After taking a moment to pick up his saddlebag, which had gotten knocked off of him when Missy tackled him, James followed Flutters into her cottage. When he was fully inside, all he could do was stare, and gasp in shock. The inside was cozy, and well kept, but what really held James's attention, were all of the animals; they were everywhere! Squirrels, chipmunks, birds of all kinds, snakes, otters, ferrets, raccoons, rabbits, if you can name it, and it lives in the woods, it was probably on Flutters's property somewhere.
"My word! Never, in my life, have I seen a place like this Miss Flutters! It's incredible!"
Flutters smiled. "Oh, well, I'm glad that you like it. And, um, you can just call me Flutters, and, if you don't mind, can I call you just 'James'?"
James nodded. "Yes, you can, Mi......um, Flutters." James blushed a bit when he said that.
Flutters giggled a bit. "That's quite alright James. Little slip-ups can happen to the best of us."
James looked around a bit. "Um, do you have a kitchen table Flutters? I think that that would be the best place to show you my plans."
Flutters nodded. "Yes, just follow me."
James followed, dodging past a lot of animals. Some of them moved, some of them kept jumping at him, and some even crawled on him.
"Um, Flutters, could you please keep your critters off of me please? I, um, kinda have severe anxiety issues, and I'm really not used to having small animals crawling on me. Please?"
"Oh, yes. Could everyone please stop getting so close to James? He really admires all of you, but he doesn't want you on him. Could you do that please?"
To James's utter shock, the creatures all seemed to nod their heads, and they all went to one spot or another, and left James alone.
"Gosh, this is too weird", he thought to himself. "I mean, I've heard of these 'animal whisperers' before, but this? Holy Cow! I don't even know what to say right now!"
And truth be told, James really couldn't think of anything to say that sounded at all coherent. So instead, he simply asked again where the table was.
"It's in here!" Flutters called.
James followed her voice into the next room. When he got there, he found himself in an open, sort of dining room. There was a kitchen table with four chairs around it. Flutters sat in one, and she motioned for James to come sit in another. On the top of the table, aside from place-mats, and a vase full of flowers, James also saw a teapot, two teacups with saucers, and a small plate of cookies. He took his seat across from Flutters.
"Would you like some tea James?"
"Um, what kind of tea is it, if I may ask?"
"Oh, it's called 'Sweet Caramel Tea'. Would you like to try some?"
He nodded. "Sure. It sounds quite nice."
Flutters nodded, and while she poured him some tea, he began to pull out his sketches, drawings, and papers where he'd written notes about what he had in mind for his pet mortuary business.
"Here's your tea James. Oh, and help yourself to some of the cookies if you want."
He took the teacup that she handed him. "Thank you, Flutters." He then blew on his tea, and then took a sip.
"Do, um, do you like it?"
"Yes, this tea is amazing! I really like the caramel flavor. Remind me to ask you for the recipe when I leave!"
Flutters laughed a bit at James's saying. "Oh, um, actually, I just buy it at the local market. However, you seem to have come here on discussing your business plan, so um, do you mind telling me what you had in mind?"
James nodded. "Certainly." He spread out some of his sketches so that Flutters could see them. "As I said before, my original operation was simply me working out of a tool shed, putting together coffins, and carving tombstones. However, I now wonder if I could possibly put together a small cemetery for pets."
Flutters looked at him curiously. "And what did you have in mind for that, James?"
James pulled out one sketch in particular, and looked it over. "Something like this", he said, pushing it in front of Flutters. I can picture a small plot of land, of maybe about no more than four acres, surrounded by a fence. On these four acres, would of course be the graves for the pets. I also see a front gate, as well as a sign, maybe saying, 'Pet Cemetery', or something like that. However, that's not even the best part."
"Um, what do you mean James? Isn't this already enough?"
James sighed. "Yeah, I know that you're probably right Flutters. I'm probably getting a bit too far ahead of myself. However, the final piece I envisioned for my pet mortuary business was a small chapel, for a funeral for a pet, if the owner so desired."
Flutters looked over James's sketches, and she was beyond surprised at the level of detail. "Wow James, these sketches are so well designed. By any chance have you ever thought about being an architect, or maybe an engineer?"
James thought about that. "Um, well, to tell you the truth, not too much, however, I have had people tell me that they could see me doing something like that, as I was pretty good at coming up with drawings of buildings, parks, and even roads."
Then James had another thought. "I also just thought of something. This whole venture is probably going to cost a lot of money, something I definitely DO NOT have on-hand right now!"
For a good few moments, Flutters said nothing at all. She just continued to stare at James's drawings. Finally though, she spoke. "Well, actually Mr. James, your little venture might not cost as much as you think."
"Um, what do you mean by that?"
Flutters did answer, but for whatever reason, she kept holding James's drawings in front of her face, and wouldn't make eye contact with him. "Well, what if I told you that I knew of a place just like this? A pet cemetery, with a fence, space for plenty of graves, a front gate, and a sign that says 'Pet Cemetery'?"
James thought about that. "Well then, I guess that I would ask you to show it to me then."
