Part 9
Empath joined Papa Smurf at the
altar, the latter of which noticed a tear forming in Empath's eye.
"What's wrong, my little Empath?" Papa Smurf asekd.
Empath sniffed. "This smurf can't
help thinking about what happened five years ago, Papa Smurf, with
you, Smurfette, and all the others. This smurf thought that losing
you again like when you left this smurf years ago in Psychelia was
the worst thing in the world for me...but losing Smurfette to the
Key of Chronos being lost felt like this smurf's whole world was
coming apart."
"I know how you feel, Empath,"
Papa Smurf said, putting his hand on Empath's shoulder to show
some empathy. "The time we smurfed apart from each other with us
time-traveling and you and Polaris trying to smurf us back home
wasn't the smurfiest time in our lives, and sometimes I wish that
the time apart never smurfened in the first place. But the
important thing is that we have all smurfed through it in one
piece...every Smurf is safe back home, and Smurfette resmurfed to
a Smurf who loves her just as much as she loves you. We couldn't
ask for a better miracle than that. This very day is a smurfing
victory over those days for both you and Smurfette! Don't let what
yesterday smurfed ruin this smurfious day today!"
"You're right, Papa Smurf," Empath
said. "It was foolish for this smurf to keep dwelling on those
days. I'm sorry for bringing this up."
"You have nothing to apologize
for, Empath," Papa Smurf said, noticing Empath smiling again. "I
knew how important smurfing with Smurfette for all time means to
you, which was why I never gave up trying to smurf the time
crystals in the right order to smurf us all back home. It was my
way of smurfing how much I truly love you as my one and only son."
Then Polaris approached the two of
them. "Empath, Papa Smurf...Brainy is now escorting the bride down
the aisle toward the wedding altar."
"Smurfs like we're all ready
here," Papa Smurf said.
"Thanks for the warning, Polaris,"
Empath said as Polaris took his place standing beside his friend.
Then wedding music began to play
and the three of them watched as Brainy walked with Smurfette down
the aisle, with Smurfette looking beautiful and radiant in her
wedding dress and Brainy looking and sounding so proud to be able
to have the honor and duty of being Smurfette's escort. Flowerbell
and some of the young Pussywillow Pixies followed behind them as
the matron of honor and the bridesmaids, with Acorn as the flower
girl and Snappy as the ringbearer.
"Well, this is it," Papa Smurf
said. "It smurfs like your days as a bachelor Smurf are all over."
"And not a moment too soon,"
Empath said.
"Smurfing any second thoughts
about smurfing the knot with Smurfette?" Papa Smurf asked.
"Too many thoughts in this smurf's
head, Papa Smurf," Empath said, "but not a single one that will
make this smurf back out."
Finally Brainy and Smurfette have
reached the altar, and as Brainy stepped aside to take his place
among the other Smurfs, Empath lifted the wedding veil to see the
beautiful face of Smurfette. Something about that moment of seeing
her made Empath tear up again.
"Empath, what's wrong?" Smurfette
asked sweetly. "You smurf like you haven't smurfed me in years! Is
everything all right?"
Truth to tell, Empath really did
feel like he hasn't seen Smurfette in years. At that moment, he
felt like he was back with his friend Polaris Psyche traveling
around the world, trying to find the way to get all the time-lost
Smurfs back home, wondering if he was ever going to see
Smurfette's face again. It was a really odd feeling. Nevertheless,
Empath smiled.
"Everything is just the way that
this smurf wanted it to be, Smurfette...perfect," Empath said,
gently touching her face.
And then as the wedding music
stopped, Papa Smurf took his place on the altar platform with
Grandpa Smurf, Nanny, and Smoogle while Empath, Smurfette,
Polaris, Flowerbelle, the Pussywillow Pixies, and Snappy faced
forward as they stood before the assemblage of all the Smurfs.
Wild stood among them dressed in a tuxedo like everyone else,
though he still wore his leaf-woven Smurf hat.
