Applejack slept very hard through the night and without any interruptions. The dream of Clyde meeting her long deceased parents and earning their approval was one of the best dreams she ever had. If she didn't know any better, Applejack almost assumed Princess Luna herself might have had something to do with it. Applejack only thought of that possibility due to strange shades of blue in her dream.

Whether that was the case or not, Applejack was grateful she did not have any nightmares. The mare slowly awoke from her slumber just as the sun was rising. Her body ached in from her fight with King Longhorn, causing her to struggle in getting out of the bed. Soreness or not, she managed to remove the covers and got out. Taking her time to make the bed, Applejack smelled a strong scent coming from the hallway.

Her sense of smell was just as good as anypony's and recognized it as coffee. And not just any coffee, strong country grade coffee that any Apple Family member would be proud of. Slowly walking to the hallway, Applejack stole a quick glance at the mirror and took note of her disheveled mane. Her tail was also messy and the tail band was missing, allowing it to freely move about. She figured it likely snapped off during her fight from yesterday and didn't care that her tail was freely flowing.

"Oh well, it's just breakfast with Braeburn and Strongheart. No need to get all dressed up."

Applejack made her way downstairs and walked into the kitchen. She expected to see Braeburn making breakfast as the sound of something frying on the wood stove could be heard. It wasn't unusual for an Apple Family member to fry some sort of fruit on a skillet. She could also smell something fresh being baked in the oven and immediately recognized it was biscuits. Her mouth was watering at the thought of having a simple, but very fulfilling breakfast.

"Now that's just what Ah need, a simple and honest breakfast." said Applejack.

"Ah agree, it's just what you need."

Applejack froze hearing the sound of a certain human's voice with her ears perking up in surprise. She slowly turned around and spotted the man of her affections, Clyde. He wasn't dressed up fancy as he had been near Daisy-Jo's house but rather wearing a simple white t-shirt, regular blue jeans, and a simple belt with a bronze belt buckle. His boots were off and to the side near the door, out of the entrance way. He wore simple clean, white socks that covered his ankles. He was not wearing his bandanna around his neck this time and his hat was off on the hat rack near the door with her stetson hat.

Applejack wasn't easily taken by surprise despite the fact Pinkie Pie tried spring surprise parties and failed. And yet, here was Clyde in the kitchen, cooking up a hearty breakfast as if her were member of the family.

"Did Ah actually die and go to the afterlife? This is prime husband material right before mah eyes!"

Applejack stared at Clyde which made the man chuck before returning to the oven. He put an oven muzzle mitten on his hand and reached inside, pulling out a pan. Applejack had correctly assumed were biscuits and they were just as amazing as Granny Smith's biscuits. He set them aside on the counter and went to frying apple slices. Before Applejack could say anything, he used a free hand and offered her a cup of coffee. It was freshly poured and the aroma was strong, which meant it was likely a blend from the southern area of Equestria.

"Go on and take a seat, Ah'll bring a plate out when it's ready."

"Eeyup, Ah've died and gone to paradise."

Using a free hoof, she took the mug and walked over to the dining table. After sitting down on the chair, Applejack continued watching the man as he cooked breakfast with purpose. She took a small sip of the coffee and enjoyed it. The brew was strong, which was just the way she liked it. It lacked sugar, cream, or any form of dairy addition and Applejack was happy about that. While she normally had her coffee of dairy products, Applejack wanted nothing to remind her of Cow Folks.

"Damn steers trying to take mah man and kill me! Ah've had enough of them for awhile."

Applejack felt a pang of guilt thinking negatively of the Cow Folks. If the country mare had said anything prejudicial about another species, she'd have never heard the end of it from her friends, especially Twilight Sparkle. She still felt guilty of her negative assumptions towards Zecora years ago, but thankfully, the Zebra mare never brought it up.

"Ah guess Ah got some Post traumat-ah....what did Twi call it? Post trauma struss...Ah heck! Ah don't know what it was called but Ah'll get over it eventually."

Her thoughts were interrupted as a plate was set on the table and she couldn't believe her eyes. Before her was a plate with two biscuits, fried golden delicious apples (likely from her cousin Golden Delicious' fields), and a side of scrambled eggs with a serving of apple jam to the side. It was a very balanced, very delicious looking meal that was completely pony friendly, and Clyde, of all creatures, made it especially for her.

Before she could speak, Clyde sat down and said, "Take yer time, and just relax and enjoy the food. We can talk later, but you need food after what you've been through yesterday."

And right on cue, Applejack's stomach made it known she was hungry. The mare blushed but Clyde simply said, "See? Just what you need. Don't be embarrass nor should you mind me. Go on, Ah'll wait."

