Rose watched as Pascal hung onto Hamuel, flying through the sky. They rammed into Max, who flung them into the back of the carriage Rapunzel, Catalina, Kierra, Varian, and Rose sat on.

Rapunzel went to Pascal and Hamuel's aid. "Oop! Careful you two. We don't want to break this stuff before we get to Neserdnia."

"That's right, 'cause once me and Catalina return this last sack of stolen loot, we will have finally put our thieving days behind us!" Kierra said.

"I can't wait to get my hands on a copper-plated alembic from the Neserdnian market!" Varian exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. "Do you have any idea how many poly-alchemical subtraction tests I'll be able to run?"

"Anyone wanna switch seats with me?" Kierra grumbled.

Varian narrowed his eyes at her. "Hmm."

"We're happy to have you along, Varian. And you, Rose," she added. "Plus, I'm hoping once Max and Rudiger spend some time together, they can finally become friends."

Rose watched as Rudiger scampered up a tree, grabbed an apple, and shoved a pinecone in Max's mouth. He suddenly stopped, glaring at Rudiger as he bragged about the apple.

Then Max ran after Rudiger, causing the carriage to turn at awkward angles. They all held on for dear life, and soon Max stopped, the apple in his mouth, and Rudiger on the other end.

"Whoa. What happened?" Rapunzel asked.

Catalina crawled into the back of the cart. "What is this? I don't remember stealing it." She held up a necklace that had a pink shell on the end of it.

Rapunzel, Kierra, and Rose turned to see what she had.

"Oh. Whatever it is, it's beautiful," Rapunzel said.

"And I bet it's pretty valuable," Kierra added.

"Uh, gang, hi, hello, speaking of valuables, we might wanna stow the loot," Varian said. "We're coming up on Deadman's Curve. Yeah, it's a hotbed of highway robbery."

Rose laughed as Varian hid behind Rapunzel's hair.

"Relax, V," Angry said, "Real thieves don't spend their time on here. It's mostly for hacks and knuckleheads." She knocked on her own head.

A guy jumped out of the bushes. "Hand over the goods."

"Hi, Dwayne," Rapunzel, Kierra, and Catalina said in unison.

"Ah, nuts. Hello, princess," Dwayne said.

"Dwayne, what did we talk about last time you were caught trying to steal?" Rapunzel asked.

Dwayne looked down in embarrassment, kicking a rock. "Don't do it. I promise. I'll never steal again. In fact, I'm gonna look for an honest job right now. Nice running into you. Enjoy your trip!" Then he disappeared into another bush.

The carriage moved forward in a sudden jolt, and Rose looked to see Max chasing after Rudiger again. From up on her shoulder, Benton held onto Rose's shirt, careful not to fall off.

They circled around a tree as Rudiger climbed up it.

"Guys, cut it out!" Rapunzel yelled. They stopped, Max glaring at Rudiger as the raccoon held up the apple.

"Rudiger, get down here!" Varian shouted.

Pascal then stole the apple, but tripped over Hamuel and fell to the ground. The apple rolled out of his grip. Benton then scrambled down to the ground to get a sniff of the apple.

Hamuuel took the shell necklace and pierced the apple, bringing it towards him. Then all the animals started fighting over the apple.

"Enough!" Rapunzel yelled, causing all the animals to freeze. "Maybe it's time for you all to just shake hands and get along. I mean, shake hoof and tail or beak and paw-- is that what raccoons have? Paws?" she asked Varian. "I can never remember if it's paws or feet. Oh, well, just shake what you've got and get on with it."

Hamuel started chewing on the necklace, and Rudiger ran forward to grab the apple. A sudden burst of light came from the shell, engulfing Rapunzel, Kierra, Catalina, Varian, and Rose. They landed in a room full of pillows.

From the window up above, there came a giant eye that looked surprisingly like Hamuel's.

"Okay," Rapunzel started to say, "Either we've somehow been magically shrunk down and imprisoned inside the shell pendant..."

"Or?" Catalina asked.

"Or... Yeah, sorry. I was hoping I'd think of something more positive sounding by the time I finished that thought, but I've got nothing."

"It's okay! It's okay!" Rapunzel said, standing up. "We'll find a way out of here. We have been in much worse situations. Definitely not weirder, but worse."

"What have I ever done to deserve this?" Kierra whined.

"Di-didn't you steal from, you know, dozens of people?" Varian asked.

