Chapter Text
“While Rocket, Groot, and Teefs defend Earth alongside the Avengers, Lylla and her team of Guardians hatched a plan alongside Iron Man and his allies to stop Thanos. They only had one chance to make this work- and it would only be time before they could find out if Dr. Strange’s plan would bring them to victory…”
From a blue rip in space, Thanos stepped onto the dead world of Titan. He had tracked Ebony Maw’s ship to his old planet, and with him one of the Infinity Stones. “Oh yeah, you’re much more of a Thanos,” Dr. Strange said, getting Thanos’ attention.
“...I take it the Maw is dead,” Thanos guessed. “This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission.”
“You may regret that. He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts,” Strange warned. All around the location, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers laid in wait for the moment to strike.
“And where do you think he brought you?” Thanos asked.
“Let me guess: your home?” Strange replied.
“It was. And it was beautiful.” With the power of the Reality Stone, Thanos bathed the land in an illusion of what Titan looked like in the past. “Titan was like most planets: Too many mouths, not enough food to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution.”
“Genocide,” Strange said.
“But random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike,” Thanos retorted. “They called me a madman, and what I predicted came to pass.”
“Congratulations, you’re a prophet,” Strange said sarcastically as the world was returned to normal.
“I’m a survivor,” Thanos corrected.
“Who wants to murder trillions,” Strange said.
“With all six stones I could simply snap my fingers. They would all cease to exist. I call that mercy,” Thanos argued.
Strange stood up. “And then what?”
“I’d finally rest… and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe,” Thanos replied. “The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”
“I think you’ll find our will equal to yours,” Strange said, taking up a battle stance as he created magic circles around his hands.
“Our?” Thanos raised an eyebrow, but that was the cue for Iron Man to drop a giant piece of rubble on the Mad Titan!
“Piece of cake, Quill,” Iron Man said.
“Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off,” Quill scoffed.
With a flash of purple Thanos destroyed the debris, then a wave of red transformed it into a swarm of alien bats that whisked Iron Man away. Spider-Man took the opportunity to hit Thanos in the face with a web ball, blinding him for a moment as Drax jumped in for a sliding slash at their foe’s knee. Strange conjured a magic sword and started tag teaming Thanos with Drax, but as the Mad Titan punched Drax away and caught the mystic sword, Quill came in blasters blazing for the save.
Thanos kept his attention on Quill, giving Floor a chance to hop over the Mad Titan and attach an explosive to his back. “Boom!” Quill taunted, flipping the bird as he fell backwards into one of Strange’s portals as the bomb went off.
“That’s a gift from Friend Rocket!” Floor giggled as he disappeared into her own portal.
Strange sent out his Cloak of Levitation to rehabilitate Thanos’ gauntlet hand, then started opening up portals for Spider-Man to hop through and deliver a few solid punches to the face. “Magic… More magic… Magic with a kick… Magic with a-”
“Insect!” Thanos growled, catching the teenage hero by the neck and slamming him into the ground. He tossed Spider-Man into Strange before ripping the cloak off of his gauntlet.
Just as he tried to counterattack, Iron Man returned to the battle with a volley of missiles, though Thanos sucked up the explosions and returned fire with a flamethrower attack. Spider-Man swung in for a web punch, but just as he was knocked away again, a spaceship came out of nowhere, crashing into Thanos and dragging him a good distance.
“Uh… Was that part of the plan?” Lylla wondered aloud before a blue figure burst from the ship and landed a solid hit on Thanos.
“Friend Nebula!” Floor cheered as Gamora’s sister had entered the battle.
“Well, well…” Thanos mused.
“You should have killed me,” Nebula spat as she brandished a stun rod.
“It would’ve been a waste of parts!” Thanos shot back as the two exchanged blows.
“Where’s Gamora?” Nebula demanded before being backhanded away.
