A/n: Updates won't be as constant thanks to classes. I'll still try to update once a week, though. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
••••••••••••••••••••

A couple days later, Arcadia awoke from her unconscious state. Everyone was surrounding her when she emerged from the healing pod. She looked at Allura and Coran, hoping they would have answers to her condition. "Please, tell me you discovered what's wrong with me."

"We've read over your data numerous of times, Arcadia, but..." Allura looked over at Coran.

"According to the pod's data, you're perfectly healthy," the advisor said.

"But what about the nosebleeds?" Arcadia inquired eagerly. "There has to be a cause."

"Maybe it has to do with your spells," Pidge spoke up. "Every time you've collapsed, it's been after performing that illusion spell. Does the spell require a high level of mana?"

The alchemist shook her head. "No. And even if it did, we'd still have to find out the cause of the nosebleeds."

Shiro met the girl's golden gaze with a stern expression. "Until we find out what's wrong, no more illusion spells."

"But Shiro—!" Arcadia tried to protest.

"It's an order, Arcadia," Shiro silenced her.

She sighed, her shoulders slumping forward. "Fine..."

Shiro left the infirmary after his stern words. Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Allura, and Coran followed suit, but they were staring at Arcadia with worried expressions as they departed. The only one remaining with her was Matt. Even knowing she was all right, he still was worried about her like the others. He tried to speak to her, but he wasn't sure what to say.

Arcadia lifted her head and smiled gently at him. "Pidge told me you carried me all the way to the infirmary. Thank you, Matt."

"It's no big deal," he smiled back. "Just glad to see you're okay."

Her smile then fell. "I was really hoping the pod would've learned what was wrong."

"I'll be contacting the rebels soon. Maybe someone will have an answer."

"Maybe, but who among the rebels would know about draconians?" She asked.

"Well, you'll be shocked what all the rebels know," Matt smiled in reassurance. "It's worth a try."

The draconian nodded. "I hope someone has answers to my questions."

<——————<<<<<

The next day, everyone was gathered on the bridge for Shiro's announcement. "Good news. There's been an upsurge in planets that have been liberated from galra control by the Blade of Marmora and the rebel forces. Convincing these planets to join our coalition is priority one."

"Oh, does that mean more Voltron events?" Coran asked excitedly.

"Yes," Shiro responded. "Believe it or not, the Voltron show-of-arms goes a long way in inspiring others to join the fight."

"Coran's really enjoying these shows. He's been working on the scenes for a while," Arcadia informed the group.

"Really?" Lance asked in bewilderment. "Didn't know Coran was one for the theatrical arts."

"Neither did I. He's lost sleep over it," she said.

An image then appeared on the main screen with green indicators, grabbing Arcadia's and Lance's attention. "The green clusters you see here, here, and here represent planets and, in some cases, entire star systems that have joined the coalition. Not coincidentally, those are also the areas we've personally visited," Shiro explained as he pointed to the highlighted planets.

"All right! Razzle-dazzle time!" Lance chanted, waving his arms around and wiggling his fingers with an exuberant smirk. The others gazed at him with disapproving glances, causing his smirk to fall and him to lower his arms. He cleared his throat and looked away from his friends. "For the war effort, of course."

Shiro, who ignored Lance's antics, turned to face the altean advisor. "Coran, can you set everything up?"

Coran smiled like a child with a new, shiny toy. "I know just where to start."

<———————<<<<<<<

"Uh, Coran?" Arcadia called out to the ginger-haired altean.

"Hmm?" He hummed in response, looking over at the girl.

"You do realize this is a hospital, right?" She crossed her arms, a single brow arched.

"Of course! This is the perfect place to perform my masterpiece!"

Arcadia glanced around at the injured veterans who were relaxing in the lounge as Voltron was busy setting up pillars for the hospital. "I'm assuming your "masterpiece" doesn't involve the lions or Voltron at all."

"Oh, it does! This is just a scaled-down version of it!" Coran cheered.

"All right," Shiro's voice came over the comms, interrupting the duo. "The last column's in place. Now, this hospital can service the entire sector."

"But that's only the first step in helping these injured war veterans," Coran stated once calming down. "Come on in, it's time."

"We'll see you five in the hospital," Arcadia responded.

"All right," Shiro responded.

A few minutes passed and the paladins wandered into the hospital, regrouping with Coran and Arcadia. They stood around in a circle located backstage of where they were performing.

Coran glances out at the patients who'd gather for the show before turning his smile toward the paladins and Arcadia. "Everyone, check your wrist devices. I uploaded a script onto them." He grinned as he met Arcadia. "Even you, Mighty Space Lizard! I've decided to add you to my masterpiece!"

"Uh, excuse me?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What did you just call me?"

"Mighty Space Lizard! Voltron's fiercest foe! Next to Zarkon, of course. Pull up the script on your wrist indicator!"

Arcadia did as Coran commanded and saw the script. She skimmed through it, searching for her part. "You just mention my character in the script. I've got no lines and don't even go onstage! Why am I even here?"

"For support. You'll get your chance to shine soon enough!" Coran cheered.

Arcadia sighed in annoyance and deactivated her indicator.

"What is this?" Hunk asked, eyes scanning the script.

"Yeah, there's barely anybody out there," Lance points out.

"I scaled down the show so we can do it indoors for the patients, you know, to lift their spirits," Coran replied.

"This isn't even factually accurate," Pidge commented after reading the dialogue.

