Chapter 18: The Blue Moon Ball

Hefty made sure his tie was on straight before he headed out of his home. The candles have already been lit in the hanging lanterns even before the sun has fully set over the western sky. Already half the smurfettes have exited their homes to join the party. Beautiful music was being played. Hefty walked over to see Melody playing a harp, while a few smurfettes play wind instruments and the rest in the group played violins. The tone had a soft Irish feel to it. Most of the smurfettes wore similar fancy pink gowns, and the rest had their own unique color and style.

Melody looks up and smiled when she saw Hefty watching her and the others play. "Don't you look very gentlesmurf?" She commented to him.

"You look very smurfy yourself, Melody." He responded with a slight bow.

"Thank you." The musical smurfette blushed as she bowed her head to him. "Perhaps you could save me a dance later after the feast?" She asked hopefully.

"We will certainly see how the night turns out." Hefty told her.

"That is true. It is a Blue Moon tonight, after all. Anything is possible." Melody added with a playful wink at him.

Hefty nodded and continued to walk. He was curious to see how the other smurfettes looked tonight. Just ahead he spotted Mama Smurf in a fancy red gown and glittering shawl. It certainly was not like her traditional dress she usually wore This one had a longer back end that trails along the ground as she walks.

"My, Mama Smurf, you look quite elegant this evening." Hefty politely stated to the village elder with a respective bow.

"Oh, Hefty," Mama Smurf bashfully chuckled. "How are you enjoying everything so far?"

"It is certainly different from what I'm use to back home."

"How do you usually celebrate the coming of the Blue Moon?" Mama Smurf inquiringly asked.

"Well, usually not with so many beautiful smurfettes dressed up in beautiful gowns." Hefty grinned looking around at the scene.

Mama Smurf, again, chuckled with blushing cheeks. "I need to go see how Gingerette is doing with the food preparations. I'll see you later tonight hopefully before King Randolph shows up, ok."

"I can't wait to meet him." Hefty said as she walked off.

"Howdy Hefty Smurf." Cowgirl called out. Hefty turned to see the smurfette in a long pink 'western style' dress. White tassels hung down from her arm sleeves and the bottom of her dress. Her pink boots are still visible with more design patterns on them then her usual boots have. Cowgirl's reddish-brown hair was flowing freely with a wavy appearance from her usual braided pigtail style. "What do ya think?" She asks while she spun in one spot to show off every angle of her in her dress up clothes.

"Very classy." He applauded her.

"I thank ya, kind smurf." She curtsied.

"Wow, what a year it has been, don't you think?" Gosipette cooed as she waltzed in between Hefty and Cowgirl. "I mean it's sad that you haven't been able to find your home yet, but at least you will always have a home here. Life around here hasn't been the same since you came. I almost have forgotten what it was like before we knew smurfs existed. Do you think this is strange? Being the only smurf in a smurfette village, I mean. I would just smurf if I were the only smurfette in a village of all smurfs. Hey, by the way, did you know that…"

Hefty cut her off by holding his hand up to her mouth. "You know I've been meaning to ask you… Do ever you breathe when you speak?"

Gosipette gave a perplexed look. She really didn't know what he meant by that remark. Cowgirl, whom understood what Hefty meant, began to chuckle.

"What is so funny?" A soft voice calls out.

Cowgirl, Hefty, and Gosipette turned to face Ballette. Ballette's dress appeared ready for a formal dance recital. Her pink tights sparkled, and so did her flowing transparent gown. Underneath her gown showed light pink leotards and her pink ballet shoes that also seem to glimmer in the moonlight.

"You look quite lovely tonight, Ballette." Hefty commented.

"Why thank you, Hefty. I plan on performing for the King when he shows up later." Ballette says as she does a dancer's curtsy at the smurf.

"Oh my. Is that…?" Cowgirl trailed off when she realized who is walking up to them.

Gosipette gasps loudly when she noticed what Cowgirl saw. "I don't believe it." For once she was at a loss for words.

Hefty turned and right away his jaw drops. At first he didn't recognize the beautiful bombshell of a smurfette walking up with Valvette. When she got closer, it was then that he realized that it was Toughette. Her golden hair flowed softly over the baby blue gown she wore. Hefty had found himself captivated by her presence so much that the rest of the world around him seemed to just fade away.

Toughette nervously tried not to trip on her own two feet while she walked. She took a deep breath when she notices Hefty watching her. Finally, both her and Valvette stop in front of the smurf, Cowgirl, Ballette, and Gosipette.

