1. A Storybook Villain

THE HIGH SEAS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Did I miss something?" Pinkie asked. "Who's Mozenrath?"

"My archnemesis," Aladdin answered. "Or something like that."

"Now you see why I didn't want to tell you," Cassim concluded. "I knew you wouldn't want to put the Hand in the hands of your enemy – "

"He already turned the Sultan into a gold statue once!" Aladdin yelled. "Not to mention nearly destroyed Agrabah with a wind jackal, replaced the entire palace guard with fakes so he could take the throne, kidnapped Genie more times than I can count…"

"The horror!" the Genie-boat cried. "The claustrophobia! The annoying eel that kept taunting me!"

"What makes you think giving him an artifact of destruction is a good idea?" Aladdin finished.

"He could take it as an opportunity to stop the process of slow death he's brought upon himself!" Cassim argued. "He has enough power to use the Hand to replace his own."

"You know he won't do that!"

"That is the probable outcome…" Cassim stared down at the Hand once more. "And yet I feel I must try anyway. If it weren't for my negligence, he might have gone down a different path…or at least approached the same path from a way that wasn't slowly killing him."

After a long, awkward silence, Rarity said, "I think Cassim should bring it to him."

"WHAT?" everyone else on the Genie-boat, Genie-boat included, yelled, staring at Rarity incredulously. Even the Carpet seemed to do a double take.

"It's only right," Rarity said. "If Cassim was unfair to him in the past…"

"Isn't there any way to try and apologize WITHOUT handing a dangerous magical artifact to one of our enemies?" Jasmine asked.

"The only gift that would mean anything," Cassim said, "would be a second chance."

"Does the prophecy say anything about this?" Fluttershy asked Twilight.

"The Old Ones make a deadly bet," Twilight said, "and oldest foes will be reset. Maybe that means he will take a second chance? Is he one of your oldest enemies?"

"Not by far," Aladdin admitted.

"The young one takes it on with pride," Twilight continued. "That might be him, right? He's about your age. So maybe he takes on the Hand?"

"But as a second chance," Applejack asked, "or as a weapon?"

"And to him all your fates are tied!" Twilight realized. "I don't know exactly what this all means, but he IS important!"

"All I know," Aladdin said to Cassim, "is that if you're going to take the Hand to Mozenrath…I'm going with you."

"I think not!" Cassim snapped. "You said yourself that he's your archnemesis. What makes you think you can just walk up to his fortress unscathed?"

"The same thing that makes you think you can do it," Aladdin retorted.

"If I have to risk my life setting things right," Cassim said, "I'd rather those I love stay behind. Stay safe."

"So that means I get to stay back too, right?" Iago interrupted. "Right?"

"I've faced him before and won," Aladdin said, "and I'll win if I face him again. You need me there in case he turns on you, especially with the Hand of Midas. Besides…I have a few questions for him myself. Like why he never mentioned this during any of the times we fought, or how he escaped the shadow-walkers."

"I'm coming too," Jasmine said. "I've also defeated Mozenrath before."

"Count me in!" the Genie-boat cried. "I've got a few choice words for that slimy sorcerer! Of course, only clean ones, since this chapter is based on G-rated source material."

"But I still get to stay back, right?" Iago said.

"And we're not leaving you all to go without us!" Rainbow Dash asserted. "Now that we're friends, you can't shake us off by telling us to stay safe!"

"I'll admit I have my misgivin's about this," Applejack said, "and this MIGHT just be Rarity takin' her generosity just a bit too far. But I trust her judgment…" She looked directly into Rarity's eyes. "And I'm with y'all one hundred percent."

"Well, of course I'm going," Rarity said. "I still think it's a good idea."

"It'll be fun, going together!" Pinkie cried.

"I don't think it sounds fun," Fluttershy said. "I think it sounds dangerous…but I want to go, too."

"And I have to go," Twilight said. "I know that's what the prophecy means. To him, all our fates are tied."

Jasmine smiled. "How can Mozenrath possibly get away with anything evil if we all stand against him together?"

"Gimme a T!" the Genie-boat cried. "Gimme an A! Gimme an E-M-W-O-R-K! What does that spell?"

"Our doom," Iago answered.

The Genie transformed into a jet once more, and Aladdin, Jasmine, and Twilight boarded the Carpet. The others settled down in their seats on the Genie-jet, though Rainbow Dash now sat by Pinkie instead of flying.

"Set a course for the Land of the Black Sand!" Aladdin cried, and the two aircrafts set off.

"Land of the Black Sand," Applejack repeated sarcastically. "Now that don't sound threatenin' at all."

The Genie-jet flew directly parallel to the Carpet so both sets of passengers could converse. "So," Rainbow Dash said, "tell us more about this Mozenrath guy. We need to know what we're up against!"

"He's a power-mad sorcerer," Jasmine began. "He wants to conquer all of the Seven Deserts."

"His obsession is magic," Aladdin added. "That's why he's tried to capture Genie so many times. So he can use his power. He'll take any source of power he can find, though. Ancient spells, powerful artifacts…"

"Hey!" Pinkie realized. "That sounds kinda like Twilight! The obsessed-with-magic part, I mean."

"Pinkie," Twilight growled, "I'm not like a supervillain. My studies of magic are different."

"He's also a real loner," Iago said. "Like, stays shut up in his crazy mad scientist laboratory all day and doesn't keep anybody that talks around except for his stupid pet eel. He's sunk to the low of actually talking to a book before."

Applejack laughed. "Y'know somethin'? That sounds like how Twilight was before she found us!"

"It does not!" Twilight snapped.

"Like you didn't spend your days in Canterlot shut up in your library," Rainbow Dash teased, "with only Spike around…and talking to the books."

"I only talked to them SOMETIMES!" Twilight defended.

"You're nothing like him," Aladdin reassured Twilight. "You're more level-headed. He seems level-headed on the surface, but he could snap at a moment's notice if things aren't going according to plan. And when he's angry, he gets destructive."

"Oh, but that is like Twilight," Fluttershy pointed out. "Well…when she misses a deadline, that is."

"I might have gone a little crazy," Twilight said, "but I wasn't destructive! I just cursed an old doll with a Want It Need It glamour that I was taught was extremely dangerous magic and never to be used so that I could make a friendship problem to solve…okay, I can see how some ponies might see that as destructive."

"But he's completely and officially cracked!" the Genie-jet pointed out. "Nothing like you, Twilight! Here, let me give you an impression." He cleared his throat. "I wanted to finish Aladdin! Aladdin was to have been MINE! Okay, okay, let's look at the big picture. I have the Genie, Aladdin is dead, and my plans for world conquest are shaping up nicely!" The Genie-jet then added, "Of course, he said that entirely to himself. Cuck-oo!"

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie exchanged smirks before Rainbow Dash said mockingly, "It's fine. It'll all be fine. The day's not over yet. BUT IT WILL BE OVER SOON! It'll all be over! My time in Ponyville, my advanced studies! No, no. You're a good student. You can DO this! Ohh, but what if I can't? You CAN! You just have to KEEP IT TOGETHER!" Rainbow Dash winked. "And of course, she said all that to herself."

"I AM NOT LIKE A SUPERVILLAIN AND THAT IS FINAL!" Twilight snapped. "NO! NO! NO! Though I might just become one if you don't all STOP MOCKING ME!"

"She…does kind of sound like him," Jasmine observed.

Twilight smacked her hand against her forehead. "Can we just remember the big difference? I'm good and he's evil. It doesn't matter how many surface similarities we have!"

"Besides," Iago said, "you're not REALLY in trouble until you have that weird fetish for the color blue like he does."

All eyes turned to Twilight's blue robes and hijab. "Rarity made these," Twilight snapped quickly.

"In your favorite color," Rarity responded, fighting back giggles.

Twilight sighed. "I give up…"

---

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

Mozenrath sat before the spinning-disc table he'd made into a map of the Seven Deserts. "Where should I try my hand next, Xerxes?" he asked. "Attacking Agrabah has just become so…old hat. Not that I don't eventually want it, but there are so many other lands I haven't even tried."

