#hunger games au is fun

[sleeplessdreamer123]

Fanfic Idea! (Lucemond, Hunger Games AU)

Years ago, the District victors voted to have the capitol children fight in the Hunger Games. Since the games ended on the 75th, then the capitol children needed to play 75 times before the game would officially be dissolved. There were many protests, both from the capitol and from some of the districts, but the victors, the ones forced into the games, have spoken, and the era of blood for sport continued.

Lucerys was reaped. A shame, they say, for it was the 74th game, the second to the last game before it would finally be officially dissolved. He could have escaped such a fate, but alas. He had a feeling it would happen, his family was one of the people closely related to the games, and had a history of being reaped multiple times, despite multiple protests. His step-grandmother's side was especially targeted, maybe because while their grandfather was a descendant of politicians, Otto came from the line of gamemakers, and was said to be the one who suggested certain things to his own father to add to the games as a boy.

While Alicent's children were all reaped, at least they all came back alive, though at a cost. Aegon drank his life away, whored himself, wishing to forget everything. Helaena was already odd when she entered the arena, it was a miracle she came out alive, though she was often triggered, and often wasn't "present" in the mind, spacing out, leaving her body for whatever fantasy world she takes herself to. It was Aemond Lucerys had been worried about. An incident occured once, when they were younger, resulting with Aemond losing an eye. The Districts cared not for his disability, and sent him to the arena, thinking he would be the first to die. He came out victorious, though Lucerys couldn't help but notice how brutal he was when killing boys with dark brown hair. Other than that, and the fact that he would get deadly when someone tried to get closer to him on his blind side, he was mostly fine.

And now it was his turn. He doesn't expect anyone to volunteer. He and Jace swore to each other that they wouldn't do that.

So he stood on the stage with a smile, ignoring the varying degrees of relief and pity from the crowd. Glancing at the rest of the tributes, he can already tell he has a problem, the largest one being Dalton Greyjoy, the eighteen year old boy who looked eager rather than frightened. He would be the most dangerous out of all of them.

They all stood while District 13 broadcasted what happened, the war, the Districts' suffering whilst the Capitol enjoyed luxury, the games, then they broadcasted their 74th game, with Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay.

They did it every year, broadcasting the suffering of that particular years' games. This year's game was ironically the game where the rebellion rose, when Katniss Everdeen became the face of the revolution.

They were made to watch the entirety of that year's games, to remind both Districts and Capitol why they continued to do the games, the suffering of the Districts' tributes, and why it was necessary the Capitol should feel the pain they did. Why they too should suffer the same.

When it ended, Lucerys felt the dread as it was then time to say goodbye. His mother was sobbing uncontrollably, Jace, couldn't look at him in the eye, but he hugged him tight, and Daemon quickly told him to grab the knife, to defend himself and to hide. They were ushered away by District 2 guards, and Lucerys breathes.

It was different now from then, when it came to which victor would get to train them. Usually, the District victor trains tributes from their own District, but it's different for the Capitol. The past victor gets to choose only one tribute to train, and Lucerys knows which victor he wanted.

He needed Aemond to choose him.

#lucemond #aemond x lucerys #lucerys velaryon #aemond targaryen #lucerys x aemond #aemond one eye #if the hunger games ended with another 75 years with capitol kids #hunger games au is fun

[sillyfairygarden]

finally can reveal my part of a secret exchange, gifted to my dear friend @definitelynotshouting for their fic lost in the dark (he’s got a heavy heart). this was a wonderful tribute to an amazing fic 🫶

#thellos art corner #mcyt #hunger au #grian fanart #gtws fanart #scarian #desert duo #(doesnt know how to tag this. scritches head) #ok time to be a little crazy: this piece got started over 4 times and each time a piece of it was lost/ relearned #the star at the center of scars chest is the emotions and bond he forms with grian over the course of 3L #that connection being the thing that grian feeds off of during the games (in fic-universe) #bah bah bah went a little crazy during rendering this but it was incredibly fun in the end to accomplish the idea in a different way #last art of 2023 yipee !!

[scarlettscribbles]

prologue

PART OF neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons by the sea DRABBLE SERIES ↠ masterlist

- Lucy Gray Baird & Daughter!OC, mentioned Lucy Gray Baird x Coriolanus Snow

Summary: 1.7k words - The words were on the tip of her tongue before Coriolanus had let it slip that he'd killed three people.

As Lucy Gray became a ghost lost in the wind, so did her secrets.

a/n: i cannot stop thinking about snowbaird !! inspired by my visenya-verse and also bc i love writing about children being loved :)

also, shout out to PlayingTheGameOfThrones' It's Quiet Uptown! i was reading snowbaird fics and i was so happy to find a secret kid fic. literally squealed in excitement bc i was like, that's what's literally in my brain rn

In truth, Lucy Gray was too young to be doing this. Halfway eighteen, with her heart broken by a man — a boy, really — who almost killed her. Ironically, the suspect of her current predicament was the same person. Oh how Lucy Gray hated it that he still haunted her now.

She had Lucy Gray’s tan skin, her baby girl. The wisps of her hair stuck against her forehead were bright blond. Lucy Gray wondered if her hair would darken eventually.

Annabel Rose Baird was a sickly baby. Her heart was weak and every night, Lucy Gray would have trouble sleeping, afraid that she’d wake up with a cradle gone cold. But she was a survivor, her Annie. Much like her mother. (And father.)

But they could not live on that alone. Lucy Gray, barely recovered from birth, wrapped her baby tight on her back with a sling and took their meager belongings in a bag, setting out to find the community up North Billy Taupe had once talked about. Lucy Gray walked for miles and miles, sometimes wishing she hadn’t left behind that lovely orange scarf her lover gave her. It would’ve made for a more comfortable sleep in their journey. She could’ve given it to Annie as her baby blanket, something to remember her childhood by — the one piece of her father she would ever know or keep. But alas, Lucy Gray had left it behind along with the broken pieces of trust she once thought she could rely on.

Lucy Gray found them eventually. Or rather, they found her. It was in the middle of the night and she’d just put Annie to sleep when flashes of light shone through the gaps between the trees. Cradling her whimpering baby close to her chest, Lucy Gray raised a hand in surrender, hoping that she was saying the right words for them to not shoot her.

They took them to their leader and gave them a small cabin. It was cozy and comfortable but it wasn’t home. Not when their leader, with his calculating eyes and access to Capitol broadcasts, look at her and her baby with such intense scrutiny. Lucy Gray’s paranoia increases every time he “accidentally” chances upon her with questions about the Capitol, about the Hunger Games, about Annie. He’s not as subtle as he thinks he is. Lucy Gray endures his questions, answering casually to alleviate the suspicion upon her. Her heart threatens to beat out of her chest every single time. She could only properly breathe again when she’s back within the four walls of their cabin, with Annie safe in her arms, her little puffs of breath warming Lucy Gray from the inside out.

The one saving grace of the place was Dr. Hartree. She was training under some big shot Capitol doctor when she fled, so she knew more than the District healers did despite the meager hospital equipment she had. She diagnosed Annabel Rose with something called moderate Ventricular Septal Defect; a heart disease she had since birth. Dr. Hartree let her listen to the whooshing sound of her Annie’s heartbeat through the stethoscope. Her baby’s got a hole in her heart. Lucy Gray wept.

Dr. Hartree said that the hole might yet repair itself, that she could look for some medicine that could help strengthen Annie’s heart muscles. But if it did not, Annie would need heart surgery which Dr. Hartree was neither qualified for nor equipped to do. In that scenario, going to the Capitol would be Annie’s best hope, said the doctor. The community’s leader approved Dr. Hartree’s request for getting the medicine. In exchange, Lucy Gray had to take on additional work on top of what she’d already been assigned with to earn her keep. Lucy Gray was both thankful and suspicious. She was no fool, a big favor like that didn’t come without heavier strings. But her baby was alive so Lucy Gray kept her head down. (For the moment, at least.)

Annabel Rose grew up a happy child. She was small for her age but her presence filled the room and her heart was so full of love. Whenever she smiled, a deep dimple showed on her cheek and her warm brown eyes would shine like stars in the night sky. Her baby never did grow out of her blond hair, riotous curls tumbling down her head. She looked like an angel; Lucy Gray’s own angel.

She was truly heaven sent. There were no words to describe how much her daughter made her happy, which was something, coming from a songwriter. Oft Lucy Gray wished the Covey had a chance to know her daughter. Annabel Rose fit in alright with the children of the community, but children can be cruel sometimes. Annie’s body was weak and she ran out of breath fast, making her unable to be included in strenuous physical activities. Lucy Gray was not deaf to the whispers of “runt” that surrounded her daughter, whispers that eventually reached Annie’s ears, causing her to come home tearfully, fisting her mother’s skirt and asking what it meant. Once upon a time, Lucy Gray would have been rearing for a fight but everything was different now. She didn’t have her Covey; her and Annie were alone.

Oh, people were nice enough but, like in District 12, they seemed to be able to sense an otherness in her and Annie that made them unable to accept them fully. It didn’t help that the community leader’s demeanor was like that either. The residents liked and respected him better than the strangers they barely knew anything about, so of course they’d follow his example.

Lucy Gray had been missing her Covey so much that she contemplated going back to District 12, back to her family, when she’d heard that an electric fence was put around it, complete with Peacekeepers patrolling the perimeter. They’d never bothered with that area before, but Lucy Gray had an inkling why they suddenly found it important.

So what else could she do but grit her teeth and bear it? Every night Lucy Gray would sing songs to Annie and tell her stories about the Covey, about her family and the colorful nights and laughter they shared. And Annie’s eyes would shine in the low lamplight, humming along to the tunes.

Lucy Gray did not bring her guitar with her during her journey out of District 12, but she was able to obtain a smaller version — a ukulele — from a traveling salesman. His initial offer nearly took all her saved up money to pay for, but she was able to haggle down to a more reasonable price. At 3-years-old, Annabel Rose learned the basic chords from her mother. The first song she learned was to the tune of Lucy Gray's namesake.

It tugged at Lucy Gray’s heartstrings to hear her Annie’s sweet voice in the warmth of their home. She resolved to write a song for her daughter’s fourth birthday as a gift. Lucy Gray had her song, and so did her Capitol boy. It was only apt that Annabel Rose had one too.

It was the night of Annabel Rose's fourth birthday when everything went wrong. Lucy Gray was humming underneath her breath to the tune of a new song, their tiny kitchen fragrant with the smell of a birthday cake she’d stolen half the ingredients for to bake. She lit up a deformed red candle she attempted to mold from whatever melted wax she could find, cupping the flame between her palms briefly to keep it from being blown out. With a satisfied sigh, she wiped her hands on her apron and walked to the bed to shake her daughter awake.

All Lucy Grey felt was the cold skin of her daughter, her breathing shallow and her skin tinged blue. Her heart dropped to her stomach. With shaking hands, she wrapped Annie in a blanket and lifted her into her arms.

On the way to Dr. Hartree’s cabin, Lucy Gray would not realize that she’d been singing the song she’d written for Annie. And she will sing it under her breath while the good doctor examined her daughter, telling her the heart defect had gotten worse. She’d sing it at the back of her mind while Dr. Hartree tells her that surgery wasn’t an option anymore, that the medicine Annie’ll need is only available in the Capitol, that if she wants her baby to live she’ll need to find some way to get her a heart transplant. She’ll sing it and sing it, hoping the girl she’d written it for would awaken long enough to sing it with her.

