Love at First Sprite

(Setting: daytime, in the sky high above Agrabah. Aladdin and Carpet are are flying through the clouds, doing elaborate flips.)

Aladdin: That was flying! What do you say, Carpet? Let's catch a star!

(Carpet gives him a thumbs-up, and they fly even higher into the sky, so high that they can see stars.)

Aladdin: We've never been up this high.

(Something flies past that looks like a shooting star, but then it suddenly changes direction. It flies into a cloud, where there are several other glowing lights. There are muttering sounds, as if they are talking to each other, then all of the lights fly out of the cloud together.)

(Setting: the palace, in the dining room. The room is completely trashed, and there are the sounds of Iago and Abu fighting and dishes being broken. Genie appears and looks around.)

Iago: You uncivilized little simian! I'll teach you etiquette if I have to ram it down your throat!

(The two notice Genie and stop fighting. They are holding a broken plate and vase.)

Iago: I know how this looks…

Genie: I'll be the judge of how it looks!

(Genie splits into three versions of himself; one looks normal, one is a beatnik, and the third is a snooty-looking woman in a fur coat.)

Genie (woman): The style is so primitive. And yet the piece does speak to me.

Genie (beatnik): Speak? No, wait, it screams. It screams of the eternal struggle.

Genie (woman): Hmm, bold interpretation.

Genie: I say it screams of sloppy eating and bad manners!

Iago: We have a perfectly good explanation for this. Um…

(Jasmine and Sultan are now standing over them.)

Jasmine: Don't you always? Go ahead.

(Abu starts chattering something in monkey-speech and then belches.)

Iago: Well, uh, we were guarding the banquet and, uh, we saw the dreaded hemogoblin!

Genie (woman): (sarcastic) Please!

Jasmine: The dreaded hemogoblin?

Iago: Yeah, yeah! And he was eating food and trashing the place and howling for the sultan's blood!

(Abu acts all this out.)

Sultan: Oh, my word!

Genie (beatnik): (sarcastic) Oh, right.

(The three Genies combine back into one.)

Iago: The vicious fangs! The sabre-sharp claws! It was risky, but we took 'im on.

Jasmine: (rolling her eyes) How brave.

Sultan: Oh my, yes!

Iago: It was nothin'.

Jasmine: (sarcastic) Oh, no! You two deserve medals!

Sultan: Yes, medals! (holds medals out for Abu and Iago)

Jasmine: For the most ridiculous fabrication I've ever heard!

Sultan: So there's… no hemogoblin?

Jasmine: (whispering) No, Father.

Sultan: (sigh) Quite a relief, I'd say.

(Aladdin and Carpet fly into the room.)

Aladdin: Jasmine, you should've seen us! We went up higher than ever! Way to fly, rug-man! (high-fives Carpet) Uh, what happened here?

Genie: Meet Hurricane Abu and Tropical Disturbance Iago.

Aladdin: I'm sorry, Sultan. (sigh) We've talked about this before, guys! I guess it's no more palace for you two!

(Abu and Iago grovel at Sultan's feet.)

Iago: Have mercy, your highness!

Sultan: (chuckling) Oh, I think they've learned their lesson, Aladdin.

Aladdin: Yeah, well they can review the lesson while they clean up this mess!

(Carpet hands Iago and Abu a broom each.)

(Setting: the dining room, a little while later. Abu and Iago are sweeping up the mess. The group of glowing lights that Aladdin and Carpet flew past earlier are now just outside the palace, looking into the dining room.)

Iago: You always have to turn eating into a contact sport!

(Abu chatters angrily at Iago.)

Iago: Less talk, more sweep!

(Abu sees the lights outside out of the corner of his eye, but they duck out of sight when he turns around.)

Iago: Quit goofing off!

(Abu attacks Iago with his broom. The lights make a giggling sound.)

(Setting: that night, in Jasmine's room. Jasmine is in bed, sleeping. The lights fly into her room. One lands behind a necklace on Jasmine's vanity, and when we see it close up we can see it is a fuzzy blue and green fairy-like creature with wings on its back. Another of the creatures, this one pink, jumps in a container of powder makeup nearby.)

(The creatures squeeze under Jasmine's door and fly out into the hallway. They each find objects like statues, furniture, vases, etc. and fly around them so rapidly that they can only be seen as halos of light, causing these objects to levitate. The blue and green creature whistles at the others, who all drop the objects they're levitating, breaking them, and fly over to him.)

