Disclaimer: Thundarr The Barbarian was created by Joe Ruby & Ken Spears of Ruby-Spears Productions, with the aid of comic book writer Steve Gerber and artists Alex Toth and Jack Kirby. Copyrights of the show and its characters belong to Warner Brothers. X-Men and other Marvel Comics characters were created by Stan Lee and the creative team of Marvel Comics. All Original Characters were created by the story's original author, Sheila Shillingburg.
I originally got this story from . Thundarr the Barbarian – Magical Mystery Treasure is the one of two fan-fiction stories by Sheila Shillingburg. This was my inspiration for starting my own Thundarr fan-fiction. Not because I thought they were very good stories, but in fact the very opposite. Throughout the story, certain parts will be written in italics, with an asterix (*) after them. These are parts of the story I have issues with and will be addressing in "Author's Notes" at the end of each chapter.
So remember, if you don't like the story, I didn't write it. But I thought that since there is so little Thundarr fan-fiction out on the net, it might be interesting to see the difference between her writing and my own.
THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN: MAGICAL MYSTERY TREASURE
By: Sheila Shillingburg
CHAPTER 1
POST APOCALYPSE
In the near future, a comet broke loose from its predetermined orbit, and streaked through space. It passed too close between the earth and the moon, tearing away some of the Earth's protective atmosphere. The moon shattered under the sudden burst of gravitational pull.
Down on the earth, things were no better. The earth quaked, volcanoes erupted, tsunamis washed away beaches, and whatever else happened to have been built there. Every sign of civilization was either destroyed or laid to ruin.
After a thousand years, people re-built their lives from the destruction. Like the mythical phoenix, a bird that rose from its own ashes, civilization began its slow return.
But, the new world that emerged was one rather primitive by our standards. A brutal, savage world of slaves, super-science, and sorcery. One man, a slave by the name of Thundarr, burst his bonds to fight for freedom and justice. Accompanied by the beast-like Ookla the Mok, and Princess Ariel, the sorceress who had helped Thundarr to free himself, he set about righting the wrongs of the future, and challenging the absolute rule of the tyrants. Armed with a powerful, magic sun sword, given to him by Ariel, and a hair-trigger temper, Thundarr was well equipped for battle.
Unfortunately, his knowledge of the past was limited to the few remnants he saw about him. A broken streetlight here, a priceless BMW-now smashed to bits and pieces-there. Although Thundarr and Ookla appreciated the learning of the past, and those who remembered it, they were ignorant of it. Only Princess Ariel knew anything at all about the vanished world. Her grandfather had taught her to read, and she had read almost every book in the library of her stepfather, the evil wizard Sabian. So, it was Ariel who knew the tales whispered by the ruins.
Like Robin Hood and his Merry Men before them, Thundarr and his companions were folk heroes to the peasants of the future. But, unlike the legendary Robin Hood, Thundarr was not an outlaw-nor did he consider himself to be one-he was free. He and his companions were not confined to a forest. They were free, and roamed the countryside as they pleased. So, the cult following grew.
Rodeo Drive was a bustling marketplace, just as it had been in the days of the past. Only, the once posh storefronts now sold fruit and vegetables, instead of Gucci and Dior. In these wild times, most peasants wore homespun clothing. So, it was considered more important to eat, and make a living, than to concern yourself with what could be made at home.
No one noticed one particular, dark-haired urchin, who was loitering near the fruit seller's cart. But, everyone noticed when the boy snatched an apple, and ran.
"STOP! THIEF!" The fruit seller sent up the cry.
The boy ran as fast as his five-year-old legs would carry him. Around the corner of a tumbled down movie theater, and crashing into the great leg of a warrior.
The warrior was tall and strong, with straw colored hair. He was dressed in a brown, fur outfit, with matching, leather boots on his feet. There were metal bracelets at his wrists. Attached to the one bracelet was the hilt of a sword.
With the warrior was a raven-haired woman, with olive-colored skin, and slanting, almond-shaped eyes. She wore a blue, bathing suit-like outfit, with a gold belt at her waist. There was a diadem on her forehead, and gold bracelets beneath the level of her wrists. High-heeled boots completed the ensemble.
With the warrior and his female companion was another creature. Well over the height of a man, the creature had a lion's mane and was covered all over with short, brown hairs. There was black fur on his pushed in, animal muzzle. From within the recesses of his mane, a pair of glowing, green eyes peered out. He wore black shorts, and matching boots. The warrior was none other than Thundarr. His companions were Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel.
"What have we here?" Thundarr seemed amused by the small thief.
"Please, sir. I'm taking this to my village," the boy held up the hot fruit.
"Ariel, can you help him?"
"I think I can." With a flick of her wrists, Ariel rendered the boy invisible to the village police as they ran past.
Grateful, the boy invited his new friends to his village, it was only a few blocks away.
"My name's Aladdin," the boy introduced himself. "Snow White and Robin Hood are our leaders."
