(Harmony's) POV:
We left Port Royal as fast we could. It only took a while to get back to our Gummi Ship because we left it parked near Will and Elizabeth's home, and returning there took us three days to do so.
"I wonder what new worlds we'll be going to," Mieu says.
"Same," Nagakura says, looking excited.
"Let's see...Two new worlds appeared and they're..." Donald says, pushing some buttons for the screen to show.
What's shown on the screen takes me by surprise. "No way!" I exclaim, excited.
"What's up with you?" Okita asks.
"She's just excited because those two worlds are actually places we've been to before," Asch answers.
"Those worlds are called Agrabah and Halloween Town. We've got some friends who live in those worlds," says Luke.
"Seriously? Guess that means we'll be meeting more friends of yours, huh?" Heisuke asks.
"Definitely. I can't wait to see them again," I say, earning an excited bark from Chibi.
(3rd) POV:
In the streets of Agrabah, a parrot, Iago, flies around. He soon perches himself on one of the buildings and sighs. Then something catches his attention as he notices Harmony and the others, with new people that he's never seen before.
(Harmony's) POV:
After some careful thought, we decided to go to Agrabah, to pay Aladdin and Jasmine a visit.
"Agrabah! We made it!" Donald exclaims.
"Wow! This place is amazing!" Heisuke exclaims, gawking at what he sees here.
"And hot," Nagakura says, wiping some sweat from his forehead.
"Agrabah is in the middle of a desert," Asch points out.
"So, let me get this straight, you're friends with another princess, and she's one of the princesses of heart, like Harmony?" Okita asks.
I nod my head. "That's right. Like Belle and Beast, Jasmine and Aladdin are also well aware of there being other worlds that exist out there, so there's no need to hide anything from them. Back then, we were just as clueless about the whole princesses of heart thing, like you guys. But during our travels, when we first came to this world, we ended up becoming friends with them and Genie," I explain.
"What's a genie?" Harada asks.
"A magical being that grants you only three wishes," Mieu answers.
"I know it's late on the subject, but you have some bizarre friends," says Hijikata.
"I know. But travel to as many worlds as we have, and you eventually get used to it," I say.
"So, this Genie, can he really grant any wish?" Heisuke asks.
"Almost. See, when you're a genie, there are certain rules you've gotta follow. Genies aren't allowed to kill anyone, make anybody fall in love with anyone else, or even bring back the dead," Luke explains.
"Sounds reasonable enough," Saito says.
"Gwarsh, I wonder how Aladdin 'n' Jasmine are doin'?" Goofy asks.
"So, what're they like?" Nagakura asks.
"Well, it's kind of a long story, but Aladdin is someone we fought alongside with when facing the Heartless. As for Jasmine, we had to rescue her from when Maleficent tried to open the door to darkness, which could only be opened by the power the princesses of heart have inside of themselves, including me," I explain. "I'm hoping to find out if they might know where Riku, Madison and my dad could be."
"Yeah, and the King!" Goofy exclaims.
"Keep dreaming, you two," Donald says.
"C'mon, Donald, you were thinking the same thing," Luke points out.
"No, I wasn't!" Donald exclaims.
"Sure you weren't," Harada says with a smile.
We continue walking through the backstreets of Agrabah. At some point, something catches Goofy's attention.
"Uh-oh, it's uh...um...It's Iago!" Goofy exclaims, making the rest of us turn around to see that it really is that parrot.
"Who now?" Nagakura asks.
"An enemy," Asch answers.
Chibi growls dangerously at the parrot.
"Wait! You got me all wrong," Iago says.
"No we don't!" I exclaim.
"You're Iago all right!" Donald exclaims.
"No! I mean, it's not the old me. I turned over a new feather," Iago tries to say. "I'm legit! No more scams. Promise!"
"Bet that's your new scam," Luke says with his arms crossed.
"Uh, sorry, but how do you know this bird?" Harada asks, most likely shocked at how well Iago can talk.
"You remember how we told you that we faced a group of villains who joined sides with Maleficent? One of them is Jafar. He was the Royal Vizier, advisor to the the king of Agrabah, until he decided to conquer the kingdom and force Jasmine into marrying him," Asch explains.
"He did a lot of bad things and Iago was there to help him do it," I say.
"Ya gotta believe me!" Iago pleads.
"Harmony, let's go!" Donald exclaims.
