A closed stage curtain is illuminated by a spotlight. It opens, revealing a backdrop that depicts Titans Tower and the city proper behind it on the shore.

A wooden Robin marionette drops into view and hangs before the scene. "Titans! Go!" It leaps across the stage and looks back the way it came. It is alone. "Hey!"

Figures in the likenesses of the other five are clustered at the other end. While the four boys' puppets have hinged mouths, similar to a soldier-shaped nutcracker, the two girls' puppets do not.

"Aren't you guys coming?"

"What's the point? We can't possibly defeat the Puppet King." Says the Raven puppet.

"He is too clever and powerful, not to mention good-looking." Added the Starfire marionette.

"We are at his mercy. The strongest villain I have ever faced." Spoke the Spider-Man copy.

"Yeah. We should probably just surrender now." Commented the Cyborg puppet.

"Dude, I think we already have." The Beast Boy puppet gestured upwards.

The entire group looks up and throws their arms in the air.

Above the stage is a platform the puppeteer is standing on. He is a short, squat fellow in a military dress uniform and sash. His head is in shadow, obscuring a clear view of his face, but protuberant eyes and a small crown can be seen.

"Bravo, bravo. But enough rehearsal." He drops the crosspieces to which the strings are attached. "Time to start the show."

The six marionettes fall in a jumble and the curtain closes.

------

Titans Tower

You, Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy hung out during the day while Starfire and Raven stayed home. And now the four of you have just arrived on the island of the Tower, strolling towards the front door.

Beast Boy stretches. "Nothing like a good day of hanging out with only us guys, huh?" He places his hands behind the back of his head.

"You said it." Cyborg said with a smile.

Before you could add a comment of your own, you caught sight of a package at the front door. "Did anyone expect mail today?"

The other three look to one another and shake their heads. You picked it up and find the label bearing "To: Teen Titans–Titans Tower".

"Who's it for?" Robin asked curiously.

You turn to him. "For all of us... but it doesn't say who it's from though."

Cyborg grabs the package from you and enters the building. "Well, let's go find out what it is then."

You and the other two followed and entered the elevator, which goes up to the top floor of the tower. The door opens to show the operations center with Raven meditating.

"MAIL CALL!!" Cyborg suddenly shouted.

This causes Raven to let out a long, shocked yell and hit the floor with a thud. She winds up in a heap before the four boys came in with Cyborg carrying the crate.

Starfire flies to you four. "Robin! Spider-Man! Cyborg! Beast Boy! You are back! It was... quiet while you were gone.

Raven stands up and dusts herself off. "Not that quiet."

The crate is then set down at the kitchen table. Cyborg yanks it up as the others gather around. "Whoa!"

Robin peeks in. "Cool!"

Beast Boy looks in as well. "Honestly, I was kinda hoping for chocolate."

You reached inside the crate and brought up the puppet copy of yourself. "Huh... not what I was expecting. Now I'm really curious on who sent these to us." You inspected your puppet to see that it matches what you are wearing.

It's red and blue with lenses as eye pieces, a black spider symbol on the front chest, web lining that goes throughout the red part of the body, and a red spider symbol on the back.

Cyborg smiles. "Right? Isn't this cute? Puppet Cy has a light-up eye."

Robin finds his duplicate and pulls his puppet's belt buckle. "Yeah. They got all the details just right."

You then noticed Beast Boy looking at his puppet... elsewhere.

"Speak for yourself. I'm way better looking than this, and taller."

"You know, they don't have to get every single little detail right. They must've put a lot of time and effort into making these puppets." You remarked.

Raven looks at hers. "Someone certainly has a lot of time in their hands." She pulls back the puppet's hood and finds that her hairline has also been recreated.

Starfire giggles as she looks hers over and works it around a bit. "I have never seen such a whimsical device." She makes it bow and speaks for it. "Hello, Starfire!" She leans it for a shake, now speaking in a normal voice. "Hello, tiny wooden replica of Starfire!"

Beast Boy's puppet jumps over behind Robin's. "Dude!" It delivers a kick to the rear. "My puppet is totally kicking your puppet's butt!"

"Not for long." Shifting his voice into kung fu mode, Robin makes his marionette strike Beast Boy's with a chop that sends it crashing into the wooden Cyborg and Spider-Man.

Cyborg's puppet shakes its fist. "You want a piece of us, little man?"

