This tale occurs a few years after Instant Darwinism.  Third Earth is a different place, a place where the Lunatac’s and the Thundercat’s diplomatic attitudes are as of yet undecided.  Peace has fallen on Third Earth, though Mumm-Ra still rests in the Black Pyramid, but the Mutants have been banished forever, or so it would see...

 

Coexistance

Part 1

By Lucifer Daimaou

 

            New Cat’s Lair.  To the common viewer it was-not much to see.  This was due to the fact that it was almost entirely blended in to it’s surroundings.  The complex had been built for tougher times, for times of war.  Its presence not only strengthened the Thundercat’s authority over Third Earth, but made home for new Thunderian Refugees who had proven their worth as Thundercats.  Oddly enough, more of the newcomers had been eager to go off to Third Earth after their initiation rather than stay on their newly recreated homes, New Thundera.  In fact, the only original Thundercats on Third Earth were Tygra, at the Old Cat’s Lair, Pumyra, and New Cat’s Lair, and Lynx-o, at the rebuilt Tower of Omens.  In each complex, as many as fifty Thundercats worked on a daily basis to maintain peace on the small planet.  In fact, the planet itself was prospering much more with the greater supply of Thundercats to aid it.  New technology and education programs poured into the villages of the berbils, the wollows, and many others.  However, as chief engineer of New Cat’s Lair Panthreena monitered from the tall mountain range, an approaching figure appeared on the screen.  “Pumyra, come quike!”  shouted the panther.  Pumyra walked into the room.

            “What is it, Panthreena?”  She asked.

            “It appears the new Lunatac ambassador is here,”  Panthreena replied, “And you’re not gonna believe who they sent.”  Pumyra looked at the screen in disbelief.

            “They sent Chilla to maintain diplomatic relations??”  Asked the base’s leader, “Are they insane?!”  Indeed, approaching on her Ice Runner, Chilla stopped in front of the building, waiting for the drawbridge to be sent out across the deep canyon.

            “Should we send her in?”  Panthreena asked doubtfully.  Pumyra nodded.

            “They’ve kept their end of the bargain and not raided any of the villages...yet.”  Pumyra admitted grudgedly, “So we might as well keep ours.”

 

            “Hsshhh, nice place you have here, hsshh, Thundercats.”  Chilla said, a bit sarcasticly.  She was an impressive sight, her normaly blue cape sparkled a deep red, the rest of her uniform jet black.  The only thing that remained was the ‘ice’ at the top of her shoulders and the cresent-moon symbol on her chest.  Pumyra extended a hand, and Chilla shook it.

            “Glad you could come, ambassador.”  Pumyra told her, “We hope to settle down the recent...disagreements between our people.”

            “Hsshh, don’t get your hopes up, Thundercat,”  Chilla said bluntly, “As Luna stated very clearly right after the banishment of the mutants; this is not an alliance...”

            “...It is a coexistance,”  Pumyra finished, “Yes, I remember it well.  But let’s save the diplomatic talk for later, I’m sure you want to get settled in.  Tylon, escort the ambassador to her room.”  The tiger Thundercat obliged, taking the Lunatac deeper into the Lair than would have been considered safe a few years ago.

 

            A large, darkened ship stood upright in the grounds of Darkside.  The silver cresent moon on the top of the ship was the lightest feature apparent.  Towords the bottom of the ship, the eerie form of a gargoyal face took up the bulk of it, with lava-like eyes.  On the side of the ship there was inscribed in deep, uppercase letters SKYTOMB II.  Though a formidable force, the SKYTOMB II had yet to be put to the test of battle.  The treaty signed by Luna and Lion-o forbade any warring between their peoples or their allies, and for the Thundercats, that meant the entire planet of Third Earth.

            Inside, the usualy stern Lunatac leader Luna lay on her bed, feverish but asleep.  next to her sat her loyal bodyguard Amok, who was ready to take the blame of his master’s sudden illness out on anyone that came near her.

            Down the hall, Alluro sat with his three year old child on next to him.  The position would have humiliated him even as little as a year ago, but in that time, he had grown accustomed to having a child.  And, with a mother like Chilla, he would have to be a bit more...motherly than most fathers. 

            Even further down the hall, TugMug and RedEye worked sleeplessly on the engine.

            “How sooon until we can get dis think working?”  TugMug grumbled, “I’m huuungry.”

            “It should only be a couple more hours now, TugMug,”  RedEye scoffed, “Don’t be such a Mutant.”

            “You know that we have to get back home soon if Looona is going to survive,”  TugMug retorted, “I wouldn’t care, but Amok is going to kiill us if she doesn’t recover.”

            “I know that, imbecile,”  RedEye snapped, gesturing to his broken leg, “That’s why we should be working and not talking!”  TugMug decided to shut up and the long work continued.

 

            The Black Pyramid.  Darkside itself holds less fear in the eyes of the Third Earthlings.  The four black pillars surrounding the pyramid are constantly channeling strange energies into the atmosphere, leading to the powerful thunderstorm that always seems to hover over the home of the ancient ones.  Inside that pyramid, a deep bark awakened the sleep of Mumm-Ra, who’s sarcophagus glowed an eerie blue light while opening.  “What is it, Ma-Mutt?”  Asked the mummy, “What is so important that you would disturb my sleep?”  Ma-Mutt barked at his master.  “They want what?  Very well.”  Walking up to the caudren, the hooded-mummy looked into the bubbling waters.  In it appeared the gigantic forms of Slythe, the dark red, winged reptilian, Vultureman, the bird, Jackalman and Monkian, the muscular ones. 

            “Mumm-Ra...”  Growled the Ancient Spirits of Evil simultaneously, “Mumm-RA!”

            “Yes, evil ones?”  Mumm-Ra asked quietly.

            “The time has almost come, Mumm-Ra,”  they replied, “They will soon succumb to death and then, the Thundercats will be ours!”  Looking into the cauldren, Mumm-Ra could not help but burst into maniacal laughter.

            “Eyahahahahahaha!!!! Those fools think that they’ve won, don’t they?  The real battle has yet to begin!” Cackled the Ever-Living source of evil.

 

            Inside the Talisman of Darkness, Slythe, Vultureman, Jackalman, and Monkian sat, staring into the void that was the floor they sat on. 

            “Mutants” Four voices said simultaneously.  Their heads all shot up.

            “Who’ssss there?!” Slythe demanded.

            “We are the ancient Spirits of Evil,” the voices explained, “And you are under our confinement.”

            “Awwwk, and what did you expect us to do, bow down to you?”  Vultureman cawed bitterly.

            “SILENCE!  Your life energy is slipping away from you as we speak, Mutants.  Once that happens...you will be ours!  From then on, it is our decision whether you will live or die, depending on how you serve us.  Until then, Mutants, perhaps you should consider where your loyalties lie.”  and with that, there was silence. 

            “Did they say...we’re going to be freed?”  Monkian gaped in disbelief.

            “Sssso they did,”  Slythe grinned, “Sssso they did.”

 

Part 2

            “So, Chilla,”  Pumyra asked, before taking another bite of the chicken before them, “How has Luna’s health been?”

            “Hshhh, not good,”  Chilla stated, “In face, RedEye’s attempting to get SkyTomb II into the air and get her the medical attention of the Third Moon of Plundarr.”

            “Really?!”  Pumyra asked, getting more and more interested, “But what-” she was cut off when Panthreena rushed into the room.

            “Pumyra, Mrs. Ambassador, forgive me for interrupting, but,”  continued the Panthress, “Tygra has an urgent message from Old Cat’s Lair.”

            “Thank you, Panthreena, I’ll be right there.”  Pumyra said.

            “We’ll be right there.”  Chilla corrected.

 

            Tygra stared into the screen as Pumyra and, suprisingly, Chilla came in view.  “Pumyra,”  Tygra greeted, “I’ve got some rather disturbing news.”

            “What is it, old friend?”  Pumyra asked.  Tygra rubbed his forehead.

            “Well, our scanners indicated odd electromagnetic activity over Castle Plundarr a few minutes ago.”  Tygra explained.

            “You think that the mutants might have escaped?”  Pumyra asked.

            “Perhaps, but that’s not the strange part,”  Tygra continued, “The activity over Castle Plundarr is identical to the activity over the Black Pyramid.”

