Stella the Starlight Dragon Read online

  Stella felt the ball of thread give a gentle tug, and when she looked, the end of it was pointing toward the pale glow Phoebe had noticed.

  “Here goes, Night Dragons,” said Stella, taking a deep breath. “Get ready for landing.”

  The three friends flew lower and lower. Soon they were flying between the trees. The strange glow grew brighter. Stella stretched out her paws to brace herself for landing. It was about to be the best one she’d done, except that she bumped into a tree right at the end.

  “I swear that tree wasn’t there just before.” Stella groaned, picking herself up.

  Rosie laughed. “Yep, it just jumped into your way at the last minute,” she teased.

  “Anything is possible around here,” Stella said.

  Phoebe, who had landed near a dense row of trees, pressed a talon against her mouth in a silent shushing motion. With the other paw she beckoned them over. Stella and Rosie crept closer. On the other side of the trees was a strange sight.

  Dozens of tiny star-shaped creatures were lined up in rows. Their points were sharper than LuckyStar’s, so Stella knew they were not starfish.

  “They look like the sort of stars you draw!” Stella whispered in delight.

  “I know, right?” Phoebe whispered. “Or like star-shaped cookies.”

  “Do you think they are the missing stars?” Rosie asked.

  “Maybe,” Stella replied.

  Phoebe moved a branch to get a better look. “What are they doing? Having a dance class?”

  Rosie nodded. “I think so. And that must be their teacher.”

  In front of the little stars was a small pink pony with a glittery, golden mane. She stood on her back legs and clapped out a rhythm with her shiny pink front hooves.

  “Right now, junior stars. Five, six, seven, eight! And float to the left. Then twinkle! And float to the right. Then twinkle!” neighed the pony. She tossed her mane and pranced around.

  The junior stars did their best to follow the pony’s moves. But they kept making mistakes. Some of them twinkled when they were supposed to be floating. Some floated when they were supposed to be twinkling. They kept crashing into one another.

  “Now spin!” called the pony.

  The junior stars tried to spin, but most of them lost their balance and ended up in a heap on the ground.

  A big, dragon-y laugh burst from Stella. It was impossible to hold back. The little stars were adorable! Plus, it was nice to know she wasn’t the only one who fell over when trying to do tricks.

  The stars stopped dancing and turned toward the Night Dragons. The pony trotted over on her hind legs and pushed back the branches of the trees.

  “Are you spying on us?” the pony whinnied. “No trespassing! This is the Star Fields Dance Academy!”

  Stella’s heart leapt. The Star Fields! So they were in the right place.

  “We’re not spies,” Stella explained. “We’re Night Dragons. We’ve been sent by the Tree Queen to find the missing stars. Are these little ones okay?”

  “As you can see, they are fine,” snorted the pony. She tossed her mane. “I am training them for a very important show. As you say, all the bigger stars have vanished. So I am trying to get this group ready to fill in.”

  The pony sighed dramatically. “I am a show pony, so I am very good at getting stars ready for performances. But they are a long way off! There is only so much I can do.” The pony gave another sigh and pressed the back of a hoof to her forehead. “They just aren’t motivated. The fiery lady will be cross. She wants the juniors to shine.”

  Stella froze. “Fiery lady? Who is that?”

  “The one organizing the talent show.” The show pony shrugged, as though it was not important.

  “She’s really scary!” shuddered one of the junior stars.

  It had to be the Fire Queen. What was this talent show? But when Stella tried to ask more questions, the show pony swished her golden mane, sending glitter flying.

  “Alas! There’s simply no time for questions,” she neighed. Pivoting back to her students, the pony clapped her hooves loudly. “Back into your rows! Once more, from the top.”

  But Stella had no intention of giving up so easily. She pushed through the trees and into the clearing. Her friends followed.

  The junior stars looked up at the three dragons, their eyes wide with amazement.

  “I am sorry, but this is really important,” Stella said to the show pony. “Can you please tell me more about the performance?”

  The pony swished her tail. “I only give that kind of information to our students. It is a competition, after all.”

  “Okay,” said Stella, thinking fast, “how do you become a student?”

  She was getting annoyed. Couldn’t the teacher see they were on an important quest? The safety of the junior stars was at stake.

  Suddenly, all the little stars clustered around Stella. “You have to audition!” they called in their funny, tinkling voices. “You and the other dragons, too! Show Madame Prancey what stars you are.”

  “What should we do?” Phoebe whispered nervously.

  “We don’t know how to be stars!” Rosie added.

  “I hardly know how to be a dragon,” Stella agreed. “But I suppose we’ll figure it out.”

  “Right. It’s too important not to try,” Phoebe said.

  Stella could tell Phoebe was still worried. She was proud of her friend for not letting that stop her. Together, the three Night Dragons turned to face Madame Prancey.

  “We will audition,” said Stella, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

  Madame Prancey snorted. “This is a dance school for stars, not dragons.”

