"Twily, take it easy."
"Easy?!" Twilight whipped around to stare at Shining, her heart already beginning to hammer in her chest. "Shining, this is one of the biggest inventions in recent history, and you just drop a request like that on me like it's nothing!"
"I assure you, Twilight, that we know what risk we are taking," Dr. Pepper spoke calmly. "And we wouldn't ask you to do this if we weren't absolutely certain that you were the best pony for the job."
"Oh no, no, no," Twilight huffed, freeing herself and pacing the area. "I-I couldn't. I mean, this is such an honor that you would consider me, but I really can’t."
"But why not?"
"There are procedures!” She stomped a hoof in emphasis. “Processes! I didn’t even know about the project until today; I can't be the right pony to put it through its paces. I don't even know where to start!"
Dr. Pepper gave a warm smile, shaking her head knowingly. "You don't give yourself enough credit, Twilight. Princess Cadance has told us how devoted you are to learning, and I'm sure you're familiar with experiments you've performed yourself. I daresay that there probably isn't a better pony we could count on!"
"You don’t get it!” Twilight cried. She ruffled her wings; for some reason, they were agitating her and twitched without warning. Excuses flew through her mind, but most were lost on the tip of her tongue. “I just– I don’t–"
"Twilight."
At Cadance's voice, her objection died on her tongue. When she turned back to look at the mare, she found herself quickly wrapped in a tight embrace by both Cadance and Shining. She heaved a sigh, willing her heart rate back under control and wrangling her rampant thoughts in. “Sorry.”
“You’re right, Twilight. This is a huge responsibility that we’re asking of you,” Cadance admitted. She ran a hoof through Twilight’s mane soothingly, still holding the mare between herself and Shining. “But you must understand that we would never think to force you into something if you were uncomfortable with it.”
“It’s not that,” Twilight replied. She didn’t move from the embrace. “It’s hard to put my hoof on exactly what it is, actually. Normally I'd be all for helping with an experiment, but this is so..."
"Personal?" Shining offered.
"Exactly. This would hinge upon my emotions and my experience with the timekeeper." She stared at the tiny device still in the doctor's hoof. "To have such a crucial project rest upon such subjective data worries me, let alone the fact that the data will be about me!"
"We did consider the possibility that the data gathered wouldn't be what we wanted," Dr. Pepper said. "But the fact of the matter is that it will be difficult to gather useful information without field tests. We can theorize until we're blue in the face, but it can't compare to a true experiment."
Twilight bit her lip. "The last thing I want is for the project to be compromised because of me. I don't want to mess it up."
"How about this, Twilight? Take the timekeepers with you back to Ponyville and give it some more thought. If you don't want to go through with this at any point, just have Spike send me a letter," Cadance said with an understanding smile. "I can come to Ponyville and retrieve them."
"Well... I guess that–" she froze mid-sentence, glancing at the other princess. "Wait. Did you say timekeepers? Plural?"
"Well, you did say that your friend Rarity would be most interested in one. I see another good opportunity for field data. And don't worry, the same rule applies if she wants to stop."
"Cadance, I don't know about this..."
"We trust you, Twilight. No matter what you choose to do, we'll understand," Shining assured her. His hoof still rested comfortingly on her shoulder. For some reason she couldn't explain, that hoof suddenly felt like it was made of lead.
"I..." Twilight took a deep breath, steeling her resolve. "Okay. I'll bring the timekeepers back to Ponyville and give it some thought. But no promises!"
"That's all we ask right now," Cadance said, gathering both her and Shining in another embrace. "Thank you, Twilight."
"Excellent!" Dr. Pepper motioned toward one of her assistants, who returned a moment later with a second timekeeper and what looked like a small jewelry box. "Before you leave, and should you decide to go through with the experiment, you should know how to put on and take off the devices. It's remarkably simple, but better to be safe than sorry. As you saw with the prince and princess, all you must do is place the device near the end of a foreleg and apply a bit of pressure." She gave a grin, placing , the two timekeepers inside the box. "You'll know it's attached when you hear a click. No fuss, no muss."
"Well, my friend will certainly be happy to hear that," Twilight replied. "She's a bit fussy about cleanliness."
"She can rest assured, then. Oh, one last thing," she said as she passed the box over. "Once a timekeeper is attached, only that pony may remove it. It grabs hold of that magical signature and doesn't let go easily. Just something to keep in mind for the future."
