Skytomb rocked with the force of the wind. Amok lurched down the haul, Luna hanging on tightly to keep from falling off. When they finally stumbled into the control room she shrieked, "TUG-MUG! WHAT'S GOING ON!?"

"Eet's a tornado, Loona," reported the rotund Lunatac, hanging onto a console for support. "Because our sensors were malfunctioneeng, we deedn't detect it unteel it was too late."

"Skytomb is strong, and will last this assault," said Alluro, though he didn't sound quite as confident as usual.

The winds buffeted the fortress. A sizeable piece of debris hit the hovering building as Chilla stormed in. She lost her footing and was flung across the room. To her annoyance, Chilla landed in Alluro's lap. The hypnotist chuckled. "Perhaps this hurricane isn't so bad after all."

Chilla hissed and got up as soon as the turbulence ended. "Stuff it."

Luna shouted, "Well, why didn't someone just look out the window and see it coming!?"

"Skytomb hasn't many windows," said Alluro.

Luna made an exasperated noise, then turned Amok around to head back to her room. Halfway down the corridor, she was still ranting, "Fools! Idiots! We can't even see a tornado headed our way, no wonder those blasted Thundercats keep beating us!" And because she was waving her arms in frustration, the next time Skytomb reeled, Luna tumbled from Amok's back.

Amok scooped up his tiny mistress, but Skytomb was obviously out of control. It pitched and reeled, and finally crashed. "Why didn't those morons land this thing ages ago?" Luna demanded of no one in particular. The howling of the wind was no longer present, and curious, Luna urged Amok outside.

The hurricane was gone, and the Skytomb seemed to have crashed in the Berbil Village, though the place seemed slightly wrong. For one thing, their voices were all too high. For another thing, they were singing: "Ding dong, witch is dead! Which old witch? The Ever-Good witch!" When the Berbils noticed Luna, they cheered. "Here is the one who killed her!" "Hooray!"

"What's going on here?" demanded Luna.

Robear Bill stepped forward. "You landed your building on the good sorceress Mumm-Rana. For years she drowned our poor village in smarm. Thank you for saving us!"

"Um, sure," said Luna, deciding that the Berbils had gone insane. "I need to get back to the Darkside."

Suddenly, a glowing bubble appeared, grew, and landed in front of Luna and Amok. A brown-haired girl in a navy-blue leather trenchcoat stepped out. "I am the not-so-good witch Melissa. To get directions home, you must ask the Wizard."

"Who?"

"The wonderful Wizard of Oz, of course. He lives in the Black Pyramid."

"Oz? This is Third Earth... Never mind. How do I find this Wizard guy?"

"First," said Melissa, "take the ruby belt from Mumm-Rana."

"Ri-i-ight," said Luna, but she got Amok to fetch it anyway. The bull-like Lunatac hesitated at first, remembering the last time Luna got a magic belt, but did as he was told. Luna put it on. "It doesn't do anything," she protested.

"Keep it anyway. It suits you." With that, not-so-good witch Melissa disappeared in another bubble.

"Now follow this yellow brick road," said Robear Bill. Around him, the other Berbils started singing, "Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road!" Amok didn't need any encouragement from Luna to leave the village.

After a half-hour's walk down the road, Luna and Amok were deep within the Berbil candyfruit orchard. A tall, lanky man was there, waving a crystal ball on a stick ineffectually at some crows. A bit closer, Luna could hear him: "Shoo! Go away! Please?"

Luna rode over to him, and he jumped slightly. "Who - who are you?" he stammered.

"I am Luna," she said, "and this is Amok. We're looking for the Wizard of Oz so we can get home to the Darkside."

"The wonderful Wizard of Oz?" asked the gray Lunatac. "Perhaps he could help me. I am the Scarecrow. My job is to scare away the crows that eat the Berbil's crops, but I haven't the confidence to be effective." To flesh out his explanation, he started to sing:

"I would while away the hours

If I only had the poise."

Luna shrugged. "I suppose you can join us. Come along."

After the candyfruit orchard, Luna, Amok, and the Scarecrow came upon a forest. "Listen!" said Luna. "What's that?"

"It sounds like someone is in trouble," said Scarecrow. A slight groan came from the woods. Luna steered Amok towards it, with the Scarecrow following slightly behind.

