Emilio De Bono stood staring at the creature in the arms of the blackshirt that was quietly feeding it with a bottle of goat's milk. It was most similar to a minuscule foal, but even that was just an approximation: the colours of its coat and mane, even with the muck staining them, were simply not possible were it a horse. If anything, the striped mane and tail were as absurd as the stripes on a zebra.
Along with the colours, the thing only passed as a foal in the broadest sense. The snout was a tiny thing, and the head was far too large and round for it to be an actual equine. Those purple eyes, asides from being too big relative to the head, held a startling amount of intelligence behind them. It wasn't like peering into a dog's eyes, but into those of a newborn child. To top it all off, the creature had tiny feathered wings and a stub that could only be described as a budding horn akin to that of unicorns.
If De Bono hadn't known any better, he would have suspected a particularly devious prankster who dyed a deformed foal and added a horn and wings to have a laugh.
He rubbed his temples. "And it was crying?" he asked again, getting the same tired nods from the fascist leaders. "Like a child?" More nods. He looked over the contented... foal. Foal was probably the best term, he supposed. De Bono stared as the foal blinked and gazed this way and that, all while still being fed by Adalberto.
"And why did you bring it here?" he asked, shifting his stare towards the Duce, who was slumped on a chaise.
Mussolini had changed his dusty uniform for a civilian suit, but there were grimy handprints on the linen of the jacket. Those stains and the bags underneath his eyes were unbecoming for the fascist leader, for they made him look like a poor vagabond wearing his best suit.
"Her," he corrected, prompting a few raised eyebrows. "If you know anything about genitals, you can clearly see that it's a female." Nobody decided to ask the Duce as to how he was privy to the foal's sex.
Probably for the best, Emilio conceded, looking for the tell-tale signs of the foal's sex.
"Perhaps it's a hermaphrodite?" Balbo suggested. Seeing the confused looks about him, he huffed. "I mean, think about it. It's something close to Pegasus from Greek mythology. Perhaps it may look like a filly, but it's actually both and neither, like Pegasus."
A new round of examination over the foal passed by, eased by Adalberto holding it by the barrel and letting the legs and tail dangle in the air. It ended when Cesare, deadpan, said, "I don't see a pecker there, Balbo. It's definitely a girl."
There was a snort from Bianchi, but the atmosphere still remained reasonably sober.
That is until the filly let out a tiny burp, much to the visible surprise of her caretaker.
"Horses don't belch," Michele said incredulously.
"Of course they don't," Mussolini suddenly piped up, groaning as he rose from the chaise. "This isn't a horse, or have you perhaps seen one with a pink coat and striped violet tail and mane? Oh, and let's not forget the wings and the horn!"
At the outburst, the filly ceased feeding to look at the man. Seeing this, he paused, watching the foal continue staring before seeking her bottle of milk to which Adalberto quickly provided.
Emilio shook his head. "I swear; that foal has the eyes of a newborn."
"It looks like a newborn, sir," Adalberto pointed out.
"Yes, but I meant a human newborn." The older fascist waved his hand. "Sure, the eyes are much larger, but you can see intellect behind them. Real intellect." He turned to Mussolini. "Why did you bring it here?" he asked again.
Benito ran his hands down his face. "I'm—" He yawned. "I couldn't leave her."
It sounded like a poor excuse, but it was the truth. Benito didn't know why and he couldn't explain it; Mussolini had felt stunned when he first understood what he was dealing with, but by the time Benito had gotten out from underneath the wall, he hurriedly ordered the blackshirts to surround him and promptly left in a hurry, foal in hand with one single purpose in mind: get back to the hotel. He didn't even deign a response to the protests and surprised yelps of the firefighters and civilians.
Figuring out how to get her to stop her wailing was an endeavour in it of itself. Once they had figured out that the filly was hungry, there were few suggestions to solve this conundrum. The advice of getting a nursing mare was immediately rejected for obvious reasons.
