Anakin and Carmine met with their ladies at the rowboat that would take them to the ship.
Padme and Caroline were both excited to have the twins come with them.

"You're going to love Naboo, Ani." Padme promised. "So many people will want to meet you and Carmine. Scientists, writers, kings and queens."

"Queen Neeyutnee herself will want to meet you both." Obi-Wan said, climbing the ladder onto the boat. "As will the Jedi Council."

"Who knows?" Caroline said. "The two of you could also prove revolutionary to the veterinary field, helping doctors to truly understand their animals' needs."

The twins looked back at the island one last time, and then at each other. They were sad to leave, but they agreed it was for the best. So, Anakin climbed up first, Carmine following.

However, when they got onto the boat, they were met by a most unsettling sight.

The Captain and crew were tied up, and the boat was filled with dangerous looking thugs. That was when the twins heard their names being called, and they saw Padme, Caroline, Obi-Wan, and young Boba being grabbed by some thugs, and struggling. Padme bit one on the arm, trying to escape, but the thug held on.

"Anakin!" Padme shouted.

"Padme!/Caroline!" The twins exclaimed.

The thugs tried to grab the twins, but the two split and began to fight. Anakin started growing more plants while Carmine vocalized, and both Force-pushed as many as they could. But then, they heard the girls calling for help, and Anakin got high up and saw the trapped victims being placed into the ship's brig.

"Anakin!" Carmine called.

Anakin gasped when he saw his brother being roped and muzzled so he couldn't use his power. He quickly jumped down and started to fight the thugs, and tried to get his brother untied, but the thugs grabbed him too.

Anakin struggled to get away, but one thug grabbed him by his hair, causing him great pain. And a shot was fired.

"What's going on here?" Dooku shouted.

"Dooku! Help." Anakin struggled.

Dooku, however, looked at the twins as though first meeting them.

"Have we met?" said the hunter. He propped up Anakin's chin and then Carmine's with his weapon. "Ah, yes. The horse men twins. I apologize for the rather incorrigible greetings..."
That was when a cage was lowered down.
"But I couldn't have the two of you standing in the way when we put your furry four-legged friends in their cages."

"Why?" Anakin said.

"Why? For thousands of credits a head. That is the price merely for an earth equine. Could you imagine the price on an alicorn?" Dooku said. "And I have the two of you to thank for this."

Carmine tried to shout out his anger, but the muzzle made it impossible.

"You can't do this!" Anakin said angrily.

"Lock them up with the others." Dooku said.

Anakin knew he had to warn the others. But how? He took a big breath and neighed as loudly as he could.
__________________

On the island, Carousella and Crescent were sadly walking with Vivian as they'd missed their chance to see off their friends, when they suddenly heard a loud whinny.

"Did you hear that?" said Vivian.

"That sounded like Anakin." Carousella nodded. "And he sounds like he's in trouble!"

"He's got his new friends now." said Crescent. "What does he need us for? Neither he nor Carmine even said goodbye."

Carousella decided to set her brother straight and yanked him back by his tail before getting him to look her in the eyes.

"Listen here you oversized colt! Anakin and Carmine are our brothers and our friends, and we're gonna help them!"

The three friends ran and ran as fast as they could, and dove into the water where the poachers wouldn't see them.
__________________
Anakin and Carmine kicked the ends of the walls the way horses kicked as hard as they could, and even tried to Force their way out, but the brig was Force proof.

"Anakin, Carmine!" Padme said. "Please stop it!"

"It's no use." Caroline said.

Carmine couldn't even try singing because the sound would echo too much, and likely hurt everyone's ears.

But, the twins kept trying to break free from the brig, but no avail. They both soon fell to the floor as they were overwhelmed with frustration and heartbreak.

"Dooku..." Anakin growled.

"Yes. Dooku betrayed us all." said Padme. "I'm so sorry, Anakin."

"No, we did this." Anakin said.

"We betrayed our family." Carmine said with a sniffle.

"Queen Reigna was right." Anakin said, sounding like he'd start crying. "We are a menace."

No one else liked what was happening either.

"What's gonna happen to the equines?" Boba asked.

"Those poor, innocent creatures." said Obi-Wan, hugging himself. "Shivering in cages."

"What is this world coming too?!" Caroline said, about to let out a scream, but instead they heard a whinny.

Caroline quickly covered her mouth.

"Did that come out of me?"

"Boys?" Obi-Wan asked, looking at the twins.

"Wasn't me." Anakin and Carmine said.

What none of them knew then, was that up above, Crescent, Carousella, and Vivian were fighting off the thugs who remained on the boat and throwing them overboard. Kicking, scratching, biting, and blasting with musical magic.

Crescent let out a loud whinny as he found the brig. Then, Carousella opened the door.

"Did I just hear a musicorn battle?" Obi-Wan said.

The twins looked up.

"Carousella! Crescent!" Anakin gasped happily.

The equines whinnied happily, seeing as their brothers were alive. They and Vivian flew down and helped everyone out. But, the rescue mission wasn't over yet. They still had to save the equine herd.
__________________
Queen Reigna once again watched over her herd.
Everything was quiet and seemed peaceful again. However, the queen couldn't help but feel guilty for how she treated the twins earlier, especially when she saw Armorous nuzzling a sad Lavendera. Sadly, it was too late to turn back now.

Suddenly...

BOOM!

A red firework shot up in the air, and all the equines turned to one end of the field, where a group of thugs with knives, guns, and snares of all sorts stood... and charged right at them.
Queen Reigna immediately got all the equines to run and fly. The unicorns all started to fight the thugs with their magic while the winged equines flew the foals to safety.

