A/n: Please notify me if this chapter is confusing to read in the beginning! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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"It appears that all of the planets we've engaged have been pacified, if not totally liberated," Coran informed the coalition. His eyes danced across the screen just as an alarm was triggered. He searched for the cause and found it. "Wait. There's another galra battle cruiser approaching Naxzela."

The Zaiforge cannon operated by the rebels destroyed an incoming cruiser. "Sector Zar Niomofor is clear," Matt informed Coran and the others after the spacecraft was annihilated. He peered out of the ship's window, seeing Arcadia flying around the space void of galra forces. In the distance loomed another battle cruiser, which was the one Coran spoke of. Matt returned his attention back to the console in front of him. "Let me see if I can get a line on that battle cruiser."

As the rebels attempted to take down the cruiser, the entire ship became lifeless. They looked around in confusion as they tried to power it back up.

Arcadia, who was now staring at the cruiser, heard the systems shut down through the comms with a giant 'whir.' She turned her head, eyeing the lifeless ship. "Matt, what happened?"

"The ship's completely unresponsive!" He yelled in worry.

The alchemist looked away, eyes returning to focus on the galra cruiser entering the planet's atmosphere. "I'll contact the Blade on Senfama." She already knew Keith was suspicious of what she was doing due to her first clone detonating in order to protect him and the other Marmora agents. "Zaiforge cannon Senfama, are you still operational?"

Keith didn't respond right away once hearing her voice, but the boy knew this wasn't the time for questions. "Negative."

"That incoming battle cruiser must have shut them down remotely," Coran said, his voice reaching both Arcadia and Keith.

"Sorry, Shiro," Keith apologizes. "That's it for artillery support. What should we do about that cruiser?"

"Shiro," Arcadia called out to the black paladin.

The black paladin knew exactly what she was planning on doing. "Do it, Arcadia. It'll buy us more time to secure Naxzela."

Keith wanted answers and accidentally shouted, "What is this plan you both have?! How is Arcadia with the rebels when she was with me a few minutes ago?!"

"Keith," another voice came over the comms. It was Kolivan. "Now is not the time. Proceed with your plan, Arcadia, Shiro." Keith listened to his superior and fell silent.

Arcadia was thankful for Kolivan's intervention. "Approaching cruiser now."

Meanwhile on Naxzela, the other paladins had failed in listening to the transmission due to the private channel Shiro was tapped into. He peered out the eyes of Voltron, watching the second clone of Arcadia hover beside them. "Let's wrap this up, team. We just need to take out the last of the heavy artillery." Just then, an image of the galra cruiser approaching appeared on his dashboard. The spacecraft was readying to fire at the mighty defender and the dragon. He wasn't sure how long it would take the other clone to reach the cruiser and shouted a command. "On our left! Shield up!"

Before the cruiser could fire, an object pierced its hull at incredible speeds. The streak of light impaled the ship and exited the other side just as the spacecraft exploded into a cloud of smoke and fire. The object vanished and Voltron lowered its shield.

"What was that?" Pidge asked.

"I don't know," Shiro lied. "Whatever it was saved us. Let's keep our focus on securing Naxzela."

Voltron flew up, summoned its cannon, and targeted whatever it could on the planet's surface, destroying all caught in the line of fire. Once the mighty defender was finished, it landed on Naxzela beside Arcadia and the cannon vanished.

Suddenly, the ground shook with a powerful tremor. "Whoa! Did we cause that earthquake?" Lance asked.

"I don't think so!" Pidge shouted over the rumbling. The alarms were triggered, alerting the paladins.

"Guys, look over there!" Hunk hollered. The team looked around themselves, watching as enormous pillars emerged from the ground.

"Uh...Guys, what are those?" Lance asked nervously. 

"That...is an excellent question, Lance," Arcadia responded, staring wide-eyed at the pillars as they slowly rose from the ground.

"We've never seen anything like this from the galra before," Pidge stated, her wide-eyed gaze glued to the large structures that littered the surface of Naxzela.

"Are they weapons?" Hunk inquired.

"They look like some sort of generators," Pidge responded, trying to make sense of the immense structures.

"Should we try to destroy them?" Arcadia pondered.

Shiro shook his head. "No, but stay alert."

