In order to escape the dastardly Gargamel, the Smurfs and ponies were forced into a portal that Papa Smurf and Sunny saw in their earlier vision, all of them screaming and tumbling, not sure about even where they were going.
When the tumbling and spinning finally ceased, they came out of the portal on some rocks next to a small waterfall, groaning in pain for a moment. “That… was… great!” Izzy cheered. “Who wants to go on another one of those?”
“Are you smurfed?!” Grouchy snapped. “We almost DIED in there!”
“But, the good thing is we didn’t, and that's all that matters,” Misty said, gently stopping the argument before noticing something. “Hey… we went through a waterfall, and yet… we’re not even wet!”
“What part of the Enchanted Forest is this?” Brainy wondered as he and Clumsy climbed some rocks to get a better view. “My calculations indicate that--”
Suddenly, a giant slice of pizza hit Brainy in the head, causing him to groan and throw it down. “Ugh, that’s slimy.”
“You know… this may just be my own theory,” Hitch said, holding Sparky fearfully, “but I don’t think we’re in Smurf Village anymore!”
“Yeah… that’s obvious,” Zipp rolled her eyes. “But… where in the world did we end up? Since we're Smurf sized, it's kinda hard to tell.”
Clumsy climbed a large rock to get a better view of the surroundings. He didn’t expect what he was met with, causing his eyes to widen. “Uh, Smurfs? Ponies? You may want to take a look at this.”
Why are we listening to him?” Grouchy asked as they climbed the rock or flew to the top of it. “He just got us sucked through a giant hole.”
“It’s not a hole, it’s a vortex,” Brainy answered, just as Grouchy started complaining again. “And can’t we just go around the rock?”
“And will you stop complaining?” Pipp scoffed. “Gee… I thought I was bad…”
The gang reached the top of the rock and were met with dozens of giant buildings that looked as if they were touching the sky, causing them to gasp in awe. “Oh… my… Smurf,” Smurfette said mesmerized. “Where the smurf are we?” Misty asked. “Up the smurfing creek without a paddle, that’s where,” Gutsy answered, and then, Izzy shrugged. “Well, at least they’re not coming after us.”
Just as he said that, however, an orange cat shot out of the vortex and into the lake. “Azrael!” Clumsy cried. “RUN!!” Sunny cried, and the group rushed away before the cat could get to them. “Azrael? Are you dead?” Gargamel’s voice came from the vortex. He didn’t receive an answer. The evil wizard grunted and look around the cave, as if to hesitate jumping into the vortex. Finally, he backed up for a running start. “Must… have… SMURFS!!!”
With that, he dove into the portal as the group made their getaway. “We’ll circle back when it’s safe!” Papa explained. “That could take forever!” Zipp complained. “Then we better shake a hoof!” Hitch cried. “Guys, come on!” Smurfette exclaimed. “Go!”
“Coming through!”
“Getting hungry!”
XXXXXXXX
On the other side of the lake, there seemed to be what appeared to be a get-together some kind. One particular person was checking on the party’s adequacy. This was Patrick Winslow, a very hard-working employee at Angelou, which was a famous cosmetic company in New York City. “Yeah, nice to see you. Enjoy the party,” he said before approaching a supervisor. “Hey, can we get the photographer over there?” He asked. “There’s big arrivals happening. Thanks.”
His sights were then on two ladies at an advertisement booth. “Hey, ladies, looking good. A couple quick, quick tips. If you could not stand directly in front of the display, but over to the sides, it’d be a bit more visible.”
The ladies obliged and slid a little to the side. “Hey, look, product. Also don’t forget to smile. Remember, you’re working for a cosmetics company.”
The two ladies complied and flashed the best smile they could. “That’s it. Smile, relax, everyone will have a good time. Let’s go. Thanks. Thanks so much.”
With that being said, Patrick walked away and joined up with an older co-worker. “Hello, Henri.”
“On top of everything with the campaign, Patrick?” Henri asked expectantly. “Well, as much as I can be,” Patrick admitted. “We certainly did our homework. We tested the results.”
