"WOOOHOO!" Sora shouted as Donald steered the ship through the new gate that led to their next destination. It was as if it was a raceway, and there were plenty of Heartless that were built for speed there, including a big one that was straight next to them. For once, Asuna was at the controls, maneuvering the rotating turret on the ship, and she was doing really well at this. Kirito, meanwhile, was trying to observe Donald's way of controlling the ship, but he was way to interested in where they were flying through. To him, it reminded of some sort of game he once played, which had fast, floating racing vehicles.
"We're almost out!" Yui cried, watching the monitor, "Just a little bit more!"
"Gun it, Donald!" Sora shouted. "You got it!" He replied, pushing the throttle forward, and aiming the ship high. It went up into the sky, passed through the keyhole, and out into space again.
"Whew! That was fun!" Sora laughed.
"Gawrsh, you showed those Heartless who's boss, Asuna." Goofy complimented.
"I try my best." Asuna said, turning to Kirito, who smiled back at her.
"Sora, Goofy, look!" Donald shouted, pointing at the monitor. Everyone looked up and saw the new world they were going to go to. By guess, Kirito assumed that the world took place in the Arabian era.
"It's Agrabah!" Sora stated.
"We made it back." Goofy said excitedly.
"You guys familiar with this world?" Kirito asked them.
"We sure are," Sora answered, "Some friends of ours are here in this world, and they are really cool. One of them is even a genie!"
"A genie?" Asuna repeated, "As in...that mystical being in a lamp that grants three wishes to whoever rubs the lamp?"
"Uh-huh!" Donald answered.
"It seems like this world takes place much in the storyline of the Arabian Nights." Yui explained, tapping at the computer, "That's quite a series of tales to make a world out of."
"Well, let's go already." Sora proclaimed, grabbing Kirito and bringing him over to the transporter in excitement.
"I wonder how Aladdin is going?" Goofy asked.
"Let's go!" Donald answered as he and Asuna walked over to the transporter. Yui set the coordinates, and the group teleported down into world below.
When they appeared, the gang looked around. This place was definitely Arabian style. The architecture of the town, the desert landscape, the heat, everything looked Arabian. "Wow, what a place." Asuna gasped, looking all around.
They decided to walk around the town, looking around. "Agrabah! We made it!" cheered Donald.
"Gawrsh, I wonder how Aladdin 'n' Jasmine are doin'?" Goofy asked.
"I assume they're your friends?" Kirito asked Sora, who nodded with a grin.
"Aladdin is someone we fought together with." Sora explained, "And Jasmine is one of the Princesses of Light." Kirito and Asuna were told about the Princesses of Light. So far, the only one they actually met was Belle in Beast's Castle. As for Aladdin, they were certain they heard of the name of that person from their world. A famous name among the Arabian Nights tales.
"Hey, maybe Riku's with them!" Sora guessed.
"Yeah, and the King!" Goofy added.
"Maybe even DiZ." Asuna suggested.
"Only one way to find out." Kirito concluded. Sora, Donald and Asuna took the front of the group as they wandered about.
"Keep dreaming, you four!" scolded Donald.
"C'mon, Donald, you were thinking the same thing." Sora told him.
"No I wasn't!" denied Donald.
"Aw, try to show some optimism." Asuna suggested to him.
Behind the three, Goofy and Kirito were following when they heard flapping wings. They turned to see a red parrot with a yellow beak flying towards them. It looked at the both of them as it circled them. Kirito was wondering why it was circling them, but Goofy looked nervous. "Uh-oh," he said so his voice could be heard by the others, "it's uh...um... It's Iago!"
Everyone else turned to see the parrot flying in front of the two. "Who?" Asuna asked.
"The enemy!" Donald squawked as he and Sora produced their weapons and charged at the parrot, who looked frightened.
"Wait! You got me all wrong." he squawked as he stopped Donald and Sora. Kirito and Asuna were surprised to how well he spoke.
"You're Iago all right!" Donald accused him.
"No! I mean, it's not the old me." defended Iago, "I turned over a new feather. I'm legit! No more scams. Promise!"
"Bet that's your new scam." Sora stated, not convinced with Iago's words.
"Ya gotta believe me!" Iago plead, flapping in front of the unconvinced Keyblade wielder.
Just then, Yui popped out of Kirito's pocket, and flew in front of Iago, surprising him as she observed him. She looked at him from every angle. Finally, she said to the others, "Well, I believe he might be telling the truth...but I'm not 100% sure."
"Oh, thank you, miss, uh..." Iago started.
"Yui." the pixie replied, "I'm Yui. I'm daughter to Asuna and Kirito." She pointed to her 'parents'.
"How can we be sure you can be trusted?" Sora questioned him.
"I was stuck inside that lamp with Jafar. Remember?" Iago recalled, flying to the staircase near to them to land, "Well, I finally escaped. But then some things happened and..." He turned his back to them, and looked down in shame. Kirito watched his expression closely. He did look sincere with what he was saying.
"So. Free as a bird, huh?" scoffed Sora.
"Have fun!" mocked Donald.
"Hey, take it easy on him." Asuna intruded, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Gawrsh, fellas. He looks pretty sad." Goofy noticed.
"What do you think, Yui?" Kirito asked her.
"I think maybe the boys should give him a chance." Yui responded, "He does feel sympathetic."
Iago turned to them, seeing all the support he was getting from the group. He flew over and landed into Goofy's hands as he said, "I wanna apologize to Aladdin and Jasmine. Could you guys maybe put in a good word for me?"
"Sure, we can do that, can't we?" Goofy answered.
"Maybe..." Kirito answered slightly, "But you should tell them that yourself."
"I-I'll try." Iago stammered, looking a bit nervous at the idea. Suddenly, he looked to their side, and he saw Heartless appearing around them. "Watch out!" he shouted, and the group pulled their weapons out, ready to face them.
"They're Luna Bandits!" Yui cried, diving back into Kirito's pocket. Everyone looked at what opponents they were gonna face, and then they charged at all sides.
The battle was rough, and the opponents were coming one after another. They kept fighting on and on, Sora, Kirito and Donald on one end, Goofy and Asuna on the other. Kirito entered his Valor Form, and started to use his new Keyblade, Follow the Wind. It turns out that the items and munny the Heartless dropped seem to attract to him thanks to the Keyblade. This wasn't the first time he experienced this, for they somehow attracted to him before, but this seemed to be a stronger attraction. Sora, Asuna and Donald all had this power, too. Is it because they were in the different dimension? Does getting stronger in this world give you new powers?
