Magic Duel

Magic Duel
Season №:	3
Season episode №:	5
Overall episode №:	57
Original airdate:	December 1, 2012
Written by:	M. A. Larson
Storyboard:	Lih Liau and Marshall Fels Elliott
Featured characters:	Trixie Snips Snails Zecora
See also
credits • transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation
Episode guide
Previous One Bad Apple	Next Sleepless in Ponyville

Magic Duel is the fifth episode of the third season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the fifty-seventh episode overall. In this episode, Trixie returns to Ponyville and wields a powerful artifact to get revenge on Twilight Sparkle.

Production and development

Panorama showing multiple images and statues of Trixie.

Show head writer Meghan McCarthy wrote on Twitter on December 5, 2012 that the episode was submitted on January 27, 2011 and was originally intended to be a season two 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." Former producer Lauren Faust wrote on Twitter on September 18, 2013, "Magic Duel was a leftover concept from Season 3. I pulled it because I wanted to do something else with Trixie."

Canterlot Alleyway.

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.

At the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International, Hasbro Studios' vice president of development Michael Vogel hinted that Trixie would be returning in the third season, 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.

When the episode's writer was asked about the origin of the name "Alicorn Amulet", he replied that it was called the "Unicharm" in all of the episode's scripts, but "someone somewhere along the way changed it to Alicorn".

Material cut from the episode

At one point, Rarity had the line "Madness!" after Trixie turned her dress a combination of army green and neon yellow before Pinkie Pie ushered Rarity away like James Brown. A scene including the line "Stop that" spoken by Mayor Mare was cut from the episode; despite not having a speaking role in the final version of the episode, the Mayor is still listed in its credits. M. A. Larson mentions in an interview that a few of his jokes were cut from the episode, for example Trixie asks to see the "revenge section" of the curio shop and the shopkeeper replies "oh, right over here." Holly Giesbrecht wrote on Twitter that "a few" of her layout scenes were cut.

Summary

The Alicorn Amulet

The amulet is very dangerous.

On a rainy night, a hooded mare enters a darkened curio shop and begins rummaging through the items. When approached by the shopkeeper, she points to an object behind the counter that he identifies as the Alicorn Amulet. He initially rejects her offer to buy it and claims it is "far too dangerous", though upon being presented with a large sack of bits, the shopkeeper eagerly closes the deal.

Trixie's return

When Rainbow starts to panic, then it's an emergency.

Sometime later at Fluttershy's cottage, Twilight Sparkle rehearses a magic show with a group of woodland creatures in preparation for a visit from delegates of Saddle Arabia. Just as Spike remarks on how much her magic has improved since moving to Ponyville, Rainbow Dash rushes in with an urgent request for Twilight to follow her back into town.

Twilight arrives at the town hall, where she finds Trixie—the hooded mare from before—casting spells to cause havoc among the townsfolk. When confronted, Trixie explains that she's getting revenge for being humiliated the last time she was in town and threatens to keep casting spells until Twilight agrees to duel her. Twilight hesitantly agrees and manages to counter a series of attacks, but when Trixie casts an age spell on Snips and Snails, Twilight finds herself unable to reverse the effect.

The rest of the Mane Six step in to defend Twilight, only for Trixie to magically eject her from Ponyville before surrounding the town with an enormous glass-like forcefield. As her friends approach from the other side of the barrier, Twilight tells them to take care of each other while she searches for a solution and heads off toward the Everfree Forest.

Zecora's help

Twilight training with Zecora.

Unable to reach Spike to send a message to Princess Celestia, Twilight heads to Zecora's hut and begins training her magic in preparation to rescue her friends. In Ponyville, Trixie compels the rest of the Mane Six to help prepare her throne room in the town hall. After taking refuge in the Golden Oak Library, they manage to find a book revealing that Trixie's Alicorn Amulet provides her with "untold powers" but corrupts her at the same time, and that it's fastened with a magical lock that only the wearer can unlatch. The girls determine that Fluttershy will be the one to sneak the information to Twilight, and after some initial hesitation, Fluttershy consents.

