Drifting in space, the Asgardian ship was consistently hammered by blasts. There was no attempt to flee, there was no attempt to fight. The craft simply hung in the void, all hope lost.

The inside of the spaceship was not much better. Bodies littered the floor, men, women, and children alike. Those that were conscious enough to groan their pain aloud soon met their end at the sharpened point of a blade. There was no hope here. No life.

"Hear me, and rejoice! You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Queen. The universal scales tip towards the balance because of your sacrifice." A pompous voice reassured his audience. The Ebony Maw- or as he was originally known, Arthur Watts- seemed human enough, but a second glance dispelled any traces of his humanity, his mercy. He was humanoid, yes, but his hands were marred with a pure black, which continued down his veins and found its home at his heart. "Smile… For even in death, you have become Children of Salem, you have become- The Grimm." Even as he offered these calming words, another cry was heard slightly farther along, another life extinguished.

Watts and his companions regrouped back to the center of the ship and turned their gaze unto their blessed Queen. Another stood in between- a somewhat lanky man with greasy black hair, dressed in greens and pinks- but he had yet to attack, and was left alone.

"I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail all the same." The Queen, dressed in her black and shining armour, turned away from the observatory window she'd been glancing out of and turned her attention to the worn out mess of an Asgardian lying next to her. Nora- daughter of Odin, Queen of Asgard, Goddess of Thunder, and Avenger- was picked up by her scruff like she was nothing but a disobedient dog. "It's frightening. Everyone runs and hides. But I ask you, to what end?" The goddess of thunder in one hand, Salem turned to the lanky man and approached. "Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say… I am."

With this, the Queen's face finally entered the few functioning lights left. What was hidden in darkness, now revealed. Eyes, completely black save her red irises. Skin, a horrible pale white. And on her cheeks- only just revealed by her helm- streaks of the pure black, snaking their way down her face. Salem towered over him at somewhere near eight feet tall, as if she wasn't menacing enough. The Queen shifted her grip, now holding Nora by her head, and raised her left hand, which was covered in an impressive dark steel gauntlet that took up nearly her entire forearm and contained one glowing purple stone.

"You talk to much." The thunder goddess quipped weakly, a bit of blood dripping from her mouth. So much had changed since she first joined the Avengers. Not the least of which being the lack of her right eye, now covered by an eyepatch in the same vein as her father's. That, and her horribly short hair, which fell to just above her shoulders.

"The Relic of Space, or your lover's head. I assume you have a preference?" Salem demanded, putting her gauntlet to Nora's head. Lie Ren- the lanky man and said lover- glanced at Nora and smirked.

"Oh, certainly. Kill away!" Salem's eyebrows rose at this slightly. She had known of their lover's quarrel, but was unaware they actually sought each other's demise. No matter. A woman of her word, the Queen pressed the gauntlet into the goddess of thunder's head and the attached stone began to glow. The pain was unlike anything Nora had ever experienced before- and she had experienced a lot of pain. No, this pain was entirely unique, eliciting a hoarse scream despite herself. As soon as Ren heard the cry of agony, he could no longer maintain the charade. "Alright, stop!" Salem did so, allowing the goddess of thunder to catch her breath.

"We don't have the Relic of Space, it was destroyed on Asgard!" Nora shouted with complete sincerity. Her eyes locked with Ren's, and he gave her that all too familiar apologetic smile. Dread pooled in her stomach as he held his hand out, revealing the glowing blue cube that was the Relic of Space. "You really are the worst sometimes, Renny." She sighed.

"Everything's going to be okay, Nora. I promise." Ren swore while advancing to the Queen, a false sense of humor in his voice.

"I admire your enthusiasm, Asgardian." Salem noted the way the two interacted. "But it is unfortunately misplaced." Suddenly, the lanky trickster god stopped approaching.

"Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another… We have a Hulk." Before the Queen could react, Ren dived for his lover, pulling her out of the way as a giant green mass smashed into Salem. The Relic of Space was dropped, but only Watts paid any mind.

Yang Xiao-Long, aka The Incredible Hulk, slammed into Salem with the force of a thousand bombs. Just shorter than Salem, the Hulk made up for it with pure muscle mass. Long black hair and a large, scantily covered bust smashed Salem into the side of the ship with only a few punches. Almost immediately afterwards, however, the tide began to change. In contrast to her slimmer appearance, the Queen was in no way lacking in strength. Prying the Hulk's hands off of her with nothing but her own might, Salem pushed the beast back and rocketed an uppercut to the stomach. The Hulk stumbled backwards and looked to Salem with something that none of Yang's previous opponents had ever seen- Fear. The onslaught continued, with Yang barely able to get a punch in while Salem wailed on her. Finally, after several hard blows, the Queen picked the Hulk up and threw her onto the deck of the ship, defeated.