"My little Smurfs, as both your
Papa Smurf and the leader of this village," he began, "it smurfs
me great pleasure to smurf the long-awaited privilege of smurfing
these two fine Smurfs together in the bonds of smurfy matrimony. I
know how eager the both of you are in wanting to smurf eterntiy
with each other. However, if there is any Smurf who feels that
these two should not be smurfed together in marriage, please smurf
now or forever hold your smurf!"
"I hate that...," one of the
Smurfs began to speak.
"Grouchy! What is it?" Papa Smurf
asked as every Smurf now looked at him, expecting for him to speak
his mind.
Grouchy looked nervous, as he just
simply said something without actually thinking, and he didn't
know what else to say beyond that. "Uh...that is...I mean...I
would hate that Empath and Smurfette would not be smurfed together
as a married couple for all time!"
Every Smurf sighed with relief
after what Grouchy had said.
"Well, thank you for your honest
and heart-smurfed commentary, Grouchy," Papa Smurf said. "I'm sure
that they both appreciate your concerns for them. Now, if there
are no other objections to this marriage, then let us proceed!"
No other Smurf said anything. Even
Hefty, who was planning to make an objection of his own at this
point in the ceremony, remained silent.
"But I hate that it couldn't have
been me with Smurfette," Grouchy muttered under his breath.
Then Papa Smurf proceeded to the
next part. "Empathy Psyche Smurf, do you take Smurfette to be your
smurfully-wedded wife, to cherish, honor, and obey, in sickness
and in health, in good times and in bad, for better and for worse,
to love her as long as you both shall smurf?"
Empath looked into Smurfette's
eyes. "This smurf...that is...well, I do, Papa Smurf."
"And Smurfette, do you take
Empathy Psyche Smurf to be your smurfully-wedded husband, to
cherish, honor, and obey, in sickness and in health, in good times
and in bad, for better and for worse, to love him as long as you
both shall smurf?"
Smurfette looked into Empath's
eyes. "I do, Papa Smurf."
Papa Smurf then called forth
Snappy. He raised up the pillow which contained the rings that
Smithy Smurf has forged for them. "These rings made of gold will
show that the two of you are insmurfably bound to each other for
all time. You will smurf your own vows and in turn smurf the ring
on the other's finger."
Empath was the first to take the
ring. "Smurfette, from the day this smurf had met you, this smurf
felt an incompleteness not just as a Smurf, but also in my very
being. You have been very patient with this smurf, and you have
taught this smurf more about being a Smurf than anything Papa
Smurf could have taught." He then placed the ring on Smurfette's
finger. "With this ring, this smurf vows that, from the depths of
my own soul, to be the kind of Smurf that you want this smurf to
be, to give you everything that your heart desires no matter the
cost, to make you the one and only Smurf that this smurf will
always love above all others."
Smurfette took the second ring.
"Empath, from the moment I smurfed eyes on you, I smurfed as if my
Prince Smurfing has come at last, underneath all the years of
being smurfed as an emotionless Psyche. You smurfed in me things
that I never thought I could possibly smurf as a Smurf, and you
have smurfed me as being beautiful regardless of how I smurfed."
She then placed the ring on Empath's finger. "With this ring, I
vow that, from everything that I smurf within me, I will help
resmurf unto you the Smurf that you should have been smurfed
as...to smurf you a home and a family that will always love you,
and to have you as the one and only Smurf that I will always smurf
above all others."
"Then, by the powers smurfed in me
by Mother Nature and Father Time, who smurf before us as
witnesses, and by all the Smurfs who have smurfed throughout the
ages, I shall pronounce that Empathy Psyche Smurf and Smurfette
are now husband and wife," Papa Smurf said. "May this bond between
them smurf for all time!"
Every Smurf in the audience
cheered wildly at the pronouncement, while Hefty thrust his fist
in the air to show his approval.
"You may now kiss your bride,
Empath," Papa Smurf said to the now-married couple.
"This smurf wishes to have this
one dance with Smurfette before we make our vow of eternal love
known, Papa Smurf," Empath requested.
