Hidden Mysteries

The Brightest Light

AN: Warnings for violence, blood, mentions of death
It's the penultimate chapter! (Well, not technically, but in the sense of the main story.) Who's ready for The Beginning of the End? /ref

The feeling of the sword plunging through her chest.

The frigidness of whatever was in that rejuvenation pool that tickled her skin as Microphone and Knife pulled her out and tried to stand her up.

The pain that shot through her body as Merripen...

Test Tube blinked, staring at her friends—

No. No, these weren't her friends.

None of this was real, as much as she wanted to believe it.

It was all an illusion.

"Test Tube, c'mon!" Fan exclaimed, pulling on her hand. "Aren't you coming?"

"This isn't really happening, is it?" Test Tube felt the tears sting her eyes as she stared up at him, at the illusion of the one person she cared for the most in the whole world. "As much as I want to believe it, none of you are really here with me. And...it hurts."

"This is becoming exhausting." The green-haired girl turned to glare at Shivani as they approached her. "You have your dumb little friends, you got to indulge in your dumb little fantasy. It's time for your mind to merge with—"

"No." Test Tube's voice was cold as she glared up at Shivani—who was probably just some silly projection of Merripen, now that she thought about it—as she balled her fists. "This place may have what you think I want, but it isn't! My real friends wouldn't want me to hide away in this sick fantasy when I could be helping the people I love!"

"That may be true, but—"

"But nothing!" Test Tube stomped her foot, bright green lights flashing through her hair as her eyes started to glow, a determined look on her face. "Your words can't do anything to me now. I'm not afraid of you anymore."

"Then so be it." Shivani raised their hands, the world around them starting to crack and crumble. Fan and the rest of the Bright Lights faded into bits of brightly colored dust, Test Tube feeling the pieces blow through her fingers as Fan vanished.

Suddenly everything began to change all around her, and she found herself in a dark room that looked scarily like the room she had found herself in when Microphone and Knife had pulled her out of that strange pool. Test Tube blinked harshly, seeing herself staring face to face with Merripen, who was in her body, wearing an expression she would never have.

"I'll just have to force you to merge with me later," Merripen purred, grinning maliciously at her. "But for now, I have...other things I need to address."

As Merripen—well, Vial, but Test Tube didn't know that at the moment—left, Test Tube curling up into a ball, staring at her hands. She looked pale and transparent, like a ghost or a hologram. She blinked tears out of her eyes, trying to choke back loud sobs.

"Lightbulb, Paintbrush, Fan," she said aloud, her voice echoing through the empty room. "I don't know where you are, or if you're even okay, but...please. Be careful, whatever you're doing."

She chuckled slightly, reminiscing about her dearest and closest friends, as well as the boy she had fallen in love with. She knew that they were tough and could take down anything as long as they stuck together, but she still worried.

"You can beat this, guys. I believe in you."

~~~~

Lightbulb and Paintbrush never thought they'd return here, return to the castle where they had learned what had happened to their friend, to the castle where Lightbulb had learned the truth of what had happened to her and Fan's mother.