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The air in Kitten's overstuffed room hung thick with the scent of expensive perfume and the faint, metallic tang of rebellion. Every surface was covered, draped, or piled high with an eclectic assortment of treasures. Designer handbags jostled with antique music boxes, jewel-encrusted tiaras perched precariously atop stacks of plush toys, and everywhere, everywhere, were dolls. Porcelain dolls with vacant eyes, cuddly rag dolls missing limbs, limited edition fashion dolls in miniature couture… they watched Kitten with silent, glassy judgment. But for all the opulence, for all the overflowing abundance, Kitten felt a gnawing emptiness. She craved more. Always more. Her father, Killer Moth, indulged her every whim, showering her with gifts and attention, but even his vast fortune couldn't satisfy the insatiable hunger that churned within her. Especially when it came to dolls. She wanted them all. She deserved them all. And waiting for her father or his bumbling henchmen to procure them for her was simply… tedious.
“Gah! I’m so sick and tired of waiting for Daddy to bring me more dolls! Maybe I’ll just make my own! Surely he has some doll making piece of junk in you know where…” Kitten said as she casually strolled down the hallway, brushing her pink dress and hearing her pink flip flops pound against the metallic floor. A sly grin stretched across Kitten's face. She knew where to find what she desired. Her father, in his twisted genius, had scattered secret labs throughout their mansion, hidden behind fake walls and disorienting corridors. Labs filled with gadgets and gizmos, weapons and weirdness. And she, with her innate skill for sneaking and her uncanny ability to sweet-talk even the most hardened of Killer Moth's goons, knew how to navigate them.
Tonight, she'd been particularly drawn to one lab, tucked away behind a tapestry depicting Killer Moth in a particularly unflattering pose. The lab hummed with barely contained energy, filled with sparking wires and bubbling beakers. In the center of the room, bathed in the eerie green glow of a cathode ray tube, sat a device that made Kitten's heart flutter with anticipation. It was sleek and futuristic, shaped like a ray gun but far more menacing. A prominent label, in bold, unmissable letters, declared its purpose: "THE SHRINKER."
“Oh? The Shrinker?” Kitten asked as she felt a thrill course through her while examining the device from every angle. She knew, intuitively, what it did. She'd heard whispers amongst her father's cronies, hushed conversations about a device that could reduce anything, or even anyone, to miniature size. A flicker of mischief danced in her eyes. Testing was in order.
She glanced around the lab, her eyes settling on a hapless servant who was attempting to dust a complex array of laser cannons. The servant, a middle-aged woman with a perpetually harried expression, jumped at Kitten's approach.
"Excuse me, Miss Kitten, but you cannot be in this room at this time." she stammered, clutching a feather duster to her chest like a shield.
"Says who? I think you’re the one that needs to get out before I have some fun with my new toy." Kitten said, her voice dripping with icy disdain. As soon as Kitten raised the gun up to point at the female servant’s chest, having grown accustomed to Kitten's capricious demands, scurried to obey. Kitten raised the Shrinker, aiming it with practiced ease. As the servant reached the doorway, Kitten squeezed the trigger. As soon as it clicked, a beam of shimmering blue light shot out, enveloping the servant in its glow. There was a brief flash, a high-pitched whine, and then… silence.
Where the servant had stood, there was now a doll. A perfect miniature replica, dressed in the same drab uniform, her face frozen in a permanent expression of bewildered terror. The doll was no bigger than Kitten's hand. Kitten gasped, not with horror, but with delight. She scooped up the doll-sized servant, turning it over in her hands, examining its tiny, perfectly rendered features.
“Oh… this is totally incredible!” Kitten said.
“Waaaah! Miss Kitten! This is not an ideal situation!” the servant yelled, with Kitten almost bursting out into laughter hearing the tinny voice come out of the doll-sized woman. Then, a wicked smile spread across Kitten’s face. An idea, dark and delicious, bloomed in her mind. She knew exactly who she wanted to add to her collection. Someone who had been eluding her grasp for far too long. Robin. The Boy Wonder. He was infuriatingly brave, annoyingly noble, and utterly, hopelessly captivating. He also persistently rejected her affections. But soon, very soon, he would be hers. Not as a defiant crime-fighter, but as a beautiful, obedient doll. He would sit on her shelf, a prized possession, a testament to her power. All she had to do was lure him out of Titans Tower. But first, there was the matter of the female servant.
“Alright, alright, quit your Raggedy Anning.” Kitten said as she set the shrunken woman down on the floor. She stood tact thinking Kitten was going to reverse the shrinking process. But instead, with a playful kick, Kitten sent the miniature servant skidding across the polished floor, knocking her unconscious.