The Beast Boy and Robin puppets keep taking swipes at each other as their operators provide good-natured fighting banter. You and Cyborg soon get into the act as well, your replica swinging into view to join the brawl.

Raven watches with obvious contempt. "Boys."

Starfire comes to her, working her own puppet. "Shall my tiny replica do battle with your tiny replica?"

"Knock yourself out." She tosses hers to Starfire and walks away, leaving the latter to stare puzzled.

------

Night

You are asleep in your room while wearing your sleep wear, which consists of an undershirt and a striped pajama pants. Your bed is queen-sized, with blue sheets, and your room – with not much decorations, have bookcases and cabinets. Your puppet is placed on top of a cabinet nearby with your mask.

The door to your room slides open. This causes you to stir in your sleep before waking up fully. You hear tiny footsteps making their way around the room and luckily it was dark, so the intruder wouldn't be able to see your identity. As the sound of footsteps gets closer, you suddenly sprang for your mask and wore it before blacking out.

A creepy chuckle echoes in the darkness as Starfire wanders through the halls. "Huh?" She approaches as it gets louder. "If this is a joke, it is not–"

She cuts it off at the sound of a door being opened, and she turns toward it. Just behind her, is Raven's door and she is looking out at Starfire. Both scream in sheer terror and surprise, their hair standing on end briefly.

"Raven! You have also heard the strange noises?"

"The strange noises of you talking outside my door? Hard to miss."

"Oh." Starfire blushes. "Forgive me, I thought there was someone–"

This time, the thing that cuts her off is a blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon that just misses both of them. Turning toward its source, they find the other three Titans charging down the hall. Robin leaps for a kick as Beast Boy turns into a dinosaur and charges ahead. The former nearly takes Starfire's head off with the sole of his boot while the latter tries to get at Raven, but she creates energy barriers to slow him down a bit. The eyes of their aggressors are glowing.

"Beast Boy, it's me! Don't make me hurt you!"

He breaks through the shield Raven has put up and snaps at her.

As Starfire flies over Robin's head, he gets three discs ready in one hand and hurls them. She shoots them down with starbolts. The first two fizzle out, but the third explodes with great force when shot and she is thrown downward. Cyborg catches her.

The green Titan has continued his advance against Raven. A swing of the tail knocks her down the hall, where Cyborg catches her as well and pins one girl under each arm.

"Let me go!"

"Friends! Why do you attack us?" Starfire asked.

"Oh. They're not your friends anymore." A new voice answered.

He steps up with a pair of glowing eyes beside him.

"No..." Raven murmured, seeing you standing by the villain's side.

The Puppet King's head is quite large, with slick black hair parted in the middle and a hinged mouth just like the boys' marionettes. He is a wooden figure brought to life.

"They are my puppets." He pulls the figures from behind his back. "These are your friends." He has trapped their souls within his wooden creations and taken control of the bodies.

Now the puppets speak with the respective Titans' voices, sounding a bit muffled and very strained.

The Robin puppet looks to the Tamaranean. "Starfire!"

You glance to the Azarathian hybrid in your puppet form. "Raven!"

The Cyborg marionette looks to them both. "Help..."

"Us!" The Beast Boy puppet finished Cyborg's cry.

"Release them!" Raven barked.

The Puppet King swings the puppets behind his back. "Sorry, but you're not in charge here. You don't command me." He holds up his crosspiece, which shows lights on six of its arms. "I command you."

You and Robin raise the Raven and Starfire marionettes, respectively, and each girl groans as they are wreathed in their own color light, the beginning of the same process that took the souls of the boys.

"And with the Puppet King pulling the strings, the Teen Titans will command the entire city."

Raven chants as her soul and Starfire's escape. "Azarath... Metrion... Zinthos."

You had your gestured hand pointing outward at Raven to prevent her from finishing her incantation... but nothing happened. No webs came out from your wrist.

Both girls pass out as a black starburst emerges from Raven's forehead and flares over the entire hall, knocking everyone silly.

The crosspiece spins away from its master's hand and skids along the floor. "My control!"

Beams shoot from the ends corresponding to the two girls, and their souls float free of the wooden receptacles and flash into the bodies of the prone girls, Starfire's to Raven and vice versa. By the time the Puppet King has his control device back in hand, the girls made it upright and sprinted off down the hall.

"After them."

The boys half-stand, half-float up to their feet, ready to pursue.

