Nothing's More Important

Alice stepped back out into the cool night air, lightly covered with her shirt and jeans again. “Why are you two blushing?” she asked before turning her attention to the grill. “Don’t let it cook too long, you know I like mine rare.”

Justin flashed a bright smile at Alice. "We were talking about how amazing you were, and how best to deal with, you know, us. I like… I think I like aggressive." He squirmed a little. "I didn't realize it before, but thinking back, when you were in charge, I felt safe, and excited all at once. I kind of like it."

“Good,” Alice said with a nod and a smile, before taking a seat on one of the benches by the wooden outdoor table. “Come, sit next to me,” she said in a gentle but commanding voice.

“A match made in heaven, then,” Amelia said, amused as she served herself and took a seat opposite. “Something tells me Alice here doesn’t have a problem with being aggressive.”

Justin moved swiftly and hopped up onto the bench beside Alice. "As long as she doesn't mind my studies, we have nothing to argue about." He leaned against her. "A good strong woman is the way it should be."

“Just let me know which plants you need to dig up, so we can keep them replenished, and we should be fine," Alice agreed, wrapping an arm around him possessively and kissing the top of his head.

Amelia smiled at the couple before a thought brought down her mood, and she ate quietly. The food was good, a pleasant distraction for all, illuminated by a floodlight on the back of the house above the door. Though the lack of insects, a side effect of the fire, made the quiet hear a bit oppressive, broken faintly by the computer in the living room, autoplaying the next episode without an audience.

Justin raised an ear towards that music as he relaxed against Alice. "What is that? Do you have a phonograph? I had one of those once, when I was a little colt. I played music on it all the time." He began tapping his hooves together to some beat only he heard.

“A phonograph?” Amelia asked with a bit of a laugh, her funk broken. "Nothing that simple or old fashioned. You saw my computer earlier. I must have forgotten to stop it."

He shook his head with some obvious wonder. "It can play music too? Are you--" He rolled a hoof slowly. "--really rich?"

“No, not really. I mean… I’m American?” Amelia answered. “I know they say we’re all pretty rich compared to a lot of the rest of the world. But by American standards, I’m barely above qualifying as ‘poor’.” She shrugged. “But computers are pretty cheap these days, even though they can do so much more than the more expensive ones a decade or two back. That’s mass production for you, I guess. Figuring out how to make a computer was really hard, but once they figured it all out, they just have machines in a factory churn them out by the hundreds.”

“Don’t let her fool you,” Alice said, “she has a lot of money. She could probably pay my taxes for life with what she makes every year.”

Justin's little mind clicked along. "I got the impression you lived away from most others. Who do you pay taxes to, Alice? Who is the ruler of this land anyway? I should say hello to them and get their permission to be here, to be polite."

“The rulers change more often than I can keep track of,” Alice said, “but the tax men are pretty consistent. You shouldn’t meet the rulers though, they’re the worst. They’re the most important people to not know you and I exist.”

“They’re not that bad,” Amelia said, halfheartedly. “But… I kind of see your point, and anyways I did promise... And I’d feel just awful if you did end up as the subject of an alien autopsy, or something like that.”

"I… what?" He frowned at the thought. "Just to be sure we're using the same word, do you mean cutting me apart?" When he got a nod he paled. "Why would you do that to anypony that's still alive?" He shrank against Alice.

“I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t do that to anyone who was still alive,” Amelia said. “Though… I guess they might try to quarantine you for a few years, to make sure you don’t have any dangerous alien diseases or something. It’s not like X-Files is real…”

“My Little Pony is real, what makes you think X-Files isn’t?!” Alice objected. Amelia started sputtering as she tried to find a logical response for what ought to have been nonsense. “This is what I was trying to warn you about, Justin. A human, on her own, is usually quite fine and reasonable. But the ones that are in charge can be downright evil at times, and you can’t trust the average stranger not to tell them about you and get you in deep trouble you don’t deserve.”

Justin gave a few stuttering nods before he flashed a bright smile at Amelia. "If it helps, I think you're a very nice person, and I'm glad to have met you. I'm just not in a rush to meet your leaders from the sound of it. I hope that doesn't make you angry."

“Nah, I’m used to it,” Amelia said, nodding toward Alice. “I’ve been keeping her secrets for most of my life, I can keep yours just as easily. It’s mostly just a matter of not mentioning things to people who don’t have any reason to ask anyways.”

Alice squeezed Justin possessively again. “Don’t worry, my stallion, I’ll protect you, no matter what.”

He nuzzled into his newly-gained mate and the suddenness of it gently tugged at him. "It bothers me a little, that we went so fast. We haven't had any dates. I'd invite you to meet my parents, but they're kind of on another world, which presents difficulties."

“And I’m exiled from mine... oh! Maybe the ghost who brought you here could send us both back to your world? It couldn't hurt to ask her," Alice said. “Just because we’re lifemates, doesn't mean it's too late to date. It makes it even more important."

"Would you be able to take me with you?” Amelia asked. “I don’t want to be left behind, and just hear about it all after the fact."

This suddenly became exciting to Justin. "I'd love to bring you both with me, but… you have lives here, don't you? What if it only worked one way? I'm sure I could get you situated, but everything here…" He slowly ran his hoof along the bench in a circle. "Would you be willing to risk that?"

“Gaia will see to the grove when I am gone, one way or another. I got it through the fire, and that will count for a lot," Alice said. “As long as I have you, I will be content. Do you think the ponies will try to hurt me? You were afraid of me because I am a wolf..."

"Being friends with a werewolf left me kind of isolated. I like my house, but there’s not much here I couldn't live without. I'd rather risk being stuck there with you than stuck left behind if you two never come back," Amelia decided.

Justin looked up to the sky. "Celestia above. I've gone from methodical study to whirlwind adventures and I confess to not being sure what part of that worries me more." He turned to face Alice directly. "When we see things we don't understand, we run. That's the usual instinct of ponies. I don't think that's very scary."

“I’m ok with them running, at first," Alice said. “They'll stop running once they get to know me. And I finally won't have to hide."

“So, are we thinking of trying to go tonight? Because, I should at least pack some stuff to take with me. Changes of clothes, at least," Amelia added.

Justin was the guide, and the idea made him nervous. "Before we get too excited, we should remember the girl may or may not even be able to do this. We should be ready for either possibility, so, yes, pack, just in case."

“Alright. Give me an hour... hour and a half, I should tidy up first," Amelia said, before reaching for the plates that had once held dinner.

"You pack, I will tidy," Alice countered, before getting up to start cleaning up after the three of them. “Pack light, you may have to carry it a ways."

Justin waggled his saddlebags. "I can carry some if you need. I didn't pack to travel at all, so I'm not that heavy." He curled on himself and sniffed before making a face. "Speaking of which, can I borrow your shower?"