Almost immediately afterwards, a metal bar was hit across Salem's face, courtesy of Nora. The attack was staggeringly ineffective, and the Queen returned the favor by front kicking her away, allowing her to be restrained in metal by the Maw. Once more, hope vanished from the ship.

But not from everyone. In the rubble of his people, one final holdout of hope remained. Fox, the blind guardian of Asgard. He had lived for thousands of years and seen empires rise and fall, all while he stood silently at the Vanguard of his people. That luxury had been given up long ago, however, as more recent events had forced the old man to actively protect his people once more- And now, one last time.

"Allfathers… Let the dark magic flow through me one last time…" Despite his apparently blindness, the dark skinned Asgardian could sense all around him with his godly abilities. Reaching to that unholy of magic once more, Fox summoned the Bifrost, guiding it to carry the Hulk away and to Earth- Asgard's last hope.

"That was a mistake." The Queen snarled, taking the weapon from one of her servants and plunging it into the watcher's heart. Fox flinched but said nothing more, staring defiantly at Salem even as the life drained from his eyes.

"No!" Nora shouted in anguish at the death of her friend. "You'll die for that!" More threats were on the tip of her tongue, but she was silenced by the Maw, who used his telekinesis powers to gag her. At the same time, Watts approached his master and kneeled, offering the Relic of Space to her.

"My humble personage bows before your might. No other being has ever had the strength- Nay! The nobility to wield not one, but two Relics! The universe lies in your grasp." The Queen stripped off her armour as she stared at the cube in relative awe. Now dressed in a simple robe, she reached out.

Salem took the blue cube from her servent and crushed it in her fist. Fishing out a blue stone from the crumbs, the Queen set the stone in her gauntlet. Blue energy surged from the stone and through her body causing Salem to tense at the sheer power. The moment passed, however, and the Relic was firmly in her control.

"There are two more relics on Earth. Find them, my children, and bring them to me." The Queen commanded her three subjects, who bowed accordingly.

"If I might interject," Lie Ren emerged from behind the servants, seeming a little too happy. "If you're going to Earth, you might want a guide. And I happen to have experience in that area." He offered, much to his lover's dismay.

"If you count failure as experience." Salem noted, unimpressed. Ren glared.

"I consider experience, experience." He corrected, but soon continued on with the theatrics. "Almighty Salem! I, Lie Ren," Ren paused, giving a significant look to Nora. "King-Consort of Asgard, God of Mischief, do hereby declare to you, my undying fidelity." At that moment, the Goddess of Thunder noticed a dagger materialize in her lover's hand. Before anything more could be registered, Lie lashed out with the weapon- Only to be suddenly stopped by a glowing blue force.

"'Undying.' You should have chosen your words more carefully." Twisting the knife out of Ren's hand, Salem grabbed his neck with her gauntlet and began to squeeze. She lifted him off the ground to eye level as he slowly turned purple. The God of Mischief tried to fight back, but soon stopped exerting himself.

"You will… Never be… a god." He squeezed out before a ruthless crunching noise signalled the crushing of his neck. Salem then walked over to his lover and dropped him on the ground.

"No resurrections this time." The Queen commented. She raised her gauntlet and let out a purple wave of energy that rocked the barely standing ship, then a blue portal opened and took the Queen and her children in it, leaving nothing behind. As soon as the Maw was teleported away, Nora's restraints fell from her, allowing the thunder goddess to crawl over to her lover.

"No… Renny…" She mourned. They had finally come to an understanding, they were to finally be together! And then this. Tragedy. Undeserved tragedy. Even as the ship exploded, Nora could only think of one thing.

Salem would die by her hand.

There was no other option.

Back on Earth, the Sorceress Supreme, Glynda Goodwitch, was preparing to head out to buy some lunch.

"Seriously? You don't have any money?" She asked her faithful companion, Bolin Hori. While she was dressed in more casual clothes, her friend was still wearing his monk attire.

"Attachment to the material is detachment from the spiritual." He cited an ancient proverb, making Glynda snicker.

"I'll tell the guys at the deli. Maybe they'll make you a metaphysical ham on rye."

"Oh, wait, wait, wait! I think I have two hundred." Bolin corrected, pulling out a crumpled bill from his pocket.

"Dollars?"

"Rupees."

"Which is?" The Doctor pressed.

"Uh… A buck and a half?" Bolin guessed making Glynda sigh in exasperation.

"Fine. What do you want?"

