Authors Note: Hey fellow turtle lovers! Sorry it took me so long to update, I've had a lot going on recently. Anyway, this is the second chapter of my turtle-tots one-shots collection. As you guys know, today is September 29, also known as Mutation Day! So to praise this special TMNT day, and everyone's favorite mutant turtles and sensei, I did a little one-shot based on their eighth Mutation Day! I decided to go with the 2012 turtles for this one (they've always been my favorites). Hope you guys enjoy, and please review!
Disclaimer: I have no intention to profit from this, it is just for fun! Also, I do not own TMNT.
Mutation Day!
In the morning of September 29th, all four turtles laid in their beds, snuggled in their covers sleeping, therefore the lair was dead silent. With the time being 7:00 AM, the little turtles couldn't possibly wake up that early! That night before, Leonardo and his brothers, Raph and Donnie were watching a new movie Leonardo he had found in a cardboard box in the sewers while out with his sensei. They had stayed up late, finishing it, all clearly tired and fell right asleep right after, at a late hour of the night.
As for Mikey the night before, well, he wanted to go to bed early for-
"MUTATION DAY!"
The lair finally broke out of the silence streak when someone shouted those two words in a tone that was clearly excited. Within a few moments, Mikey ran right out of his room and around the whole lair shouting excitedly to let the whole world know that it was his and his families special day.
Just like any normal kid, one would always get very excited for their birthdays and holidays, Mikey nonetheless. He and his brothers waited and waited for it to come, that one day of the year in September, and when it arrived, each was so eager to celebrate the special day.
Mikey skipped around the lair, full of exhilaration and excitement. He ran throughout his door, to the living room, looped around the kitchen twice, and did it over again. After he had worn himself out, he had been standing at the large doors of the dojo. Although he was still full of excitement, he calmed down the slightest bit and tried his best to remain calm. With his hands, he slowly and carefully opened the dojo doors, to the peak his little light green head around the room and immediately spot his sensei sitting legs crossed in front of their tree in their dojo.
Mikey paced over to him while squealing out of excitement, clearly trying to keep it in, but not to disturb his sensei. Before the youngest turtle could get halfway there, Splinter opened his left eye to raise an eyebrow at his son, and couldn't help but smile at him trying to be as quiet as he could but failing to do so.
Mikey noticed that he saw him and said, "Sensei! It's mutation day! Hurry let's go celebrate!"
Usually, his sons didn't mean to intentionally disrupt his mediation but when it happens he did get a little annoyed, but who could blame him? He wasn't irritated today because it was all of their special days, and they were always excited when the 29th of September came around.
"Michelangelo," Splinter peered down at his youngest son while Mikey's head was slightly tilted, eyes wide open, to reveal his sky blue eyes and wide smile of excitement. "Let us go wake up your brothers."
Unlike his brothers, Mikey was the smallest and most childlike and loved to show affection, so naturally, he grabbed his father's hand and they walked out dojo.
They walked out towards the directions the other three turtle brothers rooms were.
Splinter looked to see that his three other adoptive sons were already awoken and tiredly talking with each other.
Raph, Donnie, and Leo did not notice them though. Raph was seen having a big yawn while Donnie and Leo were both rubbing their tired eyes.
"My sons you are up," Splinter said suddenly with a little bit of surprise in his tone.
Raph turned around to face Mikey and his sensei while he crossed his arms over his plastron and said, "Yeah. We all woke up to the sound of Mikey screaming and running around the lair at 6:00 in the morning!"
"Well technically it was around 7:00," Donnie corrected his green-eyed brother with that I-Know-It-All Attitude, which just made Raph roll his eyes at him.
"Anyway," Leo looked at Donnie and Raph while giving them annoyed looks over their pointless conversation. "Happy mutation day, Sensei!"
After Leo said that, they all had excited looks on their face, smiling like crazy to one another.
Splinter gave a nice smile to his newly eight-year-old sons. "Come on, let's go eat."
Although it was a mutation day, they still had to have a regular day like any other day. So with any regular day for them, it started with eating a good breakfast and having a long training session.
