The turtles all tensed at seeing the sorcerer again. So did Renet. Randall didn't know who this was, but he was just as tense, knowing this was an enemy just from hearing his threats earlier.
Savanti laughed evilly. "Welcome, Turtles. I've been expecting you and welcome, to your extinction!" He laughed some more that he had gotten his enemies to listen to his threat. He had a staff in his left hand, created from bones.
The T-rex roared. There were some smaller dinos around too, predators as well.
"I called it! It was a trap. Pay up." Mikey stated.
"And you, Renet! Give me the time scepter, or watch your little green and… purple friends become dinosaur chow!" Savanti warned the girl. He had obviously noticed Randall by now too.
Leo pulled Renet away. More Dinonocus approached Randall and the other three turtles.
Don started to sneeze again, before Mikey blocked Don's nose with his nunchuku. "Last time you sneezed, you caused a dino stampede. This cold of yours is gonna be the end of us!" Mikey warned him.
Leo ran towards Spike. He had Renet on his shoulder. "Leo! Put me down! This is embarrassing!" Renet said to him.
Leo then put Renet on Spike's back. "Stay there, and fix the time scepter." Leo said, and pulled his katanas out. Then he ran back to fight the enemy.
Renet wanted to help. "I have to do something. Work!" she demanded angrily. She waved the scepter around and put it near Spike's frill, zapping him enough to make him go roaring ahead. He charged towards the T-rex.
Spike pushed the T-rex over a bit, but he didn't fall. Savanti was mad. Spike rushed him again.
Leo saw this happening and he got onto Spike's face, jumping off and landing on the T-rex's back and leaped onto Savanti, knocking him off backwards. Spike charged into the large predator head first, knocking him over. Renet fell off too.
Spike was proud of himself. Renet ran up beside him, "Is it over? Did we, like, win?" she asked.
Leo and Savanti were lying near each other and they both got up. Leo picked up his katanas.
"You dare touch me!" Savanti yelled at the turtle angrily. He zapped Leo and he was thrown a few feet away. He dropped his swords. "I grow weary of this! Bring me the time scepter, my pets!" Savanti ordered some Pteranodons. "Bring it, NOW!"
The Pterandons screeched and followed his orders, who were now under his spell.
One Pteranodon flew down and knocked Renet down, making the scepter go flying. Another Pteranodon caught it with its taloned feet and and dropped it to Savanti.
Savanti was thrilled he now had the scepter and could do what he wanted with it.
"He's got the scepter!" Don cried out.
Leo, Mikey, and Raph tried to go for it, but Savanti used the scepter to raise a rock wall in front of them to prevent them from getting to him.
"Randall, you can get across better than we can." Leo exclaimed. "Go help Renet."
"On it!" Randall replied and he took to climbing the wall as fast as he could.
A Pteranodon screeched from the air and came down to let Savanti climb on its back. It lifted back to the air. "You failed, reptiles! The time scepter is mine! And now, for the last part of my plan, the Timestress herself!"
Randall had just got to the top of the wall and going down. Don managed to get up next. He saw that Savanti was aiming for Renet.
"Renet, RUN!" Don called to Renet.
Renet had just stood up. "What?" she asked. Then the Pterandon picked her up, making her scream. Spike tried to help, but there was nothing he could do.
Randall reached the bottom and knew there was nothing he could do to help either. He still recalled on monsters back in his world that could fly too, but he was not one of them. And it was too bad the guys had left their tech packs back in their world.
Savanti laughed evilly as he went higher into the air on his flyer. "Farewell, reptiles. Enjoy your exile here! The Timestress and I have a rather pressing engagement, with a meteor!" he proclaimed as they flew off toward a string of volcanoes.
The other turtles had reached Don's side by now. "Renet." Don said in sadness. They got down off the rock wall and reached Randall's side. "We have to get her back."
"And we will, Donny." Leo assured Don by placing a hand on his shoulder. Then, he turned to Randall, "Randall, can you track them?"
