[Syera]

Some of you were saying how "Two to Tangle" could have been better. So... I took the transcript and tried to write it into a story. It's not complete yet; I had to stop near the end as the transcript got too vague to work with. Also, it probably needs some polishing overall.

What's changed...

-Some lines smoothed over.
-Genie's lines. Most of them. I tried to make them more consistant with what Robin Williams would say.

So, here you go.

If ya want more, I need that transcript Calluna posted to be made a little more detailed.




"I don't have much time left."

"Much time left?"

Mozenrath sighed, and gestured toward a large, ornate hourglass. The sand within trickled downward, much slower than an ordinary hourglass, but at a steady pace all the same. "According to the sands of the hourglass... my time on Earth is almost over." He flexed his gauntleted right hand, a dull glow eminating from it. "The price I pay for this. I'm weakening. The very magic of this gauntlet... drains me." He paused for a few moments. "I need a new body. One that's young and agile."



Sitting astride a horse, mallet in hand, Aladdin leaned downward in an attempt to strike a colored ball on the ground, but it was immediately intercepted by Genie.

"Playin' through!" Genie bellowed.

This game, which involved... well, hitting a ball while on horseback, had been Genie's idea. It was crazy, but Aladdin found that he was enjoying it quite a bit. Ironically, Genie himself wasn't on horseback... per se. He'd taken the form of a genie-centaur.

Aladdin's horse, however, was clearly not enjoying it in the least.

"Come on, Abu, this game's fun!" Aladdin said, chuckling at Abu-now-a-horse's sullen look.

As it was, Genie wasn't in posession of the ball for long, as Jasmine managed to hit the ball with her own mallet. "Sorry, Genie, but you've gotta be quicker than that!"

"Why can't you kids play something with a little more pizazz?" Iago asked with a yawn. "Like... say... Bingo! Now that's a game!"

Aladdin was going to inquire as to what "Bingo" was, but never got the chance.

"Bird-Man's gotta point," Genie remarked. "So... what say we make the game a little more interesting?"

Very suddenly, Abu-the-horse was Abu-the-dragon. Glancing over, Aladdin could see that Jasmine was also mounted on a dragon.

"Well, this might take some getting used to," Aladdin remarked to himself. Horseback, he could manage... but dragonback?

Charging the ball again, he hit it - and managed to knock it into Iago's beak. The parrot spat it out. Not missing a beat, Jasmine charge. By some stroke of luck, she hit it so hard that it went sailing through the air and directly into a palace window.

"Well, there's an oddball," Iago remarked.

"Out of my way, Genie! It's mine!" Jasmine shouted, caught up in the excitement of the moment.

"Not if I get there first, Princess woman!" Genie shouted.

Aladdin was briefly considering whether or not he should also go after the ball - how much damage would Abu cause?- when he heard Jasmine's voice... behind him.

"Aladdin."

He whirled around. "Jasmine!" he sputtered. Hadn't she just ran to the palace? "How... how'd you..."

"I'm tired of playing, Aladdin. Why don't we go for a walk in the garden?"

"Well... okay," Aladdin agreed. Maybe, he thought, Jasmine had ditched Genie half-way to the palace. But she'd seemed so wrapped up in the game just a few seconds ago...

He slid off Abu's back and began to follow the princess toward the garden.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine's voice called from behind.

Aladdin spun around again. Jasmine was... behind him?

"Reality check, please! Jasmine does not have a twin sister!" Iago announced loudly.

Glancing between the girls, Aladdin blinked in confusion. "If she's... then who..."

Suddenly, the Jasmine who-would-have-walked-in-the-garden changed shape into...

"Mozenrath!" Aladdin spat.

The young sorcerer burst out into a fit of laughter. "Aladdin, you're so gullible!"

"Aladdin, watch out!" Jasmine shouted.

Before Aladdin could react further, Mozenrath threw his cape over Aladdin's head.




Aladdin pulled the cape off his head, only to himself being roughly forced onto a vertical wooden table by a half-dozen mamluks. Unable to break free, the mamluks bound his arms and legs with leather straps attached to the table.

"What do you want with me this time, Mozenrath?" he demanded.

"Please, calm down, Aladdin. I have no intention of harming you." He smiled, a smile which suggested that he was on the verge of giggling from some private entertainment. "In fact, I plan on taking very good care of you."

"Very good!" Xerxes agreed, bursting into laughter.

"You see, I'm going to transfer my essence into your body."

"And what about me?" Aladdin demanded.

"Your spirit will enter my body... I'd call that a fair exchange, wouldn't you?"

