The Calling

Marco Diaz was preparing for "Friendship Thursday" with Star tonight. He was making his "Super Awesome Nachos" while waiting for Star to come home. Janna had wanted to show Star so weird occult stuff. Marco had also been invited to do so, but found no interest in the weird things that Janna liked. His parents were gone on a business trip for the time being and gave him enough money to buy groceries. He yawned and stretched as sleepiness hit him. It was always boring without Star, she could even make something as mundane as homework fun.

He put the nachos on the plate and poured liquid cheese onto them. He looked at the clock on the stove. It was already five o'clock and Star was still nowhere to be found. A thumping noise came from upstairs. Marco blinked in confusion.

'Did she already come back?' he thought to himself. He had neither seen nor heard the front door open and it was unlike Star to go straight to her room without a greeting. Maybe she was sick, that would explain why. Another thump was heard from upstairs. If that was Star, what on Earth was she doing to make that noise?

Marco was confused and curious. He decided to go to Star's room to make sure whether or not it was really her. Reaching his destination, he knocked on the door.

"Star?" he asked. There was no response. Marco knocked on the door a few more times.

"Star, are you in there?" he asked again. Again, there was no response. He twisted the doorknob and found that it was unlocked.

"I'm coming in, okay?" he announced. Slowly, he opened the door and looked around. The room was dark and no sign of Star was to be found. Marco flipped the light switch and there was light. He entered the room looked around him. Usually, he would hear her giggling if she was hiding from him. There was nothing in this room but silence.

'Maybe it's just my imagination,' he thought to himself. Suddenly, the lights turned off and the door slammed shut. Marco rushed to the exit and turned and twisted the doorknob. It was stuck, like it had been locked from the other side.

"Star, if this is a joke, it isn't funny!" Marco yelled. He turned his head across the area for another escape. He had never noticed it before, but Star's room did not have windows like his did. Star's room only had windows at the top of the stairs. Running through the room in darkness, he tripped on something and fell.

"Star!" he yelled one more time. Unknown to him, the interdimensional mirror turned on and a strange gurgling noise filled the room. Marco didn't know why, but he was struggling to do anything. He tried to move his legs, but felt like he didn't have the strength to. He was also experiencing some sort of… weird headache. His mind was assaulted with thousands of thoughts at a single moment. His breath began to become labored. Marco clutched his head and closed his eyes and hoped the pain would subside soon.

The mirror showed the image of Toffee on it. "Star's not here," the lizard said. "It's just you and me." Marco turned towards the mirror in shock. Why was he here, and now of all times?

"Hello. Marco Diaz, was it?" said Toffee. "What a surprise to see you again, no?" Marco gritted his teeth and glared at the suited monster. He was going to fight against whatever Toffee was doing to him.

"Oh, are you struggling? How cute. But I should warn you that no matter what you do, you're won't be able to win this battle. So why even try?" True to the monster's words, Marco could feel himself losing. He was sweating, the feeling of his headache made him want to throw up, and he could feel his body refusing to move more and more.

'No, I have to keep on fighting,' he thought. 'I have to fight for Star!' Unfortunately, those thoughts proved to be useless as he felt himself getting closer and closer to what he could only describe as death itself.

"Soon, you will fall unconscious and then I will be able to control your body," explained Toffee. "I'm going to give you and Star Butterfly a show that the two of you won't be able to forget. And I sincerely do hope you enjoy the view, Marco. You are getting the best seat in the theater, after all." Marco tried to struggle even more, but it was now useless. All his strength had been sapped and his eyes began to close.

'Star… I'm sorry… '

"And don't worry," said Toffee. "You'll be able to control your body again. After I'm done with it, that is." Marco's eyes rolled back and his body slumped onto the ground. A few seconds later, his body got up and looked at Toffee. Marco's features remained the same except for his eyes and demeanor. There were no emotions behind them, only a cold and calculating machine was all that was left.

"Excellent," Toffee smiled.

Marco awakened in an unknown place. He groaned and got up into a sitting position. Looking around him, he noticed that it was pitch black. The only source of light in the entire place was shining down on him. There were no sounds either.

'Let's see… I went up to Star's room and… ' Marco's eyes widened as he remember what had happened.

"Star!" he yelled. "I have to warn her!" He picked a random direction and ran. The light shining down on him followed his path. He ran for what seemed to be a few minutes before giving up. As he ran, there was only more darkness. He sat down on the ground, wondering where he was. This place didn't make any sense. Why was the light following him around? How did he even get here? Maybe Toffee got what he wanted and he was dead.

A whispering voice reached Marco's ears and he quickly stood up. Turning his head around, he was unable to see anyone. The sound was louder for his right ear. He determined that was the direction of the source and ran.

