Ok, ya dicknuts. I lied, I finished this faster than I thought I would. Two more chapters. Well, really this is the last chapter and the next one is kind of liek an epilogue that will lead into the next thing I do. Trust me you'll love it.
Just like how I love the reviews~
jjmmmmmlol: 1) YYEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH *ncis screach* Wait, a Dialga? I already have, like, 8 of these! What do I want another for? (and no, I don't want no damn palkia) 2) You just m. night shyamalaned this shit, mah dood.
Guest Sorta: 1) I didn't even fuckin say that but, whatever. And... 78? Where'd you pull that number out of? 2) Yes.
ChelJosh: Oh... yeah... I knew that. This story may be over soon but this fic isn't ending anytime soon. I can guarantee that.
Guest: Yeah, well, life isn't fair sometimes. The monsters may look like 'good guys' to you but there are no good guys in war and there are no bad guys. Just the enemy. (wait, shit, I was gonna put that in the story...)
I'mChokingOnAnOlive: 1) You didn't give me ptsd, you just triggered it. AND I'M SORRY ABOUT THE CLIFFHANGERS DON'T HATE ME! I enjoy breaking the 4th wall every now and again. This fic isn't ending for a very, very long time. Though this story will be done next chapter. 2) no u
Li'l Sleuth: This Time Skip request has been assessed and denied due to the following reasons: Failure to comply with rule 625.a.26 stating "All Time Skip quotes used to physically mark Time Skips are not to allure to pop culture unless directly created by the Time Skip Lord itself."
Aw, shit, sorry bout that man. Maybe a bit of revision and I can use it.
do this: nah
DonDonatek: Maybe she's a bit weaker relative to herself in the show but don't just look at her. Everyone's a bit weaker. Except Toffee. I maxed him out.
amythestblade: It was meant to be! Well, anyway, glad you found my fic.
aach06: You better believe I am!
Hope this chapter gets you guys goin'.
Chapter 25
A Circle Has No Beginning or End
Star looked over at the lizard man and squinted her eyes in confusion. "I... I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
"You may know me, you may not, that's not what matters here."
Ludo walked away from Janna, addressing the lizard. "Toffee? You said you were going to stay out of this until the end!"
"I did say that, and I'm staying true to my word. This is the end of my plan."
Star's eyes lit up with recognition. "Toffee? I do know you! You fought my mother!"
"And your grandmother, and your grandmother's mother, and her mother after that."
"What do you mean?"
"The point is I have a long history with your family-" Toffee was cut off as Ludo began tugging on his leg.
"Toffee, can I have a word with you for a second?"
"Yes, if you make it quick."
The two turned away, leaving the rest of the room's occupants to stand there, curious as to what exactly is going on.
"What are you doing here?"
"Putting my own plan into action."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means I have ulterior motives. Need I elaborate more?"
"So, what, you used my plan-"
"That I came up with."
"Whatever. You used my plan to do... what exactly?"
"Oh, just take over is all. You see, Ludo, your ideals and your tirades were merely means for me to climb up high on the ladder of power. And now that I'm at the top I can just give a little poke and you'll go tumbling back down if I so choose."
"You- you used me!?"
"Used is a subjective term. I prefer to say perpetuated your flaws into strengths to allow you to rise to power as I rode on your back."
"YOU were the mole! And I didn't even see it coming! I will not stand for this! Buff F-!"
As Ludo was calling for his top General his feet left the ground. Toffee had grabbed the top of the bird's giant head and picked him up and, with a flick of the wrist, tossed him away. Ludo smacked into the cube of glass imprisoning Marco. Everyone gasped in shock. Star, the first to act, brandished her wand in her hand and readied herself as the lizard man began to walk towards her. She shot a thick, purple beam of light out of fear which practically exploded on contact with Toffee's scaled body. A black smoke kicked up and covered a large area around these two, shrouding them from everyone's sight. Star couldn't see anything. She coughed and squinted, trying to make out anything she could like the rather large fist making its way for her face. The closed hand shot straight through the smoke and connected with the side of Star's head, knocking her out immediately.
