Gold Light, Green Light
Chapter 9
Failsafe
Teeth pierced and ripped into tender flesh. The slavering animal tore into her prey with brutal efficiency. A terrified squeal echoed through the air, only to be answered by the animal's pleased cry.
"Oh sweet Earth Mother, how have I never had this before?"
Catra tore into her fish with her teeth, moaning in delight all the way.
"This is scary to watch," Bow said, his own fish forgotten at the sight of Catra's teeth easily ripping her fish to shreds.
Behind Bow, a reclined Swift Wind grimaced, his eyes never leaving Catra's teeth.
"Try being what's technically a prey animal, domestication and/or magical enhancement be damned."
Melog, from her position behind Catra, gave a chuffing sound that resembled laughter.
"Don't start with me, you!" Swift Wind spat back.
"Slow down, Catra," Adora said with worry, "You'll swallow a bone if you keep this up."
"Don't care! Too good!"
"You know, we really should have expected this reaction," Glimmer muttered, "Although that's a good question, how hasn't she had fish before?"
"Remember the stuff I told you about dining in the Horde?" Adora said.
"Right, good point. I thought you were going to pass out in joy when you ate that strawberry cake that first day."
"Regardless, we'll have to thank Sea Hawk for leading that expedition. He brought back intel and fish, both good things."
Catra moaned in agreement, her tail whipping about and curling in joy.
The group was in an old hanger that had been all but claimed by them. They were gathered around a camp stove and eating fish that they had grilled themselves. Not far away, the Starshine sat waiting. Earlier, Entrapta had dashed in, Emily on her heels, the technological savant throwing an explanation of working on a project with Mara before disappearing into the ship. Otherwise, the Best Friend Squad were left to their meal and bonding.
"So what's the current situation with that ring?" Glimmer asked, "I've seen you messing around with it lately, even when we're not doing raids."
"Honestly, mostly practice," Adora replied, stroking the ring, "I think I've got blasts, shields, and energy constructs pretty down, so long as that last one isn't too complicated."
"Multiple swords at once isn't complicated?" Swift Wind snarked.
"When you get down to it, a sword is a simple shape. Multiplying it is fairly easy. No, I mean the really complex stuff. I could never make something like a skiff. A boat, maybe, but it wouldn't be much more than a hull and some seats; I'd have to move it along myself."
"What, like getting out and pushing?" Bow laughed.
"Sustained energy beam, but that'd be basically the same thing, right? All the same, I can tell that there's more to the ring than that."
"Like?"
"I flew through space," Adora replied, "I might be able to fly again, but I haven't had the time or inclination to test it yet."
"Maybe when this is all over, I could give you some tips?" Swift Wind offered, spreading his wings slightly.
"There's also a sort of…mind. And no, the ring's not alive, at least I don't think. It's a little more like Light Hope."
"Hopefully without an agenda," Glimmer muttered.
"I don't think so, no. It's probably more simple, only doing what's asked of it," Adora shrugged, "The problem is, I don't know how to fully access that. I don't know if it's me or the ring is just…damaged somehow."
"Could it be both?" Catra asked, "Remember back on Prime's ship? It said those systems were like, half operational."
"That's a good point. It had enough thinking power to plot a course and get us out, but it stopped talking after that."
Adora sighed.
"I guess that's still a work in progress. Still, what I've already got is pretty potent, so…mystery for another day."
Conversation drifted after that. The Best Friend Squad just hanging out and joking around. Then the peace was shattered. Catra's ears suddenly flicked to the hanger doors. Melog sniffed at the air and started growling.
"Something up?" Adora asked, immediately catching onto the tenseness of her girlfriend and their feline companion.
The question was answered for her when Shadow Weaver casually strode into the hanger.
"Ah, there you all are. Eating like savages I see."
"Well, it was a pleasant campfire bonding experience until you showed up," Bow replied with uncharacteristic anger. It was hard to remain Mr. Positive knowing what he knew about how Shadow Weaver had treated his friends, although he was painfully aware that what he'd been told was only a fraction of the whole truth.
"So insolent. Your fathers weren't this flippant," Shadow Weaver replied.
"Probably because they don't know what I know. If they were, you'd have had your ass kicked a long time ago."
"Really?" came an answering scoff, "They don't seem the type."
"You know George was a soldier, right?" Glimmer piped up, "He probably knows several ways to kill someone with his bare hands."
"A dozen, I think," Bow nodded.
"Can we see that fight?" Catra grinned viciously.
