1. Stableholm Syndrome

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Though the dawn had broken, you wouldn't know it. The sky was as black as ever.

Mozenrath's first action that morning was to enter the crystal room and look at his new prize. Twilight remained frozen exactly as he'd left her the night before, staring out of the Crystal with those terrified eyes.

He contemplated her for a moment, then said quite clearly, "Ixtabor."

Blinding blue light filled the room once more. When it cleared, Twilight stood outside the Crystal, swaying off balance.

"You're just not as fun when you're frozen," Mozenrath admitted.

"You…" Twilight said coldly, turning to face him. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FRIENDS?"

"Wished them to the Netherworld," Mozenrath answered casually. "You have to admit, they were getting in my way. They're probably meeting up with a fate worse than death in…well, actually, that probably happened yesterday."

"HOW COULD YOU?" Twilight cried, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Easy," Mozenrath replied. "I don't have a conscience. That's actually a goal I worked hard to achieve."

"They're all gone," Twilight said to herself. "After all this time…my best friends…gone…it was all for nothing." Now the tears came harder, faster. "YOUR OWN BROTHER!" she screamed.

"Did you think I actually cared about what happened to him?" Mozenrath responded.

"Why," Twilight said softly. "Why…did you let me out?"

"I thought I told you. You're no fun frozen. Besides, I don't have any projects I need you for yet. I can just sit back and rule the parts of the world I still have from here. Maybe I'll need your magic later. I'll put you back in the Crystal then. Until then, I wouldn't try to escape. I do have a very large army of the shambling undead waiting to stop anyone from getting in…or out."

"It doesn't matter," Twilight sobbed. "I don't have anywhere I can go! Not without my friends! Not alone!" She fell to her knees, her head in her hands. There she cried without another word.

Mozenrath left the room feeling rather uncomfortable, though he couldn't put his finger on why.

Immediately, Jafar materialized before him. "Have you gone MAD?" he screeched, grabbing Mozenrath by the front of his shirt and shaking him roughly. "Why did you release her?"

"Relax." Mozenrath gently, purposefully brushed Jafar's hands away from him. "Even she knows she's useless alone. How did you know, anyway?"

"I've been keeping a close eye on you."

"I'm flattered."

"Your fascination with your little rivalry may very well be your undoing," Jafar warned.

"I know what I'm doing!" Mozenrath snapped.

"The only ones who will go far," Jafar told him, "are those who do not let bonds weigh them down. I fear your bond with the girl will prevent you from becoming one of them."

"I can't have a little fun?"

"Is this what you always do with your enemies?"

"I'll admit, I tend to have a special relationship with the ones I hate," Mozenrath said honestly but not embarrassedly. "It pains me a little to know that I probably won't be the one who did Aladdin in personally. But I did send him to his doom—"

"I sent him to his doom at your request. Do not forget that."

"—and that's close enough," Mozenrath finished.

"Watch where you tread," Jafar told him, and it sounded like a threat.

---

Later, Mozenrath pored over his notes. He had laid upon his laboratory table a thick, wide blue codex in which he kept all of his sketches, plans, and observations. He'd turned to a page upon which were sketched several circles with labels and descriptions. Jafar was somewhere else in the fortress, probably in one of the reading rooms.

Mozenrath sighed. Something was bothering him, and he wasn't sure exactly what. He turned to Xerxes, who was hovering over his shoulder as usual. "What's wrong with me?" he asked in frustration.

"Lonely?" Xerxes suggested.

"Please," Mozenrath scoffed. "You know me better than that."

Xerxes didn't reply. Obviously he was convinced that his guess still had merit.

Mozenrath got up from the table. "I might as well torment my newly defeated rival," he muttered.

She was still there in the crystal room, kneeling on the floor. She seemed to have stopped crying, though. Twilight had simply run out of tears.

"Are you really going to just sit there all day?" Mozenrath asked.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Twilight snapped, looking up at him.

"I need your help," Mozenrath stated.

"What, you want me to get back in the Crystal so you can use my magic for some kind of…bomb of destruction?"

"No. This is actually something I need you to be able to talk for."

"I'm not going to help you take over anything else!"

"I don't need to do that right now!" Mozenrath snapped.

Twilight gave a groan as she stood. "I guess I have nothing better to do," she grumbled.

"Come with me," Mozenrath ordered, and she followed him reluctantly. It constantly occurred to her that he was now all she had unless she could somehow get out of the fortress and back to Agrabah…but how could she face that city without its benevolent royalty at her side? And how could she board the Starlight and sail anywhere, even Fourth Equestria, without her best friends, those she considered her sisters, at her side? She couldn't. So she followed.

"I know you're not from this world," Mozenrath said as they walked. "It's fairly obvious. What I need to know is where you're from."

"So you can take it over?"

"Not yet. Why do you keep assuming the worst of me?"

"Because it's the kind of person you are."

"Good. Then I've become exactly what I wanted. I'll chalk up a victory on that."

He led her back into the laboratory, where the sketchbook lay open on the table. He levitated a second chair from across the room, setting it next to his own at the desk. Then he took his place on his seat. Twilight just stared at the other chair.

"Well?" Mozenrath stared at her meaningfully.

"Really?" Twilight replied.

"I decide to be nice to you, and you're actually going to pass it up?"

"I don't have to sit where I don't want," Twilight asserted.

"Fine. Doesn't matter to me." Mozenrath put his feet up on the other chair, crossing his ankles and reclining on the first chair. "So tell me about where you're from."

"Why?"

He tapped the sketchbook. "For the sake of completion."

Twilight peered over at the book. The pages were open to what seemed to be a rudimentary map of the cosmos…very rudimentary. Only a few worlds were sketched out. Still, she could tell what Mozenrath was trying to do: compile all the worlds of which he knew the existence.

"That's pretty impressive," she said at last.

"I know."

"You are missing mine."

"I thought so. So, are you going to tell me, or are you going to break down and cry again? Because if you're going to do that, I'm going to have to ask you not to do it in here. I'm trying to work in here, after all."

"How are you so trusting that I won't just attack you with magic?" Twilight asked. "After all, I have nothing to lose anymore. How do you know I'm not the kind of pony that would snap?"

"You are the kind that would snap," Mozenrath told her. "You're like me in a lot of ways, I think. Don't you?"

"No comment."

"Anyway, you're in no mood to blast anyone. I can tell. You don't have that…spark of madness it takes to go over the edge. That comes with something different. Say, your perfectly cobbled plan had an adze thrown into the works. Right now, you're just depressed. You don't even know what to do with yourself. So you might as well help me out, don't you think?"

Twilight sighed. She was silent for quite a while. Mozenrath rested his elbow on the table, his chin in his palm, and he watched her while she contemplated her situation. At last, he broke the silence: "You called yourself a pony. Don't think I missed that."

"I'm usually not a human," Twilight admitted. "Not where I come from, anyway. According to my Guide, I'm probably going to stay a human as long as I go to territories where humans are the dominant sentient species. But back home, I'm different. I'm a unicorn."

"Interesting," Mozenrath broke in. "You know, if I could pick anything to be besides a human, it would be a unicorn. Very magical, after all."

"You'd probably turn into one if you went to my world. Not that I want you to."

"I couldn't get there if I wanted to."

"Good," Twilight snapped. Then, wistfully: "I miss it. Equestria, I mean. The Guide said it was called Fourth Equestria, so I guess there are three more Equestrias out there. The place I knew…there weren't humans there. We're all ponies. There are unicorns like me, pegasi like Rainbow Dash, earth ponies—those are the ones without horns or wings—like Pinkie Pie, and alicorns, unicorns with wings, like Princess Celestia. Celestia…I don't want to know what she'd think if she saw me now."

"A friend of yours?"

"Yes. My teacher. My mentor. The ruler of our land."

