Hordak's eyes began to open and saw everything being cast in shadow.

"Oh good Hordak you're up!" Entrpata voice rang in his ear.

Suddenly he remembered what had just happened and looked around, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Entrpata walking by his side. She looked safe, in fact she seemed quite intrigued by whatever surroundings. All that mattered to him though was that she was alive, so at least he did not have to worry about that. Of course it didn't seem they were safe at the moment.

Deciding to follow his partner's lead he too looked around. Around him the large dog and furred creature were leading them down a hall with the cat in the center. It seemed that Hordak and felines were never a great combination, and always seemed to either get him in trouble or captured. Perhaps that's why when he was starting his branch of the Horde things were not as troublesome since there were no cats around.

Finally they came to a large chamber with four massive statues in the corner of each, at the very end of the room a massive face with two glowing eyes staring back at him.

"We have retrieved them master" The one called Pumayra called out.

"Ah…good"

Hordak looked up and saw something that caused him to panic.

A benign, old and ancient, wrapped in bandages and covered in a red cloak. He began to approach them slowly, yet despite his frail form, something about him illuminated this fear was something far more than him feeling any sense of personal danger, it was something deeper than that. A history, a history that may have involved him, or if not him then the Hive Mind, and that of Prime.

Fear overtook Hordak, a fear he had not felt since being in Prime's presence. How did such a creature manage to create such a feeling was hard to say. Yet this one benign seemed to be illuminating with power beyond imagination.

"Well done Pumyra, well done" He looked around for a moment a bit confused, "Where is Slythe"

"At the prison taking a cat he captured"

The creature scoffed, "Bah, constantly obsessing over his vendetta, it loses the grander picture of things…Like MY prisoners"

"Hello" Entrapta waved to them, "This place looks fascinating, I'd love to study it given the chance, but uh, can you un-tie us please"

Hordak gave a faint smile, his lab partner was the eternal optimist through and through, "I don't think he has any interesting in collaboration"

"Oh are you sure?" Entrapta said looking saddened, "Because this place looks amazing I can see even hints of advanced tech beyond with anything I've seen. Those giant mechanical robots alone are a quite impressive even beyond anything I-

Mumm-Ra raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of electrical energy onto her causing her to shrieked in pain.

"Entrapta!" Hordak tried to break free from his bonds but couldn't.

"Quiet my dear" Mumm-Ra stopped as Entrapta went to her knees, "You should listen to your clone friend, for you are a prisoner of Mumm-Ra! Ever Living Lord of Evil!"

Entrapta looked up at him and pulled her mask down, "T-That wasn't very nice"

"Lord Mumm-Ra said quiet" Pumayra snapped at her. "If you wish I can rid you of this little pest"

"No," Mumm-Ra commanded, "Leave us, I think she should be here with her clone friend"

Pumayra seemed taken aback but nodded as she and the other two left.

"I-yes my lord"

"Do not fear child, your path to revenge will continue apace"

Pumayra seemed relieved by this and bowed before walking away into the shadows.

"Cats!" Mumm-Ra snickered looking at them, "Emotionally driven creatures are they not, but useful allies in there own way"

Hordak bit his lip, "I'm afraid I have to agree on that observation".

"Something we have in common then" Mumm-Ra chuckled darkly, examining them closely.

Now it was just the three of them, and Hordak was unsure why he felt such terror, the only other time he had felt this way was in the pressence of Horde Prime. This creature, this Mumm-Ra however, something in the back of his mind, he wondered why he knew him, if they had ever met before. Something told him that he should know who he was and why.

"I've never met a clone who had a associate before" Mumm-Ra chuckled, "I thought you were all mindless slaves to your master, things must have changed since his departing"

Hordak eyes widened, "Y-You know of Prime"

"Of course I do, he is or was as ancient as I, someone who dared to even challenge me NYAHAHAHAHA, a worthy opponent, in dominance of evil".

"Oh, you must be really old then" Entrapta responded, her mind going a bit into overdrive, even after getting shocked "What was it like, what the tech like"

Hordak admired his partner's ability to jump back from the brink.

"Impressive, and quite unique, something your mind would not be able to comprehend even" Mumm-Ra spoke calmly, yet with command, "Much like the impressiveness of your master"

"How do you know of Prime" Hordak scowled, "And why do I know you"

Mumm-Ra smirked, "Look into the cauldron, and see for yourself"

Hordak turned to Entrapta who shrugged as the two walked over to the waters and an image emerged, an image of his brothers fighting tooth and nail against a wide variety of animals and a large pyramid like craft floating above, the Velvet Glove on the other side. This was war on a scale that he had never seen before, only in memory from the rest of the Hive Mind. Not even his conquest of Etheria became this brutal.

