Chapter 1
Stormy Nights 3: Darkened Skies
The moonlight shone through the windows, illuminating the motes of dust hanging in the air. Within the large room, a pony lay, enjoying a book by firelight. The flame burning in the hearth kept the cold outside at bay as Spyglass Vision read of the exploits of Forelock Holmes, the great detective. On the page, Forelock was preparing to present the evidence that would prove the true identity of the owner of the Dragon’s Claw.
There was a light knock on the front door. Spyglass set down his book. “Who could it be at this hour?” he wondered aloud.
The orange unicorn exited the large, two-story space that served as both a living room and dining room. He walked down the hallway to the front door and opened it. A mare stood, already facing away. She turned back towards him, her light cyan eyes catching his dark green ones.
The pony was wearing a long black robe, which covered her entire body. A pair of suitcases hung from her sides. She was rather young, about Spyglass’s age.
“Oh. I’m really sorry but... I just got into town and... can I please stay here tonight?” Her dark face was nearly invisible in the shadow the house cast against the moonlight. “Please? Just for one night?”
Spyglass backed down the hallway. “Of course, of course. Come in.”
The mare entered the house and Spyglass closed the front door. He led the way back to the living room with the earth pony in tow. “Thank you, so much,” she said. “I can sleep on the floor out here; I won’t mind.”
“No no, I have a spare bedroom. Upstairs and to the right. You can spend the night there.”
“Thank you so, so mu—” The mare yawned. “Sorry, I’ll get out of your way.” She started up the stairs to the balcony connecting the house’s two bedrooms and its bathroom. “I’ll be gone before dawn, I promise. If there’s anything I can do to repay you...”
Spyglass thought for a moment. “I can think of one thing you can do for me.”
The earth pony had reached the bedroom door. Spyglass could see the hint of a grey tail poking down past her robe. “What?”
“You can tell me your name.”
“OH! I’m sorry! My name’s Starry. Starry Isles.”
---
The next morning, Spyglass Vision rolled out of bed, rubbing the sand out of his eyes. Leaving his bedroom, he looked across the open space and noticed that the door to his guest’s room was ajar. Curious, he crossed the balcony and peeked inside. There was nopony there.
The room was still tidy, and the bed had been made. A small stack of bits sat in the center of the sheet. It would have been enough to buy a night in a modest hotel room in a city like Canterlot. Spyglass shook his head and gathered the money.
---
The next night found the same stallion reading another book by firelight. The secret of the Ursa’s Prize was about to be revealed when there was another knock on the door. Forelock Holmes may have been Equestria’s most brilliant unicorn, but he really needed to work on his timing.
Spyglass headed down the hall and opened the door to find Starry Isles again. She was hanging her head so low Spyglass couldn’t see her face under her hood.
“It’s you again.”
“I’m... I’m so sorry...”
“What? What happened?”
“The hotel’s closed... I can’t find a place to go... and I’m so tired... can I... can I please stay one more night? Just one more night? Please?”
“Oh, the hotel’s being renovated. But yes, come in. The room’s still there.”
Spyglass led Starry to the living room again. “Your name’s Starry Isles, right? I’m Spyglass Vision.”
The earth pony looked up at him for the first time that night. There were wet lines leading from her eyes to her chin. “Your name! I slept in your house without even asking your name! I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine, go on, get some sleep.”
Starry could hardly stand. Spyglass had to help her up the stairs and to the guest room.
“I’m really sorry about all this. I’m being so much of a bother,” Starry said.
“I said it’s fine. I’ll see you in the morning.” Spyglass shut the door behind her.
---
The light of the new day made its way into a bedroom and onto a pegasus’s eyelids. Stormy Nights stirred, then slowly sat up on the bed. Every muscle in her body hurt.
Ow... what time is it... no no no no! I’ve overslept! I promised Spyglass I’d be out of the house before dawn! Stormy quickly made the bed and threw on the robe that concealed her wings and cutie mark. She dug through the suitcases that had been carelessly tossed on the floor and retrieved the day’s rate, placing it on the bed again. Not enough for a third night. I’d better work harder today or I’ll be sleeping on the street.
