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<Emily!> Father Blanchard's voice reached Emily with a happy eagerness to it that brought a smile to her face.

The unicorn came from his garden, like a creature out of some fairy tale illustration, white and gleaming with a silver horn that caught the light. He was unearthly, strange, exotic, exactly what made unicorns so attractive to so many girls, and Emily still had no idea where she stood, but she appreciated his beauty. It was hard not too, there was something about them that made her think that they were hidden bits of magic left over in the world, not the mundane creatures that humans made them out to be. Like they would disappear if someone stopped believing them, at any moment another miracle lost to the modern age. No pony had ever been so graceful, he was built more like a deer in so many ways, it made her wonder if Lance would be so graceful once he learned how to use his body. When last she'd seen him he had been a bit clumsy and unsure, moving his legs slowly as if he were afraid he'd fall on his face at any moment. The thought let her smile as the priest trotted up to her and neatly dropped the basket he was carrying with his horn.

"I'm sorry, I really should have let you know I planned on coming." She started nervously, trying to smile as best she could in the heat. "I just... I wanted to go see Lance, I stopped by and it didn't really go the way I thought."

<Come on.> He gave his head a little toss towards the garden. <We can talk all about it in the shade, I was just trying to cut back some of my flowers.>

Father Blanchard seemed genuinely pleased to see her, his head lifted up and tail curling a little bit at the tip as he trotted in front of her to lead her behind the house. He didn't comment about what she had said, but seemed at ease as she was walked into a small little slice of heaven. The garden was barely twenty by twenty foot, but it was filled with flowers that crammed every bit of space that could be found. It was an explosion of color, all of them clashing together garishly, but at the same time it worked. It looked beautiful and strange, unplanned instead of neatly put together, and that's what made it appealing. She was led to a small stone bench that was situated right at the base of a peach tree, but the unicorn didn't need a bench to sit, instead he gracefully dropped down onto his belly, folding his legs beneath him like a deer coming to rest. Emily moved to sit on the bench, letting the shade steal away some of the heat of the day and the bench was cool to the touch as she tucked her legs down.

<So, you and Lance had an unhappy conversation?> The priest inquired, stretching his head out so that he could use his horn to begin sorting the clipped flowers, but his attention was fixed on her.

"We had no conversation at all." Emily flinched slightly in memory. "I went to see him, I promised I would, but they turned me back at the gate and said I wasn't welcome."

<Ahh, and why do you think they turned you away?> The blue eyes flicked up to watch her carefully as the touch of his horn worked to pull the thorns from the recently clipped roses.

"Because he doesn't want to see me." She hunched her shoulders a little bit, and tried not to sound hurt, or silly.

It had been shocking to pull up to the gate and have the security guard tell her that she wasn't allowed to visit Lance. She had tried to press him to call him, but the guard had simply said that he had standing orders to turn her away. After he had extracted a promise that she would come visit, she hadn't known what to think... until she had gone down the road. That's when the demon in her mind asked why she would be turned away from seeing him? Had he left the orders that she wasn't to be allowed to visit? He was staying on the rather impressive property of a well to do unicorn who had a sizable harem of his own, would it be so out of the ordinary for him to find out that his life as a unicorn shouldn't involve her?

<The last time we spoke you were concerned you couldn't accept him.> Father Blanchard tilted his head slightly, watching her closely with one sapphire eye.

"I just need time!" She protested and closed her mouth after a moment. "I thought maybe we could talk things out a little, is all. I didn't think he'd turn me away."

<He didn't turn you away, child.> The priest let out a laugh, an equine whickering sound. <Do you know what would happen if you were to walk onto the grounds as a virgin? Ulysses would have a riot on his hooves! They simply want to keep things quiet as the colts adjust.>

"Oh.." her heart lifted a little bit. "I guess I didn't think about it that way, I just wanted to speak with him."

<I'm glad you did.> He sounded serious in her mind. <I think that it would do you both good to have contact with one another. I understand Ulysses' concerns, but it's a rare thing to have an established couple hold past the Change and it is something that should be treasured. I am certain his mind is full of new ideas and new ways of thinking, having a constant to balance him would only be to some measure of good."

"What does he learn there?" She drew her feet up and rested her chin on her knees while she watched the priest begin to move the flowers in the basket, neatly arranging them.

