A golden sunrise was just beginning to graze the treetops above Troll Village, cascading a thousand rays down through the leaves. As it grew, an orchestra of cicadas could be heard humming their morning greeting to the world.

Poppy's eyes fluttered open, her ears twitching slightly at the sound. A wide grin spread across her face as she remembered what day it was.

"Good morning, Springtime!" she called out happily, bouncing out of bed and turning a series of cartwheels. She had been looking forward to this day for a long time - it was the first Spring since her coronation. Springtime was an important season for Trolls. Like any other warm-blooded creature, it was the time of year when the newly matured of their species set out to find a mate. Of course, Poppy was already in her twenties, but being a Princess (and now a Queen), she had held off on joining the ritual for a few years. She wasn't forbidden from participating, but with her father getting older, she figured it was better to wait until she had come of age and claimed her throne.

As she skipped and twirled about her pod in preparation for the day, Poppy could barely contain her excitement. She had chosen a bright yellow-white dress with short flowing sleeves, interwoven with golden ribbons to look like the sun. The blue flowers on her headband had been replaced with daisies, their petals pure white except for the soft pink tips. She was going to put herself out there for all the village to see, in hopes of attracting herself a King. She could think of a few candidates off the top of her head with useful skills for ruling, but she secretly hoped there would also be a romantic attraction. After all, the fairytale princesses always managed to land themselves a looker...why shouldn't she?

Her breakfast finished at last, she exited her pod and ran off to find her friends. Several of them had participated in the springtime ritual before, but none had actually chosen a mate yet. That was okay - it was never a guarantee, and those who didn't pair with another were never made to feel inferior. It had to be a mutual decision; the selection of a partner was generally for life.

"There you are!" called DJ Suki, waving at Poppy from atop a wide mushroom. "C'mon up here; the boys are just getting started!"

Poppy clambered up onto the mushroom to join DJ, Satin and Chenille. "Where's Smidge?" she asked.

"She'll be along," DJ reassured her. "I think she had something extra special planned for this year."

"Look!" Satin pointed downward. "Here come the guys!"

Biggie, Fuzzbert, and Guy Diamond came into view, and the girls waved. In addition to his beloved pet worm, Biggie was carrying a large woven basket covered with a red and white checkered cloth, from which a sweet, rich aroma wafted. The pastries inside were puffy and filled with sweet cream, and there were a fair number of them, but the grand prize lay at the bottom of the basket: a strawberry tart for Biggie's special lady, whomever she might be.

Guy Diamond, on the other hand, carried nothing, but was sporting a little white collar and bow tie around his neck. "This'll be easy to dance in," he explained. " I'm gonna sweep her off her feet!"

Fuzzbert proudly held up his kazoo.

"Aww!" said Poppy. "I'm sure there's a Troll out there whose favorite instrument is the kazoo."

Through his bright green shock of hair, Fuzzbert blew into the kazoo. A shower of glitter sprayed out the end, and a split second later, out popped a beautiful bouquet of flowers! The girls applauded Fuzzbert's unique performance.

"Dude - that was awesome, Fuzz-man!" Everyone looked up to see Cooper arrive, with Smidge close behind.

"And what sort of trick are you going to perform, Cooper?" Chenille asked him sweetly.

"Not this year," Cooper confessed. "I decided to sit this one out and take a break. But I'll still be helping Smidge!"

"Oh?" Poppy looked at them both inquisitively.

Smidge said nothing, but gestured to Cooper. He stepped over to her carefully, placing one of his front feet on her tiny hand. All of a sudden, they saw her lift him into the air, balancing his lanky frame on one finger. Cooper laughed exuberantly, somehow performing a tap dance on Smidge's index finger. The diminutive yellow Troll beamed with pride.

"I have such talented friends!" squealed Poppy. "Any Troll would be honored to have you as theirs!"

"And what about you?" DJ Suki asked her suddenly. "This might be your first year, but your choice holds a little more weight for the village, doesn't it? Your mate would be King!"

