"Matthew is my legal name, but I am calling myself Phobia Remedy now," Remedy said in an even voice as the woman walked all the way into the room
"Phobia it is then." The woman gestured to Rosetta and then to the door. "You can wait outside the front door of the building. I will not be keeping your companion long."
Rosetta gave an uncertain glance first at the door and then to Remedy.
"I'll be right outside," Rosetta said as her her ears dropped and her tail dragged behind her out the door.
The woman walked over and shut the door. She stood by it for several seconds, probably listening to be sure Rosetta had actually done as she was told. When she seemed satisfied she turned back to Remedy.
"Well, Phobia. I am agent Shaquana Simmons. It is my secondary job is to make sure everything runs smoothly at this site. My authority doesn't extend beyond the grounds of this church and I have my own director that I report to in the area. My primary job is to communicate onto my superiors anything that may be of concern about the ponies at this shelter. Do you know why I am choosing to have a discussion with you in particular today?" Agent Simmons looked down at Remedy questioningly.
"Let me guess, you are concerned about my mom," Remedy said evenly.
"I actually had more than one reason, but I was curious which your mind would go to," Agent Simmons said with a smirk.
"What other reason?" Remedy asked.
"Well, you reported a possible oversight in our setup here and wish to question you briefly about anything else you may have noticed. Also my director made it clear that we should get a feel for the night ponies in the area after it seemed there had been oversight. I am personally focused on the reason you gave though," Simmons said.
"My mother is not a bad pony or any trouble," Remedy said as her tail twitched and her wings fluttered slightly at her sides.
"We have plenty of reports of ponies that see Sunset Shimmer in a favorable light. We have acknowledged that most of these Shimmerists are harmless. However, most of them aren't ponies that go and name themselves after her who also happen to be unicorns that can possibly cast spells somewhere down the line. You can see where we might be a little concerned, all things considered," Simmons said in a lecturing tone.
"I told you. She isn't dangerous. She is a sometimes Sunday school teacher that just wants to be a good Christian. She is out there now trying to organize a food drive for humans; she isn't out to get humans," Remedy said as she flattened her ears and glared.
"She is organizing a food drive? As in right now?" Simmons said with a raised brow.
"That was what she was planning before Rosetta and I came over here. Idea kind of just came to her this morning. There isn't anything objectionable about that, is there?" Remedy questioned.
"Nothing objectionable, no. It is something concerned about from my standpoint and the standpoint of my superiors. Ponies are herd creatures, and now she is doing something that might have ponies start looking at her for directions. We saw it play out already in other places. Once they start listening to a pony they tend to keep looking at that pony for direction," Simmons explained.
"Look, I understand where you might be fearful after what has happened, but my mother is not the second coming of Sunset Shimmer. She knows that what Sunset Shimmer did was wrong," Remedy said slowly.
"But she still named herself in a way that seemed to honor that terrorist. Explain that to me," Simmons sneered.
"She thinks Sunset was wrong for forcibly changing us into ponies without a choice. She does believe we are better off as ponies, but she believes in choice," Remedy explained, hoping she wasn't digging her mom a grave.
"So she thinks humans should choose to be ponies?" Simmons asked.
"Yes, they should choose. It doesn't matter though, she can't make humans ponies. She knows that is beyond our abilities right now, and won't likely be in our abilities any time in our lifetimes. No pony is capable of doing that kind of magic right now," Remedy replied.
"So she is looking at long term goals is all then. We already know it is possible, you and all the other transformed in the world are living testimony of that. The fact you said right now indicates even you know this is something that can happen again eventually," Simmons said darkly.
"If it does it won't be my mother who has anything to do with it. We will likely all be dead for centuries. If the ponies on that other world barely understand what she did and they are thousands of years more advanced than us in the use of magic then it isn't going to happen any time soon here," Remedy said in a matter-of-fact tone. She didn't like this Agent Simmons.
"And what do you believe?" Simmons said with a furrowed brow.
"I just told you. There is no danger of it happening and my mother is a good pony," Remedy snapped.
"No, what do you believe in terms of humans being better as ponies?" Summons said in a stern tone.
"I believe I am better off as a pony, and there are a lot of ponies this is nothing but good for. My gender and sex were out of line, they aren't now. I am told that some of the ponies at the hospital are from humans that chose to be infected because they had terminal illnesses. Are you going to tell them they shouldn't have done that?" Remedy as she gestured to a window.
"And the rest?" Simmons interjected.
Remedy lowered her hoof and considered how to answer. She looked at the open door for a long moment.
"There are some that might have been better off staying human. My marefriend desperately wants to earn a doctorate in history. She got a cutie mark because of how important that is to her. She doesn't want to give up being a pony, but I have to admit that being a pony right now is probably something that will get in the way of that. I am going to do my best to help her reach her goal, but it seems like everything is stacked against her," Remedy said in a sad tone.
"History seems to be a very human concern for a pony," Simmons observed.
"Yeah, it is. It is a big part of who she is though. A lot of ponies seem to want to just abandon all their human concerns. But we need to worry about a lot of that; I know I do. It is still a human world, and we have to exist in it with humans," Remedy said, feeling tired. It was getting extremely late.
"Interesting," Simmons said. She sat silent for a moment considering Remedy. "So, food drive? She is planning on trying to help humans. I will tell those above me that it is seems harmless, but that is not my call on whether they will view it that way."
"I'll appreciate the kind word," Remedy said with surprise.
"I'll be honest with you, Phobia. There is a great deal of concern that ponies are just brainwashed and not in their right minds. There have been individuals that seem to have more free thought. The way you express yourself makes me think you might be one of those. Consider yourself, and your history loving marefriend, on a different type of list. It isn't a bad one, trust me," Simmons said with a smile.
"I could do without lists. I am still angry about being told I was on the last one despite doing nothing wrong," Remedy said, tone darkening.
"I did review that. I agree you should have been put on the list because of connection to a very blatant Shimmerist. I do apologize for the agent's questioning your identity. He has been briefed at length about it since," Simmons said.
"Thank you for that too," Remedy said, warming up a bit to the agent.
"Let me tell you a counter argument to situations like yours just being better. You aren't the only one that showed no previous record of transgender expression who changed sex, there are a fair number. Hardest one to read over was about a mother in Sarasota Springs, married for years, had children; now a stallion. He was devastated when his husband turned on him. Doesn't deny that he should be a stallion though. Only sign of anything was periodic depression medication seemed to have no impact on. I don't doubt he was a closeted trans man, but not sure that becoming a pony and having what he really was put on display worked out for him," Simmons said as she gazed at Remedy.
"I will consider that," Remedy said. She couldn't help thinking about her dad as that was said.
"I will let you go now. Expect to be hearing from me or others in the future. We still want keep tabs on your mother's doings, and we want to be able to talk with the ponies that seem to be thinking for themselves about different situations. Go see your girlfriend and get some sleep," Simmons said.
Simmons didn't wait for a reply and left without another word. Remedy got back to her hooves, wondering about what being on this list meant for her. What she should be telling her mom. And with doubts about the well being of more ponies being ponies.