Ashen Pathfinder

For me, it HAS to be King Sombra, and the reasons why are below, which I copied from another I made in a different thread. 1. Little to no given backstory: We're given enough to at least get a taste for him, but not too much to have an official mindset about his motivations or whatnot. It is for the most part up to us to fill the blanks (or the comics eventually). That mysterious angle about him just give him that dark edge for me. 2. Lack of an apparent ego: Don't get me wrong; I don't hate egotistical villains. I mean that's one reason why I love Chrysalis was that she had a colorful personality. However, that can also be their downfall. She had Twilight in her hooves, then just revealed herself to her. Had she not done that, she could've very been successful. Discord had this same issue when he basically painted a target on him at the end of "Return of Harmony." Sombra, in contract, smartly bides his time and waits. Yes, he wants the Crystal Empire, but he knows he can't do much with the shield magic going on. He knows being big and boastful will not do him any good. 3. Intelligence: Had it not been for Spike, he very well could've had Twilight as his permanent captive. It took her genius to figure out his hiding spot for the crystal heart, Spike's concern when Twilight wasn't answering, her magic & foresight to beat the door, and her outside the box thinking to get to the top of the tower in quick time. Had it been anyone other than Twilight (not counting alicorns) he could've came out the victor. 4. Presence & Threat: You didn't see him much, but you didn't need to. One of the reasons why Sauron works as a villain is that you don't see him all that much. His strength of presence comes in rumors and warnings. Remember in "Fellowship of the Ring" when Gandalf was talking about the black speech in Bag End? Similarly, Sombra's presence is felt from the instant the ponies walk into the barren wasteland of the frozen north. You hear the creepy wail and fear inches up your spine. 5. Fear: Just look at the crystal ponies themselves. Just the mere mention of thought of Sombra is enough to send these ponies into full-on PTSD. Just WHAT did he do to these ponies aside form slavery? How bad were their working conditions? What horrors did these ponies witness? 6. Power: It took both Celestia & Luna to banish Sombra; and he still managed to curse the empire to vanish. You know from Celestia's warnings and what we see his do that he is indeed a VERY powerful unicorn. What is his power was left unchecked? Would he have eventually tried to conquer Equestria proper? 7. Design: In a sense I can see why some didn't like his physical design, but to me it evokes the dark side of kingly power. Add in his magic and he's a terror. Of course all of this is IMO. Again, I'm a big fan of Chrysalis as well, but I prefer Sombra simply because he is the better villain. Chrysalis might be the better character, if you will, but as a villain she didn't work out as well...on the show at least. Now the comics, on the other hand, she improved a great deal with her cunning and deception; not to mention her brutality. That puts her almost on level with Sombra for me. Saying that; Sombra is best pony villain. <3

I dunno, I still have a thing for Fleetfoot & Big Mac considering how she fell head over heels for Big Mac in the comic. XD

I'd love to see it; but of course it'd never happen. XD Thanks for the compliment.

Well, within the context of the show, no. I mean my group of ponies mainly revolves around archaeology, history, adventure, and the occasional mercenary thing if we're talking about Corsair. Granted they could appear as the one-shot character, but they would really only work in their own spinoff.

I think it's fair to say that the Saddle Arabians are indeed separate from earth ponies. Magic issue aside (considering we don't know if they even use magic), they look quite different and, as someone else mentioned, Zecora isn't considered a 'pony.' So, what are they? As it stands, we won't know.

Well, it would depend on who he married. I mean, if he married Cheerilee, then I can imagine him staying on the farm while she still teaches at the school. Pretty much a win-win for both. Let's say he marries Fleetfoot, even though her affection wasn't returned by him. XD Considering her status as a top Wonderbolt, then I can see him moving out and maybe living under Cloudsdale or something like that. I doubt she'd want to give up her career, so he could probably start another apple farm.

Not far from the truth. XD

Yes, they have years. Both Nightmare Moon & King Sombra were banished for a thousand years, but exactly what do years refer to in Equestria. We will likely never know.

Well, according to the "Journal of the Two Sisters..."

Do I want to be a pony analyst? - I have often wondered that myself. I mean, I like to think a lot on ponies, but I don't have the time or resources to contribute it in a video format. Who knows? Maybe later. Overall opinion - I like a lot of the analysts out there, though some do tend to tear a part an episode a bit too much. My favorite is Tommy Oliver/bronycurious, but I also like Silver Quill, Gibbontake, AntonyC, DigiBrony, KP, and some others.