After a while of slaying Heartless one after another, the team regrouped again, and they were still surrounded by Luna Bandits. "Aw, where are they all coming from?" Sora asked exasperatedly.
"Maybe Pete's in this world." Asuna assumed.
"Iago, watch out!" Kirito shouted to the parrot as two Luna Bandits came at him. He was at the steps, but flew off in a panic as they closed in. He flew wildly around, yelling, knocking pots and crates down at the Heartless, giving the gang an opening.
"This way!" Sora declared, and he led the group out through the streets, with Iago flying behind them.
They hid themselves in what looked like an old shack that was suppose to be a peddler shop. Iago flew to a tall part of the room, turning away from the others and looking to see if the coast was clear. "Aw, we'd've been goners if Iago hadn't helped us." Goofy stated, causing Iago to look at them, "Ain't that right, fellas?"
"You bet." Kirito agreed. Yui nodded in agreement.
"I guess we owe you one." Sora told the parrot.
"Perfect!" Iago answered, flying over onto Asuna's shoulder.
"But you'll have to win over Aladdin and Jasmine yourself." Sora continued, "Be on your best behavior, got it?"
"Yeah, I got it." Iago responded.
"Don't worry." Asuna told him, "With any luck, they'll believe in you."
"Where IS Aladdin, anyway?" Goofy asked.
"I betcha he's at the palace." Iago answered.
"Then let's go!" Sora said to the other.
"You sure we're allowed?" Kirito asked, "I mean, Asuna and I don't have a connection with the princess or Aladdin."
"But you have us!" Donald stated.
"We'll tell them that you are our friends." Sora said to them.
They led the group out of the shop and into the streets. No sign of Heartless for the time being, so they decided to make a straight path to the palace to meet their friends.
They arrived at the palace gates to see a women standing there, looking at the doors. Iago hid behind Kirito, which indicated that this might be the princess. She turned when she heard Sora call out her name, and Asuna, Kirito and Yui finally saw Jasmine.
She was a young lady with dark skin, and dark brown eyes. Her black hair was tied into a long ponytail with a blue ribbon, and a headband with a sapphire in a gold frame in the center. Her attire was a blue bedlah outfit with long poofy bustle pants and a top which revealed forearms and midriff. The rest of her attire was gold earrings, necklace, and slipper-like shoes.
"Sora, Donald, Goofy!" she said, smiling at the three of them.
"Your Majesty!" Donald addressed, leading the rest of them into a bow, including Asuna and Kirito. Jasmine giggled at their kind gesture.
"I never had the chance to thank you before." she told them, "You helped Aladdin defeat that awful Jafar and saved Agrabah."
"All in a day's work." Sora replied, while Kirito and Asuna wondered who Jafar was.
Jasmine then noticed the two newcomers plus Yui, who popped out and landed on Kirito's shoulder. "And who might these three be?" she asked as they stepped forward.
"Greetings, your Majesty." Kirito said kindly, "My name is Kirito. This is Asuna, and this is Yui." Asuna made a curtsy while Yui waved at the princess.
"These guys are friends of ours." Sora assured her, "They're joining with us in our quest, and these two are Keyblade wielders like me!" he indicated Asuna and Kirito.
"I see." Jasmine confirmed, smiling at the three, "I'm so glad to have met the two of you. I hope you will keep the worlds safe just like Sora, Donald and Goofy."
"Well, we've helped plenty of worlds. Why stop now?" Kirito asked amusingly, making Asuna and Yui giggle. Since she was a Princess of Heart, she was aware of other worlds like them. They all bowed again in thanks for the princess's kind words to them.
"So, uh... it looks like the Heartless are up to no good again." Sora cut in as Iago almost made an appearance, but quickly ducked behind Goofy, "Is there any way we can help you out?"
"I think we're all right for now." Jasmine answered.
"And ya always got Aladdin." Goofy added.
At this, Jasmine looked somewhat worried. "He...hasn't been himself lately." she muttered.
"Is it because of the Heartless?" Donald asked, whipping out his staff.
"I'm not sure." Jasmine answered, walking a few steps away from the crew, "Usually, he's the same cheerful Aladdin. But sometimes...he just seems sad." Everybody thought in silence as she continued, "He leaves the palace and goes off by himself all the time. I've asked him about it, but he says nothing's wrong. He's gone again today. What if he doesn't come back this time?"
"Hmm, that's seems awfully familiar." Asuna muttered, turning to Kirito and indicating she was talking about him.
"Hey, for all we know, it could it be another incident like with the Beast, and Organization XIII's brainwashing him?" He suggested in defense. He didn't want to talk about what he use to be in front of the princess.
"Hey! Maybe he's got a secret girlfriend!" Iago suggested, flying out from behind Goofy and shocking Jasmine, "I know! I'll go find out who she is!"
Jasmine went from shock to anger, waving her hands at the parrot, who dodged her. "Iago!" she sneered as Iago dove behind Sora, "Sora, quick! Catch him! And I'll warn the guards and everyone in the palace!"
"That's the thing, Iago's not..." Sora tried to tell her, but she already ran off into the palace. The group watched her leave.
"Smooth move, Iago." Asuna said sarcastically.
"Maybe it's something you said." Goofy guessed.
"More like how he presented himself." Asuna corrected, frowning at the ashamed parrot.
"Asuna, could you not say anything about my past to others like you almost did?" Kirito suggested, "You know I'm trying to make up for it."
"It's hard to outrun the past, Kirito." Asuna responded, "Not just SAO, but what also happened in GGO. You never bothered to tell me you were risking your life then."
"I know, I know..." Kirito admitted, "I'm sorry for what happened then. But at least I didn't hide going on the Kingdom Hearts quest that led us to this situation."
"Which I am grateful for, by the way." Asuna responded.
"Gee, maybe we should go talk to Aladdin." Goofy suggested, getting the two's attention back to the rest of the team, "He's gotta be somewhere in town, right?"
"Good idea." agreed Sora, "I wonder what he's been doing."
"Let's find out." Yui answered, and she flew in front as they left the palace front.
Just as they walked back into town, they heard someone shout, "Stop! Thief!"
