Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel-characters!

AN: I want to thank everyone who left me an awesome review! Seriously, they made my day. I'm glad many of you are excited. I am excited that you're liking it so far. Please enjoy the new chapter and let me know what you think!

~ The Opposites ~

Chapter 2

The doors to the throne room opened and Thor and Loki entered, walking side by side. Thor had done so consciously. Every time he and Loki were together, he made sure they walked side by side. He made sure no one treated Loki as a lesser being and most of all, Thor made sure that Loki was aware of this. Months ago, Loki had spoken eight short words that had made Thor reconsider his position as a brother.

'I only ever wanted to be your equal.'

Thor made sure that he never put himself above his brother. At least, he tried to make sure of it. It wasn't easy when he was the future king of Asgard, when he had defeated his brother countless time in battle and was considered the golden son of this realm. All this while Loki had become power-hungry, while he had tried to destroy or subjugate an entire race and while he was now a prisoner of Asgard. Yes, it was difficult for Thor not to feel himself better than Loki.

The throne room was awfully crowded. At least, it felt that way. Odin sat on his throne, Gungnir resting in his hand. Frigga stood next to him, her hands folded before her stomach. At the bottom of the steps stood Sif and the Warriors Three. Their eyes fell on Thor, kindly and compassionate. When they moved on to Loki, they turned cold and calculated. There were at least three dozen guards present, all lined up with long staffs in their hands. Finally, there were another twenty or so important Asgardian Elders present.

Thor wished that the execution of Loki's punishment could have happened in a small, intimate circle, but he knew the Elders would have never accepted that. They wanted to see the War Criminal punished for his crimes. They wanted to actually see Loki losing his magic with their own eyes.

Together, the two brothers walked forward and came to a halt before the steps. They had to look up in order to look at Odin. Thor placed his right fist over his chest and bowed his head. For a moment, he expected Loki to do the same, but the youngest son remained standing still like he had turned into a statue. Even his gaze looked cold and hard like stone. Thor knew that it was extremely disrespectful, but he said nothing about it.

"Well, I am here," Loki said in a slick voice. It sounded like he cared little about what was happening, but Thor knew better. If he looked closely at his brother, he could see fear hidden behind those green eyes. That is what he told himself. He simply had to believe that Loki could not be this indifferent.

Odin rose from his throne, leaning on Gungnir as he did so. With calculated steps, he descended the stairs. His eyes never left Loki's face. "Do you know your punishment?"

"Yes," Loki answered bitterly, "can we get this over with? The last thing I want to do, is be part in this needless play. I will not entertain the Elders."

The Elders shuffled back and forth, feeling uncomfortable by Loki's comment. Some of them turned red with anger, others paled and quickly turned away their face. The reactions seemed to amuse Loki whose lips curved upwards in a pleased smirk.

"You have the right to speak for yourself," Odin continued as if Loki had said nothing at all, "to defend yourself one last time before I commence with the punishment."

"Nothing I say will change your mind," Loki said, "so I won't waste my breath or time. I do want to emphasize again that I do not agree with this punishment. Taking away my magic will achieve nothing."

"Noted." Odin took a few steps forward until he stood directly before his youngest son.

Thor was unsure of what would follow now, but he distanced himself from his brother and father. He had never before seen Odin take away someone's magic. The King had done so before. He was one of the very beings in the universe that was capable of doing so. This did not happen often, however. Thor had only been child when Odin had once taken a warlock's magic and he had not witnessed the actual event.

Odin proceeded with removing the chain that bound Loki's hands. He kept the sharp edge of Gungnir close to Loki's throat. It served as a warning: do not make a wrong move, do not dare to escape or I will harm you in the name of Asgard. Thor felt slightly nauseous so he couldn't begin to imagine what Loki was currently feeling.

He made sure he never directed his eyes away from his brother. Loki looked to be holding his breath and his shoulders were tense. For a moment, Thor wondered why all this was happening. Couldn't he make an end to this? Couldn't he stop this and take Loki away from this realm? He wanted nothing more than to protect his little brother, but the time that this had been possible was long gone.

Be strong, brother, Thor thought, it will soon be over.

Odin's spear began to glow, a soft golden light surrounding only Loki. Soft words flowed from Odin's tongue, but Thor did not understand them. He had never understood the language of magic.

Loki swallowed heavily and closed his eyes. Pain crossed his face and at that moment Thor knew that something was wrong. Odin frowned and his grip on Gungnir loosened. People began to whisper and the Warriors Three and Sif stepped back as the golden light grew larger and larger.

Frigga's voice echoed through the throne room. "Stop!" She rushed down the stairs to her husband's side. "Stop, Odin, something is wrong!"

Odin paid her no attention. "Stop resisting, Loki," he merely warned.

So that's what was going on. Thor wanted step towards his brother and help his brother, but Frigga hurried to his side. Her hands reached for Thor's arm and she pulled him away from Loki, Odin and the golden light. Thor didn't even know if the light would harm him. He was too stunned to resist his mother's touch.

Loki and Odin were staring at each other. Odin looked strained and under much pressure while Loki grunted in pain. His legs were trembling, but he did not fall to the ground.

"Stop resisting the spell, brother," Thor yelled.

The golden light reached a new intensity and flashed across the entire room. Thor shielded his eyes from it. In an instinctive movement he threw his arms around his mother to protect her from any potential danger. He had not expected a tremor in the air around him, however, and he stumbled back – as did the rest of the attendees. When Thor finally moved away, allowing his mother to break free from his grasp, he could not believe his eyes.

Odin lay on the ground, having lost his balance and spear. His blue eyes stood wide with horror and Thor knew why.

They was no longer looking at just one Loki, but at two.

"By the Gods," Sif breathed from the other side of the room.

Frigga ran to Odin's side, kneeling beside him.

Thor was unsure of what he should do. He could only gape at the two versions of his brother. They were identical, yet so very different. There was no time to properly react, however, because the Loki on the left – looking disheveled and savage with wild, dark eyes – glanced around the room with a hungry gaze. A second later he disappeared into thin air.

Only one Loki remained. Thor was still unsure whether he should approach him or not. Clearly, the other Loki still had his magic (powerful magic at that). The Loki that had remained, however, looked calm and collected. His eyes were shade lighter than the other version of him. His hair was neatly combed back and he seemed…entirely composed.

"Loki?" Thor asked carefully. The other Loki had simply vanished, so the question was: what would this Loki do?

Loki had no eye for Thor, however. He was looking directly at his father who was standing up again with the help of his wife. When he spoke, his voice was caring, soft and almost innocent. It just didn't sound like the Loki Thor knew and loved.

"Father?" Loki asked. "Have I pleased you now?"

There simply were no words for this.

AN: So…thoughts?