Genre: Friendship, Adventure
Fandom: Strawberry Shortcake
Central Relationship: Strawberry Shortcake, Orange Blossom, Huckleberry Pie, Ginger Snap, Lemon Meringue, & Plum Pudding
Characters: Strawberry Shortcake, Orange Blossom, Huckleberry Pie, Ginger Snap, Lemon Meringue, Plum Pudding, the Purple Pieman, Custard, Pupcake, Escargot, and Berry Birds.
Wordcount: 16,872 words
Summary: Strawberry Shortcake has just moved to Strawberryland. Expecting a quiet, peaceful life with close friends, her plans are quickly put to a stop by the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak, who stole almost all of the fruit in Strawberryland. Now, Strawberry and her five new friends: Orange Blossom, Huckleberry Pie, Ginger Snap, Plum Pudding, and Lemon Meringue, must go on a dangerous quest to the Pie Tin Palace to retrieve it. Will they succeed, or will the Pieman get the fruit supply under his control?
Warnings: This story contains mentions of death as well as a near-death experience, but nothing too severe.
Rating: G. Suitable for all audiences.
Started: February 11th, 2024
Finished: May 8th, 2024
The sky was dark purple, and the stars were scattered across the sky. Fireflies flew freely over the fields, their abdomens glowing brightly, though not outshining the brilliant moon. On the ground, the green grass, flowers, and berry bushes were softly blown by the night wind, but the trees remained steady. A small river flowed, babbling as it did so. Crickets chirped and owls hooted, creating music in the night. It was a humble land, but many plants, animals, and people called it home. This was Strawberryland, and as far as its residents were concerned, it was the best place in the world, and soon, there was going to be a new one.
A wagon was being pulled along a dirt path. It had many things inside of it: clothing, packets full of strawberry seeds, a watering can, cookbooks, kitchen supplies, pantry items such as flour and sugar, and pet supplies. It also had two animals inside of it. One was a pink cat with a bow tied around her neck, and the other was a small white dog with green spots and a collar with a strawberry. The cat was named Custard, and the dog was named Pupcake. Pulling them was their beloved owner: she was a girl with fair skin, short red hair, and eyes green like the leaves on a tree. She had on a white shirt with green stripes, covered with a strawberry red jacket. Her legs were covered in green and white striped tights, red sneakers, and a pink skirt with dark polka dots, similar to the seeds on a strawberry. Her hair was accessorized with a pink bow, with a strawberry in the center. With her right hand, she pulled the wagon, and with her left hand, she held a map of Strawberryland, which she carefully observed. She walked briskly, though not so fast as to make the wagon ride for her pets uncomfortable. Her name was Strawberry Shortcake.
“So, Strawberry,” Custard began, “how much longer is it until we get to the new house?”
Strawberry took another look at the map.
“It says here that our house is along the river,” Strawberry explained, “all we have to do is cross this bridge and it’ll be straight ahead!”
Strawberry looked up from the map, and sure enough, she saw a small bridge going over the river. She smiled at it.
“Hold on, Custard,” Strawberry said, “hold on, Pupcake!”
Custard and Pupcake did as Strawberry said and held on tightly to the wagon. Strawberry crossed the bridge, and soon, she could see her house: it looked like an actual strawberry shortcake with windows and a door. The roof of the house was white and covered with red strawberry decorations. Her eyes lit up, and she grinned.
“Wow,” she whispered, “it looks wonderful!”
Strawberry walked to the entrance of her new house. She let go of the wagon’s handle and put her free hand on her hip, taking a moment to admire how sweet her house looked. When he realized that they had come to a stop, Pupcake jumped out of the wagon and began running circles around the new house. Custard looked up at the house and smiled softly at it. Strawberry turned her head to face Custard, and then, she walked over to the wagon and picked her up.
“What do you think, Custard?” Strawberry asked.
“I think it looks neat,” Custard began, “but I haven’t seen the inside of it yet. I need to know if there’s somewhere nice and comfy to take my naps.”
“Oh, we should go take a look inside, shouldn’t we?” Strawberry replied.
Custard nodded her head, and Strawberry walked to the door, still holding Custard in her arms, and opened it. Pupcake ran inside before Strawberry could walk in, and she followed him. There, they saw the living room. It was covered in carpet, and there were a few tall shelves with nothing in them. There was a red couch that had yellow dots all over it, resembling strawberry seeds, and a big, bulky red television resting on a pink table. Strawberry set Custard down and spun around.
“Wow!” Strawberry exclaimed, “it’s like this house was built with me in mind!”
Custard jumped onto the couch and laid down. As she started to close her eyes, Pupcake jumped on the couch and gave Custard a wet kiss, waking her up.
“Ah!” she said, “Pupcake, I was just about to take a nap!”
“Ruff!” Pupcake replied.
Strawberry giggled as Pupcake laid down beside Custard, when suddenly, she heard a masculine voice.
“Miss Shortcake?” the voice asked.
“Oh!” Strawberry exclaimed, “I have a visitor! But who could be visiting this late at night?”
Strawberry carefully approached the door and took a peek. To her surprise, the voice didn’t come from a human: it came from a giant green snail, who was pulling what looked like an empty cart behind his back. He was much bigger than any snail Strawberry had seen before, and he had a smile on his face. She didn’t know him, but he seemed friendly, and if there was one thing that Strawberry knew, it was that everybody deserved a chance, no matter how they looked. Strawberry walked outside and waved hello to the snail.
“Hello there!” she said, “if you’re looking for Strawberry Shortcake, that’d be me! It’s berry nice to meet you!”
“‘Berry’ nice to meet you as well, miss,” the snail replied with a slight French accent and a giggle.
“Who must you be?” Strawberry asked.
“My name is Escargot. I am the mailman here in Strawberryland. Well, I am not a human, so maybe ‘mail snail’ would be more accurate.”
Strawberry chuckled.
“I’ve never met a talking snail before,” she said.
“Well, I am the only talking snail that most people know,” Escargot explained, “the other talking residents of Strawberryland are humans.”
“Oh, alright!” Strawberry exclaimed, “can I ask you a question?”
“Of course!”
“What are you doing here this late at night? You should be asleep!”
“Oh, well, I will go to sleep later. It’s just that I have a very special letter for you!”
“A letter? For me? Oh boy, where is it? What does it say?”
“It’s in this cart I’m pulling, and I don’t know what it says. I haven’t opened it. I can’t open it; I don’t have hands!”
Escargot chuckled to himself as Strawberry went over to his cart and leaned in. She stretched her arms out as far as she could until her hands touched a blue envelope. She picked it up and got out of the cart before ripping open the envelope and taking out a small slip of paper.
“Dear Strawberry Shortcake,” she read, “all of us in Strawberryland are dying to meet you! There will be a welcome party at the picnic grounds tomorrow afternoon, and all of us will be there. We hope you’ll be there too! Your new friend, at least, I hope I’ll be your new friend, Huckleberry Pie.”
Strawberry gasped and grinned.
“Aw!” she exclaimed, “this is so berry sweet! I can’t believe they’re throwing a welcome party for me!”
“Are you going to go?” Escargot asked.
“Oh, yes!” Strawberry said, “of course I’m gonna go! I could never say no to an invitation like this!”
“Wonderful! I’m happy to hear it!”
“Oh, thank you Escargot for bringing me this!”
“You’re welcome, Miss Shortcake! Get some rest now, alright? It wouldn’t be good if you were tired while you were at the party, and I assume you came a long way to get here.”
“Oh, I sure did. Going to bed would be a good idea. Goodnight, Escargot! Take care!”
“Goodnight, Miss Shortcake!”
Strawberry waved goodbye to Escargot and shut the door. Then, she began looking for the bedroom. Pupcake, who was asleep while she was talking to Escargot, jumped off the couch and followed her. When Strawberry found her bedroom, she didn’t bother to turn the light on to look for her bed nor did she even think about going to get her pajamas. Instead, she felt around the room for her bed. Once she found it, she smiled, picked Pupcake up, and set him on top of the bed. Next, Strawberry pulled down the comforter and got in bed. Once she was in, she pulled the comforter over herself and closed her eyes. Pupcake walked in a circle before curling up and falling asleep next to Strawberry.
“Goodnight, Pupcake,” Strawberry said before dozing off.
Strawberry Shortcake woke up as soon as the sun rose. She rubbed her eyes and looked to her left and right. On her left, Pupcake was still curled up, fast asleep. On her right, she saw that Custard had joined her and Pupcake on the bed, and she was sleeping peacefully too. Strawberry smiled and stroked both of her pets gently. This was enough to wake them both up. They looked at her, Pupcake confused, and Custard miffed.
“Good morning, sleepyheads,” Strawberry said.
“Oh, Strawberry,” Custard whined, “why do we have to get up now? Can’t we sleep just a little more?”
Pupcake barked in agreement, causing Strawberry to giggle.
“I like sleeping in too, you guys,” Strawberry explained, “but we have to get ready for the day!”
“Do we have to do it right now?” Custard asked.
“Well,” Strawberry began, “we got that party invitation, and I think we should go! Everyone else in Strawberryland is berry excited to meet us!”
“Strawberry, your name was the only one on that invitation. Why do Pupcake and I have to go?”
“Well, I think you guys should get to know everyone here too. Who knows, maybe you two could make some new friends!”
Pupcake wagged his tail, ran up to Strawberry, and began kissing her face, making her laugh.
“Aw!” she said, “are you excited, Pupcake?”
“Ruff!” Pupcake replied.
Strawberry pet Pupcake before picking him up and setting him down on the floor. Strawberry then pulled off her comforter, got out of bed, and stretched. Custard stretched before jumping off the bed, and together, the three went outside, where the wagon had been all night. Strawberry pulled it inside and took out one of her many cookbooks. She opened her refrigerator and found that it was fully stocked with everything a chef could want. Strawberry flipped through the pages of her cookbook before taking a carton full of eggs out of the fridge. She turned on the stove, took out her frying pan, placed it on the stove, and cracked two eggs inside of it. Custard and Pupcake eagerly watched as Strawberry whisked the eggs in the pan. When she was finished, she prepared three plates of scrambled eggs, one for herself and two smaller ones for Custard and Pupcake.
After eating breakfast, Strawberry brushed her teeth, washed her face, and took a bath. Once she was sure she had done everything she had to do, she sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Custard and Pupcake both jumped on the couch and sat beside her as she watched a cooking show.
Morning soon became afternoon, and once the time had changed, Strawberry turned off the television and walked out the door. Custard walked beside her, while Pupcake charged ahead of the girls, wagging his tail and barking. After a few minutes, Pupcake reached an area with wooden tables and benches. There were balloons everywhere, but only one table had people sitting at it. It looked like there was food on the table, but Strawberry couldn’t tell for sure. Pupcake eagerly barked at all the new people as Strawberry and Custard made their way to them.
Once Strawberry made it to the table, she noticed some things about the group. There were five people here, and all of them dressed in colorful clothing and had smiles on their faces. Most of them had natural hair colors, but one girl had sky blue hair. Most of them were girls, but one of them was a boy with brown hair and green eyes, and he had a particularly big smile on his face, even in comparison to the girls. He looked like he could die of excitement at any moment. Strawberry smiled at him, clasping her hands together.
“Hello!” Strawberry said to all the kids.
