//------------------------------//
// Chapter  5 
// Story: Things  I  Should  Know  By  Now 
// by Katherine Lancer 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 5:

I walk along the worn path, glad this isn’t a dream. Flim and Flam had realized that message had to be sent to Celestia that we were coming, but there wasn’t anypony in town to send the letter, and not a dragon. I’d offered to find someone for them. The only thing I have for protection is an emergency whistle, which varies in sound by how hard you blow. It was loud when I was shown how to blow it, but it was far from the loudest. It could break mirrors if I cleared my lungs completely. I’m sure it could deafen a dragon in no time.
I’m not afraid, not at all. I’m hoping this will help me find out who I am, even though it’s probably only a few miles long walk. 
“Filly,” a voice I faintly remember says, “is that you?”
I turn around, seeing the pegasus who gave me my good luck charm. I nod, smiling.
“River, isn’t it?” she asks.
I nod again.
“I will be going back to the short grass soon,” she says solemnly.
“What?” I write.
“Do you not know what the  short grass is?”
I bite my tongue, staring at the old pegaus. I can see her age marks, many years of life behind her. She must be hinting it. I feel tears burn my eyes, sure of what she’s saying: She will die soon. A flood of emotions come over me, though I barely know this pony. This can’t happen to her, not yet.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
I take out my notebook, quickly writing: “Does it mean you’re going to die soon?” Death, I knew what it was from somewhere, but I don’t know where.
She looks at me strangely. “What?” she asks.
“Will you be dead soon?” I write back.
“What is this ‘dead’?” she asks.
“When your life ends.” I write, hoping not to look irritated. How does no one know this?
“Life ending?” she asks. She suddenly begins laughing. “This is just another story you fillies must spread around. Everypony knows once you’ve reached your last day, you simply become another pony. How could you not know? It’s a story, right?”
I fake it, nodding like I’m just another filly.
She laughs. “I’ll be a new pony soon. I may or may not see you again, but that’s OK. I’m sure there are many more ponies out there who are like you. I hope you don’t take that the wrong way, but you seem very kind. I hope my assumption is right.”
I wave goodbye to her, ready to continue on my way.
“Wait!” she yells. “Are you waiting for someone, your Dads’ perhaps?”
If I could laugh, I’d be rolling in the dirt. Flim and Flam as my Dads’? Man, those poor brothers would die of embarrassment if they heard that.
I write: “I need to find a dragon who can send letters to Celestia.”	
“I don’t know of a dragon who can do that,” she says, “but I do know of a pegasus. She’ll have to fly you to Canterlot, though.”
“That’s fine.” 
“Just go a few miles north and you’ll find her home,” she says, pointing north. “She lives all alone, so she’ll be glad to have a visitor. She is also much younger than I. Now go.” The pegasus smiles. “Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll meet someone like you again.”
I leave her, unsure of what to think. How do you not know what death is? I’ve known about it since I woke up. How can some other pony not know what it is? But how do I know what is then and not know my own name? Why did I suddenly get sad about it? For what I knew then, it could have meant she was just moving. 	Why did  I jump to conclusions so quickly? Why hadn’t I just kept it to myself?
No, she’d looked old, so there must have been some reason for why I said what I said. 
I tell myself I’m not crazy because somepony else must know what death is.


As I walk, I think over everything. Am I kind? I don’t know, but I don’t seem bad. I know there has to be some kind of nice pony, one who you can’t help but like. I hope she meets them. Do I have parents? Now that I think about the Flim-Flam comment, the idea of a family seems possible. But every pony I see is colorful, none sharing the marks of me. Am I family to Flim and Flam?
And then there’s death. I don’t know whether she’s just crazy and I’m right, or if I’m crazy and she’s right. I mean, I know what death is. Your life ends, and you go on somewhere. But is what she said death, too? Your old pony self technically dies, and you become a new pony.
I stand in front of the cottage door, unsure of what to do. It’s already night here, and the moon isn’t out. I knock on the door.
“Come in!” a bright green pegasus with a light pink mane says. “It’s  so rare getting visitors, I just can’t help being excited. Here, I’ll make you some hot chocolate.”
I sit down at a chair, taking out my notebook. I begin writing in it.
“Hello, my name is River. I’m in need of getting an important letter to Celestia, and was hoping you could help me. If you can’t, that’s fine. I’d be glad to stay with you for a while. Also, do you have a way to message to two of my friends that I’m here. If they freak out thinking I’m gone, chaos will reign. Oh yeah, I can’t talk.”
She comes over, thoroughly reading my note. “River,” she says. “I like that name.” She hands me a mug, steaming hot chocolate with a ton of marshmallows inside. “Don’t drink too fast,” she says, “or you’ll get burnt.”
She goes to a different room for a few minutes, never explaining why she left. She simply walks with some paper. “I know a rather fast mailpony. Can you write them? I’m sure the mailpony can also get your letter to Celestia.”
I do, glad I’d been lucky enough to save one of Flam’s business cards with his contact information on it. I don’t  mention what the old pegasus said.
“You’ll be staying over tonight,” she says. “If you tried going back, you’d be lost forever in the darkness.”
I nod, sipping my hot chocolate.
“I’m Lilly Skies,” she says. “My talent is helping ponies get where they need to be. I know you need to get to Equestria, so I’ll take you tomorrow.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I write.
“Certainly,” she replies.
“Do you know what death is?” She definitely doesn’t look old and crazy, so I should get a straight answer from her.
“No,” she says. “I have never heard of it. Is it important?”
I shake my head. “Never mind, it’s not important. Thank you, though.”
“Glad I could help,” she says. “Are you tired?”
I nod.
“Let me show you to the guest room,” Lilly says.
Only when she leaves me alone do I finally begin to get worried. Am I crazy for knowing what death is? Is death even real? Nopony else seems to know about it.
Maybe I am crazy.


“The pegasus said I’d fly you to Canterlot?” Lilly laughs. “I did that a long time ago, but not today. My dream is to do so again, but I know it is useless.  I can fly you back to your home if you want me to, though. My wings can at least handle you for a short distance.”
I shake my head, then proceed to get back home.
“The mailpony will get your letter to Celestia in no time!”