Empath's Wedding/Part 4

Soon the team of Hefty, Tuffy, Willpower, and Century had entered the land of Pussywillow Hollow, led by Duncan McSmurf. The land hidden behind the fog on the other side of Toad River hasn't changed much since the last time they visited this dangerous land.

"Smurf on your toes, laddies," Duncan warned his companions. "Everything in this area's much bigger than what's in the rest of the forest. Plus we have those nasty Wartmongers who are out to smurf anything that moves, which includes us and the Pussywillow Pixies."

"Well, I'm not afraid of what smurfs on in here," Tuffy said.

"Just keep your smurf down and be very careful, or else we won't smurf out of here alive," Hefty told Tuffy.

"I wish Tracker were here on this journey," Century said. "I don't know where to begin to look for the Pussywillow Pixies."

"We'll find them, Century," Willpower said. "We may have to smurf through every part of the hollow, but we'll find them."

"Shhh," Duncan said. "I hear something smurfing through the bullrushes up ahead."

They hid themselves behind the bullrushes and watched quietly as the three known Wartmonger hunters -- Sludge, Slag, and Slime -- made their way past them, talking among themselves about what they and King Bullrush is going to do with the Pussywillow Pixies.

"One would figure those imbeciles would have given up on the lassies by now," Duncan said.

"Oh dear," Century said.

"I'd like to smurf those three what they can smurf with their bubble guns," Tuffy said, eager for a fight.

"We're trying to avoid a fight with them, Tuffy," Hefty said, muffling Tuffy. "Not that I wouldn't like to smurf them a good smurfing myself."

"The coast is clear, Smurfs," Willpower said, as he peered out of the bullrushes and saw no sign of the three Wartmongers.

"Stay alert, laddies," Duncan McSmurf said. "They may smurf back for us if we're not careful."

The five of them continued on their way through the mysterious region filled with large creatures and flowers. None of them liked the idea of staying in such a place for too long.

"I hope Empath and Smurfette appreciate what we're smurfing here," Hefty said, again sounding like he didn't want to be on this particular mission.

"Me, I'm only hoping that the Pussywillow Pixies would attend such a grand ceremony," Century said. "I certainly wouldn't miss it for the world."

"There they are!" Willpower exclaimed, spotting the group they were after.

The Pussywillow Pixies saw who was approaching them. "Oh, I do declare, it's the Smurfs," Lilac said.

"My child, what brings you and your friends out into this dangerous place?" Elderberry asked, addressing Duncan.

"We're here on behalf of our friends in the Smurf Village to deliver you this invite," Duncan said, handing Elderberry the message, which she opened to read.

"'Dear friends, you are smurfially invited to attend the wedding of Empath Smurf and Smurfette'," Elderberry read from the letter. "Oh, dear, your friends are getting married?"

"A wedding?" Acorn said, sounding all excited. "Can we go to it, Elderberry? Please?"

The other four young Pussywillow Pixies sounded like they were so eager to attend the wedding as well.

"Now, now, my little pixies," Elderberry said. "Let's not rush things." She then turned to Duncan. "We do appreciate the honor of this invite being sent to us. The thing is, is that we have never dared to venture beyond Pussywillow Hollow, and we can't stay in your world for too long."

"Surely there must be a way for your clan to do so, since you know some things about magic," Duncan said.

"Even the magic that I know has its limits, my child," Elderberry said. "When is this wedding supposed to smurf place?"

"Within a week," Hefty said. "If you can't smurf in our world for more than a week, it smurfs like we're going to have to smurf here until that day smurfs."

"Smurf here for a week?" Century said. "Oh, my, and I was smurfing of a relaxing facial treatment when we smurf back to the village."

"I'm not afraid of Wartmongers or anything that smurfs around here," Tuffy said.

"We can smurf this, can we?" Willpower said. "If it's worth Empath and Smurfette's happiness, I'd say we smurf here and keep the Wartmongers from smurfing us and the pixies until the day before the wedding."

"Smurfs like we don't have a choice," Duncan said. "Century, you smurf back to the village and tell Papa Smurf that we'll be smurfing here and escorting the pixies to the wedding the day before."

