//------------------------------// // Chapter 34. A new owner. // Story: The Choice // by Not_available_now //------------------------------// Chapter 34. A new owner.                     Martin sat there for a while, making a plan of approach. He knew that he had some time before Spike or Twi would come back, but if another pony came to visit he would, or need a good excuse or just run very hard.                     Maybe Twilight could make Martin a prosthetic or let someone make one for him.                     He still had no idea how it disappeared, how it isn´t bleeding, where his hand has gone (since it´s not even lying on the ground) and how he is not bleeding out.                     He thought off the vanishing symbol he wrote on the piece of paper and looked around if he could find it. He couldn´t and came to the conclusion that not only the scroll disappear, but his hand with it.                     He got up, off the couch, and walked towards the kitchen. He got a towel and draped it over his arm, hiding the stump from sight.                     He walked out of the library and towards the cottage of Fluttershy. He just smiled and waved to the ponies that waved at him. No one suspected anything and he got to the cottage without any trouble.                     He knocked on the door of the cottage. Fluttershy opened the door, but quickly backpedaled back into the cottage, yelling out for Twilight.                     He quickly ran after her, trying to calm the mare down. He made sure not to let the towel fall.                     He ran into the living room to see an alarmed Twilight sitting on a couch and a pink mane poking out from behind the couch.                     “That´s the thing that attacked me!” Fluttershy scream quietly form behind the couch. “Please take care of him.”                     Twilight smiled, sighed, and sat down again on the couch. “Fluttershy, this isn’t a monster, that’s my friend I was talking about.”                     Fluttershy poked her head out from behind the couch and looked at Martin with fright. “But… but… but he looks so scary.”                     Martin understood that no danger was in Twilight anymore and sat down next to her. “Come on, Fluttershy, I’m not a biter.” Martin said as he smiled at Fluttershy. He hid the arm with the towel from Twilight sight, or as much as he could.                     Fluttershy walked slowly, but cautious, towards the couch and slowly climbed onto the couch, always having an eye on Martin.                     She was shaking heavily as Martin extended a hand. She slowly extended her hoof and shook hands/hoofs with Martin. She took a deep breath and smiled at Martin.                     “Hi, you must be Twilight´s friend, it´s nice to meet you.” Fluttershy said to him as she picks up Angel, who hopped up next to her.                     “I indeed am Twilight´s friend, but I prefer to go by the name of Martin.” Martin said as he looked at the variety of animals.                     “Nice to meet you, Martin,” Fluttershy said as she gave Angel a hug. “Do you like animals?” She asked him, not able to think of another topic to talk with a large hairless ape.                     Martin noticed that Fluttershy was a bit nervous. “I really like… uhm…,” Martin looked around the room for a nice animal. He laid his eye on a nice one. “Birds.”                     “Oh, I really like birds too.” Fluttershy said as she looked around her cottage for birds, finding quite a few of them.  “What kind of birds do you like?”                     “Uhm… every kind.” Martin said, not able to think of any specific kind at that moment.                     “Ooh, would you like one as a pet?” Fluttershy said. Her nervousness disappeared as she got excited about finding Martin a pet.                     Martin got a bit worried about having a pet when his life wasn´t exactly at its finest. He looked worried at Twilight, hoping for a piece of advice. Twilight made a ´go ahead´ gesture as she smiled at him. “It´s fine. I´ll take care of him when you´re not there.”                     “Sure.” Martin said to Fluttershy. Fluttershy´s smile met unknown proportions as she heard that.                     Fluttershy hopped off the couch and started walking around the cottage, looking at the variety of birds. She found nothing in the living room and walked into the other one.                     After a couple minutes of silence Fluttershy came out of the room with a bird on her back. “Is this good for you?” Fluttershy asked Martin as she showed him the bird. It was a bald eagle, but it´s colors weren´t the normal brown and white, but a red and yellow. And it was quite a bit slimmer that one too.                     “Is that an eagle?” Martin asked Fluttershy as the eagle looked at him with beady eyes.                     “It is. And he has been looking for a nice owner ever since he came to me, his wing broken from a fall. The other mean eagles won´t have him back because he is a bad hunter, but my Eagle certainly isn´t. He is a very good hunter; he brings me 2 mice every week.” Fluttershy shook a bit as she recalled the dead animals in front of her. “Would you like him as a pet?”                     Martin, enthralled by the idea of having an eagle as a pet answered without thought. “Yes, I would love to.”                     Fluttershy smiled brightly as she nudged the bird towards Martin. The bird looked at Martin, as if he was valuing him. He decided that Martin was alright and flew over to him. The bird sat down on Martin´s shoulder and pecked him in the ear. During this he kept the handless arm hidden from sight. The arm itself completely slipped from his mind, the bird having taken up all space in his mind.                     Martin tried to stroke him, but he bird pecked at his hand. Martin tried again and this time the bird let him. He petted the bird a few times before the bird hopped onto his head and didn´t move.                     “And now I have a pet and a nice one with too.” Martin said. “Thank you Fluttershy.”                     “You´re welcome,” Fluttershy said as she smiled at the bird. “I´m glad that I finally found an owner for that poor eagle.”                     The whole room smiled as Martin looked at his new pet.