Rainbow Ponies series: Glowing Moonstone
Greetings, most honorable guest! I am pleased to have you here at my shrine, as it not often we receive guests from beyond the walls of Hoofkaido. It is a beautiful building, is it not? A magnificent red pagoda, with such a lovely zen garden, and that Torii gate outside the entrance. The faithful leave their prayers on small scrolls written in kanji, hopeful that their prayer requests will be answered by B'zekre. Horsemasterism has it's own special flavor here in hoofkaido, with many different kinds of meditation and prayer rituals, combined with-
Oh, I am so sorry, I am truly ashamed I did not introduce myself first. My name is Moonstone, and I am the rainbow monk of this most humble and venerable community. I sense you are on a pilgrimage across the Confederacy to all the horsemasterist shrines, and hope you will find your visit here to be spiritually rewarding experience. This blue mare with a ringed planet cutie mark grew up in this very city, and most humbly requested upon the completion of my monastic studies that I be allowed to return and serve the town of my birth. I have always felt the spirit of the horsemaster moving in everything around me, and I was mos happy to be called into her divine service.
Oh, you're wondering about that reliquary up on the high altar? Oh yes, that hold the bones of Princess Luna, the great alicorn who is seen as the protector of the night here. Oh, I am well aware Luna is not a recognized horsemasterist saint- let alone the fact she wasn't even a horsemasterist, period- but our faith teachers that the alicorns are specially chosen to guide ponykind, elevated to enlightenment by B'zekre, wither they know it or not. The ponies of Hoofkaido have long felt a connection to the moon above, and so on the night of the Lunar festival will come before this altar, and offer their veneration and petitions before this shrine to the spirit of the moon.
Yes, I myself have felt a connection with her, as well. As a little filly, I always felt more alive at night, when the lovely moon above was shining down upon me. The daytime is like an unfriendly stranger, so I usually sleep though it's bright and burning light, if I am able to. I leave the sunrise services to my acolytes, and see to the nocturnal ceremonies and functions. I just love composing haiku that sing the praises of Luna's beautiful night, as well as painting wonderful watercolors in the Hoofkaido of the starry night sky. I can almost feel the princess's presence when I meditate near the lunar altar, as if she were standing there before me.
We have tried many times over the centuries to return these bones to New Equestria, but they always angrily rejected them. I suppose they didn't want to believe their beloved princess was dead, and even the rest of Ponyland still believed that Luna was out there somewhere. But North Star and Wind Whistler's encounter with the ghost of Luna, has led to the bones being authenticated as hers. New equestria now wants the remains, so they may join Celestia's bones in the crypt at the great alicorn temple in their capital. But now... it is hard for Hoofkaido to let go of one of our most sacred treasures. Even if we do not worship her, the princess of the moon has watched over this city for so long.
How did we come into possession of these relics, you ask? One of our monks, who had been in Canterlot during the siege, actually witnessed the final battle of Equestria's alicorn of the night. But instead of describing it, good pilgrim, I'll let the monk tell you in her own words. Here, on this parchment, is her own personal account of that tragic conflict, preserved by our temple here in Hoofkaido. She had stayed in Canterlot to minister to the few remaining ponies, and was fortunate enough to be witness to history...
... the city had already been evacuated, and all that remained was Luna and a small detachment of her personal guard. Everything was quiet for a few minutes, and then suddenly, they were upon us. Goblins poured over the walls- setting fire to every house, business, and structure in the capital. Canterlot was ablaze all around us, as the enemy poured through the streets. Those few bat ponies met the goblins, and for every equine that fell, five goblins perished. But their numbers were too great, and Luna's guard perished under the invaders crude clubs and axes.
As I watched from hiding in an alleyway, the great alicorn princess landed in the street nearby. I could not hear the words she spoke as the vile Grogar trotted up to her, but it provoked the goat tyrant to such a wrath that he charged at her in a blind fury. The combat was most furious, with energy blasts from both combatants tearing through the city. Great magics rocked Canterlot that day, and both Luna and Grogar were thrown back many times. As the battle wore on, both fighters were covered in the blood gushing from their wounds. But both also looked determined to carry on the fight, and their screams and roars filled the surrounding countryside for over an hour as the two dueled.
But the fight finally came to a point, where it appeared that Luna would emerge the victor. But the tyrant was not known for playing fair, and two of the dragons from Grogars army unleashed the full fury of their breath upon the distracted lunar princess. The dragon fire coming from either side melted the very stone in the street underneath her, and throwing up a magical shield strong enough to block the intense heat drained the last bit of Luna's magical reserves. Grogar charged at the exhausted Princess, goring her on his twisted and gnarled horns. Suddenly, the moon above turned blood red, and the alicorn led out a death howl that chilled both myself and the goblins to the core. Grogar held the mangled corpse up over his head, even as her glittery mane and tail ceased to flow. It was at that moment, that my heart sank within my bosom.
Princess Luna, great ruler of Equestria and beloved alicorn protector of the night, was no more.
The beast lowered his head, and unceremoniously dumped the grisly remains on the broken street beneath him. I wanted to cry as I saw the mutilated princess- bits of bone sticking out from beneath her torn and bloodied fur, a burgundy stain slowly spreading on the ground beneath her. Grogar stepped back from the body, and his goblin army rushed forward, eager to feast on the fresh meat that lay before them, as they had been stripping and cleaning the bodies of those poor unfortunate bat pony soldiers. Moved to action, I risked my own life by leaping forward from my hiding spot, and crying out "STOP!" in defense of the princess's remains.
"Please, mighty Grogar!" I pleaded. "Allow me to take her remains back to Hoofkaido, where she may be respectfully laid to rest!"
The goblins began to rush towards me, but the goat tyrant raised a hoof to stop them.
"Let the monk have her body for burial, so that ponydom may know it's protector is gone." Grogar hissed. "I shall not have a rumor spread amogst the equines that she still lives, for that may inspire a sliver of foolish hope!"
And so, I was permitted to gather up the bloodied carcass, and successfully transported it from the burning remains of Canterlot. Wrapping the corpse in a cloth for transport back to Hoofkadio, my acolytes and I clean the remains, and bury the softer portions after a solemn ceremony. Her bones we placed in a translucent casket the color of the Princess's coat, bearing her cutie mark on the side.
It is our hope that after the conclusion of the war it can be given to the Alicornists so they may lay their goddess to rest. But for now, I have decided to keep these remains a secret, so that Grogar's plan to destroy ponydom's hope may yet be thwarted...