JUL 31 Tuesday.

I look over myself in the mirror and spend a while making sure I look decent.

I don't need to look perfect or anything but I should at least look like I care about myself. I've shaved the tuft of hair I have on my chin down to match my coat and I've cut back my mane once again. I've kept it short for a long time now, pulling it back, but I decided to change it up a little this time.

I left it just a bit longer when tied back, and completely cut out my bangs. I don't need them getting in my way on accident and they were getting too long for my liking. Finally, I have to shave my belly some, cutting down on the fur a bit to even it out fully.

It's not a noticeable thing but it is nice to look very trimmed up for once. My normal retinue when it comes to looks is just having shortish hair and trying to not look like complete shit, so this is an improvement overall. With the last of my self-care done, I leave my bathroom and replay the plan for today in my head.

I wasn't told much of anything about the test, just that it would last for the normal amount of time I'd spend volunteering and would be carried out over three days. I'd guessed the written tests would be done the first day so I've spent a large amount of my morning rereading some things, I could be wrong but the extra studying couldn't hurt.

I'm a mix of slightly excited and slightly nervous about it all, I'm really not used to taking tests as the last time I had a big one was in my last life. Still, I think I'll be fine as long as I'm not stupid about anything and actually listen to others. When it comes to things like this, paying attention is by far the most important thing to do.

I walk over to my table and look over the items I have laid out, I can't bring anything into any test but I'm still bringing a notebook to write down things afterwards. I grab it along with my saddlebags, some tea, and a flask of premade tea to recover afterward if needed.

After everything is gathered and put away, with me checking once again that I'm not bringing anything I shouldn't or forgetting something important, I look over to Entropy. "It's time to go Girl," I call out and she turns to me from her spot on her perch, flying down and moving into my shadow in one swift yet smooth motion.

I am still a bit early but I can just wait a while if needed, plus it's not the worst to be early for some things. I open my door and notice the Pony I sensed walking outside, Stone having just left Daisy's apartment and heading somewhere, the sight of him makes me feel a little awkward internally.

Turns out that being able to sense what others can do in their apartments is not always pleasant. Sure I try my best to not focus on the inside of apartments as it's not my business and all that, but sometimes my senses sweep about and I see more than I'd like to.

After a small incident two days ago with me glancing at Daisy's apartment and seeing something rather, intimate, I've been more strict on blocking out Pony's homes. I really don't need to deal with that again, the most awkward interaction I've had in my life, and that's saying something considering what happened with Rarity.

I shake my head as I walk up the stairs to the roof, my mind partly getting lost in thought as I go through the familiar trip to the hospital. The past week has given me a decent amount of stuff to think about, mostly to do with the Ponies I've talked to, I still remember my meeting with Fluttershy.

She was nice, and after the little scare with her, we ended up mostly talking about plants and animals for a few hours before I left and headed home. She may be shy but she knows her stuff when it comes to animals, she even had several bestiaries and I flipped through a few as we talked about different creatures.

Beyond that, I had another game night and I also got a letter from Celestia. It basically just apologized for not meeting recently as she's been very busy, but she'd try to make time soon. And she really must be busy because she hasn't even been at Gaia's Eden for a while now.

That meeting should prove interesting to say the least, I hope it goes well, or at least isn't too awkward. I think it will be fine, we've dealt with far worse things than something like this accidental situation and we're still friends. There is the clusterfuck that is my feelings about the situation, which are still jumbled as hell and making no sense.

I shake my head and try to move those thoughts to the side, I don't need that on my mind when dealing with a big test. I focus on a different piece of good news, I finished the spell I was making and sent it off to Celestia. It might take her and Cadance a bit to get to it but it's finished and working much better than before so I'm pretty happy about that.

It was also interesting looking into and messing around with shrinking runes. They might not be the most practical way to solve a problem like swelling but it does work so I'm not complaining. Another thing I finally decided to look into was metalworking spells.

I've had them in my mind since I saw Metal Quake working with them and I think I might be able to improve on them, to a degree at least. Metalworking spells are actually very well developed and well made, mostly due to how useful the magic is and how many blacksmiths use them.

There are several spells, some making metal harder or softer to aid in shaping. Some to help pour metal into molds properly and cleanly. Others shape metal directly, even while unheated, but those are by far the most advanced ones out of them all.

