Carpet recovered faster than any of the others, rushing forward and shielding Aladdin from the blunt of the blast. It sent them both rolling along the sands into a mound of treasure.
Aladdin looked down at Carpet as he pulled himself upright by his elbows. With the way Carpet motioned, he appeared to be coughing, and with a sooty exterior.
"Thanks, Carpet; you okay?"
Carpet held up a thumbs up with one of his knobs.
"We should be asking you that, kid," Genie said, and wiping his brow as if he were sweating. "Phew! That was a close call. Good job, Rugman. I almost hit the wrong body."
"No, if you'd hit Versat, you would've hit me too," Aladdin clarified.
"Wait, so when Jas burned Versat..." Genie followed.
"Yeah, I felt it, even though I thought I'd dreamed it. Guess I should be lucky that Versat took most of the blow - scaly skin and all," Aladdin said, with a heavy sigh. "Now it all makes sense. None of what I saw in Versat's eyes was a dream at all - it was...all real."
"Oh Aladdin, I'm so sorry, we didn't know."
Aladdin shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Jasmine. I know you guys didn't. If I could've told you sooner, I would've. I mean...I didn't even know."
"Does this mean Versat's not coming out anytime soon?" Iago said, folding his wings across his chest.
Aladdin shook his head. "I don't know. But the rest of the U-serpents are on their way to Agrabah. We've gotta stop them. They already have a head start."
Genie and Jasmine helped Aladdin to his feet.
"Is there anything we can do to prevent you from turning into Versat again?" Jasmine asked.
"Not much," Aladdin said, running his fingers through his hair. He told them about seeing the U-serpents down in the underbelly of the Cave of Wonders, and about the hourglass that supposedly told him how much time he had left before the venom's effect wore off.
"Hmm," Genie said, his forefinger and thumb beneath his chin. "This is going to make for some tricky traveling. If you suddenly transformed into Versat on the way back to Agrabah, I don't think that would be good for our frequent flyer miles. We'll have to take some precautions."
Genie conjured up a spell, which ended up with Aladdin's body in chains wrapping around him like a cocoon from head to toe.
"Genie!" Aladdin and Jasmine yelled at the same time.
Genie winced. "Yeah, that's too much. Hang on - I'll try again."
He conjured up another spell, only it had the same effect with vines and rosebuds instead of chains.
Abu slapped the heel of his paw against his forehead and groaned.
"Actually, I was gonna suggest sticking with the chains, 'cause I don't think that's gonna hold Versat for long," Iago pointed out.
"But it's not Aladdin's fault," Jasmine argued, folding her arms across her chest while staring at Iago. "I don't think tying him up either way is going to solve this."
"My thoughts exactly," Aladdin said, his voice muffled from behind the ropes. "Genie, how about something a little less extreme? By that, I mean not wrapping me up like a mummy."
"Wait, I've got it," Genie said, snapping his fingers, causing the vines around Aladdin to disappear. "Jasmine, you guys take Carpet and fly to Agrabah. I'll take care of Al."
"Why do I get the feeling that you taking care of me would be a bad thing?" Aladdin groaned, running one hand over his face.
"Relax, Al. You're going too, but I'm your escort." Genie transformed into a rollercoaster car. "Party of one, step right up, and pull the handlebar nice and tight. It's gonna be a bumpy ride."
"Ugh, not a good idea. When Genie's driving, bad things happen," Iago warned under his breath.
Abu leapt on Aladdin's shoulder, screeching softly.
"Sorry Abu, I'd take you with me on the way there, but you're safer with the others." Aladdin said, patting the monkey on the head. "I can't let Versat take over me again."
You don't have that option, Aladdin. I'm s-still inside you no matter how much you fight. It's-s only a matter of time before your body's mine, and you'll c-cease to exist.
Aladdin winced, clutching his hands tight around the sides of his arms, but didn't say anything at Versat's suggestion.
"What's wrong?" Jasmine asked.
"He's just taunting me, don't worry about it," Aladdin replied. "Come on, let's move. Better sooner than later."
Screams filled the streets of Agrabah as yet another city building crumbled from the large serpent like creature that burrowed through the city, creating large holes in the ground where it leapt up and down in a undulating pattern. Ajan, Garan, and Faran laughed a distance away as they watched flames reach high into the sky from the collateral damage.
