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// Bonus Prompt: Spirit Walk 
// Story: Ponywatching 
// by ThunderTempest 
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At the back of Fluttershy’s property, right on the border of the Everfree Forest, there was a graveyard. Nopony in town ever really talked about it, but everypony knew it was there.  This graveyard, however, was not for ponies, but rather for their pets. It was not by coincidence that ‘Taking the pet to Fluttershy’ had become something of a euphemism in Ponyville for when they needed to be put to sleep since the pegasus had moved to Ponyville, as the local vet didn’t do euthanasia.

Many ponies looked at Fluttershy, and asked how she could do that, while the vet in town couldn’t. And Fluttershy would always, in hushed tones that sounded like she was on the brink of tears, give the same answer.

“Sometimes, the greatest kindness that I can do is to make it quick and painless. They deserve that, at least.” After that, most ponies would go quiet, and Fluttershy would back off, apologising the whole way.

Whenever Fluttershy had to deliver the final kindness to a pony’s beloved pet, she always asked them to leave the room. She wanted the ponies to remember their pet at their best, not lying down, sick and frail. But afterwards, as she and her other animal friends  buried the much loved animal in the ground, the ponies wept and cried. Sometimes. Fluttershy knew that some ponies didn’t like to cry in front of others, but she didn’t judge. Everypony mourned in their own way, and Fluttershy let them, letting the ponies come to terms with what had happened on their own.

But after the ponies had left, after the other animals had crept back to their homes and hidey-holes and the sun dipped below the horizon, Fluttershy wandered out into the cemetery, knelt down by the most recent grave, and closed her eyes.

Her spirit would reach out, transcending the boundaries of the physical and leaving her body behind. Here, in the spirit world, she could find the soul of the beloved pet that had passed on, but had, more often than not, not completely moved on yet. Often, she would trek through the cold and empty spirit version of Ponyville. She would glide through the unnaturally still air, searching through the greyed-out buildings for the spirit of the pet.

Fortunately, tonight she didn’t have to search for long. Fluttershy found the spirit of the cat she was looking for scratching at the door to the version of its old home,  her keen ears picking out the sound of it mewling out for somepony to let it in as she soared over the rooftops.

“It’s okay,” said Fluttershy, scooping up the cat, and cuddling it to her chest, “I know you want to look out for your family. But both of you have to move on, I’m sorry.”

The cat purred into Fluttershy’s chest, and settled down to sleep. The second it fell asleep in Fluttershy’s forehooves, it dissolved into smoke, drifting upwards. Fluttershy sighed. Taking care of animals’ souls was tiring. She would always do what she could for their physical bodies, but she was glad that she didn’t have to deal with their spirits that often.

Still, there were some benefits to having such a connection to the spirit world. The animals around Ponyville respected her for it, and even the Everfree seemed to be able to sense it, and mostly left her alone, despite her living right on its edge.

And there was one more benefit. Fluttershy was scared of a lot of things. But here, in the spirit world that most ponies and animals feared to tread, Fluttershy was perfectly at home. And though she would never admit to it, sometimes she came here when she was feeling overwhelmed, even if there were no animals that she needed to find. This was her refuge, this was where she found solace from the physical world.

And as she always did, she took a few moments to pray before she came back to the physical world. A prayer for spirits to find happiness, though not intended for the soul of the cat that she had just sent on its way-Fluttershy prayed for the spirits of the family of ponies who were missing their companion, and hoped that they would find their own comfort. She could look after animals, but ponies were beyond her.