Avengers: A Wedding At Last

Epilogue: Time is a Funny Thing

"Well, that was positively disgusting," Loki sighed as he walked into the sitting room of the castle, sat down and propped his feet up on a table.

"I wouldn't know," Amora said as she turned to face him. "I detest weddings. Especially between my enemies."

"Well, I'm sure you'd have been positively disgusting by how sickeningly sweet it was." Loki mocked Thor's voice. "'This ring is my promise to never leave you cold'. Ha! The fool."

"My. I'm sorry I missed such a saccharine moment."

Loki sighed. "No matter. They're married. Babies are healthy and thriving."

Amora glared at him. "Babies?"

Loki grinned, baring all of his teeth. "If you'd endured the wedding then you'd have felt it for yourself. Dean is pregnant with twins."

"How interesting for them."

Loki lost himself in thought for a moment. "Perhaps Thor will follow in Odin's footsteps and be just as unfortunate a father. I pity the children, really."

"We shouldn't worry about Thor's parenting abilities at the moment," Amora said as she reached for the tea service on the table before her.

"Ah? And what's the noise around here?" Loki asked.

Amora dropped a sugar cube into her tea. "The mutant has brought more of his followers to the castle. Doom seems to think they'll be useful."

Loki chuckled. "Useful? Perhaps as fodder for the Avengers while the rest of us claim the prize."

Amora reached for a spoon to stir her tea. "My thoughts exactly," she agreed. Then a scowl graced her features.

The spoon in her hand was bending. Then it was violently ripped from her hand and sent across the room where it stabbed through the wall.

"Ah, as if spoken into existence. The mortal with his coy parlor tricks," Amora sighed.

"I can assure you," A German voice spoke from the entrance to the room. "They are far more than mere parlor tricks, my dear."

Both of them stood as a tall and regally-postured man walked into the room and stood before them. In possession of an imposing figure, he was dressed in a dark purple full body suit. A cape hung from his shoulders and a helmet rested on his head, hiding his short, silver hair beneath it. But not his strong, cold features. If anything, the helmet framed them and lent him further menace.

Loki and Amora may have despised admitting it, but he did have a certain presence and gravitas they found relatable.

If only he weren't a mere Midgardian.

"How lovely of you to grace us with your presence, Magneto," Loki said.

"I've come to inform you that I've amassed more followers. More mutants who seek change. Change that you have promised," Magneto said as he pointed a finger at Loki. "It now falls to you to make good on your promises."

"I am not accustomed to being ordered by a mortal," Loki snarled.

"Perhaps because you've never met a mortal who could match you before."

"Now that is a fascinatingly bold statement! What do you mean to do? Assault me with a teaspoon?"

Magneto smiled darkly. "You've not seen my powers at their fullest."

"Nor have you, mine."

"Yes!" Ultron said as he walked into room and clapped his metallic hands. "Fight each other! Tear each other apart! My money's on the mutants. They do know how to evolve after all. Although I really kind of hate all of you. You're all just a bunch of meat sacks at the end of the day."

"I suggest all of you cease this foolishness immediately," Doom barked as entered the room. He then fixed his eyes upon Loki. "Tell me- what news is there of the TVA?"

Magneto tilted his head. "I was just asking him the same question."

Loki cracked his knuckles. "You speak as if I can just...conjure up the TVA simply because I was once in their custody. It's not that simple. In order to gain their attention, one would have to create a nexus event- something capable of creating a break in the timeline."

The others watched as Loki began to pace, enjoying the fact he had a captive audience.

"I created a break in the timeline when I escaped from the Avengers when they time traveled to retrieve the Space Stone. Their blunder allowed me to use the Stone to flee. But that's not what was supposed to happen. I was supposed to fail and be captured and returned to Asgard. Escaping was not part of the grand design, therefore I was detained by the TVA and sentenced to what they affectionately refer to as pruning. The act of erasing an individual from reality."

"If the TVA is so capable, how are you here?" Magneto asked.

Loki smiled. "Because I'm the fucking god of mischief, you peasant. I did what I do best- deceived them, made them believe me to be dead. Then I came to this timeline- the correct timeline- to hide away from them."

"That's all so very fascinating," Ultron sighed. "But let's skip over the self-congratulating and get to what matters- the nexus event we're going to create to gain access to the TVA."

"Before I fled," Loki went on. "I did some snooping. There is a number of important events that must take place. One that I witnessed is that the current president of the United States will win the next election and serve a second term."

"So we assassinate her," Ultron said. "Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I'll do it right now. Point me in the right direction and I'll cut a bitch."

"Our plans require some refinement," Doom interrupted. "I want to make absolute certain that this plan is foolproof."

Ultron chuckled and pointed at the others. "I mean, we kind of already failed on that one, Doomsy. Room's full of fools already."

Doom ignored Ultron. "We need to determine exactly how we will handle the TVA when they come for us."

"Doom is correct," Loki agreed. "The TVA are formidable. One slip up and we will all be pruned. And that is a fate none of us wants. Believe me." He smiled darkly at his cohorts. "Now. Let's discuss the timeline we wish to establish once we've hijacked the TVA for ourselves."