We're All Equal in the Eyes of the Reaper

by SCP Pinkamena

Mister, where are we going?

We're All Equal in the Eyes of the Reaper
~SCP Pinkamena

---

Is death the end? "No," I say.

Does death hurt? "No" I say.

Does death make you sad? Silence. I could not speak, would not speak. I was silent, thinking of an answer to her question. Finally, I bent down and leveled my eye sockets with her baby blue eyes, and answered honestly.

"Yes," I said, "There is nothing that makes me more sad than this..."

---

It had been a normal day at work. Flitter here, flutter there, reap the soul of pony or two here and there. I suppose I hadn't introduced myself yet have I?

My name is Rigor Mortis.

But everyone knows me as Death.

A lot of ponies, some griffons, even a few dragons know me. While I can say that they have met me personally, that actually don't know me do they? Oh, dear me I'm rambling again, forgive me. Anyways where was I? Oh yes, my name. With a name like 'Death' you can't imagine what I went through as a child right?

Hahahaha... You know, I don't like being the Reaper. It's so... stressful, so down right cruel. Now, I don't hate my job mind you, but I don't necessarily like it either. My job is sorta kinda a... love-hate thing I guess? Bah, rambling again...

Anyway, while fluttering around in the cool air of a small town-village called 'Ponyville', I caught whiff of something. Not something good, like a cupcake that Pinkie Pie sells, but rather something bad, like one of Twilight Sparkle's failed experiments. As I followed the horrible stench I came across something I would never forget. A foal, no more than a month old, dead in a dumpster. That... That is one of the most painful memories I have up-to-date. Being quick and merciful, I reaped the poor babes' soul and sent her way into the fields Elysium.

Despite the fact I had no stomach, I felt sick right there, where the ponies would call their 'Gut'. Putting a hoof on my forehead, I tried to clear my mind and look more towards the task ahead of me. I trotted down the golden brown dirt road late in the night, looking around for the right house. Finally stopping at the last left turn, I matched the address with that on my list.

Ponyville, Equestira.
1452, Hayseed Lane.

Now, I can't be seen by mortal eyes. That is why I am mostly undetected and mostly unpredictable. So, phasing through the pine door, I heard the commotion of a daughter and her mother in the midst of an argument.

"But Mama, I'm cold! I need that blanket!" The little light red pony said.

"Don't you 'but Mama' me!" the yellow mare screeched, "I'm your mother and you do what I tell you to do!" She finished her point by slapping the poor filly to the ground. She muttered curse after curse when she walked away watching as her daughter ran, tripped, and fell down the stairs. Those kinda ponies just me want to take them and...Raah! But, I only intervene when I need to, so I followed the filly up into her room, if one could call it that.

Her room was as dull as any room could get. No wallpaper, no toys, not even a proper bed. Just enough newspaper made into a cushion of sorts and the words 'Filthy Tramp' written all over the wall in what I hoped to be brown paint. This was NO way a filly should live. Realizing I would be doing her a favor, I waited for the filly to fall asleep.

---

3:00 A.M. The Witching Hour. That is when I decided I would do it. Seeing as I would free her from a torment no one should endure. So readying my scythe, I didn't slash at her still body like many think I do, but instead simply poked and prodded at her until a little bit of her soul was spilling out. Seeing as I made progress, I ladled the rest of my scythe into her body, spooning out her soul which landed on the ground with a thump.

"But Mama... I don't want to get up yet..." She mumbled, still sleepy from her nap... Little did she know that her nap was forever now. Not bothering to say anything, I stood on my hind legs and twirled the scythe out in front of me. The filly woke from the noise, and turned to see me, waiting by the portal. I waved a hoof to the portal, but she only mewled away.

"Fear not, my child..." my voice echoing from all directions, but carried a sweet, caring tone. "No harm shall come to you... Consider this a Shepherds Promise." My voice soothed her into coming out of hiding but not yet to the portal.

"Who are you, Mister?"

"I, am Death, and I am here to guide you my child..." I said, hoping that this wouldn't freak her out. The last thing I want is a scared filly.

"I'm... Dead?" The filly looked down at her transparent hooves. "Well," she said with a giggle, "I guess Mama should've listened to me!" She said, giggling like mad. "Mama always said I was so cold!" She joked even more about it. As funny as this is, it wasn't uncommon.

The filly looked at me and calmed down. "Sorry, just... wow. That's a lot to take in... So, you gave me your name, only fair I give you mine! I'm Red Velvet, pleased to meet you Mister Death!" She smiled...

Dear...Something, she smiled! She accepted it! Only those far and few can except Death as if he were their best friend! I stepped away from the portal and nodded for her to go in. She began walking forward before she stopped just at the threshold.

"Hey, come down here please?" Red Velvet asked.

I obliged.

And on that day, something happened to me that I would never forget.

She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before smiling at me running into the portal.

*sigh* Why can't they be more like her?

Comments

[iakovl]

wow...
most of the time i don't spend time to read short fics... this time i'm glad i did it
while short it's good, very much so...

[SCP Pinkamena]

3632292 Thank you very much.

[HiddenBrony4]

I don't see why he didn't kill the mother instead- she deserved it far more than that foal. It just feels... cruel. Heartless. And sort of OOC for the brief look at Rigor Mortis that we got.