"Wow. You look beautiful." Hefty said with a hypnotized look on his face. Toughette smiled bashfully, not knowing how to respond.

"Oh, I know. I can't help looking so good in this dress, being that I designed it myself. It's such a crowd pleaser." Valvette said as she modeled her attire.

Both Hefty and Toughette turn to give Valvette a puzzled look.

"Er, Valvette? I think he was talking to me." Toughette carefully explained.

Valvette realized that Toughette was right. Her cheeks began to blush. "Oh. Right, of course. Heh, heh, silly me." She said trying not to sound hurt. "I, um, think I'll just go…this way." Valvette chuckled sheepishly as she pointed and walked aimlessly in another direction.

"Wow, Toughette. I'm impressed. Didn't think you would smurf the guts to wear… Oof." Gosipette had been cut off as soon as Cowgirl jabbed her in the rib with her elbow. "What?" The bleach blond smurfette hissed to the western-style smurfette.

"What say you and I go for a little walk to get some smurfberry punch, Gosipette?" Cowgirl said, jerking her thumb in the opposite direction.

"Oh no, that's ok. I'm not thirsty." Gosipette waved off Cowgirls offer.

"Ah, but I insist." Cowgirl demanded dragging the bleach blond smurfette away.

"I must say, Toughette, you are doing very well walking in high heels. Guess those lessons do pay off, don't they?" Ballette mentioned to Toughette with a wink.

"Lessons? What lessons?" Hefty's asked with puzzling interest.

"I don't take lessons!" Toughette breathed with a panicky voice. "No lessons!" She insisted before letting out a growl to warn Ballette.

"Heh, heh, my mistake." Ballette nervously blushes as she leans back. She suddenly remembered her and Toughette's secrets that they both promised to keep. "I should just go prepare for my recital. Have fun you two." The smurfette dancer curtsied then waved before prancing away.

After Ballette walked out of earshot, Hefty turned to Toughette. "What did she mean by 'lessons'?"

Toughette looks up at him with a cocky look before picking up the front end of her dress and walked off. "Just you never mind." She told him with a smirk.

"Aw, come on. Tell me." Hefty pleaded, following her like a lost puppy as she continues to walk up a nearby hill.

"Hey, a smurfette's entitled to her secrets." Toughette smugly replied.

"Please, I promise I won't tease."

"Fine." She sighed before stopping on top of the hill. With a wary look she spun her head from side to side just to be sure that no one else was around. "Ballette has been teaching me ballet ever since we were smurflings, ok."

"Really?" Hefty looked at her in disbelief. "You can dance like Ballette?"

"No, I could never be as good as her." Toughette bashfully turned away.

"Why don't you show me?" Hefty grinned.

"I don't think so. I'm really not that good." The tough smurfette shied away.

"How am I supposed to know that if you don't show me?"

"Well…ok. But don't laugh." Toughette warned him. "I can't believe I'm doing this." She muttered in a barely audible tone. Toughette focused her energy on balance as she prepared herself to spin in a pirouette. She made a perfect, and graceful spin before landing in an elegant finishing pose.

Hefty clapped his hands together as if he had seen the greatest performance of his life. "Bravo. That was perfect."

Toughette blushed slightly. "Uh, thanks. I can do it better without this gown and high heels though." She admitted to him.

"So what other secrets do you have? What's your favorite food?"

"What's with the all questions suddenly? Huh?" Toughette asked suspiciously.

"I'm just curious." Hefty shrugged sheepishly.

"Gee, I put on a dress, and suddenly you want to know my life's story." She sighed, rolling her eyes skyward.

"Well, it's just that…um, we don't get to spend time to actually talk about stuff like this."

"Oh." Toughette glanced up at the brightness of the blue moon. A small smile crossed her face. "Chocolate." She finally said.

"What?"

"Chocolate. I'm a sucker for anything that is chocolate."

Hefty shrugged. "Who isn't? But then again, I'm a sucker for anything that is sweet."

Toughette smiled softly at him before bringing her attention back up to the moon. "The moon is beautiful tonight."

"It sure is." Hefty replied, not even looking at the moon. His eyes were still fixed on Toughette and how the light of the moon glimmered on her golden hair.

"Do you think anyone has ever attempted to reach for the moon and the stars?" She asked as she stepped up on a nearby log in order to get a better view at the moon.

