Turtles' Big Sister

Vision Quest

"I don't think this is helping."

Pepper opened one eye to look at her twin. They were out in the yard of the farmhouse, practicing some yoga. She stood on one leg, her other leg brought up with her foot resting against her inner thigh. She had her hands brought together before her, concentrating. Across from her, her brother was mimicking her movements.

"When I use my magic, I must have a clear mind. Or...at least, a clear enough mind to summon and use the elements without losing control," she responded.

"This seriously helps you?" he asked, setting his foot back down and opening his eyes.

She nodded, opening her other eye. "Trust me, when I first learned to control my powers, before the others found out about them, I'd always get so nervous about the thought of summoning them, that I either couldn't connect to them or lost control when I did. So I started doing extra meditation or yoga out in the sewers before I'd start practicing, to clear my mind and help myself focus. And then it was easier to summon and control the elements."

He hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe it's just not the same for me."

She lowered her hands, putting her foot back down. "Try summoning an element. Any element."

"How?"

"I always think of the feeling of them."

"I only know how ice feels."

"Then start with that. One step at a time."

He sighed, staring intently at his hands. His brow furrowed in concentration, but after a moment, he lowered his hands with a sigh. "I can't. There's no frozen feeling at all." He looked up at her. "What do the other elements feel like? So I know if I connect to them."

"Fire's the exact opposite of ice; instead of a fierce cold in your palms, it's a blazing heat, but it's not painful. Earth makes you feel more grounded and connected, like your feet are firmly on the ground for the first time ever. And air is the reverse of that; breezy and light, and instead of feeling grounded, it feels like you're floating, but your feet are still firmly planted."

The two of them looked up at the sound of Raph's voice, and they headed to see what he needed. Turned out, he wanted to do a training exercise with them, and he'd gathered Mikey, Donnie, the girls, April, and Casey. Leo was off hunting in the woods.

"Alright, team," the hothead started. "If you can clobber Kraang, you can crack logs. Watch and learn."

"Aw, yeah. Time for some ninja training, farmhouse style," Mikey cheered.

Raph started doing some ninja moves. Pepper glanced April's way to see the red-head frowning at Raph with her arms crossed, not looking very amused. Raph took the logs Mikey and Donnie held, throwing them up before jumping up, kicking the logs and breaking them.

"Woo-hoo!"

Raph smirked, adjusting his belt. "You like that?"

Nyx sorted. "Those were some nice moves, Raph, but we know you were just showing off."

Raph rolled his eyes. "You're turn, April."

Casey held up the log for the red-head. "Sure you don't want me to soften it up for you, red?"

"Just hold it straight," April responded, adjusting the log. "Wouldn't wanna miss and accidentally kick that smug grin off your face."

"Oh, snap!" Raya exclaimed.

"Remember, it's not just physical strength that breaks the wood," Lucian said. "It's also inner strength."

"I got this."