It was Balbo who had thought of finding a baby bottle with milk to feed the foal. Thankfully, the hotel had ample goat's milk in their storage, and the cries soon came to an end.
Cesare hummed. "Well, it's here. What should we do with it?"
Mussolini pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know," he half-whispered.
"Who's going to be responsible for it?" De Bono asked.
Benito glanced at Adalberto, who had just finished feeding the foal. Closing his eyes, he repeated, "I don't know."
"Should we name her?"
Everyone turned to the blackshirt. Adalberto didn't flinch at the sudden attention and said, "Sirs, so long as she's in our care, we ought to give her a name, right?"
The Squadristi commander scoffed. "We don't even know if we're keeping it." He crossed his arms. "I say we should sell it to an institute. Can you imagine how many liras she's worth?"
Adalberto grimaced but otherwise did not say anything. Emilio seemed to entertain the notion, whereas both Balbo and Bianchi looked to Mussolini. "The Congress has eaten through our budget, and we're in need for more," Michele admitted.
Once again, all eyes were on the Duce. He scratched at his chin, trying to clear his mind. The fascist found his thoughts sluggish and unclear. He said nothing for several long seconds, failing to find any faults in De Vecchi's suggestion. Perhaps it was the only reasonable course of action, after all.
That was when the foal began to cry again.
Emilio's eyes widened at hearing the filly wail for the first time. Cesare recoiled away from Adalberto, clasping his ears. "Damnit man, shut that thing up!" he growled.
Struggling with the fidgeting foal, Adalberto did his best to cradle her, but with no success. He shook his head. "I don't know how to, sir."
All of the fascists except for Cesare and De Bono began to huddle around the blackshirt, trying to figure out how to calm the foal down. "Maybe it needs to let out some air?" Balbo suggested, raising his voice to surpass that of the filly.
Adalberto nodded sluggishly and let the wailing creature on his shoulder and tried to pat at her back. The cries only intensified.
"You idiot, you're hitting the wings!" Michele said, grabbing at the foal. Caught unaware by the sudden move, the blackshirt unconsciously tightened his grip, making Bianchi pull with unintended force.
The volume grew to unbearable levels. Both Adalberto and Bianchi reached for their ears and dropped the foal. The baby fell for a good meter before its fall was broken not by the floor, but by Benito's arms.
He didn't know how he managed to react that quickly, but Benito did not waste time wondering. He was quick to turn the filly on her stomach so that she lay on his forearm, and her head rested on the crook of his arm. Mussolini supported the leg with the same hand, using his free hand to caress her neck and between the wing joints.
The effect was immediate: the cries diminished to sobs; the legs grew limp; the wings drooped. Within seconds the filly had calmed down entirely.
Mussolini sighed a breath of relief and carefully shifted the weight, turning the baby and drawing her to his chest. Once satisfied that he had a good hold on her, Benito looked up to see a room of stunned fascists. Even Cesare's lips were slightly parted.
"How…?" Balbo's voice fell.
Benito cleared his throat. "I used to be a father," he explained. "That was a long time ago, though." A yawn escaped his lips as he turned to Adalberto and Bianchi. "But that's beside the point. You two ought to be more—"
A quiet yawn interrupted the Duce; he looked to see the filly closing her mouth with the vestiges of a yawn, shifting her head against his chest and fell asleep. For the first time, Benito felt the warmth of the foal and the faint beat of her heart. Her only movements were the steady rise and fall of her barrel. Hesitantly, he pushed aside a lock of the mane from the front of her peaceful face.
The silence that dominated the room felt loud in contrast to the previous racket, but it was a welcome change, and for a moment, Benito felt… right. It was a sensation similar to the one that he experienced years ago when he first held his newborn. He looked at the foal but saw a baby in need. Perhaps…?
"Duce?"
Mussolini looked up to Balbo. The aviator cracked a smile. "Seems like she likes you."
