That large glowing sphere of heat began rising over the horizon into the wild blue yonder, casting sunbeams in every direction, and illuminating the coastal city. It was the perfect weather for residents to enjoy the company of friends and family. In fact, today marked a very special day for a certain extraterrestrial.
Inside Titans Tower, Starfire woke to the noise of a ringing alarm. "The day has arrived!" The cheerful girl gasped happily. Reaching over to her dresser, she shut off the source of the ringing, an Amazing Mumbo alarm, and opened a drawer stuffed with party favors and toys. Sweeping up the lot while giggling, she made her way to her door where she peeked into the hallway cautiously and looked back and forth, making sure the coast was clear. More of that bubbly laughter escaped her as she zipped out of her room and started easing toward the corner, whisking from one wall to the other as she moved.
As a result of the constant shifting, her armload jingled slightly, resulting in one item falling away when she ducked around the bend. After reaching back and picking the item up, she made her way past some stairs to the entrance of the Ops Center.
"HAPPY BLORTHOG!" Starfire beamed as she entered through the opened doors. But that radiant smile quickly vanished after seeing what was happening in the common room. "Huh?" She muttered as a question mark popped up over her head.
The sight that greeted her wasn't exactly welcoming as each member of the team secluded themselves into different groups. Raven was sitting off to the left of the entrance behind a coffee table, reading. Robin stood before a boom box in the kitchen, and Kylar was on the couch with Beast Boy and Cyborg, the former holding something in his hands while the latter two were playing a racing game on the GameStation. A thundering hip-hop track coming from the portable music player drowned out all other sound in the room. The music was so loud, that the wall of sound blew back the spiky hair on the Boy Wonders' head.
On the couch, the bionic and shape-shifting teens were having a tug-of-war over the game controller. "Come on, Beast Boy, gimme that thing!" The metallic bruiser growled as he pulled the controller to him.
"Dude! I'm in the middle of a game, Cyborg!" The greenling returned as he pulled the device back to him.
"Yeah, my game, 'cause it's my turn!"
"Give me the controller!"
"No! Let go!"
"It's my turn!" The two gamers argued back and forth as they struggled to rip the controller from the others' hands.
Next to them was the unfazed aura manipulator, who, upon closer inspection, was using a screwdriver on his wooden music box in an attempt to fine-tune it. On the other side of the room, Starfire noticed the completely unflappable reader still buried in her book.
"Friends! We must frolic and leap in glorious celebration, for today is Blorthog-the Tamaranean festival of friendship!" The joyful Titan explained before grinning broadly. But that smile soon disappeared after realizing that no one was pay attention to her. Disgruntled, she looked around the place and dropped the items she carried on the floor, except for a few strands of jingling bells that hung from her wrist. After a moment, Cyborg leaned toward her over the back of the couch, still struggling with Beast Boy. "Joyous greeting, friend!" Starfire smiled as she approached the African teen, "I, Starfire, give you this tinnabula as a symbol of-"
"You're gonna pay for that, you little grass stain!" The metallic teen interrupted as a green tentacle wrapped around his neck and pulled him away from the redhead.
The constant fighting in front of the window screen got a little out of hand, and the two fighting teens bumped into the brunette. As a result, the music box flew out of his hands, and once it hit the ground, the metal hinge connecting the bottom and top halves broke, leaving the device in two pieces. Staring in wide-eyed shock, Kylar turned his attention to the brawling duo, narrowed his eyes, and dove after them.
Cyborg was standing victoriously over the changeling, with controller in hand, but was surprised by the tackle the black-jacketed teen delivered. The force of the attack was enough to lift the hulking Titan off his feet and release his grip on the controller. In the chaos, Beast Boy transformed into a frog and ceased the device with his tongue. He then hopped onto the back of the couch, reverted back to his human form, and started playing again.
"Many blessings, friend." The hopeful teen greeted as she held out a string of bells to him, "May your ears be filled with sugar candies and-"
"BEAST BOY!" Kylar and Cyborg shouted simultaneously.
"Look! I'll give you back the controller as soon as Raven gives back my nail clippers!" The shape-shifter yelled over his shoulder.
"Not gonna happen. How else am I supposed to keep your toenails off the coffee table?" The sorceress responded as she continued reading, the aforementioned pair of clippers floating next to her.
"I don't care about that!" The brunette growled as he grabbed the shorter Titans' collar and yanked him back into the fight.
Figuring she would not achieve any success with the troublesome trio, Starfire made her way to the gloomy mage. "Happiness and delight, friend." She smiled as she held out the bells, "On this wondrous day, I wish you sunshine and bunny-" She immediately silenced herself when she noticed her Gothic friends' piercing gaze and twitching eyebrow. The scared alien took the hint and backed off with a nervous little laugh.
"Robin, could the music be a little louder?" Raven sarcastically asked as a vein popped on her forehead, "I can still hear myself think."
Turning to face the masked Titan, the orange alien made her way to him in an effort to offer him the bells. Unfortunately, the leader was too preoccupied with the free-for-all that continued in front of the couch. As the fighting got louder, one after another, veins popped on the Boy Wonders' forehead. "I only turned the music up to DROWN OUT ALL THE YELLING!" Robin yelled, his head swelling and face going red as he did so.
Standing against a red background and holding the bells, a disheartened Starfire grew rather tired of the whole idiocy. Robin's throbbing head floating at her top left, Raven's at her top right, and a tiny laughing Beast Boy ran behind her holding the controller while Cyborg and Kylar chased him.
A moment later, both gamers were next her again, "Whose turn is it now, tough guy? Whose turn is it now?" The tiny bionic taunted as he held the green teen in a headlock with one hand and holding the device over his head with the other. Soon after, the brunette flew over and tackled his two teammates; a cloud of dust covered the fighting as they rolled away from the Tamaranean.
"Knock it off! I can't work with you three acting like idiots!" The floating head of the Boy Wonder shouted after them, literally spitting fire in his rage.
"Great, Robin. More yelling will definitely stop all the yelling." The mages' head deadpanned, causing the masked teen to growl at her in return.
Back with the three Stooges, the titanium Titan and aura manipulator ran screaming behind the redhead as a green bear charged after them. Soon after, Cyborg and Kylar slid across and perched themselves on Starfire's bells, the former getting the upper hand and pinning the latter on the ground with his foot. Beast Boy soon walked over in human form and tried catching his breath.
