Beauty & the Minotaur
Featured music:
1. "Wonderful Life" by Zendaya
2. "Kakamora" from Moana
3. "Yakety Sax" (Benny Hill theme)
4. "My Beloved Monster" by Eels
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Back in the kingdom of Naboo, Palpatine had his men set up everything to prepare for his royal wedding to Princess Brenda. A dress was already being made for the princess, as well as a wedding suit for the wannabe king, as well as two crowns to make them the official king and queen once they were married. But that wasn't all Palpatine was up to.
Palpatine forced Garrett to show him Princess Brenda's image over and over, and the poor guy was forced to listen to him lusting over how hot Brenda was like she was a piece of meat without any feelings.
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Palpatine was keeping his end of the bargain too, clearing out the squatters from Mount Gaia. But not in a peaceful way.
Magics were screaming and running for their lives as Palpatine's men came with nets and weapons, and they came after all of them, forcing them out of the forest and into trailers like when they were first imprisoned. Except this time, they were being forced out by the guards themselves instead of greedy citizens selling them for a reward.
"Hurry, boys!" Qui-Gon exclaimed.
Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin and Carmine and ran with them to get out of there, Padme running beside them. They didn't know why Palpatine's men were attacking them now, but they weren't willing to wait and find out. The only solution? They had to escape and find someone to help them.
Many of the young Magics' parents sacrificed themselves to give their children a fighting chance to hide. And luckily, at least a few of the young Magics were able to escape. The only question that remained was who could help them when everyone was told to hate anyone who was different?
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Meanwhile, Brenda awoke to a bright and sunny day. Strawberry and Mace were both still fast asleep, so the princess decided to take a walk and look for some food.
Princess Brenda walked by a beautiful lake where nearby sat a mother bird waking up and getting ready to feed her babies.
Normally, this was the time when a princess would probably be singing a song so beautiful the birds sang along, and it was like a beautiful serenade straight from Heaven. Brenda wanted to sing, except she was afraid to, but not for the reason you might be thinking. You see, Brenda had a secret about why she didn't sing like other princesses did, a terrible secret she felt could not be shared until something was done.
In every story you know, a princess is locked away or cursed. Brenda was both those things. She didn't look like it, but she was cursed, and it could only be broken by true love's kiss.
Brenda instead spent her time humming to herself a song called You Are My Sunshine while she picked some fruit from the trees and bushes to put together for breakfast.
By the time she got back, Strawberry was up and stretching before licking Mace's face awake like a dog to its owner.
"Pleh! Yuck!" Mace spat and sputtered. "Strawberry!"
"Good morning to you too." Strawberry laughed.
"Morning." Brenda said. "Hope you like peaches and berries."
"Oh, good morning, Princess." Strawberry said. She licked her mouth at the sight of the fruit. "My favorites."
Strawberry took a peach in her mouth and started to munch it.
"What's all this about?" Mace said. He thought princesses just let others get things for them, not do things for themselves.
"Well," Brenda seemed a little embarrassed as well as apologetic. "We kind of got off to a rocky start yesterday, and I wanted to make it up to you. After all, you did rescue me."
Brenda set out the fruit. Mace couldn't believe the princess was able to find such beautiful and delicious fruits. He didn't know she could forage, but then again, her being a princess, she was probably very picky about everything she ate.
"I'd say this breakfast is a great way to make it up." Strawberry said, licking up the peach's sweet juice.
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After a sweet breakfast, the minotaur, pegasus, and human princess began their walk through the forest.
"Achoo!"
Strawberry suddenly sneezed as she sniffed some flowers, but then got her nose tickled by some dandelions, sending all the fluffy seeds into the air.
"Strawberry!" Mace scolded playfully. "Mind your manners now. We are in the presence of a princess."
But then Brenda sneezed too.
"Excuse me," said Brenda.
Mace looked at Brenda and had to admit that she wasn't at all like he expected.
"Well, maybe you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them." Brenda said.
