Why do the normal ponies temporarily become crystal ponies in Crystal Empire?

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

The Crystal Empire was the most bizarre episode for any show I've ever seen. I found it so bizarre that it was extremely confusing to me especially when I first watched it. I didn't get what was going on until I watched it again and it made a little more sense. 

 

One thing I don't get is why the Mane 6, Cadance, Shining Armor, and Spike become temporary Crystal Ponies after they returned the Crystal Heart because I have no idea why. Also what makes the Crystal Ponies different from other ponies besides their shiny coat, are they immortal or more powerful? And why is it that the Crystal Ponies aren't transparent until the Crystal Heart is returned? I'm just wondering because the Crystal Empire confuses me so much that I'd love to know.

 

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

Because the magic of the crystal heart and so that Hasbro would stop yelling at them to plug the crystal line of new pony figures.

 

 

 

Really, it was just so that they could tell the executives that they did include the new crystal variants of the mane 6 that hasbro was selling soon after.

[Nulln 755]

I think the crystal heart is magic, and the crystal ponies need it.  Without it, they seem to wither away and become dull, like it's a sort of required magic they need for their race to really live.

When the heart was first put back into place, it created a burst of magic that it released, and all the normal ponies that were in the city got hit by the magic and temporarily turned crystal as well.  That's the best I can explain it.  The episode was pretty confusing for me, too.

[Phoenix Flair 332]

They made them all Crystal Ponies so they could stamp out the hypothesizing fan art.  End of story.  

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,178]

...... McGuffim....... That's why..... That's all I got.

[Princess Periwinkle 3,775]

I thought it curious as well. I believe it must have had something to do with the crystal heart. Something about it being activated, maybe? It's the only idea I had on the matter.

[Malinter 3,064]

...... McGuffim....... That's why..... That's all I got.

i've heard that name from an abridged series once. XD

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

I hate to think how confused you might be over an unexplained thing that is actually important in an episode

 

The crystal thing is just part of the fantasy gimmick I think. Some sort of magic having to do with the heart I guess

Edited August 14, 2014 by LZRD WZRD

[Sunny Fox 5,960]

Actually, most of you have it backwards. The Heart was powered up by the Crystal Ponies, not the other way around. The Heart doesn't even seem to have powers of its own, except perhaps to focus their magic into a defensive shield. They were dull because they had lost all hope and had given into despair because Sombra had taken the Heart and hidden it. Even the thought that the Mane Six might have gotten it back was enough to partially restore them. 

 

That was the point of the Crystal Fair, to cheer them up so that they could power up the Heart when it arrived. And you clearly see them take on their true, transparent Crystal form right before they all send blue light into the Heart itself. The power of the Crystal Ponies themselves was projected out through the Heart and destroyed Sombra. Presumably, the magic of the Crystal Ponies was so strong at that point that even the normal ponies were affected and changed by it. It's perfectly simple. And that's another major change to physiology due to magic, so it means that Flutterbat wasn't as "implausible" as many make it out to be. Woah, tangent! Anyway, there's your explanation: the Crystal Ponies' magic, sent out via the Heart, changed the Mane Six temporarily.

 

Actually, the librarian straight up says what I mention above, around the 20:30 minute mark.

[Pastel 7,630]

Just a headcanon: the crystal heart can "crystallize" the ponies near it, and that becomes permanent if they're exposed long enough.

[Buck Testa 5,505]

Why did flutters get bat wings and fangs from staring at bats too long? How did they temporarily become breezies? Ponies appearances are not set in stone and can be affected by their mood, mindset, and external factors like magic. That could explain why more emotionally unstable characters like Flutters and Pinkie can undergo rapid changes in appearance on the fly.

[Heliodor 156]

Maybe ponies are sort of like Eevee when it comes to magic. If exposed to different types of magic, even if they aren't unicorns, it can change their bodies or bodily makeup.