"Well, this is the Legend of Voltron, not the documentary of Voltron," Coran retorts. "Speaking of which...Allura, you'll be playing Keith."

The princess groaned in disapproval at Coran's character lineup. Lance quickly stepped in and pointed a finger at Arcadia. "Why not make Arcadia be Keith? She's his girlfriend and knows him better than any of us."

"Arcadia already has an important role," Coran rebuttals. "Also, the word of Keith leaving the team hasn't really spread yet, so I didn't want to confuse anyone. Besides, playing Keith is easy. Just act really moody."

Allura grimaced at her advisor, crossing her arms over her chest. Coran nodded with an approving smile. "There! You've done it!"

"Okay, I've gotta admit—that's an accurate representation of Keith," Arcadia snorted with laughter.

"What's Keith like when you two are alone?" Lance curiously asked.

"One word—docile."

"You're lying," the Cuban boy argues.

"It's the truth regardless if you believe me or not," the alchemist shrugged. "He's a sweet and gentle person deep down. You've just gotta break down the walls he's built around his heart and you'll see his true colors."

Lance plugged his ears. "Ew! Gross! Mushy, lovey-dovey stuff and Keith never belong in the same sentence."

"You're the one who asked," Arcadia scoffed. She saw an opportunity and took it. "Oh, and he's such a sweetheart when we—"

"I don't wanna hear the details! I regret asking!"

Arcadia grinned victoriously as they were addressed by the advisor. "All right, paladins, Arcadia. No more chitchat! Everyone in positions," Coran said. "Just follow the script."

The royal advisor left the paladins and Arcadia, making his way out onto the small stage. His eyes scanned the small crowd, excited to finally see his script come to life even though it was scaled-down tremendously. He cleared his throat, grabbing the crowd's full attention. "Ladies and gentle-aliens, bear witness as the paladins of Voltron attack Zarkon's base and take on the mighty space lizard to save the helpless Princess Allura!"

Coran rushes offstage as Shiro stood by his lonesome. The bright lights blinded him and he was unable to concentrate as he covered his eyes with his arm to shield them. Seeing how the black paladin was silent, the ginger-haired alien whispered to him. "Shiro, you're on!"

Shiro lowered his arm, allowing his eyes to adjust to the lights. He stared at the script projecting from his wrist and stiffly began the performance. "Uh, I will save the princess even if it means taking on the galra empire and the mighty space lizard with my bare hand." He realized it was a pun and glanced at Coran with a scowl.

"And you won't have to do it alone because you'll have me, Hunk," the yellow paladin announces as he walks onto the stage.

Next, it was Pidge. She was unenthused about the show. "And me, Pidge."

"And me, Lance!" The red paladin announces exuberantly as he leapt onto stage with his bayard. "Holds bayard dashingly—Oh." He does as the script says and grins playfully.

"And me...Keith." Allura stepped onto the stage, her shoulders slouched as she tried to impersonate Keith.

Arcadia peered from backstage and watched her best friend attempt to mimic her boyfriend. She placed a hand over her mouth and nose when she snorted loudly. Her obnoxious noise grabbed the paladins' and the crowd's attentions. She cleared her throat and waved at everyone. "Please, continue."

Shiro looked away from the girl and read the next line of the script. "Thank you, team, for always being by my side, through thick or thin. Now, come along.
Together, we'll—"

"Defeat Zarkon and the mighty space lizard!" The paladins chanted harmoniously.

Coran, with a wig on his head, slid across the stage on his knees and came to a halt directly in front of the posing paladins. His high-pitched voice echoed throughout the room. "My heroes!"

The crowd remained deathly silent. The patients walked away without applauding and continued with their day as if the performance never happened. The paladins left the stage, unfazed by the terrible performance they gave.

"Well, that bombed," Hunk comments.

"Yeah, speaking of bombs, we need to get back to doing air shows with explosions and lasers and bombs!" Lance said. The paladins walked away while Arcadia joined Coran.

"I was hoping to expand our horizons," Coran confesses with a sigh, removing the wig from his head.

The alchemist placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Coran. It was just one show. We know you're doing your best." She offered him a gentle smile before leaving.

Coran nodded, his melancholy showcasing on his face even after listening to Arcadia try to cheer him up. He sighed heavily, gripping the wig tightly in his hands as he watched her leave.

"Hey there, friend," a voice calls out to Coran. He turns around and spots a patient in a wheelchair. "You look like you could use a little help."

The advisor's eyes widen once recognizing the alien. "I know you. You ran the unilu swap shop in the mall."

"I saw that space wreck of a show you put on," the unilu stated.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Coran dejectedly looked down at the floor.

"Then stop thinking and be concious-neezy!" The alien shouted excitedly as he reached into a small compartment and pulled out a spherical object. "Conscious-neezy mind enhancers! Pop one of these babies under your pillow at night and when you wake up in the morning, your brain will be filled with brilliant thoughts and ideas."

Coran reaches out toward the strange object but stops when he hears the unilu continue his sales pitch. "They seep while you sleep! The price is 12,000 GAC."

"Would you take a used left shoe?" Coran began to negotiate.

"I'll accept the yellow Voltron bayard," the unilu said.

"How about 14 nose hairs?"

"I'll take your left arm, plated in luxite."

"A firm handshake and a pat on the back, then?"

"I get to ride on your shoulders for one decaphoeb."

"Well, how about I give you 600 GAC and don't tell the staff you're running an unlicensed swap shop in an intergalactic hospital?"

