Elements of Harmony
Chapter 16: Undisclosed Desires
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AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS
"Ten more minutes, Twilight…too early to get up…"
"RAINBOW DASH, FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA, GET OUT OF BED!"
THE FORBIDDEN MOUNTAIN, THE ENCHANTED DOMINION
The tall sorcerer was a bright flash of color against the walls carved from pitch-black stone and studded with shadow-gray moss. His gold staff clicked along the floor as he walked. Imps and hobgoblins dressed in black and wielding axes and spears peered out at him from around corners. They recognized him as one of their mistress' closest allies.
Eventually, Jafar reached the throne chamber, a deep room whose stone seat carved in the shape of a winged demon—a reflection of one of the Mountain's owner's favorite Old Ones—sat on a raised platform far above the low stone floor so that its occupant could look down derisively on whomever stood before her. She sat there now, dressed in black as usual; her robes cascaded down her body and trailed along the floor. With one hand, she stroked the raven that stood upon the right arm rest of the throne.
"I apologize for my lateness, my liege," Jafar said with a flourishing bow, "but you have so many lairs in your possession, it was difficult for me to locate you. Would it not be simpler to confine yourself to one?"
"You know as well as I do that I am far too great to be confined to one location," the woman in black said with a slight smile. "I am glad to see you have returned. That means all is going according to plan."
"Am I the only one who has returned?" Jafar asked.
"So far…yes," the woman replied. "However, the others will soon arrive. The Overtakers will be complete in almost no time…with due credit to Discord."
"You share the credit with another?" Jafar was taken aback.
"He would not have been able to reset your state had I not released him," the woman clarified. "He does not suspect it, but all of his actions are in accord with my wishes. And while we are on the subject of the Overtakers…there is the boy."
"He is not worthy," Jafar growled hastily. "Had he the strength we require, I would not be standing before you now. He set me free of his own volition in hopes that I would repay him by satisfying his…lust."
"And still he intrigues me," the woman countered. "Much of what you have reported leads me to believe that he could still prove himself."
"You don't intend…"
"I do, in fact, intend to pay him a visit," the woman confirmed. "If he wishes to join the Overtakers, he must first demonstrate that he is worthy. I will give him the medium in which to do just that…but past that, he is on his own."
"If you think that course is worth pursuing," Jafar snarled, "I am not one to stop you."
AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS
First, there were goodbyes. The sprites, Odiferans, Quirkistanis, and Getzistanis had to return to their kingdoms. Their goodbyes were heartfelt, but nothing compared to the parting yet to be done.
"I am sorry I cannot stay, mi amigas," Thundra apologized, "but the weather needs me!"
"We get it," Rainbow Dash told her. "Weather's serious business."
"One day," Thundra promised, "I will master this…Sonic Rainboom."
"Good luck."
Thundra then turned to Iago. "Perhaps we shall see each other again when you are on your travels?"
"A detour to the rainforest every now and again wouldn't be too difficult," Cassim interrupted.
"Till then, you shall be in my thoughts every waking moment," Iago told Thundra melodramatically. "Well, when I'm not thinking about finding treasure or eating or sleeping or talking Cassim out of doing STUPID things like invading the Black Sands. But besides that…every waking moment!"
"All I ask is that you remember me now and again, my little giblet," Thundra said, "and I shall do the same for you."
"Geez, babe, you really think I could forget a gal like you?"
They kissed once more—still enthralling for those who did not know that birds could kiss—and Thundra flew away, up into the blue morning sky, a rainbow trailing behind her.
"Galifem needs its queen," Hippsodeth told the Sultan. "However, I would not be opposed to making a date…rather soon, in fact."
"Well," the Sultan replied, "are you free next al-Khamis?"
"Shall we meet at your palace, or mine?"
"Not to inconvenience you with the journey, but in light of recent events, it might be best if I didn't approach Galifem…after all, you did just reclaim your sanctuary."
"Then it's a date." Hippsodeth leaned downward to meet the Sultan at eye level, and they, too, kissed.
"AWWWWWW!" Pinkie squealed. "So cute!"
"Oh, Hippsodeth!" Scara called out from atop her pegasus. "Sundial's ticking!"
"Until we meet again," Hippsodeth said before mounting her own steed. "Oh, and young warriors…do not forget your training. You may keep the bows."
"Thanks a bunch!" Applejack called up to her as the Galifems lifted off; she raised her bow in the air as a salute.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Rainbow Dash groaned, watching the women fly away upon the creatures she was used to being and speaking to.
"I hate to tell you," Jasmine informed Arbutus, "but your garden withered and died on…that day."
"Then it shall be a challenge," Arbutus replied. "After all, as a true artist, I can work from a blank canvas."
"Maybe we can see it when you're finished," Aladdin suggested. "Promise we won't destroy anything this time."
"I would be honored," Arbutus admitted, "for humans to actually appreciate my work. When I have finished, you will be welcome. Of course, Applejack and Fluttershy are especially encouraged to see my handiwork."
"I'd love to," Fluttershy said sincerely.
"Me too," Applejack added. "After all, I don't think we're done here one bit. We might leave, but I'm sure we'll be comin' back."
"Then I must be off." A crevice opened in the ground, and a great leafy pod erupted from it, opening; Arbutus stepped inside, the leaves closed up around him, and the pod sank into the ground, the dirt closing over as though nothing had happened.
"I feel I owe you a bit of an apology," Cassim told Aladdin. "I…may have begun this mess."
"Ridiculous," Rarity argued. "Whoever gave Mozenrath that lamp—and I REFUSE to believe it was you-know-who until I have concrete proof—is responsible. You were merely trying to do the right thing."
"I gotta go with Rarity," Aladdin told his father. "Besides…I'm proud to have a dad that would go to those lengths for any of his sons. So…I'm guessing you're gonna set out on the road again?"
"I'm a wanderer by nature," Cassim admitted. "The stuffy palace life suits you far more than me. I hope you don't take it personally."
"Not one bit. But maybe I'll see you again someday?"
"It's definitely possible."
Cassim and Aladdin embraced for a long time before breaking apart.
"So, Iago," Jasmine said to the macaw, "one last chance to stay back here with us."
"I'll pass," Iago answered emphatically. "I mean, Cassim's a danger magnet, but I've kinda gotten attached to him and his antics. And the palace life doesn't suit me even a FRACTION as much as I thought it would. If it's all the same to you, I'm going to go along with the thrillseeker there. After all, he was like the Pinkie Pie that helped me leave Gilda in the dust. Rainbow'll get it."
"I get it," Rainbow Dash said with a smile.
"You are welcome here at any time," the Sultan told Cassim. "Regardless of the opinions of my guards."
"I'll keep that in mind," Cassim replied. "Well, Iago? Up for another round of adventure?"
"See ya later, kids!" Iago called as he followed Cassim out the door.
Remaining in the palace's atrium were the six Equestrians, Aladdin, Jasmine, the Sultan, the Genie, the Carpet, Abu, Eden, Dandi, Wahid, Deluca, Amal, Sadira, the Mukhtar, Fatima, and Minos. "Well?" Sadira asked. "Anyone else gonna leave?"
"I have finally come home," Amal told her. "I could not leave now. After all…you and I have only just met."
Sadira nearly collapsed in her dreamy state.
"I have no home," the Mukhtar insisted. "I come and go asssssss I pleassssse. I ssssshhhhall give my efforts to rebuilding the home of my friendssssss."
