Author's Note: Well, hello there everyone! The next chapter is finally up! Like I said, it's the Vision Quest, only this is focusing on Donnie's quest, since he's the main character of this story! So I bet you can guess what the next chapter will be about. Donnie must deal with having to rely on his body as much as his mind, and he may receive some help from someone new.

I also wanted to clarify something. The recent review I got was basically complaining that I'm not doing Apritello in this story. To make it clear: if I don't want to ship Apritello in this story, I don't have to. It doesn't mean I hate Apritello, I'm just not doing it here. I write this story in my free time, and I just don't like it when someone nitpicks over something silly like that. Anyway, mini-rant over, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 26: Like the Mountain

Donatello opened his eyes and looked down. No grass or hardwood appeared at his feet…it was the familiar asphalt and stone that made up the top of a building. This wasn't Northampton…he was back in New York. But how? What happened to make him appear back home? Amidst the cloudy sky and noise below, he looked to the edge of the building and saw none-other than…

"Cheyloe?" He mouthed, now bolting towards the brunette standing still. "Cheyloe!?"

Right before he could reach her, the building cracked beneath him, and he had to watch in horror as Cheyloe plummeted down into the abyss below. "NO!" Seeing the blackness below, he now saw that everything became a black void. "W-What's going on!?"

"Why couldn't you save her, turtle?"

Donnie whipped around, looking in horror to see the Shredder himself looming over him with his blades extended. The turtle panicked and tried to run, but was promptly stopped by another grisly sight: the fake Mrs. O'Neil encountered a few weeks before in its hideous alien form. He remembered how his body was used by that thing after his desperate attempt to warn the others about the truth of its nature.

"Why didn't you go look for her, Donatello?" The creature ground out. "You didn't look for her body!"

"Leave me alone!" Donnie screeched in desperation.

Right then, one of those Dream Beavers from a few days earlier materialized from the abyss and cackled in his face, licking its lips. Didn't those things stop being a threat when they were released from that book? Why did one of them come back? HOW did it come back? "She fell down into the sewers and you did nothing to save her, did you, salty turtle? Some friend you are!"

Donnie bolted once again, only to be stopped this time by that whack-job mutant car, Speed Demon. Boy, he was still freaked from it possessing his body to use against Casey. The vehicle revved its engine several times before rumbling out, "It's almost like YOU killed 'er, Donatello!"

"You killed her!" The other creatures chanted in unison. The existing ones were soon joined by the Foot Mutants, Kraang, and even the rogue mutants they faced.

"You KILLED her!"

"YOU KILLED HER!"

"No…stop…STOP IT!" Donnie sunk to his knees and covered his head, mumbling and begging for them to stop reminding him of that moment. "I don't want to hear it! Get away from me! STOP IT!"

As he slowly allowed himself to be consumed by the darkness, something began to drive the manifestations of the evil he recently faced away. The voices taunting him grew faint, morphing into dull echoes, until they were replaced with a new sound. Soft footsteps approached him from the abyss, stopping right in front of his collapsed form. Too afraid to open his eyes, he only felt a hand rest on the top of his shell; whatever this presence was, it felt warm and almost comforting.

"Time to wake up, Donatello…" An unfamiliar and youthful voice spoke. "You've got a big journey to go on soon. Better get ready."

Donnie's eyes shot open as he lay in bed. He darted his eyes around the room and noticed the sunlight of the morning filtering in. It was all a dream? That voice, though…who did it belong to and why did it seem so real? He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes before grabbing his mask and putting it on. Morning training would start soon, and he didn't feel like hearing Raph give him a 'you're late' lecture. Leo was bad enough with lectures, but Raph came in a close second. Maybe training would clear his head and make him forget that nightmare…

"Straighten yer stance, Donnie! Don't leave yerself wide open! Mikey, concentrate! April, put some back into it fer once!"

Donnie groaned at his brother's criticism, despite the truth in it. All except Leo were present for this morning's training exercise; he went out to practice with his arrows and make sure his leg still functioned. Casey stood on the side holding a log for April to practice with, as she couldn't break them with ease yet like she could. Still, the genius turtle couldn't exactly focus because he still thought of that dream and that voice. He got so caught up in thinking of the dream that he almost got clocked by his freckled brother.

"Donnie, focus!" The temperamental turtle barked. "Get yer mind outta the gutter and hit Mikey!"

