Light footsteps could be heard shuffling down a main tunnel towards the turtle's lair. The mutants, now young men in their late twenties, stood on guard as the sound grew closer and closer.
Upon realizing which tunnel it was coming from, they relaxed and waited for their visitor. A ten year old girl with brownish red hair walked into view. Her feet dragged across the ground and her reddish brown and blue eyes were lowered to the floor. She dragged a back pack in her hand, hardly caring about the condition it would be in later.
"MAGGIE!"
The little girl was scooped up into the tight embrace of Michelangelo. The mutant spun her around and crushed her to him, snuggling his cheek against hers. Despite the fact that the girl was in a sad mood, she couldn't help but crack a smile and let out a laugh.
"Uncle Mikeeey!" She whined. "You're hurting my ribs again!"
Michelangelo set her down and ruffled her hair. Raphael shoved him out of the way and bent down so that they were more eye to eye.
"Hey, squirt. What brings you here? Are your parents with you?" The ninja glanced over her head to see if anyone had been behind her but was only met with emptiness.
"Not really. I came here straight after school. Mom's working and Dad's probably cooped up in the lab right now. They won't notice if I'm gone for a little while. Just thought that I should stop by and say hi to everyone. That's all."
She sadly shrugged her shoulders and looked away. Now, Raph was no genius, but he knew when something was up with the kid. Ever since she was a baby, he was always able to pin point how she was feeling. It made him proud that he could do that with her since he didn't have that ability with anyone else.
"Okay, kid...what's on your mind?" Raphael turned around and kneeled in front of her. The girl naturally reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her up with ease, giving her a piggy back ride into the main part of the lair and let her flop onto the couch. He sat beside her as Michelangelo flipped over the couch and landed on the cushion on the other side of her.
"What's up, buttercup? Tell your uncle Raph and Mikey everything."
The girl let out a sigh and sunk into the couch, wondering if it was the best choice for her to go to the lair. Ever since her dad and mom moved out of the sewers and the same with her Uncle Leo and Aunt Karai once upon a time ago, it was a small bachelor's pad down there with Mikey, Raph, and her grandfather, Ojīchan. She loved visiting them when she could, since trips with her mom and dad there were less frequent.
April O'Neil had become a prestigious scientist, just like Magdalene's grandfather. It wasn't hard for her to graduate with a degree while in the top of her class and now works with numerous branches of the Science Department in New York. They made a great amount of money and lived a comfy life out in an old farm house her mother's aunt used to own.
Her dad was as successful. For being something other than human, Donatello was able to set up his own business for gadgets that her mother helped sell to the science community. No one questioned the business's mysterious CEO. They were grateful for the things he made and Maggie honestly expected him to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize one day.
Because they were so busy, the didn't visit Mikey and Raph and Ojīchan as often anymore. Not because they didn't love them or anything. Her parents had her when they were pretty young and now that they are in the prime of their lives, she could hardly blame them for being so wrapped up in their work.
That's why she didn't want to bother them with her problem. She loved her parents to death. They took such good care of her. They listened to her when she had something to say and they dedicated their lives to insuring her happiness.
"Well," she began, "it's these...kids at school."
"Do we need to beat someone up?"
"What? No, no! Well, I mean...there's these two stupid boys that always pick on me. I mean a lot of kids do, but these two? They're the worse! They make fun of my hands all the time and steal my lunch and even my shoes to show off my toes."
Michelangelo and Raphael glanced down at her feet and noticed, for the first time, that the kid was missing her shoes. She wiggled her eight toes at them before letting her feet go limp.
"They keep calling me 'freak.' And it hurts. I tell the teachers but they don't do anything about it. They tell me to tell them to back off. To stick up for myself. Like I don't already...last time I stood up for myself I got three weeks worth of detention for using my martial arts!"
Raphael snickered. "That's my girl! I mean...ugh...you shouldn't do that, kiddo. Detention is a no-no."
"Wow, I can't believe kids do that kind of thing. And to a sweet little thing like you. I mean, who would mess with this bundle of cuteness?" Michelangelo took her cheek with his fingers and gently tugged at the skin. Maggie giggled and gently guided his hand away.
"Uncle Mikeeeeey!" Maggie laughed and sighed. "Thanks for listening, you guys. It means a lot." She hoped off of the couch. "I should get home. Dad can be busy but he's still observant. And I don't want him to have a panic attack because he can't come and pick me up from school or anything."
"Wait." Maggie looked up at her Uncle Raph who stood up from the couch.
"What are the names of these two punks?"