Benito felt a smile of his own forming. "She does, doesn't she?" He glanced back at the sleeping form and gently ran a finger along the messy mane. "I suppose that she can recognize an important person," he joked.
"Well, Duce?" Cesare said. "Should I call a car to get it to the university? I think that I can find someone there who'd pay well." Seeing the sleeping foal, he added, "Or maybe you've got something else in mind?"
Mussolini stared at Cesare before returning his gaze on the filly. She was still soundly asleep, her head resting on one of his breast pockets.
"I think..." he stopped, focusing once more at Cesare. "I think I'll sleep on this. Adalberto," he called, prompting the blackshirt to stand to attention. "See if you can get a blanket, a pillow, or better yet, a crib with both of them."
Adalberto thrust his arm and exited the room. Balbo shook his head, grinning all the while. "Seems like there's a soft side to you, after all, Duce."
Benito suspected that under most circumstances, he would have scoffed at the suggestion. A fascist cared yes, but he was strong and resolute first, for that was the real strength of fascism.
And yet, he couldn't disagree with Italo, opting to simply shrug instead.
"Without compassion, how can one truly know their own strength?" he said, chuckling softly to himself. "Italy needs a government that is strong, but one that is also understanding, and she" —Benito raised the filly— "shall be the embodiment of that government."
Nobody seemed to know how to react to that. Michele immediately nodded his agreement, even though he didn't seem to understand just what the Duce had meant by that. Emilio and Italo both exchanged curious expressions.
De Vecchi sighed. "How the hell will I explain this to the men?" he muttered resignedly, massaging his temples.
When Mussolini woke, he immediately knew that he had not slept enough. Were it not for the alarm clock he would have considered staying in bed: he had a rough night after all. Grumbling to himself, Benito knew that he had a train to catch, so he sloughed off his bedsheets.
As he rose, he heard faint singing from outside. It took a moment for Benito to recognize the chorus group attached to the Squadristi as it wasn't singing any of the usual chants that he had heard countless times.
In fact, as he listened more closely as he made for his wardrobe, the Duce started to make out one of the verses:
"Alicorno, alicorno;
"Bundle of joy and beauty;
"Smiling to all nearby;
"Your laugh rings and goes!"
It was a different version of Giovinezza, Mussolini realized as he began to wear a shirt and trousers. Alicorno? he wondered while working the buttons on his pants. What were they referring to?
Just as he put on an overcoat and as the song went back to the main verse did realization dawn upon Benito. He chuckled: Guess Cesare managed to break the news to his men, after all, Benito thought. He checked himself in front of a body mirror before making his way out of the room. He passed by and was saluted by a large gathering of blackshirts in the lobby.
The air outside was just as chilly as during the night. With the sun beginning to peek above the Vesuvius, however, it promised to be a warm day. He idly wondered what the weather would be like in Rome once he would arrive.
Mussolini found most of the Quadrumvirate (Bianchi was conspicuous by his absence) standing at the sidewalk by the entrance, seemingly enthralled by the chorus. Approaching from behind, he was about to ask Balbo what was happening. He was instead fixated on a small pink form sitting next to Adalberto that sang along with the dozen blackshirts.
Nobody took notice of the Duce's arrival, and the altered Giovinezza continued with what sounded like improvised verses, all relating to the filly who was…
Benito almost did a double-take as he saw the foal bobbing her head in the rhythm of the beat of the song, now thoroughly cleaned, and with what was definitely a smile on her small snout.
A nearby blackshirt turned his head for a moment and was startled by the Duce's presence. "Evviva il Duce!" he proclaimed, arm thrust upwards in salute. Every fascist in the street, including the chorus group, stopped and turned, saluting as one and chanting, "Viva il Duce!"
The greeting was overwhelming being in the middle of it with so many voices and arms, but Mussolini managed to keep his authoritative poise. Smiling and saluting the closest blackshirts, he and the Quadrumvirate negotiated their way through their crowd. He knew that the men were expecting a speech from him, but right then, he had something else on his mind.
