EPinkie Pie Drives a Hearse

• MLP: FiM
• Comedy
• Random
• Slice of Life

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD!!!

• Pinkie
• Mayor Mare
• Main 6

Winston · 3.4k words  ·  69  2 · 650 views

Pinkie Pie Drives a Hearse is a Comedy Slice of Life story about Pinkie Pie who, on a crisp and quiet morning, loudly demands "BRING OUT YOUR DEAD" while driving a black hearse slowly through town. So, exactly what it says on the tin, with a few twists involved (story based and mood based). Back and forth, it switches perspective between Pinkie along with whomever seems to be approaching her for an explanation for her shenanigans and Mayor Mare as she figures out whether or not she should stop the situation.

Before I get into the review, I should probably just anticipate that short stories from here on out aren't going to bother having physical descriptions for main/major characters, because, once again, no physical descriptions are present for characters. Or even much of the setting, really. If it's present, I'll mention it, I suppose. Now, onto getting on with it.

I should start out by first saying this reads VERY MUCH like a Monty Python skit, and considering the pacing and the subject matter, I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't at least a little bit of the inspiration. While not gut wrenching funny, it did earn a few laughs out of me, especially with the well timed smash cuts to the Mayor's perspective. I also have to give kudos to the actual writing here as well. It flows well, formatting is excellent, I didn't notice any grammar or spelling errors, and was very well paced for a 3.4k word short. I also love the liveliness and spot on character behavior presented in the dialogue and actions between characters. Looking at the score for the story and the premise, very little of this was surprising.

What I didn't expect, however, was the sudden mood shift in the last third of the story. One would think that Pinkie driving a hearse shouting "BRING OUT YOUR DEAD!" from a crappy megaphone would just be classic Pinkie probably being random and/or slightly referential all for a big joke, but from the get go it's hinted that there's more to this than meets the eye, and the pay-off at that last third of the story sealed the deal. If anything, out of everything that I WAS expecting for the story, feeling a little sad wasn't one of them.

Actually, there is another aspect I didn't really expect until I looked back on the story and really let it sink in. Under the comedy of such a ridiculous situation as Pinkie performing such a skit for a purpose, there is a surprisingly heartwarming and wholesome vibe that carries throughout. These people, coming together and supporting each other, though they are initially confused on the reason as to why, and ultimately show the strength of community. It's such a touching thing that isn't seen very often. Even when the story gets sombre for real, that sense of wholesomeness stays.

If there is literally anything I could actually criticize the story for, It's that the Journalist character introduced in the very beginning of the story is never heard from again. It's kind of a shame really. Kind of expected the irate member of the press having a slight change of heart post story with a headline giving a light backhand compliment to Pinkie's actions and ultimate result. Oh well.

Also, do not be fooled by the "Random". You'll know why when the story unfurls.

10/10. This is an excellent and excellently written story, but I'm not giving it such a score for that alone. The reason for Pinkie's behavior, the ultimate twist, and the absolute heartwarming nature that peeks out between the moments pushes it that much farther. If this story would have just ended on a joke (that it could have easily built up to), I probably still would have liked it alot (like, 8.5, at least), but I think the subversion really made it all come together much tighter than I could have ever anticipated based on pre-read assumptions.

Thank you for the review Nightmare_Omega, I saw this in the folders and didn't think much of it, but after reading this I will give it a shot. I love Monty Python, and figured they took inspiration from them, and this makes glad to hear it isn't an exact copy of the skit, but their own take on it.

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It's certainly inspired by said skit, but the story feels far more than just a reference or homage. In essence, the author took the joke and decided to write an actual short story around it.