In defense of King Sombra, by matt0044 of deviantart · 4:03pm Jan 4th, 2013
This pretty much sums up what I've always felt about King Sombra, but now I have the words! Ha ha!!
You've heard 'em all, my fellow Bronies. From "He has little to no dialogue" to "he barely has a personality." But here I am where I go against popular opinion and explain my stance on it.
The thing is that Sombra was intended to be different than previous villains. He doesn't waste precious time with hammy monologues or underestimating his foe. That and he's pretty much an unstoppable force of nature like Michael Myers or Jason but for kids. I think the problem is that we were expecting him to be the same old, same old but when the episode was different than the past two parters, it threw us for a real loop. It did for me but I got to thinking and I actually found myself appreciating the writers doing something different for what it's worth.
As to why he "didn't do anything, to quote TV Tropes (and save myself from aimlessly babble on):
"Some people were complaining that King Sombra didn't do much. The thing is, he DID, one thousand years ago. Unlike Discord and Nightmare Moon, he had no magical relic to deal with that would be capable of stopping him, because he already did a pretty dang thorough job of it a thousand years ago. He emotionally broke the Crystal Ponies into near depression (meaning they COULDN'T power the Crystal Heart unless they were cheered up) and hid it in his castle in a way that could only be accessed by someone capable of using his magic, protected by a door that not only moved by itself but trapped whoever entered it in their worse fear. And on top of that, finding it would allow him to trigger a trap that not only traps the one going after it but would let him spread his corruption inside the castle without him even having to get through. And the only one keeping him out anyway was slowly weakening and would eventually give out. Whereas the other villains needed to disable their Achilles Heel themselves, Sombra already did. And because of it, he only lost because Spike decided to tag along with Twilight. There was no need for him to actively attack and try to make Cadence's spell give out sooner, because no matter what the heroes did, it'd ultimately benefit him.
The layers of traps are even more impressive when you realize that all the Crystal ponies are Earth ponies, and getting by his traps all but requires the use of magic. A non-unicorn couldn't get through the passageway in the first place, and if they did they'd have to be able to get through the enchanted door (which would delay most ponies long enough for Sombra to notice the intrusion and lay down some whoopass), or up the stairs. And even then the heart is warded against magic anyway. He basically had the foresight to hide the heart in a location that none of the Crystal ponies could get to, and then cover the thing in spells that the most powerful unicorn in Equestria couldn't figure her way out of. And that's just the stuff that's still working a thousand years later; who knows how much security he'd have had up if he were still actually living in the castle.
Furthermore, the traps are deliberately designed to prevent unpowered Earth Ponies from bypassing them, as they require magic and flight.
Another major complaint some fans have about King Sombra is the fact that he barely talks or says anything to anybody. What he DOES do though is continuously act to reclaim the Crystal Empire. King Sombra was already established to be Dangerously Genre Savvy enough to hide the one thing that could defeat him, and then demoralize and eliminate the very power-source for that object. Him barely talking and instead acting shows that he knows the less time his enemies have to think when fighting him, the less chance they have of defeating him."
And this guy hits the nail on the head even more:
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He did nothing besides roar, scream and snarl, and he barely talked. He hardly showed any personality or clear motivations. He didn't actively plot against the heroes. And he didn't live past two episodes.
But did he really have to?
You see, King Sombra has more of what many MLP villains thus far lack: presence. It was his presence alone that made sure the Crystal Ponies remained miserable. It was his presence that kept them from remembering where the Crystal Heart was, or going to the one place it was hidden because they were too scared of him. Just by being there, Princess Cadance was left to suffer for days on end, even with her beloved Shining Armor by her side.
And even then, he still tried to make sure the heroes didn't have their way. He took away Shining Armor's powers, causing Princess Cadance to suffer even more. He left traps that those without the courage and wits to stand up to them could not pass. And even though he wasn't always physically present, his influence remained, and it left a very heavy impact on everyone who dared to stand against him. He also managed to do what no other villain on the show has done before: make Twilight swallow her own pride as a means to defeat him.
From everywhere he went to everywhere his name was merely mentioned, he caused nothing but pain and suffering. And not a single one of us knows why.
And yet there are those who have called him "wasted potential", just because he barely talked or took action, had no clear characterization, and didn't live up to any of your lofty expectations. But I'll be fair; even I expected him to be Sauron as he was before he was slain by Isildur, not Sauron as he appeared in the whole "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Sometimes, less really is more. That is why he is, to me, a far greater villain than any of us could have ever anticipated.
Now that I think about it, each of the major villains thus far represents a different "element to writing a good villain" and, in a way, makes up for what the others lack in those regards:
Nightmare Moon: Good back story, makes her more sympathetic
Discord: Good personality, makes him more fun to watch
Queen Chrysalis: Good motivation, makes her actions mesh better with the plot
King Sombra: Good presence, makes his threat more apparent."
You don't have to like Sombra but I suggest you reconsider your reasons for disliking him. Not every evil force has be like Discord and not every two parter has to center around it entirely.
Hope this half-assed attempted at a defense was worth your time. G'bye.
And now, to rip off Typewriterpony. Here's something completely different:
Yeah, he might've only been twenty shades of grey, and for a dark horse his diet was pretty light, but all in all, though he didn't fade to black as much as one would hope he would, he still shone with a brilliance that I can find inspiring.
678333 I see what you did there. (hugs SBM) And I like it. (SBM struggles to break free) Don't fight it.
678360*purrs sultrily* Who said I wanted to escape?