Author's Note: Well this is it. The LAST chapter, phew. Hope you all enjoyed this story. I thank you all for hanging in there and waiting so patiently for me to finish it. To let you all know this will most likely be the last Smurfs fanfic I write. The reason being that I am very busy with my animation projects and there are still other stories here on that I need to finish still. I have posted links on my profile to show the updates I posted on YouTube, and other sites if you wish to go check them out.
Again, I thank you all, and your pleasant reviews. Happy Reading!
Chapter 16 - Time to go Home
Elder Nat, Elder Slouchy, Elder Sassette, and Elder Snappy guided the tired but eager time travelers outside on the open meadow just past the playground. Of all the adventures Papa and the others been on with the time crystals meeting the smurfs of the future had been the most memorable. It was heartbreaking that soon they would be saying goodbye. However, there would be new adventures awaiting them back home. That indeed has been something the smurfs were looking forward too for such a long time.
"We want to thank you for helping us in putting our smurflings to bed before you smurfs head back home." Elder Slouchy said, breaking the silence as they walked.
"Yes, we are sorry though on how hyper they were. It is often hard to calm them down after a party." Nat added.
"We understand," Papa Smurf nodded.
"Sure, the little wiper-smurfers were just excided that is all." Grandpa Smurf chuckled.
"Ooh, but they were still so very cute. You smurfs must be proud." Smurfette exclaimed.
Elder Sassette looked over her shoulder and smiled at the young blond. "That we are, Smurfette." She proudly stated.
"It is almost a shame zat we are heading back home now." Painter Smurf spoke up. "Zare could be more we zat we could learn from you smurfs."
"Yes Painter," Slouchy agreed, "Having you all here has brought a lot of memories back for us. We're just sorry it must end so soon."
"So are we," Handy Smurf added. Young Hefty and Brainy quickly glanced a knowing look at each other with a hint of worry to their brother's comment. They both know the fate of their brothers and elders, and yet they promised not to mention anything about it. Truthfully, they hated to keep anything, especially something as important as this, a secret. Some kind of warning has to be made, but how?
As they finally came to the meadow, they saw Elder Brainy and a more mature Hefty with their smurfette mates already waiting for them. Papa Smurf grinned as he walked up to them.
"I want to thank you all again for your hospitality it has been a really smurfy experience." Papa Smurf announced with pride.
Elder Brainy forced a weary smile. "I'm glad you had a smurfy time."
The old village elder raised a sceptical eyebrow as he wondered something. "Is there anything you wish to talk about, Brainy?"
Elder Brainy paused. He glanced over at his matured brother, Hefty for a brief moment before looking straight at Papa Smurf again. "Just a little tired I guess."
"I see," Papa nodded thoughtfully. He decided not to pursue any further than that. It did not escape him that Brainy's younger self and Hefty were acting a little anxious about something as well. He couldn't quite put his finger on, but he suspected it was not good.
The rustling of dried leaves on the ground caused the other smurfs to turn as the two magical smurfs entered the field.
"About time you two showed up." Elder Brainy grumbled.
"We needed to get changed." Sorcerette replied defensively as she addressed at her and Sorcerer's traditional purple suits.
"Oh brother," Brainette groaned while rolling her eyes skyward.
"Then I take it you both are ready?" Brainy asked.
Sorcerer shot a glare at his elder. "Do we have a choice?" He snapped.
"Sorcerer, you know that this has to get done." The bespectacled elder whispered harshly through clinched teeth.
"But, they should know the truth." Sorcerer argued.
"Know what?" Asked young Snappy Smurfling.
"Does this have to do with that secret room we found earlier?" The young Brainy purposely took this opportunity to mention it.
Everyone went silent for a moment. Brainette narrowed her vision at the young bespectacled smurf.
"What room?" Little Sassette finally asked. When no one answered her she stomped her foot on the ground and crossed her arms. "Silent Smurfs, what is everyone talking about?" She cried.
Brainette exhaled a loud sigh before speaking. "The room in question is a very special room that holds our fondest memories from our past." She explained.
"That's not all, is there?" The young Hefty pointed his finger accusingly at Toughette and his future self.
Toughette glanced up at her mate with a hint of worry and regret.
"What the smurf is going on here?" Handy demanded.
"Yeah!" Vanity, painter, Clumsy, and lazy agreed.
"I'm sorry, we can't answer any of that." Elder Brainy raised his hand up to ward off any further questions on the subject.
"What? No, you must explain yourselves!" The young Hefty moved forward, and attempted to reach for Elder Brainy in an aggressive manner. His future self stepped in between them to prevent Hefty from grabbing the elder.
"Please stay back. It's for your own good." The matured Hefty warned softly.
This time Papa Smurf stepped forward. "I'm sorry I must insist on knowing what is going on."
Brainette and the other elders all shared the same guilty glance before the smurfette elder spoke up. "I'm afraid when you leave this time line you will have to leave your memories behind as well."
"I don't understand." Smurfette admitted.
"I think I do," Papa Smurf nodded solemnly. After a moment of thinking about it he added. "Apparently we've witnessed quite a bit in our travels, and it may conflict with our lives back home. Isn't that correct?"
