Awkward In A Bottle

Ali opened his eyes weakly, but he could hardly see... it was like a black veil had been placed over his eyes. He blinked rapidly a couple of times, and his vision cleared slightly. All he could see was the sky, moving past at a blur. He rolled over onto his stomach weakly, still keeping his head raised.

"Father?" He whispered. Aladdin glanced over his shoulder.

"Ali?" Aladdin placed his hand on Ali's chest. "I'm getting help, okay?" Aladdin said urgently. Ali blinked slowly. What was wrong? Why was his father freaking out? "We're-" Aladdin said, but his voice faded as Ali lost consciousness again.


Carpet swooped over the Land of the Black Sand, while Aladdin supported Ali to stop him sliding off. Aladdin glanced down at Ali, who had slipped out of conciousness again.

"Get inside there now, Carpet!" Aladdin said, pointing at an open window in the Citadel. Carpet immediately changed direction and flew through the window.

Carpet hovered in the empty corridor. Aladdin repositioned Ali and called out.

"Mozenrath!"

Instantly, Mozenrath materialized on the ground below in ribbons of blue light. Apparently, monologuing was a hard evil-villan habit to break, since that's what Mozenrath started doing the moment he appeared.

"I have a door (which is more than I can say for you) - a nice door too. Really big. I even put a carved snake on it, but no, he insists on using the window. Obviously, he is not trying to be stealthy, since he ignored my crystals' light. Old habits die hard." Mozenrath folded his arms and looked up at Aladdin.

"Mozenrath... I didn't know who else to see..." Aladdin said. He nodded to Carpet, who then slowly flew lower down. Ali's head flopped over into Mozenrath's direction. Mozenrath sucked in a deep breath.

"Aladdin, put him down now." Mozenrath said, stiffly. Aladdin stared at Mozenrath in confusion, then looked at his son, and froze.

A streams of black smoke seemed to come from Ali's eyes, like black tears, raising up into the air in a charmed-cobra fashion. A tendril of the smoke had curled itself around Aladdin's neck without his noticing.

Aladdin flinched away from the smoke to prevent it touching his skin.

"Aladdin, put him down." Mozenrath repeated. When Aladdin didn't, Mozenrath shot a ball of blue and black flame at Aladdin. Aladdin yelped and his arms jerked apart, causing Ali to fall to the floor below.

"No!" Aladdin reached his arm over the edge of Carpet uselessly.

Mozenrath's powers caught Ali, seconds before he hit the floor, then let him fall the last centimeter.

Carpet flew down, and Aladdin jumped off.

"Who's been fooling around with dark sorcerery?" Mozenrath said sternly, folding his arms again. Aladdin looked at his brother.

"Ever hear of the Dark Oracle?"

"Naturally. This way." Mozenrath beckoned for them to follow. Carpet scooped up Ali and Aladdin caught up with Mozenrath.


Once inside Mozenrath's lab, Carpet was instructed to lie Ali down on a cleared wooden table. Once this was done, Mozenrath and Aladdin looked down at Ali.

"It didn't touch him, did it? The Oracle?" Mozenrath asked.

Aladdin winced. "She did - whilst she was delivering the omen."

"She gave him an omen? That's unfortunate." Mozenrath said. "Do you recall it?"

Aladdin bit his lip. "You...you seem to have a problem...that gets worse in the future... putting yourself before the ones you love will get you into trouble one day... Er...no good deed goes unpunished."

Mozenrath looked relieved, until Aladdin added:

"But... but don't worry... little prince, in the future, when there are no - witnesses, I will... come for you." Aladdin rubbed the back of his neck and looked at his brother. "What-?"

"She'll come to him, will she?" Mozenrath said, thoughtfully. A glowing blue book appeared beside him, opened itself, flicked through the pages and then lay itself down in the table beside Ali and the blue glow vanished.

"You could have done that yourself." Aladdin muttered. "Rather than waste magic."

"Ah, but that would take longer. Besides, the Elixir of Life is very reliable. The gauntlet isn't bothering me at all." Mozenrath replied. "Now then, to the nephew. The thing that gave him this "omen" - the Dark Oracle, is actually an imprint of Serpentine."

"What?" Aladdin asked, confused.

Mozenrath peered at the book he had opened. "Serpentine was a dark sorceress who ruled the City of Brackenthorn."

"Brackenthorn? Which desert is that in?"

"None. It's located to the far west. In the Kingdom." Mozenrath replied, a small frown on his face. (Kingdom = England in the world of Disney, methinks :P)

"Did you say she rules Brackenthorn, or ruled it?" Aladdin enquired.