"Deal!" The unilu shouted, handing the object over.

"Coran!" A voice shouted. The advisor quickly hid his new treasure as he faced the owner of the voice with a seemingly innocent smile. Arcadia waved him over. "What's taking so long? C'mon, let's go!"

"Coming!" He ran toward her and left the hospital.

<——————<<<<<

"Voltron air show, here we come!" Coran chanted as the castle landed on an unfamiliar planet.

"I hope you booked a larger venue this time," Lance comments before being smacked in the back of the head. "Ow!"

Arcadia smiled at the advisor. "Any venue is fine, Coran." Her smile then fell once she saw the threatening weather when looking out the window. "Um..."

"I'm not sure if these are the best conditions for a show," Pidge said after watching the horrid weather whip around the castle.

Then, the castle received a transmission and the image of an alien appeared on the main screen. "Well, if it isn't Team Voltron, a day late and a fertronium short," he sassed with a scowl.

"I'm sorry, is there a problem?" Coran's eyebrows quirked up in confusion at hearing the attitude he and others were receiving.

"Is there a problem?" The alien mocked sarcastically. "Yes! Yes, there is a problem! You were supposed to be here yesterday! It was the one day out of the year we have clear skies. The other 720 days are like this!"

"Oh, I see my mistake," Coran apologized. "I forgot to calculate for time dilation."

"Oh, you made a mistake? The entire planet was out of their burrows for Clear Day, just waiting. "Where's Voltron?" they kept asking."

"Okay, th-that's on me..."

"I said, "Don't worry, they'll show up," but did you? No! Then, everyone starts turning on me. "You said they'd be here!""

"Hey!" Arcadia growled, coming to Coran's defense. "We get it, okay? Coran's already apologized. This weather matches your attitude! Maybe you're the reason why the planet's weather is like this for 720 days straight!"

The paladins and Coran were shocked at her sudden outburst. Arcadia realized she'd been yelling as her eyes widen. Placing a hand over her mouth, she groans. "Oh, Aethios... I'm turning into Keith."

"We do not need two Keiths!" Lance bellowed.

"Does that mean Keith's turning into Arcadia?" Hunk asked.

"It better," Pidge said. "He could use some patience."

All of a sudden, the castle begins to shake. Everyone grunted as they braced themselves to keep from falling. "What was that?" Allura asked.

Coran pulled up an image of the exterior of the castle and found a large creature pushing against it. "It's a Swathian meerakeet. They show up every day of the year except one."

"Guess which day?" The alien hissed, face scrunched up.

Arcadia snarled. "Don't you—!"

"Clear Day!"

"Ugh!" She yelled frustratingly.

"Don't worry," Coran reassures the others. "They'll chase any beam of light. I'll lead him away while we get out of here." He activated a beam of light, redirecting the beast in the opposite direction of the castle. Once it was far enough away, the castle took off.

Once the castle was safe and out of the planet's atmosphere, Coran looked around at the team with an apologetic expression. "I'm really sorry about that."

"Coran, if we're going to expand this coalition in the short amount of time that we have, we can't afford these kind of mistakes," Shiro said.

"That last show was pretty lame. I don't know if you're cut out to be managing this whole thing." Lance said before receiving another smack from Arcadia. "Ow! Quit hitting me, Keith!"

She rolled her eyes at hearing him call her "Keith," crossing her arms. "Coran's trying his best. Let's give him another chance. Besides, I'm kinda looking forward to playing my part."

Coran nodded and begged the paladins. "Just give me one more chance. I promise to turn it around."

<——————<<<<<<

"I can't believe we're back here," Arcadia muttered as they entered the space mall they visited months ago.

"It's official. We've reached rock-bottom," Lance commented with a groan as he looked at the various shops.

"Yeah, I don't know if this is the best place to get our message out to the widest audience," Shiro stated, watching as myriads of aliens passed them by without even sparing a second glance.

"Shiro, baby, you're right," Coran smoothly replied in a strange tone of voice. "And I want what you want, man. But I've had some epiphanies, some ideas, some realizations. What we have to do is broadcast a show across an entire galaxy." He then got in the black paladin's face as he continued speaking. "We could reach the largest viewership in the history of intergalactic showbiz."

"Aw, yeah!" Lance cheered in agreement with the advisor.

"But we need to workshop some things before we can take it to the next level," Coran said, winking at Pidge. "You with me, kid?"

"You seem different," the green paladin pointed out.

"Yeah. Are you feeling all right, Coran? Did you—oh, I don't know—hit your head or not get enough sleep last night?" Arcadia inquired, worried about him.

"I feel like a million groggeries! Look, it's my mission to make sure our message really sings." He saunters up to Lance, grabs the side of the boy's face, and pulls it toward his own. "Beautiful aliens from here to Vlexlar will know your name. And your coalition will put the galra's army to shame.

"There is definitely something wrong with you," Arcadia mumbled.

"Well, it rhymes, so it's gotta be true," Hunk said.

Shiro sighed, caving in after listening to Coran. "I guess we'll give it a try."

As the paladins walked deeper into the mall, Arcadia grabbed Coran's arm. She circled him, examining his body to see if he was injured in any way, shape, or form. "You look fine..."

"You worry too much," Coran chuckled confidently, waving off her concern.

Arcadia shook her head. "No, no. I worry just enough. There's something wrong with you, I just know it."

