Loki was still laughing when they arrived at their destination. Madisyn gazed up at the bright gold castle. Cotton candy clouds surrounded it, raining chocolate milk.

"Like what I've done with the place?" the Frost Giant asked her.

"It's..." she stammered, "lovely."

"Wait until you see the inside!"

He carried her to the door and opened it up. Madisyn's eyes widened at the interior. It was like looking at a drawing by M.C. Escher, with stairs leading to nowhere and doors hanging sideways.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Loki said proudly. "Or should I say our humble abode? What do you think?"

She put a hand to her head. "I think I'm getting dizzy."

He chuckled. "You'll get used to it, my dear. After all, this is your new home."

"My...my..."

Overwhelmed with it all, Madisyn fainted in his arms. He summoned a daybed and set her down gently. He gazed in triumph at his prize. So innocent, he thought. Well, we'll soon fix that.

"She sacrificed herself for us?" Anna asked in wonder.

"She thought she was the only one who could do it," Alyssa explained solemnly.

"He told us what our freedom would have cost, but I never would have thought Madisyn..."

She buried her face in her husband's shoulder.

"That God has gone too far this time!" Harleen bellowed, using her traditional Columbus voice. "We motion that we go to that castle and demand he return the marcher at once!"

Auer put a arm around her. "No, sister. If the agreement made is broken, Loki could unleash his mischief again."

"But..." she stammered. "You can't expect us to allow such an innocent soul to be tied to that monster!"

"This is all my fault," Vahl whimpered. "I'm sorry, Prince Auer. I've failed you."

Auer raised an eyebrow. "How have you failed me?"

"You left me in charge of Ohio, and it was put in danger because I didn't take precaution. And...I let one of my best friends accept a fate worse than death!" She hid her face in her hands. "I'm a terrible ruler!"

She stopped crying as her mentor lifted her chin. "Being a ruler means one has to make difficult decisions for the good of her subjects. There was nothing else to be done."

"It should have been me then! I could have handled him, I could have..."

"I am as distressed as you are, but this was her choice. Loki may do terrible things, but believe me when I say he won't bring Madisyn any physical harm."

"How do you know that?"

"His nature is to corrupt what is orderly, not to inflict pain. Some creatures...are not as evil as they seem."

"So," Cwryen Caster sniffed, "what do we do now?"

"All we can do now is pray that Madisyn will be safe and move on with our lives."

When Madisyn had gained consciousness, she was lying on a couch. She glanced at her surroundings and the ring on her finger, realizing that the events of the day hadn't been a dream. She sighed heavily. She had accepted Loki's proposal, saved the prince and princesses, lost her friends and freedom all in one day. Now she was engaged to the God of Mischief with no escape. Speaking of which, where was Loki?

Her answer came sooner than expected as the God materialized above her. She squeaked and jumped to the back of the couch in surprise.

"Have a nice rest, my dear?" he asked.

She struggled to get her words out. "H-how long was I out?"

"About an hour or so. I took the time to decorate your room. You like blue, right?"

"S-sure?"

"Of course, this living arrangement is only temporary until we are married, then we'll be sharing a room," he said slyly.

Madisyn shivered at the thought. "Um, w-when i-is this w-wedding exactly?"

"Oh, it could be next month, next week, or even tomorrow, if you like!"

"T-tomorrow?!"

"That reminds me. We need to pick out your dress! I know it's bad luck for me to see it and all, but given the circumstances..."

"Um, don't you think...?"

She found herself standing on a pedestal facing three mirrors. Loki was dressed as a tailor and taking her measurements.

"Now, let's see. I'd say you're a size four. Am I right?"

"Aren't you going...?"

She watched in shock as Loki made several wedding gowns appear on her body.

"Too frilly. Too casual. Too flowery. Not flowery enough. Too white. Too blue."

He stopped at an black colored uniform with a sliver sash over the top. A thin veil draped over her head from a hat with a crimson plume.

"Why, darling," he purred, gesturing towards her reflection. "You look beautiful. Your fiancé's very lucky to have you. Oh wait. That's me!"

She couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Loki!"

"Yes, my dear?"

She turned to face him. "Don't you think tomorrow's a bit...soon?"

He pretended to think about it. "No."

"B-but...I hardly know you as it is..."

"Do I need to remind you of the terms of our agreement?"

"I'll still marry you, just...not yet."