"Strike what I said earlier," Mozenrath contemplated out loud. "I wouldn't want to be a unicorn. Being an alicorn sounds much more…empowering. Now go on. It's a monarchy, is it?"

"We have two princesses that rule," Twilight continued. "Celestia raises the sun and rules the day. Her sister Luna takes over at night and raises the moon. Luna…was the first enemy I ever fought with my friends. She called herself Nightmare Moon. We used the Elements of Harmony on her, and she changed from the evil Mare in the Moon back to the sister Celestia loved." She glared at Mozenrath. "Although if we used the Elements on you, you'd probably stay just as rotten as ever."

"And proud of it!" Mozenrath grinned cheekily.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Twilight said hastily.

"That's fine." Mozenrath reached over to his sketchbook, taking it up into his arms. He dipped a griffon feather quill into a pot of ink and began drawing, indifferent to Twilight's presence. She watched him. Then he stopped to admire his work before putting the book back on the table.

"You know," Twilight said, "you've done some impressive writing. I looked around here the first time we ever came into this lab."

"She speaks," Mozenrath teased. "I thought you were going into the part of the conversation where you hate me silently."

"I'm trying to make the best of this, okay?" A memory surfaced in Twilight's mind. "Fluttershy once said…sometimes we all need to be shown a little kindness. I don't think you deserve it, seeing as you sent her to the Netherworld without a second thought, but I guess I could at least respect you."

"I'll take it."

"Can I…can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead. I can't guarantee I'll answer."

Twilight swallowed hard. "You…you have a lot of worlds drawn there," she said. "I want to know…how much do you know about the cosmos? What do you already know?"

"Well!" He took his feet off the second chair, straightening up in his seat before taking the book and pushing it slightly toward her. "I've collected a few bits of information here and there, and while this is nowhere near what I suspect is the real scope of things, I've found quite a few different worlds through hearsay."

Twilight walked up to the table, still not sitting, and looked at the sketch. The ink was still drying on one large circle labeled "Fourth Equestria—populated by ponies. Two princesses for day and night. Matriarchy? Elements of Harmony. 'Nightmare Moon'—has own moon." Three smaller circles surrounded it: "First Equestria—populated by ponies?" "Second Equestria—populated by ponies?" "Third Equestria—populated by ponies?"

"You see," Mozenrath began, putting his right index finger on the largest sphere, the one marked "The Seven Deserts" with several notes, "this is my world. This is where we are now. This is what I currently rule with the exception of six certain lands."

"If you're expecting me to apologize—"

"I'm actually not. You put up a good fight. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Well, I would have wanted to win, but better I lose to the likes of you and Aladdin than anyone less competent. Anyway, you've pretty much been all over this world by now. You know what it's like. I shouldn't have to explain it. Anyway, there are plenty of mortal worlds like yours and mine floating around there. Every once in a while, a couple of them slam together. There's a gate, if you will. Located in this world, there's one gate that leads to another mortal world that happens to be in an entirely different state of technological advancement than ours. That world—" he moved his finger to the adjacent sphere "—is what I like to call Olympic Greece. Well, it's bigger than just Greece, but it isn't our Greece. The gods get more involved in mortal business there. Aladdin's been through that gate, and so have I, but at different times, and for different reasons."

"What was your reason?" Twilight asked.

"I just did what I had to do to save my life," Mozenrath answered, "and that's all you get."

"Fair enough. I'd probably be disgusted with the real story anyway."

"You probably would. Anyway, it's a completely different planet, only accessible through that gate. But as far as I know, that gate has never disappeared. Strange, don't you think? Anyway, that's the world where you can find Mount Olympus, which may or may not be a separate planar entity." He pointed to a small ellipse he'd drawn over the Olympic Greece sphere and labeled "Mount Olympus." "This would be the home of one certain pantheon of gods. Zeus, Hera…you're familiar?"

"I've read about them."

"Good. Saves me a lot of trouble explaining. Now, to continue with that, this is also the closest mortal world to the Underworld." He pointed to a different circle beneath Olympic Greece. "That's where you'll find all the Chthonic gods. Hel, Osiris, you get the picture. Oh, and Hades. He has a bit of a place of honor down there."

"I know about the Underworld," Twilight interrupted. "I've read all about it. In fact, Cerberus once found his way out of Tartarus and into my world."

"Interesting!" Mozenrath cried, taken aback. "So there's a gate from the Underworld to Fourth Equestria. Who would have thought…a world of ponies connected directly to an empire of death!"

"It surprised me too," Twilight said, smiling at the memory. "Luckily, Pinkie had a rubber ball stashed away, so we led him back to the gates of Tartarus before any disasters could happen."

"You're making this up."

"It's true!"

Mozenrath gave a small laugh. "I can see it, now that you mention it. You and the hellhound. Now, Pinkie Pie is the one with the cannon, if I'm not mistaken?"

"You got it."

"Figures she'd be the one to pull out a dog toy for a hellhound, of all things."

"That's kinda how she works." Twilight's smile faded as she remembered that Pinkie was in the realm of the living no more.

"Moving on," Mozenrath continued, "the Netherworld is a sub-entity of the Underworld. Sort of like an alternate plane in the same physical space as the living world. I'm not entirely sure how it works yet, but trust me, I'll figure it out. Then there's the Realm of Darkness." He pointed to another circle. "It contains the Shadow Country, the resting place for the El-Khatib, and a little patch of sinking sand that I adapted for my own use. I must say, it's been quite useful for disposing of prisoners. Of course, that was before Aladdin broke them all out, but I should have expected that from him. He always wins." Mozenrath clenched his right fist. "Always."

"You're jealous," Twilight realized.

"Why should I be? I'm more powerful than him. He just got lucky."

"It was just a guess." Twilight knew inwardly that she'd hit upon a nerve.

"I'd like to figure out more about the Realm of Darkness," Mozenrath admitted. "After all, most if not all of my magic falls under the dark arts. The power that must be there…but that's for another day." The next circle was at the top of the page. "Then there's Morbus. That's where Mirage, the resident goddess of evil, lives. She likes to come down to torment this world every once in a while."

"I've heard of her," Twilight admitted. "She's the one that let the fire-cats overrun Agrabah."

"Yes." Mozenrath contemplated that. "You're intelligent, right? Well-read?"

"I like to think so."

"What are Echthroi?" he asked sincerely.

"Echthroi?" Twilight repeated. "Well, 'Echthros' is an old word. It basically means 'enemy.' All the sources I've ever found on the term just say that Echthroi are powerful evil beings that can only be defeated with 'weapons of the heart.'"

"That makes sense." Mozenrath turned to look up and face Twilight. "Mirage struck a deal with me, you know. She brought Jafar and me together in exchange for me letting her 'Echthroi' have the run of Agrabah."

"The fire-cats are Echthroi," Twilight realized. "Courage is a weapon of the heart! It makes sense!" Then Mozenrath's words sank in. "Wait. Mirage gave you Jafar's lamp?"

"I'm not one to look a gift camel in the mouth."

"Mirage sounds like one of the Old Ones," Twilight said. "The great immortal evils we've been trying to stand against. This was all her plan! This might all be connected to the Angel of Darkness!"

"The who now?"

"My friends and I were on this journey because Celestia said someone called the Angel of Darkness was going to rouse the Old Ones and bring an age of disharmony and chaos," Twilight explained quickly. "Well, that's as short as I can make the story, anyway. That's why we're here."

"Jafar keeps talking about a new order," Mozenrath told her. "He also keeps bringing up these people, these 'Overtakers,' who are going to be important to it. I'm betting there's no coincidence there."

"Overtakers," Twilight repeated. "I'll remember that."

Now Mozenrath was back to the map. "Morbus is a strange world. All I really know is that Mirage is there, and that seems like enough to know. Now, there was a rather strange incident a while back that led me to my next discovery. First of all, tell me…would a spirit of pure chaos count as one of your Old Ones?"