"If we're done," Shadow Weaver interjected, "I came here because I thought you ought to know, we found proof of the failsafe in the Heart of Etheria. George and Lance found an old transmission in a First Ones ruin, one that had been attempting to reach the previous She-Ra…"
Shadow Weaver trailed off, because her audience had suddenly made a mad dash for the ship. Curious, she followed.
"No, I never got a transmission about a failsafe," she heard from the cockpit, "Then again, it was pretty chaotic near the end, so I'm not overly surprised."
"But do you think it's legit?" Catra was saying.
"Depends on who was sending it. If it was Keldor, I'd ignore it. I found some evidence that he was a double agent, but I wasn't able to adequately prove it. And then I was in no position for further investigations. Being a ghost will do that to you."
Shadow Weaver stopped dead. They were talking to a ghost? That could be both enlightening and incredibly dangerous. Or perhaps she could use that to her own ends.
She burst into the cockpit, but she was resoundingly ignored in favor of the blue woman hovering above the main console.
"However, there's always Luz. She was the brains behind the Light Hope AI, and someone I trusted with my life. If she was the one who found the failsafe, we can definitely trust it."
"How could we tell?" Adora asked.
"When making transmissions, she always hid her identity behind a modified image of Light Hope. Hooded, broad shoulders, holding up a crystal slate…"
"That's the image George and Lance described," Shadow Weaver interjected, hoping to pull attention back to her.
"Well then, we can trust it," the blue woman said.
"What do you think this is supposed to be, Mara?" Adora asked.
"The Heart of Etheria drew magic from the planet into itself, concentrating it. If the failsafe can destroy the Heart, it'll release the shackles on all that power, spreading it all throughout Etheria."
"Such a power surge would probably fry a lot of Horde Prime's tech, since I haven't found evidence that the rank-and-file weaponry are hardened against a mystical discharge of sufficient force," Entrapta chimed in from a corner.
"And it would keep the Heart out of Prime's hands," Glimmer mused, "When I was his prisoner, he was really interested in the Heart. Plus, there's the princesses to consider. Activating the Heart supercharged us…at least until it started cycling up to fire. Releasing all the trapped magic would probably have a similar effect."
"So where is this place?" Bow asked.
"The transmission referenced an outpost called Arxia," Shadow Weaver replied, "I believe this is in reference to an artifact called the Crystal of Arxia, hidden by a group of traitorous First Ones—"
"Probably my rebellion," Mara interjected.
"—beneath what is now Mystacor."
Mara waved her hand, and a map of Etheria appeared.
"So in my time, Arxia was here…"
She pointed at a spot on the map, and Glimmer nodded.
"That's where Mystacor is. About three hundred years ago, they raised the land into the sky. No doubt they took this crystal with them."
"Then we have a target," Adora said, "Mara, how's the ship?"
"Considering I'm pretty well attached to it, I've made sure she's shipshape and purring like a kitten. Stealth drive could use a recharge—"
"Adora, are you really going to pin everything on a ghost?" Shadow Weaver scoffed, "I thought I raised you better than to put trust in the undead."
Her gaze went to Catra, who bristled.
"But then, you always did have a soft spot for the untamed."
Mara winked out of existence. Suddenly, a massive form was standing in front of Shadow Weaver. It was shaped like a man, eight feet tall and with muscles on muscles. The head was an angry bull, snorting in barely-restrained fury.
"CAN IT, GASLIGHT!" it roared right in Shadow Weaver's face.
And then it was gone, and Mara had returned, continuing as if nothing had happened.
"I can definitely get us there, and Melog can easily cloak the party for the rest of the way. I heard that Mystacor is under Prime's control."
"That's right," Bow said, "Micah was commanding it, but it's still full of chipped sorcerers."
"We'll definitely have to do this with stealth," Catra said, "It'll be dangerous, but we don't have a lot of other options."
"Actually, I think I'm close to finding a way to disrupt Horde Prime's link with the mind control chips," Entrapta interjected, "The data Swift Wind and I got on that scouting mission was what I needed."
Entrapta suddenly looked wistful.
"I saw Hordak. He remembered me. He's struggling, but…he knew me."
"Are we compromised?" Shadow Weaver asked, actually sounding worried.
"No, I got her away before he could sound an alarm," Swift Wind said, "But even if we crack the chips, won't we still have Prime to deal with? And I imagine he'd be pretty pissed off if we took his toys away."
