Alluro: Ahh, 'Psych Out!'.  What was almost my greatest moment.  Er, Melissa, why is this in the fanfic section?

Melissa: Because the show covered so little of what was happening.  I mean, it completely skipped over your finding the talisman, psyching of most of the Thundercats, how the other Lunatacs took the situation...

Alluro: Where would this be in continuity?

Melissa: Before my main arc.  I know because I didn't see Knave and the others in the show.

Alluro: Thank goodness.

 

The Egora Talisman

 

                "Hiss, where do you think you're going with my Ice Runner?"

 

                "Oh, come on, Chilla," Alluro said, mildly exasperated.  "I've been doing the repairs on this thing for months without payment.  I should at least be allowed to borrow it once in a while."  Flashing the ice woman a disarming grin, he continued, "But, if you've another idea on... payment, I'll be happy to listen to... suggestions."

 

                She waved a hand, dismissing the hypnotist.  "Take it.  If you're dumb enough to crash it, you're fixing it anyway."

 

                Alluro chuckled slightly as he watched her go.  Chilla was beautiful, but completely unavailable.  The sooner they get off Third Earth and go to the Moons, the better.

 

                He started the Ice Runner and took off out of Skytomb's hangar.  Alluro was answering a specific summons, one from a man not to be refused.  And one that he'd rather not have to explain to the other Lunatacs.

 

* * *

 

                The Ice Runner landed, sinking several inches into the sand outside the Black Pyramid.  Hopefully a minimum of sand would get into the works.  Cleaning it out would be almost as much fun as explaining to Luna why he was out in the Desert of Sinking Sands anyway.

 

                Alluro rather liked the desert, at least, facing away from the Pyramid.  Racial memory perhaps.  The Fourth Moon, homeworld to his great-grandparents, was mostly desert.  Alluro himself was Earthborn, a descendant of the original Queen Luna's entourage.

 

                After a few minutes, he decided he had stalled long enough, and entered the Black Pyramid.

 

* * *

                Mumm-ra was waiting.  He wore his natural form, withered and twisted, standing on the walkway above his cauldron.  His dead dog watches from several steps away.  Much as Alluro disliked being anywhere near the sorcerer, when he beckoned the Lunatac to join him on the walkway, he went.

 

                "Look into the cauldron, Alluro" intoned Mumm-ra.  "That box contains a force greater than any on Third Earth.  The Egora Talisman!"

 

                More ridiculous magic.  Lunatacs put little stock in it, preferring to stick with technology and their own innate strengths.  Measurable things.  "You called me here to see the image of a trinket!?" Alluro snapped.

 

                "Insolent fool!  Many centuries ago, I lost the Egora Talisman.  But every thousand years, when the tip of my Pyramid aligns with the full moon, the Egora Talisman gains awesome power."

 

                At the very least, Alluro's interest was caught.  "And the time for this alignment is near?

 

                "Correct, Lunatac."

 

                Awesome power, eh?  This was all very well and good, but... "But why did you call me here to tell this little tale?"

 

                Mumm-ra smiled.  "You think of yourself, Alluro, as a master of the mind?"

 

                That annoyed him.  It didn't help that this rotten sorcerer was hardly taller than his waist.  "There is no one on this or any other planet who can resist my mental powers," I said.  All right, so he had never actually been to another planet...

 

                The waters of the cauldron swirled, showing an image of Skytomb's control room.  "Heh heh heh, yet you have allowed Luna to lead you and the others when you should be the rightful leader of the Lunatacs."

 

                Alluro recognized that scene.  Soon after Skytomb was repaired, he had challenged Luna.  Just because she was Lord Yerith's granddaughter she thought she owned the place.  However, he also know how long he would last as leader of the Lunatacs.  Luna did as well as she did because she had Amok to back her up.  Alluro was a hypnotist, but he couldn't keep the others under thrall forever.  But if this little bauble was as powerful as Mumm-ra said...

 

                The gray Lunatac looked away from the image.  He would make a better leader than Luna.  Perhaps Mumm-ra had something here, after all.  "You are very wise, Mumm-ra, but how can this Talisman help me defeat Luna and become leader of the Lunatacs?"

