S03:E01+02 - The Crystal Empire

[Inactive01 5,299]

"The Success Song"... My thoughts on it? In short, wow. But knowing me, wow is not enough. Why did it wow? Why did it amaze? Why did it inspire?

NOTE 1: I sometimes write Roman numerals like this (I-V-I). They represent chords within a given scale. In C major, this progression means (C mjaor-G major-C major) C is the tonic (I) and G is the dominant (V).

 

NOTE 2: I think there are POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD. Read with caution. I had to use the entire episode clip because I couldn’t find both the original and the reprise in the same video, so I apologize for any inconvenience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wl3lKJT3is

(Original at 9:03, Reprise at 58:51)

Before we begin, a summary of the piece at both the beginning and end need to be shown. Both the original and the reprise begin the piece in G major before modulating to D major by the end of the piece. The original song at the beginning can act as the antecedent, or the question. The question here is Twilight’s ability to succeed on her “test”. The reprise is the consequent, the resolution of the question posed at the beginning of the show. With the confidence the gang have, you can tell they succeeded. The musical elements Daniel Ingram utilizes for this piece can basically summarize the plot in just a few minutes. That’s how beautiful successful pieces are. They can convey a person’s thoughts, highlight plot developments, and resolve the plot.

The original song's intention was to look into Twilight's mind and see her fears of failure. As such, the instrumentation, chord progressions, and tempo should reflect her pensive state when she ponders her ability to succeed in her test. Right at the beginning of the piece the piano begins with a smooth legato passage to ease into the piece. Legato, also known as slurs, gradually weave the melodies to convey meditation or preoccupation. As such, the piano’s legato welcomes us to her thoughts. The piano, woodwinds, and pizzicato strings also aid in these moods. From 9:37 to 9:58, Twilight conveys her confidence in easier magic and knowledge tests, supported by the slightly lighter mood conveyed by the strings and harp. She reverts back to her confused state at the end of the piece where the instrumentation becomes more legato and reserved.

As mentioned before, the scale of the piece is G major before a modulation occurs to end it in D major. Throughout this section, a very common Romantic Period element is used: borrowed chords. Let’s take the current scale used as an example. When you make a phrase, it can end in I-IV-V-I (G-C-D-G). However, I can easily “borrow” a chord from g minor by doing the following: I-iv-V-I (G-c-D-G). I have substituted the C major chord with a c minor chord. Such chords are commonly used to soften the ends of phrases, but they can also be used to convey doubt, tension, and confusion because borrowed chords “fogs” up the actual scale of the piece. As such, Twilight’s confusion synchronizes with the borrowed chords. Take 10:25 for example. After Spike acts as an echo to Twilight’s portrayal of her abilities (it’s used to confirm them by the way), the g minor chords resound throughout, and the dm/A chord rounds off the piece in tension; Twilight “isn’t prepared for this [test]”.

The reprise is why I love the song so much. It's got a feeling of success and it was the perfect way to end the season opener. What's so different about the reprise? I mean, the melody was the same right? Well, of course, but the tempo was more upbeat, with a time signature of a fast 2/4 unlike the slow 2/4 experienced at the beginning of the episode. Such tempos are very common for lively pieces and genres like ragtime. There are also no minor chords present, conveying a sense of confidence and an achieved happiness. Furthermore, more voices were involved, representing unity, coherence, and conclusion. Such is a very common feature for endings of a musical or opera (Marriage of Figaro is an example). Adding the trumpets and the timpani right after the choral voices finished their last note also intensifies the final victory Twilight and company achieved. It was the perfect way to conclude an episode: a resounding reprise that answers Twilight's question of whether she'll pass her test with the Crystal Ponies.

[agigantorllama 258]

It was decent. It felt wayyy too rushed though. Nothing was too special about it either. The villian had no development whatsoever and looked like a crap OC. Nothing really shined in the episode. I wasn't too happy with the it, but ponies are ponies.

[Arcus (Silver Lining) Wind 983]

I love the way Shining Armor just throws Cadence at the heart! Woosh! And Rarity going crazy over all the sparklies. I can't believe Rainbow actually hit Fluttershy in the jousting! All in all two great episodes to kick off what looks to be another great season. I don't know if it's just because of all the hype or what but the episodes seem kinda short.

[Zygen 6,066]

I enjoyed it overall. Obviously my opinion isn't to different from everyone else. I didn't find kind sombre to have much to offer. Then again I guess with all of the other things that filled that screen time I don't mind it as much as everyone else.

