John told Ray what had happened and how he had come into possession of the infant foal. Ray sighed. “So… you don’t know if she has any relatives…” He trailed off his sentence then sighed. “My wife and I always wanted a filly… alright. I’ll take care of her and give her a good home. So now that this is all taken care of, where are you going next?” Ray asked and John scrunched his nose then reached into his pocket and pulled out an old paper map.

“Well… what does this mean to you?” John asked and handed the map to Ray. Ray began to look at it thoroughly but I spotted the backside of the map.

On the back there was something written in faded ink. “Look outside John.” I read outloud and John gave me a curious look.

“What? Why?” He asked in subtle confusion and I face-hoofed.

“No not… ugh never mind. Look on the backside of the map.” I stated and Ray flipped over the map.

“Hey would yah look what I found.” Ray commented and John took a look.

“What you found! I found it!” I exclaimed and Ray chuckled.

“I was just kidding… good find Daring… hmm…” Ray commented then began to hum to himself as he looked at the backside then would examine the front side. He continued looking at both sides of the map, switching between the two every so often.

John walked over to a warehouse window. “Hey Ray… bring that map over here.” John commented. Both Ray and I trotted over and Ray handed him the map. “The hay does ‘Look outside’ mean?” John muttered to himself.

The map detailed the small town but didn’t depict Harry’s warehouse. “Maybe we’re supposed to look outside from somewhere inside the town… you know, look outside from inside?” I suggested and he shrugged.

John looked to Ray who now cradled the sleeping, Rosy Heartstrings. “I’m gonna want my coat back.” John chuckled. Ray joined in on a laugh before we all trotted out. Harry gave us all a wave as we left.

“See yah all soon!” He called out in a squeaky voice. Elijah was the only one to give him a wave back though.

After a few minutes of trotting, we arrived back at the marshal’s office. Ray unwrapped Rosy and gave John back his duster. “Well… I’ll be going home to give my wife the good news.” Ray said with a nod then trotted out of the office and down the streets.

I looked to John and we both realized we were kind of homeless. “RAY!” We both yelled out and he stopped.

John’s perspective:

I kind of felt bad mooching off Ray like that. I usually liked paying for everything with my own funds but Ray assured me it was the least he could do. Well regardless he had gotten us three rooms. Billy and Brixie took one room, figures. Elijah and Bear took another and that left Daring and me in the last room.

“So…” Daring stated but it was more like a question.

“So?” I asked, repeating her words but in a more confused voice.

“So… what do you think it means?” She asked and I shrugged as I looked to the map then looked out the window. It was late in the evening now, 7:05 to be exact. The sun had set and the moon had arisen, coating the world with its dark light.

“I’m not sure… but if Black Mane wrote it to me then it means something.” I informed her. She trotted up to my side and also peered out the window. “By the way, if you’re going to get out of bed in the middle of the night and snuggle up to me than just tell me so that I can sleep on the bed.” I joked and she lightly punched me in the side.

We shared a laugh then continued to look out to the vast expanse of Equestria which was now covered by the moon’s gaze. I looked up to the moon and expressed my thoughts. “You ever wonder if she’s watching us?” I asked and Daring looked to me with a curious look. “Nightmare Moon.” I replied and Daring shrugged.

“I dunno… not really.” She replied. “You think about it much?” She asked and I nodded. She almost read my thoughts. “And her?” She asked emotionally and I nodded, knowing she meant Hearth. “I’m sorry for your loss John.” She stated and I sighed.

“Yeah… me too… I mean, I’m sorry for your loss.” I said, quickly correcting myself to make sure I didn’t sound self-centered. She nodded and tossed her forelegs around my neck then placed her head on my shoulder and sighed contently.

“I love you John.” She whispered and I smiled.

“I love you too Daring.” I whispered back and she looked up into my eyes.

“You really mean it?” She asked and I rolled my eyes and smirked.

“Well yeah… why else would I say it?” I told her, putting a bit of humor into this romantically still moment. She gave me another light punch, but to the chest instead of my side.

“You’re such an ass.” She laughed and I nodded.

“And that’s why you love me.” I said in a bubbly voice.

“Mmm nope.” She stated and I gave her a curious look. “Guess.” She told me and I thought to myself. I thought: ‘Why in all of Equestria would the most beautiful mare ever, love some-pony like me…’ My thoughts trailed off.

“Because you like stallions who are unattractive so that other stallions are less likely to think you’re dating them?” I asked, again with humor in my voice. She gave me another punch. “I’m just kidding.” I laughed then thought about it some more.

After searching for answers, I came up with none. “I dunno Daring. Tell me, why is it that the most beautiful mare in all Equestria loves some-pony like me?” I asked and her face flushed red as she blushed.

