It wasn't unusual for pets who have either contracted an incurable disease or sustained a severe, crippling injury to be sent to Animalia to be uplifted. Quite a few citizens of Animalia came to be there that way. Though that was becoming less frequent now. Animalia couldn't provide for every animal, not to mention some pets were either too far away or too difficult to transport. Though that didn't mean it was completely stopped.
For instance, Abby, her parents, and Samson were waiting for her Uncle J.T. to arrive with a horse to uplift. "So what's so important about this gelding?" asked Samson.
"Horizon Labs needs to uplift a horse for their Project Hermaphroditus project and a gelding would probably be able to adapt to being a herm better than a stallion," said Abby.
"I got that part, but why this gelding in particular?" asked Samson.
"Goldenrod broke his leg in a gopher hole," said Josephine. Both Abby and Samson winced at that. Gopher holes have claimed a lot of horse legs.
"He's lucky he wasn't a racehorse," said Martin, "Otherwise they'd have just shot him and be done with it."
"So, what did Goldenrod do before the accident?" asked Abby, Samson looking a little sick.
"He was just a riding horse," said Josephine, "It was just his bad luck that he put his hoof in the wrong place. But it's better luck that his owners know us personally. Actually, Goldenrod is related to Samson."
"He is?" asked Samson with surprise.
"He's your second cousin, once removed," said Martin. Samson gave him a perplexed look. "It's a horse-breeding thing," explained Martin.
Eventually, they saw J.T.'s truck coming up the driveway with a horse trailer attached. He pulled up in front of the barn before climbing out. "Hey, how's my favorite niece?" asked J.T. as he walked towards them.
"I'm doing ok," said Abby, "Can't wait for school to end."
"Yeah, I can imagine so," said J.T.
"How's Goldenrod?" asked Martin.
"He seems fine for the moment, but he's taking a lot of painkillers," said J.T., "Horses just don't have the good sense to rest when they've got a broken leg." He turned to Samson and said, "No offense."
"I'm not offended," said Samson, "No horse would want to lie down for weeks. Though I'd rather not see them get shot."
"Well, we can avoid that this time," said Martin.
"How is this hermaphrodite thing going to work?" asked J.T.
Josephine held up a water bottle with a metal cap for horses. "The modified Animalian Virus is mixed with the water in this. All Goldenrod has to do is drink from it," she said.
"Good, I'll just wait in the house," said J.T., "It's not that I'm squeamish, but I'm just not used to seeing you Animalians in the nude yet."
"We'll have Goldenrod presentable before you see him again," said Josephine. J.T. nodded before he went inside.
With that, the four horses went to the horse trailer and opened it. Unlike them, Goldenrod was a palomino with golden fur and a white main and tail. His right front leg was wrapped in bandages below the knee and he was careful not to put weight on it. Samson made a studious effort not to look at Goldenrod's rear, which was missing his balls.
Goldenrod snorted at the strange smells of the horse Animalians. Most mundane horses reacted that way. "Shh, shh, it's alright," said Josephine soothingly. She held up the water bottle and said, "This will make you feel better." Goldenrod sniffed the bottle before wrapping his lips around the tip. They heard the 'clink' and the gurgle of Goldenrod sucking water from out of it.
When Goldenrod started to stagger, Martin and Samson caught him. Between the two of them, they were strong enough to carry/guide Goldenrod out of the trailer. Goldenrod's body seemed to get lighter as his weight redistributed. His hind legs got stronger as his spine reshaped for them to take more of his weight. There were some cracking sounds as his broken leg bone repaired itself as it was reforming. The bandages no longer fitted against the leg and unraveled. The front hooves cracked open as five-fingered hands formed at the ends of Goldenrod's new arms.
As Goldenrod's body became more humanoid, the additional effects of the virus became apparent. On Goldenrod's reshaping ass, the scar where his testicles used to be healed over before the area bulged out. Goldenrod gave out a moan as first one then a second nut fell into his regrown ballsack before swelling with new seed. The skin behind the ballsack split open as a new needy hole formed. Goldenrod reached back and felt both hir balls and hir new pussy with her fingers. Shi gave a small gasp as hir re-positioned teats swelled out into two large breasts on hir chest. The transformed Goldenrod had a body much like other Animalian mares, though a little taller and broader at the shoulder than most. And there was also the erect stallionhood and balls between hir legs along with hir new marehood to tell her apart.
"This feels amazing," said Goldenrod, looking at her arm, "No pain anymore." Shi reached back to feel her nether regions. "And I got my nuts back too," she said happily.
"So you don't mind that you're a hermaphrodite?" asked Abby.
Goldenrod briefly glanced down at hir new breasts before feeling them. "Honestly, this just feels even better. Do all horses like me feel like this?" shi asked.
"Well, actually you're the only horse like you right now," said Abby.
"What?" asked Goldenrod.
"There are other herms, but most of them are anacondas and one is a hyena that's been recently changed," said Samson.
"I'm the only herm horse?" asked Goldenrod, sounding a bit crestfallen.
"You're the first herm horse," said Martin, "But there will be more, probably sooner than you think."
"Perhaps you'd like to meet the other herms," said Josephine.
"I think I'd like that," said Goldenrod.
"First, let's get you dressed," said Martin, "We can't have you walking around naked like that."
"Good thing we're about the same size," said Josephine, looking at Goldenrod's chest, "I'm sure Martin's pants will fit you."