“Let me guess,” the boy replied, “Strawberry Shortcake?”
“Yep!” Strawberry exclaimed, “how did you know?”
“Oh, news goes around fast here. Escargot may be slow, but we’re fast! Especially when we hear that somebody new is moving in!”
Strawberry giggled.
“I’ll keep that in mind!” she said, “what’s your name?”
“Huckleberry Pie, super excited to finally meet you!” Huckleberry exclaimed, offering Strawberry his hand.
Strawberry took Huckleberry’s hand, and he shook it much faster than Strawberry expected. Her eyes widened as her and Huckleberry’s hands looked like a blur. Eventually, a blonde girl tapped Huckleberry on the shoulder gently with her finger.
“Huck,” she began, “I think Strawberry’s had enough.”
“Oh,” Huckleberry replied.
Huckleberry let go of Strawberry’s hand and nervously chuckled. Strawberry laughed alongside him.
“Sorry,” he said, “I get excited when I meet new people. It’s so awesome whenever somebody new comes here!”
“That’s alright Huckleberry!” Strawberry exclaimed, “I know the feeling. I love making new friends!”
Strawberry then looked at the girls.
“Speaking of new friends,” she began, “what are your names?”
A girl with brown skin and black hair tied into pigtails turned around and smiled at Strawberry.
“I’m Ginger Snap!” she said, “as in ‘snap’! I’m one of the resident geniuses around here if you know what I mean.”
“We have electricity because of her,” Huckleberry added quietly.
“Wow!” Strawberry exclaimed, “you did it all by yourself?”
“Yep!” Ginger Snap replied, “but my real passion is inventing. I’ll show you a few things I made if you want to see later!”
“Oh, I’d love to!” Strawberry said.
“Awesome!”
The next person to introduce herself was the blonde girl that had tapped on Huckleberry’s shoulder earlier.
“I’m Lemon Meringue,” she said.
“Berry nice to meet you, Lemon!” Strawberry replied.
“Nice to meet you too!” Lemon exclaimed, “love your outfit!”
“Oh, thank you!”
“Of course!”
The blue-haired girl adjusted her glasses before looking at Strawberry.
“My name is Plum Pudding,” she began, “and I suppose I’m another one of the ‘resident geniuses’ that Ginger Snap is talking about.”
“She’s super smart!” Ginger Snap added.
Plum giggled and adjusted her glasses again before adjusting the purple beret that looked like a plum on her head.
“Berry nice to meet you, Plum!” Strawberry said.
“You as well!” Plum replied, “welcome to Strawberryland!”
“Thank you!” Strawberry exclaimed.
Strawberry looked around. Four of the five people had introduced themselves to her, but one girl hadn’t. She saw a Black girl with afro puffs sitting beside Huckleberry Pie, looking down and squeezing her arm. Strawberry frowned at her.
“Oh,” she said, “what’s your name?”
The girl looked up at Strawberry, but she didn’t say anything. She looked a bit scared. Strawberry nervously smiled and raised her hands so she could see.
“It’s alright,” Strawberry began, “I promise I won’t hurt you!”
The girl raised her hand as well and gave Strawberry a thumbs-up, but she didn’t look any less nervous. She glanced at Huckleberry, who nodded at her.
“This is Orange Blossom,” Huckleberry explained, “she’s a little shy when it comes to new people.”
Orange nodded her head.
“Oh,” Strawberry said, “that’s alright! It’s OK to be a little shy!”
Orange smiled at Strawberry when she said that, and Strawberry smiled back. Suddenly, Custard jumped onto the bench where Orange and Huckleberry were.
“Awwww!” Orange exclaimed, “who’s the cat?”
“Custard,” Custard replied, “Strawberry and I live together. Nice to meet you!”
“She talks?!” Huckleberry asked excitedly.
“She sure does!” Strawberry said, “she has a lot to say.”
“I think a lot of thoughts,” Custard explained.
Everyone laughed, including Custard. Then, Pupcake got on his hind legs and began jumping up and down. Strawberry chuckled and picked up Pupcake, rocking him gently and petting him.
“And this is Pupcake,” Strawberry said, “he ran ahead of me and Custard, so I assume you guys already met him.”
“Oh, we did,” Plum replied, “he was barking at us for a while, but he looked really happy!”
“That’s Pupcake for ya,” Custard explained, “he always has something to be happy about.”
“So he’s Huckleberry but as a dog?” Lemon asked.
“Lemon!” Huckleberry playfully scolded.
Everyone laughed again at the snarky comment, Custard laughing especially loudly. Once everyone caught their breath, Strawberry cleared her throat.
“Well, I appreciate the warm welcome!” she said.
“Wanna sit with us?” Huckleberry asked.
“I’d love to!” Strawberry replied.
Strawberry set Pupcake down and took a seat next to Huck and across from Ginger Snap.
“So,” Ginger Snap began, “wanna eat with us? We don’t have a lot, since we don’t know exactly what you like, but we got cheese and crackers and Orange Blossom made some of her special strawberry juice! Since your name is Strawberry Shortcake and all.”
“I’m a gardener,” Orange explained, “and I make juice and smoothies out of just about every fruit I grow.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Strawberry replied, “I like gardening too!”
“Really?” Orange asked, “I mean, most of us like it, but I thought I was the most passionate one of us by a long shot! Until now, that is.”
“Absolutely! I was hoping I could grow some strawberries here!”
“That’s so cool!”
Strawberry saw that there was a cup of strawberry juice with ice in it in front of her. She picked up the cup and took a sip. It was a perfect combination of sweet and tart, and she could taste the strawberries incredibly clear. She set the cup down and looked at Orange with a huge grin.
“Orange,” she began.
“Yes Strawberry?” Orange asked.
“That was amazing!” Strawberry exclaimed, “you should be proud of yourself!”
“Oh! Well, I, uh, thank you!”
“You’re berry welcome!”
Huckleberry nudged Orange gently with his elbow, and she smiled at him. Then, Huckleberry raised his glass high in the sky.
“A toast!” he exclaimed, “to Strawberry Shortcake!”
“To Strawberry Shortcake!” Orange, Ginger Snap, Lemon, and Plum raised their glasses.
“To Strawberry Shortcake,” Custard said softly, a smile on her face.
Strawberry giggled as she raised her glass, and then, she and the others touched their glasses. She hadn’t been in Strawberryland long, but Strawberry already knew that she was going to fit right in.
Not everyone was happy about a newcomer arriving to Strawberryland. Far away from the picnic grounds and any of the kids’ houses was a thin, volant river, which separated where they lived from a small gray mountain. There was a dirt path leading up to the mountain, but most of the kids had never dared to take it: it was narrow, and so many pebbles fell from the mountain each day that they never knew if it would collapse. Its unwelcoming nature had earned it the name of Porcupine Peak. Although the kids were scared of Porcupine Peak, there was one Strawberryland resident who had built his home on top of it. It was a tall home, with a spiraling staircase and one room on each floor. One of his favorite rooms was the one on the top floor, with a giant window: his lookout. Today, he, a tall, lanky man dressed in a purple head chef’s jacket and matching hat, stood at the window, holding a telescope to his eye. He was surrounded by his beloved pets: the Berry Birds, a group of large crows, sat on perches all across the room, looking angrily at the window. Nobody knew his real name other than himself, not even the Berry Birds, but there was one name that everyone knew him by that he seemed content to go by: the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak.
The Pieman grumbled to himself as he watched the welcome party for Strawberry Shortcake through his telescope. Eventually, their happy conversation became too much for him. He threw the telescope to the ground and stomped away from the window.
“Oh, all this joy,” the Pieman ranted, “it makes me feel sick to my stomach!”
The Pieman then clenched his stomach. The Berry Birds cawed at him, and he sighed.
“Don’t worry, my beloved Berry Birds,” the Pieman said, “I’m not actually sick. I’m just… annoyed. Very, very annoyed.”
“Caw?” one Berry Bird asked.
“Great question, Kohlrabi,” the Pieman replied, “you see, by making all this hubbub for a new resident, one who, knowing Strawberryland, probably won’t be here for very long, so why even bother getting attached, they’re wasting their greatest natural resource.”
“Caw?” a different Berry Bird asked.
“Strawberries! There are strawberries everywhere in Strawberryland! The climate is perfect for their growth! There is a surplus of strawberries here, but these children are just wasting them on their frivolous little parties! These strawberries could be used to make so, so much money!”
The Pieman put his hands behind his back and began walking around the room, the Berry Birds all watching him closely.
“If I’m going to start my pie shop, I’m going to need to find a way to get my hands on those strawberries so I can finally try that strawberry cream pie recipe and prove to Mother Dearest that a son of hers could take over the family business,” the Pieman explained, “but there’s no way I’ll be able to go in and take some myself. The ankle-biters would… bite off my ankles!”
The Berry Birds cawed in agreement.
“I need to find another way,” the Pieman noted.
The Pieman then walked back to the window and picked up his telescope, undamaged from being dropped. He put the lens to his eye and looked out the window. He saw that the children were still talking. He could also hear what they were saying.
“So, Strawberry,” Lemon Meringue said, “you garden in your spare time, right?”
“I sure do!” Strawberry Shortcake replied, “I brought some strawberry seeds and gardening tools, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to grow the biggest berries here! I also bake, and I like to use fresh strawberries in my baking.”
“Speaking of fresh strawberries,” Orange Blossom added, “it’s that time of year again! The fruit in my orchard needs to be harvested, and we usually work together to pick all the fruit. I was hoping you could join us for it this year! You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, of course, but would you like to?”
“I would love to, Orange Blossom!” Strawberry exclaimed.
“Great! We can have the harvest tomorrow if that works for everybody.”
“It works for me!”
“Me too!” Lemon added.
“Me three!” Huckleberry Pie said.
“I don’t have any plans!” Ginger Snap explained.
“Me neither,” Plum Pudding began, “and that should mean all of us will be able to help out tomorrow!”
“Oh, thank you all so much!” Orange told her friends.
As he listened in on the conversation, a devilish smirk appeared on the Pieman’s face. He took the telescope away from his eye.
“Tomorrow, ey?” the Pieman asked.
Then, the Pieman began to laugh. It started as a soft chuckle, and the Pieman put his hand over his mouth, but it grew louder and louder until it became a wicked, hearty cackle. The Berry Birds cawed and cawed, jumping up and down and flapping their wings.
“Well then, tonight, we shall get those berries!” the Pieman declared, “Berry Birds?”
All of the Berry Birds stopped celebrating and faced the Pieman.
“I need you all to go out tonight and steal as much fruit as you can find,” the Pieman explained, “start with Orange Blossom’s orchard, since the children plan on going there tomorrow and she said the fruit is ripe, and then, look around, see if any of the wild bushes have anything ripe on them, or if any of the other children have any sort of fruit growing. That Strawberry Shortcake girl said that she’s a gardener as well, so keep an eye on her.”
One Berry Bird cawed to show his understanding, and the Pieman smiled at him.
“Very good,” he said, “you’ll go when all of the kids are asleep. Do not steal any fruit if you see a kid or one of their pets nearby. Understood?”
The Berry Birds cawed.
“Good.”
The Purple Pieman grinned and looked out the window.
“I see you children having fun, but you don’t understand how much potential your berries have,” he began, “but don’t worry. I’m going to make you understand. I’m going to make everyone understand.”
