Rorschach grumbled as he, Cyborg, Nightwing and Starfire stood before the villain known as Doctor Light. Another night-time robbery, this time of an overturned armoured lorry, it's content of countless golden coin spilled from the back door having been forced open.
The bad doctor stood on top of the lorry with his light powers charged in his hands "Your pathetic skills can't outshine the brilliance of Doctor Light!" he shot forth a beam, the four Titans reacted, Cyborg and Starfire quickly moved sideways, Nightwing jump up and over and Rorschach created a force-field and took the blast, however both energies took each other out, so the Techno-mage did not have any cover for the blast and fell hurt.
Nightwing pulled out a Bird-a-rang and threw it, the doctor jumped to the ground before it hit the truck and the former landed in his place.
"You're fast," the villain said, "but I doubt you'll enjoy moving at the speed of light." He pressed the lightbulb symbol on his suit and another blast propelled out. Nightwing went flying towards a rooftop.
Menagerie came running and morphed into his green wolf form, the doctor barely reacted simply sidestepped the wolf's pounce and proclaimed, "A wolf is no threat when it's as blind as a bat." He produced several small balls of white light and threw them at the changeling, they flashed intensely and Menagerie wailed in the visual agony.
Starfire flew in and fire her Starbolts. Doctor Light made a force-field of his own and stopped them. Letting it go he pulled out and threw a device with created a radiation wall which enveloped the princess.
"Watch yourself lightweight." Cyborg called pulling off a part of the lorry's axle, terries and all, he trudged up to the villain "Things are about to get heavy." The cybernetic jock slammed the makeshift hammer into the ground just after the bad doctor jumped back, still enough force to force him to the ground.
Doctor Light fire a small shot which broke the axel in half. He got up and laughed holding his hands above his head he formed a blob of red energy and fired it. It flew past Cyborg and into the truck, the blast sent smoke all over the area. When it cleared, Cyborg found himself trapped in some solid substance.
Doctor Light walked up and looked at the downed teens "Now if nobody minds I'll be taking the gold."
"I mind." Sternly called a voice, the doctor turned around as Raven chanted her magic words. Before she could find the doctor blasted her back, he walked up to her as she stood up "Bit of advice, find shorter magic words." He charged his hands. Raven moved a motorcycle, the doctor blasted it apart. He fired again and sent her flying. He walked up to her again but she spoke "Don't come any closer."
Rorschach getting up himself heard his glove beep, he opened his computer and gave a warning about Raven's magic entering darker territory.
Unaware the bad doctor started mocking the blue witch "What's the matter? Afraid of the light?"
Suddenly she turned, her eyes dark red. She flew up high, from the darkness of her somehow longer cloak grew tendrils of black magic, they grabbed the doctor who screamed, "What's the matter?" Raven asked grinning sinisterly, her voice layered with a rough low male voice "Afraid of the dark?" she dragged Doctor Light into her cloak.
"Raven!" Menagerie called "Stop!", hearing her mate's voice caused her to snap out of whatever overtook her, she gasped as she regained herself. She flew away revealing a broken, faded and whimpering Doctor Light tucked up the foetal position. Nightwing and Starfire quickly came to his side.
Menagerie slowly walked up to Raven, however she held her hand out "I'm sorry I need to sort myself out." And she walked away. The changeling walked up to Rorschach and Cyborg. The mechanical jock rubbed the side of his head and the Techno-mage's mask swirled intensely as they examined the readings. Menagerie read the reading himself and his eyes widened, he glanced backing seeing her walked into a shadowy alleyway, he felt himself, everything about himself fall, she was in danger, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings by interfering, but. His hand went to his hair and he growled slightly, the Beast inside him told him to defend her, he did his best to ignore it 'She needs time to herself.' He thought back.
The green shapeshifter stood at the hobs cooking eggs and tofu. Making sure to give Cyborg the eggs he let the others, bar Raven for not being there, take their pick.
"On my planet," Starfire commented "such a feast would mark the arrangement of a marriage, tell me Menagerie, to whom are you engaged?"