Twilight stared down at the box in her hooves, her mind already running a mile a minute. She might be holding the greatest invention in recent Equestrian history, and they were just letting her walk out the door with it. It was a bit overwhelming, if she was honest with herself. "...I won't let you guys down."
"Come on, Twilight." Shining nudged her to her hooves as the trio made to leave. "We can get you on the next train to Ponyville. Something tells me you'll need the extra time to think."
"Right," Twilight agreed, levitating the box along as she stood. She stepped forward, extending a hoof toward the doctor. "It was nice to meet you, Dr. Pepper."
"A pleasure, Princess Twilight." She grasped the offered hoof boldly. "I hope the future leads our paths to cross again."
Twilight nodded, following her brother and sister-in-law out of the laboratory.
The lush fields surrounding the Crystal Empire sped past outside the window as Twilight lay in her seat, silently observing the scene. She was a bit upset that Cadance and Shining had practically shooed her back onto the train without even giving her a chance to visit for a while. Of course, they were probably busy with running the Empire, but an afternoon with their sister couldn't hurt, could it? At the very least, it might have distracted her a bit from her responsibility.
It would still be an hour or so before the train rattled its way back into Ponyville's station and, unfortunately, she had brought nary a book to read. Her academic notes lay inside her saddlebags, but they were hardly suitable reading material for the train ride. Distractedly, she let out a sigh and let her vision wander from the countryside, instead focusing on the box on the seat next to her. It was such an unassuming package for the wonder that rested inside, and she didn't know why she had yet to open it.
“This is ridiculous,” she mumbled, picking up the box in her hooves. She held it in front of her, but didn’t move to remove the lid. “I’m afraid of opening a box, for pony’s sake. I swear, all of this soul mate talk has made me paranoid.”
"You look troubled, dear."
“Ah!” Twilight jumped in her seat, fumbling the box in her hooves. She placed it carefully back on the seat next to her before looking up, glaring in the direction the voice had come from. Her expression softened as she saw the owner to be an elderly, periwinkle stallion, smiling sheepishly back at her from across the train’s aisle.
“Sorry about that, young lady,” he chuckled. “Didn’t mean to spook ya, but I noticed that look of consternation on your face. Something tells me that you’ve got a lot on your mind.”
“Yeah,” Twilight sighed. “You could say that. I was given some news today that I’m still unsure about, and it’s been weighing on my mind for a while.”
“Well, I could lend an ear if you need it. The name’s Brave Blade,” he said as he shifted in his seat to better face her. “Forgive an old stallion for eavesdropping, but I heard you mention something about a soul mate. Troubles in love, hmm?”
“Not… exactly,” she hesitated, fully aware of the blush that rippled across her cheeks. “More that I’ve been tasked with a sort of research project surrounding the idea of a soul mate. It’s in an area that I’m unfamiliar with, and I’m not even sure where to start.”
He stroked his beard with a hoof. “It’s a tough nut to crack, for sure. Love has a way of making you feel as light as a cloud or as low as a snail.” He glanced out the window pensively. “To tell you the truth, I had lost faith in it for a while.”
“You did?”
“Yep.” He nodded, a twinkle in his eye as if the memory was fresh in his mind. “When I joined the Canterlot Royal Guard in my youth, my life was going through a rough patch, to say the least. There were nights that I would silently cry myself to sleep, despite the fact that I had many friends in the guard to support me. I would feel so incredibly alone, longing for that special somepony to hold and cherish, but my wishes were left unfulfilled for a long time.”
Twilight furrowed her eyebrows as a thought came to her. “But… you said you had lost faith, past tense. What changed your mind?”
At that, he brightened up instantly. “Why, I met my very own soul mate, of course. My guard unit was on duty in Baltimare, and we had the night off after a long day of work. I was walking on a sidewalk on my way to a bar with the guys, and suddenly I bumped into somepony, causing us both to fall over. As we stood to our hooves to apologize, I just about froze on the spot.” He sighed wistfully. “It was like I was hit by lightning; my hooves tingled and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t even know this pony’s name, and yet, at the same time, I felt like I was greeting an old friend.”