"I think so." Randall replied. He took the point. Aside from seeing where they had flown, he was also tasting the air for the scent. He could taste it. But when they came to a thick area of bushes, Leo got in front and began slashing at the bushes to make a path for his family.
"This stinks." Mikey complained from behind. "We've been trapsing around this greenhouse for hours. I know Renet said this was a big test for her, but come on, it's looking like an F so far." He pointed out in his opinion. "I mean, Lord Simultaneous sent her here. Why doesn't he do something?"
"Because he's a grade A jerk, that's why." Raph replied angrily.
"I hope she's okay." Don said.
"And she's our only ticket home." Randall added.
"We're gonna find her. Renet's going to be okay." Leo said.
"She better be!" Raph snapped.
The five of them jumped down a hillside and continued following the scent.
…..
Renet had fallen unconscious on the ride there. She started coming around and had no idea where she was. "Oh, what a terrible nightmare. Where am I? Ahh!" she screamed when she saw Savanti.
"We meet again, Timestress." Savanti greeted her, "for the last time! I do hope you're enjoying the view." Renet was chained in the middle of an open space spire that had been made entirely of dinosaur bones.
"Let me go, Creep! And give my back my scepter!" Renet demanded angrily.
"Your master is a fool to trust you with such power. And soon, I will use that power to destroy him!" Savanti proclaimed.
"So, what do you need me for? I don't think he's going to come for me if that's what you're-" Renet stated.
"You think I'm using you as bait? No." He shook his head. "My magic needs fuel. The life of an Apprentice Timestress, for example."
Renet whimpered. This guy was such a maniac, like many others.
…..
The guys were were hot on the trail. Don was bringing up the rear, Randall in the lead. Mikey was munching on some chips.
Don started to sneeze again, and did. But he felt like he was about to collapse. He leaned heavily on his bo to keep from falling. The others looked back to see him in that state. They ran back to him, concerned.
"Don? You okay, Don? You need to rest?" Leo asked in concern.
"Do you need a chip?" Mikey asked, then threw a few into his mouth.
"It's just this annoying cold." Don replied. "But, it's nothing compared to our real problem. Even if we save Renet, I'm not sure we're going to make it out of this. We don't have much time." He leaned on his bo again.
His explanation now had the others concerned.
"Uh, what's with the 'we don't have much time?'" Mikey asked.
"What are you talking about?" Raph asked.
"She could get us out of here when we rescue her." Randall said.
"Yes, she can, but while we are here, from how things look around here, this is the late Cretaceous period. And from the way Savanti has been talking about extinction and meteors, see that up there?" Don stated, making them all look to the sky, seeing a bright light in the sky. "I don't think that's a star glowing up there."
It was a meteor headed for Earth.
"I think that's an asteroid. The asteroid, you know, the cataclysmic disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs!" Don finished. He looked at his brothers and Randall. Their faces all lit up in shock.
"Huh?!" Leo let out, then he put a hand to his head, shaking it.
"Thanks for the pep talk, Don." Mikey stated sarcastically.
"This just keeps getting better and better." Raph growled.
"Let's find Renet and get the shell out of here." Leo said, taking the lead.
"Now I know I shouldn't have come." Randall said.
"Without you, we wouldn't be making as much leeway as we have. Are we getting any closer?" Leo asked.
Randall tasted the air again. "Yes, getting closer."
They followed the lizard to the volcano area, and when they went through a rose bush thicket, Leo sliced some more to make a path, Randall right behind him.
"How much longer is this gonna take?" Raph demanded.
Once they were out of the roses, Randall and the three older bros froze and looked up in amazement. Mikey wasn't paying attention, then he bumped into Raph. "Hey! What's the-?" Then he saw it too.
They had never seen such a magnificent feat like that; a spire made from dinosaur bones like that.
"Whoa!" Mikey said in astonishment.
"How much you wanna bet that Renet's at the top of that thing?" Raph remarked.
Randall tasted the air again. "Yes, she is. So is the creature."
