//------------------------------// // Infiltrate Scale Tail Fortress // Story: Rainboom Mutant Apocalypse // by Wildcard25 //------------------------------// At the Scale Tail fortress, Mira was put in a dungeon, as a lizard mutant mocked her, "You're gonna be in that cage for a long time. Have fun!" the two left, as Mira went to the bars and hissed at them. Meanwhile, Raphael who trailed the clan back to their lair was sneaking around and knocking out several lizard guards. He sighed, "I don't know my way around here. I need help." "Hey! What're you doing here?" came a deep voice. "Intruder!" another called with an equally deep voice. Raph looked down the hall seeing two figured in gladiator armor and wearing helmets conceling their faces, "Aw, desert apples!" he groaned before making a run for it. "Hold it!" one of them ran as fast as lightning and tackled Raph making him roll across the floor, "No one trespasses, on Scale Tail grounds!" "Is that right?" Raph asked, "Then allow me to leave!" he tackled the one into a wall, until the other came at Raph. The turtle and guard grappled, with Raph groaning, "Boy, pretty strong one aren't you?" "You have no idea..." the guard answered before gasping, "Whoa, nelly! Raphael?!" "Huh?" Raph asked in confusion, as the guard stopped fighting, "You know me?" "Of course I do. We're old friends," the figure removed their helmet to reveal a short haired blonde girl who spoke in a familiar accent, "Recognize me now, Sugarcube?" "Applejack?" he gasped. "Yup, and I ain't the only one." Applejack motioned to the other guard who got up and saw Raph. "Raph?!" the guard gasped before pulling off their helmet to reveal the final member of the Rainbooms who had her trademark rainbow hair trimmed to a buzz cut, "Awesome to see you, man!" "Rainbow Dash?" Raph gasped, before laughing and embracing the two, "I can't believe it. You two are alive." "Yeah. We're still kicking it." Rainbow admitted. "But what're you two doing in a place like this, and dressed like that?" he asked while motioning to their gladiator garb. "After the mutagen bomb went off and we all got separated Rainbow and I ended up getting founded by Verminator and Reptillicus." Applejack began. "Verminator took A.J in making her his greatest warrior due to her strength. And I got stuck with the Scale Tail clan." Rainbow added. "Are you both here against your will?" "Little bit. I mean fighting day in and day out is no picnic, but it beats being out there in the wasteland with nothing." Applejack admitted. "I don't like fighting for these scale brains, but at least I got a roof over my head." Rainbow added. "Well, you're gonna wanna quit now after you hear what I got to tell you." "What?" Applejack wondered. "Sunset, Twilight, and the others, they're alive." Raph explained. "WHAT?!" they gasped. "They're all ok?" Rainbow asked in shock. "Yeah, but they're out there no doubt trying to find me." "So why're you here?" Applejack wondered. "I'm here to rescue a friend. Mira, a meerkat mutant." "Why would the Scale Tail clan capture a meerkat mutant?" Rainbow asked. "Because she has something both tribes want. The map to Oasis." The girls gasped, as Applejack spoke, "Oasis is real?" "That's right. And we gotta get her back before they do who knows what to her. Will you girls help me?" he pleaded. The two smirked, as Rainbow answered, "Like you gotta ask?" they pulled out their old ninja weapons. "Then let's go. Where do they keep prisoners here?" "Follow me." Rainbow led the way down the hall. They hurried before hearing footsteps. They faded into the shadows as Rex, Reptillicus, and another lizard mutant passed by. They came out and went further seeing two guards keeping vigil over Mira. Applejack smirked as she and Raph took out the two guards. "Mira!" Raph called to the girl. Mira went to the bars looking overjoyed, "Red Stripe, you're alive!" "Well, I couldn't leave my favorite Meerkat behind now could I?" "Stand back, hon." Applejack said, as she used the magic of her necklace to pull the bars off. "Thanks, but who're you?" "Name's Applejack. I'm an old friend of Raph's." "And I'm Rainbow Dash, the most awesome chick you'll ever meet." Rainbow