"Mobius." Sylvie said as she noticed the mustachioed former analyst enter the restaurant. "How's retirement treating you? Get to ride on that jet ski yet?"

"Oh yeah, tons of fun! You should definitely save up for one!" He replied.

She looked over to find Casey behind him and sighed. "You're here for TVA business, aren't you?"

"Well yeah, but it's actually Loki business, so I think you'll like it."

"Have you found a way to free him? I mean, you have an actual plan?"

"Not me, OB and the professor do. Take it away, Casey."

"Yeah, we built a whole new loom, plus we found a way to keep the rings expanding at an infinite rate as the timelines branch! But first, we need you to find Loki."

"How? I don't know where Loki is; he disappeared when he carried the timelines away, remember?"

"That's why we need you to help us reach him." Mobius took over. "Since you and Loki are two variants of the same person, we can use your temporal aura to track him."

"And when we find him, we'll need you to establish communication with him to bring the branches to our new loom, so he doesn't have to hold them anymore!" Casey explained. "You're the only one of us who can physically go and reach him, because, well..."

"Because anyone who's not as durable as a Loki will die from the radiation?" Sylvie guessed.

"Yeah."

"Plus you're the one he'll be most eager to see." Mobius added. "You know he's head over heels for you, plus he's gotta be really really lonely by now, in addition to being exhausted!"

"I'll bet."

"So, are you in?"

Sylvie nodded. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Great! Oh, but before we head out, I'm just gonna grab-"

"One apple pie, coming right up!" Sylvie finished.

"...Yup." Mobius nodded. "Thanks!"

Casey opened a Time Door back to the TVA, where they were greeted by B-15, who walked them to Ouroboros and Victor Timely.

"So, Mobius tells me you have a new loom and a plan?" Sylvie spoke.

"Yes, Victor and I have been working hard to build a better one than we had before." Ouroboros answered.

"And it's already finished? How long have you been working on it?"

"About 10 million years."

"No, I'm asking literally, exactly how long?"

"Nine million, eight hundred thirty five thousand, seven hundred nine years." OB insisted.

"Time works differently at the TVA." Mobius summarized.

"Alright, so what do I have to do?" Sylvie asked.

"I'll scan your temporal aura with this machine." OB told her. "I'll set it to track that aura, narrow it down to readings outside of the timelines and the TVA, and when we locate him, we'll send you out with a communicator." Ouroboros handed her the device. "Once you give him this, we can communicate the rest of the plan with Loki."

"Right." Sylvie took an audible breath as Ouroboros's machine scanned her aura. "Here I come, Loki."

"I found him!" OB exclaimed after a good deal of typing. "Unfortunately, I can't get the suit that far away, so you'll have to go without it."

"Got it." Sylvie replied.

"I-I'll get the door." Victor scanned his aura next to open the blast doors for her. "Just f-follow the timelines and... our directions, and you'll... y-y-you'll find your wizard!"

"Thanks." Sylvie braced herself as the doors opened, though the temporal radiation was at an all-time low, and navigated her way across the gangway, pulling herself along the lit-up timelines when he path seemed to end. With the guidance of OB, Victor, and Casey, she finally spotted the man she was looking for, sitting on a golden throne.

"Sylvie..." Loki gasped.

Sylvie smiled. "Hey Loki!" She thrust herself forward with her telekinesis, landing right in front of him. "How are you holding up? You look like you could use a breather!"

Loki returned her smile. "You have no idea. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see you again!"

"Yeah, it's been almost 3 years for me since I last saw you, but it must seem like longer for you out here, huh? ...How long has it been for you?"

"Ohhh, an eternity!"

Sylvie slowly nodded. "So..."

"So...?"

Sylvie paused, unsure of where to start. "So, are you hungry?" She conjured up some McDonald's apple pies and a portable chair. "I mean, if it's all the same with you... I'll have that pie now... with you."

Loki smiled. "Please do." She handed him one of the pies, waiting for him to take it. "Oh... sorry, my hands are a bit full at the moment. Besides, I've been outside of time here anyway, so I'm much more starved for company than I am for food."

"Oh, right. Here." She held the dessert up to his mouth. "Luckily, you don't need any utensils for these, so just take a bite."

"Oh, you're going to hand feed me now, are you?" Loki replied, half embarrassed yet half excited.

"Oh come on; you were the prince of an entire world: this shouldn't be a new experience for you! Just don't expect me to chew anything for you."

"That's baby birds you're thinking of for the latter point, and nobody's hand fed me since I was three: I feed myself! ...However... since you are indeed a version of myself, I could make an exception, just this once." Loki said with a grin.

