Anakin felt much better once he was bathed and out of those muddy clothes.
After helping to fix all the knocked down tables and chairs, Anakin was allowed to sit down at the diner with his father and brother to eat something. This was especially good since he hadn't eaten in a long time, much less eaten anything as delicious as the veggie omelettes Plo and Shaak cooked for everyone.
"Slow down, Anakin." Qui-Gon scolded, seeing Anakin eat so fast.
"Sorry. I haven't eaten anything since... two days ago, I think."
"You haven't eaten in two days?!" Caroline said in shock.
"Afraid not." Anakin said.
"You're a champion racer who can't afford to eat anything?" Boba said.
"It's not that I can't afford to eat. More like I'm not allowed to until given the okay to eat whatever's placed in front of me."
"Is it like one of those dangerous diets that some supermodels put themselves on?" Ahsoka asked. "Because a friend of mine tried that and nearly lost her life because of it."
"No. It's probably a bit worse than that." Anakin said. "When you're a slave... food is earned, and not exactly on a regular basis."
According to Anakin, he and his mother didn't always get to eat before or after races. Watto was very cheap when it came to maintenance, equipment, or feeding his so-called "workers." Sometimes, they went without eating for days at a time, struggling to sleep with growling stomachs and to work due to malnourishment. In the occasional event the Skywalker slaves did eat anything, it was usually bland-tasting protein rations or some kind of bread and water. Sometimes, the bread was more than two days old, so Anakin often had to sneak away as far as he could to search through garbage cans, snatch food that race fans left behind in the bleachers, or crawl under outdoor dining tables and swipe food when people weren't looking just so he and his mom could survive.
"Breakfast places and bakeries usually threw out good stuff though." Anakin sipped some coffee. "You wouldn't believe how many people waste perfectly good egg sandwiches."
That was when Citrus placed a plate with an orange sliced in two in front of Anakin.
"Here. You need this more than me. It's fresh from the tree in my family's yard." said the horse.
Carmine also shared some of his fruit salad with his twin.
"You'll need all the nutrients you can get now." Carmine said, sliding some fruit onto Anakin's plate.
Anakin thanked the two for their generosity and enjoyed the fruit, starting to feel more nourished with each bite.
"This food is really good." Anakin said. "And not just because it tastes better than old bread and rations."
"We're glad you like them." Shaak said. "Those fruits and vegetables you're enjoying, we all grew them ourselves."
"Citrus inspects them well to ensure only the best go into each meal." Ahsoka said, pouring Obi-Wan another cup of coffee.
"The farms around these parts grow great crops." Padme said. "A lot of it is due to the horses."
"Really?" Anakin said in disbelief.
"It's true." Carmine said. "Horses have pretty keen senses for good land to plant crops and a good eye for the the perfect harvest time."
As Anakin took another bite of his farm fresh breakfast, he'd taken some time to think. From what he noticed, there seemed to be horses all around, and each citizen had one of his or her own. In most towns Anakin had been to during his tours of racing, there weren't a ton of horses, much less ones who lived in houses, worked in diners or bookstores, or did tasks other than pulling carriages or giving rides at kids' birthday parties. What was it about this town that made the horses here stay, and why did they live different from other horses?

While Omega and the rest of her brothers got all the horses out of the stable and into the corral, Anakin got on a hard hat and joined in with Wrecker in knocking down the part of the wall that Zam marked nice and clear.
"Okay, boys. You can knock it down now!" Zam called.
"Oh yeah!" Wrecker shouted, eagerly starting construction knocking down the wall, barely giving Anakin time to knock it down.
"You know I'm supposed to be helping, right?" Anakin pointed out.
"Sorry, I like to blow things up!" Wrecker said, demonstrating that point by breaking more of the wall.
"Wrecker, that's enough!" Zam scolded. "Let Anakin have a turn."
Wrecker looked down in shame.
"Sorry, Mama."
Zam kissed her son's cheek and had him step aside so Anakin could finish up.
"Go ahead, Anakin." Zam said.
Anakin got to bashing what remained of the wall. Once that was done, he got a wheelbarrow to clear out all the rubble from the old wall. And while Wrecker and his mother took the rubble away, Anakin had the task of moving the Fetts' horses to another stable, where they would sleep until theirs was fully repaired.
It turned out, Qui-Gon had a stable at his home too that had enough room for the horses. And, as part of his community service, Anakin was to help move them. He approached a big blonde colored stallion named Cisco and grabbed the reins.
"Okay, boy. Let's go." Anakin said, starting to walk, only to feel a tug and fall down, finding that Cisco didn't even step forward.
Cisco snorted and just started to walk away, much to Anakin's confusion. He tried again, but Cisco yanked him again.
"Hey!" Anakin said angrily, picking himself up from the ground.
Cisco just lowered his head to munch on some grass. As you can probably guess, he wasn't much of a talker. He was more the strong, silent type.
"Alright, playtime's over, Cisco." Anakin said, yanking the rein again. "Come on!"
