//------------------------------// // Home and Hearth. // Story: BIZARRO Am NOT iN EQUESTRIA // by Hotel_Chicken //------------------------------// BIZZARO POV The sound of light giggling invaded my ears in the early morning as several soft feminine voices shushed each other quietly. The nearly silent adorable laughter slowly stirred me from my sleep, giving me enough energy to focus on the sweet sound and the feeling of air filling my lungs as I breathed. I unconsciously snuggled deeper underneath the covers of my bed, tucking my legs into my stomach so my boots wouldn’t stick out from the other side of the comfortable blanket. I let out a content sigh as I laid there peacefully and slowly drifted back to sleep. The weight of the blankets felt amazing, giving me an odd sense of comfort and safety as they covered my body, relaxing my mind while they were pressed against my costume. I got even more comfortable under the blankets by holding my Bizarro medallion closer to my chest in a tight embrace as I hugged it like a stuffed animal. The weight of my heavy eyelids allowed them to remained firmly shut as the tiny giggles continued before the squeak of an old door hinge told me that they were finally gone. I laid in bed comfortably for a few more minutes before my muscles started to feel stiff, forcing me to move them as I lifted myself out of my warm and comfortable blanket cocoon. I opened my eyes lazily as I looked at Applejack’s guest bedroom, I hadn't noticed the last night but it looked like somepony replaced the green wallpaper while I was out. The new wallpaper was a lot brighter and was a pattern of avocado and pear colored horizontal stripes that bathed the room in color. I also noticed that the holes in the tarps over the windows were patched up with random pieces of fabric. I enjoyed the new look of the room, the family must have been hard at work when I was out talking to Twilight and going to that party. The fact that I didn't notice how different it was spoke volumes to the fatigue I felt after talking to Darth Vader. I was so exhausted that I didn't even bother changing out of my costume when I got back to the room. Thankfully, that was all fixed by a good night of sleep. I had thought of striping down when I went to sleep, but decided against it since my clothes made me feel... Safe? I know it's weird but they just felt relaxing, like it was a set of armor I was protected by. It didn't hurt that I was pretty sure the suit was bullet proof like Superman's was, so in a sense it was better than armor. As I stretched my arms out I heard my bones pop for a brief moment with each stretch creating a orchestra of popping noises as I continued my morning routine. Running my tongue over my teeth, I tasted the horrible sensation of morning mouth followed by morning breath. I would definitely need to invest in a tooth brush or mouth wash at some point. When I took in a deep breath the familiar smell of bacon and coffee greeted my nose, along with the smell of something stronger that I couldn’t quiet place. The smell of delicious food gave me the last burst of strength and will power I needed to get out of bed and start the day. I threw the blanket off of my my legs and kicked them over the edge of the bed, causing the old springs of the mattress to groan as my weight shifted. Once my feet touched the ground, the floorboards also started to scream in protest at the additional weight added onto them. I then proceeded to pull my crimson cape out from under my pillow and attached it to my costume, the button locks snapping into place as I applied a small amount of pressure to them. Making my way to the door with all of the gracefulness of a reanimated corpse, I reached for the door and opened and walked down the hall. When I reached the stairs at the end of the hall I graciously stumbled down then, my feet hitting each step with a strong force as I caught myself, I made my way into the kitchen where the trio of fillies, Applejack, and Granny Smith were. Taking a free seat next to Applejack I smiled as Granny Smith placed a plate of bacon and apple pancakes in front of me. “Thank Granny.” I quickly said to Granny Smith. "Yer welcome Bizarro, help yerself ta seconds if ya want any." Granny Smith said as she nodded appreciatively. Soon after that she left the kitchen with a ball of red yarn in her hands and I started devouring my heaven sent breakfast. I quickly shoveled the food into my mouth to fill my nearly empty stomach, going to sleep without having dinner was definitely not a good idea on my part. I was so absorbed by the mouth watering food that I didn’t notice the giggles from the three fillies or the odd look Applejack was shooting me. “Uh, Bizarre?” Applejack asked, causing me to divert some attention away from my breakfast as I continued to eat. “Did ya look at yerself in the mirror this morning?” She asked. I paused for a moment as the fillies began to really