"Oops. Soccer practice." Kitten giggled, her eyes gleaming with malice. She then walked away from the shrunken servant and began to formulate a plan that would lure Robin out of Titans Tower.
The common room of Titans Tower felt strangely empty. Normally, the air thrummed with the low hum of Cyborg's charging systems, or the playful banter between Beast Boy and Robin. But today, a heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by the muted sounds of the city below. Raven sat cross-legged on the floor, her dark cloak pooling around her, a book of ancient Azarathian spells open in her lap. But her eyes weren't focused on the text. They drifted towards the large viewing screen, its black surface reflecting her own discontent. Beside her, Starfire floated listlessly near the window, her usual bright energy dimmed. The vibrant orange of her hair seemed less luminous, her normally cheerful green eyes clouded with a rare melancholy.
"It is most disappointing that we were not chosen for this important mission." Starfire finally said, her voice softer than usual. Raven sighed, a faint wisp of dark energy momentarily flickering around her hands.
"They said it was a mission requiring… discretion. And significant power. Apparently, our discretion and power are not significant enough." Raven said as she closed her book with a snap. The bitterness was as clear as the sun going down in the distance. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Titans – Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy – had departed just hours ago, whisked away on a classified mission to deal with a potential global threat. The details were sparse, shrouded in secrecy. All Raven and Starfire knew was that it involved something big, something the big guns were needed for. And they were left behind.
"Perhaps they simply thought we needed a rest, friend Raven?" Starfire offered, though even she didn't sound convinced.
"Maybe." Raven replied dryly. The truth was, both of them craved the challenge, the validation of being part of something important. Being left behind felt like a dismissal, a subtle reminder that they weren't always seen as the front-line warriors.
Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the blaring of the Tower's alarm system. The large screen flickered to life, displaying a chaotic scene unfolding in Jump City.
"Trouble alert! Multiple hostile entities detected. Priority level: Orange.” the automated voice of the Tower announced. On the screen, a grainy image showed an elderly woman, seemingly frail and hunched over, desperately trying to outrun a group of sleek, metallic robots. The robots were armed with laser cannons and moved with unsettling speed.
“Help me! Someone help me!” the ‘woman’ said as she adjusted her wig. Starfire gasped.
"An old woman in peril! We must help her at once!" Starfire said. Her gloom instantly evaporated, replaced by her usual determined spirit.
“Are you sure? We’re the Titans. Helping little old ladies is the equivalent of playing Beast Boy’s favorite video game on the Training difficulty.” Raven said.
“Raven, must you shun aside the fact that we are to do some kind of good at least once a day in order to prove our worth not just to Jump City, but this entire planet?” Starfire asked. With those words, Raven felt a surge of adrenaline. Disappointment forgotten, she rose to her feet.
"Alright, alright. Titans, go!" Raven shouted.
Within moments, they were soaring through the air, Raven shrouded in a dark, shadowy aura and Starfire leaving a brilliant green contrail as she flew, towards the chaotic scene unfolding below. They landed in the middle of the street, just as the robots were about to corner their fleeing target.
"Leave her alone!" Starfire shouted, unleashing a volley of emerald starbolts. The starbolts struck the robots with pinpoint accuracy, disabling them instantly. The robots crumpled to the ground, their metallic bodies sparking and smoking. Raven, meanwhile, conjured a swirling vortex of dark energy, effectively blocking any further pursuit.
The elderly woman, seemingly out of breath, stumbled towards them.
"Oh, thank you, thank you. You saved me!" she rasped, her voice trembling.
"Are you alright, madam? Are you injured?" Starfire asked, her voice filled with concern. Raven, meanwhile, scanned their surroundings, her senses alert for any other threats. Something felt off. The robots were too easily defeated, the whole scenario too conveniently staged.
“Something doesn’t feel right here.” Raven said. And then, the old woman straightened up. She threw back her head and let out a cackling laugh that was anything but frail.
“Hahaha! I’m not hurt, but you might be!!!” the old woman said in a suddenly not so frail voice. In a swift, almost impossible movement, she ripped off the disguise, revealing the familiar, pink dress wearing villainess herself.
“KITTEN!” both Starfire and Raven shouted.
"Surprise!" Kitten shrieked, holding up a strange, ray gun-like device. It hummed with an ominous energy, glowing with a sickly green light.
"Behold my Daddy dearest’s newest toy… The Shrinker!" Kitten shouted with enthusiasm in her voice.
