Show Yourself Into The Unknown

Summary: The one where Thanos is dead, Tony has weird dreams instead of nightmares, the Avengers watch dubious Disney movies and mystical creatures are more than real. Oh, and the Cloak totally ships it.

Elsa was a little surprised how long it took for the little peace she and her Ib had found upon her awakening to shatter. It's been weeks since then. They had celebrated Christmas and greeted the New Year before things finally went back to their regular script and the world caught up.

Now, as darkness dragged her down and he magic desperately lashed out to do something, not even she knew what, she could only hope Tony will be alright because he felt so cold.

00000

It started, like many things these days, with a simple conversation. All the people in Tony's life that mattered had adjusted well to having Elsa around and she stopped acting so formal and polite around them, showing them the happier, more childish side of herself that had stolen Tony's heart so. They could often be found enjoying some time together, doing this or that, chatting or simply lounging together as they teamed up to get Tony to either rest, eat or relax. It was not as hard as it used to be, Pepper Potts one day commented and thanked Elsa for it, as her presence is what finally got the man to take care of himself as he should have been doing from the start. Tony was indeed healthier and happier than he had been in years and it seemed that he was finally letting go of Titan and some other traumas he'd suffered over the years. He was also finally okay with acknowledging that Elsa was probably the reason he'll never suffer from PTSD because of the Snap, which he was still both weirded out by and grateful for.

The former rouges mostly learned by this point not to mess with the dragon or her summoner. Some of them still didn't understand all the boundaries Elsa put in place but they were learning and those who had, they helped the more mentally challenged ones to figure it out. At least someone had informed the Black Widow that Captain America was bound to end up frozen or burned alive one of these days so she made sure to steer him away from Tony and Elsa whenever she can. It was not ideal but so few things in life were so Elsa accepted what she could get.

Her bond with Tony was perhaps stronger than either of them had first thought it to be and it still had ways to surprise them how deeply they were connected. Elsa knew she should probably send Tony to learn some magic from the Masters of the Mystic Arts because it won't be long before he starts getting her magic. Only she knew Tony had an aversion to magic still, despite being friends with the Sorcerer Supreme and now being bound with one of the most magical creatures in existence. He would take some convincing but Elsa was sure she will be able to explain the importance of it to him eventually. They still had time, after all. The days so far had been easy and peaceful and they had had more than enough time to assert certain boundaries even between themselves. Yes, they may share the very essence of their souls but they were their own individuals and it would be far too easy to fall into bad habits. They needed some distance in order for them to be able to function separately if anything were ever to happen to one of them.

It proved to be a wise decision, one Tuesday late morning.

Tony was making a fruit salad for a late breakfast while Elsa lounged around on the free high chair beside the bar-like counter when the topic had finally come up. "So, I've been meaning to ask," the billionaire had began, making the dragon look up from where she had been sniffing at a kiwi. Tony was still focused on the banana he was cutting, which was probably a good thing as she didn't want him hurt. He'd been through more than enough to sustain even such a small wound, after everything. It's not as though she couldn't heal it - she'd healed his arm after he used the Infinity Gauntlet, so such a miniature injury would be more than easy to repair - she'd just prefer not to have to.

"What, my Ib?" She always wanted to purr when a spark of warm pleasure ran through her summoner every time she used the term, the affection that flooded their bond. She was unsure if Tony could sense anything from her side on his, but dragons always knew what the one that had hatched them and gave them meaning and life felt. She wouldn't have it any other way.