Fortunately, the foal stood close to Adalberto, and they were given some breathing room. Amongst the strikes of heels against the road, Mussolini was surprised to hear a baby-like giggle from the filly. With him approaching, Adalberto saluted himself before picking the foal up.
"How is she?" Benito asked.
Adalberto beamed. "She loves the attention," he replied, allowing the filly to wiggle her legs, "and the men love her back."
Mussolini chuckled. "She seems to be quite the hit all right," he said, offering a finger to the foal that she tried to suckle on. "Alicorno?" he asked.
"Yessir." The blackshirt used his free hand to scratch at the filly's ears to which she shrieked with pleasure. "The men came up with the name."
There was a sideways tug at the Duce's lips. "Not a bad name for the species," he muttered. "She still needs a proper name."
"Have you thought of one, Duce?"
Mussolini did not respond, only offering a smile to the alicorno. She returned it with a giggle. Satisfied, Benito turned to the Quadrumvirate and said, "Come along now. Let's not keep the men waiting. You too, Adalberto."
"But, Duce… the train?"
Turning to the nonplussed blackshirt, he offered him and the nearby men his best smile. "It seems that my discreet departure will have to wait."
A converted Fiat truck had the back removed to act as an impromptu stage, and Benito, Balbo, De Bono, and De Vecchi climbed on. Adalberto hesitated at first, but at the Duce's encouraging smile, climbed on as well, carrying the filly all the while.
The sight of their leaders and their newest mascot sent the fascists into applause, a particularly loud one at that. Flashes of light from with the crowd told Mussolini that there were a good number of photographers in the audience, just as he liked it. He brought his hands up to abate the cheering.
"Fascists of Italy!" he said in a loud, clear voice. "The time of grandiose speeches has passed with the Congress. And as we all know, the time for action is now." Benito paused to wet his dried lips. "I am needed elsewhere, but our plans will still continue. I leave you with some of the most capable fascists to prepare for our march!" With a wave, Mussolini introduced the Quadrumvirate leaders.
A new bout of cheers rang out. There were waves of Roman salutes from the sea of blackshirts, and from the islands of civilians that attended. Scattered black flags of the PNF flew high above the audience.
The numbers seemed to be roughly equal to those in the last two days, but Mussolini noticed that there were considerably fewer local residents this time.
He wanted to scowl at the lack of local support. As much as he wished he could not go back in time and prevent his men from killing that woman. The assistance lent by the PNF with last night's building collapse was probably the only reason that there were any Neapolitans present to begin with. Benito took solace in the apparent fervour of those few supporters that had shown up.
The applause ebbed away, and he resumed. "Speed is imperative for the coming days, for we cannot hope that our enemies shall sit idly by while we work to seize Rome. As such, even if I may not be there to watch over you, I expect that not a single one of you shall delay, for if we linger for too long..." Benito threw his head back, jutting out his chin before raising a clenched fist and shaking it. "Saremmo tutti accoppati!"
That reference to the famous Arditi motto struck a chord, as the fascists erupted in acclamation. With so many former Arditis being fascists, stirring the people's memory of Italy's most elite was always a dependable tactic to rouse a crowd, even from those Arditis who were not fascists.
Mussolini kept his aggressive stance even though the chants of 'Duce' made him smile inside: he knew that they were celebrating the myth and not the man, but who was he to disappoint the men? Doing a little wave with his raised hand, Benito incited more praise with more 'Duces' from the crowd.
"Evviva l'alicorno!" someone cheered from the front rows.
For a moment it had seemed that nobody but Mussolini had heard that cheer.
Then he heard it again, this time from farther back.
"Viva l'alicorno!" This was closer by.
Another shout from the right: "A hurrah for the Duce and the alicorno!" To this, a mighty urrà roared from Benito's right side that rolled outwards like a wave.
It took some effort for him to not to break his pose, such was the surprise. He had intended to introduce the alicorno, but the crowd had beat him to it. For the first time for a long time, Benito found himself at a loss if for a moment.
