Luna in The Mosque

by Wiz Ahmad

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Slice of Life, Human, Princess Luna
Length: 2848

Princess Luna falls into the rainy night sky of Abu Dhabi, and takes shelter in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

Side story to "The Shy Driver"

A hole opens in the sky and Princess Luna falls into the Earth sky, on a rainy night in Abu Dhabi. She then takes shelter from the rain and thunder in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Not the best idea.

Published 2016-02-16 00:50:11 UTC
Last updated 2016-02-16 00:50:11 UTC

A Day in the Mosque as a Pony

Author's Note

Got this idea on a whim one day and decided to whip it up at the chance I got. An accompanying story (not a sequel) to The Shy Driver.

No hate or prejudice against muslims or arabs or I will delete your comment/report you ASAP :flutterrage:

Good. Hope you like it. If you do, hit that like button and leave your thoughts (and improvement ideas :twilightsheepish:) in the comments! :twilightsmile:

A Day in the Mosque as a Pony

Luna fell down through an energy-filled tunnel, still unconscious as an aperture opened up and a large electrifying energy blast ejected her into a rainy night sky. Without having consciousness, she began to fall dangerously fast toward a large building with numerous domes that had large sharp points sticking out from their tops.

Either Luna’s nightly patrols back in Equestria or a guardian angel was by her side, because she missed a tall thin tower by mere centimeters. If she hit it she’d crack in two like a biscuit. The rain continued falling heavily, eventually awakening Luna. With a stretch of her wings, her eyes opened to witness the rock-hard yet moist ground she was heading for. Flapping her wings hard, she pointed back up to the sky and took off just long enough to regain her bearings.

The first thing Princess Luna noticed were the lights. It was the latter half of the night, yet so many lights were shining brightly all across the city. The rain drenched her short, soft fur, resulting in a damp, drippy Luna – almost like a full sponge or a soaked washcloth.

Shaking off excess water like a dog, Luna then took sight of what she’d nearly crashed into before. It was a building – and it was enormous, stretching hundreds of meters long and having countless domes along its length and several small ones around larger ones near the front, accompanied by a few very tall, thin towers. It was hard to miss with its smooth, polished pearl white color and intricate designs that nearly put Canterlot to shame.

“Hello?” she called out into the pouring rain. “Anypony there? Hello!”

The only reply was a crash of lightning, followed shortly by a vibrating bang of thunder. Luna flinched a little even though she was used to storms back in Equestria.

Hoping for some warmth and shelter, Princess Luna spread her soaked wings and flew around to the building’s entrance. There were two large, crystal-clear pools and two fountain beds, along with precisely trimmed leafy bushes and short palm trees. Even by night it already seemed like the most beautiful place on earth.

After a quick check to make sure no one was watching, Luna shook off as much water from her body, head, and wings as she could, and then darted through the very-tall arched front entrance.

It opened up onto a massive courtyard, decorated with the most fabulous flowery vine-like designs printed into the polished marble floor. All around there were long hallways made up of shiny white pillars with the same design as the courtyard floor. At the far end lay the main building, with numerous white domes and two tall thin towers.

“What is this place?” Luna wondered as she walked down the arch-lined hallway to the main part of the building. “It seems so quiet and lovely. Must be a convention or gathering center of some sort.”

At the far end, she discovered another entrance – this one leading into the main building. The floor there was all carpet, finely woven and designed in a breathtakingly fabulous manner.

I simply cannot allow that beautiful carpet to be wet and damaged, even if I am a princess, Luna thought. “Guess I’ll just curl up in this corner until my fur dries out.”

After some time the air became chilly, and even with the chirping pigeons and doves, the rain and the bright lights made it hard to sleep. Luna simply lay her head down and let her mane fan out across the cool marble floor.

Heat was the first factor in Luna’s rather rude awakening. The second were two men in guard-like outfits approaching her. Beforehand in the night, the climate had been harsh with heavy thundershowers and a fairly cold temperature. Now in the morning, it had become quite hot all of a sudden, besides the cloud cover. Stretching awake with an adorable yawn, she groomed her sparkly starry mane, blinked, and looked around. All the cold and pouring water from the night was gone, although there were still plenty of puddles scattered across the courtyard, which were being mopped up and cleaned by several people.

Unlike Fluttershy, Luna had known about humans before – from stories Celestia used to tell her, that they were deceptive, evil, and confusing. However, from glancing around at the people who were now walking through the hallways and the courtyard, talking amongst themselves and being seemingly content and happy, Luna saw no reason to fear them. But the men were getting closer, and they noticed her.

“Get her!” one of them shouted in a language that Luna couldn’t understand. All she understood was that the men didn’t like her and wanted her out.

But this is how I naturally am! she though sadly, darting into the main building – which, thankfully, was mostly empty, with only two or so people in the far southwest corner.

