And he's crossed the finish line!" The derby announcer yelled as James crossed the finish line. He wasn't racing anyone, he was all alone. So why was there an announcer? Well, it's because it was the qualifying round for the Royal Inter-Kingdom Flying Derby Grand Prix. Only the ones who passed the qualifying round can go through to the tournament, because this Grand Prix is where they determined which prince, or princess on some occasions, was the best royal flying horse rider in the six kingdoms.
"Let' see what the judges have to say about that" said the announcer.
The judges wrote down a few numbers on a piece of paper, and showed them to the audience. The overall scorewas 8.7.
"8.7! Prince James of Enchancia is in the Grand Prix!" yelled the announcer.
"Yes!" James cheered. "I'm in the race!"
The crowd cheered on for him as he exited the track, and towards the stable. On his way, he was congratulated by his two new little -sister's Sofia and Madeline, who were preparing Minimus for the run.
"Well done, James!" Sofia congatulated him.
"Thanks!" James grinned. "But I could've done better, and I will, during the race!"
"Just wait 'till we beat you!" Madeline teased as she pulled Minimus to the track.
"Are you kidding me?" James snorted. "NONE MAY BEAT THE KING OF FLYING DERBY!"
James, suddenly fell backwards, making his horse laugh at him.
"Good thing Sofia or Madeline didn't see that." James said, embarassed.
"Sofia, it's my turn to ride Minimus, remember?" Madeline pointed out.
"Okay, Maddie." Sofia nodded, letting Madeline got on Minmus first, then sitting in the back.
"Ready, Minimus?" Madeline asked.
"You bet!" Minimus nodded. "Ready to turn back and go back to the stable."
"Really, Minimus?" Sofia sighed.
"What?" Minimus shrugged. "I'm just nervous, alright? I mean, the Royal Inter-Kingdom Flying Derby Grand Prix! The ultimate prize! What if i fail!?"
"You won't, if you believe." Sofia encouraged him. "Ready?"
"Alright, alright, i'm ready." Minimus groaned.
And with that, the announcer gave her a briefing on the run.
"Alright, on the track now is princesses Sofia and Madeline of Enchancia!" The announcer recited. "Now, in order to qualify for the race, they needs to pass through the course with speed, grace, and endurance. The judges will record how well they perform, and determine how many points they scored. They need at least a 7.5 overall to pass to the actual race. Now, on your mark, get set, GO!"
Minimus burst through the starting line like a bullet. Despite his size, he had actually gotten faster than usual, because of some special training Mr. Gillian gave him and his riders when they were in the flying derby team. They went under the bridge, then Minimus tucked his wings, and spun around so he wouldn't lose speed.
"Amazing move!" The announcer cried as the crowd cheered on for Sofia and Madeline. They went on over the house, through the zig-zag, and went for the three tree rings. While Minimus went through the ring, Sofia and Madeline jumped up, over the rings, and landed safely back on the saddle. The crowd cheered even wilder that time. The girls kept her focus on the track, and gaining speed, went up, up, up to the sky, towards the belltower.
"What's this?" The announcer gasped. "The princesses have increased their altitude! What are they up to!?"
Sofia and Madeline flew up and through the bell tower, ringing theat bell as they passed. Minimus dove down like a speeding bullet.
"And Minimus has entered a dive state." The announcer declared. "Let's see what he can do from here."
Minimus kept going down, and down, and down, and down.
"What's happening with that horse?" The announcer questioned.
"Wait for it Minimus..." Madeline prompted..
"Uh, for how long, exactly?" Minimus asked nervously.
"...NOW!" Madeline roared.
Minimus pulled up, right before crashing to the ground. His speed was off the charts. It might even have broken records if he was
in an actual race.
"And they've crossed the finish line!" The announcer yelled as Minimus and his riders went across the line. "Alright, folks, let's see how many points that will rack up."
The judges wrote down their points, and the average was unbelieveable.
"9.1!" The Announcer boomed. "Congratulations, princess Sofia and princess Madeline of Enchancia, you've scored the highest average among all the other competitors!"
"Yes!" Sofia cheered.
"We did it!" Madeline yelped as she got down and hugged her horse. "Good job, Minimus!"
"Oh my goodness." Minimus wheezed. "I thought I was about to die back there!"
James and Amber ran up to congratulate their sisters.
"You did it, girls!" Amber cheered.
"Yeah, you're in the Grand Prix!" James added.
"I know, it's awesome!" Sofia smiled.
"I can't believe we're gonna be racing with the best of the best!" Madeline squeed.
"You better believe it, sister." James smiled. "But now, we should celebrate!"
"Yeah!" The princesses cheered as they all ran out of the track.
