The Return of Sombra

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,163]

King Sombra is back and I couldn't be more happier! I wonder what this means for any other potential villains.

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,605]

12 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

King Sombra is back and I couldn't be more happier! I wonder what this means for any other potential villains.

Happy to see him back and be a threatening force this time.

Yet, I'm sad about the fact that it looks like Shining Armor, Cadence, and and (presumably) the Royal Sisters are going to be reduced to objects needing to be saved yet again. Especially after Shining Armor and Cadence finally got to be part of the action in the Holiday Special. 

[craftthestuff15 0]

My guess is that queen chrysalis king sombra or nightmare rarity is coming to the show in season 9

[gingerninja666 487]

I'm guessing either Sombra is a one off for the premiere, or he's part of some Sinister 6 type dealie that includes Tirek, Cozy, Chrysalis, maybe someone new.

[RDDash 19,241]

Oh good, I never liked that crystal tree anyway.  Also my SombraxFlurry theory is confirmed.

Edited February 27, 2019 by R.D.Dash

[Ganondorf8 11,670]

It does mean that what happened to him in the comics is now officially non-canon though I think we all kind of expected this.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,163]

6 minutes ago, Ganondorf8 said:

It does mean that what happened to him in the comics is now officially non-canon though I think we all kind of expected this.

It's like the bit with how Starswirld banished the Sirens; which retconned issue #3 of the FIENDship of Magic series, so yeah. With issues #50 and beforehand the canonicity was always questionable. It wasn't until issue #51 of the main series of comics (From the Shadows) and the movie prequel comics did the show-writers and comic staff try to stay more consistent with each other.

[Jeric 46,878]

It also retcons their prior statements too

 

"Sombra died. He isn't coming back." 

 

I've always said that what they say in the past does not in anyway lock them into a future decision if they find a good story angle. 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,163]

One thing I've noticed from comments on EqD is that people assume that Sombra is defeated in that one scene in the trailer. While that very well may be the case, I'm not so sure, especially with how still Sombra is standing.

Hmmm...

[Jeric 46,878]

30 minutes ago, PathfinderCS said:

One thing I've noticed from comments on EqD is that people assume that Sombra is defeated in that one scene in the trailer. While that very well may be the case, I'm not so sure, especially with how still Sombra is standing.

Hmmm...

Two things, Season 9 finale is likely not fully animated so I suspect we are looking at the premiere or even a mid season finale. No matter what, if Somba is defeated this early I would suspect that he returns for some crazy finale with a few friends by his side. 

Or it could just be a fake out and he isn’t defeated in that shot. One theory is that he and Flurry Heart might be like Harry Potter and Voldemort. You can’t harm Sombra because Flurry exists. 

[Misty Shadow 8,161]

I called this way back in late December. 

https://www.deviantart.com/cloudmistdragon/art/King-Sombra-is-Not-Dead-MLP-FiM-Fan-Theory-652475278

I don't mean to boast, but "---- YOU, I WAS RIGHT, ---- YOU, I WAS RIGHT!". 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,163]

1 hour ago, Jeric said:

Two things, Season 9 finale is likely not fully animated so I suspect we are looking at the premiere or even a mid season finale. No matter what, if Somba is defeated this early I would suspect that he returns for some crazy finale with a few friends by his side. 

Or it could just be a fake out and he isn’t defeated in that shot. One theory is that he and Flurry Heart might be like Harry Potter and Voldemort. You can’t harm Sombra because Flurry exists. 

I have a feeling it's a fake out; personally. I never looked too deeply at the 2017 MLP leaks so I don't know of any possible scripts & such, but I just have trouble seeing Sombra just killed off THAT early. I could very well be wrong, but I just have trouble seeing that. Subtleties in the animation are telling me that.

The Flurry Heart bit is interesting; I must say. I have originally theorized that the alicorn amulet would play a role like that, but I believe that trinket is lost in Zecora's neck of the woods.

[Ganondorf8 11,670]

8 hours ago, PathfinderCS said:

It's like the bit with how Starswirld banished the Sirens; which retconned issue #3 of the FIENDship of Magic series, so yeah. With issues #50 and beforehand the canonicity was always questionable. It wasn't until issue #51 of the main series of comics (From the Shadows) and the movie prequel comics did the show-writers and comic staff try to stay more consistent with each other.

They always said that the show's canon is the main one with everything else either being non-canon or supporting the main one. Well... something to that degree I suppose, but you know what I mean.

[Jeric 46,878]

42 minutes ago, Califorum said:

How would he even manage a return?

