The Whistle of Death.

by The_Chill_Author

Death Is The Fairest.

Creak... Creak... Creak...

Back and forth rocked Granny Smith on her rocking chair placed on the porch of the Apple Family household. She felt the fall breeze brush through her hair and caress her face. Granny Smith hummed, looking over to the once green leaves on the apple trees turn brown and slip off. Floating gently down, touching the earth.

She managed to see a red figure off in the distance, assuming it was her grandson using a rake to gather the fallen leaves, gathering them into a pile. Some leaves managed to slip through the cracks, but Big Macintosh remedied that mistake quick, putting the leaves back into the pile and raking them along.

"Granny Smith?" A faint voice called out, and the elderly Earth Pony looked over to her right and sees Applebloom standing there next to her.

"Yes, caramel?" Granny Smith spoke softly, "What is it?"

"Are ya okay? Ah called yer name, and ya didn't hear me tha first time, is everythin' okay?" Applebloom asked.

Granny Smith smiled and gave her a nod, focusing on Applebloom's lips. "Everythin' is alright deary, my mind was just wanderin'."

Applebloom was still concerned but moved on, "Ah was just askin' if ah could go hang out with tha crusaders?"

Granny Smith scoffed, "Now, why do ya need my permission? Ye're free to go, hang out with yer friends."

"Well, it's just that Applejack told me to take care of ya while she's away solvin' a friendship problem with Fluttershy in tha south," Applebloom replied, to which the elderly mare hummed.

"Alright, caramel, go on ahead," Applebloom's eyes brightened, and she skipped along down the path to Ponyville, but just before she gets too far, Granny Smith called out; "Oh, an' Applebloom?"

Applebloom stopped herself and turned to face Granny Smith, mouthing the words; "Yes, Granny?"

Granny Smith smiled, "Ah love ya, Applebloom."

Applebloom smiled back, mouthing; "Ah love ya too, Granny." Before she skipped off down the path, leaving Granny Smith alone on the porch.

She took a deep breath, gathering all of the nice cold air before releasing it through her mouth and kept rocking back and forth.

Creak... Creak... Creak...

She then heard a sound so clearly, as if somepony fixed her hearing for her. The sound was a whistle, the whistle rang across the farm, yet it wasn't loud. Granny Smith stopped rocking her chair and turned her head to face the sound. She saw a figure so clearly, as if somepony fixed her sight for her. The figure was a large silvery-white, bipedal wolf with an elongated snout, gray "mask" marking on his face, sharp teeth, and calm red eyes. He wore a black riding cloak with a built-in hood, and brown trousers under it. The wolf stood in front of the door which was right next to her.

"Hello, Granny Smith," The Wolf said like an old friend.

"Hello, Death," Granny Smith replied. The Wolf appeared to be surprised, having not expecting her to know his name. His eyebrows raised high before he smiled and took the hood off his head. "Ah've been expectin' ya."

"Likewise," He glanced down at the Earth Pony, and Granny Smith looked right back. The two stared each other in their eyes, "You lived quite a while, Ms. Smith."

"Oh, please, call me Granny Smith, everypony calls me that anyway." Granny Smith gave Death a warm smile, "And besides, a mere seventy years is nothin' compared to ya."

Death shook his head, "Abuela, your memory seems to have failed you, for you have lived to one-hundred-ninety-seven."

"Ya couldn't have waited three years?" Granny Smith joked which managed to make Death snort out a laugh.

"I'm afraid not, your time has come." Death replied.

"Ah suppose that's fair, ah've lived longer than any of tha other folk 'round me." Granny Smith continued to rock in her chair and look out to her farm, her eyesight was better than ever before, she could see so clearly. She saw that Big Mac was no longer raking leaves, likely to have gone to Ponyville, and leaving her alone on the farm.

"Well, that isn't particularly true, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are centuries old, and they're still alive enjoying retirement." Death said matter-of-factly.