Elder Brainy nodded 'yes' with a long regrettable frown.
"But Papa Smurf!" Sorcerer reached out to him. "It's not fair!"
"No, my little smurf. You must do what you must." He looked at each of the smurfs of the future before he stopped at Elder Brainy and smiled. "Regardless of what might happen, I can see ten little smurfs that will grow up and raise two hundred smurflings on their own. I'm proud of each of you, even the smurfettes that I am sure looking forward to meeting."
"Even what we are about to do kind of goes against everything about being a smurf?" Elder Brainy pouted.
"I feel whatever you need to do is for a good cause, Brainy."
"Well," the bespectacled elder admitted softly. "This is a direct request from Father Time. He felt it was necessary to erase your memories from your journey through time, especially about the future."
"I understand." Papa nodded.
"Oh, I was wondering when we would hear from that old timer." Grandpa remarked as he stroked his beard.
"He assured us that if there were any other way he would suggest it. Father Time will be expecting the time crystals back when you return. He is waiting for you back in the village." Elder Brainy explained.
"Thank you." Papa held out his hand to the community's elder. Slowly Brainy reached his own hand out, and Papa took it into his before giving a sturdy shake. "For everything." The village elder added.
"Uh, you're welcome, Papa Smurf." Elder Brainy said in an insecure tone.
"I believe you two wiper-smurfers have a job to do." Grandpa mentioned to the magical smurfs.
"You are all ok with this?" Sorcerer asked sadly.
"Well, it won't be smurfy to just forget everything about our trip, but I'm sure everysmurf here agrees that we just want to go home." Vanity pointed out.
"Yeah," most of the other young smurfs agreed.
Sorcerer lunged out and wrapped his arms around Papa Smurf. "I won't forget you." He sniffled back his tears.
"I'm sorry I can't say the same." Papa Smurf emotionally replied as he returned the hug.
"I'm so glad I had the chance to get to know you smurfs." Sorcerette chimed as she started giving grandpa smurf a hug.
"Me too young one." He whispered in her ear.
Toughette, saw the concern in the young Hefty s face. She thought of something and smiled. "Hey Hefty!" She called out, and both strong smurfs looked at her. With a wink, and holding her beloved mate close she added, "see you in the future."
The young smurf realized that there were some things he wouldn't mind experiencing in his own future. He returned a small smile before taking a step back to rejoin his fellow time-travelers.
"Well, here we go." Papa Smurf announced as he slid the crystals out of the pouch and placing them on the ground. Grandpa pulled out the ruby key and prepared to use it on the crystals.
"Goodbye smurfs." Elder Snappy said softly.
"Yeah, goodbye." The other elders echoed. In saying those words it suddenly felt like a heavy weight had been lifted, and their past can rest.
"Everyone ready?" Sorcerer asked.
"Yes." Papa nodded.
Grandpa pointed the key at the crystals. The crystals began to glow before rising up from the ground. Each crystal piece danced around each other in the air until they formed a shape.
The two magical smurfs focused on their words for the spell they are about to chant. The second Sorcerer opened his eyes they glowed a bright blue, and Sorcerette glowed red. At the same time they both chanted:
Ut itinere vestro tuta domus
Vestra memoria, oblevisse
Domi eris
Tempus itinereantur iter iustus erat somnium **
As the young magical smurfs kept chanting a light blue aura glowed around the smurfs of the old village. Gradually a rainbow twister rose up from the crystal puzzle. It quickly engulfed the time-travelers smurfs. The colorful wind storm lifted up towards the tree tops before disappearing.
As soon as it was all over the future smurfs silently went back inside the community to perhaps watch some TV.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
A week has gone by in the smurf village. Everysmurf went about their daily routine with no memory of time crystals, or ever been missing in time.
One beautiful sunny morning, Papa Smurf stepped out of his house and right away he stretched out his arms before letting a big yawn. As he brought down his arms he glanced over the other villagers as they focused on their morning chores. He smiled with pride, thinking that today would be a good day for possible new beginnings.
His thoughts were interrupted when Tracker smurf ran up to him and cried. "Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf. There's a storm coming." He proved his theory by pointing up at the eastern sky. "I smelt it in the air just before I looked up and saw the clouds."
Papa Smurf followed Trackers hand up to the sky. Very dark and heavy clouds formed over the mountains. They seemed to be heading straight for the smurf village. 'So much for a good day,' the elder thought to himself.
"I believe you are correct, Tracker. We better tell the others to prepare for it." The red-capped elder said.
"Right away, tally-ho!" Crowed the nature smurf before running off.
Papa looked over and saw Hefty eyeing the clouds and for some reason there was a sudden panic in the pit of his stomach. He quickly shook it off and set out to make sure there wasn't anything missed in securing everysmurf's home and food shelter.
A single thought at that moment came to him, and was not sure why, but for some unexplainable reason it made sense:
For smurfs everything comes full circle.
The End.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
** (Latin spell translation)
May your journey home be safe
Your memories, erased
At home you will be
The time travel journey was just a dream