While they are much more developed than many spells there is still probably room for improvement, mostly with the more advanced spells. They tend to use math that is more or less complicated than it needs to be and while I can't really do much with the runes I can probably make the spell more magically efficient.

That means a lot when you're forging something, after all the less magic you use the more metal you can work. The runes are a much bigger problem though, mostly because their spells are not commonly seen outside of a blacksmithing guild of some type.

The few I've found are mostly simple and I got much more information from a few studies on metalworking spells than actual spells themselves. It's still something I think would be a good thing to work on, it would help a lot of Ponies and even maybe bring down the price of metalwork a small bit, probably very little though.

I leave my thoughts as I near the hospital and start to circle around the outside, making my way to the back entrance before landing in a relatively clear spot and dismissing my wings. I notice a few Ponies around, mostly hospital staff who seem to be on break at the moment and come outside for one reason or another.

After I land I open a back door and head inside, ending up in the large room that holds the staff lockers and connects to the storage room. The area is normally fairly empty but there are actually a fair few Ponies inside at the moment, around forty or so in total with another one coming in not long after me to join the crowd.

I have no idea where the test is being held but the gathering point being here actually makes a good amount of sense, it's out of the way and also has room for plenty of Ponies to gather. It is interesting that we'd be tested at the hospital, but it probably makes organizing the practical test much easier.

I ponder that as I walk over to the lockers and see a new sign handing over a section of the lockers. For guests, please leave all effects including jewelry and clothing inside. I nod as having our stuff separate seems about right, still, it's not ideal. I suppose the Ponies here could also be from other places, maybe smaller clinics and other hospitals?

I could see them coordinating it like that, making the testing a bit easier to access and organize for others. I spend a minute taking off the straps and putting away my saddlebags, taking off my bracelet with a little hesitation along with my necklace.

After I'm done I walk back over to the crowd and notice somepony has moved over a small stage, just enough to stand above us and give directions without being too large to move easily. I note the time and see that I still have a few minutes to wait, I guess I'm not as early as I thought I would be, then again I did fly rather slowly while getting here.

As I stand at the back of the crowd I zone out and instead of doing nothing just start looking over Ponies with my life magic senses. Studying the flows like I have done for a few weeks now, I'm still memorizing even basic parts but they are starting to be a bit more recognizable and easier to see.

The flows have smaller sections, one of which I've found to be much more recognizable as it's often mostly the same among different individuals. It's not perfect but the fact I'm even making any sense out of the mass of life magic is progress and with time I think I can memorize it all.

To be fair I'm not exactly doing it often, I just do it when waiting for a new patient or sometimes when I'm doing a simple task. Overall it shows promise though, learning a plant's magical flows helped me grow it, so learning a Pony’s flows might help me heal them as well.

After a while I look to the stage as a recognizable Pony steps up, Dr. Meadows in her doctor outfit. She looks around the room and moves over a clipboard and quill as the crowd grows quiet. "Hello to you all, before we begin I'm going to make sure you are all here. Please raise a hoof when your name is called." Her tone is more strict than normal but not unfriendly.

It takes us a few minutes to get through the crowd and two names don't answer, but at the end, she puts the clipboard down and addresses us again. "Good. I am Dr. Meadows, and I will be in charge of your testing today, along with several other colleagues." She motions to a few other Ponies sitting to the side.

"Now, before you are led to the test, a reminder of the rules." She says with a very firm tone and stare. "During the duration of the test, you are not allowed to use any form of magic or bring any item with you. There will also be no talking to others once the test begins. Understood?" A chorus of nods and voices of agreement sounds out. "Perfect, then please follow me and don't wander off."

She and the other staff start to lead the group through the double doors into the hospital and down a hallway. The hallway is a bit packed but it seems everypony worker was notified and we kept a good pace. I take notice that every Pony leading us seems to have some piece of jewelry, all with a gem in them, maybe something to do with cheating? Eventually, we turn and I recognize that we are in the office part of the hospital, an area I'm not too familiar with.

Eventually, we're led to a room I've never actually been into before but have sensed a few times, a set of double doors opening up into a fairly large room as we're herded inside. A wall with several windows on one side and a neat arrangement of seating areas laid out on the floor. Every seven or so feet there is a cushion to sit on and a small desk to write at, a simple setup. And to the front of the large room, there is a raised platform, fairly large and three feet high.

