//------------------------------// // The Final Battle // Story: Falling For a Mutant // by VioletRose13 //------------------------------// “We were SO CLOSE!! I almost had him, but the rat slipped through my fingers… AGAIN! Why can’t I defeat that monster?!” The Shredder screamed. “You’ve been saying that for the past WEEK! These temper tantrums of yours are REALLY getting old.” Warren said, sitting on the sidelines. “Indeed. When things don’t go as planned, I have much more restraint than you do.” Cinch added, polishing her armor. “BE SILENT, YOU FOOLS!” Shredder threw a chair at Cinch and Warren, which they quickly dodged. “Will you cool it already?!” Warren shouted. “We’ll get those freaks, just you wait! They’re nothing compared to us.” “Yes, we nearly had them… if it hadn’t been for those blasted Canterlot Wondercolts interfering when they did.” Cinch sulked. “But I’m certain we can beat them all… with these.” She held out her hand to show the Shredder two gem shards; one pale yellow with tiny patches of pink and one deep blue with little white spots. “What are those?” Warren asked. “During the fight, I’ve noticed the girls wearing gems similar to these around their necks. And I believe those geodes are the source of their new powers.” Cinch explained. “Geodes?” “Yes. I’ve discovered these two a few months prior in the forest at the back of Crystal Prep Academy. The Wondercolts must be made to understand that even with magic at their disposal, beating the three of us is simply NOT an option. And with these, we can now fight fire with fire.” “Bah! We don’t need magic! This is nonsense! I can destroy the rat and his turtles by myself!” Shredder scoffed. “Very well, Master Shredder.” Cinch replied. “But since our opponents have already used magic to stay competitive and attempt to best us in battle, I see no reason why we shouldn’t do the same.” “She’s got a point there.” Warren pointed out. “Do what you wish! I can destroy Splinter, the Turtles, and those Rainbooms ON MY OWN!!” Shredder shouted before storming out of the room. “Sheesh. What a big baby.” Warren muttered. “I know. And he calls himself a leader.” Cinch hissed, handing a geode to her mutant colleague. “HE may not want to use them, but WE still can.” “Well, what are we waiting for?” Warren smiled as the blue geode formed a chain that strung itself around his neck; the same thing happened to Cinch. “Ooh, looking good.” “Indeed.” Cinch said. “Cinch, Warren!” Tiger Claw burst into the room; he now had a robotic arm. “What is it, Tiger Claw?” Cinch asked. “We have just received news that there is a trio of unfamiliar vehicles approaching the lair. And they are coming fast.” The mutant tiger replied. “You don’t think it could be them, do you?” Warren asked. “It must be. Better safe than sorry.” Cinch picked up her staff as Warren picked up a sword. “We need to be ready for them.” “Right. Let’s go.” Warren said as he and Cinch followed Tiger Claw out of the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The night sky was almost completely black, the moon and stars were nowhere in sight. But that didn’t stop the three cars heading towards the Shredder’s mansion up in the mountains. When they were close enough, they parked in the trees where no one could see them. The doors on all three cars opened and the Turtles, Wondercolts, and Crusaders all piled out in black ninja garb and carrying all sorts of ninja weapons. Even Master Splinter and Spike were dressed for the occasion; he was wearing a new suit of powerful, yet stylish custom-built armor designed by Rarity. Spike wore a red bandana with the Hamato Clan insignia around his head. “This is it. Shredder’s mansion is through here. Be careful.” Leo whispered. “There is no turning back now.” Splinter reminded them, adjusting his helmet. “Then let’s go.” Luna said. They all trekked through the woods on foot while keeping a sharp eye out for anything suspicious as well as avoiding any and all security cameras. When they were close enough, they all peeked their heads out from behind a set of trees to see the silhouette of a mansion in the distance. “I think we’re almost there.” Scootaloo whispered. “The perimeter is quiet. Too quiet.” Fluttershy chimed in, looking around. Then, as if on cue, a barrage of Foot Bots jumped out at them, surrounding the group. “Not anymore.” Donnie said, taking out his staff. “Uh oh, party crasher alert!” Pinkie Pie said as she took out her own nunchucks. “Get ‘em!” Applejack shouted, taking out a pair of Kama Sickles. With their weapons flailing and flying, the Turtles and Wondercolts all fought against the Foot Bots. Rainbow used her super speed to run circles around defeated bots, Twilight and April used their telekinesis to redirect laughed projectiles meant for them, Rarity tossed diamond shields to slice various bots in half, Applejack used her super strength to kick the bots so hard that they broke apart with one kick, and Celestia blasted beams of hot light at various bots to make them short circuit and break. When those bots were defeated, even more bots showed up. “Oh great! Foot Bots 2.0!” Casey said. “We can’t keep fighting these things, or we’ll all be too tired to even reach the lair!” Rarity cried, gripping her Tanto sword tight. “Oh wait, I know!” Twilight then used her telekinesis to levitate the Foot Bots off of the ground and slam them hard into a nearby tree. “Nice one, Twi.” Flash said with a smile. “Thanks.” Twilight blushed. “Let’s go!” Raph said before they pressed on. They came across a wide gap with water flowing below and looked down. “Now what?” Starlight asked. “We find a way across.” Leo answered. “It’s too far to jump, and I don’t see any other paths.” Spike pointed out. “Maybe I can float us across.” Twilight suggested. But as she was about to do just that, a set of laser guns shot at the group and caused the Rainbooms, Starlight, the Turtles, Casey, and April to fall off the ledge and into the water. Splinter, Celestia, Luna, Flash, Spike, and the Crusaders looked down. “Are you guys okay?” Spike called. Their heads popped out of the water and they swam to the edge, gasping and wheezing for air. “I might’ve known we were going to get dirty, but I never thought we would get wet.” Rarity commented. “Just be thankful this chasm isn’t full of super sharp rocks.” April said. “Good point.” Rarity said meekly. “Guess it’s a good thing I love water, though.” Mikey said. “And so does THAT!” Fluttershy cried as Fishface emerged. “Oh no, not him again!” Raph shouted. “Ah, welcome, tortugas. And I see you have made some new amigas, how nice.” Fishface taunted. “I will certainly make short work out of all of you!” He dove back into the water. “Where’d he go?!” Rainbow Dash said until she and Raph were dragged under the water. “After him!” Leo shouted as he and the others dove down to save Raph and Rainbow. Unfortunately, more elite Foot Bots jumped in after them, forcing the group to defend themselves once again. Splinter, Luna, Celestia, Flash, Spike, and the Crusaders were watching from above. “Oh, what’s going on down there?” Celestia asked worriedly. “I don’t know.” Splinter answered. “I wish we could help them.” Sweetie Belle said before even more elite Foot Bots appeared. “Oh great! Not these clowns again!” Apple Bloom said, readying a Bo staff of her own. “We can take them on, Apple Bloom.” Scootaloo said, taking out two wooden Tonfas. “Bring it!” Flash said, holding his Nodachi sword tight. Back in the water, Rainbow and Raph had managed to make Fishface let go of them and they swam back up to the surface for air, but the mutant fish started circling the pair. Raph looked at Rainbow, she nodded at him, they faced each other back to back, and they linked arms before diving back into the water. Leo turned his head in their direction. “Rainbow Dash, Raph! What are you doing?!” He shouted before he noticed a blue light from under the water. After a few moments, Rainbow Dash burst out of the water holding Fishface by the tail; Raph emerged soon after. The rainbow-haired girl hovered in the air, keeping a tight grip on the giant mutant fish. “What do you think you’re doing, chica?!” Fishface demanded. “Don’t you ‘chica’ me, you fanged, mangy carp!” Rainbow Dash said before she started swinging him around over her head. “No, no, wait! Stop, let me go!” “…Okay.” And with that, Rainbow Dash threw Fishface as hard as she could and he landed in the woods a good ways away, damaging his robotic legs and breathing implants. When Spike the dog ran up to the mutant fish and took a quick sniff, Fishface quickly came to and they snarled at each other. “Fleabag.” The fish hissed. “Chum breath.” Spike growled before pouncing onto Fishface. Fishface struggled to pry the little dog off of him, but Spike wouldn’t budge. Spike then bit down hard on Fishface’s breathing implants, causing them to break beyond repair. Gasping and wheezing for breath, Fishface collapsed onto the ground and flopped around helplessly as Spike let go. He stood above the mutant fish with a serious look on his little face. “You little mongrel.” Fishface grimaced. “Spike, come on!