**I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender (duh)

It had been a bad day for Mari. Today had been her turn to scrounge up some extra cash for their little party of five. And it should've been easy considering they'd stumbled upon an unfertilized Jawreih egg on Adafewex Three. According to Acxa, they were considered delicacies amongst the Galra elite and they went for high prices in the common markets. None of them knew how to properly cook it, so Mari had decided they would sell it. Returning to their hidden camp, she had hopped into the Kintsugi the next morning and headed to the dealer's market with it while Scarlett and Acxa went out to do some shopping of their own.

There had been plenty of interested buyers, all willing to offer a high amount of GAC. Unfortunately, one of said candidates got a little too close to Mari. He'd been with a group, all of them giving her sleazy smiles. He'd tried to steal the egg and she had punched his lights out. The others got mad and attacked, only to be sent crawling away with new bruises and some missing fingers. While she came out of the skirmish unscathed, the egg was not so fortunate. It had been knocked out of her arms and it had splattered across the ground, its supposedly succulent juices soaking into the earth.

A pitying onlooker offered to buy the mess. Although there was no salvaging the yoke, apparently the shell was still edible. It just wasn't as tasty. She bought it from Mari for less than half the price of what an undamaged egg was worth, and she was forced to return home in defeat.

She'd nearly screamed when she noticed the five Voltron lions slumped over on the ground upon landing the Kintsugi. She hadn't had such a vivid hallucination of them in years, not since she'd been hospitalized on Smolph. But now here she was, seeing them again out of nowhere.

She was just tired and hungry, that was all. She'd get something to eat and take a nap and then when she woke, they'd be gone. Mari sped-walked by them as she approached the safety of their cave hideout, shielding her eyes from having to look at them. She yanked the blanket back and slipped inside, only to freeze in place as she took in the crowded abode. Shiro, Keith, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Allura, Coran – all of Team Voltron were crowded around the fire. A Galra woman, a blue…wolf?, and…was that another Altean?, were also included in the mix for whatever reason. Great. Just when she thought her day couldn't get any worse, now she was seeing the paladins and random characters fabricated by her unconscious imagination.

"Oh, fuck my life," she groaned and everyone immediately whirled around to face her. Oh god.

"Hey! W-Welcome back!" Scarlett stammered out a greeting with a nervous smile. She clapped her hands together, trying to relieve the tension. "So, um, I can explain – "

"Mari!" Lance exclaimed, leaping to his feet as tears pooled in his dazzling blue eyes.

"Oh thank gosh, you're alive," Hunk sniffled, his own lower lip quivering.

"We were so worried! We're so sorry, Mari," Pidge cried, swiping away the tears beneath her glasses.

The trio moved towards her, arms outstretched. Maybe they were going to hug her. Or maybe they were going to grab her and strangle her. They were just visions, she knew they couldn't physically hurt her. But the sight was still frightening and she nimbly ducked out of the way, moving towards Scarlett and Acxa.

"Wha?" Hunk blinked in confusion when he realized they had embraced nothing but air. He looked genuinely hurt as he turned to her. "What's wrong?"

Mari's heart was racing, her senses on high alert with so many figures packed into her safe place, each of them watching her. She took a deep breath, steadying herself.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to lash out," she said, paying him no mind as she addressed Scarlett. She massaged her forehead and let out a small huff. "It's just…it's been a day. How did the shopping go?"

Scarlett stared at her, uncomprehendingly. "Um…what? The shopping?"

"Yeah. Did you get anything good?" she glanced around the room for the groceries, doing her best to avoid looking at any of the ghosts from her past. "Where's the DT by the way? I didn't see it on my way in."

"Uh. Why is she ignoring us?" Lance asked, his brow furrowing as he looked to Scarlett for an explanation.

"That's, erm…a good question," Scarlett stammered, unsure of who she was answering.

"Please don't tell me you sold it off," Mari sighed. "Or that someone stole it."

"Can she not see or hear us?" Allura wondered, frowning in concern.

"What? Mari's gone deaf and blind?" Lance shrilled, making the others flinch.

Including Scarlett.

Mari's blood ran cold as she stared at the Utearen, watching as she shot Lance a look that read 'Shut up, NOW.'

"Wait. Can you…see and hear them too?" she asked, her voice coming out as a whisper.