There was a pale blue woman lying on the ground. When she saw them, she tried to speak. Scarecrow leaned down to hear her better. "Something about a spray bottle," reported the ineffective hypnotist.

Luna spotted the bottle sitting on a nearby stump. Under her direction, Amok picked it up and sprayed its contents on the blue woman.

The woman sat up. "Thank you. I am the Ice Woman. I need the cold, and a sudden warm snap caught me. I owe you one."

"We're looking for the Wizard of Oz," said Luna.

"We hear he is a wiz of a Wiz, whatever a Wiz there was," added Scarecrow.

"Hmm," said the Ice Woman, "perhaps he can help me. You see, I've lost my temper and am unable to find it. And since I can't get angry, I'm not much of an ice Lunatac...

"I could cause cold devastation

If I could only be irate."

"Yeah, I hate snarfs," said Luna. "Come along."

The forest grew thicker, the trees blocking out much of the light. "I'm used to the Berbil orchards," said Scarecrow. "This place gives me the creeps. Anything could be in there. Like Mutants."

"And Thundercats," added Ice Woman.

"Mutants and Thundercats," said Luna. "Oh, my."

Nervously they kept walking, following the yellow brick road. Suddenly, a squat figure leapt out of the forest with a roar, and pointed a weird bazooka at them. "Nobody move!" ordered the rotund Lunatac, "Or I'll use my gravity carbine on you!"

Scarecrow and Ice Woman yelped and hid behind Amok. Luna scowled, and at her signal, the bull-like Lunatac lashed out, catching the squat creature by the neck. "Thee carbine doesn't work! Really!" gasped the rotund creature. Amok put him down.

"How about you guide us out of this forest?" suggested Luna.

"Of course, of course," agreed the Lunatac quickly. "I am Graviton. Where are you goeeng?"

"We're off to see the Wizard," said Ice Woman, stepping out from behind Amok. "The wonderful Wizard of Oz."

"We hear he is a wiz of a Wiz, whatever a Wiz there was," Luna continued.

"Because of the wonderful things he does," finished Scarecrow.

"Maybe he could help me feex my gravity carbine," said Graviton. "Darn theeng hasn't worked right for months...

"I would terrorize the Maidens

If I only had the parts."

"Warrior Maidens bug me too," said Luna. "You can join us."

The Lunatacs took off through the forest singing, "Oh, we're off to see the Wizard in his Pyramid. We hear he is a wiz of a Wiz, whatever it was he did..."

Unbeknownst to the Lunatacs, the Thundercats were watching them. Lion-O lowered the Sword of Omens from his eyes and said, "We cannot let the Lunatacs return to the Darkside. When they are in Oz, they are not causing trouble. We have to keep them from getting to the Wizard."

"Snyarf, snyarf, but how?" asked Snarf, a red and yellow cat-like creature with a vest, bellhop hat, and wings.

"I know! I'll use the Sword of Omens to turn the sands around the Black Pyramid into quicksand!"

"Snyarf, not too deep," said Snarf, "This is a family show..."

"We have to cross a desert?" asked Luna.

"Well thee trail ends here," said Graviton. "And look, Loona! The Black Pyramid is in the distance."

"Will you be okay?" Scarecrow asked the Ice Woman, "It is very hot out here."

"As long as I have my ice-sprayer, I'll be fine," Ice Woman replied.

"Come on, crew!" ordered Luna, "Forward, Amok!" The Lunatacs ran forward. Their goal was in sight, and it wouldn't be long before they got what they needed from the Wizard.

Thirty feet into the desert, the ground became damp and sticky. "Ugh, what is this stuff?" asked Ice Woman. "I can hardly move!"

"Quicksand!" shouted Graviton.

"Why are you panicking?" asked Luna. "This stuff only comes up to your knees." Well, Scarecrow's knees. The quicksand reached slightly higher on Ice Woman and Amok, and up to Graviton's waist. Luna, of course, was unaffected.

"We'll never get to the Pyramid at this rate," moaned Scarecrow.

Luna turned to the ice Lunatac. "Ice Woman, could you freeze us a path?"

Ice Woman took a breath and blew on the ground. Amok lifted her out of the quicksand and placed her on the small frozen island. "How about that?" asked the blue woman, "It worked." The going was still slow, given that they had to wait for Ice Woman to ice the next section of sand, but it was much faster than slogging through the quicksand.