As she ran through the secondary prayer hall, Luna had a quick thought: They were all clothed. I didn’t have anything on. Are they in the wrong of not being ‘pure’ like me, or am I not showing respectfulness and shame?

Reaching the doors to the primary prayer hall, she noticed a row of doors to her left, with one leading to a flight of steps. Just then, the guards burst into the hall. Luna used her telekinesis to open the door and ran in, hiding behind the open door. She could hear the men’s footsteps as they approached the door, ready to throttle her or worse.

“Wait!” she called out just as they neared the doorway. The footsteps stopped.

“Why does thou fear thy princess of the night? Thou have no reason to fear me! I’m lost, actually.” Princess Luna spoke in her quiet, calm voice, the one she used when helping out the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The men then spoke from the other side, this time in English.

“You are not clothed appropriately. I’d kindly ask if you would do so immediately. Jazakallah.”

Luna’s mouth twisted at the mention of that last phrase. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but it what preceded the phrase that really struck home. She was the shameless one, and they were in the right.

“But, I…I don’t know how. Anyone who would be willing to show me?” Luna asked kindly.

So the men escorted her off the mosque’s grounds, and a nice husband and wife offered to take Luna in. Thankfully, they spoke English too.
“So, what’s your name?” the husband asked, as Luna rested on the back seats of their Nissan Patrol van.

“My name is Princess Luna. I am the princess of the night. Back where I’m from, I rule alongside my sister, Princess Celestia. Together we rule our land and establish justice and equality for all ponyfolk. She takes care of the day, and I take care of the night. There was one fateful day during an event when something really terrible happened, and I got seriously hurt. I can’t remember it exactly, but once it was all over, I ended up here.” Luna wasted no time explaining pretty much everything.

“I’m Rashid,” the husband replied. “It’s good to meet you, Princess Luna.”

“And I’m Amira,” the wife said with a smile. “It means ‘Princess’ in Arabic.”

So that’s the language that those guards were speaking! Luna thought.

“I actually like that building. What is it, exactly?”

Amira then told and explained to Luna all about religion, Islam, and Muslims. Luna was rather perplexed.

“I…never thought about life that way before,” Luna admitted as she walked with Amira to a large seamstress shop, which looked just as lavish as Carousel Boutique.

Amira took her order, and kindly asked for a nice night-themed dress to be made for Luna.

“Hmmm,” the tailor said as he measured her body and wings. “You’re quite human in your facial appearance but you’ve got the body and physical characteristics of a pony, an animal. I hope I’m not dealing with some super-talented crazy sorcerer in disguise here.”

“Oh no no,” Luna replied with a chuckle. “I am no sorcerer, I am a modest princess from another dimension, one with abilities and an environment much different than here on earth.”

Luna pointed out several aspects of the dress that she would prefer to have done in a particular way, and as noon approached, the dress was done. It had a fair amount of sparkly jewels woven into it upon dark blue fabric and lace, giving the same starry night sky look and feel that Princess Luna’s mane and tail had. He also left holes for her wings, and even made her a hijab – a plain-colored headscarf.

With the dress done, Luna really did feel (and look) like a true princess once more.

“Could we get something to eat?” Amira asked kindly.

“Sure,” Princess Luna replied, being careful not to tear or dirty her new dress as she got back into the Patrol.

Amira took her to one of the most lavish restaurants in the city that wasn’t too far away from the mosque – Festa Bakes & Grills.

“What would you like?” Amira asked, grabbing a menu pamphlet as they lined up to order.

“Let’s see what thy princess of the night would prefer…” Luna began, holding the menu with her telekinesis and flipping through it. “I’ll go with a Caesar salad, garlic bread, grilled sandwich, and a pineapple and sweet lime drink.”

Amira smiled. “All right then, masha allah. Such delightful choices! I’ll go and submit our order, while you can wait at one of the tables down there.”

Luna nodded and walked over to the array of tables, where it was quite noisy with many people happily talking among themselves as they ate their noon lunch.

Using some common sense, she arranged a few chairs in a row on one side of an empty table, and sat with her back legs tucked in and her front ones outstretched. Soon many of the children in the restaurant noticed her and came running over. Luna gave them all caresses and hugs, and told them a few jokes and stories, before Amira arrived with the food.

“I…really like this food,” Luna said, happily tucking into her garlic bread. “It’s so refreshing and appetizing.”

“Well, this is Abu Dhabi,” Amira replied with a proud grin. “Home of the world’s best food.”

Luna was just wiping off some spots of the Caesar salad off her cheeks when a distinctive call rang out in the distance, obviously in Arabic.

“What’s that?” Luna asked inquisitively.

“It’s the Islamic call to prayer,” Amira replied. “Come on, let’s get back to the mosque.”

