave full of falling rocks.

"For once, you're the one who's insane!" Anakin said.

"Normally, I would be running away from this kind of thing, but not all the rocks in a cave are unstable." Carmine replied.

"We just have to be careful then."

This was where they would definitely be tested on their skills. Carmine would have to be extra brave to enter treacherous territory, and Anakin would have to exercise more caution than he was used to.

Quickly, the twins rushed into the cave, Mariverde soon arriving behind them.

"Oh, hiding in the caves, are we?" Mariverde said.

___________________________________

It was dark inside the cave, the sound of water leaking and bats squeaking echoed throughout. Artoo began sniffing around the cave while the twins stepped very carefully, both of them mimicking a slow tip-toe type of walking ballerinas did sometimes.

"Remember, we have to keep our voices down," whispered Anakin. "Or we could trigger a cave-in."

Anakin and Carmine walked deeper into the cave with their pets and each other by their side. Fluffy peeked out from Carmine's bag, albeit his owner gently pushing his little head back in.

"Stay down, Fluffy." Carmine whispered.

"Look out!" Anakin whisper-yelled, pulling Carmine back as he'd stepped on a rock that crumbled underneath his foot.

It was quiet....too quiet.

The twins kept going deeper and deeper into the cave, when all of a sudden, something with glowing green eyes landed in front of them. Both boys gasped, Artoo started growling at the figure in front of him and his master.

"Mariverde." Anakin growled.

"Now, boys. I'm giving you one more chance. Give me the scrolls, or things will get really ugly around here." Mariverde said.

"Here's my counter offer. You surrender and leave this valley in peace, and we won't destroy you in battle."

They could tell by the look in Mariverde's eyes that she had to be smirking underneath that hood.

"If that's how you want to do it."

Mariverde unleashed a screech again, which not only summoned a swarm of moths, but shook the cave and made several rocks start to fall, and made the twins drop the scrolls over the cliffs. Not surprisingly, Mariverde quickly flew after them, prompting Anakin and Carmine to rush in after her. Carmine quickly gave Fluffy to Artoo and told him to run and get to safety.

Unfortunately, Artoo got hit by a rock and started to fall over the cliff! Luckily though, he landed on a ledge, and Fluffy was okay at the top of the cliff, but the rocks were all crumbling very quickly!

Fluffy immediately hopped away from the danger and managed to make his way back out of the cave and into the forest.

Meanwhile, Carmine and Anakin quickly started to hop across many rocks, the way Mariverde had hopped across rubble when she escaped from prison. They kept hopping from place to place, trying to get to the scrolls before Mariverde could.

Artoo started barking and whimpering as the ledge he was standing on was starting to crumble faster.

"Artoo!" Anakin gasped.

But, Anakin would have to get past Mariverde before he could rescue his dog. Mariverde was just about to grab Carmine's scroll, and since Carmine was chasing after the black one, it was up to Anakin.

Anakin quickly Force-pushed Mariverde as she nearly got to the white scroll, which he also pulled to his hand, while Carmine went after the black one. Mariverde got onto a piece of rubble that was big enough for two people, and she fought Anakin with many kicks, blows, and flashed her wings at him, which blinded Anakin temporarily before he kicked her away and started flipping to the next piece of rubble to make his way to Artoo.

Meanwhile, Carmine had to get lower and lower, dodging a lot of rocks and rubble while trying to get to the black scroll. This reminded Carmine of a dance recital he performed in when he was a kid; he remembered his teacher had them rehearse for it by practicing leaps onto several little squares placed on the floor to help the children practice their leaps. So, Carmine decided it was time to kick in a little dancing. He noted a rhythm in how the rubble fell, and used it to time his jumping from rock to rock, and Force pushed random pieces that nearly clocked him until he made his way to the black scroll and grabbed it.

"Carmine!" Anakin shouted. "Look out!"

Mariverde jumped at Carmine and knocked him over and started wrestling him for the scroll.

"Give me that scroll, Spec-Eyes!" Mariverde growled.

Carmine froze for a moment.

"Uh-oh. She called him Spec-Eyes." Anakin said.

"What did you just call me?" Carmine said, getting angry.

