"What, an uprising in my school?" Ms. Heinous looked down at Gemini and two worried guards in annoyance as she made up her mind. "Put the school on full lock down, we will quell this uprising in its infancy. Quell… is that a soft word?" Gemini shrugged and took out a thesaurus handing it to Ms. Heinous. "Thank you, now please get to work; I will be there shortly to check up on your efforts."
Star and Marco were moving fast through the hallways as the guards seemed to be onto them and were trying to ambush them. Marco pointed down one hallway to a set of double doors with the both of them going down there and shutting the doors behind them. Working almost comedicly fast they pushed stuff up against the door as fists began beating on it. The two dove for cover and a few seconds after they finished hiding the doors were broken down with the guards spilling in and encircling a curtain with Star's boots poking out from underneath it. Chuckling in victory, they pulled back the curtain to reveal just a pair of boots making them groan in defeat before turning around and heading out. As they did so Marco leapt from the drapes to the ground where his poufy princess dress had actually camouflaged him. Star dropped from her grapple position on the ceiling landing on her feet still holding Ponyhead and smiled in satisfaction and kissing her bicep. Marco chuckled slightly and led the trio out and through the hallway avoiding contact with the guards.
"We have stifled the rebellion; soon the ones who started this will be found and put in the solitary conformant chamber to be 'reeducated'." Ms. Heinous nodded in approval as she looked around at the princesses being showed back to their rooms and locked in. "I can assure you we will find them and have them turn out just like Princess Ponyhead here, a rebellious brat turned model stu.." As Gemini leaned on Ponyhead's door however it creaked open softly prompting both him and Miss Heinous to enter. "This door should be locked." Ms. Heinous looked at him in annoyance as she spoke.
"Thank you for the obvious observation. What is going on here?" As she looked around her annoyed look got even deeper. Instead of Ponyhead there was a watering can on a rope with some extra candles and rope acting like her braided mane. Next to it was a small sign saying 'The Butterflys send their regards'. At this Ms. Heinous growled in frustration before speaking. "Damn her… damn that Moon Butterfly and her free thinking ways. First she draws the ire of the cosmos upon this school forcing it to compromise and now sends in infiltrators to interfere my work. I will stifle whoever she has sent and send a message to her that this will not be tolerated. Hm, stifle is not a soft word either." Gemini looked up in concern as Ms. Heinous composed herself and nodded to Gemini. "Secure the princesses I will lead the hunt for the infiltrators myself." Gemini watched her go and sighed to himself in worry.
Marco and Star are running through the hallways as silently as possible trying to find a way out of the school building itself with little success. As they turned a corner Marco blinked as he recognized the area they had been at a few minutes ago with Star commenting on that.
"Ok, if we are running around in circles I am going to shoot something." Marco groaned in frustration and turned back the way they came speaking to Star.
"If we turn the opposite direction from where we came from we should get somewhere new." Star looked at him in concern as Marco groaned in annoyance. "Do you have any better id…" Barking interrupted their conversation making Star grab Marco and pull him along with Ponyhead before speaking.
"Run now talk later." Star dragged Marco on a wild ride as they tried to hide from the dog with Marco commenting on this.
"Um Star, I don't think we can elude a dog for long given how it can follow us by smell. We need a place to temporarily hide like… a laundry shoot; look for one of those." Star blinked in confusion but followed Marco's command looking for a place to escape quickly while avoiding the hunters.
The duo ran quickly through twisting corridors seemingly losing the hunters and in the process got to one of the courtyards with plant life in them like with the singing princess. Seeing no guards they charged forward only for Marco to fall flat on his face prompting a chuckle from Ponyhead that gave Star hope, until she saw the vines climbing up Marco's leg. Repressing a shriek Star leapt forward and uprooted the plant in a single tug with the plant somehow giving a strange moan-like shriek as if it was in pain. Marco got up confused as Star got into a fighting stance looking around the garden in fear with her shushing Marco when he went to speak. Motioning for him to move Marco began stepping cautiously with Star across the garden as they anticipated anything springing up an attacking. As they got close to the other side Marco felt something grab his leg making him on reflex turn and chop with his hand.
His hand connected but bounced right off the tough vine that was growing around his leg now prompting him to grab at the plant and tug HARD. The vine seemed to give off a groan of pain as Marco tugged with several more vines sprouting up and going after Marco, some of which had thorns on them that were dripping with something. Repressing a girly scream Marco tugged harder on the vine with Star helping him out by pulling him back and uprooting the vines. At this vines seemed to be springing up everywhere with Star muttering "screw this, Dragon's Breath!" She shot out a cone of flame from her wand that began burning the garden with it shrieking in agony. Knowing their location was given away by this, Marco grabbed Star and pulled her a little ways with Star stopping him. As Marco turned she gave him her wand, wrapped up in some cloth, and spoke to him deathly serious.
