Alternative ending to 'Storm the Castle'

Star's POV

Star burst through the large double doors with her wand aloft, her hair crackling with electricity. She was positively spitting with fury. She lept up onto the table and flew towards Toffee, who was sitting in a large straight backed wooden chair at the head of the banquet table. She was about to send a spell right in Toffee's twisted, reptilian face when she saw someone stood behind him.

Someone wearing a suit.

Someone with awfully familiar dark hair, tan skin and a mole on his right cheek...

Marco's POV

Marco's fury and hurt peaked when he saw Star burst through the doors, and the pain in his leg mounted. He did not feel regret.

Earlier that day

"For god's sake, Marco! You're so bloody uptight! I swear to- what are you doing?"

Marco was scraping the remains of the sandwich off the wall.

"What does it look like?" He growled.

"That's still perfectly good food! Stop!"

"Get out of it, Star!" Marco shoved her away. "I've had enough of you telling me what to do for one day!"

Star grabbed his shoulder roughly and yanked him away from the wall.

"Well, now you know how I feel!" She shouted. "You're always telling me what to do! You're so annoying!!"

"Yeah? Well, you're reckless. And immature." Marco spat.

"Immature?" Star laughed, a little manically. "Oh, I'll show you immature, Diaz!"

She picked up a piece of slimy sandwich from the floor and flung it at Marco.

It hit him squarely in the chest.
He looked at her.
She was breathing heavily.
There was a pause.
Then she scowled.

"I hate it when you're like this," she muttered, looking away.

"Like what?" Marco asked, sounding a little hurt.

"This!" Star yelled, pointing at Marco dramatically.

"You just gestured to all of me," he said, rolling his eyes.

"No, I just mean... Urgh! You haven't joined in at all today, and you kept stopping me from having fun, trying to hold me back, as though you don't trust me, as though you don't think I can handle myself or something! I'm sick of being treated like a child! I'm future queen, goddammit! I don't need you. So stop acting like I'll die if you're not around to help me! I hate it! It makes me not want to be your friend! It makes me wonder why we're even friends in the first place!"

With her last sentence, Star flung out her arms in anger and her wand let out a jet of flames. Before seeing where it went, Star stormed to her room and slammed the door behind her.

Marco yelped as the fire hit his leg. He stopped, dropped and rolled, like he had be taught, but this was magic fire.
It didn't go out.
Stupidly, he frantically tried to pat the flames out, and his palms caught alight too.

Marco screamed all the way to the bathroom.

He ran the cold shower over his leg, which extinguished the flames and laid bare his charred jean leg and the angry burns on his tan skin.

Marco hissed in pain, trying to stop the tears from spilling in his eyes; if he started crying he would never stop... It was not just the physical pain that was hurting him.

Toffee's POV

The Marco Diaz that Bull Fly brought to him was not the one he had been expecting.

The boy was a sobbing wreck with angry burns on his leg and hands. Toffee sighed deeply and looked down in disgust as Ludo's old monsters- now his- laid the boy at his feet.

"Get up," he said sharply.

Diaz looked up with bloodshot eyes. Slowly, he got to his feet and gasped quietly as he put his weight on his left leg.

"What happened?" Toffee asked in a bored voice, indicating the burns. Diaz looked at his feet.

"Accident," he murmured.

Toffee tuted.

"Liar," he said, calmly. "You had an argument with Star, didn't you?"

Diaz looked surprised that Toffee knew. The look on his face only reassured Toffee that he was right.

"Did she do this to you?"

Diaz's eyes filled with tears.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice breaking, confirming Toffee's question as correct.

"I... Well, I originally wanted to use you to get Star to do as I said..." Toffee said thoughtfully. "But now, I am reconsidering. Now, I want your help."

"I won't help you!" The boy exclaimed, shocked.

"You don't feel ill used?" Toffee asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Ill used. Taken for granted. Underappreciated. Neglected. I'm sure you're feeling pretty angry right about now? Hurt?"

"Well..." Diaz shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes. You are. But I can give you the chance to get your one up on Star. Oh, and I can help you with that nasty burn of yours. It's going to scar."

"...I'm listening," Diaz said.

