Line #144 Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E5MagicDuel


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mlp_s3e5_magicduel_7656.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: [[HesBack Back]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse in]] [[Music/{{ACDC}} black!]]]]
3
4	->'''Snails:''' Why is she so mean to us?\
5	'''Snips:''' Yeah! [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters I miss the days when she was just a fraud]]!
6
7	->Written by M.A. Larson
8
9	One dark and stormy night in Canterlot, a figure dressed in a black cloak enters a curio shop and requests to buy a red-and-black amulet shaped like a winged unicorn. The shopkeeper recognizes it as the Alicorn Amulet, "one of the most mysterious and powerful of all the known magical charms", but is reluctant to sell it until the cloaked figure deposits a large bag of [[FictionalCurrency bits]] on his counter.
10
11	In Ponyville, Twilight is getting ready for a magic show for Princess Celestia and some delegates from Saddle Arabia when Rainbow Dash crashes into her with some shocking news--the "Great and Powerful" Trixie, the cloaked figure from before, has returned to Ponyville and is tormenting the townsponies with greater and more powerful magic than before. It turns out Trixie's still bitter with Twilight for (unintentionally) humiliating her and ruining her magic career after the whole [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters "Ursa Minor" incident]]. Now she's out for Twilight's blood, and she won't stop attacking the town until Twilight agrees to her terms:
12
13	->'''Trixie:''' [[ThrowingDownTheGauntlet Me and you]]. [[TitleDrop A magic duel]]. Winner stays, [[LoserLeavesTown loser leaves Ponyville forever]]!
14
15	Their spell-casting duel starts out straightforwardly enough--Trixie attacks Twilight with her spells, and Twilight uses her own to defend herself. But the real challenge comes when Trixie casts an age spell that turns Snips into a foal and Snails into an old pony, which only the most powerful of unicorns can do. Because Twilight cannot lift Trixie's age spell, Trixie declares herself the winner, literally throws Twilight out of Ponyville, and conjures a magic dome around the town to keep her out and everypony else in.
16
17	Trixie proves to be not only stronger, but meaner and nastier than ever as she takes over Ponyville. Twilight's friends are none too pleased with her tyranny and search Twilight's library for answers. They find out that Trixie's Alicorn Amulet has not only given her unparalleled magic power, but is also corrupting her with evil magic and, courtesy of a magic lock, can only be taken off by its wearer. Fluttershy is smuggled out of Ponyville by her woodland critters to give Twilight the news in the Everfree Forest, where she's been training with Zecora. The zebra shaman comes up with a solution:
18
19	->'''Zecora:''' If Trixie's tricks have you in a fix, you must nix your magic and use the six.
20
21	Twilight returns to Ponyville and challenges Trixie to another duel, this time armed with her own "totally awesome" amulet given to her by Zecora. Trixie can't resist finding out what powers Twilight's amulet has that make her rival so confident, and accepts the challenge. They start with a "simple" age spell, but not only does Twilight successfully pull off an age spell that turns Applejack and Rarity into fillies, old mares and back in a manner of seconds, she can also create an exact duplicate of Rainbow Dash, make Pinkie Pie play ten instruments at once, and turn Applejack into a stallion--tricks not even the Alicorn Amulet can do! The power-mad Trixie takes off the Alicorn Amulet and steals Twilight's ''obviously'' superior amulet for herself...
22
23	To her horror, the spells with her new amulet hardly have any effect on Rainbow Dash as she snatches the Alicorn Amulet from her hooves and gives it to Zecora to hide away forever. Twilight reveals her amulet is a fake, and her impressive feats of magic were nothing but smoke and parlor tricks pulled off by her friends. With Ponyville back to normal, Twilight puts on her magic show for Princess Celestia and the Saddle Arabia ponies as planned, with a fireworks display at the end from Trixie as a gift of gratitude for saving her from the Alicorn Amulet's evil. Though still as boastful as ever, the "Great and Apologetic" Trixie is forgiven and runs off into the night.
24
25	Well, not everything is back to normal just yet, as Pinkie is still missing her mouth. Luckily, Twilight comes onto the scene and restores it, and Pinkie happily takes a deep breath to speak...
26
27	[[SmashCut Cue the credits]]
28	----
29	!!Tropes:
30
31	* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Nopony is eager to have Trixie run Ponyville; not even her former fans Snips and Snails, who become downright ''terrified'' of her. This is even evident when she first arrives; if you look in the crowd behind Twilight when she confronts her, ''everypony'' is [[DeathGlare glaring]] at her.
32	* AgonyBeam: Trixie tries one on Rainbow Dash. Without the Alicorn Amulet, it's only powerful enough to tickle her.
33	* AmplifierArtifact: Trixie's [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver Alicorn Amulet]] amplifies her magic to the point she can best Twilight and perform other feats of otherwise improbably-powerful magic, such as age-regression.
34	* AmuletOfConcentratedAwesome: The Alicorn Amulet and the "Amulet from Beyond the Everfree Forest". The latter is just a glorified doorstop meant to bluff Trixie.