(They all then fly into Sultan's bedroom. One flies over by Sultan's face and starts pulling on his moustache. This wakes him up, but the creatures all manage to fly away before Sultan sees them, dropping anything they're holding and sending the objects crashing to the ground.)

Sultan: What?!

(Setting: the next day, in the throne room. Sultan is scolding Iago and Abu while Carpet and Aladdin watch.)

Sultan: Iago! Abu! I am dreadfully disappointed!

Iago: But we're innocent!

Abu: Uh huh! Uh huh!

Sultan: Silence! (points at Aladdin) And you, Aladdin. I am afraid I must hold you responsible for their hijinks!

(One of the creatures flies up to Sultan and steals his hat.)

Aladdin: Huh?

(Aladdin and Sultan are confused, wondering where the hat went. Only Carpet sees the creature fly away with the hat and hide behind the throne. Carpet flies after it.)

Sultan: Iago! Abu! Such impertinence, even in my presence? You two—

(Carpet steals the hat back and brings it back to Sultan.)

Sultan: Carpet? You? You did this?

(Carpet mimes that it wasn't him.)

Sultan: Ooh, this is highly… (trails off)

(Carpet points up, then starts flying in a circle, trying to mimic one of the creatures flying around an object to levitate it.)

Aladdin: What's he trying to tell us?

Genie: Oh, boy! Charades! You're spinning! You're in a whirlpool! A vortex! You're in a time vortex! I remember that episode…

(Carpet gives up and mimes slapping his forehead.)

Sultan: What has gotten into him?

(Setting: a hallway in the palace later that day. Carpet is walking through the hallway, moping, when he comes upon a group of the glowing creatures. He hides himself under a vase, looking like a normal rug. One of the creatures flies over to him.)

Creature: Ooh, pretty!

(The creature starts to levitate the vase, and Carpet jumps up and wraps himself around the vase and the creature.)

Creature: Hey! Let me go! Let me go!

(Setting: Jasmine's room. The rest of Aladdin's friends are there, looking at the mess that was made the previous night.)

Aladdin: Whoa… I can't believe Carpet did this!

Jasmine: He's always been the perfect gentleman.

Iago: Yeah, saw it coming a mile away. It's always the quiet guy that snaps.

(Carpet flies in, still rolled up. He drops the vase on the floor, and it smashes.)

Aladdin: What's going on, Carpet?

(Carpet unrolls, releasing the fairy-like creature. Aladdin picks it up by its wing.)

Jasmine: What is it?

Aladdin: Is this what made the mess? But how? It's so tiny.

(The creature whimpers, and Jasmine takes it from Aladdin.)

Jasmine: Shh. (pets it) We won't hurt you. Are you all alone?

Creature: Well…

(The rest of the creatures fly into the room and surround Jasmine.)

Creatures: Hello!

Jasmine: Oh, my!

Genie: What are they?

Yellow sprite: We're sprites! What're you?

Genie: Comic relief, mainly.

(The sprites lift up Jasmine's hair.)

Jasmine: They're… they're beautiful.

Aladdin: See? We're friends.

Pink sprite: Yeah, you're our friends! Our bestest friends!

Green sprite: Bestest in the whole world!

(Two sprites start pulling Aladdin's arm.)

Sprites: What's this over here?

Aladdin: Huh?

Blue sprite: Hey, what's that? (points at Carpet)

Aladdin: Oh, that's Carpet. He flies.

Green sprite: Doesn't everybody?

Iago: Oh, just what this group needed. More cuteness.

(Setting: Sultan's toy room. Aladdin and his friends have brought the sprites to meet Sultan. Two sprites start flying around Sultan rapidly, then crash into each other.)

Sultan: (laughs) What charming little fellows! Uh, what are they?

Jasmine: Extremely curious.

(Two sprites carry a recorder up to Aladdin.)

Green sprite: What is this? Tell us, friend! What is this?

Aladdin: Uh, you blow in it to make music.

(A pink sprite blows into the recorder, and several other sprites' heads pop out of the finger holes.)

(Two sprites start pulling on Genie's cheeks until he's making a funny face.)

Yellow sprite: Ew, you're not pretty!

(A green sprite flies up to Genie with a paintbrush and paints a big black moustache on Genie.)

Yellow sprite: That's better!

Pink sprite: Hey, friends, show us more!

Aladdin: Okay, okay!

Sprites: Yay!

(The sprites follow Aladdin and Jasmine out of the room.)