“Starfire, retreat!!!” Raven shouted.
Before either Raven or Starfire could react, Kitten fired the weapon. A beam of blue energy shot out, engulfing them both.
Raven instinctively tried to summon her dark energy shields, but nothing happened. She felt a strange tingling sensation, a draining of her power. Starfire, too, tried to unleash a starbolt, but only a faint spark flickered from her fingertips.
"What… what's happening?" Starfire cried, bewildered. She and Raven felt a dizzying sensation as the world around them grew larger. The street seemed to stretch out into an endless expanse, the buildings towering like colossal mountains. Raven looked down at herself and gasped. Her hands were getting tiny, her cloak becoming too big to keep on her until it caught up with the rest of her body. Starfire was experiencing the same horrifying transformation. Her usually radiant skin was tinged with a sickly pallor, her eyes wide with fear. She tried to fly, flapping her miniature arms with frantic energy, but she remained firmly grounded.
Finally, the shrinking stopped, leaving the two ladies at doll size. Kitten, now a giantess in their eyes, loomed over them, her blonde hair a massive cloud and her pink boots looking more like walls.
“We’ve shrunk!” Raven shouted.
"That's right, you little freaks! You're nothing but dolls now!" Kitten shouted.
“Not if my dark energy has anything to say about it!” Raven shouted defiantly. She tried summoning waves of her dark energy, especially at its most powerful.
However, nothing was coming out. She tried to fly much like Starfire, but her body didn’t want to leave the ground for one inch. Starfire, in turn, tried shootng her emerald energy bolts, but nothing was happening.
“My… my powers! Nothing is functioning!” Starfire shouted.
“Hmmmm… very interesting. It seems The Shrinker doesn't just make you small… it also nullifies your powers! Pretty neat!” Kitten shouted, also laughing as she watched the tiny heroines flail their arms around trying in vain to summon their projectiles, but nothing was working. Raven, despite her fear and powerlessness, glared up at Kitten with defiance.
"This won't last, Kitten. You'll regret this." Raven said. Kitten just laughed, a booming, echoing sound that reverberated through the street especially as she got down on her knees and hovered her head above the two girls, almost knocking them off their feet with her strands of blonde hair.
"Oh, I doubt it. I wanted to shrink my dear beloved Robin too, but you two will have to do for now. He's always such a party pooper. Besides, you'll make much prettier decorations for my room!" Kitten said. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Kitten reached down and scooped them up, her fingers like giant claws. Raven and Starfire struggled against her grasp, but it was useless. They were helpless, trapped in the hands of their enemy. Kitten carried them away, their tiny forms dangling precariously in her grasp. The world rushed by in a blur – cars becoming monstrous vehicles, people transforming into towering giants.
Eventually, they were transported back to Kitten's hideout, a garishly decorated room filled with pink furniture, fluffy pillows, and an unsettling collection of superhero memorabilia. After Kitten set The Shrinker down on a nearby desk, she looked around the room, pondering where to keep her newly ‘crafted’ dolls.
"Now, where to put you two? Maybe on the shelf with my other trophies? Or perhaps dangling from the chandelier? Decisions, decisions…" Kitten mused, her enormous face mere inches from theirs. Raven and Starfire exchanged a look of despair. They were trapped, powerless, and at the mercy of one of their most annoying enemies. They had to find a way to escape, to regain their powers, and to stop Kitten before she caused any more damage. But how could two doll-sized, powerless Titans possibly overcome such a formidable challenge?
"Kitten! You will release us immediately! This is an act of aggression, and we will not tolerate it!" Starfire demanded, her voice surprisingly strong for her diminutive size.
"Oh, I'm so scared. Like, what are you going to do, Princess Sparkles? Throw a glitter bomb at me?" Kitten drawled, rolling her eyes. Raven, her patience wearing thin, interjected,
"Kitten, you're playing a dangerous game. You know the other Titans will come looking for us. This won't end well for you." Raven said. Kitten's smile widened, a glint of genuine malice in her eyes.
"That's where you're wrong, Ravey-wavey. By the time those goodie-two-shoes find you, especially my beloved Robin, ooooooooh, I can’t wait to shrink him next, you'll be changed. You'll be mine. And just to make sure you understand who's in charge..." Kitten said as she leaned down, her face mere inches from theirs. Before either of them could react, Kitten's massive boot descended, pinning them to the floor. Starfire gasped, the weight surprisingly heavy. Raven, despite her struggles, remained eerily silent, her eyes burning with barely suppressed rage.