Luna chewed on some gum on her way there to wash away all the garlic smell from her mouth, while learning how to respond to the call properly in Arabic.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to pray,” Luna said with worry as they re-entered the mosque. “I’m not even sure about Islam to be honest. I mean, it is definitely interesting, but…”

“—It’s your decision,” Amira cut in bluntly. “But I can teach you…if you wish.”

Luna sighed and smiled. “Okay, I’ll try.”

As the imam (leader of the prayer session) gave a brief reminder to all, Amira showed Luna how to position herself.

“Just put place the tips of your wings across your chest, like hands,” Amira instructed. “Try as best you can to follow along with the Arabic. We’ll take it up after the prayer, okay?”

“Allahu akbar. Alhamdulilah hirrabbil alamin, ar-rahmanirahim…” The imam made his takbir (the starting gesture for the prayer) and began to recite the first few ayahs of the first surah of the Quran.

Luna swallowed and nodded, keeping her mind and ears focused on every word he said. Even though she didn’t understand them, they still had a relaxing yet significant tone to them. It was as if the words, not the imam – were actually speaking to her. She soon noticed that certain body movements were made with particular gestures, and followed suit with the people around her.

“Allahu akbar,” the imam said. Everybody bowed down, as if before a king. Luna bowed too, just like she had done as a respectful gesture back in Equestria. While bowing, the people whispered a phrase of prayer three times in a row. Luna’s ears snapped to attention, and she tried to pick out the phrase and repeat it like they had done.

As the prayer progressed, Luna soon picked up the sequence, and felt more comfortable praying with them. Following the lead of others was one of the best ways to learn, and one of the most effective. By the time the prayer was over, Luna had picked up a few Arabic prayer phrases.
After finishing the Sunnah prayer afterwards like everybody else, Luna walked off to the side, where there was a shelf of books. Using her telekinesis, she pulled one off the shelf and opened it up.

Amira took one too, and they sat down together.

“What is this book?” Luna asked inquisitively. “It has a lot of interesting lines and squiggles and curves in it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s actually pretty elegant.”

Amira chuckled. “That’s how the Arabic language is written. Now, this is the most important book of all, one that we Muslims consider special. It’s called the Quran. Can you say that?”

“Qoaarrr…ran,” Luna said, slurring the words a little, trying to get the sound of the Arabic letter “Qa” correctly.

“Now, this book contains important stories of old that are not to be forgotten or mocked at,” Amira continued. “They are signs and warnings not to challenge, dislike, or hate Almighty God, and to believe in his existence and supremacy.”

Luna nodded. “Can you teach me how to read?”

Amira sighed. “We’ll have to start with the Arabic alphabet for that.”

Luna blew a lousy raspberry. “Thy princess can pass time until nightfall.”

So Rashid agreed to leave Amira at the mosque, while she went to the moqsue’s library, borrowed a few books and a small poster, and went through each stage of Arabic with Luna. She showed Luna the 29 letters of the Arabic alphabet, how to pronounce them, what the little dashes and curves on top of the letters meant, and how to construct words and sentences that made sense.

By evening, after a few breaks, Luna had gathered a fair amount of knowledge and was ready to read the Quran once more. It took some time, but she soon mastered Surah al-Fatihah, and could read it with ease.

As Amira and Luna walked around the courtyard of the mosque after the night prayer, there was a large noise and bright flash from above, and a blue cloudy hole opened up in the sky.

“There it is!” Luna said excitedly, pointing. “The entrance back to home!”

Amira sighed sadly. “I know we’ve only known each other for a short while, but, it’s gonna be hard to forget you, Princess Luna.”

Luna hugged her tightly and smiled. “Then don’t. Remember me as the one who took an interest in Islam when most just turned away from it.”

“Thank you, for being kind and considerate,” Amira said, already fighting tears.

“And thank you for teaching me Arabic,” Luna replied, releasing her grip. “Thy princess of the night must go now.”

“Long live Islam for all time!” Luna called back in her Royal Canterlot Voice, before darting into the portal, and disappearing without a trace.

After a crazy disorienting tumble through space and energy, Luna fell out of the portal and into the sky of Equestria. Thankfully, her dress was undamaged, save for a few nicks. Regaining her strength, she flew back to the Canterlot castle, her home. Celestia also was sitting on the balcony, watching the skies.

“Celestia!” Luna called out, flying down to the balcony.

Upon hearing the voice of her sister, Celestia rose to her feet and embraced her sister in a tearful hug that had not taken place since the successful defeat of Nightmare Moon.

“I missed you a lot, Celestia,” Luna said with tearful eyes.

Celestia smiled. “I missed you too. By the way, Fluttershy is back with us, too.”

Luna shot to attention. “Really?!”

Celestia looked straight back at her younger sister. “Really.”

Luna took off down the hall to the entrance, and flew straight back to the Friendship castle, while Celestia looked on in joy, yet bewilderment. Hang on a second? Where did she get that dress from?