In the darkened section of the basement, a grate in the ceiling swings open and the two girls jump down through it. Only their eyes are visible as it swings shut over their heads and the chasers' feet are seen passing.

Starfire speaks softly. "The boys! Raven! What are we going to–?"

Raven reaches over and switches on a hanging light bulb, and the two girls get a good eyeful of each other in their new situation. Each one's face shows the kind of expression they might have if they were still in their own body, and they give each other a long and very bewildered look.

"Starfire?" Raven spoke, who is in Starfire's body.

"Raven?" Starfire, who is in Raven's body, gasps. "You are me!" Again, she gasps louder and looks at herself. "And I am you!"

Black energy crackles from her forehead and shatters the light bulb, putting them into near-total darkness again.

------

Early Next Morning

Jump City

Beast Boy, as a falcon, flies overhead along a street with a cry, searching for the two runaways. At ground level, his shadow passes over a manhole and the entire street shakes briefly as its cover blows sky-high thanks to some out-of-control telekinesis. The steel circle slams back to the pavement, rattling loudly as it settles until Starfire's hand reaches up and pushes it aside.

She climbs out. "Oh, Raven! This is awful! Terribly, horribly awful!"

Raven emerges afterwards and heads down the sidewalk, pulling Starfire along behind her. "Tell me about it."

"Very well." Starfire gradually panicks. "Robin, Spider-Man, 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 you and I are in the wrong bodies and–"

Throughout all of this, the powers of the body she has borrowed manifest themselves in three ways: A couple of parking meters bend themselves double, newspaper boxes spew their contents in all directions, and a mailbox melts down. The only thing that stops her flow of words is Raven's hand on her shoulder, startling a gasp out of her.

"Starfire! 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? What if our friends are doomed? What if I am stuck looking like this forever?"

"We'll fix it. I don't know how, but we will rescue the boys and we will get our bodies back." Raven pauses, realizing the last part on what Starfire had said. "What's wrong with the way I look?"

"Nothing." She said hastily. A pedestrian crossing signal above their heads explodes, she is still very much on edge. "I will try to calm down." She then exhales and closes her eyes. "Peace... quiet... tranquil–"

A car parked next to them is launched straight up and crashes back to the ground, upside down. Nearly two seconds later, the alarm goes off.

"We are so doomed." Raven commented.

A cry from Beast Boy is heard overhead.

Starfire points. "Beast Boy!"

He is above the rooftops, illuminated by the full moon, but soon goes into a sharp descent with talons extended.

"You mean zombie Beast Boy." Raven pulls Starfire toward an alley. "Run!" As they follow the alley's turns, Raven starts jumping and flapping her arms, trying to get clear of the ground. "Fly! Fly!"

After another turn or two, they slow to a walk.

"We cannot fight them again. I do not wish to, and in our present condition, we would surely be defeated."

"Okay. How do you fly this thing?" Raven gestured at herself.

"You must feel flight."

"What?"

"When you feel the unbridled joy of flight, you will fly."

"Unbridled joy? Not really my thing."

Starfire points. "Look!" The hand movement creates a black spark that throws Raven off her feet.

Beast Boy, as a tiger, rushes toward them.

"What do I have to feel to use starbolts?" Raven asked.

"Righteous fury."

"Your alien strength?"

"Boundless confidence."

"Never mind." She runs back the way they came and yanks Starfire along.

As Beast Boy pursues, they take a different turn and wind up in a darker stretch of the alley. Something black swishes by in front, bringing them up short with a gasp. It straightens up to expose Robin's silhouette.

They back up a few steps only to find the green jungle cat blocking the retreat. He moves in a little closer and roars, and now Robin brings out his fighting staff and runs at them. Beast Boy pounces as well.

The girls stand pat and sidestep at the last moment, causing the two hypnotized Titans to collide in midair. The staff socks Beast Boy in the head and goes flying along the alley. Raven and Starfire make tracks while the attackers lie dazed, Robin pinned under Beast Boy. The staff clunks down on the latter's head, but both are soon on their feet to continue the chase.

Yet another side passage in the alley. Starfire passes it, but Raven ducks in and reaches out to haul her back. They flatten themselves against the wall to stay out of sight of Robin and Beast Boy, who pass a corner without a second thought.