Maggie frowned, crossed her arms, lightly stomped her foot and pouted. "The Johnson brothers," she spat. "They're awful! They think they can get away with anything just cause their dad is the principle of the school. So teachers tend to lean on their side with EVERYTHING and daddy dearest never punishes them for anything."
"Wow, what a jerk."
"Tell me about it. But I really do need to get home." She wrapped her arms around both mutants and snuggled her head into the plastron of Raphael. "Thanks for listening. Don't tell mom or dad this, okay? They have enough on their minds. And dad would freak."
"Fine, squirt."
"Turtle's honor?"
"Turtle's honor." Both Michelangelo and Raph said together. The young girl grinned, satisfied, picked up her bag and ran out of the lair.
"Love you, Uncle Mikey! Love you, Uncle Raph! Give a big hug to Ojīchan for me! You guys are the best!"
He voice disappeared down the tunnel that led back home. Raphael sighed and ran his fingers over his scalp.
"Should we...I dunno...do something, Raph? I mean, it sounds like these punks terrorize her often and no one's doing anything about it."
"I dunno, Mikey. I can't believe I'm saying this but, maybe we should let it go?"
"Let it go? Let it go!" Michelangelo huffed and crossed his arms just as his niece did a few moments ago. Raphael saw way too much Mikey in that girl and it concerned him.
"Raph, we should do something! They stole her shoes! Who knows what else they'll do in the future? Or already have done? Maggie doesn't exactly talk about her problems."
Raphael listened to his brother's words. He did hate how these punks were terrorizing his precious little niece. In fact, it really cheesed him off. He didn't want to stand around while this went on.
Finally, after a long pause to think, Raphael sighed in agitation. "Mikey, I can't believe I'm saying this...but you're right. We need to do something. If these jerks don't learn a lesson now, they never will."
"But what could we do?"
Raphael and Mikey exchanged looks. After a pause, they both slowly mischievously smiled.
"Have you found it yet?"
"If you shut up and let me work I would have found it by now. Ha! Here we go!" Raphael clicked on the list of files in the database of the computer found in the principle's office of P.S 334. "Not bad for not being Donnie, am I right or am I right?"
It was a miracle the mutants had broken in without setting off alarms. The school was eerie at night, but in the end it was worth it. Raphael scanned the documents until he found the information they had come for.
Raphael felt himself grin and printed out what he needed. "Hey, Mikey? Ready for Operation Pay Back?"
Michelangelo grinned at his brother and replied with the one word that stuck with him for all those years: "Booyakasha."
"Jake, turn out the stupid light already!"
"Make me."
Jake Johnson looked up in time to see his brother throw a shoe at his face. He ducked in a nick of time. The shoe went flying over his head and knocked over the lamp. The room went dark instantly.
"Boys! Shut up! Your mother and I are trying to sleep!" Their father screamed from across the house.
"Jake did it!" Jake looked over at his twin brother, George Johnson. In the darkness, he could see the kid stick out his tongue. He scowled and flopped into his bed, knowing he would get him back later.
In the middle of the night, Jake shifted out from a deep sleep. Was it hot? No. Did he have to pee? Nope. Why was he awake? He peeked open his eyes to see that it was still dark outside. It had started raining hard in the middle of the night and lightening flashed outside.
He turned in his bed and tucked his hand under his cheek. Jake frowned and opened his eyes. Why did his hands feel weird? The boy glanced at his hands and gasped, shooting up in bed. His hands had been painted purple and fingers had been superglued together to where his pinky and ring finger were stuck to one another along with his middle and pointer finger, giving the illusion of him having three fingers.
Jake darted out of his bed and to his brother's. He started hitting the covers, angrily.
"George! Wake up! You've gone WAY too far this time!"
His twin groggily sat up. "What's with all the racket?"
Jake stared in horror. His brother had been painted neon blue and a cone had been glue to his forehead. George gave his brother an odd look and rubbed at his eyes.
"Jake, why are you purple? And why do you have gemstones glued to your face?"
Lightening flashed outside and a figure suddenly appeared standing on the end of George's bed. It was wrapped in sheets with a mask. The boys both screamed and held onto one another.
"Who are you?!" Jake felt himself scream.
"I am Victory, leader of the Ramens! You have done damage to a precious key to this universe.
"N-no we haven't!"
"Silence!" The figure screamed and flashed a purple like light on them. All of a sudden, the paint on Jake and George's skin began to glow. The figure turned the light off after the boys screamed for a long period of time, their skin going back to not glowing.
The twins longed for their parents to burst in, but they knew they wouldn't. They already made too much racket from pranks on one another for their parents to really run in anymore. That, and they probably had their earplugs in so they could sleep through the night.