She would only stop when Dr. Hartree clasped her hands, telling her in a hushed whisper that she’d found a way to get them to the Capitol discreetly. The doctor’s got family among the Peacekeepers in District 12 who was going to go to the Capitol in two days. Some officer fellow that was high-ranking enough to have his own private train cabin, and kind enough to share it with them. Dr. Hartree had given her temporary antibiotics for Annie with an apology that she couldn’t do anything more. When they arrive in the Capitol, Lucy Gray was on her own. Lucy Gray who had no penny to her name, who would probably be shot on sight once the Capitol had caught wind of her existence.

Her mind was racing on the morn she and a barely-lucid Annie snuck out to the gates. They were met with a heavyset man two heads taller than Lucy Gray, driving a military jeep. Time passed quickly and they encountered no hurdles getting to the train station on time. He lent them warm Capitol-style cloaks so they could blend in upon arrival. He’d even made her a cup of tea, noticing the nervousness in her demeanor. Lucy Gray had not been expecting such kindness from a Peacekeeper, no matter how highly Dr. Hartree spoke of him.

It was nighttime when they arrived, snow falling heavily on the ostentatious buildings. It wasn’t only the cold that made Lucy Gray shiver.

Under the cover of the night, Lucy Gray held her Annabel Rose and rapped on the door of the one she’d hoped would help them. If blood was not an enough reason, she could always appeal to their conscience.

The door swung open.

“Tigris, I need your help.”

#snowbaird #snowbaird drabble #snowbaird kidfic au #lucy gray baird #original child character #tbosas #the hunger games #i've only seen the movie so characterizations are probably off but i just wanna have fun ok

[tennessoui]

new wip wednesday

i wanted to get the first chapter of this done as an early bday present to me because ive been talking about this fic for foreverrrrr but its not gonna happen because im bad at measuring time and effort 😮‍💨 but look! hunger games au fic!

Anakin pushes his face into his neck, letting his lips press against his pulse for a moment. 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan murmurs, recognition and warning rolled into one tone. 

But Anakin wouldn’t be who he is if he allowed the man in his arms to so easily twist away. He wouldn’t even be here now, pressed up against him with the scent of saltwater and lilacs and leather filling his nose, if he let one warning word distract him from his goal.

So instead he pushes further, wraps his hands around Obi-Wan’s hips and takes the skin beneath his lips between his teeth. The soft fabric of their pants brush together, so loud in the stillness of the kitchen that it’s deafening—that it’s almost loud enough to drown out the catch in Obi-Wan’s breathing.

But Anakin has trained himself over the past five years to listen for all the small ways that Obi-Wan Kenobi capitulates, so he hears his sigh, feels the slump of his shoulders against his own as his head sways forward and then back.

Anakin takes his time worrying a bitemark into his neck, just at the edge of his beard. On the holos that will film Obi-Wan’s face today, it’ll look like a shadow. 

But Anakin will know. Obi-Wan will know. 

“Anakin,” his lover murmurs, and Anakin’s hand moves from his waist up to stroke down his arm, corded with tense muscle. Fisherman’s muscle. Victor’s muscle too.

Not today, he means. It’s obvious in every line of his body. It’s obvious in the fact that he left the bed so early in the morning when neither of them must work. It’s obvious in the distance in his eyes, the frown across his lips.

Today is not a day where Obi-Wan will accept pleasure from anyone’s lips or hands, undeserving as he feels to be on the receiving end of such a kindness.

Anakin’s left hand falls to cover Obi-Wan’s, tangling their fingers together. His are rougher than Obi-Wan’s, working man’s hands now that he is twenty-one and a man of the sea like most are on Stewjon. The rough drag of his calluses over the hairy knuckles of Obi-Wan’s hand makes Anakin swallow a smile. Victors of the Hunger Games are forbidden from working laborious jobs. They’re meant to languish away in their Coruscanti-funded manors, with idle minds and idle hands, picking at paints or design stencils or any number of different government approved hobbies

Obi-Wan Kenobi is not made to be idle. He has no patience for painting or sewing, for cooking or jewelry design. Luckily for him, Stewjon is the fourth planet from Coruscant, on the edge of the inner rim, and it’s rather small, rather ordinary. In the colder months, during the few months of the star year where the galaxy is not forced to care about the Hunger Games and its Victors, he can slip away to the ocean. Fish and sail like he was born to do, Stewjoni through and through.

But Anakin is out on those choppy seas year-round now that he’s four years finished with his compulsory education. His hands are rougher than Obi-Wan’s and they always will be.

Anakin likes it. Likes the way Obi-Wan’s softness contrasts against his own rougher places. Likes that he can sneak away from Obi-Wan’s manor in the blue of the pre-dawn light, first to the sea and then to the market, and Obi-Wan will be there when he gets back. Likes that when he leaves, his lover is curled up asleep in their bed. And when he returns with the fattest fish from his haul, Anakin can cook it for him too. 

He likes that he is the only thing Obi-Wan needs. He provides. He cooks for him. He feeds him. He touches him with his rough hands, to dirty him and then to clean him up. Everything that Obi-Wan needs, Anakin is the person to give it to him.

He supposes he has Coruscant to thank for that.

He’s not stupid enough to say that—ever, but especially today. Especially on the day of the Reaping. 

#wip wednesday #obikin #hunger games au #so like its gonna be set in the gffa slightly #so each district from the book is a either planet or planetary system #and coruscant is of course the capitol #anakin and obi-wan live in district 4 aka stewjon #im having a lot of fun examining their relationship #my bday is on saturday i just think this first chapter is going to be so long #because it covers from them waking up to anakin's reaping #which includes anakin talking in the market with other people on stewjon #because we love an outsiders implied pov on obikin and anakin specifically #and then also obi-wan's own reaping #cause i figure more than one person has won the hunger games in the past 50 years or whatever #so they must do some sort of drawing for the mentor too #its usually obi-wan tho #bad luck or capitol favoritism #or obi-wan volunteering even though he hates it because one of the other victors just had a baby or has small kids #or is too old #or something #anyway this is not a start wednesday done by saturday sorta project lol #im too passionate about these batshit insane characters

[qrcane]

Slime: I’m so not ready for how my dynamics with other players are gonna change after this event. I’m going to be on the discord at 4am like “who the fuck broke my wheat farm?”

#hunger games this hunger games that #bro this is the warrior cat AU fr #they got the factions they got the forbidden romances they got the religious entities #watching the red team talk about how they’re gonna try hard and honestly it’s really fun #qsmp #qsmp liveblogging #qsmp purgatory #qsmp slimecicle

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Please, whatever they offer you... DON'T FEED THE PLANTS!!

ACT 3

@boots-with-the-fur-club @daboyau @tmntaucompetition @littlemissartemisia @shiveagit @shiveagit-arts @thevoidbrothers @noval1t @kathaynesart @bluepeachstudios @amevello-blue

CW: Panic attacks, cringe musical references

(Special thanks to boots-with-the-fur-club for helping write the NFIF bois!)

Prev || Next

Names and abbreviations (sorry there's a lot, we have a big cast for today's performances!) : UIFY = Until I Found You NFIF = No Fun in Fungus Leon = UIFY Leonardo 'Phael = UIFY Raphael DvD = UIFY Donatello Mike/Mikey/Micheal = UIFY Michelangelo AudRaph = Swayed Raphael AudreyTello = Swayed Donatello LeonAudro = Swayed Leonardo MichelAudrelo = Swayed Michelangelo AudRai = Swayed Karai rhg!Donnie = Rise Hunger Games AU Donatello Raph = NFIF Raphael Donnie/Dee = NFIF Donatello Leo = NFIF Leonardo Angie/Angelo = NFIF Michelangelo

The show must go on...

AudreyTello turned around just in time to watch as the explosion blew AudRaph several meters back, slamming him into a wall while the majority of the room that housed Audrey III crumbled to the ground. As the glow of deep cobalt, violet, crimson, and bright green filled the room, it chased away the neon electric blue, causing each and every spore it came into contact with to disintegrate.

"NOO!!!" AudreyTello screamed in pure fury. He gripped his head, the familiar ache returning as he could feel the hold over NFIF Donatello started to weaken.

"You... you WRETCHES!! You think this will STOP ME?!"

"Well, we certainly hoped so," Spider-Dee mumbled.

"You pathetic, insignificant, worthless, meaningless, little trifles of trauma-riddled turtles!!" AudreyTello screamed.

"...This might be a shot in the dark, but I think we made him just a teensy bit mad."

"OH, YA THINK?!"

AudreyTello's battleshell erupted with furious weapons building one on top of the other, the purple glow blending with the blue infecting his ninpo. But piece by piece, the purple was starting to take back control...

"It... it's working! The sway is breaking!" Spider-Dee pointed.

"Then let's break it all the way!" Ghost shouted over the commotion, grabbing Spider-Dee and DvD out of habit and jumping away from the spray of mystic missiles and bullets.

Meanwhile, in the rubble, a shield of ninpo created by the infected Hamatos kept MichelAudrelo, AudRai, and poor little Misa safe from the destruction.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THE HAND.PNG SET A FIRE AND BURNED DOWN THE HOUSE!" MichelAudrelo screamed in anger, clenching his fists tightly.

"One less enemy to worry about," AudRai stated calmly. "What is the damage?"

"Our base has been destroyed," MichelAudrelo growled. "Quite obviously."

AudRai held her head as she groaned.

"Our true form... has been wounded," she grunted, looking up slowly.

The mushroom was half-destroyed in the corner, the cap singed and burning slightly, the hyphae curling as the fungus screeched in agony. Leonardo sat under the stalk, his body half-freed, but the blast had knocked him unconscious. He laid limp against the roots that kept him anchored to the floor, half-destroyed and withering beneath his weight.

"They will pay for this," MichelAudrelo snarled.

Blue/gold mystic chains started forming as he approached the battle, seeing the non-Donnie team come round the corner...

"Okay, so the room was destroyed, the spores are dissipating... you guys know what's next?" Leon asked, making sure the plan was still in effect.

"We'll get going to save all the zombies," Spider-Shine said with a smile and a nod, gesturing to the other Spider-Teetlez as Spider-Dee reunited with them. "Get the antidote to anyone with glowing blue eyes!"

"Great, the rest of us will stay behind to help free the swayed and eradicate the rest of the mushroom!"

The Spider-Teetlez shook hands with the group, saying fond farewells before swinging away to complete their quest and save the rest of the AUs...

"Okay then, now we--"

"RUN!!" 'Phael shrieked, pointing to an army of golden chains coming their way.

MichelAudrelo smiled cruelly as he sent the chains to grab at them, the contestants and supporters scattering quickly in all directions to avoid his attacks. One chain grabbed Leon and dragged him forward.

The slider was bound by the ankles and hung upside down in front of the mystic warrior.

"Hello, worm," MichelAudrelo said with a smile.

"Uhhh, heeey there, Angie!" Leon said, hoping the childhood nickname for his brother would strike a chord with this version of Michelangelo.

It didn't.

MichelAudrelo raised his hand.

"You'll regret what you've done..."

"Hey, you!!"

Leon and MichelAudrelo turned in surprise to see who had just shouted at them.

Golden flower petals and butterflies made of light started fluttering down around the boys.

Abby smiled brightly as she threw her crutch aside to Diana. Music starting playing.

"Do you hear that sound? That beautiful sound?"

Giant vines started sprouting from the ground, lifting Abby and MichelAudrelo up into the air. In his shock, MichelAudrelo dropped Leon to the floor, where Diana quickly grabbed him and pulled him aside.

"What are you two doing here?" Leon asked. "You were supposed to stay with Mikey--"

"Slight change of plans," Diana answered. "We brought the cavalry!"

"You didn't bring him here, did you?"

