Rarity and Vinyl Scratch walked up to the throne room, guards flanking them. They tried to take Vinyl’s weapon away, but a well-placed name drop put an end to that. They entered the throne room, Princess Celestia sitting on her throne, munching on a banana. She looked up and nodded to the ponies.
“Hello, Rarity, Dame Vinyl,” she said, “to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
Rarity stepped up and said, “Well, first things first, Princess. I would like it if you could pay all damages for Donut Joe’s, including glassware, china, and that dreadful hole in their roof,”
Celestia blushed, “I had completely forgotten about Donut Joe’s. I’ll have him repaid by the end of the day,” she said, peering at Vinyl’s sword, “but I sense that is not why you came to see me, is it?”
Rarity looked away, then towards Celestia, “Princess, have you ever heard of sword rain?”
Celestia blinked, “I can’t say that I have. Is that where you believe Vinyl’s sword came from?”
Vinyl said, “Yeah, I was sitting at the bar at the Stone Pony, and I made out with this stallion as a prank, and then it just stuck itself into the bar! I then called dibs on it and pulled it out, and I even named it!”
“What did you name it, Dame Vinyl?”
“NoWacking, your highness!” Vinyl said with a smile on her face. Rarity groaned.
Celestia stifled a giggle, “And have you found the original owner?”
“No,” Rarity said, “and we looked all over. But everypony we asked said it fell out of the sky,”
“I even registered it!” Vinyl added.
Celestia had a thoughtful look on her face, saying “So you couldn’t find the owner, everypony said it fell out of the sky, and you had it registered? I’d say that Dame Vinyl's ‘dibs’ stands,”
Vinyl stuck out her tongue at Rarity, who growled back at her.
“Now if you’ll just let me take a look at it…” Celestia said as she reached out for the blade with her magic, surprised to feel a slight tug back from Vinyl.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Princess,” Vinyl informed her, “we’ve gotten kind of close,”
“Nonsense, Dame Vinyl, I simply wish to run some tests on it, then I’ll return it immediately-”
“Nuh-uh. I know what that means. You’ll find a way to dismantle it then say you had to do it.”
“Trust me Vinyl, It’ll all go-”
“I said let GO!” Vinyl roared in a deep bass at Celestia as her magic turned black and she proceeded to yank the sword clear out of the Princess’s grasp. Celestia decided to back off.
“Vinyl, why don’t you round up one of the guards to teach you how to use NoWacking? I have some...private matters to discuss with Rarity,” Celestia said with a warm smile.
“OK!” Vinyl cheerily said as she trotted out of the throne room.
Rarity glared at Celestia, “Wh-what was that that just came from Dame Vinyl?” she asked hesitantly.
Celestia sighed, “That sword is called Masamune…”
Rarity raised an eyebrow, “I thought it was called-” she shuddered, “NoWacking…”
Celestia shook her head, “That may be what Vinyl chose to call it, but it is not the true name of that sword. It is Sephiroth’s weapon, and it appears that he cast a part of himself out as we were banishing him into the shape of his trusted blade…”
Rarity cocked her head, confused, “But shouldn’t it have landed weeks ago, then? How does that even work?”
“It must have gotten caught up in a cloud or something,” Celestia stared at Rarity, “you must figure out a way to wrest the sword from your friend before it possesses her completely…”
“Who said anything about possession? And why can’t you do it?”
“Did you not hear the register of her voice when I tried to take it away? Classic traits of possession. And if I had succeeded in wresting it away from her, I risked awakening the beast that lays dormant inside of her now.”
Rarity nodded, “Alright, get the evil sword away from my friend who’s being possessed by a demon pony who’s currently trapped on the moon...Rarity, however do you get into these messes?”
Celestia giggled, “I don’t know, my little pony, but I’m sure you’ll do fine. Now go. I’m sure your friend is waiting for you.”
Rarity bowed and left the throne room. She trotted towards the castle gardens where the guards seemed to all be lying on the ground in various states of disarray. Vinyl sheathed NoWacking and grinned at Rarity.
“Hey, Rares. Did you know I was this good at swordplay? Cause I didn’t!”
Rarity shook her head, “Come on Vinyl, let’s go to your place…”
----
Rarity and Octavia were in her room, Octavia’s cello out.
“So why are you here again, Rarity?” Octavia asked.
“To teach you more Lunarian music, darling” Rarity answered. She then hissed, “And to get the sword away from Vinyl while she sleeps,”
Octavia looked confused, “But why-”
“Lower your voice!” Rarity hissed again, “that blade is an evil sword that is possessing our friend, and we need to get it away from her!”
Octavia shook her head, “The things that you manage to get yourselves into, I swear...so, sing me some Lunarian music!” she said, getting into position.
Rarity cleared her throat.
Avir harim zalul kayayin
Ve-rei'ah oranim
Nissa be-ru'ah ha'arbayim
Im kol pa'amonim
U-ve-tardemat ilan va-even
Shvuyah ba-halomah
Ha-ir asher badad yoshevet
U-ve-libbah homah
Yerushalayim shel zahav
Ve-shel nehoshet ve-shel or
Ha-lo le-khol shirayikh
Ani kinnor.
