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 51: Wedding and Ending, part 3: The Party

There are not many things I could say about the way Strawberry Shortcake received her dress from her friends, because she stayed speechless with gratitude. Let's rather talk about the unofficial reception she held with the other Strawberrylanders.

All Strawberryland's inhabitants attended the party. Mister Longface was walking around in the middle of the guest, offering them mud sandwiches and water lily canapés they politely refused. Luckily, Sweet and Sour Grape were there, too, and the pastries they had cooked had much more success. The Princess Berrykin's tiara was brighter than ever, as it had been polished with a particular attention. Plum Pudding was doing pirouettes on the stage where Cherry Jam would make a special concert. Her brother, Plum Puddin', and TN Honey had been invited, too. There were also Lemon Meringue, Huckleberry Pie, Orange Blossom, Ginger Snap, and even Blueberry Muffin – her friends had been extremely clear with her: it was certainly the last time Strawberry Shortcake was to be seen in Strawberryland, so she could not miss that, and certainly not for a such ridiculous reason as a quarrel with her ex.

Of course, Peanut Butter's friends, some boys but mainly girls due to the imbalance of the sex ratio in the Berry Bitty World, were invited, too. At first, they were ready to be bored stiff in this party held in the middle of nowhere; and the boys had planned some pranks to… "spice up" the ceremony. However, meeting the Strawberrylanders made them think that civilization might have broken into this dump. After all, on the contrary of what they were expecting, the other guests weren't disheveled. And there was this kind of tiny imp, with a strawberry-shaped head, a tiara and a scepter, in front of whom everyone curtsied.

-She's the Princess Berrykin, a girl with long blue hair had explained to them. Her name was Blueberry Muffin had she seemed to be rather cultivated.

A few minutes later, all the guests from Big Apple City had forgotten their prejudices and were talking happily with the Strawberrylanders, sharing anecdotes and points of view.

The party in itself was anything but pompous. Strawberry Shortcake's dress could certainly not appear in a fashion magazine, as its decorations were not really regular, and the ink from Blueberry Pie's pen had dripped and made some blots. However, the sparkles in her eyes, the rapture of her smile and the blush on her cheeks made her prettier than she would have been with the smartest makeup, everyone thought. Peanut Butter was just as delighted as his bride. Even with all Lemon Meringue's efforts, his curly hair refused to split into a clear part, and he was wearing unadorned shirt and flax trousers, as he thought that a three-piece suit would definitively not fit in Strawberryland. In spite of their simplicity, everyone could see they were the bride and groom because… well, it was a very intimated ceremony before the big ones they would held in Big Apple City, in the human world ; the few guest they had were close relations to the Strawberrylanders, and every Strawberrylanders knew them. This wedding party was rather similar to the other parties they had already held, and they were just determined to have a lot of fun. However… something was not as usual. This night, when the party would be over, they would all go to bed; but when they would wake up, something would have changed. Strawberry Shortcake and Peanut Butter would have left them in the night for Big Apple City, where everything was possible and everything was to start. No, this day, the party was not an entertainment, a funny parenthesis of madness to break the monotony of routine. This time, it was both a funeral and a baptism.

-You know, sonny, Berrykin Bloom said to Berrykin Daniel, "Youngsters are like dandelions. When they come into the world, they are so close of their mother, so frail, that you think she might give them all her strength and food to keep them alive. But the more time passes, the more they grow up and turn away from their mother. They turn to the sky, the endless sky, and they wait for the first breath of air for fly away from their roots and discover it… For our miss Shortcake, this breath of air had come."

He waited for a little moment, meditating, then he added.

