Five years earlier.
"She is a remarkable girl" said Zoanna. "So talented!"
"Thank you" said Mika "Perhaps an archmage in the making!"
"If you don't mind me asking" Zoanna trailed off.
"Her origin? Not at all." Mika replied. "It's rather an unusual story, though."
He turned to Ander. "Remember Sebastian?"
"Of course. I always assumed you eventually turned him back. Sweetie" he gave Zoanna a pat "Sebastian was this farmboy who planned to use the rock of changes to take over the world. I know, take a number and wait in line with everyone else. Anyway, Mika turned him into a molly mule."
"Right" resumed Mika. "And after a couple of years I figured he had learned his lesson and I would change him back, so I did. But the funny thing is, it turned out the reason Sebastian was such a jerk, according to him, was that he was never comfortable in his own skin. She liked being a female equine, and begged for me to change her back, except for one thing."
Obviously, thought Zoanna, he wants to be asked. "That being?"
"Mules, as you know, are sterile. Sebastian wanted the full experience. She told me how depressed she was seeing pregnant jennies and mares or their foals. So rather than turn him back into a molly mule, I made her a very pretty mare."
Luka was blushing furiously.
"Now, Luka and I had been talking about a sister for Maurice. So when Basia, as we now call her, came into her time I turned Luka into a stallion and let nature take its course. Then, when Basia's filly was weaned, I turned her into a human girl, Anna."
Ander laughed. "So, how did you like it, Luka?" he asked.
Luka laughed sheepishly. "It was fun, but I don't think I'm ready to start a new career as a stud horse."
"Does Anna know all this?" asked Zoanna.
"Of course. She knows that Basia is her mother and Basia's foals are her womb-brothers and sisters. We're careful to mate Basia only with other transformed humans or pure-blood descendants of transformed humans, so they all have human-level intelligence. I also managed to slow down Basia's aging, so she'll have close to a human life span."