Beyla ~ (Loki)

32.

Sitting on the rocks beside Stephen Strang, I see Thanos appears in front of us. "Yeah, you're much more of a Thanos." Thanos maneuvers his eyes between Dr. Stange and I.

"I take it the Maw is dead. This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission." Strang tilts his head to the right, "You may regret that. He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts." I stand, "Not to mention a pissed-off Goddess." Thanos tilts his head with a smirk, "Are you going to sting me?"

Thanos averts his attention back to Strange. "And where do you think he brought you?" Star-Lord is nearby behind wreckage with his weapon ready, and Spiderman is above the structure where Strange and I sit. "Let me guess. Your home?"
Thanos nods with a smile in remembrance, "It was. And it was beautiful." Thanos uses the Reality Stone to show Strange Titan before it was destroyed. The entire atmosphere shifted from rubble to a beautiful civilization. "Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, and not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution."
"Genocide." "But at random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass." The illusion fades into the true state of Titan returns. I roll my eyes itching to slit his throat, "You're a prophet. Wow." Thanos glares, "I'm a survivor. One thing your toy never knew how to do." Thanos tosses Loki's dagger at my feet. A shutter leaves my lips as I stare at the craftsmen's work.

"With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers, and they would all cease to exist. I call that...Mercy." I pick up the dagger as Strang continues, "And then what?"

"I finally rest...And watch the sunrise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills."  "I think you'll find our will equal to yours." Thanos scoffs, "The two of you? I highly doubt that."

I look up taking the dagger in my palm, "We've got some help." Thanos looks up in time to see a chunk of wreckage coming down on him, and tries to use the Power stone to stop, but is too late.

"Piece of cake, Quill," Tony says as he grabs my arm flying me into the air. "Yeah, if your goal was to *tick* him off," Quill says through the earpiece.
The wreckage on top of Thanos erupts, the pieces glowing with purple. He shouts as he uses the Power Stone to force the pieces at Iron Man. I block them with a force and send a swarm of killer bees to Thanos. He deflects them back towards me, the stingers cutting several places on my body. The venom sank into my blood.

Spiderman webs his eyes, and swings in the kicks him in the face. Then Strange summons a blade, but Thanos stops it with his hand and tears the web from his eyes. He advances on Strange and kicks him just as Strange summons a shield, absorbing the force of his blow, but knocking him back. Star-Lord shoots Thanos from behind, and Thanos uses the Power Stone to shoot balls of energy at Star-Lord while he advances by the steps Strange formed in the air, and places an electric mine on his back. He turns to Quill, as he disengages his helmet, dives backward into a portal, flipping him off. "Boom!"

The Cloak closes around Thanos' fist, and the mine on his back goes off. Spiderman appears on his right from a portal. Tony drops me into the portal. I pull the dagger out slicing Thanos' cheek as I jump between portals. Before Spiderman can finish his kick, Thanos turns, grabbing him from the air, and throwing him to the ground, with his hand around his neck, "Insect!"

He then throws him, about to use the gauntlet, but is interrupted by an explosion caused by Iron Man shooting a missile at him. As the flames blind Thanos, Spiderman attaches a web to him and strains against it. Thanos pulls Spiderman toward him but looks up as a ship crashes beside him, and Nebula jumps in front of him. she runs at Thanos, attacking him with her sword. "Where's Gamora?!"

Strange uses the Space Stone to cast her aside, flailing. Strange forms energy ropes that grapple onto the gauntlet. Thanos tries to pull it free, as Star-Lord shoots an electric magnet onto the ground beside him, holding down his other hand. Spiderman swings in, and makes a string of web, holding him back, enabling his spider legs to anchor himself, as Strange opens a portal above Thanos out of which drops Mantis, who lands on his shoulders, her hands on his temples. He screams as she tries to put him under

Tony, Peter, and I pull on the gauntlet as Thanos is under Mantis' power. "Is he under? Don't let up."
Mantis cries, "Be quick.... He is very strong!"