Coran grabbed the girl's face, pulling on her cheeks. "You won't be able to steal the show with so many wrinkles! You must work on your complexion before we hit the big leagues!"

Her left eye twitched at hearing his words and growled lowly. In fear, Coran released her cheeks and backed away with a small shriek. She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "I am not wrinkly! I'm only nineteen! You're the wrinkly one!"

Coran gasped in horror, running his fingers across his face. Arcadia pushed past the advisor and joined the paladins.

<——————<<<<<<

After the show on the swap moon, the paladins, Arcadia, and Coran were on another planet. This time, it was going to be a proper show. The royal advisor peered out of the curtains to see the large crowd waiting to see the performance. "Okay, we have got the air show down, which is great! But we need to add a theatrical element to expand. The hospital performance was a disaster, but I think it can work if you follow my guidelines, guys. Rule number one, never walk onto stage, all right? You gotta leap onto stage, roll onto stage. I'm talkin' explode onto stage!" He strikes a pose to add emphasis to his words.

Everyone groaned except for Lance, who agreed with Coran. "Yeah!"

Coran waltzed over to a mannequin that resembled the robeast they faced on the Balmera and pushed it onto stage. Next, he grabbed Arcadia by the shoulders and shoved her through the curtain beside the mannequin. She tumbled forward, catching herself before she fell. Painfully, she watched and listened as the wheels attached to the fake monster squeaked obnoxiously. She watched it until it came to a halt beside her, signifying the start of the show. "Oh, no! A laser-eyed monster and the mighty space lizard! We need the paladins of Voltron!"

Arcadia was aware of the myriads of changes Coran made to the script, but she wasn't aware she'd be sharing the stage with a mannequin. "Okay..."

Music began playing, followed by Shiro and Allura making their boisterous entrances with their bayards in hand. Pidge emerged from behind the curtain, adding flare to her performance by utilizing her jetpack. Hunk, on the other hand, performed a series of rolls as he bursted through the curtain. Last but not least, Lance jumped down and landed in a pose beside his fellow paladins and completed the set. "Your time's up, monsters!" the red paladin bellowed.

The crowd applauded and cheered loudly. Then, Coran spoke to him from behind the curtain. "Number two, don't just say your line. You gotta shout that line. Remember, louder is better!"

The music crescendoed as Lance shouted with his rifle in his grasp, "Keith, I need your help!"

"I'm on it!" Allura shouted, griping her bayard tightly.

"Look out! He's firing his lasers and she's breathing fire!" Hunk shouted the cringe-worthy line.

"And, finally, strike a pose after every movement.
Everyone loves a pose," Coran instructed from behind the scenes.

The paladins did as they were instructed while Arcadia blinked owlishly as they pointed their weapons at her. She glanced down at her hands while the mannequin beside her fired goo at her friends. She pouted, knowing she couldn't breathe fire in her current state. She pointed her finger at Lance, a small ball of fire forming on her fingertip. With an innocent and confused look, she propelled it forward with a small flick of her finger.

Lance watched in bewilderment as the small fireball landed on his arm and began burning his armor. He screamed as he waved his arm around in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flame. He ran around the stage, which made the crowd laugh boisterously. Allura rushes to his aid while Shiro, Hunk, and Pidge handled the projectiles of goo from the mannequin.

Allura was able to smother the flame before it spread further up Lance's arm. Hunk and Pidge "killed" the goo-flinging monster while Shiro tackled Arcadia. She grunted in pain from the impact, but she pretended to be slain by closing her eyes and slumping against the floor of the stage. Shiro removed himself from her body and performed the final pose of the show with the others. Hunk realized he was in the wrong position and quickly corrected himself.

"Spread the word! The Voltron coalition needs you!" Coran announces over the speakers.

"I would like to join the Voltron coalition!" A random alien in the crowd yelled, pumping a fist into the air. The rest of the crowd cheered and applauded. The paladins and Arcadia returned to the backstage area, where Coran seemed more excited than everybody else.

"At least the crowd stayed until the end," Pidge said.

"Mm-hmm," Hunk hummed in agreement.

"That...actually went really well," Shiro stated, meeting Coran's gaze.

"Yeah, you're trending galaxy-wide! I mean, you're a four-quadrant hit! Your plus sevens are plus ten! But that's just the beginning!" Coran screeched jubilantly, his eyes twitching.

Arcadia rubbed the back of her head, feeling a bump where she collided with the stage floor. Shiro saw and smiled apologetically at her. "Sorry about tackling you so hard."

She shook her head with a faint smile. "No worries." She casted a healing incantation and felt the bump and pain vanish. "I already feel a hundred percent better."

"You burned me!" Lance wailed, glaring at Arcadia.

"Aw," she playfully pouted, her bottom lip protruding outward. "Come here, you big baby."

Lance didn't bicker and walked over to her. He mumbled a minuscule "thank you" once she finishes healing him and patching up his armor.

"Coran, I've got a question about the script," Pidge said, raising her hand in the air slightly.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Wouldn't it make more sense for Arcadia to be Voltron's sidekick instead of an enemy in the show?"

"Oh, no, no, no!" The advisor screeched. "With Arcadia as one of the villains, our show will have more pizazz!"

"Yeah, but she's trying to show not all draconians want to destroy everything," Pidge remarks. "This might not be good for her image."

Arcadia smiled gently at the green paladin. "It's okay, Pidge. It's just an act." Her smile morphed into a smirk. "I'm actually enjoying this."

"I still think you should be playing Keith," Lance huffed.