Fortunately, Adalberto didn't falter and approached the crowd, presenting the filly by raising her up high for all to see.
The volume of claps and cheers was deafening. Among the cheers for the alicorno, there were still the chants for the Duce. The latter were minute and barely audible relative to the overwhelming support for the filly; arms rose to salute the foal.
For her part the alicorno stared into the crowd, smiling and fidgeting all the while. Then, her right foreleg rose up and stayed that way for a while.
At first, Mussolini thought that it was just the filly's body acting outside of her control, much like how a newborn's did in the first months. But as that hoof didn't fall, Benito felt his jaw drop; she was mimicking a fascist salute!
This earned her both laughs and renewed applause from the mass of fascists. To the warm response, the alicorno uttered a nearly musical giggle.
By then Benito had recovered, smiling broadly, and approached Adalberto to join in with a salute of his own.
He allowed the cheers to peter out before adding, "A new Italy shall rise from our actions, with new national symbols!" He raised a finger. "The Fascio of strength and authority!" Another finger. "The Roman Eagle of times past!" Then a wave to Adalberto and the filly. "And the Alicorno of the fascist future!"
Mussolini had thought over how he could benefit the party with the alicorno, and among one of his ideas, promoting her as a fascist symbol had been one of them. He hadn't expected to introduce her so soon, but seeing the overwhelmingly positive response to her, Benito merely seized the opportunity once more.
The boulevard was alive with cheers from fascists and civilians. Benito had a feeling that once the news spread, he would see far more massive crowds of non-fascists. He allowed himself to beam: this alicorno would prove useful indeed.
Mussolini Introduces the Alicorno to the World - Naples
Yesterday morning an unexpected speech made by Benito Mussolini at the Vesuvio Hotel surprised the residents with a small creature that fascists called the 'alicorno.' While no photographs have been taken of the alicorno, it has been described as a winged foal-like animal with a horn and pink coat. Earlier witness accounts from the night before describing this alicorno had previously been dismissed by the city hall. This dismissal has since been rescinded.
"It is an incredible animal," says Eduardo Verdonois, Mayor of Naples. "While we had thought the original testimonies to be too fantastical, the city of Naples recognizes its mistake and wishes to officially apologize to these witnesses. The municipal committee has approached the honourable Mussolini in regards to adopting the alicorno as a future symbol of the city of Naples."
In regards to the fascist leader, Mussolini had left to Rome with the alicorno for undisclosed reasons.
"This is a busy time for the fascist leadership," explains Michele Bianchi, Secretary-General of the PNF. "We're still working on our manifestation in Rome, and the discovery of the alicorno is still a topic of intense debate and discussion.
"We still stand with the Duce," Bianchi adds. "Among the fascio and the eagle, the alicorno is a fascist symbol meant to unify the new generations of Italians. There is a new era on the horizon, and it shall be a glorious one."
Everywhere in the country, the reaction to the alicorno has been a mostly positive one. A demonstration of supporters took place in Venice with effigies of both Mussolini and the alicorno. These demonstrators had been dispersed by local Carabinieri, though the reason for this has not been made clear.
La Stampa has telegraphed to the current government for a comment on this development, but there has been no official response so far.
I wonder how everyone found out about Cadence's Species in the first place, for it's the only nitpick I have so far.
I'll be saving my rating for later until the story ends, but I'll be tracking for any New Chapters added in the future.
Bongierno principesca!
Very interesting start! I'll be eagerly awaiting more!
I'll be following this story, I always love to see stories like these. Wondering about the possibilities and potential changes would do to history.
7712767
I swear, you think this fandom cannot get any weirder and then somebody pull out something like this.
Oh, well, at least it is not Pinkie Pie.
Definitely following this.
7712493
Alicorno is literally 'wings horn' in Italian and unlike in English, 'wingshorn' in Italian is a word: alicorno is an archaic form of unicorn in Italian, so it's really not that surprising that the men picked the same name for alicorn (albeit in Italian).
