Summary: In order to save his family, Marco agrees to return to St. Olga's after its recapture and become Heinous' model princess. During his time there, he learns of a deeper, darker secret that lies underneath the surface of the school and just what Heinous is truly trying to accomplish.
"Hey there, little buddy," Marco cooed as he picked his baby brother up from the crib. "Having a good day? Did you miss me?" he asked happily, glad to see the child. He knew his brother was far too young to remember him, especially since he was not around that often, but he liked to believe the boy still knew he was family.
The baby gazed up at his namesake, babbling happily as he grabbed the draw strings to his brother's hoodie and pulled them into his mouth.
"Alright, let's get you some real food." Marco pulled the strings from Junior's mouth as he exited the nursery. Making his way downstairs to the kitchen, he suddenly felt the whole house shake.
Using one arm to grab the stair railings, he steadied himself as a thunderous crashing sound quickly followed, startling the young infant in his arms.
"Mom?! Dad?!" Marco called out worryingly, trying to soothe his crying brother as he raced down the stairs into the kitchen.
He gasped at the sight before him.
The room was in utter ruins with a gaping hole left where the north-facing wall once stood. Debris was scattered all over the place as his parents lay on the floor, unmoving and very clearly injured much to his horror.
Standing at the massive opening was none other than Miss Heinous.
"You!" Marco cried, shifting his brother so he could carry him with one arm. "What are you doing here?!"
"Why, I'm here for you, Marco Turdina," Heinous spoke in an eerily calm tone as a twisted smile graced her features. "You and I have unfinished business to settle."
"This again?!" How many times was the crazy old hag going to hunt him down? Regardless, he had defeated her plenty of times before and he was more than willing to do it again.
Before Marco could even move, he felt a tugging coming from his pant leg.
"M-Marco…?"
Looking down, said boy saw his mother slowly pulling herself up, clearly in pain.
"Mom, take it easy." Marco immediately knelt down, helping her into a sitting position. "You're hurt."
"Your brother, is he okay?" Angie asked in her daze.
"He's fine, he's right here." Marco pushed the infant into her arms, keeping his eye on Heinous. He would not put it past her to strike while his back was turned. "Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of this." Standing tall, he turned back to face the uninvited woman.
With a cry, Marco ran forward, ready to swing his fist right into Heinous' smug face. Before he could reach her, the woman suddenly grabbed his arm, sending him flying into the wall with a simple flick of her wrist.
Marco was stunned as he fell to the ground. There was something different about Heinous. Had she always been this strong? He had never fought her directly himself, always taking her on with some help from Star or other princesses. The one time he had actually thrown a hit at her had been her last visit to his home, in which she refused to fight back to make him look worse in front of his parents.
Pulling himself together, Marco quickly charged forward once more. His efforts were futile as Heinous merely side-stepped him with her hands behind her back, almost mocking him as she raised an eyebrow.
Heinous continued dodging the boy's blows with ease, waiting patiently for the teen to slip up. Finally spotting her opening, she quickly brought her knee up and struck Marco forcefully in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.
Marco crumpled to the ground, trying to catch his breath. Before he even had the chance to recover, Heinous reached down and grabbed him by the back of his hoodie. In a split second, he was sent flying through the air, making impact with what remained of the kitchen wall once more.
Lifting the skirt of her dress to step over the debris, Heinous walked into the Diaz household, coming to a stop in front of Angie.
Trying to both reach her fallen son and get away from the deranged woman, Angie did her best to stand but found herself unable to do so as a searing pain shot through her leg. Determined to protect her children, she began crawling away.
Scoffing at the pitiful sight before her, Heinous reached down and forcefully pulled the crying Marco Jr. from Angie's arms.
"No! Stop! My baby! Give me back my baby!" Desperate to save her child, Angie began clawing at Heinous' legs. "Give me my ba-" her words were silenced when Heinous reached down and wrapped her fingers around her neck, lifting her into the air as if she weighed nothing. She found herself choking, gasping for breath as the headmistress' grip tightened against her neck.
