Road to Corona

Chapter 1

Eugene walked into Rapunzel's room, and walked right into her! The two fell to the ground.

"Sorry, Eugene." Rapunzel apologized.

"No, no, I'm sorry." Eugene responded. He stood up, and helped the blonde princess to her feet.

"Thanks." She said.

"Before you go, when was the last time anyone here has been to market?" Rapunzel shrugged. "Don't know. Why?"

"Because the food's all gone." Rapunzel looked at him, shocked.

"Gone?" Eugene nodded.

"That's what I said."

"Well, why hasn't someone said anything?" Eugene shrugged.

"Don't know, but they're all gone now. Someone has to go to market."

"I can't go. I'm very busy doing princess stuff. What about you?"

"Busy doing stuff as well."

"I'll go ask my dad." Eugene nodded in agreement.

"You better, princess. I need my apple."

"Dad?" Rapunzel asked her father when she was in the throne room with him and her mother.

"Rapunzel?" Fredric questioned. "What is it?"

"Eugene said we no longer have any food."

"Well, that can't be good. Why hasn't anybody brought this up sooner?" Rapunzel shrugged.

"Don't know. Can maybe one of the guards go?" Fredric frowned.

"We're very short staff today. Both Pete and Stan are sick."

"Sick? Oh-no. Are they're okay?"

"They just need to rest, sweetie." Arianna answered. "Then they'll be good as new."

"That's good. But, who's going to get the food then?"

"Why don't you ask around?" Fredrick suggested. "Then you can start on with your duties." Rapunzel nodded.

"I'll do that." She then left.

She asked around the entire castle, but everyone was busy. The stressed princess told this to her fiancée.

"This is a problem then." Eugene said. "A very big problem indeed. We need to eat to survive."

"We still have water, and we can go a few days without food."

"But we will be weak. We need to have energy so that we can do our duties properly."

"I agree. I just don't know what to do."

"Hmmm, someone has to get us food. We need to think."

"I agree." They began to think. Eugene's stomach then growled.

"You know, this'll be easier with food inside of me."

"Eugene, shh! I'm thinking."

"Well, could you hurry? My stomach and the stomachs of the castle are at stake here."

"Shhh, Eugene. Now, there has to be at least somebody that's not too busy, and can spare some time."

"Okay, okay, sorry."

As the two were thinking, Pascal came into the room. The chamemeon accidently crawled all over Eugene's feet while passing. Eugene yelped, and looked mad at the animal. Pascal gave out a nervous face, and squeaked innocently Eugene picked up the reptile by his tail.

"Not cool, frog!" He scolded. "That hurt!"

"Shhh, Eugene." Rapunzel said, still thinking. "Can you please scold Pascal quieter?"

"Sorry, Blondie." He put him down again. Maximus then came trotting in. When he saw Pascal, he neighed. "Shhh, guys! Can you please be quiet? Rapunzel's trying to figure out who should go get our food from the marketplace." He looked at a mad Pascal. "And I'm sorry. I didn't know you two were playing Hide' n' Seek. I'm not a frog whisperer." Rapunzel then came up with something.

"I got it!" She said. "I must have been so stressed that we all can't go to market, that I forgot about the animals. Pascal and Maximus can go."

"The frog and the horse?" Eugene questioned.

"Certainly. They are more then capable at this job then we are. Plus, Pascal doesn't have to do much here anyways." She looked at the two animals, and told them the situation. Both Pascal and Maximus were delighted to get out of the castle. Pascal saluted, and Maximus gave out an assuring snort. Rapunzel was so happy that she hugged them both.

"Thank you!" She told them. "You two are the best."

"Rapunzel." Her father spoke from behind her. Rapunzel was so absorbed that she didn't see her father come in. She looked at him, and saw he was holding onto a piece of paper.

"Dad," She began. "Pascal and Maximus are going to get the things we need from the market."