"Now, now, girls, no need to be difficult. Just a little reminder of who's got the power now." Kitten said, her voice deceptively sweet. She applied a bit more pressure, just enough to make them squirm.
“Gaaaaah!” Starfire screamed as she tried to fight off the pain of having the weight of the giantess Kitten’s boot crushing her.
"Besides, I can't have my new dolls wearing such... ridiculous outfits." Kitten added, finally withdrawing her boots.
She gestured towards their standard attire. Starfire's signature purple leotard and thigh-high boots looked particularly out of place in this pink palace, while Raven's dark cloak and somber dress clashed horribly with the room's aesthetic.
"I have just the things for you," Kitten squealed, skipping over to the mountain of clothes. She began rummaging through the pile, tossing frilly dresses and sparkly tops aside (forcing Starfire and Raven to run around so they wouldn’t get buried underneath these clothes) until she finally unearthed her treasures. Two outrageously pink doll outfits. One was a frilly, layered confection of tulle and lace, adorned with glittery hearts and a ridiculously oversized bow. The other was a skin-tight, sequined jumpsuit with even more glitter, complete with tiny, impractical high heels. Starfire stared at the outfits in horror. If she still had her powers, her eyes would undoubtedly have a green glow as bright as the sun.
"No! I will not wear such an abomination!" Starfire screamed. Raven simply closed her eyes, a palpable wave of negativity emanating from her. This was beyond humiliating.
"Oh, but you will, because I say so!" Kitten said, her tone leaving no room for argument. She scooped them up, one in each hand, and plopped them down on the vanity table.
"Now, get changed! And don't even think about trying anything. I'll be watching you." Kitten said with a smirk as she brushed aside a few strands of her blonde hair. The two Titans glared at the outfits, then at each other. There was silent communication, a shared understanding. They were trapped, powerless for the moment, but they would not break.
With a shared sigh of resignation, they began to undress. Raven, as always, maintained a modicum of dignity, while Starfire couldn't help but grumble under her breath about the indignity of it all. The outfits, as expected, were uncomfortable and ill-fitting. The frills tickled Starfire, while the jumpsuit felt like it was cutting off Raven's circulation. Once they were dressed, Kitten let out a squeal of delight.
"Oh my goodness! You look adorable!" Kitten said as she snatched her phone and began snapping pictures, the flash momentarily blinding them.
"Say cheese!" Kitten shouted. Starfire forced a strained smile, while Raven simply scowled, her dark eyes radiating pure hatred.
"Okay, now do a pose! You know, like in the magazines! Starfire, put your hands on your hips and smile! Raven, try to look... I don't know...happy?" Kitten instructed, seemingly unaware of Raven's murderous glare. The next several minutes were a blur of forced smiles, awkward poses, and the relentless click of Kitten's camera. She posed them with her stuffed animals, made them stand on top of her makeup containers, and even attempted to make them dance (a feat that proved particularly challenging given their size and the impracticality of the outfits).
Raven, in particular, was suffering. The constant posing, the bright lights, and the sheer humiliation of being forced to wear such an atrocious outfit were pushing her to her limits. She felt a dark energy building within her, threatening to erupt, but alas, it was contained within her body, trapped like Sinestro in a maximum security prison. Starfire, despite her initial outrage, was starting to find a strange sort of amusement in the situation. Kitten's enthusiasm was almost infectious, and seeing Raven so utterly mortified was, admittedly, a little bit funny.
"Okay, last one! Now, give each other a hug!" Kitten announced, holding them both up in front of a sparkly pink backdrop.
Starfire, ever the optimist, reached out and awkwardly embraced Raven. Raven, however, remained stiff as a board, her eyes narrowed.
"Come on, Ravey-wavey, loosen up! It's just a picture!" Kitten urged.
“Grrrrrrr…” With a snarl that could have extinguished a candle, Raven begrudgingly returned the embrace. Kitten snapped the picture, then let out a final squeal of delight.
"Perfect! I'm going to print these out and make a scrapbook!" Kitten declared, skipping over to her vanity table. As Kitten busied herself with her scrapbook, Starfire turned to Raven.
"You know, Raven, this is not so bad. It is… different." Starfire said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Raven shot her a look that could curdle milk.
"Different!? Starfire, we have been shrunk to the size of dolls, forced to wear these ridiculous outfits, and subjected to Kitten's photographic whims. This is far beyond 'different'." Raven said.
"Yes, but...think of the possibilities! We could learn about Kitten's weaknesses, her plans! We could infiltrate her operations from the inside!" Starfire continued, undeterred. Raven raised an eyebrow.
