Written for Retro-Mania
This story takes place after Strawberry Shortcake, Princess of Oz? , in the 2003's universe.
Loosely based on the novel The Emerald City of Oz by Lyman Frank Baum.
DISCLAIMER: These licenses aren't mine. The opinions express by the characters are not mine. I do not support nor encourage the illegal acts or words present here. I can make a distinction between fiction and reality and I trust in my readership's ability to do the same.
Strawberry Shortcake and the Battle for the Gemberries
Chapter one: A too Peaceful Party
Do you know Strawberry Shortcake?
This eight-years-old little girl used to live in the magical country in Strawberryland, where habits hadn't been perverted yet by money and power; where kindness and selflessness weren't seen as weakness; and where the Strawberrylanders' biggest worries were to keep up their neighborly relations and to organize picnics. Yes, every occasion was good enough to organize a picnic, when the Strawberrylanders didn't gathered just for the pleasure of spending good time together.
But, this day, the picnic Strawberry Shortcake and her friends were organizing was sensibly bigger than the previous ones.
In fact, it wasn't even a picnic.
To tell you the truth, they were indeed planning a great party for May Day – and, as they didn't love anything more than Spring and Summer Time, they wanted the party's greatness to be equal to their joy. And, as they knew that everything was better when it was shared, they had also invited some friends to join them for the party… and, maybe, even for after the party, if they were in the mood for having a sleepover.
During this shiny first day of May, Strawberry Shortcake, her little sister Apple Dumplin', her cat Custard, her dog Pupcake, and her faithful neighbors Raspberry Torte and Angel Cake, were cheerily welcoming their guests: Young Apricot, Seaberry Delight, and Lime Light.
Apricot and Lime Light were the first ones to show up. One could have believed they would have felt a bit uncomfortable to be surrounded by other girls they didn't knew well; but Lime Light and Apricot were both anything but shy, and they immediately behaved as if they had spent their entire life in Strawberryland. Lime Light made a display of her new, tailor-made dress she had ordered especially for this occasion. Then, Apricot told them an extravagant story she swore to be true about the adventures she and Lime Light had to cross before reaching Strawberryland, and they all heartily laughed. There was nothing better than joy and good mood to fit in a group, thought Strawberry Shortcake.
Seaberry Delight's arrival interrupted them. Seaberry Delight had left her solitude in Seaberry Shore, at the same time as her beloved sea-sweeties, with some hesitation, to meet the other girls in Strawberryland. She wasn't quite social, and she was rather intimidated in advance at the idea of visiting a place she had never saw before, all alone in top of that. She wished she could have been accompanied by her best friend, Coco Calypso, but unfortunately, it was impossible. Coco Calypso had just rescued an injured sea turtle: the poor animal had been chased by a fisherman and one of her flippers had been dangerously damaged by a harpoon. She had managed to escape from the poacher, but she had beached on Seaberry Shore in a concerning state of health; and Coco Calypso absolutely wanted to stay at its side.
-If her flipper gets infected, we could be forced to amputated it, and this poor turtle would be unable to move, swim or go hunting seashells by herself to eat, Coco Calypso had explained. "I must stay with her to check how her wounds progress."
When they had both received their invitations for May Day from Strawberry Shortcake, Coco Calypso had said without any hesitation she would decline it: she couldn't leave her patient alone for a whole day. Seaberry Delight wanted to stay with her, but Coco Calypso didn't think it would be a good idea.
-Don't prevent yourself from having some fun, she had said.
- I won't have fun without you anyway, Seaberry Delight had explained. "The place I like the most is here, with you. I'm sure I will worry to death the whole day for you and this poor turtle if I leave you alone here."
Coco Calypso had smiled.
-Nonsense, Seaberry. I can manage by myself! If the turtle's state of health gets worse, I'll immediately send her to the veterinary clinic and phone at you. Strawberry Shortcake has a phone, right? Moreover, you know her just as well as me. You know she won't do you any harm!
-Yeah, but Strawberryland is so different from Seaberry Shore…
Coco Calypso had laughed.
-You can't be scared of Strawberryland! You are Seaberry Delight! You are the girl who swim so well that she's mistaken for a mermaid! You are the girl who never hesitated to do snorkeling, even during the worst storm, to rescue sea animals! You were the one who managed to infiltrated my camp a few times, despite the traps I had set, to gather food for the seaberry sweeties when they were threatened to starve! You are one of the strongest, bravest girls the Berry World have even seen. Considering all what you've done, how could you be scared to visit some friends?