"Sorry, Raph." Donnie sighed, setting his staff aside and staring down at the ground. "My mind's just…elsewhere today. Can we take a break?"

"D, you okay?" Mikey asked, putting away his nunchaku. "You look pretty down, bro."

Donnie instantly shook his head. "I-It's nothing, Mikey…just a bad dream last night. I'll shake it off after a while…"

Mikey didn't buy that for one second. He hated it when Donnie decided to keep whatever ailed him emotionally bottled up, either to keep everyone from worrying or to prove that he wasn't the weak link. He hated that his brother put such a burden on himself, just like he hated how Raph put himself in danger for them and how Leo constantly sacrificed himself for their sakes. "Donnie, come on and talk to me. Whatever's bothering you, don't keep it buried inside your shell. That's why we talk!"

As much as he wanted to tell his brother what troubled him, Donnie couldn't. "Mikey, listen-"

"Leo!?"

Everyone's attention diverted to returning and obviously-limping Leonardo. By the looks of things, his leg started rebelling against him again, even when it should be recovered by now. Donnie, Raph, and Mikey instantly rushed to their brother's side and held him up so he wouldn't collapse. The leg shouldn't have caused him to be this exhausted, and Donnie noticed some bruising on his eldest brother's face and plastron.

"Leonardo, what happened to you!?" The genius turtle asked in a panic.

The blue-masked turtle gave a grunt before breathing out, "…I just had a realization in the woods."

"Going off in the woods with a bum leg was a bad idea?" Raph deadpanned.

"No…it's exactly what we need." Leo replied, hardening his gaze at the others. "We've been so caught up with pizza, TVs, and T-Phones that we haven't even established a connection with nature; we're at odds with it! A true ninja must become one with nature and master himself…"

Mikey frowned. "Dude, leave TV out of this."

"Leo has a point…even Master Splinter did it." Donnie piped up. "Only when you become one with nature can you make peace with yourself…"

Peace with yourself…how can you possibly make peace with yourself when you caused her to die?

"Make peace?" The red-masked turtle questioned. "We're ninjas, not hippies!"

Leo only frowned at Raph's skepticism, but he wouldn't be deterred from this. He needed to do this, and his brothers needed it as well…he could sense that besides himself, Donnie was in dire need of this. "I have a plan…we'll do three days of meditation and practice awareness in the wilderness, only eating what we can forage. That means NO PIZZA, Mikey."

Before the orange-masked turtle could protest, April stepped forward with an eager smile on her face. "A camping trip sounds awesome! Count me in, Leo! I'm SO ready to get out of the farmhouse!"

The lead turtle suddenly held up one hand. "April, I understand that you want to go and train with us…but you're not ready. You haven't reached our level yet, and you're still getting the hang of your psychic powers. Take the time to finish learning the combat aspect, then you can train in the spiritual aspect. You'll get to go on a spiritual quest one day, okay?"

April frowned and pouted for a moment, but she saw the point Leo made. Right now, she barely made success in punching through a log, so how would she handle a spirit quest? And besides the dream telepathy display when those Dream Beavers almost killed the turtles, she still had little control over her Kraang abilities. As much as she hated waiting, she had to be patient and bring herself up to being ready. Sighing in defeat, she replied, "…Okay, Leo. You guys just be careful out there and come back…alive, I might add."

Casey suddenly waltzed up to the redhead and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Well, since the guys are gonna be gone…we get ta spend some alone time together."

If it were the old him, Donnie would be in a fit of panic over April and Casey being alone together. Instead, he merely rolled his eyes and headed for the farmhouse to get ready. Since he decided to end his pursuit of April and be the best friend he could be with her, a load lifted off his shoulders. Things were no longer awkward between the two, and they could talk about things without seeming like they were coming onto each other. He also felt better and no longer blamed himself for what happened to Leo and Splinter during the invasion…but there was still one thing weighing his mind down, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get that particular weight off his shoulders. It was something he wanted to disclose with April, but couldn't bring himself to do it. It was a problem he had to carry on his own…

"Donnie? You coming, bro?" Mikey asked when he stepped next to his brother.

Donnie snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. "Y-Yeah, I'm coming. Just gotta pack my bags and I'll be ready."