"It would make more sense for you to play him since you are the new red paladin."

"Yeah, but you've been acting like him for the past few days." Lance crossed his arms, looking away from her. "You're like a girl version of him."

"No one is switching roles!" Coran shouted. "The script is already perfect!"

Lance rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Coran..."

<——————<<<<<<

The team was now located on a planet that was oddly shaped. They were resting in a lounge behind the large stage. Once again, Coran was the most excited out of the bunch. "This is our first stadium, so let's get out there and really win some hearts and minds today!"

Then, a very slender and tall alien walked into the lounge. "Bi-boh-bi-bi. Bi-boh-bi-boh."

Pidge leaned over toward Arcadia and whispered, "You wouldn't be able to translate, would you?"

The girl's golden eyes were still glued to the stick-like alien as she whispered back, "I've no clue what he's saying."

Fortunately, Coran was able to understand the native language. "All right, you heard Bii-Boh-Bi.
Five doboshes. Let's go! Places!" The others trusted Coran's translation and did as he commanded.

Once everyone was in place, Coran places the headset over his head and stepped onto stage. He addressed the crowd with excitement. "Hello, bii-bohs and boh-biis! Tonight, the paladins of Voltron take on Zarkon and Mighty Space Lizard on ice!"

Bii-Boh-Bi gladly translated for his people. "Bi-boh, bi-bohs! Boh-bi-bi paladins of Voltron bi-bi-bi Zarkon bi-boh Mighty Space Lizard! Bi-boh!"

The crowd cheered loudly in excitement and anticipation as Coran started the show. "Oh, no, it's Zarkon! And the evil witch, Haggar!"

Bii-Boh-Bi once again translated. "Bi-boh-bi-bi Zarkon! Boh-boh-bi Haggar!"

Two of Bii-Boh-Bi's own people stepped onto the ice dressed as the two enemies. Arcadia couldn't help but smile at the sight. "If only I could speak their language."

"It is I, the greatest force of evil this universe has ever seen!" The stick alien proclaimed in a deep voice, which caused Arcadia's jaw to drop to the floor. The crowd booed at the fake galra emperor.

"Sire, soon, you will defeat the paladins and Voltron will be yours," the alien portraying Haggar said in a raspy tone.

"Oh, wow. They're pretty good," Arcadia smiled in amusement.

"Not if I have something to say about it!" Hunk shouted as he skated on the ice with his cannon in his grasp. The crowd cheered as the yellow paladin skated across the ice toward the two enemies. "Take that, Zarkon!" Hunk loses his balance and his cannon reverts back as he fell on his back, spinning across the ice. The crowd laughed as they watched him spin.

"Look, it's Pidge!" Coran announces.

"Don't worry, Hunk, I got your back!" The green paladin proclaimed, skating across the ice toward the incapacitated boy.

"She'll use her math and calculations to defeat Zarkon!" The advisor cheered.

"Bi-bi Pidge! Bi-bi-boh Zarkon!" Bii-Boh-Bi translates.

Haggar threw a strange device near Pidge's feet. It activates and a ribbon wrapped around her body. She fell on the ice with a muffled groan. "Oh, no!" Coran gasped in feign horror. "The witch's magic has counteracted Pidge's math! What are they going to do?"

"That's my cue," Arcadia grinned. She hopped onto the ice, skating nimbly around the stadium.

Another fabricated gasp of horror escaped Coran. "What is this? Zarkon and Haggar have summoned Mighty Space Lizard!"

The alchemist shook her head in disfavor of the name he's chosen for her character. "Why not Mighty Space Dragon? What's with saying "lizard"?"

"What will the paladins do?!" Coran shouted dramatically.

Music begins playing as Shiro delivers the next line of the script with terrible acting. "We need teamwork! The only way to defeat Zarkon and Mighty Space Lizard is with Voltron!" The audience cheered loudly as the paladins formed their final pose.

Arcadia watched in amusement, circling around the paladins as they put on the makeshift lion heads she helped create with Coran. Even with the box on his head, the girl could hear Hunk as she slid by. "Does anybody feel kinda stupid right now?"

"Shut up, Hunk! They're lovin' us," Lance retorts.

Allura and Hunk, being the legs of Voltron, crawled across the ice with the others on their backs. They carried everyone over to the actors portraying Zarkon and Haggar. Arcadia came to a halt behind the two aliens as "Voltron" approached. She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing at seeing how ridiculous the paladins looked.

Lance and Pidge activated their "lions," their cardboard mouths opening. Party horns were triggered and confetti erupted from the lions' mouths in the enemies' direction. Arcadia felt something tug on her body as she and the two aliens were blown back. "I'll get you next time!" Zarkon shouted. The audience cheered joyously as the villains were slain by Voltron.

Once Arcadia recovered, she followed the paladins. She saw Hunk yank the box off his head and toss it with the other lion heads. "How many of these appearances do we have to put on?"

Shiro saw all eyes, except Lance's, were on him and he decided to answer. "I know they seem humiliating, but Coran's ideas are working. Every performance draws more people to the cause."

"Exactly," Lance replied, his attention focused on signing autographs. "All that stuff."

"Okay, all right, let's go, come on! We've got business to discuss!" Coran shouted ecstatically. "First of all, great job. Tonight was a big success. Now, we're back on track, better than ever! There's no doubt about it, you're stars. But to go supernova, you gotta push it even further."

"A supernova is an exploding star," Pidge stated matter-of-factly.