Suddenly, they saw a small monkey with a fez and a vest run past them, carrying a black lamp with him. It chattered as it ran off, and the group looked at one another, then a young guy in raggy clothes rushed pass them saying, "Hey, Sora!", and chased after the monkey. Then a short, older man in a turban followed suit, shouting, "Come back here!", chasing after the two. The five heroes, along with Iago and Yui, chased after them, wondering what was that all about.
"Ok, who are these guys?" Kirito asked as they ran.
"Well, the first guy was Aladdin." Sora explained, "The monkey is Aladdin's pet, Abu. As for the third guy, I remember him as a peddler here."
"So that's Aladdin." Asuna realized as they followed the two men and monkey.
Abu finally got cornered against a wall by Aladdin, with the short man looking at them from behind. "If you can't control that fur ball, put a leash on him!" growled the peddler.
"Look, I'm sorry." Aladdin told him, then he bent down an scolded the monkey, "You should be ashamed of yourself, Abu." Abu gave the black lamp back to Aladdin, who gave it back to the peddler. "No hard feelings?" Aladdin said in a hopeful manner. The peddler snatched the lamp away from Aladdin, huffed, then walked off.
Aladdin knelt down and was about to scold Abu again when the monkey saw Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kirito, Asuna and Yui round the corner, and dashed to them. Aladdin stood up and walked to them. "Hey guys," he greeted, "sorry about earlier. I was kinda in a hurry."
"What happened?" Sora asked, smiling.
"You know Abu." Aladdin reminded them, "He couldn't keep his paws off that lamp." Abu waved his hands in denial, and tried to tell them something, but nobody there could speak monkey. "No talking your way out of this one!" Aladdin warned him. Everybody laughed at the monkey.
"So, who're these guys?" Aladdin asked, indicating Asuna, Kirito and Yui.
"These guys are my new friends." Sora answered, waving to them. "Aladdin, meet Kirito, Asuna and Yui. Guys, meet Aladdin and Abu."
"Hey." Kirito greeted.
"Nice to meet you!" Asuna said.
"Hi, there!" chimed Yui, waving her hand at them.
"Great to meet you guys!" Aladdin said in a chipper mood.
"I guess you can't be THAT down in the dumps, huh?" Sora asked him.
"Who said I was?" Aladdin asked confusingly.
"Princess Jasmine." Goofy answered, "She's worried, 'cause you're always in town."
"Got a new girlfriend?" Donald asked, making Asuna slam a fist down onto Donald's head to quiet him.
"No way!" Aladdin wavered off, then sighed, "Still...I guess there's no foolin' Jasmine, huh?"
"She really worried about you." Yui explained, flying over to Aladdin's side, "If you can't tell her about what's wrong, can you at least be honest with us?"
Aladdin looked at Yui hovering next to him, then he said, "Guess I should. See, Genie and Carpet took off to see the world. It's what Genie always wanted, so I wished him the best and all, but..."
"You miss him." Goofy ended his sentence. Aladdin nodded.
"Man, things must be REALLY quiet with Genie gone." Sora indicated.
"Was Genie someone that lightened the mood here?" Kirito questioned the others.
"More like make everything a party." Sora chuckled.
"Yeah." Aladdin agreed, looking out at the streets, "That's why I come here. The action, the people. There's always something goin' on. I mean, c'mon! I met you guys here today, right? This place is full of surprises."
Asuna turned back and saw Iago on the ground, sitting on his tail, shaking as he looked onward. "Uh, guys?" she said, pointing to the parrot.
"Iago?!" gasped Aladdin as he saw him.
"Oh, right." Sora remembered, "He wants to apologize for all the trouble he caused."
"He's truly honest about it." Yui added, "He even saved our lives from some Heartless."
"Oh, he did?" Aladdin asked, looking surprised as he looked at Iago, who didn't move from his spot. He looked petrified.
"Gawrsh, he's so sorry, he's shakin'!" Goofy said dumbly.
"No, he's shaking out of fear, Goofy." Asuna corrected him, "Question is; why?"
"Th-th-that lamp!" stammered Iago.
"What about it?" asked Aladdin.
"It was THE lamp!" Iago cried, flapping towards Aladdin.
"What do you mean?" Kirito asked.
"I think...he's saying that's the lamp Jafar is in!" Sora assumed.
"C'mon. There're a million like it." Aladdin told him.
"Hey! I was locked up in that thing FOR MONTHS!" squawked Iago, "There's no way I'd mistake it!" Abu was jumping on the ground, agreeing with Iago.
Aladdin looked down at his partner, then at the others. "Then we'd better go back and talk to that peddler." Aladdin stated.
"Right behind you." Sora agreed.
Aladdin lead the group through the streets, but they could easily tell that this wasn't an easy task to accomplish as it should've been. It wasn't which direction to go, it was how many Heartless intruded their path. There were Shadows, Luna Bandits, and new ones called Silver Rocks, which were flying little tricksters that were able to teleport around them. Aladdin, as Kirito and Asuna found out, was a well skilled fighter. He uses a scimitar, and he moves like crazy at a fast pace all around the place. They could tell he had dealt with Heartless before.
They eventually made it through, and they made it to the peddler's shop. Aladdin stayed outside so as not to anger the peddler again. Inside, they saw the peddler holding the lamp, and eyeing the new people that came in. "Hey, is there any way we can buy that lamp from you?" Sora asked.
"Of course." he answered, "That is, IF you can afford it."
Sora eyed behind him, and saw Aladdin peering through the curtain door, signaling that he will pay. "No worries!" Sora told the peddler.
"Yeah, we can pay you in royal treasu-" started Donald, but everybody hushed him. However, the peddler somehow realized what he was gonna say, and Kirito noticed a smirk on his face.
"Might I be able to interest you in another fine lamp?" The peddler asked, pulling different lamps from the shelves and showing it to them.
"No, that's the one we need." Asuna answered.
"Ah, well..." the peddler started, and Kirito could see he was gonna up the price for the purchase of the lamp, "Perhaps I can be persuaded, IF you bring me a treasure beyond even my imagination. Something, say, fit for a sultan..." Kirito and Sora looked at one another, expressing the same anxiety look on their faces.
"Oh, come on. Can't you at least reduce the price just a little bit?" Asuna asked, trying to work her charm on him.