struggle with their laughter. While two of the trio were literally biting their lips to stop their laughter. After licking my thumb and rubbing it on my face, I was able to see a splotch of fresh ink on my thumb. I grabbed one of the spoons off of the table to look at my inverted and misshapen reflection, allowing me to see a black circle around each eye. I was a little upset at first, but that was quickly drowned out by the amusement I felt at looking at the three mischievous fillies. I soon found myself in a similar predicament to Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo as I struggled not to laugh, which eventually broke their resolve as they went into a chorus of laughter, thus breaking my own resolve as I laughed at the absurdity of the situation. “Alright, who am wise mare?” I asked jokingly. Instantly Applebloom and Sweetie Belle pointed a finger at Scootaloo. “T-traitors!” Scootaloo shouted in mock anger as she attempted to stop laughing long enough to talk. A small smile wormed it’s way onto Applejack’s face as she took a sip of her black coffee as she watched the scene carry on like a passive observer. We continued to laugh like idiots for a bit before we finally settled down after I wiped the ink off of my face with a washcloth from the sink. “Hey Mr. Zarro,” Applebloom said as she took a bite out of her pancakes. “I was just wonderin’, where’d ya go yesterday? Ya didn’t come back ta the farm till way past bedtime.” “And how would you know that?” Applejack asked as she took another sip of her coffee. “Ya did go ta sleep at bedtime, right sis?” She rhetorically asked with an all knowing raise of her eyebrow. Applebloom lowered her head a little as she looked at her sister with worrying eyes before Applejack chuckled. “Relax Sugarcube, I’m only messin’ witcha. Though, I do have ta agree with Applebloom on this one Bizarre, where the heck’d ya go yesterday?” Applejack asked me. “Um…” I said as I hesitated. How could I tell them that I met the ghost of a Sith Lord and has a nice conversation with him? Thankfully, Applejack dropped the issue as she shrugged and turned back to her coffee. “Ya don’t ‘ave ta tell me if ya don’t wanna, Bizarre, just tell me how long you’ll be gone next time. We were all a li'l worried about you.” She told me. I nodded my head my head as I agreed to at least tell her that much next time, if I knew how long I’d be gone at least. “Ok. Me sorry Bizarro worry you.” “It’s alright, Bizarre. Now eat up, breakfast is gettin’ cold.” “Thank Applejack.” I told her as I took a delicious bite of my bacon, savoring the crunchy goodness as the flavor danced on my tongue. Through the kitchen window above the sink I could Big Mac working on the fields picking apples from the trees. A quick use of super hearing confirmed that Granny Smith was inside the parlor knitting while she rocked back and forth on a rickety chair. I wilted a little bit as I heard her slow heart beat in near synchronization with the ticks of the second hand on the clock. I wasn’t sure how fast an old woman’s heart should beat, let alone if it was the same for mares, but the slow rate of her beating heart made me uneasy. It reminded me just how old she was, and how much longer she’d be around for Applebloom, Applejack, and Big Mac. I was lucky to have my Grandma on my father’s side and my Great Grandma on my mother’s side lived to their early 90s before they left, but it still hurt when they were gone, it hurt Lilly the worst however. While I was old enough to understand death and know that their time was near, Lilly was too young to understand and not emotionally mature enough to lose her Great Grandma and Grandma in the span of two years. The worst was when Grandma Pepper died. It still haunted me to think about my last moments with Grandma. She was living all the way in Portland, Maine when she got really sick and we didn’t have any time to buy a train ticket and see her before she passed away. A few hours before she died my uncle put a phone next to her so Lilly and I could tell her how much we loved her. The slow and raspy breathing from the other side of the phone was haunting, her throat struggling to let air in as she listened to us speak. She didn’t even have enough strength to talk back when we called her, and our uncle wasn’t even sure if she was awake since she lost the energy to open her eyes a day prior. But the way she breathed when we spoke told me she knew we were talking, her weak breathing turning into painful wheezes as we talked about how we’d see her soon when we went up to meet her. She died later that night after getting a call from her best friend in New York, my uncle thought she was waiting to say goodbye to us and her friend before she decided to leave. My thoughts of the past were interrupted as Applejack tapped me on the shoulder, breaking me out of my daze as I looked at her. A concerned look was etched on her face, as well as the three fillies in the room who all looked at me with worried eyes. “Ya’ll okay, Bizarre?” Applejack asked me. I nodded my head as I tried to chase away the thoughts that had lingered moments ago. “Y-yeah. Me just remember something… It not important.” I told her as I continued to eat my breakfast with a little less enthusiasm. Applejack and the others clearly weren’t convinced but decided to drop it for the time being as they returned to their own meals. Regular conversation started up again soon thankfully, filling the air with something more than the sound of silverware hitting plates. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were talking to each other about what types of Cutie marks they could try to get, making a list with the first one being a "list making Cutie mark"' I jokingly said they could get their Cutie mark searching Cutie marks, which got a good laugh out of everyone present. "Hey Bizarre, ya mind walkin' Sweetie Belle home while I take Scoots to her relatives? I know Rarity wants ta see ya so she can get ya some new threads." Applejack told me. “Winter’s gonna start up soon, so she figured ya might wanna go over an' get something comfy ta wear for the weather. The pegasi are plannin’ on startin’ this winter off with a pretty chilly storm. Ah think we’d all hate fer ya ta be out there an get sick cause of it.” "Hmm. Me could use more clothes." I said as I took a tentative sniff of my costume and recoiled in disgust. Dammit! Why don't I learn!? I inwardly groaned as I nearly gagged at the offending odor. "She might alsa make ya somethin' festive fer the holidays." Applebloom added on. "Holidays?" I asked. "Yeah, Hearth's Warming, the time when all the pony races came together to fight off the wendigo. Didn't you celebrate it before?" Scootaloo asked as she raised an eyebrow. "No, am it like Christmas?" "What's that?" Sweetie Belle asked. "It am holiday back home. Fat stallion named Santa Clause am climb through your chimney and place presents in trees and stockings.” I explained. "So ya have a holiday where a stallion breaks into yer house, puts presents under yer plants, and then goes through yer clothing and fills them with presents too?” Applejack recapped. Well when you put it like that of course it'd sound weird. "Mostly." I shrugged. "Huh. Weird." Applejack stated, and left it off at that. Afterwards, the terrifying trio caught me up on Hearth's Warming and what it was all about. Apparently there was a terrible blizzard caused by the vengeful spirits of dead soldiers who fed off of the hatred and animosity the pony races had against each other. The blizzard only ended when the leaders of the three pony races and the representatives for the thestrals and crystal ponies came to an agreement about one thing, how much their situation sucked. Apparently their hatred towards the cold outweighed their hatred of each other, giving them a common enemy to focus on as they began to devise plans to survive the seemingly endless winter. While their skin froze and their breath grew cold, their hearts thawed as they worked together, allowing them to slowly forget the differences between them as they learned more about each other. When unicorns ran low on magic, earth ponies showed them how to make fire with their bare hooves, when the pegasi's water for cloud production was contaminated the unicorns taught them how to purify it using a cauldron and a fire, and as the earth ponies grew tired and weak the pegasi taught them how to lift more with less effort by using pulley systems. Their efforts to help each other only grew when two ponies came to them in their desperate time of need. One of the ponies was a teenage pegasus filly with no wings and a beautiful white mane, while the other was a slightly older unicorn stallion with golden eyes and a broken horn. Under the leadership of the unicorn stallion, the ponies worked harder to help each other in their desperate hour of need as the pegasus filly fought off against the wendigos with strange magic. Once their hearts melted the frigid winter, the mysterious visitors left, leaving the earth ponies and pegasi to clear the snow without the use of unicorn magic, as those who still had some left needed to use it to change the day but still helped even without their magic. Thus creating Hearth's Warming and Winter Wrap-up. I wasn't sure how much of the story was true, but I took it to be more of a symbolic story than a historical one, though in a world where fantasy and history could be synonymous it could have gone either way. It was weird to hear so much about their history and holidays, it was another reminder that they were real, that all of this was real. It was almost like listening to all of Trixie's fantastical tales about her astonishing performances across Equestria. Listening to her tell stories about her performances and looking at how vibrantly she would smile always lifted my spirits and reminded me of the