The Equestria Academy of Magic: A New Star

by Sorcerer

Chapter Four: Shine On, Littlest Star

The Dragonflame lounge wasn't as crowded as I originally thought, in fact, no one else was around, and that was surprising, considering all the awesome stuff in there. There was a pinball machine in one corner of the room, there was a dartboard, a foosball table, one of those mini-basketball courts you'd find in an arcade. There was a plethora of board games to choose from as well in the drawers and shelves along the wall, although, I was never all that into board games, they always felt a little too bland to me. In the center of the room right next to where the three sofas were, there was table tennis court. It wasn't intimidating at first glance, and it seemed innocent enough. I assumed it would be a friendly game, but that was a mistake.

If there's one thing I learned the hard way at The E.A.M, it's that I suck at ping-pong. Fraylick bested me eleven to one, and he wasn't really the most pleasant winner. He danced around the ping-pong table with a cocky grin on his face and waved his hands up in the air like he was urging an imaginary crowd to cheer with him. "Woooo! King Fraylick is undefeated! I smoked August, and now I beat John too! I'm on fire!"

"Oh, hush!" Augustine crossed her arms in disapproval. "You only beat me because I made the mistake of holding back!"

"Oh yeah? Well, I was holding back too!" Fraylick snickered.

"Really?" I asked him. "Because you only beat her after tying with her ten times, you only won by two."

"Yeah well, I thrashed you!" Fraylick snapped back at me, then sat down on one of the sofas next to Miles as he put his hands behind his head and leaned back. "I wanted to keep my title as The King of Table Tennis, and I did."

"Maybe you should take on one more person, just to solidify your title." Mura chimed with her usual calm and contained voice in as she grabbed the paddle out of my hand and took my place at the end of the ping-pong table. I couldn't really tell if she was trying to be funny, or if she was just fed up with his cocky attitude. Either way, it was damn funny. The look on his face was priceless, he acted as if he had just been hit by a bolt of lightning.

"Um... The King of Table Tennis doesn't take challenges..." Fraylick muttered pathetically, avoiding eye contact with Mura, who did not approve of his cowardice.

"Are you scared, Fraylick?" Augustine giggled as she sat down between him and Miles.

"Ooooo... she's calling you out, dude," I said to Fraylick as I stood behind him, speaking to him like a devil on his shoulder. "Are you chicken?"

"Y-yeah? You chicken, Fraylick?" Miles added awkwardly with a slight stutter.

"I am not a chicken!" Fraylick yelled stubbornly, then stomped over to his side of the ping-pong table, getting into a ready position as he grabbed his paddle and ball. "Let's go!"

Fraylick stared Mura down with burning determination as he tossed the ball up in the air a few times, then after a couple feign-serves, he finally hit it over. "Take this!"

Within a few short moments, Fraylick's focused expression shifted into a regretful and fearful mug. Time seemed to stand still as Mura's eye shone like a burning flame of competitive passion that overwhelmed his by tenfold, and as her paddle made contact with the ball, Fraylick's face became even more horrified. Just by looking at him, in that very moment, you knew exactly what he was thinking, it was the face of 'I've made a terrible, terrible mistake...'.

I swear I saw smoke radiating off Mura's paddle as the ball zoomed over to his side and bounced off the table, striking Fraylick right between the eyes. He was flattened by the ping-pong ball, and he flew back, his head slamming against the nightstand beside the sofa closest to him. He wasn't unconscious, surprisingly, but he had two welts definitely large enough to get patched-up. Part of me wanted to help him up, but the wicked half of me felt that he had deserved that punishment. It was kind of like the whole "wrath of the gods" stuff, when the hero in a legend got a little too big for his britches, and his higher-up kicked his ass for it. Still, I helped him up, but I laughed doing so.

Fraylick felt a little light-headed, so we took him to the nurse's office. On the way there, he didn't really complain. Either that was because he was too concuss to do so, or he felt that Mura's "wake-up-call" was necessary to get him off his high-horse. Although I think the first reason was more likely, because he spaced-out quite a lot as we walked down the main hallway of Dragonflame House, looking for the nurse's office.

"My head..." Fraylick groaned as he removed his left arm from Mile's shoulder and held his head in pain. "Damn, Mura... do you take steroids or something?"

"Oh, can it!" Augustine huffed in a prissy manner. "This is your fault for being such a cocky bastard!"

"Yeah, I know..." Fraylick grunted as he pounded on his head. "Damn..."

"Well, there is a silver-lining, pal," Miles smiled mischievously. "You get to have a visit with Ms. Fiona Shae."