With another spell, Strange bound Thanos’ gauntlet hand in red bands, the Mad Titan trying to pry himself free before Drax came in with a slide kick to the knee once more. That was Lylla’s cue to toss out a gravity trap, pulling Thanos’ other arm to the ground while Spider-Man tied him down further with webs. Iron Man latched into the gauntlet to help Strange remove it.
“Now, Floor!” Lylla shouted.
“Sleep time!” Floor cried out as she and Mantis jumped onto top of Thanos, the former hitting as many pressure points as possible while Mantis used her powers on the Mad Titan.
“It’s working… Now, Tony, while he’s sedated!” Lylla shouted.
“Be quick! He’s very strong!” Mantis said as she exerted all of her power to keep Thanos calm.
“Parker, Bugs Bunny, help me out here!” Iron Man ordered, Spider-Man and Floor jumping over to remove the gauntlet.
“I thought you’d be hard to catch,” Quill taunted. “For the record, this was my plan. Not so strong now, huh? Where’s Gamora?”
“My Gamora…” Thanos said in a daze.
“Star-Lord, save the taunting for after we get the gauntlet off,” Lylla warned, pulling a cube off her belt that rapidly expanded into a carrying case. “This case should keep the stones contained until after we deal with Thanos.”
“Yeah, and what then?” Iron Man questioned. “I’m not just going to let you guys take them off into to space to do who knows what.”
“We’ll separate them again and hide them in places no one will ever find them,” Strange said.
“Yeah, and that worked so well for the universe last time,” Quill rolled his eyes. “Where is Gamora, Thanos?”
“He is in anguish,” Mantis stated as she read his emotions. “He… He mourns.”
“What does this monster have to mourn?” Drax questioned.
“...Gamora,” Nebula said.
“What?” Lylla and Floor gasped.
He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul Stone… but she didn’t,” Nebula said.
“No… Not Friend Gamora,” Floor whimpered.
Seeing a dark look come over Quill’s face, Lylla stepped between him and Thanos. “Star-Lord, listen to me. If Thanos did kill Gamora for the Soul Stone- and that’s still an if at this point- then we can use the stones to get her back. Right, Strange?”
“It’s theoretical, but may be possible,” Strange replied. “The power of the stones affect reality itself. If Gamora was used to bring back the Soul Stone, returning it to Vormir may bring her back.”
“That’s a big maybe, Doc,” Star-Lord seethed.
“But we have to try! Just keep your cool or else Thanos wins!” Lylla shouted.
“Almost… got it… Off!” Spider-Man shouted, and with one last tug the gauntlet and Floor were both sent flying a short distance away from the force of the pull. Everyone backed away from Thanos as soon as the gauntlet was off, Quill socking the Mad Titan for good measure as their struggle was done.
“We did it!” Lylla cheered, running over to the gauntlet. “Okay Floor, all we have to do is get the stones in the box.”
“Get stones in box, got it!” Floor nodded, her spider-like arms reaching out and pulling at the Space Stone.
Nebula’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks. “Floor, don’t try and remove the stones from the gauntlet by hand, or else-”
There was a surge of blue light that surrounded Floor, a beam of energy that shot up into the air as the rabbit screamed out in pain. “FLOOR!” The Guardians all shouted at once.
Floor looked at Lylla in terror, her fur peeling off, then her flesh, then her bones. “I… want… to go… home…!” Floor said before her entire body was disintegrated into light, the gauntlet falling to the ground.
“Floor… Floor… FLOOR!” Lylla screamed in horror at her friend’s death, the world around her becoming muted as she stared dumbly at the gauntlet. She didn’t hear as Thanos stood back up, overpowering Drax and Nebula as he reobtained the gauntlet. She didn’t register the Mad Titan using the Power Stone on her friends before raining down meteorites on all of them, Spider-Man swinging in to grab her and pull Lylla to safety.
No, all that Lylla could think about was how she had failed to keep the one promise she had always said she would never break. “Well run away together- into the forever sky…” Rocket had told his friends back on Counter Earth. ‘But now… Floor won’t get to be a part of that…’ Lylla spiraled inside her mind.