            “Hshhh, you don’t suppose that Mumm-Ra has decided to move into a new home, do you?”  Chilla asked.

            “It’s a theory, at least,”  Tygra said, “But we’ll find out soon enough.  Jagged, Ice, and I are going in to investigate.”

            “Alright, keep a radio handy.”  Pumyra told him in a stern tone of voice.

            “Right.  Tygra out.”  The screen went blank and Tygra smiled to himself.  “So Chilla’s the ambassador?  I’ll have to go and visit...after this.”

            “Ready, sir?”  Asked Ice, the tall, bulky White Tiger.

            “Ready.  Let’s go!”

 

            Upon arriving to Castle Plundarr, it was obvious that something was different, to say the very least.  Storm clouds towered over the gigantic fortress, but what’s more, four giant, black pillars were up and reached the top of the building.  “I don’t like this,”  Said Jagged, the Jaguar Thundercat, “This looks far too much like the pillars surrounding Mumm-Ra’s pyramid.  But why would he move here?  It just doesn’t make any sense.”

            “True, the only reason that comes to mind is the technological defenses, but...”  Ice trailed off.

            “...we disarmed those years ago, and on top of that, Mumm-Ra has always hated technology.”  Tygra finished.

 

            Four dark figures watched from a bubbling cauldren and laughed at the naivete of their foes.  “The defenses are down, are they?  We’ll see about that.”

 

            Suddenly, the gargoyale’s eyes glowed, and dozens of gigantic cannons came out from hidden passages.  The three unsuspecting Thundercats sudden were amist a torrent of laser fire, and were forced to seek shelter within the building itself.

            “I really don’t like this,”  Jagged said nervously, “Why would Mumm-Ra use something as technologicaly advanced as the Mutant weaponry systems?  It’s just...”

            “...Not like him.”  Ice put in, “And if he had aquired the weaponry, why would he let us in?  You know as well as I that we had to disable the cannons before being able to disable the interal weapons.  It’s almost as though he’s trying to draw us in.”

            “I think that you’ve hit the bullseye, Ice,”  Tygra said, pointing down the hall, “Look, an elevator.  That wasn’t there before.”  Walking up to it, it seemed stable enough, though one could easily cut the cables if they were to try and go up.  Going inside, it seemed that the only way that the elevator would head...was down.

            “Should we?”  Jagger asked, “I mean, is it safe to do so?”  They both looked at Tygra, who shrugged.

            “We’ve come this far.”  He told them.  Pressing the down button, the elevator doors closed, and the elevator slowly made its way downwards.  When the doors opened, the sight before them startled them.  Inside was a gigantic cave, that would have been an exact replica of Mumm-Ra’s pyramid were it not for one simple thing; or rather, four.

            “Four Sarcophagi?”  Ice exclaimed, “What does this mean?!”  Before anyone could answer, the sarcophagi started to glow a blue light, and out stepped for hooded creatures.  The red hood and cape looked precisely like Mumm-Ra’s in every detail, and when the creatures looked up, Tygra was shocked to see mummified versions of the mutants; not the gigantic, super-powerful mutants that had almost conquered them on their last encounter, but the mutants that they had known for years before that.  And yet, power and dark energy emanated from these four seemingly weakened beings, and Tygra could only guess why they were dressed and appeared so.

            “I think that it’s time to leave.”  Tygra said, shoving the others into the elevator.

            “Caaaw!  Not so fast, Thundercat, not before you receive our...”  Vultureman started.

            “PRESENT!”   Slythe finished, and with that, all four mutants blasted Tygra with a strange white beam, which knocked the tiger into the elevator.  Pressing the button to go up, Ice held onto one arm from Tygra while Jagged held onto the other.  The doors to the elevator closed, and all that could be heard was the cackling of the four evil ones.

            “Are you alright?”  The White Tiger asked.  For a reply, Tygra only groaned, his eyes rolled up to the top of his head.  Throwing his friend over his shoulder, Ice shouted “Come on, we gotta run past the cannons!”  Jagged nodded, and the two of them made a dash for the Thundertank.

 

            Tygra’s condition seemed hopeless.  Medics detected a strange acid agent in his blood stream that was slowly eating away at his interior, he was going to die slowly, and very, very painfuly.  Unable to accept the fact that their friend would be leaving them, Lion-o, Panthro, Cheetara, Wilykit, Wilykat, and the Snarfs came to visit him in his apparent deathbed.  He did not have much life in his eyes, and he was hooked up to ever machine available.  His pulse was steady, but slow, and faint.  Lion-o looked down upon the form of his friend, and pulled out the Sword of Omens.  “I’m going to save him.”  Lion-o said, a slight tremble in his voice.  He pointed the sword at Tygra.  “Sword of Omens, heal Tygra!”  With that, a beam of energy shot at Tygra.  The tiger opened his eyes.

            “hello...lion-o...” He said weakly.  His stats had not changed.

            “But-but...”  Lion-o stuttered, “Why aren’t you getting better?”  Tygra smiled weakly.

            “I’ve been cursed, Lion-o, there’s nothing the sword can do now for me,”  He whispered, “As powerful as it is it is no healer.”

            “No!”  Lion-o shouted, tears in his eyes, “It will cure you!  Sword of Omens, heal Tygra! NOW!”  The sword didn’t respond.  “heal...Tygra...”  Lion-o fell to his knees.

            “it’s ok, my friend,”  Tygra reassured, “I have served my time well...and you, Lion-o, have saved me countless times before.”

            “But what does it matter?”  Lion-o asked, “With all the power in the sword, what’s it worth if I can’t save one life?!”  Tygra grasped Lion-o’s claw.

            “Listen to me, Lion-o,”  Tygra told him sternly, “You are the Lord of the Thundercats, and this is a crisis.  Right now, the others need for you to be strong, stronger than you’ve ever been before.  Here...”  Tygra pulled his whip off of his belt, and handed it to Lion-o, “I don’t know if it will respond to you, but I want you to have it, to help you stay strong.”  Lion-o examined the whip, and put it in his belt.

            “Thank you,”  Lion-o said softly.  With that, Tygra’s eyes closed, and his pulse flat-lined.

 

            In the underground Tomb, Mumm-Ra appeared, in mummy form.  “Come forth, Mutants!”  He ordered.  The sarcophagi opened, and the four mutants walked out.

            “What isss it, Mumm-Ra?”  Slythe asked.

            “I would like to congratulate you on Tygra’s demise!”  Mumm-Ra said, grinning malevolently, “Now, look into the cauldren.”  Peering into the bubbling waters, the mutants saw Tygra’s funeral service, where hundereds of Thundercats and a couple of the Lunatacs went to honor the life of their noble friend. 

            “Caaaw, dead as a doornail,”  Vultureman laughed, “Why do you show us this?”

            “Well, this is a funeral, and what’s a funeral without...dead bodies.”  Mumm-Ra said slowly, his grin never leaving his face.

 

            “...His wisdom had made Jaga proud, his strength...”  As Lion-o continued with the service, many tears were shed for the lost soul of their friend.  Chilla sat in the back, trying to avoid being seen by anyone.  A friendship had grown between the two over the years, and Tygra had helped take care of her daughter, little Lina.  Lina was in the front with her father Alluro, who had promised Chilla to wait to talk about it until after Lina was out of earshot, for the sake of Chilla’s pride.  Lina looked up at her father with big eyes, and asked a question that almost made Alluro shed tears; “Daddy, where Tygra?”

            “SSssh, I’ll tell you when you’re older.”  He said, trying to maintain composure.  Just then, the eye of Thundera growled, and Lion-o stepped down from the pedistal.  The guests watched as Lion-o’s expression went from sadness to rage to calmness.  He once again stood up at the pedistal and held the Sword of Omens in his hand.

            “Today, we have come to lay the dead to rest,”  He said calmly, “Though the forces of Darkness may want to disturb this process, the Thundercats will always be there to stop them!  Thunder! Thunder!  Thunder!  Thundercats, HO!!!”  With that, the Eye of Thundera went out of the sword, burned through a wall and went outside.  “Follow...it...”  Lion-o told them.  The crowd, now confused, walked outside where a horrifying site met their eyes.