Xerxes, a flying eel somewhat gifted with the power of speech, hovered over a part of the map. "Getzistan," he rasped. "Getzistan!"

Mozenrath slowly turned the table to the part of the map containing Getzistan was before him. "It's almost too easy," he sighed. "The biggest problem they've ever had is imps. Still, it is new territory, and one of the richer kingdoms in the Seven Deserts…it could work…"

A flash of green lit up the laboratory, and Mozenrath and Xerxes' gazes were drawn to a column of green fire that slowly burned out to reveal the anthropomorphic catlike figure within.

"Planning our next conquest, are we?" Mirage greeted.

"I remember you," Mozenrath began.

"I didn't expect you to forget," Mirage replied happily. "Of course, I remember you very well. That's why I wanted to pay you a visit and give you a gift!"

"Unless this 'gift' is a way to destroy me," Mozenrath snapped, "we're remembering our last meeting differently."

"Not at all," Mirage said. "I remember exactly how bratty and defiant you were. That's exactly what led me back to you!"

---

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

SEVEN YEARS AGO

Her shadow-walkers had taken him as a child, dragged him down into the well and through a portal of darkness to where she stood before a cage of crying children, sitting upon a throne of stone beneath a starry sky. She had seemed much bigger then, but after all, Mozenrath was much smaller. He'd fought against the creature, a mammalian-reptilian cross with a fanged snout and burly arms, but he couldn't break its grip. It never occurred to him to even think that Aladdin might have been trying to find him.

The shadow-walker deposited the boy before Mirage, dropping him unceremoniously. Mozenrath had immediately scrambled to his feet, dusting off the rags he wore to try and give off at least a slight impression of professionalism.

"Welcome, young one," Mirage said. "The Brotherhood of the El-Khatib has chosen you. They must have sensed great things in you. Tell me, young one. Have you ever dreamed of becoming more than what you are? Of wielding great power beyond the reaches of your imagination?"

"I can imagine a lot," Mozenrath answered, uneasy with how this cat-woman could so readily read his desires.

"I am Mirage," she introduced. "Some call me evil incarnate. They certainly aren't wrong. I can tell that you have a healthy appetite for evil."

"I am evil," Mozenrath confirmed. "I want to be a villain when I'm older, like the ones from my mother's stories. What does that have to do with you?"

"I can offer you the ultimate of evil powers," Mirage said.

"I doubt that," Mozenrath huffed.

"Oh, mouthy, are we?" Mirage smirked. "I like that in a potential candidate."

"Candidate for what?" Mozenrath snapped.

"I am offering you your chance," Mirage said, "to become part of the Brotherhood of the El-Khatib. Join us, and you will gain unimaginable power." She gestured to the beast that had captured Mozenrath. "You will become what he has become: unstoppable."

"There's more than one way to become unstoppable," Mozenrath pointed out. "What do you mean, the 'Brotherhood'?"

"The El-Khatib, the shadow-walkers, are as brothers," Mirage said, spreading her arms invitingly. "I guess you could call me their mother. Your mother."

"YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER!" Mozenrath yelled. "Only one could ever be my mother, and she's dead! And besides that…I don't want to be part of any 'Brotherhood'. EVER. I've had enough of brothers."

"But think of the power!" Mirage rose from her throne. "Think of the evil you could wreak!"

"I'd rather think about the evil I could wreak on my own," Mozenrath said. "Or with a better mentor than YOU."

"You dare defy evil itself?" Mirage growled.

"If I don't like what evil itself has to offer."

"INSOLENT CHILD!" Mirage's hands glowed with green power, and she raised her arms. Sensing what was to come, Mozenrath turned and ran. He felt the blast connect with the sand at his heels. Still he ran on.

Mirage pointed. "AFTER HIM!" she screamed, and the shadow-walkers obeyed her command, forming a pack and giving chase.

The cages and the throne turned out to be just outside the city walls. Mozenrath was quickly able to run back inside them, ducking into the city streets he knew so well. He took every turn he could, hoping to lose the shadow-walkers. However, he was soon out of breath, and halted, leaning against a wall.

A growl from behind him prompted him to turn around. The shadow-walkers were here, crawling on the street and on the walls. They were determined to make him one of them whether he wished it or not.

"NO!" Mozenrath yelled – not out of fright, but out of frustration. "I DON'T WANT TO BE ONE OF YOU!"

Salvation came from above. The girl leapt from the roof, spinning a wooden pole. She smacked each of the shadow-walkers on the nose with it, causing them to slow down. Suddenly the shadow-walkers turned around, scurrying away into their shadowy portals.

"They must be trying to get back home before sunrise," the girl said. "I've read about these things, and they – "

"Dissolve in sunlight if they aren't back in the shadow realm before the full moon sets," Mozenrath finished with a sigh. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"I had great timing, huh?" the girl said with a wide smile. "I beat those things back right before they made you lunch!"

Mozenrath responded by rolling his eyes. "You could have shown up sooner, you know."

But that was all Mozenrath cared to remember of it.

---

THE LAND OF THE BLACK SANDS, THE SEVEN DESERTS

PRESENT TIMELINE

"I actually admire the strength of will you showed in refusing my shadow-walkers," Mirage told Mozenrath, now older and stronger. "But what's more, I admire what you've done since then. To turn you into another shadow-walker really would have been a waste. Had I known that, I might have been able to be a better mentor to you than Destane…but I see things worked out between you two."

"If by 'worked out', you mean I drained him of his humanity and turned him into the shambling undead after he taught me everything he knew, I guess you could say things worked out," Mozenrath replied with a triumphant smile. "He was like a father to me, you know."

"From what I saw," Mirage said, "he had a nasty habit of beating you and throwing you around in between teaching you arcane lore."

"Do you spy on me all the time, or just when there's a chance you could see something to use against me?"

"I watch the forces of evil in this world," Mirage answered simply. "After all, I am – "

"Evil incarnate, I know the speech. It's true, Destane wasn't at all caring or gentle, but then again, those are never qualities I associated with being a father." Mozenrath crossed his arms.

"While I'm sure your dysfunctional childhood would make for a fascinating story," Mirage said sarcastically, "it is currently of no interest to me. The fact remains that you are one of the few who has ever defied me and lived…and that you are one of the most evil and chaotic entities in this world. A new age is coming, one in which chaos and evil will rule. In order to begin this age on this world, I propose a deal. I will give you something which you have always wanted…and you can use it exactly how you see fit, with only minor stipulations."

"Get to the point."

Mirage held out her hands, and in a rush of green fire, the black lamp appeared in them. "As of this moment, this belongs to you."

Mozenrath stared in awe. He nearly fell onto the floor. "No…it's impossible…"

"Oh, it's possible," Mirage said. "This lamp is the one and only lamp of Jafar."

"Jafar!" Xerxes rasped.

"The lamp of Jafar…" Mozenrath rose and rushed toward Mirage, taking the lamp into his hands. "It's mine…it's finally MINE!" He looked at the lamp almost lovingly, with a broad smile and wide eyes. He then realized the image he was presenting and adopted a more neutral expression, including his traditional smirk. "A powerful entity, to be sure. I've never beheld such power…"

"Mozenrath always want to be like Jafar!" Xerxes told Mirage. "Jafar Mozenrath's hero! Mozenrath say – "

"THAT YOU'LL MEET A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH IF YOU KEEP TALKING!" Mozenrath shot a blue energy beam at the eel, shocking Xerxes electrically but not permanently harming him.

"So you're a fan," Mirage said.

"Only a casual admirer," Mozenrath replied.

"Mozenrath think Jafar a beautiful man," Xerxes croaked from the floor, and Mirage burst into laughter.

"He's exaggerating!" Mozenrath defended hurriedly. "I…I don't need him! I could conquer this world on my own! He's only a pawn to me!"