Unlike the black paladin, the red one was frantic and on the verge of panicking. "I say we get outta here. Pidge, plot a course for our escape!"

"We have yet to secure the planet, Lance," Arcadia retorts. "We're not going anywhere just yet."

"We should find out what these things are," Shiro added.

Arcadia flew over to the closest pillar and examined it. Placing her paw on the metal, she dug her claws into the cold material. A chill crept down the paladins' spines as they listened to the teeth-grinding noise she created. The dragon was able to peel away a single metal panel, but there was only more metal underneath. "Whatever these pillars are, they were made to withstand powerful attacks. There's another layer of metal underneath the surface." As she flew upward to examine the pillar further, she looked up and saw they were activating. A magenta barrier slowly encased the planet, trapping her and the paladins.

"This can't be safe," Hunk comments, staring up at the barrier.

"Do you feel that? That wave of darkness?" Allura asked, glancing in Arcadia's direction.

"This is dark alchemy. I can feel it. It's the same feeling I felt during the battle with Zarkon. The witch must be the one behind such a technique." Arcadia turned her body around to face Voltron. Her eyes widened when she saw the robot was descending down to the surface of Naxzela. "Guys, what're you doing?"

"We're not doing anything!" Lance wailed, jerking on the red lion's controls. "I can't move Red!"

"Yellow won't budge, either," Hunk added, clearly worried about the current situation they were stuck in. Voltron landed and soon fell to its knees before collapsing onto its hands.

"This energy field is holding us down! Gravity levels are spiking!" Pidge yelled.

Arcadia couldn't feel the effects, wondering if it was due to her high mana level or her clone was unaffected by such dark alchemy. She flew down to Voltron and tried to use her body as leverage to push the robot back onto its feet. Her efforts were in vain as she watched the mighty defender be forcefully shoved against the ground, creating webs of cracks.

"We have to get outta here! If we stay here, we'll be crushed," Shiro said.

"How come you're not being affected, Arcadia?" Pidge questioned.

"I-I don't know," she spoke the truth. "But I'll try to help you all in any way I can."

"Stand back, Arcadia," Shiro commanded. She did as he said and wondered what he had in mind. "Everyone, we have to focus. Give everything you've got and maybe we can fight through this energy field. Ready?"

"Ready!" The four remaining paladins responded harmoniously.

Arcadia watched helplessly as the blue, yellow, green, and red lions activated their thrusters to push themselves off the ground. The paladins were able to soar up into the air, but they didn't make it far before they were back against the ground, creating a large crater from the impact.

"Is-Is anyone else able to move around?" Hunk asked.

"Barely, but the gravitational pull is worse on Voltron," Pidge answered with a grunt. "Maybe if we go down to the surface, Hunk and I can figure out a way to interrupt this energy field."

"That sounds good, except for the zillion robot dudes still kickin' around down there," Lance remarks.

"We're gonna have to stay in tight formation. Watch each other's backs. Arcadia, keep close and give us air support. We're gonna be needing your magic," Shiro declared.

The dragon stared down at Voltron. "Understood."

"Let's move!"

The five paladins exited their lions and activated their jetpacks to avoid the sentries and their lasers. Arcadia destroyed a handful of robots with a large fireball, allowing her friends to focus on escaping. They maneuvered to the top of a pillar, shields at the ready to protect themselves from the gunfire.

Delivering another fatal blow, Arcadia destroyed all the sentries that were targeting the paladins before landing beside them. "Nice work, Arcadia," Shiro complimented the beast before turning his attention to the green and yellow paladins. "Pidge and Hunk, do your thing and do it fast."

Pidge scanned the pillar-like structure with her wrist indicator. "This rod seems to go all the way down into the planet's core. But I'm not detecting any kind of energy source on the planet that could be causing all of this."

"Then we'll need to follow it down to the core," Allura stated.

A hatch located behind them opened. "It's open! Let's go!" Pidge bellowed.

Arcadia transformed into her normal self, knowing her dragon form was too big to fit. She followed the paladins as they leapt down the hatch to reach the core. While they used their jetpacks to descend steadily, she used her wings to control her own descent. She felt an immense amount of energy as the distance between them and the core shrunk. "I don't like this..."

