The Crystal Empire

"**The Crystal Empire**"
"The Crystal Empire"
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes
	The Mane Six, Spike, and Shining Armor flee from King Sombra in the Frozen North
Episode nos.	Season 3; Episodes 1 & 2
Directed by	James Wootton
Written by	Meghan McCarthy
Produced by	Sarah Wall; Devon Cody; Chris Bartleman (executive); Stephen Davis (executive); Kirsten Newlands (executive);
Featured music	Songs by Daniel Ingram; "The Failure Song", performed by Rebecca Shoichet and Cathy Weseluck; "The Ballad of the Crystal Empire", performed by Rebecca Shoichet, Shannon Chan-Kent, Ashleigh Ball, Andrea Libman, and Kazumi Evans; "The Success Song", performed by Rebecca Shoichet, Cathy Weseluck, Ashleigh Ball, Andrea Libman, and Kazumi Evans;
Editing by	Mark Kuehnel; Meghan McCarthy (story);
Original air date	November 10, 2012
Running time	44 minutes (combined)
Guest appearances
	Andrew Francis as Shining Armor; Britt McKillip as Princess Cadance; Jim Miller as King Sombra;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "A Canterlot Wedding"	Next →; "Too Many Pinkie Pies"
	My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (season 3)
	List of episodes

"The Crystal Empire" is the collective name for the first and second episodes of the third season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic as well as the fifty-third and fifty-fourth episodes of the series overall. Both parts of the episode were first broadcast on The Hub on November 10, 2012. It was written by Meghan McCarthy, and directed by series director James Wootton.

The episode centers on the reappearance of the Crystal Empire after previously being cursed over a thousand years ago by its tyrant ruler King Sombra before his banishment. Fearing that the power of the Crystal Ponies could be used for evil, Princess Celestia sends Twilight Sparkle and her friends to help Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to protect the Empire from King Sombra's attack.

On its initial airing, the episode achieved the highest viewership for a Friendship Is Magic premiere and continued a growth in viewership for the series from the previous year. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics. While they enjoyed the story, the emotional disconnect and one-dimensional nature of the villain were cited as detractors.