"That is true, ah can't make it past two centuries it'd seem." Granny Smith chuckled to herself; Death couldn't help but chuckle too.

"That's life for you, life isn't fair, but death on the other hand," Death gestured to himself, "Death is the fairest. Everyone gets it."

Granny Smith nodded, "Ah suppose so, everypony gets it sooner er later."

"Indeed, although, it is a shame I had to take Bright Mac and Butter Pear so soon." Death admitted, "It's unfortunate that Applebloom never really knew them, and you were left with the burden of taking care of three foals."

"Ain't no problem, like ya said, 'life isn't fair, death is the fairest.'" Granny Smith said cooly.

Death smirked and walked away from the door to sit down left of Granny Smith on the floor. "The afterlife isn't all that bad, after all, people are dying to get to it."

"Hah! Who'd-a thought that Death was a comedian?" Granny Smith chuckled as she rocked. Death stared ahead into the farm as did Granny Smith, looking past the apple trees, past Sweet Apple Acres and into Ponyville.

"And who would have known that this town would hold so many unforgettable memories to your grandchildren?" Death asked, "From Nightmare Moon's arrival to the rise of Twilight Sparkle as the ruler of Equestria. You've done so many things, you should be proud."

Granny Smith snorted, "Proud? Ah didn't do diddly squat, ah just made tha town, it's my granddaughter and her friends' doin' that really made this town a special place."

"I suppose that is true." Death mused.

The two had sat in silence for a while and eventually, Death stood to his feet, taking out two crescent shaped sickles.

"Well, git on with it."

Author's Note:

I know it isn't original in the slightest, but I just had to do it with Death, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm also going to explain some things that you might have not noticed. Before I do so, I would like for you to try and figure them out.

---

To start off, in the beginning Granny Smith looking at the leaves fall off the trees and dying resembles death. How everyone slowly wilts and wither before their death. The leaves managing to escape the cracks in the rake only to be swept back in means that no one escapes death, death is unavoidable and can't be stopped, so it's better to accept it.

Granny Smith barely able to make out Big Mac shows that her vision has decayed severely, and the smaller size of words earlier shows her hearing has decayed severely as well. Applejack telling Applebloom to look after Granny Smith was the Element of Honesty's fear of losing Granny Smith leaking in.

It's at this time that you might have guessed that Granny Smith knows that her death is near, telling Applebloom she loves her, taking a lung-filled deep breath (savoring the fresh air before she dies) and her doing something that she loves, rocking in her chair and looking over the farm.

And her eyesight and her hearing getting better reveals that her death is close and giving her a last good look at the world before she dies. Death's talk of how life isn't fair and death is the fairest is true.

With life, everyone starts off different, some start in rich families, some, in poor ones. Some live a life of fun and adventures, and others live a life of tragedy and loneliness. Death is the same for everyone, your mind drifts away and you lose the ability to hear, to see, to feel, to taste, and to smell. While death comes in different ways, shapes, and forms, it comes all the same.

Everything.

Goes.

Black.

---

I hope you enjoyed the story!

Comments

[JNKing]

Hey Chill,

Great job representing one of the best representations of Death I've ever seen in a kid's film.

I absolutely loved this character, and feel you captured his personality flawlessly. The way he and Granny Smith converse really makes it feel like Smith has led a good, long life and is ready for him, and the contrast with how he treats her gently and kindly as opposed to how he acted towards the more arrogant Puss gives him a really nice range of personality that the movie could only hint at.

Great work, my friend. Thank you for sharing. 👍

[The_Chill_Author]

11484633
Yeah, giving Death a gentler side is fairer given that he had fought Puss in Boots because the legend didn't appreciate any of the lives he had. When encountering the elderly, sick children, and other stuff of the sort, he's gentle, almost welcoming. Death isn't a bad guy, he's just there to help them pass along.