"I called you Spec-Eyes. Are you not used to that by now.... Spec-Eyes?"

Carmine had been called many names before for his glasses. Four-Eyes, Nerd Face, even Blind Boy, but when Carmine was six, one of the worst bullies he'd ever faced in his lifetime.... That was a time Carmine would never forget.

Anakin had been sick at home from school, so Carmine had no one to protect him from bullies. Carmine got really badly beaten that day, and while all the other kids were laughing at poor Carmine, the bully called Carmine a whole new mean name. Spec-Eyes. And, he purposely broke Carmine's glasses, leaving the boy humiliated and angry. For so long, Carmine wanted to teach that boy a lesson, but never got to. But in the rare event someone called him Spec-Eyes...let's just say Mariverde was about to find out why it was a bad idea.

Carmine unleashed a loud cry that shook the entire cave as he Force-pushed Mariverde off of him and he grabbed her by the wrists.... Hard.

"You wanna dance, Madame Butterfly?" Carmine growled. "Let's dance!"

Carmine swung Mariverde around and then threw her with the Force and made her hit one of the cave walls really hard.... hard enough to make a huge crack in the wall and damage one of her wings to the point where it became difficult for her to fly.

But, Mariverde got up and made her gloved hands glow, but Anakin jumped in and started fighting alongside Carmine. Mariverde was very powerful, though. She threw swift kicks, hard punches, and even though her wing was damaged, that didn't stop her from throwing both of them down and at last taking the scrolls for herself and then calling forth her moths to surround Artoo. Carmine and Anakin were about to try and rescue him, but....

"Not another step." Mariverde said. "Now, both of you hand over the scrolls, or the dog gets it!"

Anakin looked at Carmine and then at the scrolls. Something inside both of them told them they only had one choice, and it would be the wisest.

Both of the twins threw the scrolls to Mariverde's feet, but the sorceress didn't release Artoo. Instead, she had more moths surround the two warriors and hold them against the wall while she picked up the scrolls and embraced the moment that they were in her hands.

"At last! The Gemini Dragon Scrolls are mine." Mariverde declared. "Now which to open first."

Mariverde decided to go with opening the black one first. Except, when she opened it.... She froze.

"What?!"

Mariverde closed the black scroll, then opened it again, and then she did the same with the white scroll. Then she took Anakin's lightsaber and used it to see if maybe it was just too dark in the cave. Still, she only saw dots and curved lines on one and a bunch of straight lines on the other.

"I... I don't understand." Mariverde said.

"Yeah, we didn't get it at first either." Carmine said.

"The thing about the sign gemini, it has two parts, but they make one thing. We're two brothers part of one pair of twins in one family. And those scrolls may come in two..."

"But they share one message."

And they finished together with, "It takes more than one ingredient to make anything."

"The scrolls were never meant for one person." Anakin said. "They were always meant for more than one, and even more than two. One voice has power to inspire change, but only in a team working together can we make things happen."

Mariverde was far from pleased though.

"You're right. It takes many to make something happen. And I will use many of my babies to destroy you!"

___________________________________

Back in the village, people were still fighting many swarms of moths, soon to the point where they went from looking like storm clouds of moths to resembling a swarm of bees.

The Five tended to anyone who got stuck in high places or got injured in the process of swatting the moths, and the whole town smelled like lavender, which began driving even more of the moths away.

"More of the moths are going by the minute." Mariposa said, and she breathed a whiff of the air. "And the town's never smelled better."

"Speak for yourself." Hunter said, coughing, his nose being a little more sensitive, thus making the smell reception feel a little stronger to him.

Ahsoka looked around and said, "I don't see Mariverde around. Do you think the twins defeated her?"

Everyone else looked around, but they didn't see any sign of the twins anywhere!

"Ani? Carmine? Where are you?" Shmi called out.

Qui-Gon joined his wife in calling for their sons, but got no response.

"Wait a minute!" Bo-Katan said. "Something's coming."

Everyone got into defensive positions, only to find that the 'something' that Bo-Katan sensed coming was just a cute little brown bunny rabbit hopping very quickly toward them. But it wasn't just any bunny.

