Chapter 13 Hey Look, a Distraction!

The party set out pretty quickly. With the water that Star had gathered, the trek across the arid desert of Sarasaland was so much more tolerable. Star actually found herself enjoying it. The pink sand glimmered like rose quartz. The pyramids, made out of golden blocks, spoke about the history of the ancient and beautiful region. Star even spotted a few foreign creatures walking across the path. They had a mystique and ethereal quality to them, like angels that took the time to visit Star's home planet of Earth.

Earth. Star hadn't thought about it as much as she probably should. Earth was a frightening and cruel place, filled to the brim with horrible people. Yet, it also had some amazing people. Her parents, who had cared about her like there was no tomorrow. Her siblings, who always made sure to reserve their best hugs just for her. Her friends. Star's friends, both the ones she had made in real life and the ones she interacted with online, meant the world to her.

Star could feel tears welling in her eyes just thinking about them. She made sure to hide her watery eyes and her whimpers from the party. She swallowed her feelings like a bitter pill. The held back sobs clogged up her throat.

"Star, what's wrong?"

Star didn't even turn around when she heard Iggy's voice. Her mind was going into overdrive as she wondered exactly how much time it would take for them to get to the cave that contained the Transporter. An hour? A day? A week? Star shook her head as she thought about it. It didn't matter. Being on the more impatient side, Star knew that she would still feel anxious as she and the Koopalings combed the desert.

But what if they didn't have to comb the desert? Star, after all, did have powers.

Woah woah, hold up? What was Star thinking? She had already used her powers! She couldn't do it again. Star placed her hands to her head, afriad of the thoughts running through her mind. The Koopalings seemed to notice.

"Star, seriously, what's going on?" asked Wendy. Larry snickered.

"I think her head is about to explode," he said, referring to the fact that she was gripping the sides of her face. Lemmy giggled.

"If it does, then that means we can all go back home!" Lemmy's laughter increased. "Or should I say...head home!"

Lemmy and Ludwig burst out into laughter, sounding like a group of seals. Star also laughed. If there was one thing that she adored, it was puns. She didn't even care if others found them annoying; she always got a good laugh from hearing a clever or even bad plays on words.

"That was a good one, Lemmy," she said. Lemmy beamed.

"Aw, thank you!" he gushed. Iggy snickered.

"Of course, it makes sense that you would find appreciation in Lemmy's jokes," he said. "You did write him to be that way, after all."

"Heck yeah, I did!" Star said. She chortled like a super villain. "And I am so glad that I did!"

Iggy, surprisingly, smiled.

"Well, even though I do not find the puns humorous..."

"Hey!" said Lemmy.

"...I still hope that you can get back home so that you can write more of them."

Star chuckled, although there was a certain hollowness to it.

"Yeah. Me too."

The party continued on through the desert. As they stopped to catch a water break, Star began to think about this. She needed to get back home; there was no question about it. She needed to be in a comfortable environment, where she could write, listen to music, and engage in social activities. She needed to be with her family, she needed to talk with her friends. Honestly, the whole "being suck in a fictional world thing" was starting to get old. On top of that, Star was starting to get homesick.

So...would it be alright if she used her powers again? After all, the Koopalings wanted her to get home to. Her own desire to get home was growing stronger and stronger by the second. Sure, she wouldn't do anything drastic. She could only use her powers when it was convenient for the plot, anyway. So, wouldn't it be best for everyone if she used them to speed up the process of finding the Transporter?

The more Star thought about this, the more she realized this was probably the best course of action. So, she placed her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes shut.

"Help us get to the Transporter faster."

When Star opened her eyes, she could feel herself be filled with renewed strength. She looked down and saw that her feet were glowing with a bright yellow light, and the Koopalings were also in a similar state. This indicated that the party could now travel at a brisker pace. Roy was the first to notice the change.

"Hey," he said as he pointed to Iggy. "Iggster, what's the deal with your feet?"

Iggy looked down at his feet. He stood up and shrieked.

"Oh my goodness!" he cried. "What is going on?"

"I don't know!" said Ludwig. Star felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Make the light go away, but keep our increased stats," she muttered under her breath. The lights around the feet of all the party members faded away, much to Star's and the Koopalings' relief.

"Whew!" Roy said with a smile. "Glad that went away. I don't want light bulbs for feet."

"Me neither," said Wendy. Iggy looked over at Star in suspicion and confusion, causing her to sweat.

"Star, you wouldn't happen to know what happened, would you?"

Beads of sweat streamed down Star's forehead.

"Um..."

Suddenly, Star felt a weird sensation down on the ground. She looked down and saw that the ground that she was standing on was starting to glitch.

"Nope, not a clue!" Star said to the Koopalings, who thankfully hadn't noticed the anomally. She started to push the group forward. "Now, don't you think we should get going toward the Transporter?"

The others still looked suspicious, but continued on regardless.