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Seeing Emily was a turning point in Lance's life. It was a bright spot in the midst of his confusion and upset, where the world could make sense to him, where things were stable and solid. It was a part of his life that he could cling to as he did his best to learn about his new life. Her kiss, he could still imagine her lips on his own at the oddest hours of the day, the sensory memory was one he clung to and refused to let go. It was so sweet, the taste of her, the way she had touched him, caressed his cheeks, the way that she had brought his mind back to her and fixated on his goal. She hadn't turned away from him, she hadn't done anything that would make him feel as if she were going another route, turning away from him to find another person to spend her life with.

It also drove home that he had to get control himself, and not simply his sexuality, though that was always on the back of his mind. He had to learn how to speak properly, how to be able to pick things up, how to manipulate things. It became a driving force, far more than before, he had to get out of here and find a way to make things right between them so it could work. That also meant that he didn't spend as much time with the rest of the 'colts' as he did before, they were full of laughter and eagerness to try new things, to hang out, play, or be lazy, he didn't want to behave that way. He hadn't when he'd been in school, he wouldn't now. He had made himself that promise and intended to keep it, though, he hadn't expected Ben to trail along with him.

Ben was... well Ben. He was a good guy, nice, easy to talk to and in a bit of the same situation that Lance was in, it was natural that they were friends, but he hadn't expected the other lad to give up his time to relax. Still, every day when Lance went out to get more comfortable in his body, to go through the exercises meant to help him in the real world, Ben trailed after him companionably. It was good to have the company, especially since both of them were still struggling and the support was something that he... craved. It was a strange sensation, a strange reaction, but it was still there. He craved to have the support of someone else, to not be alone, it wasn't something that he was used too and certainly not something that he had ever believed he'd feel.

The young stallion turned to look at Ben beside him as they worked to open a door knob, one of a dozen challenges that still faced them. They could use their lips, but it was a disgusting way to go about it and they would have to deal with this in public. Ben was struggling more than he was, but it gave Lance a chance to try and sort out his feelings. He didn't like being alone any longer, if he went to shower alone, it felt awkward and odd, it felt strange and unnatural. He preferred to be with other people, it made him feel more secure, like now. He felt comfortable knowing that Ben was here, he didn't feel exposed, he felt safer. He hadn't really been around enough humans yet to know if this was simply because of how things were here with another unicorn or if it would be like this with humans too.

<I give up.> Ben sighed and lifted his horn away from the door knob, his ears pinning back in annoyance. <This is hopeless.>

<No it's not.> Lance lifted his head confidently. <You just have to make it hold one part and slowly circle your head.>

<It's slippery.> Ben's tail lashed back and forth in annoyance, glaring at the knob as if it were to blame. <There really should be some sort of law outlawing these types of handles. It's not like we're so few that it's unreasonable.>

<Maybe you should make one.> Lance teased lightly and pushed himself up on his hooves, stretching and arching his back. <But we're making progress.>

<Yeah.> Ben lapsed a bit into silence and scuffed a hoof. <I hope I get out of here, I'm tired of listening to the rest. They are already planning their 'conquests' you know.>

<Yeah.> Lance pinned his ears back a little bit and sighed, shaking his head roughly. <You know, we could just leave tomorrow, we wouldn't have to stick around here, we could just figure it out on our own.>

<I wish.> Ben gave him a look and stepped away from the door, scuffing a hoof roughly. <I think I'd spend the whole time laying on my belly, though. I just... can't keep things controlled.>

The last words were awkward and Lance felt a pang of sympathy. He was starting to get himself under control, but it was hard to really keep himself in that position. It was nearly impossible in some ways, he was always struggling to keep his mind on things other than sex, and his new body was more hormonal than his human form. Except, that wasn't quite right, he knew it even as he thought it. His body was just different and he was being forced to take a crash course in it all at once instead of slowly and steadily. It made sense, but he didn't have to like it. He didn't have to like it, he just knew that Ben was struggling just as hard as he was because neither felt like they belonged. But in that feeling of not belonging, they had found their own bond together.

