64. The King of Asgard

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The city was enormous. Someone on one side of it could have no idea what was going on at the opposite end, and people walking the streets were blissfully unaware of the things that went on far above their heads, at the height of the roofs of the skyscrapers. Such a city could hold a grand variety of people, a place that could contain the most unique of beings.

And atop a high skyscraper that day, on the flat rooftop, there was one such unique being. Not a permanent resident of the city or even of the world, but a visitor. He was half the height of a human, with skin of deep green and an elongated cranium that made his head twice the height of that of a human. He wore a purple garment that looped over the shoulders but otherwise covered only the most important parts. This man paced back and forth atop the building, setting up a high-definition video camera on a tripod only to dismantle it and set it up on another edge.

"Of all the days to come down to this planet," he mourned, "did it have to be on a day when nothing film-worthy was happening? Come on, New York City! Give me an alien invasion! A megalomaniac mutant! A bank robbery! SOMETHING! What, do I have to make a disaster myself?"

Though he'd thought he was alone, his musings were answered by a sinister laugh that echoed around him. "I DON'T remember turning on a laugh track," the man groaned.

In a flash of light, the second man, brunette and clothed in a red suit and tie, appeared atop the skyscraper. "Bored, I see?" he asked, winking.

"Tragically," the first man replied. "Apparently, crime in this city picked today to fall asleep on the job!"

"Looks like I should have gotten here earlier," the second man muttered.

"And what exactly can YOU do about it?" the first asked.

"Oh, I can do a LOT about it, Impossible Man," the second said. "In fact, I do believe that the seeds of chaos have already been planted here in several places. All I need to do is water them."

"I see you've heard of my work," Impossible Man pointed out in regards to the second man using the name he most often went by.

"I LOVE your work!" the man gushed. "And, I'm just going out on a limb here, but maybe you've heard of mine?"

He snapped his fingers, and instantaneously, he transformed from his human guise into the form of the draconequus.

Impossible Man gasped long and loud. "DISCORD! Oh, I can't BELIEVE this!" He fanned his face with both hands, blushing in his idol's presence. "It is SUCH an honor! You know, you've been one of my biggest inspirations? I'm willing to bet I'm your biggest fan!"

"Well…I do have a lot of fans," Discord said, thinking about Sombra, Chrysalis, and Eris. "But I had heard that your filmmaking style was directly influenced from my particular brand of chaos."

"If I've infringed on your intellectual property," Impossible Man sputtered worriedly, "I am VERY sorry – "

Discord just laughed. "No, no! Imitation is the HIGHEST form of flattery, after all. I've come to you with a proposition."

"For ME?"

"Yes, you! You want to capture chaos on camera, right? Well, I know the ins and outs of this world, and I know just how chaos is going to strike once it gets the right push to get going. Would you like to tag along and document the official events?"

"WOULD I?" Impossible Man gasped. "I'll have my bags packed in one millisecond!" He snapped his own fingers, and suddenly, a myriad of duffel bags holding film equipment lay around the roof. "Ready to go!"

"Of course, around here, I'm going to have to keep up appearances." Discord shifted back into the guise of the brunette man.

"So, where is our first location?" Impossible Man asked. "I'm going to have to scope out the best angles, adjust for lighting, keep in mind what its biggest weaknesses are in case we need dramatic tension…"

"We're actually going to start off-world," Discord explained. "Believe it or not, our first job is actually in Asgard."

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

In the brightly lit throne room of Asgard, Odin, in all his royal finery, sat upon the throne, crown upon head and leather patch over one eye. He held a golden spear as though it were a scepter. Kneeling before the gleaming throne, a page took down his orders.

"That will be all," Odin told the page.

The page rolled up the parchment scroll. "As you have commanded."

"See to it."

The page scurried out of the room, letting the large doors close behind him. Odin was alone in the hall. Momentarily, at least.

Then he heard the first voice: "Yes, that's it, that's it, but could you give me a little more FEELING?"

Odin's head swiveled; he saw two very strange figures in the corner of the hall. He figured they must have teleported in, as he hadn't seen them use any physical entrance. Impossible Man had a camera trained on him, while Discord merely grinned, having changed his clothing to a resplendent robe of red.

"Well, hello…your majesty," Discord greeted, his grin growing wider. "If this isn't a pleasant surprise."

"And what are you two doing in my throne room?" Odin asked sternly.

"Really? Oh, but I thought you'd be happier to see me." Discord gave a mock pout. "Or are you REALLY that into character?" He snapped his fingers, and the doors to the throne room shimmered; there was now an invisible shield preventing them from opening from the other side. "No one's going to barge in on us, you know. I'll make sure your secret stays under wraps."

"I'm afraid I don't have the faintest of what you're talking about," Odin said tentatively.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Discord responded. In a flash, the man in red robes was gone. The draconequus stood before Odin. "Remember me NOW?"

"How could I forget?" Odin laughed. Then his illusion fell away as well.

It had never been Odin. It hadn't been, not since the last Convergence of the Nine Realms. The real Odin was rotting in a grave dug just outside the city limits of Nebulapolis. The man who sat upon the throne shimmered into his true form: a tall, slender god with sleek dark hair, clothed in robes of gold, black, and mostly green. Upon his head was perched a helmet featuring two golden horns that rose delicately into the air. His eyes glittered, and his grin betrayed a sense of mischief. "It's nice to see you, Discord," he said.

"Likewise for you," Discord said. "Loki."

"WHAT A TWIST!" Impossible Man yelled, zooming in the camera on Loki.

Loki gave a slight laugh. "And who, might I ask, is your friend?"

"A fellow chaos maker," Discord said. "I'm making him into an Ascended Fanboy of sorts. I hope you don't mind my letting him in on the grand plan."

"How do you know what I plan?" Loki asked. He wasn't angry, merely curious, and admittedly slightly amused.

"Ever since I, so to speak, went 'rogue,'" Discord explained, "I've been monitoring various worlds to see where I can implement the most disorder. And 616th Midgard, as you'd call it, is a time bomb just waiting…to…go…off." Upon the final word, Discord made a party cracker appear from nowhere, ripping it in half with a BOOM; confetti showered down over Loki. Loki was unfazed. "Anyway, I know you're going to need a little help from the opposing side to make things look convincing. I wanted to run some ideas by you and make sure you were good for it."

Loki began to pick the confetti off his helmet. "What do you have in mind?"

"There's a certain dark elf who's been on your case, what, is it three times now, at the VERY least? Think you can put him back down again?"

"Yes. It shouldn't even be a question."

"What about, say, the red one?"

"Too easy."

"And the rogue that keeps going after the Atlantis fragment on good old 616?"

"I think we will be more than capable of managing him."

"Good," Discord said with a nod. "Then that's exactly what I'm giving you."

Loki held up a hand. "There is one other matter to settle."

"And that is?"

"I have to divide my time between realms convincingly," Loki said. "If the revered Asgardian king is gone too long, well, then some gods might start to get a little nervous. I have a lot of foundation to lay, and not much time to do it. It would be a great benefit to me if someone were to…volunteer to carry a message."

"Oh, will you look at that!" Discord cried in mock surprise. "My schedule's full up! No time for any message bearing whatsoever!" He laughed. "Oh, if ONLY there were someone else on his way right now to arrive in the nick of time!"

Loki raised a brow. "What do you know?"

"Just that in a few minutes, a better errand boy than you could have asked for in ME is going to turn up at your door and request you by name. Your real name."

"Hmm…" Loki considered this statement.