-You are a seed of dandelion, too, sonny. One day, you'll fly away from me, to plant yourself into another ground… I'm sure you will turn into a beautiful dandelion, just like our miss Shortcake. Maybe, one day, you'll take a baby Berrykin in to teach him everything you know… and if you are berry lucky, a female Berrykin would join you to help you planting your seeds…

After this, Berrykin Bloom kept quiet. He was staring at the sky. His father, his uncle, the Princess Berrykin's mother's… They were as many dandelion seeds who had been blown away from the solid ground for a long, berry long trip to an endless blue field where they would sow hope, joy and good thoughts for their children left in the old world…

Orange Blossom, Lemon Meringue and all the other humans had tried their best to sew proper suits for all the Berrykins, but they had run short of time and had to make themselves satisfied by giving them out sort of strange, black pullovers which were supposed to stand for frock coats. They were all afraid the Princess Berrykin would reproach them their lack of consideration against her people, but she seemed to not noticed it. The Berrykins themselves were only exited by the idea of being given new clothes, and the youngest ones felt like it was carnival for the second time of the years. Even the Princess's bodyguards, with their halberds as small as cotton swabs, could nor stay calm nor focus on their assignment, and were enjoying the party like all the other guests were doing.

Blueberry Pie and the twin Berrykins princesses, Emerald and Tourmaline, were the girls of honor. They were, all the three, wearing the same white dress, and, something who was a great mark of esteem for Blueberry Pie, the little human girl had been given by Lemon Meringue a beautiful tiara made of braided flax flowers which looked beautiful in her hair. Blueberry Pie wondered if her mother loved her more when she was wearing her white dress and her crown.

It was hard to say how Huckleberry Pie and Blueberry Muffin were feeling. At least, Blueberry Muffin no longer purposely ignored Huckleberry Pie, which was an encouraging start; however, they weren't quite behaving like a couple would do. Huckleberry Pie did not know what were his feeling toward his ex-girlfriend. He could not deny he would be bound to her for the rest of his life, as she was now the mother of his child; but he could not know for sure if he was still feeling love for her. He used to think that it would be preferable for Blueberry Pie to be raised by her two parents. It was her dream, since she had been entrusted to Strawberry Shortcake and the Berrykins, Huckleberry Pie knew it for sure. And, little by little, her dream had turned his. He had sometimes considered if wanting and conceiving a second child with Blueberry Muffin would definitively bring them together, like the family he would have wanted to offer to his daughter since the beginning. But, in fact, he was seriously wondering if this dream was not going to be a dream forever. He had told Blueberry Muffin they should meet more regularly, for Blueberry Pie's stability. Every week-end, Blueberry Muffin would come with her schoolbooks in Green Meadow Village and spend a day or two with them. Blueberry Pie found the courage to climb on her knees when she was studying and to ask her what she was doing; and Blueberry Muffin told her about freedom of speech, right to the image and geopolitics. By her turn, Blueberry Muffin asked Blueberry Pie to show her what she had done in class, and if she was done with her homework. A reminiscence of the few months she had spent as a preschool teacher in Strawberryland.

-Leave her in peace, Huckleberry Pie said once while Blueberry Muffin was reproaching their Little Blue for having botched her coloring page. "It's just a drawing! Aren't there more important things to bother about?"

-I want to teach her how to be careful and conscientious in everything she does, Blueberry Muffin had retorted. "I don't want her to end like…"

She had never finished her sentence, but Huckleberry Pie had perfectly understood what she was about to say before interrupting herself.

He no longer knew what he was feeling about her. He no longer knew if they would be good friends again, or if he was now disdaining her the way she was certainly disdaining him. Disdaining her for having abandoned their daughter when she was not even one year old. Disdaining her for reducing him to his past mistake, and forgetting to see the efforts he had made to get through them. He was wondering if seeing her at week-ends, letting her (with all her rationalism seriousness) in the fragile universe of imagination and games he had built with Little Blue, would not turn into a chore. His eyes fixed upon Strawberry Shortcake and Peanut Butter, and he realized that the two of them would be bound together for a berry, berry long time. He sincerely hoped that bearing each other would not turn into a chore for them, when time would have cleared the sweet illusions about life and love which was currently enveloping them, and revealing them the darkest aspects of their personality. Strawberry Shortcake was simply too nice to deserved to suffer, and Peanut Butter seemed to be a nice fellow. He was sincerely hoping the best for them, and promised himself that if he were to be married, he would only marry a girl who would be ready to adopt his daughter.

For the moment, at the wedding, Blueberry Muffin and him had hardly exchanged words, and they embarrassingly smiled when they caught each other's eyes.