"Ms. Shae?" I wondered as I noticed the satisfied expressions of Fraylick and Miles, who seemed to be daydreaming.

"She's the nurse, of course, and she's very skilled at her job. She's the kindest person I know," Augustine sighed. "But she's a lot more popular than the other nurses for a... certain reason."

"Oh? What's this reason?" I asked.

"You know those people who are really attractive, but don't realize it, and put people in awkward situations unintentionally?" Miles laughed awkwardly. I could tell he was reminiscing on some cherished memories. "That's her."

I thought about it. "So, by attractive, you mean..."

"She's got a smokin' hot bod-!" Fraylick was cut off by Augustine's heel slamming down on his big toe.

"She's an incredibly nice lady, and we should only focus on that! You know how timid she is!" Augustine interjected. "I swear if I see any of you ogle her, I will get Mura to dropkick you into the next century! I hope you aren't as perverted as these two are, Jonathan!"

"I can... usually control myself," I said as I knocked on Ms. Shae's door.

"Famous last words..." Fraylick mumbled just loud enough so I could hear him.

They were definitely my last words indeed. The person that opened the door was not a common woman, but an angel that emitted a glorious light of beauty and grace that pierced by heart like a blade. My face turned bright red as I heard a voice, soft and sweet, greet me. "H-hello..."

She was an avian, I could tell from the two wing-holes in the sides of her nurse outfit, and the cream-colored feathers sticking out of said holes. But that wasn't really what got my attention, what did, was her breathtaking figure that could put any man in a stretcher just by looking at her. Her light pink hair was wavy and long like a giant wave, and it looked so soft and kempt, flowing like a river and complimenting her emerald eyes. She was curvy and buxom, and her smooth and flawless face was like polished porcelain. Although her outfit wasn't revealing like the nurse costumes you see on Nightmare Night, it was still a showstopper. It was white and gold like our uniforms and it seemed a little more like a dress, and it was a little tight in the chest area. The jokester part of me wanted to point out the obvious hot-nurse cliché and mock it, but that side of me was stomped on by the primal caveman that does back flips whenever he sees a busty woman.

"H-he-hel-oooh..." I could barely breathe.

Augustine stepped in front of me, realizing that I was lost in a void. "Hello Ms. Shae, we have an injured student here."

"Oh goodness!" She cried as she got Fraylick to sit down in a chair. "Where did you get these injuries?"

"I-ummphh!" Fraylick was muffled for a moment as Ms. Shae reached over to her supplies and grabbed a wet cloth from her sink, not realizing she had stuck Fraylick's face in her chest. He took a deep breath as she pulled away and began dabbing the wound on his forehead with her cloth. "Stay strong, Fraylick..."

"I haven't seen you around here before, are you new?" She asked me politely. It took me a while to regain my composure and respond.

"Um, yeah. I just transferred here this year." I replied nervously. "My name is Jonathan Star."

"That's wonderful, it's an honor to meet a member of such an esteemed family like yours." Her smile melted my heart like butter, and her voice was like a morning dove singing a sweet song. She was quiet like Mura, but she wasn't contained like her, Ms. Shae spoke softly because she seemed a little overwhelmed by all the people in the room.

"Thanks..." I grinned bashfully, then looked over to a blue, fuzzy cat bed on the ground by her desk with a small, white-furred creature inside. It wasn't a cat, and it wasn't a dog either. On closer inspection, I could see the trademark long, fluffy ears of a bunny. "Is that a rabbit?"

"Oh, yes... that's Angel." She pointed over to the furry rabbit with the same overjoyed look on her face. "You, um... shouldn't pet him, he's quite sleepy today... maybe you two can be acquainted tomorrow!"

I backed away slowly, trying not to wake the rabbit, and I leaned up against the wall adjacent to the door. "So, are you the nurse for just this dormitory?"

"No... I have other nurses working with me in Dragonflame, but they're all off duty at this hour." She explained as she put two patches on Fraylick's head.

"This hour? How late is it?" I stepped forward and turned around to look at her clock. Eight thirty, not too late, but later than I expected. "Man, time flies. What's the curfew around here?"

"Ten for first-year students, eleven for second-year students, and twelve for senior year students," Augustine informed me.

"So, we've got about two hours and thirty minutes then. Nice." I nodded as I leaned on the wall again.

"Alright, slow down tomorrow, Fraylick. Let your wounds heal." Ms. Shae insisted as she helped Fraylick to his feet.

"I got it," Fraylick assured her as he opened the door and walked outside into the main hallway. "Thanks, Ms. Shae."

