Soon Empath and Smurfette have started their journey on the trail that the map of the island showed them. Something about the island seemed very unusual even for a tropical island, yet besides the Petalumas that they first came across before they met the Utopii, neither of them could place a finger on what's so unusual about the island.
"Empath, how does it feel now that you're able to speak in Smurf more fluently?" Smurfette asked, still wondering about her husband's newfound ability.
"This smurf isn't certain how to describe it, Smurfette," Empath answered. "The best way this smurf could explain is through something Tapper had smurfed me in his holy book, about how the apostles in the Book of Acts were able to smurf in other languages that they have never known before."
"I'm not sure I can fully understand what that smurfs, Empath, but it's still quite amazing," Smurfette said.
"Back when this smurf first visited the village, Smurfette, the language of Smurf was always like a second language to this smurf," Empath said. "This smurf had to learn Smurf mostly through intuitive thinking and telepathy, which was rather infuriating and made this smurf feel more like an outsider than a real Smurf. But now it's like the language of Smurf has become a complete revelation, as if this smurf has known how to speak in Smurf my entire life. All the grammar rules, all the intonations, all the dialects...it's now become so natural for this smurf to think in Smurf like everyone else."
"Well, I'm certainly going to miss smurfing fun of you whenever you try to speak in Smurf and it ends up smurfing all wrong," Smurfette said. "The only thing is...why are you still smurfing yourself as 'this smurf'?"
"I guess that's just a habit that this smurf will never stop smurfing, Smurfette," Empath said.
"I'm sure you'll smurf over it in time, Empath," Smurfette said. Then she stopped as she smelled something that attracted her attention. "Empath, smurf a look at this!"
They both looked at a pool of what appeared to be brown mud that was on the left side of the trail. However, the color of the mud was much darker than the kind of mud they were used to seeing.
"This doesn't smurf like a regular mud pool, Smurfette, nor does it smell like one," Empath said.
Smurfette knelt before the pool and stuck a finger into it before she stuck it in her mouth. "Mmm," Smurfette said. "It doesn't even taste like mud. It tastes more like...chocolate."
"A chocolate mud pool?" Empath said. "How is this even possible?"
"I don't know, Empath, but this is like a surprising discovery," Smurfette said. "I wonder if the Utopii even know about this pool being here. Well, I suppose they do, if they smurfed up that map and all, but..."
"This smurf senses that this type of chocolate isn't like any known form of chocolate," Empath said. "It appears to have nutrients in it, so somebody must be smurfing it for food."
"Really?" Smurfette asked, curious about the chocolate. "Oh, let's stop here and smurf some of this chocolate." She took off her backpack and knelt closer to the pool to scoop up some more.
"Be careful, Smurfette," Empath said. "That chocolate mud smurfs to be very sticky."
But then Smurfette fell headfirst into the pool. Empath dropped his backpack and went over to the spot where Smurfette was kneeling, ready to pull her out.
And then Smurfette emerged, all brown and sticky. "Oh, look at me, Empath...I'm all covered in mud," she moaned. "How am I supposed to..."
She stopped when she noticed that Empath was staring at her with wide eyes and a wider smile. She was sensing something rather perverted in his mind with that look he was giving her.
"Okay, Empath, stop looking at me," she said, sounding a bit angry. "Here I am, all smurfed up in mud, and all you can do is just smurf there and look at me!"
"Well, what do you want this smurf to do about it?" Empath asked, still looking at her and smiling.
"Just...get me out of this!" Smurfette exclaimed, reaching out her hand.
Empath knelt down and reached out his hand to grab hers. But no sooner than he did that, Smurfette pulled him into the mud pool and watched as he emerged from it all brown and sticky.
"Smurfette, that was a rather dirty trick you smurfed on me," Empath commented.
Smurfette giggled. "Well, you want to smurf at me being covered in chocolate mud, I can smurf you the same way."
"Are you sure that's all you really want to smurf?" Empath asked, as he held her close to him and looked into her eyes.
"Now that you've mentioned it, I am smurfing...rather hungry," Smurfette said, also looking into his eyes.
"We both smurf sweet enough to eat," Empath said, giving her a lick and a kiss. "Why let all this chocolate go to smurf?"
Smurfette responded with a lick of her own. "What a smurflicious idea!"
...
After spending some time bathing in the pool of chocolate mud, Empath and Smurfette decided to take a shower in the waterfalls to clean themselves off. Even though Empath wanted to be with Smurfette in the shower, Smurfette decided it would be best for the both of them to shower separately.