"You think Kitten, in her current state of delusional glee, is going to divulge her evil plans to us? While we are dressed like Barbie rejects?" Raven asked.
"Well, maybe not, but we can still observe. We can learn. And we can plan our escape." Starfire said. Raven considered this for a moment. Starfire had a point. They were trapped, but they were not defeated. They were still Titans, even in miniature form.
"Very well. We will play along. But the moment I see an opportunity, I am taking it." Raven said, her voice regaining its usual composure.
"That is all I ask." Starfire said with a smile. As Kitten continued to gush over her new photos, Raven and Starfire exchanged a look. They were in a difficult situation, no doubt. But they were Titans. They faced worse before and prevailed. They would find a way out of this, and when they did, Kitten would regret the day she ever shrunk them.
"Aren't you just the cutest little things?" Kitten said as she showed off one of the photos she took. Starfire suddenly took offense with what she was seeing. It turned out it was one thing to dress up, but then to finally see herself wearing the getup she was wearing made her eyes twitch.
"This is an outrage! I am Starfire of Tamaran, not some… some fashion accessory!" Starfire shouted. Raven, ever the pragmatist, remained silent. She knew arguing would only embolden their captor. Instead, she focused her energy on searching for a weakness, a way to escape.
“Oh, but you ARE a fashion accessory now!” Kitten chirped, completely ignoring Starfire’s protests. For what felt like an eternity, Kitten further posed them. She arranged them on shelves amongst her vast collection of other dolls, forced them to hold hands and smile (a near-impossible task for Raven), and even perched Starfire on the head of a giant, grinning teddy bear. Each click of the camera filled Starfire with a burning humiliation she had never experienced before. Even facing down the Gordanians hadn't felt this… degrading. Raven, while outwardly calm, was seething. The injustice of it all fueled her magic, a dark energy simmering beneath her normally controlled exterior. Of course, the problem was she couldn’t unleash it because of her shrunken size. Finally, the photoshoot ended, and Starfire thought, for a fleeting moment, that the ordeal was over. But Kitten, predictably, had more in store.
“Now for the real fun!” Kitten squealed, pulling out a giant, plastic structure. It was a deluxe shopping mall playset, complete with functioning tiny escalators, miniature boutiques, and even a faux food court.
Starfire’s heart sank as Kitten made the bold announcement, making sure to stand to her full height.
“You two are going shopping! And you’re going to LOVE it!” Kitten announced, grabbing a handful of ridiculously small shopping bags. She carefully placed them inside the mall, then flashed a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Now, be good little shoppers! Or… crunch!" Kitten said as she punctuated the threat by stomping her boot loudly near them, the force of the impact sending a tremor through the plastic floor. Starfire’s eyes widened in horror. The threat was clear. Disobey, and they would be squashed. Raven’s face was a study in barely contained fury. The indignity of it all, the sheer pettiness of Kitten’s actions, was almost unbearable. But she knew they had to play along, at least for now.
With a sigh that was barely audible, Raven marched into the nearest boutique, a miniature replica of a high-end clothing store. Tiny mannequins, dressed in even tinier outfits, stared down at her. Starfire, reluctantly following, picked up a shimmering, lime-green dress.
"This is… hideous." Starfire muttered, her voice filled with disgust.
“And just a few seconds ago you were willing to try a new experience.” Raven said.
“Okay, okay! There is no need to rub it in! We Tamarans are quick to change our minds!” Starfire shouted.
"Just put it in the bag, Starfire. The faster we comply, the sooner we can find a way out of this." Raven said, her voice flat. They trudged through the mall, ‘visiting’ each store. They ‘bought’ tiny shoes, miniature purses, and even a ridiculously small tiara for Starfire. All the while, Kitten watched, her eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure. The humiliation was almost unbearable. Starfire, a warrior princess used to commanding armies, found herself forced to prance around a plastic mall, dressed like a doll, at the whim of a spoiled bratty giantess. The shopping bags, filled with useless trinkets, grew heavier and heavier, a physical manifestation of their degradation. At one point, Starfire, overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity of the situation, almost refused to go on.
"Ugh… I will not! I am a Titan! I will not be treated like this!" Starfire declared, her voice trembling.
Kitten’s laughter echoed through the mall.