When the smoke cleared the rest saw Toffee picking Star up over his shoulder.
"I'm terribly sorry that I must leave as hastily as I got here but this fine specimen is going to make my dreams come true."
Toffee turned and began walking away. The only one to react through their shock was Janna who shot towards Toffee at a sprint. She flew back the way she came after a smack from Toffee's rather muscular tail. The door to the room slammed shut as Celeste was helping to get Ludo up off the ground. Janna got up and rubbed the back of her head.
"We need to go after them! Now!"
Ludo nodded in agreement. "Yes, we do. I can't have this man ruining everything I've worked for."
Ludo and Celeste began running for the door as Janna looked back at Marco, still in his prison and still half crying half muttering 'no...' over and over again. She called after the two who were now running off.
"Wait! What about Marco?!"
"Just tap the back panel, a door will open up!"
Janna ran over to the back of the cube and did as she was instructed. A rectangle the size of a door was cut into the glass and slid open. The second it was clear Marco ran out to embrace Janna.
"Janna, I'm so sorry."
Janna broke the hug. "There's no time for that, come on!" She grabbed his wrist and ran after the others.
Do not worship this time skip, it is only being transported. Please pay it no mind.
They found him outside behind the castle.
He was standing in front of a large machine, back turned to the others. He didn't seem to realize that the four people sprinting out of the castle were heading straight for him. The machine was tall, rising well above Toffee's head. It had a cylindrical base with an access panel bolted to the front which Toffee's fingers were running across madly, typing in some foreign computer language. On top of this cylinder was two curved spires, both ending in a point that bent down and inwards, pointing back at the base. Star's wrists were connected to the tips of these spires, latched into metal cuffs. She was still unconscious, hanging peacefully as the breeze caused the bottom of her dress to sway. Her armor had been stripped, strewn about on the ground around the lizard man's feet.
"STAR!" Marco couldn't help but yell out as they got close. He realized the stupidity of this after the fact.
Toffee turned to face the four running mates with a smile. "Well, well. Look who's shown up."
They stopped running, forming a line a few yards away from the suited man. The two sides stared each other down for what felt like hours to Marco. The breeze whipped up a little, leaves were blowing around in the background. After the 30 seconds had passed Toffee broke the silence.
"If we're just going to stand here all day then I'm just going to get back to destroying Star's physical and magical livelihood." He turned back around to the control panel.
Marco, disregarding the rule of never striking a man when his back is turned, rushed. His spirit was invigorated, eyes flaming from the inside, body flying back the way it came in a similar fashion that Janna's did. He slid across the ground back into his position in the line. Toffee turned back around, his arms folded over his chest.
"If it didn't work for your friend then why would it work now?"
Marco let out a little grumble from the ground as Janna crouched down to see if he was ok.
"You know, you're just in time. The show's starting... now." His tail lifted up and the tip of it hit the control panel. Above them all was a spark of yellow-green light igniting from the tips of the bent spires engulfing Star's body which jolted violently.
Marco's head shot up. "No! Stop it! You're hurting her!"
Surprisingly, Toffee's tail shut off the machine again. "You don't say? Now I'm sure you're probably wondering what it'll take to keep me from turning it on again."
The convulsions caused Star to regain consciousness as she hung from the machine. She looked around, scared out of her mind. "What- what's going on?" She struggled on the wrist restraints.
Toffee chuckled. "Looks like she's woken up."
Marco got up entirely, seething with absolute rage now. "LET HER GO!"
"Or what, you'll fight me?"
Ludo nudged Marco's leg. "That's reeeaaaally not a good idea, just so you know. He will beat you."
"You think it matters!? I'll rip him to shreds!"