The images made him see flashes of the past, some of his own life, others thought of lives of Clones whose mind he was still weakly linked with due to the remnants of the Hive Mind. Prime's conquests were just as brutal as he remembered, if not worse. So many lost brothers who will never truly know the joys of freedom, friendship and love.

"Centuries ago, your master tried to challenge me! A fatal error in judgment, for I am Mumm-Ra! The Ever Living! Yet he was tenacious! He thought he could outwit me, but through sheer brute strength I pushed his forces back to a part of the universe where he would not stop me in my own conquest for total supremacy! Alas I suppose things were not to be for I was betrayed from within. My absence leaves a vacuum which your master yearned to fill".

Hordak turned to Mumm-Ra, "But Prime is gone, you have no quarreled with us, and I have no desire to follow in his footsteps"

"Oh I could care not about that" Mumm-Ra wagged his bony finger, "I would find any clone useful for what I have in mind"

"An experiment" Entrapta's eyes widened.

"Of a kind" Mumm-Ra smirked.

"Oooh, Hordak do you consent?"

Hordak turned to Entrapta, and shook his head, "If it were just you then I would gladly consent, but this being Entrapta is not to be trusted, even Prime feared him from what little of the Hive Mind I can recall. So I am afraid I must decline"

"Very well" Entrapta turned to Mumm-Ra now and frowned and shouted, "You better let us go then our friends will be coming to you! If my lab partner doesn't consent to experiments then I won't help!"

"Who said anything about requiring your assistant" Mumm-Ra chuckled, "I have everything I need in my Pyramid, and I am more than knowledgeable about what I require"

Slowly the evil beings smiled and a wicked laugh echoed through the pyramid.

Horadk was worried, if no for himself then for Entrapta, she was brave, but if this benign was half of what his own hive mind instinct told him, then they were both in terrible danger. She must be protected, at all cost.

"Darn," Entrapta frowned, "Despite the whole getting kidnapped thing I was hopping we could get through to him"

Hordak nodded, "I know Entrapta, I know".

Mumm-Ra merely laughed, "Tell me, have you ever had your mind read by someone.

Hordak eyes widened for a moment as he looked down, "Y-Yes actually"

"Good" Mumm-Ra raised his own hand as a dark energy began to emerge from it, "Then the feeling should be familiar"

Hordak closed his eyes, he's been through pain before, and he would suffer it again, just to keep Entrapta safe.

The last sound he heard was her shriek.

"HORDAK!"

-000-

"Great! One minute with new people and we lose the Thundertank!" Panthro yelled.

"Well I'm sure they had a good reason for stealing it," Lion-O defended.

Adora was so embarrassed, but she knew that Entrapta's enthusiasm was definitely clear when it came to Darla. Of course she would do anything to rescue the ship, she was practically a person in the tech princess eyes. However she could have waited to have some sort of strategy, a plan, something. Speaking of where Catra was, she went on for a bit of a walk to get some fresh air and hasn't come back yet.

Something in her gut had told her from day one that this trip to Third Earth wasn't worth the risk. Even though deep down she really wanted to Still once again, she had found herself in a adventure, in trouble and also once again in the middle of the war.

Why couldn't she just have peace in her life.

"You will be consumed by good" Skeletor's voice echoed in her mind.

"Quite brain" Adora hushed herself, she wouldn't let her evil uncle's words get to her.

They were all gathered in the cat's main computer lair, Panthro was trying to track the Tank as best as he possibly could.

"I'm am so, so sorry" Adora blushed red, "I don't know what go into her"

"Friend Entrapta replied that saving Darla was top priority" Robot replied matter of factly, "Told me to stay and tell you that"

Adora frowned, "Of course she did" She rubbed his head.

"Friend Hordak also accompanied her" Robot continued, "In order to protect friend Entrapta"

Adora sighed, "Well I can't blame him, he's a loyal friend…Boyfriend? Husband I don't know. Lab Partner".

"Friend Entrapta put tracking chips on her and Hordak in case something were to occur to them" Robot replied.

Everyone now turned to the robot looking a bit shocked.

"Well…That's convenient" Marlena replied matter of factly.

