My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic Spike Saves the Crystal Empire Once Again

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Epitomize/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1

Princess Cadance needs our help, her magic will non concluding forever.
I think nosotros tin do it, but we demand to work together.
We have to become this right, yes we have to make them encounter.
Nosotros can save the Crystal Ponies with their history!

— Twilight Sparkle

Written by Meghan McCarthy

Princess Celestia is sitting in her throne room when a baby-sit runs into the room. He announces that news has arrived from northern Equestria: "it" has returned, and Celestia, wanting to accept immediate action, sends her guards to notice Princess Cadance and Shining Armor before writing a letter of the alphabet for Twilight Sparkle to come to Canterlot immediately. In Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle is scurrying around her room looking for quills, books, parchment, and supplies, all the while panicking at the prospect that Princess Celestia has told her that she will exist taking a test. In Canterlot, Luna and Celestia talk over Twilight's preparedness for the mission, but are interrupted by Twilight'due south arrival. Twilight discovers that her supplies are unnecessary, as her examination volition exist a different sort—Princess Celestia explains that the Crystal Empire, a long-forgotten civilization, has returned subsequently a thousand-twelvemonth absence.

According to Princess Celestia, the Crystal Empire was ruled by King Sombra, an evil unicorn whose heart was black as dark. Because the Crystal Empire reflects the nature of the ruler beyond all of Equestria - bringing light and happiness if the ruler is benevolent, and darkness and sorrow if the ruler is a tyrant - the Princesses transformed Sombra into a shadowy cloud and banished him to the arctic wastes, but not before he cursed the Crystal Empire to disappear forth with him. Celestia tasks Twilight and her friends with aiding Shining Armor and Princess Cadance in finding a manner to forestall the Crystal Empire from falling dorsum into Sombra's hooves. Celestia reassures her educatee that she will succeed, and volition keep to the next level of her studies upon her return. As she leaves, Celestia tells her that she, and she alone, must exist the one to help Cadance and Shining Armor do what needs to exist done.

Twilight, Spike, and the rest of the Mane Half dozen travel to the Frozen North and are greeted by Shining Armor, who urges them to follow him quickly, every bit the Empire "isn't the simply thing that's returned." As they cantankerous the tundra, Shining Armor informs them that King Sombra has been attempting to invade the Empire. Twilight questions what point there is in finding a way to protect the Empire if information technology's already being protected, when Rex Sombra, in the form of a shadowy mass, attacks and chases them. Shining Armor stays behind to hold King Sombra off while the others reach the Empire. He escapes, but Sombra curses his horn, preventing him from using his magic.

The Mane Six meet Princess Cadance, who is using her ain magic to form a protective shield around the Empire that is keeping King Sombra out. Still, she has grown weak due to the constant concentration required to keep it active. Twilight comes upwards with the idea to interview the Crystal Ponies, and the Mane Six fix out to discover a mode to restore the Crystal Empire to the style it had been. They observe that the residents — in a rather dull coloration for a brilliant kingdom — can't remember annihilation before Male monarch Sombra came to ability, and don't want to call back anything most his reign. They caput to a nearby library to look for information, and Twilight finds a book with data on the Crystal Fair, a festival that will unite the hearts of the Crystal Ponies. Central to this off-white is something called the Crystal Heart, only equally they exercise not have one, Twilight cuts i out of a crystal block to use as a substitute.

Twilight summons the Crystal Ponies to the off-white, and as they begin to enjoy themselves, their previously dull coloration begins to brighten, as does their mood, and they begin to remember their previous lives. However, Rainbow Nuance overhears a remark that the Crystal Heart is in fact an artifact that the Crystal Ponies power with their beloved and unity, and that Rex Sombra hid the Crystal Eye where it would never be found. Rainbow Dash rushes to cover upward the simulated heart and tells Twilight virtually the problem. Twilight Sparkle finds the concluding page in the book had been removed by Rex Sombra to preempt any attempts at discovering the Heart's significance. Princess Cadance suddenly faints and the magic shield surrounding the Crystal Empire vanishes. Male monarch Sombra, seeing his take a chance, advances into the kingdom...

TO BE Continued

*Cue happy credits music*

Continued in "The Crystal Empire – Office 2".