"Shh!" Leo shushed him. He took the lead again and they all walked forward, peering through the bushes to see if they were up against anything.
Down below, there was a meat eating dinosaur guarding the entrance up. "It's a Velociraptor!" Don exclaimed in fear.
"Oh, man. Those are worst ones! I saw Jurassic Park twice!" Mikey whimpered.
"Puh-leeze! That's a Velociraptor?! Oh, scary!" Raph mocked sarcastically.
"Uh, guys?" Leo pointed again.
"Huh?" Don said.
Randall had seen that movie once with Mikey. He was now seeing these dinos for real! There was a far greater number of them down below than there ever was in the movie!
"Did I mention they hunt in packs?" Don mentioned another dino fact.
"Making it all the harder to get to Renet, no doubt." Randall stated.
"We have to make it to that spire. Wait a minute, I'll think of a plan." Leo said.
"Leave it to me!" Mikey spoke up. He tied his bag of chips to his pack and shouted, "Hey, Fido?! How'd you like some twentieth century dino chow!" Mikey threw his pack out of hiding. The pack hit the ground and the chips went everywhere.
The raptor that was standing there smelled the chips but took no interest in it. It looked up at the bushes, knowing something else must be up there. More looked up there too.
"Great. They're looking up here like we're the dino chow!" Raph stated angrily.
"That's your plan?" Randall asked in shock.
"Mikey, they're carnivores! They won't eat chips!" Don exclaimed.
Mikey gulped. "Oh, right. Oops!" he tried an innocent grin. Then he felt another slap on his head. "Ow!"
"Shell-for-brains!" Raph shouted at him.
Leo looked back out and gasped. He saw the raptors starting to head their way up towards them. "Looks like we're switching to Plan B." Leo took out his katanas.
"What's Plan B?" Mikey asked.
"I'll let you know as soon as I come up with it." Leo replied.
The raptors got up the hill and found the five of them. They were advancing on them.
"Get to the spire! Run!" Leo ordered.
"Run? That's your big plan?" Raph demanded.
"Raph, just go!" Don ordered. He had his bo at the ready.
"Don't need to tell me twice!" Randall said. He followed Raph out of the bushes and downward.
Don whacked one with his bo and followed next. Then it was Leo and Mikey. They all ran for the spire. The raptors were right behind them.
Raph got to the spire first, with Randall right behind him. It was easy for Randall to get on and climb. Raph leapt high, but lost his grip for a moment, when Randall grabbed onto him, pulling him up.
"Go on, keep going!" Randall ordered, making sure the others were going to make it up too.
Don was able to make it up just fine. Then Leo. Mikey was at the rear. He jumped on, but was at the lowest part. The raptors were closing in on him.
"Leo!" Mikey cried out. Leo was ready for him.
"Mikey! Quit playing around and give me your hand!" Leo ordered.
Mikey made a jump and he got out of the raptor's reach. "Playing around, he says." he retorted. "I think I'll leave the strategy to you from now on."
"Good plan." Leo said, then he swung Mikey up to get a grip.
Randall saw that Leonardo had it under control with Mikey. Don and Raph were doing just fine too. He turned and started after Don.
Mikey started to climb and he remarked, "Ew! Please don't tell me what I think it is."
"It's made out of fresh bones, dinosaur bones!" Don exclaimed. "Hundreds of thousands of them!"
"Ew! What did I just say?! I said, don't tell me! EW!" Mikey yelled back at Don.
"Mikey, come on." Leo said. Mikey did as he was told.
Randall couldn't believe he was on these gross things either, but he knew he and his friends didn't have a choice if they were going to rescue Renet and get them home before the asteroid hit the Earth.
It took a good while to climb the spire, the sun was starting to set.
"Randall, stay behind us, and when we give you the word, if we can't get the scepter, it's up to you." Leo said.
"Alright." Randall nodded.
"This won't be easy to deal with Savanti." Don said.
"But we're not going to let him win!" Raph declared.
"No way!" Mikey added.
They all were agreed and continued. Randall moved to the rear. He vanished as they all got closer to the circle up at the very top.
