Sapphire kicked some rocks out of the way with her strong legs.
The pegasus snorted as the way was finally clear.
"Is everyone okay?" Sapphire asked. "Anakin? Artoo?"
"I think we're fine." said Anakin, dusting himself off.
Anakin looked up and saw they obviously wouldn't be going out the way they came in.
"We're trapped." Anakin concluded. He became angry too for trusting that man. "That two-faced son of a gundark!"
Artoo growled.
"Whoever he was, he's long gone with that lamp."
Artoo shook his head and whined as though saying, "No, he's not."
And Artoo dug in the ground and picked up a certain lamp he managed to swipe from Sidious.
Anakin laughed when Artoo once again proved how smart and fast he was.
"Why, you hairy little thief." Anakin said, taking the lamp and scratching Artoo's chin.
Anakin looked at the lamp again. He didn't understand how such an ordinary oil lamp could be so important. It was pretty, but it didn't look valuable or anything like that. And most crazies who were eager to get some kind of treasure didn't typically look for items with sentimental value.
"Looks like such a beat-up, worthless piece of junk." Anakin said. He looked at Sapphire. "Are we sure you're not the treasure people who came to this cave were after?"
"As much as I'd like to see the world outside this cave," said Sapphire. "I'm just a guardian of the treasures, should anyone somehow manage to get through the cave without dying. But that lamp, it's more valuable than you'd think."
"How exactly?"
"Why don't you rub it and find out?"
"Rub the lamp?" Anakin said, then he noticed some dirt stains on it. "Oh! Well, it is pretty dirty."
So, Anakin began rubbing the lamp. However, shortly after he rubbed it, the lamp started glowing and shaking!
Anakin struggled to hold onto the lamp as it spat out fireworks and sparkles, and then unleashed a plethora of purple smoke.
"AAAHHH!" screamed a female voice.
And out from the smoke popped a beautiful young woman in what looked like a purple and gold belly dancer's outfit. She had dark hair tied in a puffy ponytail topped by a crown of white flowers, big gold earrings, and blue eyes.
The woman was stretching out like she'd had a sore back all day.
"Phew! What a relief! No amount of yoga can prepare you for ten thousand years in a lamp!" the woman said.
Anakin and Artoo were astonished by the appearance of this strange girl.
"Hello, Caroline is the name. Genie magic is my game." said the woman. "What might your name be?"
"Uh... uh, Anakin."
"Hello, Anakin. May I call you Ani?"
That seemed to trigger something in Anakin's mind. Ani was what the caretakers at the orphanage called him sometimes when he was little. But why did the name Ani sound so familiar to him?
"I must've hit my head harder than I thought." said Anakin, rubbing his head.
"It's no dream, Ani." said Sapphire. "This is very real."
"Sapphire!" Caroline exclaimed happily, hugging the horse. "It's been too long."
"Good to see you too, Caroline." smiled Sapphire.
"Hmm, you're a lot younger than my last master." Caroline said.
"Wait a minute," said Anakin. "I'm your master?"
"Temporarily." Caroline clarified. "I am no ordinary girl."
Caroline worked some magic, and the whole cave area turned into a runway with spotlights and sparkling lights.
"Presenting... the one, the only... the long contained, never duplicated..."
Caroline entered like a pageant queen onto the runway, flashing more fireworks from her hands.
"Genie of the lamp!" Caroline announced with a big, beautiful smile. "Here for your wish fulfillment."
"Wish fulfillment?" Anakin said.
"Three wishes, to be exact." said Caroline.
"Now I know I'm dreaming."
"Master-"
"You can just call me Anakin." said the boy.
"Anakin, I don't think you quite realize what you've got here." Caroline said, snapping her fingers and placing Anakin in a cushy chair. "So, why don't you just ruminate whilst I illuminate the possibilities."
And Caroline broke into a little song.
Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves
Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves
You got a brand of magic never fails
You got some power in your corner now
Some heavy ammunition in your camp
Caroline made fireflies appear, then fireworks, and shooting stars
You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how
She held up her lamp and had Anakin rub it again.
See all you gotta do is rub that lamp
And I'll say
Mister Anakin, sir
What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order
Caroline reappeared dressed as a waitress from the 1950s and magically wrote on a notepad.
Jot it down
You ain't never had a friend like me
Ha ha ha
Anakin and Artoo suddenly found themselves sitting at a fancy table with Sapphire serving a tray with a plate of dog biscuits, which Artoo didn't hesitate to munch, and one of pastries for Anakin.
Life is your restaurant
And I'm your maitre d'
Caroline wrapped Anakin in a ribbon and leaned in closer so he could whisper his wish in her ear.
C'mon whisper what it is you want
You ain't never had a friend like me
Anakin suddenly found himself in a throne, where he was given a cape and crown and waited on like a king.
Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service
You're the boss
The king, the shah
Say what you wish
It's yours! True dish
Caroline then, with a wave of her hand, made a banquet of baklava appear.
How about a little more Baklava?
Anakin was then showed columns of banquets of so many amazing treats he previously could only dream of.