                "The Egora Talisman will multiply your power a thousand times.  It makes whoever possesses it supremely self-confident to the point of being invincible!  Once you have the Talisman, heh heh, Luna will grovel at your feet."  He turned from Alluro to pet his undead dog Ma-mutt.  "Find the Egora Talisman, Alluro, and we will rule Third Earth together, forever!"

 

                "You've got a deal, Mumm-ra," he smiled, and turned to leave.  Eternity with Mumm-ra didn't sound like Alluro's idea of a good time, but he could come up with a way to defeat the sorcerer by then.  He was going to be invincible, right?

 

                Mumm-ra was still muttering to his weird dog as Alluro walked out, too quiet for him to hear.  He caught the words 'Egora Talisman' and 'Lunatac'.  Disgusting little Ma-mutt was probably going to keep tabs on him.

 

* * *

 

                Alluro landed the Ice Runner in the vicinity of Cat's Lair, simply because it was between the desert and the Darkside.  He didn't want to return to Skytomb without the Talisman, so he took the chance now to look over the riddle that was supposed to lead him to the trinket.

 

                To keep out of the Thundercats' scanners, the Ice Runner landed in a fairly dense section of forest.  Which was a bit of a mistake.  It was too dark to easily read the parchment.  Alluro wandered a ways, trying to find a gap in the trees.  Finding none, he took out his psyche club.

 

                "The riddle in the scroll that Mumm-ra gave me should lead me to the Egora Talisman," he said to himself, the light from my psyche club enough to read the parchment.  "'Though mountains high and valleys low, to find the Egora Talisman you must go though stormy mists you take the ride until you reach the unlit side...'"  It was some of the worst poetry he'd ever the pleasure of reading, and he'd heard some of Tug-Mug's finery.

 

                Alluro cried out when something grabbed his leg.  Looking down, his surprise switched to anger.  "Cease, you mangy mutt!" he snapped, scowling at Mumm-ra's pet.  "You miserable mongrel!"  Apparently, Mumm-ra wanted to keep track of him.  Alluro's psyche club already in his hand, so he shone its light on Ma-mutt.  "You will release my pant leg, you miserable hound," the Lunatac intoned, anger roughing his voice, "You will release!"

 

                Ma-mutt finally obeyed.  It occurred to Alluro that having the creature under his control gave him an opportunity for serious mischief.  Keeping up his thrall he said, "And now you will roll over and play dead."  Ma-mutt tried to resist.  "You have no choice," he chuckled, "You will play dead."  With a whimper, the dog succumbed to the thrall.  "Very good, mongrel.  Once I have the Egora Talisman, all of Third Earth will roll over and play dead at my feet.  Even that bandaged bundle of bones Mumm-ra."

 

                Alluro ran back to the Ice Runner.  It wouldn't do to be around when Ma-mutt came to.  He had also figured out the first stanza of the riddle as soon as he read it.  Come on.  'Unlit side'?

 

* * *

 

                The Ice Runner was programmed with the course through the Forest of Mists, but it was programmed by Red-Eye, and Alluro didn't really trust his life with the Darkling's skill.  Fortunately for him, unlike those Thundercats, he could go around the cliffs.  Lunatacs have no problem with Thundrainium fields.

 

                The rest of the riddle was as badly written and painfully obvious as the first stanza.  It might as well have just said "This way to the Egora Talisman" and skipped the bad verse.  But no, apparently Mumm-ra wanted me to suffer to get this power.  He probably wrote that drivel himself, Alluro thought, digging through the ruins of what seemed to have been a city.

 

                The rubble was loose, and only about ten minutes of work was necessary to find the skull-motif box.  Alluro took out the trinket.  It was as Mumm-ra had shown him.  You like bad poetry, he thought, watching the pale glow of the Talisman.  Well, take this, sorcerer:

 

                You think you are above it.

                Your power I may covet.

                Now Alluro's the 'tac

                With the magic knickknack.

                So take this job and shove it.

 

                He closed the box with a chuckle, which died when he heard a noise outside.  Another air vehicle, too small to be Skytomb.  The Mutants don't come anywhere near Darkside if they can help it.  Thundercats!  They must have traced the Ice Runner's signal.

 

                Alluro's first thought was panic.  If he could get back to the Ice Runner... no.  The hypnotist smiled at the Egora Talisman's box.  No, let's give my little bauble a test.