"Friends, please!" The Tamaranean pleaded as the tiny semi-robot danced on top of the brunette, "You must not-if we could simply-happy Blor-" To he surprise, the strand of bells in her hands broke, dropping the two Titans to the ground. Her disbelieving gaze watched as the bells bounced all over the place. Soon, her shock gave way to fist-clenching anger, and she did her best to keep from blowing her top. Unfortunately, she lost the struggle. "STTTTTOOOOOPPPPP!" The distressed teen roared, causing everything to return to normal as well as silence the music. "Friends must never behave this way-and especially not on Blorthog!" The worried alien defended, "Do you wish to invite the Rekmas?"
"Gesundheit? Ow!" Beast Boy asked before getting nudged in his side by the taller brunette standing next to him.
"On my world, 'Rekmas' means 'the Drifting.'" Starfire explained remorsefully as she turned away from her friends. "The point at which close friends begin to drift apart-and their friendship… begins to die."
"Aw, come on, Starfire." The African bionic cried.
"We are so not Rek-whatever-ing." The green teen reassured as he waved his right hand in front of his face.
"We're getting on each other's nerves a little. Big deal." The mage stated.
"It's not like this hasn't happened before." The aura manipulator said as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah. This is just typical roommate stuff. We're not going to drift apart, Star. I promise." The spiky-haired Titan comforted. "We'll all be friends forever."
"Forever?" The redhead asked worriedly.
Before she could continue pondering what her friends said, a beeping sounded from Robin's communicator before he pulled it from his belt.
"Titans! Trouble!" The leader exclaimed as he ran to the door. All but the concerned Tamaranean followed him out of the Ops Center. After a one final regard toward the broken bells, she flew out after them, not knowing just what was in store for the team.
0-0
The distress signal came from a museum in Jump City. Inside the building a portal of white light opened up and turned black after a moment as if a second hand had swept across it. Out stepped a goateed man in black armor, with gold reinforcements at his wrists and ankles; he also wore a gold breastplate and helmet that left his face exposed. There was also a small blue lens on the forehead of his helmet. The room he entered was filled with ticking clocks from many historical periods, however the man only had his eyes set on a small clock in a cylindrical gold housing, with a glass hemisphere on top.
Making his way across the exhibit, the man heard a voice when he reached the glass display. "Hey, stop!" The voice called out to him. The intruder turned to face the source of the noise and saw two armed guards with weapons cocked and pointed at him.
"Stop yourselves!" The thief smirked as he waved his left hand carelessly at them. An instant later, both men were frozen in ice. "I didn't journey back in time one hundred years to squabble, I came to steal." The villain spoke as he turned toward the clock on display, "The Clock of Eternity. Valuable in the past, priceless in the future." He reached for the precious item, but a red and yellow disc had other plans as it deflected his hand from the case.
"But for the present, you'll keep your filthy hands off it." The time traveler heard a young voice quip. He looked up toward the balcony and saw the six heroes standing by the railing, ready to fight.
"The Teen Titans. This is a treat." The man chuckled as laser blasters popped out from his shoulder pads, "I read all about you in the historical archives. And now you're all history!" He exclaimed as he opened fire on the group.
"Titans! GO!" Robin shouted as he and the others leapt over the railing to avoid the blasts.
The futuristic thief pivoted to follow the team and fired again with a shout, aiming at the Boy Wonder. As he tried avoiding the shots, he whipped out his fighting staff and extended it to full length, parrying the barrages with ease. However, the last shot broke the weapon in half and forced him to retreat.
With the masked Titan out of commission, Starfire flew in to charge the villain, followed by a green lion. Priming her powers, the Tamaranean carved a long double groove in the floor before coming upon her target. But this soon proved to be ineffective as the man effortlessly deflected the attacks back toward their owner, knocking her out of the air.
Next, the big green jungle cat took a shot at the time traveler. Growling as it charged, the green lion leapt into the air, bringing down two large claws ready to slash the villain. But, to the felines' surprise, the man held up his right hand, where a blaster popped from the gauntlet. Crackling with electricity, the weapon discharged the energy at the animal, immobilizing it in mid-leap.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted, catching the advanced humans' attention. He looked just in time to see two grandfather clocks come hurling toward him, but easily knocked the projectiles away with a wave of his hand. He countered the mage by firing a beam from his helmet that drove her to the ground.
Kylar tried to attack the man with an aura enhanced right jab. But at the last second, the time invader caught the fist in his left palm. The villain smirked as electricity formed in his hand and surged through the brunette, weakening him. The thief then followed up with an open palm strike with his right hand that launched the teen across the exhibit, crashing into a few display cases.
The criminal was clear for only a moment, though, as Cyborg broke out his sonic cannon and fired a blast that connected with its' intended target, throwing up a cloud of dust. "Boo-yah! Huh?" The metallic teen gasped as he saw his opponent unharmed and surrounded by a force field. Taking it down, the time traveler threw a circular device that stuck to the bionics' chest. The projectile resembled that of a kitchen timer, and when the pointer turned a notch, sparks coursed through every part of the poor Titans' body. "Draining my power cell!" Cyborg groaned as he slowly fell to the ground.
"You cannot defeat Warp. I am from the future." The man, now identified as Warp, boasted as he held up a large disc. He then threw it across the gallery toward a charging Robin, who threw a handful of his own discs as a counter attack.
Warp's projectile, however, proved to be the better as it smashed cleanly through them and flew toward the masked teen. Robin and Starfire dove to the sides as the large disc sailed the full length of the room and exploded at the other end.
"And you relics are one hundred years out of date." The time traveler taunted before he reached into the case that held the Clock of Eternity and removed the item. He then crossed the gallery, stepping over the downed heroes, and pressed the blue lens on his breastplate. It glowed blinding white and emitted a beam that formed into a portal identical to the one that originally brought him. "Ta-ta, Titans." Warp said as he faced the team, "I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very bright future ahead of me." He turned to make his exit, but before he could clear out, Starfire flew straight toward him. "What?" The thief looked back just in time to see the redhead plow right into him. Her momentum was enough to carry both of them through the portal, which suddenly disappeared when they were gone-an instant before Robin hurled himself toward it in an attempt to follow.
"Starfire!" The masked leader cried after landing on the floor. The other Titans stared in complete disbelief at having just seen their friend disappear in front of them.
0-0
Floating through an odd subspace filled with nothing but timepieces working at high speeds, Starfire and Warp struggled against one another, the former trying to apprehend the man, the latter trying to escape.
"Let go!" The time thief demanded as he continued grappling with the Tamaranean.
