The Crystal Empire - Part 1

For the location, see Crystal Empire.

For the similarly named high school in Equestria Girls: Friendship Games, see Crystal Prep Academy.

The Crystal Empire - Part 1
Season №:	3
Season episode №:	1
Overall episode №:	53
Original airdate:	November 10, 2012
Written by:	Meghan McCarthy
Storyboard:	Tom Sales and Johnny Castuciano
Featured characters:	King Sombra Crystal Ponies
Songs:	The Failure Song The Ballad of the Crystal Empire
See also
credits • transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation
Episode guide
Previous A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2	Next The Crystal Empire - Part 2

The Crystal Empire - Part 1 is the first episode of the third season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the fifty-third episode overall. It is the first half of a two-part episode.

When a city suddenly appears in northern Equestria, Princess Celestia sends Twilight Sparkle to help Princess Cadance and Shining Armor protect the inhabitants from an ancient evil.

Summary

The test

As Princess Celestia reviews documents in the Canterlot castle throne room, a royal guard rushes in and relays a message from northern Equestria that "it" has returned. Alarmed, Celestia writes a message to Twilight Sparkle requesting that she come to Canterlot immediately.

"Just a test?!"

In the Golden Oak Library, the rest of the Mane Six look on as Spike and a frantic Twilight gather quills, ink, and study resources in response to mention of an exam in Celestia's letter. The group head to Canterlot, where Twilight finds Princess Celestia and Princess Luna conversing in the palace. When Celestia sees her student's test-taking materials, however, she clarifies that Twilight will instead be helping Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to protect the recently-returned Crystal Empire.

Celestia showing Twilight a map of the Crystal Empire.

Using dark magic to conjure black crystals on the floor of the hall, Princess Celestia demonstrates how the Empire has the magical ability to reflect emotion across all Equestria, whether hope and love or hatred and fear. She explains that the evil King Sombra used to rule over the inhabitants before being banished to the ice of the arctic north, though not before placing a curse on the Empire that made it vanish for a thousand years. After expressing confidence in Twilight's success, Celestia tells her that it must be she alone who ultimately aids Cadance and Shining in protecting the city.

Twilight exits the castle and sings a song expressing trepidation for her task. After she relates the information about the Crystal Empire to her friends, they all take a train to a snowy wasteland in northern Equestria.

The Crystal Empire

Shining Armor meets Spike and the Mane Six at the train station and begins leading them through the snow toward the Crystal Empire. He mentions how something else keeps trying to get inside, whereupon a menacing black cloud suddenly appears from behind and starts to close in on the group. As Shining attempts to fend off the attack, the others run ahead and pass through a magic barrier to find a bright, sprawling city with a large tower at the center. Shining jumps through the barrier moments later, finding his horn now encrusted with black crystals that prevent it from casting spells.

Twilight and Cadance greet each other.

The ponies and Spike make their way to a throne room in the central tower, where they find a visibly exhausted Princess Cadance struggling to maintain a spell with her horn. Shining explains that Cadance has been using her magic to spread love and light, which seems to be protecting the empire, but that the constant effort has been difficult to maintain and given them no time to ask the resident Crystal Ponies for insight on a more permanent solution. Seeing this as a research element of her test, Twilight eagerly volunteers to help gather information from the locals.

The Crystal Faire

Twilight interviewing the locals.

The Mane Six split up to solicit information from the Crystal Ponies, who all report having no recollection of the empire before King Sombra began his reign. When the friends reconvene at the base of the tower, Applejack relays that she heard of a library nearby. They manage to find its location but are forced to help themselves when the librarian exhibits the same amnesia as the other inhabitants. After a long search, Twilight eventually finds a history book that references an annual festival to renew a protective spirit of love and unity called the Crystal Faire.

With Shining Armor's encouragement, the Mane Six prepare a Crystal Faire festival following the description given in the book, including a heart-shaped crystal mentioned on the last page as the centerpiece of the festival. Twilight announces the Faire's opening from the tower, and as the Crystal Ponies engage with the various events, they begin to recall memories from the time before King Sombra.

Dark clouds closing in.

While attempting to encourage the residents, Rainbow Dash and Applejack learn from the librarian that the Faire was intended to lift the spirits of the Crystal Ponies in order to power the Crystal Heart, which King Sombra had hidden away during his reign. Realizing that they lack this key component of the festival, Rainbow quickly flies a drape over the fabricated Heart and rushes to inform Twilight, who consults the book only to realize that a page was ripped out. Princess Cadance tries to reassure them but collapses from exhaustion moments later, causing her protective spell to falter. As the empire's barrier dissipates, a massive black cloud bearing the face of King Sombra quickly encircles the city and begins to close in.

Quotes

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

Spike: Twilight, calm down. It's just a test.

Twilight Sparkle: Just a test? Just a test? Princess Celestia wants to give me some kind of exam and you're trying to tell me to calm down because it's just a test?!

Spike: Uh... yes?

Applejack: Twilight! Did you pass?

Pinkie Pie: Are we gonna celebrate your awesomeness with Princess Celestia?

Twilight Sparkle: Not quite.

Rainbow Dash: Eh, I don't see what the big deal is. Just looks like another old castle to me.

Rarity: A- p- guh! Another old...! Have you lost your mind?! Look at the mag-

Applejack and Rainbow Dash: [laughing]

Rarity: Very funny.

Princess Cadance: One of these days, we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn't hanging in the balance.

Twilight Sparkle: That must be part of my test – to gather information from the Crystal Ponies and deliver it to you! This is gonna be great! I love research papers!

Rainbow Dash: Yeah, who doesn't?

Pinkie Pie: Oh-oh-oh! Lemme guess! Is it Spike? Nono, Fluttershy! Rarity?

Applejack: These crystal ponies seem to have some kind of collective amnesia or something. Only thing I was able to get out of them was something about a library.

Twilight Sparkle: [gasps] A library? Well why didn't you say so?

Applejack: Uh... thought I just did...

Rainbow Dash: Can't have a Crystal Fair without the crystal heart, right?

Librarian Crystal Pony: Of course you can't. The whole purpose of the Crystal Fair is to lift the spirits of the crystal ponies, so the light within them can power the Crystal Heart, so that the empire can be protected! [gasps] I do work at a library!

Gallery

The Crystal Empire - Part 1 image gallery

References

v • e Episodes, films, and animated shorts

Make Your Mark
Episode 1 Izzy Does It	Episode 2 Growing Pains	Episode 3 Portrait of a Princess	Episode 4 Ali-Conned
Episode 5 The Cutie Mark Mix-Up	Episode 6 The Traditional Unicorn Sleep-Over	Episode 7 Hoof Done It?	Episode 8 Have You Seen This Dragon?
Episode 9 Top Remodel	Episode 10 The Jinxie Games	Episode 11 Sunny Side Up	Episode 12 The Manesquerade Ball
Episode 13 A Little Horse	Episode 14 Missing the Mark	Episode 15 Cutie Blossom Bash	Episode 16 Family Trees Pt. 1
Episode 17 Family Trees Pt. 2	Episode 18 Father of the Bridlewood	Episode 19 Mane Smelody	Episode 20 Nightmare on Mane Street
Episode 21 The Isle of Scaly‎‎	Episode 22 Roots of All Evil Pt. 1‎	Episode 23 Roots of All Evil Pt. 2