Snap Back to the Past AKA the Infinity Stones Decide to Adopt Tony Stark Chapter Seven: Alien Superstar
Story Summary: The Infinity Stones decide that they don’t appreciate being snapped to destruction and that it isn’t time for their favorite human to rest quite yet. An unlikely group of six is sent back in time to fix the universe before Thanos gets a chance to break it.
Note: This is chapter seven, but you should start with the prologue! Make sure you start with Snap Back to the Past AKA the Infinity Stones Adopt Tony Stark Prologue: The Infinity Stones Adopt Tony Stark. Happy Reading!
Chapter Summary: Actions have consequences. 🤭
Category, bad bitch
I’m the bar (ooh)
Alien superstar (unique)
Notes: I’m very unhappy with this chapter, but I didn’t want to keep you all waiting much longer. If anyone wants to be a beta for me send an email to [email protected] don’t be shy. I know it’s been a hot minute, the past few months have been wild af. I don’t want to waste time talking about me though, it’s time for my main man Loki! (AKA the Alien Superstar)
Chapter Seven: Alien Superstar
In retrospect, Loki should have expected something like this to happen. Time had a way of correcting itself, in the end. Some things were perhaps simply meant to happen, even if they happened in ways different from he might have expected. Only this time, instead of Asgard being nearly at war with Jotunheim, they were on the brink of war with Vanaheim and Alfheim.
The first month had gone well, but then Thor had to ruin it all. The Vanir were hosting, in addition to Loki and Thor, a few elves who had decided to apprentice learning sedir under their cousin Mari. This was only natural as Vanaheim and Alfheim had a very close bond. While the two realms were technically individual realms of the Nine ruled by the Allfather and Allmother they were both strong in sedir and shared a ruler in King Freyr.
Sedir had never been as widely valued in Asgard as it was on other realms. Loki was thoroughly unsure as to why this was the case when Odin himself was so skilled at wielding it, as was Frigga. His private opinion was that the stigma was due to the fact that many noblemen and warriors had struggled to harness it, and so they dismissed it as not being worth study when they could not do it themselves. From wherever the prejudice started, the fact of the matter was that it was alive and well in Asgard. Unfortunately this meant that it was alive and well in Asgard’s Crowned Prince, who had a terrible habit of opening his mouth at the worst possible time.
They were all seated together at dinner and having a perfectly pleasant time, when Thor had scoffed about how sedir was a woman’s art, and he could not understand why any man would want to learn it. Loki attempted to slide in to appease their hosts, but it was to no avail.
“What I believe my brother means to say, is that he is under the impression that women are superior in wielding sedir, and—” Thor made a dissenting noise but Loki glared him into silence.
“Now that is not what he said.” Freyr’s eyes bored into Thor’s, and Loki could tell that his brother was about to burst. “Does he not realize that his own brother is a skilled seidrmadr?”
“Well Loki is half a woman anyway—” Loki fought the urge to groan. He had been certain that he and Thor were past this, but apparently not.
“Your own father, the King of Asgard, wields seidr as well,” Queen Gerd interrupted him smoothly. “Are you saying that the Allfather’s skills are lesser because he is a man?”
It only went further downhill from there, and Loki ended up dragging Thor off to their rooms to give him a dressing down once they were alone. He had eventually convinced Thor to apologize, but was dismayed to realize that their Vanir cousins had no intention of accepting the apology. Apparently this insult was the final straw after there had been many such small insults. Loki had always smoothed over the ones he noticed, but apparently there had been even more that he had missed. He had assumed that Thor could take care of himself enough that Loki did not need to be at his side every waking moment—apparently that assumption had been a mistake.
King Freyr told them rather coldly that they should perhaps cut their trip short, and as they left Queen Gerd told them that Loki was welcome back to Vanaheim at any time. The exclusion of Thor was almost enough to send his brother into another fit, but Loki called for Heimdall and the bifrost before he got the chance to say anything more.