He liked having Ben around, he was comfortable with the lad, he was comfortable with having someone that had a similar mind to him. They were able to talk together, shared conversations, and even jokes with one another. It would have been awful if he were here alone, but he had someone that wasn't like the rest of the colts. Ben had no intention of finding a giant harem of his own to lord over and breed, he wanted to really be left alone for the most part. He wanted to get out of here and start college, another thing they had in common. He was still concerned about getting a real education and job, he was still looking forward to it. Granted, some of it was covering up the fact that he and his girlfriend wouldn't be able to make it together.

<Do you know when you want to leave? I mean, your goals?> Lance ducked his head a little and gave a shake, twitching his skin as he felt a bit of dust and sliding from him. He hated how he couldn't just tend itches himself, it was aggravating. <I know we're supposed to stay a bit longer but...>

<I want out, I figure once I can keep myself under control umm.. that way and do most things with my horn I'm out.> Ben sighed a little bit and twitched his ears back. <I really want to get an apartment to myself, a home to myself before I go to college. My parents want me to come back, though.>

<Don't do that!> Lance twitched his ears back on his head. <Well, I think we can both manage on our own after another a week, and then we'll be able to leave.>

<That would be... wonderful.> Ben's ears pricked up and the other unicorn gave him a bit of a lop sided smile.

Lance had already made the decision that he was going to ask Ben to be his roommate. He felt vaguely uncomfortable about moving out on his own, he didn't like the idea of being alone, even if he would have Emily beside him. It would be good to have someone with similar interests, to say nothing of the fact that it would make things cheaper. Housing for a unicorn was specialized, it had to be, and that meant it was an expense that he hadn't planned on having. Even thinking about having Ben as a roommate made him feel more confident about his choices, yet another way that he had changed from who he had been.

<Have you heard from Kim?> Lance asked delicately, picking up his hooves a touch to catch up with his friend. <I know you wanted to see if you could talk to her in person.. Like how Emily came here.>

<I wish.> Ben twitched his ears a bit, and offered a rather bitter smile. <I think she's already given me up. Not that I'm shocked, I wouldn't want her to just wait on me to personally dump her. Best to just move on.>

<Ouch.> Lance flinched a bit and leaned over, nosing right against the shoulder of his friend. It was awkward, but it was the only way he could try and give him a hug or sympathetic pat. <Well, it's not all bad, I mean. You'll have a chance to start fresh, won't you? It'll just take some time.>

<Yeah, I mean.. I'm happy for her.> Ben stepped up onto the ramp, moving slowly and carefully to make sure that he didn't end up tripping on the incline. <But I really am thinking of just bolting out of this place. Do you know what Tom was doing the other day? No, don't ask, you don't want to know, but I'm tired of watching people fuck.>

Lance laughed, the sound came out as a whicker more than an actual laugh, but it no longer felt as strange as it used to when he made the sound. <I can take a guess. At least they're getting THAT under control.>

<Better than us. I don't know how you saw your girlfriend.> Ben nosed the door open, his shoulder bumping and pushing to get into the large open shower area. <I would have lost it.>

<It was.... hard.> Lance started, and then Ben started to laugh, the sound ringing in his ears as they stepped into the shower.

It was only after a few moments of staring at his friend did he realize what had made Ben burst out laughing like he did, and once he realized he flushed hotly and tried not to squirm in embarrassment, his muzzle flushing hotly.

<I didn't mean that way..> He grumbled, turning about to aim a light kick at his friend, which only made Ben snicker a bit more. No matter how awkward and strange this place was, he was relieved he at least had one friend here.

~ ~ * ~ ~

"So, are you sure about this?" Emily's mother was sharp and angry, a sound that made her stiffen and straighten up as she stood in the living room.

She had been sitting down, but that had made her feel as if she were submitting to her parents' judgments about her choices. Her father was curiously silently, though his eyes were pained as he watched her from across the room, unhappy and unable to find the right way to express it when her mother was off on a tangent. It wasn't that her parents were that bigoted about unicorns, but they were still of an older generation that looked at them as something less than human. He likely would have been more vocal if he could have been, but her mother had always had a fiery temper when compared to her more docile mate. Emily just wished that she would listen for once.