"That's Entrpata for yuh," Scorpia laughed, "Always thinking two steps ahead of everyone"

Roboto's mainframe opened up and transformed into a computer showing two tiny dots on screen and then a map. Panthro looked at it for a moment thinking things through and then began to make coordinates on the main battle computer.

"Uh oh…" Pathtro grimaced.

"Uh oh, what's uh oh" Adora felt her heart start beating fast.

"They're being taken to" Pathro expression looked pale, fear all over his face "….The Dark Pyramid"

"Mumm-Ra" Lion-O hissed, "He must have captured them"

Adora felt her hand shaking, "That's bad right? That's bad?"

"That sounds bad," Scorpia nodded, "Don't know a lot of places that start off with Dark that are good, although I guess even the Fright Zone isn't very nice sounding name"

"It's a thousand bad things" Patnthro groaned eyes narrowing, "A place that even your worst nightmares couldn't comprehend, believe me, I know more than most"

Adora felt herself enter into a panic, the first few moments here and already Entrapta and Hordak were taken prisoner by the bad guys already and that they would have to rescue them. Last space journey they had some time to get to know their hosts before anything bad happened. Now it seemed that they were already in the thick of things.

"Don't worry you will get your friends back" Lion-O jumped into the fray already.

"We barley are holding our own here and now we're gonna go rescue some strangers" Tygra argued, looking at the others, "No offense, but we didn't necessarily prep for visitors"

Adora frowned, "Fine, then will do it ourselves, we've dealt with big threats before and we can do it again"

"Into Mumm-Ra pyramid" Panthro scoffed, "Good luck, that place is probably one of te most dangerous places on Third Earth, it has things there that…well…you don't wanna know"

"I've grown in places worse" Adora replied.

"The Fright Zone wasn't that bad," Scorpia argued.

Adroa frowned, looking around the room, "Where is Catra" she said again, feeling herself needing some air she rushed out the main room.

Taking a moment she tried to process everything that happened, so Entrapta stole a tank, went to free Darla only to get captured and probably end up in the worst place that this planet had to offer. Great, just great. Oh that really was the best thing that could happen right now. Already the rush of helping her friends and coming up with a plan was starting to come to her.

"Everything alright Adora"

Adora jumped as Marlena was standing behind her now looking worried.

"Oh Marle-Mom, h-how long have you been standing there"

"Not long"

Adora looked embarrassed, "Sorry"

"No need," Marlena smiled, "Need to talk?"

"Talk?" Adora breathing started shaking a bit, "What's there to talk about, we lost Entrapta and Hordak to the big bad of this world and we've been here less than a day, there is not much to talk to about!" she started shouting now.

Marlena gently smiled, "Breath Adora, please"

Adora blinked, not used to advice like this from someone older than her however she tried to get herself composed. She tried to get a better handle of herself. Once calm she felt her mind slowly get back together again.

"Sorry-"

"Again Adora, you don't need to apologize, trust me I've seen worse"

Adora gently smiled, "It's just once again I'm on a planet and stuff is already going wrong, why can't just I have a peaceful adventure for once. Sometimes i wish i didn't even go on these stupid adventures at all".

"Well while I don't want to everyone to get captured all the time I think that's just the life of adventure one chooses" Marlena replied, her voice calm, "Trust me, there were lots of other planets with all sorts of dangers"

"Yeah but we're fighting another bad guy again, I'm tired of fighting"

Marlena gave a faint frown, "I know, but will get your friends back, I promise, I'm sure will figure it out, we just need to think and plan"

"Yeah…Plan" Adora shook her head looking annoyed, "Ugh, where is Catra?"

Melog came in the hall there mane red.

"Melgo? What's Wrong?"

In a puff of smoke Orko appeared as well, he seemed quite worried, "Um, guys, we have a problem".

-000-

Catra saw nothing but darkness until her sight began to clear.

Catra

A familiar voice began to echo through her ear, a very unpleasant and harsh female voice.

Wake up child

Slowly Catra began to open her eyes and see the face of Shadow Weaver glaring right back at her.

WAKE UP INSOLENT CHILD YOU GOT YOURSELF CAPTURED

Catra jumped onto her feet, the image of Shadow Weaver was gone and instead was replaced by a dark exterior room. Looking around she found that she was in a small room and the only wall was covered by metal bars. So basically she was in a prison holding cell.