Star Butterfly was skipping and humming on her way home. Janna's weird interests may have freaked out the majority of the school, but Star found it absolutely fascinating. But the again, Star wasn't exactly normal by any standards. Having dated a demon before, Star gained an interest for magic with a more hellish quality to it. Of course she would never use those spells on anyone, or at least not yet.

She opened the door to the Diaz household and yelled, "Marco, I'm home!" Her giant smile faltered and disappeared as no voice greeted her back.

"Huh," she commented and tapped her chin with the wand. "Where could he have gone off to?" She closed the door and entered the house. As she did so, Marco was revealed to be hiding right behind the door.

"Maybe he's sleeping," she talked to herself. The smell of nachos entered her nose and she looked at the plate stacked with the snacks. "Aw, the nachos are going to be cold by the time he wakes up. Maybe a little magic will…" Marco slowly approached Star from behind. He held a kitchen knife in his right hand. Closer and closer with silent steps that were barely noticeable. Right behind her now, he extended his right arm and plunged the knife at her. Star sensed something behind her and turned around.

"Narwhal blast!" she shouted. A group of narwhals emerged from the wand and flew directly into Marco, knocking the boy back.

"What the- Marco?!" Star asked with shock. She was unable to comprehend why her best friend had a knife in his hands and had attacked her.

'Maybe it's one of those prank things,' Star thought. She had watched plenty of videos on that "Youtube" site where pranks like these were filmed. 'Yeah, that's it. Marco's just being dumb right now.'

She nodded to herself in agreement. "Ha ha ha, Marco," she forced out a laugh. "I get it, it's one of those prank things. You want to put it online and impress Jackie, is that it?"

Marco stood up readied the knife for another strike.

"Marco, that's not funny," she said with a guarded tone. Why was he being like this? He's supposed to be the safe kid, the reasonable one.

"I'm afraid that your friend is currently busy," Marco replied in Toffee's voice. Star's eyes widened as she realised who the voice belonged to.

"You!" Star yelled. "What have you done to him?"

"Oh, I didn't do much. I merely persuaded him to allow me the use of his body."

Star pointed her wand at him. "Stop it right now or I'll blast you into the void!"

"Are you really going to threaten me? This body is still the boy's. If it dies, then he'll die as well." 'Marco' walked towards her. "One of you will have to die today. But who dies is of no importance to me. I'll get what I want either way."

"Marco! Snap out of it!" she shouted.

"It won't work. I've trapped him into the subconscious. He'll either die with visions of trying to kill you or wake up with you dying in his arms."

"It won't happen!" Star declared. "Marco and I will find a way to stop you!"

"Really?" 'Marco' laughed. "Your magic isn't strong enough to get rid of my spell and the boy's will is too weak."

"You just wait and see, Marco will regain control. I know he will."

"Unfortunately for you, he's already been tainted by dark magic. What great proficiency he could have in that field. I do wonder if he found Eclipsa's chapter to be an interesting read or not. Oh well, I'll have to ask him once you're dead." The Toffee controlled Marco lunged at Star with knife in hand.

Marco had been following the voice through the darkness. He didn't know where it led, but his instincts told him to follow it. Even as his legs were becoming tired and he was running out of breath, he refused to stop. Any hope of being able to escape from this place, even if it was as miniscule as a microscopic creature, he was going to pursue it. If not for his own stake, then for Star's.

The light above stopped following him and he could see another source of light, a glowing ball floating a distance away from him. Pushing his body even further, he sprinted towards it.

'Almost there,' he kept telling himself. Finally, he made contact with the ball of light and vanished from the dark place and blacked out once more.

Marco woke up in a strange place. He was inside of a steel cage and in front of him a few feet away was some sort of computer. The screen was five feet wide and three feet in height. On it was the events that were currently happening in the real world, his own body attacking his best friend. Below the screen were controls. He was unable to make out what the words were on the buttons. And in front of it all was a lizard on a seat.

'Toffee,' Marco thought with anger. He touched the steel bars that confined him. This cage was not an ordinary one as it had no lock. How did he manage to get into the cage in the first place? And how was he going to get out? Maybe there was something around that he could use. His thoughts were distracted by a 'clink' sound to his left. He turned around and saw a stranger sipping on tea.

The stranger's face and body was concealed by a hooded cloak. The stranger sat on a wooden chair with a round wooden table in front. S/he had a porcelain tea set.

"Hello Marco Diaz," the stranger said with a baritone voice. "My name is Victor Steele. I'm here to make a deal with you."

Marco lunged the knife at Star and she dodged it.

"Levitato!" Star yelled. The knife in Marco's hand flew up to the ceiling where it embedded itself into the wooden structure.