35	* AndIMustScream: Trixie was unable to control herself when wearing the amulet and being evil, since the amulet corrupts the user. Based on the remorseful tone in her voice at the end, it's likely she was aghast at what she had done when wearing the amulet.
36	* AnswerCut: After being banished from Ponyville, Twilight wonders out loud about who can help her, since she can't contact Princess Celestia. The next scene cuts to Zecora's hut in the Everfree Forest with Twilight finishing filling the zebra in about what had happened.
37	* ArtifactOfDoom: The Alicorn Amulet gives Trixie tremendous power, but also corrupts her into becoming a megalomaniac.
38	* BatmanGambit:
39	** To escape Trixie's magic barrier, Fluttershy hides in a log and has some beavers smuggle her out, believing Trixie would be willing to release them.
40	** During their rematch, Twilight claims Zecora has given her an amulet even more powerful than the Alicorn Amulet, which she demonstrates with various high-level spells. Trixie steals the amulet for herself and swaps it for her Alicorn Amulet, at which point Rainbow Dash steals the Alicorn Amulet and Twilight reveals the new one is just a worthless trinket. Her "magic" was just sleight of hoof.
41	* BazaarOfTheBizarre: Where Trixie finds the Alicorn Amulet during TheTeaser.
42	* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Twilight and company's smoke-and-mirror parlor tricks manage to fool even Trixie, a ''trained parlor magician''.
43	* BerserkButton:
44	** Pinkie gets antsy with Trixie after she refers to working in a rock farm in disdain. [[BullyingADragon She is quickly (and literally) silenced.]]
45	** Trixie intentionally pushes Twilight's "don't hurt her friends or Spike" button in order to get her to agree to the duel.
46	* BeTheBall: Spike is squished into a ball by Trixie's magic and thrown through a hoop.
47	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Fluttershy threatening Twilight if any of her buddies are harmed by Twilight's magic.
48	* BigBrotherIsWatching: In addition to trapping everypony in Ponyville, any disturbance to the barrier automatically alerts Trixie.
49	* BigWhat: Rainbow Dash says there's only one pony that can get the help needed to sneak past the barrier and tell Twilight about the amulet.
50	-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' Fluttershy.\
51	'''Fluttershy:''' WHAT?
52	* {{Birdcaged}}: Happens to Mayor Mare when Trixie takes over the town.
53	* BlackCloak: Trixie can be seen sporting one. While she is more villainous in this episode, there's a different meaning here. It is a solid and plain black. Trixie, the LargeHam, is ''hiding'' from attention.
54	* BlatantLies: Trixie wasn't being convincing at all when Twilight finds out she cheated in the first duel.
55	* BodyHorror: Trixie makes one of Rainbow Dash's wings enormous, fuses Snips and Snails' horns together, turns Spike into a ball that never stops bouncing, and removes Pinkie Pie's mouth.
56	* {{Bookends}}: "Boast Busters" ends with Trixie running away humiliated in a puff of smoke, which she recaps at the beginning of the episode. By the end of this episode, she runs away in a puff of smoke again, but this time on better terms with Twilight.
57	* BreakingTheFourthWall: Pinkie once again interrupts the IrisOut, [[SomethingWeForgot pointing out that she still doesn't have her snout back]]. Twilight opens a hole into the black backdrop and gives her a snout, mouth and all.
58	* BuffySpeak: "Gaze upon an ever 'Greater and Powerful-er' Trixie!"
59	* TheBusCameBack: Trixie's back, her last canonical appearance being [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters two seasons ago]]. She also shows up as a [[CutAndPasteEnvironments copy-pasted background extra]] in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E9BridleGossip a couple]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 of episodes]] and was name-dropped in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E23PonyvilleConfidential Ponyville Confidential]]". Seeing as there are five different Trixie [[AllThereInTheScript Lulamoon]] toys, her return makes sense, given the show's MerchandiseDriven nature. Not to mention how [[EnsembleDarkhorse popular]] [[DracoInLeatherPants she is]].
60	* ButNowIMustGo: Trixie has a habit of leaving quickly, even when it's fine for her to stay.
61	* TheCaligula: Trixie goes mad with the power she has over Ponyville. She forces Snip and Snails to carry her in a wheel-less wagon because she [[ItMakesSenseInContext doesn't trust wheels]], wants Applejack to grow apples without the peel, forces Pinkie Pie to [[BulletDancing dance for her]], and has placed Mayor Mare in a gilded cage for no apparent reason other than her own amusement. Basically, any element of this trope that isn't inappropriate for the target demographic applies to Trixie under the Alicorn Amulet's influence.
62	* CallBack:
63	** During the first duel, Twilight summons a [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E10SwarmOfTheCentury parasprite]] to eat the oncoming pies thrown at her by Trixie then making it vanish when it begins to multiply. Later, Pinkie's talent in playing multiple instruments from the same episode returns to make it look like Twilight magically induced her with the ability.