Twilight sat at rapt attention, stunned into silence. It crossed her mind for a moment that she could be taking notes, but she knew this wasn’t something she would forget any time soon. In fact, an eery feeling of deja vú passed over her at those last words. Almost like she had felt something similar, many moons ago when she and five strangers had saved the world from eternal darkness. “Did it feel… like a spark jumped into you, and for some strange reason you just knew everything would be alright?”
He gave a hearty laugh at that. “And here I thought you didn’t have any experience with the feeling! That’s precisely how it felt. We talked for a few minutes, and it turned out the pony I bumped into was also from Canterlot. We promised to meet up when we got back, and the rest is history. We’ve been married for nearly forty years now.”
“Wow,” Twilight breathed. “I’m sorry, it’s just… Thank you for sharing that with me. It was really touching.”
“It was no problem, miss. I hope I helped you with your problem.”
A smile spread across her muzzle, and she nodded in response. “You know, I think it did.”
”Attention, passengers. We will be arriving at Ponyville Station in approximately ten minutes. Passengers departing at Ponyville Station should gather their belongings and make their way to cars three and four as soon as possible. Thank you!”
“Well, this is my stop.” Twilight stood to her hooves and stretched out a crick in her back before grabbing the box in her magic. “Thank you for your company, Brave Blade.”
The stallion gave a friendly wave as she made her way toward the car’s door. “You’re quite welcome, Princess Twilight. Look us up if you’re ever in Canterlot on leisure; we’d be honoured to have you for lunch. I can’t wait to let Arrow know I met a princess face to face today. He’s going to be so jealous!”
She paused at that, glancing back at the old stallion for a moment before smiling resolutely, waving goodbye to the grinning old-timer before continuing to make her way through the train.
The sun dipped near the horizon, casting Ponyville in a warm orange glow. Ponies in the market began to pack up their stalls for the day, thankful for what could be one of the last warm days of the season as autumn crept ever closer. Leaves on the trees were already changing hues, and the annual Running of the Leaves had to be right around the corner. Atop a nearby hill, a trio of fillies could be seen setting up a trampoline, no doubt using what little time remained of their summer vacation to the fullest.
Of course, none of this mattered to Rainbow Dash as she lay on her back atop a particularly fluffy cumulus. Normally, this would have been the perfect time for her scheduled midafternoon power nap, but sleep just couldn’t seem to overcome her today. She stared wordlessly at the sky above her, knowing full well that at a moment’s notice she could be soaring away from the town, exploring part of the countryside, and yet she didn’t feel like doing that either. It was really annoying, actually, she thought to herself before rolling lazily onto her stomach.
As soon as she did, she noticed the plume of smoke coming from the north. Looks like the train from the Crystal Empire is back. Wonder how Twilight’s doing out there. Her eyes wandered, staring into the distance.
She lifted a hoof to her chest, patting the area where a familiar necklace would lie. Rainbow knew she was probably worrying for nothing, but it still nagged at the back of her mind. Something was up, and she just hoped Twilight would tell them all about it when she got back.
The train below slid to a halt with a grinding hiss at the station, and the doors opened a minute or two later. Rainbow sighed restlessly, watching the assorted ponies mill out of the train cars before she suddenly spotted a splash of lavender coat. Curious, she manoeuvered her cloud down a bit, keeping an eye out, and sure enough, Twilight Sparkle walked out of the front doors of the station.
Rainbow grinned, jumping off the cloud gracefully. If Twilight was back already, then surely it couldn’t have been that bad, right? She let herself glide to the ground, calling out as she got close. “Hey, Twilight!”
The mare in question glanced upward, smiling in obvious appreciation of the awesome company that had just blessed her presence. "Hi, Rainbow. I didn't expect to see any of you girls here to greet me already."
"Heh, well I was in the middle of some killer acrobatics, but I figured I could give you a shout." Rainbow laughed, tossing her mane back proudly. "So, what's up? I thought you were going to be in the Crystal Empire for a few days, but now you're back already."
Twilight bit her lip and looked at the little box she was levitating. "It's kind of a long story, so I'd prefer to tell the whole group at once. If you're not too busy, Rainbow, could you let the rest of the girls know that we're gonna meet at the castle? We have a lot to talk about."
Call Rainbow crazy, but Twilight seemed a bit off. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but there was something funny going on. Still, she had promised to tell them all what was going on, so that was good enough. "Uh, yeah, no problem. I'll send them over as soon as they can."
