1. The Hand of Midas

THE VANISHING ISLE, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Say whatever you want about Saleen," Rarity remarked, "and it's probably true. But she certainly does know how to style a mane. I can't believe these curls are staying in place even underwater!"

Fluttershy was awed by the scenery around her. A pod of dolphins passed overhead. A colorful reef was visible in the distance. Strangely colored fish of neon hues zipped past her face. Abu, feeling neglect, tugged on Fluttershy's skirt.

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy said, picking up the monkey. "I didn't mean to ignore you. I've just never seen the ocean from this side before!"

"Well, we're about halfway there," Aladdin pointed out.

"This walk is too long," Pinkie remarked. "We need a walking song!"

"A what?" Jasmine asked.

"Brace yourselves," Rainbow Dash warned. "Pinkie likes to – "

"On an underwater walk to the Vanishing Isle, everybody gotta wear a smile!" Pinkie sang, making up her own tune and lyrics on the spot. "We dove down far and we're not on land 'cause we gotta pick up that valuable Hand! Undersea adventure, below the sea so green! Undersea adventure, that started with Saleen! Undersea adventure, avoiding sharks so mean! The Midas was a clincher for our undersea adventuuuuure!"

" – do that," Rainbow Dash sighed.

"I thought it was kinda catchy," Iago commented.

"So tell me," Cassim asked Twilight, "how is it that a young sorceress like you is skilled against someone as powerful as Saleen?"

"Lots of studying," Twilight said, "but apparently not enough." She could only focus on the way Saleen had shattered her energy shield. The incident fused itself in her mind with her inability to build a wall from sand magic.

Accompanied by Pinkie's song, the group finally reached the great turtle, kicking off from the ground and swimming up to its shell.

"Well, I'll be…" Applejack observed the complex metropolis on the turtle's back. "There's an entire kingdom of its own up here!"

"I wonder how it got here," Twilight said. "Did anyone live here? How did they survive the turtle's disappearance?"

"We're close to the Hand," Cassim said, diving in the direction of the chamber that held the great treasure. Applejack noted Aladdin's reluctance before he followed his father. She was determined to find out what Cassim was hiding.

---

The chamber, like the outer area, was flooded with water. The door to the chamber led to about the middle of the room, height-wise; the round chamber extended many yards above and many yards below. Cassim guided the group down to the very bottom.

The first thing everyone noticed was the statue. A golden man, muscular with a bald head but a lengthy mustache, raised his arms in the air. One of his hands was topped off with a set of claws protruding from the knuckles. His face was frozen in agony, reminding Rainbow Dash of Discord's petrification and prompting her to ask, "Did that guy…?"

"Sa'luk," Cassim responded. "One of my former accomplices. A greedy traitor if there ever was one. His desire for the Hand backfired, wouldn't you say? And speaking of which…" He pointed.

Across the chamber floor, there it lay against the corner where wall met floor. Wrapped in a cloth, the Hand's gold was just visible, shining through a break in the fabric.

"Right where we left it," Aladdin said.

"See?" Cassim said. "That was easier than you thought. And you were thinking it would be impossible?"

"Dad," Aladdin said suddenly, "there's…something I need to talk to you about. When we found the Hand together, you cast it aside because you didn't need it. You let me believe that our relationship was enough for you, even if it didn't exactly work out. Now you want it back. Dad, I have to know…does this mean it matters to you more than I do?"

It took Cassim a while to answer. He took in a deep breath of magic water, sighing heavily. "You see, Aladdin…it isn't that simple. I do value the life of my son more than any treasure. And that's why I HAVE to retrieve the Hand. You just have to believe me!"

"But that doesn't make any sense," Aladdin said.

"You're hidin' somethin'," Applejack added. "Care to tell us what it is?"

Before Cassim could come up with an excuse, a new voice interrupted: "Too bad you'll be dead before he ever has the chance."

The entire group turned; standing behind them were two men, one tall and one short, who Aladdin recognized too well. "Abis Mal!" he snapped. "Haroud Hazi Bin! What are YOU doing here?"

"And how are you breathing?" Twilight asked.

