The Crystal "Empire?"

[AlicornAcolyte 254]

So, why is the Crystal Empire considered an empire?

 

As it appears to have only one city, and its ruler isn't an emperor or empress, how can it honestly call itself an empire?

 

Insight, friends?

Edited February 22, 2014 by OmniaVincitEquorum

[Sunny Fox 5,961]

Because the writers liked that name better than "The Crystal City".

[Lucky Lass 528]

Maybe at one time it was much larger, but when the curse made it vanish it only took the Royal City *shrug*

[AlicornAcolyte 254]

 

 

Because the writers liked that name better than "The Crystal City".

 

I'm sure this is the reason. It's still fun to speculate though!

 

 

 

Maybe at one time it was much larger, but when the curse made it vanish it only took the Royal City *shrug*

 

Also could be true. After all, Rome referred to itself as an empire long after its actual one disintegrated.

 

 

I just think it takes guts for what is essentially a city-state to refer to itself as an empire. 

[Jammo 986]

My guess is there's a lot of farmlands, communities and production areas outside the capital. Extending beyond the city itself would make it an empire.

[Discordian 6,021]

"Kingdom of Equestria"

"Crystal Empire"

 

Now all we need is a Republic or something to round out the terms-that-don't-actually-mean-what-they-say list of places people live in a world where politics don't actually matter.

[Fhaolan 4,494]

I go into a lot of detailed speculation about this in my Worldbuilding blog, but here's the brief version:

 

There are several points in the show where the 'Crystal Empire' is implied to actually have contained most if not all of the current Equestria at some point in the distant past. And that the Empire was made up of many smaller subject nations, nearly all of which are now part of the larger Equestria.

 

Basically, it is very likely that what is now called the 'Crystal Empire' is simply all that is left of the original Empire, and it retains the name simply out of expedience. We are dealing with a time-frame that is at least a thousand years long, and likely much longer, so re-arrangement of borders during that time is pretty much guaranteed.

[Forlong 1,726]

It was an empire back in the day, now the term is used more as a formality.

[Malinter 3,064]

Maybe the city wasn't surrounded my the same frozen wasteland prior to it disappearing.

[Scootalove 10,692]

I think that was the name of the empire a thousand years ago, or the Crystal Empire is what's left of the original empire that Sombra ruled over when he was in power.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

A fitting name that's more prestige.

King sombra did treat it like an empire.

The whole establishment is like a friendly empire at best.

 

Yeah, nothing evil, but fitting.

[AlicornAcolyte 254]

Perhaps they could attempt to expand again. They could annex Manehattan or Cloudsdale.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

I think the writers may hold 'empire' as a synonym for 'world'. I actually do that in my writing. It's the crystal world populated by crystal ponies.

Edited February 23, 2014 by broniesvote4Twiley

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

What is more interesting in my opinion is how it seems to be so important to Equestira (it's "good vibe field"). It may have been the capital in the past. It's curious that it is part of Equestria, since it's going to host the "Equestria Games".

 

I'd like to know more about it from the show. I'd be disappointed if all there is to it is "Oh, we thought it would be cool".

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

Because the writers liked that name better than "The Crystal City".

Nobody wants to associate Equestria with Northern Virginia.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

 

 

It may have been the capital in the past.

I'm thinking that perhaps the term is not defined equally as it is normally because you would have an empire within an empire and that doesn't happen like we normally think of the term. It would have to have a meaning associated with a smaller place that has to be governed by a princess. It doesn't have to be an empire that rules protectorates and other such political entities. So the meaning is more like province or of course, 'world' if broad enough in this case. Perhaps if Twilight rules Ponyville and the surrounding area, it can be renamed the Everfree Empire?

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

I'm thinking that perhaps the term is not defined equally as it is normally because you would have an empire within an empire and that doesn't happen like we normally think of the term. It would have to have a meaning associated with a smaller place that has to be governed by a princess. It doesn't have to be an empire that rules protectorates and other such political entities. So the meaning is more like province or of course, 'world' if broad enough in this case. Perhaps if Twilight rules Ponyville and the surrounding area, it can be renamed the Everfree Empire?

