S03:E01+02 - The Crystal Empire

[~Sassy Dashie~ 712]

I LOVED IT!      But I felt so bad for Cadence! 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

How Sombra sounds without background music:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVmSeT2cEcs

 

Sleep tight, Crystal Ponies.

 

I just fanboyed over this.

 

BEST VILLAIN!!!

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

Watched this again today and I can now say this is my favorite two-parter. It delivers on the emotional level for sure, as well as a story level. It doesn't feel contrived in any way and is very structurally sound (plot/story stays on track)

 

Also, I like the songs in this episode. Both have really grown on me

[Skull135 16]

Sombra Could have been an awesome villain (not as awesome as Discord) but they kill him off and all he does is growl laugh and hiss and sometimes say ONE WORD so i am a bit disappointed. 

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

I'm just wondering what it means when the Crystal Empire vanishes into thin air. Does it transfer to another dimension until the curse is gone?

[baba_booey 4,303]

My third favorite 2-parter episode, behind The Canterlot Wedding and Twilight's Kingdom!

 

Too bad I can't watch this episode without thinking of..

 

 

 

 

GAK GAK GAK

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2014 by Skarloey

[Allen 1,387]

What I don't have anything to suspect King Sombra. As well Shining Armor and Cadence are royalty in Equestria, they're good passing the successful test with Twilight Sparkle did it.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

I'm just wondering what it means when the Crystal Empire vanishes into thin air. Does it transfer to another dimension until the curse is gone?

 

It could mean anything; really. At least we can likely forget about the Crystal Empire vanishing in the similar manner the Event Horizon did. *Shiver.*

 

But yeah, I would tend to think the disappearance of the Empire happened in a similar fashion to what happened to Alduin in Skyrim. The Elder Scroll was used on him and he was sent ahead a few hundred years in time to which the events of Skyrim take place.

 

Likewise, King Sombra could've likely sent the Crystal Empire ahead in time to the time when he knew he'd be able to escape his icy prison.

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

It could mean anything; really. At least we can likely forget about the Crystal Empire vanishing in the similar manner the Event Horizon did. *Shiver.*

 

But yeah, I would tend to think the disappearance of the Empire happened in a similar fashion to what happened to Alduin in Skyrim. The Elder Scroll was used on him and he was sent ahead a few hundred years in time to which the events of Skyrim take place.

 

Likewise, King Sombra could've likely sent the Crystal Empire ahead in time to the time when he knew he'd be able to escape his icy prison.

So does that mean the Crystal Empire was frozen in time as if it was turned to stone like Discord? And what does it feel like being a Crystal Pony when it's vanished to thin air. Like if I was a Crystal Pony and I was transported into thin air would that mean I would be asleep for 1,000 years? And if the Crystal Empire was frozen in time, does that mean they're 1,000 years behind in technology?

[Hopes and Memes 391]

Wait, the part I don't understand is... How did the tower empire thing even come back? I thought that guy put a curse on it... So it wouldn't come back forever. Help please c:

[JonasDarkmane 19,785]

King Sombra was such a good looking villain. Too bad he didn't say much during the episode. However his voice was really awesome and creepy. I would love to see him return since his horn survived. His death (or perhaps just defeat) was such an awesome one. How he just blew up 

[Lucky Star 972]

I hope they do more crystal empire episodes   I loved it! they could do an episode about one of the crystal ponies moving to ponyville and it could be about her/him adjusting to the modern world. or even one showing what the crystal empire did afterwards.

I really wanna know what their going to do! a whole city of ponies was just hurled a thousand years into the future.

there is so much potential with showing the aftermath. 

[Castle Bleck 19,375]

It could mean anything; really. At least we can likely forget about the Crystal Empire vanishing in the similar manner the Event Horizon did. *Shiver.*

 

But yeah, I would tend to think the disappearance of the Empire happened in a similar fashion to what happened to Alduin in Skyrim. The Elder Scroll was used on him and he was sent ahead a few hundred years in time to which the events of Skyrim take place.

 

Likewise, King Sombra could've likely sent the Crystal Empire ahead in time to the time when he knew he'd be able to escape his icy prison.

 

Like what Aku did to Samurai Jack.

[ShyPie 164]

Rewatched last night and looking at some of the posts here I might be in the minority but I think Sombra is an awful, awful villain. He's so flat and one dimensional it's ridiculous. He's the kind of overly simplistic villain that was expected of children's cartoons back in the day. Absolutely no thought or effort put into him. "He's evil, go stop him". And he does absolutely nothing in the episode. He's just a big laughing cloud, that's it! I think the rest of the episode is really quite good, and Twilight continues to push herself further and further up my favourite pony list, but you could've put almost any bland, generic villain into the role here and it wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference to it being Sombra because Sombra isn't a "character", he's just a villain macguffin.

[Castle Bleck 19,375]

@ShyPie,

 

Was he a flat character? Maybe.

 

But did he do nothing? Far from it; to quote myself:

 

On 5/31/2014 at 11:52 AM, A.V. said:

Sombra's lines and screentime may have been less than ideal, but he still delivered as a Knight Of Cerebus:

 

- He made Cadance nearly die from emaciation.

