A/N: Hello and welcome to this fic! I am writing this to help deal with my emotions after seeing Endgame. That being said, this fic does take place after Endgame and contains spoilers so if you have not seen it yet, wait until you see it to read this story! Also, although it will not be listed as such, this is technically a crossover story with one of my other fics for a different fandom. I don't have it listed as a crossover because the other universe does not play a big part in the story, I just borrowed one of my OC's from that universe. I hope you enjoy this story!
The last thing Loki remembered was the mad titan's hand around his throat, squeezing tighter and tighter as he uttered his last words.
"You will never be a god…" he gasped before his throat gave out.
Now he gasped for air once more, only to find none in the vastness of space he floated in. Pieces of debris floated around him, the only parts remaining of the ship he had been on. Calling upon his limited strength, Loki used magic to create a bubble around his head. He knew it wouldn't last long as he didn't have any actual air around him. Frantically glancing around him, Loki noticed an escape pod that had somehow evaded destruction. Using the remaining magic resources he had, he pulled it to him. Once he entered the pod, Loki removed the bubble from his head and breathed in the air provided by the life support system. His hand went to his throat, gently massaging it. It was as if Thanos had never touched him.
Loki moved to the single seat in the pod and started pressing buttons on the console, causing everything around him to light up. He read the status report on the screen in front of him, letting out a roar of frustration as it displayed the pod's damage report. While the pod was still functioning as a safe haven, he was stuck. Loki leaned back in the seat, staring out into the empty nothingness in front of him.
What happened after Thanos crushed his throat? Was Thor still alive? Was he able to stop the mad titan from destroying the universe? Above all of these questions, Loki wondered something else. How was he alive? Not that he was complaining. Being alive was preferable to being dead. Having accepted death twice before, only to survive, he was used to it being non-permanent. Although this time, he had nothing to do with his survival. What had saved him?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a bright orange light filled his field of vision. Last time he saw something like that, that aggravating wizard on Midgard had used a portal to transport him against his will. An even brighter light emerged in the center of the growing orange circle, forcing Loki to squint from the brightness. Through his narrowed vision, Loki could make out a shape in the center of the shining light, the shape of a woman.
Before he could react, Loki was jerked out of his seat by the sudden movement of the escape pod he was occupying. Groaning, he pulled himself off the floor back into the chair. Resituating himself, he looked back out the front of the pod, nearly falling off the chair again in surprise as he found himself face to face with three people. As he thought, the wizard was present. He was joined by a blonde woman in a red and blue jumpsuit and another familiar face. The Valkyrie woman raised her hand and waved her fingers at him, a grin plastered on her face. Loki groaned again, suddenly missing the emptiness of space. Standing from his seat, he exited the escape pod, stepping out onto the grass. Glancing around him, he could see that he was on Midgard. He walked around to the front of the pod to greet the three people waiting for him.
"Loki, it's good to see you alive," Valkyrie said, "Thor will be pleased to hear you are still with us."
"I'm not really sure 'still with us' is the best phrase to use," the wizard said in a condescending tone, "more like 'with us again'."
Valkyrie rolled her eyes at his words. "Whatever the technical term is, he is alive. That's the important part."
Loki held up his finger to stop the conversation.
"How am I alive exactly? And why am I here?"
Valkyrie jerked her thumb at the man beside her.
"Ask Strange. He's the one who knew how to find you," she said.
Loki turned to the man in question, awaiting an explanation.
"I do not know exactly who brought you back, Banner or Stark. All I know is that when I looked into the future, I saw you returning. Banner gave me the coordinates of where your ship was attacked, so I had Danvers assist in bringing you here," Strange said, gesturing at the blonde woman.
Loki raised his eyebrows in surprise. Granted his relationship with Banner had improved, but he wouldn't have expected him or Stark to bring him back to life. He was also still a little lost on the 'how' part, but he could guess it had something to do with the infinity stones Thanos had been collecting.
"Has Thanos been defeated?" he asked, hope in his voice.
The blonde woman named Danvers smirked and nodded her head.
"Twice actually. Both the Thanos from this timeline and one from the past were defeated. Also, we were able to undo the damage he caused."
"Most of the damage," Strange corrected her, "we still lost some good people."
Loki watched the smirk disappear from Danvers' face at Strange's comment. It seemed that the war had not been kind to the heroes that had gathered to fight Thanos.
"Who was lost? Based on what you said when I arrived, I take it my brother was not among the causalities?" Loki asked.
Valkyrie shook her head in response to his question. "No, he is very much alive. After Thanos was defeated, he left with a group of people called 'The Guardians of the Galaxy'. He left me to watch over what remains of our people. All the same, he took his initial defeat pretty hard, so he is no longer the same Thor you knew."
"Initial defeat?" Loki asked, confused by the mentions of multiple fights and timelines.
"The first time we fought Thanos, we lost," Strange said. "He was able to obtain all the stones, and with a snap of his fingers, he killed half the population. This included most of the team assembled to defeat him, even myself. Thankfully, through the ingenuity of the remaining Avengers, they were able to undo his snap and bring almost everyone back, leading to his eventual defeat."
"I don't understand where my brother comes in," Loki said.
