Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
When you're a ninja you never know how long things will stay quiet. So the brothers are always sure to take advantage of every peaceful moment they've got. For instance Donatello's currently hard at work in his lab developing a retro mutagen. Harry was currently spray painting his newest piece of art. Raph was chilling in his room with his pet turtle Spike. And Mikey was currently trying to beat their latest video game down, Leonardo watches over his brother's shoulder waiting for his turn.
It wasn't a short wait as Mikey fell victim to the boss battle.
"Nooooo" he cried dramatically. "I was so close Leo. So close."
"You did well my son" said Leo sounding like Master Splinter, pushes his orange clad brother away and takes his place at the game stick. "Now watch a real sensei at work." The good mood came to a sudden halt as an angry Raphael came charging out of his room.
"Mikey!" Raph yelled, holding a magazine in said turtle's face. "You got pizza stains all over my collection of Modern Ninja Magazine. They're ruined."
"Those things are like twenty years old. They're not exactly modern" Mikey dismissed, not understanding why his brother was so angry.
"They're vintage. It took six years for me to collect them. Six years!" the red turtle stressed but once again Mikey failed to see the problem.
"Chillax bro, I'll clean it for you." Unfortunately Mikey's idea to clean the magazine was to try and lick the grease off the cover. This of course angered Raph further, placing Spike safely on a nearby box, he turned his ire towards Michelangelo, using the now ruined magazine to hit the orange turtle upside the head.
"You mess up everything Mikey!"
"It's just stuff Raph" said Leo, trying to calm the situation. "Meager possessions. What does it matter?"
"What about your precious comic book collection!" Raph argued. "You always take Mikey's side. Try seeing it from my point of view for once!"
"I get it. I'm just think like Master Splinter says "material possessions are fleeting" and…"
"Alright enough!" Raph interrupts, slamming against the arcade machine. "I'm tired of you four! You're always messing up and I've got to pay for it!"
Yeah Raph, cause you never do anything stupid Harry thought to himself, wisely choosing to stay away from his older brother's temper tantrum. Unfortunately things weren't about to calm down anytime soon as random bursts of light came flying out of Donnie's lab, destroying everything in their path. "Hit the deck!"
Heeding their youngest brother's words, the Turtles quickly dove for cover when Raph noticed his beloved pet was still sitting defenselessly out in the open.
"Spike!" Raph cried, racing to his pet's rescue. Running as fast as he could Raph manages to reach Spike and dive out the way of the incoming explosive, the resulting last sends them rolling across the floor. Then just as sudden as they appeared the explosions came to an end, leaving the lair a complete mess.
"Wow I did not see that coming" Donnie coughed, walking out of his lab. "Is everyone ok?"
"Are you kidding me?!" Raph snaps, getting up in his brother's face. "No we're not ok!"
"What happened here?" Splinter asks as he and Hedwig enter the room. Observing the destruction around the room the mutant owl turned her gaze to their resident wizard.
"I swear it wasn't me" Harry said defensively. He couldn't really blame Hedwig for suspecting him, considering the last twelve times a part of the lair was messed up was because of him doing unsupervised magical experiments.
"I'll tell you what happened, Master Splinter" said Raph, not hesitating to throw his brother under the bus. "Donnie almost blew us up. Again! And even worse he almost blew up Spike."
"Raph, dude I'm really sorry" the purple turtle tried to apologize, understanding how much Raph's pet meant to him. But Raphael wasn't in the mood to hear it.
"Sorry doesn't cut it this time!" the hot headed turtle snapped, pushing past Donnie and retrieving the mutagen canister inside. "Until the mad scientist gets his act together I'm holding on to this for safe keeping."
"Raph, come on that's my last canister of mutagen" said Donnie, hoping to reason with his hot tempered brother. But Raph wouldn't hear it and sealed himself up in his room.
"The others are just holding me back" Raph grumbled, sharing his thoughts with Spike. "We should be out there fighting crime, tracking mutagen. But all they want to do is play stupid games. You get it, don't you Spike." He affectionately rubbed his pet's shell as he headed for his bed. "Sometimes I wish I was on my own. Doing things my way. I'm sick of this team."
