Chapter 2: Meet the Elders
"Ok, so you might have guessed by now that smurf transportation has updated since you last remember." Sorcerette told Hefty and Toughette before entering the cockpit of the smurf plane.
"Yeah, bet you never expected to actually be flying like this before. Did you?" Sorcerer asked as took his seat behind the steering wheel.
"Gee, who'd knew birds made of metal could actually fly." Toughette clinched her teeth tight as she held onto the armrests of her seat. She could not help to fear of actually falling out of it, even though she did have a seat belt on.
"Yeah," Hefty added with a petrified look. He was sitting in the seat beside Toughette, farthest from the window. "Handy must have really out done himself when he built this thing." He wondered aloud.
"Uh, s-sure…" Sorcerer answered him with a confused expression on his face.
"Sorcerette, who's Handy?" Sorcerer Smurf telepathically asked his partner.
"He must have been one of the smurfs from the Old Village." She answered back, also using telepathy.
"Oh, right. The Elders often mention them during our history lessons." Sorcerer nodded before returning his focus in flying the smurf plane.
"So, uh, where did you say our new home was again?" Toughette asked.
"It's now on another land called Canada. We will have to cross the ocean to get there." Sorcerer explained.
"This thing is going to fly us over the ocean?" Hefty cried out in a panic.
"Are you kidding? No. That thing is going to fly us over the ocean." Sorcerette pointed out the front window towards a larger plane, ten times the size of their smurf plane.
Hefty and Toughette let out a loud gasp when they caught a glimpse past the cockpit and saw a Boeing 747 aircraft. Neither of them had ever seen anything like it. Even the tallest dragons in Europe could not match the size of this thing.
"Hang on. This plane is about to have a few extra passengers." Sorcerer sang. He pushed the steering wheel forward to ease the smurf plane down towards the cargo deck of the 747. Both he and Sorcerette focus on their magic to make the smurf plane and its passengers invisible to the human eye.
Their magic worked as humans loading luggage aboard had no idea an invisible miniature plane glided right past them, and in with the cargo. As soon as the men completed their task, the cargo doors of the plane close up, securing everything inside for the upcoming flight.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
While the Boeing 747 successfully flew over the Atlantic Ocean, inside the cargo deck was quiet. The little smurf plane sat fastened tightly with magnets and grappling hooks attached to both sides the cargo walls. There would be no way for it to slide off during the entire trip.
"Well, that was another smashing take off. Don't you think Sorcerette?" Sorcerer asked the punk smurfette beside him.
"Totally, but looks like our sleeping smurfs may not have enjoyed it as much as we did." Sorcerette noticed, looking back at Hefty and Toughette, whom both still wore a petrified expression on their faces.
"Hmm, guess the engine noise might be too much for them even though we gave them ear plugs." Sorcerer shrugged. "Why don't you go calm them while I go get us some snacks from the upper decks?"
"Fine," She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "But don't you dare go get lost, or get distracted with the in-flight movie." Sorcerette lectured, shaking her finger at him.
"Ok, ok. I'll be right back, promise." Sorcerer waved her off before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"Hey! Where did Sorcerer go?" Hefty cried out in a panic when he saw the smoke dissipate, but Sorcerer was no longer in the spot.
"Relax; he just went to get some snacks during our long trip." Sorcerette explained. She got up from her co-pilot's seat, and sauntered up to the strong smurfs.
"What?" Hefty shouts at her.
It took Sorcerette only a second to figure out what is wrong. She let out a giggle before holding her hands up by her head.
"You can smurf these out of your ears now." She spoke in a loud clear voice as she mimes pulling earplugs out of her ears.
Toughette and Hefty look at each other before following Sorcerette's instructions. They still heard the loud engine of the plane, but it did not sound as bad when the plane took off. Neither of them felt so scared for their life before. Everything they have seen so far was so different from the time they came.
"There is that better?" The punk smurfette asked calmly.
"Not really." Toughette stated.
"A-Any luck in remembering anything yet?" Sorcerette wondered.
"No. My mind is a complete blank. I don't know if I will ever remember what had happened." Hefty said honestly.
"How about you, Toughette?"
"I am as confused if not more then Hefty." The golden blond smurfette replied.
"Don't you worry, I'm sure everything will clear up soon." Sorcerette said, patting the two strong smurfs on their shoulders.
A puff of smoke appears once more and Sorcerer returned with one package of peanuts, and one package of cookies.
"Honey, I'm home." He cheered holding up the snacks.