7712760
Correct!
7712807
The changes will start with the next chapter with the march on Rome, and they will only grow greater as time moves forwards.
7712767 7712902
I honestly hadn't made the connection with La Vita è Bella, but it surprisingly fits considering the time period and all. It's even given me an idea for later.
7713161
Hey, I might have lost my mind, but I haven't turned suicidal yet. Cadence is the farthest that I'm willing to go, anything more like Pinkie Pie, and I'd be digging my own literary grave.
You Have My time with this Fanfic, I hpe It as so good as look!
7712902
7713303 we literally just got done watching that movie for my english class.
I thought this was a troll, but the description actually looks legit. I'm actually kinda interested in the madness
7713540
Not gonna lie, the temptation to make this into a trollfic was there. However, I'm not the kind of writer who'd feel comfortable writing that sort of story.
7713303
That honestly surprised me a bit, seeing as how that's one of the best period films ever made.
7713563 how much research did you do? From what I've seen there's a surprising understanding of the nuance behind his rise here that was a neat surprise.
7713596
Despite La Vita è Bella being one of my favourite childhood movies when growing up, I honestly forgot about it in later years. Seeing that video again brought a smile to my face.
7713725
Short answer: too much.
Long answer: I spent a lot of time researching on the rise of Mussolini specifically in the months coming up to the march on Rome. This involved me reading a biography on Mussolini, watching documentaries (both in English and Italian) about the rise of Italian fascism. I'm particularly glad about the Italian sources because I'd never have found out about certain aspects, like for example how Cesare De Vecchi explicitely told Mussolini that he would not act against the King's wishes, or how Mussolini met the leader of the Italian Masonic Lodge on the 25th of October.
This research had made me rewrite and change the original drafts considerably, as I simply didn't know just what exactly was happening and who was where. For example, the original chapter took place in a farmstead North of the Lazio province because I didn't know about the Fascist Congress in Naples during that timeline. Additionally, I thought that the march began on the 25th, so the first chapter was all about trying to find the trucks to help supply some few hundreds of blackshirts (an element of which stayed in the final draft).
I mean, for goodness sake, I looked at the archives of La Stampa to see a 1922 edition just to understand how articles were formatted in Italian, for me to post a teaser to this story in Italian.
So yes, put in plenty of time just researching all of the things that are relevant to the story. And I'll put in more as the story progresses.
Mad? Perhaps. Dedicated? Most definitely.
Huzzah! I write in green again!
Really well written! I love the way you wrote the characters and people and the way that you are able to portray the fascist spirit!
7713303 Alright. Thanks for the info. I don't know Italian so that's why I was confused.
Oh that's funny, I'm having to do a research paper on him! XD
Yes, please make a fic for each of those horribly tasteless ponies in history photoshops. Please make it work. It will be legendary.
Hmm.... Well, this should prove to be most interesting.
Ooh so will this be like My Little Dashie? And I really want to see Cadence's exact role on this historical stage
Wonder what will happen now that an Alicorn of Love has dropped into their laps.
Also wonder about her name...Her name is Italian, correct? How will her name come to be?
7715300
Cadence's full name, Mi Amore Cadenza, is a hodge podge of Spanish and Italian (mi is Spanish, amore is Italian and cadenza is both).
As for her name... you'll have to wait and see.
7715326
The idea is so foreign to me, I'm kinda at a loss for words. The parallels to My Little Dashie are obvious, but this is a known historical figure. This idea intrigues me.
7715506
I have to agree with you, This is what makes this story so interesting.
plus you can tell he's put a lot of effort into this.
You at the time there were many women that supported the fascist , they were even nice girls too,
Let the heavens above hear my roaring prayer! Update at least bi-weekly, for I am but a poor soul lacking in a decently sized social circle!
7714898 those are a thing? The author only links one, bur are there others?
Lol.
Looks like you picked the perfect time to debut this fic.
