"So you see, this is a big deal to them. Night ponies' instincts were given to us with the idea humans wouldn't be in the picture. So they are doing their best to adapt to the way the world actually is," Remedy finished explaining.
"It's a big deal to us too. We kind of feel the same way. If night ponies are in a situation where they feel their purpose as night ponies is being sabotaged by their general pony instincts they'll force themselves to disregard general pony instinct," Rosetta added.
"So you aren't going to get them to stop unless they feel they're able to fulfill their purpose as night ponies," Remedy finished.
The room had the same lineup of the night pony couple, Director Baker, Sunset Blessing, and Agent Simmons. Simmons was standing close by with her arms crossed as she listened. Sunset Blessing was listening intently but had the pen moving on her notepad without her looking at it, which was a sure sign she was getting better at using her magic. Baker was sitting against the desk his fist balled up against his mouth in thought.
"This seems to be horrible planning on Sunset Shimmer's part," Blessing said with distaste as she scrunched up her muzzle.
Agent Simmons looked over at the unicorn in surprise.
"I thought you considered that terrorist as God's chosen savior of the world or something," Simmons said with confusion.
"I never claimed she was perfect, much the opposite really. Even Solomon and David in the Old Testament did a large number of things that were clearly wrong or mistakes," Blessing said with a tight lipped smile back at Simmons. "I have already gone on record that her forced transformation method was wrong. If I heard more about her life and actions I am sure I can find any number of failings on her part. I can be thankful that her actions made me a pony, and opened up a possibility of a future where humans want to be ponies, while still being critical of the mare."
"There is no future where I want to be fuzzy and running around on four legs," Simmons stated darkly.
"Well, thankfully for you then it's likely farther in the future than any currently living will be around. I highly doubt there will be a new ETS in our lifetimes. The fact you are so repulsed by the idea just highlights how much humanity isn't ready," Blessing said with a shrug.
"Simmons, we have already discussed Sunset's Shimmerist beliefs at length and found them to be of no threat to anyone. Please don't pick any more arguments with her about her religious views," Baker said in a long suffering tone.
"Yes sir," Simmons said stiffly.
"That being the case, this situation makes it harder for me to present a case that you all aren't brainwashed individuals not to be trusted with thinking for yourselves if you are just going to tell me this is just all instinct driven," Baker said as he turned his attention back to the night ponies.
"Everything that is capable of thought has instincts, even humans. Yes our instincts are different from what we had as humans, and some of them are very strong, but that doesn't mean we are slaves to it," Rosetta said in their defense.
"The very fact they're doing this shows they're capable of going against instincts. If they just obeyed instinct they would be trying to protect using the same gentler tactics that we were are predisposed to using," Remedy continued in their defense.
"It seems to me that the solution is simple," Blessing said with a smile. "They are trying to adapt to confront human violence. All you need to do is get them to join us in our exodus to an area where such a thing will be much more a rarity. In the meantime your bosses can think up ways to give them what they want, an effective method to deal with humans with weapons. A means that we would all find less objectionable."
"You find what they are doing objectionable?" Simmons asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course I object to it. It is extremely non-pony like behavior that should not be allowed to persist," Blessing said with a snort.
Simmons nodded back, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
"I am going to message back to Washington and the governor's office here and ask for suggestions; with a special request that the Equestrians get consulted for ideas. It can be assumed that their night ponies on their world know how to subdue criminals without being so violent. At least I would hope so, we know very little about their methods of dealing with things," Baker said with a sigh.
"What do you want us to do in the meantime?" Remedy asked.
"Meet again with that one pony, Tattered Wing, since she seems the de facto leader. Let her know we're working to find ways of addressing their concerns about protecting, and that I'll be coming down myself tomorrow night to discuss the situation with her. I'll even put in a request that the Equestrians send some sort of doctor to look at the Broken Ones to see if they know how to better treat their injuries, though I can't promise that will be approved. Now that I know who to speak with, and where to find them, I can deal with much of negotiating myself," Baker instructed.
"We can do that. We'll let you know what she says tomorrow morning," Rosetta said with a hint of relief. Remedy shared that relief, they wouldn't be asked to try to deal with this situation themselves. After tonight it wasn't likely they would be needed for much more in trying to deal with their fellow night ponies in Charleston.
"Thank you both for providing this intel. Hopefully it will help us bring resolution to this before it gets out of hand," Baker said with a smile.
"Now that this is dealt with for a moment, do you have that information you promised me regarding these towns that my ponies can resettle in?" Blessing asked. Remedy couldn't help raising an eyebrow at the use of the term my.
"I have a flash drive with all the information you requested. I know there are several computers between this school and the church that you can use to look over it at your convenience," Baker said as he pulled said flash drive from his pocket and held it out to Blessing. Blessing quickly lit her horn and grabbed the drive up in a red aura and floated it over to herself.
Sensing an opportunity to get some time to talk to her mother Remedy spoke up.
"I have my laptop computer here if you want to use it, Mom. That way you can be out with the ponies that are working as you look it over. It has a pretty good battery life once it is fully charged up," Remedy offered.
Blessing gave her daughter an questioning look.
"Did you go back to the house recently?" Blessing asked.
"Yeah, picked up a few things. Dad helped pack them up in some backpacks for me," Remedy said, hoping it would spur her mother to ask how he was doing.
"Was he rude to you?" Blessing asked in a tight voice.
"He didn't say a lot. He seemed to be trying to be nice to me. He called me his daughter, and seemed uncertain what to feel about me and Rosetta being a couple. He asked if you had taken a pony name too after he heard mine, and didn't really say anything about it after I told him," Remedy answered.
"I suppose that is an improvement all around," Blessing muttered. "So is he coming to his senses and accepting the way things are now?"
"Um, he says he is doing everything he can to not get a cutie mark so if some way of reversing this is found it will work on him. He wants to go back to being human," Remedy lowered her ears as she spoke.
Blessing just sat staring back at her daughter silently. Her jaw was clenched tight and her ears were laid flat. As the deafening silence continued tears started welling up in Blessing's eyes.
"I thank you for the offer of your computer. If you would charge it up for me in the AV room I will come pick it up later," Blessing finally said in a tightly controlled voice. "Right now..right now I think I need to go find Tonya."
Without any further word, or gestures of goodbye, Blessing dashed out of the room at a full run with the flash drive floating close behind her.
"Seems changing to ponies doesn't fix broken hearts," Simmons observed as she shut the door again.
Remedy just shook her head sadly, feeling guilty for hurting her mom without meaning too. Chances were her mother and Tonya were about to have another talk and screwing session. She wondered if her mom actually had affection for Tonya despite her insistence otherwise, since Tonya was the pony she went running to right after getting upset. The pairing seemed less strange and improbable now.
"If you don't need us for anything else we should be seeing about getting to sleep soon," Rosetta said to Baker as she laid a wing comfortingly over Remedy's back.
"Nothing right now," Baker said as he gazed out a window at something. "Will your mother be fit to continue helping today?"
"Probably," Remedy replied. "She will talk with Tonya for a while, then will likely do other things with Tonya, and then throw herself back into work."
"Really? She doesn't seem that type. Not with all her super conservative God talk," Simmons said as she glanced at the window.
"A whole other side of my mother has come out since she became a pony. Don't ask me to explain what all goes on in her head; I'm still learning about it too," Remedy replied as she was pulled into a hug by Rosetta.