  “But we are Night Dragons,” said Stella. “And I am the Starlight Dragon. So I am a star … kind of.”

  Madame Prancey thought about this, then nodded. “Fine. I will make an exception. This once.”

  The junior stars cheered and flocked around the dragons. They seemed excited to see the audition. Or maybe they were just happy their lesson was over!

  Madame Prancey shooed them back. “Give the dragons plenty of room,” she warned. “If you get stomped on, you’ll end up as stardust.”

  The little stars squealed and scattered.

  Madame Prancey clapped her hooves once more. “Let us begin. To be allowed into the Star Fields Dance Academy, there are three basic moves you must be able to do.”

  Stella gulped. “What are the moves?”

  “Twinkling. Shining. And shooting across the sky,” Madame Prancey replied. “You can choose the order.”

  “We’ll start with shooting across the sky,” Stella decided, tingling with excitement.

  This seemed like a move they would have no trouble with. She glanced at her friends. “Ready, on the count of three? One, two, three … go!”

  Stella shot up into the air, Rosie on one side and Phoebe on the other. The three had flown together a lot, and they streaked across the sky in perfect formation.

  “Go, Night Dragons!” whooped the junior stars.

  “Loop?” Stella called, and with their wings stretched out to touch, the trio executed a neat loop.

  When they landed, the little stars clustered around them, twinkling wildly.

  “Not bad,” Madame Prancey said. She looked surprised and impressed. “What will you do next?”

  Stella looked across at her friends. Their bright scales were lit up by the glow of the small stars. “We’re already doing the next one,” she said, stretching out her wings. “Look at how we’re shining!”

  Madame Prancey tapped a hoof to her mouth thoughtfully. “That is true,” she said. “You have a different type of shine, but you are definitely shining.”

  Stella grinned. They had already passed two moves!

  Madame Prancey crossed her front legs over her chest. “Now it’s time for twinkling. For stars, this is easy. They can twinkle in their sleep. In fact, they often are asleep when they twinkle. But I have never seen a dragon twinkle.”

  “We are not normal dragons, remember,” Stella said. She turned to the others. “Let’s try roaring,” she said.

  “That’s not really twinkling,” Phoebe whispered.

  “Our roars are a bit twinkly, especially as they start to fade.” Stella shrugged. “It’s worth a try, right?”

  Rosie and Phoebe agreed. The trio breathed in the cool night air and roared as loudly as they could. The sky above the clearing filled with swirling pinks, purples, blues, and oranges, lighting up the surrounding trees and making them glow.

  “Oooooh!” The little stars clapped their points. “So pretty!”

  “Very pretty, yes,” Madame Prancey agreed, tossing her mane. “But not twinkling.”

  Stella frowned. “Why are you making this so hard?” she snapped. “We are trying to help the stars and the Magic Forest. Don’t you understand that the Fire Queen is dangerous?”

  Stella expected that the teacher would argue right back. But Madame Prancey didn’t say a word. She was looking at something just behind the dragons. The junior stars had also gone quiet.

  Stella heard a voice. It was a crackling, harsh voice that felt like it was burning her ears. “You Night Dragons are really not very bright, are you?”

  “She’s back!” squealed the junior stars.

  Heart thumping, Stella spun around.

  Dry leaves and dust whirled around like in a sandstorm. As they watched, a figure loomed in the middle of the swirling mass. Long tendrils of golden hair glowed and flickered like candlelight. Ribbons of smoke rose from the figure’s fiery dress.

  There was no doubt who this was.

  “The Fire Queen,” the Night Dragons said in unison.

  The Fire Queen swished an arm and the air filled with Fire Sparks. The heat was intense.

  The junior stars shrieked and ran behind the dragons for protection.

  “Pony, are these stars ready to perform?” the Fire Queen asked Madame Prancey, rising higher into the air.

  “Th-th-they are improving,” Madame Prancey stuttered. She trotted nervously on the spot. “But they need more time.”

  “There is no more time!” the Fire Queen roared. The heat of her breath made the leaves wither and fall from the trees. “The talent show is about to start! They must perform.”

  “We know you’re up to something!” Stella yelled, finding her voice. “We’re not going to let you steal the junior stars. The Magic Forest needs them!”

  The Fire Queen glared at her with burning eyes.

  Stella glared back. There was no way she was going to show her fear.

  “I want the stars,” the Fire Queen growled. “And what I want, I get.” She stretched out her arms and Fire Sparks appeared.

  “Watch out!” Stella warned her friends. “They’ll going to grab the little stars.”

  The stars squealed and leapt onto Stella’s back.

  But the sparks did not grab the little stars. Instead, with a whoosh, they shot up into the sky.

  The Night Dragons gazed up at the sparks. They swirled through the sky, arranging themselves into different shapes and patterns.

  First, they formed a huge rectangle. Then they began to form words.

  Tonight Only!

  Magic Forest Talent Quest.

  Only true stars may compete.

  Show starting soon. Do not be late!

