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Donnie has been trying to reverse engineer the Kraang portal technology since they ended up in that trans-dimensional hub. He has a lot of reasons the technology could prove useful to him and his brothers: first reason, it's awesome; if they need serious help in the future they could consider recruiting other versions of themselves; not only could their alternate selves provide some extra powerful manpower, but think of all Donatello can learn from other Donatello's; and thinking of everything he could learn about other dimensions simply makes Donnie drool.
This, however, was not at all a part of the plan. He's been working on his own portal design, protected by his very own state-of-the-art turtle scanner– a device that combs through a creature's genetic data and bars entry for anyone other than Donatello and his brothers– but the system must have failed somehow. There's a cloaked figure standing in his lab, staring at him with ice cold eyes– the only thing Donnie can see through the dark shadow cast by his hood.
The scientist's panic at the sudden arrival had pulled his brothers into the lab, all three standing in the doorway opposite Donatello in shock.
“Donnie, you want to introduce us to your new friend?” Leo asks cautiously.
The figure turns around at the voice, still silent. Leo puts his hands up in surrender, but Mikey speaks up like he's talking to an injured animal. “Hey big guy, we're not gonna hurt you.”
The figure doesn't move. It shows no signs of life at all except for a slight quiver in its shoulders. Donnie squints– on this individual's back is…
It's their weapons. Leonardo’s katana, Raphael's sai, his very own bō staff, and Michelangelo’s nunchaku. Slowly, while its back is turned, Donnie begins to draw his bō. This could be an enemy from another dimension who already finished their turtles.
The figure turns around again in an instant, causing Donnie to give up on the slow and careful approach to quickly draw his staff and point it at the figure.
“Who are you?” Demands Donatello.
The figure does not draw steel, though behind it Donnie's brothers have gotten into a fighting stance. They all stare at the weapons on their back.
It doesn't speak, but it does lower the hood over its head, causing Donnie to gasp.
No wonder the turtle scanner didn't work– the figure has scarred, wrinkled green skin and a black mask around its eyes. This is a turtle!
Donnie’s stance relaxes, and his brothers notice and seem to calm a bit, too.
“Who are you?” He asks again, this time more curious than threatening.
They still don't answer, but they approach Donnie with an expression like they've seen a ghost. They carry an air of authority and power, but their slumped posture and sunken eyes make them look weathered from age and sorrow.
“Donatello?” They say, putting a three fingered hand on his shoulder and squeezing as if to check he's real before looking behind him at the door to the lab. “Leonardo, Raphael–”
His eyes settle on Mikey before he walks over to their littlest brother.
Donatello follows cautiously, still trying to piece together the few puzzle pieces this figure has given them. The turtle's eyes water as he stares Michelangelo in the eyes.
“Where am I? Is this– is this a dream?” The figure asks with a shaking voice.
“N-no, it's not a dream.” Donatello supplies. “I brought you here by accident through a trans-dimensional portal.”
“Oh,” the figure chuckles. “Of course you did.”
Donnie’s brow furrows.
Raphael shoves his way between Mikey and the stranger, sai still gripped tightly in his fists. “Sorry, buddy, I'm not buying whatever sob story you're trying to sell. Why the hell do you have our weapons?”
The figure backs away with hands raised. “You already know my name. It's Michelangelo.”
Each turtle's head snaps to their youngest brother, then back to the figure.
“Leo I could understand, Raphael too, but Mikey?” Donnie pipes in. “Nice one.”
“Hey, I can be dark and brooding!” Little Mikey comments, met by silence.
“That doesn't answer why you have our weapons.” Raph, despite knowing this turtle is their smallest brother from another world, still seems suspicious of the worst.
“Where I come from, you're all dead.” He says it flatly, like a fact he's had a lot of time to deny before coming to terms with.
Everyone's posture loosens except for Mikey’s, who instead straightens his spine and looks at his alternate self with wide, terrified eyes. “Y-you’re not from the future, right?”
The elder Michelangelo shrugs, then looks to Donatello.
“No, Mikey, this isn't you from the future. He's from an alternate dimension.” This visibly relieves Mikey.
“What a relief! I do not want to look like that–” All of their eyes widen and their faces twist into exasperation. “I mean– I wouldn't be able to live without my brothers, that must really suck–”
Raphael covers Mikey’s mouth, and Leo begins to cover his shell. “Sorry about him, the worst loss he's ever experienced was misplacing his comic books.”
“Don't worry about it.” Michelangelo responds. “It… Sounds like something I would've said.”
