Dark Empire

by AlphaStrike

Rating: mature
Tags: Profanity, Gore, Violence, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Human, Thriller, Original Character, King Sombra, Suicide / Self Harm, Fluttershy
Length: 2047

Sombra's Empire makes contact with America in 1961. His assistance has been invaluable, but at what cost?

April 20th is celebrated as Liberation Day in Cuba, when the Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs to begin retaking their island from Communist forces.
What most people don't know, however, is how Fidel Casto was assasinated. The truth involves contact with other worlds, magical unicorns, and the megalomaniacal dictator known as King Sombra.
John F. Kennedy was killed for a reason, and his real assassin wasn't human.

Published 2020-07-22 08:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2020-07-22 08:20:00 UTC

Bay of Pigs

You circle another name on the list of Party members suspected to be disloyal. Raul was too clever for his own good, not useful, and his hot wife flirted with you a while back. You didn't really need another reason to send him to a labor camp. For some, bizarre reason, however, you felt a sudden urge to play with your favorite handgun. You didn't even notice your hands taking it out from under your desk, fingering the nickle-plated slide all the while.

"Maybe I should put it in my mouth and pull the trigger", you said to yourself. It just felt natural for some reason.

But it shouldn't. You eyes flew wide, and you realize that the CIA had probably just drugged you in yet another assasination attempt. You were about to shout out for help, but your throat clamped closed.

In the corner of the room, you suddenly see a small black horse - a unicorn? Suddenly is the wrong word. It had been there all along, watching you. You checked your memory, and you realized that it had been following you for days. But it just hadn't seemed important enough to notice until now.

You try to get up and run away from the source of your confusion, but your limbs fail you. A dark glow surrounds your hand and its horn, as you feel a foreign force grip your hand and slowly move the barrel of your gun into your mouth.

"The exiles send their regards", a booming voice in your head says in heavily accented English.

You pulled the trigger and were no more.

"So a magical pony did in a week what your entire agency couldn't accomplish in years and with millions of dollars. I'm not sure if I should be impressed by the pony, or profoundly disappointed in you, Allen."

"Mr. President, the death of Fidel Castro and several other members of the Cuban leadership has given us an opening. Cuban Army commanders are already fighting each other for control. An invasion by the exiles now would be able to devestate the Communists and take control of Cuba."

Kennedy nods. "The Joint Chiefs will be here in an hour, and we'll launch the operation. God bless the freedom fighters of Cuba."

"And God bless Sombra for helping us get here", you said under your breath.

The self-styled King was charismatic in a way that reminded you of Kennedy, but you noticed small discrepencies. The way his face would lose all emotion when he thought he wasn't being watched. The fact that recordings of his speeches lacked quite a bit of his in-person charm. The casual way in which he speaks of torturing his enemies. You were fairly certain he was a psychopath and using magic to manipulate minds at every opportunity. But until you had mages of your own who you could trust, the best you could do was have outside sources vet recordings of him, and hope that is enough to detect his influence.

The KGB director probably didn't have to put up with this shit. Then again, he also didn't get invisible assassins at his disposal. It was probably a fair trade.

Captain Thorne surveyed the winter landscape from his concealed position under a tree. He wasn't wearing anything identifying him as a member of the US military. If captured, he would be disavowed as a lone mercenary by the United States. It was a high risk job, but he was the best damn ski-trooper in North America as the Reds found out more than once in the Winter and Continuation Wars. It was no wonder he was recruited to the secret unit.

He had been scanning the horizon for over two days without a minute of sleep. But it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. A small yellow figure walked out from behind a hill. It looked exactly like the pegasus printed on the king of hearts of his unit's new playing cards. A brief thought of how cute and ridiculous the little horse looked crossed his mind briefly as he saw the sweater it was wearing and the baby silver fox it carried on its back.

Thorne had never used a tranquilizer gun in the field before, but it took minutes to take effect, and the antidote must be adiministered soon after, else the target risked dying. He considered the avenues it might run and how he might track it down through the forest. But that turned out to be unnecessary as it didn't even seem to notice the dart hit. Limbs must have gone numb from the snow. That was a very bad sign, since hypothermia could kill her in minutes if sedated. Looks like he was going to have to build a fire.

Well, warming up a sapient demigod horse he had drugged was definitely something he hadn't done before. The little fox cried a little as it noticed the pegasus getting weaker.

"And what should I do with you, little guy?", he said to himself as he lifted it by the nape of the neck.

"Don't... hurt him...", Fluttershy said as she slipped into the void.

Well, he was instructed to keep her cooperative as possible, given the circumstance. Maybe the little thing can come in handy after all.

You woke up from your brief nap as the pony on your chest carrier stirred. The antidote must be taking effect. The fox kit was fast asleep on the cave floor, enjoying the warmth of the small fire. You took a month of intensive Equestrian classes before you came here. You still weren't entirely fluent, but you understood what she said next.

"Thank you."

"Why do you thank me? I have you in a bag."

She couldn't quite turn to face you, but she still looked you in the eyes. "I was in trouble, underdressed, and a little lost. I was starting to pass out, and then I saw you... I was so scared that I was going to die there, and leave no one to care for my animals. No one to get Snowfall somewhere safe."