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Let this be a lesson to you, pal.” Spike snarled before running off to join his friends; Fishface sneered as he tried to crawl back to the cliff and into the water. “This way.” Splinter said, taking out a grappling hook. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By now, the Turtles, April, Casey, and the Rainbooms finally made it to the Shredder’s Lair. They looked to see the mansion perched on the side of a cliff. “That’s it?” Twilight asked. “That’s it.” Leo answered. “Oh, quite an elegant design… even for a villain.” Rarity gasped. “Yeah, seems like a pretty nice place. But am I the only one who thinks placing it on a cliff is a bit too risky of a design choice?” Sunset pointed out. “Nah.” April replied. “But where are Splinter, Celestia, and the others?” Starlight asked. “I’m sure they’ll catch up soon. But for now, we need to focus on the task ahead. Let’s go, team.” Leo instructed as they all moved forward while keeping to the shadows. “Hey, look. We can get in through here.” Rainbow whispered, pointing to an open window. “Good eyes, Dash.” Casey complimented before he and Raph gave her a boost into the window. One by one, they all slinked through the window until they were all inside. Then Fluttershy spotted something lying on a bed under the covers; she gently nudged Leo and pointed at it. He nodded at her before he and his brothers slowly approached it with April, Casey, and the Rainbooms right behind them. With their weapons ready, they all crept around the bed and quickly pulled off the covers to reveal it was nothing but a pile of pillows. “Aw, man!” Donnie facepalmed. “Ugh, geez!” Starlight groaned in frustration. “Sorry.” Fluttershy apologized. “It ain’t your fault, Flutters.” Mikey said kindly. “I can’t believe we fell for that one.” Sunset groaned, feeling like an idiot. “Guys! Look out!” April cried as an enormous fly the size of a human jumped out and pounced onto them. “Ew, what is THAT?!” Pinkie Pie yelled. “Eugh, that thing is hideous!” Rarity cried in disgust. “That’s Stockman Fly!” Casey replied, readying his hockey stick. “You foolzz! There izz nothing you can do that will zztop the Zzuper Shredder!” Stockman declared. “He izz perfection itzzelf! My mazzter izz gonna—” “Yeah, yeah! Blah, blah, blah! Eat retro-mutagen, Baxter Bugbrains!” Mikey yelled as he threw a retro-mutagen bomb at the mutant fly. “What? No, wait!” Stockman cried before the bomb hit him square in the face. He stumbled backward in midflight and he fell to the floor behind the bed. The Rainbooms, Starlight, the Turtles, Casey, and April backed away as Stockman slowly began to emerge; he stood up to reveal that the retro-mutagen had turned him into a normal human man. He looked at himself in shock. “I-I’m human?! You turned me back?!” He exclaimed. “Yep.” Mikey answered. “So… you weren’t always a fly?” Twilight asked. “No… but I liked being a fly!” Stockman argued. “Really, darling?” Rarity asked dryly. “You’re kidding, right? He’s kidding, isn’t he?” Starlight asked. “Okay, sure I was pretty ugly and super gross. But I was faster, stronger, smarter! People liked me as a fly!” Stockman shouted. “What people?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You idiots! I am so gonna—” He started before Applejack punched him hard in the face, knocking him out. “You’re welcome.” Pinkie Pie said. Donnie turned to his little brother and glared at him. “Mikey, what the heck?! That retro-mutagen was for the Super Shredder! Now I only have one dose left, thanks a lot!” Mikey grinned nervously. “Sorry, bro. But he didn’t even say as much as a ‘thank you’. Rude.” “Ungrateful much?” Fluttershy asked, crossing her arms. “You said it.” Applejack replied, picking up Stockman and placing him on the bed. “But Donnie, didn’t you say it takes one drop of retro-mutagen to de-mutate someone?” Twilight asked. “Regardless, we need all of the retro-mutagen we have right now.” Donnie answered. “Good point.” Rainbow Dash chimed in. April put her hand to her head. “Super Shredder is close. I can feel it.” “Then we have no time to lose. Let’s go.” Sunset ordered as they hurried out of the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “We made it.” Flash whispered as he and the other approached the Shredder’s mansion. “Nice place.” Spike commented. “Even if it’s perched on a cliff?