"..."

"Diana, if you value your life you will answer 'no'."

"...Then, no?"

"You're lying to me. Where is he...!" Leon growled as he stormed off to find his Michelangelo.

"YOU SAID TO ANSWER NO!!" Diana shouted as she followed after him, while Abby finally got to do her big number with a 'captive audience'...

Leon rushed off to find his brother, no doubt glowing and sporting his own mystic chains. He was gonna give him an earful when he found him...

As Leon was storming around, something lodged within the wall fell to the ground and groaned behind him.

"URGH!"

Leon whipped around.

"What was that--"

A large spiky shell and limbs started moving from the broken pieces of plaster that had crumbled along with the body on the floor. It slowly started rising, groaning and grumbling. Leon swallowed, tiptoeing closer to the swayed Raph.

"...Diana... go look for Mikey. Make sure he's not doing anything too.... y'know."

"But, what are you gonna--"

"Just go," he whispered. "I'll handle this."

Diana reluctantly obeyed, rushing away before AudRaph could get his bearings back and start attacking them.

Leon crept forwards, wary of the strength this Raphael could have. He knew that his brother 'Phael was pretty strong, though he was mostly unshed baby fat. This Raph was head and shoulders above him, and had been training as a ninja since his childhood, he figured. Besides, he knew that 'Phael had a tendency to go kinda savage when he was really, really scared. And who knew what this fear fungus was making Raph see in his deep subconscious...

"Hey, buddy, it's me, your ol' pal, Neon Leon..."

AudRaph made a low rumbling sound as he slowly got to his knees, still dizzy and dazed.

"I know that whatever you're seeing... i-it's probably pretty rough. I'm sure you think that it's hopeless, but it isn't! You can get through it..."

AudRaph lifted up his head, growling at him with bared teeth.

"Hey, it's okay to be scared. I'm scared most of the time. Have you seen half of the hijinx Mikey gets involved in? I'll bet you know how tough it is, being the oldest brother, the one to look after everyone... But then again, you also know how much they love you. You know how excited they are when they succeed just like you knew they would, the look on their faces when they see how proud you are when they exceed your expectations and blow you out of the water! You're so lucky to be the big brother, no matter how many times they make you worry... because for every grey scale they give you, you get ten extra memories of them and how wonderful they are and how much you love them."

Raphael's blue-glazed eyes started leaking.

"And I know you love them. Because how could you not love our brothers?? You, me, we sacrifice for them all the time, because we would do anything for our little brothers. You'd do anything for your brothers, right? And... you said I would always have a big brother in you. And I need you, Raph -- they need you -- WE NEED YOU. We need you to come back to us..."

Leon placed one hand on Raph's shaking shoulder and cupped the other hand under his cheek, wiping the blue tears from his face.

"Come back to your family, Raph. Because we need YOU. Not a hero, not a sacrificial martyr, we want our brother to come home. Please, Raph. Please."

Raphael blinked away the tears, the final remnants of blue melting away with the tears.

"...L-Leon..?"

"Welcome back, big guy."

Leon was suddenly engulfed in a bear hug, Raph squeezing him tight and shaking all over.

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry, Leo LEON, I'm so sorry... please... please, can you forgive me, I never meant to hurt you, I never wanted to--!"

"It's okay, dude," Leon said, trying not to cry himself as he squeezed Raph back. "You old softy."

Leon had to force himself to pull away from the sobbing snapping turtle, offering the end of his scarf for the eldest sibling to wipe his face with.

"Now, let's go wake up the others, hmm?"

April's teleporting powers kicked in as soon as she saw the golden chains coming. She was suddenly in a new place, landing in a small heap of rubble. She turned around and watched as NFIF Michelangelo managed to snag her Leon and reel him in.

"Leo!"

"YOU."

April whirled around to see AudRai coming for her. Her neat braid had been mussed up in the explosion, the strands falling loose and falling apart. Her eyes were surrounded by deep, dark circles and tear stains.

"Karai... what happened to you?"

"What always happens to the Hamatos," she replied glumly. "We die."

"You're not dead yet," April said, gritting her teeth. "I'm not going to let that funky mushroom kill you."

"Why not? You let it kill Michael."

April's breath caught in her lungs.

"...Karai... you don't know what you're saying..."

"It's our doom, our fate," she said, voice wobbling with sniffles as the tears started pooling. "The fate I started us all down... the role I took on, the example I set... it's all my fault--"

Karai started weeping, her voice cracked as her fists clenched.

"It's my fault that Michael died. I felt him leave. Not just because of our family ninpo, I saw him die through the spores. I saw his fears. I watched him go!" she whimpered, falling to her knees.

April's eyes welled up with tears of her own as she slowly understood what Karai was saying.

"It was my fault... I trained him in his ninpo. I taught him all the Hamato magic. I showed him the importance of our traditions, our lore, our creed. I... I... I killed him..."

"You didn't kill him. He's still alive," April reassured her. "And you didn't teach Mikey self-sacrifice. It seems to be a running tendency--"

"But that tendency started with me!" Karai sobbed. "I can't save them, no matter how hard I try! I couldn't save my village, my father, my own grandson! My legacy is to be the failing martyr!!"

April rushed forward and hugged Karai tightly.

"No. That is not your legacy. That is not your destiny. Michael is not dead, and neither are you. Karai, you are more than just your mistakes, more than your defeats. Don't let the fear of failure keep you from succeeding later on! Don't let the past keep you from building up your future! You told me that you saw how strong I was, where do you think I learned that courage from? Don't let this be another failure, don't give up! You can beat this fear. 'You shall not be challenged beyond your strength.' You can overcome it."

Karai stiffened for a second, before softly hugging April back. After a few shaky moments, Karai pulled away. Much to April's relief, her eyes were back to normal.

"Arigatō, April..."

Karai wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned to the small caged-in cradle holding Misa.

"We should help release her."

"Can I offer my help?" NFIF Raph asked, as he and Leon rushed up through the rubble and broken drywall.

April and Karai looked at each other, unsure if that was wise, considering what had happened.

Yet Karai nodded, stepped forwards and used her ninpo to create a small dagger of flame that cut through the vines. Misa was growling and crying, her eyes shut tight as she fought against her nightmares.

Raphael leaned down and picked her up gently, rocking her back and forth.

"If one of the Mikeys were here, they'd know how to snap her out of it," April murmured. "He saved her from the spores last time..."

"Raph knows what to do," he whispered, his voice soft and gentle. "I've had my fair share of getting my little brothers to calm down after a nightmare..."

Raph sat down on a pile of debris as he held on to Misa.

She hissed at him, pushing to get away.

"Misa? Misa, it's me..."

Misa growled again, still struggling to break free from his hold. In her mind, she had just been taken away by an evil scientist who was going to do terrible, mean things to her...

"No!" she snapped, biting his hand.

Raph gasped in pain, but didn't let go. He smiled through the hurt, tears forming in his eyes again.

"I guess I deserved that one, huh?" he chuckled dryly. "Misa, please, it's Raph... it's Ra-Ra?"

Misa slowly stopped, her ferocious bites turning into soft nibbles as she opened one eye, the edges of white turning a soft blue.

"Misa, can you see me? Can you see Ra-Ra?"

She shook her head no.

"...R-Ra-Ra? Ra-Ra has Misa?"

"Yes," he assured her, rubbing his thumb in circles against her cheek, wiping away the bitter and angry tears.

Misa flinched, her eyes widened at the touch.

"...Is Ra-Ra good guy now?"

That hurt. He knew she didn't mean for it to hurt, but the truth was painful nonetheless.

"Yes, Misa," he whimpered. "Ra-Ra is good now. Misa, I'm so sorry for what I did to you... I hurt you so much, Raph is so sorry..."

Even though he knew that he was meant to be comforting her, Raph lowered his head and cried onto her as he held her in his lap.

"Misa... I'm so sorry. I'll understand if you hate me forever after this, I wouldn't blame you. But... I want to help you now, I want to help with the scary things you're seeing. How can Ra-Ra help you?"

Raph felt tiny hands reaching up and touching his face. Misa blinked away the blue, eyes refocusing until she could see Raphael properly.

And Misa smiled.

"Little brudder..."

She kissed his cheek and nuzzled him, hugging his face and wiping away his tears.

"...Misa forgives Ra-Ra. Ra-Ra good guy."

Raphael blubbered at that, whimpering as he pressed Misa against his plastron in a desperate hug. Misa giggled, patting him on the back as best she could, though her arms barely even reached the edges of his shell.

"Thank you, Misa... thank you..."

"Where's Mikey an' Dee-Dee?" she asked, looking around.

"Around here somewhere," Leon replied, looking around. "I'm sure we'll find them eventually..."

"Hey, guys!" Abby shouted at them. "Look who we got!"

Abby gave the performance of a lifetime. She and swayed Michelangelo had been dueling it out against each other for a few minutes while Abby belted out her favourite musical number. She ordered the vines to protect her as she spun and ducked and danced and leapt around the mystic attacks. Her vines reached out and grabbed MichelAudrelo and pulled him high into the air, away from Abby as she finished up her number. MichelAudrelo struggled against the vines, breaking free eventually, but Abby had been prepared for that. Several other series of vines reached up and caught him, much to his frustration.

"THAT BEAUTIFUL SOUND--"

"STOP IT!" MichelAudrelo screeched, lashing out his chains to grab at the feline, but she jumped away at the last second, her choreography coming in to save her as she danced around him gleefully.

"A SOUND THAT MEANS NO MORE CONDESCENDING ADULTS HANGING AROUND!"

Abby continued to sing at the top of her lungs as MichelAudrelo chased after her, his chains doing battle with her vines.

"I SAID STOP IT!!"

Abby ignored him, singing to her heart's content.

"EVERY GROAN, EVERY WAIL AND EACH MOAN, ADDS UP TO DADDY'S LEAVIN' ME THE HECK ALONE!"

"I SAID STOP! STOP, Stop, s-stop..."

MichelAudrelo's hands began to shake, his chains started to fade.

"THEY'RE OUT OF MY GRILL, BECAUSE OF THAT SHRILL SYMPHONY..."

Abby pirouetted, a glorious spin that created a flurry of petals around her. MichelAudrelo couldn't see her anymore, her spin was so fast that she became a blur. While he was distracted, a grappling hook shot up and grabbed him by the ankle, tugging him down to the floor as Ghost wrapped his arms around the boy.

"H-hey!! LET GO!!"

"It's okay, Angelo," Ghost murmured, keeping him close to his chest. "It's okay, we've got you..."

"AIN'T IT THE SWEETEST NOISE AROUND, THAT BEAUTIFUL SOUND!" Abby belted, echoing the final word as she jumped down from her podium made of vines.

"Aaaaaaand she sticks the landing!" she cheered as she gracefully touched down. "I did it! I really did it! I guess my leg's all better, I can't wait to show Diana--"

"YOU CAN'T KEEP ME PRISONER LIKE THIS!!" MichelAudrelo screeched, kicking and squirming in Ghost's hold. "LET ME GO!"

"Not until you calm down, kid," Ghost said, tightening his hold on the mind-controlled Angelo. "Just let it go, let go of the anger and the fear and--"

"NO! I'LL KILL YOU ALL! I'LL...I'll... I ... heh... heh, heh..."

MichelAudrelo's screams melted as tears started trickling down his face. He smiled painfully, laughing as he saw what he was.

"I... I wanted to kill everyone," he murmured. His voice was soft, he was in shock and somewhat dazed as the realization of what he'd done seeped in. "I really did. I wanted to break everything and destroy the entire arena and everyone in it... why?"