Stormy hurried out of the bedroom, making a right onto the balcony over the living room, muscles protesting the whole way. She passed the bathroom, rounded the corner towards the stairs leading down and nearly ran into a levitating plate of french toast.
“Good morning!” a voice called from below. Spyglass stood in the living room, glowing horn poking through his dark teal mane. “Nice timing, your breakfast is ready!”
Stormy looked down at the plate. “Oh, you didn’t have to make me anything. I’m not hungry.”
Her stomach loudly contradicted her.
“Now now,” Spyglass replied, “I made enough for two, and my fridge doesn’t have the room for more leftovers.”
“It’s fine... really... I’d hate to impose... I should be on my way; I have to get started on finding work today.”
“My cooking isn’t that bad, I promise.” The plate moved a few inches closer to her. “Come on, try some.”
The smell of the fresh french toast rose into Stormy’s nostrils and her stomach again voiced its opinion of the situation.
Stormy was outnumbered two to one. She smiled weakly. “I guess... I can try a bite or two.”
---
“Geeze Starry,” Spyglass said as Stormy cleaned her plate, “when’s the last time you ate?” He was still on his first piece.
Stormy swallowed. “I uh, might have missed a meal or two. But look at me, sleeping here without asking your name, coming back even though I said I wouldn’t, sleeping in longer than I promised to. And now I’m eating your food. I don’t know how to repay you for any of this.”
“Speaking of which...” Spyglass levitated a pile of bits onto the table, then pushed it across with his hoof. “I don’t need money for showing somepony some basic decency.”
“But... you should get something for putting up with me. And for having me overstay my welcome like this.”
“Nonsense. If I’d wanted you to leave early, I would have just gotten you up. But you looked so exhausted last night, I figured I’d let you get your rest.”
“That was nice of you but you didn’t have to... to...” Stormy got a mental image of herself splayed out on top of the bed, fast asleep, wings and cutie mark visible for anypony to see. Her blood ran cold. “You didn’t... you didn’t look, right? While I was asleep?”
“No.” Spyglass looked at Stormy’s robe. “Why? Hiding something?”
Stormy jumped away from the table, then winced at the pain. “No! I mean, you can’t look. Please. Please don’t look. Please.”
Spyglass’s eyes had widened at the outburst. “All right, all right. I won’t ask.” He smiled. “So you’re a mystery mare then. I like mysteries.”
Stormy slowly sat back down. “Uh, yeah, mysteries. I’m, um, not that interesting, so don’t worry about it that much. Actually, I won’t be here for long. I just need to get enough work to afford to move onto the next town. I noticed the shop attached to the house.” She tilted her head towards the door underneath Spyglass’s bedroom. “You wouldn’t happen to have anything I can do to earn a few bits?”
“Hmm...” Spyglass scratched his chin. “I could use an extra set of hooves around the store. Tell you what, help out around the shop and you can stay in the extra room at night. I’ll even give you a few bits to help pay your way when you leave.”
“You’d... do that for me? Thank you! Thank you so much! What do I need to do?”
“Well The Finely Focused Filly is an optical store. We sell everything from magnifying glasses to telescopes. Can you grind an achromatic doublet?”
Stormy just blankly stared.
“Do... you know the lensmaker’s equation?”
She started to tremble.
“Can you tell me the difference between a Newtonian reflector and a Cassegrain?”
“I’m sorry,” Stormy whispered.
“Can you dust?”
“I can... I can dust, yes.”
“All right, you can clean. But two things: First, after we close tonight, I want you to read up on types of equipment so you can help customers.”
“All right, I will. What’s second?”
“Wash up, you smell like sweat.”
---
Stormy stood in the shower, the hot water soothing her aches and pains.
He does all that for me, and I go and stink up the breakfast table as thanks. Hot water has its uses though. Ooh, that feels nice. Those carts are heavier than they look. Stormy washed the one part of her body that didn’t ache for good measure.
Strawberry said my wings were great. Yeah right, I could have used her strength yesterday instead. She spread her wings. Sorry, you won’t be getting much use anytime soon. But it’s better this way. Only way I can be in a town and keep people safe from me, after all.
Stormy got out of the shower and dried herself off, then changed into her second robe. She took a sniff of the robe on the floor. Eww, the old one does stink. I’d better wash this out. And the bedsheets. I probably stunk them up too.