"I have one more matter for YOU," Discord pointed out. "I don't suppose you recall a little six-fold source of extreme magical power that you went out of your way to sabotage in the past? Well – "

"I already know that the Elements of Harmony are in the hooves of new bearers," Loki snapped. "Heimdall informed me. Of course, he thought he was telling Odin." His face betrayed his frustration. "If they're going to come back in new bearers each time, killing them is no longer an option."

"Technically, it never really was an option," Discord pointed out. "You just THOUGHT it was."

"Do you even know what lengths I went to?"

"Please. I found your handiwork. And I put it back to good use."

"I'll just have to find another way around them," Loki stated, his frustration mellowing out.

"If anyone always has another way, it's you," Discord stated.

"So it seems." Loki's grin nearly split his face in half.

"Hm?" Discord tilted his head upward. "Did you hear that? No? Just me? Oh, right. That was the sound of exactly what you need turning up in your lap. I think we'll take this time to exeunt stage center."

"The lone wolf travels across universes to seek out the big, bad god of mischief!" Impossible Man narrated as he and Discord moved to the center of the throne room. "Enter Loki's new ally!"

In a flash of light, both disappeared. A resounding knock came at the door. Loki pounded the king's spear upon the floor, and simultaneously, the illusion of Odin came over him as the shield Discord had placed on the door melted away.

"Enter," Loki bid the one who knocked.

"Lord Odin." One of the guard entered the hall, bowing. "There is a stranger to see you. He wishes to know what has become of your dead son."

Loki raised an eyebrow, interest piqued. "Show him in."

As it turned out, affixing Dark Matter to a broomstick was a job best left to only the strongest of constitutions. Riding through the space between with no bodily protection, clinging only to a thin strip of wood that suddenly seemed to barely support one's body, was nothing short of harrowing. However, though he had at five points in time minimum thought he was going to die, Barty Crouch Jr. burst into the atmosphere of the very world he'd sought.

And his heart nearly stopped. It was beautiful. He knew not that Nebulapolis had a name outside "Odin's Kingdom," but he was familiar with it from stories. Seeing it in person was another matter, especially from an airborne position on a broomstick. Nebulapolis was an Eden of glimmering spires, of winding streets and hidden alleyways, of divine beings clothed in rainbow raiment walking through the urban labyrinth far below Crouch's vantage point. If only, he thought, one truly had time to explore its every corner without wasting precious time.

He let the broomstick descend at the city's edge. Already he felt out of place, wearing a black cloak while the Asgardians wore bright blue gowns and flowing purple capes accented with gleaming mithril armor. Crouch lay the broom down, concealing it with a simple charm – he hated to leave it behind, but knew full well that he couldn't stride into Odin's palace carrying a broom, and he was sure no one would think to dispel dark enchantments of hiding just to look for a broom.

Then he made his way through the city, managing not to get distracted by the high archways, fountain pools, sparkling streets. His course was for the palace in the center of the city, his eyes fixed upon the highest towers.

He approached the gates. "Who goes there?" a guard asked.

"Bartemius," Crouch answered. His name would pass for Asgardian enough.

"I have not seen you before," the guard said with suspicion.

"Somehow I don't think you've seen everyone in Asgard," Crouch retorted.

"State your business at the palace of Odin," the guard demanded.

"I want an audience with Loki," Crouch said simply.

"Then you are a fool," the guard said gruffly. "Have you not heard the news? Loki perished on the fields of – "

"Oh, he's dead, is he?" Crouch grinned. "How so?"

"Aiding Asgard against a greater threat."

"Aiding Asgard," Crouch parroted. "And dead in the process." He believes that, Crouch thought, and he thinks I'm the fool here. "That aside, you and I both know that the death of a god is only temporary. Asgardians are no exception, unless Loki somehow managed to turn mortal."

"It will take time," the guard said, "for Loki to return. As it will take time for Frigga. Perhaps centuries. Shall I put you on a waiting list?"

"If you won't show me Loki," Crouch hissed, "show me his tyrant of a father. Have him explain to me exactly what happened to kill his son and his wife."

"Are you implying that the deaths of Lady Frigga and Loki Laufeyson were the fault of Lord Odin?" the guard asked. He turned to a fellow at his post, yelling to him across the length of the palace gates: "This fool stranger wishes an audience with Odin to discuss the deaths of Loki and Frigga!"

"Odin will at least hear of this," the other guard said, "if only to get a laugh!" He turned and jogged into the palace.

"And shame be upon you for referring to Loki Laufeyson as an Odinson," the guard confronting Crouch snarled. "That creature had the blood of the Jötunns in his veins. He was no Asgardian."

"I have heard a lot about what Loki did and about what Odin, Thor, and the rest of them did," Crouch countered. "He's more Asgardian than the rest of them combined."

"How DARE you! I should have you arrested for your impudence!" the guard growled. "Shall we wait and see if Odin himself appears to hear your idiot babbling? Then you can say to him what you said to me. If he is merciful, you will find sanctuary in our dungeons!"

"I'm not ashamed to say it to his face," Crouch stated. "And if you think you can scare me by threatening to lock me up…well, all I'll say is that threat doesn't work on me anymore."

Loki strode down to the gates to see Crouch in a heated discussion with the guard. "And what is this?" he asked.

Crouch looked to him and saw Odin. "If it isn't the demon king himself," Crouch taunted. "As I was telling your guard, I came here looking for an audience with the only true Asgardian here."

"Loki," Loki said. "So I heard. You are mistaken. Loki is no true Asgardian. He has Jötunn blood." He seethed the final words out: "He is unfit to take the throne."

"Speaking as someone who values the purity of blood," Crouch replied, "he fills that throne better than you. They tell me he's dead. I want to know what happened. I'll wait as long as I need to for him to regenerate. I WILL speak to him."

Loki contemplated Crouch's words. He had thought something was off about the man, but he just realized then that Crouch was human. A Midgardian, though whether he was from 616th Midgard or another Midgard, Loki had no way of knowing. "Come with me," he bid Crouch. "I would like to speak with you. Alone."

"Lord Odin!" a guard protested. "If he is an assassin – "

"I am more than capable of fending off a mere assassin," Loki snapped. "And Loki's loyalists hardly bother me." He wasn't even aware he had loyalists. "Follow me."

He turned and stalked into the palace. Crouch followed.

Without a word, the pair walked through the lofty halls, the smoothly polished floors, the rooms lined with expansive windows to provide a view of the city below. They reached the throne room, and Loki shut and secured the doors behind them.

"You are not an Asgardian," he began.

"You don't know that," Crouch rebutted.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Loki insisted. "I can tell the difference. Mortal humans have a lack of a certain aura. I'm impressed by a mortal that crossed realms just to speak with Loki. How did you do it?"

"I have my ways, and I'm not about to tell you."

"Good," Loki murmured. "Very good. Wouldn't want that information to fall into the wrong hands, would we? Now, tell me. What makes it so important that you speak with Loki out of everyone in Asgard?"

"I've worshipped Loki since I learned what having a faith really meant," Crouch explained. "Of all the gods in all the pantheons I know, he's the one that speaks to me the most. They call him the god of mischief, but it's more than that. You know. He's the one that killed Balder. The one that served out a sentence of being bathed in serpent venom for it. He was never ashamed of his 'crimes,' and he was never afraid to pay for them. He knew he was better than everyone around him, even when others wouldn't listen. I've heard the story of his intrusion upon the Asgardian banquet and what he told you and the other gods. And if I remember the story right, he was a Jötunn or half-Jötunn. You aren't his real father. And yet he had to put up with you and your half-baked ideas of justice. Let's just say all this…is close to me."