Three days later (Two days before the grand prix), at the village of Dunwitty, Sofia, Madeline, and James were walking down the village, when they saw Jade, Ruby, and Lucinda buying some things at the shop.
"Jade! Ruby! Lucinda!" Sofia as she ran up to her friends.
"Sofia!" They cheered. "Madeline!"
"What're you guys up to?" Sofia asked.
"We're heading to the store to get some ingredients to make a cake." Jade replied.
"Yup, it's gonna be an awesome cake!" Ruby added.
"What're you guys doing here?" Lucinda asked.
"Just taking a stoll around the village." James shrugged.
"So, I heard that you three are gonna be racing in the Royal Inter-Kingdom Flying Derby Grand Prix." Lucinda smiled.
"Yeah, only the best of the best can race in it!" James boasted.
"Then again, you only need a 7.5 average to qualify." Madeline pointed out.
"Hey, that's hard to get!" James protested.
"Well, good luck, Prince James." Jade smiled.
"You too, Sofia." Ruby added. "And Madeline."
"Thanks!" The three royals smiled.
"So, what're we gonna do?" Ruby asked.
"Hmm." Jade pondered. "How 'bout a tea party at my place?"
"Alright!" The others cheered.
They allwent off to Jade's house for the tea party. But James had to pause for a moment.
"Wait a minute..." He gaped. "Wow, I've been hanging out with girls for a little too long."
The girls laughed at this statement. And with that, they went off to Jade's house. To James' glee, the tea came with cookies, of which he partook as many as he could. While James gorged himself, Sofia and Madeline drank their tea as discreetely as possible.
On the way home, James had an idea.
"How about we get in some more flying practice?" He suggested.
"Good idea, James." Sofia nodded.
"Let's go for it!" Madeline agreed.
They rushed over to the race track and prepared their flying horses. James was already in the air as Sofia and Madeline brought out Minimus. Since Madeline had ridden in front the last time, Sofia was taking the position for practice.
"Ready, Maddie?" Sofia asked.
"Let's go!" Maddie cheered.
As Minimus caught up with James' horse, Hugo was waiting for them.
"I won't let them show me up like they did last time." He said bitterly. "I'll take them all out of the running. First up, big brother"then I'lll take out the Princesses."
Hugo flew up to ames. He purposely steered his horse into his fellow prince's flight path, trying to offset his balance, and almost succeeding.
"Knock it off, Hugo!" James growled.
"Fine." Hugo said quietly. "Time to take the princesses out of this race once for all."
As the girls flew over a cottage, Hugo made his horse stop, right in front of Minimus.
"Sofia, look out!" Madeline cried.
Minimus swerved violently to avoid colliding with Hugo's horse. His wing struck the cottage's chimney.
"My wing!" He yelped, as he started veering out of contro. "We're going down!"
Sofia saw the crash pads close by. She lightly shoved Madeline off the saddle and onto them, just before Minimus droped down to the ground.
"Sofia!" James called. "Madeline!"
As James manoeuvred down to them, Hugo swooped past, causing James' show to tilt against the side of the cottage, close enough for James to hit his hand on the side.
Sir Gilliam rushed over as James landed. James released the reins, his hand burning with agony.
"Are you alright, princess Sofia" Gilliam asked.
"I think so..." Sofia got to her feet." Ow!"
Sofia fell to the ground.
"What is it?" Madeline asked.
"My ankle." Sofia groaned. "I think I twisted it in the fall."
"Let's get you to the infirmary." Sir Gilliam instructed. "You too, James. We should get that hand looked at."
Before joining the others, Madeline walked over to Minimus.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Just a few scrapes and bruises." Minimus declared. "I just hope Sofia will be okay."
"Me too." Madeline agreed.
As Madeline went after her siblings, Hugo watched from above.
"And that is that." He smirked. "Now there's no-one to stop me from taking first place."
At the infirmary, the doctor diagnosed Sofia with a twisted ankle, and James with a sprained, wrist. The injuries weren't all that severe, but the doctor declared that neither one should do do any riding for at least a week.
"Now what are we gonna do?" James groaned. "We can't race in the Grand Prix anymore."
"We can't. Sofia noted. "But Madeline can."
"What?" Madeline asked.
"You can ride Minimus." Sofia explained.
"Alone?" Madeline gasped. "But..."
"You've got to, Maddie." James declared. "You're the only one of us left who can compete."
"You can do it, Maddie." Sofia smiled.
"Okay." Madeline nodded. "I'll do it."
How about it, Sir Gilliam?" Madeline asked.
"I don't know." Sir Gilliam frowned. "I don't want you to get hurt too."