"You have endangered my friends and ruined Blorthog!" The enraged teen growled, never releasing her grip for a second.
"Stop! If you damage the suit before we reach my future-" As he spoke, the young teen got a hold on the lens, "No!"
Before he could stop the removal of the central piece, Starfire ripped it away. This resulted in Warp being hurled away from the girl. Once he receded from her view entirely, a bright white flash emanated from the immeasurable depths that teleported the alien teen and dropped her screaming out of the sky.
Landing in a deep snowdrift, the victorious Titan stood up and surveyed the area. She noticed it was nighttime with a bitter winter wind whistling over a snow-covered city. "Huh? What has happened?" Starfire asked, shivering as a result of the temperature, "Why is it cold? And where are my… *gasp*" The girl gasped when she looked up and saw the ruined remains of Titans Tower in front of her. "…friends?" The once magnificent structure now left the impression of having fallen into advanced disrepair. Picking herself up, she clipped the odd device she stole from Warp to her belt and quickly made her way into the building, hoping to find answers to these drastic changes.
0-0
"Friends? Hello? Friends?" The confused Tamaranean called out as she made her way through the top floor of the Tower. She noticed a hole had been smashed through the ceiling, allowing snowflakes to enter. "Hello!" She called out once more.
Finding a set of closed doors in her path, Starfire strained to push them open before finally succeeding in forcing the panels away. She gasped in shock as she realized she had found the remains of the Ops Center. Walking through the room, the redhead looked left and right, not believing a bit of what she saw. She then passed the GameStation controller that once sparked such a furor between her two gamer friends, and nudged one of the tinnabula bells she dropped. The jingling caused her to stop and recoil in fear for a moment before she leaned over and pick up one of the now badly rusted chimes.
She fixed it with a wide-eyed look of stunned sadness for a long second and watched as the aged piece of metal crumbled in her palm. It wasn't until the sound of machinery moving in the shadows behind her that she moved from her spot. "Cyborg!" The hopeful Tamaranean gasped as she turned to face the source. She saw a red dot glowing in the darkness, and held up a glowing hand to shed some light. "Oh, Cyborg, thank goodness you are-"
The illumination reached the dark niche and exposed something that had her cybernetic friends' approximate body shape, but was built entirely of mechanical parts. The source of the red spot was an electronic brain sitting in one side of the head. Starfire cried out in fear and threw a starbolt that blew the collection of circuitry away, only to be confronted by several spider-like robots that jumped up from behind the machines' shoulders, each looking like the part she just destroyed. In her terror, she continued tossing one shot after another to destroy the contraptions.
"Yo!" A familiar, yet older sounding, voice shouted from the entrance of the Ops Center. The scared Titan faced the source of the voice and saw a hulking silhouette with wires connected to the back. "Who's up here blasting my…" The figure stopped, lowered the piece of pipe it was carrying, and stared at the girl, completely stunned. "Star?" The Tamaranean was shocked to see what was in front of her. The man had aged lines on his face, the armored panels that covered most of his body were either damaged or missing, most of his left leg was replaced with some random components, and the blue lights that used to glow in his circuitry had gone out. "Starfire. I don't believe it." The aged bionic awed as he approached his long lost friend, discarding the bludgeon he had armed himself with. "You… you haven't aged a day!"
"Cyborg, what has happened?" The surprised girl asked as she cupped her hands on the sides of her friends' face, "Why are… you…"
"Old?" The old semi-robotic man smiled gently as he crossed the operations center, "Well, that's what happens to folks when you go away for twenty years."
"Twenty years?!" Starfire gasped.
"You disappeared, Star." Cyborg said as he slid some junk aside, "That battle with Warp, that was a long time ago. You fell through a wormhole, and…" The saddened mechanic looked out the cracked window and across the frozen bay, where the skyline of Jump City huddled under a blanket of snow and a cruel dark sky. "Welcome to the future."
"The future? But…" The confused alien removed the lens from her belt and held it in front of her, "…I damaged his technology."
The elderly Titan took the object and examined it, "Warp was planning to jump ahead one hundred years, right? Looks like you stopped him at twenty." He explained as he handed the device back.
"Still, I am confused. Please, why are you in disrepair?" The young Titan asked. This comment caused Cyborg to look at himself before turning away and walking over to a night table in the corner.
"Let's just say things… haven't gone so well since you left." He said regretfully as he pulled out something from the drawer.
Upon closer inspection, Starfire noticed the object to be a small wooden box with a wolf's head engraved on the top. This realization caused the Tamaranean to gasp sharply, knowing that the owner of the box always kept it close, "What has happened?"
With a sigh, the aged cybernetic man took a seat on the ground, still grasping the small music box. "It's a long story, Star."
The girl knelt next to her friend and placed a hand on his, "Please, Cyborg." She said with pleading eyes.
Returning the same sad look, Cyborg inhaled deeply before speaking, "After you disappeared, we tried everything to find you." He began, "But as more and more time passed, we began wondering if you'd ever return." His tone slowly became more and more depressed, as though remembering events he didn't want to. "Then one day, Robin and Kylar had a falling out. Ended with Robin leaving the team. I'd forgotten what the argument was about, but I hope it was something important." The Tamaranean listened intently as a deep sadness emerged in the old man's eyes. "We tried holding the team together with just the four of us, but..."
"What happened?" Starfire asked, her eyes filled with worry.
-0-
We got a distress call from an old factory outside of town. At first, we didn't think anything of it…
"Cy! This whole place is coming down!" Kylar shouted to his bionic friend.
"I know!" The metallic teen shouted as he shot off a blast from his sonic cannon at oncoming robotic commandos.
Fire burned all around the two teens as they ran across a steel walkway; the fire raged uncontrollably as it destroyed the building. Kylar held an unconscious Raven bridal-style, while Cyborg carried an unconscious Beast Boy over his shoulder.
When we arrived, I detected high levels of pentaerythritol tetranitrate. But then Slade's robots got the jump on us, and in the fight, some boilers exploded.
More commandos leapt in front of the titanium African, but soon found themselves launched off the walkway into the blazing inferno below by a kick from the brunette. "They don't give up!" He yelled as another explosion of fire rose from underneath.
"And if that bomb goes off, who knows what it'll do to the city!" Cyborg alerted.
A cautious look came to the aura manipulators' face as he realized what could happen. Looking down, he saw what looked to be the broken head of a commando without the front end of its' face. Inside was a screen of what looked to be blueprints for a building.