Except them, none of the other guests was feeling awkward. Strawberry Shortcake and Peanut Butter were fluttering around their friends and giggled with them. Cherry Jam and her students had arrived. They were tuning their instruments and chatting all together. They were absolutely not impressed by the wedding party: the only thing they could see where childhood friends (well dressed, it needs to be said) and Berrykins eying the kitchens with greediness, waiting for more cakes to be served.

The four Berrykins in charge of the service were hardly old enough to work at the Berry Work. When the Princess Berrykin had asked them to handle this assignement, they had said yes without any hesitation, thinking how important they would feel when they would be to "take part in" a such big celebration; but at this very moment, they were realizing that playing the waiters was more than wearing a nice white suit. They constantly had to do round trips from the kitchen to the Gazebo, where the buffet had been set, as well as transmitting to the kitchens the guest's demands and orders. They were afraid of missing the best parts of the party.

-Stop staring into space, Sour Grape ordered them, as they were looking with great envy to the ball room where the others were having fun, "These cream puffs need to be served, so do what you have to!"

-Please, Sour, do not push around those little ones, Sweet Grape replied. Between cooking the food, keeping the meals warm and the drinks cool and making sure the buffet was properly supplied, they both have a lot of work and tended to lose their temper. The young Berrykins, who didn't want to take the risk to face Sour Grape's wrath, immediately grabbed the huge and heavy tray of choux buns and hurried to the Gazebo.

-I'm staring getting tired of this mess, don't you? One of them asked, once they were far enough of the Grape Twins to be sure they wouldn't hear them.

-It's our mission, another one replied. "People needs us to make this party perfect!"

-They need us? Uh! They hardly notice we're here, the first Berrykin insisted.

-Why wouldn't we have the right to have fun, too? the third one asked, to support his friend in front of their painstaking workmate.

-Because Her Majesty asked us, in person, to be the waiters, and that implies some sacrifices, the second one insisted.

-I don't want to be told off, the fourth one shyly said.

-He's right, the second one said, "And the best thing to do in doing our work."

-What a crawler! The disobedient Berrykin cried. "You'll be perfect for Berrykin Bruce's replacement: you're already as inflexible as him!"

-Remind me to never let him play with us anymore, his mate added with a sly smile. "He would repeat everything we do and say to the Princess".

The careful young Berrykin bit his lip, ill at ease. Of course, he suffered of being seen as a boot-licker and a spy by his playmates, and he wanted to prove them they were wrong; on the other side, the idea of breaking his words sounded like a terrible betrayal to his ears. In a word, he didn't know what to do.

The fourth one didn't say a word. He was only out of the kindergarten for a few weeks, and the grown-up Berrykins, especially the Princess, looked like terrifying monsters to him. He absolutely didn't want them to be mad at him: he imagined they would swallow him.

-Well, the mature one finally said, "If we give the delivery out, what would we do next?"

-We'll dance and jump and whirl! the first one said, the most eager to join the party. And, walking the walk as well as talking the talk, he dropped the tray and embarked on a kind of choreography where spirit was occupying a bigger place than skill. However, if the little Berrykin was swept along by his enthusiasm, the stack of pastries swept along, too, in its tray which had been destabilized by the loss of a porter. When the three other Berrykins noticed that their tray was far too much inclined, it was too late: their limited strength could not resist the law of gravity and, in a slow movement which could have look terribly majestic if the situation hadn't been that critical, the mountain of cream puffs endured a serious avalanche which covered Strawberryland's ground.

After the incident, the country sounded extremely quietly. The four Berrykins weren't even paying any further attention to the music playing in the ballroom. They were just standing there, staring at each other, hoping that the choux buns would jump back to the tray if they pray berry hard for it.

Then, the fourth Berrykin, the youngest one, started to cry.

-That's all your fault, the conscientious Berrykin said to the first one, the little rebel, with the severe air the Princess took when she scolded them. "If you had listened to me…"

-We no longer have time to quarrel, he quickly retorted. All his good mood had left him, and he was looking extremely anxious. "We have to find a solution. Maybe we could put the cream puffs back in the tray and…"

-That would be disgusting! The third Berrykin, his partner in crime, replied. "They're all covered with soil. Yuck!"

The fourth one did not say anything: he was still sobbing.

