Shine Again (An Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame Story)

Chapter 52: The Endgame

    Spencer crouched down behind a piece of debris, watching carefully as a large imposing figure emerged from a black cloud and began surveying the damaged remains of Ebony Maw's ship. She glanced away from him to look at the rest of the team. It looked as if everyone was in place, ready to play their part in hopefully stopping this tyrant once and for all. Quill was behind some other wreckage not far away from Thanos, his weapon drawn and ready; Peter was peeking out from above and behind Strange, who was sitting upon what may have once been a plaza's steps.

    "Oh, yeah, you're much more of a Thanos," Strange mused, finally catching the figure's attention.

    "I take it the Maw is dead," he stated. When Strange barely nodded, he continued. "This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission."

    "You may regret that," Strange cautioned. "He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts."

    Thanos took a few steps towards him. "And where do you think he brought you?"

    "Let me guess. Your home?" Strange answered, sounding a bit annoyed.

    Even from where she was positioned, Spencer could see a reminiscent smile upon Thanos' face as he rested a foot upon a piece of debris before placing his gauntleted hand over his knee. "It was," he said fondly.  He raised the hand from his knee, making a fist before the red Reality Stone flashed. "And it was beautiful."

    The landscape around them all quickly changed. Green lawns, intact buildings with incredible architecture, and gorgeous ponds replaced the debris-covered scenery that surrounded them. Citizens of Titan walked along the stone paths, and the jack-like structures that were now just broken reminders of the planet's prosperity hovered above the buildings, beams of energy emanating from them. Spencer had to admit, Titan before was lovely.

    "Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, and not enough to go around," Thanos continued. "And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution."

    "Genocide," Strange breathed.

    "But at random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass," Thanos explained. He relaxed his fist again, and the Reality Stone stopped glowing, causing the illusion to fade back into the true sorry state of Titan.

"Congratulations, you're a prophet," Strange retorted sarcastically.

"I'm a survivor," Thanos insisted.

"Who wants to murder trillions," Strange countered right back.

"With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers, and they would all cease to exist," Thanos went on, snapping his fingers when he said the word. "I call that... mercy."

    Strange stood. "And then what?"

"I finally rest... and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe," Thanos answered. He paused for a moment. "The hardest choices require the strongest wills."

"I think... you'll find... our will... equal to yours," Strange replied, summoning his mandalas with every pause and entering a fighting stance.

"Ours?" Thanos asked.

Spencer knew what was coming, but she looked up just as Thanos did. A chunk of wreckage was descending rapidly upon him, far too rapidly for him to do anything about it. Tony was the one propelling it towards him, and it crushed Thanos easily upon impact, causing a cloud of dust to surround them.

Tony flew past. "Piece of cake, Quill." There had, of course, been some debate about the plan prior to settling with this one.

Quill triggered his mask and followed after him. "Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off!"