I loved all the other things about the episode. We got to see the serious story parts. and the added humor and things that I love to see along with it.

Also it wasn't an ELEMENT OF HARMONY ATTACK episode

Part 1 was a tiny bit rushed feeling for my taste, but I still like it. Besides they only have a limited time afterall.

 

The only thing about this season that worry's me is the fact that theres only 11 episodes left I wish it could've been 26. It also worrys me if there will be another season after this one.

I haven't had enough of the show honestly. I don't think I'll have enough of it in 11 episodes. I'm hoping they'll pull out a S4. But I guess I'm getting ahead of myself.

 

Overall I'm excited for this season. It looks like its going to have some really cool things. I love it so far!

 

Ps. I really like the whole. THERE IS NO WORDS.. By rarity and then repeated by twilight. I kinda hoped they would have done the same thing with the joke a few times again in the episode, but I'm just nitpicking.

Edited November 11, 2012 by Zygen

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

Apart from King Sombrero basically having no real speaking lines, the only other thing that annoyed me was how dramatic Cadance's faint was.

 

 

 

I facepalmed.

[SBaby 660]

One thing I did notice watching this episode that not many people seemed to catch onto is the conversation Celestia had with Luna in the very beginning of the episode (at about 2:20) where she says that if Twilight completes the task they'll know she's 'that much closer to being ready'. Hmm... Interesting...

 

So was it a good episode? Yeah. I think it was a pretty effective start to the season. Sombra didn't get much screen time, but then again they were introducing an entire new country into the show, so for what it was, they did a pretty good job. I loved the idea of making Spike the hero this time, even if Twilight still ended the episode. What was up with Luna though? She was giving Twilight the evil eye the whole time she was in the castle in the beginning.

Edited November 11, 2012 by SBaby

[Triffidicus 13]

General thing is Twilight is going to become a princess alicorn of the dawn and dusk. Or maybe fighting some eveil being, who knows, it's my little pony!

[CaptainLuna 50]

I loved this episode is hub planning on showings these again soon. Also i wosh they did more with cadence and sombra. Sombra didnt get many speaking roles and Cadence didn't get too many ether but i loved the fact that Spike became a hero

[kirbyboi 588]

Just finished it. It was pretty good, but not as I expected. The mane six were shown more, but not really shown saving the day, for that matter in my opinion. However, good to see Rarity shine out more!

 

I was hoping to see the mane six save the day, and way more action of the villian. We only see him for a couple glimpses in the episodes, one part in the beginning, and one at the end.

It was decent. It felt wayyy too rushed though. Nothing was too special about it either. The villian had no development whatsoever and looked like a crap OC. Nothing really shined in the episode. I wasn't too happy with the it, but ponies are ponies.

 

Yeah, in my opinion, this seemed pretty rushed. i was quite disapointed, but I'm sure this doesn't mean the rest of the episodes will be like that. Plus, we also have another two part episode at the end of the season! So, all is not lost. But still, the villian had no plot whatsoever, he was just mentioned. Plus, although I'm glad to see Spike get some praise, but I wanted a bit more mane six action. I mean, in the Discord special, they managed to fit and create one great special into two 22 minute episodes. For this, it felt as if it were sloppily made.

 

Don't get me wrong, I still have some great hope for season 3. I still think this season will have many great episodes as the previous seasons had. So excited for the episodes to come out!! We just had a rough start. I agree with an earlier post: They should have made this a three or more episode plot. Maybe that's why.

 

Well, considering the effort the creators put, and the storyline, I just loved it either way. I just wish they could have more episodes to tell the story better.

 

 

Also, know we know why the mane six looked like Crystal ponies on the DVD cover. Turns out it was just a temporary thing that happened to them while in the Crystal Empire.

Edited November 11, 2012 by Pixiesong

[Jokuc 8,173]

@,

Haha, I didn't even notice that. But why did that annoy you? So what hah.

 

Anyways, I think I will have to rewatch the episode tomorrow, I have had a bunch of things to do today.

So I guess I'll look for all these small things I missed the first time

[CloudFyre 848]

This was a cool episode, but it left me a little...I don't know what it left me. Questioning?

 

There were SO MANY COOL NEW THINGS: hologram crystals, entirely new castles, new magic styles, new ponies, all of the princesses in one episode, and the list goes on. (Including a possible season-long arc with whatever Twilight "will be ready for".)

