Story commission by  AgentXY14- Catra needs to take some responsibility, though they also need a time with their girlfriend away from politics. Could she have her cake and eat it? Maybe getting some help from Zeydaan could help her situation.

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Zeydaan’s current request was an…unusual one. It wasn’t the task itself, mind, they had done similar such responses in the past. It was unusual due to its location, an entirely unique dimension. This one related to, in some universes, a television show.

Etheria, a planet once ravaged by what was known as the Horde. Dangerous foes, the plots of which merely wiped out all of reality at one point. They were not to be trifled with.

Zey’s mission did not relate to the Horde either, nor to the immediate safety of Etheria. The wars were over, the Horde eliminated. This mission was more akin to house-sitting.

So it should come to pass that Zeydaan had seated themselves across from their client to discuss terms. Catra, once Horde themselves, now a defector and one protector of the planet,bad summoned them to be a watchful eye. What a pair they made, a wolf and a cat, sitting in peace.

“Normally I’d have borrowed one of my friends for this,” Catra admitted. “But we’re bringing them all along. They call it a vacation.”

“Ah, I understand,” Zey nodded. “Though I typically call it a holiday.”

“Whatever it is, we can’t just leave Etheria unguarded all the same,” Catra said. “One of us, yes, but if we all go to relax together that might encourage some Horde holdouts to strike.”

“There’s really no need to explain yourself,” Zey smiled gently. They took a sip of the tea that was specially prepared for themselves; Catra did the same. “I get it. You’re concerned for the planet, but you’re also worn out from all the fighting. Anyone would be, from what you’ve told me.”

“Then we understand each other,” Catra gave a small smile herself. “Sorry, it’s just…Well, it’s my first vacation. Adora’s, too. I just want everything to be perfect.”

“And it will be,” Zey said. They stood up, confident. “Just leave it to me, miss Catra. I’ll keep a watchful eye over the planet.”

“I know you will,” Catra said. She did, however, seem slightly uncertain with herself. She kept staring at the tea, specifically Zey’s.

Eventually Zey took notice, giving Catra a glance. “Something wrong?” they asked. “If it’s about the tea, it tastes fine.” They did rather enjoy it, although it did seem to have a bit of aftertaste. Something they couldn’t quite place.

Catra seemed to visibly grapple with the question Zey posed, unsure how to answer. She wanted to keep it quiet…but instead she sighed, disappointed in herself.

“I can’t do this,” she said. “I’ve been dishonest about this from the start.”

“Hmm?” Zey tilted their head quizzically. “I don’t quite understand. How were you dishonest?”

“You see, I needed someone to keep an eye on things,” she said. “But I needed someone I could trust. Problem is, I still have…issues with that, I guess?”

“So you hired someone on a contract,” Zey said, nodding. “I get it.”

But Catra shook her head. “Outside of my friends, I only really trust myself,” she explained. “So…That tea is making you into me.”

It took a moment for Zey to comprehend what Catra just admitted, but when it fully registered, they examined the tea. Nothing particularly noteworthy about the tea itself, but they tried to place the taste. Something familiar…A potion mixed in, perhaps? And they had already drunk half of it, so…

Curious, they inspected their face. Still themselves as of yet, but something felt off all the same. Perhaps it was their muzzle, a tad shorter than minutes ago, but they couldn’t tell all too much. They did, however, feel a bit lighter, curvier. Perhaps it was their imagination, or perhaps it was the tea talking.

“Are you serious?” Zey asked, looking directly at Catra.

Catra nodded, looking vastly disappointed in herself. “Yes,” she said. “I know, it was deceitful and wrong, but...”

“No, I mean...” Zey said. They didn’t seem upset. “This seems a bit redundant, don’t you think?”

Catra blinked. “Um...what?”

“Oh, I guess I never explained what I am,” Zey shrugged. “I can shapeshift, Catra. Into any form I want, typically. Within reason.”

Silence for a few seconds as Catra processed this information. “Like Double Trouble?” she asked, quietly.

“What?”

“It’s nothing,” she waved off. “So, you’re saying you could wind up becoming me even without the tea?”

“Of course,” Zey smiled. “One of the perks of being a dimension traveler, I guess.”

Explanation aside, Catra still looked disappointed in herself. “I still regret that though...” she said. “I mean--”

“And I said before I get it,” Zey interrupted. “Look, we’ve all been there. You’ve got some issues in the past, I understand. You’re trying to work them out a bit, but sometimes they show up anyway.”

Slowly, Catra nodded in response. “It’s hard,” she said.

