Out of place; inspired by the colab ponyfall

"So what do we feel like doing today Twi?" I asked.

She held up a finger to her chin thinking. "Hmmm." She looked toward the window then the clock. "It's a little past noon and it seems like a nice day. How about we just go for a walk, maybe you could show me around some more."

"Sounds good." I said standing up.

She followed and I slipped on my shoes while handing her hers. We were set and ready and walked out the door, Twilight following close behind. We walked at a comfortable pace down the cement sidewalk looking around.

"You see that kind of stuff." I said pointing at a house with a rather done up yard. "I've always wondered what it takes to get a yard like that. I really like things like that."

Twilight held onto my arm. "It looks really nice." She smiled. "I wonder just what it would take too, I think I had a landscaping guide back at the library."

"Too bad we're not there."

"Yeah." Twilight said sadly.

I kept my gaze on her while facing ahead of us, cursing myself for saying that. "She really misses her home and friends. I feel like such an ass that I can't help her get home." I felt guilty that I couldn't take her back to Equestria. If I could, I would gladly do it and stay with her.

"Hey Twi." I said softly.

"Yes?" She replied, matching my tone.

"Just what do you miss the most?" I asked, thinking I could help replicate it for the while.

"...A lot things. Friends, family, my home at the library." She sighed and looked down at the ground.

I stopped and looked at her with a sad face. I pulled her close and hugged tightly. "Listen, I'm sorry alright, I'm sorry I can't do anything. I'm an asshole and can't do anything to make it better for you. I'm sorry."

She hugged back. "It's not your fault. You tried to help me realize it and I have to face things. I'm stuck here and there's nothing I can do about it. But I'm stuck here and I found you and that makes it as good as I need it to be."

I smiled at that and let go of her. She was right and I was too. She may be stuck here, but I'm making the best of it for both of us. We continued walking, Twilight staying a little closer. I pointed at a small robin. "That's our state bird." I chuckled. "They're pretty cool."

"State?" She asked confusedly. "What do you mean?"

I thought about how to word it right. "Well you see, the country we're in is called America, the Unites states of America if you feel like being technical, but America the same. America is divided into fifty smaller zones and territories called states. Each state has its own smaller culture, government, and history from the people that live there. The state we live in right now is called Michigan, and the bird that is deemed most special by this state is the robin."

She looked off at the robin and smiled. "America is a strange place."

"That, my dear Twilight, is oh so true."

"Do all 'states' have things like that?" She asked.

"Well, yeah, just about. Some are more known for things like nature, some for cities, some for a lot of things. I really like Michigan. You get a taste of basically everything. Nature, city, open land, coastal zones, hell we even border another country entirely."

"This place really isn't that bad when you think about it." She smiled.

Most of the time I never really cared to think about things like that. Now that I do, I really had to agree. "This place, as fucked up as it can be, really is great."

She looked around thinking for a moment and looked back to me. "Are there any other special fauna deemed 'state worthy'?" She asked as we rounded the corner.

"Oh tons. There's a state mammal, a state fish, a state reptile. This place is known as the wolverine state for christ's sake. Michigan is all about animals." Saying that made me think fondly of Kian and a certain pony.

She looked up and watched the sky for a few seconds. "Neat."

"What?" I asked turning my attention to her.

She pointed up to a cloud in a zig-zag shape. "Do humans shape the clouds here too?"

I put my arm around her opposite shoulder from me. "No, that's all natural. This is one of those rare moments that something really crazy happens and it's just plain cool."

"That's a bit of a frightening thought, but I still thinks it's pretty."

I looked up at it with her, having another one of those peaceful moments that you savor to the end.