King Sombra and the Crystal Kingdom: Theories and General Idealisms

[HushedWren 33]

Hello everypony; this is my first real topic post that delves into the mythos of this lovely fan community since I made my introductions some short number of days ago.

 

Now, I've pondered what exactly I should start my first topic post about. Equine philosophy? The legitimacy of Princess Platinum's 'reign' with possible Alicorn influence? Why hasn't Princess Celestia tossed Blueblood out on his rump yet? And while I was contemplating these most logical and totally discussion worthy topics that you and I could debate on, it hit me...

 

Not literally, though, but I assume you understand the epithet.

 

King Sombra, whom I know for a fact most of you conceive of as the least developed villain in the whole of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic's run, and his reign of terror over the Crystal Kingdom.

 

Or, more realistically, since we weren't given much to go on from him as a character other than his lovely character design, frighting affection for nightmarish mental illusions, and his apparent fondness for 'crystalss'. What I find most fascinating about him that most people seem to completely overlook.

 

King Sombra, from what we can tell solely by his physical appearance, is a Unicorn. While the denizens of the Crystal Kingdom all seem to be exclusively Earth pony. From the Hearths Warming Day Eve play, we gather that before the three pony tribes united into one nation, that being Equestria, they were divided and scattered in their own nations/polis. Was the Crystal Kingdom considered part of the Earth pony collective? Or was it a city-state in its own right, since only one distinctive city seemed to have risen from the snow? More importantly, who exactly may have Sombra been before he possibly overthrew the Crystal Monarchy and seized the throne? And is his armor's similarity to the Alicorn Amulet, which dangerously increases a Unicorn's magical abilities while warping their mind, just a coincidence? 

 

That, my dear Bronies, is up to you to answer for yourselves.

 

I hope this is an expectable enough first discussion post, I'm slightly nervous to see what you all think.

[immblueversion 331]

Allow me to present my King Sombra headcanon:

 

King Sombra wasn't really a pony at all, but rather some kind of anthropomorphic personification (or ponification) of dark magic not unlike the kind of magic that, according to Lauren Faust's headcanon, took hold of Princess Luna through her jealousy and became Nightmare Moon. Instead of possessing a pony, he perhaps achieved his own kingly, pony-like form after becoming imbued in the crystals of the arctic north, being discovered by the Crystal Ponies brought into the Crystal Empire for study, and taking in the Crystal Ponies' (supposedly) empirical culture and knowledge of Equestria's dominant race. That'd explain his obsession with "Cryssstalllsssss..."; he is one.

Where he came from, we still don't know. But we don't know where the magic that supposedly corrupted Princess Luna came from either, assuming it's from an outside source as reasoned by Faust. His role of a tyrant is a mere parody of what he truly is: a wayward force of pure, unadulterated evil whose very nature is to spread fear and despair.

[Anadu Kune 668]

Im thinking since he was based off of Sauron he might have a similar back story, though probably less crazy complicated. Maybe something along the lines of a once beautiful pony morphed and twisted by a darkness he had come to embrace. Perhaps he saw the Crystal Empire as a way to morph the land into an extension of himself. Maybe we will learn more about him who knows.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

I'm thinking that the crystal ponies are their own breed of pony. Maybe not considered Earth Pony, Unicorn, or Pegasus, and King Sombra enslaved them for their unique properties. Considering that he came back after so long, I'd assume he is some kind of omnipotent being that cannot be permanently defeated and thus I'd assume he is not really a pony but that is the physical form he takes.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Harmonic Revelations

[Scootalove 10,689]

Crystal Ponies are the only reason King Sombra put a curse on the Crystal Empire, because if he was able to take away the Crystal Ponies happiness then he would be able to prevent them from powering the Crystal heart.

[Veylon 255]

I'm guessing the Pony/Crystal Pony Split is before the Earth Pony/Pegasus/Unicorn split. The three Equestrian races seem pretty codependent, whereas the Crystal Ponies appear to be doing fine on their won.

 

My headcanon for the story of Sombra is that he was one of those sorts who didn't approve of the whole God-Empress power that Celestia and Luna wielded over Equestria. So he trekked out to the Crystal Empire to put himself at a distance from them. Since there don't appear to be unicorns there, he managed to get himself a high spot in the ruling elite. He dedicated his time to the crystals, hoping that he'd find a way to use their amplifying powers to return home one day, strike down the Princesses, and rule in their stead.

 

But something, somewhere went wrong and the Princesses came for him. Maybe there was talk of extradition or maybe the Crystal Empire was going to become part of Equestria. In any case, he seized power earlier than he should've and attracted attention too soon. So he came up with a Plan B: He'd seal the Empire and himself away for a thousand years. In a millennium, who knows what could happen? The Princesses may well be long dead by then and Equestria crumbled. But he'd still be there to pick up the pieces.