“I know it’s hard,” Zey said. “And you’re trying to do better. I’m not mad, and I’ll still do the job as you asked.” They gave a pointed glance. “Just let’s be honest from here on out, okay?”

Catra nodded again, this time less apprehensive. Appreciative, even; it was rare for her to receive such forgiveness for deceit like this. In the Horde, there would be consequences.

Now that the drama was out of the way, Zey kicked their feet up onto the table idly. “Not that it wasn’t a good idea, of course,” they said. Idly they noticed their boots, and how loose they were fitting. “You want a mental copy of yourself, and you’re getting one. Who else knows the planet better than you?”

“True,” Catra said. She gave a light smile. “Though I also thought you’d look cute as me.”

Zey laughed at this one, amused. “Of course, of course,” they said. “And why not, right? I look great!”

They briefly caught themselves; the mental changes were starting to take hold, even slightly. Almost had an identity crisis. “I mean, you,” they said. “You look great.”

Before Zey could “look” any further, their eyes began to sting. Vision blurred, their irises watering, and Zey was forced to close them and rub them viciously with their knuckles for several seconds. They eventually opened their eyes again, greeted with vision once more, although Catra tilted her head at the sight.

“You know, even I don’t know what will change first,” she remarked. “Didn’t expect your eyes to do so.”

“Hmm?” Zey asked, uncertain. Catra stood, an idea striking her.

“I should get you a mirror, actually,” she said, walking off. “So you can see.”

“Take your time,” Zey waved off, patient. They sat with their tea, gently sipping it idly, transformative elements aside. It was really good tea, prepared by a remorseful young woman who was trying to better herself and show appreciation to her best friend and girlfriend. Wasn’t that all they could have wanted in the universe? To provide a second chance and have it taken? She needed the support, after all, if she were to flourish.

But do I really?

This thought suddenly struck Zey, and they found themselves nodding along with it. Yes, did they really need that sort of pity? They were fine as they were. Well, they could do better, perhaps rising up the ranks of the Horde—

Zey shook their head rapidly. Mental changes, again. Only this seemed a bit different than the calmer, repentant Catra they were speaking to. Something was wrong.

The original Catra eventually came back with a handheld mirror, looking apologetic. “This was the only one I had,” she said. “I used to have others, but I think I smashed them during my paranoia outbursts…”

“Give it here,” Zey said, extending their hand out to grip the handle. Catra passed it over as asked.

Zey examined themselves in the glass carefully. As expected, their eyes had changed. Heterochromia, they believed it was called. The left eye was yellow, the right was blue, and both now had their irises in the shape of slits, like a proper cat would. Further, their muzzle had indeed shrunk, not entirely, but enough to be visibly seen. Their ears had reshaped, having twisted themselves and bent into sleeker designs that were positioned directly on the sides of their head, rather than on top like a canine.

Nor was their face the only aspect changed, although they hadn’t noticed prior due to being lost in their thoughts and the thoughts of Catra. Their fur had begun to recede, shrinking away and exposing a skin tone that seemed tan but had a tinge of orange. Some markings were exposed on their arms as well, small lines. Three on the upper arms by their shoulders, two closer to their elbows. Perfectly symmetrical.

They then inspected their lower half, especially the back. Their tail was still present, of course, although it did seem to condense its fur quite a bit. No longer was it akin to a wolf’s, but a cat’s, far sleeker and svelte. Prehensile to an extent, although Zey wasn’t anticipating being able to grab anything with it any more than they were with their original tail.

Still, they were getting there. And as Zey looked themselves over, they smirked.

“Looking good,” they said. “Looking very good.”

“I agree,” Catra said with a smile. “You’ll make quite the copy, right? Body and mind.”

Copy.

For some reason, that word struck a nerve in Zey. “Copy”. That seemed completely absurd. There WAS no copying Catra, she was the original article! They scowled briefly, catching Catra off-guard.

“And what,” Zey said, more venomous. “What do you mean by that?”

“Huh?” Catra asked, uncertain. She was disturbed by the sudden mood shift, and Zey’s erratic behavior. Almost like…like…

“Oh no,” Catra gasped, a new hypothesis forming. Could it be? She made that tea with herself in mind, designed to turn Zey into herself, completely. The problem, then, was WHICH Catra they would become. The new Catra, the one that was focused on preservation of Eternita, of Adora, of everything she now held dear? Or the old Catra, the one still in the grips of the Horde, the one with a megalomaniacal desire for power for power’s sake?

It was seeming, based on how Zey was looking, that the answer was the latter. The part of her she hoped she cut out of her life. The part that still remained all the same.