Seeing his mother and brother in Heinous' grasp sent Marco flying into a blind rage. "Let them go!" he demanded, ignoring his injuries to charge at the woman head-on. In his desperation, he threw all tact and planning out the window, practically screaming as he tried his best to free his mother. He threw more punches, kicks, and even resorted to simply trying to pry Heinous' hands off his mother's neck, all to no avail. Each time, he was simply sent flying back against the kitchen wall. He did not stand a chance against the older woman; she was simply too strong.
"What do you want?!" Marco finally shouted in frustration, tears welling in his eyes as he watched his mother's face slowly turn blue.
Heinous smirked, releasing her grip on Angie's neck just enough to allow the woman to take a breath. "I already told you, Turdina, I'm here for you. You're going to come with me. You are going back to my school to set things straight. You're going to become the perfect little princess and help me crush the rebellious spirits of the other princesses once and for all!"
Though Heinous had succeeded in retaking her school, she had not been quite as successful in restoring order. The princesses were locked up and under control, but were rather unreceptive to her reconditioning. Almost every class ended with a lockdown as the girls would all rile each other up, chanting Princess Turdina's name and message as they were dragged away to their rooms. The princesses would stay up all night, banging on their bedroom doors, demanding freedom. They had lost all respect for her as headmistress and her school's already precarious reputation was on the line.
Under any other circumstance, Heinous would have simply taken Marco's head and mounted it as a trophy in the school; a reminder to all the other princesses of what she would do to anyone who disobeyed her. Being the face of a 'revolution,' she knew killing Turdina would only backfire on her. The other princesses would turn Marco into a martyr and she would lose her only remaining chance to restore her school to its former glory.
"Never!" Marco refused.
"Very well, then." Heinous resumed her vice-grip on Angie's neck, ignoring the woman's coughing and suffocated sputterings. "I suppose I'll just have to take this one then," she motioned to the wailing infant in her arms, "and condition them instead. You two look remarkably similar and it would be so much easier to turn this little one into a princess from the start. Why, in just a few years he'll be ready to be the new face of Princess Turdina; one I can easily control. I'll just dispose of you and your parents and be on my way."
Marco was absolutely horrified at the prospect of his beloved little brother growing up under Heinous' care. She would scrub all aspects of his personality from him before they even had a chance to take root. He would grow and live in a cruel, cold, unloving home, never knowing his real family.
He could not let that happen.
"Let them go!" Marco made one last attempt to strike the headmistress only to be pathetically kicked away in his already weakened and injured state.
It was hopeless. Marco could not do it. He could not fight off Heinous. He could not save his family. His mother was starting to go limp in her grasp and he knew he did not have much time left. "Stop! I'll do it! I'll go with you back to St. Olga's! I'll be your perfect princess, just...just don't hurt them."
Heinous released her grip on Angie, allowing the woman to crumple to the ground in a heap. Gently setting the infant on the ground beside the collapsed human, she loudly called, "Guards! Collect the princess!"
Marco wanted to rush to his mother's side to make sure both she and his brother were okay, but found himself surrounded by Heinous' robot guards.
Drawing a pair of dimensional scissors from her dress, Heinous cut open a portal and stepped to the side, making room for her robots and newest student to pass through. She did not bother to hide the victorious smile on her face.
"Marco!" Angie shouted, reaching for her older son as he was grabbed by the robots and pulled towards the portal.
"Don't worry, Mom!" Marco called behind him, trying his best to fight against the guards as he was dragged away from his mother. "I'll be back soon, you'll see!"
"Marco!" Angie broke down in tears as she watched her boy disappear into the portal. Clutching her younger child to her chest, she gazed up in terror at Heinous.
"Don't look at me like that, you brought this on yourself." Heinous turned her back to the crying mother as she prepared to step through the portal herself. "Consider this a lesson. Perhaps you'll do better job parenting your second child."
"Gemini, prepare the solitary conform-ment chamber!" Heinous ordered as soon as they stepped into the castle halls.
Marco instantly panicked at her words, digging the heels of his sneakers into the intricate carpet in a futile attempt to stop the guards dragging him along. "No! Not that! Anything but that!" He knew first-hand what happened to anyone unfortunate enough to be sent to the chamber and was terrified of the idea of becoming a mindless zombie. "You don't have to brainwash me, I can be a princess without the chamber! Please!"