Seaberry Delight had followed Coco Calypso's advices, because she didn't want to upset her; however, as she was staring at the girls laughing, a few meters from her, without daring to join them, she seriously wondered if she wasn't doing a terrible mistake. Of course, she was gifted as long as she was in the water; there, she was -literally- in her element. However, Coco Calypsy had obviously forgotten than Strawberryland wasn't, unfortunately, an island. Seaberry Delight was feeling sensibly less at ease on solid ground, where she could not graciously dive and disappear behind a bush of seaweed when she was feeling in danger.
And, the less she could say was she was really feeling in danger.
Before she had the time to decide if she would stay or leave, Strawberry Shortcake noticed her.
-Seaberry Delight! Welcome back to Strawberryland! She cried, preventing her in the same time to slip away. But Strawberry Shortcake's warm smile and her cheerful embrace made Seaberry felt like if she was a real Strawberrylander, too, and not simply a guest they had invited by pity.
At least, she felt that way before Lime Light took the floor.
-I know she lives far away from really civilized towns, she said to Raspberry Torte, "But she could have made a little effort about her outfits. What are her clothes made of? Trashes she found on the beach? Even if she's too poor to wear haute couture like me, ready-to-wear doesn't exist just for ornament!"
Maybe Lime Light wasn't desirous of being heard by Seaberry Delight. Maybe she hadn't even aimed to hurt her. However, one had to admit she hadn't talked quietly enough to be sure this remark would stay secret.
In fact, Seaberry Delight had taken a great care of her clothing: she had tied her remarably long blond hair with a golden starfish, she was wearing a necklace and bracelets made with the most beautiful winkles she had found, and the seaberry sweeties had been generous enough to give her the scales they had lost during their sloughing. She had spent a few days sewing these scales on her trousers, which were now shining as if they were covered with sequins. But, because of Lime Light's remark, she wondered if her efforts hadn't been vain. Of course, her outfit was berry different from the other girls' one, and it was why she was left apart, she thought. But she couldn't simply get rid of her large tunics, of which colors were identic to the sea's ones when the sun was shining; nor of her trousers, as flowing as seaweeds dancing in the ocean current; nor of her sandals she had personally embellish with broken seashells she had collected on the seashore. So, why couldn't she be just like the other girls? Why would she feel disguised if she was wearing Lime Light's stylish cocktail dress, Apricot's hat of Angel Cake's flouncy skirt? Why couldn't she be… normal? She felt tears filling her eyes, under her eyelids.
-Don't mind what Lime Light said, Strawberry Shortcake kindly told her. "Come with me! We've plan tons of games for today."
Strawberry Shortcake was right. She, with Angel Cake and Raspberry Torte, had planned a such busy schedule hat it would be impossible for their guest to bore. First of all, they would share a great picnic; then they would collect straws, pretty leaves, colorful flowers, or anything else they would like to build their own May Day Basket. Once the baskets would be over, they would fill them with tasty fruits and each child would be free to give her own basket to anyone she liked. After having delivered their baskets, the children would invite everyone they would meet to join them for the traditional Maypole Dancing, where their merry ribbons would intertwine and symbolize the strong weft of their friendship, thanks to which they would always be ready to lend a hand for one another. After the dance, they would certainly not be too tired to refuse to end the day by a night-time game of hide-and-seek before having to leave each other the following morning.
It was surely a terrific program, but things didn't turn the way they were expected to (and, to be honest, they usually never do).
Strawberry Shortcake and her friends had just sat down around their tablecloth when they noticed a berry strange noise. It sounded like a helicopter, but its whirring was much mire higher. Strawberry Shortcake jumped up and stared at the sky, looking for what was making such a strange world. And, indeed, she could see a kind of moving point at the horizon, increasing in size as it came nearer them. At first, Strawberry saw that this strange thing had the beak of a parrot, plus some feathers standing at the top of its head, but, as she looked with more attention, she saw that this bird had four long legs, ended by claw-like talons. She had never seen anything like this creature before, and it didn't look good to her.
-What's happening Strawberry Shortcake? Raspberry Torte anxiously asked.