"I wouldn't say no to a Tuna Melt." Bolin replied cheerfully. Their conversation came to a sudden end after that as a beam of rainbow light smashed through the ceiling and into staircase. Both sorcerers immediately prepared for battle as Glynda's cloak of levitation swirled around her shoulders. Peering into the hole in the stairs, they found no threat, but rather a young woman with long blonde hair and barely any clothes.

"Salem is coming…" The woman warned, out of breath. "She's coming…" Doctor Goodwitch looked to Bolin with equal amounts of confusion.

"Who?"

Scenes from Nora: Ragnarok

"What the Hel is this?" Nora remarked as she finally landed back on Asgard. Dressed in a flowing red cape, her beautiful orange hair fell to the middle of her back while her trusty hammer Magnhild rested in her hand. No normal being could lift the weapon, but- Well- She was no ordinary being.

When she spoke the goddess of thunder had been referring to the giant golden statue of Lie Ren that towered over the outside of the palace. However, the sentiment remained equally as valid when she followed the trail of people to its epicenter and discovered what awaited her.

"Oh, my love!" An actor dressed suspiciously like Ren called out, lying on the ground of the stage as 'Odin' watched on. "This is it, I take my leave."

"You fool, Ren, you didn't listen!" The actress most likely playing Nora cried.

"I'm so sorry that we could never unite ourselves in matrimony," Ren's doppelganger admitted. "I'm sorry that I tried to conquer Earth,"

"They would've been lucky to have you." Nora's impersonator supplied through faux tears.

"I'm sorry about that thing with the Relic of Space. I just couldn't help myself!"

"You are the God of Mischief, even if you are clearly the more straight laced of us both."

"Yes, indeed…" 'Odin' agreed with the actors as he ate another grape from his lounge chair.

"But most of all, I'm sorry that I let you let politics get in the way of our love. King, Queen, King-Consort, Queen-Consort. It was just so silly." Actor Lie revealed. The actress Nora nodded in agreement.

"You're right, you're always right! I'm so sorry that I didn't recognize it sooner. You, Lie Ren, are clearly the rightful King of Asgard, and I, your Queen-Consort." The actor smiled at these words, as did 'Odin' in his seat.

"Tell my story- Oh, and make me a statue."

"I will tell Odin of your sacrifice." The fake Nora vowed.

"I didn't do it for him." 'Odin' whispered.

"I didn't do it for him…" The fake Lie Ren spoke with one final breath… And then, he was gone from this mortal coil. Just as it had been in real life- Or, as it was.

The Actress playing Nora let out a cry of agony as the crowd clapped. All the cast gathered to take a bow just as Nora announced herself.

"Father." The real Nora greeted tersely, causing 'Odin' to stumble out of his chair.

"Oh shit." He said under his breath before turning to the warrior woman. "Uh, my daughter, Nora, has returned everyone! It is a grand day!" The crowd cheered and Nora gestured over to the actors.

"That was an interesting play. What is it called?"

"'The Tragedy of Lie Ren of Asgard.' The people wanted to commemorate him and his sacrifice." Nora nodded in false contemplation.

"Do you know what this is?" She held up the giant skull she had enchained on her back.

"Well, that's the skull of Surtur. A formidable weapon!"

"Yes. And a key piece to Ragnarok, the destruction of our world, remember?" 'Odin' was taken aback by her accusatory words.

"Why, of course! A- And you have done a wonderful job in saving us. For that, you have my thanks. I assure you, of course, that all of Asgard remains vigilant at your side."

"Right… So why is it that as I traveled the nine realms, everywhere I found the enemies of Asgard assembling, plotting our demise, growing stronger with each and everyday?"

"I- I- Well, I'll have you know that I've been plenty busy myself. You know, board meetings, the security council…" Nora gave her 'father' a deadpan look.

"You're really going to make me do it, aren't you?"

"Do what?" 'Odin' asked. Before she responded, Nora chucked Magnhild a ways away and grabbed 'Odin' by the back of the head.

"You know that nothing will stop Magnhild from returning to my hand. Even your face."

"Y- You've gone mad! You wouldn't dare!" 'Odin' cried in protest.

"Oh I certainly would," Nora whispered into his ear. "Renny."

"Alright, I yield!" The disguise dropped with a magical green glow and the 'hero' himself, Lie Ren, spun out of the way of Magnhild's path. The crowd react in shock and Ren gave a half hearted smile to them. "Hello…" He tried to casually walk away, but was yanked back by his lover.

"Where is Odin? Did you kill him?" Nora interrogated. Ren didn't seem too excited to answer, though.

"You know I hate that name, why do you insist on referring to me as such?" Nora's grip only tightened.

