Catra sat on the floor of the Forge with no intention of ever getting up again. Everything hurt but she did not care. She had lost. Double Trouble had totally exposed her and they had assured her defeat at the hands of the Rebellion. Catra looked down at the ground sadly. She hated to admit it, but Double Trouble was right. Her heart had never been in this fight. She had never wanted to be the villain. All she wanted – all she had ever wanted – was Adora.

Catra sighed and looked over at where Hordak lay unconscious and trapped under debris. She gave a tiny smirk. At least she beat him. If anyone deserved a taste of his own medicine, it was him. As she began to reminisce about the numerous times Hordak had hurt her, Glimmer suddenly materialized in front of her. Catra did not move and simply stared at her before looking down again. It was happening. The Rebellion had won, just as Double Trouble had said, and now they had come for her. At least it was the queen bringing her in. She could not cope with Adora right now, and she had little to no respect for any of the other princesses.

A long moment passed where no one spoke nor moved. The silence grew increasingly unnerving, and Catra finally looked back up at Glimmer. She was surprised to see her crying silently – her face bright red with tears rolling down her cheeks. She was staring hard at Catra, clenching her magic staff in her hand as she did so. It looked like she wanted to kill her, but was willing herself not to. Catra, believing there was nothing she deserved more, said:

"What are you waiting for? Do it." Glimmer gasped in response, prompting Catra to continue:

"Looks like we're both alone, Sparkles." Glimmer frowned and wiped the tears from her eyes before exclaiming:

"What? No – I'm not going to kill you!" Catra gave a small chuckle:

"Why not? I thought you wanted to win." Glimmer groaned in frustration, but, much to Catra's surprise, that groan turned to a sob, and Glimmer suddenly collapsed on the floor - hugging herself as she cried. Catra raised an eyebrow and hesitantly moved forward, putting a hand on Glimmer's shoulder. She sighed:

"Hey, I get it. I thought winning would be different too." Catra was not sure where this sudden display of sympathy came from. There was definitely no love lost between them. Maybe Double Trouble's lecture had brought out a softer side in her? Who knew? Glimmer then surprised her again by taking her hand and desperately pleading:

"No, you don't understand! Adora is dying! She went to Beast Island to rescue Entrapta and got hit by some kind of death ray! Bow and Swift Wind somehow managed to get her back to Brightmoon before I left, but nothing we've done has helped! At the moment, Shadow Weaver's magic is all that's keeping her alive!" Catra's eyes had grown wide in horror as Glimmer spoke, but had narrowed once again at the mention of Shadow Weaver. She scoffed:

"Oh, she'll be fine. Shadow Weaver won't give up on her. Adora was always her favourite." Glimmer glared at Catra before yelling:

"Did you not hear what I said? Adora is dying!" Catra rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away:

"Yes, I heard you. Poor old Adora – it's not like she's almost been killed before." Catra gave a wry chuckle before going silent once more. While she could not deny her feelings for Adora, and the very real concern she had for her wellbeing, Catra was really not sure how to convey that to Glimmer, and was doubtful she would believe her if she did. The two sat in silence for a long time before Glimmer's tracker pad began to ring. She pulled it out and answered it. Catra recognized Bow on the screen.

"Glimmer! Have you found her yet?" Glimmer gave a tearful nod and murmured:

"Mmhmm." Catra's eyes went wide as Bow continued:

"Well, have you talked to her? Can you bring her back here? Adora's getting worse and now she's screaming for her!" Catra was then able to make out faint cries in the background. They were cries of pain, and they were cries of her name. Catra immediately reached out and grabbed the tracker pad. Glimmer did not stop her. She almost yelled at Bow:

"Okay, listen Arrow Boy! Enough tricks! What are you and Sparkles up to? If this is some sick ploy to get me to come with you without a fight, it's not necessary! I surrender, okay? Just stop this 'Adora dying' nonsense!" Bow seemed surprised by Catra's sudden appearance on his screen, but then his expression softened and he said:

"Catra, I'm sorry to tell you this, but we're not lying. Adora really is dying and Entrapta said you're the only one who could save her. Glimmer wants to bring you here to do that – not to arrest you." Glimmer then growled at Catra:

"We'll see about that. Don't think I haven't forgotten everything you've done!" Bow then interrupted her:

"Glimmer! Not the time!" Catra ignored both of them and groaned:

"Okay, hold on! Entrapta has been wrong before – how do you know she's right this time? Also, why am I be the only one who could save her? Don't you have enough magic and powers to fix the problem yourselves?" Bow sighed before saying:

"We've tried everything. Entrapta said the ray gun was something she made a while ago, and that it was wired specifically to She-Ra's DNA. She also said that you're the only one who could administer the antidote." Catra gasped in realization. Her mind took her back a year ago, just after the incident in the Northern Reach. Catra had asked Entrapta to find another way to infect She-Ra – to take control of her – like the virus had done. Only this time, the effects would be permanent and Catra would have full control over her.

