Now here comes some fanservice for those of you who were fans of the Aladdin TV show. This is probably one of the only Disney Afternoon cartoons that I can fully appreciate in my writing, since I hadn't really watched most of the others. Hope you enjoy!
Be sure to let me know what you think. But constructive criticism only; no flames, you hear? The desert is hot enough as it is.
Chapter 48
Into the Land of the Black Sand
The party studied the diorama of a city of black stone, which Genie had conjured up on top of a table. The building models sat on a layer of black sand. Sora, Kairi and Donald were engrossed in the makeup and color of the stone and sand. Riku and Goofy studied the road maps, building levels, and vantage points. Aladdin and Jasmine did not need to study the diorama, as they were quite familiar with the location.
"So, this Mozenrath guy, you've fought him before?" Sora asked.
Aladdin nodded, a scowl on his face. "We faced off a couple times over the last few months. He possesses powerful dark magic and controls an army of undead Mamluks, but he wants more power," he explained.
"Such as the phenomenal cosmic power of a genie," Sora finished.
"Particularly one who's been freed and whose magic is no longer bound by the restrictions of his enslavement," Riku added.
"And if he's working with Maleficent and the Heartless, then he's certainly capable of causing a lot of trouble on the way," Kairi noted.
Donald frowned at the city model. "So, how do we save the King?" he asked.
"We have to assume that Mozenrath is expecting us, and is in fact leading us into a trap," Jasmine said. She pointed to a bunch of brown sticks with green tips interspersed around the diorama. "He has devices that detect magic at these points. They are designed to tune out dark magic, because otherwise they would light up whenever a Mamluk patrol drew near."
"We should do everything we can to stay out of sight and hope we can avoid the trap altogether," Aladdin added.
Riku crossed his arms pensively. "You, Aladdin and Goofy don't have any magic to sense, but the rest of us do," he said. "If we don't get into trouble, we should be able to suppress our magic so it was like we were out of mana. But that still leaves Genie. Also, you and Kairi are Princesses of Heart, with some pretty strong light magic that I don't think we'll be able to just shut down; you'll be like walking neon signs." He went silent for a moment longer. "But I think I can cover up your scents with my dark powers."
"So, I guess I'm staying here?" Genie asked. "I mean, I'm not exactly one for stealth." To demonstrate, he changed shape so that he was wearing a rainbow-colored costume and holding a set of musical instruments. "I'd only give us away," he lamented.
Aladdin shook his head. "No. Mozenrath and Loki could just come back and nab you while we're gone," he said. "We're going to have to take you with us."
Goofy punched his fist into his palm, an idea sparking. "Donald and I can hold onto the lamp!" he suggested. "Then we'll draw their focus, head right to where they're keeping the King and spring the trap before you guys get there."
Donald nodded, agreeing with the plan. "Yeah! And we'll make it look like we're trying to not be seen, even though that's exactly what we're doing," he added.
"Then the rest of us will follow from different sides of the city, making sure we don't get caught," Sora said.
"Be careful, everyone," Aladdin warned. "Mozenrath is not someone we can underestimate. He's a cunning and powerful foe who makes Jafar look like an amateur."
Sora nodded. "Understood," he replied. He looked out the window at the late afternoon sun. "We should probably get going and get to the Desert of Black Sand before they start to suspect that we're coming up with an elaborate rescue plan."
Everyone else agreed to this. "Don't worry friends, I can get us out there, and you can walk the rest of the way under the cover of night!" Genie said. He vanished and reappeared on the balcony, taking the form of an eight-seater convertible sports car with rocket thrusters on the back. "Strap in, everyone."
"Good luck," the Sultan said as the party of seven, plus Abu and Iago, climbed into the magic rocket car. Jasmine hugged her father before climbing in and buckling up next to Aladdin.
"Uh, does he do this a lot?" Donald asked, noticing Aladdin and Jasmine's second-nature familiarity with Genie's transformation.
