The Lost City of the Sun

(Setting: Agrabah, at night. A pink sprite flies over the city, and keeps looking back as if it's being chased.)

(Setting: Aladdin's hovel. Aladdin and Abu are asleep, while Genie, Iago, and Carpet play a card game using poker chips and eat snacks. Carpet has most of the poker chips. It's Genie's turn, and he carefully looks at each of his cards and makes little noises to himself while he's thinking. The others are getting impatient with him.)

Iago: Make your move, blue boy!

Genie: Got any nines?

Iago: Go fish.

(The sprite suddenly flies into the room and knocks over all the food and knocks the cards out of their hands. The sprite then flies around Abu, lifting him into the air and waking him.)

Sprite: (lifting Aladdin's eyelid) Aladdin! Aladdin! Upy upy!

Aladdin: (groggy) What? A sprite?

(The sprite nods.)

Aladdin: Oh no…

Iago: Sprites!

Genie: Now, now. Sprites are just fun-loving creatures with an annoying tendency to be… annoying.

(Xerxes suddenly flies through the window and starts chasing after the sprite.)

Aladdin: Xerxes!

(Carpet jumps in front of the sprite, and Xerxes bites one of his tassels and starts pulling. Abu starts pulling Carpet from the other side. Iago tries to protect his poker chips, but when Abu pulls Carpet free they knock them over.)

Iago: Hey!

Xerxes: Gotcha!

(Xerxes bites at the sprite, who dodges out of the way. The sprite hides under the rug, but Xerxes sees it. Aladdin catches Xerxes in a basket before he catches the sprite.)

Aladdin: Gotcha! Genie, catch!

(Aladdin tosses Xerxes to Genie, who turns into into an animal control worker and catches him with a net.)

Genie: Agrabah has a strict ordinance against evil flying critters. (to Iago) You've got your tags, don'cha?

(Xerxes bites a hole in the bottom of the net and flies out the window.)

Genie: So much for the humane approach. (turns into a hunter) Next time, he's a trophy!

Sprite: Is it safe?

Aladdin: He's gone.

Sprite: Listen! Listen, Aladdin! Everybody captured by a nasty magic man! Oh, every last sprite!

Aladdin: Mozenrath.

Sprite: Except me. I got away!

Iago: Interesting. Wake me when we get to the part where I care!

Sprite: Help, please! We have to rescue my friends!

Aladdin: From Mozenrath? My pleasure.

Iago: His views do not necessarily reflect those of the group!

Sprite: Follow me! We fly to the Lost City of the Sun!

(Setting: the next day, in the ruins of the Lost City of the Sun.)

Mozenrath: Sprites! To me!

(Six sprites fly up to Mozenrath. They look exhausted.)

Mozenrath: What have you uncovered?

(The sprites fly over to a hole in the ground, lift an obelisk out of it, and bring it to Mozenrath.)

Mozenrath: Worthless! Take it away!

(Another group of sprites bring him a stone chair.)

Mozenrath: Rubble.

(Another group brings a disk-shaped sculpture.)

Mozenrath: No, no! That's not it! (blows up the sculpture)

Xerxes: (enters) Wait, master! (gets hit in the head with a piece of the sculpture)

Mozenrath: Xerxes, where is the escapee?

Xerxes: Sorry, boss.

Mozenrath: You lost the sprite?!

Xerxes: Found Aladdin.

Mozenrath: Aladdin! Is there anything else you could do to make my job more difficult?! (throws Xerxes against the ruins; to the sprites) Work faster, or else!

(The sprites fly away and start digging again, so quickly that they look like a blur.)

Mozenrath: This is it, Xerxes. I feel lucky.

(The sprites uncover a statue of a man pointing.)

Xerxes: Mozenrath lucky!

Pink sprite: (wiping its brow) Sprites pooped!

Mozenrath: Xerxes, the legend is true! It is said that the Hand in the Sand will lead to the power of Shamash, the sorcerer of the sun. Sprites! Dig in the direction Shamash points. Find his lost power.

Blue sprite: Dig for this! Dig for that!

(The sprites start digging again.)

Mozenrath: With the power of Shamash I shall conquer the Seven Deserts!

Xerxes: Dig faster!

Mozenrath: They've found it!

(The sprites have uncovered another statue of Shamash, pointing in a different direction.)