That's the thing about the Mane 6; their personalities feel real because they are real. Not real as in characters, but real because these are the same emotions and interactions we have in our everyday lives. This is why we tend to love each of the Mane 6; even if we have a personal favorite and/or ranking. The laugh, love, hate, feel regret, and, ultimately, grow as characters. They're like close friends in a way. Now, to answer your question, I can identify with the characters in some ways; but not all ways: Twilight Sparkle: I can identify with her nerdy and somewhat adorable demeanor, her love of knowledge, and her ability to remain cool in certain circumstances. However, I'm not a big of fan of books as she is (though, that MIGHT be changing) and I usually don't freak out like she does in...well, certain circumstances. Applejack: I can relate to her sense of honesty and dedication to work, as well as her stubbornness. However, I am not the workaholic she is, and I can accept help when it's given. Plus, I'm no where near as strong. Rarity: Probably the one I identify with the least, but she has had the most development. I have no interests in the things that she partakes in, but I can admire her attention to detail and relate to her obsessiveness sometimes. Fluttershy: About all I can say here is that I relate somewhat to her shyness, but no where near her levels. Rainbow Dash: I can relate to her not liking the stereotypical girly stuff, but I'm not competitive like her, with a few exceptions. Pinkie Pie: I can relate to her sense of humor and her general goofiness, but I'm not a borderline depressive like she is sometimes.

Basically do what Noah's family did-wait...

I'd be all for it, but I don't have much faith in there being a lot of interest for it. It's not like South Park and the Stick of Truth; unfortunately.

Interesting comic with an OC.

I know, but I think Tirek could pull it off. I mean yeah, Discord is devious, but damn...the way he opened himself up to defeat at the end of "Return of Tambelon Harmony" just...doesn't give me much confidence that he wouldn't be outsmarted by Tirek's silver tongue. As for Sombra, it's just difficult to judge. All Celestia says was that he was banished, and the animation only gave us two alicorn silhouettes that joined their horns to defeat him. We don't really know if they used the Elements, that they thought banishing him would be enough, or if they simply couldn't kill him. While I think Sombra COULD take on NMM, part of me feels he'd rather form an alliance. Then again, I'm an over-thinker.

Well, Twilight is a stickler for the rules and formality. You saw how she was in "Grand Galloping Gala." She stood right there with Celestia; introducing herself to each and every guest. With Cadence, well, yeah it is kinda formal, but their relationship goes back to years of friendship. They're close like sisters, so it makes perfect sense that they don't deal with formalities there too much. However, in more cases than not, she refers to Celestia & Luna in more formal tones, so yeah.

Well, I can imagine NMM winning and ruling with her schtick of eternal night, but I can easily see Discord escaping and pretty much putting the curb-stomp on her...unless his ego AGAIN gets the better of him. Regardless, let's say Discord wins and NMM is gone. Really, Tirek has a major advantage considering his silver tongue and ability to stay in the background. Give him time and...Discord's ego, then I can see him easily becoming tops. Chrysalis and the changelings have NO chance, while Ahuizotl could, in theory, deal some damage, but he is limited as he has no magic to speak of; regardless of his vast knowledge of world-destroying artifacts. Sombra is really the unknown in all of this as he seemed happy to stick with the Crystal Empire and eff everything else. I doubt NMM would care too much as she just wants eternal night. Tirek would definitely go for the Crystal Empire, while Discord...well, that could potentially be interesting. Sombra could be like Batman; sending out scouts in disguise. He has shown to be an expert in planning and general intelligence, so I think that if he was underestimated, then Discord MIGHT be in trouble. Of course, one bit of fanon that I love is the Alicorn Amulet. Forget Trixie; I doubt she could use the full potential of it anyway. I like to think that it was Sombra's amulet; similar to the One Ring to Sauron. Is Sombra had the amulet...interest...but fanon nonetheless. However...it's hard to see anyone winning versus overpowered Tirek. Underestimate him, and he curb stomps you. I can see Sombra & Chrysalis maybe trying for an alliance with him, but Discord & NMM...I dunno.

Well, I can't say she runs it by herself. I mean yeah she handles a LOT on her own, but that's kinda the problem. She needs someone like Big Mac to share the load so she doesn't overwhelm and burn herself out. Big Mac just prefers to stay in the background and make sure everything runs smoothly while AJ handles things like business and all that stuff.