Tragedy Ever After

Oh. . . She's a Spider

        ~Normal POV~

     Okay, breathe. It's just me and Mikey on our way to this hotel that was in his nightmare. I was trying to get over the guilt of Mikey not knowing April was dead. I was mostly over it myself, I had accepted what I'd done, no matter how bad of a person that made me.

     "Is there anything I should expect going in?" I asked the younger turtle nervously. This was a new place for me, meaning I needed to not shut down, which meant easy to snap.

     "Let's just say, uh, Big Mama isn't human," Mikey replied, adjusting the bandana that rested on his forehead, a slight jingle as the earrings decorating it swayed and hit each other.

     "So, she's like you guys?" I queried.

     "Not exactly. We were created, but she's existed for much longer than we have," he replied. "Just, don't make any deals with her and we should be okay."

     "Okay," I rubbed my arm subconsciously, wishing Don would have accompanied us as well, but he had other matters to attend to. Upon entering the hotel, it was bustling.

     Most of the people in here weren't human which made me even more self-conscious. "Are hotels always this busy?" I asked allowed, not knowing if mutant or human hotels were normally like this.

     "Well, Big Mama runs this thing called a 'Battle Nexus' where she hosts barbaric fights. . . that's where Raph was in my nightmare," Mikey glanced away from me.

     "Why would he fight for her? Isn't he. . . isn't he one of the 'good guys?'" as far as I knew, good guys didn't just fight for the fun of it.

     "He wouldn't, but when he gets left alone, things get weird," Mikey's voice lowered significantly as we approached one of the bellhops. "We call it 'Savage Raph,' because something else in his brain I guess takes control to try and keep our Raph safe."

     Mikey told the bellhop the floor we needed to get to, leading to an awkwardly silent ride up many floors. Neither of us spoke until we exited the lift once more.

     "So, like an alter?" I offered. "He gets put in a sort of 'safe space', right? 'Savage Raph' takes control of the body until Raph is okay again? Or something like that," I scratched the back of my neck. I wasn't completely sure how alters worked, so I tried my best to explain it.

     "I guess, yeah," Mikey nodded in reply. "But, no matter how he acts, he's still my big brother. If he really is here, we need to get him back!" I put a hand on the panicking turtle's shoulder.

     "We will, I promise," the phrase made me a bit nervous. I had also promised Don that I would come back safe. "We just need to be smart about this. I told Don I would get us home safe."

     Me and Mikey looked around the large screens trying to spot the large snapping turtle on any of them. "There!" Mikey pointed at a screen across the bar, a maskless Raph, was wrestling a reptile yokai that was larger than he was.

     "H- how do we get him out of there?" Mikey was slowly beginning to panic, clearly concerned for his brother. Raph's claws dug into the yokai's arm, flinging it across the arena.

     My heart dropped into my stomach. No, no, my fight or flight could not kick in now. Help Raph, help Raph. Don't think about how scared you are. Or how much you want to leave.

     Just breathe. "Oh, a turtle-y boo," a voice trilled behind us, a hand being placed onto either of our shoulders. "Who ever is your little friend?" her voice was sickly sweet, making my eyes glance to the hand on my shoulder before trailing up to the--

     She's a spider! Big Mama is a giant spider. I need to leave. A chill ran up my spine while her eight eyes stared down at me. She wore a wide smile, being sure to flaunt the sharper teeth as a threat.

     "No matter. You must stick around for the next fight. I do have quite the amazing warrior to put this little savage against," two of her hands folded together. "She's nothing like you've ever seen before."

     While oversized bellhops guided us alongside Big Mama to a private viewing area I became even more nervous. Surely nothing good could come from this.

        ~??? POV~

     My back still ached from the punishment of my escape attempt, but Mother decided I didn't deserve the time to recover, I was still to take part in the fights in her Battle Nexus.

     Something in me felt wrong, and it wasn't just because of the missing appendages. I sucked in a breath, trying to mentally prepare myself for the fight. I glanced out the tiny window, seeing the two reptiles fighting in the arena currently.

     The larger one, I did recognize. I didn't know his name, but I knew he was frequently in fights. The other one, I had never seen before, but the way he fought. . . it was almost savage.

     It wasn't that I was scared to fight him, I was scared to hurt him. Maybe would understand if I just asked to sit this one-- who am I kidding, I was her best fighter.

     My fingers moved to the collar that let out a warning beep at the closeness. Of course, Mother wouldn't understand. I was her champion, I was meant to keep that position.

     "Oh, Phina," that obnoxious voice called for me at the door and the pit in my stomach tightened. I turned around seeing mother stand before me in her disguised form, attempting to seem nice. That form may work on the others, but I know who she is.

     I subconsciously took a step back, well aware of the wall behind me. "Certainly you aren't thinking of escaping again. Have you yet to learn your lesson?"

     I didn't dare speak back, I knew better. No matter how badly I wanted to fight back, what would the consequences be the next time I defied Mother? "Good," she hummed at my compliance. "I presume you're ready for your next battle? It will be quite soon."

     I nodded, knowing damn well I was not putting my all into the fight. Something about that new fighter was too different. Mother had immediately thrown him into a fight, he didn't even have his own 'room' yet. What if he still had a home to get back to?

     "Phina," her stern voice snapped me back to reality. "You will be fighting in your battle. Don't think your little injury is enough excuse to stop you. You will fight, and you will win," her eyes narrowed over her glasses and pierced into my soul.

     "Yes, Mother," my voice was reluctant to leave as my eyes shifted back to the cheering crowd. New Kid won, huh? My eyes moved to where I knew Mother sat while observing her favorites, taking note of two more unfamiliar figures that were up there with bellhops guarding them against leaving.

     From what I could make out, they were focused on the new fighter, both of them looking worried out of their mind. New Kid's family? Who was I to take that away?

     Sorry, Mother, but I won't be your perfect little champion much longer. My gaze lingered on the two for a moment longer before I had to leave and prepare for my own battle.

     Word Count: 1,256. Allow me to introduce you guys to Seraphina, an oc created by ACrazyArtistGal!  Long story short, Seraphina is a Chimera who Big Mama sees as her 'child.' Once upon a time, they had a decent relationship, but a lot has changed. Also, here's the art of what Seraphina looks like, also by Rose. Welp, enjoy!