Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. And so ends Beast Boy's time with the emoticlones :( This story will be coming to a close extremely soon. I know I've said this before, but I've dragged out this story as long as I could, I really mean it this time.
"But I wanned to pway wid dem moar!" Beast Boy pouts. He crosses his tiny arms and sticks out his lower lip in a frown.
Raven shifts uncomfortably. "Like I said: it's dangerous. Plus, it's MY mind."
"Aww..." The changeling's ears droop along with his head.
The two toddlers are standing in Raven's room, having just left Nevermore. Beast Boy has been complaining the entire time, and Raven has been trying to convince him that her mind is NOT a playground. (Well, I suppose Happy Tower could be considered one, but that's aside from the point)
Glancing at her clock, Raven starts shoving the shapeshifter out of her room.
"It's bedtime." She says tiredly. "We can debate this in the morning."
"Bedtam? You evan sound wike a toddwah!" Beast Boy laughs. "We no has bedtam Waben!"
"But we still need sleep. So goodnight." The empath's tone is firm as she gives the changeling one last shove out of her room before she closes the door.
"You tink she would wan to tay up." The changeling mutters. "Afta awll, we needs to find a cuwr for owr conditon."
Beast Boy sighs and proceeds down the halls, making use of Cyborg's modifications to open the doors along the way and to get into his room.
"I suppod Waben id wight doh. I do need to sweep." The green boy flops down on his bed and curls up beneath the blankets.
###
Back in Raven's room, the half-demon is NOT going to sleep as she implied before. She is indeed busy finding a cure, but is not having much in the way of luck. Books lie scattered around the room, placed there as soon as Beast Boy left.
"No. That won't work." She mutters to herself. Putting a book aside, the empath summons another. Repeating this several times, Raven grows frustrated and throws aside her newest book. "I'm not getting anywhere! With over five thousand pages of incantations, charms, curses, hexes, spells, and rituals, you think I would have something to get rid of a flimsy Mumbo curse!"
"Well apparently you don't, so stop whining and act your age!" Rage growls.
"You're forgetting that she's only a toddler! Maybe she needs a bottle, or her diaper changed!" Rude snickers.
"I've had quite enough of you!" Raven hisses out loud. "I don't want to hear from you for a long time considering that you all kept information from me without reason!"
"Like you didn't keep BB's entrance into Nevermore a secret from us?" Brave scoffs. "Hypocrite."
Raven snarls. "I had a reason!"
"So did we." Happy complains. "Fun is very important despite the fact that you try to convince yourself otherwise."
"I just can't win today." The empath sighs.
###
The next morning was lively. Beast Boy got up at the crack of dawn, surprising everyone, and was the second one to venture into ten main room aside from Robin. The boy wonder was reading through the newspaper for clues while eating breakfast and the changeling joined him.
The next person to enter was Starfire, flying into the room at high speed and yelling out a greeting so shrill that Robin worried the windows would shatter.
Cyborg was fourth. He walked noisily down the hall, so everyone knew he was coming long before he even entered the room. Upon joining his friends in the main room he started his normal meat v.s. tofu argument with the green shapeshifter that took ten whole minutes to run its course.
Raven didn't make an appearance whatsoever the whole morning. She was too tired from searching her books.
"This is interesting." Robin whispers.
"What is it Robin?" Starfire inquires, hovering beside the masked-boy's shoulder. Her green eyes search the page that Robin holds.
"There's a small column in the newspaper advertising a jewler, and if I'm right..." The caped boy jumps up from his seat and rushes to the evidence room.
The other three Titans exchange looks and wait for his return. They aren't kept waiting for long.
"Just as I thought. The robbed shops all appeared in the newspaper at some point during the last week." Robin says grimly.
"You mean to tell me that Mumbo is just picking his targets out of the newspaper?!" Cyborg asks, a disbelieving look on his face. "How did he newspaper producer not notice this?!"
"Dude, dis id Mubdo we tawkink abowt. He impuwsive." Beast Boy reminds the metallic teen, answering the first question.
"They leave the criminal stuff to us. It's our job. They probably didn't think it had anything to do with them." Robin explains, sighing, answering the second.
"So we now know where the Mumbo will be attacking next?" Starfire asks, hopeful.
"You bet Star." Robin says. Grinning, he beckons everyone close. "And since we know where he's going to attack. We can ambush him..."
###
Two hours later (and after remembering to wake Raven) the Titans are assembled in their planned spots around and inside Frank's Jewelry store.
"Any idea how long we'll be waiting Rob?" Cyborg whispers.
"No idea." Robin replies, speaking into his earpiece. "We might be here for a while."
"I showda pakd a luch." Beast Boy mutters.
"Or you could learn to sucks it up. That works too." Raven growls.
"Please; there is no reason to berate friend Beast Boy so. It was nearly a harmless comment." Starfire scolds.
Raven groans. "I couldn't win yesterday, and I still can't today." She sighs, rolling her eyes.
"Shh!" Robin hushes suddenly. "He's here already!"
Sure enough, Mumbo can be seen prancing down the street; top hat gleaming in the sun. The odd man twirls around as if he hasn't a care in the world.
"What a great day for shopping!" He sings. "I think I should by a present! For myself of course." He stops halfway down the street and pulls binoculars out of his hat. "Now, what should I treat myself to? Pizza? A new book? Hmm... How about some quality diamonds!" Suddenly, a tiny puppet pops out of Mumbo's hat and stares him in the face.
"But Mumbo!" It shrieks comically. "You already have fifty rings and ten pounds of the stuff!"
