Marshall found himself wandering around the lowest floor of the lookout. The place was quiet, the sky outside eternally set at the end of the day. The sun was frozen in place, stopped just when the sky turned orange. For some reason, he didn't question why he was in the lookout, or why he was all alone in it. He only explored each inch and crevice he remembered, walking slowly through the place he used to call home.

Marshall opened his mouth in an attempt to call out for someone. Ryder, the pups, anyone, but no noise left his mouth. In fact, he didn't even have a mouth to speak with. The Dalmatian put a paw up to his face where his mouth should've been, but when he felt around it, he could only feel his fur brush against his paw.

The Dalmatian shrugged before he continued walking. He walked into the elevator, waiting for the doors to close. As usual, they did a few seconds afterwards, but something was different.

The elevator was moving slowly. Slower than he had remembered. The ride up to the lookout would usually take around fifteen seconds, and that included when it stopped to give the pups their outfits. Yet, twenty seconds in, he was only just reaching the PAW Patrol logo at the middle of the elevator.

As he slowly passed by the logo, he noticed something odd. He looked at his shoulder, noticing that a bit of red was in the corner of his eye. Upon further examination, the fire pup realized he was wearing his firefighter rescue gear. Confused, he looked down to look at what was around his neck.

His pup tag was on, blinking with its usual red light.

The Dally's eyes widened. Was there a mission he needed to attend to? If so, where were the others? Why weren't they with him? Was he late? Oh no he was late for the mission! The mouthless Dalmatian ran in place, waiting for the slow elevator to finally reach the top.

Once it did, though, Marshall ran out of the elevator to join a line that nobody was in. The Dally sat on his haunches for a few seconds, waiting, but soon realized he was all alone. He couldn't call out for anybody, since he had a severe lack of a mouth, after all.

Marshall, wondering where his friends were, walked over towards Ryder's room. The Dalmatian knocked on his owner's door before struggling to turn the doorknob. It was surprisingly easy for a creature with no opposable thumbs for once.

He peeked into Ryder's room, but behind the door was a large mirror, just as big as the door was. There was no room to walk into, just a mirror. As he looked at the mirror, the reflection made him flinch.

On the other side of the mirror was... Well, it was him. But, this him was eerily familiar. While he was in good health, wearing his rescue gear, and unaffected, the other side of the mirror had various injuries. The one he noticed first was the reflection's swollen right eye.

Additionally, mirror Marshall had bandages wrapped around his head, holes in the side to allow his ears to still funcion. He could just barely see the faintest red tint on the back of the bandage around his head. His eyes moving down, they looked at his front legs, where bandages were wrapped around each of them. Same for his tail.

Upon looking back up after taking his eyes off of mirror Marshall's for just an instant, he saw that his right eye wasn't swollen anymore, instead, black fur was around it. He looked just like the other Dalmatian, Hood. The one who had put him in this state in the first place.

He couldn't strip his eyes away from the sight of the mirror. He wanted to scream, he wanted to run, he wanted to hide under his covers and never come out, but he couldn't move, he couldn't scream. He was powerless under the gaze of that... That thing in the mirror.

That wasn't a reflection of him anymore. It was a reflection of where his life had gone all wrong.

Tears filled his eyes, blurring his vision for just a second. As tears ran down the Dalmatian's face, the wet streaks left suddenly transformed into black fur. Anywhere his tears touched that weren't covered with black fur turned black, the many streams of tears creating black streaks of fur from his right eye. The streaks of black fur ran from his eye, to his cheek, then down to his neck. Those tears damped his chest, stopping as the tears seeped into his now black fur.

Before long, every area on Marshall's body was covered with black fur. All of it except for his left eye, which frantically looked around at all of the black fur seeping closer and closer by the second.

For once, he was actually able to move, his left paw reaching up to the back fur on his face, trying to tear at it, trying to cut it off of his face with his claws. This effort proved futile, as all of the fur he clawed away quickly grew back.

There was no escaping it.

He tried to scream out once more, desperately trying to reach anyone who could possibly be around. The mostly black furred pup was silent, though. After all...

...What mouth did he have to scream from?

As the black fur finally enveloped his left eye, he was thrust into darkness. The floor beneath him broke away, crumbling to dust as the black furred pup began to fall into the abyss of his own color. Reaching up, he tried to grab onto something, anything.

But he had nothing to grab onto.

The Dalmatian continued to fall, his pup tag, the only light he had left, suddenly tore from his collar, separating itself from Marshall. Just like that, nothing was left.

He had nothing left.

"Marshall...!" A muffled voice called out.

"Marshall...!"

"MARSHALL!"

.

.

.

He opened his eyes.