"Then let's go!" Applejack commanded. "We got a city to rebuild!"
With the new team working together, the destruction Jafar had caused was easily undone. Most civilians were unhurt, and what minor injuries had befallen them, Fluttershy was able to tend with Abu at her side as her assistant. Buildings were rebuilt, awnings re-woven, and families reunited with their homes.
The work took several days. Breaks were often taken for meals and just to let off stress. Jasmine took Rarity and Applejack down to the market, helping them buy silk and food to take on their travels. Applejack lamented the loss of her crock of Odiferan cheese, but somehow, Pinkie found it stuffed inside the party cannon, so all was well.
Certain groups banded together during breaks. Rarity, as promised, rejoined Dandi to design new clothing for her; she was soon able to fashion a lovely white dress from her new silks, one that Dandi wore with pride and that caused Eden to wipe away a tear because her little girl looked so pretty. Rainbow Dash had found a new favorite opponent—the Mukhtar—for footraces, and when they weren't competing, the Mukhtar was teaching Rainbow Dash how to accurately wield both her blades. Pinkie and the Sultan spent many hours in the grand toyroom, playing with the various clockwork animals. Applejack and Aladdin swapped stories of their daily adventures. Fluttershy soon found Jasmine's pet tiger, Rajah, and she immediately took to a friendship with the tiger.
Twilight, now fueled by a desire to increase her magical power, often spent her breaks with Sadira; the witch helped her learn to use sand magic of all sorts. They practiced in Sadira's home, the former lair of the witches of the sand, which lay far below the city in the deep cellar of an otherwise unassuming building.
One day, Twilight told Sadira, "There's some business I have to take care of. You mind spending the day with Amal instead of me?"
"Oh, not at all," Sadira replied, that dreamy smile returning to her face.
"I didn't think so," Twilight said with a slight smirk. "You have fun, okay?"
Twilight walked through the palace until she found the Carpet and the Genie playing chess. "Um…excuse me?"
"Yes?" The Genie looked up at Twilight.
"Um…I was kind of hoping to spend some time with the Carpet," Twilight said. "I mean, I've never seen a real magic carpet before, and…"
"Say no more!" The Genie packed up the chessboard. Before he left, he pointed to the Carpet, insisting, "The score might be 32 to zero in your favor, but next time…next time, you WILL face checkmate!" Then he flew out of the room.
After making sure she and the Carpet were alone, Twilight whispered, "I need a favor from you. I'm not going to keep it a secret forever, but right now, no one can know what I'm doing. I really hate to ask you, but I can't go alone. Do you promise not to tell anyone? Or, you know, pantomime this to anyone?"
After pondering Twilight's statements, the Carpet bowed in what was obviously a nod of assent. It spread out, hovering a few feet above the palace floor, and Twilight climbed aboard. They sped out of the palace and into the air, and no one noticed.
Twilight then told the Carpet where she wanted to go. The Carpet was shocked at first, nearly halting in midair, but then it realized that it really had no right to be surprised, given all that had happened.
THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS
"Wait here," Twilight told the Carpet outside the doors to the black fortress. The Carpet gave her a salute with one of his tassels.
She entered the great bastion of black and blue; no undead guards rushed to meet her. Perhaps, she thought, they were taking the day off because their boss was incapacitated. Perhaps they thought themselves free without him and had run off to find a new place. Perhaps they were still around, but remembered that she had permission to go anywhere she wanted within the fortress.
As her feet clicked against the floor and echoed through the mostly empty building, Twilight's heartbeat increased. She'd given this decision a lot of thought. Perhaps it wasn't right, but she knew she couldn't let herself get away with not doing it.
At last, she reached the crystal room. The Crystal of Ix was just as she'd left it. She shuddered to see Mozenrath's still form in its center; he still glared outward with anger and misery, unable to change his expression. She knew, however, that he could see her entering the room.
Xerxes hovered worriedly by the Crystal, ever loyal. He was stunned to see Twilight enter. "Sparkle?"
"Yeah…it's me," she said. "He's right where I left him, all right." Drawing a heavy breath, she stepped forward to do what she knew she had to do.
Closing her eyes, she approached the Crystal, placing her hands on the surface. Making sure she didn't stumble over the word, she said softly but quite clearly, "Ixtabor." Then she backed away five paces.
Even through her closed eyelids she could see the blue light fill the room. When it abated, she knew she had to look. So she did.
At first, there seemed to be almost no difference. Mozenrath's stance hadn't changed. If depth perception hadn't betrayed to Twilight that he was standing in front of the Crystal, she would have thought nothing had happened. Then she realized that his expression of fury and loss was replaced by one of utter confusion.
"I guess my first question would be 'Why?'," he said after a thick silence.
"I seem to remember you doing something similar for me," Twilight answered.
"Yes, but I thought we understood a certain paradigm," Mozenrath argued, still confused. "I'm the villain, and you're the hero."
"I did my share of heroism already," Twilight told him. "You've been frozen for a while."
"I know. It gets boring in there, you know."
"We defeated Jafar," Twilight stated. "He fled from this world, and we haven't seen him since the night we…well, the night we put you there."
There was that old familiar smirk as Mozenrath said, "Karma hurts."
"I'm sorry he…you know." Twilight shuffled her feet slightly, nervously.
"Eh, I've had time to think over it," Mozenrath said with a shrug. "I said I would move on. And I did."
"Really?"
"Well, I still have a burning desire to rip him to shreds, but beyond that…"
"I…might have helped fight him off for other reasons than to protect Agrabah," Twilight admitted. "I promised him that if he hurt you, I'd fight him."
"Why?"
"It's…complicated."
"You still haven't told me why you let me out. Why you REALLY let me out. After all, we're on opposing sides. You seem to be trusting that I won't shoot you down where you stand. And if I'm interpreting this right, no one from Agrabah, not even your other little Element friends, even knows you're here."
"I'm taking a bit of a shot, okay?" Twilight snapped. "It just didn't feel right, leaving you behind! Especially with what you said before. The way you were…well…devastated. And back in Agrabah, we had this big discussion over an incident with Abis Mal and Mechanicles and Haroud and Amin, and how everypony, even villains, needs friends, and…" She sighed. "When we were here. When everypony else was in the Netherworld. You said that 'nemesis' wasn't the right word for us. I don't think so either. What…what do you think we are now?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
"Are we…" She looked down at her shoes before lifting her gaze to meet his eyes directly. "Are we friends?"
She swallowed hard. For the first time, it sunk in just how dark his eyes were, how easy it was to become swallowed by that darkness…how comforting it was, but at the same time, her heart was drumming double-time.
"You realize what you're getting into," Mozenrath told her, "right? After all…I am still the storybook villain."
"You're just a problem Agrabah's always going to have," Twilight stated. "No one needs to know how you escaped. And to tell you the truth, I'm not sure it hurts Aladdin that much. You two are going to be fighting until the day one of you dies…and it's not going to be by either of your hands." She managed a smile. "It's kinda your fate."
"He always wins," Mozenrath sighed.
"And I don't think I'm betraying him or any of the others. Not exactly. My friends don't have to like each other for me to like all of them. And I know you're not a danger to me anymore."
"How are you so sure about that?"
"You could have shot me down right here a hundred times by now. You told me that yourself. But you didn't. And you aren't even trying to taunt me, which means you don't even intend to try."