Have some of column "A"
Try all of column "B"
I'm in the mood to help you dude!
You ain't never had a friend like me
Caroline and some magical clones of herself broke out into a fun dance routine, and Caroline only did even more magic tricks after that.
Can your friends do this?
Caroline made a plethora of grapevines and flowers grow all around, impressing Anakin as he grabbed and munched on some fresh grapes.
Can your friends do that?
Caroline waved her hands and made lots of butterflies appear, and then she pulled out a magenta glitter top hat and pulled out Sapphire
Can your friends pull this out their little hat?
Sapphire: Can your friends go, Poof!
The jewel on Sapphire's head glowed, and some more ponies made entirely out of crystals appeared.
Caroline:
Well, looky here
Can your friends go, Abracadabra, let 'er rip
And then make the sucker disappear?
The crystal horses disappeared one by one by Caroline simply pointing.
So don't just sit there slack jawed, buggy eyed
I'm here to answer all your midday prayers
Caroline waved her hand and showed a certificate of license that she was an official bona fide genie.
You got me bona fide, certified
You got a genie for your chare d'affaires
I got a powerful urge to help you out
She then approached, dressed like a reporter with a notebook and pen
So what-cha wish? I really wanna know
You got a list that's three miles long, no doubt
She held the lamp again and rubbed it herself.
Well, all you gotta do is rub like so - and oh
Mister Anakin, sir, have a wish or two or three
I'm on the job, you big nabob
Caroline made the whole cave so beautiful, more amazing things appearing by the second.
Flowers, magical horses, elephants, fancy carriages, endless banquets of food, everything Anakin could ever want to wish for.
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend like me
You ain't never had a friend like me
And then, everything just vanished as though it never existed.
"Aww!" Anakin whined as everything vanished into thin air.
Artoo whimpered as the dog biscuits disappeared. But, Caroline snapped her fingers and gave Artoo a bone.
"Good doggies get the freebies." Caroline chuckled as Artoo happily chewed on the bone. Then she turned her attention back to Anakin. "So, what'll it be, Master Anakin?"
"So, let me see if I understand correctly." Anakin said, looking at the lamp, then back at Caroline. "You're gonna grant me any three wishes I want, right?"
"Almost any wish. There are some rules and warnings I must address with you."
"Oh. Okay. Like what?"
"Well, for one. You can't wish for more wishes. Before that rule was established, I got stuck with the same master for ten years. I got too tired to use my powers for days at a time."
"Okay. What else can't I wish for?"
"Another rule, I can't kill anyone." Caroline continued. "Rule three, I can't make anyone fall in love with anyone else or break up people in love. Rule number four. I can't bring people back from the dead. Trust me, you don't want to wish for that, even if it weren't against the rules."
"Okay. But, you also said there were warnings. Is your magic dangerous?"
"It depends if your wish is dangerous." Caroline explained. "A thing you should know about genie magic is that some genies are known as the con artists of the magical world. You know how they say be careful what you wish for?"
"Yeah...?"
"Well, let's say someone disgruntledly wishes for it to stop raining. Usually, they mean they simply want the rain to stop for the time being so that they can do whatever outdoor activity they planned to do that day. However, if that wish were to come true, it could also stop rain permanently, thus drying out the land."
"Oh... So, in other words, I have to be really specific when I make a wish?"
"Exactly." Caroline smiled. "Now you're getting it. And once you use a wish, there's no going back."
Anakin thought of so many possibilities of what he should wish for first. Aside from what the rules said he couldn't wish for, it all sounded so wonderful.
"Do I have to make my wishes within a certain time period?" Anakin asked.
"Oh, no. No rush. Take as much as much time as you need to decide. Wishes are hard to choose."
Anakin thought about wishing for a way out of the cave, but what if he needed that wish for a real emergency? Instead, he decided to look for another way out of the cave.
"Sapphire, you've been in this cave for how long? Centuries?" Anakin said. "Do you know any other way out of here?"
"If I did, don't you think I would've left by now?" Sapphire said.
Sapphire looked up.
"But... now that I'm really looking at what's above..."
Sapphire flew up high and felt what was above with her hoof. A bit of sand dropped.
"It's just sand!" Sapphire said.
"Poke it again!" Anakin said.
"Look out below!" Sapphire shouted.
Sapphire started poking more at the sand and blasting bits of magic from her jewel until a big hole was opened.
"Yeah, Sapphire!" Anakin said.
"You're a smart young man, aren't you?" Caroline smiled.
"When you've been on the run as long as I have, you learn how to make do with your available resources." Anakin said.
Sapphire flew back down and let Anakin and Artoo onto her back.
Anakin held the lamp and his dog and said, "Let's get out of here."
Meanwhile, at the palace.
"Chancellor Palpatine," said Ruwee. "This is an outrage. If it weren't for all your years of loyal service... From now on, you are to discuss sentencing of prisoners with me, before they are executed."
"I assure you, Your Majesty," said Palpatine. "it won't happen again."
