Why Empath Won't Fight Hefty

It was a hot summer day, and Hefty was taking a break from his work outside of Tapper's Tavern as his fellow Smurf served him smurfberry tea with a hint of lemonade in it to help him relax. "Is there something that seems to be troubling you, my fellow Hefty?" Tapper asked.

"Yeah, it's about Empath, Tapper," Hefty answered. "Of all the Smurfs in the village who claim to be strong, why doesn't he ever try to prove himself by smurfing a fight with me?"

"You're assuming that every strong Smurf wants to smurf a fight with you, Hefty, which I think is your problem," Tapper said. "I haven't smurfed any evidence of Empath wanting to smurf a fight with anyone, nor is he willing to smurf into a fight with anyone just to prove himself."

"Well, why does he smurf with Gutsy all the time out in the forest to practice smurfing with the quarterstaff, if he's not interested in smurfing a fight with anyone?" Hefty asked.

"There's a difference between wanting to fight with anyone and having to fight with anyone, Hefty, and I would say Empath is the type of Smurf who smurfs with the latter," Tapper answered. "Duncan is only making sure that Empath could handle himself with a weapon should he ever need to fight anyone with one, which I pray will not be very often if at all. I'd rather see Empath be sensible when it smurfs to fighting rather than foolhardy."

"Most Smurfs would rather see him use those minds-eye powers of his, which I think is no substitute for plain old smurfpower like I have," Hefty said. "If you ask me, I think Empath is a coward for having to rely on those powers."

"And how often does he rely on those abilities that you claim makes him a coward, Hefty?" Tapper asked. "I am very grateful that he is blessed with such abilities, which I would not want to see him smurf without, but all I see him want to be is a normal Smurf like the rest of us, which must smurf a lot of courage on his part to smurf on a daily basis."

"He'll never be a normal Smurf, Tapper, no matter how hard he tries," Hefty said. "And I still can't accept that he has no interest in wanting to prove that he is the stronger Smurf in the village with his refusing to fight anyone."

"Then I would have to wonder who's really the strong Smurf in the village if all you're smurfing for is to fight Empath, Hefty," Tapper said, sighing as he returned to his tavern.

At that moment, Empath and Duncan were just arriving, looking like they had quite a workout with their training session. "Laddie, you are surely a tough one to let anyone smurf the better of you," Duncan said. "You got me smurfing new bruises on top of old ones that you smurfed on me from the last time we smurfed together."

"This smurf senses that you'll never stop trying to find a way that you can best this smurf in a quarterstaff fight, Duncan," Empath said. "This smurf hopes that the only injury this smurf has ever inflicted upon you is your pride."

"Aye, you injured that part of me enough times, and it hasn't stopped me yet," Duncan said. "I think you just enjoy smurfing a fool out of me, the very one who has smurfed you everything you need to know about fighting with a staff."

"This smurf would never be the fighter that this smurf is now without you, Duncan, and for that this smurf is grateful," Empath said.

Tapper returned from inside the tapper with two glasses of smurfberry tea. "Greetings, my fellow Smurfs. Smurfed enough training in the forest today, have you?"

Duncan groaned as he sat down. "Empath is such a cruel taskmaster with how he smurfs me with a quarterstaff, I don't think that I can smurf at night without feeling what he smurfed to me."

"As a true Smurfsman, you would smurf those bruises like a badge of pride, my fellow Duncan," Tapper said as he handed Duncan and Empath their glasses of tea. "But I would hardly think that Empath intended to be that brutal to you."

"Is it this smurf's fault that that's how he wants this smurf to fight, without holding anything back, Tapper?" Empath said.

"I'll leave the consequences of his choices in his hands, my fellow Empath, as long as you know the consequences of your own choices," Tapper said. "If there's anything else that you want, just let me know."

After Tapper left, Duncan noticed Hefty sitting at another table. "So how goes my fellow Smurf in arms today?" Duncan asked.

"I was fine until you two smurfed along, Gutsy," Hefty answered. "However, I do have something on my mind that I would rather talk to Empath about alone."

Empath sensed his feeling in Hefty as he looked at Duncan. "I think you'd better tend to whatever's smurfing with the boy while I go and resmurferate from the injuries of our training session, laddie," Duncan said before he got up and headed inside the tavern.

With Empath now alone, he went over to the table that Hefty was sitting at. "So what's on your mind that you need to ask this smurf about?" Empath asked.

"I just want to know why is it that you're not interested in wanting to prove that you're the strongest Smurf in the village by fighting me," Hefty answered.

"This smurf knows what you want, Hefty, and unfortunately this smurf can't give you what you want, ever," Empath said.

"Yeah, but why?" Hefty asked. "Is it because you're so afraid of something?"

"This smurf is afraid, but not of you, Hefty," Empath said. "It is the possibility that this smurf will injure you to the point of death that this smurf refuses to have any fight with you, and besides this smurf really doesn't have any desire to fight you. If anything, this smurf would rather have you pound your fists into this smurf until you have expended yourself."

"So you'd rather be a punching bag than ever punch back," Hefty said. "It figures that you're really a coward after all."

"This smurf can't ever apologize for how this smurf wants to live my life, Hefty," Empath said. "This smurf has no interest in wanting to get into fights with any Smurf because you are all this smurf's friends and this smurf's family. Granted, there are things that you do that test this smurf's patience, but this smurf would rather protect you from each other and from those outside the village who want to do harm unto you, and if that includes having to engage them in combat, then this smurf will engage them as long as this smurf doesn't violate the ideals of being a Smurf."

"It still doesn't stop me from smurfing you as a coward, Empath, which is what you really are because you're not a normal Smurf and you never will be one," Hefty said.

"You are correct in saying that this smurf will never be a normal Smurf, and that's something this smurf will have to live with for the rest of this smurf's life, Hefty," Empath said. "But it doesn't mean that this smurf will stop caring for you or for any other Smurf. You are this smurf's brother and you are this smurf's friend, which nothing in the world will ever change."

"We're never going to be friends, Empath," Hefty said. "I only care about you because you're a fellow Smurf, but that's where it ends. You can care about me all you want, but the last thing you'll smurf from me is that I'm your friend, because you and I will always be different. You got that?"

"This smurf acknowledges and understands, Hefty," Empath said.