"No!" he peddler snapped, "I don't do bargaining. You don't bring me the treasure, I won't give you the lamp! Now, away with you!" Everyone looked at one another, then they walked out of the shop.
They arrived outside to see Aladdin and Iago standing there, having heard all that was said in there. "Treasure? That could be tricky..." muttered Aladdin.
"You can blame Donald for opening his fat beak." Kirito stated, everyone looking at Donald sternly.
"Wait! There's lots at the palace." Donald cried in defense.
"But it's not mine to take." Aladdin replied, "And I can't ask. I don't want to worry Jasmine or the Sultan."
"Hey, I know!" Iago squawked, flying at Aladdin, "What about the treasure in the Cave of Wonders?"
"The Cave of Wonders?" Kirito repeated questionably.
"It's a place that contains a lot of traps, but there is some treasure there." Sora answered him.
So it's basically like that movie...what was it? Indiana something. thought Kirito.
"All right, Iago. You lead the way!" responded Aladdin, "And after we get the treasure, I might even believe your apology."
Iago looked relieved and happy to hear that. "You can count on me!" he squawked. He led the crew through the streets of Agrabah.
They managed to get to the Bazaar, which was the only place left to go through until they reached the Palace Walls that led outside. However, they found themselves surrounded by even more Heartless, which were destroying all of the little shops they had there. "Thank goodness nobody's here." Sora stated as he whipped out his Keyblade, "We don't want the Heartless to attack any citizens."
"I think it's a good time to try this!" Asuna stated, and she pulled out the Lantern Charm.
"Your summoning charm?" Kirito asked. She nodded, and lifted it high into the air. "Summon: Rapunzel!" she shouted, and the charm glowed brightly. In a short cutscene, Asuna found herself at the footsteps of a tall tower. Suddenly, what looked like long golden hair landed next to her, and she looked up to see a girl in a pink dress sliding down the hair, which as it turns out was her own, extremely long hair. She landed next to Asuna and shook her hand. The scene change disappeared.
"Hi there!" she greeted her, "Did you need someone to aid you? I'm Rapunzel!"
"Nice to meet you, Rapunzel." Asuna responded, somewhat perplexed by this new type of magic, "We need to take out some Heartless. Think you're up for the job?"
The two girls looked around and saw the Heartless. "Absolutely. I'll do what I can!" Rapunzel replied, pulling out a frying pan, and holding it like a club. The two girls charged while the boys stood from afar.
Asuna figured that the long hair might be a problem for her summoned friend, but it didn't bother her. Her skills with the frying pan were pretty good, as utensils worked out. She also used her hair to wrap up Heartless, and flung them at Asuna, who finished them off. Even if Asuna was injured, Rapunzel would sing while her hair touched Asuna, and it would light up and heal her. All in all, she was a great asset to the battle.
Finally, the two went into their Limit Break, Sun Festival. Rapunzel wrapped her hair around Asuna, and pulled her hair hard, causing Asuna to spin on one foot like a top. She spun all around the Bazaar with control while Rapunzel was dancing in the middle, whipping her hair around at the Heartless so they would be in Asuna's path.
Asuna finally stopped, and all of the Heartless were defeated. Rapunzel's body started to glow, signaling her end. "Is our time already over?" she asked sadly.
"Afraid so. Thanks so much, Rapunzel!" Asuna thanked her, "I hope we'll have a chance to see each other again." Rapunzel waved at her, then she vanished in a bright light.
The boys gathered back to her. "Wow! That was amazing!" Sora exclaimed.
"That girl was dang useful." Kirito acknowledged.
"Did all that spinnin' make you dizzy?" Goofy asked.
"Nah, I had my eyes closed." Asuna replied. They all turned to the doors that led out of Agrabah, and rushed out.
Once they left, they saw the vast desert landscape before them. "So, which direction is the Cave of Wonders?" Kirito asked.
"Over there!" Aladdin answered, pointing at some dark clouds in the distance, and it looked like the only place it was dark.
"Let's go!" Sora declared, and they made their way through the desert towards the Cave of Wonders.
It took a while, and the heat was smoldering, but they finally made it underneath the ominous cloud cover. As they neared the center of the cloud cover, they saw, what Donald pointed out, was the entrance to the Cave of Wonder. It looked like a tiger's head made out of sand, and its' mouth was opened up to reveal stairs that led downward. Lights seem to glow within the interior. Kirito also noticed somebody going down the stairs. The bulk and figure of the person told Kirito who it was. Pete.
"This is it!" squawked Iago as they stopped to see the entrance.
"Wow, it really is a wonder." Asuna gasped.
"Well, we need to go in so we can get that treasure." Yui pointed out.
"Then let's go!" Sora declared, and he led the group to the entrance, and down the path.
Inside, they found themselves along a pathway intruded by cube-shaped blocks here and there. Still, it wasn't a problem for them. What were problems were Heartless, and new ones too. Yui described them to the crew. There were Fortunetellers, which stood on their crystal balls as they floated in the air, and they were immune to magic. There were Fiery Globes, which were weak against Blizzard spells. Then there were Fat Bandits, which were like Large Bodies, only immune to fire, and they could breath fire.
They made their way through the Valley of Stone, down a path, and into another room. In it, they saw a small, long room, with water that seemed to flow upward on either side, and at the end, they saw a golden statue, with a pedestal in front of it. On their end, a small jewel seem to float above their heads. They all looked at the jewel closely, then at the pedestal, and realized what has to be done. However, Abu, who sat on Aladdin's shoulder, only was interested in its' shine. It made a leap and grabbed the jewel as he landed on the ground. This then triggered something. The reverse waterfalls on either side started to glow, then they vanished to reveal. the backside of the walls. Suddenly, stone statues started to appear out of nowhere, and they lined up on either side. They were moving slightly, as if they were alive. Their eyes flashed, and suddenly, icicles seem to appear from up above Abu, and fall on him. He managed to avoid getting hit, but they kept coming. It was also a problem that waves seem to appear from the other end of the room, and push them back.
"Aladdin, I think that peddler was right." Kirito told him, "You need to put a hold on that monkey of yours."
"This is why they aren't good pets back home." Asuna grumbled.
"Doesn't matter now!" Sora exclaimed, "Let's get Abu to the other side of the room so he can place the gem into the pedestal." Everyone nodded in agreement, and they went in.
