This one constantly confused me, to the point where I had to write down who was in what body. Despite this, it was still fun to write, so enjoy.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos..." Raven mutters, levitating near the window. I look up from my book to see Starfire walking over to her with hopeful eyes.
"Raven?" She asks, but the girl doesn't move. "Raven? Please forgive my interruption, but have you seen Robin?"
"No," she curtly replies. "Ember's more likely to have seen him." At her words, I stick my nose back in my book and pretend not to have heard.
"Oh. Perhaps you have seen Cyborg?"
"No."
"Beast Boy?"
"My eyes are closed, Starfire. I haven't seen anyone."
"They must be doing the hanging out someplace," She looks around in an effort to find me, but somehow doesn't spot me. "Perhaps we should do the hanging out with Ember. We never have before, and conceivably it could be fun. We might journey to the mall of shopping, or perform braiding manoeuvres upon each other's hair, or..." I watch as she trails off, a black aura surrounding the levitating girl in front of her. "You wish to be alone?"
Starfire backs off, but Raven still doesn't move. "How could you tell?" She goes back to meditating as Starfire backs away further. "Azarath Metrion Zinth—"
"Mail call!" Cyborg shouts from the doorway, Beast Boy and Robin on either side of him. He's holding an unassuming crate, marked with our address. Raven lets out a yell as she hits the floor with a loud thud, and Starfire rushes up to the boys in excitement.
"Robin! Cyborg! Beast Boy! You are back! It was... quiet while you were gone."
Raven stands up, dusting herself off. "Not that quiet," she remarks, and I stand up too, closing my book.
"Check it out," Beast Boy says as we gather around the box. "This was sitting by the front door. Fam mail, probably a gift from one of my many admirers."
I ignore Beast Boy's self appointed superiority and focus on the crate instead. "Actually, it doesn't say who it's from," Robin states.
"Or who it's for," I note.
"Well," Cyborg says. "Only one way to find out." He opens the box and we all peer over anxiously. In the box lie six puppets, each a replica of one Titan. "Whoa!"
"Cool!" Robin says, and Starfire giggles. Neither Beast Boy or Raven look too fazed by the puppets.
"Honestly, I was kinda hoping for chocolate," Beast Boy says, and I snicker at his response.
Cyborg reaches in and pulls his out, studying it. "Aww, isn't that cute?" He says, pressing some buttons on the puppet. "Puppet Cy has a light-up eye."
Everyone else gets theirs out, looking at them in awe. "Yeah. They got all the details just right," Robin states, pulling at the mechanism on his replica's utility belt.
"Speak for yourself," Beast Boy says. "I'm way better looking than this, and taller."
I look at Beast Boy, deadpanned. "It's a puppet, Beast Boy," I point out. "Can't exactly be life size."
"Someone certainly has a lot of time on their hands," I hear Raven comment as she pulls at the blue hood on her puppet.
I take the time to observe the puppet that so clearly replicates me. Its hair is brown at the roots, but then slowly changes to a blonde colour at the tips, with red highlights woven throughout.
Its eyes are a standout, since they are so out of proportion, the two different coloured pupils watching my every move. The clothes are the exact same as what I'm currently wearing, and I tug at my own as if to check if they matched.
Starfire continues to giggle. "I have never seen such a whimsical device," she tells us. "Hello, Starfire!" She says in a deep voice, then returning to her normal voice. "Hello, tiny wooden replica of Starfire!"
Beast Boy and Robin are playing with their puppets, and Beast Boy's sneaks up on Robin's, giving him the upper hand. "Dude! My puppet is totally kicking your puppet's butt!" He exclaims, and a smile tugs on Robin's lips.
"Not for long," he says, before kicking Beast Boy's puppet into Cyborg's.
"You want a piece of me, little man?"
"Boys," Raven mutters, and I laugh.
"Tell me about it."
Starfire walks her puppet over to the two of us. "Shall my tiny replica do battle with your tiny replicas?" She asks hopefully.
"Knock yourself out," Raven replies, tossing her puppet at Starfire. Starfire looks at me, and I shake my head.
"If this thing isn't reduced to ashes tomorrow, it can count itself lucky," I say, my fingers filling with flames at even the mention of burning it.
"Don't do that, Ember," Robin says, his voice having a begging tone to it. "They're so much fun to play with! Look, my puppet will verse yours. What do you say?"
I plaster a grim smile on my face. "Hard pass," I say, tossing the toy on the couch. I point to it, as if to make a statement. "This thing is not staying in my room. That's for sure."
~~~
"Who is there?" I hear Starfire say, and it wakes me up with a start. I bolt out of my room and down the hallway, looking for the alien girl.
