It was always there. · 11:08pm Apr 4th, 2015
The FIM season five premier highlights the destructive and manipulative nature of communism when actually put into practice. Everyone who watched those two episodes can see that. It's obvious. What isn't so obvious is that the show has been doing that for quite some time. Will you believe me now when I say that the King Sombra episodes were about a tyrannical dictatorship. Yes, I'm banging THAT old drum again.
Sombra was a metaphor for the power hungry tyrant who is so lost in his lust for conquest and enslavement, that he loses sight of all else. Fans criticizes him, saying he had no character development or motive. They're right, but they miss the fact that he was intentionally made that way by the writers. He was single-minded and shallow, just like so many other dictators become after they lose themselves to power and corruption. His only real tool to keep his subjects under his control was fear. Once the citizens got their Heart back (their courage) they were able to stand united, and Sombra could not hold power any longer. It is what always happens when a country's people rise up against their oppressor.
So to everyone who said, "You're wrong. Stop insisting there is some deep alternative meaning reflective of real world politics imbedded in our children's cartoon," this is me saying, "Nope! I was right." The political allegories were always there, but only now became obvious.
Why do I keep bringing this up? Because I really enjoyed the season three opener, and it gets a bad rap.
Huh. Randomly found this post, and I had the same reaction, somewhat. In the end, I got the impression the Crystal Ponies essentially had the 'Magic of Nationalism.' They remember feeling proud and united by their traditions, what makes them unique as a nation, and that was the fuel for their magic. Later on, of course, we see the Magic of Friendship, which is the same sort of bond but shared by friends beyond the limits of boodline or ideology. I'd hoped to see that explored more, that the Crystal ponies would be shown as having their place in this evolution: that their initial take on it was functional, but primitive. Of course, we never got that, and the hillbilly Crystal ponies we got when Flurry Heart was introduced only soured things more.
Another take on Sombra, or interpretation I subscribed to, was that Sombra had artificial immortality. He had parts of his essence preserved, but returning the way he did he came back weakened, so he'd regressed to feral instincts and a more basic mindset. Keep in mind, the Crystal Heart makes him fully corporeal for a second.
Somewhat disagree on the political allegory, though, or it depends what you were trying to say. In all works of art, you'll see a reflection of reality. In good, or timeless works of art, this reflection will be something universal, recognisable no matter who is the viewer or when they view it. The bad stuff, the dated stuff, is clearly aimed at current events, and as such will be horribly dated in the future. I'd say Sombra is, while not the best, at least not a dated example. So I wouldn't call it an allegory of a particular politic, but I'll agree it is a political allegory with broad application. And, of course, there are works that are based on current events of the time which are well-written enough to be timeless, Van den Vos Reinaert being a good example.