“You’re such a charmer.” She giggled and I gave her a curious look.

“So you love me because I’m a charmer?” I asked. “You know that I’m not really all that charming, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant… John I love you because you love me for me, because you will always be there for me, because you will never be angry with me… because I know that you will always love me… for me.” She whispered. Her touching words made my heart flutter.

I leaned in to kiss her but she placed a hoof up to my mouth. “Hold on there lover colt, you still have to tell me why you love me.” She giggled and I was at a loss of words.

“Guess I can’t say because I love you.” I stated and she shook her head playfully. “Daring… I love you because… you are caring… loving… courageous…” I began as I leaned forwards and began to kiss her but soon I began to peck kisses on her cheek then down her neck.

“Because you have a great personality… because not matter what happens I know that we’ll always be together… because you’re beautiful, cute…” I continued but then she interrupted me.

“Those are the same things.” She giggled. I rolled my eyes.

“Because you like to share a laugh with me.” I told her as I began to kiss lower and lower down her neck. She hopped off her hindlegs then wrapped them around my back. I took my kisses away from her neck and began to furiously make out with her as I set her down on the bed and got over top of her.

“I love you because you are you. You don’t try to be some-pony else.” I told her and those were the last words I told her before we began to shuffle on the bed to try and get in a better position.

She began to tug at the base of my shirt and pulled it off. Again, it’s times like these I hate wearing clothes. Maybe I should just go nude like most of the other ponies but then I’d feel naked.

She managed to slip off my shirt and I slipped off hers. As we began to kiss again, I felt her pull my body in close to hers. Her body fur against mine felt incredible and made my passion for her burn with a fury that couldn’t be tamed.

She began to rub her hooves up and down my back and I shuffled my body slightly so that I could rub up her side with my right hoof. I trailed my hoof up and down her hindleg, constantly groping her supple flank when I reached it.

Soon her hindlegs locked up and around my back as she moaned into my mouth while we continued to make out. Then I remembered that I still had my trousers on. I pulled back from the kiss. “Hey Daring… do you think any-pony else in the group would mind if I went nude… well maybe I’d keep my duster and hat but…” I trailed off and she giggled.

“I suppose they wouldn’t mind… why?” She asked and I pointed towards my trousers and she laughed. We quickly worked together to slip off my pants and she laughed again. “With a gun like that you might want to keep it concealed.” She stated.

“I’m not wearing my…” I trailed off and face-hoofed as I realized she was talking dirty to me. Damn that was some kind of sexy.

“Daring, I ain’t wearing my gun… I’m just happy to see you.” I whispered to her seductively and she face-hoofed.

“Yeah, I know. The joke was that… oh never mind, I was trying to act ‘Kinky’” She told me and I too face-hoofed.

“So was I…” I sighed but then she pulled me in for a kiss.

As she parted our lips she smiled. “Maybe we should ask The Great and Powerful Brixie for some lessons?” Daring suggested. I only contemplated it for a second before a very sexual image of Brixie standing before me came to mind. “You think she’s sexy huh?” Daring asked, almost as if she read my mind.

“How did you…” I began and she pointed to my crotch area. My member was fully erect and twitching, aching for attention. So my body gave away my thoughts. She pulled me close to her.

“Don’t worry… by the end of the night you’ll be calling me ‘Sexy Do’” She whispered into my ear. I slid my hooves underneath her body and pulled her into mine.

“And you’ll be calling me The…” I trailed off as I tried to think of something that kind of went well with The Lone Ranger but nothing really went together too well.

“The Romantic Ranger.” She told me before locking our lips together. Figures she gets a cool nickname and I get a stupid one.

I went to guide my shaft towards her enticing entrance when suddenly the note on the back of the map came to mind. ‘Look outside John’ I thought for a second, pulled away from the kiss then looked outside to the small mountains that were guarded by the forest.

Daring looked to me strangely. “Something wrong?” She asked and I got up from over top of her. My member swung to and fro freely in the cool air of the room as I trotted over to the window. Damn, I think I do want to become a nudist like most of the other ponies.

I grabbed the map and looked to the descriptions. Nowhere on the map did it have depictions of the mountains. The map looked a little older than Harry’s shed so it probably wasn’t what we were looking for.

‘Look outside John’ the message played in my head again and I once again looked to the small mountain formations. I looked to the map. From the way the map was scaled I’d say that the mountains were just outside the map.

“I think we took, ‘Look outside’… a little too literally. Daring… what’s by those mountains?” I asked and she gave me a curious look. The whole ‘Romance’ mood had really been killed off and my penis shrunk quickly.

Daring answered my question with a hint of curiosity. “The mines…”