"Definitely a lot," Aladdin answered.
Then the rocket car levitated until it was above the palace, then shot off into the distance, vanishing on the horizon within moments.
Loki walked into the darkened citadel's throne room to find Mozenrath slouching in the seat, examining the Crystal of Ix with a bored expression. Xerxes floated next to Mozenrath, a nervous and fearful expression on his face. Loki bowed politely but Mozenrath held his hand up, gesturing for him to save it.
"I'm disappointed, Loki," Mozenrath said. "I expected a sorcerer such as yourself to be able to pull off such a simple task as trapping the Genie in the Crystal. You point, and you shoot. Point and shoot. That was all. But you got the wrong target, and you didn't even bother getting the right target after that."
"With all due respect, it was half a second from getting the Genie, but the mouse king decided to be a hero and jump in the way of the beam. Then they retaliated and forced me into retreat," Loki explained, a biting tone in his voice. He did not like to be disrespected. "Besides, I recall rumors that you found yourself trapped in the Crystal," he retorted.
Mozenrath turned his head to glare at Loki. He did not like to be reminded of that. Xerxes snickered, but stopped when Mozenrath reached over and wrung his hand around his neck.
"Well, then, since this was your job, how would you suggest fixing it?" Mozenrath challenged.
Loki smirked, glad that he asked. He had actually been thinking the whole way from Agrabah. "It's quite simple, really. We use the mouse as bait and set a trap for them," he said. "And as an added bonus, while we have them tied up in here…"
Mozenrath grinned wickedly. "We head back to Agrabah and storm the city unopposed," he finished.
Loki smirked. "They know about your security system, I trust?" Mozenrath and Xerxes nodded. "Then there is the chance that they will leave the Genie behind to avoid him triggering the crystals, in which case we can trap him when we go back. But if they take him or send him elsewhere to avoid such an eventuality, we can still isolate and trap him and then absorb him into the Crystal."
Mozenrath conjured an orb of darkness in his hand. "Excellent. Now, it will take some time before they arrive. Here. Deliver this to the 'guest chamber', if you will." The orb of darkness formed into a Possessor. "It should be ready with one more of these in its system."
Loki took the Possessor and regarded it with amusement. "Very well. I do look forward to our plan's success," he said before turning around and leaving the chamber.
Like Genie said, night had fallen as the party trekked across the black sand. The air was cool, a stark contrast from the midday swelter in Agrabah, but it had also been warm at the entrance to the Cave of Wonders, which Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin had also visited at night, so the refreshing cool was certainly a surprise. The only sources of illumination were the moonlight and the faint glow of the crystals that Mozenrath had installed to detect foreign magic.
Riku put either hand on Kairi and Jasmine's shoulders. He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. In moments, a dark aura had wrapped around the two women, though it was clear that neither of them felt it affect them, meaning that it only sat over them.
"Now, that's great! We can sneak in, grab the mouse guy and get out without Mozenrath even knowing we're here!" Iago exclaimed. Aladdin and Jasmine facepalmed, realizing that they probably should have left the loudmouthed bird back in Agrabah.
Riku shook his head lightly. "Not with you yapping like you have a megaphone," he muttered. He made a pinching gesture with his hand, almost like an "OK" sign but with his finger and thumb an inch apart, and tilted his hand counterclockwise. Iago tried to ask him what he was doing, but no sound came out. There was not even the sound of his wings flapping.
"Wow. What was that?" Aladdin asked, impressed.
"Just a 'Silence' charm," Riku answered. "It's a weak enough spell that it should easily hide under my dark aura." Iago glared at him as he realized what had happened.
"If only we could do that on a regular basis," Aladdin mused, smirking. Jasmine nodded in agreement while Abu laughed from on top of Aladdin's shoulder.
The group of Riku, Kairi, Jasmine, and Iago looked at both of the other groups. Sora stood with Aladdin and Abu, while Donald stood next to Goofy and zipped Genie's lamp up into his hat. Donald and Goofy saluted, and the other two groups waved each other off.