“Oh really? Are you sure about that?” Kitten said as she stood over the mall and lifted her foot, hovering it dangerously close to Starfire and Raven. The shadow of her boot loomed large, a terrifying reminder of their vulnerability. Starfire swallowed, her defiance crumbling. The fear of being crushed, of being reduced to nothing more than a stain under Kitten’s sole, was too great. With slumped shoulders, she continued her charade, the weight of her humiliation pressing down on her. Raven, watching her friend’s distress, felt a surge of anger so intense it almost overwhelmed her mental state of being. The next few minutes were a torturous blur of forced enthusiasm and strained politeness. Kitten, looming like a benevolent giantess, directed them through the mall, forcing them to browse in more shoe stores filled with tiny, glittery heels, examine miniature dresses that looked like they belonged on a particularly flamboyant cupcake, and ‘chat’ with other dolls arranged strategically throughout the mall.
"Oh, Tiffany, darling, have you seen the weather lately?" Kitten would boom, her voice echoing through the tiny spaces. Raven and Starfire were expected to respond, mimicking the vapid conversations of the inanimate objects. Raven found herself discussing the merits of different types of miniature umbrellas with a vacant-eyed female doll. Starfire, bless her heart, actually tried to engage a male doll in a conversation about intergalactic diplomacy. It did not go well. The constant threat of Kitten's boot hung over them like a sword. If they showed the slightest sign of resistance, Kitten would loom closer, the shadow of her foot a terrifying premonition. Raven found herself resorting to sarcasm, her dry wit lost on Kitten and the oblivious dolls.
"Oh, yes, this boa is simply divine. It perfectly complements my… existential dread." Raven said to a miniature mannequin wearing a feather boa. Starfire, ever vigilant, nudged her with a tiny elbow.
"Raven, perhaps a more positive outlook would be beneficial." Starfire said.
"Beneficial to whom?" Raven muttered with a menacing glare.
The shopping spree continued, fueled by Kitten's relentless enthusiasm and the Titans' desperate attempts to survive. They purchased (or rather, Kitten purchased using her limitless supply of dollhouse money) countless pairs of shoes, an array of dresses that clashed horribly with their color schemes, and even a miniature tiara for Starfire, which she wore with a reluctant grace.
Finally, just as Raven felt she was about to succumb to the mind-numbing monotony, a knock echoed through the room.
"Ugh, what is it!?" Kitten groaned. A nervous-looking henchman poked his head in.
"Miss Kitten, your father requests your presence. He says it's… urgent." the man said. Kitten's face twisted in annoyance.
"Tell him I'm busy! I'm having a very important shopping spree!" Kitten shouted.
"He… he insisted, Miss Kitten. He said it couldn't wait and that you’d be grounded for a whole month if you weren’t in his room forthwith." the man said. Kitten sighed dramatically.
"Fine, fine! I'll be right there." Kitten said. She turned to Raven and Starfire, her expression petulant.
"Ugh, this is such bad timing. Fine, you two stay put. I'll be back to tally up what you ‘bought…’ teehee!" Kitten said. She scooped them up again, this time placing them on her vanity desk, among the bottles of perfume, makeup palettes, and hairbrushes.
"Don't go anywhere!" Kitten warned, her voice dripping with saccharine menace. Then, with a final glare, she swept out of the room, closing the door behind her.
As soon as she was gone, Raven and Starfire exchanged a look of desperate hope. This was their chance.
"We must escape! This is our best chance!" Starfire exclaimed, her pink dress vibrating with renewed energy.
"Easier said than done." Raven replied, surveying their surroundings as well as her own overly girly outfit. The vanity desk was a chaotic landscape of oversized objects, each one a potential obstacle. But then, Raven's gaze landed on something that made her breath catch in her throat. Nestled amongst the perfume bottles, almost hidden from view, was the shrink ray.
"Starfire, look what that clumsy girl left behind." Raven whispered, her voice barely audible. Starfire followed her gaze, her eyes widening in understanding.
"The device that reduced our size! It is within our reach!" Starfire said. But reaching it was the challenge. The shrink ray was on the far side of the desk, a treacherous journey across a landscape of towering makeup brushes and slippery perfume bottles. They surveyed their surroundings, trying to identify potential pathways. A stack of cotton pads offered a rudimentary bridge, but the surface was uneven and treacherous. A row of lipsticks could provide a series of stepping stones, but they were round and unstable. Working together, they managed to push a lipstick tube towards the edge of the desk, creating a makeshift ramp. They scurried up the tube, their tiny limbs aching with exertion. Finally, they reached the top, panting and exhausted.
The shrink ray loomed before them, a monstrous contraption of wires, tubes, and glowing crystals. It was far too heavy to move, but Raven had a different plan.
“Alright, now we just push the trigger and…” Starfire started to say.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Raven said.
