The Souls

Tony Stark snapped his fingers. The clang of his Gauntlet was deafening through the field, and was followed by a blinding flash of light.

The battlefield was shocked still. Hardly a move was made. They knew what that meant. On both sides, everyone and everything knew what that meant.

Some would not accept it.

In a final attempt to fight, a Leviathan dove down on Rocket and Groot. Rocket made to cover Groot's body with his, but as it descended to devour them, the monster crumbled to ash around them.

Drax reached a hand out to Mantis, watching her conscienceness fade as an outrider squeezed her throat. He fought uselessly as a gorilla pressed it's foot down on his own.

Just as the outrider was to give its final squeeze, it's hand turned to dust around Mantis' throat. As did the foot on top of Drax. He scrambled up as she fell back to the ground, both with their eyes wide at their disappearing would-be killers.

Hulk threw his good arm over his head when a huge axe came down on him, but nothing hit him but a gentle breeze.

All around, eyes were wide, and breaths slow as they watched. T'Challa shook his head in disbelief. He looked next to him where he met Quill's wide eyes, before both men turned their eyes back to he sight around them.

An exhausted Steve rose to his feet as he saw the unbelievable happen.

Thanos's army was crumbling to dust. Disappearing as they watched.

Disappearing, just as they had.

They watched in silence as each and every one turned to dust.

Thanos watched too. His arms hung limp at his sides as he turned slowly on the spot. He could do nothing but look as they all disappeared. He could do nothing but look as they lost. As he lost. His horror was jarring. His loss, numbing.

Thanos took the few steps to a jutted out rock, and sat down as his breaths came heavily. Slowly, his head fell forward, his eyes closing as he mourned.

It was over. He was beaten.

It was his last thought, before Thanos crumbled into dust, and was swept away in a gust of wind.

Tony Stark watched as the Titan vanished. As he ceased to exist.

He had done it. He had actually done it...

Tony wanted to celebrate his victory. Their victory. But he knew better.

He tried to stumble forward, but the best he could manage was a few steps before he collapsed next to some debris. He leaned back against a large rock, breathing heavily. Painfully.

He had known what it would mean, taking those Stones. Making that Snap. He had known. And he had done it anyway.

And now he would have to suffer the consequences.

There was a loud thud in front of him as a suit of Iron landed. Rhodey approached Tony, kneeling down next to his oldest friend.

He didn't say a word. He could see it in Tony's body and in his eyes. Rhodey lowered his head, closing his eyes.

Behind Tony, another lighter pair of feet landed.

"Mister Stark?" Peter ran up to the hero on the floor, dropping down next to him as Rhodey moved away.

"Hey... Mister Stark? Can you hear me?" the boys voice cracked, choked by the tears falling from his eyes, "It's Peter, Mister Stark."

Tony looked at him and managed a small smile. He wanted to reach up and hug him again. He would have made the last hug last longer if he had known that he wouldn't be able to do it again. But right now, he could barely move. And all he could do was hold his gaze and smile.

Peter tried to smile through his tears, and he failed miserably, "We won, Mister Stark." he sniffed, "We won. Mister Stark. We.. we won. You did it, sir. You did it."

Again Tony tried to reach for him, but his limbs wouldn't move. They never would again.

Peter's tears turned to quiet sobs as he hugged the man close to him. "I'm sorry," he choked, "Tony, I'm sorry."

Soft hands pulled at Peter's shoulders. He didn't even open his eyes to see Gamora gently pull him away, and let him cry into her chest.

She hadn't wanted to pull him aside from the man, but someone else needed to be with him, perhaps a bit more than Peter did.

Pepper Potts sat down in front of the quickly fading Iron Man.

The lump in her throat was ignored as she placed a hand on her husband's cheek.

"Hey." she whispered with a smile.

Tony could hardly move his head, but he blinked slowly up at Pepper's eyes.

"Hey Pep," he whispered.

Her other hand rested on the Arc Reactor on his chest as she looked him over. Assessing his injuries. She knew before she even asked.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"Life functions critical." the voice answered.

It took everything Pepper had not to burst into tears right then. It's all she wanted to do. But she swallowed her tears and locked eyes with the hero in front of her.

"Tony," she said, her voice as strong as she could make it, "Look at me." she waited for his tired eyes to focus on her. To look into her eyes. Her face. Her smile.

"We're gonna be okay." she whispered, "You can rest now."

It was the acknowledgement that Tony needed. As Pepper had known. Tony's eyelids fell, his eyes finally closing. Pepper stared at his face as the light of the Arc Reactor under her fingers slowly started to fade. She waited in agony for it to flicker off completely.

All across the battlefield heros from all over the Universe stared at the dying hero. Mourned the Iron Man. Earth's best defender.

Not even a breath could be heard all across them all, and there was nothing but sorrowful silence...

Until, as if out of nowhere, heavy steps loudly beat against the ground as they ran. Sprinted towards the fallen Avenger.

Heads turned in shock, but no one reacted quickly enough to stop her.

Pepper was the last to hear the commotion, and her head turned only half a second too late.

The light of the Arc Reactor was only a shade away from black when the dark hand knocked Pepper's hand away from it.

She could only gasp as she was shoved aside. The one who had done it paid her no mind. She only concentrated on the one in front of her.

Shuri's hand was full of small black balls, and with surprisingly steady hands, she pressed one onto the fading Arc Reactor. Pepper's eyes widened when the black ball spread wide, and then sunk itself into the Reactor. Purple spider like tendrils spread through it, making the dim light flicker.

Two more black balls were hastily placed on either sides of Tony's neck. Again, they spread and sunk, bright purple tendrils spreading across and into the skin.

"Come on," Shuri hissed as another ball was pressed into Tony's chest.

"Come on."

She stared at the Reactor, watching the purple tendrils of light move. Around the Reactor. Into it. Through it. Pepper found herself staring with her. The urgency in her face making Pepper think that maybe... maybe...

"Come on!"

It was as if the stabilisers had been waiting for that final persuasion, because slowly, it became clear that the purple inside the Arc Reactor was no longer the only source of light.

Even dim as it was, Pepper saw it.

And so did Shuri. Her breath hitched to a stop as she waited to see if the dim light would spread.

It happened so slowly, she would have wondered if she was seeing things. But the hitch in Pepper's breath told her that no. she wasn't making it up.

The dim light was growing.

Pepper hadn't even realised that she had grabbed the Princess's hand, but she squeezed it harder as she tried to find her voice.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" she whispered.

The A.I didn't answer right away. And Pepper didn't breath as she waited.

"Life functions critical." she finally answered, "Heartbeat weak. But steady."

Pepper felt her tears finally fall as she let in a gasp.

"Heartbeat," she breathed, wondering if she was hearing right, "He's alive?"

"Yes." F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke immediately, "Tony is alive."