"Whatever the case," Mirage said, "you now have his fealty, and three wishes. Now, everyone who's ever held a djinni's container makes the same first wish…only with slight variations. It is this first wish I want to discuss."

"Name your terms," Mozenrath spat.

"When you do make that wish," Mirage said, "and when the inevitable result happens, I would like you to make a provision that my Echthroi can run free in your domain."

"Echthroi?" Mozenrath raised an eyebrow.

"You can just refer to them as the fire-cats," Mirage said. "And, every seven years, the shadow-walkers. My only goal is to create a land of evil and chaos, and I'm sure you can handle most of that on your own. I just wish to reserve my place among it."

"I don't see why not," Mozenrath admitted. "So long as they don't interfere with my plans."

"All they will do is torment innocent civilians wherever you give them freedom to do so."

"I can't very well refuse that," Mozenrath said. "All right. Your cats and your shadow-walkers have freedom to wreak havoc in my domain. Any other stipulations?"

Mirage smiled. "None whatsoever."

Mozenrath was taken aback; it sounded too good to be true.

"Happy wishing," Mirage said. "Oh, and by the way…you have guests." Another column of green flame enveloped her, and she was gone.

Mozenrath rushed to the Eye of Ra Spyglass, peering into it and looking through the walls of his palace down to the empty city. He could barely believe what he saw. Not only was Cassim returning, but he'd brought Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Genie with him…as well as the monkey, the parrot, and six other women Mozenrath had never seen before, one of them dressed in blue sorcerer's robes. While this last one gave him pause, Mozenrath abandoned thinking about her to comprehend the situation before him. All the people he wished to torment most were about to convene before him just in time for him to give them a nasty surprise indeed.

---

The carpet and the Genie-jet entered the realm where the sun never rose anymore, where the sand was black as the sky above. They touched down at the edge of what could best be called the kingdom; there were houses arranged in jagged streets, and across the expanse of buildings, there was visible a great black fortress on a cliff.

"Yup!" Pinkie confirmed. "Definitely an evil lair!"

"Why are we walking up to it?" Rarity asked.

"I want him to see that we are approaching without deceit," Cassim answered.

"Fair enough," Rarity resolved.

The group set out into the mess of buildings, walking upward in the direction of the castle. "This…is really where you found my mother?" Aladdin asked.

"Well, there were more people here back then," Cassim said with a shrug. "And a sun."

Twilight's attention was caught by several structures much like streetlamps: blue crystals the size of a human head lofted upon crooked black poles that resembled thorny vines. As the group passed each crystal, it lit up, glowing brightly blue. "What're those?" she asked.

"Magic detectors," the Genie said with a shudder, having turned into a humanoid form with legs in order to take the walk. "Whenever something magical passes them, they light up. He knows we're here…"

"Clever," Twilight remarked condescendingly.

The group continued through the deserted town without running into a soul, alive or otherwise. "This can't be right," Aladdin said. "He HAS to know we're coming. The crystals are blazing bright blue! Why hasn't he sent out anyone to capture us?"

"It's a trap!" Iago yelled. "I just know it!"

"Whatever the case," Twilight said, "I'll be glad to see this sorcerer face-to-face. He made all this happen? The empty buildings, the eternal night?"

"The eternal night was Destane's," Cassim said. "But Mozenrath turned Destane into one of the undead as well as the people of this kingdom, so by default, it's his."

"I need to see the kind of person that could make all this," Twilight said determinedly, trying to picture the nastiest villain she could imagine. "And when I do…we'll make sure he knows better than to mess with the Elements of Harmony."

"Which reminds me," Rainbow Dash said. "If he tries to pull anything creepy, let the six of us handle him first. We have enough power to zap any villain!"

"We already defeated two!" Pinkie added. "All by ourselves!"

The group finally reached the top of the hill only to come face-to-face with a horde of the undead Mamluks. The six Equestrians gasped in horror, never having seen the undead before.

"What ARE those?" Rainbow Dash cried.

A gray eel flew out to the forefront of the army, giving a hoarse laugh. "Mozenrath want see you all alive!" it croaked.

"Is that animal…normal here?" Fluttershy asked.

"No," Aladdin answered. "Mozenrath probably enchanted it. Eels around here don't talk or fly."

"Of all the things he could have chosen…" Twilight shook her head. "An eel? Really?"

"Take them all!" the eel ordered, and the zombies moved forward.

Rainbow Dash drew both her swords, but Rarity placed a hand on her left wrist, guiding the arm down. "Let them take us," she said. "It isn't as though they can hold us. We'll let them take us to their leader…THEN get down to business."

The undead placed handcuffs on the Genie, which the eel certified as "Magic-proofed!" Then two zombies attended each person, taking each arm and escorting in first Cassim, then Aladdin, the Genie and Jasmine, then the six Equestrians. Finally, one zombie brought in Iago clenched tightly between rotting fingers, one brought in Abu, and one brought in the rolled-up Carpet. The great doors to the fortress opened of their own accord, leading to a lofty, dark atrium lit only by blue flames from the ceiling lamps. The zombies took their captives through that atrium and into a maze of dark blue hallways, twisting this way and that.

Eventually, Cassim recognized his surroundings. "They're taking us right to his laboratory," he said. "Around that corner and straight ahead."

"You know," Twilight said to her zombie escorts, "your leader isn't really that smart. Putting magic-proof cuffs on the Genie was a nice touch, but he really should have thought to do that on all of us, don't you think?"

She closed her eyes, concentrating. When she opened them, her pupils and irises were once again obscured by white light. Pink energy surrounded all of the zombies and repelled them away from the group, slamming them into the walls.

"Get up front!" Twilight called to her friends, and Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie joined her at the head of the group so they could use the Elements of Harmony in a pinch if necessary. Then they ran ahead, turning the corner to see the doors to the laboratory Cassim had mentioned. Twilight flung them open, looking upon the room within. "All right," she began to address her anticipated foe, "I'm warning you that if you dare try any…thing…"

He'd been waiting. Standing in the center of the room, arms crossed, smirking.

"What?" he asked, gesturing toward Twilight with his bare left hand. "Stunned into silence?"

"You…aren't what I was expecting," Twilight admitted. Even though she knew he had to be the same age as Aladdin, she'd pictured Mozenrath to be older and stronger.

"To be fair," he said, "I wasn't expecting you at all. What are you supposed to be?"

"I…I…" Twilight fumbled for the words.

"We're the Elements of Harmony!" Pinkie Pie cried. "And if you try to hurt our friends, we're going to use our powers to defeat you!"

"Oh, I'm just shivering with fear," Mozenrath replied sarcastically. "Six dainty little girls have come to challenge me! How terrifying!"

"You have no idea what we can do," Twilight said, finding her voice once more.

"But that's only if you don't comply, of course," Rarity said.

"Ohhh, now this is a twist!" Mozenrath replied. "You're actually going to try and make me bargain for my own safety? I think it's fair to say YOU have no idea what I can do."

"It isn't a bargain for your safety," Applejack said. "We'll only use our powers on you if you try and hurt our friends."

"We came to deliver a gift to you," Rarity said.

"I can think of nicer ways you could have delivered it," Mozenrath quipped.

"Stand aside," Cassim said from behind the six. "Let us speak to him."

"We're watching you!" Pinkie announced as the six stepped aside, letting Aladdin, Jasmine, Cassim, the still-cuffed Genie, Abu, Iago, and the Carpet enter the room.

"But we'd rather just settle this peacefully, if that's all right with you," Fluttershy said shakingly.

"Mozenrath," Aladdin greeted, steel in his voice. "You knew all this time that we were brothers. Why did you never say anything?"

"Why am I the only one that even remembers?" Mozenrath groaned.

"I thought the shadow-walkers took you!" Aladdin yelled. "They took my friend Amal the same night! I made myself forget so I wouldn't be…TORMENTED by the hope that either of you would come back! And if you escaped the shadow-walkers alive, why DIDN'T you come back?"