- He gave the Crystal Ponies realistic PTSD.

- He set Dangerously Genre Savvy traps that nearly broke Twilight and Spike.

- He nearly cannibalized Spike.

- He remains the only Big Bad to die (and violently).

Edited July 6, 2018 by A.V.

[Darker 1,351]

Sombra felt like the villain with more potential, yet they wasted him. He could have been as tyrannical as Grogar(G1) in cruelty terms, nowhere near as evil, for sure, but I think they didn't even gave Sombra a chance.

 

I like that his name is spanish for shadow. As a spanish dude, it makes me somehow happy.

 

Also, Sombra had the best design from all the villains.

Rewatched last night and looking at some of the posts here I might be in the minority but I think Sombra is an awful, awful villain. He's so flat and one dimensional it's ridiculous. He's the kind of overly simplistic villain that was expected of children's cartoons back in the day. 

 

I disagree. Nowadays villains don't even come close to old school villains. Most were beyond evil. Discord sucks if we compare him to, let's say, HIM, from the Powerpuff Girls.

 

I mean, jesus. This guy is the DEVIL himself.

 

[Elegance 586]

I loved this episode because we finally got to see the mysterious Crystal Empire and discover a new species of ponies - Crystal ponies! Also, we got to see the mane 6 in action as they do their best to save the Crystal Heart and the Crystal Empire! Plus, we got to meet King Sombra! I admit, I was a little scared when he went crystal crazy on the castle and the Crystal Heart fell! Thank Celestia Spike was there to save it!! Well at least I got to see Rarity in her beautiful Crystal form! Too bad it was temporary.

 

[ShyPie 164]

 

-Made Cadance nearly die from emaciation.

-Gave the Crystal Ponies realistic PTSD.

-Set Dangerously Genre Savvy traps that nearly broke Twilight and Spike.

-Nearly cannibalized Spike.

-Remains the only Big Bad to die (and violently).

1. I'll agree that Cadence wasting away is actually a pretty scary image in this ep, but it's a very indirect influence from Sombra I feel. He's not really actively doing it, but it's merely his presence (which can be an exceptionally great trait for a villain if done well, but I never really felt Sombra was that threatening).

2. Again, a really good idea, but was again I felt a very indirect achievement for him. We never saw exactly how he was so evil and tormented them (a quick flash of them in chains), and if it was a case of our imaginations being left to fill in the details for something scarier then considering how quickly the crystal ponies got over it ("here's a wicker basket" *cured*) I don't think it could've been that bad.

3. Maybe if he'd set up a labyrinthine amount of traps I'd maybe give him it, but it was a couple of standard villain booby traps. I don't think his "door of despair" can even compare to how Discord did the same thing with all the mane 6 and the maze.

4. I kinda laughed when he actually only just got his corporeal form back as he was about to get Spike and he just looked so pleased with himself. Like he was thinking "Yes! I'm not a useless cloud anymore"...and then he died 

5. Maybe if he wasn't dead there'd be a chance to expand upon him more and make him a better character and, imo, villain in the future.

 

I just think there was a lot more could've been done with him and it wasn't up to what I expect of my villains. But if you liked him then more power to you 

 

I disagree. Nowadays villains don't even come close to old school villains. Most were beyond evil. Discord sucks if we compare him to, let's say, HIM, from the Powerpuff Girls.

 

I mean, jesus. This guy is the DEVIL himself.

When I say "back in the day", I mean late 80s/early 90s cartoons. Specifically those in the mould of MLP.

[Darker 1,351]

When I say "back in the day", I mean late 80s/early 90s cartoons. Specifically those in the mould of MLP.

 

Still, villains in those times are millions of times more threatening and evil than anything in MLP: FiM. 

It's impossible to compare G4 Tirek to G1 Tirek. One is a power-hungry dude and the other is a baby-beheading satanic overlord.

 

In cartoons similar to MLP, like Carebears, there were also pretty decent villains, and they still have. Back in the 80s they had No-Heart, who wants to feed off all the feelings in the world and leave the world dead of emotion. And in the new Care Bears there's some kind of robot Bear who got corrupted and wanted to rule the land.

 

Also he sings.

 

[Jeric 46,852]

Old School evil villains were typically one note or added for comic relief. Let's just look at the more popular ones for a moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is a large enough of a population to state that on the whole, old school animation villains were typically not meant to be constantly threatening characters. I BTW loved most of those characters, just calling it how it is. 

 

Sombra however, isn't even a character. Not really. He is more of a concept like Sauron. A present thread that requires no true personification. That alone makes him different than almost every 80's cartoon villain. You as the audience are allowed (and in this case invited) to complete the template given. 

 

Good villain idea in MLP and it made this episode better. 

[Castle Bleck 19,375]

@ShyPie,

 

1. It was still a result of him being there (and was worsened by him depowering Shining).

 

2. Among other possibilities, he most-likely used something like that spell from the door scene on them.

 

3. If I recall, those "standard villain booby traps" actually beat Twilight and made her rely on Spike.

 

4. His death scene was still epic, though.

 

5. Just because he's dead doesn't mean he'll never be resurrected; his horn could even serve as a "One Ring" in S5 or beyond.

