Only a few hours had passed by this point but it was seemingly already too late, with a portal opening over New York City. It ripped across the air like a sword tearing through fabric, the invisible wall of space cracking like invisible glass that only could be seen now that it was broken. Slowly but surely, a horde of Fire Demons made their way through, getting properly lined up before kneeling as whoever was in charge came through. It was not Surtur, but his Champion, which was you and you appeared very different from your usual self, anyone who knew you would probably be terrified.
Your outfit was pretty much the same as the one the other Loki had you in but now it was a dark red instead of green. The gold cuffs that decorated your arms and legs were black and covered in spikes and the control collar was gone. The circlet that was on your head was also gone, replaced by a large black crown covered in spikes but there was more to it as it had to accommodate your Antennae and the large ram-like horns that sat on your head. They expanded back and out to the sides, they were huge, and they too had black metal cuffs with spikes while your Antennae seemed larger and even sharper. And if all that wasn't scary enough, you didn't really have hair anymore, it was all fire, along with your wings. Your eyes glowed brightly with Surtur's evil flame as well, with your sweet smile and happy face replaced by a cold, dead, and dark expression. Your heart was dead, burnt to ash and the rest of the universe was going to burn with it, starting with Midgard.
The demons are about to head off and cause destruction but you stop them, ordering them to wait, insisting that they couldn't just simply attack, they needed a plan. "And there it is," you say with a wicked smile, as a certain Web-head was coming your way and you knew he'd do perfectly. Spiderman opened up with a joke, making puns about fire and demons which normally would make you crack up a little. You would then follow up with your own pun if you could think of one but not today, or ever again as you were going to see Surtur's plan through. You let out a fake-sounding laugh, letting it go on a little too long before speaking, "oh, little spider, you have no chance against us, against me, or our master, Surtur... the Asgardians struggle to even fight off a handful of my demons, what makes you think a little Midgardian like you would stand a chance against an army?".
You smirked before ordering two of the demons to kill him, with Spiderman being barely able to dodge their attacks, soon being launched off the building. At that point you tell your demons to hold, stating that he would no doubt die from his injuries if he wasn't dead already, making sure Peter could hear you. Several of your soldiers noticed the Wall-crawler trying to get away but before they could go after him, you stopped them again. "You two follow him, but do not engage and make sure you are not seen, he will lead you to Thor and if he does not, then find the Thunderer and lead him back to me, feel free to kill the Spider-child after that, the rest of you, will split up, we need to take out the strongest first, and the rest will follow". You gave them the locations, the headquarters of the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Avengers Mansion, and several others. Places like Wakanda and Atlantas would obviously have to wait, they were too far out for the moment and would be difficult to reach, you couldn't spread your army too thin after all. You had everything in place, soon announcing quite loudly as they flew off, "go, we will rid this world of heroes and then set fire to all things on this worthless planet, until its flames outshine the sun".
Meanwhile, it was going exactly as planned, Spiderman flew off and contacted the Avengers with his membership card, he was a stand-by member and got it from Tony. He contacted Thor, going on about how Surtur apparently sent an army of fire monsters that showed up along with some fire queen or princess, as she had a crown of some kind, so that's what he was going with. Peter didn't know it was you or he would have mentioned as much, with the Thunderer heading out to go face the army, telling Spiderman to continue on to the Avengers Mansion to update them on the situation. Of course, when Peter arrived he was very surprised to see another man who looked like Thor and another man who kind of looked like Wolverine. It took a few seconds to click but Spiderman eventually realized that this was your Thor and Wolverine, making the Asgardian-looking guy in green your Loki.
The whole "more people from other universes" thing through Spidey off for a second but he snapped back shortly to explain that they were under attack by Surtur's forces. "I'm sorry back up a second, I'm going to-" Stark began but he was cut off by a massive explosion that sent them all flying in different directions. They all then heard a high-pitched screech and then a second one and as they broke free from the rubble they saw two fire demons, with more incoming. The heroes got out as quickly as they could, with Wasp slipping in and helping other heroes escape as this was all hands on deck. Your Thor, Wolverine, and Loki managed to defeat the first handful of demons but there were more approaching, with Tony sending out an alert to all the heroes he knew before yelling, "Avengers Assemble!".