"Great" Catra frowned rubbing her forehead, "Great, I'm in a prison cell, just what I need, oh well, guess I can break out"

"Getting yourself captured…Sloppy work Catra" Shadow Weaver's voice echoed in her head.

"Shut up!"

Wasn't the first holding cell she'd be in nor would it be the last. By the looks of the place it didn't seems as well put together as Horde Prime's cells or even some of the stuff they had back in the Fright Zone. It almost primitive.

"You aren't going anywhere CAT!" another voice hissed from outside the cell.

From behind the cell doors a large green lizard began to approach, coming out of the shadows, a wicked grin on their face. Slythe if Catra remembered hearing correctly, one of the leaders of those lizards who attacked them. Catra merely glared at him, not about to show fear to a chump like him.

"Welcome to my little Prison Kitty" Slythe hissed still showing bravado, "Look how your mighty species has fallen, and now a runt like me is in charge"

Catra paused for a moment before laughing, "HA! Oh man, you actually think your scary. HA! HA! Please, the things i've seen, your like…On the bottom, also I'm not even from this planet so I really don't care about whatever personal vendettas or plan of vengeance you have"

"WHAT!" Slythe glared at him "You're a cat! Where else can you be from?"

"A little world called Etheria!" Catra responded leaning back, "So why not let me go and…"

"No can do" Slythe interjected again, "As far as I'm concerned you're a cat, and cats are probably all the same".

Catra rolled her eyes, "And what exactly is a cat to you"

"A smug arrogant creature who only knows how to destroy and conquer anyone that isn't a cat".

Catra flinched a bit at the idea of cats being good at conquering, considering she was very, VERY good at that back when she was still with the Horde. However she couldn't let that show, not now anyway.

"Well, I don't know what cats have done to you, but I didn't help, so please just let me go already, besides you don't seem like someone who has the moral high ground here".

"I don't care" Slythe hissed, "You will stay here unless my master says otherwise"

The lizard general turned and walked away.

"See you later cat"

Catra glared at him but sat back down, "Well that could have gone better"

Great so she was stuck in some sort of lizard prison, all because she had to get in the tank and help Entrapta and Hordak.

Suddenly her heart sank as she realized that the two weren't around, that means they were taken somewhere else as well, and what about Darla. Could they be stuck here now on this Third Earth. That was something that she really didn't want to think about at the moment. She needed to get out of here quickly too.

"Wonder what that lizard has against cats"

"Jealousy kid"

Catra blinked and poked her head outside her cell, "Hello?"

"Right kid"

Catra looked and saw another cell right next to hers, "Hey? Can't see you"

"Sorry kid, can't really see at the moment, just know I can help break us out of here if you want"

Catra raised an eyebrow "Oh really?"

"Let me ask, how dumb do you think these lizards are"

Catra mind suddenly went to Rogelio, "I've known some smart lizards in my time"

"Well, maybe from where you come from kid, but from where I'm from, they are as dumb as they come, so we can get out of here easily"

"If it's so easy then why are you still here?"

"Because these lizards are dumb, but they're a whole lot of them" The mystery cat replied, "So it'll sometimes you just get tired before you can make it to the exit. But you see kid, your young, your fierce and I think you can help me…Also that big lizard has it out for me personally".

"Why?" Catra asked.

"Don't worry about that kid, so, wanna help me break outta here"

Catra paused for a moment then smirked, "Sure, I'm in"

-000-

Lion-O leaned back against the wall, great first time getting visitors and already things were getting chaotic.

Rubbing his forehead he felt bad that already under his care his guests were being captured. It already added to the list of stresses that he was dealing with for being a king and a leader. Tygra was right, that they didn't really have the resources to mount a rescue on the Dark Pyramid itself, on the other hand, he couldn't just let people die because they wanted to rescue their ship.

Once again the pressures of being a leader and a king were starting to come to him again. He wondered how his father would handle this situation. Honestly he wondered how anyone else would as well, because sometimes he would handle things because right now there were no easy answers.

"You're kinging in your head again bro" Tygra muttered.

Lion-O ignored him as he paced around the room, "I don't want people to die"

"And we can't lose everything for some outsiders"

"Clearly Mumm-Ra wants them, that makes them our allies Tygra" Lion-O responded, getting annoyed, "Having more friends is going to get rid of him quicker then not"

"And throwing everything for a few is going to make us lose everything".

"Look you're both right" Cheetarah came in between them, "We just need to think of a way to balance it both.