"Ladies... please... one at a time," I hear Beast Boy mumble in his sleep. "You'll all get to take your picture with me."
"Hello? Hello?" Is someone there?" I hear Starfire ask again.
"Starfire?"
"Ember?" She rounds the corner and spots me. "Oh, it is only you! Tell me, what were you doing in my room?"
My eyebrows furrow and I look at her sceptically. "I wasn't in your room, Star," I say.
"But if you were not, then who was?"
I'm interrupted by the sound of maniac laughter. "Whoever that was," I say, and Starfire and I wander down the hallway. We reach Raven's room and she opens the door. The two girls gasp in surprise.
"Raven! You have also heard the strange noises?" Starfire asks.
"The strange noises of you two talking outside my door? Hard to miss," she replies.
"No, the sounds of someone in the—" I begin, but am once again interrupted before I can get my point across. This time, it's not laughter, but the blast of an all too familiar sonic cannon. "Cyborg?" I ask. "You almost hit me!"
I turn around, only to see Cyborg, along with Robin and Beast Boy, charging at the three of us. I can't help but notice the robotic manner in which they move and the blue lining in their eyes, and it all falls into place.
"Beast Boy, it's me! Don't make me hurt you!" Raven says as she dodges his attacks.
"It may be you, but it's not him," I say as I jump back from Robin's impending attack. He throws some explosives at me, and I freeze them in place. "Robin! Robin, please don't!" Of course, he's not the one attacking me, and so the attacks don't cease.
Cyborg catches Starfire off guard and blasts her, and she falls limp in his arms. Beast Boy flings Raven towards the robot, and he catches her in the other arm. They both squirm, but he doesn't move.
Now that Raven and Starfire are out of play, both Robin and Beast Boy's attention focuses on me whilst Cyborg holds the other girls.
"Let me go!" Raven says.
"You heard her. Let," I ready one hand with water. "Them," the other ignites with water as well. "Go," my eyes flare with blue energy and my hair swirls around as I fly into the air and flood the hall. Cyborg releases the two girls as the water electrocutes him, but I feel a sting on my leg and look down to see a large green piranha biting my calf. I moan in pain and fall to the ground, causing the water to flow away, and I quickly become trapped in Robin's arms. I look up and Raven and Starfire are back in Cyborg's arms as well.
"Friends! Why do you attack us?" Starfire begs.
"Oh. They're not your friends anymore," a voice says, a small figure stepping out of the darkness and into view. Besides his height, his mouth is disjointed from his face, just like a puppet. "They are my puppets. These are your friends."
He holds up the four puppets: Robin's, Cyborg's, Beast Boy's, and mine. I remember leaving it on the couch, so it's no surprise that he got it. "Em... ber!" Robin's puppet's mouth moves, struggling to form my name.
"Ra... ven!" Cyborg's puppet does the same.
"Star... fire! Help!" Beast Boy's finishes.
"Release them!" Raven commands.
"Sorry, but you're not in charge here," the puppet man says, holding them behind his back. "You don't command me. I command you." Beast Boy takes our puppets from the puppet man, holding them out.
My eyes flare red. "Not if I can—" I begin, but am stopped by my own shrill scream, along with the other girls', filling the room. I look at Raven and Starfire, and they're surrounded in purple and yellow lights. I look at my hands and they're surrounded by blue energy, presumably along with the rest of my body.
"And with the Puppet King pulling the strings, the Teen Titans will command the entire city," the Puppet King states.
"Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos," Raven mumbles, and it's the last thing I hear before my eyes fail me and I drift into unconsciousness.
~~~
I wake up, what I presume is mere seconds later. "After them!" A voice commands, and I instinctively run in the direction where I know I'll be safe.
~~~
I fumble around in the darkness, looking for some kind of switch. I try summoning fire to light up the sewer, but for whatever reason, it doesn't work. "The boys! What are we going to—?" Starfire says as she pulls on the switch. I look up at Starfire and myself.
"What's going on?" I ask cautiously.
"Raven?" Starfire's voice asks from my body. "You are me! And I am Ember!"
"And I am Raven." As I say this, the room lights up with fire from my own body and I grab the two girls' hands, pulling them out and shutting the sewer off from the impending explosion.
"Oh, no! This is awful! Terribly, horribly, awful!" Starfire says.
Raven doesn't spare the girl a glance. "Tell me about it," she replies.
"Very well," Starfire says, and I shake my head. "Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy have been trapped inside tiny wooden bodies, while a nasty creature called the Puppet King has taken control of their real bodies, which he is using to hunt us down, and we are in the wrong bodies and—"
"Starfire!" I shout. "I can't hear myself think!" The mailbox next to me is engulfed in black light, and I flinch.