"YES!" Twilight cried. "You didn't come across any research about a draconequus, did you?"

"A part-dragon, part-equine, part-chimera?" Mozenrath reiterated. "No. Think more of a…cat with wings."

"Oh. I thought…never mind."

"This cat, this 'Chaos,' seems to call Morbus home at least part-time. Some time ago, he came to the Seven Deserts in an attempt to spread, well, chaos. According to hearsay, he was particularly intrigued to hear that Aladdin always won, no matter what…and, as established, he always does. Chaos decided to make things interesting by bringing in an evil Aladdin, one that was opposite from the one we know in every way. Now, I wish THAT one could have stuck around. He was probably more tolerable."

"You wouldn't have been able to taunt him," Twilight pointed out.

Mozenrath pointed at her, slightly stunned. "True," he agreed. "Very true. Anyway, while it is probably possible for an 'Old One,' as you put it, to create new life spontaneously, it's not likely that he would have been able to just pull an exact negative duplicate of Aladdin out of thin air in the time span of a day. No…I'm sure he had to have gotten the evil Aladdin from somewhere. Somewhere that everything is opposite. An evil Aladdin. A weak Jasmine. A version of me that isn't incomparably wonderful in every field."

Twilight had to force back a laugh at that last statement.

"That's why I made this." Mozenrath turned the page to reveal another map, this one done on parchment that had been dyed completely black before the circles were drawn on in white ink. It mirrored the other map in every way but the Equestrias and the Underworld. "My theory is that out there, there are worlds where everything is opposite from what we know. An exact negative. For now, I'm terming this the 'Negaverse.' It at least includes the Seven Deserts, but probably everything else." He turned back to the first map. "And that's what I know."

"You missed Avalon," Twilight pointed out.

"I missed what?"

"It's like a hub," Twilight explained. "A magical island that works as a centerpoint for the other worlds. The mists take you where you need to go. That's…what we used to get here. The mists."

"Interesting." Mozenrath sketched in another sphere labeled "Avalon—magic mists take you where you need to go." "You know," he said, "there is one more thing that continues to confuse me." He turned the pages of the book until he reached a sketch of what appeared to be a large key with a square head and teeth with a crown-shaped cutaway. "Have you ever seen anything like this? About the size of a sword, but a little longer."

"No," Twilight admitted. "What does that have to do with the cosmos?"

"I don't even know," Mozenrath admitted cryptically before shutting the sketchbook. "Well, there goes that idea."

"I have another question."

"And that is?"

"How did you become…this…anyway?" Twilight inquired. "This whole powerful sorcerer thing."

"I always wanted to be the villain," Mozenrath admitted without shame. "After my mother died and my father ungraciously abandoned me, I decided to make my own fate. I came here. What have you heard of Destane?"

"A tyrannical sorcerer that ruled this land. Apparently one of your undead now?"

"Exactly. He was like a father to me, you know."

"I've seen how you treat your father," Twilight told Mozenrath. "And…he told me how he treated you. If you say Destane was like a father, I'm almost inclined to think he was even worse than you."

"He wasn't a lax disciplinarian for sure," Mozenrath admitted. "If I learned one thing from him, it was low tolerance for mistakes."

"Did he…did he hurt you?"

"Not in any way that didn't heal."

"Are you sure?"

"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight." Mozenrath shook his head. "Are you trying to psychoanalyze me? Do you think I'm evil because I'm broken?"

"No," Twilight admitted. "I think you're evil because you like the glamour of it. And in a weird way, I understand that. But that doesn't mean you can't be broken at the same time."

"Destane hurt me," Mozenrath said casually, "but in the end, he got his. And that's all I care about. I'm guessing your experience with Celestia was a more pleasant affair."

"She's always been tolerant of my mistakes," Twilight replied, "even when they're bad. I once managed to get all of Ponyville in terrible danger by casting a glamour spell on one of my old toys. I was just trying to start a little fight so I would have a problem to solve—you see, I wrote to Celestia every week to tell her what I learned about friendship, but I didn't have anything to say that week—but everyone in Ponyville ended up attracted to that stupid doll, and it took Celestia herself to remove the spell and break it up! I was sure she'd send me back to Magic Kindergarten, but she didn't. She forgave me."

Mozenrath's jaw had dropped. "What?" Twilight barked.

Mozenrath replied by bursting into laughter. "And here I was thinking you were some sort of goody-two-shoes!" he guffawed. "Glamour spells? Starting fights so you could fix them?"

"I was on a deadline! I couldn't miss that!"

"You and I are more alike than I thought!"

"I know, okay? Everypony else pointed it out! Now will you quit laughing?"

That shut Mozenrath up, but he still had a large smile on his face. After a moment, he couldn't hold back the laughter, and he started it up again, covering his mouth with his gauntleted hand.

Twilight groaned. "Great. Just what I needed."

"I knew you were interesting, you know," Mozenrath said when he finally stopped laughing. "You…the Element of Magic. That's why Celestia took you on, right?"

"Sort of," Twilight answered. "I found out I was the Element of Magic after many years of studying magic with Celestia. All my friends and I figured out we were the Elements of Harmony after our first battle with Nightmare Moon. That's when we got these." She touched her amulet. "They're the same as our Cutie Marks."

"Your what now?"

Slightly embarrassed that she'd let another detail about her world slip, Twilight rolled up her sleeve, showing off the arm with the pink starburst on it. "Cutie Marks," she repeated. "Everypony gets them when we figure out our special talent. Magic is mine. When we're ponies, they show up on our flanks, not our arms."

"I'm guessing you're glad that you don't have to show me your 'flank,' aren't you?"

At that remark, Twilight blushed in embarrassment and anger. She bit her lip to keep from bursting out yelling.

"Right, right," Mozenrath realized. "That crossed a line. I get it."

"So NOW you care about crossing lines? It's a bit late for that, don't you think?"

"Actually, yes. I'm disappointed in myself that I care, but I'd rather not cut this conversation shorter than it has to be." He shrugged. "Call it one of life's mysteries."

"Maybe you're finally realizing that you're lonely without real friends here, and you're just desperate to talk to someone. Maybe…" Twilight made a guess. "Maybe that's why you taunt all your enemies so hard!"

"Why does everyone keep saying I'm lonely?" Mozenrath groaned. "You and Xerxes! I don't GET lonely! I have all the power I could ever want, more servants than most of the sultans in the Seven Deserts, and…I have friends!"

"Name one."

"Xerxes."

"Pets don't count."

"He talks. I gave him that power myself."

"Because you were lonely!"

"I don't get LONELY!"

"Any other friends besides the flying eel?" Twilight teased.

"Jafar," Mozenrath answered. "Obviously."

"Fair enough." Without realizing what she was doing, Twilight settled herself into the second chair. "As long as we're talking, what's with that gauntlet?"

"This?" Mozenrath held out his right arm. "This is the source of my power. Unlike my brother, I actually worked for it. It was the usual business with powerful magical artifacts…hidden in a heavily guarded cavern, covered in protective enchantments, you know the routine. I knew the price that came with it, but it's worth it."

"And that price is?"

"My life."

"Huh?"

He spoke as though he was relating something trivial. "Every use I make of the gauntlet drains my life force. I've found some other ways to extend my life past the point where I should have died, but the gauntlet still takes what it wants. Eventually it will wear me down unless I think of a way to outwit it. And I will think of a way to outwit it."

"Why would you sacrifice your life for power?" Twilight asked in horror. "What if you can't beat it?"

"I can. I will. And if I don't, I'll know it was worth it." He gave her his trademark smirk. "You know, I hear that unicorn blood can extend a lifespan—"

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"

"You're right," he admitted. "I wouldn't. After all, we're having too much fun here."

"You're serious," Twilight realized. "You don't want to destroy me."

"Not at the moment."

"Did you ever?"