"I was stuck inside that lamp with Jafar. Remember?" Iago asks, still pleading for us to hear him out. "Well, I finally escaped. But then some things happened and..."
"Lamp?" Hijikata asks.
"Each genie has a lamp that they can be summoned from. Once they've granted all three wishes for their master, the genie goes back inside his lamp until a new master summons him by rubbing the lamp. When Jafar used to be Genie's master, he used his third wish to become a genie himself. The only chance we had back then at defeating Jafar was to seal him up inside of his own lamp and leave it buried in the desert," Luke explains.
"So. Free as a bird, huh?" Okita asks.
"Have fun!" Donald mocks.
"Gwarsh, fellas. He looks pretty sad," Goofy says.
"I feel bad for him," Mieu says, his ears drooping.
"Tell me you're not buying this," Asch says, giving Goofy and Mieu an annoyed look.
"I wanna apologize to Aladdin and Jasmine," Iago says as he flies towards Goofy, landing in Goofy's hands. "Could you guys maybe put in a good word for me?"
"Sure, we can do that, can't we?" Goofy asks as the rest of us give Iago a doubtful look.
Normally, I'm all for giving people a second chance, but I feel like this is different somehow. I mean, how do we know that Iago isn't lying to us and actually means what he says. Even Hijikata and his friends seem suspicious of Iago, based on what we just told them. It's times like this where I wish Madison was here. She would know what to do in this situation. With her around, it felt like having an older sister watching out for us.
"Watch out!" Iago screams, noticing something behind us.
Quickly, we turn around to see a bunch of Heartless. We bring out our weapons, ready to fight. I even switch between my valor and wisdom forms as we face them, but no matter how many we take out more keep coming.
"Dammit! Where are they all coming from?" Hijikata questions.
"Just how many more are there?" Luke asks, starting to look a little tired.
Two Heartless charge towards Iago, who easily flies out of the way. He bumps into a vase and some crates, making them crash down on some of the Heartless, which creates a clearing.
"This way, quick!" Harada exclaims.
We make a run for it through the alley, with Iago following us. Eventually, we find a really old shack that looks like it hadn't been used for who-knows-how-long. Since it didn't look like the Heartless was after us anymore, we figured that this might be a good enough spot to catch our breath.
"We would've been goners if Iago hadn't helped us, mieu," says Mieu.
"Yep. Ain't that right, fellas?" Goofy asks.
"Even if it was a coincidence, he did help us get out of that mess," Saito points out.
Asch sighs. "Fine. I guess we owe you one," he says, his expression showing that he's got a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Perfect!" Iago exclaims, looking really happy.
"Don't get happy just yet. We'll help you meet with Aladdin and Jasmine, but that's it. As far as apologies go, you'll have to do that yourself. So, be on your best behavior, got it?" I ask.
"Yeah, I got it," says Iago.
"Where IS Aladdin, anyway?" Luke asks.
"I betcha he's at the palace," Iago answers.
"Then let's get going," I say.
After making sure that the coast is clear, we navigate our way through the streets of Agrabah as we head to the palace. We did end up fighting some Heartless along the way, but at least we manage to make it to our destination. And near the entrance is none other than the princess herself.
"Jasmine!" I exclaim, happy to see her again.
She turns around and smiles, happy to see us. "Harmony! Asch! Luke! Donald! Goofy! Mieu! Chibi!"
"Your Majesty," Donald says, giving her a respectable bow.
The others and I follow, causing Jasmine to giggle at the gesture. "I never had the chance to thank you for before. You helped Aladdin defeat that awful Jafar and saved Agrabah."
"Don't mention it," I say.
"If it's not too much trouble, where's Sora and Madison? I was hoping to thank them as well," Jasmine says.
"...After what happened at Hollow Bastion, we went after Ansem and defeated him. After that...we got separated from Madison and are trying to look for her. As for Sora, he went back home with Kairi to keep her safe," I explain.
"Oh, I see," Jasmine says, then notice Hijikata and his friends. "And who might your new friends be?"
"I'm Hijikata Toshizo, princess," he says, giving her another bow.
"Name's Okita Souji."
"Saito Hajime."
"Toudo Heisuke. But everyone calls me Heisuke."
"My name is Harada Sanosuke."
"And I'm Nagakura Shinpachi."
"Long-story-short, they're helping us in our quest as we continue to travel to other worlds," I explain.