Aladdin swallowed, feeling increasingly panicked. "But I don't want to live in your body!"

Mozenrath sighed with forced melodrama. "Oh, alas. I'm afraid you have..."

"No choice!" Xerxes finished gleefully.

"You're out of your mind, Mozenrath!"

"Um, no, I'm not," he said, the melodrama dropping from his voice. "But I'll soon be out of my body!" With a gleeful aire, he leaned himself against an identical table beside Aladdin, where waiting mamluks strapped him in as well. Something akin to glass bowls attached to some kind of tubes were lowered over their heads. "Let the transferance begin!" Mozenrath ordered with a gleeful laugh.

"Once I get out of these, I'll-" Aladdin began.

"Don't fight it, Aladdin. It'll all be over soon."

With that, what Aladdin could only assume was the transferance began. In the midst of it all, he could make out Xerxes. "Master all right?" the eel asked. Then he turned to Aladdin: "Good bye, Aladdin! Bye bye!"



Once Aladdin had disappeared, they'd quickly organized themselves into a rescue group. Actually, there wasn't much organization. Genie simply teleported them there as soon as possible.

"Emergency! Coming through!" Genie bellowed loudly. He plowed through several mamluks... scattering bits and pieces here and there.

"Boy, the doctor bills for those guys must be trecherous," Iago remarked.

"Okay, guys, let's be careful," Jasmine cautioned. She smiled wryly. "We know how Mozenrath hates uninvited guests."

At that moment, another group of mamluks bore down on the group.

"Oh, it's party time," Iago remarked dryly.

"Then let's hit it," Genie said grimly.

Suddenly, Genie took on some absurd appearance which involved long, wild hair, clothes that seemed to be artistically tattered, and some sort of stringed instrument, upon which he played a positively ear-shattering riff. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

This did more than shatter the ears of the mamluks - the mamluks simply shattered, bits and pieces falling here and there.

Meanwhile, Jasmine had gone to the door at the far end of the hall and tried to open it, but to no avail. "I need some help!" she called.

"Stand aside, little lady," Genie said, taking on yet another guise. As Jasmine hurried out of the way, Genie kicked the door open.

And what a sight met their eyes. Aladdin and Mozenrath, both strapped to upright wooden tables and attached to some sort of device, Xerxes hovering nearby.

"Aladdin's almost gone!" the eel cackled.

"Who ordered the gumdrop and pepperoni?" Genie asked, throwing pieces of what was presumably gumdrop and pepperoni. One scored Xerxes; the other hit the device.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine called, running toward him. "Is he all right?"

Genie shrugged. "I... don't know. Al, are you all right?"

Slowly, Aladdin opened his eyes. "I'm... fine." He took a look at his surroundings. "Looks like Mozenrath's magic blew up in his face... again." He took a deep breath; meanwhile, Jasmine and Genie set about unstrapping him.

"Well, you might be peachy, but your pal sure took a licking," Iago remarked.

This drew their attention to Mozenrath... or rather, where Mozenrath was.

"Mozenrath gone?" Xerxes questioned.

Laying on the table where Mozenrath had been was a small statuette. Genie picked it up. "Guess this's all that's left of him, Slug-Boy. Hey, look, Al! You finally kicked the badguy and got an award for it! Maybe we should get it bronzed?"

Aladdin's attention, however, was on something else: the gauntlet. He picked it up. "We'd better take the gauntlet with us. It's too dangerous to leave here."

"Yeah," Genie agreed. "It's hard to say what lovely little surprises Wonderboy's got up his sleeve."

Jasmine gave Aladdin a quick hug. "I'm just glad you're in one piece, Aladdin."

"Something wrong..." the eel muttered.



"Ugly, but in a few centuries it might be a real collectable," Iago remarked once they'd arrived back home.

"Well," Aladdin said, eyeing the statue, "at least Mozenrath won't be bothering us anymore."

At that moment, Abu reached for the gauntlet. As the monkey came in contact with it, a shot of magical energy blasted off.

"Fool!" Aladdin barked. "Keep your hands off that!"

"Aladdin, are you feeling all right?" Jasmine asked.

"I... I don't know. I feel really strange." He sighed, and turned to the monkey. "I'm sorry, Abu. I dunno what got into me. Friends?"

The monkey jumped up and gave Aladdin a kiss. One thing about Abu: he couldn't hold a grudge toward Aladdin for very long.

"Okay, enough with the mushy stuff. I just ate," Iago groused.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Genie asked someone. "Lurky Land is that way."

Aladdin quickly turned to see who Genie was talking to.

