“Rainbow Dash…” Twilight muttered as she flew over Ponyville.
“I’m sorry, Princess. She must have snuck out.” Redhead had told her.
“Where are you going?” Twilight pondered.
“I just feel like I should be the one out there looking for him.” Dash said.
“Oh no.” Twilight realized what Dash was planing. Picking up as much speed as she could, Twilight raced towards the Everfree Forest.
Rainbow flew low over the river that led from Fluttershy’s cottage, scanning every inch of the bank as she went, looking for any sign of her friend.
If he wasn’t washed down to Ponyville, he must have gotten out of the river at some point. Dash reasoned.
After a few hours of searching, Dash found herself at the spot she and Strider had fallen into the river.
“Did I miss it?” Dash asked herself. “No… maybe? Think, Dash, think; If I was Strider, and I was separated from my friend and had just climbed out of a river, where would I go?”
Dash thought about it only for a moment or two before the answer came to her. “Go back to where we were last together!” Dash exclaimed as she shot into the air.
In less than a minute Dash has arrived at the old castle. At a quick glance Dash could see their old campsite, but no Strider. Dash went about searching the area for any signs of activity but couldn’t find any. The only thing Dash could find was a rune covered stone axe.
“Where could you have gone?” Dash asked aloud. “Where could-”
Dash’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud pop coming from behind her.
“Rainbow! Thank goodness I found you!” Twilight called out as she rushed up to her friend.
“Twilight? What are you doing here?” Dash asked. “No, nevermind. I need your help.”
“My help? Dash, you should be back in Ponyville resting. Not out here doing whatever it is that you are doing.”
“Maybe? But this is important! I need you whip up some magic and find Strider!”
“Dash, I can’t just use my magic to find somepony. It doesn’t work that way.” Twilight said as she placed a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “If it did I would do it in a heartbeat.”
“But Rarity knows a spell that can find gems, isn't this the same?”
“I’m sorry Dash, but it’s not the same. To find a pony, you need something that belonged to that pony;” Twilight explained, “and not just anything. It has to be something of importance to that pony. Something that they would want back; and we just don’t have anything of his.”
Dash spirits sunk as she listened Twilight; Strider had fallen into the river with her, anything that he owned would have been washed away with him. If we only had something of his… Dash thought, if we hadn’t fallen off of the cliff, if we weren’t chased through the forest, if those things didn’t attack us…
“... we wouldn’t have had to run.” Dash muttered.
“What was that?” Twilight asked.
“Huh? Just thinking out loud.” Dash forced out a chuckle as her eyes darted around the room. Dash’s attitude suddenly changes as she raced across the room. “Hey Twi, you said if we had something of his you could track Strider, right? What about this?” Dash asked holding up a stone axe.
“It just might.”
The trail let them deeper into the Everfree, the two ponies flew through the trees for hours, until they finally arrive at a smooth black stone jutting out from the ground.
“I don’t get it.” Twilight groaned. “The trail just ends at this stone.”
“It’s fine, Twilight.” Dash smiled.
“How is this fine? The spell just end at this rock!”
“Yeah, come on, let's get back to Ponyville and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Looks like we both made it home after all.