With wedding plans in the works, things were really getting crazy. Aside from the Clone War, the wedding of Senator Padme Amidala and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker was the lead story on the holo-net. People had so many questions about who was designing Padme's wedding dress and how many kids they planned to have. Many reporters also asked Gabby how she felt that her Jedi bodyguard would soon 'become her stepfather'. Of course, Gabby knew she had to keep it secret from the rest of the galaxy that Anakin was her biological father. But one day, she planned to tell the truth. She didn't know when the right moment would be, but she did know that she would know when the time was right when the moment came.

For now, it was just another day at the Jedi Temple. The clone wars were still going on, and the Jedi, being the supposed peacekeepers, were doing all they could to contribute to ending the war and restoring peace to the galaxy. Today, a few members of the council were having an important meeting regarding a new mission on the planet of Malistare, but two Jedi were missing: Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his daughter Princess Gabby.

"Has anyone seen Gabby or Anakin today?" Said Obi-Wan, noticing the Chosen one and his daughter being the only summoned ones absent.

Just then, Gabby and Anakin came into the briefing room. Gabby was riding on her pony Carousella's back.

"Sorry we're late," said Anakin.

"What's your excuse this time, Skywalker?" Asked Mace.

"A game of Teddy Bear Tag," said the three-year-old, clutching her teddy.

Anakin picked up his child from the pony's back and held her as the meeting officially commenced.

The Skywalkers listened in as the Council went over the mission of getting a treaty ratified to be able to buy fuel from them. However, Malistare's people were not always easy to cooperate with.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to get an alternative fuel?" Carousella suggested.

"Teddy and I agree with Carousella," said Gabby.

"It isn't that simple," said Anakin. "We'd have to either reprogram the ships or replace them completely, so our best bet is to get a peace treaty with the Dugs."

Gabby went to her room and placed Teddy on her bed before they left.

"Sorry I can't take you with me, Teddy. The war zone is too dangerous for cuddly bears."

Later, on Malistare...

Captain Rex and his troops were fighting against the Separatist droids, while Generals Mace Windu and Anakin Skywalker, and young Princess Gabriella and her guard Carousella watched from the balcony at the Imperial Palace of Doge Urus, leader of the Dugs. And, they were also accompanied by Dr. Boll, who created the Republic's newest weapon, the electro-proton bomb, which was said to shut down all droids and electronic devices in range, but leave organics unharmed.

Rex looked through his scopes.

"That's a lot of clankers." said the clone captain.

There had to be at least ten thousand droids on the move, and they were coming in fast.

"I won't allow my people to become separatist slaves." Said Doge Urus.

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine communicated via hologram.

"I assure you, Doge Urus, that will not happen." Said the chancellor. "Dr. Boll has stated that only droids will be affected by the bomb's electron field."

"Yes, the clones and your people will be quite safe." Said the doctor. "We have accounted for every probable outcome."

"It's the improbable that concerns me, doctor." Said Mace. "There must be other options."

"I'm afraid not." Said the Chancellor. "This bomb is our only hope for victory now."

"The droids are on the move," said Anakin.

Rex and the other clones got to work shooting down as many droids as they could.

"We just have to hold them back until the bomb drops." said Rex.

There were so many battle droids, vulture droids, super droids, and spider droids. It didn't look like the clones or the Dugs could hold them back much longer.

"Tell the bombers to take off." Anakin ordered into his wrist comm.

The bombers flew off into the air and got ready to drop the bomb. Fighters down below continued to fight the droids as they continued to fire. Soon, the bombers made it to the drop zone.

"Remember, you've only got one shot at this." Anakin said.

And then, bombs away! The bomb was dropped in the center of the battle field, and a big explosion blasted through the air. Then, giant blue ball of light like a big plasma ball appeared, growing and growing in seconds, wiping out every droid in range, and shutting down every ship and electronic in range.

"Here it comes!" Anakin exclaimed.

Everyone got into defensive positions, and Gabby tightly hugged her father's leg for protection.

"I'm losing my transmiss-" The chancellor lost the transmission before he could finish his sentence.

The explosion quickly settled down. However, Anakin's prosthetic arm was malfunctioning from the blast, and Carousella got a bad hair day from the metal buckles on her saddle catching some electricity.