64	** Trixie's magic-assisted FlashBack contains several. The end of "Boast Busters" is summed up in a few shots, she's shown running away from ridicule in the same way she made her exit at the end of that episode, and she ended up working on the same rock farm where Pinkie Pie used to live.
65	* TheCameo:
66	** Pinkie's father shows up in Trixie's flashback.
67	** Owlowiscious makes a brief appearance when Trixie inverts the library.
68	* CheatersNeverProsper: Subverted in the first duel, when no-one notices Trixie with the amulet and she beats Twilight. Played straight in the second duel, when Trixie loses because she was outsmarted with Twilight's own tricks and she removes her amulet to put on the seemingly stronger one.
69	* TheChewToy: Trixie treats all the Ponyvillians this way under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet. Snips and Snails receive the worst of it.
70	* ClingyMacGuffin: The Alicorn Amulet can only be removed by the wearer.
71	* ColorCodedWizardry: Trixie's last ([[CutAndPasteEnvironments real]]) appearance was before the show introduced [[ArtEvolution unique magic colors for individual unicorns]]. Funnily enough, the colors she and Twilight had in that episode are now reversed (Twilight has magenta-ish magic, while Trixie's is gray-blue), except Trixie's amulet makes her aura red.
72	* ContinuityNod:
73	** Spike mentions that Twilight's magic has improved ever since [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E11WinterWrapUp she crushed him and Applejack with a giant snowball]].
74	** During the first magic duel, Twilight gives Trixie a large handlebar mustache (which both the audience and Twilight's friends found extremely funny). [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters Now what spell was Twilight practicing at the beginning of "Boast Busters"?]]
75	** The book Fluttershy finds with information on the Alicorn Amulet appears to be [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E3TooManyPinkiePies the same book that had the spells to disperse the Pinkie clones]].
76	** The little dances Trixie forces Pinkie to perform were previously seen in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E3TooManyPinkiePies Too Many Pinkie Pies]]" and in at least one case "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E18AFriendInDeed A Friend in Deed]]".
77	** Remember when [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipisMagicS1E5GriffonTheBrushOff Pinkie said "Hoof-biting action overload"]]? That wasn't just HoldYourHippogriffs. Fluttershy gnaws a forehoof while Twilight juggles the critters in the first act.
78	** Rainbow's perception of Fluttershy after the events of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipisMagicS1E7Dragonshy "Dragonshy]]" seems to have stuck, and she is the first to suggest entrusting her to sneak out of Ponyville to inform Twilight, with outright joyous enthusiasm.
79	** In Trixie's flashbacks, Bon Bon is as much of a horse's rear end [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E20GreenIsntYourColor as]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E19PuttingYourHoofDown ever]].
80	* ContinuityPorn: If any episode so far was made for the hardcore fans, it's this one.
81	* CrapsackWorld: Ponyville once it becomes Trixieopolis. Everything up to and including your physical appearance is completely under the control of an emotionally unstable, deranged lunatic with an overblown personal grudge against you and your town, and there's no way for anyone trapped in there with her to either take her down or leave.
82	* CrazyPrepared: Not only does Twilight know how to summon a parasprite to eat a [[EdibleAmmunition thrown pie]], she also knows how to dispel it (and its offspring) when it starts to reproduce. This is a great example of Creator/HPLovecraft's maxim, "[[Literature/TheCaseOfCharlesDexterWard Do not call up any that you cannot put down.]]"
83	* CurbStompBattle: Trixie delivers one to Twilight in their first duel but Twilight [[CurbStompCushion gets a few good moves in, such as summoning the parasprite.]] She is later on the receiving end during her rematch with Twilight, only getting in a single spell before she just stares on in a mix of shock and horror as Twilight takes control.
84	* DayOfTheJackboot: Good Celestia, just [[http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/File:Trixieville_promotional_panorama_S3E5.jpg take a look at Trixieville]]...
85	* DefeatMeansFriendship: After the duel, Trixie becomes one of Twilight's friends. Justified as in this case the befriending is due to gratitude from saving her from the amulet.
86	* DelayedReaction: Even after the amulet has been taken from her, it seems to take a while for Trixie to break from her amped evil persona.
87	* DeusExitMachina: Celestia is out of the country during most of this episode, and with Spike trapped in the dome, contacting her is essentially impossible.
88	* DisproportionateRetribution: None of what happened between Twilight and Trixie in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters Boast Busters]]" warrants Twilight's exile and the enslavement of Ponyville. Trixie's corrupted by the Alicorn Amulet, though, so whatever her original intent was, it was likely long forgotten by the time she actually got to Ponyville.
89	* DraggedByTheCollar: When Fluttershy gets outside the magic bubble and decides she doesn't want to go to Zecora's hut after all, her long-suffering animal friends are there to reinforce her valor by picking her up by her mane and tail and carrying her there.
90	* DrunkOnTheDarkSide: Trixie gets even ''more'' hammy due to the amulet's power. She reverts to her normal levels of ham after the amulet is removed.