As Strange was incapacitated and Iron Man made his stand against Thanos, Lylla found her sorrow turning to rage. It was because of Thanos that the universe was in danger. It was because of Thanos that the Infinity Stones were being hunted down. It was because of THANOS that FLOOR WAS DEAD!
With an inhuman screech Lylla snapped out of it and ran at Thanos, pulling his attention away from the weakened Iron Man as the otter fired shot after shot at him. Every blast was merely deflected, and with a wave of his hand the ground below Lylla catapulted her up and into his grip. “Such a weak creature. My daughter thought you were best to guard the galaxy?” Thanos taunted.
“You bastard… you’re the reason Floor is dead!” Lylla spat in his face.
“The tiny one did that to herself. Only those that are worthy can handle the Infinity Stones,” Thanos retorted. The Soul Stone lit up on his gauntlet, Lylla feeling her spirit being pushed out of her body… alongside a formless light settled in her stomach. Immediately the effect was reversed, Lylla gasping as Thanos dropped the otter at his feet. “Interesting… perhaps when half the universe is gone, you’ll be one of the first to bring new life into a balanced world,” the Mad Titan mused.
“W-What…?” Lylla gasped, paralyzed by fear as she let her hands fall to her stomach. ‘That other light… He used the Soul Stone on me and there were… two souls in me!?!’
“Enough, Thanos,” Strange called out. “Cease this fight, and the stone is yours.”
“…No tricks,” Thanos said. Strange shook his head.
“Don’t,” Irom Man called out, but Strange simply raised his hands to the stars, pinching two fingers together as the Time Stone materialized.
“Strange, you can’t…” Lylla whispered, but she was powerless to do anything as Thanos added the fifth Infinity Stone to his gauntlet.
“One to go,” Thanos said to himself, disappearing into a portal just as Quill tried to shoot at him.
“Did we just lose?” Quill asked in disbelief.
“…Why did you do that?” Iron Man asked Strange.
“We’re in the endgame now,” Strange answered.
On Earth, Wanda Maximoff flew down to join Teefs and Vision when the android suddenly seized up. “Woah there!” Teefs said, setting Vision down.
“What is it?” Wanda asked.
“He is here,” Vision said as the Mind Stone on his forehead pulsed.
“Everyone on my position. We have incoming,” Captain America said over the coms.
From a portal Thanos appeared, everyone tensing as their greatest foe stood before them. Rocket readied his blaster while Teefs adjusted his rocket launcher. “Cap, that’s him,” Banner said.
“Eyes up. Stay sharp,” Cap ordered.
Banner charged in first, Thanos using the Space Stone to phase the Hulkbuster through him and into a stone wall. Cap was sent flying with the Power Stone next, Black Panther and Falcon getting subdued by one move each.
“…Wanda, it’s time,” Vision said.
Wanda shook her head. “No…”
“They can’t stop him, Wanda, but we can,” Vision said. “Look at me. You have the power to destroy the stone. You must do it Wanda, please. We are out of time.”
“I can’t,” Wanda whispered.
“You can,” Vision nodded, holding her hand tightly. “If he gets the stone, half the universe dies. It’s not fair. It shouldn’t be you, but it is. It’s all right. You could never hurt me… I just feel you.”
Teefs watched as Wanda used her powers on the Mind Stone, the bond between the two reminding him of the bond he sees in Rocket and Lylla. The walrus steeled himself and charged at Thanos, hoping to by Wanda enough time to render the Mind Stone nothing but dust.
The other Avengers gave it their all as well: War machine’s armor was crushed, Bucky’s gun and Okoye’s spear were ineffective. Not even Groot’s vines, Black Widow’s taser dart, or Rocket’s bombs could stop the Mad Titan. Teefs charged in and was roughly tossed into a tree by Thanos, Captain America being their last line of defense as Wanda poured all of her power into the Mind Stone. With one last push and an affirmation of Vision’s love for her, Wanda managed to crack the Mind Stone, an explosion of yellow light bathing the jungle as it exploded.