"I considered it. It wasn't appealing." A thought occurred to him. "You were the one that saved me from the Al-Muddy, weren't you?"

"I didn't want your blood on my hooves."

"It wouldn't have been. It would have been on the mud creature's."

"I don't want to watch anyone die, okay?" Her voice cracked.

"Better look away, then," Mozenrath teased. "After all, the gauntlet's still working on me. I could show you, if you needed proof."

This peaked Twilight's interest. "Show me…what?"

He reached out with his left hand, peeling the gauntlet away from his right. Twilight gasped to see the fleshless bones of his hand and forearm underneath. "It's not as bad as it looks," Mozenrath assured her. "It still functions like an ordinary hand."

"But can you feel anything with it?" Twilight asked.

"No. Then again, I always have it covered anyway."

"I see why Cassim wanted to give you a second chance with—"

"That wasn't what I wanted, and you should know that!"

"Have you ever thought that for once in your life, there might be something more important than power?"

"Only recently" was Mozenrath's sharp answer.

"Care to explain?" Twilight asked.

"No. It's something I could have alongside power anyway. I wouldn't have to choose."

Twilight curiously put out her own right hand. "Do you…do you mind if I…"

At first, Mozenrath couldn't believe what she was asking. Then he replied, with a grin, "Why not?" He extended his skeletal arm toward her.

She took his right hand in her own, bringing her left hand around as well. She turned his hand over, examining every finger, the working of the human skeleton that she had never seen before. When she was through, she let go. "I'm sorry," she said.

"I don't want your pity," Mozenrath snapped.

"That's right," Twilight remembered. "Sorry for being sorry."

"You're forgiven. I'm guessing that being the Element of Magic doesn't drain anything from you."

"You'd be surprised," Twilight replied. "This isn't the first time I thought I lost the other Elements for good, but I don't think I'll find them again as easily as last time. You see, we've become like family. The six of us together…that's the real magic. We might have started out as being forced to fight evil together, but since then, we've turned into more. We've turned into family. And they'll always stay in my heart."

"You really are useless without them," Mozenrath realized.

"Took you long enough to figure out."

"They seemed like worthy opponents, too. I almost miss them."

"Are you saying that sending them to die was a mistake?"

"I did not send them to die. I sent them to a place where it was very likely that they would die. There's a difference."

Twilight understood. "You think they're still alive."

"The way my luck runs? I know it."

"They'll probably come back to get me."

"I'll be waiting."

"You're not going to use your third wish to destroy them some other way?"

"I already know what my third wish is going to be," Mozenrath snapped, "and nothing is going to change that."

"So, what is it? To be the most powerful sorcerer in the world?"

"I already have that. I'm not telling you what my third wish will be. It's not your business. I'm already a one-man Age of Sorcery."

"I keep hearing that term." Twilight changed the subject. "What is the Age of Sorcery?"

"There was a time when sorcerers ruled this world with dark magic," Mozenrath explained. "Jafar and Destane were the last remnants. I've traced the steps of all of them. The Witches of the Sand, whose empire once stood where Agrabah now is."

"Sadira's one of them now. She says she knows you."

"Sadira…there's a name I haven't heard in years."

"You were friends?"

"The closest thing I had to a friend back then," Mozenrath said gruffly. "She doesn't matter anymore."

"You sure about that?"

"Incredibly sure."

"Okay then…"

"There was Shamash," Mozenrath went on with the list. "He controlled his own personal sun. I found it once. I had it for a day, but Aladdin took it from me. There were the sorcerers of the Black Viper, who harnessed one of the gates between this world and the Netherworld. The wizard Khufu…always entertaining to find what he left behind. He had all sorts of spells…then there was Khartoum. The only one to ever best me. He tricked me into letting me out of the book that held him prisoner, and then he destroyed half my fortress and drained my powers."

"How'd you get out of that one?"

"I'd rather not say."

"It's not like Aladdin had to show up and save you," Twilight teased. After seeing the look on his face, she gasped, then grinned. "He did, didn't he! He saved your life!"

"Do we have to talk about this?"

"No."

"Then let's not."

"So…Jafar," Twilight said, beginning a new topic. "You admire him a lot."

"He's always been a hero to me," Mozenrath told her. "He was the greatest sorcerer in the world at one point. The true scourge of Agrabah. If there's one person in this world I'd call better than me, it's him. Of course, you don't get to let that on to him."

"Trusting your nemesis? That's a risky move." Now she was the one smirking.

"Nemesis. Interesting choice of words after all this."

"You're right," Twilight realized. "What would you call me?"

"I don't know and I don't care."

"The difference between ignorance and apathy."

"What?"

"It's a stupid joke they used to tell in magic school. What's the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care!"

They both laughed before shutting up embarrassedly at the same time.

"Most of my friends wouldn't get that," Twilight admitted. "I guess it's only funny to ponies and people that spend their lives locked up in rooms full of books."

"That's what they said about me?"

"Is it wrong?"

"No."

"Anyway, I won't tell Jafar anything about what we've been talking about," Twilight promised.

"He might be watching, actually," Mozenrath said with a small shiver. "He…does that. Not that I don't think he should keep an eye on things…I'd just like to have a few things secret from him for now. I deserve that much, right? When he figures out what I really am…then I'll let him know everything else. And he'll see what I'm made of very soon."

It didn't slip past Twilight: his fidgeting, the slight flush of color in his face. "You and him…"

"What about us?"

"Do you…want him to be more than just your friend?"

"How do you mean?"

"Like…your special somepony. No, wait, that's not how you say it. With humans, the term is…boyfriend, right?"

"I…" This struck Mozenrath speechless. He turned his gaze from Twilight to the sketchbook and back, trying to formulate an answer as even more blood rushed to his face. "I…that isn't…"

"You do!" Twilight realized. "You want to be with him!"

"THAT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"What, are you embarrassed that the terrible, heartless Mozenrath actually has emotions?"

He crossed his arms in frustration. "I'm not exactly the needy type."

"I know. So, are you gonna stuff me back in the Crystal of Ix for that remark?"

"No," Mozenrath muttered. "Just…don't SAY anything."

"You're not denying it anymore."

"You think I CAN? From YOU?"

"I caught you having an actual emotion," Twilight boasted, "and you know it."

"All I'll say," Mozenrath replied, his voice becoming colder and quieter, "is that once he sees what I'm really made of, he won't see me as an arrogant young upstart anymore. And I hate it…that he sees me that way…right now."

"You should be careful," Twilight said, her demeanor switching to one more somber. "Jafar…doesn't have the best track record."

"Meaning?"

"You know Iago used to work with him, right?" Twilight asked. "They were best friends, or Iago thought so, anyway. Then Jafar ditched him and went on to become more powerful. He just…trashed their friendship. You saw how they talked back in Getzistan."

"I'm supposed to be worried because of how he treated his pet?"

"His familiar," Twilight pointed out. "Iago was to him like Xerxes is to you. Would you leave Xerxes behind?"

"If he annoyed me enough."

"Iago also says that Jafar just uses people and moves on in general," Twilight continued. "Apparently he worked with Abis Mal once, and he just used him."

"Anyone would ditch Abis Mal!"

"Except for Haroud. They're pretty solid partners."

"I still don't see why this matters to me."

"I'm just afraid he's going to break your heart," Twilight said plainly.

"The prisoner is afraid for the captor's heart," Mozenrath pointed out. "You don't see what's wrong with this picture?"

"My life is about harmony. I can't help but care about people when I think they're in trouble. Jafar is dangerous. And if he knows how you feel about him, he could use that against you."

"I can assure you, my heart isn't that fragile. If he betrays me, which won't happen, I won't shed any tears."

"But you're so sure he won't betray you. What if you're wrong?"

"I'm never wrong."

"But if you are," Twilight insisted.

"Then I…" It took him a while to come up with the response. "Then I move on."

"Just be careful, okay?"