Ruwee took his daughter and Chancellor's hands and said,
"Now, Padme, Chancellor. Let's put this whole messy business behind us." said the king. "Please."
"My most abject and humblest apologies to you as well, Dear Padme." said Palpatine, kissing the princess' hand.
"At least some good will come of my being forced to marry." said Padme, glaring at Palpatine as she pulled her hand away. "When I am queen, I will have the power to get rid of you."
"Good, now..." said Ruwee. "About this suitor business."
Trumpets blew outside as the royal family of Coruscant had finally arrived.
"Your Majesties." Obi-Wan came in with a bow. "May I present, his and her royal Majesty, King Qui-Gon and Queen Shmi of Coruscant, and their daughter, her royal highness Princess Kara."
Padme reluctantly stood by her father's side as the king and queen arrived.
"Welcome to Naboo, King Qui-Gon, Queen Shmi, and Princess Kara." Ruwee greeted kindly.
Padme simply curtsied.
"We are honored to be here, King Ruwee." Qui-Gon took Padme's hand and kissed it. "A pleasure to meet you as well, fair princess."
"Likewise, King Qui-Gon." Padme said, politely giving a smile.
"May I introduce you to my son, Prince Carmine." Qui-Gon stepped aside, but no one was there. "Kara, where is your brother?"
"He was right behind me." Kara said.
"Yeehaw!" yelled another voice, and in rode a young man who was messing around as he and his horse entered like they were at a rodeo. "Ride 'em, Harmony!"
The young man had sandy blonde hair that looked to reach to his waist, and he wore black rectangular glasses.
"Carmine Amadeus Skywalker-Jinn, you stop all this monkey business this instant!" Shmi scolded.
"We're just having fun." Carmine said, jumping down from his horse. "Where's your sense of fun?"
"Carmine, this is hardly becoming behavior for a prince." Kara said.
"Carmine, what have we said about disappearing all the time?" Qui-Gon crossed his arms.
"That you worry about me?" said Carmine.
"That's right. Now, come and meet the princess."
Carmine rolled his eyes. "Do I have to do this, Dad?"
"Carmine..."
Carmine sighed and approached; he didn't look any happier about this marriage arrangement than Padme did.
"Hello, Princess Padme." said Carmine with a bow. "I'm pleased to meet you."
"Pleased to meet you, Prince Carmine." Padme said, looking a bit surprised when she looked at Carmine's blue eyes.
However, Ruwee noticed Padme was looking at Carmine differently than she had her previous suitors. But it wasn't because she was in love with him.
"Um... are you okay, Princess?" Carmine asked.
"Uh, yes." Padme said. "It's just... you look familiar. Have we met before?"
"I think I'd remember if we did."
"Padme," said Ruwee. "Why don't you and Carmine go spend some time in the garden?"
Padme sighed, knowing her father wanted them to be in a more 'romantic' setting.
"Come this way, Prince Carmine." said Padme, walking away with the princess.
As soon as the prince left, Shmi looked sad, her husband taking her into his arms.
"Are you alright, Shmi?" asked Ruwee.
"I don't I ever will be. It's been ten years already since we lost him." Shmi said, tears threatening to fall.
Ten years ago, the royal family of Coruscant had been on a trip and were passing through Naboo. Back then they had three children. Kara, Carmine, and Carmine's twin brother. But during their trip, they were attacked... by a gang of horrible cutthroat bandits known as the Sith.
Fortunately, the royal guards managed to fight them and helped the royal family get to a ride to escort them to safety, but the eldest prince fell out as they took off. Shmi tried to reach out and grab his hand, but the little boy fell as the carriage took off too fast for him to catch even if he hadn't fallen.
The royal family searched everywhere, but couldn't find their son. The king and queen were devastated by the loss of one of their babies. Ever since then, they'd been extremely protective of their other children.
"Come," said Ruwee. "Let us gather and settle down over tea."
As the rest of the royals left the room, Palpatine's demeanor changed again.
"If I had only gotten that lamp." growled the chancellor.
"I will have the power to get rid of you," said Amedda, imitating Padme, though not very well since he was a hawk. "To think we have to keep kissing up to that nerfherder and his nerfherder daughter for the rest of our lives..."
"No, Amedda." said Palpatine. "Only until she finds a nerfherder husband. Then she'll have us banished."
Palpatine's look of disgruntlement quickly changed to one of fear.
"Or beheaded!"
The chancellor and his hawk both held their throats in fear. But then, Amedda had an idea.
"Oh. Wait a minute, Palpatine." said the hawk. "What if you were the nerfherder husband?"
"What?" said Palpatine, thinking at first that Amedda really was just a birdbrain.
"Hear me out. You marry the princess, yes? Then, you become king."
Suddenly, Palpatine liked this idea.
"Marry the shrew." he said as he sat in the king's throne. "I become the king. The idea has merit."
"Yes, merit. Yes." Amedda continued. "Then, we drop your father-in-law and the little lady of a cliff."
The two villains laughed together as Amedda pretended to be their victims screaming and then going Kersplat!
"I love the way your foul little mind works." Palpatine smiled sinisterly.