Marshall's eyes, wet with tears, looked around frantically, the pounding in his chest quick and heavy, pumping blood throughout his body to support the fight or flight instincts he was dealing with. As he gasped for air, the Dalmatian sat up, looking around.

The first thing he saw was the face of a woman, staring back at him with worried eyes. The woman's lipstick covered lips contorted into a grimace. It was the same woman who had taken care of him after his fight with Hood.

The former fire pup's breathing didn't slow any more, though, his mouth agape to gather as much air as possible as quickly as possible. His eyes were almost as wide as his mouth, trying to make sense of what was going on.

Putting a hand over his heart, the woman realized how quickly his heart was beating. She pulled him close, cradling him in her arms.

"Deep breaths... Deep breaths, Marshall..." She spoke faintly, "I'm here... I'm here... It's okay..."

His breathing slowly calmed, eyelids lowering. The Dalmatian slowly looked up at the woman.

She sat down, still holding Marshall close, "You were crying in your sleep... Was it a nightmare?"

He nodded in response before his eyes drifted down to look around the parts of his body that were within his field of vision. Black and white, but mostly white. As it should be.

"Well, on the bright side, it seems like your fever went down..." The woman put a hand on his forehead, "Looks like your cold is pretty much gone."

She gently laid the Dalmatian back on the bed, "As for your injuries..."

Marshall looked down at his forelegs, which were wrapped with bandages. His head also was sore from being slammed into the wall by Hood the previous night. Groaning, the Dalmatian looked out of the window, his eyes widening.

The woman followed his gaze, "...Right. You're probably wondering what time it is. You slept all day. It's the night after the one you got injured."

Nodding in acknowledgement, he laid on his side.

"Auntie!" A familiar voice called from the front door, catching their attention, "Come here!"

"Looks like Katie's back from the parlor..." The woman let out a faint chuckle, "Stay here, I'll be right back. Just because you slept all day doesn't mean you don't still need rest."

Marshall obliged, laying his head down once more.

The woman stood up, took one last glance at Marshall, and walked down the hall towards where he heard Katie scream from. She soon saw her niece, but stopped in her tracks when she noticed two other pups standing beside her.

Her expression fell, "Katie..."

"Auntie, I know this looks bad, but I can explain..." The young vet threw her hands up, as though she was being confronted by a police officer.

"Everyone. Outside. Now."

She ushered the three out of the house before closing the door behind her. The woman loomed over the three with her arms crossed, "What's going on here?"

Katie smiled, albeit a bit nervously, "Auntie Liz, meet Rocky and Everest..." She introduced, "Rocky, Everest, this is Auntie Liz."

"Rocky? Everest?" Liz echoed, crouching down to meet their height, "Aren't you two a part of that PAW Patrol gang I keep hearing so much about?"

"We're here for Marshall..." Everest spoke up, "Katie told us that you and her have been watching over him."

Liz's eyes immediately turned to Katie, glaring at her, "I thought we agreed to keep him under wraps! Weren't you the one who said that everyone here hates Marshall?"

"They're... Different."

Rocky spoke up, "We're Marshall's friends! We weren't able to go looking for him sooner, but we've been searching all day to find him."

"Well he's okay, so—"

"Can't we see him?" Everest asked, her eyes pleading, "I'd like to talk to him. Rocky would too."

"Talk?" Liz looked confused, "Marshall doesn't talk. At least not since I started watching after him."

"That doesn't matter..." Rocky shook his head, "Ever since Marshall ran away, there are some things we've been meaning to tell him. Things he needs to hear. He needs to know."

Liz looked from Rocky to Everest, who nodded at Rocky's declaration. The redhead sharply inhaled before releasing a slow, drawn out sigh.

"Auntie Liz...?"

"How can I say no to literal puppies...?"

"So you'll let us see him!?" Everest asked loudly.

"On one condition," Liz smirked, "We're a bit low on dog food, so I've been procrastinating on going to get some more. Guess I'm going today. And you're coming with me."

"Huh?" Both pups' faces went blank.

The redhead nodded, "You heard me. Katie, tell Marshall I'm going to get some food for him. Watch over him and make sure he doesn't sneak out again. He woke up from a nightmare, so make sure he doesn't have a panic attack. Make sure to check his temperature and his body, understand?"

Everest's eyes were spinning from how fast Liz spoke to her niece, who followed along with every word spoken.

"Got it."

Liz ruffled the blonde's hair with a smile, "That's my girl."

"Auntie!" Katie blushed at the affection from the redhead. She tried her best to pat her hair back to normal, but it proved futile. Sighing, the now messy-headed girl walked back into the house.

"As for you two, you're coming with me."

.

.

.