“Patrick!”
The two men looked up to a woman pointing at Patrick and gesturing to head inside. Patrick smiled and nodded. “She’s pointing at me.”
“That can’t be good,” Henri said grimly. The woman walking downstairs, talking with some others as the cameras flashed before she spotted Patrick from across the room. “There he is. My new vice president of marketing.”
Patrick did a double-take. “So, wait, you fired Ralph?”
“His campaign was rubbish. He gave me what I asked for, not what I want,” Odile said. “Can you give me what I want?”
“Is that what you’re asking for?” Patrick asked cautiously. “How would I know what I’m asking for when I don’t even know what I want?” Odile asked solemnly. “Well said, Odile. Well said. That’s why you need me.”
“Exacto! I need you to create a new campaign for Jouvenel. All digital, of course, so it can be ready on time for launch.”
As she walked away, Patrick gave a surprised frown and followed her. “Odile, that’s two days!”
“Si, mi corazon, and it mustn’t be delayed,” Odile said. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“No. No, I mean for a whole campaign, it’s kind of tight. But… no, two days is perfect, ” Patrick said. “God only needed six days for the whole world, right?”
“Fail me, and maybe you can go work for him.” Odile subtly threatened before she climbed into her car, Patrick grabbing some champagne and watching her drive away.
XXXXXXXX
“Where are we, Azrael?” Gargamel asked as he and his pet climbed from the lake, just before they caught sight of the event going on close by. Thinking the Smurfs and their friends might be there, they walked that way.
At the same time, the ponies and Smurfs looked around with nervousness and confusion… well, all except Sparky, who was happily running around having fun, while at the same time, Patrick ran back inside to get another box before he asked a woman to call a cab, setting some other boxes down on a bench. “This day just keeps getting better and better,” Grouchy grumbled sarcastically. “Oh-ho, yeah,” Zipp rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Mr. Positive Energy.”
“So we’re just gonna jump in the portal, get back to our village and everybody’s happy, right?” Clumsy paraphrased. “That seems like a good plan to me,” Sunny said. “Yeah, guys,” Smurfette spoke. “Let’s stay smurf-timistic.”
“You know what? I choose to be pessi-smurf-stic. We’re all gonna die.” Grouchy counter-reacted. “Papa Smurf, how do we get home with the portal closed?” Brainy asked. “I’m sure when the blue moon rises tonight, the portal will open again.” Papa reassured. “Now, let’s take shelter till dark.”
“All right, let’s get smurfing!” Pipp happily encouraged. “Okay, but I’m not happy.” Grouchy said. “Aww, come on, Grouchy-Wouchy!” Izzy said. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
As if on queue, Gargamel’s cat pounced upon them. “Azrael!” Smurfette screeched. “Run, guys!” Misty cried. “Take that!” Gutsy yelled, throwing a stick right at the cat’s face as they ran for their lives. The ponies and the Smurfs, except Clumsy, all clambered up a tree. Smurfette was the last to start climbing, so she couldn’t get enough height. Azrael latched onto her hair and didn’t let go. “Smurfette!” Pipp cried. “My hair!” Smurfette cried. “Get back, cat!”
At Smurfette’s kick, the cat let go, but not before getting a mouthful of her hair. Way to go, Smurfette!” Clumsy cheered. The cheering caught Azrael’s attention, and Clumsy immediately scrambled toward the bench. “Take one for the team, Clumsy!” Grouchy said. Clumsy jumped onto the bench, but Azrael was right on his heels, and he nipped and clawed at the Smurf, causing him to lose his balance and fall into Patrick’s box.
Before Azrael could dig into the cardboard, Patrick walked up and placed another box on top. He picked the boxes up and stared at Azrael, who simply meowed and walked away. “Clumsy!” Sunny cried. “What a numptie…” Gutsy groaned. “Quickly, to the mechanical wago!.” Papa ordered as they continued to climb. “Why don’t we got around the tree?” Grouchy sarcastically proposed, but he was ignored as they continued on.