She braced herself as Twilight leaned forward into a thankful nuzzle. "Thanks, Rainbow. I'm gonna go check on Spike at the castle and get ready. See you soon!"
"Yeah," Rainbow replied with a swallow. "See ya, Twi." She tried not to stare as Twilight walked away, glancing away quickly before her gaze dropped too low. A shake of the head set her mind straight as she took to the air, banking toward the familiar cottage on the outskirts of town.
A minute later, she touched down on the well-worn dirt path leading up to Fluttershy’s house. Fluttershy didn’t seem to be outside, though; maybe she was just feeding a bunch of her animal friends inside. Rainbow trotted to the door, rapping on it sharply with a hoof. “Fluttershy! You there?”
“Oh, just a minute, Rainbow Dash!” Her voice floated from somewhere inside. Rainbow tapped a hoof impatiently while she waited. She was just considering preening herself a bit when the door swung open to reveal a flustered Fluttershy, her mane frazzled and fur messed. “Sorry to make you wait, Rainbow. What do you need?”
“Uh, is everything alright, ‘Shy? You look a little… busy.”
“I-It’s nothing, really,” she insisted as she ran a hoof through her mane distractedly. “Some of my animal friends are just getting ready for the hibernation season early, and they asked for a bit of help with stockpiling food.”
Rainbow shrugged. It sounded as plausible as anything else. “If you’re sure. I just came to tell you that Twilight’s back in town and she wants us all to meet at the castle.”
“Oh, she’s back already?” Fluttershy asked. “But wait, wasn’t she supposed to be in the Crystal Empire for a couple of days?”
“Yeah, I don’t get it, either,” Rainbow admitted. “She’ll probably tell us what’s up when we all get there.”
“Goodness.” Fluttershy’s eyebrows creased worriedly. “I hope everything’s alright.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore the fact that she thought the same thing just a few minutes ago. “Twi usually has things under control, y’know? I wouldn’t worry too much.”
Fluttershy nodded, calming down a bit. “You’re right. Are you heading over right now? I still need some time to finish helping the animals…”
Rainbow waved a hoof, dismissing the thought. “Take your time. I’ve gotta round up the rest of the girls, anyway. Can you swing by Applejack’s and let her know, too?”
“Of course. Tell Pinkie Pie and Rarity I said hello!” She waved goodbye, closing the door behind her. Rainbow took that as her cue, leaping back into the sky with a powerful set of wing beats. She gave a quick thought to her options: Pinkie Pie would likely be at Sugarcube Corner at this time of day, but Rarity was probably also closing up her shop. Sugarcube Corner, or Carousel Boutique… when she framed it like that, it was an easy choice. Rainbow swooped low through the center of town, beelining for the telltale gingerbread building on the far side of the square.
A wave of delicious-smelling warmth washed over Rainbow as she burst through the doors, skidding to a halt on the hardwood floor. “Ta-da! Have no fear, Rainbow Dash is here!”
“Woohoo!” Pinkie Pie cheered, jumping on the counter gleefully. “Nice moves, Dashie! Though I think you moved the placemat a smidgimeter out of place. Eight out of ten on the landing.”
"A mere eight? Oh my, how the mighty have fallen," Rarity giggled from her booth, where she sat sipping a cup of cocoa. "I can't believe you would settle for anything less than perfection, Rainbow."
"Yeah, yeah, yuk it up, Rares. It's actually good that I caught you both here," Rainbow said. She swiped a sugar cookie from the plate Pinkie had set on the counter, biting a corner off. "Twilight's back from her trip and wants to see all of us in the castle pronto."
"What!? But I thought she wasn't going to be back until Saturday!" Pinkie cried. "Aw, now I'll have to cancel the mareiachi band I hired for her welcome back fiesta."
"Yes, well, music aside," Rarity began wearily, "I'm also surprised that she made it back days ahead of schedule. You know how Twilight is when things don't match up with her timetable precisely."
Rainbow shrugged, popping the rest of the cookie into her mouth. "Yeah, but what can you do? She looked kind of distracted when I met her at the train station, to tell you the truth."
Rarity quirked an eyebrow at that, glancing at her friend. "Really, now? You just happened to see her when she got off the train? That's awfully convenient."
"Betcha she was being all mopey-dopey on a cloud again," Pinkie said cheerfully. She hooked a leg around Rainbow's shoulder comfortingly. "Dashie doesn't like letting ponies see her being sad."
"Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow hissed.
"Is everything alright, dear?" Rarity dropped the teasing tone, concern etched on her face. "You know you can talk with us if you're having a problem with anything, right?"
"Fine! I'm fine!" Rainbow shrugged Pinkie's hoof off and rose to her hooves. "Look, we don't want to be late to the meeting, right? Let's just head out."
Pinkie gathered up a few sweets in a basket before merrily bouncing out the door. Rarity followed suit, pausing only to glance at Rainbow once more. Her eyes darted across her face, searching for any sign of weakness, but the pegasus simply turned the other way. Rainbow let out a sigh as she heard the door swing shut behind Rarity. "I can't tell you girls what's wrong," she mumbled. "Not until I'm sure of what's going on myself." She set out to catch up with her friends as they made their way toward the towering castle in the distance.
“Twilight!” Pinkie bounded into the throne room of the castle, wrapping the startled mare in a bear hug. “You’re back early! Sorry about the mareiachi singers, though.”
“Um, what?”
“Never mind.”
Twilight sighed, exasperated, before looking over Pinkie’s shoulder at the other newcomers. “It’s good to see you, Rarity.”
“Likewise, darling,” Rarity waved back before trotting over to the center of the hall where the ring of seven thrones sat imposingly. “Though it was hardly a day ago that you left. Did Princess Cadance and Shining Armor have to cancel their plans with you?"
"Quite the opposite, actually. As soon as Fluttershy and Applejack get here, we can... wait, where's Rainbow? I thought she would have been with you," Twilight noted.
"Huh?" Rarity turned toward the doorway, surprised at the empty hall behind her. "I could have sworn she was right behind us when we arrived."
"I'll go find her!" Pinkie declared, letting go of her death grip on Twilight to trot toward the entrance hall.
"Speaking of that, Twilight," Rarity said as she took her place on the cushion in front of her own throne, "Rainbow appears to have been out of sorts lately, according to Pinkie. It could be that something is bothering her."
"Really? She seemed alright when she met me at the train station today. Are you sure?" Twilight asked, putting a hoof to her chin.
“No, and to tell the truth, I can’t quite put my hoof on what it is. It’s just sort of my intuition.”
"Alright, I suppose could talk to her after our meeting and try to see what's up."
"Thank you, dear. It may be nothing, but you know Rainbow as well as the rest of us do. She tends to hide when things get under her skin."
"Get in there, you yellow-belly!" Twilight and Rarity both turned to the distinctive accented voice coming from outside the room. A moment later, Applejack and Fluttershy appeared, holding the doors open while Pinkie Pie nudged a reluctant pegasus forward. Twilight squinted as the trio made their way over; Rainbow almost seemed to be fighting against Pinkie by dragging her hooves sluggishly. She underlined that note in the back of her mind to have a chat later.
"Knock it off, Pinkie! I told you guys, I was just taking a breather! Practicing all day still takes it out of me, you know." Rainbow huffed as she reached the center area, plopping down on her own cushioned spot.
“Yeah, I’m sure you spent a lot of energy rolling over on that cloud,” said Applejack with a snort. “Don’t think I didn’t see ya lazin’ about when I was heading home from the market, sugarcube.”
“Psh, whatever.”
Applejack rolled her eyes, reaching her own seat in the circle of pillows. “Good to see ya back so soon, Twi. ”
“Oh yes, welcome back, Twilight,” Fluttershy added as she took the final unoccupied seat. “So, um, sorry to bring it up, but why are we having this meeting? I hope nothing bad happened in the Crystal Empire.”
“Heh, I doubt it,” Spike said as he entered the room, carrying a plate of cookies and juice boxes with him. “Twilight’s practically been on cloud nine since she got home. If this turns out to be bad news, I’ll eat my basket.” He set the plate gingerly on the floor between the group, grabbing one of each for himself.
Twilight cleared her throat and straightened her posture. “Right. Now that you’re all here, we can get started.” She turned toward her throne, levitating the box into her hooves. All eyes followed the small package, even Rainbow had perked up at the sight. “I guess I should start from the beginning. Cadance called me out to the Crystal Empire because she wanted me to help take part in an experiment. I met a team of scientists out there who brought me up to speed on their project.”