Stormy left the bathroom with her old robe in her mouth. Spyglass stuck his head through the door between the living room and the front shop. “Ah, you’re out. Come on down; the store’s open.”
“I was about to do my laundry...”
“It can wait until closing time. Come on, you have some learning to do about optics.”
---
Stormy ran over the set of small telescopes hanging on the wall with a feather duster. She turned her head and sneezed.
“Gesundheit,” Spyglass said, still looking at his lens grinder.
“Nopony’s come in today yet. Is that normal?”
Spyglass looked up. “I don’t get many walk-ins. Usually magnifying glasses when they do. Most of my business is from mail orders and custom jobs.”
Stormy eyed a row of binoculars. “So what’s the difference between these?”
Spyglass looked through a lens at a lit candle. “The little ones are compact, but not much else. Their magnifying power isn’t great, but they fit in a saddlebag while leaving room for everything else.” He picked up a second lens with his magic, looking through both while adjusting the distance between them. “The ones in the middle are mostly for birdwatchers. They have a wide field of view, handy to spot wildlife.” He went back to grinding. “Now the ones with the long barrels, those are astronomical. Big lenses at the end to gather lots of light, and they have a larger zoom factor. But you need magic or a tripod to keep them steady enough to look through.”
“I think I get it. What about the telescopes? You said there were different types?”
Spyglass made his way over to a row of telescopes. “Of course. Take a look at the Cassegrain here, for instance...”
---
The bell of the shop rang. Stormy set down her broom and glanced around. Spyglass had gone into the cellar to find lenses.
A colt trotted into the store, followed by a mare. Stormy walked over to meet them. Might as well try. “Hello, and welcome to The Finely Focused Filly! My name is Starry Isles, how can I help you?”
“My son Starshine here wants to get a beginner telescope. What do you have that’s cheap?”
Starshine looked around the shop in awe.
Let’s see, what did he say about... “Oh, I have just the thing. Take a look at this...” —the name escaped her— “...one. Its large mirror lets it take in lots of faint light.”
“I don’t know, it’s kind of big.”
“Yeah, but it’s very light, and the uncomplicated...” um... “...base attachment makes for a durable scope. And it’s very affordable for its diameter.”
“What’s the catch?”
“Uh, well, the basic mount means you have to track objects by hoof, and it’s tall enough that Starshine will need to stand on something to reach the eyepiece most of the time. And like all telescopes, you’ll need a set of eyepieces to go with it. But the eyepieces we sell will fit on any telescope we sell, so if you’re interested in another one later on, you can use the same set you already have.”
“Well, Starshine, what do you think?”
The colt had lowered the tube and was looking down it. “Can I have it mommy? Please please please?”
Stormy grinned. “Is that a yes?”
---
Spyglass locked the door to The Finely Focused Filly as the setting sun shone through the clear sky into its front windows.
Stormy stood with her head low. “So... I didn’t earn another night’s sleep, did I?”
Spyglass turned to her. “Are you joking? You dusted every square inch of counter-top, swept the floor, washed the windows, removed cobwebs I didn’t know we had, watered every plant in the house, without asking, sold the Dobsonian, and did the laundry!”
“So... I can stay?”
“Stay? I think I’ll start showing you how to grind a mirror tomorrow because I can’t think of anything else for you to do! A mystery pony shows up in a robe, works her heart out, and won’t say anything about herself.”
“I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything. I really can’t. It’s better for both of us, believe me.”
“That’s fine. It wouldn’t be a mystery if the detective got all the answers right away. Don’t worry, you’ll slip up sometime. That’s how it always happens in the books. Then I’ll crack the case of the Mysterious Robed Mare.”
Stormy winced. “Um, let’s hope not.”
---
Stormy was trying her hoof at grinding an objective lens when the bell rang.
“Welcome to The Finely Focused Filly!” Spyglass said. “How can I help you?”
“Yes, that mare sold my son a telescope yesterday.”
Stormy looked up. It was the mother and son from the previous day.
“Ah,” Spyglass said. “Was there some issue with your purchase?” Stormy walked up beside him.
