Crystal Empire

"Don't say that, you bastard!"

> Take a break from your adventure in the lovely Crystal Empire in Equestria. Play some of the Crystal Ponies' favorite games or compare scores online in the library.
>
> - FiL pause screen description

The **Crystal Empire** (Japanese: **クリスタルエンパイア**) is a location in Equestria that is the home of the Crystal Ponies. It is ruled by Flurry Heart ever since Princess Cadence and Shining Armor died due to not being Chosen Ones.

If the player chose to be a Crystal Pony at the start of the game, it serves as their hometown in *Friendship is Legendary*.

## Places of interest

### Square

The square lies at the center of the Empire, where the Crystal Castle is located. In the series, it is depicted as a peaceful place with a lot of buildings and working Crystal Ponies.

There is a snowflake pattern on the ground, spreading out from the Crystal Heart.

The statue the Crystal Ponies created to honor Spike also resides here.

#### Crystal Castle

The Crystal Castle is the home of the royal rulers of the empire. It has a huge crystal tower which fires a ribbon of energy into the sky whenever the Crystal Heart below is powered.

During King Sombra's rule, the Crystal Castle had a much darker appearance and strongly resembled Barad-dûr from *The Lord of the Rings*.

### Library

The Crystal Empire is home to an immense library with decorative Griffon statues outside its front doors. Astral Diamond serves as its librarian.

### Spa

One of the spa's signature luxuries is a crystal mud bath.

### Stadium

The main city of the Empire is also home to a huge stadium, on one occasion used to host the Equestria Games. It is a huge structure, capable of seating many thousands of ponies in the wrap-around grandstands. As well as regular seating, the stadium also features a special seating box for VIP spectators, including customized seating for the Alicorn Princesses and Magical Warriors.

### Sunburst's house

The home of Sunburst. It is a small house, shaped like a classic wizard's hat. The interior is filled with shelves containing books on many magical spells and their history.

### Crystal flower garden

A large garden filled with crystalline plantlife, which was originally tended to by Mistmane since she became the Crystal Empire's royal landscape artist. There are also statues in the garden depicting Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.

## Festivities

* The Crystal Faire is a celebration established by the Crystal Empire's first queen and is the Crystal Ponies' most important tradition.
* The Crystalling is a Crystal Empire tradition held for Empire newborns in which the parents collect the light and love of the Crystal Ponies in the purest crystal they can find (which is then added to the Crystal Heart) and a designated "Crystaller" presents the baby to the public. Through this ceremony, the Crystal Heart is made even stronger.
	+ In Chapter 2 of the FiL game's Crystal Pony route, the player's Crystalling works differently due to them having no parents.

## Demographics

### Residents

* Player (if they chose to be a Crystal Pony at the start of the FiL game)
* Flurry Heart
* Astral Diamond
* Starlight Glimmer
* Sunburst
* Luster Dawn
* Diamant
* Elza
* Star Shine
* Maude
* Bonbon
* Sweetie
* Aurora
* Lyra Crystalspike

### Visitors

* Megan Killy-Williams
* Radiant Lilypad-Daybreak

## Trivia

* Due to Princess Cadence and Shining Armor not being Chosen Ones, they eventually grew old and died, and thus Flurry Heart has been the empire's ruler ever since then. However, to honor them, the two *are* depicted in statues in the crystal flower garden.
* It was a piece of inspiration for Waddle Dee Town from *Kirby and the Forgotten Land*.