Magic Duel

Magic Duel is the 5th episode of the third season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, and the 57th episode overall. In this episode, Trixie returns to Ponyville and defeats Twilight in a magic duel, banishing her from town.

Production and development
On December 5, 2012, show head writer Meghan McCarthy revealed on Twitter that the episode was submitted on January 27th, 2011, and was originally intended to be a Season 2 episode. After Equestria Daily reported this, layout artist Holly Giesbrecht clarified on Twitter that "That doesn't mean it takes that long, it means it was originally a script for S2, but things got shuffled & switched."

While the location of the alley and curio shop introduced at the beginning of the episode is not specified in the show, one of the show's layout artists who worked on the episode recalls the script identifying it as Canterlot.

In early 2012, a blog titled "phils portfolio" posted production art of the alley and curio shop, each in both sketched and finished forms. The file name of the alley sketch identifies them as being part of Canterlot. The post was taken down from the blog within a few days after the episode aired.

Holly Giesbrecht wrote on Twitter that "a few" of her layout scenes were cut.

At the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International, it was hinted that Trixie would be returning in the third season, with Hasbro Studios' vice president of development Michael Vogel saying, "I think we're not allowed to say, but I can tell you that I would expect, uh, come season three, we'll maybe see some great and powerful stuff" in answer to a question about Trixie and Gilda.

The mysterious Alicorn Amulet
"Would you like that gift-wrapped?"

- Shopkeeper

A hooded mare gallops into an empty marketplace and enters a shop. She begins to look around the shop until a small light goes on. A stallion comes out and asks her what she wants; she points to a red amulet. The stallion identifies it as the Alicorn Amulet, describing it as one of the most powerful magic charms. He warns her about what effects it will have to the user, but the mare dumps a big bag of bits on the desk, and he asks if she wants it gift wrapped. The mare walks slowly towards the amulet and smiles evilly.

Trixie is back
In Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle and Spike are over at Fluttershy's cottage. Some of Fluttershy's animal friends are there, and Fluttershy tries to tell them not to be scared but gives Twilight a sudden warning if anything happens to them. Spike tries to calm the yellow Pegasi, but she is frantic about the safety of her animal friends. However, the animals appear to be excited about helping Twilight with her trick. Twilight assures Fluttershy that it will be okay and uses her magic to lift the animals. The animals glow with Twilight's magic and go flying in the air while Fluttershy starts chewing her hooves. The animals fly around in the air doing tricks in an infinity shape. They land on the ground chittering as if they want to do it again. Twilight makes sure that her friend was alright. The trick was revealed to be practice for when Princess Celestia will visit with the delegates from Saddle Arabia, and Twilight is in charge of the entertainment.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash comes zooming in and crashes into Twilight. She looks frantic about something and asks Twilight to come with her because it's an emergency.

Magic training and cruel ruling
"Alright, Trixie. Let's duel!"

- Twilight Sparkle When Twilight races into town, she spots the hooded mare introduced at the start of the episode. Rarity is attempting to confront the mysterious figure, but is easily defeated as the mare knows her weaknesses, which is fashion. The mare zaps Rarity. The beam spawns a dress on Rarity. She is horrified by the misuse of the color brown. She then faints as Applejack catches her and walks away with Pinkie Pie. As Twilight and Spike enter the scene, the mare reveals herself as Trixie. Rainbow Dash begins to mock Trixie's magic skills, but she casts a spell on Dash, in which she makes one of her wings to grow much bigger than the other one, resulting Dash into losing balance. However, Snips and Snails still remain to be loyal to Trixie, but that does not move her. She causes the two colts to be fused by the horns. Twilight begs for Trixie to stop. She refuses and reveals her life after her humiliation in the episode "Boast Busters". It shows her wagon being spray-painted with the picture of a crudely drawn Ursa Minor, as well as an "X" symbol across her own symbol on the wagon. Next was a group of ponies laughing at her as she tries to perform her "teleportation spell". Another flashback appears showing Trixie working on a rock farm. Pinkie Pie's father appears in the flashback as well. Pinkie Pie interrupts her, stating that she was lucky a rock farm would hire somepony like her. Trixie forms a mouse cursor to appear, which removes Pinkie Pie's snout and places it in a recycling bin. Trixie challenges Twilight Sparkle to a duel, but the purple unicorn declines. Trixie continues doing unkind things to convince her to say yes, such as uprooting Twilight's library tree and throwing her books out. She then agrees to the duel. Trixie banishes all spells and restores all the towns ponies, except for Pinkie Pie's snout, which she is not happy about. They are able to keep up with one another, until Trixie does an age spell on Snips and Snails, and Twilight cannot reverse it. She is banished from town. The purple mare seeks the help of Zecora, who teaches her how to focus on her magic and to block out all thoughts. Twilight fails at blocking out her thoughts, as she is worried about Ponyville. Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Trixie has forced the citizens to become her slaves, and bad weather erupts over the town. She forces Rarity to make banners while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy set them up all over Ponyville. She also makes the Cakes build her a throne made out of sweets and makes Applejack stomp some apples so she can have a applesauce facial. When Applejack refuses to do anything, Trixie makes two feathers appear that tickle Applejack until she agrees to keep on working. Trixie also forces Pinkie Pie to dance for her own entertainment. Rarity gets accidentally poked by the needle because she is being worked so hard. When given the chance, the friends and Spike look through Twilight's books, and Fluttershy finds a book about the Alicorn Amulet, but because of her quiet nature, she is outspoken by her friends. Finally, Spike takes the book from her and they read about the amulet. The book says that the wearer of the amulet is given amazing magical abilities and strengths, but, whoever wears the amulet becomes more evil and corrupt as a result. And the only pony who can take her amulet off is the wearer, which, in this case, is Trixie. The friends convince Fluttershy to sneak out of the dome and to contact Twilight Sparkle. The next day, beavers are padding on the dome, and Trixie allows them to leave so they can haul their wood, and Fluttershy is inside. She wants to go back, but her animal friends force her to see Twilight Sparkle.