91	* DrunkWithPower: Trixie. The Alicorn Amulet grants a pony incredible magical power at the cost of corrupting the pony's mind.
92	* EasilyForgiven: Twilight accepts Trixie's apology despite the fact that she enslaved all of Ponyville and threatened to take over Equestria. It's semi-justified by the fact that Trixie was under the control of the amulet the entire time.
93	* {{Egopolis}}: After Twilight is exiled, Trixie turns Ponyville into one.
94	* EveryManHasHisPrice: The shopkeeper in the ColdOpen refuses to sell the Alicorn Amulet until he is presented with a large bag of bits.
95	* EvilCostumeSwitch: While she wasn't that nice to begin with, Trixie dons a more sinister-looking BlackCloak and [[AmplifierArtifact an amulet]] to go with her [[TookALevelInJerkass attitude change]] for this episode. She [[GoodCostumeSwitch changes back]] to her original star-decorated [[RobeAndWizardHat Cape and Wizard Hat]] after her HeelFaceTurn.
96	* EvilIsNotAToy: Trixie is warned the Alicorn Amulet is dangerous, but buys and uses it anyway. It corrupts her and causes her to get DrunkOnTheDarkside.
97	* EvilPlan: Trixie wants revenge on Twilight for the Ursa Minor incident. After succeeding in that goal, she takes over Ponyville and plans to take over all of Equestria.
98	* TheExile: Trixie casts Twilight out of Ponyville for losing the first duel.
99	* EyeMotifs: On one of the shops in Trixie-ruled Ponyville, there is a poster of her wizard hat above an eye. Constant surveillance much?
100	* FacePlant: Happens to Trixie as she's leaving Ponyville at the end of the episode.
101	* FailedAttemptAtDrama: Trixie leaving Ponyville. As before, she's seen running through the smoke screen she created. This time, she trips and falls on her face.
102	* FakinMacGuffin: To fool Trixie into giving up the Alicorn Amulet, Twilight and her friends pass off a completely ordinary green stone--one of Zecora's doorstops--as an even more powerful amulet.
103	* FantasyCounterpartCulture:
104	** Celestia meets delegates from Saddle Arabia (which was first mentioned in a [[Creator/TheHub Hub]] Website/{{Facebook}} [[http://www.facebook.com/questions/350772841638471/ question]]). One of [[http://mlp.wikia.com/wiki/File:Princess_Celestia_with_the_delegates_from_Saddle_Arabia_S3E5.png them]] is even sporting the [[GeniusBonus star and crescent]] on his saddle, although ironically, Saudi Arabia is one of the few Middle Eastern countries not to use it (they have issues with the Ottoman Empire).
105	** The shopkeeper in the beginning is wearing clothing similar to Qing Dynasty officials.
106	* FelonyMisdemeanor: After Trixie conjures up a tacky striped dress for Rarity to wear:
107	-->'''Rarity:''' [[YouMonster You]] ''[[YouMonster beast]]''! This shade of brown should only be used for accents!
108	* {{Flashback}}: An odd one, to be sure. Trixie conjures up a magical screen to show what happened to her after "Boast Busters".
109	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
110	** We're told in the opening scene that the Alicorn Amulet is dangerous. We find out at the midpoint ''why'' it's so dangerous.
111	** There are several hints that Twilight was actually staging her magic in the second duel:
112	*** "Stallion" Applejack looks a lot like Big Mac, and even uses Mac's "Eeyup" catchphrase, although in Applejack's voice.
113	*** "Old" Applejack has gold eyes (and bears a striking resemblance to Granny Smith), while the real Applejack has green eyes.
114	*** "Baby" Rarity has Sweetie Belle's eye shape, which is noted by the fans as odd for unicorn fillies.
115	*** If you [[FreezeFrameBonus pause some of the scenes]] with the two Rainbow Dashes you'll notice their wings are different shapes with one having longer, thinner wing feathers than the other.
116	*** Regular viewers [[CallBack can certainly figure out]] that Twilight doesn't ''need'' magic for Pinkie's one-pony band (beyond summoning the instruments).
117	* FountainOfYouth: Trixie turns Snips and Snails into a baby and old stallion, respectively, a magic spell that apparently only the most advanced unicorns can use. Later, after reverting them sometime offscreen, she turns them both into babies. Twilight also seems to turn Applejack and Rarity into fillies, [[SubvertedTrope but it's really just Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle in disguise]].
118	* FreudianExcuse: Trixie's life was ruined by the Ursa Minor incident, leading to her trying to get revenge on the ones who she feels are responsible for it.
119	* FromNobodyToNightmare: Trixie was just a {{Jerkass}} stage magician in her last appearance. After getting the Alicorn Amulet, she not only gets untold magical powers, but is corrupted by its influence and becomes an evil tyrant who quickly enslaves Ponyville and exiles Twilight.
120	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: At one point during the second duel, Lyra Heartstrings can be seen very casually sipping from a drink that she's holding with a hoof, completely unconcerned that the fate of Ponyville is being decided right in front of her. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking She's seen next to Sweetie Drops/Bon Bon.]]
