CHAPTER TWELVE- Blood and Knives
Sorry it's been a while; I have been in kind of a writing slump but today I forced myself to sit down and just write.
Just a Little Spark: I don't know about merch, lol. I doubt anyone would actually buy it (though I know someone who could do a very good job at drawing her)
AnimationNut: This is a tad more violent than slapping haha
I don't own Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
"Took you long enough."
GENERAL POV
Star flopped down face first onto her bed and burst into heavy tears, fingers clenching at the pillow under her and chest heaving as she sobbed.
Barely a minute later, there was a light tapping on her bedroom door and Star flinched, burrowing her way further into the pillow in the hopes that a lack of response would make whoever was out there go away.
No such luck, as the door creaked open and soft light from the hallway flooded the room. "Star honey?" came Mrs. Diaz's voice softly. "Are you all right?"
Star shivered and shook her head, and a moment later the bed dipped next to her and gentle fingers wove their way through her hair. "Would you like to talk about it?"
The girl lifted her eyes to study Mrs. Diaz, the woman's face etched with concern and her lips pursed. Star swallowed and sat up slowly, wrapping her arms around the mother and burying her face into her neck. "Has…has anyone you ever really cared about ever lied to you before?" she asked softly.
Angie hummed softly in the back of her throat and lifted a free hand to resume stroking Star's hair. "Yes," she acknowledged. "Many times."
Star clutched at her back and sniffled, body trembling. "Did you forgive them?"
Angie chuckled and rubbed Star's back soothingly, making the girl calm down a little bit. "Some of them, yes. It's not easy; but sometimes they just don't realize what they're doing is wrong."
Star stiffened and Angie pulled away, looking at the girl curiously as she brushed stray tears from her cheeks. "What's this about, honey?"
The teen glanced sideways at her dimensional scissors and chewed on her lip. "Marco…was lying to me. But I think…I think he's in trouble. And I don't know what to do."
When she looked back at Angie she found the woman looking at her with a sad smile, pain evident in her eyes. "You help him, baby. It's clear to me you care about him."
Star nodded almost absentmindedly and reached for the scissors, studying them for a long minute and then sliding off the bed. "You're right," she whispered. "Don't worry, Mrs. Diaz."
She snipped open the portal and stuck one leg in, face hardening with a determined look. "I'm getting your son back."
With that, Star vanished into the portal and left an astonished Angela Diaz alone in her bedroom.
Toffee smirked and strolled up to Marco slowly, eyes flashing with what appeared to be literal fire as he plucked the knife from the wall and ever so slowly edged it under Marco's chin. Pony Head growled and started towards him, but with one flick of the wrist, the knife had nicked Marco on the neck and blood was trickling down his skin.
"Try that again," Toffee dared, sending a glare towards the unicorn head. "See how far you get before this boy is decapitated entirely and you have another head for a friend."
Pony Head's horn flashed but she backed down, teeth gritted as Toffee turned back to Marco.
"See what playing on the side of good gets you, my boy?" Toffee murmured, stroking the blade up and down Marco's neck and sending shivers down the teens spine. "Why would you choose them over everything I've ever given you?"
Marco scowled and spat up at Toffee. The monster recoiled in disgust and the knife ripped into Marco's skin at the jolt, sending crimson slithering down his body to the floor.
"What have you given me?" Marco demanded, ignoring the warmth sliding down his neck. "A bare bedroom? Fake monster abilities? No family? Tell me what the hell you ever did for me to want to do anything for you or with you ever again!"
His anger flared and seconds later his monster arm sprouted and wrapped around Toffee's torso. The knife clattered from the monster's fingers and hit the floor, where Pony Head instantly moved to get it away while Marco spun and slammed Toffee back against the wall hard enough to make the reptile's teeth clack together.
To both Marco's and Pony's surprise, Toffee started laughing.
"My boy," he hissed, reptilian eyes glaring down at them. "You say I gave you nothing; but you're using the very thing I gifted you with to defeat me."
Marco shut his eyes tightly and swallowed, turning his head away and fighting to stay in control of himself. He was very aware of Pony Head floating up to him and butting him in the shoulder gently, in turn getting her muzzle covered in blood.
"Hey. Marco. Don't listen to him. You don't owe him anything."
Marco nodded and forced his gaze back on Toffee, his mouth curling into a sneer as he tightened his hold on the monster. "You think that you giving me this monster arm means anything? You think I'm going to do whatever the hell you want just because you gave me the very thing I plan on destroying you with?"
Toffee opened his mouth but Marco squeezed harder, the tentacle curling up around Toffee's neck and cutting him off. "Not a chance, you bastard. The second I'm done with you, I'm getting someone to take this fucking thing away."
Toffee managed a harsh bark of laughter. "Dear boy," he rasped out softly. "No one will remove that arm for you without killing you first."
"I will."
Marco and Pony Head spun around to see Star standing in the doorway, dimensional scissors dangling loosely from her fingers and face streaked with dried tears. Her eyes shot quickly around the room, taking in Marco's bleeding neck, Toffee's evil smirk, and the menacing glare on Pony Head's face.
