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"Are you sure you're ready for that?" Draxum asked, sitting across from Donnie.
"For the thousandth time, yes, I am sure," Donnie replied, rolling his eyes. "In fact, I've never been more ready for anything."
They were in the greenhouse, sitting across from each other. They needed a space where Donnie felt at ease, and what better place than his greenhouse? His brothers were at Hueso's; they didn’t need to know what he was up to, especially if he failed. Which he wouldn’t.
Right?
After all those last months, he had faced brutal challenges in learning to manage his new ability and trying to create the braces. He succeeded, but it was still a grueling process—between making the braces, having the implants put in his back, and having to relearn how to walk with them. Well, actually, that last part is still a work in progress, but hey, better than nothing, right?
"Alright, then you can proceed. I will stay right here in case anything happens." Draxum gestured for him to begin.
"Here comes nothing," Donnie said as he grabbed the ship from the chain around his neck. "If you can hear this, Shelldon, I'm coming for you. Hold on."
He reached for the newly constructed body of the drone and placed his hand on its head before activating his Ninpō. The last thing he saw before closing his eyes was a purple glow surrounding him. As the energy enveloped him, Donnie felt a surge of power coursing through his veins, intensifying his determination.
With a deep breath, he focused on his mission, prepared to face whatever challenges awaited him in his quest to get Shelldon back.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a realm of darkness. Looking down at his body, he saw that he was still in his wheelchair, but he appeared different—more mystical, perhaps.
When he looked up, he saw a shimmering purple trail, seemingly guiding his path.
"Well, I guess I'm going that way then."
As he maneuvered his chair onto the glowing trail, his Gram-Gram's words echoed in his mind. After the Event, when he sought her advice, she had explained that his spirit would adapt to his new reality. The more he accepted this change, the more his spirit would align with how he saw himself. He pondered when exactly he had accepted his new condition and when he had begun to view himself not as surviving but as living.
The vibrant colors of the path seemed to pulse in response to his thoughts, encouraging him to move forward.
With renewed determination, he pushed forward, the trail pulsing gently beneath his wheels, illuminating the shadows that had once felt so suffocating. Each turn brought new wonders—ethereal figures dancing just out of reach and vibrant landscapes that defied the laws of reality, urging him to embrace the unknown.
The air crackled with anticipation, and shadows danced around him, whispering secrets of the unknown. Each meter felt heavier yet more exhilarating, fueling his resolve as he ventured deeper into the mysterious abyss.
Just as he began to feel anxious, confronted only by the darkness ahead, a blinding flash of white suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Upon regaining his senses, he realized he was in the old lair—more specifically, in his former lab.
"What…?" Donnie mumbled, confused.
He glanced around, trying to piece together how he had returned to a place he thought was lost to time. The familiar scent of aged papers and forgotten experiments filled the air, stirring memories that he had buried deep within himself. As his heart raced, he cautiously approached the cluttered workbench, where half-finished projects lay.
Just as he was about to reach for the half-finished projects, a noise startled him. When he turned around, he saw something he believed was impossible: a younger version of himself standing in the doorway.
Just as Donnie was about to call out to him to explain what he was doing there, he noticed that his younger self didn’t seem to see him. The young turtle walked right through him, confirming his suspicions.
“A memory… I’m in a memory,” Donnie breathed.
As he observed, the younger Donnie immersed himself in the very same inventions that had once filled their lair with excitement and hope. This scene served as a bittersweet reminder of a time when dreams remained untainted by the burdens of reality. A wave of nostalgia washed over Donnie, mingling with a longing to relive those carefree days.
“Now, what was I working on at that time…” Donnie murmured, maneuvering his chair to sit beside his younger self.
As he moved his head to see the workbench, he saw it—or rather, him.
"Shelldon…"
Just as this realization hit him, another flash of white blinded him.
When he regained his vision, he found himself still in his old lab, but this time, his brothers were present. The lab appeared to be in a state of chaos, reminiscent of a time he could barely remember anymore. It was the time Shelldon tried to kill him, after his brothers reprogrammed him.
"Well, not a fun memory to be stuck in," Donnie said, looking at the destroyed lab.
He remembered the time it took him to reconstruct his lab and the moment he discovered Shelldon's body amidst the debris. It took him a while to decide to rebuild again, hesitating before giving him the same ship, ultimately choosing not to reprogram him to his state before his brothers' intervention.
This was one of the best decisions he ever made, if not the best.