"I see." He said. "Good. We don't have to worry about it." He showed the paper to the chameleon. "Here's the shopping list. Pascal, you are in charge of it. You make sure that you guys get everything from this list." He then offered him a pen. "And to help you, after you brought something, cross it off and move on, understand?" Pascal squeaked in understanding, and grabbed them both. "I'll get a bag, and fill it with money so that you can buy the food. It's too bad all of us humans are too busy so not even one can help you two out if there's any trouble."

"There won't be Dad," Rapunzel assured him. "You can trust them, right, guys?" The animals did their animal noises.

"Well, you two best be on your way then."

Outside the castle, Pascal and Maximus were both ready to go. A bag full of money was strapped onto Maximus's side. After Rapunzel wished them luck, and that she and the entire castle were counting on them, the two were on their way. They all waved and shouted their goodbyes to them. Rapunzel saw that her father was still worried about them.

"Dad, for the last time, they'll be fine. You have to trust them." King Fredrick looked at his daughter.

"I do trust them, Rapunzel. It's just that I'm worried what might happen to them. Corona's a big place. They could get lost, or the money might get stolen, or other bad stuff. With so many good people in Corona, there are also the bad people. I just want them to get back all in one piece."

"I want that too, Dad, and they will. You have to remember, Maximus makes sure that everyone does their jobs, and checks the castle. And Pascal is, well, Pascal. I known him since I was little staying in the tower. I know the both of them will get the job done." Fredrick smiled.

"If you say so. I hope you're right."

"I know I am."

"And if they don't come back," Eugene put in. "if they do get lost, we're send a search party after them, and never trust two animals by themselves to do a human's job ever again." Both Rapunzel and her dad looked at him. Eugene noticed. "What? Oh, come on, even you two must think deep down that something could go wrong with this. We could send a search party right now, except we're not, because we apparently trust them 100%, and all of us are extremely busy, or sick, or maybe just slacking off, I don't know. But let's say, something did go wrong, I'm not saying it will, but if it does, don't say I didn't tell you so."

Maximus and Pascal were now at the market. Pascal leaped out of the bag with the pen and paper, crawled on the horse's back, and showed him what they needed. Maximus nodded when he got it, and the horse slowly took off. Pascal looked around as well.

As soon as they got to a booth with the right food, Pascal showed the shopkeeper the list; he gave it to them, and collected the money from the bag. After one booth, they went to the next booth to the next, until they had everything checked off.

Maximus and Pascal were happy. They had got everything on the list with some money left over. They were about to go when all of a sudden, someone in a cloaked robe snatched the bag by ripping it off from Maximus's back. The animals gasped as the thief ran off. The horse was then determined, and took off after him. Pascal held on tight to Maximus' tail, trying to hold on.

"THIEF!" Someone shouted. "CATCH THAT MAN!" Some people ran after him, and some stepped away, too afraid to act otherwise. Pascal with one hand gripping a tuft of tail, stuck out his tongue, and it rubbed against the crook's ear. Disgusted, he rubbed it away, but kept running. Pascal did it again and again. The thief tried to ignore it, but couldn't. He bumped over some barrels to the ground. But Maximus was ready! The horse ran as fast he could, and jumped over all of them. Pascal was impressed as he held on tight to the horse's tail again, so were some of the humans. The horse then panicked as he felt like he was about to fall, and he did. Both animals screamed their animal sounds. They both fell to the ground, making bowls of fruit scatter all over. The thief looked at this scene, and laughed and laughed. Pascal and Maximus both weren't amused by this. Fortunately for them, the crook stepped on an orange, tried to balance, stepped on another one, and fell to the ground. This made both Pascal and Maximus laugh. The crook wasn't amused. He tried to get up, only to find people helping him up.

"Oh, thank you." He said. "This almost makes me want to return this stolen bag filled with money."

"Almost?" His first captor questioned. The crook gasped when he realized two cops helping him up! "How about it makes you want to return it?" Once up, the crook tried to escape, but was cuffed instead. The crook groaned.

