Mike reared up in panic, terror filling his heart and mind. He did not want to be a horse! The young Knight on his back tried to grab hold, but slid off his back to land with a loud clank and thud.
"Whoa!" The Wizard fell back, also startled, but then made a short gesture with his cane. Almost instantly, Mike felt the blinding terror subside into a more manageable fear that left him quivering, but no longer violent. "What is the matter!?" The Wizard looked confused. "I gave you exactly what you asked for. Why are you upset?"
Mike tried to speak, only to whinny and snort instead. He heard the Knight rise and clank over to place a calming hand on his side. "Easy boy, it's OK."
Then the young mage rolled his eyes. "Sorry." He made another gesture, and Mike felt a tickle in his throat that did not quite go away. However, this time he found he could talk, though his voice was now more like gargling.
"I didn't want to be a horse!"
The mage frowned. "But you said you wanted to be a Shire stallion!"
Mike felt frustrated. "I didn't think you were serious!"
"You came in here looking for a wizard and went along with a boy who said he wanted you to be his warhorse. You even chose the breed." The mage looked both frustrated and angry. "How can you possibly not think any of that was serious?"
"I didn't think it was..." Mike stopped himself. What? Real? After Tye had warned him, after Mike had gone from being a human teenager to a massive centaur? "Umm, I'm sorry. I wasn't, um, quite ready." It was really strange not to have hands and arms, and vision was weird. But at the same time, he found the sensations of his fully equine body interesting. This could still be fun.
That seemed to satisfy the wizard and he visibly relaxed. "Well, I am sorry if I didn't give you enough time to prepare yourself. When someone asks for a transformation from me, they usually want it right away. Are you OK now?"