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Shush!” Luna hissed. They all pressed their backs up against the side of the manor to avoid any security. They glanced all around, searching for a way to get inside. “How are we gonna get in?” Apple Bloom asked. Splinter looked up and noticed an open window right above his head. He pointed up at it and his comrades nodded their heads in agreement. One by one, he hoisted his teammates up to the window where they climbed into the room it led to. They looked around and noticed that they were in a dark room loaded with training equipment. “So where do we go next?” Scootaloo asked. "Aww, look at this. They think they're entering the Dragon." The lights came on to reveal Rocksteady and Bebop. "Whoo-hoo! Yeah, rat man be trippin’! You seriously think you can sneak up in here? This is our house!" “Uh oh.” Spike said. “It is good to see you too, Bebop and Rocksteady.” Splinter said sarcastically. “We did not say it was nice to see you! We do not like you.” Rocksteady said. “Shut it, dude.” Bebop smacked his companion in the arm before turning back to Splinter. “We can deal without your sarcasm, rat man. But nice armor though.” He then walked over to a control board and pressed a button. "Check it out: our new state-of-the-art super dope training facility. And guess what? It's programmed to eliminate freaky-deaky rats like you!" "Da, and tiny human friends." Rocksteady finished. The security devices activated and laser guns were firing at the group who used their weapons to dodge, while Scootaloo and Spike ran past the two mutants. "Dang, that little gal's fast." Bebop gasped. “Scoot, catch!” Sweetie Belle said as she tossed her friend one of her Kunai daggers. “Thanks, Sweetie!” Scootaloo said before she stabbed the control board with the dagger, shorting the defense system out. "That is not according to the plan." Rocksteady said. "Get them!" Spike called as the group attacked the two mutants who engaged them. As Rocksteady was attacking Flash and Luna, Spike jumped at him from behind and bit his right ear, making the rhino mutant cry out in pain. "Agh, owie! No fair! My ears be sensitive!" He shook his head, trying to shake the dog off. Luna ran at Rocksteady and smacked him with her Kamayari Sickle Spear, causing him to smash right into Bebop resulting in both hitting the wall and losing consciousness. Luckily, Spike let go of Rocksteady's ear before Luna landed her blow. "Well, those two are down for the count." Flash said. “But where are the Turtles and the Rainbooms?” Apple Bloom asked. "I’m sure they’re around here somewhere and we’ll catch up with them soon. Come on." Celestia said as they hurried out. “Wait…” Splinter stopped, sniffed the air, and froze. “Oh no.” “What is it?” Flash asked before smoke started to fill the air around them. “The mansion must be on fire!” Luna shouted as she and the others kept on running. “We have to find a way out of here!” Scootaloo cried. “Hey, wait!” Sweetie Belle called, stopping at another open window in the hall. “Do you hear that?” They all stopped at the window and listened very carefully; it was almost drowned out the sound of fire burning, but they could all faintly hear a fight was going on somewhere above. “It must be them.” Spike deduced. “Then we must make haste.” Splinter said. And with that, the group scrambled out of the window one at a time and used grappling hooks to climb up the wall of the mansion, before reaching to a higher level. Suddenly, they looked up and saw standing on the roof was the Super Shredder fighting the Rainbooms and the Turtles. The Crusaders and Flash gasped in horror. “THAT’S the Super Shredder?!” Flash asked in disbelief. “Yes.” Splinter answered. “Then what are we waitin’ for?! Let’s get him!