No one bothered to review the last chapter. I'm sad. Sniff…
Well, enough of that, let's see how everyone's favorite pubescent paragons are doing.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans, Justice League Unlimited, Magic: the Gathering, the paraphrasis used below as a section break, or anything else other than a multitude of ideas. So there.
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Cursing, Raven cried, "Hold on tight, Beast Boy!" and phased through the floor, headed for the source of the crystalline menace: the Mox Pearl. The two passed through a multitude of crystal-lined floors, leaving a trail of blackened, corroded crystal as they went. Suddenly, and with the force of running into a brick wall that wasn't there a second ago, Raven's soul-self hit a barrier it couldn't pass through. The ebon bird dissolved, leaving behind Raven and Beast Boy like the first pre-hatched eggs in avian history.
"Dude, why'd you stop?" Beast Boy complained, rubbing his head. "It felt like I tried to break a cement block with my head."
The dark adept looked around nervously. "Somehow, the Pearl figured out how to keep me from phasing through the walls. It's adjusted the crystal the cancel out my powers." After noting her companion's blank expression, she sighed and tried again. "The boss locked the door at the end of the dungeon."
Beast Boy's expression brightened. "Ohhhh." Everything was much simpler when Raven explained it in video game terms. "Why didn't you say so?"
Raven gave a little smile. He was always kind of cute when he acted moronic. She quickly shook herself, though. This wasn't the time. She pointed at a door completely encased in the strange crystal and continued, "We have to find another way to get in there."
Beast Boy smirked. "No problem. Wait a minute!" He looked at her worriedly. "Those crystal things Star and Cy are trapped in-are they..."
The half-demoness shook her head. "No, thankfully. They're still alive, just in their own little worlds..."
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Starfire was overjoyed. A beautiful field of flowers to frolic in! Many adorable and friendly Earth animals to play with! It was though her greatest dreams were being fulfilled. "Oh, there is only one more thing for this all to be perfect!" she exclaimed.
"Hey, Star!" called a voice. She turned, and was amazed to see Robin, astride the R-Cycle! "Get on," he continued, "we're going for a ride."
"Robin!" she cried, ecstatic, "When did you come to this wonderous place? I had thought you were still in the room of rubber...I mean, investigating Slade!"
He grinned, melting her heart. "The others let me out, now hop on."
She eagerly flew over and sat on the motorcycle. As they roared down the path, she suddenly came to a decision: Now was the perfect time to say it. "Robin, there is something I wish to tell you..." she began.
"I know," he said, "and so do I." He smiled again, somehow looking behind him while keeping the motorcycle in perfect control. Starfire didn't pause to even consider how this was possible. Most of her brain had fused from sheer joy at "so do I." Somehow, their helmets had vanished, and she closed her eyes, eager for what she'd always dreamed of...
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He'd always dreamed of this. He pushed himself out from under the latest car he was working on, wiped off the assorted fluids that had dripped on him with a handy towel, walked into the adjacent bathroom, and splashed some water on his face. He looked up and beamed into the mirror. An overjoyed, entirely organic face beamed back.
"Vic, honey!" called a feminine voice, "Dinnertime!"
"Comin', sugarpie!" he replied, taking the stairs to the kitchen three at a time. He opened the door and beheld the other three of his four greatest loves: Jinx, Bumblebee, and enough meat to clog the arteries of a small nation. "Boo-yah!" he cried, and began gorging himself on the succulent flesh as both women smiled lovingly at him.
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"So," Beast Boy reviewed, "they're living out their greatest fantasies? I thought this Mox thingy was evil."
WHAT? boomed an enraged voice. HOW DARE YOU CALL ME EVIL? I am the Mox Pearl, embodiment of all things just, pure, and sacred. This citadel of justice shall forever orbit the world, so that those who do battle for the virtues which I represent may ensure that the world remains free of the criminal scum that infects it."
The changeling listened to this with a look of great confusion. "Um, so who's the good guy here?"
Raven narrowed her eyes. "We are. Good guys don't hijack satellites and populate them with mindless armies of crystallized mana."