After a day of working, Entrapta had made a ray gun that, when fired at Adora, would supposedly rewrite her DNA so she would lose all sense of self and be free to control. After running some more tests, however, Entrapta had confirmed it would actually go far beyond that and kill Adora before Catra could make her do anything. Upon learning this, Catra had changed her mind and, fearing someone like Hordak would get his hands on the gun, she had had the device dumped on Beast Island – never to be seen again. Only it apparently had been, and Adora was now suffering an extremely painful death. Catra pinched her nose and muttered:

"Right, of course. The ray gun." She then turned to Glimmer, who was now scowling at her with fresh hatred in her eyes. Her emotional breakdown made sense now. She had presumably been on her way to activate the weapon Double Trouble had mentioned, only then she had had to pause her plans to save her friend. Not only that, but she had had to come and seek help from the very person responsible for all the pain Adora was in, and all the pain she and thousands more had suffered over the past few months. Catra understood – she would not have been able to cope with it either.

With that realization, Catra tentatively reached out to Glimmer and took her hand.

"Take me to her."

Adora was writhing around in her bed. Her mind was filled with visions of her old life in the Horde, and of Catra's face. Catra's beautiful face that Adora missed so much. She could vaguely make out someone calling her name. She could then hear Shadow Weaver talking to someone and saying her name. That brought back the memories of her hurting Catra – electrocuting her for the smallest mistakes. Adora screamed once again:

"Catra!"

After Glimmer teleported Catra to the throne room of Brightmoon, Catra collapsed on the stone floor, trying to get her bearings. Her head ached and she was extremely dizzy. Not only that, but she was now very aware that she had badly hurt her leg, and that at least two of her ribs were broken during her fight with Hordak. She really was in no condition to do anything. Once she recovered, Catra slowly got to her feet, leaned her weight on her good foot, and silently followed Glimmer as she led her through the palace.

The walk took longer than expected, and Catra could not help but scowl at her surroundings. Everything was so bright and colourful – the total opposite of the Fright Zone (not that Catra liked its aesthetic, but it was what she was used to). As they approached Adora's room, two guards appeared on either side of her. Catra would normally have fought them off, or at least made some snide remark about whether or not two guards would be enough to stop her, but she did not. Believe it or not, she was really worried about Adora.

Catra remembered what Entrapta had told her about the ray gun, and all the negative effects it would have. Adora's body was literally degenerating - she must be in a ridiculous amount of pain. She did not deserve that – she could never deserve that. Catra had to administer the antidote. That was where she was confused, however. She could not remember what the cure was, nor where it was, yet alone how to administer it. She should have thought to ask Entrapta through the tracker pad, but she had been so obsessed with seeing Adora that she had forgotten to do so.

They finally arrived at Adora's room, and Glimmer told the guards to wait outside. She then opened the door and walked in. Catra limped in after her. The room was dimly lit and eerily silent.

The silence was soon broken, however, with Bow rushing up to Glimmer and hugging her:

"You're back! I'm so glad you're okay!" Glimmer hugged him back without saying anything. Wow, Catra thought, she is really not acting like herself. Catra then looked over to where Adora's bed was, and saw the unmistakable outline of Shadow Weaver next to it - blocking her view of Adora. The two of them locked eyes and Catra hissed at her. That was when someone grabbed her from behind, and she felt herself wrapped in a familiar bear hug:

"Catra! You came! I knew you'd want to save Adora!" Catra screamed and pushed her way out of Scorpia's grasp before recognizing her former friend. She paused and spluttered:

"S…Scorpia? What…" She was then interrupted by a familiar tuft of hair wrapping around her arm and dragging her over to the bed. Entrapta looked up at her from her crouched position at Adora's side.