The changeling laughed shyly and rubbed the back of his neck "Funny story, I don't know whether I should tell you.", the others leaned in more interested, he sighed and began explained the mate marking the Beast did after the fight with the Adonis Beast, Rorschach's mask shifted to a quizzical shape "So in animalistic terms that means you and Raven are technically married?"
Before anyone else could comment the doors opened and the blue witch walked in. Menagerie called "Morning Raven I made breakfast, you want some?"
"Herbal tea." She said pouring she tea into a mug.
"You sure? You could use some food."
"I'm fine, thank you." And she walked out. The shapeshifter sighed. Rorschach walked up "Surely as her mate you should be concerned about her."
"I am Josh," he said "it just, I don't really understand her, so I don't know how to deal with her. I trust her, as a friend I do but," he sighed again "Her powers are emotion based, and Doctor Light really angered her, how do I calm her down?"
"Good question." Cyborg said walking up.
Rorschach clicked his fingers "There's a bookshop in town, perhaps we can get her a book to read, preferable horror and gothic." He began to walk to the door "Although I bet she has the complete work of Edgar Allen Poe.", Menagerie looked to Cyborg, the jock shrugged, the two then followed Rorschach out.
The changeling stood before Raven's door with a recently purchased book in his hands, at Rorschach's recommendation Bleak House by Charles Dickens. He glanced down the hallway seeing Rorschach and Cyborg standing by to make sure he did what he intended. Menagerie took a deep breath and knocked on the door. No response. He sighed turn to walk away, Cyborg however walked up and stopped him "You might want to knock a little harder." Cyborg then proceeded to knock a lot harder on the door and it fell forward with a crash.
Rorschach ran up and inspected the damage "Well done." He said glaring at his old friend then to Menagerie "We'll make sure he apologises, won't we?", the changeling nodded. Cyborg sighed and looked inside "Ah Raven, sorry about the door."
The room inside confirmed the blue witches tastes about as dark as they come. Shelves filled with old books, four-eyed tragedy and comedy masks on a pedestal, an oddly shaped mirror on the wall, chalices and braziers, ancient chests and lamps, a bed partly recessed into the far wall, a large globe in the near corner. The entire place done in shades of grey and amazing enough, different shades of black.
Rorschach's mask change to a confused shape and stepped inside and activated his computer "That's odd, she's supposed to be in here. Be careful gentlemen, something is very off."
"Josh?" Cyborg asked "You sure you should be in there? It's Raven's room. She doesn't let anyone in her room, ever.", the changeling ignored Cyborg's concern and walked it "This is our big chance to find out more about her. As her mate, I won't let this chance slip away from me.", he walked over to a cabinet under the bizarre mirror, he picked up a smaller hand mirror "Look at this beauty mirror, no wonder she has such flawless skin and soft hair."
Rorschach turned to look at the item then to his computer data then back to the mirror and his mask changed dramatically "Gar that's not a beauty mirror!"
Menagerie threw the mirror back, suddenly two pairs of sinister red eyes appeared in the mirror and a geyser of red and black energy burst from it, and transformed into a talon which grabbed the changeling, Rorschach and Cyborg grabbed his legs but they all got pulled in.
They spun around a portal before crashing onto a rock platform. They got up just to see the portal close. Cyborg turned around a look where they ended up, before them stretched an endless star field of red with floating rocks scattered around.
The changeling turned to the other two "I told you we should have left Raven alone." He sighed and asked, "Where are we?"
Cyborg activated his arm "You're asking the wrong robot. My sensors must be on the blink, cause their saying we're in Titans Tower.", Rorschach pulled out his communicator checked himself "Same for me." He put it away and looked around "If I had to guess I'd say we must be in an Inner World, probably Raven's.", the two turned to him and Josh explained "One of the many things Doctor Fate told me was that some types of magic allow the user to create a world within their minds."
"So," Menagerie said look around himself and blinking profusely "we're in Raven's mind?", Cyborg then asked something "But where's Raven, you said she should have been in her room?"
"I don't know much about demon magic, but theoretically a person, body and soul could get dragged into their mind."
"So, Raven is literally within her own mind?" the changeling asked, then he grabbed the side of his head and groaned "My brain hurts."