"Glad you asked," Abis Mal replied. "Thanks to a little magic spell known as the Bubbles of Amphitrite…" He tapped a bubble that had formed a helmet around his head; Haroud wore a similar one. "We can breathe underwater all we want! That means we're going to take the Hand of Midas, and we're going to use it to…to…gold-ify…?"

"Gild, sir," Haroud sighed.

"Gild all the stuff we want!" Abis Mal finished. "Including a new hat!"

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Yet another voice caused everyone to turn to the right. There floated a slight, short man in a copper diving suit. "I heard about the Hand of Midas first, I figured out how to get to it first, and I WILL TAKE IT FIRST!"

"Mechanicles too?" Aladdin groaned. "This isn't a good day…"

Mechanicles suddenly flinched, alerting the group to a new arrival behind them. This man, tall but thin, wore an oxygen tank on his back that looked to have been cobbled out of scrap metal. A sewn-together tube of canvas connected it to his mouth. He pointed to Aladdin, Abis Mal, Haroud, and Mechanicles in turn before making a slashing motion across his throat, then pointed to the Hand of Midas and finally to himself.

"AMIN DAMOOLA?" Aladdin cried. "How many of you can show up at the same time?"

Twilight groaned. "Is EVERY criminal's name in this world a stupid PUN?"

"Unfortunately," Haroud sighed.

"Pun?" Abis Mal asked, confused. "What pun. I don't get it…"

"That's because you're dense!" Mechanicles taunted. "Unlike myself, a true genius!"

Amin pointed to Mechanicles before twirling his finger at the side of his head, making the sign for "cuckoo."

"Takes one to know one!" Mechanicles shot back.

"I know you are, but what am I!" Abis Mal added.

"A lackadaisical clod who can't even form a thought on his own without consulting his advisor!" Mechanicles snapped.

"Is 'lackadaisical clod' an insult?" Abis Mal asked Haroud.

"SEE WHAT I MEAN?" Mechanicles barked.

Amin doubled over in pantomime laughter.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Abis Mal and Mechanicles yelled at Amin.

"AAAAAAUUUUUUUUGH!" Twilight cried. "Why don't you four just STOP FIGHTING? You would have had the Hand by now if you'd agreed to just work together and split the profits!"

A hush fell over the group.

"You know something, Abis Mal?" Mechanicles said with a grin. "She's right!"

"There would be a limitless supply of gold," Haroud realized. "Easy to divide."

"And the more the merrier when it comes to wiping out Aladdin and his friends!" Abis Mal said with a grin.

Amin nodded his agreement.

With that, Abis Mal drew his sword, menacing the adventurers with it. Mechanicles raised his left hand, which was encased in a multitool that sprouted a can opener, a corkscrew, and a longsword blade. Amin also drew his sword, pointing it at his targets.

"Nice going, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash chided.

"Oops…" Twilight said hushedly.

"The blades of three!" Fluttershy squeaked in realization. She ducked to the back of the group to hide.

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash cried, drawing her sword. "BRING IT ON!"

She and Abis Mal rushed at the same time; their blades clashed. Again and again, he tried to slash at her; she expertly parried every stroke, both blades slowed somewhat by cutting through water. Mechanicles took this chance to charge Aladdin, who by this time had drawn his own sword. Mechanicles' blade hit the steel of Aladdin's, and Aladdin held it steady, trying to push the blade back. Amin charged at Cassim, who ducked under the blade and threw a punch; Amin doubled over again, not in mock laughter but in pain.

"You may have counted on the blades of three," Haroud said, "but not on the spells of a fourth." He removed a jar from the folds of his clothing; inside, a flame flickered. "The underwater fire of Pele." He opened the jar, letting the flame spread out into the water. Twilight immediately ran to meet the flames, using her hand to toss a current of water that diverted the flames' path.

"Who are you, anyway?" Abis Mal asked Rainbow Dash condescendingly between the clashes of the blades. "I did NOT come here to fight random minions!"

"I'm not a random minion!" Rainbow Dash growled. "I am the Element of Loyalty, and I…am going…to beat you!" She kicked upward; Abis Mal's blade flew into the air. Rainbow Dash leapt upward through the water to catch it; she touched back down on the floor holding a blade in each hand.

"How did you do that?" Abis Mal asked incredulously.

