Mount Wundagore | Soon after the last post

[scarlet_chaos]

Annie and America came leaping through a star-shaped portal, the former immediately grabbing hold of the latter as soon as they landed.

Annie wasn't quite limping yet, as she carelessly grabbed America by the arm to haul her over towards Wanda -- help Wanda -- but she was clearly in pretty bad shape. It had been a long day. Especially since it didn't seem like a real priority to take care with a body you were controlling, and whose pain you couldn't directly feel.

Lot of that going on today, clearly, since Annie also wasn't taking the least bit of care as she manhandled America. (Which, honestly, was probably a pretty good indication that Annie still wasn't driving, if there had been any doubt.)

America Chavez	America struggled against Annie's hold, which really was useless. Sure, she had been told Annie had powers, but the super strength was something she hadn't thought about. "Please," America said as Wanda approached her. "This isn't what your children would want."
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda took the reigns from Annie, lifting America up into the air and dragging her towards the pedestal in front of the Scarlet Witch statue. "They'll never know."
America Chavez	But you will--" That was about all of the coercion America could get out before Wanda started sucking the power--and life--out of her.
Annie Hargreeves	Annie probably should have cared more about that, really. Having your friend throw a teenager on what sure appeared to be an altar and start sucking the life out of her? Just not something Annie usually co-signed, you know? And on some level -- some deep, frustrated, hysterical level -- she cared a lot. But right now, she just crossed her arms around herself, watching America's suffering impassively. They were here to help Wanda. It was a shame America couldn't be more cooperative.
Wong	Wong, meanwhile, had actually survived being thrown off a cliff. Sure, he was in pain, but he was alive. He conjured up a grapple (a glowy orange one!) and started making his way back up to the altar, trying to get to America in time.
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda didn't notice any grappling, too busy trying to drain America of her power. In the back of her head she hoped that maybe--maybe--America could survive this. It was really the only thought helping her ignore America's screams. Despite all of this, she'd have to be blind not to notice the cloud of black approaching the tower. What the hell was that?
Zombie!Strange	If anyone had zombies on their adventure bingo card...well, you were odd, but you'd be correct! The zombie in question looked a whole lot like a rotting Stephen Strange with a ponytail, and it seemed like he had some control over some demonic spirit bat things. Which was pretty sweet. Unless you were on the receiving end of it, like Annie would be once he got closer.
Annie Hargreeves	Thank goodness (...thank badness?) for those Ultrons -- that had been so much power that Annie was still draining the dregs of what she'd siphoned off them from a couple universe-skips away. She fired a pair of bright, strong blasts from her hands at the demons swirling towards her, illuminating the cave like a flash bulb. The good news: demons probably didn't, like, love that kind of thing. The bad news: that was pretty much a Hail Mary (pun intended, since Annie would be reflecting on how...you know, occulty this all seemed, once she had her free will back.) It was a good thing she was a pretty talented martial artist and she had that super-strength, because the light show was probably over for today.
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda shot off some blasts of her own, trying to keep the demons (?) off both Annie and herself. She was also pretty pissed at Stephen for pulling this crap. "Dreamwalking? You hypocrite!"
Zombie!Strange	Hey, hey, she did the morally questionable thing first! At least he was possessing a dead guy. "This time it's going to take more than killing me to kill me." He focused his power on Wanda, calling forth demons to encircle themselves around her.
Wong	Wong, meanwhile, had climbed his way up back to the altar and was faced...with a zombie version of his friend. Luckily, Wong was used to seeing weird shit. "I don't even want to know!" Instead he helped Strange trap Wanda, encircling her with magic so she was essentially trapped in a ball with demons.
