Hi everyone, thanks for waiting yet again. With this chapter, the heroes start off on their journey to the Enchanted Forest to combat these three mysterious evils. A lot of you however seem to think that Kavaxas is one of them, and while I do have plans for him, he is not going to appear in this story. You'll see what the main conflicting forces of this story are going to be as we go on, but now, the heroes embark on their quest. How will this affect them? What does the future hold for them? Let's find out.
The Enchanted Forest
It was early in the morning as each of the heroes were getting everything ready for their trip. Elsa had already used her magic to construct horses made from ice and show, which would pull a series of carriages the heroes would ride on as their food and supplies were packed up.
"I got more brothers!" Olaf cheered as he ran around the ice horses, who eyed him curiously.
Each of the heroes appeared dressed in attire fitting for exploration as well. Each of the four Turtles wore masks that covered half-their faces above the mouth, with lighter shades of their respective colors. They also shoulder, elbow, and knee pads made from metal, along with black sleeves to cover their arms and legs. In addition to their own weapons, they were each given an additional weapon of their own choosing; Leonardo carried a bow and arrow, Raphael wielded a set of tonfas, Donatello placed a stone-axe blade on his staff, on the opposite end of where the naginata blade would come out, and finally, Michelangelo took up a par of kamas. Elsa wore a light blue jacket over a pale blue dress with the same color leggings and boots. Anna wore a purple and magenta colored vest over a black long-sleeved dress with gold trim and gold pants underneath; the princess also carried a sword of her own.
Karai's hair was tied back in a long ponytail, with purple metal shoulder pads and armor with a purple pelt; the armor around her arms and legs was silver-colored, all over a black body suit and a pair of fingerless gloves; She also carried a red scarf around her neck, just below a mask that covered the lower half of her face, with a small ruby in the middle of her armored breasts. April wore a mostly yellow body suit, with black boots and fingerless gloves, silver armored shoulder pads, and a yellow cloth to cover the lower half of her face; her headband also had a silver ornament that was the symbol of the Hamato clan. Kristoff wore his usual winter attire with a black vest over brown furred sleeves and dark brown pants with black boots. Sven was given a dark blue and orange sleeveless vest with dark grey pants, but no shoes. Finally, Casey, instead of his typical hockey gear wore knight's armor on his chest, arms, and legs, which he spray-painted black with a white skull on the chest; though he still carried his gear of hockey sticks, baseball bats, and cricket bats, along with his home-made taser; he also had finished crafting a steel mask instead of his usual hockey mask. The only ones who didn't change much appearance wise were Olaf, who was 'naked' as usual, and Shinigami, who's outfit was not an all-black body suit with gold accents, including the crescent moon symbol on her chest.
With everything all packed into the sleighs, with the ice-horses ready to go, the heroes were giving their allies a goodbye before departing.
"Okay, while it's important to keep everyone out of Arendelle until we get this mess fixed, try to have Metalhead scan the area." Donatello advised Rockwell, along with the robotic turtle that stood with him. "I want to know if anything happens while we're gone. We'll try to make contact once we get to the forest."
"Understood, good luck." Rockwell nodded as even Metalhead gave a thumb's up, which Donnie returned.
"Yo Mikey, let me know what kinds of whacky stuff you find in that forest. I wanna try to skate through there when all this is done." Mondo Gecko said as he, Mikey, Leatherhead and Shinigami were grouped together.
"You got it Mondo." Mikey smiled as he and Mondo exchanged a high-five before he addressed the alligator. "See you around LH."
"Be careful, my friend." Leatherhead placed a hand on the young Turtle's shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure he stays out of trouble." Shinigami teased.
"You be a good girl too, kay Ice Cream kitty?" Mikey gushed to the mutant ice-cream cat that sat in the portable cooler, who meowed before she purred against Mikey's face.
"You boys have everything you need, right?" Bulda addressed Kristoff and Sven. "You have clothes, food, and underwear?"
"Yes Bulda, we got it." Kristoff said in a somewhat annoyed groan.
"I don't think I need underwear." Sven added.
"I know you're both grown, one of you in a way I'd never expected." Bulda said, referring to Sven's mutated state. "But I'm still your mom. You take care of yourselves and come home. I'll have a big warm pout of stew waiting for you!"
"We'll be fine." Kristoff assured
"Yeah, I'll make sure this guy doesn't get killed." Sven joked, causing Kristoff to smirk before the mutant reindeer pulled him and the female troll into a hug.
"Hey! I wanna a goodbye hug too!" Olaf said, only for Pigeon Pete to fly in and give him said hug.
"Good luck little snow buddy!" Pete said as Olaf returned the hug
"Good luck to you too big bird buddy!"
"Wish you could come with us, pal." Raph told Slash as they, along with Casey, April, and Grand Pabbie were gathered together. "But we need someone to guard the Homefront, just in case. And take care of Chompy"
"Don't worry, we'll make sure the people are safe." Slash assured. "And alien turtles, too." He wiggled his finger to Chompy who sat on Slash's shoulder.
"See ya later, Chompy Picasso." Raph said as he gave his pet alien turtle one final scratch behind the ear.
"So, what's this enchanted forest like, anyway?" Casey asked Grand Pabbie. "Is there like, giants, or dragons, or other monsters for us to fight?"
"I honestly cannot say." Grand Pabbie said. "But what you find in that forest may change your entire world."
"Well that's not ominous or anything." Casey commented.
Grand Pabbie then found himself staring at the Aeon crystal that April wore around her neck. "April, may I see that?"
Looking somewhat uneasy at the odd request, April also saw no reason to say no as she leaned closer. "Sure." She allowed Grand Pabbie to take the crystal into his hand, but she didn't take it off as the elder troll looked into the small but powerful crystal. Grand Pabbie could already feel a great deal of energy inside there, unlike any kind of magic he'd felt before. He dared say it even rival Elsa's powers, and yet, there was something else inside… something… dark.
"April, this crystal contains incredible power." Grand Pabbie told her. "But it is important that you do not become reliant on it. He or she who becomes too reliant on power, may soon find that power turned against them. No matter what happens, try to remember who your friends are."
The redhead looked a little confused at what the troll was implying but tried to give an assuring smile. "Yeah, alright. Thanks."
Anna and Leo meanwhile made sure the last of their supplies was loaded. "Okay, that's everything." The blue-clad Turtle said.
"Now where's…." Anna looked around before she and Leo spotted Karai and Elsa with Master Splinter, no doubt saying their goodbyes with Karai hugging her father.
"No matter what happens, I'll always be proud of you, my daughter." Splinter told his biological child.
"I know. I love you, father." Karai said before she parted ways, allowing Elsa to walk up to Splinter. She said nothing before she wrapped her arms around him as well.
"Thank you, Master Splinter." Elsa said, tightening her embrace, which Splinter returned.
"Elsa, no matter what happens, look after your family." Splinter began. "You have grown much, in body and spirit, but just because you are the most powerful, does not mean that you do not need help. Your friends and family are here for you, so let them be."
"I will, thank you." Elsa said as she backed away slightly, allowing Leo and Anna to walk up before Anna gave a quick hug to Splinter as well, which he returned before he addressed his eldest son.
"Leonardo, a word?"
"Of course." Leo nodded as Splinter led him away from everyone briefly to speak to him alone. "Is something up?"
"My son, do you know why you are leader of this team?" He asked, causing Leo to look in confusion.
"Um… yeah. Because I asked to be." Leo recalled. "You said it wasn't because of my skills."
"I said that only to temper your ego at the time." Splinter replied. "I knew, even when you were a small boy, that you would one day grow up to be the leader of this team. And when I pass on, to be like a father, as well."
That took Leo by surprise. "Pass on? What are you talking about, Sensei?"