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Tropes:

• Aluminum Christmas Trees: The double-belled flugelhorn is easy to dismiss equally something from a Dr. Seuss book, but double-belled brass instruments saw some popularity in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
• And I Must Scream:
  • King Sombra was "turned to shadow" and banished to the ice of the arctic north. Whether that entails this is unclear as of yet.
  • The Crystal Ponies were kept as Sombra's Slave Race, and have spent the final thousand years later on his defeat with no contact with the exterior world and stuck in a state of despair and unhappiness. Worsening it is the fact that they have no retentivity of the time before that, pregnant all they could remember during that time was being his slaves. It'southward mitigated a little by the fact that the Crystal Ponies are nether the impression that they were part of Equestria "yesterday," implying that they didn't live out the thousand years they had disappeared for, but merely skipped forward in time.
• Angst Nuke: Twilight'due south anger over Spike saying information technology's "just a examination" blows the entire Golden Oak Library into the air.
• Blitheness Bump: Twilight's billowing mane and tail during the "Failure Song".
• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: The librarian after dropping the Wham Line.
• Barrier Maiden:
  • Princess Cadance copies Shining Armor from the wedding by projecting a protective field of dearest around the Crystal Empire to keep King Sombra at bay. Different Shining, she must maintain the spell constantly, resulting in sleep-impecuniousness.
  • The indicate of the Crystal Heart was to avoid this trope; every crystal pony in the empire contributes to charging it upwards and so no one person has sole responsibility for the empire's protection.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted one time once again for Cadance. After days without sleep she has numberless under her eyes and droops with fatigue. Just as before, this also serves every bit straight Unkempt Beauty.
• Big Bad: King Sombra is the latest threat to Equestria and he'due south starting with a campaign to retake the Crystal Empire.
• Bilingual Bonus: "Sombra" is Spanish for "shadow".
• Brick Joke: Pinkie's friends apace learn she does not play the flugelhorn well. Later, Rainbow Dash outright ignores Pinkie's desire for a flugelhorn when handing them out at the crystal fair.
• Burning with Anger: When Spike (after donning protective gear) tells a tense Twilight she'due south overreacting, nosotros cut to a shot of Ponyville, where a charred version of Golden Oak Library momentarily launches into the air before falling dorsum downwardly.
• Captain Obvious: When the Mane Half dozen enter the Crystal Library, which has three floors of enormous bookcases filled to the brim with diverse tomes:

  Twilight Sparkle: We're looking for a volume.
  Librarian: We take enough of those.
  Twilight Sparkle: (starts swooning) Y'all practice. Y'all really do!