"Why wouldn't I be sure?" She lifted her head slightly, her chin rising defiantly. "I know you think I'm making a snap decision, but I'm not."

"How is this not a snap decision?" Her mother's voice rose up a bit louder, the tall woman drew herself up and stiffened. "You have barely had a month to make your decision! Take time, he's not the same boy that you knew, he's different now."

"I know that!" Emily snapped back and moved her hand down, running right over her bare finger. She hadn't put the ring on, not yet, it hung from a chain on her neck. "But he's still Lance."

"He's a unicorn." Her mother said flatly, her disapproval dripping from her voice. "You know what he'll be like."

"They're not all like that!" She protested, feeling a surge of victory at what her mother brought up. "Look at Father Blanchard, he's not like that at all and I've been seeing him for weeks. He's a gentleman."

"To get something from you!" Her mother's voice went a bit more intense. "I can't believe you think that you can trust him when-"

"He hasn't done anything!" Emily interjected, bristling slightly. "I know what I'm getting into and I'm not changing my mind. We can work together, he's not going to turn into a sex driven maniac simply because he's changed his body. He was a perfect gentleman when I saw him earlier this week."

It was a round about argument, one that had been spinning in circles with her mother for the entire day and had no end in sight. Emily tried not to flinch as her mother went on another tirade about how unnatural it would be if she decided to stay with him. It was a big step telling her mother that she had no intention of leaving Lance, one that she was starting to regret as the conversations continued, the myths that were always associated with unicorns thrown in her face. It didn't matter how she explained it, her mother was only seeing what she wanted to see. Not that she expected a joyous embracing of her choice, she had at least hoped for understanding about what she wanted to do.

Lance was so strange looking now, standing in the room and seeing him had made her confront the very strangeness of what he had become, but she had been prepared for it. It had helped that she had spent time talking with Father Blanchard, she had gotten used to seeing him as not simply a unicorn, but as a person. It had prepared her to see past the muzzle and hooves, helped her look at the gold eyes and see that there was still the person she loved beneath the mask. He was still her Lance, though, she understood that things had changed. She wasn't even positive she could handle all the changes, but she would be damned if she allowed that lack of surety to prevent her from at least trying. She might not be able to handle it, but how could she just walk away?

She lifted her head up higher, narrowing her eyes against her mother's protests, even the ones that made her cheeks flush hotly in embarrassment. The ones that hinted that he was physically no longer compatible with a human and how could she expect to allow him to touch her that way. Her mother dragged up every low blow and reason that she could think of to try and talk her daughter out of it, but not one of them stuck. She had made up her mind, she wasn't going to allow frightened children's stories make her back down. She would find out herself, if she couldn't go through with it than that was that, but she wasn't going to back down because of whispers in the dark.

~ ~ * ~ ~

They were at it again. Lance stalked out of the barracks to the soft sound of grunts and the scent of male sex on the air. A scent that was absolutely saturating his dreams and making it impossible to even think, let alone remain asleep. With a sigh, he lashed his long tail back and forth and looked out over the darkened estate. The moon was gone, it was all pitch black save for the lights that were situated at key points near the gate and the main house. It was quiet and the scent of the cooling air was filling his nostrils as he did his best to ignore the fact that he was half dropped out of his sheath. It felt so awful to feel the breeze running around the edges, where even that felt sensual and promising. He would have relieved himself, if it weren't for the fact that the damned mounting machine was taken apart for cleaning and repair.

_It'll go away eventually. _ He sighed a little, something he had learned in the past, he could ignore it and it'd get better, but it was always harder at night.

There wasn't much he could do to take his mind off of the need that was curling along his belly, he couldn't do more than twitch his skin and pin his ears back as he turned away from just staring at the little field where they played. He'd work on his control, at least that could be done, he was nearly to the point that he could do most things with his horn as long as he was able to concentrate. Some things were terribly important, like money, he couldn't spend the rest of his life having people tuck money in his pouch for him or trust they pulled out the right bill. He had to learn how to pick it up, even if there was change, which required a lot of effort.