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Cutie Mark Crusader Ninjas, go!” The Crusaders cried as they suddenly ponied up and went after the Shredder. “Girls, wait!” Luna yelled before running after them; Celestia, Splinter, Flash and Spike quickly joined her. “Hey! Over here!” Scootaloo screamed as she and her friends joined the Rainbooms and Turtles. The Shredder turned his head in their direction and after a moment, he gave a booming laugh. “More children? Ha, that wretched old rodent must be desperate indeed.” “Apple Bloom, get outta here! All of you have to run! It ain’t safe here!” Applejack shouted. “You guys fight bad guys all the time! Now it’s our turn!” Sweetie Belle said, readying her Kunai. “Is that so?” Shredder asked in a mocking tone. “Saki!” Splinter’s voice screamed. That was when Splinter, Flash, Celestia, Luna, and Spike appeared, ready for another fight. They all started the Super Shredder down as he turned to face his new adversaries. "Your time is up, Saki!" Splinter declared. "Yeah, the jig is up, Shred-head!" Scootaloo added. Super Shredder answered. "I was wrong. I thought that little squabble back in the city would be enough for you to flee as you did before, afraid to face me, afraid to embrace your fate." "Don't flatter yourself." Raph replied with a scoff. "Yeah! You're not so tough, you overgrown Cheese Grater!" Pinkie Pie mocked. “These freaks are gonna get you!” Mikey added. "Tonight, it ends." Donnie put in. "Your madness will finally be dealt with!" Sunset spoke. “You have nowhere to run.” Luna finished. Super Shredder threw off his tattered cape and readied himself for battle. "Then come and face your doom!" As if on cue, the entire clan attacked Super Shredder head on without holding back. The super mutant was in shock to see how much stronger they were, especially when they were now working together as one big unit. “Shredder, you don’t have to do this!” Luna shouted, striking him with her Kamayari. “Hmmm… It seems you and I have something in common, Luna.” Shredder said tauntingly. “We both grew up in the shadow of a sibling who shines more brightly than we do. And we both want revenge on that sibling.” “No, you’re wrong! You know nothing about me!” Luna denied. “You and I are more similar then you think, Luna. Join me and we will rise up above these worms and rule all!” “Not so fast!” Twilight shouted as she levitated Shredder into the air. “What?!” Shredder cried. “Not on your life!” Luna argued, striking him again which caused him to fall. "Then I will make sure you are put down for good!" Super Shredder attacked, only for Flash to slide in and swipe at his blades with his Nodachi; he had just grown pony ears, a tail, and even a pair of wings. Twilight and Luna stared at him in shock as Twilight felt a blush form on her cheeks. "Get away from them!" He declared as Super Shredder decided to fight the boy. The two met in a grapple, with Flash flying around the Shredder to try and make him dizzy, "I can see you have gained a power similar to your little friends." Super Shredder said. "A lot has happened to us, Shredder. Why don’t we show you what we’re capable of?" He said just as Applejack used her super strength to throw the Shredder into a wall leaving behind a body print. “Nice one, AJ.” “Thanks, Flash.” Applejack said, giving him a high-five. Super Shredder peeled himself off, only for Pinkie to throw two large sprinkle shakers at him. "Time for some fireworks!" The two shakers exploded in Shredder's face, blinding him. He stumbled around, allowing Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to dart forward. After spinning around him a few times, they both elbowed Super Shredder hard in the stomach, making him lose his balance. Rarity launched some diamond disks from behind as Starlight shot her arrows at him, making the mutant fall forward onto his face. Twilight levitated him up again and slammed him constantly all around the roof top hoping to wear him down. She eventually got tired from over using her magic and ceased using it. Super Shredder got up looking at the Rainbooms. "Impossible, you are not this strong!" “I told you they have magic!” Cinch shouted as she and Warren appeared; they were wearing their new geodes. “But I honestly didn’t think they would be so difficult to dispose of.” "Don’t you know anything?" Sunset asked. "You can fill up on either all of the mutagen in the entirety of Dimension X or even every bit of magic in all of Equestria, but you will never be able to defeat us because none of you understand the most powerful magic of all!" The girls and Turtles attacked again, with Pinkie and Mikey using their weapons to lasso him up and pin him to the ground. "Donnie, now!" Pinkie Pie called as Donnie jumped above and came down preparing to stab Super Shredder, only for the super mutant to catch the blade with his hands. That distraction allowed Donnie to grab his last bomb of retro mutagen and threw it onto Super Shredder's chest, only to see it wasn't working. "It's not working!" Donnie gasped. "Oh