The Smurfocalypse Chapter 122: The Pluto Special Part 4: Pluto's Lonely Winter

Table of contents:

Left for Dead Part 1: The Power Within

Left for Dead Part 2: The Dark Side of Pluto

Left For Dead Part 3: The One Smurfling Army

In the days following Pluto's abandonment Titan had fully lost grasp of himself entirely. News of Pluto's death destroyed him. Now he had absolutely nothing in this world at all whatsoever to live for. All the hard work of trying to be a good Smurf and trying to protect and enrich the lives of his family was gone forever and he had nothing to show for it. Titan decides to expand his territory pushing the banner of Starshine even further across the planet this time taking part himself. Titan would focus only on his own comfort and survival and everyone else was merely a pawn in his game. Word of Titan's accomplishments spread to other parts of the world where the Emperor still had influence and he was not happy with the idea of sharing his position with Titan as a world leader. Smurfs lived in fear of Starshine and with Titan grabbing up as much territory as he could with minimal interference from the blackhearted much of Kepler was now under the banner of the Brotherhood of Starshine. Keeping the Smurfs divided and using Titan's mental health as a pawn in itself alone Vanity has been able to train up his forces as well as himself here on Kepler pretty easily. He made sure since the very beginning that Titan would never be able to even consider rising up against him by immediately breaking him. However Titan would always encounter the demon that used to be Star and he simply couldn't bring himself to hurt it as though he refused to believe she was dead and would one day come back to him. His mind was gone and with him believing Pluto is dead now he's descended even further into madness. Titan was taking his hate and his pain out on everyone around him. There wasn't even true loyalty among his own ranks now that Pluto was gone. Titan had chosen to surround himself with the worst of the worst because he saw them as strong. The only thing left for Titan to do in his life is what he is best at and that is fighting. Even if he did conquer Kepler that wouldn't be enough. Titan was never going to stop spreading chaos and taking the lives of those he doesn't like or respect just because this world was rotten, just because in his eyes there was nothing left. Gods be damned if anyone else will have it unless he allows it. Everything was Titan's, and if Titan couldn't collect there was going to be destruction. Because Titan is strong and everyone else is pathetic and weak and therefore do not deserve what they have. This was Titan now. Gone are the days once glory shone so bright. Now there's only darkness, and Titan's name was feared far worse than any demon by the same Smurfs that would watch him wrestle. This world has but two queries: Is it better to live under Titan, or to be ripped apart by demons? The privileged did not have to answer either positively as they resided in a part of the planet where the emperor still deeply cared for them and fought to keep the world together. The rest… well… The rest are just screwed.

Outside the borders of The Brotherhood of Starshine a small light gleamed in the darkness.

It was snowing pretty hard with wind to match. Pluto made her way away from the road upon gaining consciousness. She was cold, scared, and injured from the abuse she had suffered. She made a small fire and was sitting next to it trying to get warm her bare knees quivering. She forced herself to eat even though she was hurting so bad physically and mentally. She used a tool to take the can of beans she was cooking off her setup and set it right in the snow to cool off. It wasn't like when she normally ate, this was a chore. She was paranoid the entire time she was going to be jumped that the smell of the food alone would give her position away yet she just kept shoveling spoonful after spoonful into her mouth and forcing herself to eat it until it was gone. Then she just sat there staring into the fire tears silently going down her face as she shook from the cold. She tried her best to tend to the road rash she had going under her dress that stretched almost the full length of the right side of her torso starting at her waist and ending just under her arm, but this wound was the biggest she had ever had in her life and she swore she was going to die if it didn't heal up soon or at the very least stop hurting. She was crying for multiple reasons, way more reasons than anyone her age should ever have to. It's been long enough now that Pluto understands what is going on with the world and how Titan is destroying what's left of it out of spite. She didn't want to die and was now concerned that she wouldn't be of use to anyone and therefore would be killed. She didn't want someone to spot her and see that she was alone and injured and try to kill her off when she's most vulnerable. In all of this though she never lost faith or her loyalty to Titan. She was still his little Smurfling. This thought kept Pluto sane and gave her a reason to live so that one day she could see him again, and perhaps he would even welcome her home after seeing how well she's done to survive. She thought of the carefree days she once spent with Star and Titan. They were her happiest memories to date and despite everything that happened they made her smile, and they made her want to strive to be someone important to make them proud of her. Pluto spent the night in her little hiding place in the woods she had established for herself as she took some time to reflect on her life. She crawled into a small hollow log and curled up into a ball to try to sleep praying that she didn't freeze to death as she attempted to do so. Her life in the rough wasteland was her greatest gift. Unlike the city Smurfs Pluto could survive anywhere on the planet. Anything was better than the harsh radiated land she was born in, and since she was now an expert survivalist this little area here of bare wilderness consisting of a normal forest was nothing. Pluto laid there for hours unable to sleep until exhaustion finally claimed her sending her into a deep dreamless sleep.