The second magic duel


After Fluttershy meets up with Twilight Sparkle at Zecora's hut and informs her about the Alicorn Amulet, they discuss ways to beat Trixie at her own game. Zecora says that while she has learned much, Twilight Sparkle needs to utilize the six. After figuring out the meaning of Zecora's words, Twilight Sparkle writes a letter and sends Fluttershy back into Ponyville.

Twilight Sparkle then arrives at Ponyville's outskirts, where she meets up with Trixie through the glass encasing the town, and reveals that she is wearing an amulet of her own, bragging about how her amulet is "from beyond the Everfree Forest" and is potentially more powerful than the Alicorn Amulet. Twilight Sparkle then challenges Trixie to a rematch, to which Trixie begrudgingly obliges. Trixie preforms yet another "simple" age spell, as she would call it, on Snips and Snails transforming them both into foals, then Twilight Sparkle calls forth Rarity and Applejack, casting her own "age spell" on them. She continuously makes the two ponies different ages, between young and old, and Trixie stares in awe declaring it as impossible. Then, Twilight Sparkle creates a "duplicate" of Rainbow Dash, and "transforms" Pinkie Pie into a ten-band performing pony. She even "genderbends" Applejack by turning her into a colt. At this point, Trixie becomes jealous of Twilight Sparkle's supposed magic amulet, steals it from her and wears it after she removed the Alicorn Amulet on her own will. One of the Rainbow Dashes then nabs the Alicorn Amulet from Trixie's disposal, and Twilight Sparkle reveals that the amulet Trixie stole from her is really a fake. Twilight Sparkle explains to Trixie all of her "advanced magic spells" were actually common magic tricks and illusions. Twilight Sparkle had all of her friends and their families to help out to make these tricks appear convincing, such as, for example, painting Big McIntosh orange to look like Applejack's colt form, dying and styling Sweetie Belle's hair to make her look as Rarity's filly form, and disguising Fluttershy to make her look like a duplicate of Rainbow Dash. In Pinkie Pie's case, she is already naturally talented as a ten-band performing pony. Twilight Sparkle then concludes that the most powerful kind of magic that helped her defeat Trixie again is the magic of friendship; a kind of magic Trixie presumably never had, and a kind no magical trinkets can help provide.

Trixie and Twilight steal the show/epilogue
Princess Celestia is with the ambassadors from Saddle Arabia, and Twilight performs her magic spell with Fluttershy's animals. Fluttershy is absolutely terrified and Spike tries to comfort her as Twilight puts on her show for the delegates. But as she places the animals down, she realizes that Trixie was adding some kind of fireworks to her performance, stating that it was the least she could do after treating her friends and neighbors so horribly. She then makes a sincere apology to the purple mare. Twilight accepts Trixie's apology and Trixie boasts about being the most apologetic pony ever. Twilight shakes her head and Trixie leaves in a puff of smoke. As she canters off, she trips and falls over a rock in the road. Before the scene can fade to black, Pinkie breaks the fourth wall again by jumping through the iris out and starts complaining about not being able to speak. Twilight then enters the black screen and restores Pinkie's mouth. The episode ends before Pinkie starts talking.

Quotes

 * Shopkeeper: Uh, ah- I'm afraid this is... far too dangerous.
 * [bits clinking]
 * Shopkeeper: Would you like that gift-wrapped?


 * Fluttershy: Don't be scared, little friends, Twilight is wonderful with magic. [to Twilight] Anything happens to them, Twilight, so help me.


 * Trixie: I even had to take a job on a rock farm just to earn a living! A rock farm!
 * Pinkie Pie: Hey! You're lucky a rock farm would take the likes of you!


 * Rainbow Dash: Trying to sneak past the forcefield would be impossible without help, but I know who's got the goods to get into those woods!
 * Fluttershy: [quietly] It- it must be-
 * Rainbow Dash: Fluttershy!
 * Fluttershy: Whaaat?!


 * Trixie: The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't trust wheels.


 * Fluttershy: Oh, this is me being brave! I wanna be brave at home, locked in my closet, with my teddy bear!


 * Twilight Sparkle: By the way, Trixie, the amulet around your neck? It's one of Zecora's doorstops.


 * Trixie: But what about the pony with the ten instruments?
 * Twilight Sparkle: That's not magic, that was just Pinkie Pie.


 * Trixie: Oh, good. Don't you think the Great and Apologetic Trixie is the most magnificent humble pony you have ever seen?

Gallery

 * Magic Duel image gallery