Scarlett winced and slowly nodded. "Yeah. I can," she replied, almost sheepishly.

"They're not…hallucinations?"

"They're here and they're real," Treble piped up, pinching Keith in the side and eliciting an "Ow" from him, proving him to be a part of the physical realm and definitely not a shifter. "The paladins are back!"

"Oh." Mari swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She stared at the people before her, unable to process what was happening. She wasn't seeing things. They weren't ghosts from her past. They were as real as her and Scarlett and Acxa and Mitsubishi and Treble.

"Mari?" Shiro had spoken up for the first time since she'd arrived. Her gaze locked onto him, numbly taking in his completely white hair and missing arm. His tone was gentle as he continued, "I know it's a shock. But it really is us. Please, say something."

This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. There was nothing special about today. There was no way they had returned. This had to be some sort of trick. If they weren't a horde of shapeshifters, then they were something else.

The Druids.

They were fooling her friends again. They were gonna take them. Kill them.

The misfortunes of the day and the torture of the past collided as a bubbling anger boiled within her, throwing her into fight mode. Her hands curled into fists and before anyone could stop her, she closed the distance between herself and Shiro and punched him square in the face.

The force of the unexpected attack sent his unbalanced body sprawling, knocking him off his feet and onto his butt. A line of red trickled from the corner of his freshly bruised lip, and he stared at her, dazed and frozen in shock. He didn't even react as she pounced on him, ready to deliver another blow.

A pair of arms wrapped around Mari's waist, yanking her off Shiro. She was dragged backwards away from him. "What are you doing?" Keith snapped in her ear, and the sound of his voice only fueled her anger.

She squirmed in his grip and elbowed him sharply in the stomach, making him hiss in pain. His hold on her slackened and she freed herself. Her hands flew to her blaster, whipping it out and pointing it at anyone who dared to test her. No one moved in the face of her charging barrel, their breaths caught in their throats as a tense silence filled the air.

Lance, either bravely or stupidly, was the first to move. He held his arms up in front of him defensively, as if he were facing a wild and cornered animal.

"Mari," he said, his voice even and pleading. His eyes never once left her weapon as she aimed it at his head. "Put the gun down."

She laughed, bitter and humorless. "So you can take me out? Yeah, right."

"I don't know what's going on, but we're not gonna hurt you," he insisted. "I promise we won't. We're your friends."

Her grip tightened on her blaster. "Shut up! You're a liar!"

"Please, listen to us, Mari," Acxa chimed in, inching as close as she dared to the human. "They're not your enemies. We wouldn't have brought them back without making sure they could be trusted."

"You weren't there, Acxa. You don't know what they can do. They disguise themselves. They use magic to trick people, to hurt you." Her voice trembled, unstable as the memories threatened to overwhelm her and pull her under. She could see those yellow eyes glowing in the darkness of that cell. She could hear the awful things that had been said to her, making her question her entire worth all over again. "I won't be fooled. I'm not gonna let them hurt me or you or anyone else ever again!"

The blaster whined, ready to unleash a shot, and Lance screwed his eyes shut as the others screamed for her to stop. And then suddenly, the Galra woman was grabbing Mari's wrist and yanking it upwards. The deadly beam streamed up and pierced the ceiling of the caves, leaving behind a charred hole. Mari tried to wriggle free of her vise-like clutches, but she was unbelievably strong. She twisted her hand, forcing the blaster to slip from her fingers and clatter to the floor. Then she swiftly delivered a blow to the side of her neck, and everything went dark.

When Mari regained consciousness, her head was throbbing. She was sitting on the floor of the cave, leaning against a cargo crate. She opened her eyes, trying to recall how she'd fallen asleep in such an awkward position, only for Acxa's face to fill her vision.

"Hey," she greeted, holding the human by the shoulders to keep her steady. "How are you feeling?"

"Like garbage," Mari grumbled, sighing with relief upon seeing a friendly face. "Oh my god. I just had the worst dream. There were a bunch of Druids disguised as the paladins and they were all here – "

"Um. Mari…"

" – and I tried to fight them but some hot Galra lady grabbed me – "

"Mari."

" – and then…well, nothing happened after that. I guess I woke up." Mari moved to rub her aching head, only for her hands to catch on something. "Acxa?"

"...Yes?"

"Why am I handcuffed to this box?"