As he reminisced, Donnie glanced up to see the lab restored and his younger self preparing to activate Shelldon—the new version, the one they all came to regard as family.
"Alright, just a few adjustments aaaand… done!" his younger self exclaimed. "Now, let's see how you're doing."
As he activated the drone, Donnie—present-day Donnie, that is—felt tears welling in his eyes. He was seeing Shelldon for the first time since the Shredder incident. God, how he missed him.
The familiar whirring of the drone filled the air, and a spark of hope ignited in Donnie's heart. He could hardly believe he was about to witness the birth of his creation once more, a moment that felt both surreal and profoundly significant.
He nearly exploded in tears when he heard him.
"Ugh, where am I? Donnie?" Said Shelldon, hovering a foot above the workbench.
"Yes, welcome back, Shelldon. It's wonderful to see you again," replied the younger Donnie, smiling as he began to explain everything the drone had missed.
And just like that, another flash of white engulfed Donnie.
When he looked around again, he saw that he was in the living room, still in the old lair.
He heard them before he saw them. As he turned, he glimpsed one of his fondest memories with his family. They were all sprawled across the couches and various beanbags, laughing. It was one of the days when Donnie allowed himself to just relax and be.
Suddenly Shelldon came zooming in from the lab, holding what seemed to be a scrap of metal.
"Dad! Dad, look at this!" he exclaimed excitedly, looking straight at Past Donnie while holding out his find.
Donnie observed the expressions of his younger self, who appeared utterly shocked and perhaps a little teary-eyed as well.
"Huh, I didn’t know I could make that kind of expression," he remarked, smirking at his past self, who, mind you, couldn’t see him.
As he glanced around to observe his past family's reactions—something he couldn't see before due to being too emotional at the time—he could see the mixture of pride and shock on their faces.
Past Mikey seemed particularly proud; you could see his eyes shining. Perhaps it was related to the lesson he received from Dr. Feeling earlier about emulating his father—really, the worst thing anyone ever said to him. Maybe it was just seeing his emotionally repressed brother expressing something so openly for once.
Past Leo and Raph both appeared equally proud and shocked at that moment. There was perhaps a hint of mischief in the younger Leo's eyes as well.
Shelldon's voice pulled Donnie from his observations.
"What, did I say something?" he asked before turning toward the rest of them.
"Dude, you called him 'Dad,'" Past Leo replied, grinning. "I think you broke him," he added, pointing at Past Donnie, who was currently rebooting with tears still in his eyes.
"I don't think I've seen him this emotional since April called him her little brother in front of him," remarked Past Raph, leaning forward to check if his purple brother was still breathing.
"Huh! No, I didn't! I called him Dee, you know, like…" Shelldon tried to explain, clearly embarrassed.
"No, no, no, no take-backsies!" Past Mikey exclaimed. "You can't just undo that kind of moment, Shelldon!"
"Yeah, no need to be embarrassed. Based on his reaction alone, I don't think he'll mind it," said Past Leo.
"Are you sure?" replied the drone. "I don't want..."
"Oh my god, I'm Dad…" Past Donnie finally said, tears finally falling.
"Yeah, we are..." said present Donnie, unheard by the memory, resting his head in his hand as he fondly observed the scene before him.
"Hey guys! You won't believe the day I had—wait, is Dee crying?" Past April exclaimed as she just arrived at the lair after a long day at school.
"April, I'm a dad!" Past Donnie shouted through tears, clearly the happiest anyone had seen him in a long time.
"You're a what!?"
That was the last thing Donnie heard before a sudden flash of light blinded him.
As he looked around, Donnie realized he was back in his old lab, though he couldn’t remember this. The room was dimly lit, and an unsettling feeling crept into his mind. Something was definitely off.
Just as he was about to explore, a crash sounded from behind him. When he turned around, he saw the worst thing possible—something that would greet him in his nightmares.
The Shredder stood above Shelldon, ready to strike, while the drone did his best to protect the newest member of their family.
A scream escaped Donnie as he saw those claws—the very ones that had nearly killed him, the same ones he saw every time he looked at his shell in the mirror—descend upon his son.
"SHELLDON!" he shouted, desperately trying to reach the drone.
He knew, almost instinctively, that it was a lost cause—that it had already happened. That was why he was here, after all: to get Shelldon back. But his heart was telling a different story. It was racing, pounding against his chest as panic surged through him. Donnie could only watch in horror, paralyzed by the fear that he might not be able to get to him in time.
