//------------------------------//
// Homes and Responsibilities 
// Story: In the Clouds 
// by Thought Prism 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight's horn dimmed. "Ok girls, the spell should last for twenty-four hours. Have fun up there without me!"  Waving goodbye, she then turned and trotted back inside.

"Hope all your work goes off without a hitch!" said Applejack as the castle door thudded shut.

With a small 'alright, then', Applejack started walking as well, leading the way for Tamiyo and Fluttershy. It was a fine morning, with the warm sun on Tamiyo's skin contrasting with the crisp breeze.

Fluttershy's mane ruffled a bit as she turned against the wind to face her. "I'm glad you decided to come, Tamiyo, but you really didn't have to. Applejack and I could have taken care of this ourselves."

"Nonsense, I'm happy to help. Plus, I'd been meaning to visit Cloudsdale at some point."

Applejack twisted her head around. "The work'll go by faster with more ponies. And it's more fun that way."

"Well, yes, I suppose," said Fluttershy, her brow furrowing. "But Tamiyo hasn't even met my parents before."

Tamiyo chuckled softly. "It'll be fine. If they're anything like you, we're bound to get along swimmingly. Why are they moving, anyway?"

"That there's the kicker," Applejack answered. "Fluttershy's freeloadin' brother finally got his lazy plot out of the house and found a job, so now they can downsize."

"Cloud homes are also harder to maintain than regular ones, so having a smaller one will be easier for them," added Fluttershy.

Applejack snorted, shaking her head. "Dash don't seem to care about that, though. That mare has plenty of cloudworking skills and plenty of ego."

"Really?" Tamiyo smiled wide. "Does hers have something outlandish like flying buttresses that actually fly?"

"Ha, I don't think so," Applejack said. "It does have a half-dozen rainbow waterfalls, though."

Tamiyo facepalmed. "Why am I not surprised?"

All three of them laughed at that. 

Once all the chuckles had left her system, Tamiyo noticed that they were approaching a balloon pier. Resting on the wooden platform was a bright pink hot-air balloon, prepped and ready to go. There was no sign of the pony responsible. Though that was curious in itself, Tamiyo was too confused and excited to care. She hadn't been expecting such a mundane form of transport. It would be much more relaxing than the pegasus-pulled taxi she had assumed would carry her skyward.

One by one they entered the basket, and with a tug on a rope from Applejack, they were off. Tamiyo gazed downwards as they ascended, watching as the town slowly shrunk. Leaning over the edge a bit, she took in the magnificent view of the snow-capped buildings and joyful denizens. In her peripheral vision, she could see Applejack doing the same thing.

"I reckon seeing the world from this high up really puts things in perspective," she said suddenly, holding a hoof to her hat.

Tamiyo glanced over to her for a moment. She supposed Applejack was right. For those confined to one world, such was the only real way for the true scale of existence to make itself known. "It does."

"Makes me grateful for family, ya know? More so than usual, anyway. Can't lose yourself if you've got kin to keep you on the right path."

She sighed. Applejack was certainly wise beyond her years.

Tamiyo couldn't make out individual ponies on the ground anymore, the height and the sun's glare making it harder to see. She pulled herself fully into the balloon again, sitting on the floor. Applejack turned with her, and looked like she was about to ask Tamiyo something, but kept quiet.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy's eyes were trained upwards on the approaching mass of clouds. Her tail swished back and forth slowly, perhaps in anticipation, nervousness, or both. She could always fly ahead, but Tamiyo supposed she just didn't want to, for her own sake or theirs.

Save the wind and the flames of the engine, all was silent. Soon, the details of the city were coming into view, and what a city it was. Enormous layers of puffy cumulus stretched higher still into the air, and covered an area many miles across. Spiraling, wispy pathways connected the various platforms, supported by towering columns. All manner of cloud buildings sat upon them.

"It's beautiful," Tamiyo said.

"If you're partial to white, I suppose," said Applejack.

"I was never really a big fan of being so high up," added Fluttershy.

Applejack snorted. "Not to mention the complete lack of critters, right?"

Fluttershy nodded. "That too."

"Not everything needs to be beautiful in the same way, or to the same eyes," Tamiyo said. 

This thought switched both of her new equine friends to a more introspective mood. The silence returned, with only the sounds of breathing passing through their lips. Applejack steered the balloon in past the city's limits, the contours of which now loomed across Tamiyo's entire field of view. Pegasi of all shapes and colors flitted about through the sunkissed sky. They came in for a slow, gentle landing upon a small patch of wood amidst the clouds: another airship dock.

