5/25, Biotic Estate, 10:28 PM

Well, things have certainly been interesting these past few weeks. I will go into detail later, but first, I would like to share an article that came in the paper a few days ago. I found it amusing, but also a bit concerning.

Canterlot Research Association's Most Recent Applicant Creates Controversy Amongst Members

Canterlot's prestigious organization, the Canterlot Research Association, Equestria's top society for doctors, surgeons, and apothecaries, has recently become the center of discussion as Xathan Boticar, a recent graduate of the MeadowBrook University's School of Medicine has made attempts to enter the Association's Celestial-Lunar Research and Development Program. The program provides government-backed funding for members to experiment and create new, better versions of the drugs and medication ponies take every day. The program selects its members based on certain qualifications, including education, training, and associations with other members of the organization, and each member is selected by not only its greatest and most powerful members but also the largest financial backers as well. The board has come to a stalemate, with each half split on whether this orphaned zebra deserves a chance in one of the most influential medical positions in the country. Fancy Pants, the second largest backer of the program, has been leading to include Xathan. When asked why he had chosen this stance, he said to reporters: "I believe that everypony has a chance of greatness, no matter where they have been, or what they are. To see a pony, who had been taken under the wing of one of our most productive members, Dr. Anti Biotic, be denied such a request is like losing the rarest of gems found in a mine."

The other half, however, led by medical professional Doctor Heart Rate, has been making several debates on the matter, claiming that Xathan's education had been tampered with and he should not be able to qualify due to both having spent only four years in university and still acquiring a Master's Degree and evidence that he had been participating in "questionable activities" during his time in university. "I will not allow riff-raff into this program to muddy up the good name of this program!" he declared during the rather heated meeting. "The Medicinal Branch of the Celestial-Lunar Research and Development Program has pride itself in finding and developing new forms of medicine to help bring Equestria to health and prosperity. To have a pony who has no consideration for following rules and regulations should not be welcome in this program!"

The debates have been estimated to continue for up to three days to determine the verdict. If a conclusion cannot be reached until Saturday of 9:00 PM, then the final verdict must be reached by a consensus between the four Princesses. Only time will tell if this underdog medical student will be able to achieve the ultimate honor.

Heh. It's funny, isn't it? I a simple greatness, to be somepony who would help everyone by offering an aid, medicine and the like. In turn, I become one of the biggest things in the paper and the next "hot scoop." I hope that nopony intends to follow me for news...

It is true that I only had about four years of proper education in university. This is because, thanks to a placement exam, I had moved ahead a couple of years. However, due to my rather impressive score, many of the more disgruntled and envious classmates of mine had attempted to try and disprove my scores, with no degrees of success. They even had the nerve to compose some false evidence towards the claim. When it had come up during the debate, it took only half an hour to debunk it without losing credibility.

However, their other evidence they had proved to be more problematic.

During the debate, one of the opposers of my admission had pointed out my assistance with other students' medical assignments, although they made it seem as though I was setting up some sort of underground racket for answers. This, of course, got the other members into a heated debate on whether or not that counted against me as assisted academic dishonesty. The debate went on for up to 3 hours, but thanks to the assistance of my colleagues refused to speak, the theories were placed on hold. The final debate in regards to my questionable academics, however, was the point that almost made me smile for once.

The graduation ceremony started as any other. The ponies in my class had just sat down, adorned in their jet black gowns and graduation caps. I sat between Septic Cleanse and another close colleague of mine, Epi Pence, who was a rather healthy looking unicorn with who always had a big grin on his face. He was the happiest stallion I had known in class, to be honest. Anyways, As the crowd that had come to see us sat down, the head of the School of Medicine, Professor Herbal Brew, approached the podium and spoke in his dry, deep voice.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, the time has come for the Mage Meadowbrooke's School of Medicine to see if another class of brilliant minds into the medical field, hoping that each one will make a difference somewhere in the world. This prestigious University has strived to take the best and make them greater. To be able to tackle any of the challenges that the world may throw at them. And it has clearly shown, on this day, that we have achieved a truly marvelous class of ponies, as not one of the students entering the Class of 1004 has managed to have a dropout rate of zero percent!!"

The audience stomped with power and controlled enthusiasm, clearly impressed at this achievement that had not been seen since the college's conception (at least to their knowledge, there were rumors that the third class of the college had managed it, but I'm not entirely sure). Professor Brew smiled and shushed everypony with a single hoof.

"Now, before we read out our graduating class, I would like to present the awards for our valedictorian and salutatorian of the Class of 1004."