There's a smile tugging at the corners of the ronin’s lips and a sparkle in his eyes. “Is Master Splinter here? Casey?”
“Yeah, bro! I mean, Master Splinter is here and we can call Casey!” Mikey says excitedly, grabbing his doubles hand. “I have to ask, how old are you?”
The turtle shakes his head, “Too old. Way too old.” It's obvious that's not the answer Mikey was hoping to hear, but it's also obvious he shouldn't press.
“Okay, well, let's go see Master Splinter!”
“Mikey, wait.” Leo interjects. “Are we sure this is a good idea?”
“Duh!” Mikey responds. “If sensei died and you were sent to another dimension where he was alive, wouldn't you want to see him again?”
“It's not Mikey’s Master Splinter, Mikey.” Donnie says, putting a comforting hand on Michelangelo's shoulder. “He won't be the same Splinter you remember.”
“You all aren't the exact same brothers I remember, either.” The ronin responds matter-of-factly. “For one, where's Raphael's Brooklyn accent?”
“My what?” Raph sounds needlessly offended.
“I know he won't be my Master Splinter, but…” Michelangelo sighs, his massive hand hovering over a pouch on his belt. “I need to see him. I want him to be proud of me.”
Mikey’s brothers all exchange a look of concern before Leo speaks. “Let me and Donnie go talk to him and explain what's going on first, okay?”
“Okay.” Michelangelo says firmly before walking over to one of the lab tables and sitting on it. Donnie winces as though he expects the table to crack beneath the older turtle's weight before Leo puts a hand on his shell and guides him out the door.
It's silent for a moment before Raphael speaks, “So, uh, Mikey,” Both turtles look at him. “Erm– I'm going to call the big one Michelangelo actually.”
Mikey looks unamused, but Raph ignores him. “I have to know– was my death awesome at least?”
“Raph! You can't just ask him how you died! That's traumatic for him!” Mikey snaps.
“It's okay, Mikey.” The ronin responds. “You went off on your own again, Raphael. You took down the Shredder's daughter, but… She took you with her.”
“Karai killed me?” He sounds outraged. “No surprise there that she never changes, little-”
“Raph, it's not our Karai!” Mikey shouts, then looks back to Michelangelo. “Our Karai isn't actually Shredder’s daughter, she–”
“Alright, guys, Master Splinter said he'd see Michelangelo.” Donnie says from the doorway, interrupting their conversation. “Alone.”
The older turtle's eyes seem to light up and he stands, back straight and rigid. Donnie heads back over to his desk and Leo waves the ronin forwards.
Michelangelo follows Leonardo out of the lab, looking around and taking in their lair. Everything about it feels warm and comfortable, signs of life in the pizza boxes scattered around the floor and the TV playing a cartoon. He follows wide eyed to the dojo, soft light shining from the paper walls. Mikey puts a hand on Leonardo’s shoulder.
“It’s good to know you're the best leader a brother could ask for in every dimension.” He squeezes his shoulder then steps into the dojo.
The ronin didn't expect sensei to be so… Tall. Imposing. Immediately Michelangelo wants to hug him no matter how different he looks, but instead he drops into a bow with tears in his eyes. “Master Splinter.”
“You may rise, my son.” My son. His voice sounds so familiar yet so different, so powerful. When Michelangelo follows the direction he's given he sees a small smile on the old rat's muzzle. “Leonardo and Donatello tell me you have faced a fate I do not want for any of my sons in your own dimension.”
“It's true, Sensei.” This Splinter’s posture is upright, his fur groomed and glossy unlike the Splinter Michelangelo remembers, making the ronin feel older than his father. “You gave me a book, and I studied it from cover to cover over and over.”
His furry eyebrow raises as he waves for his son to continue. “I spent so much time alone, just trying to figure out what to do next, how to find peace. Eventually I finally realized I had a destiny to fulfill. I have to avenge my family. I spent so much time combing through your book, training and learning everything I could about every form of martial arts– how to use my brother's weapons, weapons I didn't even know existed– I practiced with as close I could get out of sticks and rocks.”
Both of Splinter's eyebrows raise, and there is a twinkle of pride and sorrow in his wise hazel eyes. “Of course you did. My Michelangelo has always been a fast learner, skilled in anything he cared enough to try. It is no surprise that you were able to focus and become a master yourself.”
“I still haven't completed my destiny, Sensei.”
“And what is your destiny?”
“To kill the last Oroku.” Master Splinter's eyes close in thought. “Oroku Karai’s son, Oroku Saki’s grandson, Oroku Hiroto.”