"You are such a riot. I'm surprise you came back so soon." Sorcerette cocked one eyebrow in suspicion.
"Yeah, well… I've already seen the movie they're playing." He shrugged. "And trust me; it is not worth seeing again." Sorcerer waved his hand off to one side. "Ok, who's all hungry?" He then asked.
The two strong smurfs were so fixated on the strange packages Sorcerer held up, that they were not sure how to answer him when he asked his question.
"Um, it's called plane food. We just open them up at either end…like this." The magic smurf demonstrates by peeling apart the wrapper. It makes an odd crinkling sound as he pulled at it. Sorcerer reached in as soon as he succeeded in opening the bag.
"Voila, a Peanut." He stated proudly, holding the nut up for everysmurf to see.
"Oooh." Hefty and Toughette sang in stereo. This was the first time they actually showed enthusiasm to anything. To them it was like looking at a magic show, where someone would pull a rabbit out of a hat.
"How did you do that?" Toughette gasped in astonishment.
"Do what?" Sorcerer turned to the golden haired smurfette with a perplexed expression.
"You know… How did you make food come out of that strange bag?" Hefty asked, pointing to the large plastic package in Sorcerer's hand.
"Yeah, what else can you pull out of that thing?" Toughette wondered with excitement. She has always loved to see magic tricks.
Sorcerette could not help but to giggle.
"There are only peanuts in that bag, smurfs." She told them. Sorcerette reached into the bag, and pulled out two more peanuts.
"Here you go. Try them. They are salted to give them extra flavour." The punk smurfette handed the peanuts off to Hefty and Toughette before she grabbed a peanut for her.
Sorcerer Smurf went to sit down in one of the extra chairs when Sorcerette backed up and nearly sat on him.
"Hey, get your fat butt out of my face I'm trying to eat here!" Sorcerer Smurf complained.
"Who are you calling 'fat butt', Mr. 'I once nearly ate ten Twinkies in one sitting'!" Sorcerette shot back.
"What are you talking about? Twinkies are the best. I could have eaten another dozen of them." He smacked his lips together while rubbing his tummy.
"Ha! If I remember correctly they sure didn't last long in your stomach."
"Ok, so I made a little bit of a mess on the living room floor after eating them."
"A little mess?! It took the Elders all night to clean it up. Not only that, I am certain they Elders banded you from ever eating those disgusting things ever again."
"I still protest against their decision of that. Smurfs can eat anything, you know."
"Oh please. You, throwing up only proofs that smurfs cannot digest artificially flavoured process lard." Sorcerette crossed her arms as she made her point.
"Shh! Sorcerette your not suppose to give the secret of what they put in a Twinkie. That's sacrilege. And beside, the only reason those Twinkies didn't stay down is because I ate too many. That, and I was still very young at the time."
"Gee, and the smurfs back home said we argued a lot." Toughette whispered to Hefty.
"What's a Twinkie?" Hefty shrugged.
"Trust me, you don't want to know. They're terrible." Sorcerette warned them.
"They are not!" Sorcerer protested.
"Just ignore him and enjoy your peanut, smurfs." Sorcerette shook her head, before sitting down beside Sorcerer. She breaks a piece of her peanut and starts eating it.
Hefty and Toughette were defiantly not sure what they were letting themselves get into. How they wished, Mama and Papa Smurf were there with them.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
An hour and a half has gone by, Hefty and Toughette appeared more relaxed to be point that they have leaned up against each other as they rested. Sorcerer Smurf turned his head to look back at them and smiled at how adorable the strong smurfs looked. The magic smurf got up to walk over to the side door of the plan. He opened the cabin door and leapt out. As he took a stroll around the smurf aircraft, he decided to do a routine check how well the magnets are holding to the rest of the plane.
Meanwhile, in the smurf plane, Sorcerette sat in her co-pilot's seat as she listened to her CD player with headphones on.
"Borderline, feels like I'm going to lose my mind. You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline…" She sang to herself while bobbing her head to the music.
Hefty and Toughette slowly opened their eyes to see if Sorcerette was paying attention to them. Eyeing the door open from when Sorcerer left, the strong smurfs figured this would be their opportunity. The two of them got up from their seats and slipped out while Sorcerette distracted with what was playing on her headphones.
Sorcerer was on the other side of the smurf plane, so he was unaware that Hefty and Toughette jumped off the smurf plane and ran off behind one of the luggage crates.
