In the middle of the the Pacific ocean, was a large island off the coast of Japan. In some of the long forgotten tales of the second world war, it was known here that a force of Imperial Japanese soldiers had been given to a certain affluent Nazi officer. His name, was Wolfgang Von Strucker, second in command of HYDRA and one of the most powerful men of the Third Reich. Here, HYDRA laid down it's first few steps in becoming a world wide organization as the Japanese hopped aboard the band wagon, eager for new, quicker and unorthodox ways of winning the war.
After the war, HYDRA island as it was soon dubbed became the ideal refuge for many former members of the Third Reich and the Imperial Japanese army. War-criminals especially would flock here in the thousands, swelling the numbers of HYDRA as even treacherous members of the Allies too would find a place here. Later, many Soviet and US defects would also attend this cabal of sorts, making HYDRA a small organization within the shadow of the axis powers, to the largest terrorist organization to ever exist as it spread across the world, the nine headed serpent had coiled itself around every major country.
Within the island, an old German stood by the windows as lightning flashed dramatically. The experiment had succeeded... a bit too well unfortunately for him. He would lose his bid to have the world in his hands, but HYDRA will have won the gamble to have not just one world, but ALL worlds. Behind him, a seemingly younger and much taller man stood up. Clapping. Perhaps in mocking congratulation.
"Did you really think I was dead?" The man began in German as he sat down and poured himself a glass of wine. "Did you really think. that I... one of the supermen who has left humanity behind, would die so easily? So that you... you can just inherit the greatness I have created? Fool... HYDRA is mine, and so is the world. Now... so will every world.
Strucker said nothing as he sat back down into his seat. For a few decades, he had been in control of HYDRA following the "death" of the Red Skull. Unfortunately, he came back just today. The words "fell out of the sky on them" could almost have been taken literally as they activated their machine that created... tunnels within the fabric of space. A place of magic, did the Skull discover. To him, he had only been there long enough to peek at what treasures it would hold for HYDRA. To Strucker and to the rest of HYDRA, it had been seventy years.
He would have certainly loved to remain in control. But HYDRA worshiped Schmidt as a devout Christian worshiped Christ. It was a losing battle if he intended to try and keep power. He would once again, be in the shadow of this deformed, and self-titled "greater man". This Red Skull.
"Ahhh.... but you have done well Strucker." Johann continued as he put on his mask that would present his face as he had before the experiment. "For the brief time I was allowed within this place... I know that it contained magic. Great magic that would rival the powers of the gods! And we will have this power. HYDRA will have it. And for this... you will be rewarded."
Strucker would have snorted at this. What would this "reward" be? Some miser's reward of promised wealth? Or maybe just a small piece of the pie that in truth, when the entire share belonged to him? He would once again be in the shadow of the Red Skull... and frustratingly enough, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it... for now.
Schmidt could almost smell the ire of the baron. Chuckling within his mind, he didn't care. He had all he needed now. Opening the door of the stateroom, he looked out downstairs of the massive fortress where hundreds of scientists and engineers were working upon the massive portal, powered by a highly efficient and powerful source, courtesy of Stark industries. Smiling to himself, the Red Skull looked down. Soon... he will conquer the world that he had gazed upon. When he had stripped it of what he needed, every world will follow. Perhaps not even the gods would be able to stop him then.
The world would be his. And after that. Every world.
"Hail Hydra." Schmidt whispered to himself. Everyone would bear witness to the homecoming of the leader of HYDRA.
As she watched these events unfold, Princess Celestia could only clench her teeth. Thankfully for her, there was a man, or rather a god that she could trust to help.
Odin.
And it just so happened that at that moment, it had occurred to Odin many things. That of the nine realms of Yggdrasil, only eight of them were unique. Midgard... was not. There were infinite versions of it across the many planes and realms that existed. In fact, it seemed as though every world that wasn't eight of the nine realms wasn't unique... that every universe seemed to have it's own version...
This just occurred to the god. But to a mortal, a mortal among these infinite planes. A mortal by that dressed in a dark suit that resembled an owl, he had realized this long ago. And as HYDRA made it's plans to conquer every world, as Odin and Celestia thought of a way to stop them, this man would watch as an idea of unparalleled malevolence would bear it's way into his mind. This world, this Equestria had a unique property that Odin had yet to realize.
Like the nine realms, it was unique.
And that would mean that Equestria may have a very vital role within the strands of reality among not just one universe, but all of them.
Thomas Wayne Jr. AKA Owlman, would be intent on exploiting that.