Steve Rogers looked out the window of the empty Avengers bunker. Doubt and regret plagued his every thought. He didn’t sleep much anymore. How could he? Thanos did exactly what he said he would do. And he couldn’t stop him, none of them could. Natasha told him they all shared the blame, not just him. But he wasn’t so sure. He let them die; men, women, children, and his lover. Every time Steve closed his eyes he saw the look on Bucky’s face as he turned to dust.
He couldn’t go on like this anymore.
He was just turning around to head back to the others, when suddenly a bright flash of light lit up the dark sky. The bright light crashed violently into the ground. Steve thought a small comet had crashed into the front lawn of the base. But as he watched, he saw the figure of a man emerge from the flaming “crater”. The man was tall and thin. Like a skeleton, Steve thought. The man looked like any other man walking down the street. Baggy brown pants, a plain green tee shirt, and a mop of messy brown hair on the top of his head. But there was something else about him. The way he walked, with confidence and grace. Steve had had more than a few run-ins with aliens, Gods, and even magic. Steve didn’t know what the strange man was, but he knew then that he wasn’t human. By then the rest of the Avengers had gathered by the window to watch the man as he walked toward the base.
“Where’s his ship?”asked Bruce.
”He didn't come in one.”said Thor
“That’s impossible, my scanners detected a ship entering the atmosphere, he had to have come in one.” Bruce insisted.
“Your scanners didn’t detect a ship, they detected him.” Thor said icily.
Steve sensed something off about Thor’s tone.
“You know him.” It wasn’t a question. Thor didn’t look away from the window but Steve saw his face tense. Something about the strange man made him nervous.
“We all do.” was all Thor said. Steve didn’t understand, he was about to ask for clarification when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Thor began towards the door but Natasha stopped him. ”Woah,what are you doing?” she questioned. ”Yeah.” said Rocket “We don’t know who this guy is, we need a plan.” Thor looked at him for a moment then continued walking and said with a hint of annoyance, “I have a plan. Open the door.” Nobody said anything,by now they knew to trust Thor. That didn’t stop their doubts though. Bruce looked nervous, Carol and Natasha appeared tense, and Clint was there too. Thor opened the door and let the strange man in.
Then he kneeled.
Steve suddenly realized the awesome power of the strange man.
“ Lord Shaggy.” Thor said politely.
The strange one called Lord shaggy spoke: "Thor, my son I haven't seen you in eons.” Thor rose and the two smiled like old friends. Lord Shaggy then turned and faced the Avengers. "The mighty Avengers.” He said, Steve might have taken it as a slight but there was something fond and familiar in the way he looked at them. “I still remember the day I made each of you.” Clint raised an eyebrow.
Then suddenly a flash of light consumed the night, like the one that had brought Shaggy. Steve and the others tensed. "There’s no need to be frightened” Shaggy assured them. “That’s just my companion, Scooby.”
Carol’s anger flared. “Who’s Scooby? Who are you? You better start talking.”
“SILENCE MORTAL!” A voice boomed suddenly from behind them. Steve turned towards the sound and saw a strange looking dog. Steve thought there was no way the dog could have spoken, when it spoke again. “You know not who you speak to foolish mortal! This is your king, and maker Lord Shaggy. You should be worshiping, him not making demands!”
“Woah, like calm down man.” said Shaggy. “She is only human, she knows not of the truth.”.
Scooby looked embarrassed “Sorry Shaggy” he apologized. “It just angers me so, when mortals act so... arrogant. This is why I say we should tell the universe of The Great Conquest.” Steve was confused. The other Avengers were too he saw, except Thor.
”What’s going on Thor? Who are these people?” Steve questioned. Thor looked uncertain as he looked at Shaggy, who smiled and said, “Tell them my son.” Thor nodded, turned to the other Avengers and began:
“His power knows no limits. In the beginning there was only him. He created everything you see around you, the stars, the Earth,entire universes, and you. Humans, his most prized creation. For eons he has discreetly nurtured and ruled humanity from the shadows. Putting thoughts in your heads and quietly protecting you from cosmic threats. This is what we call The Great Conquest. But until now he has not been seen for thousands of years by mortals, and it has been almost as long since he has visited Asgard. Many think him just a myth. They claim so much raw power cannot be contained in one being. But they are wrong. I myself have seen his awesome power. And I know he has come to us now in our time of struggle, to aid his children.”
The Avengers looked at each other then back at Shaggy.
Shaggy spoke. “I'm afraid you don't owe me as much as you think. For I am the cause of your woe.” He hung his head and hit the saddest Woah Steve had ever seen.
“What do you mean?” Asked Rhodey.
Shaggy looked at him then said, “I am responsible for all this death, because it was I who created Thanos.”
A beat of silence.
“You?” Asked Natasha finally.
“Yes me. I, Lord Shaggy, brought Thanos into existence.”.
“Why didn’t you stop him, then?! ” Said Steve angrily.
Shaggy looked ashamed “Honestly, I thought he was bluffing”.
“Legit” Said Clint. “This one time Tony said he was going to split up The Avengers and fight Steve, because of his new boyfriend. And I said “Okay Stark lols” thinking he wouldn't, but then he did.”
The Avengers all nodded remembering that sad time.
“Yes,something like that.” Agreed Shaggy.
“Now what?” asked Steve. “Since you know he’s not joking what are you going to do?’
“I fight him.” said Shaggy simply. The Avengers exchanged nervous glances. "You sure?” asked Rocket. "We tried to fight him once, and now half our friends are dead.” Shaggy just smiled “I created this man. I can destroy him just as easily." The Avengers looked at each other. “If he wants to fight Thanos let him, we don’t have any better ideas.” said Scott, who everybody had forgotten was there until just now. Scooby spoke up “Ignoramus, our Lord Shaggy will lay the smackdown on Thanos.”
