Even Death Needs A Vacation

"No nightmares last night?" Fluttershy chirped as she saw the young girl waking up, rubbing her eye with a fist and yawning cutely. A nod from the reaper confirmed her suspicions, which made the soft yellow pony smile. Kicking her legs off the side of the couch, the fox-tailed death sat up, smacking her lips a bit. She was still getting used to this whole "sleeping" thing. After 5000 years of having no need for sleep, it was strange to get back into the habit, even if it was only twice now.

She reached into her robes, producing the book curiously and leafing through the pages, as if expecting something to have changed. And, not surprisingly, it was still blank as ever, like a parchment desert that begged for a drop of ink but found nothing but dust and wind. Tucking it back into her robes, she looked up to see Fluttershy staring at her curiously.

"What's wrong?" she asked, frowning.

"Well... pardon me if this is too forward... But.. You've been wearing those robes for a few days now... Don't you want them washed and pressed?" The mare asked, turning to pour some food into a bowl for her critters.

Lily blinked, then looked at her robes, pinching a part of them and tugging it forward to inspect it. She lifted them up a bit and sniffed them, they.. didn't smell any different. Dusty, dry, and ectoplasmic. They've smelled this way since she got them from her mentor. She looked up at Fluttershy with a puzzled frown. Why would she need to wash them? They smelled just fine. Besides, she wasn't into smelling like riverwater and goat fat.

"Uh... Not really. I think they smell fine. Besides, I haven't changed them in 5000 years, so it's no different," she stated, which only prompted an eyebrow raise from Fluttershy. The mare turned to look at her, setting the bag of feed down.

"Well 5000 years of wearing those robes, and you're telling me you never once got dirty?" she said disapprovingly. She was sounding more and more like a mother every day.

"Must be 'cause of my age. I am pretty young... At least in relation to the other Deaths... " Lily thought, giving a small shrug in response, "If I did, it was shaken off after a while."

"Lily, I really think you'd be happier in clean clothes," she said, "And if you haven't changed out of those robes in so long, then you probably haven't bathed in forever too."

"Well... I'm dead, Fluttershy. I'm supposed to smell... corpsey," Lily said, giving a roll of her hand and a half smile, as if Fluttershy was supposed to understand and just move on. No such luck, however.

"Lily..." she frowned, the sweetness gone from her voice and replaced with a stern tone. "If I'm going to be taking care of you, I'm going to treat you to the same comforts as I give to the animals. Which means regular baths and clean clothes. Besides, I'm sure Rarity could make you something to wear while your clothes are in the wash."

"Rarity?" She said, blinking. "Twilight said that name too...Is that another one of your friends?"

"Oh, yes! She's the local seamstress and she's a very good friend of mine~" There's that sweetness again. "I suppose I haven't introduced you to her yet. OH, or any of my other friends. Well, no time like the present!"

Finishing up her chores quickly, Fluttershy started to trot out the door, carrying Lily on her back. Lily squeaked a bit, startled from the sudden ride she was receiving, and held on to the mare's neck loosely. She'd never ridden a pony before, or a horse, or anything for that matter. Heck, she never even "rode" her scythe like a hobby horse. There's a certain level of professionalism you need as a Death, and pony-rides were out of the question..

Come to think of it, several of the things she's been partaking in are out of the question too...

But what could she do? She was at the mercy of these ponies, practically. Her scythe couldn't harm the living, and even if she could, these ponies were immortal anyway. It'd be like writing with a broken pencil... pointless. So if these ponies wanted her to sleep, eat, and be merry, she didn't really have a say in the matter.

The ride was nice, though. She got to actually take in the countryside and the rustic atmosphere of the whole place. It was quaint, in a way that only a town like this could be. Her ghostly friend bounced alongside them, sometimes circling between Fluttershy's legs and making her giggle from the sensation. They soon found their way into town, and ponies didn't seem to look twice at them anymore. They just waved, greeted Fluttershy and herself, and went about their days. Something about that experience made the reaper smile, just a bit.

They arrived at Carousel Boutique, and Lily climbed off Fluttershy's back, being careful not to get anything tangled in her long mane. The mare gave her a smile, then turned and knocked on the door with her hoof.