• Casting a Shadow: King Sombra is a Living Shadow. Princess Celestia also does a demonstration on the subject for Twilight.
• Bewilderment: Par for the two-parters. It turns out Twilight was wrong and they needed to find the Crystal Heart instead of making ane, resulting in Cadance'due south power running out. Rex Sombra'south shadow grade washes over the Crystal Empire as the field fails.
• Continuity Nod:
  • A new stained drinking glass window depicts Shining Armor and Princess Cadance using The Ability of Dear to save Canterlot.
  • When Twilight announces the outset of the Crystal Off-white, she uses her brother'due south new title, "Prince".
  • This isn't the start time Fluttershy has drawn dorsum menacingly behind other ponies merely to be very gentle.
  • Pinkie never leaves home without her political party cannon.
  • Also, she kept her Spy outfit.
  • Applejack dryly remarks to Rarity that Twilight is taking the possibility of declining her examination rather well... considering what happened terminal time.
  • Twilight and Cadance share their childhood rhyme over again when they meet.
  • Rarity shows her proficiency for weaving without magic again.
  • We also become to run into again Twilight's awful crafting skills.
  • Once over again, we see Twilight searching a library, examining and tossing aside books with a series of "No"south until she finds the i she needs... which she and then flattens Spike with when she removes it from the shelf.
• Critical Enquiry Failure: In-Universe, Twilight'southward "crystal centre", which she carved from a crystal block. See Failed a Spot Cheque below.
• Catholic Keystone:
  • Crystal Empire acts as this for all of Equestria in that if it'south in a land of harmony, it will spread to all of Equestria. If it'south in a state of darkness, it also spreads throughout Equestria.
  • The Crystal Heart acts similar this for the Crystal Empire considering information technology is the source of their protection spell.
• Crazy-Prepared:
  • Twilight wants Spike to quiz her on everything she's always learned in her entire life on the off chance that some of it is on Celestia's test.
  • Spike already has an army helmet and padding fabricated out of pillows ready to put on before answering Twilight's question on her overreacting about the test Princess Celestia prepared for her.
• Curbstomp Battle: Shining Armor tries to fight Male monarch Sombra. While Shining did manage to buy time for the others to get in to rubber, information technology ends with Shining fleeing back to the Crystal Empire with his magic sealed while the attacks nosotros see him attempt don't and then much equally phase Sombra.
• The Dark Times: Male monarch Sombra ruled the Crystal Empire with an iron hoof, relegating its populace into slavery.
• Data Crystal: Celestia keeps a crystal that stores a hologram of her and Luna defeating Male monarch Sombra.
• Distant Reaction Shot: Later Spike tells Twilight "it is just a examination", the scene cuts to an overview shot of Ponyville and nosotros meet the Golden Oak Library jump hundreds of feet into the air.
• Doorstopper: Twilight's re-create of "The Magical Compendium, Volumes one-36" is big enough to squash Fasten apartment when it slides off the shelf.
• Dramatic Wind: When Twilight stands on the castle balcony during "The Failure Song", her mane is blowing in the wind.
• The Dreaded: If the reaction of the Crystal Pony that Twilight speaks to is any indication, King Sombra is this for the Crystal Ponies.
• Dreadful Musician: Nopony enjoys hearing Pinkie play the crystal flügelhorn.
• Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: The crystal ponies take done-out color schemes to get with their depressed voices. Even when they're happier at the prospect and events of the Crystal Fair, their coats don't proceeds the incredible sparkling lustre they should have, instead only looking similar regular (though however fancy) Earth Ponies.
• Evil Plan: Rex Sombra wants his domain dorsum.
• The Exile: Male monarch Sombra was turned into shadow and sealed in an icy fissure by Princesses Celestia and Luna for the enslaving of the ponies of the Crystal Empire. Returning from his adjournment starts the plot.
• Face Palm: Rainbow Dash does a face-hoof after a Crystal Pony she's interrogating tells her she doesn't remember anything about King Sombra's rule.
• Face Plant: Little finger Pie slams confront-showtime into a pole when playing with her night-vision goggles.
• Failed a Spot Cheque: Twilight, the book fanatic, missed the fact that the last page of the book was torn out!
• Fisher King: Nether the rule of Male monarch Sombra, the Crystal Empire became Mordor. In this example, Sombra is shown corrupting the land with his evil magic.
• Fish out of Temporal Water: The Crystal Ponies are unaware that the Crystal Empire has been gone for a thousand years. When they're told, they understandably have a hard time believing it.
• Foreshadowing: Celestia tells Luna that if Twilight succeeds in saving the Crystal Empire they will know she is that much closer to being ready for something, merely doesn't say what.
• Forgotten Phlebotinum: King Sombra seems like exactly the sort of threat the Elements of Harmony were made for. Likewise bad nopony remembered them.
• Funny Groundwork Outcome: Pinkie Pie afterward removing her "Fluttershy" disguise leaves information technology there on the footing. As the other ponies talk, Fluttershy walks to the balance of the group and reacts accordingly to seeing what looks like her skin on the footing.
• Furry Confusion: The Crystal Empire has a 'petting zoo with tiny ewes'. Sheep are intelligent talking beings in Equestria.

• Generic Doomsday Villain: Rex Sombra is built upwardly every bit being a huge threat to the Crystal Empire, and is too revealed to have ready an intricate security system to prevent anypony from getting the Crystal Heart in the past, but other than that, his characterization is nonexistent, specially in comparison to the show's other villains, and at that place is barely any backstory for him to speak of. This isn't helped by him speaking very little and not having whatever meaningful interaction with the other characters and spends most of the two-parter as more of a wave of blackness rather than an actual character. The prove treats him more like a powerful malevolent force than a character in his own right. According to Word of God, he was intended to be more than of a menacing and terrifying presence lurking over everything. In other words, fear itself..
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: Celestia gets these when she demonstrates hate-fueled magic for Twilight.
• Skillful Hurts Evil: Cadance's field of dearest and calorie-free repels King Sombra.
• Gonna Need More X: Twilight tosses Fasten a large heap of flash cards and then he can quiz her on everything she'south e'er learned ever.

  Twilight: I'g going to need more flashcards.

• Good Republic, Evil Empire: Averted overall — the ponies of the Crystal Empire are definitely on the side of good. However, briefly Double Subverted when King Sombra was in power.
• Grim Up North: The Crystal Empire is located in the northern reaches of Equestria (the Comic-Con map poster calls it the Frozen Northward), which is surrounded by blinding snow. Information technology'south said that you do not want to be defenseless exterior subsequently night, lest something nasty catch you.
• Hidden Elf Village: The Crystal Empire was hidden away, apparently in a land of suspended animation, for a thousand years.