Once Sorcerer was satisfied with the secured connection on the smurf plane, the young magical smurf walked around and hopped back inside. He stopped in complete shock as soon as he realized the only smurf in the plane is Sorcerette – she sang, slightly off key, to herself. Sorcerer realized that he was stupid enough to leave the door open when he left. Quickly he turned to look back out. As feared, the strong smurfs were nowhere in sight. Sorcerer turned to glare at his mate.
"Keep on pushing me baby. Don't you know you drive me crazy? You just keep on pushing my love. Over the borderline."
"Hey! Where are Hefty and Toughette?" Sorcerer snapped at her.
Sorcerette shot open her eyes to glance up at him.
"What are you talking about," she cried, pulling off her headphones. "They are taking a nap, right over…there?"
To her surprise, the two seats where the smurfs once sat are now empty.
"I don't get it. There were there a second ago."
"Oh man! The Elders will smurf us if we lose them!" Sorcerer paced back and forth in a panic. He yanked his side flaps of his purple hat down further on his head.
"Will you relax? We are in the cargo deck of the plane. Where could they possibly get too?" Sorcerette said in a more calm voice.
Near the far end of the cargo deck, Hefty and Toughette successfully find a spot far enough away from the smurf plane. The two of them squat down in the corner, hopping that they are now officially out of sight.
"I think we are safe here, for now." Hefty breathed hoarsely.
"Yeah. As much as I love Babette and Baby Smurf, I just don't know about the smurfs they have turned into…and their choice in outfits." Toughette snorted.
"No kidding. I've seen Papa Smurf dress up as a clown and looked better then those two." The strong smurf smirked.
Toughette's face grew more serious as she let out a heavy sigh. "What happened to us Hefty? One minute we were living out our care-free lives with our fellow smurfs and smurfettes, the next we are in a dark creepy cave."
"I wish I could tell you, Toughette. Everything is so strange here. I feel like a fish out of water." Hefty told her. He began to rub his sore tummy. "I think I got indigestion from those peanuts and cookies." He grumbled.
"Me too," Toughette whined, also rubbing her tummy. "Strange food, strange smurfs, strange smurfs singing strange songs…"
The large Boeing 747 does a sudden jerk; knocking Hefty and Toughette back on their tails.
"…Strange noises, strange bumps…" Toughette continued with a more shaky voice. "Hefty I'm really not liking this place at all. I feel like I'm the belly of a large beast." She leaned in closer to her mate.
Hefty felt that she was scared without her admitting it aloud to him. He placed a secured hand over her shoulders and pulled her to his chest.
"See, I told you they couldn't have gone too far." A female voice chimed from on top of the container behind them.
Hefty and Toughette look up to see Sorcerette and Sorcerer Smurf sliding down to join them.
"Look, you two are smurfy and all, but in case you hadn't noticed Hefty and I are really ready in getting out of this thing now." Toughette demanded.
"It's ok, smurfs. This ride is almost over anyway." Sorcerer assured them, convincingly.
"Thank smurfness." Hefty muttered.
Just then, the plane jerked again, knocking all four smurfs back.
"Ok, that is the second time this thing has done that…What is going on?" Toughette screeched.
"Oh that. That is normal. The plane has just hit an air pocket." Sorcerette explained.
"We are now descending from over 8,000 nautical miles in the sky, smurfs." Sorcerer added. "So let's go back the smurf plane and…"
"We're how high…?" Hefty cried with a cracked voice, cutting Sorcerer off. His eyes started growing twice its' normal size.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
In the 747's cockpit, the co-pilot heard a low sounding alarm before he noticed a warning light going off on the control panel. He tapped lightly on a small blinking light to see if it actually correct, or if it is a glitch.
"What th…" He whispered nervously before turning to the captain sitting in the chair beside him.
"Ah, captain, there seems to be some kind of disturbance in the cargo deck."
"Hmm, it looks like something banging up against the wall near the floor of the plane." The captain muttered as he studied the computer control panel.
"Do you think it could be a terrorist attack?" The co-pilot asked with wide eyes.
"No. It seems too small to be anything like that. Betcha something got loose, and it's getting jerked around as we are coming in for a landing… Oh, look, whatever it is it suddenly stopped." The captain said noticing that the computer shows that all is ok.
"Sh-Should we report this?"
"Only if it starts up again. We are about to land anyway. I'll get the engineers to have a look at it before we take off again."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
An Hour and Forty-five minutes later…
As soon as the Boeing 747 landed safely, the cargo deck doors and the little smurf plane flew away, cloaked so humans would not know they were there.
