The Tragedy of Living

16

Maw grabbed the Gauntlet with his telekinesis of bricks. He did the same for T'Challa, trying to stop him from getting the glove.

"I got it!" Peter exclaimed, grabbing the Gauntlet with his webshooters and was surrounded by Chitauri. "Activate Instant Kill!"

The Robotic Spider Legs came out of his back, stabbing the Chitauri.

2014!Thanos tried to kill Wanda with his double-bladed sword, but Wanda pushed it away. She then used her powers to try and crush 2014!Thanos.

"Rain fire!" 2014!Thanos ordered.

"But sire, our troops!" Glaive cried.

"Just do it!"

The spaceship cannons appeared and started firing at the heroes. It flung Wanda away. Wong made a shield and held it up. The others did the same. Suddenly, one of the cannons hit a dam. Water began flooding into the battlefield.

Pepper, the first to notice, asked, "Uh, is anyone else seeing this?"

Doctor Strange looked at the broken dam and used his magic to stop the water from flooding the battlefield. Meanwhile, Peter was still battling the Chitauri.

"I got this," Peter said. "I got this! Okay, I don't got this. Somebody, help!"

"Hey, Queens, heads up," Steve called.

Steve threw 2013!Mjölnir and Peter shot a web, gliding along.

Pepper caught the teenager and said, "Hang on. I got you, kid." She dropped him on Valkyrie's Pegasus.

"Hey!" Peter cried. "Nice to meet you -- Oh, my God!"

The cannons knocked Peter off the Pegasus, then they turned to face something in the sky as all the cannons began shooting at something.

"What the hell is this?" Sam asked.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., what are they firing at?" Tony questioned.

"Something just entered the upper atmosphere," F.R.I.D.A.Y. answered.

A bright light of thundering energy came surging down as Carol Danvers flew through the ship, resulting in an explosion and the ship crash-landed in the lake.

"Oh, yeah!" Rocket exclaimed.

"Danvers, we need an assist here," Steve said.

Scott finally activated the Quantum Tunnel. Carol Danvers landed near Peter, who was on the ground, weirdly hugging the Gauntlet with his body.

"Hi," Peter greeted. "I'm - Peter Parker."

"Hey, Peter Parker," Carol replied. "You got something for me?"

Peter got up and passed her the Gauntlet. "I don't know how you're gonna get it through all that."

Wanda arrived, Valkyrie flying on her Pegasus as she arrived.

"Don't worry," Wanda said.

"She's got help," Okoye and Elsie added. Pepper landed next to Okoye. Mantis, Elsie, Shuri, the Wasp, 2014!Gamora and Nebula. 2014!Thanos' army charged while the women helped Carol go through the Outsiders, Sakaarans and Chitauri. 2014!Gamora took out a gorilla while Okoye and Elsie took out Glaive.

Wanda and Valkyrie destroyed two leviathans. Carol started flying towards the van with the Gauntlet, flying past enemies and went through enemy blockades that were in her way with ease. 2014!Thanos, seeing everything, started running to Carol, but was stopped by Pepper, Shuri and the Wasp, who blasted him back. 2014!Thanos, after seeing Carol fly past him, threw his double sword at the van, destroying it and the Quantum Realm Tunnel, throwing Carol backwards and lost her grip on the Gauntlet, which fell to the ground. Doctor Strange steadied the water after the explosion. In the final brawl for the Stark Gauntlet, Tony moved one of 2014!Thanos' enemies aside and saw the Gauntlet. He ran to get it, but saw 2014!Thanos and tackled him. 2014!Thanos smacked Tony away, knocking him out.

Thor arrived with Stormbreaker and 2013!Mjölnir in an attempt to pin 2014!Thanos' arm down, with assistance from Captain America. However, 2014!Thanos overpowered them and knocked them both out. After picking up the Gauntlet, Carol arrived, punching away at 2014!Thanos while he was holding the Gauntlet. She kept punching him, but 2014!Thanos grabbed her by the arm and flung her away. 2014!Thanos put on the Gauntlet, gamma radiation from the Stones eating at him as he tried to snap, but Carol arose again, and stopped his fingers from snapping and opened his hand. 2014!Thanos head-butted her, but it did nothing. Just as Carol was gaining the upper hand by rising up and forcing 2014!Thanos to his knees, 2014!Thanos pulled the Power Stone from the Gauntlet and used it in his free hand to hit Carol away. Tony looked in question at Doctor Strange, who simply raised one finger, reminding him that the one win over 2014!Thanos he'd foreseen was now at risk. Tony nodded. 2014!Thanos put the Power Stone back into the Gauntlet, yelling from the gamma radiation coursing through him, until Tony made one last attack on 2014!Thanos, pulling on the Gauntlet before 2014!Thanos punched him away.

"I am - inevitable," 2014!Thanos said.

2014!Thanos snapped his fingers, but nothing happened except a metallic 'clink'. He saw the Infinity Stones were missing. Tony had the stones in his own gauntlet, the gamma radiation coursing through him, to 2014!Thanos' shock.

"And I - am - Iron Man," Tony shot back.

Tony snapped his fingers with a loud 'CLANG' and there was a blinding flash of white. Rocket fired at a leviathan and before it devoured him, it crumbled into ash. The Black Order started crumbling to ash. T'Challa and Quill looked around in surprise; Steve looked on in exhaustion, knowing they'd won. 2014!Thanos, in horror, looked around and saw his entire army disintegrating. He looked at Steve, who just stared at him. 2014!Thanos sat and mourned before slowly being erased from existence himself.

The power of the gauntlet's raw energy had left Tony's entire right side fatally injured. He stumbled for a bit before his body collapsed beside a pile of debris. Rhodey flew in and went up to Tony to see his longtime colleague and friend fading away. He bowed his head, knowing the damage was done. Peter flew in and saw Tony collapsed on the ground, soon joined by Elsie who ran up to her nephew.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter called, running up to his fallen mentor. Tears formed in his eyes. "Hey - Mr. Stark? Can you hear me? It's Peter. Hey. We won, Mr. Stark - We won, Mr. Stark. We won. You did it, sir. You did it." He knelt.

Tony was unresponsive. Peter broke down and hugged him.

"I'm sorry - Tony-" Peter trailed, gently led aside to grieve.

Elsie placed a hand on Tony's cheek and smiled sadly. "Your father would be so proud of you." She stepped back, seeing Pepper, to give some room.

Pepper sat in front of the fading Iron Man and said, "Hey."

Tony was barely able to move his head, but managed to look Pepper in the eyes and greeted quietly, "Hey, Pep."

Pepper placed her hand on Tony's Arc Reactor and Tony rested his hand on hers. She took a good look at Tony's fatal injuries before kneeling and called, "F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"Life functions critical," F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied.

Tony smiled with tears in his eyes.

"Tony. Look at me," Pepper instructed, making sure Tony got a long look at her smiling face. "We're gonna be okay. You can rest now."

With that acknowledgment, Tony's Arc Reactor flickered off for good. Pepper could no longer contain her grief and started crying on her shoulder. Tony Stark, Iron Man, Earth's best defender, died. All the heroes gathered and knelt in honor of Tony.

Tears stung Elsie's eyes and Steve pulled her close, an arm around her as she cried.