ThunderCats vs Masters of the Universe
Chapter 1: Skeletor meets Mumm-Ra
The sky was split with the flash of lightning as the thunder rattled hard stones that made up the black pyramid and its companion obelisks. The desert sands shifted under the ever blowing winds. It was an inhospitable land filled with darkness.
A lone figure walked towards the forbidding place, despite the obvious reasons why a sane person would not. The figure was a powerful man whose extremities boasted more muscles than most body builders. His blue tinged skin rippled as the muscles moved beneath it. He carried a large staff topped with a stylized skull and wings, though he didn't use it like he needed it to help him walk. Each footstep brought the man closer to the pyramid, closer to his appointment. He wasn't too happy about making the appointment, especially when you factored in the fact that the occupant of this black pyramid wasn't aware he was coming, it was more that he was a stranger in a very strange land. He knew nothing of this world, nothing of the native peoples, or about his possible ally. He had been told from a sometime ally about the person he was about to see. There wasn't a lot known about the owner of the pyramid, just that he was powerful. This made the powerful man a bit more uneasy. A powerful ally could be often good, but usually more trouble than they were worth. But still, he needed the help. His latest plan had failed and had cost him a loyal servant. This next plan should succeed though.
He continued his walk until he stood in front of the described entry point. He leaned forward so that his eyes could scan the stone as he looked for the hidden marks that he was told about. Once he saw them, he straightened up and tapped each of the symbols in the manner he was instructed with the top of his staff.
A sound of stone grinding against another stone echoed from behind the wall the man faced. A line appeared in the near flawless stone and grew a bit as the door slid back into the wall and moved to the right.
"Who dares to intrude upon my slumber?" a dry dusty voice echoed out from the opening.
"I dare!" the figure exclaimed. "Come out and meet me to find out!"
Laughter in that same dusty voice could be heard followed by "Enter then stranger. I await you in my audience chamber."
A soft growl came from the man's throat as his hand tightened its grip on the shaft of his staff. His feet started to move to carry him past the threshold of the door and into the pyramid. After he past completely through the door, a resounding boom exploded behind the man sending him to roll forward from the force of the blast. He rolled forward and twisted so that when he finished his roll, he was on his feet, facing in the direction of the door. He watched the door carefully. His senses searched for any sign of danger or sign of an attack. His senses brought him no such warnings, but still he waited to be sure there was no trap. His mind calmly reminded him that the trap was probably the closing of the door itself, but that with his own magics, he could easily blast his way free. Or so he hoped.
Finally he relaxed and straightened back up. He turned on his heel and cursed himself for responding that way in which he was sure the owner of the pyramid had seen the whole thing. He hated to show weakness of any kind and the man was sure the perception would be that he was weak and failed the test.
The path to the inner sanctum was far shorter than the man expected. He was sure there was magic at work, which made it seem faster. The sanctum too seemed larger than should be, more magic the man suspected. A large dais was placed in the middle of the room to serve as the center piece of the room. There was a huge pool in the middle of the dais. The water in the pool moved constantly. A reddish mist rose out of the pool to disappear in the upper levels of the room that were hidden from the light. Standing at four points around the pool were large statues of humanoid bodies with the heads of various creatures. A ramp led from the pool to what appeared to be a sarcophagus that stood upright and against the wall. Surrounding the sarcophagus was a skull motif along the wall.
"You like my home?" the dry, dusty voice echoed around the room.
"You must forgive me; it seems a bit like my home. But I feel rude not being able to look my host in the eye." The blue skinned man said. "Do you think we could skip the theatrics and talk?"
"Forgive me," the dusty voice echoed. "I tend to have to use a bit of the dramatic to impress the minions who sometimes do errands for me. Allow me a minute or two to make myself presentable."
From the area of the sarcophagus, the grating of stone on stone was heard again as the front of the sarcophagus moved slowly to the side. After it had fully moved to the side, a small form of a man in a red cloak could be seen. It stepped free of the sarcophagus and slowly made its way forward towards the pool. With each step the creature took, one could see the aged bandages that wrapped all the way around its foot and leg. The creature stopped at the edge of the pool and looked towards the blue skinned man.
"What is it you want from Mumm-Ra?" The creature asked.
"Greetings Mumm-Ra," the blue skinned man started, "I am Skeletor. Lord of…."