“Huh? I thought the logic of this planet dictated that two negatives make a positive.” Starfire said.
“Yeah, but this is Killer Moth we’re talking about. What if the ray can shrink things even further upon getting blasted again? If that were to happen as is…” Raven said.
“We’d be so small even an air molecule would be bigger than us. Yes, I understand.” Starfire said. Raven rested a hand on her teammate’s shoulder.
"Starfire, I need you to be strong. I'm going to try to rewire the ray to reverse its effects. When I tell you, you need to push the trigger." Raven said.
"But Raven… it could be dangerous inside that piece of machinery! What if you are hurt?" Starfire asked.
"It's a risk we have to take. Trust me, Starfire. I know what I'm doing." Raven said, her voice firm. With a deep breath, Raven focused and summoned what little vestiges of her power she could muster. A faint purple aura surrounded her as she jumped into the shrink ray, her fingers tracing the intricate network of wires and circuits. It was delicate work, requiring precision and concentration. Time seemed to stretch into an eternity as Raven worked, her brow furrowed in concentration. The air crackled with energy as she rerouted the flow, her small hands moving with surprising speed and dexterity. Starfire, meanwhile, looked between the shrink ray and the door in the distance with nervousness. They certainly didn’t want to get caught by Kitten whenever she came back.
Finally, Raven returned, her face pale with exhaustion.
"Alright, I've reversed the polarity. It should now enlarge things instead of shrinking them." Raven said. Starfire's eyes widened with hope.
"Okay… then what do we do?" Starfire asked.
"You still have your super strength, right? I need you to push the trigger, and I need to be in front of the nozzle." Raven replied. Starfire nodded, her expression resolute.
"I trust you, Raven. With all my heart." Starfire said. Together, they positioned themselves accordingly on the vanity desk. Starfire stood in front of the shrink ray’s trigger. Raven stood in front of the nozzle, closing her eyes and bracing herself for the impact.
"Now, Starfire!" Raven yelled. With a mighty grunt, Starfire pushed the trigger. The shrink ray sputtered to life, emitting a blinding flash of light and a deafening roar. A beam of pure energy shot from the nozzle, engulfing Raven in its glow.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a surge of power coursed through Raven's body, her bones aching and her muscles screaming in protest. She felt herself growing, expanding, her clothes growing with her as she returned to her normal size. The world around her exploded into clarity as she stood away from the vanity desk, towering over the miniature mall. She stumbled slightly, her legs unsteady after being in doll form for so long.
“Whooooooa… I feel so gigantic after being so small for so long.” Raven said. Starfire gasped and stared at Raven.
"Raven! You did it! You are quite large!" Starfire shouted as she jumped up and down and clapped her hands. Raven grinned, relief washing over her.
"Now, let's get you back to normal." Raven said. Carefully, she reached down and scooped up the miniature Starfire in her hand. She held her close, feeling the tiny Tamaranian's warmth against her palm. After setting her down on the floor, and without hesitation, Raven grabbed the shrink ray, aimed it at Starfire, and pressed the trigger. The beam of energy washed over Starfire, restoring her to her full, vibrant glory. Starfire blinked, her eyes widening as she took in her surroundings.
"Yes! You did it, Raven! We're back!" Starfire shouted.
“Almost…” Raven said as the two looked over the girly, pink covered clothes they still wore. They stood there for a moment, catching their breath, adrenaline coursing through their veins.
Then, they heard a familiar, shrill voice approaching as they watched the door open.
"I'm back, dolls! Time for… what the heck!?" Kitten burst into the room, her eyes widened in disbelief as she took in the scene before her. Raven and Starfire stood before her as tall as she was, their expressions grim. At the same time, Raven’s hands glowed with dark energy while Starfire’s hands were covered in her signature green glowing energy. The two pressed their hands together and crushed the shrink/enlarging ray between them, shattering it into thousands of pieces and letting them rain on the floor. Kitten stammered, her voice trembling.
"W-what happened? How… how did you get back to normal size?" Kitten said. Raven stepped forward, her eyes glowing with a faint, purple light.
"Let's just say I know how to manipulate gadgets from the inside, powers or not." Raven said. Starfire cracked her knuckles, her green eyes blazing with righteous fury.
"And now, Kitten, it is time for you to face the consequences of your actions." Starfire said. Kitten, realizing she was hopelessly outmatched, let out a pathetic whimper.
"D-Daddy! Help meeeeeeeeee!!!" Kitten shouted.
Raven and Starfire stepped forward, looking like they were ready to beat some justice into Kitten. However, the group heard a familiar malevolent voice from outside the room.
