The turtles and their friends stood frozen in horror at the sight that stood before them. She was only a few feet from them, placed before them on a high stone dais where a pool of lava bubbled below them, in this volcanic chamber that seemed to rest outside of space and time. This was the goddess they had been warned about, the one who threatened to destroy this island and the world it rested upon, with little disregard for the human host she needed to plant herself into the mortal world. Michelangelo would describe the sensation of ultimately appearing in her presence as "getting to the final boss", but the overwhelming actuality of it had kept him from making any witty remarks. Neither he, nor his brothers were even sure if one life for each of them would be enough to defeat her and beat this all too realistic video game scenario.
However, it was not the goddess herself that had horrified the turtles, but rather the host body she had taken to fulfill her desires. They saw the malevolent goddess within her eyes, but the body was of April, their oldest human friend. She was always kind and down-to-earth and always willing to help her friends and fight back. How could someone like her have given in to this atrocious demon spirit and let her consume her body? However, now that the confrontation had begun, there didn't appear to be any time to answer those questions.
"Welcome, Chosen Ones," the goddess said. She had spoken with April's voice, yet there was demonic undertone to it. "I must admit, you've surprised me tonight. I didn't think you'd all be able to make it this far, especially on the night of my resurrection. You must really be determined to surrender yourselves to the tribal leaders and fulfill the prophecy. However, I'm afraid your obedience to the gods won't pay off for you if you plan to fight against me in your mere mortal forms.
Neither turtle was listening to her, all four of them with their weapons drawn and ready.
"Enough talk!" Leo growled, "What have you done with our friend April? Release her at once!"
The goddess sneered at him. "I'm afraid I can't release her. You see, I need a human host in order to resurrect myself back into the mortal world and send it into total chaos and destruction, and I happen to like the feel of your friend's here." She looked at herself admiringly, "So as you can see, I won't be giving it up anytime soon." She giggled mockingly.
Don bravely stepped forward in front of her. "Oh yeah? Well, if I know our April, she'd never be so weak as to give herself up so easily!" Don looked directly into the goddess's eyes. "Come on, April, I know you're in there somewhere! You've gotta snap out of it! You've gotta-"
Annoyed, the goddess cast her hand out towards Donatello and sent a spiral of black lightning through his body, lifting him off of the ground and throwing him hard into the wall, sending a flurry of stone pieces down on his body as he fell onto the ground. All of his family and friends cried out in concern and gathered around his side, protecting him as he lifted himself back up.
"Sorry, but your friend April can't hear you anymore. She is under my power and my control, which means I can do whatever I please without any hesitation!"
In demonstration of her power, she sent another black spiral towards Leonardo, but Michelangelo was quick and created a shield of wind around his brother to stop the attack. However, the goddess increased her dark powers and distorted the winds protecting Leonardo, redirecting the dark magic right at Michelangelo, sending him flying across the platform and almost into the lava below. Raphael managed to catch him below he fell and in his fury sent a barrage of fire spheres at the witch. The goddess raised a shield of black magic and reflected the spheres back at Raphael and Michelangelo, but Leonardo dowsed them with a water shield of his own. The turtle formed two long water whips over his arms and flung them towards the goddess in hopes of capturing her, but she took control of them and sent them back towards Leonardo, where they wrapped around his body tightly, almost choking him. Taking control, she lifted Leonardo skywards and slammed him back down onto the ground. Raphael and Michelangelo tried to help, but the goddess slammed them both with their brother's own technique. Donatello was the only one left and, fearing the others would get hurt, cast a rocky barrier over them while he stood his ground and cast a tomb of rock over the goddess, hoping to capture her. She quickly broke out of the tomb with her own dark aura and sent the pieces back at Donatello, who sent them flying back with his staff. The last piece, however, had caught him off guard and struck his head, sending him falling dizzily to the ground.
The goddess indulged in maniacal laughter at their misfortune. "Such a pity. I would have expected much more from warriors chosen by the gods, but they should have known better than to choose mere mortals as their weapons against me." She readied herself for the finishing blow. "I wish I could let you live to witness the end of days, but you're not even worth the slow, painful death I plan to unleash upon the world."
Just as she was about to strike, Taliama appeared and sent a white wall of magic from her fingertips to ward off the goddess's presence.
"Did you forget that I was here, demon?" Taliama growled. "I may be blind, but the stench of your aura is so overwhelming I imagine your true form is as repulsive as your scent!"
The goddess glared at her in fury. "Why, you little..."
She was about to send another dark energy wave in Taliama's direction when Penny snuck behind her and leaped onto her shoulders, covering her eyes and bound her arms. The goddess tried to throw her off, but Penny was persistent.
