//------------------------------//
// They Answers 
// Story: Looking For Answers; The Owls Gift 
// by Freewing Alchemist P 
//------------------------------//

I do not own the right to My Little Pony; Friendship is Magic, it is the property of Hasbro. The story was also inspired by an old Legend from Hawaii.



Looking For Answers; The Owls Gift
            						        MLPFiM


  		  Did you know that John Chapman  was know through folk Legends as Johnny Appleseed? He was born September 26, 1774  and died, as far as the records say, on March 18, 1845. He was the big reason why there were apple trees in America, he introduced them and spread them into large parts of Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, as well as the northern counties of present-day West Virginia. While the ledges speak of him spreading seeds wherever he went in truth he made whole nurseries full of apple trees and leave them in the care of the town and in turn they would sell them to plant on their land.

You see, I’ve been thinking a lot about old Legends have been running through my mind lately, mostly because I found a small snippet of information on the Shadows. You see Pinkie Pie had taking me to meet her family, they were like the pony version of the Amish. They were also proud rock farmers, no surprise there.
You see after Pinkie told her family about me they asked to meet me so that they could throw me a ‘Welcome to the World Party’. According to Igneous Pie a lot of the more unusual creatures in Equu were transplanted here by the Shadows. They also believe that if they welcome the creature properly then the Shadows could hold no sway over them. As strange as that sounds, it still got me curious about what the Shadows were and what they wanted from me. That is why I decided to go into The Everfree Forest because I was looking for Zacora counsel.
For the most part I’ve lived in Equestria for some time, but then even I would not go too far into the Everfree Forest, not without a guide at least. I made my way through the corridors of Poison Joke flowers that led to one of the few residents that I normal visit. I wanted to visit Zacora, she was a shamanes and I needed her unusual ability to answer some question.
   	 “Are you sure you're this is the right thing to do sugar?” Ms Peach Bottom She had a southern twang and acts a sweet voice asked me.
“Yes, I want to know about the Shadows and I don’t know any other way to learn about them.” I looked at my traveling companion, the reddish, peach colored Pegasus’ curly pinkish mane was covering her usual sparkling blue eyes relying on me to guide her. “You don’t have to come with me, don’t get me wrong I’m glad you did but…”
“Oh, don’t you worry sweetie I have my own reason for seeking Zacora so coming with you is only natural” She waved her hoof at me.
I let out a sigh. “OK, if you are sure, really sure.”
“I am!” Peach Bottom exclaimed flatly.
It was not long before the two of us were at Zacora’s house, it was a massive willow tree decorated with artifacts and other things that looked like it came from an African Tribe. I walked up to the door and knocked. It was not long when I was greeted by the Zebra with a nod and a wave a hoof.
“Greeting,  my human friend what is it that I can mend?” The zebra mare asked me with a smile.
“May we come in?” I motion to myself and to Peach Bottom. “We both have questions and they need to be answered, but I think only you can answer them.”
Zacora stepped aside and allowed us to come in. Zacora’s home was covered with mementos from her home land and ingredients for her potions, not to mention the potions she made herself.  She motioned to a set of stools and a wooden table that was arms length from her cauldron.
“So I would like to ask you a question Zacora, but I know Ms. Peachbottom needs a question too,” I pointed at her. “She can go first though, my quest requires some explanation.”
Ms. Peachbottom looked at me then to Zacora. I could see that she was a little scared and nervous. “Oh, uhm, I thinks I’ll let you go first.” She answered still in a nervous manner.
I carefully put my hand on her back. I slowly began to rub it in a slow and gentle manner, this seemed to calm her down. “Are you sure that will be OK?”
She nodded. “Yes, yes I do.”
I shrugged. “Alright, well I met some Rock Farmers and they told me some things about the Shadows and I have been wounding…”
Zacora lifted a hoof to stop me from completing my sentences then looked at Ms. Peachbottom. “And what do you seek, information or my curtec?”
I watched Ms. Peachbottom struggle to answer Zacora’s question. “Well, uhm, I like some colt and I was wondering if you have anything to give me a little courage. So that I could tell him how I feel about them.”
Zacora only nodded and started to work among her hanging herbs, picking a few of them then she started to grind them into pieces, then she put on a kettle of water. With in no time Zacora had made a tea to drink and presented us with it. “It is rare that I get guest, let's step back from your quests.”
The two of us looked at the tea. Zacora motioned for us to drink. We did so, I took a tentative sip, seeing this Zacora motioned for me to drink more, but I did not feel like it. She frowned a little and shook her head and motioned me more to drink.  I watched Ms. Peachbottom take a long drag to show me to do the same a breath I took my own drag of the tea.