"Go back to the streets of Agrabah?" Mozenrath rolled his eyes. "Become a common thief like you? Not all of them are as lucky as you, Aladdin. We all know that a Genie, a magic carpet, and a princess wouldn't just drop into my lap from the heavens. I worked for my power…and it's paying off."

"You still haven't answered why you never told us you two were brothers!" Jasmine reiterated.

"What would that have gained me?" Mozenrath replied. "Your pity? That was something I didn't want. Telling Cassim would have gained me the satisfaction of seeing the horror on his face when I destroyed him. He never was one for pity."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Cassim growled.

"I'd prefer it if we all talked about things like I wasn't here," Iago moaned. "In fact, why do I even have to BE here?"

"You may be powerful," Cassim said, "but it comes at the price of your life. To make up for my transgressions, I've brought you perhaps the only second chance you'll ever have." He withdrew the Hand of Midas, extending it.

"Get ready," Applejack whispered. "He might try to turn us all into gold statues at any minute!"

"A second chance?" His interest piqued, Mozenrath took the wrapped object, transferring it so he grasped it by the handle in his gauntleted right hand. He then unwrapped the cloth from it. He gave a double take as he realized what it was, then began laughing. "A replacement hand, is that it? You really thought I'd cast the gauntlet aside to put this on instead?"

"Well," the Genie said, "that is kind of what we were hoping. Suuuuure, the odds were against us, but no risk means no reward!"

"Cute," Mozenrath said, gripping the handle of the Hand ever harder. "But as much as I appreciate the thought…you're going to love this…I actually have no use for this."

To the horror of everyone present, Mozenrath sent a bolt of blue energy running through the Hand, and it shattered. Pieces of gold flew to all corners of the room, dulling to a bronze color as the power left them.

"I have something better," Mozenrath boasted, "and I wanted you all to be here to see it." He then extended his right hand to the shelf of magical artifacts. With a wave of his hand, a single object levitated, surrounded by blue energy, and made its way toward him, landing perfectly in his right palm.

"No…" Aladdin said incredulously. "NO! It can't be!"

"What is it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It…looks like the lamp of Jafar," Jasmine said, also unable to believe what she was seeing.

"The lamp of who?" Pinkie asked.

"Your new friends aren't from around here, are they?" Mozenrath commented. "Jafar always was someone I looked up to. The kind of person with ambition I appreciated. Of course, I managed to succeed where he failed…but I'm sure he isn't quite out of ideas yet."

"Jafar," the Genie said to the six Equestrians. "Aladdin's oldest enemy! Aaaaaand in the category of Most Ethically Corrupted Sorcerer That Became a Genie With Phenomenally Cosmic Powers, the winner is…"

"Jafar!" Iago finished. "That's it. We're finished! It's over! We're done!"

"I don't believe you," Aladdin said. "It's a fake."

"Shall we test that theory?" Mozenrath raised an eyebrow.

"This guy's just as bad as the hype!" Rainbow Dash hissed. "Everypony get ready to…Twilight, what are you staring at?"

"He really is like a storybook villain," Twilight answered in awe. "It's like…reading a book…"

"This is no book!" Rainbow Dash spat.

Mozenrath dramatically swept his left hand across the obsidian lamp. Red smoke emitted from its spout, then an explosion of red light nearly blinded all in the room. When the red smoke finally cleared, a second man stood beside Mozenrath, a tall man dressed in red robes.

"NO!" Aladdin and Jasmine cried.

"Another djinni!" Twilight said under her breath.

The tall man looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. "What sorcery is this?" he said rather loudly. "What brought me here?" Slowly, his face was split by a malicious grin. He looked up to face those before him. "No matter," he said. "It seems we meet again, Aladdin. Come, now, how many times DO I have to kill you?"

"You can't kill me, Jafar," Aladdin spat. "You're still a genie!"

"That it would seem," Jafar realized. He turned to see Mozenrath holding the lamp. Mozenrath stared with wide eyes and a grin that even the six Equestrians recognized as uncharacteristic happiness. "You! Boy! Are you the one that dares call himself my new master?"

"It's really you," Mozenrath said softly, giddily. "The vizier who betrayed Agrabah! The former most powerful sorcerer in the world!" Mozenrath blinked hard, reverting to his previous state of smugness. "Until I took that position, of course."

"I've no respect for arrogant upstarts," Jafar growled. "You'd best not think yourself more powerful than me, you insignificant whelp!"

Mozenrath flinched, for a moment looking legitimately disappointed. Then he said, "Unfortunately for you, you can't do anything unless I tell you to. I hold complete power over you." He turned back to the others and let out an involuntary laugh. "I knew it…I knew the looks on your faces would be PERFECT once you knew!"

"What're you planning?" the Genie demanded. "To torment us? To saw us in half? To wish us into lives of eternal strife?"

"Don't give him any ideas!" Applejack yelled.

"Those are all appealing," Mozenrath admitted. "But I was thinking something a little more…traditional. This might surprise you, but I'm actually not planning on destroying you yet. That comes later, after you've had a chance to…let's just say…EXPERIENCE what I have planned. Right now, you're just here for the show."

"What are you doing?" Jafar chided. "These are the ones who imprisoned me! Who took away my power!"

"Don't think I don't have my own grudges against them," Mozenrath replied.

Jafar sighed. "Very well, then. What shall your first wish be? It is, unfortunately, my command." His teeth gritted.

"The usual," Mozenrath stated, "but with a twist."

"To be the sultan?" Jafar mocked. "Or merely a prince?"

"Tempting, very tempting," Mozenrath replied. "But I was thinking a little bigger. My first wish…is to become the lord of this entire world!"

Jafar broke into a genuine smile. "You aren't completely bereft of imagination!"

"I think you'll find me quite imaginative as time goes on," Mozenrath said, desperately trying to impress his idol.

Jafar held out his right hand, and in a burst of red light, a golden staff shaped like a cobra materialized in it. He pointed the staff at Mozenrath, and a beam of red light emitted from it, enveloping Mozenrath as the others all watched, unsure of what to do or if they should try to stop the process. The red light abated, and Jafar announced, "It is done."

"NO!" Jasmine cried. "You can't!"

"Oh," Mozenrath replied, "I did."

"That does it!" Applejack yelled. "Elements of Harmony…assemble!"

"WHAT?" Jafar cried in anger, turning to the six.

"We tried reasoning with you," Twilight said, "but now it's time to show you OUR powers!" She spread out her hands, and the five Equestrians were enveloped in white light. A blue beam shot forth from Pinkie's necklace, a purple one from Rarity's, a pink one from Fluttershy's, orange from Applejack's, red from Rainbow Dash's. Finally, the dark pink beam from Twilight's amulet completed the set.

Mozenrath clenched his right hand, summoning an aura of blue energy around it. "So you didn't just dress the part!" he laughed. "You actually have magic worth reckoning with! This should be fun!"

Twilight opened her eyes, the white light again obscuring her pupils and irises. A rainbow of colors burst from around the six as their feet lifted slightly off the floor. The rainbow gathered into a beam that shot toward the ceiling and arced down toward Jafar and Mozenrath.

"NO!" Jafar cried, swiping his staff in an arc of red. This created a circular flash of red light that caused both sorcerers to disappear, teleporting away to an unknown location. Just as they disappeared, the rainbow touched down upon the empty floor and dissipated.

The six Elements' feet touched the floor once more. The light around them faded. "We ALMOST had them!" Rainbow Dash screamed, stomping hard with her right foot.

"What…" Jasmine stared incredulously. "What was that?"

"That was the power of the Elements of Harmony," Twilight said. "Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, and Magic. Together, the Elements can defeat the forces that threaten friendship and harmony. If those two had stayed still, we could have done anything from petrify them to strip them of power."

"It's a random effect," Pinkie said. "And I love things that are random!"

"It seems as though Mozenrath truly did not wish to destroy us yet," Cassim observed.

