The next day Ziggy woke up feeling a little bit sick from all the cake he had eaten, but also very satisfied with how life was going currently. He went to go eat a quick breakfast, brushed his teeth and then left to join his friends in the park.
"Where's Trixie and Stephanie?" Ziggy asked when he arrived. " I thought we were going to finish making our bike path through the woods today."
Pixel looked up from the PSP he was playing. "Trixie went to go get Stephanie and Stingy went to ask Sportacus if would come down and help us with it."
With that, Ziggy sat down next to his friend and watched him crush alien invaders. After about 15 minutes, Ziggy looked up to see Trixie walking into the park. He also noticed something he thought he would never see in his entire life. Trixie was crying. He had seen girls cry before, but for some reason, probably because Trixie was always so strong and self-confidant and defiant, it was way more heart wrenching to watch the young tomboy with streaks of hot, wet tears rolling down her cheeks than with any one else.
He nudged his friend to look up and right as Pixel saw Trixie and said "What the…?", he heard Stingy and Sportacus walking up from the other side of the park.
Stingy came up to them and firmly stated, "Ok, I got Sportacus, but since I did it this time I think we should name the path after me, since it will eventually be mine anyways, and I just think…."
He cut off as he looked to where he saw Ziggy was staring and immediately ran over to Trixie.
"Trixie! What's wrong? Did someone hurt you? Why are you crying?"
"Oh Stingy, its awful." she said softly and with her bottom lip shaking and making it hard to say words clearly.
He started to put his hand on her shoulder, then paused for a second as if unsure, but finally wrapped both his arms around her and brought her into a hug. For once, she let herself be consoled like any other girl would have.
Through sniffles, stuttering, and occasional quick intakes of air, she explained what had happened.
"I went to the Inn to get Stephanie, because we were going to have a fun day and all, finishing the bike path just like we planned, and, and so I knocked on their door, and Stephanie answered the door and she was crying and she said that her parents said that they didn't want her hanging around Sportacus anymore cause they think he's not a good influence on her and then she said that they didn't want her hanging around us either because we were also bad influences on her. And what's worse is that apparently Father Allen has talked with her dad about, about…"
Trixie stopped to let a large flow of tears run out. Stingy held her even harder to him. Eventually she continued.
"About how the rest of us kids have also gotten some bad habits and how we need to be separated and kept away from each other until we could be taught how not to be misled. And so her dad and Father Allen are going to talk to all of our parents soon about it and, and, and, oh Stingy!"
Another deep cry for a few moments.
"I don't want to not be able to see Sportacus, and Pixel, and Ziggy, and Stephanie, and YOU! Its so awful!"
She buried her face deep into Stingy's vest and let out long choking sobs. Everyone including Sportacus was quiet for a long time; they all just watched Trixie cry. Then Pixel broke the silence.
"Sportacus, is it true? Are we getting bad habits? What does she mean by 'we're being misled?'
Sportacus looked solemnly at his young friend. "I don't know what Stephanie's parents mean by all that, but you kids stay here. I'm going to go and speak with them and get this straightened out."
Ziggy watched as Sportacus walked off out of the park. Stingy kept holding Trixie, and Pixel just stood there quietly offering his sympathy and love to his friends. Ziggy turned to him and said, "I'm going after Sportacus, to make sure he's ok. You guys stay here or go take Trixie to the tree house where she'll feel more safe."
Pixel and Stingy nodded and then Ziggy took off after Sportacus. Even if he could have kept up with Sportacus's fast pace, he didn't want to. He wanted to stay behind out of sight. The truth was, was that Stephanie's dad, much like Father Allen, scared him. They both gave him a sense of malice and harm and utter coldness. After stopping a few times to catch his breath, he finally reached the Inn where he hid behind a bush so as not to be seen, but could still hear what was being said at the door to Stephanie's parent's room. Sportacus was standing there, as was the Mayor, Father Allen, and Stephanie and her parents. Stephanie wasn't crying, but it was plainly evident she had been. Her face, pure white and pink in nature, was all puffy and swollen.
