Somepony to learn from

I was walking to the cafe, along with the pony that I found hiding away behind a building. I couldn't begin to comprehend why she would've been doing that. To me, she seemed completely innocent.

I suppose I could always ask her.

It felt like forever before we got there, but eventually we did.

"Thank Celestia. My hooves are killing me."

That sparked my curiosity even more. "I'm kinda curious about that. Why were you hiding behind that building when I found you?"

The orange mare that was sitting in front of me grew quiet. She looked like I had struck a nerve.

"Um. Never mind." I said.

The conversation was pretty much cut short after that. We were both looking through the menu to decide what we each wanted. And then there was the awkward silence before the waiter came.

But eventually the lack of speaking became unbearable. "So... how long have you lived in Canterlot?" I asked.

She shrugged. "All my life, I guess. And then I moved, and now I'm back for a visit." It was strange, but she didn't sound like she wanted to talk about her life very much. In fact, she sounded like she was pretty uncomfortable.

"Well, I-"

I was about to change the subject, but that was when the waiter finally came with our food. And it was just in time, because I was more hungry than I thought I was.

"This place has really good food." I said. I was trying my hardest not to be rude.

"It does. I forgot about how good it was when I moved."

"Yeah." I started. "Moving to a new place can be rough on a pony."

And then, just when it seemed like this pony was warming up to me, she clammed up.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No... it's just that... they don't really refer to me, or anyone else for that matter, as a pony. It's a lot different."

"This place you moved to must be really far away." I said.

I could see little beads of sweat on her face. "It is, but it isn't."

I was starting to get confused. "What does that mean?"

"Um.... Nothing! Nothing whatsoever!" I could hear the panic in her voice. And she looked like I was interrogating her.

"Are... are you alright?" I asked. I wasn't quite sure how to handle this.

She sat there, nervously rubbing her hooves together a little while longer. "I... I can't handle all these questions. I have to go." She said, as she ran off.

I ran fast and I ran hard. Even though I knew that I had barely had a chance to rest my hooves, I also knew that I had to escape. I just had to. That pony was asking too many questions.

And on top of that, I had to make sure that I didn't hide in the same place that I was in before, because she would be sure to find me there. And that was the last thing I wanted to happen.

When I finally got behind another building, I sat myself down and tried to relax. But I already knew that wasn't going to be easy. I was too on edge now because I didn't want to risk blowing my cover. I wanted that pony to think I was innocent. But now I seriously doubted that she would believe that now.

Even so, I knew now that I had to be more careful with the information I gave about myself. Especially since that was a total stranger I was talking to just now. It could have just as easily been Twilight. The very pony that I wanted to avoid. Especially since she'd probably turn me in to Celestia or something like that. I couldn't tell if Celestia had already filled her in about the pony who was around before she was, and the same one that "wasn't ready."

I probably would have thought about this more, but I realized that I was fuming.

Calm down, Sunset. You're getting worked up over nothing. And also, if you're going to do it, can you please fume a little quieter?

I did as I wanted myself to. And the fuming slowed down so much that it stopped completely.

Although, I probably wouldn't have been fuming in the first place if it hadn't been for Celestia not seeing my potential. I knew that it was in me. It still was. I was sure of it. But if I had stuck around, she would probably still be holding me back. She wasn't able to see what was inside of me. The greatness.

I got startled when I heard laughing coming from in front of the building. I didn't know who it was, but I didn't want to know, either.

Basically, all I did was listen to the conversation. It was pretty boring at first, but then a familiar voice from earlier joined in.

"Um... I don't mean to be rude, but by any chance, did either of you see an orange pony run by here? Her hair was red and yellow."

"Sorry, dearie. We haven't seen anypony like that around here. But if I do see one like that, and I see you again afterwards, I'll be sure to get the word to you."

"Okay, thanks a lot."

That would be where the conversation ended. But I didn't bother looking around the corner just yet. It probably wasn't safe now. And considering the way that I almost blew it earlier, I didn't want to stretch my luck any further than I already had.

So I sat there for... I don't know how much longer. But I knew that I wanted to make sure that I was safe before I did anything drastic.

I probably could have stayed there forever, if only my hind leg hadn't fallen asleep. If it hadn't been for that, then I probably would have slept there for the night.

So that's when I gently poked my head around the corner. Sure enough, there wasn't a single pony out there.

Now's my chance.