"That's what I'm always saying." Strawberry said. "The world is filled with all kinds of amazing wonders. You just gotta take the time to look for them. Not everything is what you might think at first glance."
"So you keep saying." Mace said.
"It's true."
Suddenly, Mace had this feeling.
"Why do I feel like you're about to-"
Strawberry:
Take a look around
And see the world we think we know
Then look closer
Strawberry got Mace to look at a bush. At first, it looked like just a normal bush, but when she got him and the princess to look closer, one of the leaves turned out to be a tiny green butterfly.
There's more to life than meets the eye
A beauty to behold
Brenda giggled as the butterfly landed on Mace's head
It's all much bigger than we know
It's only just beginning to unfold
So let it all unfold
But, that butterfly was just the start, as Strawberry fluttered her wings by more bushes, and lots of little green butterflies filled the air, and so did more colorful ones disguising themselves as flowers.
Far beyond all reason in your mind
There's a world mysterious
There for you to find
All these questions
That we always have
All we are is curious
There's nothing wrong with that
Strawberry flew and looked all around the forest for its many beautiful wonders just waiting to be found and admired.
So go 'round every corner
Search every part of the sky
'Cause a life that's full of wonder
Is a wonderful life
As the trio passed through the forest, Strawberry, being a pegasus and natural navigator, guided her two friends through while discovering all kinds of natural wonders. Beautiful flowers and bugs neither of the bipeds had ever seen before, and getting to witness the miracle of a mother bird's new babies hatching.
Dig beneath the surface
Find the lessons there to learn
And then dig deeper
Feed your intuition
Don't leave any stone unturned
Be the seeker of the truth
And it wasn't just the truth of the world's naturally beautiful things Strawberry referred to. She knew some bad truths that needed to be sought and exposed so the bad somethings could be confronted.
Listen when you hear it calling you
You know it's calling you
Far beyond all reason in your mind
There's a world mysterious
There for you to find
All these questions that we always have
All we are is curious
There's nothing wrong with that
So go 'round every corner
Search every part of the sky
'Cause a life that's full of wonder
Is a wonderful life
Is a wonderful life
Is a wonderful life
Is a wonderful life
Strawberry knew a lot of things about the forest, and she guided Brenda and Mace where to find some great grasses to weave baskets for carrying some delicious new fruits and edible plants for the trip.
And the answers are far away
Look closer
Look closer
Look closer
Look closer
"You sure know a lot about the forest," said Brenda. "Is this where you lived before?"
"Not exactly. See, my girl Sasha, she was a Little Star Scout. Boy, could she earn badges. Sasha would really give you a run for your money. But, being that her parents were busy folks, I did a lot of accompanying her, and picked up quite a few tricks, and saved many scouts from accidentally poisoning themselves. Not everything beautiful on the outside is beautiful inside. They say with a rose, you gotta prepare for the thorns."
"Sasha sounds like a very lucky girl to have you as a friend." Brenda said.
But Strawberry froze.
"Yeah. I feel lucky to have had her." said the pegasus.
"Once we get the princess to Palpatine, I'm sure Sasha will be happy to see you again."
"You say that like it's a possibility."
"Why would it not be-"
"I think there's a good shortcut this way."
Strawberry trotted down another path and continued on with the others. Normally, horses were the ones to sense tension, but Brenda could see something was bothering Strawberry Sundae, and for some reason, she wasn't saying anything. She knew she was right though, not everything that glitters is gold. In other words, someone can seem happy-go-lucky outside, but be miserable inside.
"Finally, you're actually wanting to get things done." Mace said.
Except, as they came down a path, Strawberry sniffed the air, then she gasped and lifted her wing to stop the others.
"Wait! We can't go this way." Strawberry said.
"Why not?" Mace said, then he sniffed something unfamiliar. "What's that smell?"
"Ewoks!" Strawberry hissed with a snort. "Very dangerous monsters."
"Pfft! They can't be any scarier than me."
Mace tried to go around Strawberry, but she got in the way and wouldn't let him through. He tried again, but Strawberry stepped in the way again.
"Let me through, Strawberry." Mace said.