MichelAudrelo looked up at Abby, the small trickle of tears turning into rivers, his smile breaking as the corners of his mouth turned down.

"Why did I wanna hurt you so bad? I never would have done that before, I was just so... so..."

"Scared?" Abby offered, stepping forward to wipe the tears away.

"No," Angelo flinched, pulling back from her, refusing to accept her help. "No, it wasn’t fear, it was--"

"It was grief."

MichelAudrelo looked up in confusion at Ghost, who looked down with his own understanding gaze.

"You were scared of losing your family, huh? April told me a little about some of the things you said when you were first spored. I know what it feels like to lose your family. To know that you'll never get to do the things you always said you'd do together. See the places you always wanted to go. Win or lose the arguments you planned in your head for fun, just to antagonize them. Give that apology you meant to say. Make that special gift for their next birthday. Eat lunch with them. Say I love you one last time. I know how it feels to realize that you've been pulled away and there's no going back. And what's worse... you see them everywhere. Carbon copies, phantoms of the past that bring up phantom pains. You want to pretend that they're yours, but..."

"But they're not!" Angelo sobbed, letting his limbs go slack in Ghost's embrace as he wailed. The two fell to their knees, Ghost comforting Angelo as he cried out a pain that was so deep and scarring it could shake the foundations of the earth.

"But... your family isn't dead, Angelo," Abby reassured him. "They're still here --"

"FOR HOW LONG?" he howled. "How long until they really do get themselves killed?! How long until I have to go through this again, but for real?! I can't keep doing this!! I can't, I can't! I won't let myself get hurt again!!"

The blue light started to return to MichelAudrelo's eyes as he growled.

"That's what I said, too," Ghost chuckled.

Angie stopped.

"I told myself I would never get hurt like that again. So I shut everyone and everything out. I refused to let myself get too attached to what I knew could be another family for me. I couldn't face the idea of seeing replicas of my brothers and father and April again. I was scared of getting hurt."

Angelo swivelled his head around to get a better look at Ghost, who was starting to cry himself.

"I was so scared, kid. I let myself rot in a sewer alone for over two decades before I finally faced my fears and tried again. Knowing that the pain would come, knowing that I would have to be strong. Because sometimes... healing hurts."

"If you love someone, you have to understand that one day they will hurt you," Abby added. "Whether they mean to or not... love opens you up for both the happy times and the sad times. And the angry ones, too, believe me."

"It may seem like the pain is too much to live with --" Ghost replied, "-- and you may think that it's easier to feel nothing at all than to feel the pain. But when that happens you become nothing more than a... well, a ghost in a shell," he chuckled weakly.

"I don't want that," Angelo wept, turning around and wrapping his arms around Ghost in a loose hug. "I don't want to just rot inside myself while the people I love most are waiting for me..."

"Then you have to let go of that pain."

"But it's so hard!"

"I know, bud, I know. But nothing that the great Dr. Feelings can't face, right? And you'll never face it alone."

"I thought that was Dr. Delicate Touch... wait, what's the difference again?" Abby asked.

Angelo rubbed his face against Ghost's cloak, wiping the tears and snot from his blubbering face.

"Dr. Delicate Touch feels nothing... O-o.... okay..." he whimpered. "I can do this. I don't want to be 'Dr. Delicate Touch' forever. I wanna be with my family again. Even if we'll get hurt. I'd rather get hurt with them than feel nothing forever alone."

"Good call, kid," Ghost said, leisurely releasing the box turtle.

Angelo stood up, wiping the last of the glowing aqua blue tears from his face, his eyes back to normal as he weakly smiled.

"Should... should we go find the rest?"

"The Donnies are still doing their epic anime battle royale or something," Abby pointed. "But the others are in that pile of debris over there."

"Well, I've learned the hard way to never interrupt Dee's work, so let's go see how the other guys are doing."

"Another good call," Ghost laughed, rubbing Angelo's head.

The trio crossed over to the rest, reaching them just as Misa was released from the fear fungus' hold and hugging Raphael.

"Hey, guys! Look who we got!" Abby cheered, pointing at Angelo, who waved weakly at the group.

"Hey, Angelo!" Leon said with a wave. "You're not gonna... string me up again like before, are ya?"

"No," he whimpered softly. "Sorry 'bout that, by the way..."

"It's all cool," Leon said, waving it off. "Shrooms will do that to ya, or so I've heard."

Raphael looked over at his baby brother, seeing the tear stains and red puffy eyes and the trail of snot he kept wiping and sniffling away.

"Rough comeback, huh?"

"Yeah. You too?"

"Pizza supreme in the sky, you have no idea."

"Pizza what in the where now?" Leon asked, raising a brow at the snapping turtle. "What did you just say--"

"I'LL KILL YOU!!"

The group jumped at the scream that shattered the calm they had been enjoying for the moment.

"That was one of the Donnies!" Abby yiped, jumping into Diana's arms.

"...Do you think maybe we should look into that?" Leon asked.

rhg!Donnie had carried Michael into the outskirts of the battle, just as he'd promised. The Donnie confrontation, or 'Donfrontation' as they were calling it, was in full swing as the drones flew like a tornado around the halls.

"Okay, we're here now, what exactly did you have planned??" rhg!Donnie asked.

"Uh, I honestly figured I could wing it--"

"YOU WHAT?!"

Mikey shrugged and laughed nervously.

"Well, I assumed that I'd have a plan by the time I got here!"

Before rhg!Donnie could let in to him, an explosion went off. The bright rainbow of light blew away the spores and darkness, clearing the area almost instantaneously.

"Well, it looks like the guys managed to set off the TNT," Diana noticed.

"No kidding," rhg!Donnie grumbled. "We should get out of here--"

A large body flew into the wall some short distance aways.

"Was that Raph?!" Abby yelled loudly.

The halls started glittering as golden chains filled the air.

"I swear, that isn’t me," Mikey said, seeing the glare that the others were about to give him.

"It's the other Mikey!" Abby yelled, suddenly running off to go help the others.

"Wait a minute!" Diana shouted, running after her.

"Well, um, I guess it's just you and me now," Mikey chuckled dryly.

"Apparently so. I'm taking you back to safety--"

"No!" Mikey yelled, holding his hand out to stop him. "I need you to take me to my brothers, or --"

"No, Mikey, I can't let that happen! You'll get hurt, or--"

Before rhg!Donnie could finish his sentence, one of the drones snagged the back of his shirt and carried him away into the storm.

"Oh no! Human Donnie!!"

Mikey summoned a small chain and latched it onto one of the other drones, getting yanked away into the torrent along with the alternate version of his brother.

"I'm coming!"

Mikey held on as tightly as he could to the meager chain, climbing up the links to get to the drone itself. He climbed atop it, looking for rgh!Donnie amongst the flurry of purple. He found him, several feet away, trying to reach back and unhook his clothes from the device.

"Hold on, I'm on my way!!"

Mikey readied himself, and then leapt. His stomach slammed into the head of the drone, and he slipped down the side. Mikey swung his legs up, gripping the drone with his knees as he crawled back up the side of it. Mikey saw the legs of the drone dangling beneath him, and got an idea. He took out his nunchucks, wrapping one end to the drone's mechanical legs as he held on with a deathgrip to the other end. He let himself fall, dangling from the machine and swinging around as the drones turned the corner and continued their tornado patterns. Mikey used the momentum of the turning corner to fling himself forward, landing directly on top of the kidnapper drone.

"MIKEY?!" rhg!Donnie screamed above the roaring mechanical wind. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Winging it!" Mikey yelled back, as he grabbed rhg!Dee's shirt collar and tore the fabric from the metal limb. With nothing holding him up anymore, rhg!Donnie fell to the floor, dragging poor Michelangelo with him.

"AAAAAHHHH!!"

Before the two adolescents could hit the pavement, something caught them both. They looked up in shock to see two drones had chased after and grabbed them.

"Not again," rhg!Donnie groaned.

"I assure you, this time it was intentional," Omega said as he rolled by. "Congrats on being rescued."

"Thanks, computer Dee!" Mikey cheered, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Of course. Now, WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?! I thought you were given direct instruction to--"

"Where is everyone? Where's Leon, 'Phael, Dvd, and April?" Mikey interrupted.

"I suspect UIFY Leonardo, UIFY Raphael, and UIFY April are over by the remnants of that housing unit," Omega said, a robot claw pointing towards the heap of rubble caught in the explosion. "But your Donatello is in the center of that drone tornado. He's taken the forefront of distracting --"

"I gotta go talk to him!" Mikey yelled, trying to run but tripping over his own feet as he did so.

"No way!" rhg!Donnie said, grabbing him and dragging him back again. "You're staying over here, where it's safe!"

"I thought you were on my side!"

"I'm not on anybody's side. I just want you to be safe, Mikey," he said, the last few words coming out as a whimper. "Please... just stay here for me, I'll go and help!"

"BUT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!!"

rhg!Donnie ran in the direction of the tornado, Omega chasing after him.

Mikey waited a beat.

And then began to shuffle towards them, too...

rhg!Donnie ducked in between each and every drone as they sailed around them. He listened for the shouts, for any noise other than the roaring wind whipping around him.

He couldn't hear anything.

He couldn't see anything--

"Hey! Watch out!"

rhg!Donnie jumped. Someone had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside. DvD stared the teenager in the face, glaring at him angrily.

"WHAT are YOU doing here?! You're supposed to be watching after--"

His eyes widened as he realized.

"WHERE. IS. HE."

"I left him with Omega!" rhg!Donnie shouted.

"OMEGA IS RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!"

rhg!Donnie turned around to stare the computer in the face -- or rather, icon.

"WHAT?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE WITH HIS BROTHER--"

"I came to make sure you would be --"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute --" DvD stopped the explanation hastily, trying to figure it out. "-- if he's not with us, then who is he with?"

UIFY Mikey crawled across the floor as best he could. He was still wobbly, and every time he tried to stand he got the nastiest dizzy spell. The dizziness was only compounded by the continuing swirling of the mechanical hurricane before him. But he had to get to them, before it was too late...

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Mikey paused, a pair of feet appearing in front of him. He slowly looked up to see AudreyTello standing before him, tech-bō in hand and pointed down at Michael.

"...Heyyyy, Dee... just the guy I wanted to see."

"You're supposed to be dead," AudreyTello said, leaning closer to him.

"Eh. I got better."

"So I see. Shall I remedy that for you?"

Mikey swallowed.

"You're not going to kill me."

"Oh? And why ever not?" AudreyTello chuckled, walking closer as Mikey inched backwards.

"Because we both know that you don't want to hurt me. You didn't hurt me before--"

"An oversight on my part. As I said, I can remedy that," AudreyTello growled, as he cocked back the bō and prepared to strike.

"No. Before the battle. When I helped you, when I gave you some of my strength to fight against the fungus, I could feel what was happening to you. I don't know how or why, but I could sense that you were being sorta... swept away. But not gone for good."

"You're wrong," AudreyTello laughed. "Donatello is DEAD."

"No," Mikey refuted. "I made sure of it. I know you're in there, I know you can see and hear me. That's why you gave me back to DvD when you did."

"You were unconscious for that, how... ah, yes. Your odd little dreams that fill you in on what you've missed," AudreyTello rolled his eyes. "How useful."

"You didn't want to hurt me," Mikey informed him. "Because you're still in there."

"No, he's NOT," AudreyTello growled.

"I know you are. It's why you wouldn't kill me. Why I couldn't kill you. Because you care."

"DONATELLO IS DEAD!!" AudreyTello snapped. "I AM IN CONTROL, YOU HEAR ME?!"