[Orderly Disassembly]

This is quite a good serious short fic. I hope to see more of these instead of the shitposts. They're funny mind you, but this one felt like it held more emotion, more soul than what else you've written.

Good job, and I hope to see more.

Good luck.

[The_Chill_Author]

11484651
Noted, although, I'll have to finish with the rest of the MGR cast, then I might just write some deep stories like this time to time.

[Idiotboy24]

In my opinion this story is perfect, it gets everything right, it has accurate representations of both Granny and Death while keeping a tone that flows well with the narrative. All I can say is that I enjoyed this a lot with my final score being a 10/10

I can’t wait to see what tales you have to tell on this site.

[Stalin with Da Spoon]

Hot DAMN, was not expecting a puss in boots story this soon, none the less with Death. And a pretty damn good one at that.

Something tell me he's not an Alicorn person...

[The_Chill_Author]

11484896
No one lives forever. :)

[JNKing]

11484642
Agreed. 👍

[assbutt2]

This was actually kinda nice.

[deadhound]

I loved that Death was welcoming and even joked with Granny Smith. Always thought that Death would be nice and comforting to those he visited. Feels bittersweet to read a story like this.

[Alondro]

The instant I saw this title, my VERY FIRST THOUGHT was "And the Death Wolf shows up."

I know fandoms so well... SOON I SHALL USE MY UNSPEAKABLY VAST MENTAL POWERS TO BEND ALL FANDOMS TO MY WILL, AND LEAD TO MY GLOBAL DOMINATION!..

For you see, IT WAS ME, DIO!! ALL ALONG!! (I also noticed the profile pic immediately)

[Alondro]

You didn't write Granny's epic battle against Death!

But... anime tropes.... old people being badasses... the memes! WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE MEMES!!!

[Hillbe]

Spike! What are you doing with Granny Smith?
Dang Spike what happened?
I'm sorry Twilight spoiled my concentration
It's alright Precious Scales Granny's gone anyway, you did your best

Why is there a flaming row boat with Granny Smiths body in my dining area?

Granny always wanted a Viking Funeral
You forgot the Irish Wake
On to the cider! and the Bag Pipe solo
Discord stop laughing it's not that funny!

[Ozymandias]

11485791
I hear they're the DNA of the soul.

[Cyrus Colter]

11485791
that's good and all, but what do Anime and memes have to do with this story?

[Alondro]

11486289 Well, it's already using the meme of crossing Pony with everything...

[Cyrus Colter]

11486374
.... how about you just stop being as overdramatic?

that way you won't get someone like me, but with a much smaller temper, correcting you under the assumption that you're an idiot, when you're just trying to be funny?

[KenDoStudios]

I could see this happening in the perspective of granny in my own head cannon.
powerful words well done.

[Alondro]

11486401 *Alondro grins in an aside to the audience* He don't know me very well, do he?

[Seeker1]

This reminds me of my grandmother. One day, I was talking with her and then the next day, we awoke to find that she had passed in her sleep. It hurt, but in the end, we knew her soul was laid to rest.

[Lex the Pikachu]

All i can say is well done.

[Ebony Gryphon]

11485791
Neil Gaiman's Death is the best

[Orderly Disassembly]

11486750
I’ve seen you in several places, and you’ve been omega cringe every time I’ve seen you. What we see is what you are, so either learn to be less moronic or accept that you do not have much depth.

[Alondro]

11488732 Alondro's grin stretches even wider, "Oh I've got a live one this time!"

[redandready45]

Granny Smith called out; "Oh, an' Applebloom?"

Applebloom stopped herself and turned to face Granny Smith, mouthing the words; "Yes, Granny?"

Granny Smith smiled, "Ah love ya, Applebloom."

The fact that you managed to make an "I love you" so ominous is a testament to your writing chops.

I like the idea of Death being civil toward those who appreciate their lives and angry at those who don't appreciate an extended lifespan.

Good story.

[Pete100]

I can honestly see something like this happening.

[joElecTeen]