"Oh. Well, in that case, I hope you gentlemen continue to help people in other worlds like Harmony and her friends do," Jasmine says, giving them a kind smile.
"Sure. Though, we have been to other worlds already, so there's no need to even ask," says Okita.
"So, uh...it looks like the Heartless are up to no good again," I say, recalling what happened to us earlier. "Is there any way we can help out?"
Jasmine thinks for a moment, then answers. "I think we're all right for now."
"And ya always got Aladdin," says Goofy.
I'm not sure why, but at the mention of Aladdin's name, Jasmine starts to become sad. "He...hasn't been himself lately."
"Is it because of the Heartless?" Donald asks, looking ready to fight as he brings out his wand.
Jasmine shakes her head. "I'm not sure," she then walks a few steps away from us. "Usually, he's the same cheerful Aladdin. But sometimes...he just seems sad," the others and I begin to put some thought into this. "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," she walks back to us. "What if he doesn't come back this time?"
"Hey! Maybe he's got a secret girlfriend!" Iago exclaims, appearing from behind Goofy. "I know! I'll go find out who she is!"
Jasmine gasps, shocked to see Iago, then glares at him. "Iago!" she yells, then makes a move to grab him, but he easily avoids being caught. "Quick, everyone, catch him! And I'll warn the guards and everyone in the palace!"
Iago quickly flies to hide behind me, peeking his head out from over my shoulder. "Jasmine, wait! Iago's not--!" I exclaim.
Before I can even finish, Jasmine's already several feet away from us, heading towards the palace.
"Nice going," Heisuke says to Iago, being sarcastic.
"Maybe it's something you said," Goofy says.
"I highly doubt that," says Asch.
"You presented yourself too soon. If you want to prove that you're not their enemy anymore, then you need to take small steps. Not make an appearance whenever you feel like it," Harada reprimands.
"Well, so much for convincing the princess. Now, what do we do?" Okita asks.
"Maybe we should go talk to Aladdin, mieu?" Mieu suggests.
"He's gotta be somewhere in town, right?" Goofy asks.
"Good idea. I wonder what he's been doing," says Luke.
"Well, Jasmine did say that he's not in the palace today. So, let's go walk around the city and see if we can find him," I say.
Since we don't have any other options, we head back into the city. When we get there, however...
"Stop, thief!" someone shouts.
Suddenly, a familiar looking monkey zips past us, carrying a black lamp. A second later, the owner of the monkey comes by.
"Hey, Harmony!" Aladdin exclaims as he runs past us.
"Come back here!" a short man shouts, chasing after Aladdin.
"Come on!" I exclaim, going after them.
"Why? Who were they?" Nagakura asks.
"That first guy is Aladdin. The monkey is Aladdin's pet and friend, Abu. As for the other guy, he's a peddler, a shop keeper who sells stuff. We bought some items from him once that came in handy during our last trip here," Luke explains as we catch up to Aladdin, who has Abu cornered in an alley.
"If you can't control that fur ball...put a leash on him!" the peddler exclaims.
"Look, I'm sorry..." Aladdin apologizes. He then bends down to Abu, to give him a scolding. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Abu," Abu hands the black lamp over to Aladdin, and Aladdin gives it back to the peddler. "No hard feelings?"
The peddler snatches the lamp, then huffs as he walks away. As for Aladdin, he glares down at Abu.
"Abu!" Aladdin exclaims, ready to give his monkey friend another scolding.
Abu prepares himself, covering his head in fear, until Chibi lets out a cheerful bark. Recognizing the bark, Abu smiles and runs to us. Aladdin notices us, too, then walks in our direction.
"Hey guys, sorry about earlier," Aladdin says with a smile. "I was kinda in a hurry."
"Don't worry about it," I say as Abu climbs onto my arm, riding on my shoulder. I scratch his chin, making him smile. "So, what happened?"
"You know Abu. He couldn't keep his paws off that lamp," Aladdin explains. Abu squeaks, then waves his arms in denial, trying to tell us something. But since none of us speak monkey, we have no idea what he's saying. Aladdin starts to scold his monkey friend again. "No talking your way out of this one!"
Abu ducks behind my shoulder, while most of us laugh. Aladdin then notices Hijikata and the guys.
"So, who are these guys? And...where's Sora and Madison?" Aladdin asks.
"New friends of ours. This is Hijikata, Okita, Saito, Heisuke, Harada and Nagakura," I say.