It wasn't long after Raph laid his head down there was a loud knock on his door. Without even waiting for permission Mikey cautiously cracked open the door.
"Uh, dude you still mad?"
"What do you want, Mikey?" Raph demanded, wanting nothing more than to be left on his own.
"Master Splinter, wants us to help clean up."
"No way! Not a chance, Donnie can clean up his own explosion!"
"Hey, if you want to tell Sensei and Hedwig you aren't helping out, that's all you dude." Mikey countered.
"Fine, I will!" Raph declared, storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him. But what they failed to notice was the force of the door slam had knocked over the mutagen canister, freeing the ooze inside, something that seemed to interest Spike.
"Sensei, this is completely unfair" the red turtle argued upon entering the living room. "Donnie made this mess. How come I have to help?!"
"Allow me to make a suggestion, Raphael" said Splinter calmly, neither surprised nor bothered by his son's anger.
"Ugh, suggest what Sensei? What could you possibly suggest?!" the answer came in the form a nerve strike from Splinter, leaving the hot headed turtle twitching on his back.
"Perhaps you should sit and meditate for a while."
"Well I guess now he doesn't have to clean" Harry remarks, though he isn't too happy about having to clean up all the destruction either. "Hey maybe I should try and use my…"
"No!" Splinter, Hedwig, and the remaining Turtles yelled, having no desire to clean up after one of Harry's magical mishaps. Honestly the boy could manage his power in battle but Martha Stewart he was not.
Inside Raph's room, something new was being born. After exposing himself to the mutagen, Spike was in the middle of finishing his transformation. Now he stands as a humongous anthropomorphic turtle. With razor sharp claws and jagged spikes sticking out his shell, and smaller ones scattered across arms, and on top of his head.
His mutation complete, Spike opens his eyes, now a blood shot green as the ooze courses through his veins. With a savage roar his claws destroy Raph's light, allowing him to wait in darkness for his former owner.
"Always me right? I've got the bad attitude" Raph complained, having been dismissed by Hedwig since his bad mood wasn't making him helpful to the cleanup. Kicking his door open in his rage and slamming the door behind him, in a poor attempt to vent his frustrations. "They just don't get it."
"They never have" a voice spoke from the shadows, putting Raph on guard. "They never understood you. Not like me."
"It can't be" Raph gasped as Spike crawled out of the darkness, the light of the ooze revealing his new form. "Spike?"
"I feel terrible" Donnie sighed, taking a break on the couch. "It's my fault Raph's mad."
"It's not you, Donnie, well it's partly you. Raph just needs to work on his insanely bad temper" said Leo.
"Maybe he should switch to decaffeinated pizza" Mikey suggests.
"I don't think pizza has caffeine, Mikey" said Harry, feeling fairly certain but along with house hold magic he wasn't very good at cooking either. Suddenly Donnie's mutagen tracker went off alerting them to a new canister. Knowing how important it is to collect the ooze, Leo left to grab Raphael leaving the others to grab their gear.
"I can't believe this is happening" said Raph, his mind boggled over Spike's mutation. "This is amazing. What am I going to tell the others?"
"Tell them you got a new partner" said Spike unconcerned about the rest of the family. "One who knows; the true meaning of being a warrior."
"A new partner?" Spike could see the wheels spinning in Raph's mind, all he needed was a little push.
"You and me. No joking around. No goofing around like your brothers."
"That sounds awesome" Raph smiled.
"We'll crush our opponents. We'll fight evil nonstop." That was all he had to hear, Raph was sold.
"You totally get it. You always did." Raph's good cheer soon turned to worry once Leo knocked on his door, calling for him.
"Raph, come on we've got a mutagen mission" he called.
"I'll catch up in a minute, go without me" Raph said nervously, only cracking his door open enough to keep Spike hidden, never noticing his former pet glaring at a photo of Harry, Leo, Mikey, and Donnie.
"Fine, because we're not wait" said Leo frustrated with his brother's behavior tonight.