On Aladdin's command, Abu dashed to the far side of the room while everyone did their best blocking all the ice that tried to land on Abu. When waves came in, one of them told Abu to jump over it, and he did so. It only took about thirty seconds, but Abu made it to the far side of the room, and placed the gem into the socket. The stone statues started to glow on either side, then in one flash, the stones stopped moving. They became normal, and not ominous anymore. The golden statue in front of them sparkled brightly, then it vanished into sand, revealing a pathway further in behind it.
"Good job, Abu!" Aladdin congratulated the monkey, who crawled back onto his shoulder again. The crew walked further into the cave.
When they came out of the new pathway, they were confronted by a dead end, with nothing but a sign in front of them. "Is this it?" Asuna asked as Aladdin read the sign.
"Hang on." he told them, "This says something on it: 'Complete your task within the time allotted.' Also, it has something here that activates a trial." He turned to the others for their suggestion.
"Well, we've come this far." Sora stated.
"Might as well give it a shot." Kirito suggested. Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.
"Then let's go for it." Asuna told Aladdin, who activated the trial in response.
As soon as the trial was activated, the floor beneath them disappeared beneath them in a flash, and they fell to a floor below. When they landed, they found themselves surrounded by Shadows and ice cube Heartless called, well, Icy Cubes. Asuna figured that like the Fiery Globes are weak to ice, these new ones were weak to fire. The gang took out the small horde of Heartless in a flash, and then the floor disappeared on them again.
"I get it." Kirito realized as he saw the floor beneath them, "We have to take out the Heartless as fast as possible in order to proceed."
"Then we should take out the next group of Heartless just as quick!" exclaimed Sora.
The group landed and found themselves surrounded by Fiery Globes and Icy Cubes. Donald and Asuna nodded to each other, then Asuna shouted, "Guys, jump!" The others did so. Asuna and Donald stood back to back, and shot Blizzard magic at the Fiery Globes, then casted Fire to take out the Icy Cube. It took them three seconds flat to do all that, and the floor beneath them disappeared, and they fell again.
As soon as they landed, a Fat Bandit stood in the center of the platform. Since frontal physical attacks didn't work, Kirito and Sora asked Goofy to play decoy while they attacked from behind. He did so, and the two Keyblade wielders sneaked behind while Goofy defended against the Fat Bandit's fiery breath. They went to work, and Aladdin attacked in a frenzy at the Heartless. They defeated it, and proceeded downward.
The next floor contained a Fat Bandit and several other Heartless. Kirito decided to take care of the Heartless with Asuna while the other four dealt with the Fat Bandit. Kirito's physical and Asuna's magical combo were just enough to take out the group of Heartless, while Sora, Donald, Goofy and Aladdin were having a bit of trouble wit their Heartless. Asuna and Kirito were about to join them when the floor beneath them disappeared, and they, along with the Fat Bandit, fell down to the final platform.
As soon as they landed, the Fat Bandit got up, and a lot of other Heartless appeared. "We'll never make it!" exclaimed Donald, seeing how many their were.
"Oh, yes we can." Sora replied, then he and Aladdin looked at each other, and decided to do a Limit Break. Aladdin started off by drawing his sword before making a lightning fast maneuver, reappearing leaning onto Sora's shoulder to show how it was done, then the two went to work. Whether it was on the ground or in the air, the two leapt at the enemies, slashing them with their swords like crazy. Finally they leapt into the air, touching feet, then they leapt off each other and did attacks too fast for the naked eye, only to see before landing next to each other, giving each other a high five as the enemies around them were now reacting to their attacks, and disappear into the darkness.
Kirito whistled at how well they dealt with the Heartless. "Way to go you two!" cheered Asuna.
"All in a day's work." Sora replied, seeing no more Heartless around them.
"But were you fast enough?" Yui asked, looking at another platform above them, seeing a sign and a closed door behind it.
Suddenly, stairs magically appeared for them, leading to the platform above. They walked up the stairs, and looked at the sign. "Time needed to accomplish: 2 minutes." Kirito read. "Your accomplished time: 1 minute, 40 seconds. Talk about cutting it close."
"We did it!" Goofy cheered.
"Hooray!" yelled Donald.
"Congratulations. You may now proceed." Kirito finished reading. In front of them, the door unlocked and opened up to let them in. At the same time, a portal appeared at one side. The gang guessed that it led to the top of the room.
"Here we go." Aladdin stated, and the group walked down the stairs to the room below.
When they got to the bottom, they all gasped. Hills of gold and jewels were piled everywhere in the room. More seem to fall from statues with pots, which poured them out. "You couldn't spend all this gold even if you wanted to!" Asuna stated, looking all around the room.
"I've heard of too much of a good thing, but this takes the cake." Kirito said, seeing how high one of the hills of gold were.
"Remember, we're only looking for one treasure." Yui reminded them, "Let's look for one that sticks out the most."
The grouped walked through the treasure room. At the back of the room, they saw something that definitely stuck out. It looked like a trophy of some kind, and it sat on a throne. It was solid gold, well designed, jewels attached all around. It was a sight to behold.
"There." Aladdin pointed out, "That one should do it." Donald scurried up the stairs to grab it.
"Oh boy. It's perfect." Donald stated, "That guy's gonna like this."
"Sure looks valuable." Sora noticed as the trophy gleamed a bit.
"It could be more expensive than the rest of the gold here." Kirito said exasperatedly.
"Great! Now let's go get that lamp." Aladdin proclaimed, "We gotta keep Jafar bottled up, or he's gonna destroy Agrabah!" The gang nodded in response.
At the same time, Iago and Abu were trying to carry a small gold figure that held a egg-shaped ruby in its' hand. Donald was watching them sternly, tapping his feet on the ground. "Stop!" he told them, and the two animals scattered, dropping the statue. Donald stared at the ruby in the figure's hands, and he suddenly seemed to be hypnotized by its' beauty.
"Hey, snap out of it, Donald!" Aladdin shouted, bringing Donald back to his senses.
He was walking back to the group when suddenly the room around them started to go black a bit. The only light that was there seemed to be coming from a large circle in the middle of the room, for which they stood in. The three gathered in a circle as Heartless appeared all around them. "Why does this always happen?" Donald asked.