"I don't know," Poppy replied. "My dad told me something similar the other day, and I know he trusts me to make the right choice, but..." Her voice trailed off as she absentmindedly picked at the ribbon on her dress. "The one Troll I was hoping to see here isn't likely to show."

A series of sympathetic nods came her way from her friends. They all knew who she meant. Branch had been old enough to participate in the springtime ritual for almost a decade now, yet he never had. With his constant worrying about the Bergen threat, starting a family had been the furthest thing from his mind, and even after regaining his colors, he had been distant on the subject. Oh, sure, he still spent time with Poppy, and he seemed happy enough to be around her - but social gatherings still were clearly not his thing. Especially with the prospect of competition.

Poppy sighed. "Maybe this is a mistake. Do I really even need a King?"

"Girl, will you listen to yourself?" DJ Suki poked her arm playfully. "No one is forcing you to choose a mate! We've all been there, Sweetie - why not just look at what's available, and if you don't find one you like, there's always next year."

"Or the year after that!" Cooper put in helpfully.

"Don't look now," interrupted Smidge, "but here come our newbies!"

Everyone turned to see a group of young trolls in a variety of colors, fanning out into the clearing. Smidge rubbed her hands together in excitement. "Time to grab myself a man!" she grinned.

"You go, Smidge!" Poppy cheered, a little half-heartedly. Most of these boys on parade were barely adults. How was she supposed to find a king amongst a gaggle of what were basically still children?

A yellow female Troll with black-tipped red hair was weaving her way through the crowd, her steps so feather-light that it was almost like she was dancing on the wind. As she twirled past the mushroom, her eyes met Guy Diamond's. She smiled radiantly, and one didn't have to look very hard to see a spark light up in the Glitter Troll's eyes.

Without missing a beat, he stepped forward and bowed formally. The pretty yellow Troll giggled, and paused her dance but for one final twirl in his direction.

"My dear, you shame the sun with your beauty!" Guy Diamond rose smoothly from his bow, unashamed of the line he had totally "borrowed" from Branch. If the master poet had been around to hear it, he almost certainly would have shot Guy a death glare, but for now he was still nowhere to be seen. "Pray tell me your name, little one!"

The girl returned his bow with all the grace of a prima ballerina. "Zia," she replied. "I've heard of you - you're Guy Diamond! I love watching you dance...you've been quite an inspiration to me, actually. And these are your friends?"

Completely flattered, Guy Diamond gestured around the group, introducing everyone. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one smitten with the newcomer. When he got to Biggie, the giant blue Troll let out a high-pitched squeak, clinging to Mr. Dinkles as if his life depended on it. Fumbling at the basket with his free hand, he managed to mumble, "C-creampuff?"

"Thank you!" Zia accepted the treat, and it was gone in two bites. She extended her hand again to pet Mr. Dinkles, who responded with a cheerful mewing noise. "He's adorable!" she gushed. "What do you feed him?"

"Um...er..." Biggie stammered, glancing left and right in hopes that someone would bail him out. "You...do you like...strawberries?"

"O-KAY!" Guy Diamond's auto-tuned voice rang through the group. "Save your tart, Biggie...Miss Zia, would you grant me the honor of a dance?"

"I'd love to!" Zia beamed. In a split second, DJ Suki had whistled for her Wooferbug, and proceeded to cut the perfect jam for the two Trolls to dance to. "And yes, Biggie - I love strawberries!" she called over her shoulder, as they waltzed off, not even paying attention to the music.

Cooper laid a paw on Biggie's shoulder. "Hey...tough break, Big Guy," he said reassuringly.

"Don't call me that!" Biggie wailed. "She said she likes strawberries..." He fished the tart out of the bottom of the basket and stared at it, looking like he might burst into tears at any moment.

Poppy, who had been watching the scene unfold with mild amusement, reached out and wrapped her arms around Biggie's neck. "Don't cry, Biggie!" she soothed. "There are plenty of others, I'm sure...wait!" Her heart fluttered as she noticed a flash of blue at the edge of the clearing, away from the rest of the crowd. She squinted, then jumped off the mushroom and ran off. "Branch!" she shouted.