Shared Enemies

Written by Zelda

 

                "Hah, I tell you the draft was most definitely NOT good to New York this year." Mallory laughed, as the Migrator drove placidly among the streets of the Big Apple.

                "I'll have to agree with you there. The Blueshirts are in some trouble." Wildwing said.

                "Trouble? Those guys were cannon fodder out there tonight. A 4-1 win is just too easy." Nosedive snorted. Zelda hopped up a bit to see over the console. She thought hard, then pointed.

                "There, take a turn there." she instructed Wildwing, who obeyed and turned onto a dark side street.

                "Now, tell me again why we're out here Zel?" Duke asked.

                "I've felt something calling me for a while now... perhaps some old friends of mine have missed me." she grinned in a secretive manner, looking down at the road. Suddenly, she saw something. "Wait, there. Turn in there and park!" she said. Wildwing directed the Migrator into a narrow, dead-end alleyway, and parked. Zelda opened the hatch and bounced out onto the street. The Ducks filed after her, looking out at the city. The street was dark, except for a few lights on in the shabby apartment buildings, and the neon signs of a pizza place across the street.

                "Your friends live up there?" Tanya asked, pointing to the apartment buildings. Zelda was sniffing around a manhole in the middle of the street.

                "Something a little bit lower." she smiled. She lifted the manhole up with a little effort, and started to crawl in.

                "You're not going down THERE, are you?" Nosedive asked, with a disgusted look on his face.

                "And why not?" Zelda asked.

                "Because it's a sewer for crying out loud!" Nosedive said.

                "Oh, grow up Dive. Come on!" she said, and dropped down. Wildwing peered into the space after her. He sniffed delicately, but smelled nothing. Slowly, he put one foot down, feeling the rungs of a ladder beneath him. He slid his other foot in, feeling the manhole around his torso. He closed his eyes, and submerged himself in the darkness, climbing down. Zelda met him as he touched the bottom. No sewage.

                "It's fine Dive." he laughed up to his brother. Mallory was the next down, slipping easily to the concrete floor. Duke jumped in, already familiar with sewers. Grin held his breath, closed his eyes, and managed to somehow squeeze himself through that tiny space. On the ground, he rubbed his sides and looked up.

                "Not 'one size fits all', I see." he grunted. Nosedive was still wary as Tanya climbed in.

                "Come on Bro, afraid of the crocs?" Wildwing jested up to him. His brother humphed. The team started to walk away, and Nosedive suddenly realized he was alone in the middle of New York.

                "Hey, wait for me!" he yelled, and jumped into the manhole.

 

                Tanya's flashlight slit the darkness and mustiness, as the team slowly walked through the sewers.

                "Ugh... it's so dank down here." Mallory shivered.

                "It's a surprisingly extensive transport system." Zelda said. "You can get to anywhere in the city through here."

                "And how would you know?" Wildwing asked her.

                "Well I'm not familiar with the sewer system on a personal basis myself, but I have friends in the know." she grinned secretively again, and led the team on.

                "Zelda, where the heck are we going, anyway?" Duke asked her. She suddenly stopped. There was a faint light, far off. She crept slowly forward. The team followed her to the tunnel that was lit, and peeked in. A faint, shaded light hung from a bare wire in the ceiling. Zelda grinned.

                "Here." she whispered. "Wait a sec and I'll go in." She slipped forwards, pacing into the light. The Ducks watched her go halfway into the tunnel, and stop. She snapped her head down, uttering three barking snorts. There was a far off movement in the tunnel. A voice filtered though.

                "Zelda?" it was a young man's voice.

                "Leo!" she yelped at him. A figure came running out and stooped down to hug her.

                "Zel, I can't believe that you're here! After all this time!" the man said.

                "It's been a while." she confessed. "So where is everyone?" she asked. The man stood.

                "Hang on a sec." he ran off, and the Ducks could hear him yelling. "Raph! Mike, Don! Get your shells out here! Master, Venus, you won't believe who decided to pay a visit." Five other figures came out into the hall, and Zelda ran to meet them. They were all talking at once, words of greeting echoed through the tunnel.

                "So what took ya so long to get your scales back here?" asked a rough man's voice. Zelda laughed.