            Skeletons and rotting corpses walked towords the Funeral Home at a steady pace, dozens of them, strutting forward without emotion.  The Eye of Thundera, high in the sky, cast down a red light upon these beings, and slowly, they turned to return from whence they came.  Once they had dissapeared into the horizon, Lion-o sheithed the sword and stepped down from the podium.

 

            Chilla lay a small, red rose on the mound of dirt which held within its depths the once formidable Thundercat.  Her rose was but one of the many flowers, but it mattered little.  “Chilla?”  a soothing voice asked from behind her.  She turned to face Alluro.

            “Alluro...”  She sighed.  Giving her a firm hug, Alluro made sure not to lose his nerves.

            “Chilla, I’m sorry, Tygra was...a friend of the family’s.  Lina will miss him.”  Alluro said, “But I have not come to discuss this with you, I have come to tell you that SkyTomb is ready for takeoff.”

            “Will you go?”  Chilla asked.  Alluro cocked an eyebrow.

            “Of course,”  Alluro said, “I wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity to get home after all these years.” 

            “Well then I have one thing to ask of you then,”  Chilla said, “Hshh, let Lina stay here with me.” 

            “You mean you aren’t going to-”  Alluro started.

            “It’s my job as ambassador to stay here, Hsshhh, I’ll go when someone replaces me here.”  Chilla cut in.  Alluro eased up.

            “Very well.  Lina will stay with you.”

 

            Lion-o was giving RedEye a very difficult time indeed.  The party had come to bid farewell to their would-be allies, but Lion-o had come for other reasons.  Moments after arriving, Lion-o unleashed his personal form of the Spanish Inquisition.  “For Crrying out loud, Thundercat, we have to go or Luna will die!”  RedEye shouted.

            “How do we know you’re not just abandoning us in the middle of a fight?!”  Lion-o demanded.

            “We won’t be of much use to you if Amok chews us up and spits us out, now will we?” RedEye pointed out.

            “That’s enough!  Lion-o, if you are so devoid of trust,”  Pumyra put in, “Then I will go with them as ambassador.”  There was a shocked silence. 

            “Very well,”  Lion-o said finnaly, “Be sure to report on a daily basis...”  And he went on to give a very long list of how she was to behave herself as a diplomat.  Pumyra sighed, it was going to be one long journy indeed.

 

 

Part 3

            Outer space.  The infinite darkness and weightlessness has been known to drive its inhabitants insane.  Yet, great philosophers from times as long ago as the time of First Earth would look into the sky and describe its beauty and elegance.  The stars flashing, the planets in orbit of a single, gigantic sun.  However, it was in the time of First Earth that the possibilities of outer space were unfathomed by the common sentient being.  Outer space was to the two great powers of First Earth nothing more than a competition in technological backings.  Once the competition was over, only half-hearted attempts were made to reach further into the boundryless quarters of the universe, until the Great Catastrophe several hundred years later that led to the birth of Second Earth, where the technology was no longer available.

            The sad story of the human race is not universal.  Two Planets and the large number of moons around one of them were able to get a hold of the technology early in their histories.  On Thundera, kindness towords allies of other races led to the growth in trade, and intelligent enough already, the Thunderians and their nobles, the Thundercats, had no troubles reaching space.

            The massive neighbor of Thundera was Plundarr, a planet filled with ugly, mutated creatures that stole from anything weaker than them.  However, with the help of great inventors from the Vulture race, the mutants found their way into the stars as well.

            On the Moons of Plundarr, particularily the Third Moon, militarization demanded for expansion.  Of the three powerful peoples, the Lunatacs held a slight technological advantage in the field of military.  However, the Thundercats exceeded in every other area of space and ground-bound technology.

            SkyTomb had been a military base.  Its mobile capabilities made it truly formidable, and in the early days of the Lunatacs of Plundarr, SkyTomb had traveled from planet to planet, raiding and conquering everywhere it landed.  However, upon arriving to Third Earth, as the story goes, they met their match in the demon priest, Mumm-Ra.

            Later, after an uneasy peace agreement with the Thundercats, SkyTomb II was built, and it matched its predecessor in every aspect.  At the very top, a crescent moon symbol led on the attack.  Directly bellow that lay the blue mettalic structure where most of the rooms lay, be they for control or for sleeping.  Below the blue structure, a much wider place lay, where the fueling tanks and slaves were kept.  The structure itself looked like a face, carved into solid rock, with craters for eyes.  These craters were in reality, fuel exausts, and trails of smoke would appear when SkyTomb mobilized or burned any fuel.  Below, the actual engines pushed the massive fortress through its journy, and next to the engines, a large, cylindrical stairway could be released to the ground to send out troops or attack vehicles.

            Inside the blue, metalic structure, Pumyra, the Thundercat ambassador, enjoyed dinner in the company of Alluro and TugMug.  “So, what desease has Luna contracted that we need to go all the way to the Third Moon to get it cured?”  Pumyra asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.  Alluro took a gulp from the wine in his pouch before answering.

            “She has a desease that effects only the Troll-race Lunatacs, but has been amplified in her family line.”  Alluro explained, “You see, before the time Queen Luna, all Troll-Race Lunatacs would grow to a normal height at the height of their youth, and then shrink down smaller than an infant as they got older.  However, Queen Luna discovered the magic belt, which not only gave her increduble powers, but kept her at her normal height as well.  When she was defeated by Mumm-Rana, a curse was cast upon her so that she and her children would not only shrink like the other Troll-Race Lunatacs, but their internal organs would shrink at an even faster rate.  Fortunately, the doctors on the Third Moon created a treatment for this strange illness, but the effects only last for ten years, and we were here about a year before being imprisoned in lava.”

            “So basicly, we get there, she’s ok, we don’t, she’s screwed.”  TugMug said bluntly.

            “How terrible, I had not idea that Mumm-Rana was so ruthless.”  Pumyra said, shuddering, “I hope that we can get there in time.”

            “We’d better, or Amok weell have all our asses for deeener.”  TugMug groaned.  Pumyra narrowed her eyes at him.

            “Is that all you care about, TugMug, your own well being?”  She demanded.

            “Unlike you goody-goody Thundercats, we Looonatacs have no need for the weak and helpless.”  TugMug shot back.  Alluro decided to step back, not wanting to get drawn into the arguement.  Fortunately, the Psychic was spared when RedEye rushed into the room.

            “We’re there!”  Exclaimed the Sight-Lunatac, “We’re home!”  They all rushed to the viewing port.  On the screen was a magnificent display, a moon of the same color as Third Earth’s moon, but with towering structures all across it.  Pumyra noted the lack of water, and theorized that the reason the Third Moon had come to dominate the others was because of the need to expand to survive, thus leading to the much more militaristic nature of the Lunatacs.  Though she knew it had spawned more wars than any other moon or planet in the universe, Pumyra could not help but feel overwhelmed by the beauty of the moon, she could only imagine how parting with it must have felt to those she was presently in the company of.

            “We’re home...”  Alluro gasped, “We’re finnaly home.”

 

            The Moons of Plundarr.  It seemed ironic that the smaller moons, which lacked in raw resources, would turn out much more technologicaly advanced than the larger, metal-filled Plundarr.  Up until the Mutation Festival, aproximately 100,000 years after the creation of the Mutant Species, Mutants were always three steps behind the Lunatacs in the technological industry.  This, along with the Lunatacs natural skills, caused the need for Thunderian intervention time and time again, leading to the hatred of all three peoples.

            However, after the Mutation Festival, the cereberal and chemical structures of the mutants were altered significantly.  Within hours of the Festival, the great inventors of Plundarr had revolutionized military and and even basic home technology so that it dwarfed the Lunatacs and the Thunderians’ by great strides.

            The mutant generals who had attempted to conquer Third Earth had created a massive structure, Castle Plundarr, before the Mutation Festival, but still it had been no where near as powerful as the Lunatac’s flying fortress, SkyTomb.  However, the mutants were able to return to their homeworld for the Festival, and upon returning, made several upgrades.  Castle Plundarr stood nearly three hundred feet high, with a triple-headed gargoyle looming over the entrance.  Missiles and lasers gave the fortress destructive power over everything within a three hundred foot radius.  However, aproximately twenty miles from NeoCastle Plundarr, as it had come to be called, New Cat’s Lair stood a safe distance from the mutants’ formidable weaponry.  Upon the banishment of those mutants, the Thundercats and Lunatacs went through a painstacking process to disarm the Castle, a project which ended up taking half a year.  They finnaly decided that the best solution would be to destroy the control center, so that the weapons could never be used.