  Twilight Sparkle: I don't think there's annihilation in any of my books ab—
  Princess Celestia: There wouldn't be. Few remember information technology e'er existed at all.

• Highly Visible Ninja: Pinkie in her spysuit, billowy effectually city streets in broad daylight.
• Human Pack Mule: Well, Dragon Pack Mule... Fasten gets to carry Rarity'due south usual Lots of Baggage.
• The Insomniac: Poor Cadance hasn't gotten any sleep since arriving at the Crystal Empire because she has to stay awake to maintain the bulwark against King Sombra.
• Inherently Funny Words: Pinkie is profoundly entertained at the prospect of playing the flügelhorn.
• I Remember It Like Information technology Was Yesterday: One of the Crystal ponies says this regarding Sombra'south reign, though it's not a set-up for a flashback. Information technology seems to suggest that the expletive transported the Crystal Empire thousand years forward in time.
• Latex Perfection: Pinkie'southward Fluttershy costume looks completely identical to the existent pony.
• Lampshade Hanging: "One of these days, we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn't hanging in the balance."
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Applejack implies Rex Sombra placed an amnesia spell on all the Crystal ponies and so they couldn't think annihilation most life earlier he came to power.
• Lyrical Dissonance: Rarity says the crystal ponies "flew a flag of many hues", but the flag we're shown is simply diverse shades of imperial.
• Meaningful Proper noun: "Sombra" ways "shadow" in Spanish.
• Melancholy Musical Number: Subsequently Twilight is given a test to protect the Crystal Empire, she laments in song that she wasn't prepared for information technology and worries she'll fail.
• Trade-Driven: Toys from this line are scheduled for 2013, and some Target-exclusive sets accept already been released in concrete stores. Rex Sombra is a normal unicorn (when he's not a fume monster) which is presumably much easier for Hasbro to manufacture than (say) Discord.
• Metaphorically Truthful: Celestia's admonition to Twilight about having to assist Cadency and Shining Armor alone. The responsibility of asking Fasten to get the Crystal Heart to Cadance did fall squarely on her shoulders.

  Princess Celestia: In the terminate information technology must be you, and you alone, who ultimately assists Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in doing what needs to be done to protect the empire.

• Mineral MacGuffin: The crystals of the Crystal Empire are affected by emotions. Filling them with dear causes them to emit dear. Filling them with negative emotions causes them to turn night and showtime infecting everything in contact with them.
• Musical Exposition: "Carol of the Crystal Empire", where the main characters sing about the Empire, its culture and the nature of the Crystal Fair they're trying to revive.
• Dainty Job Breaking Information technology, Hero: While Shining Armor succeeded in keeping the Mane Six safe, trying to accept on King Sombra ended with his magic sealed and thus unable to help Cadance protect the empire.
• Night-Vision Goggles: Worn past Pinkie during the day.

  Little finger Pie: Wow, nighttime-visiony!