"Very observant!" Mozenrath clapped teasingly for her deduction.
"So now it's you that hasn't answered my question," Twilight insisted. "Are we friends?"
"Having an actual 'friend' would be murder on the reputation I've spent years building, you know," Mozenrath replied. "So we'll just have to keep this our little secret, don't you think? No, no, wait. You're going to want to tell the other five warriors of purity that you got through to one of the criminally insane."
"Not the details," Twilight pointed out. "Just the bare facts. And I'm not going to put it like THAT."
"Fair enough. And no one else."
"Not a living soul. Or a dead one. Or an undead one. So that's a yes?"
"It's been a yes for a while," Mozenrath realized, sounding slightly frustrated with himself about it. "You're sure you wouldn't rather use your powers for evil? After all, you and me put together…the idea has potential."
"Sorry," Twilight replied. "I'm honor-bound, and I know my standards. But I have enough of a dark side to understand the appeal. I guess we'll just have to settle for maybe matching wits in battle again in the future."
"I'll go easy on you. Not that anyone else gets to know that."
"Same goes here."
"So what now?" Mozenrath asked. "For you, I mean. Now that you've won here."
"We finish cleaning up," Twilight answered. "We say goodbyes, hopefully not for the last time. The six of us move on to…wherever else the mists of Avalon take us. We keep trying to figure out what to do. We make new memories. We never forget our old friends, even if we know we're going to see them again. That…goes for all our friends. I mean…what I mean is…well, you're kinda hard to forget."
"I don't think I'll be forgetting you either," Mozenrath admitted. "It isn't every day that a unique and intelligent sorceress like you turns up. It's even more unlikely that they get me to tell them my secrets."
"So…" Twilight was now at a loss. "I…I'm not quite sure where we go from here. I did what I came here to do, we answered each other's questions…"
"You could leave. I mean, you have things to do, and I have conquests to plan."
"I don't want to leave unless I'm sure you're okay," Twilight muttered.
"Why are you still WORRIED about me? Do you honestly think I can't take care of myself?"
"No. It's probably nothing." She flashed him what she intended to be one last smile for the time being. "I should go now before they miss me on the other side. See you around, huh?"
Twilight turned quickly, walking out of the Crystal room, suddenly aware that her face had grown quite warm. She didn't want Mozenrath to notice that. She was also convinced that if she stayed much longer, he would eventually hear how hard her heart was beating.
Then he said, "Wait."
She stopped. She turned. He'd walked after her, now standing before her.
"How did you even get me to do this?" he asked, almost accusatorily.
"Do what?"
"Every time I try to be heartless! Emotions I DON'T want always come back to ANNOY me, and before you came along—no, all the way up to before I let you out of the Crystal of Ix, I could at the very least move on like nothing was happening. But then I called you into my lab, I showed you my work, I listened to you talk about your world, I told you about Destane, I told you about JAFAR, and now I can't…stop…from TELLING you these things! Did you put a glamour on yourself or something?"
"Maybe you needed someone to talk to," Twilight suggested, "and I happened to be the right mare in the right place at the right time. Is there…something you still need to talk about?"
"I don't want to. But I HAVE to."
"Then…say it."
"I really thought he was going to take me. I thought he would see things the way I saw them. That we belonged together. I thought I would be his. And I would have been his, GLADLY. After you left, I tried to let him know that. He let me get so far as to…we almost KISSED, Twilight. No. No, I almost kissed him. He wasn't thinking the same thing at all."
"Suddenly I understand the red," Twilight realized.
"GRAH!" In a flash of light, Mozenrath transformed his clothing back to blue. "He let me get THAT CLOSE. He was always trying to get me to slip up, to get him an advantage, and he sure managed THAT, all right."
"Your third wish," Twilight said softly. "You intended to free him all along."
"He knocked me to the ground, he took all my power, and because I freed him, Mirage even showed up to tell me how weak I was. And even with all that, that's not what actually hurts. What hurts, what should be the LAST thing that mattered at ALL, is when I realized he just saw me as another pawn in his game. Like I was DIRT. And there you have it. The lord of the Black Sands, bane of the Seven Deserts, was defeated by a bruised heart."
"Not bruised," Twilight corrected. "Broken. I know you don't want to admit it…"
"Why not?" Mozenrath cried in frustration."Why not just say it now? Broken. Broken-hearted. How the mighty have fallen."
"No," Twilight said sternly. "You haven't fallen. Just because you found something about yourself that you didn't believe was possible emotionally doesn't mean you've fallen at all. You can still be great! Even as a conqueror! Even as a villain! You're still the same strong, powerful, brilliant, beautif—talented sorcerer you were before you met him. Before you met me! So you know you can't fight your emotions sometimes. It doesn't matter!"
"And how would you know?"
"Because I used to be the same way. I thought all I would ever need were my books, my mentor, and my assistant. I thought caring about anyone else was unimportant. I might have even thought it was a weakness. But then I met my friends, and…I only became better. And before you go worrying that you're going to turn into a total sap like me, I didn't lose my capacity to hate or my ambition, either."
"This is going to be one of the details you don't bring up, Twilight, but if I HAVE to have a friend, you're probably the best one I could have picked. Mostly because—"
"—we're still way too much alike. Can't run from that one anymore."
"Twilight."
"What?"
"I believe what you're saying. But it doesn't make what I'm feeling go AWAY."
She caught him blinking just a little faster. Heavens forbid that the lord of the Black Sand should cry.
Twilight knew she was the one who did it, but it still surprised her when in the next instant, she found herself tightly embracing him, pressing her head into his shoulder. She was surprised once more when his arms tentatively wrapped around her—Mozenrath couldn't believe it either.
"It'll be okay," Twilight said softly.
When they backed away from each other, they each read the awkwardness on the other's face.
"That…never happened," Mozenrath insisted quickly.
"Fine by me," Twilight agreed, just as quickly. "But seriously, you'll find somepony special to share the world with. I just know it."
"I'm not sure I'm quite that optimistic."
"Then you'll be pleasantly surprised."
That got him to smile. "Until we meet again, Twilight Sparkle," Mozenrath said dramatically before turning away from her, cape billowing as he walked away down the hall.
"Until we meet again, Mozenrath," Twilight replied with a smirk of her own before striding down to the atrium, out of the fortress, and aboard the Carpet.
As the Carpet lifted off, not asking questions—though had it a voice, it might have wanted to—Twilight looked back, watching the kingdom of darkness fade behind her.
"I know it's unreasonable, impractical, and impossible," she said to herself. "I shouldn't even kid myself. He'd never see me that way, and how would it even work? I want to protect everything he wants to conquer and destroy! But all the same…I wish that somepony special of his…" She admitted it fully to herself for the first time. "I wish it could be me."
AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS
No one questioned where Twilight had been. No one even suspected. She simply blended back into the fabric of Agrabanian repairs.
At last, all was as it once was. The city was rebuilt. Civilans were relocated to their original residences. It was as if Jafar and Mirage had never touched the great kingdom.
As the sun set, the crew of friends that had worked to repair the city stood upon the palace steps, admiring their handiwork.
"Great job, everyone," Aladdin said. "It's…perfect."
"No problem!" Pinkie squealed.
"And we did it together!" Applejack asserted.
"We couldn't have done it without anyone here," Aladdin agreed.
"Always glad to help!" Sadira said with a slight curtsy.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Rarity said, "but now that we've secured everything here, we Elements of Harmony need to be on our way. After all, there is a great cosmos out there waiting for us."