The hours passed and Pluto would awake to the sound of snow crunching. Her blood immediately froze and she jumped up and cautiously drew her sword. She could hear them outside as they talked to each other. They didn't seem unfriendly rather concerned as they had stumbled upon her campsite and were looking to see if maybe someone was still there just to help out. Pluto felt physically ill as fear and adrenaline flooded her system. She was trapped, and what would happen if they found her and found out who she was? Pluto tried her best to remain still and not make a sound or any sudden movements. She contemplated using the Star of Pluto to escape, but she only gets to use it once a day and then it has to recharge. Stars can only recharge in space using the energy that emits from their corresponding planet. Pluto had mastered using it strategically, but her life was in danger. The screen on her watch glowed up as she willed it to and she was just about to summon her star when a Smurf leaps into the hollow log from behind and tackles her to the ground. Pluto immediately kicks and screams and tries to shove her sword through the Smurf only for her be disarmed.

"It's Starshine! I recognize this one!" The Smurf shouted.

The rest of the group shows up armed. There were four others.

"Get off of me!" Pluto shouted.

"You're far from home Starshine." A Smurf said from the group.

"I say we send a message to Titan. Let's present him with her head since he likes getting gifts so much." The Smurf on top of Pluto said drawing his knife.

Pluto was so scared she thought her soul was going to involuntarily leave her body. She was so scared she couldn't even find the words to speak. Her attacker held his knife to her throat and her life was flashing by in her head.

"Any last words barbarian?" The Smurf asked.

Pluto felt nothing but fear in this moment until a tiny flame sparked within her. The Smurf patiently waited for her to mutter her last words as this flame grew into a fire within her. She gritted her teeth.

"Fuck you." Pluto said as she spat in his face.

The Smurf flinched and wiped his face before gritted his teeth and yanking one of Pluto's braids.

"Just for that I'm going to have some fun huh? Just like Starshine did when they killed my friends and family?! Over tomatoes?! Does this ring a bell?!" The Smurf shouted.

He goes to slice one of her long braids when finally something within Pluto awakened. A visible blue aura erupted from within the very essence of her being and with a scream an icy cold nova shot from her body and spread outward freezing everything it touched only for her attacker to jump off of her to avoid the attack. Pluto stands visibly furious as her aura glows. In this moment she had no idea what was going on with her body on a personal level she just knew she needed to fight. Pluto screams and charges the Smurf that was on top of her and grabs him by the face to yank him down to her level only for the Smurf's entire head to freeze solid much to the fear of the spectators. Still screaming every obscenity Titan has ever said around her, she bashes the Smurf's frozen head into the side of the log again and again until one could see the pink brain matter surfacing on the wounds. Once she was sure he would not be getting back up she stopped and slammed his head into the ground for good measure before turning towards the others with almost a growl. She was in full survival mode now. Pluto had gone out of her skull. She charges the others and they actually run from her as she runs like a bloodied up madwomen out of the log aura still flaring swinging her now frozen sword sending deadly ice shards flying with every swing as she screamed incoherently. Her eyes dart around. She knows exactly where everyone is. They literally couldn't hide from her if they tried. Pluto catches one of them and with a swing of her sword not only slashes a hole in their stomach but also fills them full of sharp ice shards that flew from her aura. At this moment Pluto's eyes and expression had changed. They reflected her rage. At this point it didn't matter what was right or what was wrong, it was kill or be killed.

"Come out come out wherever you are!" Pluto taunted as she searched for the others.

She was enjoying this a little too much.

"Only a fucking coward hides!" Pluto shouted again in a teasing manner showing her age.

She wandered around the clearing until she heard a sneeze and whipped her head towards the source before swinging her sword towards it sending ice shards flying into bushes. The sound of a cut off scream and jagged sharp objects pelting flesh could be heard before there was nothing.