"Good luck, guys," Sora said. Riku nodded back. Sora and Aladdin walked off to the left while Riku, Kairi, Jasmine, and Iago went around to the right. Donald and Goofy turned around to look at the dark city filled with undead warriors and, most likely, Heartless. They waited a few minutes before they made their way to the first buildings.
Slowly and silently, they crept past one building, staying close to the wall. When they reached the edge, Goofy took a quick peek around the corner, but drew back when he saw the first of the guards.
The Mamluk resembled a lanky human, dressed in garb that was somewhat similar to the guards in Agrabah. It even carried a scimitar. However, it became quite clear from a single glance that this creature was not human. Its skin was blue and partially-decayed. Its features were gaunt, its flesh conforming to the shape of the bones underneath. Its lips were folded up around the jaws like an elderly man without teeth. Its eyeballs were jaundiced and its pupils and irises were shrunken to pinpoints. Goofy gulped, horrified by the sight. Aladdin had been spot-on with his description of the zombified creature.
Goofy peeked around the corner again, and saw that the Mamluk continued its lumbering route. Figuring that if its arthritic steps made it tedious and slow to walk, it would take several seconds to turn, he beckoned for Donald to follow him as he crossed the street over to the next building. This process continued for a good while. They made sure that the Mamluks were far enough away that they would not notice the crystals glowing at the top of the security posts until they were already gone. However, there were times when they came upon a corner just as the zombie was passing by and the magic-sensing crystal was right at the corner they were approaching. When the Mamluk turned to investigate and saw them, Goofy grabbed it, ripped it to pieces with surprising and unnerving ease, and buried it in the ground. As far as he and Donald could tell, no one was the wiser. With that obstacle cleared, they made their way to the citadel at the center of the city.
Sora and Aladdin looked over the edge of the roof of one of the tallest buildings, watching the Mamluks make their rounds. They watched Donald and Goofy's path, and saw that they had almost reached the citadel with little difficulty. Riku, Kairi and Jasmine were halfway there on their side.
"So, when Donald and Goofy go in the front and spring the trap, Riku, Kairi and Jasmine will head in from the side, then we'll drop in from above," Aladdin reminded Sora.
Sora nodded in understanding. "We'll wait a few minutes after they're all inside, then slip in," he said back. Aladdin nodded in agreement.
There was silent for a few more minutes as they watched and waited for the others to make it inside. Aladdin flicked dates into the air, which Abu caught and ate. Sora simply stared blankly. He was not used to stealth missions.
"So, you guys have a date set?" Sora asked out of the blue.
Aladdin was taken by surprise. "What?" he asked.
"For the wedding," Sora replied. "It's been over a year now. Is anything big happening anytime soon?"
Aladdin took a while to answer. "I guess we're waiting until everything's figured out. We still have plenty of things to sort through, and we have a lot of enemies ready to cause trouble. Like Mozenrath, and those two crooks Abis Mal and Haroud, for starters. And we've been going on some diplomatic missions to the other desert kingdoms. I guess we're just waiting until we know where to go with it. Or making sure we can survive until then."
Sora nodded. "Makes sense. You need to find a balance between the street rat, the prince and the hero."
Aladdin raised an eyebrow. "You have something on your mind?" he asked.
This time it was Sora who hesitated in answering. "After we finished our last big adventure and reunited with our friends, that was supposed to be it. We go home, reunite with our families, and settle in the peace. But I've missed hanging out with Donald and Goofy, exploring worlds, fighting monsters, and helping people. I should have been glad to be home, and believe me, I was, but I was anxious for another adventure. So, when the King sent us the letter calling us out for this, I jumped at the chance."
"I see. I think I have an idea sort of like that. While I love palace life and my life with Jasmine, I still head back out to the city to jump across rooftops and make the guards and some of the crooks look like fools. I don't think I'm the right person to ask about your issue, but maybe you should try to find a balance."