Yerushalayim shel zahav
Ve-shel nehoshet ve-shel or
Ha-lo le-khol shirayikh
Ani kinnor.
Eikhah yavshu borot ha-mayim
Kikkar ha-shuk reikah
Ve-ein poked et Har ha-Bayit
Ba-ir ha-attikah
U-va-me'arot asher ba-selah
Meyallelot ruhot
Ve-ein yored el Yam ha-Melah
Be-derekh Yeriho
Yerushalayim shel zahav
Ve-shel nehoshet ve-shel or
Ha-lo le-khol shirayikh
Ani kinnor.
Yerushalayim shel zahav
Ve-shel nehoshet ve-shel or
Ha-lo le-khol shirayikh
Ani kinnor.
Akh be-vo'i ha-yom la-shir lakh
Ve-lakh likshor ketarim
Katonti mi-ze'ir bana'ikh
U-me-aharon ha-meshorerim
Ki shemekh zorev et ha-sefatayim
Ke-neshikat saraf
Im eshkakhekh Yerushalayim
Asher kullah zahav
Yerushalayim shel zahav
Ve-shel nehoshet ve-shel or
Ha-lo le-khol shirayikh
Ani kinnor.
Yerushalayim shel zahav
Ve-shel nehoshet ve-shel or
Ha-lo le-khol shirayikh
Ani kinnor.
Hazarnu el borot ha-mayim
La-shuk ve-la-kikkar
Shofar kore be-Har ha-Bayit
Ba-ir ha-attikah
U-va-me'arot asher ba-selah
Alfey shemashot zorhot
Nashuv nered el Yam ha-Melah
Be-derekh Yeriho
Yerushalayim shel zahav
Ve-shel nehoshet ve-shel or
Ha-lo le-khol shirayikh
Ani kinnor.
Yerushalayim shel zahav
Ve-shel nehoshet ve-shel or
Ha-lo le-khol shirayikh
Ani kinnor.
Rarity finished singing, Octavia playing out the end of the piece. Octavia propped up her cello, and sat in thought. Rarity raised an eyebrow.
“What are you thinking about, Octavia?” Rarity asked.
“Nothing, it’s just...this song sounds different than the last two. Kind of...folksy.” Octavia looked up at Rarity, “Lay it on me,”
Rarity nodded, “Here goes…
The mountain air is clear as water
The scent of pines around
Is carried on the breeze of twilight,
And tinkling bells resound.
The trees and stones there softly slumber,
A dream enfolds them all.
So solitary lies the city,
And at its heart -- a wall.
Oh, Jerusalem of gold, and of light and of
bronze,
I am the violin for all your songs.
The wells ran dry of all their water,
Forlorn the market square,
The Temple Mount dark and deserted,
In the Old City there.
And in the caverns in the mountain,
The winds howl to and fro,
And no-one takes the Dead Sea highway,
That leads through Jericho.
Oh, Jerusalem of gold, and of light and of
bronze,
I am the violin for all your songs.
But as I sing to you, my city,
And you with crowns adorn,
I am the least of all your children,
Of all the poets born.
Your name will scorch my lips for ever,
Like a seraph's kiss, I'm told,
If I forget thee, golden city,
Jerusalem of gold.
Oh, Jerusalem of gold, and of light and of
bronze,
I am the violin for all your songs.
The wells are filled again with water,
The square with joyous crowd,
On the Temple Mount within the City,
The shofar rings out loud.
Within the caverns in the mountains
A thousand suns will glow,
We'll take the Dead Sea road together,
That runs through Jericho.
Oh, Jerusalem of gold, and of light and of
bronze,
I am the violin for all your songs.”
Octavia nodded slowly at that, “Interesting.”
Rarity asked, “Interesting?”
“Yes. It appears the last verse was written later, due to being in direct contradiction with the second verse. Also, it appears to complete the tale in the last song that you sang - these ponies appear to have found their Jerusalem, wherever that is,” Octavia sighed, “the city sounds marvelous, almost like an ancient Canterlot. How I would so love to go there,” Just then they heard snoring coming from Vinyl’s room. Octavia shuddered, “she sounds like a chainsaw…”
Rarity whispered, “Alright, I’ll sneak in and grab the blade, you sit here and look pretty,” and with that, Rarity crept towards Vinyl’s room.
When Rarity opened the door, she was certainly not prepared for the absolute mess that she encountered there. She spotted Vinyl in her bed, apparently sleeping with the sword, holding it in loving embrace. Rarity shuddered as she crept around the detritus in the room, finally getting close enough to the sword where she could grasp it with her magic. She did, slowly inching it out of Vinyl’s grasp. She had almost gotten it out when Vinyl lifted her head.
“You! Keep away from my blade!” Vinyl roared, drawing the blade from its sheath, the singing playing in a decidedly more sinister key. “How DARE you?!”
Rarity stood in shock as Vinyl leapt out of bed and swung NoWacking directly at her. She did the only thing she could and blocked with the sheath, the titanium blocking the blade.
“So it’s a fight you want, eh?” Vinyl said, “fine, then let’s dance!”