A momentary relieved smile from Raven is cut off when two very large and familiar bionic hands smash through the bricks behind them. Raven screams in terror and is propelled upward at terrific speed by an inadvertent burst of telekinesis from Starfire, who runs off as Cyborg knocks the wall down.

"Wait for me, please!"

Cyborg drools a little bit as he looks after them. Now they round a corner and stop, but soon they are forced to back up when he steps in after them. He is visible as a silhouette while Robin and Beast Boy, in human form, join him. They close in with you appearing from above and landing in front of them, facing the trapped girls.

Raven turns to Starfire. "If I can't fly, you have to levitate. You know those words I always–?"

"Yes!" Starfire sucks in a huge breath and holds it.

"Wait! You have to focus!"

Starfire exhales and hastily chants. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

You lunged at the girls as Starfire goes up like a rocket, dragging Raven by the hand, and both scream as they gain too much altitude. The other three puppet Titans stare up after them as you managed to grab hold of Raven's foot. The two stop in midair before barreling over the trio's heads with you keeping your grip.

Operating on the ragged edge of control, Starfire tows Raven up to roof level and beyond to soar over Jump City while you tried to take them down in the process.

Raven tries to kick you off but to no avail.

"I wish to stop! Please tell me the way to stop!"

"I'm kind of busy, Starfire." Raven then lands a high kick to your chin, causing you to let go of your hold and falling on top of a roof. She turns to Starfire. "Look at the ground and imagine–"

Starfire turns her gaze downward, passing by city blocks.

"Wait!"

The severely inexperienced pilot drops like a rock, Raven goes with her, and they slam down in a huge pile of trash between two buildings. After a moment, they poke their heads up and Raven shovels waste feverishly toward the street.

"Ugh! I smell like the breath of a Snervian blork worm. Raven, what are you–?"

She puts her index finger to Starfire's mouth. "Shhh!"

Leaning back to hide herself behind the berm she has made, she throws a trash bag at Starfire and lands it on her head to drive her down and out of sight.

Robin and Cyborg walk into view from opposite directions and stop near the garbage to look around a bit. Not seeing anything worth attention, they continue on their respective patrols.

As they leave, a little aura of energy appears briefly around one of Starfire's hands. Raven gives her a hard look as she moans sadly at having lost control again.

"Peace, quiet, tranquility... peace, quiet, tranquility."

"It's all right. They're going."

They peer out at the departing pair through an opening in the wall of junk. They then glanced upward to see you stick to a wall, overlooking the street. You noticed a large green rat, Beast Boy, rummaging around the trash pile nearby.

Starfire gasps in fright and is silenced by Raven's hand on her mouth. The rodent sniffs the air a bit and climbs up the bags behind them as they remain stock-still.

You hopped down behind the bags of trash and started to toss them aside one by one.

A drop of sweat forms on Starfire's temple and slides down to Raven's hand over her mouth. Raven's sweat slides down her cheek as well and her lower lip caught nervously between her teeth.

Before you can remove the bags that were inches away from where the girls are hiding, the next words brought you and Beast Boy to a stop.

"Enough!"

You and Beast Boy, who takes in human form, turns around to your master. Robin and Cyborg rejoins moments later.

"We will catch the other two after the ceremony is complete." The Puppet King stands near the fetid castoffs with the four boys' puppets still in hand, and he steps forward and holds them up.

"Ceremony?" You said in your puppet self.

"What ceremony?" Asked the Cyborg marionette.

"Just a little spell that will destroy you four, and make your bodies mine forever." Answered the Puppet King. "Come, my puppets." He walks away and your soulless body follows, alongside the other Titans.

After all have gone, a few trash bags are flung away and the two girls step out.

Raven tries to get her auburn hair untangled. "How can you stand having this much hair?"

"Quickly, Raven! Our friends are in danger! We must follow and–"

Raven pulls Starfire back. "And what? Save them with my unusable powers while your unbridled emotions blow us to bits? Nice flying, by the way."

A black aura surrounds Starfire. "At least I am able to fly." She said angrily as Raven digs in her ear. "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, but my emotions are dangerous. I can't afford to feel anything." She turns her back. "You may have my body, but you know nothing about me."

Starfire's aura dissipates. "Perhaps you are right." Raven turns to her as she continues. "And if you and I are to overcome this ordeal, we must know everything about each other. So... begin sharing."

Raven smiles. "All right." She kneels on the ground as Starfire sits cross-legged, facing toward each other. "I was born in a place called Azarath."