Fighters cheered as they saw that the droids were defeated.

"Well, Doc, looks like it worked." chuckled Anakin.

Just then, there was a noise. Gabby sensed something, so she looked over the balcony and saw something.

"Um... guys?" Gabby said, pointing at the ground out in the distance.

The grown-ups looked to where the little girl was pointing and saw a sinkhole forming.

"The ground is sinking." Said Mace.

"Run for it!" Shouted Rex.

The sinkhole grew very quickly, and everyone ran as fast as they could to get to safety. However, a few clones were not so lucky to avoid falling in. Rex was lucky to be rescued just before he could slip over the edge.

Once the electricity was working again, the Jedi contacted the chancellor to report their progress.

"The droid army was completely neutralized by the bomb. But the blast created a sinkhole which engulfed many of our troopers." Mace explained. "We have search parties looking for them now."

"And the Dugs? Have they signed the treaty?" Asked the chancellor.

"No, Chancellor, the treaty must be passed by the council," said Doge Urus.

"We need that treaty signed so we can gain access to the fuel reserves here on Malastare. Without it, our armies shall be vulnerable."

"We would find another power source, but it's not that easy to do." Gabby added as she brushed Carousella's tail.

"I will do my best." Urus promised.

"Sir, we have a report on the front," Said Rex. "They've lost contact with the rescue team."

"One problem always seems to replace another." Mace sighed.

Later, the Jedi and some clones boarded a ship to split up.

"I hope your bomb has not upset the delicate balance of our planet." said Doge Urus.

The ship was soon landed, Doge Urus being the first to exit.

"Skywalker, you deal with the treaty and Doge Urus. Gabby and I'll help the rescue team in the crater."

Anakin then passed Gabby to Mace; since she could fit into smaller spaces and was pretty good at spotting surprising hiding spaces (that being proven every time she played Hide and Seek), they figured she would be helpful with the search. Anakin looked at his daughter and gently petted her head.

"Stay safe and listen to Uncle Mace, okay, Sweetie?" said Anakin.

"Okay, Daddy." Gabby said. Then, the search team went to the sinkhole.

The team immediately began searching for the lost troopers. Mace held Gabby as he leaped out of the ship and landed safely on the ground. The clones soon slid down on their ropes and awaited orders.

"Split up. If you see anything, contact me." Mace said. He put Gabby down and she followed the clones while Carousella flew into the air to get a better view. "And don't do anything without adult supervision, Gabby."

"Yes, Uncle Mace." Gabby said.

The rescue team searched across the sinkhole. It was dusty all over the place, so much that one could barely see more than a few inches in front of them.

Mace ignited his lightsaber for light. On a nearby rock, he spotted handprints and marks that signaled someone had slipped on them. Then, he looked down and found a clone's lost helmet, and picked it up.

"General Windu! We found 'em!" called one trooper.

Anakin approached Doge Urus as he was speaking with some members of the Dug Council.

"We're on a very tight timeline here," said Anakin, trying to sound as polite as possible. "How long do you think it'll take to get the treaty ratified?"

"We are waiting for two more members of the council to arrive," said Doge Urus. "They will sign the treaty."

"We appreciate your cooperation. Without your fuel, our offensive will grind to a halt."

"This is the beginning of a great alliance." smiled the Dug leader

Windu arrived to find some clones tending to a few injured clones who had fallen into the hole, Gabby already going around and kissing them to make them better.

"What happened down here, trooper?" Asked Windu, approaching a weak victim.

"General..." the trooper sighed weakly. "There's something down here with us... and it's not Seppies."

"Calm yourself, soldier. We'll check it out."

Gabby took off the clone's helmet and kissed his cheek so her healing magic would make him all better.

Windu called Trapper, Ponds, and Hawkeye to accompany him, and Gabby, being the curious little girl she was, followed.

Mace activated his wrist-com. "Skywalker, something strange is going on. I think you should come down here."

"I'm on my way." said Anakin, who then ordered R2 to start up his fighter.

Mace and the clones climbed onto what appeared to be a very thick stone road. Gabby climbed up too, very curious as to what the other clones had seen.

"Hey, Carousella." Gabby called. "You see anything from up there?"

Carousella was flying high above to get a better view of the sinkhole.

"Not much, I'm afraid." said Carousella. "All I see is dirt, rock, and dust down there."