"It's Fluffy!" Padme said. She picked up the little bunny as he stopped by her feet and twitched his nose. "Where did you come from?"

"If Fluffy's here, where's Carmine?" Obi-Wan wondered out loud.

Fluffy started to squirm in Padme's arms, prompting her to put the rabbit down, and he started to hop back the way he'd come. When he didn't hear anyone following him, he turned around and stood on his hind legs.

"I think Fluffy's trying to tell us something." Padme said, and she started to follow the rabbit.

Fluffy hopped very quickly, the entire Furious Five, as well as Qui-Gon and Shmi following suit.

___________________________________

Mariverde summoned what had to be hundreds of thousands, if not millions of moths into the cave, and rocks were crumbling faster and harder, bigger rocks falling by the second! But the twins didn't let that stop them.

Anakin took on Mariverde while Carmine used the Force to throw off any rocks before they could hit his brother. Mariverde put up a fight, up to the point where she threw Anakin against the wall and knocked him unconscious.

"Anakin!" Carmine exclaimed.

"Time to say goodbye, fearless warrior." Mariverde said.

"NO!" Carmine tackled Mariverde before she had a chance to move anymore rocks, and he put up a fight with her.

"I'll admit, you've gotten stronger in a few minutes, but you are naive."

Mariverde threw Carmine towards another rock, and she taunted him each time she threw a punch, a rock, or a kick.

"I've heard things about you, Carmine."

Carmine blocked another blow.

"You couldn't fight a three-year-old, you're weak, you're a scaredy-cat, and nothing but a prancing little ballerina!"

Carmine stopped yet another rock.

"Which means I have a dancer's reflexes!" Carmine taunted, giving Mariverde a good kick to the gut and throwing her off balance.

Carmine's fight with Mariverde gave Artoo time to get to Anakin and use his teeth to grab Anakin's robes and get him closer to the cave exit.

"You can look as terrifying as you want, but when you mess with my big brother, fear is the last thing on my mind!"

Carmine threw Mariverde down really hard then, and he rushed over to help Artoo get Anakin to safety. It was a rough path, literally, but Carmine and Artoo managed to get just within reach of the exit.

"Ugh..." groaned Anakin, starting to open his eyes again. "What'd I miss?"

"Just me standing up to a bully." Carmine said. "I don't think she'll be bothering either of us anymore."

But when Mariverde suddenly jumped in front of the twins and the dog.

"You can't defeat me!" Mariverde said. "You two are just a pair of twins. You may hold the same face, but you two are twins with polar opposite personalities."

"We're not just twins who are polar opposites." Anakin said. "We're thee twins who are polar opposites."

Mariverde attempted to punch the twins once more, but Carmine quickly grabbed one of her fingers. And Carmine lifted his pinky, to both Mariverde and Anakin's surprise.

"The Wuxi Finger Hold?!" Mariverde gasped.

"Oh, you know this hold?" Carmine taunted.

"Ha! You're bluffing. You have little training. There's no way you can do it yourself."

Mariverde attempted to use her free hand to get herself free, but Anakin grabbed her other hand and held one of her fingers with the same hold Carmine was doing.

"Carmine may be a beginner in kung fu training. But I'm not." Anakin smirked. He looked at his twin. "We figured it out together."

And together, the twins flexed their pinkies.

"Skidoosh."

A bright light filled the air, and it shook the whole area.

Outside, Fluffy led everyone to the cave, only for everyone to nearly be literally blown away by a strong wind. Everyone held onto something or to each other. Obi-Wan was quick to grab Fluffy again. However, to everyone's horror, the entire cave collapsed.

"MY BABIES!" Shmi screamed, knowing her boys had to be in there if Fluffy was leading everyone there.

But just when it seemed it was the end of the Gemini Dragon Warriors, Qui-Gon was first to notice something emerging from the big clouds of dust.

The sound of a dog barking filled the air, and Padme was approached by Artoo.

"It's Artoo." Padme said. "But... where are the twins?"

Everyone looked around, but didn't see Anakin or Carmine.

"Looking for us?" said a familiar voice.

And out from the dust came two more figures. Each of them dressed in Jedi robes with matching armor aligned with gold. One had black as his main color, while the other had white. And each of them had a black or white dragon crest as the symbol on his armor.

