Chapter 4

Loki was sitting behind some rubble on the remains of Titan, rubbing his fingers along his knives. His presence was concealed. In the distance, he could hear Thanos blabbing on and on about his twisted ideology. At least it's buying us time. The plan was simple: force Thanos into place with their combined abilities and get the gauntlet away from him. It probably wasn't going to work. However, Loki agreed to it anyway, purely out of the desire to slice Thanos's chest open and rip out his heart, if he even had one. Loki grinned at the thought. He flinched as something exploded behind him. Peeking out from his hiding spot, Loki spotted Stark and Quill soaring around a giant piece of rubble. Thanos was nowhere to be seen. After a few moments, however, purple energy exploded from the rubble, sending pieces of rock flying everywhere. In the middle of it all, was a screaming Thanos. The purple flash disappeared, quickly to be replaced by a red one. Then the rocks became bats. Hundreds of bats, all flying after Stark. Peter and Drax leaped from their places. Summoning his helmet, Loki followed their lead. A small piece of webbing was flung at Thanos's eyes while Drax straight up sliced Thanos's leg off. Strange emerged from an orange portal. He and Drax surrounded Thanos, launching their respective attacks at him. Slipping toward Thanos, Loki sunk his dagger deep into Thanos's back. The titan let out a gasp, turning to hurl his gauntlet at Loki, who quickly ducked out of the way. The attack was intercepted by Drax. Thanos handled both Drax and Strange, constantly turning and punching them both. After a few strikes, Thanos knocked Drax away. His gauntlet clashed against an orange sword Strange had made. Loki replaced Drax, swinging at Thanos's arm. Thanos whipped around, tearing the cobweb off his eyes. He glared right at Loki.

"You again?" Thanos murmured. Loki swung his dagger, only for his wrist to be caught mid-air by Thanos. Throwing him aside, Thanos turned to Strange. The magician hurled orange energy at the titan as Loki struggled to his feet. Once he was up, he lunged at Thanos. The titan's attention was dragged away from Strange, swinging his gauntlet at Loki. Ducking under the attack, he sliced Thanos's stomach left to right, prompting a scream of pain. As this was happening, Strange had been summoning platforms for Quill to jump his way toward Thanos, planting a grenade on his back. Loki backed away.

"Boom!" Quill leaped backward into one of Strange's portals. The grenade went off, sending a spark through the titan's body. Strange's cloak whipped off of him and wrapped around the gauntlet, forcing it open. Loki was about to attack when a portal appeared. Peter launched out of it, punching Thanos in the face.

"Magic!" he exclaimed. Loki grinned. Peter disappeared into another portal then emerged from a different angle. "More magic." Grabbing Thanos by the head, Peter kicked off him and launched into another portal. "Magic with a kick." Peter emerged again, kicking Thanos right in his stupid face. "Magic with a…" This time when Peter came out, Thanos grabbed him by the neck, slamming him into the ground.

"Insect," he growled. A fire lit within Loki. Without thinking, he charged at Thanos.

"BACK OFF!" He yowled. Lunging at Thanos, he landed on his back, sinking his knife deep into the titan's skin. Thanos arched his back, letting out a cry. Loki didn't let go. "PETER RUN!" he ordered. Peter nodded, getting up and dashing the other direction. Reaching around, Thanos grabbed Loki, tossing him right into the ground. Thanos ripped the cloak off his hand, lifting his gauntlet to attack. However, it never came. Instead, Iron Man zipped by, firing wildly at Thanos. Staggering back, Loki summoned a shield. He ducked behind it, cringing as the sound of explosions assaulted his ears. For a moment, the flames disappeared. Loki glanced out. Flames were spewing from Thanos's gauntlet, aiming right at a piece of the broken ship. Peter swung in. Firing webbing at the gauntlet, the fire disappeared in a flash. Peter tried to yank it away but Thanos yanked harder, punching Peter in the face as he slammed into him. Loki's eyes narrowed. However, he stayed put. Thanos was ripping off the webbing when the Guardians' ship rammed right into him with a clank. Sliding across the ground, the ship smooshed Thanos like a bug. Somehow, however, he was still standing. Loki emerged from his spot, daggers in hand and heart blazing with rage. Before he could lunge, another fighter appeared, a blue mechanical woman with a weapon that was surging with blue energy.

"Well, well," Thanos mumbled. Loki backed away, summoning a shield and spear. This must be Nebula.

"You should've killed me," Nebula snarled, glaring at Thanos.

"It would've been a waste of parts!" he snapped. Nebula let out a cry, slamming her weapon against him. He barely flinched.

