Chapter 1-

Lance had his mind set on one thing and one thing only; making it to his bed before he collapsed in a random hallway of the Castle-Ship. The five of them had spent nearly a full quintent on a grueling training mission Coran and Allura had devised for them. About halfway through it, Hunk, Pidge and himself had come to the conclusion that the Alteans secretly hated them. By the time they'd completed the mission on fuck-all sleep, Lance was fairly certain Shiro and Keith had come to the same conclusion. The fact that the dobash they had the Lions back in their hangars they got a distress signal and fought the Galra and helped the planet's inhabitants for nearly half a quintent and had literally only just gotten out of the debrief Allura insisted they have, which lasted another varga, meant that the Paladins were only just now able to go and get some much needed sleep.

Lance had practically sprinted to his shower and nearly wept at the feeling of warm, running water. It wasn't just the fact that he could get clean properly for the first time in nearly two quintents; the water was soothing. He'd nearly fallen asleep in the shower when Blue reminded him his day clothes were still in her hangar. Lance had been so tempted to just leave them there but they were disgusting and needed to be washed so he'd gone down to see her. He'd spent a few minutes talking with her, making sure she was definitely okay after the last couple of quintents before grabbing his filthy clothes and leaving her after Blue insisted he get some sleep. He'd dumped the clothes down the nearest laundry shoot and had now found himself in his current predicament; finding the energy to make it to his room before he passed out.

Lance could see the start of the Paladins hallway from where he was and honestly almost decided it was close enough and collapsing right there but the thought of Keith finding him drooling in the hallway and holding that over him for the foreseeable future made him dig just a little deeper for the energy to walk the remaining distance. He almost believed being blown up was less painful than this. He made it to the turn off for their sleeping quarters when a massive flash of light and a slight bang came from behind him, startling him. Before he could even think he had spun to face the threat, kneeling automatically and bayard formed into his trusty rifle, leveled at where the noise had come from.

Imagine his complete disbelief at coming face to face with a teenage boy, maybe around his age, lying seemingly unconscious, back to Lance. The boy was dressed in black clothing, what could be either combat or military boots, a gaudy red coat with a weird symbol on the back and a pair of white gloves. The kid had hair that Lance half-believed was literally gold, mind flashing straight to 'Tangled', before he realised it was just very blonde. He chalked it up to his exhaustion that he didn't fire immediately when the kid began to stir.

"What the actual fuck?" The kid groaned, slowly getting to his hands and knees before opening his eyes. Lance couldn't see them clearly since the boy was looking at the floor but he could imagine them as unfocused and glazed over. Lance didn't see anything to indicate when the kid was suddenly focused but he knew the moment his head had cleared. "Oh, that staticky bag of dicks better fucking hope it's immortal when I put my fucking fist through it's face." Lance could only thank the last few months of Paladin training for him not immediately giggling like an idiot. "That inconsiderate fucking bag of soggy - who the fuck are you?" The boy had finally noticed Lance kneeling there and Lance's grip actually faltered a literal when he stared into literal golden-eyes. He'd assumed the boy was human but he'd never come across of, or even heard of, a human with golden eyes.

"I should be asking you that since you're the one who literally dropped in from fucking nowhere." Lance retorted, gun following the kid as he stood up, a little wobbly, before managing to get himself steady and leveling Lance with a truly impressive stare.

"See, thing is, I asked you first. Where I come from, that means you have to answer my question first. It's this thing called 'manners'. And my brother thinks I have none." If Lance wasn't so certain this golden-haired boy wasn't some sort of alien come to fuck up his life even more, Lance figured they'd get along great. Suddenly, the boy's head cocked to the side, something Lance would later liken to Mimikyu, and he flinched back, gasping. "How'd you do that?" He demanded, eyes flashing dangerously at Lance. Lance was, understandably, confused.

"Do what?" He asked and the boy started to snarl an answer when he cocked his head again. He seemed to be listening to something and Lance was about to demand an answer when his eyes focused back on the Cuban.

"It's not you." He said, sounding frustrated. "Where the fuck are you? What the fuck is going on?" He demanded from someone and Lance actually had to look around to make sure they were alone. The boy scowled and threw his hands up and Lance gripped his gun tighter. "Why the fuck is it so difficult to get a straight cut answer from anyone?!" He exclaimed. Movement behind the blonde caught Lance's eye. Keith looked just as surprised to see some random blonde in their hallway as Lance was which Lance counted as a win because he honest to god was starting to believe he was hallucinating and/or having a really vivid dream.