Applejack didn't need any further encouragement as she said her thanks to Almighty Faust and began to dig in. She first started putting jam on the biscuits and took a couple of bites. It was exactly like a proper country should taste like, making the country mare happy. Clyde for his part simply took a sip of his coffee and relaxed, happy to see Applejack enjoying her breakfast. She tried her best to savor and not eat too fast, but her stomach made that very difficult.

The fried apples were just as she expected, they were clearly harvested by one of her cousins and tasted exactly what a proper fried apple should be. The scrambled eggs were also cooked to perfection and were soon eaten without delay. After only a few minutes, her breakfast was gone and her hunger satiated. The moment she took her last bite, Clyde snatched the empty plate and took it to the sink.

"Unless you want some more, Ah'm gonna go ahead and clean up. Anything you'd like?"

"He's willing to cook and clean? Neither my brother nor my other cousins do that stuff! Oh my stars..."

She blushed, "Maybe some more coffee?"

He nodded before taking the dirty dishes away. Applejack couldn't resist looking at his figure, absent of dirty thoughts. Instead, she admired how tall and confident he was in how he carried himself. She blushed as he eyes went half lidded while resting her head on her fore hoof. It had been a long time she had checked out a guy in the way that Pinkie Pie coined "lovey-gooey-special" kinda of way. She almost felt like she was school filly having her first crush and she was half embarrassed about it.

The man began to turn around with a fresh cup of coffee, and Applejack quickly went back to her previous pose. She was certain Clyde didn't notice her crushing on him and took the cup of coffee. Taking a sip of the brew, Applejack noticed that he took had a cup of his own. He gestured with his head towards the door and asked, "Wanna sit on the porch with me? Be nice to get some fresh air."

"Ah'd rather sit on your lap and bounce, my sweet strong man."

She nodded with a slight blush and said, "Sure thing."

Clyde then asked, "Ah just realized, there's chairs on both sides. Which one do you want? Front or back?"

"Ah really need to stop thinking dirty thoughts."

As Applejack purged her mind of rather "vigorous front and back activities", Applejack pointed to the back porch. The last thing she wanted to see was the various beings of the bustling around Appleloosa.

"Back please. Ah wanna have a quiet moment."

He nodded and said, "Ah understand."

He lead her to back and the two were greeted to a clear view of the desert and the picturesque plateaus far out in the distant view. The two found two rocking chairs and a mini table between them. Both set their coffee cups on the table and the two took their seats. Before Clyde could say anything, Applejack sighed in relief. Most of the time, she was too busy working the fields and only took breaks for water or to use the outhouse.

And now, it was just her taking the moment to be at ease. It felt like all was right, even if it was only for a short time. This didn't go unnoticed by Clyde as he asked, "Now that's he most Ah've seen you relaxed since Ah've met you."

She turned to pick up her cup and asked, "Oh? Have Ah come across all high strung and what not?"

He smirked before taking a sip and replied, "Ah wouldn't say that, but you certainly always came across as a lady with a lot on her mind. Then again, circumstances beyond mah control kept me away from seeing you in a nicer setting. Guess life is just like that Ah suppose."

Putting her cup down and looking into the distance, Applejack began rocking her chair back and forth. The sound of the chair moving on the wooden porch steps filled the air for a few seconds. Clyde carefully held the cup and carefully copied Applejack by rocking back and forth.

"Yeah, life is like that. It sometimes ain't fair nor easy. But-".

She turned to Clyde and said, "-it's the small moments like this Ah can enjoy."

She raised her cup with her hoof and Clyde smiled, understanding the gesture. The two clanked the cups and nodded in sync before turning their attention to view. After moment of silence, Clyde asked, "Anything on your mind you wanna talk about?"

Applejack took a sip and small smile formed on her face and asked, "Tell me more about yourself and your family. Ah know very little about you and that just don't sit right with me."

Clyde took a sip and stared off into the distance, not wanting to meet her gaze.

"Oh no. Did Ah get him upset? Don't see how Ah could."

"We don't have to talk about it. Ah just-"

Clyde interrupted and reassured her, "No, it's fine. Ah just miss my old home is all. My heart is still there and my family is on my mind all the time. But that's a fair question and Ah suppose now it the best time to talk about it."

He took a sip and sighed. Applejack felt a pang in her heart and sympathized with Clyde. If what Twilight Sparkle said about humans was true, then all humans on Equis are here against their will. The best she could do was listen be supportive, regardless of her feelings towards the man. She took another sip of coffee and paid attention to Clyde as he began his origin story.

And it would be one hay of story.

Author's Note

Short chapter but you guys have been waiting for far too long for an update. If you see any mistakes, please forgive me. I just wanted to get an update out for all of you guys. Part 2 will be up next. Thank you for being patient all these months.