Just as hope surged through him, just as he placed his chair between the monster and his greatest joy, everything collapsed. The Shredder's claws passed through him, serving as a reminder that it was all a memory—that he had already failed before he even began.
When he turned around, it felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest, and he slipped out of his chair and collapsed to the floor. His son, his greatest accomplishment, lay broken before him. As he reached out to place a trembling hand on Shelldon's head, another flash of white surged.
He found himself once again enveloped in the same darkness that had consumed him at the start of his journey. This time, however, there was no shimmering trail of purple to guide him—only the oppressive void that mirrored the heaviness surrounding his heart.
A voice cut through the haze of pain and desperation.
"Dad?"
Donnie's head snapped toward the voice. There stood Shelldon, radiant and alive. Well mostly, he looked like a proper Hamato spirit, a translucent purple.
"Shelldon?" Donnie breathed, looking at him through tears.
"Yes, it's me, Dad," Sheldon replied before running toward Donnie.
"Oh my god, it's really you!" said Donnie, embracing Shelldon with all he had.
"What are you doing here? Where are we?" asked the drone.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Donnie replied, still holding his son close.
"I remember protecting Gram-Gram in the lab, and then The Shredder found us, I think. Then…nothing," he recalled. "I—I died, didn't I?"
"You were always too smart for your own good," Donnie said.
"Look who's talking," Shelldon said with a laugh.
"Yeah, yeah, you smartass," Donnie replied, grinning, having missed this kind of interaction. "As for why I am here, I'm here to get you. I came to get you back."
"You can do that?"
"It's a long story, but basically, I unlocked a part of my powers that made it possible," Donnie explained.
"And the chair?" Shelldon asked, pointing at the discarded wheelchair behind Donnie, who was still sitting on the floor.
"Yeah, that's part of the long story I need to tell you," Donnie replied, wincing. "I'll explain it when we're back at the lair."
"Is it permanent?" Shelldon asked, his voice trembling with emotion.
"Yeah, it's permanent. But I promise you, I'm fine, and I promise you to explain everything to you. But for now…" Donnie replied, his eyes sparkling with excitement and determination as he reached out to clasp Shelldon's shoulder reassuringly.
"Are you ready to leave this place?" He continued, looking Shelldon directly in the eyes as he spoke.
"More than ready," Shelldon answered, determination shining in his gaze.
In the real world, Draxum waited patiently for Donatello to return. As the hours passed, he grew worried that the rest of the family would come back before it was finished. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Donatello began to move, and the ship he was holding started to shine brighter, the light traveling from his hand to the robotic body beside him. The energy surged, illuminating the greenhouse and casting strange shadows on the walls.
Then Donatello's eyes opened.
When Donnie opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was Draxum's gaze fixed on him, as if anticipating an explosion from him.
"How are you feeling?" Barry asked, still focused on him.
"I am exhausted," he replied, and he was sincere; he could sleep for days after this. Not that he would, but it was the thought that counted, right?
"Did it work?" asked the warring scientist, eagerly wanting to know.
Donnie was about to reply when he heard something coming from beside him. The sound of rotors. One of the best sounds he ever heard.
"Ugh, I feel like I've been hit by a truck," said Shelldon, hovering beside Donnie's head.
"Welcome back, Shelldon," Donnie replied, rolling his eyes fondly.
"So it did work—fascinating," remarked Draxum.
"Who is he?" asked Shelldon, glancing at Draxum and trying to remember where he had seen him before.
"He’s part of the long story I still need to tell you. But to keep it brief, Shelldon, I present to you Baron Draxum, the guy who created us. And Drax, I present to you, Shelldon, my pride and joy, for whom I would kill anyone," explained Donnie.
"You would kill anyone for any reason, Dad; it's not special," replied Shelldon, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, but mostly you," said Donnie.
"As touching as it may be, I think I can hear the rest of your brothers coming back," interrupted Draxum. "I will be going home and leaving you with the responsibility to explain what you've done to them."
"Coward," said Donnie without heat behind his words before turning toward the entrance of the greenhouse to join his brothers.
"Are you ready to face the others?" he asked Shelldon.
"Yeah, I'm as ready as I'll ever be," replied Shelldon, joining Donnie at the entrance of the greenhouse. "Let's go."
When they returned to the lair, the three brothers could tell that something had happened. They could sense it in their Ninpō. The only one who wasn't there with them was Donnie, the purple turtle, who was staying behind to work on an important project. It was bullshit, if you asked Leo, but he didn't have any proof, so he went to see Tio Hueso with the rest of his brothers.
