Author's Note: Don't mind the non-existing words in this chapter. It's just me trying to do justice to Big Mama's peculiar speech.

What Went Wrong

Raph climbed the stairs leading out of Draxum's prison two steps at a time. He kept both his tonfa ready to smash anything that would stand in his way, but the stairs were deserted.

The others were not far behind him. They all shared the same determination; they were going to find their missing brothers and bring them home.

Even if home was going to be closer for one set of turtles than for the other.

After Raph came Raphael, who had no intention of staying in this foreign world one more second than necessary, and who certainly wasn't going to fall behind his counterpart.

If the stairs had been larger, he would have run right next to him. Things being as they were, Raph took all the available space and Raphael had to be content with the second place.

Michelangelo and Mikey came next. They glanced at each other as they climbed up the stairs, their minds filled with questions they burned to ask - what had happened with their brothers, how was life with their family, did they like the other universe's pizza? They knew it wasn't the right time, though, and kept quiet.

Donatello and Donnie came last. They had tried to linger in the room between the cell and the stairs, looking for portals, machinery, or anything interesting that Draxum might have built, but their brothers had cut their exploration short.

Donnie had whispered something along the lines of "You never let me do anything interesting!" while Donatello had kept his regrets to himself, and they both had followed the others.

If the priority hadn't been to find Leonardo and Leo, Donatello would have gladly tried to find Draxum's armory. He would have loved to get his hands on the mystical staff Donnie had talked about.

He was breathing the dust lifted by the others instead. It was peculiar that the stairs leading to the cell would be so little used, but after all, the gargoyles could fly and Draxum used portals to move.

Donnie glanced at Donatello. "Don't you wish we could blast these stairs for a little more room?"

Donatello tilted his head. "I don't have explosives," he said pensively, as if what his counterpart had said was worth considering.

Donnie sighed. "Me neither. Raph thinks it's dangerous, so he doesn't let me sneak them on our missions. Not anymore."

"They're only dangerous in the wrong hands," Donatello added. "Which is why I never let Mike near them."

"I never let Leo near them." Donnie's smile vanished as he thought about his lost brother. But surely he was worrying over nothing. Leo would find his way out of any situation. Right?

A few steps in front of them, Michelangelo was beginning to get tired of the never-ending staircase.

"Are we almost there?" he complained.

"How are we supposed to know?" Raphael replied gruffly.

"Yes!" Raph said at the same time, coming to an abrupt halt.

Raphael didn't stop in time to avoid colliding with Raph's massive shell. He let out a string of swear words that would have gotten him in trouble with Splinter, had Splinter been here instead of waiting for them in another universe.

"There's a door," Raph said. "Everyone, get ready! We don't know what's on the other side!"

Raphael rubbed his face, hoping that whatever was on the other side would include a nice fight. It would be a relief to punch opponents in the face.

Raph smashed the door, a sure way to open it. The eight turtles burst out of the tunnel…

… and into the void.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Raph, Raphael, Mikey, Michelangelo and Donnie expressed.

"Amazing that the door would open in the middle of a cliff," Donatello mused. "It must have been a long time since people last used this exit. Maybe there was a ledge and it collapsed?"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" the others answered.

Luckily, after the first few feet the cliff was gently sloping. The turtles' plunge, if not exactly pleasant, was in no way life-endangering.

They finally reached the bottom of the cliff, forming a big pile of turtle limbs.

"Whoever has his feet in my face had better remove them fast," Raphael said, his voice dangerously calm.

Mikey hurried to hide his legs into his shell.

"This is one of the times I'm happy I make my shells Raph-proof," Donnie said in a slightly strangled voice from his place at the bottom of the pile.

Raph immediately stood up.

"Sorry, Donnie," he said in a small voice.

"So where are we?" Michelangelo asked, dusting himself.

The turtles took in their surroundings. In the distance, they could see the buildings of the Hidden City, but the place where they stood now looked more like a meadow. Winged cow-like beasts looked at them placidly while chewing on their purple grass.

"At least Draxum chose a good place for his prison." Mikey stuck his legs out and stretched his sore muscles. "Not many people must go here."

"It's unlikely that Leo and Leonardo were sent here," Donatello thought out loud. "We should head for the city."

Raph nodded, his face showing his determination. "Let's do this."

The six turtles began to walk through the meadow in silence, glancing at the sky from time to time in case Draxum's minions had somehow been alerted, but the two gargoyles were nowhere in sight.

"Where do you think they took Leo?" Mikey finally asked. "And Leo," he added for Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo's sake.

