Chapter 6

Nimph

In a small village outside of Canterlot, An orange unicorn wearing spectacles with a lusty red mane, tail and yellow eyes sat in her house reading over the one thing she had left of her teacher’s work. While he was still alive, she had assisted him in creating magic for future generations to use. Her teacher was an old unicorn, who was skilled in the ways of spell casting. Before he died, he was working on one of his many secret spells. When she offered to help him, he turned her down saying that the spell was not for her to ever attempt and refused to let her in on what he called “dangerous spells” from then on. When he did pass away, she felt that it was her job to pick up where he left off. Late one night she snuck into his secret stash and took out a single scroll. Before she could get the rest of his creations, representatives of the Higher Class Unicorns Guild, came and looted the old spell caster’s house. Enraged by this sudden interference, She wrote a letter of complaint to where the guild was rumored to be stationed. She didn’t have to wait long for a response. She received a letter the next day requesting her to bring her case forward. Upon her arrival to a wide house she approached a red earth pony who looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“Yes, My name’s Nimph,” said the orange unicorn. “The Unicorns Guild has requested that I come here to discuss what they have stolen from me.”

In order to make her appearance look more professional she had brushed her mane and put it in a ponytail. The Earth pony eyed her skeptically and was about to call for somepony to escort her out when a blue unicorn in a green cloak called out to them.

“What is happening over here?!” he asked harshly to the earth pony. “I thought I told you to not let anypony enter without permission!”

“Here’s your permission,” Nimph growled shoving the letter at his snout. “Now tell her that I’m here by your guild’s orders!”

“I’m so sorry Romulus!” the earth pony said worriedly. “I’ll have her leave at once!”

“No, no…” said Romulus eyeing Nimph with a cold expression. “She’s speaks the truth. Well then, follow me Ms. Nimph. We have been expecting you.”

Nimph followed Romulus to the back of the house where the room he led her to was built more like a small court. The unicorns inside were talking ecstatically to one another when the two entered. Romulus cleared his throat and two of the unicorns dressed in white cloaks stopped talking. Once the rest saw what they were looking at they too grew silent.

“Gentlecolts, Mares, I bring to you Ms. Nimph, we received a letter from her the other day,” said Romulus to the cloaked unicorns on the benches.

“Ah, so this is the one who claims they knew the great caster,” said one of the white-cloaked unicorns. Her voice was stern, but she gave off a peaceful presence. “Come now Ms. Nimph, tell us your reason for being here.”

Nimph took the stage and began to tell the unicorns how she knew her teacher and that his spells they have taken should belong to her now that he is gone.

“And that’s why I ask the council’s permission to continue my studies in the ways I see fit,” She finished telling to the table of noblemares and stallions.

She adjusted her spectacles as she felt them slide down her snout due to sweat from nerves. The mares and stallions looked down at her with skepticism and doubt that the earth pony in the entry room had given her permission to enter their domain. Try as she might, Nimph couldn’t afford to look away now. She stared up at them patiently awaiting their decision.

“Does your purpose for being here have to do with one of his unfinished works?” asked a purple unicorn.

“Yes, it does,” Nimph replied.

The solemn party started to talk amongst each other. One of the unicorns nodded in agreement as his colleague told him what he had thought. The tensed unicorn picked at the ground with her hoof. Her yellow eyes darted from one side of the room to the next. The muffled sounds of the council’s whispering taunted her. At last they stopped their hard drawn out discussions and returned their full attention on the anxious unicorn before them.

“We have reached a decision Nimph,” A white unicorn spoke up near the head of the table. “Although you and Star Swirl have provided us with magic beyond our wildest dreams, and from what you have told us, you helped him a number of times to achieve what others would have considered ludicrous. However, I’m afraid we can not allow you to fulfill your desire.”

“I don’t understand,” said Nimph in utter disbelief. “If it wasn’t for him and me you wouldn’t have gained anything you have learned!”

She felt angry and betrayed by the outcome of her visit. Why did she ever believe that they would ever let her teacher’s magic belong to her after his death?

“You can’t do this,” said Nimph, a slight bit of panic in her voice. “You owe Star Swirl! And you owe me! What makes you think you can decide what to do with his magic?!”

Nimph glared up at them and added under her breath, “I am his apprentice! If anypony has the rights to use his magic it should be me!”

“Nimph…” the same unicorn spoke up once more. “If you are his apprentice then why didn’t he ever mention you?”

“I… How would I know that?!” roared Nimph. “He was a very secretive unicorn was he not?”

“Indeed, he was. But he must have had a reason why his assistant was never brought up.”

Nimph couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did the guild really expect her to buy into their claims? If they were trying to get under her skin it was working. Star Swirl had taught her magic in ways these foolish ponies could never even begin to fully grasp! Unbeknownst to them she did manage to take one of her teachers unfinished spells before they came in like Vultures and picked Star Swirl’s house clean of all of it’s treasures. She had only come here to try and convince them that she was in fact Star Swirl’s only student. So much for that! It seemed like not a single one of these thieving scum were willing to give back what they have taken from her!

“I am sorry Ms. Nimph,” said the head of the table.

“Don’t be,” said Nimph politely bowing to them. “My apologies for taking up your time.”

She left the enlarged house leaving most of the guild confused as to why she was so acceptant of the outcome. Only Romulus saw the truth behind her mask. Nimph's expressions may have been blank and her attitude pleasant, but he could see she wasn't happy with the outcome at all and her blood had been set to the boiling point. When Nimph arrived back home, she untied her mane, went to her studies and pulled out the only piece of her teacher’s magic she had in her possession. Nimph slammed her hoof on the desk as she felt anger toward the Higher Class Unicorns. Most particularly she hated her teacher for denying her existence in his life. She lowered her head allowing red strings of hair to cover the upper part of her face.

“Star Swirl, your magic will be mine! One way or another… IT WILL BE MINE!”