-

Toffee led Marco into a large, luxurious bedroom with a four poster bed. He gently told him to sit down, which he did, nervous, and Toffee came back with a first aid kit.

He tended Marco's burns with such tenderness and softness that Marco didn't think possible of a lizard.

Slowly, Toffee cleaned the burn on Marco's leg with disinfectant. The boy hissed in pain, his face contorted. Toffee noticed. He reached into his pocket and produced a small vile of violet liquid, which he handed to Marco.

"For the pain," he said. "Trust me."

Marco only hesitated for a second before downing it; the burning sensation subsided immediately.

Toffee smiled and continued cleaning the burns.

"So, this argument," he said. "What was it about?"

"Oh, just... Just about how she doesn't need me..." Marco muttered, bitter.

"What?" Toffee looked up.

"She..." Marco sighed. "Star was angry at me. Said I was overprotective. Treated her like she couldn't take care of herself, or something."

"Do you?" Toffee inquired, now unravelling bandages.

"No!" Marco said, defensive. "No, I just try to keep her safe! I... I don't know what I'd do if I lost her, I couldn't bare it, so I just do everything I can to keep her safe. I want her to have a good time, as long as she's not in danger. I don't try to stop her having fun."

"Of course you don't," said Toffee said soothingly, wrapping his leg in thick, soft bandages. There was warmth in his voice like Marco had never heard before. "I can help you with that, if you want," he continued, taking Marco's hands and gently wrapping them in bandages and securing them. "But first, you should change out of those burnt clothes."

-

"Are you sure?"

"You look excellent, my boy."

"Alright."

Marco looked at himself in the full length mirror. He did look good.

The suit was dark red- the colour of dried blood- with close fitting trousers and shoes polished to the shine. The jacket was smart and flattering, with a sleek black tie. If he didn't put too much weight on his left leg and put his bandaged hands behind back, he looked really impressive and much older.

Marco smiled.

His brown eyes shone and slowly, slivers of green appeared in his irises. As green as Toffee's eyes.

"Oh, one more thing," Toffee said, grabbing hair gel and smoothing down Marco's shock of thick dark hair. He never slicked it back, but he suddenly liked the way he looked.

They walked back into the banquet hall. Toffee sat in the chair at the head of the table and Marco stood behind him with his hands behind his back. They didn't have too wait long before the doors banged open and Star Butterfly flew in, leaping onto the table and sprinting the length of it.

Marco's fury and hurt peaked when he saw Star, and the pain in his leg mounted. He did not feel regret.

Star skidded to a halt with her wide eyes on Marco.

"M... Marco..?" She whispered.

Marco did not answer. He only scowled.

"Toffee..." Star said in a hushed voice. She sank to her knees on the table. "What have you done to him?"

"Oh, I haven't done anything to him," Toffee said casually, smiling at Marco. "Why don't you tell her, Marco?"

Star looked at him, her mouth hanging open. Tears sparkled in her large baby blue eyes. Marco held her gaze with his dark eyes. The flecks of green spread like veins.

"Since you don't need me," Marco said coldly. "I decided to join with someone who actually appreciates me."

"What?" Star said, aghast. "Wait... Is this about the argument?"

"You need to understand something, Star," said Toffee. "Your actions have consequences. Sometimes, what you say hurts people."

"Maybe they don't teach you that on Mewni," Marco snarled. "Good thing at least Toffee here understands."

"Marco, that was nothing! I was mad! I said some things that I didn't mean!"

"It's too late!" Marco shouted, his voice hard.

"Marco, please!" Star moaned. "It's me! I... I didn't mean it!"

"What, so, I don't annoy you?"

"Well- sometimes-"

"And I'm not overprotective?"

"Yeah, you are, but-"

"And I'm not-"

"Marco!" Star shouted, her voice filled with anguish. "You are protective, but that's just because you care!"

"Yes! It is! So why do you treat me like yesterday's jam?!" Marco cried, stepping forwards and slamming his hands on the table. "I do all I can to keep you safe. I give you everything. I help you whenever I can. I sacrifice so much for you. All I ever do is try to keep you safe. And this, this is how you repay me?! By saying you don't need me, by saying you hate the way I act. You said you don't even know why we're friends. Well you know what? I DON'T KNOW EITHER!"