Dr. Meadows motions to the room and turns back to us as we all enter, a pony closing the doors behind us. "Once everypony has taken a seat a staff member will pass you each a test, do not write on it until the test has begun." She looks at the clipboard for a moment. Reading off several names including mine. "Would you all please sit at the front? Thank you." She instructs us as we look at her.

I notice the other seven Ponies named and I raise a brow at being singled out but go along with it, ignoring the curious looks from others. I can guess that we were singled out due to our testing to become healers, but only eight? Out of the fifty Ponies here we seem to be the only ones. That ratio seems about right but really does put it into perspective, and this is just the testing. Who knows how many of us will actually pass?

Healers are less common though and not many new ones take the test until they are ready, or I would hope not at least. As we eight move forward I draw a few more eyes than the others, mostly due to standing higher than anypony else here and being the only Earth Pony.

I do see a few tests to be nurses but I'm the only one trying to be a healer, again not really a surprise. As I take my seat I note that each desk has a single bottle of ink and a quill. The next few minutes of silence for me are mostly me watching others shift in their seats impatiently as they pass out tests one by one starting from the back.

I do see the other aspiring healers eyeing me, including a mare who's looking a little too intently at my flank, but I let that go and focus. I look forward almost blankly as Dr. Meadows and a few other staff members move around, placed in parts of the room so they can all see if anypony does anything they aren't supposed to. I also notice there are a few large cubes above us in a smaller room, maybe gems?

They are taking things fairly seriously, which makes sense I suppose. Any medical profession is taken seriously by Ponies, in that way they and humanity are very alike, or at least they are on paper. For them it takes on a different role as well though, the practical tests are probably going to be even more closely watched and monitored.

Eventually, they got to the front row and I was passed a test, a stack of papers that looked like it might take a while to get through. "Does everypony have a test?" There is a beat of silence and Dr. Meadows nods. "Very well." She casts a spell and a moment later a clock appears. "You have one hour, your time begins now." It's a simple and short set of instructions but it kicks us all into action.

I look through the first page, mostly a mix of questions on basic things about healing, easily answered. The next is a page on how to identify wounds and what scanning spells to prioritize casting to find injuries. The one after that was filled with questions on proper spell usage when using slower-acting spells. After that, it's several pages of mixed questions on a lot of things.

None of that is too hard, mostly just things that take a few moments to get through. Then there comes the more tricky things, questions about why one spell is better than another in some situations. The next three pages are just about spells, everything from how to time their casting on patients and how to avoid problems that could crop up.

Eventually, I'm given something that is actually much more interesting to me. They give me a spell matrix to look over, one you are supposed to try and point out a flaw in. I would guess this is to show you can spot your mistakes when casting a spell, but it proves to be a fun little game to me.

They wanted me to find all five defects, I found seven, I guess they added more to see if you can catch them. I move on and get a different topic, this one asking to heal six injured patients while prioritizing magic usage, giving you a space to make up your own answer. That actually stumps me a bit, but after some thought I try to be logical about it.

Life-threatening wounds first, each patient having their own page to show exactly how they are injured in this question. It's not easy though as I have to get creative, they make me use my own knowledge and add what spells I'd use to heal what from a list while adding a limit on the number of spells I can use.

It's inventive I'll give them that, but I eventually get through it and reach the final section. This one asked me to name every spell I learned from the list they gave me a few weeks ago. It's a bit odd to add something so simple but I guess it covers their bases further.

I fill out a few more pages of mixed questions, these ones being harder along with the final section and put down the test. I signed my name and a small section at the bottom that promised legal trouble if I was found to have cheated on this test. I glance back up and see it's been nearly forty-seven minutes, a bit under the time I was given.

I kept my senses sharp even while I focused on the test, and I knew four of the Ponies taking the healer test finished before me. One a full fifteen minutes before me, but considering that I was only studying for around a month I'll take that placement with some pride.

I don't even have actual schooling either, I've just been learning things and hoping for the best for years now. That one question with the six imaginary patients was actually pretty hard. I had to go back twice and adjust things because the spell limit got in the way and I really did have to get creative with the spell use.

The limit was in a point system format and had a total amount I couldn't exceed. One needed to have a ripped neck muscle healed but the spell used for that took up three points, so instead I just used a lesser spell meant for healing any muscle two times. It might take a little more time but the injury wasn't life-threatening so it would achieve the same result for less magic used.