"You don't need them Raphael" said Spike. "We can find that mutagen on our own."
"Heck yeah! But if we're going to do this, you'll have to gear up." Opening his personal weapon closet, Raph left Spike to select his own weapon. Selecting a mace, Spike was soon outfitted with a black mask, and hand wrappings like the other ninja turtles.
"You look awesome, Spike" Raph complimented.
"Heh, never liked the name Spike. Call me, Slash" said the newly named turtle, using the hood ornament off a wrecked car as a stylized 'S' belt buckle. With the newly dubbed Slash geared up, the pair made their way to the city roof tops. As Raph led the way eager to find the mutagen before his brothers, Slash was having some thoughts of his own. If Raph's going to be free, we may have to lose some dead weight.
"Mutagen, dead ahead" Donnie reports, as he, Mikey, Harry, and Leo move across the city rooftops.
"Ooze in full effect!" Mikey calls, spotting a canister of ooze laying in the street below.
"Sweet, looks like we didn't need Raph after all" said Leo. Mikey was seconds away from going for the ooze when one of the city's pizza delivery boys drives up on their moped. And much to their annoyance actually decides to strap the canister to the back of his vehicle.
"Oh great" Harry groans, wondering if he could possibly teleport down and cut the ooze free before anyone could notice him.
"No sweat I got this." Firing his grappling hook, Leo swings down to grab the mutagen leaving his brothers on the roof.
Leo wasn't the only turtle trying to go for the mutagen for at the same time Raph was also swinging down to retrieve the dangerous ooze, only for them to crash into each other as the delivery boy drives away.
"What're you doing I had it!" Raph yells.
"You're late Raph!" Leo argues.
"What're you talking about?! Get out of my way!"
"That's funny considering you're the one who took forever to get here!"
"Are they going to argue all night?" asks a frustrated Donatello. "The mutagen's getting away!"
"Dude I can totally see Raph's forehead veins bulging from here" Mikey comments. "Check it out it looks like his head's gonna explode."
"Yeah I think he's actually turning purple" Harry comments. As Mikey and Harry were preoccupied watching Raph and Leo argue, they failed to notice Slash moving through the shadows approaching Donnie from behind. Next thing Donnie knew he was being dragged off into darkness.
"Fine, I'm going after it myself! I don't need your help!" Leo declares, turning to climb back up to the rooftops.
"Fine! You sure you can handle a pizza delivery boy on your own?! Raph remarked, knocking over a trash can on his way back to Slash. Returning to the rooftop Raph was surprised to see his friend had disappeared. But the larger turtle soon made his presence known dropping down behind Raphael, Donnie's mask clenched in his fist. Before Raph could ask about the cloth a panicked Mikey and Harry ran up to them.
"Raph, Donnie's disappeared" Mikey reported, looking to their brother for help apparently not noticing Slash, luckily the human member of the team did.
"Um, Mikey" said Harry slowly his mind trying to process what he's seeing. Turning to see what's got his younger brother so worked up, Mikey gets his first clear look at Slash.
"Holy….another turtle?!"
"Wait, no it's Spike, well Slash now." Raph tries to explain before his brothers freak out. "He got into the mutagen."
"We're freaking out!" apparently Raph's efforts were in vain.
"Raphael, you said it yourself; we don't need these clowns" Slash said harshly. "We got to hunt that mutagen down now."
"But what about Donnie, we have to find him" Harry pleaded. Stuck under the weight of Slash and his brothers' gazes Raph found himself slightly conflicted but in the end he had to side with his brothers.
"Sorry Slash, my brothers come first no matter what" he smiled.
"How about I make the choice a little easier for you." Catching the brothers completely off guard, Slash slams his fist into Harry's head hard enough to actually cause the poor boy to bounce against the pavement. Landing another two more hits Slash sent Harry flying into the base of a nearby water tower. Not about to let his brother be used like a punching bag, Raph tackled Slash away from Harry giving Mikey time to check on their injured brother, currently laying on the ground bruised and bleeding from his head.