"Okay, so, yesterday, Stephen and I had that little meeting, remember? I asked him why he had glowing gloves and he'd said that the cold was bothering his hands so he was using magic to keep his gloves warm. And this morning, Barnes had said he was uncomfortable to go out running with Rogers in the snow and cold. But it didn't feel all that cold to me. In fact, I hadn't been cold even when we had been in north Norway, when everyone but Loki was complaining about it being freezing. Even outside of my suit, I hadn't been bothered by it. And, well, the temperature in the Well of Ahtohallan was absolute zero and I was somehow alive. So, a thing occurred to me and I tested it out after Barnes left to find a warmer sweater. I stepped outside as I am," the man gestured at his short sleeved band shirt and loose sweats and bare feet. "And I didn't feel like I was cold. I stepped into the snow and then even sat in it for fifteen minutes and I didn't even feel a little chill. Then I remembered our first meeting and how you turned 'The cold never bothered me anyway' into 'The cold will never bother you anyway'. So I'm asking if you've somehow made me immune to cold."

"Not immune," she answered. "Just unbothered."

"Yeah?"

"Ib are the most defining trait in a dragon," Elsa said, thinking of how best to explain. "As a dragon can never be without their Ib, it is the summoner's personality that defines the dragon. Yes, the dragon can be infinitely older than the person that calls them from their egg, but the connection between dragon and hatcher is made before either of them are born. Only once their souls are created and connect in the Primary Abyss - the place dragon lore calls the cradle of all souls that are, were or will be - can they be born. As the summoner will be the first to be born into the world, their character is created first, right then and there. Fates and Destiny shape them, shape their lives and make traits and characteristics that make each soul different and then those characteristics are passed on to the dragon. Dragons can be the exact opposite of their Ib or completely identical. We are what our partner needs. In our case, you needed someone who will help you overcome the tragedies and traumas of your life. You needed a confident and a companion besides the ones of your own creation to understand and support you like no one else. You were in need of feeling constantly loved. You needed the surety that you will have someone who will always take your side. You needed someone to battle your nightmares."

"And I got you," the genius breathed and she purred at the awe in his voice, he wonder, the disbelief at being so lucky and happy. He had put down the knife and was ignoring his fruit bowl at the moment, approaching her with a hand held out to stroke her nose like one would a horse. "The most amazing thing that had ever happened in my life."

"Yes, you got me. An ice, dream dragon, the most magical and, quite frankly, the most powerful kind, as we are limited only by imagination and you have more than enough of that for the both of us, Tony."

"But you breathe fire," he pointed out with a confused frown and Elsa smiled at him.

"Indeed, for all dragons breathe fire. Fire is our life, our souls are made of it. It is how all dragons are the same. But we each have our own special traits and abilities, like any other creature. I have ice and so much magic because you needed me to, as you want to get over the traumas and stress caused by the cold and by the misuse of magic. I have power over ice so I can be what you need to overcome it. You will no longer associate a lack of warmth with betrayal and loss and sorrow and hurt and fear, but rather with me, with love and laughter ad joy and belonging. So if I say you'll never be bothered by the cold, I can make it happen, as for now, it is the sensation that brings back awful memories. Not to mention how easily one can die of cold. Due to our connection, no matter how low the temperatures may drop, you will never be cold nor will you be harmed by it."

"Perfect," a voice says from where the kitchen connects with the common floor living room, making both human and dragon whirl around, a gauntlet on Tony's hand closest to the source of the voice and fire in Elsa's opened jaws. Director Nicholas Fury regarded them with seeming nonchalance but Elsa could practically smell the lingering fear on him. He may like her but he still feared her or was wary, at the very least. Smart man. "You'll be the perfect ones for the mission, then."

"Mission? What mission? We just had a meeting two days ago and there was no mention of a mission," the billionaire protested as they put away their weapons of choice upon seeing no threat, but an ally.

"Yes, well, this came up. Today." He walked over and put a tablet on the counter between them, from which Tony warily took it, obviously hesitant to accept any sort of mission after having so much time free from it all. "The Amazon rain forest, Brazil. The local fishermen said they saw some weirdly dressed people with what looked like horns sticking through their hoods. They at first thought it was a prank and so one of the fishermen approached them. Only it was no prank. According to eye witnesses, the robes were then thorn off and freezing air surged through the entire forest. The Amazon is frozen from the surface to the river bed, Stark and everything in the forest is frozen solid. It's snowing and it's a blizzard. It's obviously caused by something magical, so we had already called in Doctor Strange and he said he'd be ready to go in a few hours, but we'd thought it best to ask our ice expert for a hand."