"No," Iago confirmed, "only WATCH US SUFFER IN A WORLD HE RULES!"

By now, Abu had undone the Genie's cuffs with a lockpick. "Mozenrath and Jafar ruling the world," the Genie remarked, shaking his head. "There hasn't been a more dangerous combination in history since Ishtar and Gugalanna!"

"So who is this Jafar fellow anyway?" Rarity asked. "You said he was one of your oldest enemies."

"He used to be the Sultan's most trusted advisor," Aladdin began. "But then he heard about the Genie, and he wanted the power of the three wishes for himself. So he…"

As Aladdin explained, Twilight stepped around the room, examining it. Fluttershy appeared at her side. "What are you looking at?" Fluttershy inquired.

"All these magical artifacts," Twilight said. "He has a crystal to represent every element and then some." She turned to a table upon which several scrolls were laid out. "He knows so much about magic," she observed, leafing through the scrolls. "Spells for spiritual possession, legends of ancient sorcerers, biology of magical creatures…" She moved on to look at the table covered in lab equipment. "I wonder if he makes new spells on his own."

"You are way too interested in this guy," Rainbow Dash interrupted, stepping in. "Reading his things? Going through his stash and COMPLIMENTING his work? Twilight, he just took over the world in one sentence!"

"Like I said," Twilight reiterated, "he's just like a storybook villain. That's what interests me so much. And I am not TOO interested! You make it sound like…just…no!"

"Twilight," Fluttershy asked, "when you read fairy tales, what do you think of the villains?"

"Well, I…" Twilight felt blood rising to her face in embarrassment. "I do like a story with a good villain. Who doesn't? But facing them in real life is a completely different thing!"

"…so we destroyed the lamp for good," Aladdin finished.

"So he came back from being completely destroyed?" Pinkie asked.

"Well…it did happen once before," Aladdin said. "He came back completely. But that time, someone had cast a spell that almost…reversed everything that had been done. The Genie was back in his lamp, I was on the streets again…we all remembered that things weren't supposed to be like that, but we had to do it all again anyway. Jafar made the same wish to become a genie, so I guess he decided being trapped in a lamp was worth having all that power."

"Like Mozenrath decidin' his power was worth dyin' over," Applejack said.

"Yeah," Aladdin confirmed. "It was just like everything had been…reset. And now Jafar's been reset again."

"RESET!" Twilight's attention was distracted from Mozenrath's personal belongings. "Oldest foes will be reset! Jafar came back! The young one takes it on with pride! Mozenrath has his wishes now! First he wants and gets control…" Twilight paused. She smiled slightly. "This world you will again make whole…"

"We can still stop him!" Rarity cried.

"We just gotta figure out where he went," Applejack added.

"His domain is everywhere," Jasmine pointed out. "Anywhere we go, we'll find his rule."

"Then we should start with Agrabah," Aladdin resolved. "Then we can see what he's done."

Rarity looked towards Cassim. "I'm sorry he didn't accept your generosity," she said sympathetically.

Cassim sighed. "I should not have expected any different."

"I still can't believe…" Aladdin shut his eyes. "No. No! I don't even want to THINK about how he looks like our mother!"

"At least you tried," Rarity reassured Cassim. "It was the right thing to do."

"And anyway," Rainbow Dash pointed out, "if we hadn't shown up with the Hand of Midas, we wouldn't have seen him use the lamp, and we wouldn't know what he was up to!"

"But how did it get reset?" Fluttershy asked.

"The Old Ones make a deadly bet," Twilight remembered. "It must be their work! We need to get back to Agrabah as soon as possible!"

"Let's go!" Pinkie agreed. "ROAD TRIP! Er, SKY TRIP!" She turned and ran from the laboratory, heading for the door so they could take to the air once more. The others had no choice but to follow. The zombie Mamluks left them alone, having done their job already.

Before she left the room, Twilight took one last glance around at Mozenrath's laboratory. He hadn't been what she'd expected at all, that was for certain. And as villains went, he was an impressive one. She shook her head and left the laboratory behind, though her memory of that smirking face would be harder to ditch.

---

SOMEWHERE IN THE BORDERLANDS OF THE SEVEN DESERTS

"Why would you DO that?" Mozenrath yelled angrily. "I HAD them!"

"No," Jafar said plainly, "they had you."

"There isn't a single piece of magic on this world that can overcome me!" Mozenrath argued.

"There's much you don't know about this world or any other, boy, and I won't put up with you acting as though you do!" Jafar spat. "Those were the Elements of Harmony, and more importantly, this time, they number six. On their own, the Elements of Harmony are one of the most powerful forces in the multiverse. If they should happen to be the prophesied six…"

"You'd better start making sense, old man," Mozenrath growled.

"All of the Overtakers were warned about them," Jafar explained. "They have the power to destroy those who work towards our mission to usher in the age of chaos and darkness!"

"And an Overtaker is…"

"Something you need not know about."

"And in this age of chaos and darkness," Mozenrath said to make sure, "I would be…"

"Your agenda matches with the age of chaos and darkness," Jafar said, "at least from appearances. Your lust for power certainly fits the description."

"I always wanted to play the villain," Mozenrath said with a shrug. "The more power I gain in the process, the better! After all, I do have an entire kingdom that never sees the sun, a well-stocked fortress, and an army of the undead, all of which must impress you."

"Pittances," Jafar said.

"I controlled the sun for a day!" Mozenrath tried. "I also had under my control the legendary Wind Jackal!"

"Then I presume you've already ravaged the land with burning sun and devastating winds?" Jafar smirked.

"No…" Mozenrath admitted, "but I would have if it weren't for Aladdin!"

"So we have a common enemy."

"I'm sure we actually have a lot of things in common…"

"I highly doubt that."

"I've modeled my life after you!" Mozenrath cried before immediately clamping his right hand over his mouth. Jafar regarded him with a look of disgust. "I mean…you set a standard that any villain worth his salt should follow in the beginning. I built up from there."

"Never mind," Jafar muttered. "Take it from me: stay away from the Elements of Harmony. Destroy them if you can find a way. Especially the one in the blue robes. She had all the marks of the Element of Magic…the most powerful."

"Wait," said Mozenrath. "There's an Element of Magic? Is magic her pure essence?"

"It is her gift," Jafar explained. "At this point, it may be in a beginning stage, but she is powerful nonetheless. She will only grow stronger."

"She could be useful to me," Mozenrath mused. "Well, in the meantime, I have an entire world to exploit." He was suddenly aware of a strange weight around his neck. He removed a gold necklace with a cube-shaped amulet, staring at it in confusion. "And this would be…"

"A little something that goes with being the lord of this land in particular," Jafar said.

Mozenrath suddenly realized what he held in his hand. He'd read about it in several scrolls. He grinned widely. "THIS is just too good!" A thought occurring to him, he glared at Jafar. "You could have at least had the sense to bring Xerxes, you know."

"Xerxes?"

"My familiar. He's annoying, but I've become rather attached to him."

Disgruntled, Jafar held out his right hand. In a puff of red smoke, Xerxes appeared in his palm, curled up. The eel disorientedly lifted himself up into flight again. "Don't expect any more free bonuses," Jafar told Mozenrath. "Now, we have a lot of work to do. I will expect you to follow my instruction insofar as you have no knowledge on any subject." Jafar turned and stalked away.

Angered at his patronization, Mozenrath bit his lip hard, nearly drawing blood. Xerxes floated at his side, about to say something; Mozenrath slapped the eel, sending him to the ground, before storming after Jafar with determination.

---

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

The Carpet and the Genie-jet sped back to Agrabah as quickly as possible. They didn't even need to get all the way there before things changed. The sky was suddenly overcast with dark gray clouds that appeared to have a faint sheen of royal blue. A torrent of rain poured down upon the Carpet and the Genie-jet, and lightning crashed in the surrounding skies.