"Care to explain your reasons behind this?"

"Well...I...you see..."

"Oh, come now, dear. Let's not be strangers. Tell me."

She gulped. "It's just that...I always thought that...when I got married...I would...fall in love with him first."

"Oh, there will be plenty of time for that."

Madisyn swallowed her fear and narrowed her eyes at him. "You said you would give me whatever I desired, right?"

Loki fiddled with his hands. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"Well, I desire that we postpone our wedding."

"But..."

"And you said you wanted a willing bride, right?"

"I did, but..."

"I would be even more willing if we got to know each other first!"

He was starting to get very annoyed and felt like turning her into an orange, but he took a deep breath and calmed down. It was obviously going to take a lot to get through to this girl, regarding the fact that she had been the only one who had resisted him in the labyrinth. He had to take this one step at a time.

"Very well, my dear. As you wish." He snapped his fingers, making the uniform and mirrors disappear. "We'll postpone the wedding for now."

"Until...when?" she could not help but ask.

An idea struck him. "I'll tell you what." He continued as he circled her. "Every night, I will ask you a teensy question. If you don't give me the answer I want, I will keep asking until you do."

"And...when I do?"

"Well," he smirked, "let's just say that'll be our wedding day."

Madisyn shuddered. "W-what's the question?"

"I'll tell you later. Right now, you look hungry."

As if on cue, her stomach grumbled. "I did skip breakfast..."

"Say no more!"

An oddly shaped table appeared between them and they were seated on either end. Loki summoned a candelabrum as a last minute touch.

"What will it be, my dear? Chicken à la king? Lobster?"

As he listed each dish, it appeared before her.

"Um," Madisyn uttered. "I'm a vegetarian."

"Oh, right. My bad. Hay? Oats? Baked Alaska?"

"Uh...just a salad would be nice."

Sure enough, a bowl of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots materialized before her. Loki then summoned a bowl of what appeared to be...

"Um...is that...ice?"

"Is it?" he said, taking a bite of it. "Hmm, crunchy. Want some?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I'll...pass."

Well, he is a Frost Giant after all. Madisyn glanced down at the dish in front of her, shaking as she lifted her fork. Loki was confused at her hesitation.

"It's not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking."

She smiled nervously and took a bite of the salad.

"Delicious," she gulped.

"Perhaps you would like some dressing! Thousand-island or ranch?"

"Um, ranch?"

A bottle appeared in the air and squirted the substance into her bowl.

"T-thanks," Madisyn uttered once the bottle had vanished.

"Anything for my lovely fiancée!" He stared at her as she shivered in her seat. "You find me terrifying, don't you?"

She looked down at her hands. "I...well..."

He shrugged. "Perfectly understandable. After all, my appearance is quite...unique." He grinned slyly at her. "Yours, on the other hand..." She nearly choked on her fork as he appeared beside her. "I will tell you a secret. I always thought that of the six, you were the most ravishing. Scratch that. Of all the women in Ohio, you were the most ravishing."

He put his hand to her face. She backed away, causing her to fall out of her chair. He caught her with his arms before she could hit the ground and lifted her to meet his eyes.

"What? Ravishing not a good enough word? How about stunning? Beautiful? Gorgeous?"

"Stop!" she squeaked.

"Stop what?" he asked as he teasingly stroked her hair.

Madisyn wriggled out of his hold. "L-look, I...appreciate the compliment, but..."

"What?" Loki said, running his claw under her chin. "Not used to somebody calling you beautiful?"

"Not directly..."

He chuckled. "Well, you should get used to it, because I'm going to keep calling you that."

She forced a smile as she returned to her seat. She tried to finish her salad, but it was difficult with him standing so close.

"You know? I was honestly hoping you'd be the one to accept my proposal. It was certainly bold of you to do so." She tensed as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry, my dear. I shall make you happy. Don't think of this place as a prison. Think of it as a kingdom, where you are the Queen!"

He made a gold crown appear on her head. Madisyn dropped her fork.

"Imagine! Our own little mischief corner of the world! Nobody to tell us what to do! You can have whatever you want, be whatever you want, and do whatever you want! And I'll be by your side..."

He jumped back as she tossed the crown off her head.

"You know what?" she said quickly. "I'm really tired!"

Loki scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous! It's hardly even noon yet!"