"...That wasn't a dream, Mari," Acxa said. She slowly moved over, revealing the paladins, Coran, the Altean, the wolf, and said hot Galra woman, all standing alert and wary near the cave entrance. They were keeping a safe distance while blocking the exit.

Mari's heart rate instantly shot up. Her breathing hitched and she pulled furiously against the restraints. Her blaster, her cloak, even her staff had been stripped from her person, leaving her bound and defenseless. It was just like before. She was back in that cell on that Galra cruiser. They were going to torment her again.

"It's okay, it's okay," Scarlett tried to hush her frantic struggles, her hand alighting on her arm to send calming thoughts her way.

"No, no, it's NOT OKAY," Mari snapped, unable to break free. "They're gonna kill me!"

"Are we sure she's not a clone too?" Lance whispered not so quietly to the other paladins, and he was met with several irritated glares.

"They're not gonna kill you," Scarlett promised, drawing Mari's attention away from the group. "Don't look at them. Just breathe. Take deep breaths, just like JiJi taught you. We'll explain everything, okay? But first you have to calm down."

Mari hesitated before screwing her eyes shut. She struggled to focus on her breathing, the rapid rising and falling of her chest. Inhale. Hold. Slow exhale. Inhale again. Hold. Slow exhale. She repeated the process over and over again for what felt like hours, gradually reeling in her scattered thoughts and bringing herself back to the here and now. She felt the rough earth beneath her fingers, tasted the cool and damp air of the cave, smelled the smoky scent of the crackling fire. When she finally reopened her eyes, she took in the friendly forms of Acxa, Scarlett, Mitsubishi, and Treble all sitting around her, protective and patiently waiting for her to be okay.

"Are you alright now? You're not gonna attack anyone?" Scarlett asked, gentle and calm. Mari slowly nodded. "Are you ready to hear us out?" She hesitated before reluctantly nodding again.

"Okay. I'm going to untie you first," Acxa said, granting her a tiny smile.

She reached behind the human and removed the cuffs. Mari instantly cupped her aching wrists to her chest and drew her legs up, looking anywhere but at the crowd lingering by the door.

Scarlett sighed and leaned back on her hands. "Acxa and I intercepted a signal in the DT on our way to the market today. It was from Pidge in the Green Lion," she said, divulging their latest adventure to the human. "We tracked it down to Zethrid and Ezor's cruiser."

"How do you know it was real?" Mari asked, her voice hollow and thin. She still refused to look at any of her old teammates. "How do you know any of them are real?"

"I saw them trapped in a cell. They were being interrogated by Zethrid and Ezor," Scarlett explained. "If they really were Druids, they would've been able to escape easily on their own. Those two would've been dead."

"The lions were with them," Acxa added. "They're the real thing. No amount of magical power would be able to manifest a Voltron lion."

"Yeah. We can go touch a paw if you want," Treble offered. "It's made outta real metal and everything."

"They never drew their weapons on you, even when you were attacking them," Mitsubishi pointed out. "If they wanted to hurt you, they could've. But they didn't."

When Mari didn't say anything, Scarlett stood. She approached the group hovering by the entrance. "I know these five don't look any different from the last time we saw them. We can blame that on the time slippage and the explosive rifts in space time while they were fighting Lotor," she said, pointing to Allura, Coran, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge. Then she pointed to Shiro and Keith. "But these two have definitely changed. If they were Druids, why would they take forms that are unfamiliar to you?" She gestured to the Galra woman, the Altean, and the wolf. "If they wanted to trick you, why would they disguise themselves as people you've never met before?"

Mari frowned. She opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came to mind. They were all right, after all. She wrung her hands together, struggling to find something to say.

"If that ain't enough proof for ya, I can always read their thoughts," Scarlett said, placing a hand on Hunk's shoulder and making him flinch. Her antenna glowed brighter and she nodded. "Yep, they are definitely not Druids…really, Hunk? You're still thinking about dinner at a time like this?"

She removed her hand and he pouted. "Sorry," he shrugged. "I-I'm just really freaked out right now and I can't help it. Food calms me down."

Well, that certainly sounded like Hunk, Mari silently had to admit to herself.

"After we rescued them, we brought them here since their lions need to rest and recharge," Acxa continued. "Unfortunately, we lost the Double Trouble during our escape."