At last, the Carpet and the Genie-jet touched down in Agrabah, all passengers scrambling off. The Genie transformed into his more humanoid self, and the group looked around to see the damages. The rain had ceased inside the city walls, but a chilling wind blew, and the clouds still hung heavy and dark overhead.

Screams emitted from the streets. Running on instinct, Aladdin, Jasmine, the Genie, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie rushed toward them, Cassim, the Carpet, Abu, Iago, and Fluttershy following. They emerged into one of the town squares to see bright red wildcats with flames protruding from their backs prowling, swiping at people's garments and terrifying them.

"Those must be Mozenrath's too!" Rarity cried.

"No," Aladdin said. "Those belong to Mirage."

"MIRAGE!" the Genie cried. "This situation has officially become a Code Octarine!"

"A Code Octarine?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What's a Code Octarine?"

"That means RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" the Genie screamed.

"No!" Aladdin refuted. "We can beat them! They feed on fear! We just can't be afraid!" He rushed out into the fray, drawing his sword and facing down the cats. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!"

The cats looked at him and hissed. Instead of backing down, they grew in size, swiping at Aladdin. Aladdin only managed to dodge out of their paws' way and roll into safety just in time.

"They're feeding off the fear of the others!" Twilight realized. "That's why it won't work!"

"Aladdin!" Jasmine yelled. "STOP!"

"RETREAT! RETRAT!" the Genie added.

Aladdin returned to the group, and as one, they turned and ran from the square. "Why can't I beat them?" he asked in disbelief.

"They're taking fear from everyone else!" Fluttershy squeaked. "Probably even me!"

They crossed paths with two others who ran; those two slowed to a halt. Rarity recognized them first, and she also stopped, prompting the others to do so. "Minos!" Rarity cried. "Fatima! What's happened?"

"The clouds, the winds, and the creatures appeared all at once," Minos said. "Evil forces have arrived in Agrabah."

"Not just Agrabah," Jasmine clarified. "The whole world!"

"We were going to seek refuge in the high tower," Fatima said. "Where we gathered during our first return to Agrabah."

"Refuge! There's an idea!" Iago cried.

"We need to find somewhere to stop and think about this!" Twilight pointed out.

"Let's go!" Aladdin commanded, and Minos and Fatima led them through the twisting alleyways, avoiding crowded squares where the fire-cats roamed, until they arrived at what appeared to be the highest tower in the city, almost as tall as the palace itself. They entered, running up the spiral stairs until the stairs ended at a spacious room up top, one with windows that provided a view of the entire city. However, this group wasn't the first to reach this room.

"Father!" Jasmine cried, recognizing the Sultan. The six Equestrians had to stare at him a while before they too recognized him; he was dressed not in the white robes of royalty, but in the rags of a peasant. Most of the members of the royal guard were present as well, dressed similarly.

"Jasmine!" the Sultan said, rushing to embrace his daughter. "You're safe! Now, can somebody tell me what in the world is going on?"

"This world just got hijacked," Applejack explained. "Some djinni callin' himself Jafar turned up outta nowhere, and he crowned a new overlord!"

"Jafar!" The Sultan did a double take. "But…how can this be? He was destroyed twice!"

"Apparently living twice wasn't good enough," Aladdin sighed. "He had to go for a third."

"Why are you dressed like a commoner?" Rarity asked.

"The royal guards and I found ourselves outside the palace all of a sudden, with no explanation!" the Sultan explained. "We were dressed like this!"

"Like you weren't the Sultan of Agrabah," Rarity said.

"Because you aren't anymore," Applejack concluded.

"We tried to re-enter the palace," the Sultan went on, "but those monstrous cats blocked our path! We were forced into the city streets!"

"How did you make it back here?" Pinkie asked.

"I showed them the way." Sadira pushed past the guards, showing herself. "When I saw that they were in danger, I brought them back here. I've used this tower as a substitute lair before. I knew it would be safe."

"Thanks, Sadira," Aladdin said with a sigh of relief. "I'm glad we can count on you."

"Hey," Sadira said casually, "I can't just let my friends' dad get eaten by fire-cats, can I?"

"Pardon me for my interruption," Razoul said grumpily, "but who exactly is responsible for this mess?"

"Mozenrath," Twilight said. "He's Jafar's new master. He controls everything now."

"Wait," Sadira said in disbelief. "Mozenrath? He actually DID IT?"

"I didn't think we'd ever mentioned him to you," Jasmine pointed out.

"You didn't," Sadira said. "Has he been bothering you for a long time now?"

"He's threatened Agrabah constantly," Aladdin explained. "And only now, I figured out that he's my brother."

"YOU'RE the brother?" Sadira gaped.

"What are you talking about?" Jasmine asked.

"I knew him," Sadira said. "Way before you. Well, not before Aladdin, I guess. When I was a kid growing up on the streets, he was the closest thing I could call a friend. The kind of friend that makes you not need enemies, anyway. I kinda took pity on him because he was a little weakling. He was always talking about becoming something bigger and more powerful, but I never actually took him seriously. I didn't think he could actually pull it off. I mean, I had to save him from the shadow-walkers and everything…"

---

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

SEVEN YEARS AGO

"You could have shown up sooner, you know."

"That's the thanks I get for saving your life?" the child Sadira snapped. "You should probably go home in case something else decides to eat you and I decide not to be nice."

"I don't have a home anymore," Mozenrath informed Sadira, steel in his voice. "My mother is gone."

Sadira was taken aback. "I didn't know…I'm sorry…"

"Don't pity me!" Mozenrath yelled. "Don't you DARE pity me!"

"What are you going to do?" Sadira asked.

"I'm leaving Agrabah," Mozenrath said. "The sooner, the better. I'm going to make something of myself."

"You'll die."

"Thanks for having faith in me, Sadira."

"Did you not see what just happened five minutes ago?"

"I'll find a new home," Mozenrath resolved. "And someone who can teach me real power. If only the royal vizier actually had the backbone to take over from that lazy Sultan…"

"Where's this coming from?" Sadira inquired.

"Rumors say he's naturally deceptive, and no one knows why the Sultan chose him for the job," Mozenrath answered. "Probably because the Sultan's an idiot. If the vizier was really as bad as all the rumors say he could get, I might consider him. Instead, I'm going to have to go for someone better. Someone who actually has vision." He stared past Sadira, down an alleyway through which the city walls were visible, imagining that he could see through them. "I want to find Destane."

"The warlord of the Black Sand?" Sadira asked. "Even I know he'd kill you on the spot."

"Not if I go to him saying how much I want to follow in his footsteps," Mozenrath theorized. "He probably only kills dissenters. I bet he loves worshipers!"

"I still think you're gonna die. How are you gonna walk all the way to the Black Sands, anyway?"

"I'll find a way," Mozenrath vowed. "It was the land of my mother. I belong there more than I ever belonged here. I'm leaving tonight, Sadira."

"What? Just like that?"

"The sooner I leave this pit behind," Mozenrath sneered, "the better." He began walking.

"Hey!" Sadira walked alongside him. "Are you sure about this? I mean, you just came up with the idea! Aren't you going to think it through?"

"It's already thought through. I know what I'm doing. It's like you don't even know me."

"You might have book smarts," Sadira insisted, "but you are NOT prepared for what is out there!"

"Don't underestimate me," Mozenrath growled.

They walked in silence until they reached the back gate of the city. Sadira stopped before she could cross into the sands outside. Mozenrath didn't even slow down, and he didn't look back, not even when he realized Sadira wasn't behind him.

"You're not even going to say goodbye or anything?" she cried.

He didn't turn around as he answered, "Don't get eaten by tigers."

Sadira crossed her arms. She turned away in a huff. She stormed toward the abandoned building she was squatting in that week, holding back her tears. Now she was truly alone.

---

AGRABAH, THE SEVEN DESERTS

PRESENT TIMELINE

She smacked her fist into her palm. "I'd like to knock him off whatever high-and-mighty throne he happened to get himself on," Sadira grumbled in remembrance. "Don't get eaten by tigers, indeed. Though now I can see why he never introduced me to that famous brother he hated." She smirked. "He didn't want me to know he was the ugly twin."