"I promise not to eat broken glass or play hopscotch in the street."

"Ha. Ha." Suddenly Twilight closed her eyes, shaking her head. "GAH! NO, NO, NO! I thought I was better than this! And here I am, making a complete FOAL out of myself…UUURRRRRRRGHHHHH!" She stood hastily, covering her face with her hands.

"That was unexpected," Mozenrath remarked.

"Forty years ago on my world," Twilight groaned, "there was a bank robbery in the town of Stableholm. Three unicorns threatened to cast harmful spells on the earth ponies that ran the bank. They stayed there for a week. When Celestia's guard finally broke them up, the earth ponies claimed they'd become best friends with the unicorns, and once the unicorns got out of prison, they started hanging out with the earth ponies from the bank. They said that during the time they'd spent together, they became friends. Ever since then, they call it Stableholm Syndrome when prisoners and captors become friends. Everypony says it isn't real friendship, and it's dangerous. YOU are still dangerous. I'm still in danger. And here I am…MAKING STUPID JOKES AND TALKING ABOUT OUR LIVES!" She sighed deeply. "I'm a failure."

It took Mozenrath a while to find an appropriate response. "You don't have to keep talking to me anymore. I got what I needed." He pulled his gauntlet back over his right arm and got up from his chair, walking to the door of the laboratory.

"Back to the Crystal for me?" Twilight asked, lowering her hands.

"No," Mozenrath answered. He flagged down one of his undead guards. As the zombie moved closer, he said, "Tell the rest that she has permission to go wherever she wants in the fortress. Kitchens, reading rooms, dungeons, wherever."

The zombie stared at him confusedly.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

The zombie shuffled away to tell his cohorts the news.

"You heard me," Mozenrath told Twilight without turning to face her. "Anywhere in the building."

"Thank you," Twilight said softly as she passed him, leaving the laboratory.

As he watched her leave, Mozenrath thought to himself very clearly that all she'd done was relieve his boredom for a few minutes. Still, his mood was considerably improved from earlier, and he realized he'd never shown off his work to anyone else but Xerxes before. He returned to his sketchbook considerably more content.

---

The freedom to roam the fortress of the Black Sands was slightly awkward for Twilight. She was glad that she didn't have to fear being attacked by the undead if she left the crystal room, but at the same time, she found herself having to memorize the pathways of a structure that to her was completely alien. She got lost several times, finding strange rooms. One large storeroom was filled with upset barrels, and the floor was covered in a bubbling, tarry black substance that she knew she'd rather not touch.

Eventually, Twilight found the kitchen—another immaculate space, mostly blue, stocked with strange herbs and spices from around the world—and took only one apple. She nibbled it as she continued her exploration.

Eventually, she found Jafar. Entering one of the smaller reading rooms, she beheld him standing before a space of previously blank wall, speaking to a sort of magical window bordered in small green flames. From the angle of the door, Twilight couldn't see to whom he spoke.

"In that respect, he has potential," Jafar was saying. "However, he gives too much care and value to others, mostly his rivals, but especially and strangely myself. In this, he is weak—" He saw Twilight. With a wave of his hand, the wall became blank once more.

"You," Jafar growled at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I have permission," Twilight snapped. "Who were you talking to?"

"I think the better question is how you got permission to roam the fortress with wild abandon."

"Don't change the subject, Jafar. Who were you talking to?"

"Someone whose name you will one day hail," Jafar answered. "The only one for whom I can call myself a servant and still retain my dignity. That is all you need to know. Did the boy tell you that you could have the run of his domain?"

"If you aren't going to explain what you're doing, I don't have to explain what I'm doing."

"I despise you, girl. Keep that in mind. I know what you truly are."

"You mean the Element of Magic?" Twilight asked. "Or did you know I was a unicorn?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. I've been informed."

"By your mysterious friend from just now."

"I'm not fond of the lenience the boy has given you." Jafar's eyes pierced Twilight's directly. "If I had my way, you would be gone for good. But alas, genies cannot kill…and it would be bad form to dispose of my master's favorite toy."

"If you even think about hurting him," Twilight growled, "I won't be afraid to fight you. Even if I do know I can't win."

Jafar flashed her a smile that sent shivers down her spine. "Do you think you have some sort of connection with the boy?"

"I don't know, but I do know that my mission is to spread harmony. And from what I've seen, you're one of the least harmonious people I ever met. I already can't forgive you for what you've done to Iago. I don't even know what your story is with Abis Mal, and I even pity him!"

"I would stay out of things that are not my business, were I you," Jafar said as he stalked out of the room. "After all, you are merely a tool to us now. And soon you will not even be that."

Ignoring him, Twilight entered the reading room, finishing her apple. She held back the urge to chuck the chewed-away core at the back of Jafar's head. Instead, she disposed of it in a nearby receptacle, a wastebasket that vaporized all that was dropped into it with a deflagration spell. She perused the books on the shelf opposite the blank wall, finding many interesting titles. At last, she chose a book entitled The History of the Witches of the Sand and settled down in an ornate wooden chair to read it.

---

Jafar stormed into the laboratory angrily. "It is time you made a choice," he told Mozenrath.

Mozenrath looked up from his work on the sketchbook. "Meaning?"

"The girl is inhibiting you from reaching your full potential. You must choose either her or power. If you take the right path, you will be rid of her."

"If you say so," Mozenrath accepted, "she'll be out of our hair immediately."

"Good."

---

"Twilight."

Twilight looked up from the book on the ancient witches to see Mozenrath standing in the door of the reading room.

"Come with me," he said sternly.

"Why?" she asked.

His demeanor relaxed slightly. "I have something I think you'll enjoy seeing."

"Okay. I'll bite." She set the book down in the chair and left it, following Mozenrath out of the room and down the twisted hallways.

They walked all the way to the atrium, then, to Twilight's surprise, out the great front doors of the fortress. There, before the fortress' entrance, was an ebony-black wheeled cart pulled by a horse; a zombie Mamluk sat in the driver's seat, holding the reins.

"I've been told to get rid of you," Mozenrath explained, "so I'm kicking you out. You're free to go."

"Where is he going to take me?" Twilight asked.

"Anywhere you want," Mozenrath told her coldly. "Just away from here. Agrabah, if you want."

Tentatively, wondering if it was a trap, Twilight stepped up to the cart, climbing up into it. The zombie looked back at her, awaiting directions. Her eyes filled with tears. "How can I go back alone?" she asked softly.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Mozenrath cried. "You know as well as I do that Aladdin, HIS little friends, and YOUR little friends found some way to get out of the Netherworld in one piece! He always wins! They're probably launching some sort of rescue mission for you right now."

Twilight gave him one last honest smile. "Thank you."

"Please don't do this."

"Do what?"

"Make it look like I have a heart."

She nearly laughed. Then she turned to the undead driver. "I would like to go back to Agrabah, if you don't mind," she said confidently.

The zombie looked confusedly to Mozenrath, wondering why he was letting his prisoner just go free.

"Well?" Mozenrath barked at the zombie. "You heard her!"

The zombie cracked the reins, and the cart set off down the main street of the village at a fast pace. Mozenrath watched as the shining blue crystals lit up as Twilight passed them, detecting her magic, then doused as quickly as they'd shone. Satisfied, he turned back to the atrium, and the doors slammed shut behind him.

Jafar was waiting for him. "Wrong choice, boy."

"What do you want from me?" Mozenrath groaned in frustration. "You told me to get rid of her. I got rid of her."

"You could have destroyed her in a number of ways, and yet you let her go free!"

"It's what I like to call 'setting a precedent.' After all, I've settled on my third wish."

This brought an anticipatory smile to Jafar's face. "And what would that be?"

Mozenrath locked eyes with his ally, feeling his heartbeat quicken. He almost couldn't form the words in the beginning, but when he did say them, they sounded clear as crystal. "I wish for your freedom."

