Speaking in a hushed tone with the God of Mischief while the Avengers were bickering over a remark that ended with toilet paper brands, Magdalyn, the alleged daughter of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, smirked slyly at him, glad that he wasn't waiting to play his hand. It was boring when all the pieces wanted to to stall and see how things went before actually entering the match themselves! Even if he had had nothing to do with the affair, she knew that he would provide a source of interest. He had encountered her once before, and it had been an odd meeting to say the least, so he was curious about what she was game for, and by that, he meant who's pawn she was.

To keep the imbecilic do-gooders from their backs (fair enough, some of them had possessed a certain level of intellect, but it was nothing to match his own), he measured his volume as he addressed the woman calling herself 'Magdalyn', "Why are you here? Really?"

"I enjoy a good game." She shrugged, "But it's been such a long time since I had a decent playmate."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "You might fool the others, but I know you're not who you say you are."

"Black mailing me? It won't work," Magdalyn grinned wildly, "But we don't have to be enemies, do we? You might make him even madder if you don't join me. I know what the Other showed you, and I can make it happen."

Catching on at last that they had been speaking, Steve turned the attention back to the new arrivals, "Make what happen?"

She blinked, an innocent look back on her oval face, "What? Oh, I was merely telling him that if I had the desire, I could make it so that he was eating the dirt from my boots. Naturally, I don't wish to combat with such a worthy opponent unless I have to. The one good thing about being the daughter of a superhero is that you have access to some very impressive masters."

Knowing that the mortals would expect him to react to the woman's words, Loki followed suit if only to see where her game would lead, and partially out of fear that she had spoken the truth (he doubted that she alone would be a match for the likes of himself, but if she had truly made an alliance with them, well, he had no doubt in his mind that she could prove more than a challenge), "The arrogance of you ants is breathtaking indeed, to think that you could defeat the likes of a god!"

She shrugged, turning her back to the trickster, engaging in a conversation with the one known as Pepper. Loki knew that that woman wasn't really who she claimed to be, though he did admit that it was possible that Magdalyn Stark did exist. Maybe she was telling the truth about the body's identity, but there was no conceivable way that she was what she appeared to be. He knew not what she was, but the strength she possessed, the craft with which she wove her tales, and the foresight that she had shown when they had first met were deeply troubling. Could it be that was...? He hoped for the first time in his life that he was wrong.

But if he wasn't (and he rarely ever was), then that would also explain the monster's aversion to her...

Woman aside, he still had his own agenda to attend to, which included recompense for his battle with the Midgardians, as well as escaping his foolish brother... No, that oaf wasn't his brother, not anymore...

Brother, why weren't you there for me? Is it that your precious woman and her miserable kind are more important to you? Is that why you were blind to my pain? Didn't you see the look in my eyes when we spoke together? Brother, why do you turn your back to me when I need you the most? It felt like he was standing in a room full of people, screaming at the top of his lungs, and none of them batted an eye in his direction. Loki hated going to that place, that part of himself that still loved Thor and wanted to forget everything, but he found it inescapable. He worried that being with his brother (and his horrible allies) would affect that part of his psyche. He wasn't sure he liked the thought of testing that, as stifling it gave him both direction and purpose - he shuddered to think of what would happen if his control were ever to slip.

Later That Day, Sometime Around Noon

After being sorted into their rooms (Magdalyn's next to Clint's and across from Loki's on the fourth floor (Tony wanting Loki's room to be as far from his as possible, and Clint wanting a room where he could keep an extra eye on the bastard)), Loki gazed around at his new quarters in disgust. It was true that prison was more drab than this and far worse a place, no light allowed into the slightest crack, damp coldness seeping in through the crevasses to chill the heart and numb the blood. But this? This made him miss his cell back on Asgard! The white walls burned his eyes, the pastel flowers singeing his soul, tasteless neon pink, orange, and green curtains (tied with a baby-blue duck printed strips) crumbling the remainder of his sanity. To make matters worse, there was a horrid 'My Little Pony' pillow case that he swore that he would burn before the hour was up (preferably sooner).

"Tony Stark will pay for this." He smoothed out the matching comforter, eying the mutated horses in disgust. Suddenly escape seemed more promising than revenge...

At least he was a master illusionist, so he actually only had to suffer this for a few moments (though it was still enough to scar him for life (more than he already had been)). Taking aim first at the walls, he watched as the flowers dissolved in an exact replica of his chambers; ancient stone pillars rising from the floor at intervals, emerald and gold hangings twisting this way and that, sable canvas to rival the depths of space blooming from the ceiling, tendrils of the same spiraling to the floor. Setting the bed ablaze (the pillowcase going up in the most splendid hues of orange and red), Loki replaced the modest twin-size mattress with a mammoth intricately craved, gold-plated oval stuffed to the brim with the most luxurious down, silk bedding (in his favorite color scheme) weaving itself from nothingness to float on top of his work. Now this was befitting a god.

Elsewhere, A Little Bit Later

Steve was troubled by Magdalyn - her appearance now of all times, her words about the future (including the lead-up), and her personality in general. There were times that she seemed like an ordinary girl (a sweet one at that), but the strength behind her blow was anything but ordinary. It was always possible that she was either just super strong, genetically altered in some way (sadly he could see Tony doing something like that (not necessarily by choice)), or extremely lucky, but something in her fist told him that she was holding back. She was more than ready to murder her father, but she clung on to Pepper's every movement as if she were the most precious thing around, so where did that put her?

And then there was the whole thing she said about them. That was weird. Steve had preferred a woman around his own age, neither considerably older or younger, so why would he ever get involved with a baby like her? Forget the fact that she was possibly his best friend's daughter (and the granddaughter of one of his closest friends), she wasn't clearly his type. He wasn't one for judging, but he found it odd that he would be associated with a dame wearing knee-high leather boots or exposed undergarments, outside of a Tony's influence (he had been dragged to many a strip club in what Tony called "catching up with the modern world").

He supposed that the only one to really verify any of this would be Magdalyn.

Meanwhile

Running his hand distractedly over the plum-colored silk canopy over his bed, Clint stared moodily off into space. Was it him, or had anyone else sensed what Magdalyn was implying about Bruce's daughter? If she was only a year younger than Magdalyn was - and Pepper was already pregnant - then that means that Bruce only had a small window of time to procreate, and from what he knew, the scientist only knew one woman...

I made a mistake. I hope this won't run too many of you off (the last two chapters, really? (Well, actually, I want to thank you, because quite a few of you have stuck around!)), but when I listed this as a Tony/Loki story, I didn't mean it as a slash (it sounds weird to call a romance a non-slash, but maybe that's the right thing to do, idk). I meant it as "Tony is the main character, but Loki plays a really important part". I have nothing against the both of them together (its actually kind of cute), but if I ever do get around to something like that, it will only be for a couple of chapters. So I thinkest that after I postith this chapter, I shall tweakith the specifics a bit to preventith this from happening againith. Also I already addressed this, but just in case some one else was lost, Tony and Pepper aren't presently married, and Bruce was the only one talking with Magdalyn, meaning that Bruce Banner is Nadia's father, and Nadia and Magdalyn have no blood relation. And apparently since every single Avenger fic must have a reference to "My Little Pony" (at least the one's I've read have), here's mine. Poor Loki...