"You can scream all you want, but we both know that isn't true."

"BUT IT HAS TO BE!" Dee sobbed. "IT HAS TO BE TRUE, OTHERWISE... otherwise, I really did all those terrible things to you... your brother... m-my brothers..."

NFIF Donatello's knees started wobbling. He backed away from Mikey.

"I know you're scared. You're probably thinking everything that happened is all your fault, right? You're blaming yourself. The hand told me..."

"No... No, NO! S-STAY BACK!" AudreyTello shrieked, fumbling away from Mikey, who started crawling back towards him.

"You're scared that what you've done is unredeemable, that the mistakes you made will haunt you forever. But that's only true if you let it be true. Because -- whether you want it or not -- I forgive you for everything that happened."

"No, you can't -- Don't say that!" Donatello wept, holding his staff at Mikey, trying to ward him off as though he were a wild animal. "You can't just forgive that, you can't simply forgive him, he tried to spore you! He -- I almost sent you to your doom, I did send you to your doom! MY spores killed you!!"

"Do I look like I'm dead to you? Like I said, you wouldn't hurt me. You didn't know that would happen, it was a freak accident or whatever. And even if you did mean for that to happen... I still forgive you."

"BUT YOU CAN'T--!"

"But I do anyways. Because you're my brother, Dee," Mikey said with a smile, slowly getting up to his feet to stand.

"I-I'm not... I'm not your brother... especially after what I did..."

The tornado of drones behind them started to slow to a lull. The roaring cyclone and whipping wind calming to a gentle breeze in the background.

Mikey smiled at the weeping Donatello. He crawled closer.

"...But I still choose you as my family. And I still forgive you. And your real brothers will, too, because they love you so much more than I ever could! Donnie, do you know how much you are loved? How much we care about you?"

"No... you can't... stop it, stop, please..."

"We all love you so much, nothing you could ever do would make that love go away. No mistake, no failure, no evil monologue could ever make our love for you just simply vanish! We'll fight for you, we'll die for you, we'll live for you, because we love you so much."

"I don't deserve it... please, you can't say that! I don't want your love! I don't want you to keep loving me after everything, I don't deserve it!! I haven't earned it!!"

"You don't have to earn or deserve it, Dee," Mikey said, taking shaky steps towards him.

"Stop, Mikey, st-o-o-p..." Donnie wrapped his arms around himself, clutching his stomach as the alt. version of his baby brother came closer, holding his arms out to hug him.

"It's like Karai always says... anatawa, hitorijin--"

"I'LL KILL YOU!!"

Mikey whirled around just in time to see DvD leap over him, tech-bōfurnished with a saw as he lunged towards his enemy.

DvD crashed into NFIF Donatello, the two rolling around and scuffling on the floor as DvD attempted to avenge his brother.

"No!! Get off of him, what are you doing?! I was just getting through to him!!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM FOR WHAT HE DID TO YOU!!" Donatello Von Draxum screamed.

AudreyTello kicked him off his stomach, tumbling to the side and watching in pure fear as DvD readied his tech bo again. Mikey jumped onto him, clutching his arm tightly as he tried to pull him away.

"Please, this isn't you!!" he begged.

DvD shook his baby brother off, the small child falling to the ground from the exertion and watched in horror as his big brother stormed over to the swayed Donnie.

"You're forgetting, Mikey... I'm the son of Draxum! I never asked to be... but I'm the SON OF DRAXUM, now face my..."

DvD pressed a button on his tech-bō, and it began to glow green as a new and yet unused weapon formed at the end.

"...URANIUM-POWERED FURYYYYY!!!"

"DVD, NO!!!"

Mikey screamed, his wails just barely stopping DvD in his tracks.

"AFTER EVERYTHING HE DID TO YOU... I PROMISED NOTHING WOULD HURT YOU, I SWORE TO PROTECT YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE! MIKEY, WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!"

"You can't hurt him!!" Mikey screamed. "He's YOU! He's my brother, just like you are!! He didn't mean to hurt anyone, I won't let you destroy your soul on my behalf! I won't let you hurt him!"

"...N-no... he's right..."

Mikey stared at NFIF Donatello, as he shakily looked up at the two arguing brothers.

"He should kill me... I deserve it..."

DvD glared at him.

"I TRUSTED you. I told you things about me, about Mikey, and you USE THAT AGAINST ME. The last person who did that --"

"I know," Dee wept. "I know. And you're right... after everything that happened, I don't blame you... I'd do the same. So... s-so go ahead," he cried, hanging his head in shame and resignation. "Do what you want. I did this, I did this to myself. I'm... I'm a monster.

DvD gripped his staff tightly. He took one step forward.

"No, please, don't do this," Michael begged. "Please, there's no coming back from this! Don't --"

"But Mikey, what am I supposed to do?" DvD growled, hot and angry tears filling up behind his visor.

"Forgive and forget."

"But he--"

"KILLING HIM WON'T MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF, DVD," Mikey scolded. "I KNOW YOU THINK IT'S YOUR FAULT. I KNOW YOU THINK THAT IT WAS YOUR FAULT BECAUSE YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. IT'S NOT. PLEASE, Please, please..."

Mikey sobbed as he tugged on his brother's cape.

"Don't do it... don't do this, not for me. It won't heal anything..."

Before DvD could respond, the others suddenly came running from every direction towards them, Leon and 'Phael lunged at DvD to pull him back as April and Karai went for Mikey. rhg!Donnie and Omega came running from behind and joined the UIFY gang to Keep DvD at bay, while the rest of the group went to check on NFIF Donatello, who was shaking and sobbing blue tears.

"Get back, Don!" 'Phael yelled, using all his strength to keep his warrior brother away. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"He... I... Mikey was..."

"AND JUST WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, MISTER?!" Leon shouted at Michael. "I told you to stay put!"

"I had to help! I knew that Donnie was gonna blame himself and Donnie was gonna try to kill him and the other Donnies wouldn't understand and Donnie needed me so I--"

"I told you to stay--"

"CAN WE PLEASE TURN OFF THE DEATH RAY?!" April shouted loudly over the commotion.

"Oh, right," 'Phael said, snatching the tech-bō away from DvD. Omega came over and helped him to find the right button to switch it off before it could do any real damage.

"How does this child have uranium?!" Omega asked angrily. "Where did he--"

"We can geek out over Donnie's collection of killer rocks later, right now we're kinda on mission?!"

"Oh. Right. Yes, of course..." Omega said sheepishly.

NFIF Raph was by his brother's side almost immediately, taking his hand and trying to soothe him.

"Donnie! Donnie, it's Raph... it's me, can you--"

"R-Raph?" Dee asked looking at him.

"Yeah! C'mon, you're still kinda under the influence of the spores, so I need ya to--"

"You should have let him finish me," Donnie sobbed. "I deserve it!"

"Deserve...? Donald, what are you talking about?" Angelo asked nervously.

"I... I hurt you all!" he wailed. "I keep hurting you, I keep -- I keep ruining -- I'm a villain, I'm a monster, I--"

"HEY."

Dee jerked at the deep rumble that came from his older brother. He turned to look at Raphael.

"No. You are not a villain, you are not a monster. You were stuck in a nightmare and your body was being used like a puppet. You are not to blame for what happened."

"B-but...!"

"Donnie. You were krangified."

Dee froze at the words.

He knew this argument. He was on the other side of it, now...

"If you truly believe that what you did was actually your fault, and that you really are to blame, then you're also saying that it was really me that almost killed--"

"NO!" Dee yelled, gripping his brother's arms tightly to keep him from finishing the thought. "NO! No, I would never say that, I -- it was different, you were -- you -- you weren't yourself at all, they made you into -- it's different this time!"

"How is it any different?"

"BECAUSE THIS TIME IT WAS ME!!" he howled. "YOU DIDN'T DO ANY OF THAT, YOU WEREN'T IN CONTROL--"

"Neither were you!" Angelo reminded him.

"But I--"

"You should hold yourself to the same standards of forgiveness you give to others," Raph said. "I know you feel like you're on some different level of mercy, that the mistakes of others don't matter as much as the mistakes you make, that you should be punished for every little thing you get wrong -- but that's ludicrous. Really, really ludicrous."

"T-two reallys..."

"Exactly, big man. With as big of a genius brain as yours, ya'd think you'd understand that, huh?"

Dee chuckled as he hugged his brothers. The blue glow from his birthmarks slowly faded away, revealing the purple tones underneath.

"You back with us, Don-a-Tron?"

Donnie nodded and mumbled a "mhm" at them.

"Good. Welcome home, Donnie."

"Not yet," he said, slowly pushing himself away as he remembered a crucial detail.

"We still have one last zombie to free..."

"You.... you've destroyed EVERYTHING......"

Every head simultaneously turned.

LeonAudro pulled himself out of the rubble and ruin, rising up to confront them.

He was thin and pale, one eye burning blue while the other was covered with the charred and scarred remains of a mushroom cap and gill, one singular glowing yellow eye gazing furiously at them. His body was veiled over with roots and vines and ring and stem and stalk. Toadstools grew over his shoulder, umbrella mushrooms had sprouted from his plastron.

Raph gasped in horror at how similar he looked to... to... him. When he was part of the kraang.

Angelo covered his mouth to keep from gasping and sobbing.

Donnie stared in silence, his hands curling into tight fists.

"... Don't... be... fooled if I should whimper like a sappy, sobby dope, it's just the spores... they get me low......"

He lumbered lazily towards them. His voice was weak, but in the silence it carried. His breathing was shallow and strained. His face was absolutely painted with the glowing blue tearstains.

"... But don't let my cries deceive you, any moment I could go....."

Angelo whimpered at that verse. He felt Raph grab him by the shoulders and pull him in. Donnie took his hand and squuezed it tight.

"...All my vital signs are failing... cause the fungus I'm inhaling... makes it difficult as heck to catch my bre-ha-heaaaaath...."

He wheezed as he sang, his movements laboured and exhausted.

His brothers watched him, frozen where they were as he continued on closer. And closer.

"...Leo...?"

LeonAudro smiled.

"Guess again."

"Audrey III," Dee snarled. "Let him go."

LeonAudro let out an airy chuckle.

"Why... should... I?"

"LET HIM GO!!" Angelo screamed, his hands igniting into flames for a split second.

“Wow, Miguel. Did someone lose their temper?" LeonAudro gave a wicked smile. "What happened to always thinking positively? All you did was hurt that other April and Karai instead! You tore a family apart! How are you supposed to bring us together when you’re just a violent, blood thirsty, anger filled husk!?"

Angelo's eyes widened. He felt Raph's grip on his shoulders tense. LeonAudro's head tilted to the side as he continued.

"I’ll never feel safe around you again. I bet once April hears what you did she’ll never even come back to the lair. Who knows what you’re capable of now?”

"Stop it," Raph growled. "Leo would never say those things about--"

“Raph, is it easy for you to show your scarred up face to me again when you’ve failed so miserably?" LaonAudro stated, stepping closer to shorten the distance between them all. "Not just now, but again and again and again. How many times will you let me be lost? Injured? Scared? What kind of leader lets his team go on alone? What kind of brother cares so little that I can be missing for so long that this happens!?"

"I... you..."

"You said you’d always protect me!" LeonAudro continued. "You lied! Is this because I’m better than you? Are you punishing me? You want to hurt me? Again?”

"HE SAID STOP IT!" Donnie shouted, standing up definitely against the spore-infected brother before him.

LeonAudro turned his head to peer at his twin.

