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The portal that began to sizzle and fritz and open in midair – and Tony knew it was a portal, but it looked like a portal, and he’d seen a mostly massive version of it back when the Chitauri had attacked – was nothing any of them were expecting.
From the way Ultron laughed mockingly and asked if they were bringing any more pathetic reinforcements, he was part of the unexpecting ‘them’.
And then the portal stabilized, and like idiots, all of them froze because that’s how battles go, apparently. Portal? Let’s ceasefire!
Tony needed to remember that for next time for sure.
Still, his eyes were trained on the thing just as everyone else’s were, and that was the only reason he understood immediately why the sharp inhales, the impossible, and the unrepeatable swear from Mr. Captain America were deserved.
Because from that portal stepped out an older version of Wanda Maimoff, and boy, did she look horrifying. In the best way, of course, because Tony had no intention of squaring off against her. She had replaced her dress (though, of course she had. What was he thinking, she’d wear that dress for life? Moron) with a sturdy red costume that frankly looked amazing on her, and Tony would have most definitely appreciated it if not for the fact that her younger (much younger) self was standing there, next to the Avengers, gaping and looking like a child. Still, objectively, she looked much more put together and–
“Is that a fucking tiara?” Clint asked.
The terrifying Wanda, whom Tony was now dubbing Big-Scary-Witch, or Red-Skirt for short, purely because she wasn’t wearing a skirt and the irony was perfect, turned to look at him and then–
And then, horror of all horrors, she smiled.
Except her smile wasn’t terrifying, it was just goddamn sad.
Oh no.
“Hello, Clint,” Wanda, number two, said softly.
“Are you…?” Wanda, number one, asked, eyes wide.
“How utterly pathetic,” Ultron snarled, and Tony could swear he’d said the exact same words five seconds ago. Then he raised his hands, a cruel smile on his face, and blasted the new witch. Old witch.
… Witch 2? Witch 2.
“NO!” Pietro roared, his voice dark and horrified despite it not even being his sister. Unless she was, and it really was time travel, and everything Tony knew about the universe was wrong, which, at the rate everything was going right now, was frankly all too possible.
He hissed and fired up his weapons, aiming them back at the massive monster he had created–
Then the dust cleared, and the beam that Ultron had fired fizzled out, leaving behind an unscratched, unmarred, uncaring Wanda 2. “Pathetic?” She asked, then rose into the air without even a gesture because effortless magic was apparently a thing now.
And man, did it make her even more terrifying.
Wanda 2 didn’t seem to care what Tony was thinking, which was just as well, and floated almost casually in Ultron’s direction. “Pathetic?” She repeated. “Pathetic, Ultron, is being able to do so much for the world and choosing to let it die because you have the mentality of a pathetic child.” She tilted her head. “No, I take that back. Even children are better than you.”
And then she raised her hand, pointed it at the hunk of metal staring at her with the same terror Tony was feeling (okay, probably more, since Wanda 2 was actually glaring at him), and twisted, clenching her fist. Sparks– Red— MAGIC–
Ultron didn’t even have the chance to cry before he folded in on himself, his body flattening and weakening and dying.
The Ultrons otherwise screeched in similar pain, able to react but not do much else before they, too, were dust.
“... Sister?” Pietro asked, voice hoarse and staring in disbelief at the sudden silence surrounding them.
Wanda 2 hummed and landed. “Don’t worry,” She said, and, funnily enough, her voice was soothing. “I have protected the land, too. No more shall die on my watch.” Her eyes narrowed. “Not this time.”
Tony’s heart sank. “So it went wrong,” He said stiffly.
Wanda 2 stared at him with careful eyes. “We did destroy Ultron,” She confirmed. “But the price–” She pursed her lips. “I have not come to argue over semantics,” She said. “The task is done. Ultron is gone.” This time, she leveled a warning glare at Tony. “Do not build something like him again. It never goes well.”
“Not even myself?” Vision asked, floating and landing nearby while all the humans sputtered and panicked.
Wanda 2 opened her mouth in what seemed to be an immediate protest, then stopped, squeezed shut her eyes, and opened them again to stare at the android with a sincerity that Tony just couldn’t fathom. “No,” She said. “You, Vis, are more than an AI. You evolved beyond evil. Beyond machine. You’re real.”
“Ultron was, technically, real,” Vision said.
“He sure felt real,” Clint grumbled.
“I meant more in line with his humanity,” Wanda 2 said drily. “Or lack thereof.”
