• Member Since 15th Mar, 2012
  • offline last seen Jun 19th, 2017

Obselescence


[center]Bye guys[/center]

Comments ( 53 )

Blurred this one out over the course of a couple days as a final celebratory hurrah before Season 4 hits and a fresh tide of ideas surge in. It's a little bit experimental, but I hope you guys like it.

3511720 Love it. Thank you for the opportunity to read it :rainbowkiss:

I've always loved Sombra's nonexistent character.

Nice take on it and linking it to Platinum.

Very well done!

~Skeeter The Lurker

Platinum as Sombra's daughter?

That's at the same time a startlingly obvious idea, yet also something I haven't seen anyone come up with before. Interesting!

Probably the best handling of "Sombra is Platinum's father" concept I've seen so far. :raritywink:

Very well written, as always.

Hmm, this has one of the oddest descriptions for a one-shot I have ever seen. The description really makes it seem like a continuing story.

But anyway, I am interested. I'll have to add this to my read later list.

3511720 WELL... Thanks for the new headcanon for Platinum, Obs. It... works, strangely enough. XD (Also, possible hinting that Rares COULD be descended from P.P. after all? :rainbowwild: )

Very good. The usual excellent storytelling, with an interesting look at King Sombra's past. Nice to see the dude getting some backstory. As for the Princess Platinum thing...

images.wikia.com/mlp/images/0/03/Head_canon_accepted.gif

Seriously, that's brilliant.

Very nice...
Headcanon accepted.

Very nice. I like how the illusion of the Throne room gets more unstable as his delusions start to crumble.

....IS THE TITLE A F***ING PUN?! :rainbowlaugh::rainbowlaugh:

3512062

Y'know, it just might be.

3512064

That is all :rainbowlaugh:

This is something to keep in stock before Season 4… YAY!

...:trixieshiftleft: I had this headcanon before it was cool...

:P Great story, duder. :ajsmug:

Very nicely done. I always like to see authors give Sombra more characterization than in the show (which is to say, any,) and it was done fantastically here. Rarity was also in fine form. I have to love her priorities. Who cares if a delusional shadow monster has reconstituted itself from near death? There are little sisters who won't be getting souvenirs here! :raritydespair:

Also, pic relevant:
derpicdn.net/img/2012/11/29/167335/medium.jpg

Very nicely done. A good bit of... not world building per say, but I guess 'world reinforcing'? Rarity is in character to a T, and Sombra is as much as he has a character to line up with.

You nailed my favorite part of Rarity (well, one of them anyway) in how she is probably the most cunning of the Mane 6. When put into a tight spot, she is always thinking about how to use what she has to turn it to her advantage. And sure enough, she does it here. With just her wits, composure and words, she defeats the great King Sombra in a battle of wills. Absolutely stunning.

Thanks again for writing this for us;
-Lumino

This is excellent. It presents a very reasonable explanation for why Sombra in the show is just a near-mindless growling shadow that is, ultimately, not as effective as It might have wished to be.

As somepony who is particularly smitten by redemption stories, I also appreciated the idea that It might have a chance to learn and remember what Rarity taught It. A chance is better than naught.

Thanks for a really interesting glimpse into one possibility for what Sombra is. As others have said: Headcanon Accepted :)

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

It's good, of course, but I can't fit it properly into a time line.

Mostly because Discord had to have come before Sombra and then you have Luna's banishment that happened shortly there after. Then how long did Luna and Celestia rule before then? :unsuresweetie:

What is the point in saying "It would have to remember that" instead of "He would have to remember that?"
Is it because he doesn't qualify as as much of a pony when he's being torn apart by the magic? Otherwise, what am I missing here?

3511822

Indeed.

The idea that the Crystal Empire is the original kingdom the ponies fled to Equestia from is not one I've ever seen anyone else broach.:pinkiegasp:

Gods damn, an idea I would have never thought of, mainly because I hate Rarity but this was just incredible, it had a very tragic flow to it that made you feel BAD for Sombra, the villain, the monster, the King the very powerful magician, only a real writer could create such amazing detail and make you feel BAD for Sombra...how tragic, I been meaning to read a Sombra story anyway, I'm very glad it was this one, I'm honored:yay:

I approve this head cannon.

3512064 It's like a triple pun of Family, Rarity and the actual word familiarity.

And on that note, this was a very unique story, Obs. Thanks for being such a unique guy; even after all this time, there are still unique ideas this fandom is coming up with. But on a critical note, I'm not sure why everybody is saying they feel bad for Sombra. I mean, I can see why, but then I instantly remember he's evil. No, Gustavo Fring is a villain you feel bad for. Two-Face is a villain you feel bad for. Gwyn, Lord of Cinder is a villain you feel bad for. Sombra is not a villain you feel bad for.

I give this story 4 and a half amnesiac Sombras out of five.

Dammit Obs. Your one-shots are like catnip. I just cannot seem to quit them... :derpytongue2:

Overall, that certainly was an interesting peek into Sombra's character.

That was really good, Obs. As usual, but I digress. I like how you set this one up. Very believable, and could possibly set up a followup if you so chose. Nice work. :ajsmug:

Well it's not... bad... :unsuresweetie:

Is there any way you could continue this? Maybe write a sequel story? I'm rather partial to redemption stories, and since Sombra is one of my favorite villains (he's PONY SAURON/THE LICH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!), it would be neat to see what happens next for the shade of Sombra.