Strawberry Shortcake talked with her new friends and snacked for hours upon hours. However, when the sun started to set, she realized that it was time to go home. She wished her new friends well as she, Custard, and Pupcake made their way back to their house. Strawberry opened the door, went to her bedroom, and sat on her bed. Custard jumped on the bed with her, while Pupcake got on his hind legs, putting his front paws on the bed. Strawberry picked Pupcake up and set him beside her.
“Oh, I had so much fun!” Strawberry exclaimed.
“Ruff!” Pupcake replied.
“I had fun too!” Custard added, “more fun than I expected to have. That Orange Blossom girl seems really nice!”
“I’m so glad you think so, Custard!” Strawberry said, “I think she seems berry sweet too. Oh, I can’t wait for tomorrow!”
“You’re just gonna go pick fruit,” Custard responded.
“I know, but there’s lots of fun to be had picking fruit, especially when you do it with your friends! There’s so much for us to talk about!”
“But you talked for hours!”
“Well, there still has to be plenty for us to talk about. We didn’t talk about Strawberryland itself a lot, and I feel like I have a lot to learn about our new home, so maybe tomorrow would be the perfect day to ask!”
“Alright Strawberry. Can I ask you one thing though?”
“Of course!”
“Can I sit the harvest out? I’m pooped.”
“Well, since you came to the welcome party and you probably won’t have a lot of fun at the harvest, you can sit this one out.”
“Thank you, Strawberry.”
“No problem! What about you, Pupcake? Do you want to come?”
Pupcake stood on his hind legs again, put his front paws on Strawberry, and tackled her. He then walked on top of her and began to kiss her face rapidly, making her giggle. Custard watched as he did this, laughing alongside Strawberry.
“OK, OK!” Strawberry said between giggles, “you can come, Pupcake! You can come!”
Pupcake continued to kiss Strawberry, his tail wagging rapidly, for a bit more. When he stopped, he looked at her, his eyes bright and his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Strawberry smiled at him before planting a kiss on the top of his head.
“Don’t worry, Pupcake,” Strawberry began, “you’re coming! Just don’t get into any trouble, OK?”
Pupcake happily barked, and Strawberry nodded at him.
“Good boy,” she said, stroking his back.
Strawberry sighed and looked up at her bedroom ceiling.
“I think I should wake up bright and early for this,” she told herself.
“Ooh, more sleep!” Custard exclaimed.
Strawberry giggled and gently pet Custard.
“Alright Custard,” Strawberry said, “let’s go to bed early.”
“I love that idea!” Custard replied.
Strawberry stood up, changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and quickly went to bed, Custard and Pupcake beside her. As she got cozy under the covers, she dreamed of a garden. A luscious garden, filled with colorful flowers, giant trees, and bushes with ripe fruit on them. She dreamed that she and Pupcake were running through it, Strawberry with a basket in her hand. Whenever Strawberry came by a berry bush, she’d stop and take a moment to admire the fruit. There were blueberries that looked massive and juicy, plump raspberries, and strawberries so dark that Strawberry could taste how sweet they were without even eating them. She couldn’t wait to go to Orange Blossom’s orchard and see how the fruit compared.
As the children and animals of Strawberryland slept, the Pieman’s Berry Birds were hard at work. They flew across Strawberryland, baskets in their talons, looking for any fruit they could find. Some Berry Birds stopped at small berry bushes, where they’d pick off all the fruit before flying off, but most of them went straight towards Orange Blossom’s home. One Berry Bird took the lead, and when he saw a giant treehouse that appeared to be in the shape of an orange, he began to crow. The other Berry Birds called back to him, and together, they flew to her house. Some Berry Birds stayed low to the ground and would pick berries off of all kinds off bushes. Some diligently sorted the berries into the baskets by the kind they were, while others were gluttonous, and ate more berries than they sorted. Berry Birds preferred to fly high, to the tops of trees, where they would see apples, peaches, pears, and all kinds of citrus fruits. The birds would peck and claw at the fruits until they fell from the trees. Then, they would swoop down with their baskets to try to catch the falling fruit. Sometimes, the Berry Birds would not be fast enough to catch the fruit, and it would become bruised. However, the Berry Birds would still put the bruised fruit into their baskets. When the baskets were filled, the Berry Birds would fly back to Porcupine Peak, with only the strongest birds handling the baskets filled with tree fruits. It was as if there was no fruit in Orange Blossom’s orchard to begin with. Only one piece of fruit was left behind: a half-eaten strawberry.
A lone Berry Bird went on her own, looking for fruit past Orange Blossom’s house. Eventually, she found Strawberry Shortcake’s house, and swooped down. She set the basket down on the grass and perched on Strawberry’s windowsill. She saw that Strawberry, Custard, and Pupcake were all sleeping peacefully. Then, she turned around, and saw that a wild strawberry plant was growing outside her yard. It had four small berries on it. The Berry Bird picked each berry and dropped them into her basket. Then, she picked her basket back up and flew back to Porcupine Peak with the rest of her flock.
Eventually, the Berry Birds arrived at Pie Tin Palace, mostly full baskets in their claws. As each Berry Bird returned, the Pieman watched, his hands on his hips. The last Berry Bird to arrive was the one who went to Strawberry Shortcake’s house. Her basket only had the four small berries in it. The Pieman examined her basket.
“Hm,” he said, “not a lot.”
The Berry Bird cawed at him.
“Oh well,” the Pieman replied with a shrug, “a berry’s a berry, no matter how small. Good work, Lychee.”
The Pieman gently stroked Lychee, who closed her eyes as she was pet. When he finished, the Pieman turned around to face the other Berry Birds, all perched.
“Excellent work!” he exclaimed, “this is a lot of fruit! I should be able to practice every single one of my pie recipes and still have plenty left over if I mess up!”
The Pieman began to cackle, and the Berry Birds crowed in celebration. As far as the Pieman was concerned, he won.
When the sun came up, Strawberry and Pupcake rose with it and got ready for the day. They quickly arrived at Orange Blossom’s home. Strawberry looked around for her new friends, but it seemed that nobody else had come yet. Strawberry looked up at Orange’s treehouse and saw that she was standing outside the door. Strawberry waved to her.
“Orange Blossom!” Strawberry exclaimed.
Orange turned her head when she heard Strawberry’s voice. When she saw her, she gasped, grinned, and ran over to say hello. In return, Pupcake ran up to Orange and began running in circles around her.
“Strawberry!” Orange replied, “you’re here!”
“Hi Orange Blossom!” Strawberry said, “how are you?”
“I’m doing alright,” Orange explained, “I haven’t been awake too long.”
“The others aren’t here yet.”
“I know. It usually takes them a while, especially Lemon Meringue. She has a super complicated skincare routine.”
“Let’s wait for them. I wouldn’t want them to miss out on any of the fun.”
Orange nodded in agreement, and she, Strawberry, and Pupcake waited for the others to arrive. Huckleberry Pie didn’t take too long to come over, riding in on a skateboard. He eagerly waved to the girls before getting off his skateboard and joining them in waiting. Ginger Snap and Plum Pudding arrived at the same time, and last came Lemon Meringue.
“Hooray!” Strawberry exclaimed, “everyone’s here!”
“There are baskets by the big orange tree,” Orange began, “next to my house.”
The girls all ran to grab baskets, laughing excitedly, Pupcake following closely and barking. Huckleberry Pie, however, stayed behind. He crossed his arms and leaned against a nearby tree. Ginger Snap ran to check the bushes, while Lemon and Plum looked up at the fruit trees. Orange ran off to grab a ladder after grabbing her basket. Strawberry, however, wondered why Huckleberry was standing alone and doing nothing. She slowly approached him with a slight frown, Pupcake by her side.
“Hey,” she said, “how come you’re not getting a basket?”
“I can’t touch the fruit,” Huckleberry answered.
“Can’t touch the fruit?” Strawberry asked, “what does that mean?”
“Well, you know how you tell someone who’s good at gardening that they have a green thumb?”
“Yeah!”
“Well, I have a black thumb. I kill everything I touch.”
“Oh, I doubt that.”
“I’m serious. One time, Orange asked me to babysit one of her plants. I… was the worst plant babysitter ever. So, I just sit on the sidelines and keep my hands to myself. The only plants I touch are the huckleberries that grow around my house. They grow by themselves, and I haven’t killed them yet. I try to help out, don’t get me wrong, just… in other ways.”
“Oh, I doubt you’re that bad at it. You just don’t have a lot of confidence.”
Strawberry gently poked Huckleberry’s chest, when suddenly, the two heard someone calling.
“Hey Strawberry!” Ginger Snap exclaimed, “wanna help me look for berries?”
“Oh, I’d love to!” Strawberry replied.
Strawberry turned to face Huckleberry with a smile.
“I’m gonna go help Ginger Snap if that’s alright,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t mind!” Huckleberry replied.
Strawberry waved to Huckleberry before running over to Ginger Snap.
“I’m having trouble finding anything,” Ginger Snap said, “these berries are really hidden. Shouldn’t be much of a problem for a gardener like yourself though.”
“Let me see.” Strawberry crouched down and carefully examined a bush.
Strawberry stuck her hand inside of the berry bush, but there was nothing inside of it. There was nothing clearly growing on the bush either. She frowned.
“There’s… nothing,” Strawberry said.
“No way!” Ginger Snap stuck her hands in the bush.
Ginger Snap felt around the bush for a little bit, but then, she took her hands out and sadly looked at Strawberry.
“Yeah, you were right,” she replied, “nothing.”
Strawberry and Ginger Snap walked away from the bush and looked at another one. There was nothing there either. They looked at more and more bushes, but not one of them had a single berry on it. Meanwhile, Orange, Lemon, and Plum couldn’t find any fruit in the trees either. After every single fruit tree and bush was searched, the girls and Pupcake gathered in a circle, empty baskets in their hands. There was nothing.
“I can’t believe it,” Orange began, “I know everything was here yesterday. I’m really sorry, everyone.”
“It’s alright Orange,” Strawberry replied, “sometimes, things happen.”
“But this doesn’t make any sense!” Orange said, “there’s no way fruit can just disappear like that!”
“I’m with Orange on this one,” Lemon added, “how did all the fruit disappear before we even got to it?”
“Well, the only people who I think would have the energy to do something like this, not including Huck, are Ginger Snap and Orange herself,” Plum suggested, “but both of them are far too kind to do something so… heinous.”
“Heinous, you say?” Huckleberry chimed in.
“Huck, are you trying to suggest that the Pieman did this?” Lemon asked.
“Maybe,” Huck replied.
“Huck, he hasn’t done anything in years! What makes you think he’s back to it?”
“Oh, I don’t know, I don’t think any of us could’ve done it.”
“Wait, stop stop stop,” Strawberry said, “the who?!”
“The Pieman,” Huckleberry replied, “most notorious thief in all Strawberryland!”
“He’s scary.” Orange shuddered.
“And really, really mean,” Plum began, “he’s entirely driven by ambition and he doesn’t care who he hurts.”
Huckleberry looked around, and his eyes wandered to something he didn’t expect. He walked away from the tree he was leaning against and to the strange object. He crouched down and saw that it was a bright red strawberry with a sizable chunk taken out of it. He picked up the strawberry and examined it carefully, much to the shock of the girls other than Strawberry.