"WHAT?" Of all the things Jafar had guessed might be the third wish, that was not one of them.

"You're an independent operator now," Mozenrath clarified. "Of course, you have a considerable downgrade in power…you're now semi-phenomenal, nearly-cosmic. Somehow, I don't think you'll have a problem with that."

"I certainly don't," Jafar confirmed, smiling broadly. "So these are your true colors?"

"I wouldn't have you mistaking this for me being a merciful person. You're special, after all. I'm sure you know that. I think we have a certain…connection."

"Do go on," Jafar prompted.

"Your color of choice is red, right?" Mozenrath waved his right hand from his head down past his waist; following its path, all the fabric he wore that was blue changed to a bright crimson. "You and I have similar dreams, similar goals. We both want to rule the Seven Deserts. Why not together?" He stepped closer to Jafar as he spoke. "Of course, it would work better as an equal partnership than if I were in complete control of you."

"That is certainly true," Jafar agreed.

Now Mozenrath stood directly before him. "I'm sure you've seen now that I'm more than just an upstart."

"You have indeed impressed me."

Mozenrath dared to touch Jafar's shoulder with his right hand. "Good to hear. It means I can finally tell you my little secret without having to worry about my dignity."

"And what is that secret?" Jafar asked softly.

Mozenrath's hand moved from Jafar's shoulder to the side of his face; his heart nearly exploded from the contact. "All this time, I've wanted to be just like you. You set the gold standard. It's good to know I passed."

"Indeed…"

"And from now on, we don't have to play these games with each other. We can be equals." Their faces were inches apart.

"I have tired of playing games," Jafar said sternly.

Gripping his staff in his right hand, he struck Mozenrath across the face with it. Caught off guard and off balance, Mozenrath fell to the floor, stunned.

"Did you think it would really be as simple as that?" Jafar admonished. "You impress me, you free me, and suddenly I would desire to make you mine?" He planted his foot on Mozenrath's shoulder, keeping him down. "Were you not paying attention? Bonds are weakness! Love is a weakness! After all, look where your foolish love has gotten you! I could destroy you now if I so desired. Don't you even dare to fight back?"

Mozenrath was temporarily stunned into silence. When he found his words, he loaded them with anger. "You let me think you admired me!"

"An easy game to play. Your lust and affection made you easy to manipulate."

"Don't think it's easy to manipulate me!"

"Am I not free of your bonds? Am I not standing above you in every possible way?" Jafar pointed his staff down at Mozenrath, firing a ray of bright red light at him. Mozenrath flinched, expecting pain or suffering. Instead, there was nothing, or so he thought.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I've stripped you of the powers I gave you," Jafar explained. "This world is yours no more. However, soon it will be mine…and mine alone." He removed his foot, turning to walk out of the atrium.

Mozenrath struggled to his feet, absolutely stunned. He watched Jafar walk away, all the way to the door, before he screamed, "WE COULD HAVE HAD EVERYTHING! YOU'RE A FOOL TO PASS THAT UP!"

"You are the fool," Jafar replied without turning to face Mozenrath. "You shall not have this world…and you shall not have me. I must now finish what I began so long ago in Agrabah." He vanished in a cloud of red.

---

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Rarity's shadow reached Agrabah as evening was beginning to fall. This made her nervous, even knowing that if she failed, she could always go back to the Shadow Country that night. She hastened her pace, trying not to be distracted by the sight of the city. It looked even worse than it had when Rarity had left it last. The clouds were still thick and dark overhead—if Mozenrath wasn't able to keep them there via the rainforest, someone else was bidding them to stay. Barely enough light for shadows shone through. Fire-cats ran rampant in the streets, and most buildings had gaping holes struck through their walls; whatever was flammable was burning. People ran to take shelter in the destroyed buildings, families clutching at each other in desperation as the cats grew ever larger with their constant supply of fear.

The shadow made for the palace. She picked out the tower Iago had indicated, flitting directly toward it. The walls of the palace didn't stop her; she shifted right through. Oddly enough, the palace was quite empty and silent, a direct contrast to the maelstrom of fire outside. Rarity's shadow tried not to take too much notice of this as she fled toward the tower.

Through several walls, she eventually reached what she was certain was Jafar's old lair. This place was made of dark, unpainted stone—obviously not a room used by the general palace staff. A great stone dais rose in the center of the circular room. Magical devices and weapons were visible everywhere—a crystal here, an orb there, swords spilled on this side of the floor, nautical tools hanging from that part of the ceiling.

Rarity's shadow knew the Eye of Gazeem when she saw it. Resting on a small stone shelf, it was a great purple crystal cut in an egglike shape. The shadow carried with her many of the instincts of her owner; she could sense crystals and their powers. This was definitely a gate to the Netherworld.

She reached out to touch it, but a wall of green fire shot up before her. She stepped back in fear. When the fire subsided, a strange figure stood before the shadow: a statuesque anthropomorphic cat dressed in a revealing red ensemble.

"Well, well," the cat remarked. "You aren't one of mine. Where did you come from?"

Rarity's shadow could only tremble.

"You weren't trying to get at the Eye of Gazeem, were you?" the cat said. "I don't know what you want with it, but I'm certainly not going to let you touch it. You might just ruin everything I worked so hard for."

Rarity's shadow leapt for the Eye, but the cat grabbed her by both wrists, shoving her back. The cat was able to fling the shadow into the adjacent wall before slashing at her with her hand as a regular cat would strike with its claws; green claw-marks of energy shot towards the shadow and caused her to double over in pain.

The shadow became flat against the floor once more, shooting towards the Eye, but the cat stomped down on the shadow, and she found she couldn't move, somehow held down by the cat's foot. "Please," the cat snorted. "I practically invented that one." Realization struck the cat. "It's nearly nightfall, is it not? If you don't find a way out…you're done for, and so is whoever you belong to. I can stand here until then. It isn't difficult for me at all."

Rarity's shadow struggled helplessly, unable to regain her three-dimensional form. Had she her voice, she might have been able to try and talk this strange woman out of holding her captive, but she was mute, and could not protest.

Time ticked by, and the sun went further West.

---

AGRABAH, THE NETHERWORLD

The Genie-jet and the Carpet touched down in the central city square. The destruction was quite evident.

"No," Aladdin said softly. "It's…horrible…"

"I know this is Mirage's doing!" Jasmine shouted.

"We'll fix it later!" Applejack cried. "Right now, we gotta get to that Eye!"

They rushed toward the palace. "It'll be easy!" the Genie assured everyone. "All we need to do is walk through the walls the way Rarity's shadow did! Piece of cake!"

They made it to the outer walls of the palace, then stopped. It would not, in fact, be as easy as the Genie claimed. Thousands of skeletons lined up between the group and the palace; for every five skeletons, there was one dog-sized reptile.

At the very front of this lineup was Aghoul, holding his scythe casually. "I couldn't let you get away that easily," he said. "So I invited some old friends around for a party!"

"This isn't the kind of party I like," Pinkie whimpered, "is it?"

"It's a dismember-the-heroes party!" Aghoul cried happily.

"I don't like those," Pinkie squealed.

Rainbow Dash drew her swords. "BRING IT!"

"Oh, I certainly shall!" Aghoul pointed at his opponents. "ATTACK!"

The skeletons rushed forth. Rainbow Dash, Aladdin, Jasmine, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, and the Carpet charged into the fray, knocking skeletons down one by one. Iago hovered overhead, once again not wanting to get involved in the conflict.

"Get them, my pets!" Aghoul commanded the reptiles. When no reptiles followed his command, he turned to the pack of creatures behind him. "Well? Get the—WHAT?"

"Good boy!" Fluttershy petted the head of one of the reptiles. "You're not so bad after all!" The others nudged at her, trying to get a turn with her affections. "Oh, one at a time!" she giggled.