"You should be damn grateful I didn't kill you when I had the chance for what you did to me. Dying! Again!" The lovers met eye to eye and Ren could easily make out the building presence of tears in his partner's. "I mourned you…" She said, much quieter.

"Fine. I'll take you to Odin, just- Just don't cry!" The god of mischief caved, unable to look at his lover's depressing visage any longer.

It took five minutes and some help from a local sorceress, but Nora and Ren eventually tracked down Odin once more. The home of the Vikings, Norway.

"Father?" Nora called out to the old man who simply stared out into the sea.

"Look at this place. It's beautiful." Odin remarked, barely noticing his daughter.

"We've come to take you home."

"Home…" The King of Asgard pondered as the pair of lovers approached closer. "Yes, your mother calls me. Do you hear it?"

"Renny, lift your magic!" The daughter of Odin accused. Ren held his hands up in innocence.

"Heh. Took me quite a while to break free from your spell." Odin commented. "Your mother would have been proud, my ward." He finally glanced over to each of them. "Come sit with me, I don't have much time." They all sat together on a nearby log, and the King of Asgard continued to look out onto the ocean.

"I know we failed you, but we can still make this right." Nora vowed. Odin shook his head.

"I failed you. Ragnarok is upon us."

"No, I stopped Ragnarok. I put an end to Surtur."

"No. It has already begun. She's coming. My life was all that held her back. But my time has come. I cannot keep her away any longer." Both Nora and Ren remained confused.

"Who are you talking about?" Ren inquired.

"The Goddess of Death. Neon. My first born, your sister." Odin supplied, looking to Nora. "Her violent appetites grew beyond my control. I couldn't stop her so I locked her away. She draws her power from Asgard and once she gets there, her powers will be limitless."

"Whatever she is, we can stop her. We can face her together." Nora offered her father.

"No. I'm on a different path now. You must face this alone. I'm sorry, and I love you." He looked to Ren. "Both of you. Remember this place, home."

At this, Odin closed his eyes and positioned himself towards the water. Slowly, his body turned a glowing gold and became dust, which was then carried away by the wind.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Lie Ren gave his condolences as they stood.

"This was your doing." She accused with a mix of anger and sorrow.

Before the situation escalated any further, however, a multicolored portal opened and a figure stepped out. The person was slim, extenuated by her figure-tight outfit and the way she practically pranced out of the portal, a wicked smile on her face.

"So he's gone. That's a shame." She announced, a fake frown appearing before being suddenly replaced again. "I would have liked to see that." The woman had bright orange hair like Nora, but it appeared much sleeker and shinier- almost greasy, even. If not for the outfit, a single glance to the woman might have one thinking she was an innocent, playful girl. But the power she exuded told an entirely different story.

"You must be Neon. I am Nora, daughter of Odin." Nora warily introduced herself as she and her lover changed into their battle clothes, holding Magnhild at the ready.

"Hm. The family resemblance is certainly there." Neon staged,

"Perhaps we can come to an arrangement." Lie stepped forward, immediately starting his scheming. Neon was having none of it.

"Yes, of course. Kneel." The woman agreed, the almost crazed smile never dropping from her face.

"Beg your pardon?" Neon's smile only grew wider at that response, a rainbow colored blade appearing in her hands.

"Kneel. Before your Queen." Both Ren and Nora scowled at this. The question of who would rule Asgard had long been in debate, but either side could agree; It certainly wouldn't be her.

"Yeah, I don't think so." With that, Nora launched Magnhild at her sister's face, only for said sister to catch the weapon with one hand. "That's- That's not possible!" Neon's crazed smile reflected in her eyes at these words.

"Oh sister. You have no idea what's possible." Still keeping the weapon at bay with one hand, Neon clamped down of Magnhild, causing the Hammer to shatter to pieces.

Needless to say, things went downhill from there.

Only a few days later, so much had changed. For one, Neon was on Asgard, gaining power by the second while trying to hunt down Fox and his group. At the same time, Nora and Ren had ended up on some stupid trash planet where Nora's beautiful hair had been cut and she'd been forced to fight in the planet's arena. Of course, the upside from this arrangement showed itself when her long time ally, Yang Xiao-Long, also happened to be fighting in this arena. With the help of her alter ego, Hulk, Nora had officially started a revolution and was in the process of procuring herself a ship to go save Asgard once more. Now, as she waited with her lover in an elevator, a long time coming conversation had finally arrived.

"We need to talk." Nora started.

"I disagree." Ren responded immediately. "'Talk' has never been the defining point of our relationship, it's always been action."