Mozenrath: Shamash didn't make it easy. I'll do what it takes. Get to work! Follow the hand! Dig! Dig!

Blue sprite: Please! Sprites are worn out!

Yellow sprite: Have a heart!

Mozenrath: If you insist, I'll take yours. (threatens them with his gauntlet)

(The sprites scream and fly away.)

(Setting: Later that day. The sprites have found several more statues, all pointing in different directions.)

Mozenrath: Statues pointing at statues… One must point to the power. Don't stop, dig it up!

(Aladdin and the others have arrived and are hiding behind the ruins, watching Mozenrath.)

Aladdin: What are they digging for?

Pink sprite: Don't know!

Genie: Where are the rest of the sprites?

Pink sprite: Don't know that either.

Iago: Aw, we may never find the cute little guys. Tragic.

Aladdin: We'll find them. But let's do it without Mozenrath finding us. I want to figure out what he's up to here. And watch out for his—

(A mamluk rises out of the sand and grabs Aladdin.)

Aladdin: Mamluks! (is thrown to the ground) Whoa!

(Another mamluk rises out of the sand near Genie, who turns into a flamenco dancer.)

Genie: My dance card's full, boys! (takes off the frilly part of his skirt and puts it around the mamluks' heads) Hasta la mamluk, muchachos! (kicks them away)

Aladdin: (still lying on the ground, Carpet taps him on the arm) Carpet?

(Carpet motions for Aladdin to be quiet.)

Mozenrath: (in the distance) Work! Lead me to the power! Find the Hand in the Sand!

Aladdin: The Hand in the Sand?

Mozenrath: Shamash could have filled the whole desert with statues. I need more sprites! (grabs Xerxes) If that's not too much trouble!

Xerxes: No trouble. (flies off)

(Genie, Iago, and Abu are hiding behind a sand dune, looking at one of the ancient buildings. It's being guarded by a mamluk.)

Genie: Undead guards. They're out there, boys!

(They sneak to the building's entrance while the mamluk isn't looking.)

Iago: What's the problem? They're not even alive! You could take 'em.

Genie: Aw, cinch! But my magical stylings would draw the attention of the mighty morbid power monger. (opens the door and goes inside; it's pitch black) Ditched the mamluks!

Iago: Even better, we got away from that annoying sprite!

(The room begins to light up. There is a giant crowd of sprites in the center of the building.)

Genie and Iago: Whoa!

Iago: Sprite City. Population: too many!

(Outside, Xerxes flies toward the building where the sprites are held.)

Genie: Come on! Last sprite out is—

Iago: Annoying!

Green sprite: Wait! Someone's coming!

(The door opens and Xerxes comes inside. Genie turns himself, Iago and Abu into sprites to disguise themselves.)

Iago: Aah! I'm a… I'm a… sprite.

Xerxes: More workers! (points at the three of them as well as two other sprites) You'll do. Move it! Hustle, hustle! (chases them out of the building)

(Aladdin, Carpet, and the pink sprite watch Xerxes exit the building.)

Pink sprite: Uh oh! Genie gone!

Aladdin: Don't worry, Genie's fine. And if anyone can find your friends, it's—

(Xerxes passes by them, and they see that three of the sprites with Xerxes are Aladdin's disguised friends.)

Pink sprite: Oh, they got caught!

Aladdin: Get down, or we'll get caught!

Pink sprite: Now Mozenrath has everything! My friends, your friends!

Aladdin: He doesn't have everything. He wants the power of Shamash, and without the Hand in the Sand he can't get it. We have to get it first.

(Xerxes herds them towards the rest of the sprites.)

Xerxes: Keep together!

Blue sprite: Oh, I'm dead on my wings!

Yellow sprite: Look, more sprites! Kind of funny looking.

Xerxes: No stop! Dig!

Genie: Are these the same fun-loving sprites that used to drive us to distraction? Say it ain't so!

Iago: What did they do to them? (noticing how high his voice is as a sprite) What did you do to me?! Change me back!

Genie: Shh, not yet! We have to blend in! Look at Abu, he's a natural.

Iago: The monkey's cute and playful enough for the both of us. (Abu chatters something at him)Get out of my face. Any mutation is an improvement on you, but us birds have integrity.

Xerxes: (to Iago) You! You!