 

However, Sombra, even though he was a cool concept, might as well have been a bad weather condition. Just take away the eyes/horn, and you're left with a halfway-intelligent storm cloud that wants to envelope the landscape. What was his motivation? What was he going to use that magic power for?

 

The one thing that bugged me the most was the relationship between Celestia and Luna. They're two of my favorite characters, and I hate seeing Luna respond to Celestia in a manner similar to a pre-Nightmare Moon situation. Why?!?

 

All that to say: it was a beautiful season intro, but Celestia and Luna had better be on good terms by the end of this season.

Edited November 11, 2012 by CloudFyre

[MallaJong1 202]

I loved it. Spike is the best character in the series, and he truly shined in this episode. A lot of SpikeLight shipping sparks on this episode, and Pinkie Pie's Fluttershy disguise was an ultimate WTF moment.

[Radiance64 7,053]

Lol, he now has horn herpes

 

Hornpes?

[Discovery Dream 592]

Hornpes?

 

I guessed Crystal Cancer, lol. Not too far from the truth, though it received no explanation. Watch out for those evil sentient pony storm clouds, kids!

[Motion Spark 7,807]

I facepalmed.

what? Cadence reaction seemed pretty accurate IMO, she's a princess and she behaved like one. Did you just saw how her eyes look and how hard she was breathing after she fainted? The amount of effort that she was doing to protect the crystal empire was INCRIDIBLY BIG, I say that she was the hero of the episode.

 

I see Cadence's grief as is someone were twisting my nipples constantly and I can't do anything about it. It is annoying but bearable at the same time, but I'll reach a point in where I just can't take it anymore and just give up. Cadence ruled that episode.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

The biggest problem that I had with this episode was that while Spike got some well-deserved attention and Twilight got flushed out a bit more, the other characters got a bit shafted with regards to importance. The episode largely boiled down to "OK guys, go off and do your mundane junk while I save the world" I know Twilight is the most important character and everything, but what I liked about the earlier Elements of Harmony based two-parters was that they made it clear that cooperation and team effort were needed to solve the problems, it essentially limited it from becoming The Twilight Show. This wouldn't ruffle me so much if it hadn't happened to some extent in A Canterlot Wedding as well. I still loved the episode but I hope for a return to some equal focus in the future

[Radiance64 7,053]

 

I guessed Crystal Cancer, lol. Not too far from the truth, though it received no explanation. Watch out for those evil sentient pony storm clouds, kids!

 

Beware of CTDs(Crystally Transmitted Diseases).

[Clarity 3,094]

A big brohoof to Motion Spark for the great review! Now I'm going to write what my thoughts were on the episodes.

 

The episodes themselves:

It's hard to describe. What can I say about it?

 

For one, the concept of the Crystal Ponies and the new villain, King Sombr(ero), were extremely interesting--however, I felt that it was executed poorly, especially the dark unicorn. The first part was forcefully stretched, turning Celestia just telling Twilight about a test into 8 minutes of boredom. (For me, that is. It may be interesting to you guys.)

 

Then, the rushed part comes next. After that 8 minutes, they got to the Arctic North and inside the Crystal Empire, questioned the Crystal Ponies, in...like, two minutes? Waaay too rushed, the way they just ARRIVED and ran into a random patch of water and finally got to the Crystal Empire just like that.

 

So, I would say about 2/5 for the actual concepts. Episodes are still enjoyable, though.

 

The characters:

 

Now, let's see how I thought the ponies were portrayed in the episodes.

 

Twilight Sparkle - Twilight, as usual, stars in the pilot episodes of every season. Main protagnist, anyone? XD

 

Her role was amazing--a unicorn sent by her mentor to do a very important test saving the Crystal Empire, so obviously her adventures are going to be unbelievably epic. I just thought...it's kind of overused, her being the sole one to protect the Empire, while her underdog slave ponies Ponyville friends do the Crystal Fair.

 

I love the ending, though, when Twilight self-sacrificed herself and entrusted the heart to Spike, showing that she truly cared for only her test the Crystal ponies.

 

In other words, her character was portrayed very well--OCD, but also a mature leader. 4.5/5 for her.

 

Rainbow Dash - I bet people would expect me to be biased towards my least favorite mane six, lol, but I'm not going to be.