"How…?" Aghoul sputtered.

"Obviously, you don't give them enough attention," Fluttershy accused.

Abu hopped up and down, pointing at Aghoul and squeaking accusatorily.

"That's it!" Aghoul growled, raising his scythe and charging Fluttershy. Fluttershy screamed in terror.

A rope tightened around Aghoul's ankles and dragged him backward. Aghoul twisted to see that the Genie had turned one of his hands into a pulley from which he reeled in the rope. "Now, that just won't do!" the Genie criticized with a click of his tongue. "Running with a scythe? That isn't safe!" When Aghoul was reeled all the way in next to him, the Genie plucked the scythe from his hand and chucked it away. "Here! Use this! This is safer!" He handed Aghoul a rubber duck on a stick. Pinkie Pie, seeing this, laughed hysterically.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Aghoul cried, though he did take the duck and give the Genie a good whack over the head with it.

"Owww!" The Genie rubbed the spot where Aghoul had hit him. "See? If you'd tried that with a scythe, you would have had a pret-ty big mess to clean up!"

"ARGH!"

Applejack and Rarity stood side-by-side, shooting arrows at the skeletons. "There's too many of 'em!" Applejack lamented. "We ain't never gettin' to the palace at this rate! We gotta think of a faster way to fight through, Rarity!" She waited for a response; none came. "Rarity?"

"I'm feeling rather faint," Rarity said softly. Her aim wavered. She shot a jet of water directly into the ground.

Applejack realized how low the sun was in the sky, even through the clouds. "Oh, no…"

---

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Time's almost up for you, little shadow!" the cat-woman taunted as Rarity's shadow struggled. "Whatever you were trying to accomplish, know that you truly failed. I look forward to seeing your last mome—"

The cat-woman was interrupted when a large wrecking-ball made of brass slammed through the wall of the lair.

"WHAT?" she cried, stumbling back in shock. Rarity's shadow took that moment to break free.

Abis Mal and Amin Damoola climbed in through the gaping hole in the tower. "Just like Haroud said!" Abis Mal cried, rushing to the Eye of Gazeem. "This baby is gonna make us super-rich!"

"IMBECILES!" the cat-woman cried. "Common thieves! You also will die!" She threw out her hands to either side; two fire-cats appeared, prowling forward to menace the two thieves.

With a shriek, Amin jumped into Abis Mal's arms, bridal-style. Abis Mal sighed. "Amin, what did Mechanicles say about the fire-cats?"

"They're on fire?"

"Yes…and…"

"They can't hurt me as long as I'm not afraid."

"So STOP BEING AFRAID!"

With that motivation, Amin leapt back down to his feet, drawing his sword. He and Abis Mal charged the fire-cats with blades drawn; the cats shrank to the sides of kittens, running in the opposite direction.

"Sorry to steal and run," Amin said, taking the Eye of Gazeem under his arm, "but after all, we are thieves!" He ran back to the hole in the tower, and Abis Mal followed. They jumped atop the brass wrecking ball, grabbing the chain and giving it a tug; this signaled the ball's controller to hoist it away.

Seeing her one chance, Rarity's shadow dove out of the hole in the tower, knowing that as a shadow, the fall to the ground wouldn't hurt her.

The wrecking ball was attached to a giant crane; Mechanicles was at its helm. He lowered the ball to the ground before hopping out of the crane. He, Amin, and Abis Mal converged next to the crane, where Haroud already stood.

"Eye of Gazeem," Mechanicles remarked, taking out his master checklist. "Check. You know, Mr. Hazi Bin, you have quite the knowledge of magical artifacts."

"Just be careful not to rub it," Haroud warned. "It would open a gate to the Netherworld. That is what will make it incredibly valuable on the black market, especially to sorcerers."

"I gotta admit," Abis Mal said, placing the Eye of Gazeem on the ground, "with your knowledge of magical doohickeys, Haroud, Mechanicles' inventions, my amazing skill at swordplay, and Amin's…er, determination…we make a better team than ever before!"

Rarity's shadow ran up to the four thieves. "What is this?" Mechanicles asked sharply. "A shadow?"

The shadow fell upon the Eye and began rubbing it.

"NO!" Haroud cried. "Back away! QUICKLY!"

The four thieves backed off as a swirling portal to the Netherworld appeared.

---

AGRABAH, THE NETHERWORLD

"Wait a second!" The Genie looked over Aghoul's shoulder, around the corner of the palace wall. He saw the crane and the thieves, but more importantly, he saw the portal. "The gate to the living world! It's right over there!"

"How is that even possible?" Aladdin cried.

"Don't question it!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Just RUN!"

The heroes turned from their skeletal opponents and ran for the portal. Aghoul and the skeletons quickly followed.

"I…I can't make it!" Rarity stumbled and fell to the ground.

Rainbow Dash immediately ran back, sweeping her up bridal-style into her arms and continuing to run. "Yes you can!" she yelled. "Look!"

A pitch-black hand, slender and delicate, reached through the portal.

The Genie swept Rarity out of Rainbow Dash's arms and flew her to the portal, setting her down on her feet. Rarity grabbed the hand, which pulled her through. As soon as Rarity reached the land of the living, she recognized the hand that held her own: that of her shadow. The shadow's feet immediately merged with her own, and Rarity's light-headedness cleared.

The Genie, Aladdin, Jasmine, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Abu, the Carpet, and Iago charged through the portal after Rarity. Pinkie turned to see that Aghoul had gained ground along with his skeletons, and were about to reach the portal.

"You can't hide in the living world!" Aghoul cried. Then he halted. So did the skeletons. Pinkie had produced her party cannon once more, and was aiming it directly at them.

She beamed brightly. "Merry Hearts and Hooves Day!" She mashed the button.

Aghoul was blasted backward in a rush of confetti and streamers of all colors.

Pinkie hopped through the portal to the living world, and it closed behind her, stranding Aghoul in the Netherworld once more.

---

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"We made it!" Rainbow Dash cried before noticing the four thieves. "Hey, wait a minute…what are YOU doing here?"

"I'm getting all the memories of my shadow back," Rarity announced. "They broke into the tower at just the right time and stole the Eye. If they hadn't done that, my shadow would have been held until sundown by…by…" She trailed off.

"So," Aladdin remarked. "You four finally settled your differences?"

"Your little sorceress friend was on to something when she told us to stop fighting and work together," Mechanicles remarked. "Ever since we became a team, we've been able to obtain more objects of value than ever before! I'm getting through my list more quickly than I could have dreamed!" He then noticed the lingering stains of black sand on the clothes of his rivals. "Where HAVE you been? You're positively filthy!"

"I'm not happy about it either," Rarity grumbled.

"Well, it's too bad for you," Abis Mal said, "because now, you're about to meet your doom at the hands of—"

"We don't have time for that!" Aladdin yelled, turning to run away from the four thieves. The others followed him, and the group charged away, into the city.

"Did they…seriously just run away from us?" Abis Mal asked quizzically.

"It doesn't matter," Haroud pointed out. "We have the Eye of Gazeem, and—"

"Ahem, ahem!" A loud cough caused all four thieves to turn and look at whoever had interrupted. When Abis Mal and Amin beheld him, they gave twin high-pitched screams.

"A…a draconequus!" Mechanicles screeched. Haroud was stricken speechless.

Discord walked up to the four thieves. "I'll be taking that last gate to the Netherworld, if you don't mind," he told them.

"Oh yeah?" Abis Mal pointed his blade at Discord.

Discord snapped his fingers. The sword turned into a feather duster. Amin discovered that his own blade was now a rubber chicken.

Discord casually swept the Eye of Gazeem into his arms. "I can see why you chose thievery as a profession," he remarked. "This really is fun!" He then disappeared in a flash of light.

"Oh well," Mechanicles sighed. "I guess it's on to number 548 on my checklist: the shards of the Destiny Stone…"

---

Mirage fumed as she stared at the great hole in the wall. "Who do they think they were, just to barge in here and steal from me?" she seethed.