As if on cue, a squadron of angelic beings began to rise from the crystal. Silence, spawn of Trigon, spat the Mox Pearl, What do you know of good? You, who nearly destroyed all order on this world, who put this entire universe in-
"SHUT UP!" The echoes of the cry rang through the crystal-plated hallway. Everyone, the speaker's partner, the crystalline angels, even the Mox Pearl's awareness turned to the speaker. He panted, and repeated himself. "Shut up about Raven! You don't know what her life has been like. You never had to spend your life repressing every emotion you ever had, 'cause you were afraid it could destroy your friends! You never thought you were pure evil, or a monster, or creepy! She's been through more crap in her life than you'd ever even dream of!" Beast Boy panted, out of breath from this shocking soliloquy.
Raven was in complete shock. Beast Boy was standing up for her? He was sympathizing with her? What was going on? "Beast Boy..." she mumbled, shocked.
So, the Pearl stated coolly, you claim she has endured more hardship in less than two decades than I knew in eons of watching over this pathetic little mudball? You honestly believe this abomination, this result of a demon lord and a foolish Satanic wench, could really know more agony than I could? The telepathic equivalent of a derisive snort passed through the two Titans' minds. You know nothing. I have had to sit and watch you chaotic, corrupt humans ruin every institution I inspired. I was there when the Goths overran the Romans. When the French peasantry rose up and created the Reign of Terror. When Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, and one of the bloodiest conflicts in your pathetic history took place as a result. The stone's bitterness was so pronounced, the crystal coating the hallway began to flash and pulsate. Now feel the righteous fury of millions of years spent watching you idiotic apes! With that, the four crystal angels flew towards the Titans, wielding huge, razor-sharp swords.
"I'm tired of hearing you talk." growled Beast Boy. Morphing into a gorilla, he grabbed an angel in each arm, and slammed them together, making them shatter into innumerable pieces. Raven also regained some composure. She was apparently able to control these beings with her powers, and so she sent the remaining angels careening into each other, reducing them to shiny powder.
After, the winged figures were crushed, shifter and adept alike faced the doorway the Mox Pearl was hiding behind. With a telekinetic blade slicing open the crystal barrier, and a green orangutan yanking open the doors, the barricade didn't take long to bypass.
The room on the other end of the door was once the main generator, as Raven had figured out back at the Tower. Now, however, it appeared to be a throne room. Opulent sculptures of crystal depicted brave knights, incorruptible angels, bizarre yet clearly virtuous spirits, and other beings of light. The ceiling was bedecked in what looked like gold, which was actually superthick veins of the mana crystal. The central generator, once a gunmetal sphere with fat wires stuck into it, was transformed into an otherworldly throne. Coats of arms, portraits, and bizarre arcane symbols decorated the engraved surface of the sphere, and in a hollow about a third of it's height from the top, under a symbol of a blazing sun, was the Mox Pearl. While the gem itself wasn't easily visible, the blinding white glow made it clear this was what they'd come for.
You wish to extract me from this place, is that it? inquired the Pearl, Very well. Let us do battle. With that, a powerful rumble surged through the entire station. Crystal began to flow towards the generator like water to a suction nozzle. Nearly all the crystalline matter grouped around the Pearl's throne. Suddenly, the faceted mass rose, in the form of an angel. Unlike the ones destroyed earlier by the two teens, this figure wasn't a crude humanoid figure with polygonal wings. This one was beautifully detailed, down to the shafts of the feathers and each individual strand of hair. Unlike most works of art, however, this one was thirty feet tall, heavily armored, wielding a sword as wide as Cyborg, and was preparing to destroy the two heroes before it. No rest, intoned the Pearl, shining like a brooch at the base of the giant's neck, no mercy, no matter what.
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I know, evil cliffy. You had time to read it, though, and therefore you should have time to review. Just press the button. You know you want to. Next chapter is the big fight scene, see you then!
Afterword: I'm offering a virtupie to the first person who can determine which Magic creature is the crystal giant. For anyone wondering, the soldiers from last chapter were Paladins en-Vec, and the lesser angels were, of course, Serra Angels.