"Sir, there's nothing around here but rocks and debris." said Ponds.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Said Mace.

"There's something weird about this road, too." Gabby said, walking a little farther.

"Be careful, Gabby." Mace warned.

The princess got down on all fours and knocked the rock, only for it to start moving and the ground rumbling. Then, the child and grown-ups looked to see something appear from the ground: a head. It had scary green eyes, big sharp teeth, and it roared loudly. Gabby was frozen when she saw what this beast looked like. Just like in a lot of her princess storybooks, she only thought of one thing this creature could be.

"D-D-DRAGON!" Gabby screamed in fear.

As the dragon-like creature began to lift its neck, the adults began climbing down, but Gabby fell on the creature and didn't get up to climb down in time as her shirt got caught on one of its spikes. The creature lifted itself up, Gabby quickly grabbed the spike and held on tight. When Gabby looked down, she saw that she was really high up, and now she was too scared to climb down. The little girl shrieked as she held on for dear life. Luckily, her guard horse heard her loud and clear.

"Hang on, Gabby! I'm coming!" Carousella shouted.

The alicorn guard flew in immediately to rescue Gabby. She flew as fast as she could, but the dust made it hard for her to see where she was flying, and she couldn't get close enough without the creature seeing her and snapping its teeth at her.

"Hey, Mace! I could use some help up here-Whoa!" Carousella shouted as she dodged the creature's teeth for the third time.

Mace contacted Anakin to let him know they needed help.

"I'm here. What the-"

Mace interrupted before Anakin could say anything else.

"We need your help! And your daughter is trapped!"

Then, as he flew into the sinkhole, Anakin heard Gabby screaming on the comm, "DADDY! THERE'S A DRAGON DOWN HERE!"

"A dragon?" Anakin said, confused. He couldn't see anything as he flew into the hole. "R2, I can't see. Turn on your beacon." Then he saw the dragon his daughter screamed about. "Never mind."

Anakin steered his fighter to avoid crashing into the creature, and Carousella swerved to avoid crashing into Anakin's ship. When Anakin saw his daughter clinging for her young life from one of its spikes and heard her screaming in fear, he felt fear rising within him. Gabby was starting to lose her grip; Anakin had to hurry!

"What kind of dragon is that?" Anakin wondered. He steered his fighter to avoid another blow from the creature.

"Now's our chance. Let's go!" said Mace, getting what remained of his team to the safety of their ship and out of the sinkhole.

"It's definitely not like any dragon I've seen in any of Gabby's books." Anakin said.

Suddenly, the creature hit Anakin's fighter with its tail, causing it to lose part of its engine. The ship malfunctioned fast, and Anakin and Artoo crashed down to the ground. Luckily, they made it out okay.

"Daddy! Look out!" Gabby cried as loudly as she could, seeing the creature heading towards her father.

Anakin quickly got himself and Artoo out of the fighter before the creature could squash them. The Jedi tumbled with R2 in his arms. When they got up, Anakin saw the creature still heading for them.

"SOMEONE! HELP ME!" Gabby screamed as her hand was starting to slip.

"R2, get out of here." Anakin told his droid. "I'll rescue Gabriella."

Anakin managed to avoid getting squashed by the monster's foot by jumping backward with the Force. He then jumped very high and tried to strike the beast's ankle with his lightsaber. However, it did not even leave a scratch. Anakin was shocked and confused. As he looked up, he could see the beast was still moving, and his daughter looking terrified as she was still holding on tight, but she didn't look like she could hold on much longer. Then, Anakin saw R2 flying by.

Carousella distracted the creature with attack and defense spells from her horn. They stunned the creature for a few moments, giving Anakin time to climb up on the creature, quickly grab Gabby with the Force, and place her on his back as he reached the creature's neck.

"Hold on tight!" Anakin exclaimed.

Quickly, but carefully, Anakin timed his movement, and did a big leap with Gabby on his back, then grabbed onto R2 just in time. Anakin held on tight to the droid, his little daughter clinging to his neck for dear life.

Gabby refused to let go of her father until they were safe. Gabby looked back and screamed very loudly as the beast tried to bite her and Anakin, which seemed to irritate the creature, but it also hurt Anakin's ears.