Iago: Me? I'm a sprite! I've never been anything but a cute playful lovable sprite! (spins Abu around) See? (quietly) Ugh, I feel so dirty.

Xerxes: Work!

(Genie and Abu fly off toward the other sprites, while Iago stays behind.)

Xerxes: No exceptions!

Iago: Could you make just one? Work kinda cramps my style.

Yellow sprite: What's he doing?

Blue sprite: He's not working!

Yellow sprite: I don't wanna work either!

Genie: If the beak doesn't give us away, what comes out of it will!

Xerxes: Less talk, more dig!

Genie: Hello! Your vengeful, yet stunningly well-dressed boss is here!

(Points at Mozenrath, who is approaching them.)

Xerxes: Statue again.

Mozenrath: Thank you, Xerxes. Shall we see where this one leads us?

(The statue points back at a statue that was dug up earlier.)

Mozenrath: It appears Shamash had quite a sense of humor.

(Xerxes laughs.)

Mozenrath: But I don't! I don't care if those sprites have to dig up the Seven Deserts!

Xerxes: Me neither?

(Elsewhere in the ruined city, Aladdin and Carpet are examining some writing on a wall.)

Aladdin: The Hand in the Sand. We'll know it when we see it. I hope.

(Four mamluks rise out of the ground near Carpet.)

Pink sprite: Carpet!

Aladdin: Hang on!

(The mamluks each grab one corner of Carpet and pull him taut. Aladdin bounces off Carpet and jumps onto a wooden beam. While the mamluks are watching him they let go of Carpet, who spins around rapidly, slapping the mamluks in the face with his tassels. He then flies up and catches Aladdin, and they fly away.)

Aladdin: (looking down) Hey… fly higher, Carpet! I see something!

(Looking down, Aladdin can see that the ditches the sprites have dug following the statues have created the outline of a giant hand pointing toward a sand dune.)

Aladdin: The Hand in the Sand! It's the Hand in the Sand! This is what Mozenrath is looking for! To that dune, Carpet! Once we have the power of Shamash, Mozenrath is at our mercy! And the sprites are home free.

Pink sprite: (laughs) Hand in the Sand is right in front of Mozenrath, and he doesn't even see it!

Aladdin: Start looking for something. Anything!

(The sprite digs down into the dune until it hits something solid.)

Pink sprite: (dizzily) Found something.

Aladdin: (digging into the dune with his hands) This is it!

(They've uncovered part of a large, black, metallic orb with a sun symbol carved into it.)

Pink sprite: Is this the power of Shamash?

Aladdin: It must be.

(Meanwhile, the other sprites are still digging.)

Iago: Hey, Xerxes is gone! Take a break!

Genie: We've got to do something!

Iago: And soon! Pretending to work is almost as hard as the real thing!

Genie: We've got to unite the sprites!

Iago: Now you're talkin'. But leave this to a professional. From petty grievances to large-scale rabble rousing, I'm the expert. (to the sprites) Aren't you sick of listening to that flying slug?! Aren't your little wings tired? And what about a retirement plan? And dental? Say no to digging! Say no to lousy working conditions!

Genie: Say hello to Xerxes!

Xerxes: No stop! Must work!

Green sprite: No! We don't wanna work anymore!

Iago: Huh?

Xerxes: You glow. You dig! You hear?!

Yellow sprite: What, we don't even get dental! We're not gonna glow or dig!

Genie, Iago, and Abu: (carrying signs showing Mozenrath, Xerxes, and mamluk, crossed out)Hey! No! We won't glow! Hey! No! We won't glow!

Sprites: (also carrying signs) Hey! No! We won't glow! Hey! No! We won't glow!

Mozenrath: (in the distance) Xerxes?

(The sprites cheer as Xerxes flies away to talk to Mozenrath.)

Mozenrath: Well? What do you have for me?

Xerxes: Nothing.

Mozenrath: What?!

Xerxes: Sprite strike! No dig!

Mozenrath: The sprites won't dig? Then I'll dig… their graves! (starts shooting magic at the sprites with his gauntlet)

Genie: Get down!

Mozenrath: I must have the power of Shamash!

Iago: Uh oh! Moze has gone ballistic! Spread out!

(Mozenrath follows Genie, Abu, and Iago.)

Mozenrath: All right, sprites. Your time is up.

