Thanos, Thor, and Sif stood together, no one daring to make a move. Loki was right in the middle of it, using his magic to remain unseen.
The three warriors were in triangle formation. Thanos had the scepter pointed directly at Sif, who stood absolutely frozen, but somehow not looking scared. Thor was stationed next to the machinery, tesseract in hand. If he put it in the machine, Thanos would win, making it likely that millions of people would be killed. If Thor refused, Sif would be shot on the spot.
There was no way to win. Even if Thor installed the tesseract, Thanos would likely shoot Sif anyway.
Although he knew he could not be seen, Loki made his way slowly to Sif, standing directly in front of her.
"Don't, Thor," Sif said without hesitation. "I will die a warrior's death, and I shall be happy. You will go on, and you will put an end to this madness."
The scepter began to glow an eerie blue, collecting its energy.
"No," Thor half-growled, half-pleaded. "You will come out of this alive!"
Thor turned to the menacing machine, while Thanos watched, his expression gradually becoming more and more pleased. He allowed the scepter to discharge. Thor started to install the tesseract, his face dark.
"No!" Loki shouted desperately, his spell shattering. "Run, brother! The world shan't end in chaos today."
Loki heard the scepter start to charge, and turned to Thanos. He thought of everyone he'd ever hurt, of anyone he'd ever loved. So many faces passed through his mind.
Odin, the citizens of New York, Thor, Agent Coulson, Mother…
But for some reason, Phil Coulson's dying face was the one that stood out the most.
With one last glance at his dear brother, Loki gathered all the strength, fury, love, hatred, and magic inside of him, and thrusted it all towards Thanos with a shout.
At the same time that Loki released his magic, Thanos' scepter shout out, an angry blue streak heading quickly towards him.
For Thor, the rest happened in slow motion. He ran toward Loki, calling his name. He watched his brother's eyes widen, filling with fear. A single tear rolled down his cheek, and the spark finally found home. Loki gasped with pain and surprise as it reached him. The spark set his entire body on fire, stinging like a thousand swarms of bees. After what seemed like forever, the magic released Loki, and he fell straight to the ground.
Sif had watched Loki from behind, pressing her hand to her mouth to suppress a sob.
Thor hadn't seen Loki's magic reach Thanos, but all that remained of the monster was a pile of ashes.
With no hesitation, Thor rushed to his fallen brother, reaching down for him. He was still awake when Thor reached him.
"Do not let go, brother," Thor gasped, tears escaping his eyes. "That was a stupid thing to do, Loki!"
A ghost of a smile appeared on Loki's face.
"It's good to see you too," he choked out, and then sucked a breath in sharply.
Thor held Loki gently in his arms. Without breaking eye contact, he called out to Sif, in an attempt to save Loki's life.
"Call someone! Anyone!"
Sif ran out of the room, flipping open a phone and speaking rapidly.
"I thought of Phil Coulson," Loki whispered brokenly.
"No brother, do not try to speak," Thor told him. The tears were making their way to his mouth.
Loki ignored him, or was too far gone to hear. He continued on, so quiet the slightest sound would have blocked his voice out.
"Phil once told me I lacked conviction. I think I made up for that today. I think I made him proud."
"Yes, I'm sure you did," Thor agreed, speaking through sobs as he watched his brother's, his friend's, eyes glass over. "Phil would be proud. I am proud to be your brother. Father will be proud as well, Loki, he will be so proud."
The words rewarded Thor with a real smile.
"Finally," Loki breathed, and in his brother's arms, his body went slack and his eyes became totally distant. At that moment, Loki, the lost prince of Asgard, had his heart stop forever.
Thor stared down at Loki's face, devastated. He slowly raised his hand to Loki's eyes, closing them for a permanent sleep.
Sif suddenly appeared behind them, reaching for Thor's shoulder.
"Everyone's on their way."
"It does not matter now," Thor said, sounding empty. "He –he is gone."
Then Thor, the King of Asgard, bowed his head over the hero's broken, vacant body and started to cry.