The other conscious Titan passed him as he tried making his escape. "C'mon, we gotta get outta here!" He shouted.
"Cy." Kylar called out to him, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around and saw the brunette with a look of determination on his face. "Someone has to stop it."
Understanding what his friend said, Cyborg quickly voiced his opposition, "Oh, no. No, no, no. We are getting outta here!"
The stubborn brunette shook his head. Without saying a word, he handed Raven to the larger Titan and caressed her face gently with his right hand. "Get them to safety." He said before turning around and picking the commando head up. Looking at the screen, he noticed a flashing S and another red flashing dot.
"Ky! Where are you going?!" The semi-robotic teen shouted. If Kylar said anything back, he didn't hear it. "Ky! Kylar!" The next thing he saw was his friend turning around and tossing something at him. He held up his free hand and caught the object, recognizing it to be the music box.
"Take care of yourself." The aura manipulator returned with a smile.
"No…" Looking at the box in disbelief and then at the brunette, the bionic was about to chase after him, but another steel beam crashed against the walkway, creating a large gap between them.
"GO!" Kylar shouted before turning around and disappearing in the rising fire.
"Kylar! Kylar!" The metallic teen shouted to no avail. "AAAARRGH!" Cyborg roared before he turned around and sprinted in the opposite direction.
0-0
Once getting outside, and a safe distance from the burning factory, the African Titan propped his two unconscious friends against some rocks.
When he placed the mage down, she slowly came to, and saw the blazing inferno in the distance. "What… happened?" She muttered as she brought her right hand to her head.
"You got knocked out during the fight." Cyborg responded as he placed the shape-shifter against a rock.
As she stood up, Raven looked around and noticed someone was missing. "Where's Kylar?" The sorceress asked. The larger Titan didn't respond, worrying the girl as a result. "Cyborg…" She then saw him hold up the wooden music box her brown-haired friend always carried. "No…" She gasped, horrified at the revelation.
"He stayed behind to stop the bomb." The metallic teen stated with a sad look on his face.
"We have to go back! We ha-" The cloaked Titan stated hastily as she tried to fly off. But just as she got off the ground, an immense explosion erupted from the factory, cutting her off. Once the explosion ceased, both conscious Titans stared in horror at the destruction.
-0-
Inside the Tower, Starfire was standing in the middle of the Ops Center with her hands over her face while the older Titan stood near the window.
"Ky must've done something because nothing bad happened to the city." The old storyteller continued. "After that day, we tried holding the team together, but with just the three of us, it didn't last long. We drifted apart." Cyborg explained sadly as he hung his head.
"How could such terrible things…" The dismayed Tamaranean looked at the lens in her hand, "Warp! His interference in the past must have changed our future." She reasoned.
"Star, I don't think-"
"He caused all this badness to happen. He made this technology, and he is the one who can make things right!" She convinced herself before she flew over and landed by her aged friend. "We must find Warp. You will help me?"
"I wish I could." The old bionic replied before looking off toward a gasoline-powered generator in the corner of the room. On it were cables that looked to be the same that were connected to his back. "My last power cell burned out years ago. I've tried adapting this new stuff to my old circuits, but…" He hung his head in shame. "I can't leave the Tower, Star. I'm obsolete."
0-0
In search for her remaining friends, Starfire set out toward Jump City. Flying over the snow-covered landscape, she recalled the conversation she had with her worn out friend before she left the Tower.
'Maybe the others can help.' Cyborgs' voice rang out in her mind as the cold air came across her face. 'I can tell you how to find BB and Raven.'
'And Robin?'
'We never got in contact since he left. If you're looking for him, you're on your own.'
0-0
Inside of a large circus wagon on the outskirts of a circus fairground, a green seal slid across the ground and barked. The animal then jumped onto a nearby crate and balanced a ball on its' nose. Bouncing the ball up, the seal transformed into a frog before catching the ball on the way down.
Outside of the exhibit, two boys watched the show. They were mostly bald except for small spikes on their heads, substituting their hair, and wore pink visors that hid their eyes completely. One held a pink ice cream cone and wore a blue winter coat while the other wore a light purple winter coat, neither of them impressed by the whole spectacle.
Inside the cage, the animal assumed the form of a panda and continued balancing the ball on its' nose. It then transformed into a pig, but a snowball flung in and knocked him over, sending the ball flying.
"You stink, pig!" The boy in the purple coat laughed as they both jeered and threw snowballs at the poor creature. After one last salvo, the ice cream cone was thrown in and the two boys left.
The green porker sat dejectedly as the cone melted on his head before sliding off. The animal looked down and sighed before a familiar person landed on the other side of the bars. After seeing the long lost friend, the pig transformed back into human form, revealing a much older Beast Boy-bald on top, having gained a great deal of weight, and not wearing his belt.
"No way!" The green man exclaimed as he moved to the bars, "It's you. But how?" As he spoke, the young Titan recognized defeat permeating every syllable in his voice.
"I require your help." Starfire told him.
"What kinda help?" Beast Boy sighed, still in disbelief at the person standing in front of him.
"The future is not as it should be. We must find Warp." She said as she warmed up starbolts in her hands. "I will free you from this-"
"This cage isn't to keep me in!" The changeling shouted in a panic as he held out his hands to stop his friend, "It's to keep those maniacs out!" The warning worked since Starfire dispersed her powers. "Look. After the Titans broke up, I tried the whole solo-hero thing. Got my butt kicked-a lot. So now, well…" Beast Boy transformed into a squawking chicken to make a point. "Besides, I'm in the showbiz now." He chuckled as he smiled weakly.
The Tamaraneans' emerald eyes told just how false this excuse rang with her, but seeing as she could say nothing that would give her fallen friend the confidence to change his mind, she left in search of her next target.
0-0
Inside a broken-down building, Starfire walked along a balcony where a single fluorescent tube flickered at the far end of the walkway. When she reached the end, a steel door greeted her as she grabbed the knob and turned it. Opening the door, she saw a room of nothing but pure white, with no features of any kind visible. In the far corner, wearing a white cloak with the hood up, a short figure stood with its head bowed and back turned to the hopeful alien.
"Raven?" Starfire called out as she approached the cloaked figure, "Raven, it is Starfire, your friend."
"No such thing." The figure responded without turning from the corner. The voice belonged to the Gothic sorceress, but sounded as though the past twenty years had broken her mind and body entirely.
"Please, Raven, I-"
"Just another figment. Don't even look." Raven convinced herself as she still faced the wall.