"He isn't ugly!" Twilight cried, and everyone in the room turned to look at her. "I mean," she amended, "that from a purely objective standpoint, he looks – "

"Ain't no 'objective' in findin' a fella handsome," Applejack pointed out.

"Yes there is!" Twilight insisted. "There are criteria! I can list them!"

"Twilight's crush on the bad guy aside – " Rainbow Dash began.

"I do NOT have a crush on the BAD GUY!" Twilight interrupted.

"Whatever," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Anyway, what're we gonna do about all this?"

"I think the prophecy said we had to make the world whole again," Rarity said. "I can't think of how we're supposed to do that short of reclaiming every throne one at a time."

"Then that's what we'll do," Aladdin resolved.

"That seems a bit tedious," Rarity pointed out.

"But if we don't go around and save all the kingdoms," Pinkie pointed out, "Mozenrath will rule them forever and ever! There might not be a quicker way!"

"But we can't even take back Agrabah," Fluttershy pointed out. "Not with those awful cats running around…"

"Those fire-cats are only able to control the city because they find more people that are scared of them than people that are courageous in any given area," Twilight pointed out. "If we could teach everyone not to be scared…or even just get a group of people that would bravely stand up to them…"

"That's it!" Rainbow Dash cried. "A group to stand up! What if we got ahold of everyone else from that day we were working on the burned-up street? We could make an army!"

"Yes!" Pinkie agreed. "Find ALL our friends! Then we could be brave together and run those fire-cats out of town!"

"But that's gonna take some time to find everypony in this chaos," Applejack pointed out.

"Everypony?" Sadira repeated.

"Habit of speech," Applejack retorted without bothering to explain. "While we build up an army here, Mozenrath's runnin' around the world makin' things worse!"

"Unless," Aladdin figured, "we go after Mozenrath while everyone else gathers here to build an army. If he or Mirage or whoever doesn't have fire-cats running through every kingdom, we might be able to liberate a few of them while our resistance is building back here."

"Then we come back and TAKE NO PRISONERS!" the Genie finished.

"Who is this 'Mirage', anyhow?" Rarity asked. "That name's come up twice now."

"She's the incarnation of all that is evil!" the Genie explained. "If you thought it was unlucky for a black cat to cross your path BEFORE…"

"Incarnation of evil, huh?" Twilight repeated. "Looks like we found our Old One."

"We'll deal with that later," Rainbow Dash insisted. "Right now, we need to get going! Sultan, Sadira, are you okay with building up the resistance here?"

"Of course!" Sadira bowed. "I'll show that jerk how far his power really goes. I'll find Deluca and bring her back here right away!"

"I will seek out Dandi and Eden," Minos promised.

"And I will go with you," Fatima vowed.

"Sultan," Razoul pointed out, "you had best stay here. We can protect you."

"Nonsense!" the Sultan insisted. "I'm perfectly capable of combating those creatures!"

"You almost got toasted," Sadira reminded him.

"I believe the girl and your captain are right," Cassim told the Sultan. "I too shall remain here."

"But, Dad – "Aladdin began to argue.

"No buts," Cassim insisted. "I caused this. The least I can do is offer my help where I know it is valuable, and stay out of what I risk ruining for you. Under my protection, the Sultan shall see no harm."

"Great idea!" Iago said enthusiastically. "You stay here, and I'll stay with you! Because we're partners in crime and everyth – "

"You're coming with us," Jasmine insisted. "You know Jafar better than anyone."

"Besides," Aladdin added, "you were part of the old team, Iago. We couldn't have done half of what we did without your help. Aren't you ready to relive the old times?" He winked.

"Ohhhh, sure," Iago moaned, "drag the parrot through another death-trap adventure. Why does this always happen to me?"

"If you don't wanna go," Rainbow Dash told him, "you can stay back. Flake out on your friends if you have to. I mean, if you really ARE one of our friends."

"That's a mite harsh, Dash," Applejack pointed out.

"I never said I wasn't your friend!" Iago said defensively. "I just…I mean…it's dangerous!"

"It is dangerous," Fluttershy agreed. "And I'm very frightened. I don't want to go chasing after a madman. But my friends need me to help, and I know they'll help protect me on the way. That's why I'm going."

"Fine," Iago sighed. "When you put it that way. Count me in for what is hopefully one last road trip."

"One small problem," the Genie brought up. "We don't know exactly where Mozenrath is."

A silence fell over the tower as everyone contemplated that point, a silence punctuated only by the howling of the wind. That was what jarred Iago's epiphany. "The wind!" he cried. "The clouds! The rain! I KNOW WHERE MOZENRATH WENT!"

"Where?" everyone asked in interest.

"You don't just get to control the weather by being the king of any old place," Iago reminded his friends and explained to the newcomers. "There's only one spot in this world that directs the weather for the entire planet. And that spot is in Thundra's rainforest! He must have her amulet!"

"Who's Thundra?" Pinkie asked.

"The bird that controls the weather," Iago replied. "Or did before the Mozen-brat came along. She's a real loudmouth…but not bad once you get to really know her. Nice plumage, actually."

"Is she your special somepony?" Applejack teased.

"On a long-distance basis," Iago said somewhat embarrassedly. "We run into each other now and again."

The Genie transformed into a Cupid-like cherub. "She's stolen Iago's heart!" he emphasized, shooting a blue arrow with a heart-shaped tip at Iago.

The macaw dodged the arrow deftly, obviously used to the Genie throwing odd projectiles at him. "What matters is that Mozenrath's stolen all her powers," he emphasized.

Rainbow Dash smacked her fist against her palm. "Then let's go take 'em back!"

The Genie transformed into a jet once more. "All aboard!" he cried. "Next stop: the rainforest of Thundra!"

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity climbed into their usual seats. Abu settled in on Fluttershy's shoulder. Iago took Cassim's empty seat all to himself as Aladdin, Jasmine, and Twilight settled on the Carpet once more.

"We'll take care of things here while you're gone," Sadira promised.

"We'll be back," Jasmine vowed. "And Father…stay safe."

"If you insist," the Sultan said stoically.

The Genie-jet and the Carpet flew out of one of the high tower's wide windows.

"It really gets me that he thinks he can mess with the weather," Rainbow Dash muttered.

"Back home," Pinkie explained, "Rainbow Dash was in charge of our weather!"

"And I made sure it was in balance!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "Not an irresponsible mess like this! When I catch up with Mozenrath, I'm gonna teach him a lesson in weather-handling that he's never gonna forget! No matter how much Twilight likes him!"

"I DO NOT LIKE HIM!" Twilight screamed. "LOOK AT THIS MESS! DO YOU THINK I WOULD HAVE A CRUSH ON THE KIND OF PERSON THAT WOULD CAUSE THIS MESS?"

"Bad boy appeal," Rainbow Dash said simply.

"AUUUGGGGGH!" Twilight groaned.

The Genie-jet and the Carpet sped back out into the rain, setting out East to cross the ocean.

---

The rose tree had been growing for quite some time in the palace gardens. Its leaves formed a bulbous ellipse, one that almost resembled a cocoon. Had anyone suspected what would come of it, someone might have alerted the rest of the palace long ago. However, what came was completely unexpected.

The cocoon split. From it stepped a curious creature: ten feet tall, he looked to be humanoid, but every part of him was made of a plant. His hair was a pouf of leaves. His beard, a long trail of moss. His hands and fingers, thick vines. His skin was green, and his robes were red and green, trimmed with thorns. Upon his breast there was a red rose; he stroked it protectively, remembering what had happened the last time someone had severed it.

That someone, he realized, had the good sense to plant the flower. Why would they have done that? After all, they were the ones who had severed it in the beginning. He was also surprised to find himself in the garden of the palace. That man's palace. He had to find out why. He set out for the palace to ask.