boasted. "Where are the others?" Mira asked Raph. Raph fell silent, which didn't go unnoticed by the girls, "Wait, I thought you said they were alive?" "They were, but there was explosion at the safehouse we were at and..." "Hey, what's up with our necklaces?" Rainbow asked, as hers and Applejack's necklaces were flicking. "No way!" Raph gasped, "They're alive!" Applejack smiled, "I knew they wouldn't go down easy." "We got to get out of here." Mira said. Before they could a reptile mutant woke up and triggered the alarm, "Of course that had to happen!" Raph shouted. "It always does." Rainbow recalled. "Let's move!" Applejack ordered, as they made a run for it. They ran through the halls fighting any member of the Scale Tail clan, but they started following the heroes from behind. Eventually they were surrounded and were restrained by the lizards, while Mira was taken. Verminator walked up to Raph, and spoke, "Well, turtle. I should've known you weren't dead... Yet," he turned to Applejack, "A.J, my most fierce gladiator. You betray me?" "And you too, Rainbow?" Reptillicus asked in disappointment. "We're done working for you varmints." Applejack answered. "So how about letting us all go and we walk away good and clean?" Rainbow asked. "We got a better idea." Rex answered, as Reptillicus ordered his boys. "Take them to the pit!" Rex kicked the three heroes in the face knocking them out before they were dragged off. Back out in the desert, the heroes made haste while following the trail left by the clans, "Come on, you guys pick up the pace!" Sunset called, as she rode her bike. "We have to save them before it's too late." Twilight added. "Don'tcha worry none, ladies. We'll make it." Mikey said confidently. "We always do." Pinkie reminded them. Suddenly the girls necklaces were glowing, "Our necklaces." Fluttershy gasped. "They glow when one of us is close." Rarity gasped. "Then that means..." Sunset gasped, "Applejack or Rainbow Dash is close." "Think any one of them is a prisoner at the Scale Tail fortress?" Spike wondered. "It's possible." Twilight answered. "Well, let's keep going," Donnie instructed, "We have friends to save." Back at the stronghold, Raph, A.J, and Rainbow woke up in a stadium. They stood on a single platform surrounded by liquid waste. Watching them from all sides were both the Ravagers and Scale Tail booing at them, "Where are we?" Raph looked around. "The pit," Rainbow answered, "Reptillicus sends prisoners here to fight for their lives. It ain't pretty." "Never thought we'd be sent here as prisoners." Applejack sighed. A door opened up and entering was Rex and Reptillicus armed and ready, "Greetings, challengers." Reptillicus began. "You three will be facing us and the prize is your lives." Rex added. "Fail to fight, and you'll never see your little Meerkat friend again." Reptillicus motioned to Mira being held captive. "Mira!" Raph called. "Don't worry, we'll take you varmints on." Applejack said, as she and Rainbow got ready. "Hey, don't I get a weapon?" Raph asked only to be thrown a twig, "A twig?!" And so the two clan heads fought the three with their weaponry, as Reptillicus fought Rainbow, "After all I did for you, this is the payback?" he asked in disappointment. "And I am grateful to it, but I'd never betray my friends!" Rainbow answered, as she tried running circles around him, but due to the small arena surrounded by waste couldn't very well go far. Applejack and Raph were fighting Verminator, while avoiding his chainsaw arm, "I'm gonna cut you down to size, turtle! And when I'm done with you, you're next, A.J!" "Not happening!" Applejack answered, as the two teamed up against Rex. Verminator and Reptillicus managed to disarm the girls and knocked them aside before overpowering Raph and knocked him into the waste, "Raph!" the girls cried. "Raphael!" Mira cried. As Raph sank into the disgusting waste in comatose, he could hear an old familiar voice speak out to him, "Raphael, you must get up!" "What is?" he thought to himself, before opening his eyes slightly and saw a familiar rat mutant, "Is that... Master Splitner?" "My son, your friends need you. Your family needs you. Remember all I