The Crystal Empire
Twilight Sparkle faces a test to protect the Crystal Empire.
"The Crystal Empire" is the two-part season three premiere of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, comprising the fifty-third and fifty-fourth episodes of the series. Written by Meghan McCarthy and directed by James Wootton, it first aired on The Hub on November 10, 2012. The episodes center on the return of the long-lost Crystal Empire and the threat of its former tyrant ruler, King Sombra.
Quick Facts
- Series
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
- Writer
- Meghan McCarthy
- Director
- James Wootton
- Editor
- Mark Kuehnel; Meghan McCarthy (story)
- Air date
- 10 November 2012
- Length
- 44 minutes (combined)
- Guests
- Jim Miller as King Sombra
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Princess Celestia learns that the Crystal Empire has reappeared after vanishing over a thousand years ago. The empire had been ruled by the tyrant unicorn King Sombra, who enslaved the Crystal Ponies and threatened Equestria; Celestia and her sister Luna sealed Sombra in ice, but he cursed the empire to disappear. Twilight travels with her friends and Spike to the arctic location. Sombra appears as they approach, but Shining Armor shields them as they enter the city; however, Shining Armor is afflicted by dark magic that disables his powers. Cadance has been maintaining the shield without sleep or much food. Twilight and her friends ask citizens how to protect the empire, but the Crystal Ponies have had their memories of the time before Sombra's reign erased. Twilight finds a book about the empire's past and learns of a Crystal Fair that raised the ponies' spirits. She and her friends recreate the fair, and Twilight constructs a crude crystal version of a Crystal Heart. As Cadance's magic weakens, the fair begins and the ponies remember their past. Rainbow Dash learns from a pony that the real Crystal Heart was used to channel elated feelings to protect the empire. Twilight discovers the page about the Heart's powers was torn from the book. Cadance collapses, her magic fails, and King Sombra surrounds the empire.
Production
The episode was written by Meghan McCarthy and directed by James Wootton, with Jayson Thiessen as supervising director. These episodes mark the first time series developer Lauren Faust had no input; she had been executive producer in season one and consulting producer in season two. At the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con, a preview of "The Failure Song" was shown, described as Spike the Dragon's singing debut. Scenes from the episode were shown at the 2012 New York Comic Con. Episode writer McCarthy and others stated they were interested in world-building Equestria's history, as they were not bound by previous series. King Sombra's design was intended to show him as both a solid creature and a flowing mass of smoky darkness; the design team gave him no color except red eyes and a cape to convey his evil demeanor. His shape was bulkier and more elongated to imply he was once a powerful ruler. When changing forms, Sombra bore vague resemblance to Queen Chrysalis. The Crystal Empire's castle under Sombra had sharp steeples and a dark palette, and the sky showed a smoglike haze emanating from his dark soul.
Broadcast and reception
Both parts of "The Crystal Empire" aired back-to-back on The Hub in an hour-long event on November 10, 2012. The premiere was viewed by an estimated 578,000 to 686,000 people across over 300,000 households, with all demographics receiving a triple-digit percentage increase. It became the most viewed season premiere and marked the third consecutive year of viewership growth. Noel Kirkpatrick of TV.com appreciated the adventure and comedy but noted an emotional disconnect between plot elements, such as the lack of connection between King Sombra's rule and Twilight and her friends. Daniel Alvarez of Unleash the Fanboy awarded the episode five stars out of five, calling it a truly great premiere with a perfect premise, though he criticized King Sombra for having virtually no backstory and being just there, while enjoying the villain's design.
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