            What the they mutants enemies did not expect was for black magic to take play.  Deep bellow NeoCastle Plundarr, a gigantic, mutant-made cavern lay, within which rested the mummified forms of the four generals.  The cavern had everything that the Black Pyramid of Mumm-Ra the Ever Living had in his main quarters, a gigantic, bubbling cauldren surrounded by the statues of the four Ancient Spirits of Evil. 

            The bubbling cauldren suddenly grew in heights, and the water changed into the form of Mumm-Ra, red hood donned and covered in bandages.  “Mutants, come forth, what is your report?”  He demanded.  The four black sarcophagi opened, glowing with a blue light.

            “We have quite a surprise for our friends the Lunatacs, Mumm-Ra, yessss,” Slythe cackled.

            “Caaaw, they are on their way to the Third Moon of Plundarr as we speak,”  Vultureman laughed, “Unaware of our intervention.”

            “Wonderful news, mutants,”  Mumm-Ra cackled, “And you rerooted the ship, then?”

            “Nyahahaha, it was a peice of cake.”  Jackalman replied.

            “Very well, gather your energies, when I return, the time for battle will almost be upon us.”  Mumm-Ra said, covering himself with his cape and then dissapearing into the cauldren.

 

            As times change and nature deals more wildcards, those more suited for the newly created situation tend to survive and thrive while the less prepared tend to die out.  This theory has been true since the days of Charles Darwin of First Earth, and continues to be so.  As the enemies of the Thundercats gain power, it seemed almost inevitable for them to be destroyed.  However, the Thundercats have always shown the amazing ability to adapt.  After the destruction of Thundera, the Thundercats were able to find a home and rebuild, gaining many allies from those who respected their code.

            With the firepower of the Sword of Omens and the natural stability allowed by their technological achievements, the Thundercats soon flourished on their new home.  Though Mumm-Ra was indeed a formidable force, a mere show of his own reflection could keep him at bay.  As for the mutants, well, their technology was nothing in comparison.  However, when the Lunatacs were awakened, the situation was once again altered.  With the mobile fortress SkyTomb at their command, the Lunatacs seemed unpredicatable and unbeatable.  However, the Thundercats once again adapted, building the Tower of Omens to watch over all of Third Earth for them.

            After the Mutation festival, the Thundercats seemed to have lost all advantages, the Mutants had the numbers, the materials, the technology, and the raw power to destroy anything.  Yet the Thundercats did not deem this a suitable end, thus giving birth to the New Cat’s Lair.  Twice the size of the original Third Earth design, New Cat’s Lair was armed for times of war.  It virtualy blended in with its surroundings, and could easily be forgotten if one was not actualy looking for it.  These impressive structural benefits were nothing compared to the defensive capabilities of the Lair, with a powerful shield able to withstand almost anything at a sub-atomic level.  The gigantic lasers which could retract from the sides were powerful enough to level a mountain, and had proved it so in battle many a time.  Once focused on, it seemed just like a larger, different colored version of the Old Cat’s Lair, with a claw to use as a garage, and a Cat’s head that always seemed to growl.

            Within the New Cat’s Lair, a council of war had been called.  Lion-o, Panthro, Cheetara, and several of their best generals sat around a long, circular table.  “Thundercats, a new threat faces us, the mutants have returned, and contain supernatural powers similar to those of Mumm-Ra,”  Lion-o said, “We have already lost a valuable countryman....let’s not rush in without a plan next time.”

            “But Lion-o, we can’t even beat Mumm-Ra by himself,”  Cheetara pointed out, “How are we going to defeat four, possibly five powerful immortals at once?  We don’t have the firepower!”

            “She is right, Lion-o.”  An elderly voice said.  The Lord of the Thundercats turned.

            “Jaga!”  He exclaimed.  The ghost of Jaga, to be more precise.  His glowing blue form could only be seen and heard by the Lord of the Thundercats, and only when he wished to be seen.  Often times, he would leave very vague clues, then dissapear, in hope that Lion-o would prove himself a worthy leader by acting wisely with little help.

            “Yes, Lion-o, you face a great danger, the Sword of Omens cannot fight four demon priests at once.”  Jaga pointed out.

            “Yes, I know, Jaga,”  Lion-o sighed, “But what can we do?”

            “Find the Talisman of Light, Lion-o, its power over evil is stronger than even the Sword of Omens,”  Jaga answered.

            “Where can we find this talisman, Jaga?”  Lion-o asked.

            “In the Endless Fields,”  Jaga answered, “Good luck, Lion-o.”  With that, Jaga flung his cape around himself, and dissapeared.  Lion-o stood up.

            “Well, everyone, it seems that we have a solution on our hands,”  He said, “I’ll need twenty volunteers to go into the Endless Fields, the plains behind DarkSide.”

 

            Though Castle Plundarr holds its own aura of fear, no location holds more shear terror in the eyes of the Third Earthlings than the Black Pyramid of Mumm-Ra the Ever Living.  The very atmosphere of the Pyramid reeks of death.  For several miles around the Pyramid, ruins crusted in darkened stones scare off the superstitous.  Over the Pyramid itself, a constant lightning storm clashes, more often than not striking one of the four great pillars that surround the structure, which then in turn funnels the energy to the other three. 

            Within the Pyramid is an even greater mystery, for it is rumored that thousands of passages and rooms lie within, all with their own traps and incantations.  Only a select few have ever entered the Pyramid and left with their lives, and even fewer have made it in and out against Mumm-Ra’s will.

            With all its chambers, the largest, deadliest chamber lies in the middle of the complex, directly under the point at the top of the Pyramid.  Inside, a bubbling cauldren surrounded by four Ancient Spirits of Evil provide the means and the motivation for Mumm-Ra’s destructive plans.  Looming over the cauldren, the red-hooded mummy began tossing several strange substances into the liquid in question.

            Ma-Mutt, the hairless, blue-eared, glowing red eyed undead Basset Hound companion of Mumm-Ra’s began to tug at the mummy’s cape inquisitively.  “Ma-Mutt, not now,”  The mummy said calmly, “I am formulating a powerful spell that will be the key to the defeat of the Thundercats.”  Ma-Mutt barked doubtfully.  “Yes, I know that these spells have failed in the past, but with the extra power of the Ever-Living Mutants on our side, we will be able to gain an army of Darkness that makes the Sword of Omens look like a chew toy!!”  Mumm-Ra’s red eyes grew brighter with his excitement.  He turned to Ma-Mutt.  “Go, Ma-Mutt, get the ingredients I require.  Soon, we shall control this miserable planet as well as the rest of the universe!”

 

            SkyTomb II touched down in front of a marvelous palace.  The Palace itself seemed to have been made out of solid gold, but it glimmered as though it were made of polished marble.  Twelve massive towers made up the sides of the palace, and the huge structures that connected them made up the bulk of it.  The crew of SkyTomb II gasped in awe.  “De Palace of Royalty...”  TugMug sighed.  Three bulky Gravity-Race Lunatacs came up to them, gravity-carbines poised.

            “Halt!  State your names and your business here!”  The one in the middle ordered.

            “We are the Lunatacs of Plundarr and we have come to get Princess Luna’s treatment done.”  Alluro said smoothly.

            “That’s not possible,”  The guard snapped, “The Lunatacs of Plundarr have been gone for over thirty years!” 

            “That’s all right, guards.”  A smooth voice said from behind them.  They all looked to see a tall Troll-Race Lunatac, perhaps five feet high.  The guards kneeled.

            “Your majesty.”  They said. 

            “Queen Jenine....”  Alluro gasped, “My you’ve grown in thirty years...”  The queen flashed them a smile.

            “Where is my aunt?”  She asked.  Amok held out the unconcious Luna.

            “Help Luna, help Luna!”  Amok said, a bit hystericaly.  Jenine reached out a soft hand and patted Amok on the forehead.

            “It’s alright, Amok, she’ll be in good hands.”  Jenine looked at Pumyra, “What is the Thundercat doing here?”  She demanded.

            “De babe’s with us, she’s the ambassador for de cats.”  TugMug explained.  Pumyra glared at him for calling her ‘babe’.  She reached out her hand to Jenine.

