Paradox curled up on the ground, the barn was warm and the ground was soft. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting sleep overtake her.
Her eyes flipped open and suddenly she was in a house. There was a young man with bright silver hair that she immediately felt attached to and two small children that ran through the hallway to sit at the table. She stared at them, an unnatural smile on her face. They weren't hers, they didn't carry any of the equine genes at all. She didn't catch a scent from anything around her, and realized she was in a dream. She reached over and patted the heads of the boy and the girl, before taking her place at the table.
She folded up her legs so she could fit decently and ate the bread and eggs the man seemed to prepare for them. He spoke to her from across the table, his voice thick with love and affection. She wanted to give him a confused look, ask him what on earth he was talking about. Instead a gentle, "I will miss you, My Love," escaped her mouth. She couldn't believe herself, what was going on? After breakfast, she stood and started gathering up the dirty plates and brought them over to the wash basin.
The two children chased after the man and they hugged him. She watched this, a large smile on her face that felt both normal and yet alien to her. So he was their father, and after speaking to the children, it was implied that she was their mother. "I love you," she called after him as he left the house. The two children ran towards her and wrapped their little arms around her legs. She bent over and nuzzled first her daughter and then her son. "Good morning little ones," she said affectionately. "Good morning Momma," the children said.
She showered them in licks and kisses, making them giggle in delight. "Who wants to pick blackberries today?" she asked eagerly. The children jumped up and down with large smiles on their faces, feeding off their mother's excitement. "Okay, go get your baskets," she said, tapping their rumps playfully. They ran off and brought back three wicker baskets in their hands. She opened the door and the three walked outside. She closed the door and looked down at the children fondly. "It's a long way to the berry patch," she said slowly. "Would you little ones like a ride?"
The question wasn't forced, its sounded like something she said more often than not. In her mind, she knew it was crazy and preposterous. Centaurs didn't give anyone rides unless it was an emergency, and going to a berry patch did not count as such. Against her will she bent down and picked each of them up in turn. Her daughter held tight to her son, who had his arms wrapped securely around her waist. It was then she realized that instead of her usual shirt, she had on a light cloak and an apron. She looked at it oddly before being forced by an unknown force into a gentle trot down the lane, the children on her back bouncing lightly and giggling in her ear.
She flicked her ears back and smiled. For fun she would periodically stop, or speed up, or slow down, or go in a tight circle. The children seemed to enjoy this and she made sure to be very careful with them. They seemed to be able to handle themselves well, as if they rode horses often. Or she took them riding often. At last they reached the berry patch, the dark green bushes almost taller than her and she lifted the children off her back. They dispersed happily in the leaves on the hunt for the dark berries.