"I'm hoping ruled - this scroll, despite being written in present tense, is in fact almost two hundred years old."

"Ok, but what would a dead witch want with Ali?"

"Serpentine was famed for dispersing home-made dark artefacts to her enemies." Mozenrath checked the book. "Spear of Hate, Touch of Pain-"

"The Claw of Anger and Rage?" Aladdin supplied.

"That's the one you were stuck with, then?" Mozenrath said with a wry smile. "I'm assuming you were destroying it?"

Aladdin nodded. "But Rasoul set it off while Ali was holding it-"

"And Serpentine's powers leaked out to make Ali highly susceptible to the emotions of anger and rage?" Mozenrath guessed.

"Yeah... but I smashed it before it got him, but then the Oracle appeared..."

"And that... 'got him', instead." Mozenrath finished.

"Yeah. Then he just collapsed..." Aladdin gestured to Ali. "And he became like this. Black tears started coming out of his eyes every time he tried to open them, and he said they burned him. He would only be conscious for about ten seconds... then he'd be out again."

"Ah, but that is because the Oracle." Mozenrath pointed to Ali. "Is still there."

"What?"

"I'll come for you, little prince?" Mozenrath repeated. "The Oracle is keeping Ali in this weakened state until Serpentine can come and collect him. Literally."

Aladdin looked confused. Mozenrath pointed to the book.

"Third paragraph down." Mozenrath said. Aladdin skipped over Serpentine's early history and physical appearance to see her habits.

"Sent own dark creations to enemies..." Aladdin muttered, skimming over the bits Mozenrath had already read. "Was also known for her interest in men. Every three years, she remarries to a new husband, whom she deems worthy of her." Aladdin frowned at Mozenrath. "What? Ali?"

"It was inevitable that anyone the Dark Oracle bestows an Omen to would then meet Serpentine. Whether male or female. Serpentine would then choose her next husband from that area. So not necessarily Ali, but she would choose her next husband from Agrabah."

"Ok - so Serpentine would have come to Agrabah, lifted the spell off of Ali, then went looking for her new husband?" Aladdin asked. Mozenrath nodded.

"But we don't have Serpentine around to lift the spell, so we need to do it." Mozenrath responded.

"We need to do it?" Aladdin asked in alarm.

"Let me rephrase - I'll have to lift the spell." Mozenrath looked from the book to Ali. Aladdin thought he heard Mozenrath whisper "Alas..."

"What?" Aladdin said, dreading the answer.

"Are you aware of the dangers surrounding mixing magics?" Mozenrath asked.

"Yeah, Genie's often mentioning it." Aladdin asked.

"Because magic is different for everyone - and you can't mix it... it would be like trying to mix lamp oil in water."

"What's Serpentine's magic like then?" Aladdin asked, leaning over the book.

"Serpentine's powers are a substance that is a very different form of magic, as it is neither liquid nor air. Although it is known to resemble smoke, Serpentine's power is said to feel wet to the touch. Given the nick-name "Poison"." Mozenrath replied, reading quicker than Aladdin.

Aladdin straightened up. "And since your powers resemble fire, you can't fix this?" Aladdin stared down at his son. Mozenrath made a noise in the back of his throat and a gesture with his hands to indicate a fiery explosion. Aladdin spun around suddenly.

"Carpet? What is it?" He asked. Carpet swooped around a device in the corner. Aladdin glanced sideways at his brother.

Carpet had made a suggestion: the infamous, soul-swapping device.

"What deluded your rug into thinking that thing is going to work?" Mozenrath muttered to Aladdin.

"If the Oracle's still inside Ali..." Aladdin said, his hand on his chin. "And Serpentine's magic is air and liquid - but not a solid, then-?"

"Very clever." Mozenrath muttered. "All right, so the rag and yourself had a good idea. Don't let it go to your head."


After lifting Ali onto one of the beds, Aladdin looked warily up at the machine. He was still freaked out by it. Aladdin glanced over at his brother. How things had changed.

He watched as Mozenrath attached a large bottle to the other bed.

"What's that for?"

"I'm not in the mood for Dark Entities swooping around in my lab today." Mozenrath adjusted the pipe so that it fitted perfectly around the top of the bottle. He then backed up a step from the machine. "Everything looks in order. Back up a bit." Mozenrath added to Aladdin, who stumbled backwards, almost falling over (but Carpet held him up). Mozenrath gave him an odd look.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing." Aladdin shook himself. "That thing still gives me the creeps." Mozenrath stared at him a moment before replying:

"Me too." Then Mozenrath raised his hand. "Begin."

