Wanda, Valkyrie, and I took on the three Chitauri ships that were charging towards us in the sky. Wanda went for the left one, Valkyrie for the right, and I was left with the center one. I slowed my pace and let my fellow female warriors charge ahead of me, letting even Kona pass me, after she glanced back at me to ensure I was okay. I nodded at her to continue and she charged, leaving me behind.
I then sprinted, breaking the mental barrier between control and the full spectrum of my powers, and as I ran, my body found itself glowing green with every step. The Chitauri monster in the sky made eye contact with me; it roared and beelined directly towards me. Green energy started to flow from my body, I felt release, I felt free, and I threw my hands down to the ground to propel my body up into the air. I didn't need Kona to reach the sky. I pushed myself up into the sky with my own thought, my own power. I felt a scared, yet happy breath fill my lungs as I shot up into the air.
The Chitauri monster opened its mouth to engulf me, but I threw my arms and legs outward, and I let every concealed control of power in me go and I exploded. An explosion of green fire opened from within me and I blew the head of the Chitauri monster's head off. I shot my hands behind me to push my body back up and I landed ungracefully on the back of the monster. I grabbed onto a ridge of its back, it started to lose momentum and fall, and I gasped. If it fell entirely, it would crush our army, as well as Thanos'.
I conjured a shield underneath my knees. I gripped the Monster tightly underneath my fingers and I started to spread the green fire across the body. The ground closed in quickly, I screamed with anxiety as I tried to hurriedly burn the remnants of its body, my allies on the ground started to brace themselves, and I, at last, found my body hitting the ground with a rough thud. No trace of the Chitauri monster remained.
I glanced up and saw Carol flying above me. Kona leapt over my body. She was running underneath Carol, stomping through ground armies for her, as Carol covered the sky. I turned my head to watch her, to see how close she was to the Van, when I saw Thanos jump in front of her, wielding his weapon fiercely and with an anxious rage to get that Gauntlet. I threw my body upright immediately to shoot my hands at him, when Janet, Shuri, and Pepper touched down alongside me. Four colored beams of power shot at Thanos, causing him to hold up his weapon for cover. He caught the majority of my beam; it started to reflect and I threw up a shield for us, it bounced back at him again, and he fell.
I took Pepper's hand as she extended it, she pushed me forward, and I launched myself for where Thanos, Carol, and Kona were about to meet. I flew close to the ground, my arms in front of my head. I passed Kona, ready to collide with Thanos before she could.
But I never did. I watched him pick up his weapon and launch it into the Van underneath Carol. As Carol was inches from entering the Van, Thanos' weapon slid in before she could, and he ignited an explosion from the Van that blew the entire battlefield off its feet.
Carol, Thanos, Kona, and I took the blunt of the explosion. The force of the explosion stopped any sense of momentum in me and I crashed into Kona, we bounced off each other, and we both landed with heavy thuds on the ground.
I heard only the monotonous thumping of my heartbeat; silence took over the battlefield. I lifted my head from the ground, my heavy breaths the single sound I heard. I saw Kona's white fur through the dust, almost entirely black now from the ash of the explosion. She was back to her normal size, I noticed, as I reached to touch her stomach. I felt her breathing. Her eyes didn't open as I called her name.
A spark shocked my hand. I turned my head, saw Carol's lit fist on the ground, and I met her concerned eyes. She had lost the Gauntlet in the explosion. We needed to find it before Thanos did. Time was urgent.
I pushed myself to my knees and captured Kona's body in a bubble. I lifted her from the ground and placed her away from us, underneath an accidental tent of rubble, and I left the shield over her protectively.
Fighting had resumed on the further parts of the battlefield. The closer it came to where the explosion occurred, the more barren the land, the less people we saw.
Carol had flown off in the time I took to protect Kona.
A crater had been formed where the Van exploded. I hustled to climb it. Feet from the top, I was forced to duck, as Carol flew above my head, a purple gust of energy following her. Recognizing the situation was dire, if Thanos used the Power Stone to rid Carol of the fight, I threw my hands to the ground and launched myself over the hill.
I found myself in front of Steve and Thor, who had both been knocked to the ground. I saw Thanos with the Gauntlet, standing tall, proud, reveling in his final grasp of the Gauntlet in his hand.
Tony was standing behind him, unnoticed, and not taking a stand towards Thanos. I followed his eye. He was looking at Strange across the battlefield, the cause as to why he was frozen, and he was accepting his fate. Strange was holding up one finger.
I inhaled a shaky breath. I lit up a fireball in my hand and tossed it at Thanos to grab his attention. He turned my way with a snarl. Steve lunged for my hand, and I sent a flush of energy at him to blow him and Thor away from me. I didn't have time to tell him what was going to happen. I just had to distract Thanos enough for Tony to make his final move.