                "Well I have been busy. I'm with a new team now."

                "No kidding?" another voice asked. "So who's the lucky bunch?" Zelda giggled and ran back to the Ducks, pulling them all around the corner. The six figures came up to meet them. The Ducks gasped when they saw that these were not men! Five of them looked like turtles with cloth masks over their eyes, and one was an old rat! The six figures stared at the Ducks as if they were as amazed to be seeing Ducks all suited up in armor.

                "The Mighty Ducks!" a turtle in a blue mask said. "So that's what you've been up to Zel." He put out a three-fingered hand to Wildwing, who shook it rather timidly, still in a bit of shock.

                "Ducks, I'd like to introduce you to some pals of mine. These are the Ninja Turtles. The blue one is Leonardo, the leader. Then there's Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, and their ninja master Splinter." Zelda stopped short when she faced a female turtle with a teal mask over her eyes. The turtle smiled at her warmly, put her palms together, and bowed in a Zen manner.

                "I am sorry I have not yet introduced myself, dragon. I am Venus. The others have told me much about you." Zelda returned Venus's bow.

                "Ah yes, I can sense what mindset you have, Venus. Stay with your Shenobi magic and practice it well my friend, these five are in dire need of some of it." The turtles snorted on this note. Zelda grinned and turned back to her Ducks. "And these, Turtles, are the Mighty Ducks. This is Wildwing, his brother Nosedive, Mallory, Grin, Tanya and Duke." The turtles and Ducks all shook hands and said various hellos. Some of them hit it off instantly.

                "Zelda, how on earth did you meet these guys?" Mallory asked.

                "Well it's a bit of a story..." she grinned. Raphael stepped forwards.

                "Well, ya see it was a long time ago. We were fightin' these bad guys called the Foot. So we got separated, and I guess they caught me off guard..." Raph took up the conversation.

                "Caught you off guard indeed, yeah right." Mike teased.

                "Anyway, I was flying over the city, and I see these guys dressed in black in this alley beating on someone." Zelda continued. "I flew down and chased these guys off. It wasn't until after that I realized that Raph wasn't an ordinary human like I had thought. The other three came to his aide, and I was there. And the rest is history." Raph nodded.

                "Yeah, ya probably saved my shell that night." he said.

                "So what were you doing, sneaking the Ducks in here?" Splinter asked Zelda, rubbing her head.

                "Huh, I was half expecting to bump into a patrol of the Foot!" she grinned.

                "The Foot? My, you've got a lot to catch up on." Don informed her with a grin.

                "Yes, I think our friends would all be more comfortable inside." Splinter said, beckoning all of them deeper into the tunnel.

 

                Zelda sat back on the couch and sighed.

                "Well, this rathole doesn't look any cleaner than when I saw it last.... no offense Splinter."

                "None taken." he chuckled. The Ducks sat down in the mess. The Turtles' home consisted of an old subway tunnel and a subway car. Several couches, chairs and tables were scattered about the tunnel. The floor was littered with papers and TV guides. Appliances like a TV, microwave, oven and refrigerator were planted in no order. Strings of Christmas lights covered the walls, and most lighting was provided by bulbs over head, covered by dusty shades.

                "Wow, you guys actually LIVE here?" Dive asked, rubbing his head.

                "I've been trying to clean this place up for weeks." Venus sighed. "A clean mind cannot live in a dirty home."

                "Relax my friend." Grin eased. "Peace will come in time."

                "You study Shenobi magic?" Venus asked, seeing the likenesses in their vocabulary.

                "Zen mostly." Grin said. The two started a conversation with each other. Donatello sat at his shabby computer console, which consisted of two dusty keyboards, and an old monitor with all sorts of odds and ends plastered on the frame.

                "You run your operations from here?" Tanya asked. "You'll get those keyboards clogged with dust if you don't keep them clean." She picked up a feather duster and started to dust the area, while Don started to tell her about their rather shabby computer system, that he had wired himself and was immensely proud of. Mike and Dive instantly got into an argument about who had the most extensive comic collection, while Wildwing chatted pleasantly with Leo about how they led their respective teams. Duke looked sort of withdrawn, until Raph sat down near him and started to talk. Zelda grinned and sat proudly next to Splinter.

