Fluttershy smiled as she slid hte last chair into place in the large crystal room wiping her brow.“Thanks again for letting the chior and me practice here,” Twilight.” Fluttershy said, double checking the notes one last time.
Twilight smiled back, her nose partly submerged in a tome about soundwaves. “Oh it’s no problem Fluttershy, I mean, with the music studio still being renovated I guess my castle does have the best acoustics.” The group would have used the Ponyville stage but it was occupied by adddedersel play being rehearsed. On the plus side, Twilight’s castle had Air conditioning.
“Oh yes. ” the pegasus nodded taking a breath. “Do Re Mi” Her soft voice rang out, echoing off the pure crystal walls seeand back at her tih perfect pitch. Fluttersh’s voice sure could carry once she got over her stage fright. She smiled listening o to her own voice for a moment. “Perfect.”
Twilight stepped aside a moment later as the group of singers trotted into the room as Fluttershy finished setting up. “Well, i’ll let you get to it then. If you need anything just find Spike.”
“Sure thing, Twilight.”
With that, the princess made her way back down the hall and into the throne room eyes scanning her tome once more. “Now let’s get these tests started.” Her horn glowed again as several glass chalices were set upon the map along with a tuneing fork next to it.
An hour passed Twilight’s ears perking as she gently tapped a flawless crystal chalice with the fork taking notes on the low ringing echoing around the throne room. The princess had repeated thissimple test many times , letting the sound ring out. She soon addressed Starlight Glimmer whom had joined her a short whols ago hh. “resonance frequencies, is the way sound vibrates to create its tone.” She lectured, her hoof scanning the page of the book that laid before her. “When an object begins to vibrate at its natural frequency for a long enough period of time, it has a chance to amplify in oscillation.”
Starlight listened to the odd ringing that lingers far longer than it should have before fading back into silence. “Yeah that is how instruments work. Even our magic has a frequency. Why the sudden interest anyway, Twilight?”
“Well, do you remember when Flurry Heart’s cry shattered the Crystal Heart?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of hard to forget what happened just last week.” Starlight observed, as her teacher clinged the glass once more.
“ Well as far as I can tell the crystal that makes up my castle is very similar to the structures in the Crystal Empire. “
Starlight snickered a tad Imagining Flurry Heart doing opera. “What do you think Fliery will cry and shake your house down like the big bad wolf. “ she asked , trying to hide her smile.
Twilight pinged the tuning fork onto the cutie map hearing the harmonious ring “No, but now that you mention it sound does travel a lot in here. Perhaps the map works on a combination of sound and light to make its projections. “ the curious alicorn zipped around the room checking each wall taking glances back at the table. “ hmm now that I am looking at it., the room is a perfect chamber for sound even the tall ceiling acts like a bel. “
“ huh,” Starlight glanced around the room as well. “ I hadn’t really noticed before either. “
“No wonder our songs sound so great in rhe castle it’s perfect harmony. “
Starlight nodded before pausing her ear flicking as she kept hearing a ring “ Do you hear that. “
“ Oh must be the choir singing. “ Twilight leaned down noticing one of the glasses was rattling on its own. “ hmm , that’s strange. “ the two keep watching as the other glasse shakes. The princess lookes up the crystals adorning the roots of the golden oaks library swaying to an unseen wind.
“Maybe it’s time we checked on Fluttershy?” Starlight asked nervously, the faint ringing hanging in the air.
Twilight gulped turning on her heels as she ran out the door bolting along the hallway approaching the singing as she heard the notes getting higher. She just hoped she could make it in time. The ringing began to make her ears hurt as she flung the door open the choir seeming entranced by their practice that they hardly could tell the floor was vibrating.
“ no wait .” Twilight called out but too late as Fluttershy and another blue mare took a breath letting out the final notes of their song sealing the castle’s fate The music stopped abruptly as a shard of crystal fell from the ceiling as the low oscillations began to rattle the windows. Twilight’s Heart skipped a beat as she sprung into action the realization she was about to lose her home dawning on her. “Everypony run”
The castle refused to stop shaking as the group of ponies trampled their way through the halls watching large chunks fall down around them. Fluttershy squeaked barely dodging a shard the size of her head as she leaped out of the way.
Twilight flung the doors to her castle open as they rush out. The large spire on top of the castle was now visually shaking violently the pulses of sound echoing around near by buildings. She could do nothing as rhe castle continued to shake itself apart the balcony crashing down with a thunderous thump. A moment of relief ran through her as she recalled Spike was at Rarity’s again saving him the brutal defeat of being crushed under his favorite food. Her jaw dropped as she kept watching the wreck unfold dust bellowing all around her. When the sound died down , all that remained of her castle was the cutie map somehow balanced on top of the huge rubble pile as if nothing had happened mocking her in its silent non moving way
Twilight’s eyes twitch locked in place as she stared dumbfounded. “ m my house”
‘My kite ,” Starlight added.
“ my comics “ Spike said rushing up next to them with the same shock before blinking at the rubble. “ uh you going to eat that.” He asked , as if sampling at a restaurant.
Twilight couldn’t find the words to say as she stood as still as a statue. Al her stuff crushed once more and this time she couldn’t blame some evil villain. “ b but how. “
Meanwhile , Spike had given up waiting and dove into the rubble munching away. Al the princess could do was look at a colander that had fallen to her hooves and glare. “ I hate Tuesday’s “