Zey had stood up now, glaring. “I see what you’re doing,” they said. Or she, rather; their body structure was becoming more feminine by the second, escalating due to Zey’s increased activity and aggression. They were becoming thinner, some breasts forming underneath their uniform. The uniform itself, even, was shifting from a gray and blue color into a red tone, confident wear for the aspiring catgirl, even though the pants seemed to come premade with tears along the legs.

“I see exactly what you’re up to,” Zey continued, their mind rapidly being overtaken by the developing dark side. “Oh, yes. You think you can be better than me?”

“Zeydaan, focus please,” Catra said, half-pleading. “Remember what we’re doing here?”

“Ha!” Zey scoffed. “What “we’re” doing? You mean what you’re doing, which is obvious.” They glared fiercely now. “You’re trying to take everything from me.”

Catra, being a trained combatant inside an obviously evil organization, wasn’t necessarily “afraid”, per say. She had faced, and been a party to, intense situations in the past, up to and including the near cessation of reality itself. She was, however, more concerned with what she was witnessing: herself, a warped perception of her internal demons. It was this that she feared, not what Zey was capable of. And while she did have a counter-plan, an emergency stop, she was concerned about how far this would go.

As a demonstration, Zey’s appearance was diverging from Catra’s current form, instead taking on her prior shape during her Horde days. The hair especially was notable, growing to approximately mid-back length instead of the current Catra’s pixie cut. With the changing uniform came a tiara that rested upon Zey’s forehead, keeping the remaining hair out of their eyes. And the uniform, while closely resembling Catra’s, now instead darkened to a redder color, a holdout of the Horde era.

“You’re trying to take over everything I have,” Zey continued. No, not Zey, not quite anymore. Catra’s personality was starting to take control now, overriding the wolf as the last of their features sank beneath exposed catian flesh. “This kingdom, this planet, and worst of all--” She practically got into Catra Prime’s face. “My Adora.”

Catra Prime raised an eyebrow. “Your Adora?”

“MINE,” the Catra copy snarled. “I won’t let you take her away from me.”

Catra Prime merely stepped back from her position; the clone followed. “You can’t take her away,” she said. “And neither can I. She’s her own person.”

“Everyone I know betrays me,” the clone continued. “Everyone’s always plotting against me, everyone’s trying to bring me down.” She jabbed a finger into Catra’s face. “Including you.”

“Well...” Catra Prime sighed, looking at her copy. “You’re half right.” She didn’t want to do this, but she had enough. She said merely one word.

“Sleep.”

With a start, the copy of Catra seized up, her body acting beyond her own control. Then, she fell backwards, only saved from the hard floor by Catra herself catching her duplicate. The copy was asleep entirely, snoring gently, as though none of the above events had occurred.

Silence for several seconds as Catra processed what had occurred. She looked at her own hands, then to the clone. Sadness fell over her.

“That’s...a lot of baggage to unpack later,” she remarked to herself.

Quietly, she recognized the usefulness of slipping a failsafe into that tea in case the copy spell didn’t go according to plan. But she simultaneously regretted this second case of subterfuge when she specifically told Zey she would be honest with them. She again looked to her clone, and how she had acted moments prior. Paranoid. Erratic. Aggressive at the slightest possibility of betrayal.

She supposed those traits wouldn’t disappear so easily. Not when they were all she knew.

Catra carried her copy to the sofa, gently laying her down to rest. She stood up straight, considering her plans from here on out.

And she made a decision.

…

Zey eventually woke up, drowsily looking to the ceiling. They slowly sat up, not recognizing their surroundings immediately in their post-nap daze. Then the prior events and memories rose once more, and they nodded. The job at Eternia. The tea. Catra.

They checked their hand, curious. Thick again, with fur. Their entire body covered in it once more. They felt their face; a canine muzzle, returned to its proper place. The tail, thick and proud again. It was clear they were back to their normal self.

But how?

Catra came into the room once more with a new tray of tea, sheepishly gesturing to the pot. “It’s regular tea this time,” she said. “Honest.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Zey said. They rubbed their aching head, gently taking their cup delicately between their fingers. “How long has it been, then? You’ve come back from vacation already?”

“Zey, it’s the same day,” Catra explained. “Do you recall anything that happened?”

Zey thought about it, but everything past drinking the first batch of spiked tea was a blur. “Not particularly,” they said.

Catra nodded. “It was for the best,” she said. “I purged the spell from you entirely. I put you in danger and I saw some...things come of it. Things I don’t want to experience again.”