“What is it, Huckleberry Pie?” Strawberry asked.
“It’s a strawberry,” Huckleberry explained, “and it looks like someone took a big bite out of it…”
Plum Pudding walked over to Huckleberry and took a look at the berry. Huckleberry turned it around and around for her until she suddenly put up her index finger.
“Stop!” she shouted.
Huckleberry stopped turning the strawberry.
“What is it, Plum?” he asked.
“There are claw marks on this strawberry,” Plum explained.
Huckleberry turned the strawberry towards him, and there, he saw the claw marks.
“Oh, yep,” he said, “these are claw marks. Who could’ve made these?”
“They look like the claw marks of a Berry Bird,” Plum began, “but Berry Birds, as determined as they are, aren’t this… organized. Usually if they come here to eat fruit, they only eat a few. Even a large flock would leave more than one strawberry behind.”
“Maybe it’s a trained flock?” Ginger Snap asked, “ya know, some jerk’s pet Berry Birds. There are people who keep Berry Birds as pets, right?”
“Yeah,” Lemon answered, “like… like the Pieman.”
“I knew it!” Huckleberry exclaimed, “nobody else here has a pet Berry Bird, let alone a whole flock of them!”
“The Pieman stole everything,” Orange whispered, fidgeting with her hands.
Strawberry’s eyes widened, and she gulped. These fruits may not have been hers, but she needed to get to the bottom of who the Pieman was and why he’d do something so horrible.
Strawberry Shortcake put her hands on her hips. Pupcake tilted his head.
“I just don’t get it,” Strawberry said, “why is this Pieman guy so… so… mean?”
“It’s probably just kind of who he is.” Huckleberry walked up to Strawberry and leaned forward, “what, are you scared of the Purple Pieman?”
“No way!” Strawberry gently pushed Huckleberry away from her. “That’s just silly. I’ve never even met him!”
“It makes sense, Huck,” Plum added, “it’s a little hard to be scared of someone you don’t really know. Even if you do know that they’re a thief.”
“I just wish I knew more about who he was,” Strawberry explained.
“I can explain for ya!” Huckleberry exclaimed.
“Alright, tell me as much as you can!” Strawberry replied.
“OK, so, a long, long time ago, before any of us were here, there was a woman named Grape Jelly. She was a ruthless businesswoman with pie shops all over the world, from Big Apple City to Pearis to China Cup. Of course, she got older, and she would eventually have three kids, two daughters and a son, the son being the Pieman. The Pieman shared his mother’s baking passion, but she never taught him how to bake, because ‘no son of hers would be taking over the family business.’ Naturally, that made the Pieman bitter, so when he was a teenager, he packed up his things and moved to Strawberryland. Specifically, he moved to that mountain over there.
Huckleberry pointed to a distant mountain, and Strawberry turned around to look at it.
“We call that Porcupine Peak,” Huckleberry explained, “and it’s super tall. He would eventually build his Pie Tin Palace as he calls it on top of the mountain. He mostly dresses in purple and his mannerisms are um… a bit strange, at least to us. So, we call him the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak.”
“That sounds a little mean,” Strawberry said.
“Maybe it is,” Huckleberry replied, “but if it makes it any better, I think he owns the name. Sometimes I hear him shouting random stuff and he’ll call himself that.
“I guess that makes it a little better. But I really don’t understand. He doesn’t seem all bad. Well, of course stealing all that fruit wasn’t berry nice, but maybe the Pieman’s just a little bit lonely. It sounds to me like he could use a friend.”
“Oh, we tried that once,” Plum added.
“You did?” Strawberry asked Plum.
“Well, it was only me and Huck who tried,” Plum began, “but we did try it.”
“How long ago was it? How did it go for you guys?”
Plum looked at Huckleberry, and he winked at her and gave her a thumbs up. Plum fiddled with her hair before approaching Strawberry with a smile.
“Well, it was super long ago,” Plum answered, “I think I was seven and Huck was six. Anyways, we dared each other to climb Porcupine Peak, say hi to the Pieman, and see if we could become his friends, so we climbed Porcupine Peak, with some difficulties along the way, went to the Pie Tin Palace, and Huck knocked on his door. It was… kind of terrifying. He was so much taller than the two of us, especially since we were so little. Huck said hello to him, and the Pieman shot him this really mean look and asked him what we were doing there. I explained that we found out that someone lived up there and we wanted to introduce ourselves. Then he slammed the door on us.”
“Oh,” Strawberry said, “guess he isn’t interested in having friends.”
“I mean, there’s a chance he changed his mind,” Plum explained, “but there’s no way he’s gonna make friends with us after this.”
“This isn’t even the first time it happened,” Orange added.
Strawberry looked around. She looked at her friends’ faces. All of them frowned. Orange Blossom in particular looked depressed: she squeezed her arm with her hand, and she looked at the grass, hopeless. Meanwhile, Lemon Meringue and Ginger Snap exchanged sad glances, Lemon’s arms crossed and Ginger Snap’s hands on her hips. Huckleberry scratched the back of his head, while Plum tilted her head slightly, resting it on her shoulder as she frowned at Strawberry. Even Pupcake seemed upset. He walked up to Strawberry and whimpered, nuzzling his head against her leg. All this sadness was hard for Strawberry to stand. Sure, perhaps the Pieman had it rough, but that was no excuse to steal, especially from people who had done nothing to him. Strawberry felt her face growing red and hot, and a fire grew in her soul. Eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“I say we go back to Porcupine Peak!” she proclaimed.
“Wait, what?” Plum asked.
“Are you crazy?” Lemon added.
“Most of us haven’t even been to Porcupine Peak!” Ginger Snap said, “the only two who have been are Huckleberry Pie and Plum Pudding, and that was a long time ago!”
“Well, I don’t want that Pieman pushing you guys around anymore!” Strawberry replied, “I think it’s about time we go up there and get your berries back!”
“Do you think we can do it?” Orange asked.
“I think so!” Strawberry exclaimed, “all of us are super determined, even if only two of us know the way to Porcupine Peak, but hey, since Huckleberry Pie and Plum Pudding know the way, then maybe they can lead us there!”
A determined smile appeared on Huckleberry’s face. He walked to Strawberry’s side.
“I’m with Strawberry,” he said, “maybe if we work together, we can get the fruit back from the Pieman!”
“I suppose I could come too,” Plum added, “since I know how to get there, and we’re much more likely to win if more of us come.”
“Count me in then!” Ginger Snap replied, “I’ve got tons of inventions I could bring along, plus I’ve always wanted to go up to Porcupine Peak.”
“I’ll come along too!” Lemon said, “I think we can do this! What do you think, Orange Blossom?”
Orange looked up at Strawberry and softly smiled at her. She slowly approached her before taking her hand.
“Let’s get that fruit back,” she answered.
Huckleberry, Ginger Snap, Plum, and Lemon began to cheer. Pupcake started jumping up and down and barking happily. Strawberry giggled.
“Alright!” Strawberry exclaimed, “let’s go back to our homes and pack up. Then, we can meet back here and go on our way. How does that sound?”
The others nodded, all saying something along the lines of “good idea” or “let’s do that.” Strawberry put her hands on her hips and smiled.
“Great!” Strawberry exclaimed, “I’ll see you all later!”
The kids said goodbye to one another. Orange Blossom began walking towards her house, while everyone else walked away from it. Pupcake ran ahead of Strawberry, making her laugh. She let him lead the way home.
When Strawberry caught up with Pupcake, she opened the door to her house. Pupcake rushed inside, his tail wagging rapidly, and Strawberry followed him, still holding an empty basket in her hand. Custard was sitting on the couch, licking her paw, when she saw Strawberry arrive with the empty basket. She stopped licking her paw and looked up at Strawberry.
“Hey, how come your basket’s empty?” Custard asked.
“Things didn’t go the way we planned,” Strawberry answered.
“What do you mean by that?” Custard said.
“Well, turns out there’s someone living far away from here who likes to steal fruit. My friends call him the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak.”
“Yikes! That sounds like the name of a very scary man.”
Pupcake barked in agreement.
“Orange Blossom said he was scary,” Strawberry explained, “and Plum Pudding said he was really mean. She and Huckleberry Pie tried to be his friends when they were berry little, but he slammed the door on them.”
“Gee, that’s rude,” Custard replied, “I understand wanting a little bit of alone time, but there are better ways to ask for it than slamming your door on two little kids.”
“I agree,” Strawberry said, “anyways, last night, the Pieman sent a flock of Berry Birds to Orange Blossom’s orchard and had them steal everything in it! Well, almost everything. Huckleberry Pie found a single strawberry, and it had a bite taken out of it and claw marks all over it. That’s how we found out that the Pieman did it.”
“What are we gonna do? If the Pieman stole everything, that means there’s no fruit. Are we gonna have to wait on that snail to bring us food? Are we gonna have to learn how to hunt?”
“Don’t worry, Custard. We’re not going to do any waiting around.”
“Then what are we gonna do?”
“Me and the others are going to go to Porcupine Peak and take the fruit back!”
“Wait, what?”
Custard looked at Strawberry. Her eyes were wide, yet her pupils were small. Strawberry frowned at her.
“What’s wrong, Custard?” Strawberry asked.
“I don’t like the sound of a place called Porcupine Peak,” Custard explained, “sounds scary. Like a place where people go to die.”
Pupcake barked in agreement before whimpering.
“Yeah, I agree,” Strawberry replied, “a mountain called Porcupine Peak does sound scary.”
“Then why are you going there?” Custard asked, “aren’t you scared?”
“I mean,” Strawberry began, “yeah. I’m a little bit scared. I haven’t been here long, and now I have to climb a berry tall mountain to get some fruit back. It was my idea in the first place, though. I know it sounds scary, but Orange Blossom and all the others are my friends, even if we haven’t known each other for a long time, and friends are supposed to help each other, and sometimes, helping each other means doing scary things.”
“I’ve never heard anyone say that before, Strawberry.”
“Well, you have now.”
Strawberry walked up to Custard and gently stroked her fur. Custard closed her eyes and began to purr and nuzzle Strawberry.
“Strawberry?” Custard asked as she opened her eyes.
“Yes Custard?” Strawberry said.
“Are you taking Pupcake with you?” Custard replied.
“Oh, definitely not! I’d hate to see him in trouble.”
Strawberry then turned around and began to pet Pupcake.
“Then what’s gonna happen to the two of us while you’re gone?” Custard asked.
“Well, you’re not gonna have a babysitter,” Strawberry explained, “all of us are going to Porcupine Peak, and I don’t think anyone else lives in Strawberryland. Well, other than Escargot, but he doesn’t have arms, so he wouldn’t even be able to open the door.”
“I can try my best to keep Pupcake out of trouble for you. Just… promise me you’ll come back home in one piece, OK?”
“I promise.”
Strawberry picked up Pupcake, set him on the couch beside Custard, and wrapped her arms around both of her pets. Custard and Pupcake smiled at Strawberry. When the hug ended, Strawberry began to pack her stuff.
Soon, everything was packed up. Strawberry wore a backpack and carried the empty basket meant to be filled with fruit from picking it at Orange Blossom’s, now hopefully going to be filled with fruit retrieved from the Pieman. She looked at Custard and Pupcake.
