Characters / Ask King Sombra

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The Main Cast

King Sombra ("Kingsley")

The former tyrant of the Crystal Empire, now answering your asks along with his friend/kidnappee Coffee Talk. Also a total goofball.

• Adaptation Distillation: The canon Sombra was a No-Nonsense Nemesis; this version is a complete goof (albeit with hints of being a Not-So-Harmless Villain) with a dangerous Enemy Within Superpowered Evil Side who tends to hold the Villain Ball at times. Additionally, the original used various curses and traps that bordered on Reality Warping territory; this version mostly sticks with basic Casting a Shadow spells. The flashbacks to his first reign show him as a much more competent and dangerous villain — it's implied that spending a thousand years in the ice and then being blown to pieces didn't do a lot for his intelligence or common sense.
• Apologetic Attacker: Sombra says he's sorry to Coffee Talk after he traps her in crystal.
• Atrocious Alias: He makes up the pseudonym Kingsley Glittersmile Sparklefriend to avoid telling the other ponies captured by the Crystal Wolves who he really is.
  • And his role in the author's Equestrian Post blog confirms that 'Kingsley Glittersmile Sparklefriend' ended up becoming his civilian name.
• Back from the Dead: Resurrected, in his purified state, at some point after his Heroic Sacrifice.
• Berserk Button: Shows some anger at Longhorn for speaking rudely and meaninglessly about Coffee Talk, which Coffee Talk remarks was actually kind of him. He gets flat out enraged when Longhorn dares try to brainwash him, resulting in him letting Uber Sombra have his way with him.
  • He decides to shove Uber Sombra back in his cage (behind the door in his mind Coffee originally saw him in) in part because Uber Sombra hurt Coffee Talk intentionally while dealing with Longhorn.
• Beware the Silly Ones: King Sombra might be silly and dimwitted, but the only reason he's not as powerful as he once was is because his horn is damaged. Once it's fixed, he's powerful enough to curbstomp a horde of dragons.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Sombra has outright vandalized the blog title◊ at one point. The title of the page is actually "Fourth walls are for losers"
• Brought Down to Normal: After being revived, King Sombra's horn is still damaged from him being blown to bits and most of his energy apparently drained. This leaves him with only normal unicorn magic at first instead of his incredibly powerful dark magic from the show. While he gradually regains his power, he's still nowhere near full power.
• The Caligula: Sombra takes this route instead of his depiction in the show. He's pretty dang nuts. In fact, most of the occurrences in the blog are simply him hallucinating after his defeat at the hooves of the mane six, which reduced him to a horn (Coffee Talk is trapped with him). Except the the ghost monster. That was actually Luna. His Enemy Within, however, is pretty much how he was depicted in the show proper.
• Curbstomp Battle: Sombra, now with his powers restored, dishes one out to a horde of dragons.
• Cursed with Awesome: Just as in canon, Sombra was turned to shadow. However it turns out he just do this to himself whenever he wants.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: This trope played a major role in his fall to evil. After he saved the Empire, he was to be given the greatest of awards. But when it came time to give him said award... he wasn't.
• Dumbass No More: After giving Uber Sombra the boot, he becomes considerably more intelligent and tactful.
• Evil Is Petty: Why is Sombra so mean to the Crystal Ponies? Because they have better hair than him. Also, Sombra's nicknames for Cadance (Cadunce) and Shining Armor (Shining Armdurr)
• Faking the Dead: As far as Equestria knows, he died performing a Heroic Sacrifice to destroy Uber, but actually resurrected at some point after that like he did the first time. A bit more justified, as he's been purified and no one has seen him in his uncorrupted state in a long time.
• Fallen Hero: Sombra used to be Captain of the Guard in service to the Crystal Empire and personal guard of the Crystal Empire Princess.
• Good Feels Good: Has shown this a few times, and naturally Coffee Talk promotes it.
• It's All About Me: Sombra's default attitude. He's incredibly self-centered.
• Heel Realization: Has one when he finds out that despite all the horrible things he did, Luna sincerely had faith and hope in him turning over a new leaf.
• Heel–Face Turn: Has one after his Heel Realization and kicking Uber Sombra out of his head after realizing that constantly listing to Uber Sombra has earned him nothing but trouble.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Tricks Uber out of Cadence and back into him again so Coffee Talk can defeat him with the Crystal Heart without risking Cadence's life. He gets better after some point though.