She was startled by a new voice: "What…what has happened to my lair?"

Barely believing what she was hearing, Mirage turned to see Jafar. "You…here…without him?"

"I might also mention that I am free," Jafar told her smugly. "It is Mirage, goddess of evil, is it not?"

"Indeed," Mirage said, giving a low laugh that sounded like a purr. "You've come back to try your hand at claiming Agrabah?"

"I have come to claim Agrabah. Not to try."

"Perfect," Mirage chuckled. "Simply perfect! I could hardly have asked for a better finale! But…what of Mozenrath?"

"You would not believe the boy's foolishness," Jafar replied.

Mirage's eyes narrowed. "Tell me."

---

"So I was thinking," Pinkie said. "Abis Mal, Amin Damoola, Mechanicles, and Haroud Hazi Bin were bad enough on their own. And since Twilight told them to work together, they've been even worse. But for them, that means they've been better. And they're happier! Not only that, but it came around and did US some good! If they hadn't been working together, Rarity wouldn't have found her shadow again!"

"I guess even villains and thieves need friends," Jasmine deduced.

"You never know what will happen if you just show someone a little kindness," Fluttershy added.

"Speaking of Twilight," Aladdin said as the group reached one of the larger city squares, "we have to get back to the Black Sands and rescue—"

The jet-black cart barreled down the street. Everyone gaped at the sight; one of Mozenrath's undead was driving, goading the horse at top speed, but Twilight rode in the back of the cart solo. "Whoa!" she called, and the zombie halted the horse in the square; Twilight jumped out of the cart. "Thanks for the ride," she told the zombie. The zombie, still confused, turned the cart around and drove back down the way he'd come.

"TWILIGHT!" everyone cried.

"You fought your way out!" Rainbow Dash said with glee.

Twilight considered agreeing to that, but decided it was better to be honest. "Actually…it's a bit more complicated than that. I'll tell you the whole story later. Now, why don't we go check up on how the resistance is doing?"

---

Chapter 14:

· Even though this chapter doesn't have as much action, it's one of my favorites. Just to have Twilight and Mozenrath TALKING for that many pages. I love writing those two together. That, of course, is news to NO ONE at this point. Anyway, I took a moment to psychologically profile Moz here. I had several goals: to keep him a believable villain with believable motivations and little to no sob story, to make his relationship with Twilight believable without diluting his villainous qualities, to show that he actually DOES have more complex emotions without pushing him into Draco-in-Leather-Pants territory, and to basically not make him so heartless that readers would be hating him throughout the entire conversation. Also, I wanted to set it up for the ship, but not actually get to the ship itself.

· Mozenrath's sketchbook is something I completely made up. But he has so many plots, so many inventions, so many legends he knows about…I can't see him as the kind of person that DOESN'T have a sketchbook.

· I actually had a small debate with myself about what spelling of "griffon" to use. I didn't bother to go back and check how I typed it earlier. If I switched from "gryphon," I apologize. I just picked that spelling because that's how Hasbro spells it in MLP canon. Despite the fact that I generally prefer "gryphon."

· The Seven Deserts are connected to Olympic Greece (Disney's Hercules, but I'm going to inject a liberal dose of accurate Greek mythology into it) as an allusion to the Hercules animated series ep "Hercules and the Arabian Knight," which was actually an ATAS/HTAS crossover that featured dead Jafar teaming up with Hades to try and knock out Herc and Al at the same time. Lots of fans, while they loved the concept, did pick up on the fact that the time periods couldn't have coexisted. So I just fixed that plot hole. The Underworld is a separate world unto itself, and I had some fun crafting that based on old concepts I had and some new ones. Also, while Al's interactions with Herc are documented as his adventure against Hades, the idea of Moz in that world is completely my fanon. Let's just say Twi's right. She would be disgusted if she knew. (Or is that "will be disgusted when she knows"?)

· The story about Cerberus breaking from Tartarus to Equestria? COMPLETELY CANON. Rubber ball and all. Featured in MLPFIM ep "It's About Time." That's one of the reasons I love that show. Because Cerberus. And ponies.

· "Weapons of the heart" is a little fanon term I made up for the Echthroi (again, the term is from Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet). It will make more sense later.

· The "evil Aladdin" thing is something that canonically happened in the ep "When Chaos Comes Calling," the only appearance of Chaos. I added the Negaverse twist myself. The Negaverse is from Darkwing Duck and refers to the world where everything is opposite. I know, other works of fiction did the "opposite world" thing earlier and more popularly, but "Negaverse" is my favorite term for it, so it stays. And Moz thinks he came up with the name himself…

· Keyblade cameo. Moz knows they exist, and that someone once appeared in his world with one, but he's mystified on the rest.

· "Destane was like a father to me" is a direct quote from Moz in his intro ep. It's common fanon that Destane was an abusive mentor, and I like it. Since I already have it set up that Moz doesn't like Cassim…the analogy wrote itself.

· If I didn't already say this, the glamour-spell story Twi tells is the summary of "Lesson Zero." That was the ep that cemented MozTwi for me, actually, because it proved that Twi has a real villainous streak.

· No one knows how Moz got that gauntlet. I have a backstory for it that will become relevant…eventually.

· "Unicorn blood can extend a lifespan" – from Harry Potter.

· I'm sure there are a lot of very sexy fics out there involving Mozenrath and…sexy situations. However, to me, just because of the symbolism—his weakness, his real self beneath the power he wields—I consider it pretty much one of THE most sensual things one can write about him if another character gets to touch his skeletal hand.

· A ton of ATAS eps contain references to ancient sorcerers that used to terrorize the Seven Deserts. They leave artifacts around to start plot devices. So I decided fanonically that the Seven Deserts must have gone through an "Age of Sorcery" when they were all afoot. All the ones I mentioned are canon in the Aladdinverse.

· The Khartoum thing—Aladdin really did have to save Moz from Khartoum, though kind of in a roundabout way: Khartoum was destroying everything, and their lives were both on the line, as well as the Genie's and Eden's. Al didn't really set out to specifically save Moz's life (though given that he tried to do so at the end of the ep "Black Sand," I wouldn't put it past him), but inadvertently, by defeating Khartoum, he did.

· "The difference between ignorance and apathy" is one of my favorite nerd-jokes. If you didn't hear it before, now you have.

· "Special somepony" is the Equestrian term for "significant other." Nopony says "boyfriend" or "girlfriend."

· (And yes, I kinda do ship Abis Mal/Haroud a little bit…)

· So "Stableholm Syndrome" is something I made up. I mean, it's Stockholm Syndrome, which I didn't make up, but that whole story with the unicorns holding up a bank? My invention. The town of Stableholm is my invention. I just knew there had to be an Equestrian equivalent for "Stockholm Syndrome," and it had to have a bad pony pun in it. I actually considered "Stockhoof" instead, but there are already too many "hoof" puns in canon AND fanon.

· Hahaha. It's funny because Twi found the room where all her friends jumped into the Realm of Darkness and just shut the door and walked away. DON'T EXPLAIN THE JOKE.

· It will VERY soon be apparent who Jafar was talking to. Though most of you can probably guess at this point.

· I should think that with all the times he's lost, Mozenrath has probably come to accept that he can't actually beat Aladdin.

· While it's not explicitly stated as one of his quirks/flaws, it's apparent from context that Moz REALLY LIKES taunting his opponents. He outright said in one ep that he would be furious if anyone else killed Aladdin because he wants to do it personally. That makes me wonder if he even wants to do that at all…I feel like his life would be empty without a rival to taunt.

· With Moz's little seduction routine, I was trying to parallel the scene in the first film where Jasmine tries to "seduce" (distract) Jafar.

· Hearts and Hooves Day = Valentine's Day in Equestria.