DISCLAIMER: This licence isn'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.

Chapter seventeen :Apple Dumplin's tasks

-Apple Dumplin', you're impossible.

The young girl didn't answered. Orange Blossom reported the incident to Strawberry Shortcake, who was giving her a good telling off.

-Let me recap : First, this little… Mulberry Murmur invites herself here.

-Se didn't ! I asked you the permission for inviting her and you said yes. Did you forget it ? It doesn't surprise me.

Strawberry hoped Apple didn't see her blushing. She was true : Strawberry didn't really listened to her when she talked to her, at the morning.

-Well. Secondly, Mulberry and you had fun by brutalising an innocent Berrykin.

-Who told you that ?

-The Princess Berrykin herself. Her people complained about what you did and she reported me the story. Do you deny you gratuitously kicked a Berrykin ? Do you dare pretend the Princess Berrykin is a liar ?

-He exaggerated… He hasn't even a graze !

-The absence of injury isn't an excuse, Apple ! You treated him bad without reason, only to prove you were bigger and stronger than him !

-Mulberry said he didn't even realized what happened to him.

-I'm fed up of hearing you talking about this girl ! Strawberry cried. « What do you think he thought when you pushed him in front of all his friends, just because you believed your big height give you all the rights ? Of course the Berrykins have feelings and self-esteem just like us ! How could you think they were like… objects, considering you lived with them for so long ? »

-Because of their stupid air ?

-You mean I could treat you like an object for your stupid answers ? The Berrykins and you are all living beings, and in that you all have to be treated with respect. On top of that, they all, by their work, supply this city in power, so the least we could do is showing them gratitude. Understood ? So, to show him your respect and your remorse, you'll make your apologise to him.

For one second, Apple Dumplin' understood Strawberry Shortcake. She grew up with the Berykins, and she herself felt that Mulberry's gesture has been misplaced. But it only lasted one second. The next one, she wondered what Mulberry who say if she learnt she has been forced to put hersel down just in front of a Berrykin ?

-Never in a million year ! she shouted.

Strawberry Shortcake pretended she didn't hear her.

-And finally : You tried to steal objects in Orange Blossom's Mart and, the icing on the cake, you insulted her.

She stared at Apple.

-What can you say for your defense ?

-I was just an experience to test the Berrykins !

-Orange Blossom already assessed them. Don't you trust her ? Oh yes, I forgot you don't. You look down on her, just as you do with the Berrykins.

-Hey ! Mulberry hit her, not me !

-But you impersonated her ! Orange Blossom was just defending her market. All the supplies in her store belong to her, and you must pay to have them. What's wrong with that ? Orange Blossom needs this money to live, just as I need customers in my Café to run it! Strawberryland has its laws, too, and it's a duty to respect them. Everybody does, except you ! Why ? Do you think you're better than us ? Apparently, you and Mulberry already believe that the colour of your skin gives you the right to disdain people who don't look exactly like you. You can't neither deny it, can you? Do you know who we call that? Racism and eugenics, and they're both crimes. I could make you a long homily about the stupidity of this way of thought, but, instead, I'll rather listen to your arguments. Why do you think there's people above the other, due to their physical appearance?

Silence.

-You can't explain it, right?

New silence.

-Nothing? I knew it. Now, let's see if we can classify people by their behaviour. Orange Blossom is a generous and honest young lady, who sell everything we need in her Mart, and who don't stop checking about her neighbors' well-being. You, on the contrary, you're a selfish teenager with backward ideas you can't even explain. Don't you think we could tell that Orange Blossom deserve more rights that you, and that she could have the right to mistreat you?

-No!

-Exactly Apple. We're all citizens in the same town. That means we're all equals; we all have the same duties and the same rights, like the duty of treating everyone with the respect that is due to them, and the right of don't being persecuted because of your origins. Understood? Mutual respect and tolerance are the basis of our peaceful society, and, for the general interest, everyone MUST follow it. This meaningless ideology of racism, exclusion and discrimination only leaded to paranoia, exhaustion and civil war. Which camp will you choose, Apple? The mixing and the improvement... or the xenophobia and the obscurantism? I, and all the Strawberrylanders already chose our.

Apple shook her head, bored by this homily.

-As a second punishment, you'll help Orange and the Berrykins on their new project.

-It's unfair ! Apple cried. « Mulberry is responsible, too ! »

-But I don't have any authority on her… unlike you.

Strawberry Shortcake hoped Apple would be so angry at Mulberry that she wouldn't follow her anymore.

Orange Blossom's project was to build a school for the Berrykins, and, this time, she was ready. The plans were drawn, the adult Berrykins were finally literate, and all that they had to do was to spread their knowledges to the babies. It was a first in Strawberryland- a building on a Berrykin scale, ran by the Berrykins for the Berrykins. Orange's program was ambitious : make sure that all the Berrykins would be able to fluently read, write and count and then to find them message writers who would help them to take exams at the University. She was rather confident in the pupils : The adult Berrykins would certainly find a way to make them understand how importand education was ! She failed with the babies because she hadn't the right method to interest them, but she was sure a Berrykin student could be as studious as a human student.

She longly explained to the Princess Berrykin it wasn't a vain project : every Berrykin would take benefit of his education, and share his culture with the others who wouldn't had the chance to go to school, and their quality of life would be largely improve : no more fear, superstition, ignorance and misery, but, on the contrary, new ways to fight against diseases and pests.

-My people look in a rather good health for ones who live in -what did you said ?- Diseases, pests, misery… The Princess Berrykin giggled.

After, Orange Blossom depicted her the advantages for her daughters. They would learn history and geography, literature and economics in a word be perfectly able to understand the Humans' world and to be part of it, that was necessary for future princesses !

-They will do commerce with them, get their protection against potential invaders and extend their kingdom in order to increase their wealth-for their people's well-being, of course.

Appareny, Orange Blossom managed to convince the Princess Berrykin, because she immediatly gave her agreement to the work.

Really, it was a great project for everyone. But, for the moment, the school (the first part of Orange Blossom's plan) wasn't built yet and she needed volonteers. When Strawberry Shortcake sent them Apple Dumplin', swearing she was repenting, Orange and Blueberry welcomed her with open arms (Orange wasn't resentful, and do I need to repeat why Blueberry Muffin couldn't work for too long ?) Berrykin Bill was here too, with his crew including Mulberry's poor victim. Apple had to obey to Strawberry : she apologised to the Berrykin and she helped them carrying planks, digging foundations and hammering nails during her free time. But, in her heart, she was searching a way to take her revenge.

To be continued…