When the rat's eyes open again, there is a deep sorrow in them. “Karai…” He whispers, causing the ronin's face to contort into confusion. Master Splinter corrects himself. “I'm sorry, my son. I suspect our circumstances are… different.”
“How so?”
“Karai… Is my daughter– Hamato Miwa.” Splinter explains. “Oroku Saki took her and raised her as his own.”
Woah. “Oh.” Michelangelo doesn't know how to feel about that– he certainly doesn't like it. It tastes like dirt in his mouth, but it doesn't matter. Oroku Karai, Michelangelo's Karai, is dead.
A deep sigh from his sensei. “So, you have mastered a variety of martial arts, yes?”
“Yes, master.”
“Would you care to spar with my sons, show them what you have learned? Perhaps you can inspire Michelangelo to focus his natural gifts.”
The ronin chuckles dryly– it's so strange to hear his own name, but not being the one spoken about. “I would love that, Sensei.”
The old rat smiles and walks to the Dojo’s entrance, calling for his sons. While he waits, Michelangelo stares in awe at the beautiful tree twisting up towards the light shining through a sewer grate in the ceiling. Its leaves are a brilliant green and its bark a deep brown, thriving in the center of the dojo. Michelangelo stares at it for a long while before he hears Splinter and the others returning. The ronin drops into a seiza stance in front of the tree, his withering and aging body a great contrast to the powerful beauty of the old plant.
“Michelangelo would like to spar with you four.” Master Splinter announces, all four brothers also dropping into seiza stances shoulder to shoulder. “Michelangelo, would you like to take them all together or one on one?”
“Uh,” He looks at the four brothers, knowing he could likely take them all down at the same time. Still, he's not opposed to having a little fun and choosing the one on one first. “Why not both, Sensei? One on one first, then you all try to take me down.” Michelangelo musters up a look of confident arrogance.
“Leonardo. You will begin.” Both challengers stand while the others make their way over to the edge of the tatami and sit on the sidelines, Master Splinter standing beside them. Michelangelo and Leonardo face one another, each with katanas drawn. The ronin looks at the horror in Leo’s face at the sight of Michelangelo's single katana, the blade broken in half, the metal shattered into a deadly rusted cutting edge.
“You're using a- a broken sword?” Asks Leo nervously.
“It was my brother’s.”
There's silence in the dojo before Master Splinter finally shouts, “Hajime!”
Leonardo hesitates– first mistake. Michelangelo is already swinging his short sword like a rabid animal, causing Leo to back up to think as he blocks the sword with his own. Michelangelo realizes how young this leader really is, especially in comparison to his own. Each swing Leo makes misses by far more than a hair with how predictable they are, never quite fast enough for the ronin. His sword meets both of Leo’s katanas and Michelangelo uses the focus he has on the clash to drop and outstretch a leg, spinning to take out Leonardo's feet. The turtle falls forwards and Mikey dodges out of his way, grabbing the back of Leo’s shell before he hits the floor. The leader looks completely confused and bewildered by how fast he's just lost.
“Leave it to Lame-o-nardo to lose to a broken sword.” Raph taunts, earning a growl from the turtle in blue. Michelangelo chuckles– some things are the same across every universe, then.
“Well done, my sons. You should never underestimate a ninja because of the weapon that they wield.” Master Splinter strokes his thin haired beard. “Raphael, you are next.”
“Alright! I'm gonna kick your shell back to your home dimension!”
Michelangelo tears up. He can't help it– Raph will always be Raph, and he's never been more excited for a spar in his life. Sheathing his broken sword he pulls out the sai, perfectly intact and pristine.
“Look, Leo. The sais got no rust on it– clearly other me is his favorite.” Leonardo glares at his brother's taunts.
“Well where's the other sai, then?”
“The bottom of the East River.” Michelangelo states. Raphael's tough demeanor softens, but the ronin ignores it and spins the sai dramatically. Raph copies the motion with both his sai, though his facial expression remains bothered.
“Hajime!”
Neither ninja hesitates to race towards the other, and Raphael obviously thinks he has the advantage with his twin weapons. The striking similarity between this Raphael and the ronin’s own deceased brother makes his heart clench, but it also gives him an advantage. His overconfidence has always been his undoing. Michelangelo side steps Raph’s first swing and locks their sai together facing opposite directions, crossing his middle prong over both of Raphael's and twisting with all his might. The leverage causes the handle to swing out from between Raph’s fingers and fly across the dojo, shock and anger contorting his hotheaded brother’s features.