She spoke up, “Did... did something happen?”
The mare continued, “Well, we set it up according to the instructions, and Starshine took a look, when the strangest thing happened.”
Stormy looked at the colt. “What? What happened?”
Starshine yelled, “It was awesome! I saw tons of new stars and nebulae and I think a galaxy, and there are so many craters on the moon!”
Spyglass smiled. “Well a Dobsonian is rather large for lunar observation; you should get a filter so you don’t hurt your eyes.”
“But then, but then, this!” Starshine turned his side towards Stormy and Spyglass. A representation of the Big Dipper adorned his flank. “You got me my cutie mark! Thank you thank you thank you!” Starshine grabbed onto Stormy’s front leg.
Stormy carefully extracted the colt to keep him from pulling off her robe. “All right, all right, you’re welcome. Take good care of that telescope and it’ll last you for years.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Starshine saluted. He bounded out of the shop. “I wanna look at more stars tonight, Mom!”
His mother followed him out. “Then you should do your homework while it’s still light out...”
Stormy watched them go. “Wow. All I did was sell a telescope.”
“You gave him a night he’ll never forget,” Spyglass replied. “You let him find his special talent.”
“I... I didn’t...” Stormy paused to think. “I... guess I did... didn’t I?”
Spyglass smiled at her. “That’s the spirit.”
---
Several days’ effort found Stormy Nights making the final adjustments on her creation. A few turned screws and a new refracting telescope was born.
Spyglass took the instrument outside, inserted an eyepiece and looked through it towards the ocean, which glistened in the mid-day sun. “Hmm... from this I can see... your cutie mark probably doesn’t look a thing like mine.”
Stormy glanced at Spyglass’s flank, which sported a simple telescope. “That bad?”
“Well, this is salvageable.” He looked through it again. “I think. You’re a lot better at sales though.”
Spyglass and Stormy re-entered the store, Spyglass locking the door behind him.
“I’m hungry,” he said. “Ready for lunch?”
Stormy thought for a moment. “Uh, is it safe? After how my cooking went this morning?”
“It wasn’t that bad. I’m sure the stain on the kitchen ceiling will wash right off. Most of it, anyways.”
“Sorry.”
“But seeing as we shouldn’t use the stove again until the inspector comes this afternoon—”
“—sorry—”
“—I’m thinking we can go somewhere for lunch. And since the store’s closed Saturday anyways, I can show you around Baltimare. But first, do you mind if we stop by the flower shop? It’s my mother’s birthday today.”
“No, I don’t mind.”
---
The Tamfoala River wound its way out of the mountains and through Baltimare, heading onwards towards the ocean. To the west, tree-covered hills rose into mountains. In town, on the north side of the river, the town square hosted a small market for the ponies to buy their food. Above the town, there was not a cloud in the sky; there were no pegasi to alter the weather. On the small bridge spanning the river, Baltimare’s sole pegasus waited, forelegs dangling off the side.
What am I doing? Stormy thought. I’m still hanging around after a week. The longer I stay, the bigger the chances of getting found out. Ugh, I don’t want to think about what would happen then. And I’m hardly helping Spyglass. I’m sure I’m dragging him down. I should leave.
But why don’t I want to?
“I didn’t take that long, did I?” a familiar voice asked. “It took me a little bit to find one that I think fits.”
Stormy stood up. “Oh, no, I was just doing some thinking, that I should head out of town soon. Maybe. It doesn’t matter.” She tried to change the subject: “Are all those for your mother?”
Spyglass was levitating several daisies and one yellow lily. “The daises are, yeah.” The lily floated towards Stormy. “But this one’s for you.”
The flower nestled itself behind Stormy’s ear.
“I... I don't... I mean, you shouldn't have... I mean it's nice...” Stormy could feel her cheeks heating up. “But... why?”
“I was just hoping putting a flower behind your ear would put a smile on your face. I haven’t seen you smile all day. Call me selfish. Come on, lets give the rest of these to my mom.”
---
Shining Way
A wonderful wife, a loving mother,
and an inspiration to all who knew her.
Rest In Peace
“Happy birthday, Mom.” Spyglass Vision set the daisies down at the base of the tombstone.
