ACT ONE
The mares brought Sticker into the school, to cafeteria where Pinkie and Fluttershy treated him to a cupcake, some juice, and a warm hug. “I can’t stand to see a little colt so upset.” She sniffled “It makes me want to cry too.”
Sticker felt a little better.
“Okay, every pony calm down.” said Twilight. “Sticker, what’s up with your parents, and why do you think you need my help for it?
Are they fighting all the time or something?”
Sticker nodded and revealed that his parents were divorced two years.
*Sticker’s POV*
My mom’s name is Ruby Red. She’s the big boss of a chain of jewelry outlets that range from here to all over Equestria. She earned all the money in the family.
My dad’s name is Scribbler. He never seemed to have a real job, because he was trying to make it as a writer for plays. He would send in scripts to all the famous industries and they’d turn him down every time, claiming it wasn’t what they were looking for.
Even still, he didn’t seem to get discouraged. He would keep trying and keep sending more and more.
All the rest of his time, he would take care of the house. He would cook, clean, he would do the shopping, and he would always time with me-- helping with my homework, taking me fishing, or he would drop his script writing just to spend time with me, and play with me.
One of our favorite hobbies was pasting old photos in books and making priceless memories, and that’s how I got my cuitemark.
He was the greatest dad in the world.
…But mom didn’t seem to like it as much. She was always yelling at him to get a real job, and “Stop being so lazy, and irresponsible.”
She was tired that his scripts were never going anywhere, and that he wasn’t making money, even though mom makes more than enough to support us all. She said that people were laughing at her, and that her husband is a “Hack Writer” or “An Embarrassment.”
That’s what drove her to push him to at least getting a job.
Dad really got angry with her, and he refused to get a job; preferring to spend more of his time writing more scripts and spending time with me.
Mom and Dad kept arguing with each other, and mom wouldn’t let me have a say. She was beginning to think that Dad was a bad influence on me, and she didn’t want me to become like him.
So she filed for divorce.
I wasn’t allowed to go to court, but I remember what mom told me.
“Your dad won’t be living with us anymore. You’ll be staying with me.”
“But I want Daddy!”
“Honey, listen to me. The judge has agreed with me, that Daddy isn’t right for you. He makes no money, he doesn’t have a job, and I don’t want you following in his footsteps and doing nothing all your life.
But Daddy has three months. If he gets a job, keeps it, and manages to make himself a suitable home. You’ll get to see him again.”
I cried, and I cried.
Then, three months later, mom came back from the courts; she was very angry and upset.
“Where’s Daddy?”
Mom only told me, “He’s not coming back, and I don’t think either of us should see him again.”
She wouldn’t tell me why, but that was it.
*POV Ends*
Sticker looked as if he was going to cry again, and all the ponies felt just heartbroken for him.
“Oh, you poor little thing.” wept Fluttershy.
Pinkie blew her nose into a hankie and cried softly, while Twilight and the others had shocked looks on their faces.
Now Twilight understood why Sticker came to her.
“I haven’t seen my dad in two years.” Sticker cried. “I miss him so much. He never writes to me, he doesn’t show up at my school plays, or come to sport-practice like he always did.”
Mom always has to hire foal-sitters to look after me because there’s no one at home to take care of me when she’s not around.”
He buried his face in his limbs on the table and began to weep again.
Fluttershy and Pinkie comforted him tenderly, and then looked up at Twilight, she Starlight and Applejack agreed…
Even in families, it was friendship, love, and caring that held it together, and this family was in serious danger, especially for Sticker’s case.
“We’re going for?” asked Applejack.
“Oh, yes we are.” said Twilight.
Starlight agreed. “I think we should start with his mom, and see what she knows about this.”
Twilight asked Pinkie and Fluttershy to look after Sticker, and then asked the boy about his mother and how they could get a hold of her.
“Mom’s not home, right now.” he admitted. “I was supposed to wait at school for my foal-sitter to come and take me home, but I just wanted to come here.”
So Starlight agreed to go back to his school and straighten things out if the teacher or foal-sitter were worried, while Twilight and Applejack went off to talk with Sticker’s mother.
Ruby Red was said to be working today at the Ponyville Jewelry store, on one of her little inspections, which was very close to the food market.
The clerk told the mares, “She was here, but then she just galloped off when she saw some guy in the market. She looked pretty raging mad.”
Suddenly he could see through the glass doors of the shop, “There she is, right across the street.”
Applejack and Twilight looked out and saw Ruby Red, obviously arguing, with some stallion from the market.
Ruby was, well… a red Earth Pony with a red mane brighter than her coat, and shimmered. Her cutemark was that of a jewelry case. She also wore a purple blazer with a white cravat, and wore white pearl earrings.
The other was a brown Earth Pony with a charcoal colored mane. He wore a green and blue apron, as a worker in the market, but his cutiemark seemed to be that of a quill and paper rather than anything food related.
He looked very enraged that Ruby was talking to him.
He balked at her, “What part of the order that says “Keep a-hundred feet away from me” don’t you understand?! Do you want me to call the guards?”