Another beat of silence.
“How are you going to find Thanos? We've been looking for months and found nothing." Bruce asked finally. Shaggy laughed a laugh like rolling thunder. “I shall send out a challenge to be heard throughout the whole universe. He will come. Thanny never could resist a challenge.”“Do it then.” said Steve. “Challenge him.”
Shaggy did.
He went out on to the front lawn of the Avengers base, looked up at the sky and screamed a hearty scream. When Carol asked what he was doing, Scooby said “He is sending out his challenge, Thanos will hear.” Shaggy screamed for five hours, forcing the Avengers to applaud his lung capacity. Suddenly on the fifth hour Shaggy stopped. Three long minutes passed in silence until Thanos appeared. He touched down gracefully on the Earth's surface. The Infinity gauntlet shone mockingly on his right hand. The two super beings looked at each other for what seemed like years. Steve had never seen so much raw energy in just one look. It sent a shiver down his spine. “We have to go fight” insisted Tony. “No.” said Scooby firmly. “This is Lord Shaggy’s fight now”. The Avengers understood then that Shaggy had to be the one that straight up slayed Thanos.
Suddenly Thanos spoke “Well, well. Shaggy, I haven’t seen you in eons.”
Shaggy smiled and said “ Has it been that long old friend? It seems just yesterday I was willing you into existence.”
“And it seems like just yesterday you abandoned me for your new pets.” replied Thanos bitterly.
Shaggy had a sad look on his face. Thanos had wounded him deeply. Shaggy spoke, “Thanny.” He said, there was such sadness in his voice. That a single perfect tear rolled down Steve’s cheek. "Is that why you killed half of them, my son?” Shaggy finally asked. "No.” said Thanos. "I did it to save them. It was for the good of the whole.”
“Well for the good of the half, technically” said Shaggy with a smirk. Thanos grew angry. "You think this is a joke!? I did it to save your creatures!” Shaggy raised his eyebrows. "It was wrong of you Thanos. You don’t get to decide who lives and who dies. You shouldn’t play me.” Suddenly Scooby appeared on the field with Thanos and Shaggy. Thanos looked at him with amusement. "Ah Scooby.” he said. “It’s been so long. Tell me how’s the wife?” Scooby looked at Thanos with pure hate. “Shut up purple Shrek!” he hissed.“Still jealous Scooby Doo?” Thanos mocked, “Jealous I was willed into existence first?”
Scooby Doo began to glow blue and float off the ground radiating anger. “You don’t deserve to say you are a child of Shaggy! You have wronged him and you shall pay!” Scooby lunged at Thanos. Thanos stepped to the left, just avoiding Scooby’s attack. Scooby turned to face him. Thanos counterattacked with an uppercut. Scooby stumbled back but quickly regained his footing. He lunged at Thanos who caught him by his stylish collar. “Time to join the rest little brother.” he said as he snapped his fingers slowly turning Scooby to dust.
“Rut Ro! I don’t feel so good!” exclaimed Scooby.
Shaggy ran to his fallen friend as he slowly disintegrated. “Tell my wife I love her.” Scooby said in a hoarse whisper.
"You're gonna tell her yourself buddy.” Shaggy said with tears in his eyes. “Thanks for all the good times Shaggy.” Scooby said as the last of him fell away. Scooby Doo The Powerful, was dead.
It is said the noise Shaggy made was loud enough to deafen the universe. So filled with grief for his dead friend, it moved every creature on Earth to tears. The sound was low and long, like the howling of a thousand mournful wolves. When the sound ended Shaggy sat and wept for a moment. He looked up and met Thanos’s eyes.
Thanos had heard often of fear but had never felt it until that moment. When Shaggy looked him in the eyes he saw many things. He saw age, grace, power, and wisdom, but also many other things. Darker things. Hate, malice, anger, fury, corruption, and his own death. It was as if a thousand fires burned within Shaggy’s eyes. Shaggy spoke, “Now you must die.”
The battle that followed was one said to be the most brutal battles in all of the universe. It topped all battles before it, and took the title of the most awe inspiring magical fight from Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald. And it only lasted thirty seconds: Shaggy ducked Thanos’s punch and launched into the air. Shaggy flew through the air and karate chopped Thanos in the neck with the fury of a hundred lions. Thanos took five steps towards Shaggy, then fell to his knees. A smile graced his face, and with his last breath he whispered: "See you soon." Falling to the ground.
Shaggy had killed him.
The Avengers rushed onto the field to congratulate Shaggy. He just smiled sadly as he took the Infinity Goblet from Thanos’s corpse. “ I suppose you’d like your friends back?” Shaggy asked with a smile. “Yeah.” said Natasha. “All except for Vision. He was honestly a weak link”. The Avengers conferred for a minute and decided that Vision was not, in fact, a key member of the group. Shaggy put on the Gauntlet, dabbed and brought back half the univrse's population, with the exception of Vision.
He watched with a smile as Steve and Bucky passionately kissed, Tony and Peter embraced, and the others greeted their previously dead friends. Shaggy was glad things were back to normal but sad at the cost. Thanos had been a friend, a brother, but he had an insatiable appetite for power, he always thought he had the right to dictate the fate of the universe, and everyone in it. It had to be done. Then with sudden realization he dabbed again and Scooby Doo appeared. He smiled at his old friend and together they flew into the sky to keep peace in his universe.
The End...?