He knew he should have stayed when he saw the red-rimmed eyes of his twin brother, who was sitting at the kitchen table.
"Hey Dee, you alright?" Mikey asked, a worried frown on his face. It wasn't every day that Donnie displayed such raw emotion; after all, it was bound to be quite jarring for the rest of the brothers.
"Yeah, I'm more than okay, actually. Where's CJ? I thought he was going with you all to see Tio Hueso," Donnie replied, attempting to evade the subject, as he often did when it came to his emotions.
"He's with Casey Sr. and April; they're trying to teach him how to bake," Raph explained.
"Really, I would have thought that they would have come to Mikey to teach him," Donnie said, surprise in his eyes.
"Yeah, I thought so too, but—" Mikey began to reply before being cut off by Leo.
"Alright, stop evading the subject. What's going on with you?" he demanded, looking straight at his twin.
"Who, me? Nothing. I would never try to evade anything. Nope, that doesn't sound like me," Donnie lied, or at least attempted to.
"Oof! You would think that after all this time, you would have learned to lie better, Dad," Shelldon mocked, zooming toward Donnie from his hiding place behind the door.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, lying's not my forte." Donnie replied, rolling his eyes and grinning in his son's direction.
God, it felt amazing to be able to do that again.
He hadn't realized just how much he missed these playful exchanges until now. Shelldon's laughter filled the room, a sound that reminded him of the joy in their bond, and Donnie couldn't help but feel a warmth swell in his chest.
A voice brought him out of his thoughts.
" Is that—" began Mikey,voice hitching, tears welling in his eyes. He couldn't finish his sentence, bringing his hand to cover his mouth as a sob threatened to escape.
As Donnie looked around at his brothers, he noticed they all had the same look of disbelief on their faces, tears pooling in their eyes.
"Donnie, is that really—?" begged Leo, his eyes not leaving Shelldon for a single second.
"Yeah, it's really him. I managed to bring him back," Donnie assured, grasping his twin's hand.
The weight of their shared grief began to lift, replaced by a flicker of hope. They stepped closer, hearts racing as they tried to comprehend what this truly meant.
Shelldon chose that moment to interrupt. "You know, it's creepy when you're all staring at me. I feel like I'm in a horror movie, guys."
Mikey was the first to move. He launched himself across the kitchen table to grasp Shelldon in a hug. He began to cry earnestly.
Then, as if it were the trigger that activated everyone, the rest of them joined in a wave of emotion, forming a chaotic yet comforting pile of limbs and tears. Laughter mingled with sobs as they embraced such an important member of the family.
Donnie watched from the side, tears streaming down his face. He did it; he brought him back.
“Come on, you big softie,” Leo said, grabbing Donnie and pulling him across the floor to join the rest of them in the improvised cuddle pile they had formed in the middle of the kitchen.
"We need to tell the others," Raph said a few minutes later, finally speaking since seeing Shelldon, his voice still shaky with emotion.
“Yeah, they’ll want to know he’s here,” Mikey added, his eyes brightening at the thought of sharing the good news.
"Yeah, and 'Tello, you have so much explaining to do," said Leo, looking at his purple brother, tears still in his eyes and a smile too fond to be truly threatening.
"Yeah, I know, but maybe we could wait until tomorrow. I already feel drained," Donnie replied, lifting himself back into his chair, his face showing deep exhaustion.
"You better, you pancake," Leo demanded.
"Yeah, yeah, I promise, you waffle," Donnie retorted, smirking.
"I AM NOT A WAFFLE!" yelled Leo before throwing himself at his twin.
The others looked on fondly, accustomed to this after years of their bickering. Shelldon observed them and realized just how lucky he was to be part of this family, no matter how chaotic it was.
The reunion unfolded as they had anticipated, with the lair teeming with tears and a flurry of questions.
April reacted similarly to the others. Casey and CJ were introduced, and it turned out that Junior had actually heard stories about him from his Donnie.
Once everyone was finally settled on or around the couch, with their eyes fixed on the Jupiter Jim movie selected for the evening—Shelldon's favorite—Donnie looked around at his family. They all appeared peaceful, quite content if you asked him. He glanced at Shelldon, his son, and felt a wave of warmth in his heart. God, he loved them.
As Donnie was about to close his eyes, his head nestled on his twin's shoulder and his son resting on his lap, he thought, 'Yeah, we'll be just fine.'
And they will be fine; he will ensure it.