Catra was alone. There was a thick fog hanging in the air, making it so she couldn't even see past her nose.

"Hello?" she called, but her voice came out muffled, like she was listening from underwater. "Anyone there?"

Silence was her only answer.

What was going on? Hadn't Adora been right next to her?

Before Catra could think on that further, the fog suddenly lifted, vanishing in an instant as if it had never been there at all. She took in her surroundings and was startled to realize that she was in the Fright Zone. How had she gotten all the way over here? Hadn't she just been in…

Actually, Catra realized she had no idea where she'd been. It was like the fog from before was in her brain, too, leaving all her memories dull and muddled. She vaguely remembered some kind of new threat. People were in danger, and she and Adora had gone to save them. Had their journey taken them to the Fright Zone?

That didn't seem right to Catra. Something about the Fright Zone felt off, but she couldn't put her finger on what. Everything looked exactly the same as it did in her memories.

"Adora?" Catra called. She was glad to hear that her voice sounded normal this time, but there was still no reply.

Catra decided that her best course of action was to retreat for now. There was clearly some sort of magic at play here, messing with her senses. Hopefully, Adora would have the same idea and they'd be able to regroup.

Keeping her eyes peeled for any threats, Catra began heading back towards the Whispering Woods. However, she'd only taken about ten steps in that direction before the fog suddenly reappeared with a vengeance. Somehow, it seemed even thicker this time. She could feel it filling her lungs, suffocating her. She collapsed on the floor, sure she was about to die, when the fog disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Once she'd refilled her lungs with oxygen, Catra took stock of her surroundings. Somehow, she'd managed to end up even farther inside the Fright Zone now.

"Okay, guess they don't want me leaving," she muttered to herself. Louder, she said, "Why don't you come out and fight me instead of hiding like a coward?"

"Would you stop that racket?" came a reply from directly behind her.

Catra spun around. Her stomach lurched, an odd feeling of vertigo assaulting her at the sight of the person before her.

"What are you yelling about now?" Shadow Weaver asked.

Catra could only stare. How was this possible? "You're dead," she whispered. "I saw it happen."

"Is that a threat?" Shadow Weaver asked, magic crackling at her fingertips. "I assure you, you won't last long if it is."

Nothing about this was making any sense. Conflicting emotions were roiling inside Catra. She wanted to scream at Shadow Weaver, tell her off for abandoning her, thank her for sacrificing herself, tell her she never wanted to see her again, hug her, slap her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Sorry," she muttered, averting her eyes.

She felt like a little girl again, being told off for yet another way she'd failed to meet Shadow Weaver's expectations.

And then she was a little girl again. Shadow Weaver towered over her, and Catra tried not to wither under her glare.

"Always such a disappointment," Shadow Weaver said. "So much potential, wasted." She spat the last word, and Catra winced as flecks of spittle hit her cheek. "Is this how you repay me for taking you in?"

Tears were streaming down Catra's face. "I'm sorry! I'll try—"

" I wasn't done talking!" Shadow Weaver roared. "You're always like this! Mistake after mistake after mistake, and somehow you still expect the people around you to forgive you. Can't you see that you're dead weight? That you're dragging everyone else down?"

Catra clenched her fists and did her best to weather the verbal assault. Every word stung, cut her deep to her core. She knew that what Shadow Weaver was saying was true. Everyone was better off without her. Why did she even bother trying?

Catra!

A familiar voice stopped Catra's spiraling thoughts in their tracks. Was that Adora? Where was she?

Catra, you have to fight it!

She couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. It had a tinny quality to it, like it was being transmitted from somewhere far away, but it was unmistakably Adora.

Catra couldn't give up now. Adora was counting on her. Her spirit surged with newfound resolve, and she glared defiantly at Shadow Weaver. "I'm not scared of you," she said. She wasn't a child anymore.

Shadow Weaver laughed. "Oh really? Just because Adora believes in you?" She pointed behind Catra. "It's a bit too late for Adora to help you now."