Heinous held her hand up, silently ordering the guards to stop. Perhaps it would do her well not to put the boy through the chamber. It was easy to tell when someone had gone through the conforment process with the dead eyes, unrelenting smile, and never-changing tone of voice all serving as dead giveaways. If she forcefully wiped Marco's individuality away, the other princesses would treat it no differently than if she had actually killed him. On the other hand, if they saw Marco willingly partake in the lessons, respect authority, and model the perfect princess, they would be devastated. Their hopes of rebellion and rescue would be crushed as their precious leader conformed to her standards.
"Very well," Heinous turned sharply to face Marco, "but any slip-ups and you're going straight into the chamber! Is that clear?!"
"Yes!" Marco breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes, what?!"
"Yes, Miss Heinous!" He quickly responded, not wanting to do anything that would change the woman's mind.
"Never forget, Earth is just one portal away. One wrong move and your family will pay the price for your insolence. Understand?"
"Yes, Miss Heinous."
"Good! You start classes tomorrow." Heinous turned her attention to the robot guards restraining Marco. "Put our newest student in the room next to mine. I want to keep an extra close eye on her."
Marco sat alone in what was now his bedroom, arms wrapped around himself as he unsuccessfully resisted the urge to cry. He could not stop thinking about his family, wondering if they were okay. His father was still unconscious when he left, leaving him with no idea what condition the man was in or if he was even still alive. His mother took a pretty serious beating herself and would no doubt need some medical attention. At least his brother was okay.
Under other circumstances he might have taken the time to appreciate the luxurious accommodations, but not even the silken bedspreads, classical paintings, rich lacquered furniture, or intricately woven floor rugs could take his mind off his current predicament.
He had no idea what was going to happen now. He had only ever been in St. Olga's for short periods of time and never under Heinous' control. Who knew what the crazed woman had in store for him.
Marco's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.
The door swung open as Heinous marched in, unwilling to wait for an invitation into the room. She had a small, unlabeled bottle in her hand. Without a word, she made her way over to the boy and uncapped the bottle, dumping the contents onto his head.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Marco demanded, trying to pull away from the woman as she began rubbing whatever that strange liquid was into his hair. "What is that?!"
"Stop being so dramatic, I'm just fixing your hair. I don't care how cute this haircut of yours is, it's not fit for a princess!"
Though he was unsatisfied with the answer, Marco let it go. What choice did he have?
When she finally stopped, he immediately ran his hands through his hair, only to find it perfectly dry. What was that? What did she do to him?
Heinous snapped her fingers, stepping out of the way as a robot pushed a meal cart into the room. "I have a special task for you tomorrow and I want you up bright and early. And I better not see any of this," she motioned to Marco's reddened, clearly crying eyes, "in the morning! Now eat up and get some rest."
Before Marco could say anything, she was gone, slamming the door to his room shut loudly behind her.
"Good morning, Princess Marco!"
Marco slowly cracked an eye open, suddenly jumping up and jerking away when he realized just how close Gemini was to him. As he scooted back, his head was suddenly yanked to the right, causing him to lose his balance and tumble off the backside of the bed.
Gemini quickly scurried around the canopy bed with a look of concern on his face. "Princess Marco, are you alright?"
Ignoring the small, trollish man, Marco sat up and looked down, shocked to find his hair long and flowing past his waist. Was this because of what Heinous rubbed onto his head last night? He must have accidentally caught it under his hand while scooting away, explaining the yanking sensation he had felt.
Looking over the bed, he saw several of the guards marching in, each carrying in items to set the room. Dresses, shoes, boxes of beauty products, clean linens, and a bowl of fresh fruit were among the several things brought in.
"What's going on?" he asked, finally acknowledging Gemini's presence.
"It's time to begin your first day at St. Olga's," Gemini answered, a little too happily for Marco's liking. "Miss Heinous has generously provided you with everything you need."
"Well, I'll be sure to thank her," Marco sarcastically responded, already dreading what was to come in the next few hours.