Donnie shrugged. "Leo was supposed to steal Oozesquitoes from Big Mama. They probably left him next to Big Mama's lair. Maybe even inside of it. Maybe he has already been captured, and as we speak he's being forced to fight in the Battle Nexus while his strength slowly abandons him..."

Raph let out a strangled noise.

"And maybe they realized that they took one Leo too many, and have already disposed of the redundant Leo," Donnie added as he thought about the different possibilities.

This time, Raphael let out a strangled noise.

"Thank you, Donnie, thank you so much," Mikey said, putting a hand over his brother's mouth.

Donnie blinked, taking in the shocked looks of almost everyone else. "Was I too blunt?" he said in Mikey's hand. "Sometimes Leo says I'm too blunt. It does sound like a compliment coming from him, but maybe it's just the sarcasm."

"We're grateful for your input, Donnie," Raph hurried to say, just in case his brother needed to be reassured that his lack of social skills didn't diminish the love he had for him.

Raphael was opening his mouth to say that he was not grateful for Donnie's input when Mikey suddenly stopped, as if struck by an awesome idea.

"How about we try to call them? They have their phones, right?"

"Our phones aren't working here," Donatello immediately replied. It was the first thing he had checked once they had been out in the open.

"Leo's phone is off," Donnie said at the same time, feeling a little offended that Mikey would think such a mundane idea hadn't occurred to his superior mind.

"Why am I not surprised?" Raphael threw his arms up. "It would have been too easy."

Raph cleared his throat. "Okay. Let's stay calm and keep searching. I'm sure we will find them if we can stay focused on our goal."

Raphael glared at his counterpart, but only half-heartedly because it was something Leonardo could have said and Raphael was really missing his brother right now.

Michelangelo put an arm around Raphael's shoulders, determined to seize this perfect opportunity to tease him.

After all, he had been deprived of this pastime for far too long.

"See how reasonable other-Raph is being, Raph? Isn't it such a nice example to follow?"

Mikey nodded, fully approving of his counterpart's discourse. For his part, Raphael huffed and pulled away.

"I guess someone has to be reasonable in this family," he said. "For sure, it's not their Leo."

Michelangelo's eyes sparkled. "You never told us what happened with him."

Raphael crossed his arms. "Oh, you know, he was just trying to get in trouble with every Purple Dragon he could find. Not telling us where he went. Attacking Hun for no reason."

Raph paled at the description of such events, even though he had no idea what a Hun was, but Michelangelo remained unfazed.

"Oh, I wonder who else could fit that description," he said, grinning.

Raphael didn't like where the conversation was leading - he was nothing like Leo - and he was about to let it be known when Mikey chimed in.

"Uh, guys?"

Something in the utter bafflement of his tone made all turtles turn to him.

Mikey pointed at something in the distance.

"It looks like April is here."

One second later, April O'Neil, last of the name, was materializing in front of the turtles, a dog with fangs and colored patches of fur wagging his tail in her arms.

"Guys!" She grinned. "We found you!"

"April?" Raph said, first baffled, then thrilled. "How did you find us?"

"I went to the lair and Splinter told me you had disappeared." April stroked Mayhem's fur. "So I asked this little guy here if he could help me find you. We've been searching everywhere!" She pointed at the cliff behind them. "Then we saw the crumbling and I thought 'Hey! It looks like their kind of trouble, let's check it!' and here we are."

She tilted her head, looking at Mikey, Donatello and Raphael. "And you found each other! Nice to see you, Mikey."

"Hi April!" Mikey beamed.

"And nice to meet you."

Donatello bowed and Raphael nodded.

"But where is Leo?" April went on, frowning.

Raph sighed. "It's a long story."

As he brought her up to date, Michelangelo slowly held his fingers out to the dog yokai.

Mayhem sniffed them carefully before allowing this new turtle to pet him.

"Awww, he's so cute!" Michelangelo said.

"His name is Mayhem," April explained. "Guys, I can't believe you've been having such an adventure without me! You know I hate being left behind."

"We had thirty seconds to make our decision," Donnie pointed out, thinking about the portal he had lovingly built.

"I could still have made it. Mayhem could have teleported me inside the lair!" April pouted.

"Yes, about that." Donatello, who had been waiting for the right moment to ask his question, came closer. "Mayhem can make portals, right?"

Mayhem yapped proudly.

"But then he could take us home!" Raphael said excitedly, grinning for the first time since he had been reunited with his two missing brothers - right before one of them vanished again.

Mayhem only watched them sadly.

"I don't think he can," April translated. She hugged Mayhem tight, pressing her cheek against the top of his head. "It's okay. You're still the best!"

Mayhem wiggled his tail again, obviously loving the affection.

