Mara, Joshy and Rainbow Dash had been at Redwall for a couple of weeks now. They had become fast friends with Samkim and Arula. During this time, Samkim kept learning to play the flute, and he was getting better and better at it.

One day he went to see the Abbess in her office. Faith Spinney and a mouse called Sister Nasturtium were sitting in there too.

"Good morning, young Samkim," the Abbess smiled. "How's your flute playing coming along?"

"Oh, it's going wonderfully!" said Samkim. "I just have to hear any song once now and I can figure out how to play it almost immediately."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"The reason I came to talk to you is I was wondering if I could do a concert for everybeast sometime. We could rig up a stage and I could play out on the lawn."

"I think that's a fantastic idea," said the Abbess.

"Hold on," said Faith. "Samkim ain't the only beast in this Abbey who can play an instrument. I can play the hogalino." A hogalino is a stringed instrument that hedgehogs strum with their spikes.

"And I can sing," added Nasturtium.

"Well, maybe instead of just me giving a concert by myself, everybeast who wants to can take part," said Samkim.

"Sounds good to me," said the Abbess.

News of the concert spread quickly throughout the Abbey. Nearly everybeast wanted to be involved.

"Maybe Oi can do ee rap song," Foremole said when he heard about it.

Even Dumble got into the musical spirit. "Dumble gonna form a band an' play in da concert!" he babbled.

Samkim was walking down the hallway when Rainbow Dash came flying up to him. She was carrying an old guitar she had found in the attic. "Ya know, Samkim, I'm a pretty awesome guitar player, if I do say so myself. Maybe I could perform with you. You can play the flute and I'll play the guitar and sing."

Joshy, Mara, and Arula came around the corner and joined them. "I can play the drums!" Joshy exclaimed. "Can I be in the band too?"

"Sure," Samkim said. "The more the merrier. What about you, Mara? Can you play an instrument?"

Mara replied, "There was a piano at Salamandastron, and I fooled around with it sometimes. I think I'd be good enough to scrape by."

"But there's no pianos in this Abbey," Rainbow Dash said.

"Hang on a tick! I've got a blinkin' brainwave, wot!" Joshy waved his wand and an instrument appeared in his paw. "This is called a keytar. It's shaped like a guitar, but it has keys like a piano. Try it out, Mara."

Mara took the keytar and plunked out a few notes. "I like it. Feels good."

"How about you, Arula?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Arula shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "Oi don't know if Oi want to be in ee band. Oi bees too gurtly 'umble fur such ee thing!"

"Come on, Arula," said Samkim. "You're my best friend. It won't be the same without you. We can always put you on tambourine or something."

Arula took a deep breath. "Okay. Oi'm in!"

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings excitedly. "This is gonna be so cool! We can call ourselves the Rainbooms!"

That night, everybeast was eating dinner in Great Hall, except for Tudd Spinney, who was on guard duty in the gatehouse. A knock came at the door from outside the Abbey. Tudd peered through the peephole and saw three girls outside. One was a mouse, one was a squirrel, and the third was an otter.

He opened the door. "Welcome to Redwall Abbey. Who might you be?"

"We're the Dazzlings," said the mouse. "I'm Adagio."

"I'm Aria," said the squirrel.

"And I'm Sonata," said the otter.

They brushed past him and glided through the gatehouse into the grounds. Then Adagio knocked on the door of the main Abbey building.

Inside, Abbess Vale said, "Now who could that be?"

Before anybeast could stand up to open the door, it pushed open on its own and Adagio, Aria, and Sonata walked in. Then they started to sing.

"We heard you want to get together

We heard you want to rock these woods

We've thought of something that is better

Something that changes all the rules

Why pretend we're all the same

When some of us shine brighter?

Here's a chance to find your flame

Are you a loser or a fighter?"

Everybeast's eyes began to glaze over. It was as if they were hypnotized by the song. The only ones unaffected were Rainbow Dash, Mara, Samkim, Arula, and Joshy, who were all sitting together. The five of them exchanged confused looks as the three strange girls continued to sing.

"Me and you, you and me

Why don't we see who is better?

We don't have to be one and the same thing

Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition?

Are you afraid of failing the audition?"

Adagio, Aria, and Sonata walked around the hall, passing by all the tables.

"You're a star and you should know it

Yeah, you rise above the rest

It doesn't matter who you hurt

If you're just proving you're the best

Battle! You wanna win it

Let's have a battle, battle of the bands

Let's have a battle, we'll go all in it

Let's have a battle, battle, battle

Battle of the bands!"

When they finished their song, there was a long silence. Then Abbess Vale spoke. Her voice sounded strange.

"Battle of the Bands. What an excellent notion. As Abbess of Redwall, I decree that our concert will now be a contest to see which band is best!"

An excited babble broke out. "I'm gonna win!" cried Faith Spinney.

"Ha! You wish!" cried Thrugg the otter.

"I so want this!" cried Friar Bellows.

"Hurr, not if Oi get it first!" said Foremole.

Suddenly, everybeast was arguing with each other, except for Mara and her friends. "What's going on?" Mara wondered. "Why is everybeast so angry all of a sudden?"

"Yurr, this was apposed to be fun!" Arula agreed.

"Martin the Warrior warned us trouble was coming," Samkim said gloomily. "I think the trouble has finally arrived."