Aladdin winced slightly as the machine lowered down onto Ali's face. Mozenrath took a step forward as black magic was drawn out of Ali's face and up into the machine. Mozenrath waved a hand and the black smoke went down into the bottle, and the machine stopped.

Aladdin looked at Mozenrath as he quickly unplugged the bottle and forced the glass stopper into the top before Serpentine's magic could escape. Mozenrath slammed the jar (which appeared to be jerking around) onto a shelf before turning back to Aladdin.

"I'm going to destroy that within the hour." He muttered.

"Hey! Get this off of me!" Came a shout from behind them. Aladdin and Mozenrath turned to see Ali, struggling against the metal shackles that were around his arms and ankles. The glass mask was still over his face.

Aladdin ran over. "Ali calm down!" Aladdin lifted the glass mask up from his son's face, but it seemed to force its way back down again. Aladdin struggled to hold it up, while Ali struggled to get free.

Ali finally managed to sit up slightly, despite the shackles cutting into his forearms slightly. Aladdin released the device, which fell down against the table. Ali rested his head on it whilst Aladdin opened the shackles that held his arms down. Once they were open, Ali sat up and freed his ankles before turning to his father.

"How bad is it?" He asked, looking tense.

"How-? How bad is what?" Aladdin looked bewildered.

"You recognize me, so that's good." Ali said, biting his lip. He looked down at himself. "I do look the same." He glanced over to the other bed. "Who was on there?" He asked, pointing at the bed apprehensively.

"No one was - where's Mozenrath gone?" Aladdin looked around, but Mozenrath was nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, Ali had gone cautiously over to a mirror that was sitting in the corner. He looked surprised and confused with his reflection.

"Ali? What's wrong?" Aladdin asked.

"I'm still me?" Ali asked, frowning.

"What are you talking about?" Aladdin asked.

"Did you stop the transference before it was finished?" Ali asked, not taking his eyes off of his reflection. Aladdin's eyes widened. "You didn't interrupt it, did you? I'm completely me, aren't I?" Ali continued. nervously staring at his reflection's eyes, looking for any trace of abnormality.

Ali jumped as Mozenrath appeared beside him, and backed into Aladdin.

"You weren't hooked up to that device for a transfer, it was to remove the Dark Oracle from you." Mozenrath said arms folded. Mozenrath stared down at Ali. "How did you know what that machine is used for?"

Ali looked back at the machine, thinking quickly. He couldn't let his father and uncle know how much of the past he was aware of.

"I don't know... I just... remember it..." Ali lied, frowning as if confused. He walked away from his uncle and father quickly, so they wouldn't be able to read his facial expression.

Aladdin and Mozenrath looked at each other.

"Oh what a great idea to tell your kids that." Mozenrath hissed. "A bedtime story, was it? 'Your Uncle Mozen has tried to kill me many times-'"

"Well, I didn't say anything!" Aladdin said angrily (in a whispered voice). "And Jasmine didn't either."

Mozenrath frowned at Aladdin. "What have you told him?" Aladdin stared uncomfortably at the floor.

"Nothing yet. Jasmine and I thought they looked happy - we didn't want them to realize that the streets of their own city weren't safe. Not yet."

Mozenrath put his hand against his forehead. "Do what you will, but what happens when something happens? An old... friend shows up? 'Hello, I'm an old friend of your fathers, let me in so I may kill you all.'"

Aladdin stared at Mozenrath, not looking amused. "I'll talk to Jasmine later."

"What's this?" Ali called faintly form the other side of the room, catching the brothers' attention. He was staring at the bottle that contained the Oracle, which was shaking.

"The Oracle. In a bottle." Aladdin said. "Don't touch it."

Ali turned around. "Awkward in a bottle?" He asked, confused.

"No, the Dark Oracle. Don't touch it." Mozenrath said darkly. "I don't think she is too happy after losing her last victim."

"Oh, you mean me." Ali said sounding almost sarcastic, which, Aladdin noticed, is very unusual for him.

"Ugh, you can tell the Princess is his mother." Mozenrath said in undertone to Aladdin. Aladdin frowned at Ali.

"Ali, what-?" Aladdin began, but Ali cut him off.

"Dad - look out!" Ali ran backwards, as the bottle fell from the shelf because it was shaking so much.

The second the bottle hit the floor, a black cloud surged from the room, engulfing them all instantly.