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officiallyashley · 1 year

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TMNT 2003 HEADCANONS— ‘Same As It Never Was’ headcanons

NOTES: this episode fucking killed me because it’s so damn tragic. However, this is one of my favorite Donnie-centric episodes, so I’m willing to suffer (lol) to write this set of headcanons. Rewatching this episode is nostalgic but also heart-wrenching.

WARNINGS: mentions of major character deaths, mentions of a miscarriage, elements of mental health struggles, mentions of losing a child.

{~~~}

So the Daimyo’s son and Draco had merged together

Which wasn’t good

And they had Lord Simultaneous’ Time Scepter

Which also was not good

So yeah the turtles and the kunoichis and Splinter were kinda fucked

What ended up happening was the turtles and the kunoichis were sent to different points in time

Leo and Jackie had gotten sent to a different time, Raph and Alex were sent to some point in the future, Mikey and Shiphrah had gone to an alternate dimension and met their alternative counterparts, and Donnie and Ash were sent like thirty-something years into the future.

And that future

Oh shit it was not a bright one

Donnie and Ash were trying to get a hold of their surroundings. They were in the lair, but it wasn’t like it had been before.

The lair was disheveled and decrepit. It was completely destroyed, and there weren’t any signs of anyone being there. It was very eerie.

As the two were getting a feel of their very unnerving surroundings, Donnie and Ash had been caught by people that weren’t proving to be very nice. They were attacked by the Foot Gestapo, and they weren’t going to back down from the fight.

However, someone intervened and helped them out. It turned out to be this timeline’s version of Mikey.

Mikey’s voice was noticeably deeper, and he was missing his left arm. That definitely didn’t sit well with neither Ash nor Donnie.

“Where the shell have you been all of these years?” Future Mikey questioned, anger seeping into his voice.

“What? All these years?” Donnie inquired, confused.

“You’ve been gone for thirty years, Donatello!”

Holy shit. This was not good. This future wasn’t a bright one, that’s for sure, and it was clearly dystopian.

“When you were gone, Donnie, everything fell apart. It just didn’t work. Guess we really needed that level head or yours.” Mikey stated.

Ash really wanted to go home. She desperately wanted to go home to where her lover and her friends were, but she knew that she and Donnie had to help them in any way that they could.

Mikey then took Ash and Donnie to Splinter. To Shiphrah, Jackie, and Master Splinter’s grave.

This appalled Donnie and Ash. What had happened here? To Ash, and she assumed Donnie had some kind of idea as to what happened, as well, because of the look he gave Ash when Future Mikey wasn’t looking, this timeline was where some kind of uprising took place. If Ash and Donnie had to assume, they would place their bets on the Shredder.

“What happened?” Donnie asked out of devastation and shock. Ash just remained quiet as she put her hand on his shoulder, a subtle way that she would comfort her loved ones around her.

“A couple of years after you left, Master Splinter gave his life protecting our brothers and the kunoichis. It’s not very safe here, but it’s where he wanted to be buried. Karai had led Shiphrah into a trap, and she was ultimately killed by Karai. At the time, Carter, her and Leo’s son, was six years old. Jackie… she… she was… never found. We went on a mission, and she was never found. She’s most likely dead because we’ve never found her body and we haven’t heard from her in decades. Our son was around 9 when Jackie went missing.” Mikey explained roughly, trying not to choke up at the mention of his wife.

Ash and Donnie’s blood went cold at the abundance of awful news. “That’s… that’s awful… I’m so sorry for your loss.” Ash sympathized, just staring at her sisters' and Sensei's graves. The more she looked at it, the more her eyes welled up with tears. She briefly turned away to wipe the tears from her eyes, hoping the others wouldn’t see.

“What’s even sadder is that Master Splinter never got to meet his other grandkids. Harley was about to be four and Bella was a year old, and you were pregnant with the twins when Splinter died. Shiphrah and Jackie never got to see their children and nieces and nephews grow up.” Mikey elaborated further.

After taking a moment, the three decided that they were going to take down the Shredder once and for all. However, they were going to need Leo and Raph for this.

Mikey then took them to April, who was obviously aged dramatically. They also saw Steele, Tessa, Harley, and Whitney there, too. Judging by their reactions, it was clearly very emotional to see their mom. Carter and Hunter also saw their Uncle Donnie and Aunt Ashley, which was also incredibly emotional for them. However, the next generation of Hamatos didn’t have to time explain why they were feeling how they were feeling.