positives of her cartoon counterpart. I guess, in a way, I was kind of using Trixie as an anchor to Earth, something to remind me of the cartoon my sister made me watch with her. And the more time I spent with Trixie, the more I felt like I understood her cartoon counterpart, like I was preforming some weird in-depth character analysis. It was stupid and selfish I admit, and it was wrong to keep drawing comparisons between Trixie the pony and Trixie the cartoon character. But I kept doing it because... Because I didn't want to think of this as something real. Even after Princess Celestia told me that I couldn't go home, I wanted to think that this was all a dream, that I was just stuck in long weird episode of Equestria Girls. I wanted to believe that this was all Trixie's adventure, it was just her spinoff movie or show, and once the credits rolled I'd be free. But this was all real. Real world, real problems, and real troubles. A real world that was really dimensions away from my old home. I tried to push those thoughts of home away from my mind and I fell back into the lull of typical morning conversations about how well we all slept and what out plans were for the day. The rest of breakfast went by quickly as I ate three servings of pancakes and bacon. I knew I'd probably have to do some exercise or something later if I wanted to keep my Bizarro abs, but that was a problem for future me, and he could suck it up and get the job done for me. Once all of our plates were practically licked clean, Applebloom said goodbye to her two friends as Applejack and I escorted Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to their respective homes. About halfway into the market district, Applejack and I split up which left me alone with Sweetie Belle as we walked through the streets of Ponyville. "So, do you think you'll be celebrating Hearth's Warming this year, Bizarro?" Sweetie Belle asked me as we rounded another corner. "Me not sure." I replied hesitantly. I didn't really even want to think about the holidays, especially since it meant my family was probably going to spend their first Christmas without me soon. "Why?" Sweetie Belle innocently asked. "It... It because Bizarro am not have family here." I said as the cheerful demeanor I was able to hold up immediately dropped. It was a hard thing to think about, and an even more difficult thing to admit out loud. I was living an almost perfect fantasy without the people I wanted most to be there. I could lift a building, fly through the air, shoot ice beams out of my eyes, but I could never tell my family I loved them ever again. "Oh... I'm sorry, Bizarro." Sweetie Belle apologize. "You no do wrong Sweety. Bizarro am just... in bad place right now." "You mean you don't like Ponyville?" "No, no. Me no mean place literal, me mean head in bad place." I explained. "Bizarro am love Ponyville, it am nice and happy... But, it am just not home..." "Well... Could it be your home?" She asked with a little hope in her voice. I considered her words for a moment as I thought about my situation. People said home was where the heart is, but I left that with my family back on Earth, could I really just start a new life here in a world where I wasn't even myself? The powers and responsibility that came with them were a good distraction from my thoughts, but they had all lost their ability to take my mind away from Earth a while ago. Even the promise of traveling through infinite realities quickly lost it's charm as I thought more about what it meant to go to the other worlds. If I couldn't return to Earth then what chance was there I'd ever return to Ponyville after being summoned? Darth Vader was stuck in this dimension after I summoned him, would I be stuck in the next Dimension and then be sucked into another one, would it just be a constant cycle of going from one Dimension to the next? Would I ever see this Ponyville again? I glanced at the direction of Ponyville Hospital, worry and dread filling me as I looked at the tall white building. The high I got from Darth Vader promising me that I could be a hero made me too rash and I jumped at the opportunity before I asked any questions. Now I would be losing another home if I couldn't return to Ponyville. I'd lose all of the friends in an instant, I'd be alone, I'd be leaving them like I left my family. Did I even deserve the right to call this place home if I'd just be leaving it? Did I deserve to call the ponies here my friends? "Me no know Sweety... Me no know..." RARITY POV The sound of a singing coffeepot filled the air as I entered the kitchen to take the pot off of the burner with my magic. It was a beautiful morning and I was waiting for Bizarro to drop off my sister soon. After the party was over Applejack called me on my brand new rotary phone and told me that the girls had met Applebloom and hit it off wonderfully. In fact, they all wanted to have a sleepover at Applejack's for the