Reaching the dark side of the moon

by The Psychopath

Transportation and acquisition

Pain...that was all Layda felt. She couldn't open her eyes, and when the pain would dumb down, another "crack" or "snap" would bring it back in full force. She didn't know why, but she couldn't feel her body. At least, not in the same way as before. This was a dream. She was certain of it. Only, it was one of those dreams where your brain would actually simulate the pains in unknown ways. These were things she was definitely certain of. None of her dreams had ever come true, and she wouldn't let them take over her hopes of an adventure.
Pushing powerfully on her arms, Layda lift herself up slightly, only to fall back down on her stomach with a loud thumping.

"What's going on? I...I can't feel my fingers, or my feet for that matter..." *snap* " AGH! What is this? I couldn't have fallen down the stairs or something like that, could I? Hnngh. I'm...going...to...stand...UP!"

With a huge amount of strength, Layda pushed herself up, but, she couldn't move her legs, and her eyes remained shut.

"Come on you stupid eyes. Open up! Come on! Open!"

Layda started to clobber herself on the head, not paying attention to the apparent solidity of her hands. However, she did notice that there was some form of growth on her forehead.

"What the? What is this? A...a horn? Then..."

"Yes. That wasn't a dream. I keep my promises."

"Cosmos?"

"Perhaps I should help you with your new, magnificent eyes? Here we go."

"OWOWOWOWOW! Why does it hurt so much?"

"This is your new body. Of course its going to hurt. Now stop complaining and look around you."

At first, everything was a paining white to her eyes, but the surroundings started to take shape...even if it was just blurs at first. Layda wanted to rub her eyes to make the pain go away, but Cosmos wouldn't let her. As the images started to solidify, the woman found herself in a strange room. It was dark, and it seemed that there were signs of a small battle here. She was, if barely, standing on what seemed to be a slightly elevated podium. The windows around were mostly danged and turquoise in color. Vines stretched and crawled all along the walls and floors of this gray stone room. But, perhaps, the most disturbing part of it was the mark all around Layda. It seemed that there were black scorch marks that encircled her entirely.

She tapped them a few times, only to notice that her hands had turned into hooves within some type of silvery-blue armor. She had a sudden realization, and the sudden intake of air was met by her checking what she had become. She was now the pony resting within her inner world. She even had a tail! The only problem was her inability to properly move her hind-legs.

"You...you really did exist. And now I'm you? I must be the most beautiful creature in existence." Layda said in joy and awe.

The sound of Cosmos clearing her throat in certain embarrassment at this comment was soon followed by some words of counsel:

"Yes...well...I thank you for your generosity towards my looks."

"No problem. Everything I'm saying is true." The woman shouted proudly.
"Seeing as you were some sort of bipedal monkey, you must not have any true control on these new additions to your body."

"No. And don't call me a monkey again."

"My apologies. In the meantime, perhaps I should help you walk, then you can ask me some questions."

"I only have one, but please help me with these legs. It's annoying to see the hind ones just lying there like strings."

"...Well then. We shall begin. As you know, this is MY body, which I have now given to YOU. It is certainly...no...it IS the best of this world. Your soul and mind are not accustomed to it, so you must stop everything you are thinking of right now, and allow both mind and body to grab the "strings" of your new appendages and connect them to the rest of the cloth."

"That's a weird way of thinking." Layda said as she tried to look at her head.

"Just do it."

"Fine."

After an eye rolling, the new "Cosmos" closed her ocular organs once more and followed the true Cosmos' directions to the letter.

"Good. You are a natural at this. Now then, breathe calmly and slowly. Let the warmth of the moon-light reach into you and fill you with strength and power. Become a body within your body. Yes. Good. Now, stretch yourself. EVERYTHING! Let your whole body of old intertwine with your entire body of new. Grow your new wings and horn. Learn to walk as if you had returned to infancy. Let the starry mane and tail of your body flow freely in the night as you become one with the cosmos. Magnificent."

A little turquoise glow came from behind Layda's eyelids, and she quickly opened them to notice that she was standing up properly. She flexed her hind legs with a smile, and even flapped her wings a bit. The only thing she still couldn't control was her horn and...did Cosmos say her mane and tail?

"Hey. You said that your mane and tail were appendages?"

"No, but you are quite insightful. I will teach you how to control them...in time. Your horn as well, but, for now, you must learn how to fly."

"Fly?! I love flight! I'll be able to see everything from up there in the sky...I suddenly feel extremely warm. Is the sun out?"

"No. It is the moon. I am a being who takes her powers from that celestial object. You would do well to remember this, as it might aid you in the future."
"
Okay. So...how do I do this?"

Layda started to flap her wings crazily, expecting to lift off the ground and start flying like an expert. All she did was grunt and tire herself out. As she panted there, a facehoof could be heard.

"Not like that you foal! Spread your wings out, then keep them straight and flap once. Every time you start to fall, flap them again. When you must flap your wings again, bend them towards your body, then reach up and push them down once more. It is not that hard."

"Pff. Says you. You were born with these things. I wasn't. Humans aren't exactly "fly-worthy"." Layda complained as she worked with her wings.

"So I've seen. So? Are you lifting off yet?"

"There! Woah!"

The new Cosmos was flying, but barely. She couldn't exactly keep her balance and kept flying towards the walls and roof.

"Steady now! Your body is your control. If you tilt to the sides, you'll fall towards them. Think of your wings being a boat, and your body is the rudder."

"I did have a knack for driving boats...*shrug* into other boats and into walls."