“You are such a jerk! You know that?!” bellowed Ruby. “You can punish me all you like, but don’t bring your son into this!”
Ruby was furious and balked. “What is it? What do you want from me? I tried giving you amnesty, I try reasoning with you! What do you want me to do?”
The other pony looked her dead in the eyes to make sure she paid attention. “…I want you… to disappear!”
Ruby felt so heart-struck, she raised her hoof, ready to belt him across the face!
He would have protested again, when Applejack whistled and shouted, “Hold up your horses here!”
The guy took one look at who was coming, particularly at Twilight, and he groaned “…Oh, no, not her?!”
Then he decided to leave.
“Wait, please!” called Twilight.
He turned to face her and called, “…My break is over, I have work to do. It’s all I have to do anyway.”
Twilight got a good look at his nametag: “Scribbler”
This was Sticker’s father, and Ruby’s ex-husband.
She also saw below his nametag, a second tag which read “Manager”
A double-whammy for Twilight; it meant she could confront Sticker’s father, and the guy who rejected her invitation to the picnic.
…Except he had stormed back to the market.
Ruby looked redder than ever, as if she was going to explode.
“Um… excuse me, Ruby Red?” Twilight asked softly, to which the other mare turned and glared at her as if to yell at her, but she calmed down immediately. “Princess Twilight… I’m afraid you’ve caught me at a bad moment.”
Twilight cleared her throat, trying to brush off the obvious feelings.
Applejack then confronted her. “We may as well be blunt.”
“Please, don’t take long.” Ruby cut in “I have three more stores to inspect. I have to stop off at the bank, and then I have a late night meeting.”
Twilight and Applejack could see she was as busy as Sticker called on.
“…You’re son came to me, ma’am.” said Twilight.
Ruby’s heart almost skipped a beat. “Sticker…? I told him to wait at school for his foal-sitter. He’ll be grounded for this.”
“Now hold it right there!” snapped Applejack “The kid came to us in tears. He told us about you and your husband there.”
“You mean my ex; the worthless jerk!” grumbled Ruby. “Sometimes I don’t even know why I brother with him. Sticker would be far better off without him.”
The Friendship Ponies were already thinking Ruby had a worse problem than she let on.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t ignore a child in need.” said Twilight. “I’d like to talk with you. It’s a matter of his importance.”
Ruby was far too busy to engage in much conversation. “If you wish to speak to me, I will be available at the patio restaurant and 7 Am.”
She handed her one of her business cards and she left.
“…And I thought I was a busy body.” said Applejack.
Since it was obvious they couldn’t go talk to Ruby, Twilight suggested they talk with Scribbler instead, if he had a few minutes.
“I’m starting to think both these ponies got something serious wrong with them.” whispered Applejack.
Twilight thought of this too, but, being her usual self, she had to get the information from both sides… for Sticker’s sake.
They both headed into the market and saw Scribbler making his way to the very back, which was marked for “Employees Only”
He was about to enter, when Twilight called to him. “Excuse me… Scribbler…”
Her turned and saw her, which made him gasp angrily, and he turned to walk away from her faster.
“Wait!” called Applejack. “…We want to talk to you.”
Scribbler showed no interest in talking to either of the ladies, although he did bat them off by pointing straight at the sign, growling. “…Employees Only!”
Then he disappeared behind the curtain leading to the back area.
Much as it was against Twilight’s better judgment to defy rules and regulations, she marched straight in.
“Just a minute, sir.” she practically bellowed.
Scribbler gnashed his teeth while cringing furiously.
“I just want to talk to you… it concerns about your son.”
Scribbler turned and spoke very deeply to her, without shouting, “I have… No…Son!”
Then he pulled on a rope which called for the security guards. “…Escort and her friend off the premises.”
Before Twilight knew it, she and Applejack were escorted outside the market by the guards, though one of them had sympathy for her.
“I’m just doing my job, but… trust me; the guy’s a loudmouth jerk. I wouldn’t go near him. No pony does.”
“I can see that already.” grumbled Applejack.
Before the guards could go back, Twilight decided to ask them if they knew anything about Scribbler and Ruby.
The other guard answered, “All we do know is he took out a restraining order on her. She’s not allowed to come within a-hundred yards of him, neither is her kid.”
Applejack and Twilight gawked at one another.
“A restraining order?” exclaimed Applejack “That doesn’t seem a bit nice.”
Twilight agreed, and then the first guard explained. “That’s not the half of it… Scribbler came to work at this market two years ago. He was just an ordinary checkout clerk, but he really seemed to have attitude.
He was helpful to all the shoppers, but anytime any pony tried to be nice to him out of work, he just brushed them off and wouldn’t accept any kindness of any kind, and I heard he didn’t use to be this way.
My cousin’s friend’s brother used to be his friend, but I heard he chucked him out like a wrapper.”
Now Twilight was really concerned. It sounded as if Scribbler had given up on friendship, and this was something she would not leave to rest.