"Good smurf, Duncan," Century said. He then turned to leave the hollow.

"Well, it's such a pleasure to have some fine gentlemen escorting us to a wedding," Lilac said.

"I wonder what Smurfette would look like in a wedding dress," Acorn said.

"I wonder if I'll meet Clumsy at the wedding," Pansy said, sighing at the thought.

"You're very brave Smurfs to stay with us for such an event," Elderberry said. "The bride and groom will surely be pleased to know that you risked your lives to have us along as your guests."

"Yeah, they'll be pleased, all right," Hefty said, again with the sound of disappointment.

"Come on, laddie, this is no time to be smurfing about things on your mind," Duncan said to Hefty. "Let's smurf with the pixies and make sure we don't get smurfed by the Wartmongers."

"Whatever you smurf, Gutsy," Hefty said. - Meanwhile, out on the open sea, Dreamy sailed the S.S. Smurf II to the coordinates on the map where Atlantica should be. With him as part of his crew are Handy, Marco, Swimmer, and Surfer, plus a few others. Handy was outfitted with his deep-sea diving suit, which he first used to rescue Marina years ago in the River Smurf and then later used to rescue her father King Aquarius when he fell ill and Marina tried to go to the Pool of Avalon to get some lilyroot.

"This should be the smurf on the map where we need to smurf anchor," Marco said.

"Ahoy, there," Dreamy called out to the crew. "Smurf anchor!" Some Smurfs threw the anchor overboard.

"It's a good thing Papa Smurf had this message be smurfed with waterproof paper and ink," Handy said. "Otherwise, Marina wouldn't be able to smurf the message."

"Now, remember, Handy, we can't smurf in this spot for too long," Marco said. "We know how much you love Marina and all, and Swimmer and Surfer will smurf the smurferator to make sure you're smurfing enough air. But we're only here to deliver a message. If there's any smurf of trouble down there, smurf on the line and we'll smurf you up. And if we smurf into any trouble, we'll smurf on the line to signal you."

"I know what I'm smurfing, Marco," Handy said, eager to get on with the dive. "Well, here smurfs!"

Handy put on his helmet and jumped off the ship, lowering himself into the depths of the sea while Swimmer and Surfer operated the smurferator to make sure Handy had enough air.

"What I wouldn't give to be smurfing down there to see Atlantica for myself," Swimmer said.

"How can you surf in such a place like that?" Surfer said.

"Generally, you wouldn't," Swimmer said. "You'd be smurfing around on seahorses."

"Seahorses?" Surfer said. "That would be more like what Wooly would like to smurf."

"Wooly isn't much of a sea Smurf, Surfer," Swimmer said. "He tried smurfing around on dolphins, but he still prefers wild toads."

"Whatever smurfs his board," Surfer said with a sigh. "I hope Handy has smurfed over the fact that this Marina has smurfed her heart to this Snorkelian that he smurfed several years ago."

"Yeah, those creatures are really weird," Swimmer said. "They look like us, but they smurf those snorkels on their heads."

"Imagine an entire village of those Snorkelians, smurfing underwater like we smurf on land," Surfer said.

"Come on, you two, let's keep smurfing the pump," Dreamy said, noticing that their minds are drifting away from the job.

Meanwhile, Handy had reached the bottom of the sea. He could see Marina swimming about with her boyfriend Dylan the Snorkelian. He remembered how he met this strange being who looked like a Smurf yet had a snorkel on his head that allowed him to breathe. He remembered building a submarine so that he, Marco, and Empath could help Dylan rescue his people and Marina from a menace that lived in the oceans called Leviathan. He remembered how heartbroken he felt when Marina fell in love with Dylan, realizing at last that he and Marina could never be together.

"Marina, look who's here," Dylan said as he noticed Handy in his deep-sea diving suit.

"Hello again, Handy," Marina said as she swam toward him. "I trust that everything's going well on land with you."

"I see that you're happy with Dylan, Marina," Handy said. "I have come to deliver a message to you."

"A message?" Dylan wondered. "Are your Smurfs in any trouble?"