"Ugh. I will take control of your wings for the time being. Just get out of this place. I do not like it here."

The woman crocked an eyebrow and tilted her head as she stared upwards again.

"Does it have something to do with the scorch marks over there?"

"Yes. Let's just say that they are the reason I no longer have a body." Cosmos seemed to emanate some anger at saying this, but Layda gave a smile and smacked her chest, giving off a metallic echo that bounced around the walls and finally traveled through the staircase in the distance.

"Don't worry. For what you have helped me with, you can stay within my inner world as long as you like. You have my trust and my body."

"T-thank you very much."

"Well then, let's go. I won't ask you about the scorch marks, but it would just be nice enough to see this new world from your perspective. Especially with these new eyes."

The true Cosmos chuckled, and Layda started to go down the steps of this place, occasionally tripping over but catching herself before imitating a slinky going down the circular stair-case. This place was in great ruin. Massive portions were taken over by nature, while others were just great holes which bore through walls and ceilings alike.

"Wow. This place has seen better days. So...are we there yet?"

"Just climb those set of steps over there and reach the roof. Be careful though. That roof is quite unstable and could easily break under your weight."

"You callin' me fat? 'Cause this IS your body after all." Layda spewed out while climbing up some more circular steps.

"Ugh. Just get up there, and I'll fly us towards the closest settlement."

"Are there other alicorns?"

"No. We are only four, as I have learned."

"OOO! So I'm a super rare kind. Awesome. Ah. We're here."

Indeed. Layda had finally reached the roof. It really was a mess. She kept tripping on some collapsing portions of it. This place was actually a castle in ruins, and all around it stood trees as far as the eye could see. Places where towers used to stand laid in broken ruins, as if something had snapped them off. Vines climbed all over their new territory like an invasion of an ants. Pieces of broken glass laid strewn about, victim of the foul powers of nature. This place truly was nothing but a ruined form of its true self. As Layda looked around this place while the bright white moon and its stars shone their pure light on the surface of this world, the woman heard flapping noises and noticed that she was starting to elevate ever higher into the air.

"Huh?"

"I've taken control of your wings. As long as the moon is out, I can help you fly until you are ready to do so."

"Oh...well thanks a lot. This still feels weird knowing that I'm not controlling a part of my body. That, and you gave me a heart-attack when I stepped in the moonlight."

"..."

"Yeah. Anyways, where are we going?"

"Somewhere. Look off into the distance."

It was very beautiful. It was autumn, and the trees were shedding their leaves. Of course, the nighttime didn't help them, so Layda couldn't see the colors properly. She still appreciated what little she saw, however. And the height she had gone to showed just how vast and varied this world was. Several mountains everywhere, someplace on mountains very far away that shone brightly. Even the clouds of this forest were quite beautiful. The woman couldn't help but smile like a little girl at these wonders. One little problem started, though. She had left the forest, and the moon suddenly and abruptly disappeared, leaving way for an empty sky that was just barely filling with light.

Suddenly, Layda's wings started to flap ever more slowly. She soon found herself beginning to fall, and tried her best to control these appendages, although she was now falling forwards at great speeds.

"H-hey! What gives?"

"I told you. My powers only work when there is moonlight. Now that the morning is rising, I don't have any control over your body. Just don't die here. You don't want your little adventure to truly BE little, do you?"

"No." Layda said in panic as the wind blew hard in her face.

"Good! Don't forget that your body is the rudder. Just try and land somewhere where damage will be a minimum."

"I'm not sure that will be of my choosing."

Layda really was clumsy with those wings. She found herself tilting randomly to the sides as she tried to balance herself. Evidently, Cosmos was going to be of no help as she gave out nothing but silence. The new Cosmos was going to have to deal with this on her own. She wasn't going to stay high in the air for long as she continued to tumble towards a tall hill.

"Great. So the last thing I'm going to see is a barn and an apple orchard...such VARIETY I've had here. Screw it. I'm not flying anymore. I'm pretty sure I can't die or be truly hurt here."

Layda crossed her forelegs and started to pout as she continuously spun and flipped towards the barn. Surprisingly for her, she had the reflex to put her wings in front of her body as she slammed through the roof of the red barn, falling through the second floor and bringing a huge amount of hay with her. She moaned loudly as it sounded like she had broken something...again.

"What was that?" shouted a voice from outside.

"It came from the barn. Ah'll go 'n check it out sis!"

"No Applebloom! Wait!"

Comments

[nonameguy0010]

:D New chapter ftw!
I'm loving this story but I can't shake the thought that Nightmare Moon is tricking her somehow...

[Gyvon]

585396

Duh.

[OutrageousOstrich]

This will be...interesting.

[SkyStream]

why do all transformed humans crash into AJ's barn.... in around 80%of the cases....

[The Psychopath]

585882 It's just to show the reaction she is going to have after seeing somepony...who is very...tiny... Trust me. I had SEVERAL ideas of where she could land, and one of them involved Colgate...that one...I will never think of again.

[Zobeid]

> "No. We are only four, as I have learned."

Don't go confusin' me with yer fancy mathematics!

[The Psychopath]

586244 Fear

[SkyStream]

586244
you realize your fancy mathematics are actually right:
1. Celestia
2. Luna
3. Cadance
4. Nightmare Moon (when materialized)

[The Psychopath]

586267Yes! One more to join the World of Illogic!

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

585882 would you rather have them crash into Twilight's Library?

[verypeeved]

Layda really was clumbsy with those wings

i see she's also really "clumbsy" with spelling