“Alright,” she said, “I’m heading out! I love you guys!”
“Goodbye Strawberry!” Custard replied, “stay safe!”
“I’ll be back in one piece, Custard!” Strawberry exclaimed, “you and Pupcake be good for me!”
Strawberry and Custard waved goodbye to each other, and Strawberry walked out of her house, closing the door behind her softly. She stood still for a moment, and then, a determined smirk appeared on her face. Strawberry ran as fast as she could to Orange Blossom’s house. She wasn’t as fast as Pupcake, but she was fast enough to keep up with a slow-driving car.
As she ran, Strawberry came across Escargot, who was slithering along rather slowly. Strawberry slowly stopped running and smiled at him.
“Hi Escargot!” she exclaimed.
“Oh!” Escargot replied, “hello, Miss Shortcake! What are you doing so close to my mail route?”
“Me and the others are off to Porcupine Peak,” Strawberry explained, “the Purple Pieman’s Berry Birds stole all of Orange Blossom’s fruit, and we’re gonna go get it back!”
“Oh, that sounds- wait, you’re going to Porcupine Peak?”
“Yep!”
“Oh dear! Do you not know how dangerous Porcupine Peak is?”
“Well, I know Huckleberry Pie and Plum Pudding have been there before.”
“Oh, they were covered in cuts, and they were so young too! Huckleberry Pie could barely write his own name!”
“Don’t worry, Escargot. We’re much older than that, and we’re going to stop that Pieman. You wanna come with us?”
“Well, to be honest, I would like to help, but I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Well, I am a snail, and us snails are quite slow. I would only be holding you and the others back.”
“Aw, that’s alright. There are plenty of other ways to help out if you want, but I understand if you don’t want to go.”
“Good luck, Miss Shortcake! Tell the others I wish them luck as well!”
“I’ll do that! Goodbye!”
Strawberry waved goodbye to Escargot and kept on running. Soon, she made it to Orange Blossom’s house and saw the others, also all wearing backpacks. Most of her new friends were crowded around Plum Pudding, who was showing them what looked like an ordinary piece of paper from where Strawberry was standing.
“Oh,” Strawberry said to herself, “am I late?”
Everyone else turned their heads to look at Strawberry and smiled at her.
“Nah,” Ginger Snap replied, “we don’t care about that kind of stuff. We were gonna wait as long as we needed to for you!”
“I was just showing everyone this map I made of Porcupine Peak,” Plum added.
“Oh!” Strawberry exclaimed, “can I see?”
“Of course!” Plum replied.
Ginger Snap and Orange Blossom moved out of the way, making room for Strawberry in the circle. She walked up to the group, now having the best view of the map, as Plum explained it to her and the others.
Once everyone understood Plum’s map and the route they had to take to make it to the Pie Tin Palace, the kids of Strawberryland set off on their quest. Right now, the main goal on everyone’s mind was to take the fruit back and stop the Pieman, but everyone else had other things on their mind too. Strawberry knew that Custard and Pupcake were worried about her, and that she had to stay safe as she traveled. Orange was thinking of ways to make sure something like this would never happen again, while Ginger Snap was brainstorming ideas for new inventions. Plum was focused on her job as navigator. However, some of the kids had more minor things they were thinking of. Huckleberry Pie looked at Lemon Meringue, holding his skateboard underneath his arm. She was wearing a long scarf around her neck, so long that it almost touched the ground. She wasn’t wearing it when she went to Orange Blossom’s before everyone knew all the fruit was stolen.
“Hey,” Huckleberry said.
Lemon turned to look at him.
“What’s with the scarf?” Huckleberry asked, “not that it’s a bad thing, I’m just a little curious about it.”
“Hey,” Lemon began, “when you’re at a higher elevation, you’ll never know when your neck will get cold. Besides, it’s cute! I could ask you what’s with the skateboard.”
“You never know when you’ll need some speed,” Huckleberry answered, “especially when you’re dealing with the Pieman.”
“OK, that’s a good point.”
“Yeah, you got a point with the scarf too.”
Aside from Huckleberry and Lemon’s conversation, things were quiet and uneventful. There weren’t even sounds of nature to listen to for most of their walk. However, soon, the kids heard the sound of splashing water.
“Hey, I hear water!” Strawberry said.
“Yeah, the Molasses River is coming up soon,” Plum replied.
Strawberry ran ahead of the group, and Huckleberry and Ginger Snap followed her. The ground became rocky as they went, and soon, they saw a thin river surrounded by tall, green trees. It wasn’t thin enough that it could easily be stepped over, but it wasn’t so large that crossing it would require a long swim. It was a pretty shade of blue, but there were large, sharp-looking rocks inside of it. The splashing noises the river made weren’t violent, more like the waves of an ocean than a babbling brook. The water flowed quickly, going as fast as a speeding car. Strawberry couldn’t take her eyes off of it. When Plum, Orange, and Lemon caught up with the others, they looked at Huckleberry and Ginger Snap.
“I’m guessing this is the first time she’s seen the Molasses,” Lemon said.
“Oh yeah, definitely,” Ginger Snap replied, “she’s just staring at it! She’s been staring at it since we got here!”
“I don’t blame her,” Orange added, “the Molasses is pretty scary.”
Strawberry turned around and blinked at the others.
“Wait,” she said, “you’re telling me that a river going this fast is called the Molasses?”
“Yep,” Plum answered, “that’s its name.”
“Who named it that?” Strawberry asked.
“I did.” Plum sheepishly smiled. “I-it was during the trip Huckleberry Pie and I made to Porcupine Peak. We saw the river for the first time, and I got a little reckless and decided to go in.”
“What happened next, Plum? What was it like being in the river?”
“Well, it wasn’t any slower then than it is now. I don’t know where the river leads, but it tried carrying me to the end of it, and I wasn’t strong enough to swim against it. I’m not sure if anyone is. Luckily Huck was strong enough to pull me out.”
Strawberry frowned at Plum before looking back at the river. She extended and stretched her leg over the river, but she quickly realized that it was too wide to step over. She put her leg down and put her hands on her hips.
“OK,” Strawberry said, “now what? How do we get over this without getting carried away?”
“Yeah,” Lemon added, “how do we cross the river, exactly?”
“Worry not, everyone!” Ginger Snap interjected, “I came prepared!”
Ginger Snap took off her backpack and set it on the ground. She then got on her knees and unzipped it. She pulled out what looked like six, short metal sticks with a button protruding from them. She stood up and handed one stick to everyone before zipping her backpack back up and putting it back on.
“Ooh!” Strawberry exclaimed, “it’s so… small!”
“What exactly is this for?” Huckleberry asked as he turned the device around.
“All eyes on me, everyone!” Ginger Snap called.
Everyone turned to look at Ginger Snap.
“All you gotta do is hold it upright and press this button on the side of it,” Ginger Snap explained, “there’s a power sign on the button, and you’ll know it’s upright when the power button looks like it’s right-side-up.”
Ginger Snap pressed the button. Her stick began to grow longer and longer until suddenly, it sprouted a small propellor, rotating faster than the river was flowing. The propellor lifted Ginger Snap into the air, and she held onto the stick tightly. The others looked at her in astonishment.
“Wow!” Strawberry exclaimed, “you’re flying!”
“Sure am!” Ginger Snap replied.
Ginger Snap leaned forward slightly, and the propellor carried her across the Molasses. When Ginger Snap was completely over the river, she pressed the button again. The propellor began to spin slower, and Ginger Snap was safely lowered to the ground. Once she was down, the propellor stopped spinning, and the stick returned to its original size. The other kids stared at her as their jaws dropped.
“Whoa,” Strawberry said.
“That was awesome,” Huckleberry added.
“That’s how it works, Huckleberry Pie!” Ginger Snap exclaimed.
“OK,” Lemon began, “are we sure these things are safe?”
“Don’t worry, Lemon Meringue,” Ginger Snap answered, “I did extensive testing on all six of these Portable Propellors. Also, the one I just used was just a working prototype. I was gonna give these to you guys, but I didn’t anticipate Strawberry Shortcake coming, and I didn’t want to leave her out, but since we had to cross the Molasses, I decided I’d take all of these, since it was enough, and just make sure that I’d be the one stuck with the prototype.”
“Well,” Orange replied, “guess someone else should test it.”
Orange Blossom looked at her stick and checked to see if the power button was right-side-up. When she was sure, she pressed the button, and a propellor came out of her device. She leaned forward as she was suspended in midair, and like Ginger Snap, she was able to cross the Molasses. She pressed the power button once she had crossed, and she was safely lowered to the ground. Ginger Snap raised her hand in the air for Orange, and the girls high-fived.
“See that?” Ginger Snap asked Strawberry, Huckleberry, Lemon, and Plum, “Orange used the final product and it worked!”
“Awesome!” Huckleberry exclaimed.
“I think I can do it!” Strawberry added.
Strawberry and Huckleberry powered on their propellors and successfully crossed the river. Plum followed them shortly after. Lemon took a few deep breaths before turning her propellor on, leaning forward, and flying after the others. Once she couldn’t see the river at all, she turned her propellor off, and once she was grounded, she let out a sigh of relief as the others crowded around her and embraced her tightly, cheering loudly.
“We did it!” Strawberry exclaimed.
“We sure did!” Ginger Snap replied.
“Ginger Snap,” Lemon said, “you’re an amazing inventor. You know that?”
“Well, I like to think I am,” Ginger Snap began, “but it sure means a whole lot more coming from my friends, especially you, Lemon Meringue.”
Now that they had crossed the river, Strawberry and her friends continued to walk across the rocky terrain. They walked and walked, until finally, they reached the foot of Porcupine Peak. When the kids looked straight up, they could see the mountain, its winding path, and even parts of the Pie Tin Palace. However, they could all see that the blue sky was becoming a darker shade. When they turned their heads, they could also see the moon.
“Waning gibbous,” Plum said.
“Yep,” Ginger Snap replied, “that is definitely a waning gibbous moon.”
“Forget about the phase,” Huckleberry added, “the moon’s out, and the sky’s darker too.”
“We should probably set up camp,” Strawberry began, “climbing the mountain at night would be berry unsafe.”
The others all nodded their heads and told Strawberry that that was a good idea. Plum Pudding set her backpack down and unzipped it.
“I brought a tent along,” she said, “I probably should’ve packed more, but at least a few of us can sleep inside if we need to. There’s a nice grassy area on the other side of the mountain where we can set this up.”
Plum pulled out her tent and motioned for the others to follow her. Ginger Snap picked up Plum’s backpack and followed her, and the others soon came after. Once they made it to the grassy area, Plum and Huckleberry got to work setting up the tent. At first, the other girls simply watched them, but then, they began to think of how they could contribute.
“Did anyone bring a water bottle or anything?” Lemon asked.
“I did!” Strawberry exclaimed.
“I did too!” Orange added.
“Me three!” Ginger Snap said.
The girls handed their water bottles, each one with a unique pattern on it, to Lemon Meringue.
“I’ll go fetch some water for everyone,” Lemon began, “heard there’s a creek nearby.”
Lemon walked away from the group. Ginger Snap put her hands on her hips and looked towards a nearby forest, with tall, dark trees covering the nearby grass in shade. She then set down her backpack and pulled out a flashlight.