Splinter looked toward his eldest son with a warm smile. "Leonardo, if I can impart only one piece of wisdom that will remain with you forever; remember, giving guidance to your brothers and friends does not come from here…" He pointed to Leo's head, first. "It comes from here." He pointed toward his chest, toward his heart. "Always keep those you love closest to you, do not ever let them go."
Not quite sure what to make of this at first, Leo tried to steel himself and put on a strong face. "I won't father."
Leo walked back to join the group just as they were about to head out. He and Elsa got in the lead carriage, with Anna and Kristoff in the back. Raph, Casey, Mikey, and Olaf shared the second; while Donnie, April, Karai, and Shinigami mounted the third. Sven got on his hands and feet and ran off alongside the ice-horses, running like a normal reindeer and keeping equal pace, despite being a mutant. Elsa and Leo paid one final glance toward their friends and the people of Arendelle, as they rode off, specifically toward Master Splinter until he faded from site.
However, what nobody appeared to notice, was that somebody else was watching them. From a higher point up the mountain, Tiger Claw was perched at the top of an Evergreen tree, watching everything through a pair of binoculars before growling in anticipation as he activated his jetpack to fly and follow his adversaries, while also maintaining a safe distance.
"Who's into trivia?" Olaf asked the whole group as their journey began.
"Ooh, I am!" Mikey raised his hand.
"Eh, what could it hurt?" April shrugged, thinking it was a good way to pass the time. However, this session of trivia lasted pretty much the entire day
"Did you guys know that water has memories?" Olaf asked.
"That's actually a true fact." Donnie pointed out.
"How can water have memories if it doesn't have a brain? It's not even alive." Raph said.
"Well, it doesn't have 'memories' like what we do." Donnie explained. "But it does contain solute participles of what was previously dissolved in it. It's why processed bottled water has to be cleaned, so it's safe to drink."
"So, all the water you guys have been drinking is dirty!" Olaf pointed out, oddly enthusiastically, causing most of the group to groan.
"Please tell me he's not always like this." Shinigami rubbed her hand down her face.
"Usually, he's worse." Karai replied to her friend. "This is gonna be a long trip."
"Did you guys know that when our sun becomes a red giant, it will engulf Mercury and Venus?" Olaf asked as their trip continued. "Earth will remain, but it'll be too hot to sustain life."
"Did you learn that from Professor Honeycutt?" Anna asked.
"Yes, I did, actually." Olaf said. "Speaking of which, did you know that our moon was possibly created when Earth was impacted by a smaller planet millions of years ago? Did you also know that the moon's gravity is why the ocean has waves?"
"Yes, we actually did know that." April pointed out.
"Dude, how do you think if snow-boy here would be if he ended up at school?" Casey asked.
"Probably stuffed into a locker or something like that." Karai put in.
"Did you know that blue fire is actually hotter than normal fire?" Olaf said. "Many people thought blue fire was cold, but it was the opposite." This was one of many questions Olaf put in throughout the day, even as nightfall.
"Did you know getting a nice and quiet sleep on long journeys prevents insanity?" Leo told Olaf, giving the subtle message that it was time to stop.
Olaf laughed for a minute, almost like Leo was telling a joke. "Yeah… that's not true."
"Yeah, it is." Raph quickly said.
"It's the truth." Kristoff said.
"It's true alright." Anna agreed.
"It is true." Elsa also agreed.
"It's a proven fact." Donnie added.
"So true, dude." Mikey put in.
"Yep. True." Casey said.
"It is definitely true." Karai added.
"One hundred percent true." Shinigami added.
"As true as the moon." Sven said as well.
"Well, that was unanimous." Olaf commented. "But I will look it up when we get home."
Night had fallen, and while the ice horses at the carriages knew which direction to go, it made the riders more comfortable if someone was at the reins, so they agreed to take shifts with one or two people at each rein while the others slept. Most of the group were currently sleeping, while Sven kept going on his hands and feet, even though people offered him a chance to get some rest, he told them he was more than capable of going further; he could go even further than this as a normal reindeer and still be fine.
Currently, Leo, Raph, and Karai were at the reins of their respective carriages, while everybody else slept in the back. Leo glanced toward the east and could see the faint glow of dawn, it was almost morning. He glanced back to see his friends asleep, Kristoff had Anna in his arms, who held Elsa in her arms as well, all three having smiles on their faces while Leo smiled as well. However, that smile faded as he distantly recalled his conversation with Master Splinter before they left.
"Something on your mind, bro?" Raph asked, noticing his expression.
"Just something Master Splinter said. Probably just overthinking." Leo said before trying to change the subject. "So, what do you guys think we'll find once we reach this forest?"
"No clue." Sven said. "But I'd love to see what kinds of trees they have, scratch my back against them…" He smiled. "I'm getting chills just by thinking about it."
"I'm a little concerned about what we're supposed to be fighting." Karai said. "Apparently these three evils are deception, hunger, and hate. But we don't even know what that's supposed to mean."
Raph groaned. "Ya know, for once, I just wish we'd have a straight answer about all this stuff."
"I hear ya." Leo agreed with his brother.
However, as they continued talking, Elsa was awoken by the sound of the voice that sang through the air again. It was something that had awoken April too. First Elsa and April made eye-contact before the Ice Queen addressed Leo at the reins.
"Leo, wake everyone up. I hear it." She told him, causing Leo to pull on the reins, stopping the ice horses in their tracks, followed by Raph and Karai doing the same for their artificial steeds, with Sven stopping as well. Elsa quickly got up from the carriage and walked ahead as the rest of the group woke up and started to pick up their supplies before dismounting from the carriages as well.
Elsa was the first to walk past a small trail of rocks and boulders, with the rest of the woken group right behind, just as dawn had cracked, shining light onto the large valley that laid before the team of heroes. But none of them were focuses on the sunrise, or the open valley, instead, they found themselves looking awe toward the massive wall of fog and mist that separated them from their destination.
"Whoa…" Donnie breathed.
"Wow…" Anna said in awe.
"That's one big cloud, dudes." Mikey said in the same awed tone.
"Looks like we've arrived." Leo stated, only to look in surprise with everyone else as Elsa made her way toward the wall of mist. Leo and Anna looked toward each other with concern before following after her, with everyone else close behind.
The group came to a stop inches before the wall of mist, where they could faintly see sparkles in the mist, indicating there was magic at play. Nobody said anything as they tried to silently figure out their next step. Leo however decided to take the first step as a leader should and try to walk through the mist, but the second he made contact, some kind of invisible force pushed him back.
"What the…?"
Karai took out her short sword and tried to cut through the mist, but it quickly reformed less than a second after she cut it. Olaf then tried to run in himself, while smiling and laughing, only to get bounced back by the same invisible force, only for him to laugh and get back up to do it again.
"Hey, let me try!" Mikey said in an excited tone as he ran into the mist, and have the invisible force knock him back. "Wow, that's actually kinda fun! You guys should try it!" He and Olaf were about to run in again, only for Raph to grab them by the shoulders and pull them back.
"Can you guys not be idiots for two seconds? Is that too much to ask?" The red-clad Turtle said in annoyance.
Donnie then picked up a small pebble from the ground and threw it into the mist, only it did not rebound. "Hmm, seems like this mist is somehow repelling living beings, and yet non-living objects can pass through just fine. Maybe we should have brought Metalhead, he could have scouted it."
"Well, if we need something non-living, Casey Jones has got you covered." He lit a fuse to a firecracker on his puck and slapped it into the mist with his hockey-stick, only for the invisible force to send it flying back toward the group, causing them to yell in surprise as they dove for cover and avoided the small exploding firecracker.
"Okay, did you just try to throw a bomb in there?!" Shinigami scolded.
"Hey, Donnie said non-living stuff could go through! And bombs aren't alive!" Casey argued. "I thought it would… I don't know… blow the fog away!"
"It's magic fog Casey." Raph pointed out. "Magic doesn't follow normal rules."
"Okay, so we can't force our way through." Leo said as the group tried to ponder what to do. "April, can you sense anything?"
