Not the Same

Not again...

Lance got five hours of sleep. He woke up to a blaring alarm. Lance sprang out of bed, put on his armor and ran out of his room to the bridge. 

"What's happening?" Lance asked when he rached the bridge.

"Lotor is attacking us! We are taking heavy fire!" Allura grunted as the castle shook.

Lance couldn't focus. He was still rubbing out the sleep from his eyes. So he slapped himself and shook his head hard—waking him up. 

"Lance stop standing there! Lets go form voltron!" Pidge yelled.

"Okay." Lance ran to his exit to his lion hangar. He saw Shiro and Keith talking before the platform lowered, he caught a glimpse of their conversation.

"Keith, there's no time. You are now the paladin of the Black Lion!" Shiro explained.

"I don't want to pilot the Black Lion, Shiro. You're it's paladin. You're the leader." Keith argued.

"We'll figure that out later. Go to your lion Keith." Allura commanded, ending the argument.

The platform Lance was standing on lowered, leading him to his lion. Lance sat in chair in red and piloted her out of the hangar to help the others fight Lotor.

"Ha! Look at Lotor's small ship!" Lance heard hunk say over the comms.

Lance had to agree with Hunk. Lotor's ship was smaller than most ships. But small things can be just as deadly.

"Don't underestimate things Hunk." Pidge told hunk.

"I know. But come on, you have to agree. His ship is tiny!"

"Guys, lets focus." Lance shoved the joystick forward, firring at Lotor's ship.

Lance saw movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned and saw Keith and Allura finally joining the fight.

"Lance look out!" Pidge yelled.

Lance moved just in time to avoid being hit by Lotor's laser. But the blast was fast and powerful. It threw Red off balance. 

"Did you guys see that!? How can a ship that small fire something so powerful?" Hunk asked, as his lion fired at Lotor. Lotor dogged it and was soon behind Keith and fired at him, which Keith barely doged.

"His ship is so fast!"

Lance pulled the left joystick back while pushing his right one forward, causing his lion to fire another laser at Lotor.

"Should we form voltron?" Allura asked as Lotor hit Hunk with his laser.

"That is not an ordinary laser!" Hunk yelled. "My lion's energy levels are falling dramaticlly. Don't get hit by the laser."

Lotor fired at Lance, who didn't move in time. The blast hit the lion, flinging him across the battlefeild. Lance looked as one of the screens turned red. Hunk was right, the blast drained the lion's energy level. Red barely had any energy.

"Hang in there red." Lance balanced his lion and flew back into battle.

"Lets form voltron!" Keith commanded. 

Everyone fell information as they flew into space. A telepathic link forced them to become one, pulling them closer to eachother. Lance could feel their lion's transforming and joining together to form voltron. 

"Form sword!" Keith demanded after they formed voltron.

Pidge put her bayard into the slot and twisted it. Red and green were pulled together, and magically a sword formed. 

But Lotor was waiting for this. His circled around them. His ship bacame a blur as he got faster and faster. Sudenly, a portal formed underneith. He heard someone shout "We're being pulled in!" And they fell into the portal.

The lions departed and the portal closed. They were just floating, no one knew what had happened. But Lance knew.

"Nononono. Not again!" Lance found himself curled into a ball clutching his head. He was trying to not remember the horrible things that had happened.

"Lance what's wrong?" Allura asked, her face popped up in the corner of the lion's eyes.

"We're back—We're back in the alternate reality."

"Lotor must have made a ship out of the comet!"  Pidge realized.

"But that would mean..."  Lance zoomed out of their conversation. He couldn't be back here. All the horrible memories. He didn't want to be back. He couldn't be back. If the Alteans find him who knows what they would do to him. Memories came back to him as he tried to forget. It has been a little more than a week and he was already back here.

"Lance?"  Someone said his name, brining Lance back into reality. "Are you okay?" 

Lance shook his head. He wasn't okay. He couldn't believe he was back. All the torture and pain was coming back to him. 

"What's wrong?" Lance couldn't focus on who was speaking. 

"I can't be back. I just can't... the pain... all the pain..." Lance shook his head hard. "I can't deal with it again... it was to much... the pain..."

"Lance, everything will be fine. We won't let it happen to you again." Lance finally pin pointed the voice to be Allura's. He wanted to believe her. But if the Alteans did find him...

Lance shook his head hard. "How do you know? How do you know everything will be fine?"

"This time you're with us. We won't let anything bad happen to you." 

She was right Lance realized. He wasn't alone. He had friends with him who could help him. He didn't have deal with being alone again or—

Lance's thoughts were interupted when a different, new, voice came throught the comms "Listen all alien crafts. This is Commander Idgrang. Stay still and prepare to be borded. Be unarmed. We are not here to hurt you. But we will attack if you do."

All hope that Lance had faded.