"Tell me again why we're here?" Hael asked.

"Leon promised me a pizza, so I wanted to get it before we left. Besides, everyone's hungry."

"You think Aelan can convince that fairy to get us an audience?"

"Considering the deal we gave that asshole, he should be begging to do anything we ask."

Hael sighed as they waited inside the pizza joint to get pizza for everyone. They had driven Aelan to Leon's apartment and left him there so that he could have alone time with the fairy without any 'human interference'. He hoped that wasn't a mistake.

***************

Aelan watched the fairy drink the sugar water he had given him and glanced at his necrotic arm that was still being held down with the knife Nate had stabbed into it sometime before. The fairy watched him as he tried to figure out what he wanted to do. Maybe trying to communicate in its own language would help...

"Egoma eihoon aaliaryetatt aapseiseihein hinden nekrokro." He said choppily.

"Don't try to speak our language." The fairy said with a scowl.

"So you speak English then?"

"Of course we do, but we hate it. It's vulgar with too many rules, but you trying to speak Fae in that condition is just... repulsive."

"Fair enough."

The fairy turned his head. "You're not like the others."

"The others?"

"Them. Those humans that brought me here... You say that they are your brothers?"

"Yes."

"And yet why are you turning into a fairy?"

"One of you put a curse on me to torment Nate."

"Dear child, why would we ever do that?"

"Because it causes strife and turmoil... something you guys seem to feed off of."

The fairy laughed. "Humans are so interesting... Do you really believe that we would want one of those creatures to become one of us? Why do you think we cause issues with humans? We like to see them flounder because we think they are beneath us, a nuisance; like a cockroach flailing because of bug spray."

"And your point?"

"If that's how we feel, then why in the world would be want a human to become one of us?"

"I just explained it to you."

"And I just explained it to you. Would you want to invite a cockroach to turn into a human? A superior being in every way?"

"No."

"Then, again, why would we want something we think is the equivalent to a cockroach to become one of us?" Aelan didn't say anything. "Exactly. That means that you're not like the rest."

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm actually a fairy or something?" Aelan laughed hard. "That's kind of ballsy coming from you. I eat salt on everything and practically everything is made with it in large quantities, I've never had an issue with silverware, and the reason I am crazy is because a fairy-tree cursed me with madness because I, a human, broke a fairy ring in front of it."

"How quaint."

"Stop diverting the question! Will you summon whoever is the highest authority over the ones after my brother so that we can make a truce?"

"We can't be 'summoned'. We're not demons and we're not slaves to the likes of humans."

"Then who do I talk to someone I can negotiate with?" Aelan growled.

"Well, considering you're a fairy yourself, why can't you figure it out?"

"I'm not a fairy! I didn't ask for this! You guys did this to me! How am I supposed to know how to do anything?"

"How do you know that we were the ones who did it? How exactly can you say you know?"

"One of you stabbed me in the heart and I turned into one right after that."

The fairy chuckled, throwing its head back. "Interesting... If you were human, then there is a 100% chance that you wouldn't be standing in front of me right now."

Aelan was about to protest but the fairy had a point. Every other person who had had contact with a fairy ended up either gravely wounded or dead. Why didn't he?

"There's no way that I'm a fairy. Nate and I are identical twins."

"Hmm."

"You can't be identical twins without being in the same womb!"

"That's true."

"Stop patronizing me. You're wrong and you know it."

The door opened and Hael came in with the pizzas in hand. He walked over and put them on the table as Nate closed the door behind them.

"Any luck?" Hael asked.

"No, this stupid thing is talking in riddles." Aelan growled, throwing up a hand.

"What's going on?" Nate said, narrowing his eyes at his brother. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Unen paanlo." The fairy said.

"No."

"Aelan?"

"Eknanas azbevbev the paanlo.Nanjaxe aheng afantos."

"Stop it! Get out of my head." He said, putting his hand to head.

"Hey, stop it! What are you doing to him?" Nate growled, walking over.

"'Foae' dikahaar paanlo hindengion ya? Dentro the par veveijott samucka kya aftoon paanlo."

"Stop it!" he screamed, crouching down in the fetal position. "Stop mixing up my thoughts!"

"Aelan!" Nate ran to him, kneeling down. "Hey, Aelan, what is he saying to you?"

"Pigaijao lashkakar pros tinaapseis legna afantos ekkiya ya atcheretoba dikahaar se heeparli samucka afantosekkiya?" 

Aelan started screaming, trying to drown the fairy out as Nate tried to comfort his twin. Hael walked to the kitchen and came back with a cast iron griddle presser and came up behind the fairy. He pulled down it's shirt at the shoulder and shoved the presser onto it's collarbone. It screamed in agony as Hael reached around and held his chin, holding the presser close to his face.

"Stop doing whatever it is you're doing or I will melt your face off with this thing?"

"Aapseis pros tin raadkitallasiet titi'aih konatopigai egona eihoon kya?" the fairy said, trembling, but there was still a cockiness about him.

"Enough! Whatever it is you're doing to him, make it stop!"

"Aheng egona kat sesak egonaagar-"

"Speak English! I know you can!"

"He must release his own mind. This is not my doing."

"Stop toying with me." He shoved the presser closer. "Tell me who to summon to help my brother."

"His mind-"

"Not Aelan, Leon! One of your stupid cronies stabbed him and now he's dying as we speak. Help us save him. What would it take for you to help us do that?"

"Well for one, threatening me is not the way..."

"Then what is?" Nate said from the floor. "You're the ones that started coming after me and my family guns blazing. Maybe if you guys hadn't started trying to kill everyone in our path, we wouldn't be doing this with you or trying to bargain."

"Unen legna." The fairy said.

