User:Dediles/The Thanos Decision
What would you do if you got infinite power? That’s the question I found myself asking. I was about to leave my house, a final check on my costume when it happened. Instead of just having a poorly constructed Thanos costume, I was Thanos.
I was still me, just bigger. And also possessing the infinity gauntlet. I knew using it meant that I’d be injured. I could use it two times at least before it might kill me, as Thanos had done. I knew that I could change anything, but not get crazy specific. It’s not like I could wish for world peace.
So what could I fundamentally change about the world to do the most good? I sat down on my couch, instantly breaking it, and tried to think about it. Ending world hunger was a big one, I could just make a plant appear across the globe that would be super nutritious and live in anything, but only able to be regrown through clippings so it wouldn’t spread as an invasive species. That sounded like a solid plan.
Then I heard an explosion outside. I peeked out the window and Iron man just blew up a car as black panther did battle with a werewolf down the street. There were a fair few ghosts that were panicking and floating around aimlessly. It wasn’t just me. This was happening to everyone! Ok scratch world hunger as the first thing on my list. First thing now was making sure this didn’t get out of hand.
“I hesitated for too long, I thought about what it would mean to move away from everything I’d ever known, but It was the right thing to do. I got the chance again, years later. I didn’t hesitate a second time, I need to be good.” I told my therapist
“Why do you feel like you need to be good?” My therapist asked.
“I’ve seen the world at its worst, and I didn’t do anything to help.”
I went to my computer(my phone had vanished from my pants) and looked up online what was going down. Apparently Russia had it happen first, no wait it there were reports from japan. Looking through the timestamps, careful not to break the mouse with my giant hands, I figured out this thing happened once the sun went down. On Halloween. Oh geez this was bad.
As time ticked on, I wondered how the best way to handle this would be. I don’t know what caused it, and without that information I couldn’t do anything about it, but the change seemed stable now. I was like 90% sure I could change back the people already affected. I’d have to wait until the night was over then.
I glanced at the stones on my gauntlet and sighed, thinking about how much that prop cost. Would I get it back? It made a great display piece. It was then when I had my second sobering realization of the night. I wasn’t the only one with one of these. Endgame had come out earlier this year, which meant a lot of people going as Thanos for Halloween. A lot of people with infinite power.
At 5:32pm GMT+0,Without a second thought I snapped my fingers. If you could use the stones to destroy the stones, then you could use the stones to destroy other stones. I went further. Anything even resembled infinite power would get nerfed to hell and back.
Pain coursed through my body as I rewrote the laws of reality: no one person could have such power as I. Across the globe infinity stones lost their glow, genies wishes became a lot more limited, the D&D spell wish ceased to function, and all things OP were nerfed to be brought into a power curve that only hit demigod and not actual god.
I blacked out for a second. The world was safe. I still had at least one use of the stones left. I knew my rule would work going forward, from the brief time I felt the ability to mold reality. But it couldn’t stop this, couldn't change it. I could only add additional rules to what was already happening.
I took a moment to think, to collect myself. This whole thing was insane. Pure chaos. How was I even holding it together? I wasn’t out there, I was huddled in my flat, scared and trying to help. Maybe all the things I could think of doing with my power kept me from going insane by the world shattering event happening outside my windows.
For hours I Think in circles about the best way to handle this would be. How could I make a rule that would work with this thing, and make it so the world doesn’t crumble!? Things would keep getting worse if I didn’t make a decision. At 7:32pm GMT+0, I did.
The second rule: If Sunlight hits your timezone and it's november 1st, Turn back to normal.
This one did not go over well. As I snapped I felt the fabric of reality give to my demands, but push back. I couldn’t finish it completely. I pushed and pushed, but only managed to get it halfway done, I think. I had no idea what would happen, and the internet was currently on fire. But at least whatever I did would still hit people that were in like, GMT +12.
“Would you be able to sacrifice yourself for the greater good?” My girlfriend asked
“Yeah, I think I would. There’s a lot to live for, I get it, but this world is fucked up. If my death would bring even a little more good into the world then my life, I’d die.” I responded
“I’d be too selfish to do it. As fucked up as the world is, I still want to be around to see how things turn out.” She responded.
“Well If I ever get in that situation I’ll take a leap of faith. I’ve only ever wanted to do good, and maybe I’ve fucked that up so far, but I won’t be selfish, not anymore.”
I heard the tweeting of birds. I could barely move my right half. It was burned with the power of the stones. I knew it was early morning, but I was still fully Thanos which meant at least one more chance to use the stones, even if it meant I died. I only had the ‘end world hunger’ Idea fully figured out, so that’s what I did.
At 6:02AM GMT+0, about thirty minutes before light would hit London, I snapped my fingers for the final time.
Across the globe miracle plants started appearing. Vines that could grow on the ground and on walls. They produced a luminous white fruit, each one enough to satisfy a single person for an entire day. They didn’t go bad and grew new fruits over the course of a month. They could grow anywhere, in any climate. They were only edible to humans, and would not make a big impact on ecosystems since they couldn’t reproduce, only be grown from clippings.
I walked the chilly campus, students like me heading to and from classes, or there car, or anywhere to get out of the cold. I let out a sigh of relief as I got into the arts building and got my phone out to check the time. There was a new message from my friend.
‘I want to die’ it read.
I quickly responded ‘me too, I’d prefer death to finals.’
‘Yeah… are you free?’
‘No, gotta get to my next class in like five minutes.’
‘Oh, ok.’
That was a lie, I had like an hour I was going to kill watching Batman the Animated Series. I just didn’t feel like talking. Later that night I got a call. My friend had killed himself.
I stood over his casket, numb with grief. I hadn’t been mean to him, but… I hadn’t listened to him either. And now he was gone forever. I swore on that day that I’d be a better friend, a better person. I couldn’t live with myself otherwise.
I walked out of the church into an orange expanse. It was that scene from infinity war. You know the one. where Gamora asks Thanos if he did it, and what it had cost him. It just hit me what I had done.
“Never got to see this movie, but I think I’m supposed to ask you if you’ve done it. But that would only work If I knew what you were trying to do, so… what did you do?” He asked.
“I… I think I may have just saved the world” I said, choking back tears.
“What did it cost? What was the world worth?” he asked.
“More than I could possibly give.” I said. “My life, at least.”
“I could stand here and judge you, but you’ve been through enough, come with me, I’ve missed you.” I broke down at that point. He held out my hand. I grabbed it, then everything went white.
At three PM on November second, a man was found dead in his London flat. He was a victim of the Halloween curse, dressed like Thanos. His body was covered in burns, but there were no burn marks. Cause of death: unknown. It was just another of the many tragedies to come from that fateful Halloween.