Finally, the Lunatacs reached the Black Pyramid and timidly went inside. It took a few minutes for their eyes to adjust to the gloom. A cauldron bubbled quietly in the centre of the structure, while four great statues loomed in the corners of the Pyramid. "Hello?" Luna asked. "Anybody home?"

The eyes of the statues flared red and they boomed, "We are the Wizard of Oz! Come forth and state your requests, Lunatacs!"

Luna prodded Amok forward a couple steps. "I am Luna, and this is Amok. We want to get home to the Darkside."

The tall man stepped forward next. "I am Scarecrow. I require self-confidence."

Next was the frozen Lunatac. "I am Ice Woman. I need a temper."

The rotund Lunatac was last. "I am Graviton. I need my gravity carbine feexed... why do I feel like we're misseeng someone?"

The Wizard/statues spoke again. "We hear your requests, Lunatacs. But first you must perform a quest. Bring us the Sword of Omens from the Thundercat Lion-O!"

The Lunatacs gasped. "You cannot be serious," Scarecrow started.

"SILENCE! You will bring us this sword, or no deal." The light disappeared from their eyes, and the statues spoke no more.

The Lunatacs, having no choice, headed for Cat's Lair. The forest around them was bright and cheerful, with many signs around with cheerful messages like "Don't Worry... Be Happy!" or "Have You Hugged Your Snarf Today?" Sometimes Graviton or Amok would knock over the signs, and once Ice Woman set one on fire.

"I meess my forest," said Graviton. "Sure eet was dark and dismal, but eet wasn't smarmy."

"Wait! Do you hear that?" Scarecrow's ears twitched, and he added, "Sort of like flapping wings."

"Snarfs!" warned Ice Woman, but too late. A great horde of the flying cat-like creatures set upon the Lunatacs. The aliens fought back valiantly, but within minutes, Luna and Amok were captured and flown off to Cat's Lair.

Lion-O was waiting inside the Cat's Lair when the snarfs set Luna and Amok down before him. Then the winged cats left. The lion paced angrily in front of the captured Lunatacs. "You and yours refuse to live in peace and obey the laws. Therefore, you must be written off."

"What!?" protested Luna.

The Lord of the Thundercats picked up a large hourglass, and flipped it over. "When the sands run out, Captain Bragg will get here. He will take you away in his circus train and put you on display in his famous zoo-zoo in the Way Out Back."

"That's not fair!" shrieked Luna. "Get him, Amok!"

The huge Lunatac charged the lion, but Lion-O had already summoned his snarfs to his aid. They swept up Luna in their yellow paws, out of reach of her steed. Amok angrily tossed the other snarfs around, but to no avail.

Spotting the open doorway, Luna ordered, "Amok, go get the others!" Despite the best efforts of Lion-O and his unholy horde of snarfs, Amok charged out the door.

Outside, Scarecrow, Ice Woman, and Graviton were trying to figure out how to get inside. "We could knock out a couple of the guards and steal their clothes," suggested Scarecrow.

"Bleh. Who wants to see a naked Thundercat?" asked Ice Woman.

"Besides, our horns and funky moon tattoos are a beet of a geeveaway," added Graviton.

Suddenly, Amok came charging out the doors. "Ah, who cares about stealth?" asked Ice Woman. "Charge!"

Inside Cat's Lair, the Lunatacs split up to try to find Luna. Much to his displeasure, Scarecrow found Lion-O. Quickly, he pulled out his psyche club, hoping that this would be the one time his hypnosis finally worked.

Waving the club, he said, "Lion-O, you will release Luna and give me the Sword of Omens. You have no choice. You will do as I say."

Lion-O shook his head, and took out a small device. "This is a lie translator, hypnotist. Let's hear what you were really thinking."

The lion hit play, and Scarecrow's voice filtered through the tiny speaker: "When Lion-O's guard is down, I'll hit him with the psyche club."

"That's my voice! But I wouldn't do that!" protested the Lunatac. "I wasn't thinking it!.. Hey! That's a tape!" However, the distraction was enough for Lion-O to belt Scarecrow, knocking the hypnotist unconscious.

Next, Lion-O tracked down Ice Woman. "Hi," said the ice woman, "I'm looking for a friend of mine. You'd know her if you saw her: three feet high, big purple hair, voice like grinding glass. Oh, and we'll need your sword, too." With that, she spat ice at the lion.