“I’ll go get some twigs!” she turned on the flashlight. “We could use them for firewood if any of us get cold.”
Ginger Snap walked towards the forest, leaving Strawberry Shortcake and Orange Blossom alone. Orange looked around before seeing a few bushes with small berries on them. She began walking towards them, and Strawberry followed her with a smile on her face.
“So, Orange!” Strawberry said.
Orange didn’t reply to Strawberry. Instead, she just kept walking towards the bushes. Strawberry frowned a little before putting her smile back on her face. She didn’t know for sure if Orange was ignoring her, but she did know that it was rude to make mean assumptions about people, especially people she hasn’t known for a long time.
Once she was close enough to the bushes, Orange began to look for berries. Strawberry smiled at her before crouching down and tapping her shoulder. Orange gasped, turned her head, and stared at Strawberry. Her brown eyes looked like those of a startled deer. Strawberry jumped when she saw Orange look at her.
“Oh!” Strawberry said, “sorry.”
“Oh, uh, it’s OK!” Orange replied with a nervous smile, “you’re good!”
“I hope I haven’t been annoying you,” Strawberry began, “do you want me to leave you alone?”
“No, you don’t have to leave. I just didn’t know what you were doing. I’m sorry for ignoring you. I should’ve asked what you were trying to do.”
“That’s alright! You look like you’re looking for berries.”
“Yeah, I am! Wild berries. You have to be really careful when you’re looking for wild berries, because you don’t want to pick any that are poisonous.”
“Poisonous berries?”
“Yep. Some berries can make you really sick, and some can even kill you!”
“That’s scary! How many things can kill you in Strawberryland?”
“Not much. There are some wild berry species, I assume the Molasses could kill you, but nobody’s ever gonna test that out… what else… oh! I guess falling off the mountain could kill you, but I doubt that’ll happen either. Oh, and sometimes Ginger Snap gets a little crazy when she’s inventing things, but she’s careful not to hurt anyone.”
Orange and Strawberry began to laugh. Then, Orange took off her backpack and pulled out a thick, hardcover book and an orange flashlight with yellow flowers on it. She turned on the flashlight, set the book down, and opened it up. Strawberry eagerly looked at the book.
“Ooh!” she exclaimed.
“I use this book to help me,” Orange said.
“What are the berries on this bush?” Strawberry asked.
“These are called miniberries. They only grow in Strawberryland and a few other places natively. They’re perfectly safe to eat. Kind of sour though.”
Strawberry picked a miniberry off the bush and popped it in her mouth. She chewed the berry once, and her pupils shrunk and she puckered her lips before swallowing. Orange giggled.
“I told you they were sour.” Orange smirked.
“I mean, I guess you did,” Strawberry replied, “but you only said they were a little sour! One time, I ate a piece of a lemon, and it was sweeter than this!”
Orange and Strawberry then laughed. Strawberry turned her head and saw what looked like glowing yellow berries on a bush. Her eyes focused on them carefully, and she slowly crawled towards the bush. Orange’s eyes widened as she watched Strawberry do this. She stood up and sprinted in front of Strawberry.
“Strawberry, no!” Orange shouted.
“What’s wrong?” Strawberry asked, “are these ones poisonous?”
“Berry poisonous,” Orange began, “these are glowberries. They’re really pretty to look at, but if you eat them, you get really nauseous, and that’s if you’re lucky.”
“Oh, I understand. Do not eat these.”
Strawberry continued to stare at the glowberries. Orange smiled at her before laying down in the grass and admiring the berries with her.
“They’re so berry beautiful,” Strawberry said, “Orange Blossom?”
“What is it, Strawberry?” Orange replied.
“Is it safe to grow glowberries?” Strawberry asked, “can you grow glowberries?”
“I don’t know. The book says touching them is safe, but the juice will irritate your skin if it gets on you. Maybe Plum knows, or maybe she has another book on glowberries at her house.”
“I’ll ask her about it sometime!”
Strawberry and Orange smiled at each other and continued to look at the glowberries as they shimmered in the night.
When they finished admiring the glowberries, Strawberry Shortcake and Orange Blossom picked some more edible berries for everyone to eat. They then returned to camp, where Ginger Snap had returned with firewood and Lemon Meringue came back with filled water bottles for everyone. Nobody stayed up much long after that, and the kids were all asleep before midnight. When the sun rose, Strawberry and Orange woke up alongside it. Ginger Snap woke up next, then Lemon, then Plum. Huckleberry slept for as long as he could, only waking up after the girls poked and prodded at him for a few minutes. Once he was awake, he and Plum took down the tent, everyone gathered up their supplies, and the group left the campground.
When the kids approached the mountain again, they began to climb up the convenient path to the top, only having to walk. The higher they climbed, the chillier it got, and the gladder Lemon felt that she brought that scarf along. The kids walked side by side, Strawberry and Orange at the front of the line, Lemon and Plum at the back, and Huckleberry and Ginger Snap in the middle of it. Ginger Snap shivered as she walked before looking at Huckleberry with a frown.
“Hey,” she said quietly.
“What’s up, Ginger Snap?” Huckleberry replied.
“Can I tell you something?” Ginger Snap whispered.
“Oh, is this a secret?” Huckleberry talked as quietly as he could.
“I mean, not really.”
“Then why are we being so quiet?”
“I don’t wanna make anyone upset, but I need someone to talk to.”
“Oh, OK. What’s the matter?”
“Huck, I’m not entirely sure if we can do this.”
“You’re not? How come?”
“Well, the Pieman, most of us haven’t even seen him before, and he’s so… scary! What if he has some sort of crazy death ray or something?”
“Don’t worry, Ginger Snap. It’s six of us against one Pieman and… I don’t know how many Berry Birds, but I bet they won’t be much trouble.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. Plus I have my inventions. Maybe more of them will come in handy!”
“Yeah! And with Strawberry Shortcake around, I don’t think we can lose! She’s so… confident, a-and determined!”
“You can say that again!”
As Huckleberry and Ginger Snap talked, Strawberry’s head was held high. She whistled a folksy tune as she strode up the path. Her eyes were closed. Orange Blossom noticed, but she didn’t say a word before Strawberry walked too far. Strawberry only opened her eyes when she noticed that her toes were no longer on the mountain path. She flailed her arms, trying to maintain her balance, but before she knew it, she fell. She screamed as she began to descend, but before she fell to her doom, Strawberry was able to grab onto a ledge with both of her hands. Strawberry spent a moment trying to compose herself, but while she was trying to remain calm, her friends began to scream.
“What are we gonna do?” Orange asked.
“I don’t know!” Huckleberry cried.
“I didn’t bring anything that’d be good for getting someone off a ledge!” Ginger Snap explained, “the Portable Propellors would only be useful for it when they’re long, but the blades come out when it extends, meaning that it’d do more harm than good!”
“Guys, it’s gonna be OK!” Strawberry nervously smiled. “I can get back up!”
“How?” Orange replied.
Strawberry held onto the ledge as tightly as she could, her legs dangling, and tried to pull herself up. She grunted and gritted her teeth. Huckleberry and Ginger Snap smiled as Strawberry’s head rose, but ultimately, Strawberry couldn’t do it on her own. She let herself down, her hands still on the ledge, and exhaled.
“OK,” Strawberry said, “maybe I can’t get back up. At least not on my own.”
“That’s not good!” Plum cried.
“Don’t worry, Strawberry!” Huckleberry exclaimed, “we’ll pull you up!”
Huckleberry and Orange ran to the ledge and offered Strawberry their hands. Strawberry quickly took them. Orange and Huck tried to pull Strawberry up, Ginger Snap and Plum cheering them on. Their cheers grew louder as Huck and Orange managed to pull Strawberry up even higher than Strawberry could pull herself up, but eventually, they couldn’t pull her up any further. Orange and Huck grunted and grunted, trying to keep her up as high as they could.
“Guys, please don’t make this too much work for yourselves,” Strawberry said, “there’s gotta be some way to get me up…”
“Hey, what’s Lemon doing?” Ginger Snap suddenly asked.
“Yeah, what is Lemon doing?” Plum added.
Orange, Huckleberry, Ginger Snap, and Plum all turned their heads, and there, they saw Lemon, who had taken off her scarf and was examining it closely, turning it at different angles.
“Lemon!” Plum cried.
Lemon stopped looking at her scarf and turned to face Plum.
“Oh, uh, sorry,” Lemon said.
“Lemon, you do realize that Strawberry could quite possibly die if we don’t get her up, right?” Huckleberry shot Lemon a mean glare.
Lemon didn’t reply to Huckleberry. Instead, she stepped toward the ledge, holding the scarf in her hands. Then, she twirled it as if it were a lasso and threw part of it down to Strawberry.
“I don’t know if this will work,” Lemon began, “but I guess it’s worth a shot! Grab on!”
“I’ve never seen Lemon go through with an idea this quickly before,” Orange whispered to Huckleberry.
“Me neither,” Huckleberry softly replied, “maybe I shouldn’t have rushed her…”
Strawberry looked at the scarf. It didn’t take her long to decide that it was better to try something else than to keep putting pressure on Huckleberry and Orange. Strawberry quickly let go of Orange’s hand and grabbed onto the scarf with the other one. Orange stood up.
“Hey, Orange!” Lemon said, “come here, grab the scarf!”
Orange ran behind Lemon and picked up the scarf. Then, she and Lemon began to pull. Strawberry let go of Huckleberry’s hand as well, using both of her hands to hold onto the scarf. Huckleberry followed Orange, running behind her and grabbing onto the scarf, trying to pull Strawberry up. Plum and Ginger Snap cheered from the sidelines until finally, Strawberry’s entire body was safe on the mountain. Strawberry’s friends cheered as loudly as they could, and Lemon let go of her scarf and offered to help Strawberry up. Strawberry took her hand, stood up, and grinned at Lemon.
“Thank you berry much, Lemon,” she said, “thank you all!”
“Sorry it took me so long,” Lemon replied, “I really hate rushing in. You should probably thank Huck for pressuring me to just do it.”
“It wasn’t my idea!” Huck added.
“I know, but it probably would’ve taken me like, five more minutes if you didn’t step in,” Lemon said.
Orange Blossom put her hands on Lemon’s and Huckleberry’s shoulders and smiled at them.
“Enough fussing about who deserves credit for this,” Orange began, “what matters is that Strawberry’s safe.”
“Speaking of Strawberry being safe,” Plum said, “Strawberry, are you hurt or anything?”
“No,” Strawberry answered, “I’m alright.”
“Should we stop or something?” Ginger Snap asked.
“That was a bit, um, startling, to say the least,” Plum added.
“No,” Strawberry began, “we need to keep going. We’re already this far up the mountain. We can do this!”
“Yeah!” the others exclaimed.
“Let’s put our hands in!” Strawberry said.
Strawberry put one hand out. Lemon, Orange, Huckleberry, Plum, and Ginger Snap put their hands on top of hers.
“What are we?” Strawberry asked.
The kids went silent.
“I don’t know,” Plum replied.
“Well, we’re friends,” Huckleberry said.
“Friends… on a journey!” Ginger Snap exclaimed.
“Friends on a journey to retrieve Orange Blossom’s stolen fruit!” Lemon added.
