Pixie is asleep, dreaming, unaware that she is surrounded by demons. A big red one, their leader, orders the others to wake the chained girl up. The other asks what difference it makes whether she dies with her eyes open or closed.
Semi-aware, Pixie tells herself she isn’t dying… The red demon snarls at the “nurse” demon that, if the girl dies, he will hold her responsible. The nurse retorts it’s not her fault they drained her dry. He said they could control her, that they knew her weakness. She has a void in her soul, the red demon replies. She has desires. She is nothing but weakness. Pressing a button, the nurse agrees. They filled the void. Spoke to those desires with her own pixie dust. It has controlled her and will bring the other to them, but-but with what force? He said that Pixie would come alone and what happened? Near disaster!
Pixie’s fantasy of the school prom:
Pixie orders her friends locked up.
reality:
While in reality, the demon complains it took all their resources to get X-23 back under control. And worse, unlike the others, no part of her has been willing. And because of that, they are in the prisoner business.
Nowheresville: In the basement of the building. Mercury, Armor and X-23, still asleep, are being kept prisoners. Laura awakes relatively quickly.
Upstairs, the red demon addresses Pixie directly. He knows she is just as much magic as want and soon she’ll know it too. She just needs some convincing. She wants her mother, she moans. He wants her mother too, isn’t that nice? But he wants her here away from her land and people, away from her defenses. Again the nurse presses a button.
Elsewhere, Pixie’s mother sits on a small desert island, her only company a penguin. She’s seen slaughtered pigs with more imagination, she announces bored. But then they were lovely Welsh pigs. She yawns demonstratively and remarks Regan at least looks old enough to have learned a thing or two. The surroundings change to space. Unimpressed, Mrs. Gwynn remarks that somehow she is still breathing.
Finally, the illusions dissipate to reveal she is in the Wyngarde mansion. Regan protests she is not old. She is afraid this side of the room begs to differ, Mrs. Gwynn announces and asks her to sit down.
Regan and her estranged half-sister, Martinique, ask what the hell she wants. She wants them both to grow up, is the blunt reply. She wants them to help her find her daughter, their half-sister. Not interested, comes the reply, there is nothing she can tell them about their father they don’t already know. At least not in the broad strokes. And she may have noticed they aren’t detail-oriented. Regan adds they know that they are half-sisters. That horndog Wyngarde left a string of brats from here to next breakfast. It’s nothing to do with them.
Aren’t they the least bit curious? Mrs. Gywnn asks and creates an illusionary image of Pixie. She has to be joking! Martinique bursts out. Does old Frosty knickers know? Regan adds. Mrs. Gwynn tells them not to be ridiculous. The X-Men think Megan the miracle progeny of a coalminer and the town totty. Not a mutant and a faerie. And that’s the way she wanted it. It was better she rambles that Megan be raised by her grandfolks. And the X-Men were meant to better the best things about her, but they lost her and she is done with them.
She’s sorry it didn’t work out, Regan mocks. Annoyed, Mrs. Gwynn orders her to stop prattling. They can continue to take their frustration out on their dead father and each other or they can choose a destiny full of power older than they can imagine! For a moment, it seems as if the flames from the fireplace engulf them. But it takes three, she continues. Always has, always will. Bell, book and candle, Deer, boar and wolf. Bacon, lettuce and tomato, Martinique adds, they get it.
For now, she will be their third, Mrs. Gwynn states, and when they find Megan they will be complete and even more powerful! Martinique points out that, as an X-Man, Pixie will never agree. Mrs. Gwynn retorts that Martinique and Regan never agree on anything and still wreak havoc together. And what Megan wants is irrelevant. It’s what she is, that matters…
X-23 has gotten up in the dirty cell she shares with Mercury and Armor. She unsheathes her claws and begins to strike at the wall with a snarl, only to find another wall behind. Armor asks her to stop and pull herself together. She hates it here! X-23 mutters and sinks to her knees. Her too, Mercury agrees. Armor suggests she could find a hole with her power. However, when Cessily tries it, she begins to scream in pain. She sinks back, caught by Armor. This is all her fault, Cess muses. She felt this wasn’t right, but she was so happy to look normal again she didn’t fight hard enough. X-23 agrees.
Armor points out that Pixie and her stupid pixie dust did this to them. She said the dust only made nice things and this is what they got. She never gets nice things, Mercury complains. Laura orders her to stop it. Megan Gwynn wanted this. This is what she wants. Maybe somewhere inside her, probably right next to the place where she’s missing a piece of her soul, Armor defends her. No excuse, Laura retorts, and why should she give a damn about Pixie’s soul? Pixie doesn’t give a damn about them!
Standing outside the ruined club with the X-Men, Emma Frost remarks this is a little déclassé. Even for Dazzler. Rockpile points out he thinks this wasn’t a real Dazzler show and Emma sarcastically praises him. Psylocke points out the correct building and Santo smashes an entrance for them. Inside remains of the party can be seen, even though the place is still a wreck.
Elsewhere, the demon nurse gives Pixie her “medicine.” She tries to think of only nice things. Her bike. Being in the kitchen with her grandparents. The image changes to her doting father, to her friends laughing at her. She shouts for someone to help her.
Instantly, both Emma and her mother make contact. The red demon Saturnine picks her up, satisfied. Pixie mutters that she is coming, she can feel it. And everything is going to be different from now on. Still out of it, she asks where her friends are. Relaxing, the nurse tells her.
Saturnine carries her outside. The nurse runs after him, warning that the others downstairs have been away from the dust for hours. They will be recovering! He brutally shoves her away, cracking her head. They will be too late! he shouts. And he will have what he needs.
He steps outside the school building, where Mrs. Gwynn and the Mastermind sisters are already waiting. “Hello mother,” Pixie greets her. Thank the powers she is here, Mrs. Gwynn exclaims. Ahem, Emma Frost (flanked by Anole, Rockslide, Psylocke and Nightcrawler) announces. They are all here…
