A New Battle

At the Tower of Omens, Snarf and his nephew were doing a maintenance check. They also got the communication system set up so they could be in contact with their friends and allies at Cats' Lair. Panthro and Lion-O were already talking to each other. They were going to have everyone assemble at the Tower of Omens so they could come up with a plan to infiltrate Sky-Tomb and free the captives.

At Sky-Tomb, the Lunataks were ready to let the prisoners go free. Now that their supply was full and Sky-Tomb was fully operational on its own, they no longer needed the manual labor. But Mumm-Ra told them to keep the prisoners as bait to lure the ThunderCats and the Children of Millennia into a trap. "The ThunderCats and the Children of Millennia have a foolish notion that all life is precious," Mumm-Ra informed the Lunataks. "Rest assured, they will come here and we will profit from their weaknesses."

Back at the Tower of Omens, all of the heroes had assembled and began working on a plan. "Before we can face the Lunataks, we will have to find a way to free the Brute-Men, the Wollos, and the Bolkins," said Mahad.

"You're right, Mahad," said Lion-O. "If we attack Sky-Tomb, we could injure a lot of innocent people."

"There's another problem," Kisara pointed out.

"Mumm-Ra," Freya said for her.

"The cousins are right," said Cheetara. "We may not have seen him around, but I know he is still around."

"There's one way to find out for certain," Lynx-O was saying. "You'll only know for sure that Mumm-Ra is still around when one of you actually sees him. But Cheetara and I don't have to see him to know he's alive." He spoke to Cheetara directly, telling her that they should go to the Black Pyramid.

"Don't go by yourselves," said Lion-O. "Take a few of the Children of Millennia with you."

"Allow me to accompany Lynx-O and Cheetara," Mahad volunteered.

"I want to help too," said Mana.

"Is that all right with you guys?" Lion-O asked Cheetara and Lynx-O. Seeing them nod, he says, "All right, Mana and Mahad. You'll go with them to the Black Pyramid. Bengali, you'll stay here."

"But, Lion-O, I'll miss all the action," the white tiger protested.

"We all have a part to play, Bengali," said Seto. His amulet glows as he continues, "Plus, Lion-O is the Lord of the ThunderCats and we must respect his decisions. If we were back home in Egypt and the pharaoh and queen gave us a command, would any of you object?" he asks his friends. They all answer, 'no' and shake their heads. "Exactly," the older brunette replied. "Besides, Joseph, Wilykit, and Wilykat are on duty back at Cats' Lair." He looks back at the white tiger. "If it will put you at ease, Bengali, I will stay here with you. The Tower of Omens is not fully operational yet and you may need help around here."

The white tiger managed to smile. "You're right, Seto. Thanks."

"The rest of us will travel to Dark Side and find Sky-Tomb," Lion-O declared. "Once we've freed the slaves, we'll deal with those miserable Lunataks."

"If we're going to do it, let's do it," said Panthro. So they all took off and headed for their own destinations.

Cheetara and Lynx-O rode on the Hovercat while Mana and Mahad rode on Kirara as they would follow them. When they came to the Black Pyramid, Lynx-O informed his friends that he couldn't sense an evil presence of any kind. Well, the only way they'll know for sure is by going inside.

Though Mana and Mahad had been inside the Black Pyramid before, they didn't take the common course. Last time, they just teleported inside by means of magic. Still, the place was too ominous even for their liking.

"I have the strangest feeling that for all its evil, this place has known great forces of good," said Lynx-O.

Mahad agreed. After all, good and evil cannot exist without each other. "It must have been in the mists of antiquity," he figured. "To my knowledge, the Black Pyramid has been Mumm-Ra's home for many eons."

Lynx-O felt something at his feet. He bent down and picked it up.

Mana looked at it and figured, "It looks like some kind of magic talisman or something."

Lynx-O felt it with his hands. "Strange, it does not feel as though it belongs in a place of evil," he mused.

When they came to the central chamber, they still couldn't sense Mumm-Ra's presence. Suddenly, Ma-Mutt appeared and attacked. The talisman in Lynx-O's hand started shining, giving off some kind of power. Its light began driving Ma-Mutt away and it even transported the heroes outside the Black Pyramid.

"What just happened?" Mana asked.

"I do not know," Mahad answered. He looked at the talisman in Lynx-O's hand. "I think that the talisman that Lynx-O picked up has some kind of life force."

The old lynx agreed. "I believe you are right, Mahad. It must be a force that fights off evil."

"You'd best hold on to it, Lynx-O," Mana suggested. "It could prove helpful to us."