R2 flew the two out of the sinkhole as fast as he could, managing to escape the creature. They landed on the ground roughly, but luckily without being seriously hurt. Anakin rolled on the ground when he landed, Gabby tumbling off his back. Carousella flew in, perfectly fine.

"Gabby! Thank goodness you're okay. Are you hurt?" Carousella carefully picked up Gabby with her mouth and gently sat her down to look her over. Carousella started licking Gabby as though grooming her like a mother horse with her foal.

"Don't worry about us. We're all right." Anakin said, rubbing his head, and speaking a little louder as his left ear was ringing from Gabby's scream. "But you'll need to speak into this ear." He motioned to his right ear.

"Where's your starfighter?" Mace asked.

"That dragon ate it," said Anakin, picking himself up and helping R2 up. When Carousella finished licking her, Gabby quickly clinged to Anakin's right leg; she was trembling. So, Anakin picked up his frightened daughter to comfort her.

"That is not a dragon. It is a Zillo beast, '' said Doge Urus with hatred. "They once roamed Malastare, devouring our ancestors. When the Dugs first started harvesting the fuel in the planet's core, they were killed off. They are supposed to be extinct. Apparently, they're not."

"Daddy..." Gabby breathed shakily, clutching her father's robes tightly.

Anakin didn't need to hear his daughter's voice clearly to know she needed him now. He could feel Gabby shaking in his arms and breathing quickly; both signs that she was dangerously close to crying, traumatized by that dangerous experience. He held her close and gently rubbed her back to comfort her.

"Shh. It's okay, Baby Girl. Daddy's here. Daddy's got you," Anakin whispered into Gabby's ear as he tightened his hug and kissed her head. "You're safe now. Daddy won't let that monster scare you anymore." Gabby responded by hiding her face in her father's chest.

"You sure she's alright, Skywalker?" said Mace.

"Weren't you supposed to watch her?" Anakin retorted, sounding angry. "Why did none of you grab her the second you saw that thing?"

Suddenly, Gabby hiccupped, which made some little poppy flowers pop out of the ground.

"Oh, great. That creature scared her so much she got the hiccups, just what we needed," said Anakin sarcastically. Gabby hiccupped again, so Anakin began gently patting her on the back like he used to do when she needed to be burped as a baby. It didn't help.

"Try holding your breath, Gab." Carousella suggested.

Gabby tried it. That didn't work either.

Later, the dugs got a bunch of big machines and began dropping gas bombs into the sinkhole to defeat the Zillo Beast.

"What's going on out there?" Mace asked as he and Anakin entered the Dugs' tent.

Anakin was holding Gabby and feeding her small sips from a sippy cup of water in another attempt to cure her hiccups. Normally, he'd let her drink it herself, but he wanted to make sure she didn't drink it too fast and make her hiccups worse.

"It is an internal matter. None of your concern." said Doge Urus.

"Your men are killing a unique life-form." Mace pointed out.

"It is a dangerous blood-thirsty monster!" Urus snapped. "Did you forget that it tried to kill you and your princess?"

"It was under attack." Mace continued. "It had lived peacefully underground for all these years."

"Until you released it by dropping your bomb!" Said Urus.

Then Anakin stepped in.

"We dropped that bomb to save your planet. At your request!" He pointed out. Though, it was harder to take him seriously while he held a sippy cup in one hand and fed a three-year-old in the opposite arm.

Gabby looked back and forth as she watched the adults argue.

"To save our fuel for you to buy." Said Urus. "If you want us to sign your treaty, then you must help us destroy the beast."

"What purpose would it serve to kill it?" Said Mace. "If it really is the last of its kind-"

"It is our duty!" Urus slammed a fist on the table. "Our ancestors warned us that one would someday return and destroy our entire civilization. Will you help us or not?"

"I respect your traditions and your ancestors, but... we cannot allow the destruction of an innocent life form."

"Then there will be no treaty." Doge Urus said before leaving.

"Master Windu? Are you certain this argument is worth it?" asked Anakin. "And after all, it's just one creature. Remember what the chancellor said."

"Well, I'm *hiccup* the only little kid here, *hiccup* and Carousella's the only *hic* pony, but you're not *hic* trying to get *hic* rid of us. So why get rid of *hic* 'just one creature'?" Gabby pointed out after sipping the last of her water, and still hiccupping.