Lion-O dodged it, then threw a handful of tiny white rocks at her. Ice Woman screamed as she started to drip. "Aiee, I'm melting! What did you do to me?"

"Rock salt," said the lion by way of explanation.

"No! Not that! Anything but rock salt!" Still dripping, the ice Lunatac fled.

Amok found Luna first, and the tiny woman felt much better in her accustomed seat. She scanned the room for a weapon. "Well, I suppose we could hit him with the hourglass," she said, mostly to herself, "But I think a classic may work best. See, Amok, one of the snarfs left this bucket of water behind. Set it up on the door."

Lion-O barged in a few minutes later. "Captain Bragg will get three more Lunatacs, it seems... Gaaah!" The bucket fell off the door, soaking the Thundercat. "Ick! Water!"

Of course, thought Luna. Lion-O is a lion, a lion is an overgrown cat, and cats hate water. I'm so good, it scares me. "Release the Lunatacs and give me the sword, or prepare for another soaking!" she shrilled.

"Yes! Anything! Just don't get me wet! Aagh, it will take me hours to dry my hair!" Lion-O threw the sword of Omens at Amok's feet, then ran out the door.

Back at the Black Pyramid, Luna presented the Wizard/statues with what they wanted. "Here's the Sword of Omens," she said, directing Amok to set it down on the walkway. "Now give us our stuff."

"Not so fast," boomed the statues. "We have another quest for you. Bring us... a shrubbery!"

"That wasn't part of the deal!" protested Ice Woman.

"How dare you spring this on us now!" snapped Graviton.

"Maybe we should just do what they say," murmured Scarecrow. "I mean, how hard could it be to find a shrubbery?"

While the other Lunatacs argued with the Wizard, Luna noticed something that seemed out of place in the dark temple. There was a curtain off in one corner. Quietly, she and Amok snuck towards it.

The statues noticed. "Hey! Get away from there! We, the Wizard of Oz, command it!"

Luna ignored them, and Amok tore down the fabric. There was a withered mummy-creature there, standing at a console with a microphone. "Pay no attention to the man behind the cur... oh, bother." The undead hit a few switches, and the statues went silent. By now, the other Lunatacs had gathered around.

"You're the Wizard of Oz?" asked Luna incredulously. "I thought you'd be taller."

Scarecrow asked, "So, can you really help us?"

The Wizard harumphed and said, "Of course I can." From within his robe he pulled three boxes. The first he handed to Scarecrow. "This is the Egora Talisman," he explained, "Rumoured to give extreme self-confidence to all who possess it."

He handed the next box to Ice Woman. When she opened it, all she found was a small, heart-shaped clock. "This is it!?" she snapped, "A stupid cutesy watch? Aargh! I'd ice you, but Luna would get Amok to pound me!"

The last box was given to Graviton. "These are the parts you need for your gravity carbine, complete with instructions."

"What about us?" demanded Luna. "How do we get back to the Darkside?"

The Wizard chuckled. "You have always had the power to get home, Luna. You have Mumm-rana's belt. Just click your heels three times and say, 'I put me in charge! I will command and you will obey!'"

"What do my heels have to do ith a belt? That's silly," said Luna. "Oh, well, my whole day has been silly." Clicking her tiny heels, she said, "I put me in charge! I will command and you will obey!"

The world swirled gray around her. Though the fog she could hear a voice: "Luna? Are you all right? Say something, Luna."

"I will command and you will obey!"

"Yeah, she'll be fine."

Luna woke up in her room, surrounded by her crew. Amok was hovering protectively nearby, while Alluro was holding a cold washcloth to her head. "That was a nasty fall you took, Luna," said the hypnotist. "For a while, we thought we had lost you."

"Oh, but I was lost, in a very strange alternate universe," said Luna. "You were there, and Amok, and Chilla, and Tug-Mug, and... no, that was it. Hmm."

"Thee tornado ees gone," Tug-Mug reported. "Eef we're lucky, eet will heet the Thundercats next."

"My head is killing me," snapped Luna. "All of you go away! Assess the damage to Skytomb or something. I want to take a nap." The other Lunatacs grumbled, but left, leaving Amok with Luna. Settling herself more comfortably on her pillows, Luna said, "Oz was certainly interesting, but you know, Amok? There's no place like home."