"Please, Mr. Meanswell, explain to me why you told those things to Stephanie?" said Sportacus to Stephanie's dad. "I don't understand."
"Its quite simple, I know its your job to help and protect, but I think you've done more than enough of that, and I don't want you staying around my daughter anymore. For God's sake, the first thing I see of my daughter is her in some strange man's arms, holding her much closer than any friend or protector would. And from what Father Allen told me over the phone when we arranged this visit, hugging is sometimes the least of it."
"Dad stop it!" cried Stephanie. "Sportacus is the last person in the world who would hurt me or any of us kids. I don't know what Father Allen told you but its lies! He's the best person I've ever known!"
"Stephen", said Lauren Meanswell tugging on her husband's arm. "Perhaps Stephanie is right. He seems like a nice man, I'm sure his intentions are honest and good."
Father Allen spoke up, "Mrs. Meanswell, trust me, Sportacus's intentions are only good for himself. And because he's had almost exclusive rights to Stephanie and the other children's lives for so long now, they've become corrupted by his ways. Two of the other children are already far more intimate with each other than kids their age should be. Its best we get them all away from both Sportacus and each other until they can be shown their wrongdoings"
Sportacus looked imploringly to the mayor, "Please mayor, tell them, explain to them I only want to help the children. I do feel strongly for Stephanie, but I would never, EVER push her into anything or make her feel uncomfortable or do anything she didn't want to do. I want to protect her, that's all!"
Mayor Meanswell looked as if he was being put in front of a firing squad. "Oh my. Sportacus I know you're a good man," The mayor gave a quit look to Father Allen and his brother who were both glaring at him. "But I just don't know. Perhaps it, might be best, if you did leave Lazytown. Just for a while, until things can get sorted out."
Sportacus looked as if his last support had been taken out from under him. And now he was falling into oblivion.
Once again Stephanie's father spoke up. "I suggest you go back into your air ship and do exactly as my brother suggested. I don't want to see you around my daughter ever again. And I'm sure the other children's parents will feel the same way once we speak to them about you. And to make sure you don't try any kind of attempt to get around our request, I've had the mayor here inform the town police to arrest you if they see you anywhere near any of the Lazytown kids. In addition, I've contacted the hero organization who sent you and described your actions to them. They say that you are acting far outside your duties of heroship, and they're sending a temporary replacement who will also investigate and, 'interrogate' you. So go back to your big blue blimp and prepare to defend yourself Mr. Sportacus. Good day."
Stephanie began crying again as her dad put his hand on her shoulder to lead her back into the room. She wrenched free of it and ran to Sportacus, wrapping her arms around him. Sportacus slowly hugged her back, and when Stephanie's father walked up to get her again, Sportacus shot him a look as if he would kill him if he touched her, parent or not. This stopped Mr. Meanswell, but only for a while.
"I warning you, you have 10 seconds to let go of my daughter. After which, even if the local police and the organization that spawned you can't stop you, I will have every solider in land after you. And Stephanie's life will be ruined if you put her through all that."
Sportacus knew he wasn't lying. And knowing that dreadful threat for truth, he pried Stephanie's arms away from his body. He turned her wet and shiny cheeks up to face him.
"Listen Stephanie, you need to go with your parents now. I am going to go away, and I might not see you again, but I want you to know that you have made me proud to be a hero. Everyday I have spent with you and the other kids is a little light I keep in my heart, which I will look back on to warm me during all the cold times ahead."
Then he pushed her away, took 2 steps back, turned and ran. No flipping, no cartwheels. He just ran as hard as Ziggy had ever seen him run. Within seconds he was out of sight. Ziggy turned his own watery gaze back to the others, and saw the smug look that both Father Allen and Stephanie's dad wore. Seeing them, Ziggy felt something rush up from deep inside him. It was hate; raw, seething hatred. Hate so strong it scared Ziggy how powerful it was. He thought things of what he wanted to do to those two men that he had never thought of any other human being. Even Robbie Rotten at his worst was not even in the same galaxy as them. Ziggy stood up and ran from his hiding place to tell the others what he had seen and heard.