taught you. Now fight my son!" he declared. Raph regained his senses and swam up to the top. He climbed out seeing Rex and Reptillicus were waving to the crowd, "Hold it!" he shouted, "We're not finished here!" "Raph!" A.J and Rainbow cheered. The two clan heads were shocked to see he was still standing, but decided to finish him once and for all. Raph fought the two hard, and used the measly twig he was give as a weapon to jam Rex's chainsaw arm, "No fair!" he complained only to get pounded by Raph. Reptillicus tried to stop him, but Raph being who he was pounded Reptillicus who fell to the ground, "Yeah!" the ladies cheered. The Ravagers and Scale Tail fell silent, until the Scale Tail sage spoke, "By Word of Wasteland Decree, the Turtle Warrior, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash wins!" "Yeah! Red Stripe! Red Stripe!" Mira cheered constantly, and suddenly both clans started cheering for him. Raph looked around in shock, while the girls smiled. Repttlicus and Rex woke up and saw what was happening, "What?!" Rex asked in outrage. The clans came onto the stage and raised Raph, Applejack, and Rainbow high, "Oh yeah!" Rainbow cheered. Reptillicus approached, and Rainbow looked at him in worry as did A.J and Raph. He smiled, "You all fought well." he bowed his head. The three smiled seeing they won his respect. Verminator Rex on the other hand shouted, "No! That's not fair! He cheated! I'm telling Maximus!" he cried before bolting. The door burst open, as the turtles, and Rainbooms slid in and surveyed the scene, "Oh, no! They captured him!" Mikey cried. "We're coming!" Pinkie called, as they were about to attack, until Donnie stopped them. "Wait. These guys aren't going to kill him. They're celebrating him." Reptillicus spoke, " Yes, Red Stripe has beaten us in battle, and that means he is leader to both clans now." The girls saw who was being celebrated with them, "Applejack! Rainbow Dash!" Sunset called. The girls looked over and saw their friends, "Guys!" Rainbow cheered, as the two were lowered down and ran to their friends with a group hug. "You're all right!" Fluttershy cried tears of joy. "Same to you girls," Applejack said, as mutant Spike licked their faces, "Ok-ok, Spike, heel." she laughed. "I never thought we'd see you again." Twilight smiled. "What are you girls wearing?" Rarity motioned to their armor. "Hey, you ain't so fancy yourself." Applejack noted. "Maybe not like my other wardrobe choices, but I always made something bad look good." she boasted. "Yay! The band is back together!" Pinkie cheered. "So what now?" Fluttershy wondered. "Yeah, Red Stripe, what's the plan?" Mikey asked. Raph looked at everyone and then to Mira and smiled, "To Oasis. We'll all go together." they cheered. "Then let's get going." Reptillicus ordered, as they all headed outside. Outside the Scale Tail lair, the Ravagers and Scale Tail were fixing up their rides for the journey. Fluttershy spoke to Rainbow, "Rainbow Dash, there's someone here who missed you." Rainbow looked over and saw Chompy run towards her happily cheering. The girl's eyes lit up happily, "Chompy!" she hugged his face, "I missed you, buddy. Wow. What have they been feeding you? You used to be such a little guy." As everyone was ready to head out, Sunset spoke to Raph, "So what happened to Verminator?" "He won't be giving us problems anymore." Raph assured her. Unknown to them, Verminator had traveled across the land with his chainsaw arm broken. He pulled up in front of a giant concert stage with skulls, "Maximus Kong! I seek an audience!" From atop the stage, sat a bulky figure wearing a black helmet with glowing green eyes peeking out through an open visor with bars, "Why do you disturb me, Verminator Rex?" he asked in a distorted voice. "It is the map, sire. The map to Oasis. It is tattooed to the arm of a meerkat. But she is protected by warriors of great skill and cunning!" Rex explained. "They are nothing to me," Maximus began, "I have been seeking Oasis for countless years, I have eradicated legions to find that map! If the Green Place exists, it belongs to Maximus Kong, Lord of the Wasteland!" he laughed maniacally, as Verminator bowed to him.