"Well, that's what I want to talk about." Nora explained, making Lie freeze up. A talk about their relationship? Surely she wasn't saying what he thought she was. Better to play it safe, regardless.

"Oh, right, of course. What is it?"

"You made me think you died. Again."

"What? That? Oh that was just a joke! You know me, the God of Mischief and all that." Ren gave his excuses. The goddess of Thunder turned around, looking out into the world beyond.

"Just a joke? So would you feel nothing if I died?" She inquired, somberness overtaking her tone.

"I-" The former enemy of the Avengers tried to come up with a response, but found he had none.

"I think you should stay here in Sakaar." Nora finally broke the silence.

"Are you… Breaking up with me?"

"Don't be like that, this place is perfect for you! Savage, chaotic, lawless. I think you'd be better off here." She tried to cheer her lover up.

"You are breaking up with me!" He realized. "What happened to our oath? That we'd be the only ones for each other?"

"I'm not saying I'll be with anyone else, I'm just saying that…" Nora paused, internally studying the implications of her next sentence. "I can't be with you. Not anymore." Lie refused to respond, pressing Nora to say more. "Maybe one day we'll meet again and finally marry, But right now… We're simply incompatible. Surely you feel it too."

"I… Suppose so." Ren relented. The Avenger clasped her lover on the shoulder with a small smile.

"That's the spirit." Suddenly, her smile grew. "Hey, let's do 'Get Help.'"

"What?"

"'Get Help.'"

"Oh no. Absolutely not, it's humiliating!"

Despite his protests, they ended up doing 'Get Help.' They also went through the normally routine of Ren trying to betray Nora, though it didn't end as the God of Mischief hoped. Instead, Nora had left her former lover spazzing on the floor as she acquired and flew her mottled crew- The Revengers- to Asgard.

Once back in Asgard, things didn't seem to go so well. Neon was still vastly more powerful than Nora was, and her undead army smashed into the civilians that Fox was protecting. The Hulk was there to help, but all and all, the mission was turning out to be a failure- Especially when Neon cut out her left eye.

That was, until Renny made an appearance. With an apparent change of heart, the trickster God arrived to save the people of Asgard, bringing along a small army of gladiators with him. Seeing this, Nora once more felt the spark of love that she use to feel for Ren and unlocked her thunder powers to bring down a massive lightning strike on Neon. It was… Awesome.

Unfortunately, even the largest lightning blast in the world did nothing to stop Neon's wrath. Instead, Nora devised a crazy plan involving the skull of Surtur. Having Ren place Surtur's skull in the hearth of Asgard, Ragnarok official began with Neon as the only Asgardian casualty. The rest of the Asgardians and the gladiators fled on Lie's ship as they watched their home explode.

The loss of Asgard was a shame, but soon they would arrive on Earth, and everything would get better from there.

"Do you really think returning to Earth is a good idea?" The God of Mischief asked his lover.

"Of course, I am extremely popular there." The Goddess of Thunder quipped.

"Let me rephrase that. Do you think it's a good idea for me to go back there?"

"Perhaps not. But as the Queen of Asgard, I can vouch for you." Nora promised, ignited the old rivalry of their once again.

"Queen-Consort, I believe. The jury is still not out on that one."

"Tell me, Renny. Who was the one sitting in the throne just a while ago?"

"That was a pilot's seat. And you tell me, who was the one who saved everyone's life while you went on your suicide mission?" Ren rebutted, making Nora smirk.

"Touche, Renny." There was a comfortable silence between them before Lie spoke up, hesitance in his voice.

"So… Does this mean we're back together again?" He held his hands behind his back in opposition to his normal confidence as he gazed at anywhere but her. Instead of responding, Nora entered Ren's personal space and used her hand on his cheek to make him look at her. Leaning in close, the two lover's were about to-

A shadow covered their faces. A shadow. In space. Turning to the viewport they had been ignoring, the lover's witnessed a massive ship overcoming their's.

Salem was here.

And that was the first part of RWBY: Infinity War, along with Scenes from Nora: Ragnarok. This is my newest project that came about after my rewatching of Infinity War because of the End Game hype. This won't simply be a reskinned telling of Infinity War, as you may have already guessed from Loki and Thor being lover's in the form of Nora and Ren. And do you know what that means?

You don't know the ending! That's right, you have no idea whether this story will have a happy or sad ending. You also don't know if I will change any character moments. And I have a lot planned. Hopefully, this makes you more inclined to read the story than otherwise, but if not, might I suggest my other ongoing story of New Game Plus. It's a RWBY story, but if you enjoy my writing style, you may enjoy it.

All reviews are appreciated, and until next time,

-RMV