night. I was completely fine with Sweetie Belle staying over and Applejack told me that Ditzy Doo was alright with Scootaloo staying the night too. It made me happy to know that Sweetie Belle was fitting in nicely, especially since she only had one Pony she knew here aside from myself. It was a new experience for her to be so far away from Manehattan, but I was confident that she would fit in nicely once she expanded her group of friends. As I waited for my sister to return home I was relaxing in my kitchen, busy at work sipping coffee and sketching a design for my latest dress. My quill danced across the pages of my sketch book as the coffee I was drinking gave me an extra bit of energy to really give it that pazzaz I wanted all of my dresses to have. I smiled and hummed a happy tune as I looked over the design for my dress to the Grand Galloping Galla, a nice pink ballroom dress with golden frills that broke up the intricate pattern of diamonds and gems I had sewn into the dress. I added a beautiful dark red sash to the waist that matched the color, accentuating my slim figure underneath while complimenting the color of my dress. Of course there would be a few changes along the way, I was still unsure about where I should add the design for my Cutie mark, and I was reconsidering the idea of adding a tiara to my dress, I could probably wear it if I also brought my Element to the party. A question for later since I would need to see it in person to come to a final decision about the design. While it may look nice on paper the real test would be seeing how it looked on my body, I was certain that I could win the heart of any Stallion there if I wore a fabulous dress. Who knows, if I was lucky enough perhaps I would be able to snatch up Prince Blueblood, he's been elusive to herding for years, either never successfully going on enough dates to herd or never finding interest in anypony who could put up with him. But I could do it, I was determined to! After putting away my sketches and finishing up my coffee the bell above the door of my house chimed as my sister's voice rang out. "Rarity, I'm home." I followed her voice to the shop portion of my home/business where I found her and Bizarro marveling at one of my lovely dresses that was on display. "Did you have fun yesterday, Sweetie Belle?" I asked my sister as she took her attention away from my dress. "It was so much fun! Scootaloo and I made a new friend and we formed a club. We're calling it the Cutie mark Crusaders!" She told me as pride and joy swelled in her voice. It was nice to know for sure that Sweetie Belle was fitting in and I was ecstatic to know it was an easy transition for her so far. As Sweetie Belle and I talked about her time over at Applejack's house, Bizarro was occupying himself by looking at some of my winter themed clothing with a peculiar look on his face. His eyes seemed glazed over as he stared at the festive colors and patterns of the clothing. He continued to look that way as he lazily looked through all of the clothing racks until he stopped on a flannel shirt that had a red and black square plaid pattern designed into it. It wasn't one of my favorite pieces since I was never a fan of plaid but Bizarro seemed enraptured by it as he stood there looking at the design. While I admit that maybe, maybe, Bizarro could pull off plaid I doubted that shirt would fit him, after all that shirt was several sizes too small for his muscular physic. But, if he wanted, I could surely resize it to fit his muscular frame, the only problem would be incorporating that symbol Bizarro wore on his costume. Maybe if I put it on a pair of pants to go with the shirt instead. A problem for later assuming he even wanted that shirt. When I finally wrapped up my nice conversation with Sweetie Belle she ran upstairs to her new bedroom so she could call some of her friends back in Manehattan after she promised me she wouldn't hog the phone line for too long. Once she was gone I decided to talk to Bizarro and see if I could get him to wear something festive for the holidays. "So, Bizarro, do you see anything you like?" I asked. Bizarro simply shrugged his shoulders as he responded quietly. "They am nice..." He said in an empty tone. This was definitely different than what I expected, Bizarro usually had a smile that could rival Pinkie's at times, even with his unsightly teeth. But for some reason Bizarro wasn't his usual fun loving self. I could feel sadness, fear, and dread radiating off of Bizarro like an unstable and overclocked enchantment circle. I was about to put a hand on his shoulder to see if I could console him on whatever was bothering him, but once I stepped closer an unequisly scent assaulted my nostrils causing me to step back and cover my nose. "Good Heavens, Bizarro! I don't mean to sound rude but when was the last time you changed?” I asked as I pinched my nostrils shut. Bizarro cringed at my reaction, adding