To Michelangelo's surprise he swings his other fist and manages to catch the older turtle on the cheek, the punch hitting harder with the weight of the pommel. The ronin drops his head and stumbles backwards to avoid a follow up swing from the other fist before jumping towards Raph with an extended foot. His heel slams hard into the younger turtle’s cracked plastron and sends him flying towards the floor. With impressive speed and agility, Michelangelo barely catches him before he hits the ground.
“Donatello.” The genius's face is twisted in worry after watching his two physically stronger brothers get their shells handed to them. He holds out his bō, and Michelangelo does the same. He's sure Donatello had been studying his attacks while sitting on the sidelines, but there's a lot more in his arsenal than the young turtle could ever know. Even while standing with weapons drawn, Donnie is clearly still calculating the entire fight in his head. “Hajime!”
Surprisingly, Donatello dodges the first lunge from the bō and swings his own at Michelangelo's shell. The ronin drops to the floor and dodges the swing before sweeping the bō at Donatello’s legs. The genius leaps up and lands on Michelangelo's shell before jumping off and away again. The ronin must say he's impressed.
Donatello spins his bō a few times to gain momentum before swinging it once more, but the two wooden staff collide with a hollow clunk. Michelangelo grabs the opposing bō in powerful hands and pulls hard. Donnie doesn't loosen his grip and is instead dragged with his weapon when the ronin throws it.
Michelangelo hadn't expected that. He jumps into action, putting himself between the concrete wall and Donnie’s flying body. The younger turtle slams into him and forces his shell hard into the stone, causing both of them to slump to the floor. The entire dojo is on them in seconds, holding out helping hands and asking if they're both alright.
“I'm okay, a little dizzy.” Donnie says as he stumbles to his feet.
Michelangelo gives a thumbs up, “It's all good.”
“How are you so fast?” Raphael asks in disbelief.
“It's the mutagen. As I've gotten older it's made me stronger, faster.” The ronin explains.
“Ya think that'll happen to us, Donnie?” The hothead turns his question to his genius brother.
“Unlikely,” he groans. “It's not something I'd predict, anyways.”
Michelangelo looks at Donatello and Leonardo. “You both think too much. You have to be quicker to come up with a plan, or just wing it.”
“I've been telling them that forever.” Raph says, causing the Ronin to snap his head to him.
“Then I know why they don't do it.”
“Oooh, burn.” Little Mikey replies, causing Raphael to seethe.
“Michelangelo.” Master Splinter says sternly, and both ninja straighten their spines and look expectantly at Master Splinter. He smiles at the strangeness.
“It is Michelangelo v Michelangelo.”
Both of the ninja– the large, serious, brooding turtle in black and the small, energetic, happy turtle in orange face one another. Michelangelo's nunchaku are even black, the only color is the wooden tips of the handles. Mikey swings his nunchaku energetically all around, making dramatic noises and poses. The ronin is jealous of his double’s innocence, his joy. He swings his own weapon with higher precision and purpose, for power rather than style points.
“Hajime!” The word feels like a bullet this time, adrenaline pumping as he faces the smaller version of himself. Michelangelo swings his nunchaku at Mikey but the agile critter dodges and manages to get a wack in on the back of the ronin’s skull. He swings again but Mikey backflips out of the way, landing on all fours in a super hero position. So young and spry not from the mutagen in his blood but from a pure thing Michelangelo lost so long ago.
The ronin tries to harness his inner youth, the self he knows is still in there, still happy and playful. He jumps out of the way of a hard swing of Mikey's nunchaku into a cartwheel, then drops and spins on his shell towards Mikey. Michelangelo predicts his smaller self's next move– Donnie had already done something similar.
The innocent turtle tries to jump onto Michelangelo's plastron, but the older turtle kicks out his feet and throws himself forward, causing his younger version to land where he'd just been. He lashes out with one nunchuk that is met by one of Mikey's, while at the same time swinging his other. It wraps around the smallest turtle's foot and Michelangelo pulls, sending him toppling to the ground. Once again, Michelangelo grabs the small turtle by the plastron.
“Heh, thanks.” Laughs little Mikey when his older version pulls him to his feet, earning a pat on his shoulder.
“Focus a little, Mikey, but never lose that whimsy.” His voice is soft, eyes shining at the pure, sweet thing in front of him.
“Well done, my sons. Especially you, Michelangelo. You've done an excellent job studying the arts, adapting to everything my sons have thrown at you on their own.” Master Splinter praises, and Michelangelo bows.
