Hi, my name is...Loki

Is it evil to follow one's nature?

If Loki sat and pondered the question, he would be unable to find a suitable answer.

Thor's nature was one of boorish militancy. He led charges in battle and attacked those who had slighted him, even if it were only imagined. For this, he was honored with praise, loyal followers, and eventually, a throne.

Loki was not so boorish as Thor, not as militant. He lacked the physical prowess of his brother, and the general taste for such pursuits. He found his way through sorcery, slight of hand, and a bit of mischief. But when he had cut off all of the Lady Sif's golden locks in jealousy, he was punished with a journey to the Dark Elves to have new hair woven for her. He was punished for his acts, while Thor was ever rewarded.

But it was all in jest. Even letting in the Frost Giants had only been a bit of fun, a way to test his own limits, and to watch everyone's reaction to something that was truly nothing of import. And, if he were being honest (which he never was), he was jealous of Thor and wanted to mar the day.

It had gone further than he ever planned. Still, he had followed Thor to Jotunheim. And that was when things changed, when he gained a never-guessed glimpse into his true nature.

Had that Frost Giant not tried to freeze him and failed, Loki perhaps would have gone on forever without any true knowledge of who he was. His world had come crashing down around him; everything he knew had been a lie. Suddenly, he realized that it was not Thor's nature that was being rewarded, it was the fact that Loki was not truly the son of Odin, not truly of Asgard, and therefore not truly ever considered for the throne.

Of course, had the Frost Giant not tried to freeze him, then perhaps Loki would never have known that he was, in fact, born to lead. And he would lead – by any means necessary.

Thor had stopped him the first time, when he was so close. But the fool simply misunderstood. Loki would not kill Odin; he needed Odin, and perhaps a part of him still loved Odin. Thor ruined it all, with his arrogance and hotheadedness. Just like always.

As he had floated through the void of space, traveling to realms that Thor could only ever dream of battling upon, the truth became clear to him. He was destined to lead. He was destined to be great. And he knew just where to start: Midgard.

It wasn't that he wanted to destroy everything that Thor loved or wanted because Loki's own chances at obtaining his most precious desires had been thwarted. It wasn't even necessarily that he was still jealous or angry, although he was. It was simply something he had to do.

It was in his nature.

A/N: Ugh. I did not like this one. I have rewritten it a few times, but I wanted to post something. I have been at work all week, and my shifts starts at 5am, so this is not my best work. Here's what I am doing to make up for it: I am going to post my alternate chapters after this one. Anything that I had started and rewrote, I will post, and then, when I've had some modicum of sleep, I will rewrite this the way I keep thinking about it at night when I'm falling asleep. Deal?