"COOOMMMMinnnnnngg!~" A voice cheerfully called from somewhere in the shop, with a sing-song tone that reminded Lily of the few Victorian opera singers she had encountered over the years. She always hated opera. She loved the outfits though, so colorful and vibrant, even when splashed with blood. Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and a white unicorn with a curled indigo mane stepped out, her huge eyes like brilliant sapphires behind a pair of professional red-framed glasses.

The scent, however, was less to be desired. She smelled like she bull-charged into a make-up factory and hit every holding tank on the way out. Lily didn't want to be rude, however, and bit her tongue from making a remark about the whole thing.

"Fluttershy, darling! It's so good to see you! What's the occasion? It's not our spa day for another week!" She said, beaming at the yellow mare.

"Hehe! I know, but I'm here for business, not pleasure."

Lily had to do everything in her power to not roll her eyes right there.

"I'm actually here for Lily," Fluttershy continued, turning her head to look at the girl standing beside her. Rarity looked at Lily and shrieked, making the two cover their ears in surprise as the door slammed shut.

"Well... that was certainly something," Lily said flatly, scowling at the door as she uncovered her ears.

"Oh um... I'm sure it wasn't anything personal, Lily... She tends to do that with a lot of ponies when she first meets them." the pegasus said, giggling a bit, "She's a bit of fashionista."

"I couldn't tell." the reaper dripped, the eye roll from before rearing it's ugly head.

The door was opened again, and Rarity came back, giggling nervously and waving a hoof at Lily.

"I'm so sorry, darling... I just... It was just your ensemble! Come now, darling, black cloak with red eyes and pale complexion? That is so last season!"

"I beg your pardon?" Lily said, giving her a puzzled frown, "Last season? What's Springtime have to do with my cloak?"

Clicking her tongue disapprovingly, Rarity turned around and started into her shop. "Come come. I can't have you walking around looking like that."

Lily looked at Fluttershy, shrugging and giving her a puzzled look. The pegasus just giggled and nudged Lily with her hoof, extending her foreleg into the shop. Following her directions, she went in after Rarity, her host following quickly behind, closing the door after them.

Rarity took them into her studio, racks and shelves full of dresses, suits, and fabrics of all colors; Mannequins... ponequins? whatever... were lining the walls, each dressed in a different outfit. The floor was surprisingly clean, Lily noticed. Most tailors had floors covered in pins and needles and lost scraps of thread. Then again, it's not like these ponies wore shoes all the time, so that was probably why.

"Now, Lily, was it? We absolutely MUST get you into something more... YOU," Rarity said, turning to face them. "And the sharp contrasts of light complexion to dark cloth simply ISN'T working. When you've got a coat like mine, you need to add more bright pastels and soft shades to help your tones shine a little more."

"Shine...? Pastels?" Lily was only getting more and more confused by all this fashion talk. "Is all this really necessary?"

Rarity gasped, putting her hoof to her chest. "Is this all really necessary?! Of COURSE it is, darling! You can't expect to look your best without clothes that look their best!"

Suddenly, a long roll of measuring tape was surrounded in a blue aura, being carried over to Rarity before she waved a hoof over to Lily.

"Now come over here and let me get your measurements."

Lily blinked, walking over to Rarity and standing up on a low stage surrounded by mirrors on one side. The blue glow levitated the tape over to her and was stretched out beside her leg, then her arm, then it was suddenly tightly wrapped around her chest.

"Ack! Hey!" Lily protested, but the invasive tape kept going, binding itself around her hips and waist before floating back to Rarity, who was looking at the chart she had been scribbling on for the past few minutes.

"Hmm... Your proportions are very unique, darling... But I've never backed down from a challenge!" she said triumphantly, extending her foreleg above her head. "Trust me, before the end of the day, you're going to have a brand new outfit that you are going to-"

"-die for?" Lily finished, smiling at her own joke. Unfortunately the punchline was lost on Rarity, who gave her a confused look.

"N... No, darling. I was going to say 'love'. Why in Equestria would you dye for it? The outfit's colors will be perfect as it is."