Raphael sighed. For one delightful second, he had almost believed that their problem was solved.

"So where do you think Leo and Leo are?" April asked.

"Hmmm." Raph thought hard. "No idea."

"I suggest we go to Big Mama's hotel," Donnie said. "If they decide to steal the Oozesquitoes like Draxum wants, it would be the most logical choice."

"Great plan, Donnie!" Raph straightened up. "Let's go there!" He looked at Mayhem, staying out of claws' reach. For some reason, Mayhem liked to test them on his face. "Uh… Could you take us there?"

Mayhem ignored him.

"Please, little dude." Michelangelo scratched Mayhem's neck. "I have a brother to get back."

Mayhem considered this new request and nodded.

One second later, the six turtles, April and Mayhem vanished from the Hidden City.

Two panicked gargoyles emerged from the cliff bordering the meadow. The creatures who were peacefully grazing watched them with interest as they followed an invisible trail before stopping right where the green creatures and the human girl had stood.

Then the gargoyles began fighting each other, providing further entertainment.

Today was definitely a good day to be a cow yokai.

Raphael watched the hotel with suspicion. Nothing in its exterior betrayed the fact it belonged to a yokai crime mastermind.

But at least he was in a New York City again. This was a definite improvement.

"Is it the place?" Michelangelo whispered.

Raph nodded. "Yes. Now how are we going to know if Leo is inside?"

"Why don't you go ask them?" Donnie said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, as he pointed his finger at the hotel.

"Do you think we could?" Raph looked at Donnie questioningly.

Donnie briefly closed his eyes. It wasn't fun to tease Raph when Raph didn't get the joke.

If Leo had been here, he would have laid it on thick and that would have been fun. But Leo wasn't here, which was the problem they were trying to solve in the first place.

"Maybe I could do it," April suggested. "They don't know me. Yet another daring adventure you had without me!"

She glared at Raph, Donnie and Mikey, who all looked away.

"I'll pretend to be looking for a hotel and ask them if they have free rooms."

"And then?" Donnie tilted his head, curious to know what April's plan was.

"Then I'll improvise." April put her hands on her hips, deeply satisfied with herself.

"Are you sure about this?" Raph said, his tone slightly dubious.

"Of course! Trust me, guys."

"Fine." Donnie detached a tiny part of his shell, which turned into a beetle. "Let's have this little guy follow you, so we can monitor your progress on this baby here." He pushed a button and a screen sprang from his shell.

Donatello watched it, fascinated. Artificial shells definitely had their advantages.

"Alright! See you later, guys!" April hid Mayhem in her jacket, right next to her trademark bat, and made for the hotel.

"Does anybody else have a bad feeling about this?" Michelangelo asked. "No? Just me? Okay."

April was marching towards the hotel with such decided steps, nobody could have guessed that she had no idea what she was doing.

Well. She knew she was going to look for information about Leo and Leonardo's disappearance, but that was about it.

But Donnie's beetle spy was flying above her head, reminding her that her friends were watching, and she wanted to look strong for them.

April pushed the hotel's door and came inside, wary of what she would find.

At first sight, the entrance was deserted.

"Hello? Anybody here?" she called.

In her jacket, Mayhem yapped and patted her chest.

"Hush, Mayhem," she whispered. "I need to focus."

Mayhem didn't stop until a man in a purple costume appeared in front of them.

The man stared at her with a professional smile. "The hotel is sold out, Madam."

April breathed a heavy sigh, as if such news was terribly disappointing. "Are you sure? A friend of mine said that he had the time of his life here. I was hoping I could get a tour. Maybe relax in the lounge? It has been a very long day."

The man shook his head, still smiling.

April was about to try again and engage a conversation about the hotel's customers when the elevator's doors opened. Another man in a purple costume - the exact replica of the man she had in front of her - joined them.

"We may have one room left," he said politely. "If you will please come with me..."

April frowned. She might have asked for that less than a minute ago, she still found the coincidence disturbing.

April O'Neil wasn't a girl that easy to fool. After all, she had been practicing the turtles for years.

"On second thought, I'll look for another hotel. Sorry for the inconvenience," she said, smiling, as she nervously adjusted her glasses on her nose.

She turned around to leave, and found out that five new men in purple costumes - clones of the first for sure - were blocking the exit.

"Alright, Mayhem. Plan B. Let's get out of here," she whispered.

Mayhem whined inside her jacket, and the dots connected in April's brain.

"Oh, you can't teleport here. That's what you were trying to say!"

April grabbed her bat just when the seven men turned to yokai.

"Aren't you supposed to stay hidden from humans?" April said tentatively, raising her weapon.