April tried to focus her powers, even using the crystal to enhance her abilities. "I can… definitely sense something on the other side but… it feels like this force is blocking me. I'm practically blind."
"Maybe we can go around it?" Anna asked.
Donnie took out a small telescope and looked in the opposite directions along the wall. "I'm not seeing an end in either direction. Looks like this wall is covering the forest's whole perimeter."
"Then lets fly over it." Sven suggested. "Elsa can make some ice-dragons and we'd be able to soar over, no problem."
Donnie then looked straight up with his hand-held telescope. "I can't quite see a top either. And if we go too high, we could pass out from the lack of oxygen."
"How tall is this thing?" Raph questioned.
"Maybe there's a password." Mikey guessed. "Let's try the obvious first." He faced the mist wall directly. "Open sesame!" There was no response from the fog.
"Abra kadabra!" Olaf tried, but got no response either.
"Shazam!" Mikey tried again.
"Pretty please with sugar on top!" Olaf tried as well.
"Alohomora!" Mikey guessed.
"You shall not pass!" Olaf gave another guess.
"The power of awesomeness compels you!" Mikey stated more seriously.
"Are you two just going to guess random passwords or tag-lines till you get something right?" Shinigami questioned.
"Well, I don't hear you coming up with any ideas." Kristoff told her. "Aren't you a witch?"
"I know a few tricks, but this is a little out of my league." Shinigami replied. "Why not ask her?" She gestured toward Elsa, only to be surprised as Elsa was already walking toward the mist.
"Elsa…" Leo tried to get her attention, but she seemed more focused on the mist wall in front of her. She then pressed her hand into the mist, only to have it part at her touch, clearing a path through it as she and everyone else looked in awe, not just at the open path, but at the Stonehenge-like features of four large rocks sticking out of the ground that had ancient symbols representing each of the four elements.
"Huh, guess we found our way in." Donnie noted.
"Hey Elsa." Anna got her sister's attention as she took her right hand. "No matter what happens in there, we do this together."
"All of us." Leo added as he took Elsa's left hand as well.
"I know, and we will." Elsa assured before turning to the group. "Everyone, stick together! Don't get separated!"
With that, the whole group joined hands with Elsa, Anna, and Leo. Kristoff grabbed Anna's hand, as his other hand was held by Sven, followed by Olaf, then Mikey, and even Shinigami. Leo joined hands with Karai, who joined with Raph, then Donnie, then April, then Casey. Once all their hands were joined together, the heroes entered the path in the mist, which closed the second they entered.
However, right after the path closed, someone else had walked forward, the same mutant assassin that had followed them ever since they left Arendelle.
Tiger Claw gazed at the wall of mist for a moment before trying to walk through himself, only for the same force as before to push him back and prevent him from entering. He then drew his energy pistol and shoot a laser into it, only for his laser to rebound back, which he barely avoided. Tiger Claw growled in minor annoyance before using his jetpack to fly away, needing to report what he found to his master.
Meanwhile, while the group of heroes walked through the small tunnel of magical mist, they could barely see what was in front of them, which made them all the more nervous, evident by Sven's anxious groans.
"It's okay pal." Kristoff told his mutant friend.
"So, what's gonna happen once we get to the other side?" Shinigami asked.
"Whatever it is, be ready for anything." Leo stated as he felt Elsa's grip tighten around his hand, the two gazing into each other's eyes before pushing onward.
"Did you know that an enchanted forest is a place of transformation?" Olaf said.
"Yeah, so's Dimension X, but you don't see us too eager about going there." Raph said, hoping Olaf would get the hint, but he apparently didn't.
"I got no idea what it means, but I can't wait to see what it's going to do to each one of us." Olaf said, unknowingly placing a thick and tense air of nervousness around them.
"No thanks. I've had enough transformations in my life, thank you." Karai put in.
Suddenly, the wall of mist began to condense and fall behind them before it pushed the group forward, causing them to yell in a startled surprise, save for Olaf who seemed to be enjoying it, even as they were completely shoved out and on the other side.
"What the heck just happened?" Casey questioned.
"No idea." Donnie stated as Olaf tried, like before, to run back into the fog and get shoved out repeatedly, just for fun.
Elsa walked up, trying to use her 'magic touch' to open the path again, only for the same force to push back against her as well. She tried to shoot a bolt of her magic through, but it was rebounded back, causing her to dodge.
"And we're locked in." Anna said in an unsurprised tone. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."
"That's just freaking perfect." Raph made no attempt to hide his sarcasm.
"I've got a feeling the only way we're getting out, is by doing what we came here to do." Leo said.
Elsa was the first to turn around and address her new surroundings. "This forest is beautiful…" She said in awe, prompting everyone to turn around and look at the forest as well.
It was true, the Enchanted Forest at first glance seemed like the definition of natural beauty. All its trees were tall and healthy, the red leaves showing that it was the season of autumn, all the plants and grass everywhere were of the same color. But it wasn't just physical beauty, there was an air with the forest that just made it feel special, more special than any place they've ever been to, which says a lot.
"Dudes…" That was all Mikey could say.
"Look at this place…" April looked around. "You can just… feel it. There's so much life here."
"Goongala to the max…" Casey said in an awed tone.
Sven even went and scratched his back alongside a tree. "Ah yeah, that feels great!"
Leo found himself smiling at the sight of this forest as well but was first to get back on track with their mission. "Alright, let's spilt up and scout the area, we'll meet back up in an hour and make camp before coming up with a plan. Elsa, Karai, and Raph are with me; Donnie, you take Anna, April, and Kristoff; Mikey, you go with Sven, Olaf, Casey, and Shinigami."
Everyone in the group nodded before splitting off in their respective teams to scout and see what they could find.
Anna was the first to walk to an opening through the forest, making her way toward the edge of a cliff where she, along with Donnie, April, and Kristoff got a good view of the large dam that was constructed several decades ago.
"The dam… it still stands." Anna said with relief. "It was in Grand Pabbie's visions, but why?" She wondered with concern.
"I don't know, but it's still in good shape, thank goodness." Kristoff said.
"What do you mean?" Anna asked, sounding a little worried.
"I think I see where he's going." Donnie got a good look at the dam. "Based on the dam's height, and depth of this gorge, I can't even begin to calculate just how much water is being held back. If the damn were to collapse, everything on the fjord would be washed away."
"Everything?!" Anna questioned with worry. "But… Arendelle's on this fjord!"
"N… Nothing is gonna happen to Arendelle, Anna. It's gonna be fine." Kristoff tried to assure her. "Come here." He tried to give her a comforting embrace, which she appreciated.
"Guys, I can't quite explain it, but I've got a feeling that whatever we're supposed to do here, the dam's a pretty big part of it." April said, getting everyone else's attention.
"How can you tell?" Kristoff asked.
"I… I'm not sure… but this whole forest… I can feel it." April said as she turned around to gaze at the woods. "This… everything here… it's alive…"
"Well, all forests are technically alive, so…" Donnie tried to say.
"Yeah, I know, but… there's just so much energy here." April tried to explain it as best she could, while her Aeon crystal began to glow. "So much… life. It's… intoxicating."
That last word really caught Donnie, Kristoff, and Anna by surprise as they looked toward their friend. "April, are you okay?" Anna asked.
The crystal ceased glowing, allowing April to feel her head, almost as if her thoughts were lifted from a fog. "What… what did I just say…?"
Donnie shared a concerning glance with his other friends as he quickly and assuredly held April by her shoulders. "Hey, it's okay. Let's just… keep moving." They moved away from the dam, but it did little to deter the concern they were now feeling for April.
Meanwhile, Raph was perched at the top of the tallest tree in the area as he used his small hand-held telescope to survey the area before jumping down to meet Leo, Elsa, and Karai.
"Well? What did you find?" Leo asked his brother.