“And a lot of the fruits that were stolen were berries,” Orange explained, “and we found out that it was because of the Pieman because of a strawberry, and Strawberry Shortcake was the one who gave us this idea…”
“Hey, that’s it!” Strawberry exclaimed, “we could be the Berry Bunch!”
“Ooh, that’s a cool name!” Orange replied.
“I like it!” Huckleberry added.
“Seconded!” Plum said.
“That’s perfect!” Lemon grinned.
“And it has a nice ring to it!” Ginger Snap gave the others a thumbs-up with her free hand.
“OK, on the count of three,” Strawberry began, “one, two, three…”
When Strawberry said “three,” everyone lifted their hands into the air, Ginger Snap jumping as she lifted hers.
“Berry Bunch!” they exclaimed.
Everyone laughed. Lemon picked up her scarf and put it inside her backpack, and then, the Berry Bunch continued climbing the mountain.
Meanwhile, schadenfreude filled the air in the Pie Tin Palace. The Purple Pieman laughed to himself and pranced around the room as his Berry Birds cawed and cawed, jumping up and down and flapping their wings. The fruit that the Berry Birds had taken was still in the baskets that they used to collect it.
“Oh, I know I should get to work on those recipes,” the Pieman explained, “but I’m still so proud of you all!”
The Berry Birds continued to celebrate, and the Pieman smiled at them.
“Oh, I can only imagine how those children will react,” he began, “wait! Didn’t somebody new move to Strawberryland?”
Lychee cawed and cawed, as if she was desperately trying to tell the Pieman “yes,” even though none of the other birds talked over her. The Pieman chuckled.
“Oh, that just makes it even better!” the Pieman exclaimed, “oh, that girl must feel so betrayed.”
The Pieman snickered. Then, he closed his eyes and slipped into a daydream. He dreamed of Orange Blossom’s house, surrounded by an empty orchard. The trees and bushes were green yet barren. He hadn’t been to Orange Blossom’s house before, but he had seen it clearly through his telescope. He dreamed of the kids, all of them with frowns on their faces. Most of them stood next to each other, but Strawberry Shortcake stood against them. Her hands were on her hips and her green eyes were filled with fury. The Pieman didn’t know much about Strawberry, but he felt that he could make a few inferences. For example, he assumed that she certainly wouldn’t be pleased to see the orchard was empty after she was promised a harvest.
“So,” Strawberry said in the Pieman’s dream, “where’s all the fruit?”
“I… I don’t know,” Orange replied.
“You said there would be fruit!” Strawberry yelled, “you said there’d be fruit to harvest, but there’s nothing! Not even a green berry!”
“I-I swear, th-there was fruit! I-it was all here yesterday!”
As Orange stumbled over her words trying to explain herself, Strawberry put her fingers in her ears, closed her eyes, and turned around. Orange clasped her hands and hunched over slightly. When Strawberry noticed that Orange had stopped talking, she opened her eyes and looked back at her, taking her fingers out of her ears.
“Oh, are you done talking?” Strawberry asked.
Orange nodded. Lemon looked at Strawberry with her arms crossed and a raised eyebrow, while Huckleberry entered a defensive stance.
“Well, I think you’re a liar,” Strawberry said, “fruit doesn’t just disappear out of nowhere, you know! The only explanation for everything being gone is that you guys harvested it all without me!”
“Jeez, can you leave Orange Blossom alone?!” Huckleberry asked, “she’d never do that! She’s not a liar! Maybe everything disappearing is a little crazy, but right now, the last thing we need to do is turn on each other!”
“Oh, Huckleberry Pie,” Strawberry told him, “it’s berry cute how much you care about your friends. If only you knew how to chill out! No wonder you get so excited about meeting new people, you’re so overwhelming!”
Huckleberry immediately shut up. Strawberry smiled as he frowned before focusing on Lemon, Plum, and Ginger Snap, whose eyes were widened.
“And as for the rest of you,” Strawberry began, “Lemon, fitting name, by the way, you’re a real downer. And you’re so shallow too! Is my outfit all that you care about?”
“I, no?” Lemon asked.
“You sound a bit confused there,” Strawberry replied.
“Y-yeah. I-I guess I’ve never had to think about it before…”
“You just proved my point. And Ginger Snap?”
“What do you want out of me, you jerk?” Ginger Snap asked.
“Nothing,” Strawberry explained, “just stick to what you’re good at. I doubt those inventions of yours are any good.”
“You haven’t even seen them!” Ginger Snap cried.
“I know, but I don’t think I need to.”
“I assume you have something derisive to say about me too, Strawberry?” Plum asked.
“I didn’t until you said that,” Strawberry said, “but you don’t have to use big words to look smart! It just makes you look stuck-up!”
“Rich coming from you,” Plum mumbled as she rolled her eyes.
“Anyways, I’m leaving Strawberryland! This place looked pretty before, but considering how much you all stink, I think I’m better off looking elsewhere for friends. There’s gotta be some place around here that isn’t full of liars.”
Strawberry turned her nose up at the kids, her hands on her hips, and walked away. Huckleberry and Lemon put their hands on Orange’s shoulders as she began to cry. As the Pieman imagined all of this happening, the grin on his face grew wider and wider, and he sighed.
“Berry Birds,” the Pieman said, opening his eyes, “I think we could do this with quite a few people. Kids will move in, expecting a harvest, and then, you can swoop in and take the fruit before anyone notices! Then, they’ll all think Orange Blossom is a liar, the others are stupid, and they’ll leave in droves. Girls, boys, kids with interests of all sorts, many will come, but none of them will stay. Then, once they stop moving in, eventually, the five kids who’ve been here forever will give up on friendship, and they’ll give up on these berries, and once they give up on these berries, I, the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak, can take over the fruit supply of Strawberryland, start my pie shop, finally utilize the natural resources of Strawberryland to their full potential, and prove Mother wrong!”
The Pieman began to cackle, and the Berry Birds laughed alongside him.
“Fat chance, Pieman,” a child’s voice said.
The room went silent. The Pieman slowly turned his head around and pursed his lips.
“Who said that?” he asked.
“I did,” the child replied.
The Pieman fully turned his head, and there, he saw Orange Blossom, Huckleberry Pie, Lemon Meringue, Ginger Snap, and Plum Pudding, standing in a line, all with their arms crossed, and staring him down. However, one kid stood in front of all of them. Her hair was dark red, and her green eyes were filled with fury, except this time, she was glaring at him. It was Strawberry Shortcake. The Pieman’s predictions were way off: not only did she not shun the other kids, but it appeared that she was their leader now. She was one of them.
The Pieman jumped. The kids glared at the Pieman, while the Pieman and the Berry Birds focused their eyes on Strawberry Shortcake.
“I don’t believe it,” the Pieman said, “how did you even get here?”
“We took the stairs,” Plum replied, “it really wasn’t that hard to get in. The hardest part of the crossing itself was getting past the Molasses River, and Ginger Snap here had us covered.”
Plum and Ginger Snap winked at each other as the Pieman began to pull on his purplish-gray hair. Plum quickly focused her attention back on him.
“You really shouldn’t be surprised that we’re here,” Plum began, “not only did you make your Berry Birds steal fruit that rightfully belongs to our friend Orange Blossom, but you didn’t stop and think once that we’d come here and try to get it back.”
Lemon’s eyes wandered, and then, she saw the purple telescope that the Pieman had been using to spy on her and the others, sitting on top of a round table.
“What’s up with the telescope?” Lemon asked.
The Pieman let out a quick shriek as all the kids looked at the telescope. The Pieman ran to the telescope and hid it behind his back, nervously smiling at the kids. Lemon raised an eyebrow at him.
“Hide it behind your back all you want,” Lemon said, “doesn’t change that we saw it.”
“You’ve been spying on us?!” Huckleberry asked, “I mean, that actually makes sense, but still! Come on!”
The Pieman sighed and rolled his eyes before putting the telescope down. Strawberry put her hands on her hips and slowly approached the Pieman, Orange covering her eyes as she moved closer and closer. Strawberry had to look up to make eye contact with him, but he didn’t scare her at all. Once, she did think he was a little threatening, but now that she had met him in-person, he wasn’t nearly as scary as his mysterious thief image. He was just a coward, using Berry Birds to do all the hard work for him while he sat in his tower spying on her friends, and too arrogant to even try to stop them from making it to him.
“You know, Pieman,” Strawberry said, “I kinda wished you tried to stop us, because that would mean you think a little bit about my friends. How hopeless do you think they are? Plum told me that she and Huckleberry once climbed up here all by themselves when they were little. Did you seriously not think that the rest of them wouldn’t come? Did you think that Huck and Plum couldn’t do it again if they wanted to?”
“Well, I, uh, you see,” the Pieman stammered, “I, um, well, I certainly… didn’t expect a fight.”
“Well, make sure to prepare for one the next time you pull something like this,” Strawberry replied, “now, hand over the fruit!”
“What? No!” the Pieman said, “why would I do that? Why would I return what I have rightfully stolen?”
“She’s just trying to see if you have a conscience,” Huckleberry mumbled.
“Besides, nothing’s ever rightfully stolen!” Ginger Snap shouted, “Orange Blossom’s the one who raised all those plants, and we were supposed to pick that fruit!”
“Oh, you children just don’t understand.” The Pieman smiled at Ginger Snap sleazily. “You wouldn’t, given you’re, you know, children.”
“What wouldn’t we understand?” Strawberry asked.
“Don’t you realize that all this fruit is a natural resource?” the Pieman asked back, “think of all you could do with it!”
“I make juice and smoothies and stuff…” Orange whispered.
The Pieman heard Orange, smiled at her, snapped his fingers, and pointed at her dramatically. Orange leaned backwards, and Huckleberry put his hands on her shoulders.
“Yes!” he exclaimed, “she gets it! I’m something of a foodie myself. I make pies. I’m certainly not the best baker in the world, but one day, I’m going to open a pie shop in Strawberryland, and it’ll be the greatest pie shop in the world, and it will bring so many people to Strawberryland! Of course, you can’t do that without high quality pies, so these fruits are going to be used to help me practice my recipes. Tell me, what use could you children have for these fruits that is better than mine?”
“I don’t know, feeding everyone who lives here is a pretty good use for fruit,” Huckleberry muttered.
The Pieman hadn’t caught Huckleberry’s first insult, but he heard this one. He clenched his fists, growled, and let out a scream.
“Whatever!” he said, “I’m not letting you have this fruit!”
“I don’t think you want to fight us, Pieman,” Ginger Snap warned with a smirk.
“You’re right,” the Pieman replied.
The room went silent for a bit. Everyone stood still. Then, the Pieman put his fingers in his mouth, whistled, and pointed at the kids.
“Berry Birds!” the Pieman cried, “attack!”
The Berry Birds started flying towards the kids, cawing loudly. The kids began to grunt as they gently pushed the Berry Birds out of their way. The Berry Birds did not make much of an effort to attack the kids, only flying at them and hitting them with their wings. No claws met the kids’ skin. As the kids tried to fend off the Berry Birds, the Pieman only watched with a smile.
“What do we do?” Lemon asked.
Strawberry tried to think of an idea, but she couldn’t come up with anything; at least, not with all the Berry Birds coming at her. She hoped that one of her friends would have an idea.
“Hey!” Huckleberry suddenly exclaimed, “I got an idea!”