Strawberry pointed at the bird, who was now about ten feet away from them.
-This bird… I think it's plowing on us.
Strawberry Shortcake hadn't the time to finish her sentence before Angel Cake started to cry:
-Beware! Beware! We're attacked! We must evacuate the area!
An indescribable chaos followed Angel Cake's shriek. All that I can say is that in the blink of an eye, the napkin was crinkled, the sandwiches were crumbled and the glasses were knocked down by a dozen of scared and restless little feet who didn't where to go to escape the threat that was charging at them; and that if Strawberry Shortcake hadn't had the quick thinking of taking Apple Dumplin's into her arms, she would have been stamped down just like the food. She then attempted to take flight, like her friends; but the big, strange bird was much quicker than an eight-years old girl, weighed down by her baby sister. Before Strawberry really could move away from the picnic area, the bird heavily landed just in front of her. Strawberry was right when she was thinking she had never seen such a bird before: as well as his parrot's head and its four legs, similar to a stork's ones, it was entirely deprived of feather and its body was only covered with its bare skin. However, the most peculiar thing about its appearance was its wings, which were numbered four and oddly similar to bowls, and its tail, which was in the shape of a propeller. It was also holding a package in its front legs. It was much bigger than Strawberry Shortcake, and, even thought she knew one should never judge a book by its cover, she couldn't deny it was berry scaring for her.
-Please! She cried, feeling tears of fear rolling down her cheeks. "Please, don't hurt us! I would do anything you want!"
-Hurt you? The strange birds repeat, surprise being easily noticeable in its high-pitched voice. "Why would I hurt you? I've got a message for a mis… Strawberry Shortcake. Do you know her?"
Seaberry Delight, who had had the generosity of looking back to check if her mates had been able to flee their air assailant, noticed that Strawberry Shortcake was no longer running. No, she was indeed talking with this kind of… unknown animal (she didn't want to say monster) which had scared them. Shaking like a leaf, she gathered all her courage to join Strawberry Shortcake, to see if everything was right with their… unexpected visitor.
-What could we do for you? Seaberry asked with suspicion.
-I have a very important message to deliver to a certain Strawberry Shortcake, the bird repeated. "Will you be kind enough to tell me where I could find her?"
-What would you do to her when you will find her? Seaberry asked, kindlier (her distrust had diminished a little in front of the bird good manners).
-I would simply repeat her the message I've got for her, and then I'll come back home, in Orkland, the big bird said, without losing patience.
-Orkland? Seaberry Delight repeated with curiosity. It sounded like "ora", and it was enough to attract her attention.
-It's rather far from here, the bird explained. "It's in the Land of Oz".
-Oz?! Strawberry Shortcake cried. It couldn't be possible… It had been a so long time since she hadn't gone there… She had ended up by trusting everything she had done there… with the Scarecrow, the Wizard, Princess Glinda… were only fantasies from her overflowing imagination… but she had to admit…
-You come from Oz! Strawberry cried again. "Why? Is everything all right there? I'm Strawberry Shortcake. What happened?"
-I've got the honor of being Princess Glinda's envoy, the Ork (indeed, it was one of them) quietly explained. "Things had changed a lot since your last visit. An awful dictator, General Guph, acceded to the throne, and the lawful rulers, the royal family of Ev, are held hostage. Her Majesty, Princess Glinda, told me that you were the only one who could rescue the Kingdom and made me responsible for requesting you to go back to Oz as fast as possible."
He stopped, and looked at Strawberry in the eyes.
-Would you do me the honor of following me to Oz? he asked.
-Of course, I will, Strawberry Shortcake responded without any hesitation.
-Excuse me Strawberry, Seaberry Delight shyly asked, "What is Oz? Who are all those people… (she paused, searching for the best way to call the bird standing in front of them) he is talking about?"
-Unfortunately, it's a long story, Strawberry Shortcake said. "Let's say Oz is a country berry, berry far from here, but where I met wonderful friends. Today, they are in danger. I must save them."
During this dialogue, the other little girls, no longer hearing the flying threat, had came out of their hiding place. Seeing that Strawberry Shortcake and Seaberry Delight were in full discussion with the one they believed to be their enemy, they silently gathered all around them to hear what they could be talking about.
-You won't save anyone if you are all alone, Raspberry Torte declared. "I don't know where Oz is, but if you have to go there, I'll go with you."