Collecting himself off the floor, Marco strolled over to the closet and inspected the many different dresses he had to choose from. While they were gorgeous and made only of the richest and softest fabrics, Marco could not help but be slightly creeped out.
They were all his exact size. How did Heinous know?
Choosing not to think about it too much, Marco selected a light lavender dress. Preparing to disrobe he stopped, noticing Gemini was still in the room, staring straight at him. "Uh...do you need something?"
"Would you like some assistance?"
"You know what, I think I'm good. I, uh...I think I got this." Marco had always been creeped out by Heinous' little henchman, but this just took the cake.
"Very well. I shall be outside if you need me."
"What are you doing?!" Heinous practically gasped at Marco the moment he stepped out of his room.
"...what?" Marco was genuinely confused by her overreaction. He had literally just walked out of the room, what could he have possible done?
"What is with your makeup?!" Heinous demanded, feeling her anger rise so early in the morning. "You really think I'm going to let you walk around my school looking like some cheap hooker?!"
Marco had no idea what was wrong or in what ways his painted face made him look like a prostitute. "I've never done my own makeup," he confessed. Every time he had worn makeup, Star or Ponyhead had done it for him. He knew nothing about it. He was not even sure what half the products lining the vanity in his room were for. It did not make any sense to him; how much makeup could one person possibly need?
"And what are these?!" Heinous lifted the skirt of Marco's dress up an inch, revealing the sneakers he wore underneath.
"...my shoes?"
Heinous gave an aggravated sigh. Turning Marco into the perfect princess was going to take much longer than she had originally thought. "Gemini, see to it Princess Marco is enrolled in our cosmetology class. As for you," she grabbed Marco's shoulders, turning him around and marching him right back into his room, "I'm fixing that hideous face of yours!"
Nervous did not even begin to describe how Marco felt as he approached the classroom. Maybe it was the restrictive corset cutting off his air flow. Maybe his feet were just slow to move because of the uncomfortable heels Heinous had forced him to change into. Maybe it was because the headmistress herself along with an entourage of her guards was following close behind him, ready to step-in if he made even one wrong move.
Marco was downright terrified.
Heinous opened the door, pushing Marco into the class. "Not one foot out of line, Turdina," she hissed through her teeth.
Quietly shuffling to an open seat in the back, Marco did his best to keep out of sight of the other princesses. He could feel Heinous glaring holes into his back as he stumbled several times, unaccustomed to walking in heeled shoes.
The boy's efforts were futile as he was soon spotted, made aware of this fact by a gasp coming from within the room.
"It's Princess Turdina!"
In a second, Marco found himself suddenly swarmed by princesses, each eagerly trying to speak to him.
"She's here!"
"She's going to save us all!"
"What's the plan, Turdina?! Are we breaking out?!"
Marco was silent as his eyes shifted about the group of young ladies; all friends he knew by name and all eagerly looking to him for help. His throat was dry, leaving only weak sputtering noises coming from his lips. He wanted so badly to kick the table in front of him over and rise up against Heinous once more, but he knew this was not an option. At least it was not if he wanted to keep his parents and brother safe. He could see Heinous watching him from the doorway of the class.
Finally finding the strength to speak, Marco did his best to sound convincing, "No, it's time for class now. You should all sit down."
Another series of gasps came from the girls, this time less excited and more horrified.
"No! She got to him! Heinous threw him in the chamber!"
Princess Ram suddenly pushed forward through the cluster of girls and grabbed Marco's face, looking deeply into his eyes. "No..." her expression turned to one of dejection as she saw life shining in the boy's eyes. "She didn't. Turdina is still here." This was not a fake confession video or a soulless puppet speaking. These were Marco's own words.
Torn as he found himself surrounded by heart-broken princesses, Marco continued, "It's our duty to be princesses our kingdoms and families can be proud of."
"Turdina, no…" Ram let go of his face, stepping away in horror.
"It is criminal to be an individual," Marco forced out the words as he looked down at his feet, unable to meet the gaze of any princess in the room.
"Everyone to your seats! Class is starting!" Heinous finally barked, satisfied the princesses knew Turdina would not be their rebellious leader anymore. She motioned the guards into the room, pointing to the cluster of royals.