 

I'd say her character was portrayed almost as well as Twilight. She also seemed loyal (for once, koff koff) to Twilight and helping her out with the Crystal Fair, though she only seemed to care for her reputation, like always. She even beat up Fluttershy in order to keep it. She hadn't listened to Applejack, either, and was harsh to the Crystal Ponies when "protecting" the fake heart. Kind of disappointing, but it's at least in character.

 

So I would say 4/5 for her.

 

Fluttershy - Even with her having the least screentime of the mane six, she still made an okay impact.

 

However, I'd say the "fake assertive" Fluttershy joke was overused in the show, and not that funny anymore.

 

I like how she's willing to get won over by Rainbow Dash to help keep the Crystal Fair going, was very kind of her.

 

Other than that, though, she doesn't have a prominent role, so I can't say much. 3/5.

 

Pinkie Pie - One would expect Pinkie to sing a lot of songs or something in the pilots, but there wasn't much seen from her this time. Spy Pie was a great addition to the plot and portrayed her character well, though I can't say much more from that.

 

4/5.

 

Rarity - Amazing. Her portrayal was truly a rarity, like AJ mentioned at the end of the episodes. I'm glad she's getting a bit more screentime--she needed it (though not as much as AJ *cough*).

 

Indeed, she was VERY in character and looked at all the crystals with sparkles in her eyes, and also vain in many parts of the episodes, such as when she imagined herself to be sparkling with a Crystal pony mane.

 

She also worked very, very hard to keep the Crystal Fair going. Shows her good side and bad side very well. 4.5/5!

 

Applejack - Huh, best for last! Clarity would never forget AJ. ...now, now. It's not like I'm going to be biased towards her and write only good stuff about her.

 

But she was truly shown well in these episodes (for ONCE, might I add,) and she was, again, leader when Twilight isn't around, mature, understanding, and might I add, smart. Yeah, betcha guys think that "OMG AJ can't even READ! U call her smart? hahaa" but I think she was smart in a different way, when she convinced the Crystal ponies to give her information about the library. She also came up with clever plans to divert the Crystal ponies from the heart.

 

Anyway, compliments aside, AJ's bad side--her argumentative personality and stubbornness--wasn't shown. The other mane six's personalities, both bad and good, were portrayed well, but not AJ's. Only her good side shone. Which is good, but also not good.

 

I'm still very, very proud of her portrayal, but I should be honest. 3/5 for her.

 

The Princesses - Wat. Princess Luna looked disapproving at the beginning. What's the reason behind it? Now we know that it's because she didn't think Twilight could succeed, but it still wasn't clear in the end.

 

And Princess Celestia gave Twilight a test. I can't believe the numerous times she sent Twilight on tests all over the place and make it as unclear as possible.

 

And since when did she teach Twilight dark magic?

 

2/5.

 

King Sombr(ero) - Another wat. I was very, very disappointed with his character. I thought he would be this epic villain who fought the mane six for hours on--

 

Well, I guess not like that. But he spoke two lines and got ripped into pieces and...wah-lah. He got banished.

 

-_(

 

0.5/5.

 

Shining Armor and Princess Cadence - Cadence played quite a prominent role, sacrificing her magic and energy to protect the Crystal Empire. But the whole thing about the "Crystal princess" was unclear, and Cadence wasn't explored further after that.

 

Now for Shining Armor. He was a good supporting character, giving all the information and whatnot and also being a good big brother to Twilight. But I can't say much after that.

 

3/5.

 

The Crystal Ponies - Great concept that was poorly explored, like I mentioned before. They just magically became sad and happy all over the place, so much that it got really confusing, and their history wasn't explored well, either. And what of their powers? They sat down, banished King Sombra, and waved goodbye. Cool.

 

2.5/5.

 

 

So this ends my very biased review!

[Z Star 189]

I loved the interaction between all the characters and the situation itself. I loved that the ponies are still the best of friends, even when Twilight decides she must do things herself. I loved when she gave that big responsibility to Spike, and I feel like Spike is going to have a bigger role in this season rather than just barfing up Celestia's notes to Twilight and carrying stuff around...... I also have this speculation: I feel like King Sombra was kept quite mysterious in the premier because he-dare I say this!- wasn't quite vanquished! I know it might sound silly, but I could see something like, Cadence's magic was just enough to clear him out for now, but maybe, just maybe, he might sneak up on the ponies in the future! He seemed pretty powerful and I would liked to have seen him more. Even if I'm wrong, I feel like he was just the beginning of something very powerful that the ponies, particularly Twilight, will have to face! I am excited to watch season 3!

