A Canterlot Wedding

Twilight Sparkle (voiced by Tara Strong) is surprised to learn that her older brother and Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor (Andrew Francis), is to be married, and that Princess Celestia (Nicole Oliver) has requested her and her friends from Ponyville to help organize the Wedding ceremony. Twilight is somewhat resentful, as she has considered Shining Armor as her "Big Brother Best Friend Forever" ("B.B.B.F.F"), yet only coming to learn of the marriage at this late date and the fact that he (Shining Armor) only sent a letter, rather than coming in person. Twilight and her friends arrive in Canterlot, surprised to find that security has been increased, including a magic shield shell cast by Shining Armor that protects the entire city, due to an unknown threat.

Twilight berates her brother for not informing her sooner and only sending a letter, but he apologizes, offering Twilight to be his "best mare". Shining Armor then reveals that he is marrying Princess Cadence (Britt McKillip), whom Twilight knows as Cadence, her favorite "foalsitter", cheering Twilight up further. However, when Twilight first meets Cadence, she finds the bride to be cold and distant, seemingly having no memory of a special rhyme they had shared when Twilight was younger. As Twilight observes the preparations for the ceremony, she further doubts Cadence's purpose, as the bride criticizes every aspect that her friends are planning. Her friends dismiss Twilight's claims as pressure from the ceremony mounts. She approaches Shining Armor about her concerns, but Cadance interrupts and takes him aside, casting a spell on him that she purports to help him deal with the migraines caused by casting the shield spell around the city and Twilight thinks that Cadence is downright evil.

During the wedding rehearsal the next day, Twilight barges in and decries that Cadence is evil. Shining Armor is furious with Twilight and explains the apparent reasons for Cadance's behavior, and he, Celestia and her friends refuse to believe Twilight's claims, leaving Twilight alone with Cadence. When Twilight tries to apologize to her, Cadance reveals her evil side, casting a spell around Twilight which transports her underground to the caves beneath Canterlot.

Twilight finds herself in the long-forgotten crystal caves beneath Canterlot. An image of Princess Cadance appears and taunts her, explaining that the marriage will continue without Twilight's interference. Using her magic to shatter a crystal wall, Twilight finds another Cadance waiting there, but Cadence is disheveled and battered. Twilight attacks her, but she proves that she is the real Cadance by demonstrating their shared rhyme from their youth. Cadence explains she was abducted by the imposter in the castle to marry Shining Armor herself. The two then work together to escape the caves and try to stop the wedding. Meanwhile, the fake Cadance revels in her victory, secretly plotting against Shining Armor and the others ("This Day Aria").

Just before the ceremony is completed, Twilight and the real Cadence arrive to expose the deception. The fake Cadence, enraged to reveal her true image as Queen Chrysalis[note 1] (Kathleen Barr), ruler of the shapeshifting insect-like Changelings. Chrysalis has been usurping Shining Armor's power, weakening the shield to allow her Changeling army to invade Canterlot and take over Equestria, desiring to feed her armies off the love spread throughout the land. Celestia attempts to stop her but is overpowered and defeated. Celestia implores Twilight and her friends to recover the Elements of Harmony to stop Chrysalis. Though they are able to fight through one troop of Changelings and make their way to the Elements' vault, they soon become outnumbered, and are surrounded and returned to the Queen as her captives. With no further resistance, Chrysalis blurts out that the others not believing Twilight has led to her overtake of the wedding and declares her victory complete. Twilight uses the distraction to free Cadance so she may be with Shining Armor. Cadance's magic is able to break Chrysalis's spell on the groom, and with the real Cadence's love and magic, Shining Armor is able to recast the shield at full strength, physically expelling Chrysalis and her army from Canterlot to parts unknown.

Princess Celestia commends Twilight Sparkle for her instincts and conviction to them that ultimately saved the day. The real wedding goes on as planned, with Twilight eagerly overseeing preparations for a much happier and profoundly appreciative Cadance. Shining Armor makes Twilight his best mare again, and after he and Cadance are married, a celebration ensues, with Twilight as the wedding singer ("Love is in Bloom").

Both parts of "A Canterlot Wedding" premiered on The Hub in the United States on April 21, 2012, airing in an hour-long special presentation hosted by Tori Spelling.[2] The episodes were The Hub's highest-rated programs to date in the demographics of kids 6-11 and households, with a total viewership of 483,000 and 475,000 recorded for both parts respectively.[9] Part one saw an increase in Kids 6-11 by 1,047% and Adults 18-49 by 102%, whereas part two saw an increase in Kids 6-11 by 654% and Adults 18-49 by 46%.[9] Driven by the performance of "A Canterlot Wedding", The Hub earned its second-best Saturday rating in the network's history, with an average of 184,000 viewers and 129,000 households watching the channel between 6 am to 12 am.[9]

The episode received largely positive reviews from critics. Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave "A Canterlot Wedding" an "A-" rating, considering it to be one of the reasons why he felt Friendship Is Magic was currently one of the best children's programs. VanDerWerff praised its continuing emphasis on themes surrounding the "painful uncertainties of growing up", commenting that a fight scene between the main characters and the Changelings was "as colorful and fun as anything I've seen on any TV program this season", and also praised Daniel Ingram's work on the soundtrack of the episodes—including the "This Day Aria" musical number between the good and evil Princess Cadance, which he compared to the "villain songs" of the Disney Renaissance. She also recommended "A Canterlot Wedding" to viewers who may be skeptical about the popularity of the series.[10]

David Hinckley of the New York Daily News noted that the complex storyline and darker themes seen in "A Canterlot Wedding" would make it appeal just as well to older viewers, and made the episode also feel relatively ambitious for a children's show. Hinckley and Michelle Profis of Entertainment Weekly noted that the episode's timing was also close to the one-year anniversary of the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.[11][12] Entertainment Weekly writer Hilary Busis, reporting about the "invitation" that appeared in The New York Times to promote the episode, noted that "Having seen it myself, I can concur; the hour-long special is ambitious, absorbing, and thoroughly entertaining, even to those who stopped playing with My Little Ponies [sic] back in the mid-'80s. (Or, you know, never played with them at all.)"[3]