-I should tell immediately the Princess what you both have done, the first one said with resolution. "I want everyone to know it wasn't my fault because I tried to stop you when you talked about playing."

He made a movement to leave, but his two mates caught him, a threatening air on their face.

-If you do so, said the first one extremely seriously, "We'll tell everyone you're a dirty fink and we'll never let you play with us anymore, until the end of time."

Once again, their careful friend stopped.

-You won't… he stammered, ill at ease. "If I help you finding a solution, you won't tell anyone… er… this has happened, will you?"

-Cross my heart! His two friends sworn.

Even the youngest Berrykin stopped crying and looked at his three mates with an air where fear, perplexity and hope were mixed.

-We have to make all the evidences disappear, he quickly continued. "No one have to know the existence of these cream puffs. This tray has never existed".

-But what if Sour and Sweet Grape ask the guest what they thought of them? The youngest one asked, his voice still choked with tears.

-I don't know… Maybe… Maybe we could pretend Mr. Longface ate them all? The troublemaker Berrykin suggested.

-Lying's wrong, their little friend muttered. He was conscious he had already done a serious foolishness and he didn't want to worsen it by adding a lie to his disobedience.

-We don't have the choice, his elder friend retorted. "They won't tell anything to him, 'cause he's a grown-up. But if they discover we dropped the tray…"

-Will we be sent to jail? The little Berrykin shyly asked.

-Yes, maybe, he answered, not so much to scare his young mate, but more because he truly thought it was the kind of punishment which was imposed to the ones who breached of their duties.

-Stop gabbing! Their mature friend interrupted them. "We must start cleaning the area. Someone could come and discover what we've – no, what you've done at any moment!"

-And how will we do it? The third Berrykin, the one who had supported the troublemaker, asked. He did not quite like the patronizing tune his mate was using.

-I could rush to the village hall and…

-Why won't we eat the cream puffs which are still edible? The above-named rebellious Berrykin joyfully purposed.

-You said we have to work fast? Well, you can be sure we'll make short work of this task, the third Berrykin giggled.

According to the enthusiasm shining into the young Berrykin's eyes, he was agreeing with them but didn't dare to say it out loud. He was staring at the mature Berrykin, waiting to hear is opinion.

-The damage is done anyway… he sighed.

His mates hadn't wait for his permission before copiously tasting the pastries which hadn't been dirty by the soil. With a little reluctance, he kneed and swallowed one of the choux buns. Maybe it was dishonest to take benefit of a mistake they had made, he thought, but anyway it wasn't his fault. Moreover, Sweet and Sour Grape were indubitably excellent cook, and he could not deny he was taking a great pleasure in eating what they had prepared. Anyway, like this, he was sure he would have his part of the cake, too.

When the biggest part of the damage had disappeared into their four little stomachs, and once they were sure the cream left in the floor was too muddy to be eaten, they carefully covered it with soil and spread it around the flowerbeds' roots.

-Will it harm the flowers? The little Berrykin asked.

-I don't think so, the rebel Berrykin answered. "I saw Berrykin Bloom do this several time".

-He uses fertilizer and manure, the mature one corrected.

-So what?

The dirty tray, still carrying crumbs and pastry cream (the only thing left of the mountain of cream puffs), had been carefully hidden on a bush. The four Berrykins, trying to hide the blush on their cheeks and dusting nervously their suits, discretely joined the party.

-Are you alright? Another Berrykin asked them. He was working with them at the Berry Work and was a bit older than them.

-Everything's perfect, the first Berrykin, the one who had caused the incident, answered with as many assertiveness he could show.

Luckily for the four partners in crime, no further questioning was not aimed to take place in the immediate future: The Princess Berrykin had a berry important speech to give first.

-Listen up, please! She said into her tiny microphone. "As Strawberryland's ruler, it is with a great pleasure that I fulfill my duty to chair this ceremony; and I would like to say a few words about one of my subjects whom is put on the spotlight tonight… Our beloved miss Shortcake.

"As you might know, centuries before, the berry first Berrykin settlers in Strawberryland had been rescued from starvation after a particularly tough winter by an altruistic farmer named Strawberry Wafer. Since this day, the Berrykin community of Strawberryland and the Strawberry Family are bound by an endless collaboration. Twenty-two years ago, a new generation of the Strawberry Family started with the birth of a little girl… who is currently standing in front of all of you.