"Spike, what're you doing?!"
"I don't want to fight you, Raphael" said Slash, walking towards them hoping to finish off Harry. "Go and leave me to my work."
"Your work?" Raph demanded horrified by what he was hearing. "Spike, this isn't you."
"Told you, the names Slash." As the homicidal turtle moved to bring his mace down on his brothers' heads, Raph quickly intervened throwing a smoke bomb in Slash's face blinding him long enough for them to escape….for now.
"Guys…I'm….really….tired" Harry gasps leaning heavily against Raphael, his head wound now bleeding heavily.
"Hold on, Harry. You have to stay awake" Raph instructed, worried that his younger brother might have a concussion. Using his sai to cut off Harry's hood, the turtle fashioned a head wrap to stop the bleeding. "Don't worry little brother, I got you." With Mikey acting as lookout they quickly moved across the rooftops in search of someplace safe when they spot an injured Donatello leaning against the side of a nearby rooftop.
"Ugh, what hit me?" Donnie groaned. "It was like Raph. Only bigger, meaner, angrier, but not quite as ugly."
"It was Spike. He got into the mutagen. I was going to tell you…"
"Spike? Way to keep that mutagen safe Raph." Deciding to ignore that last crack, Raph helps Donnie to his feet, giving him his staff to use as a crutch. With Leo gone and half of their remaining teammates heavily injured they were desperate to find some cover but while Harry was small and light enough to be carried easily, Donnie's build wasn't as convenient as he falls to his knees in exhaustion.
"Can't make it too weak. You go on without me fellas."
"No turtle left behind, that's our rule" said Raph, helping Donnie sit up. "I'm gonna tie off your sprained arm. It might hurt, bite down on this" he instructed, placing his sai in Donatello's mouth, which he complained tasted like leather and sweat, while he fashioned a sling.
Mikey was keeping a constant vigil for any signs of Slash when he heard the welcomed voice of Leonardo.
"Mikey, down here I need your help" Leo called from a nearby fire escape. With Raph watching over Donnie and Harry, Mikey felt it safe to follow after Leo. Reaching the fire escape he was glad to see the silhouette of his eldest brother hidden in the shadows of the stairwell.
"Leo, you're never gonna believe it. There's another turtle."
"That's funny. I actually believed it" Standing up, Leo's shadowy form shifted to reveal himself as Slash. Mikey didn't have time to react before the monster turtle grabbed hold of him dragging the orange turtle into the shadows, all he could do was scream as he fell victim to Slash's brutality.
Hearing Mikey's screams, Raph hurried to check on him only to be horrified to find a heavily wounded Michelangelo, stripped of his mask, strung up, and left hanging over the side of a building. Without a moment to lose Raphael pulled his brother up to the rooftop, his only comfort being that Mikey was at least still alive.
"Why? Why are you doing this?!" he demanded, unable to understand why his once beloved pet and best friend would hunt down his brothers.
"The others hold you back, limit your potential." Slash explained, his voice echoing around Raphael, who searched frantically for the mutant. "You don't need them just like you said." Slash then reveals his presence forcefully knocking Raph aside, giving himself a clear opening to Michelangelo.
"No I never wanted this" Raph denies.
"There's no turning back now." Slash dangles Mikey by the leg over the side of the building, moments away from dropping him to his death.
"Stop!" Raph demands, drawing his sais. "I won't let you hurt them!"
"I'm not here to fight you."
"But I want to fight you. You're not Spike. You some kind of warped monster. A deranged, hideous freak!" Dropping Mikey aside, Slash draws his mace and with a war cry charges Raphael, who doesn't hesitate to meet his former pet head on.
Sparks flew Raph's sai scraped against Slash's mace, the larger turtle's size and strength saw him follow through and send the red ninja turtle rolling across the rooftop. But Raph wasn't out of the fight yet, quickly bringing his sais up trapping Slash's weapon before he could land a finishing blow, locking them in a deadly clash.
"We could be a good team Raphael" said Slash, trying to appeal to Raph's more negative character traits. "But you're a fool. Just like your brothers!" Freeing his weapon Slash's mace slams into Raph's chest knocking him across the rooftop.