As he came down the little slope to where the dining hall was, he heard the sound of something being kicked, hard. The clatter was so loud he set his ears flat back and froze in place, snorting a little bit before there was another crack and clatter. He had no idea who would be in the dining hall at this house, anyone who lived in the main house tended to keep there, even visitors, and everyone in the barracks was sound asleep or fucking. He cautiously went forward, finding himself snuffing the air before he could even stop the gesture. His head lifted higher up and he twitched his upper lip several times and then flushed. The scent of male and a familiar male at that came to him. Ben. Lance nosed open the door softly, and nearly fell on his ass as something was launched a few feet from his muzzle and across the dining hall.

<Shit! SORRY!> The clatter of hooves came and Lance cautiously moved his head back between the door and blinked at his friend. <I didn't know anyone was up.>

<What the hell was that?!> Lance blinked at Ben a few times and then took in the scene, even as his friend tried to take a few scrambling steps backwards.

There were small buckets lined up in a row, the sort that they used for drinking. They were heavy duty plastic instead of glass or anything breakable, mostly because they had all knocked them over at one time or another. Quite a few buckets were at the other side of the room, marks on the wall attested to just how hard they had been kicked to get that distance. It made no sense, at least at first, but as Lance stepped into the room his ears set back a touch and he flushed. It would be impossible to miss the pale pink length hanging down between his friends haunches, the weight of it swayed back and forth, curved slightly and the tip flared out just a touch.

At some point in the last few weeks, Lance had finally just gotten used to seeing some things and ignoring them, though, part of him marveled at how his eyes slid away from the sight and he walked in. He could feel the heat on his cheeks, he knew that he was still a bit aroused, not as much as Ben, but the shock of nearly getting beaned on the muzzle was enough to have him withdraw a bit. He wasn't as humiliated as he should have been, a month ago, the idea of walking out like this with any part of him showing arousal in front of someone would have humiliated him beyond words. Now, he was resigned and sympathetic, and feeling tired and homesick.

<I am so tired of them!> Ben snorted hotly and turned about, his shaft swung wildly as he aimed a kick at one of the buckets. <I haven't slept right in a week, and they keep going on about how it's just for now. Practice for the girls!>

<Trust me, I get that.> Lance sympathized. <You'd think they'd need sleep just as much.> He paused as his friend snorted angrily and pinned his ears. <We'll be out soon, hell, we can sleep up here if you want. It's not like we really need pillows as long as we have quiet.>

<Yeah well...> Ben kicked again, this time with enough force that both his hind legs went up and Lance winced in sympathy as certain parts were swung back and forth by the violent movement. <I'm tired of hearing it!>

Lance blinked at the edge of anger in the mind voice. I was so strange to FEEL emotions that way. It wasn't as if he were truly feeling them himself, he didn't grow angry, but he could taste the anger on the back of his tongue when his friend was worked up, such as now. It made him wince a little bit. Lance was upset, but not to this level of anger and frustration, he was almost trembling with it as he kicked out twice more and hit the buckets against the wall. He wasn't doing it for any reason other than relieving the tension that was showing in every tense muscles, his ears were kept down close to his head and eyes narrowed.

It made Lance step back a little, watching for a few more kicks before he approached warily. He'd always assumed that Ben had been relieving himself the same way he was. That he'd sneak off to use the damn toy thing for a while and then returned later on when he had finished, trying to keep out of view of others. But this level of tension made him wonder. Lance felt his ears heating up with embarrassment and tried not to give into the urge to squirm. If Ben had held out this long, did that mean he hadn't even done it for the doctor? Had he been keeping himself in check with just the bare edge of sanity or was it something else entirely?

<Hey, c'mon, stop that.> He stepped up next to the stallion and bumped him with his hip, trying to ignore the fact that at least six inches was hanging beneath his friend. <You aren't going to get anywhere beating the crap outta buckets.>

<Yeah, well, it's something.> Ben was nearly trembling with tension and anger, but it was mostly anger that came from his tension.