"You must listen! I am here because-"
"I'm never coming back! Go away!" The white-cloaked mage shouted furiously as she floated to another corner of the room. "It has to go away… Just like before…" She said to herself as she hung her head, "Just like all the others."
"Your mind." Starfire realized as she tried reaching out to her friend, "Without friends, you must have-*gasp*" Before she could touch her former teammate's back, a shield popped up to block her, surprising the orange Titan. Dropping her head, resignedly, she exited and closed the door behind her, leaving Raven alone in the solitary room, still facing the wall.
0-0
After two failed attempts at trying to persuade her former friends, Starfire found herself standing on top of a building overlooking Jump City.
"Perhaps it truly is hopeless." The girl sighed dejectedly. Her attention was caught when she heard a rustling noise behind her. Turning around, she noticed a figure leap off the edge of the building. Running over to the edge, she saw the figure running across another rooftop, but noticed something surprising. The figure was wearing a familiar black jacket with its hood up. "Kylar?" She whispered to herself before flying after the figure.
0-0
She followed the hooded figure to the outskirts of town, where the figure ran into an abandoned warehouse. Once there, the figure quickly grabbed the bottom of a garage door and threw it open before entering. Chasing it inside, Starfire looked around the chamber, thinking she had lost it. To her relief, the sound of footsteps running down metal stairs caught her attention. Looking to the side, she saw a flight of stairs that led underground and quickly flew down them in hopes of finding answers.
At the bottom of the stairs, however, the Tamaranean saw nothing but darkness surrounding her, with only the light from the upper floor shining through to the bottom.
"Hello?" She called out as she warmed a starbolt in her hand to give her some light. The neon green glow did not illuminate the entire area, but it was enough for her to see. "Is anyone here?" She called out again as she ventured into the abyss. She nervously looked around, but found nothing and soon thought of giving up. As she turned to leave, she bumped into a taller figure. After realizing the figure was wearing the black jacket, her face lit up with a smile. "Friend Kylar! Oh, I knew it couldn't be true!" She cheered, "Cyborg told me you were-" But before she finished her sentence, the green glow illuminated the inside of the hood, revealing it to be robotic. With a scream, she quickly jumped away from the mechanized being and primed her hands with starbolts.
To the alien teens' surprise, overhanging lights in the underground area went off, creating pools of light that formed a path in front of her. Confused, the young Titan looked at the hooded figure, which began walking toward the end of the path, beckoning for the girl to follow. A desk with a chair behind it was at the end of the lighted path. However, the object on the desk drew her attention immediately as she recognized it to be a Titan Communicator. With a gasp, she picked up the device and stared at it.
"I see the years have been kind to you." Starfire heard a voice say from among the shadows. The voice sounded familiar to her, but it was aged, very calm, and spoken in an erudite tone.
"Who is there?" She called out as she turned around to face the source of the voice.
From the shadows, a figure wearing a full-length black coat with a hood covering the head stepped into a pool of light. It had a large silver zipper that fastened at the top and zipped down to seal the coat. It had silver drawstrings for the hood that were decorated with a large silver bead hanging from the end and a silver chain ornament adorned with four large cylindrical silver beads that fastened to a loop on either side of the collarbone region. "It truly has been a long time, hasn't it?" The figure asked.
"Who are you? And why do you have this?" Starfire demanded as she readied a starbolt in her right hand.
"Come now, is that any way to greet…" The figure said as he pulled down its' hood, "…an old friend?"
"*Gasp*" The young Titan was so shocked by who it was she was speaking to; she could do nothing but stare in disbelief.
Underneath the hood was a man with slicked back brown hair, a recognizable face, and unmistakable blue eyes. "I'm glad to see you too, Starfire." The man smiled.
"Kylar…" The Tamaranean reached out to touch the taller figure, making sure he was actually there. When her hand pressed against his chest, her face quickly beamed, "Friend Kylar! I am most pleased to see you alive!" The girl cheered as she gave her long lost friend a hug. Kylar only smiled as he returned the gesture. "But, Cyborg told me you had perished in the explosion." She said as she let go of the older brunette.
"I suppose he would believe that." Kylar returned as he walked past the girl toward his desk, his back facing the girl when he reached it.
His words confused her, "I do not understand, if you are alive, why have you not told the others?" She asked as she gave the black-coated man a long and puzzled stare. "What has happened to you?"
The brunette took a moment before turning around to face his young friend.
-0-
"Ky! Where are you going?!" The semi-robotic teen shouted, the raging fire around them causing more and more destruction.
"To end this." Kylar said under his breath.
"Ky! Kylar!" The brunette heard Cyborg shout again. In the next moment, he turned around and threw his music box to his larger friend, who caught it with his free hand.
"Take care of yourself." The aura manipulator returned with a smile.
"No…" Kylar heard his friend mutter. He then saw that the bionic was about to chase after him, but another steel beam crashed against the walkway, creating a large gap between them.
"GO!" The black-jacketed Titan shouted before turning around and disappearing in the rising fire.
0-0
Recognizing the red dot on the screen to be the placement of the head, Kylar followed the map to where the S was. Finding himself two floors underground, he noticed the fire hadn't spread that far yet, but it was only a matter of time.
Without lights, there was only darkness in the area he was in, the only sound he could hear was the sound of metal clanking together as though gears were shifting. Looking at the screen one more time, the Titan noticed the red dot was now near the S.
"It should be around here somewhere." Kylar said to himself as he looked around the chamber. After scanning the room, he saw what looked to be a large metallic rectangle with glowing red lines that ran up the edges. "There!" He quickly ran over to the device and saw a small screen with a keyboard on the front. After some typing, a panel opened above the keyboard. Inside, he saw a glowing green core rotating at a fast speed. "Okay, I can do this." The brunette reassured himself. However, before he could remove the green core, a shadow barreled into him, knocking him away from the device. After catching himself and landing in a crouch, Kylar recognized just who attacked him. "Slade, what a surprise." The teen stated flatly.
"I'm afraid I can't let you tamper with the nuke." The villainous mercenary said as he typed on the keyboard, closing the panel as he did so.
"Nuke!? Why do you have a nuke?!"
"With the radiation, the entire area will be uninhabitable and destroy any living thing in a 30 mile radius." Slade explained as he circled the young Titan.
"You're insane." Kylar growled as he formed his purplish-black energy around his arms.
"Funny. Robin would have said the same thing." The armored commando compared, "Shame he isn't here, I guess I'll make due with you."