After hearing Loki’s report, Frigga looked disappointed but not surprised, and Odin was filled with barely contained anger. He ordered Thor to his rooms, but kept Loki behind so that he could give his additional account, including what he might prefer not to say in front of Thor.
“Father, I hesitate to say this, but I fear that Thor’s actions have truly put our relationship with Vanaheim on even thinner ice. I am unsure what they would do if faced with having Thor on the throne. I worry for my brother and for Asgard as a whole.”
“Would you think that I should put you on the throne, then?” Odin asked far too lightly.
Loki knew it surprised the Allfather when he shook his head in the negative. “I do not want the throne, father. I will take it up if there is no other option, as is my duty as a Prince of Asgard. But I do wish to eventually see Thor rise as king. I simply am concerned about when that will be, as I am unsure if Thor is prepared enough for it now.”
Odin hummed and turned to Frigga. “What say you, my queen?”
“I think our younger son is right. Thor should spend more time as crowned prince before you pass over the mantle.” Her reply was even, but Loki knew that there was sorrow in it. The trauma that Thor had undergone before he became king of Asgard in the previous timeline was something that Loki would not wish upon his brother again. Besides which, their plan hinged on Frigga becoming Regent in Odin’s place when the Allfather fell into the Odinsleep.
“Very well. I would send the two of you to Vanaheim to smooth over any ruffled feathers from this last visit. We will give them a month to cool off before sending you both as envoys.” Loki nodded and took Odin’s nonverbal dismal of him as his cue to leave his parents to their own conversation. His mother would fill him in later if necessary.
—
Thor was angry and confused. He knew that what happened in Vanaheim was his fault, of course. Loki could not have possibly made that more clear. Truly, he was more angry at himself than anyone else. If he had been more careful of his words than none of this would have happened. He knew that others now doubted him, that there were whispers that his actions would start a war. His mother and sister had gone back to Vanaheim to smooth things over. He knew that Loki went in her feminine form because many found her less threatening that way. She and mother would be more likely to broker peace as women because of thee way their societies operated. He also knew that it was partially to push back at Thor for his careless words about her gender.
He did not have a problem with the way that Loki would switch zir gender around, but evidently he had not fully understood the way that ze internalized it. He would freely admit that it confused him, but he was trying his best to understand now that it had been explained to him. There seemed to be much that he failed to understand lately, and while he would be proud to take up the mantle of king, there was a small part of him that wondered if he was ready. He could see in the eyes of those near him that they wondered as well.
Loki and mother had been gone for over a month, and the time that would have been his coronation drew clearer. Officially the reason it had been on hold was because they were still on the verge of a potential war. Thor did not know when, or even if it would be rescheduled.
Thor was torn from his brooding as he registered a thrum in the air. The bifrost was active, which meant that Loki and mother must be back. He hastily dressed and went to greet them at the Hliðskjálf, where he knew Odin would be waiting.
As he entered he noted the expressions on their faces. His father, resignation. His sister, disdain. His mother, sorrow. He decided to address his mother first. “What is it, mother? You know that I am unafraid of a challenge or battle if one is called for,” he replied fiercely.
“This is not something you can throw your hammer at, brother,” Loki drawled.
“ Loki ,” Odin warned.
“ No father. Thor needs to understand. His battles and hothead are what got us into this situation in the first place. The Elves and the Vanir had one simple request, and you know what it is. You knew before we came in here. And I bet you didn’t even tell him because you knew how he would react. You don’t like dealing with his temper any more than the rest of us.” Loki spat.
“ Loki! This behavior is beneath you.” Frigga reprimanded.
“Apologies, mother.” Loki replied smoothly.
“What do her words mean?” Thor asked, words tight as he gripped his hammer.
“Son, this brings me no joy. But evidence has been brought before me as I have interviewed many over the past month, and your mother and sister have been away negotiating with the Vanir and the Elves. Your coronation is to be postponed” Odin’s tone was heavy, resolute, final. Thor’s eyes widened with every word and he staggered and took a step back.