"Before we started re-enacting that Monty Python sketch let's try and find Raven, hopefully she must know a way of getting us out of her head, she's definitely had the experience.", the shapeshifter looked at him "How? We're on a rock in the middle of…" before he could finish several the surrounding floating rocks came together and formed a walkway, he blinked and they walked forward.
Menagerie looked around 'Well I wanted to know more about her, guess creepy is one.'
"Turn back." A child-like voice called causing the three to stop and look around. On some of the rocks grew leafless, almost lifeless trees and on the branches perched a trio of baby ravens with glowing red eyes. As soon as the three saw them, more appeared, their red eyes becomes four and sharp and rows of teeth grew from their beaks, they swarmed the three Titans. Menagerie turned into a hippo and tried to eat a few, but the birds clamped down on his tongue so he shook them out his mouth.
Cyborg and Rorschach started firing on the flock, a misjudged shot from Cyborg caused the part of the walkway they all stood on to collapse. The three found themselves hanging onto the edge for dear life.
"Hey guys." A voice said, a familiar voice, but slightly off. They looked to their sides and before them, Raven stood on the underside of the walkway, and upside-down and defying gravity, but not in her usual midnight blue cloak and leotard, no in this instant she wore pink of all colours "What's up?" she asked in a cheery voice.
Cyborg blinked "I don't know anymore." Suddenly gravity flipped and they fell forward onto the now topside of the walkway. The pink Raven laughed as they got up.
"Raven?" Menagerie asked, 'A cute laugh.', Josh busted himself down and walked up "Are you Raven or an aspect of her within this mindscape?", the two others looked at confused and the pink Raven laughed again "Your smart Joshua, I'm Raven's happy side." She turned to Menagerie "I'm the one laughing at your jokes."
"Really, you like my jokes?"
"Of course.", Josh shook his head "You must have a very board sense of humour."
She laughed again "I find happiness in everything."
"Look," Cyborg said "we ain't got time for this, I don't suppose you know how to get home?"
"The forbidden door." She pointed to an archway behind her "It's the only way out, but you don't want to go there. Not now.", the three looked at each other before turning to her and at the same time saying "Yeah," or yes in Rorschach's case, "we do."
"Kay," Happy Raven replied, "but don't say I didn't warn you." She ran off with her arms out wide and making aeroplane sounds, Rorschach turned to the shapeshifter "So happy is also childish.", Menagerie nodded, they heard a sound and looked up and stopped examining their surroundings.
Behind them stood the archway. Before them stretched a colourful landscape, yellow sky and pink leaved trees. A strawberry flew passed Rorschach "Curiouser and curiouser. We're defiantly not in Kanas that's for sure."
"I think," Menagerie said, "this might be where air-fresheners come from."
Cyborg groaned.
But a loud laughter took their attention, the Happy Raven stood next to them clutching her sides "Good one." She continued laughing as she ran "If you run into lust M be careful, she gets a hold of you she'll never let you go." She turned a corner and went out of sight.
"Lust?" Menagerie blushed thinking about what Raven's lust would look like.
They turned the corner and looked around "Where's Raven? Well, her happiness anyway." They started walking and the shapeshifter turned annoyed "She ditched us, she's supposed to get us out of here, next time I see her it's not going to be pretty." They then walked through another archway and the scenery changed back to the gloomy red stars and rocks.
The sound of footsteps tapped and they looked around to see another Raven, this one dressed in grey rages and a sad expression on her face. Rorschach's mask shape turned sharp and he thrust his hands into his pockets and spoke sharply at her "I do hope you're not going to leave suddenly, we want to get out of here."
The new Raven scrunched into herself and whimpered, Menagerie slowly walked forward gently embraced her, "Hey it's alright Josh didn't mean it."
"No I didn't, I'm sorry. I didn't realise you were Raven's timidity."
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Hey." Cyborg called and pointed to another archway and a mountainous region beyond it "That's that forbidden door, right Raven?", she nodded and the cybernetic jock started running "Come on ya'll, we're almost…" a wall quickly arose in front of him and before everyone knew it they found themselves in a massive labyrinth. Rorschach groaned and clutched the side of his head "This is getting ridiculous."