"Please.." Madeline pleaded. "I can still win for James and Sofia. And besides, someone has to represent Enchancia in the Grand Prix."
"Let me talk to your mother and father, first." Sir Gilliam declared, picking up Sofia. James followed him out of the room.
"Doctor, are they going to be okay?" Madeline asked.
"They'll be just fine, princess Madeline." Dr. Jim told her. "Sofia just needs to keep the weight off her ankle. I'll provide her with a crutch to help with that. And James' sprained wrist will heal in a flash."
"Thanks, Dr. Jim." Madeline smiled as she left the infirmary.
Back at the castle, Amber was distraught.
"I knew something like this would happen." She lectured Sofia and James.
"It's fine, Amber." Sofia told her.
"Yeah, just a few scrapes." James shrugged. "It's nothing."
"That's the spirit!" Roland encouraged them. "Now Madeline, Sir Gilliam has informed us about you riding on your own."
"It's true that Enchancia needs to be represented, but we're still worried about your safety." Miranda added. "We'll allow you to take part in the grand prix if you promise to be careful."
"I promise." Madeline nodded.
"Then it's settled." Roland smiled.
"Good luck, Maddie." Sofia nodded. "Say 'hello' to Minimus for me."
"I will." Madeline nodded.
Later that day, Madeline returned to the stables.
"is Sofia okay?" Minimus asked.
"She'll be fine." Madeline smiled. "But not in time for the grand prix, which means it'll just be you and me."
"Okay..." Minimus said nervously.
Shortly after, they took off into the sky. Madeline was having some difficulty; the lack of Sofia's weight meant Minimus was lighter and faster, which it harder for Madeline to respond. But, little by little, she got better. By the end of the day, they were flying as well as ever.
Prince Hugo watched them from afar.
"Looks like I missed one." He growled. "No matter. Last time, it took two princesses to beat me. One won't be a problem."
Late at Dinner, Madeline was telling the others about practice.
"I did pretty good today." She smiled. "I think we're ready for that grand prix."
"That's great, Maddie." Sofia smiled. "Be careful, though."
"And watch out for Hugo, okay?" James added. "He gave us these injuries, and I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to pull more dirty tricks at the grand prix."
"I'll be fine." Madeline smiled. "I'll keep my eyes peeled for Hugo and his tricks."
We'll all be rooting for you, dear." Miranda smiled.
"Thanks, mom." Madeline smiled.
That night, Madeline got into bed. She felt confident about her chances at the grand prix, and equally confident that she could evade whatever dirty tricks Hugo had planned for her.
Meanwhile, over in the stables, Minimus was more anxious then he'd ever been. He'd never been in a grand prix before, and he didn't want to let Madeline down. He managed to calm himself down by remembering that, with Madeline in his saddle, he could do anything.
"Look out, royal grand prix." He smiled. "Here we come."
The next morning, Madeline leapt out of bed, got dressed, and rushed down to breakfast.
"Today's the day!" She declared.
"Yep." James nodded. "The day you show prince Hugo who's the better flier!"
"Agreed." Amber nodded. "Ugh, I can't believe I used to like him..."
"Just do your best, Maddie." Sofia smiled.
"Slow down, Madeline." Miranda told Madeline, who was gulping her food down. "The grand prix isn't for a couple of hours."
"Sorry, mom." Madeline swallowed.
Soon after, Madeline went to the stable and got Minimus.
"Ready?" She asked.
"As I'll ever be." Minimus admitted.
The royal family arrived at the stadium. All the competitors and spectators were filing in.
"time for us to go to the stands." Roland declared. "Good luck, Madeline!"
"You can do it!" Miranda beamed.
"Go for it!" James added.
"Make us proud!" Amber smiled.
"I just know you'll do great, Maddie." Sofia told her.
"Thanks, guys." Madeline nodded.
As Madeline led Minimus to the starting line, they encountered Hugo and his flying horse.
"Good luck, princess." Hugo sneered. "You're going to need it."
"We'll see." Madeline glared. "I won't let you do to me what you did to Sofia and James."
"I was going for all three of you." Hugo smirked. "But you're no threat on your own. Not without your sister."
"Wanna bet?" Madeline growled.
"I'll still beat you. Cheaters like you never win."
"That's it." Hugo snarled. "You are going down, princess."
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Royal Inter-Kingdom Flying Derby Grand Prix Race!" The announcer boomed. "Riders, to your marks!"
The racers all gathered at the starting block. A bell rang, and they all flew out.
"And they're off!" The announcer declared.
"Now to make sure that princess Madeline doesn't finish this race." Hugo sneered
"As Madeline and Minimus flew ahead, Sofia watched closely.