In less than a minute, the group of girls was broken up as each princess was forcefully ushered into her seat.
Trying not to notice the glares and devastated looks being sent his way, Marco picked up the steaming cup of tea set in front of him and prepared to follow along with the instructor.
Dragging the massive poster behind him, Marco gave an aggravated sigh as he threw it into the huge pile of Princess Turdina merchandise.
That was the last of it.
Heinous' 'special task' had been for him to drag everything out of the Hall of Turdina and into the courtyard for destruction. Though she had phrased it as being some kind of a chore, Marco was not fooled. She did not want him to clean out the hall; her robot guards and the school's groundskeepers were more than capable of doing that.
No, she wanted to put on a show. She wanted to send a message to the other girls.
He knew it was no coincidence that she had specifically ordered him to dump all the merchandise directly under the dormitory windows, well within view of the other princesses, or that she had demanded he do so in the evening when the princesses would be confined to their rooms. Marco could see them all crowded at the windows, faces pressed against the glass as they watched him curiously, unaware of what was to happen next.
With a frown, Marco struck a match and threw it directly into the pile, watching as the materials quickly went up in flames. Turning back to the girls, he could see the various shocked and horrified expressions on their faces.
It broke his heart to see them turn away, crushed by his betrayal and the reality he would not rise up to save them once more. As much as he wanted to comfort them and give them words of hope, he knew there was not anything he could do or say to make them feel better. Much like him, they were trapped.
No one could save them now.
"Can I eat with the other princesses?" Marco asked hopefully, though he already knew what the answer would be. He had been rather disappointed to hear he would be taking his dinner with Heinous in her office. His day had been just one miserable moment after another; all he wanted was a break from the evil woman.
He had sat through several classes, enduring endless criticism by Heinous and the school instructors over even the smallest infractions. He needed to stop touching his face, he was ruining his make-up. Don't fidget with your dress, don't adjust your corset in public, don't take your shoes off, don't blow on your tea, don't play with your hair. He could not seem to do anything right!
His feet were aching from having spent the past few hours mindlessly marching up and down the halls, all under orders from Heinous to practice walking in heels. Though he was glad to finally have a chance to sit, he had been hoping to do so with the other girls. At least then he would have some friendly faces to talk to.
"You can eat with the other princesses when you learn to eat like a princess. Now sit up straight!" Heinous scolded, grabbing Marco's arm and pulling him up from his slouching position. There was no way she was going to let the boy interact with the other girls in his current, uncivilized state. Though the little performance she had him put on had all but crushed any last remaining spark of rebellion in the girls' spirits, she was not going to take any chances. Any mistake by the boy could easily be interpreted by the girls as an act of rebellion. He was going to need at least a few more weeks worth of lessons before she felt comfortable enough to allow him around the other students. "And get your elbows off the table! Where did you learn to eat, in a barn?!"
"Come, Princess Turdina, eat some more," Gemini encouraged, getting a little too close for the boy's liking.
"Gemini, give him some room!" Heinous forcefully shoved her right-hand man away, well aware of the ridiculous crush he had on the boy. Gemini thought he was being clever, but she knew what he was doing. She saw him scooting his chair closer to Marco every time the boy princess looked away.
Relieved to finally have some space, Marco picked up his fork and began twirling some pasta onto it. Before he could even bring the food to his mouth, the utensil was knocked out of his hand.
"Smaller bites, Turdina! You don't have to shove it in your mouth all at once, it's not going to run away!"
As amazing as the food looked and smelled, Marco could not eat like this. "I'm actually kind of full. May I be excused?"
"Very well. Straight to your room, then."
Sleep came much harder for Marco that night. He had supplemented his small dinner with several pieces of fruit from his room, but it was not hunger keeping him up.
The boy could not stop thinking about his family.
Getting up from the bed, Marco fiddled with the doorknob, trying to get it open to no avail. Even if he had found it unlocked, he would not know what to do. It was not like he could run away or had someplace in the school he could go.
Defeated, he returned to his bed, hoping tomorrow would be a better day.
Review please!