Xerxes.

"Get your slimy fish head out of here! Now!" Aladdin snapped. Why on Earth had the eel been so presumtuous as to follow them home?

"Not feeling well?" Xerxes inqured.

"Go home!" Aladdin ordered. He grabbed the eel by the neck and threw him out the window as hard as he could manage. "You're not welcome here! Go!" He paused. "I feel very weird."

"I think you're still worn out from what happened at Mozenrath's lab," Jasmine suggested. Then, to everyone else, "I think we should let him rest."

"They can go, but you can stay."

"Oh!" Jasmine exclaimed indignantly. "Enough's enough, Aladdin. This isn't funny anymore!"

"Wait! Jasmine!" Aladdin sputtered. "This is crazy. I don't know why I'm acting this way."

"Well..." Genie said, poofing into a suit while holding a pencil and paper, "it could be the baffling Wicked Wizard syndrome. Highly contagious. I'd recommend a high-fiber diet, plenty of mud-baths, and an falafel rubdown every hour."

What's happening to me, anyway? Aladdin wondered to himself. Aloud, he said, "maybe Jasmine's right. I do need rest." He paused. "And I think I'll sleep better with these-" he pointed to the gauntlet and statuette "-locked up somewhere safe."

Genie poofed into his usual form. "Me, too," he agreed. "I'd hate to think what would happen if the gauntlet fell into the wrong hands."

"Anyone's hands are the wrong hands," Iago remarked.

Abu chattered in agreement.



That evening, Aladdin found an empty chest and a lock. "Good night, Mozenrath," he muttered to himself as he tossed the statuette and gauntlet inside. Somehow, Aladdin thought, the statuette made a very peculiar memoir of his fights with Mozenrath.

And he'd rather not be reminded.

"Are you sure no-one can get in here?" Iago asked, looking around the room. They'd quickly decided that something as dangerous as the gauntlet needed something a little extra to keep it safe; Genie had just as quickly volunteered to take care of that.

"No problem," Genie assured him. "I installed the latest security system, complete with all the bells, whistles, and guppies?"

"Guppies?"

"They were out of Dobermans," he said, locking the doors.

"I'm still worried about Mozenrath, Al. Maybe we should've tossed his glove into a bottomless pit."

"Relax, Iago. It's not going anywhere. Mozenrath's gone, remember?"

"You're right," Iago agreed. "Tonight, I'm gonna sleep like a baby!"

"Uh-huh," Abu agreed.

"Yeah. Forty winks and you'll be as good as new, Al," Genie assured him.

"I hope so. I still feel like... like I've been turned inside out."



The klaxon sounded.

Abruptly woken by the horrific noise, Jasmine nearly fell out of bed. "What's that?" she asked nobody in particular.

"Rise and shine, boys! Someobody's getting into the cookie jar? Hurry up, Al! Ya don't wanna miss all the exitement!"

Jasmine rose to her feet, nodding. "Be careful, guys. We don't know who or what's in there."

"I hate surprises!" Iago grumped.

As they approached the breached room, Jasmine could see the shape of whoever was taking the gauntlet. "There's the theif!" she exclaimed.

"And he's got the gauntlet!" Iago observed.

Then the theif turned around.

Jasmine blinked. "Aladdin?"

"Al?" Genie and Iago asked.

"Must you pests stick your noses into everything?" Aladdin demanded angrily.

"Pinch me!" Iago exclaimed. "Al's acting like Mozenrath!"

"You fools!" Aladdin exclaimed, his voice suddenly taking on an odd quality. "I am Mozenrath!" He began to laugh.

"Al, get a hold of yourself!"

"Nobody tells me what to do!" he declared, his voice still odd. Then in his normal voice, "No! This isn't right!" With his left hand he reached to pull the gauntlet off... but for some reason, he couldn't quite seem to do it.

"Aladdin, what's going on?" Jasmine demanded.

"Don't know!" Aladdin answered, his voice panicked and rushed. "Have to get this glove off!"

"Um, is it me or is Al a little goofy?" Iago inquired.

Aladdin fingers finally made a firm grip on the gauntlet and pulled it off his hand and he thrust it away, as though he were throwing a snake. "What's happening to me, guys?" he asked. His breath was heavy, his eyes wild, and his face was covered in a film of sweat.

Iago swallowed. "Let me put it this way, Al. I wouldn't operate any heavy machinery if I were you!"

"I just don't get it. Have I... changed somehow?"

"Before, I was willing to blame it on nerves, but..." Genie trailed off.