(Setting: that night, in Aladdin's hovel. The sprites follow a very tired looking Aladdin and Abu inside.)

Aladdin: Well, this is home. Try to leave it in one piece. (yawns) Long day.

Abu: Uh huh!

Genie: Sleep well, Al. If they let you. (goes into his lamp) Hey hey hey hey! You're not supposed to drink out of that! (there's the sound of a toilet flushing and two sprites fly out of the lamp)

(Aladdin pulls a blanket over himself and closes his eyes.)

Pink sprite: Wanna play a game?

Aladdin: No, it's time to sleep.

Pink sprite: Are you asleep yet?

Aladdin: No.

Pink sprite: Are you asleep now?

Aladdin: Yes.

Pink sprite: When will you be done being asleep?

Aladdin: When the sun comes up.

(The sprite curls up on Aladdin's head and goes to sleep.)

(Setting: the hovel the next morning, just as the sun is coming up.)

Sprites: (pulling Aladdin's hair) Sun, sun! Wake, wake!

Aladdin: (sigh) Morning already? (looks outside) Hey, it's not! (lies back down)

Pink sprite: Yes it is! The sun's coming up! Almost. Sort of.

(Some sprites pick up the sleeping Abu.)

Blue sprite: Come on, let's play, let's play!

Abu: Huh? (chatters and squirms until they let him go)

Green sprite: Time to play now, birdie! (opens one of Iago's eyes)

Iago: Get away from me or I will not be responsible for my actions!

(Aladdin starts to nod off again.)

Sprite: Hey, hey!

Aladdin: I'm up! I'm up!

(Setting: the palace garden, later that day. Iago and Jasmine are sitting beside the fountain, both looking very tired.)

Iago: No rest for you, either?

Jasmine: (sigh) Up at the crack of dawn.

Iago: I want them to leave and not come back!

(Two sprites fly by pulling a kite, while Sultan runs after them, almost out of breath.)

Sultan: Not my kite! Be careful!

(A pink sprite is near Aladdin, holding an apple.)

Aladdin: Come on, I'm really hungry!

Pink sprite: Can't get your apple!

(Aladdin tries to take the apple, but the pink sprite throws it to a blue one.)

Blue sprite: Can't get your apple!

Yellow sprite: Can't get your apple!

(Carpet flies down and grabs the apple and offers it to Aladdin.)

Aladdin: Thanks, Carpet.

(As Aladdin is about to take the apple, the blue sprite swoops down and steals it again.)

Blue sprite: I got your apple!

(The sprites continue to play keep-away with the apple.)

Aladdin: (sigh) Never mind, I'll get one myself.

(Aladdin walks over to an apple tree and tries unsuccessfully to jump up to grab an apple. Carpet flies over and picks an apple for him.)

Aladdin: You're a pal, Carp— What?!

(Some sprites start flying rapidly around Aladdin's waist, levitating him.)

Aladdin: I'm… I'm flying? Look! I'm flying by myself! (swooping through the air) Wow!

Genie: Look, ma! No carpet!

(Carpet drops the apple and looks forlorn.)

Aladdin: Hey, look! (flies around the fountain) I'm good.

Pink sprite: (to Jasmine) You can fly, too! (starts levitating Jasmine)

Jasmine: This is wonderful! (does flips in the air)

(Some other sprites start levitating Sultan.)

Sultan: Oh, oh my! (laughs)

(A sprite heads towards Iago, who bats it away.)

Iago: Beat it, I can fly already!

(Abu runs away from the sprites.)

(Aladdin and Jasmine dance through the air, while Sultan spins at the top of the fountain.)

Sultan: Oh, goodness gracious! Oh, this is quite extraordinary!

(Carpet walks back toward the palace sadly.)

Aladdin: Forgot I was hungry. (picks an apple out of the tree; Jasmine steals it) Huh?

Jasmine: An apple for me? Why thank you. (takes a bite and throws it back) Just try and catch me. Let's go! (flies up higher)

(Genie appears next to Aladdin.)

Aladdin: Hey, where's Carpet? Maybe he wants to race, too.

Genie: Aw, he's probably working on his charades routine. Frankly, it could use a little work.

Jasmine: What're you waiting for?

Genie: (as an astronaut) Prepare for ignition!

Aladdin: Yeah!

Genie: Blast off!

(Genie and Aladdin fly up into the air after Jasmine.)

Sultan: Wait for me!

(They fly up to the height Aladdin and Carpet reached at the beginning of the episode, above the clouds where you can see the stars.)