"Yes, yes," Mumm-Ra interrupted. "What is it you want?"
Skeletor bristled a bit and pushed his cloak back and raised his head up a bit so that his skull could be seen under the hood. "I see you find yourself a bit pressed for time, how ironic considering several speak of you as being the 'Ever living'."
A cruel smile came over Mumm-Ra's lips. "Testy aren't we? So what vexes you, o Lord Skeletor of Snake Mountain, and what can Mumm-Ra the Ever Living do for you?"
Skeletor's jaw ground a bit with annoyance. He was not used to being taunted by anyone, let alone some desiccated mummy. "I have a proposition for you that I think will work to our mutual advantage. From what I have learned you have a problem with a pesky bunch of do-gooders called the ThunderCats. Is this true?"
"Yes," Mumm-Ra said simply.
The lack of emotion caused a momentary pang of unease in Skeletor. He was hoping that this revelation would cause some sort of reaction in the corpse.
"I have a similar plight with a group of those who fail to recognize my superiority and right to rule. They have caused me a number of headaches over the years." Skeletor continued.
"There is a point to this story I am sure."
"Yes, I have an idea. What do you think would happen if they fought each other?" Skeletor let his voice come out in delighted matter.
"An interesting idea, but tell me, why would they fight? They don't know each other and to my knowledge have no interaction. Plus there is the continuous vexing habit of when two heroes fight, they figure out they are both heroes and promptly team up against the one who orchestrated the battle. At least it seems to happen that way no matter what is done. They are cursed that way I think." Mumm-Ra uttered in response as he turned to wave his hands over the pool. His arms were also covered in wrappings that appeared to be ancient. The water in the pool responded also by churning heavier. As the water churned, a calm center emerged in the water. "I have tried that a few times. Hachiman. Arthur. And several others. Each time they have fought for a brief time only to team up against me. I am not in any hurry to duplicate that situation."
"This time would be different, as I too have been burdened by similar success."
"And how would you guarantee that this time would be different? I have tried it with the thought that it wouldn't go wrong, and yet it always does." Mumm-Ra said as he concentrated on the pool of whirling water.
"Trust me," Skeletor said. "I have a foolproof plan that can't fail."
"How many times, have I heard that phrase and even dared to utter those words," Mumm-Ra muttered to himself. "How many foolproof plans in the past have you hatched only to have those pesky heroes you mentioned destroy your plan and turn the tables against you?"
Skeletor stood there for a second with waves of unhappiness radiating from him. "I have carefully considered all the angels in this plan. It can't fail."
Mumm-Ra smiled to himself a bit. "I see you didn't answer my question. Why are you so afraid to answer it?"
"Is it that important? Fine! Just about every plan I've hatched they've managed to defeat it." Skeletor yelled feeling the anger course through him. He really wanted to just take his staff and channel his magic through it and blow this decayed pile of bandages into oblivion. He managed to get his anger in control and calmed himself. "Trust me, this time I have really planned this out. It can't fail."
"Yes," Mumm-Ra muttered softly. "I have made that same announcement myself. But for the sake of argument, what is your plan?"
"As I said earlier, we get them to fight each other. I know it sounds simple but that's basically it."
"And how do you plan on getting them to fight each other? That's the part I'm interested in." Mumm-Ra said softly as his attention was clearly mostly on the pool and the slowly forming column of whirling water that was growing out of it.
"That part is again, simplicity in itself. We tell them to." Skeletor stuck up more straight feeling a good feeling for the first time since the conversation had started.
Mumm-Ra stood up a bit straighter and turned to face Skeletor with a look of shock, or at least as much of a look of a shock as his necrotic flesh could allow. "We simply tell them? You must be kidding."
Skeletor raised up his left hand and made an effort of examining his fingernails. "Yes, we tell them to."
Mumm-Ra narrowed his eyes and he watched Skeletor for a few seconds. "And why would they suddenly start to listen to us?"
"The answer is ease in itself. There is no way they would simply just listen to us and then run out to bang on each other. We have to use someone they trust."
"Yes, but how do we get them to trust like that? There can't be many that they would trust to just simply obey like that." Mumm-Ra said.
"Yes, but each of the leaders, if I'm not mistaken, have a mentor type. It seems to be in vogue if I understand the ways of heroes."