"Nothing but trees." Raph said. "This forest looks like it could go on forever, and I can't spot anything other than a few birds, no animals, no people, nothing."
"There's definitely life here in this forest." Elsa stated. "I can feel it. It almost feels like we were on that Aeon planet, that is when it's not corrupted into a cesspool of evil." She attempted to joke, which seemed to work as her friends smirked before they walked on ahead.
"So, these spirits, did your parents say anything about them?" Karai asked. "Like what they looked like or something?"
"No." Elsa shook her head. "Only that the people who lived here found a way to live with them, and that they represent the four elements."
"Well, we know the water spirit is supposed to be some kind of horse." Leo said. "Maybe the other spirits are animals too?"
"So what? Fire's a dragon? Wind's a bird? Earth is what… a bear?" Raph questioned before he gave a surprise yelp as he fell into what he believed to be a large but shallow ditch. "Okay, what kind of ditch is this?" Raph questioned as he tried to pull himself up, his back turned to his friends so he wasn't able to see the looks of shock, borderline fear, as they saw what he was standing in.
"Raph… that's not a ditch." Karai told him as he pulled himself out to see what they were looking at.
It was a footprint! A large footprint that looked like it belonged to massive humanoid giant. Though not nearly as massive as Tokka, but still big enough to be concerned about.
"I don't suppose your dad said anything about Big Foot, did he?" Raph asked anxiously toward Elsa, who only shook her head in silent response. Suddenly, the group heard what appeared to be a high-pitched laughter in the wind, putting them on edge as Leo put his hands on his katanas, while Raph and Karai already had their weapons out. "You guys heard that, right?"
"Yep." Karai confirmed.
"Sounded like someone laughing." Leo noted.
Elsa's expression became serious. "We're not alone. Somebody's watching us."
At the same time, Mikey, Sven, Shinigami, Olaf, and Casey looked through another area of the forest, trying to make sense of some of their odd surroundings.
"You got animal-senses; can you smell anything?" Shinigami looked toward Sven, who tried to smell the air, and even the ground, much like what a dog would do.
"I can smell a lot of reindeer that were here." Sven said. "But… something else. Something I've never smelled before."
"So, what are we supposed to do?" Casey questioned. "Just walk around till we find these spirit things?"
"Don't worry." Mikey said as he walked toward a pond to fill up his canteen. "Like everything else, they'll find us."
"Oooh, and maybe we can be friends!" Olaf said cheerily.
"Or more likely, they're gonna try to kill us." Shinigami stated.
"That sounds about right." Sven said.
"I hope they do." Casey smirked. "I never got a chance to fight a spirit, could be fun."
As they talked, Mikey had filled up his canteen but looked in surprise to see a face forming in the water with glowing eyes, almost like the face of a horse. It looked at Mikey for a second before vanishing into the pond. "Uh… guys?"
However, his and everyone else's attention was drawn towards a large tornado that just appeared out of nowhere and surged towards them, causing the group to split and dive for cover.
"I think we've found the Wind Spirit!" Sven exclaimed.
"Ya think?!" Shinigami questioned as the tornado turned around and surged toward them. "Run! We need to fall back!"
"Run? Are you kidding?!" Casey said as he took out a hockey stick in one hand and a baseball bat in the other. "This is Casey Jones vs. evil Wind Spirit! I've gone up against robots, aliens, alien-robots, ya think I'm scared of a little tornado?" He then ran towards the tornado with his titular battle cry. "GOONAGALA!"
"Hang on Casey! I'll help you!" Olaf ran to try and 'help' him, much to the exasperation of their friends.
"Oh boy…" Even Mikey looked more than a little worried.
"What is wrong with those two?" Shinigami questioned.
"No idea." Sven said with lowered eye lids.
Meanwhile, at the Foot's hideout just outside of Arendelle; Rahzar, Fishface, and even the recently arrived Tiger Claw were kneeling by the foot of the bed where their disabled master laid, still undergoing his treatment overseen by Stockman-Fly and the Rat King, with Bebop and Rocksteady listening in as well.
"All of Arendelle has been evacuated, master." Rahzar reported. "The bright and happy kingdom is now a ghost town."
"The people are in the woods just outside the kingdom." Fishface reported. "Splinter and his mutant allies are watching over them. But they're still far from our place and unlikely to find us."
"What of the Turtles… or the wretched queen…?" Oroku Saki questioned.
"They, along with Karai, and others have traveled north." Tiger Claw responded. "I tracked them to what they referred to as an 'Enchanted Forest'. The entire forest has what I can only describe as a barrier of mystical fog that prevents anyone else from entering."
"Enchanted forest? Mystical fog?" The Rat King chuckled as if he had just been told a bad joke. "And here I thought you were the most feared assassin in all of Asia." However, a rat, one that had stuck close to Tiger Claw and observed him, scurried onto his shoulder and relayed him the information. "What? It's true? Well… that's certainly a surprise."
"Dude's talking rats." Bebop whispered to his partner. "I've seen him do it, but I still ain't used to it."
"He crazy." Rocksteady whispered back.
"How were the Turtles and their friends able to enter, yet you cannot?" Oroku Saki questioned.
"I assume it was due to the Queen's own magical abilities, which we currently lack." Tiger Claw responded.
"Actually, I think I might have zzzomething that can help." Stockman-Fly buzzed.
As the others continued to discuss what to do next, the bed ridden Oroku Saki heard something. His eyes widened as he heard what appeared to be a woman singing. "What…? What is…?"
"Mazzzter?" Stockman-Fly looked toward him with curiosity.
"Silence!" Saki exclaimed, causing his allies and followers to be quiet as they looked toward their injured master with concern as he continued to listen to the sound only, he could hear. He heard the woman's voice again, and repeat, before it stopped.
"Master Shredder… what is it?" Tiger Claw asked.
"I must go there." Saki said. "I must go to this place… This place of power…"
"Azzz your primary care-giver, I muzzzt advice any action at thizzz time!" Stockman-Fly insisted. "Your body needzzz time to grow! Our special mutagenic formula can only work at thizzz pace without damaging your mind!"
"How would you even go to this place if only that wretch's magic enables her and her friends to pass through?" The Rat King questioned.
"Stockman, you said you had something that can help." Rahzar said to the fly.
"Yezzz." He flew over to a shelf on the other side of the room and opened a compartment in the wall to pull out a vial containing a glowing blue liquid. "Thizzz is Queen Elzzza's concentrated energy, harvezzzted from her blood."
"Theoretically, if her so-called magic can allow her to enter this place, it should enable us to do so as well." The Rat King said.
Fishface got a good look at the vial as he held it in his hands. "So, this is… what… liquified magic? We're delving into magic now? And here I thought working with aliens was crazy."
"Tiger Claw… Bradford… Xever…" Oroku Saki got the attention of his three most capable soldiers. "Go to this forest…. Scout it… find the Turtles and Elsa…but do not kill them. I must be… the one to rip their hearts out."
"As you command, master." Tiger Claw bowed, along with Bradford and Xever before walking out of the room, and later the hideout before making their way north.
Meanwhile; back in the Enchanted Forest, Olaf and Casey were both sent flying and screaming, crashing into two separate trees, which drew the attention of their friends as Leo, Elsa, Raph, Karai, Donnie, April, Kristoff, and Anna quickly ran to their downed friends with concern.
"Hi guys." Olaf said in his usual cheery demeanor as he reassembled himself. "We just met the Wind Spirit."
"More like the spirit of cheap shots!" Casey stated as the rest of the group turned toward the large tornado that was the form of the angry Wind Spirit, currently fighting Mikey, Shinigami, and Sven; or rather giving chase as they couldn't necessarily punch living wind. Even when Sven tried to push back against it, he got sucked into the tornado himself before it gave pursuit to Mikey and Shinigami.