"No…let me guess," Loki replied with a grin. "You despise your own father. You'll do anything to get out of his shadow, even kill him. Perhaps you already have. You have more of a right to rule than those around you, even if you are only human. But you can't get anyone to see that, can you? You'll be imprisoned for what you believe. You'll die for what you believe. When you heard of Loki the trickster god, he didn't just seem to you to be a trickster god. To you, he was a god of power and conviction. And on that note, one question remains: what did you WANT of Loki?"

"To ask for his help showing my world the proper order," Crouch stated.

"And what, to you, is the proper order?"

"A world where Muggles and mudbloods bow to pure-blooded wizards. And in turn, where pure-blooded wizards would bow to Loki."

"So you are a wizard. Not an ordinary mortal."

"A true wizard," Crouch affirmed. "My blood is unspoiled. I work with others who want to install the same order, but they're looking for a way that will waste time. I'm looking for a way that will work."

"And Loki is that way. Assuming he wants to help you."

"I don't suppose it makes any difference anymore, does it? Thanks to you, he's dead."

"On the contrary." Loki laughed. "Thanks to me, ODIN is dead."

"I don't understand."

"Perhaps this will make things clearer."

The illusion melted away. Loki stood before Crouch, smiling proudly and a little mischievously. At that very moment, Crouch, who had walked into a palace of gods standing upright, walking briskly, and staring down all who opposed him, gasped and knelt.

"I didn't know," Crouch said softly.

"No one does," Loki clarified. "Except, now, you. As you can see, all of Asgard believes I am Odin."

"Aren't you afraid of what will happen when Odin regenerates, my lord?" It struck Crouch that the only person he'd ever addressed as "my lord" was Voldemort. But it had slipped from his lips so naturally.

"There is still some time yet until that. But still, it would be preferable to be able to rule with my true face and name, and not have to endure a bloody revolt and a godhunt for my head. Of course…that goal is still a work in progress. Now. Tell me your name."

"Bartemius Crouch Jr."

"Bartemius Crouch Jr. Your cause sounds worthy indeed, but I'm sure you can understand that I'm not about to rush about on a stranger's errand while I still have loose ends to tie up here? This is not me saying I won't help you. This is my way of asking what you can give me in return."

"Anything," Crouch answered immediately. "I will kill as many as you want dead."

"It's not time for killing just yet," Loki stated. "The way to domination of the nine realms of Yggdrassil actually starts in Midgard. The 616th Midgard, actually, though that seems to be the only one that's attached to Yggrassil's branches."

"I come from the fourth," Crouch clarified.

"I have much work to do," Loki went on. "But I need a certain group of allies in order to carry it out. If you want to pay me for my assistance with your little problem as well as prove to me that your problem is even worth my time, you'll help me gather them and carry out my plan."

"I will," Crouch promised. "What do you want from me?"

"For your first task," Loki said, "I want you to go down to 616th Midgard. To an address on Grand Cayman Island. There's someone there I want you to give a message from me."

"What kind of message?"

"The kind that says that the real battle is about to begin."

THE SPACE BETWEEN

Twilight really wished there was a way to set up an alert as to when the ship was passing through atmospheres that would change the physiology of the passengers onboard.

The ship had undergone a great lurch, and when the six passengers finally overcame the disorientation, they all found themselves fully human. For the time being, they had slipped back into their clothing from the Seven Deserts.

Twilight rushed to the control room to see what world they were approaching. "616th Earth," she muttered to herself. She then noticed an anomaly on the map.

The others all filed in one by one to see what Twilight was staring at. "Fluttershy," Twilight said, "you'd know. Am I looking at…what I think I'm looking at?"

"Well," Fluttershy said, "that world looks like it's attached to the outline of…branches? Like a tree?"

"Like a tree," Twilight agreed. "I'm going to see if I can zoom out."

She tampered with the controls for a while until she could see 616th Earth as a smaller point on a large map. The outline of the tree was clearer now, and Twilight could see all of it. Eight other worlds were connected to its branches, with "Asgard" at the top and "Niflheim" and "Muspelheim" at the roots.

"Do you think it's REALLY a giant tree in space?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly.

"I…have no idea," Twilight answered. "I'm guessing it's more of an energy pattern that connects the nine worlds we see here. Let's see what the Guide has to say." She opened it up, searched terms. With a sigh, she read aloud from the text: "Of course it's a real tree. Don't be an idiot."

"So what's a tree DOIN' in space?" Applejack asked.

"Apparently," Twilight said, looking over the page, "it has a kind of life force in it that sustains the worlds connected to it." She closed the cover on the Guide. "Let's go abovedecks. I want to see it."

Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack stood on the deck, looking across the stars at a planet that neared them at a rapid pace. Wisps of mist began to form in the space around them.

"Okay, is anypony else bothered by the fact that technically, we're in the planetary atmosphere, and we're still breathing air?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, Twilight, you silly!" Pinkie Pie replied. "You'll get a headache if you try thinking about it too hard!"

"Right," Twilight sighed.

"Well, I certainly don't see a tree," Rarity stated. "Either your Guide is wrong, or the control room is wrong."

"Or…" Fluttershy suggested. "Maybe you can't see it from here. Maybe it's not really that clear."

"You mean…" Twilight knew what Fluttershy was getting at, and struggled to put it into words. "The tree is real. It connects the worlds, but not in the physical sense. Just like our ship goes from world to world, but it doesn't just fly through ordinary space. It passes through different atmospheres and auras because of the mists!"

"Which are getting weirdly thicker," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

The mist was surrounding the ship, clouding the vision of the planet ahead. In a matter of seconds, the mist was all anypony could see.

"Oooooooo!" Pinkie trilled. "I'm a ghoooooost! You can't seeeee meeeeee!" She waved her hands around in the mist.

The ship sped up drastically for a moment, then shuddered to a halt. The six aboard heard the sound of water lapping against the sides of the boat.

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

And the mist cleared, revealing the city skyline.

"We're heeee-eeeere!" Pinkie squealed.

"Y'all know the drill!" Applejack commanded. "Rainbow Dash, drop anchor! Rarity, start investigatin' for clothes!"

The OsCorp laboratories were deserted. They had no reason to be active, what with Norman Osborn deceased (supposedly), Otto Octavius also deceased (definitely), and most of its prime subjects either incarcerated (Rhino) or in hiding (Sandman). That was why the empty expanse made the perfect place to hold auditions.

Discord leaned back in a director's chair, wielding a megaphone. "First up!" he called.

Impossible Man created a stage out of thin air, curtains and all, with a spotlight shining dead center. "Our first applicant," he announced, "is a woman with a dark past and a darker disposition." He snapped his fingers. "VIPER!"

The tall woman, lips painted bright green, with raven hair falling over half her face, popped into view. "WHERE am I?" she snarled.

"So what's your story?" Discord asked.

"I am one of the highest ranking members of HYDRA," Viper seethed, "and I will not stand for being kidnapped without expl – "

"Boooo-riiiing," Discord interrupted with a yawn. "Come on, Impy. You can do better than a mere HYDRA agent."

"Next up," Impossible Man said, "when it comes to his impersonation skills, DISGUISE the limit!"

He snapped his fingers again, and Viper barely had time to protest before she was replaced by a man of average build with a smooth, pale face and bald dome of a head. "Presenting Chameleon!" Impossible Man announced.

"Chameleon," Discord repeated. "So I can expect shape-shifting powers out of you, right?"

"As close as you can get," Chameleon replied.

"Hmm…" Discord stroked his chin. "Can't we get something a little more…I don't know…high-octane? A bigger threat level?"