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

For the circle, she could teleport over the crystal and grab it. For the stairs leading down, she could at least skip a few sets until she reaches the bottom.

 

You have a good point for the staircase, but for the circle, as I noted earlier, she tried to escape and couldn't. It would make sense (even if we can't be 100% sure) that the spell was set up to trap anything inside the circle. Had she teleported over to the crystal and grabbed it, it's possible that it would also have been pulled into the circle and trapped there with her. Twilight's smart, she probably would have considered the possibility. But yeah, Twilight often forgets to use her teleport even when it would make sense to use it, so this is probably just another case of that.

[AegisReflector 886]

I thought it was one of the weaker episodes. Don't get me wrong, I loved the musicals and the characters all had very cunning parts, but I felt like this kind of took a step backwards into Season 1 territory.

 

First of all, there was no cunning villain or a massive storyline revolved around it. The only sure thing we knew about the Crystal Empire was that it was an empire filled with love and harmony until King Sombra took over and made it into a tyrannical chaotic environment. Not really a whole backstory if you ask me. Plus, where's the origin for Sombra really? We got a whole speech on how Discord appeared, don't see why they didn't do that with Sombra.

 

Second of all, what was the point of Twilight bringing all of her friends to the Crystal Empire if supposedly her test was to do it alone? Celestia told her in the end that she discovered the power of self-sacrifice, so what does that mean? That's kind of a backwash lesson if you ask me. And she completed the task and passed the test? And Spike gets a door in the face as a token of all the ponies' appreciation? Meh, I don't understand it really. I just thought Twilight hogged unneccesary spotlights when she wasn't deserving of such attention.

 

Overall, I did enjoy the action scenes like when Shining Armor basically threw Cadence like a dart over the balcony lol. And then Spike riding on her back was just an epic image lol. Having Spike be the ultimate hero for once was also pretty refreshing (but completely destroyed when he gets slammed by the door by Twilight, figures). The musical numbers were great but not as memorable as The Canterlot Wedding. The beginning of the episode, like the first 8 minutes, were my defining parts with the episode being super excellent. It almost seemed to be of movie quality. I just think as the episode progressed, it just got too lowbrow.

[Ron Jeremy 2,032]

*belated due to the fact stuff kept me from watching it until now*

 

So, this is it. The fateful event. We've been waiting for season 3 for what feels like ages now.

 

So, my thoughts on the 2-parter?

 

I really liked it. I can see there's a bit of controversy, but meh, IMO it's really good, though I'll admit Sombra could have done more. Then again, you could consider him one of those villains whose presence is everywhere, through the situation and such, instead of being a in-your-face-I'm-right-here villain like Discord. If that's what they were going for, they did that well. I like how it kinda did what I didn't expect, what with Spike saving the day and all. The musical numbers and animation were great as usual. I really like how Shining Armor and Princess Cadence had such a big role, since I remember there being some controversy with people worrying they would never appear again after the season 2 finale.

 

Don't have too much to say, since everything I'm saying has been said by others since life forced me to be late to the party. Other than WOO MORE PONY! *dramatic fist air thrust*

[Nothing&NoOne 695]

I facepalmed when Cadance fainted because it was very over-the-top. I know she's a princess, I know she's girly, but she was very..dramatic with her faint.

[Queen Cassie 3,057]

These are my overall thoughts having just reflected on the episode as it is, before I watch the episode again to give it some more detailed reviewing, as is my parlance.

 

I definitely enjoyed it. I wasn't raising my expectations too high or overhyping myself like some, so I was spared any kind of disappointment. A number of things caught me off guard, including Twilight's new gravity spells, the ominous foreshadowing at the end--Twilight is going to be taking lessons from Luna at some point, I am betting--and the reprise.

 

Also, lots and lots of shipping fuel. Shippers are going to have a field day with this.

 

I can't really give much more in the way of meaningful thoughts until I watch it a second time.

[Lunar Follower 86]

I just finished watching on youtube and overall I think it was a gray start to the new season. Everything was in check until I caught my first starwars reference when shining armor first got them off the train. Afterwards it felt like nothing was happening as there was no real build up to the very quickly executed and ended climax. Overall I think these episodes were a great way to kick off the new season. I also heard that the evil stallion ( forgot his name sorry) is going to be a recurring villain in later episodes, unless this is already dated information.