Janna attempted to grab his arms as he ran off again. Marco shrieked as he charged but was soon silenced as his body was pinned to the ground in a movement as quick as lightning. His arms were snapped back behind the small of his back, legs kicking up dirt. Toffee held him down with just a foot.
"LET ME GO!" Marco's voice came out muffled from the dirt covering his mouth.
"Or I could just..." Toffee turned the machine on again with his tail.
Star let out a shriek of her own as the machine shocked her to the core. It was as if lightning was charging her veins, burning her nerves with the might of the gods themselves. She could feel her body draining, her insides becoming weaker.
"NO! No, turn it off!" Marco stopped struggling as the machine shut off. His body was kicked to the side. Star was breathing heavily, unable to speak through her pain.
"Anyone else wanna take a crack at it?" Toffee's eyes wandered to the group.
Ludo instinctively backed up, not wanting anything to do with that. Marco looked at Celeste desperately.
"Celeste! Please, I know you can fight. Help me, please!"
"You think she will help you? You poor, misguided child."
"Celeste please!"
She looked uncomfortable, unable to choose what to do. "I- I don't know... I can't. He'll kill me!"
"Fine! Janna, I know you want Star back, too!" He stood back up, fire filling his eyes once more.
"I'm no fighter! But here." She tossed the knife she stole over to Marco. "That might give you an edge."
Marco caught the knife and looked down at it curiously. He gripped it tight as Toffee spoke once more.
"You think a little knife will stop me? I don't even need to use my hands." He unfolded his arms and held them behind his back. "Go ahead and try, though."
Marco rushed again, the wind blowing back his long hair, knife in optimal thrusting position. He couldn't get close enough, however, because the tail had whipped his feet off the ground, sending him to the ground once again. With another smack Marco's body slid back to the others. Marco got up holding his abdomen. His clothes were now torn in several places and his body was scraped and bloody underneath. Toffee shook his head in pity.
"You really don't know when to stop do you?"
"I'll never stop! Not until Star's free!"
"Then I guess I'll just have to kill both of you." He turned the machine back on. He had no intentions of turning it off this time.
Star's shriek rang in Marco's ears filling his eyes with tears. His knuckles were white while gripping the knife. Running towards Toffee at a significantly slower speed Marco swung the small blade, attempting to hit the other. Toffee side stepped easily. Marco turned and swung again and again tying desperately to slash at the man. Toffee dodged all of them until finally grabbing his wrist, taking the knife, and dropping the boy to the ground. Marco didn't even bother trying to get up, Star's screams still filling his ears.
"Your effort is commendable, but did you really think drive was enough to stop me?" Toffee addressed everyone. "All of you are about to see what true power looks like, and you'll have to sit there knowing there was nothing any of you could do to stop me."
Marco's breathing was ragged with exhaustion. "Don't... be so sure... I can still-"
"Still what? Spit on me? Face it, kid, you lost. And now you're going to die."
"No..."
"Not only that but your friends are going to die as well. And then Star up there."
"No!..."
"It's a pity, really. The two of you were working so well together. I actually thought you might have been able to save Mewni. Might. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a world to own." He turned back to the machine, monitoring its progress. 58%, it said.
No one else moved, they were all riddled with fright. Marco attempted to push his body off the ground, struggling tremendously. Toffee saw this. "Really? You're still trying? I guess that's to be expected of someone with everything on the line. Foolish as you are, I can't really blame you."
"You're pitiful..." Marco spat out blood on the emphasis of that word. "You need to be destroyed."
"And you're a worthless fool who thinks he still has a chance. Just give up, you're never going to save her." By now Toffee had made his way over to where Marco lay and bent down, getting close to his face. "You're going to die alone. All alone just like the rest of us." Toffee straightened back up and turned his back once more.
Something snapped inside Marco. He mustered the last remaining bit of strength and courage that he had left and bolted. It took everyone by surprise, especially Toffee as the knife was taken from his hand and he was knocked to the ground. Marco was standing over top of the lizard man now, knife once again in his own hand. Toffee smirked for the first time since he had shown his face to the rest of them.
