Chapter 3 Self Inserts are a Thing?

"Oww, oww, oww," Star moaned as she trudged toward the castle. The only things that she had on her feet were….well, nothing. Naturally, the spiky, spiny sharpness of the obsidian digging into Star's feet made her want to rip them off. Nevertheless, she kept on walking.

Surely, the Koopalings would be able to help her. Most of them were pretty intelligent Koopas, Koopas who had Star's utmost respect. If she could explain her situation to them, perhaps they could help her locate the Transporter.

Of course, despite the fact that the Transporter was supposed to be Star's main priority, she wasn't as concerned about it. Her mind was filled with excitement over meeting her idols. She wanted to tell them how much they meant to her. She wanted to become best friends with them. Sure, doing that might be difficult, seeing how she had less than admirable social skills. But, if her theory was correct, they would be able to recognize her.

So, Star continued her trek to Bowser's Castle, despite the gashes and holes in her feet. She could see the Castle approaching on the horizon. It was like a sunrise, acting as a beacon of hope for the future. She sped up a little bit, but quickly had to stop and catch her breath. Star was a little out of shape.

Finally, she got to the Castle. She was pleased to see four out of the seven Koopalings were already there. Larry, Roy, Ludwig, and Lemmy appeared to be engaged in a game of dodgeball. At least, Roy, Larry, and Lemmy were. Ludwig was hanging out on the sidelines, reading an impressively thick book.

"I'm gonna get you!" Larry called out as he threw a dodgeball at Lemmy. Roy threw another ball in his direction, and Lemmy just barely dodged. He swerved around the balls, a look of panic on his face.

"Ludwig! Get up and help me before I get creamed!"

"Yeah yeah, I'll be there in a minute," Ludwig said as he turned another page.

Star watched the display with a noticeable feeling of intrigue. None of the Koopalings have noticed her yet, which she found extremely odd. She watched as Roy threw a dodgeball, scoring a hit on Lemmy's shoulder. He smiled and whooped.

"Yeah, baby! I won!" He exclaimed. Lemmy's face fell.

"Oh, come on," he muttered miserably. He went over and sat next to his elder brother. "Why do sports have to be so unfair?"

Ludwig snickered.

"That's the million dollar question," he said as he flipped the page again. Larry and Roy just continued to pat each other on the back. Star cleared her throat and put on a smile.

"Hey, guys."

The Koopalings all looked Star's way. Ludwig raised an eyebrow, probably at the fact that Star was wearing pajamas. Larry and Lemmy tried to hide their smiles while Roy just looked confused.

"Who are you?" Roy asked. Star gawked.

"Seriously? Guys, it's me!"

Larry snickered.

"Well, that's an easy name to remember," he said with a sarcastic inflection. He went up and shook Star's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Me."

Star pulled her hand away. She shook her head rapidly.

"No no no, you guys don't get it! It's me, StarlitDuck!"

Now all of the Koopalings looked confused.

"That's quite an odd name," said Ludwig.

"Yeah," said Roy. "Why would your parents name you that?"

Star smiled a little.

"It's actually my pen name. My real name is…" Suddenly, she shook her head. "Wait, it doesn't matter! You guys should recognize me!"

The Koopalings each raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" asked Lemmy. "Did we meet you at a party or something?"

"Yeah, I think we would remember that, given your horrible fashion sense," said Larry.

Star shook her head, her frustration building up to the nth degree.

"Come on, guys! I am your creator! I wrote stories surrounding you! We even met in two of the stories!"

Roy's confusion was growing ever more noticeable.

"Uh...what?"

"Yeah, stories!" Star said. "I wrote myself into Untitled and Acting in the Arena! Come on, you got to remember that!"

The Koopalings stared at Star. There was a shine in their eyes. Since Star wasn't the best at reading emotions, she wasn't entirely sure what it indicated.

"Are you alright?" Ludwig asked. Larry leaned in and whispered:

"I think she might have escaped from the Looney Bin!"

Star shook her head.

"No, no, no! I promise you, I am not crazy! I am your creator! I have written you all down! I gave you personalities and motivations and everything! You've gotta believe me!"

Larry exchanged a look with Lemmy.

"Maybe we should try to find out which mental hospital she escaped from. They are probably looking for her," said Lemmy.

"Good idea," said Ludwig. He flew over to Star. When he spoke, he used a gentle if slightly nervous inflection. "Okay, StarlitDuck." He took her hand. "Come with us. We're going to take you to a nice room until we find out where you came from."

Star removed her hand form Ludwig's grasp.

"If you just listen…"

In that moment, Star noticed that Ludwig's hands were overtaken by fire. He stared at her for a little bit before Star sighed and held out her hand.

"I knew I shouldn't have written him as having fire powers," she muttered under her breath.

With that, they took Star into the Castle.