Almost three days, and how much success did they have at connecting with their spiritual sides? Zero. Zero success whatsoever. Things seemed to be going fine; Mikey actually conquered his fear of squirrels. However, Donatello knew their success was fleeting when they encountered that mysterious deer that seemed attached to Leonardo. That deer turned out to be a Shinto spirit, some sort of guide on their journey…and apparently, said guide showed them just how much they already failed on their journey. Thus, they all sat moping around a campfire, Mikey trying in vain to cook those nasty frozen pizzas over the open flame. Donnie found himself surprised that Leo didn't chastise their baby brother for bringing processed food. Well, there was no mood for scolding over bringing frozen pizza after pummeling each other over that deer.

Donnie pulled out his T-Phone and struggled to find a signal, watching the others sitting quietly and mulling over their thoughts. Did that Shinto spirit possibly sense their troubles and deem them unworthy of completing their quest? He pondered over that, along with his deep thoughts about his nightmares. Maybe now was a good time to share his troubles…but he quickly decided against it over fear of dampening the mood even further. So he just stared at the now-blank screen of his phone, thinking one sentence that seemed to cross through everyone's minds.

What would Master Splinter do right now?

They knew part of the answer: he wouldn't give up until he obtained peace. He wouldn't resign himself to putting in half the effort and becoming a ninja only in the physical sense. He wouldn't stop until he obtained true balance between the physical and the spiritual. That's what he would do. They needed him so much right now for guidance and reassurance, but he wasn't here with them. However, something heeded the call in their minds and hearts. The impossible happened; the hot, orange flames providing them warmth suddenly shifted to a cold, blue color; Donnie believed it to be akin of the will-o-the-wisps of European lore. The flames took on a life of their own, shooting upward and forming a shape until…

"Master Splinter!?"

There he was…Master Splinter in an ethereal form, arms behind his back and eyes looking down at his kneeling sons. The face they hadn't seen for almost five months and wanted to see since day one. "Watashi no musuko tachi yo." He greeted, noticing the shock in his sons' faces. "My sons, my spirit has become detached from my body, but that body still lives."

"Y-You're alive!?" Leo cried out, standing up. "Tell us where you are, Sensei! Let us help you!"

Splinter shook his head. "You cannot yet…there is much you must overcome. If none of you can find your inner, spiritual strength, you stand no chance against the Shredder."

"B-But Sensei, my leg injury, it's physical…" Leo protested, silenced by his father's spirit putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Leonardo, we choose what holds us back and what moves us forward." The rat spoke, not noticing Donatello's eyes widening at that statement. "You will all learn this. Each of you must journey out alone and face your spiritual adversary." He immediately turned to Raphael. "Raphael, your temper is like a fire that you must learn to focus for power." Next was Michelangelo. "Michelangelo, your mind is overrun with distractions. Learn to be strong and calm, like the forest." His gaze immediately went to Donatello, and Splinter took notice of the pain in his face equaling Leonardo's. "Donatello…you rely too much on your mind, not your body, and you cripple yourself with guilt over the past. You must be strong, like the mountain." Finally, he went and looked at his eldest son. "Leonardo, you must be the leader in body and spirit. Be like the wind…let nothing weigh you down."

With each of his sons giving a nod of acceptance, the rat gave his own nod of acknowledgment. "Sleep now, my sons, for your greatest trial awaits on the spiritual plane. The challenges you face there will be just as deadly as those you face in the real world." As he disappeared in a whirlwind of blue flames, he lastly spoke, "I love you, my sons."

Once Splinter's spiritual form disappeared, the turtles took the moment to collect themselves from the shock of seeing their father again, and the shock of what was to come. The prospect of each of them going out alone scared them; they were so used to fighting as one. Splinter had a point…they had to each go on separate journeys and discover their spiritual selves. That was something that frightened Donatello the most, considering his need to rely on his mind instead of his physical strength. How could he just go and use his body and not his brain? More importantly, how could he succeed in keeping his lingering guilt from impeding his success?

Sensei…I don't know if I can do this, but I'll try.

That morning, Donatello and his brothers made their resolve to complete their individual spirit quests, even with uncertainty lingering in their hearts. Each of them gathered what materials they could and used them to forge new weapons. For the genius turtle, since he was supposed to be 'like the mountain', he gathered up nearby stones and chiseled away at them for hours. He wanted something similar to his Bo staff, so he chiseled enough to create an axe-head to connect with a spare staff. The leftover stones were made into something that fit him well, to his surprise: a shaman-style mask.

