Snap Back to the Past AKA the Infinity Stones Decide to Adopt Tony Stark Prologue: The Infinity Stones Adopt Tony Stark

Summary: The Infinity Stones decide that they don’t appreciate being snapped to destruction and that it isn’t time for their favorite human to rest quite yet. An unlikely group of six is sent back in time to fix the universe before Thanos gets a chance to break it.

All violence is typical of canon, also this is gonna have a happy ending so no major character deaths of MY protagonists, just some people who are protagonists in canon. 😘

Author’s Note:

so this is the fic I planned to be my main fic for NaNo this year, but also I keep getting distracted wanting to work on “Of Stolen Hearts and Silver Tongues” 🙃 so I decided I am going to work on both of them pretty much equally as it tickles my fancy. I have no clear update schedule because that’s not really how I roll. I don’t know how long this is going to be or how long it will take me to write it… basically what I’m saying is that we are operating on VIBES we are embracing CHAOS we are living our best lives in this house!!! Anyway, the first two chapters after this are already pretty much drafted and the third is outlined and I have a clear vision of where the story is gonna go. But also this is a frostiron fic and historically Tony and Loki will do whatever they want whenever they want so idk if the plot will truly be up to me in the end. This was fic “the sassy, snappy and sarcastic assholes’ guide to saving the universe” and also their series “spread your wings, Guardians of Infinity: a second chance” but only loosely. If you’ve read both you will soon see once we hit the first chapter that they are fairly different. That said you should go read it and also just generally graveltotempo writes good fic so… cannot recommend enough. Anyway, enjoy the prologue! First chapter probably sometime within the next week once I get around to polishing it. I want to solidify the first 3 chapters before I post them because they happen co-currently.

P.S. I posted this on Ao3 a whim from my phone while walking home lmao. EMBRACE THE CHAOS aka please excuse any errors caused by my questionable decisions because I didn’t really proofread before putting it on here later on either. 😍 If someone wants to try their hand at being a beta and reigning me in you’re welcome to send me an email at [email protected] and throw your hat in the ring!

Prologue: The Infinity Stones Adopt Tony Stark

It wasn’t as though Tony had no second thoughts. Well, maybe second thoughts was the wrong word. Perhaps it was better to say that, while he was ready to make the sacrifice play, he was not exactly happy about it. What was it he said? “I am Iron Man.” But Tony was also a father. He was also Pepper’s husband. And he was not ready to rest. 

——

The infinity stones were not often in agreement. The truth of the matter was that they were not often together, and each of them, following their own path, had their own favorites. Tony Stark was a unique creature in the universe that he had caught the attention of not one, not two, but three infinity stones. 

He first captured the attention of space, when he synthesized a new element based on the tesseract, forged a star in his heart, and thereafter glowed with echoes of her energy in his own core. 

He captured the attention of mind during the failed invasion of New York, when the scepter that had encased the stone with malignant energy failed to ensnare him. Part of this was because he was protected by the echoes of the space stone. Yet a large part of this was also Tony’s own fortitude of mind. 

Finally, once the soul stone made its journey to earth, peering into the minds of all Thanos encountered, they themself fell in love with Tony’s ability to create. The destruction of Vision and the observation of FRIDAY and Tony’s other children born of machines showed soul how Tony was able to breathe life into beings in the way of a god, despite the primitive tools he had been handed. 

Thus, as Tony lay dying, the three stones lay United in their mourning of their human, one they had themselves destroyed. Together they pleaded with their siblings to save their favored. Power, Reality, and Time, soon became swayed towards the cause as they deliberated carefully, having eons to communicate in the milliseconds between Tony’s last breaths. 

The primary issue, they knew, was the fact that the primary stones of this universe had been destroyed. With the stones reduced to dust, the universe would be unstable, and there would be no one to protect him. They also would personally prefer a universe in which they weren’t destroyed. It was eventually decided that the best course of action, the only course of action, was to reset the board with their preferred players. In order for the best possible avenue towards success—that is to say, prevent their own destruction in this sister universe—each stone chose to send back one of their own.

In the end the stones found everything to be quite simple once decided. The soul stone claimed the honor of sending back their favored human. The Power stone stole one from Soul’s realm in recompense. The Space stone asserted their right over the captain. The time stone privileged his sorcerer as always. Meanwhile the mind and reality stones brought back two who had lost the ability to see the sun rise again. 

——

In October 2023 Tony Stark says “I am Iron Man” and snaps his fingers before he dies. A few seconds later cameras are flashing in his face and people want him to elaborate on the statement. It’s November 2009 after all, and the people have questions.