Hefty, The Luckiest Smurf/Part 7

At that moment, Traveler removed his hand from Hefty's head, and suddenly all the images from that alternate timeline rushed by in reverse until he and Empath were left standing in Hefty's bedroom at the point in time in the actual timeline where Traveler had touched Hefty. Empath noticed that Hefty was still asleep, oblivious to anything that was going on in his bedroom since Traveler and Empath were still outside of time.

"This smurf doesn't see how Hefty falling in love with Smurfette in that timeline would have done any harm to Smurfette, Traveler," Empath said.

"But you do see what harm this relationship she would have had with Hefty would have done to you, Empath," Traveler said. "Had it not been for Smurfette trying to reason with you about what you were doing with Hefty by taking him to Psychelia when you were the Psyche Master, it is likely that Hefty would have been dead and Smurfette would have been heartbroken and thinking that you were a monster for killing Hefty."

"And that's what you were sensing from this smurf all along...that if this smurf was returned to Psychelia, then this smurf would eventually find out that this relationship Smurfette would have with him and react in the way that this smurf did in that timeline," Empath said, realizing what Traveler was showing.

"Now you see that letting Smurfette have any relationship she would want with her fellow Smurfs may not be easy for you to do in the long run, especially with your constant adversary Hefty," Traveler said.

"But this smurf can't keep an iron grip on this smurf's relationship with Smurfette, Traveler," Empath said. "She's got to have her freedom to love whoever she chooses, or else it wouldn't truly be love at all."

"There's so much about your relationship with Smurfette that will challenge whatever you believe about love, Empath...things that this one cannot reveal to you right now, but will only warn you to prepare for, because they will test whether you truly love Smurfette or not," Traveler said. "Anyway, there's not much else this one needs you for, so this one will return you to your resting quarters where you will face whatever lies ahead in the brand new day."

And with that, Traveler transported Empath back into his bedroom and disappeared, leaving Empath wondering about Traveler's words and what he had seen through the alternate timeline they were discovering together. - By morning, Empath woke up to the sound of knocking on his door. He got up, dressed himself in his Psychelian bodysuit, and answered the door to find Hefty waiting for him outside, wearing his jogging suit. "Salutations, fellow Hefty," Empath greeted. "Is there something this smurf can help you with this morning?"

"I just want to have a private talk with you while we jog together, Empath," Hefty said, sounding eager to get going.

Empath nodded, understanding what Hefty wanted. As the two of them went out jogging together, Hefty told Empath about the dream he had last night, of how he saw Empath go back to Psychelia to become the next Psyche Master while he ended up marrying Smurfette and having a child through her. Empath knew that the dream sounded very much like the alternate timeline he had traveled through, but he made no mention of it to Hefty.

"This smurf does not understand why you would want to tell this smurf about your dream, Hefty," Empath said. "Is there something in the dream that made you realize something about yourself?"

"Well, let's smurf it this way, Empath," Hefty said. "I still don't like you and I still don't want to be friends with you, but it seems like the last thing I would want is to see you be smurfed away to Psychelia, even if it's to smurf you out of my life once and for all."

"But that still leaves you wondering what you're going to do about this smurf having a relationship with Smurfette if that's interfering with what you want with her, Hefty," Empath said.

"What I want for her is to be happy, Empath," Hefty said. "But I guess the hardest thing for me to smurf is to let her be happy with whomever she wants to smurf with. I seem to be the Smurf who wants Smurfette more than any other Smurf in this village, and I would fight any Smurf to make sure that she is the one and only Smurf that I will have in this life."

To be expanded.