"I can do this all day!" Pluto shouted.

The last two members come from the either side of her swords drawn ready to catch her off guard. Pluto had heard them coming and as they closed in for a combined technique where they were meant to slice through her to the point where their swords would clash Pluto used her size to roll out of the way causing their swords to clash. Pluto raises her palm and in her head pictures a big strong mountain of ice and wills her essence to create it as it hovered in the air just in front of her palm. She then launched it at them and it collided with one of them leaving behind a mess of limbs on the ground before exploded and sending sharp ice flying into the other Smurf. He drops to the ground and twitches a couple times as he bleeds out. Pluto takes a moment to catch her breath.

"I think that's all of them, but I have to get out of here now." Pluto thought as she looked around the woods.

As she began to calm down her aura would gradually fade until it disappeared. Her sword returned to normal in her hand and she debated whether or not she should return it to its sheath before finally doing so as she took a moment to see just how badly she had destroyed this group. She didn't even need her star. Whatever this was she just did had been enough to keep her alive.

"That must have been my Smurf essence…" Pluto thought.

Pluto looked to her hands and began to make and unravel fists stretching her fingers out only to see the aura of her Smurf essence appear each time she formed a fist. It was a defense mechanism necessary for survival of course she would have figured it out quickly.

"I wonder if it works in the Star too." Pluto thought.

Titan would be losing his shit right now if he knew what was going on. Pluto was piecing things together so naturally. She also just barely pulled herself out of a situation that would have led to her death. She already had some things she wanted to try out in The Star of Pluto next time it fell. She actually regularly thought about The Star of Pluto. Mainly the buttons and possible combinations of buttons. As she walked through the forest she calmed herself down by thinking of all the stupid things she tried to do in the Star. These were normal Star User thoughts. The Star would naturally draw them to it captivating their interests. Pluto knows no different. She figures thinking about the Star of Pluto's control system would be normal. She'd argue that knowing the controls and button combinations is essential to her survival. All Star Users would. It starts doing it to them the moment they sit in the Star for the first time. It's like a very unique natural instinct. If all the Star Users were placed in one room on friendly terms their combined knowledge as they shared what they individually learned about their own stars could give them a jumpstart with years of knowledge just being thrown around. However this has never been done before, and the universe specifically tailored it not to. Even if it happened on Earth The Star of Earth most likely couldn't attend in the current time period. There are many other Stars that have not been discovered completely making this impossible. Keep in mind they'd all have to be old enough to speak as well, and the older they were the better this fantasy would play out. It takes a Star a hundred and fifty years to be linked to another Smurf after its current pilot dies.

"No matter what buttons I push nothing seems to really change… Wish I had more time to study it in person." Pluto thought.

-The Dark Side of Pluto

She had a perfect view of the controls in her head, but Pluto would very much like to actually touch the buttons in person again soon. She wanted it badly enough that as the days went by she actively searched for an excuse to use it. She happened across a little spot in the woods where there was a survivor camp. The thought of destroying them for fun just as an excuse to toy with the buttons on the Star crossed her mind briefly, but then she caught herself and scolded herself for thinking such terrible things. Her conscience was still there trying desperately to guide her. Instead she buried her sword in the snow and then spent some time making the ground look undisturbed before shrugging. This was outside Titan's territory. She was pretty far away. So it was time to play a little game, and if this works she'll get her road rash treated and she'll have a safe place to stay. She immediately whips up fake tears and starts to cry with her hands balled into fists covering her eyes as she walks towards the opening.

"Someone help!" Pluto said still pretending to cry.

The gate opens and several of the group immediately rush to her aid.

"Great Smurf… What's a Smurfling doing all the way out here?" The leader asked walking up. He was just old enough to have some brown stubble giving him five o clock shadow.

"I-I was with some Smurfs from my town, and I was in the back of the wagon, and we hit a bump in the road and I fell out and they left me!" Pluto shouted putting on a convincing act.

An adult Smurfette wearing turquoise with long blue hair knelt down to her and put a friendly comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Please let me in! I'm hurt and I don't wanna be eaten by monsters!" Pluto shouts.

"Vash we have to help her. She could be really hurt." The Smurfette said glancing at the older Smurf wearing red.