I felt nervousness, anxiety it reminded me of… I was feeling a little… loopy and I did not know why? Then it hit me, it was like being hocked up on cold medicine! Zacora had made tea too make us this way why? I was put at ease as I felt one of Ms. Peachbottom’s wing wrap around me. As the two of us sat there in the quiet, that’s when I saw Images start to dance in front of my face they were playing out a story, a story that I remember from Earth.
“The Owl’s Gift…”  I murmured. That was when the story started to pour out of my. I could not seem to stop myself from telling it.






Long ago, in ancient times on the islands of Hawaii, there lived a king known as Kakuhihewa who made his home on Oahu. King Kakuhihewa divided his many islands among his favorite chiefs, and each of these men and women gave their own names to the places they ruled. It was these names that lasted for hundreds and hundreds of years. King Kakuhihewa also built many sacred temples known as heiau. He and his chiefs ruled the land under a harsh system known as kapu. Commoners had no say about who was in power or about the laws of the land. Those who broke the king's laws were often tortured and then put to death in the place known as Leahi or Diamond Head.







Zacora stopped me  with a raise of her hoof. “You must wonder why, a story comes to mind?” I nodded. She smiled back at me and she continued. “Lacing it to make a special brew to learn of people through you.”
It was bad enough that the tea was already working on us, I was all loopy and telling a story but that was not what bothered me. There are times I just wondered what other’s thought of my stories, they connected me to my former home but the ponies might not understand the things in the story. Through my stories they the creatures of this land could see human cruelty even if it was just a story. I did not like talking about it but I did not want to leave it out. “Many people suffered.” I breathed this last part. That was when I fell silent for a while I need to remember the story and it has been awhile since I heard it.
“Cruelty is what I see, may haps why the shadows’ took yeh?” Zacora asked.
    	Ms. Peach Bottom put her hoof on my knee, reassuring me with a smile. “Where evil happens so does good. I’m sure if there is a bad human then there is a good human too.” She made me feel better.
I wanted to ask Zacora why she did do this to us but  before I could ask about that  Zacora nodded and motioned for me to continue, I could not stop myself from continuing the story.
Oh, as a side note it was only later that I found that the tea was called Spirit's Brew. It would allow the dead to speak or let a person, pony's spirit speaks out . It was Zacora that told me about that much later when I was not so mad at her. I also found out that the same ingredents for Spirit's Brew plus a little Alicorn level magic would allow you to see first hand the events of the past.






Now one day a farmer called Kapoi, who lived in Honolulu, went into the forest to gather thatch to mend his roof. As he was returning home toward evening, he came upon a nest with seven eggs. The nest belonged to an owl, or a pueo, but seeing the eggs Kapoi could think of nothing but how delicious they would taste. He was hungry after his long day's work, and so he gathered the eggs in his shirt and carried them home.
At home Kapoi wrapped the eggs in the large leaves of one of the ti plants he had collected that day. Then he built a fire to cook the eggs, and sat to wait until the coals were hot enough.
As he was waiting, an owl perched upon his fence, her eyes searching. When she spotted the ti leaf, she began to screech with grief. "Kapoi, you have stolen my eggs! I am sure they are wrapped inside those leaves. Give them back!" Kapoi was so hungry that he did not want to give up his eggs, so he quickly turned and asked, "How many eggs did you have?"
"Seven," the owl replied.
"Ah," said Kapoi, and bowed his head, for now he knew these eggs did indeed belong to the owl. "These must be yours, but I am very hungry, and I hoped to eat these for my supper. Perhaps I could keep one or two."
"Kapoi," the owl repeated, "give me all my eggs. I know you are a good man. Surely you do not wish to hurt a poor owl who has lost all her eggs. That would be cruel."
Now Kapoi had a soft heart. As he thought about the eggs, he understood how sad the owl must feel at her loss, and he could not bear to break her heart. "Come then," he said, "take your eggs." And he unwrapped the leaves.
The owl quickly gathered her eggs in her talons.
As she turned to fly away, she looked back at Kapoi. "Thank you, Kapoi. And now you will build a heiau and call this temple by the name of Manua. It will be in honor of the owl, and we shall forever look after you."






    I stopped when I felt Ms. Peach Bottom rest her head on my leg and she smiled up at me. The tea had made her even more mellow than what she normally was. I ran my finger through her mane and she reacted by pulling closer to me.
“See, I knew humans had a good side too. Just like you.” She mused.
“The story isn’t done yet. There is still more and you don’t know how it ends.”
“I have no fear, how it ends it ends. Just tell us how it ends.” She told me in a soft voice. Ms. Peach Bottom was making sure that I could feel her near me.
    “Thanks I’m glad you came with me. You're a good friend.” Ms. Peach Bottom smiled up at me.
    I did feel better because of her words and I was happy that she was with me now. In fact it did not feel at all odd of her to be resting this close to me, if felt nice. After that thought I launched back into the story.






