Wheels rattled over the leaf-strewn path; a sound somehow lonely in crisp autumn air so dominated by the whisper of branches and leaves dancing to the will of the breeze. Here and there, birds sang their farewells to the wind before making to depart for the warmer climes in the south: chasing the sun's journey in mass migrations heralded by the forest's change. The bright and vibrant greens that had been the forest finery had been exchanged for amber and gold and ruby some weeks ago.
Now, only a few of the most miserly trees still clung desperately to their treasure, but losing bit by bit as the cool wind caressed them. Left naked, they reach towards the skies with skeletal fingers to beg for the Spring to return soon. Green had not completely left the world though - here and there were pines and spruce: the evergreen knights of the forest standing sentinel armoured all in blue-green needles; their resin scent heady and comforting in the cool air.
Scootaloo leaned into the corner, her tiny wings buzzing industriously to keep a steady clip. She coasted up a short incline then down the opposite side, shifting her weight over to follow the path as it skirted tight to a grove of gnarled old trees. She zipped down a straightaway, leaves rattling and sizzling in her wake, crackling under her wheels as the autumn air rippled down her sides. The little pegasus was paying only enough attention to her journey to avoid falling off the trail; her mind drifting to and from thoughts of its own accord with no particular direction, nor settling on any particular subject.
Autumn was a busy time in Ponyville: seemingly a thousand and one things had to get done, leaving no time for anything else, much less one small, flightless pegasus who always seemed to be underfoot. Too small to carry, too short to stack, not wise enough to help. Scoot wasn't often the sort to turn melancholy, but something about the season's bustle just made her feel directionless. The noise and busyness of the town could make for great fun to watch sometimes, but today she just wanted to be out on her own; Scootaloo had just the place for it.
She had found it just after the Winter Wrap-Up and quickly staked it out as her own. Scoot journeyed out here once or twice a week now. Sometimes she brought something to do, or spent her time there trying to think up new ways to earning her cutie mark or impress Rainbow Dash. Usually though, it was just a place to go to sit quietly for awhile and listen to the trees and birds and bugs.
Scootaloo rounded a long curve and found the last hill before her secret path. She leaned forward, tiny wings buzzing faster to drive herself up the incline as hard as she could. It wasn't that steep of a hill, but it was a long one and Scoot was only able to make it about halfway towards her hidden marker before coasting to a stop. She stepped off with a quiet sigh and slung her scooter over her back to march the rest of the way up with her small hooves crinkling leaves.
It only took a minute to reach the little knot of rope she had tied around a fading old birch. Glancing up and down the path to make sure no one was coming, she pushed her way passed a few skeletal bushes to get behind the tree. There she deposited her scooter safely out of sight from the road, then pulled her helmet off and shook out her spiky violet mane. The cold air prickled her scalp as it found her sweat, but it was a pleasant feeling after the helmet. This place wasn't at all far from Ponyville in fact; from the path outside, looking back one could see some of the roofs of the taller buildings peeking over the trees, though all of the noise and bustle stayed back there. Out here, there was just the wind and trees and birds.
Scoot stayed where she was for a moment, peering around with her lovely lavender eyes, taking in the sight of the forest at the tail-end of autumn. The leaves had fallen everywhere: a rustling carpet of gold and brown and amber, the trunks of the trees that had been their fortresses rearing upwards, stark and ready for the snow and cold to come. A bird all in black with a white breast peered down at her warily with one yellow eye before twittering and taking flight, maybe off and away to chase the sun.
The little pegasus turned then and started to move deeper into the trees, her hooves making a racket in the leaves as she went. There was something cheerful about the sound here: a regular crashing and crunching that curled her lips into a grin then coaxed a giggle from her breast. Before long she was trotting gaily up the little animal trail she had found and marked out with strips of ribbon, winding her way along it to the orchestra of hooves on dry leaves, breath turning to little puffs of mist as she went.
Scootaloo drew her self up short for a moment when there was a thundering of noise just off the side of the path; the sound like a wild cadence of a drum. She had to laugh when she saw it was just a partridge with breast all puffed out, wings hammering away in its unusual mating call. The bird gave her a smug look and bowed its head in a curious fashion before returning to its drumbeat. On another day she might have tried to mimic it somehow, but today it was just a curiosity; a pause on the trail towards her place.
It wasn't a big place, nor even much of a place at all; it was just a tiny spot of open grass on the side of the hill, the trees short enough before it to let anyone sitting at the center to see out far across the land below. There, Ponyville and its farms, and beyond it tall mountains where Canterlot was shining like a gem in the world's earthly crown. Scoot let out a breath, stepping into brown grass long enough to tickle her legs. The crisp breeze had gotten cooler as she made her ascent, but it wasn't so bad that she couldn't spend a few minutes out here at least, just to watch and think about nothing.
She sat in the grass, turning to look out over Ponyville, wide eyes picking out a few tiny details far off before settling on just seeing the big picture of her home all in gold and red. The skies were grey with slowly drifting clouds, a few colourful shapes flitting among them; pegasi working to keep the seasons turning smoothly. For once Scootaloo didn't envy them all that much. No doubt it would be wonderful to soar and bank and glide through those clouds, but there was something wonderful about just being able to sit and watch.
The smile was still on her lips from her walk through the leaves, and it remained there when she felt the first snowflake of the winter settle on the end of her nose. Lavender eyes turned upwards to see a blue pony all in rainbow grinning back. Rainbow Dash settled lightly beside the tiny filly as more snowflakes fell to join the first brave one, her wing opening over Scoot to keep her dry.
The two sat and watched the first snow fall over Ponyville, not a word spoken and none needing to be said.