no!" Fluttershy cried. “It didn’t work?!” Starlight exclaimed. “Now what?!” Spike shouted. Super Shredder broke free of his restraints and had about enough of his enemies. He started attacking them and throwing them off the building with April using her power to keep them from hitting the ground hard. "We gotta get back up there!" Donnie said. "Our friends need us." Fluttershy added. "This fire is spreading out of control too quickly, and I don't have enough power to get us back up." April replied. “So what do we do now?” Sweetie Belle asked, holding Spike close. “I guess all we can do now is watch from down here and hope for the best.” Casey replied. Back on the roof, Super Shredder, Cinch, and Warren continued plowing through his enemies with no problem, while mocking their performances. "Pathetic! Redundant! You are all beneath me!" “Face it, you’re all washed up!” Warren screamed. "I've had just about enough of you, featherbrains!" Raph shouted as he, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Applejack, and Apple Bloom took the fight to him striking with all they had. Unfortunately, they were tossed off the roof like all the others, but luckily April and Casey caught them just in time. “You guys okay?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Yeah, we’re good.” Apple Bloom replied, breathing heavily. “Wait, where are Sensei and Celestia?” Donnie asked. “And Leo?” Mikey chimed in. “And Sunset, Twilight, and Starlight?” Spike added. Soon the only ones left up top were Leo, Sunset, Starlight, Twilight, Celestia, and Splinter. Super Shredder attacked Splinter, only for Leo to step in and block his attack with his twin swords to keep him at bay. “Stay out of this, boy! This is between me and the rat!” "You nearly killed him!" Leo shouted. "Hamato Yoshi is your brother, and you almost murdered him!" Sunset called him out. Starlight had her own things to say. "He’s your brother, Saki! Your best friend! How could you do this?" Super Shredder answered, as he fought. "Splinter was cursed to become a loathsome rat! It was his fate, his destiny!" He grabbed Leo and Twilight, holding them above in the air by the throats. “Twilight!” Celestia cried “Leonardo!” Splinter called. Then Warren used his talons to grab Sunset by the shoulders and lift her up, causing her to drop her Shuang Gou hook swords. Cinch, taking the opportunity, pounced onto Starlight, threw her Yumi bow and arrows and restrained her. “You might as well give up now, you monstrous brats.” Warren said. “You’re the helpless ones now.” Cinch mocked. "You're all monsters!" Leo screamed. "Is this your destiny, Saki?" Sunset shouted. Splinter paused. “She is right, old friend. Is it?” Super Shredder was stirred by what the pair asked him, and for a brief moment had questioned himself. "No. I-I'm…" Leo, taking advantage of the Super Shredder's weak moment, struck him allowing the two to get free. Super Shredder however grappled with Leo at the edge of the roof and sprained Leo's arm, making him scream in pain. “Stay away from my friend!” Twilight screamed. Suddenly, her magic reactivated in response to her emotions and she used her telekinesis to slam the Shredder on the roof harder than ever, making sure he wouldn't be able to get away this time. But eventually her magic died down, and Super Shredder got up, and attacked the four teenagers, knocking them all to the ground. Shredder, Warren, and Cinch stood over them. “Not so tough now, are you?” Warren asked. Cinch chuckled. “How fitting, Twilight. I always knew you were a pathetic little waste of space.” "And now, you four shall die!" Shredder declared. They felt this was the end, until they heard Splinter calling out to them. "Leonardo, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer! Remember, fear nothing!" Shredder turned in Splinter’s direction to see him and Celestia holding each other close. Celestia suddenly spoke to the mutant monster. "You didn’t have to do this! Twilight, Starlight, and Sunset have allowed power to turn them into monsters, just as you have allowed yourself to become one. We can only pity you, because in the end, you have chosen to be this way." Shredder snarled at the rat and his love. “Watch closely, children… as I make short work of your masters.” He strode over to them with his blades drawn. “Celestia, if this is truly the end for us, I want you to know that I love you with all my heart.” Splinter said, holding Celestia tight. “And I love you, Yoshi. I