With a growl, the aura manipulator charged the villain, leading with a right hook. Slade quickly ducked out of the way and with the momentum delivered a roundhouse kick that hit the teen in his face. Without giving him any room to breath, Slade then followed up with a few punches to the sternum and face. He then grabbed Kylar by the arm and threw him across the room.
After skidding across the ground, the young hero rolled out of the way to dodge an oncoming stomp from his opponent. He then formed orbs of energy in his hand and began hurling them at the mercenary. Leaping high off the ground, Slade was able to dodge a few of them. But one lucky shot struck its' target square in his chest, knocking the commando out of the air.
After landing on the ground, Slade's eye popped out of his head in surprise when he saw the Titan fly at him with a right hook that connected with the left side of his face. He then felt another punch strike him in the stomach, knocking him across the room. Now on the other end of the room, the villain picked himself up, "I must say, I'm impressed." He congratulated. "My interest in you was well placed."
"I don't care what you think." Kylar growled as he approached the commando.
"You would've made an excellent apprentice." Slade said before charging the young Titan.
Leading with a straight jab, Slade struck the brunette in the face, but found himself struck by a blow as well. Back and forth, both combatants traded hits, neither backing down from each other. As the fight carried on, both hero and villain found themselves breathing heavily as they broke away from each other.
To make matters worse, the fire from a few floors up finally caught up with the brunette and began consuming the area around them. Debris began falling from the ceiling and would've crushed both opponents had they not rolled out of the way.
With the fire illuminating the area with a reddish orange glow, Kylar could better see the chamber he was in. That didn't help much, though, as he lost sight of the man he was trying to defeat. Quickly turning his attention to the nuke, he ran over and began typing again. This time, without hesitation, he removed the core and crushed it in his hands.
"NO!" Kylar heard a voice shout before feeling a heavy mass knock him away from the bomb. "You may have removed the core, but the bomb will go off." Slade threatened as he slammed his right fist against the keyboard. As a result, small red numbers appeared on the screen and began counting down, beginning at 3:00.
"HHHHRRRAAAAAA!" The brunette roared as he tackled the mercenary to the ground. Pinning his body, Kylar began unleashing punch after punch on the villain. He held nothing back as he struck the man in the face over and over again, eventually destroying the mask that covered his opponents' face. After a few moments, the Titan stood up and seized Slade by the neck with his left hand and pulled him up. He stared into the broken mans' eye as he held him at his mercy.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Slade coughed. "You know how this will end; I'll just keep coming back, and we'll do this over and over again." The commando brought his hand up and grabbed the brunettes' wrist. "Unless you end it right here."
After a brief moment of silence, a fire emerged inside Kylar's eyes, one that Slade was all too familiar with. "You're right." He stated icily.
It was shocking at first to hear Slade chuckle slightly, until it became a powerful cackle, "Yes, an excelle-HRK!" But the aura manipulator didn't even finish his sentence as he drove his right arm through the villains' torso.
As the life left Slade's eye, Kylar dropped the villain to the ground. Staring at the lifeless body at his feet, a sinister smile crept across the teens' face as he let out a small chuckle. After a while, that chuckle grew louder and louder into a maniacal laughter as the fire continued roaring and debris fell around him. Under his feet, the ground began crumbling and eventually gave out, sending the laughing Titan and the body plummeting into a dark underground chasm.
-0-
Back in the dark chamber, Starfire stared in wide-eyed horror at the older brunette, who was now standing behind the desk.
"I fell into that dark chasm, and when I came out my eyes were opened." Kylar explained, "I finally realized what needed to be done to truly make a difference. So that's exactly what I did."
The Tamaranean brought her hands to her mouth and gasped, "You mean you…"
"I did, and I have." The black-coated man said.
Starfire couldn't believe what she was hearing. It pained her to see how far her friend had fallen. "So everything really has changed." She sighed sadly. "But why have you not told our friends you were alive?"
Kylar began chuckling a bit at her question, "You've seen the others. The Titans are finished. Besides, I was finally able to make the city safe. I accomplished much more by myself than I did as part of a team." He turned his back to the young girl, "What need to I have for friends?"
The aura manipulators' words carried a harsh sting with them. Fighting back tears, the orange alien looked at the communicator in her hand. "If what you say is how you feel, and you truly do believe you do not need friends, why did you keep this?" She asked as she placed the device on the desk.
Kylar had no answer for her.
Hanging her head sadly, Starfire turned around and left her former friend in the lonely pool of light at his desk, passing the hooded robot on her way out.
Once she was out of the building, the older brunette turned around and stared at the T-Communicator. With a growl, he raised his fist, ready to destroy the device. But when he brought it down, he slammed his fist into the desk, leaving the device untouched. Closing his eyes, he hung his head in defeat and thought about his former teammates' question.
0-0
Starfire had finally lost all hope. Meeting each of her friends and seeing just how terrible their lives turned out had crushed her spirit. With nowhere else to go, she plodded down a street through the snow that thickly covered the street. To her surprise, a laser blast flew her way and knocked her back.
"What's the matter, dear? Have I come at a bad time?" The time traveling thief asked, standing on a ledge overhead. He then released a fusillade of blasts that peppered the snow all around his target.
The Tamaranean stood for a moment, pinned down, but then got clear off the ground. Flying past Warp and over the buildings, Starfire dodged his shots and returned fire, but they proved to be inefficient as the man put up a force field to stop the attack. She then floated down to his level and got ready to release a powerful shot, but a mere wave of the hand encased her in ice, dropping her out of the air. After crashing into the ground, the frozen layer shattered, leaving her twitching and groaning in a crater of snow.
She quickly righted herself when she heard Warp stepping closer to her. She shot the villain a glowing green glare, but soon changed it to a stare of bewilderment. "You have also become old." Starfire said, realizing his face had also looked as though it aged twenty years.
"That's what happens when someone steals my vortex regulator." Warp explained as he held up his left hand to the kneeling girl. "The regulator, if you please. I really must get back to my future."
Starfire quickly stood up and pulled the lens-like device off her belt. "If you ever wish to see your future-" She threatened menacingly as she warmed up a starbolt in her free hand, "-you will repair the damage you have done to my past!"
"Damage?" The older time traveler asked as he cocked his eyebrow, "Silly girl. There's nothing wrong with your past. One cannot damage history, because history cannot be changed." He explained as he held up the Clock of Eternity, "I went back in time to steal this because history says it disappeared. And history says it disappeared because I went back to steal it. Past, present, future. It's all written in stone, my dear." Defeated, Starfire dispelled her blast and hung her head, leaving Warp to take the regulator from her hand. "And nothing you do can ever change it." He said as he raised one arm and extended a blaster from his wrist.