Sept nudged me with his hoof, his cheeky grin spread across his face. I simply rolled my eyes and continued watching the professor. Sept had complete confidence that I would make valedictorian. However, I knew inside... I wasn't going to be valedictorian. The school's hidden reputation wouldn't allow it. You see, Dr. Biotic explained to me that Equestria's elite has this pull on who goes where in much of society. Whatever happens here affects the rest of Equestria, and only the richest can decide. This made sense since many businesses pooled in the bits for anything to function.

However, despite this, inside I was angered.

This was the same discrimination that I had to put up with my entire life. This was the discrimination that made me feel like I was meant to work in a gem mine. This was the discrimination that gave Dr. Biotic so much trouble when he had tried to get into the field himself since, before me, Earth Ponies were the lowest race in the field of science.

Professor Brew smiled as he continued to speak. "These two students had shown exemplary talent right off the bat and continued to amaze us with their knowledge of Equestrian medicine and chemistry. They not only displayed excellent knowledge in the field, but they had also exceeded many of the expectations of our class and went above and beyond the call of duty. First, the Salutatorian..."

The aging stallion used his magic to move the card closer to his eyes, a trick he used to drum up dramatic tension (Honestly, the old bag of bile needs it since his speeches are as dry as tea leaves.), before anouncing in a firm, booming voice: "Ms. Licorice Root!"

A young unicorn mare quickly moved up to the podium as a wave of thunderous hoof stomps poured in from the seats, accompanied by her fellow classmates' joining in. I myself contended to a simple clop since Spriggan had an... episode that nearly led to me being chucked into a wall. It was an event involving a final project that, thankfully, I was able to dispel before anypony else got hurt. Looking up at the mare, her rose-red locks pulled back in a bun as she adjusted her glasses, spoke slightly shakily, "T-Thank you, Doctor Brew. Honestly, I..."

She chuckled nervously before clearing her throat. "Honestly, I am sort of surprised I received this. I know that many of these students are brilliant in the field and none of them were slothful when it came to their work, so to receive this title, it..."

I saw a tear well up in her eye, to which she quickly wiped it with her hoof. "It is truly an honor. I give my thanks to my professors and everypony who believed in me!" With that, she bowed her head as she stepped back and returned to her seat, the applause returning for a brief moment as Professor Brew returned to the podium.

"Very good. And now for the Valedictorian..."

I sat there, gazing at the graying stallion with a mixture of apathy and frustration. I really just wanted to get the ceremonies over with so that I could go home and start my planning. He went into a long-winded explanation that the student was an exemplary student who managed outpace everypony in the class and whose future would be the brightest. Already, I felt the eyes of the classmates I tutored bore into my head from multiple directions. Outside, my face did its best to maintain its typical stoic expression, but inside, I was both ashamed and anxious. Part of me was holding out hope that perhaps I did well enough for them to consider me. However, that more realistic and constantly increasing part of me knew that it would go to somepony else. Scanning the graduate's seats, I quickly identified a well-groomed stallion with silver-grey coat curling blonde hair that was pulled back into a small ponytail. Quick Silver. A serious flank kisser and the logical candidate for valedictorian in a Canterlot university. A capable, good-looking unicorn with that winning smile every head of the class should have. To not pick that stallion would simply be the wrong answer, and yet... As I sat there, looking down at my slender hooves, I secretly hoped, maybe, I would be recognized for the work I had done and would reap the fruits of my labor. It wasn't flashy, it was a simple gum that was used to administer more advanced medications normally requiring a needle, and had an immunity boosting effect to it. I didn't have much time to truly perfect it, and it definitely hadn't turned heads.

Professor Brew opened the scroll using magic and unraveled it, seemingly reading over the name in his mind before declaring, "The Valedictorian for Mage Meadowbrooke's School of Medicine, Class of 1004... Is Mr. Quick Silver!!"

I watched as the cocky young stallion rose and trotted to the stand and collect his "prize." My stoic expression never changed as I watched him approach our professor. I had expected this. I had expected that I would be shoved aside for somepony who was more... Correct to them. Inside, however, I had felt robbed. I felt like all of that toiling away was not to thrive in this prestigious college, but to survive. I closed my eyes in contempt. It had been done.

However, in those brief seconds I stared at that scene before me, I failed to notice one thing: The applause had been quieter around me. Ponies were still giving their dignified clops, but as I gazed around, I saw most of my colleagues had just gazed around, confused and honestly frustrated. However, once I saw Sep, I saw him at his least calm. He had normally been a pretty "chilled out" kind of stallion, as he put it, and never blew his fuse or really even got that mad, even when his experiment caused noxious smoke clouds for the fifth time that week. Here, though, I could see steam rising inside him, his... Aura, to put it bluntly, had become very bubbly as he simply glared at the unicorn, who had just begun his speech.

"Oh man... I mean, what can I say? I mean, I had some stiff competition here, I'm not gonna lie, but I know I've put as much effort as I could in gaining this title."