April had been the main leader of the revolution with Tessa being the leader of the next generation of ninja turtles and Carter being her second-in-command. April was also the one who took part in raising the children. She would help out the turtles with their kids whenever they needed it. It was also mentioned that both April and Tessa were the main driving forces of the revolution against the Shredder.

April hugged Donnie and Ash tightly. “God, I thought I would never see you two again!” April exclaimed.

This made Ash wonder… did something happen to her?

This is where they learned that Casey had passed away, which only saddened them more.

Now, they had to locate Raph and Leo, which they managed to do.

The two brothers had gotten into a fight, but Donnie managed to disarm them and create some distance from them.

Raph and Leo were frozen. They swore up and down that they were dreaming.

“Donnie?!”

“Ashley?!”

“Leo! Raph! We need to talk!” Donnie stated seriously.

Raph immediately hugged both his brother and Ash. Leo was grinning.

“Ash, how? How the hell are you here right now…?” The older Raph asked as he hugged the brunette woman. His voice trembled, but he didn’t cry, even though it seemed like he really wanted to.

“That, um, is a long story, Raph…” Ash muttered as she hugged the older version of her boyfriend in return. Raph was much taller, so he towered over her dramatically, and his right eye had a scar over it. Ash surmised that he had lost vision in his right eye. Also, there were scars on his plastron. It looked like Raph took some pretty nasty hits, that’s for sure.

Leo, however, had lost his eyesight altogether. He was completely blind. “Ash, Donnie, it-it’s a miracle knowing you’re both here!” Leo exclaimed.

“We know that Don left at some point, but, if it’s okay to ask, what happened to… me? Where’s Alex and the other kunoichis?” Ash inquired, looking at Raph.

The older brothers fell silent.

“I-I mean, if you don’t want to tell it, you don’t have—”

“You died in childbirth with our last kid, with Whitney,” Raph spoke up painfully.

Everyone was inaudible. Ash was frozen in her spot. Her heart stopped. “I-I died…?” Ash murmured in shock. She looked to Donnie, who was very unnerved. Leo had a despondent look on his face.

“Shiphrah was killed by Karai and Jacklyn was killed by the Shredder. We never found Jackie’s body. After losing Donnie, her sisters, Master Splinter, and her baby, Alex flew into a state of depression and her powers went out of control. There’s been no contact with her for over twenty years.” Leo explained heavily.

“April and the kiddos have attempted to make contact with Alex, but they’ve never been successful in locatin’ her. We don’t even know if she’s dead or alive.” Raph added on to what his brother was saying.

“Yeah… Mikey already told us about Splinter, Shiphrah, and Jackie…” Ashley muttered sadly.

Donnie and Ash were absolutely paralyzed. Even though Mikey had already notified them of the unfortunate news, the two of them were mortified. Nothing was said after that, and it was then that Mikey and April approached the group. This set the group back on track with their mission, albeit with an incredibly disturbed Ashley and Donatello.

They were very reluctant to go up against the Shredder, but Donnie and Ash gave them a pep talk.

“I don’t know what happened to you guys, but the turtles I knew never thought anything was hopeless!” Donnie said.

Ash nodded. “Donnie’s right. Whatever happened to this world is awful and tragic, but we have a chance of getting back what is rightfully yours. Your freedom. Your chance to live out the rest of your lives peacefully and without fear. We have to do it for the ones we’ve lost, and for the ones that we have now.” Ash monologues vehemently.

She was then pulled into a side hug by Raph. He had a secure hold on her frame. “I’ve missed seein’ the passion in yer eyes, Ash,” Raph stated in a low tone. Ash could hear the sad smile in his voice. It broke her heart immensely, and she knew that it broke Donnie’s heart, as well.

So they all decided to take on the Shredder one last time. Donnie and Ash had come up with a plan as their stay here in 2035 had gone on. So they put that plan in motion. The turtles and Ash had raided Shredder’s lair via the Tunneler. Donnie was wearing an exo-suit to challenge the Shredder. They were immediately jumping into action and they weren’t wasting any time.

As the final battle was ensuing, everyone was trying their best. Giving it their all for the people that they loved.