"What? Are you going to kill me? You don't have the guts!"
Marco looked down at the blade in his hand. He didn't have the will to take another's life no matter how wretched.
"Do it. Prove you aren't so worthless."
"Don't do it!" Marco looked back at Janna. "Don't do it, Marco! You're better than this!"
"I... I..."
Ludo finally decided to be useful for the first time during the fight. "Do it, boy! You know what he's capable of, his evil can't exist!"
"I can't..."
Toffee had silently risen before Marco could turn around. "Well then looks like you lost your only chance. And you lost her only chance."
Marco turned back to Toffee.
"Now give me the knife before you hurt yourself like you did everyone else."
"What was that...?"
"You let everyone down."
Marco took one look at the writhing form of Star and sighed, shaking his head. "Not yet..."
Marco became a man that day, knowing there was only one thing he could do. Who knew that lizard heads had so much blood in them? The blood was spraying from Toffee's neck like a broken faucet, covering Marco with enough 'red paint' to make him want to throw up his guts. The knife protruding from Toffee's neck caused him to choke, unable to breath. He dropped to his knees, face losing the little bit of reptilian color that it had. His hands scratched for the bit of steel in him but they just weren't responding the way he wanted them to. Before he knew it the life had escaped his body, eyes rolling to the back of the head. His body slumped to the ground with a 'thud'.
Marco looked down at his own hands covered in blood. His vision was a bit blurry and his body gave out. He fell to the ground beside the dead man and shook violently, shivering from the thought of what he had just done. He didn't even realize Janna was just above him, trying to get him to stand. She was saying something... something... doesn't matter. The others were running for the machine, doing something to it. A body fell out of the sky at one point, but... whose body?
"Star... STAR!"
Marco shook his head and stumbled to get over to her. Janna did her best to make Marco try and take it easy but he wasn't listening. He couldn't listen. Star was there, almost in his reach, just outside his grasp, getting closer, almost there. They were both very weak when they finally embraced, Marco having finally made it to Star. He practically had to pull her out of Celeste's arms. Everything seemed to surreal, nothing wanted to stay still. Star whispered in his ear.
"Thank you..."
Marco only hugged tighter and shushed her. Janna took a seat by the two of them, letting them have their moment, Celeste went back to looking at the machine, and Ludo made his way back over to Toffee's body.
Ludo sighed. "It's always the one your closest to."
Celeste called over to her boss with fear in her eyes. "LUDO!"
He ran back over to the machine to see what was wrong, realizing the severity almost immediately. The machine read '100%, processing procedure'.
"We were too late, it's already starting!"
"Oooooh, that's not good."
Janna, having overheard the others, shook the two that were still hugging. "Guys, uh, I think you should see this."
"Not now, it can wait."
Ludo smacked Marco on the back of the head. "No, it can not wait!"
Celeste became even more scared. "There's no way to override it! Maybe we can smash it?"
Ludo shook his head. "That thing's made of the best steel alloy we could steal from Mewni, there's no way we're breaking it."
Star whimpered, grabbing Marco tighter. "Marco...?"
"Yes, Star?"
"Remember that thing you told me about back inside? The thing Father Time had told you?"
"What? You can't honestly be thinking..."
Star looked away, frowning.
"No! No, Star, we'd have never met! I'll forget about you!"
"I know... but, maybe I can go back to Earth. Reteach you everything."
"Star, no! Don't talk like that, it's not happening!"
Ludo grabbed Star and forced her to face him. "What's not happening?! By all means if you have a solution let us hear it!"
Star shook off his grasp. "There may be a way for me to go back in time. I can prevent all of this from happening, rewrite my timeline or something like that."
Marco frowned since Star was even considering it. "But it's not an option anymore. I'm not-"
"Marco! You're the king of Mewni now. You can't just not do something just because you don't want to, this is for the welfare of the entire planet!"