"You think, you're tough, huh?!" Mikey exclaimed as he hopped on a tree branch to a more elevated high. "You think you're tough!? I'll show you tough! Booyakasha!" Mikey threw a series of firecrackers into the tornado, only for the Wind Spirit to send them, as well as Sven, flying back at the tree; causing it to explode as Sven smacked into Mikey and sent them both rolling across the ground while Shinigami attempted to swing around the tornado with her kusarigama, only to be sucked into the tornado herself.
"Shini!" Karai exclaimed in shock.
"Everyone, scatter!" Leo ordered as the tornado, after throwing out Shinigami through its back, shot toward the group, forcing them to split apart and avoid the attack. However, the Wind Spirit seemed to focus more on Elsa, who tried to erect an ice-barrier to block it, only for it to shatter as she was almost pulled in. "Elsa!" Leo shouted as he quickly leapt toward her, grabbed her hand with one of his own, before pulling out a grappling hook with the other and launching it around a tree to keep him and Elsa from being pulled on. "Don't let go!"
"I'm not planning on it!" Elsa shouted back.
However, the strength of the Wind Spirit only grew, evident by the tornado's sudden increase in size, causing the tree to snap, and pull both Leo and Elsa into the twister.
"Elsa!" Anna screamed.
"Leo!" Raph, Karai, and Donnie shouted at the same time as they, and everyone else tried to rush toward the twister, only for it to grow even more in an attempt to push them all back.
"Anna, we can't get in there!" Kristoff tried to hold her back.
"That's my sister and friend!" She shouted back, wanting nothing more than to help them.
April then focused her powers around the tornado, using her Aeon crystal to amplify her abilities as a powerful and invisible psychic barrier formed around the entire twister and pushed back against it, but the Wind Spirit inside was putting up a fight.
"I… I think I can contain…!" April struggled.
"April, you've never gone up against anything like this before!" Donnie tried to tell her. "You need to stop!"
"I can do this!" April exclaimed as her eyes began to glow a bright white color, with her hair beginning to wave through an invisible wind, almost like something else was giving her additional power.
Inside the twister, Leo and Elsa struggled to hold on to each other, gripping each other's hands firmly and avoiding being sucked away. They struggled with all their might, but the more the struggled, the more the force pushed against them. They were literally going against the wind. However, as Leo struggled, a memory came to him, one of Master Splinter's teachings and lessons from before echoed in his mind.
"Leonardo, you must be the leader in body and spirit. Be like the wind. Let nothing weigh you down."
"Weigh us down…" Suddenly, Leo was struck with an epiphany. "Elsa, stop fighting it!"
"What?!" Elsa shouted.
"The more we fight, the more it fights back!" Leo told her. "We need to steady ourselves! Remember our training, go with the flow. It's only wind."
Elsa, though surprised at first, knew she could trust Leo and that it might be their only option anyways. "Alright." She took a deep breath as she tried to focus her thoughts, along with Leo in front of her. They both closed their eyes as it felt like they were entering a meditative trance, which caused the force of the wind to slow down slightly.
Outside, the groups could see the tornado shrinking, with the wind losing speed. "What's going on?" Raph questioned.
"I… I think it's calming down…!" April could sense the emotional maelstrom of the spirit slowly dissipating.
Inside the twister, Leo and Elsa both appeared to in a calm meditative state. However, as the wind blew around them, they both could hear a series of voices that didn't belong to either of them, or their friends. At first, it sounded like child-like laughter before changing into warrior cries when real voices set in.
"Prince Agnarr!"
"For Arendelle…"
"Father!"
Acting solely on instinct, Elsa channeled her powers around herself and Leo so that he may be protected before she unleashed a wave of magic outward, which appeared to blow away the entire twister, much to everyone's surprise as they saw Leo and Elsa slowly land on their feet on the ground, right in the middle of a ring of what appeared to be random ice-statues.
"You good?" Leo asked Elsa as they helped each other up.
"I'm fine. You?" She asked back.
"Yeah." He nodded as the rest of their friends came in; with their respective siblings addressing them first, while everyone else got a good look at some of these sculptures, several looked like deer and horses, and even people.
"What the heck…?" Casey questioned as he glanced at an ice-reindeer with Sven and Kristoff, the former smirking thinking it was looking good.
"We heard voices… in the wind…" Elsa tried to explain. "I… I don't know how to describe it but…"
"It almost felt like the wind itself was trying to speak to us or show us something." Leo tried to explain as well.
Donnie began to think. "Sound waves are carried by air, I'm guessing since this is magic air that it, 'recorded' the sounds of the past to try and give us a message?"
"You seem a little unsure about that." Karai noted.
"I'm an expert when it comes to science not magic." Donnie replied.
"So, it's like our theory of water having memories?" Olaf asked.
"Actually… yeah." Donnie seemed to get it. "In fact, water is made from liquified hydrogen and oxygen, which is air when those elements are in their gaseous states. In fact, the only thing that really separates air and water are their respective states of matter."
"So… that means… what? Air has memories too?" Raph asked somewhat skeptically.
"Well, magic air, but yeah." Donnie replied before a gust of wind, which carried a cluster of leaves, flew around the purple-clad Turtle while making a series of bird-noises, indicating that it was the Wind Spirit. It circled around each of the group, with Casey, Karai, Kristoff, and Shinigami ready to draw their weapons again.
"It's okay guys…" April told them. "I don't think it's angry anymore."
"Are you sure?" Shinigami questioned.
The Wind Spirit then began to circle around Leo and Elsa, almost playfully as it brushed against them, causing them to come-back-to back with giggles and laughter.
"Yeah, I'm sure." April said, noting it's demeanor.
"Gale actually seems like a pretty chill dude." Mikey noted.
"Wait… did you seriously just name it 'Gale'?" Kristoff questioned.
"Well, a gale is a strong wind, right? And it's a Wind Spirit. So… Gale." Mikey explained.
"I like Gale. It's nice." Olaf seemed to agree.
"Gale it is." Elsa agreed as well as 'Gale' circled around her for a bit before moving toward Leo. "Awe, I think he likes you." She teased.
Leo chuckled as Gale did seem rather fond of him for some reason. "Cooled off yet?" He jokingly asked before he blew towards an ice-sculptor of two individuals, a boy and a girl, both surrounded by a small whirlwind.
Elsa and Anna looked in surprise as they were the first to move towards the sculpture, with everyone else behind them. Anna was the first to recognize the face of the boy.
"Father… It's father!"
"This girl…" Elsa tried to look at the other one. "She… she saved him?"
"Who exactly is she?" Leo asked with Kristoff getting a closer look himself.
"She's Northuldra."
Suddenly, the group heard what appeared to be a horn blowing, which alerted not only the group, but also the entire forest.
"What was that?" Sven questioned.
April felt a presence through her powers. "Guys… we've got company. They're all around us!"
"Everyone circle up, be ready for anything!" Leo ordered as he drew one of his katanas, with Elsa on his right, who materialized an ice-katana in her hands as well. On her right was Anna, who drew her own sword, followed by Kristoff with a single hatchet, Sven who only raised his fists, Raph drew his sais, Mikey twirled his nunchucks, Donnie drew his staff, April held her tanto, Casey held out his hockey stick, Karai drew her wakizashi, and Shinigami readied her clawed gloves, while Olaf remained in the center for safety.
"What do we got? More spirits?" Raph questioned.
"No… I think they're human… most of them." April sensed.
"Most? What about the others?" Karai questioned.
"I… I think they're animals." April continued to sense.
Leo could feel that whoever was nearby was right in front of them. So, stepping out quickly, he used his katana to cut away some of the bushes to reveal a large group of people clad in beige winter clothing, wielding a series of wooden staffs. Many dropped from the trees as the heroes prepared to defend themselves.
"Lower your weapons." The young woman with black hair at the lead told the group.
Suddenly, the group heard the sound of metal clanging against metal and turned around in surprise to see a smaller group of elderly, or middle-aged, soldiers, wielding swords and shields.
"And you lower yours." The dark-skinned man told the other party.