"The moment I saw you, I knew that I was safe, even though I've never seen a creature like you before. And now I'm safe. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you." You couldn't read ponies as well as you could people yet, but you didn't think she was bullshitting you.

This was certainly better than resistance. "I have you in there because you might running off somewhere while were cold and stupid. We start skiing in the morning, take only a day, we get somewhere safe."

She looked confused. "But the closest pony settlement is only eight hours by foot."

"Safe for me. Not sure how your people will react to me."

The pony thought for a moment, before nodding in understanding. "When you wake up, can you tell me a story?

You smiled. "Sure. I have many stories. Many about my birth-country, Finland. Many about skiing. Many about fighting."

Cross-country skiing over rough terrain was one of the most energy-intensive exercises known to man. Good conversation makes it easier, at least.

"So, you ask me if I'm good at languages. One time in Winter War, I took command of Swede company, they didn't speak word of Finnish, and I didn't a word of Swedish. Managed to get them fighting off full regiment of Russian infantry assault. So my answer? Maybe. If you yell loud enough, most understand, at some point."

"What's a Swede, and why were you guys fighting?"

"Well, imagine me, but speak a different language, and bad at alcohol. We were one country hundreds years in past. And Russians wanted our land. We said no."

She frowned. "Whatever you gain by fighting, wouldn't you lose more in the war?"

"Maybe. You ever been in a fight?"

Her voice started to shake a little. "When I was a filly. I got bullied a lot."

"And did you ever fight back?"

"No! That would have only made things worse. Then I would have been just as bad as they were."

"Well, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, both you and bully are bloodied at the end. The bully decides to start fight, so by losing a few fights, you prevent more fights in future."

"And did your people win your war?"

"Nope. We lost twice, but only gave a little land. I would say it's one part of a bigger struggle."

She thought for a moment. "Can we agree to disagree?"

You shrugged.

"The only reason no one takes things you have by force is someone out there will hit them with a big stick if they try. But the point of civilization is so you don't have to be 'someone'."

A ripple in reality marked your extraction point. You pulled out a black amulet from your pack and tried to remember the activation sequence.

"Wait, that looks like something from Sombra's Empire!" She sounded terrified, and was struggling to wiggle out of her carrier. You smeared a drop of of your blood, and felt yourself pulled back to Earth.

INTERROGATION LOG - MKARCHANGEL

9-AUGUST-1961
LOCATION: Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake
INTEROGATION OF: MKARCHANGEL
INTEROGATED BY: Agent Henderson, RIPTIDE, Doctor Newman

SUMMARY:
1. MKARCHANGEL was acquired during Operation BLACKICE, an operation requested by MKNERO and his government in order to prevent the activation of DAMOCLES, an AFWMD which MKNERO believed to have the ability the destroy his nation. MKARCHANGEL is believed to be a critical component of DAMOCLES, and needs to be physically present for a successful activation.
MKNERO has requested that MKARCHANGEL not be returned to his world or killed during interrogation, but otherwise expressed disinterest on its fate. The latter is believed to allow for its replacement and possible activation of DAMOCLES within as little as two weeks.

RIPTIDE was able to sedate MKARCHANGEL through remote administration, leading to its capture. Due to its state of hypothermia, MKARCHANGEL believed RIPTIDE had saved its life after it had fallen unconscious due to natural causes, and has been cooperative thus far. It should not be given information indicating otherwise unless otherwise approved by the project lead.
A form of traumatic bonding has occurred between MKARCHANGEL and RIPTIDE. This is to be encouraged.
It displays signs of anxiety, especially when separated from its pet* or RIPTIDE for long periods of time.
It currently believes that it is being held for its own safety while our government negotiates formal relations and its return with Equestria. Thus far, it has not requested an early return. In fact, it has stated that it prefers staying in the US until relations are normalized, stating that it wants to help prevent hostility between our nations.

MKARCHANGEL has indicated that it is a female "pegasus" in its early adulthood, currently employed as a veterinarian in "Ponyville". It claims to have met with multiple other components of DAMOCLES and the monarchs of Equestria, which has been corroborated by MKNERO. It currently does not speak any human languages, and communicates only through "Equestrian".
Double-blind experiments have shown that MKARCHANGEL is capable of verbal communication with animals, being able to extract complex information known only to said animal after a short period of conversation**. It has also shown the ability to control the behavior of said animals. It claims that this ability does not extend to sapient beings. This claim is currently under investigation.
MKARCHANGEL has a high level of empathy and a low ability to detect emotional manipulation. It is unknown if the latter is due to its unfamiliarity with humans.
MKARCHANGEL has demonstrated self-powered flight, although it claims to be incompetent compared to others of its species. The limits of this ability are currently being tested.

*One male juvenile fox, not matching any known fox species. Has grey fur, currently housed adjacent to MKARCHANGEL, with visitation being used as a reward for good behavior.

**MKARCHANGEL appears to speak in Equestrian to said animal, which often times responds with normal vocalizations. After a previous incident involving a lab rat, MKARCHANGEL is not to interact with any lab animals or security dogs unless approved by the project lead.