The two ponies stood in the shade of the nearby maple tree on top of the small hill.
“Mom, this is Starry Isles. She’s been helping me run the shop over the last week. I hope you don’t mind. She just needs to get back on her hooves, is all. And she’s been a tough mystery to solve. Keeps life interesting.”
After a moment, Stormy asked quietly, “What was she like?”
“Mom was the best parent a colt could ask for. She would always do everything she could to make my sister and me happy. Whenever I got scared of the weather, she would sing this lullaby that would make me feel like nothing bad could ever happen. I later found out she found the lullaby in a book, but she still sang with the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard. I wish you could have heard it. And she had the kindest smile. I could never feel sad when she smiled.
“She loved to sit under this tree and watch my sister and I play in the grass. She asked to be buried here, you know.” Spyglass sighed. “Listen to me, rambling like this. I’m sorry, it’s just been a while since I’ve had somepony to talk about her with.”
“No, it’s all right. It sounds like she was a great mare.”
Spyglass looked at Stormy. “She really was. Come on, let’s get something to eat. I’ll see you later, Mom.”
Stormy nodded at the gravestone. “Happy birthday, Misses Way.”
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And here we are. Stormy Nights 3.
You saw my attempt at an OC fic where the premise went unstated. You saw my attempt at a sadfic that's only sad on the second read. Now see my attempt at romance. Here's hoping.
Like the synopsis says, Stormy Nights is a trilogy, and this is the final entry. Her story ends here, one way or another.
Glad to see this one get published finally. It's a fantastic read, and I think it brings Stormy's story to a fitting conclusion.
Awesome!
FINALLY! *devours story*
684948
It ends here? But I want more D:
Well, you have my respect at least. Why? Because you have the commitment to write a good story, all the while having the discipline not to draw it out and needlessly ruin a good read. True, I'm sad to hear that this will be the last story, but I'm also happy to know that I'll have a good final read in this trilogy. Just do me a favor and don't cool a Christopher Paolini and realize that your 3rd story is so large, that you'll have to make it an Inheritance cycle :3.
Now, onto the story:
WHAT? I ALREADY FINISHED READING CHAPTER 1? GOD, WHY U MAKE ME READ SO FAST!? Anyway, no errors that I could see for the most part, and I've already put my ninjas on red-alert to abduct you and make you write the chapters non-stop while locked in a room with broken leg- erm... (I read too many books by Stephen King...)
Anyway, keep writing, keep surprising, and have fun. Now, if you don't mind, I have to be proactive on my 1st day of Summer...
Ok, which one of you bubble-blowing babies disliked this? *activates SNAPCOUNT*
Retaliatory strike inbound...
All of my yes.
You may now have my w00ts, because they are about to all come out for this fic
Wow.
I knew Stormy had a bit of an issue with her self-worth. But she makes Fluttershy look like Rainbow Dash by comparison. 
Given the events of the last two stories, I suppose that's to be expected. But to go so far as to even hide the fact that she's a Pegasus... 
That aside, I'm looking forward to finding out more about the general place Stormy has ended up in. Part of the fun of reading your stories come from your rich world-building and the unique settings you create.
Two things I forgot:
1) You know how Wobbler took the entirety of Stormy 2 to stop calling her Starry? Yup, pounding Starry = Stormy into your head so you don't get confused by the name here. And giving Stormy a name to use that's she's used to being called.
2) Would you believe that I (and totally not someone else I asked *applejack eyeshift*) came up with Baltimare before the show did? If I come up with a different horse pun city name I might go edit these.
Me gusta
Whoah... I just had to come down here to the comments before finishing the chapter to say this:
I LOVE the name "Tamfoala." I have no idea where you got that, though I guess the "foal" part is a standard ponification. Maybe it's from some mundane river name near where you live or something, but I don't care. It's an awesome name.
I swear, if it turns out that that wandering mailman was married to a mare named Shining Way, I am going to buck your face in.
727161
What mailman? The mailmare from the start of Stormy 2 was a mare. But uh, Stormy and Spyglass aren't blood relatives, if that's what you're asking.
Thine own self: arguably, no other creature is more worthy of thy fear, and yet 'tis a terrible fear indeed when it takes root.