Author's Notes
Okay, I had originally published this story a year ago (exactly one year ago) – it was the very first thing I did on the site. I had intended to finish it, but things moved fairly slow, and eventually I decided to move on to bigger and better things, like Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry, The Poison of the Raven, and Ascendant. Looking back at this story, it feels like my "old shame". However, unlike some authors, I prefer not to leave any loose ends. I had originally considered deleting the story, but in the end I ultimately decided instead to simply redo the story. There were three chapters in the first version of this story, with a fourth set to be written before I lost interest. This version of the story will only be a one-shot, since I don't want to do four chapters.
The story takes place roughly a few weeks after The Prophecy, as you'll see.
Now, let's do this story, and hopefully do it right.
Mumbo is up to his old tricks again. Even after the Titans had put him in prison for robbing the Bank of Perez, abducting them and turning them into animals, and trying to make them disappear (forever), Mumbo isn't done yet.
"Convicts, it's time for the annual prison talent show. Now here's Mumbo Jumbo", said the anonymous announcer.
Mumbo then came out onto the stage, now in his orange jumpsuit and prison-issue hat and wand. "Alright, this won't be any good compared to my previous tricks, seeing as the guards took away my better magic, but let's give it a shot", the blue-skinned magician said.
"For my first trick", Mumbo said, nobody aware of what he was going to do. Mumbo flung his hat towards the convicts in the audience. A lot of pigeons then shoot out of the hat, but most just fall short of the convicts. "Aw, man they gave me dead pigeons", Mumbo yells in anger. The convicts were getting really riled up, yelling at the incompetent magician.
"For my second trick, I will need a volunteer. You sir, with the black wristband, come on up", Mumbo said. The convict Mumbo pointed out, with the black wristband and face tattoo of a scorpion, walks up to the stage, really angry at him. "What's your name sir?"
"John. I'm in here for beating up my high school gym teacher."
"Well, John. Pick a card any card."
John picked the nine of clubs before putting it back in Mumbo's hands. Mumbo shuffled the deck and threw all but one card away. "Is this your card", Mumbo asked. John, seeing it is a four of spades, yelled "No, you big dummy."
John walked down from the stage, getting back in his seat. The convicts were just about ready to run onto the stage and tear Mumbo to bits. "Now, for my grand finale, I will make sure you don't beat me up", Mumbo nervously said.
"Hocus pocus mark-us focus and vanish", Mumbo chanted. A cloud of black smoke then emerges where Mumbo was previously, which dazzled the convicts. The guards however, knew that Mumbo had escaped. The guards said, "Call the Teen Titans. Tell them that Mumbo escaped...again." This wasn't the first time Mumbo escaped, but they were sure it would be the last.
Mumbo then swooped into the Titans Tower, entering the evidence room and swiped his hat and wand, returning him to his old splendor, with black tuxedo and red cape. Mumbo promptly vanished, going to the Jump City Pier, where he intended to steal some precious items. Unfortunately for him, the Titans were also at the Pier, trying to calm down Raven.
"Raven, can't you chill for one day", Beast Boy asked. Raven angrily replied, "No. First Slade interrupted my birthday, now my dad's coming to conquer the world, and now Mumbo broke out of prison. Today is not my lucky day. I just want a world that I want." Mumbo noticed the Titans walking down near the diamond exhibit.
Mumbo then pulled out his wand and began zapping away at the Titans. However, it appears as if Mumbo's accuracy took a nose dive and all he does is hit a board on the pier. It gets up and then whacks Cyborg in the head. "Hey, what wise guy did that", Cyborg asked angrily. Robin said, "Mumbo. Titans Go!" The Titans then attacked Mumbo, who began trying to use his tricks on them. First, he constrained Robin in a bag that was a carnival tent. Then, he trapped Beast Boy in a box filling with water. Cyborg became Mumbo's next victim, squeezed between two giant playing cards. Starfire was then put in a box being sawed in two. Mumbo was as happy as a schoolboy, but Raven was still there.
Raven blasted Mumbo with her dark magic and knocked his hat off. "Don't you respect your elders, missy", Mumbo asked. Raven had only anger in her heart as she charged after Mumbo. Mumbo blasted his wand at Raven, but it just did nothing. "I figured you'd be here, so I took an anti-Mumbo potion", Raven calmly said, "Your tricks won't work." Mumbo yelled, "I'll show you." Mumbo blasted the full might of his magic at Raven, but Raven blocked Mumbo's magic with her own. Raven yelled, "Azarath metrion zinthos!" Then, Raven's shield instantly struck Mumbo, and then things got strange.
The four captive Titans were then sucked right into Raven, the effect of Raven's spell transpiring to all of Mumbo's magic. Mumbo soon followed the four Titans. Raven collapsed soon after, unconscious.
Mumbo was completely unconscious when he landed inside of Raven's dark, twisted mind. Mumbo then woke up and discovered he was a dodo bird.
"Hey, where am I? What am I?"