(He levitates a column they were hiding behind out of his way.)

Mozenrath: An odd breed of sprite.

Genie: Uh, we're from Ohio.

(Mozenrath zaps them with his gauntlet and turns them back to their normal selves.)

Mozenrath: Well, well. If it isn't Aladdin's comic relief. Where is the street rat?

Genie: If you want Al, you'll have to get by me first! (grows large and muscular) Your puny magic glove against my semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic genie powers! Come on, take your best shot!

(Mozenrath blasts them all far away away from him.)

(Back at the dune where the power of Shamash is hidden.)

Pink sprite: What is it? Is it a good thing? How does it work?

Aladdin: I have absolutely no idea.

(Genie, Iago, and Abu fall out of the sky.)

Aladdin: Genie!

(Mozenrath is still catching his breath. A mamluk approaches him.)

Mozenrath: You found Aladdin? Where?

(The mamluk points towards the wall Aladdin was looking at earlier. Mozenrath teleports himself there. The four mamluks are still there.)

Mozenrath: Where is he?! How could you let him go?!

(The mamluks, frightened, start to sink back into the sand.)

Mozenrath: How dare you disappear when I'm ranting! (pulls them back up with his magic) What was Aladdin doing here?! What did he find?!

(A mamluk points to the wall carvings.)

Mozenrath: Of course. The writing is on the wall. These hieroglyphics must be the answer to the puzzle. (reads) "Find the pointing hand… find the pointing hand… find the pointing hand." Aah! Oh, these ancient pictures tell me nothing! Aladdin is one step ahead of me, I know it. Where did he go?

(A mamluk points up.)

Mozenrath: Up? Up… Oh, ho ho ho ho! Yes!

(Back by the power of Shamash…)

Genie: Al, we have a problem.

(Three mamluks charge over the sand dune.)

Genie: Mamluks!

Aladdin: This is a problem. (kicks a mamluk away)

(Genie turns into a hippo and sits on another mamluk, crushing it. Another mamluk attacks Aladdin, and he wrestles the sword out of its hand. Genie then turns the mamluk into a sprite and puts it in a jar. He then does the same with the two other mamluks.)

Genie: Aw… were we this cute?

Aladdin: Good job, Genie. We can use these guys to dig up the rest of this… thing.

Genie: Al… we've got another problem…

(Mozenrath appears.)

Mozenrath: You've been quite helpful, Aladdin. I must repay you.

(Mozenrath sends a bolt of magic in Aladdin's general direction; he dodges, and it hits the orb.)

Aladdin: Pretty sad shot, Mozenrath.

Mozenrath: Depends where I was aiming.

(The orb rises out of the ground; it begins to give off flames and slowly becomes a miniature sun.)

Aladdin: Guess this clears up the Shamash power mystery.

Genie: The raging inferno of his own personal sun. Yup, that's power.

Mozenrath: And it's all mine! But, no one will feel the power of Shamash more than you, Aladdin!

(The sun starts heading toward Aladdin.)

Genie: Uh oh!

(Carpet picks Aladdin up and carries him away; they manage to stay just ahead of the sun.)

Aladdin: Faster, Carpet!

Xerxes: Fry 'im!

(Carpet catches fire from being too near to the sun and starts to fall.)

Aladdin: Carpet! Aah!

(Carpet and Aladdin hit the ground. Iago, Abu, and the pink sprite fly up to him and see that he is unconscious.)

Iago: Oh, lights out.

Pink sprite: I can save Aladdin! I can do it!

Iago: How cute. But if you hadn't noticed, that thing is hot!

Pink sprite: We play in the stars all the time. I've flown around the real sun!

Genie: Just leave this to the big boys. (turns into a giant cook) Who's up for a barbeque?

(Genie hits the sun with a spatula and is thrown backwards, burned bright red.)

Genie: Great! Twelve degree sunburn and right before yearbook pictures!

Mozenrath: (seeing the unconscious Aladdin) Why look, the boy is defenseless! If I attack now, he's—

Xerxes: Dead meat!

Mozenrath: At last! (zaps the sun with his gauntlet, directing it toward Aladdin)

Iago: Now what?!

Genie: (creates a tube of sunscreen and hands it to Iago) Sunscreen, SPF 10 million. Good luck! (passes out)

Iago: That means it's down to me! …and the sprites.