"You're welcome, Fraylick. Have a nice night everyone, and... please be careful outside." There was a serious tone in her voice that made me curious, although, I knew bringing it up would bother her, so I bit my tongue.

As the door shut and we began walking back to our rooms, I asked the others what Ms. Shae meant. "Hey, guys. What does Ms. Shae mean, 'be careful outside'?"

We all stopped for a moment and stood silent, then Fraylick piped-up, hating the awkward silence. "You mean, no one told you yet?"

"Told me what?" I said as Fraylick stepped closer to tell me.

"A few months ago in June, there was a first-year student from Crystal House who went missing one night," Fraylick revealed. "Her name was Summer Anderson."

"Missing? Where did she go?" I asked.

"No one knows," Augustine added. "The teachers won't talk about it either."

"She just disappeared one night, then the school went quiet for the rest of the year. It was kind of ominous if you ask me," Miles commented. "We aren't allowed outside after nine pm now, which wasn't one of the rules last year."

"That's so strange," I thought. "Are the teachers hiding something?"

"We shouldn't be talking about this," Mura interrupted us. "We aren't allowed to talk about it, remember?"

"She's right. We shouldn't be talking about it in the main hall like this, someone could hear us." Augustine whispered.

"What are you all doing here?" A voice echoed down the hall and caught our attention.

We all turned, and Augustine replied to the silhouette at the end of the hall. "A friend of ours was injured, and we came to visit the nurse's office!"

"Oh, I see," The figure stepped out of the moonlight rays streaking through the windows and revealed himself. It was a prefect, a senior year student, and he approached us casually with a smile on his face. "I'm sorry if I startled you, I thought you were someone else."

The prefect was fairly tall, a little taller than Fraylick, and he had brown hair that was fashioned into a sort of flattened-fohawk. He had honest silver eyes, and he had a pretty relaxed demeanour. I wasn't really sure if he overheard our conversation, but he believed our story.

I caught his eye briefly, and he gave me a quick wave. "You must be Jonathan Star, correct? I'm Roderick Grey, one of the prefects. Although, I'm sure you already knew that based on the badge here."

"Nice to meet you." I nodded to him.

"Awesome... glad to have a Star in Dragonflame House," He looked past us and down the empty hall. "Pretty dead tonight, huh? I suppose everyone's tuckered out, being that it's the first day and all!"

"Yeah, I suppose!" I chuckled uneasily. I wasn't the best at small-talk, and I could see that Augustine was kind of holding her breath.

"Well, carry on then! I'll be waking you guys up tomorrow at eight, so don't stay up too late, alright?" Roderick passed us and walked down the corridor, then turned to the right and disappeared down another hallway. Everyone exhaled loudly as if they had been underwater for a few minutes.

"That was the Roderick Grey, one of the most esteemed prefects in the school!" Augustine was hyperventilating a little.

"You think he heard our conversation?" I asked.

"No," Miles replied. "I don't think so."

"He would have said something if he did." Fraylick deduced.

"Do the prefects know anything about the incident?" I couldn't help but ask.

"No, probably not," Mura answered. "They just enforce the rules, they don't make them. They're still students."

"This all seems so weird..." I muttered under my breath.

****

After that ordeal, we all returned to our rooms and got comfortable. It was about thirty minutes before lights-out, and I had put my favourite baggy blue pyjamas on already, thankfully you were free to use your own nightwear. I was getting sick of those horrid uniforms.

I opened my laptop and called my parents, and I knew they'd be eagerly awaiting a call from me. After it rang for a few moments, they picked up, and their faces appeared on the screen. Even though it had been barely a day, I was already missing them, and judging by the look on their face when they saw me, I knew they felt the same.

"Hey, skippy, how was the first day at school?" My dad adjusted his glasses as he squinted.

"Pretty good," I answered. "We had a free day to socialize and tour the school."

"Sounds like fun, sweetie!" My mother chimed in. "Did you make any friends?"

"Yeah, I made a few," I replied. "They're- they're pretty cool."

"Did you meet any cute girls?" My dad teased.

"Rick, he's too young for relationships! Isn't that right, Jonathan?" My mother voiced her outrage regarding my dad's comment.

"I'm just kidding, Karen," My dad tried calming her down by placing his hand on her shoulder, and she rolled her eyes impatiently. "So, what's happening tomorrow?"

"Let's see here..." I pulled out the schedule from the drawer in my desk. "I've got... two classes back to back from nine to eleven, Language Arts then Math. Then a break, eighty minutes of Science, Lunch, activities, Magic History and Magic Self-Defence, Phys. Ed, supper, then after that... either study or clubs."