Aladdin found the nearest reflective surface - a mirror hanging on the wall. "Mozenrath!" he gasped. "What are you doing here?" Then, "my spirit is inside your body thanks to your pathetic friends! The transferance would have worked if they hadn't interfered! Now we are one forever!" A pause. "No!"

"You must be sick! You're talkin' to yourself!" Iago exclaimed.

"And you sound just like Mozenrath!" Jasmine added.

"Al, I don't know what's wrong with you, but we've got to figure it out," Genie said. "Fast."



Outside the palace, Aladdin took a deep breath of the cool, night air. Genie had decided that some fresh air might help... though, Aladdin thought, if the trouble was what he thought it was, fresh air wasn't going to do anything.

"Something must've gone wrong back at Mozenrath's lab," Aladdin said in a shaky voice. "He's inside me!"

Iago raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Inside you? Ah, go on."

"Brainless fool!" Aladdin spat.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine exclaimed.

Aladdin sighed. "I'm sorry, Jasmine, but..." he trailed off.

Something slithered through the air in front of his face. Xerxes - with the gauntlet!

"What? How did you get-"

Suddenly, Aladdin felt something... pushing him back. Not physically, but... mentally? If that made sense.

"My gauntlet!" he heard himself say. "I must have my power back!" And, like it was the most ordinary thing in the world, he took the gauntlet from Xerxes and pulled it on over his arm.

"No!" he shouted. "I don't want this!"

"Excuse me, Al..." Genie began. "Do you need some help?"

"Back off, Genie!" Aladdin heard himself saying.

"Plase put down your weapon. You have the right to remain - oof!"

As Genie said "remain," Aladdin reached forward and, feeling an odd thrill of glee at the power in his hand, let forth a surge of magical energy.

"Hmm... maybe Mozey really is in Al's head..." Genie muttered.

That feeling of glee subsided, and Aladdin felt himself return. He quickly pulled off the gauntlet and threw it to the ground. "Mozenrath, leave me alone!"

"Great," Iago said. "Like he didn't have enough problems. A split personality I can handle, but not when the other guy's Mozenrath!"

Jasmine shook her head. "This is horrible, Aladdin."

"Well, I'm not too happy about this arrangement, either, and I don't plan on spending the rest of my life with you!" Aladdin - no, Mozenrath said. Despite the fact that it was altogether disturbing to have Mozenrath speaking out of his own mouth, Aladdin found it oddly relieving that Mozenrath was speaking as Mozenrath, and not causing him - Aladdin - to say something awful.

"Well, we finally agree on something, Mozenrath," Aladdin said. "So, how do we reverse this spell?"

"First, we must find the Elixir of Life."

"Elixir of Life?"

"A magical healing potion," Mozenrath explained. "A taste of it, and my spirit will leave your body and return to the stone figuring that... was my body. I will then return to normal, and we will be separate again."

"How can we trust you?" Jasmine asked.

Aladdin sighed. "What other choice do we have?"

Iago rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's a comfort!"

"He's right, guys," Genie said. "According to The Big Book of Spells Gone Wrong, the Elixir will do the trick."

"And I know exactly where the Elixir is," Aladdin stated. Another feeling of relief - Mozenrath wasn't asking him to fetch something he knew nothing about.

Xerxes flew by his face, holding the gauntlet again.

"Get away from me! I don't want you or that thing around!"

"No. We must take the gauntlet," Mozenrath said. He took it from Xerxes' mouth and pulled it on.

"No! It's too dangerous!" Aladdin argued, trying to pull it off.

"Aladdin, we need my magic to get the Elixir of Life. Without it... we're both doomed!"

"Al, I'll probably hate myself in the morning for saying this, but..." Genie began, "the Whiz Kid might be right."

Reluctantly, Aladdin stopped struggling and let Mozenrath adjust the gauntlet to a more comfortable position. "Okay, Mozenrath... you win. For now."



"Al, I don't mean to spoil your day and all, but how do you know he's not leading us into some kind of giant sand-trap?" Genie asked as they flew over the desert.

"I don't," Aladdin said. "But if he is, he's only hurting himself, too."

"Just make sure you take good care of my body," Mozenrath said, glancing toward Jasmine, who held the statuette.

"Relax, Mozenrath. You're safe in my hands."

Up ahead, Aladdin could see dark stormclouds laced with lightening.

"Oh, this looks like a good sign," Iago said sarcastically. "What's next? Fire and brimstone?"

"Look alive, boys!" Genie spoke up. "There's gold in them there sand dunes!"

"Gold? Where?" Iago asked eagerly.