//------------------------------// // Autumn in Canterlot (Slice Of Life) // Story: The Scenes Of FiMFiction // by Arreis Of Avalon //------------------------------// The pegasi had done well this season. The sky was filled with the clouds of autumn, yet not so full that steady streams of sunlight could not be found in the city. The air was chilled slightly, but the ponies of Canterlot had come to expect that, living on a mountain. Those who stopped a moment would gaze at the sky, taking in the gloominess with a smile. While the clouds hid the beautiful blue expanse many loved, there was a certain touch of nostalgia in the heart of every pony that seemed to burst forth when the air turned colder and the sky became that dull shade of grey. Ponies trotted around the city, cloaks wrapped around them to fight off the cold. Few ponies wandered in this chilly time, preferring to stay indoors near family and friends. Those who did travel did so with a smile. It was a magnificent time of the year, after all. For one pony in particular, however, it was by far the best time of the year. The Princess looked out from her balcony in the morning, watching as her sister began to lower the moon. Her own horn would glow with her golden aura, calling forth the sun that few would see. It rose into the sky, and as it was most mornings this season, it would be hidden behind the cloud layer for most the day. Celestia did not mind, however. She loved to see how her sunlight wrapped itself around the clouds, bathing the wisps in a golden radiance. On certain days, Celestia suspended day court. She couldn’t stand spending every day stuck inside the stuffy castle – She wanted to soar in the fall. And soar she did. As she trotted to her balcony, she spread her wings. With a single sweep of them she was lifted into the air. She flew higher and higher, taking a deep breath. She felt the frigid air in her lungs, filling her with that feeling of rain to come. It would rain most days, bringing with it that scent of petrichor, wet leaves and freshly burned pine wood from the chimneys of her subjects. She flew over the mountain, stopping before one of the pools of mountain water that flowed down to the ground far below. She dipped her head down, taking a few drinks of the fresh spring water. The crystal surface of the water rippled, distorting her features as well as the setting behind her. She watched for a minute as her reflection slowly wavered back into what she truly looked like. Her reflection smiled back at her. She wore no crown or regality. She was a free pony, today. Above her, she could see the spare few green leaves hidden behind and beneath the stunning seas of orange and red. A soft breeze blew them aside to reveal leaves of sunlight and gold hidden deep, near the bark. Beyond the leaves were more, and beyond those, more. Far above her and the shifting leaves were the shifting clouds, and above those, the untold wonder of the sky. Celestia sighed softly. She rolled onto her back in a very un-princess-like way, but she didn’t care. Nopony was watching. Nopony cared. She could rest and simply watch the grey expanse of cloud above drift slowly by. She could gaze at the few leaves that were bustled off their branches as they fell to the ground. She couldn’t help but close her eyes, smiling. She took a deep breath. She could smell the water in the air of the storm to come. The air froze her bones, but the warmth of nostalgia burned in her heart. She clung to that for heat, letting it fill her whole body with its bliss. She breathed in again, now smelling the leaves around her as she heard them crinkle and rustle in the wind. Her mind drifted along with the clouds in the sky. She thought of days with her sister, eating warm fresh pumpkin pies, jumping into leaf piles. She remembered the warmth from fireplaces late at night, the popping and crackling fighting with the pitter patter of rain on the windows. She was filled with an indescribable feeling, that feeling she got as she curled up with a good book in a warm blanket, a cup of steaming cocoa in her grasp. Celestia sighed in content, opening her eyes once more. The clouds had allowed a thin ray of sunshine through, shining on the stop where she lay. She shifted herself back to her hooves, feeling dew soaking into her fur. She shivered, shaking herself. As she stretched out a tad, the thin beams of sun slowly warmed her. Chuckling, she smiled. Her reflection had many dried leaves in her mane. Using her magic, she removed them, smiling. The crinkled in her magic, sending chills down her spine as she heard them. She looked once more above, seeing the trees and imagining them more as fields of pumpkins and strawberries, simply swaying in the wind. The image caused her to giggle, the sort of laugh that turns into a guffaw, then a bellow, then practically a roar of laughter. Wiping tears from her eyes, she sighed. She lived for the days away from her work, away from the courts and the problems that festered, no matter the season. She longed for days of freedom and flying, where she could enjoy herself and leave civilization behind for awhile. Where she could rest. But those days were far and few between. Celestia watched as a stray falling leaf of gold passed her by on the breeze, just as the days of her life passed her by, and just as the seasons pass. Memories of other days come tumbling from the past to remind all ponies of good days and bad days, and how they pass as well. All things come and go, like the tide of an ocean on the beach in summer, or the green leaves fading to gold and falling in the autumn. Like the flowers that die in the winter, and the storms that blow away in the spring, all things pass away some day. But, that day was far off for Celestia. There were many more memories to make, and many more autumns to enjoy. As she flew away, she had to laugh. Many ponies thought Summer was Celestia’s favorite season… But the days of golden trees and frigid air would always remain in her heart as her favorite time of the year.