“KITTEN! If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a trillion times…!!!” Killer Moth shouted from a distance. Even from afar, the group could hear his mighty footsteps getting closer and closer. Starfire lightly gasped and looked towards Raven.
“Raven, I suggest we retreat. The two of us alone cannot take on Killer Moth.” Starfire said.
“Agreed. Don’t think you’re going to escape this unscathed, Kitten.” Raven said as she used her dark energy to make a portal appear on the floor, which Raven and Starfire jumped inside. As soon as the two were in, the portal quickly disappeared, leaving a tearful Kitten standing in her room, biting her nails as she wondered what her father was going to say this time.
The swirling darkness of Raven's portal spat them out into the familiar, if much-missed, main room of Titans Tower. Starfire stumbled, her arm laden with shimmering, plastic-smelling shopping bags nearly causing her to lose her balance. Raven, usually composed, landed with a frustrated grunt, adjusting the ludicrously large, pink sunglasses perched on her nose. Silence hung heavy in the air. Then, a snort. Raven and Starfire both looked down at their attire. They were swathed in a coordinated nightmare of pink. Raven wore a ruffled, glitter-encrusted mini-dress that barely skimmed mid-thigh, paired with knee-high, sparkly boots. Starfire, equally mortified, was squeezed into a layered, pink tulle skirt and a sequined top that declared, in bold, glittery letters, ‘Totally Fabulous!’ They were, in a word, hideous.
“Oh spit. I forgot we were wearing these ridiculous getups.” Raven said.
“Oy… I don’t know why, but I feel like they look a hundred times worse when I’m at my normal size.” Starfire said. And they were carrying armfuls of more of the same. The snort escalated into a full-blown guffaw.
Footsteps then echoed from the hallway, and a familiar green head popped around the corner. Beast Boy, obviously back from whatever mission the rest of the Titans were on, clutched his stomach, tears streaming down his face.
"Oh. My. Gosh. Did...did you guys hit a...a Barbie convention while we were gone!?" Beast Boy managed to gasp between bursts of laughter. He doubled over again, pointing a shaking finger at their ensemble. Raven's eyes narrowed. Empathy was not Beast Boy's strong suit, it seemed.
"We were... indisposed." Raven said, her voice dangerously low. Starfire, usually optimistic, couldn't muster a smile. The humiliation of being paraded around as Kitten's other dolls in her deluxe shopping mall was still fresh.
"It was not a pleasant experience." Starfire mumbled, clutching her shopping bags tighter. Beast Boy, finally managing to compose himself, wiped his eyes.
"Seriously though, what happened? Did Killer Moth get a makeover too?" Beast Boy snickered again, then quickly backtracked, sensing the simmering rage radiating from Raven.
"Okay, okay! No more jokes. I just... I wasn't expecting that." Beast Boy said as he gave them a sympathetic look, but the amused glint remained in his eyes.
"Just go, Beast Boy." Raven growled, gritting her teeth as her shadowy energy began to crackle around her fingertips. He wisely heeded her warning, but not before one last, uncontrollable giggle escaped his lips.
"See ya, Fashionistas! Hahahaha!" Beast Boy called, disappearing down the hallway with his laughter echoing through it.
The silence returned, thick with Raven's simmering anger and Starfire's quiet shame. They both looked at each other, then down at their ridiculous outfits and the mountains of pink plastic they were carrying.
"This… is unforgivable." Raven said, her voice a low, menacing murmur. Starfire straightened her shoulders, her emerald eyes flashing with a rare, cold fire.
"Kitten will pay for this humiliation. She will learn that tampering with Starfire, of Tamaran, and Raven, of Azarath, is a grave error." Starfire said. They dropped the shopping bags with a resounding thud, the plastic clothes, accessories, and shoes scattering across the floor. The sound echoed in the vastness of the tower, a prelude to their future vengeance.
"One day, Kitten will understand the meaning of true terror." Raven said, her eyes burning with a dark purpose. Starfire nodded, her expression resolute.
"I wholeheartedly agree, Raven. We will strategize and plan. We will wait for the perfect moment. And when it comes, Kitten will regret ever playing this game." Starfire said.
The pink plastic and articles of clothing lay abandoned on the floor, a stark reminder of their recent ordeal. But it was also a promise. Raven and Starfire, united in their humiliation and fueled by their burning desire for revenge, were a force to be reckoned with. Kitten had underestimated them, and she would soon pay the price because the Teen Titans, even in pink, were not to be trifled with.
END