After arriving at the convenience store, the redhead let the two pups through the aisles as they explained everything that happened from the moment Marshall was discharged from the PAW Patrol. Liz listened closely, hanging off of every word. Learning all of this about the sad pup she had taken in was quite interesting. It wasn't like Marshall would tell her.

"So that's what happened, huh?" Liz asked as she looked at different brands of dog food, "Man, that pup can't catch a break for the life of him..."

Rocky looked a bit confused, "He did catch a break. You happened to be there to take him in."

"Yeah, for now..."

"Hm?" Everest tilted her head slightly.

"So he's been sneaking out to track down that Dalmatian of yours..." She was stuck between two brands of dog food, beginning to calculate prices.

Rocky then spoke up, "So, have you been in Adventure Bay for long? I'm guessing not since you didn't really know much about the PAW Patrol."

"I'm in and out of this place, but I don't really go around Adventure Bay much..." She answered, "Someone needs to check up on Katie. I decided that it'd be me."

"So she lives with you?"

"Yeah, you think a ten year old pays for a house all on their own?"

"Well, actually—" Rocky began to say, but was cut off by Everest putting a paw over his mouth.

Liz looked at the two pups before speaking once more, "Anyway, so you two don't hate Marshall? You guys wanted to help him?"

"Of course!" Both exclaimed in unison

The mixed breed's expression then fell, "But Marshall felt as though he was dragging us down with him, so he tried his best to cut our ties and leave himself to deal with it on his own."

"So we decided to chase him. Between then and now, a bunch of stuff has happened, but I always wanted to see my... Our friend again!" Everest corrected, realizing that Rocky was just as committed as she was.

"Save the sentiment for when you actually see Marshall..." Liz muttered, now sitting on the bare floor as she pulled her phone out, typing on a calculator app.

"You do realize the one on the left is the better deal for its size, right?" Rocky stood behind her.

She shook her head, "For one pup, maybe. Buf if two other pups are gonna be hanging around, then I need to factor those in too... And I'm gonna need a few more bowls... There should be some old ones in the basement..."

"Wait, you're gonna let us stay!?" Everest's tail began to wag.

The redhead kept looking for a bag of dog food, "Pretty obvious at this point. Marshall needs company. Katie and I aren't going to be around all of the time."

Cheering, Everest and Rocky hugged her, nuzzling Liz's sides.

"Maybe these two can make Marshall feel better..." She wondered, putting a hand on both of the pups' heads. Her nose then twitched, "...Okay, which one of you two haven't taken a bath?"

Everest almost instantly pointed at Rocky, who began to sweat, "You snitch!"

"I'm not getting double bathed for you!"

"After everything we've been through together?"

"You need a bath, Rocky!"

"Over my dead body!"

"You're making that sound really tempting right now!"

"Is that a threat?"

As the two pups on both sides of her bickered, Liz's eyelids lowered, her expression falling flat, "What have I gotten myself wrapped up in?"

Back at Liz's house, Katie observed Marshall, who was clearly not asleep. He absolutely wasn't going to sleep. Not after that nightmare he just had. He couldn't even close his eyes for more than a few seconds before picturing that pitch black pup that faced him in that mirror. It terrified him.

As Katie watched the silent Dalmatian, she couldn't help but to allow her mind to wander. Never once had she expected that she would be living with Marshall, and neither did she expect Marshall to not really feel like Marshall.

She could still hear the faint voice of him begging her to scrub paint off of his butt. Katie thought it would've been a fond memory, but it only reminded her of what the Dalmatian lost. The experiences of the past few days had damaged him.

It was a rare sight. Adventure Bay had broken the poor Dally.

She wondered what his nightmare was about. What had him stressed to the point where Liz would suspect him of being near a panic attack? It was a little hard for her to believe, but Katie knew good and well that Liz had more medical experience than the two of them combined.

The sound of the front door opening snapped Katie out of her thoughts. Her eyebrows raised at the familiar noise of car keys jingling. Speak of the devil. Marshall's ears perked up at the sound. He had been there long enough to know that whenever he heard the jungle of keys after hearing the door open, that Liz was back.

Katie began to make her way to the front door, "Marshall, stay right there."

The Dalmatian sighed, slumping back down. The little blonde walked down the hall and out of Marshall's sight. As she approached her aunt, she noticed that she had a lot more dog food than she had initially planned to get.

"How's Marshall?" The redhead was quick to ask.

"Stable. He's been awake ever since you left, though. Kind of just staring off into space."

Liz muttered, "Better than a panic attack at least..." Once she put the bags down, she kneeled down to Rocky and Everest's heights, "Okay, you two fulfilled your end of the deal, and I'm a girl of my word, so... You're free to see Marshall."

The pups' faces lit up as they dashed down the hall.

"Even though they might not like what they see..." The woman crossed her arms and walked behind them.

