"I'll pull the rig." All it took was a thought to shift to the Clydesdale form, and Nate found himself on four hooves. The equine form felt fantastic, powerful and massive. The other boy patted Nate's butt again, this time to urge him out to where a loaded wagon stood ready. Even though it was all new to him, Nate found that he knew what to do, backing into the harness and standing still as he was buckled in. A grizzled-looking man in a worn tunic got up ont he seat and grabbed the reins, but just sat there. Nate started ahead, finding that he also knew the way into town.
The wagon was heavy, but not really that hard for him to manage, and the road was not too bad. They made it to town in just under and hour, and Nate stood calmly as the cargo was unloaded. He got many admiring looks, and was feeling rather proud of his new equine form when an older teen came over with an apple. This newcomer stroked his neck and offered him the treat, which Nate ate without thinking. As soon as the last bite was chewed and swallowed, the youth laughed. "I got you this time! Never thought you'd take the apple with me handin' it to you!" Nate was confused for a moment, then realized this must be the Wizard's Apprentice! But nothing seemed to be happening.
The apprentice looked puzzled at Nate's calm reaction, and stepped closer to stroke his neck. "Such a fine stallion! And you will be such a cute colt! Maybe even spend some time in your mama's belly. If I'm really lucky, you'll end up as a glob of sperm in your sire's balls!" He laughed again. "You don't get it, do you? You're aging backwards! As a horse!"
Nate thought the apprentice was being silly at first, but then realized his harness felt loose. "Hey! You get away from him, ya' hear!?" The grizzled man came out of the store and chased the apprentice away, then frowned as he looked Nate over. "Looks like the fool boy was loosening straps!" He tightened the harness and got back up on the rig. Nate turned back toward the farm, the empty wagon feeling oddly harder to pull than it had been when full. And as they continued, the straps got loose again. This time the farmer checked him over carefully. "That damned apprentice has hexed you somehow. We'd better get back in a hurry."
They made it back just barely in time to keep Nate from slipping out of the cavernous harness - he was probably a yearling, half his original size. As soon as they stopped, Nate changed back to his human self - for only a minute. He was no more than four or five years old, and almost immediately changed back to the colt. He tried a few more times, become successively younger boys, until he collapsed to the ground as a newborn foal. "Quick! Bring Sarah out." The farmer sat next to him, cradling his head. Sarah? Who was Sarah? Heavy footfalls were the answer as a Clydesdale mare was brought to stand over him. Nate had only another minute to stare up as the animal's belly from the outside, and then all went dark and warm and wet. He was inside the mare's womb, her heartbeat thudding around and through him. He could feel himself still regressing, and wondered if he would indeed end up in a stallion's testicles. And then what was left of him drifted into sleep.