//------------------------------// // From Saddle Arabia // Story: The Greatest Islamic Pony. // by Osama Bin Laden //------------------------------// "Gupta, you forgot your turban!" The brown stallion turned around quickly and cantered back into his small dirty, smelly hut. He was lucky that the Talonban wasn't patrolling in his small backwards village. They would've killed him for forgetting his little blue turban. "Dank you mother, I am truelly thankful that Allah has blessed me today with your intelligence." He replied, raising his hooves to the sky in respect to the great Alllah. "You are very welcome my son, for the Talonban would have skinned you alive like they did your father many moons ago!" His mother's heavy accent made him happy inside. He grabbed the turban, and placed it on his head. He felt like a king whever he wore his blue little turban. "Ok dear mother I will go to the great Equestria to discover what they have that we don't!" With that, he again cantered outside, heading towards the chariot stops. He passed many dirty ponies on his way to the chariot port. Many smelly gutters and stinky houses. His town was the best town in all of Saddle Arabia. He could feel the poverty in his hooves as he ran towards the chariot port. "STOP IN THE NAME OF THE GREAT ALLAH!" A large booming voice cried out from one of the dirty gutters that lined the street. Gupta turned in surprise, but was brought to laughter when he realized it was just his poor friend Ahmed. "Brother Ahmed, how are you this fine morning?" He called out as his friend took a roll of toilet paper and wrapped around his mane and head. "I am doing very well my dear friend, a little sick though." His nose was very red, his face was pale, and his mane was dirty. “Well friend, I must be going to the chariot port! I am going to the Great Equestria!” Gupta was so excited about his travel that he clapped his hooves together, but then remembered his lessons from the Quaran and ceased his clapping immediately. Ahmed stared at him with his mismatched red-blue eyes. “So,” he began slowly, “you think your trip is more important than me? Let me remind you of a lesson told to young colts and filles.” Ahmed then began to recite the well-known story of the villager and then old man which goes like, “When passing through a mountain pass, a bedouin (villager) once came across an old man who was blind and who seemed to be afflicted with various ailments all over his body. It was clear that he was wasting away. He was even paralyzed and was constantly forced to remain in a seated position. The Bedouin could clearly hear him say, "All praise is for Allah, Who has kept me safe from ailments with which He has tested many among His creation; and He has indeed preferred me over many among those that He created." "My brother!" exclaimed the bedouin. "What have you been saved from? By Allah, I think that you have been afflicted with every single kind of ailment!" "Go away from me," said the old man, as he raised his head, and shook his mane. "Do I not still have a tongue with which I can pronounce His Oneness, and with which I can remember Him every single moment? And do I not still have a heart with which I can know Him?" These words of the old man were enough for the bedouin to repent to Allah for his sins and ask Him for forgiveness.” Ahmed then started up, “Remember, there is always someone else who is in more problem than you.” Gupta sighed, “Dear friend I know that story well, but the Great Allah would want me to go to the Great Equestria as soon as I can!” Shaking his filthy mane, Ahmed said, “Allah says in that story that you should pay attention to me! Now where is my curry!” Gupta’s friend cantered off in search of his spicy cuisine that seemed to have gone missing. Gupta chuckled under his breath, as to not alert the Talonban, as his friend staggered off. He refocused and trotted towards the chariot port once more. The building where he would be traveling came into sight, but to Gupta's dismay, the Talonban had set up a road block. They were also searching everypony who came through the block. There were AK-47's in the talons of the fierce Talonban fighters who had repelled the cowboys from the west. 50 caliber machine guns mounted on stands scared the little Gupta to his little hooves. This was a problem. Shakily, Gupta made his way up to the fierce griffins of the Talonban. "STATE YOUR NAME AND YOUR PLACE OF BIRTH!" Screamed the griffin who was manning the gate to enter the chariot port. "Ummm... it's Gupta Rajan and I was born in Stables of Allah in Saddle Arabia." "Welcome BROTHER to THE chariot PORT!" A larger griffin had flown in front of the shaking earth pony and extended his claw. "MY name IS raj THE terrrible. I'M in CHARGE of THESE infidels." He said, motioning with his claws that everyone was an infidel. "Sir," Gupta began," arent the only infidels the evil Celestia and harlot Luna?" "FOOL!" Raj cried, raising his claw to the sky Then he took off leaving Gupta confused as a camel in a spaceship. "Don't mind him," said the original gate guard, "he gets a little bit crazy sometimes." The griffin opened the gate to let Gupta inside the chariot port. "Enjoy your flight friend of Allah!" The guard was a nice stallion. But, as soon as Gupta was inside, a mare had walked up to the gate without her headdress and was shot 6,00 times because of her infidelity. Gupta scurried into the chariot port waiting area, and sat his backhooves on a couch to rest for the trip. He then laid himself prostrate on the ground and said the daily prayer, "Subhaanak-Allaahumma, wa bihamdika, wa tabaarakasmuka, wa ta'aalaa jadduka, wa laa ilaaha ghayruka." Then he removed his turban and slept.