"The Gemini Dragon Warriors!" Bo-Katan gasped.

"What's become of Mariverde?" Mariposa asked.

"She's no more." Anakin said.

"I am... so sorry about your sister." Carmine said as gently as he could.

Mariposa couldn't help looking down; even though Mariverde was a villain, she had also been her sister.

"You...you actually defeated her?" Qui-Gon gasped.

"We defeated her together." Anakin said, taking his brother's hand. "We're a team."

"I guess I'm not gonna be a burden to the family anymore, huh?" Carmine shrugged.

Qui-Gon hugged both of his boys tightly.

"You were never a burden, Carmine." Qui-Gon said. "And neither were you, Anakin. The two of you may look identical, but each of you is still special in unique ways no one can copy. You've both come so far, and I'm more than honored to have gotten to call you my sons."

"Come here, my babies." Shmi pulled her boys in and showered them both with kisses.

"Mom!" Anakin whined.

"Mom, do you really have to do this in front of the Five?" Carmine said, embarrassed, amid Bo-Katan laughing.

Artoo also started slobbering Anakin and Carmine.

"Carmine?" said Obi-Wan with Fluffy in his arms. "I believe this little one belongs to you."

"Fluffy!" Carmine smiled, taking his pet again and kissing the bunny's ears. "I was so worried about you. Thank you, Obi-Wan."

"You were both very brave out there."

"You really did it, little brother." Anakin held his twin's shoulder. "Whatever you did to protect me from Mariverde and fight her off like that, it was so brave, and you did it so fearlessly."

"Are you kidding? I was terrified! That woman was going to kill everyone, including you and then Mom and Dad might be next, or even Caroline."

Anakin hugged Carmine, and soon members of the Five were jumping in to hug the twins too.

"Master Yoda used to tell us as children," said Ahsoka. "That courage is not the absence of fear. It's facing danger despite our fears."

"You were both very brave to go against Mariverde on your own." Bo-Katan said. "You both really stepped up. I was wrong about both of you. You're both warriors."

Bo-Katan bowed in respect to the twins. The rest of the Five did the same, as did Qui-Gon.

"Come, boys. The people will want to thank you." Qui-Gon said.

___________________________________

The people of the village cheered as the Gemini Dragon Warriors led the Furious Five back to the village and announced that Mariverde had finally been defeated for good. Everyone was so happy that they were safe once more. The Gemini Dragon Warriors were no longer the mere stuff of legends. They were real, and they came from the last place anyone expected.

Anakin and Carmine felt so many things they'd never felt before as people chanted "Gemini Dragons!" and screamed their praise for their valley's newest heroes."

Not only had Carmine finally learned to face his fears instead of running from them, but Anakin learned that acting tough and running towards danger was not the same as being brave.

Carmine was quick to hug Caroline and kiss her when he saw her again, and of course, Padme was quick to do the same. She kissed Anakin passionately, and it was then Anakin decided to do perhaps the real bravest thing he'd ever done: getting down on one knee in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Padme gasped, having a feeling she knew what Anakin was about to do.

"Master Padme. Beautiful, brave, flawless Padme." Anakin took Padme's hand into both of his. "I know we've only known each other a short time, but I'm willing to take even bigger risks than facing Mariverde if it means I get to be with you. You helped me see that showing I have a softer side isn't weak, and helped me open my eyes to what truly has helped me become stronger. I love you, Padme, and I am more than willing to fight for you, if you'll have me. So, if you feel the same way... will you marry me?"

"Oh, Ani..." Padme said. "I love you too. Of course I'll marry you."

People cheered when they saw these two kung fu masters being so brave to admit their love for one another. Of course, there were those who knew Obi-Wan was betrothed to Padme, but he was actually happy for his now apparently former fiance, and he knew she deserved to be happy; they both did. Anakin didn't have a ring he could give Padme, but he did give her another big, passionate kiss.

"I think Master Windu would be very proud of you both." Padme said, then Anakin and Carmine both realized something.

"Master Windu!" the twins exclaimed in unison.

___________________________________

The twins quickly rushed back to the Jade Temple, where they were both shocked by the site they saw before them.