“Thank you, sensei.”
“But,” He continues with a smile, “Do you think you can take them all at once?”
“Easily. No mercy.”
Raph growls at the older turtle's confidence. “No mercy.”
“Then let us see.” His cane slams on the floor and all the turtles get into position, Michelangelo in the center and his younger counterparts surrounding him like sharks.
Master Splinter's voice is drowned out by the blood pounding in his ears, instincts immediately telling Michelangelo to drop. He does, causing Raphael and Mikey to slam into one another. Michelangelo shoves them away and quickly pulls out his nunchaku, wrapping one chain around Donatello's outstretched bō and swinging him at Leonardo. The two brothers collide and shout at each other, but Michelangelo can't focus on the argument he caused.
He drops the nunchaku he wrapped around the genius's weapon and pulls out Donatello’s bo staff, slamming it into Raphael’s hand to force him to miss his blow. Michelangelo holds the staff horizontally before jumping back and slamming it forward, the hothead locking it between both his sai. He tries to fling the staff upward to take it out of Michelangelo's hand, but the ronin jumps up and twists in the air with his hands still on the stick before dropping into a slide and taking out Raphael's legs.
With no time to help the brute up, he swings his bō across the ground and causes Leonardo to jump up to avoid the sweeping attack. Michelangelo puts the wooden staff back on his shell and pulls out his singular sai. Leo tries to keep his distance but Michelangelo tries to quickly close in. When he gets too close, Leo slams the pommel of his katana into his shoulder. The hit was a good and powerful one, but it doesn't stop the older turtle from facing his sai to the floor and putting it over one of the katana, gripping Leo’s wrist with his other hand and twisting. The katana flies out of Leo's hand and Michelangelo utilizes his surprise to tackle him to the floor before rolling out of the way.
Again his dodge causes little Mikey to fling into his older brother. “Mikey!” Michelangelo barely catches Leo heading over to the sidelines with Raphael.
There's just one moment to breathe and see the final two contenders preparing their next attacks. Both scream and come at him at once. Michelangelo wields the broken sword and Raphael's sai, blocking Donatello's bō with the katana and catching the chain of the nunchuk with the three pronged weapon. He pulls hard on the nunchuk half expecting his younger self to come with it, but he wisely lets go and continues while wielding just one. Donatello goes to swing again but the ronin drops his head down, feeling the wood barely miss the top of his skull. He shoves the sai upward, meeting the staff before a chain wraps around his leg. It pulls his leg out from under him but he catches himself before he falls flat on the floor.
He's not going down that easy, and Mikey has just spelled both brother's demise. Michelangelo sweeps his leg, pulling his younger selves' last nunchuk out of his hand and causing it to swing out and wrap around Donnie's leg. Then he swings his leg back, pulling Donatello to the floor and swinging him into Mikey, toppling the youngest brothers into a small dog pile.
Michelangelo unwraps the weapon from his leg and gets to his feet, wiping his hands after a good fight.
“That was magnificently done, all of you.” Praises Splinter, who then puts a hand on Michelangelo's shoulder. “I am proud of you for what you have accomplished, and for how powerful you have become.”
“Thank you, sensei.” Michelangelo's voice breaks. “I think… I think it's time I go home now.”
“What!” Mikey shouts. “But you just got here, and doesn't your world, like, totally blow?” The littlest brother receives a slap from Leonardo followed by angry looks from all his brothers. “What, I'm right!”
“You are right, Michelangelo, but my April still needs me, and Casey still needs me.”
“I thought you wanted to see Casey before?” Raph asks. “Kinda thought yours was dead.” He also earns a slap and a look.
“He is, but his and April's daughter… I've been teaching her.”
“Casey and April's daughter!?” Donnie exclaims in horror, earning a puzzled look from Michelangelo.
“Will you all knock it off!?” Leo shouts at his brother's, causing them to all stiffen up.
“It's okay, Leonardo. There's a lot we don't get about each other, I'm sure.” He looks at Mikey. “I need to avenge our brothers. I need to fulfill my destiny, to kill the last Oroku. I have to go home.”
The littlest turtle's head falls in a nod of understanding.
“Donatello.” Master Splinter speaks. “Send Michelangelo home, and wish him the best of luck.”
“Hai, sensei.” All four of the young turtles say, beginning to guide Michelangelo out of the dojo. He smiles back at Master Splinter one last time before following, feeling more ready than ever to face Oroku Hiroto and finish this feud once and for all.