Papa Smurf nodded, and Empath then
turned toward Harmony, sitting by the grand piano, waiting to play
that one song Empath had composed for Smurfette. He knew that now
was the time and he started playing it.
Most of the other Smurfs were
half-expecting Harmony to do a horrible job playing Empath's love
song, since he was pretty well known as the worst musician to ever
play any instrument. But this time, Harmony surprised everyone,
making the piano and Empath's music sound just as beautiful as the
wedding itself. Empath took Smurfette's hand as they danced with
each other in their arms and Empath sweetly serenaded his newlywed
wife, telling her in words and music that he would truly love her
until his time was through. Smurfette felt so captivated, she
truly believed everything Empath had said and even sang along,
vowing to love him forever as well. As the music came to a close,
the other Smurfs cheered wildly as Empath and Smurfette kissed
each other.
Empath and Smurfette then met with Hefty, who basically
looked happy and content.
"Hefty, I just wanted to say that
you were a real gentlesmurf and I appreciate that you were willing
to smurf your heart to me so that I could love Empath again,"
Smurfette said. "All those years that I thought that you cared
mostly about your muscles, I'm glad to see the true Hefty Smurf
come out once more to my rescue, and for that I am grateful and I
consider you a true friend." She gave Hefty a kiss on the cheek.
"I just wanted to see you happy,
Smurfette," Hefty said. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you to
make sure of that."
"And I would expect nothing less
than that from Sir Hefty the Bravehearted," Smurfette said,
smiling.
"It's interesting, Hefty, that
with your opportunity to speak out against the union taking place,
you chose to allow it without any reservation," Empath said.
"I've smurfed what I had to smurf
to Smurfette and I feel content with that, Empath," Hefty said.
"Not that I'm still not jealous of you right now for marrying
Smurfette, but if what we smurfed through with Chlorhydris smurfed
me anything, the only way I can truly smurf my love for Smurfette
now is to let her go and smurf her heart to a Smurf that I can
truly count upon now."
"Just to let you know, Hefty, you
did tell Chlorhydris that this smurf is your friend," Empath said.
"Well, that's one thing I'm not
smurfing back, Empath," Hefty said. "And if it means anything to
you, I'm always going to be yours from now on."
Hefty extended his hand toward
Empath, which he accepted and shook. "This smurf is honored to
have you as a friend."
After Empath and Smurfette had
moved on, Duncan showed up beside Hefty. "I never thought you had
it in you, my boy, to smurf the heart that's underneath all them
muscles that you smurf," Duncan said, slapping Hefty in the back.
"I can't fight Empath on anything,
Gutsy, but I still know who I can challenge when it smurfs to
being the toughest Smurf of all," Hefty said.
"Anytime, anywhere, laddie, I'll
be the Smurf who can challenge you in anything...even in things
that muscles and fists can't smurf," Duncan said.
Jokey had his surprise packages exploding confetti as the
newlywed couple made their way to the banquet table, making the
first slice in their wedding cake that Greedy had baked and
designed with two tiny figurines that Sculptor had crafted on top.
The other Smurfs and their guests toasted Empath and Smurfette
with smurfberry wine and sarsaparilla ale, some of which got
poured on their heads, and even asked if they would ever name
their first child after their fellow Smurfs. Vanity with Handy's
photo-smurfer made sure he took enough pictures of the happy
couple so that they could remember this moment for the rest of
their lives. But for the most part, Vanity wanted to remember a
wedding that was just as beautiful to look at as he was, every
day.
Just before Empath and Smurfette
were to embark on their honeymoon to enjoy their first few days of
marital bliss, Papa Smurf had to tell Empath something very
important that was on his mind.
"Promise me, Empath, that when you
smurf your first child with Smurfette, that you wouldn't be
foolish enough to smurf him away to Psychelia. I almost missed out
on being a Papa Smurf to you the first time…I just don't want to
lose the chance of ever becoming a Grandpa Smurf."
Empath knew what Papa Smurf was
saying. "You can count on this smurf, Papa Smurf, to make sure
that, whether it's a boy or a girl, this smurf will love and care
enough for the child to prevent that mistake from happening
again," he affirmed. "Of course, this smurf is hoping that it
would take after Smurfette!"