Odin stood from Hliðskjálf and stepped forward to stand level with Thor. He was almost gentle in the way that he took Mjölnir from Thor’s grasp, but his eyes were hard. “Your words have been careless. Your actions, warmongering. I spoke with Sif and the Warriors Three, and while they tried to cast you in a good light, you have dragged them on dangerous and unnecessary quests that have put the entire realm at risk.”
Thor’s shock quickly became anger, and despite the fact that his hammer was no longer in his hands he could almost feel lightning under his skin. “How dare you! I have only ever done what is best for this realm!”
“You selfish boy!” Roared Odin. Gone was the regretful tone, there was now fire in his eyes. “You have only ever done what is best for yourself! For your sense of glory! I was blind to it before, but no more! I ought to cast you out entirely!”
Thor gasped sharply and was about to reply before Odin continued.
“Luckily for you, your sister has refused the throne, and has told me that she wishes for you to be King.” Odin’s bitter tone, his clear wish for Loki’s rule over Thor’s, took all of the fight out of the Thunder god.
But it was too late.
“You have much more to learn than I have been able to teach you thus far. So this is your sentence, as we have established in our discussions with the other realms. You are to be exiled on Midgard, for the next ten Midgardian years without your godly powers.” Odin ignored Thor’s horrified look and continued with his sentence. “Your sister has offered to join you in your exile, though she will retain her powers and the ability to skywalk, or call upon Heimdall at will. You retain no such privilege.” If possible Odin’s eye hardened even further has he laid a hand on Thor’s shoulder. Thor suddenly felt weak and oddly naked, even though he was wearing a tunic.
“Good bye, my son. This will be the last we see of each other for some time.”
—
Loki was quiet as he and Thor walked with Frigga down the rainbow bridge. This was a far cry different from how things had gone the last time around. And he couldn’t help but feel like it was all his fault. Well, both instances were his fault. And arguably last time his intentions were much more malicious, equally calculated, and indeed people died that did not this time around. Yeet why did he feel so awful?
Perhaps it was because Thor, despite the fact that he was clearly bristling with anger, for the most part seemed to be more sad than anything else. Loki had never known his brother to be defeated easily. Thor was always righteous, always considered himself to be the best. Yet something about the changed confrontation had shifted the way his brother was interacting with the world.
They got to the end of the bridge and greeted Heimdall, who stood back as they said their goodbyes to Frigga. She hugged and kissed them both fiercely, her eyes wet. None of them said anything, as they weren’t exactly sure what to say. As Heimdall opened the bridge to Midgard and Thor began his journey through, Frigga gave Loki a small charm in the shape of a hammer and looked him in the eyes meaningfully. His eyes widened when he realized he could hold it.
Eyes full of questions he could not voice, Loki gave Frigga a final kiss on the cheek and followed Thor.
—
Loki was entirely unsurprised to find that they landed in the middle of the desert. He let out a long breath and looked at Thor, who still was not speaking.
“So, when was the last time you were on Midgard? Things change fairly rapidly on this planet. We’ll have to be careful about fitting in.” Loki forced a cheer into his voice, but Thor said nothing.
“Well, first things first, we should get away from the bifrost landing point. This spot is fairly obvious and will draw attention that we don’t want.” Loki started to move away, but Thor did not follow him. He still did not speak.
“Look, I don’t like this any more than you do, but I suggest that we make the most of it if we are going to be stuck here for the next ten years and don’t want them to be more miserable than they have to be. Now are you coming or not?” Loki snapped.
“ You don’t like this? You don’t even have to be here! This is my exile!” Thor finally burst out.
“Yes! It is your exile. This is entirely your fault, and I am trying to help you stupid oaf so come with me so I can do that!” Loki hissed, finally simply grabbing Thor’s arm and skywalking him to the lakeside cottage he had already set up as a safe house in Upstate New York.
—
“Sir, I believe you will want to see this.”