SHL

Good, good, very good. :pinkiehappy:

This short story was Olympian!!!!!:pinkiehappy:
While this looks to definitely be a one shot, if you ever write a sequel I guarantee you it will be read:eeyup:

Howdy Obs!

So I'm leaving you a Winter Semiformal review comment to be incongruous because that's not really a thing we do for each other.

Interesting piece of headcanon you've got here with the relationship between Sombra and the Hearth's Warming tale. I kind of wonder how this jives with the Windigos, since presumably they were a problem for Sombra too, making his kingdom all frozen and starving his slaves to death. Incidentally, I hadn't really thought before now of why Sombra was ruling a kingdom of crystal ponies considering that crystal ponies seem to be a separate species (i.e. there are no crystal pony unicorns to my knowledge). I suppose he conquered them from outside, begging the question what was up with the Crystal Heart then, but go figure. Trickery or something. Maybe the entire past history of the Crystal Empire is secretly the first Deltora Quest book over again.

Anyhoo, you can probably guess what I'm gonna say as a criticism--get to the drama faster. Honestly a clearer goal for Sombra could have done a lot for the first page or so (approximately). He's sort of wandering through planning to resume his throne but not really sure of what's going on or what steps he ought to take to do that, and finding out isn't really his priority. Which is, you know, okay, but IMO it makes Rarity's perspective on this story more interesting--imprisoned by a monster she can't hope to beat on her own, but then realizing that he's actually completely lost his mind and relatively powerless.

The writing is pretty solid, though, as with everything else, better when it's propelling us through story action. Your Rarity voice is pretty spot-on, and there's not really much to compare Sombra too, so I'm gonna just call that one good too.

And it's not a bad cerebral fic as far as that goes. You make Sombra into a believably tragic figure unable to escape his own vision of himself to even register what's going on in the world around him. I just find it a little too tied up in being cerebral, as opposed to being about characters with clear ambitions taking steps to fulfill them.

Have you ever considered submitting this story to Equestria Daily? You can find out how to do so here.

That was a great read, Obs. I'm starting to believe that if you wrote a menu for a hotdog stand it would still be a very worthwhile read!

:moustache::moustache::moustache:

3517378

Slogan above the menu:

You're going to die anyway, so why die hungry?Enjoy!

:rainbowlaugh:

...
Words have failed me again when trying to describe what I'm feeling right now.
Though, unlike what I commented about Promised Land, this time it's more of a positive "I don't know" rather than a negative "I don't know".

Amazing headcanon could actually be an episode :pinkiegasp:

Lovely story. There really isn't much more to say than that.


Come to think of it, Rarity's name is unusually well-suited to creating puns. With that in mind, here are some prompts for future Rarity stories.
barbarity: Rarity the Barbarian
vulgarity: Rarity becomes incredibly angry
peculiarity: Rarity's been acting unusual lately (bonus points for involving pecans)
clarity: Rarity starts seeing the future and/or turns crystal-pony again
hilarity, jocularity: Rarity tries to be a comedian
similarity: Rarity and changelings
polarity: Rarity and her evil twin; Rarity becomes highly magnetized
muscularity: Rarity enters a weight-lifting competition
singularity: Rarity('s house) becomes a black hole
popularity: Rarity becomes a politician
alacrity: Rarity runs a race
sincerity: Rarity is the Element of Honesty
posterity: Rarity is assured by her friends that her butt is not too big
asperity, austerity: Rarity falls on hard times
majority: Rarity joins the military
purity: Rarity... wait, Wanderer D kinda took this one, never mind

>tfw spending 20 minutes on a post because you just can't stop, even though probably four or five people at the most will read it

Well, I was looking at this for a quick, fun read. I can definitely say it was in my best interest. The concept was stellar, let me say.
Liked and faved. :twilightsmile:

Well. This was a surprisingly likeable fanfic.:twilightsmile:
I simply :heart: it.

My, that was an excellent story. I never thought of the idea that Sombra was also the Unicorn King mentioned in the Hearth's Warming play. (My headcanon is different and mostly inspired by Ink Rose's headcanon theories.) I've always thought Sombra had a lot of potential, but I have yet to see him put to good use. This is a nice start. Especially pairing him with Rarity like this. In a weird way in kind of reminds in how some of the most recent incarnations of Dracula, Mina Murray is the reincarnation of Dracula's wife. In this case though, it's almost as if Rarity is the reincarnation of Princess Platinum. :raritystarry: Anyway, this was a great story, and I look forward to potentially checking out more of your stories. Keep up the good work. :pinkiehappy:

Amazing story, Obs. I'll have to add Platinum being Sombra's daughter to my headcanon now. It makes so much sense, in a tragic way.

Have my fave! :ajsmug:

I'd love for this to get some kind of sequel.

Excellent Story! Very well thought out and very well written.

This is getting a favorite and a like. :heart::heart::heart: :pinkiehappy:

This is great, just great. So well written, and such a great little idea at its' centre.

Platinum being Sombras' daughter makes a wonderful sort of sense, I don't think there's anything in the show even now that would contradict it. I love Sombras' blurred, unreliable point of view, the way you have him pulling himself together, then falling apart in every way as the situation becomes clearer to Rarity. Love how merciful she is too. And quick-witted too!

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