Sporting a short cowl and resting his stone mask over his head, Donnie found himself alone as he left his brothers. They wished each other the best, setting up a marker to know where to return to; one marked with the kanji of their elements: Fū, Rin, Ka, and Zan. However, Donnie had to admit to himself he didn't know where to start on his quest. He slapped his forehead on that thought. Duh. Be like the mountain, so climb a mountain. I'm losing it. "All right, so I wonder how I'll get up a mountain without the proper climbing gear. Wish I brought my grappling gun from the lair…"

As the genius turtle adjusted his hood, he suddenly found himself met with thick fog, obscuring his vision. "Ugh, where's a fog light when you need-" He halted in his complaints when something in the fog caught his eye, and he leaned in closer to get a better look. "…Who is that?"

Donnie couldn't make out any specific details, but shrouded in the fog stood a silhouette of what looked like a person. This person seemed much smaller compared to him, and he couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl. It didn't even move a muscle; it just stood and blocked his already-visionless path. "Hello? Little boy or girl, are you lost in the forest? Uh, don't be scared by my appearance! I won't hurt you!"

The figure didn't reply. Donnie opened his mouth to address it again when he saw it raise its arm and beckon him forward. What did this child, or what looked like a child, want from him. It kept beckoning him forward until it suddenly turned and ran ahead in the blanket of fog. The turtle heard the soft footsteps fade out, and it prompted him to give chase to his runaway child. "Hey, wait! Don't go!"

Donnie promptly forgot about the fog and rushed through it, hoping to catch the child before he or she got away. Were they frightened of his appearance, or was this some sort of game? There was a third possibility, one that the turtle didn't consider to be credible: was this kid providing him a clue for his vision quest? Whatever the case was, it would either help him or harm him in his quest to obtain spiritual refinement, and it seemed like following a kid in endless fog would end up resulting in the latter. Just then, he managed to get out of the fog, finding himself…standing on a path on the mountain? How on earth did he get here?

"One thing about the spiritual realm…you have fast transportation." The genius turtle sighed, already worn from trying to figure all this out. "Now, where did that kid go? If this keeps up, I'll never get my vision quest completed!" He began his trek on the mountain pathway, intent on reaching the top and finding whatever was up there to find. "I just don't understand why a kid is on the mountain by themselves…and how did they disappear so fast? Unless…"

Noticing that the pathway grew thinner to the point of having to walk with his shell to the mountain rock, Donnie wondered whether or not that child could actually be a spirit; maybe his personal spirit guide like the deer drawn to Leonardo. Whatever the case, he would ask this kid himself. Around the corner of the rock and avoiding slipping off, the turtle saw small legs and sandaled feet disappearing to the other side. "H-Hey, this isn't funny! You'll fall if you're not careful!"

Before he could give further chase to the mysterious child, the rock above him suddenly trembled and sent pieces plummeting in his direction. The turtle dodged it and looked to see what caused it, only to find…Foot Soldiers? "What're they doing here!?" The soldiers hit the rock with large hammers again and sent more stones falling. "You're gonna bring the whole mountain down! Unless…you don't care if you do because you're apparitions from the spirit plane!"

More Foot Soldiers, their uniforms a violet hue instead of the standard black, came and attacked Donnie from the sides while the others kept hammering away at the mountain. He countered at every turn, trying to calculate a plan to defeat these menaces before they caused a massive landslide. And then…wait, that kid! They would get hurt as long as the Foot was here! He had to beat them before irreversible damage could be done. Ducking more pieces of the mountain, Donnie finally had enough of this.

"You want to bring half the mountain down!?" He struck the Foot grunts at his sides before leaping up on the ledge above the hammer-wielding ones and holding his axe above his head. "Fine with me!"

Donnie brought the axe down with a mighty swing, sending stones down and knocking away the Foot apparitions with ease. He let out a sigh of relief once they were gone; his quick thinking did wonders! "Huh…this vision quest is actually pretty easy! A little quick thinking fixed it, no problem! Now to find that kid and-"

The genius turtle found himself halted when the rock wall beside him burst open. The dust slowly cleared and a large figure stepped out from inside the mountain, and this figure was one he wished he could forget.

"We're just getting started." The figure spoke in an all-too-familiar tone, cracking his neck. "Let's see how quick your thinking is when I smash your head into the rocks!"

"T-Tiger Claw!?" Donnie sputtered before stepping back. "N-No, you're just a spirit! You're not real!"