"You stupid, mean goddess!" Penny shouted, "You leave Miss April and my friends alone!"
As the goddess continued to struggle against Penny's grip, August and Cornelius saw their chance and tackled the goddess headfirst into the ground, rendering her motionless against their grip.
"Sorry, April," August sighed, "but it's for your own good."
"Don't worry about her, old boy," Cornelius said, "your niece shall be back in no time. I've seen nannies back in my home country that put up more of a fight than this witch did." As he chuckled, the turtles, getting back onto their feet, could have sworn that they had died during the fight.
The goddess, in all of her anger and hatred, forced the three off of her with her magic, sending them flying back onto the back wall next to the turtles. They could barely move, and Penny felt a small patch of blood on the back of her head. Ukili, crying out, licked Penny's cheek desperately in worry. The goddess drew nearer towards them, a murderous look in her eyes.
"You insignificant humans," the goddess growled, "Now I will show you what happens when you rebel against your all-powerful sovereign!"
The goddess drew herself closer to Penny, who clutched Ukili in fright and tried to fight back the tears falling from her eyes. She sent a course of black magic through her hands, and her fingers turned into long, thin claws, capable of slicing through living flesh. The turtles were rushing to the aid of their friends as the goddess readied to strike when Casey flew out of hiding and struck his fist into the goddess's stomach, knocking the wind out of her host body and sending her flying back from his friends, barely able to stand on her feet. Casey picked up one of the spears August and Cornelius had taken for themselves and held it with the spearhead on the bottom, planning to use it as a blunt weapon. He tried striking the goddess every chance he got, but she kept dodging his blows, so quickly that he almost fell over the edge of the platform. He took another swing at the goddess when she caught it in her hands, the two of them struggling to take it.
The goddess could sense the hatred in Casey's eyes. "Good ahead, take this spear and run it through her heart. It's already been ripped apart enough thanks to you." She could feel him hesitating, but he was still resisting. "Just remember that this is merely a human host. If you plan on killing me inside this body, it shall be your beloved April who dies!"
Casey's eyes went wide and his grip on the staff loosened, but he was prepared to steal it back if the goddess planned to stab him or knock him out with its blunt size. But as he was prepared for these outcomes, she suddenly tossed the spear away into the molten pool below and clutched at his throat, blocking out his airway with her long, strong fingers. Everyone rushed to his aid, but the goddess laughed in triumph as she used her magic to deflect them, squeezing harder at Casey's throat.
Casey wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. He tried pulling the goddess's hands away from his throat or breaking apart her fingers to give himself some air, but he found himself getting weaker, his head feeling dizzy and splotches forming in his eyes. Fearing the end, he tried one last attempt to get through to April and brushed his free hand against her cheek.
"April..." he gasped with all of his might. "It's me...Casey. Don't you recognize me?" He coughed in a desperate attempt for air. "You've gotta... fight back, April...I know you can hear me...in there! I...believe...in...you..."
Casey felt the tight grip around his throat disappear and his body fall hard on the ground, and as he steadied himself, he gasped and tried to regain as much air as he could. The others rushed to him, helping his steady his breathing. When Casey looked back at the goddess, her figure was hunched over on the ground and her blood red eyes turned to clear emerald green.
"April?" Casey gasped.
April looked up at him, confused and frightened. "C...Casey...?" She clutched her head and hollered in pain. The goddess was trying to take control again.
Casey grasped April's shoulders and forced her to look into his eyes. "It's okay, April, I'm here! Listen, I know you can fight this thing! You've just gotta focus and force her out of your mind, okay?"
He waited for her response and was met with the goddess swiping at his face. He dodged quickly, but was caught off guard as she used her magic and flung him towards the wall, knocking him onto his back. She stood back up, trying to retain her dignity.
"You'd do well to know your proper place, mortal," the goddess growled. "This body's spirit is far too weak to be speaking to you, let alone attempt to break free of my control. Besides, with the heartache you've caused still intact, possessing this girl's body is still mere child's play to be."
"Hey, kids can play pretty ferociously, you know," Mikey retorted, "Don't underestimate the children!" Playing as the comic relief again seemed to calm his nerves.
Penny whooped in agreement. "You tell her, Mikey!" After making such a remark, both she and Michelangelo were nearly hit by a dark streak of lighting.
Casey was struggling to get up, not willing to give up on April. He thought hard about what the goddess had said earlier and realized that April was still feeling dejected after watching him kissing the demon witch unintentionally, remaining unaware of the trap.
"April, listen to me!" Casey yelled, "If this is about that whole 'you-seeing-me-kiss-another-chick' thing on the beach, I can explain."
The turtles, unaware of what had transpired at the time, looked bewilderedly at him. "What are you talking about, Case?" Raph asked.