            “Don’t worry, we’ve been at peace with your aunt for years, ever since the Mutation festival.”  She said.  Jenine nodded.

            “Well, it would seem that Aunt Luna is in need of medical treatment, so why don’t you all tell me of your time on that desolate planet inside?”  Jenine asked, motioning them in.  Pumyra took one last glance at the beautiful palace before walking in.

 

            Back at new Cat’s Lair, Lion-o was at a loss.  They had yet to locate the Light Talisman, and they had very little time to spare.  They couldn’t take the chance of allowing the mutants to rest and charge up their powers.  In a desperate move, Lion-o ordered the remaining Thundercats to plant explosives outside NeoCastle Plundarr, while he himself decided to go interrogate their most ancient and deadly enemy, Mumm-Ra.

 

            Mumm-Ra watched as the Mutants appeared and floated down next to him from the bubbling cauldren.  “It is time,” Mumm-Ra said, “Now, we must chant the Incantation of Darkness, and the fate of the Thundercats will be sealed!”

 

 

Part 4

             War.  It is inevitable that nature will send all sentient creatures into war at least once in their history.  Though some nations may be more militaristic than others, once military power is attained in any nation, eventual war will be unavoidable.  This was true on First Earth, Second Earth, and Third Earth, and has always been true on Plundarr and all of its moons. 

            Decades before, the Lunar-Plundarian army had succeeded in conquering the entire East half of Plundarr through military force, but were driven back by the more powerful forces of Thundera. 

            After the Mutation Festival, wars between the moons and the planet that they revolve around exploded to a new height of violence and bloodshed.  Two-Thirds of the moons were lost by the time that the SkyTomb II landed on the Third Moon, and the battles were only getting more intense.

            On the opposite side of the Third Moon from the Palace of Royalty, a massive fortress stood, with a triple-headed gargoyal looming at all within sight.  Castle Mutation stood, though not nearly as nice on the eyes as the Palace, it was a much more formidable defensive structure, which the Lunatacs had yet to breech.

 

            The battles raged on the screen of the control center in the Palace of Royalty.  Pumyra, TugMug, and RedEye watched the amazing display of power and bloodshed.  The mutants were beating the Lunar-Plundarrian fairly obviously, but the Lunatacs continued to fight with all their resources, pushing at the overwhelming mutant forces with all that they had.

            Down the hall, in the medical bay, Luna lay unconcious in front of several doctors and nurses.  Dozens of tubes poured vital fluids of all colors into her body, though she remained unaware of it the entire time.

            And just outside the door of the operation, Amok sat on the ground, slumping in depresion while Alluro attempted to cheer the oversized Lunatac up.  “Oh, don’t worry, Amok, she’s gone through this treatment and been fine before,”  Alluro said, “Why should anything happen now, she is no different now than she was then, albeit a bit older.”  Amok snorted.

            “But Luna use belt, make her bigger,”  Amok said, almost intelligently, “What if belt hurt Luna more?”

            “A clever point, my intelligent friend,” Alluro said, trying to charm Amok into feeling better, “But she is in the best of care, it doesn’t matter if the belt did do anything.”  Alluro was surprised when, for the first time ever, Amok showed some real emotion.  He grabbed Alluro, hugged him (fairly painfully) and started sobbing.  Alluro had the difficult task of trying to breath while simultaneously soothing the big brute.  Needless to say, he wasn’t having a very pleasant time.

 

            The Black Pyramid shone with an unnatural dark blue light.  In the depths of the main chamber, directly below the point of the pyramid, Mumm-Ra’s deep voice could be heard, commanding the hundreds of red, angry eyes before him.  Behind him, the four mummified mutants stood, grinning malicously.  “You are the sinned,”  Mumm-Ra went on, “The dark ones of the universe.  Your sins have brought you into contact with either the Thundercats or their associates.  It is because of this that you have been summoned, by the power of the Incantation of Darkness.  You may not wish to follow our orders, but you will be rewarded if you do, and destroyed if you don’t.”

            “How could you destroy me,”  Sneered a hairy, four armed transparent creature, “You mutants have already done it once.”

            “Eh so, you think yourself immortal in your afterlife?”  Mumm-Ra laughed, “Well, I wouldn’t count on it.  You will be granted life to do the deed, but if you fail, or rebel, you will be imprisoned forever in dimensional Limbo, virtual nonexistance.”

            “And you living ones had better do it, yessss,”  Slythe hissed, “Or you will join your dead friends in nonexistance!”

            “Caaaw, but, if you succeed,”  Vultureman put in, “You will be granted great powers.”  No one dared doubt Mumm-Ra’s powers, so almost everyone agreed immidiately.

            “Now go, reek havok upon our enemies!!!”  Mumm-Ra ordered, extending his arms and pointing to the ceiling.  The angry-eyed creatures dissapeared.

 

            On the opposite side of Third Earth, the White Pyramid, home of Mumm-Rana, stood proudly over its surroundings.  The Pyramid was less than half the age of the Black Pyramids, thus that much less in power.  However, the power of Mumm-Rana was more than enough to aid the Thundercats in their desperate times of need, and there was no time of need greater than this.

            Cheetara stood in before the great pyramid.  “Mumm-Rana, it is I, Cheetara, a Thundercat,”  called the cheeta, “we have need of your assistance.”  The pyramid doors slowly opened, granting admitance to the Thundercat.

            In the Main Chamber, Mumm-Rana stood, blue cape covering most of her, awaiting Cheetara’s arrival.  The Cheeta was swift, as usualy, and soon got to the point.

            “Mumm-Rana, the ancient spirits of evil-”  Cheetara started.

            “-Have granted the mutant generals immortality,”  Mumm-Rana finished, “I know.”

            “Well, we were wondering if you would be willing to grant an alliance between the Thundercats and all our allies with yourself.”  Cheetara said.  Mumm-Rana was silent.

            “I am not usualy allowed by the Ancients to interfere, even with Mumm-Ra involved,”  Mumm-Rana stated, “But I can give you information on the nature of what you face.”  The cauldren began to bubble, and Cheetara looked in.  The four mummified mutants were walking back into their sarcophagi.  “The mutants, togethar, are as powerful as Mumm-Ra himself.”  Mumm-Rana explained, “However, seperately, they have about a fourth of that power each.”  The cauldren went blank once more.

            “Thank you, Mumm-Rana, for your help.”  Cheetara said.

            “When you are in need of more information, please come to visit.”

 

            The Endless Fields of Third Earth were given their name because of the sheer size of them.  It was rumored that only Mumm-Ra himself had ever explored the entire territory, and it had taken a twenty years.  The fields were in sharp contrast to their closest neighbor, Dark Side, in that they were filled with life and the very essence of joy.  Flowers sprouted from trees hundreds of feet high.  However, beautiful as the fields were, they were a great frustration to the Thundercats at the moment.  Led by Panthro, one of the many groups of Thundercats in the Endless Fields at that moment continued their search for the Light Talisman.

            “What’s that?”  Asked Tigress, a tall Tiger-Race.  Panthro looked in the direction that she had pointed, and saw some ruins.

            “Well, it’s the first discovery yet, lets go take a look.”  Panthro said, leading them there.  The ruins were fairly small, pillars had collapsed all around them, and in the very center, a small, granite hut stood.  Looking in, Panthro noticed a stairway, and was about to walk in to investigate when a familiar voice cackled behind him.

            “Welcome to your doom, Thundercats.”  the voice laughed.  Turning, they all saw the one person they would least have expected to meet; Grune the Destroyer.

            “Blast you, you traitor,”  Panthro snarled, “What are you doing here?!”  The saber-toothed renegade smiled wickedly.

            “Is that any way to greet a former Thundercat?”  Grune asked, “Well, thanks to some help from the demon priests, I’m ready and more than willing to defeat you and all of your pathetic little group!!”

 

            Wandering the corridors of the Black Pyramid, Lion-o tried to remember how to get into the Main Chamber.  He had the full intentions of forcing some information out of Mumm-Ra, through whatever methods the Code would allow.  Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back as something slashed across it.  Drawing the Sword of Omens and jumping around, Lion-o came face-to-face with a huge, four armed rat.

