Whoever designed the Canterlot Academy of Medical Sciences main building seemed determined to make students feel as small as possible. Apple Bloom felt she was skulking through its vast corridors and arched ceilings, but kept her head as high nonetheless, despite the building being empty. She glanced at the board with her test grades, hoping to get some confidence. It failed, but made her sure that she belonged there.

Director Causal Nexus’ office was at the back, the large Gothic door dwarfed by the nearby window. She knocked timidly, but the sound still echoed through the halls.

“Come in,” said a neutral voice, and she made her way inside.

The office walls were lined with awards and bookshelves. At the center, like a wizened queen in her throne room, sat the pony who could decide her destiny.

“Miss Apple, I presume? Please sit down.” She motioned to a luxurious chair across from her mahogany desk. “Had a hard time getting here?”

“No, ma’am, the instructions were clear.”

“Good, good. Now, explain to me why you want this scholarship.”

“CAMS is the top school in Equestria, home to the greatest doctors, and source of uncountable–”

“Yes, I know the speech. But why are you here?”

The look in her eyes was like her sister’s; nothing but honesty would do here.

“My parents died thanks to incompetent doctors. I don’t ponies going through what I did, and for that I must be the best.”

Nexus smiled. “Good, direct and to the point! So you want to help ponies?”

“More than anything.”

Nexus sat in silence, her eyes boring into Apple Bloom, making her feel like a protozoa under a microscope. She was about to interrupt, when Nexus leaned forward.

“I am willing to sponsor you, but I don’t think I should. It might be better for you go elsewhere.”

Apple Bloom leaned in indignantly. “Wait a minute, Ah got top marks! Ah belong in the best institution.”

Nexus rubbed her eyes, and sighed. “Miss Apple, grab me my diploma.”

She searched the walls, filled with framed, official looking papers. “Which one?”

Nexus smiled. “The yellowed one to your left.”

Apple Bloom grabbed it apprehensively, handling cautiously the yellowed, poorly framed paper. Age surely hadn’t been kind to it.

“Now, you see where that came from?”

“The Fillydelphia Institute of Medical Care? Wait, you are not from CAMS?”

“Oh, heavens no. My family was poor, and I wasn’t nearly as bright as you’re. FIMC was nearby, and I could be accepted and still make ends meet.”

Apple Bloom tried mulling over that information. She knew she was missing something crucial. “So, you are saying that FIMC is just as good as CAMS?”

“By Celestia no, I hated that place! Professors wouldn’t shut up about clinical etiquette, effective triage, or diagnosing common afflictions, while my mind was on complex, merely theoretical concepts. I cared only for the diploma, not the education, and I spent those years coasting tests while cramming neurology, cardiology, and traumatic thaumatology. I graduated just fine, suffered through the hellish years of residence, and found myself free. My career took off after that, and you can see where I got.”

“I’m sensing a but…”

“It’s because I’m not sure I was right. Of course, I’m proud of my achievements, and I believe my choices made Equestria a better place. However, while I’m not the kind of person able to thrive on those ambients, other might be. And those, just maybe, will end up happier, better doctors there than on a place like CAMS.”

Causal Nexus stood up, trotting to stay by her side. “You’re at a crossroad. Stay here where it’s safe, or go with my blessing to a more compassionate place, explore the unknown I couldn’t, maybe discover things others never dreamed of. I know you don’t have much time to decide, what with classes starting in a couple of weeks, but you might regret doing nothing for all your life.”

Apple Bloom sat in silence, shutting off everything around her. She had worked so hard, why doubt herself now?

“Say I don’t like it somewhere else… could I be accepted back?”

“I can freeze your acceptance for one year, but not more than that. Just say a name, and they will get a letter of recommendation on the same day. But now, go home. You studied hard, now you have some thinking to do.”

Apple Bloom walked out the office, but didn’t close the door.