-I'll go with you, too, Angel Cake said with resolution.
-Where is Oz? Lime Light asked. "Do you think they heard about me there?"
-Why must everything be always about you? Raspberry asked angrily.
Apple Dumplin' clapped her hand to show her sister she wanted to be in, too.
-I'm not sure I can accept your help, Strawberry answered, a bit embarrassed. "It would certainly be extremely dangerous… I don't want you to get involved in this stuff.
-If it's too dangerous for all of us, so we would sign your own death warrant of we let you go there all alone! Raspberry Torte noticed. "Well, Strawberry, if you don't allow us to follow you, we'll tie you here, in Strawberryland, with our napkin, to make sure you won't get yourself into a tricky situation as soon as we'll turn away."
-This young girl's right, the Ork agreed. "There is strength in unity."
-But… Strawberry stammerd, half-convinced. "But… how will we go to Oz? I could have sat in your back if I had been alone; but you can't carry us all in the same time!"
The Ork showed Strawberry his package.
-With her great intelligence, Princess Glinda entrusted me with her magical belt. It can transport you wherever you want. As it will be a collective teleportation… you would have to hold hands, all together, while miss Strawberry Shortcake will think very hard of Princess Glinda's palace.
-How fun! Lime Light cried. "I wished they were photographs to see me trying teleportation!
Strawberry Shortcake fastened the belt, then grab Raspberry Torte's hand in one of her hand, and held Apple Dumplin's hand in the other hand.
-What about you? Strawberry asked to the Ork.
-Don't mind me, he answered. "Orks like me can fly very well. I'll be back to my home not a long time after you."
-Is everyone ready? Strawberry then asked to her friends. A general approval answered her.
-I want to go to Princess Glinda's Palace, she declared out loud, before feeling like she had been hoovered by a giant vacuum cleaner.
The contact with the floor was so brutal for Strawberry Shortcake, after the fastness and the lightness of her flight, that she accidentally dropped Apple Dumplin's hand and reeled when her feet encountered the solid ground again. Some muffled sound behind her informed her that some of her friends hadn't been able to keep their balance as well as her.
The Ork was right: the belt was really magic, and they really had been transported to Princess Glinda's palace. The vast, green meadow in which they were eating had disappeared, and had been replaced with a luxurious drawing room, where the Princess herself, the Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow were waiting for her. If the Princess remained calm, angst was cleary visible on the other Ozians' features. Before Princess Glinda spoke, Strawberry Shortcake heard Lime Light saying: "It's not that bad here, but it doesn't worth my home in Berrywood".
Apple Dumplin' neither didn't seem frightened. After her fall, she had a job getting on her feet, but no sooner had shee managed to do so that she started to meander all around the room, letting little cries of admiration and surprise out. Strawberry Shortcake noticed that the expression of worry gradually fainted from the Lion's face as she* was staring at the baby girl, to be replace by tenderness and affection.
-Welcome to Oz, little one, the Lion muttered. "Would you like to be taken for a ride?"
Apple Dumplin' chuckled in response, something the Lion understood for being an alternative answer. She leaned in order to let the baby girl climb on her back, before gamboling about the drawing room, filling it with their two laughs.
-Strawberry Shortcake, Princess Glinda said, drawing Strawberry's attention back to her. "We're so glad to see you. I see you've brought some backup?"
-I don't know who you are, Raspberry Torte said, a bit coldly, "But it was highly reckless from you to ask a lone girl to meet you and defeat some bad guy by her own."
-You're right, the Wizard said, "But we never aimed to let Strawberry Shortcake fight by her own. We simply thought she would be a fine strategist, but we would have help her if a… physical meeting was bound to happen."
-Strawberry Shortcake… Angel Cake muttered. "Would you tell us who are those people?"
-We are in the country of Oz, Strawberry explained. "Princess Glinda is its ruler, and the people around her are her most faithful subjects. But I understand the harmony they are living in is endangered…"
The Lion abruptly stopped turning about and said with a dramatic voice:
-Our kingdom's harmony isn't endangered, it's already entirely wrecked!"
-How that? Strawberry Shortcake asked, feeling panic overwhelming her.
-Do you remember Princess Langwidere? Princess Glinda asked.