------

In the run-down area of Jump City, Raven and Starfire are currently at a decrepit old theater, the Bijou, with a courtyard in front of it. There is a large stone fountain, behind which the two girls have hunkered down to keep an eye on the front entrance. Beast Boy, as a Doberman pinscher, paces at the bottom of the steps that lead up to it.

Raven and Starfire keeps their voices down.

"Safe to say we're not walking in through the front door. We'll have to try the roof."

Starfire takes Raven's hand. "Agreed. Now, do just as I instructed. Close your eyes and think of something joyful." Raven rolls her eyes and sighs wearily as Starfire speaks in a normal volume. "You might choose flowers, or kittens, or the laughter of children, or–" She gasps as she is hauled by Raven, who has floated clear of the ground.

Slowly but surely, they ascend to the roof and are not seen by Beast Boy. He perks up his ears and turns to look in their direction, but they are already out of sight. The girls touched down next to a locked trapdoor.

"Very, very good! What was your joyful thought!"

"You don't want to know."

"Oh, but I do. Please tell me. What did you imagine?"

Raven blushes. "A s-stuffed-ted–" She then shakes her head, getting rid of her current thought. "You not talking."

Starfire's eyes pop. "Oh. Well... I am glad I was able to help."

Raven looks at her, then down at the lock, then at Starfire again. "Your turn. Find your center. Focus your energy on the lock."

Starfire closes her eyes for a moment. When she opens them again, they are glowing white as when Raven uses her own powers. She raises her hands. "Azarath... Metrion..." The lock floats up as far as it can. "... Zinthos." On the last word, she brings her hands down and the lock snaps. She giggles.

"Nice work." Raven said impressed.

Starfire jumps up. "Success!"

The outburst causes her abilities to flare up. The trapdoor flies open and sends echoes throughout the theater.

"Nice work." Raven said sarcastically.

At the stage of the theater, The Puppet King stands before a large bowl filled with blue-white flames. Candles have been set up and a scenery flat is to one side. The boys' puppets are hanging over the top edge of the latter. He has his wooden crosspiece in one hand and a test tube in the other. The echo of the trapdoor draws his attention, and he gestures with the controller toward the flat.

"Search and destroy."

The silhouettes of you, Robin, and Cyborg stand beside it.

"I do not want an audience." You and the other hypnotized Titans move off. "Well, Titans..." He uncorks the tube and then pours its contents into the bowl. "... time for your grand finale." The flames blaze up.

Raven and Starfire watches from one of the catwalks as sparks float toward it.

"No." Raven said horrified.

The Puppet King holds up the four figures. "It's going to be a real showstopper."

"Stop!" Yelled the Robin puppet.

"Don't!" Shouted the Cyborg marionette.

"Please!" Pleaded the Beast Boy puppet.

You grunted in your wooden body, trying to move with all your might but to no avail.

"Don't worry. I'll take good care of your bodies. After all, they'll be mine forever." The Puppet King lets go of the strings, and the puppets drop toward the flaming oblivion he has prepared for them.

Before they can land in the bowl, though, Starfire's telekinesis catches them and lifts them away to the catwalk.

She sweeps the four wooden figures into a crushing hug. "My friends! You are unharmed!" She laughed.

"Starfire?" The Robin marionette questioned in confusion.

"It's a long story." Said Raven.

You spoke afterwards. "Am I glad to see you two."

The angered villain gestures with his crosspiece. In response, his four victims step toward him. "Go, my puppets! Capture them!" They move out.

Beast Boy transforms into a vampire bat to fly up while you and Robin clambers up the scaffolding. Starfire stands on the catwalk, still reveling in her rescue of the puppets, but is yanked away by Raven.

"Move!"

They run along the planks, but scream as Beast Boy brings them up short. You and Robin vaults up and crouches behind them, and Cyborg leaps onto the railing with his cannon ready to fire. The blast sends both girls and the puppets flying every which way, the latter tumble onto the stage in a heap.

"Dude, get your butt outta my face!" Yelled the Beast Boy puppet.

"Can't move. Deal with it." The Robin puppet retorted.

In your puppet form, you could only sigh at the predicament you and the others are in.

The girls are doing a little short-range skydiving of their own. Starfire tries to grab a curtain cord to stop herself, Raven does her best to start flying, and neither one has any success.