The golden-eyed boy noticed Keith as well, turning so both Paladin's were in his sight, looking equally unimpressed and pissed off. Keith's bayard was in his hand and sword formed. The kid looked more intrigued about how the weapon appeared than nervous about said weapon being pointed at him. Keith locked eyes with Lance, silently asking what was going on and Lance couldn't do anything except shrug since he literally had no clue.

"Ugh, fine. Where are you?" The boy said, startling Keith and Lance both before he nodded decisively. "Give me a moment." Lance was about to ask who he was talking to when the kid knelt down, rapped his left hand against the floor, nodded at the noise and clapped. Keith and Lance flinched imperceptibly at the odd noise the clap made before the kid placed both hands on the floor in front of him. Lance had to shield his eyes from the brightness of the blue lightning that seemed to encircle the blonde. His jaw dropped when the floor caved underneath the blonde, who didn't so much as gasp as he fell through. Blue energy crackled again and the hole was no longer there.

"So, quick question." Lance said once he was able to speak again. Both he and Keith now stood where the hole and kid had been. Keith looked up at him, as shocked as Lance felt. "You saw that too, right?" He asked.

"Yeah." For once, Keith wasn't making a snide remark in response to that question. "We need to tell everyone." Keith declared, heading for the control room. Lance sighed. Looks like he wasn't getting any sleep anytime soon.

Edward wondered if murdering an immortal god-like thing was possible. As he transmuted and fixed more holes to fall through to get to where the voice said it was coming from, Ed found himself imaging various ways to actually accomplish it. He'd been having a great morning, a rare treat for any military member, a rarer treat for him. He'd slept well the night before and for longer than five hours. He didn't have to go in and see Mustang's ugly face until that afternoon. Alphonse wanted to spend the day reading, enjoying it even more now he could feel the book in his hands again. Gracia and Elysia were at work and school, respectively, so they had the whole house to themselves. Ed had gone into the kitchen to get them some food, something he would never begrudge Al for asking for, when he was fucking zapped face-first into a fucking floor. Not only did that hurt but then the first thing he was greeted with when his head cleared was a fucking gun. Why the fuck was it always a gun pointed at him? At least the second dude had a sword. Way cooler.

But, back to the point. He'd figured this was Truth's doing the moment he'd woken up because a) who else could do that and b) who else could do that and took immense pleasure in fucking around in his life? Answer: Truth. Ed slammed feet first onto another the floor and the voice told him he only had one more to go. He paid no attention to the large man with the orange sweatband as he repeated the transmutation for the last time. Finally where he needed to be, the first thing he noticed was his alchemic energy wasn't depleted even the tiniest bit. That surprised him somewhat considering the last two times he went dimension-hopping. He felt the familiar pang of longing and curiosity he always felt when he thought of his friends on Earth. But that surprise was overshadowed when he looked around and came face to face with a massive, black, mechanical Lion with glowing yellow eyes.

"Hello, little alchemist." The voice purred in his mind and Ed pointed an accusing finger at the black Lion.

"You! You're the one who's been in my head!" He exclaimed and felt the Lions chuckle.

"Yes. I was curious when I felt your presence on our ship. You're certainly not from around here and when I sensed your alchemic prowess, I had to see if you could hear me." She, because the voice was definitely a 'she', told him and Ed scowled.

"And you couldn't have just said you were a monstrously big, mechanical lion when I asked? You had to be all 'find me and you'll find the answers you seek' mystical shit?" He asked and the Lion's amusement only became more pronounced.

"I'll admit, little alchemist, that I was a bit bored and I found your annoyance amusing." Her voice was regal and calming, almost like Miss Riza's, and Ed huffed, both at the comparison and comment.

"Whatever. I'm assuming the massive alchemic energy I can feel is coming from you?" He asked, now that the important question was out the way. He felt it growing stronger with each floor he'd fallen through. He felt the Lion hum.

"Well, yes and no. Technically what you're feeling is my quintessence, my life force if you will, however I was also created with alchemy so you are probably sensing that as well. But I think you'll find that the reason your alchemic energy hasn't depleted any is because you can manipulate quintessence as alchemic energy and -" She was cut off abruptly by Ed.

"You mean I'm stealing your life force to power my transmutations?!" He exclaimed, disgust roiling in his gut.

"No, please don't panic, little alchemist. You're not taking any of my quintessence, or any quintessence of any living thing on this ship." She assured him, voice soothing and calm. Ed's breathing had been getting harsher as he drew closer to having a panic attack but her words and her gentle tone soon put a stop to that. When she sensed he was calm enough, she continued. "Quintessence is something that is all around us. It's like the air you squishy humans breathe. The only way you could take a living things quintessence is if they gave it to you." She told him and he felt relief wash through him so quickly, he almost felt faint.

"And you're a living thing?" He asked bluntly, not caring if he offended her. Her laugh seemed to indicate she wasn't.