<A lot about life, and how to deal with it.> Father Blanchard paused and seemed to think. <It's not a comfortable place for any young man, but I suppose that it is necessary. I've never personally agreed with it, I find that throwing a bunch of colts together can cause a certain amount of trouble. A mentorship program would make things easier.>

"He never wanted to be a unicorn." Emily sighed softly. "I feel guilty, like I should have pressed matters and not waited, we'd still be together and-"

<There is no reason to feel guilty. What you did was admirable and I approve.> The stallion lifted his head and almost seemed to smile. <Being a unicorn is not bad, Emily, not in the least bit. It just a large adjustment.>

"Do you regret it?" She asked softly, flushing the moment his head jerked up and something like pain crossed his bright blue eyes.

<This was not what I would have chosen. When I was young, I had a plan lined up for myself as many young men do.> He paused and tilted his head down, busying himself with his flowers, but he continued to speak. <I thought I had my life planned out, I knew what I wanted out of life and it seemed an easy thing to be able to accomplish, but this came all as a shock. The day I changed, I was horrified, my family had always been very firm that we boasted no unicorns in our bloodline, but here I was, a glaring error on the face of their purity. It was... another time. With the loss of Christine, I found myself unhappy, confused, and enraged that I would be chosen for a life that I had never wanted.>

"Christine?" Emily asked softly, trying not to pry, but at the same time she could almost feel the pain behind that name.

<My young girlfriend. We were to spend our lives together, but with the Change, I found... well. That is the past, but needless to say we did not remain together.> There was pain there, she could feel it with every word in her mind, as if he were living it still. <Afterwards I was very angry, I did not wish to be this thing and my family rejected me. It took me quite a long time to accept that this was God's plan for me. He believed that I could make a mark in this body, so I decided that I would follow His path. I never wanted to be like so many others, I wanted my quiet life to still the anger in my soul and He answered me. I suppose, you could say I regret being Changed, but I cannot regret the path that it has led me too. Does that answer your question?>

"I guess.." She sighed a little, it didn't answer anything at all, not really.

<Come now, don't look so down.> Blanchard's mind voice turned cheerful. <I think I can arrange for you to see Lance, Ulysses will not turn me away. We may not see eye to eye, but we are amicable and I can.... Chaperone both of you well enough.>

"Really?" Emily's heart lifted a little bit. "I would like to see him, I promised I would visit him."

<Well, let me see if I can arrange it. Come back tomorrow and we will see what I have managed, alright?> The priest stood up and gave himself a bit of a shake. <Many unicorns may look askance at my calling, but they also respect me enough that I can often garner a favor or two. Perhaps I might even be able to see if Lance might stay with me now that his initial learning is over.>

"I... I would like that a great deal, Father." Emily gave a shy smile and dropped her legs down, her heart feeling lighter. The calm and comforting priest might even be better for Lance, she knew that he had been unhappy with the behavior of the other Changed young men. If Father Blanchard could be his role model, it would be better, easier, for him. And for her.

~ ~ * ~ ~

The sound of pounding hooves, Lance's heart pounding against his chest, the feel of his body running at full speed, so fast that his belly was nearly brushing the ground. It was exhilarating and amazing to feel as his long legs worked and he heard the rest of the colts charging after him. Ben was beside him, trying his best to keep up and guard his haunches, but he was still open on his left side and he had to lunge and leap violently away every time one of the other colts tried to make a grab for the ball. His entire body locked into one purpose, to reach the goal before they managed to stop him, to find a way past their attempts to knock him up. And in the first time in forever, he was enjoying himself, his spirits lifting up as he sighted Tyler guarding the net, the stallion's head down and ready.

They had come out with a ball, the idea was like the opposite of soccer, you had to keep it on your horn and never let it touch the ground as it was passed from team to team. The teams were divided into two pairs, with the odd man out acting as the goalie that worked against both teams to keep the goal safe. It was a loud, very male, sort of game where they charged one another, hit and shoved and even tried to trip each other up to keep the ball out of the opposing teams hands. Or horn rather. It was supposed to be an exercise in keeping ahold of things using telekinesis even when distracted, but put together in a way that they were spending a great deal of energy and actually enjoying the game itself. He'd never been one for sports, but this was something else entirely. He let out a triumphant sound and lunged forward as he saw the goal.

Ben crashed behind him, he heard a wild squeal and nearly felt the pair of bodies going down to the ground as his team mate helped block him, but he was already home free. He lowered his head and gave a leap with his hind legs, propelling himself forward before flinging his chin up and releasing the ball to hit the goal. The yellow and purple flashed by Tyler, even though the other young stallion tried to twist his body around to use his bulk to hide the goal and it rolled in to the glorious sound of Jon blowing the whistle and the clatter of hooves from the sidelines. Lance lifted his head and panted shallowly, his lips pulling back in a grin that he couldn't stop. He'd made a goal! He glanced over to see the older stallions that had come to watch their play still tapping their forehooves in approval and applause.