But Cisco was as stubborn as a mule.
"Okay, fine. Be that way." Anakin said. He then went over to a pretty reddish brown colored mare with a blonde mane like Maybelle's. But she turned her head away and walked off before Anakin had a chance to grab it.
"Really?" Anakin groaned. "I'm trying to get you to a stable for you to sleep in."
"Well, we don't feel like moving." said Sadie. "We like it here."
"Look... I get it, you got minds of your own, but we gotta get moving."
Anakin tried climbing onto Sadie's saddle, but she shook him off and sent him flying to the dirt again. So, Anakin tried the other horses, and got mixed results. Pinto and Remix just kept running about, Banjo flew off and teased Anakin in a game of Tag, Estrella just went to drink water from her trough, Indira was more interested in basking in the sun than moving to another stable, and Maybelle just pounced him and started licking Anakin's face!
Anakin spat and sputtered as Maybelle attacked him with kisses.
"Stop it! Pleh! Enough! That's disgusting!" Anakin shouted. "Someone, help!"
"Maybelle! Bad girl!" Crosshair said, pulling his horse off of Anakin. "No licking!"
Anakin wiped the horse saliva off his face and picked himself up.
"Okay, what is wrong with these horses?!" Anakin said. "I've asked nicely for them to come with me, but they just won't behave."
"That might be because they don't know you very well." Hunter said, brushing Indira.
Anakin was confused.
"Aren't horses supposed to have a sense of whether someone is good or not?"
"They do, usually. But that doesn't mean they'll go anywhere with just anyone."
Omega held out some strawberries for Estrella, which the pink alicorn proceeded to munch right out of the palm of her rider's hand, licking the juice they left. It tickled Omega's hand.
"Maybe tasks involving the horses should just be left to us." Echo suggested.
"No, kids. He has to learn how." Jango said, grabbing Sisco. "And we're gonna teach him."

Anakin spent hours with the Fetts' horses, trying to earn their trust in any way he could. He offered them treats, talked to them, even tried to pet them, but they kept messing with him. But, the Fett family began showing him how to interact with horses of various personalities.
Indira was the calmest, so she was a good start. But that didn't mean she wouldn't bite if provoked. So, Hunter showed Anakin where horses usually liked to be pet the most. Most of the usual spots were the muzzle, behind the ears, under their chins, and on the side of their necks.
The Caballos, however, they were an entire family that could be pretty rebellious. When Jango and Zam first got married and got their first stable, they'd initially only bought one horse: Sadie. But then one day, they got Sisco, who eventually fell in love with Sadie and mated with her, which eventually led to three foals. And when each foal was born, Jango and Zam introduced their own children as more horses arrived, and eventually all of them learned to ride and care for the horses.
To Anakin's great surprise, each horse had a story for how each of them met his or her rider.
For Indira, she was an orphaned filly who ran from an abusive home before running into the Fetts and a then five-year-old Hunter, the oldest of quadruplets. But for the Caballo siblings, each of them bonded with one of the oldest sons, but not necessarily based on the same order of births.
Echo was the first born child, but the first born Caballo foal was given to the fifth born child Crosshair, Pinto to third born Wrecker, and Banjo to Echo. Hunter, the second-born child, developed a special bond with Indira when they were both very small, and when she got big enough, he started riding her.
Eventually, Tech, the fourth born child, was introduced to a very social equine named Teatra, whom Tech's parents believed would help him improve his social skills.
Eventually, the two youngest children, Boba and Omega, were born. Remix came to town by chance among a herd of wild horses, and somehow he and Boba just formed a special bond, and Boba came home with the colt, begging his parents to let him keep him.
Omega, like a lot of little girls, always wished for a pony of her own, just like her brothers. But, she never was able to find a horse that was quite right for her... until two years ago when she went out of town with her parents to set up their booth at the farmer's market, and she spotted a trailer that held one horse in it. A trailer that was from a circus that went out of business. While her parents were busy, Omega walked over to the trailer to get a closer look at the pretty horse in the trailer.
The pink alicorn sniffed Omega, looking for a treat. It turned out she'd smelled a strawberry danish Omega had in her pocket. Omega unwrapped it an offered a bite to the horse, whom she learned was named Estrella. As fate would have it, the man who owned her then was putting her up for sale. So... Omega immediately rushed to her parents and excitedly told them that she'd found the perfect horse for her. Somehow, when she bonded with Estrella, she just knew it was meant to be. You can imagine Omega was ecstatic when she brought her pony home for the very first time. But, like her brothers, she needed lessons to ride.
Anakin honestly never gave much thought to having a horse of his own; not that he really could, being a slave.
Qui-Gon soon came by with Orpheus, and he brought Carmine's horse Harmony to help out with Anakin's service.
"I believe now is a good time to teach you how to ride, Ani." Qui-Gon said.
Qui-Gon introduced Anakin to Harmony. According to him, it was easier to move horses by riding one to lead them than by just pulling on their reins.