The moment they saw that they were far enough away from the airport, Sorcerer and Sorcerette released the invisibility spell. Nervously, the magic smurfs glanced at each other before peering back at their two passengers. The smurfs fastened Hefty in his seat with rope wrapped tightly around him. Toughette had her arm around him too in order to keep him calm.
"Wow," Sorcerette finally spoke. "Toughette you weren't kidding when you said we needed to tie him up in order to stop him from wigging out back there."
"Wigging?" The golden blond smurfette gave the punk smurfette an unsure expression.
"Uh, she means, the way Hefty reacted back in the cargo deck. You know, the banging on the walls, kicking and screaming. That sort of thing." Sorcerer explained.
"Well, I would have been ok if you hadn't told me how high we actually were." Hefty spat angrily. With a softer expression, he turned to Toughette.
"You can untie me now." He mewled.
"Are you sure?" She asked in a tenderly fashion.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Hefty nodded.
"Ah, Toughette. Are you sure that is a good idea?" Sorcerette cried, seeing the tough smurfette releasing Hefty from his bonding.
"Look, I know Hefty alright. If he says he's ok, he'll be ok." Toughette told the punk smurfette.
"Well, you will be happy to know that we are almost home." Sorcerer chirped.
"That's a relief. I don't think I could take much more of all this flying." Hefty grumbled with a pale face. He rubbed his arms in order to get the circulation back into them.
"HEFTY!" Toughette shouted as she grabs Hefty's arm.
"What?" Hefty answered, nearly falling out of his seat.
"Look!" The golden blond smurfette started to tug at Hefty's arm roughly as she pointed out the window.
"Oh please, Toughette, don't make me look. You now how I feel being this high up off the ground." The strong smurf whined. He turned his head away from the window and covered his eyes with his free hand.
"Hefty, this is important! Take a look!" Toughette forced her mate's face towards the window.
Reluctantly, Hefty opened his eyes and looked out the small window on the side of the plane. His jaw dropped once he saw many large towers that seem to reach for the sky. Most of them are made of glass that captures the sun's reflection magnificently. A weird, and largest, dragonfly looking creature flew by with a loud 'whooping' sound.
Their attention drew down as they watch another metal bird with long odd looking feet gliding towards the wide river below and landing with splash. The strange bird reminded the strong smurfs of a duck landing on the water back home. What seemed more impressing were the floating vessels of all sizes moving with incredible speed on the water.
They were nothing like the S.S. Smurf or any of the human ships back in their time. Off further down the wide river the smurf plane flew over the biggest looking bridge Hefty and Toughette ever seen. The bridge was made of iron and weird looking wagons rode themselves across it.
Sorcerer and Sorcerette smiled as their passengers watch in awe over the scenery below.
"Welcome to the 21st Century, Smurfs." Sorcerer said.
Hefty and Toughette turn to the magic smurfs in disbelief.
"Don't worry; we'll give you a tour of the city later. Right now, I'm sure you will want to be reacquainted with the Elders." Sorcerette added with a wink.
The strong smurfs continued to watch out the window, as the towers became what could be homes and smaller brick buildings. Gradually the houses become fewer as more trees appeared below them. Next thing the smurfs realize is that they were flying over a mountain. Now everything became a more familiar sight with the trees and other vegetation that stretched for miles.
Sorcerer pulled up a head set with microphone attached to it. He placed it on his head, and flipped a few switches on the control panel.
"Smurf control, this is Smurf Plane 1. Just letting you know that we are coming in for a landing." He spoke clearly into the mic.
"Are Hefty and Toughette with you?" A strange static voice responded over the speakers.
"Chill dude. 'Operation: Reunion' is in full effect here. I told you there will no problems." Sorcerer explained to the strange voice.
There was a brief pause before the voice came back.
"You are clear to land…welcome home." The voice sounded a little emotional, but because of the static, it was hard to tell.
The smurf plane started to lower towards the ground, and headed straight for a waterfall.
"Ah, you do realize that is a waterfall up ahead, don't you?" Toughette called out to the pilots.
"Of course," Sorcerette said, looking back at her. "Watch this."
The magic smurfette faced forward again. She focused at the falling water. Her dark eyes gradually become a glowing crystal blue. Sorcerette raised her hands, palms closed together. Gradually she pulled them apart from each other.
"Separate…" Her voice seemed to echo as she spoke her command.
Hefty and Toughette were amazed as they witness the waterfall splitting apart to reveal a tunnel with lights blinking along each side behind it. Sorcerer brought the plane down, and with a bump; the plane touched the surface of the runway. Hefty and Toughette held onto their seats for dear life, not knowing if this ride would actually stop or not.
