Nothing's More Important

Alice looked away a bit sheepishly at that comment.

“You didn’t tell him?!” Amelia accused, sounding a bit alarmed. “Alice!”

Justin tilted his head one way, then the other. "Tell me what exactly? What do you mean wolf-pony? Why would I be a wolf?"

“Alice’s wolf-thing is contagious, at least to other humans. Bite, scratch or sex… or blood transfusion, not that that ever happens. I figured I’d probably get it eventually from you, but I’ve known Alice most of my life, so I knew what I was getting into. Alice, you should have told him!” Amelia said.

“We don’t even know if ponies can get it. I was going to just… help him through it, if it even happens,” Alice said. “What’s done is done, anyways. He’s my husband now, and we’ll get through it together.”

Justin sank to his haunches with confusion. "Oh, yes, together…" As wolves? "We're all… going to be wolves? Amelia too?" He pointed at her with a hoof before he looked at the hoof as if it could become a paw at any moment.

“We’ll be like Alice. You’ll be able to change into a wolf, or change back. If it even happens to you. The first time will be when the full moon is out, and it’ll be hard to keep control of yourself when that happens. And it’ll be hard not to be a wolf whenever the full moon is out, but we’ll be able to change back,” Amelia said. “I know you haven’t seen her do it yet, but she can be kind of halfway between human and wolf too, when she wants.”

Justin pointed at Alice. "Half way between what you were, and wolf. What'll I be? Wolf, pony, and wolf-pony." He danced from hoof to hoof, looking quite agitated before he suddenly bolted to his bookshelf.

“That sounds about right. I bet you’ll be adorable in all your forms. Besides, we still don’t know if it affects ponies,” Alice said. “And if it doesn’t, you won’t get it either, Amy. You know I won’t bite you.”

“He still might be a carrier, even if he isn’t affected. But it’s fine, like I said. I knew what I was getting into. My best friend is a werewolf, I’m okay with being one too,” Amelia said.

Justin found his almanac and nuzzled it open quickly and began to flip through it, tearing a page or two in his hurry as he talked under his breath unintelligibly. It was still two weeks until the next full moon, assuming Luna stuck to the schedule as she generally did.

"We need to be prepared for it when it happens. The first transformation, especially, can be painful, and we need to make sure we won't get out and bite some innocent pony before we regain control. Alice never had to go through all that, because she was born with it," Amelia added.

Alice hesitantly put a paw on Justin's withers. "I'm sorry. I should have told you. I should have told you before we were together the first time, but I was greedy, and afraid I would lose my chance for a great mate."

He paused a moment, then nuzzled that paw. "It was at least… partly my fault. I was approaching you, not the other way around." He grinned a goofy grin. "I was a mighty stallion, bewitching his mare."

Alice grinned at his acceptance, and drew him into a tender kiss. "We both wanted to be together that night, and forever more. And so we will be," she said.

Justin giggled a little. "I hope you don't mind, but even if that does happen, I like being a pony." He reached out and gently rest a hoof on one of her paws. "I love you as a wolf."

“I won’t mind. I love you just the way you are, Justin," Alice replied. "Wolf, pony, whatever. You're my husband. And one sexy stallion, if you ask me."

Amelia meanwhile was in the kitchen, poking around his cupboards and seeing what he had to work with.

Justin nuzzled with Alice a moment before looking to find Amelia. "I hope it isn't too crowded in here. When I first got the place, I was just planning for me and my chemistry, not two wonderful mares." He tilted his head at Amelia curiously. "Are you OK with all of this?"

“Hmm? Of course I am, Justin," Amelia began. "Though this place is quite... cozy. What about you, though? I am glad your parents are okay with everything, but are you ready to have two sexy 'mares' demanding your affections?"

Justin perked his ears. "What? I'm here for both of you." He made a circular gesture in the air. "But you two are the ones on an alien world, with no way back home. It's like I was… and I, well." He reared up onto two and suddenly hugged Amelia. "It's going to be alright."

She returned his embrace, enjoying the feel of his fur against her bare skin. "I know Justin. We’re together, and honestly, if the show is anything like reality, I think your world is a lot nicer than mine."

