Chapter 9:
The turtles all panicked in their own styles; Mikey went on and on about pizza, Donnie returned to pacing and worrying about April, and Raph complained about being stuck in a world full of ponies. Leo was the only one whose mind went straight to Splinter, Shredder, and the Kraang. What would happen if they could never get back? What would Splinter think had happened to them? Would the Kraang take over the world? Would Shredder find Splinter? The blue-masked turtle sank to the ground and buried his face in his hands. A single tear escaped his eye, and was immediately absorbed into the fabric of his mask.
The next thing Leo knew, there was a hand on his shoulder. Not a hoof - a hand. The mutant looked up to find himself gazing into the bright green eyes of his brother, Raphael. No words were spoken between the two, but a silent message was communicated.
'I'm here for you,' Raph's eyes stated.
Leo turned and hugged his younger brother, who sat, frozen in shock, for a moment. Then, the usually tough, hot-headed turtle wrapped his arms around Leo comfortingly.
Mikey and Donnie had noticed the scene that was unfolding between their older brothers and had stopped rambling on. It was almost impossible to miss how broken and beaten down Leonardo seemed. The two younger brothers exchanged a quick glance, then went to join the embrace.
One by one, the turtles broke down and cried together. Mikey was right after Leo, then Donnie, and finally Raphael let the building tears silently fall and soak their masks. None of them made a sound; they just sat in silence and absorbed the brotherly moment they were sharing.
Twilight couldn't help but look away from the heap of turtle that had once seemed so strong, but was now so defeated. She had brought them here, and it was her mistake that had stranded them. Shame bubbled up inside her, and soon she, too, was letting the soundless teardrops roll.
The other ponies were unsure what to do. They sat quietly, not daring to interrupt the thick silence that hung in the air like a fog, clouding out any emotion but pain and sorrow. Even Pinkie Pie knew that now was not the appropriate time for a smile. These new friends of hers needed to share in their sadness for a moment.
Nothing changed for a few minutes, then finally the turtles broke apart. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, casting an orange glow over the pile of garbage that had come through the portals.
"Where are we gonna sleep?" Mikey snuffed, his voice raspy from sobbing.
"Good question, Mikey," Leo replied, trying and failing to regain his air of leadership.
"Y'all could stay at the farm," Applejack suggested. "Nopony would see you if you stayed out at the shed in the eastern orchard, and it's big enough for all y'all. There's even food all around outside because, well, it's an apple orchard."
"That's very kind of you, Applejack," Leo said. "Could you take us there?" Normally the strong turtle would have declined such an invitation, but he had no room left in his mind for pride with so many 'what ifs' floating around his thoughts.
"Follow me," Applejack said, standing and taking a few steps in the direction of Applebuck Farm. The turtles followed, still maintaining the silence.
The rest of the ponies stayed where they were. They would remain there and discuss what had happened while Applejack showed the turtles where they could stay.
The brothers walked along behind the orange pony, and they soon saw a large red barn to their left.
A tidy whitewash fence loomed in front of the group, and they each jumped over it when it came their turn. Threes heavy with a familiar red fruit surrounded them on all sides with narrow gaps between their tops. Applejack lead the group through the grove, and before long they had arrived at a large wooden shed.
"Y'all can stay here as long as ya like," the country pony offered. "It's not much, but it's got enough room for all of ya."
"Thank you," Leo replied half-heartedly.
Applejack nodded in response. "I'll be in the house by the barn if ya need me." She trotted off through the trees.
Donnie turned the knob on the wooden door, and it slowly squealed open. There were two clouded windows that let in the last traces of sunlight, illuminating the dusty farm tools that lay on the few shelves or hung from hooks on the walls. An old-fashioned plow lay in the far corner, but the center of the floor was clear.
Michelangelo walked into the shed and sat in the shadow under one of the windows, pulling his knees to his chest. Leonardo followed, then Raphael, and lastly Donatello. They all chose spots to sit and eventually sleep, and sat in them. The floor was dusty, but they didn't care. They were all lost in their thoughts. One by one, they fell asleep, and the sun set gently over the horizon.