"On the ssssssubject," the Mukhtar added, "if my sssserviccccesssss are no longer necccessssary…I shall continue on my travelsssss come morning."
"Awwww, so soon?" the Genie pouted.
"It isssss inconccccceivable that I will not sssssee thisssss cccccity again," the Mukhtar reassured him.
"Same here," Rainbow Dash brought up. "I definitely don't want this to be the last we see of this place and everypony in it!"
"I don't know if I'll be able to find anywhere more magical," Twilight added with a wink.
"Well, you can stay one more night before you have to take off," Aladdin offered. "That is, if it's okay with Jasmine. Jasmine…hey, where is she?"
Everyone looked around. Somehow, the princess had become separated from the ranks.
"I'm here!" a voice called out; Jasmine came running up the stairs. "There was just something I had to do last-minute."
"So, can our six traveling friends stay one more night before they have to set sail in the morning?" Aladdin asked her.
For a moment, Jasmine looked at the six Equestrians with what seemed an expression of disgust. "Of course," she answered, her face softening. "Why would I have a problem with that?"
"We should all meet up one more time before everypony leaves!" Pinkie suggested. "Tomorrow morning, here on the palace steps! You too, Mukhtar!"
"That could be arranged," the Mukhtar agreed.
"Well," Aladdin announced, "we should turn in."
"Hang on," Sadira said. "I've ALMOST taught Twilight how to master sand magic. I don't think she should leave before she's gotten the hang of it."
"Well, unless you're up for a late-night lesson…" Twilight began.
"I'm in if you are," Sadira replied.
"Then let's do it!" Twilight and Sadira set off down the steps. "I'll be back to the palace later!" Twilight called out.
Minos, Fatima, Dandi, Eden, Wahid, Amal, and Deluca turned to go to their homes in the city; the Mukhtar scuttled off to an abandoned building he had called his temporary residence. The others turned to enter the palace.
In the atrium, Rajah approached to greet Jasmine and Fluttershy, but then he stopped, growling at Jasmine.
"Ugh!" Jasmine gave a start. "Why is it GROWLING at me?"
"You know Rajah," Aladdin told her. "He just loves you!"
"Right…good kitty," Jasmine said, kneeling to stroke Rajah's head.
"Did that seem a little…off to you?" Rarity whispered to Aladdin.
"Whenever Rajah gets worked up, it does usually mean something's up," Aladdin whispered back. "I'll check this out. Leave it to me." He walked over to Jasmine, putting his arm around her shoulder. "So, I'll bet you're really tired after all that work, huh?"
They walked toward their bedchamber, and everyone else dispersed.
"I think I've finally got it," Twilight said, taking a deep breath and remembering what she'd read in the many scrolls of Sadira's underground library. She twisted her hands out in front of her, manipulating the sand that covered the floor of Sadira's abode into a sculpture. When she finished, it was an accurate relief of Princess Celestia in all her alicorn glory, rearing up on her hind hooves.
"Nice!" Sadira complimented.
"YES!" Twilight cried. "I did it! I did it I did it I did it! I'm on my way to becoming a real sand…witch…" Realizing what she'd said, she groaned. "THESE PUNS ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY!"
"I knew you'd be a natural at this," Sadira congratulated.
"It is nice knowing that I can do a LITTLE more than just reflection and telekinesis," Twilight admitted. "Thanks again for helping me out."
"Hey, for someone as cool as you? It's nothing."
Twilight's attention was caught by something she'd never noticed in Sadira's lair before. "Hey, Sadira?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't mean to be nosy, but where does that door go? I'm just asking because we're really far underground."
"Oh, that?" Sadira waved a hand. "That just goes to some maze of tunnels that runs under the city. Not as cool as it sounds. There's nothing IN there."
"Oh, there's one thing in there," Twilight muttered. "Mind if I use it? I have a bone to pick with somepony."
"Um…sure," Sadira permitted. "I don't see why not."
Twilight stormed through the door and into the tunnels. As she'd thought, they were the same labyrinth into which Phasir had brought her early on.
"If you thought you could get away with that," she muttered, "you were so wrong."
Jasmine brushed out her hair while Aladdin sat on the bed, observing her. She was taking even longer than normal to go through her nightly routine. "So," he asked, "everything okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be, dear?" Jasmine replied.
"Hmm…" Aladdin was suspicious of her tone. "You just seem a little on edge, that's all."
"I don't have the right to be on edge?" She whipped around in her seat. "I'm the princess of this entire kingdom! I had to spend all day putting it back together! Of course I am on edge!" With a groan, she turned back to brushing out her hair.
"Jasmine," Aladdin said sternly, "I'm beginning to get a little worried. You're acting…different."
"I'm not acting different. Maybe you just haven't paid enough attention to me to know how I act!"
"Normally, I wouldn't bring it up," Aladdin admitted, "but you know, in the past, things have happened. Jafar and Mozenrath have each tried to trick me by turning into you. Abis Mal once cast a spell on you that made you completely forget who you were. Even Sadira once had me convinced she was you, back when she used to do things like that. I just want to make sure nothing's going on. And if you're NOT the real Jasmine, this is your one chance to give yourself up."
"How could you even say a thing like that?" Jasmine cried, throwing down her hairbrush. "My own husband, trying to say I'm not me—"
From the expression on his face, she knew he knew.
"It's not like it matters, anyway," the woman in Jasmine's form said, walking over to Aladdin and putting her hands on his shoulders. "I've got what I wanted. And soon, you won't be in any shape to tell anyone about your little suspicions."
She pressed her lips to his, drinking deeply from his heart. When she broke the kiss, he looked back at her, dazed, literally unable to say anything due to her spell.
"I did make a good choice," she said with a grin. "You love her a LOT."
Though the tunnels beneath Agrabah twisted and turned, Twilight kept an accurate mental map of the route she'd taken so that she could find her way back. Eventually, she caught a glimpse of blue: exactly who she'd been looking for. He stood tall, turned toward her as though waiting for her, though he obviously couldn't be looking at her through the blindfold over his eyes.
"Phasir," Twilight said sharply. "I've been looking for you!"
"This I know," Phasir said calmly.
"You were wrong," Twilight snapped. "You called Saleen a siren. She isn't a siren. She is a water…elemental. That has been bothering me ever since we figured out what your prophecy meant! And don't try to tell me you meant a different siren. Everything happened exactly as you said it, down to the last line, so I know we did it right. What do you have to say for yourself? Were you just short on words that made it iambic pentameter or something?"
"It was a mistake even I knew I had made," Phasir replied. "After you left, I wondered why I had said such a thing. However, now I know that all has gone exactly as planned. You would not forget the mistake, and you would seek me out the night before you would have left this world for another. You were meant to return to these tunnels, Twilight Sparkle."
"Wait." Twilight tried to make sense of what she'd just heard. "So…you made a mistake because you knew I would come down here to correct you?"
"Go farther," Phasir said, stepping away to gesture to the tunnel behind him, "and you may yet find what it is you were meant to find."
"O…kay?" Twilight cautiously stepped down the tunnel Phasir had marked for her. It took a few turns, and she wondered how much further she should go before turning back and insisting there was some mistake, when she came upon the cell.