He tilted his head. "It's not all nice. There are lots of hungry beasts outside the towns, but if you stay inside, it's mostly nice." He flickered his ears. "Which I guess I should do more, now that I have wives… It didn't seem that important when I was single." He squeezed her with his fetlocks and noticed she felt a little different without her clothes.

"Just bring Alice with you when you go," Amelia said. “Which reminds me... we are going to have to figure out how to get some meat to keep the hungry wolf happy," she worried.

Justin stopped hugging and fell back to all fours. He turned to Alice and called to her, "Do you like fish?"

Alice approached them, sniffing lightly. “Fish is good. Why?"

Amelia nodded. “Fish should work for me, too. Humans need some animal protein too, but not as much, and fish, milk, or eggs can do it."

Justin flashed a smile. "Milk and eggs are pretty standard, especially in baked stuff. I don't think either of you will starve here." He nuzzled against Alice's furry snout. "Not on my watch."

“You too, if you do go wolf,” Amelia pointed out. “You’ll need some meat at least occasionally, though fish should be fine for that.”

“I hope the squirrels are okay while I’m gone. It might take a while for a new predator to come along, and keep them from overpopulating and starving themselves,” Alice worried.

Justin's face contorted into a grimace. "I never liked fish that much." A soft sigh was quickly replaced with that smile of his, trying to force himself to remain positive. "Your squirrels seemed pretty smart."

Alice was pleased at that comment. “I've raised them for generations now. I don't think they totally understand, but they trust me, and that makes their passing a lot easier for everyone when their time comes."

Justin's smile quivered at the reminder of the food chain. "Oh, uh, don't eat the squirrels around here, please. Most animals are pretty smart, even if I can't talk to them."

“Okay, okay. I’ll just talk to them… later. I can make do with fish, promise,” Alice responded, before nuzzling Justin. “I’m sorry, I know this stuff makes you squeamish.”

“Speaking of fish… we should do some shopping for food. You shop like a typical bachelor,” Amelia said.

He pouted a bit at that. "I shop just fine, for one pony. I wasn't expecting company when I left." He moved towards his fridge and grabbed the handle in his teeth, throwing it open and made a face. "Ugh. Some of this went bad while I was away. I guess we do need to shop."

“You were gone for what? Two days?” Amelia said, disbelieving. She put her hands to work, clearing out the bad produce to make room for it’s eventual replacement.

He pulled a pad that was stuck on the fridge with a magnet and began scratching out a shopping list. "I usually shop for just a day or two. I like the excuse to get out and walk to the store and get out of the lab."

“Alright. Don’t forget to put some fish on that list,” Amelia said, before heading back to the living room. She slipped her underwear back on, and then searched through her pack, getting a pair of shorts to go with it. “I don’t think I’m quite ready to be a full on nudist just yet.”

"Fish…," he muttered as he scrawled it out with a quill. "Got it. Come on, it'll be fun, and you can meet some other ponies."

Stepping back out into the daylight drew a fair number of curious eyes, though they seemed a bit less exciting now than they had been on the way in. Amelia waved a bit shyly to them all, earning a few awkward waves in return. Alice, for her part, seemed to make ponies nervous just by sniffing at the air to learn all their scents, and kept them all from being crowded, or for the most part even approached.

Almost as an afterthought, Justin Thyme checked if his human mate was back in her clothes or if she was learning the pony way. She had apparently compromised. Her bra supported her chest and kept it somewhat covered, but the shirt that usually covered it was left behind. And a pair of shorts, and the panties beneath, had her more intimate bits covered as well, but not much skin beyond that.

He perked an ear at her and nodded. "That's a new look. Did you want to get some new clothes while we're out?"

“It’s a compromise,” Amelia said. “I need my bra for the back support,” she added, cupping her breasts to point out the obvious. “And it’d feel extra weird being clad up here but naked down below. But on the other hand, I really like the feel of your fur on my skin, so the more skin exposed the better,” she claimed.

Justin shook his head. "You really don't have to change your clothes for me. It's enough you came to my world and with me. Dress as people do, nothing wrong with that."

She ruffled his mane with a hand and smiled. “I want to. It’s just fun that I can get away with something like this here, without getting in trouble. I’m sure I’ll be wearing a lot more come winter, and I don’t know if I’ll manage to be comfortable walking around naked even around here. Come on, though. We’ve got some shopping to do.”

He relaxed under her deft fingers and turned to lead the way.