Sam groaned as he held his head from the impact of the frying pan. The room slowly returning to a stand still after spinning for what felt like an hour. Rarity still held the pan in her magic ready to strike again if needed. Sam looked between Al and Rarity, hoping that one of them would provide some sort of reason for her outburst.
Al slapped the hand-link several times, "Sam, Ziggy can't pin it down, she's never heard of the Crystal Empire before! Just uh... go with it for now!" Sam frowned at Al, so much for hyper intelligent hybrid computers with overinflated egos.
"Well! What are you doing here? Going to try and steal my dresses?" Rarity pushed getting ready to swing the pan again.
Sam groaned as he struggled to regain his composure. "The guards released me. I was just wandering the streets when you hit me with that frying pan!" He turned to face her, "And no I'm not here to to steal anythingI don't do that anymore, ok?"
Rarity looked at him in skeptiscm, there was something about this pony that was off...just what was it? Rarity lowered her stance a little but kept the pan at the ready. Sam watched and gave her a reassuring smile. Rarity kept her face as neutral as possible, again there was something about this pony that made her pause and think.
Rarity broke the moment of silence and asked, "You were just released? And...looking for a job or a place to stay?" She starts to lower the pan. Sam looked at the pan as it slowly laid down on the small rotating center platform.
"Yes I am actually, the guards didn't return anything to me when they let me go..." Sam replied with a nod.
Al smiled after slapping the hand-link, "Got it Sam! Ziggy managed to find the original history and-uh oh."
Sam looked at Rarity who remained quiet and then at Al, "So..."
Al started first, "It seems Sam that in the original history this...Pony, Rarity. Her sister goes missing sometime in the next 5 hours, and Rarity spends the better half of her life looking for her."
Rarity then replied, "Well...I guess if you did your time...and you need a place to stay and a job...I guess you can stay here and work too. I can use the help."
Sam unfortunately answered Al first, "How?"
Rarity cocked an eyebrow, "I do have a spare room, and the work is easy, just help keep my supplies in check and sweep up sometimes if the shop gets messy. Does that sound like a fair chance?"
Al sighed, "Sorry Sam, we're working on half collected data. But it seems that the sister, Sweetie Bell is found, but many years later and- let's just say you don't want to hear the rest."
Responding to both Sam nodded firmly, "Yes I do."
Al paused trying to find the words while Rarity continued, "Excellent darling! Consider this your chance at something new! But if I think anything funny is happening, you're out, understand?"
"I totally understand." He then looked around, "Quick question though."
"Go right ahead." Rarity replied fixing her mane again.
Sam kept looking around, "Where might I find the bathroom?"
Rarity laughed, "Up the stairs, second door on your left." With that Al disappeared, having done this routine several times before. Sam nodded and then quickly dashed up the stairs, pushed the bathroom door open, stepped inside, and then bolted the lock.
"Al, what happens to Sweetie Bell?" Sam asked without a moments pause.
Al fiddled with the hand-link once again, "From what we can piece together, Sweetie Bell spends a good portion of her life trapped in the Ever...Free...oh Everfree Forest."
Sam didn't like the sound of that BRIEF description. He moved slowly around to Al's behind, "Well that doesn't sound too bad...it's just a forest isn't it?"
"Sort of...it's kind of...you know...a bad one." Al said waving his hand dismissively and placing his cigar in his mouth to try and prevent saying more.
"Al come on, we've been doing this for so long. I know when something makes you uncomfortable." Sam said frowning slightly.
Al finally looks back at Sam, "That forest is dangerous. From what we've pieced together from various sources, ponies go missing in that forest all the time. And sometimes...they come out all...evil. And I mean EVIL. They attack everyone on sight, ruin towns, scare off all the animals. It's terrible, just terrible."
Sam's jaw had hit the floor. "My God...how could that even happen?" Sam asked bewildered.
"It happens in our reality too Sam. Kids are sometimes end up lost in the woods and come out emotionally and physically scarred enough to change. My...third...or was it...no my SECOND wife was like that as a child. Luckily her parents got her some help and she turned out just fine. But some don't get that Sam." Al commented sadly, "They never got a chance to be anything but that."
"It's horrible Al." Sam commented before turning to the door, "Where is Sweetie Bell now?"
Al pointed towards the door, "In her room. She's in there with her two friends, Applebloom and Scootaloo. They're trying to find out what their 'cutie marks' are." He points again but this time to Sam's flank, "That's what those are." Sam turned and looked at the very large mirror with light bulbs on its outer edge. Looking and spotting a mark that looked like a bro and dust pan.
As Sam continued to look Al pressed a key on the hand-link and the for to the imaging chamber opened, "Sam I'm going to go back and confirm this data with Ziggy. I'll be back soon, until then, keep an eye on things here." With a quick side step and a button push, Al was gone in a flash. Sam sighed as he looked over himself.
"How does a filly get lost in the woods in the first place?" Sam asked himself, "This place seems too...peaceful for that." He looked at the door and started to push it open. Determined more than ever to fix this chapter in whomever's history it was.