Ever After High: Thronecoming

Chapter 6: Fairy Float Failure

    "It's perfect." Daring said as he patted the side of a freshly built Bookball float. The shiny blue garland bounced as his hand came back up. "Will the whole team be able to fit on it?"

    "Every member should have a spot... Except for Tiny." Cedar, the daughter of Pinochio, said with a small giggle. Daring nodded. If Cedar said everyone could fit, it's certain that they can. It was impossible for Cedar to tell a lie.

    "Thank you so much for doing this, you guys." Daring said to the rest of the art group.

    "You're welcome."

    "Oh, before I forget, one of the bolts in the backside of it likes to wiggle loose every now and then." Cedar noted. "Just make sure you tighten it one more time before the parade starts."

    "Got it."

    "We're good to go." Sparrow hollered from the back.

    "Thanks again." Daring called as he joined the rest of the team at the back of the float. "Alright men, we have five minutes to push this to the back of the parade line!"

    It took a little over five minutes to reach the end of the line. Daring was sure that they were going to be last, but he was proven wrong. Ten minutes later just before the parade was about to start, the Wonderland themed float arrived. Bunny was busy yelling at Maddie about being late and Lizzie was sitting on top of a teacup shrieking that everyone's heads should be chopped off.

    Daring hopped down from the float with a wrench in hand. He wandered around to the back of the float and quickly found the loose bolt. "I told you she would get mad at me for being late!" Maddie screamed at the sky. Surprised, Daring went to stand up, he bumped his head on the bottom of the float and dropped the wrench before he had finished tightening the loose bolt.

     As he rubbed his sore cranium he quickly forgot what he had been doing. Grabbing his crown he set it back on his golden hair and returned to the float to start up the engine. The parade began with the Snow White float in the lead with each story or club following closely behind.

    Daring waved out into the crowd. He flashed a smile, his pearly whites making maidens on either side of the float go weak at the knees and faint. Halfway through the parade, the ground began to get bumpy, it didn't look that rough, but the shaking of the float told him otherwise.

    As Daring looked out into the crowd he noticed Cerise staring at the float with narrowed eyes. She then started pushing her way through the crowd heading straight for the float. Her eyes suddenly went wide, she made it past the crowd line and shoved her way through the barrier of police officers that were keeping children from going into the street.

    Picking up to full speed, she rushed to the back of the float and caught the rear end just as the back crossbar holding the tires rolled off. Grunting, she firmly gripped the edge and lifted the crossbar and tires onto the back of the float. She continued to carry it all the way to the finish line.

    "Cerise!" Daring called, jumping down from the float and rushing over to her. "That was amazing! Thank you."

    "No... Problem." She was breathing heavily as she set the back end of the float on the ground. She then settled herself down on the back of the float and massaged her lower arms.

    "Can someone get a bottle of water over here!" Daring said passing a towel to the winded Cerise. "How did you do that?"

    "As I said earlier, the Riding Hoods get VERY competitive with the wolves."

    "This doesn't mean she can be on the team." Sparrow grumbled as he passed Cerise a bottle of water.

    "Thanks." She said sarcastically. Sparrow shook his head and wandered away.

    "Hey, if it's any consolation, I would have given you a tryout." Daring sat down beside her and grabbed her arm. He then took over rubbing her forearms. "And by what I just saw, you would have made it."

    "Then why not?"

    "I may be the team captain, but I seem to have about as much say on that team as Professor Rumplestiltskin in Home Ec."

    Cerise snickered at this. "I gotta go." She said standing up. "Thanks."

    "No, thank you. Without you, the parade would have been a disaster." Cerise smiled and nodded at him before walking away towards Raven and a bunch of other Rebels.

    Daring sighed and smiled wistfully. "Daring... DARING!" Sparrow yelled. Daring turned to see the Bookball team awkwardly holding up the float. "Are you gonna help us carry this back to the school, or are we gonna have to do this alone?"