They worked together, splitting up into pairs or into groups of three to fight the oncoming horde. Thor fought alongside the Vision, while Loki was surprisingly teamed up with your father, ordering Dr.Strange to return to the Sanctum to contact their universe and let them know what was happening. As for the others, the Wasp was teamed up with the Black Widow and Spiderman, Iron man was with Hawkeye and Antman, and Captain America fought with the Black Panther. Hulk like usual handled things by himself, but of course, he really didn't need someone to watch his back as he was strong enough to take the demons on alone.
Of course, the strangest thing to see, at least it would have been if anyone had been able to stop and watch, was how well Wolverine and Loki worked together. Somehow their fighting styles ended up complimenting one another and despite pretty much hating each other they worked well together. Although, with the world and your life on the line, as they believed you were still under the other Loki's control, they would do just about anything, setting their pride and personal feelings aside to save the day. They were bonding to some degree, it was almost as scary as all the fire demons running around, with both men realizing it, but in the end, electing to ignore it.
They weren't sure how long it took to defeat all the demons in the area, not that they cared to check, taking the moment to breathe, clear their heads, and process what the hell was going on. Of course, the second they took a break they realized that they were not done yet, not by a long shot. They looked up and out at the city seeing fires breaking out in the distance, not only that but now that the fighting had stopped where they were they could finally hear all the screaming. Cap and Tony ordered them to huddle up, they'd have to come up with a plan and fast, they'd have to split up as New York was one of the biggest cities in the country.
However the second they were ready to go, something came flying at them, crashing into the ground not too far away. They rushed over to find that it was in fact the other Thor's hammer Mjölnir but the other Thunderer was nowhere to be seen or heard. That quickly changed however as the other Thor's body came crashing down nearby, all burnt and broken, it was terrifying to see, as the God of Thunder was one of the most powerful around. Whatever moment of peace they thought they had was gone in an instant, with the whole area soon surrounded by more enemies, but this time, they were not demons.
The entire area had been engulfed by little butterflies made of flames, burning anything they touched, causing many fires to start in an instant. The tiny creatures went on the attack, they were fast, but luckily, the heroes seemed faster, dodging and destroying the flaming insects right away. However, the fight was long from being over as another demon flew in overhead, releasing several large flaming butterflies. They were much more difficult but the Avengers were still able to get through them relatively quick, the new demon was another problem altogether.
"No... no, no, no, Gracie... what happened?" Loki whispered, recognizing you immediately, despite the changes, not that there were that many. But seeing as he knew you so well too was obvious to him with it soon clicking for the others, horrified by what you had become. "Oh my- it is Gracie, how did I miss that?" Spiderman yelled, not knowing how to feel at the moment, definitely conflicted about having to fight someone he considered his friend. Most of them called out to you but you didn't respond, while Loki stood there in shock, unable to do anything, knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to fight you.
The God of Mischief could only watch as you smirked raising your arm up to the sky summoning a huge ball of fire while blocking their oncoming attacks with a shield. With your dominant hand still in the air, you used the other to send a small wave of flames to knock all the heroes back. Most of them went flying, while Loki, Wolverine, Hulk, and Thor were the only ones still standing, but not for long if you had anything to do with it. "Goodbye little heroes," you said with a smile as you released a massive blast of fire at them, it could leave them at Death's doorstep, and for the other Thor, who was already there, it would no doubt make him a permanent guest.
The smoke clears and everyone is fine, in fact, there were seemingly more people there than before and there were, as the other Loki was there. He had managed to put up a shield along with your Loki, saying that if anyone was going to take over the Nine Realms and kill his brother, it would be him. You let out an angry groan, your eyes burning brighter as you, "to me, my legion!" calling for the rest of the demons to take care of them as they were beneath you. Before all the demons arrived Wolverine told the other Loki he would kill him for kidnapping his daughter, with the rest of the gang glaring him down. It was your Loki however, who told them to knock it off, as they had to fight the army of demons and save you first, promising to tear him limb from limb when this was all over, with the others agreeing. "That's assuming you all survive this," the other Loki said, blasting several faraway demons as they approached.
You send forth your army, ordering your soldiers to not underestimate them, "these mortals are quite tricky, do not drop your guard for they persist like vile cockroaches". You then summoned a swarm of butterflies, having them head off in all different directions to cause chaos and destroy everything in sight. Everything surrounding the mansion was either on fire or already burnt to a crisp, which you quite enjoyed seeing, but your supposed joy was cut short, as new opponents made themselves known. A huge flash of light came, with a portal opening not too far away, with the heroes of Asgard stepping through, including Lady Sif, the Warriors Three, and Pharaoh, along with another gentleman you didn't recognize.