"I am sentient, thanks to the alchemy my creator used. I may not be flesh and blood but I do have feelings, my own thoughts, my own opinion. I am alive enough that I can manipulate my quintessence of my own free will. I promise, little alchemist. You will not be taking my quintessence or that of my sisters without our say so." She told him and he nodded, happy enough with the answer.

"Wait, did you say sisters?" He asked when that part sunk in. He felt her amusement and filed that away for another time but right now he wanted to know what she'd meant by 'sisters'.

"Yes. I have four of them." She told him and seemed to contemplate something. "Would you like to meet them?" She asked and he nodded. Meet more machine creatures designed with alchemy like her? Sign him up. He stumbled a few feet back when she suddenly lowered her head and her jaw to create a ramp. He stared at her, gobsmacked. At her urging, he climbed up the ramp and found a cargo and sleeping area in front of him and a chair with a control panel behind him. "Please sit down and hold on." She said and he sat on a bench nearby, not willing to sit in the chair for some reason he himself couldn't explain. Once he'd sat, she lifted her head back up and they were moving.

Ed couldn't describe what he was feeling. He could tell they were moving far faster than any train he'd been on and with how she was built, he didn't think the Lion was walking. He looked out of her eyes and saw stars, literally. He was in space and he was flying. Ed wasn't sure his brain could take much more of this. He was in space, literal space, and he was flying in a big, mechanical Lion. She granted him a moment to really look at what was outside and he felt awed at the sight. Space was so... pretty. It wasn't just black nothingness with a few pinpricks of light. It was a multitude of colours; purples and blues and greens and oranges. He saw distant planets and when the Lion turned, he saw a massive, white and blue ship.

She flew them towards it and he could tell they landed in a different area on the ship. She lowered her head and ramp again and he climbed out. It took him a moment to feel himself absorb the multitude of sensory information he'd just gotten. Space was so different to what people in Amestris assumed it was. He'd known that Earth had achieved space flight and had been shown pictured their technology had captured by Reid and Garcia but none of that had prepared him for seeing it with his own two eyes and he just needed some time to process it. He could feel more presences around him but it took him a minute to actually.

"Wow. You weren't kidding about having sisters." He said as he took in the yellow, blue, green and red Lions standing around him. He realised something he had actually neglected to ask the black Lion. "Wait, what are your names?" He asked. Apparently Al's lectures about manners hadn't stuck all that well.

"Well, our creator made it easy. We're named after our colours." Black, because that was her name apparently, told him.

"Was your creator perhaps a five-year-old?" He asked sarcastically. He felt the amusement of four of the Lions but the red one huffed angrily.

"Our creator was a brilliant man. King Alfor didn't name us after our colours. We each have a special name that, when used with alchemy, unlocks something. With King Alfor dead and his daughter unable to use her alchemy properly, our names no longer matter. Our colours were our nicknames. Now, they are our only names." Red's voice was passionate and fierce, starting out as a growl but ending on a sour note and reminding him a little of Winry and Olivier Armstrong. Ed could feel the grief roll through the other Lions. Whoever this King was, he was well loved among them.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." He apologised, sincerity shining in his words. "My name is Edward Elric. I'm an alchemist from a country called Amestris." He introduced himself.

"Why are you here, young alchemist?" The voice seemed to come from Green, the second smallest of the Lions. She sounded young and curious. She reminded him of Elysia a little and of Al when he was younger.

"I'd actually like to know that for myself." He told her. "See, I'm pretty sure Truth kidnapped me and put me here but until that slimy dick shows it's non-existent face, I won't know." He told them all.

"Truth?" Yellow was the one to ask. Her voice rumbled, making him think of a female Sig. He went to explain when he heard a whooshing noise coming from behind him. Turning to look, he saw five people wearing white armour with a colour that corresponded to one of the Lions, a brown-skinned, white-haired lady with coloured markings on her cheeks and a fierce expression on her face and a similar coloured, orange-haired man with the similar markings and a less effective expression on his face. The five in the armour all had weapons and Ed recognised the blue and red weapons. One of the five had a glowing purple arm which Ed found to be the strangest thing there.

"Who are you, how did you get here and what do you want with our Lions?" The black and white armoured person demanded. Ed took a few steps closer to Black, putting more space between him and them in case this came down to a fight.

Shiro had, for a few seconds after Lance and Keith had told him what happened, really thought the two of them were playing some sort of practical joke. Allura hadn't and when he studied their faces, Shiro had come to the conclusion they weren't which meant Keith had been sent to find Pidge and Lance was finding Hunk. Coran had scanned the Castle-Ship to find them and give their positions to the two boys. Allura was scanning the Castle for any foreign signatures and found one that kept disappearing and reappearing a floor below.