Lance's sides were gleaming with a bit of sweat, his lungs working as he shook himself out and returned towards the group. The other team was getting together, heads pushed in close to one another with only the faintest 'buzzing' sound hinting that they were narrowing their mind voices down to just one another. That was the other part of the game, another lesson, how to only send what he was saying to one person and one person only. He was shocked to find himself eager for the next run, enjoying something that was actually fun instead of simply work or lecturing. He gave himself a shake, his braided mane falling loose along the edge of his shoulders as he approached Ben, the other young stallion staring in annoyance at a large green grass stain on his haunch from his fall.

<You okay?> Lance glanced back to see if he'd taken hurt and Ben just snorted, giving him a shove with his nose. <I heard you hit hard back there.>

<Fine, but we're still behind by three points, we need to get the ball and keep it when it's tossed.> Ben's eyes narrowed a bit, looking serious. <I say you go after Chad, he's the one that ran the last two goals, you've got more bulk than I do->

<LANCE!> A loud 'voice' brought all of their heads up and Lance twitched his ears back at the unmistakable form of Ulysses coming onto the field, his partner trailing behind. <Come along, I need to see you at the main house.>

<But..> He twitched his ears up and glanced back at the goal post. <We were..>

<The game will hold, it's nearly time for lunch either way and you can all continue after.> Ulysses' tone was firm and unyielding as Ben shifted next to him and Lance took a step closer.

"Don't look like you're about to be whipped." Jonathan's voice was warmly amused. "You've got a visitor is all, and we need to get you presentable."

<That is QUITE enough.> There was no hiding Ulysses' displeasure as he spoke, a sharp feel against Lance's mind made him wince. <Come along, the game will continue after lunch.>

<I'll work up a plan.> Ben 'whispered' in his mind as Lance moved to follow, his ears still twitched flat back against his head. <I'm not going to let us lose!>

It was like a bubble was being popped as Lance followed the pair away from the field. For the first time in two weeks he had been having real fun. He had forgotten his worries in a game that had been exciting and new, something that made him savor the feel of his powerful form that ran so much faster than he ever could as a human. Something that helped make him forget the times he had slipped out into the darkness to try and relieve the pressure of his loins, tried to learn his damned body and control himself. He had taken the lesson he had learned to heart, but it was humiliating to behave the way the he had been. He tried, each time, to rein himself in, to control the urges that surfaced, but he always ended up unable to keep himself from growing wild and uncontrolled. He never felt 'good' afterwards, just frustrated and humiliated as he crept back into the barracks and tried to ignore the occasional look he got. They could smell what he'd been up to, there was no hiding that.

That's why he had been enjoying the game so much. It had been a relief to run and spend off some of the energy that had been thrumming under the surface and now it was all gone. He felt his stomach turning as he followed behind them with his head held low and his tail nearly dragging through the grass behind him.

"It's your fiancée, she's insisted she be allowed to visit you." Lance hadn't even noticed Jon lagging behind, but Ulysses had, the stallion stiffened in front of them and was nearly stomping his hooves in his temper. Lance didn't care, his heart did a flip flop at the mention of Emily. "He's upset, but a friend of your family approached us and pled the case. Ulysses has never enjoyed losing."

<I did not lose!> The older stallion snapped back. <I respect him a great deal and I owe him a favor, nothing more! If he wishes to endanger the girl->

<I would never hurt Emily!> He flung the words out hard enough that both males flinched.

"Of course not, I'm going to help you clean up and we have something that will at least make you decent. Father Blanchard will be chaperoning the meeting anyway, and I'll be just a quick yell away." Jon's voice was soothing, but Lance could see Ulysses pick up the pace the moment his priest's name was mentioned. Why was his priest here? And with Emily?

~ ~ * ~ ~

The moment the door opened Emily jerked upwards, nearly jumping out of the low seat as a man smiled at her and gestured with a hand. She had braced herself for seeing Lance, but it was still a shock when he came out with his head lowered slightly and his ears splayed to either side. It wasn't simply the sight of ethereal white face, or the tapered horn that caught the light, it was also the fact that he was actually clothed. For the first time in her life, she saw a unicorn wearing something other than his own fur. It looked like a horse blanket, albeit, a soft and rather expensive looking one, but still it reminded her of seeing horses in the field at winter. The dark red cape was flung over his back and buckled beneath his chest and right around the front beneath his neck, the edges hanging all the way down to his knees as it hid most of his body.