The one you didn't know was bright orange and had a face kind of like a horse, he was dressed similarly to the other Thor, including his own hammer, except his was gold. The orange man was certainly bold, announcing that he, Beta Ray Bill would in fact stop you, he would send you and the fire demon hordes back to hell. "Ha," you yelled, as you sent a fire bolt directly at him before healing up several injured demons, supercharging them and sending them to attack the new arrivals. Beta Ray Bill raised Stormbreaker, summoning a lightning bolt, gladly taking on this challenge, striking with everything he had.
As you watched your Fire Demon troops start to get overwhelmed, you realize you had to step in, summoning another giant blast of fire, and knocking the others back. It didn't seem to knock this Beta Ray Bill away as he soon came at you, but were prepared, easily dodging his attacks, as this was hardly the first time you fought an Asgardian type. You blasted a small ball of fire into his face, stunning him for a few seconds but it was all the time you needed to claw him across the torso and his face, taking one of his eyes. He cried out in pain as he fell back, as although the cuts weren't that deep, the burning sensation you sent through his body was a thousand times worse.
However, before you could finish him off, Pharaoh jumped in the way, with you instantly stopping, feeling very strange all of a sudden. You could hear his voice in your head, his pleas for you to stop, his overwhelming sadness and fear from seeing you like this, it was too much and it overpowered your mind. You let out a yelp, as you gripped your head tight while struggling to stay in the air, soon falling to the ground as your conscience began to resurface, if only for a few moments. You immediately became extremely anxious and overloaded, crying, begging, for it to stop and as you felt it all start to slip away you ordered Pharaoh to get as far away from you as he could. He refused, saying he would stay by your side forever, and as you stood back up, you whispered, "your funeral".
You get up, absolutely furious, soon summoning a huge ring of fire around yourself, letting it grow bigger and bigger until it reached critical. You released it, causing everything that immediately surrounded you to turn to ash, with all the heroes having barely enough time to take cover, with one not being able to. Pharaoh didn't make it in time, he believed with everything he had that he would be alright, but the blast was too much for him, and yet someone else jumped in the way. Your father rushed in at the last moment, grabbing your wolf in his tiny form and using his own body as a defence against your attack, if he was anyone else you would have unwillingly committed patricide. Your flames burnt through his uniform, his skin and muscles, even his organs were pretty much gone, all that was intact was his skeleton. Pharaoh was alright though, his thick and durable fur was able to protect his more vital area, getting rather singed in the process, looking more like a black wolf at the moment.
At this point, your Loki stepped forward as he was listening closely, realizing there was in fact a chance to get you back, but it would most likely take everything he had. The God of Mischief did not want to do what he was about to do, but he cast his magic, filling the surrounding area with sounds you hated. "Stop, stop," you yelled, covering your ears, dropping to your knees, it was so bad you could feel it in your teeth, it was absolutely terrible. Unfortunately, your newly enhanced demon powers went erratic, causing the whole area around you to start to break apart and catch fire. Loki had seen you get overwhelmed and break in the past, it was only a matter of time before you wouldn't be able to continue, or at least, that's what he hoped.
It seemed to work as after sending out another shock wave, you got up, your eyes were red but no longer all firey and at that point, your Loki got closer. The God of Mischief made the sounds stop as he called out to you again, asking you to come back to him, to fight Surtur as this wasn't you. This made you mad and you shouted at him, feeling nothing in your heart but pure hatred for everything and everyone, "do you really think a weak little traitor like you will be able to stop me? You are nothing to me, just an obstacle... you will fall like all the others and I will take great joy in doing so". You sent a firey blast his way, but Loki blocked, and seeing out of the corner of his eye that the others were getting closer he yelled at them to stay back, soon turning back to you.
