˚ ₊ ★ ❝ 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 ❞  ˖⋆࿐໋ ⋆ ☔︎

˗ˏˋ 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 ˎˊ˗

***

━━━ SHE WATCHED FROM UP above as her fellow Avengers mourned for her.

Thor was in denial.

Bruce was angry.

Clint was grieving.

Steve was depressed.

And Tony was learning to accept.

     The five stages of grief. The grief over Natasha Romanoff—the girl who had nothing.

     In the beginning, she had no one, and in the end, she died for everyone.

***

"Lightning won't help you, pal. It's gotta be me." Bruce said to Thor, offering to snap.

Natasha sucked a sharp breath in. He could possibly die if he snapped. She couldn't let the man that she once loved die. She couldn't.

"You saw what those stones did to Thanos," argued Bruce. "It almost killed him. None of you could survive."

"How do we know you will?" Steve asked.

"We don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma." Bruce said, taking a good look at the gauntlet. "It's like... I was made for this."

Tony asked Friday to shut down the facility as everyone suited up.

"Everybody comes home," said Bruce.

Bruce put on the gauntlet, which nanobotically expanded to fit his hand, and the power surge started to overwhelm him as he cried in the pain as the colorful lights coursed through his veins. Bruce screamed, barely managing to snap his fingers as he fought through the intense agony that he was experiencing from the gauntlet. In a matter of milliseconds, he collapsed and the gauntlet slid off his arm.

"Bruce!" Steve called out, Clint kicking the gauntlet away as both rushed over to Bruce.

"Don't move him." ordered Tony freezing Bruce's injured arm with his suit.

"Did it work?" Bruce asked with a raspy voice.

"Worth a shot. It's over. It's okay." assured Thor.

Scott walked towards the windows and sees plants and birds outside. Suddenly, Clint heard his phone ringing and sees his wife's name across the screen.

"Honey, Honey." Clint beamed as he picked up the phone, speaking from pure happiness that the snap actually worked.

     "Guys—I think it worked!" Scott exclaimed.

     Natasha felt a strong wave of relief wash over her.

     They did it.

     The world was fixed.

     Even though she wasn't there to live in the newly revived world, she was just happy that she contributed to it.

     ... But her happiness doesn't last long as she watched Bruce opening up his eyes to see the Sanctuary II up in the sky and a single missile heading towards the base blowing Scott away with a continuous array of missiles destroying the base completely, everyone sinking below the facility.

     Natasha watched as they struggled trying to recollect themselves, completely shocked at what had just happened.

     A flood engulfed Rhodey and Rocket. Clint was panicking as he was running away from Outriders with the gauntlet in hand.

     "Daughter." Thanos said.

     Thanos was back?

     The past Thanos managed to catch on with what they were doing and come to the future...

     And what killed Natasha was that she could not do anything, but just sit back and watch.

     "Yes, Father." The past Nebula replied.

     "So, this is the future. Well done." said the past Thanos.

     The past Nebula took off the orange plate on her head and threw it away. "Thank you, Father. They suspected nothing." said Nebula.

     The past Thanos then planted his double-bladed sword on the ground, taking off his helmet and placing on top of the sword's edge. "The arrogant never do." he said, sitting down. "Go. Find the stones. Bring them to me."

     "What will you do?" asked the past Nebula.

     "Wait," he simply replied.

     She watched as Tony, Thor, and Steve collected themselves, walking over to the past Thanos to confront him, face-to-face.

     "You could not live with your own failure. And where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive," the past Thanos stated. "But you've shown me that's impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist."

     "Yep. We're all kinds of stubborn," Tony said, sarcastically.

     "I'm thankful. Because now, I know what I must do," Thanos said as he stood up. "I will shred this universe down to its last atom." he put his helmet down. "And then—with the stones you've collected for me, create a new one. Teeming with life, but knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given. A grateful universe."

     "Born out of blood." Steve contradicted.

     "They'll never know it. Because you won't be alive to tell them." Thanos shot back.

     Natasha bit her lip as she watched Thor and Tony go straight for Thanos as Bruce struggled under the rubble trying to hold up the structure with Rhodey and Rocket breathing for their lives.

     "See you on the other side, man." Rhodey said.

     "Hang on! I'm coming!" Scott called as Clint barely escaped with the gauntlet still in possession. He then saw Nebula and gave it to her, only to realize soon after that it was the past Nebula.