Inside, Mirage settled upon the golden elephant-head-shaped throne of the Agrabah palace, listening to the screams of the peasants and the roars of her Echthroi through the walls. "Life is good," she said to herself.

The plant-man entered the throne room to see her there. "You!" he yelled, pointing to her. "What is your business inside this palace?"

"I might ask the same of you," Mirage said. "Aren't you the floral sorcerer? They said you had died."

"As strange as it is to believe," he replied, "I think I'm alive because of THEIR kindness. Frankly, I'm not sure whether I want to thank them or strangle them all for putting me in my situation in the first place."

"It matters not," Mirage said with a smirk. "They are not in charge anymore, and if all goes well, they will soon all be dead. Evil rules this world now. Prepare yourself for the reign of destruction!" She grinned. "Even the plant life will not be spared."

"Have you no respect for life? For beauty?"

"None whatsoever."

"MONSTER!" He raised his hands. His powers were weakened, but still very present. Vines as thick around as Mirage's waist burst up from the floor, cracking the stone. They shot towards Mirage in an attempt to bind her.

She slashed at each vine with her hands, green fire glowing. Every single vine fell down dead. With a vicious yowl, Mirage leapt up from the throne and rushed the plant-man, reaching for the rose upon his breast.

In fear, he summoned a bunch of vines to shoot up from the floor and wrap around him, taking him down underground before Mirage could harm him. Mirage stared down at the gaping hole in the throne room floor, silently vowing revenge.

---

The cloaked man arrived at the city gates after his long journey. He stepped out of the rain and into the icy wind, the chill running over his newly formed human skin. He heard the screams of the people emitting from within, and looked up at the dark clouds above, watching lightning flash in the blue-tinged gray intermittently.

"What has happened to my city?" he asked himself, regarding the tragedy before him. He knew that whatever the case, he would have to fight to return it to its peaceful state. Even though his original goal was complete, and he was human once more, he now had new reason to do good: to protect the city he expected to reclaim as home.

---

Chapter 6:

· The Genie's throwaway joke about this being based on G-rated source material actually gives me a good opportunity to talk about how I'm going to handle some of the rating stuff. I want to try to keep everyone in character, so characters who don't swear in canon won't here, even if it's a situation that would cause most to swear. Characters from more mature material will be allowed to swear. For example, if Ron Weasley and Pinkie Pie both made the same archenemy, they would describe him/her respectively as "that damn bloody git" and "that meanie-face". Just a note. I'm mostly pulling the same rule for sexual content. After all, when dealing with, say, Cadance being pregnant (will I or won't I?), it's no use pretending she and Shining Armor didn't have sex. Same with other characters who are official couples in G-rated material.

· I. Loved. Writing the scene where they all point out how Mozenrath and Twilight are similar. There's a reason I ship it so hard. And yes, those are BOTH their crazy monologues word-for-word, from the ATAS ep "The Hunted" and MLP "Lesson Zero".

· I decided that Mozenrath and Twilight's favorite color is blue because they are both associated with it so much. Mozenrath's traditional outfit is blue, as is most of the interior décor of his fortress and many of the crystals he owns. Most of Twilight's outfits have been blue – her Gala gown, the cape from the end of "Secret of My Excess", and while the dress from "Sweet and Elite" was yellow, Rarity was GOING to make it blue (with gold accents, which is ALSO reminiscent of Mozenrath's outfit – I was already shipping it by then, and I was so ticked that Rarity never finished that dress because I was sure it was going to turn into a total Mozenrath-dress). Rarity made all these things with Twi's personality in mind, which leads me to believe that Twi likes blue.

· I really want to avoid giving Mozenrath a Freudian Excuse because I want to believe that he's always wanted to be evil, but if he's going to be Aladdin's brother, he's got to have that hatred of brotherhood pre-instilled, and I also like the idea that if Cassim favored Aladdin, his wife gave Mozenrath the attention he wouldn't get from his father. So I want to make it very clear: he doesn't like it when other people, especially Mirage, want to replace his mom, who he respects. He doesn't want to be reminded of brothers. But his family issues are NOT the reason he's evil. He's evil because he likes evil.

· Xerxes is his canon familiar. Xerxes sometimes annoys the heck out of me.

· Jafar/Mozenrath is another of my favorite Mozenrath ships. I kind of ship him with EVERYONE. I have this love of playing that ship in a kind of fanboy/idol way, which should become clear soon enough. Anyway, the current love triangle (lust triangle?) is Twilight - Mozenrath - Jafar, though NO ONE wants to admit it.

· "Echthroi" is a term from Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet (A Wrinkle In Time and its sequels), which I like a lot and want to use to build this universe. If you're unfamiliar with the term, I'm actually NOT going to define it here because I'm going to define it in-story.

· The magic detecting crystal streetlamps are canon. I did not make those up.

· I apologize for having the heroes JUST STAND THERE while Mozenrath releases Jafar and makes his first wish. I had to have that happen without interruption.

· "The Overtakers" is a name coined by the Disney book series "The Kingdom Keepers" to describe Maleficent and her allies. I chose her to be so prominent because I needed a villain that was as instantly recognizable to the Internet as the ponies were. And of course, Discord is the other major player for the forces of evil and the rep for the Old Ones. I'm also planning to add in several other evil factions – we can't have a multicrossover universe with only TWO great forces of evil that encompass everything – but that comes later. Anyway, I'm using "Overtakers" to describe the league of Disney villains that Maleficent runs, and I'll reveal who's all in it…eventually. Jafar was a given. But…WHO IS THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS?

· The gold amulet is significant for people who know ATAS; for those who don't, I'm going to explain it in-story later, so again, you must be kept in suspense.

· The fire-cats…that's not their technical name, but it's what I call them. I think they do have a canon name that I just never found… In canon, the way to defeat them is to approach them and not be afraid of them. If you can't do this, they will mess you up.

· Octarine is the eighth color of the rainbow as stated in Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Because it isn't a crossover multiverse in my mind without PRATCHETT.

· Minos, Fatima, and Sadira actually all started out villains, but they reformed when they realized that having relationships was more valuable to them than power. This is canon. (Same goes for Deluca and Amal, actually.) In the ep with Minos and Fatima, they take over a high tower for their lair. In one of Sadira's eps where she's still evil, she's seen casting a spell from what I believe to be the same tower, even though she has a well-stocked lair elsewhere. That's why I picked it as a rendez-vous point.

· Sadira and Mozenrath have never interacted in canon, but actually, they're one of the most popular ships among the fans. I don't really like it that much, but I can see where it comes from. I like the idea that they knew each other as kids, even though it's completely fanon. Again, trying to show that Mozenrath was obsessed with evil and power even as a kid. I also used this flashback scene to, implausibly as it is, also begin his obsession over Jafar, though at that point in time, no one actually knew Jafar was going to try to usurp the Sultan. I just assume that a lot of people suspected it.

· Had Cassim stay back and Iago come along because in the show, the main adventure team was Al, Jasmine, Carpet, Genie, Abu, and Iago, with Iago ALWAYS as the one who didn't want to go but was dragged along anyway.

· Thundra is a character in the show who's in charge of the world's weather. And her powers even give her a rainbow that follows in her wake…Rainbow Dash much? Anyway, she is Iago's canon ship, though they only interact occasionally and neither one makes a commitment to change locations to be with the other. They're both pretty independent anyway, so I decided a long-distance, on-off relationship would work for them. I like to think that during Cassim's travels, Iago has them sail over to the rainforest to visit Thundra every now and again.

· The plant-man and the cloaked man are both people that would immediately be familiar to the fans of the series. For those unfamiliar, again, I'll reveal more in-story, so I'm going to keep vague on that. I'll only say that bringing the plant-man back is actually cheating. They made it pretty clear that he was dead for good, or at the very least, if he did come back the way I said, he'd probably have to start smaller and grow back up. But I wanted him badly. So I'm calling my fic, my rules.