10 Chapter 10

10 The Dragon Girls and little Unichick turned to one another, huge smiles on their faces.

"That was amazing!" Azmina cried, clutching at her chest. Naomi reached out to touch the rainbow that she and her friends had made. She thought her paw would pass right through it, but the rainbow felt surprisingly solid. It was smooth, like the surface of a slide, but as warm as a shaft of sunlight. Naomi turned to her friends, a new idea forming. "Let's follow our rainbow! I have a hunch about where it will lead." "We can try, but my wings are still wet," said Willa. "I am not sure how well I can fly." Naomi leaned against the rainbow, thinking. But the moment she touched the rainbow, she began to slide up its surface. "It's like a rainbow escalator!" she whooped. "That's beyond cool!" Azmina laughed. "Even more fun than the big waterslide at the pool!" Willa added.

Azmina and Willa leapt at the rainbow after Naomi. Suddenly, all three Glitter Dragons were whooshing along its colorful length. "I wish we could do this in the normal world!" Willa cried. "Me too!" Azmina yelled. "Look!" Naomi cried. Naomi thought her heart might explode with joy. Brightly colored pearls of water were pouring

down from the rainbow. The parts of the Magic Forest that had been ash gray were returning to their original colors. In fact, they looked even brighter now! The trees, the grasses, the flowers— everything looked freshly painted. "It's working!" Naomi murmured to herself. She wanted to remember this feeling forever. When the Glitter Dragons reached the top of the rainbow's arch, they paused and looked around. The birds were singing joyfully, and Naomi could hear the happy sounds of other animals in the forest below. Naomi gazed across the land stretching out before them. There was no sign of the Shadow Queen, and the sprites had all disappeared. They had done it! They had defeated them. "Look, there's the glade!" Azmina pointed toward the end of the rainbow. Sure enough, there was the glowing heart of the forest, with its shimmering protective force field. "Okay, team. Let's go!" Naomi cried.

Sliding up the rainbow had been fun, but sliding down it almost took Naomi's breath away. It was so fast! The warm wind whooshed past her and she felt the happiness build until a glittery roar burst out of her. When Azmina and Willa heard it, they joined in. The air swirled with gold, silver, and rainbow glitter. The rainbow ended where the glade's force field began. The Dragon Girls slid easily through the force field and tumbled onto the glade's soft grass. Naomi sprang to her feet. The glade was protected from evil, so it had always been beautiful. But the grass seemed even more lush, the flowers more vibrant. And best of all was the Tree Queen! She was covered in blossoms and bright green leaves. Naomi had never seen her look like this. Her smile dazzled them. "Welcome back, Glitter Dragons! This quest was the hardest yet. My birds tell me that you came face-to-face with the Shadow

Queen herself! But you succeeded. You have returned balance to the forest. I couldn't be more proud." Naomi, Azmina, and Willa grinned at one another. Nothing felt better than being praised by the Tree Queen! "We're a pretty good team, aren't we?" said Naomi, reaching out her paw.