But he was soon relieved when the past Gamora and present day Nebula ended up coming to his rescue, killing the past Nebula in the process.

     With both Stormbreaker and Mjölnir, Thor clanged them together, shooting the lightning in Tony's direction. Absorbing the energy, Tony's suit shot it out of his hands and body's aiming it at Thanos. But alas, Thanos diverted it away as he twirled his sword at a rapid speed. Thor used his two weapons to strike Thanos again, but failed as Thanos used Tony as a shield instead, causing Tony's system to be impeccably damaged.

     "Boss, wake up!" FRIDAY called.

     She watched as Steve and Thor try to take on the Mad Titan but both just cannot handle him. With Mjölnir and Stormbreaker our of his grasp, Thor felt helpless. Thor tried to grab Stormbreaker, but Thanos grabbed it first and used it against Thor as he attempted to defend himself.

     Natasha's heart sunk as she watched the three getting pummeled by the Titan, when suddenly Mjölnir started to float off the ground as Thanos dug Stormbreaker deeper into Thor's chest. Her eyes widen in shock as they follow Mjölnir flying into Thanos, zooming past, stopping, then flying back into Steve's very own hand.

     "I knew it!" Thor yelled out in victory.

     Natasha's eyes widen in admiration and pride as she gazed upon the hammer wielded in Steve's grasp.

     Thanos kicked Thor to the ground and proceed to battle Steve. The two kept fighting it out until Thanos eventually got the upper hand, removing his helmet then stabbing Steve in the leg and knocking Mjölnir out of his grasp.

     Destroying the Vibranium shield with his sword, Thanos then kicked Steve across the ground.

     But Steve Rogers was no quitter. He stumbled, trying to stagger himself back up. He couldn't back down now. He was going to win, or die trying. Nothing in between.

     For Nat. For the rest of the world. For himself.

Whatever it takes.

     "In all my years of conquest—violence—slaughter. It was never personal. But I'll tell you now—what I'm about to do to your stubborn, annoying little planet... I'm gonna enjoy it. Very, very much." Thanos said as he summoned his gigantic army.

     Natasha bit her lip in fear as she watched Steve getting back up to his feet with his broke shield at hand, ready to take on the entire army all alone.

     Suddenly, a crackling noise is heard through Steve's coms.

     "Hey, Cap, you read me?" A voice said.

     Is that...

     Steve paused in utter shock as he turned around, panting.

     "Cap, it's Sam. Can you hear me?" Sam Wilson said again as a glowing golden colored portal began to form behind him.

     "On your left." said Sam.

     Natasha watched as Steve looked behind to see the portal on his left side. Three figures step through; Okoye, Shuri, and T'Challa—Black Panther, all three ready to fight. Flying, Sam zooms in from above in his Falcon armor with a number of more portals starting to form as they opened up on the field. A wave of hope and relief flushed through Natasha as she watched the galaxy's heroes stepping out onto the field, one-by-one.

     The Wakandan army, Valkyrie and the Asgardians, Dr. Strange, Wong, Drax, Mantis, Star Lord, Spider-Man, Bucky, Groot, the Scarlet Witch, the Wasp, Pepper Potts, and the Masters of the Mystic Arts and several Ravager ships.

     "Is that everyone?" asked Strange.

     "What, you wanted more?" asked Wong, as if the doctor were absurd.

     Natasha's hope began to arise as she watched Antman emerge from the rubble of the Avengers facility with Bruce, Rhodey, and Rocket.

     This was it.

     They were in the Endgame now...

     "AVENGERS!" Steve yelled out, summoning Mjölnir. "Assemble."

     A loud battle cry emerged from Thor as the newly refreshed army charged towards Thanos and his army.

     They came up with a plan to put the stones back where they came from. Antman and Wasp made their way to the old van that sat in the middle of the battlefield as Clint struggled to get the gauntlet over to them. The gauntlet got passed onto Black Panther.

     Meanwhile, Wanda proceeded to try to crush Thanos using her powers, yet she was flung away as the spaceship cannons started to fire anywhere and everywhere across the battlefield.

Everything was happening at once. Strange struggled to hold the dam in place before it flooded everywhere. Peter Parker—Spiderman—catching the gauntlet as well, soon passed it over to Captain Marvel.

     She started to make her way over to the van with the gauntlet in hand, swiftly flying past enemies and passing through enemy blockades that are in her way with ease.