"A-l-aa-ddin?" Thundarr pronounced slowly, as he always did when learning a new word.
"It's a story, Thundarr," Ariel explained. "It's about a beggar who became rich after freeing a genie from its prison lamp." At this Ookla asked a question as well. To most human ears, the language of the Moks is that of an animal, but Thundarr and Ariel could understand him.
"Robin Hood was a legendary bandit, who stole only from the rich, and shared his spoils with the poor," Ariel explained as they rode.
"Snow White was a princess whose jealous step-mother put a spell on her. It was broken by a prince."
"I like this Robin Hood," Thundarr commented. Ookla added his opinion. "It was a sleeping spell, Ookla," Ariel informed him. "He broke it by kissing her. There were no Moks in ancient times."
Aladdin's village had been an apartment complex that was leveled in the earthquake. The houses had fallen to form a kind of communal village. The main house, the one that had once belonged to the superintendent, was now the home of the village's chief. Aladdin invited his new friends inside. There, they were greeted by a blond youth of twelve.
"Lords of light! You are all children!" Thundarr exclaimed, his second-favorite expression.
"Yes. We once had parents and a treasure. Now, both are gone," Robin Hood answered.
"But a part of the treasure still remains, Robin Hood," a little girl of seven reminded her brother, as she emerged from the back rooms to greet the visitors.
"What kind of a treasure was it?" Ariel wanted it know. It sounded like a strange one.
"Come with us, and we will show you," Snow White motioned for Thundarr and his crew to follow them. Aladdin came along.
Their "treasury" was a library that had once held an endless sea of books. Now, the shelves stood open and empty, collecting only dust.
"Wizard Sabian did this," Robin Hood explained. "He carried our parents off as slaves, and burned our treasure."
At the name Sabian, Ookla growled something. "I don't fear my former master," Thundarr spoke up, bravely.
"You're the legendary Thundarr?" Snow White asked.
"I am Thundarr, but I'm no legend. Only a free man," Thundarr answered, somewhat modestly.
"Are you going to get our treasure back?" Aladdin wanted to know.
"I will, or die trying," the barbarian promised. Usually, there wasn't a need to fulfill the last part of that oath. Once you had the word of Thundarr the Barbarian, you could rest assured he would keep his promise.
"From the looks of things, the only way to get this treasure back is to go to the past," Ariel theorized.
"The time portal is at Sabian's castle," Thundarr remembered.
"Let me come with you," Aladdin offered.
"You'd better not. This could get dangerous," Ariel discouraged the boy.
"I'm not afraid!" The little boy disagreed, mightily, with that judgment call. "I'm brave like you, Thundarr!" The orphan idolized Thundarr, and wanted to be like his hero.
A smile spread across the barbarian's face. A face unused to such a gesture, and didn't wear it well. "Perhaps. But, if you did leave, your people would be without the protection of so brave a warrior." That ended that argument.
Waving good-bye to their pint-sized friends, the trio set off for Sabian's stronghold. Being a wizard, Sabian knew in advance of their approach. He had seen and heard it all on his crystal ball.
"So, Thundarr, you are returning to your former master, are you? And, my little Ariel. You are returning home as well? You will not leave! I have a special surprise waiting for you."
In the woods, just outside of Sabian's castle, Thundarr's crew stopped their horses, and left them hidden in the underbrush. This was a secret entrance Thundarr and Ariel had known about from their days in the castle. Ookla had just been brought in when Thundarr freed him, so he was not as familiar with the secret entrance.
"This way," Thundarr whispered back.
Unfortunately, Sabian also knew about this cave. He had his guards stationed in the shadows. Suspicious of her stepfather, Ariel created a magic, glowing sun ball to ward off any attack. The guards cowered away from the light. But, as the light moved on, propelled by Ariel's own steps, then the ambush was on! The guards swarmed from their hiding places. Thundarr and his friends fought them as best they could. Thundarr with his sun sword, Ookla with his great strength, and animal timing; and Ariel with her magic.
Suddenly, handcuffs appear on Ariel's wrists, shutting off her flow of magic. Chains appeared around Ookla. He tried to break them, but could not. Thundarr swirled to help them, and another guard knocked the sun sword from his hands. It took several guards to hold Thundarr down, while another chained him to prevent him from fighting his way free.
With a cackle of triumph, Sabian entered the cave. Slowly, he looked over his captives.
"You were a fool to have returned, Barbarian." He taunted at Thundarr's helplessness.
"Do to me what you will, you fiend!" Thundarr snapped. His fiery, blue eyes met Sabian's with matching hatred.
"And, my little Ariel," Sabian turned to his stepdaughter. She pulled back when he tried to touch her face. "Soon, you will learn that this is your home, my dear. Take her and the animal to my dungeon!" Sabian ordered. Ariel and Ookla looked absolutely powerless, unable to go to their friend's aid. Sabian then turned to Thundarr. "As for this one, I plan to make an example of him."