"Carmine has agreed to allow us to borrow Harmony for your riding lessons." Qui-Gon said. "Your first lesson, how to properly board the saddle."
Qui-Gon got down from Orpheus and then slowly got back on to demonstrate to his son how to get on. Then he got off again to assist Anakin.
"Okay, now you go. It helps if you bond with her first."
So, Anakin approached Harmony. She snorted as she took a look at him. Qui-Gon adivsed Anakin to back up a little and take a deep breath to calm down.
"Remember, Ani. Horses feel what you feel. They can sense fear."
"Okay, no pressure or anything." Anakin said sarcastically.
Anakin took a breath and approached Harmony again, slowly reaching out his hand as he slowly took a few steps toward her, following his father's instruction. Eventually, Harmony took a couple steps forward and sniffed the air in front of Anakin.
"Good, Anakin. Now let her come to you." Qui-Gon said calmly.
And Anakin did let Harmony approach him. She got closer and closer, and Anakin took two slow steps forward until Harmony got close enough to sniff his hair, which Qui-Gon told Anakin was how the horses acquainted themselves with strangers.
Anakin then walked over to Harmony's side and started to board the saddle carefully, like his father did. Carefully, he placed his left foot on the stirrup while holding onto the saddle's horn, then pulling himself up and getting his right leg over and steadying himself as he sat down and grabbed the reins firmly, but gently.
Harmony whinnied happily as Anakin successfully passed his first lesson.
"You got on right." Harmony said
"Very good, Anakin." Qui-Gon praised. "Now for actually moving the horse."
"We're just getting started," said Harmony. "Putting it simply, you humans gotta learn how to signal us horses when you're riding us."
"Can't you just tell me how I signal you?" Anakin asked Harmony.
"Where's the fun in that?"
So, Qui-Gon got onto Orpheus and began showing Anakin a few basic tricks to signal the horse. A firm, but gentle kick on both sides to signal the horse to go forward; then yanking the rein back to slow down or stop; and tugging the rein in the opposite direction to make the horse go left or right.
"So, pull left to go right and pull right to go left?" Anakin asked to clarify.
"Exactly." Qui-Gon smiled. "But it takes more than physical touch and signals to be in control of a safe ride. Unlike a vehicle, you and your horse will need to cooperate. It is up to both of you yo communicate and listen to each other."
Anakin thought about it, and he figured he was ready to ride. So, he grabbed a lead rope and started to tie it to Harmony's saddle. Then, using a treat or two as a distraction, attached the lead rope to the other horses' bridles before getting onto Harmony again to lead them to Qui-Gon's stables.
"Alright, everyone." Anakin called. "Listen up, we're going for a ride, and everyone needs to cooperate here. I don't want any whining, biting, or yanking from behind, okay? Right now, it's my job to get you to your temporary new stable safely. Understood?"
"Okay/Understood." The horses said.
"Good. And if you all behave, I'll get you all some sugar cubes."
"Why didn't you start with that?" Harmony said. "Here we go!"
But before Anakin could say anything else, Harmony whinnied and stood on her hind legs, nearly making Anakin fall off (he quickly found out, luckily, he could prevent that by leaning forward as she stood up), and then she rushed up ahead, the other horses following very quickly.
"Harmony, slow down!" Anakin screamed.
Anakin started to feel a great sense of deja vu as the horses all began to run really fast and go out of control.
Anakin had to pull really quickly from left to right to dodge a bunch of obstacles, starting with a tree, and then to avoid ramming into Ahsoka and Fiesta as they were riding. Luckily, Fiesta flew herself and her rider out of the way too. But then they started to run all over town, leaving clouds of dust all around and Anakin kept steering Harmony to keep the horses from crashing into anyone or causing more damage.
"What's he doing?" Boba said.
"I think he's getting riding lessons." Zam said. "And getting a little more live transportation action than he's used to."
"Whoa!" Anakin yanked the reins to get Harmony to stop, and she screeched to a halt just as they reached the new stable.
But as Harmony came to a stop, all the horses behind her bumped into each other, Remix, being last in line, falling on his rear after bumping into Estrella's.
Qui-Gon and Orpheus quickly joined the others at the stable.
"Are you alright?" said Qui-Gon.
"I... I think so." Anakin panted.
"At least you know how to steer and to avoid falling when a horse does a two-legged stand. But, perhaps we will stick with riding with one horse at a time."
"Agreed. For now, I'm ready to get the horses inside and see how Tech's doing with the tower."
"I'm sensing some worry in you." Harmony said.
"Uh... you think? My mother is probably worried sick by now!"
"We will do everything we can to help you, Anakin." Qui-Gon said. "For now, we best get the horses inside and fed."
So, Anakin started to climb down from the saddle, but he lost his balance and landed roughly on the ground in a rose bush.
"Ouch!" Anakin cried.
Qui-Gon and the horses winced. As pretty as roses were, their thorns hurt like a cactus.
"A little help here... please?"
"Don't worry, son. Daddy will get you out." Qui-Gon said, amid Anakin groaning at being talked to like he was five.