"Horse apples!!"

I froze, my eyes locking onto Sep as he rose and pointed his hoof accusingly at Quick Silver.

"You know damn well that title doesn't belong to you!!"

I immediately knew what he was planning. Sep had a reputation for brash and reckless actions that had a 50% chance of landing anypony involved in hot water. I swiftly covered my face and pulled at his gown to sit down, but he wouldn't budge. Nothing I could do could seat my friend down.

Quick himself gave a confident chuckle, turning to Sep and replying with an air of smugness about him. "Oh, Cleanse. Don't get so upset. I know you think your..." He cleared his throat. "Simple cleaning agent was quite ingenious, but I do believe that my invigorating tonics prove my capability and worthiness of Valedictorian."

The crowd seemed to let out a collective guffaw, Sep's face contorted in anger as if he were about to explode. I too remember those tonics Quick had made. Three in total, each one was like a super-vitamin, tailor-made for Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth Pony, said to have a unique boosts of each one: Crystalline Mind was to boost Unicorn's mental capacity, allowing for greater power to spells, Swift Gust gave energy to Pegasi's wing and back muscles thus providing greater speeds, and Mountain Tread, which strengthens an Earth Pony's physical strength. They were the highlight of the final projects the class had presented to the Canterlot elite as well as the highest physicians across Equestria at the Equestrian Medical Convention's Apothecaries of Tomorrow exhibit*. I was impressed with them myself but wasn't sure what Sep was trying to imply.

"Oh yeah?? Well, did you tell everypony that you didn't do this on your own?? That you had help because your tonics kept making ponies ill??"

As soon as I heard that, the pieces started to fall together. I recalled the several classmates coming to me to assist them with their homework as I tried to work on mine, as I had no issue with helping another pony. Equestria was built on a sense of oneness, and I was happy to help with keeping ponies alive, I found no reason not to assist, since advancing medicine was my goal. However, one of the ponies that came in asking for assistance was...

"Quick Silver! The real reason you had managed to have a functional presentation for the exhibit was that of my friend..." He pointed directly at me. "Xathan Boticar!"

A loud murmuring could be heard from the crowd. The other graduates looked around, some looking at me. All I could do was shift in my seat as attention had been brought to me. Silver seemed especially nervous, hidden behind his boastful bravado.

"P-Preposterous! How can you prove that that zebra could have aided me in the slightest??"

A slight tinge of annoyance hit my forehead. It wasn't the worst I had been called, but I was not a fan of his ingratitude. Sep's look shifted into one of malevolence. "Easy..." He pulled out a set of papers, covered in dirt and grime. "Recognize these?" I could only hide my face in embarrassment for my friend and mutter, "Oh sweet Celestia, he dug in our garbage..." Dr. Brew inspected the papers with a slight adjustment of his papers.

"By Luna's mane..." He grumbled as he looked through the original recipe as well as my handwritten critiques on it. He turned to Quick with a shocked expression. "Mr. Silver... Is this true?"

"What?? No, I-!"

"It is! Every night, I'd see him slave away at other projects because he cared about helping other ponies!" He turned to the crowd of graduates. "You know the work he put in for us!! Are you going to let him have his hooves stepped on by a pony who simply takes the credit for a miracle-??"

"Cleanse, enough!!"

I remember the sensation. I remember the frustration I felt for this supposed happy occasion foiled because Sep wanted to throw a fit on my behalf. I stood and looked at him with more anger than anyone had seen me. Even Quick Silver wavered as I approached him, spilling my words.

"I understand your frustration, but you should not be trying to rally our classmates into attempting an uprising in the middle of our graduation! I helped many, yes, but it wasn't so that I could receive recognition!! I do not care if I never get the recognition for any of my work!! As long as it has brought aid to those that need it, I will be satisfied!!"

Everything went quiet. Sep looked at me, first angry, then calming to apologetic. He nodded as I shook hooves with him and motioned him back to his seat. He complied without another word. Not even half an hour into the ceremony and already done with it, I turned to my professor and spoke quietly, "I would like to receive my degree and leave, Dr. Brew."

He complied, and I was the first to leave the stage that day. Within the next couple of, I applied to be a part of Celestial-Lunar Research and Development Program's medical field.

Dr. Biotic said that he could pull strings with the program to see if I could receive a position, but I refused the help. If I could not do this myself, it simply was not meant to be.

The final verdict is scheduled for tomorrow. I will remember to write an update tomorrow.

Rest well, everypony.

Author's Note

*The Equestrian Medical Association's Convention is a weekend-long event where every day, ponies would display their contributions to the medical field, discuss new issues such as disease, breakthroughs, theories etc., and displaying the future of Equestria's medics in the Apothecaries of Tomorrow exhibit.