Smurfette's Inner Beauty/Part 3

In Hogatha's castle, the evil witch took a look at herself in the mirror with Smurfette's youth and beauty now transferred to her. She was delighted and ecstatic to see that, instead of the short dumpy old witch she once appeared as, she was now a gorgeous tall orange-haired woman that looked every bit like the woman Hogatha always wanted to be.

"Ohhh, thank the forces of wickedness that that Spell Of Syphonia works," Hogatha said as she continued to look at herself. "And what's the best part is that, as long as that little bluebell lives, her youth and beauty will always be mine. Harlequin will surely like what he sees now when I arrive at the Wizard's Ball looking the way that I am now. Of course, I am going to need something more decent to wear, since I can't appear at the Wizard's Ball wearing this old thing."

With a wave of her arms, Hogatha caused her old dress to transform into a beautiful evening gown, which made Harold squawk with surprise.

"And of course, this run-down old place is going to need a little sprucing up, since there's no way he's going to visit me in my own home looking like this," Hogatha said with a sigh as she looked around the main room of her castle. "Oh, it's so hard to find good help these days in tidying things up, being the busy witch that I am." - Back in the Smurf Village, Smurfette was confined to her house where Papa Smurf and Empath examined her to see what could be causing her to age so quickly. Outside her house, the other Smurfs had gathered around wondering.

"Sacre bleu, how are we supposed to finish the contest now with Smurfette smurfing inside her house smurfing the way that she does?" Painter asked.

"Are you afraid you're going to ultimately lose this contest, my dear brother?" Sculptor asked.

"I am not going to lose this contest, espèce d'idiot," Painter retorted. "But without Smurfette, there isn't going to be a contest for any Smurf to win."

"Then let's hope that Papa Smurf and Empath could find out what's wrong with Smurfette and find a way to resmurf her," Scribbler said, sounding worried.

Meanwhile, Tapper was with the Smurflings trying to comfort them. "Holy hickory nuts, Tapper, why is Smurfette so afraid of being seen now?" Nat asked out of curiosity.

"I have nary a clue, my fellow Nat," Tapper answered. "All we know is that something terrible has happened to her while she was smurfing on her break outside in the forest. And I feel in my spirit that it's someone who's behind this change of appearance that has smurfed this to her."

"I bet it's that ugly old witch Hogatha," Snappy said. "She's always looking for a way to make herself beautiful, and I think she may have smurfed a way from one of her spell books."

"For once I'm smurfing to agree with you, Snap," Slouchy said.

"Please, Tapper, I hope this doesn't mean that Smurfette's going to smurf away from us anytime soon," Sassette said while she was crying.

"There, there, my little Sassette," Tapper said. "Empath and Papa Smurf will find the answers to what's causing Smurfette's loss of beauty, trust me. They won't rest until they smurf across something that could keep her among us for a little while longer."

"Just hang on there, dear lassie," Duncan said as he joined Tapper and the Smurflings. - Smurfette was resting in her favorite chair, feeling herself getting older and older. "What's happening to me, Papa Smurf?" she asked, her voice becoming as aged as she was physically. "Why am I smurfing old before my time?"

"This smurf senses that someone is using a magic spell to drain you of your youth and beauty, Smurfette," Empath said. "We're not sure who's responsible for this, but we'll find out who it is and force them to remove the spell so that you can be restored."

"Homnibus should have the answers that we need, Smurfette," Papa Smurf said. "I'll try to smurf in contact with him through my magic mirror, but in the meantime you should try to rest and smurf it easy, and I'll have the other Smurfs come and smurf you whatever you need."

"Please, Papa Smurf, I don't want the other Smurfs to see me like this," Smurfette said. "I just want to be smurfed alone with you and Empath."

Papa Smurf sighed. "I understand how you feel, Smurfette, but some of your closest friends may not be totally understanding. I'll let the other Smurfs know that the contest will be postponed until we can find a way to restore you."

After Papa Smurf left the house, Smurfette spoke privately with Empath. "I feel so shameful, that this is all my fault for wanting to smurf myself without any clothes on," Smurfette said woefully.

"You shouldn't blame yourself for an action that you didn't even cause to happen upon yourself, Smurfette," Empath said. "This is simply a work of magic, and whoever's behind it is most likely using it for their own selfish purposes."

"I would smurf anything that this is the work of Hogatha, that she wants to be as beautiful as I am...or as I was before this," Smurfette said.

"It's possible that Hogatha could be behind your current troubles, Smurfette," Empath said. "Right now, though, we need to find what spell is being used on you to do this and how we can counteract it before something terrible happens."

To be expanded on.