The group landed safely, triggering another door opening. They stepped through and entered a room. "Whoa..." The paladins muttered in awe.

Arcadia's eyes widen in horror as she spots what lies in the middle of the room. "No way..."

"What is that?" Lance asked, glancing toward the alchemist.

"This is Zarkon's witch's doing," Allura answered in the girl's stead. "The energy Arcadia and I felt...This must be the source."

"It is," Arcadia said. "It's a pure source of dark alchemy. This is what's powering the rods."

"Allura," Shiro chimed in as he surveyed the room. "This facility...It looks altean."

"I'm afraid you're correct, Shiro," the princess replies solemnly as she and the others approach the glowing orb. "This is a decommissioned altean terraforming plant. Somehow, the witch has been able to reactivate it remotely."

"Can you shut it down?" The black paladin questioned.

"I can try." Allura stood in front of the orb and reached out toward it. A strand of electricity lashed out from the orb and struck the princess' hand. She screamed out in pain, trying to pull her hand free.

"Allura!" The team yelled. They wrapped their arms around her and desperately tried to pull her out of the orb's grasp. Arcadia tossed a fireball at the sphere, which was enough to free her best friend. The paladins fell back due to the momentum.

Lance caught her in his arms and helped her to the feet, clearly worried about her. "Are you okay?"

"It's too powerful," Allura whimpers.

"Let me try," Arcadia said.

"N-No," the princess begged weakly, reaching out toward her best friend. "Arcadia, don't!"

The draconian ignored Allura and reached both hands out toward the orb. The same happened to her, a bloodcurdling scream erupting from her throat. She could feel the orb tugging on her body, but Shiro and Pidge were the first ones to react. They wrapped their arms around her and tried to free her. Pidge felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she had no choice but to listen to her friend scream at the top of her lungs from the immense amount of pain she was suffering. Hunk tried to help them, but the orb lashed out at him. He was flung across the room and landed with a groan.

Arcadia pushes through the pain and casted a simple ice spell. The orb was frozen, forcing it to release her. Shiro caught her in his arms alongside Pidge, who still had her arms wrapped around the older girl's waist. The black paladin examines the alchemist's body, noticing her body was becoming transparent. Pidge also noticed, a few stray tears cascading down her cheeks. "W-What's wrong with her?"

Then, Arcadia's body shatters like glass. The pieces float around the black and green paladins before evaporating. Pidge's eyes widen in horror while Shiro was unfazed. She saw his stoic expression and snapped at him. "What's going on, Shiro?! Where's Arcadia?!"

Shiro looked away with a guilty expression. "In the castle. She's the reason we've made it this far."

"What did she do that you agreed to?" The green paladin snarled.

"Her plan was to remain in the castle while she sent out three clones of herself to ensure we were successful. The object that obliterated the galra cruiser was one of her clones."

"You let her do this even knowing what it could do to her?!" Allura shouted as she stepped out of Lance's grasp. "Why didn't she or you tell us?!"

"Arcadia knew you all wouldn't approve of her plan," Shiro responded calmly.

"Then where's the third clone?" Hunk asked.

"With the Blade on Senfama. Coran is watching over her real body aboard the castle."

"Why?" Allura muttered with a whimper. "Why would she risk her life like this?"

Shiro crosses his arms, his calm expression not even showing a crack. "She knew the risk when she told me her plan. She wants the coalition to be successful. Now, we have to make sure all her hard work isn't in vain."

Hunk stared down at the ground, noting what they were standing on. "That might be difficult to do."

"Why's that?" Lance wondered.

"This soil is weird," the yellow paladin responds. "It's so white and powdery, like ground-up rocks or earth. And heximite!"

Suddenly, a wave of sentries flooded into the room. The paladins took out their bayards and fought against the robots.

"What's heximite?" Lance inquired in the midst of battle. "Some of us may have slept through chemistry."

"The whole planet is a bomb, one that's big enough to wipe out several solar systems," Pidge informed the team.

"It's under increasing pressure and when the pressure reaches a certain point, it's going to explode. But I think Arcadia's bought us some time by freezing the core," Hunk added.

"How long do we have?" Shiro asked.

"Maybe 20 minutes."

"We have to get off this planet and warn everyone!" Lance hollered.