"Er... no, not dye with a Y, die with... oh forget it." She waved her hand dismissively, crossing her arms. Fluttershy giggled at the display, however, then went to Rarity.

"Rarity, would it be okay if Lily used your bath?"

"Oh of course, darling! As long as you make sure to leave it as clean as when you enter, I don't mind in the slightest."

Fluttershy smiled, thanking her unicorn friend before leading Lily into a different part of the boutique. Entering the bathroom, Lily was assaulted by a multitude of scents that she was only barely familiar with. Whatever it was, it was flowery. VERY flowery. Ignoring the smell, the pegasus trotted forward and started to run a bath, pouring a long stream of purplish ooze into the water, making the surface foam up with a thick cloud of bubbles.

Lily stared in wonder at the bubbles, quickly running over to the side of the bath and looking in.

"How'd you do that?!" she shouted in disbelief, "Was that some sort of magic potion?"

The mare giggled, shaking her head. "No, nothing like that. It's just lavender bubble bath!"

"Bubble bath?" Lily repeated, looking at her curiously, "What an odd name for a potion.."

This made the butter pegasus frown, furrowing her brow. "Have... you never heard of bubble bath, Lily?"

"And where's the water come from?" She looked at the metal spout protruding from the wall curiously, "There's no basin or tank to siphon it from..."

Fluttershy blinked, then gasped when it finally dawned on her. "Ohhh you're from a time when this stuff wasn't invented yet, huh?" she said, smiling.

"I guess so," Lily said, looking at her, "When I died, the most we had for a bathroom was a bucket of water and soap made from animal fat. If we were lucky."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore. You can take baths whenever you like now, and the soap is made from special ingredients so that it cleans more and smells better." she chirped, turning the water off, "I'll give you some privacy. Just leave your clothes near the door so that Rarity can wash them, okay?"

"But I'm not gonna be in the bath that long!" she protested, looking at her with a frown, "Washboarding this stuff would take hours!"

"We don't use washboards anymore, silly! We have machines that do the work for us, and much faster too."

"No way!" Lily said, grinning like a kid in a candy store, "How was I not informed of this stuff?!"

Fluttershy just giggled and shook her head, turning around and leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Lily giggled, playing with the bubbles for a while.

A nice long bath and several minutes of blow-drying her tail and hair later, Lily waited patiently in a towel for her new clothes to be delivered to the bathroom as she chatted with her ghostly companion.

"I wonder what kind of cloak we'll get this time, Spirit! Do you think it'll be ash black or charcoal black?" She said excitedly, "I've always kind of thought of myself as more of an ash girl."

The spirit ball bobbed around a bit, aimlessly floating about without a care in the world.

"Really? You think I could pull off charcoal?" Lily's cheeks flushed a bit as she giggled, "You're just saying that."

Soon, there was a soft knock at the door and Rarity's voice came through.

"Lily, darling, your clothes are here! Come see me when you're all dressed!"

"Thanks Rarity!" she called, looking back to her companion, "C'mon Spirit, let's see which cloak she made for us!"

Opening the door, she quickly brought in a folded bundle of clothes before closing it up and unwrapping them with the gusto of a child at a birthday party. But her excitement quickly waned when she saw her new outfit.

"Huh?"

She lifted up a pair of baby pink pants, sized perfectly for her, with a pink pond lily embroidered on each hip. Then a rose pink short-sleeved shirt with a small sunflower decal on the upper left chest of it. She pulled out the undergarments and socks, then the red canvas flats that went with it, looking in the empty package expectantly, only to find nothing.

"Well... m-maybe she just wanted to save the best for last," Lily said with a light chuckle, quickly dropping the towel and getting changed into the new clothing. Even if it wasn't exactly business wear, it was incredibly comfortable. Rarity certainly knew what she was doing. She stood up and looked in the mirror, her hair hanging down loosely, like a black tangled mess with shaggy bangs. "At least my hair looks good."

After cleaning up the bathroom and making sure it was exactly like how she went in, Lily stepped out and into the studio where Rarity and Fluttershy were waiting. Stepping out and doing a little twirl, Lily giggled with a big smile.

"How do I look?"