During the battle, Mikey had been buying Donnie and Ashley time for them to take down the Shredder, only for Mikey to get surrounded and slashed to death by many of the Karai Legions. Leo and Raph were killed by Karai later on in the fight.

Seeing these versions of the turtles getting brutally murdered made Donnie and Ash even madder and more devastated. Ash remembers screaming at the sight of this timeline’s turtles, this timeline’s version of her lover, getting murdered in front of her. She wanted to go home. So so badly.

Ash and Donnie saw the blood of Raph, Mikey, and Leo. There was so much blood. There was so much goddamn blood.

Witnessing this turmoil caused Ash’s atmokinesis abilities to go out of control temporarily. As sad as it is, Ash going out of control like this gave Donnie the chance to make his move. This was what ultimately caused them to win the battle against the Shredder.

Next thing Donnie and Ash knew, April had shot a missile at Karai, which killed Karai instantly.

Ashley and Donnie and April collapsed to the ground. Leo, Mikey, Raph, April, Ash, and Donnie won. Unfortunately, it cost the lives of Raph, Leo, and Mikey.

Ash just remembered crying and crying. She was hysterical. This was the most hysterical that she had ever been, the most upset that Donnie had ever seen Ash in.

Donnie and Ash started to glitch out, the glitches getting more and more prominent.

“No! This isn’t right! Splinter, Raph, Leo, Casey, Shiphrah, Jackie, and Mikey should be here! They need to be here!” Ash sobbed, rushing over to the dead bodies of her loved ones. “And I-I hate to leave you alone like this, April!”

April glanced over at Ash tearfully. “Ashley, you're right. They should be here with us. You guys gave us a chance to have our future back. You gave us a chance to let Harley, Steele, Tessa, Carter, Hunter, and Whitney live as normal of a life as they can. Just remember: no matter what happens, there is always hope!” April said with tears in her eyes, her voice breaking slightly.

As Donnie and Ash faded away, the last thing they witnessed was devastation. The last thing Ash saw was the dead body of Raph laying in her arms. She thought of her children and her nephews. She thought of the turtles and her sisters. She could tell that Donnie was just as devastated as Ash was.

When Donnie and Ash returned to their time, Donnie and Ash hugged their loved ones. They hugged the turtles and the kunoichis as tightly as they could. They felt like if they let them go, then they would all fade away, and then their timeline would be just as bleak as the one they just visited.

The two ninjas weren’t the same for a long while. After everything with Draco and the Daimyo was settled, the turtles and the kunoichi were talking about their experiences. However, Ash and Donnie didn’t speak about anything.

“What happened to the place where you went, Donnie and Ashley?” Mikey asked them.

“Yeah, I was wondering that, too! Y’all two haven’t talked about it.” Raph mentioned.

Ash bit her bottom lip, looking apprehensively at Donnie. Donnie looked at her with the same sadness and heartbreak.

Donnie just shook his head silently. Ash got up from the couch and left the lair after that. She didn’t return to the lair, she didn’t answer any phone calls or texts from any of the turtles.

It was very transparent that Ash and Donnie were traumatized by everything that they went through. Obviously, everyone else was incredibly confused and concerned for their loved ones. Only Donnie and Ashley knew what happened, and trying to obtain information from them was proving to be incredibly challenging.

For a couple of weeks, actually, Donnie nor Ash spoke on the matter. It took them a while to even utter a word about it. They were both moodier and noticeably more depressed. Ash became self-destructive and reckless, and Donnie became more irritated. He began overworking himself, drowning himself in his inventions and other work.

It eventually got to a point where Splinter called Ash and Donnie into the dojo for a serious conversation. He mentioned their behaviors and how they both haven’t been the same people they love since they returned to the present.

That’s when they broke. Donnie and Ash both broke down and confessed everything. Little did the three of them know that the other turtles and kunoichis, along with April and Casey, had been eavesdropping on the discussion.

When they heard everything, their jaws dropped. They were gobsmacked at the news of what their loved ones experienced.

In the end, the healing process for Ash and Donnie was incredibly painful and challenging. Their family had helped them through a lot of it, and even though they both slowly began to get into a better headspace, Donnie and Ash still had trauma from the future they saw.

Seeing what happened in that timeline, one thing was made very clear to Donnie and Ash: it made them feel eternally grateful for what they have now in their timeline.

𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 © 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑. 𝐢 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚. 𝐢 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐜. 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥.

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