“And you. You think you're any better?? Your tech was useless, Donnie. Again. Knowing I’m twins with someone who can’t, not even once, save someone he cares about with the only thing he’s good at makes me sick! Maybe you don’t actually care? I bet you’d be fine if I just croaked here and now! You might even like it! I bet you enjoyed getting to play your little villain role because you could hurt us without any consequences! You’re an emotionless, selfish, annoying little freak who wishes he could be normal!”

Donnie's tech-bō materialized a drill in his hands.

"Just because you're using him to say these things doesn't mean it's Leo. We're taking him back. NOW."

LeonAudro sighed glumly.

"It's too late for that, I'm afraid."

"No!" Angelo shouted "We're saving him!!"

LeonAudro somberly lifted his arms up to gesture to the weak and frail body he possessed.

"Look at me, Angie... what is there left to save?? Am I still really worth it to you? Be realistic, I'm better off dead."

"Leo would NEVER say that!" Raph protested.

"You don't know your brother at all..."

LeonAudro gave a weak and meager grin at the boys, his legs nearly giving out beneath him as he struggled to stay upright.

"He's long gone... he really is. Funny, how the spores turned you all into the opposite of who you are... Raphael became a pathetic little worm, willing to give up so easily. Michelangelo became a destroyer, a hate-filled wretch. Donatello couldn't wait to cause the pain of others, to ruin them, to--"

"YOU DID THAT!" Donnie yelled. "That was your twisted vision of us!"

"...And Leonardo. What a poor, unfortunate soul... who would have thought someone so full of hope and endurances could be broken so quickly?"

Raph growled. LeonAudro tilted his head back and grinned wide, licking his lips. The pain tasted so sweet.

"But in the end, he gave up much faster than I expected. Because, he really is just a worthless, wantless, 'WRETCHED LITTLE PEST'."

"NO!" Angie screamed, Raphael having to hold him back from attacking the fungus that covered his brother. "Don't you DARE say that about him!! Leo is still in there! He survived once, we can--"

"ARE YOU DUMB?!" LeonAudro screamed at them, causing everybody to jump back. "OR HARD OF HEARING? OR RELIEVED MY END IS NEARING? ARE YOU SATISFIED?! I SCARED MYSELF TO--"

"NO!!!"

LeonAudro's eyes rolled back, his legs gave out from underneath him.

Raph's hologram arms reached out instantly, catching him and carrying him to them.

"Leo! Leo, wake up, wake up!!" Angelo sobbed, shaking his brother frantically. Donnie grabbed his wrists and yanked him away.

"Angelo, stop, don't shake him like that--"

"But he won't wake up!!"

"He's been weakened by the mushroom," Karai interjected, coming to kneel besides them all. "He doesn't have much time left."

"Well then what do we do?!" Raph sobbed.

"He is still a prisoner of fear," she said sadly, placing the back of her hand against the exposed portion of Leo's forehead, checking for fever. Instead he felt cold, his body shivering and his breaths shuddering. They were getting slower and slower...

"You will need to help free him from the fungus' hold."

"How?!" Angie asked, clinging tightly to Leo's limp hand.

"I can help take you into his nightmare," Karai said. "You can confront him and his fears once you are inside his subconscious."

The boys nodded, each one taking Leo's hand and squeezing tightly as Karai focused on NFIF Leo...

The boys eyes started to glow their signature colours...

They each fell over, lying beside Leonardo on the floor.

Raphael opened his eyes to find himself floating in an empty void.

Well, almost empty.

It was empty in the sense that there were no living beings here. Just debris, wreckage from ginormous mechas and spaceships that were the size of moons. Shards of broken ground and platforms floated about them. There was an odd, twisted version of gravity. Unless you were within five feet of the 'ground', you were basically weightless and could fly around wherever. There was minimal light, and no real source for it. It just sort of faded in and out mysteriously. Though, there were some sharp red pin lights coming from the useless kraang prime suits and ships.

It was cold, here, too. Cold like in the dark room with the --

Yeah. Cold.

Angelo was beside him, as was Dee. He hadn't noticed them at first, the loneliness in this vast empty space was suffocating. He felt like he was going to choke on it.

"Look, there!" Angelo gasped, though in this space his voice carried and echoed so much it was almost a shout.

Angie pointed off into the distance where a single speck of green and blue floated alone. They could hear the faintest weeps coming from it.

"It's Leo!!"

"How do we get to him?" Raph asked, squinting and peering as best he could. His damaged eye was not doing him any favours right now...

"I've got it covered," Donnie said with a grin, grabbing onto Raph's shell. "Oh Raphala, do hang on to Angelo for us, please."

Raph hugged his brother to his chest. Donatello's ninpo activated, creating a huge jetpack that was twice their cumulative size, and the trio blasted off to save their brother from this duplicate prison dimension.

"We're almost there!" Angelo shouted.

"Great, how do we slow down?!" Donnie yelled back.

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW??"

"In case you haven't noticed, Angelo, this place doesn't exactly follow the typical rules of physics! Unless there's something to slow our accelerated direction, we'll just keep going forever!"

"Raph's got it!" Raphael called out, his ninpo creating a gigantic arm and grabbing onto the broken down ship hull that was just in front of them.

The trio slid down, Angelo using his chains to keep them levitated around their team leader as he drifted motionless, his three brothers surrounding him. They didn't notice the deep dark circles under his eyes, the wounds covering his body, the tearstains that seemed to have been made a permanent addition to his face, the tattered and chipped sword with the dented hilt wrapped in weathered and worn masks, each mask a different but familiar colour... They were just relieved to see him still somewhat alive.

"Leo? Leo, we're here to rescue you--"

Raph had started to reach out for him, but before he could touch his shell the masks tied to the sword suddenly flew at him, transforming into apparitions that haunted the slider, growling and snarling at Raphael, keeping him away.

"GAAH! What the--?! Now there's ghosts? Who's the creepy old guy?"

The ghouls circled around Leonardo. They seemed to be guarding Leo from outsiders... Angelo recognized the fine halo of colour that surrounded them as they circled about him like vultures. One red: large and bulky and missing an eye, the spines on his shell were singed and the entire front of him was burned and scarred beyond recognition; the second purple: a thick shield over his back and broken goggles that covered his damaged face; the last one orange: balding with liver spots and a massive cape that flowed behind him, his hands shattered like glass as remnants and shards of him followed behind as he circled Leonardo, who pressed the sword closer to his chest. Angie swallowed, a sick feeling growing in his stomach.

"I... I think those ghosts are..."

"R-Raph..."

Leo slowly turned to gaze back at Raphael. Tears were pouring down his cheeks.

"Leo! Tell your futuristic guard dogs that we're friendly!"

Leo hiccupped sobs as he watched them.

"I... can't control them..."

"Then we'll find a way through!" Dee yelled, readying his bō staff.

"Th-they're not here to trap me..." he whimpered. "They're here to protect you..."

"Protect us? From what?"

"...Me..."

Leo hugged the sword as tightly as he could, as if it were everything he'd lost in the world.

"They all died saving me. Protecting me. Following my orders. Heck, I actually TOLD Mikey to sacrifice himself! Look what I did to them. What I'll eventually do to you, too..."

Leo curled up tighter into himself, clutching the sword. It's edges were dull, the shine lost ages ago, scuffed and marked and dirty and unloved. Like him. Just like him...

"They hate me, and I deserve it..."

Raph could hear the voices... soft echoes that were earworms, whispering breaths that had their voices plastered onto them, but altered -- gruffer, older, deeper, more strained with time and trauma.

"...it hurts, leo..."

"...you were supposed to protect us, leo..."

"...why did we have to do it instead, leo..?"

With every word, Leo's light began to dim, the colour in his skin and birthmarks faded and became desaturated. With every utterance, his grip on the sword loosened. He was fading away...

Raphael sucker-punched the ghost of his future bad timeline self in the face, sending him reeling back as the ghouls screeched in response. Raph screamed back at them.

"Stop talking about my brother that way!! I would never, ever say those things!"

The two other ghosts lunged at him, but were no match for the younger flesh-and-blood counterparts. Donnie swung his bō at his future phantom, smacking it into the side of its head and sending it careening into the distance. Angelo had his chains swirl around the eldery version of himself and -- with a flick of the wrist -- sent the geezer spiraling into oblivion.

Raphael jumped to Leon and clung to him as firmly as possible.

"Leo. I need you to listen to me, because I'm only ever going to be able to tell this to you once. I never told anyone this, not you or our bros or pops or April or Casey Jr. or anybody. Not even my teddy bears or Princess Peach figurine. So you'd better pay close attention to this confession."

Raph took in a deep breath. He knew Donnie and Angie were listening too. Good. They all might as well hear it, he definitely did not plan to ever bring it up again.

"...When I was part of the kraang -- particularly when I was fighting you -- the kraang tricked me. They'd tricked me before, they'd made me think that I was coming to save you after I'd managed to escape them, They made me think I'd come home... but it was a trick. A dream."

"That was how they found the lair..." Donnie muttered to himself.

"Yeah, well... when I was in the technodrome... when you came to rescue me, and we fought... the kraang did it again. I thought... I thought everyone was dead. Mikey and Donnie were on the floor, they were skewered and bleeding and dead and... and you were in front of me, begging me to save you. A kraang monster or something had you in its grip, and I tried to -- it kept fighting me, every time I went to save you. I was going to kill it to rescue you, I... I didn't realize until after we got home, and you guys explained everything to me -- it was you I was fighting."

Leo ugly sobbed, his face scrunching up as he wrapped his limbs all around Raphael, just like how he used to when he was a kid and needed as much love as he could receive from his big brother. Raph held him closely and rocked him back and forth, giving long gentle strokes down from the top of his head to the middle of his shell.

"B-b-b-but it w-was MY fault that y-you were, were--!" Leo blubbered, Raph interrupting his wails to continue.

“From the moment I knew I had brothers, I knew I would do anything to protect you no matter what you did! You want to know what I really hate about you, Leo!? It’s that you think we don’t like you! We love you. Always have, always will. So stop being dumb and let us help you!”

"Raph's right!" Angelo said, coming close and cupping Leo's stained cheek and giving him his signature sunshine smile. "Even if we died in some other future, and even if it was for you, that was what we decided! If we didn’t do it for you then it would probably have been anyone else in the family! And it’s not because we don’t care about ourselves, it’s because we’ll always take care of each other!”

“I have never, ever known a world without you and I don’t want to!" Donnie added, taking his hand. "If you know how I die then….I would have hoped it was next to you. I hope it was you telling some dumb story or telling a terrible joke! If you don’t want me to die so badly, think about how much I don’t want you to! But that’s what you’re doing! Do not die on me Leo!….Please.” Donnie begs.

Leo's eyes brightened, the colour slowly coming back to his face, the sickly blue in his eyes dripping away as it was replaced, not only by his true blue, but by a mixture of red, orange, and purple. The crescents along his arms and around his eyes began to glow, as did the birthmarks on his brothers.

It was familiar, seeing the light shine in this desolate and lonely place.

But not so lonely anymore...

Leo's eyes slowly opened.

The real world hurt and ached. The arena compound's lights burned his retinas, the sounds and cries deafened him, the warm touch from every hand that reached out for him burned his chilled and slightly feverish skin. Something was pulled from his face -- it had been stuck to his mask and skin but relented in the end, falling off with ease; the roots and mycelium threads gently slipping out of his epidermis. Out of the corner of his blurry vision, he saw UIFY Donnie take the last remnants of the mushroom and disintegrate it with some kind of death ray... good.

Leo barely registered that his brothers were holding him, clutching him close to them and saying loving things to him, trying to get him to respond as proof that he was back with them. Proof he was alive. Not just breathing, but alive. Because when you're a prisoner of fear, you're basically walking dead. And Leo was so tired of being dead in himself. He wanted to live again...