            “What’s the matter, Lion-o, don’t recognize your old friend, Rataro?!”  Rataro laughed, “You and those miserable mutants left me for dead in Castle Plundarr, but now, I will have my revenge!”  Pulling out the Rat’s sais, Rataro prepared to fire on the Lord of the Thundercats.

 

            At New Cat’s Lair, the alarm system was going insane.  Lynx-o appeared on the screen, looking a bit worried.  “What is it, Lynx-o?”  Asked Bengali, who had been left in charge.

            “Everything.”  Lynx-o said, looking very pale.

            “Everything?” 

            “Everything from Berserkers to Mountain Giants to Undead skeletons is heading towords New Cat’s Lair.”  Lynx-o explained.  Bengali’s eyes widened.

            “Everyone, get the shields up and the weapons ready!”  He shouted, “Rowr, we’re in for a hell of a battle!!”

 

            “They’ve been defeated!!” Queen Jenine gasped, looking on the screen of the Palace of Royalty.  The scene before them was truly grisly, the mutant exiles from Third Earth were chewing on the remains of the Lunar-Plundarrian army.  Pumyra put her hand on the queens shoulder.

            “We should probably evacuate,”  She suggested, “I’m sure that the mutants will want to get their filthy hands on you, your majesty.”  All of a sudden, several gravity-race Lunatacs burst through the walls, in greater numbers than their own, forcing the royalty and those in her presence to drop all their weapons.

            “You’re not going anywhere.”  Came a voice from behind one of the broken walls.  A short, bearded Psychic-Race lunatac walked in, smiling.  TugMug growled.

            “PSIKI!!!!” 

 

 

Part 5

            Battles.  The paragraphs that make up the essay that is war.  Battles are the very image of conflict, two sides using all of the resources in their posesion to destroy each other.  Battles are what ravaged First and Second Earth, and what have caused the deaths of billions of sentient beings.

            But for Bengali of New Cat’s Lair, the worst of it was in the waiting.  Bengali knew that even with the impressive weaponry at his command at New Cat’s Lair, the overwhelming amount of enemies making their way towords them would lead to a battle that he could not win.

            “How much longer till they arrive?”  He asked.

            “About an hour...wait...they’re changing their course...”  Tigress said, looking at the sensors.

            “What?!”  Bengali demanded.

            “They’re heading towords...the White Pyramid!”

 

            “And that’s the last of them!”  Sleeka called down to Panthreena, climbing down from the side of NeoCastle Plundarr.  Sleeka was a lean, agile White-Tiger wearing clothing similar to Cheetara’s, only black instead of red.  Her belt around her waist held both the symbol of the Thundercats, and a small dagger.

            “Then let’s do this.”  Panthreena shouted, “Everyone, back away from the structure.”  The group of twenty or so Thundercats jogged back behind the nearby patch or rocks.  Panthreena, like most panthers, had a muscular build, though that did not take away from her sleek, feminine body.  At her belt, a powerful chain and spiked ball mace awaited use.

            “May I do the honors?”  Sleeka asked.  Panthreena nodded.  Sleeka took the remote detonator, flipped it open, and pressed the button.

 

            Inside NeoCastle Plundarr, The mutants stood, circled around the cauldren.  “Ancient Spirits of Evil...Transformed these decayed forms into...”  THey chanted togethar.

            “Slythe, The Ever Living!”
            “Monkian, the Ever Living!”

            “Vultureman, the Ever Living!”

            “Monkian, the Ever Living!”

 

            Outside the castle, the Thundercats were baffled.  The explosive had not gone off.  “That’s impossible!”  Panthreena growled, “They couldn’t have all been duds!”

            “Perhaps you shouldn’t rely so much on technology, Thundercatssss!”  Hissed a voice from behind them.  The Thundercats turned and gasped.  Behind them, the ten-foot tall, mutated creatures that had come back from Plundarr years before after the Evolution festival stood before them.  However, all of them wore long, bat-like red capes attached to their arms by long spikes.  Over their heads, the double-headed snake and confetti covered the top protion of they heads, exactly like Mumm-Ra’s mask.  On their chest, the red, double-headed snake stared at them mockingly.

            “Time for some fun, Caaw!”  The winged Vultureman laughed.  Taking out their weapons, the Thundercats readied themselves for a ferosous battle.

 

            The Palace of Royalty stood on the face of the Third Moon, from the outside, in apparent danger.  The Mutant forces drawing ever nearer, stopping only to feast upon the rotting corpses of the Lunar-Plundarrian army, posed a threat and almost certain doom for the Queen of the Lunatacs, Jenine.

            However, imprisoned in the same cell with former criminals Alluro and RedEye, the Queen had more pressing issues at hand.  In the prison, gravity-carbine toting gravity-race Lunatacs kept constant vigilant over their prisoners.  Pumyra sat in a cell with TugMug, and the rest of the Queen’s vassals remained imprisoned in more cramped conditions.  “That bastard Psiki,”  TugMug snarled, “I can’t believe he’s survived all these years...”

            “Who is this Psiki?”  Pumyra asked, “And why would he want to attempt a cue in the middle of a war?”

            “Psiki is a stuck-up rich brat from De Psychic moons of Plundarr,” TugMug explained, “He’s the one responsible for making me into theees freak.”

            “Why did he do that?”  Pumyra asked, “What kind of monster would force robotic limbs onto his enemies?”

            “Well, it’s not exactly like dat,”  TugMug admitted, “Yoooo see, after getting caught in an explosion, I lost my legs and an arm, Psiki admitted to repairing them...for a price.”

            “Let me guess; someone’s life.”  Pumyra said, a bit harshly.  TugMug glared at her.

            “Listen, babe, eeen those days, it was either keeel or be keeeled, and Psiki offered what seemed to be de only way out,”  TugMug snapped, “But I later found out that he was de one who planted the explosives in de first place.  I ended up killing someone...who didn’t deserve to die.”

            “No one deserves to die, Lunatac,”  Pumyra said, “You shouldn’t have agreed to it.”

            “Well, that was then, Thundercat,”  TugMug, “Not much you can do about it, not much whining about it is going to do for us.”  All of a sudden, the sound of engines roaring could be plainly heard.  TugMug and Pumyra rushed to the window just in time to see SkyTomb II taking off.

            “That must be Luna and Amok!”  Pumyra said, “They were about to be transported here a few minutes ago, but didn’t come!”

            “Just like her to run from trouble.”  TugMug retorted.

 

            The Black Pyramid.  The greatest source of fear on the face of the universe.  In one of its many corridors, Lion-o, Lord of the Thundercats, battles for his life.  His adversery; the four armed, light-brown furred mutant Rataro, thought long dead by all his enemies.  Lion-o avoided the blasts from Rataro’s Rat sais, but was then struck by the rat’s extra arms, and blasted into the air.  “How does it feel to be defeated by a superior fighter, Thundercat?”  Rataro asked.

            “You tell me! HO!!!”  Lion-o shouted, blasting Rataro with the Sword of Omens and breaking free.  Rataro dropped his weapons, and Lion-o rushed in, hitting the rat with his bare fists.

            “NO!!! You promised me more time!!! NO!!!!”  Rataro suddenly screamed.  With that, the rat shook violently, and then was vaporized.

            “What on Third Earth just happened?”  Lion-o wondered out loud.  Deciding not to go out as his opponent had, Lion-o continued towords the Main Chamber, where Mumm-Ra awaited.

 

            Panthro walked down the stairs of the ruins.  He suddenly came to a dead end, a room with three samurai statues in the middle of it, a chest behind them, and a block of granite the size of the entrance he had just come through.  Walking towords the chest, Panthro was suddenly slammed backwards by the fists of one of the stone Samurai.  “Just what we need, more trouble,”  Panthro sighed, readying his nun-chucks.  The three samurai lunged at him, rock swords first.  Leaping out of the way, Panthro kicked the legs of one of the statues, causing it to hit the ground and break apart.  “That wasn’t so hard.”  Panthro said, taunting his two remaining attackers.  His eye catching a glimpse of the granite block, Panthro was seized with an idea.  Luring the statues up the stairs, Panthro then lept past them and, using all his might, lifted the block of granite and sealed up the entrance.

            “And now for the prize.”  Panthro chuckled.  He walked over to the chest, opened it up, and was consumed by a white light.