"As for Sora and Madison...It's a long story. But they're both okay," Asch says.
"Really? Well, nice to meet you guys!" Aladdin exclaims.
"Likewise," Hijikata says.
"I guess you can't be THAT down in the dumps, huh?" Luke asks.
"Who said I was?" Aladdin asks.
"Princess Jasmine. She's been worried about you because you keep coming to town," Harada answers.
"Got a new girlfriend?" Donald asks, resulting in Harada and Asch to both give him a bonk on the head.
"No way!" Aladdin exclaims. He then sighs. "Still...I guess there's no foolin' Jasmine, huh?"
"You know, she's really worried about you. If you can't tell her what's wrong, maybe you can tell us?" Heisuke asks.
"I probably should, shouldn't I? See, Genie and the Carpet took off to see the world. It's what Genie always wanted, so I wished him the best and all, but..." Aladdin tries to explain.
"You miss him," Goofy answers.
"I guess that makes sense. Things must be pretty quiet with Genie gone," I say.
"Speaking of which, I don't think you ever explained what this Genie person is like. Is he some sort of entertainment or something?" Okita asks.
"How do I put it? Let's just say he's the type of person you'll never get bored to hang around with," I say, trying my best to explain Genie's personality.
"Yeah. 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?" Aladdin asks. "This place is full of surprises."
"Uh, Harmony?" Mieu asks, gently tugging a piece of my hair to make me turn around.
"Iago!?" Aladdin questions, glaring at the parrot.
"Oh, right...Long-story-short, he wants to apologize for all the trouble he caused," I explain.
"Oh, he does?" Aladdin asks, in understandable doubt.
"He even saved us from some Heartless earlier," says Saito.
"Gwarsh, he's so sorry, he's shakin!" Goofy exclaims.
"I don't think so, Goofy. He looks pretty petrified to me," Nagakura points out.
"What's wrong, Iago?" Mieu asks, flying towards the said parrot, landing next to him.
"Th-th-that lamp!" Iago tries to say through his stuttering.
"What about it?" Aladding asks.
"It was THE lamp!" Iago exclaims, flying in Aladdin's face.
"C'mon. There're a million like it," Aladdin says.
"Hey! I was locked up in that thing FOR MONTHS! There's no way I'd mistake it!" Iago exclaims.
Abu squeaks, showing that he agrees with Iago. "If that really is Jafar's lamp, then this is serious," Asch says.
"Then we'd better go back and talk to that peddler," says Aladdin.
"Lead the way, then," I say.
Since Aladdin has lived in Agrabah his whole life, he knows how to navigate his way around. Although it wasn't easy having to fight Heartless along the way, we eventually made it to the peddler's shop. However, Aladdin decided to wait outside with Abu, not wanting to anger the peddler again, after what happened earlier.
"Is there any way we can buy that lamp from you?" Luke asks, trying to reason with the peddler.
"Of course. That is...IF you can afford it," the peddler says.
I take a quick glance behind me, seeing Aladdin make a gesture saying to pay for the lamp. "No worries!" I exclaim.
"Yeah, we can pay you in royal treasu--" Donald starts to say, then gets cut off.
"DONALD!" the others and I yell in sync, while Chibi barks angrily at the duck.
Too late, though, seeing as how the peddler heard what Donald said. "Might I be able to interest you in another fine lamp?" the peddler asks, having his back face us.
"No, that's the one we need," Okita answers.
The peddler then turns around. "Ah, well--perhaps I can be persuaded...IF you bring me a treasure beyond even my imagination. Something, say, fit for a sultan..." he says.
My friends and I become shocked by the price. I mean, how the heck are we supposed to find something like that? We tried to see if we could get the peddler to lower the price, but he refused to be bargained with. With no other options left, we leave to meet back up with Aladdin.
"Treasure? That could be tricky..." says Aladdin.
"Thanks for nothing, bird brain," Okita says, annoyed with his arms crossed.
"There's lots at the palace," Donald points out, making most of us glare and give him a stern look.
"But it's not mine to take. And I can't ask," Aladdin says. "I don't want to worry Jasmine or the Sultan."
"Hey, I know..." Iago says, speaking up. "What about the treasure in the Cave of Wonders?"
"The what?" Saito asks.