“Hmm?” Zey asked, through a mouth of tea. Perfectly safe this time, they noted. “What do you mean, danger?”

Catra looked to her canine companion in a mix of sadness and remorse. “I have some...hang-ups, I guess, that I haven’t worked out just yet,” she said. “And I guess they decided to manifest through you. The bad parts of me.”

She shook her head, standing up. “I apologize for the trouble,” she said. “I’ll cancel the vacation, and I’ll pay you for your time.”

With that, she started to walk out of the room, embarrassed completely.

“Hey.”

She stopped, turning her head. Zey had set their cup onto the saucer, looking directly at Catra.

“What have I said before?” Zey reminded Catra. “I get it. I really do.”

Here, Catra was surprised at how well Zey was taking all of this. Zey continued.

“I don’t think even you figured what had happened would happen,” they explained. “And you realized your problems and how to work on them.”

“I guess trust is difficult for me...” Catra admitted.

“Sometimes you just have to do it,” Zey said. “Not everyone is out to get you, alright? Many of us just want to help. I mean, you have Adora, right?” They smiled. “Someone who cares about you that deeply wants to see you succeed and grow as a person. They trust you, and surely you trust them.”

Now Catra was tearing up at Zey’s words, touched by their meaning. “She...She does,” Catra said. “She really does.”

“And I’m sure she’ll want to spend time with you,” Zey added. “So no, you’re not cancelling anything. Go on your vacation. I’ll be pulling off your cloning job, but I simply ask you let me do it my way.”

Catra looked to Zey carefully. “After everything I’ve done...” she said, through deep breaths. “I...I thank you, Zeydaan. From the bottom of my heart.”

“We’re friends, after all,” Zey said with a grin. “It’s what we do.”

Now Zey stood, giving a stretch. “Allow me a couple seconds to get into character, alright?” they said. “Watch and learn.”

Zey’s wolf body shifted once more, this time of their own free will. Fur receded; skin exposed. Their body shrinking into a clear feminine shape once more, their tail thinning out and their muzzle replaced with a human-esque nose. All the changes happened within seconds versus the first attempt’s lengthy transition period, quick enough that Catra could barely keep track of what she was supposed to observe.

In no time at all, Zey was the splitting image of Catra—this time the present-day version, and without any of the pesky mental problems that stemmed from life within an abusive tyrant organization. From the twitching of their ears to the heterochromia, Zey was Catra in body, although not completely mentally.

“I’m only allowing myself some memories and some quirks,” Zey explained. “I won’t go too deep into the character so you won’t have to worry about a rogue you running around while you’re gone.”

“I appreciate it,” Catra nodded. And she did, sincerely. It was rare for someone to be THIS nice to her, rarer still for her to accept their kindness at face-value. Having egg on her face would do that, of course, but still. Baby steps.

Zey smiled with Catra’s lips. “It’ll be fun,” they said. “I’ll keep the planet safe, watch over it, and you get to have a fun vacation with Adora. Win-win.”

“And with less...” Catra made an embarrassed gesture. “...You know...”

“I do know,” Zey said with a laugh. “I know too well. I’m supposed to be you, remember?”

“Of course, of course,” Catra said. She found herself giggling a little, her anxiety relieving itself through Zey’s kind words and actions. It was...well, it was nice, really. To not feel so stressed about her own mistakes.

“Speaking of being you,” Zey added. “I bet you’re missed. You should probably get ready for the vacation, right? Gather your belongings and all?”

“Oh, right,” Catra was briefly startled, having nearly forgotten to pack in all the chaos. She started towards the door again, but paused briefly to look back at her body double.

“Maybe after we get back, you could join us for a later vacation too?” she offered. Zey, however, merely shook their head.

“I appreciate it,” they said. “But I can’t get too attached to places. Part of being a dimension walker, you understand.”

Catra nodded. “I get it,” she said, giggling again at the irony of what she said; it was her turn to emphasize. “But thank you again, for what you’re doing.”

She turned, and she left. Zey could hear the sounds of Catra running down the hall, towards what were presumably her quarters where she would inevitably package her clothing and other belongings for her sojourn.

That left just Zey themselves, and they smiled lightly at the eventful day they’ve had so far. A near miss as far as identity crises go, on top of planet-sitting as a remorseful cat-girl. Nothing too out of the ordinary though.

They tossed themselves onto the sofa, lounging across the surface fully, arms crossed behind their head. They grinned, feeling so relaxed and flexible in this form. And while they did retain their original mind, Zey did feel mentally relaxed as well, comforted both with the knowledge that things would be safe around Eternia, but that Catra really was taking her road to recovery to heart.