Brian stared at Dar. "So you were already young, but Llandros made you ugly? Why?"
The coarse-featured teen sighed. "Everyone sees me as a dumb, dirty, homely peasant boy, exactly what they expect for a stable boy. And it works on me, too. I'm so used to all this now that it is who I am." He shrugged. "Maybe the Wizard did something to my head, too, but I feel comfortable like this. I hardly even think about when I was a knight any more, and then it is more like all that was someone else."
"So you like being a stable boy?" Brian frowned, remembering the rounded ears and reddish hair he had just discovered.
Dar grinned. "Yeah, I really do. And it looks like I will have company soon."
This was too much, and Brian had to look at his reflection. As Dar had already warned him, he was obviously human. Still slender and pale, his blonde hair had a definite reddish cast to it now, and his features ahd softened a little. His face was still recognizable, looking surprisingly young - maybe ten. Then he remembered Mike. "Is there anything we can do for my friend?"
Dar stood up. "Not really. If he is not already a full stallion, Llandros will finish him off when he gets there. But if you want to watch, we can head for the pasture."
"OK!" Brian took a few steps towards the path and then grabbed at his loincloth. It was loose and starting to slip. Scowling, he let it fall around his ankles and then picked it up.
"If you leave it off for a while, your skin will toughen up as if you never wore clothes at all." Dar grinned and snatched the cloth from Brian's hands and started running down the path to the pasture. "Better catch me while you are still potty-trained!"
Startled, Brian gave chase. He realized that his feet must have already hardened, for he had no problem with the sticks and roots that covered the ground. "Give it back!" He shouted after the other boy, laughing at the game. It only took a minute before he burst out into the pasture. Dar was about fifty feet away watching a massive black stallion mounting one of the Shire mares, with Brian's loincloth hanging from his hand.
Instead of grabbing his loincloth, Brian stopped next to Dar and stared in awe as the huge animals. The male looked odd, something distorted in the head and neck. It took a minute for him to make the connection. "That's Mike!"
Dar chuckled. "Yep. He got busy! Of course, the magic in the pasture didn't hurt." He looked down at Brian and grinned. "Speaking of which, you might end up playing in mud puddles instead of shoveling manure."
"Huh?" Brian frowned, then realized that the teen looked taller than he had before. It was hard to tell, but his naked, dirty body did seem smaller. It didn't look wrong, and being naked really did not bother him at all. Most children ran around without clothing when the weather was warm. But he'd been maybe ten before - now he looked a year or two younger. "I'm getting littler?"
Dar dangled the loincloth in front of Brian. "You want some big boy clothes? That means big boy work, too."
The animals neighed and stomped hooves as they climaxed, distracting both boys. The almost-stallion slid off the mare and stood heaving for a minute. Then it shook itself and turned to regard Dar and Brian with liquid brown horse's eyes. The muzzle worked and thick black lips curled curiously. "Whhheeeerrre Briieeeennnn?" The animal's voice was guttural and the pronunciation sloppy, but could be understood.
"I'm right here!" Brian took a step forward, gaping at the former centaur. He towered over them, the few distortions that marked his transformation slowly fading as he completed the change into a Shire. "You're a big horse!"
"Annnn yoouu ah littt-ull boooy." Mike snuffled Brian's head and then gave it a slobbery lick that plastered red hair against his forehead. "Hooowwww liittt-ulll?" That last seemed to be directed to Dar.
The teen shrugged. "I don't know. Up to him, I guess." He held out the loincloth again. "You want to shovel shit with me?"
Brian scowled. Working in the stable was stinky and hard and he would rather play. But playing was for little kids. Did he want to be a little kid or a big boy like Dar?