"Where's Gamora?" she demanded. Thanos slapped Nebula, causing her to go flying. Loki charged at the titan. Thanos turned to him with a grunt, slamming his gauntlet against the shield. Loki forced himself to stay in place. Sliding to the side, Loki thrust his spear into Thanos's side. Before he could retaliate, orange energy surged at Thanos, wrapping around the gauntlet. Thanos struggled to no avail as Strange met Loki's eye.

"Loki! Force him into place, like you did to me!" he yelled, still aiming his magic at Thanos.

"But that took most of my strength," Loki protested. "And he's-"

"Just do it!" Loki let out a sigh. Backing away, he dropped his weapons and raised his hands. He mustered up all of his energy and aimed it at the titan. Drax slid back in, kicking Thanos in the shin. Thanos turned to him, raising his fist. Then he froze. Grunting, Loki's hands shook as he held Thanos in place.

"I can't hold this forever!" Loki called, his entire body straining. "Someone help!" Quill flew by, firing a stunner at Thanos, which dragged his other arm down to the ground. Swinging in, Peter fired some webbing at Thanos. It attached to the ground. Above Thanos, a portal appeared from which Mantis fell out, landing squarely on the titan's shoulders. She pressed her hands to the sides of his head. Loki fell to the ground, panting.

"Sleep," Mantis murmured, her antennae lighting up. Thanos struggled for a moment more before his eyes turned completely white.

"Is he under?" Stark asked. "Don't let up."

"Be quick," Mantis replied, panting as well. "He is very strong."

"Parker, help!" Stark called. Peter immediately rushed to Stark's side. "Get over here. She can't hold him much longer. Let's go." Stark and Peter yanked at the gauntlet. "Hey." Stark turned to Loki. "All powerful wizard God, a little help here?"

"Give me a moment," Loki panted, gripping his pounding heart. "You have no idea how exhausting it was to hold such a powerful being in place like that." In front of Thanos, Quill landed, removing his mask.

"I thought you'd be hard to catch. For the record, this was my plan." Quill approached Thanos, his eyes narrowed. "You're not so strong now, huh? Where is Gamora?"

"My Gamora," Thanos groaned.

"She's not yours!" Loki snapped, his eyes narrowed. "You kidnapped and brainwashed her like all your other 'children.'" Nebula nodded beside him.

"Where is she?!" Quill repeated. Thanos let out another groan, struggling between Mantis's hands.

"He is in anguish." She exclaimed.

"Good," Quill spat. Loki nodded in agreement, his eyes still narrowed at Thanos.

"He… He mourns," Mantis cried, her eyes watering.

"What does this… monster have to mourn?" Drax demanded, still at Thanos's feet.

"Gamora," Nebula muttered.

Quill turned to her. "What?"

"He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul Stone. But she didn't." Loki froze.

Stark removed his mask, glancing at Quill. "Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now. You understand? Don't, don't. Don't engage. We almost got this off!" Stark snapped.

Quill turned back to Thanos, his eyes aflame. "Tell me she's lying. Asshole! Tell me you didn't do it!" he snapped. Loki's heart pounded. He attempted to push himself off the ground but he was weighed down by his own exhaustion.

"I had to," Thanos groaned.

"No, you didn't." Quill shook his head, tears forming in his eyes. "No, you didn't..."

"Quill!" Loki gasped. Quill let out a cry, punching Thanos repeatedly in the face. Mantis shook, losing her grip.

"Hey, stop!" Stark let go of the gauntlet, grabbing Quill's arm. "Hey, stop! Stop! Hey, stop! Stop!" Finally pushing himself off the ground, Loki leaped in front of Quill, aiming his hands at Thanos. Peter remained at the gauntlet.

"It's coming, it's coming," he muttered, pulling it off. "I got it, I got it!" The colour returned to Thanos's eyes. He shook Mantis off his head, sending her flying, then shook Peter away from the gauntlet. Pushing it back on, Thanos turned to Loki. Taking a few steps back, he continued to direct all of his energy at the titan but he still continued to approach him. Finally, Loki gave up. Grabbing Quill, he threw them behind the nearest pile of rubble. Immediately, Loki concealed their presence, keeping them completely invisible even as Thanos looked right at them.

"Ow," Quill muttered, gripping his forehead. The two struggled to their feet. Loki rested his hands on Quill's shoulders, gazing at him with wide eyes.

"Are you alright?!" Loki demanded. Quill pushed him away, his eyes narrowed.

"Alright?! No, I'm not alright! Gamora is dead…" Quill paused to sigh. "And I screwed the rest of us over being a freaking idiot."