"A balance?" Sora asked.
"A balance between your time at home and your time out adventuring," Aladdin clarified. "You've only been back home once after two years of this."
"One year, technically," Sora corrected. "I slept for a full year. Long story."
"You've only been back home once after a year of adventuring. You weren't used to the change. And from what I understand, when your journey started, you didn't exactly have a place to go back to. You need to figure it out for yourself, where you fit at home and out here."
Sora smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Aladdin."
They noticed that Donald and Goofy had already entered the citadel while Riku, Kairi, Jasmine, and Iago were approaching their entrance. "We should probably start heading over there," Aladdin said.
"Yup," Sora replied. They looked down to see if there were any Mamluks who might see them (which they doubted they would), then walked back across the roof. Once they were on the other side, they turned back around and sprinted. When they reached the edge, they leapt across the gap to the next roof. They continued running across and jumping between roofs until the final jump. The citadel stood taller than most of the other buildings, but fortunately they could find sufficient ledges on the wall. Sora guided Abu to climb into his hood so that he would not fall off. Sora and Aladdin shared confident glances, then sprinted across the roof and jumped. They hit the wall and grabbed onto one of the ledges. After taking a few seconds to catch their breath, they began climbing up the wall. When they reached the top, they pulled themselves over the ledge and rolled themselves onto the roof.
Sora and Aladdin brought themselves to their feet and Abu climbed out of Sora's hood and stood on his shoulder. They all started laughing. When the laughter had died down, they remembered they were trying to be sneaky and shushed each other.
Jasmine led Riku, Kairi and Iago through the corridors until they came into the grand hall of the citadel. They saw Donald and Goofy standing in the middle of the room, but there was no trap that had been sprung. They stepped into the room, confused. As they did so, they heard a sound like stone scraping against stone for a few seconds, but otherwise nothing happened.
"What's going on?" Kairi asked, her voice kept to a whisper.
Donald and Goofy shrugged. "Gawrsh, we came in here and heard that scraping stone sound, but nothing happened," Goofy said.
"They must've wanted to make sure we were all here first," Riku guessed, realizing the extent of the trap. "Which means we can go find Mickey before Sora and Aladdin get here and avoid the trap altogether." He smiled, thinking that he had the god of mischief and the cunning sorcerer beat.
"Oh, I'm afraid that won't be so easy." Everyone turned to see Loki and Mozenrath. The ruler of the Desert of Black Sand held the Crystal of Ix, the shrunken mouse still inside, in his left hand. Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy noticed that Mozenrath's right hand was gloved while his left hand was bare, which made them wonder why he did not simply hold the crystal in his gloved hand. Donald hypothesized that either his right hand or his glove was magic and he was planning on using it for offensive purposes.
"Thank you for bringing the Genie here. That was thoughtful of you," Mozenrath said, a wicked grin on his face. "I'm sure your king would be happy to have some company. Loki, would you mind letting the Genie out of his lamp?"
"Done," Loki replied, all of a sudden holding and unzipping Donald's hat. Everyone looked at Donald and they were surprised to find that Loki had indeed taken Donald's hat while no one was looking. In fact, they had assumed that the trickster had not even moved from his original position.
Loki took the lamp out of the unzipped hat and rubbed it. Unable to resist the pull, Genie appeared out of the spout. He looked around and gasped in horror to find he was hovering over Loki and Mozenrath, and Mozenrath still had the crystal.
"What did I tell you? When I want something, I take it," Mozenrath bragged, raising his hand to point the crystal at Genie.
"Magnega!" Suddenly, the crystal was ripped out of Mozenrath's hand. The confused sorcerer looked up to see what had happened. Sora and Aladdin stood up at the skylight, and Sora was holding his Keyblade, ready for a fight.