Coran crept toward the green paladin, his face mere inches from hers. "And what's brighter than that?" Pidge leaned back further into the sofa to put some distance between her and the advisor. He stepped away from her and looked around at the others. "Here's the deal. I've worked up very specific personas for each of you. This is gonna help the audience connect on a much deeper level with each team member."

"Hold it!" Arcadia shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "I'd like to make a request in regards to names."

"Oh?" Coran hummed. "What is your request?"

"I'm a dragon, not a lizard," she stated. "Lizards have long tongues and crawl on walls. Dragons have wings, horns, and breathe fire."

Coran shook his head, refusing to change her stage name. "Request denied!"

"Wha—Coran!" Arcadia snarled. "I stood up for you when you made mistakes! The least you could do in return is change one word!"

"It wouldn't hurt anything, Coran," Pidge said, taking Arcadia's side.

"My script is already perfect!" He yelled, getting up in Arcadia's face. "No changes will be made! Now, on to the personas."

"You..." The alchemist growled.

"There's Loverboy Lance," Coran started, ignoring the golden-eyed girl and avoiding her piercing glare.

"Loverboy Lance?" The red paladin parroted Coran, who was clearly satisfied with his name by the smirk festering on his face. "It's perfect because it's true."

Next, Coran leans toward Pidge. "You're Science-Wiz Pidge. Whoa! Look out, big brain!" Then he moved on to Allura, who was portraying Keith. "We've got Lone Wolf Keith. That's you 'cause you're Keith.
And I'm thinking your catchphrase could be like a howl."

Allura's face scrunched up as she growled at her advisor. Coran was unfazed as he tried to correct her menacing gesture. "Well, that's more of a growl, but you'll keep working on it." Finally, he moved on to Hunk and Shiro. "Hunk, from now on, you'll be Humorous Hunk. And last but not least Shiro, the Hero!" Coran grabbed the black paladin's artificial arm. Shiro was unamused and clearly frustrated at the altean's recent behavior.

Arcadia mumbled under her breath, her glare still trained on Coran. "This has gotta end..."

<——————<<<<<

The next show was about to start. Coran places his hands on Hunk's shoulders and ushered him toward the curtain. "Remember, you're Humorous Hunk, so be funny."

Hunk was still unsure about the ginger's decision, but he went with the flow. "Yeah, okay." Then, the yellow paladin realized he wasn't sure how to make the audience laugh. "How do I do that?"

"Don't worry, all right? I got you covered." Coran shoved Hunk onstage and pointed to the alien behind the controls. "Bii-Boh-Bi, engage Humorous Hunk!"

"Bi-boh!" Bii-Boh-Bi responds.

As the paladins pretended to beat up aliens dressed like galras and sentries, Hunk lost his footing and tripped. He grunts as he gets back on his feet but freezes when a farting noise echoes outward and the audience bursts into laughter. "That...That wasn't me," he confesses, confused at where the sound came from. "That...I don't know who that was."

Another fart rang out, earning a groan of annoyance from Arcadia. She heard the crowd laughing and saw a few tears from how hard some of them were laughing as she peered from behind the curtain. She couldn't believe Coran would embarrass Hunk just for a cheap gag. She watched the remainder of the show, her anger toward the altean festering.

<——————<<<<<<

"Coran!" Shiro called out to the royal advisor, who turned around at the sound of his name. "I think it would go a long way if I can deliver a speech about how we're trying to unite a front and build a coalition."

"What?" Coran gasped. "Stop talkin'! You're Shiro, the Hero. Heroes don't speak. You're silent ninja."

"Wh—But—!"

"Shh! Zip it," Coran hissed. He grabbed Shiro's prosthetic arm and flexed it. "Muscles speak louder than words. Right? It's always been my motto.
Now, put on this super tight shirt and get out there!"

"Coran..." Arcadia snarled.

"Mighty Space Lizard will be making her appearance soon!" He shouted at her. "Make sure you're ready to steal the show!"

<——————<<<<<<

A couple days later after another handful of shows, the team was standing on the bridge. Coran's condition was worse than ever. He had bags under his red eyes. He pulled up an image on the main screen. "Guys, the recruitment rallies are amazing. Look at all the green on this map!"

Arcadia was worried about the altean's health, knowing he hasn't been sleeping by how terrible his face looked. Her anger was still present, but it has wavered in the past couple days after seeing him in such a state.

"We certainly had our doubts at first, but I have to admit, Coran, your plan is actually working," Allura smiled gently at him.

"Why, thank you, Keith!" Coran replied before explaining to the princess, "I like to keep you in character. And it's only gonna get better with a few improvements."

"More improvements?" Pidge asked.

"Please, no more farts," Hunk begged.

"Hear me out," Coran started. "First, it's time Voltron starts to talk. Everyone's dying to hear what the big guy sounds like. Next, we'll introduce new weapons and new outfits for each of you. Except for Arcadia. She's already perfect! Voltron's first appearance will be with a staged battle between it and Mighty Space Lizard!"

"Coran, what are you talking about?" Shiro asked with furrowed brows, analyzing the advisor's maniacal look in his red eyes. "We only have one more show. After the big intergalactic broadcast, we're done."

"What are you talking about? We're just getting started here!" Coran bellowed, his breathing picking up. "We can't stop now!"

"Okay, this has to end," Arcadia spoke up. "There is clearly something wrong with you. You've been acting strange after the hospital performance. Ever since then, you've been solely focused on these shows more than anything else. You've even forgotten to take care of yourself!"