The next day, Trixie detects a disturbance in her forcefield and makes Snips and Snails haul her over in a wheelless chariot to inspect it. She finds a group of beavers trying to transport a large log across the barrier and lets them through, though as soon as Snips and Snails begin carting her back towards town, the beavers reach into the hollowed-out log and retrieve Fluttershy from inside.

With the assistance of her animal friends, Fluttershy finds Twilight Sparkle at Zecora's hut and conveys what was learned about the Alicorn Amulet in the library. Twilight doubts her ability to defeat its magic alone, to which Zecora answers:

"If Trixie's tricks have you in a fix, you must nix your magic and use the six."

— Zecora

After some thought, Twilight pens instructions for Fluttershy to take with her back to Ponyville.

The rematch

Twilight wearing her new "amulet".

Responding to another forcefield disturbance, Trixie reaches the edge of town to find Twilight and Zecora on the other side of the barrier. Twilight confronts her about the Alicorn Amulet and shows off a new amulet from "beyond the Everfree Forest", challenging her to a second duel to show off its purportedly superior magic. Intrigued by the potential for more power, Trixie agrees to a second duel and dissolves the town's forcefield to let them in.

At the town square, Trixie begins the contest with another age spell on Snips and Snails. Twilight responds by casting a series of spells that appear to change the ages of Rarity and Applejack, duplicate Rainbow Dash, cause Pinkie Pie to play ten instruments at once, and turn Applejack briefly into a stallion. Awestruck at the apparent power of the new amulet, Trixie uses her magic to swap it with the Alicorn Amulet, which Rainbow Dash quickly snatches from her grasp. Trixie retaliates by attacking Rainbow with magic lightning only to find that it merely tickles her, whereupon Twilight reveals that the new "amulet" is just one of Zecora's doorstops.

As Rainbow hands the Alicorn Amulet to Zecora for hiding, Twilight explains to Trixie how she used her "spells" as a smokescreen so that her friends—painted to look like variations or duplicates of the Mane Six—could replace each other and give the impression that the fake amulet was working. She credits Zecora for helping her realize how the magic of friendship could be more powerful than her unicorn magic and ultimately prevail against a stronger foe. Trixie retreats as the onlooking residents cheer, and the town returns to normal.

The repentant magician

The Great and Apologetic Trixie.

Later, Princess Celestia and the delegates from Saddle Arabia arrive in Ponyville and attend an evening gathering where Twilight puts on her magic show with the woodland creatures. She notices an unexpected fireworks display at the end of her performance and looks around to find its source in Trixie, who asks for forgiveness for her behavior under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet. Twilight accepts, and the "Great and Apologetic Trixie" runs off into the distance.

Quotes

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

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: Trixie is the highest level unicorn! [laughs] And now it's time for you to leave Ponyville! FOREVER!

Rainbow Dash: Trying to sneak past the force field would be impossible without help, but I know who's got the goods to get into those woods!

Fluttershy: It- it must be-

Rainbow Dash: Fluttershy!

Fluttershy: Whaaat?!

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

Snails: Gah, why is she so mean to us?

Snips: Yeah! I miss the days when she was just a fraud!

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

Trixie: What about the pony with the ten instruments?

Twilight Sparkle: That's not magic, that was just Pinkie Pie.

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

Gallery

Magic Duel image gallery

References

v • e Episodes, films, and animated shorts

Make Your Mark
Episode 1 Izzy Does It	Episode 2 Growing Pains	Episode 3 Portrait of a Princess	Episode 4 Ali-Conned
Episode 5 The Cutie Mark Mix-Up	Episode 6 The Traditional Unicorn Sleep-Over	Episode 7 Hoof Done It?	Episode 8 Have You Seen This Dragon?
Episode 9 Top Remodel	Episode 10 The Jinxie Games	Episode 11 Sunny Side Up	Episode 12 The Manesquerade Ball
Episode 13 A Little Horse	Episode 14 Missing the Mark	Episode 15 Cutie Blossom Bash	Episode 16 Family Trees Pt. 1
Episode 17 Family Trees Pt. 2	Episode 18 Father of the Bridlewood	Episode 19 Mane Smelody	Episode 20 Nightmare on Mane Street
Episode 21 The Isle of Scaly‎‎	Episode 22 Roots of All Evil Pt. 1‎	Episode 23 Roots of All Evil Pt. 2