S03:E05 - Magic Duel

[Starswirl the Trixie 975]

Hmm, the ending somehow reminded me of a Benjamin Franklin quote.

 

"I am proud of my humility."

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

Was a pretty awesome episode. I think the channel I was streaming on nearly broke with rule 63 comments. It was kind of nice that trixie 'turned good' at the end. I Also liked how she ate dirt when she made a run for it haha.

[SkyeRibbonPwny 406]

Wait Wut? lol

Tell me.everything!!!!I love love love when people spoil stuff for some unknown reason cuz it makes it feel like a fan idea.made canon <3 Pretty please<3With luster dust on top<3

[angels_gal 204]

baby rarity and baby applejack was just OMG wayy too cute for me to contain myself. Zecora training twilight was like yoda training luke. specifically that scene where yoda says "Do or do not there is no try' (gah!) I never thought trixie would return  but she came back worse than ever and had sort of a "i'm gonna try to be humble" at that part I started to like her.  good episode.! 

[RainbowDashie 767]

[Raritas 6,820]

Tell me.everything!!!!

I love love love when people spoil stuff for some unknown reason cuz it makes it feel like a fan idea.made canon <3 Pretty please<3

With luster dust on top<3

But haha surely you'd like to watch it for yourself? 

[Squid 100]

Is this the first time that they've actually said "alicorn" in the show? I think it is.

 

I loved the episode. M. A. Larson always writes some of my favorites, so it's no surprise that this was awesome. Seeing Trixie back way wonderful, and I'm glad she turned good in the end. I'd love to see more good Trixie in the future.

 

TWILIGHT CAN BREAK THE FOURTH WALL NOW!

[Antismurf9001 1,271]

I'm very glad that they didn't just resort to using the Elements of Harmony as it sounded like they were.  How they actually "defeated" Trixie was much more satisfying and clever.

[angels_gal 204]

Good Episode!  baby apple jack and baby rarity  wow i just.. it was just way too much cute!  and did anyone else have a moment when Zecora was training twilight?  I had a very luke and yoda moment. more specifically the scene where Yoda says "Do or do not there is no try"  lol.  I never thought Trixie would return so i was a little surprised to see she had another episode. .  and i sort of started to like her after her "i'm going to try to be humble"  moment.

 

poor fluttershy! "brave! wanna be brave at home!"   the fourth wall broke! 

Edited December 1, 2012 by angels_gal

[Batbrony 16,051]

Once again, another home run from Studio B!!!!  Let's run through what I love, love, LOVED about this episode:

 

(1) Trixie's return certainly did not disappoint, and it was very cool to see another ancient magical object introduced in the Alicorn Amulet (i.e. earlier we had the Mirror Pool), not to mention the fact that Alicorn is officially now a canon term within the show.

 

(2) Fluttershy was absolutely adorable in this episode, and made more contributions this week than she's made in any other episode so far this season; it was especially amusing to once again see her being helped by her animal friends, especially when she was Flutter-spy, and oh my gosh, those beavers were freakin' hilarious!!!  Also, it was nice to see continuity in RD and Fluttershy's closer relationship when RD decided that Fluttershy was the perfect candidate for sneaking outside of Ponyville; if this were Season 1, RD would never have placed that kind of trust in Fluttershy, I'm sure of it.

 

(3) There was also a surprising amount of tension this episode; you really couldn't wait for Twilight to come back and stop Trixie, especially after all the misery, suffering and hardship that she was causing for the rest of the Mane 6 and all of Ponyville after banishing Twilight.

 

(4) RARITY AND APPLEJACK AGAIN!!!!!!!!!  What the heck is going on this season?  Those two are always hanging out with each other or leaning on each other for support, and this episode had the most of that yet this season!  Both at the beginning and the end of the episode those two had small and subtle moments together, and I'm loving every minute of it!  It's one of the most consistenly alluded to bits of character development, dating all the way back to Season 1, that Studio B continues to reference and build upon in this show.  Not a shipper myself, but I'll just say that RariJack fans have got to be rejoicing this season with all of the material that the makers have been giving them; it's getting to the point where RariJack might even supersede AppleDash, and that's saying something! 

 

(5) Poor Snips and Snails!!  Who other than me wanted to give those poor fillies a hug? Those two especially suffered a lot, but I will say, it was nice to see them get some more screen time; not a huge fan of the characters themselves, but their VA's are hilarious, and you can tell they have a lot of fun together voicing those two.  Their tag-team effort is reminiscent of famous comedic duos in animation, such as Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella's performance together as "Timon and Pumba".

