When the clock struck 1:00 in the morning, the bell chimed, waking Loki out of his sleep. He opened his eyes, and noticed a faint glow from outside of his bedcurtains. He hadn't left the fire on, so…. Then he remembered! The ghosts!
Loki nervously oulled back the curtains, and was temporarily blinded by a brilliant glow. The glow faded away, and left a man standing, leaning against the wall with one leg up against it, his arms crossed. He was wearing a red, white, and blue uniform, and had short blonde hair.
"Hey! Loki is it?" The man asked, walking over. Loki nodded, and asked, "Who are you?" The man smiled warmly. "I am the ghost of Christmas past, but people call me Steve Rogers. I am from a long time ago, and can remember things from a very long time in history."
Loki gulped. "And I suppose you're here to take me through my past? To change me? To make me feel again? I'm afraid that won't work, Steve Rogers, as I am beyond hope now. I've been betrayed, broken, and scarred. There is no chance for me." Steve smiled. "We'll see about that."
Steve took Loki's arm, and they both vanished in a flash of white light.
They appeared in a palace, a golden palace. Loki looked around nervously. "So you know where you are?" asked Steve. Loki looked down. "Yes."
They advanced through the palace, and stopped at one room, where a man with shoulder length white hair was sitting, and celebrating with a young boy. The boy had shoulder length golden hair, and was grinning from ear to ear. "Well done, my boy!" shouted the man, who was the father, and picked the boy up and spun him around.
Loki squeaked. "This was the day of my commencement in studies of Magic. But it was also the day when Thor slayed his first monster." Just then, someone else walked into the room. It was a boy, with black gelled back hair. He was grinning happily, holding a certificate. "Father, father!" the boy shouted, tugging at the man's arm. "I am truly a god now! A god of deception and trickery, I learned all my magic!" the boy said happily.
The father just looked at the boy, and smiled half-heartedly. "That is good, Loki. But what we should really be celebrating is Thor's first beast he has slayn! We will feast on it tonight!" he said, throwing the first boy in the air.
The younger boy looked down, the smile disappearing from his face. He walked out of the room, ignored by his family, and once he was outside, he sat on a stair and cried. He buried his head in his hands and cried and cried.
Steve looked at Loki. "You never forgot that day. The day you realized indefinitely that you would always be second to your brother." Loki's eyes watered, watching the younger version of him cry on the steps. "I never did forget this. I was hurt deeply by Odin's shunning." Loki sniffled. "Take me away. I don't wish to see this memory anymore," he said, turning away.
Steve shrugged. "Okay then." They, once again, vanished in a flash of white light, and appeared in another memory. Loki looked around. They were on Nidavellir, a realm of elves. They were battling a huge monster, that was very big and strong. Loki and Thor were now young men, fresh out of Asgard, adventuring with their friends.
Loki was using his abilities of deception to lure the beast to Thor, and Thor summoned lightning from the sky, electrocuting it. Sif, Volstagg, Hogan, and Fandral rushed over to Thor and lifted him up, cheering. "All hail the god of thunder!" they cheered.
Loki just stood by himself, left out. He was the one who had distracted the monster to give them the opportunity! But no one recognized him, as usual. Loki glared jealously at the back of Thor's head. Thor always got the celebration, everyone always worshipped Thor, never Loki. He clenched his jaw, and tightened his hand into a fist, green mist swirling around it. Then he thought twice, and stopped.
He sighed. No matter how much attention Thor got and Loki didn't, they were still brothers.
The older Loki regarded his young emotions. "This is what always happened whenever we would go on adventures. I would always get upstaged by Thor. I desperately wished to have at least one victory over him, but tat day never came."
Steve put a hand on Loki's shoulder, and they vanished from this memory.
They appeared in an underground setting, with a large staircase and a podium holding something blue and glowing.
Loki's mouth dropped open. "No, Rogers, not here! Please, I cannot bear to see this memory again!" Steve just looked on solemnly to the scene. "You must look, Loki."