Marco crossed his arms and looked away. "You seemed pretty ready to dismiss it a little while ago."
"Because it wasn't our only option then! This may be all we have left now."
Ludo tapped his foot in impatience. "Can we get on with this, then? We have very limited time to be a stubborn baby, here! Star, how are we going to get this to work?"
"Marco, Father Time told you how this works, right?"
Marco looked back over to the others, his face solemn. "He did. He said we need to raise you levels of 'will power' or something like that."
Ludo grew a bit angry. "'-or something like that'? What's that supposed to mean? Do you not know for sure?"
"No, I know. He said lots of... emotion can do this. I don't no the absolute details just that a super emotional moment can raise Star's will power and cause her magic to 'power up'."
Celeste looked over from the machine. "You have two minutes! Make it quick!"
Ludo jumped. "Ok, ok, nothing to worry about. How... how are we gonna do this?"
Star looked up into Marco's eyes, a sense of longing emanating from her face. "I have an idea." She stood up slowly and shakily pulling Marco up with her. They were both aching terribly and had to hold onto each other just to stay up. "Do you remember that time you woke up in that dream world with me?"
"You mean after my house exploded?"
Ludo looked a bit guilty after hearing that.
"Yeah, remember what I told you? How being without you for as long as I had been was so terrible. How I felt so bad day after day just watching you sleep. Do you remember what you said to me?"
"I think I do... I said I'd never abandon you."
"Well, it's time. It's time to prove that you meant what you said and help me set things right. We may not see each other for a very long time, I have no idea how long, but I promise you that I will come back. I would never abandon you."
"Thank you, I'll wait for your return."
"Then do you remember the other thing we did in the dream world?"
"Yes. I do."
And they kissed. For the first time in years they finally did more than just hug. Star held onto Marco's hands, pressing their lips together. Marco could feel her soft, warm skin on his. It was painful for more reasons than one. He felt physical pain, remnants of his fight with Toffee, and the obvious emotional pain. If this worked he would go back to his family, he'd go back to his friends, and his old house, and his old school. Everything he'd lost since meeting Star would be brought back and he would go back to being an outcast 14 year old. Of course, he wouldn't remember anything. No one would except Star. It's what killed him on the inside the most, the fact that he wouldn't remember any of this, any of their adventures together, any of their moments shared. He knew Star was thinking the same. A tear fell from his eyes and landed on Star's cheek. The pink heart began to glow white upon impact. Soon both her cheeks were shining bright white, blinding the others who were watching.
Star opened her eyes mid kiss, they too were glowing a solid white, as well. Wind was whipping up around them, adding to the already fast winds. It almost looked like the dirt picked up by the wind was creating a vortex around them. Star's feet eventually left the ground and her body lifted upwards. They held onto the kiss for as long as they could before having their embrace severed. Star's arm's became outstretched as she was ascending. Her wand flew out of it's hiding place inside Toffee's bloody suit jacket and stopped in front of her. It's face was glowing white as well.
Marco looked upwards towards Star. The wind blew his hair around, drying out his eyes of the tears that hung there. He could tell that she was saying something or, from the looks of it, whispering it. The wand broke apart, it's pieces scattering and leaving only a small ghost-like horse floating in its place. It darted around Star's head a bit and then dissipated in a thin wisp of smoke. Star's eyes and cheeks began to glow brighter and brighter until all anyone could see was a bright flash of light.
In his blindness Marco could hear Star's voice as if she had whispered in his ear. A simple 3 words.
"I love you."
The light faded soon after.
Shit. This is it, guys. One more chapter. I really wish I could go back and make some changes to the story as a whole but then again, it's not mine to change anymore. If I were to change the plot it wouldn't be 'The Lives We Lead' any more. It would change the story entirely. Well, guess that's what I get for being a forgetful sonofabitch. I just tried to fit too much into one story and I know it, but I'll get more chances with my next ones.
Did you cry? I almost did while writing this.