One once called my love for those of the Equine world as issues! My glee at the realization of this my utmost desire and inner joy. I, me who love Shiek for all his wonderful years, now has by blind fate been given the form of him who I so loved.
As I scramble with haste and uncoordinated legs to stand and take my place in the new scheme of life, the Doctor yells, "Easy big boy take it easy!"
Huffing and puffing till the heavy breathing rattles out my nostrils as a pure equine snort. Again I snort and this feeling and sound pleased' me well.
As the jibble of doctor talk boils on in the background I begin to walk in small circles. The new agile feeling as one stands on four legs makes me well pleased too. I know that when on two legs I could out turn Shiek but this is just very comfortable. Wierd, this feeling of such balance of one's bulk form!
I know that the loss of hands, and arms will change the previously normal mobility, yet the way they feel and work seems so very right now.
As doctors talk of big plans I have but one plan for me and that is to live as Shiek did and enjoy. It took more than an hour before I noticed that the doctors had gotten taller or I very short.
As whinnie after high pitched whinnie finally broke into their big conferrence, they noticed I had an issue of my own.
My question was clear in the mind but I found myself trying to use human communication to tell or ask. A whinnied question is still a very animal type of noise to humans. Then whinnie mixed with snorting made me all the more agitated at myself and the doctors. I could not talk English with a long snouted mouth and rubber like lips made to grasp for food. I was beginning to have an issue now with my choice in going along with the experiment.
As some of the small minded Doctors laughed and jeered at my situation, one knelt down and tried his best to communicate.
As whinnies softened to almost whimpers and I rubbed my head against his thigh he somehow made to understanding.
"Small, you find yourself as very small?" he asked.
A pony knod of the head showed I could understand English yet. This got the small minded doctors jabbering again as the one Doctor reminded me of the test.
"Remember your pony Shiek?" he asked as I gave a knod.
"He was almost as tall as you were then, I mean you stood face to face height, right?" he asked again.
A knod from me again, and then I cocked my head in a questioning way.
"You remember him well, he was an American Shetland! That pony was a cross breed between an Arabian stallion's seed and a Shetland mare, thus a taller than normal Shetland. You are of purebred Shetland DNA and with the Actuator Serum you have become the proper size for a true Shetland pony. Presntly you stand about the height of a large dog but with bulk and muscle of the Equine world." he explained so very well.
Now I stood quiet and thought to myself the smallness on me compared to the life I'd expected.
Moments later the first of many halters were placed over my head and sinched down tight. Now I felt the beastial self if ever a mind could! My Doctor friend took the reins to me and led me out of the scientific lab and out to a, to me, tall barn.
Entering the barn at this level was indeed a sizeable experiance. One side offered tall hind legs of massive Equine animals which someday I might join. To the other side was row after row of small box stalls. In each of these stalls were I thought the volunteers. People, yet now finding either fear in having to live for a time amoung animals, or some like me who look forward to this special time.
We stopped at a pair of barn type Dutch doors and I pranced about with anticapation of entering my own stall. I think of the look gazed down on me by the friendly Doctor as the pony seemed delighted at living in a barn.
The door opened and like a shot I broke the rein from his grasp and darted inside. A turn of the entire body was needed to scan my surroundings. Oak planks made up the walls as straw covered the floor. I looked up into rafters filled with cobwebs and lingering dust. Four light bulbs lite the stall in a harsh light which when I glanced up stunned my new eyes.
A continued turn stopped me quick, a look toward the Doctor and a whinnie.
"Yes, they live in this stall too!" he said with a smile. Those four mares are to be the start of your heritage to the Shetland breed. Be kind to them as two of them were born human and signed long term contracts just like you. I'm sure right now that at least two of them are as scared of you and your abilities, as you are of being near them." he said with a smile and sound of humor in his voice.
The Doctor stepped out the stall as he closed the door. Suddenly an old man now stallion was alone with four pretty females.