“What’s up J?” Tony blinked rapidly as he surfaced from where he had been deep in his coding zone. He was trying to rebuild FRIDAY’s code as closely to what he remembered as possible before bringing her online. He had already begun designing her before coming back in time but she had not been finalized until 2013 or brought online until 2013. She would not be his FRIDAY when he brought her online again. But he wished to have her again all the same. He missed his baby girl.
“Satellites have registered odd markings in desert sands outside the town of Puente Antiguo.”
Suddenly Tony was wide awake,
“Is there any sign of a crater? Of a hammer?”
“No, Sir. Just the markings.”
“Show me.”
JARVIS displayed an image and Tony froze. Those were bifrost markings. But it was months ahead of when he had thought everything went down with Thor. From what he had put together it all occurred the same week as the Vanko & Hammer disaster and Bruce & Blonsky destroying Harlem. Fury had a hell of a week. What were Asgardians doing on Earth?
—
Stephen was in his office typing up a report when Shoot to Thrill started playing on his phone.
“Yes Tony?” he drawled, continuing to type.
“So some aliens seem to have fallen out of the sky. Wanna bet whether your mojo or my tech will find them faster?”
Stephen rolled his eyes as he clicked submit. “What kind of aliens?”
“Looks like our friendly neighborhood space vikings.”
“Okay, you’re on.”
—
Loki let Thor settle into one of her guest rooms and sulk as she enjoyed a bath. Her safe house was supposedly a small cottage on the outside, but with sedir she could make even the most simple of abodes into places of luxury. She hummed as she sank lower into thee warm soapy water.
The time on Vanaheim had been lovely, a breath of fresh air. Any time away from Asgard was a good time, in her opinion. And here was an excuse to be away from the golden realm for ten years . True, she was babysitting her brother, but Thor proved himself worthy of his powers again within days in the previous timeline. True, even once he had his powers back Thor would not be allowed back on Asgard, but that did not matter, at least for now. Thor was needed for the fights on Midgard. Besides, if he could not bring the Aether to Asgard, then the Svartálfar would never come to Asgard — an event which led directly to mother’s death.
Loki did not know all of Thanos’ plans. But she knew that the Titan had an obsession with the Infinity stones, and that, for whatever reason, many of the stones had an affinity for Midgard. Given that the stones were also the reason for her trip back in time, it was only natural that she would want to make Midgard her base of operations for thee time being, especially with the approaching convergence.
She had gone back and forth with mother about whether to include Odin and Thor on the secret of their time travel. Ultimately they decided to wait until they found out who else might have come back with them. Both of them had meditated on the matter extensively and could tell that there was a connection between each of them and the stones. Loki could feel a bond between herself and the mind stone — it had been there since she first took control over the scepter and it was easy to feel despite realms of distance. And mother had expressed that she could feel the Aether through the folds of reality. This lead them to deduce that there must be four others, each of them connected with a stone of their own.
Loki sighed and took a sip of the Elven wine she had by the side of the tub. Finding the others was in theory a problem, but she also had a sneaking suspicion — one that she refused to admit was a hope, that she knew at least one. The fact of the matter was that if anyone was equipped to go against Thanos, it would be the Avengers, Thor’s band of Hero friends, and if Loki was going to send one of them back in time she knew exactly which one she would pick.
She closed her eyes and tried to let herself enjoy her relaxing night. She had a warm bubble bath, her favorite wine, candles, soft music, and chocolate. Tonight was all about Loki. She would deal with her exiled brother, time travel, and her crush on Tony Stark the Avengers tomorrow.
Author’s Note 2: Because I’m probably not going to get into it for a few more chapters and I don’t want to lose readers b/c of people accusing me of making Thor OOC; basically Thor in this story is not dumb and does listen to Loki’s advice and let it get through his thick skull sometimes, so he realizes that he really fucked up bad with the being a dignitary, and he really is trying to make things better and be a good king, and spent the month that Frigga and Loki were gone basically trying to play catch up but it’s very much a case of “too little too late” and no one trusts him so he gets exiled to Earth, sorry my man. He got really upset about it obviously but there is not much he can do.
Next chapter: Grudges get addressed. Truths are shared.