Outside the hotel, the turtles were anxiously following the events on the screen so helpfully provided by Donnie.

When April found herself surrounded, the course of action left no doubt. The six turtles burst inside the hotel with everything they had - that was, tonfa, sai, bō staff, titanium tech bō, kusari-fundo, nunchaku and determination.

"Let her go!" Raph bellowed.

"But feel free to fight us first," Raphael added, grinning, although April had already begun that last part.

Soon the hotel entrance was filled with the sounds of yokai crashing against the walls, and it looked like the turtles and April were in for an easy win.

However, more and more yokai kept coming; they were swarming out of the walls, ceiling and carpets, and seemed intend to just crush the turtles and April between their bodies.

And while the turtles were looking elsewhere, a portcullis was lowered to block the exit with thick metallic bars.

And Raph soon realized that his mystical weapons had exhausted their mystical energy for now.

"Okay, Raph," Donnie said, his back against the wall. "I want you to remember that now would be a very good time to have explosives."

The room was now filled to the brim with yokai, and punching them didn't move them an inch - there was simply no room for that.

That frustrated Raphael to no end. He realized all too well that they needed a better plan, but he was short of ideas.

"Hey!" Michelangelo shouted as magic bindings appeared around his wrists and ankles. The bindings then proceeded to join each other as if they were magnets, forcing Michelangelo to bend forward.

Soon the other turtles and April joined him in this fate, and all seven teenagers had to stop fighting.

"You could do that all along?" Donnie said, disgusted.

"Yesss," a feminine voice said from behind the swarm of yokai. "But then I wouldn't have seen you fight. What a delicacious sight!"

Within the span of a few seconds, half the yokai in the room disappeared while the others formed a guard of honor around the newcomer.

It was a petite woman in a purple dress.

"Uh-oh," Mikey said.

"And we're doomed," Donnie said, ever so practical.

"You'll do most wonderfantastically in my Battle Nexus Arena," Big Mama said, thrilled.

Big Mama was such a frail woman, Michelangelo didn't think her name was warranted. He decided it would be better not to mention it, though, not when they were basically helpless.

"I couldn't believe how lucky I was when you came inside my hotel," Big Mama told April. "I knew your friends wouldn't be far behind." She tilted her head. "Although I didn't expect them to have multiplied."

April glared at her. "How did you know about me?"

"I have my informers." Big Mama grinned. "After these charming clowns escaped me last time, I had to investigate." She waved at Raph, Mikey and Donnie.

Donnie especially wasn't too happy to face Big Mama again. After all, their last encounter hadn't exactly gone well, and he might or might not have exercised some kind of violence on her.

But she had started it.

"You spied on me?" April exclaimed. "That's creepy."

"Now, now. Big Mama won't let your compliments change her decision." Big Mama joined her hands. "I can't wait to see you fight in my Arena! It's going to be so exciterrific!"

Mayhem, who had retreated in April's jacket since the end of the fight, sprung from his hiding place to bite Big Mama's leg.

Big Mama let out a very undignified shout and shape-shifted into a spider way too big for anybody's comfort.

"Ooh, now I get the Big part," Michelangelo said. "I'm still confused about the Mama one, though."

Big Mama spat spider silk and imprisoned the brave Mayhem in a sticky cocoon.

"Take him to the cells," she ordered, and two yokai hurried to obey.

"Mayhem!" April bounced, trying to come closer to Big Mama in order to bite her herself. "You horrible spider!"

Raphael gave her an appreciative smile. He was growing very fond of that April very quickly.

She was a warrior after his own heart.

Big Mama eyed her. "On second thought, take the girl too. I wouldn't want to separate her from her little friendog here."

"No!" Raph, Donnie and Mikey yelled.

But the yokai were already obeying.

"And take the other clowns to the Battle Nexus Gateway." Big Mama sighed happily. "I can already see the audience skyrocket."

And so the turtles were dragged across the hotel until they reached a room containing a single giant portal.

The shouts of the delirious crowd they could hear through it didn't exactly bode well for their immediate future.

"Alright, Raph. What's the plan?" Donnie asked.

Raph sweated. "I…"

He wished Leo to appear out of nowhere and save them with his portal-making sword, like last time. Too bad Leo and his sword were both lost at the moment.

"How about this-is-all-a-bad-dream-and-we're-all-going-to-wake-up-real-soon?" Michelangelo suggested.

Mikey nodded vigorously. "I love that plan."

"I wonder where Leo is," Donatello mused.

"I don't know, Don. But he should better wonder where we are." Raphael straightened up as much as he could with his bindings. "Not that I mind a good old fashioned fight, but..."

Then the turtles were thrown inside the portal.