“Ooh, I bet that was fun! I can see it now.” Pinkie began rocking back and forth excitedly, spraying cookie crumbs everywhere. “Test tubes and beakers and gases, oh my!”
“You must have felt right at home, egghead,” Rainbow quipped with a wink.
“It was rather astonishing. In the year since the Empire has returned to Equestria, those ponies have really come a long way,” Twilight said excitedly, building momentum on her ramble. “They’re studying the Crystal Heart and its latent magical properties in response to outside stimuli, and how it affects the thaumatological processes of ponies and–”
Applejack cut across her. “Sugarcube, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that I didn’t understand a darn word that just flew out of your mouth.”
She grinned sheepishly. “Heh heh… sorry. Anyway, to make a long story short, they want to test the experiment in a live social environment and they asked me to be the one to perform it.”
“Well, at least they’ve got their heads on straight!” Rainbow proudly declared, thumping the alicorn on the back. “If there’s ever a pony that could out-test a bunch of scientists, it’s our Twilight!”
“That said, I’m surprised they just let you take their experiment all the way to Ponyville,” Rarity noted thoughtfully. “One would think they would prefer to keep it close at hoof to monitor.”
“I thought the same thing at first. What’s even more interesting is that they want one of you girls to help me with it.”
“Oh, my,” Fluttershy said, shrinking a little into her cushion. “That sounds like an awful lot of pressure.”
“Argh, come on, Twilight! Don’t keep us in the dark any longer!” cried Spike as he leaned forward, imploring her to get on with it. “What’s in the box?!”
“Patience, Spike,” she scolded him. An expectant silence fell over the group as Twilight focused her attention on the package in her hooves. Slowly, delicately, she pulled the lid off, revealing its contents. She carefully lifted the two devices out, levitating them in front of the group so that they could all get a look. “These are called timekeepers. They’re magical devices that–”
“Ooh, ooh, I know this one!” Pinkie raised her hoof high into the air, practically vibrating in her seat. “They’re watches! Time Turner has a whole bunch of them in his shop! I tried using one once, but it told me that it was L:16 in the morning. Whoever heard of it being L o’clock?”
Applejack shook her head at her friend’s antics. “It’s a mystery, alright. How’s about we let Twilight finish talking first?”
Pinkie stuck her tongue out. “Party pooper.”
“As I was saying,” continued Twilight, “these are called timekeepers. Dr. Pepper, the lead scientist, claims that they tap into a pony's magical signature to determine when that pony will meet their soul mate. It will start a timer and count down to zero."
"Dr. Pepper? Sounds tasty!" giggled Pinkie. "That sounds super awesome! A pony could wake up and look at the watch thingy and say 'Oh, I'm gonna meet somepony super special today!' And they would be in such a good mood all day. It's like happiness in bracelet form!"
"Cadance let me choose whether or not to help with the experiment. She’d come and take them back if I decided not to... but I've made up my mind. I'm going to test a timekeeper for myself. If I have the chance to be part of something great for Equestria, then I’m all for it," Twilight said with a resolute nod. She turned to Rarity, who had remained silent as she stared at the tiny gadget. "Rarity, Cadance gave me the second one for you to wear. I know you’ve always shown a lot of interest in finding a special somepony, but I won’t force you into anything you don’t want to do. What do you say?"
If her silence was notable before, it was downright deafening by that point. Rarity had yet to say a single word, leaving the rest of the group to fidget awkwardly. "Isn't that what you've always wanted, Rares?” Applejack ventured, trying to break the tension. “This doohickey can tell ya when you'll meet your prince charming."
"...No."
“Okay.” Twilight replied, but she couldn’t help recoiling a bit at the cold tone of her voice. She took back the proffered hoof. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just thought..."
"I know, Twilight,” Rarity sighed at her own admission. She scuffed a hoof on the ground, distracting herself. “And I know you’re just looking out for my best interests. But as much as I am tempted, I want to meet that pony on my own terms, when I’m ready, and I don’t think this is right for me. I'm sorry."
“I understand,” said Twilight. “It’s not a problem, I can just have Cadance come pick up the other one and–”
Rainbow suddenly jumped to her hooves. “Woah, woah, hey. Let’s not be too hasty. You said this is a big deal, right? What’s wrong with one of us doing it instead?”
“What, like you, RD?” Applejack guffawed. “Since when are you interested in finding yourself a coltfriend?”