Sora caught the crystal in his free hand. He regarded it for a split second. "I gotcha, your Majesty. Don't worry," he assured Mickey, not sure if he could hear. He dropped the crystal and then stepped off of the ledge after it. He swung his Keyblade down at it with all his might and hit it with the blunt end of the weapon. The force sent the crystal straight down to the floor, where it shattered on impact. A sphere of green light rose from the crystal, taking a few seconds to expand. When it dissipated, Mickey Mouse dropped to the ground, landing on all fours. He took a few seconds to catch his breath. Donald, Goofy and Riku ran to his side.
Sora and Aladdin landed on the floor and pointed their weapons at the two villains. "Game's up, Mozenrath!" Aladdin said.
Mozenrath was somewhat taken aback by the turn of events, but a smirk soon appeared on his face. "I wouldn't count on that. Listen. Take a look around," he retorted.
Confused, everyone listened. They heard the same stone-scraping-on-stone noise and, on looking around realized that the section of floor they were standing on was sinking into the ground. The trap was being sprung by all of their weight on the platform at the same time!
A force field pushed the party into the center, where they crashed together and landed in a heap. Looking up, Sora gasped as he saw a semi-spherical cage materialize above them and drop around them.
They stood up, untangling themselves with some difficulty, and ran to the bars. They tried to move the cage, but even with all their might it refused to budge. Riku, Mickey and Kairi tried to summon their Keyblades, but nothing happened. Sora tried calling his Keyblade, which he had dropped when hit with the force field and sat outside of the cage, but nothing happened.
"You like it?" Loki asked rhetorically, amused. "Its special magic cuts off the link between this plane and the dimension where your weapons vanish to. It looks like you're stuck in there."
"Don't worry, Al! I'll get you out!" Genie shouted. He flew toward the cage but crashed and flattened himself against an invisible wall. He dropped out of flight, his blue tail transforming into a pair of legs with red shoes, and landed a few feet down on a concave surface. "What the…?"
Loki waved his hand and an invisibility glamour faded, revealing Genie to be inside a giant bottle, which floated softly to the ground. A Fat Bandit appeared and put a cork over the opening of the bottle.
"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Loki quipped dryly. "But how are you going to take his power after this?" he asked Mozenrath.
"That was only a small piece of the full Crystal. There's more where that came from," the sorcerer explained. Loki nodded and smirked.
Abu screeched some angry words, and Iago attempted to spew out a range of expletives, but still no sound came out.
"Huh. About time someone shut that bird up. Well, I'd hate to leave you, but we're looking for something in Agrabah, and we're going to find it, even if we have to destroy it," Mozenrath said.
"Oh yeah? How are you going to do that?" Aladdin asked.
Mozenrath whistled and shouted "Sirocco!" A blue wolf-like creature with a pale mane around its neck that grew so far that it resembled a scarf leapt in. It had a Heartless emblem on the tip of its snout. "Meet Sirocco, the wind jackal. A fierce demon, I found him, captured him, and… trained him until he was completely loyal to me. Then I started fusing him with Possessors, slowly transforming him while still disciplining him until he became a Heartless, at which point he is still loyal to me. Now, Sirocco, destroy!" He gestured to a stone pillar. The jackal lunged at the target and spun around it, moving so fast that it was only a whirling blur. Within seconds, the pillar crumbled to dust. The jackal stopped moving and landed on its feet, then snarled at the captive heroes. Mozenrath smirked confidently. "Sirocco can reduce an entire kingdom to dust. It should only be a few hours before the entire city of Agrabah is sand, all save for the object of our interest."
Jasmine and Kairi gasped in horror. Sora, Riku and Mickey glared at the villains. Aladdin clenched his fists around the metal bars. "You won't get away with this, Mozenrath!" he shouted.
"Good luck trying to stop me!" Mozenrath retorted confidently. He snapped his fingers and dozens of Heartless, from Shadows to Bandits to Fat Bandits, materialized. "Have fun," he said to the monsters. He and Loki exited the room, the sorcerer beckoning for the Heartless jackal to follow.
The party stood there, unable to access their weapons, watching their enemies go, while the Heartless closed in on them.