Marshall's ears twitched at the familiar sound of thumping. Not the usual thumping on the carpet that humans would make, but a more frequent thumping noise. One that couldn't be made by a creature with two legs. His heartbeat rose. Had Hood found him? Was he coming to finish him off?

The Dalmatian hid himself under his covers, peeking out anxiously. As the shadows reflecting off of the part of the hallway he could see grew bigger and bigger, Marshall retreated further into his blanket, not ready for another round against the doppelganger Dalmatian.

But coming out of the hallway wasn't his canine combatant. It was two seemingly familiar faces. Faces he hadn't expected to see again so soon. He stood himself up, the blanket he had hidden himself under covering all of his body apart from his face.

The two slowly scanned the room, but once their eyes landed on Marshall, they were frozen in place.

The three stared at one another for what seemed to be years. His friends, the two he had observed in passing one time or another while looking for the thief of Adventure Bay, were right across the room from him. His eyes widened. Both of them, now that his right eye's swelling had gone down. He sat on his haunches, the blanket still draped over his head and body.

Rocky and Everest weren't able to see the injuries on Marshall, due to the blanket covering him, but they were able to notice that their friend looked a lot more drained than they had remembered days prior just before they left on a mission. The Dally's fur was ruffled and messy, and there were developing dark circles beneath the fur under his eyes.

At what seemed to be the same time, Everest and Rocky ran over, both nearly leaping over obstacles and furniture around the living room in order to reach Marshall. Once they did, though, they pulled him into the tightest hug they could muster, with Everest on his right, and Rocky on his left.

The blanket that was on Marshall's body fell to the ground.

Katie and Liz walked out into the living room, standing just at the end of the hallway so that they could observe the three.

"Marshall!" The two cried, hugging him tighter, if that was even possible.

His face stuck between the heads of his two sobbing friends was littered with shock, his eyes the size of dinner plates, and his mouth slightly ajar. His forelegs were limp, not even having the time to hug the two back. He could only listen to his friends cry over his shoulder, gently nuzzling both sides of his face.

"You're okay! You're alive!" Everest exclaimed in what sounded to be an amalgamation of a laugh and a sob.

Rocky only hugged his friend, crying rivers of tears, just like Marshall had during their conversation what seemed to be so long ago. He couldn't find the words to express his relief to see Marshall again. And now that he did, he wasn't willing to let go. Neither of them were.

After what seemed like minutes of listening to them cry, Marshall felt their grip loosen a bit as they raised their heads to look at their friend.

"Marshall you didn't do anything wrong, you weren't a problem!" The mixed breed exclaimed, "So please don't act like you are!"

Everest joined in, her voice breaking, "You're stronger than both of us combined, so don't ever say that you're not! Don't even think that you're not!"

"..." Marshall only looked at the duo, frozen with shock.

"Marshall, you're strong enough... You're more than strong enough..." Rocky added, "You're strong enough to try and take everything on alone, so we don't have to. You're strong enough to leave the lookout and try not to take us down with you..."

"You might think that you don't have it now... You might think that you lost it..." Everest looked down before looking back up at him, "But just like us, your strength will always be there to push you forward!"

Rocky then pressed his head against his left temple, "I'm still alive, because of you. I feel more free to be who I am, because of you. I learned that when it comes to friends, you won't ever hesitate, because of you."

Everest did the same, but on his right temple, "You always make us smile. You always make us laugh. You always cheer us up when we're sad..." She sniffled, "The only thing you were right about, is that we don't deserve a friend like you..."

"...Because we haven't earned a friend like you," Rocky finished for her, "You deserve better than us."

"We're in this together, Marshall," Everest closed her eyes, "Rain or shine."

Rocky went back to tightly hugging the silent Dally, "We'll always believe in you."

Both smiled, speaking in unison, "...Because we're friends."

"...I..."

Rocky and Everest's ears raised at the sound of a different voice. One that was close to them. Liz and Katie also perked up at the voice. A voice that all but Liz recognized.

Marshall, his lip quivering and eyes watering beyond anything he had ever seen before, let out a shaky exhale as his paws slowly raised. His forelegs wrapped around one of the pups each, inhaling sharply.

"ROCKY! EVEREST!"

The two pups didn't flinch at the overwhelming wail that filled the room. They didn't reach to cover their ears, they didn't care. Small smiles spread on their faces as they finally heard it.

The sound of Marshall's voice.

The former firefighter began to cry his heart out on the shoulders of his two friends, nothing but the sound of Marshall crying the two pup's names over and over filling the room. Both the Husky and the mixed breed, having already gotten everything out of their system, only pet Marshall's fur comfortingly as Marshall let it all out.

For what seemed like the first time in forever, Marshall felt a different emotion. Relief.