The Goblin's Admiration

The Goblin's Admiration is the one-hour special for the Smurfs Season 10 and is written as a short story rather than the expected Plot Summarization. It is episode 17 of 60.

Story
The forest fountain's sheen existed only by the moon's light when the wind whispered through the trees high above. Leaves rustled on the branches, but one was plucked off at the stem's weak spot and fluttered down below; it landed at the foot stand of the pedestal nearby. In the night before dawn, the golden goblet glinted like the snide wink of a gentleman's eye when he catches sight of the fairest maiden. A gust of wind made it shutter, but it proved heavier than it appeared to be, standing its ground without fail.

Suddenly a creature soared through the underbrush and dodged an oak tree before tiring and glided up to the fountain's edge. A thin figure contrasted by shadow and partially enveloped in white moonlight shook her head and rested, brushing off some dust from her clothes. She had long bangs and short dark hair, a dainty cap, light skin, and eyes as black as the evening sky; she would be beautiful if not for the fur-tipped pointy ears, fangs, and pig snout. She believed this when she saw her reflection in the water, and her curly rat tail, wings, and long sharpened feet further contributed to the bitter feelings. Otherwise, she couldn’t reject the light grey dress that matched her hat – besides, she knew she was thirsty.

She took hold of the goblet by the stem and leaned over the edge of the fountain, dipping it into the frigid waters. Just as she brought it to her lips for a sip, the ripples enlarged, becoming waves, and then rose around the fountain in a cyclone. Fearing this, she dropped the cup and back away without taking her eyes off the watery display until it settled down. Once she believed it was safe to approach again, she did and noticed a shady figure perched on the tallest crystal: she suspected they were cursed by the nature of the fountain. When they lifted their head, she discovered it was a male with similar features as her – on that note, she concluded they belonged to the same species.

He hopped down in front of her and caught her eye, and he seemed just as surprised to see her as she was to see him. She studied him as he did her: long black hair - slightly wild and unkempt – matching eyes, wings attached to hands with long fingers, a long crooked tail, feet just like hers, and clothes she guessed were a shade of yellow. Based on his face, too, she estimated his age to be quite old; perhaps in the middle of his lifespan if not a tad over it. Compared to him, she felt quite young.

After a few minutes of silence passed, he glanced over his shoulder and huffed, picking up the goblet between their feet.

“If I never see this fountain again it’ll be too soon,” he muttered. Then he raised it in both hands only to thrust it down over his leg, snapping it in two with a shattered glass sound erupting abruptly. It made their ears twitch, and then he tossed one piece against a tree - it smashed to pieces – and the other disappeared in the bushes behind the female. He sneered as the pedestal vanished into thin air: “Finally, I’m free of that unbearable curse!”

“Who are you?” she asked, crossing her arms. He stood up straighter and rested his hand on his chest.

“My name’s Mystico,” he said, “What’s yours?” She hesitated to respond which prompted him to add, “Come now, you must have one.”

“Wha – Vira,” she replied agitatedly. “And I noticed that you’re the same race as me, but so far you’re the only one I’ve seen around here. You the last one or am I just not looking in the right places?” She hadn’t expected him to become restrained, so when his eyes cast down with disappointment apparent she softened hers a little more.

“A few centuries ago when I got out of that fountain, I went straight home and found out that what used to be my birthplace was abandoned. Since then, I’ve accepted my fate as the last Goblin,” he explained. A flash of hope appeared in his eyes as he continued, “But with you, things could be very different. I know I may not look like much, but with your help, we could restore the species.” He reached out and touched her arm. “You know.”

At his approach, a feeling of disgust and anger overtook her, so she growled at him with her ears turned away. Instead of backing away, he snarled in return and lifted his arms in a challenging stance, opening his wings to appear bigger too. To this, she bared her fangs and claws; despite this, he never cowered. In the blink of an eye, he pounced and tackled her to the ground, but just when he thought he had her, she flipped him onto his back and pinned him down.

“I don’t need you barging into my life, Misty, so beat it.” She let go and leapt over him, brushing herself off as she strode away, but she added over her shoulder, “The ‘I’ in Vira stands for ‘independent’ just so you know.”

“Yeah, and the ‘V’ stands for ‘vicious’,” he grumbled as he stood up. He shook his head and took to the air. As he veered through the trees, a thought struck him. “Hmm. It’s a long shot, but maybe the little blue people can help me persuade her…” He shrugged and figured it was worth a try, so he made his way towards the village. “With any luck, I’ll be there by morning.”

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