Anakin looked at his daughter and said, "That's different, Gabby. That thing is a giant, vicious beast. Not a magical horse or a gentle little girl."

"It isn't the creature. It's the principle," said Mace. "Allowing the dugs to kill it violates what we stand for as Jedi."

"But if we choose to defend the creature, we lose all hope of securing a treaty with the Dugs."

Gabby hiccupped a bigger hiccup, and rain clouds dumped a ton of water all over the two Jedi.

"And if we don't get rid of someone's hiccups..." Anakin looked at his daughter. "We're gonna have even more problems.

Gabby hiccupped again.

Doge Urus and a couple of his men stepped outside and looked at a map of a Zillo Beast's weak spots.

"We'll handle this our way, no matter what these Jedi think." Doge Urus declared.

While the grownups were debating what to do, Carousella tried tickling Gabby with one of her feathers to cure her hiccups while the adults discussed what to do, but Gabby's hiccups only got worse.

Mace, Dr. Bol, and Anakin contacted the chancellor once again and shared their discovery of the Zillo beast. Chancellor Palpatine was very impressed with the discovery of this creature.

"How remarkable." said the Chancellor. "I have never seen anything quite like it."

"I recommend that we transport it off the planet as soon as possible," said Mace. "We can find a place for it to live undisturbed in the Outer Rim."

"And what do the dugs have to say on this matter?" Chancellor Palpatine asked.

"They want us to help them destroy it. Ow! Hey!"

Mace was suddenly whacked in the back by something, which turned out to be a big plant that popped out after Gabby hiccupped again.

"Sorry, Uncle Mace." Gabby said, hiccupping again, this time making a cloud pick Anakin up and lift him up until he jumped off.

"Then by all means, help them." Said the Chancellor. "This creature is of no importance to us. We cannot be alienating the Dugs at this crucial time."

"It is not the Jedi way to take an innocent life form." said Mace. "Especially if it's the last of its kind."

Gabby approached the table and climbed up to have a better view. Anakin suddenly had an idea and quietly snuck away for a moment.

"Yeah. The attachment rule was *hiccup* changed, but taking innocent lives is one rule that never *hic* will be. Besides that, *hiccup* why don't we *hiccup* just *hic* catch it and *hic* release it somewhere?" Gabby added, hiccupping and making more plants, butterflies, or clouds appear. "*hiccup* Ugh! Stupid hiccups."

Suddenly, Anakin suddenly grabbed Gabby from behind and shouted. That made Gabby scream and startled the others a bit. Almost immediately, Gabby realized that he managed to scare her hiccups away.

"Thanks, Daddy." Gabby whispered.

"That takes care of one problem." Anakin said.

Dr. Bol looked at the chancellor's hologram.

"Chancellor Palpatine, I think it would be in our best interest to study this creature. Its outer scales are virtually impenetrable. None of our weapons could harm it."

"Even my lightsaber couldn't cut it." Anakin added, resting his daughter in the crook of his arm.

"I think I might've accidentally hurt its ears, though," said Gabby.

"And mine." Anakin rubbed his ear, which was still recovering from Gabby accidentally screaming into it. Gabby looked apologetically at him.

"If we could somehow duplicate the scales for our ships..." said Dr. Bol.

"An impenetrable armor." The chancellor said with realization.

That was when Anakin had an idea. "What if we let the Dugs think we killed it? Then we could have the treaty and the creature."

"Yes, Anakin. Go on."

"When I was climbing on the creature, I noticed small gaps between the armor and its scales. Maybe a stun cannon or a pulse could penetrate through the skin and short-circuit its nervous system." Anakin sensed Gabby was confused, probably having no idea what he meant, so he clarified, "Like putting it into a deep sleep."

That seemed to satisfy his daughter's curiosity.

"That's right," said Dr. Bol. "It would appear to be dead. We could transport it to a secure location before it wakes up. The dugs would never know the difference."

"That may be the only way we may get this treaty signed... and rest Master Windu's conscience," said the chancellor.

The adults got some weapons ready.

"Daddy, if we need to put the beast under a deep sleep, why can't I just sing it a lullaby?" Gabby asked. "Remember when it put you to sleep?"