"Arendellian soldiers…?" Anna looked in surprise with everyone else, with only Sven noticing that a small group of normal reindeer were also present and looking at him strangely.
"Okay… this is awkward…" Sven said, mostly toward his non-mutated species.
"Threatening my people, Lieutenant?" An elderly woman of the other party addressed the soldier in command.
"Invading my dance-space Yelana?" The Lieutenant replied in a somewhat spiteful tone.
"Hold on, if those guys are soldiers…" Mikey pointed to one group before looking toward the other. "Are you dudes Northuldra?" He asked the young woman, who quickly pointed her staff towards his face.
"What are you supposed to be, creature?!"
"Hey! That's stereotyping!" Mikey quickly said, before Raph came to his brother's defense.
"Back off sister! Unless you wanna face full of this!" The red-clad Turtle brandished his sais.
"Everyone, just cool off!" Leo tried to tell all the people surrounding them, but the soldiers seemed more focused on the weapon the blue-clad Turtle was carrying.
"Lieutenant!"
"Get the sword!"
Immediately, both groups moved in to advance, but rather than start a fight, Elsa decided to end it by spreading her arms to freeze the ground around them, causing the Northuldra and Arendellian soldiers to slip and slide, but the sudden appearance of ice-magic really drew their attention.
"That was magic…" The Lieutenant said in awe as he slid closer to Yelana. "Did you see that…?"
"Of course, I saw it." She replied as she tried to stand up.
"Well, you choose an ice-cold greeting." Anna commented toward his sister.
"Better than fighting." Elsa replied.
"Eh, we could have taken them." Casey brushed off.
"Not the point, Casey." Elsa told him.
"They've been trapped in here this whole time?" Kristoff questioned.
"So… what do we do now?" Karai wondered aloud.
"I got this." Olaf stepped out to introduce himself. "Hi, I'm Olaf." All the Northuldra and soldiers gasped at the sight of the living snowman, with one of the Northuldra hiding behind his sister. "Oh, sorry, I just find clothes restricting." Olaf said.
"I think they're more concerned about the talking pile of snow, then the lack of clothes." Shinigami commented.
"Oh, well there's actually a good explanation for that. Mikey, would you care to help?" Olaf requested.
"Oh yeah, man! Story time!" Mikey hopped into the center with Olaf, getting the attention of the Northuldra and soldiers.
"On one side of the story, it began with two sisters…" Olaf began.
"One with incredible magic power, the other powerless." Mikey continued before Olaf took over.
"Anna no! Too high!" Olaf put on the act as he threw a rock toward Mikey's head, causing the orange-clad Turtle to play dead dramatically and fall down.
"Memories of magic erased!" Mikey put in. "Doors shut! Sisters torn apart for years! But at least they have their parents."
"They're parents are dead." Olaf said, looking down.
"Hi, I'm Anna grown up! And I'm gonna marry the first guy I meet!" Mikey added, causing Anna herself to wince as she dragged her hand down her face, before Mikey switched sister roles. "Magic out of control! I can't keep it contained anymore dudes!"
"Magic pulses through my snowflakes!" Olaf rose from the ground. "I live!"
"Let it go! Let it go!" Mikey sang, now it was Elsa's turn to grumble in minor annoyance. "Get out Anna! Pow! Pow! Ice-magic to heart!"
"Oh, my goodness…" The Lieutenant was somehow able to follow along while Yelana looked confused.
"Only a true act of love can save you." Olaf put on a Grand Pabbie impression.
"Plot twist! Prince Charming is evil!" Mikey revealed.
"What…?" The Lieutenant was still able to follow.
"Anna sacrifices herself for Elsa!" Olaf continued. "Frozen Heart is thawed, sisters reunited! Yay!"
"Now for the other side of the story." Mikey began. "This time with two brothers. One, the kind and humble Hamato Yoshi. The other, the cunning and ruthless Oroku Saki."
"Tang Shen, will you marry me?" Olaf put on the role of Yoshi.
"Tang Shen chooses Yoshi! They have a beautiful baby girl named Miwa!" Mikey announced.
"I am Oroku Saki, now called the Shredder." Olaf put on his bad guy impression. "I will take everything you have!"
"Tang Shen and baby Miwa are dead." Mikey said in the same tone Olaf did from before.
"Yoshi goes to New York, adopts four baby turtles…" Olaf continued. "But what's this? More bad guys!"
"We are that which as known as Kraang." Mikey put on his impression of the aforementioned alien. "We will mutate that which is known as Earth because we are that which is known to be jerks."
"Mutagen spills on Yoshi and baby Turtles!" Olaf dramatically announces.
"Yoshi becomes rat-man named Master Splinter. And we, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, are born!" Mikey announced in the same tone.
"Shredder comes to New York to finish what he started and brings his daughter, Karai." Olaf continued. "But… Plot twist! Karai is Miwa!"
"Say what?!" The Lieutenant had been following this as well.
"Oh god, someone make them stop." Karai muttered, feeling more than a little embarrassed, with Anna giving her an awkward pat on the back.
"New friends are made, Turtle's fight Shredder, Kraang, and bad guys everywhere! We save the world! Multiple times!" Mikey announced.
"And now Elsa woke up the magical spirits, and we were forced out of our kingdom, now our only hope is to fight three mysterious evils known as Deception, Hunger, and Hate…" Olaf summed up.
"But we got no idea what any of that means, so here we are." Mikey finished. "Any questions?" Everyone looked more than a little speechless at what they had just seen. "I think they got it."
Every one of their friends simply slapped their hands against their foreheads before Elsa disintegrated the ice on the ground, allowing the Northuldra and soldiers to stand up.
"Are you really Queen of Arendelle?" The Lieutenant asked Elsa.
"I am." Elsa confirmed. "This is my sister, Anna."
"Hello." Anna waved.
"And these… creatures… are friends of yours?" He asked, referring to the Turtles, as well as Sven.
"Not friends…" Elsa said before taking Leo's hand with a smile. "Family."
"So, let's start over." Leo stepped up. "My name is Leonardo, these are my brothers; Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo, along with our sister, Karai, and our friends."
"Not all of us are related by blood, but our experiences have brought us all as close together as any family can be." Elsa added.
"Why would nature reward a person with magic?" Yelena questioned skeptically, referring to Elsa's powers.
"Perhaps to make up for the actions of your people." The Lieutenant said accusingly.
"My people are innocent. We would have never attacked first." Yelena stated.
"May the truth be found." The Lieutenant replied, not sounding very convinced.
"Well, this all sounds familiar." Karai said in a low and unapproved tone of voice.
Suddenly, Anna walked up toward the Lieutenant to get a closer look, trying to put her fingers together like looking at him through a picture or screen, much to his confusion.
"Hi… I'm sorry… uh… what's happening?"
"That's it!" Anna finally recognized him. "Lieutenant Mattias!"
"Wait, you know him?" April asked.
"No, but I've seen his portrait in our library." Anna answered. "He was our father's official guard!"
"Agnarr." Mattias remembered the young prince fondly, even after all this time. "What did happen to your parents?" He asked the sisters.
Elsa and Anna's looks faded into remorse. "Our parents' ship went down in the Southern Sea six years ago." Anna replied, also causing the rest of their friends to look in the same remorseful expression, though they didn't know their parents, they still felt sympathy toward their friends.
Mattias, as well as his soldiers, looked in grief and remorse. They hadn't seen the prince in decades, only to learn that he not only grown up, became king, had a family, and also met his tragic end before any words could be given. However, Mattias tried to put on a sympathetic smile as he looked at the royal sisters.
"I see him, I see him in your faces."
"Really?" Anna asked as she and Elsa shared emotional smiles.
"And you certain these… friends of yours can be trusted?" He asked, referring the group of mutants specifically.
"We trust them with our lives." Elsa confirmed. "You can too."