XXXXXXXX
Azrael hopped onto a trash bin where he was soon spotted by Gargamel. “There you are,” he said. “By all means, relax here in the fresh air and the sunshine while my missing Smurfs could be anywhere!!”
“Meow!” Azrael held up a paw. “What? Where?”
Azrael looked to the trees, causing Gargamel to look that way and saw the Smurfs and ponies climbing through the tree and scurrying through the steel towering of the entryway. “Come on! Try and stay with me, Smurfs!” Gutsy said. “I’m getting too old for this,” Papa wheezed. “Slow down. This is really high up...” Misty wobbled across the scaffold before she slipped on the metal below her hooves. “Whoa!” said Hitch. “Careful, Misty!”
“Hey, hey!” Gargamel yelled as he began chasing the cab. “Seventh Street, from First and A, please.” Patrick said from within the cab, and the group conversed while they waited to make their move.
“Come on, Smurfs!”
“I really don’t like heights…”
“Just don’t look down, Brainy!”
““Come back here, wretched Smurfs!” Gargamel continued to shout. “Hurry!” Smurfette said quickly. “A jump from this height will knock the blue out of us!” Brainy exclaimed.”Lucky for us. We’re not blue!” Pipp said as she and her sister flew down to the car, and the others luckily made the leap, Papa almost slipping off. But as Smurfette and Gutsy went to help Papa, Misty suddenly gasped as she saw the wizard on their tail. “Gargamel!”
“Oh dear…” Papa said worriedly. “Wait, wait. I forgot my phone.” Patrick said. The cab came to a sudden halt. Gargamel couldn’t stop in time and face-planted into the cab’s back window. He flopped to the ground as soon as Patrick fished his phone out of his pocket. “Never mind. Here it is.”
“Take that you ugly wizard!” Zipp taunted as the cab began to roll away. “You had that coming for about 30 years!” Gutsy joked. “SMUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURFS!!!!!!!!” Gargamel cried in anguish, just before he picked up an Angelou business card. If this was a clue to the Smurfs, he might as well pick it up and use it.
XXXXXXXX
The Smurfs couldn’t believe their eyes as they traveled around New York City, and so were the ponies. Zipp had remembered seeing New York on a map, but didn’t wanna spoil the wonder for the Smurfs, so she kept quiet. “This village is amazing, Papa!” Smurfette said. “Yes, and likely very dangerous,” Papa warned. “Until we rescue Clumsy and get back home, I need you all to stay close and do exactly as I say.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okie dokie!
“If you say so...”
“You can count on us, Papa.”
That’s when they began to get looks from passing people on the street. “They can see us! Camouflage!” Brainy told his fellow Smurfs, pressing up against the blue topper on the taxi. “Blend in…”
“I think it only works if you’re blue, but… whatever floats your boat,” Zipp said. “Now all we gotta do is enjoy the ride.”
XXXXXXXX
It was late at night when the taxi came to a stop in front of a tall apartment building, and they pulled up right beside another tree. “Yay!” Izzy cheered. “We get to climb another tree!”
“Yay…” Grouchy muttered sarcastically, and once they were either on or flying above the tree branch, they watched Patrick carry his boxes from the taxi and into the building. “Oh…” Misty’s ears pinned. “I sure hope Clumsy can breathe inside that box…”
“How in the world are we supposed to find Clumsy inside that huge apartment building?” Hitch asked. “Especially when we’re this size.”
“I could,” said Brainy, “attempt to smurf the probability…”
“Brainy!” Zipp and Pipp scolded. “We’ll look through every window,” Papa told the group. “I don’t do windows,” Grouchy protested, but a look from Zipp instantly silenced him. “Come on, gang… let’s get looking before anything else goes wrong.”
XXXXXXXX
Patrick walked through the apartment door where his wife, Grace, and unborn child were waiting. “Grace?”
“Hello?”
“Guess what?” Patrick asked, laying down the boxes. “Guess what, guess what?”