A wall of iron bars, its door sealed with a great padlock, blocked off the large room beyond. A pillar, perhaps meant to hold something of importance, rose in the room's center, but it was bare. Skeletons lay against the walls, some of them clutching weapons in their bony fingers; Twilight was reminded briefly of Mozenrath's bare right hand and shuddered at the connection. However, when movement stirred behind the pillar, Twilight saw what it was she was supposed to see.
"Is someone there?" The princess moved out from where she'd crouched behind the pillar. "Twilight!"
"Jasmine!" Twilight answered. "What happened? How'd you get down here?"
Jasmine rushed to the bars, clutching at them. "Something captured me when I tried to go back to the palace! It brought me down here and locked me in, and then it…changed to look like me!"
"Something?" Twilight shuddered, hoping that her first instincts were wrong. "What did that…something…look like before it changed into you?"
"A monster," Jasmine said coldly. "Like an insect, with…holes…in its limbs. It wrapped me up in some kind of green slime, like…like a cocoon! I only just managed to break out of it."
Twilight saw the green slime discarded in the corner. She felt the blood drain from her face and a hollowness overcome her. She recognized that slime. Her instincts had been right after all.
"It could be in the palace right now!" Jasmine cried worriedly. "It might want to hurt Aladdin!"
"She does," Twilight confirmed. "We have to go back right now!" She looked down at the sandy floor of the tunnel and the cell. "Stand back. I'm going to try something!"
Jasmine obeyed, and, focusing on the ground, Twilight carved a large tunnel out of the sand using the spells Sadira had taught her, creating a path that snaked under the iron bars. "There," she said when she had finished.
Jasmine scooted into the tunnel and climbed out alongside Twilight on the other side of the bars. The two women nodded at each other before taking off.
They emerged into Sadira's lair. Sadira, arranging her scrolls, nearly dropped a pile of parchment onto the floor. "Jasmine? What are you—"
"An imposter is in the palace!" Jasmine yelled.
"We have to stop her!" Twilight added, and the two kept running.
"An imposter? Hurt my friends?" Sadira let the scrolls drop. "Oh, no, it doesn't! HEY! WAIT UP!" She charged after Twilight and Jasmine.
The three women barreled down the palace hallway, and as she passed her friends' bedchambers, Twilight bellowed, "APPLEJACK! RAINBOW DASH! FLUTTERSHY! PINKIE PIE! RARITYYYYYYY!"
Hearing the panic in their friend's voice, the aforementioned five burst into the hallway. "What's wrong?" Fluttershy asked.
"Changeling!" Twilight yelled without breaking her stride.
After gasping in shock, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity ran alongside Jasmine and Sadira. They sprinted all the way to the bedchamber Aladdin and Jasmine usually shared; Jasmine threw the door open, and the eight barged in.
The other Jasmine was sitting on the bed, kissing Aladdin deeply, pressing herself to his body. When the door slammed open, she let go of him; unconscious, he fell onto the bed. She observed that the princess whose shape she'd taken had arrived, as well as six of the mares she hated the most.
"So," she said. "I've been found out. I should have known it was too good to last forever. It was fun, after all. Jasmine is beloved by everyone. They practically just give their love away…a satisfying meal."
"What have you DONE to him?" Jasmine cried.
"She's put him under a spell while she eats his love for you," Twilight answered. "Isn't that right…Chrysalis?"
The false Jasmine stood, and her guise melted away. When Sadira saw her true form, she screamed. The six Equestrians were also shocked; they were used to seeing Chrysalis as an insectoid alicorn, and had expected her to become humanoid upon hearing Twilight speak her name, but her actual shape was still nothing like they could have imagined. She stood on two legs, had two arms, and was basically built like a human, but her hips melded with a bulbous abdomen that protruded backward over her legs. Her limbs, just as the six remembered, were perforated with holes that went all the way through the flesh, but now they were covered in some sort of shining black carapace, as was Chrysalis' upper body. She was almost completely nude, but other than a general feminine shape, had none of the human attributes that would have needed to be covered in traditional society; her chest was smooth, her carapace forming a breastplate. Her only clothing consisted of a green cape that fastened around her neck and waist, forming a teal sash over the latter, and a small black crown studded with teal stones perched atop her head. Her turquoise hair still hung limply down over her face and back, passing her shoulders. Her wings, great and clear like those of a dragonfly, spread out from her back. Her skin was obsidian-black, and her toes and fingers ended in points like claws. Humanoid, yes, but not human—much more insectoid. Her head was the most human part of her, with its half-lidded green eyes.
"What IS that thing?" Sadira yelled.
"A Changeling," Twilight said calmly.
"How'd YOU get here?" Pinkie asked. "We left you in Equestria!"
"After we kicked your tail outta Canterlot," Applejack nearly hissed.
"I've been expanding my horizons," Chrysalis said with a laugh. Her voice now sounded nothing like Jasmine's; it was raspier, tinnier, and tinted with an exotic sensuality. "After all, the multiverse is full of princesses who get just as much love as Mi Amore Cadenza…even more."
"I'll give you one more chance to answer," Twilight said sternly. "How…did…you…get…here?"
"With the help of a dear friend of mine," Chrysalis answered. "You might be familiar with him. After all, you did seal his fate. I never did get the chance to tell you why I attempted to invade Canterlot, now, did I? That was where you defeated him, my precious one…I had to avenge him, to take from you something of value as you had taken from me!"
"You've done this before," Jasmine reiterated. "Taken on the form of another princess and stolen the love of her husband and her friends!"
"He wasn't even married to her yet," Chrysalis bragged. "All the more of a challenge to make him think I was his beloved fiancée. Then again, while I thought an already wed prince would be less likely to suspect…this one is apparently used to impostors."
"Get out of here!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Before we MAKE you get out!"
"It matters not," Chrysalis said. "There are many more princesses in this multiverse. At this moment, there is a lucky young woman somewhere preparing for a wedding the likes of which Cadance had prepared for…and her kingdom will grant me even more love to feed upon than this one."
"Do you even need to eat love," Sadira challenged, "or do you just do it to hurt people?"
"Definitely the latter," Chrysalis said with a grin. "Go ahead…take your precious prince back. He was an amusement for a while…but I can find better."
"WHY YOU—" Rainbow Dash began to charge at Chrysalis, but in a flash of darkness, the changeling disappeared.
"Aladdin!" Jasmine rushed to where her love lay unconscious on the bed. "Wake up!"
"Hang on!" Sadira moved in next to her. "I think I can undo this! It's just a kind of mesmerism, right?"
"Right," Twilight confirmed. "It can be broken by true love—"
"But this'll be faster." Sadira took a handful of sand out of her pocket and blew it into Aladdin's face; it glittered as it landed. "There! That should reverse the effects."
Aladdin blinked his way into waking. "What…Jasmine…" He sat up. "You're not Jasmine! You're a fake!"
"It's me," Jasmine insisted, and even at those words, Aladdin knew she was right.
"We chased the fake away," Rarity explained.
"What was that thing?" Jasmine asked.
"An enemy from our world," Twilight answered. "The princess she tried to impersonate before was my sister-in-law!"
"Twilight," Fluttershy whimpered, "she said an old friend we defeated brought her here…"
"No!" Rarity snapped. "I REFUSE to believe it without evidence! It's simply a game of psychology! Anyone who knows us and who knows Discord would of course drop his name at every chance just to watch us flinch!"
"Is she gone for good?" Aladdin asked. "Or did she just run off to hide somewhere else nearby?"