"How DID you?" Fluttershy added.

"I've read a lot of books about swordfighting," Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. "Happens all the time in Daring Do!"

Cassim struck Amin on the back of the neck, causing him to drop his sword. Cassim gave the handle of the sword a kick, and it floated toward Fluttershy, who immediately picked it up and held it behind her back so no one could take it and use it to hurt anyone else.

"Just give up!" Aladdin told Mechanicles. "You're outmatched and you know it!"

"NEVER!" Mechanicles yelled. "I hardly think you outmatch me! You may have street smarts, but I have wisdom! I have technology! I have – "

A strong flying kick to his back sent Mechanicles stumbling. Jasmine touched down on the floor after dealing the blow. "But Aladdin has a wife who knows how to defend the people she loves," she snapped.

"I'll take THAT!" Pinkie quipped, stomping on Mechanicles' left hand and breaking the multitool, sending the corkscrew, can opener, and longsword blade floating away.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Mechanicles moaned. "WHO ARE YOU AND WHY ARE YOU INTERFERING?"

"My name is Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie exclaimed proudly.

"It seems Aladdin has made powerful friends," Haroud remarked. "However, none of you are powerful enough to stand up against the underwater fire. Unlike my business partner…I came prepared." The fire looped back around in a beam, shooting towards Fluttershy; Fluttershy crossed her arms in front of her head with a squeal of fright, holding Amin's sword aloft.

"NO!" Twilight dove in front of the fiery beam, casting the reflection spell. The fire ricocheted against a burst of purple energy and shot at Abis Mal, who ducked with a yelp. The fire bounced off the round wall, aided by another well-directed burst of purple energy, and headed toward Amin, who barely skidded out of its path, the back of his vest singeing. The fire bounced off another part of the wall and yet another burst of Twilight's energy and headed downward toward Mechanicles, who rolled away from it just in time.

Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated; when she opened her eyes again, they glowed with pure white light, her pupils and irises obscured from view. She thrust out her hands; the walls glowed purple, and the firey beam bounced off them like a rubber ball, heading in a random path each time.

Applejack figured out what Twilight had done. "Get the Hand!" she yelled. Rarity ducked and skidded toward the Hand, picking it up safely by the handle.

"Hasta la vista, baby," the Genie said in a deep voice before sprouting enough arms to wrap around the waists of Aladdin, Jasmine, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Cassim, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash; the Carpet, Iago, and Abu clung to the shoulders of Aladdin, Cassim, and Fluttershy. The Genie sped upward as though propelled by a rocket, carrying the group out of the chamber and far above the city of the Vanishing Isle.

"Can we just leave them like that?" Fluttershy asked as they climbed ever higher. "What if the underwater fire kills them?"

"They're the bad guys!" Rainbow Dash argued. "Why do you care?"

"I don't want to think about us killing anyone," Fluttershy admitted.

"Neither do I," Rarity said.

"Me either," Applejack said.

"It…is kind of a freaky thing to think about," Rainbow Dash admitted soberly.

"We've dedicated our lives to friendship and harmony," Twilight pointed out. "We can't just become killers like that."

"They won't die," Aladdin assured the six. "I'm sure of it. They've survived worse."

"That's good," Fluttershy said with relief.

At last, the Genie broke the surface of the ocean, dropping everyone and transforming into a gigantic rowboat. "All hands on deck!" he yelled, and everyone scrambled to get inside the Genie-boat.

"Well, I'd call that a success," Rarity said, handing the Hand of Midas over to Cassim, who was careful only to grip the fabric around the Hand rather than the dangerous metal itself.

"And we picked up extra swords!" Rainbow Dash cried in glee, holding up her first sword alongside her new prize. "Lemme see yours, Fluttershy!"

"You can have it," Fluttershy said, trying to place Amin's old blade by Rainbow Dash.

"Eh, I only have two hands," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Keep it. You can learn how to defend yourself! I can teach you!"

"All right," Fluttershy gave in, taking the sword back and looking at it. Abu, sitting on her shoulder, made a face at his reflection in the metal; this made Fluttershy giggle.