"That woman you saw me kissing was really that demon goddess in disguise, and I only did it because she camouflaged herself to look like you! It was a trap and I only fell for it because I thought it was really you!"
The goddess scoffed, but they could see a slight wavering in her eyes. "A likely story. You could easily be telling a lie in order to excuse yourself from your infidelity. You do a woman wrong by betraying her love and trust, you know," she laughed, "not that I care or anything."
"But it's the truth!" Penny cried, "I saw you disguised as April and you tricked Casey into kissing you so that when April saw you, you'd be devastated, because to her, you'd appear as your ordinary self!"
"The young one does not lie," Taliama added, "for I was informed that you had taken on the facade of the woman April, but I could still sense your aura in that fake form."
"But the damage has been done and you cannot save her now, her emotions uprising with betrayal and hatred for you!" The goddess had spoken in a mocking tone, but her body language expressed a sense of hurt and dejection.
Casey ignored the goddess, speaking directly to April. "Then use logic for a second! April, I know you're feeling awful about what happened and I'm sorry for what I did, but I know you're not the kind of girl that lets her emotions take over her entire life; you use your head! Think about it! If you saw me kissing someone else, who made me think I was kissing you, don't you think that it would be part of her big master plan or something?"
Don nodded in agreement. "Casey's right. Having April in such a susceptible state of mind after witnessing such a traumatizing event would give the demon goddess an opportunity to overwhelm April and invade her body!"
"April, we were both set up! You know I'd never do anything to hurt you! It was all a plan to get you to surrender your body!"
The goddess suddenly clutched her head in pain. "Meaningless words and ideas. They only make the human heart all the more cold and indifferent. All that matters is that he's betrayed you; let your grief and hatred consume you."
Her eyes suddenly flickered to green. "No, he's...right. He wouldn't just do something like that, not everything we've been through. I know he's...not that...kind of guy."
The goddess fought back hard. "To know is meaningless; there is only feeling. Don't think; hate. Hate until your hatred and mine become one!"
"No...I can't...let that stuff...take over...my...thinking. I know better...to trust my friends...than to give in and hurt them like this..."
"Silence, you brat!"
The demon goddess shrieked into the air, trying to force April out of her mind once and for all. In her madness, she flew towards the entire party and slashed rapidly through the air, hoping to strike and silence them all. The turtles were quick to react, dodging and blocking whatever attacks they could. She summoned dark spirals from her fingers again, more powerful from before, but they managed to fight back by combining their powers to strengthen their hold and take her down when she was caught off guard. She was so preoccupied with the turtles that she lost her attention on their allies, who snuck from behind and knocked her down as hard as they could without hurting April. When the goddess had enough, she sent dark magic to wrap around their bodies, constricting them feet from the floor and restricting their air flows. Her magic was sharp enough to slice off their heads or throw them into the lava below, and she was prepared to do just that, cackling in triumph.
She suddenly felt an aching pain in her head and shrieked, dropping to the floor with everyone else with her. She clutched her head tightly and her eyes flicked back to green.
"NO!" April shouted. "I won't...let you...use me for this!"
They all cried out for her as she dropped to her knees while still grasping her head, convulsing as she struggled for control. They were about to head over to her when the room suddenly shook all around them, the illumination around the chamber fading into a dark, deep red. Above them, they could see the ceiling cracking open and the moon high above them. The blood red moon was almost near its zenith.
The goddess looked to the sky in pleasure. "It is almost time! My resurrection has almost come to pass! And once the moon is centred above me, there's not a damn thing you fools can do about it! This body shall be my permanent vessel and I shall take over this planet once and for all."
Casey was unwilling to give up. "Don't let her do this to ya, April! You can't give in! You have to fight it!"
"You're too late! The hour is nigh and she has already submitted to my control! There's nothing you can do to save her now!"
Casey rushed over to the goddess, still determined, and cupped his hands around April's face. He could sense that a part of her was still fighting back, as the goddess did nothing to throw him back.
"I know you're barely hanging in there, April," Casey said, "and I know you could lose yourself at any minute and let this goddess take over the world. But if you're still in there somewhere, I wanna let you know that no matter what happens you're not alone in this fight. I...I love you, April, and I hope this'll be enough to break this spell."
As the goddess cried out in protest, Casey gently pressed his lips against April's, holding the goddess in place as she thrashed around to free herself. However, the thrashing eventually subsided and the hands that were before tearing at his skin were now softly wrapped around his neck, April regaining her body and returning the kiss in full.