When they all arrived in the dojo they all went on their knees waiting for instructions from their adoptive father. After those further instructions were given, they all immediately started to do what they were told, which all four of them did to the best of their ability. While watching them train and practice their skills, Splinter thought of the first few times he had started teaching each his sons the art of ninjutsu. They all had their early talents and skills, each one shining their personalities through.
Leo had always taken it the most seriously, focusing on skill and strategy, striving to be the most special one in the eyes of his sensei, with or without trying. He focused and trained for hours, trying to be the best that he could be all the time.
Raph had been somewhat the same way. He loved the art of ninjutsu and the fighting fit his personality perfectly. He didn't take it as hardcore seriously as his slightly older brother did though. After all, he didn't think that he needed too. He was the strongest out of his brothers and advanced in all of his skills and moves. He did face a problem that got to him though. He always wanted to be the light that shined in his father's eyes, but that role belonged to Leo. No matter how hard he tried to be that shining star, he was always a second place winner in the eyes of his sensei, never the one who was most favored. Again, that role belonged to Leo. He was frustrated, and there came his passion. His passion for that art. He used it in somewhat of a way of anger relief, but most of the time it just got him in trouble and more upset to begin with.
Donnie was basic when they trained. Even at a young age then the age that he already belonged, he was not the most confident. He wasn't as strong and tough as Raph was, or as tactical and efficient as Leo. He just tried his hardest and hoped it was okay. He often would rely too much on his brain and intelligence, then more of his body and strength with fighting. Now eight years old, it had still been that way. He hoped he could rely on himself more than his head, but hey. Maybe it would change!
Mikey could care less about being as strong as his tough older brother Raph, or as smart as Donnie. He didn't want to be anywhere near the level that Leo was at. He just wanted to be himself, Mikey. Smiley, cheerful, playful, joyful, sweet ol' Mikey. He trained as hard as he could, and was successful, most likely because he just enjoyed it and didn't stress it.
The four turtles practiced their not yet difficult skills and moves before getting called over to the tree to end the practice to take a seat.
"My sons, you have done very well today," Master Splinter looked down to see all of his son's faces showing forwards towards him. "I am very proud of the progress that you have all made."
"Yeah," Raph said while broadening out his little plastron proudly showing off. "Especially me."
His brothers looked right at him kinda expecting that he was going to say something like that. Donnie and Leo rolled their eyes at their green-eyed sibling and continued to listen to their sensei.
"You all did very well my sons," Splinter said nicely to all of them, which they all traded happy smiles.
Splinter walked away from his sitting sons a few moments after, which left the turtles a little abrupt at their father and master. They traded looks of confusion and continued to sit and wait to be dismissed from the dojo so they could start enjoying the special day.
After a few more moments Splinter had come back, but walking with his left hand behind his back in an unusual fashion, almost as if he was hiding something in his hand.
As he stood looking down to them, they were sharing confused looks straight to him, all of their head slightly tilted in confusion.
"As you all know, it is mutation day," He said looking at the boys while they all made excited squealing noises, most mainly from Mikey. "I would like to give you boys something each, that I think will come of use and great value to you all."
Splinter knelt down on the ground just as his sons were and moved his left hand in front of them, fist closed. Once again, they all traded questionable looks before trying to see if they could see inside his fist. All except Donnie who knew that was impossible to do.
"What is it? I don't see anything," Mikey said strictly, still trying to see if he could see inside his father's hand.
"Mikey there's nothing. He didn't get us anything," Raph told him in a voice that did sound a little disappointed.
With Splinter's right hand he pointed to his second eldest son. "Ahh, but that's where you're wrong Raphael."
He slowly opened up his left fist to reveal four different colors of cloth. The boys 'oohed' and 'ahhed', but they quickly followed it with a confused, 'huh?'.
Instead of explaining to his sons what they were and what they were going to be for, he just let them determine that on their own, no explanation needed.
"Donatello," Splinter said to Donatello who was sitting on the very left side of his brothers. Splinter found and picked up the purple mask buried under the other three colors, and set it in the palm of his genius sons hands. "For you, the color purple, for the intelligent, creative, and sensitive soul that you are."