     Thanos started running to Captain Marvel, but is stopped by Pepper, Shuri, and Wasp, all blasting him backwards.

     Thanos threw his sword at the van, destroying it and the quantum realm tunnel. The impact threw Captain Marvel backwards, losing her grip on the Gauntlet as it fell to the ground.

     Tony made his way to grab the Gauntlet, but saw Thanos attempting to do the same, and tackled him. Thanos smacked Tony away, knocking him out. Together, Thor and Steve attempt to pin the mad Titan down, but both were easily knocked out as Thanos overpowered them.

     After picking up the Gauntlet, Captain Marvel tried to steal it away from him once more as she furiously punched away at him, but was flung away by Thanos at the arm.

     Relieved and finally at last Thanos puts on the gauntlet, gamma radiation from the stones eating at him as he tries to snap, but Captain Marvel did not back down as she opened to his hand, preventing his fingers from snapping.

     Frustrated, Thanos headbutted her, yet found that it did absolutely nothing. Panicking as Captain Marvel slowly started to gain the upper hand, Thanos pulled the Power Stone out of the Gauntlet, using it in his free hand to hit her away.

     Natasha's hope started to diminish slowly again. Tony looked in Dr. Strange's direction, who simply raised one finger.

It was on the line. The one win over Thanos.

     Thanos put the Power Stone back into the Gauntlet, yelling from the gamma radiation coursing through him, until Tony made one last attack on the Titan, but was brushed off easily as if he were a fly.

     "I am—inevitable," Thanos breathed out, snapping his fingers.

     Natasha sucked in a sharp breath, prepared to see all her friends and family fade away... but... nothing happened.

     Confused, Thanos looked down at the Gauntlet only to find the stones gone.

     Thanos turned toward Tony who now had the stones on his own gauntlet, the colorful bright light echoing about his body.

     "And I—am—Iron Man."

     With the loud metal clang from the snap, Natasha breathed in relief that they won. She and the rest of the Avengers watched as Thanos' army begins to slowly dust away, the mad Titan disintegrating himself soon after.

     His entire right side of his body completely destroyed, Tony stumbled for a bit before his body collapses on a pile of debris.

     Rhodey soon flew up to his long time colleague and friend whose life was slowly fading away. He bowed his head, accepting the fact that his best friend was not going to make it.

     "Mr. Stark?" Peter Parker said as he walked up to the person whom he so dearly admired and looked up to as tears begin to form 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."

     But he received nothing but a blank expression from Tony. "I'm sorry—Tony..."

     "Hey," Pepper said calmly as she led Peter to the side to grieve over the lost of the third father-figure in his life that he lost.

     Even though he was in pure pain from the intense gamma radiation, Tony struggled as he tried to look into his wife's eyes.

     "Hey, Pep..." he managed to get out, hoarsely.

     Pepper placed her hand on Tony's Arc Reactor and Tony rests his hand on hers. Pepper takes a good look at Tony's fatal

     "FRIDAY?"

     "Life functions critical." The robot voice said.

     "Tony. Look at me," Pepper said with a smile on her face. "We're gonna be okay. You can rest now."

     With that acknowledgement, Tony's arc reactor flickered off for good.

***

     "So I thought I'd probably better record a little greeting... In the case of an untimely death on my part. I mean, not that, death at any time isn't untimely. This time travel thing that we're gonna try and pull off tomorrow, it's—it's got me scratching my head about the survivability of it all. That's the thing. Then again, that's the hero gig. Part of the journey is the end. What am I even trippin' for? Everything's gonna work out exactly the way it's supposed to." said Tony as he said his final goodbye. The image of him smiled and walked up to Morgan—his lovely daughter whom he loved so much and did everything for. "I love you 3,000."

"The world is free now," Natasha said to Tony as they watched from up above.

"I just hope Morgan gets to live in a world where she doesn't have to fear that she is going to be attacked by aliens every second of her life," replied Tony, heartily.

"She won't have to," said Natasha. "You stopped Thanos. You saved the world. You saved the whole universe. You did it."

"No Nat," Tony said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder as the two gazed at the dressed up arc reactor that was floated off into the lake.

"We did it."

It was her sacrifice, and she did it for the better of the world. She left the world behind, yet she smiled to herself from up above knowing that she finally proved the world that she was more than she ever thought she would be.

( Author's Note )

I am crying, but thank you for reading. I hope you liked this short story! <3