"Are the animals and the people still alive under the ice? Or are we too late to help them?" Tony asked as he pulled up an image taken from some sort of drone, no doubt, as it was from a higher altitude and not as sharp as it could have been, though that might be the wind's and the blizzard's fault.

"Actually," Stephen's voice floated over to them from where he had opened a portal in the living room for him, Wong and a dozen other sorcerers to step through, all of them actually dressed for the weather they were about to get into instead of relying on magic to keep them warm. "All living creatures, including plants and insects in that area, are more in danger of evolving into those same snow demons. They're a dying race from a different dimension and they are known to come to other worlds to collect as many new fellow snow demons as they can manage. As you can imagine, it unfortunately has a bad side effect on the world they harvest from."

"There re millions of pants and animals and who knows how many people that live near the Amazon," her Ib said with a frown, determination coloring his face and shinning in his eyes already. "Not only can we just leave them to their fates, but something like this would seriously damage our planet's entire ecosystem. What do we need to do?"

"Preferably, send them back before their magic can take roots. If that no longer remains an option, we must fight them off, no matter the cost," Wong replied, sounding grim at the second possibility and Tony can't fight a wince. Elsa agrees. Her own kind may very well be extinct, as was the possible future of the snow demons. No one wanted to be the cause of an entire other race's extinction. Well, except Asgardians and Frost Giants. Speaking of which ...

"Have you sent for Loki? He is a powerful mage. He'd be very helpful in such a situation."

But Fury shook his head in a negative. "No can do. Apparently he slipped into one of Asgard's old realms to consult with some old tree lady or something about something. Not sure if it's Stark-related or Thor-related. Thor wasn't very forthcoming in information other than the fact that Valkyrie went with him as backup."

Elsa snorted inwardly at the Frost Giant's tendency to group his priorities according to his brother and the first Midgardian who didn't cry folly when he said he, too, had been mind controlled during the New York invasion back in 2012. Somehow, despite her hatcher's wariness and logical mistrust of the trickster, those two had become good friends, especially now that Loki had an excuse to pop up whenever he felt like it under the guise that he had come with new revelations about the texts he was studying. Ever since Stephen brought that first book and let Tony read it, things have been different on the deciphering front. Elsa let them entertain themselves even though she knew, ultimately, no matter how many words and phrases her Ib translates for them, the true meaning of the texts will never fully register. Dragon knowledge was not meant for those now of dragon kind.

Tony was still not used to seeing what was neigh random scribbles and somehow making sense of them without even trying, producing only half of the sounds he himself could emulate. He had insisted Elsa read a single sentence over and over again a dozen times while he tried to record it in every technique and frequency detector possible in hopes of getting the whole message verbally instead of instinctively. He was attempting to find a way to hear her in her own language and not the way that it translated into his very soul. The experiments were interesting and it was fun to see him theorize and then try to explain to FRIDAY how he understood a single word of it all when the AI couldn't even notice the distinction between two words. So far, the books were still left mostly unread as their reading was more for experimentation purposes than actual gathering of written data.

Her Ib was cute with where his priorities lay. He had at his fingertips he secrets to all of the multiverse's knowledge and the thing he was interested in was the 'science' and 'logic' behind the frequencies and decibels Elsa's voice can reach when she speaks in her own language.

"So it's just us. Against snow demons. Awesome," Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I guess the peace lasted longer than I had expected it. Should have seen this coming from a mile away. Okay, Popeye, when should we be ready to go?"