 

            Outside of the ruins, the Thundercats battled against their powerful adversery, Grune the Destroyer.  However, the thundranium in his mace was draining their strength.  “Hahaha, you will soon be too weak to match the strength of Grune the Destroyer!”  Laughed the sabertooth.  Suddenly, two samurai statues lept out of the stairway, grabbed Grune, and pinned him down.  “What’s this?!?!”  Grune snarled.  Unable to break free of their grasp, Grune kicked and snarled like mad, while the group of Thundercats watched in amazement.  Suddenly, Grune’s expression went from anger to terror.  “NO!!!!  This isn’t fair, I wasn’t warned about the...”  Before he could speak any further, Grune was vaporized.

            Panthro walked out from the stairway, a wooden, Egyptian cross in his hand.  “I think I found what we were looking for.”  He said, grinning.

 

            Mumm-Rana battled against the horde of evil that surrounded her pyramid.  Having the upper hand in her grasp, Mumm-Rana seemed indestructable.  However, her enemies were not so foolish as to try and battle her at her full power.  Captain Hammerhand grinned smugly, raised his metal fist, and smashed one of the great white pillars.  Screaming in agony, Mumm-Rana fell back into her mummy form.

            Tigress and her small group arrived just in time to watch in horror as one of the skeletons plunged a knife into Mumm-Rana’s chest.

            Somewhere in the distance, a cruel voice laughed maniacly.

 

 

Part 6

            Darkness.  It envolopes the light, choking the contents within.  As night falls upon Third Earth, the manifestation of living darkness pours its way towords the towering form of New Cat’s Lair.  Led by the Berserkers, this army of evil forces was too great in quantity to be defeated by a single hand.  “What should we do, sir?”  Asked the Tiger behind the control panel.  The creases on Bengali’s forehead that had not been there hours earlier grew even more apparent.

            “Pull back the drawbridge.”  Bengali ordered.

            “But sir, the search part...”  The Tiger said nervously.  Bengali growled.

            “Just do it, we don’t have the time to spare!”  He shouted.  As the metal bridge withdrew back into the Lair, Bengali slumped into his chair.

            “I’m sorry, Tigress, Panthro, Sleeka...”  He muttered, “We had no other choice.”  The forces of darkness would not be hindered, however, either leaping over the cliff or using the mountain giants to form bridges, they soon made their way toword the desired structure.

            “Shield up, cannons ready.”  Reported a white-tiger.  Bengali watched the screen with an intensity in his eyes.  The thousands of little red eyes on the screen overwhelmed him, though they could yet reach out and strike him, Bengali already feared the fate that lay before them.

            “Fire,”  Bengali ordered, “blast every one of them out of my sight.”

 

            Thousands of claws, wings, and beaks slowly made their way towords the golden structure before them.  “Hisss!!  The Palace of Royalty will ssssoon be oursss!!”  Hissed a reptilian, “After all these years of exile, we will conquer our enemies in the name of Plundarr!”  The crowd of mutants cheered, and gained speed.

            In the Palace of Royalty itself, a short, bearded psychic race Lunatac sat on the throne, his fingers on his forehead, grumbling in frustration.  “Blasted Luna, how could she have gotten away?!”  He cursed out loud, “In her condition, there’s no way that she could have done it herself, that idiot dog of hers must have taken her.  Her and her Lunatacs of Plundarr have been a thorn in my side for too long!”

            “Master Psiki,”  One of the gravity-race guards said, “What should we do with the Thundercat?”

            “Leave her,”  Psiki sighed, “We’ll wait until her friends come for her, and then destroy them all in one swoop.”

 

            Pacing angrily, TugMug grumbled several unprintable swear words to himself.  Laying on the bunk next to the wall, Pumyra considered they situation carefuly.  “TugMug, there’s got to be a way out of here,”  She sighed, “You’ve broken out of prisons before, why can’t you now?”  TugMug stopped pacing and glared at her.

            “Because I’ve got three gravity carbines staring down my throat,”  He snapped, “Eeeef I make so much as a wrong sneeze at those over-sized tweeets, eeet will be the end of me.”

            “Perhaps...or perhaps not...”  Pumyra said, “Listen, you said Psiki was interested in how you survived your operation, right?  Well, how about...”

 

            Throughout the universe, battles raged on.  Back on Third Earth, outside of NeoCastle Plundarr, the Thundercats were dimming in number.  Panthreena swung her mace with all her might, but it had little affect on the undead mutants.  From Sleeka’s dagger came powerful red blasts of energy, but the mutants, in all their dexterity, easily avoided the attacks.  The Thundercats fell one by one, leaving only Sleeka and Panthreena to fight back to back.

            “SSSsso, only two thunderbrats left,”  Slythe laughed, “Well, perhapsss you should sssee what the ancient onesss did to my flamessss...let’s just ssssay that things are gonna heat up for you.”  Opening his mouth, Slythe let loose a blast of flame; white in color, painfuly hot from even a distance.

 

            In the Black Pyramid, Lion-o waged war on Ma-Mutt, until a successfuly delivered energy blast sent the hound running to its master.  Mumm-Ra stepped out, fully transformed and ready for battle, scratching Ma-Mutt with one hand, and holding the massive Sword of Plundarr in another.  “Welcome to my abode, Thundercat.”  Mumm-Ra cackled.

            “What is going on, Mumm-Ra?”  Lion-o demanded, “What have you done to the mutants?  Why was Rataro in your Pyramid?! Answer me!”

            “You came for information?”  Mumm-Ra said, “I’m insulted, Thundercat, I thought you knew me better.  Well, all you’ll get is a severed head!!”  With that, Mumm-Ra lunged at Lion-o, and yet another battle began.

 

            At new Cat’s Lair, the Thundercats were horrified at the spectacle before them.  The entire perimiter was covered by the underlings of darkness, who pushed against the force-field with all their might.  Those who were blasted either got back up and continued to push, or just vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but smoke behind.  However good things seemed to be going, the force field would not last for an eternity, and it seemed that these creatures intended on pushing for that long.

            In her room, Chilla hugged her daughter close to her.  “Mommy?  What’s the matter?”  Asked the wide-eyed girl.

            “Nothing dear, hsshhh...I’ll protect you...”  Chilla hushed. 

            “Aw, isn’t that sweet.”  A sarcastic voice said from behind Chilla, then struck her on the back of her head.  Leaping up, Chilla turned, holding her child in her arms still, to face the attacker. 

            “Wha-what the...”  Chilla gasped.  The ice-race man in front of her grinned.

            “Hello, daughter,”  Said he, “It’s been some time.  What say we make up for lost time by slaughtering togethar?”

 

            At the Tower of Omens, Lynx-o suddenly lept back from the brail board, nearly crashing into the technition behind him.  “Lynx-o?  What’s wrong?”  Asked the cheeta in concern.

            “Must have-must have been an error...”  Lynx-o said shakily, “But I must check for myself!”  Rushing down the corridors of the tower, he attracted the attention of many of the other workers there, who followed him to his destination, which seemed to be his room.  However, upon looking in his room, they were met with a terrible sight.  The creature in there could be described as a snake-but only from the tail to the waist.  The body, perhaps five feet in shoulder length, was truly massive, though it was made up mainly of a gigant pair of teeth, two triagular, pupiless eyes, and two massive, muscular arms.  The skin of the creature was a stretched out, black colored material.  It hovered in midair, and when it spotten Lynx-o, it smiled.

            “S-Ssenkrad?!”  Lynx-o gasped.  The creature that he had labeled as Ssenkrad grinned, drool oozing from it’s mouth.

            “Hello daddy.”  Came a deep, rumbling voice from within.

 

 

Part 7

            A trade ship passing the Third Moon of Plundarr stopped suddenly when the captain caught sight of the horrifying spectacle on the surface.  From space, it appeared that a large, black circle was constantly contracting inwards towords the center.  If one were to look more closely, the features of the Palace of Royalty would perhaps become apparent in the very center of this circle.

            The black circle consissted of millions upon millions of Mutants, the ones that had originaly been put into exile, and their children.  The drooling, foaming jaws of these horrid creatures symbolized death itself; and death moved swiftly towords the capitol of the planet.

            In the prison cells of the Palace itself, TugMug performed what appeared to be an act of treachery.  “Hey, you!”  He called to one of the guards, “Yes, de ugly one,” he smirked, “I’ve got a propisition for your boss.  If you let me out of here, he can experiment on me all he wants.”  The guard glared at him, and walked out.  After a few minutes, he returned, holding the same expression as the one he had left with.