"Oh, right. We're doomed." She picked up a pillow and threw it at Varian, but was caught by Rose. She threw the pillow with all her might, but it was taken by Rapunzel. Rose glared at her.

"Chin up, guys! I bet Max and the others are already on their way to get help. I'm sure we'll be free in no time."

Rose wobbled from underneath Kierra. Catalina was on top of her, while Varian was below Rose, and Rapunzel was at the very bottom.

"Well, what can you see?" Rapunzel asked.

"Um, it looks like we're moving," Catalina responded.

"Wh-where is Max taking us?" Varian asked.

"Ugh. Max isn't the one carrying us. Dwayne is."

"Hey, Catalina. Do you think you could push that jewel out of its setting?"

"Oh, yeah. Good idea," Varian said. "Good. If you can, you might be able to squeeze through that opening."

"I'll give it a try," Catalina said. She tried pushing the gem. "It's in there pretty good."

"Almost got it!" The jewel finally budged.

"Geat job, Catalina!" Rapunzel praised.

"Can you fit?" Rose asked.

"I'll try."

Eventually, they got down. Rose watched as Varian got caught in a banner, and landed upside down. He suddenly gasped.

"Guys, look!" He pushed himself forward so that he was standing upright. They all gathered around him. There was a golden plate on the floor. "Wow. This-it appears to be some sort of ancient chirography. Yeah! Mionotion, perhaps? No, no. Maybe early Saporian?"

Rose giggled. She could read it, even upside down. "You're looking at it upside down."

"Oh right. Of course."

Rapunzel walked over to the other side of the plaque to read it. "'You are now prisoner of the shell. To escape its curse you must return it to the briny deep of the sea, or remain inside of it evermore.'"

"Uh, how can we return the shell to the sea when we're stuck inside of it?" Catalina inquired.

Rose sighed.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Kierra said, "We're doomed!"

"Hey, don't forget, doom upside down is whoop!" Rapunzel said. Rose had to think about that for a moment. "And while you think about that, think about this: Our friends are still out there. Max is the best tracker in Corona! And he's probably on Dwayne's tail as we speak.

"And Pascal is really, really smart," Catalina added.

"Plus," Varian jumped up onto a rise in the floor. "Rudiger can be surprisingly resourceful."

"Benton can also be pretty nimble," Rose said.

"Anybody wanna say anything nice about the bird?" Kierra asked. Varian whistled as everyone looked away.

"Ugh! No trap doors, no secret passages, not even a hidden compartment," Rapunzel observed. "What kind of enchanted talisman is this?"

"Looks like we're gonna be here for the rest of our lives," Kierra said.

"I call this couch!" Catalina jumped onto a nearby sofa. "Hey! Maybe it won't be that bad after all--Ew." She picked up a skull that was underneath the pillow she sat on, then ran up to Varian and Rose.

"Hi, roomies! My name's Scully. I got a bone to pick with you." She put the bird skull up to their faces, talking in a different voice. Varian put his arm up to her while Rose raised an eyebrow at her. Kierra came running up to them. "Let me try!"

"Why? You wanna tickle everybody's funny bone?"

Rapunzel put her hand over the skull. "Scully, shhh! Do you hear that?"

Above, there was a distant voice. "Who's gonna sell the necklace for a fortune? Dwayne is! That's me. I say D-W-A-N-uh, I mean, D-W-A-Y-N-E."

Kierra put a hand to her face. "Oh, brother."

"Guys, don't you get it?" Rapunzel said. "If we can hear him, he can hear us. We just need to make our voices louder." She picked up an item that had a smaller hole on one end and a bigger hole on the other. "Hello!"

"Is someone there?" Dwayne asked.

"Listen, you bone-headed-weasel!" Kierra yelled.

"Angry, give it back," Rapunzel said.

"Who's angry? Give back what?" Dwayne quizzed.

"We're not going to get him to bring us to the sea by insulting him," Rapunzel explained.

"Wait. Insult who?"

"You know, something tells me he's not going to do it if we ask him nicely either," Varian whispered.

"You're right," Rapunzel said. "Dwayne! This is your subconscious."

"Huh?" Dwayne said, confused. "Sub-what now?"

"Your subconscious. You know, your innermost self? That little voice inside your head?"

"Oh, I don't understand," Dwayne pouted.

"Just listen!" Rapunzel shouted. "You need to drop the pendant into the sea."

"Well, why? This thing is worth a fortune!"