This is just awkward... Lance shifted, and leaned over, doing his best to try and hug his friend without seeming like it meant more.

That was one thing that was frustrating, as a human he could have bumped a fist on his shoulder or half hugged him or something, but in this form it was all made harder. Trying to be affectionate, even in a friendly way, was strange and he ended up draping his neck over the other stallion's shoulders and gave a squeeze, pulling his chin down along the curve of the shoulder and doing his best to be sympathetic. He felt Ben sigh and heard it belatedly as the other colt relaxed a little and drooped his head down towards his knees, still almost shaking with tension.

<Sorry, I'm not myself.> The mind voice was slurred with a hint of emotions all jumbled together until there was no telling what they were.

<Aren't you, you know..> Lance lifted his head, finding it weird to talk about anything to do with sex while neck hugging his friend. <They've got that mounting thing, haven't you been using it?>

<No.> The word was flat and Ben let out another sigh, his long ropey tail was lashing and slapping against Lance's haunches. <It's out in public! It's just... I don't like it, alright? It's like this place is trying to make us a bunch of perverts, and I don't want to be one.>

<No, it's not like that.> Lance flinched a little at the word pervert. <I mean, you're the one that told me about this the first night, I thought for sure...>

< It's all out in the open and I just get nervous and things just... > He shifted, sliding away from Lance with the edges of his soft nostrils deepening to red. <Nothing. I don't want to talk about it.>

The other unicorn stalked away a few feet, still no more withdrawn into his sheath than he had been when Lance had come barging in. He looked uncomfortable, unhappy, embarrassed and he swung around neatly on his haunches to kick out at the last bucket, but it was a weaker blow. Lance watched him, his ears slanted far back and trying to find something to say to that. He'd always felt so out of control, so wild that he couldn't control himself, he had only ever thought about being in public afterwards. Obviously, Ben felt a bit more strongly about the situation than he did, strongly enough that he was unwilling to even relieve himself.

<Ben.> Lance twitched his ears a little as his friend turned and gave him a glaring look. <Listen, I get it. I really do.>

_Yeah, like that's going to help. _ Lance berated himself and tried to look relaxed as he stepped forward towards the other stallion.

<It's not like you have to just go at it in front of anyone, I could help cover for you if you want.> He continued. <You don't want to hurt someone do you? I mean, you've watched right?>

<Yeah, like I could ignore it.> Ben scuffed his hooves roughly against the ground, flaring his nostrils wide. <I don't know, I just get weirded out by it, okay? I mean, I wish I could! Trust me I wish I could! Maybe I'll be better when I'm out of here.>

<Yeah.> Lance sighed a little and walked up to Ben and gave him a push with his nose, it was meant to be like gripping someone's shoulder, something to sympathize and show his friend he wasn't alone in the situation. <Just.. Lemme know if I can help, alright? I can play guard or whatever you need, rather have that than you going nuts on some poor mare or deer or something!>

He gave a playful push with his nose, trying to laugh it off, but he was in the wrong position to do so, especially with Ben standing at an angle. As Lance rubbed his soft nose right along the other colt's shoulder and gave a light push, the pale pink girth dropped a bit lower, thickening around the edges as if just that touch was enough to set the shaft flexing upwards before drooping down again. It wasn't a large response, but it was one that made him stop in his nosing and go still while Ben sucked in a breath and shivered his hide, almost like he could shake away the touch before Lance jerked backwards. His friend gave him a look, utterly miserable and humiliated as he swung around and took a few rapid steps back, hiding himself as much as possible with his head dipped down lower.

<Sorry.> The word was so soft in Lance's mind, but not even that could stop the pulsing heat that pushed it forward, raw with barely contained need and desire that hadn't been answered.

And Lance felt himself locked in place, not sure how to respond as Ben bolted before he could do anything, even try to say it was okay. There was a flash of a white tail and the door was open leaving Lance standing behind alone, and utterly confused.