“Incredible!” Thor exclaimed. “You have certainly changed much, daughter of Maximoff! To think, you have grown strong enough to vanquish a foe even we–”
Wanda laughed, and Tony? Yeah, he was back to being terrified again. “Trust me,” She said. “Ultron is nothing for what’s coming.”
“Excuse me?” Natasha asked, voice nearly silent.
Wanda 1 looked nearly in tears. “It is not over…?” She asked, then fell back into her brother’s arms.
Wanda 2 stared at the two for the longest time, her eyes glimmering enough that Tony was half afraid she’d cry. And then she stopped and shook her head. “No,” She said. “It’s never going to be over. Not for me.” She turned to Tony. “But I can try to make it better for you. Stark, build me a spaceship.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Tony demanded.
“... Aliens?” Steve demanded just as strongly. He also sounded, unfortunately, fairly choked.
“I’m an alien,” Thor pointed out.
“We literally fought off the Chitauri last time,” Natasha added. “Aliens.”
Steve put his face in his hands. “I thought it was over.”
Wanda 2 quirked a humorless smile. “What did I just say?” It was rhetorical enough that everyone got it.
“Sure, whatever,” Tony said, finally, because he really couldn’t do with more Wanda-2-glares. Like he’d said, terrifying. “Anything else?”
It was sarcastic.
From the glint in Wanda 2’s eyes, she knew it was sarcastic.
She replied anyway, and man, Tony missed when she used to be naive. His eyes then ignored Wanda 1 and his common sense. “Yes, actually,” She said. “Start working on getting the stone safely out of Vis’s head. Thanos after it, and while I intend to destroy him before he gets close, infinity stones are quite a precious item throughout the universes.” She pursed her lip. “I would suggest Princess Shuri of Wakanda. She is more suited to this task than perhaps you are.”
Tony’s mouth fell open. It was only good that he had a mask on because that would be embarrassing.
“And do not, at any cost, fight each other,” She added darkly, glaring at all of them. Everyone cowered. “In fact, do not sign the Sokovia accords–” She frowned. “Would they even…? No,” She murmured to herself. “Knowing Ross…” She raised her voice again. “Do not sign anything from the government, actually. Keep it at that. Not until you get actual lawyers to look over it.”
“Why would we–” Tony started to ask.
“Because you’re a superhero with a guilt complex a universe wide,” Wanda 2 said. They didn’t sound like her words. “At least according to Pepper.”
“Fair,” Natasha agreed.
“You know Pepper?” Tony squeaked.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Wanda 2 asked.
That was… okay, that was fair.
Wanda 2 thought about it. “Get me the infinity stones, in fact. I’ll destroy them for you, and then we won’t have to worry about anyone like Thanos again.” She nodded resolutely, seemed to remember something, and turned to Thor. “I heard from Stephen that you and Loki were involved in some kind of world-ending event that started with your father’s death. You may want to deal with that.” She tilted her head again. “... And get Bruce. I believe he was blasted off to an alien planet somewhere.” She sighed, and Tony saw her eyes flicker to Vision and then Pietro again, something nostalgic flashing through them. “Well, Stark?” She asked.
“Uh,” Tony said. “I guess we can start soon?”
“Why?” Wanda 1 asked, her voice almost broken. “What made you come back?”
Wanda 2 looked back at her, eyes hollow. “Because I lost everything,” She said. “And I will not see you lose it too.”
Wanda 1’s lips trembled, and tears began to form. She clutched tighter at her brother, understanding the implications. Or, well, if Tony was right, some of them.
And hey! Vision was definitely his son because he caught the same signs Tony did. Oh, kids these days. Just made him so proud. “Did you lose me?” He asked, but though it was a question, something in his tone made it obvious he knew it was a statement of fact.
Wanda 2 just smiled, even sadder than before. “I lost almost all of you,” She said. “But yes,” She added before Vision could peddle back. “Losing you killed a part of me I did not know I had. Because you, Vis–” She shook her head. “No matter. My alternate self here will not.” He gestured to Tony and rose into the air, and Tony’s rockets – without his express permission, though he sure wasn’t telling them no after Wanda-the-terrifying told them yes – fired up, taking him with her.
“Okay, was it just me, or does she have some kind of fear magic thing goin’ on?” Clint asked as Wanda 2 and Iron Man flew off, crossing his arms. “’Cause I sure as hell couldn’t move.”
“No, Pietro said. “That is just Wanda before she gets her morning meal.”
His sister elbowed him in the stomach, and considering she was ensconced in his hold, it was even more painful.
“Would you like to see more of me before my morning meal, brother?” Wanda-the-first asked sweetly.