Donnie's eyes widened while he looked at his new purple mask, and looked up at his father with a shy, but very thankful look while he tightly clutched his bandana in his hands.
With Leonardo beside Donatello, Splinter turned to him and pulled out the blue mask, and gave it to him in his two hands just as he had done to Donatello.
"Leonardo, the color blue for a skillful, responsible, and trustworthy heart."
"Thank you Sensei."
Splinter smiled and nodded at his oldest son, and turned to the one next to him, Raphael.
Without hesitation Splinter took out the red colored mask and handed it to his second oldest son.
"The color red, for a fearless warrior who will always fight the hardest for his family."
Raph took it, looked at it, and looked up with a confident and very appreciative face and said very boldly, "Thank you Sensei."
Last but not least, Splinter turned to his youngest son who could hardly contain his excitement. Splinter gave the orange mask to him and Mikey snatched it playfully and began to admire it greatly.
Splinter chuckled and finally said to his youngest son, after he had already taken it, "The color orange, for an exciting, positive, and joyful being."
Mikey continued to admire the mask while his sensei talked.
For moments, the four brothers admired their masks and compared them to each other, talking about whose was better, but in the end, everyone loved their own for their own reasons.
"Well," Splinter started to his sons. "Aren't you going to put them on?"
They all shared looks of confusion and they all tried to tie them on their green little turtle heads. Donnie was the first one to successfully do so and the first on to put his on. He had the eye holes in a different place on his face but swirled it around so he could see through it.
His brothers saw him with his mask and they 'oohed' and 'ahhed' and it made them eager to get each of theirs on faster too.
Leo got his on, shortly followed by Raph, but it still left Mikey. He finally got it on just right, after trying over and over.
They all were very appreciative of their masks and thanked their sensei before exiting the dojo. Donnie went to his lab to finish a project he had been working on lately, while Leo and Raph went into the living room to watch shows after a long day of training.
Mikey, however, did not go with his brothers. He took off to his room and sat on his bed. He was excited it was mutation day and happy he got a gift from his sensei, but something irritated him the slightest bit. The length of the orange mask bothered him. It was sensitive to his little neck, and he didn't like the feeling of it swaying downwards, on him, so he carefully slid the newly orange bandana off his green head and found a pair of crafting scissors in all the piles of junk in his room.
He took the already tied bandana and cut off half the length of the orange strands to make it shorter to his pleasure. Mikey slid it back on carefully and took a small mirror to see the shorter strands of the mask, which he immediately really liked a lot.
Mikey skipped out of his room and into the living room to hang out with Raph and Leo who were not watching shows anymore, but playing on the pinball machine they happened to have, all started to take turns playing it when Donnie walked out of his lab to join them.
The four turtles played the game for a long time just hanging with each other on their special day, while their sensei watched them, smiling like a proud dad from the kitchen entrance.
Time went by throughout the day, everyone moving from one activity to another by the hour. Donnie continued working in his little not-so-extravagant-yet, lab. Mikey and Leo watched Space Heroes while eating all the snacks they could manage to carry into the living room, while Raph lay on the couch behind them reading his comic books, Spike resting close next to him.
Throughout the day, each of them grew very fond of their masks and wore them proudly. Well, as proud as little mutated turtles could. Mikey had cut off the long strand to make it perfectly short for his liking, while Donnie and Leo had felt a little awkward with them on at first, but then after a while got used to and adjusted quickly to them being on.
Raph had spent some time alone that day with his little pet turtle Spike in the kitchen, just hanging out and talking to him. After they had been in there for around ten minutes Raph rested his head on the countertop to see Spikes face, his long red bandana strands resting on the side of the countertop near his head.
Spike walked over to the strands and had begun to chew and nibble a little big on them, which made Raph laugh a little at his pet and just let him continue to do so while he read a few of his favorite comic books for around an hour. Spike had eventually stopped and began to eat his lettuce again while Raph continued to read the comics, but after a while, he had been hungry himself, so he got up, walked over to the refrigerator, and tried to find something to eat.