Annie Hargreeves	Hey, were either of you guys counting on getting hit really, really hard? Because here was Annie, running at Stephen with a yell and doing her very best to put her foot right through his chest with a kick. ...maybe not something to try on a decaying body? Ew?
Zombie!Strange	Yeah, there was a disgusting amount of give there. So much so, in fact, that when she pulled her foot away, she'd be without a sneaker. Stephen looked down at his chest that now had a shoe embedded in it. "Annie." There would have been more chiding but Wanda's hand broke through Wong's magic.
Wong	Well, shit. Wong tried to double up on his barriers but Wanda was getting through them. He looked over at America, who seemed to still be recovering. "Strange!" Wong called, having to pause for a moment to send a blast over at Annie, who didn't seem to be stopping despite missing a shoe. "Take America's power. There's no other way." Wanda had been right about one thing; it was either America or the rest of the multiverse.
Zombie!Strange	Well, Stephen just wasn't going to accept that. He approached America, who's eyes widened as she got a good look at him. "It's me. In other me's body."
America Chavez	"You're going to take my power, aren't you?" America asked, seemingly not as scared by the prospect now. "It's okay. I understand." She had seen what Wanda was capable of and maybe, maybe this was for the best.
Zombie!Strange	"No, America," he said. He was already so, so sorry this heartfelt speech was coming from a corpse. "I've come here to tell you to trust yourself, trust your power. That's how we stop her." Stephen cut America off when she tried to argue. "You can control it. You have been all along. Every time you've opened a portal you've sent us exactly where we needed to go."
America Chavez	"What about the first time?" America asked.
Zombie!Strange	There was a noise from behind them, and Stephen turned to see Wanda fully breaking free of Wong's hold. They didn't have much time. "Even that led you to this moment," Strange told her. "You are gonna kick that witch's ass." Stephen cried out as he was hit with one of Wanda's blasts. This one stuck, the magic starting to disintegrate his already dead arm.
America Chavez	America gasped as Stephen got taken down by the hit, watching in horror as his (other his) body started to disintegrate. She pulled herself up from the altar, steeling her nerves. Instead she focused on the anger she felt at being put in this position, and directed it towards the woman responsible. Feeling power flow through her, America leapt off the altar and punched Wanda square in the face, a burst of star-shaped energy coming out of her fist.
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda had been thrown by the zombies, and even more thrown by Wong being alive. The fact this child had just hauled up and punched her in the face sent her reeling. She stumbled, focusing all of her efforts on trying not to fall off the side of the tower, which meant the mental hold she had on Annie (which had already been iffy due to the zombies and the demons) weakened.
Annie Hargreeves	It was like coming up for air. That was the best comparison Annie could think of, as a sense of control over her own body returned to her. She gasped, the impulse to help Wanda at all costs disappearing as she looked down at her hand and slowly closed it into a fist of her own free will. Fuck yes. Not that it looked like she'd be needed much, just now. "Fuck yeah, America!" she shouted, throwing that fist up in the air in a wild cheer. There were so many things in play right now -- grief, betrayal, confusion, disgust (her poor shoe), pain that would definitely catch up to her over the next few hours -- but more than anything, right now, Annie was so fucking proud of her new young friend.
America Chavez	Now that she had gotten one hit in, it was almost hard to stop. America kept punching Wanda over, and over, not even noticing how angry she was making the witch.
The Scarlet Witch	Oh, she'd notice soon enough. Wanda took a couple of the hits, still caught by surprise. Eventually she had enough of playing. She raised her hand to stop America mid-punch, and used the other to grab her throat. "That's enough of that."
America Chavez	America gasped for air, reaching for the hand Wanda had around her throat. "I can't beat you," she realized, choking out the words. "But I can give you what you want." She understood now. This is what she should have done all along. A star-shaped portal appeared behind Wanda, and if you looked closely you'd see it led to a living room with two little boys watching TV.