Off the top of my head, during Season 6 Premiere The Crystalling, the Crystal Heart was shattered briefly. While that episode focuses on a non sentient threat, the fact that the very thing that poofed him was in pieces could have allowed him a way to slowly reform. When that happened a lot of fans watching actually thought that Sombra would come back at that moment. 

They could also take a page from Harry Potter and say that baby Alicorn and him are somehow connected. 

[Steve Piranha 29,483]

3 hours ago, Califorum said:

How would he even manage a return?

Possibly Grogar. Stupid goat has vectors floating around the leaks  

[AlbaTross 1,586]

On 2/27/2019 at 2:36 PM, PathfinderCS said:

It's like the bit with how Starswirld banished the Sirens; which retconned issue #3 of the FIENDship of Magic series, so yeah. With issues #50 and beforehand the canonicity was always questionable. It wasn't until issue #51 of the main series of comics (From the Shadows) and the movie prequel comics did the show-writers and comic staff try to stay more consistent with each other.

Hey guys, long time no see.  There is actually a rational explanation for the show and Legends of Magic retconning the backstory of the Dazzlings.  As Starswirl wanted to keep it on the down low that he and six other prominent ponies occasionally congregated as the Pillars of Equestria, he wrote a version of events that depicts him as the sole individual responsible for the defeat of the Dazzlings and their subsequent banishment in the human world.  That would explain why the Pillars aren't mentioned in the book the Mane Six read in Rainbow Rocks before Twilight went back to the human world.  Stygian's version of events is what really happened.

So, that makes this return of Sombra the first major conflict between the show and comics that will be difficult to explain.  It's a pity as in spite of the flaws, I actually really like the comic's depiction of Sombra, which they only got away with as he was a one-off villain who died in the show canon.  I'm also fairly fond of Radiant Hope.  In any case, I'll have a good time analyzing both that and the show to see if it's at all possible to come off with a rational explanation for this discrepancy...because I kind of enjoy over-analyzing the show and its spinoff material.  I'd also love if Jeremy Whitley wrote a follow-up comic that bridges the seemingly insurmountable rift before us, or if he so much as posted an analysis of his own on Twitter.  

[Misty Shadow 8,161]

5 minutes ago, AlbaTross said:

Hey guys, long time no see.  There is actually a rational explanation for the show and Legends of Magic retconning the backstory of the Dazzlings.  As Starswirl wanted to keep it on the down low that he and six other prominent ponies occasionally congregated as the Pillars of Equestria, he wrote a version of events that depicts him as the sole individual responsible for the defeat of the Dazzlings and their subsequent banishment in the human world.  That would explain why the Pillars aren't mentioned in the book the Mane Six read in Rainbow Rocks before Twilight went back to the human world.  Stygian's version of events is what really happened.

So, that makes this return of Sombra the first major conflict between the show and comics that will be difficult to explain.  It's a pity as in spite of the flaws, I actually really like the comic's depiction of Sombra, which they only got away with as he was a one-off villain who died in the show canon.  I'm also fairly fond of Radiant Hope.  In any case, I'll have a good time analyzing both that and the show to see if it's at all possible to come off with a rational explanation for this discrepancy...because I kind of enjoy over-analyzing the show and its spinoff material.  I'd also love if Jeremy Whitley wrote a follow-up comic that bridges the seemingly insurmountable rift before us, or if he so much as posted an analysis of his own on Twitter.  

I'm a believer in the comics being part of their own universe that is only based off the show, but I'm glad you took the time to explain that and I'm also glad that you appreciate Sombra's arc in the comics as well. Personally, it's much easier for me to enjoy more than I usually would when I look at the Sombra in the show and the Sombra in the comic as two separate characters. 

[AlbaTross 1,586]

57 minutes ago, CloudMistDragon said:

I'm a believer in the comics being part of their own universe that is only based off the show, but I'm glad you took the time to explain that and I'm also glad that you appreciate Sombra's arc in the comics as well. Personally, it's much easier for me to enjoy more than I usually would when I look at the Sombra in the show and the Sombra in the comic as two separate characters. 

To each their own, but I suppose it is plausible to have an alternate universe that's very much like the universe in the show but with some slight differences.  Actually, after the season 5 finale I firmly believe that to be true, especially given that the human world is a thing, and the comics have dabbled plenty in the notion of alternate universes.  So yes, while I personally like to think of the comics other spinoff media as more or less canon to the show, there's actually a great deal of plausibility to what you choose to believe, and the beauty of this franchise is that it leaves plenty of room for headcanons.  Actually, I might mull over your perspective further.  It's quite intriguing.