The Carpet rolled itself up, squeezing out the water so it would be ready for the journey home. "We're almost ready to go back," Jasmine pointed out.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" Twilight asked.

"No," Aladdin admitted, "but once we're in the air, we can figure it out."

"Now hold on just a second!" Applejack interrupted. "There's somethin' we still ain't finished!" She turned to Cassim. "Now, I dunno what it is you been hidin', but I say we ain't goin' home until you tell us why you want that Hand so darn bad! You keep lookin' at Iago every time he almost spills the beans, you ran away from me when I asked you down under that water, and you just told Aladdin that the very same reason you threw that thing away in the first place is the reason you want it! As the Element of Honesty, I am fed up with your dodgin' the question and with your lies! You either tell us what in tarnation's goin' on, or…or I might just have it in me to take your silly Hand and throw it back into the ocean, if you can't come up with a good excuse for needin' it!"

Cassim couldn't meet her eyes at first. He focused his gaze on the hand. He didn't speak for the longest time; the others awaited his explanation.

"I did not wish to tell you," he began, "because if you knew why…you would have refused."

"I'll say," Iago commented. "They probably could have told you how stupid this whole idea was!"

"What would make us refuse to help you?" Aladdin asked.

"This Hand…" Cassim sighed. "It is not for me. I have no use for it. I…I ran into someone from my past, and I need to make up for what I've done to him." Another pause. "Aladdin…do you remember…your brother?"

"My WHAT?" Aladdin cried.

"Your twin," Cassim went on. "My other son."

"Wait a minute," Aladdin said. "You told me that you looked everywhere for my mother and me. You didn't mention anyone else – "

"I believed he was dead," Cassim said. "Taken by the shadow walkers."

"Taken by…" All of a sudden, Aladdin remembered.

---

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

SEVEN YEARS AGO

"He isn't coming back," his brother , a small and skinny child with a mess of dark curly hair, had snapped. "He just left us here to die like our mother did!"

"Don't say that!" Aladdin had cried. He was young…still a child, only recently turned to the streets by the loss of both parents. "He…he wouldn't forget me!"

"Maybe he wouldn't forget you," the other replied. "He just adores you!"

"Now isn't the time to think about that!" Aladdin pointed out. "We need to stick together if we want to survive! We'll have to figure out a way to eat…a place to sleep…"

"You do what you want," the other said. "I'm going on alone. I'll find my own way, and I'll do it without you. I don't need you. I never needed you!"

" – !" Aladdin knew that at that point he had said his brother's name, though now he couldn't remember it. "You're too weak! You can't just – "

"I DON'T NEED YOU!" the other boy screamed. "DON'T underestimate me! I'll show you one day that you shouldn't have underestimated me! I'll become more powerful than you, just like I always wanted to be! Just don't expect me to do it in this dump of a city." He turned to storm away. "I'm going to find somewhere I can really become something! You'll see!"

" - !" Again, Aladdin had called his brother's name, imploring him to come back.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" his brother replied, turning the corner. The sun was beginning to set. Aladdin stared after the path down which his brother had gone for quite a while before eventually turning to go his own way. He would have to find a way to get food now. Perhaps he would finally resort to stealing. It wasn't a prospect he looked forward to, but he had to steal to eat, and he had to eat to live…

A piercing scream rang out. " - !" Aladdin, recognizing his brother's voice, ran toward the sound, crying out that elusive name. He turned the corner only to see a flickering shadow disappear down an alley. Aladdin followed the shadow, certain that something had taken his frail twin with evil intent. On the other side of the alley was the old dried-up well…a flickering tail disappeared down it, a reptilian one.

" - !" Aladdin called his brother's name, looking down the well. No answer. He could see nothing but darkness.

Eventually he had to accept that his brother was gone. He would later see glimpses of the shadowy creature as it stole away his friend Amal, a youth who had lived on the streets for quite a long time. As the losses of the stolen children became more permanent, Aladdin would forget them.

---

THE VANISHING ISLE, THE SEVEN DESERTS

PRESENT DAY

"…they took him," Aladdin remembered. "Right before they took Amal. I guess I always confused the two memories in my head since they're so similar. I…I don't even remember his name. I only remember that he looked like our mom. How could he still be alive?"