"Anyone within ten solar systems of us is going to get blown to pieces," Hunk explained.

"They could take out Voltron, the rebels, and the Blade of Marmora in one fell swoop," Allura stated. The paladins left the core and hurried back to Voltron.

<——————<<<<<

"Coran, are there any targets that need support?" Keith asked once he and Kolivan left behind the inactive Zaiforge cannon.

"I haven't heard of anyone needing help," Coran replied, his eyes glued to a holographic map. "And that galra fleet heading towards Naxzela stopped."

"Stopped?" Keith questioned in bewilderment.

"Yes," the advisor answered. "Quite a distance away, too."

"Perhaps the galra decided it's too well-fortified to attack," Kolivan stated.

""Victory or death" is the galra way. They never stop attacking," the boy muttered before contacting his friends. "Voltron. Shiro, can you hear me? Shiro!"

No response.

"Something's wrong," he said.

After Keith's failed attempt to try and contact the paladins, Coran tried from the castle. "Paladins? Allura? Arcadia? What's happened?" He received no response from any of them. "It must be the magnetic distortion from Naxzela."

"I'm gonna check it out. I need a ship." Keith searched the area around the cannon and spotted an unmanned fighter. "That'll work."

As he made his way down the abandoned spacecraft, he felt something faze through his body and he turned around. His lilac eyes widened when he saw a transparent clone of Arcadia. He reached out to touch her, but his hand went through her body. He saw the painful expression on her face. "What's going on, Arcadia?"

"Naxzela...explosion...galra fleet..." Her words came out through labored breathing. She placed a hand against her head as she gritted her teeth in pain. She stumbled backward, which startled Keith.

He tried to grab her again, already forgetting he couldn't touch her. "What explosion? What's happening to you?"

"No time..." She inhaled deeply with a shaky breath. "Massive explosion...Naxzela...detonate..." She placed her other hand on her head, yanking slightly at her ivory locks before falling to her knees with a petrifying scream.

Keith desperately wanted to help her, but there was nothing he could do. He continuously tried to grab her, but his heartbeat kept increasing as his hands fazed through her transparent body. He abhorred seeing her in pain and wanted to know what was going on.

Suddenly, Arcadia's body shatters and the same glass-like shards surround Keith just like they did on Naxzela with the paladins. Unconsciously, he reached out to grab a single shard, but it evaporated when it grazed his fingers. His teeth clenched tightly as he felt his already thundering heart speed up. He swiftly dashed over to the fighter, hopped in, and took off. He contacted Matt immediately and wondered if he could contact the others.

"Matt, something's wrong," he began explaining. "I can't reach Voltron."

"We can fly to Naxzela to check on 'em," Matt stated.

"No, I need your help. Arcadia tried to warn me about something. It was about an explosion and it has something to do with the galra and Naxzela. I know we need to attack that fleet. That's what she was trying to tell me."

Matt was confused at how Arcadia was able to contact him without the rebels' knowledge since her communicators were linked to their own and they would've heard every word. "How'd Arcadia contact you? We didn't hear any of this."

"I don't know what's going on with her and showing up in multiple places at once, but I'm gonna get an answer once we're done here," Keith declared.

"Wait," Matt said, going back to the subject of the fleet. "I thought the fleet had stopped."

"It has, but we're afraid it has something to do with Voltron."

Matt looked at his fellow rebels, receiving nods of approval. He turned his attention back to the comms. "We're with you."

"Copy that," Keith was relieved to know he would have backup. "Good to have you along."

"I'm coming, too," the two boys heard Coran's voice state. "It might take me a while. I'm on the other side of the galaxy and I don't have enough of Allura's energy left to work the teludav."

Keith promptly shot down the idea. "No, stay in position. We might need you back there."

<——————<<<<<<

"Coran! Keith! Do you copy? Anyone? Hello!" Shiro desperately shouted. When he received no response, he frowned in annoyances "We've lost communications. Pidge, can you boost our signal?"

"No, there's too much electrostatic repulsion!" The green paladin shouted.

"Seventeen minutes left," Hunk informed the team of how much longer they had until the planet exploded.

"We have to get off this planet immediately," Allura said. The paladins managed to get Voltron back onto its feet, but they regretted their actions when the ground beneath them cracked and crumbled. They screamed as they fell deeper into the planet.