"Come on, Madeline." She whispered. "You can do it."
"Okay Minimus, let's show Hugo he can't hurt my family and get away what it." Madeline declared.
"For Sofia." Minimus nodded. "Let's do it."
As Madeline flew over a cottage, Hugo made his horse stop, right in front of Minimus. The crowd was certain that it was Madeline' final curtain.
"Madeline!" Miranda yelped.
Sofia shut her eyes. She couldn't watch Madeline get hurt.
The rest of the royal family watched as Madeline deftly manoeuvered around Hugo, leaving the cheating prince in the dust.
"Sofia you can open your eyes now." Amber smiled. "Madeline is fine."
Sofia opened her eyes and saw Madeline still on Minimus.
"Yeah, Maddie!" She cheered. "Show them how it's done."
"I'm not done yet." Hugo growled. "I've got bigger tricks up my sleeve."
As the race continued, Hugo kept pulling dirty tricks, all for the express purpose of knocking Madeline out of the race.
"I can't believe that Hugo!" Amber seethed.
"I know." James agreed. "Are the judges blind?"
"I knew Madeline could handle anything Hugo could throw at her." Sofia said proudly.
As they neared the finish line, it became clear that Madeline was going to win.
"I will not be beaten by a princess and her runt horse!" Hugo roared. "Not again!"
Snapping the reigns, Hugo had his horse try to crash into Minimus.
"What are you doing?!" Madeline yelled.
"If I can't win, then neither will you!" Hugo cackled. "Happy landings, princess!"
Minimus stopped suddenly, causing Madeline to fall onto the crash pads below.
"Prince Hugo did that on purpose!" Amber said, outraged.
"See ya, princess." Hugo jeered as he flew off.
Minimus came down to help Madeline.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"Yeah." Madeline sighed.
"Princess Madeline, what happened?" Sir Gilliam asked as he rushed over.
"Nothing." Madeline declared, getting to her feet. "I'm fine."
"At least let me check you over." Sir Gilliam insisted.
Ignoring him Madeline got back on Minimus and flew into the air in the air.
"She's back in the race!" James cheered.
"Now to win this race." Hugo sneered.
"Goodbye, Hugo!" Madeline called as she flew past him.
"How did she...?" Hugo gasped.
Madeline did the same trick that she and Sofia did the first time, flying through the zigzag, then the three tree rings. While Minimus went through the ring, Madeline jumped up, over the rings, and landed safely back on the saddle. The crowd cheered wildly. Madeline kept her focus on the track, and gaining speed, went up, up, up to the sky, towards the bell tower.
"What's this?" The announcer gasped. "Princess Madeline has increased her altitude! What is she up to!?"
Madeline flew up and through the bell tower, ringing the bell as they passed. Minimus dove down like a speeding bullet.
"And Minimus has entered a dive state." The announcer declared. "Let's see what he can do from here."
Minimus kept going down, and down, and down, and down.
"What's happening here?" The announcer questioned.
"Wait for it Minimus..." Madeline prompted.
"Waiting..." Minimus said, his face screwed up in determination.
"...NOW!" Madeline roared.
Minimus pulled up, right before crashing to the ground, and zoomed towards the the finish line. As he flew past Hugo's horse, the air pressure knocked it aside, sending Hugo spinning out of control.
"Aaah!" Hugo yelped.
Madeline and Minimus crossed the finish line.
"And the winner is princess Madeline of Enchancia!" The announcer declared to a cheering crowd.
Madeline and Minimus were presented with the gold trophy. Madeline family came to congratulate her.
"Alright!" James whooped.
"Nicely done." Amber smiled.
"Way to go, Maddie!" Sofia cheered. "And you too, Minimus!"
"That's my girl!" Miranda beamed.
"Well done." Roland added.
"Thanks, guys." Madeline smiled. "I'm just glad I was able to put Hugo in his place."
"Not just you." James pointed.
Not far away, Sir Gilliam was giving Hugo a talking-to for his conduct.
"It just goes to show you: Cheaters never prosper." Roland declared.
"Let's go home." Madeline smiled.
The family departed, reveling over Madeline's victory over Hugo and his poor sportsmanship.
After they returned to the castle, Madeline attempted to give Sofia and James the trophy.
"You should have this." She declared. "If it weren't for Hugo injuring you both, either James or Sofia and me would have won."
"No." James shook his head. "You earned it, Maddie."
"James is right." Sofia smiled. "You practised hard, and won all by yourself. You deserve that trophy."
"You really think so?" Madeline smiled.
"We know so." James chuckled.
"Thanks, guys." Madeline smiled. "Let's go put this in the trophy room."