• Jekyll & Hyde: Played with. Sombra and Uber Sombra are both villainous, but Sombra at least is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who actually cares for his Morality Pet while Uber Sombra is a murderous psychopath who tries to murder Coffee Talk repeatedly just for being Sombra's Morality Pet.
• Jerkass: Sombra, though he does have the very rare Jerk with a Heart of Gold moment.
• Klingon Promotion: How Sombra became king of the Crystal Empire in the first place, according to his "bedtime story".
• Large and in Charge: Averted with Sombra, he's no bigger then the average pony. Surprising, considering he's usually this in Fanon and in the official IDW comics.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Sombra is normally a crazy Cloudcuckoolander. But when he helps Coffee Talk fight his Enemy Within (who actually acts like his canon counterpart) he becomes legitimately serious for the only time so far in the blog, punching said Enemy Within in the face, shuts up its attempt to tell him he needs it because he's weak by reminding it last time it was in charge, they got blown up by a baby dragon and a 'pretty pink princess', and telling it it will obey him because it needs a willing host and he's the only one it's got.
• The Man Behind the Curtain: He's a very powerful unicorn... when he can use his dark magic. Without it, he's pretty much just mediocre.
• Manchild: Stallion Foal? Sombra is incredibly immature and childish, prone to flights of fancy and immature behavior. When Princess Luna told him to stop acting like a child his response was "You're not the boss of me!"
• Morality Pet: Coffee Talk, who's more or less the only pony he shows any compassion for.
• My God, What Have I Done?: He finally has a Heel Realization and accepts his actions were terrible, finally expressing guilt for them. This is especially true of his deciding to take over the Empire again, which he realizes too late was betraying Luna's sincere trust in him. This is what finally makes him decide to break Uber Sombra's hold on him completely.
• My Greatest Second Chance: Sombra feels a large amount of guilt for killing the Princess and betraying the people he was sworn to protect. After Uber Sombra possesses Cadence, he gets a second chance to save another Princess and the Crystal Ponies. He takes it.
• Not Quite Dead: Turns out Sombra survived getting blown to bits in the season 2 premier.
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: Overall, Sombra's comedic traits can make him seem more like a harmless jerk, but there's still signs that he can be seriously dangerous if he has his full strength. This is later confirmed when he curbstomps a flight of dragons with zero effort after getting his powers back.
• Redemption Promotion: Played with: his Heel–Face Turn and throwing Uber Sombra out of his head causes him to lose his dark magic...but he becomes considerably more intelligent, sane, and competent as a result.
• Sanity Has Advantages: Becomes much more sane once Uber Sombra's been booted out of his head and he's no longer being corrupted by him. His competency instantly increases considerably.
• Shadow Archetype: Ironically to Shining Armor, not Princess Cadence. He was once the Captain of the Royal Guard of the Crystal Empire to protect the Crystal Princess, and a good one. Like Shining, he fell in love with a Princess (though not the one he was guarding) who seemed to return his feelings. Where things are reversed is Sombra's loyalty to his charge was far weaker, and decided to corrupt his love interest when he realized she wasn't siding with him.
• Sickly Green Glow: The real color of Sombra's magic.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
  • No Sombra, you are not getting off easy for leading hundreds of ponies and wolves to their deaths just so you could have a "distraction".
  • Just because someone trusts you enough to give you a chance at redemption doesn't mean they're stupid enough to NOT think of a contingency plan for the event you return to your evil ways. This results in him being easily captured because the heroes knew he were coming and were ready if he hadn't changed.
• Taking You with Me: Tricks Uber Sombra back into him with the intent to let the Crystal Heart destroy them both.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: Decides to try and take over the Empire again when some guards insult, kick, and spit on him, absolutely refusing to accept he might actually be there to apologize, and convincing him no one will actually listen to him. When it turns out Luna actually did he breaks out of it, but the damage is done.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: He was a cheerful kid, with a happy family life. It wasn't until he became a guard and started messing around with dark magic that he became the Sombra we know.
• We Can Rule Together: Before his first defeat, Sombra tried this with Luna. She refused, but this led to her becoming Nightmare Moon.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Sombra says that this is what will happen to Uber Sombra if he stops being useful to him. He eventually boots him out for completely different reasons.