"Coming right up!" Impossible Man snapped again, and Chameleon was gone. In his place stood a tall, slim man in an impeccable suit. His skin and hair were patterned with striking shades of purple.

"So who are you?" Discord asked.

"They call me Purple Man," the newcomer replied with a grin.

There was a pause. Then Discord began to laugh, long and loud. "PURPLE MAN!" he guffawed. "How long did it take you to come up with THAT one?"

"Oh, you think I'm FUNNY, do you?" Purple Man made eye contact with Discord. "Well, you're going to stop laughing. You work for me now!"

Discord's face went blank. "I work for you now."

"And you're going to help me get my revenge on Tony Stark!"

"I'm going to help you get your revenge on Tony Stark." Discord droned.

"Good," Purple Man muttered. "First, you're going to tell me exactly who you are and how you brought me here."

"First, I'm going to tell you exactly how…I'm sorry, I can't, I CAN'T keep a straight face!" Discord burst out laughing again. When his laughter finally settled, he told Purple Man, "The whole 'mind control' bit doesn't work on me. And frankly, you might want to work on your delivery of it. Impy, this isn't going to work either."

"Hmm." Impossible Man thought it over. He snapped again, replacing Purple Man. "Fourth wall breaker?"

The man clothed in the red and black suit with dual katanas strapped to his back took a moment to look around. "The FUCK?" Deadpool yelled.

"Ehhhh…" Discord replied. "I was looking for something more…immediately destructive."

Snap. A man in the form of a living tornado. "Whirlwind!" Impossible Man cried.

"I'll call him the next time I need a giant drink blended," Discord yawned. "Next!"

Snap. An elderly Asian man wearing a plethora of rings. "The Mandarin!" Impossible Man announced.

"Actually…this is embarrassing…I'm not the real Mandarin," the man said. "Funny story. I'm an actor that an old rival of Tony Stark's hired to PLAY the Mandarin for an upcoming revenge scheme. The REAL Mandarin is working on a death ray somewhere in China, I think – "

"Neeeeext," Discord groaned.

Snap. A young boy, clutching a white wand. "I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU DAD'S WAND!" Molecule Kid screamed. "IT'S ALL I HAVE LEFT OF HIM!"

"Geez, we already have LOKI'S daddy issues in this story, and they aren't half as annoying," Discord commented. "Any way we can get more destruction, less whining?"

"Hmmm…" Impossible Man thought it over. "Ooh, I have JUST the thing!"

Snap.

The muscularly built man sported a flowing mane of ebony hair and a beard to match. From his weathered face stared eyes filled with anger. He was clothed in blue, with silver pieces of armor as accents – broad epaulets, thick boots, heavy gauntlets.

"This…is not a S.H.I.E.L.D. prison," he stated, bewildered.

"Duhhhh," Discord droned.

"But how?" the man asked. "How did you bring me out of maximum security containment?"

"MAXIMUM SECURITY CONTAINMENT!" Discord's face lit up. "Now THAT'S more like it!"

"Answer my question," the man said. He raised a fist, tightening it.

The room filled with pressure. Flakes of paint, then entire panels ripped off the wall and floated in his general direction. The curtains of the stage were ripped from their hooks and swirled around the man, billowing. Impossible Man grabbed onto the edge of the stage, holding on for dear life.

Discord was unaffected, able to sit perfectly still. He applauded. "This is EXACTLY what I was looking for!"

"This is only a fraction of my power," the man growled. "Now tell me why I am here."

"It's a long story you probably wouldn't understand and I frankly don't want you to know all of," Discord said. "But, to make it short: magic. Impy and I brought you here by magic."

The pressure settled. The flying curtains and wall segments dropped to the floor noisily. Impossible Man gingerly let go of and moved away from the stage.

"That answers one question," the man said. "My other question is…why?"

"Because I need someone to destroy New York City," Discord said. "Don't worry. I'll pay handsomely. In advance." He snapped his own fingers, and a great sack of money appeared on the floor between himself and the powerful man.

"And why do you want this city destroyed?" the man asked.

"I'm a fan of chaos," Discord said. "Do you need more explanation than that?"

"No," the man decided.

"Now I have a question for you, before we start," Discord stated. "What do they call you?"

"My name is Franklin Hall," the man replied. "But the world knows me best as Graviton."

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash waited outside Rarity's chambers for her to emerge with the new outfits. She emerged with the tees they'd all worn out onto Fourth Earth at first landing plus six pairs of blue pants that buttoned up in front like jeans.

"They all seemed to wear these," Rarity said, holding up a pair of the pants, "but I don't seem to have the fabric they use on hoof at the moment."

She also passed out simple tennis shoes: orange for Applejack, pink for Pinkie, yellow for Fluttershy, violet for Twilight, blue for Rainbow Dash, and white for herself.

Everypony split up to change, and they regrouped wearing the new simple outfits. "I like it," Rainbow Dash said with a smile. "Comfy!"

"And practical," Twilight added.

"LET'S GO SEE WHAT'S OUT THERE!" Pinkie Pie screamed. "TALLY-HO!" She charged toward the stairway leading to the deck at full speed.

By that time, a bit of a crowd had gathered to gawk at the ship, but most of them only looked for a moment, wrote it off as a publicity stunt, and moved on. The six proceeded down the gangplank and walked into the city.

"It's so big," Rarity remarked. "You don't suppose bigger than Canterlot?"

"Maybe bigger than Corona," Fluttershy guessed.

"How are we supposed to find what we're supposed to do in a place this big?" Twilight wondered out loud.

"Are you sure you wanted to say that out loud?" Pinkie Pie asked.

He opened the door to the roof of the OsCorp laboratory building. He looked out over the city. He hadn't always hated it, not even after becoming Graviton. It was an obstacle that had to be brought down in order to pay back S.H.I.E.L.D., but he hadn't hated it.

Then those so-called heroes had sprung from practically nowhere. "The Avengers," they called themselves. They and S.H.I.E.L.D. converged on him to put him back in confinement. And the rest of the city watched silently. No, that wasn't true. The rest of the city…had cheered on those who wished Graviton imprisoned.

More than anything, Graviton wanted to wound S.H.I.E.L.D. Second most important to him was the destruction of the Avengers themselves. And both of those could be accomplished by attacking New York City in the right way. But this time, New York City was no innocent either. Discord hadn't really needed to pay Graviton a cent in order to incite him to wreak havoc upon it.

His feet lifted into the air. Gravity shifted around him, keeping him floating upright. He floated up and up, out over the streets. He wondered where to start before realizing anywhere would do.

At just a thought from him, the city began to shake.

People felt the ground shudder from all over the city. They screamed; they ran for cover. Some cried "Earthquake!"

"See?" Pinkie said to Twilight. "I TOLD you that you didn't wanna say that out loud!"

"What's even causin' this?" Applejack asked. "Don't feel like no ordinary earthquake to me!"

They felt the very air pull them in a certain direction. So they ran with it, hoping to find the source.

Times Square was bedlam. Cars rocketed upward from the ground and slammed into the sides of buildings. Sewage shot out of open grates. Scrap metal swirled about in a deadly tornado. Roofs were ripped off the TKTS booths. In the center of it all was Graviton. His eyes glowed brightly with a searing light.

"YOU ALL HELD ME BACK!" he roared. "YOU ALL MADE ME THIS WAY, ONLY TO SHOVE ME UNDERGROUND! YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN NEVER KEEP ME DOWN!"

He threw a hand behind him; a large advertisement display screen wrenched itself free with a great snapping of wires and a shower of sparks. Graviton raised his hands up to the sky, and the screen flew above them. Glaring down at where a group of people was frozen, staring at him in horror, he flung the screen at them with all his might so they would be crushed.