"Oh, crud!" He cursed.

"'Oh, crud' is right." The second officer agreed. "You are under arrest." The crook tried to escape, but Maximus got to his feet, and glared at him. The thief panicked, and remained. He was then taken away. One of the market people picked up the bag, and saw that it was almost empty.

"Don't worry." He told them. "We'll get back everything you need again." Pascal showed him the list, and the man nodded. "Let me just retie this." He retied the bag on the horse's back.

"There." He said when done. "Now, let's get everything back."

"Okay," He said when everything they needed was in back in the bag. "You can go now." Pascal offered him some of the money. "Oh, no. You already paid." There's no need to pay again. Just clean them all really well, and then they'll be good as new, okay?" Pascal saluted. However, he still showed him the money. The man shook his head. "That's too kind of you, but I don't need the money. I advise you to get going before another crook comes, and the two will have to go though all this again. And I don't think you guys want that." The two shook their heads as Pascal jumped back into the bag, setting the money aside.

The two went off again as the people were waving and calling their goodbyes to them.

The animals were out of market when a rope lassoed Maximus' neck. The horse neighed out, and tried to escape, but couldn't. Pascal crawled onto Maximus's back again.

"Ha!" Someone cried out. Pascal looked, and gasped as he saw his friend's captor. "I got me a horse. My father told me I couldn't, but now I have. I have living proof!" Maximus tried to get away again when the man pulled him back. "Oh-no. I tried years and years back to my youth to impress my father by successfully wrangling a horse, and you are not going to ruin that for me! I don't care if someone else owns you, and I won't bother to check if they are nearby; your owner shouldn't have left you alone. You're coming with me!" Pascal grew mad, and squeaked loudly at him. The wrangler noticed him.

"I'm not interested in you, frog." He slapped the chameleon off. Maximus shouted for Pascal. The man pulled on the rope. Trying and failing once again, he finally gave up, and trotted off as he was being pulled away. "That's a nice horse. Don't worry, you are going to a nice place."

Pascal watched them, and turned red in anger. Why does nearly everyone think he was a frog? He looked nothing like a frog! In fact, they weren't even in the same animal group! And with that, he quickly went after them, hopped into the bag on the horse, and waited for them get to wherever they were going to.

They were led into a fort where they saw a horse being whipped in a corral. Both Pascal and Maximus couldn't believe it. The horse had bruises all over his coat! It was horrible to watch.

"Rebel still giving you trouble, Gus?" Maximus's wrangler asked. Gus looked at him, and sighed.

"Unfortunately yes, Chester." Gus answered. "We tried everything, but just like his name, Rebel is, well a rebel who won't cooperate with us."

"Put him away then," He ordered. "and attend to his wounds. If he doesn't obey soon, maybe my father will know what to do with him." Gus nodded, and led Rebel out of the stall. Pascal and Maximus watched as the poor horse was being pulled off, both feeling sorry for him. Chester pulled on Maximus's rope, and Maxims trotted after him again.

Maximus was led to a stable where he saw other trainers and horses. He was then led into his stall. Chester took off his saddle and set it aside on the stall wall. He went to get the bag. Pascal quickly hopped out, and blended to the tile floor so that he wouldn't be seen. Chester looked at Maximus.

"I'm going to get my father now." He said, and left with the bag. Pascal then reappeared, looking at his horse friend. They then heard a commotion, and looked. It was coming from Rebel's stall as Gus tried to attend to his wounds.

"Please, won't you relax?" Gus asked. "I'm only trying to help. Why do you have to be so difficult all the time, huh?" The horse didn't relax, and just kept on fighting. Gus sighed. He picked up a syringe, and jabbed it into the horse, sedating him. Once calm, he went to work on making the horse better again.

Pascal looked at Maximus again, and by his face, knew what the horse wanted. It was the same thing he wanted. They both wanted to get out of here and fast.