Sultan: Whoopsie-day!

Genie: (as an astronaut) Mission control, we have obtained sub-orbital altitude.

(Setting: a hallway in the palace.)

Iago: They're gone! Those annoying little sprites are really gone!

Abu: Woohoo!

(Carpet walks around a corner, still looking sad.)

Abu: Huh?

Iago: Uh, hey, rug, why so glum? Oh, I get it. No longer the apple of everybody's eye? Carpet flying is old hat now? Cheer up! As long as people have dirty boots you'll have a valuable role to play in life… as a doormat. So they're having fun with those sprites and leaving you all alone? Leaving us all alone… Party! (dances with Abu) Wait wait wait! You know what happens if we mess up this place. (imitates Aladdin) No more palace for you two!

Abu: Oh…

Iago: But… we could have a civilized party.

Abu: Yeah!

Iago: (with a posh accent) My good mammal, shall we sup?

(Abu and Iago walk away, arm in arm. Carpet follows them.)

(Setting: up in the sky high above Agrabah. It's now dusk, and they are still flying around and playing with the sprites.)

Jasmine: (giggling) You're it! You missed me!

Pink sprite: (tags Aladdin) You're it!

(A sprite has stolen Sultan's hat, and he is chasing after it.)

Sultan: Come back here, you rapscallion!

Genie: (covering his eyes) …98, 99, 100! Ready or not, here I come! All right, where are you? I'll find you all!

Green sprite: (honking Genie's nose) Found!

(Aladdin flies past Jasmine at a dangerous speed, almost knocking her down.)

Jasmine: Aladdin!

Aladdin: Sorry, it's the sprites! Uh, I guess you're it!

Pink sprite: She is it! Let's go!

(Aladdin swoops past Jasmine again and flies up even higher.)

Jasmine: (annoyed) Aladdin!

Yellow sprite: Get him!

Jasmine: I don't want to! Oh!

(The sprites carry her up into the air after Aladdin.)

(Setting: the palace dining room. Abu and Iago are sitting at the table with bowls of soup.)

Iago: Well, old chimp, din-din is served. We don't have to behave like animals, right?

(Abu picks up his bowl and starts drinking out of it. Iago grabs him, knocking the soup over and knocking Abu's hat into it.)

Iago: Abu! Please! Make use of the flatware.

(Iago scoops Abu's fez out of the soup with his spoon. Abu takes it and puts it on his head, dripping soup on himself. Abu is starting to get angry. Carpet is also sitting in front of a bowl of soup, looking sad and bored. Abu then walks over to a roast chicken and pulls off the drumstick. He's about to take a bite when Iago takes it away from him.)

Iago: Hairy elbows off the table! Did you wash your paws? So why did I— Oh, that does it! You'd think you'd never been to a fine banquet with—

(Abu dumps his soup over Iago's head.)

Iago: Ow!

(Abu laughs and runs away.)

Iago: You uncivilized little simian!

(Abu throws food at Iago.)

Iago: (chasing Abu) I forbid you to throw the flambé! Oh, that does it!

(Carpet flies out the window while the other two continue to fight.)

(Setting: up in the sky. Sultan is still chasing the sprite with his hat.)

Sultan: Give me that! Come back! (pulls the hat away from the sprite and puts it on) I think it's time we returned to the palace.

Aladdin: Maybe we can play more tomorrow.

Pink sprite: No!

Blue sprite: Can't go!

Pink sprite: Stay!

Blue sprite: Have to stay!

Genie: You just have to take a firm hand. Let the little glow-brats know who's boss. (grows to a giant size) Genie says, your fun is over!

(Sprites start flying around Genie in all directions. Genie laughs as if he is being tickled.)

Genie: Stop!

Aladdin: Genie, are you okay?

Genie: (laughing) I'm afraid not, Al!

Aladdin: What's wrong?

(The sprites have tied Genie into a giant knot.)

Genie: I'm a frayed knot, Al.

(The sprites surround Aladdin and Jasmine and look at them ominously.)

Yellow sprite: Aladdin stay and play with us! Aladdin never leave! Never! Ever! Ever!

Aladdin: There's no way you can keep us here! We are going home! Now!

Yellow sprite: Okay…

(The sprites levitating Aladdin drop him.)

Aladdin: Aah!

Jasmine: No!

Aladdin: No!

Pink sprite: (giggles) Just kidding.

(Some sprites fly down and catch Aladdin and levitate him back up with the others.)