"No, Gracie, you would never do that, despite being scary good at it, I know you hate fighting and yet you always stand up and fight for those you love, even if it meant your death," Loki said stepping forward again, so tired and slightly injured, but he knew he had to fight on, for you. "No, I'm not Gracie I am Surtur's champion, the Fire Princess, you will all fall, this world, this universe will be nothing but ash and the multiverse will follow" you screamed knocking him back for a second time, but Loki continued. "No Gracie, this isn't what you really want, this isn't you, I know you, I see you, all of you, I know that you love dinosaurs and baking, you love drawing, creating, acting, writing, solving math equations and riddles, I know you love to figure things out because it makes you feel smart, and you are smart Gracie, so smart, brave, beautiful, and strong, strong enough to fight this," Loki said, putting down his sceptre, saying he wasn't going to fight you anymore, proclaiming that he loved you with all his heart. You rose your hand to fire again but it was shakey, but eventually, you summoned a fireball and released it at the God of Mischief.
Thor cried out as the flames drew closer to his brother, but to his surprise and to the surprise of everyone else, it went right past Loki, hitting a demon that was closing in behind the God of Mischief. Tears were streaming down your face as you began to shake, you could hear Surtur inside your head and you couldn't take it anymore. "I DON'T WANT THIS!!!" you screamed at the top of your lungs, flying up into the air as you released a giant burst of energy, it would have been enough to destroy the whole city. You then began to fall, with Loki rushing to catch you, but Wasp and the Vision got to you first and luckily they managed to grab you before you collided with the ground. All the heroes gathered 'round as you slowly went back to normal, with Surtur's control over you leaving, hopefully for good.
It was at that point while holding you Loki realized that this universe's Doctor Strange had returned with help, with several heroes from the Shield Academy and even the Agents of Smash. They apparently saw everything, or at least Loki's grand romantic gesture to free you from Surtur's control and he realized they'd most likely bug him about it for as long as their mortal lives would allow. But he didn't stay focused on that, as something much more important was happening, well more so something was not happening, as in; you weren't waking up. Loki knew it might take some time considering how long you were asleep following the Vampire Apocolypse, he just hoped it wouldn't take that long.
Luckily though it didn't take multiple weeks for you to wake up this time, only a few hours, and thankfully you also had your memories still intact. Well, you couldn't remember everything that happened with the other Loki but what you did as Surtur's champion was as clear as day. You tried not to worry about it as you got up all stiff and sore as you weren't alone, a certain wolf was there resting at the end of the bed. You got onto your knees and crawled over, just laying down on top of him, with Pharaoh slowly growing bigger, soon rolling over to gently crush you. Of course, like usual you enjoyed it, apologizing for what you did, but your wolf understood, your mental connection was still quite strong despite all that had happened.
You eventually sit up, planning to stretch and go find everyone else, seeing that you were in a part of the mansion that didn't explode. You looked down at what you were wearing, feeling very self-conscious about it, as you were practically half naked. However, there was nothing besides the blanket to cover you up so you just ended up folding your wings around yourself as you got up. You head out of the room with Pharaoh, using your Antennae to try and figure out where people were, quickly heading down the hall to find them.
You slowly walk in, finding yourself frozen on the spot, seeing almost everyone you knew and loved in the room, from this universe and your own. You feel yourself start to shake a little, you missed them all so much and you couldn't help but begin to cry, with all of them soon noticing you standing there. Loki practically tackled you, picking you up off the ground and pulling you tight against him, which startled you quite a bit, resulting in you freaking out for a few seconds. You eventually forced the God of Mischief to let you go but he pulled you into a kiss before letting you go hug your father, the Smashers, and all the other heroes. "Hi dad", you said as you wrapped your arms around Wolverine, soon making eye contact with this universe's version of your father and you weren't sure how to feel about it.
What followed was a weird sort of reunion-type event where more than a few heroes got to meet themselves, it was certainly interesting to see. The other Hulk was overwhelmed by all the Hulks, the other Spidey hit it off with himself and all the other Spiders that came, with Luke and Danny not really sure how to feel about their counterparts as they were heroes-for-hire. You of course were just happy to be with your family and friends again, missing Loki so much that you didn't leave his side, not that he would let you even if you tried. You were literally sitting on his lap with your arms wrapped around his neck, you had your headphones on and you were just enjoying his touch as it had been so long since he held you. Your father wasn't exactly happy about what was happening but he wasn't going to bring it up right now, realizing as he thought about it further, that he probably wouldn't be able to talk about it.