Finally, the plane came to a complete halt. Sorcerette and Sorcerer Smurf turn off the engine, and unfasten their seatbelts. They got up to walk up to Hefty and Toughette, whom both still have their eyes shut tight. Slowly the two strong smurfs opened their eyes to notice the magical smurfs starring down at them.
"We're home now." Sorcerer calmly said with a big smile.
Sorcerette and Sorcerer helped Hefty and Toughette unfasten their seatbelts. The magic smurfs then guided them towards the side door of the plane. Sorcerer opened the door and jumped out first.
"You two are so going to love it here. We will have a blast showing you all the new things, and…" He said, turning to the strong smurfs as they jumped down beside him.
"Sorcerer…" A voice called out to him sternly.
Sorcerer Smurf spins around to see an older smurf with a red hat on. "Elder look! The mission was a success!" He cheered, addressing Hefty and Toughette.
Hefty gave the strange elder smurf a perplexed look. There is something familiar about him, but he just could not place a finger on it.
"I can see that, but did you have to take so many unnecessary risks?" The Elder spoke. He began pacing as he continues to lecture the young smurf.
"I told you take a ship not a larger plane."
"But Elder a ship would have taken longer to get here." Sorcerer cried in protest.
"Sorcerer, we've waited five hundred years, I told you waiting one more week would not kill us, but would you listen? Oh no… Do you have any idea how a smurf would react in unfamiliar surroundings? Well, it sure would seem that you have figured that out by now. Didn't you?"
"Well, I…" Sorcerer did not get to finish explaining. The Elder once again cut him off.
"I heard on the radio just before you called us over the CB that the pilot and co-pilot picked up an unknown disturbance in the cargo deck of the very plane you took to get here. The humans may not have known what that disturbance was, but I instantly had my suspicions…and don't think for one second I don't know you were eating plane food again. I can smell the peanuts and cookies on your breath!" The Elder said, shaking his cane towards Sorcerer.
"Awe, come on…" Sorcerer whined, as he slump his shoulders forward.
"If Papa Smurf were here," the elder smurf continues as he once again starts pacing. "He would just turn over in his smurf with the way you two behave sometimes. And further more…"
It was at that very moment when Hefty realized whom the elder smurf could be. The strong smurf's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
"Brainy?" He gasped.
The elder smurf in the red cap stopped. He slowly turned his head to meet Hefty's gaze. With a small smile on his bearded face, he replied, "hello Hefty. It's been a while."
"A while?" Hefty chocked. "No kidding! What happened to you?"
"I got old. What does it look like? Even smurfs age over the course of five hundred years. Well, unless they are trapped in hibernation sleep that is." Brainy sarcastically responded with a smirk.
"Toughette!" A female voice called out.
The golden blond smurfette turned to see an elderly smurfette wearing a pink hat and matching long coat. She also wore a long light pink dress that reached down to her pink shoes. Even the rim around her glasses was pink. Toughette raised her brow in confusion. Who is this smurfette elder? She wondered.
"Thank Smurfness you have come back to us safely, my sister." The elderly smurfette spoke taking hold of Toughette's hand into hers.
"B-Brainette?" Toughette gasped.
"Smurf-a-roo!" An almost familiar female voice cries out.
Hefty and Toughette turn to see three adult smurfs with grey beards, and one adult smurfette with grey braided pigtails running towards them.
"I can't believe it is really you, Hefty. You have no idea how long we have waited to see the day when you and Toughette would return to us." The adult smurf in the yellow jacket cheered.
"Who…" Hefty said with pure uncertainty.
"Come on Hefty, you do recognize us, don't you?" The other adult smurf with the straw smurf hat, and brown jacket asked.
"I…uh…"
"Tattling toad-monkeys! Come on, Hefty." The adult smurfette cried, flapping her arms up and down.
It was then that Hefty realized who these smurfs were. He let in a loud gasp, "Smurflings?"
The slouching adult smurf in the red shirt chuckled before saying, "If you'd notice, we aren't exactly smurflings anymore."
"Yes, it would seem that everyone here has grown up over the years." Toughette muttered, looking around at the older versions of the family she once knew.
"You have no idea. Come, let us get you checked up, washed, and fed. You are probably tired too. Jet lag, I'm sure, will hit you hard soon, and you will want to get some sleep." Elder Brainette stated.
"What is jet lag?" Toughette asked.
"Something tells me we already had enough sleep to last us five hundred years." Hefty grumbled as the older smurfs guided him and Toughette to their new home.