Back in the village, the combined teams were helping to prepare the evening meal, now that Chris and Fred had got the fire going again in the village square. Those who were not involved in the preparation of the food were either seeing to their horses, or – as in the case of the sulking Aiko – were moving into one of the village bungalows.
If what Amanda and her team say is all true, Aiko will just have to accept the situation…, Chris thought to himself as he looked for Amanda. Of course she’s right to be angry and upset, if we really can’t go back home. I am! But what can we do about it? Get the centaurs to pray to their new goddess in their church, and demand answers? I’m not a religious guy myself. And I’m not going to take my frustration out by picking a bone with someone! We need to be focused and work together…
It had been agreed amongst them all to serve the food in shifts. Marcus, June, and Jenny were the cooks for the first shift – and they were now serving Chris and several of the humans and centaurs. Then Chris would join Luke and Snow in serving those who still needed to eat. Thankfully, the bungalows still had (bone and metal) cutlery, and ceramic plates and cups. The centaurs hadn’t been without some forms of industry – which meant there were some forms of mines and other settlements around, somewhere.
During the first shift, Amanda sat and ate with him, catching up each other’s lives since they last spoke, nearly a fortnight ago. Then, as his girlfriend started to get teary about what they had both lost, Chris hugged her. To steer her thoughts in a different direction, he urged her to introduce him to each of her team as they walked around the small crowd, so that he would remember their names and learn something about the former human or former horse. In turn, he introduced her to Fred and Zoey. Jenny was already known to Amanda – and the two ladies chatted amicably for a few minutes.
During this session, Amanda voiced her worry about Lucy and Ben being absent.
Finishing their meal of roasted meat and corn, followed by apples, Amanda decided to join Chris in helping Luke and Snow with the serving of food and water to those now coming to eat. Aiko had now appeared, but she said nothing other than “Hog”, as Amanda served her the choice between venison or hog. Otherwise, the Japanese student just gave her and Chris a dirty look, before slinking into the gathered mass of centaurs and humans who were getting to know each other under the darkening skies.
And then suddenly, it happened.
Chris felt his feet begin to swell and turn hard. There was a swift onset of pain around his pelvis, and his legs now ached. It was as if something within his body was eager to burst out.
And it did.
“Chris…?” Amanda trailed off, seeing the expression of pain on her boyfriend’s face – just before his trousers and shoes were abruptly torn apart, to release his swiftly-transforming body. As his ruined underwear fell down, the emerging nubs that were now visible grew out into the beginnings of his new forelegs – whilst Chris’s original legs reshaped and sprouted brown fur, and grew new joints, muscles and bones, as they lengthened. Also, as he fell onto his side, his original legs were being pushed backwards along the ground – as he gained a new rapidly-expanding trunk underneath his stretching skin, which also become covered with short, warm-brown fur. Chris yelled, feeling his insides forming a second pair of vital organs inside his new, emerging equine torso. At the end of his now-longer spine, his new horsey tail was forming. Meanwhile, Amanda found herself frozen - like a rabbit caught in headlights - as she gazed at the sight of Chris’s now-larger manhood. Or rather, malehood. Her lover was now hung like a horse. Literally.
Jenny and Aiko screamed, whilst those gathered looked on, wide-eyed. Snow had already quickly trotted aside and pulled Amanda back, so that Chris had enough room for his new form to expand and take shape. Amanda herself was struck dumb.
A minute or so later, it was done. Luke squatted next to him.
“Welcome to the haras, brother Chris! Are you okay now?”
“I…think so. The pain is fading…,” Chris wheezed, as his half-pointed ears twitched. His searching eyes found Amanda as she knelt down before his face and took his questing hand.
Then one of the horses screamed. Amanda instinctively knew who it was.
“That’s Daisy! She must be transforming, as well!” she cried out.
“We’ll go and see to her, Amanda. You stay with your man!” June responded, as she and Bolt clip-clopped over to the barn.
Next, another horse at the barn whinnied and then screamed. The crowd became agitated.
“It’s May!” Bolt called back from the edge of the barn. “She is joining the centaur herd, too!”
“May? My baby!” Jenny shrieked. She dropped her plate, and ran off in the direction of the barn.