"He's right. Mystacor is our only option," Adora said, "Micah is still out of it, so Castaspella will have to guide us. And like Mara said, Melog can cloak the party until we're past the guards."
"I'd be the better choice," Shadow Weaver said, "I've spent my whole life studying the secrets of Mystacor. I can get us in far better than Castaspella can."
"No dice, Shadow Weaver," Adora replied, "No one trusts you further than they can throw you. Heck, if you could have gotten in there so easily, why are you asking us for help?"
The two stared each other down for a moment before Adora broke it off.
"You can come if you want, your knowledge might be useful. But if you pull anything, we're leaving you to the wolves."
"Understood," Shadow Weaver snarled.
Catra looked uncertain, but a look from Adora had her sighing and nodding.
"Uh, can I duck out?" Swift Wind asked, "I'm not good with stealth."
"No problem, Swifty," Adora replied, patting the horse's neck, "You hold down the fort here."
oOo
Catra really didn't like this. After everything Shadow Weaver had done to her, having to work with her on this mission rubbed her the wrong way. She took solace from the fact that Adora only agreed to the sorceress' part in it reluctantly.
'She trusts me with everything,' she kept thinking to herself, 'But she trusts Shadow Weaver with nothing. That bridge has been burned to cinders.'
The thought gave her comfort, that's why she kept it in mind, even while glaring daggers at Shadow Weaver's invisible back.
While under Melog's cloak, they could see vague outlines of each other, but to an outsider, there was nothing. They'd had several close calls, ducking around empty green gazes, but they pushed on.
At one point, their path was blocked by a sorcerer that wouldn't move, but Castaspella knocked him out easily. Bow and Glimmer stuffed the unconscious body in a closet and locked the door.
"That probably won't hold if he wakes up," Shadow Weaver whispered.
"I used the extra-strength version of the spell. He'll be out for hours," Casta replied, "Just because Micah is the more powerful of the two of us doesn't mean I'm useless."
They could make out Castaspella's glare, punctuating what had to be a common argument.
Soon enough, they reached a hallway with several statues. After checking that the coast was clear, Catra had Melog drop the cloak.
"Let's hurry up, I don't like how exposed we are," she said.
"Is your cleaning staff that lax?" Shadow Weaver hissed, pointing at a charred and cobwebbed statue on the end.
"We keep yours like that as a warning to future generations," Castaspella spat, "Now stop moaning and help me with the passage."
The two made a combined sigil and cast it at a wall. A hidden door opened, and they all hurried through it.
The hallway was dark, and the state of the walls indicated just how much time had passed since anyone was last here. Melog sniffed at the floor and sneezed on some dust.
Bow had his eyes on the various murals on the wall, the pictures itching at his mind thanks to being the son of historians.
"What is all this?" he asked.
"We're on the right path," Castaspella said, "The Crystal of Arxia was rumored to be the key to reaching deep magic within Etheria."
"Given what we're here for, I think we can confirm that."
"But the many who tried and failed to find it didn't have the knowledge that we have, nor She-Ra on their side."
They all looked at Adora, who just shrugged.
"But those who hungered for more power," Castaspella continued, taking on a haunting voice, "have long sought other ways to obtain the deep magic…"
She gestured to one mural, depicting a shadowy mass with far too many eyes and several grasping hands, looming over tiny depictions of people. Just looking at the representation of this dark force sent a chill down their spines.
"And those hungry ones found only disaster waiting for them."
Shadow Weaver, who was at the front of the party, stopped and turned back to them.
"The Spell of Obtainment was a mistake, one for which I've paid the price. I don't see why you keep bringing it up."
"Maybe because it feels like you didn't learn a damn thing?" Glimmer asked with faux-sweetness.
Catra tried really hard not to crack up, and Glimmer caught her eye and winked.
"Also, you roped Micah into your twisted dark magic when he was only a child," Castaspella added with a glare, "You could have killed him. And don't give me that bunk about it working until he broke the connection. What you were doing was dangerous, plain and simple, and you used my brother for it without thought to the consequences."
"Micah was an exceptional sorcerer, even then—"
"And that makes it okay?" Casta shot back, fire flicking from her fingers, "Even someone with decades of experience would have been hard pressed to do such a complex bit of magic properly. No matter how talented he was, Micah was a child! He had no business dealing with that kind of magic, especially not dark magic!"
The sorceress calmed a bit, but still glared at Shadow Weaver.
"But you didn't care, did you? That's your problem, really. Even when you were Light Spinner, you were self-centered."