Having regained consciousness Mikey struggled to crawl his way over to the downed Harry and Donatello.
"Slash is back. Raph's in trouble."
"Raph's fighting him?" Donnie questioned, struggling to his feet.
"Not really fighting him, more like getting stomped into green goo." Mikey remarks.
"Then we better help him" said Harry, his legs feeling a little too much like jelly. Mikey and Donnie shot him concerned looks, both mindful of their younger brother's head injury. "I'm fine. We've got to help Raph."
Moving across the city rooftops, Raph has begun to rely on his speed rather than trying to overpower Slash. Despite this he still hasn't been able to land a direct blow, as Slash has been able to anticipate his attacks.
"I've spent years watching you train" Slash explained. "Learning your moves. I know everything you can do." Taking that as a challenge Raph charges Slash, who tries to jab his mace into the red turtle's chest. But Raph proves that he still has some surprises as he uses the prongs of his sais to capture Slash's weapon using it as leverage to flip himself up and land a solid kick to the crazed turtle's face.
"Not everything" Raph smirked, as he successfully disarmed the enemy. Enraged Slash sweeps Raph's legs out from under him. Catching him by the legs in midair, Slash proceeds to swing him around like a rag doll, slamming Raph into the ground repeatedly. Dazed Raph is unable to defend himself as Slash punches him clear through a wall and over to the next rooftop.
Beaten and bruised Raph lays helplessly as Slash, with his claws extended is moments away from finishing him. Luckily for Raph, his brothers will always have his back as Donnie, Mikey, and Harry grab hold of Slash trying to wrestle him away from their brother. Sadly in their current states they aren't able to put up much of a fight and are easily tossed to the side. Despite their injuries the three struggled to their feet and charged Slash. Sadly they just weren't in any shape to put up even a half decent fight as Slash disarmed and knocked Donnie away with his own staff, back kicked Mikey, and savagely threw Harry into the downed turtles, leaving them in a pile against the base of a billboard.
Moved that despite his earlier attitude, and their own injuries that his brothers would still fight for him, Raph finds new strength to get back in the fight.
"Slash! You see that? That's what real friends do. They stand up for each other. I'd rather be like my brothers, than you any day."
"Was that a compliment?" Mikey asked before passing out.
"I think so. Now I can die happy, yay" Harry replied before falling into a dead faint.
Enraged by what he felt was a betrayal of his devotion, Slash extends his claws and charges Raphael. Dodging his deranged former pet's swipes Raph counters with a powerful upper cut to the gut, followed by a fierce side kick. As Slash stumbles back Raph keeps up the pressure launching himself off the billboard, building enough speed and force to knock Slash clear onto the next building.
Oblivious to his brothers' struggle Leo has been having his own rough night. After chasing the mutagen fell off the pizza boy's bike, the ooze canister was collected by a roadside stand owner. The owner believing the ooze to be a strange lava lamp of some kind ended up selling it to a little girl and her father. By the time Leo was able to track them back to their house, the little girl was moments away from drinking the mutagen during a game of pretend tea party, leaving the ninja turtle no choice but to reveal himself before she could be mutated. Thus bringing us to his current situation, having a tea party with said little girl before she would hand over the mutagen, or else she'd scream for her daddy.
"No, no you have to use your pinky out" the little girl chastised, as Leo struggled to hold such a tiny cup.
"Um, I don't actually have a pinky" Leo countered, drawing attention to the fact he only had three fingers.
"Are there other talking turtles like you?" she asked, strangely not finding the idea of a giant talking turtle weird or scary.
"Nope just me. Mr. Imaginary Turtle." Leo's lie came crashing down, along with Raph and Slash who broke through the ceiling, arms locked in a deadly struggle. "Raph?"
"Leo!" said turtle called thinking he'd gained some backup, but then he noticed what his brother was doing. "Having tea time?!" Before he could say anything else Slash took advantaging of the distraction and sends them crashing through a wall back out into the city.