"Ember!" Raven says, placing her hand on my shoulder. I turn around and look at the stoic girl. "You have to calm down. My powers are driven by emotion. The more you feel, the more energy you unleash."
"But what if they find us?" Starfire interjects. "What if our friends are doomed?" She places her hands on her chin in dismay.
"That's not helping, Starfire," I comment, turning to Raven. "And what if we're stuck in this Freaky Friday situation forever?"
"We'll fix it," Raven says in the most reassuring tone she knows. "I don't know how, but we will rescue the boys and we will get our bodies back."
"I will try to calm down," Starfire replies. "For the sake of Ember and for our friends. Peace... quiet... tranquil—" It doesn't work, and the car next to me is engulfed in black energy and sent into the air before hitting the ground.
"We are so doomed," Raven mutters.
"Beast Boy!" Starfire shouts, pointing at the sky. Sure enough, a green bird flies around, highlighted by the moon.
"You mean zombie Beast Boy," Raven reminds her. "Run!" The bird rushes towards us and we head into an alleyway. Raven jumps into the air, her hands flailing about. "Fly! Fly!"
Soon, we lose Beast Boy and slow down to a walk. "We cannot fight them again," Starfire states. "I do not wish to, and in our present condition, we would surely be defeated."
"Okay," Raven responds. "How do you fly this thing?"
"You must feel flight."
"What?"
"When you feel the unbridled joy of flight, you will fly."
"Unbridled joy?" Raven questions. "Not really my thing."
"Look!" Starfire says as she points to Beast Boy, this time in tiger form. Her hand glows red and she shoots fire at him, no doubt on accident.
"What do I have to feel to use starbolts?" Raven rushes the words out.
"Righteous fury."
"Your alien strength?"
"Boundless confidence."
"Never mind," Raven turns on her heels and runs in the opposite direction, Beast Boy chasing after. Not long into the pursuit, a caped figure jumps down in front of us.
"Robin," I say quietly, placing my hand over my mouth in surprise. He looks the same, but his eyes are still occupied with the blue energy. Robin readies his staff and charges at us, and Beast Boy does the same. We dodge, and they smack into each other whilst we run away. Raven ducks into a corner and pulls the both of us in, and we watch as the two boys run past us without a second thought.
Just when we think we're safe, two arms smack into the wall behind us. Starfire shrieks and gets blown up by the wind before coming crashing down. "Wait for me, please!" She says, just as Cyborg reveals himself.
We accidentally back ourselves into a corner and I ready myself to fight before Raven places her hands on my shoulders. "If I can't fly, Ember, you have to levitate," she says. "You know those words I always say?
"When meditating? Got it," I look up at the sky, holding the two girls' hands. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" We shoot up like a rocket, but I don't dare to look at the ground. We all scream as I fly us away, out of control. "Okay, now how do we get down?" I ask, turning back to Raven.
"Look at the ground and imagine—"
"Looking at the ground... and..." The second I look down, that's where we go. We land in a dumpster, and I climb out quickly, in order to scan the streets for the boys.
"Ugh! I smell like the breath of a Snervian block worm. Ember, what are you—?" Starfire begins, just Raven hastily pulls me back.
"Shhh!"
Starfire lets out a scared noise, and turns her back on the scene. "Peace, quiet, tranquility... peace, quiet, tranquility," she mutters as her hands turn red.
"It's all right. They're going," Raven says, and we watch as Robin and Cyborg head off in the opposite direction to where they came. Beast Boy appears in front of us, sniffing, but our scents are no doubt hidden by the smell of garbage.
"Enough!" The Puppet King calls, and I resist the urge to look. "We will catch the other three after the ceremony is complete."
"Cere... mony?" Robin's strained voice asks.
"What... cere.... mony?" Cyborg says.
"Just a little spell that will destroy you three and make your bodies mine forever!" The Puppet King replies. "Come, my puppets!" He says, and the three zombie versions of the boys walk off with their master.
"How can you stand having this much hair?" Raven mumbles, pulling at Starfire's locks.
"That's your biggest concern right now?" I retort, glaring at the girl.
"Quickly!" Starfire says. "Our friends are in danger! We must follow and—"
"And what?" Raven replies. "Save them with my unusable powers while your unbridled emotions blow us to bits?" She turns to me, returning the glare. "Nice flying, by the way, Ember."
"Hey!"
"At least she is able to fly," Starfire argues, her hands turning the all too familiar red that mine turn when I get extremely angry. "On my planet, even a newborn can unleash the joy of flight. But you are too busy being grumpy and rude to feel anything at all!"
