A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2

A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2 is the twenty-sixth episode of the second season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the fifty-second overall. It is the second episode in a two-parter which concludes the season. Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are set to be married, but Twilight Sparkle discovers a dark secret about the bride-to-be.

Trapped
Continuing from the previous episode, Twilight Sparkle is imprisoned inside a cave. Using her horn to illuminate the cave, she finds herself imprisoned within the long-forgotten crystal depths of Canterlot, where "Princess Cadance" appears before her through the reflections on the crystals and mocks her, hinting on her motives and Shining Armor's involvement in it. Twilight responds to her taunting several blasts of magic, one of which eventually blows a wall away and reveals a frightened and injured Princess Cadance. Tackling her to the ground, Twilight questions the pegasus unicorn, who replies by claiming that she is the real Cadance. Though initially skeptical, Twilight believes Cadance after the latter chants their childhood rhyme. She then explains that the "Cadance" Shining Armor is betrothed to is an imposter. With this knowledge, Twilight and Princess Cadance resolve to stop the wedding and proceed to escape the cave together.

This Day Aria
Meanwhile, the imposter Cadance breaks into a song, a reference to the 1989 Disney movie The Little Mermaid, about finally fulfilling her lifelong dream. She states that she wishes to marry Shining Armor - whom she has no feelings for - for her own purposes. At the same time, the real Cadance also sings about how her perfect day has gone to shambles because the imposter has taken her place, and her determination to save her fiancé.

Focus shifts back and forth between Twilight and Princess Cadance escaping, Cadance fearing the worst and the imposter Cadance walking down the wedding aisle with the wedding about to begin, prepared to marry Shining Armor, entranced from the spells cast on him.

The reveal
After finally escaping from both the crystal depths and the original bridesmaids, similarly entranced by magic, Twilight bursts into the audience room and interrupts the wedding, much to the dismay of the attendees and, in particular, her friends. The imposter is infuriated about Twilight's persistence. The real Cadance then enters the room, causing even more confusion among everyone, and declares that the Cadance at the end of the aisle is an imposter. The imposter responds by reverting back to her true form and identity: the Changeling Queen, Chrysalis. She tells of her plot to take the power of Shining Armor's love to weaken him and the barrier he has cast over Canterlot, enabling her and her Changeling army to invade and claim the unicorn capital and eventually the remainder of Equestria. The Changeling army just outside are shown penetrating the shield, causing it to crumble gradually.

Princess Celestia steps forth and says that even though Shining Armor is powerless, she is still the stronger mare and a concern for Chrysalis. She then proceeds to shoot a beam of light at Chrysalis, who retaliates with a beam of her own. The heated exchange shows Celestia gaining higher ground, but Chrysalis eventually overwhelms her, surprising everyone, including herself. Celestia drops to the ground, unconscious, her crown falling off of her. Chrysalis is astounded by the power of Shining Armor's love, taking delight in the princess's defeat. Struggling to stay conscious, Celestia instructs the six ponies to retrieve the Elements of Harmony in order to stop the Changelings.

Race to the Tower
Heeding their princess's command, the six ponies race out through Canterlot in search for the Elements. The Changelings finally pierce through the waning barrier, destroying it in the process, and forward their invasion. The six ponies and numerous Changelings exchange in a standoff. The Changelings themselves transform into identical copies of the six. With no other option given, both forces engage each other, locking themselves in combat. Using everything they can, from their hooves to Pinkie Pie's party cannon, one by one the six ponies wipe out enough scores of Changelings that allow them to pass through, but upon arriving at Canterlot Tower where the Elements are held, they find that the Changelings have taken hold of it as well. With the numbers stacked heavily against them, they are soon captured.

The power of love
Back in the castle's audience room, the Changelings have imprisoned Celestia in a chrysalis cocoon and Princess Cadance glued to the floor with the same substance. Cadance defiantly tells Chrysalis that the six friends will put an end to her terror, only to see a group of Changelings walk in with the six held in custody. Chrysalis gloats about how everyone except Twilight were too fixated on the wedding to know about her presence, which Applejack apologizes for on behalf of the other ponies. Twilight assures everyone that they were all fooled by her. The Changeling Queen takes pride in hearing this and breaks into a song again, relishing in the fact that her plans are unfolding accordingly as she looks on at the disorder her Changelings are causing.

