Dr. Caballeron is a supporting antagonist in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. He is a greedy archeologist and trader who steals ancient artifacts for personal profit. He is Daring Do's (former) rival and one of her two main adversaries, alongside Ahuizotl.
He appears as the secondary antagonist in the Season 4 episode "Daring Don't" and the Season 9 episode "Daring Doubt", and the main antagonist in the Season 6 episode "Stranger Than Fan Fiction" and the Season 7 episode "Daring Done?".
In the Daring Do book series, Caballeron made his debut in book 4, Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams.
He was voiced by Michael Dobson in a Spanish accent.
Appearance[]
Caballeron is Earth pony stallion with green eyes; a slicked-back, dark gray mane with a streak of lighter gray, heavy stubble, prominent eyebrows, and a cutie mark of a gold skull with a gem inserted in one of its eye-sockets. He wears an off-white shirt with sleeves rolled up and a reddish-brown ascot with white polka dots.
Personality[]
Caballeron is greedy first and foremost, willing to steal valuable artifacts either from ancient temples or Daring Do herself. He is somewhat vain as he is botherd by the fact that their is no merchandise with his visage on it at the Daring Do convention. He is somewhat of a coward as he chooses to run away from giant or vicious creatures such as Ahuizotl, although this appears a matter of self-preservation. He has been shown to underestimate Daring Do repeatedly, as he has been deceived by her tricking him (such as when she disguised herself to buy a treasure he stole from her off him) and did not expect her to be able save Rainbow Dash from the trap he put her in. In spite of these flaws, he has shown to be a capable manipulator, as he briefly managed to frame Daring Do for stealing an entire village of its glopaz (even disguising himself as a resident of the village for good measure), convince ponies Daring Do was not the hero they were led to believe through a book he wrote under a non de plume, and was able convinced Fluttershy to aid him in acquiring a treasure that required a Pegasus to obtain it. However, his interacting with Fluttershy in his last appearance in the series led to him becoming a better individual, listening to his subordinate's suggestions and ultimately team up with Daring Do to escape from Ahuizotl and later write a book with her when he learned she was A.K. Yearling.
History[]
Caballeron and his henchponies used to discover ancient artifacts to preserve them in a museum, but Daring Do continuously interposed, refusing to team up with Caballeron and preserving the artifacts for herself. Caballeron begins to sell artifacts to the highest bidder, due to Daring Do's actions that caused his museum to go out of business.
In "Daring Don't", Caballeron is working with Ahuizotl. He wanted to sell the Ring of Destiny to the creature, make a fortune and retire in splendor. What Ahuizotl intends to do with the ring is apparently of little consequence to him. Caballeron and three stallions take the ring by force from Daring Do. Actually, Caballeron doesn't care about who wants the ring as long as he/she pays for it.
In fact in the forest, Dr. Caballeron and his henchponies encounter a disguised Daring Do who offers a large bag of bits for the ring and they have a deal. When Ahuizotl angrily storms onto the scene, Caballeron makes off with the bits and leaves the ring behind.
Dr. Caballeron appears again in "Stranger Than Fan Fiction". He seeks an amulet in Daring Do's possession that is the key to the seven-sided chest, a treasure that he seeks to sell to the highest bidder. He captures Rainbow Dash and Quibble Pants, believing them to be working with Daring Do and intending to lure her to the jungle so she'll trade the amulet for them. When they escape, they unwittingly lead him to the temple.
When a monster called a Cipactli attacks, Caballeron and his henchponies escape through a door, which closes, but with Daring Do's help, Rainbow Dash and Quibble Pants escape with the treasure. Caballeron and two of his henchponies, Rogue and Withers, search for them, but Daring Do throws a rock at the temple wall to release the Cipactli, which chases after Caballeron, Rogue, and Withers. Their fate beyond this is unclear.
He appears again in "Daring Done" where he steals glowpazes from a desert village and tries to ruin Daring Do's reputation. He then impersonates a cloaked villager and starts spreading lies about all the trouble Daring Do had caused and then framing her for the theft of the glowpazes. He then reveals himself to Rainbow Dash and has his hench ponies capture her to lure Daring Do into a trap. When they get out, they confront Caballeron and expose him as the true glowpaz thief. He is then run out of town by the townspeople. Daring Do's reputation is restored and honored as a hero, with Caballeron now a disgrace for his crimes and on wanted posters instead of Daring Do.
He makes his final appearance in "Daring Doubt" where his origins are revealed. In this episode, Caballeron becomes an author of Daring Do books under the alias of "Groom Q. Q. Martingale". He intends on publicly displaying Daring Do's biggest mistakes and secrets and tells his own side of the story. He tells Fluttershy that his immense hatred over Daring Do and his desire to get revenge on her stems from when she stole the artifact that he saw which caused his museum to be closed down. Later, Fluttershy sympathizes with Caballeron's situation, he manipulates and uses her into joining his team's search for the Truth Talisman of Tonatiuh. Throughout the journey, Caballeron begins to recognize and appreciate Fluttershy's kindness. Later, he learns of Ahuizotl's true intentions and he and Daring Do promise to stop stealing artifacts from his lands. He also discovers Daring Do's true identity as A.K. Yearling as well. He later finally becomes a co-writer for Daring Do and her partner.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Dr. Caballeron's appearance and approach to archaeology are likely inspired by the Indiana Jones villain René Emile Belloq, who also sold artifacts for personal profit.
- Caballeron's disguise as "Groom Q. Q. Martingale", is a reference to author George R. R. Martin.