 

(6) Very cool to see Zecora return!  She's one of the few adult characters that the Mane 6 frequently turn to for advice aside from Celestia, and her maturity and wisdom really shined in this episode.  Plus, the Master Yoda allusions during some of Twilight's training scenes were priceless!  Overall, it was great seeing Zecora teach the ponies a valuable lesson yet again about teamwork, ultimately overcoming Trixie with a different kind of magic... you know where I'm going with this.    I'm talking about the magic... OF FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!!!! 

 

(7) With all of the magic in this episode, the animation was very, very impressive and fluid.  There were some extremely cool visuals to see, and Studio B did not disappoint in the slightest.

 

(8) By far the best scene of the entire episode was the duel scene!!!  So many laughs, such a great amount of teamwork from the whole gang, and some amazing references!!!!!!!!  I mean, we got a Double Rainbow Dash and Rule 63 "spell" for crying out loud, how cool is that?!?!?!  The twist afterwards completely threw me for a loop, because honestly, the whole time she was "casting spells," I honestly did think Twilight was doing magic.  But instead, it was the combined talents and efforts of her and her friends that saved the day, proving once again that the most powerful magic out there is the magic of friendship.  Fantastic lesson, and one that I'm glad to see the show returned to once again, considering, after all, it is the entire premise of the show in the first place.

 

The only thing I was disappointed in at all was the very end.  I would of liked to learn more about the horses from Saddle Arabia, and so I'd hoped they would show up in another episode, and not just oooooo and ahhhhhh at Twilight's magic for 30 seconds.  Still, their designs were cool, and it was pretty neat to hear that Celestia was on a diplomatic mission to an entirely different nation.  However, what I really cannot forgive so easily is Trixie's apology!  It came completely out of left field, and I'm still scratching my head over it.  I know that the amulet corrupted her, but still, that doesn't mean she wasn't a jerk before she put it on; honestly, I don't think she'd be too beat up over getting corrupted by it, so long as she got what she wanted.  Don't get me wrong, I like seeing some characters honestly redeem themselves, but that's my primary gripe with her apology; as far as character consistency goes, it did not seem honest or sincere at all!  There was nothing, I mean, NOTHING, before her apology that would have indicated she'd be inclined to make any apology whatsoever.  But whatever, it's done, and I'll accept that she might honestly be trying to change her ways, at least a little bit; maybe she was just especially impressed by the power of friendship she saw displayed by Twilight and the Mane 6, and so now desires to gain some friends of her own.

 

Overall, this was a great episode that took a direction I certainly did not expect.  I came into this thinking that Twilight was going to learn how to increase her own magical ability; what we got instead was one of the best team efforts from the Mane 6 yet, along with a wonderful lesson about the magic of friendship.  Kudos to Studio B on yet another wonderful episode this season!!!

 

So yeah, the return of Trixie was fun and all, but even that won't be nearly as epically awesome as what we're going to get next week ya'll, for next Saturday, after 2 whole seasons, 57 episodes of pony-awesomeness, we shall finally get an episode devoted to our favorite chicken in all of Ponyville, SCOOTALOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!  YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      See ya then everypony!!!! 

 

[Arcanel 3,041]

@, Hmm...to be honest, I think what they said is more than enough to get what Trixie might have done. (Plus, her getting mad at working in a rock farm might initiate Pinkie/Trixie rivalry!).

 

Since she couldn't get much, wroking on a rock farm seemed the best thing at the moment. Get money and survive. She might as well have stolen all of the money used to buy the Alicorn Amulet. Plus, probably oner night wrought with angriness about how horrible she must have been lving (probably in an almost Rarity way), she remembered the one pony who had put her in that position (in her mind). Twilight Sparkle. However, she wasn't foolish enough to go unprepared. Hence probably recalled a sort of story about a powerful amulet (which probably she might have forgotten the fact about getting corrupted, but then again, mind blind with revenge could have ignored that), and so went to buy the amulet, and then the whole episode happened. I feel that should it have been bigger background for what happened Boast Busters, it might have detracted for the fact Trixie was going to kick out Twilight from Ponyville (and the fight was NOT about to get less screen time). Plus, Twilight needed to gain some power, she probably needed some help with a good explanation, which I think went rather well on this regard. All of this combined with all the magic tricks seemed (and Trixie's evil laughter), I think this is probably my favorite episode from Season 3.