The mischievous duo blissfully enjoyed their pies together. "Here, I got you a hot fudge sundae too." Sylvie offered him a spoonful alongside his pie. "Now you can try it à la mode!"

"How very thoughtful of you." Loki took a bite of the two desserts together, savoring the experience. "Speaking of food, how's life in the restaurant business?"

"Pretty good, I got a promotion."

"Congratulations, though I can't say I'm surprised. You're a very dedicated worker. And you've made some new friends on the timeline, as I have, I'm certain."

"Yeah, I want to properly introduce you when you get out of here: there's Jack at McDonald's, Eric from the bar, and Lyle from Rooster Records. Oh, speaking of records, I heard a song I think you might like at the record store. And they came out with a new format for listening to music called a compact disc, or CD for short! They're like records, but smaller, and they don't need the needle to spin them round and round!"

Loki chuckled. "Right, very advanced."

"Hey, it may not be as futuristic as the tech in your TVA, but I think it's amazing!"

"I'm sorry, I don't disagree. It's just that I was raised as royalty, so I'm accustomed to hearing music live. Call me spoiled, but there's something special about hearing it right in front of you that a recording can't convey." He smiled again and looked Sylvie in the eyes. "Hearing the sound of someone's voice, seeing them beside you, can make a world of difference to someone."

"...Yeah. Yeah, I know what you mean. Anyway, OB and the guys told me to give this communicator to you; they have a new loom that can give you a well-earned rest after all this time!"

"Yes, I'm curious about that..." Loki let Sylvie put the device over his ear. "OB, hello, it's Loki!"

"Hi Loki!"

"Are Mobius and the others there with you?"

"Yes."

"Hey Loki, how are you doing there?" Mobius asked.

"Better, thank you. So, Ouroboros, how do you plan on accounting for the infinitely-branching timelines, may I ask? How will your new loom be able to hold them all?"

"We made the rings out of a flexible polymer, so that it will expand with the timelines, without one of us having to adjust the machine manually anymore!"

"But as the rings expand, they'll eventually lose their configurational entropy and snap apart, will they not?"

"No, because the number of microstates in the equation increases over time, leaving those microstates in a-"

"A state of disorder." Loki finished.

"Yes, exactly correct!"

Sylvie raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"The rings are programmed to keep getting stretchier as the timelines branch." Loki summarized.

"And s-since our new temporal loom weaves time, it w-will indefinitely power... the rings... leaving the loom in a self-s-sustaining state!" Victor finished.

"Sounds good to me!"

"So, I'm guessing you need me to carry the timelines back to your new loom?"

"Good guess." OB replied.

Sylvie placed a hand on Loki's back, her own green energy flowing into him. "This time, I'll be right here with you, every step of the way."

Loki nodded one more time, rising to his feet. Sylvie then grabbed hold of Loki's hand with her other hand, and they walked in sync back to the space outside of the TVA.

"That's it, keep going..." Mobius encouraged. Soon, the pair appeared back in view and continued on their path to the new loom.

"There they are!" B-15 exclaimed.

"N-now weave the timelines through... the rings... and the temp-poral loom will t-t-take care of the rest!" Victor instructed him. "Good l-luck, wizard!"

As Loki reached the loom, Sylvie let go of him to hold the other ends of the timelines and help him weave them through the loom.

"Okay, you can let go now, Loki." OB told him.

Loki released all of the lines, and Sylvie helped their exhausted hero back along the gangway.

"Quick, we've gotta get the door for him!" Casey warned.

As soon as Loki entered the TVA, his friends all rushed to meet him, and he embraced Mobius and Sylvie! One by one, the others joined in on the group hug, and joyful tears streamed down Loki's face as he reunited with his dear friends.

"Loki, are you alright?" Mobius asked. "Come on, let's get you someplace comfy to rest."

"I'm a god, Mobius, I don't need rest, and there's no time. The variants of He Who Remains are-"

"Are being dealt with." B-15 finished. "We've already apprehended over fifty of them."

"That doesn't even scratch the surface: they're as numerous as the infinitely growing branches!"

"Which is why you need your rest if you're going to help us stop 'em!" Mobius reiterated. "We can catch up on the way."

"You know, I could use a nap myself..." Loki and Mobius shot a shared look of surprise as Sylvie yawned. "Mind if I join you, Loki?"

"Easy..." Mobius warned as a huge grin lit up Loki's face. "He needs rest."

"If you do, I may never wish to leave!" Loki warned her in turn.

"Works for me!" Sylvie replied.

On their way to the nap room, Victor approached them and offered Loki a cup of hot cocoa, and Loki nodded in appreciation, drank it, and then nodded off to sleep as Sylvie snuggled up with him.