Ah. I was thinking of the traditional use of "empire". As a nation that expanded to encompass other regions and cultures. In the show, since it vanished, the political center changed to another location. Meaning: Equestria's political center used to be that city which is named Crystal Empire, and which expanded to rule over what is now modern Equestria. After it vanished, that political (or administrative) center switched to Canterlot.

 

But you are thinking of a sovereign region that doesn't necessarily own the allegiance of other regions. It's just a place that is governed by the Princess.

 

Interesting. But it raises questions: what is Cadance actually doing? is she the "mayor" of the city? Or does she deal with "local" issues, encompassing the whole area around the city, with different municipalities which fall under the jurisdiction of the Crystal Empire? A regional governor? What is Equestria actually a federation?!?! Or would that be a technicality of that particular region?

[Silver Letter 1,832]

 

 

Meaning: Equestria's political center used to be that city which is named Crystal Empire, and which expanded to rule over what is now modern Equestria. After it vanished, that political (or administrative) center switched to Canterlot.

I may disagree. Sombra and Nightmare Moon were told to have been defeated a thousand years before their return. That would mean not only that the sisters would allow their political capital to fall to some tyrant but would then would do a hop, skip and a jump far to the south, building a castle where only ruins exist during Twilight's time, only for it to be abandoned immediately after Luna is corrupted. The Everfree castle had to have been the original palace for Luna and Celestia.

 

 

 

But it raises questions: what is Cadance actually doing?

Possibly nothing. She might be there to guard the crystal heart. It could be that Shining Armor runs the local affairs even if there is civilization in the north beyond the city walls which is not determined. The term 'empire' may easily apply to a near sovereign world that is unique enough on its own to distinguish itself from the outside (crystal ponies).

[ReverseFaller 2,484]

1000 years ago in Equestria it may have been an empire, but by today's standards it's more or less a city.

 

It still a pretty cool looking city, none the less.

[Totally Ducklett 181]

It's an Empire because of how easily it gets captured, because obviously, in movies about wars, empires always go down first. OR something.

[Riddle 102]

My thing is how like it was said it popped

out of the world and Tia said it was a

1000 years ago right...

 

Ok so the Mare in the Moon thing happened

around the same time but it was how Tia

put it that Luna seemed to be around that

time....

 

con fu se ing....

[Nature's Spell 526]

My thing is how like it was said it popped

out of the world and Tia said it was a

1000 years ago right...

 

Ok so the Mare in the Moon thing happened

around the same time but it was how Tia

put it that Luna seemed to be around that

time....

 

con fu se ing....

We know that Nightmare moon happened last in the sequence of villains since Luna was involved in both episodes. The time frame is unknown, but it may have occurred in rapid succession.

 

It be interesting to know if the writers thought about it, but my guess is they don't and just liked the name "empire". I like some of the ideas above, but the canon doesn't give a lot to work with.

[AlicornAcolyte 254]

Interesting ideas, everyone!

 

For me, the Crystal Empire has a lot of potential for further development and backstory! I really hope we get to learn more about it!

[King Sejong 859]

   "Crystal Empire" could be a traditional name for the country, as UCLA professor Eugene Webber said about the Holy Roman Empire "It was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an empire", he also spoke of the Byzantine Empire, that the term "Byzantine" was never used by the inhabitants, it was renamed a century after Constantinople had fallen by German historians, during the empire's existence it was called the East Roman Empire, or Empire of the Romans, or Romania, the point is the Crystal Empire is possibly just a name left over from King Sombra and his reign, even if the name was changed, the legacy of what the country was, would have remained the same, and there is still the possibility that the country has alternative names, perhaps "Empire" was christened because there is so much crystal it looked imperial or grandiose, larger in the imagination of the ponies who saw it, if you had seen something extraordinary you might call it imperial.    

[TwilightDreamer 69]

It could be all that's left of the original empire before King Sombra was destroyed after he and the lost land returned from their 1000 year slumber. Sombra rose to power back then for reasons that we can only justify and try to piece together and enslaved the ponies living there but he could've destroyed parts of the original empire and keeping what is left of it with him in his slumber from the waking world when he placed a vanishing curse on it.

 

There was usually a ton of wide open land beyond the city and the snowy plains before during its golden age before Sombra's self- ascendance to the throne and he probably got rid of it in some kind of plan to take control of it and make it his own kingdom before Celestia and Luna challenged him for its freedom and Pyrrhic Victory that followed.