After skimming my comics, I think I might have something but it's clumsy and takes leaps in logic.  At least it's better than the nothing I had.  I'm essentially proposing that Sombra split into two Sombras at the end of The Siege of the Crystal Empire.  It's...not great, but it's something.  It relies heavily on the fact that Sombra was really only brought back through magic ex machina that really wasn't explained at all, and that the Sombra brought back appears to be a legit unicorn.  He could have been transfigured, but it seems like his body was dispersed, and his consciousness was about to be.  So, perhaps he was given an entirely new body.  He and Radiant Hope ran off to reassemble Princess Amore, effectively writing them out of the series.  But, what happened to all the dark magic that his old form used to consist of?  Perhaps Sombra's consciousness split into two, and one half went along with his old body, that being his dark side.  Yeah...it's quite a leap, and I guess I'll have to wait and see how well that holds up after seeing the episode(s).  

[Castle Bleck 19,425]

On 3/3/2019 at 3:23 AM, AlbaTross said:

To each their own, but I suppose it is plausible to have an alternate universe that's very much like the universe in the show but with some slight differences.  Actually, after the season 5 finale I firmly believe that to be true, especially given that the human world is a thing, and the comics have dabbled plenty in the notion of alternate universes.  So yes, while I personally like to think of the comics other spinoff media as more or less canon to the show, there's actually a great deal of plausibility to what you choose to believe, and the beauty of this franchise is that it leaves plenty of room for headcanons.  Actually, I might mull over your perspective further.  It's quite intriguing.

After skimming my comics, I think I might have something but it's clumsy and takes leaps in logic.  At least it's better than the nothing I had.  I'm essentially proposing that Sombra split into two Sombras at the end of The Siege of the Crystal Empire.  It's...not great, but it's something.  It relies heavily on the fact that Sombra was really only brought back through magic ex machina that really wasn't explained at all, and that the Sombra brought back appears to be a legit unicorn.  He could have been transfigured, but it seems like his body was dispersed, and his consciousness was about to be.  So, perhaps he was given an entirely new body.  He and Radiant Hope ran off to reassemble Princess Amore, effectively writing them out of the series.  But, what happened to all the dark magic that his old form used to consist of?  Perhaps Sombra's consciousness split into two, and one half went along with his old body, that being his dark side.  Yeah...it's quite a leap, and I guess I'll have to wait and see how well that holds up after seeing the episode(s).  

I'm also hoping something like that can be the case.

I'd still like to see their "reassemble Princess Amore" subplot resolved, after all.

[AlbaTross 1,586]

10 hours ago, A.V. said:

I'm also hoping something like that can be the case.

I'd still like to see their "reassemble Princess Amore" subplot resolved, after all.

I would assume that can only possibly happen after the show ends, and if the comics keep going.  Princess Amore returning would mean that Cadance doesn't need to watch the Crystal Empire anymore, afterall.  That would definitely clash with the show's canon.  

[Steve Piranha 29,483]

On 2/27/2019 at 8:19 PM, CloudMistDragon said:

I called this way back in late December. 

https://www.deviantart.com/cloudmistdragon/art/King-Sombra-is-Not-Dead-MLP-FiM-Fan-Theory-652475278

I don't mean to boast, but "---- YOU, I WAS RIGHT, ---- YOU, I WAS RIGHT!". 

Dude, all of us who saw the leaks knew he was returning 

On 3/3/2019 at 2:25 AM, CloudMistDragon said:

I'm a believer in the comics being part of their own universe that is only based off the show, but I'm glad you took the time to explain that and I'm also glad that you appreciate Sombra's arc in the comics as well. Personally, it's much easier for me to enjoy more than I usually would when I look at the Sombra in the show and the Sombra in the comic as two separate characters. 

Specially the Mirrorverse one. He deserved a happy ending 

Edited March 6, 2019 by Steve Piranha

[Misty Shadow 8,161]

1 minute ago, Steve Piranha said:

Dude, all of us who saw the leaks knew he was returning 

Specially the Mirrorverse one. He deserved a happy ending 

Ah, but check out the date there. December 21st, 2016, long before the leaks. I was right before all of you.  (only being jokingly pretentious)

[Steve Piranha 29,483]

8 hours ago, CloudMistDragon said:

Ah, but check out the date there. December 21st, 2016, long before the leaks. I was right before all of you.  (only being jokingly pretentious)

FUCK ME. Me forgets to check the date in deviantart