"You're not an idiot, Quill," Loki insisted, resting his hands on Quill's shoulders again. "You acted recklessly yes, but I can't blame you…" Not when I've done the same.

"Well maybe you should," Quill sighed, looking at the ground. Loki stared at him, unable to come up with a reply. Moments later, a booming noise shook the whole planet. Loki glanced up. Bits of the moon were apparently deciding they wanted to be bits of the planet. Eyes wide, Loki summoned the biggest shield he could and held it above his head. He turned to Quill.

"Get under, get under!" Loki ordered, gesturing at him. Quill immediately obeyed, huddling close to Loki as bits of debris rained down all around them.

"The others!" Quill shouted, moving back a bit. "They could be in danger!"

"We're all in danger!" Loki snapped, narrowing his eyes. "They'll be fine!"

"And if they aren't?!" Loki didn't reply. "Stay here if you want but I'm going to find the rest of our friends." Quill's mask appeared just before he zipped into the sky, leaving Loki alone beneath his shield. The rest of our friends… friends? Quill considers me a friend? Part of Loki wanted to laugh. Didn��t Quill know what he had done, what he was capable of doing?... Of course, he did. Quill heard what Stark said, yet he and the others still chose to side with Loki. Thinking about it now, Loki realized how oblivious he had really been. These people were practically bending over backward for him. Yet, that wasn't the strange part. The strange part was that Loki was starting to do the same.

"Dammit," he muttered, dropping the shield. "I told myself attachment was foolish, I told myself that! What am I doing?!" He let out a sigh. Using his powers, Loki made dark, feathery wings sprout out of his back. "I'm not letting them get themselves killed." With a mighty flap, Loki soared into the air. He scanned the remains of the planet. It was, to put it lightly, a complete mess. Not that you could really tell through the thick cloud of dust that blanketed the planet. Loki squinted, trying to catch sight of any semblance of movement. His heart lit up. Quill was soaring through the wreckage, his obvious flaming boots giving him away.

"Quill!" Loki called, soaring toward him.

Quill turned around, revealing a masked face. "Loki! How'd you get wings?!"

"Shapeshifting," Loki answered. "Where are the others?"

"Haven't figured that out yet." Quill gestured toward him. "Come on." Loki followed, soaring by his side. "Mantis! Drax!"

"Peter!" Loki called.

Quill turned to him. "Dude, I'm right here."

"No, no the other one," Loki replied. "Parker… Spider-Man!"

"Mr. Loki!" A voice called. Glancing up, Loki caught sight of Peter, hanging from a floating piece of debris. Dangling from his web, were Drax and Mantis. Loki let out a gasp. He and Quill both sped toward Peter, their eyes wide.

"Are they okay?!" Quill asked, reaching toward his friends.

"I think they're just unconscious," Peter answered. "Can you help me carry them?" Loki and Quill nodded. Hovering in front of their friends, Quill scooped Mantis into his arms while Loki grabbed Drax's hands. "We need to get them to Mr. Stark. He has stuff that might help them."

"I haven't seen Stark or Strange since we all tried to remove the gauntlet," Loki informed.

"I haven't either," Quill admitted. Loki flinched as a boom sounded in the distance. The three turned around.

"Um…" Peter pointed in the distance. "Over there might be a good place to start." Loki and Quill nodded. Peter swung away while Quill and Loki soared side by side carrying their friends. Squinting, Loki could make out the shapes of Strange and Stark.

"There they are!" Loki announced, pointing at them. Quill nodded at him. The two landed feet-first, Loki nearly dropping Drax as he glanced at the scene before him. Stark was on the ground, his armour decimated and his face covered in fresh scars. He was spraying something on his chest, panting. Strange sat nearby, his face similarly scarred. Nebula was there too, viewing the scene.

"What happened here?" Loki asked, his wings disappearing.

"Where is Thanos?!" Quill exclaimed. His mask was gone, revealing pure rage and a gun. Not a good combination. When no one answered, Quill's anger faded, being replaced by a wide-eyed look. "Did we just lose?" Peter landed beside him, his eyes wide as well. Loki glanced at Stark.

"Why did you do that?" he murmured, glancing at Strange.

There was a long pause. "We're in the Endgame now," Strange answered. Loki's eyes narrowed. He certainly lives up to his name, doesn't he?

"What happened?" Loki repeated, his voice sharp.

"The Time Stone," Stark sighed. "Strange gave it to Thanos… in exchange for my life." Quill gazed at Strange, his jaw dropped. Loki bit his lip. He would hate me if he knew what I did. Looking away from Quill, Loki took a step toward Stark, kneeling in front of him.