Über Sombra/"Buttface"

The entity who turned an ordinary captain of the Crystal Empire guard into King Sombra. He provides Sombra's dark magic, and acts more like Canon!Sombra. He is also implied to be The Corrupter to other threats, such as Nightmare Moon.

• Big Bad: While several Big Bad Wannabe threats do show up, Uber Sombra is ultimately the main villain of the story, constantly trying to pull Sombra back to evil and a constant corruptive influence. It later merges with Cadence after being exorcised to become the Final Boss.
• Big "NO!":
  • When Sombra finally accepts his guilt and forgives himself before disposing of him once and for all. That wasn't the end of him, though... See Enemy Without.
  • Gives another one when Sombra resolves he won't let him return and the Crystal Heart begins to destroy him.
• Body Surf: After being exorcised by Sombra, he's drawn to Cadence's anger and bitterness and merges with her.
• The Corrupter: His biggest weakpoint: he can't force his host to do anything, only corrupt and convince them to do evil. As a result, he's incapable of acting on his own against his host's will. However, he's really good at causing The Dark Side Will Make You Forget. He got Cadence to unknowingly let him in by playing on her fears that the Crystal Ponies see her as an usurper and that Sombra will return to his old tyrannical ways.
• Deal with the Devil: Basically how he works: in exchange for granting his host immense powers, he gets to inhabit their body and take control of them so long as they don't object. Sombra breaks it by giving him the boot, but Cadence ends up taking him in.
• Enemy Within: Sombra's Split Personality, which the tags seem to refer to as Uber Sombra. While the main personality is a selfish jerk and wants to take over the Crystal Empire again, Uber Sombra is the psychotic beast shown in the two parter.
• Enemy Without: Is exorcised by Sombra, and ends up performing a Body Surf to Cadence by taking advantage of her current rage and bitterness.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Sombra does not like Uber Sombra, calling him "a butt", and only puts up with him because Uber Sombra powers his dark magic. When he finally realizes that the power was not worth alienating his friends, Sombra kicks Uber Sombra out for good.
• False Friend: How he acts when around Sombra.
• For the Evulz: Unlike Sombra, who wanted to get the fame and recognition he felt he deserved, Uber Sombra just wants the Crystal Empire and turn it into a kingdom of hatred and fear because he wants to do it. He is a being of dark magic, after all.
• In-Series Nickname: Sombra calls him "Buttface".
• Killed Off for Real: While Sombra returns after performing a Heroic Sacrifice, Uber was shown taking the attack inside Sombra, and post resurrection Sombra has been completely purged of his influence. His death was eventually confirmed by Word of God.
• Knight of Cerebus: Unlike Sombra, this guy is played dead seriously.
• Madness Mantra: Crystal slaves. Crystal slaves. Crystal slaves. Crystal slaves.
• Man Behind the Man: It's revealed the Uber Sombra was responsible for Luna's transformation into Nightmare Moon.
• Manipulative Bastard: Uber Sombra has his moments.
• Mysterious Past: He got trapped in a book somehow. That's really all that's known about him.
• No Biological Sex: Implied. While he appears to look like a monstrous version of Sombra, that's merely because Sombra is male himself. If he took on a female host, the entity would likely take out a female form. As is the case with Cadence.
• No Name Given: If he has a name of his own it's never been mentioned. "Uber Sombra" is just what the author uses in the tags and has never been used in the series itself. As is Uber Cadence later on. Sombra just calls him Buttface.
• Oh, Crap!: When Coffee Talk calls his bluff.
• Personality Powers: While there are some powers all his hosts possess, it seems whatever powers he has are dependent of his host and the reasons they made the Deal with the Devil with him. Instead of having nightmare-themed powers, Uber Cadence has Love Potion powers because her fear was the Crystal Ponies rejecting her.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Uber Sombra was trapped in a book before getting freed and possessing Sombra.
• Smug Snake: Big time.◊ He's got something of a right to be smug; he's an incredibly powerful dark magical being, but it doesn't make that grin any less obnoxious.
• The Symbiote: He's completely powerless without a willing host, nor can he actually do anything without his host's permission. Of course, he's quite talented at making the host think they want what he wants. Sombra eventually realizes that playing host to Uber Sombra has actually just made his life worse, which drives Sombra to kick him out for good.
• Villainous Breakdown: Has one when Sombra finally decides to get rid of him once and for all, screaming that Sombra 'needs' him.

Coffee Talk

An Earth Pony reporter who was kidnapped by Sombra on her way to the Crystal Empire and now hosts a talk show for him. The closest thing Sombra has to a Morality Pet, although he can never get her name right.