"Arcadia's correct," Allura said. "You must realize that we need to get back to fighting Zarkon."

Coran's eye twitches as he yells backs, "We are fighting Zarkon! Six nights a week and twice on the astral conflux!"

Just then, Bii-Boh-Bi enters and speaks to the crazed advisor. "Bi-bi-boh bi-bi-bi-bi-oh bi-bi-bi-boh-bi-bi."

"I don't care if the new laser show is here!" Coran screeched at the alien. "What have I told you about walkin' in when I'm talking to the talent?!"

"Boh..." Bii-Boh-Bi whimpered, exiting the bridge with his head lowered.

Arcadia glared at the male altean. "You seriously need some rest. You're snapping at everyone!"

"I am not!" Coran shouted at her.

"Coran, we have to do our next event, but after that, no more shows," Shiro sternly stated.

This only made Coran snap. "You're a bunch of quitters! Quitters! I'm a visionary! I have thoughts, ideas! I don't need you anyway! I'll rewrite the show! Get rid of the whole lot of ya! Replace you with new paladins! And the show will be better than ever before!" He stormed out of the room, but the door opened a few seconds later and he returned. "Except for Arcadia and Shiro. I'll never get rid of either of you. You're our most popular characters. But the rest of you will never work in show business again!" Everyone was shocked at Coran's outburst as he, once again, left. 

After a prolonged silence, it was broken. "Wait," Lance looked at the alchemist and the black paladin. "You two are the most popular characters? But you're a villain!" He pointed at Arcadia.

"Hey," she crosses her arms. "Even villains can be more popular than the heroes."

As it became silent again, they could hear the audience's loud cheering all around them. Shiro looked at his team after listening to the crowd. "All right, remember, guys, this is being broadcast galaxy-wide. It's the final piece in our plan. So, let's make our last appearance our best appearance."

"I'm concerned about Coran," Allura worriedly stated.

"I am, too, Allura," Arcadia sighed. "We need to find out what's wrong with him."

"He was getting crazy," Hunk scoffed. "He'll realize that soon enough."

"I'm not so sure about that, Hunk. If he hasn't realized it by now, something's very wrong."

"Maybe you can use some of your magic to heal him," the yellow paladin suggested.

Their conversation was interrupted when Bii-Boh-Bi entered and addressed them. "Bi-boh bi-boh-bi."

Lance looked over at the others. "I have no idea what Bii-Boh-Bi is saying."

<——————<<<<<

During the middle of the show, the paladins stood in front of Arcadia. She was in her dragon form, baring her teeth with a low growl. She was acting, but she could see she was frightening Hunk and Lance. With a thunderous roar, she caused the yellow and red paladins to shriek loudly. Shiro, Allura, and Pidge gripped their weapons as they aimed them at her.

"We will defeat you, Mighty Space Lizard!" Allura shouted her line.

"We'll stop you before you can destroy this planet!" Pidge proclaimed.

While she couldn't talk, Arcadia showed her malicious nature by lowering her body and digging her claws into the dirt. She released another booming roar, which resulted in Hunk and Lance dropping their guns.

All of a sudden, Arcadia's persona shattered when she heard a familiar voice in the crowd. Her head shot up in the direction she heard it and spotted a Blade of Marmora member. When the agent spotted her golden eyes on them, they took off. Without thinking, she flapped her wings and the paladins toppled over from the powerful gust created from it. The audience was in awe as the dragon took to the sky, thinking it was a part of the show.

"Arcadia, wait!" Lance shouted angrily. "You're gonna ruin the show!"

The beast ignored his shouting and followed after the agent into the city. She watched them closely and noticed they were more distracted by her than focusing on where they were going. Eventually, they found themselves in a dead end. They looked around at the buildings just as the white-scaled dragon landed, blocking their only exit. They turned around, backing away as the beast lowered its head and stalked toward them.

Arcadia jumped forward, causing the agent to trip and fall on their back. Before they could recover, they were pinned to the ground by the dragon's muzzle. The pressure was enough to keep them from escaping, but it wasn't enough to suffocate them. They placed their hands on her snowy scales, struggling to free themselves. The beast's nostrils twitched as she sniffed them.

"H-Hey...!" The agent shouted. They deactivated their mask, revealing a familiar face. Keith stared up into Arcadia's golden eyes, pushing against her muzzle.

The draconian backed away and allowed Keith to stand up. She transformed, smiling apologetically at at him. "Sorry. I thought I heard your voice in the audience. Guess I was right."

Keith pulled down his hood. It'd been months since he'd seen her and only a couple of weeks since they last talked. Now that she was physically in front of him, he was speechless.

Arcadia tilted her head with a smile, knowing he was dumbstruck. She decided to ask him a few questions to spark up a conversation. "So, what brings you to this planet?"

The boy scratched the back of his neck. "Just a mission," he simply responded.

The young girl sensed he didn't want to go into detail and decided not to pry. "This must be a coincidence, then."

"No, it's not," another voice said. Arcadia turned around and saw two more agents behind her. They walked up to her as their masks dissolved. Both members appeared to be a few years older than her.

"So, you're the girl from the hologram," the one with a scar across his left brow said with a smirk.

"Hologram?" Arcadia asked.

"From the communication device," the other said. "Keith looks at it every chance he gets."

"Guys, stop..." Keith groaned.