"Oh, but I didn't get much sleep last night!" She faked a yawn. "Oh yes, I'm very tired! I should really get to bed!"

"Oh, very well! But first, my question..."

Madisyn shrunk. "Yes?"

He cupped her chin in his hand. "Do you love me?"

Her eyes widened. "W-what?!"

"I asked: do you love me?"

She was silent for a long while, about ready to faint again. Would he get mad if she gave her honest answer? But if she said yes, then they would be married immediately.

"N-no."

Loki shrugged. "Fair enough. Though here's a heads up, my dear. I'm going to keep asking you until you say yes."

"W-why do you...want to...?"

"You said you wanted to fall in love before you got married, so..." He gave her a wink. "Now, let's get you to bed, shall we?"

He picked her up bridal style and carried her to a door that was thankfully right-side-up. He opened it to reveal a room with wavy blue walls.

"I know how you ponies are about gravity," Loki said, "though it is quite boring." He opened a white oddly shaped wardrobe. "Here are some clothes for you, in case you're in a fancy mood. If you don't like them, I can make a few alterations."

He carefully set her down on a canopy bed and gestured towards the chandelier hanging above. "Watch this."

He clapped his hands and the candles went out. Another clap illuminated them again.

"Neat, huh? Ooh!" He pointed to a record player. "In case it gets too quiet for you..." He moved the rod and the record played Madisyn's favorite lullaby. How did he know?

"Oh, and if you get hungry in the middle of the night," he showed her a microwave sitting on a counter in the corner, "simply press one of these buttons: hay, oats, honey melon, pineapple, whatever you'd like! Oh!" He walked over to the windows. "And I made sure you got a great view!"

He flung open the blue curtains, revealing the foggy, dreary forest outside. "Well, maybe not a great view, but hey, any view's better than no view!"

He waited excitedly for her reaction. Madisyn was struck dumb as she glanced around the room. He had really put a lot of effort into this, and he seemed so eager to please her. She was starting to think Frea was right, but it was all so much to take in.

Loki frowned at her silence. "Is it not to your liking?"

"N-no it's..." she stammered, "it's...fine."

"Was the microwave too much?"

"Um..."

"Would you prefer red instead of blue?"

"Um..."

"The bed not comfy enough?"

"It's fine!" she snapped. "Really, it's fine! Lovely, even! It's...nice."

Loki accepted her answer and drifted to the door. "Now if there's anything else you need, just holler! Sleep tight!"

Once he had closed the door, Madisyn waited until she was sure he was gone. Then she buried her face in a lace pillow and let loose all the tears she had been holding back.

"Oh, Loki, you sly devil," the Frost Giant mused as he admired himself in the mirror.

"Sly?" his reflection scoffed. "You're acting like a big softy, kissing up to that wimpy marcher!"

"Don't you understand? This is better than we could have hoped for! Listen, the humans can't turn us to ice without the Element of Marching, right?"

"Right. But what does that matter? They already promised not to use the Elements against us."

"Only because they didn't have a choice, but if any of our deals were to be broken, then we could be free to do whatever we want!"

"And where does the marcher fall into this?"

He cackled. "I'll bet you by the end of the month, that marcher will be so hopelessly in love with me, she'll do just about anything for me! She won't be able to use her Element against me, which means there will be nothing stopping me from taking over Ohio! And just think! I'll even gain a queen in the process!"

His reflection burst into laughter. "Really?! That's your plan?! Do you honestly think that little girl would fall in love with you?!"

Loki put his hands on his hips. "And why not?"

"Well, have you looked at yourself lately?"

"Hey, I have my charms!"

"Are you talking about the magic kind of charms or the wooing kind of charms? Because the latter is just hopeless!"

He grabbed the mirror. "How would you like to be smashed into millions of pieces?!"

"Hey, hey! Seven years of bad luck!"

"Don't talk to me about bad luck! I invented bad luck!"

He lifted the glass, ready to destroy it. Then he paused and slapped himself in the face.

"What am I doing?"

He set the mirror down and stared at his reflection, which had returned to normal. He studied his distorted face and thought of Madisyn's beauty. How could he win her heart? She had already agreed to marry him, but not because she wanted to. She only wanted to save her friends. Why would she ever want him?

He shook these thoughts out of his head. "Oh, what does it matter? There are other ways to impress a lady." He studied his reflection again. "Though maybe I should trim my hair."