"I will," she repeated softly, stepping into the room fully and moving to stand next to Marco, turning her frown on Toffee. "You stole a baby from the best parents I've ever met, and you turned him into an asshole, and yet somehow…"
She shot Marco a glance and then looked away bashfully. "Somehow he still managed to resist you to keep from hurting me."
Marco swallowed and slid his free hand into his pocket, pulling out the wand and handing it delicately to Star. The girl gasped and grabbed it from him instantly, fingers running over the handle and up to the top, where she stopped abruptly at the missing half of the star.
"Toffee has it," Marco informed her softly. "That's why I came here. I needed to get it back for you."
"For you?" Toffee scoffed. "Please. My dear, do you really think he's planning on giving you back that piece of your wand? He's going to keep it for himself, use it for revenge. You know that as well as I do."
When Star didn't instantly respond, Marco swiveled his head around to look at her, an anxious look on his face. Star flinched and stepped back slowly, wand clutched to her chest. "Marco, I-"
"Oh come on!" Pony Head snapped. "B-Fly, he's bleeding out the neck for you! He fucked up; so what? Are you gonna listen to this creep over the guy you very clearly had a crush on?"
Marco jumped and looked from Pony Head to Star and back, startled to see Star's face turning a bright red color. "Wha-?"
In that moment, a sharp tearing sound filled the room and Marco shrieked, yanking his monster arm away from Toffee and drawing it back into him quickly to leave his normal arm there, a jagged, bleeding gash running down the length of it.
In Toffee's claws was the remaining piece of the wand, the broken edge dripping lazily with Marco's blood. The monster straightened slowly, adjusting his suit as Marco collapsed to his knees with his arm clutched tightly to his already blood soaked shirt. He was beginning to get incredibly light headed, and Toffee knew it.
"This has been fun and all," Toffee said with a roll of his eyes, "but I'm afraid I must depart."
Brandishing the broken star at the trio, Toffee stepped slowly around them, kicking Marco once in the ribs for good measure and effectively jostling his bleeding arm. The boy howled and clenched his teeth together, glaring up at Toffee through watering eyes.
Toffee ever so carefully reached down and grabbed at the knife that Pony Head had tossed away earlier, gently pressing the tip to Star's chin as he passed her. "My dear princess," he mumbled tauntingly. "How does it feel to know that you allowed an innocent boy to die?"
Star gasped, eyes welling up with tears, and Toffee grinned wickedly, sliding the knife very gently across her cheek.
The moment the blood speckled up from under the knife, Marco growled.
"No."
Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, Toffee was on the ground with Marco hovering over him, eyes flashing with fury and utter adoration for the girl the monster had just been hurting. The monster arm grew with no hesitation despite the blood, and Marco pinned the reptile to the wooden floor with no problem.
His human hand flashed out and clenched around the knife Toffee held in his claws, twisting it so that the monster was no longer aiming at Marco but at himself, the tip of the blade hovering dangerously close to his neck.
Toffee merely chuckled, an evil glint in his eyes. "My dear boy, you know this won't work. After all, I have powers beyond your own beliefs."
Marco cursed and tightened his grasp on Toffee, hand trembling as he fought to hold the knife down.
"Marco? What does he mean?" Pony Head asked from behind him.
Marco wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Toffee is a reptilian monster," he spat out. "His people can regenerate from even the smallest piece. And he has a piece of himself locked away in this house where even I can't find it."
"No one can," Toffee said with a smirk. "You might as well give up now, boy."
"Did he also tell you that if you destroy the piece kept for the sole purpose of regeneration, he himself would be completely destroyed?"
The entire group looked up to find The Seer in the doorway, a glass jar clutched between her claws that had a single finger floating inside. "You see," The Seer muttered, sliding into the room, "what he didn't mention was that no reptilian monster in their right mind would keep a piece of them lying around to regenerate…unless they had no choice."
Marco was at a loss for words, but Toffee jerked under him angrily. "You cowering bitch," he snapped.
"Shut it, you overgrown lizard," The Seer scoffed. "I've always been one step ahead of you, Toffee. You were merely a piece in a game too large for you to understand. Marco, child, when he asked me for help kidnapping you, I made him pay a price: save one part of the body for regenerative purposes. Toffee believed you would never turn on him, and therefore would never have want for the appendage. I knew better."
Toffee howled as The Seer twisted open the jar containing the finger, and she slowly handed the jar towards Marco. "All that you need to do is break it," she informed him softly, red eyes flashing with something akin to amusement. "And he's gone."
Toffee thrashed under him, his claws pushing harder on the knife in hand, but Marco merely closed his arm around him more tightly, fighting the wooziness that was edging into his vision. He glanced sideways at Star, who seemed utterly distraught, and forced his gaze back onto The Seer.
"I…don't know if I can," he whispered.
"Marco!" Pony Head yelped.
"Not because I don't want to," he choked out, forcing the knife back down towards Toffee. "Because…I don't want Star to think I'm just…a killer."
"You're joking, right?" Star got out.
Marco glanced back at her again anxiously to see surprise on her face. "Marco, he's literally the most horrible person I've ever met. Do it."
"NO!"
Toffee, with a burst of energy that greatly rivaled Marco's own diminished strength, thrust upwards violently with the knife.
The last thing Marco remembered was cold steel in his stomach and Star's screams.
Lol bye.