Lion-O was quiet but he kept to himself for a moment.

"You know that when you fight again you're going to have to go up against her" Tygra said.

The two of them left the room now leaving Lion-O alone in the room to think.

"Um h-hello"

Lion-O turned around to see the one called Scorpia still sitting there looking a bit awkward.

"Oh um, sorry, j-just still sitting here" Scorpia waved looking a bit embarrassed.

"Sorry" Lion-O replied taking a deep breath, "Got caught up"

"Oh no worries, it must be hard being king and all, leading people, having all that responsibility built on you" Scorpia laughed nervously, "Boy would I not want to be in that position, and I'm a Princess so I hate to get that kinda promotion to king, or queen, ruler person"

"Wanna take over?" Lion-O smirked.

Scorpia blushed, "Oh nononononono, I'm not cut to ruling, I mean it's funny the Princesses want me to run my own Kingdom back home, can you believe?"

"You don't want to?"

"No, I don't think I'd be good, see where I come from the Kingdom I was born is, was…kinda messed up a bit" Scorpia tapped her claws nervously, "I'm not quite sure how, but no one wants my Kingdom back, which hey it's okay right"

Lion-O shook his head, "Hey, I hear yuh, a lot of people who aren't evil don't really want Thundera back either, let's just say us cats weren't really the best rulers in the world"

"Really? You seem like a great guy"

"Yeah, well, my ancestors didn't always do what was best for the other people of Third Earth" Lion-O looked down his head in shame, "Kinda had a bit of a stuck up nature to us"

Scorpia looked taken aback, "Huh, honestly I don't really know what my family was like, I didn't really get to know them, all they told me what they were like".

"Well, just don't let it define yuh"

Scorpia smiled at him.

Too bad Lion-O couldn't take his own advice.

Suddenly the doors to the room burst open as Adora came in looking in a panic.

"CATRA IS MISSING!"

-000-

Pumayra had done well to bring the clone to him

Mumm Ra was grateful to the ancients.

It was good to know that Cats were still natural conquerors, cruel and wicked in their own way. The instinct to dominate others, just as he ensured that they would function when he made them part of his great army. Pumayra was no exception for she had been leading his forces into victory again and again. Such a drive for vengeance made for great effect. She was a weapon he would wield.

Going through the clone's mind, he had learned much about, what a bizarre story, one of empire, war and even love. Some of his associates were interesting. Perhaps that cat Slythe captured may prove useful down the line, and of course there was the She-Ra. Oh how was that a enemy that he never thought he would ever get to face.

The First One's were a mighty empire once indeed, but with both them and Prime out of the way, nothing could stand against him and total domination of the universe. All shall fall under his power, and a new age of perfect evil shall finally begin.

Mumm-Ra looked into the cauldron, reviewing old memories of his war against Prime.

Oh how long ago it seemed when he had his rival for dominance of the universe. It was a shame that their war never truly ended in a decisive victory. Though perhaps it mattered not. For Mumm-Ra would take victory in one form or another regardless of the outcome.

For now only Mumm-Ra stood ready to retake the universe, once his pyramid was fully powered and the stones of power again in his hands. Only the Thundercats now were the last things standing between him and total domination of the universe.

With the clone in his possession he would move forward with the next phase of his plans. To unlock the secrets of Horde Prime and use it to make the army truly worthy of himself. Mumm-Ra wanted nothing more than the best, and the best would be his.

Victory for Mumm-Ra would be assured.

"MUMM-RA!"

Mumm-Ra looked up as the statues of the ancients glowed, "Y-Yes evil ones?" he could feel the dark presence growing around him.

"DO NOT GET OVERCONFIDENT IN VICTORY JUST YET! WITH THE ETHERIAN WARRIOR IN OUR MIDST! THAT ASSISTANT WE MENTIONED WILL BE REQUIRED!"

Mumm-Ra scoffed, "Masters, I command the largest army on Third Earth, and wield power you yourselves have bestowed upon me, I do not require…assistant"

"SILENCE! YOU WILL HEED US OR SUFFER!"

The ground around him began to shake for a moment showing the power of the Ancient Spirits of Evil. His masters, the ones who held life and death over him.

Mumm-Ra sighed and nodded, "Yes master…Bring these new allies, to me"

"GOOD! THE LEGACY OF PRIME AND THE FIRST ONE'S WILL BE STRUCK DOWN WITH ONE SWIFT STROKE!"