Then, he was "greeted" by a red-cloaked Raven with four red eyes – her rage. "This is my mind, you incompetent magician", she yelled. "My rules apply, and you don't have any power here, you're a dodo bird, ready for extinction."
Mumbo asked "What did I do?"
The red-cloaked Raven then proceeds to vanish away. Taking her place is the orange-cloaked Sarcasm.
Sarcasm says, "What did you do? Rob several banks, not worthy of becoming a dodo. Oh wait a minute, during one of your heists you put me into your hat, turned me into a rabbit, and took away my powers. You did the exact same thing to the other Titans, and tried to make us disappear. That's why you deserve to be here."
Mumbo yells "Are you trying to make me disappear?" Sarcasm's response was "No. I want you to feel what Raven felt. Your hat and wand are somewhere in this hat. And Rage will get to them first. I assure you that will happen."
Mumbo is in obvious panic, beginning to sweat in panic. Rage adds, unseen, "And I will shape the world into what I want it to be. Nobody will stop me."
Elsewhere in the Nevermore, the other Titans are waking up, landing on an asteroid. The question in Robin's mouth is "Where are we?"
Cyborg and Beast Boy simultaneously say "Raven's mind." While Beast Boy and Starfire sigh with relief, Robin and Cyborg sigh in anxiety. They both know Raven is very volatile and dangerous, and with Mumbo in her head, they know they have to find Mumbo.
The Titans begin to walk through a long path of stone in the bright red sky. They all are unsure of where Mumbo could possibly be, nor what Raven could have done to him. All the Titans are sure of is that they are not going to like what they see.
Suddenly, the four Titans come across a large maze. Beast Boy knows this is the labyrinth of Timid, Raven's fear. However, the emotion is absent from her maze.
The Titans are obviously confused as to why the emotion is there. Beast Boy and Cyborg both know that Happy was not there. Cyborg says, "Where are Raven's emotions? Happy never showed up, and Timid is not at her maze."
Robin could only say, "Raven is too angry for her other emotions to be here right now. We have to get by that maze."
Beast Boy responds, "We have to go through the maze. The maze has security measures that prevent us from blasting through or flying over."
Beast Boy leads the Titans through the labyrinth, trying to navigate through as they seek Mumbo, as they anxiously try to figure out what Raven could want or try to do.
Little do they realize that Rage is watching over them, and she knows that the Titans are coming on towards the wand and hat.
Mumbo is running quickly through the Nevermore, panicked and trying to find his wand and hat, the only way he could turn himself into a human and get out of Raven's head.
However, whenever he tried to move for more than thirty feet at a time, something randomly trips him, making him fall over and causing some bruising.
Mumbo is very exhausted from this and is beginning to think that he is never getting out of here. Rage appeared and then told him, "You aren't going to be the same man you once were, Mumbo. I assure you that."
The Titans finally exit the labyrinth, still trying to find Mumbo. However, they then meet Wisdom.
Beast Boy asks, "What are you doing here Wisdom?" Wisdom replies, "When Mumbo and you got sucked in here, Raven's mind began to construct a revenge game against Mumbo for turning her into a rabbit. She turned Mumbo into a dodo and stripped him of his wand and hat. The emotions that would oppose her revenge have vanished for the time being."
Robin asks why she is here. Wisdom replies "I am not a threat to Rage's plan of revenge. You need to get to Koran. That is where the wand and hat are. Mumbo is farther away than you at the moment, but Rage is considerably closer."
Starfire says, "Oh thank you Wisdom. How can we repay you?" Wisdom tells them to read more books.
The Titans get closer and closer to the Koran, a deadly region inside of her head, where foreign items are stored and held for analysis if not destruction.
The four Titans finally reach the Koran but are cut off by Rage, who is much larger than Raven, almost the size of Trigon.
Rage easily blasts away the Titans without any hesitation or difficulty. Mumbo soon appears, very exhausted and in pain.
Mumbo says, "Finally. Oh man, Titans and the red emotion."
Rage then pops over to where the wand and hat and grabs them. The hat then floats on top of Rage's cloaked head as the wand is firmly rooted in her hand. Rage yelled, "Now. My revenge."
The other Titans were shocked as they saw Rage with Mumbo's hat and wand - they could do nothing but look as she began.
Rage said, "Revenge is always so sweet. Azarath metrion zinthos."
Suddenly, Mumbo and the Titans were thrown out of Raven's mind and back into Jump City. However, this was not the Jump City they knew - it looked more like the city when Johnny Rancid used Larry's reality powers to take over.
It was perfectly Gothic in style and demonic in look - it seemed like there were dark buildings and fiery guards everywhere with everybody wearing dark clothing.
This was not a world the Titans would want to live in, well except for Raven.
Suddenly, the four Titans saw Raven, with Mumbo's hat burned into the top of her hood while her cloak and leotard were both completely black while her eyes were two were red pupils.
Raven lifted the four Titans up and said, "I won't be as bad as Mumbo. I won't take your attributes away, but I will take something away."
