Eyes wide, Tony watched himself in his suit being grabbed by the throat and lifted by Loki, who was in full Asgardian armor. Sceptre thrown down at his side, Loki held Tony above the ground, squeezing the life out of him before- CRASH!
The window shattered, a figment of pain coursing through the billionaire. He stared as the God of Mischief turned around to find himself face to face with the Hulk. Hulk threw himself at Loki, crashing into the wall.
"ENOUGH! YOU ARE, ALL OF YOU ARE BENEATH ME! I AM A GOD, YOU DULL CREATURE, AND I WILL NOT BE BULLIED…" Loki yelled before Hulk grabbed him by the legs and smashed him against the floor repeatedly and finally threw him aside to the ground, flattening him. Hulk looked down at Loki.
"PUNY GOD." He said, before walking away. Loki whimpered in pain as a response.
Tony blinked. "Well, at least the Other Guy got some revenge for throwing me out the window…" He joked, still slightly terrified from the… incident that had just occurred.
~o0o~
Loki wanted to die right then and there. He stood facing himself and the Incredible Hulk. He vividly remembered what that felt like the first time, the beast's breath rank against his nostrils, the pure look of anger that settled on it's face so perfectly, the horror of being lifted off of the floor then repeatedly smashed into it, leaving a sizable crater wherever he struck the smooth surface. The humiliation of lying in a heap in the crater, unable to move out of sheer pain and terror.
But there it was again, staring him down like two rival cowboys in a Western, the green rage monster's eyes boring into his own. Loki watched as his other self shouted at it, before he was picked up by the legs and slammed into the floor. Then again, and again. The creature's words echoed in his ears: "Puny god." Those words infuriated him, but more importantly, they terrified him.
"Why must the Norns hurt me so?" Loki asked himself, silently staring at his doppelganger's form in the crater on the floor, who was whimpering with pain. A cough made him whirl around. No one had coughed behind him in the Battle of New York.
Behind him was a small, blurry figure. It looked up at him, smiling somewhat malevolently, much like a mischievous child who had done something that their parents would not approve of. Loki stared at it, wondering where in the Nine Realms this thing had come from.
"I came from the room, of course."
Loki blinked and stumbled back in shock. Did this thing just read his mind?
"Yes."
Loki opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He closed it then opened it in a second attempt, but once again, there was nothing.
"You look like a fish when you do that. It's funny." The creature smiled at him.
"Who are you? Where am I? Did you do this?" Loki finally asked, words tumbling out of him.
"I'm the Game Master. This is your worst nightmare. And yes. Yes I did." The creature-Game Master-answered, still maintaining that mischievous smirk. Loki gulped.
"Oh, why do the Norns hate me?" he thought, knowing the Game Master could read his mind's quandary.
"I don't think they hate you, just… really dislike you." The Game Master replied, shrugging. "Anywho, I have something to do somewhere else, so I'll give you what I need to and leave you be."
Loki's eyes widened marginally. Was the Game Master going to just leave him in this seemingly never-ending nightmare!?
"Of course not, you idiot."
Loki blinked again. "Well, that's a relief."
"Here." The Game Master held out its hand, showing a pin with an A and a note. "You take these, and leave your mind. The door's over there." The other stubby hand pointed behind his back, Loki's head turned around to find a white door. "Of course it had to be white…"
Loki took the pin and the paper and put them in his robe-pocket before turning around and heading through the door.
~o0o~
After making faces at Loki's quivering form in the crater on the floor and discovering that Loki couldn't see him, Tony decided to wander around the recreation room. It was a nice change from the expansive whiteness of the Mystery Rooms. The circumstances weren't ideal, but they were better than the never-ending blandness.
Tony walked over to the half-destroyed bar. Upon reaching for a glass to pour himself a drink, he pulled his hand away. He couldn't touch it.
He sighed. Of course he wouldn't be able to get a drink. This was a flashback of some sort. No drinks allowed.
"Dang straight." A voice called from behind him.
Tony whipped around. Standing behind him - or, rather, in front of him - was the creature that was on the keycard from the second room. It smiled at him.
"Hello, Tony. So glad to finally meet you. Well, like this anyway. I'll meet you in person later, I suppose." It greeted, waving one of its stubby, little, banana arms.
"Who're you!?" Tony half-shrieked, startled by the thing.
"I'm not a thing. I'm the mental embodiment of the Game Master."
Did that thing just read his mind!?
"As I said before, yes. Yes, I did. Ugh, you people are redundant." It sighed, shaking its little head, the antenna wobbling slightly.
"What on Earth are you talking about!?" Tony asked.
"Loki asked the same thing not even two and a half minutes ago."
"...Seriously. Are you invading everyone's minds?"
"No. Just you two."
"Gee, I feel special."
"Sarcasm will get you nowhere, Snarky Sharky Starchy Stark."
Tony blinked.
"WHAT KIND OF NICKNAME IS THAT!?"
The Game Master smiled somewhat maliciously at him. "A good one."
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what, Stark?"
"Like, the evil-mastermind-about-to-kill-me-while-smiling face."
"I'd never kill you, Tony. Not this time, anyway." The Game Master smiled at him again.
"What!?"
"Nothing~ Nothing at all.."
"You're scaring me."
"Good. I aim to please the readers."
"What readers?"
The Game Master blinked for the first time in a while.
"UGH WHY DID I SAY THAT!? I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!"
~o0o~
The actual Game Master facepalmed. "I'm such an idiot…"
"Why do you say that, my L-"
"Please don't say that, Thor. I have an identity to hide."
"Ah, my apologies."