 

                He stood in the shadows of a rocky outcropping serving as a sort of gate to the ruins and watched the Thunderstrike land.  Lion-O, Pumyra, Bengali, and that wretched Snarf-creature got out.  Lynx-O stayed inside the craft.  "The next time we go looking for a talisman, we oughtta find a way around the Forest of Mists, snyarf, snyarf," complained Snarf.  So they had somehow learned of his little quest.

 

                "There will be no next time, Thundercats!"  Alluro stepped out of the shadows.  "Heh heh heh.  I've beat you to the Talisman, Thundercats, and that means I'm invincible."

 

                "Actions speak louder than words, Lunatac," said Lion-O, drawing his sword.

 

                Wrong person to say that to, Alluro thought with a smirk.  He raised the psyche club.  "Not so fast, Lion-O."

 

                "Sword of Omens..."

 

                Alluro cut him off before he could activate his wretched weapon, pouring psychic thrall into his voice.  "That pathetic sword is worthless against me.  You do not even have the power to lift it."

 

                "No, he's right, I can barely lift the sword..."

 

                The other cats started towards the hypnotist.  "Hold it right there, Thundercats!" he ordered, extending the psyche club's light.

 

                "What's happening?" gasped Bengali.

 

                "I can't move!" said Pumyra.

 

                Alluro continued his attack almost in a daze.  He had never done this so well, so successfully before.  Of course, usually one of the other cats would have swept in and saved the day by now.  "There's no point in fighting, Lion-O.  Give it up.  You don't have the power to defeat me."

 

                "I... I don't have the power," agreed Lion-O, thralled.  "I can't do it."

 

                "You don't stand a chance."

 

                "I don't stand a chance," agreed Lion-O, dropping the sword.  "No power... no chance."

 

                The Lunatac couldn't help laughing.  This was so perfect, so ridiculous.  Lion-O continued without encouragement, "He's right.  I don't stand a chance.  There's nothing I can do."

 

                "Rrr, this has gone far enough," growled Bengali, fighting the psychic hold.

 

                "We've... have to... help..." said Pumyra slowly, readying her sling.

 

                "No, Thundercats," Alluro said, "You cannot move against me."  Obligingly, Pumyra and Bengali stopped.  "There is nothing you can do, and besides, the Lord of the Thundercats' fragile mind rests in my power.  Kneel, Lion-O!"  Lion-O did.

 

                "This... can't... be... real..." Pumyra said, struggling over each word.

 

                Bengali had the same problem.  "I... just... can't... move..."

 

                "So much for the Lord of the Thundercats," Alluro laughed.  "Reduced to a grovelling lackey."

 

                "The Thundercats aren't finished yet, Lunatac, snyarf, snyarf," said Snarf, stumbling forward.

 

                Damn snarfs.  He knew from experience they were immune to hypnotic influence.  "They look pretty finished to me, furball.  And what can you do about it; you and that blind, old man?  I'm going after the rest of your friends now," Alluro said, hooking the psyche club back to my belt.  "And don't bother to warn them; it won't make any difference.  They don't stand a chance now that I possess the Egora Talisman."

 

                Alluro went back to find the Ice Runner.  Since he was in Darkside, he could test himself against Luna.  Well, Amok, actually.  If Alluro could control him, Luna wouldn't stand a chance against me.

 

                He decided against that.  He would rather find some more cats to play with.

 

* * *

 

                Cruising towards Cat's Lair to give the Egora Talisman another test, Alluro was pleased to see the Thunderstrike heading towards Darkside.  He was flying low in the Ice Runner, and the larger craft didn't see him.  With a chuckle, he swooped up behind and above the Thundercat ship, kept pace with it, and shone the psyche club's light down on his victims.  "Give in, Thundercats!" a smooth voice intoned.  "No need to fight me, Thundercats.  It's futile.  You will be defeated."

 

                "Thundercats never surrender," said Panthro, trying to convince himself.

 

                The Lunatac certainly didn't believe that.  "Foolish Panthro, you are in my power.  Land the Thunderstrike now!"

 

                "N-no, Panthro!  We must fight!" Lynx-O said, fighting the hold.

 

                "I can't..."

                "Obey me, Panthro.  The Egora Talisman makes me invincible."