Still, them feels!

[iakovl]

3632386
death comes to those who need it not those who deserve it
that is the truth of our harsh life

[SCP Pinkamena]

3632386 3632430
Aye, as much as i hate to admit it, he be right. Wish Death upon that person all you want, he will come to get you first.

[iakovl]

3632439
unless you take things into your own hands

[SCP Pinkamena]

3632440 I've been Death once...
Let's just say it's something I never want to do again...

[iakovl]

3632442
seen more then once on the "job"... part of life
that gives you some perspective you can't get any other way

wasn't pretty "clean" death if you know what i mean

[SCP Pinkamena]

3632451 Let me rephrase that:
I've been WITH Death once...
Barely 2 years old -> <- that close to Death...

[iakovl]

3632457
hope you'll never be again (pre maturely i mean... death comes for all in the end)
as for myself, as most ex-military (meaning every one over 18) around here
seen things... as i said, perspective

as for death,
in my own perspective on life

i do not hide from death
i do not seek it
i await for it
for once it will come for me, i will rest
i will know i did my best while waiting
i will know i need not run any more
i will know peace

[SCP Pinkamena]

3632488
It doesn't matter if you're the happiest person...

or an unfortunate weeper...

a powerful beast...

or a terrifying creature...

We're all equal in the eyes of The Reaper...

[iakovl]

3632493
and for that i thank him
we are all equal before it
no color, race, faith... the way it should be

[SCP Pinkamena]

3632504 Amen to that...

[iakovl]

3632511
ok... we need to put the grim mood a side...
back to the great (sad) story

i think we should see another visit from Rigor Mortis, seems like a nice death
while i like Mort more (Mort Takes a Holiday) Mortis seems nice

[SCP Pinkamena]

3632525 Please, just Rigor. And yeah, I like Mort takes a Holiday too.

[iakovl]

3632530
well.. some fast trip to wiki for latin lesson
i think we can have a trio Pallor ,Algor and Rigor mortis
for one death will have too much work to do, even in equestria

[SCP Pinkamena]

3632553 Maybe...

[iakovl]

3632558

[shadowblitz13]

death, be he a rifleman, a reaper, or something not even the dead can see, is merciful when he can be...

[flutterpunk]

This was amazing for a short story

[EmperorSabbath]

Wow...

That was just amazing!!

[An Absent Man]

My hearts, it hurts

[lunarstallion]

I wait for the day that little filly's mother gets killed.

On that day, she will know her place.

[Stormin5532]

Damn. I didn't ask for all of these damn feels OP.

[SCP Pinkamena]

4486038 It didn't have to be like this...

[Starknight619]

you know this is good shot fic but I think it would do nicely as small series...

think about extending it please?

[King Kenya]

Hmmm..... I prefer my Death's to be more Pratchett-esque, but not bad at all. Really rather good, even if Rigor Mortis didn't "TALK LIKE THIS".

[SCP Pinkamena]

4752216 If he "TALKED LIKE THIS" all the time then he wouldn't live up to his name. While Rigor Mortis means "stiff body", his voice is actually opposite of that, and free flowing, bending with the river, if you will.

[Mr Skeleton]

Im sorry, but you do not write a very convincing Death.

[bronyvamp]

awww that was cute

[SCP Pinkamena]

4839849 I never replied to this. Weird. Anyway, I did in fact make a convincing death for this story because of the mood.
The mood was that it was meant to be bittersweet, a lighter side to dying if you will. My death has been death since the first creature, and because of this has been reaping countless souls for millennia. After a millennia, you start to get sad, lonely. Really, the inspiration around this was Mort Takes a Holiday, especially the part where he quickly reaps the foals' soul.

[Mr Skeleton]

4996219 I disagree Death is impartial, not prone to throw a fit over every dead child.

[SCP Pinkamena]

4996263 *ahem* Who wrote the story?

[Mr Skeleton]

4997709 You are intitled to your oppinion. All im saying is that your story failed to keep me intertained

[PoptartKitten]

5000017 *entitled *opinion *I'm *entertained

[Mr Skeleton]

5047244 oh wow I need to work on my grammer.

[PoptartKitten]

5048926 not using a browser with spellcheck?

[Mr Skeleton]

5048979 Google, but its set to Danish I cant figure out how to change it.

[PoptartKitten]

5048983 settings->advanced options->language and input settings

[Mr Skeleton]

5049038 thanks a lot

[RadioBug15]

Why haven't I seen this fic before? This is beautiful.

i.memeful.com/media/post/1d41OJw_700wa_0.gif

[Dustchu]

Whoa... that was... really sad D=
But oh so good... at least the poor filly was spared a life of torment.

Nicely done.

[Alex Warlorn]

And the irony of the title now.

[Irregular Quiche]

I want to see the mother's reaction

[BlueColton]

Death is a mercy is what I got from this story. I dont think of him as evil. He performs a necessary task.

[DracoBrony]

Its moving and poetic in a weird morbid way isn't it? Morbid curiosity such an odd concept of thought. One could make the best story known to man and yet the morbid would always be its better in terms of the amount it is veiwed. Strange I feel oddly at peace with this story hell I wouldn't mind a series somehow made from this, it would be... interesting I think something to run with and some food for thought to go with it.