"It sounded like she went to find another world to try the same thing on," Twilight stated. "Though I don't know how she could have just teleported there."
"Are you the most beloved princess in this world?" Pinkie asked Jasmine.
"I'd say so," Aladdin answered with a shrug.
"She means objectively," Twilight clarified. "Maybe Chrysalis would have moved on to Brawnhilda or Hippsodeth."
"Actually, if we are talking objectively, Jasmine is the most famous princess in the world," Sadira said. "Everyone knew all about her from the time she was born. If I was going to pick a princess to impersonate…well, okay, I actually did do that, but that was before I knew better!"
"Chrysalis wouldn't downgrade," Applejack theorized. "At least…I don't think."
"Don't let this stop you from moving on," Aladdin insisted. "Now that we know what this Chrysalis' game is, we can handle her, no matter whose form she takes. But if she's out there…"
"If she's out there," Jasmine finished, "you'll want to find her."
"Then that's where we go," Applejack resolved. "To stop Chrysalis!"
"Just relax for now," said Sadira. "If that…whatchamacallit…"
"Changeling," Twilight offered.
"If that changeling tries to come back here, I'll slam her with my sand magic."
"You should get some sleep," Jasmine encouraged. "After all…"
"We have more of a journey ahead than we originally thought," Rarity finished.
At sunrise the next morning, after Rainbow Dash had been rolled out of bed, the Agrabanians and the Equestrians gathered once more on the palace steps.
"Until we meet again," the Mukhtar said before mounting his steed, a creature structured like a large bird but covered in reptilian scales, and riding away towards the city gates.
"It was so wonderful to meet all of you!" Pinkie insisted. "We absolutely NEED to come back!"
"No hurry," Aladdin reminded the six. "We've got things under control. Thanks to you, of course."
"Besides," Jasmine added, "there are probably other people to make friends with out where you're going."
It was difficult for the six to leave this, the first world outside their own where they had settled down, but eventually they did. They walked out of the city together, boarding the Starlight.
"We need to find Chrysalis," Twilight muttered to the control screen. "Wherever the mists take us…I hope it's to wherever she's going." With that, she let the mists take control.
The ship sailed downriver, into a thick mist, until it vanished completely from the Seven Deserts.
THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS
In hindsight, smashing most of his most valuable magical instruments had been a bad idea, Mozenrath decided as he attempted to adhere the pieces back together in his laboratory. He focused in on the lenses of the Eye of Ra spyglass, trying to fit the glass together just so with his magic.
As soon as he had completed the lens and restored its magic properties, a rush of green flame caused him to start, dropping the lens and shattering it again.
"What do you want now, Mirage?" he snapped…preemptively. The woman who had appeared was most certainly not Mirage. She dressed like a sorceress, resplendent in black robes topped with a hood that resembled two demonic horns. Her hair was completely obscured; her face, exotically beautiful, was pale with a greenish cast to it. She carried with her a staff topped by a green, glowing crystal.
"So you are Mozenrath," she said calmly.
"And you are…?" Mozenrath replied, on his guard.
"I am the one who intends to bring upon this multiverse the new age of darkness and chaos, in which the cruel shall reign and the weak shall perish. I am the leader of the Overtakers. I am, in short, one of the most powerful forces in existence…barring, of course, the Old Ones." She smiled wryly. "Jafar has told me much of you."
"So the leader of the mysterious Overtakers finally reveals herself," Mozenrath replied coldly. "Are you here to beat me and call me a failure too? Because after so many people do it, I'll eventually get used to it, and it'll lose its effect."
"On the contrary," the woman replied. "While Jafar did warn me of your shortcomings, I believe you have great potential. Perhaps one day I could welcome you into the ranks of the Overtakers."
"And if I don't want to be an Overtaker?"
"Then you shall be my enemy," the woman said casually. "You do not want to be my enemy."
Mozenrath realized what about this woman seemed off; what, magically, felt different about her. "You're a faerie, aren't you?"
"I take it you sensed my aura. To be certain, an admirable skill."
Now Mozenrath was uncomfortable, though he did his best not to show it. Faeries were a whole different brand of magic than human sorcerers. Knowing that about her identity, he did not wish to make an enemy of her. "What would I get out of an alliance with you, besides you sparing me a lot of unnecessary torment?"
"Many things," the woman promised. "Immortality. Power. Riches beyond your wildest dreams. The ability to grasp the dark arts at their very heart."
"I might be interested," Mozenrath admitted. "But there's a catch, isn't there?"
"I do not wish to waste my time," the woman said sharply. "You must prove yourself worthy. I will give you the chance to do so, but the decisions you make must be your own. I have been fooled in the past by those I thought had what it takes. I will not be fooled again."
She swished away her draping black sleeve, revealing a mass of gemstones on the floor, gemstones that appeared to be fist-sized diamonds but sparkled even more. "Do you know what this is?"
"I can't say that I do." Mozenrath admired the jewels with interest. They gave off a nearly overwhelming aura of magic.
"This is dark matter," the woman explained. "Some will call it by other names, and many have made interdimensional transportation by refining it. Here it is in its most unrefined form…its purest form. After all, I have been told that you are mastering the ability to Apparate at the speed of darkness, but you cannot yet do so to travel between worlds. Use this…the material found in the space between…and you will be able to go wherever your heart desires. Quite unlike the mists of Avalon, I might add. Dark matter has no agenda. It will listen to you…if you make it quite clear that you dominate."
"So if I figure out how to use this dark matter to travel between worlds…" Mozenrath began.
"You will then have an entire multiverse in which to show us what you are capable of," the woman finished.
"I don't know," Mozenrath said. "I generally don't accept gifts from people when I don't even know their names."
The woman didn't flinch. She simply answered, still with her calm smile, "You may address me as Maleficent. After all, that is the name that will be on the lips of everyone once my plans have completed."
"Maleficent," Mozenrath repeated. "Well, that's pretentious."
"No more than 'Mozenrath.'"
"You can blame my father for that one. His favorite son got the name that meant 'glory.' I got the name made up of random syllables he thought 'sounded cool.'"
"Might I add that if you join my ranks," Maleficent continued, "your brother would most surely fall…and most likely by your hand. It is something to consider. I trust you will not fail me, Mozenrath. If you do, consequences will be grave."
Before Mozenrath could say anything else, Maleficent vanished in a flash of green, leaving the dark matter in her wake. Mozenrath approached the gemstones eagerly.
"Dark matter?" Xerxes said confusedly.
"Opportunity has just come knocking, Xerxes!" Mozenrath clasped his hands together victoriously. "It's time to get to work."
THE SPACE BETWEEN
"Twilight?" Applejack asked. "What's wrong, sugar cube? You look kinda nervous."
"NERVOUS?" Twilight replied, jumping. "Who's nervous? I'm not nervous!"
"You're totally nervous," Rainbow Dash called out.
"Is something on your mind?" Fluttershy asked.
"I might have a confession to make," Twilight said shakingly. "I…I LET HIM OUT!"
"Who?" Rarity asked.
"Mozenrath!" Twilight wailed. "I went back to the Land of the Black Sands and I let him out!"
The others gasped.
"Why did you do THAT?" Rainbow Dash snapped.
"I don't know!" Twilight defended. "Well…maybe I do. Even villains need friends, right? You saw how he was when we sealed him away! He was hurting! And we…well…you know."
"I don't believe this!" Rainbow Dash cried. "You actually HELPED one of the bad guys!"
