Disclaimer: I own nothing here you recognise (and depending on what fandom drew your interest to this fic, I may not own some things you don't recognise); you know how it goes.

Feedback: Always appreciated

AN: This particular fanfic was specifically inspired by the Doctor Strange storyline "The Last Days of Magic", but I've naturally put my own spin on it to include more than a few other fandoms. The exact details of what I have planned will be revealed over the next few chapters, so I hope you enjoy the results.

AN 2: This story is just being started now as I wanted to get it and another project out there to whet everyone's appetites; I intend to finish a couple of other projects before I focus my attention on these new storylines, but be assured I'll get back to them soon.

The Guardians of Magic

Since he had taken on the Ancient One's responsibilities after her death, Stephen Strange had grown accustomed to his new duties. Most of the time it had been relatively straightforward, particularly with Wong helping him keep things coordinated and ease the transition of power, but Strange had long been prepared for the idea that he was just dealing with a significant lull in activity, the supernatural retreating after Earth managed to drive away something as powerful as Dormammu. He had responded to some minor issues, such as relocating soul-eaters from a school to feast on the child murderers in a nearby prison, or containing a few psychic leeches he'd witnessed in the street, but for the most part everything had seemed to be settling into a relatively controlled pattern that matched Wong's records…

Then this latest attack happened, and Strange had been lost for how to properly respond. Even Wong's years of experience had left him unprepared for a threat like this, attacking them with weapons and tools that clearly weren't magic but at the same time were devastatingly effective against everything from standard spells to the most powerful relics. Some of the Order's best had fallen in the first few minutes- Master Hamir had lost his remaining hand trying to buy time for the others to set up their defences- and even the relics had been essentially useless; the Staff of the Living Tribunal had been literally bitten in half, the Cloak of Levitation had been torn, the Daggers of Daveroth had shattered against their enemies' enforced armour…

About the only thing that was left for him to try was the weapon of last resort, and even Stephen knew that this wouldn't be the best idea. Dormammu had been an extreme situation that merited an equally desperate response, but what he was about to do here…

Sink or swim, he told himself as he looked over at the broken door, the latest attack already breaking down the enforced wood. There was too little residual magic here to put together an effective resistance to this scale of opposition, but if he had understood these books correctly… and if he was correct about the origin of their enemy…

It's all or nothing now.

With that grim thought, he reached out with his hands and began to cast the most complex ritual he'd attempted since he began his training, the power of the Eye of Agamatto mingling with a distinct awareness of the astral realms and reaching out beyond the confines of this current universe.

Whatever Mordo might say about the dangers of this action, if Strange had learnt anything from his time with the Ancient One and the records of the Avengers' activities, it was that there would always be cases when rules had to be broken to preserve what they were meant to protect; the only challenge lay in knowing how far to bend them. Just as Kaecilius and the Ancient One had drawn on the power of the Dark Dimension, now it was up to Strange to seek out new forms of power… power that could find a balance across the worlds and bring together a suitable response to this threat… a response that would combine the power that was needed to oppose this threat with the compassion necessary to prove their enemy wrong at the same time…

Even Strange wasn't sure how he was doing this, but the part of him that was trying not to think about the assault against his door understood that he didn't need to know to do this properly. If he had understood the ritual correctly, performing this particular spell was similar to balancing on a tightrope; just the expert walker couldn't explain how they maintained their balance beyond knowing when it felt right, all he needed to do right now was essentially 'tell' the ritual what he was looking for and trust that it would be enough.

As the door began to break apart, Strange waved one hand to summon a crucial runestone from a corner, clutched it in his hands for a few moments, and then threw it into the swirl of green energy created by the Eye that now hovered in the air in front of him.

"Good luck," he said, hoping that his efforts would be enough before he turned back to face the most devastating foe he had ever encountered.

"Stephen Strange," the bald, white-clad leader of the invading force said, looking at him with a mocking glare. "You are truly the worst Sorcerer Supreme I have ever encountered."

"Maybe I am," Strange replied, allowing himself a smile at the thought of how Christine would have reacted to the idea of him accepting that kind of criticism before he started at Kamar-Taj. "But I don't have to be the best to beat you… I just have to assemble the team that will."

"Enough," the Imperator of the Empirikuul said, aiming his weapon at Strange. "Now you die, abomination."

As the energy erupted from the Imperator's staff-weapon, Strange closed his eyes-


AN 3: The other crossover elements will debut in the next couple of chapters; to quote Amy Pond in "The Big Bang", this is where it gets complicated…