The moon reached its zenith above them, and in the hue of the dark red night, the two deepened the kiss, enflaming the passion and their refusal to let each other go, even as April began slipping from Casey's grasp and into the sky, the cackling of the goddess trapped in her throat. Lightning flashed everywhere as the goddess was summoned into the demonic cloud above, striking near Casey and flinging him back onto the ground, forcing him to let April go. As she arose, the goddess laughed maniacally into the heavens, prepared for her demonic resurrection.
She was suddenly struck by a blinding light coursing from Taliama's hands, grounded and focused on the figure with all of her spiritual might. She beckoned the turtles to her call.
"I need you to focus all of your energy on her body," she said, "Once the moon reaches its zenith, the transfiguration begins to permanently fuse the spirit and mind into one, but if we're strong enough, we can force the spirit out of April's body for good. It is a very slim chance, but now that April is resisting, we may have a shot at freeing her. Are you ready?"
"Yeah!" the turtles cried.
Each of the five focused on the core of their elements, tapping into its deepest potential. Leonardo called onto the heart of the ocean; Donatello called onto the heart of the forest and the earth; Michelangelo called onto the heart of the gales and gusts in the air; Raphael called onto the heart of the hot scorching blazes in the core of the world; and Taliama called onto the heart of the spirit world where her mother and her ancestors and pleaded to them to give her strength. They contained as much of the elements' powers as they could, begging them to save their friend from being taken as a host. Then, arms outstretched, they released their core energy and directed it at the goddess's host body.
"WATER!" Leo cried, unleashing an intense cerulean beam.
"EARTH!" Don cried, unleashing an intense jade beam.
"AIR!" Mikey cried, unleashing an intense sallow beam.
'FIRE!" Raph cried, unleashing an intense crimson beam.
"SPIRIT!" Taliama cried, unleashing a beam of purest white.
All five of these concentrated elements struck the goddess directly, who screamed in agony as she struggled to fight them away. But the five were persistent, focusing their energy harder at the goddess, who was convulsing in pain. As she disappeared above the clouds, still surrounded by their concentrated power, the scenery transformed into pure whiteness and they could it shifting underneath their feet. The light was so intense that they had to shield their eyes, but the five never lost their focus on April's captured body.
When the light vanished and they could see again, the turtles and their friends found themselves standing on the rim around the mouth of the volcano, at the very top of the whole island. It was large enough that they could all stand on it evenly without losing their balance, but within the volcano, the pool of lava was still sitting there, waiting eagerly for a sacrifice. The only thing left was a thin path of rock that led to the centre of the mouth, and at the very end was April, lying there motionless.
"April!" Casey cried, sprinting towards her, the other carefully following behind him.
When he finally reached April, he knelt down to her and lifted her head onto his lap. He gently stroked her face and lightly shook her, trying to wake her up.
"April? April, can you hear me?" Casey cried. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes. "Come, April, please wake up!"
Everyone looked at each other worriedly, trying not to think of the worst.
"She's a pretty tough fighter, Case," Raph said assumingly, "She ain't giving up this easily."
"Regardless of what happens," Leo added, "you did whatever you could. We all did."
Casey knew they were right, but he was still scared and was trying desperately to hold back his sobs. A single tear had slipped from his eyes and feel onto April's cheek, and from the corner of his, eyes, Casey spotted a slight flickering of her eyelids.
"April?" he said, hopeful. He lifted her up higher so she was steadier in his arms. "April, can you hear me?"
April frailly opened her eyes to find Casey looking back at her, tears in his sweet sapphire blue eyes. She smiled weakly at him and cradled her head in his shoulder.
"Hey," she whispered. She could no longer feel the presence of the goddess inside of her. "Thank you, Casey...I'm sorry I ever doubted you."
All Casey could do was hold her closer while the others cheered in triumph. Penny was ecstatic and dancing with Ukili in her arms, and even Cornelius was doing a little jig of his own. The heavy atmosphere had evaporated around them, and as April regained her strength, she brushed her fingers against Casey's face and the two resumed their passionate kiss from before.
Taliama, however, was not relieved and looked to the sky in urgency. "Don't think this is over yet," she warned them, "The goddess has been released from April's body, but she has regained her true power and is ready to destroy this world once and for all." She readied her elbow blades. "Get ready."
Sure enough, they heard the same shriek of laugher coming from the spiralling cloud and moved back to the edge in preparation of for battle, looking skywards with their weapons unsheathed . A black figure descended from the clouds, one as tall as the volcano and ten times as threatening. Giant ebony wings protruded from the goddess's back, her skin covered in scales and her hands and feet transformed into talons. A dark mist swirled over her that was blacker than coal, the goddess's blood red eyes the only thing that could pierce through it. She perched herself deafeningly on the rim of the volcano, and the turtles branded their weapons to her, ready for the final battle.