Amanda’s heart leapt into her throat. She trembled, wondering if her time as a human being was now up. But she wasn’t feeling any swelling or pain. She then cast her eyes across the humans in the village square, now all frozen with fear. A minute passed. Then two. Aiko, Fred, and Zoey seemed to be unaffected. There was nothing being heard from Jenny. Then who would be the human to transform at the same time as May…?
“Oh, my god. It’s going to be Ben…,” Amanda whispered.
She looked down at Chris as his grip slacked. He had passed out.
***
On the hill ridge, Lucy had just removed Ben’s glasses and put them aside, before resuming her exploration of Ben’s nipples on his now-naked chest with her fingers and lips. In turn, he was tickling the sensitive spot he had discovered on the back of Lucy’s waist – where her white and brown speckled fur began. Lucy giggled and Ben grinned at her – both of them now fully at ease with each other.
“You are beautiful, Lucy,” Ben told her. “Your stomach muscles seemed to become toned since you transformed. Did you know?”
Lucy blushed, but smiled back. “Thank you. I’ve noticed that on the other centaurs too. It seems to come as part of the package after being changed.”
Suddenly, they both heard the screams of Chris and Daisy – followed shortly after by May’s cry.
Lucy felt her half-pointed ears twitch. “Three…? But then there must be a fourth about to transform…”
Ben suddenly stiffened in her embrace. “Oh god, Lucy! It’s going to be me! I can feel my new hooves starting to form. Pull my clothes off m-! Aagghh!”
“Ben!” Lucy panicked as her boyfriend’s shoes, trousers and underpants began to tear apart – giving way to the sudden, released pressure as Ben’s body rapidly grew and expanded. In a flash, Lucy got him to lay on his side, just avoiding his glasses – whilst his legs quickly reshaped and expanded into the rear legs of a horse, his feet already remoulded into hooves. Meanwhile, like Lucy and the others before him, the growths above his pelvis emerged and grew out, to form first a pair of hooves, then the entirety of his new forelegs. Lucy squatted down on all fours and held onto Ben’s head and squeezed his hand, whilst watching his trunk swiftly become elongated, pushing out his backside and rear legs, to form an equine torso, as a disconcerting series of ‘snap’, ‘crunch’, and ‘pop’ emanated from all along Ben’s now-larger body, announcing the changes in his ligaments and skeleton – even as his second set of vital organs came into being. Within the next minute, Ben gained a fine coat of short, chestnut fur that covered everything down from his waist to his rear – where a horse’s tail now twitched. Next his ears became somewhat pointed – but as with Lucy herself, Ben’s ears remained where they were, thus allowing him to still wear his glasses.
Ben’s eyes were now closed, as he moaned and wheezed – exhausted by the transformation. Lucy took that moment to let go of him and shift her position. Just as Amanda had done with Chris, Lucy’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of Ben’s newly-formed equine phallus and balls. Her heart hammered – partly out of concern for Ben, but also out of excitement. She sucked in her breath, sweeping her gaze along her friend’s half-human, half-horse body.
Ben is now a centaur stallion…! My centaur stallion…
Taking a series of deep breaths to calm herself down, Lucy lay down on her side so that she was once again in front of Ben. She held him close and kissed his forehead.
“Luce…?” Ben groaned.
“I’m here, sweety. You were there for me when I changed – and I’m not leaving here without you! How do you feel?”
“I feel like a worn-out elastic band. Or I would, if elastic bands had feelings…,” he muttered, managing the ghost of a smile. “Am I…?”
Lucy beamed at him. “You are a centaur, Ben. Just like me. And you’re got toned stomach muscles – same as the rest of us who’ve been transformed.” She patted his new abs, to demonstrate her observation. “You’re now hung like a horse, by the way. And you are a gorgeous-looking centaur,” Lucy whispered to him as she brought her lips to his, kissing him with affection, whilst she lovingly ran her hand through the brown-haired mane of the latest centaur. “Welcome to the haras, Ben!”
“Thanks Lucy…,” Ben breathed. “What breed am I?”
She grinned. “Trakehner.”
“Good enough…” He squeezed her other hand, before losing consciousness – though with a smile still etched on his face.
***
Amanda stood in the barn, staring at the curly, silver-haired, newborn centauress on the ground before her and June. Daisy was examining her acquired, furless, human half in wonder, flexing her fingers and thumbs, and tentatively touching her breasts, arms, and face. She then felt the beard of Bolt, who was squatted down besides her, and smiling as he welcomed her to the centaur herd.