"This-s will be our biggest payday yet!" Ajan hissed.
"Yes-s, and we have no one to s-stop us-s from leveling Agrabah, am I right?" Garan said, nudging Faran in the ribs. Faran looked less than pleased.
"Don't touch me," Faran said, his red eyes flashing as bright as the flames. "How's-s the hourglass-s? Will Versat s-show up s-soon?"
"He s-should. It's-s taking much too long for him to arrive. I wonder if those brats-s are giving him trouble," Garan replied.
Ajan laughed. "Let him handle the dirty work, then. Let's-s just say it will be his-s initiation, while we reap the rewards-s."
"If you think Aladdin or any of us will go down that easily, you've thought wrong, snakes!" A voice thundered above them. Ajan was the first to look up to see a flying carpet and a woman standing on the tip edge with a spear in her hand. No doubt to the U-serpents it was the Princess of Agrabah, as they'd tangled with her earlier.
"Impossible! Why are they here?" Faran shouted.
"No matter, Faran, we'll take care of them ourselves-s." Ajan taunted. But a spear nearly hit him, thrown by the princess. Ajan hissed with irriation, grabbing the spear and taking it into his own hands.
"Oh, smooth move. Throw the only weapon we have right at the guy for him to use it on us," Iago squawked.
"I didn't think he'd dodge that quickly," Jasmine defended.
Ajan wasted no time throwing the spear back at the flying carpet. Carpet manuevered to avoid it, but his movement was so great that it knocked Jasmine and Abu to the sands below. Iago tried to catch Abu, but ended up diving too low and running beak first into the sands.
Abu happened to land on Garan's head, proceeding to scratch the U-serpent as much as he could while running down Garan's back. Garan tried to grab Abu, but he couldn't reach far enough. The U-serpent hissed in irritation.
Jasmine landed close enough on the sands to the spear, recovering it. She got up, planted the spear in the ground and used her feet to barrel into Faran's chest as he rushed over to attack her. Her target went spiraling backwards to the sands. Neither Faran nor Jasmine noticed the hourglass that had fallen out of Faran's cape.
Iago, managing to pull his head out of the sand after the umpteenth attempt, flew over to where the hourglass rolled and picked it up.
Carpet swirled around Ajan, keeping him distracted momentarily. But Ajan noted Carpet's flying pattern and grabbed the rug midway, tying him up into several knots around a nearby pole before barreling after Iago for the stolen hourglass.
"You cursed bird! Give that back!" Ajan hissed.
Iago flew for his life, but the weight of the hourglass was too heavy, making it easy for Ajan to catch up on swift, scaly legs. Ajan easily grabbed both the bird and the hourglass in a swift leap.
"Any last words-s?' Ajan hissed, the tip of his cold, scaly nose touching Iago's beak. Iago smiled nervously.
Before Iago could say anything, something leapt down from the sky and barreled right into Ajan's back, knocking the wind out of the U-serpent and sending both Iago and the hourglass spinning on the sands a distance away.
Iago recovered enough to realize Aladdin had saved his feathers...again.
"YOU!" Ajan hissed, stunned while he lay sprawled on the sands.
Aladdin grinned, shrugging his shoulders casually. "What, were you expecting someone else?"
Genie went to deal with the overgrown serpent in the city, dropping Aladdin off with the others to deal with the U-serpents. It looked like they were having the upper hand so far, at least as far as Aladdin could tell. And Versat hadn't come out yet, so he thought his luck was going pretty well.
"Aladdin, behind you!"
Okay, maybe not so well, after all, Aladdin thought as he turned in time to see Faran raise his claws, the flash of his eyes indicating murderous intent.
Aladdin heard Jasmine's warning, just in time to evade several swipes of Faran's claws from skewering him. But he wasn't quick enough to prevent Ajan from grabbing him from behind.
Abu lept from Garan's back, racing over to the hourglass.
"Don't let the monkey reach the hourglass-s!"Ajan warned, prompting both Faran and Garan to action, racing to beat the scurrying monkey.
"That's it, Abu! Go!" Aladdin encouraged.
Jasmine and Iago struggled to untie Carpet, and watched in horror as the U-serpents gained on Abu, closing the gap to reach the hourglass, which had rolled a distance further than any of them expected down the sand dunes.