"I'm not going to do that." Strawberry said.
"Move it already!"
Mace tried to pick Strawberry up so he could move her, but she started licking him in response, making him spit and sputter, making Brenda laugh. Still, Mace being as stubborn as he was, grabbed Strawberry and placed her behind him and rushed into the path, forcing the girls to go after him.
"Mace! Don't go in there!" Strawberry insisted, going after the minotaur. "It's dangerous."
But, it looked like Mace had to learn the hard way... as he'd gotten deep into this part of the woods by the time Strawberry and Brenda caught up to him and stopped him.
"See? There's nothing dangerous in here." Mace said.
"Mace, we have to get out of here right now. Ewoks really don't like strangers in their territory." Strawberry insisted.
Too late! That was when the bushes started rustling, and out popped several little teddy bear-like creatures with hoods on their heads, and they were carrying what looked like spears and arrows.
Mace took one look at the creatures and began to laugh at the fact that Strawberry called them dangerous.
"Those little guys? That's what you're afraid of?" Mace laughed as Strawberry got into a defensive position. "They're a bunch of teddy bears!"
"Mace, don't be fooled by their cuteness!" Strawberry said.
Unfortunately, Strawberry was proven right as one of the ewoks shot an arrow that barely missed Mace
(Cue: "Kakamora" from Moana)
Pretty soon, the odd trio was surrounded by dozens of little ewoks with their sharp spears and arrows. Strawberry tried to fly away, but one of the ewoks threw a spear and scratched her wing causing her to fall. Mace tried to fight too, but the ewoks literally grabbed him by the horns and started to tie him down.
"Run, Princess! Run!" Mace shouted.
But, to Mace and Strawberry's great surprise, Brenda didn't run away. Instead, she fought the ewoks. She grabbed some nearby sticks and swordfought with the ewoks, and kicked many of them away. Some tried climbing to jump her, but she dodged and blocked their blows and used a lot of karate moves. The ewoks were quick, but Brenda was quicker. The many little ewoks were no match for this beautiful and fierce princess, especially if they touched her gown.
"Don't mess with the dress." Brenda dusted off her gown and freed the others, but not without the ewoks still shooting some arrows before Brenda got what remained of the army and put all the little teddy bears to go night night.
"Well, shall we?" said the princess.
Mace could not believe his eyes when he saw what the princess just did.
"Hold up! Wait a minute! Princess, that was amazing!" Mace said, impressed. "Where'd you learn to do that?"
"Well, when one lives alone, one must learn how to protect oneself in case-" then Brenda noticed. "There's an arrow in your butt!"
"What?" Mace looked to his rear and saw there was indeed an arrow there. "Oh, would you look at that?"
It was probably due to his thick skin and the clothes he was wearing that he didn't feel it, or the arrow was simply so fast, like getting a shot at the doctor's.
"Oh no! This is all my fault! I'm so sorry." Brenda said.
Strawberry winced at the sight, but also winced in pain when she felt her left wing.
Brenda took a look at Strawberry's wing and noticed a big but small and painful scratch in a spot underneath some frazzled feathers.
"I told you ewoks were dangerous! But nooo. You had to be so overconfident. Big muscles and big horns don't make you a warrior, you know." Strawberry winced again.
"Strawberry, stop fidgeting. You're hurt!" Brenda said.
"I'm fine. It's just a scratch. Ow! And what about his stab in the derriere?"
"Strawberry, if you really want to help, keep your wing still and see if you can find some aloe vera plants."
"Aloe vera! Yes!" Strawberry said, and she ran into the woods and started sniffing for aloe.
"What's the aloe for?" Mace said.
"Nature's medical ointment." Brenda answered.
"Ah." Mace remembered now.
"Now, you hold still, and I'll yank this thing out."
Brenda grabbed the arrow, but it hurt as she started to move it.
"Ow! Hey, easy with the yanking!" Mace said with a snort.
"Sorry, but it has to come out."
Brenda tried to grab the arrow again, but Mace moved away, not wanting to feel the pain again.
