Hidden Mysteries

An Unlikely Ally

Warning for a bit of violence at the start of the chapter!

Sparks of light flew through the air as Suitcase and Balloon's "weapons" clashed against each other, the pair of friends sharing a determined look on their face as they continued sparring, under the careful watch of Candle and Silver, and their families of course. Suitcase leapt back, panting and wiping sweat off of her brow, gripping the sword that she had materialized from her inner flame, getting into the stance that Silver had taught her.

"Just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you, Balloon!" she called out, smirking at Balloon as he wiped dust off of his shirt. "Come on, give me all you've got, I know you're holding back!"

"Well...if you say so!" A weapon that vaguely resembled some sort of baseball bat appeared in Balloon's hands, the young boy screaming as he ran at Suitcase, swinging his weapon at her, only for it to be deflected by the sword in her hands. Suitcase jumped back, before finally leaping forward and swiftly swinging her sword, knocking the weapon out of Balloon's hands, sending it crashing to the floor before it dissipated completely.

"Woah! Good fight," Balloon chuckled weakly, leaning on his knees to prevent himself from toppling over. "You good, Suitcase?"

"I—" Suitcase gasped out, before her weapon crumbled away, falling to the ground with a heavy thud. "Ugh, I think I overdid it again..."

"Hang on, kiddo. We gotcha!" Nickel said as he rushed over with Baseball, the latter scooping up his daughter, who sighed quietly as she leaned into her father. "You alright there, Suits?"

"I feel like death," she mumbled, grasping onto Baseball's clothes. "How does Candle do this without passing out...?"

"It takes a lot of patience, Suitcase. That, and practice," Candle replied, approaching them. "You're making a lot of progress here."

Suitcase only mumbled a "thank you", slumping over and resting her forehead on Baseball's shoulder, trying to focus on staying awake, but it was difficult. She was so tired, and everything ached. She heard Candle's voice say something, but the words were muffled in her brain.

She sighed quietly, closing her eyes, unknowingly drifting off into a heavy sleep.

~~~

The air was warm, but despite that, the ground beneath Suitcase felt cold, as if she was laying on ice. She opened her eyes, blinking slowly as she realized where she was; in a strange sort of cabin, with a roaring fireplace, pictures with familiar yet unrecognizable faces hanging on the walls, and a small table in the center of the room.

"What the...?" Suitcase mumbled, slowly moving to sit up. "Where am I?"

"Ah! You're awake, sweetheart!"

Suitcase gasped, quickly standing up, getting into a defensive stance. "Who's there?! Merripen, if this is another one of your schemes, I'll—"

"Oh, no no no!" the voice said quickly. "I'm in no way associated with that Merripen ruffian. Quite the opposite, actually."

Some of the tension left her shoulders, but a majority of it still remained. "Who are you, then?"

"I am, to put it simply, a guardian of sorts, that watches over this world, and all those beyond it," the voice explained. "You may call me Prism, Suitcase dear."

"Uh, okay," Suitcase said slowly as she approached the table. "Could you...come out? From wherever you are."

"I cannot show you my true form, I'm afraid. Not unless you want your brain to implode." Prism hummed to themselves for a few moments. "Hang on, let me try something."

There was a big flash of light, one that was so bright that Suitcase had to cover her eyes. When she lifted one hand away from her face, she saw her friend Balloon staring back at her, sitting down with "his" legs crossed.

"Is this okay?" Prism asked. "I can use a different form, if this doesn't work for you."

"No, no, it's fine. Just... a bit to process, I guess." Suitcase sat down in front of Prism. "Is this...all in my head? Are we in my brain?"

"Oh, goodness, no! I'd never do anything like that!" they cried. "You're still perfectly fine, nothing bad is happening to you, dear. I just projected your consciousness into this little pocket in time and space, just so we can talk."

"Talk? About what?"

"Why, about your mother."

Suitcase froze up. "What?"

Prism—well, Prism in Balloon's body, at least—smiled. "I heard that you were trying to save your mother. Handbag, was it? And I want to offer my assistance with your tiny little sidequest."

Suitcase stared down at the table, balling her fists tightly. "What's the catch?"

"Pardon me, darling?"

"There's a catch, isn't there?" She stared up at Prism, looking them in the eye. "There's always a catch with these sorts of things. I've read enough stories with eldritch beings, I'm not stupid."

"Well, you're right on one thing, I suppose." Prism sighed. "There is a catch, but...I believe you're already well on your way to fulfilling your end of the bargain already."

"What?" Suitcase blinked, her eyes darting around the room. "I don't...huh?"

Prism took a deep breath. "I'm just going to be honest with you here, Suitcase, because there's no use in sugarcoating this. That spell that your mother used to trap herself and Merripen in that interdimensional rift...it wasn't even hardly strong enough to hold Merripen for as long as they were trapped in there."

"It...it wasn't?" The young girl stared down at the table, pursing her lips tightly until it finally clicked in her head, Suitcase looking up at Prism once again. "Was it you?"

They nodded. "My duty as a interdimensional guardian means Merripen and I are sworn enemies. When I saw what your mother was doing, I did my best to assist her by using my powers to strengthen the barrier to this world. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep Merripen trapped in there permanently, so he was able to escape and...well, you know the rest fairly well, don't you?"

Suitcase only hummed in response, a determined look crossing over her face. "One of my friends got hurt because of them. I don't even know what happened to her, or where she is. But I promised that I'd rescue her and bring her home safe. And I wanna do the same for my mom. And...I wanna avenge everyone that Merripen hurt." She could feel tears of anger and determination streaming down her face. "I have to do it. I just have to."

She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, looking up and seeing "Balloon's" hands on her shoulders, Prism staring into her eyes.

"Look underneath Snuffles, Suitcase."

~~~~~~

Suitcase woke up with a sharp gasp, her eyes darting around quickly, slowly yet surely realizing she was in her bedroom. Baseball must have tucked her in when they got home from the Thinker's home. She shifted slightly, glancing to the stuffed rabbit in her hands, noticing an envelope underneath her trusty plush confidante. Suitcase quickly moved to turn on her lamp, hands shaking uncontrollably as she opened the envelope, pulling out a sheet of paper, with pretty-looking writing on it. Her eyes quickly darted across the page as she began to read:

The locks of who she loved,

the locks of who loved her.

The blood of her most recent kin,

a piece of what was once hers.

Bring along those around who possess the blight,

and return to the place where your journey began.

Suitcase stared down at the paper, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She clenched the paper in her hands tightly, curling up in a ball and letting the soft, relieved sobs escape her trembling body. She was so close! So, so, close!

"Hang on, Mom," Suitcase choked out. "You're coming home soon."