"Very well." Mattias seemed to accept before turning to his men. "Soldiers, we may be getting old in years, but we're still strong." They stepped around the group of heroes to face the Northuldra. "Proud to serve Arendelle and their allies."
"Hold on, stop." Leo quickly came in-between the two groups. "We didn't come all this way just to fight with any of you. We're only hear to help, so please just trust us."
"We only trust nature." Yelana stated. "When nature speaks…" Suddenly, one of the trees around them was set ablaze by the same pink flame the heroes encountered in Arendelle. "We listen…"
"Found the Fire Spirit." Raph commented.
"This will all make sense when I'm older…" Olaf muttered.
"Run! Everyone get clear! Now!" Leo told everybody as every human, mutant, and animal tried to make a run for it as a long line of fire spread from the tree, along the ground, and other trees. As the heroes tried to run and regroup, the ring of fire caught Raph and Elsa in the circle as they found themselves back-to-back.
"Elsa!" Anna shouted.
"Raph!" Mikey also shouted as they tried to move in and help, only for the wall of flames to grow in size and intensity.
"No!" Elsa told her friends. "You guys make sure everyone is safe! We'll be fine!"
"But…!" Anna tried to protest.
"We got this! Go!" Raph shouted toward them as the flames continued to grow.
Anna looked unconvinced, but Leo quickly grabbed her shoulder. "They can handle this, Anna! Elsa has magic, and Raph is a full-blown ninja! They can take care of themselves, but they can't!" He gestured out toward the Northuldra, soldiers, and animals that were in a state of panic. "They need our help more! You believe in your sister, don't you? I do! I believe in her, like I believe in my brother!"
She hated the idea of leaving her sister alone like this, but Anna knew Leo was right. Elsa has grown and has shown that she can handle herself, and Raph was by her side as well. The people needed their help more, so she decided to put her faith in that. "Alright. Let's go." She paid one more glance toward her sister before she and Leo joined the rest of their team in getting everone to safety and mounting a defense.
Raph and Elsa were still back-to-back as they tried to fight off the flames. "You got ice powers; can't you handle this?" The red-clad Turtle questioned toward the Ice Queen.
"What do you think I've been doing!?" Elsa thew her arms out to cast several magic bolts and freeze several fire-patches, only for more flames to light up around them and melt the ice. "Whatever I freeze just melts away! I don't know if I can…!"
Suddenly, the sound of wood cracking and breaking caught their attention as they glanced toward the other side to see a large and burning tree having fallen over on a series of rocks. But what really drew their attention was the burning wood and stone coming together, taking a somewhat humanoid form. The stones came together in the middle in the form of a sphere with a bright pink light in the very center. Around the stone sphere, wooden arms and legs were forms, with a large pink blaze all around to keep it together.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Raph said in annoyance before getting serious and addressing the Fire Spirit. "Alright, hothead! You think I'm scared of you?! I've taken down guys twice your size! You want me to add you to the list?! Huh?! Do ya?! Come and get me!" Raph challenged as he drew his sais.
Raph was the first to attack as he leapt toward the construct-body of the Fire Spirit, jamming his sais into its stone core before it smacked Raph off with one of its wooden hands. Elsa tried to blast it in the back with her ice-magic, but this only seemed to anger it as it directed its attention toward Elsa, leaving it open for Raph to rush past it's side, severing its right leg before leaping toward a tree branch and jumping off to slice off its left arm. Elsa then pressed her hands to the ground, creating a column of ice directly under it to blast it in the air, and hopefully cool it off.
However, a large explosion of pink flame erupted from above the forest canopy as the stone-core remained intact and launched a volley of pink fireballs toward the duo. Raph relied on his agility to avoid it, while Elsa used her magic to shield herself.
"I think we're only making it angrier!" Elsa stated.
Raph groaned in frustration. "How the hell are we supposed to fight fire?!" However, hearing those words aloud caused Raph to recall all his lessons with Splinter, about not only taming his own wild temper and anger, but also controlling and focusing it like a weapon.
"Raphael, your temper is like a fire that you must learn to focus for power." Hearing those words again, allowed Raph to calm himself as he took a deep breath and put his sais away before standing up to face the Fire Spirit that continued to hover in the sky.
"Like a river, over stone." Raph said to himself before smiling and making his move. He rushed under the Fire Spirit as it continued to blast fireballs at him, but Raph swerved and avoided each one before making it to the tallest tree in the area and began to jump from branch-to-branch.
"Elsa!" Raph called as he made it to the top. "Freeze one of its sides, it doesn't matter which!"
Seeing where he was going, Elsa created her ice-wings as she flew straight up to face the Fire Sprit and concentrated her power at the top side of its stone core, quenching the flames while also freezing the stone, giving Raph a chance to leap straight to it and deliver an axe-kick to the ice, shattering it and cracking the stone core's top while sending it crashing toward the ground.
"I think that worked! Let's keep it up!" Elsa stated as she flew back down while holding Raph's hands to carry him down as the Fire Spirit attempted to recover. Just like before, Elsa shot her magic to freeze one of its sides before Raph leapt from Elsa to deliver a flying kick, shattering the ice and cracking the sphere. The pair repeated this combo several times, until the cracks became large enough and the Fire Spirit seemed in capable of recovering or fighting back.
Finally, when the core looked like it was on the verge of falling apart, Elsa concentrated her magic directly into the cracks and began to freeze the entire core from the inside, allowing Raph to leap up and deliver the final kick that shattered the entire core in one hit. The pair noticed a small flame moving on its own, attempting to make a run for it, but Elsa cut it off by creating a semi-circular ice-wall that blocked its path, allowing her and Raph to literally corner it. But neither of them were prepared for what they saw.
It appeared to be a tiny salamander, its back lighting on fire for an intimidation display as it snarled at them.
"Wait… that's the Fire Spirit…?" Raph wasn't sure what to think at first.
"Yeah… seems that way." Elsa said in the same tone. "It's actually… kinda cute." She said with a slight smile.
Raph felt the same way as he kneeled down closer to it, but the Fire Spirit snarled defensively, the fire on his back growing. "Whoa, easy there little guy." Raph eased as he held out his hands. "Look, no weapons. So, what do you say? Wanna start over? One hot-headed reptile to another?"
The Fire Spirit's eyes slowly widened as it eyed Raph curiously, as well as Elsa, before scurrying closer toward the red-clad Turtle who held out one of his hands. The fire died as the Spirit climbed onto his hand, Raph winced as he felt a slight burn, but he's taken worse, and he allowed the Fire Spirit to get comfortable.
"You're tough little guy, aren't ya?" Raph said with a slight smirk. "Actually remind me of someone else."
Elsa had a teasing expression on her face. "Yeah, I'm sure Mona would like him too." Raph said nothing as he brushed her off.
"Raph! Elsa!"
They both turned to see the rest of their friends making their way toward them. "Everyone's safe. What happened with you guys?" Leo asked.
"See for yourself." Raph showed the Fire Spirit in his palm that eyed the group curiously.
"That's the Fire Spirit?" Kristoff looked in surprise.
"That's what I said." Raph said.
"Awe." Mikey, Anna, April, and Olaf all gushed. "It's so cute!" All four said at the same time.
"Aw man!" Casey groaned. "Here I thought it was gonna be a super cool dragon! Not some tiny little gecko… Whoa!" He ducked to avoid a fire-loogie spat at him by the Fire Spirit who narrowed his eyes at Casey, while Raph and Elsa just chuckled at the act.
"Oh, it's not a gecko." Donnie corrected. "Based on first glance, it's actually a salamander, which is the amphibian that usually symbolizes fire, so I suppose it makes sense to take this appearance."
"We get it, Donnie." Sven stated.
"So, Bruni looks like he's calmed down, huh?" Mikey asked.
"Bruni?" Shinigami questioned.
"Well cause he's a Fire Spirit." Mikey explained. "Fire burns, 'Bruni' sounds like 'burn' but it makes it sound cuter, so… Bruni."
