//------------------------------// // The Turtles Learn of Celestia // Story: Falling For a Mutant // by VioletRose13 //------------------------------// Training was rather different the next morning. The Turtles and April were practicing together as usual, but Master Splinter didn’t seem like himself. Leonardo was the first of the Turtles to notice. “Hold up, everyone. Sensei?” Leo asked, approaching his father who was standing off to the side in silence. Splinter looked like he wasn’t paying any attention. It was like he was lost in his own thoughts, unable to snap back to reality for some bizarre reason. He also had a rather goofy smile on his face while zoning out at the same time. “Sensei?” Leo asked, gently shaking Splinter’s shoulder. This quickly snapped Splinter out of his trance. He yelped in surprise and shook his head before turning to face Leo with a surprised expression. Donnie, Raph, Mikey, April, and even Casey approached their sensei. “You okay, Sensei?” Mikey asked. “Yeah, you seem off today.” Raph commented. “Is something wrong?” April inquired. “I… I am sorry, my students.” Splinter sighed. “I was just thinking.” “…Does it have something to do with that gemstone you brought back last night?” Donnie asked. “You never did tell me how you got a hold of it.” “Yo, what gemstone?” Casey asked. “I offered to help Donatello with an experiment by fetching a sample of a strange light found somewhere in the city.” Splinter explained. “But it is not the gemstone that has my mind off track. It was… an encounter.” “What happened?” Leo asked. Splinter paused before saying, “…I met someone.” The adolescents looked at each other, then back at their Sensei. “Who? Who did you meet?” Raph demanded. “Was it the Kraang?” Donnie asked. “Or one of Shredder’s goons?” Casey added. “None of those… I met a woman.” Splinter answered. “A woman?” Mikey asked. “As in a human?” Leo added. “Yes, but she was not like anyone else I’ve seen in this city. She is… different.” “How so, Sensei?” April asked. “Well… she had glowing white skin, magenta eyes, and her hair almost shared the colors of a rising sun. She was not only lovely on the outside; she was also kind, playful, and gentle. For some reason, I felt drawn to her. She was so beautiful.” Splinter then told his students everything that happened the night before… even his date with her at 11:45 that night. April, Donnie, Leo, Mikey, Raph, and Casey all looked at each other in shock; they had no idea what to think. “You’re not actually gonna go, are you Sensei?” Raph asked. “…I am going, Raphael.” Splinter said. “What?!” The Turtles cried. “Yes, my sons. I like Celestia and she seems to like me, too.” “Celestia? That’s her name?” Leo asked. “Yes, Leonardo. And she told me she is not from New York. She is from a place called… Canterlot City.” “Canterlot? Sounds like a made up place to me.” Mikey commented. “Places with names like Kalamazoo sound made up to you.” Donnie chimed in. “Are you sure you want to see her again, Sensei?” Raph asked. “Yeah. I mean, you hardly know anything about this woman. She could be a spy or a mutant in disguise or anything.” Leo said. “I don’t believe that.” “But Sensei, you just met her and you don’t know what she could be capable of.” “That is exactly why I am giving her the benefit of the doubt, Leonardo. I do not care what any of you say. I am going to see her tonight. And you cannot change my mind.” Furrowing his brow, Splinter picked up his staff and headed to his room in a huff, closing the doors behind him. The room was silent. “Celestia is Latin for sun.” April commented. “So?” Casey asked. “For someone with a name like that, I don’t think this lady means any harm.” April said. “How do you know that?” Leo asked. “I don’t, it’s just a hunch. Maybe… maybe we just need to know more about her.” She took out her T-Phone and made a call. “I’m calling in a favor.” “Who are you calling?” Donnie asked. “Karai.” April replied, putting the phone to her ear. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Principal Celestia had just gotten back from the swimming pool and was about to take a shower to wash off when she heard a tap on the window. She froze and wondered if it was Master Splinter. ‘He’s early.’ She thought as she headed towards the balcony, wearing a bathrobe. She opened the balcony door, but there was no one there. “Hello? Is anyone there?” She called. “No one important.” An unfamiliar voice said. Celestia froze. “Yoshi? Is that you?” “No, this isn’t Hamato Yoshi.” The voice said before a young woman dressed in black suddenly appeared in front of Celestia. She removed a witch’s hat and smiled. “My name is Shinigami.” “What do you want from me?” Celestia took a step back. “Just information, nothing too special.” Shinigami answered. “What kind of information?” “The basics, like who you are, what you are doing here, and… how you know Hamato Yoshi?” “How do you know of him?” “His sons and daughter sent me.” “Yoshi has a daughter? He didn’t mention that.” “That is not important. Tell me more about yourself, Miss Celestia.” “…Why should I? You already know who I am and how to find me.” “Do not shoot the messenger. I only need to gather information for my friends. They are worried for their father’s safety and they are somewhat suspicious of you.” Celestia opened her mouth to speak before she paused. “…Well, I suppose that makes sense. What do you need to know?”