"Aww, man!" Treble huffed, not even bothering to hide her disappointment.

"At least we didn't leave anything important on it," Mitsubishi noted on the bright side.

Mari took another deep breath, slowly absorbing this onslaught of information. The other half of the room had mostly been quiet as they watched the conversation unfold before them. But now that she had calmed down, Shiro dared to speak up.

"Mari, what…" He winced, absentmindedly placing a hand over the cold patch that had been placed on his swollen cheek. "What happened to you?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, regret flashed across his face at his poor choice of words. A fresh wave of anger sparked inside Mari's chest, spreading to her numb limbs. "What happened to me," she repeated, incredulous. "What happened to me? You all disappearing and leaving me behind again is what happened to me!"

Allura stepped in front of Shiro, as if worried that she would leap up and strike him again. "We didn't mean to be gone for so long," the princess said, careful to keep her tone even. "Lotor – "

"I don't care!" Mari growled, savagely cutting her off. "I don't care about that asshole and whatever you may have done to him. I don't care where you were for the last three years. I don't care if you think it wasn't your fault. None of you were there when I needed you the most!"

She paused, trying to control her seething breaths. "Do you even know how much the universe has changed since Voltron left?" she asked, struggling to keep herself from becoming hysterical. "Coalition planets are constantly being attacked by warlords. Pirates are hunting down and killing rebels. There's chaos almost everywhere. Countless people who relied on you to save them are dead now because Voltron wasn't there to defend them like you promised it'd be. And now here you all are, asking me 'what happened' and looking at me like I'm some stupid and pathetic child."

The paladins were stunned into silence, too hurt and ashamed to deny her statement. Allura closed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line, steeling herself before looking at Mari again.

"I know we've failed our allies. I know we've failed you," she admitted, her bright eyes swirling with guilt. "But this war isn't over yet. We are going to make things right. We will do everything in our power to finish what we've started. And to do that, we must go to Earth first."

Mari raised an eyebrow at her, prompting Pidge to pipe up. "If we're going to be traveling all across the universe, we need a replacement for the Castle of Lions," she elaborated. "My dad has the original plans from Coran's databases. We're going home to help him build it."

Hunk nervously clasped his hands together. "And we thought…you might wanna come home with us."

Mari almost let out a laugh. The last thing she wanted to do was go anywhere with any of them. Besides, she couldn't leave her teammates. She couldn't flee to the safety of home while the rest of her allies were forced to suffer out here.

She stared at Hunk, cold and sure as she replied, "Well, you thought wrong."

His face fell and she averted her gaze so she wouldn't have to look at such a dejected expression. She tiredly rubbed a hand over her forehead. Her head hurt. Her heart hurt. She was tired and hungry and angry and confused. She just wanted to sleep all her worries and problems away. But she couldn't sleep now, not with so many people watching her. Not when she still had her team to feed and take care of.

Just take it one step at a time, JiJi's voice encouraged her in the back of her mind. Just focus on doing what you can do now.

Steeling herself and rising to her feet, Mari brushed the dirt off her butt. She found her confiscated blaster and staff and returned them to the holsters on her belt. Donning her cloak to cover her armor, she strode up to Team Voltron. She didn't miss how most of them stiffened, preparing themselves in case she suddenly attacked one of them again.

Her eyes landed on Keith, who had wisely kept quiet the entire time. Standing in front of him now, she realized how much different he really looked since the last time she'd seen him. He'd gotten taller and he looked older, radiating a newfound confidence. A new scar, or maybe it was a birthmark, decorated his right cheek. But what hadn't changed was the stubborn fire burning in his eyes. He stared back at her, not even a hint of indifference in his gaze.

"You can stay here until the lions are recharged," she said, curt and formal as she addressed Voltron's restored leader. "Then you can get out of here and go home."

She brushed past him and the others parted, allowing her to access the exit.

"Where are you going?" Acxa called out to her, stopping her before she could leave.

"I'm going to the market," Mari answered, and she cast an irritated glance over her shoulder at her and Scarlett. "Someone's gotta get enough food to feed this stupid army you brought back."

"Wait! I wanna come," Treble volunteered, scrambling to grab her own cloak.

"Fine," she relented. "I'll be waiting in the Kintsugi." Then she lifted back the blanket and promptly escaped the suffocating atmosphere of the cave.

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