• Accidental Misnaming: A Running Gag is that Sombra can never remember Coffee Talk's name.◊
• I Should Write a Book About This: Writes an article about the events of the story that ends up globally circulated and getting her a book deal.
• Morality Pet: Has become this for Sombra, being the only being he has a shred of compassion for or cares about. Uber Sombra hurting her dealing with Long Horn is enough to motivate Sombra to lock him back up in his mind.

The Cave Ponies

A group of ponies kidnapped by the Crystal Wolves and enslaved in their mines. Sombra leads a rebellion and liberates them, with a little help from Serious Rainbow Dash.

Sea Breeze

A Pegasus lifeguard, kidnapped while on vacation. She is the older sister of Drizzle.

• Bifauxnen: Sea Breeze has been mistaken for a stallion at least once.

Drizzle

Sister of Sea Breeze and the youngest captive of the Crystal Wolves. Her time in the mines has not done her outlook any favors, and she has become dour and paranoid.

• Break the Cutie: She was downright adorable before being kidnapped and enslaved by Crystal Wolves.
• The Cynic: She is extremely jaded and cynical, despite being the youngest of the cast. It turns out to be due to the emotional trauma of being kidnapped by the Crystal Wolves for months and she used to be a pretty happy pony.
• Formerly Fat: She lost a lot of weight while a prisoner of the Crystal Wolves.
  • This trope is so pronounced, that when doing a post were she's genuinely smiling after managing to summon Princess Luna to their aid, one of the tags is also, it is SO WEIRD DRAWING A SMILING DRIZZLE.

Caribbean Splash

A captive of the Crystal Wolves who's succumbed to serious Stockholm Syndrome.

• Changed My Mind, Kid: Leaves Sombra and Coffee Talk to fight Uber Cadence...but ran into Shining Armor in need of help getting back to help save Cadence, and decided to come back to help.
• Straight Gay: He and Whistler are lovers, though they don't act it.
• The Bus Came Back/Back for the Finale: He arrives to save Sombra and Coffee Talk from Uber Cadence.

Whistler

One of the oldest captives, he has some serious Stockholm Syndrome going on.

• Straight Gay: He and Caribbean Splash are lovers, though they don't act it.

Alakaglam

A unicorn stage magician from Las Pegasus.

• Magicians Are Wizards: She's a unicorn and a Las Pegasus show-pony, kinda goes along with this trope.

Hope Feathers

• Walking the Earth: She's an explorer, so she doesn't have a permanent home.

Achey-Breaky Heart

A unicorn healer.

• Healing Hands: Her specialty is healing magic.

Purly-Whirl

• Bifauxnen: Kinda looks like a stallion here

The Crystal Wolves

Freckles

A childish and innocent Crystal Wolf.

• Heel–Face Turn: Not that he was especially evil in the first place.
• Obliviously Evil: He's not smart enough to realize that his pack enslaving ponies to mine crystals is a bad thing.

Speckles

Freckles' mother.

• Heel–Face Turn: After reuniting with Freckles, she befriends Sombra and co.

The Elks

Thranduelk

King of the Hidden Elk Village, which is terrorized by dragons. He is 'immortelk' due to the magical fountain in his village.

• Above Good and Evil: He's willing to return Sombra's dark powers in exchange for his aid, fully aware of what he might do. He brushes off criticisms with this trope.
• The Ageless: Thanduelk thanks to the Fountain in the Village that was destroyed and Word of God mention that is ageless to Sombra as a side effect of being the host of Uber Sombra.
• Immortals Fear Death: Word of God confirmed that he's afraid of death.

Elkolas

Thranduelk's son, whose name is also a The Lord of the Rings pun.

• The Good King: After being unanimously elected king after his father leaves in disgrace, he welcomes the Crystal Wolves into the village, and extends a permanent invitation to Coffee Talk, Sea Breeze and Drizzle to visit whenever they like.

Other ponies

Pun Pony

A travelling pony from another blog who meets up with Sombra and Coffee Talk and aids them against Supremus Longhorn.

• Meaningful Name: Her special talent is, well, puns. Her cutie mark is even a one-liner!

Supremus Longhorn

Supremus Longhorn

A racist Unicorn with a missing leg (replaced by a magical prosthetic) and a Changeling companion.

• An Arm and a Leg: Lost one of his front legs at one point. Uber Sombra rips off a back leg to match.
• Fantastic Racism: He's extremely prejudiced against non-unicorns, as he calls Coffee Talk, an Earth Pony, "dirthoof". He's equally as racist against Pegasi and thinks that Alicorns are non-Equestrians.