Quill lands in front of Thanos, "I thought you'd be harder to catch. For the record, this was my plan. Not so strong now, huh? Where's Gamora?" Thanos groans, "My... Gamora...?" "Oh, bull–shit. Where is she?"
Mantis reads off his emotions, "He is in anguish! He... he... he mourns!"
"Gamora." The three of us pull harder getting a nudge in the glove.
"He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul Stone...but she didn't." Quill locks up, turning back to Thanos.
Tony switches his attention to Quill, pleading, "Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now, understand?" Quill just stares at Thanos with rage.

"Don't, don't, don't engage, we've almost got this off!"

Quill screams in Thanos' face, "Tell me she's lying. ASSHOLE!!! Tell me you didn't do it!!!" Thanos grimaces, "I... had... to."

I look to Quill shaking my head, "Don't. I know what you're feeling, Quill. DON'T!" He doesn't listen, "No, you didn't... No, you didn't..." He continues to rage and then proceeds to pistol-whipping Thanos in the face. "NO, YOU DIDN'T!!!" I release the gauntlet, tackling Quill to the ground. Tony leaves Peter's side as he helps me hold Quill off. Peter Parker is left to pull off the gauntlet. "Hey, stop! Hey, stop! Stop! Hey, stop! Stop!"

"It's coming! It's coming! I got it! I got it!!" All is too late, Thanos wakes, butting Mantis from his shoulders, and grabbing the cuff of the gauntlet just as it is sliding off his hand, causing Parker to stumble back, and Mantis to go flying. Strange summons a weapon, and Thanos uses the Space Stone to throw him away. Then, Iron Man shoots at him, but Thanos beats him down and uses the Space Stone to pull down the surface of a moon. Stark tries to fly away, but a large chunk pins him down.

Thanos grabs Strang by the neck, "You're full of tricks, wizard." Thanos rips the time stone from his body, "No!" Strang exclaims. "Yet you never once used your greatest weapon." Thanos crushes the eye in his hand, "A fake."

Tony blasts Thanos catching his attention. Tony stands behind him with a glare. "You throw another moon at me, and I'm gonna to lose it." Thanos hums, "Stark." "You know me?" "I do. You're not the only one cursed with knowledge." "My only curse is you."

I lay weakly as the two brawls, Thanos backing Tony up several feet until he stabs Tony in the side. He gasps as Thanos pushes him to sit on a rock. "You have my respect, Stark. When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive.  I hope they remember you." Thanos goes to close his fist, but I yell from the ground. "Wait! Wait. Stop." I stand limply on my feet. "Take me..." I take a step dropping to my knees, emotion taking over my mind. Thanos smiles, and points, "No. That's too easy for you." He kicks me over, making me fly in the air, landing next to Dr. Strange. "Stop! ... and I will give you the stone." Thanos stares at Strange. "No tricks."

Strang raises his hand and grabs the time stone out of thin air, gilding it to Thanos. He places it in the gauntlet, allowing the powers to surge through him. "One to go." Through a portal, Thanos disappears.

Quill comes charging but stops as Thanos disappears. We all lay defeated. "Where is he?!" Quill cries. He looks around confused, "Did we just lose?"

I look up at the sky feeling nothing but despair, "We're in the Endgame now."

I crawl to Tony, propping myself on the rock. I lay my head on his knee staring off silently. The wind picks up and the planet stills. I look up seeing Mantis watching her hands as they fade to dust. I sit up watching as Drax has the same reaction. "What's happening?"

Quills fade just as quickly. Peter stumbles over to Tony. "Sir, I don't feel too good." He soon fades in Tony's arms. Lastly, Stephen Strange fades from existence only leaving behind the dust of his former self. I look at my hands begging to be taken. No life is better than one without Loki.

But no. I stay intact. Dying would be too easy, just like Thanos said.