121	* GenderBender: {{Subverted\|Trope}}. During the second duel, Applejack is magically transformed into a large brawny stallion by Twilight's new magical power. It's really Big Macintosh painted up to look like Applejack.
122	* GoneHorriblyRight: Trixie bought the amulet to beat Twilight in a duel. While that {{plan}} worked, the amulet corrupted her into a power-mad despot in the process.
123	* GratuitousFrench:
124	-->'''Twilight:''' I know about the Alicorn Amulet. I know you cheated!\
125	'''Trixie:''' Cheated? ''Moi?''\
126	'''Twilight:''' Yeah!
127	* {{Greed}}: The shopkeeper in the ColdOpen is initially reluctant to sell the Alicorn Amulet... until he is paid off with a large bag of bits.
128	* GuileHeroine: Zecora teaches Twilight to be one, allowing her to get Trixie to take off the [[ArtifactOfDoom Alicorn Amulet]] via an elaborate magic act.
129	* HandWave: How did Pinkie not suffocate? Or play the tuba? The answer is given by Twilight: "That wasn't magic; that was just [[InexplicablyAwesome Pinkie Pie]]".
130	* HeelFaceTurn: Trixie, after being freed from the Alicorn Amulet, helps Twilight with her performance, apologizes for her actions, and parts on good terms with her.
131	* HeroOfAnotherStory: Celestia, and her diplomatic venture to Saddle Arabia.
132	* HeroicRematch: Twilight loses the first magic duel and trains with a mentor for a rematch.
133	* HoistByHerOwnPetard: [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters The first time Trixie came to Ponyville]], she used simple magic backed by stagecraft to make her magic seem more impressive than it really was. During the rematch duel, Twilight uses simple magic backed by stagecraft to make her spells seem more powerful than they actually are.
134	* {{Homage}}: The similarities to ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' fall just short of a WholePlotReference but run far deeper than a mere ShoutOut...
135	** Twilight takes on the role of Luke, the talented learner.
136	** Zecora is similar to Yoda as the MentorArchetype in the wilderness. She doesn't have the [[StrangeSyntaxSpeaker inverted syntax]] but she speaks in rhyme and quotes a Yoda line word-for-word, telling Twilight "You must unlearn what you have learned."),
137	** With her new red magic aura and dark cloak, Trixie looks a lot like a Sith Lord. She tries to use a [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi lightning-like]] AgonyBeam on Rainbow Dash. It doesn't hurt that the amulet and its color scheme are reminiscent of a certain [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 evil unicorn]].
138	* HumblePie: Twilight once again proves her skill as a unicorn far outmatches Trixie, no matter how powerful her magic is. This time, Trixie accepts the slice and becomes Twilight's friend.
139	* HypocriticalHumor: In spite of her newfound humility, Trixie can't resist hamming up about how she's the "most humble" pony. Twilight just rolls her eyes.
140	* InexplicablyAwesome: We've known for a long time that Pinkie Pie lives this trope, but here it's ''weaponized'' by Twilight Sparkle: to anypony who doesn't know that Pinkie's the resident RuleOfFunny RealityWarper, she sure looks like she's under the effect of powerful magic.
141	* InterruptedByTheEnd: When Pinkie Pie gets her mouth back, she begins to speak, but then the credits start rolling before she can do so.
142	* InvoluntaryDance: Trixie forces Pinkie Pie to dance with her magic.
143	* IronicEcho: Kind of. In "Boast Busters", Trixie is run out of town because of her "magic tricks" that are just illusions. Here, Twilight uses illusions to fool Trixie.
144	* {{Irony}}: Trixie tries to beat Twilight by cheating and increasing her actual magic abilities with the Alicorn Amulet, but once her cheating is exposed Twilight beats her by tricking her with slight-of-hand and smoke and mirrors tricks, the kind of magic Trixie is supposed to be an expert in.
145	* ItWasADarkAndStormyNight: The episode opens this way to set a sinister and spooky atmosphere for the mysterious hooded character to buy an artifact of doom.
146	* JawDrop: Trixie does this when she sees that Twilight has "performed" the de-aging spell on Applejack and Rarity.
147	* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: Trixie was a {{Jerkass}} to begin with but once she wears the Alicorn Amulet, she goes from an ordinary powerful magician to an outright dictator mad with power.
148	* KickTheDog: Trixie removes Pinkie Pie's mouth after she got offended that Trixie showed disdain for having to work at a rock farm, which isn't fleeting like her other acts; it shows how excessively evil the Alicorn Amulet made her.
149	* LaserGuidedKarma: Last time, Twilight bested Trixie's stage magic with her own more powerful magic. Now that Trixie has the more powerful magic, she bests her with stage magic.
150	* LoserLeavesTown: The terms of Trixie's WizardDuel.
151	* LovableCoward: Fluttershy is always one, but even more so in this episode.