Of course, Strawberry Shortcake did. Last time they meet, Langwidere had brainwashed her into making her believe she was her daughter and treated her like a pet. She wasn't that willing to reattempt this experience. However, it was the first time her sister and her guests heard about her.**
-Princess Langwidere is King Evoldo's niece, Princess Glinda explained, "and this King used to rule the Land of Ev. After his death, his elder son had been… temporally unable to succeed him, so Princess Langwidere assumed the throne as a regent."
Strawberry Shortcake remembered it, too. In fact, the helpless Queen of Ev and her children had been abducted and help prisoner by the mean Nome King, after King Evoldo's help.
-When King Evardo, King Evoldo's heir, acceded to the throne, his mother decided she would retire from public life in order to enjoy life in company of her children. However, as her niece Langwidere seemed to be reluctant to left the throne to Evardo, the Queen let her live at the Royal Court, as King Evardo's counsellor. Like this, she would have kept the lifestyle she knew, and, officially, she would have taken part to the Kingdom's political life… even if we all knew that she wouldn't have paid much attention to her work of counsellor; and would let King Evardo reign by his own, Princess Glinda said.
-What a terrible idea it was! The Scarecrow bemoaned.
-A few weeks ago, Princess Langwidere introduced a new friend of her at the Royal Court. He was a serviceman, and his name was General Guph, Princess Glinda added.
-I know this name! Strawberry Shortcake cried. "The Ork told me he had imposed his dictatorship on the Land of Ev and Oz!"
-That's true, Glinda went on. "Guph took gradually more and more importance at the Court. First of all, he won King Evardo's acceptance of his own army, composed with the worse brutes the Land of Oz carries: Phanfasms, Whimsies and Groleywogs. He said it would help the King fighting criminality in his domain! Then, he advised the King to put more and more pressure on the Berrykins producing Gemberries, in order to enhance the Kingdom. Seeing that, King Evardo refused, but General Guph raised his army and make a coup d'état! King Evardo's government has been overturn, and he and the rest of the Royal Family is now sequestered inside they own castle!"
-How horrible! Angel Cake gasped.
-You're right: we must do something, Raspberry Torte said with resolution. She no longer held spite against Princess Glinda for having called her friend Strawberry Shortcake to the rescue. All her thoughts converged toward the same will: fight this injustice.
-That's not all! The Wizard added. "This horrible Guph has also enslaved all the Berrykins living in the kingdom. No one in Ev or Oz have Gemberries now!"
-Why it is so terrible? Seaberry Delight asked. "Can't they eat something else?"
The Wizard shook his head.
-Unfortunately, nothing can replace the Gemberries. We do not eat them, as the energy they free provided us in energy, electricity, light and heating. Without our Gemberries, we are reduced to live in misery. We can no longer warm us, or light us at night. We are always cold, of scared of doing an unfortunate encounter when we have to go out at night, he said.
-Guph's aim is to weaken us in order to make sure we won't revolt against him, the Scarecrow added.
-But… why? Strawberry weakly asked. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. The very morning, she was planning a picnic with her friends. Now, she was force to face misery, fear, violence, injustice… "Why does Princess Langwidere let him do that?" she asked.
-When King Evardo was assuming the throne, Princess Glinda explained, "He didn't let her waste money to buy new dresses and jewels every day, because he wanted to keep savings to fund schools or hospitals; in a word, projects that would benefit to the people, and not only to Langwidere's coquetry. General Guph promised her he would let her spend all the money she would like if he acceded to the throne."
Raspberry Torte, who had always been an impulsive girl, was blustering.
-Those yobs… she stammered. "If only I were face to them, I would…"
-… Punch his nose the way I did with the Yeti I encountered in the Sunday Mountain last winter! Apricot blurted out, as angry as Raspberry was. "It wanted to roast me for its dinner, but fortunately there was a fir tree just beside me; so, I climbed it and…
-None of you would do anything, because you're not trained to fight them, Princess Glinda interrupt them both with a firm voice. "What we need now is a good plan… and Strawberry Shortcake will help us to schedule it".
To be continued…
*In the Strawberry Shortcake episode "Toto's Tale" and "Where the Gemberries glow", the Cowardly Lion is played by Orange Blossom. So, I can tell the Lion is a "she".
**For more detail, please refer to "Strawberry Shortcake, Princess of Oz?"