"We just have unfortunate luck, that's all." Asuna replied as she pulled out her Keyblade. Kirito entered Valor Form as Sora entered Wisdom form. The gang charged all around, taking on the Heartless.
It started off with Silver Rocks, which were difficult, but Kirito found a way to knock them away while they tried to teleport. Next came a bunch of Icy Cubes, which a dose of Sora's Fire was taking them out nice and easily. Then there were Fiery Cubes, which were either swatted or hit with Blizzard attacks. The group though this was gonna be easy until three Fat Bandits appeared, filling up most of the circle. Between their large mass, their endurance to fire and frontal attacks, and their fiery attacks, the trio of Heartless were a tough enemy to beat. However, Asuna's quick Lightning spell barrage paralyzed the Fat Bandits, saving the group and allowing the others to knock them out without too much problem afterwards.
Once they defeated the Heartless, the lights came back up again. Sora sighed in relief as Kirito made sure to grab the golden trophy. "Thanks for the save there, Asuna." Aladdin thanked her.
"Aw, I just did what I could." Asuna replied.
"But where did ya expect those Heartless came from?" Goofy asked.
"I think it was Pete." Kirito answered, "Just as we neared the Cave of Wonders, I could've sworn I saw him going into the cave."
"Why didn't you say anything?!" Asuna questioned him, getting similar expressions from the others.
"Hey, I didn't know if it was him or not!" Kirito argued.
Asuna took a second to calm herself, before continuing, "Well, in any case, if he was here, then could mean that he had known what we are planning to do?"
"We don't know until we get out of here." Sora answered, "The sooner we get the lamp, the sooner we can get it away from Pete's hands."
They made their way back to Agrabah, and entered the peddler's shop. The peddler was nowhere to be seen in there. "Hello?" Aladdin called out. No one responded.
"Did he leave us?" Yui asked.
"Well what am I gonna do with this?" Kirito asked, placing the golden trophy down.
Suddenly, they heard voices from outside the shop. Both of them were recognizable. "Stop your whining and hand it over!" Pete's voice growled.
"Ohh no!" replied the peddler, "I'm trading it for treasure. This lamp is going to bring me riches!"
The group turned around and headed out again. They looked for where the voices came from. "Oh, no you don't!" Pete shouted. The group turned and saw the peddler running for his life, holding onto the lamp as he was being chased by Pete, who was towering over him as he was being chased. They rushed through the streets and out of sight.
"They're heading for the palace!" Aladdin noticed.
"Then let's go after them." Sora declared, and the trio charged in pursuit of Pete and the peddler.
Meanwhile, Pete had just chased the peddler to the palace gates. He then got in close to grabbing the lamp. "Thank you." he said, snatching it away from the peddler and rushing ahead.
The peddler wasn't gonna let him have it that easily, and caught up with him, and leapt up to grab it. "It's mine!" he cried, taking the lamp back from Pete before rushing off. Pete, surprised by the change of hands, took a charge at the peddler.
The gang of heroes arrived at the palace to see the two still at it. "Lamp hog!" shouted Pete.
"Go away!" the peddler replied. Finally, Pete made a grab for the peddler's turban with one hand, and took the lamp away with the other and held it out of his reach. "No fair!" the peddler sneered, trying to struggle free from Pete's grip.
"Heh heh, I win!" laughed Pete.
"Hey, Iago." Kirito whispered to the parrot next to him, "I know you're not a dog, but go fetch." Iago responded by flying at the high-held lamp, and snatched it out of Pete's hands. Pete, realizing the touch of the lamp disappeared, looked up, saw the lamp was gone, then saw Iago flying away with the lamp in his beak.
"Nice one, Iago!" Sora called out.
"Way to go!" cheered Aladdin.
"You did it!" shouted Asuna.
"Don't drop it!" warned Donald.
"Look! Behind you!" Goofy cried out. Iago turned to see both Pete and the peddler rushing to catch him, and started to zig-zag a bit, distracting them. Why? So he could move out of their way as they hit a wall. The peddler was knocked out, but Pete shook it off.
Iago saw how he dealt with them, and wasn't looking where he was going. He, too slammed into a wall, dropping the lamp. "No!" cried Yui as the others gasped. Iago fell to the ground as the lamp bounced to Pete's feet. Pete reached down and picked up the lamp, chuckling.
"Nice try, bird brain." he said amusingly, "Just wait till Jafar's free! He's gonna make one beauty of a Heartless!"
Sora and the others were about to charge at Pete when the ground started to shake. Based on Pete's expression, he was just as surprised as the others. The gang looked all around, finding where the shaking was coming from. Finally, Kirito looked up into the sky, and saw a glint, followed by something blue flying wildly in the air. No, it was somebody, with a smoky tail instead of legs, and a red band around his waist. Kirito gasped. It was a genie. No, it was the Genie.
"I'm HOME!" he shouted winking at a crowd nobody can see, and flying down to everyone else. He soared past Pete as he shouted, "Al! It's been eons!" He dove down and hugged Pete tightly, continuing, "Al, you princely little muffin, you!" he teleported behind Pete, "Cosmic travel can get so lonely without a friend." he slapped Pete's shoulder, then teleported to the other end and wrapped his arm around Pete's shoulder, "To think I left you forlorn and Genie-less... Oh, the HUMANITY!" He threw Pete aside and started to burst into tears.
The lamp flew out of Pete's hands, and Yui flew out, grabbed the handle, and struggled to fly it back to Asuna, who walked up and took it from the pixie. "Hehe, nice catch, Yui." Asuna stated as Yui fell onto her shoulder and sighed in relief.
"Thanks, mommy." Yui replied.
"This guy is the Genie?" Kirito asked wildly, "He's nuts!"
"Genie?" Aladdin asked his friend, but he completely ignored him as he continued, "Hey, Al, you've been puttin' on weight?" puffing himself up like a fat man, then teleporting next to the delirious Pete, "Aw, of course, what am I saying? You're living at the palace now." he duplicated himself. "Aladdin!" said one Genie in a girly voice. "Jasmine!" said the other, hugging each other and producing fireworks.
He then teleported to Pete's other side as he said, "I can just picture it..." slapping Pete's back before teleporting away from him, "Wait, tell me. Am I being a pest? Just a big blue pest?" he flew up and down in front of Pete grabbing both of his hands and shaking him, "Aw, who cares, Al! I'm just so glad to SEE you!"