"Oh, no! We've fallen even further down!" Lance wailed.

"Fifteen minutes!" Hunk shouted.

"No, no! We can't die here! Not yet!" Pidge yelled.

Shiro, who was able to keep his tranquil demeanor while the others panicked, tried to calm his team down. "Listen. We've come through a lot as Voltron. We just have to think."

"Allura..." Lance began. "You and Arcadia felt the dark energy when it first started. If you felt it, too, that means you have a connection to this magic. I know you can get us out of this somehow. We all saw what you did on the Balmera and how you power the castle."

"I-I don't know," the princess replied unsurely. "I haven't been trained. I was only able to do so because of Arcadia! She's the alchemist, not me!"

"No one trained you or Arcadia to save the Balmera, but you both did that," Lance explained. "I know you can do it and you don't need her help. There's a reason the blue lion chose you. You and Arcadia are the ones who brought everyone together. If she was here, she'd say the same thing. You can do this. Every moment we've had together, they've all led to this day. This is your destiny."

After a few seconds of thinking and listening to Lance's speech, she was content and agreed. "Okay, I'll try." She focused all her strength into Voltron, allowing her quintessence to flow into the mighty defender. "Help me, Father, Arcadia," she whispered as she continued to solely focus on the five lions.

Voltron was encased in a warm, azure light. Everyone gasped in amazement as they felt the warmth from the light. "It's working!" Shiro shouted jubilantly. Voltron flew up into the sky, the increasing gravity having no effect on it. The red lion fired a laser, creating an escape route big enough for the robot to fit through. The paladins escaped Naxzela, relieved to know they wouldn't be obliterated.

"Thank you, Lance," Allura sweetly replies with a smile.

Lance was also smiling. "That was all you. I'm sure Arcadia would be proud of you, too."

Hunk then yelled, ruining the serene atmosphere between the red and blue paladins. "We still need to defuse that bomb!"

"Keith, can you hear me?" Shiro contacted the younger boy.

"Shiro! Where are you? Is everything okay?" Keith frantically asked.

"Not for long if we don't stop Zarkon's witch. She must be aboard that battle cruiser."

"I'm way ahead of you. Arcadia contacted me and told me about the explosion and the fleet. I brought some backup."

"Rebel Squad is en route," Captain Olia spoke up.

"Good to have Voltron back in the fight," Matt smiled.

"Coran," Shiro contacted the castle. "You need to get as far away from Naxzela as you can immediately. Pick up any members of the coalition who are nearby, but go."

"Wh-What's happening?" The royal advisor stuttered.

"Naxzela is a bomb and it's about to go off," Allura answered.

"The only reason it hasn't gone off yet is because Arcadia was able to freeze the core," Lance added.

"But what about you?" Coran questioned.

"We'll stop it if we can, but we need you to do this," Allura said.

Coran didn't argue. "Yes, Princess."

"Thrusters are at max power!" Lance informed everyone.

"I sure hope we make it in time," Hunk said, worried about what is to come.

<——————<<<<<

"Follow my lead!" Keith commanded, guiding the fighter toward the fleet alongside the rebels. "We've gotta break through that shield!" A single laser from the galra fleet struck the fighter, taking out the left wing.

Keith grunted as he inspected the damage. From his comms, he could hear Lance shouting, "We're not gonna make it!"

He gritted his teeth, heading straight for the cruiser protected by the shield. He knew what he was doing would kill him, but his emotions were a mess as he fought the urge to turn around.

Matt saw what he was doing and gasped. "Wait! Keith, what are you doing?"

No response.

"Keith, no!" Matt yelled in a desperate attempt to stop the agent.

As Keith kept his course toward the galra cruiser, his mind raced through all the memories of Arcadia and his time with his friends. Just as his ship was about to collide with the shield, a laser blasted past him and destroyed it. His eyes widen in shock at seeing he was still alive. He heard Coran's boisterous cheer over the comms. "Naxzela is returning to normal! You did it!"

"Good work, Keith," Shiro compliments.

"It wasn't me," he confesses. He looks over at the ship that destroyed the barrier and recognized it. "It was Lotor. The cannon on his ship was the only thing powerful enough to take down that shield."