"Well, there was this smurf back home that would dream he could. He even had some of us help build a space ship for him so he could go and see other worlds." Hefty thought back.

"Did he ever make it?" Toughette asked in great interest.

"Sort of." He chuckled. "With the help of a few spells from Papa Smurf. Not to mention the rest of us carrying the heavy ship and stage props to a secluded spot away from the village."

Toughette raised an eyebrow and snickered slightly. "Sounds like fun."

"Actually, it sort of was." Hefty again chuckled.

As Toughette took a step to get off the log, her foot slipped. She stumbled right into Hefty's arms.

"Stupid heels." She embarrassingly blamed the shoes she wore for her clumsy move. Toughette looked down at her feet and realized that her right foot was stepping on Hefty's left toe. "Oops, sorry."

"Oh, that's ok." The strong smurf said, trying to hide his painful wince as she took her foot off his toe. "Barely felt it." He lied.

It was at that moment their eyes locked. They realized that this was the closest the two of them have ever been to each other. Hefty tried desperately to swallow a large lump that struggled going down in his throat. He felt that he should release Toughette from his hold, but for some reason he just couldn't let go of her. If anything, it seemed that he held her protectively tighter.

Toughette attempted to control her own trembling. She had never felt so vulnerable, and yet, safe in a male's arms before. Their faces grew hot with attraction. Both could hear their own hearts beating loudly in tune to the music in the background.

Before they understood what was happening, their faces started to pull into each other. Inch by inch Hefty and Toughette moved closer. Instinctively their eyes began closing as they brought their lips up to the point of nearly touching.

"Toughette? Hefty? Are you two up here?" Klutzette's voice sung loudly.

Hefty and Toughette shockingly pulled away from each other just as Klutzette came into view. The smaller smurfette suddenly tripped over the front end of her long gown. She landed hard with a thud with her face practically kissing the ground.

"Um, you ok, Klutzette?" Hefty asked out of concern. He reaches down to help her back up onto her feet.

"Yeah, I'm just so clumsy in this dress." She grinned sheepishly while accepting Hefty's help. The small blond then began dusting the dirt off her long plain light pink dress.

"What is it you want, Klutzette?" Toughette asked trying not to sound angry.

"Oh, King Randolph just arrived. Mama Smurf sent me to come get you two. The King wants to meet Hefty." Klutzette explained as she looked up through her long bangs.

"Well, I guess we should go down then." Hefty suggests.

"You go ahead, I'll catch up." Toughette said quietly. She watched as Hefty and Klutzette headed back to the village square. Again, Toughette glanced up at the moon with a puzzled look. She hadn't felt so confused before. For the past two years, her and Hefty have been good friends. Yet, seconds ago they had almost kissed. 'Are friends supposed to do that?' She wondered. Her cheeks still felt warm from when Hefty's face was so close to hers. "What just happened?" She whispered as if the moon could hear and respond to her.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"So this is the Smurf I heard so much about?" King Randolph exclaimed while holding out his index finger in front of Hefty.

"It's an honor to meet you, your majesty." Hefty said, bowing to the King before bringing his hand up to shake his finger.

"You really know how to address a king my young smurf-friend." King Randolph nodded impressively.

"Well, I do know a king that rules the land near where my village is." Hefty answered.

"Really? What is the name of this King?"

"He goes by the name of King Gerard, your highness."

"This is such a coincidence. I am planning on visiting that very same King in two weeks on a leisure trip."

Hefty's face lit up with delight. "Wow, really? M-Maybe you could do me a favor? I could write a note for King Gerard's friend, Clockwork Smurf, and he could deliver it to my village. I'm sure Papa Smurfs and the others are very worried about me, and would want to know how I am doing and where I am." He suggested to King Randolph.

The King thought about it carefully. He then smiled down at Hefty. "I got a better idea. Why don't I take you aboard my ship, and sail you back to your home land?"

Hefty stood with his mouth hung wide open. "I-I don't know what to say… Thanks."

All the smurfettes felt Hefty's joy. They cheered for him knowing that this is what he was wanting for a very long time.

"You hear that, Toughette? I'm going home!" Hefty cheered with excitement as she finally caught up to him. He reached over and gave her a big hug.

"Yeah." She replied, forcing a smile on her face. "I'm so happy for you." She added. After Hefty turns away to celebrate with the other smurfettes, Toughette frowned. Somehow, she did not like the feeling of losing someone she cared deeply for.