Seeing his brother in danger, Leo grabs the mutagen and rushes after them, promising the little girl that he'd bring tea should they ever meet again.
"Bye, Mr. Turtle!"
Dodging Slash's follow up attack, Raph counters with his sais only for them to be caught in the larger turtle's deadly grip. Cutting their struggle short, Slash uses the opening to land a solid kick to the chest before throwing Raph's weapons off the building.
"It's over Raphael, you've lost" Slash declares thinking that Raph could never hope to beat him in hand to hand combat. Raph doesn't back down and charges but Slash sidesteps him and lands a punch to the jaw, but Raph recovers quickly and counters with an equally powerful back fist knocking the larger turtle back.
"A true warrior's spirit. We're the same you and me."
"We're nothing alike" Raph denies, refusing to buy into Slash's words. "You're pure evil." Angered by Raph's continued scorn, Slash lets out a savage roar and charges him in a blind rage. Raph tries to stay ahead of the savage assault but ultimately fails as Slash delivers a brutal assault sending him stumbling along the edge of the roof.
As Slash moves, help arrives as Leo arrives on the scene sideswiping the mad turtle with a few quick swipes of his swords before knocking him back with a quick kick to jaw. With Slash seemingly subdued Leo moves to check on Raph.
"So what's with the new turtle?" he asks.
"Long story. Look out!" Raph's warning comes too late as Slash returns the favor landing a knockout blow on Leonardo.
"Heh, been looking forward to that for a long time" Slash smiles sadistically but Raph has had enough. Drawing a hidden kunai, Raph steps up while Slash makes one last appeal. "That's right Raph, we aren't like the others. They're weak but we're powerful. Our anger makes us strong."
Slash's words give Raph an idea as he returns his knife to its hiding place. As Slash makes another charge, Raph skillfully avoids his wild attacks dodging under Slash's extended arm. "Meditate on this!" Just as Splinter had done to him, Raph strikes at Slash's nerves causing the larger turtle's muscles to spasm giving Raph the chance to retrieve Donnie and Mikey's masks.
Slash roars in pain as his spasms cause him to teeter on the edge of the roof, causing some residual feelings of friendship to surface in Raph.
"Spike!" Despite his best efforts Raph isn't able to reach his former pet in time and can only watch as Slash falls to the street below. With a heavy heart Raph checks on Leo, helping him to his feet as Harry, Donnie, and Mikey hobble over to join them.
"What happened to Spike?" Mikey asks.
"That was Spike?!" says Leo in disbelief.
"Fill you in later, Bro" Harry promises.
Wanting one more look at his friend Raph looks over the side of the building only for Slash to have disappeared, his friend was gone in more ways than one. Returning to the lair Hedwig administered the few healing potions Donnie and Harry were able to brew. Harry was just glad that Donnie was able to improve them and get rid of the nasty taste, though they'd still need a few days in their bandages with Mikey and Leo getting off easy with the least severe injuries.
So of course Mikey returned to his earlier video game challenge with Donnie, Harry, and Leo on deck. Sadly not all of the brothers were in such high spirits as Raph stares heartbrokenly at one of Spike's old leafs, of course Splinter couldn't let this go.
"Raphael, do you know what I do when I miss my loved ones from the past?"
"No."
"I focus on the friends I am surrounded by in the present." Splinter's words manage to break through Raph's sorrow as he focuses on his brothers, who have and will always stand by him.
"And if you need a soundboard, I can be a good listener" Hedwig offers, having had experience being Harry's soundboard during the Spider Bites incident and his time at Hogwarts before her mutation. Raph manages to smile as he realizes he's not as alone as he thought.
"Thanks Master Splinter, Hedwig." Splinter and Hedwig smile proudly as Raph now in a better mood joins his brothers. "Hey what's a guy got to do to get in your little competition huh?"
"Next game is all yours dude" Mikey offers.
"Sorry about Spike, Raphael" Leo said sincerely.
"That's ok. You guys aren't so bad to hang out with either." said Raph sharing a smile with brothers.
Thanks for reading. Leave a comment/review.