Alright, just woke up after coming back from the hospital, let's see how things are--
Wait what, featured? What is this black magic?
I didn't think that this MLD ripoff with Mussolini would be this popular, especially with the uncomfortable implications and subtext that will be noticed as the story goes on. I'm not a fascist nor do I espouse its ideals even though I do intend to 'write it as it is.'
Still damn, thanks everyone!
While I need to take a break writing as I had a fainting spell and broke my nose, I will try to get back to this ASAP.
7715477 7715506
I don't blame you. When the idea first sprouted in my head I thought that it was a bad, bad idea. And yet, it seems to work. I don't know either.
7715745
True that, I spent more time researching than writing. That's how dedicated I am to this Frankenstein of a story.
7716297
He's definitely among those that shaped the 20th century, and he is woefully overlooked by the likes of Hitler. I do think that he was bully and an opportunist, but he was nowhere near as bad as Hitler or Stalin.
7716428
Alas, I am a university student so my free time is limited. I shall try to keep updating as often as I can, but I can't make any promises.
7716483
Just go to Derpibooru and search with "ponies in real life, black and white" to get most of them. Here's a few of the least tasteful.
7716517 Thank you for that. Mussolini was definitely a bully, but at least he didn't commit genocide or force death marches.
7716517 One of those pictures has a cake! I think that might be at least a bit tasteful.
Joking aside, I really hope this gets updated decently, I'm enjoying it far more than I thought I would.
7716517 i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/984/608/ed2.gif
Completely off-the-wall concept, meticulously executed.
Is cool.
Does the story end with Cadence being machine gunned by communists and hung from a meat hook?
7717520
That could be the case if you assumed that this story ignores the impact of an alicorn on earth, and that assumption is, well, boring. If I wanted to write the timeline of Fascist Italy just with Cadence written in then this would probably have been a trollfic.
As I've already said, this is being played straight.
I am wondering, would it be "alicorna," with the feminine ending, since Cadance is a she?
Either way, I'm intrigued. Have a thumbs-up and tracking.
7716517
7714898
People are so easily triggered these days.
I personally see them along the line of Spring time for Hitler...Making the whole thing look ridiculous so no one would ever take those negative concepts seriously anymore.
If people still take these concept seriously, they will never dismiss them. And if they never dismiss them, these concepts will continue to stain the world with their waste.
7716554
That is true. HOWEVER, he will forever rightly be stained by his eventual affiliation with and support of the Nazis. Mussolini was originally very anti-German (having fought against them in the Great War) and even called them "a nation of murderers."
His alliance with the Nazis also led to the persecution of Italian Jews beginning July 14, 1938. While this persecution was nothing like that of the Nazis, it prevented Italy from being a refuge for persecuted Jews (as Spain was under Franco). Also, the Italian Social Republic, the last manifestation of Italian Fascism, was thoroughly National Socialist and anti-Semitic, and it is this version of Italian fascism that survived the war.
While Mussolini was certainly no philo-Semite, anti-Semitism was originally not at all a component of fascist ideology and there were many Jewish fascists. There were always anti-Semites among their number, like Roberto Farinacci, but others opposed anti-Semitism. Among these was Italo Balbo, a character in this story, who thought the whole idea of anti-Semitism was ludicrous.
7718947 yeaah... kinda hard to not be considered a terrible person if you associated with Hitler. I hope this story changes at least that aspect of history.
7718276
Alicorno is already an existing word and there's no feminine version of that word. Besides, changing it to alicorna would imply that she has multiple horns (corno is a singular horn and corna is multiple horns) which is clearly untrue.
7718947
A very good observation. I've hinted at it before, but the presence of Cadence in this alternate timeline will be significant in terms of how things play out, among them being Italy's relationship with Nazi Germany. I shan't say anymore lest I spoil.
7718104
Cadenza as Madam President of the EU please!
Just kidding. I wonder what you've planned.
*Insert Joke about making trains run on time*
Bruh moment.