She was happily singing the Smurf song when she stopped and sensed something. "Empath, what are you doing?" Smurfette asked.
"This smurf is simply watching you take a shower, Smurfette," Empath answered through his thoughts.
"That's not what I'm sensing, Empath," Smurfette said. "It feels more like you're smurfing a shower with me."
"Oh, so that's what this smurf is doing," Empath said.
"Empath, don't smurf innocent with me," Smurfette said. "It smurfs like there's an invisible hand smurfing me while I'm in the shower."
"So this smurf can't smurf a shower with you?" Empath asked.
"NO!" Smurfette said. "Wait your turn and smurf your...uh, smurfs off me until I'm out!"
Empath sighed. "Okay. If that's what you want, then this smurf will not touch you."
Smurfette stepped out of the waterfalls when she was finished. She went behind some bushes where there was a hot steamy geyser to dry herself off with. "I can't believe you were smurfing like such a gentlesmurf around me until you married me, Empath. Now it smurfs like you just can't smurf enough of me, if you know what I mean."
"This smurf thought that that was the whole point of the honeymoon, Smurfette," Empath said. "That we would smurf time for ourselves to smurf our love for each other without smurfing around other Smurfs."
"And you never thought of smurfing that...invisible hand trick until now?" Smurfette asked.
"This smurf couldn't and wouldn't do that to you, Smurfette," Empath said as he now stepped into the waterfalls. "This smurf respected you and will still respect your desire for privacy when you desire it."
"But now it smurfs like I can't be private anymore around you, Empath," Smurfette said. "Like you'll always know that I'm smurfing."
"This smurf has a feeling that it will smurf two ways, Smurfette," Empath said. "Because of this bond we have, you'll now be able to know what this smurf is smurfing."
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to get used to it, Empath," Smurfette said. "I just don't have the benefit of being a telepath like you."
"We'll both get used to it in time, Smurfette," Empath said. "And by the way, you're smurfing your underwear on the wrong way."
Smurfette was now feeling a bit embarrassed. "Oh, stop it, Empath!" She quickly changed back into her clothes when she noticed something nearby.
"Smurfette, what is it?" Empath asked, sensing something that picked up her interest.
"I don't know, Empath," Smurfette answered. "It smurfs like some sort of mysterious temple that's beyond the brush."
"A mysterious temple?" Empath asked, now all curious. "Wait, this smurf will join you."
Empath quickly got out of the shower and joined Smurfette in looking through the dense thicket of leaves at the mysterious temple she had found. "Great Ancestors!" he exclaimed.
"Now why would this temple be smurfed behind all these trees, and not be smurfed on the map?" Smurfette asked.
"This smurf doesn't know, Smurfette," Empath answered. "Maybe it's smurfed off the map for a reason."
"It smurfs like a place that Indiana might smurf comfortable exploring, with his studies of ancient cultures and all," Smurfette commented.
"Maybe we should smurf a look at what's inside," Empath suggested.
"Are you sure?" Smurfette asked. "If it was smurfed off the map of the trail, maybe the Utopii don't want us to smurf inside it."
"We'll smurf it together, Smurfette," Empath said. "If there's a reason that the Utopii don't want anyone to smurf inside this temple, maybe we should explore it to discover the reason."
Smurfette sighed. "I just hope we don't smurf ourselves into any trouble here!"
...
With their backpacks and torches, Empath and Smurfette ventured into the temple, traveling through a narrow brick-lined passageway filled with cobwebs. Something about the passageway looked and felt rather odd.
"Do you see anything, Empath?" Smurfette asked, looking back toward the entrance.
"This passageway is unusually long for a temple entrance," Empath noted. "Whatever is inside this temple is buried deep in the ground." They dodged as a swarm of bats came flying past them from the other end of the passageway. "Hmm, not surprising."
"Yeah, but this place is smurfing to give me the smurfs," Smurfette said.
"This smurf sees a chamber up ahead," Empath said. "Maybe that's the main area of the temple."
They entered the chamber and they saw what appeared to be an alcove in the center. It seemed to be made to contain something, but they had no idea of what. Empath used his touch-telepathy to examine the alcove and find out more.
"This is the place where the Mystic Star was located," Empath finally said.
"The Mystic Star?" Smurfette asked, curious.
Empath shone his torch at the walls, which had crude depictions of what he was talking about. "It's a star that smurfed from the heavens, Smurfette, according to what these inscriptions are smurfing us. It must be responsible for the creation of this island, not to mention the various smurfs of life on it."