"He's heading for the Black Lion hangar!" Allura had gasped when they realised his descent wasn't stopping. Shiro cursed as Keith and Pidge ran into the control room.

"He's after Black. Get into your uniforms and I'll find Lance and Hunk. Meet us outside of Black's hangar. Do not go in until we are all there. Understood?" He ordered, looking at Keith who nodded before the two of them took off. Shiro headed for Lance and Hunk. He ran into the two boys halfway there.

"He's heading for Black." Lance gasped out. "Hunk saw him go through the floor above her." He said and Shiro nodded.

"I know. We need to get into our uniforms in case we have to pilot the Lions. Let's go." The three of them ran together to the uniform room. The red and green uniforms and helmets were already gone and they hurriedly got into theirs. They'd barely placed their helmets on and left the room when Allura came on over the comm links.

"He's in Black!" She exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Shiro demanded. "How the hell did he get in?"

"She permitted him entrance and they headed out of the hangar. The other Lions are leaving their hangars as well." She told them and a chorus of 'what?!' came over the line from the four other pilots. "All of the Lions are redirecting to the main hangar bay." Allura told them and Shiro was relieved and confused.

"Why would he go to the effort of stealing our Lions only to have them go to the main hangar?" Lance asked and Shiro shook his head.

"Allura, Coran, meet us there. Keith, Pidge, redirect to the main Lion hangar." Shiro ordered and led the Blue and Yellow Paladins down to meet with the rest of them. Keith and Pidge were already there, weapons ready. Lance and Hunk readied their own bayard and Shiro armed his Galran prosthetic. Allura and Coran joined them only moments later. "Listen, we don't know who or what he is so be on guard. Do not engage unless he attacks first. He could have taken Black but he didn't and I don't know why or why the other Lions are here. Answers first then we go from there. Got it?"

"Got it." The team chorused back, though Keith did so a little reluctantly. Shiro hit the panel to open the hangar and they move in. The Lions were almost in a circle. Yellow and Blue left enough space between them for another Lion. Shiro took all of this in before he found the intruder standing underneath Black. Lance and Keith's descriptions were accurate. Shiro and the team stopped when they were standing level with Yellow and Blue. The boy's golden eyes narrowed suspiciously and he took a few steps backwards, nearly running into Black's paw. Shiro could see him taking them and their weapons in. Shiro took a step forward and the blonde's eyes snapped straight to him, watching his every move.

"Who are you, how did you get here and what do you want with our Lions?" Shiro demanded, the purple of his prosthetic flashing slightly. The blonde's eyes flicked to it before back up to Shiro's face. He didn't say anything, just turned to look up at Black as though she was saying something.

Suddenly, his whole vision went white. He heard gasps from behind him and swung around to see his team standing there, looking around them. On his left there was a set of massive doors and he instinctively stepped towards them.

"Don't touch them!" A new voice ordered and Shiro and the team all turned towards the blonde, who was standing away from them, eyes on Shiro. His team came to stand up behind him.

"Why should he listen to you?" Keith demanded and the blonde's eyes slid to him.

"Maybe because I'm the only one who knows what's going on here?" He spat and Keith growled. The blonde was now no longer paying attention to him, eyes searching for something. Keith bristled at being ignored like that and Shiro had to put a restraining hand on his shoulder so he didn't try to attack.

"Our bayards are gone!" Lance cried out suddenly and Shiro actually looked. Sure enough, their weapons had disappeared and they all tried summoning them back but had no luck.

"I don't like weapons in here. There's no need for them, after all." A voice that was neither male nor female and that seemed to echo and whisper and shout all at the same time had them spinning to face the speaker. "What's the matter, Paladins and Alteans? Never seen something like me before?" The voice cajouled and Shiro had to wonder if he was going insane. The voice didn't have a distinctive form other than it being humanoid. It had no face except a mouth but oddly enough, it had a human right arm and half a left leg. It grinned at them and Shiro felt a chill run down his spine.

"Truth." They'd forgotten about the blonde until he'd growled that word, glaring daggers at the figure in front of them, who gave him a mockery of a friendly grin.

"Ah, young alchemist." Shiro heard Allura gasp a little. "Did you miss me?"

A/N - Okay so brand new story for you lot. This is the story I had thought about doing while finishing my last two stories up. Updates will be done weekly unless something happens, in which case it will be updated as soon as I can. I know the first chapter isn't long but I'd really love to hear your opinions on it and what you think of it! So pretty please leave a comment about what you think and whether you are interested in seeing where I take it. Favourites and follows are lovely but I would really appreciate a review letting me know what you think. I do hope you guys enjoyed it so far! See you next week :D