…
Up at the top, in the circle, Renet could feel all her limbs were cramping and hurting. She looked up at Savanti. "Um, Sir? Can you like, let me down now? This is like, totally uncomfortable! I mean, I am done, okay?"
Savanti ignored her, and he was conspiring his own thoughts about how the spell was going to go. The clouds above were swirling. "The spells are cast. Everything's in place. Nothing can stop me now!" he declared evilly.
"Savanti!" A voice rang out. He turned to see the four turtles standing there. "Let her go, Demon!" Leonardo demanded.
The turtles all were giving him angry glares. "Or else!" Raph added on.
Renet was glad they had finally made it. "Leo! Guys!" she said all too happily.
Savanti was ticked that they were here. "Persistent little reptiles, aren't you?! No matter. Your fates are sealed!" he exclaimed.
"Guys! He's like, insane!" Renet said. "He's going to destroy the timeline!"
The turtles all knew this was trouble, as did Randall. Lightning flashed all around them. There was the fear of being struck by lightning, but it was the least of their worries right now. Randall was under the bones, and making sure to hang on. He was listening to every word as well. He had to be stopped here and now!
The time scepter had been encased in an array of bones that almost resembled a long necked dinosaur.
Mikey screamed in fear. "Your timeline!" Renet finished. "And me!"
"Fools! In a few minutes, my magic will call down a drain of eldridge energy, that will be channeled through the time scepter, joining with its power, and incinerating your precious Timestress! Her destruction will release a blast of magical energy, straight into the seething molten core of the planet!" Savanti raved.
"A blast of that magnitude would set off every volcano in the Ring of Fire, causing the Earth to rotate just enough for the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, to miss. It would change the timeline. Humanity would never rise, never exist! We, would never exist." Don explained Savanti's rant, indicating just how truly evil the monster was.
Randall heard the explanation too. That was scary!
Savanti laughed maniacally again. "No more turtles; no more Renet. And with the power of the sacrifice of a Timestress, an entire timeline that'll give me power enough to rival Lord Simultaneous himself. Ha ha ha ha! I'll enjoy seeing you all disappear into oblivion!"
"Disappear this, whack bag!" Raph yelled angrily, and jumped over to fight Savanti.
"Raph, wait!" Leo called out, but it was too late.
Savanti started using his magic to fire magical bolts of power to shoot Raph with, but Raph easily dodged them while in the air, and he got to the other side, where he kicked the maniac in the chest.
Savanti grunted, but didn't falter. "I was going to let the dinosaurs destroy you four, but if you insist, I'll do the job personally!" he exclaimed angrily. He let out a powerful bolt of magic that surrounded Raphael and picked him up and took him back to his brothers.
They all looked over at Savanti after Raph was back with them. Savanti then summoned his magic to start gathering bones off his spire to make armor for his body.
"Ew!" Mikey complained.
Once the bones were done being collected on him, Savanti proclaimed, "Let's have some fun!" laughing maniacally again before leaping over to the turtles' side of the spire.
"We don't have time for this! Leo, grab the time scepter!" Don ordered.
"Hey!" Renet cried out.
Don looked down at her, reminding him she was still dangling there in the middle. "And save Renet!" he added.
"We'll hold off Savanti." Mikey declared. They all kicked into action.
Raph and Mikey went to fight Savanti while Leo first went to try to cut Renet loose. Savanti easily picked up the two turtles and body slammed them into each other and threw them away. He saw the blue masked turtle trying to cut the first chain.
"Hold on, Renet." Leo said. Savanti came up behind him.
Renet's eyes widened. Randall saw him too.
"Leo, look out!" Randall called out, but not in time to warn him.
Savanti slammed his arms down onto Leo's shell, smashing him onto his plastron in pain. He claimed his victory for doing it.
"Leo!" Renet cried out.
"Pathetic. I thought you turtle creatures would offer me more sport." Savanti raved.