Twilight manages to slip past her and blasts the goo off of Cadance's hooves, freeing her. She urges her to try and break Shining Armor from the spell. In a teary embrace, Cadance breaks his trance with her spell of love. Shining Armor is still too weak to cast the barrier spell, however. Standing alongside her groom-to-be, Cadance lends her power and love in order to aid in summoning the barrier. The two connect horns and the spell is cast. To her astonishment, Chrysalis and the Changelings are expelled from Canterlot and thrust into the distance. Celestia is freed from her chrysalis cocoon prison, and all of Canterlot is saved. Celestia is helped up back on her hooves by the now vindicated Twilight and gladly tells her to plan out her brother's wedding. From there, the preparations restart with little hesitation and hassle, the true bride deeply appreciating the efforts of all the ponies.

The royal wedding
The real ceremony commences, with Twilight Sparkle reinstated as Shining Armor's best mare, and Celestia pronounces Cadance and Shining Armor mare and colt, respectively. Celestia commends the heroism of Twilight and her friends, telling her student of the importance of trusting one's instincts and judgment as a sort-of apology to Twilight for indignantly disbelieving her at the rehearsal. As Shining Armor and Cadance kiss again, Celestia gives Rainbow Dash a signal, and the pegasus jets into the sky to perform the sonic rainboom with minimal effort, gleefully proclaiming the event to be the "best wedding ever".

The setting shifts to the wedding reception in the courtyard at night, where the newly-wedded couple starts dancing. Princess Luna joins her sister and the six ponies, asking if she missed anything. Twilight sings one final song to conclude the night, accompanied by a montage of photos taken during the party. At the end of the reception, Shining Armor bids Twilight farewell and profoundly thanks her for all she has done and they come together for one more embrace. Before departing, Cadance throws her bouquet, which Rarity, in a screaming fit, snatches away from the other bridesmaids. Twilight watches happily as their carriage leaves, having enjoyed the wedding. Her friends soon join her, also glad for the outcome. The episode ends as the fireworks decorate the sky above Canterlot.

Quotes

 * Princess Cadance: No! Wait! Ugh! Please! Don't hurt me! Twilight, it's me! Please, you have to believe me. I've been imprisoned like you. The Cadance who brought you down here was an imposter.
 * Twilight Sparkle: Likely story!
 * Princess Cadance: Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves...
 * Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadance: ...and do a little shake.
 * Twilight Sparkle: You remember me!
 * Princess Cadance: Of course I do. How could I forget the filly I love to sit for the most?


 * Princess Celestia: Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you...
 * Twilight Sparkle: Stop!
 * Queen Chrysalis (as Cadance): Ugh! Why does she have to be so possessive of her brother? [sobbing] Why does she have to ruin my special day?
 * Princess Cadance: Because it's not your special day. It's mine.


 * Queen Chrysalis: Ah, ah, ah. Don't want to go back to the caves, now do you? Ever since I took your place, I've been feeding off Shining Armor's love for you. Every moment he grows weaker and so does his spell. Even now my minions are chipping away at it.


 * Queen Chrysalis: Soon, my changeling army will break through. First, we take Canterlot. And then, all of Equestria!
 * Princess Celestia: No. You won't. You may have made it impossible for Shining Armor to perform his spell, but now that you have so foolishly revealed your true self, I can protect my subjects from you!


 * Pinkie Pie: [laughing] Do me! Do me! Meh, I've seen better.


 * Shining Armor: No! My power is useless now. I don't have the strength to repel them.
 * Princess Cadance: My love will give you strength.


 * Princess Celestia: This is your victory as much as theirs. You persisted in the face of doubt, and your actions led to your being able to bring the real Princess Cadance back to us. Learning to trust your instincts is a valuable lesson to learn.


 * Princess Luna: Hello, everypony. Did I miss anything?


 * Shining Armor: Twilight! None of this would have been possible without you, little sis. Love ya, Twily.
 * Twilight Sparkle: Love you too, B.B.B.F.F.


 * Shining Armor: Ready to go?
 * Princess Cadance: Oh! Almost forgot.


 * Rarity: It's mine! Oof! Aha.


 * Twilight Sparkle: Now this was a great wedding.
 * Spike: Oh yeah, just wait until you see what I have planned for the bachelor party!
 * Everypony: [laughing]

Gallery

 * A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2 image gallery