Grace got up from her chair as their dog Elway watched from his dog bed. “Okay. They invented a zero-calorie pizza.”
“No, but that’s a good idea.”
“Yes. They found…” Grace stopped and hummed pleasantly. “Baby kicked.”
After they kissed each other tenderly, Grace's eyes fell down toward her widened stomach. “Please say hello.”
Patrick obliged and took a seat on their sofa to talk to the baby, not knowing that Clumsy was watching them. “Hello, little sea-monkey,” Patrick said. “This is the sound of my voice. Hello, son or daughter. Hello... hellooooo....”
“That is not the sound of your voice. That is the sound of a robot,” Grace chuckled. “Our child is gonna be attached to the toaster.”
“Or the new VP of marketing.” Patrick said knowingly, and this caused Grace to gasp. “No. No! Oh, my goodness! Oh, my gosh!” she said excitedly, hugging her husband. “It’s… it’s provisional,” Patrick commented. “If I wow Cruella de Odile, then I’ll keep the job. If not, then my head will be on a pike next to the last guy.”
“Well, wow you will! You wowed me,” Grace assured. “But I have two days,” Patrick said. “Oh, yikes.”
“I know. What if I don’t get them done in time?”
“Oh, no, you can’t come to the ultrasound,” Grace realized, a bit crestfallen. “Unless… wait, the backup ads we have did fine in focus groups. I could retool those. I’d have to work around the clock,” Patrick typed on his computer while his wife watched from nearby. It seems that the Smurfs were not the only ones that the Equestrians needed to help with.
XXXXXXXX
Gargamel sighed, sitting on a park bench in the dead of night. “Oh, Azrael, we’ve come so far, yet ever I am haunted by the same familiar riddle,” he said depressingly. “How to find the Smurfs.”
Azrael began to cough and hack, ruining Gargamel's concentration. “If only I… I’m sorry, is my thinking interrupting your vile hacking?” he sneered. “If only I had something of theirs. A drop of spittle. A fingernail. Some hair, even. Then I could make some Smurf magic.”
As he finished, Azrael coughed up, what look to be, a pile of fur. He shook his head and look up to the evil wizard. “Very nice. Are you done now?” Gargamel asked sarcastically. “Murr-weow.”
“I don’t want to look at it.”
Azrael rolled his eyes and prodded the pile of fur closer to Gargamel. “Meow!”
“What? What?” Gargamel asked irritated. That’s when he noticed it. “Is that… no. No, it can’t be,” the wizard said in disbelief picking up a tuff of the fur. “It is. The tawny locks of Smurfette. Sweet follicular ambrosia! Silky strands of joy. Mixed with a fair amount of cat vomit.”
Gargamel wiped the saliva away right on Azrael’s face, who wasn’t very pleased by the notion. “Yes. Yes, I am a genius!” Gargamel said standing up. “With my skills, even this small trifle of smurfiness will yield me just enough power to catch them all! “I must find a laboratory with which to tease the magic from these precious little strands.”
Gargamel quickly looked around and spotted a large blue port-a-John surround by barriers. “Yes, it’s a bit small, but it will do nicely.”
Gargamel opened the door and walked inside with Azrael following behind. “It’s even got its own cauldron.”
That’s when they were assaulted by the smell.
“Meow?”
“Oh, what died in here?”
Suddenly, that horrendous smell became stronger. Both wizard and cat panicked and tried the to get the door open again. “Open! Open! Open! Open! Open!!!!!!”
Once they finally got it open, they both walked dizzily out from the horrid stench. “Somebody’s been working on a dark and terrible magic in there.” Gargamel coughed. Then he noticed something else. In the distance, there appeared to be a castle of some kind, with some kind of light glowing inside. “What is that?”
Once they made it toward the castle, Gargamel opened a pair of basement doors and walked inside. Once inside, they found themselves in a spacious room full of trinkets and other random assortment of items. “Oh, ho, ho. Oh, baby.” Gargamel said devilishly. “Daddy is home.”