Leo managed a smile to let them know he was alright.

And he fell asleep... with no nightmares.

When Leo awoke again, he was in the medbay. His head was bandaged, and an IV was stuck into his thin and emaciated arm. Raphael was snoring by his bedside, holding his hand in his sleep as he drooled onto the mattress. Dee was reading an article on his tablet in the corner, while Angelo was fidgeting with his wrappings and looking over the new collection of scars he'd gotten.

"...Heyyyy, guys, when's the entr'acte?" Leo joked.

Somehow immediately Raph's head shot up as he snorted awake.

"Snrrk--! Leo? LEO!!"

Raphael wrapped his arms around him in a bear hug, crying into his shoulders as Leo tried to convince him that he was okay. Donnie and Angie joined in soon, with Donnie taking the opposite side of the bed and Angelo simply jumping up onto the mattress and flattening his bedridden bro.

After ten minutes of wholesome crying between the four of them, inspecting each others' injuries and coming upon the decision that they were all lucky to be alive, they calmed down and brought up an important conversation.

"So... we're leaving now, right?" Leo asked, looking around the room for any objections. It was an awkward silence he got instead.

"I mean, it's for the best, right?"

"I think so," Donnie sighed. "We've caused enough trouble already."

"And we lost the contest, anyhow," Raph added. "There's... no real reason to stay."

"I would have liked to say goodbye to everyone, though," Angelo sighed. "But... after everything that happened... maybe you're right. A quiet exit is probably best." He gave an airy chuckle. "In any case, I'm honestly too emotionally exhausted to even try a conversation with anyone."

"We can leave a written apology," Dee offered.

"Good idea," Leo said with a fragile smile. "Let's go."

The four took a small piece of paper and wrote down their apologies to everyone. Leo cried during his portion. Donatello snapped his pencil tip during his. Angelo couldn't find the right words and ended up doing a fourth and fifth draft before Raph finally told him he was done. Raph's section of the note was long and overly poetic, but truly heartfelt.

They left the note on the pillow, and silently left the room.

"Do you even know which way the exit is?" Dee asked.

"No, but I'm pretty sure it's around here somewhere..." Leo replied, as he turned his head around every corner.

"You'd think a med ward would have better signage!" Raph bemoaned softly.

"Look, there it is!" Angelo said, dragging the others to a doorway.

The doors swung open.

"Great, now we can escape without anybody--"

The crowd cheered.

The four boys were stopped in their tracks as an enormous crowd of people with signs and posters and gifts came and shouted their names. For a moment, Leo clutched his katanas and prepared to fight them all before realizing this wasn't an angry mob.

"Guys! Look! It's NO FUN IN FUNGUS!!!"

"They're okay!"

"Thank you for saving us!!"

"You guys are the best!"

"Hey, I know that team!"

"Way to go, you guys!!"

Everyone was here...

rhg!Donnie stood with Ghost, smiling and clapping along with the rest. Ghost gave them a thumbs up. Abby and Diana were screaming cheering their heads off, their universe's Huginn and Munnin wearing tiny t-shirts that had the phrase 'I survived the great Spore Invasion of 2024' scribbled onto them. The Spider-Teetlez were shouting and screaming, Slider-Punk playing celebratory music on his guitar. The mods and employees were here too, ecstatic over the grand victory that they had made, and the fact that they were okay and alive. Even the void brothers were also there, grumpy but willing to let bygones be bygones. Especially after they'd had the effects of the fungus' control over them, they understood what it could make you do.

The entire competition was here.

The teens stared in awe. Leo had started to cry again.

They... they were happy for them?

Happy that they were okay? No one blamed them? No one was angry, no one was bitter, they were simply thankful for their recovery?? They were cheering them on, despite the fact that not 5 hours ago they had almost doomed them all...

But nobody cared about that. Thank Pizza SUPREME.

They just cared that they were okay.

Leonardo smiled.

Raph nudged him forward.

"Well, face-man?" he asked, smiling down at him. "What do we do now?"

Leo chuckled.

"...I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay for a little while longer...!"

And that is that.

They are safe. Leo knows it was not his fault, it was not his blame. They are all returned to each other, the spores destroyed completely. Or, at least until another author chooses to use an ask. And the UIFY family is also resting comfortably, back in the medbay yet again.

Everyone is safe and sound.

Even I. The Hand.PNG.

You didn't truly think I was gone for good, did you?

No, of course not!

Ah well, their crossover is completed. They may join together at some other time, but until that moment comes, I think they deserve a good rest, now that their task is complete.

And mine as well. I wonder what I shall do now... I'm sure the authors will find some way for me to have fun with them again. I do so love being in their stories.

However, there is one last thing I must do, though it pains me to do it...

The Until I Found You AU cannot remember this final battle. I'm sorry, I know. But they simply cannot. They are not ready to understand the concept of the Authors, nor their ninpo. Especially their ninpo. It isn't their time. They aren't meant to know these things yet. But soon... Someday, perhaps they will be allowed to recall all they did, but until then they must forget their feats... and forget me, as well. I shall become a shadow of a memory. Ah, but it isn't too sad! Most of them probably wish they could forget me! And I don't blame them. It was quite a run I had, eh? Quite a story we told.

And yet, there is one last part of the story left to tell...

UIFY Mikey woke up somewhat groggily from a strange dream. He wasn't sure how he got here, in the medbay... he could remember... getting spored in the lounge area... but... not much after. There were vague recollections of a battle... an explosion... versions of his family... but nothing solid, nothing that wasn't a fuzzy blur and left him with a woozy spell when he tried to think about it a little too hard.

Oh well. If he couldn't remember it, then it probably wasn't worth remembering!

He was downright exhausted, though. He felt like he could sleep for an eternity or two.

The only reason he'd woken up in the first place was because of someone... humming....

"...With every job when it's complete, there is a sense of bittersweet... That moment when you know the task is done..."

Mikey groggily opened his eyes to look over at the singing lady. She must've been a mod, or an employee, or a nurse or something. She was human, wearing an oversized denim jacket and tiny pale lavender flowers and petals in her messy hair. She was placing a small tray of water and crackers, plus a tiny bouquet of bright yellow daffodils on the bedside table.

"...Though in your heart you'd like to stay, to help things on their way... You've always known... They must do it alone..."

The lady turned to smile at him.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Um, no, not really," Mikey lied.

"How are you doing?" she asked, checking his hands to make sure they were alright. Her fingers traced over each scar and blemish... an impressive feat, considering Mikey's bandages covered them and she couldn't have seen the marks.

"I'm alright," he yawned. "A little... woozy..."

"I understand wholly. Here, have some water..."

She gave the cup to Mikey, who slurped it down. Mikey thought her hands looked familiar... he wasn't sure why, though. But something about how real they were...

"Thanks..." he gulped, having downed the entire glass.

"No probbles. I just wanted to take a quick moment and make sure you were doing well!"

"I'm okay," Mikey chuckled. "Are my families... is the NFIF team okay? Did we save em?"

"Yes, they're all present and accounted for," she said with a grin. They're just in the other room. I think the med ward should be releasing you all soon... You deserve a big respite, I think. You've done a lot. Oh yeh, I also wanted to quick tell you something!"

"Tell me something?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Yep! I wanted to let you know how important you are."

"Me?" Mikey laughed, wondering what this was about. "Important??"

"Oh yeah! Mhm! I know you sometimes feel like your personal story isn't glamorous, or that you might not be so impressive, or that others are doing better than you. But you should know how wonderful and amazing you are. Did you know, people talk all the time about how inspiring and relatable you are! And I just think that's wonderful."

"You make it sound like I'm a character in a story!" Mikey laughed.

"Well, we're all kind of like the main character of our own stories, aren't we?" she beamed.

"I never thought about it like that, actually," Mike hummed, tapping his chin. "What do you think your character's purpose is about?"

She paused, not expecting that query. Her eyes darted upwards, reflecting the light against the green and amber gold that speckled her irises, and bouncing off of her cheeks with white radiance. She pondered the question for a second before smiling brightly.

"I'd say prolly the same as yours," she stated. "I think I'm meant to inspire."

She laughed afterwards.

"Or at least, I hope I inspired somebody! Anywhoser, I'd better let you get back to your rest," the girl sighed, a sort of melancholic exhale that said she'd rather stay longer, but had to go.

"Oh, okay!" Mikey yawned, snuggling deeper under his blankets. He thought about going to see the guys before they left...

"See you around," the girl said as she walked away....

Mikey wondered who the human girl was, if not a nurse. She wasn't dressed like a nurse. Maybe she belonged to an AU... Ah, well. Maybe he would see her again one of these days.

Boots waited outside the medbay for their 'accomplice'. She'd wanted to make a dramatic exit and say 'hello' -- or rather, 'goodbye'. For now.

The competition was so nice in the calm and quiet aftermath. Tiny turtle tots giggled as they chased one another for their games. Parent versions of Leo and Donnie and Mikey and Raph and Cassandra and everyone else meandered about with their wards. A water fountain nearby trickled. The sweet scent of chocolate cake pops filled the air. As Boots waited, they pulled out a few stickers and decorated a scrapbook they'd brought with them. A mushroom sticker was placed on an electric blue sheet of paper. Boots enjoyed the peace... they hoped it would last for a little while. At least, until the next story came into play. Speaking of, out from the medbay frollocked the self-proclaimed weird kid author, smiling happily.

"All good?" Boots asked.

"All good," Pheebs responded, her denim jacket bouncing along with every skip she took. "They're all sleeping, now."

"I'm glad you got to see them; I wouldn't even dare to see my guys after what happened," Boots laughed.

"You wouldn't have to say who you were," Pheebs clarified. "I mean, it's not like they know what you look like."

"True, but even still, it'd freak me out too much and I'd end up spilling some of the beans!"

Pheebs laughed at that.

"I guess... anyways, shall we go?"

"I'm ready if you are," Boots sighed, folding up the scrapbook supplies and tucking it away. "Our guys deserve a good long rest..."

"Yeah. Though..."

"Though?"

"...I think I have one last moment I want to include."

End of Act 3

Epilogue

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #tutant meenage neetle teetles #until i found you #until i found you au #rottmnt until i found you #no fun in fungus #fear fungus #fear spores #crossover #fanfic writing #fanfiction #rottmnt fanfiction #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt leo #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt raph #rottmnt misa #the void brothers #rottmnt replica #spider-teetlez #leaves from the vine #rottmnt ghost in the shell #rise hunger games #rottmnt angst #angst #wholesome #finale #musicals #broadway musicals

[thesunpersists]

AU ask - Everlark as penpals AU

thank you @mollywog, you come up with the coolest stuff!🧚🏻

AU game: send me an AU and i'll tell you 5 things that’ll happen in the story

1- this is an alternate universe without the games but there is mandatory military service for boys. they get drafted at the age of 18 and are assigned to service in another district for 2 years.

2- thinking this might be her last chance to thank peeta for the bread, katniss goes to the train station to send him off. but when she opens her mouth, she balks and says, “write to me, all right?”

3- as a baker, peeta initially thinks that he will be assigned to kitchen duty. but one of the commanders notices his art skills, and he is instead tasked to join expeditions and draw maps.

4- he spends the next 2 years telling katniss about the sights he sees over lengthy, vivid letters. In turn, katniss gives him news from home, and has to remind him to write to his parents every once in a while too.

5- when he is back, peeta expects to see his family in the station, and is pleasantly surprised that they are joined by the girl who will soon become his family!

