My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (season 3)

The third season of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, developed by Lauren Faust, originally aired on The Hub in the United States. The series is based on Hasbro's My Little Pony line of toys and animated works and is often referred by collectors to be the fourth generation, or "G4", of the My Little Pony franchise. Season 3 of the series premiered on November 10, 2012 on The Hub, an American pay television channel partly owned by Hasbro, and concluded on February 16, 2013.

The show follows a studious unicorn pony named Twilight Sparkle as her mentor Princess Celestia guides her to learn about friendship in the town of Ponyville. Twilight becomes close friends with five other ponies: Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Each represents a different face of friendship, and Twilight discovers herself to be a key part of the magical artifacts, the "Elements of Harmony". The ponies share adventures and help out other residents of Ponyville, while working out the troublesome moments in their own friendships.

Concept
Season 3 features a broad arc which shows that Twilight has demonstrated positive leadership qualities beyond Celestia's expectations, leading Twilight to be crowned as a new Princess in Equestria and to become an "alicorn" (a pony with both a horn and a pair of wings).

Production
Season 3 is the first season of the show without input from Lauren Faust, the original creative director of the show who stepped down after the first season and provided creative consulting in the second; instead, production was overseen by Jayson Thiessen, while Meghan McCarthy was the lead writer for the series, who both shared the role of executive producer from Season 4 onwards.

A sneak peek of two future songs in Season 3, "The Failure Song" and "The Ballad of the Crystal Empire" (both from the first episode), was unveiled at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. Part of a continuing plot in this season is a journey that Twilight Sparkle undertakes that ultimately leads to her to be named a Princess in the season finale, which includes becoming an alicorn. Meghan McCarthy said that the intent was to show that they were building a "unique mythology around being a princess", and to show girls that while they cannot be princesses themselves, they can live to the ideals of one by "shar[ing] the gifts that they have been given with others". As of Season 3, the song titles make their appearance in the closing credits, along with the name of the composer Daniel Ingram and the name of the lyricist.

Main

 * Tara Strong as Twilight Sparkle (speaking voice)
 * Rebecca Shoichet as Twilight Sparkle (singing voice)
 * Tabitha St. Germain as Rarity
 * Kazumi Evans as Rarity (singing voice)
 * Ashleigh Ball as Applejack and Rainbow Dash
 * Andrea Libman as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie (speaking voice)
 * Shannon Chan-Kent as Pinkie Pie (singing voice); Libman occasionally
 * Cathy Weseluck as Spike

Recurring

 * Nicole Oliver as Princess Celestia
 * Tabitha St. Germain as Princess Luna
 * Britt McKillip as Princess Cadance
 * Andrew Francis as Shining Armor
 * The Cutie Mark Crusaders
 * Michelle Creber as Apple Bloom
 * Madeleine Peters as Scootaloo
 * Claire Corlett as Sweetie Belle (speaking voice)
 * Michelle Creber as Sweetie Belle (singing voice)

Minor

 * Chantal Strand as Diamond Tiara
 * Shannon Chan-Kent as Silver Spoon
 * Kelly Metzger as Spitfire
 * Kathleen Barr as Trixie
 * Lee Tockar as Snips
 * Richard Ian Cox as Snails
 * Brenda Crichlow as Zecora
 * Tabitha St. Germain as Granny Smith and Aunt Applesauce
 * Peter New as Big McIntosh and Half Baked Apple
 * Ashleigh Ball as Apple Rose and Apple Dumpling
 * Andrea Libman as Apple Leaves
 * Terry Klassen as Apple Split
 * John de Lancie as Discord

Guest stars

 * Jim Miller as King Sombra
 * Brynna Drummond as Babs Seed
 * Britt Irvin as Lightning Dust
 * Veena Sood as Ms. Harshwhinny
 * Patricia Drake as Ms. Peachbottom

DVD release
Shout! Factory, who own the DVD publishing rights for the series within Region 1, released multiple DVDs. Adventures in the Crystal Empire, Pinkie Pie Party, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and A Pony For Every Season were released for Region 1 markets containing episodes from the third season, bundled with episodes from previous seasons. The complete season was released on February 4, 2014.