"The Dugs won't sign the treaty unless they believe creature is dead." Anakin said. "Besides, we can't rely on your powers for everything. This is something you'll have to leave to the grownups, so you need to stay here, where you're safe."

"Carousella, you come with us in case we need reinforcements," said Mace.

"Why does Carousella get to go and not me?" Gabby pointed out.

"The creature was temporarily stunned by her attack spells. You are still learning to control yours," said Mace, "We can't take the risk if you're unable to use your powers to defend yourself."

So, Gabby reluctantly stayed behind, grew a tall tree with a branch for her to sit on, and sat and watched as her father, her horse, and Master Windu approached the hole in tanks.

"I'm glad you finally decided to see things our way, Jedi," said Doge Urus. "But you're a fool if you think your weapons, or your horse will even scratch Zillo Beast."

"These are no ordinary weapons, and Carousella is no ordinary horse," said Anakin, stroking the young mare's muzzle. "Your Zillo Beast will be no match for them."

"Maybe true, but our way is already proven."

"Your way?" Mace and Carousella asked at the same time.

"Open the valve!" Doge Urus called. And some Dugs turned a wheel to pour some green liquid fuel into the hole.

The beast roared as the fuel was poured.

"Our fuel is deadly to the beast," Doge Urus explained. "It killed them in the past. It will kill this one now."

"You're only going to provoke it," said Carousella. Her father being a royal guard, and general at that, she'd seen him come home with terrible scars after fighting many beasts, and learned from his stories that the wrong move, especially provoking the enemy, could make the problem even worse.

"You'll drive it out of that hole and then it'll be harder to deal with." Mace said.

"Like my grandpa always used to say, 'scratch a rash, and it'll only get worse'."

"We'll handle it, Jedi." Doge Urus said, ignoring the equine.

Of course, Carousella and Mace were right though.

The Zillo Beast was indeed provoked, and it quickly climbed out of the hole.

Carousella flew up high and gasped as she saw the creature approaching fast!

"Order them to stop!" The musicorn shouted.

"What? What do you mean, stop? Doge Urus questioned.

Mace came out and ignited his lightsaber at Doge Urus.

"She said, order them to stop!" Mace said.

"Or what?" Doge Urus said. "We are innocent life forms too, are we not?"

That was when the Zillo Beast climbed out from the hole and roared as it wrecked all the Dugs' weaponry.

Mace and Anakin jumped into the tank and ordered the clones to charge up the rays. Carousella, meanwhile, flew around and played music from her horn to distract the beast as the dugs ran.

Carousella quickly got out of the way as the Jedi's weapons fired powerful electric rays of white and blue light at the beast, but it didn't seem to be working, and the beast created some serious damage. But then, the creature started to get tired and weak, and eventually collapsed to the ground.

"Hey, it worked!" Anakin said, popping out from the tank.

"Are you sure?" Mace said.

"Yes, I'm sure. You go first."

"Scaredy-cat." Carousella mocked, flying to the creature before Mace went. And the creature was indeed too tired to move.

"Now we just have to get him out of here." Mace said, placing his hand on the creature's face.

The beast closed its eyes.

Soon after the beast was "defeated," the treaty was finally signed by Doge Urus and the Dug Council.

"Welcome to the Republic, Doge Urus." Said the Chancellor. "I'm sure this business arrangement will be mutually beneficial."

"The beast has been loaded onto the transport," said Mace. "Have you selected a planet for relocation?"

"There has been a slight change of plans. The scientific community has reviewed the data on this rather unique creature. They believe it should be further studied in a more controlled environment before it is released into the wild."

Gabby and Carousella didn't think they liked the sound of that. Despite the beast's wild nature, it was still a living thing, and it shouldn't be locked up like some sort of experiment.

"And where is this controlled environment?" Mace asked.

"On Coruscant," said the chancellor. "Master Windu, you and General Skywalker shall safely bring the beast here." And he hung up.

"Well, you made the right choice." Anakin said. "We get our fuel, you save your creature and now he'll be safe."

"I wouldn't call a science lab safe," said Carousella. "People have tried to experiment on Enchanteds like me before, and it's not pleasant."

"Let's just hope that Coruscant will be safe with that creature on it." Mace said.

And with that, the creature was ready to be taken to Coruscant. But, a certain princess was beginning to have some thoughts regarding the creature.