Turtles' Big Sister

The Gauntlet

"Dude, this is awesome!" 

"I know!" Donnie grinned. "I can't wait to see the look on their faces!" 

Pepper grinned back. She looked down at Donnie's hands, filled with what looked like eggs. But she knew they were much more. She and Donnie walked into the dojo, where Leo and Raph were sparring. "Sup, boys!" she called, and they turned their heads.

"Check it out, guys!" Donnie said. "We're about to take our ninjutsu to a whole new level!"

"Cool," Leo said. He crouched down and swept his leg out, knocking Raph to the ground. Raph grunted as he fell, and Pepper snickered.

"Anywho." Pepper turned to Donnie. "Donnie, care to show these two what you made?"

Donnie beamed and nodded. He took one of the eggs and held it up. "Last night, I figured out how to make...ninja smoke bombs!"

Donnie threw the egg to the ground, and with a loud bam, he disappeared in a huge explosion of purple smoke. Another explosion came from behind Raph and Leo, and the purple smoke cleared to reveal Donnie standing behind them.

"Whoa..." Leo breathed as he and Raph stood up, looking amazed.

"I know!" Pepper exclaimed. "It's totally wicked!"

"Now," Donnie began, "to make 'em...I carefully drilled two holes in an eggshell without cracking it, slowly blew out the contents, waited for the inside to try, then poured in flash powder, and sealed both holes with wax."

"Blah, blah, science, blah! Do it again!" Raph urged.

"What I'm trying to tell you guys is that they take a long time to make," Donnie said seriously. "So use 'em sparingly."

"I'm making breakfast!" Mikey called from the kitchen. "Who wants omelettes?"

"I do!" Pepper called back.

"Omelettes...?" Donnie stared at his bomb, then gasped. "Mikey, don't--!"

Bam! In an explosion of purple smoke, Mikey appeared in the dojo, coughing and covered with black smudges. "Ugh....I think that was a rotten egg," he groaned, looking down at the bowl of what was obviously more smoke bombs. 

Pepper covered her muzzle to stifle a laugh. Leo could barely contain himself, leaning on Raph's shoulder as he laughed.

"Those aren't eggs, Mikey," Donnie said. "They're ninja smoke bombs!"

Mikey froze, staring at Donnie in pure shock and amazement. "Shut up...!" He took one of the bombs in the bowl and threw it on the ground. Bam...bam! He reappeared on top of a branch of the tree. "This...!" Bam...bam! He reappeared next to the trunk. "Is the best day...!" Bam...bam! He reappeared above them, looking as though he were defying gravity. "Of my life!" Bam...bam! 

He reappeared on the ground in front of them and Donnie spoke up. "Mikey, stop!"

Mikey grinned mischievously...and he dropped the bomb in his hand. Bam! Donnie face palmed. Mikey jumped up from behind his genius brother and hugged him from behind. "I love you, man!" He kissed Donnie's cheek. "Seriously!" 

Donnie turned his head, glaring at his little brother. Pepper snorted a laugh, tail swishing, then her ears pricked at running footsteps.

"Guys!" It was April. At once, they all ran into the living room. April was sprinting toward them, looking terrified. "Guys!" she cried, falling onto the couch. "You'll never believe what happened to me!" 

"Alright, April, calm down," Donnie said gently, putting a hand on her knee. 

"Are you okay? What happened?" Pepper asked, kneeling before her.