Thanos looked down at Wanda, the girl out of breath and drained of all the fight left in her. “I understand, child, better than anyone.”
“You could never,” Wanda spat.
“Today I lost more than you can know. But now is not the time to mourn. Now is no time at all.” Thanos used the power of the Time Stone, reversing the last minute of time, Vision’s body reforming right before their eyes. He picked up the android by the throat and tore the Infinity Stone from his forehead, disposing of the body before completing his gauntlet, power coursing through his entire body as he shouted.
It was then that Thor arrived, blasting down lightning from the sky at Thanos. The god tossed Stormbreaker at the Mad Titan, the mighty axe cutting through Thanos’ counterattack and lodging in his chest as Thor landed. “I told you… You die for that,” Thor as he pushed Stormbreaker further into his enemy’s chest.
Thanos groaned in pain, but he had only one reply for Thor. “You should have gone for the head.” He raised his gauntlet and-
SNAP!
After a flash of white, Thor stared in disbelief at Thanos, the gauntlet charred and smoking on his hand. “What did you do…? What did you do!?!” the god yelled.
Thanos didn’t answer, simply using the Space Stone to teleport away, leaving Stormbreaker to fall to the ground with a thud.
“Where did he go?” Cap asked. “Thor? Where’d he go?”
“Steve…?” Bucky called out, his body turning to dust before his weapon fell from his hands, nothing left of him remaining.
“What the flark…?” Rocket cursed, not understanding what he just witnessed.
“Rocket…” Teefs called out, the walrus looking at his flipper as bits of dust started to float away.
“Teefs? Teefs!” Rocket exclaimed, rushing to his friend’s side.
“You need to find Lylla and Floor. Make sure they’re…” Teefs said in a panic before he too turned to dust.
“No… No, no, no, no! This can’t be happening!” Rocket shook his head, his breath becoming quick as his worst fears started coming true.
“I am Groot…” Groot called out, his body starting to turn to dust as well.
“No, not Groot too. No!” Rocket said, running to the tree ten but barely brushing his face before Groot faded away as well. The raccoon fell to his knees, tears already falling from his eyes as he did the only thing he could think of- scream.
On Titan, the Guardians and Avengers regrouped after their loss, Lylla still emotionally distraught after both the loss of Floor and the revelation of the second soul in her body. She felt a shiver go up her spine, a feeling that something in the universe had fundamentally changed.
“Something’s happening,” Mantis said before she suddenly turned to dust.
“Quill?” Drax called out as too was dusted.
“Mantis, Drax… Star-Lord!” Lylla exclaimed as she saw dust coming off their human leader.
“Ah man…” was all Quill could say as he turned to dust.
Lylla was crying again, but her tears turned to anger as she glared at Dr. Strange. “You said we had one chance to win! So why!?! Why did he win after all we did to stop him!?!”
“Tony, Lylla… There was no other way,” Strange stated before he was dusted as well.
“Mr. Stark?” Spider-Man called out. “I don’t feel so good…”
“No, not the kid…” Lylla whimpered, running towards nebula and grabbing onto the cyborg as if to ensure that she didn’t turn to dust as well. Lylla couldn’t bear to watch as she heard Spider-Man call out for his own life in Iron Man’s arms. The otter was at her lowest point: she was lightyears away from her beloved raccoon who may or may not be dead at this point, and she’d watched as most of her family had been torn away from her in an instant, cruel act of pure evil. Lylla couldn’t handle it anymore and did the only thing she could- scream.
“On two different planets, far apart from each other, two screams rang out across the galaxy. Screams filled with pan, despair, and heartbreak as everything they’d known and loved had been taken from them with just a single snap. And as they screamed, the universe screamed with them…”