Hael looked over at Aelan as he shook and mumbled to himself on the ground still.

"Unen legna."

"No... it's not true... It makes no sense!" He looked up and moved forward on his knees. "It's not true..."

"Aelan-"

"I CAN'T BE!"

"Eihein samucka aapseis kya unenlegna!" the fairy screamed.

"I'm not a Changeling! I can't be!" he yelled, desperation in his eyes.

"What's a Changeling?" Hael asked.

Nate glared at Aelan for a second. "It's a fairy that's switched places with a human baby."

Hael looked back at the fairy and grabbed it by the hair of the head, yanking his head back to look at him.

"Stop putting stupid ideas into his already fragile mind! I was at the hospital when he was born! He was in the same incubator with Nate because they couldn't be apart. He was having issues..."

"Were you inside the delivery room when he was born? Did you physically see him coming out of your parent? Or did you only discover him later? Isn't that strange? I'm quite certain that when a human is carrying more than one child they look considerably more noticeable, right?"

"Stop playing games." Hael seethed.

"And you are aware that when a human is switched with a Changeling child, they are considerably sicker and have health problems due to the change in environment and physicality, right? Isn't strange that he had to be in the same incubator due to complications?"

"Multiple births are known for that."

"Then let me put it this way: it's obvious that the Fae despise humans, correct?"

"Yeah..."

"Then I'll ask you the same question I asked him: why would we ever want one of you to become one of us?"

The question rang in Hael's ears as he let go of the fairy, walking backwards from it. He looked over at Aelan, who was shaking.

"Don't believe him... Please..."

"Aelan can't be a Changeling because I'm right here." Nate growled. "We even grew up together. Changelings trade out babies, not mimic them."

"Unless you're stupid."

Nate looked at Hael. "Can I kill him? Please? He's only trying to cause dissension! Aelan can't be a Changeling child! If anyone was going to be one, then wouldn't it be me? I mean, I'm the one that's been missing for ten years and I came back looking like I haven't aged a day. I mean, Changelings don't age appropriately."

"On the contrary, Changelings can age just like normal humans if they are integrated properly. If done so correctly, they can even do everything a human can do, including eat salt and work with iron and it's subsidiaries."

"That's not true!" Nate screamed.

"He... let you go..." Nate turned as Hael stared at him and Aelan.

"What?"

"Aelan let you go... I saw you at the tree and Aelan could have pulled you up, no problem but... There was no tree but..."

"Hael, stop it. Don't give in his antics."

"He let you go! That's why I never understood why it was so hard to comprehend. The tree was there but then I wasn't and I just..."

Nate stood up grabbed the knife out the fairy's wound and then stabbed it into his heart.

"Leave my brothers alone!" he screamed, twisting the knife.

Just like all the others, it gave out a horrid scream and then began to turn into dust. Nate could only save Hael as he stood there in shock and so he jumped over the sofa and tackled his brother to the ground, covering both of their face.

"Aelan, cover your face!" he yelled.

The dust filled the room like a cloud and finally dissipated, falling down like a fine mist. Once he felt it was safe, Nate looked up and stood, looking at Aelan, who hadn't covered his face like he was supposed to. He was still on his knees, looking dazed.

"Aelan?"

"I'm not a monster." He whispered. "My name is Michaelangelo Splinter and I'm human... It's the name I was given..."

Nate walked over to his brother and got on his knees as well, grabbing Aelan's hands. Aelan focused on Nate and squeezed his hands tighter, leaning into him.

"Nate, you have to believe me. I'm not a Changeling. Please... please believe me..."

"I do believe you... I believe that you didn't really know." Aelan's eyes widened. "I realize now that the one they wanted was you."

Aelan put his hands on Nate's shoulders. "I'm not a Changeling! Nate, I promise!"

Nate watched him for a moment and then put his hand on his cheek.

"But you are. Even I forgot... I mean... I don't think what you are defines an actual Changeling but more like... a wish."

Aelan's eyes were so wide Nate didn't think they'd get wider. He started shaking and he heard Hael walked over to them.

"You knew something wasn't right all this time, didn't you?"

"I honestly can't say. I mean, I guess I did subconsciously..." he said, not believing what was happening.

Aelan started to hyperventilate, shaking Nate. "No! No, Nate, stop that! I'm real! I'm your twin, your brother! We did everything together and- and we were so happy and... and you have to believe me! Don't do this to me Donatello!"

"You were a wish and a hope and a dream all rolled into one. They were after you that night, but I couldn't let the image break. If I had let it break then, it would have done so much damage. You didn't go crazy because of the tree, you went crazy because of me. I made you do an impossible task..."

"NO! NO!" he screamed, the lights flickering as he pushed away from Nate and crawled backwards. "You have to believe me! You have to believe! YOU CAN'T BREAK THE IMAGE! YOU CAN'T DO THIS ALL AT ONCE! BELIEVE IN ME! YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN ME! Donatello! Donatello, please! Please! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME! DONATELLO!"

As he screamed the lights began to flicker more and the apartment shook like there was an earthquake. Hael ran over to Nate, holding him as he sobbed, watching Aelan go into some sort of tantrum. It looked as if his face suddenly started to melt away, another face appearing. Aelan was pushing his 'skin' back into place desperately, trying to keep the image as best as he could, but the mirage just slipped through his fingers like water. He held his face in horror and suddenly screamed, throwing his head back as a light seemed to emit from his body. It beamed through his eyes, nose, and ears and then it seemed to mushroom out, engulfing the room in its radiance. Something that sounded like a pulse sounded and the light spread out past the apartment and then came flooding back, like a start going supernova and creating a blackhole. Once it all came back, it compressed in Aelan and then seemed to burst into a million stars.