"Hey Catra" Entrapta said without her usual enthusiasm. Catra's face went white. She was not ready to see her again. Entrapta continued:

"Adora was hit by the ray gun I made. My data was correct – it's killing her." Entrapta's voice sounded so sad. Using her heightened senses, Catra was able to see that she was crying. Entrapta then murmured sadly:

"I didn't want this to happen. I didn't want Adora to get hurt because of me." Catra looked around nervously and, realizing that no one was going to say anything to comfort her, she leaned down and gave Entrapta a small smile:

"She's hurt because of me, Entrapta. You did nothing wrong." Entrapta turned to look at her with a confused expression.

"But…I made the gun." Catra groaned. She had forgotten that Entrapta took everything literally.

She growled (mostly at herself):

"At my request." She then took a deep breath and was about to ask Entrapta about the cure, when Adora suddenly made her presence known. She began thrashing around in the bed screaming:

"No! No! NO! CATRA!" Catra gasped and instinctually leaned over Adora and scooped her up in her arms. The last time she had done this had been more than three years ago, right before Adora had become a Force Captain and left her. They had been about to do their final set of exams as senior cadets, and Adora had had a terrible panic attack that had sent her into a similar physical state. Catra had held her close and purred against her chest for almost an hour to calm her down. It had worked then, but it was not working now. Adora kept thrashing, even more so now she felt someone holding her. She pushed Catra off her and continued screaming:

"CATRA! CATRA!" Entrapta then spoke up:

"Remember how the whole purpose of this gun was for you to control her? This is her fighting against it. Her resistance is killing her. That's how I knew the ray was lethal. When I made it, I did not consider her fighting against it." Catra's eyes went wide and she looked around the room once again. Still no one said anything. What was wrong with them? She then stared across the bed at Shadow Weaver. Shadow Weaver then spoke:

"It's your fault this is happening, Catra. Fix it or I will not hesitate to finish what I started!" Catra then yelled:

"Finish what you started?! You mean abusing me and Adora to the point of almost killing us?

Turning me into a villain while you get to be the good guy? You're in no position to make threats!

I defeated you, remember? We both did!" Glimmer then yelled:

"Enough! We don't have time for this! Catra, please save Adora!" Adora had now stopped screaming and had collapsed back on the bed. She was motionless and her breathing was ragged.

She did not have long. Catra quickly turned back to Entrapta and put her hands on her shoulders.

"Okay, Entrapta, how do I fix this?" Entrapta looked up at her sadly and pointed at Catra's head.

"With that." Catra's face went red and she all but yelled:

"With what? My brain? My mane? What are you trying to say? Use your words, Entrapta!" Entrapta then replied with a hurt tone in her voice:

"No – your mask. You can heal her with your mask." Catra stared blankly at Entrapta before asking:

"My mask is the cure? How?" Entrapta perked up a little as she explained:

"Your mask is actually a relic of the ancient kingdom of Halfmoon – made from an extremely rare substance that doesn't even have a name! It's what the rune stones are made of!" Catra raised her eyebrow as Entrapta got increasingly excited:

"I was always curious about it, and Scorpia said that her dad had a few masks like it before he surrendered his kingdom to the Horde. So, while you were sleeping, I examined it and used its material to successfully counteract the chemical agent in the ray." Catra finally exclaimed in disbelief:

"So, I've been wearing a ground up runestone on my head this whole time?!" Shadow Weaver then interjected:

"That's not important now! Break it – snap it in half!" Scorpia then stepped forward and said:

"Hey, wait a minute! Adora gave her that mask! I remember – Catra told me. I don't think Adora would want her to break it." Glimmer then turned to Scorpia angrily:

"And what are we supposed to do instead? Go and look for the other masks your father may or may not have owned, which may or may not still be in the Fright Zone?" Catra then interrupted by yelling:

"Shut up!" She then paused before saying:

"Don't speak to Scorpia like that." There we go, Catra thought, I came to her defense – is that not what a good friend does? Before anyone could say anything else, one of the guards outside burst in saying the princesses had returned from the battle outside Brightmoon. Glimmer put her face in her hands and wailed:

"I can't do this! I CAN'T DO THIS!" Bow then put his hands on her shoulders and walked her out of the room. They were promptly followed by Swift Wind and a guy with a beard and purple outfit. Both of them had been quiet the entire time. Scorpia then turned to Catra and said:

"Thanks, Wildcat." Catra smiled as Scorpia then turned to Entrapta and said:

"Come on, let's go and say hi! We'll let Catra heal Adora by herself." Entrapta raised her eyebrow and asked uncertainly:

"Are you sure? The data shows she hates Adora." Catra rolled her eyes:

"I don't hate her, I just…it's complicated." Catra then slowly pulled her mask off her face, feeling the sharp edges of it with her fingers. Feeling confident that Catra would actually follow her instructions on healing Adora, Entrapta slowly got up and walked over to Scorpia. Scorpia then grabbed Shadow Weaver by the shoulder and said:

"Come on, witch lady! Let's give these two some privacy!" Shadow Weaver shook Scorpia's claw off her shoulder and yelled:

"Are you mad?! I'm not leaving her alone with her! My magic's all that's keeping her alive!" As if on cue, Adora began to moan Catra's name again, and Catra glared at Shadow Weaver:

"'Ever think that your magic might be the problem?" Before Shadow Weaver could protest, Scorpia literally dragged her out of the room – completely unfazed by her threats and attempts to break free. The loss of Shadow Weaver's magic saw Adora steadily decline even further, to the point that her breathing was barely audible. She did stop squirming and moaning, however, and now seemed to finally be at peace.

Catra felt herself get teary-eyed. Without much effort, she snapped her mask in half and then broke off a tiny piece of it. She then realized she could not let Adora swallow a large sharp piece of metal, so she proceeded to use her claws to round off its edges, making it considerably smaller. She had almost finished when Adora started to speak:

"Catra? Is that you?" Catra turned to look at Adora in total shock. Her voice had almost been inaudible – she was so weak and clearly in a lot of pain. Catra leaned over her and said:

"Yes. It's me. I'm here." Adora then weakly reached out her hand towards Catra, aiming for her cheek but completely missing it. Catra caught her hand and held it against her cheek for her. Adora smiled. Her eyes were shining in the dark – as beautiful as they had always been. The number of times Catra had let herself get lost in those eyes were innumerable. Adora then muttered:

"You're so beautiful. I love you." She then closed her eyes and her body finally went limp. Catra gasped before screaming:

"Adora? ADORA!" She quickly finished what she had been doing to the piece of her mask and forced Adora's mouth open - practically pushing it down her throat. She then began to apply CPR, hoping that that would somehow make a difference. She and Adora had had to practice doing this on each other multiple times in the Horde. She could not believe she was now having to do it for real. Focused on keeping Adora alive, Catra refused to let her mind wander to what Adora had said, and what that truly meant for both of them.

At some point, the visions of her past had stopped, and her mind had cleared enough for her to see what was around her. Adora had searched frantically for clues as to her whereabouts – deducing she was in her room based on the giant curtains hanging over her head. She had then looked around for someone, anyone, who could help her figure out what was happening. For whatever reason, she was too weak to move and found herself unable to scream. That was when she saw her – Catra.

At first, Adora did not think she was real. Not only did Catra have her iconic mask off (she never took it off), but she was playing with it. It lay broken in her hands. Adora was confused by this, and wondered whether this was Catra's way of severing their connection forever. They definitely had one and, despite everything that had happened, it was still there. She then realized that Catra was not angry or resentful like she normally was. She was sad – almost regretful. Adora then summoned all her strength to ask:

"Catra? Is that you?" Catra had immediately looked up, leaned over her and said:

"Yes. It's me. I'm here." Adora had never been more comforted in her life. She now remembered enough about what had happened to her to know that she was dying – that something on Beast Island had killed her. And yet, in her final moments, Catra, the girl who she could never hate, and who she lived to see on the battlefield, was by her side. Adora once again summoned all her strength to raise her hand to touch Catra's cheek, but the action made her dizzy and her hand swayed. Catra caught it, however, and held Adora's hand to its intended destination.

Adora smiled. Catra's cheek was so soft. She realized she had not touched it in literal years, and she had missed it. She had really missed Catra. She then looked up at Catra's beautiful blue and yellow eyes, perfectly encased in her gorgeous mane which, without the mask, looked so elegant and sexy. As Adora felt her heart beating slower with each final breath, she murmured:

"You're so beautiful. I love you." She then passed out and could just make out Catra screaming her name.