Master Windu was laying on the floor, a bunch of huge cracks in it as though a giant boulder had fallen on it, but they knew very well that wasn't the cause of all the damage.

"Master Windu!" Anakin exclaimed, running over to him. He and Carmine carefully turned Master Windu onto his back and got him to a flat surface. He was banged up pretty badly. He was badly bruised and scarred all over his body, and he didn't appear conscious at all.

Anakin checked for a pulse. Mace was still alive. And he suddenly let out a pained groan.

"Master Windu?" Carmine said.

"Anakin? Carmine?" Mace said weakly. "You're alive... or are we all dead?"

"No, were alive. We defeated Mariverde."

"Both of us. And we discovered the secret of the scrolls." Anakin added. "We were never destined to do it alone. We were meant to lead, the two of us. It's because we're so different that we balance each other out."

"You did all that?" Mace found himself smiling, and this time genuinely smiling for what felt like the first time. "Wow. You are the Gemini Dragon Warriors. You have brought peace to this valley, and to me. Thank you... boys."

Mace shut his eyes, feeling at peace. But, he was in critical condition.

___________________________________

Months later, a big event was held in the form of a Jade Temple wedding. But this was no ordinary wedding at the Jade Temple; this wedding was going to be the first ever where two members of the Temple married for love, having chosen each other, rather than the council arranging their marriage. And, everyone came out to witness the historic event of this also being the day one of the Gemini Dragon Warriors was getting married.

Anakin stood at the altar all decked out in his warrior outfit. As tough as he tried to appear, he was so nervous he was surprised he hadn't sweated through his armor by now.

"I don't know, Carmine. What do I do?" Anakin whispered to Carmine.

"Hey, chill, Big Brother. I'm right here by your side." Carmine said. "We're a team, and you're about to become part of another team to unite two."

"So, how do I go about this? I'm actually more scared than I ever imagined."

"How about... taking a deep breath, and saying 'I do?'"

Carmine got Anakin to look at the doors as they opened to reveal the bride in a beautiful red and gold wedding dress, a veil hiding the angel underneath. Beautiful music was played as the bride made her way down the aisle. In the Jedi's wedding traditions, the bride always held a bouquet of pink, red, and yellow flowers. Padme was no exception. Unlike quite a few brides and grooms in the Jade Temple, Anakin looked at his bride with so much love in his eyes, and Padme with him. Despite the veil over her face, Anakin could tell she was smiling at him, and his smile grew when she stepped up onto the altar with him and he lifted the veil to reveal her beautiful face. He couldn't wait to kiss her again.

"People of the Valley of Peace. We gather here today to bear witness to black Gemini Dragon Warrior Anakin Jinn to Master Padme Naberrie. This man and this woman together, for the first time in Jedi kung fu history, are members who not only each are powerful warriors, but have come together by their own will and choice to marry in the spirit of love and create one family."

Carmine was so happy for his brother, and so were their parents. Many people had tears in their eyes watching as the bride and groom said their vows to each other. Padme's parents gifted the couple her grandparents' wedding rings for them to exchange, and they did so with care. Looking into each other's eyes, they held each other closer as they knew exactly what came next.

"And so, by the power vested in me," said the preacher. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss."

And happily, Padme and Anakin kissed as everyone cheered for the happy couple. Of course, no wedding was complete without a couple of speeches by friends and family of the newlyweds. And one of those who decided to make a speech was Master Windu.

"Anakin, Padme... you come from different worlds, yet you both held a love strong enough to face many forces that would try to keep you apart... including me. I was wrong before. A perfect match is not determined by skills, nor does it matter if your future children will be skilled in kung fu or not. You've inspired me and many to see that it takes more than one ingredient to make anything, and sometimes two ingredients that seem unlikely to mix well can make something even better than expected. Anakin, you are truly the perfect man for Padme. You make her happier than any man I could've chosen for her, and I see that she has helped you to grow stronger. Take good care of her, you hear? To the happy couple."

Everyone raised their glasses to the happy couple who kissed once more. But of course, every real wedding had to have a bouquet toss. And when Padme threw it... Mariposa flew up and grabbed it.

"No fair! You cheated!" Caroline whined.