Tears fell from my eyes. I grunted with rage as I threw continuous fireballs at Thanos from both my hands, whipping them at his shoulders, pushing him back and closer for Tony to attack. I was going to watch my friend die in front of my eyes. I knew he was going to die, and I did nothing.
I hit Thanos' shoulder with a final burning fireball and I lowered my hands. I watched it burn through his armor and settle deep into his shoulder and spread across his arm. As he screamed in agony, I nodded in satisfaction that I had hurt the man who caused the universe's sorrows. He raised the Gauntlet in my direction. I didn't flinch.
Tony grabbed the raised Gauntlet and he struggled against Thanos' might for a mere moment until he was punched down to his knees.
Thanos almost laughed in his face. A grin spread across his features, his hand raised in the air, and he kept eye contact with Tony as he muttered proudly, "I am inevitable," and snapped his fingers once more.
The only sound in our ears was the clunking of metal scraping against metal. No thunder, no flash of light. It was just Thanos, holding his fingers in a snap, his brow clenched and his lips split in utter confusion.
I smiled softly as Tony raised his own hand, facing outwards. He showed Thanos the Stones he had knocked out of the Gauntlet and he proudly wielded them in the knuckles of his suit. Lightning ran up his arm, he was panting, his brow clenched in pain, but he grunted, "And I... Am Iron Man," before he snapped his fingers.
It was then where a flash of white light blinded the battlefield. Thunder started to rumble in the darkened sky when the normal light returned.
Dust began to float in the wind. Thanos' army began to fade into the wind, slowly, one by one. The foot soldiers disappeared and the ships in the sky vanished.
Thanos watched. He slowly sat on a stump behind him. He watched his army die, his Children, with no visible sign of remorse for any of them. His chest rose and fell slowly. He was conscious to show no signs of fear as he was the final one left on the battlefield. Thanos stared at his hand as it began to fade. Quicker than it started, the wind ate away at his body, and Thanos, the Mighty Titan, vanished to dust.
Tony fell backwards. He was ghostly white; a dark blue covered the veins in his neck, his lips, and underneath his eyes. He didn't move. His eyes barely had the energy to move. His eyes were on me, the only thing in his sight, and I stepped through a portal to be closer to him.
I crouched in front of him and I put my hand on his. His eyes watered with fear as he stared at me. He had close to no time left.
"You need to hold on so they can say goodbye, Tony," I whispered. I nodded in reassurance and tears spilled from my eyes. I smiled at him, though he could not make any reaction to my words. I shook my head. "God, Tony, there's a million things I could say to you right now, but... I just... Despite all the galaxies I'll explore, every planet, I'll never live up be even close to the Universe's Greatest Defender. I won't try and I'll leave that title alone, okay? I'll be nice to you, you can have it, yeah?"
Tony's hand flinched in my own. I smiled at him. I looked behind me as I heard the familiar sound of a suit flying in. Rhodey. I rubbed Tony's hand with my finger, my own final goodbye, then I let it lay on his lap. I stepped away from him.
Rhodey fell on his knees in front of Tony. He was already crying softly when his mask rescinded. He looked at his best friend, his face twisted, trying to hold back the brunt of his tears. He put his forehead on Tony's, his eyes closed. He had no words to say.
Steve and Thor stepped beside me. I didn't have it in me to look at either of them.
The detaching of webbing hit my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut, a soft exhale leaving my chest. Steve took my hand.
"Mr. Stark?" quivered Peter's voice immediately. He took Rhodey's spot in front of Tony, his hands on Tony's. Tears fell freely from his eyes. His voice broke with every word. He was entirely flustered, his heart was shattering, and he could barely think of words to say to his idol as he died in front of him. "Mr. Stark, hey, hey, can you hear me? It's Peter. Hey, we won, Mr. Stark. We won, Mr. Stark, you did it, Sir, you did it. I'm sorry, Tony..."
Pepper landed softly behind him. Her hands patted Peter's shoulder and he lowered his head into his chest, a heavy sob coming from his mouth. I slipped my hand out from Steve's to take Peter from Pepper. He tucked his head into me, I held him in my arms, and he sobbed quietly into my chest.
"Hey," greeted Pepper quietly as she knelt in front of Tony.
Tony had saved his breath for his wife. "Hey, Pep," he whispered to her.
"Hey, Pep," whispered Tony
Pepper intertwined their fingers and put their hands over his chest, his Reactor. His heart. She smiled at him. "Tony, look at me," she told him, as his eyes started to drift. He did as she asked. "We're gonna be okay. You can rest now."
With her words, Tony accepted his fate. His eyes fell from focusing on hers. The bright light on his chest dimmed until it was no more.
Pepper lowered her head and inhaled a quiet sob. She leaned forward to press her lips to his warm cheek, then her head fell on his shoulder and she sobbed for her husband, for their daughter.
The battle was done.