[Galex Dj 173]

I knew Twilight was going to lose, but only because at the first part Trixie got the amulet. But when Twilight turned to Zecora for magic help I was surprised, I didn't really know the Zecora could do magic. The ending was great though, I loved how Trixie released she was being a jerk to everyone while Twilight was gone and released her mistakes she has done.Yet the ending only made me hate Trixie a little less though, but still a little less. 

[PonyRocker95 106]

This episode was pretty good in all here are my comments about the ep:

 

1) Did they change Trixie's voice actor or something?  Her voice sounds different so does Twilight's for some reason...

 

2) SaddleArabia is now cannon! XD

 

3) I think Fluttershy was over reactive in this episode it was bugging me...

 

4) Why do snips and snails still kiss the ground she walks on when shes a jerk to them?

 

I that's about it. I'll probably find/think of more later

Edited December 1, 2012 by PonyRocker88

[Radiance64 7,053]

Oh yeah, I just realized that Twilight broke the 4th wall! Awesome.

And Pinkie not getting her mouth back until the last minute was bucking hilarious.

[Halfblood 364]

I'm very glad that they didn't just resort to using the Elements of Harmony as it sounded like they were.  How they actually "defeated" Trixie was much more satisfying and clever.

 

I 100% agree.  I was actually expecting them to break out the 'ol EoH on Trixie.  But, once again, I have been delightfully surprised by the writing for this show.  

[Batbrony 16,051]

Oh yeah, I just realized that Twilight broke the 4th wall! Awesome.

And Pinkie not getting her mouth back until the last minute was bucking hilarious.

 

At this rate, all of the Mane 6 will be breaking the 4th wall by the end of the series!!!  OMG, how amazing would it be if at the end of the show (I mean, the very end, which hopefully won't be for quite awhile!), the Mane 6 all broke the 4th wall and waved goodbye to the audience?  I think I'd actually tear up if they did something like that! 

[Opalicious 799]

Well, a few things stood out to me. Firstly, not only did Pinkie break the 4th wall again, but Twilight broke it too. I think we have a new candidate! Secondly, I think there were a few moments where we saw the Pinkie we know and love throughout the whole episode. Then, we have Fluttershy. She seemed a bit different, and her fear for her animals was a bit overdone. The way the others just ignored her was classic. The winter wrap up reference was just too obvious, when Spike referred to the giant snowball when she used magic. Moving on, I was a bit confused by Zecora, who seemed to know a little magic herself, and she seemed a little too zen. However, the water spell was magnificent nonetheless. That's my food for thought.

[SkyeRibbonPwny 406]

But haha surely you'd like to watch it for yourself?

oh i watched it.

I just feel i missed somethin <3

[angels_gal 204]

I 100% agree.  I was actually expecting them to break out the 'ol EoH on Trixie.  But, once again, I have been delightfully surprised by the writing for this show.  

 

I was too  especially when zecora said 'use the six'  that was when i was expecting her to use the elements  but then that would have just been too easy. so i'm glad that the episode didn't go that route.

[Kenny 232]

 

I'm still not a fan of Trixie, but I loved this episode. I liked all of her magic gags and how she finally learned her lesson. The fourth wall break (which apparently Twilight can now do) at the end was absolutely hilarious.

[Bright Honor 2,654]

I really enjoyed the episode. I really liked the Alicorn Amulet, for it is a good explanation of how Trixie got that power. The episode also expanded the universe with Saddle Arabia.

 

And by the way, I have a feeling we will see the Alicorn Amulet again.....

[pinkieshyrose 58]

waiting for episode to be on youtube  not sure if on hub ):

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

I think this is my second favorite episode of the season so far, although it will be down to fourth if the next two episodes are half as good as I think they will be.

[pinkiefan1287 610]

This was a really great episode. Trixie coming back and being evil is something we all wanted to see. There were a lot of jokes that came from season 1 and they were used very well. The way they dealt with her was very well done. Felt bad for Pinkie Pie seeing as she had no lines at all. Still I say this is the best episode of season 2.

 

Likes

Trixie coming back and being evil.

Magic duel was good.

More background and side character ponies were in this episode then others.

Baby ponies. 

Pumpkin Cake was in it.

Edited December 1, 2012 by pinkiefan1287

[ajacks 6]

I actually love Trixie. Seeing twilight banished put a smile on my face. Anyway good thing she apologized as well. Freaking twilight was thinking about not accepting too? Grrr

 

Good episode but I think episode 3 & 4 were better. Better then 1&2 though

 

Also I did anyone see the eye? Why did the hub have to do that.... I wtf man. Really ruins the show for me.,

Edited December 1, 2012 by ajacks