If there was one thing that everybody loved, it was cake, perhaps the most famous dessert in the universe. Cake was shared at all kinds of celebrations. Birthdays, weddings, graduations, or they're made as a simple 'I love you' gesture. A thing about cakes, they take time and patience to make, just like a relationship does. A healthy relationship is made out of several ingredients just like cake.

Cakes were usually made from a foundation of flour, butter, eggs, sugar, milk, and baking powder, and then you add a special ingredient depending on the type of cake you're making. And sometimes, you find that two ingredients you didn't think would make an ideal match make a whole new taste you didn't realize you needed to experience.

A young pegasus mare named Strawberry Sundae knew this especially well. Not that long ago, she was matched with Jedi Master Mace Windu.

To many, Mace could kind of come off as harsh, a bit of a grump, and maybe a bit of a showoff, though he didn't tend to brag about his talents out loud. But deep down, he had a soft side, especially when it came to his family, though he didn't always realize it.

Under the old code, Mace felt torn that he was given the ultimatum to either continue his studies or stay with a girl he met on a mission. He thought he made the right choice at the time, though he was crushed. But, like a cake, Mace had layers underneath that tough facade he held so much. And within those layers was a heart that yearned to know what might have been, to have a second chance at a happy life.

Now, Mace had his heart's desire in the form of his beautiful wife Brenda, their daughter Myra, and Brenda's and now Mace's newly adopted son Kade. And with Round n' Round and Strawberry, they were one big happy family.

With Mace and Brenda coming home from their honeymoon tonight, Strawberry was working on a special cake to serve as a special dessert to celebrate a new family. A specialty Strawberry loved to make was something she liked to call Diversi-Cakes. A few years back, she made a multi-layer cake, each with a different flavor symbolic of Anakin and Padme's love for their wedding. Now, she was making a special cake representative of everyone in the family with the lower layers representing the oldest members of the family, and stacking up to the youngest member.

Cinnamon swirl for Mace, vanilla with raspberry filling for Brenda, strawberry lemon for Myra, of course, and for Kade, double chocolate fudge with peanut butter. All their favorites. And for Strawberry and Round n' Round, she decorated the cake with blue icing and little strawberries cut and shaped into roses.

"Perfect." Strawberry smiled.

When Strawberry got home that night from work, she, Myra, Kade, Rhett, and their grandparents got to setting the table for dinner while Heidi went to pick the newlyweds up from the space port.

"Guess who's back from their honeymoon!" Brenda called from the front door.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Kade ran excitedly to greet his parents.

Mace picked up the boy and ruffled his hair with a laugh.

"We're happy to see you too...son." Mace smiled.

"Mom. Dad." Myra greeted.

"Come here, Sweetheart." Brenda pulled Myra into a big hug and gave her a kiss. "Did you two have fun with Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Yeah, we had a good time over the last couple weeks." Myra said.

"Grandpa took us to one of his shops to show us the speeders, and I got to play on one that looked like a video game." Kade said.

"It's a new simulation system for student drivers." James explained. "I'd say Myra is very much ready to get on the road. With more practice, Kade may have a bright future as a racer if he so wishes."

"Welcome home, newlyweds." Cecilia said. "Dinner's almost ready. Why don't you sit down."

So, the newlyweds did sit down.

"Was your honeymoon fun?" Round n' Round asked.

"Yes, it was... very much." Brenda said. "Oh, you should've seen the sunsets on the beach."

"Beautiful might've been an understatement." Mace said. "Isla Tropica really is paradise."

"I think that's where Anakin's teacher Garrett is from." Strawberry said. "You should see the pictures from his family reunion. It looks like fun. Especially all the dolphins."

"We saw plenty of those on our honeymoon too." Mace said. "Beautiful things."

"Beauty exists in a lot of different places," said Round n Round. "But did you know that right now dolphins need help right now? They're endangered because of pollution. And there are lots of other sea creatures that need help too."

"It's true." Myra said. "We went to the aquarium a few days ago, and a famous marine biologist was giving a speech there about all the creatures on the water worlds and even in bodies of water on worlds with a lot of land need our help. Except, some don't want to help certain creatures because they're too ugly or dangerous. I couldn't believe it, but it turns out even sharks are an important piece of the ecosystem."

"There is a lot more to a lot of creatures than meets the eye." Brenda said. "It happens all too often. We take one glance, and all it takes is one thought of it being dangerous to cause trouble."

Mace looked down guiltily; he remembered all too well thinking that about Anakin when he first met him. He took one look at the child and treated him so unfairly. He could've welcomed him with open arms, but didn't.

"It's not just scary looking creatures that get judged. Sadly, a lot of stories and movies give certain creatures a really bad rap. Like all these scary movies about werewolves, or the movies that make princesses seem helpless." Strawberry said. "You know, that makes me think of a story that takes on that subject. It's about a minotaur who-"

"What's a minotaur?" Kade asked.

"It's a creature that's half-man and half-bull." Strawberry picked out a book and found a picture of a minotaur. "It looks like this."

"Ahh!" Kade hid under the table at the sight of the picture. "That's scary."

"Don't worry, Kade. It's just a picture." Myra said. "It can't really hurt you."

"Minotaurs have a bit of a bad rap too. They're commonly used to represent the arrogance of men. Some, but not all, are like that. Minotaurs are big and strong, but they can be gentle giants if given half a chance."

Kade came out after hearing that.

"Will you tell us the story about your minotaur, Strawberry?" Kade asked.

"Is it a scary story?" Myra asked.

"Not really. It's more like an exciting love story about a minotaur who lives in a beautiful mountain range, and then rescues a beautiful princess."

So, Strawberry got to telling the story.

"This story begins like most fairy tales you may know."