FimFiction Link - Short ID: 480782/until-death-has-done-us-a-part
Published: Oct '20
'Until Death Has Done Us A Part' is a three thousand and two-hundred word oneshot. During a Nightmare Night celebration the actor, who's playing the role of Death, twists their ankle before they could play in Twilight's act. To remedy the situation Pinkie Pie summons the actual Reaper. Comedy ensues.
My previous two attempts at reading Equimorto's works didn't turn out that positively (>>37371575, >>37372474), however, this time the story simply hit for me. The comedy is fairly subdued, but that exactly makes the whole thing that much more enjoyable. The way each character reacts to meeting with Death is not only amusing, but also fits their personalities well. Death is portrayed as a sort of jovial, yet also utterly alien figure, who's just as content with munching pretzels, as it is willing to creep out the others by talking cryptically about its "job." Twilight teleporting away and screaming so loud that they can regardless hear it put a smirk on my face, especially when it happened once again later. I can't really say why, but Celestia dressing as herself was hilarious. It's such an innocent and stupid-simple joke, but it works so well. I also appreciate, how even though the story is very low-stakes and focuses largely on humor, it's also willing to be serious. Applejack confronting Death about what will happen to her family is a surprisingly solemn moment in an otherwise so lighthearted story, but instead of causing tonal dissonance, it is a rather sincere and emotional moment. I can't even fault how Pinkie exposition dumps the whole situation with the actor on Twilight, because it fits her character very well. The idea that she also used chocolate instead of blood for her summoning circle is exactly the kind of humor that I can't help but find very amusing. The only joke that didn't really hit for me is Starlight knowing Death and how she apparently tried to do something dark in her youth. Unlike most everything in the story, it felt a bit cliché.
Overall: 8/10 This story is a comfy and lighthearted Halloween read, full of great humor and touching moments. I can only recommend it.