The gem glowed faintly in my hand, making it appear green in the process. I could feel the power radiating off of it, whispering tiny promises into my ear. After all those years of searching, I'd finally found it. The Time Stone. The one thing that could fix my life from the absolute mess it was now.

It had all started right after I'd been thrown in prison for my so-called "crimes" against Midgard. The All-Father declared I would spend eternity in a tiny cell, forced to constantly reflect on everything that had gone wrong in my life. But that didn't last long. I gained my freedom, but lost something far more important.

Mother. Even now, years later, I still thought of the old queen. Her smile, the way the sun shone on her hair, the way her eyes glimmered whenever she looked at me. She'd been the only one to show kindness after my disgrace, yet I tossed it aside like scrap paper. "You might want to take the stairs to the left." It was funny how a single sentence can break someone better than any blade. Frigga's death was my fault-a queen killed by the monster. How appropriate.

The Time Stone's glow strengthened, and the sudden light snapped me back to reality. I had a mission-to fix all of this. But I knew I had to do this quickly. Thor was coming for me.

After I had woke up on Svartalfheim, tired, dazed, and bleeding out, I had returned to Asgard to get some answers. Did Odin ever care? Or would he cheer at the thought of his youngest being nothing but a frozen corpse?

Disguising myself as a guard wasn't difficult. But when I told him of the "body," the old man didn't react for several seconds. He just looked at me, and murmured, "Loki."

That's it? "Yes, my king," I said, gathering my magic, "it is."

Odin's eye widened, but it was too late. My magic lashed out, consuming the old king until only I remained in throne room. He wasn't dead, only amnesiac. I sent him to Midgard; the irony was too good to resist. The realm one son defended while the other attacked. If the mortals knew who he really was, I wasn't sure if they'd hate him or thank him.

Taking Odin's form, I established myself as the King of Asgard. Gungnir was mine, and Thor was away, most likely not to be seen for another century or so. Not until the Avengers were all dead. I was the most powerful man in the Nine Realms, yet I felt a yearning sensation for something I couldn't identify. I tried filling that gap with enormous statues and bombastic plays in my honor. Neither worked.

But it wasn't until Thor showed up things really started to go wrong. He'd seen through my disguise almost instantly, and had chased me out of the Realm Eternal. That had been a few years ago, and he'd been hunting me ever since, declaring a large bounty for Loki Laufeyson to be brought to justice. I knew he no longer thought of me as his brother. I would have no protection against his wrath.

That was why I was here, in this dark, dank cave in the middle of Alfheim. It was a realm of magic, thus the most likely place for an item like the Time Stone to be hidden. I knew the only place left to flee to was the past. I was tired of being the most hunted man in the Nine Realms. This would allow me some peace of mind. I'd see Mother again. I'd get to apologize to her.

I gripped the gem, trying to access its power. Time travel was complicated-it could be done without the use of the Time Stone, but that involved making deals with dark beings with far more power than I could ever hope to achieve. I could've also written a letter to the past, and warned my younger self of the danger that lied ahead. But there was no guarantee he'd receive the message, or that he wouldn't make the exact same mistakes. No, it had to be this.

My mind flashed to Thanos, the Mad Titan. I wondered if he knew I was here, accessing the most powerful of the Infinity Gems. I smiled. He was merely the most powerful being hunting me down, wanting to bring me in for eternal torture.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. I could feel the energy gathering in the air, signaling the Bifrost was about to be used. I closed my eyes. Take me back, I told the Stone, take me back, take me back, take me back-

"LOKI!" A loud voice boomed. "COME OUT NOW!"

I took in a deep breath, and hid the gem in the depths of my cloak. I exited the cave with my arms raised. "Hello, brother." I spit the word out like it was poison. Perhaps it was, in a way.

"Loki," Thor said, his jaw clenched. "If you surrender now, I will show mercy. Tell me where Odin is."

I laughed. "And why would I tell you that? So you can throw me in prison again? No, Thor, I think not."

Thor glared at me, and I saw lightning flash in the sky. The wind picked up, making the atmosphere feel even darker than before. "You have two options, Loki: surrender, and I will let you live; or," he sighed," "you will die for your actions. Make your choice."

I laughed again, this time coughing up blood. I smeared it across my lips, adding to my already crazed appearance. "Oh, Thor," I held out the Time Stone, "I have already made my choice."

His eyes widened. "Loki, you cannot-"

Take me back, I commanded. TAKE ME BACK NOW!

Alfheim vanished in an instant. My body felt like it was on fire. The Stone's energy was burning through me, dissolving every particle into nothing. I saw a million different events right before my eyes, from Thor's failed coronation to my invasion of Midgard, all in the span of a second. I could hear my brother's voice, shouting, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Everything was happening all at once.

Then it stopped. The fire inside cooled, until the sensation was entirely gone from my chest. I opened my eyes, trying to discover where-or, when-I was.

The room I was in was well-decorated, yet simple. It had a wooden desk, with books and papers neatly stacked in one of the corners, and a large bed in the center, with a horned, golden helmet sitting atop it. I recognized this room. It was my old chambers, before I was cast aside and disowned by Odin.

I ran into the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom, and immediately looked in the mirror. My face appeared the same, but it was less weary, less tired. My hair was much shorter. But it was my clothes that shocked me the most.

For I knew what this outfit was for. This is what I wore to Thor's coronation. The Stone had done its job.

I was now in the past.

AN: So this is the first chapter of my new story! I wanted to try my hand at time travel, because it's one of my favorite tropes of all time. So in regards to continuity, let me explain in case anyone's confused: this is an AU after TDW, where Thor discovers Loki posing as Odin. Odin's still on Midgard, and Hela hasn't been released from her prison yet. I know in MCU canon Doctor Strange has the Time Stone, but I don't really know that much about him. So in this universe, the Time Stone has been on Alfheim for centuries, and Loki went out to find it after his ruse was discovered. Also, keep in mind Loki's an unreliable narrator, especially when it comes to Thor and Odin. I hope that clears everything up. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this, and please leave comments! I can't improve my writing without them. Thank you!