"Miss Shortcake had been living in Strawberryland for twenty-two years. During all this time, she had remained faithful to her native country, reluctant to leave it to pursue glory, wealth and fame where she could have found them; preferring to harvest what Mother Nature had sowed on her doorstep.

"In remain of the blessed day our community had been saved, my ancestors had sworn they would protect forever the Strawberry Family. But our Miss Shortcake had shown in return the generosity, the wisdom and the altruism which had made her own ancestors' luck, and therefore trusted she was their worthy heiress. During twenty-two years, she had watched over my people, rescued them when I wasn't able to rescue them myself, had worked for Berry Bitty City's wealth, its planning, its embellishment and its security; only worrying about her neighbors' welfare and never asking for anything in reward. Since her birth, our dear Miss Shortcake had taken part of each construction work, each event which could have improve our sort of life.

"But these twenty-two years are coming to an end today; and after having being devoted to us for so long, Miss Shortcake is now leaving us to take care of people who would certainly need her more than we currently do. She had shown us the way to leave happily and in peace in Berry Bitty City. Let us follow the path she pointed out, while she would be leading other fellows lost in a modern city, finding themselves all alone in crowded place!

"All of us, we would have loved Miss Shortcake to stay here, but she had taken her decision to leave. Mister Butter, Miss Shortcake is one of the finest ladies we've got in Strawberryland, but the love and affection she felt toward you is the biggest prove of your integrity. I hope you will make a wise use of it, and manage to make both of you happy in your new life. Let us wish them the berry best luck in their trip, and pray them to visit us sometimes!"

A thunder of applause followed this speech, and, while the orchestra started to play, all the guests offered their wishes to the newlyweds. Berrykin Bloom, who had drunk a thimbleful of champagne (which was already huge for a Berrykin), thought the Princess's speech was lacking poetry and deemed it wise to quote some verses from Wordsworth:

"A perfect Woman, noble planned, To warm, to comfort, and command; And yet a Spirit still, and bright, with something of angelic light!" * He recited, proposing another toast.

The four Berrykins involved in the disappearance of the cream puffs did not shared the general happiness for a long time. The youngest of them was the first one to whine and complain about nausea. The three others impatiently scolded him, but they had to admit they were feeling the same. They tried to hide their sickness, believing it was a kind of divine punishment for having eaten all the cream puffs; but when their faces obviously take greenish hues, the others Berrykins let them no other choice than being examined by Berrykin Bloom.

-It must be hay fever, the maverick Berrykin managed to articulate between two retching, while Berrykin Bloom was palpating his stomach.

-It's rather looks like digestive disorder, the old gardener thoughtfully answered.

-I don't know what you mean, sir, the young Berrykin replied, hoping his embarrassment would be mistaken for a symptom of his disease.

-Wherever your illness comes from, I'm positively sure your nausea is the result of an upset stomach, and nothing more, Berrykin Bloom concluded. "I'm afraid the party's over for you, little ones. Fortunately, with some rest, ginger tea, and one day of fast, you will be on your feet again. No work for you tomorrow, I'll send an absence note to the Princess."