            “Master Psiki agrees to your terms,”  He said, opening the cell, “But don’t try anything!  There’s three of us trained on you, and it’ll get real ugly if you do.”

            “I can’t believe you’re doing this,”  Pumyra snapped, walking up to TugMug, “You treacherous Lunatac!”

            “Step back!”  The guard shouted.  Pumyra ignored him.

            “Well if you’re so great, Thundercat, take your best shot!”  TugMug taunted.  Growling feraly, Pumyra took a swing at TugMug, who took a calculated leap at the last second; and the blow struck the guard in the nose.  Caught by surprise, the other two guards readied their carbines, but TugMug landed on one, and Pumyra jump-kicked the other.  Tying up the three guards, TugMug and Pumyra aquired their weapons and keys.  Pumyra unlocked Jenine, RedEye, and Alluro, who had been watching the entire spectacle with some amusement.  TugMug tossed RedEye the third carbine.

            “We’ve got to get out of here,”  TugMug said, “Before they figure out that we escaped.”

            “I’m not leaving until I get the Moon Club back,”  Alluro hissed, “I have beated Psiki before for it, I will do it again!”

            “Fine, we’ll get dee stick, but then we’ll go, the mutants will break in any minute!!”  TugMug said.

            “Let’s do it.”  Queen Jenine said coldly.

 

            Rivalry.  The driving force between two individuals, sometimes leading to peace, sometimes leading to production, and sometimes leading to battle.  As the Sword of Omens and the Sword of Plundarr clashed in the Black Pyramid, both fighters had the strong feeling of Deja vu. 

            How many times had Lion-o faced Mumm-Ra since their arrival on Third Earth?  How many times in the future would the two powerful swords clash?  As the stalemate that was their rivalry continued to clash in the form of a single battle, the eyes of four eerie statues glowed a blue light.

            The Ancient Spirits of Evil enjoyed war, they were the cause of it, and though they were filled with hatred for anyone preaching the Code of Thundera, they felt nothing short of joy when they watched the two warriors go at each other with feral intents.  The war would never end, they knew, even after this battle, the war would continue.  And they would watch, and enjoy it.

 

            Chilla placed her daughter down.  “How is this possible, hsshhh, I killed you years ago!”  Chilla hissed at her father.  The Ice male laughed.

            “The power of the Incantation of Darkness has brought me back to destroy you and the result of your bestiality once and for all!!”  He shouted.  Hissing, Chilla sent out an ice-blast, which her father countered with his heat blast.  Letting loose an all out attack of ice and fire, Chilla made no indication of ever wearing down.  However, her father, more prepared for this second round of their battle, would not be defeated so easily.  He tore off a bedpost, avoided Chilla’s attack, and began to brutaly beat her.  “How does it feel to be killed by your own flesh and blood, Chilla?!!?!”  He shouted savagely, “HOW DOES IT FEEL?!??”  Lina watched, and grew angry.  She was a sight to behold, her little white and blue cape, her long, silver hair.  Usualy there was happiness in her eyes, but suddenly, her eyes were consumed by a red light of hatred.

            “Let...her...GO!!!!”  She shouted.  The result was astonishing.  The ground beneath her feet cracked, her hair flayed wildly around her, and a powerful wind lifted her grandfather and hurled him into the wall.  There he remained, pinned by the strange power of the girl with the light blue eyes.  Chilla wiped the blood from her broken nose, and walked over to her father.

            “Good bye...daddy...”  She hissed, freezing him entirely.  The frozen from was suddenly vaporized, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.  Lina’s eyes stopped glowing, and she ran up to her mother, crying.  “There there, you did a great job...”  Chilla whispered.

 

            “The shields have broken!!” 

            Bengali nearly fainted at the news.  Instead, he stood up, pulled out his hammer, and looked at all the Thundercats before him.  “We need only a few of you to stay and man the cannons,”  He said, “Anyone bold enough to come with me and defend their home to the death is welcome.”  Nearly everyone followed him out as he slowly made his way towords the darkness that awaited him.

 

            Tigress and several other healers attempted to patch up Mumm-Rana’s wound and save her life, but it was a vain attempt, the heart of the Ever-Living source of good had been shattered, her source of power, the White Pyramid, had been destroyed.  “Come on, you’re going to live, damn you!”  Tigress said, ignoring the tear that trickled from one of her eyes.  Mumm-Rana sighed.

            “Do not worry about me, little one, I have served my time well...”  She said weakly.  She pulled a scroll out of her pocket and handed it to Tigress.  Tigress took it, puzzled.

            “What is this?”  She asked. 

            “The Incantation of Light...”  Mumm-Rana explained, “It’s the only hope...to stop the Incantation of Darkness...to activate...the...light talisman...”  Mumm-Rana caughed, spitting out a bit of blood.

            “Don’t try to speak any further,”  Tigress ordered, “You may be alive only on what remained of your energy.”  Mumm-Rana smiled weakly.

            “It matters little now,”  She said, “Thank you...Thundercats...Third Earth...is...safe...with...you...”   With that, Mumm-Rana the Ever-Good closed her eyes for the last time.

 

            Fear.  It is the slimy worm that creeps up on us when we least expect it.  It is the creature that attacks those we thought invulnerable to it, and it is what consumed Lynx-o, the blind Thundercat of the Tower of Omens.  He sealed up the creature in his room, and rushed to the control center, the rest of the Thundercats with him

            “What’s going on, Lynx-o?”  Demanded one of them, “What is that thing?”  Lynx-o sighed, typing away at his Brail board.

            “In the days on Thundera, I came across a large, silver egg.  I decided to hatch it out of curiousity.  It’s first word was Ssenkrad, so that is what I named it,”  Lynx-o said, “I did not know that it was of an ancient species that the Sword of Omens had long put to rest.  I did not know that its kind had been the natural predators to Thunderians in the early days of our civilization, and this ignorance cost the lives of all of my friends and family, as well as any oppertunity at becoming a Thundercat at the time.  Jaga defeated it once more with the Sword of Omens, so I cannot imagine how it made it out here, or how it survived at all.”  However, a loud crash indicated that debate on the issues would have to be postponed until after the defeat of the creature in question.

 

            At New Cat’s Lair, the battle had taken a most bloody turn.  The Thundercats fought with all their might, but the sheer numbers were just too much for them.  The cannons of the Lair could do little but stop any advance, it could not directly aid the Thundercats in battle.  Whe Chilla stepped out, the tables turned, and soon the battle moved into a stalemate.  However, the forces of darkness would not give up, and continued to fight, even after Captain Hammerhand was struck down by Bengali.

            “Hssshhh, I think the battle is about to be won, Thundercats.”  Chilla rasped, pointing at the sky.  The Thunderstrike and seven smaller crafts dived down, blasting half of the advancing army on the spot.

            “Fall back!”  Begali ordered, hoping to remove the Thundercats from the crossfire.  Upon moving, the cannons from the Lair fired upon the enemies as well, and between the air force and the land force, the entire army soon vanished into thin air.  The crowd let out a loud cheer.  Bengali fell on his knees.  Chilla walked up to him.

            “Well fought, Thundercat,”  She complemented.  Bengali stood up and shook her hand vigorously.

            “And thank you for joining,”  He said, “I’m sure Tygra would have been glad to see you fighting on our side.”  Chilla scoffed.

            “I fought merely for self-preservation,”  She hissed, “I had no alterior motive.”  Bengali let out a loud laugh at that, and slapped Chilla on the back.

            “Sure, ambassador, I’m sure.”  He laughed.  The air force landed, and Panthro lept out, flashing a wooden Egyptian cross at the white tiger.

            “I’ve got our secret weapon!”  He announced.

            “Rowr, then there’s hope...”  Bengali sighed, “There’s hope after all...”

 

 

Part 8

            The double-sided, jagged blade fell with great speed towords its weilder’s opponent, only to be blocked yet again by the much more cleanly cut Sword of Omens.  Lion-o was determined to either learn something to help his friends or die in the process, and Mumm-Ra was equaly as determined to remove Lion-o’s hairy head from the rest of his body.  The clash would end in retreat or death only, and it seemed that retreat was at the moment, not an option.