They watched as the fleet retreated, but one ship remained. Everyone knew who was aboard as they heard a voice call out to them. "Attention, Paladins of Voltron and rebel fighters. I know we've had our differences in the past, but I think it is time we had a discussion."

"Is he serious?" Lance scoffed.

"Paladins! Keith! Someone, come in!" Coran suddenly shouted.

"What's wrong, Coran?" Allura asked.

"It's Arcadia!"

That was all they needed to hear in order to rush back to the castle. Keith followed after the mighty defender, his heart racing in fear. He landed the barely functioning fighter in the black lion's hangar and stormed to the bridge alongside Shiro. As he entered the bridge, he saw the other paladins and Coran gathered around Arcadia. Her body was still suspended in the air, the golden globe protecting her body.

"What is the meaning of this, Coran?!" Allura shouted.

"I-I don't know, princess!" The advisor replied. "The spell seems to have taken ahold of her!"

"We've gotta break the spell!" Pidge hollered.

Keith dashed over to the golden globe, slamming his fists against the surface. "Arcadia, listen to me! You've gotta snap out of it!"

Lance and Hunk tried to destroy the barrier with their bayards, but they couldn't even make a dent. Shiro activated his arm, but not even it could break the golden globe.

"Let me try!" Allura places her hands against the barrier, closing her eyes and focusing her quintessence. Her hands radiated a pale blue and the light slowly crept around the barrier. The gold tint turned to a calming blue before shattering.

Keith lunges forward as the barrier broke. He caught Arcadia in his arms, falling to his knees. The others surrounded him as he examined her. His eyes widen in horror when he notices she wasn't breathing. He laid her body down on the floor and began administering CPR. He began doing heart compressions, but the dread inside him kept escalating. "C'mon... Please!" He begged. "I can't lose you!"

After a couple minutes of heart compressions, Shiro frowned. He tried to pull Keith away from Arcadia, but all he received was an elbow in the gut. "I'm not giving up!" Keith declares. "Don't try to stop me!"

After a few more minutes, Shiro forcefully pulled Keith away from Arcadia and pinned his arms behind his back. "She's gone, Keith!"

He managed to escape and faced Shiro with a fierce glare. "You were supposed to protect her!" He shoved the black paladin, blinded by anger and sorrow. "Why?! Why didn't you stop her?!"

"Keith, I—" Shiro began, but was interrupted by someone.

"What's with all the yelling?"

Everyone turned to the owner of the voice and shouted, "Arcadia!"

Before the alchemist could blink, she was tackled in a group hug. Pidge was squished in the middle with Arcadia, pressing her cheek against hers as she cried. "I was so worried about you!"

"We all were," Allura corrected the green paladin. "We're so glad to see you're all right."

"After I touched the orb on Naxzela, I felt my body was trapped. I contacted Keith as a last restore to tell him about the status of the planet. I'm glad I was able to reach him," she explained. Then, her gaze fell on the princess. "You saved me, Allura. You're learning how to use alchemy. I'm so proud of you!"

"Would you mind teaching me? I know draconian alchemy is quite different from altean alchemy, but you're the only person I know who could teach me."

"I'd love to help, Allura," Arcadia smiled.

Hunk, Lance, Pidge, Coran, and Allura freed her. The princess helped her off the floor as Keith approached her. Before she could even say a word to him, she was brought into a tight embrace. "You really know how to give me a heart attack..."

"I'm sorry for going behind your back and everyone else's after I promised not to use illusion spells," she said, wrapping her arms around his torso. "I hope you and the others forgive me."

"You saved me, the Blade, and others today because of what you did," Keith replied. "There's no way I could be mad."

"Did you guys hear that?" Hunk grinned excitedly. "Keith is turning into Arcadia!"

Keith looked over at the others in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing!" Arcadia intervened. "Nothing at all!"

Pidge grinned as she stepped forward. "Arcadia turned into you for a short while. Since she turned into you, we thought you were turning into her. Looks like Hunk was right."

"Pidge!" Arcadia yelled.

"See?" The green paladin gestured to the draconian.

The alchemist purses her lips, burying her head into Keith's chest. "I am not..."

Shiro smiled at his team before deciding on how to handle Lotor and his proclamation. "Guess we've got another issue to deal with."