Meanwhile, Mr. Longface had noticed another problem. With the conscientiousness of a faithful security guard, he was checking all the guests' comings and goings during the party, to not let any undesirable incident tarnish its memory in the Strawberrylanders' mind. And, at his great regret, things weren't going on the way they were planned to. All the youngsters Cherry Jam had brought with her had unpacked their instrument and were playing a waltz… all, except one. One of them, a boy around eighteen, with mid-length green hair and thick glasses, was staying apart, distractedly watching the others playing. He wasn't even carrying any case, and, to be honest, Mr. Longface could not remember if he had saw him talking with anyone else during the party. Unlike the guests from Big Apple City, Peanut Butter hadn't welcomed him with exclamation of joy and nice taps on his back; and Miss Shortcake hadn't given him a friendly embrace, the way she always did with the ones she liked. He had come in with Chery Jam's students, but he obviously was not one of them; so, what was he doing there? To the smart millipede, the answer was easy to find: he was an intruder, a non-conformist, a vandal came to plunder Berry Bitty City's stores, steal their stocks, strip the Princess of her royal attributes and, worst of all, spoil the wedding! He should have guess that since the beginning: with his clumsily cut hair, this boy was obviously not a well raised young person; anyway, not the kind the Princess and young ladies like Miss Shortcake could properly meet. However, the hardest part was yet to come: he still had to evacuate this undesirable guest with authority, firmness but discretion, and to hope he wouldn't start a scandal in the middle of the party once he would have been told he had been confounded. At this instant, Mr. Longface bitterly regretted Berrykin Bloom to be so small, and, in top of that, occupied with Berrykin kids whom hadn't found anything better to do than giving themselves an indigestion. He was his best friend, the one who always carefully listen to the report he made about the books he had read, the one who enjoyed talking with him about the troubles he met at work. If he simply asked any other human to drive the intruder out, he would be told he was too uncompromising and should let this special guest enjoy the party. Berrykin Bloom would have understood him, advised him, and even helped him if he had been a few feet taller. But it wasn't the case, and now he had to fix the problem all by himself, as he was the only one to fully grasp the gravity of the situation.

He paid attention again to the outsider, who had left the stage and was now hanging around the human guests. He had waited for long enough; he had to take action before the other guests noticed something was wrong.

Taking the most unaffected air he could on, the big millipede crawled toward the mysterious young man and whispered to him:

-Sir, I regret to inform you that you have to leave this party right know, he said, hoping his politeness would convince his interlocutor to obey without fighting.

The young man slowly turned over to be facing Mr. Longface, whom regretted forcing him to leave as soon as he saw his light blue eyes. He was wrong: now he had taken a close look to the intruder, he could say he absolutely had not the physical aspect of a thug. There was so much gentleness in his eyes, so much plea in his features…

-Please, sir, the young man said with a soft voice, "Allow me to stay a little bit more."

Mr. Longface hesitated. He couldn't understand why this young boy was so sad, while he was attending a such wonderful wedding. He seemed to be anything -vulnerable, troubled, shaken- but aggressive. However… it might be a trap. What if this boy was a brilliant actor? What if he managed to put the Princess in danger? What if he took hostage the little heirs?

-I'm sorry, Mr. Longface repeated, "But, as you are not one of our guests, I'm forced to ask you to leave now."

The young boy stepped backwards.

-I can't do that, he insisted. "I must stay. I must speak to Strawberry Shortcake".

Mr. Longface wondered how this young boy knew their miss Shortcake. He was too young to be a suitor; but, if he was a former friend of her, why hadn't he greeted her at the beginning of the party, when he had arrived? Why had he been standing apart, without even introducing himself? The more he was thinking, the more he was believing this intruder had a plan about them – he had certainly been spying them for several days, waiting for the right moment to create mayhem. The reasons for which he was doing that could wait before being revealed; for the moment, the most important thing was to take him away, before he put in serious danger the guests.

-Follow me, Mr. Longface ordered, with a less gentle voice.

-No! the boy cried.

Some of the conversations stopped, as the guests, humans and insects, stared at the two opponents to see what was troubling their party.

-Sir, Mr. Longface insisted, trying to sound calm in order to not scare the other, "You are obviously not within your right. We wouldn't like to use force to evacuate you, but we will do if you force us to. For the last time, exit this place."

The young boy was seemingly distressed. A deathly silence had replaced the merry hubbub of the wedding: the guests were quiet, Cherry Jam had stopped her band, and the Berrykin guards were approaching in close ranks, their halberds raised. He stayed frozen for a few second, but, as Mr. Longface was about to take him by the arm to send him away, he suddenly jumped above the line of Berrykins and ran toward Strawberry Shortcake.

-Stay away! Peanut Butter cried, but, as he was preparing himself to lay out the intruder in order to protect his wife, Strawberry Shortcake let a cry out, a cry that definitively shook the day up, a cry she had dreamt to pronounce so many times before, but she now believed she would never say; a cry every Strawberrylanders was waiting for, but they could not believe their ears when they heard it.

Strawberry Shortcake cried:

-Apple Dumplin'!