152	-->'''Fluttershy:''' Oh, this ''is'' me being brave! I want to be brave at home! Locked in my closet! With my teddy bear!
153	* LuminescentBlush: Done by Twilight after Spike brings up the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E11WinterWrapUp snowball]] [[ContinuityNod incident]].
154	* MagicalSecurityCam: Trixie shows her audience what happened a year or so ago in "Boast Busters", using the exact same footage and animation from that episode.
155	* MamaBear:
156	** Fluttershy ''threatens'' Twilight if any of her animal friends are harmed during a magic trick. Though they have to drag her into action themselves when [[MilesGloriosus she cowers]] before Trixie [[KickTheDog decides to put that idea to test.]]
157	** Twilight herself is pretty angry when Trixie goes after Spike, and it's a major reason why she agreed to the duel.
158	* MirrorRoutine: Rainbow Dash undergoes this when affected by Twilight's "duplication" spell.
159	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Trixie is genuinely apologetic for what she did while under the Amulet's influence.
160	* MythologyGag:
161	** Fluttershy disguised as Rainbow Dash is one for the Blind Bags of Fluttershy usually being a palette swap of Rainbow Dash.
162	** Zecora was originally intended to be a mentor figure for Twilight during the planning stages. Here the zebra shelters Twilight during exile, teaches her some meditation, and helps her with her plan to take down Trixie.
163	* NeverMyFault: Trixie ''completely'' blames Twilight for her loss of reputation around Equestria even though Twilight had tried to avoid showing her up despite Trixie constantly goading her (and the rest of Ponyville), Snips and Snails had only brought the Ursa Minor to Ponyville because [[HoistByHisOwnPetard they had believed her boasts that she had vanquished one before]], and Twilight ''had'' to take care of the Ursa Minor or all of Ponyville would have been smashed. While Trixie eventually takes responsibility for the alicorn amulet this episode, she never admits that the events of the previous episode were partly her own fault.
164	* NonStandardCharacterDesign: The two ponies from Saddle Arabia are colored and designed like regular horses. They don't even have cutie marks, raising the question of whether they are supposed to be (my little) ponies or just horses. It's particularly strange seeing Princess Celestia standing next to them, because while Celestia is as tall as they are, [[RuleOfCute her head is clearly bigger than theirs.]]
165	* NotHerself: Trixie, who's corrupted by the [[ArtifactOfDoom Alicorn Amulet]]. Twilight notices it, sighting she's gone from a showboat to a despot.
166	* NotMyLuckyDay: Snips and Snails are ''really'' abused and mistreated by Trixie in this episode, presumably because they're the ones responsible for ruining her career.
167	* OcularGushers: Pinkie again; this time she is unable to eat cupcakes after Trixie removes her mouth.
168	* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Trixie threatens to keep casting malicious spells on the town and its inhabitants unless Twilight agrees to the duel.
169	* OhCrap: Many given the episode's plot, but the kicker has to be Applejack's utter horror when Twilight announces her as the guinea pig for a GenderBender. The whole thing was trickery, so that was most likely an act.
170	* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: It turns out that Trixie's failure to defeat an Ursa Minor ruined her career everywhere in Equestria.
171	* PetTheDog: Even at her worst, Trixie still deigns to raise the dome around Ponyville and let some beavers with a cut log out -- if only to gets them out of her mane. It bites her in the flank when it turns out they were smuggling Fluttershy out.
172	* PieInTheFace: Twilight [[DefiedTrope defies]] this by summoning a parasprite to eat the pie.
173	* PowerCreepPowerSeep: Twilight exhausts herself a lot faster in this episode, visibly sweating after levitating some ordinary forest critters. It's somewhat justified in that case she is having to control lots of small creatures moving in different directions.
174	* PunnyName: Saddle Arabia, a pun on "saddle" and "Saudi Arabia".
175	* PuppyDogEyes: Trixie does this when apologizing. Twilight rolls her eyes at this, but accepts her apology.
176	* RapidFireNailBiting: While Twilight is testing a magic spell on some animals, Fluttershy goes into overprotective mother mode and bites her hooves for the duration of the test.
177	* RealityWarper: Trixie under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet. She gives resident reality-benders Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie a run for their money!
178	* RecurringExtra: Golden Harvest/Carrot Top and Sweetie Drops/Bon Bon sure get around in Trixie's flashback. Cherry Berry, Berry Punch, Lyra Heartstrings, and Daisy/Flower Wishes too.
179	* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: The Alicorn Amulet is this. Trixie also wears a nice black cloak to go along with it.
180	* RedEyesTakeWarning: Trixie's eyes sometimes flash red along with her new amulet when casting magic. Also counts as GlowingEyesOfDoom since it's not permanent -- It also looks superimposed because this is external power. When the power was coming from within the characters themselves it lit up their eyes from within. [[note]]The Elements of Harmony are a combination of inner and outer.[[/note]]
181	* ReformedButNotTamed: Trixie at the end. "Don't you think the Great and ''Apologetic'' Trixie is the most magnificently ''humble'' pony that you've ever seen?"