Catra turned around with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She bit back a scream when she saw Adora lying there.

There was blood. So much blood. It was soaking through Adora's clothes, pooling around her, staining the walls. Catra wanted to run to her, to do something, anything , to help, but her feet were rooted to the spot.

"Why did you do this?" she screamed at Shadow Weaver.

"Me?" Shadow Weaver laughed again. "I didn't do a thing. I'd make sure your own hands are clean before you go accusing others."

With a dawning horror, Catra looked down at her hands. They were dyed crimson. Blood. Adora's blood. Bits of flesh still clung to her claws. She felt bile rising in her throat.

"What's with that face?" Shadow Weaver asked. "Isn't this what you wanted? You've defeated the mighty She-Ra."

"I never wanted this," Catra whispered.

"Could've fooled me."

Another voice. "Bow?" Catra looked up and saw him standing over Adora's corpse, pure hatred on his face.

"How many times did you try to kill us?" he asked. "What did you think would happen when you finally managed it?"

"I knew we couldn't trust you," Glimmer said, appearing next to Bow. "Adora should've left you to die on Horde Prime's ship."

Catra collapsed to her knees. Glimmer was right. They all were right. People like her didn't deserve second chances.

"That's right," Shadow Weaver said from behind her. "Just admit you're useless and give in to your despair."

"I'm useless," Catra repeated tonelessly. Tendrils of darkness began wrapping around her, and her vision blurred. It was best this way, Catra decided. She'd never hurt anybody else, and they could live their best lives without her.

Catra vaguely registered that she was disappearing. The darkness was eating away at her. She wasn't scared, though. It was painless, like falling asleep, only this time she'd never have to wake up again. She closed her eyes and embraced it.

CATRA!

Just before she faded away forever, an image popped into Catra's mind. It was Adora, face stricken with tears, but smiling. Catra knew this moment. It was right after Adora had saved her, when she woke up on the ship heading back for Etheria. When Adora had risked her life for her, despite all the times Catra had shown her that she was undeserving of her trust.

How did she do it? How did she manage to keep believing in Catra through all her many screwups?

Memories of the two of them flashed through Catra's mind. Growing up together, playing games, gossiping, training. Falling slowly but inevitably in love. The hurt when Adora defected to join the rebellion. The loneliness, the doubt, the self-loathing.

And through it all, Adora had believed in her. She'd seen through her facade to the broken girl underneath and gladly reached out her hand. She'd seen Catra not as a monster, but as a person, even someone to love.

Didn't Catra owe it to her to at least try to see herself the same way?

"What's happening?" said a raspy voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "Why are you still here?"

Catra opened her eyes and was shocked to see that she was glowing. The darkness around her was shrinking back, almost like it was scared of her.

"I believe in myself," Catra said softly, and the light surrounding her shone even brighter. "I believe in myself!" she yelled. "I mess up constantly, and I hurt the people who care about me, but I can do better. I have to do better." The light was blinding now. Catra squinted against its glare as she continued. "I won't let my past drag me down. I won't let it stop me from being the person I know I can be. I'm going to be the version of me that she sees."

And then Catra was on the ground, blinking up at Adora in confusion. "What happened?" she asked.

Adora looked like she'd been crying, but her face lit up when Catra spoke. "I knew you could do it!" She hugged Catra tightly.

Slowly, Catra's memories started returning to her. They'd been fighting against a villain who called himself Darkdream. Just when it had seemed like they'd won, he'd vanished, and a dark cloud had engulfed Catra.

"He tried to trap you in a nightmare," Adora explained. "Any longer and he would've taken over completely."

Catra gave her a weak smile. "But he didn't. You helped me beat him at the last second."

"Me?" Adora seemed confused. "What did I do?"

Catra leaned up and kissed Adora. "I'll tell you all about it later, I promise. But right now, I could really use a nice long nap."

~ o ~

A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated :)

If you'd like, you can also find me on Tumblr with the same username.