  “See?” the Fire Queen cackled meanly. “I am simply here to let everyone know about the talent quest.”

  Much to the astonishment of the Night Dragons, the Fire Queen and her sparks flew off into the night sky. They didn’t take so much as a blade of grass with them.

  “Weird,” Rosie said.

  “Really weird,” Phoebe agreed. “What is she up to?”

  Stella had no idea, but she knew one thing for sure: There was no way the junior stars should go anywhere near that talent quest!

  Madame Prancey trotted over. “I suppose that decides it.” She sighed.

  “Decides what?” Stella asked.

  “You dragons will have to take the junior stars to the competition,” Madame Prancey snorted. “I was going to take them. But I can’t fly. We won’t make it in time.”

  Stella stared at her, aghast. “You can’t be serious! The talent quest is a trap.”

  “The Fire Queen is definitely up to something,” Rosie added.

  But Madame Prancey dug in her hooves. “They must go,” she said. “True stars always perform. No matter what!”

  The junior stars twinkled furiously, jumping up and down on Stella’s back. “We want to go! It’s our first performance!”

  “It could be your last one,” muttered Stella under her breath. Doing what the Fire Queen asked seemed like a very silly idea.

  Phoebe nudged her. “Maybe we should go,” she said. “It’s the only way to figure out what the Fire Queen is really up to. And we still need to find the missing stars.”

  “Phoebe’s right,” Rosie said. “And if we’re expecting the Fire Queen to trick us, then she won’t be able to. We’re too smart for that!”

  Stella smiled at her friends. She often felt like the brave one of the group. But her friends were every bit as brave as she was! “Let’s do it. But we must be on guard at all times.”

  “For sure,” Phoebe said.

  Rosie began to giggle. “I can’t believe I’m laughing when we’ve just met the Fire Queen. But you look so funny, Stella. You really ARE the Starlight Dragon.”

  All the junior stars were clinging to Stella.

  “It’s why we love you so much,” trilled one of the little stars.

  Stella smiled. She had always adored stars. Clearly, they adored her right back!

  She made herself make a serious face. “You must listen to me and my friends. Understood?”

  “Yessssss!” chorused the stars.

  “Do any of you know where this talent show is being held?” Stella asked.

  “Noooooooo!” chorused the stars.

  Madame Prancey did not know, either.

  Stella frowned. The further they got into this quest, the more complicated it became.

  She scrunched her eyes shut and let out a long, slow breath.

  “Stay calm,” said a familiar voice. “Losing your cool is not going to help right now. And remember, you’re not doing this alone.”

  She opened her eyes to see LuckyStar spinning by her side. Phoebe and Rosie were also right there.

  “We’ll figure it out,” Phoebe said.

  “Together,” Rosie added.

  Stella felt a gentle tug. The ball of magical thread was unwinding. Its end pointed toward the horizon.

  “That’s the way to go,” Phoebe said.

  Stella nodded. “Hey, stars, can some of you please climb onto Rosie and Phoebe? I can’t take you all.”

  “We want to ride on you!” they wailed.

  Rosie laughed. “Nice try, Stella.”

  Stella sighed. The stars were very cute and very persistent. “Okay, okay! But you’ll have to climb up onto my back rather than cling to my wings and legs. I can’t fly like that.”

  The stars did as they were told and arranged themselves into neat rows.

  “You look like a bus for stars!” Rosie laughed.

  “I feel like a bus for stars.” Stella grinned. “Let’s follow those sparks.”

  “Goodbye, Madame Prancey,” the junior stars called as Stella lifted up into the air.

  Madame Prancey dropped onto all four legs and cantered along below them, calling up instructions as they flew off. “Remember! Float to the left first. And make sure you twinkle ALL your points, not just the top ones. And smile! A smiling star is a brighter star.”

  The Night Dragons flew above the night-cloaked forest, LuckyStar sticking close by. The stars on Stella’s back sang endless rounds of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” but Stella hardly noticed. She was deep in thought about what lay ahead of them. The talent quest was definitely some kind of trap. They would have to be very careful.

  Rosie looked over at Stella. “Notice how cold it’s getting?” she asked.

  Stella hadn’t noticed, but now that she thought about it, it was very cold! The little stars began to shiver, sounding like wind chimes as they clinked against one another.

  “Look!” Phoebe cried.

  The trees below were covered with snow. The river wending its way through the forest was filled with big chunks of ice.

  Up ahead, Stella saw something that made her forget the biting cold. A bright arrow loomed in the sky. It pointed down at something that glowed on the horizon. It almost looked like the sunrise.

  But that made no sense. It was the middle of the night.

  As they flew closer, Stella saw it wasn’t the sun. It was a giant stage, held up by more Fire Sparks than Stella had ever seen. And floating in midair above the stage was the Fire Queen. Her gown blazed even brighter as her magnificent fire-hair leapt around her.

  She stretched out her arms, and when she spoke, her voice filled the air. “It is time for the first ever Magic Forest Talent Quest to begin!”

  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?”