Then the owl gave Kapoi his instructions. He listened closely.
And so Kapoi built a temple near Moanalua on Oahu, and just as the owl had told him, he selected a specific day for the dedication of his temple. He placed his sacrifices upon the altar as instructed.
Soon word of Kapoi's temple reached the king, who was furious when he heard the news. One of his laws was that no one but the king or his elected chiefs could build and dedicate a temple. And so the king ordered his servants to seize Kapoi.
"Lead him to my temple at Waikiki, and there I shall pronounce his punishment."
That day, as the servants led Kapoi to Waikiki, all the owls of the land -- from Lanai, Maui, Molokai, Kauai and Hawaii -- gathered in the sky. There they rendezvoused to discuss their plan.
The next day, at dawn, just as the king prepared to announce Kapoi's punishment, he felt a wind coming from above, and when he looked up, he saw the blue sky darken as thousands of owls flew overhead.






    I stopped I was still a little out of it my when my hands started to move from Peach Bottom's mane and started to rub her side of her neck. She melted into my hand and let my fingers dance around. She was enjoying it, I was starting to like making her so happy and relaxed.
    “The truth is coming clear to me and I even enjoy the story.” Zecora added.
    Though I wanted to say something more but when I opened my mouth to say something only the story came out.






"This man must die!" the king cried, and the king's servants and soldiers grabbed Kapoi. They were ready to torture him, but just then the owls dived out of the sky toward them. Before the men knew what was happening, the owls attacked, pecking at the soldiers with their beaks, scratching the servants with long, sharp talons.
"Help!" the men cried, for they could not shield themselves from this attack; if they dodged one owl, another flew forward, and then another and another. The king looked on in disbelief as his men, one by one, fell to the ground or ran for cover.
"Stop, let him go," the king finally cried.
Kapoi was set free, and the king looked in awe at this simple man. "Your god is powerful," he said. "You have many guardians, and so no one shall ever harm you. You are free to go home."
As word spread of Kapoi's rescue, the people cheered the owls, and ever since that day, the Hawaiian people have recognized the pueo's power. It is known as the guardian spirit that looks after those who are kind.







    	I was still looking down at Ms. Peach Bottom when I finished. My throat was dary but I was smiling at Ms. Peach Bottom and she was smiling at me. I could not really describe but I did kind of like the looks of it on her face. It had turned into a story for her then Zacora but that was OK. I could only smile back at Ms. Peach Bottom, but I looked up at Zacora.
 	   Zacora passed me a cup of water and I drank it down, she refiled it and offered it to Peach Bottom.  She drank the water too but was slow to untangle herself from me. I was a little wary at what she did to us, she seemed almost resigned to the anger we had, this made me wonder.
    	“Do you have any defence for drugging Us?” I asked her, with a little more anger .
  	  “The tea is almost done, but wasn’t being together quite fun?” She smiled. “Your answer is quite clear as to why they brought you here.”
My head had become clear and so was Ms. Peach Bottom’s too, she seemed a little worried about having been so familiar with me. Zacora turned around us and went to herbs again. While Ms. Peach Bottom was a little apprehensive that Zacora was up to something again I gave her some leeway.
She was still working but she started to speak. “I am sorry for my deceit but I do have the answers you seek.” She turned around to look at us.
I was surprised but I really must have shown it. “I guess that’s right but why did you have to drug us?”
Zacora closed her eyes and rubbed her chin with her hoof, she seemed deep in thought. “It is my belief that they are after your people’s cruelty but under estimated your kind capacity. Much more than this I can not say,” Zacora looked at Ms. Peach Bottom. “Then as for you you must know that in a heart feelings do grow.”
“What… I mean….” Ms. Peach Bottom stumbled over her worlds.
I placed my hand on her back, Ms Peach Bottom jumped a little and looked up at me. “I think she means that you should tell the stallion that you like because he likes you back. He’ll be lucky to have you.”
She blushed deeply and in a very cute way she tried to hid her muzzle. “Thank you.” She said in a hushed voice.
Zacora stopped working with her herbs, she turned around and passed me a small pouch. “A charm to ward evil away, just in case they come back to stake a claim. Feel free to come back again I promise I will not poison you this time my friend.” She smiled at me.
“Just let me cool down from being tricked the first time then maybe but for now we must go.” I motioned to Ms. Peach Bottom who followed me out.
I still wondered who Ms. Peach Bottom liked, but in hindsight I think it was obvious to all but me. I think I was just being an idiot. In truth I think that will be a story for another time and place.