"Now, now," Fluttershy said, "all Twilight wanted to do was show a little kindness."
"And they kinda got a history together," Applejack reminded Rainbow Dash.
"Besides," Twilight added, "what would the Seven Deserts be without some kind of evil to…yeah, even I'm not buying what I'm saying right now, but I just couldn't LEAVE him!"
"So…does this mean you DO want him to be your special somepony?" Pinkie asked.
"It…might," Twilight admitted, looking down at her feet again, heat filling her face. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize," Rarity said, putting a comforting hand on Twilight's shoulder. "After all, you can't help who you fall for. And you two did have an awful lot in common. Besides, he was quite attractive, if you ask me."
"And also evil!" Rainbow Dash reiterated.
"We don't blame you, Twilight," Fluttershy said, putting a hand on Twilight's other shoulder. "You just wanted to help someone you cared about."
"DID EVERYPONY SUDDENLY FORGET THAT HE WAS EVIL?" Rainbow Dash cried in frustration.
"No," Twilight answered clearly. "But…he's still my friend."
"I don't believe this!" Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped. Then she shifted demeanors. "Fine. I won't judge it. You can be his friend if you want. But don't expect me to be happy about it."
"I don't," Twilight replied. "You have every right to hate him after what he did. Just…please don't hate me."
"Twilight, please." Rainbow Dash sighed. "You should know by now that I can't hate you. If I have to, I'll just let it drop. But I'm not gonna go easy on him if we meet again just because you have a crush on him."
"Deal," Twilight said.
"We should write our letter home to tell everypony about our adventures!" Pinkie reminded the others.
"Good idea," Twilight said with a sigh of relief. "We can write it together."
The six moved into a room with a spacious table. Parchment, ink, and quills had been stocked. Twilight sat down at the table with a sheet of parchment in order to dictate. "Dear everypony," she began. "We had a lot of interesting adventures in a new world…"
CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA
"…We learned," Celestia read from the parchment before her, "that anything can be accomplished with the help of friends, even banishing great evils. We learned that when you've created a rift, you should try your best to repair it if you feel it's right. We learned that playing fair can beat even the toughest cheaters. That sometimes, different groups that hate each other have to put aside their differences to accomplish greater things. That fighting with your heart can be just as strong as fighting with any other muscle. That power means nothing if you can't be happy with it. That some people and ponies need spaces to themselves, and others should respect that. That darkness isn't evil and can be used for good. But most of all, we learned that even those we call villains need friendship, and even the people or ponies that seem the hardest have emotions.
"With that, we have one question. We were disappointed to discover that the Elements of Harmony were not powerful enough to vanquish many of the evils out there. Was that supposed to happen? How can we fix it? The Elements of Harmony are the source of our power, and what started this quest. We need to be sure of what they're actually capable of.
"With that, we hope all is going well in Equestria, or, as it's apparently called, Fourth Equestria. We miss everypony back home—give them our love! Your faithful students and friends: Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, PINKIE PIE!, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack." Celestia rolled up the scroll.
Before her in the throne room, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor listened. "If you don't mind," Celestia told Luna, "I would like you to make a copy of this to send to the Apple family, Rarity's family, Spike, and the Cakes. Let it be known that if any other copies of this letter reach friends of our traveling heroes, all references to other worlds or humans must be stricken."
"Right away!" Luna agreed.
"I'm almost jealous," Shining Armor admitted. "They're having the kind of adventures I've always dreamed about!"
"But what about the Elements?" Cadance asked Celestia. "Can you help them?"
"I know their plight well," Celestia admitted. "I shall draft my response immediately. It is one of the things they need to know. Until then, I hope my little ponies remain safe…and find new friends wherever they go."
MIRAGE'S SANCTUM, MORBUS
Mirage paced the floor angrily. "How could it have FAILED?" she screeched. "It was perfect! Evil should have triumphed!"
"Well," a familiar voice teased, "you have to admit that calling Jafar in was a bit…PREDICTABLE, don't you think?"
Mirage whirled to see the blue-furred, winged cat sitting atop her throne. "CHAOS!" she screamed. "What are YOU doing here?"
"My brother sent me a message and told me to meet him here," Chaos explained. "I don't see what the big deal is unless he has some kind of plan. I'm hoping he didn't just call me here to show me up…I liked him much better as a statue, you know."
"He felt the same of you," Mirage growled.
A shimmering figure caught Mirage's eye; she turned to see a new being, one consisting of empty air in a humanoid shape clothed in a white flowing robe and a golden mask, floating into the room. "Discord called me here as well," she said; her voice reverberated through the room. "It seems he wanted a meeting of us, the Old Ones."
"Ethereal?" Mirage named the third being. "What is going on here?"
In a flash of light, Discord appeared. "SURPRISE!" he cried. "How do you like the little party I put together?"
"Explain this!" Mirage demanded.
"What do you want with us?" the Ethereal asked.
"And for the record, you're ugly," Chaos sighed.
"And that's why I almost didn't invite you, Chaos Junior," Discord replied. "However, as Mirage knows, I'm planning something big. In short, I'm getting the band back together."
"Can it truly be?" the Ethereal asked.
"Oh, but it is!" Discord cried. "Now, it seems you three are those of us who have the biggest connection to the Seven Deserts. That's as good a place to start as any. I'm thinking—"
"I have already passed my judgment on Agrabah," the Ethereal informed Discord. "I deemed it unfit to destroy. I cannot go back on my word."
"Why do you have to ruin everything with your little standards?" Discord sighed. "We have a chance to be on top again, Ethereal. I wouldn't waste it."
"Very well," the Ethereal conceded.
"Now," Discord went on, "I'm thinking that you three can do your worst on the Seven Deserts while I check out what's going on in the rest of the cosmos. See how many of us are in retirement, how many of us are still active, and how many of us are dead. And you're just going to LOVE the army of chaos I put together to help you do the job! After I get a better grasp on the situation, I'll have a plan for us. One that involves spreading what we do best to OTHER worlds." He laughed triumphantly.
"Army…of chaos?" Mirage asked.
"I borrowed a gateway to the Netherworld," Discord announced, "and I used it to find four very talented scoundrels with grudges to boot against the kingdoms of the Seven Deserts! Much more competent and original than just summoning a plethora of clones from the NEGAVERSE."
"It served its purpose!" Chaos argued. "Don't mock my methods!"
"I can't help it!" Discord grinned. "After all, MY methods are so much better!"
"Do not delay!" the Ethereal begged. "Show us who you wish us to send to the Seven Deserts!"
"And now," Discord announced, "presenting…MY AGENTS OF CHAOS!" He clapped his hands, and the room went dark. Electric strobe lights appeared, illuminating a catwalk that Discord had summoned into the room.
A short, hunched figure walked down the catwalk first. "Our master of the undead, now given a firm foothold in the world of the living that can't be reversed by any magic spices, figureheads, or gemstones, since all those methods of imprisoning him are gone! With an agenda of revenge to match no other, may I present…AYAM AGHOUL!"
The lights shone down upon Aghoul. "My, it IS good to be in the world of the living!" he cried happily. "After that last incident, I want to get my revenge on that Aladdin and his friends more than ever…including those brats with the amulets!" He plucked a piece of stray confetti from behind his ear. "Especially the one with the cannon!"