This time, Flutters dropped James's drawings back onto the table, and she looked at him, however this time, her face didn't seem so happy anymore. Indeed, she seemed to be almost crying. James winced suddenly and turned away. He faked a sneeze, but when he turned back around, Flutters's face had returned to normal, if she even had been upset in the first place.
"Gosh, I really need to see if these Ponies have some seriously strong anxiety medicine", James thought, "My condition is really getting out of hand!"
Flutters blinked a few times. "Sure, I could show it to you. Maybe it'll be just what you're looking for!"
She then got up from the table, and began to gently fly towards the front door. After taking a moment to gather up his papers, and take a few more sips of tea, James got up to follow her. As he made his way to the front door, he suddenly felt something bump him from behind.
"Hey, what the......? Oh, it's you again?"
There, standing behind him, was Missy. She was looking up at him with her red eyes, and seemed to be smiling at him.
"Hey James, are you coming, or what?"
"Yeah, I'm coming. And just for the record, Missy is looking at me weirdly. Is that a bad thing?"
"No, not really. She probably just wants you to take her for a walk."
James looked back at Missy. He was about 5'8. Missy was easily 5'0! "Um, well, I certainly hope that you have a leash for this beast of a wolf, as she's almost as big as I am!"
"Um, I've got it right here, now come on!"
"Ok, I'm coming!"
With Missy right behind him, James quickly went to the front door, and after Flutters helped him attach the leash to her collar, the three of them left the cottage on their way to the pet cemetery.
"Um, Miss Flutters, are you sure that you know where we're going? I think that we're lost!"
The train that they had been following, which had previously been following close to the edge of the woods, now dipped into them.
"Yes, I know where we're going. This trail leaves the Everfree Forest again in a few minutes, and past an overgrown field, hidden behind a hill, is the cemetery."
"I just hope that you know what you're doing, as I don't want to be out here when it gets dark, and I have to get back to Taylor."
"Why, what's wrong James?" Flutters teased, "You're not a scaredy-cat, are you?"
James shot her a look. "No, I'm not scared. I just have severe anxiety issues that, if pressed too far, could cause me to have a panic attack, which could lead to a heart attack, which could lead to my death. So yes, to answer your question, in a sense, I am afraid, afraid of death."
Flutters decided to drop the issue right then and there. "Yeah, you're right James. And I apologize for teasing you like that. Severe anxiety is nothing to sneeze at. I would know, as I used to suffer from it myself."
"Wait, seriously? You had severe anxiety?"
She nodded. "At times. I still have issues every now and again, but it's gotten much better over the years."
James was surprised. He knew that parts of his explanation were BS. "But hey", He thought. "If Flutters really does have anxiety, and can sympathize, why bother with a correction?"
"There is is James, do you see it?" Flutters pointed to something.
James looked, and sure enough, there it was, the pet cemetery.
"What do you think of it?"
"Um, I think that we'd better get the heck out of Dodge before the dead pets come back and eat us."
Flutters gave him a weird look. "James, you listen to too many radio dramas. The only thing to be afraid of out here, is improper burial, which has resulted in a few pets coming back; nothing too serious."
James nodded. "Yeah, no wait, what?! What did you say?!"
But Flutters was already out of earshot as she flew towards the cemetery. James tried to take a few moments longer to process what he had just heard, but unfortunately for him, Missy decided to follow Flutters, and she dragged James behind her as she ran!
Before James knew it, he found himself standing at the cemetery's front gates. They were made of wood, and seemed to be falling apart. Above the gates, was an arch with a sign.
"Pet.....wait what?" He checked the wording again. "Um, Flutters, did you make this sign?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Um, you spelled 'cemetery' wrong. It's spelled c-e-m-e-t-e-r-y, not s-e-m-a-t-a-r-y."
"I know. I did that on purpose."
James was confused. "What? Why?"
"Because, I kinda wanted this cemetery to have a bit of a 'rustic' kind of look. I was in debate with myself over the sign's wording though. Eventually, I decided to just go for it, and I spelled it wrong on purpose."
"Oh, well, I guess that makes sense."
Flutters nodded. "I started this cemetery. This is where I buried all of the critters who died under my care. There were so many at times. Illnesses, injuries, causes unknown at times, it was so sad."
"I can imagine. I know what it's like to lose a pet."
James then opened the gate, and went inside the cemetery. All around him, were wooden headstones. Some of them had names.
"Ginny the Squirrel. 7 years old."
"Chap the Badger. 11 years old."
"Fuzzy the woolly-bear caterpillar. 1 month."
The names went on and on. James estimated that the cemetery took up about two to three acres of land, and had maybe 100 or so graves in it.
"Wow, this place is so eerie. It's almost......" James stopped. "Wait, what?" He saw one headstone, that really made him stop. "No, no! I-it can't be!"
"Patches the Cat. 12 years old."
"J-just like my P-Patches." He then turned towards Flutters. "Um, F-Flutters?"
"Yes James?"
"W-who was P-Patches the Cat?"
"Oh. Well, Patches the Cat was a grey cat with patches of white on him. He also had one blue eye, and one green eye. His tail was all black, and one of his paws was white as well. He passed of natural causes at age 12."