There were several similar situations and on the last patient they just gave me a limit of ten spells and told me to add any spell I thought would work best, but I had to add an explanation as to why I used those spells. That one was easier as the hypothetical patient was suffering mostly from heavy bleeding so I just used the B.L.P spell and two others to slowly but effectively heal the wound with the time I had to stop the bleeding.

I'm not sure I did well on the test, but I think I at least passed, I hope. You know I really have no idea how Ponies grade tests, I never did go to schooling after the orphanage and I don't think this would be like that. Hell, I could be fucked and not even know it.

I chuckle a bit to myself but try not to stress over it. At the end of the day, this is nothing but an ambition for me, something I'd love to do but don't really need to do, I don't need to stress over it too much. I watch quietly as the last seconds of the time we had fades out and Dr. Meadows slams a hoof into the floor, acting like a gavel to stop us. "Time! Please put your quills down."

No sooner had she said that than the other staff members started to look more awake, most of them taking the time to watch us and relax a bit. To be fair this is much more calm than their normal work day so I can't blame them, I'd probably do the same thing if I worked here five days a week. I noticed Dr. Meadows paying close attention to the Ponies taking the healer's test, probably because we have the best magic skills.

The staff start collecting tests and moving them up to the front to all be gathered. Dr. Meadows actually walks over and takes the eight tests from us aspiring healers, I swear I see a small smirk thrown my way but it's really too small to tell for sure. Eventually, once everything is collected two Ponies leave with all the tests.

"Thank you all for your time, for the remainder of our time we're going to be showing you around the hospital wing you all will be taking your practical tests in." She motions to the door and everypony stands up to move over there, many talking to each other in hushed tones. "After the tour, the practical will be held here tomorrow from noon till five for the next two days. Please follow me and stay close behind." She instructs as she leads us back into the hallways.

I already know every wing of this hospital inside and out, literally. After spending nearly a year here I have a better understanding of this place than most of the staff do, mostly due to me being able to sense through walls. But this is mandatory it seems so I just zone out and follow along.

The tour lasts another hour and a half. It's not a large area but Dr. Meadows takes time to go into very clean and firm detail on who to talk to if things go wrong, and what to do around staff and patients. By the time it's done, we are all led back to the staffroom we started in and let go for the day.

As I walk outside with my things I feel a little bored, sure I'm excited to see my results but that's not until two days from now. I guess the practical will be fun, I can't say for certain but with the tour we got and the way it was worded we're probably going to get a mix of real patients and simulated situations, or maybe volunteer patients? I guess I'll see tomorrow.

I don't fly home immediately as I have little need to hurry, and I find myself only really walking around the city when I go on my morning runs, it's nice to just walk around and enjoy the day. I look around for a moment and just pick a direction, not really planning to go anywhere as I feel like doing something to celebrate.

I may have not been overly stressed, but I still feel some tension leave me now that the written test is over. Studying for something for a few weeks can make you a bit tense about the outcome, but whatever it may be it's out of my hooves now. Actually, that sounds less desirable than I thought it would be.

I don't like something being out of control, especially mine. Maybe it's been involved in conflict, or just me changing a bit, but it doesn't feel completely negative right now. I felt more nervous about taking off my necklace honestly, I don't like doing that. I should ask Celestia about that deal she made with Chrysalis next time we meet, I hope it's going well.

I should also get a list of cities they are gathering emotion in, I do not need that type of surprise. After a little walking, I notice Entropy on top of my shadow and stop at a restroom to let her out. She emerges and chirps a bit before activating her band. "Go well, happy?" She asks curiously as we are alone at the moment.

I pet her and smile at the cute question. "Who knows? We'll find out in a few days if things go well. Can you tell me what day is two days from now?" I ask as she hops onto my back. She goes into thought for several moments and tilts her head in concentration.

"Thursday?" I smile wider as she guesses right, something she's getting better at. I nod and she chirps happily, going silent as we walk back out into the busy streets.

"Spot on. How about we go out to eat? It's been a while and I want something nice." I decided to celebrate both of our little victories with an age-old tradition, a victory meal. The excited caw is all the agreement I need as I start walking down the street again, enjoying the ever-busy but ever-interesting city.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :}
Current year is 996

I had no idea how to make this more interesting, it is literally a written test after all. But I tried to add a few little things and some world-building, with a sprinkle of cure birb at the end. The practical should be more interesting, maybe, we'll see.