"Will you hold still?!"
"No, it's tender!"
"Get over here!"
But Mace, being so stubborn, took off and ran, prompting Brenda to chase after him.
(Cue: "Yakety Sax" (Benny Hill theme))
Mace ran into different parts of the forest, and Brenda came after him, but she ended up chasing him back and forth, left to right and right to left, to and fro through a series of paths and trees, going down one path, then coming from another, until Mace was the one chasing Brenda, and then Strawberry came along with a basket of aloe in her mouth, and soon she was running down the paths randomly too, looking for her friends... until they all bumped into each other and fell down.
"What'd I miss?" Strawberry said. "Other than a weirdly hilarious classic chase scene."
But then Strawberry noticed Brenda had no luck pulling the arrow from Mace's rear as he got up, but Brenda tripped, and Mace caught her in his strong arms. Except, the two found themselves looking into each other's eyes, and their position looked an awful lot like they'd been dancing.
"If you two are gonna kiss, don't stop on my account." Strawberry teased.
"Oh, come on!" Mace rolled his eyes with a groan as he helped Brenda up. "That's the last thing on my mind. The princess was just trying to- OW!"
While Mace was distracted by Strawberry, Brenda quickly pulled the arrow from his rear.
Strawberry had to fight sounds of nausea when she saw the sight of the arrow coming out with even a tiny bit of blood on it.
"Okay. It's your turn." Brenda said, breaking some aloe and beginning to apply it to Strawberry's wing, only for the horse to whinny in pain. "It's okay! It's okay. You're alright."
Mace pet Strawberry's muzzle while Brenda applied the aloe vera's gel and then ripped the sleeves from her gown and wrapped them around Strawberry's wounded area like gauze bandages.
"There. That'll heal in no time."
"Hmm. Are you sure we rescued a princess and not a doctor?" Strawberry said, impressed how well Brenda applied medical attention with limited supplies.
Now that Mace and Strawberry's wounds were tended to, they could continue on their merry way.
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With an injured wing, Strawberry would have to walk the rest of the way. She followed along as Mace and Brenda walked toward a river where there was no bridge. Without a pegasus available to fly, they needed another way across. Mace, using his strength, pushed down a pine tree and held it down for the ladies to use as a bridge.
As they made their way down the path, Mace and Brenda found themselves getting to know each other a little more as they spent time together.
My beloved monster and me
We go everywhere together
Wearing a raincoat that has four sleeves
Gets us through all kinds of weather
As they walked by, they came across a slew of bees as well as a hive. Mace might've tried to get honey if the bees weren't buzzing around him so much, probably because he and Strawberry smelled like berries.
Luckily, Brenda had a solution. She made a small fire and used the smoke, but not too much, to temporarily stun the bees, which allowed her to grab some honeycomb.
She will always be the only thing
That comes between me and the awful sting
That comes from living in a world
That's so damn mean
Brenda split the honeycomb and shared it with the others. Mace found it very sweet of the princess to treat him to one of nature's sweetest candies.
My beloved monster is tough
If she wants, she will disrobe you
But if you lay her down for a kiss
Her little heart, it could explode
She will always be the only thing
That comes between me and the awful sting
Mace also came up with a way to impress the princess by gathering acorns and seeds near where a bunch of squirrels were stuffing their cheeks and showing her how he strung them together using a strand of Strawberry's long hair, making the princess a very pretty necklace to wear.
Brenda couldn't help finding the necklace as a very touching present, and she and Mace laughed as they ran together through the forest with the butterflies that flew by.
That comes from living in a world
That's so damn
Mean
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la, la-la
She didn't let them know, but when Strawberry looked at Mace and Brenda, she could tell something was blooming between those two, and it wasn't mere friendship she was sensing.
Eventually, Naboo came into view.
"There it is, Princess." Mace said. "Your future awaits."
"That's Naboo?" Brenda gasped.
"Don't be too disappointed. It used to be a lot prettier when I lived there." Strawberry said. "Mace thinks Palpatine must be compensating for-ow!"