She brushed past Shadow Weaver, taking the lead, and that seemed to end the conversation.
The hallway got darker as they descended a flight of stairs. The atmosphere got more oppressive as they traveled. There wasn't the same level of weirdness that had been on Krytis, but it was still a heavy feeling.
Castaspella and Shadow Weaver stopped, as if examining something, but Adora, not noticing, kept walking.
A circle of light erupted around her, and a massive plume of fire enveloped her. Catra leapt forward with a cry, charging right into the flames. She exited back out moments later, her and Adora tumbling to the ground.
"I'm okay! I'm okay!" Adora gasped, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Adora looked at Catra, still hovering over her, and smiled.
"Did you just jump into fire for me?"
"Shut up, I was worried!" Catra groaned in annoyance, even as she nuzzled Adora's chest and briefly listened to her heart, as if to assure herself that everything was fine.
Glimmer stepped forward, a thoughtful look on her face.
"Guys…there's no heat…is this an illusion?"
Melog padded up next to her, sniffing at the fire before letting off a grumble.
"It is," Catra said, finally picking herself up off her girlfriend, "Melog can practically taste it."
"Handy little friend you've picked up," Castaspella muttered.
"We should still be cautious," Shadow Weaver said, "I doubt all of the fire is illusory."
The group entered the flame, walking through the tunnel of fire as they continued on. Adora hung back a bit, still a little jumpy about her close call, but pushed past it.
Shadow Weaver matched pace with her at the back of the group.
"You and Catra are certainly close," she said conversationally.
"Does it sting?" Adora asked, "All your little mind games with the two of us, trying to pit us against each other, and our bond is stronger than ever."
Shadow Weaver just hummed in reply.
"I'm just wondering if that's wise…"
Adora stopped dead, glaring at Shadow Weaver.
"I think you lost the right to dictate my life a long time ago."
"Some friendly advice, then. She-Ra is our only chance at stopping Horde Prime. She is a being of pure magic, and like all magic, she works best when you are focused, clearheaded. Catra is a distraction right now. The world needs She-Ra, not Adora. If your emotions are pulling you in different directions, if your connections are keeping you from your full potential, then we will be doomed."
Shadow Weaver got close to Adora.
"Besides, haven't you and Catra hurt each other enough?"
Adora merely hummed.
"That's funny."
"How so?"
Then Shadow Weaver stiffened, because Adora had drawn her sword and brought its tip right up to her neck, so quickly that the motion could barely be seen.
"Because focusing on my connections, on the love I have for Catra and my friends, helped me forge this."
Adora flicked the blade with her free hand, making a musical ring.
"Kind of undermines your advice, really. And then there's the ring. While it too is powered by my focus, I find that my greatest will comes from when I protect what I care about. I don't just fight for Etheria, I fight for them. Without my friends, without Catra, I'd have nothing. So here's my theory on what should happen next: I tell you that you're full of it, and you remain as quiet as possible for the rest of the mission unless we actually need your knowledge. We clear?"
"Crystal," Shadow Weaver squeaked.
"Excellent," Adora replied, sheathing her sword and smiling, "Glad we understand each other."
Then Adora walked away, going to join the others. As she settled her pace to match Catra's, she noticed her girlfriend smiling.
"How much of that did you hear?"
"Now, you know the answer to that question," Catra replied, her ears flicking, "And FYI, watching you smack down Shadow Weaver…that was really hot."
Adora just blushed.
"So you liked it? I mean, sometimes I worry that I'm being too protective, I know you don't like that, and—"
Catra's hand on her shoulder cut her off.
"I'm getting used to knowing that someone's in my corner. Let me fight some of my own battles, and we shouldn't have issues, okay?"
Adora nodded.
oOo
Eventually, they exited the hall of fire, and came out in a large cave. Before them was a massive crystal pillar. It gleamed with an inner light, casting the cave in a soft glow, and was covered in First Ones writing.
"That is the failsafe?" Glimmer gasped.
"It's a lot bigger than I thought," Bow said, "How are we going to get it to the Heart?"
"The failsafe is a code," Shadow Weaver replied, "It's stored inside the crystal. We just need the password to open it."
"I think I know it," Castaspella muttered before speaking up, "We're friends of Mara!"
The crystal pillar rumbled. Lines of light shot from the top to the bottom. When the light died, it left cracks behind. The crystal split along those cracks into three separate pieces. Bluish lightning shot between the tops, a tether of energy.
"It was on the message Lance found," Castaspella shrugged, "I asked about it."