He turned to look at her and she reached out to touch Father Blanchard, she couldn't stop the movement as the liquid gold eyes stared up at her with their strange horizontal pupils. She felt the priest tense up under her touch, pressing into it in a show of support as Lance took another step forward and went entirely still. He looked almost afraid to come closer, his ears quivering a little as the soft pink nostrils spread and contracted time and against with his rapid breathing. She swallowed and carefully lifted her hand from the priest's shoulder, biting her lower lip and tried to take a step towards him. The moment she did he began to move towards her, slowly and a bit stiffly, but he still came towards her.

<Emily...> His voice was a bare whisper in her mind, and he swallowed before taking a step back. <I'm sorry, I just.. I didn't expect you.>

"I told you I would visit." She reminded him, shifting down to her knees so she was a little more on the same level as he was. "They wouldn't let me the first time, they said I wasn't welcome."

<I should have called...> He jerked his head up and twitch both ears back. <Well I should have found some way to tell you. It's kind of complicated.>

"I know." She felt awkward as she looked down at him and reached out, he was so close, but at the same time worlds away from her. "I talked to Father Blanchard. I've been talking to him a lot, about us and everything."

She tried to look into his eyes, to see the person that she knew was there hiding in their depths, but they were simply a pair of strangers eyes that regarded her. Father Blanchard moved away from her, the sound of his hooves made her glance back at him, but he only tipped his head towards her and dropped down on a low couch. He made no move to intervene or even try to talk, leaving it entirely up to both of them as she looked back at Lance. He tilted his head down and blew out a sigh, sucking in a deeper breath as if to brace himself.

<This is awkward.> He finally stated, his ears pulling to either side and flattening slightly. <I've never felt awkward next to you, not really. It was always so easy talking to you, but now I have no idea what I should say. I feel like I should apologize.>

"You don't owe me an apology!" She sat up a bit straighter. "Not at all! I thought that it would be so easy, that I'd see you and all the magic words would come to me and I'd know exactly what to say. Damn it."

"Ah-hem!" The voice wasn't there's, it came from the couch and they both turned to see Father Blanchard giving them a look they'd received a hundred times in their life time from parents and adults alike. <Language.>

She looked back at Lance ruefully and found his strange face showing the exact same expression, a bit guilty and a bit playful at being caught. His face was so different, but the emotions were there, a subtle shift of the brows, a curl of the lips, the ears were the most expressive of all. The look was enough to startle a giggle from her as if they were children. He paused a little and twitched his lips up higher, making a sound almost like a laugh, but more like an equine whicker. It wasn't the laugh she had always known and loved, but the humor was there and she only laughed harder as he tossed his head up and curved his neck just a touch. His ears went forward and he lifted his brow just a touch, the expression mischievous and playful, just like the Lance she had always known.

It was a bit of ice broken away from their meeting, she relaxed and stopped trying to see the person she had loved through the unicorn's muzzle and eyes. She had grown used to Father Blanchard's expressions and the way he spoke, she could see them in Lance, but they were subtly altered in the way he expressed them. Lance seemed to relax as well, he stopped looking tense, though his tail kept lashing and twisting back and forth like a fish that had hopped out of water. She relaxed enough to just try and see him as who he was, the boy she had fallen in love with, just in another body.

"Are you alright here? I was worried you wouldn't be okay with this place, I know that there are other Changed people.." She trailed off a little and watched as the expressive ears did a quick twitch back before going up again.

<It's alright, I met at least one other person like me. His name is Ben. Mostly it's a lot of teaching and listening, but it can be fun too.> He tilted his head and gave his nose a toss. <We were playing a game just a bit ago. Out in the field, you should have seen us. I didn't realize that unicorns played any sort of sports.>

"A game? You mean like football?" She leaned forward, feeling more of the tension fade away as he tossed his head up and down and became more animated.

<Yes! They have their own sport, but not like football. We have to use our horns to hold the ball and there aren't so many on teams. One of the stallions said that they normally have teams of four, but they wanted us to play against each other since none of us are perfect using our horns to hold things.> He became more animated on the topic and the last of her tension left.

He was Lance, he spoke eagerly about the game and even went so far as to try and pick up her purse with just his horn, lifting it up high and dropping it again neatly to show her how he was progressing. He had the same child like intensity about his enjoyment of the game as he had had as a human. He had always been open about his passions, when he enjoyed something there was no stopping him and he would go on about it at length. At times it could be wearing, almost boring when it was something she had no interest in, but now it was a reassuring sign of who he was. His laughter was strange, his body all wrong, but the actions and words were entirely Lance's. She found herself asking questions about this and that, about how the game was and who Ben was. He didn't really talk about the rest, but that was alright, they were able to actually talk. And that was what she had needed all along.