"Ya know, Bruni is actually the Icelandic word for 'fire' so it seems fitting." Karai pointed out.
As the group shared a lighthearted moment with each other, both Elsa and Bruni, and even April, heard the mysterious song again, causing the former to gasp. "Guys, I hear it."
"You hear the voice?" Leo asked, the group getting serious.
"Yeah, we both do." Elsa said as Bruni turned in the direction that the voice was coming from before it hopped from Raph's hand and began to scurry along the ground toward a rock and gesturing in a specific direction. "North. We're supposed to go north."
"How about we go tomorrow?" Anna suggested. "It's been a long and crazy day, even by our standards."
"She's right." Leo thought that was a good idea. "We've met both the soldiers and Northuldra trapped here, even calmed two spirits. We'll get some rest and come up with a plan tomorrow, deal?"
Elsa sighed as she knew that was probably the best option. "Deal."
Anna noticed a small burn smudge on Elsa's face and quickly took out their mother's scarf to clean it up. "Here, you got a little something."
They heard a series of gasps around them and looked to see the Northuldra looking in surprise. "Where did you get that scarf?" Yelana questioned.
The heroes looked in confusion with Leo sharing a glance with Elsa and Anna, as he was the only one who knew what that scarf was. "That's a Northuldra scarf." The young man of the Northuldra revealed.
"What?" Anna questioned as Elsa and Leo looked toward each other in surprise.
"This is from one of our oldest families." The young woman of the Northuldra said.
"This was our mother's…" Anna said, not sure what to think of this.
Elsa gave a gasp as she quickly ran back into the forest, with Leo and Anna right behind her, and everyone else, human, mutant, even reindeer, joining them as well. They ran toward the ice sculpture that depicted the young Agnarr being saved by the mysterious girl. Elsa, Leo, and Anna got a good look at the sculpture's back, on the scarf girl was wearing.
"It's the same pattern…" Leo identified as Elsa and Anna came to the same conclusion.
"Elsa…." Anna got a good look at the girl's face.
"I see it… It's Mother…" Elsa shared an emotional smile with both her sister and Turtle-lover, even as the other Turtles and their friends joined in, with them being surprised by this revelation as well.
"Mother saved Father's life that day." Anna said, still more than a little emotional.
As all the Northuldra, as well as the Arendellian soldiers, and even reindeer gathered around, Elsa had to make an announcement. "Our mother was Northuldra."
That earned surprised gasps and murmurs from everyone present, regardless of what group they identified themselves with. Even the Gale the Wind Spirit revealed itself as it blew around not only Elsa and Anna, but also Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael, all six who were at the literal center of attention. Suddenly, several water drops along the trees in the area lit up with a brilliant blue light, even Olaf's, who stood on Sven's shoulder, body began to glow the same color, much to his amazement.
The men of Northuldra then began a yolk chant, also bringing the ends of their staffs to the ground to add a beat to the chant. Soon the women began a chant of their own, followed by the children as they harmonized with each other. The Northuldra circled around each other and touched hand to shoulder, forming a ring around the royal sisters and Turtle brothers, with April, Karai, Casey, Sven, Kristoff, Shinigami and Olaf looked in amazement at this scene, with Mattias, his soldiers looking in confusion. Even Olaf joined the singing and chanting, placing his hand on Shinigami's shoulder, much to her amused confusion.
For Elsa and Anna, they came closer together as it almost felt like they were reuniting with long lost family members. They smiled toward each other, even as Elsa and Leo held hands and smiled to each other as well as. Leo even shared smiles with his brothers as it seemed they were being welcomed as well by the Northuldra.
As the song came to an end, Yelana took both Elsa and Anna's hands as she addressed them as well as the Turtles. "We are called Northuldra, we are the people of the sun. You two are Northuldra as well." She spoke to the sisters first before addressing the Turtles. "And you four, we may not know your origin, but you have somehow calmed two of the Spirits, something that we have failed to do for decades. The six of you, and all your friends, are welcome here."
This resulted in smiles of relief and emotion shared by the six, especially with Mikey as he gave Yelana a hug, causing her to look in brief surprise before returning it.
"I promise, we'll do everything we can to free this forest and restore Arendelle." Elsa vowed, saying that last part toward Mattias as well.
"That's a pretty big promise, Elsa." Anna told her.
"Hey we've handled bigger." Raph pointed out.
"True." Anna said with a half-smirk.
Both the people of Northuldra and even the soldiers of Arendelle looked with excitement toward one another. "Free the forest… Wow." The young man of Northuldra muttered to himself. "I'm sorry it's just… some of us were born in here. We've never even seen the clear sky."
"We get it." Donnie walked up to him. "My brothers and I were raised underground for fifteen years before we went to the surface."
The young man chuckled. "Name's Ryder."
"Donatello, but you call me Donnie." The purple clad Turtle introduced as they shook hands.
Ryder's sister approached the trio of April, Shinigami, and Karai. "I'm Honeymaren." She introduced herself.
"My name is April." She shook her hand first before Karai and Shinigami introduced themselves as well.
"So, we're supposed to go North." Leo spoke to Yelana. "Since you live here, you got any idea what's out there?"
"I know it's too dangerous to travel now." She answered. "The Earth Giants roam the North at night. You and your friends can get some rest at our camp, you can leave in the morning."
"Thank you." Elsa accepted as they followed the Northuldra with the Ice Queen glancing toward Leo. "I'd say we're off to a good start."
"Yeah, let's just hope it doesn't blow up in our faces like normal."
Meanwhile, just as night had fallen, Tiger Claw had led Rahzar and Fishface to the massive wall of mist that had circled the entire perimiter of the Enchanted Forest, to the very same spot he saw the Turtles and their allies enter. His mutant compatriots looked toward the wall in near amazement.
"Wow, that is a lot of fog." Fishface commented.
Rahzar attempted to walk through the mist, only for the invisible force to push him out of it. "What?" He snarled before using his claws to try and cut his way through, but the mist quickly reformed. "I can't get through!"
"Of course, you can't. I've already tried before." Tiger Claw told him as he drew his energy pistol and shot it in it, resulting in the laser being redirected back toward them. "No weapon can penetrate this wall, and only certain individuals are permitted to pass through."
"Certain individuals with magic." Fishface pointed out. "And I suppose it's fortunate we have some magic of our own, eh amigo?"
Tiger Claw reached into his pocket to pull out the small vial of condensed magical energy, which he touched toward the mist. The second it made contact, a path in the wall of mist opened up for them, revealing the Stonehenge entrance way that illustrated the four elemental symbols from before.
"Open sesame." Rahzar chuckled evilly.
Even Tiger Claw growled in anticipation. "Now then, I believe it is time we catch up with our old friends." The evil mutant trio walked into the open path before the mist closed behind them.
Done.
So, this chapter turned out to be longer than I thought. The heroes have entered the Enchanted Forest and have already encountered the Wind and Fire Spirits (which Mikey has named 'Gale' and 'Bruni' respectively, as he is the name guy. LOL). I decided to add a little more flare to these encounters to make them more entertaining, with Leo and Raph using their teachings from Master Splinter to come out victorious. They've even met the Northuldra and Arendellian soldiers who have been trapped in the Forest for decades and seem to have made allies with them.
However, Tiger Claw, Rahzar, and Fishface have entered the forest as well, via concentrated magical blood that Stockman and the Rat King have developed. Yet, Shredder of all people is now hearing the voice as well. But why? Why him? Maybe there's a reason why he's meant to be there as well? More questions unfold as our heroes get to know their new allies, and enemies make their reappearance as well.
Note: the new appearances and clothing design of most of the heroes (except Casey, that one's all mine) is all the work of my friend Amaya-chan07. All credit goes to them.
What's going to happen next? Find out next time on Frozen Turtles: Into the Unknown! Stay safe and stay healthy out there.