Glimmer was still shaking when they brought her back to her cell. What little she'd eaten at Prime's horror show of a dinner sat like lead in her stomach. She hated herself for eating any of it at all but it had been so long since they last brought in a tray and she'd been desperately hungry. But now the unfamiliar food churned and she had to fight to keep it down when she thought of the images on the screen.

Her friends! All this time, she'd been so desperate to see them, to know what was happening back home, but as bleak as her imagination was, it was nowhere near as terrible as seeing them suffering like that, her beautiful planet under attack. They were fighting for their lives down there and it was all her fault!

Assuming they were still fighting. That footage could have been from days ago for all she knew. She didn't want to contemplate the alternative but the thought pushed itself in anyway until it was all-consuming, her heart racing. Everything had looked so dire when the feed cut out, what if her friends had lost that battle and—

Stop it. Prime manipulated. That's what he did. She knew this. He'd probably specifically shown her the worst of it just to fuck with her. Maybe half a second after that, the rebellion had rallied and won the day.

Or maybe they were all dead and he was just waiting to spring that little reveal on her at their next meeting. She could see it so clearly, had already seen it so many times in her nightmares, her friends' bodies broken and—

No! She struggled to get her breathing under control. Prime wouldn't kill them. At least not until he could use Adora like he wanted to use her and the other princesses, to activate the Heart and destroy the universe. Panic built up again as she imagined the Heart's power ripping through her as it had back in the Fright Zone only this time with nothing to stop it from tearing her and the entire world apart.

Breath. In, out. One thing at a time. She had to focus on something positive or completely lose herself to despair. The rebellion was still fighting. Etheria was still there. She'd stopped Prime from hurting Adora and the other princesses today, probably saved their lives, by telling him about the Heart. That was a good thing, wasn't it?

Except then all she could think of was the rest of the rebellion, non-princesses like Sea Hawk and General Juliet and— oh gods, Bow! She choked back a sob, knowing Prime was watching so she couldn't fall apart but teetering dangerously on the edge of a breakdown anyway. All this time she'd been sitting here wallowing, secretly hoping her friends would come and rescue her when really they were the ones that—

"What the FUCK was that back there?"

Glimmer spun to see Catra leaning against the forcefield. Shit, like she needed this right now? She had even less patience for Adora's former friend now that she knew she'd been lurking outside her cell, making her feel like she was losing her mind just so she could watch her like she was some kind of zoo animal.

Glimmer pulled herself to her full height, fighting the tremor that threatened to sneak into her voice. "Go away."

"Do you even realize how badly you fucked up tonight, princess?" Catra voice was barely above a whisper, probably because she realized Prime was listening, but there was no mistaking the menace in it.

"Excuse me? I just saved Adora's life. Prime would have killed her if I hadn't told him about the weapon. Not that you give a shit what happens to anyone but yourself. You know, Adora used to be your friend!. You'd think you could at least—"

Catra slammed her fist against the force field and for the first time Glimmer was grateful for the barrier between them. There was something dangerous in the other girl's expression, different than the other times they'd faced each other. She'd struck some kind of cord. Was it because she'd mentioned Adora? "I don't care about Adora, OK? I don't."

Glimmer stared at her. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

"Shut up. Great. You saved your stupid princess friends. Way to fucking go. But you also doomed your shitty little boyfriend with all your theatrics. You realize that? You jumped clean out of your chair when Prime showed you Arrow Boy, you really think Prime didn't notice that? Your useless bestie isn't part of any weapon. You may as well have just shouted, 'That's the one! That's my weakness right there, the really breakable one, and if you want me to do what you want that's exactly who you need to make bleed.'"

Glimmer's blood turned to ice. Had she really… but no. Catra was just trying to make her upset, going for the jugular. Trying to use her love for her friends against her, knowing Bow was important to her. A play she recognized as right out of Shadow Weaver's book. Like mother, like daughter apparently.

"Fuck you, Catra." Gods, she'd never wanted to punch anyone as badly as she did that infuriating cat. She couldn't fucking believe she'd ever thought this absolute nightmare was attractive! "You're just mad because you fooled yourself into thinking you could barter out of this with information when the truth is there IS no way out of this for you or me. And I refuse to let you make me feel bad about caring about the people I love just because you don't care about anything but saving your own ass."

"You don't know anything about me or what I care about, you little glittery bitch!" Catra snarled but her hand was shaking at her side, her tail going nuts. "Besides, princess, you're the one whose fuck up got us here."

"It's QUEEN, Catra. You'd think you'd remember that since that's your fault too." Something passed across Catra's face, fast enough that Glimmer wondered if she'd imagine it. "And, yeah, I fucked up with the Heart but you fucked up first. If you hadn't opened the portal in the first place, Prime wouldn't even be here. The only difference is I care about the blood on my hands and I would never abandon my friends."

"You don't know what you're talking about. I'm not the one that… She promised that…" Catra raised her voice like she was talking to the entire ship at once. "I don't give a SHIT what happens to Adora!"

Catra adjusted her mask and smoothed her mane back. When she raised her head again, she wore that infuriating smug smile she usually wore when she came to visit. Except it didn't bother Glimmer nearly as much as it usually did not that she realized it was completely fake. Suddenly she saw it for what it was. A performance, the whole cocky swagger a mask she'd slipped on to hide that she was completely full of shit.

Which meant... Somehow, impossibly, after everything that had happened between them… Catra still cared about Adora.

"Catra…" What would she even say? Appeal to her sense of decency? She still wasn't even convinced Catra had one of those.

"Whatever. Like I care what happens to any of you. You just did me a favor. Now Prime will get the weapon, wipe Adora and the rest of them out even faster and I'll be rid of you idiots for good. So, thanks!" Catra laughed, a triumphant cackle, almost convincing if not for the frayed edge that said she was barely holding it together. "Always a pleasure, princess!"

Without another word, Catra turned and sauntered down the corridor as if she didn't have a care in the world. And for once Glimmer didn't feel the need to call some smart reply after her.