Mace pushed Strawberry away, making her fall on her back, before she could say anything else.
"Well, I guess we'd better get moving." Mace said nervously.
"Uh, sure... but, Mace?" said Brenda. Mace looked back at Brenda as she looked at Strawberry. "I'm worried about Strawberry."
"What?"
"I mean- look at her. She doesn't look too good."
"What do you mean? Is my wing swelling?"
"Yes! It is a little. You feel fine now, but if you don't treat it next thing you know, you're on your back. Dead."
Strawberry felt suspicious though. She was starting to think Brenda didn't want to go to Naboo anymore than Strawberry wanted her too.
"You know," said Mace. "She's right. You look awful. Do you want to sit down?"
"You know, I'll make you some tea." said Brenda.
Strawberry liked the idea of tea, and her wing did need some rest.
"Who's hungry?" said Mace. "I'll find us some dinner."
"I'll get the firewood." Brenda said.
A little later, closer to sunset, Mace and Brenda were having dinner as the minotaur turned a stick with two fish on it.
Brenda took a bite of her fish and found it enjoyable.
"Mmm. This is good. I mean, really good." Brenda said. "What is it?"
"Rainbow trout. Rotisserie style." Mace said.
"No kidding. Well this is delicious."
"They're also great in stew. Now, I don't mean to brag, but I make a mean forest stew, with or without fish."
Brenda chuckled, and then she looked at Naboo. In a castle, she was bound to be eating very fancy food, which didn't usually include barbecued stuff like this.
"I guess I'll be dining a little differently tomorrow night." Brenda sighed.
Mace looked down a bit. Surprised as he was, he would miss Brenda once she was married and living in Naboo.
"Maybe you can come visit me at Mount Gaia sometime. I'll make you all kinds of things. Pine nut butter, fruit stew, you name it." Mace suggested.
Brenda smiled at Mace and said, "I'd like that."
The minotaur and the human princess looked at each other and found themselves feeling something they couldn't explain. Mace found his heart beating in a weird way he wasn't familiar with. He decided to say something.
"Uh... Princess?"
"Yes?"
"I... uh...I was wondering....are you..."
Mace tried to gather up the courage to say something else, but he chickened out and instead looked at the spare fish on her stick.
"Are you gonna eat that?"
Brenda took the fish off the stick and placed it in Mace's hand. But, instead of eating the fish, Mace found himself holding Brenda's hand and getting lost in her eyes. And then, the two found themselves leaning forward, while Strawberry watched them and found it so romantic. Except, Brenda noticed the sun setting and got scared.
"It's sunset already?!" Brenda gasped. "Oh no. It's very late."
Brenda quickly moved herself toward a nearby windmill to take shelter.
"Already?" Strawberry said. "Aw! Wait to ruin the moment. You afraid of the dark or something?"
"Yes!" Brenda answered maybe too quickly. "That's it! I'm terrified! I better go inside."
But, Strawberry wasn't so sure that was the case.
"Goodnight." Brenda said, entering the windmill.
"Goodnight." Mace said, sighing as he sat down on the log.
Strawberry looked at Mace and knew exactly what was going on.
"Ooh! I sense romance!" Strawberry sang.
"What are you talking about?" Mace huffed.
"Hey, I'm a horse. I got instincts about emotions, and you two got feelings for each other, don't try to deny it."
"Oh, you're crazy! I'm just bringing her back to Palpatine."
"Come on, Mace. Don't try to deny it. Why don't you go on in there? Tell her how you feel?"
"Uh... There's nothing to tell! Besides, even if I did tell her that... you know..." Mace stammered. "And I'm not saying I do, 'cause I don't. She's a princess and I'm..."
"A minotaur?"
"Yeah. A minotaur."
Mace sighed and started to walk away.
"Hey, where are you going?" Strawberry asked.
"To get more firewood."
Strawberry, however, just knew Mace and Brenda would be a great couple if they gave it a chance. Besides, there was no way she was going to let Palpatine marry and take advantage of a sweet woman like Brenda.
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