He would have fired at the saddened girl, but a mysterious shadow hurtled in and knocked him into an alley. Standing up, Warp noticed the figure as a black silhouette with long hair, but soon found himself thrown even farther down the way to bounce off a dead-end wall. The figure produced a couple of discs between its fingers and threw them, while running straight toward the blast zone with a jump. They exploded in a fireball that engulfed the time traveler, but caused no harm to the man as he shielded himself with a force field. Looking to the sky, he noticed the attacker dropping straight toward him. "Another time, perhaps." The criminal said as he phased through the ground an instant before the leaping shadow landed on him.
Starfire moved cautiously into the alley as the person straightened up. She couldn't discern any features of the shadow, but the voice was unmistakable. "It's good to see you again." The shadow said.
The orange teens' eyes widened after recognizing the voice, "Robin?" She asked.
"I haven't used that name in a long time." He said as he advanced into the light, revealing every new detail about the once short sidekick; skintight black uniform, with a large angular design of a blue hawk on his chest, black gloves, a matching eye mask that angled down to cover his nose, and long black hair that went past his shoulders. "Call me Nightwing."
0-0
After a short reunion, Nightwing led his young friend to an underground lair where the sound of machinery was heard. As they made their way further into the chamber, Starfire saw a bank of computers and control panels on the one side, with a chair in front, and two cylindrical storage containers across from them.
Making her way across a walkway, she stopped and recognized something inside one of the glass containers: Robin's old outfit. Finally acknowledging the fact that everything had changed, Starfire sighed quietly and wrapped her arms around her body for warmth, but soon felt a blanket get wrapped around her shoulders by her black and blue friend.
"I heard you've been looking for help." The older Boy Wonder stated as he approached the monitors.
"There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do." The Tamaranean stated sadly, "The past cannot be repaired, the future cannot be altered, no matter how wrong it seems."
"So it's impossible." Nightwing summarized once he finally reached his monitors, "Good. If memory serves, we've done the impossible before." These words brought hope to the young Titan, believing something could truly be changed. The longhaired hero then pressed a button that opened a panel on his computer, "I held onto this just in case."
Starfire moved closer to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her. Knowing that Kylar had kept his, and now seeing that Robin, or rather Nightwing, still held onto his, then perhaps the others still had theirs as well. The black and blue hero picked it up and pressed the button on its' side, instantly resulting in the T flashing red.
To the aliens' delight, the black stones on her neckpiece and wrist guards came to life in the same manner.
0-0
Inside the circus cage, a green dog on its hind legs was bouncing a ball on its' snout. In the corner, hanging on a peg, the buckle on an old gray belt began flashing. The beeping sound drew the animals' attention and made it forget the bouncing. Transforming back into human form, Beast Boy dropped his jaw slightly in surprise, but then closed it as he hung his head sadly.
0-0
In the white room, Raven was still facing the wall, though the shield she had used to block her visitor was now gone. To her surprise, the brooch on her cloak began flashing red, causing her to lift her right hand to cover it.
0-0
Deep in the underground darkness of the warehouse, Kylar was summoning his aura around his arms as he dispelled energy throughout the room. The sound on his T-Communicator beeping caught his attention as he dispelled his power and approached the device. Once he reached his desk, he picked up the device and stared at it with a determined look.
0-0
Inside the Tower, Cyborg sat in the Ops Center, staring sadly at the wooden music box in his hands. Suddenly, his eye implant flickered red, responding to the call. Without thinking, he got to his feet and started out the door, but the cables on his back pulled taut and stopped him. He gasped softly and looked back over his shoulder at the power source that anchored him.
0-0
Elsewhere in the city, a familiar time traveling villain made use of a welding torch to place a strange lens back in place. Warp was inside the former museum, now known as Metro Arts Technologies, and delighted in the idea of soon returning to his own time.
"Tick-tock. Tick-tock." He smiled as he continued welding the regulator to his chest. "Just a few more seconds, and I shall finally-Ack!" He cried when a short staff struck the tool from his hand. Looking to the source of the attack, Warp saw the short staff return to the black and blue hero, who was crouched on a balcony railing with the Tamaranean floating next to him, starbolts ready in each hand.
"The future will have to wait." Nightwing as he extended the staff, "You just ran out of time."
With a frustrated growl, the villain brought up his shoulder lasers and fired off a few rounds that sent the two heroes diving away. The older masked hero scaled a handful of explosive discs at him while Starfire unloaded a blast from her hand. Again, these caused no damage as Warp brought up a force field to stop their onslaught.
The two came down to ground level as he dropped the barrier while the smoke cleared. He then released a salvo from both barrels as they rushed him. The auburn-haired Titan fired off a shot at the man, but was deflected back toward her. Realizing this happened the first time they fought, the girl flew out of the way and dodged the ricochet.
Meanwhile, Nightwing charged through Warp's laser blasts and leapt into the air to attack the time-jumping thief. Coming down, the end of his staff shattered one of the two blasters before he leapt away and landed behind his target. Turning around to attack the former Titan, the villain was bowled over by an unsuspecting starbolt. After standing up, Warp fired more lasers from his remaining blaster, but they were batted away by the metal staff. He then found himself on the defensive again as the masked man brought his staff in for more swings, forcing him to back up as he blocked each strike.
Nightwing fought like a bojutsu master on speed, his staff appearing everywhere almost at once. One final roundhouse found its mark and sent Warp to the ground. Both heroes stepped up to him, but the criminal just grinned and adjusted the aim of his working laser. A shot went straight up to the roof and blew a hole through it, dumping in a pile of snow and rubble that buried the orange alien.
"Star!" Nightwing shouted before getting blasted away by the master of time.
After finding himself in a safe position, Warp ran across the gallery and picked up the welding torch that was knocked out of his hand. But before he could do any more repair work, a mighty blue, white-ringed blast connected squarely with his chest and sent him crashing behind some cabinets.
After digging up his buried teammate, Nightwing and Starfire looked confusedly back toward the source of the blast, only to see the bionic man himself, on the scene and free of the wiring that had held him in place. They also noticed his circuitry glowing blue with life again.
"Boo-yah." Cyborg said as he lowered his cannon.
"Cyborg!" The happy Tamaranean cheered as she flew over to him, "You are repaired!"