Star was crying profusely.

"I'm sorry!" She screamed. "I'm so, so sorry, Marco, please! I don't know what I'd do without you... I do need you, I should never have said any of that! I didn't mean it! Any of it! I'm so sorry. You have to believe me! I-"

She stopped, staring at his bandaged hands on the table.

"What happened? D... did he do this to you?" She gasped.

Toffee laughed.

"She thinks I hurt you, my boy. Oh, this is sweet."

"You want to know what happened?" Marco said quietly, his lip curling, his eyes now deep sea green flecked with chestnut. "Why don't you take a look at that wand of yours? Just have a cheeky little check what the last spell you performed was. Go ahead."

Hesitating, Star took out her wand and lifted the lid. The unicorn inside it snorted and looked up at her, then produced a small ball of fire at the tip of it's horn.

Star gasped.

"I don't remember casting a fire spell," she murmured.

"That's because you were too angry to know what you were going," said Marco, who, unlike Star was speaking at full volume. "You burnt me and you didn't even realise. See, I was right. You are reckless."

"I did this to you?" Star breathed. Her face was shining with tears. "Oh, Marco, I'm so sorry!"

"Too late," Toffee said. "He's mine now."

"Marco! Don't listen to him! I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you, would you please, please, find it in your heart to forgive me? You know I'd never mean to hurt you!"

"Your apology means nothing!" Toffee shouted, standing. He pushed Marco behind him. "It's too late!"

Marco looked at Toffee with a little surprise on his face. His eyes flickered.

"It's too... Late," Toffee hissed, leaning in and grabbing Star by the cheeks in his claws, squeezing, drawing beads of blood.

Something deep inside Marco's heart twisted when he saw her cringe in pain. He blinked twice, quickly, and brown swirled in his irises again, like stirring coffee into the ocean.

"He's mine, you hear me? Mine." Toffee spat, almost inaudibly.

Star squirmed and tears spilled from her eyes into her mouth. She was mouthing 'I'm sorry', over and over again, her lips squished together. Thin rivulets of blood ran town her cheeks from Toffee's vice like grip with his claws on her face, mingling with her tears. He leaned forwards, right up close into her, so they were almost nose to nose.
"Mine."

"Stop it!"

They both turned to look at Marco.

He was standing with his fists clenched, his eyes their normal warm brown. They were angry.

"What did you say?" Demanded Toffee.

"I said stop it, don't hurt her," Marco said.

"Marco, my boy," Toffee chuckled. His eyes were icy. "Don't forget what this girl did to you, how she treated you-"

"But she's sorry," Marco said. "She's my friend. She made a mistake. She hurt me. Yes, but she didn't mean to. How can I know that? I have to trust her."

Marco's eyes flashed green to brown as he paced up and down, muttering and clearly having a heated argument with himself. Toffee dropped his hand from Star's face and the two of them paused in their fight, watching Marco.

"She's my friend! She doesn't know how to look after herself. She needs a little guidance, that's all! She never listens. I know she didn't mean to hurt me. But she did. I should forgive her. She said herself she doesn't know why we're friends. She was angry! She takes me for granted. She needs me. She said herself she didn't need me. She was upset. She hates me... Maybe she does. I hate her. I love her."

Star clapped a hand to her mouth. Toffee's jaw fell open. Marco looked shocked with himself, but when he gazed up at Star, his eyes wide, they were fully brown again.

"I love you," he repeated, in nothing more than a whisper.

"I love you," Star sobbed. "And I'm sorry."

"And I forgive you," Marco smiled, his eyes softening.

"No, no, no!" Toffee shouted. "Stop this! Diaz, this was not what was supposed to happen!"

"Sorry, mate," Marco grinned, ruffling up his hair and undoing his tie. "All's fair in love and war, and this is a bit of both." He threw the tie in Toffee's face and ran to Star's side as she jumped down off the table. "By the way, that pain killer was gross. Think it messed with my head a bit too- for some reason it made me think I look good in a suit!"

Toffee growled.

"Let's take him," Marco said, and Star nodded and raised her wand. Together they yelled,

"Narwhale Blast!"