"Yes, Mana, you might be right," Lynx-O said, tucking the talisman in his pocket.

With the airworthy vehicles being used, Lion-O and his team had to drive the ThunderTank through the Forest of Mists. Panthro turned on the fog lamps, hoping they would work. Sure enough, the fog lamps were working. They were making their way through the Forest of Mists just fine.

When they all made it through, they got out of the ThunderTank. "We'll cover more ground if we split up," said Lion-O. "We'll meet back here in two hours." So Lion-O, Tygra, Panthro, Kisara, Freya, Pumyra, and Jirachi all went in different directions.

Sky-Tomb wasn't picking up any signs of life out in Dark Side, but Mumm-Ra knew that the ThunderCats and the Children of Millennia were here. There was no point in arguing, so Luna commanded her own cohorts to spread out and find their unwelcome guests.

In one part of Dark Side, Red-Eye managed to spot Tygra. He took out a sensor disc and tossed it like a Frisbee, trying to attack the tiger. Tygra fell, but recovered his coordination and landed on his feet unhurt. "Looking for me, ThunderCat?" Red-Eye asked, laughing.

Tygra took out his bolo whip. "Now you see me, now you don't," he says, turning invisible.

But Red-Eye was able to see Tygra using the heat sensors in his eyes. He could detect the tiger by sensing his body heat. Red-Eye shot fire from his disc, engulfing the tiger in flames. "You came to find Sky-Tomb, ThunderCat? I'll take you there." And he began carrying Tygra away.

Panthro wasn't faring any better. He was contending with Alluro. "You won't be needing the ThunderTank where you're going," Alluro told Panthro.

The panther readied himself with his nunchucks. "Are you going to go the easy way or the painful way?"

Alluro took out his club. "Put those toys away. You don't stand a chance." He releases the sphere and it begins glowing above Panthro. "No one stands a chance against me. There's no point in fighting."

Panthro felt himself succumbing to Alluro's spell. "I don't understand it, but there's nothing I can do," he told himself, as though he were in a trance.

"I'm better than you, stronger than you," said Alluro. "Give up." Alluro grabbed the nunchucks and snared Pantrho with them. He then began driving the ThunderTank back to Sky-Tomb with Panthro as his prisoner.

As for Pumyra, she managed to get closer to Sky-Tomb than the others, but before she could get there, she had to face Chilla. Chilla managed to get the ice off of her after her attack was redirected at her. Chilla exhaled her icy breath at Pumyra, but the puma woman was too fast. She managed to get away for a bit, but with the right timing, Chilla managed to trap the puma woman in ice.

Lion-O and Jirachi stopped as the Sword of Omens gave off its warning signal. The lion placed the hilt of the Sword close to his eyes. "Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight." He saw the ThunderCats trapped inside Sky-Tomb. But Kisara and Freya weren't with them, meaning they hadn't been captured yet – or so he thought. TugMug managed to surprise the cousins and Sakuya and bring them inside Sky-Tomb. Lion-O had to help his friends. He raised the Sword of Omens in the air, but before he could send out the signal, he heard a cry for help. He and Jirachi followed the sound of the distressed cry and came across a small old woman lying down on the ground.

"It's a poor old lady," said Jirachi, "but she looks familiar." If only he and Lion-O recognized that it was Luna, the leader of the Lunataks. Suddenly, Amok appeared from behind Lion-O and began squeezing him. Lion-O tried to fight him off, but his strength gave out.

"No, Lion-O," Jirachi cried.

"Don't worry, little monster," Luna told him. "You'll be joining him."

"Who are you?" Jirachi asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"Silence," she snapped. "You need only know that I am Luna – the leader of the Lunataks."

"Luna," Jirachi echoed. "I have a friend back home whose name is also Luna and she's a lot nicer than you."

"Silence, I said," Luna shrieked, striking Jirachi with her staff. "Now be a good boy and come with us." And Amok grabs Jirachi as well. "Good boy, Amok. What would I do without you? Now, back to Sky-Tomb as quickly as you can."

Amok chuckled as he lifted Luna and perched her on his shoulders and began returning to Sky-Tomb with Lion-O and Jirachi in his grip.

While driving the Hovercat, Cheetara sensed that the others in Dark Side were in danger and needed help. "Lion-O and the others are in danger," she alerted her friends. "I can feel it."

"Then let's call the others back at Cats' Lair and the Tower of Omens," said Mana.

"There's no time, Mana," the cheetah woman argued. "Besides, no one can pass through the Forest of Mists until Panthro has fitted all of our vehicles with special fog lamps and only Lynx-O can navigate us through to Dark Side."