"We're still waiting on a few more Masters to fetch the tools needed to help us open the portal to their dimension, but we're mostly ready." Which was odd, since Fury had just told them the sorcerers needed a few hours to get ready.

It seemed the man thought as much, too. "You told me you needed a couple of more hours to prepare."

"Not that kind of prepare," Wong replied in his usual deadpan. "We ourselves are ready but the spell required to open the snow demon's dimension will need the before mentioned preparation time. Their dimension is completely unstable and any travel between it or other dimensions can very well end up destroying either the traveler or the dimension itself. Neither of which we want to happen."

"Fuck. How'd it get so messed up?"

"We don't know," said Stephen, though he sounded as disturbed by this as Tony was. "They didn't always interact with other species nor try to repopulate in this manner. One day, a couple of decades ago, their dimension just ... near collapsed and eradicated most of their numbers. We still don't know the cause of it but the magic there is ... unusable. They've been resorting to this method ever since."

"The Ancient One tried to solve the problem of whatever was disrupting the flow of magic in their dimension but even she only just managed to come back only because she had had the Eye of Agamotto at hand to assist her," one of the sorcerers that had come with Strange, looking much older than the Sorcerer Supreme, shared.

Elsa did not like the sound of that. Magic - or what most people would dub as magic - was essential in the balance of everything. From the smallest particle to the multiverse itself, the energies existing between dimensions were vital for their continued existence. Some creatures were able to instinctively tune in on these energies while species like humans and Asgardians had to be taught how to do so. Elsa's own kind, dragons, were creatures made directly from magic and anything related to it comes easier than breathing to them. So she knows, no matter how young and inexperienced she may be or the fact that she had never seen the dimension in question, that something is horribly wrong. Something that is affecting not only an entire dimension but also something that was affecting the magic that was keeping it together. The snow demons might be trying to repopulate but unless they do something about whatever is - most probably - clogging the magical ley lines of their world, their species will not survive.

And she feared, perhaps more than just one dimension dying from corrupted magic flowing through its essence, that whatever was wrong there could be wrong in other places. It is her duty now to oversee all of magic. The multiverse is vast and infinite. There are so many potential causes that she's not even sure what to think, where to start searching for a possible solution. If the corruption is like a sickness, other dimensions might be already involved. That increases the chances of it spreading even further and she knows, eventually, it will reach Earth, where Tony is.

"Well, whatever's bothering their dimension, our priority right now should be to protect our own planet," Fury says in response to the sorcerers' explanations.

"I hate to agree, but he is right," Wong says, firm. "Earth is all that holds Dormammu at bay and whatever happens in the Amazon rain-forest, it could far too easily affect the rest of the world, which would affect our ability to protect our reality. As horrible as it may seem, we can't let them get away with this. If they think we are weak or indifferent to their actions, they will turn the entirety of our planet into a breeding, harvesting ground. The entirety of life on Earth depends on us getting them back into their own dimension."

"Then what are we waiting for!?" Tony asks, popping a few strawberries and banana slices into his mouth before tapping on his ever present nanite housing unit twice and the red and gold armor washes over him almost enticingly. "FRIDAY, be a dear and inform all the right people that I'll be out and alert authorities that the Avengers are on the Amazon River business."

"I've already alerted the right authorities, Stark," Fury said with an annoyed scowl but her Ib only snorted, even as he opened his arms for Elsa to jump into.

"Yes, well, I like to be sure. They'll surely appreciate to know who will be involved and our ETA, all things considered. This isn't solely your operation, Nick. This is not SHIELD. You don't get to be selective about who you inform and what you tell them. That's the point of the Accords and in case you've forgotten, I'v signed them. You want to be part of the show? Get used to it."

Fury regards him with, well, fury in his eyes but he lets it go with a terse nod. "Get ready. You're leaving as soon as you can."

00000

That's how it started. A mission, dire but unassuming, regular for all that none of them had ever faced against enemies like these before.

Elsa had never wanted anyone to get hurt.