 

                "I must obey..." Panthro finished.

 

                "Fight it, Panthro!" Lynx-O ordered.  "Alluro's light beam is not affecting me!  But his voice!.."  Struggling, but suddenly inspired, Lynx-O cried, "The light!  Maybe I can turn it back against him!"  The lynx flipped out his light shield, pointing it upwards to where he thought the Lunatac was.

 

                "Futile attempt, Lynx-O," said the hypnotist, peering down at the Thundercat.  "All I need to do is increase the power."

 

                "No!"  The glow from the psyche club went from blue to white to pink, shattering the light shield and knocking Lynx-O out of his seat.

 

                Alluro continued his attack.  "And now, Lynx-O, you see how futile your struggle is?  You will obey me."

 

                The psychic hold was beginning to affect the lynx.  "No, that voice!  Can't fight his voice!.."

 

                "Can't fight.  It's futile."

 

                "You Thundercats are so easily controlled.  I will control you all!  The Egora Talisman makes me invincible!  Third Earth will tremble at my feet!  HA-hahahahaha-haha!"  Alluro smugly reattached his psyche club to his belt.  "And now, you will go back to Cat's Lair.  Tell your friends that everything is fine."

 

* * *

 

                Lynx-O and Panthro's help was extremely useful in getting into Cat's Lair.  He had parked the Ice Runner in a forest, and rode the rest of the way in the Thunderstrike.  The cats in the Lair had no idea what hit them until it was too late.  Sure of his power, he walked back to the Ice Runner, and from there flew to Darkside.  He would deal with the Thundercats later.  At the moment, he had... smaller fish to fry.

 

                Luna was unimpressed with his challenge.  She and her big, dumb bodyguard Amok were alone in the control room when Alluro walked in and announced his intentions.  "Eeeeyahh!  I find it hard to take seriously someone I remember when he was in diapers, Alluro."

 

                That was hardly fair.  Luna, Alluro, and Tug-Mug had all grown up in the same citadel, so they had all known each other.  Luna was eight years Alluro's senior.  Still...  "You would not be in command if you did not have Amok, Luna."  If Luna could hit low, so could he.

                The Lunatac princess just smiled.  "I prefer to think of it as being sensible.  I know you people.  You won't obey unless the one in charge can back it up with power.  I can't even walk; I wouldn't stand a chance.  I'm not stupid, Alluro."

 

                Alluro could concede that a few of her points were valid.  Others were not.  "Your leadership has lead us nowhere.  We should have killed the Thundercats long ago."

 

                "And then what, fool?" Luna demanded, leaning forward slightly.  "Then what?  We divide up Third Earth between ourselves and the Mutants and Mumm-ra?"

 

                "We rid ourselves of the Mutants, of course, and Mumm-ra if we can."

 

                "And you think that they don't themselves have plans to that effect?"

 

                "Of course they do, but we are more powerful than them," replied Alluro.  "We are Lunatacs."

 

                "We are blithering idiots if we think we can defeat Mumm-ra," shouted Luna.  "He has already once sealed us in lava for Yerith-knows-how long!  Don't you think keeping us alive in solid rock pulls more power than outright destruction?  And you're supposed to be the smart one!"

 

                While a man slow to anger, Alluro did have a breaking point.  And Luna had a way of crossing it.  Holding the Egora Talisman's box in his left hand, he drew his psyche club with the right.  Luna chuckled nastily.  "If you so much as shine your light on me, Amok will stomp you into the floor."

 

                "Who gives a flying damn about you?" Alluro snarled, the psyche club flaring to life.  "Amok, listen to me.  I am your new master, Amok, and you will do as I say.  You want to step on Luna."

 

                Luna just sat smugly in her saddle, until she realized that Amok was actually fighting the thrall.  Which was impossible.  Guardian Lunatacs were immune to psychic hypnotism.  Something else must be involved, and the skull-decorated box Alluro was holding practically stank of magic.  Leaning down she shrieked, "Amok!  Amok, this is Luna!  Smash that box, Amok, and I'll give you some candy."

 

                Alluro took a couple nervous steps back as the great beast advanced.  "No, Amok, go back.  I am not your enemy, Luna is."