"Yes, I know exactly who the mentor is of my lead annoyance. But they would be ready for that trick again. I've done it a few times already." Mumm-Ra admitted.
"Yes they would be ready, if YOU did it." Skeletor said softly with a hint of humor in his voice.
"I'm not sure I follow you."
Skeletor held up his left hand with his palm up as he muttered a few words that Mumm-Ra couldn't hear until an image of the one known as Jaga appeared. "I believe this is the mentor of the leader of the ThunderCats. Aren't they the ones who plague you?"
Mumm-Ra nodded his head, "Yes that is him."
"Simplicity in itself. I cast a spell and make myself look like him, and then I will tell him that he must fight those who plague me. The do-gooders almost always obey their mentors without question." Skeletor said with that same tone of happiness.
"It won't work," said Mumm-Ra as he turned his head back to the pool and the now human sized water spout. "They aren't that stupid."
"You have a suggestion then?" Skeletor said as his voice dripped back down into that tone he usually used with his minions. After all who was this mummy to question his plans.
"Oh yes I do," Mumm-Ra said. "You see they're not quite that stupid. They would see through that pretty quickly, or at least mine would. They're pretty smart, maybe your foes aren't?" Mumm-Ra said with a smirk.
"What is your suggestion?" Skeletor managed to hiss out from clenched teeth.
"I like the idea of you impersonating that over bearing Jaga, and I will see about impersonating whoever it is that your group follows. However the simple message of 'go fight' would work, as I've said already. What if we were to tell them that the two worlds are merging into one? If the worlds were to merge, it would kill all they know and of course all the innocent by standards. They live to save those by standards."
"I see I think. We create an illusion that the worlds are merging and they go out to fight?" Skeletor asked curiously.
"No no. An illusion could be detected and defeated. I suggest that I cast a spell and actually merge the planets. They'll fight it out to try and stop it, which they won't be able to. Then we combine our forces and defeat the winners who will be too tired to fight back against us. Thus we win." Mumm-Ra said with an evil smile that pulled his lips back.
"I see, but why merger the planets?" Skeletor asked. "Won't that be an unnecessary drain on our powers?"
"Perhaps a bit, but that's what we have minions for. Not to mention that the heroes will be too busy fighting each other to take advantage of the situation."
"I see, yes. That would give them the incentive to fight wouldn't it. They would be too busy trying to stop things and fighting against each other to notice us. Yes, your plan does make sense." Skeletor mused aloud as he tapped his left index finger against his chin bone in contemplation. "I agree fully, let's do it."
Mumm-Ra just kept smiling. "Yes I thought you might. I have already started the spell. Just come over to my scrying pool and offer some of your blood to it. Once your blood is combined, the spell can mystically track your path back to your planet and begin the combination. It'll be noticeable and then we can appear as the mentors and get them to fight."
Skeletor simply nodded his skull head under his hood as he approached the scrying pool. He reached behind himself and drew out his heavy dagger. "Just some blood then?" he asked as he leaned his staff against one of the nearby statues.
"Yes," Mumm-Ra muttered. "Just add your blood and the spell will begin."
Skeletor nodded his head as he closed his right fist around the dagger and drew it out slicing his skin. A black goo substance oozed out from the cut on his hand. What people didn't know was that most of the blood in Skeletor's body was mostly a dried out rotten oozing substance any more. That thought always made him smile inside of his own mind as he thought about all the times that his foe, He-Man, has accused him of having a black heart. The truth was, that yes indeed Skeletor's heart had turned black over time.
As soon as Skeletor moved his hand into the column of whirling water, the color changed. From where it was just the color of churning water, it was now turning red. Skeletor thought that was good. It was hard to tell, his own magic was based on a different manner than Mumm-Ra's.
"It has begun!" Mumm-Ra chanted aloud.
Skeletor made a slight sound of disgust. "Must you say that? It sounds so overly dramatic."
Mumm-Ra chuckled a dry dusty laugh. "Forgive me. Just something I heard once and have wanted to say it since. The timing seemed to be right for it."
Skeletor just stood there, making no comment about that as he watched the now blood red churning water. "What now?" he finally asked.
"Now we assumed the guise of their most trusted mentors. The effect will be seen shortly. Tell me about their mentor." Mumm-Ra said softly.