And, indeed, it was truly Apple Dumplin'; Apple Dumplin' who had left so long ago, and who was currently with all of them again, like in the good old time. The silence which surrounded them had changed, too: it was no longer a heavy silence, full of angst and threat; it was now a nice silence, the kind of silence which wafted between two good friends who no longer needed words to understand each other.

Strawberry Shortcake embraced her lost-and-found little sister, like of she was preventing her from getting away from her once more, as everybody was gathering around this moving scene. You can think that Strawberry Shortcake should be furious against her little sister, whom cruel prank had made her endure every shade of mourning and despair. But Strawberry Shortcake was not to react like everyone else would do: as soon as she had recognized her Apple Dumplin', she had pardoned her for everything she had done before. The tears of joy which was rolling on her cheeks were carrying all the old bitterness and anger she had ever felt, in order to make room for a new joy, a new hope, a new serenity.

After a long moment, Strawberry Shortcake released her embrace, and consequently let Apple Dumplin' breathe with more ease. Then, the young traveler started her tale. She knew it was time to explain them why she had been away for so long. The entire gathering was hanging in her every word. They couldn't have dreamt of a better entertainment for the party. Even the four disobedient Berrykins had forgotten their stomachache and were only thinking about listening the wonderful story Apple Dumplin' was about to share with them.

Apple Dumplin' spoke. She told them how lost she had felt, during her adolescence, and how she had questioned her values. She told them how she was feeling out of place, in Strawberryland, as she was carrying all kind of influences from the outside; Strawberryland, this country which seemed out of time and out of space, and which standards of honesty and solidarity clashed with the anger, fear, injustice she had seen and experimented during he travels. She told them she was feeling like she was living into a scenery, a kind of oppressive sect in which she was the only lucid member. She told them about the confidence she had placed in Mulberry Murmur, her schoolmate who seemed to be like her, the one who understood life wasn't a fairytale, unlike everyone else seemed to think in Strawberryland. She told them how powerful she had felt, when she had escaped her boarding school and promised herself that no one would force her to go back there. She told them how she chose herself a new name, Green Apple, how she changed her haircut, color her hair and buy male clothes in order to pretend to be a boy and to avoid being recognize by the police who was still searching her, at the time. She told them the doubts she felt, when she saw her missing person appeal in the street, and how she felt like going back home. She told them the joy she had felt, the day she had rescued a little girl stuck on an islet, in the middle of a river in flood. She told them how scared she had been, one stormy night, when she was curled in her sleeping bag and was listening to the tempest raging outside, hoping she would not be caught in a mudslide. She told them about the proudness she had experiment after achieving to cross from end to end a forest, with nothing more in her sleeve than her determination and ingenuity. She told them how lonely she had felt, the day she had attempt the Flower Festival of New Oak City and realized she had nobody to share this beauty with anymore. She told them it was the day she had understood that her sabbatical leave had lasted enough. It was the day she had decided to go back home. She had understood that what she was doing, pretending to be dead, was far too harmful for her relatives. Much more harmful than that she had planned to. She had understood she had been wrong since the beginning.

She wished she had never attacked so directly everything for which her sister and her neighbors stood for. Maybe they were wrong; maybe their vision of life was too idealistic, but she would never again prevent them from dreaming to a better world. Anyway, the means she used to oppose them, by vandalizing, stealing, lying – the means Mulberry Murmur advised her to use – were but pointless, she could see it now. She had never tried to discuss, she had only imposed them her unexplained surge of violence, like a child who was throwing a tantrum. Indeed, the only reaction she had, in response, was more determination from the Strawberrylanders to defend their opinions against such a blind violence they could not understand. From start to finish, this whole story could be summarized by a huge misunderstanding caused by a total lack of communication in which she had the biggest share of responsibility. She was undeniably in distress, when she had been sent to high school for the very first time and didn't manage to integrate; but using her sister and her neighbors like a punching bag couldn't have other outcome than leading to an escalation of coldness, grudge and hatred. And she hoped now that they would forgive her for everything she had done; especially Strawberry Shortcake who had been forced to take on the consequences of her foolishness, and had been held responsible for it so many times.

