The mission was going perfectly fine, until the witch showed up. Then it all went to hell. "Paladins! You must retreat! I am opening a wormhole now!" Allura yelled into the coms. Everyone followed close behind when Haggar shot a burst of magic.
"AAAAUGHGH!" Lance screamed.
"Lance? Lance? What's happened?" Shiro asked with concern.
"I can't........breathe....h-help.." Lance whimpered before he passed out.
When Lance came to, he was laying in Keiths arm. Lance looked around and saw that he had fallen out of the healing pods. "Keith? What happened?"
"You got hit with some of Haggar's magic..." he said. "Coran has something to tell you.." Keith said. Lance looked up to see the mustache god looking rather sheepish before him.
"Well my boy," Coran said, pulling on his mustache. "When you got hit with the magic it had some nasty side effects..."
"Like what...?" Lance asked.
"Me." A dark voice said. Lance turned around to see a carbon copy of Lance with a few changes. The fake Lance's eyes were dark black instead of blue and he wasn't wearing the usual jacket that Lance wore, showcasing dozens of neon blue cuts all over his arm. Lance froze.
"What is that?" Lance said.
"He is a humanized version of your greatest fears and insecurities. Although he never told us what he is...the emotion anyway. Do you know?" Coran asked. "He refused to say anything until you woke up."
"Well of course I did," the figure laughed. "I can't tell you all lance's deepest secret without him there to witness me ruin everything he's worked so hard to hide.." Lance's blood ran cold.
"You wouldn't dare.." Lance said. He wanted to be mad, but all he was is scared. "I know what you are now...Leave! Go! You're not wanted here!"
"Now doesn't that remind you of someone, Lance?" the figure said. Lance paled. At this point, the rest of the paladins had accumulated in the room and were beginning to get confused.
"You finally got Lance D to talk?" Pidge said.
"Lance D?"
"It stands for depression!" the figure said. The team froze. "I told them to call me that! Because that's what I am, right Lancey Lance?"
"Lance...." Shiro said quietly. "What's he talking about?"
"Nothing Shiro! I swear he's lying to you!" Lance said. He stood up and went to push Lance D out of the room. Lance D merely side stepped him, causing Lance to fall to the floor.
"No I'm not!" Lance D laughed. He held out his hand and shook Pidges. Than Kieth, than Hunk and finally Shiro. "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Lance's depression! With a few added bonuses of course!"
"What added bonuses?" Hunk said cautiously.
"Hunk you don't actually believe this guys do you? Come on, you know me!" Lance said, starting to get desperate.
"Oh you know, the panic attacks, the self harm, the suicidal thoughts," Lance D said. Everyone froze. "The whole shebang!"
"Lance.." Shiro walked over to Lance, who was now shaking with dread and picked him up. Lance tried to get his wrist out of Shiro's grip after he was upright, but Shiro wouldn't let go. "Lance this isn't true, right?"
"Shiro...pease let go of my wrist." Lance said through collected breaths. Shiro's heart dropped. Shiro slowly began to raise Lance's sleeves. Lance's other hand stopped him. "You don't...you don't want to do that." Lance said sadly.
"Lance.." Hunk breathed. He fought the urge to cry. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because--"
"Oh better get the popcorn, 'cause it's about to get goood!" Lance D said. He sat down and began to stare at Lance intently, ignoring the glares from the rest of the paladins. "Go on Lancey Lance! Tell them everything! Come one! Tell them how you tried to shoot yourself with your bayard a few weeks ago! Tell them how you cut yourself every day! Tell them so they can get rid of you like the useless Paladin you are!"
Everyone was silent. Lance was shocked. He didn't know what to do anymore. "I...I um," Lance said, trying to come up with something to say.
He wa cut off when Pidge ran to him and hugged him tightly, his back popping. Hunk and Keith soon following. Shiro was still frozen in place, but he soon came to and hugged Lance even tighter than Pidge.
"Wait...what are you doing?" Lance D cried. He was starting to...fade? "Stop it! Stop loving him! You're making his insecurities....disappear!" And with that, Lance D was gone.
And the blue paladin lived happily ever after... (tehe)
Yay! Happy ending!