The screen never hit the street. It was stopped by a pink aura that surrounded it, holding it in place above the civilians it was to have crushed. Twilight stepped forward, holding her own hands out toward the screen to keep it in place.

Rainbow Dash charged into the crowd whose lives had been spared. "Get outta here!" she barked at them. "You need to get somewhere safer!"

The people obeyed. They ran screaming.

Just in time, Twilight thought. Holding the screen up without drawing upon her witch energy was a strain. She let it drop; the screen shattered and there was a dent in the ground, but no one was hurt. Twilight then transformed into her witch state, feeling a boost of power.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" Rainbow Dash yelled at Graviton as Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy ran to join her and Twilight.

"I AM GRAVITON!" Graviton yelled. "AND I AM THE STRONGEST THERE IS! DON'T TELL ME YOU GIRLS THINK YOU CAN STAND AGAINST ME!"

"That was a challenge," Rainbow Dash muttered with a grin.

"What do you think?" Rarity asked. "Mahou Shoujo weapons, or use the Elements?"

"I bet we can take this guy without even transformin' if we just use the Elements," Applejack said.

"Are…you sure?" Fluttershy asked, looking up into the twister of debris.

"Worth a shot!" Applejack replied. "He may look flashy, but somethin's tellin' me he ain't no Jafar as far as power goes."

"LOOK OUT!" Pinkie Pie cried, and all six ducked as a theater marquee flew over their heads and dug into the pavement.

"Now or never!" Applejack barked. The six huddled. The sphere of light began to take form.

Graviton didn't like the looks of what they were doing. He focused on them, manipulating the space around them. He flung them apart, sending Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity to opposite ends of Times Square.

Twilight flipped about in midair, calling upon her powers to steer her feet to land o the side of the nearest building; she leapt gracefully down to the pavement below. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy put out their wings, slowing down their paths through the air before they could collide with anything. Pinkie Pie hit the ground and bounced once before landing on her feet and yelling, "I'M OKAY!"

Applejack braced herself as best she could for the fall. She transformed into her Mahou Shoujo state midflight and landed on the hood of a black car, denting it slightly, rolling off. She took a moment to be thankful that she was unhurt – she probably had Kyubey to thank for that one. She stood in time to hear a scream as another body was flung against a damaged TKTS booth. She recognized the cry immediately, and horror swept over her. "RARITY!"

Applejack ran towards the booth, where Rarity lay on the sidewalk, bruised. She'd also had the idea to transform to a Mahou Shoujo, thankfully. However, her eyes were closed, and Applejack feared the worst for a moment. She knelt over her friend, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Rarity," she said gruffly. "Rarity, wake up!"

"Nnnh…" Rarity groaned, her eyes fluttering open.

"You okay?"

"Applejack…is…"

"Is what?"

"Is my mane all right?"

Applejack sighed with relief. "Obviously, you're fine." She grasped Rarity's hand, standing and pulling Rarity up with her. "We gotta regroup to make the formation and stop this fella!"

"But he'll just separate us again!" Rarity moaned.

"We still gotta try!" Applejack ran toward the center of the square. Rarity followed. From across the square, Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy noticed their destination and made beelines for the same place.

"GRAB HANDS!" Twilight yelled, throwing out her arms. The others took her suggestion without question; when they convened, they grabbed each other's hands. They focused; the sphere of light formed in full.

Graviton tried to forcibly interrupt it, throwing all the power he could at that sphere. The other debris he had afloat clattered to the ground as he concentrated. The sphere of light rippled, but was only slightly disturbed; Graviton was unable to tear any of the Element bearers from it.

However, he was working an effect. Twilight's heart sank as she watched an arc of rainbow try feebly to escape from the sphere, then retreat back to the sphere to recharge.

This stalemate continued only a little while longer. It ended when Graviton took notice of something spinning towards him out of his peripheral vision. He put out a hand to catch the flying object. A round shield, patterned in stripes of red, white, and blue, with a star in the center.

Thunder boomed. The sky darkened, but only over Times Square. A blindingly bright bolt of lightning shot from the gathering clouds and struck Graviton square in the back. Graviton cried out, losing focus. From the sphere formed by the Elements of Harmony, the rainbow burst forth. It struck Graviton full force, and he was lowered to the ground slowly.

From yet another direction, a blue laser beam burst toward Graviton; when it hit him, his descent accelerated. Graviton hit the ground, and the bits of metal shrapnel he'd dismantled swirled around his hands and feet, forging manacles around them, binding him to the ground. He felt suddenly very weary; he closed his eyes and fell into sleep.

Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash broke formation, rushing to the fallen villain to observe what the Elements had done to him. At that very moment, a man rushed toward Graviton as well. The man's physique was impressive; muscles his size could only have been the result either of intense training or of some form of enhancement. He was clothed in mostly blue, the midriff of his ensemble given over to horizontal stripes of red and white. Upon his chest was a white star, on his hands were red gloves, and around his waist was cinched a black utility belt. A hood stretched up over his head, hiding his hair and masking the upper half of his face; a white "A" was centered over his eyebrows and tiny wings flared out over each ear. From what was visible of his face, one could tell that he had pale skin, dark eyes, and long lashes.

He knelt to pick up the rounded shield that had fallen next to Graviton. "That was impressive," he said, looking directly at Applejack. "I've never seen anything like that before."

The six Equestrians were startled when another human descended next to them from out of the air – in the direction, to be precise, from whence the blue laser beam had come. At first, it was unclear as to whether this person was male or female, as said person was clothed entirely in metal armor, including a mask over the face, that was mostly a stunning red but accented in bright yellow, with a component glowing with white-hot light set over the heart. It was only apparent that the armored figure was male when he spoke: "Okay, so HOW many times do we have to throw this guy's sorry ass back in jail?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. should be here any minute to contain him," the man bearing the shield stated.

"Great," the armored man sighed. "We knock out one annoyance, and a whole troop of them comes rushing right in to replace him."

"Iron Man," the shield bearing man scolded. "This is one case where I think S.H.I.E.L.D. has every right to – "

"Bother me again about registration?"

The shield bearing man gave the one he called "Iron Man" a glare…albeit a playful one.

"Fiiiiine," Iron Man groaned. "They can throw Graviton back in the slammer. You win this round, Cap. But if they get on MY case again, I'm telling them to talk to the hand."

At that moment, a third man entered the scene, one completely unlike any other that the six Equestrians had seen in the whole of the city. Storming in from a side street, he was twice as large as the shield bearing man, with skin of deep green and mussed raven hair. He wore nothing but a pair of baggy purple pants. "I'm just angry," he growled, his face wrought into a scowl, "that I didn't get a chance to SMASH this one."

"Sorry, Hulk," Iron Man teased. "Looks like you got beat by a bunch of girls." He then turned to the six Equestrians. "What's your deal, anyway? Where'd you even come from?"

"Uhhh…we're sorta…passing through," Rainbow Dash stated. "We're not exactly from around here."

"I had figured that," said the one Iron Man had called "Cap." "We've seen almost every 'superhero' in this city, and we've never even heard of anyone with your powers."

"Oh, we're not really superheroes," Twilight said, blushing.

"Are you KIDDING me?" Rainbow Dash snapped. "Of COURSE we're superheroes! We travel from place to place, stopping evil villains, saving innocent lives, becoming loved by everypony we meet…"

"Are YOU superheroes?" Pinkie Pie interrupted. "Real live superheroes?"