Smurfette saw an image on the wall that looked familiar. "That must be the ancient Utopii, Empath...and they look like they smurfed from plants."
"That explains their appearance, Smurfette," Empath said. "However, I'm curious about this image. It smurfs like some giant turtle has smurfed this star into pieces."
"A giant turtle? You mean, there's something dangerous smurfing on this island that the Utopii don't want us to know about?" Smurfette asked.
"Your guess is as good as this smurf's," Empath said. He again scanned the chamber with his touch-telepathy and then looked at the map. "There are five locations on this island where the pieces of the Mystic Star are located. If we can smurf them all, maybe we can resmurf the Mystic Star."
"What would that do to the island if we smurf all the Mystic Star pieces?" Smurfette asked.
"This smurf isn't sure, Smurfette, but according to this legend, if we don't smurf all the Mystic Star pieces, then darkness will cover the entire land, and this paradise will smurf into a war zone ruled by this giant turtle and his minions."
"Oh dear," Smurfette gasped. "Empath, what have we smurfed ourselves into with this honeymoon?"
"This smurf doesn't know, but one thing is for sure, that we need to smurf for those Mystic Star pieces," Empath said. "You smurf those two figures? One male, one female, both smurfing underneath a star? It must have been waiting for us to come."
Smurfette sighed, knowing what this would mean. "So much for a relaxing week, Empath."
Empath smiled. "This smurf is certain we'll have ample opportunities for fun, Smurfette...not like this honeymoon has been boring yet." They now headed out of the chamber and back outside. "There's a path off the main trail that smurfs to the seaside. That's where we need to look for the first star piece."
Then suddenly came a shudder from the entire island that both Empath and Smurfette felt together. "Was that an earthquake, Empath?" Smurfette asked the moment after the shudder had stopped.
"Either that, or this 'giant turtle' is trying to smurf us away from finding the Mystic Star pieces," Empath said. "It must be fearing the legend smurfing true that was inscribed in that chamber. In any case, we're not going to let a little shudder try to stop us."
"We might as well ensmurf on this quest while we're here, Empath," Smurfette said. "It will certainly be a thing to tell our fellow Smurfs when we smurf back home...if we even smurf out of this alive!"
"We'll smurf through this together, Smurfette," Empath said. "Remember what the Utopii said about strength and beauty smurfing together."
"I'm not sure how beauty will smurf us out of this!" Smurfette said as they started back on the trail they have left.
...
Back in the Smurf Village, Polaris Psyche had a private talk with Papa Smurf about what he had felt the night before.
"Hmmm," Papa Smurf said, stroking his moustache in thought. "Well, I honestly don't know what to smurf about it, given that I don't know much about what it smurfs like for telepaths to lose such connections."
"This one feels as if this one's place in the Smurf Village is now lost because of this disconnection, Papa Smurf," Polaris said. "It's as though this one was only meant to be connected to Empath until he had found a mate, and now that he has Smurfette as his mate, this one's role in his life is now fulfilled and this one doesn't know what other purpose this one may serve."
"I know marriage does smurf about a lot of changes when it comes to relationships with our friends, Polaris," Papa Smurf said. "But to have something as intimate as your smurfing this 'collective consciousness' with Empath being smurfed away from you -- I could only imagine how devastating that makes you feel right now. I don't like the idea of having memories of my loved ones being smurfed away from my thoughts."
"But does this truly mean this one's friendship with Empath has ended, Papa Smurf?" Polaris asked.
"I don't smurf how it means that, from what you're telling me, Polaris," Papa Smurf said. "All I can smurf of what it may mean is that you won't be as close to Empath's life as you used to be before this...moment that you smurf of. As for your role in the Smurf Village, I don't smurf it as ever changing, given that your fellow Smurfs have respected you and even became friends with you over the past nine years."
"All the same, Papa Smurf, this one doesn't feel comfortable unless this one is able to establish a link between this one and Empath," Polaris said.
"Empath may consider it an invasion of his privacy if you were to try smurfing such a link with him right now, Polaris," Papa Smurf said. "However, since we don't know what exactly Empath and Smurfette are smurfing on their honeymoon at this moment, you may want to smurf some discretion in your attempts. There are some things that smurf on between married couples that are not meant for anyone else to know about."
"This one understands, Papa Smurf, and will take the necessary precautions in mind," Polaris said, feeling relieved to have talked to Papa Smurf.
Smurf to Part 6