She would never disappear like this anymore, she had said. She might feel the need again to see where the wind would take her one day, but she would always come back to give them news. She believed she was an adventurer and needed no one, but it was wrong. What was the point of living outstanding adventures, if she had no one to share them with?

Everything was going to be alright, Strawberry Shortcake thought, as she was staring at the Berry Big City's center town through her windows. It had been a month since she had installed herself in her husband's inn, and she could say she enjoyed a lot her new life of hotelier. Every morning, she met new customers, who always had plenty of stories to tell her about their lives and the trip they were doing. They enjoyed her company, and she was madly in love with Peanut Butter, and even Apple Dumplin' had spent a few days with them after their honeymoon and seemed to like her new brother-in-law. What could be better?

The, Strawberry Shortcake's thoughts slipped to her old friends. Lemon Meringue had opened a hairstyling salon in the Berry Bit City. This time, Strawberry was there to be sure Lemon was not going to spoil everything again because of her unwelcome competitive spirit. Talking about that, it had been a while since Strawberry hadn't heard about Lemon's old partner, Raspberry Torte… She hadn't even attended her wedding. Maybe she had better things to do… Even if, to be totally honest, to Strawberry's eyes, no one could be more useful for Strawberryland than Orange Blossom was. As always, Orange was still fighting for the most underprivileged and despised people, and organizing peaceful actions and conventions in order to make the public aware of its ordinary prejudices about them.

Angel Cake was in town, too. She had been living in the Berry Big City since she had failed in ousting Strawberry Shortcake from her Café. She was ruling her own tea house, and the demographic concentration in town ensured her a sufficient customer base.

Huckleberry Pie and Blueberry Muffin were no longer fighting, either. The awkwardness between them had disappeared as soon as they stopped pushing themselves into pretending to be a perfect couple. They used to see each other quite often, with their daughter Blueberry Pie, the way two good friends… or a divorced couple would do. Blueberry Pie would have to accept that the model of the perfect family, the kind she used to see in her book, was no longer the only actual model of family. A lot of different types of family existed, all functional, each with their particularities, and Blueberry Pie was in one of them. Strawberry Shortcake only hoped that the little girl was not going to make herself sick by dint of pursuing a mold in which she would never fit, but would instead learn to be happy with what life had given her: two parents, whom the absence of a long relationship between them would never diminish the love they had for her. Blueberry Muffin would graduate in a year or two, and when she would have, at least, an economic and professional stability, she would invite her daughter to spend more time with her. A way to make up for lost time. As for Huckleberry Pie, he really enjoyed his work at the pet shop in Green Meadow Village, much more than that one could have expected, and did not planned to leave it. Strawberry hoped that, by dint of diligence and loyalty, his employer would once make him her replacement. Huck would be given a second chance to reach his dream: owning his own pet store.

Cherry Jam was still dedicated herself to her music and her students, but she still hadn't expressed the will to find again her fame. Apparently, she had managed to rally Plum Pudding behind her cause, because the young dancer had neither tried to be a well-known principal dancer again. The bliss of getting the use of her legs back had led to a new standardization of her priorities. Sour and Sweet Grape, the twins, were ruling their own restaurant. They still hadn't found a way to coordinate with their respective differences and they both quarreled a lot, like they always did; but, according to their customers, there was at least one point about which they were absolutely alike: their culinary skills, which always achieved to give them a real pleasure.

And so many of her friends were still at school. Ginger Snap, Plum Puddin', TN Honey… But she knew it didn't mean life hadn't started for them. They were still living, for the moment, into a kind of microcosm with other people, all sharing the same passions and interests, where they were still full of enthusiasm and ideals. But how could she said that the discovering of the world of work and practical concessions would wreck them? They would face ordeals, they would have to adapt their great projects, their gorgeous theories, to the reality of life. But it was too soon to say that they would turn disillusioned and soured. They were all of the same kind. They had been bred in Strawberryland.

To them, anything would always be possible, for her friends, for her sister, for her husband and her, and certainly for the next generation of the Strawberry Family she might already be carrying, who would fill the inn and make its laugh and songs rang out through it.

Everything was going to be alright.

The End

*She Was a Phantom of Delight", William Wordsworth.