Raph roared angrily and threw a sai at him, but it only hit the boned armor. Then Savanti only punched Raph away from him, making him go over the edge of the spire.
"Raph!" Mikey cried out. He looked over the edge.
Luckily, Randall had been in just the right spot. He had grabbed Raph's hand, and he had taken his mind of concentrating on being invisible. His tail was wrapped around a large bone. Raph had his other sai out too.
Randall helped to pull him up so he could get a grip enough with the sai and then Mikey helped pull him up. "This guy is really ticking me off."
Savanti picked up Leo, but then Don came up and whacked his hand, releasing Leo. Leo moved away. "Leo, we need to stop the spell." Don said. Leo stood up again. "Savanti's magic has to be channeled through the time scepter, to ignite the Ring of Fire. We have to take the scepter out of the equation!" Don exclaimed.
"You go! I'll keep Savanti busy." Leo agreed, and turned to fight Savanti.
Don ran to free Renet first. He hit the first chain. Renet whimpered, "Careful, Don. It's totally a long way down."
"Just hang on." Don said and hit the second chain, getting her legs loose, but with her falling, making her scream in panic. "Stay there, Renet! I promise I'll be right back!" he went over to start climbing toward the scepter.
"Don, hey! Where you going?" Renet asked. She wanted to be set free now.
Savanti just blasted a bolt in front of Leo to keep him away, but he noticed Don climbing toward the scepter. "Do you honestly think there's any conceivable way that I'd let you take the time scepter? And the girl will be sacrificed!" Savanti ranted, then shot a blast up toward Don, making him fall backward.
Don cried out in fear as he fell, but he grabbed onto a bone.
Magic continued to swirl in the clouds.
"I don't think so, bonehead." Raph stated. He, Leo, and Mikey got around Savanti and continued to distract him.
Randall had slithered around on the side and helped to pull Don up. "You get the scepter, Randall, I'll finish helping Renet." Don ordered.
"I'll need one of my tonfas." Randall said. Don handed him one. He vanished and hid himself even though his tonfa was visible. He had to make sure Savanti didn't see him.
The guys were still fighting Savanti pretty good. Leo got in a good kick that nearly sent him over the edge, but he tightened his grip on the bones with his armor claws. Savanti roared at the turtles angrily. "NO MORE GAMES!"
The three turtles charged him again. Savanti built up his power again, making him let out a blast that hit all three of them, making their bodies glow red, trying to harm them.
"You cannot stop me! I will destroy you and everything you've ever known!" Savanti laughed evilly and summoned more bone protection to him.
Behind him, Don helped Renet up by one of the chains. Randall started climbing the high neck part of the spire. Don whacked the last of the chains off of Renet's wrists. She stood beside him for the moment.
"When I am done, there will be no evidence you ever existed!" Savanti kept on laughing.
Randall had reached the top and looked down. He bared his teeth angrily. "Savanti!" he yelled. It got Savanti's attention up above. "Say goodbye to the time scepter, Demon!" Randall yelled, and with all his strength, plunged his tonfa down onto the bone neck, making it break and the scepter went falling downward.
"NOO!" Savanti yelled. He leaped into the air to save the scepter, but then, lightning flashed and Savanti got caught in the magical beam.
The flash was immense, blinding the turtles, Randall, and Renet, making them shield their eyes.
Savanti was blasted and then he fell, screaming into the water, along with the scepter. Randall had meant to grab it, but he had been too angry and wanted to save his friends.
"Ouch!" Mikey admitted sarcastically. The water bubbled like boiling water. It was obvious Savanti Romero was finished.
Then, Renet turned to Don, "Don, you saved me!" She also looked up at Randall as he came down from the neck. She also went and hugged him too. "Randall, you saved all of humanity! Most importantly, I'm gonna graduate! Yes!" Renet let of him, saying so excitedly and happily.
Randall and Don were happy to hear that, but then, there was a shaking.
"Now what?" Raph demanded.
"Romero's power must have been holding this thing together. Everyone, off!" Leo ordered. They all began to run, but they didn't get far.