 

                "Come on, Amok!  Get him!" Luna urged.  One clumsy fist lashed out, knocking the Talisman's box to the ground.  Alluro tried to simultaneously scramble back and snatch up the box at the same time, and failed.  "Stop, Amok," Luna said, then to the hypnotist, "Get out of my sight.  I hope this little encounter reminds you just who is in charge around here."

 

                Yes.  Amok, Alluro thought bitterly, collecting the Talisman and what was left of his dignity before stalking out.

 

* * *

 

                Alluro was in a bad mood.  Again borrowing the Ice Runner, he left Darkside.  Maybe he could go beat the hell out of a few Berbils to lower his blood-pressure, but there was no challenge in that.  He could go back and finish off the Thundercats, but Luna's rant had put doubts in his mind.  Maybe the cats were the only ones who could defeat Mumm-ra.  After that, the destruction of the Thundercats and Mutants would be easy.

 

                And the Thundercats were all currently under his control.

 

                The hypnotist smiled and landed the Ice Runner in a forest.  He had a plan to come up with, and didn't want his attention divided between that and flying.  He wandered a short ways, and settled himself on a rock to think.

 

                After a time, Alluro was pulled out of his musings by a familiar voice calling him.  It was that ridiculous snarf-creature.  Annoyed at the interruption, but not worried by it, Alluro got up and followed the voice back to the Ice Runner.

 

                The snarf was prattling to himself: "... I've got supreme self-confidence!  I'm invincible!"

 

                Deciding to spook the creature, Alluro stayed back and said, "But you cannot defeat Alluro, you wretched creature!"

 

                Snarf looked around wildly before Alluro stepped out from the woods.  "Give up, Thundercat, you cannot win," laughed the hypnotist, drawing the psyche club.  The snarf was a sight, all decked out in the weapons of his thralled comrades.

 

                "Wrong, Alluro.  I've got the Egora Talisman.  I'm invincible!"

 

                Alluro mentally cursed himself for leaving the box in the glove-compartment, but decided that the snarf was still no match for him.  "You are a mere furry joke," said Alluro, his voice taking on the odd hollowness of psychic thrall.

 

                "I'm no joke!  I'm a Thundercat, snyarf, snyarf, snyarf!"  Snarf swung at the psychic with Tygra's whip, but missed.  "If at first you don't succeed..." started Snarf, spinning Panthro's nunchucks.  Alluro just sneered, until a lucky throw smashed the psyche crystal.

 

                "Why you mangy little..."

 

                "Snyarf, snyarf!" Snarf taunted, throwing a few exploding pellets.

 

                Alluro yelped and jumped back into the underbrush, only to find an enraged snarf waving the Sword of Omens at him.  Even with the psyche club, snarfs were just as immune to hypnosis as Amok was.  Without the Egora Talisman, Alluro had no magical back-up.  And the damned snarf had the magic sword.  "No!  Get back!  Get away from me!"

 

                "You're not so brave without your stupid Egora Talisman, snyarf, snyarf."

 

                "No!  No!  Don't point that thing at me!" Alluro shouted, meaning the sword.  While he had never been on the receiving end of the sword's magic blasts, he had seen what damage they could cause.

 

                "Back, Lunatac, back!  Hooo!"  Obligingly, the sword threw a couple magic bolts at the retreating hypnotist.  "Snyarf."

 

* * *

 

                After a few minutes, Alluro headed back to the Ice Runner.  The snarf was gone, and with him the wretched sword.  Alluro got back on the Ice Runner with a sigh.  His day had been going so well, up until the encounter with Luna.  Of course, most of his days were pretty good until he saw Luna.

 

                And if she saw him again today, she would either sic Amok on him or laugh, neither being pleasant options.  He considered just vanishing for a few days, but Chilla would kill him if he didn't return the Ice Runner.  Maybe he could just drop the keys off with her and hide in his workshop for the rest of the day.

 

                The Ice Runner headed back to Darkside and Skytomb.  It wasn't as if there was anywhere else to go.

 

The End.

 

Alluro: Hey!  I still lost!

Melissa: I was trying to stay faithful to the show.

Alluro: What about staying faithful to your favourite Lunatac?

Melissa: I'm still here, aren't I?  Poor thing.  Come on, I'll buy the snacks.

 

 

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