NikczemnyAnon - FIM Villain Concept

How would the Mane 6, Celestia, et al. handle a truly intelligent, manipulative and remorseless villain? No special powers, unless you count brains.

 

I can't imagine them lasting long.

 

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Brains is more than enough.

 

[Polite, charming, erudite, sophisticated, intelligent, pragmatic and (for a villain) honorable. He also knows exactly how to turn his defeats into success.]

 

Make him (or her) a suave cynical counterpart to PurpleSmart: Make the villain a foil to Twilight in a way that Sunset Shimmer was to blatantly arrogant to be.

 

Distort the obvious ambition for power into something more thematically reflective.

 

What about a villain that seeks to harness what they regard as the power of the elements of friendship. Unfortunately, he is unable to grasp the concept of friendship, the idea of helping others without assurance of immediate recompense. A cynical, pragmatic, remorseless villain that seeks what they think is forbidden knowledge.

 

The villain isn’t necessarily fully retarded. He understands the value of civility, manners, exercises guile, preparation and planning. But embodies a refraction and distorted reflection of the elements of harmony.

 

Generosity: he understands the value of treating others well, least they are tempted to betray him. (Betrayal comes for those whom where regarded as allies.)

 

Kindness: He recognises that “You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” But he lacks compassion and empathy. He is far more concerned with both retaining and increasing his power.

 

Honesty/Integrity: He recognises that his success relies on ensuring that he doesn’t compromise his principles. Such as, not permitting himself to become over confident, never overestimating his own competency and most certainly never, under any circumstances, underestimating your adversaries capabilities.

 

Loyalty: He doesn't just punish his underlings if they fail. Instead instilling a sense of duty and comradely in those that would work for him. Should his own underlings find him in a compromising situation that makes them question their own moral, they simply find that they just can’t, for some reason, bring themselves to condemn him for it. Often providing him an opportunity to persuade them to his way of thinking; reassuring and comforting them. But that need not concern you, because you are smart - really, you are brilliant, I saw that from the start - you understand that some things are necessary.

 

Laughter/Good humour: Well tempered, jovial, cordial. An utter delight to talk to and be about. You can’t help but find yourself in a pleasant mood.

 

Magic/Curiosity: He has an insatiable hunger for knowledge… and by extension power that such knowledge affords. Refining and developing his craft to achieve all manner of wondrous things. But his curiosity is not tempered with caution.

 

He convinces others of altruism when what he’s really doing is giving into his basest and most indulgent urges. He simply NEEDS to know how it all fits together. Sometimes things breakdown under the extent of his scrutiny and instruments. He cannot help himself.

 

*"Knowledge is power, but small, for the knowledge of the singular is rare, except in a very few Nor was it so apparent, and in a few things. Science For such is the nature, it cannot be understood to be, except by those who are endowed with knowledge.

 

"Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems."

-Rene Descartes, Discours de la Methode