The bones all crumbled into the water real fast. The six adventurers all either jumped into the water, or fell when the bones fell from under their feet. They all landed in the water. They began to swim for shore. They got away before all the bones were gone at least.
They all climbed ashore. Renet sank to her knees, exhausted. Mikey helped her up.
"Well, we saved the future. But that just means the asteroid will hit now." Don explained. The others turned to him. "I don't know when. Three weeks. Three months. Three years even. But it will hit."
"And without the time scepter, we're doomed." Raph admitted. "Trapped and doomed. Nice."
"Maybe there's a chance we'll still find it." Mikey said.
"Well, we better start looking." Randall said. "Because I don't want to be here when that rock hits."
Renet stayed on shore while the turtles went swimming in the water to see if they could find the scepter. Randall stayed with her. He had luckily held onto his tonfa when he fell. Don gave him his second one just in case of a dino coming by.
It was a little while, but when the turtles surfaced again, there had been no sign of the scepter. That was it then. They were truly stuck here.
If they were stuck here, they would have to find a way to survive here. The guys all knew the basics of outside survival from camping and living off the land at times. Randall had known it too, for real after being banished the first time. He had learned even more from the turtles.
They all later donned bones for armor and holding the supplies they carried. The turtles even added some new weapons. Renet also took her time travel clothes off and made some new ones to be more comfortable here too. It was rather warm here. The guys all saw that she had long, blonde hair underneath her head wear.
They even set about making a house for them to live in. But it wasn't easy getting food. For food, they had to resort to killing some of the small dinosaurs and even learning to fish the giant fishes of the sea. And there were some fruits around too.
The plant eating dinos left them alone mostly, though sometimes Mikey would get a little arnry and try to tame them. Meat eaters were killed if they could help it, or fought and chased off. Or they would run and hide from the bigger ones.
But with Mikey's taming of some plant eaters, even his brothers adopted a couple. Don took in a Apatosaurus, a long necked one. Leo adopted a Triceratops.
There were times that Leo and Don did cross lines with each others over ideas and survival strategies. Raph often found himself being a referee to them.
They all took turns fishing, but whoever caught an animal for dinner, it was still usually Mikey and Randall that did the cooking. Raph did sometimes too. None of the others could really cook well.
Here, Randall didn't have to hide all that much, and he had donned some vines on himself as well, to at least carry his tonfas, but he still made sure not to let his skills in blending fade. He still practiced.
The turtles and Randall still practiced their ninja skills. Renet was always impressed. They had to keep strong in their fighting skills, to protect themselves against dinos here.
But if there was one thing for sure, they all knew this would be an adventure they wouldn't forget, and it would be their last if they didn't find the time scepter soon.
The turtles and Randall all missed their sensei and father and friends back home. Technology, movies. Vehicles, the New York noise. Renet missed her master and being a Timestress.
…..
It was now three months later, and they all had made a life to just trying to survive here in the late Cretaceous period.
It was Mikey and Renet's turns for bringing home food tonight. Mikey had a spear that he thrust into the water when he spied a giant fish in the water. Once it was out, they carried it back to their newly made home.
Without electricity, they had to rely on campfires for lighting and cooking their food. They had built a house and even a table.
While waiting for dinner to arrive, Randall, Leo, and Don were sitting around the fire.
Looking up, Don pointed out a bright light in the sky. "That one there. That's the asteroid. By my calculations, we still have maybe two, maybe three months before it hits." Don said.
Leo and Randall looked down sadly. "I can't believe this is how it ends." Leo said. He got up. "I know we saved all of humanity, but to go out like this."
"Who's hungry?" Renet asked as they turned and saw Mikey and her carrying a large fish.
They were certainly hungry. Now to prepare it. Mikey took to preparing it by going to gut the fish first. They needed large enough animals to eat to feed all six of them. The other five sat around the campfire, waiting.
"And you're sure there's no way for you to contact Lord Simultaneous?" Randall asked.
"You'd think he'd come looking for you after three months." Leo said.