"It is. Uh, but it's a-a magic pendant. If you throw it into the sea, it will grow, uh, ten times as big and be worth so much more."

"Uh, I don't know..."

"Might be time for some reverse psychology," Rapunzel said to the others.

"I honestly don't think forward psychology would work on this guy," Rose admitted.

"You're right, Dwayne. Don't do it. Let the lucky crook you sell it to do it. That way he can get rich."

"Why, that backstabbing jerk!" Dwayne fumed. "No one double-crosses Dwayne!" The thief walked over to a nearby cliff that stretched over the sea.

"That's it, Dwayne. You're almost there."

They watched out the window as the churning waves rushed beneath them.

"Oh! He's actually doing it!" Catalina said.

Then suddenly, a giant eye came into view of the window. It was Pascal!

"Oh, be careful Pascal!" Rapunzel said.

"Pascal? My name's Dwayne. I'm beginning to think you're not my-my sub-sub... that thing you said."

Then the shell started shaking, and glimpses came throughout the window of different things; trees, the ground, an animal. They were obviously moving, and at a fast pace.

Dwayne laughed. "That's right. No dumb animal is ever going to catch Dwayne-" Then he yelled, and they watched as the ground got farther and farther away.

"Wow. Did not see that coming," Rapunzel said.

"Looks like we can officially count the animals out of our rescue plan," Kierra said, looking out of the jewel. They were stacked on top of each other again, but Kierra and Catalina had switched places.

"Guys, I have been in a lot of situations like this," Rapunzel said. "Well, not like this. I mean, how often does a person get stuck inside a trinket? But the important thing is we can never give up hope on our friends. Max is a top-notch guard. He just needs to learn that a great leader has to listen as well as give orders. In other words, he has to learn how to play well with others. They all do.

"Each one of those guys has something special about them. Pascal may be small but he's mighty. And also adorable." Rapunzel chuckled. "Rudiger is cunning, and loyal. And Benton is skillful, and quick. If they could just come together, they would be unstoppable."

Everyone jumped back down to ground level

"I couldn't help but notice you forgot to mention the bird," Kierra stated.

"Oh! I didn't forget," Rapunzel gave a nervous smile.

"But Princess, even if those guys got their act together, how would they find us all the way up here?" Catalina asked.

"You're right." Rapunzel looked around, then walked over to a hanging banner. She turned towards Catalina. "Did you say your finger was normal sized when it was outside the shell?"

Catalina nodded, wiggling her index finger.

After a little bit of work, the lanterns were ready.

"Great idea, Princess!" Varian said, holding one of the balloons. "Nothing like a little alchemical pizzaz to get their attention." He threw it up into the air, and as soon as it had left the shell, it grew to great size. There were explosions outside as the lanterns exploded, and fireworks erupted throughout the sky.

Rapunzel peered out the gem. "It's Rudiger, Benton, and Pascal!"

"Hey!" Varian yelled.

"Yes!" Rapunzel exclaimed with a laugh.

Squaking came from behind, and Rudiger fell off the cliff they hung from.

"No! Rudiger!" Varian shouted. Then the raccoon hovered above them, hanging onto Hamuel. A vulture flew after them, and they disappeared down the cliff. "Oh, we're doomed."

"Varian, wait!" Rapunzel gasped. "Wait, wait! This is part of their plan." The shell moved as Pascal and Benton picked the necklace up.

Dwaye reached out for Pascal, but knocked over the branch they hung on. Together, they fell down the cliff side. Rose closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting for the impact.

Then they stopped, and Rose opened her eyes to see Rapunzel hanging her hair out of the gem's opening.

"Nice shot, Rapunzel!" Kierra exclaimed.

"I gotta admit," Rapunzel exhaled a deep breath. "That was pretty close."

They watched as Max threw the necklace into the sea, and a yellow light erupted from the pendant. Rapunzel emerged from the necklace, soon followed by the others. Max galloped around them, the other animals hanging onto him.

"You did it! Woo-hoo!" Rapunzel gave Max a hug. "I knew this trip was gonna be good for you guys."

Rudiger held out an apple, and soon jumped off of Max, the other animals following behind him. The others followed after them at a slower pace.

"Well, it looks like it was a happy ending for everyone, right Scully?" Catalina took out the skull again. "You can say that again."

"By the way, anyone see what happened to Dwayne?" Kierra asked. Rapunzel, Varian, and Rose stopped to look at each other. Oops.