                "They seem to be getting along very well." Splinter said, proud as well.

                "We are all warriors. Although he Ducks are not of ninja instruction, they value the same basics: leadership, teamwork, loyalty, pride..." Zelda agreed. "So tell me. You say the Foot are no longer a problem. What happened?"

                "The Shredder is no more. But we have a new problem. They are called The Rank. Their leader is the Dragon Lord." Zelda perked up. "He leads a force of dragons and is from a land known as the Dream Zone. A very strange place. Anyhow, he has come to this land and tried to gain our 'magical' powers by killing us and eating our own flesh!"

                "Ugh. But he is a dragon, you say?"

                "I thought that would interest you, young one."

                "Indeed it does. Perhaps this Dragon Lord would appreciate a scolding from a fellow of his blood." she snarled. "I am currently with the team I am with, partially because of the Saurian Overlord that is our enemy."

                "Aye. You are one of good purpose, dragon. You served us well in your day."

                "That day is not over Splinter. You know I am always available to help," Zelda started. Suddenly, a set of red and blue police headlights on the wall started to spin, and a loud alarm went off. Everyone in the room shot up.

                "What's wrong?" Wildwing asked.

                "The Rank... it's been detected!" Don cried.

                "What?" Nosedive asked.

                "Our enemy... we can track them." Venus explained, as Don went to work at the keyboard.

                "They're at the Bronx occult museum!" he said.

                "Aww man, I hope those dragons aren't picking up any more magical stunts." Raph snorted.

                "We've got to go!" Leo yelled. He stopped as the Ducks stood still. "Ummm, well, we can't really ask you to fight, this isn't your enemy." Leo fessed politely.

                "Your enemy is my enemy Turtles." Zelda said, perching on Leo's shoulder. "I will fight with you again."

                "Then we'll fight as well." Wildwing smiled. Leo looked relived.

                "With our numbers, this should be easy! Let's go!" he called. The two groups ran out and split, entering the sewer.

                "We've got our own vehicle!" Mike called.

                "So do we! We'll catch up with you!" Mallory assured. The Ducks leapt out of the sewer, and, after pulling Grin out of the manhole, they loaded up in the Migrator.

                "Tayna, can you get a fix on the Turtles?" Wing asked, rolling out onto the street."

                "Just off to the left. Turn here and you'll meet them!" Wing turned off, and came up behind a green Hummer.

                "Woah, now THAT'S some nice wheels." Nosedive said. Raph ripped up beside the Migrator on a motorcycle. He motioned for them to speed up, and the three vehicles ripped down the street.

               

                The occult museum was quite a small building. Made of old cobblestone and decked with carvings and gargoyles, it took up the corner building of a street. The Hummer parked as the Migrator pulled up behind it. The Turtles and Ducks piled out.

                "Be careful Ducks, you know little of our enemy!" Venus warned.

                "Let us take on the big green geeks." Mike said. And the two groups headed into the museum.

 

                The door was kicked down with the force of several feet.

                "It's GREEN TIME dragon boyyyyyyyyzzzzzz!" Mike yelled into the blackness, which quickly received a whack on the shoulder from Leo.

                "So much for being one with the night, you just blew our cover!" he hissed.

                "Well it doesn't look like we'll be needing it!" Mallory pointed. Several plumes of flame lit the room, casting jagged shadows everywhere. A huge, dragon-faced being stepped forwards, laughing.

                "So Turtles, I see your green plague has taken a rather feathered turn..." he cocked his head, sniffing the air.

                "You've got a few new enemies to deal with dragon!" Leo threatened proudly.

                "Well I don't know about these 'new enemies', but they sure look delicious!" an annoying voice squealed from the corner. A tiny creature with a long, toothed snout hissed at them.

                "Yes Wick... these creatures must too posses magical powers!" Several more lights went up, revealing a force of figures clad in black, standing behind the Dragon Lord. They had several different armorments, and their black outfits covered all except for pairs of green-lidded eyes. They hissed and yelled praise of their leader. A sudden growl quieted their cheers. The Dragon Lord turned his head as Zelda parted through and stood before her teammates. "Ho, and what is this...." the dragon started.

