A group of beings, each evil in their own right, huddled around a room about hundred and fifty feet across. The room, while impressive in its own right, was merely a small pocket dimension created by the one who called this meeting together.
Sitting in a black metal throne designed to imitate bones, one figure tapped a blue taloned finger against his bone white chin.
He glanced at the creature floating at his elbow. While the creature bore the form of a woman, and a sexy woman at that with all the correct anatomical features, He loathed to call it a woman. "Well?" His high pitched voice grated on most people's ears, a fact he enjoyed.
"So far everything is as it appears, My Lord." The creature hissed.
"For your sake, Shadow Weaver, it had better remain that way." The supreme commander of the Horde outpost on Etheria known as Hordak looked to his left and saw a face that he thought he'd never see again. And he would've been the happier for it.
The face turned and looked at him and he barely suppressed the urge to convert his bionic arm into a laser blaster and replace the fiends head with a laser bolt.
"Comfortable, Hordak?" asked the man with a skull for a head.
"Not that you would care, Skeletor," Hordak replied. "But, yes. Actually, I am."
"Good." Skeletor leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "Then maybe you'd care to tell us why we're here?"
"And what makes you think that I was the one who orchestrated this gathering?"
"Because we both have the power, but I do not have the motive."
"Nor do I."
A third, more menacing figure appeared in a flash of red light.
"Who dares summon Mon*Star, the Planet Master?" The figure stood an impressive seven or eight feet tall, was at least four feet across the shoulders and his head was the most memorable. It looked like it had been chiseled from a solid piece of ruby, and had a series of spikes protruding from it.
"Welcome, friend." Skeletor said leaning back in his chair. "Allow me to reassure you that it was not us that did this."
A red metal throne materialized behind the newcomer and he sat with a thump. "Whoever it is had better make it quick, I wait for no one." His voice sounded like he had a mouthful of gravel and broken stones.
"That's what we said when we first arrived." Hordak muttered. "And we've been waiting for hours."
A fourth voice was heard throughout the room. "Calm yourselves, my friends." A puff of black smoke coalesced in the center of the room. When it disappeared, a figure wearing a red hooded robe was revealed.
"I am the one who called this meeting," the figure took a ragged breath. "So that we might discuss the removal of the thorns in our respective sides."
"What makes you think that Skeletor, need assistance from the likes of you," Skeletor challenged.
"Observe." The figure lifted a trembling arm and a globe appeared in front of Skeletor.
Hordak looked at Shadow Weaver. "Are those rags hanging from his arm?" He asked.
She mutely nodded, entranced by the power of the being before her.
In the globe, all could see the visage of Skeletor's nemesis, He-Man. It displayed scenes from battles that Skeletor, to his thinking, should have won, but was thwarted at every turn.
"This is why you need my assistance." The figure grumbled. "And you, Hordak, He-Man's sister, She-Ra." The scenes in the globe changed to show Etheria and the blonde Princess of Power thwarting Hordak's every scheme, no matter how cleverly they were conceived.
"Thirdly, Mon*Star and his foes, the SilverHawks." The globe changed again, showing deep space and flying people shod in metal suits.
"What about you?" Hordak asked. "Who are your 'thorns', as you call them?"
"My problems are the TunderCats." The figure opened his robe slightly and allowed all present to see his rag clad body. "For I am Mumm-Ra, the Ever Living." The globe shifted yet a fourth time and showed everyone present the dreaded ThunderCats that had proven more than once to be his equal.
"Well, Mumm-Ra, how do you propose to fix these," Hordak paused searching for the right word, "issues of ours?"
"I propose that we send them away. To the far distant past, where they cannot obstruct our future objectives."
Skeletor laughed. "And how do you propose to get them to cooperate?" He chuckled. "Would you like us to ask them for you?"
Mumm-Ra turned a very serious gaze upon the cackling skull. "Actually, yes, in a matter of speaking." He lifted his hand again and in the hand of each of his audience a device appeared. "I will give each of you a set of criteria, when that criteria is met, you press this button. I will take care of the rest."
"And what do you get out of this little alliance?" Mon*Star asked.
"Piece of mind, knowing that evil will flourish."
"Is that all?" Hordak asked.
"Actually, no." Mumm-Ra chuckled. "In each of your realms there is a minor artifact. It once belonged to me and I would like it returned."
"What does this 'artifact' do?" Skeletor asked.
"Nothing. It's merely a memento of my younger days."
"We get you these pieces of artifact; you get rid of our combined enemies?" Mon*Star asked.
"Correct, Planet Master."
The ruby chiseled face turned to look at Hordak and Skeletor. "I think we'd be fools not to accept such an alliance." He threw his head back and laughed the most evil laugh that he could muster. By itself it was chilling, but when three others joined in, it truly became something to chill men's bones.