"It's a large cave that's filled with lots of treasure, but also different kinds of traps to protect it. There is a lot of gold and gems there, but it was where we fought Jafar before sealing him up in his lamp. The entire place collapsed afterwards, and we were lucky to make it out with our lives," I explain, remembering what we had to go through in that place.
"And because it collapsed, there's no guarantees that it even exists anymore," Asch points out.
"It might be our only chance," Aladdin says, then sighs as he faces Iago. "All right, Iago. You lead the way! And after we get the treasure, I might even believe your apology."
"You can count on me!" Iago declares.
With no other options, we leave Agrabah, and enter the desert. However, we had to make sure to buy the right supplies to make sure we wouldn't die. Since Carpet and Genie aren't around to give us a lift, we've got to make sure that we're prepared.
"So, this is a desert?" Nagakura asks.
"I'm guessing your world doesn't have one," Aladdin says.
"Not really. Where we're from, it's more like a huge island that's surrounded by the ocean," Heisuke answers. "Even if there are a few deserts that exist on our world, we never got the chance to see it for ourselves."
"You sure we're heading in the right direction?" Okita asks, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Yep. See those strange clouds?" I ask, recognizing the said clouds. "That's where the Cave of Wonders is."
(3rd) POV:
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Cave of Wonders, Pete walks inside, looking for something.
(Harmony's) POV:
The heat was a lot more unbearable than we thought. But thanks to the strange clouds, we receive some shade that helps protect us from the sun's rays. Not only that, but we soon make it to the entrance of the Cave of Wonders.
"This is it!" Iago declares.
"That's the Cave of Wonders?"Hijikata asks.
"Wait til you see the inside," says Luke.
We walk through the entrance, down the steps, and find ourselves in a sand-filled room with oddly cube-shaped blocks on the ground. The place definitely seems to look a lot different from what I remember. We even end up fighting a lot of Heartless along the way. But despite how different the place looks, we need to keep going to find something that might be valuable enough to buy that lamp.
At some point, we reach another room with water floating upward. There's even a golden statue in the shape of a huge monkey, with a large pink jewel floating above our heads.
"You think that gem might be enough for the peddler?" Mieu asks.
"No, there's usually more treasure than this," Aladdin points out.
"But there's nothing but a dead end," says Harada.
Chibi barks near the statue, gaining our attention.
"He says he wants to show us something," Iago says, making us turn to him in confusion. "What? I'm a parrot, aren't I? Which means I can totally understand what your little doggie is saying."
"He's a wolf pup," I correct, earning a whine of agreement from Chibi.
"Whatever," says Iago.
We walk towards the statue, and see that the pedestal in front of the statue has a gap in it.
"It seems something is supposed to be placed here," Saito says.
"Maybe that gem. If we place it on the pedestal, maybe something will happen," Asch suggests.
Abu, who was sitting on Aladdin's shoulder, becomes extremely curious of the gem's sparkles. So, he leaps off of Aladdin's shoulder and grabs the gem.
"Abu! No!" Aladdin yells.
Suddenly, the water that was flowing upward ceases, revealing walls and statues. More statues appear on both sides and icicles fall from the ceiling, nearly hitting Abu. Abu avoids the icicle, but more keep falling. And as if that wasn't bad enough, waves of water move towards us, preventing us from getting anywhere near the statue.
"Uh, Harmony? What was that you said again, about this place being filled with traps?" Heisuke asks.
"I'm starting to think that peddler was right about you putting a leash on that monkey," Okita points out to Aladdin, who nervously chuckles.
"Abu, you've got to get that gem to the pedestal," I call out. All I receive is Abu's squeaking, as he tries to avoid getting hit by the icicles. "He's too scared."
Chibi barks. "He says he's going to help Abu get to the other side," Iago translates.
Chibi runs towards the monkey, and has Abu get on his back, along with the gem. Then Chibi heads for the statue, while avoiding the icicles. Once they make it to the other side, Abu places the gem into the pedestal. Everything else then stops as the statue glows really bright and disappears, revealing a secret passage.
"Way to go, Chibi!" I exclaim as the said wolf pup jumps in my arms and gives me lots of wolf kisses.
"Nice going, Abu," Aladdin congratulates as the monkey hops on Aladdin's shoulder.
"Guess it pays to have animal partners," Nagakura says, stroking Chibi's head.
With that, my friends and I head further in. I'm not sure what other traps lie in waiting for us. All I know is that it's too late to turn back now. We've come this far, so we might as well see this through to the end.