Chapter 7

7 The animals of the Magic Forest were all gathered around the stage, cheering loudly. The Night Dragons landed and looked around in wonder. LuckyStar settled on Stella's shoulder. There was a buzz of anticipation in the air. The little stars on Stella's back fluttered with nerves as they looked around. Animals lined the ground in front of the stage. Others perched in branches of

trees, or bobbed in the river. More animals hovered overhead. The air was filled with the sounds of all the different creatures, jostling to get closer to the stage. More animals were arriving at every moment. Two rabbits with neon tails hopped by. "Finally, something exciting is happening!" said one. "Isn't it wonderful?" agreed the other. "Since the stars disappeared, life has been so dull. I don't feel like doing anything." Up onstage, the flames around the Fire Queen burned like a bonfire warming everyone nearby.

"Creatures of the sky, land, and water. I am the Fire Queen!" she said in her crackling voice. "You may have heard about me. Bad things, no doubt. But this talent quest is my way of showing you who I really am. It is time for some fun, wouldn't you agree?" "We certainly do agree," bleated a sunset-colored sheep who was standing with her flock.

Everyone in the audience seemed excited. Everyone except the Night Dragons. "I have such a bad feeling about this," muttered Stella. She just wished she knew what to do. The Fire Queen smiled as she gazed across the crowd. "Who will be first to perform? It is a magical stage, so it will change to suit your needs when you step up here." "We will!" chorused some gruff, furry-sounding voices. A group of badgers dressed in little velvet vests hopped up onto the stage. "We're the Beat Badgers," they announced. "We don't normally perform for others, but we are making an exception tonight. We just need a drum." The Fire Queen swished her arm and a drum appeared at center stage. One of the badgers waddled over and began to thump it rhythmically. The rest of the badgers gathered round and began to make strange, growly noises. "Is that singing?" Stella whispered, trying not to laugh.

"It's a bit hard to tell, but I think so," Rosie said, giggling. "They are very sweet, but their voices aren't great." "It probably sounds lovely to other badgers," kindhearted Phoebe suggested. However, it did not sound lovely to the Fire Queen. After a few seconds of the growly singing, she stopped the performance. "You are wasting my time. Clearly, you are not stars!" she snapped, and the Fire Sparks shooed the badgers off the stage. "Clearly, you don't know talent when you hear it," huffed the drumming badger. He put his pointy nose in the air as he was hurried off. Next onstage was a group of sparkly, silver-white bears. They were dressed in tutus and elegant scarves. "They're wearing ice skates!" Stella said in surprise. "They're the Gliding Bears," explained LuckyStar. "They are famous performers in the

Magic Forest." "How will they skate on a stage?" Rosie asked. But just then, the surface of the stage transformed into a smooth layer of ice. The bears began to move across the gleaming ice. They twirled and spun. They were strong and very graceful. The crowd was impressed, clapping after a particularly difficult leap. But the Fire Queen soon stopped them. "No, no, NO!" she roared, her flames flickering menacingly as she sent the bears offstage. "You're not right at all." Stella was shocked. "What is she talking about?" she said to her friends. "Those bears are really talented!" "Shhhh!" warned LuckyStar, spinning with worry. The Fire Queen turned to glare at the Night Dragons.