"You really AREN'T from around here," Iron Man said, suspicious. "What, did you six beam down from Kree territory? We're Avengers. As in THE Avengers. As in the household name."

"What Iron Man means," "Cap" said, "is that we are part of a fairly well known team of heroes. We defend this city in the name of protecting the innocent."

"Seriously," Iron Man muttered, "EVERYONE'S heard of Iron Man."

It was then that a fourth man descended from the skies, landing in the square. He wore a black breastplate, the limbs of his armor done in silvery mail, a red cape billowing from his shoulders. Upon his head perched a silver helmet with protruding wings; the helmet offset a mane of blond hair and a stubble-covered pale face set in an expression of pride. In his right hand, this man clutched a heavy-looking hammer; the head of it was squarish and wrought of a silvery metal, while the handle was brown and unremarkable. "What concerns me," he began, "is how Graviton escaped from…" His gaze rested upon the six Equestrians, and suddenly, his train of thought was lost. "Friend, Twilight Sparkle!" he cried, breaking out into a gleaming smile.

"What…?" Twilight was confused. "Um…do I know you?"

"Of course you know me, friend Twilight!" the hammer bearing man gushed. "It was the six of you that ventured with me and my company across the seas of this very earth so many thousands of years ago! We traveled to the land of the fin-folk! Across the valley of Yggdrassil!"

"I'm sorry," Twilight said, "but I don't remember ANY of this. I think you're confused."

"But…how could it be?" The man was set to consternation.

"Wait a minute," Twilight said suddenly. "We've been traveling through time as well as space. What if we met you in your timeline BEFORE you met us in ours, just now?"

"More than possible," the hammer bearing man agreed. "You did have strange ways of traveling between worlds. You told me as such. If that is the case, it appears I shall have to reintroduce myself. I am Thor Odinson, prince of Asgard."

Twilight's jaw fell open. "Th-THOR? As in the god of thunder?"

"Aye," Thor confirmed.

"OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH OHMYGOSH!" Twilight's eyes gleamed. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting Thor!"

"And for Iron Man?" Iron Man sulked. "Nothing."

"These are my friends among the Avengers," Thor continued. "Though they have other names, for reasons of our personal safety, they choose to take other names into battle. I see you have already met Iron Man – "

"You know, it's not exactly like I GIVE a damn if anyone knows I'm Tony Stark," Iron Man interrupted.

"This is Captain America," Thor said, gesturing to "Cap," "and the Hulk." He swept a hand toward the green man.

"Hmph," the Hulk grunted, staring down the six.

Thor turned to face Iron Man, Captain America, and the Hulk. "These are my friends of olden days. Twilight Sparkle, accomplished bard. Pinkie Pie, wreaker of mischief. Fluttershy the kind. Applejack the warrior. Rainbow Dash, a Valkyrie in all but name. And Rarity, who bears herself as a princess."

"Okay, is it a little weird to anypony else to be introduced by a guy we don't know yet?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Time travel," Rarity sighed.

"It can be a hassle," Captain America agreed. "One of our enemies, Kang the Conqueror, sent us on a bit of a rollercoaster through time. So, tell me more about that rainbow we saw."

"We got somethin' called the Elements of Harmony," Applejack replied. "Each of us carries one of 'em. Put 'em together and they make a kind of a big burst of magic." She tapped her amulet. "We got gems representin' Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Magic…and this one here's Honesty."

"Honesty? LOYALTY?" Iron Man scoffed. "What is this, an after school special?"

"Do not dismiss these powers as insignificant," Thor warned. "For they are what make up all true powers of goodness. After all, has not much of your power come from loyalty, and that of Captain America from kindness?"

"Got one for anger?" the Hulk asked sarcastically.

"Anyway," Applejack went on, "we've also been to some…unusual places where we've picked up other powers."

"You're not from this world, are you?" Captain America guessed.

"Uhhhh…" Applejack didn't know how to respond.

"Do not fear," Thor said. "Not only do I already know of your world travel capabilities from our first meeting – or perhaps, my first meeting with you – but we have faced several threats from several worlds."

"The Kree, the Skrull, and the Chitauri from the depths of space," Captain America clarified. "And the Nine Realms."

"So, really, it's not like you could surprise us at this point," Iron Man concluded. "Anyway, nice job knocking out Graviton."

"Thank you!" Rainbow Dash winked. "It was nothin'!"

"Nothin'," Applejack and Rarity repeated, deadpan, glaring at Rainbow Dash.

Several black Hummers careened into Times Square, doors opening and several people wearing either pressed three-piece suits or tight jumpsuits spilled out into the area. They surrounded Graviton, taking blowtorches and saw blades to his magically forged manacles so they could load him into one of the Hummers.

"Here we go," Iron Man groaned.

One of the recent arrivals, a brunette woman dressed in a dark blue jumpsuit with a zip-up jacket, approached the six Equestrians and the four Avengers. "Mr. Stark," she greeted. "Mr. Rogers. Thor. Mr. Banner."

"NOT Banner," the Hulk growled.

"Please tell me you came here for some other reason than to state our civilian names in public and mess with things that are none of your business," Iron Man spat.

"I was under the impression you didn't care that the world knew you were Tony Stark," the woman replied.

"I don't," Iron Man confirmed. He gestured to Captain America. "He does. And there's the little matter of you calling the Hulk by the wrong name. So let me guess. You're going to get on my ass again about registering the Avengers with your database so that all our personal information becomes S.H.I.E.L.D. domain and you get a mansion full of personal trained monkeys in costumes."

"As a matter of fact," the woman said, "I'm not here for you. I'm here because of the reports delivered to me about the six women reported to have displayed high amounts of supernatural energy in response to Graviton." She turned to face the six Equestrians, holding up a badge. "Agent Maria Hill, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. I'm going to need your names and what exactly led you to fighting Graviton here."

"Pardon me," Rarity said, "but what exactly do you need that information for?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is charged with protecting Earth from hazards that are beyond other government control," Hill explained. "This includes documenting potential hazards and methods of combating them. This is the first time I've ever heard of or seen you or your type of power, which I understand to be some kind of reality alteration contained within a rainbow aura. For the safety of this world, I'll need to have you on file."

"Because we're potential THREATS?" Twilight snapped, realizing what Hill was implying.

"I didn't say that," Hill replied sternly. "You could just as easily be an asset against a threat the way you were against Graviton. But in the interest of public safety, I'm still going to need that information, starting with your names."

"Hey, Agent Hill," Iron Man broke in. "That uptight one there?" He pointed to Twilight. "Her name's Nunya."

"Mr. Stark, if you finish that sentence with – "

"Nunya BUSINESS. They SERIOUSLY do not need you to annoy them right now."

"Tony's right," Captain America told Hill. "I don't know them either, but I do know they came a long way and have already been through one tough battle. They don't deserve to be put through an interrogation just yet."

"So step off," the Hulk growled.

"A long way," Hill repeated. "From somewhere else on Earth, or…?"

"Okay, THAT'S enough," Iron Man snapped. "We're done. You just pick up your convict and try to do a little better at keeping him in jail this time around."

"Mr. Stark, I won't take insubordination from you," Hill insisted. She turned back to Twilight. "Now. For the last time. Name."

"No," Twilight asserted. "I'm not a threat. I'm trying to PROTECT everypony."

Hill raised an eyebrow. Twilight realized she'd caught the word "everypony." She went on anyway. "In the past, my friends and I have dealt with a lot of bad people as well as good people. And a lot of those bad people would want our names and information so they could hurt us. I can't risk it, for OUR protection." A thought crossed her mind. "And do you file records on EVERYPONY that has powers?"