Beast Boy, in human form, hops on the railing and turns into a gorilla. He and Robin jump over the edge with you appearing afterwards. Your two targets have finally managed to hit the brakes and are floating near another catwalk. They scatter an instant before Robin swings across the space on a rope with you following behind.

Starfire makes her way through the jumble of rigging, barely staying ahead of you and Robin, and the three light on a walk to face off. She dodges Robin's kick. "I do not wish to fight you two." She then avoids your punch, but you turn the move into a grab for her cloak and acquired it, throwing her toward the railing.

You and Robin move a few steps closer towards her, ready to finish the job. The both of you come to a stop with your feet standing within a loop of ropes that lies on the boards.

"But I will if I must!" She levitates nearby sandbags and drops it over the side.

The ropes attached to it are the same ones whose loop you and Robin are standing in, and the Boy Wonder is quickly dragged up by the leg. You, on the other hand, simply move your leg to the side which caused the loop to miss.

Starfire slowly stepped back as you continue to walk towards her. You then lunged at her, but was blown back by her sudden telekinesis. She had her arms covering her face out of fear, with her hands facing outward.

Now Raven flies through the support framework, doing her best to stay ahead of Cyborg and Beast Boy, both of whom are swinging among the cables to get at her. The latter finally finds a grip and bears her down to the catwalk, but she kicks him away and quickly backs up to the wall as Cyborg rejoins the attack.

She talks to herself. "Okay, Raven. Starbolts. Just let go of your emotions, feel the righteous fury, and..."

The attempt comes to a very sudden end when Cyborg aims a punch at her and knocks out a few dozen bricks. Beast Boy tries to seize her again as well while she dodges away, but he counters by slamming his clasped hands onto the catwalk to break it. Raven hurtles toward the stage, but manages to reverse course and deliver a walloping uppercut that dumps the shapeshifter, now back in human form, at Cyborg's feet.

The big man jumps onto the railing, grabs a rope, and swings across at her. She has just enough time to get airborne before those enormous metal boots crash through both sides. Realizing that he is now below her, she angles herself for a diving kick and connects to drive the rope out of his hands. He plunges toward the stage and passes Starfire, who gasps in shock and gathers her energy.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" As she says this, the spell catches Cyborg, who was falling straight on the pile of puppets, and pushes him out of the way.

Starfire smiles a bit as she moves her hand to direct his motion. She then looks upward, screams suddenly, and dodges a falling sandbag. A snarling Robin has gotten loose of the trap she sprang on him and is diving with enough speed to peel his lips back from his teeth. An instant after he lands on the catwalk, Cyborg, still moving under her influence, sails across and plows him away.

Raven lands on a higher walk and smiles down at Starfire, but notices you leaping towards her which draws a shocked gasp from her. She backs away to get some distance, but you closed in with your fast movements, throwing her off her feet.

She gets up and holds one hand straight out in front of herself as you approach. "Righteous fury, righteous fury, concentrate..." A green spark flickers from the extended hand, but your swipe at her ends with a failed attempt.

She lifts off only to have one of her ankles caught by you. You hurled her back to the catwalk and cocked back your fist to end the fight once and for all. Only a last-second roll to one side saves her life, with your fist making a dent on the metal floor. Fetching up against the railing, she looks down at the sound of a scream from Starfire.

The latter is still dodging Robin's strikes. "Raven, help!"

Cyborg charges in to throw a punch, but Raven can do nothing to help. Beast Boy, in gorilla form, suddenly plants one of those huge mitts on her head and lifts her by it. She shakes loose and drives the sole of her boot in his face, sending him towards you and Cyborg before leaping back to perch on a scaffolding.

"Starfire!"

Starfire looks up toward her, Robin goes up for a kick, and those violet soles push off from the framework. Raven goes into the fastest dive she can do and tackles the Boy Wonder in midair, driving him off the catwalk and catching the edge of his cape in one hand to leave him hanging.

"Not me!" Starfire points down. "Them!"

Raven follows her gaze, her face registering the same shock that set off her counterpart's panic.

Overhead view of the stage, the Puppet King runs toward the flaming vessel while carrying the four boys' replicas. He holds them over the fire. "The Puppet King is in command!"

Raven's free hand blazes green. "NO!!" She hurls a full-strength starbolt to the product of the fury she has been trying to capture that explodes with the force of a small bomb upon impact.