James felt like he was about to faint. Flutter's description of Patches, matched the cat that he used to have as a kid to a tee.
"It's just, not possible! Patches died back on Earth! How is it even possible that there was another cat exactly like him, in close to the same time frame?! It just. Doesn't. Make. Any. Sense!"
James was at a complete loss for words. However, before he had a panic attack, he was able to calm himself down.
"Easy James, easy now. You're just overreacting. Patches passed peacefully back on Earth, and you made him his own coffin and tombstone, and buried him in the back garden at home. This Patches was tended to by Flutters. He had an identical description, and also lived to be 12 years old. It's coincidence, purely coincidence. It's just an eerie cemetery, in late afternoon, mixed with sad memories, and mild shock, nothing more. Get a grip right now!"
After taking a few deep breaths, James felt much better. However, as he kept looking around the cemetery, he couldn't shake this feeling he had about it.
"It just, feels so......eerie, so,........unnatural. I mean, I've been to cemeteries before, but I've never felt one like this. It just feels so.......sad."
Indeed, all around him, all James could feel was sadness. "All of the animals buried here, they were once loved. Even if by nopony else, only Miss Flutters, they were still loved. If there really is a heaven for pets, I just hope that they're all in it."
After fighting off the urge to cry, James made his way out of the cemetery again. When he saw Flutters, he saw that she seemed to be crying a bit as well. She was hugging Missy, and even Missy seemed sad. James left the cemetery, and joined them.
"I always feel so, just so sad when I come here", Flutters whispered softly. "I loved all of my animals with all of my heart, and some of them *sniff* some of them aren't with me anymore. Death took so many from me before their time!" Flutters then started crying.
James wasn't far behind. "I know, Miss Flutters. As an animal lover who has lost a pet myself, I can feel your pain. I know what it's like."
"Y-you, do?"
James nodded. "When I was younger, my cat, Patches, was my whole world. I loved him so much, and he showed me love back. When he died, I was so devastated. It was then, that I decided to give creating a mortuary business for pets a go. I made Patches a coffin and a tombstone, and buried him in the back garden at my parent's house. My business slowly grew from there."
By this point, Flutters had stopped crying, and looked up at him. "I'm glad, James. I'm glad to have met somepony like you, somepony who can sympathize with my love for animals. Somepony who would be willing and able to help me not only with my animals, but also with taking care of the Pet Cemetery as well."
All James could do was sigh. "Well, if that's what you want, Miss Flutters, then all I can say is, that if Taylor says yes, which I'm pretty sure that he will, then yes, I would be happy to help you with your animals."
"Just as I would be willing to lend a hoof helping you with your pet mortuary business."
"Flutters's Animal Caretaking, and Jame's Pet Cemetery. Now that sounds like a good business name. Wouldn't you agree Flutters?"
"Yes, I think so too James. It'll be nice to be in business together."
"Yes, I think that it will be too. Now then, it's starting to get late, so I think that I should be getting back to the hospital to see how Taylor's doing."
Flutters nodded, and then looked up at him. "Um, you wouldn't mind walking me home first, would you James?"
James shook his head. "No, I wouldn't mind at all. Let's go."
"Ah, it feels so good to be home again." Flutters unlocked the door, and stepped inside. "Come on Missy, it's time for your dinner."
Missy let out a happy bark, and was about to head inside, but before she did, she paused just long enough to give James a few goodbye licks.
"Goodbye Missy. Hopefully I'll be able to see you again soon."
Missy barked again, and then went inside the cottage. James then turned to Flutters.
"Well, this was fun. I'll probably be back tomorrow to do a few assessments of the cemetery, to see what could be done to maybe clean it up a little bit."
Flutters nodded, but then she suddenly remembered something. After disappearing inside of the cottage for a moment, she returned with James's saddlebags.
"Oh, thank you Flutters, I almost completely forgot about this. Thank you."
Flutters smiled. "You're welcome James, and goodbye for now. Hopefully, I'll see you tomorrow when you come back."
"Yeah, I hope so too. Goodbye Flutters."
James turned to leave. However, just before he did, he was stopped one more time by Flutters.
"Um, one last thing before you go. This is for you for showing a keen interest in it." She handed him a small box of caramel tea.
James's face lit up. "Oh, thank you Flutters. You didn't have to do this."
She smiled. "I know, but I wanted to. You really liked the tea, and I had some extra, so I want you to have this."
"Well then, thank you again."
Flutters nodded, but then she slightly turned away from him, blushing slightly. "Um, the t-tea was for your interest in it......" Flutters then flew forwards, and in one quick motion, she kissed James gently on the cheek. "A-and th-that's for, everything else....." Flutters then darted back inside her cottage, and quickly closed the door.
"Golly!" James thought as he began his walk back to the hospital, "I just saw Miss Flutters as a business partner, and maybe as a friend. But she kissed me! D-does that mean she sees me as more than a friend? Or is that just her way of saying thanks?"
James's mind continued to swirl with questions as he made his way back to the hospital.