"No matter," 'Marco' said. He cracked his knuckles and wiggled his fingers. "I'll just have to choke you to death."

Star was thinking about what spells she could use. She didn't want to harm Marco's body, but there was very little choice as Toffee controlled his mind.

'Wait a minute… His mind… His mind… ' Her eyes widened as a light bulb went off in her head. 'That's it! His mind!'

"Jellybean hallucination mist!" The spell hit Marco's body and he stopped in confusion.

In the "control room" as Marco called it, the screen turned into some weird thing with swirling colors and jellybeans flying all over the place.

"Yeah, go Star!" Marco cheered. A loud thud was followed by the room shaking. And again. And again. And again.

"Hey, what are you doing!" he yelled at the lizard at the seat. The screen didn't help him to see what was going on as the hallucination blocked everything. "Stop it!"

"You do realise that the lizard isn't actually here, right?" asked Victor. "It's just a figment of your imagination."

Marco turned his head towards the stranger. "Then what are you?"

Victor sipped on the cup of tea. "I already told you. My name's Victor I'm here to make a deal."

Marco's body flung itself onto the many surfaces in the kitchen area. The counter, the floor, the refrigerator, etc.

"What are you doing?" Star shouted.

"Since I can't harm you in this state, I'll just harm the boy's body instead," 'Marco' replied. "I already told you, didn't I? It doesn't matter who dies today."

"Raspberry Ribbon Lasso!" A ribbon of light wrapped itself around Marco and tied him up on the ground. Marco's head continued to smash itself on the ground.

"Stop it!" Star yelled.

The Toffee controlled Marco laughed at her. "Come on now, you did this yourself. This wouldn't have happened if you would just die like a good little girl."

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Star cried out.

"Why, indeed. It's because of your family's sins, Butterfly. They murdered my kind and pushed us far away from our rightful homes."

"Then what do you want from me? The wand?"

"No, not just the wand. I want to crush the filth who call themselves the royal family of Mewni. I want to make you suffer just as my brethren have. I want your dreams and your soul to be crushed by my own hands." The hallucination began to clear and Marco's body shrugged off the light-rope.

"A deal?" Marco asked.

"Yes, a deal," Victor mocked. "A contract, an agreement between two or more parties."

"I know what a deal is!" Marco said, insulted. He looked at the screen. The jellybean mist was still on it. The room still shook every once in a while.

"The deal is this: you help me get what I want and I'll help you regain control of your body," Victor explained. "Sound good to you?"

"Why should I trust you?" asked Marco.

The stranger shrugged. "Whether or not you trust me is all up to you. I'm just here to make the deal with you."

"No," Marco answered.

"Oh?"

"Star will be able to stop Toffee," Marco declared confidently. The jellybean mist was slowly disappearing and he could see the lasso tying down his body. "Ha, see!"

The shaking of the room became more intense as his body smashed its own head on the floor of the kitchen.

"You sure about that?" questioned Victor.

"Yes!"

"Oh well," Victor shrugged. "It's your death."

Star stepped back and her back hit the wall. To her right was the refrigerator and to her left was a counter. The back door was on the opposite wall of her. Marco grabbed a kitchen knife, flipped it, and caught it by its blade. The distance between the two was closing with every passing moment. Star was panicking and trying to think of a spell to use.

"Sunshine Friendship Spell!" A beam of light came from the wand and hit Marco without any effects.

"That won't work," 'Marco' said.

Star gritted her teeth. She really didn't want to hurt her best friend, but there was no other choice. "Narwhal blast!"

Marco pushed the wand upwards and the stream of narwhals hit the ceiling instead. In the moment of Star's defenselessness, Marco thrusted the knife at her.

Victor was now chewing on some biscuits. "You know, your girlfriend is extremely resourceful," he commented.

"She's not my girlfriend," Marco responded.

The stranger looked at Marco, then at the screen, and then back to Marco. "Really?" he asked, unconvinced.

"Yes! She's just my best friend! There's nothing romantic between the two of us!"

"Huh. Anyways, the deal's still open for now. But hurry up, it's going to close soon."

"Why do you want to make a deal with me anyways?" asked Marco with suspicion. "What do you get out of it?"

"Revenge," Victor replied. He pointed at the Toffee figure. "That lizard killed me and my comrades a long time ago. I want to see him to die and burn in hell." The screen showed Marco's body picking up a knife.

"I can't help you with that," Marco said and looked back at the screen. "Even if I regain control I can't kill Toffee."

"This is a soul contract, you dolt," Victor sighed. "If we make this agreement, then I'll give you powers that you can use to kill the lizardman." The screen now showed Star holding her wand at Marco.