 

 

@Jeric,

 

Indeed.

Edited July 11, 2018 by A.V.

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

This was a pretty good two part episode but not one of my favorites. This is actually my most watched episode of the show because this one confused me and depressed me more than any other episode. It was one of the most bizarre things I've seen.

 

It involves a city called the Crystal Empire returning after a 1,000 year curse and the Mane 6 protect it. What really depressed me about this episode was that the Crystal Ponies vanished with the Empire into thin air for 1,000 years. I just wonder what it feels like if you were a Crystal Pony vanished into thin air for 1,000 years. Maybe they are transported to another dimension where they don't age and they have nightmares for the next 1,000 years. Or maybe the curse just sent them 1,000 years into the future. Also I find it depressing, because they've been gone for 1,000 years, it seems like they're 1,000 years behind in technology but I think they quickly adapted to the more modern Equestria right after the Empire was revived.

 

King Sombra seems like a cool villain with potential that may never return in the show. I'm okay with that TBH, because I don't care about the villains. Villains aren't one of the reasons why I watch MLP.

 

Also I didn't know how one of the Crystal Ponies automatically referred to Cadance as the Crystal Princess. Maybe Cadance looks very similar to the former Princess or because it was her cutie mark. And I don't know Cadance and Shining automatically became the new rulers of the empire because I didn't see any pony crowning them as rulers, but maybe they sent a letter to Celestia after they revived the empire and Celestia wrote back saying Cadance and Shining are the new rulers.

 

Oh well, it was depressing, bizarre, and confusing, but concluded with a happy ending. My highlight was definitely when the empire was revived. It was so uplifting. The songs were not some of my favorites. I think A Canterlot Wedding had much better songs because they had more emotion.

[KingsInEquestria 32]

I have ALLOT of questions referring to King Sombra. Like what happened in his past? Did he face off with the Crystal Empire before? Where has he been for the last 1000 years? Why did Celestia send the Mane 6 to deal with a King without some kind of help? Shouldn't they get a medal or something after taking down a ancient King? But over everything I wanna know King Sombra's back story and where he came from. These were the first things I thought of after watching the episodes. Also if you haven't noticed King Sombra is my favorite villain so I would like to know more about him. If someone has an answer to any of these things I would be grateful. 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

I have ALLOT of questions referring to King Sombra. Like what happened in his past? Did he face off with the Crystal Empire before? Where has he been for the last 1000 years? Why did Celestia send the Mane 6 to deal with a King without some kind of help? Shouldn't they get a medal or something after taking down a ancient King? But over everything I wanna know King Sombra's back story and where he came from. These were the first things I thought of after watching the episodes. Also if you haven't noticed King Sombra is my favorite villain so I would like to know more about him. If someone has an answer to any of these things I would be grateful. 

 

Like you I'm a big King Sombra fan.

 

Saying that, we're never really given much info on him, but I will try to answer your questions as best as I can.

 

1.  Like what happened in his past?

-Simple answer is that we just don't know. Anything you read is for the most part speculation and headcanon.We really don't even get much hints about his past in the comics. We know he was VERY good at setting up traps & all, but as for the time before his reign; nothing.

 

2. Did he face off with the Crystal Empire before?

-Again, we have no information. It's possible he rose within the ranks of the Crystal Empire society, or he could've been an invader.

 

3. Where has he been for the last 1000 years?

-He was locked away in the frozen north under ice; banished by the royal sisters. That much we do know, lol.

 

4. Why did Celestia send the Mane 6 to deal with a King without some kind of help?

-To be fair, she had sent Cadence & Shining Armor there first, so it's not like help wasn't already there. Bad thing is that Shining Armor was incapacitated and Cadence was putting all of her effort into the shield. As for the Mane 6 themselves, it's fair to say that Celestia had faith enough to trust them. They have already shown enough to at least handle an entire army of Changelings for a while, and if Twilight was to grow in her destiny (considering that was the theme of season 3 anyway), Celestia had to do that anyway.

 

5. Shouldn't they get a medal or something after taking down a ancient King?

-Maybe, but it's possible they got some sort of recognition off screen.

 

6. But over everything I wanna know King Sombra's back story and where he came from.

-As much as I would like to know this as well, I doubt we'll be getting much from Hasbro/DHX on that front. It's well known that Sombra is not that popular of a villain, and I don't see much impetus from the animators or writers to bring him back.

 

Sombra is my favorite villain in the show as well; however it might be good that we don't have a solid backstory on him. Part of his charm for me is that we don't know much about him which leaves plenty to the imagination. I also loved his AU version in the comics, and that might provide some clues on the Sombra we know and love; I suppose.

[KingsInEquestria 32]

Thanks Pathfinder! I agree it might be better that we don't know much about him so it leaves plenty of room for imagination. I hope Lauren Faust makes another episode with him so that we might get some answers though. Thanks again Pathfinder for your help.