“Mistress Amanda…?” Daisy croaked, trying to get used to speaking with human vocal cords.
Amanda knelt close by. “Just call me ‘Amanda’, Daisy… You are a sentient being now. I’m not your owner anymore.” Then she directed her attention to Bolt, narrowing her eyes. “I know you’ve hoping to become Daisy’s mate, Bolt. But the pair of you have a lot to learn about being half-human. If you hurt or distress my former horse in any way… Well, as soon as I grow hooves, I’ll be coming to kick you with them! Understood?”
“Understood.” Bolt bowed his head. “Do not worry, Amanda. I will be good to Daisy.”
Meanwhile, there was another scream from May, close by. June had untethered both Daisy and May – and now those present watched, as the latest horse to form a human head, torso, and arms, continued her transformation whilst laying on her side, buckling and twisting. The upset Jenny was knelt before May, trying to keep clear of her thrashing horse’s forelegs even as she held May’s now-hairless face. Then it was over. May had turned into an attractive redheaded centaur mare. She panted for breath, and then smiled at her former owner.
“Hello, Jenny… Do not worry. The pain is gone, now.”
“Hello May,” Jenny replied, crying tears of relief. She looked at the others. “You really weren’t making this stuff up! Those magic changes… So…, we’re all going to end up as centaurs, in order…to repopulate this world.”
“Yes,” a male voice answered.
Bolt and the ladies present turned towards the speaker, Lightning. And at that moment, the rope tying him to a post suddenly unravelled itself and dropped to the hay-strewn floor.
“What the…?” Jenny exclaimed.
“Magic?” Bolt suggested.
“Amanda… Please follow me,” Lightning asked her, as the stallion walked freely out of the barn.
Amanda and the others in the barn who had human faces looked at each other in bewilderment.
“Stay here. Look after each other,” Amanda ordered them. Then she followed Lightning outside. He trotted over to a large nearby building, and stopped to look back at her. Amanda took the hint and walked forward to unbolt the wide double doors of this building – which they had only investigated earlier today.
It was evidently the village church.
Stained glass windows set in the stone walls depicted centaur hunters, farmers, musicians, and citizens – adults and foals. There was a desk with books on them – and there was a sturdy wooden block behind the desk, which was probably a seat for whoever acted as vicar or whatever title the centaurs used, Amanda noted. Whilst the congregation area had chalk lines to get the public to line up, in lieu of any pews. Amanda had already looked at the books. Some contained sheets of what had to be music, whilst others were formatted similar to the bible. She couldn’t read the writing, of course.
As Lightning walked inside, a puzzled Amanda used her pocket lighter to set the wick inside a nearby lantern alight. Then, in the semi-gloom, she followed the stallion’s gaze to the stained-glass window at the far end, behind the ‘pulpit’. It depicted a beautiful, naked centauress with wavy corn-yellow hair, who held a bow in one hand and a loaf of bread in another, as she faced the onlooker with a gentle smile.
“The goddess Epona… I sensed her directing me here. She wants us…both present,” Lightning managed to say.
“Why here?” she asked him.
“So that you can…summon her to this holy place. I sense that…she is sorry…for taking us all, against our will,” Lightning answered.
“Damn right!” Amanda yelled. She walked up to the depiction of the centaur’s goddess, and waved the lantern in front of her in her agitation. “You and the last centaur couple are somehow responsible for snatching us away from our lives and homes and families, aren’t you? Well, thank you for bringing Chris to me – but now he and my horse are both centaurs! So, what you are waiting for? I’m ready now! Turn me into a centaur, too, so that I can mate with my boyfriend! After all, I’ve already got a mane…”
She was interrupted by Lightning neighing, then crying out in pain. Amanda spun round to see Lucy’s horse collapsing onto his side – then thrashing and kicking out, as his equine head and neck began to change shape. His eyes gradually shifted to the front of his face as the muzzle swiftly shrank. Clumps of fur fell off him, and the now-hairless horse neck started to form his emerging shoulders and human chest…
Amanda put down the lantern and turned back to the image of Epona, praying that this time she would get to be the human component of the pair to undergo the change, and join the haras – along with Lightning. Sealing the completion of her team all becoming centaurs.