"For like the bizillionth time, no! When are you going to give it a rest?!" Renet demanded seriously. She was tired of all the questions and demands of finding the scepter or if her master would come for her.
"Hey! I ain't even getting started, Little Miss-" Raph started to say.
Mikey had just opened the fish's belly to gut it, and he found something he thought he would never see again. "What? No way! I don't believe it!" he said all too happily. "The time scepter!" He pulled the scepter out of the fish.
The others all got up at Mikey's exclamation. This was a dream come true! They could now go home before the asteroid hit! Sad for the dinosaurs though, but it was meant to happen.
"It was inside the fish! It must have swallowed it." Mikey declared, holding the scepter proudly.
The others were in shock, but glad. "Great! Now we can go home!" Renet cried out happily.
Mikey held up a hand, "Whoa there. Slow down. I'm just saying, we got dinner on the grill, no need to rush." He had looked back at the fish, ready for eating it, but when he turned back to the others, they all had stern looks on their faces. Renet and Randall had their arms crossed with stern looks.
"Okay, I'm packed! Let's go!" Mikey blurted. He didn't want their wrath on him.
Mikey gave Renet the scepter so she could work her magic to make sure it was working. They were all more than willing to get out of here. They made sure to grab all their belongings from the future before proceeding further.
…..
In the present, April now was coming up to Master Splinter. "Master Splinter, you're never gonna believe this, but-" she began, but he cut her off.
"Stop, please. It is probably better that I do not know." Splinter declared. Then there was a bright, green light that flashed behind them. April looked to see what it was.
Out of the portal stepped all four turtles, Renet, and Randall. They were all looking way different than how she had seen them at the museum, with the vines and bone armor.
"I… but… you…" April stuttered in disbelief. "How?"
As Leo and Raph passed her, Don said, "April, it's probably better you don't know." They all finally passed her, heading for their bedrooms first. Then for them all to have showers second, once they got all their armor and supplies off.
"See?" Splinter asked, going back to meditation.
April hmphed and crossed her arms, hating that she couldn't be told. Maybe they would tell her later.
As for the time travelers, they were all more than happy to be home. It had been so long since they had been home. And even though Leonardo had been away to a far off land, he had been alone at the time. This time, at least he had gotten to take his brothers and Randall along for the ride.
"I'm gonna head back to April's apartment." Randall said. "I'll clean myself up there."
"It's fine, Randall. Go on." Leo agreed.
Randall left to go back to April's.
They would go claim the Battle Shell later on after some rest and food, and getting cleaned up. None of them had had a decent shower in over three months.
…
April knew she wouldn't get an explanation from the turtles. Maybe she could get one from Randall.
Renet got herself cleaned up and a meal first before she sent herself back to Null Time. She was looking forward to graduating.
April followed her lizard friend home at a distance. "So, Randall?"
Randall knew she was looking for what happened. "What happened to you guys?" April asked.
He sighed in relief. "We went on a wild trip to Dino World. That's all I'm gonna say for now. Right now, I want a hot shower and a warm meal, one that didn't have to be killed by me." Randall declared. He had a hint of tiredness in his voice.
"I'll be happy to give you a meal, Randall." April said as they entered her basement. "You get cleaned up first."
"I intend to." he said.
April went upstairs while he went to his apartment and took his gear off. He went to the bathroom and got the shower running. When he got in, the water felt so good.
April began getting some food supplies ready for cooking once she was out of her coat.
Back at the lair, the turtles were all fighting over who got to use the shower first and next. Then it was decided that two at a time would use the shower so each turtle could also scrub the dirt off of another's shell.
After all the showers, Mikey went to start dinner. They all were still hungry. They had just wanted to get home before the asteroid hit the Earth, and they had. Don now also had his right thigh wrapped in bandages again.
Splinter came in when the food was done. "I would like to know where you went, my sons, since you all came in looking different."
"It's quite a long story." Don said.
"We have time." Splinter replied.
The guys proceeded to tell it over dinner and afterwards.