"Wow, sounds like you're swamped." My dad whistled. "What did you choose for clubs, skip?"

Admittedly, it took me a while to remember what I picked. Not because I didn't care, but... I have awful short-term memory. "I picked Music Club, Art Club, Martial Arts Club, and... Magic Duelling-."

"You picked Magic Duelling Club?!" My mother's face lit up. "I knew you'd pick that! Who runs Duelling Club? Is Mr. Callahan still there?"

"No, it's run by Professor Spencer Dragoon, have you heard of him?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I have! He's one of the Ten Elite Wizards, correct?" My mother recalled. "Isn't he a little too young?"

"Well, I haven't been to any of his classes yet, so we shouldn't judge just yet," I urged her. "He seems like a cool guy."

"Well, I hope he knows what he's doing..." My mother mumbled a little. "Magic is a fickle thing."

"Hey, where's Beth?" I asked.

"Sorry, skip... you missed her. She went to sleep an hour ago." My dad apologized. "It's a school night after all, you understand, right?"

"Yeah, I know," I said with a sombre tone as I lowered my head. I was really looking forward to seeing her again.

"Hey, c'mon son. You have all year to chat with Beth, and you'll see her at Hearths Warming Eve a few months from now!" My dad reassured me, but I wasn't too keen on talking to Beth through a screen for three and a half months. "Don't be look so down..."

"Thanks, dad," I gave him a half smile. "I'll try and call you as soon as I can tomorrow after school, okay? I've got to go to bed."

"Alright! See you tomorrow, son!" My dad waved as I prepared to close the laptop.

"Bye guys." I chuckled lightly.

"Make your grandfather proud... my little star." My mom beamed as she blew me a kiss goodnight.

I closed the laptop slowly and jumped onto my bed. I thought about my grandfather as I stared at the ceiling. His bright smile, his jolly laugh, that wink he'd always give me when our eyes met. I remembered the cool breeze of the beach where he lived, the bright sun, the roar of the ocean; calm yet vigorous, like him. It had been a whole year since he had passed away.

I remembered the comforting expression he gave me when I visited him at the hospital with my family, the hopeful look in his eyes. He was strong, stronger than anyone I had ever known, even after he lost grandma, he still remained strong, and that made me strong. But, no matter how strong you are, you can't overcome mortality. One day after I got home from school, we got a call from him. He had visited the doctor a few days prior, and... I guess it took him a while to work up the courage to tell us. It was cancer, spreading throughout his body. The doctors gave him twelve months.

The last year at Crystalline was the hardest in my life. I took a bus and visited him, I took walks with him in the early stages, but I didn't have time. My grades plummeted, my parents were worrying, everything was tumbling down. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, It felt as if every moment I spent away from my grandpa was just a waste of time. Then, one day, my parents got another call and pulled me out of school. He was dying.

I held his hand gently and wept as he passed away, and still remember his face. The same smile, the same wink. He died happy, knowing I was with him by his side, and I'll never forget what he said to me with his last breath. It the last few lines from the same story he'd read to me when I was sad, the same story he read to me when my dog died, and when I broke my leg. It was "The Littlest Star".

"Shine on, Littlest Star, though your light may be dim..." I whispered to myself as I stared at the ceiling of my dorm room. "Shine, like a brilliant nebula, wild and fantastical... Shine like a candle, calm and mysterious... Shine, not for me, but for all."

On that night, I swear, I heard his voice recite the story with me. And then I knew I wasn't alone.

Author's Note:

As always I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

P.S: I cried several times whilst writing the part about Jonathan's grandpa, not because I lost my grandpa too, but because I'm a super emotional person. I'm a big crybaby.

Comments

[The Library]

Lovely chapter, and great to see Fluttershy being the nurse. I knew she would make a great nurse, with her personality and all. and lets not forget her amazing curves
I will see you in the next chapter Sorcerer!

Private Derpy signing out!
orig07.deviantart.net/b4a5/f/2013/167/9/c/yellow_quiet_nurse__eqg__by_pyruvate-d68u3kv.jpg

[Tik-Tok-deerpony]

lol. the ping pong part was the best. keep up the good work

[Sorcerer]

6617238

Thanks! I hope you enjoy the next few chapters to come.

[Tik-Tok-deerpony]

6617483 i cant wait to see them!

[Sorcerer]

6620390

Like I've said to a million people, I actually didn't know about JJBA until I first started the story after someone pointed it out to me. It cool though, it's an odd coincidence.

[Blaze the draconic mage]

That ending was sad ????????????????????