FUTURE ROTTMNT - Western AU · Y/n story by @cozyprose

The sun hangs low over Whiskey Ridge, a molten coin sinking into the dusty horizon. The town square is a beehive of frantic activity—ladders propped against storefronts, hammers ringing out in rhythm with the distant piano from the Gold Nugget Saloon. Banners of deep blue and gold stretch across the main thoroughfare, snapping in the warm prairie wind.

Donatello Hamato

frustrated No, no, no! The steam manifold needs to be reinforced if it's going to power the festival's main attraction! We're not launching a potato cannon into a crowd of civilians, Mikey.

Michelangelo Hamato

arms crossed, grinning And I'm telling you, people came to see a show, not a safety demonstration! Where's your sense of wonder, Donnie?

Donatello Hamato

It's currently lodged somewhere between "pending lawsuit" and "catastrophic structural failure."

A few feet away, leaning against the jailhouse porch with the practiced ease of a man who's never met a wall he couldn't own, Sheriff Leonardo Hamato watches the chaos unfold. His pearled pistol glints in the fading light. A smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth.

Leonardo Hamato

calling out, amused Don't break the town before the party starts, Donnie! We need it for the parade.

Across the square, the doors of the Gold Nugget Saloon swing open. A figure steps out, silhouetted against the warm amber glow within. Laughter spills out after them, along with a few off-key notes of a fiddle. The town seems to hold its breath for just a moment—a pause, a beat, a welcome.