• Off-Model: During the preview clip of the vocal "Ballad of the Crystal Empire", Twilight's horn doesn't glow when she levitates the book, then when the camera zooms out to an overview her horn is now glowing, simply the book is not. The onetime error was not fixed for the episode version.
  • In same vocal, the ponies' mouths can be seen moving during the fantasy moments; in the actual episode their mouths are frozen.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • Celestia when her scout informs her that Sombra has returned. She instantly goes into "avert-the-crunch" mode.
  • When the Mane Six learn that the Crystal Center is a specific particular and thus they are simply equally vulnerable to Sombra as always.
• Orcus on His Throne: After sealing Shining Armor'southward magic, King Sombra spends the remainder of the episode waiting for Cadance to tire without doing annihilation to hurry the process along. Justified as contact with the shield seem to be physically painful for him. It is shown to be able to cutting through his horn at the very outset of Part 2.
• Physical God: Despite King Sombra being a Unicorn, Celestia and Luna had to double-team him just to blackball him; and fifty-fifty and so, he was still able to cast an area-broad expletive on the Crystal Empire. And all that Shining Armor (an advanced Unicorn himself) and Cadance (an Alicorn like the aforementioned Celestia and Luna) can exercise is hold him dorsum for a while.
• Power Crystal: The Crystal Middle projects a bulwark to go on the Crystal Empire prophylactic and it is refueled past all the ponies in the Crystal Empire.
• Power Nullifier: While trying to defend Twilight and her friends, Shining Armor is cursed past King Sombra, rendering his magic unusable.
• Princesses Rule: A subtle aversion. While Twilight is looking through the history of the Crystal Ponies, she finds the crystal fair was set up by their first queen.
• Race Confronting the Clock: The heroes only have so much time to find a way to stop King Sombra before Cadance's magic gives out and the barrier she'southward maintaining to proceed him out fades.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something:
  • Co-ordinate to the toyline, Shining Armor now runs the Crystal Empire with Princess Cadance (take that as yous will). He too accompanies the Mane Half-dozen in their take a chance to protect the empire.
  • Cadance uses her magic to put a protective field of love around the Crystal Empire to keep King Sombra out.
  • And Sombra himself goes Ane-Man Army on the Empire.
• Saying Sound Effects Out Loud: Pinkie Pie's playing of the crystal flügelhorn involves her shouting the word "flügelhorn" through the flügelhorn. She loves her Inherently Funny Words.
• Schizo Tech: Night-Vision Goggles are now canon, though they look similar glass and metal spectacles with no electronics.
• Secret Test of Graphic symbol: Celestia tells Twilight that this mission volition be a "dissimilar sort of examination".
• Shout-Out:
  • Black Spy Catsuit with a balaclava? Check. Stealthy rooftop skipping? Check. Rappelling into the scene? Bank check. 3-lensed Night-Vision Goggles? Triple bank check. Pinkie has plain been taking lessons from Sam Fisher.
  • "It's a Spy!"
  • Shining Armour's wintertime attire seems to be 1 to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
  • The episode introduces the concept that unicorns tin use their magic to spread hatred, fear, and selfishness, at the cost of corruption of the soul. Is that magic or the Strength?
  • When Cadance and Twilight do the sunshine dance, the music briefly resembles a Kingdom Hearts boondocks tune.
  • Celestia begins her visualization of the Crystal Empire by showing Twilight a crystal shard... which then turns dark. Bonus points for the fact that information technology'southward exactly the aforementioned shape as the one in the pic.
• Sibling Team: Just similar with Discord, the royal sisters team upward to defeat King Sombra. The recording crystal shows them crossing horns for a Combination Assault magic beam.
• Club-on-Edge Episode: This two-parter involved the threat of the enslavement of an unabridged kingdom.
• Squee!:
  • Rarity one time she finds out well-nigh the Crystal Ponies. Likewise upon seeing the Empire for the first time.
  • Twilight has a similar reaction when she sees the library.
• Spy Cat Accommodate: Pinkie Pie wears one in her Shout-Out moment to a higher place.
• Sunglasses at Nighttime: Inverted. Pinkie wears Night-Vision Goggles in broad daylight. She quickly crashes into a lamp mail service.
• Super OCD: Twilight Sparkle preparing for the "test" that she thinks she's been summoned to Canterlot for. She rushes around for quills, ink, books, flashcards, etc.
• Taking You with Me: Before he was banished, Male monarch Sombra puts a expletive on the Crystal Empire that causes it to vanish.
• Teleport Spam: Twilight does this across a series of lily pads on a swimming every bit part of an impressive dance sequence.
• Trailers Ever Spoil: Most of the first part could be watched through the previews.
• Throw the Book at Them: Spike gets Twilight'southward copy of "The Magical Compendium, Volumes ane-36" dropped on his head.
• Unreliable Illustrator: What is supposedly a crystal flugelhorn looks more like an instrument out of a Seussian fantasy land than any actual flugelhorn. (Real flugelhorns don't have two bells, for one thing. For some other, flugelhorns are valved.)
• Vagueness Is Coming: The frantic message to Celestia that "It has returned."

  LittleshyFIM: "Celestia, information technology has returned!" "The Crystal Empire?!" "No, the aroma coming from the bath!"

• Vanishing Village: The Crystal Empire has been missing for a thousand years.
• Well-Intentioned Replacement: Twilight was confident that her magically carved crystal heart was enough to serve as the centerpiece of the Crystal Fair. It wasn't.
• Wham Line:

  Rainbow Nuance: Can't have a Crystal Fair without the Crystal Heart, right?
  Librarian: Of course y'all can't! But I thought King Sombra hid the Crystal Heart abroad somewhere nopony would ever discover it.

• You Shall Not Pass!: While running from King Sombra, Shining Armor remains behind to hold him off then the Mane Six and Spike can attain the Crystal Empire safely. He survives but his horn is corrupted and so he is unable to cast his defensive spell to help Cadance.

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Source: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1

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