182	* {{Revenge}}: Trixie's motivation for returning to Ponyville is to get back at Twilight for the whole Ursa Minor incident from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters Boast Busters]]".
183	* RuleSixtyThree: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. It appears as though Twilight turns Applejack into a male pony, but it tuns out it's just Big Macintosh, painted up to look like her.
184	* RunningGag:
185	** Trixie keeps trying to use a SmokeOut, but it never lasts long enough to cover her exit.
186	** Twilight knocking over cups while asking Zecora for help.
187	** As with all previous uses of the word, Trixie delivers a loud and dramatic "'''''FOREVER'''''"!
188	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney:
189	-->'''Uncle Curio:''' This is too powerful and dangerous to sell to anyone.\
190	''[Trixie drops a large bag of bits on the counter]''\
191	'''Uncle Curio:''' Would you like that gift-wrapped?
192	* SequelEpisode: To "Boast Busters"; after Twilight upstaged her, no-one took Trixie seriously as a magician anymore, and she could no longer make a living with her stage acts. Now she's returned to Ponyville, seeking revenge.
193	* ShooOutTheClowns: Pinkie Pie only has two whole lines in the episode before her mouth is removed by Trixie, rendering her speechless for the rest of the episode.
194	* ShoutOut:
195	** The dome under which Trixie traps the entire town of Ponyville looks a lot like a [[Literature/TheBellJar bell jar]].
196	** Twilight getting magic training from a species different from hers who so happens to live in a hut in the swamps and has a unique speaking pattern? [[Film/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBack Seems familiar, it does]].
197	* ShowdownAtHighNoon: Twilight and Trixie's first duel parodies this.
198	* SkewedPriorities: Fluttershy is rather aggressively protective of her animal buddies towards one of her closest friends. However, when they and the rest of Ponyville become endangered by a malevolent tyrant, she'd rather not take a stand.
199	* SlasherSmile: Trixie, when buying the Alicorn Amulet.
200	* SmallNameBigEgo: One can only assume that Trixie is this when she gloats about conquering Equestria next. Despite her boosted spellpower from the Alicorn Amulet, there are two [[PhysicalGod princesses]] that she would have to fight in order to have that happen. Then again, she's DrunkOnTheDarkSide, and Queen Chrysalis has demonstrated that they aren't invulnerable.
201	* SmashCut: Pinkie interrupts the IrisOut to point out she's still lacking her mouth, which Twilight steps into the black and helps restore it. Pinkie takes a deep breath and -- ''cue credits''.
202	* SmokeOut: Trixie is still bad at these. She's shown tripping when running away after her last one.
203	* SomethingWeForgot: Pinkie pops up during the IrisOut to remind Twilight and the audience that the former forgot to fix her missing mouth. Twilight does so, and the credits cut her off before she can make use of it.
204	* SpotTheImposter: Trixie couldn't tell that ponies were impersonating each other to help Twilight with her stagecraft.
205	* SpyCatSuit: Fluttershy's dangerous mission outfit. [[RuleOfCute Hers comes with bunny ears]].
206	* StealthPun:
207	** The delegates of Saddle Arabia are the first horses to appear in the series... Arabians, of course.
208	** Trixie turns Spike into a Manga/{{dragon ball}}.
209	** The first thing Trixie does in the duel is flip over a cart full of apples. She literally upsets the apple cart.
210	** Trixie doesn't trust wheels. No doubt because of their tendency to [[{{Pun}} turn on you]].
211	** Wheels also roll, and Trixie voices clear disdain for rock farms earlier in the episode. She doesn't like [[{{Pun}} rock and roll.]]
212	** Twilight defeats Trixie with just smoke and "mirrors". You might call them [[{{Pun}} allusions]].
213	* TheStinger: After the IrisOut, Pinkie pulls it back open, showing her mouth isn't back. Twilight appears, and makes Pinkie's mouth re-appear, after which she gasps for air. An alternative interpretation is that she's getting ready to say all the things she wasn't able to earlier, but she's interrupted by the credits.
214	* StockScream: The Wilhelm Scream is played as Twilight stops a cart from landing on Shoeshine.
215	* StockSoundEffect: Pinkie's "muffled protesting" sound is used twice in the episode, once while the gang is looking up the Alicorn Amulet and again in TheStinger.
216	* TakeThatAudience: To all the bronies who assumed that Pinkie Pie's story of how she got her cutie mark from "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" was a case of UnreliableNarrator; it turns out [[WordOfGod the rock farm that she grew up on DOES exist!]] (Solidified by Pinkie's father appearing with Trixie in the flashback.)
217	* TarotMotifs: Twilight juggles the woodland animals above her head, both in the practice session and the final performance, in a similar mobius strip pattern that appears above [[https://i.chzbgr.com/completestore/12/11/24/Y5RMx0x1gE2MO9aMjTmMOQ2.png The Magician's head in the card]]. Doubles as a GeniusBonus if you know the significance of The Magician tarot card.[[note]]It deals with talents and abilities, and whether to fully tap into those abilities to transform something.[[/note]]
218	* TeamHandStack: Twilight's friends do it when they think out their plan to get Fluttershy outside the force field. Fluttershy was reluctant to place her hoof on top.