You eventually asked if the other Thor was alright, making sure to whisper, next asking what happened to the other Loki, with your boyfriend holding you a little tighter. It actually hurt a little bit and you tensed up letting out a little squeak before quietly mentioning to your boo that he was crushing you. At your words, Loki's grip grew less intense but was still tight and you asked him what was wrong, using your nickname for him, "what's wrong my sweet Cariño?". Loki didn't say anything, only burying his face into the crook of your neck, seemingly pouting or something, but you didn't care, you just kissed his forehead before gently petting him. You did your best to comfort him while you waited for him to respond to your questions, with it clicking in your mind that it must be difficult for him to talk about it seeing as the other Loki kidnapped you.
However, before anything else could be said, Heimdall appeared to announce to the Warriors Three and Lady Sif that Asgard was under attack by more of Surtur's forces. You immediately hop up and offer to help but Loki quickly pulled you back in and onto his lap, there was no chance he was going to let you go off and fight. You had just woken up and he could tell your powers still needed time to recover so the God of Mischief insisted that you stay here, while the other heroes readied up for a fight. You told him no, that you would fight, you had trained enough with your dad and the X-Men, plus you had sharp claws, a pair of wings and you were bulletproof, you didn't need your other powers to fight.
You continued to argue, but Loki wasn't having it, eventually deciding that you needed to go back to bed and rest. The God of Mischief picked you up as you told him, no but the second he tossed you over his shoulder, you went quiet, blushing intensely as you began to stutter. You covered your red face from the others, not wanting them to see your shame, as Loki carried you away, back to bed, forcing you to rest. He put you down and tucked you in like you were a baby or something, the whole thing turning you on and pissing you off at the same time, but not wanting him to know that you continued to ignore him. You literally turned your face away and crossed your arms, pouting and mumbling to yourself that you could totally fight which Loki found so amusing. It was more than that though, as it had been so long since he'd seen you like this, not all nervous about your new appearance or sad about dying, so he couldn't be happier, even if you were pissed at him.
Loki gently cooed your name, following it up by whispering darling into your ear and you tensed up, you really wanted to stay mad at him but your resolve crumbled. So you slowly turned to look at him, all be it, a little gloomy looking, as you really didn't want to stay, you wanted to go with him and fight by his side. Loki knew how you felt just by looking at the expression on your face, soon stating, "Gracie, I know how strong you are but if you don't take care of yourself and go to fight when you're not at your best, you could get hurt or get someone else hurt... I know you have the best intentions darling but you must understand, you need to put yourself first". You didn't want to admit he was right, you just wanted to help, saying that second part out loud and in return Loki sat down and wrapped his arms around you, holding you close.
You missed this, clinging to your God of Mischief nice and tight, with you convincing yourself more and more that you weren't going to let go. So you ended up turning and adjusting your body to face him, quickly moving onto his lap, pressing your face against his chest, with your Antennae soon tickling his face. You didn't mean to, but with your Antennae being kind of long it just ended up in his face but Loki didn't mind soon placing a kiss upon them which made you squeak. You turned your face up to look at him, "don't baby, you know they're sensitive" you whined before a thought popped into your head and you decided to go for it, feeling very naughty. "Besides, Cariño, if you want to kiss something..." you whispered before pressing your lips to his, giving him a kiss and as you pulled back, Loki gently yanked you back in, wanting to kiss you some more.
However, as the God of Mischief continued, you began to feel tired, soon mumbling out loud, "what's happening... why am I so sleepy?". Loki was honest about it though, saying that it might be crossing the line a little but he was putting you under a sleeping spell so you'd actually take a nap. "You stupid, sexy, jerk" you muttered with Loki soon laying you down, covering you with the blanket again as you turned onto your side, whispering about how he'd be paying for this later. Loki then kissed you on your forehead saying he'd be back in a bit and that he loved you and you responded, "love you too, you stupid Asgardian".
Loki waited until he was certain you were asleep before leaving the room, he didn't want to leave your side but seeing as the other Loki was in Asgard, he was going to make sure he stayed there. He was caught and arrested after the fight with you and the other Fire Demons and seeing as the Realm was under attack, there was a good chance the other Loki could escape during the chaos. It was part of the reason he didn't want you to go, Loki knew it was selfish but he didn't care, after what the other guy did to you and after everything you had to go through, he would be your shield. Loki wasn't about to stand by and let you face him again, he had no idea what the other him did to you and he didn't want to see you terrified because of him, he'd put an end to it, once and for all.