"I know that Empath won't smurf
anything that bad," Smurfette added, laughing slightly. "But no
matter Empath might teach our child about being able to smurf for
the stars, he or she will still need me to smurf them back on the
ground and remind them about being a Smurf, first and foremost."
She hugged Papa Smurf and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you so
much for making me a real Smurf."
Papa Smurf blushed slightly. "I
should thank you, Smurfette, for choosing to be a real Smurf. This
wouldn't be possible if you hadn't smurfed into our lives."
The Smurflings were the last ones
who wanted to say something to Empath, but weren't so sure of what
to say. Finally Snappy decided to speak for them.
"Hey, Empath, you're not going to
forget about us now, are you? I mean, it isn't going to be the
same in the village anymore with Smurfette smurfing your reins."
"That is true, Snappy," Empath
answered. "But you are part of my family now. No matter what
happens between us, this smurf will still care for you and for all
the other Smurfs."
"Hey, good luck, Empath and
Smurfette," Slouchy said.
"May nature guide you in the right
path," Nat said.
"Hasta lasagna…don't smurf any on
ya!" Snappy said.
Sassette didn't know what to say,
so Smurfette simply hugged her. "Take care of the Smurflings while
I'm gone, little sister," she told her.
"I will, big sister," Sassette
replied, wiping a tear from her eye. "And take good care of Empath
for me. You're already making me jealous of you."
With those happy and heartfelt
thoughts, Empath and Smurfette boarded the wicker gondola that a
friendly stork was carrying to an island paradise far beyond the
range of the Smurf forest. As the gondola lifted itself off the
ground and the other Smurfs and guests gathered around it, Empath
and Smurfette looked down at their fellow Smurfs as if it were the
last time they would ever see them like this. Then Smurfette threw
her bouquet to the crowd while Empath threw something frilly of
Smurfette's.
"I can’t believe this!" Sassette
jumped up and down with excitement. "I just smurfed the bouquet!"
"That’s nothing, Sassette!" Snappy
jeered, holding up what looked like a garter. "I just smurfed
something even better -- Smurfette’s slingshot!"
"Gee, Snappy, that’s a
funny-smurfing slingshot you have there," Slouchy commented,
sounding very sly.
"You know what they say," Nat
added. "He who smurfs the slingshot must marry she who smurfs the
bouquet!"
"Wait a minute!" Snappy whined,
caught by surprise. "You mean -- I have to marry Sassette?"
"And I have to marry Snappy?"
Sassette asked, also surprised.
Both of them stuck their tongues
out at that thought. "Eeww -- that’s gross!" they both said
together.
Nat and Slouchy decided to have
more fun with that thought. "Snappy and Sassette sitting in a
tree, s-m-u-r-f-i-n-g," they sang together, further teasing the
both of them. "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a
Smurfling in a baby carriage!"
Disgusted, Snappy and Sassette
threw the bouquet and the garter at Nat and Slouchy as they
laughed. They knew when they had enough teasing, even about
something they certainly weren’t going to think about.
Meanwhile, Papa Smurf was watching the stork flying off
into the horizon when he noticed Empath embracing Smurfette and
kissing in the gondola. He didn’t notice Polaris Psyche standing
right next to him until he spoke.
"Empath must have been a really
special Smurf to you, Papa Smurf," Polaris commented.
"He was my son, Polaris," Papa
Smurf nodded. "He made a change in my life ever since he was born.
He made me a Papa Smurf long before I became that name. He made me
smurf myself in ways that I have never smurfed possible. He helped
bring an entire generation of orphans together into a family, and
then eventually became part of it. If he ever thought he lost
anything from that, I would say he gained a lot more -- the best
of the both worlds he lived in."
"So that must make you the
luckiest Smurf that ever lived, Papa Smurf," Polaris said.
Papa Smurf sighed, smiling. "No,
Polaris...Empath is. He is definitely the luckiest Smurf of all!"