Fluttershy seemed to like it, but Rarity...

"Darling... I hate to nitpick, but... why didn't you brush your hair?"

"Well, it's just gonna be covered up by my cloak, right?" Lily said with a big smile, "Where is it anyway? I can't wait to see what kind of cloak you stitched for me! Is it charcoal or is it ash? I was saying to Spirit that I'm more confident in ash but they say that I could pull off charcoal."

"Cloak...?" Rarity frowned, "I didn't stitch you a cloak, darling. Don't you remember what I said about dark cloth on a light complexion? The soft pastels work so much better," She said, doing her best to sound friendly, yet professional.

"W-Wait, you expect me to walk around without my cloak?!" Lily protested, "H-How is anyone going to know that I'm a Death without a cloak?!"

Rarity looked at her friend questioningly, but the butter pegasus just shrugged with a quaint smile, a soft giggle escaping her lips. Turning back to Lily, the unicorn gave her an awkward smile.

"Darling, I'm not sure what a "Death" is, but whatever it is, they definitely need better fashion sense. Besides, don't you like the outfit I made for you?"

Lily looked a little upset, but looked at her new outfit, considering the point that the fashionista was trying to make. To tell the truth, the splash of color against her otherwise dreary disposition was a welcome change. And the clothes were incredibly comfortable. And best of all, they didn't smell like dirt and ectoplasm. It smelled soft, flowery and warm, which is exactly the way Lily felt for a moment, anyway.

"I do," The reaper said with a small smile, twirling again, "Thank you so much, Rarity... I guess after 5000 years of wearing the same thing, I just got used to it. The outfit is beautiful. But I suppose if I'm going to go around without a hood, I should style my hair some..." And as if on cue, a tangled bang swished down into Lily's vision, making her giggle.

"Allow me, darling," Rarity said with a smile, walking over with a comb, a brush and a few hair accessories.

Fluttershy led the young reaper out of the boutique, looking over her shoulder at Rarity. "How much do I owe you, Rarity?"

"Oh, no charge for you dear, or our adorable new friend. It's on the house today."

"Are you sure? It was so last minute, I'd hate to make you go through all that and not pay..."

"Pish posh, Fluttershy! The satisfaction of knowing I helped a friend is payment enough!"

There it was again, that strange, warm sensation. It seemed like every time it reared it's head, it managed to get out more and more, like some sort of weird... emotion zombie. "Yuck..." she paused her train of thought for a minute. "Why'd I have to say 'zombie'? Of all the undead creatures, I had to pick the one that's falling apart and smells like rotted meat." Shaking her head in hopes of shaking off the strange sensation, she gave Fluttershy a smile as they walked out.

"You're okay walking, Lily? I don't mind giving you another ride," the pegasus said with a smile, looking at her. "Especially since you've got to carry your scythe and your old clothes.. I should've brought my saddlebags."

"I'm fine, Fluttershy. That Rarity pony was really nice! I can't believe she made this stuff for free! I wish I could thank her properly..."

The sensation wasn't going away as easily this time, however. It clung to her like wet glue... Not quite enough to hinder her, but certainly enough to be annoying. It was like her shadow was out to get her.

"That's Rarity for you~ I can't think of a more generous friend!" she said with a giggle. "Would you like to visit Twilight? I'm sure she'd love to learn more about you."

"Maybe tomorrow... I'm not sure I'm up for answering questions about myself today..." Letting out a huff, she rolled her scarlet eyes, "I swear, it's like trying to explain the color orange to a blind person.."

Giving a nod, the mare looked at Lily with a smile.

"You've been very patient, though. What do you think of your new hairstyle?"

Lily blinked as she thought about it. Her shaggy black hair was now brushed and combed, then trimmed down before being tied into a low hanging braid, complete with a bright red bow to tie it together.

"I love it..." she said, a pink tone coming to her otherwise pale cheeks, "I haven't felt this way in centuries!"

"That's good!" her host chirped, "Although, if you don't mind me asking, what do you mean?"

"I already told you I'm over 5000 years old..."

"No, I mean... which way haven't you felt?"