"I do not know," Cassim answered. "I only know that I did indeed find him. He remembered how I favored you over him, and he is as obsessed with power as ever. Do you remember when your mother read you both stories, and you would cheer for the hero while he cheered for the villain? He's achieved his goal. He's a villain right out of the stories."

"He really did find a place where he could be something without my help," Aladdin realized.

"Now I understand," Fluttershy said. "You wanted to make up for what you did in the past by giving him a gift."

"Retrieve the GIFT from siren's sea!" Twilight cried. "It makes sense!"

"He became a bad guy, and you still wanna give him the Hand of Midas?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"He is still my son," Cassim said. "And I did wrong him. I…never gave him the same attention I gave Aladdin. It could even be fair to say I loved Aladdin more. But I do care for his life. That is why I must give him the Hand. I knew I could not retrieve it alone…and that is why I came to you."

"I don't understand," Jasmine said. "Why the Hand of Midas? Why not some other treasure?"

"And why wouldn't you want to tell me about him?" Aladdin said. "Don't you think I would have been interested in knowing where my brother went? In that he was alive?"

"It is easier to answer the first question than the second," Cassim admitted. "I am hoping that he will know what to do with the Hand. It…could replace what he lost. Slow down the destruction he is bringing upon himself. As for why I couldn't tell you…"

"Spit it out already!" Iago barked. "I just can't wait to see the look on his face."

"Wait," Aladdin said, the pieces coming together. "Bringing destruction upon himself? He needs to replace…a hand?" He pressed his fingertips to his temples. "No. No, no, no, no. It can't be."

"What's wrong?" Rarity asked.

The six Equestrians listened in confusion as Aladdin said to his father, "Please…tell me his name wasn't…"

Aladdin remembered. He knew it was. Cassim confirmed it anyway:

"His name is Mozenrath."

---

Chapter 5:

· No, I don't have a tune for Pinkie's song.

· I wasn't sure how to handle Rarity having ditched her hijab – so I'm going to leave it alone, since Jasmine, Sadira, Fatima, and Deluca don't wear them anyway. The other five get to keep theirs.

· I'm not even going to attempt to come up with a backstory for how the people of the Vanishing Isle could have lived there.

· Sa'luk is the villain of King of Thieves – Cassim's right-hand who wanted to betray him for the Hand of Midas. He died by greedily grabbing the Hand and turning into a gold statue. I would be lying if I said that wasn't a slight bit of foreshadowing…

· I kind of gave RD sword skills out of nowhere. I just think it would come naturally to her.

· Like the Eye of Ra Spyglass, the Bubbles of Amphitrite and the underwater fire of Pele are magical things I just made up and aren't from any outside fictional work.

· I whipped out to get "lackadaisical clod", I must admit.

· It's going to be a recurring theme that the Elements of Harmony want nothing less than to kill someone. This means they never set out to actually kill any villain. (Using the Elements of Harmony to defeat someone is different, I think – that power turned Luna back into a normal pony, and it was confirmed in the very beginning that petrifying Discord isn't KILLING him. I already made good use of that last one.) I plan to make this very important to the story.

· Aladdin saying that Abis Mal, Haroud, Mechanicles, and Amin could survive being trapped in the chamber with the ricocheting fire beam is a call back to an episode where a cavern collapsed on him while he battled Abis Mal and Mechanicles; he said that if anyone could survive that, it was those two. And they did.

· The Genie is supposed to rattle off celebrity impressions all the time. I'm horrible at that. That Schwarznegger reference is probably going to be the best you'll get from me in that regard.

· I'll admit there are a couple inconsistencies here. For one, the shadow walkers are supposed to show up "every seven years", and it seems unlikely that Aladdin would have fuzzy memories from only seven years ago. Then again, he legitimately did forget Amal (the one he remembered in the episode about the shadow walkers) until someone else reminded him. Also, since he had to be good friends with Amal before the night of the shadow walkers, I implied here that they were friends before Aladdin was orphaned. And yes…I do plan to bring the adult Amal into this story.

· It was EXTREMELY FUN for me to write all that emo-tastic dialogue between young Al and young Mozenrath. It really entertains me to imagine what their interactions would have been like if they really did know each other at that age.