on a sense of guilt and self-reproach to his ever-growing pile of negative emotions. "Uh, me think two days?" He hesitantly answered. I had to suppress the urge to shout as I contemplated what he said. “Bizarro do you… Do you sleep in those clothes? You at least take off some of it right?” “.... No.... Me wear it all." He answered quietly. “Really? Not your outerwear, your boots, or your cape, right?” I asked for clarity. “No, Bizarro wore it all to bed last night." "And... you haven't thought of taking them off?" I asked. Bizarro looked like he was about to answer before he hesitated for a moment, biting his lower lip as his eyes darted around the room nervously. I had a feeling I knew what was going on with Bizarro, I had seen the signs before when my... when somepony I... knew was abducted by changelings. She went through a similar experience, causing her to wear her shoes to bed too. She would also sleep with a dagger under her pillow, a rotary phone right next to her bed, and a crossbow hidden in the closet. She was terrified of going through that again, and so was Bizarro. I, like all my friends, felt absolutely horrible about what happened to them and none of us could do anything to help. I knew it was definitely taking a toll on Twilight since she blamed herself for nonexistent ifs and hypotheticals. If she succeeded in sending Trixie packing without Bizarro then Trixie would have suffered more, if she had only insisted that they take the train then they could have avoided those changelings, if she did this or that; it was all adding onto her pre-built guilt. I knew that Trixie was struggling too with her current condition at the hospital, but I never expected Bizarro to be so affected. I don’t know why but I just thought he was alright, but he clearly wasn’t. Sleeping in his full suit with his boots on only meant one thing, he was prepared to spring out of bed in a moment’s notice to defend himself. "Bizarro, why don't you get washed up for a bit and I'll prepare something nice for you to wear." I offered kindly, hoping that maybe a shower would calm Bizarro's nerves, or at the very least provide a distraction for his mind. BIZARRO POV The warm water traveled down my large frame, washing over the toned muscles of my new body like water traveling down a series of rivers. I lathered my hands with a bar of pink soap and scrubbed away all of the dirt and grease I had neglected to wash off after coming back to Ponyville. With everything that happened to Trixie it had slipped my mind the first night, and the second night I was told there really was no way home and I'd be sent to other worlds, possibly unable to return to this one. It was all so much. A few months before all of this my biggest problems were saving up money for college, juggling school work and a part time job, and just getting through the hours of the day. But now my problems were much bigger, and they were too big for me. I was just a nineteen year old, I was going to turn twenty in a few months and celebrate with some friends by going to Wildwood. There was a little comic book shop on the boardwalk that I always loved going to, and afterwards I'd usually go into one of the arcades and try my skills at Skeeball. Now I wouldn't be able to see those things ever again either. While more thoughts of home ragged out inside my mind I finished my shower and walked over to the mirror. As the last bit of fog was wiped off of the mirror I looked my reflection and slightly recoiled at thing in front of me. I had only seen my new face a few times before I left for Canterlot, and each time I convinced myself it was a rubber mask that I'd take off when I got home. But now I was able to see that this was really my new face, the face of a monster. My legs shook nervously beneath me and I had to hold onto the sink below the mirror to steady myself, unintentionally giving me a closer view of my own hideous reflection. A light amount of stubble built up on my face after weeks of not shaving, barely concealing the cracked skin on my chin and cheeks. My eyes were a dull blue color filled with a deep sorrow instead of their old vibrant life filled demeanor, my nose was completely crooked and bent out of shape like I had been through several boxing rounds with a cinderblock punching me in the face. As I studied my features more closely several more flaws became apparent, such as my cracked and chapped lips, the rough texture of my skin, a unibrow was slowly forming between my eyes, a series of zits and pimples decorated my forehead, previously hidden underneath my unkempt bangs. I brought a hand up to my chin to stop my jaw from shaking in disbelief, earning a closer view of the gnarled cage of teeth in my mouth that were painted an ugly shade of yellow. I wasn't the most handsome person back home but at least I cold have been considered average, but now I was really a freak of nature. A freak who was far away from home.