"Marco, they are going to find us eventually even if we find a place to lay low. I'm far faster than you are and can keep them running around in circles for longer so I will distract them. You find a way to destroy that crystal, keep them from getting my family's wand, hopefully free the other princesses, and get us out of here. Oh and find me if you think I have been captured and get me out of there. Can you do that?" Marco looked into her eyes which were now borderline blue-green and was about to argue with her but the sound of barking convinced him they were out of time. Sighing he reached into his pocket and pulled out the bobby pin handing it to Star before speaking.
"Take this, and at least try to break yourself out." Star nodded with him pulling her into a tight hug. "Just remember, I will not leave you behind ever so don't you dare lose hope."
*Throb* Star felt her heart do the same thing it had done a few times in the past as she hugged him back. This time however it seemed to give her strength as they parted feeling tears in her eyes as she nodded to him. With the barking getting closer the two took off in separate directions with Marco taking Ponyhead with him because she would lsow Star down and to hopefully find a way to undo the brainwashing that has happened to her. Not two minutes after parting however Marco found a dumbwaiter like elevator that he could use to go up. Cursing silently that he had found it when he was not with Star he got in and made it go up holding onto Ponyhead and the wand tightly.
Heinous looked down only barely controlling her panting at the now captured infiltrator that she recognized from the new arrivals. However she could not shake the feeling she had seen her from even before then, or at least heard a description of her from somewhere. Five guards surrounded the lizard girl who, with her hands up in the air, appeared like she had surrendered to them. Heinous knew better then to take it at face value given the way her eyes were subtly darting around looking for an exit. However, she decided to honor the girls surrender for now and spoke to her in a commanding voice.
"Why did Moon send you?" The girl looked up at her blinking in confusion. "We saw the sign you left in Princess Ponyhead's room, now tell us why did Moon send you?" The girl spoke solemnly to her.
"She didn't send me; she doesn't even know I am here." Heinous blinked slightly before finally recognizing the heart marks on her cheeks making her smile slightly before speaking.
"You are Star Butterfly aren't you?" The girl nodded with Heinous suppressing a feeling of unwarranted triumph. "So why did you come here?" Star kept eye contact with Heinous in a meek manner as she answered.
"To check out your school to see if it was as bad as what my grandmother said it was and to see Ponyhead. Honestly, after taking a look around, I was considering asking my parents if I could come here." Heinous blinked in shock as she could sense, a trait she had gotten from years of working with brats, that Star wasn't telling the whole truth but she wasn't outright lying either. "And to answer your other question I don't know where Ponyhead is either, we got separated." Heinous rubbed her chin and motioned for Star to follow her, which she did, as she began speaking.
"Tell me, what do you think of your mother?" Star lowered her arms rubbing her upper arm as they walked.
"I love her, she cares for me like no one else does. She and my dad are always there whenever I have trouble with people." Heinous cocked her eyebrow at her and replied with an icy undertone.
"Trouble, as in your monstrous nature?" Star ducked her head shaking slightly before replying.
"Everyone hates me for what I was born as; I have done nothing to them." Heinous actually felt a tinge of pity for the girl as they walked with her tone going from accusing to neutral.
"Well it is natural for you to have a lot of prejudice because of your mother's actions and your father's heritage. But I think I can actually help you with that." Star looked up at Heinous with confusion and… 'Do I see hope in her eyes?' Heinous thought to herself in shock. If the girl was looking for advice from someone who had captured her she must be desperate. "If you act the part of a perfect princess everyone's accusations will count for nothing as you bear none of your predecessors problems. If anything the accusations will only strengthen support for you as you rise above them." Star's face turned away slightly as she replied softly.
"I actually asked that question once. But… my mother said…" Heinous cut her off as they were approaching their destination swiftly.
"And you believe what the woman who threw her kingdom under the carriage just so she could follow some lustful desires to be with a Monster would say?" Star ducked her head even more as Heinous softened a little. "I apologize; I let emotions rule my head. Your mother has made life for me incredibly difficult ever since she ascended as queen and it blurs my judgement at times; my greatest flaw at the moment. I will help you ascend over her to be greater than her and above those who dare look down on a princess." The reached their destination at that point with Heinous opening a door pointing into it. Star realized then what was going on when she looked inside the room and took a step back with Heinous shaking her finger at her. "No my girl, do you think you have a choice?" Two of the guards grabbed her and pulled her into the room as Heinous spoke after her. "I also know you were a distraction girl, I wasn't born yesterday. I will find your friends and bring them here as well; and you will thank me for what I am about to do to you, you know this to be true."