He had been looking through the refrigerator when he noticed his red bandana stands that were hanging off the side of his right shoulder looked just the tiniest bit ragged and torn. 'Must have been Spike chewing on them,' Raph thought to himself. When he took a second look, he really didn't mind it at all. It looked more his style ragged and torn, just how wanted it, even if it wasn't a lot.
Raph turned around to look at Spike and let out a little hint of laughter, thinking of how his new bandana now the slightest bit ruined, but he thought it looked better.
Mikey laid on the couch next to his brother, a little bored. He constantly shifted on the couch from position to position as something to do. Splinter could sense and see his boredom from the entrance of the kitchen, peering out to see his sons watching space heroes. One son completely immersed in the show and the other full of boredom.
"Michelangelo, could you come here please?" Master Splinter called out to his youngest son.
Mikey's sky blue eyes looked up gladly and didn't hesitate to go over to the direction of his sensei.
"Yes Sensei," Mikey peeped.
Splinter knelt down to his son. "Would you like to assist me in making you and your brothers Mutation Day cake?" Splinter raised a playfully curious eyebrow at his now, orange-clad son and immediately knew what his answer was going to be.
"YES!" Mikey squealed loudly, clearly excited to do so. It isn't every day that he got to help his sensei bake, in fact, he couldn't remember the last time he did!
With that, they started to make the best darn cake they could ever make!
"Michelangelo, could you go grab your brothers it's time," Splinter asked Mikey, which he replied with a cheerful nod.
"Leo, Raph, Donnie! It's time for cake!" Mikey told his three older brothers.
"Cake?!" All three questioned happily at the same time and rushed into the kitchen.
They all took a seat at the kitchen and began to stare, astonished at their mutation day cake, each waiting for their slice. Although it hadn't been a regular cake, the algae and worms cake did the trick for them. Splinter began giving them all a slice, while each replied with a generous thank you.
"Before you can eat it, make sure you all blow out your candle at the same time each of you makes a wish," Splinter told them while he lit one candle each for his sons.
"On the count of three make your wish. One...Two...Three."
They each blew out their candles eyes closed, all with strongly concentrated faces that other little kids their age made while wishing for what they wanted, and hoped that more than anything, it would come true.
Each wished for something different that they desired for.
Leo closed his sapphire blue eyes and wished as hard as he could to be the best big brother to his family. He wished to be a better fighter, and as strong and determined as his sensei. He wished to be fearless and for some unknown reason, some little voice inside his head told him to wish himself to be the best leader he could be when the time came, which he wished for without hesitation.
Mikey wished for a lifetime of peace and happiness for himself and for his family, but also wished for a little pet, a cat perhaps, to love and appreciate.
Donnie wished to be the best scientist he could be and discover things that would make the world a better place. He longed to be known for scientific achievements and be recognized and acknowledged for his intelligence and discoveries, not made fun of by his siblings.
Lastly, Raph longed to be where the people were. He wished to one day go to the surface, fly across the rooftops, fight bad guys, and be the best fighter ever.
The four sat in their seats, after making their wishes, all hoping their secret wishes would come true one day.
"Sensei can you please tell us our mutation day story?" Mikey asked.
The brothers began to plead too and all began to beg for the story of their origin.
"Ah very well," Splinter said finally giving in. "Many years ago, when I was still human, I was leaving the pet store with four baby turtles..."
With they all finished their cake and the story, they went to the living room, all of them quickly bundling up in a giant blanket on the couch starting a movie.
They shared laughs throughout the night, but by the time the movie was almost finished, Splinter had walked into the living room to see the tv screen still on, and all four of his sons asleep, cuddled up with next to each other.
When he looked at them, he couldn't help but notice how lucky he was to have them. Though he lost a lot, years ago, he gained much as well, which he wouldn't trade for anything in the world. He couldn't help but remember all the good times, and all the memories that they have all had so far.
He smiled at them, pulling up the blanket to cover all of them once again, and a single happy tear feel down his face as he remembered that their journey started eight years ago on this very day.
Please review! Happy Mutation Day dudes!