"Or is otherwise a person of interest to S.H.I.E.L.D.," Hill clarified.

"So you just keep an eye on everypony who's special?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"That seems…wrong," Twilight admitted. "Like you're just…picking on everypony who has powers or is different."

"I don't think you understand S.H.I.E.L.D.'s position," Hill snapped. "Registering persons of interest is what allows us to keep people like Graviton imprisoned."

"And look how well that turned out," Iron Man retorted.

"Tony," Captain America warned.

"Not to mention that if you happen to lack living arrangements for New York City," Hill said, "let alone this planet, S.H.I.E.L.D. can provide you with approved quarters in exchange for your registration."

"It just doesn't feel like this is right," Twilight said. "We'll find somewhere to stay on our own."

"Mightn't they stay in the Avengers Mansion?" Thor asked, looking back and forth between Iron Man, Captain America, and the Hulk. "After all, they are friends!"

"They don't remember you," Captain America brought up. He lowered his voice, but still Applejack could hear: "What if they aren't trustworthy at this point in time?"

"I wouldn't blame ya for thinkin' that," Applejack said; Captain America twitched, startled. "Sorry for overhearin'. Now, I happen to know that my friends are six of the best pon – of the best livin' bein's you're ever gonna meet in terms of kindness and trust. And, heck, if I get to toot my own horn, I always mean well. We never wanna hurt anypony. Not even that Graviton fella. Sure, we want him locked up, but not killed. But y'all don't really know us yet 'sides for Thor there, so y'all don't hafta worry about givin' us a place to stay. We'll find a way."

"Your way," Hill insisted, "is to come into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody."

"Um, given the choice between CUSTODY and a place called Avengers MANSION," Rainbow Dash hissed at Applejack, "I think I'm gonna go with the thunder god on this one."

"There is plenty of room," Captain America stated. "And after all…you have already protected the innocent."

"We can let you crash back home," Iron Man added. "If only to get agent Hill out of your hair."

Hill scowled. After a moment, she said, "I don't have a warrant for your arrest. You can choose to go with them."

"We've heard from three out of the four of you," Twilight said, turning her eyes to the Hulk.

"Um…would you mind, terribly?" Fluttershy asked.

"Hmph…" The Hulk shrugged. "They can stay."

"Are you sure we can trust this Thor fella, though?" Applejack hissed to Twilight.

"First of all," Twilight whispered back, "he did know our names. It might be some evil trick, but I think he really does know us. Second, it's either him or go with these S.H.I.E.L.D. people. And third…if there's any trouble, we can handle it."

At the same time, Captain America looked directly at Iron Man, and they exchanged a glance past the metal mask that read, "If they turn out to be trouble, we can handle it."

"Well, looks like we're acceptin' your offer," Applejack said. "Sorry, Ms. Hill."

"Agent," Hill corrected. "Then I guess my business is done here…unless you want to reconsider registration, Mr. Stark."

"I'll consider it," Iron Man told her. "If you reconsider that offer I made you about making me Assistant Director."

"I don't appreciate your sense of humor, Mr. Stark," Hill sighed, turning to walk away.

"I WAS ONLY HALF JOKING!" Iron Man called after her.

"Well," Captain America said, "I suppose we should lead on."

The six Equestrians and four Avengers set out walking, with Captain America in the lead. "We tend to use our civilian identities in the Mansion," he explained, "so our names will probably come out. In the meantime, if you are going to be doing any long-term work protecting the city…well, in our style, you might want to think about dual identities."

"Perhaps not new names," Rarity said, "but at the very least, I would like to get us in masks…"

"Because it would protect our identity," Twilight teased, "or because you want to try accessorizing with masks?"

"Mostly the second one," Rarity admitted. "Besides, look at Captain America's clothing! Look at Thor's armor! If we team up with them, we're going to need more than these simple shirts and pants!"

"Who said anything about a team-up?" Iron Man asked.

"Trust me," Thor said. "These six are some of the most valuable friends and allies you will ever meet."

"So we really went on a long quest with you at some other point in time?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Aye," Thor said. "Thousands of years ago, in this very realm and beyond. We voyaged across the seas. I remember you in particular becoming fast friends with my brother."

"Is he an Avenger too?" Pinkie asked.

Thor was silent. Then, he said, "No. He…was our greatest enemy. We fought him on many battlefields. In Asgard, in the city against his army of Chitauri…at last, he perished in Svartalfheim when he nobly gave his life to protect us from a greater threat. At a time when I believed all nobility in him was gone."

"How could somebody I was best friends with become evil?" Pinkie asked, gasping dramatically.

"He was always…strange, when it came to his morals," Thor admitted. "But there were many things that led him down the road to darkness. It is a longer story for another time."

"Strange," Iron Man echoed. "Or, as the Hulk's alter ego Dr. Banner put it, 'his head's a bag full of cats.' I still like that one."

"By the way, thank you so much for letting us stay at your mansion," Rarity said. "I dread the thought of having to go along with those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Something about them rubs me rather the wrong way."

"Don't get them wrong," Captain America cautioned. "S.H.I.E.L.D. can be a little misguided, but at the end of the day, they're trying to do the same thing we are: protect innocent people. Sometimes we agree with their methods, and sometimes…we don't. If it weren't for S.H.I.E.L.D., though, I wouldn't be alive today."

"Anyway," Applejack told Captain America, "we're real glad the four o' you are puttin' up with us."

"That's another thing," Captain America said quickly. "The four of us aren't all of the Avengers. We just thought only the four of us were needed to take down Graviton, so only the four of us went out. We're actually a VERY large team."

"Hence why they insist on living in the mansion instead of the tower I am so graciously remodeling for them out of the goodness of my heart," Iron Man quipped.

"First of all, you built Stark Tower for a different purpose entirely," Captain America retorted. "Second, you know Wasp and Ms. Marvel won't touch it until you add a ladies' rest room. Third, Avengers Mansion is loaded with your tech anyway."

"Well, you've got a point with that third one," Iron Man conceded. "I'm kinda awesome that way."

"A-are the others going to be all right with us just moving in?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"It DOES talk!" Iron Man teased.

"Trust me, friends," Thor said. "If you are as I remember you to be, you will get along with the rest of our team incredibly well."

"Aaaaand…SCENE!"

Impossible Man turned off the camera aimed downward at Times Square from yet another rooftop vantage point. "The heroes exeunt, victorious! Another rogue defeated! Cue the applause!" The sound of canned applause, as though a stage audience were present, resounded over the rooftop.

"And poor Graviton didn't get to spend a cent of his advance payment," Discord mockingly lamented. "If only he'd known we were setting him up to be knocked down in the first place! And now that all our story's heroes are TOGETHER…"

"The REAL villains can introduce themselves!" Impossible Man cried.

"And it's going to be a star-studded cast," Discord agreed.

GRAND CAYMAN ISLAND, 616TH EARTH

The house was small and unremarkable on the outside. Painted white, with a black roof. Crouch walked up the front step, knocking on the door politely. If the occupant took too long to answer, he wasn't going to bother with Alohomora; he was simply going to blast the door in.

However, the blonde man opened the door in a timely fashion. Blonde wasn't what Crouch was looking for. Neither was the mustache the man sported. And Hawaiian shirts seemed rather out of character. Nonetheless, his body and face matched the profile Loki had shown Crouch. More importantly, Loki was never wrong about this sort of thing.

"Mr. Stanley," Crouch greeted.

"Yes?" the man replied with a polite smile.

"I'm Mad-Eye Moody," Crouch said. "As long as we're going by our aliases."