hope our souls will be entwined in the afterlife for eternity.” Celestia said as they braced themselves for the worst. The Shredder chuckled as his bladed hand rose. “Now, old friend, it is time for you to say… farewell!” “NOOOOO!” Leo screamed. He suddenly brought his massive hand down, only for it to hit something as hard as stone which caused him to cry out. The Shredder looked and saw a force field of magic swirling around Celestia and Splinter as they held each other. “What?!” He exclaimed in shock. Cinch, Warren, Twilight, Starlight, Sunset, and Leo all stared at the sight in bewilderment, unsure of what was really happening. Splinter and Celestia reluctantly opened their eyes before looking at each other lovingly. The light around them slowly grew brighter and brighter before they floated up into the air; the light was so bright that everybody had to cover their eyes. And finally, after a moment, Celestia grabbed Splinter by his cheeks and pressed her lips against his, causing them to glow even brighter than before. Then the two opened their glowing white eyes, the bubble of magic around them burst and expanded towards the Shredder. He screamed out as the magic engulfed his entire being. When the couple floated back to the ground, their lips were still locked. The world around them had returned to normal and no flames were in sight. After a few moments, Celestia and Splinter had parted, gazing at each other in disbelief. They turned their heads to see that there was a huge hole in the roof where the Super Shredder was standing, but he had disappeared. They also saw that Cinch and Warren had vanished as well, but Twilight, Leo, Sunset, and Starlight were safe and sound. At that moment, Celestia and Splinter looked at each other, grins slowly creeping across their faces. Then they started hugging and spinning each other around, laughing all the while. Twilight, Leo, Starlight, and Sunset then got up, ran over to the two adults, and hugged them with all their might. After a moment, the rest of the gang made their way back onto the roof and joined in the embrace. “Whoa, that was insane!” Flash exclaimed. “What the heck was that?! I’ve never seen anything like it!” Leo cried. “…I think I have.” Starlight said. “Or I’ve heard about it, technically. I think something like that only happens when two beings love each other more than anything else in the world. At least that’s what Princess Twilight and Princess Cadance told me.” “Well, whatever that was, you guys were amazing!!” Mikey cheered. “We were? Well, that’s good.” Celestia said bashfully. “As you would say Michelangelo, we were awesome!” Splinter cheered. “Oh good heavens! Why don’t you two do that more often?” Rarity joked. Splinter and Celestia laughed as they hugged. As they were talking and hugging, a hand shot up from the hole in the roof; it was the Shredder, only he was back to his old human self, but now he was very weak. With all of the strength he could muster, he pulled himself out of the hole and stumbled over to the group with his eyes set on Splinter. Celestia took one glance behind the man she loved and gasped. “Yoshi, look out!” She cried as she jumped in front of Splinter, unsheathed her Hanwei Scimitar sword, and pointed it at the Shredder. Everyone turned and backed away in fear, not sure of what to do. The Shredder groaned in pain as he stared at Celestia, then he turned to Splinter. “Hamato Yoshi… I’m sorry, for everything. You deserve to be… happy.” He managed to croak before he collapsed. Everyone gasped and gawked at the Shredder’s still body; did Oroku Saki, the Super Shredder, the former leader of the Foot Clan, the monster who had been hunting an innocent man for nearly twenty years just… APOLOGIZE? To Master Splinter? It was unbelievable. “Is he… dead?” April asked. “…Did he redeem himself?” Spike hesitantly asked. “Or maybe…” Sunset started before noticing flashing lights and police sirens in the distance. They all turned their heads in the direction of the lights to see police cars approaching the manor and fast. “Stockman must’ve called the cops on us.” Casey deduced. Sunset turned her head to look back at the Shredder’s body. “Let’s get outta here.” “Sunset is right. We must leave, now!” Splinter said. The rest of the clan made their escape before Splinter took one last look at his old friend. He sighed. “Goodbye, my brother.” And with that, he followed after his family just as the police pulled up to the manor.