Marco pulled himself out of the now stalled and unmoving elevator into what seemed to be a tower storage closet pulling Ponyhead behind him. Taking a quick look around he didn't see any doors in the room though he did see a window which he promptly ran to take a look around. He was quickly able to identify the tower with the crystal, due to some strange lights coming from it, and saw a way he could plot to get to it if he could even get the elevator moving again. At this point the idea of Star being hunted and might have even have been caught already invaded his mind; and what they were going to do to her… He glanced at Ponyhead with a shiver going up his spine as he moved over and grabbed onto her shaking the head about.
"Snap out of it Ponyhead, earth turd needs help finding Star, getting her help, and getting all of us home. I can't do this alone." Ponyhead shook her head and spoke calmly.
"Those in need of help shall be aided… in the solitary conformant chamber." Marco let go of Ponyhead feeling despair creep in as he spoke in defeat.
"So… this is how it ends. Stuck in a tower with a brainwashed disembodied head, bearing a magical item I can't use, while crossdressing." He glanced around the tower seeing a few posters of perfect princesses with words over them. "Embrace a princess mentality, repress your individuality." Marco gritted his teeth picking up a random broom that was lying around and began smacking it against the poster venting his frustration before he began ripping off the posters with his bare hands. Tears of rage and despair began coming down his face as he ripped at the posters and spoke softly, "I failed you Star, I failed you and I haven't even started yet." He finally collapsed to his knees with sobs wracking his body. As he sat there for an unknown length of time he heard a chuckling that sounded familiar making him look up in confusion that turned into hope. He saw Ponyhead using her horn to tear up some more posters as she laughed and undid her hair shaking off her makeup as well. Looking at Marco she shouted with triumph.
"They can't keep the pony down forever!" At that she felt arms wrap around her and Marco pulled her into a hug with him sobbing in relief. "Um earth turd, why are you acting so close like we are friends?" Marco stepped back trying to compose himself as he spoke.
"I'm sorry, I'm just actually happy to see you back to normal." Ponyhead blushed at the look on his face and words thinking to herself 'Wow, in addition and despite everything else that dork is surprisingly nice.' Shaking herself off Ponyhead spoke quickly.
"Aren't you going to look for Star and make good on the promise you made to me back at the crystal arcade?" Marco shook himself off and spoke with determination.
"Of course I am, let's find Star and bust her out of here! Now any idea on how we get out of this tower, the only way out is stalled." He pointed to the elevator but Ponyhead simply chuckled before speaking.
"I have a way out that's even faster than the elevator." She scooped him up with her horn and flew out the window with Marco gaping slightly. "You know, pink is definitely your color and you pull off the ponytail quite nicely." Marco chuckled and responded softly.
"Yeah, I guess it is and I do."
Star was in an internal debate as she was strapped into a chair and the guards left the room leaving only a screen to project images on. Heinous was clearly evil and she said horrible things about her mom not to mention she was going after Marco now which Star had hoped to prevent. But as she got the bobby pin out with her teeth to pick the locks on her chair she was hesitating as another thought swirled around her head. People wanted her dead because of how she was born, but if she was a perfect princess she would be beyond reproach. She would lose her individuality, to an extent, but she would be secure from the threats of the nobility in the kingdom for good; clearing up a lot of trouble for her mother and herself down the line. As she hesitated a mechanical piece came down from the ceiling bearing a stereotypical princess cone hat which rested on her head making her drop the bobby pin. Gasping slightly something was injected into her neck from the hat as small gripping arms came down to her face opening her eyes forcefully as images were shown on the screen with a voice narrating them.
"The proper hat for the event, lest you be in malcontent."
"Many a people will admire, the princess the does not perspire."
"Tis better to be fussy, then to be called a hussy."
As Star watched the images flashed by in a strangely hypnotic pattern feeling a cool soothing numbing sensation spread from the injection point. Behind a protective glass screen Heinous smiled and watched as Gemini monitored the progress on a computer screen. Turning to Heinous he smiled and spoke in triumph.
"She seems to be giving in already; the new mixture of drugs combined with the slide show seems to be doing the trick." Heinous nodded and chuckled speaking softly.
"It's not just that, she is not sure if she truly wants to fight it. I placed enough doubt in her mind to leave her vulnerable; unless if she did it to herself in the past. But still, well done Gemini." She reached over and pet his head with Gemini smiling and pushing his head into her hand.