                "Your worst nightmare, dragon cousin." Zelda assured him. "Humans banished your kind from this earth centuries ago, but we and only we remain, your betters!"

                "You lie!" the Lord bit.

                "You are strangers here dragons, and your time in the Dream Zone has turned your blood to evil!" Zelda snarled.

                "We have come back to slaughter the humans, to reclaim what is truly ours!" the Dragon Lord roared. His supporters rallied again behind him.

                "You have forgotten your past, you are a shame to your bloodline!" Zelda roared just as loudly back.

                "ENOUGH!" the dragon screamed. "We'll see who's bloodline is spilled most on the floor come tonight's end! ATTACK!" Suddenly, the room was filled with moving bodies, black and green flashing. The Turtles let out a cry and leapt into the fury. The Ducks caught onto the action and joined beside them. The Dragon Lord and Wick sat in a large stone chair, a perfect viewpoint for the battle. He watched as pucks and kicks flew, keeping an eye on that troublesome little dragon, thinking about what she had told him. The fight broke quickly, scattering about the museum and out of sight.

 

                Zelda bared her teeth and rammed hard into one of the dragons. The black-clad figure went sprawling away, being shoved into Venus, who kicked him into a wall. Raphael was somewhere nearby, Zelda could hear him. She continued to smack and bite and ram and claw, dozens of black figures swirling and crashing around her. These guys were coming out of the woodwork! Zelda panted as she raked one across the shoulder, and backed up. She suddenly bumped into another dragon. Spinning around, she suddenly halted and realized it was Venus!

                "You okay?" the dragon breathed.

                "I'm fine! Stay together!" the turtle replied, reaching into a pouch at her hip.

                "Ugh, there's too many of these guys!" Zelda snarled, slapping another one away with her tail. The dragons were drawing closer in by the second. A dragon clad in a purple suit made his way through the crowd. Venus spotted him instantly, a commander. She pulled two metallic balls out of her pouch. Chi balls. They clinked with a faint metallic chiming as she raised her shoulder.

                "Hang on my friend, I shall take care of these lizards!" she yelled. Venus hurled the two orbs at the commander. The lizard reacted instantly, drawing a samurai sword and holding it up. The two orbs deflected off of the metal with a clang, and flew off into a corner. The room suddenly shook with a fiery explosion. Somebody's yell caught Zelda's sharp ear. She had heard that yell before. She leapt from Venus's side and into the smoke, jumping off of the heads of dozens of waving and coughing dragons. The smoke stung her eyes and she failed to see where she was going. Suddenly, her footing disappeared, and she crashed to the ground, landing on her side and sliding into something soft. She was up and beside the figure in a second. She was right, it was Raph! He must have been too close to the explosion. He was crimped up on his side, back to her. Zelda panicked and looked up, through the swirling and confused dragons.

                "Venus!" she yelled. "Venus where are you?" Something grabbed her by the shoulder. Zelda screamed animalishly and swung around, ready to face the creature, but found again that it was Venus! She halted as the Turtle crouched beside her.

                "Sorry for snooking up on you dragon." Venus said hastily.

                "That's 'sneaking' Venus. Raph got hurt!" Zelda waved it off. Venus and Zelda carefully rolled Raph onto his back, the turtle responding with a loud snarl of protest. He was burned badly along his side. As Zelda whined, she was suddenly smacked backwards by a heavy kick. The dragons were back to fighting again! Zelda rolled up, trying not to get trampled on, and fought her way back to Raph's side. They had to get him out of here! Raph was rolled back up into a ball, returning to his former position on his side. Venus sat near him looking alarmed and helpless. "Venus, Raph's in pain! You know Shenobi magic, can't you do something?" Zelda pleaded. Venus thought for a second, and then gently placed her hands over Raph's squinted eyes. She hummed deeply, and suddenly a blue light flowed down her arms and through her hands. After a few seconds, she retracted.

                "That will put him to sleep, he will feel no more for now." she said quickly.

                "Good. I'll stay here with him, you go get help!" Zelda ordered.

                "Are you sure that you will be okay?" Venus asked, getting up.