"I don't understand." The man was a great actor, Crouch thought. He looked genuinely confused.

"Your identification and records all say you're not Norman Osborn," Crouch said. "In fact, everyone seems to think that Norman Osborn is dead. However, I seem to have one document in my hands that says otherwise."

He held out a parchment scroll Loki had written out for Osborn. The blonde man took it gingerly from Crouch's hands, then unrolled it, reading it. He looked up, making eye contact. "What do they call you?"

"Barty Crouch Jr."

"Come inside, Mr. Crouch."

Crouch followed the man inside the house. He then saw that the exterior was a sort of camouflage. The furniture was exquisite; the walls were decorated with lavish ornamentation, including many a carved wooden mask.

"This is almost suspect," the man said. "But I have a hard time believing anyone could steal anything from Loki. Especially where he is now."

"You know where he is?"

"On the throne of Asgard."

"How long has he been keeping in contact with you, Mr. Osborn?"

"Well, I suppose there's no more value in pretenses, Mr. Crouch," the man admitted. "Yes. I am Norman Osborn. But if this is the message I've been waiting for, and it is, the rest of the world will be ready to know that I'm not dead soon enough."

"It has something to do with Victor von Doom and the Secret Invasion, doesn't it?"

"You read Loki's message. It's all right. He wouldn't have given it to you unless he knew you wouldn't or was satisfied with the fact that you would."

"If I gave this message to you," Crouch said, "and I saw to it that you got it to von Doom, Loki promised me a part in this."

"I'd be careful around him. They don't call him the Liesmith for nothing."

"Doesn't the fact that I know he and you are alive speak for something?"

Osborn gave a chuckle. "I guess it does." He gestured to a lavish couch, upholstered in green. "Have a seat. There are a few things you're going to need to know."

"Such as?"

"Such as the fact that von Doom and I have been keeping this under our hats for a while now," Osborn told Crouch. "We were waiting on Loki's word to bring it out. And now we have it."

Chapter 64

· Welcome to the world of Marvel! I'm going to be pulling and stitching together a bunch of different pieces of Marvel media here, including but not limited to: the Marvel Cinematic Universe; The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes; Avengers Assemble; Spectacular Spider-Man (the animated show produced by Greg Weisman); Ghost Rider (the Nic Cage film); the X-Men films; Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes; Daredevil; and the original comics. Sadly, I don't have much access to the comics themselves, so I'm probably pulling the LEAST material strictly from there, but trust me, there is at least one character in here who required me to go to the source.

· And before I get started, let me just stop and thank reader GAvillain (again) for all his help. He's a Marvel expert and did WONDERS getting me the character info I needed as well as letting me bounce some ideas off him. This storylet wouldn't be possible without him.

· The MCU version of Marvel Earth has a longer number than the comic version, so 616 it is.

· The version of Impossible Man here is from Avengers Assemble. "Avengers Impossible" is my favorite ep of that show, BTW, which greatly influenced his role here. His reality manipulation and treatment of life as entertainment gave me the idea to make him a Discord fanboy.

· Discord's human form is, as always, John de Lancie.

· I chose the name "Nebulapolis" for the capital of Asgard and "Ragnanival" for the nation it's in because as I world-build for the Nine Realms, I'm pulling from sources like the video game Odinsphere. No, Odinsphere was not a perfect representation of Norse cosmology, but it's similar enough that I can work it. I'm discounting the world name "Erion" entirely.

· This fic takes place post-Dark World. Um. Spoilers. Just a heads-up: for the most part, MCU continuity cuts off after the film The Avengers. Iron Man 3 did NOT happen (as you saw by the Take That I threw at it), and Captain America 2 can't happen because I'm using the AEMH version of Winter Soldier. However, Dark World was SO good and I loved the ending SO much that I had to run with it…and it actually works better for what I have planned regarding Loki.

· Crouch and Loki was yet another plot point inspired by GA. He pointed out the similarities between the two and made me realize they'd be a fun and badass alliance. Plus, it gets us some crossover goodness.

· As you can see, I'm going with Marvel cosmology for some of it and original Norse for some (and Odinsphere too, but I mentioned that).

· Yggrassil does connect the Nine Realms, but it's not a physical linker – it runs through the Space Between. Also, 616th Earth can be called 616th Midgard, but as of my world-building train of thought right now, 616 is the only one that is actually hooked to Yggdrassil.

· Doc Ock is dead because he was the only character in SSM that I didn't like better than his Raimi counterpart, so I'm going to be hammering it into your brains later that my Doc Ock is the Raimi version. And he died saving the city from a tritium explosion.

· The "villain auditions" were just a series of gags I kinda threw in to elicit a laugh and also introduce you to who WON'T be getting a prime role in this storylet. In more detail: Viper (AEMH version) is cool, but I don't have a role for her yet. Chameleon (SSM) is also cool, but I don't have a role for him yet. Purple Man (AEMH) is someone I LOATHE, so I had to throw some Take Thats at him. Deadpool (no specific incarnation) is someone I would like to give a larger role in the future, but I don't have a spot for right now because of the rigid plot I have set up for this storylet, so he gets to be a one-time gag. (Sorry, Heavylight. I promise that I'll have some better stuff for him to do 'round the time that I rework Age of Ultron.) Whirlwind (AEMH) is there because Wasp's line about him using his power to blend giant drinks is one of my faves in the series. Ben Kingsley (MCU) is there for a Take That at IM3, proof that it hasn't happened, and also slight proof that there's an actual Mandarin that isn't him or Killian in this 'verse. (Also, I still do find the idea of Ben Kingsley just being a washed-up actor in the Marvel-verse entertaining; so sue me.) Molecule Kid (Avengers Assemble) is there for me to do a Take That at his whining.

· I settled on Graviton as my cannon fodder because he's one of my favorite side villains in AEMH. Not special enough to get his own arc or a slot in the main plot, but I wanted him to do something because he kinda rocks.

· I have never been to Times Square. I have only read the Wikipedia page on it.

· Describing Cap and Iron Man's outfits SUCKS, okay?

· Also, after polling some readers/writers of superhero fanfic, I've decided to go with referring to them by their superhero names while they're in costume/on duty and by their civilian names while they're off duty/in plainclothes. Not that Tony thinks that makes any difference, but whatever.

· Yes, I've long planned for a timefuck to be in the works surrounding the Mane Six and Thor.

· Oh, and while I'm trying to stick to the MCU versions of Iron Man, Cap, Hulk, and Thor, the various incarnations of them do kind of blend up in my head sometimes. I apologize if this ends up warping any of their personalities. (Hulk kinda has to be AEMH, though, because MCU only ever gave us Banner.)

· While we're at it…the events of the MCU AND of AEMH have happened. But of course, they contradict each other. So…as I go along, you'll see what canonically happened to form this world's history and what didn't. Just…kinda ride with it. The events of Avengers Assemble, however, have NOT happened yet. That's important.

· Just so you know, S.H.I.E.L.D. irks me greatly and I am annoyed by almost everyone in it. (Not so much Coulson. He's okay.)

· Writing Tony's attitude toward S.H.I.E.L.D. is weird. He's totally a "screw the man" kind of guy, but he works with S.H.I.E.L.D. a lot. And in comic canon, he becomes Director (hence my little shout out with him telling Hill he was only half joking about that position).

· And yes…the Avengers currently live in Avengers Mansion, not Stark Tower. It's more convenient for me that way.

· The plot with Osborn picks up right where it left off in SSM, with him boarding a plane for Grand Cayman Island in disguise.

· Loki + Doom + Osborn = any fans of the comics out there wanna guess what storyline I'm doing?