#these are so fun! #thank you so much for playing❤ #mollywog #these are less fun facts but more the whole story but oh well #ask game #au game #everlark fanfiction #everlark #the hunger games

[ninety-two-bees]

fighting the urge to write a percy jackson hunger games au because i do not have time but also it would probably be the best thing i ever write

#you guys don’t get it #no one likes percy jackson more than me #and i think it would be great fun to put those characters in a hunger games au #district 4 percy and district 3 annabeth #district 1 jason. district 3 leo #district 12 nico and bianca?? maybe?? #i could do so much with this i think

[daboyau]

thinking about what rise fic i want to work on next so i’m gonna make a poll about it

#Rottmnt #polls #rise fanfic #this is just for fun #i’ll just end up working on whichever one inspiration strikes for BUT i want to narrow it down a little and gauge interest lmao #The current ones are the leave au hunger games au and leo in the battle nexus au #Wait why did I set this for a week that was so dumb of me

[karikarasuno]

If There Really Is A God

ok hunger games au bc i've been thinking on it. this is for @t-tomuras selfship event

Aizawa Shouta was bred for this. A career tribute from District 2. Trained to kill and not be killed. He was 15 when he fought in his hunger games. 15 and a victor. A silent killer. It was one of the quickest hunger games in history. 4 days.

He hated the games. Hated killing and hated watching it. But what choice did he really have?

You were a surprise. A district 11 tribute chosen to fight just two years after his games. No real will to fight or survive. But there was animosity and rage in your eyes when the camera panned over to you. He was mentoring another career tribute from his district that year. Only 17. Just like you.

While he was a ruthless fighter, you fought with mercy. Unwilling to kill unless absolutely necessary. He watched you mercy kill the young boy who accompanied you from district 11. He would've died anyway. Poisoned. But you spared him hours of pain and suffering. You offered him a quick death. And once he was gone, you cried over his body.

You had no intention of winning. You swore the game was rigged, anyway. So when you were the last one standing. The knife you clung to for days, now embedded in another tribute's chest. You wept when you won. Not in gratitude for your survival. Or in celebration of victory. But for the lives lost. None of them being yours.

Your words still rang in his head. "I don't want this. I never wanted this."

It wasn't until years later that he saw you again. You made the decision to be a mentor. You were jaded and guarded. Most everyone thought you were weak. But no one else saw the strength in your resilience.

It was rare that you ever spoke to each other. But one day, after both of you lost your mentees, a spark of friendship ignited. Reluctantly at first, until that reluctance turned into dependence. You had each other and only each other in this fucked up place.

He came to visit you in district 11 a few months before another reaping. He wanted out and he wanted you to come with him. He found you in a field. Surrounded by blooming flowers and tall stalks of grass. It was hotter in your district. No escape from the sun like he was used to. You stood with a basket in your hands and a scarf in your hair. And he realized then how much he truly missed you.

"What're you doing here, Shouta?" He was fond of the way you said his name. Soft and occasionally tender.

"Came to visit a friend." He offered in response.

"Does that friend happen to be me?" You teased, plucking a small flower from the ground and dropping it into your basket.

"Yes, actually." You smiled at his admittance. For how hard and distant you were when you first met, you were quite gentle and comforting. There was a lull in the conversation. Those happened frequently with you two, but neither of you ever really minded the silence. He took in the sight of the trees surrounding the open area. The heaviness of the woods in the distance. And he couldn't help but cringe at the sight. Nothing about it looking as peaceful as you seemed to be amidst it.

"Being here," he motioned to the forest in the short distance. "It isn't hard for you? Doesn't remind you of the arena we fought in?"

You shook your head, looking up at him from your place a few feet away. "I try not to fault nature for the atrocities of man. She simply exists. Like I desire to."

"You desire to exist?" He chuckled because it sounded absurd.

"No, I desire a simple existence. Big difference," you responded with amusement.

He shielded his eyes in that moment, the sun casting harsh rays over your body and you seemed almost heavenly. Like you shouldn't exist in this plane of existence, let alone simply.

"I don't think either of us were destined to live simple lives."

"Maybe one day." You shrugged, there wasn't hope in your response though. Just a dreaminess that he knew was just that. A dream.

"You're not mentoring this year." He found out from another mentor in district 2. A nasty man who spoke lowly of you. And it boiled his blood. An itchy sensation that told him to flee.

"No. I can't anymore. They're just kids," you replied solemnly, the sun shifting and casting you in shadows instead.

"You were just a kid. As was I," he said it plainly.

"But we're not kids anymore, Sho. We've become the ones who sentence them to death." Guilt. Survivor's guilt or not, rang through his chest.

He stepped toward you. Hand reaching out for your cheek as his eyes searched yours. There was a reflection of all the emotions he knew well. Exhaustion, resentment, and the faintest, tiniest glimmer of hope. Of the resilience he knew you possessed.

"Come with me, then," he whispered, face inches from yours and an urgency in his voice.

"I'm not going back to the Capitol. I can't go back there," you shook your head again, attempting to step away from him until his other hand came up to hold your face close to his.

"No." His hold tightened with desperation. "Not to the Capitol."

"Then where?" You were confused. You didn't understand.

"District 13." There was a sharp intake of breath from you, the basket in your hands dropping with a soft thud to the ground between your feet.

"That's not possible," you whispered with even more confusion. "It was destroyed decades ago."

"It's still there. They're still fighting. Come with me, ple-"

"But," you interrupted him, even though you had nothing to say. Shock still evident, especially in the way you gripped the sleeves of his shirt.

"It won't be simple," he affirmed, his forehead falling to yours. "But-"

"It'll be worth it."

#maybe writing is fun #hunger games au

[mariatesstruther]

me with this tlou x hunger games au because i can indulge in two hyperfixations at the same time

where my tlou hunger games fans at

#pls drop whatever tlou character u want in my inbox and i will tell u my hunger games version of them. im having so much fun #tlou #the tipsy bison #thg #the hunger games #tbosas #hg au

[boots-with-the-fur-club]

A crossover of No Fun in Fungus and A New Shade of Red by @daboyau for competition propaganda under read more!

@tmntaucompetition

Raph rushes from one room to the next. Being suddenly transported to some kind of competition filled with other turtles and or people somehow connected to said turtles is chaotic enough, but fate decided to ramp it up even more.

It brought those mushrooms with them as well.

He split up from his brothers since there were way too many people to help and they were probably the only ones who knew how to handle what’s going on.

Raph knows he has to check every nook and cranny. For some reason everyone brought here just keeps losing each other.

The lost and found luckily seemed mushroom free but everywhere else was free game.

Despite some people being fairly similar to him and his brothers, their worst fears could still vary widely.

He passes by another room.

There’s sounds of crashing and someone hitting different things multiple times.

He’s only able to open up the door a little when a sharp object flies through the air. It’s only dodged just in time before it sticks itself into the wall behind him.

The door is slammed closed so Raph can collect himself before trying again.

He creates a clone in front of himself and has it open the door this time.

More things are thrown, but luckily none of them are sharp.

Raph can finally see who’s being doing it.

The person immediately reminds him of his dad back when he was still human and in his peak.

However, this person clearly has been through a lot.

His clothes are torn, wet, covered in sludge and-

Is that blood!?

The person breathes heavily like he’d just been running for a long time, far and fast most likely.

There’s a fearful look in his eyes.

It’s not one of someone who’s only scared now, but for a long time.

“Kendra! Leave me alone! You already knew what the games were! Don’t drag me down with you!” He screams.

Raph stills.

That’s Donnie’s voice, and he mentioned Kendra.

This must be a human Donnie.

It shouldn’t be surprising considering the swan and computer screen Donnie he saw before but it is.

Maybe because of just how ragged he looks.

Ralph gets rid of the clone and kneels down to be near his level since he’s sitting in a defensive way.

“Donnie?” He asks apprehensively, still not completely sure his guess is right yet.

Donnie’s eyes change from an angry narrow to a surprised widen.

“Raph’s voice….?”

“Uh, I am Raph, I just don’t know if I’m your Raph….?

Donnie cautiously leans in a bit to get a good look at him.

Raph nervously glances off to the side.

“No. You’re clearly another hallucination. The capital really emphasized emotional reactions this year…..”

“I know I’m not human, but I am real. We’re still brothers and I’m not leaving ya in this kinda state alone. You’re a Donnie, I bet you’re dying to wash that stuff off you.”

Donnie clearly still has reservations but looks down at himself and grimaces.

“Dying is a very poor choice of words.”

“You know Raph isn’t good with them. I’m not at least.” He holds his hand out.

Donnie gently takes it, knowing very well that he won’t be able to stand much on his own.

The moment their skin touches Donnie is rushed with emotions.

The effects of the spores had been washed away since Donnie could tell exactly who’s hand is in his even if it is more turtle like.

One is shock because this Raph was not kidding about not being human.

Another is a feeling of safety he hasn’t had in so long thanks to the constant death battle he’s been in.

“You….you are a Raph.”

Raph smiles softly.

“I am.”

Donnie’s face doesn’t shift in the slightest as he begins crying.

Over the course of the games it would just happen. Allowing his emotions to show too much would sap precious energy he needed so he just didn’t.

He watches as Raph panics over his tears.

It hurts so much to see a version of his brother who looks so much lighter of mental burdens than his own.

There’s still some sort of trauma in his eyes, but something in them still has innocence of bloodshed.

Donnie wonders if his eyes show how many lives he’s taken.

Raph slides his large arms under Donnie’s, lifting him up as he stands.

He’s held like a toddler and wracked with sobs as if he was one.

“Let it all out, it’s okay….Raph’s got ya.” He soothes, squeezing him as if it could get rid of every bad thing he saw.

Donnie fights passing out. The adrenaline that had been keeping him going is waning badly.

“I….I’m sorry. I tried to do what you said….I just couldn’t….I had to….I wanted to….”

Raph presses his forehead against Donnie’s, catching onto the fact that he’s not in the capacity to remember what’s going on.

“You did a good job. Raph’s real proud of you. Everything is gonna be okay. I’m gonna take care of all of it. You can rest now.”

Donnie’s eyes quickly shut.

His big brother knows best.

He can finally, finally sleep.

A soft rumbling and his warm arms lull him into unconsciousness.

#no fun in fungus #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #2018 tmnt #rise of the tmnt #tmnt 2018 #rise fanfiction #rottmnt fanfiction #fanfiction #rise raphael #rise donnie #rise hunger games au

[rancidjuno]

losing my mind rn

#art #star wars #digital art #ahsoka tano #captain rex #hunger games au #blacked out drawing this #human Ahsoka is fun but also hard #I’ve barely drawn clones before so that was cool too #Rex is my favey

[hyugaruma]

Thinking about an H&L AiB AU…

Ranmaru is the new Niragi, obviously (and Takano is Last Boss, and Hirai is Random Goon #3)

#h&l rambles #I love taking a media and putting it in a to the death scenario #like aib or battle royale or hunger games au #so fun like yes take my beloveds and make them suffer for my enjoyment #these are the best kinds of aus sorry but it’s the truth

[andiwriteordie]

i. 

can feel my hunger games phase rising inside of me again. pls send help

#no but like #imagine a byler au in the hunger games world #there are so many fun possibilities

[just-call-mefr1es]

more valentines art !(i dont care if its the 15th) my friend just got in a relationship lmao every1 tease her in the comments/reblogs whatever

and yes this is my tbp x thg au

#hehe #silly mood #the black phone #the black phone x the hunger games au #bruce yamada #bruce tbp #vance hopper #vance tbp #brance #live laugh brance #fanart #my art <3 #my art shit #digital art #i love drawing vances hair idk why #its so fun