The puppets and their maker are flung across the stage as his crosspiece arcs over the area, bounces off a sandbag, and then drops neatly toward the blue-white fire. It flares up brilliantly when the wood falls in.

The Puppet King gasps. "My control!" The blaze shapes itself into an approximate likeness of his face, and he starts to twitch and jitter in his prone position. Light pours from his eyes and mouth. "NOOOOOOO!!"

The influence lifts him to his feet, and the four puppets tremble as the souls trapped within them fly free and return to the boys' bodies. Starfire's spirit pours out of the blue-cloaked body it has been inhabiting while Raven's does likewise as Robin rests in her arms. The two girls' life forces intertwine briefly before returning to their proper homes.

Starfire lands and sets Robin down. "I am me!" She turns to see Raven joining them. "And you are you!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy emerge from the wings. The latter is in human form again, and all four have completely recovered from the madman's influence.

"And we're us!"

"Thanks to you two." Robin glanced to the girls.

Beast Boy briefly turns one arm into a gorilla's. "You go, girls!"

"Heh, didn't have a doubt in my mind that you girls would be able to take the villain down. Just in the nick of time, too." You rubbed the back of your head.

Starfire gasps happily. "Raven, we have done it!"

Raven finds herself swept up in a wildly enthusiastic hug that is nowhere close to her liking. "You're hugging me..."

"NOOOOOOO!!" The Puppet King yelled in agony. He sprawls out on the stage and tries to crawl forward. The light still pours from his eyes and mouth. "The magic! Without it, I'm just a..." The luminosity fades away, and he collapses as a slack-jawed, googly-eyed figurine without being able to finish the sentence.

"Well, that's that... I guess." You let out a loud yawn. "Wow. I forgot I didn't get some sleep after being a puppet."

Beast Boy turns to you with a quirked eyebrow. "Why are you in your pajamas, dude?"

"What do you mean? I sleep in these clothes at night." You gestured to your sleep wear, which your well-built figure was noticeable.

Raven notices this, places her hood on, and turns to face another direction.

You pointed to each Titan member. "Don't you guys sleep in your pajamas? Because it seems that I might be the only normal person here who does."

Cyborg slowly raises his hand.

"You don't count, Cyborg. You basically sleep in the nude. Well, you're practically naked all the time..." You pointed out.

The bionic Titan could only blush at this realization, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

Beast Boy stammers. "W-Well, w-why do you sleep with your mask on then? Surely you wouldn't be able to breathe while wearing that in your sleep."

"That's because the Puppet King entered my room, so I quickly grabbed my mask before having my soul transferred into a puppet's body."

Robin steps in between you and Beast Boy. "Let's just go back to the Tower and get some rest after everything that had happened. What do you guys say?"

You look to your leader. "Please. I'm so tired."

He chuckles. "Then let's head out, team."

After the go ahead, you went for a running start to jump and shoot out your webs. But you end up falling, face first, to the floor instead.

The boys looks to you worried while Raven and Starfire lets out a small giggle under their breaths.

"What happened?" You asked in confusion while standing back up.

"Are you alright, Spider-Man?" Robin questioned as Beast Boy and Cyborg gathered around you.

You look to your wrists to find that you're not armed with your web shooters. "Great. Looks like I'm going to have to walk back to the Tower." You were then suddenly levitated off your feet. "Huh?"

Raven floats pass by and pulls you through the use of her telekinesis. "Let's go home."

"Thanks, Raven." You smiled.

------

Titans Tower

It is now later in the day with Raven floating near the windows of the operations center, meditating.

She chants. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos... Azarath Metrion Zinthos..."

Starfire stands behind her. "Raven, forgive my interruption, but..."

"I haven't seen Robin, Cyborg, or Beast Boy. And Spider-Man is currently sleeping at the moment."

"Truthfully, I am wishing to join you in meditation." She said hesitantly.

"Really?" She turns around. "All right."

Starfire flies over and assumes Raven's pose, floating at the same height above the ground.

They chant together. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos... Azarath Metrion..."

On the end of the second repetition, Raven breaks off and opens one eye as Starfire completes the mantra. "Starfire?"

"Yes?"

"After this... would you like to go to the mall?" She asked hesitantly.

Starfire nods. "Mmm-hmm."

They both close their eyes and chant together. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos..." Both girls float before the panoramic view of Jump City Bay. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos..."