"No, of course not," Handy said. "It's just that my friends, Empath and Smurfette, are getting married."

"Oh, that just sounds so romantic," Marina said after she read the message. "I would like with my very being to be there."

"I know you have trouble smurfing on land for very long, Marina," Hefty said. "Fortunately we still have the smurferator."

"I would also like to attend this wedding just so I can be with Marina," Dylan said. "I'm pretty capable of being on land as well as in the sea, and I can watch over her in case there's any problems."

"I can't think of going anywhere without you, my sweet Dylan," Marina said, looking into her boyfriend's eyes.

"We don't mean you any disrespect, Handy," Dylan said. "Marina has told me so much about you. I know you've been a very good friend to her and her father. And I appreciate that you've saved my people and brought us two together."

"I just wish I could be in your smurfs right about now, Dylan," Handy said.

"We appreciate the message you have sent us, Handy," Marina said, kissing him on his helmet. "If my father King Aquarius permits, we will be there the day before the wedding."

"That's great," Handy said, sounding like he really didn't know what to say. "It may not be like old times, but at least we could smurf together one last time." - Papa Smurf decided to deliver this particular message himself to Flowerbell, the woodnymph whom he fell in love with about four years before Empath's final return from Psychelia. He didn't like how she used him just so she could be set free from Lord Balthazar's clutches, and he was less enthused by the idea of having to marry her so that Avarice the greedy treasure hunting imp wouldn't be able to use her to get his hands on the ancient Treasure of the Trolls. But he wasn't going to continue holding a grudge against her. Apparently Smurfette liked Flowerbell enough to think about having her attend the wedding as a matron of honor.

He reached the hole in the tree where she said that she was staying in. He knocked on the door and waited.

"Hello! Who is it?" a familiar female voice called from inside.

"It's me, Papa Smurf, your old friend," he replied.

The door opened, and Flowerbell appeared. "Oh, it's you, Pops," she greeted. "You look different from the last time we were together. What happened to that smurfy beard you used to wear?"

Papa Smurf chuckled. "Well, I figured that it was time to smurf for a more comfortable look, Flowerbell."

Flowerbell giggled. "You sure look like you're years younger, Pops. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Just a little message that I wanted to smurf to you from some friends," Papa Smurf said, handing her the message.

Flowerbell opened the envelope and read the message. "It's from Smurfette! She wants me to be the matron of honor! Oh, this is just too much for me to take!"

"Smurfette still thinks highly of you to smurf you such an honor," Papa Smurf said.

"And I would be glad to become her matron of honor, Pops," Flowerbell said. "It's just that I won't be attending this wedding alone."

"Oh?" Papa Smurf wondered. "Is there someone you wish to smurf along to the wedding?"

"Oh, yes, there is," Flowerbell answered. "He's someone very special that I have met since that time you saved me from Avarice. This is my boyfriend Glonk."

Then Glonk appeared at the door, and Papa Smurf was rather surprised by his appearance. It was like this creature was all head and hair, and looked rather fearsome. "Glonk glonk," he said to Papa Smurf.

"Oh, don't mind him, Pops," Flowerbell said. "He may look rather scary, but he's a real sweetheart. I couldn't be more happier having him around."

Papa Smurf chuckled. "Well, Flowerbell, you certainly have interesting tastes."

"Glonk, this is Papa Smurf," Flowerbell said. "He's come here to invite us to a wedding for two of his little Smurfs, and I'm going to be the matron of honor."

"How do you do, Glonk," Papa Smurf said, extending his hand toward him in friendship, expecting a handshake.

"Glonk glonk," Glonk said, grabbing Papa Smurf's hand and strongly shaking him so hard it made Papa feel rather dizzy.

"Oh my," Papa Smurf said, trying to recover from the handshake. "That Glonk sure smurfs a strong grip!"

"That's how I like them, Pops...big, strong, and hairy," Flowerbell said. "Anyway, you can expect us to be there as soon as possible. I would love to show Glonk to the other Smurfs in the village."

"I'll make sure my little Smurfs will be expecting you and this...uh, Glonk," Papa Smurf said.