Both a group of X-Men and the Mastermind sisters, led by Pixie’s mother, have arrived to save Pixie, who is currently under control of the demon Saturnine. Ignoring Saturnine’s demons, which stare down at the humans from the roof, Emma asks who invited the Mastermind trolls. So pejorative, Nightcrawler chides her. German trolls are not so very ugly. The Mastermind twins aren’t German, Psylocke points out. They aren’t twins either, Kurt retorts.
Emma orders them to shut up. One of the demons throws a school desk from the room at them. Unimpressed, Emma remarks that someone has a sense of humor. Let’s see that they don’t keep it for long.
And so the fight of X-Men against demons starts.
A short distance from the beginning battle, Lady Mastermind tells Mrs. Gwynn she is suddenly questioning the cost benefit structure here. Mrs. Gwynn tells her to get her daughter and they’ll discuss payment… of a kind. How is she planning to wrench Pixie away from her new pals? Mastermind asks, ground her?
Nightcrawler takes out the nurse demon.
In the meantime in the basement, Armor, X-23 and Mercury have freed themselves from their cell but have no idea how big the place is. Armor figures there may be another way out. X-23 cuts the water pipes. She’s gonna be sick, Mercury warns, to which X-23 points out she doesn’t eat. An octopus doesn’t have a brain but can still open a jar of peanut butter; it’s a mystery, ok? Mercury replies annoyed.
They climb into the hole X-23 created. Armor vows it’s no mystery what she’s gonna do to Megan Gwynn when she sees her. Mercury plays devils’ advocate, pointing out Pixie’s not been herself. Using her own Pixie dust against her. It’s like being made to drink your own pee. They can’t know what that’s like. Armor retorts she thought she knew who Megan was. She knows who she is. Hisako Ichiki. Armor. Mutant.
Helping her up, Mercury complains she is an elephant in a little Asian girl body. And if she’s so certain, then why is she so sensitive when Wolverine teases her about her name? She is over it, Armor claims. Now she’s like Big Bird. Like when he decided he wanted a real name, not just a description. He is a big bird, Mercury points out as they begin crawling through the pipe. That’s not the point. That’s like saying she is made of mercury. He found out that nobody else though he was just a Big Bird. He totally owns his name. She’s like that. She’s like nuts, Mercury sighs, then admits she loved Sesame Street. Hisako agrees.
A mistake, Laura announces. She just realized that, if they had let Pixie stab them with her Soul Dagger, the spell would have been broken. Forgive her for not wanting to get stabbed! Mercury complains.
Outside, Saturnine orders Pixie to get his sword. He tells her to go to her mother, show her the Soul Dagger and bind her magic to it. He wants her magic, Pixie’s soul, his sword. And if she will not give it to her, then she will take the dagger and cut it from her. Pixie accedes and, after some concentration, teleports to her mother’s side.
What are they doing here? she complains as she sees the Mastermind sisters. Mrs. Gwynn explains they are here to help. Family helping family. They are her blood. They share a father. “Hello, little sister,” Regan states with a wave. They need them… With a smile, Megan remarks she always wanted to be part of a real sister act. Very Enid Blyton. A moment later, she attacks Regan. Manifesting her Soul Dagger, she warns her mother she’s next…
Emma orders Psylocke to take care of the big one. Here comes grandma, Martinique warns as Emma joins them. She touches Pixie’s shoulder and turns to her human form. She came, Megan marvels. Of course she came, Emma agrees. Pixie hits her in the stomach. As Emma goes down, Pixie tells her she shouldn’t have, not yet, and apologizes.
She draws her Soul Dagger and starts a spell with her mother, allowing the dagger to turn into a larger Soulsword which she hands to the demon Saturnine. Having what he needs, he kills the other demons who have outlived their usefulness. He loves it when someone else does his homework for him, Rockslide remarks. Saturnine announces that, with this newly forged Soulsword, once more he will be the ultimate reckoning on the road of lost souls, but not merely as a guardian, but its ruler! Where once Zarathos spat upon him, where once Asmodeus treated him as his minion, there he will be triumphant. But the magic of this sword will not cut their stinking mutant flesh from their bones!
Psylocke taunts why doesn’t he put his new toy away and come and get them? Their pain will be his pleasure! he announces and impales himself on the sword. The result – his slaying – seems to come as a surprise, as he was victim of an illusion.
Inside the airshaft, X-23 smells fresh air and brimstone and kicks out the grate. Outside, they see Nightcrawler out of it and barely conscious as he recites German children songs. Pixie dust, Armor remarks. She recognizes that demented rictus anywhere. They get him up. He is so happy he found them, he slurs. X-23 orders him to cooperate or she will render him unconscious. She thinks he’s doing the best he can, one of the other girls points out. Together they try to lead him away, complaining it’s like trying to carry a giant blue lasagna without the pan.
They find the others. With no idea what-s going on, X-23 nevertheless attacks the Mastermind sisters. “No!” Pixie protests and teleports the sisters away. That’s new, Armor admits.
Emma order Mrs. Gwynn to get her hands off her or she’ll put them in a box and mail them to Liberia! Crying, Pixie hugs Emma and apologizes. She couldn’t let her stop them from making the illusion. Saturnine still had to think she was in his grasp but… She begins hiccupping. She wasn’t, Megan explains. Not since the moment she was able to remember she’s an X-Man. And Emma came and… and they are not her sisters! Her mother just brought some extra firepower and she’s not known for her excellent decision making and… Emma orders her to stop babbling, then explains Megan needs to talk with her mother.
Psylocke asks Emma if she thinks it’s true. Emma thinks so. Pixie angrily tells her mother her father was a coalminer who died in a mining accident. No, her mother tells her, her father was Jason Wyngarde. He died in a hospital, asking Jean Grey for forgiveness and the stupid woman gave it to him. She’s just being crafty again, Megan accuses her and orders her to tell the truth. She is, Mrs. Gwynn assures her. She made many mistakes but she doesn’t count giving her to her gran and, though it pains her to admit it, giving her to the X-Men among them. And now she is giving her the gift of her past and her mother’s craft.
Pixie doesn’t want it, still not willing to believe the truth about her father. Mrs. Gwynn assures her it’s true and they hug. She tells her daughter it’s time to go home. Just let her say goodbye, Megan asks and turns to the X-Men. In the meantime, her mother teleports away. Pixie belatedly realizes she was tricked again. “Well, bye, mom,” she states bitterly.