"W-what is it we disturbed?"
"Hamato Magdalene! You have tormented her long enough! Now you must pay for damaging the key to the universe!"
The boys began to cry and beg for forgiveness. The figure smirked behind the mask, loving how scared the two were. Finally they calmed down enough to ask: "What do we have to do?"
"If you continue bullying the key, you will be forced to lick the feet of every hobo in the world!"
The boys stuck out their tongues in disgust. "Ah, gross!"
"Have you learned your lesson?"
"Yes..."
The figure wasn't so sure. He watched with a smirk as a figure rose from behind the other side of the bed and leaned in close to the kids.
"BOOYAKASHAAAAA!"
The boys screamed non stop this time, flailing in terror and gasping for air. A strike of lightening flashed outside and the figures were gone. Their father ran in, taking out the ear plugs.
"What in sane hell is going on in here?" Principle Johnson turned on the lights, nearly blinding everyone. The man squinted his eyes at his sons, his frown deepening on his face.
"Jake? George? What the hell is on your face? And your hands? And...you boys have gone too far with the pranks this time!"
The man grabbed the two and marched them into their bathroom. He ran the sink and tried to scrub at the paint but the colour refused to leave. "What? Is this permanent?" He tried to take off the stones and cone but they refused to budge.
"Oh...you boys have gone too far this time..."
"But dad! It was the Ramen! They're unhappy with us and-"
"Enough of this boloney! You are grounded for as long as this stuff remains on you! IS THAT CLEAR?"
The boys flinched and gazed down at the ground. "Yes sir..."
Maggie kicked a stone as she headed to school. She gazed down at her shoes, hoping that they wouldn't be stolen that day. They were on the new side and she'd hate to continue asking her parents for more clothing. They'd begin to become suspicious. Or worse, think she's become a clothes shopping addict.
The red head turned into the school's property. The rain had stopped but clouds still filled the sky. In that light, her skin was more green than fleshy colour and she knew she'd get picked on for it. Her mom convinced the school that she had a rare type of leper disease. Everyone bought it, but it didn't make her feel better about herself.
She passed by two silly figures and stopped in her tracks. She backtracked and stared at the two boys, unsure if she were seeing things or not.
"Jake? George? Is that you?"
The boys looked up at her and screamed upon realizing who it was. Maggie was shocked to see the cone on George's head, the blue of his skin and how Jake was painted purple with yellow polka dots. The gem stones on his face glittered in the little sunlight the clouds gave. On both of their faces the word 'freak' had been written in what appeared to be sharpie.
"We're sorry! We're so sorry!"
"We'll never steal your shoes again!"
"Or put gum in your hair!"
"Or vandalize your cubby!"
"Or put worms in your back pack!"
"Or eat your lunch!"
Maggie looked back and forth between the boys. She felt sorry for them. Kids walked by, starring as they sat their apologizing their butts off. She tried not to smile, but she couldn't help it.
The girl didn't know exactly what happened to them...but she couldn't complain. She had a strong feeling that they'd never bother her again. And she hoped the same went for others that bullied her as well.
Maggie entered the abandoned subway. Michelangelo was busy playing some sort of sumo videogame while Raphael read a comic book. The red ninja glanced up at the girl and smiled.
"Hey, squirt. How was school today?"
"You won't believe it, but the two guys that were mean to me? Totally apologized! They came to school all decked out in body paint and glitter. They completely begged for forgiveness and said they'd leave me alone!"
Raphael and Michelangelo exchanged knowing looks. Raphael closed the comic book and set it down. "You don't say?"
"I just wanted to stop by and let you know. And thank you again for listening." She turned to leave. Maggie stopped and looked over her shoulder at them.
"It's weird, though. They kept saying that the Ramen were going to come after them if they weren't nice to me. Isn't that the alien race from Space Heros?"
"The stupid show Leo got you and your cousin into? How should I know?"
Maggie smiled and nodded her head. She left and walked down the tunnel, thinking about the events of the day. It felt good not going to school for once and not be worried about being bullied. She had her lunch, her shoes, and her dignity. Other kids refused to bully her after what happened with the Johnson brothers and she suddenly felt like things were going to go her way from then on.
The girl grinned with satisfaction and happiness. She couldn't wait to tell her parents about it all. She shot her fist in the air and rushed back home with a loud "BOOYAKASHAAAA!"
Author's note: Magdalene's full story can be read here: s/9123148/1/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-DAD-Edited-rewrite-and-continued-version
Maggie belongs to Nightowl285 and me.