"Aw, you're just jealous because you don't have wings." Mariposa spread her wings out, accidentally startling a guest.

He would've fallen down if Mariposa hadn't quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

"Are you alright?" asked Mariposa.

However, Mariposa and the man she helped were immediately smitten when they caught a look at each other.

"Uh...yeah... I'm more than alright." said the man.

"Mariposa," said Carmine. "I see you've met Garrett Heartwood. He's a professor at the university. Professor Heartwood. Mariposa Morphina."

Garrett looked at Mariposa and blushed.

"I know we just met, but... would you care for a dance?" Garrett asked.

"I'd be delighted." Mariposa offered her hand.

Carmine stood with Caroline, wrapping an arm around her.

"Looks like Anakin isn't the only one with better matchmaking skills than the council had." Caroline chuckled.

"Just you wait 'til it's us up there someday." Carmine kissed Caroline passionately.

Padme and Anakin danced together on the dance floor, and Obi-Wan was happy to see that Bo-Katan's sister Satine made it, thus granting him the chance to ask her for a dance and kindle a romance they'd been long forbidden from engaging into.

"Looks like Obi-Wan will get his day to walk down the aisle, after all." Padme smiled.

"He's a good man." Anakin nodded. "He deserves to be happy too. And you deserve the world."

"And so do our future children. I want to have as many as possible."

"I'll be more than happy to have lots of children and raise them with you. I couldn't imagine anyone I'd rather have as the mother of my future children. I love you, Padme."

"I love you too, Ani." Padme said, and she kissed her husband again.

Qui-Gon and Shmi looked at their oldest son and their new daughter-in-law. They remembered very well when that was them. Although they hadn't had a big wedding until their twentieth anniversary, it was just as romantic as the day they'd gotten married in a church, just the two of them.

"Just like us when we were first married," said Shmi, leaning into her husband.

"That is a day I will never forget, and I wouldn't change a thing." Qui-Gon said, and he leaned into a kiss with his wife.

But perhaps the biggest change this wedding was for was the Jedi Council. Over the months since Mariverde was defeated, in all the time he'd spent getting treated for his injuries, Brenda was there for Mace, and the way Myra lit up whenever she made music... Mace started to realize what else he'd needed to feel at peace. In that time, he decided to rekindle that spark he'd felt when he fell in love with Brenda after their arranged marriage. And when he finally got out of the hospital, he decided to prove his love to her by using his Jedi skills in kung fu and building things to piece together a beautiful necklace with a little jade duck charm as a symbol of hope and good fortune for both of them as they'd also decided to renew their vows and marry this time because they loved each other, not because they were forced to.

Mace could finally see that it took more than one ingredient to make one of anything, more than one kind of ingredient. It takes many different ingredients to cook any recipe, more than one note and voice to write a harmonious song, and it takes more than one kind of person to make a family.

___________________________________

"So you see, Mona..." Mariposa continued. "The greatest of heroes often come from the last place you expect them to. And they may not do things in the way you expect, but it's during those challenging ways of learning that they uncover the true strength within them, and when they come together with others to combine those strengths, they become the greatest kind of team anyone can hope for. A family."

Mona was astonished by the story. Maybe she could become better at fighting the traditional way, or maybe she could fight another way by turning smething she as already good at into a fighting technique. The only question was how would she do it?

"So, if I keep practicing my karate, will I get better?" Mona asked.

"That depends on you, Mona, as well as how well your teachers treat you. You need to be willing to face the challenges that come with the journey, but every teacher has a duty to help each and every student, and that includes figuring out what method works best for them, the way one warrior learned a little differently than the rest."

Mona thought about it, and decided to give it another go, and practiced throwing punches and kicks when Mariposa practiced with her, and this time she wasn't afraid to fight back and block many blows. And before she knew it, Mariposa fell into some pillows and Mona stood victoriously.

"That was much better, Mona." Mariposa said. "Keep practicing, and someday you can become a great fighter, or whatever you want to be someday. You have more skills than you realize, Mona. And the world is going to need your talents someday. Maybe even sooner than you might expect."

That made Mona extra determined, and she would not let herself forget those important words of wisdom.