"Genie!" Aladdin shouted as he walked forward, drawing Genie's attention. He saw his real friend, then turn to see who he was greeting, and dropped Pete, who fell backwards. Sora, Kirito and the others all looked at one another, and started to laugh crazily at Pete.
Pete lifted his head, shaking off the dazed expression, and looking angrily at Genie. "I'll teach you to make a fool out of me!" he yelled, waving his fist. Genie wasn't watching, but lifting Aladdin and hugging him. He also noticed Sora walking up to him, then Kirito and Asuna walking up as well.
"Uh, we haven't been formally introduced." Kirito said to the Genie as he put Aladdin down, "I'm Kirito. And this is Asuna. We're friends of Sora's and Aladdin's."
"Kirito and Asuna?" Genie asked, "No offense, but Japanese 101 was such a hard class for me to learn. Mind if I call you K and A, kay?"
"Whatever works." sighed Kirito.
"Well, it's nice meeting, K and A!" he said, grabbing both of their hands and shaking them violently, "I'm so glad you've been keeping a good eye on Al and Sora." He summoned many pairs of eyes around Aladdin, emphasizing his statement.
"Y-yeah, no problem." Asuna replied, slightly dizzy from the handshake.
"Oh, man." Kirito said quietly, "If this is him happy, I hate to see him mad."
The gang turned at the sound of Pete's grunts, and saw him get to his feet. "Time for Plan B!" he declared, "I'm finishin' you mugs off right now!" He lifted his fist and slammed it to the ground. Just then, a geyser appeared underneath a cart, breaking it to reveal a fat blue Heartless. Then some bushes caught on fire, and exploded to appear a Heartless like the other one, only red.
"Yui, analyze!" Kirito cried as everyone whipped out their weapons.
"Ok, the blue one is called Blizzard Lord." Yui described, "The red one is called Volcanic Lord. These two are dangerous Heartless, but they are weak against the opposite element."
"Not to mention..." Genie added, looking through a hi-tech scanner, before taking it off and crushing it, shouting, "THEIR POWER LEVEL IS OVER 9000!"
"I'm sorry, what?" Yui questioned, not knowing that information at all, or where he got it."
"So fire on ice, and ice on fire." Kirito stated, seeing the two Heartless dance in front of them, "Let's divide and conquer! Sora, Asuna, Donald, take the Blizzard. Aladdin, Goofy and I can take the heat." They did as they were told and split into groups.
Genie puffed into an area high above the match, sitting in a movie theater chair, produced a box of popcorn, a soda, and 3D glasses as he stated, "These action scenes are pretty amazing! Ohh, is this one directed by Micheal Bay?! There are a lot of explosions in those!"
Each side went to work on their opponents. Sora, Asuna and Donald were dealing with the Blizzard Lord by smacking him around and producing Fire at him. However, the Blizzard Lord was no pushover. He swung his staff around, hurled ice crystals, and even blew icy breath that froze Asuna up at one point. Fortunately, Sora used fire to defrost her, and they continued to fight.
Meanwhile, Kirito, Aladdin and Goofy were dealing with the Volcanic Lord, who not only swung his staff and produced fireballs, but was belly-flopping around like a ball, leaving firespots where ever he landed. "This guy's a real pain!" Aladdin exclaimed, jumping back from a near press by the bouncing Heartless.
"Kirito! Look out!" Goofy shouted.
Kirito saw the Volcanic Lord come upon him, but he saw a socket on his waist, and struck his Keyblade into it. He then hurled it around and tossed it at the Blizzard Lord. At the same time, the Blizzard Lord was about to do another ice breath attack, but Sora stopped it by plugging up his mouth with his Keyblade. Not only did Sora stop him from blowing, but it sent it flying backwards towards his fiery counterpart. The two collided and were dazed. Sora and Kirito leapt up and struck each Lord hard. Suddenly, they split into Fiery Globes and Icy Cubes, and scattered all around. The six of them tried to exterminate all of them, but they reformed and attacked once more.
"At this rate, they'll destroy the whole palace gates!" Kirito exclaimed, slamming his Keyblade at the Volcanic Lord.
"Let's do a Limit Break!" Goofy suggested, tossing his shield at the Heartless like a boomerang. Kirito looked at Goofy, and nodded in agreement. Aladdin backed off as the two went to work. They both started to glow, then Goofy threw his shield at Kirito, who smacked it with his Keyblade, like a baseball bat, at Volcanic Lord many times, each time the shield magically went back into Goofy's hands. After a while, they started to throw their weapons into a Strike Raid, striking him several times again. Finally, Kirito picked Goofy up by the waist as he raised his shield. His feet started up like a rocket engine, which fits because he started to fly at the Volcanic Lord like a missile, flying and crossing every which-way at the Lord, finally defeating it.
Asuna turned to see Kirito and Goofy work it out with their opponent. "Hey, that could for our problem, too!" Asuna realized as Sora skidded back to her, "You think I can do a Limit Break with you?"
"Let's find out!" Sora answered. Donald was pushed back by the Blizzard Lord as the two rushed in, ready to use their powers. They clashed their Keyblades together, and they glowed as one, sharing their powers. In unison, Sora started to fire blasts of light spears out of his Keyblade at the Heartless, while Asuna rushed in and did shining jabs with her her Keyblade. They swapped places, only Sora did a frenzy of slashes instead of jabs. They changed firings light spears and slashing and jabbing close up several times. This was their 'Starburst' and 'Flash Blade' combo. Finally, the two jumped high into the air to either's side, and pointing their Keyblades downward, side by side. Their Keyblades glowed brightly at the tip, then they fired a shining beam down at Volcanic Lord, with a barrage of light spears that homed in on the Heartless. The attack obliterated him, releasing the heart that created it. The Limit Break was officially called 'Light Splash', and the final attack to be called 'Starry Maelstrom'.
"Great combo!" Kirito exclaimed, rushing to Asuna and Kirito with the others.
"Now mommy has a Limit Break with Sora just like daddy!" cheered Yui. Sora and Asuna looked at one another, and each of them gave a thumbs up.
"You!" barked Pete, causing the group to turn to him, "You've messed with me for the last time! I'm gonna get you yet!" Then he turned and ran off again.