"Did you… fight him all on your own?" Loki asked, his voice soft. Stark nodded. He kept his eyes fixed on healing his wounds. "Why would you do that? You could've been killed."

"Why do you care?" Stark mumbled.

"I was just curious," Loki replied, scooting back. "There's no need to act this way. Really, I'm not-"

"Why are you here?" Stark asked, finally meeting his eyes.

"What?"

"Why are you out here, trying to save the universe? It doesn't seem very… you."

"I'm not here for the universe. I'm here for them." Loki pointed at Quill, who was hunched over Mantis and Drax. "Which reminds me, Drax and Mantis fell unconscious. Do you have anything that can help them?"

Stark stared at him for a moment, confusion flickering in his gaze. "...No… sorry…"

"Will they be okay?" Quill asked.

"Your friends should wake up soon," Strange answered, struggling to his feet.

"We won't leave until they do," Stark added. "Promise." Loki glanced back at Stark, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Okay. Th-thank you." Loki turned away from Stark, inching closer to Mantis and Drax. He placed a hand on Mantis's chest. It was hard to make out but every few seconds, there was a beat. Slowly but surely, the beating happened more frequently. Finally, Mantis's eyes struggled open. "Mantis, are you alright?"

She nodded. "What happened?"

"We lost," Loki sighed. "Thanos got the Time Stone." Mantis let out a gasp. Quill glanced at them.

"Oh, Mantis, you're awake. Can you wake up Drax too?" he asked. Nodding, Mantis scooted toward Drax, resting her hand on his forehead. Her antennae lit up.

"Wake," she murmured. Drax let out a gasp, jerking awake. Struggling to his feet, Drax whipped out his knives and let out a cry.

"Where is Thanos?!" he demanded. Nobody answered. "WHERE IS HE?!"

"Gone," Quill answered, his gaze fixed on the ground. "Drax, he got the stone… we lost." Drax's eyes were wide.

"No…" he shook his head. "No, no, no." Falling to the ground, Drax slammed his fists into the ground. "I SHOULD'VE BEEN THERE! I COULD'VE DEFEATED HIM!"

"No, you couldn't," Stark interjected. Drax turned to him, his eyes filled with pure, unbridled rage. "I tried… he's too powerful."

"Did we ever have a chance?" Loki sighed.

"Uh, yeah, we did," Stark replied, standing up. "That is until Quill here decided to screw us over.�� Loki stepped in front of Quill, whose head hung low.

"You would have done the same!" Loki snapped, glaring at Stark. He remained silent, his eyes darting toward the ground.

"Come on," Quill sighed, gesturing to the group. "Let's get back to the ship." Mantis struggled to her feet, leaning against Drax for support. Loki and Quill took the lead. Stark and Strange limped after them, the former holding onto Nebula. As they continued, clouds began to obscure the sky, tainting the orange sky a dark grey. Loki flinched as thunder cracked. The group stopped.

"Something is happening," Mantis informed, her eyes wide. Moments later, Mantis's hand split into pieces, flowing in the wind. Loki let out a gasp as the rest of her body went with it, splitting into the same pieces. He reached his hand out. Loki's hand simply brushed the air; nothing remained of his friend.

"Quill?" Loki turned to Drax, whose body was doing the same thing.

"Drax!" Quill and Loki gasped. They rushed toward him but he was already gone. Loki turned to Quill. His only remaining friend was staring at his hands. Moments later, they began to split.

"Quill, no!" Loki extended his hands, struggling to make the pieces of his friend stay together. "Not you too, please!" However, Quill's body was already gone, replaced by dust. Loki fell to the ground on his knees, the dust of what had once been his friend falling into his hands. Tears filled Loki's eyes. He clutched the dust in his hands, trying to stifle sobs.

"Mr. Stark?" Loki glanced over his shoulder. "I don't feel so good." The tears instantly flooded from Loki's eyes. Dear God, not him too! He's only a child!

"You're all right," Stark insisted.

"I don't… I don't know what's happening. I don't know…" Peter fell against Stark, wrapping his arms around him. "I don't want to go. I don't want to go, sir," Peter cried, his body slowly turning to dust. "Please. Please, I don't want to go. I don't want to go." Stark pushed Peter away. "I'm sorry," he murmured. Finally, Peter's body disappeared. Loki gazed at his own hands hoping, no, praying that they would disappear. That he would turn to dust and fade from existence like all the others. However, his hands remained solid. Everyone he loved was gone… and yet he remained.