219	* ThisCannotBe: Trixie declares this after Twilight Sparkle demonstrates magic powers beyond even those granted by the Alicorn Amulet.
220	* ThrowingDownTheGauntlet: Trixie towards Twilight for the first magic duel.
221	* TickleTorture:
222	** Trixie does this to force Applejack to mash apples.
223	** She later unintentionally does this to Rainbow Dash when she tries to do an AgonyBeam.
224	* TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential: Subverted. Twilight trains with Zecora to beat Trixie, but she doesn't use any new magic skills in the second duel. Instead she uses the magic of friendship and sleight of hand.
225	* TitleDrop: Two: one for the episode's title when Trixie challenges Twilight to a [[WizardDuel magic duel]], and one for the show as a whole when Twilight bests the Alicorn Amulet's magic with help from her friends, ergo the "magic of friendship".
226	* TookALevelInBadass:
227	** Trixie has become a formidable threat thanks to the AmplifierArtifact.
228	** Also discussed by Spike, who says that Twilight's magic has improved a lot since she first came to Ponyville.
229	* TookALevelInJerkass: Trixie was just a jerk back in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters Boast Busters]]", but here, she defeats Twilight in a duel and banishes her from Ponyville. This is mainly due to the Alicorn Amulet turning her from an ordinary {{Jerkass}} into an outright dictator.
230	-->'''Twilight:''' It's like she's gone from "high and mighty" to "mean and nasty"!
231	* TookALevelInKindness: Trixie becomes a much nicer pony after being shown the error of her ways. The episode ends with her and Twilight parting on friendly terms.
232	* TheUnintelligible:
233	** ''Pinkie'', of all ponies. All she can do once her mouth has been removed is make humming noises, yet Applejack seems to understand her just fine.
234	** The beavers, too, when they were smuggling Fluttershy out of town. Trixie either understood them or figured out what they wanted.
235	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Apparently none of the citizens of Ponyville thought the amulet Trixie was wearing was strange at all, or how it glowed red just like her magic aura now did, or seemed to make her eyes glow red too. Twilight even states she can't believe she didn't recognize the Alicorn Amulet from studying it.
236	* VillainousBreakdown: Trixie when Twilight seemingly exceeds her power with an "amulet" she got from Zecora.
237	* WalkOnWater: Twilight does this as part of her training with Zecora.
238	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Trixie turns Snips and Snails into babies during her second duel against Twilight and they are never seen getting turned back to their normal ages.
239	* WhipOfDominance: Trixie (who has become [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity even crueler than before due to the Alicorn Amulet]]) forces Snips and Snails to drag her chariot (which doesn't even have wheels!) for her. When they get tired out, [[WouldHurtAChild she whips them]].
240	* WhosLaughingNow: Trixie was made a laughingstock throughout Equestria for the Ursa incident. She responds by getting the Alicorn Amulet to take her revenge.
241	* WindowLove: When Trixie drops the fish bowl barrier over Ponyvile, Twilight puts a hoof on one side while Spike does the same from the other.
242	* WipeThatSmileOffYourFace: Trixie takes Pinkie Pie's mouth early in the episode, and she doesn't get it back until the very end.
243	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: The Alicorn Amulet gives Trixie tremendous power, at the cost of turning her into a despot who takes over Ponyville and aims for all of Equestria. [[LampshadeHanging Snails brings it up]] when she forces him and Snips to pull her on carriages ''without'' wheels because she doesn't trust wheels.
244	* WizardDuel: Twice, hence the episode's name.
245	* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Trixie's life was ruined by the Ursa Minor incident turning her into a laughingstock and drove her to get the means to take her revenge on those she sees as responsible. [[ArtifactOfDoom The Alicorn Amulet]] then corrupts Trixie's already angry mind and turns her into a full-blown tyrant with power to back it up.
246	* WouldHurtAChild: Trixie's mistreatment of Snips and Snails amounts to this when one remembers that they are not that much older than Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
247	* YouAreAlreadyDead: Trixie evokes this after Twilight's friends defend her after losing the duel.
248	-->'''Rarity:''' You've proved your point, [[TemptingFate but you can't possibly expect Twilight to leave Ponyville!]]\
249	'''Trixie:''' You fools! She's already gone! ''[magically ejects her from Ponyville]''
250	* YouExclamation: Trixie, when she notices Twilight returning from her exile.
251	* YouMonster: The general reaction to Trixie's nastier behavior.
252	* YouWillBeSpared: Fluttershy, though still reduced to an exhausted slave, is the only non-background character who Trixie doesn't target for humiliation or hurting. This makes sense, seeing as Fluttershy did nothing to tick her off in either "Boast Busters" or this episode.

Context Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E5MagicDuel