"Maybe you haven't noticed," Raven says. "But my emotions are dangerous. I can't afford to feel anything. You may have my body, but neither of you know anything about me."
"That's not true," I say, thinking back to only a few weeks ago when I visited Raven's mind.
"Perhaps you are right," Starfire says sadly, the red energy around her hands slowly disappearing and being replaced by a blue colour. "And if we are to overcome this ordeal, we must know everything about each other. So... begin sharing."
Raven turns around and nods, a small smile on her face. "All right." We sit down as she begins to talk about herself. "I was born in a place called Azarath..."
~~~
"Ember, it is your turn," Starfire says, and I close my eyes, thinking of my past. I take a deep breath before beginning my story.
"I don't know much about my life until I ran away, as when I was rescued, I was told that I should forget. My father relentlessly chased me, as he wanted to extract my powers for himself. To him and to myself, I was just a sore, weak girl, on the run. That was, until I met Robin," I say, taking a large breath. I eye the girls warily, and think of the boys, whose lives are on the line. It's enough to persuade me to begin. "I was in Gotham City, just passing through..."
~~~
Gotham City Bank is one of America's most notorious, possibly because of the amount of villains who have attempted to rob it. Of course, they never succeed, as there's always someone there to stop them. I've never heard their names, but I've heard whispers that they're heroes.
I sit on the curb, my head against its architecture. My thoughts are clouded, and are interrupted completely with a loud explosion from inside the bank. I spare no time and run in, hoping to help in any way that I can. People run out from all directions, and a few people even try to drag me out with them, but I easily brush them off. Eventually, I find a staircase, and I run down, assuming it is the vault. If the criminal is even remotely smart, this is where they'd be.
I hear loud banging, and before I know it, I'm face to face with the villain. Clayface. There's not much to say about him, besides the fact that he's made of orange clay, allowing him to shapeshift. He stands in front of the vault, ready to attack me.
"Neither of us seem to be good at small talk, so I'll cut to the chase," I say, but instead of continuing to talk, I take the opportunity to strike. I scream as the fire leaves my hands and charges at Clayface. He easily dodges, but the fire leaves a mark. I growl and am about to charge again when I hear another loud bang, this time from above me. I turn around but there's no one there, and it's enough to take me off guard. I get shoved back by some of the clay and my fingers turn a dangerous blue.
One more scream escapes my lips, this one louder than the last, and the water that leaves my fingertips turns to ice as it hits the villain. He freezes and I collapse, my head hitting the ground with a thud. I feel two figures turn me over, one of them picking me up. My head throbs and my eyes droop, I feel myself being carried bridal style before sleep takes me.
~~~
"... Robin was there that night. He and Batman saw me fight Clayface, and they took me to the hospital, where I woke up," I explain. "We got closer, and eventually I began to trust him. He's the only one who knows about my past."
I look up at Starfire, who's still listening with intent. "Thank you, Ember," she says in a low voice. I nod my head.
"Let's save the boys."
~~~
I peek over the rubble, to see Beast Boy, in dog form, guarding the old theatre. "Safe to say we're not walking in through the front door," Raven notes. "We'll have to try the roof."
"Agreed," Starfire says to Raven. "Now, do just as I instructed. Close your eyes and think of something joyful." Raven sighs loudly. "You might choose flowers, or kittens, or the laughter of children, or—" Raven closes her eyes and instantly floats upward towards the roof, dragging us along. Once we land, Starfire claps excitedly, jumping about. "Very, very good! What was your joyful thought?"
Raven looks away from Starfire guiltily. I look at her, trying to decipher her thoughts. "You don't want to know," she says, to both Starfire and myself.
"Oh, but I do," Starfire insists. "Please tell me. What did you imagine?"
"You not talking," Raven admits.
"Oh," Starfire says, clearly taken back. "Well... I am glad I was able to help." I watch the guilt on Raven's face engulf her completely. She notices and turns back to me.
"Your turn," She tells me. "Find your center. Focus your energy on the lock."
I close my eyes, and when I open them, they are filled with white energy. I balance my emotions and focus on opening the lock, nothing else. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," I incant, and the lock breaks in two easily.
"Nice work," Raven says to me, smiling.
"Success!" Starfire shouts, and her emotions cause the wind to blow open the doors. They bang against the roof's surface, causing me to grimace.
"Nice work," Raven spits it out sarcastically.
"Search and destroy," I hear the Puppet King order faintly. "I do not want an audience." The boys' bodies move out, searching for the intruders. We watch from above as the Puppet King pours a vial of liquid into the blue fire, making it grow larger. "Well, Titans... time for your grand finale."