"Hang on, I can make something out," Adora said, peering at the crystal, "'Someone needs to go inside and accept the failsafe'?"
"It needs to be bonded to a willing soul and carried to the Heart of Etheria in their body in order to be deployed," Shadow Weaver said.
"And we're sure that's safe?" Bow asked.
"We can't turn back now, not with the failsafe in our grasp."
She stepped toward Adora, but Catra and Melog got in between them, Melog snarling and turning red.
"I know where this is going," Catra said, "You're going to make Adora do it. Why don't you take it?"
Shadow Weaver narrowed her eyes.
"I've been watching you, the whole way in. You've been in here before, haven't you? You could have taken the failsafe yourself and gotten all the power you ever wanted. So why didn't you? What aren't you telling us?"
"You're being paranoid, Catra. This is the only way to stop Prime, Adora understands that well enough," Shadow Weaver replied.
"I notice that you didn't actually answer her question," Bow said, "And now I'm curious myself."
"You're a power-hungry witch, and you didn't take a chance at this power?" Glimmer scoffed, "Yeah, that fish is three days old and I'm not buying it."
"I suggest you answer the question," Castaspella said, fire licking at her fingertips.
Melog snarled in agreement.
With glares on all sides, Shadow Weaver sighed.
"Whoever uses the failsafe must absorb the full magic of the Heart when it is destroyed. However briefly they hold it, that much raw magical power would be too much for anyone. Anyone except She-Ra. Only she could survive the process."
Catra gave a loud growl.
"I knew it! You were using us again!"
"I wouldn't call getting the one person capable of doing this into the room 'using' you."
"Do you know what the Heart nearly did to Adora the last time? What it did to Mara? It nearly killed them both! Mara was so broken up that couldn't stop her ship from crashing and finishing what the magic started! What if Adora doesn't make it?"
"Then the magic of Etheria would be restored through her sacrifice. She would give us the power to bring us to victory and destroy Prime."
"Absolutely not!" Glimmer and Castaspella shouted simultaneously.
"There is no way we're risking Adora like this!" Bow added.
"We don't have any other option!" Shadow Weaver shot back.
"I am not letting the woman I love march to her death!" Catra practically roared. Melog actually did roar in agreement.
"You can't stop this!" Shadow Weaver shouted, matching Catra's volume, "I don't care what you are to Adora, you will not get in the way of her destiny!"
And then suddenly, all the anger and shouting stopped at the sound of something unexpected.
Laughter.
Adora still had her back to them, but her head was thrown back in laughter. After a moment, she stopped, but continued to stare at the crystal pillars.
"You know, I've been hearing that word a lot since I picked up the Sword of Protection. 'It is your destiny,' 'She-Ra is your destiny,' 'You were destined for this,' destiny, destiny, destiny. Was it my destiny to be the key to a superweapon? Was it my destiny to take a path that cost me my best friend, that pit us against each other? Was it my destiny to suffer for the mistakes of people who lived long before I was born?"
She spun around, anger on her face.
"FUCK DESTINY! Fate is a lie, prophecies are bullshit, and I'm not going to follow orders from some doddering old men or wrinkled crones from a thousand years ago! I'm not going to keep getting smacked around for the rest of my life out of some weird penance for the crimes of my ancestors! I refuse to be the puppet of a concept!"
She spun around, glaring at the light.
"I'm not doing this because of destiny. I'm doing it because it's right! Because I chose to protect this planet and its people! Because I want to build a proper future for me, my friends, and my love. Destiny can go suck a cactus!"
Adora resolutely stepped forward. Catra rushed forward and caught her arm, but Adora just turned with a smile.
"Do you trust me?"
Catra didn't answer, but she did let go.
"Ring, can you help me contain the failsafe code?"
Computation systems sixty-five-percent operational. Slowing in download possible.
"Do your best."
Confirmed.
She stepped into the crystal formation. Blue light rained down on her. It felt like lightning bolts spearing her, but she gritted her teeth against the pain. Green light flared around her, mixing with the blue lightning as the energy shot through her. Soon, she wasn't in pain anymore.
After what felt like forever, the light faded, save for the thin aura of green surrounding Adora.
Code scanned and contained. Processing…constructing safety protocols…done. Failsafe for Heart of Etheria ready to deploy at Lantern's discretion.
"And I can safely shut down the Heart?"
Calculating…odds of survival seventy-nine-percent.
"I'll take those odds. Better than a sacrifice play. Keep working on any other safety stuff you can do, though."