"Since none of your business, Applesmack!" Rainbow thwapped her tail across Applejack's leg, daring her to make a move. She couldn't hide the vibrant blush on her cheeks, though. "Twilight needs our help, so I'm gonna help her."
Twilight sat silent as she watched her friends squabble and bicker. Something was definitely up if Rainbow was agreeing so readily to something like this... although, now that she thought about it, it would give her an easy explanation for talking to the pegasus. Maybe she could hit two targets with one spell and get to the bottom of things.
"I think it could work," she spoke up as the two reached a lull in their banter. "Rainbow could provide some useful data from her point of view."
"Yeah, and I can tell you what I think about it, too!" Rainbow reached out a hoof for the second device. "I'm ready when you are, Twi."
One look into the fire in Rainbow's eyes told Twilight everything she needed to know. Rainbow was serious about this, and she was completely volunteering herself just to help. Twilight felt an inexplicable warmth spread across her chest... pride? No, that wasn't it. Appreciation, maybe? It didn't really matter right now.
"Alright, Rainbow," she said, passing over the timekeeper. "You know I trust you."
"So how's it work?" Rainbow asked, sitting down and turning the device in her hooves a few times.
"Place it face-up on your fetlock, then press down," she instructed, recalling the presentation from earlier. "Dr. Pepper said it should attach itself painlessly."
Rainbow did as she was told, pressing the device into her fur an few inches above her hoof. She stifled a giggle as it gave off a click, latching down. "Sure didn’t hurt me."
"Interesting," Twilight murmured as the screen on the timer's face lit up. “Perhaps they use a magical anesthetic to mask the sensation. I’ll have to ask next time I write to Cadance or Shining.”
All eyes were fixed on Rainbow as she held her leg in the middle of the group. The numbers on the timer began flickering, and a moment later began falling tremendously, just as Twilight had seen earlier. In the blink of an eye, seven hundred days had fallen to six hundred and the ponies were mystified by the spectacle.
“It just keeps going! And going, and going, and–hey! That would make an awesome slogan, dontcha think?”
“So what happens when it hits zero, Twi?” asked Applejack as leaned over while keeping her eyes fixed on the timekeeper.
“If Rainbow Dash has already met her soul mate at some point in time, then the counter will hit zero momentarily,” Twilight explained. “After that point, a second timer will begin its own countdown.”
“To what, exactly?”
Twilight bit her lip. “Well, to tell you the truth, I’m not entirely sure. Cadance told me that it works a bit like her love spell, whatever that means. I don’t quite understand it yet.”
“Hey, it’s stopping!” Rainbow said as the timekeeper began beeping on her fetlock. “So that means it’s somepony I’ve already met, right?”
“Mmhmm,” Twilight hummed with a nod. “Now, the real question is whether the second timer will work this time…”
“There it goes!” Spike shouted as he pointed a claw at the timer’s face. True enough, the numbers had once again begun their descent.
“Have you given any thought to this, Rainbow?” Rarity raised an eyebrow skeptically. “What would you do if it turned out your soul mate was out there somewhere?”
“Why worry about it, Rares?” Rainbow shrugged. ”I live life in the moment, put one hoof in front of the other, and put dresses on one leg on at a time.”
Rarity gave a very unladylike snort. “And I’m sure the rest of the legs are fighting to stay out of the dress.”
“Um, girls…”
“Hey! What’s your deal?” Rainbow puffed her chest out. “I wore your dress to the Grand Galloping Gala, and the one you made me for the wedding! Don’t act like I never wear dresses.”
“I seem to recall having to change those Gala dresses several times before you were satisfied, and don’t even get me started on the wedding. I swear, I’ve never seen a pony fidget about her hooves so much.”
“Rainbow, the timer–” Fluttershy squeaked.
“I told you, I don’t like just anypony touching my hooves!” She jabbed Rarity in the chest in emphasis.
“Girls!”
“What?!” They snarled.
Fluttershy pointed at Rainbow’s leg. “It stopped.”
Every head turned back to the timekeeper, which repeatedly let off pairs of long tones. The timer itself stayed lit, displaying the countdown for all to see.
“Four days,” Rainbow breathed.
“Nineteen hours,” Twilight read.
“Twenty-eight minutes,” Applejack whispered.
“And fifty seconds!” Pinkie cheered. “No, wait, forty-eight seconds! Forty seven! Forty six!”