With all the talk about PTSD these days (And TMNT 2003 not getting the credit it deserves for tackling the issue before a lot of these newer shows did) I think it really shows the Turtles maturity to be there with Marzipan and telling her that she should cry that she should grieve so she can be able to move on
Jonathan and Edward Nygma came to the park to two middle aged men huffing and puffing from exerting themselves more than usual when they saw Marzipan being held by the four turtles, by that point Marzipan seemed to have finished her cry.
Marzipan told them why she had been crying, Edward was at first a bit incredulous.
"Really?" He asked "You honestly thought the place would be exactly as you left it all those years ago?"
"Edward..." Jonathan began to warn
"Know he's right..." Marzipan sighed "...I..I was caught up in a fantasy, I've been so stressed out about having to go to Viola Strierra that I began to think that going to Mizzer and seeing everything I loved as a Kitten would give me the strength I needed for this mission my head was so full of nostalgia that I forgot to apply basic logic."
"Really My Dear..." Jonathan said soothingly as he helped her up "...That's pervectly understandable, trauma, particurally truama we experience when we're very young can have effects on our Psyches sometimes we...Regress mentally to the age we were when the truama happened."
Jonathan then took a look at the rusted weed infested playground.
"And really who wouldn't weep seeing this?" He said "I can see that this truly was a lovely place...Then the Wranglers decided to kidnap everyone in an effort to leave no loose ends, leave behind no one to take revenge! And as a former Rogue I can see their logic but since I've reformed I can now see that all that does is delaying the inevitable, thinking that by brainwashing the humans and having the Humanimals as slaves they will all be perfectly under control, and actually whose to say that will delay the revenge? Perhaps comeuppance will arrive exactly when she intends to!"
Mikey listening to this mused to himself 'Man, if only Professor Crane could be a consultant for Supervillains...Actually that wouldn't be a good idea we don't want Supervillains to make smarter choices we already have Bishop and those like the Shredder wouldn't take advice on how to be less evil. And really Jonathan's only saying these things because he saw the light and stopped being evil!'
"The others are collecting the supplies from the place desinated by the Scavengers' map." Jonathan said "Would you like to return to the ship?"
"Actually...Not just yet..." Marzipan said "Now that I'm here...I want to do what I wanted to do as a Kitten but could never do because my parents wouldn't let me, and look at the other species' districts of Bluebell."
And so they walked and saw that the other species' neighborhoods really weren't that different other than maybe some extrem differences in size particurally for very large creatures like the Elephants, but coming to the Livestock District where the Barnyard Mammals lived they came across a Bronze Statue of a Handsome Pig-Man with his hair tied back in a Ponytail, he was in a heroic pose with his fist laid over his chest under his left trotter, he was stomping on what looked like a viscious Venus flytrap, Marzipan explained it was a Biollante a giant carnivorous plant that could move on it's own that had to be exterminated by the Earthlings.
"Francis Bacon was the hero who figured out the means to defeat them..." Marzipan said "...He was the founder of the town of Bluebell the First Humanimal Hero of Mizzer! Look how the vines are all over the pedastel but they will not touch the statue of Francis..." And indeed the Bronze statue of the Pig-Man still sparkled and shone despite not being touched for years!"
"The plants are terrified of him." Marzipan said with a smile "Because he asserted the natural order of things, that animals rule and plants drool!"
"Careful!" Ichabod said with a chuckle "Don't ever let my Mother hear you say that!"
But indeed the fact the vines weren't on the statue did seem to communicate there was something...Supernatural going on...Edward Nygma was finding himself amazed that he was geuninly in awe of this Pig-Man that even though he never knew him, he could...Feel something great...That he wasn't an equal to ordinary men that he truly was a Hero and could be equal to the Justice League!
Have been planning the scene with the statue for a while and this was just a nice breather chapter before we get back the business