"He nearly killed Thanos before he was able to snap his fingers," Valkyrie explained, "but he failed, leading to disastrous consequences. That failure added on top of his inability to stop him when he attacked your ship sent him into a downward spiral over the course of five years. Your death, Heimdall's death, and losing half of our people only contributed to his guilt."
Loki felt his heart go out to his brother. He could not imagine having that much guilt on one's shoulders. Even in their success, Thor had still lost ones he cared about. Five years was almost nothing to Asgardians, but he imagined it was still a long time in Thor's mind.
"You mentioned losing people, anyone I know?" he inquired.
"Romanoff sacrificed herself to help us obtain the soul stone to undo the damage Thanos caused. An android being named Vision and a woman named Gamora were killed in his original pursuit of the stones. Since their deaths were all connected to obtaining the stones, they unfortunately were not brought back by Banner's snap like the rest of us were," Strange explained. "Lastly, Stark gave his life to stop Thanos once and for all. He used the gauntlet they constructed to dissolve Thanos and his army, but the process killed him. If I had to guess, he brought you back in that snap to help Thor cope with his grief."
Loki wasn't sure how to feel about the information that had been revealed to him. In their limited interaction, he had terrorized Tony Stark. Yet, the man had brought him back to life as part of the last thing he did in life. He intended to make sure his sacrifice was not in vain.
"If that is the case, then I must find my brother and join him."
The three others shared a look that Loki couldn't quite interpret.
"That could be quite difficult, as we aren't really sure where he went," Danvers said.
"Unfortunately, I have no insight to offer you," Strange said apologetically. "I must get going however, so I will leave the situation in your capable hands Brunnhilde."
He disappeared through another orange portal without another word, leaving Loki alone with the two women.
"I wish he didn't call me that," Valkyrie muttered, "it's better to just call me Valkyrie or Val. I'm the only one left, so it fits."
"At least Brunnhilde is actually your name. Much better than Vers, which is what the Kree called me," Danvers said, "They couldn't be bothered to give me a new name, so they just took part of my last name off my dog tags, the lazy bastards."
Valkyrie chuckled. "I like Carol much better than Vers. It suits you."
Loki cleared his throat to remind the women that he was still standing there.
"We still have yet to figure out how I am going to find my brother," he pointed out in annoyance.
"I'm afraid I won't be much help either," Danvers said, "I have to return to help the Skrulls deal with some problems they have been having on their new home planet."
"I have an idea of what to do, so don't worry about it," Valkyrie said.
"Well then, I'll leave you to it," Danvers said before she started to glow with a blinding light.
Loki and Valkyrie covered their eyes to protect them as she leapt from the ground into the sky, a ball of light disappearing into the atmosphere. Once she was out of sight, Loki turned to look at Valkyrie again.
"So what's this brilliant plan of yours?" he asked.
"There's a pilot I know that can take you to find Thor. She's the only one around here with a ship other than the huge one we traveled here in. Rocket gave me a vague idea of where they were going, so that would be a good place to start."
Loki gestured with his arms, indicating for her to lead the way. He followed her down a dirt path towards a small town nestled in a valley. A sign that he passed read 'New Asgard'. As he followed Valkyrie through the small town, he noticed many people stop to stare at him. He guessed that news of his death had spread, so seeing him walk into town five years later was not what these people were expecting.
Loki followed Valkyrie to the edge of town, where they came upon a plot of land that held a small house and a barn type structure. He saw a woman walking along a path between the two buildings, not aware of their approach.
"Now be nice to her, you need her help," Valkyrie said in an almost scolding tone.
"What? Afraid I'll hurt her feelings and she'll complain to you about it?" he sneered back at her.
Valkyrie stopped walking and turned to face him with a serious look on her face.
"No. I'm afraid you'll say something stupid and she'll shoot you. I don't want to have to explain to Thor that you came back to life only to have it be short-lived due to your rude nature."
Loki felt like doing the childish thing and mocking her as she turned away from him and started walking again, but he refrained.
"Hey red!" Valkyrie called out.
The woman looked up at the sound of her voice and smile raising her hand in greeting. Loki took in the appearance of the woman, inwardly scoffing at Valkyrie's warning. She didn't seem like much of a threat to him. She was quite petite, the top of her head about even with his shoulder. She also had a very thin build, almost appearing to have no muscles at all. Her red hair was tied back, exposing a kind looking face with greenish brown eyes that crinkled when she smiled. To Loki, she appeared to be an average mortal woman rather than a threat. That being said, he had underestimated the last red-haired mortal woman he had met, and she had beat him at his own manipulative game.
"What can I do for you Val?" the woman asked, her eyes peering around Valkyrie to look at him.
"It's not what you can do for me, but what you can do for him. I'll let him explain, as words are his specialty," Valkyrie said, giving Loki an amused wink.
Loki had a feeling that she wanted him to say something stupid, just so this woman would shoot him. He scowled at her as she walked away, waving goodbye as she walked. He turned back to the woman and noticed that her smile had faded. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him expectantly.
"What can I do for you Prince Loki?"
A/N: Please review and let me know what you think! For anyone that reads my other stories, this woman is not Mina, so don't be concerned that she left her disaster of a marriage for the God of Mischief.