(Abu tries to wake Aladdin up; he starts to stir.)

Iago: (to the sprites) So, you're in?

Sprites: Sure! You bet! Let's go!

Mozenrath: I will rule the Seven Deserts and Aladdin will never— What?

(Iago is flying toward him, wearing a hard hat, followed by the sprites, who are carrying one of the Shamash statues.)

Iago: Okay, little further! Come on! Come on! Plenty of room! All right! Move!

(The sun slowly moves closer to Aladdin. The sprites drop the statue between the sun and Aladdin, allowing him to shield himself.)

Mozenrath: No! You can't escape!

Aladdin: Who said anything about escape? I'm gonna beat you, Mozenrath!

Iago: Drop the next one! Now!

(The sprites drop another statue, a little closer to Mozenrath. Aladdin runs and ducks behind that one.)

Iago: Okay! Little further!

(A third statue is dropped. Aladdin runs to it.)

Iago: Come on! That's it! (motions for it to be dropped)

(A fourth statue is now in place, getting very close to Mozenrath now. Aladdin moves up again. The sun has slowly been following Aladdin as he moves forward.)

Mozenrath: I'll get him yet. I'm so close!

Xerxes: Too close!

(Mozenrath pushes Xerxes away.)

Iago: Bombs away!

(A fifth statue is dropped into place, just a few feet away from Mozenrath, and Aladdin moves up to it. Mozenrath moves the sun forward after Aladdin, not realizing how close it is to himself.)

Xerxes: Too hot! Too hot! We'll fry!

(While Mozenrath was distracted, Aladdin runs out from behind the statue and behind Mozenrath, so that Mozenrath is closer to the sun than Aladdin is.)

Aladdin: Feeling the power of Shamash?

(Aladdin and Mozenrath start fighting hand-to-hand.)

Iago: (to the sprites) All right, you've got your orders. Now, go! (half the sprites fly off) The rest of you, follow me! (they fly toward where the rest of the sprites are being held) It's time to let out the sprites so they can take out that sun! Put your spritely powers to work on this door and pull!

(The sprites open the door, releasing the hundreds of sprites inside. Meanwhile Aladdin and Mozenrath are still fighting. Mozenrath seems to have gotten the other hand, until he accidentally falls backwards into one of the holes the sprites dug. A group of sprites then flies up to Mozenrath, removes his gauntlet, and carries it away before he has time to react.)

Mozenrath: No! Aah!

Aladdin: Now get rid of that sun!

Iago: Done!

Genie: Look!

Mozenrath: My sun!

(The escaped sprites carry the sun far away into the sky, so that it is no longer visible.)

Mozenrath: My only goal now is to hear your tortured screams!

Aladdin: It's just us, man to man.

(Aladdin can now see what Mozenrath's hand looks like underneath the gauntlet; it's completely skeletal.)

Aladdin: What?!

Mozenrath: Ah, my secret's out.

Genie: Ew!

Iago: Yeugh!

Mozenrath: This is what I did for power! The magic of a genie was handed to you on a silver platter, but I gave my right hand for power! To wear the gauntlet is painful, but it's worth it. Worth it to destroy the likes of you!

Pink sprite: Good luck with no magic glove. We buried it.

Blue sprite: Somewhere out there! (points to the open desert)

Mozenrath: My gauntlet?

Aladdin: Better start digging!

(The sprites laugh, then repair the parts of Carpet that were burned.)

Mozenrath: My gauntlet! No! Dig, Xerxes! Dig!

(Mozenrath and Xerxes start digging with their bare hands/fins.)

(Setting: That night, at Aladdin's hovel. Aladdin and his friends are playing cards while the sprites watch.)

Sprite: (to Abu) Thanks, monkey man!

Genie: Give me some glow, kiddo! (high-fives a pink sprite)

Pink sprite: Aladdin, we have a very special thank you for—

Iago: Cut the sentimental journey already!

(The sprites point out of the window, where we can see that a large group of sprites has created a picture of Iago in the sky.)

Iago: You know, those little glow guys weren't so bad.

Pink sprite: What was that, birdie buddy?

Iago: I said, uh, let's go, guys. (shuffles the deck) And can we get through the whole game this time, please?

Sprite: (laughs) Deal me in!

THE END