~ ~ * ~ ~

"Perhaps you can teach me how to play, or have Ben over." Emily smiled down at Lance as he tried his best to explain how they tried to get the ball off of each other.

He did his best to concentrate on her words, but his world was narrowed down to her scent, that beautiful wonderful scent that lurked in the back of his mind and made it hard to concentrate on what else he was saying. From the moment he had walked in it had been a battle to keep calm, and for every moment he blessed Jonathan and the blanket he had been given that hid his shame from her. That part of his body had a mind of its own, and though he could control himself to the point of not dropping completely, he knew at least several inches were swaying back and forth under him the entire time he talked. The weight of it a distraction in the back of his mind as he did his best to keep animated, to keep talking with her. He wanted to talk with her, wanted to see the way her eyes lit up as he gamboled and laughed. When he'd walked in he had nearly bolted, but with every exchange he grew more and more grateful that he hadn't, she wasn't turning away from him.

The game was just what he wanted to talk about, he didn't know how to tell her what he had been doing and learning here. The idea that she would find out about the mounting stand where he relieved himself and tried to rein in his instincts made him want to slink away with shame. The very idea of that mounting stand only worked to send his blood pounding into another part of his body entirely, one that very much wanted to do something other than talk. It was a struggle, one that he was trying for and losing as he knew he was growing heavier and spilling out of his sheath. His heightened senses could taste his own musk on the air, and that's what helped him pull back to himself, his own scent, his eyes flickered towards his priest and heat rushed to his cheeks. Father Blanchard could probably sense his reactions, oh god. He forced his attention back to her where her smile was faltering a little.

<I think Ben would love to come over.> He lifted his head a bit, trying to keep his mind on the conversation and not the distractions of his nose. <That is... if you think you'd like to stick with me for that long after all.>

_God, why did I even just say that? _ He nearly flattened his ears right then and there, but the words had slipped out as he hadn't been thinking about what he was saying as he made the joke fall flat.

<I'm sorry, that wasn't fair.> He shook his head and tried to center himself. <I wasn't thinking, I'd love for you to meet Ben one day. You'd get along really well.>

Emily only watched him, her bottom lip bitten as she shifted on her knees, but not as if she were uncomfortable with kneeling on the ground. What must she be thinking? He took a hasty step back and tilted his head to one side, humiliated that he'd even said it. Things had been going so damned well and he'd just dropped the ball.

<I should be heading back, it's lunch and I know you drove a ways to get here.> He tried to make himself believe his chipper tone. <It meant a lot seeing you here, perhaps we can try again.>

"Lance.." He didn't flinch as he turned away, but he was stopped as her soft fingers brushed along his neck.

He wanted to walk away, he nearly did, but her touch was gentle, a light caress that trailed along the curve of his jaw so that his head was forced to turn about. He jerked his head back a little bit, quivering as she leaned closer towards him and brought her warm scent in closer. It took all of his will power to hold still, his legs locked in place as she moved around him, still keeping on eye level and her hands moved to cup either side of his cheek.

"You don't have to be sorry." She spoke softly, so close to him that he felt a tumult of emotions rise up in him, possession, eagerness, lust, love, fear, embarrassment, humiliation, adoration. They colored his thoughts as she stroked gently along his cheeks, her touch so terribly soft, a gentle caress that made his breath come quicker. "I don't know what we'll do about the future, but we're not facing it alone."

Quicker than a breath, she leaned down and her lips pressed against his equine ones, nearly startling him into bolting backwards as he felt the incredible softness of her lips upon his own. She was warm, her breath tickled along the velvet edge of his muzzle before he leaned forward into her touch. Her fingers slid lightly along his cheeks, gliding towards his neck as he savored the sweet press of her so close to him. He throttled down the raw desire that spiked inside of him, the need to possess her, to claim her, he nearly choked on that need, but he held it back. He pressed against her, drawing in her scent, trying to push past the intoxicating one and to the warm scent that he knew was her. Lavender and vanilla, the faint scent of sweat from the heat outside, that was her scent, not what his nose was trying to tell him, not what his body was screaming for.

_I love her, she's my Emily, not an object. _ He tried to hold to that thought, clinging to it before her tongue flicked out briefly and she drew back, cheeks flushed and embarrassed. He fought the urge to go for her lips again as he looked up at her, feeling her fingers resting just along the curve of his neck.

<I love you.> He sent the thought as the barest whisper to her mind, something fragile, something precious.

"I love you too." She whispered back softly, and for a moment, just a moment, the pounding instinctive need he was fighting slid away into the silence and peace he found in her eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes, there were no other eyes like them in the world.