                "I can hold them off for a while, now go! And hurry!" Zelda snapped. Venus darted away, a portion of the dragons following her. Zelda roared loudly, spreading her wings over Raph and rearing up to face the rest. Suddenly, there was something heavy that struck her in the back, throwing her forwards and down.

 

                Wildwing spun around and threw a dragon off of him. He checked his launcher. He was almost out of pucks! He snorted, asking himself what the heck he had gotten the team into. Why had he listened to Zelda? The black warriors continued to swirl about. Wing knew that Donatello and Mallory were in the room with him, he had seen flashes of them. As there was a break in the fighting, Wildwing gasped and leapt back as a Turtle was thrown at his feet. It was the girl. Wildwing quickly helped her up, her name coming quickly to him.

                "Are you okay Venus?" he asked, kicking a dragon in the chin.

                "I am alright, but Zelda needs your help, Raphael has been injured." she yelled back, trying to hold her own among the fighting as well.

                "Where is she?" Wildwing asked.

                "Follow me!" Venus said back, darting off.

                "Mallory, get Don and come with me." Wildwing ordered into his com. The three rushed out of the room quickly, leaving alongside a number of dragons. Wildwing frowned. Why were they all leaving so fast? As they entered the main room, the dragons around them suddenly vanished in a sudden cloud of smoke.

                "What the heck?!" Mallory sounded loudly behind Wing. He didn't stop, Venus was running ahead more quickly now. Something was wrong and he knew it. They entered a darker room now, a corner charred with some kind of explosion. But there was nothing. Venus skidded to a stop and stood looking helplessly.

                "Why have we stopped? Where are they?" Don asked as he and Mallory caught up.

                "They were here...." she started, and then jerked her sentence to a halt, realizing what had happened. Now Wildwing knew why the dragons had left so quickly.

                "We have to get back to the sewers." Don said softly.

 

                Darkness. She couldn't see a thing.... unless she was... No, she hadn't gone blind. Zelda blinked, seeing the faint gray on the floor. The next thing that came to her was the throbbing pain in her back. It pulsed, pumping up through her nerves, radiating along her body. Zelda drew in a soft, sharp breath, gritting her teeth to try and control the pain. She forced it down a little. Zelda raised her head and sniffed the air. Raph. She smelled him instantly, he was somewhere close. Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the light. Zelda looked around her to see him lying about five feet away, on his back. Zelda propped up one arm, then the other, putting her mind fully to the task of getting up. She did so, walking stiffly over to his side and sitting down. He was still asleep. Venus did her magic well. With a burn like he had, he'd thank her after this whole ordeal was over with. Suddenly she raised her head. There was something else in the air. She growled deeply. They weren't alone.

                "I was wondering how long it would take you." the voice of the Dragon Lord sheared like a ragged steak knife through the darkness. Zelda drew herself up. She would not let herself be seen injured and down. "Don't fake it you pathetic little ball of scales." he hissed. "If you're good enough to comply with me, I just may even let you live." Zelda roared into the darkness.

                "I know what you're talking about Dragon. You'll have to get through me before you harm Raph." she snarled.

                "Which isn't as difficult as you make it out to be, dragon." The Dragon Lord's eyes burned a deep red. The light cast dim shadows all around, and Zelda saw her situation. The two were in a cage about ten feet square, suspended from the ceiling. She sighed.

                "The others will come...."

                "And I'm counting on it. And your... duck friends will prove most useful to me as well."

                "Dragon Lord I will be honest to you." Zelda started. "Our serpentine hearts beat with similar blood. And deep down you know I have no will to kill you. Nay, I'd rather prevent the matter."

                "So it is true..." the Dragon rumbled back to her.

                "However you underestimate me Dragon Lord. Your time trapped in the Dream Zone has severed you from your origins. In your absence, the dragon shed it's evil scales and rose up to fight for good and truth."

                "Your speeches, they move me not, Zelda. We'll never shed the evil heart of our beginnings."

                "It has already been done Dragon Lord." Zelda sighed. "And that is why your operation is destined to fail."

 

To be continued......

 

Mighty Ducks-The Animated Series, including all logos and characters (except mine) are copyright and property of Disney. You may copy, print, or whatever with this document, so long as it is not altered and I (Zelda) am credited. Thanks!