Lily stopped dead in her tracks, no pun intended, as a puzzled look quickly found itself plastered to her face. Fluttershy stopped, glancing behind her when she noticed Lily wasn't following anymore, pausing and turning around to face her.

"Lily...? I'm sorry if that was too personal... Are you okay?"

The girl frowned, looking lost for a while. Fluttershy's voice seemed to fade in and out as she tried to find an answer to the question; The feeling from before looming behind her... not threateningly... but knowingly. Twisting her mouth into a crooked frown and her eyebrows raising, she stared at the ground as her brain buzzed. The mare approached, gently putting her hoof onto Lily's hand, snapping her out of it.

"Lily? Do you need to go to the doctor? Are you feeling okay?" she asked, the concern in her voice wrapping around Lily like a shawl.

"N-No, I-I mean... yes, I'm fine. I don't need to go to the doctor. Sorry... I just... didn't know how to answer your question? ...I think." She fidgeted with the bundle of clothes for a moment before looking back up to Fluttershy. "Could... we actually go talk to Twilight after all? I feel like she might be able to help me make sense of this."

Turning tail, the duo started back towards Twilight's palace. Well, Fluttershy did, carrying Lily on her back. She was insistent on Lily not walking until she was sure that her charge was okay. Stepping into the giant double doors and heading into the Map Room, they came in on the familiar alicorn chatting with a pink unicorn with a purple and blue striped mane and tail; the former of which turning around to greet them cheerfully.

"Fluttershy, Lily! What a pleasant surprise!" She said, waving them over. "I was just talking about you!"

The two came over, the unicorn giving Lily a polite, albeit stressed, smile.

"Lily, this is Starlight Glimmer, my student! Starlight, this is Lily, the.. what was it you said? Death?" she questioned, turning to Lily curiously. A nod from Lily confirmed this, and Twilight turned back to Starlight with a smile.

"She's not from here, but Fluttershy has been taking care of her while we figure out what to do with her."

"Heyy..." Lily said, scowling. "I'm not a pet ya know."

"Sorry."

Lily climbed off of Fluttershy's back, then approached the two other mares, leaning her scythe against the Cutie Map.

"Miss Twilight, I was actually wondering if you could help me with a problem I've been having since I got here."

Raising an eyebrow, the alicorn sat down in place and smiled. "Well, whatever it is, I'll do my best to help out."

"I've been having these weird... sensations lately... It's like a heavy, warm feeling in my chest..."

The three mares exchanged looks, but none of them seemed to be of concern, or worry... It almost looked as if they were smirking at each other. Twilight looked back at Lily, giggling a bit before she let Lily continue.

"Um... a-anyway... It feels like something keeps filling me up with... warm fuzzies..."

The three mares giggled, interrupting her again, which only served to annoy her further.

"Sorry..." Twilight said with a big smile, "If you don't mind me asking, when do these sensations normally occur? Is it a constant feeling, or is it in small pulses?"

"The second one... Although I wouldn't call them small. They keep getting bigger. It usually happens when someone does something nice for me, or to me."

Starlight covered her muzzle with a hoof, doing her best to suppress her giggling while Fluttershy held her breath, looking away with a goofy smile.

"What's so funny?!" Lily said, stamping her foot. This made Starlight lose all composure, giggling like a filly.

"I-I'm sorryyyy!" she said between giggle fits, "Y-You're just so cute!"

"You are pretty adorable, Lily. Especially with that new outfit of yours," Twilight said, pointing a hoof at her.

Lily's cheeks became red and her tail swished side to side, her ears perking up.

"Th-thanks," she said softly, then shifted uncomfortably, "Gahh, there it is again!"

Twilight gave her a patient smile, watching Lily trying to ward off the sensations building up in her chest, before levitating the girl over and giving her a big hug, snuggling her close.

"Hee hee! Relax, Lily. That warm sensation is a good thing!" She gave Lily's cheek an affectionate nuzzle, "It means that you feel loved and cared for."

"...loved?"

The room fell silent, the giggling stopping entirely. Starlight blinked and Fluttershy looked ready to faint.

"...Lily..." Twilight said cautiously, "...do... you not know what being loved feels like?"