Raw power pours off the Scarlet Witch - and that's who she is now, not Cecilia Maximoff, not a mother and teacher and leader - the Scarlet Witch has always survived, has clawed her way along - 

The air distorts around her, glowing red, as she fights, tears blurring her vision even more, spells pouring from her lips to bind one daughter, counter another's spells, fend off the Cuckoo sisters' many psychic attacks, protect her twin sister - keep her father and other siblings out of this fight - 

And, above all, keep her perfect world stable.

She can always rebuild.

She can always resurrect the dead, reset people's memories of this, not miss whatever hole let Loki and the Cuckoo sisters slip through - 

She just has to not drop these threads - 

Miriana is past words, as she matches her niece, hit for hit - her niece had come armed, wielding a staff, and Miriana had lost a few precious moments trying to get a weapon of her own - 

She doesn't understand what's going on, and Sue's well past being able to explain.

Neither of them have ever been good at talking.

Instead, they fight, each protecting what they love most.

A thousand blows rain down between the two speedsters for each spell their mage twins get off, but Sue's a match for her in a way Miriana had never expected.

This won't be an easy fight.

Nausicaa's spells come out as screams, raw intent lashing around pleas for her mother to just understand - 

The world around them shakes.

And Sue fights like she's never fought before in any life, pushing herself until she can't afford to drop out of acceleration, her heart's beating so fast, her body systems are falling out of sync with each other - 

She's not sure she'll survive this.

But she's never been sure she'd survive winning, anyways.

(She knows what'll happen if she loses.)

(She'll be put back.)

(She won't remember a thing.)

The five Cuckoo sisters - Five-in-One - function as a single unit, countering, attacking, their minds moving as one mind, trying to pry away their old professors' defenses, trying to bolster Loki - 

But Loki already knows it won't stop them from losing.

She lashes out at the Scarlet Witch, again and again, but she might as well be attacking with feathers, for all the impact her spells are doing.

The world slows down, a little. Feels misty and disconnected, a little.

There's a crow landing by her side.

The crow takes off, feathers swirling.

And a blow from the Scarlet Witch drives Loki to her knees.

Her hand lands on something cold, hard, metal.

She looks down.

She's holding a gun, inscribed with runes that she barely recognizes - 

Loki takes a deep breath, vaguely noticing she's not a teenager anymore, back in the child's body she'd had in the real world - 

She raises the gun.

Points it at the Scarlet Witch, who's turned away to focus on Nausicaa, across the room - 

And shoots.

And the world shatters.