"I'm Ulrix," the one with the scar said. He points to the galra beside him. "And that's Detzan."

"Nice to finally meet the girl Keith talks about a lot," Detzan said. "The only reason we're on this planet is because he wanted to come after completing our mission. Kolivan gave us his approval and now, here we are. We didn't expect to meet you, though."

Arcadia looked at Keith with a melancholic gaze. "You weren't planning on stopping by?"

Keith looked away while nodding his head, guilt gnawing at his heart. "I felt like if I saw you, I'd have a difficult time going back to the Blade." He looked back at her. "And I was right..."

Now, she felt guilty. She clasped her hands together staring down at them. "I, um... I better get back to the show. I've probably ruined it by flying off. I'm sorry for all this, Keith." She spun on her heels, walking past Ulrix and Detzan. As she left, she could hear the three arguing but their words were a jumbled mess.

When she was out of earshot, she rounded a corner and wiped a stray tear. She didn't want to be the reason he left the Blade and wouldn't be able to live with herself if she ruined his one chance to find his mother.

The streets were desolate as everyone was attending the show. She slowed her pace as she walked through the city, not wishing to return to the show. She knew the others would be mad and didn't want to face them just yet. She came to a dead stop when she heard the audience's cheers from the street she was on. Looking up at the sky, she could see the colorful lights coming from the stage. A sigh escaped her lips as she continued her trek back to the show.

As she walked further down the narrow street, she heard running footsteps. Before she could turn around, she was grabbed and shoved against one of the buildings. She winced from the small wave of pain caused by the impact. She blinked a few times before seeing who had her pinned against the stone wall. "Keith, what're you—?"

He interrupted her by placing his hands on her face and kissing her passionately. He pressed his body against hers, pushing her body against the wall behind her.

Arcadia was shocked at the sudden kiss and feeling the stone dig into her back due to the force Keith was using to keep her pinned against the wall. Eventually, she kissed back and enjoyed the blissful moment.

After a few minutes passed, their intense moment ended. Keith pulled away from Arcadia, but his hands remained on her face. He began to apologize for his behavior, but the young girl wouldn't accept because he did nothing wrong.

The couple sat down, their backs reclined again the wall. Keith revealed his communication device and showed Arcadia the numerous of videos he's recorded from every Voltron show. The alchemist was in disbelief as she watched the clip where she set Lance on fire. "I had no idea this thing could record videos."

"Someone at the Marmora headquarters messed around with it so I could record," Keith comments.

Arcadia clicked the small button located on the side of the communicator and flipped to the next video. This one contained the moment where she jumped on Shiro's back and caused him to fall on his face. She smiled as she remembered the moment from a few days ago. She went through a few more videos, her smile falling as she was struck with realization. "You've been to all the shows... You even saw the one at the hospital," she said as she watched the video where he captured her unattractive, obnoxious snort. "You better delete this video. I was so embarrassed!"

Keith promptly plucked the device from her hands. "No way. Between you setting Lance on fire and this snort, I don't know which video I like better."

"That snort was so unattractive. I can't believe you filmed it..." Arcadia mumbled.

Keith smirked as he held the communicator in his hand. "I thought it was cute."

Her head turned in his direction with a shocked expression. "It was not cute! It was hideous!" She leaned over and tried to grab the device. "Gimme the communicator! I'm deleting that video!"

The boy raised his arm out of her reach. "Not happening."

Arcadia leapt onto Keith, causing him to fall on his side. She tried to pry the device from his hand, but his fingers weren't budging. When she thought she had an opening, he suddenly grabbed her arm and rolled their bodies over to change their position. Now, she was pinned against the ground with both her wrists pinned above her head with one of Keith's hands. He taunted her by holding the communicator in his other hand.

She glared up at him weakly, tempted to shock him in order to free herself. "I will delete that video."

"No, you won't," Keith declared.

"We'll see about that..."

Their moment was interrupted when they heard Shiro's scolding tone come over the bands wrapped around her horns. She looked away from her boyfriend as she received a stern but short lecture from the black paladin before he commanded her to return to the castle. When the transmission ended, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Looks like I'm in trouble."

"Is he still...?" Keith began to question.

She sighs. "Yeah. But I'm more worried about Coran. He's been acting strange ever since the show at the hospital."

Keith continues to stare down at her before he looked away with red cheeks. He finally realized the position they were in and became embarrassed. "I-I guess I better get off of you..."

The girl grinned in amusement and nodded. "I'd appreciate it very much." The violet-eyed boy removed himself from Arcadia and allowed her to sit up. She eyes the communicator before deciding to give up on her pursuit. She pushed herself off the ground and combed a hand through her snowy locks.  "Guess I'll let you keep the video for now. I've got to get back to the others or Shiro will yell at me more." She paused, thinking about what she just said. "What am I kidding? He'll chew me out, anyway."

Keith grabbed her hand before she could walk away. "Hey, your birthday's tomorrow, right?"

The draconian's eyes widened a fraction. "How'd you know?"

"Allura told me a few months ago," He confesses. He switched out the communicator for something else. Arcadia tried to see what it was, but she couldn't even get a glimpse of it. He pushed a few of her ivory locks behind her pointy ear and placed the object in her hair. She heard a faint 'click' before he removed his hand. "Happy birthday, Arcadia."

She reached up and touched the object in her hair. Her fingers traced over the design with a gentle, warm smile. "Thank you, Keith."

He smiled back at her before giving her one last kiss. With that, they parted ways.