Confirmed.
When Adora turned, a glowing sigil was on her chest. Blue light shone from a heart-like shape, and a ring of emerald green surrounded it.
"No one else dies for this. We're ending this, and then we're going home. All of us."
I don't want to hear any arguments, after what Adora's been through in the service of DESTINY, of course she'd be bitter.
Instead, I want to talk for a moment about Shadow Weaver, because I'm not sure I'll get another chance.
F*CK SHADOW WEAVER!
I know there are some people out there who think that her sacrificing herself to save Adora and Catra, her final words of admitting how proud she is of them, that scene somehow equals a redemption arc. This is the Internet, 'Draco in Leather Pants' exists as a trope for a reason. Those people are wrong.
It's the Severus Snape effect, honestly. Here we have a character who is utterly unlikeable, but then they do something that people say justifies everything and makes them a good guy in the end. Here's the thing, though: Snape still did those horrible things. Yes, he was a spy for the Light, yes, he saved Harry's life several times, yes, he did it all out of his Lost Lenore feelings for Lily Potter, and yes, he protected Harry up until the end and gave him valuable information at the cost of his life. He did all this knowing that he'd be considered a bad guy in the story regardless of the good he did, and he was strong enough to bear that weight.
This makes him a brave man. It doesn't make him a good one.
He didn't have to go so far in being the villain of the story, but he did! He abused his position of power and authority, picked on children who could do nothing to protect themselves, and abused Dumbledore's trust in him to get away with it. Even while quietly protecting him from overt attempts on his life, he still made Harry's life as difficult as possible, all out of some petty revenge against a man who'd been dead for over a decade! He found information that Sirius Black was probably innocent, but still intended to hand him over to the authorities to be killed as soon as humanly possible. He ruined Remus Lupin's life by outing him as a werewolf to a society that puts as much fear and hate on that as 80s AIDS victims. He traumatized Neville Longbottom to the point where HE was the poor kid's worst nightmare, and dollars to donuts that Neville wasn't alone in that boat.
I think people get blinded by the transcendently good performance given by the late Alan Rickman, but the fact is, despite the good he accomplished, Severus Snape was still a bully. A bitter man who became far worse than he ever accused James Potter of being. James grew up, Snape only got older.
Whoops, that bit got away from me, back to Shadow Weaver.
Yes, she gave the Rebellion advance warning about the threat of Horde Prime. Yes, she was the key part in the plan to raid the Fright Zone to stop the portal. Yes, she taught Glimmer potent magic that made her a far more effective player on the battlefield for the rest of the series. Yes, she helped capture Double Trouble. Yes, she was instrumental in getting the failsafe. And yes, she got Catra to Adora, who wouldn't have survived without her aid, and then sacrificed herself to save them both.
But she still abused them since they were children. She physically abused Catra from a young age, casually causing her pain and threatening her life on multiple occasions. She gaslit both Catra and Adora, making them think they were worthless without her guidance, that their lives were meaningless without a cause to dedicate every waking moment to. She casually tortured Glimmer. She nearly erased Adora's mind, trying to make her a loyal puppet once more. She manipulated Catra into unwittingly providing her an escape, leaving her to face dire consequences, and she HAD to have known that, she's been in the Horde long enough to know what kind of punishments Catra would likely face. She abused Glimmer's grief over her mother's passing to worm her way into the young queen's confidences, fully intending to make Glimmer her next little tin soldier. She manipulated a situation where Adora had no choice but to take on a potentially life-threatening role in the master plan. She caused a rift between Adora and Catra out of a desire to worm her way into the cracks left in Adora's heart. And let's not forget that her origin story involves traumatizing a kid and murdering her colleagues.
And just because she was on the side of good near the end doesn't mean squat. Key bit in 'Mer-Mysteries', it gets lost because the immediate next line is Adora going off on Glimmer for dismissing the guards and furthering the seasonal subplot of their fraying friendship, but Shadow Weaver played gaslight even then! Remember, "She's always been paranoid like this you know." As if Adora didn't have good reason to be paranoid.
One noble act does not a life of villainy redeem! She did lasting psychological harm to Adora and Catra, nearly ruined their lives with her actions. One ended up with a massive savior complex, the other with abandonment and rage issues the size of Texas, and both will spend the rest of their lives trying to move past it all, tempering their impulses to become healthier individuals. That admission of pride at the end might as well be a slap in the face after everything she's put them through. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing those two girls owe Shadow Weaver is some spit for her grave.