He wouldn't be able to this time. The old lynx didn't have his braille board with him. As such, the heroes were just going to have to chance it. They would take it slow, letting Lynx-O guide their way through the sounds and scents in the darkness.

Inside Sky-Tomb, Luna was pleased to see that she and her comrades succeeded in capturing their uninvited guests. "You see how well we work together? Teamwork is what counts."

Alluro laughed. "Teamwork had nothing to do with this, Luna. The ThunderCats and the two daughters of Millennia were no match for us."

"They are primitives, like the mutants," Red-Eye growled.

"And hampered by outdated notions of justice, truth, honor, and loyalty," Chilla hissed.

"They are worthless," said TugMug.

"And you are overconfident, conceited fools," Luna scolded.

That was when Mumm-Ra appeared, agreeing with her. "Do not underestimate the ThunderCats or any of the Children of Millennia. After all, you've only captured a few of them. There are still five more ThunderCats and six more Children of Millennia out there."

Finally, Cheetara, Lynx-O, Mana, and Mahad made it through the Forest of Mists. They had some close calls, but they made it through unharmed. Now they could penetrate Sky-Tomb. They charged in, ready to help their friends.

Lion-O finally came to and saw his friends getting ready to fight the Lunataks while some of the others were trapped. He saw that he was bound in chains and that the Sword of Omens was missing. There was one thing to do. "Sword of Omens, come to my hand!"

The Sword of Omens heard his command and flew in through the wall of Sky-Tomb and into his hand. Lion-O broke the chains, freeing himself, and he raised the Sword of Omens in the air. "Thunder, thunder, thunder. ThunderCats, ho!" The signal was sent out and the great roar was heard, giving his comrades the strength they needed to free themselves from their prisons and join in on the battle.

"No," Mumm-Ra shouted. "You cannot escape!"

"Take a look at yourself, Mumm-Ra," Lion-O was saying, "the reflection you cannot face." He held up the mirror shield, showing Mumm-Ra's reflection.

But this time, the mummy was not afraid of his reflection. It did not show him his true form as a simple mummy. It showed the reflection of Mumm-Ra in his supreme form. "When the ancient spirits revived my power, they made me even more powerful than before. Your mirror shield is useless to you now. And my reflection means nothing to me now!" He forced it out of Lion-O's grip and began attacking the heroes with his magic.

"And now," continued Mumm-Ra, "nothing stands between you and total destruction!"

Lynx-O took out the talisman he kept. "Your evil will never destroy the ThunderCats or the Children of Millennia, Mumm-Ra." Its light began driving him away. Frightened, Mumm-Ra fled from Sky-Tomb.

"That talisman is more powerful than Mumm-Ra," gasped Alluro.

"Whoever has it will defeat Mumm-Ra," said Chilla.

"And control Third Earth," TugMug added.

Red-Eye demanded Lynx-O to hand over the talisman. Soon all of the Lunataks began demanding the talisman. Lynx-O didn't refuse. But instead of handing it over, he tossed the talisman outside. This was the heroes' chance to escape while the Lunataks were bickering and squabbling like spoiled brats. They got out of Sky Tomb and hurried into the ThunderTank and Hovercat and began escaping from Dark Side.

Back at the Tower of Omens, all of the ThunderCats and all of the Children of Millennia – minus the pharaoh and queen were assembled. "That was our closest call yet," said Freya.

"It seems that whatever we can do, the Lunataks can do better," said Tygra.

"I don't think so, Tygra," said Mahad. "They certainly can't work together like a team the way we can."

"It's too bad that we missed all the action," Joseph was saying, "being stuck on duty at Cats' Lair." The ThunderKittens agreed.

"Bengali and I know how you all feel," said Seto. "But Mahad is right. Being a team, that's our strength. It's a strength we have that the Lunataks don't." And his amulet starts glowing.

"And everyone in the team has a part to play," Kisara was saying, "whether it's guarding Cats' Lair, manning the Tower of Omens, or fighting dangerous villains and monsters."

"Let's not forget, Atem and Mystery had to miss out on everything too," Lion-O reminded everybody. "Although, we should return to Egypt to let them know what's been going on. They'll want to hear everything."

Pumyra agreed. "Thank Jaga the Lunataks haven't learned how to work together.

"And I hope they never do," said Joseph.

"You never know, Joseph," said Lion-O. "The Lunataks aren't like the mutants. But whatever happens, we'll be prepared."

Together, they raise their fists in the air and cheer, "ThunderCats, Children of Millennia, ho!"