"Better hurry up, the deal's gone in five… four…"

"Come on, Star! You can do it!" Marco cheered.

"Narwhal blast!" Star shouted from the screen. Marco's body deflected the attack. Marco gritted his teeth and held onto the bars of his prison.

"Three…" The body held the knife in position and prepared to stab Star. Marco felt himself turn pale. He could only watch helplessly as time froze for him. The unknown man who called himself Victor wasn't exactly helping either. Should he trust Victor and make the deal? It was all too sudden to make a rational decision.

"Two…" It was now or never. If this Victor guy wasn't telling the truth, then Marco could at least know that he tried his best to save Star.

"I'll do it!" shouted Marco. "I'll accept the deal!"

The stranger's cloak and hood was instantly replaced by a cowboy outfit. The man looked like someone straight out of a wild west movie. Leather outfit, tanned skin, messy brown hair, etc.

"Good choice," Victor said as he took another sip of tea.

Marco's right hand held the knife that went closer and closer to Star. In the moment that Marco regained control of his own body, his left arm moved on instinct. His left hand formed a finger gun that pointed at the knife and a projectile shot out from his index finger. The "bullet" hit the knife and threw it off course; it stabbed into the wall to Star's left.

Marco grasped and pulled on his hair as he screamed in agony trying to fight Toffee's spell.

"Marco!" Star yelled. "Marco, you can do it!"

He fell onto the ground and clutched his head in pain.

'You know what you have to do,' a voice in his head said. Marco gritted his teeth and made a finger gun with his right hand and pointed it at his head. He fired and the bullet went straight through his brain. Marco's body slumped onto the ground and Star's eyes filled with tears.

"Marco!" she cried. She went over to him and cradled his body. He wasn't breathing, his eyes were closed, his face had a peaceful expression to it, and, most importantly, his heart wasn't beating.

"Marco…" She cried and tears dropped down onto his chest. Why did this have to happen? She couldn't save him; he died and it was all her fault. How was she going to explain this to the Diaz's? Or his friends?

A few moments later, Marco regained consciousness and opened his eyes. His head was killing him. He rose up and saw Star in her current state.

"Wha? Star?"

She looked into his eyes with her own tear-filled ones and saw that he was completely normal again. She hugged him tightly and sobbed even harder.

"Mar-Marco I-I I was so scared," she babbled.

Marco returned the hug and tried to comfort her. "It's okay, Star. It's okay. It's all over now."

'Remember our deal, Diaz,' Victor said in his head. 'I fulfilled my end and now it's your turn.' Marco sighed at the fact that he was going to have to explain to Star what had happened. Just how was he supposed to do that?

'Out of the frying pan and into the fire,' Marco internally sighed.

The two of them were emotionally exhausted and couldn't go through Friendship Thursday as planned. Soon, they fell asleep on the sofa hugging each other and sharing a blanket.

Marco's new ability:

Hellfire Bullets: A demon power that shoots out bullets made out of hellfire. The exterior temperature depends on how proficient the user is. The direct center of the bullet is always at two thousand degrees celsius. Can be fired from any finger. Multiple fingers can shoot at the same time. Most users train with a main finger and a backup one for consistent aiming.

Any demon power that a person uses cannot be used to kill themselves. Any injuries caused by their own demon powers will heal.

Demon powers become even more powerful when the user is in a near-death state.

An explanation of sorts:

Mind control abilities work by trapping the victim's soul in their body. When Marco shot himself, he is put into a near-death state where his soul temporarily goes out of his body. In this state, Toffee's hold on his soul is broken. Marco's fatal wound heals and he is back in control.

Victor's backstory:

The leader of a desperado group in a wild west dimension. He and his group volunteered to fight for Mewni during the Monster-Mewnian conflict. Toffee and his forces proved to be too strong and they all died, swarmed from all directions. His teammates have moved on while he wanders through limbo as a lost soul. He saw Marco's predicament and decided to take advantage of it.

AN: The main idea for this oneshot was a thing I had planned for my "The Princess Bride" story. Marco gets brainwashed and makes a deal to regain control and get new abilities.

Extra: Bad Ending, because I'm evil

Marco grasped and pulled on his hair as he screamed in agony trying to fight Toffee's spell.

"Marco!" Star yelled. "Marco, you can do it!"

Marco stopped screaming and he looked at Star. Her eyes widened as she saw that his eyes had returned to normal.

"Star?" he asked in his normal voice.

"Marco!" she cried out and hugged him. "I'm so glad-" Color drained from her face as she felt a sharp pain from her back. Marco had stabbed her with the knife. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at her betrayer.

"Why?" she whispered.

"You are such a fool, Butterfly," Marco said in Toffee's voice. "You are such a fool."