Luckily, Abu had quick paws. He held the hourglass up triumphantly, racing ahead as he stuck out a tongue at the pursuing U-serpents, until he realized that he was just a half slide away from going over the edge of a pit that led in a straight drop underground. And it didn't look anything less than dangerous.
Abu managed to stop in time from going over the edge, but not before Faran grabbed the top of the hourglass and lifted it, along with Abu, right off the ground.
Aladdin struggled against Ajan's grip as he heard Abu screeching with horror, but Ajan held Aladdin back in a tight embrace, not unlike how Versat had held Jasmine captive in the Cave of Wonders.
Face it, Aladdin, you won't beat us-s. You and your friends-s won't win, s-so you might as well give up now. Versat's voice taunted in his mind. Aladdin could feel Versat's prescence fighting him again, with as tight a grip on his mind as Ajan held him.
He had to come up with a plan, fast. And then he had one - tricky, but it might work. He mustered up the best imitation of Versat he could manage for the moment.
"How dare you! Unhand me this instant! Don't you know your kind when you s-see him?"
Ajan looked confused, his grip still tight around Aladdin's body. "Versat?"
What are you doing, you fool! Versat's voice thundered in Aladdin's mind, but Aladdin ignored him.
"Yes-s! Now unhand me!"
Ajan was quick to comply, and Aladdin took off towards the other U-surpents. Ajan followed close behind him.
So far, so good, Aladdin thought.
"Let me handle the monkey. I'll put him out of his-s misery," Aladdin said as he approached Garan, who held the hourglass in one scaly hand, and gripped Abu in the other. It was hard maintaining a hissing sound with his voice, but as long as Aladdin could keep it up and continue to fight off Versat inside him, the U-serpents wouldn't suspect a thing. After all, he'd been able to communicate through Versat's form before. Why would it be different with Versat possibly communicating through Aladdin? Garan and Faran seemed to accept that possibility.
Unfortunately, fooling them meant fooling his friends. Abu stared at Aladdin with a frightened expression as Faran dangled him by the tail.
Versat's influence swelled inside of Aladdin, loud hisses filling his mind, causing him to wince.
"Are you truly who you s-say you are, Versat?" Garan accused.
"The brat's just fighting me more than I would like. It's only a matter of time before I regain his body," Aladdin's fingers dug into his arms as he folded them across his chest, hoping the pain would sting enough to prevent Versat from taking him over, and the spirit of the U-serpent wouldn't let up - fighting and clawing his way into Aladdin's mind. Versat was just on the tip edge of taking his body over again.
Aladdin knew the hourglass had something to do with his transformations, but he needed to confirm it himself.
Jasmine, Iago, and Carpet caught up in time with the U-surpents, enough to hear Aladdin's declaration.
"It looks like your boyfriend's turned into a snake, Princess, at least mentally. I think you'd better start cutting your losses while you still can," Iago said.
"No, I won't believe it, if Aladdin's body still here, then there's still a chance we can get him out of it."
Garan laughed. "Well, might as well get this over with, since it seems Versat is now in control. Will you do the honors-s of breaking the hourglass-s, Faran?"
Faran's grin went wide upon his face. "With pleasure!" Faran held the hourglass over his head, prepared to smash it against the sands.
"No!" Jasmine leapt forward and struggled with Faran, causing the U-serpent to drop Abu, who scurried to safety. Before Aladdin could do anything, the struggle between the two caused the hourglass to fall to the side of the pit, breaking from impact on one of the rocky ledges. Aladdin felt a surge inside him, and all watched as a visible dark shadow flew out of Aladdin's body.
"You fools-s-s! It wasn't me! NO!" Versat's shadow yelled as he faded into oblivion.
"Looks like I've got my body back just in time," Aladdin said, grinning wide. At least I won't have to worry about him again, he thought. One down, three to go. Hope you're making as much progress in the city, Genie.
Jasmine, Abu, and even Iago looked visibly relieved.
"You tricked us-s!" Ajan's sharp eyes flashed as he yelled, breaking the silence among the group. Since he was the nearest to Aladdin, he charged forward, using his claws to swipe downward. Aladdin moved, evading most of the blow, though it swiped through his shirt sleeve and cut him, causing him to fall back into the gaping hole of the chiasm.
Aladdin yelled, realizing for what was the second time, he wouldn't be so lucky falling into what seemed like bottomless darkness.