"No," Raven gasps quietly.
"It's going to be a real showstopper," the villain says, holding up the puppets where the boys' souls are trapped. They beg him to release them through a series of words, but he ignores them. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of your bodies. After all, they'll be mine forever."
I look at Raven, who nods, and I step out of our hiding place and into the limelight. "Show's over," I say, causing exclamations from the boys. I had almost forgotten I was in Raven's body. "Now hand the puppets over. No one likes an unwanted encore."
The Puppet King drops the boys in the fire as soon as he spots me. My eyes turn white and the puppets are quickly surrounded in black energy, before I lift them to safety with Raven's telekinetic powers. Once they're within reach, I lean forward and grab them. "Em... ber?" Robin asks.
"It's a long story," Raven replies.
"Go, my puppets! Capture them!" The Puppet King commands, and they run up to where we stand. Starfire and Raven runs off, before Raven looks back at me.
"Move!" She yells, dragging me back. We run away, but are soon surrounded. Cyborg blasts us and we fall back. My grip falters for only a second, but it's long enough for the puppets to fall to the ground.
We split up, and when I look back, the boys have done the same. Robin's in front of me, throwing kicks and punches effortlessly. "Robin, snap out of it!" I say, dodging his attacks. I play defensive for too long, and eventually Robin bests me, sending me to my knees. I stand up, my hands in front of me. I move the sandbag and it captures him.
I look over to Raven, who kicks Cyborg and sends him down right where the puppets lie. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" I chant, and the puppets move, once again to safety. "Starfire!" I yell, and she catches them just in time. Robin lands in front of me again, and I send him flying with a flick of my wrist, Raven's magic grabbing his torso.
My attention is diverted upwards, where Raven is cornered by a green gorilla. Suddenly, a bolt of pain shoots from my knee through my body and I look up to see Robin with his staff, ready to strike again. "Raven, Ember, help!" Starfire calls, and I grit my teeth.
"Kind of in the middle of something, Star!" I yell, and she points to the fire.
"Not me! Them!" She charges at Robin and shoves him into the wall, focusing her attention on holding him there so I can help.
"The Puppet King is in command!" The villain says, and Raven's eyes turn green.
She aims a starbolt at the fire, and it explodes, sending the Puppet King and the puppets back. "No!" She roars. The control ricochets off the walls and into the fire.
"My control! No!" The Puppet King shouts as blue light emits from his body. Red, white, and green lights shoot from the boys' puppets, returning to their bodies. Yellow, purple and blue light comes out of us and zips around before we return to our rightful bodies. My head aches as I struggle to adjust to my own body.
"Uh, Ember..." Robin says, trailing off. I realise that I'm holding him against the wall, in close proximity, and take a step back in order to enable him to recover.
"I am me! And you are you!" Starfire exclaims.
"And we're us!" Cyborg adds as I make my way down.
"Thanks to you three." Robin smiles at us thankfully.
Beast Boy shoves his fist in the air. "You go, girls!"
"We have done it!" Starfire says, hugging myself and Raven. I struggle at first, then embrace the hug. Raven, on the other hand, doesn't look so excited.
"You're hugging me," Raven reminds the alien.
"I'm back in my own body," I say, giving a relieved sigh, turning to the boys. "Sorry for flooding the Tower."
Robin's the one to respond, and he chuckles. "Sorry for targeting you," he replies.
"You win," I say, grinning. My attention is quickly brought back to the Puppet King, who lets out another scream as light pours out of his eyes and mouth.
"The magic! Without it, I'm just a..." his voice cuts off as he falls to the ground, his body lifeless and limp.
~~~
I walk around the tower, extracting the water from the floor. Raven sits at the window, just like earlier today, meditating. Starfire walks up to her cautiously as she does so. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos... Azarath Metrion Zinthos..."
"Raven, forgive my interruption, but..."
"I haven't seen Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, or Ember," she interjects.
"I'm right here," I call.
Starfire looks at me, then back to the cloaked girl. "Truthfully, I am wishing to join you in meditation."
"Really?" Raven asks in perplex. "All right." She turns around and motions to me to join, and I walk over before levitating next to the two girls. "Find your center. Focus your energies, and..."
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion..." we chant in unison.
"Starfire?" Raven asks, opening one eye to look at the girl. She opens her other eye and looks at me. "Ember?"
"Yes?" We both reply calmly.
"After this... would you like to go to the mall?"
Starfire nods, an uncharacteristic calm settling over her. "Mmm-hmm."
We turn back to the meditation once again, facing the window overlooking the city. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos... Azarath Metrion Zinthos."
I did also come back to edit this purely because I wanted to mention Freaky Friday.