Beast Boy cried, "Raven, why?"
Raven smirked, "Because this is the perfect world for me. And I don't want to leave it."
The four Titans were all struck by Raven's magic and thrown onto the street. The first thing they noticed was their uniforms had completely changed - they were now nothing but black, white, and gray.
Starfire got back up and said "Come, we must follow Raven." However, the Titans noticed that Starfire wasn't speaking like she would normally - she was speaking like Raven in monotone.
Robin said, "It looks like we know what Raven took from Starfire - her emotions. Star's powers are emotionally-driven and without them, it's like Star doesn't have her powers."
Robin got up and noticed that two fire guards were headed towards them. He pulled out two birdarangs and tried to throw them. However, both missed wildly. Robin knew that Raven took away his reflexes, rendering him unable to effectively fight.
The four Titans began to run, not wanting to face the fire guards and risk being killed. Beast Boy tried turning into a T-rex, but could only turn into a dog. He then ran through his other animals, only finding animals like cats, mice, roosters, pigs.
Robin surmised, "Raven restricted your transformation abilities. You can only turn into animals your size or smaller. Didn't want you to break things down."
Cyborg aimed his arm cannon at the fire guards and tried to fire but discovered that there were connections missing in his arm.
Cyborg said, "This ain't good. Raven removed the auto-connections between my mind and my arm cannon. I'd have to fire it manually, which would involve a lot of time."
Starfire said, "So we have to run. Let us go."
The Titans immediately ran out of the city, barely dodging the dozens of fire guards Raven had sent after them. After losing the Titans, Raven said, "I'll give a prize to whoever brings me the dodo Mumbo."
The Titans regrouped in the forest, trying to figure out how to stop Raven. They were fighting on her terms on their soil - she rendered it almost impossible for them to fight back normally. What they needed was some way to undo all of this.
However, then they saw Mumbo who was hiding beneath a rock.
Robin asked, "What are you doing Mumbo?"
The magician said, "Hiding from your friend. She sent her guards to get me and kill me."
"Is there any way to stop her?"
"One. I'd need to get my hands back on my wand first. Then I could reverse time to a point that would allow this to be prevented. However, I would need to bounce the wand's magic against Raven's for the spell to work."
The Titans knew what they had to do. They had to get back into the city, find Raven, get Mumbo's wand, and get the right spell to fix this. Hopefully before it became permanent.
Knowing that Raven had barricaded the city with fire guards to prevent them from entering, and the same guards were also searching for them. If they tried to fight, they would unquestionably be slaughtered because of what Raven had taken away from them.
They got close to the city, taking care to elude the fire guards, and hiding Mumbo as well. Soon realizing that they needed to eliminate some of the fire guards in order to enter the city, Robin told Cyborg to throw one of his smoke bird-a-rangs at the guards, taking them out.
Cyborg did so, and the five were able to move into Jump City. Now, they had to find Mumbo's wand before Raven found them. They simply had to improvise to utilize what abilities they could use in order to save the city from Raven, and Raven from herself.
As they moved through the city, more fire guards began to conjure themselves in the city on Raven's order, forcing them to move quickly, and they had to reach the middle of the city first, where the wand had placed itself, as Raven did not need it.
After several minutes of moving, the Titans came across Mumbo's wand, soon grabbing it, but they were then found by Raven, who immediately conjured a lot of fire guards to attack the Titans.
The Titans tried to fend off the fire guards as long as they could, but their attacks had limited effectiveness given the restrictions Raven had placed on them, and they quickly began to ware out, but they still had to get the wand to Mumbo.
Even when they managed to give Mumbo the wand, that was half the battle - they needed to have it counter one of Raven's spells in order for it to reverse the effects.
And unfortunately, Raven was very genre savvy and knew what they were trying to do, and simply let her fire guards do the fighting, not wanting to give the Titans an opportunity to undo their perfect world.
Robin shouted, "Raven, you don't want to do this! We can stop this!"
Raven snarled, "No! I have my perfect world. I will not let it go!"
"You think this world will protect you from the prophecy. It won't! It will happen regardless. You're just condemning yourself further. Please, we can help you!"
"Prove it."
Mumbo stepped up and began to speak, "I know what I did was wrong. I thought what I had done at the time would have proven myself as superior to you. I was wrong. It screwed me. Please, I can undo this."
Raven then began chanting, "Azarath metrion zinthos", sending out her magic against Mumbo, who countered with, "Presto back-o!"
Suddenly, the fabric of space and time began to change, sucking in all of the Titans as well as the city, spinning around as everything went back in time several months.
When the warping had finished, Mumbo found himself back at the Bank of Perez, before the heist that would have resulted in the "Titanimal" debacle. Before he could go in and do all of the events again, Mumbo simply shrugged, "No. Let's not."
Then, he walked away. He thought to himself, Crisis averted.
Yes, I know this sucked! But I just wanted to not leave a story incomplete.