He found himself proven wrong when the spiritual Tiger Claw socked him in the face and sent him backwards. He spat and wiped his mouth off as he got up and turned to face the mutant apparition, the latter glowering down at him and growling lowly. "Master Splinter wasn't kidding…this is real."

"Admit the truth, turtle: you cannot defeat me!" The spirit Tiger Claw rumbled. "You are the weakest of the group…so weak you couldn't even save your friend from falling!"

Donnie froze in place. "H-How'd you know about that?"

The spiritual tiger mutant chuckled and extended his claws. "You are an open book, Donatello. You tell Leonardo and the O'Neil girl to stop blaming themselves for the invasion and its casualties, yet you still blame yourself for that incident. That makes you a hypocrite! A hypocrite responsible for the murder of his friend!"

Donnie's hands began trembling, struggling to unsheathe his axe. "S-Stop it! T-That's not true!"

"If it is not true, why aren't you trying harder to protest?" Spirit Tiger Claw goaded, stalking forward with claws ready. "Maybe it's because you KNOW it's true! You KILLED her!" He lunged forward, grabbing Donatello and slamming him into the side of the mountain several times. "Do not deny the truth any longer, weakling!"

Once the spirit let him go, Donnie got to his knees and held his head, the axe slipping from his grasp. Once again, the voices from his nightmares flooded his mind with that horrible chant: he killed Cheyloe. He let her fall, he did nothing to save her, and he let her die. He fought to think of a way to stop the chant and stop Spirit Tiger Claw, but he drew a blank. Why couldn't he think of anything? He begged his brain to work, but all that could be in his mind was that chant, causing quiet whimpers to permeate the blanket of silence.

"…I-It's true…" Donnie murmured in a broken tone. "I-I just let her fall…I didn't do anything…I was too weak to do anything…"

"Don't give up!"

Donnie opened his eyes and glanced around. That voice…it was the voice waking him from his nightmare! His eyes focused behind the apparition of Tiger Claw and locked on to the figure behind him, which turned out to resemble a young boy with messy hair. Spirit Tiger Claw payed no heed to the child, only glaring down at the kneeling turtle in contempt. Donnie couldn't tell if the child was actually a spirit or not, but something inside him told him this child was here for a reason.

"It was beyond your control!" The mysterious boy shouted. "Stop beating yourself up over it! You did everything you could! If you keep beating yourself up over it, you'll make her sad! You have to be strong, just like this mountain!"

"I did…I did everything I could…" Donnie repeated while slowly getting to his feet. "It was…an accident…it was beyond my control." He paused when Spirit Tiger Claw, now armed with HIS axe, slammed the weapon into the rock and caused a landslide. However, the genius turtle remained on a pillar of stone. Taking a deep breath, Donnie took hold of his mask and slid it over his face, leaving him unreadable to his enemy. "…Enough beating myself up…I have to be immovable."

Spirit Tiger Claw roared and leapt over to Donatello, grabbing at his hands and attempting to push him off the mountain. Donnie, however, pushed back with all his might and stood his ground, now feeling a presence behind him…the boy. If that deer was meant for Leo, then this odd child was his guardian spirit.

"I'm twice your size, and three times your strength!" Spirit Tiger Claw spat. "You. Will. FALL!"

Be strong, like the mountain.

With Splinter's voice echoing in his mind, Donatello silently but swiftly used his foot to trip the mutant apparition before gathering all his strength and throwing him from the rock. The apparition fell several feet before disappearing into the fog below. The turtle stared at the scenery below, still wearing his stony mask of silence, until he caught sight of the boy near him. The child, spirit or not, wore a bright smile at his victory, and Donnie stayed silent until he gave a firm nod.

"…No more relapses in guilt. No more beating myself up…and no making her sad." The genius turtle confirmed. "Thank you."

The boy nodded, slowly disappearing into the mist. "I'll be at your side whenever you need me."

Once the child disappeared completely, Donnie stared again at the fog below, watching it slowly dissipate from view and reveal the surrounding forest and river. He couldn't explain it, but a total calm touched his spirit, and he certainly felt stronger than ever. He felt strong enough to go back and reclaim the place he always called home: New York. He would also reclaim his family, his friends, everything Shredder and the Kraang took from him and his brothers.

"…It's time to go home."

Aaannd...chapter over! If you guessed correctly, we're heading back to New York next! And when they get back, they'll have a few reunions with characters we've missed! As for the strange boy appearing in this chapter, his identity will be revealed later on, along with his true connection with Donnie! See you next chapter!