The Scarlet Witch	Wanda had heard the sound of a portal opening behind her, but it took a second to realize just where it led to. She released America's throat as she realized where they were. Her home. Where her boys were. She didn't hesitate to step through the portal, arms reaching out to her children. "Tommy, Billy--"
Billy and Tommy Maximoff	The two boys, of course, immediately started screaming and calling for their actual mother. A redheaded lady who looked like their mother wearing a cape just portaled into their living room, of course they'd start screaming.
838! Wanda Maximoff	The other Wanda, still beaten and bruised from her forced Illuminati adventure, rushed down the stairs at the sound of her sons screaming. "Boys, it's okay," Wanda urged, holding up a glowing red hand at the other Wanda, but merely for protection. She didn't want to hurt this woman. She had enough time to realize what had been going on.
The Scarlet Witch	This Wanda, however, was not thinking clearly. At all. "I'm their mother!" she shouted, blasting the other Wanda into a wall. "Get away from them!"
Annie Hargreeves	Annie, who had been taking stock of their situation (and her missing shoe, so fucking gross), was making her way over to America's side in case backup was needed. And at the sight of Wanda throwing her other self aside like a ragdoll -- the other self who moved and looked and acted so much like the Wanda Annie considered her friend, before all of this had happened -- she was running to close the distance between herself and the portal. (Well. Limp-running, between the lost shoe and the damage she'd accumulated during her fights.)
Zombie!Strange	"No!" Strange called from where he was stuck on the ground. No limbs would do that to you. "Not yet." He understood what America had been doing, giving Wanda what she wanted. Despite the Darkhold influencing her, she was still an Avenger underneath it all. She'd understand what she had done.
The Scarlet Witch	Wanda was gone enough that she had fully expected Tommy and Billy to come running to her once she got that other Wanda out of the way. Instead, to her surprise, they started hurling whatever they could reach at her. She thought one of them even called her a witch. "Boys, please," she said, dodging a thrown toy. After two or three more tries to get them to calm down, she finally lost her temper. "Boys, stop it!"
Billy and Tommy Maximoff	Billy and Tommy had never heard their mother yell at them like that before. It was enough to send them fleeing behind the stairs. "Don't hurt us," Billy begged. He looked over at where his actual mother was pulling herself up off the floor, but it was slow moving. Tommy, crying now, added, "Please."
Wanda Maximoff	"I would never--I would never hurt you." The scared look on her boys' face made something click inside of Wanda. Whatever hold the Darkhold had on her wasn't strong enough to have her ignore their scared faces. "I'm--I'm not a monster." Suddenly she realized what she had done. She had hurt them. By hurting their mother. By scaring them. She had hurt Annie, she had hurt Stephen, she had almost killed a little girl. All for boys who belonged to someone else. America had been right; her Tommy and Billy wouldn't have wanted this. Wanda made a choking noise, stumbling back until she fell on her knees. What was she supposed to do now?
Annie Hargreeves	This really was what had needed to happen all along, wasn't it? It was the only way this could have gone. "Oh, Wanda," Annie whispered, and in spite of herself (or maybe, at least in part, because of what they'd all been through), she could feel herself starting to cry, too. You could feel her pain from all the way over here. And as much as Wanda had put them through, Annie's heart still broke for her. But Annie knew Wanda needed to work through the pain and what she had done to herself and to all of them, too. The time for comfort -- like the time for fighting -- was over. "Good job," Annie said softly, refocusing on America. "Good job, honey."
838!Wanda Maximoff	The other Wanda had pulled herself up off the floor, immediately accepting the hugs from Tommy and Billy as they threw themselves at her in relief. They protested as she moved towards the other Wanda. "No, it's okay," she assured them. "It's okay." She approached her other self slowly, until she was close enough to put a hand on her cheek, forcing this Wanda to meet her eyes. "Know that they'll be loved."
Wanda Maximoff	It was what Wanda needed to hear. Of course the other her would know what to say. Maybe she wasn't meant to be a mother, but at least she knew that somewhere out there, she was happy. It was a tough truth to accept, but she had to accept it, and be content with at least having that. Now she had to fix the mess she had created. Again. She pulled herself onto her feet, sparing one last glance at Tommy and Billy before goign back through the portal. She approached Annie and America. "I--" Sorry didn't seem like a big enough word to use. But she was sorry. She was so, so sorry she had let this go so far. That she allowed herself to be corrupted.
Annie Hargreeves	After everything the past few days, it was a small enough action, but Annie automatically stepped between Wanda and America. A small action, but one that still probably said a lot. She didn't even know what to say. 'Sorry' would never have cut it, but Annie didn't know where to start with what she needed to say and hear from Wanda. "Know that you're loved, too," she offered, reaching up to swipe at her eyes. Still present tense. Even after everything.
Wanda Maximoff	Wanda didn't risk touching Annie, not sure if she'd be able to handle her flinching away from her. Her stepping in front of America hurt enough, even it was warranted. She gave Annie a small smile, before flying up to the altar. She gave Stephen a knowing look before reaching up with her magic with both hands to grab a hold of the tower.
Zombie!Strange	Stephen nodded, understanding. He called out to the others, "Go, now."
Annie Hargreeves	It was hard to leave him, even knowing that there was a Stephen Dreamwalking somewhere else and controlling the zombie. It was harder still to leave Wanda, even if Annie knew she had to do this. It was like watching Maeve leap out of that window with Soldier Boy all over again -- except Annie didn't think that this was going to end with finding Wanda breathing and bruised in a dumpster. She didn't take her eyes off Wanda as she hurried over into the portal America had created. It felt like bearing witness. But also like saying goodbye.
Wanda Maximoff	The tower started to shake, bits of it breaking off as the others hurried to the portal. "I opened the Darkhold. I have to close it. No one will ever be tempted by it again." She gave a reassuring nod to Annie, letting her know it was okay to go. At least she'd have Stephen with her, in the end. Even if he looked...not great.
Annie Hargreeves	Annie stepped through the portal, looking back to watch Wanda even as she reached out to put a reassuring (and, again, very proud) hand on America's shoulder. This was necessary, she knew, but it hurt all the way down to her core, anyway. She'd never get a chance to work things out with Wanda. To talk about this. To forgive her. Maybe they'd meet again in another life. Or, you know. Another universe. She didn't have long to consider it, though, as the portal drew into itself from the edges and closed behind them.
Wanda Maximoff	The Scarlet Witch statue started to crumble as the portal closed. Wanda felt a wave of relief at the sight of her friends being safe, and this monument to what she now knew as evil withering away. More pieces of the building fell as Wanda pulled harder, ready to go down with Mount Wundagore. At the last moment, however, she disappeared in a flash of red as the tower collapsed in on itself. Call it a change of heart.

[All done (aside from some epilogue-y stuff)! NFI, NFB but OOC is appreciated. Taken from Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and preplayed with the awesome defenderofdesmoines who is my favorite person ever. Not the last you've seen of Wanda which is either a threat or a promise depending on how you look at it]