"Quiet you." The magician stuffs the puppet back where it came from.
"An you giys say I'm wird." Beast Boy mutters.
"Shh!" Comes the response from all four other Titans.
"Now, with all complaints delta with, I think I'll go stea- err, buy those lovely jewels over there." Mumbo laughs and whips off his hat. Aiming the open end at the store causes a large suction force to activate and pull objects off the shelves and send them flying halfway down the street and into Mumbo's hat.
"Why can't anything ever go as planned?" Robin complains. "Titans GO!"
The Titans burst out of their hiding spots, thoroughly annoyed that an ambush couldn't be used due to the distance between them and their foe. They all try to close the gap between themselves and Mumbo as quickly as possible.
"Well, well, well!" Mumbo exclaims. "The soon-to-be Toddler Titans! How unexpected." The last two words are said in a rather bored, sarcastic tone. "Honestly, don't you ever get tired of the same old routine? You wait for me to arrive, I beat you and escape. You guys need to change up your act!"
The Titans all dive for cover as Mumbo pulls out his wand and shoots a bolt down the street. Sadly, the bolt wasn't mentioned to hit them. The white projectile impacts the middle of the road in the center of all the Titans. A large stage appears, complete with audience chairs and curtains.
The five Titans suddenly find themselves up on stage, thoroughly bound by ropes. Mumbo seats himself in an audience chair in the front row.
"Hmm... I think some dynamic scenery is in order!" A wave of the wand causes the stage to morph. An alter appears behind the Titans and the floor below them becomes carpeted.
"Oh man, he better NOT doing what I think he is!" Cyborg growls.
"It's tough being the fifth wheel isn't it Cyborg? Don't worry! I have just the roll for you!" Laughing, the turquoise-skinned magician points at the metallic teen.
Cyborg suddenly finds himself in priest robes, holding a book.
"Errm..." He says. "I don't think religious stuff is really my style..."
"It's the thought that counts." Mumbo chuckles. He raises and eyebrow when a ripping noise splits the air. "Now, now Robin." He berates, wagging his finger. "Those ropes are there to assist you in improving your acting skills, we can't have you cutting them, now can we?"
Robin yells out "Hey!" as his utility belt is stripped off him and the ropes he had cut are replaced by giant gloves.
"Now... We need costumes for the rest of you..." Mumbo taps his chin and walks up on stage. "A tux for Robin." The boy wonder suddenly finds himself dressed in a black suit. His mask remains on his face though. "Can't have you dressed like a traffic light for such an important occasion now can we?" Mumbo teases.
"My costume does NOT look like a traffic light!" Robin howls.
"Uhh... Dood? I kinda does." Beast Boy whispers.
"Not helping Beast Boy!" Raven hisses.
"For Starfire the outfit is obvious!" The performer twirls his wand and the alien finds herself in an unnecessarily frilly, white dress complete with a veil. "You all know what's happening now don't you?" He asks to no one in particular.
"Robin... For what purpose is this garment used?" Starfire inquires, more curious about her dress than escaping.
"Later Starfire." Robin barks, trying to break his bonds.
"What on earth do I give a demon attending a wedding?" Mumbo muses.
Raven stares at him angrily, though the effect is ruined due to her small size. "Demons and religious ceremonies don't mix, try something else." She says sarcastically.
"I heawr seefod is weally popular wight now!" Beast Boy calls out.
Mumbo turns his head to the right as fast as he can... Only to get smashed in the face with a one-ton baby whale.
"I don't think whale counts as seafood." Cyborg chuckles, dropping down to the street as Mumbo's magic dissipates.
"Why not? They live in the sea." Raven counters.
"It is seafood." Robin affirms. "Kinda strange though, who wants to eat whale in the first place?"
The boy wonder stops when he notices Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg all staring at him.
"Dood, why do you stwil hav dat costum on?" Beast Boy asks, giggling.
Robin looks down at himself to find he is still dressed in the tuxedo. "Whaaa? But everything else went away!" He protests. "Why not this?"
"Or this." Starfire adds, pointing to her dress.
"Mumbo created everything else, but he actually just took your costumes from that shop over here." Raven huffs, pointing at a clothing shop.
"So... I have to go along the way back to the tower looking like this?!" Robin cries out.
"I jus spended a few days as a toddwah. I'm pwetty sur you can mawnag twn minutes of dat." Beast Boy says dryly.
Robin growls and mutters a few uncomplimentary things under his breath.
"Well, lucky me." Cyborg snickers. "I can just take my costume off, 'cause I always have a backup."
"And by "backup", you mean you're made of metal." Raven states.
"Uhh... Yeah. That's kinda the point." Cyborg says, raising an eyebrow. He removes his priest outfit. "But honestly I'm gonna miss these outfits."
"We've only been in them for two minutes!" Robin hisses.
"Yeah, and it's going to take forever for you to admit a certain something so I get to see you two in them again!" Cyborg low-fives a certain green changeling as Robin's face starts burning up.
Starfire doesn't get it, and starts to ask, but Raven just shakes her head and the alien shuts her mouth. "Just don't ask Starfire. Look it up later." The empath sighs. Turning towards the boys she raises her voice. "If you're quite done, we can turn Mumbo in now. I, for one, am looking forward to being my old self."
Chapter 15 complete. Next chapter is the last one. Might not even be a full chapter, just an epilogue. I truly hope you've all enjoyed this story. The last fifth scene was pretty underwhelming, but if I made Mumbo go all-out then the Titans would always loose. I know the strongest ends quite abruptly, but honestly there is very little of interest I could put in aside from more random battles with Mumbo.