Loki swallowed, and stared at the two people standing there. It was himself, now an adult, and Odin. Loki's face was twisted in sadness. "No, you took me for a reason, what was it?" he said to Odin. Odin just stared, not speaking. Loki started to cry. "TELL ME!" This brought the older Loki to tears. Odin sighed.
"I took you from the war in hope of one day uniting our worlds." Loki stared at him in disbelief, a high sound emitting from his lips. "So, I'm just another stolen relic? I-I-I'm the monster who parents, tell their children about at night? You know it all makes sense now, why you favoured Thor, all these years, and no matter how much you claimed to LOVE me! You couldn't have had a frost giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!" Odin fell down on the steps, clutching his side, as Loki stood over him.
Steve waved his hand, and the vision disappeared. Loki's eyes were wet. "Your father didn't want to tell you because he wanted you to feel the same as everyone else!" Loki scoffed. "He ignored me all these years, and now he finds compassion? Ha. He's an old man and a fool." Steve raised his eyebrows, but waved his hand again, showing another memory.
"You were in love once, right?" asked Steve. Loki blushed. "I'll take that as a yes. Her name was Darcy. You loved her more than life itself. But when you were banned from Asgard, everything changed. Your heart iced over, and you lost the one delicate creature who truly cared about you."
A vision appeared in front of them, of Loki sitting at a desk in his work. Darcy came in the door. "Loki? Oh there you are! Are we still on for dinner tonight?" Loki looked up, his expression hard and unfeeling. "I don't think so. I don't feel very good." She threw her arms up. "That's what you said last night! Look, Loki, I feel like you're growing apart from me! Is everything okay?"
Loki looked up at the last part, now angry. "Am I okay? AM I OKAY? No, I am not OKAY, Darcy, I have been cast out of my birth planet and hated all my life! Do you know what that's like? No, I suppose not, because you're perfect! Just leave me alone, Darcy. And don't ever come back!"
Tears rolled down Darcy's cheeks. "Loki, please-" "GO!" shouted Loki, kicking his chair. Darcy sobbed as she ran out his front door. After she was gone, Loki sat down, laying his head on the desk, and starting to cry.
Older Loki took a deep breath after seeing this, a feeling of guilt and regret washing over him. Steve waved his hand, showing one last memory.
Frigga was standing in offense position against the dark elves in the room, one of them Malekith, and was protecting Jane, who was behind her. Loki looked confused, and turned to Steve. "Where am I?" Steve looked at him gravely. "In the dungeon."
Realization washed over Loki's face, and he shook his head. "NO! No, Rogers, you musn't show me this! Have you no mercy? PLEASE!" Steve turned Loki around to face the scene. Loki squeezed his eyes shut, but Steve opened them.
Frigga slashed the elves with her sword, and suddenly, the larger one grabbed her and picked her up. "You have something of mine, child," Malekith said, going over to Jane, "Give it back." He reached forward to Jane, but his hand went through her, and the vision of the woman dissipated. "WITCH!" The elf shouted at Frigga, who just smiled. "It is mine, Queen of Asgard," said the head elf, circling Frigga. "I'm going to give you one last chance to tell me- where is the Aether?." Frigga just shook her head, struggling against the grip she was in. "I'll never tell you."
The elf nodded. "I believe you." In one swift move, the large one holding her took out his sword and stabbed it through Frigga's middle. Loki immediately started to cry when he saw this memory, and broke down to the ground, holding his head in his hands. "HOW could you show me this, Rogers? Have you no mercy?" Steve stood Loki up, and brought him close to the dying Frigga. "Listen."
Loki was forced to lean close to Frigga's mouth, and heard as her last words were uttered as Thor yelled at finding her, knocking the elves around. "Loki... I know you're good," she sputtered, and died.
Loki took a step back, and covered his mouth. "I'm sorry mother. I'm so sorry," he whispered. Steve came up behind him. "I believe you spoke to her not long before this," he said. Loki nodded. "I had told her she... wasn't my mother." Steve waited, letting Loki cry for a moment more, then touched his arm, flashing them back to reality.
Loki looked up from his hands, and realized he was back in his bedroom, on his bed, left alone to think of the sad memories of his past. He dried is eyes with his bathrobe, and got back into bed.