"I'll never take this time period's food for granted again." Raph said.
"I know I never took it for granted. I missed it terribly." Mikey proclaimed.
"You would. You're such a food fanatic." Leo reminded him.
"We shouldn't ever take anything for granted, but most of all, each other. Leo, I'm sorry for all the hard times I gave you over there." Don confessed.
"I'm sorry too, Don." Leo agreed.
"And how did Randall fare in the lands of dinosaurs?" Splinter asked.
"He did fairly well. He definitely knows how to take things seriously." Leo replied.
"Yeah, more seriously than others do." Raph looked at Mikey.
"What?" Mikey asked.
Mikey had taken some things seriously, but then, there were some things that were never taken seriously. His family didn't mind him being goofy at the right time and place, but they just wished he would become more adult-like more often. Find some hobby to keep him occupied without driving everyone else crazy.
…
At April's, Randall and her were enjoying a nice meal. Some pizza, chicken, and breadsticks, along with soda.
Randall had missed those things. He started off scarfing it down.
"Slow down, Randall. You could make yourself sick." April said. "You're eating like you haven't eaten in weeks."
"Sorry. I just missed this food. Eating dinosaur meat was not pleasant, and most of the time, it seemed like we ate fish. There was the occasional fruit too." Randall explained.
"But the experience was educational?" she asked curiously.
"Yes. We got to see the real animals behind some of those bones at the museum." he declared. "But we were glad to get rid of that bad guy that cursed those bones. What a maniac! But you missed the action."
"I think I'm glad that I passed on it. Being in the wasp world adventure sounds similar, if a little different with the creatures." April said.
"At least you weren't there for three months. It could also get boring for someone who wants to be around mechanical things more. There was no technology to deal with whatsoever. We were mainly just living on primitive instincts to survive there. I know what it's like, because I had to live like that when I was first banished to Louisiana."
"I'll never touch that artifact again. I've locked it up in a safe place. I don't want anyone to get transported to the wasp world and get stuck there, because Don and I went to the lizard's world where we got Uncle Augie back. In the wasp world, we destroyed the artifact." April explained.
"Going on that time travel adventure was enough for me, but then, you'd think I would be used to dimensional travels, since when I used to be a scarer, it was going into another dimension every day, several times a day, but only for a few minutes. We never went beyond a kid's bedroom, usually." Randall said.
"Yeah, you would think. No one got hurt while they were there, right? I mean, Don had a leg injury." April asked.
"He's still got it too. When his bandages ran out, he had to keep it wrapped with leaves. He's had that wound for a long time. It just isn't healing. He's also still had a constant cold. It won't leave either." Randall explained his concern.
"Now that you guys are back, we'll try to get the injury healed." April said.
"None of the rest of us never got more than bruises with scuffals with the dinos and fishes we had to kill to eat." he said simply.
"That's good to hear. We wouldn't have been there to help."
"Don called it the survival of the fittest in that world."
"It's that way in the wilds for the animals that live today too." April said.
"Yeah, but you humans have no idea what it's like to have to struggle for your meals when you can just simply go to the store to buy food. We had to deal with struggling to catch our food daily, like the animals." Randall stated, a little upset.
"Randall, I may have money for myself to survive and afford my home, but you know who the Professor is and his friends? They are homeless people. There are humans like them that struggle to survive every day, and they have to dig in the dumpsters or steal because they don't have jobs, or a place to live. You're lucky that you're living here with me. The turtles had to grow up living like that." April retorted.
"I'm sorry I'm getting all upset. I've just been ready to be back here for so long, April. We all knew that we could have been wiped out with the dinosaurs when we went to that time period. The asteroid that killed the dinos was due to hit in a short amount of time." Randall explained.
"I'm sorry too. That would have been scary to know that extinction was so close." she agreed. April went over and hugged him. "Welcome home."
"Thanks." he said with a smile. He was happy to be home. He knew his friends were too. They weren't wanting to leave home for a long time.
Even included some clips from the Youtube clips with Leo and Don adopting their dino friends.