Unfortunately, the thugs figured out how to weaken some of the winged and horned equines by shooting or roping around their wings. And when they caught a unicorn, they placed a special ball on the end to prevent them from using magic.

Ponies kept trying to escape, but they ran into nets, or were roped and caged. Including the twins' parents!

Queen Reigna decided to take on the worst thugs on her own, but they roped her and pulled her down to the ground. She whinnied and tried to escape, but soon saw Dooku standing above her.

"Ah... I remember you." smirked Dooku, clocking his gun. "I think this one will be better off stuffed."

However, before Dooku could shoot, there was the sound of twins whinnying in the air, and in came the twins riding on Carousella and Crescent's backs. Padme hitched a ride on Vivian, and a stampede of viventias came, led by Leofric and Carnatia, who carried Obi-Wan and Caroline.

"Charge!" Obi-Wan shouted.

The creatures all began to fight the thugs.
Anakin and Carmine came to Queen Reigna and cut the ropes from her body.

"You came back." she gasped.

"We came home." the twins smiled.

More of the viventias came and aided in the fight and freeing the captured equines.
Carousella even managed to scare some thugs into one of the empty cages.

"Feel lucky now, punks?" Carousella smirked, even though they likely didn't understand her.
But, she found herself cornered by Cad Bane's blaster... until Crescent kicked him in the head and knocked him out before destroying his weapon.

"Maybe now you'll think twice before messing with my sister." Crescent growled.

Dooku did not like what he was seeing.

"You! Take what you can back to the boat!" Dooku ordered, clicking his gun. "I've got some hunting to do."

Padme and Caroline also started to fight the thugs who had Armorous and Lavendera in a cage, but found themselves outnumbered very quickly... until they came up to a familiar sight.
And, like a strong adult in charge, the same baby griffin from before let out a might roar, causing all the griffins to attack the thugs and chase them away.

"How convenient." Caroline smiled.

The little griffin rubbed against the two ladies as though to say you're welcome.

"Thank you." Padme said, petting the griffin's head. She approached the cage and tried to force it open.

Caroline helped, but the door wouldn't budge!
The girls didn't even notice a thug approaching with a crowbar... until Anakin jumped in and knocked the thug out, taking his weapon.

"Oh, that should help." Padme said. And with Anakin and Carmine's help, they opened the cage and freed the equines.

However, Anakin cried out in pain as he was shot in his right arm, to the others' horror.
They quickly looked to see it was Dooku.

"This ends now, savages." Dooku said.

Queen Reigna whinnied loudly and charged towards Dooku. The twins tried to stop her, but Dooku shot her! And Reigna collapsed to the ground.

"Oh no!" Padme gasped.

Anakin looked up into the tree and started to climb the tree, and just as he predicted...

"Leaving so soon? Very well. I could use a challenge." Dooku smirked, climbing after the boy.

While Anakin kept Dooku busy, Carmine quickly went with Caroline to assist in checking Queen Reigna.

Luckily, Caroline had a few medical supplies with her, and she instructed Carmine on everything she needed him to do if they wanted any hope to save Reigna.

Anakin climbed higher and higher into the tree.

"After I get rid of you," said Dooku. "Capturing your little horse friends will be all too easy!"

Anakin continued to climb. He had to buy as much time as he could get the others to save Reigna and the other equines.

Anakin started to make more vines grow, which didn't come easily with how much his arm was hurting. But he kept climbing. With one arm, it was a lot harder. For what felt like the first time, brave Anakin didn't know if he was going to make it!

Anakin managed to make his way to a strong branch, where Dooku tried to shoot him, but Anakin used the Force on Dooku, and suddenly he was the one holding the gun.

"Go ahead," smirked Dooku. "Shoot me."

Anakin, however, looked hesitant.

Dooku chuckled and said, "Be a man."

Anakin quickly held the gun to Dooku's throat, and there was a gun sound, but not from the gun.
Dooku did not look amused when he realized Anakin only imitated the sound to mess with him.

"I'm not a man like you!" Anakin growled, and he smashed the gun against the tree into a bunch of small pieces.

Dooku, however, still had his machete. And he tried to strike Anakin with it, but the latter dodged the blade and moved as quickly as he could to get away from Dooku while keeping his attention away from the equines as long as possible.

Dooku kept trying to strike Anakin, only to get his arm caught in a vine. Anakin then grew another vine and made it grab Dooku's leg, and made even more to make it impossible for Dooku to escape.

But, the relentless poacher chewed the vine from his wrist and started slicing the vines, many at once. However, Anakin was quick to notice one vine wrapping itself around Dooku's neck, and he tried to warn him not to cut anymore vines, but Dooku didn't listen.

And before they knew it, Dooku cut the very vine that held him up in the air, and he fell. Anakin tried to save him... but he was too late. And Dooku was hung.

Anakin met the others back down on the ground as the equines were still being freed. The battle was over, but not everyone won. There were those who lost their lives in the fierce battle, including Captain Fett, leaving his son orphaned.
Obi-Wan held young Boba as he cried for the loss of his father. Queen Reigna, on the other hoof, still lay on the ground, very weak. Padme kept her calm while Caroline and Carmine treated her.

"How is she?" Anakin said. "Is she still alive?"

"Barely." Caroline said. "But with the operating we've done so far, I think we'll be able to save her."

"Carmine... Anakin. Listen to me, please." Reigna said.

Anakin came closer, and he and Carmine listened.

"I was wrong to judge you." Reigna said weakly. "You were always part of this family, whether you are equines or not. And whether I survive... I want the two of you to know... I'm sorry for how I've treated you. No matter what happens, I want you both to protect this herd."

Anakin pet Reigna's muzzle gently and whinnied a solemn promise that he and Carmine would watch over the herd.