Pink sprite: You need us. And we need you!

Green sprite: To have fun!

Aladdin: (sigh) We're trapped. Our only hope is that Iago and Abu realize something's wrong.

(Setting: Sultan's toy room. Iago is chasing Abu and throwing clay pots at him.)

Iago: Terror from above! Ha ha!

(Setting: the sky.)

Sultan: Now now now, enough is enough. Our home is down there, in the palace.

Green sprite: We understand.

(The sprites combine into a large glowing ball and fly down, away from them.)

Sultan: Stop! Where are you… Where are they going?

(The sprites fly around the palace and levitate it up.)

Genie: (trying to untie himself) I've got it… I've got it… (knots himself up in a different way) I don't got it.

(The sprites have now brought the palace up above the clouds.)

Sultan: Oh my!

Aladdin: Oh boy!

Jasmine: Oh no.

Pink sprite: Now you have your palace you never have to leave!

(They all fly into the dining room and see Iago and Abu fighting.)

Abu: Uh oh…

Iago: Heh, back so soon?

Aladdin: I'll deal with you two later. (the sprites drop him on the floor; yells at the sprites) What is wrong with you guys?!

Green sprite: You're not happy?

Aladdin: No, I'm not happy! We live on the ground, not up here!

(The sprites drop Jasmine and Sultan as well.)

Green sprite: We don't like you anymore!

(The sprites fly away from them.)

Aladdin: Oh… wait!

Sultan: Don't feel badly, my boy. Maybe now they'll let us go.

Genie: (to Jasmine) You don't know shiatsu massage by any chance, do you?

(There's a loud booming sound.)

Jasmine: What was that?

Pink sprite: They shouldn't be so mean!

Green sprite: They'll be sorry!

(The sprites stop levitating the palace, and it starts to fall towards the ground. Genie, now unknotted, flies outside and grows to a giant size.)

Genie: I've lifted this palace before! (tries to catch the palace, but it's falling too fast)

(Carpet is walking along the streets of Agrabah. He looks up and sees the palace falling.)

Genie: It's not that heavy or anything, it's just an awkward shape!

Sprite: (laughing) That'll teach 'em! Yeah! What do we play now?

(Carpet flies up to the sprites and hits them.)

Yellow sprite: Come back here! You can't do that!

(All the sprites start chasing after Carpet.)

(Inside the palace, Aladdin and his friends are stuck to the ceiling.)

Iago: We're gonna splatter all over the Seven Deserts!

(Genie is still trying to stop the palace's fall with no success. Carpet flies around and around the palace, with the sprites chasing after him.)

Sprites: No one's faster than us! It's a game, silly! Ooh, a race, a race!

(The sprites fly around the palace so fast that they start levitating it, bringing it safely to the ground.)

Genie: (pulling himself out from under the palace) Smart, Carpet.

Aladdin: Carpet!

Sprite: (to Carpet) You tricked us! The palace was supposed to crash!

Genie: You know, rug-man? You have a good head on your shoulders. Uh, if you had either, that is.

Sprites: We're mad at you!

(The sprites fly at Aladdin and try to levitate him. He runs away and jumps off the balcony, where Carpet catches him.)

Aladdin: Thanks, Carpet. Let's show them how you fly!

(The sprites chase them through the city.)

Aladdin: Go, Carpet, go! You know what to do, Carpet!

(Aladdin jumps off Carpet. Half the sprites dive after Aladdin, the other half follow Carpet. Carpet then swoops down and catches Aladdin, and the two groups of sprite crash into each other, creating what looks like fireworks.)

Abu: Wow!

Iago: Yeah, it has kind of a terrible beauty, doesn't it?

Sprites: (falling out of the sky) Ouch! Ow! Ooh! Ow! You play too hard! We're tired! We're going home, goodbye! (they all fly away) 

(Aladdin and Carpet land on the balcony with the others.)

Jasmine: Carpet, you were wonderful.

Sultan: A most impressive display.

Aladdin: From now on, I'm leaving the flying to you.

Genie: (as an awards show presenter) In the category of Most Heroic Effort By a Magical Rug in a Pantomime Supporting Role (Adapted From Another Medium), the winner is… (opens an envelope)I don't believe this! Carpet!

(Balloons and confetti start falling from the ceiling.)

Iago: And I suppose we have to clean this up to?!

Genie: (zapping Abu and Iago into janitor outfits) Every speck, party animal.

(A spotlight focuses on Carpet, who gives a thumbs-up.)

THE END