Menagerie turned into an eagle and tried flying out, but he got shocked but some energy force acting as a ceiling. Cyborg charged his sonic canon and tried blasting but this did nothing, Timid Raven spoke, however unsurely "It's a maze, you can get out like that, you have to go through, I can show you the way, but when we reach then end you won't like me anymore." She glanced at the shapeshifter and tears former in her eyes before she started walking into the labyrinth.
Rorschach started walked "I'm assume she mean there's danger at the end, be ready gentlemen."
"For the hundredth-millionth time," Menagerie said and the three spoke in unison "We forgive you.", Timid Raven spent then entire maze journey apologising for all the times she said anything bad to them.
Raven then pressed the wall in front of her and it split a part like a door, revealing the way out and two large statues with the same four eyes they kept on coming across, one a happy face the other frowning opened mouth.
"That's the end." She said before backing up. Menagerie and Cyborg started to walk forward, but Rorschach held out his arms and stopped them "Let me guess. As soon as we stepped passed those statues they'll come to life, right?", she nodded "Told you wouldn't like me at the end." And she disappeared.
"Dude," Menagerie said, "how do we get passed them?"
"Let me try something." Josh activated his computer and started a couple of calculations, he checked them, switched it off, turned towards the statues held his hands up. Within moments a pair of force-field shields appeared out of the statues and sliced them in half, the cut side falling to the ground and smashed to pieces.
The other two blinked, glanced at each other and then watched Rorschach walk over the rubble and out of the maze, they soon followed.
After a short walk, they stopped before the archway stood yet another Raven facing away from them, but thoroughly different from the others and Raven herself. This one wore white, like how Starfire described her in the alternate future. However, she wore her hood down showing her longer, almost floor length hair, she stood tall, taller than Raven by several inches. She turned around, the three boys stopped and stared, Menagerie went slack jawed.
This Raven appeared older, roughly her early twenties, her figure slightly fuller, but the added inches gave a thin statuesque look. Her sharper facial feature gave her a graceful almost regal look, she smiled "I had hoped help would come. Raven needs some, but she won't listen to me."
"And you are?" Rorschach asked.
"I am her hope personified."
"Then," the Techno-mage asked his mask shifting to a confused shape "why do we need to give her hope?"
"She still has power over me, and I only recently appeared." She walked up to Menagerie, closed his mouth and rubbed his check "And it's thanks to you, you gave Raven some real hope, hope of a happy future, myself." She looked to Cyborg and Rorschach "And you two were able to comfort and convince her before our mate could. And she can't dismiss you like she did me."
Cyborg shrugged "Just wanted to make her happier.", Rorschach nodded "And I was merely being factual."
"And it worked." Hope sighed and turned towards the mountains "She needs help; she's fighting her Anger. Literally, and it's getting worse."
A shadow cast over them and they watched a giant figure, red skinned, with the four glowing red eyes common to Raven's mind, whited haired with antlers growing from his head.
Rorschach seemed unimpressed "Talk about inner demons.", Hope nodded "Anger's become Rage and taken the form of our father, Trigon, the Conqueror.", Rorschach darted his head to her "That's who her father is, Doctor Fate told me about him.", she nodded "And if she can't control Rage soon it'll consume her and Trigon will come through early."
Cyborg and Menagerie turned to her "Early?!"
"It is a long story, hopefully Raven will explain it. But that will not happen unless you help her.", the boys looked to each other and nodded, they ran through the archway and to the battlefield.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Raven chanted and brought up a shield, as Rage fired eye beams. She hit the ground and groaned as Anger picked her up in its hand "Rage shall consume you."
"Yo!" a voice called, Rage look to its left finding Cyborg standing there with his sonic canon charged "Sounds like somebody needs a time out." He fired and knocked the demon back so far it fell of the platform letting go of Raven.
A green eagle swooped in took her shoulder just as she woke up, her decent got slowed down enough to drop her safely to the ground. Menagerie changed back as she looked up "What are you doing here?" she then scowled "You entered my room without my permission."
"Excuse me." Rorschach called, he stood next to Cyborg and the demon reappeared "We've got bigger matters to deal with right now."