Aghoul stepped down off the runway as another figure, short but lanky, moved down the runway. "The fire of destiny," Discord announced, "with a new flame that won't burn out as easily as last time…AZIZ!"
The lights shone upon a goblin, green with pointed ears. He once had been a man, but his shape had changed to the point where that was indiscernible. "So we're spreading chaos and destruction, are we?" Aziz said with a wry grin. "I can't think of a better destiny."
He joined Aghoul on the sidelines. Now a tall, willowy female figure clutching a gold staff appeared on the runway. "Sorceress extraordinaire!" Discord cried. "One-time ruler of Agrabah! And, just for comparison's sake and not to indicate that she is in any way the lesser of the two siblings, fraternal twin sister of Jafar…NASIRA!"
The lights illuminated a thin sorceress with voluminous hair, dressed entirely in red. The resemblance to her brother was unmistakable. "Being queen suited me," she said. "I wouldn't be opposed to doing it again."
She stood beside Aziz and Aghoul as the last figure moved down the runway—a tall, muscular male figure. "He may not be magical," Discord said, "but what he lacks in sorcery, he makes up for in brute force and sheer ruthlessness! Back from the brink of irony, the only one to betray the King of Thieves…SA'LUK!"
The lights now shone upon a young man, his head shaven, with a curling mustache and a muscled chest bared by a dark vest. Over his right knuckles, a set of brass blades were fitted. "Discord asked me if I was in or out," he said. "My answer was obvious."
Discord snapped his fingers, and the room was once again illuminated, the catwalk and strobe lights gone. Sa'Luk, Nasira, Aziz, and Aghoul stood before Mirage, Chaos, and the Ethereal.
Mirage slowly clapped. "Very impressive, Discord!"
"Clones from the Negaverse WOULD have worked," Chaos grunted.
"If our little friends bearing their Elements of Harmony should come back like they say they will," Discord chuckled, "they'll certainly have their work cut out for them this time! Anyway, you all have fun and play nice. I have a royal wedding to crash elsewhere."
In a flash of bright light, he disappeared. However, his laughter stayed behind, ricocheting off the stone walls and filling the room, reminding the others that his influence could not be easily forgotten.
Chapter 16:
· I SWEAR NOT EVERYTHING IN THIS FIC WILL BE A REFERENCE TO MUSE. Just…this chapter title too.
· I'm still not tired of the running gag that is sleepy Rainbow Dash.
· Yes, canonically, Maleficent's (you all knew it was her!) throne is shaped like a demon with batlike wings and horns. Which is highly reminiscent of a certain devil/god that those who fondly remember Fantasia will know I just HAD to make an Old One…
· Mal has multiple lairs. The Forbidden Mountain is the one canonically from Sleeping Beauty. She has more. We'll get there later.
· The Overtakers are still reeling from their last defeats. After all, they're ALWAYS defeated in whatever they're in. I'm planning on having them show up one by one as they're introduced in storylets. Jafar is the first…
· "Al-Khamis" is Thursday on the Arabic calendar.
· Note a couple things: Moz never states explicitly what his sexuality is. Twi doesn't list "he's gay" as a reason that they couldn't be together. My original explanation was that Moz just radiates bisexuality so much to me. After commiserating with Ophira, I have changed my explanation to "In this fic, EVERYONE IS BISEXUAL!" It makes shipping more fun. Which may lead some of you to the question, "Has Twilight, in your headcanon, ever had a crush on a mare?" I like to think Luna or Pinkie Pie, but I'm not sure if that will be relevant at all to this story.
· At first, I wasn't even going to make it a plot point that Phasir had made a "mistake" in his prophecy. But I was always going to have somepony return to the tunnels beneath the city to find the real Jasmine. Things just kinda worked out in that respect.
· Yes. Both Jafar (in Return of Jafar) and Mozenrath (in Two to Tangle) have shape-shifted into Jasmine canonically. And Sadira used a spell to switch lives with Jasmine, making everyone think she was the princess.
· The mesmerism Chrys casts on Al is reminiscent of the same spell she casts on Shining Armor in "Royal Canterlot Wedding" (and may have been inspired by Ursula's spell on Eric in The Little Mermaid, though this cannot be proven).
· The cell is from "While the City Snoozes."
· I had fun coming up with a new design for Chrys. I knew I couldn't just make her human, as even as an alicorn, she has a ton of insectoid qualities. My design of insect-humanoid-Chrys was partially inspired by the design of the ants from A Bug's Life. And I'm actually not sure if the crown, cape, and sash were clothes or parts of her body. I guessed clothes.
· I know she gave up kinda easily, but her appearance here was more to foreshadow the next storylet than anything else.
· Sadira has the ability to hypnotize people with sand. I figure she also has the ability to un-hypnotize them.
· Dark matter: I took the name from The Pendragon Adventure. It's the stuff that makes up the interdimensional flumes. It sparkles like diamonds. I decided that the "gummi" from KH is refined dark matter. I like the name "dark matter" better, and I feel it makes sense since gummi is usually used by engineers and manufacturer types while dark matter is just THERE. And you know Mal would have her hands on the good stuff.
· "Apparition at the speed of darkness" is my term for when villains teleport. I'm sure there's a trope for baddies being able to teleport wherever they want, since it's EVERYWHERE. "Apparition" comes from Harry Potter, and "speed of darkness" comes from the second Neverending Story movie. It might be in the book—I never read it but do intend to. Yes, I know no one liked NS2. I still like the term. And Xayide is kinda cool. Plus, it had young Jonathan Brandis, so I like to watch it with my eyes closed and pretend it's a tiny Mozenrath in the lead role. After all, Brandis' character in NS2 does get ahold of ultimate power that CAN GIVE HIM WHATEVER HE WANTS BUT DRAINS HIS LIFE FORCE EACH TIME…pattern much?
· Aladdin really does mean "glory." "Mozenrath" was formed from the last names of his creators, Bill Motz and Bob Roth, so in that world, it would literally be a bunch of syllables thrown together.
· Yes, Celestia knows what's up with the Elements.
· The Ethereal was a spirit that visited Agrabah and threatened to destroy it if Jasmine couldn't prove what made it worth saving. She took down that world's version of Atlantis and Babylon because they couldn't prove to her that their civilizations were worth saving. She eventually decided that it was the people that made Agrabah valuable, and left it alone. But the way she treats such things so casually made her an ideal Old One, and so I figured it wouldn't be hard for Discord to convince her to join the team…
· Aziz is the villain from "Seems Like Old Crimes" and "Destiny On Fire." He was human once, but an enchanted gem he tried to steal turned him (and Minos and Fatima) into a monster. Minos and Fatima regained their humanity through love. Aziz was cruel through and through, but he didn't exactly mind after a while, because he could breathe fire that had magic properties. He canonically died by overusing his power and burning out until he turned into a star.
· Nasira is from the cult hit PS1 game "Nasira's Revenge." In it, she's Jafar's twin sister, and she's trying to resurrect him. She also becomes the new queen of Agrabah. She is a VERY powerful sorceress. Now, I haven't played Nasira's Revenge or watched a full walkthrough, but I did watch the opening cinematic, the cutscene where she's first revealed as the queen, and the scenes before and after the final battle. It was never really said what happened to her, but I assume she died, since at the end, the Sultan proclaimed her "defeated" and "the city saved." I do intend on watching the walkthrough before attempting to do more with her.
· And the villain of King of Thieves makes it all complete! Ohhh, you knew I couldn't just bury him for good.