"Glad you could make it." The black-haired hero smiled as he placed his right hand on his old friends' shoulder.
"Wouldn't have missed it. Now who said y'all could start without me?" The rejuvenated African asked.
Enraged at the constant setbacks, Warp stepped up to the trio, "So sorry." He said as he held a timer device like the one that drained the bionic mans' power cell in the past, "Perhaps I should finish you first!"
Before he could do anything, a green lion charged in and raked its' claws along the gold armor that sent sparks up from it. Warp then lifted his arm and brought the blaster up from his wrist, ready to fire. But to his surprise, black magic surrounded itself over his hand, then his whole body, and flung him to the far wall.
The four heroes looked the way the villain flew, completely at a loss, and saw a black energy materialize from the floor. It rose high into the air in the form of a black bird that swirled and became the telekinetic former Titan. "Nobody hurts my friends." Raven stated as she floated to join the other four.
As she touched the ground, Beast Boy had morphed back into human form, looked up at Nightwing's full head of hair, and rubbed his own bald scalp enviously. "Dude, that is so unfair."
After picking himself off the ground, Warp activated the regulator and opened a wormhole, ready to return to his time. "It seems my time has come." He turned to step through the portal, but a pillar of purplish-black energy shot up from the ground, blocking the man.
To everyone's surprise, a fully coated figure with its' hood up flew in and struck the villain in the side, followed by a roundhouse kick that sent the villain skidding across the ground. After watching the villain slide away, the Titans turned their attention to the mysterious figure and readied themselves for a fight, all except Starfire.
"Kylar." The Tamaranean smiled as she approached the coated figure.
"What?!" Beast Boy and Cyborg shouted in surprise. Nightwing and Raven remained silent, but the looks on their faces spoke volumes of their shock.
As he turned to face his friends, Kylar pulled down his hood, "Hello, friends." He addressed with a smile.
His five friends quickly ran up and surrounded him; his green and bionic friends bombarding him with questions. Before he could answer any of them, though, Warp stood up and primed the blaster on his wrist. "Sorry to break the reunion." He growled.
Just as he was about to fire the weapon, Nightwing hurled a compact device with wings extended that slammed into his regulator and cracked it, causing electricity to crackle all over his body as he began growing younger before their eyes. "Uh?! No! Noooo! NOOOOOOO!" The time traveler cried as his body shrunk, disappearing inside the golden chest plate.
Approaching the remaining rags, Beast Boy reached down and pulled the breastplate away, revealing a screaming baby. "Okay. I am not changing any diapers."
After finally registering what happened to Warp, Kylar pulled the regulator from the breastplate and tossed it to his semi-robotic friend, "Cyborg, we need to get her home."
"Right." He nodded as he attached the lens to the muzzle of his cannon. He then fired a sustained blast at the wormhole and forced it back to its original size. "I'm redirecting the wormhole. Starfire, go!"
The girl in question stepped uneasily toward it, but stopped and looked back pleadingly at her former friends. "Please, must this really be our future?" She did not receive an answer. "Is there nothing I can do to change it?"
Nightwing stepped up to the desperate girl. "I'm sorry, Star. There isn't time." He said as he took her hand and placed the Clock of Eternity in it. She looked at the piece of technology but soon faced her friend again when he placed a hand on her shoulder. She gave him a tender smile while tears began forming in her eyes. He took a few steps back to join the rest of the old crew and watched as the young Titan stepped into the black gateway.
0-0
Twenty years earlier, the team was fighting with Warp. After successfully defeating his foes, the time traveler was about to escape through the wormhole with the Clock.
"Ta-ta, Titans." He said as he faced the team, "I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very bright future ahead of me." He turned to make his exit, but before he could clear out, Starfire flew straight toward him. "What?" The thief looked back just in time to see the redhead plow right into him. Her momentum was enough to carry both of them through the portal, which suddenly disappeared when they were gone-an instant before Robin hurled himself toward it in an attempt to follow.
"Starfire!" The masked leader cried after landing on the floor.
"Um, where did she-" Beast Boy began but was cut off as a second wormhole opened behind him, Kylar, and Cyborg. To their surprise, Starfire rolled out and landed in a huddled kneeling position, cradling the Clock.
Facing her, the four boys leaned in, completely mystified. "Dude!"
"Whoa!"
"How?"
"Star! What happened?" Robin asked as the wormhole closed behind the girl.
"History said it disappeared," The Tamaranean said as she straightened up and held out the Clock, "But history was wrong!" The four teens could only stare thunderstruck at this instant reversal of fortune and recorded events.
0-0
After returning the Clock back to its rightful place. The Titans returned to their home where they were treated to an incredible story from the extraterrestrial friend.
"Then Nightwing handed me the Clock and I entered the vortex." Starfire finished. The other five Titans stared in complete bewilderment after hearing about the depressing future she visited. Among the team, Beast Boy's cheeks were streaked with tears as a long silence filled the room.
"Whoa." Raven muttered, finally breaking the silence.
"I can't believe I do that." Kylar awed as he scratched his chin.
"Bald?!" The changeling cried in shock, "You're telling me I'm going to be bald?!" He whined as he tore out most of his hair, making him resemble his future self.
"Guess you were right about all that Rekmas stuff." Cyborg sighed; realizing his fear of becoming obsolete had come true.
"I don't want us to drift apart." Robin said sadly, "Does it all have to happen? Isn't there anything we can-"
"Our friendship has already changed Warp's past." The auburn-haired Titan reassured him, "I believe it can also change our future."
One by one, the loose bells from the string that broke under Cyborg's and Kylar's weight floated up in the mages' influence. "So, is it too late to do this festival-of-friendship thing?" She asked as the bells reassembled themselves.
"Oh, it's never too late!" Starfire cheered ecstatically, her eyes widening with happiness while an ear-to-ear grin spread across her face.
Raven levitated some tinnabulas down around Beast Boy's, Cyborg's, Kylar's, and her own neck. "HAPPY BLORTHOG!" The hulking bionic shouted in the mage's ear, causing her bells to jingle. Kylar stood next to the cloaked Titan and blew a party blower in celebration.
"I thought it was 'Blort-hog.'" The green teen said, his hairline having fixed itself.
"Okay, I feel like a wind chime." The sorceress complained.
Near the window, Starfire put a tinnabula around her masked friends' neck. After looking at it, he lifted his head and smiled, "So… Nightwing, huh?"
"You're future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one." -Doc Brown