"Yeah of course bring her in quick Galaxy I'll get some things for her!" Vash said.

Pluto still pretending to cry sniffles as she's led in by Galaxy that consoled her. The large wooden gate is shut. She was in! Step two of her plan. Pluto innocently tugged on the Smurfette in turquoise's dress still fake crying.

"It hurts really bad." Pluto said grasping her road rash.

"We'll take care of you. Don't worry." Galaxy said.

"Poor little thing… She must have been traveling for days if this happened at the nearest road." She thought.

The survivors brought Pluto in as though she were one of their own and treated her wounds and catered to her as though she were just a normal Smurfling. All she had to do was act innocent and cute and they loved her instantly.

"This must be Smurfiness… Like in my storybooks." Pluto thought.

Pluto grew up with some of most unSmurfy Smurfs to serve as her role models to grace the planet in a long time. Growing up in a close knit group in the wasteland meant Smurfiness was not a virtue she'd regularly see. Selfishness maybe, an almost primate brutality perhaps? Rarely did she see a member of her group ever treat an outsider with genuine unconditional kindness let alone Smurfiness. She almost felt bad about what she was planning on doing once she's used them, but still isn't really interested in changing her mind as The Star of Pluto needed to be used again so she could test her theories. The life they were treating her to though was pretty nice she'd have to remember this little trick in the future to get out of another situation. She made a point not to get attached but made things seem like she was on good terms with them. She sat around comfortably not working, not struggling to survive, not fighting. Her wounds were treated she was waited on hand and foot, she was never hungry. She even played with one of her dolls again. No Smurf bothered to even make her do chores. Just before she could get to use to being pampered though she'd sneak out one night and unbury her sword. She thought about it one last time. Did she really want to do this? She had it made here. She could live here for a long time and have actual friends that love and care about her, but the love she still felt for Titan was stronger than this little fantasy world surrounded by walls in a nightmarish world. This was a fantasy. It was not real.

"They're all living a lie anyway. They'll be killed the moment Titan, or the demons attack anyway. I'm helping them by giving them a painless death." Pluto thought taking a deep breath.

"Star of Pluto! Make me big and strong!" Pluto shouted into the night sky her voice cracking as she screams.

Out of the night sky flew the Star of Pluto landing just a few feet away. She runs and hops in the back allowing the back to shut tight behind her. Her eyes lit up when she saw the controls and ideas soared through her mind as she inserted her sword into the drive and grabbed the controls. Then she tries it. She generates her Smurf essence and she can feel the Star of Pluto taking it as she's generating it. Her aura expanding as she generates more hardly believing she could still do it this much. The entire Star of Pluto is now surrounded by her aura. She watched as the blade froze solid just like her sword did in the forest the day it happened.

"This will make Titan proud." Pluto thought.

But then Pluto stared at the sleepy little walled in settlement. She didn't care about these Smurfs right? They were a joke, they were nothing. At the last moment she felt a ton of remorse for what she had planned to do and she turned from the settlement.

"I can't do it... I can't hurt them." Pluto said.

Pluto walks off peacefully into the dark forest. Pluto had learned a valuable lesson today, and got a taste of what life truly should be like. However it was a lie, and she had to focus on getting stronger and getting through this alone not while being waited on hand and foot. She had no end goal in mind other than literally fighting her way through this messed up world just to make it back to Titan. She had a bone to pick with every last one of them especially Poltergeist. She wasn't going to kill them though. To ensure they will be at last loyal to her, and only her she was going to make them go through indescribable suffering and she was going to make Titan watch. Then he will see with his own eyes that she is the backbone of the Brotherhood of Starshine and deserves to stand by his side. This was her goal and she had no other that stood out. Although after being injured like that and needing help, it was on her list of things to do to get better at treating wounds.

She spent the rest of the night training with the Star of Pluto on trees leaving behind a frozen path of destruction unapologetically. When the winter was over she would be coming for them all stronger than ever, and this reunion would not be pleasant. If this was what she needed to do to get Titan to see she was important then she was going ace this test. The winter passed by and Pluto continued to survive and train in the safety of the planet controlled by neither the emperor nor Titan. She woke up one spring morning and grabbed her things before drawing her sword and boldly entering Titan's territory alone with nothing but the will to be big and strong.

Next Chapter: The Fall of Starshine Part 1: Pluto's Cold Trail of Vengeance.