"Feel my fury!" it yelled and fired its eye beams again, the two boys jumped out the way and hit the ground hard.
The changeling shifted into a Pterodactyl and he and Raven flew up to Rage and attacked getting backed up by Cyborg and Rorschach on the ground with sonic blast and energy attacks, both boys jumped and tumbled out the way of the eye beams.
Rage targeted a point-blank blast on the jock and young mystic, but then growled as Menagerie pulled at its hair and caused it to fall back and crash into the ground. Rage quickly sat up and fired.
Eventually all four of them huddle in a carter to hide from the demon.
"He's too strong." Raven said, she pulled her hood down "Even with your help I can't defeat him."
"Raven," Rorschach said, "that thing is not Trigon, it's your Anger taken to the extreme."
"So, call for back up." Cyborg added "What about those other versions of you?", Rorschach nodded.
"It still wouldn't be enough. None of my other sides have the kind of power we need.", Menagerie put his hand on her shoulder "Not alone, but what about together? They're all apart of who you are right?", as the demon fired again Rorschach spoke "Unite yourself Raven, and do it quickly we'll cover you." The boys then ran over the trench.
Raven smiled and shut her eyes. She moved another part of the area, called her powers and her eyes glowed white, she raised her arms and twisted them, a wind blew over the valley and dozens upon dozens of Ravens, all with different coloured cloaks, appeared before her. A hand touched her shoulder, she looked up and smiled at Hope, the Ravens formed a circle around her and they all float off the ground. The circle spun and the area brightened.
The boys kept up their assault.
Rage held up its hand and a spiralling patrol appeared in the palm. From which shot a massive flock of those monstrous ravens. Menagerie turned to a Pterodactyl and flew off taken a few but most swarmed around Cyborg and Rorschach like before.
Rage heard something and turned around.
Before it stood Raven, as tall as the demon and dressed in white. The witch held up her arms, a wind blew her cloak up, she cast a restraining spell on the demon. "You are going back where you belong." She stated, her increased size lowered her voice.
The changeling still flying around saw this and couldn't believe it 'Wow.' Menagerie thought and pretty much the only thing he could think of.
"Never!" Rage proclaimed and tore apart the restraints.
Raven increased her power, the energy spilled out of her eyes and mouth as she did another spell, a powerful blast. Rage roared and fired its own energy attack. The two clashed and fought for dominance. Raven slowly increased her output, increasing the emotions she felt.
The ravens around the three boys disappeared.
She groaned, but her blast pressed forward. It engulfed Rage. In its place floated another Raven, in deep red, Anger touched the ground, looked up at the giant white witch and turned to red lightning. It flew into White Raven and a blast filled the area.
The boys came running up. The smoke cleared and Raven, back to normal, stood triumphant, briefly though, she fainted backwards. A pair of arms encircled her. She wirily looked up and stared into Menagerie's eyes, she blushed and leaned into him "Thank you." She said, then she looked to Cyborg and Rorschach "Thank you too."
Josh waved it off "Think nothing off it, what are friends for?" then he looked towards another archway with a portal like what brought them to Raven mindscape "I presume that's the way back."
Raven nodded before they walked towards it, she looked at the boys and frowned her eyebrows "Now, what were you three doing in my room?"
Raven sipped her tea and turned the page of Bleak House and she looked up at the five others "…And that's why I was so fearful about my powers."
Nightwing frowned his eyebrows "Knowing Batman he's probably talked with Superman, and their working on something."
Rorschach finished typing his entry "We should speak with Doctor Fate."
Raven shook her head "Trigon is my father. He's my problem."
"Raven," Menagerie said taking her hand "We're going to help whether you like it or not, we're your friends, I'm your mate. And we're heroes, if your dad's a threat them we'll defeat him.", Raven smiled shyly and she hoped.
Rorschach got up and walked out. Cyborg came walking up "Hey Josh just asking, what did you call BB before we got pulled into Raven's mind?", underneath the mask Josh realised he nearly revealed Menagerie's embarrassing first name, "Just a slip of the tongue." He said and the cybernetic jock nodded.