The five heroes, with Yui, watched him run off. "You know, we might actually believe him if he actually committed to that threat." Kirito argued, causing the others to nod in agreement.
Genie flew down to Aladdin, hugged him, then each of them gave each other a thumbs up, too. Suddenly, a purple carpet flew, and I mean flew, around them, carrying Abu, and flew around the place, with Iago flying behind them.
"Wait, what about the lamp?!" Donald asked, seeing where Pete ran off.
"Don't worry." Asuna replied, pulling the lamp from behind her, "Yui made sure to grab this so Pete wouldn't get it again."
"Way to go, Yui!" cheered Sora, grabbing her and lifting her high in open palms. She giggled in response for the praise she was given. They had won.
The group found an underground prison that was perfect for keeping the lamp safe from harm's way. They found a stone box with a slab of rock that covered the top of it. They placed the lamp into the box, and slid the slab over it, sealing it shut within. This was hopefully the last time they had to deal with the dang lamp.
Afterwards, they went back to the palace gates, where they were reunited with Jasmine. Aladdin and Abu were not with them at this time. Sora and Asuna convinced Jasmine to hear Iago out, so he could apologize for his past endeavors.
"I promise, you won't regret givin' me another chance. Honest!" Iago told her.
"Uh, Princess Jasmine," intruded Genie, "you sure you want that pigeon in the coop?" He then summoned a bird cage around Iago, causing him to be startled and shake the bars with his wings.
"Oh, I think Iago's shown that he means well." Jasmine responded, after hearing how much he helped Sora, Kirito and the others out. She opened up the cage to let Iago out, causing the cage to vanish.
"Aw, sure. You're probably right." Genie agreed.
"And how much trouble can one noisy bird cause?" Sora asked the Genie.
"He's definitely proved that he's trustworthy." Kirito added.
"You just might have a point there, kiddies." Genie responded.
Jasmine turned back to the group as she asked, "What happens next, Sora?"
"Well, it was great seeing you all..." Sora started, "But we still need to find Riku and the King."
"And a guy named DiZ." Kirito added.
"I guess we'll be moving on." Asuna stated.
"I hope you find 'em." Genie told them.
"Me, too." Sora agreed.
"Hey, where's Aladdin?" Donald asked, looking around.
"He ran off toward town, looking for Abu." Jasmine answered, "But he should be back soon."
"Al can't miss Sora's, Kir's and Asuna's farewell party!" Genie exclaimed, "I'll have him back in a jiffy!" He then spun his whispy bottom like a wheel, as he charged through the air at speeds equal to that of a race car.
"Ok, now why is mine the only one of the trio to have his named shortened?" asked Kirito. The other four laughed at his expression of confusion.
Suddenly, Aladdin's voice shouted, "Abu!" The group turned to see Aladdin chasing after Abu, who was carrying the egg-shaped jewel they saw in the Cave of Wonders before. "Catch him!" Aladdin shouted to the others. Sora, Donald and Goofy made a dive, and they piled on top of Abu, who struggled to get free. Donald, who was on the bottom of the trio, saw the jewel, and realized that it was the same one he saw.
"He must've secretly stolen it from the Cave of Wonders." Aladdin guessed.
"How could he have secretly stolen a gem like that?" Asuna asked, seeing the pile of people get up as Abu grabbed the jewel again.
"Abu!" squawked Donald, snatching the jewel from Abu's hands. He then looked at the jewel, and was mesmerized by its' beauty.
"I guess some things are just hard to resist." Goofy stated.
"A simple and selfish mind just can't help it." quoted Asuna.
Donald shook his head so as not to be hypnotized by it again, and held it as if he was a pitcher in a baseball game. "Aw, who needs it!" he shouted, throwing it off into the sky. As the others looked to see where it went, Donald secretly kept a grip onto the jewel, and hid it behind his back. Abu, who was behind him, cried his monkey talk as he pointed at the jewel. "Oh... I guess it got stuck!" said an embarrassed Donald.
Suddenly, the jewel started to glow brightly, startling everyone. As it started to float, Sora, Kirito and Asuna- realizing what this meant- gathered together. They pointed their Keyblades downward together as they and the jewel glowed brighter. Suddenly a crown mark appeared around them, and a strange energy surged around them as the surrounding changed into a bright sky with black clouds. The light from the jewel suddenly bursted into the sky, and a large keyhole appeared. The trio jumped back, flipping their Keyblades around and pointing them at the keyhole. Three beams came from their Keyblades and shot themselves at the keyhole, and a sound of a lock unlocking was produced, along with a blinding light. Suddenly everything was back to normal.
"Wow, to think that gem Abu stole actually led to the keyhole." Asuna said.
"Heh, makes you think that sometimes, stealing is a good thing." Kirito stated.
"Kirito?" Asuna said his name in a warning tone.
"Hey, I'm not gonna make it a habit!" Kirito responded in defense, though it wasn't convincing Asuna.
"Sora... What is it?" Aladdin asked as he walked up to the trio.
"I think it's time for us to go." Sora answered, turning to Aladdin. Jasmine walked forward, and wrapped her hands around Aladdin's arm.
"Will you be back?" she asked.
"We will, I promise!" Sora proclaimed.
"I kind of had a lot of fun here." Asuna giggled.
"Make sure Iago stays out of trouble." Kirito told them. Aladdin gave them a thumbs up, and they responded just the same.
"Hang ooon!" Genie shouted, flying over them from out of nowhere, only to stop frozen in midair before he hit the ground, using his whispy tail as a crank to straighten himself into an upright position, before continuing, "You can't just leave without saying goodbye to me!"
"This isn't goodbye!" Goofy corrected him.
"Yeah, we'll see each other again." Kirito shouted.
"Well, in that case..." Genie started, snapping his fingers, producing a summoning charm with a picture of an oil lamp on it. He dropped it into Sora's hands as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing in a costume and desk with a phone, taking on the impression of a telemarketer as he spoke, "In order for you to call to claim your own genuine Genie for Heartless extermination, just pick up the summoning charm and dial the phone number on your screen at 1-800-555-LAMP. That's 1-800-555-LAMP. Call now!" The phone number appeared in neon lighting right below him.
"Thanks, Genie." Sora replied, understanding what he meant, and pocketed the charm.
"Well, see ya around!" Kirito waved to them, and the group activated the teleportation device, sending them back to their ship, going onto their next adventure.