“What is it?” Strawberry said.
“You’ll see!” Huckleberry replied, “don’t want him to know.”
The other kids looked at Huckleberry and nodded. Huck spent some time fending off Berry Birds. Once he had no more birds “attacking” him, he ran down the stairs, leaving the girls with the Berry Birds. After Huckleberry left, the Berry Birds started to get tired. A few of them returned to their perches and began to snooze. When the Pieman noticed, he gritted his teeth at them and scowled.
“Oh, you birdbrains!” he shouted.
As less birds attacked the girls, they were able to get closer to the baskets full of fruit. The Pieman gasped and ran to the girls, but before he could get close enough to do anything to one of them, Huckleberry had returned up the stairs, holding his skateboard in his hand. He set it on the ground and smiled at the girls.
“No time to think or worry about safety or whatever,” Huckleberry said, “just hand me some of the baskets! I got this!”
“No!” the Pieman cried.
Strawberry and Orange picked up one basket each and tried to hand them to Huckleberry, but before Strawberry could hand hers off, she felt a hand on her wrist. She looked up and saw that the Pieman was restraining her.
“Oh no,” she whispered.
“You’re not going anywhere with my fruit,” the Pieman told her.
The Pieman smiled a nasty smile at Strawberry, when suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his ankle. He looked down, and there, he saw Ginger Snap, who had gotten down on all fours, and her mouth was latched onto his ankle. She let go after she saw him, and the Pieman let out a cry of pain and began hopping on one leg, using his hands to hold onto his hurt foot. Strawberry then handed the basket to Huckleberry, who got onto his skateboard and pushed himself forward. He quickly started skating down the staircase, screaming and laughing as he did so. All the girls and a few of the Berry Birds went to the top of the stairway to check if Huckleberry survived, but they were quickly relieved to see him climb back up the stairs, holding his skateboard in his hand.
“Huck!” the girls shouted.
“Yeah, I’m alive!” Huckleberry said, “now, more baskets! I can get them down faster than if we just try to outrun the Pieman.”
The girls nodded, and Plum and Lemon handed Huckleberry two more baskets. He skated down the staircase once more and came back up perfectly unharmed. The Berry Birds stopped trying to attack the kids; most of them had returned to their perches, and a few of them, as loyal to the Pieman as they were, couldn’t help but root for the kids and caw to voice their support. The girls would continue to hand Huckleberry baskets, and he would skate down the stairs. The Pieman would try to stop the kids, but he continued to hop on one leg, hindering his speed. Eventually, every basket of fruit had left the palace. However, not all the fruit had left. In their rush to get the baskets to Huckleberry before the Pieman could, a few fruits fell out of the overflowing baskets. Soon, a corner on the floor was filled with berries, citrus fruits, apples, and pears; too many for the kids to carry down the stairs without a basket. When Huckleberry made it up the stairs again, he saw not just the pile, but also that there were no more baskets.
“Oh no,” Huckleberry said, “no baskets. What now?”
The kids were silent as the Pieman sighed in temporary relief. Strawberry thought that she and her friends had only initially carried themselves up the tower, leaving their backpacks and supplies at the entrance aside from Huckleberry bringing up his skateboard, and even then, that wasn’t instant. Strawberry thought back to what she brought along. Most of her stuff was practical stuff, but then, she remembered the one item she didn’t put in her backpack: a basket. The basket she was going to use at the harvest. She gasped and grinned at Huckleberry.
“Huck, I brought a basket along!” Strawberry exclaimed, “go get it!”
“Oh, right!” Huckleberry replied, “thanks Strawberry!”
Huckleberry ran down the stairs as quickly as he could. Meanwhile, Orange Blossom looked at the Berry Birds, cawing and flapping their wings excitedly as Huckleberry ran. She smiled at them. Then, she approached the pile of fruit. The other girls observed her as she picked up a few blueberries. Orange walked up to Lychee and offered her one of the strawberries.
“Here you go,” Orange said softly.
Lychee took the blueberry and cawed with it in her mouth before swallowing it. The girls all smiled at the sight, while the Pieman could only watch in silence as Orange turned his own birds against him. After the berry was swallowed, the other Berry Birds began to beg Orange for treats. Orange giggled and put more blueberries on the ground. The Berry Birds flew to the berries and began to eat. The Pieman ran up to the birds and waved his hands rapidly.
“Berry Birds!” he cried, “I understand that you think berries are yummy, but we have some children to stop!”
A particularly large Berry Bird stopped eating and looked the Pieman dead in the eye for a moment before returning to his berry.
“Gah!” the Pieman screamed, “why does nothing ever go my way?”
“Maybe if you were a little nicer to everyone, things would get better for you,” Strawberry explained.
Huckleberry returned upstairs with the basket and collected the remaining fruit in the pile. He picked up his skateboard with his other hand. He then started running down the stairs, and most of the girls followed him down. Strawberry stayed up a little bit longer and looked at the Pieman, who was too shocked to try to stop the kids.
“If you need fruit to eat, I think you should ask nicely next time,” Strawberry said.
“I’m fine on food for myself and the birds,” the Pieman explained.
“Alright,” Strawberry replied, “I understand that you have a dream, but you shouldn’t take from others to try to get there. You could always try growing your own fruit. It’s berry fun!”
“Grow my own fruit? Ha! Those plants will just die on me and then I’ll die before I make any progress!”
Strawberry sighed. There was no changing his mind, at least not right now. She slowly followed her friends down the stairs, waving goodbye to the ravenous Berry Birds.
When Strawberry made it out of the tower, she saw her friends smiling at her. However, she didn’t smile back, and soon, her friends’ smiles disappeared.
“Are you OK, Strawberry?” Orange asked.
“Yeah,” Strawberry said, “I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound fine,” Lemon noted.
Strawberry scratched the back of her head.
“Well,” she began, “that Pieman… did anyone else listen to what he was saying before we got up to him?”
“I heard him saying stuff, but I wasn’t exactly paying attention,” Lemon replied.
“I wasn’t paying attention either,” Ginger Snap added.
“I was more focused on getting everything back,” Orange said.
“What did he say, Strawberry?” Plum asked.
“Something about trying this again, on new people,” Strawberry explained, “he said he wanted to make Orange Blossom look like a liar and the rest of you look stupid. He didn’t include me in that.”
“What do you mean?” Huckleberry asked.
“Well, he said that if he and the Berry Birds kept stealing, kids would leave in droves, and then… he mentioned that there were five of you. I don’t think he was expecting me to stick around after I saw the empty orchard. Like it’d be some kind of dealbreaker for me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, if we didn’t find out that it was the Pieman’s fault, it would’ve been berry disappointing, but I wouldn’t leave because of that alone! Sometimes, bad things just happen.”
Strawberry crossed her arms, looked at the grass, and closed her eyes. Plum and Orange walked up to her and put their hands on her shoulders.
“Don’t worry, Strawberry,” Plum said, “we’re not mad at you or anything.”
“Yeah,” Orange added, “if anything, I think I can speak for all of us when I say I’m glad you came. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have all done this together, and we certainly wouldn’t have gotten everything back this quickly.”
“We probably would’ve had to wait on Ginger Snap to invent something.” Lemon playfully nudged Ginger Snap with her elbow.
“Lemon!” Ginger Snap giggled.
“Or maybe I would’ve gone up there all by myself,” Huckleberry suggested, “and I probably would’ve gotten hurt, knowing myself.”
“We did have a close call with you falling off the mountain,” Plum explained, “but aside from that, we’re all in one piece!”
“Oh, that’s not because of me,” Strawberry replied, “that’s because of everyone else. You’re all berry smart! Not to mention resourceful! Remember how when we first met, Ginger Snap and Plum told me about resident geniuses?”
“Yeah! Yeah!” Ginger Snap exclaimed, “I remember that!”
“Well, I’d say all of you are geniuses!” Strawberry said, “everyone in a different way, but I guess a town can never have enough geniuses.”
The girls began to laugh, but Huckleberry Pie began to twiddle his thumbs with a nervous smile. Strawberry looked at him, slightly confused, before approaching him. She put her hands on her hips and continued to look at him, but she didn’t say anything.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a genius,” Huckleberry quietly said, “I didn’t really do anything smart.”
“Sure you did!” Strawberry whispered, “bringing that skateboard along saved us a lot of time! The Pieman probably would’ve stopped us if it wasn’t for you.”
“Yeah!” Lemon interjected, “guess you were right about never knowing when you’ll need speed.”
“I guess so,” Huckleberry replied with a smile, “though, maybe I should care a little more about safety. It would’ve sucked if things didn’t go so well…”
“I’d say that’s a good idea,” Strawberry said, “but either way, every single one of us did something to help out, and I’d say that makes us a great team! And just so you all know, I’m not leaving Strawberryland anytime soon!”
Huckleberry and Lemon hugged Strawberry as tightly as they could, and the other kids began to jump up and down. Everyone cheered, chuckled, and celebrated. When everyone settled down, they smiled at each other. Strawberry picked up a basket, only to gasp.
“What’s the matter?” Lemon asked.
“The fruit may be Orange’s,” Strawberry said, “but the baskets are the Pieman’s! What do we do?”
“Well,” Ginger Snap explained, “I guess keeping these would be wrong, so I think we should take the baskets home, get the fruit sorted out, and then, we take the baskets back to the Pieman!”
“I’m not climbing Porcupine Peak again anytime soon,” Lemon replied.
“Don’t worry, you won’t have to!” Ginger Snap began, “considering the Portable Propellors work so well, I was thinking I could brainstorm a way to send back the baskets using the same technology. Not only would it give me something to do, but I bet I could figure out a way to get those baskets to the Pieman.”
“Oh, Ginger Snap,” Strawberry replied, “you’re a lifesaver! Thank you berry much!”
“No prob!” Ginger Snap gave Strawberry a thumbs-up.
All of the kids picked up a few baskets before they began to head down the mountain once more. As they walked, they would chat and try to get to know Strawberry better. They would ask about her favorite things, if she had any other hobbies besides gardening, and just about anything else that she was comfortable talking about. Once the kids were down the mountain, Strawberry realized she had a question for them.
“So,” she said, “what do you guys want to do when we get back home?”
“Well, we should probably get all the fruit sorted first,” Orange replied.
“I was hoping maybe I could treat you guys later,” Huckleberry added.
“Treat us?” Strawberry asked.
“Yeah!” Huckleberry exclaimed, “I bake.”
“You bake too?” Strawberry grinned, and her eyes lit up.
“Sure do! Gotta make up for my black thumb somehow.”
“Oh, that’s so exciting! I was hoping to have someone to talk about baking with!”
The rest of the girls giggled as Strawberry and Huckleberry excitedly chattered about recipes and baking. As Strawberry talked with Huckleberry, she came to a few realizations. Strawberry hadn’t thought about fitting in before the Pieman planted the idea in her head that she wasn’t like everyone else, but really, everything that had happened prior showed that the other kids did see her as one of them. They cared a lot about her and appreciated having her around. She didn’t have to do anything to make them like her: they just did. They liked Strawberry, and they were her friends. As long as they were her friends, she’d be their friend too. Maybe the Pieman expected her to leave, but Strawberry knew that that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Not only was Strawberryland the place she lived, but she could comfortably and proudly call it her new home.