Fluttershy and Applejack disembarked onto the clouds with little ceremony, the latter likely having made this trip before. But when Tamiyo followed onto the plush surface displaying equal nonchalance, Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow, Tamiyo. Most ponies get a little scared stepping onto clouds for the first time. I know I would be, if I wasn't a pegasus," she said.

Oni dung, Tamiyo cursed inwardly. Of course a travelling unicorn wouldn't have done this before. Soratami, yes, but not unicorns. She'd gotten too used to being forthright here. How could she talk her way out of this one without lying? Suddenly, the obvious solution came to her. "I can see that." 

Fluttershy huffed adorably as Applejack laughed. A smile crept its way back onto Tamiyo's face.  	

Now, Fluttershy led the way through Cloudsdale at a modest pace, quietly pointing out various landmarks (skymarks?) as they went. Among these were a Theros-style coliseum for hosting athletic events and a sprawling weather factory. Tamiyo was hoping she could pop in for a visit to the factory at some point, unique as it was. Perhaps next time.

As they beheld the city, so too did its citizens turn to them with curious gazes. She and Applejack were somewhat out of place, Tamiyo reasoned. She assuaged their tensions somewhat with a few friendly waves at passerby as they moved along. 

Applejack's expression grew inquisitive. "It's funny, despite all those books, you didn't strike me as the city-hoppin' sort of traveler, Tamiyo," she said. "I got the impression y'all were more appreciative of the great outdoors than Twi', at least."

Tamiyo tore herself away from the scenery in full. "Oh. That's mostly true. I do prefer field research much of the time." She sighed. "This place just brings back memories."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Of what?"

She clicked her tongue. "Well..."

Fluttershy broke the ensuing awkward pause with a quiet 'ahem'. "We're here."

Tamiyo glanced back up. They were now standing in front of a periwinkle abode with a cloud roof and purple trim. A large stack of empty boxes could be seen through the open windows.

Trotting up to the door, Fluttershy carefully knocked twice with her hoof. Shortly thereafter, it swung open, revealing a pair of perky pegasus ponies. 

"Oh, hello, Fluttershy," greeted her father, with a voice little more than a whisper.

Fluttershy pulled them in for an affectionate embrace. "It's great to see you."

"I missed you too," said Mrs. Shy, equally quiet. She then extricated herself from the hug, facing outside. "Come on in, you two."

"Yes ma'am," said Applejack. "If you'd like, we can get started on the packing right away."

"Oh, that's not necessary. Relax a bit first. It must have been a long walk," Mrs. Shy said.

"Nonsense, there'll be plenty of time for that once all the work is done," said Applejack.

She wing-shrugged. "If you say so, dear."

Taking that as a sign to proceed, Applejack started walking into the house. Fluttershy and her parents parted to make room, and Tamiyo followed in shortly after. She could see their family resemblance to Fluttershy the moment they opened the door, but her parents were also almost comically similar to their daughter in terms of mannerisms too.

As Tamiyo watched Applejack size up the task ahead, Mr. Shy approached her. "I don't believe we've met, actually," he said. 

She dipped her head politely. "Tamiyo. Fluttershy and I just met recently."

"Well, any friend of my daughter's is fine in my book," he replied. "Thanks for helping us. I hope we aren't being much trouble."

Tamiyo waved it off. "It's fine, really."

An exclamation from the other side of the room drew their eyes away. Applejack was delegating jobs to everyone present. The Shy couple would be sorting their possessions into the boxes, while she, Fluttershy, and Applejack would carry everything over to them. Since this was a good idea, there were no objections, and certainly none from Tamiyo.

Soon, Tamiyo lost herself in the rhythm of exertion as she set about systematically dismantling the house. However, this didn't stop stray thoughts from popping into her head when prompted. A framed photo here, a childhood memento there, and her mood had slowly turned melancholy. Precious memories of her own were bubbling up inside, no longer suppressed. Her family must have been feeling the same sort of longing for her by now. She'd been gone for a while, she hoped Genku wasn't worrying too much.

Ever perceptive, Applejack noticed almost immediately. As they passed eachother in the hall, she raised a hoof out to stop Tamiyo in her tracks. "I know that look. Seeing all this treasured stuff, plus everything from earlier... you're homesick."

Tamiyo shied away. "Yes. I am."

She set down the large jewelry box on her back. "Then you should go home. It's that simple. Trust me. Twilight and the others will understand."

The mare had a point. Tamiyo had already been in Equestria for a few weeks now, and the nightmares and flashbacks echoing her recent travels had stopped. She'd recovered. The reason she'd come here was all taken care of. She'd have to leave everypony here, but Tamiyo had always known that. "You're right, Applejack."

She smiled, eyes gleaming beneath her hat. "How's about we finish up here first, then we can all send you off tomorrow?"

Tamiyo imagined her eyes now gleamed too. "Sure."