S03:E05 - Magic Duel

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

My only remaining question is...it's been 2 days, and nobody has updated this website's banner?  Trixie > Babs!  Let the G&PT art take over!

[Radiance64 7,053]

Has anyone else noticed the lack of friendship letters in the last 2 episodes? I mean in One Bad Apple we at least got a moral, but Magic Duel didn't seem to have any clear moral at all. To me it seems they might be moving away from it, but I suppose the upcoming episodes seem like they could be moral focused to make up for it.

[Starflower 323]

Why yes, I did notice the lack of friendship letters in the past two episodes. Like you said they're probably doing morals rather than just outright write a letter. Like "Oh we learned this and this but we'll write a letter to the princess later on!" and eventually they'll get to that. xD

 

As for the episode, however, great one I must say. And Trixie totally returned with a bang. Though I prefer the show-off Trixie better than the cruel-and-evil Trixie. I don't know, that's just me. lol

 

Oh and lack of Pinkie Pie talking in this episode made me sad.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Has anyone else noticed the lack of friendship letters in the last 2 episodes? I mean in One Bad Apple we at least got a moral, but Magic Duel didn't seem to have any clear moral at all. To me it seems they might be moving away from it, but I suppose the upcoming episodes seem like they could be moral focused to make up for it.

Considering the subject of the next episode I would bet money that we get a letter in it. It has kind of bothered me that we didn't get them the past few episodes, but at least for Magic Duel you can wave it off as time constraints, not that a letter wouldn't have helped.

[Chaotic☆Cupcake 24]

First off, I have to say that this is by far my favorite episode in Season 3 yet. I was a fan of Trixie from the start- not in a way that implies she's one of my favorite characters in the show, but one of those minor villians you gotta hate to love. You don't see them all the time, so you respect them more when they are shown- well, maybe "tolerate" is a better word. I was kinda enjoying her appearance just because she made Snips and Snails her personal slaves, which is kind of mean to say, I know, I'm just kind of disappointed that out of all the main male characters in the show those two get more screentime than any of them. You can argue that they're just there for the sake of comic relief, but Pinkie Pie fills that void just fine by herself.

 

The Alicorn plotline still intrigues me, even though it's supposedly locked in a box (yup, a box, that will keep the devil out!). It's hard to say for sure if it's connected to Sombra or IS Sombra's dark magic (what's left of it) but I'm hoping for his return, because as good as the season opening episodes were, his short screentime doesn't do him any justice. Maybe a Horcrux-esk plotline throughout the season with the ending episodes having each of the Mane6 destroying a part of his soul in one way or another (spoiler: with friendship). That would be perfect.

 

Twilight getting magic training from Zecora was also a nice needed twist (Celestia not being present at this point was like an excuse for the writers to include Zecora instead, but I'm not complaining). I don't think any Star Wars reference was directly or indirectly implied in this part, but I had fun nonetheless reading comments the next day.

 

I felt sort of bad for Fluttershy the whole episode. First her animals are thrown several feet in the air doing figure 8's to her horror just to entertain horses from a foreign land (their view of "entertainment" in their country is beyond my mental compacity), and no one took her seriously when she found the book with the ancient Alicorn text no matter what she said. AND THEN they made her, out of all of them present, to go out and warn Twilight of the Alicorn's powers. It's like she's now the Luigi of the MLP show: a timid soft spoken character that's forced into doing tasks way out of their league, but everyone loves because they feel sorry for her/him and love the character's expressions whenever he/she has to take the helm for once. Hopefully a Fluttershy spotlight episode is in the horizon, because I can't wait to see the results.

 

And then finally, the actual duel. I admit that before it was cleared up later that they switching ponies back and forth, I honestly thought Applejack turned into a stallion: her reaction and the way she/he blushed in an embarassed position had me really convinced. It was just rich. This is the reason why I got addicted to the show during Season 1 in the first place, I just wanted to see what ridiculous thing a pony would do/say next. If the next episodes and seasons can keep that up, I'll be very happy.

 

The ending was sort of a mixed bag of thoughts for me. While I liked to see Trixie finally realize what she did was wrong, it almost seemed she turned a complete new leaf entirely, and the writers just felt she did her time (she's still 'me-me-me', but you can't have your cake and eat it too). The apology was still something however, and the way Twilight forgave her with a neutral look that appeared to say "well, okay I forgive you, but you need to promise to be good" was a very realistic interpretation of friendship. It was a very touching momemt and surprisingly wasn't as cheesy as I thought it was going to be, which is the kind of gooey cheese that plagues every form of animation I've seen in my life (mainly CGI flicks made to milk money).

 

All-in-all, I was very pleased with this episode. On one hand it surprised me on every angle with a superb well thought out plotline, but on the other hand it reminded myself why I love the show in the first place while anticipating more surprises to come.

[Gone Airbourne 21,977]

@@Chaotic☆Cupcake, That was very well put and when AJ turned into a stallion... omg that had me laughing so hard! It was a awesome episode and the way they had Trixie apologize and truly felt bad for what she had done to Ponyville, it seems to me as this is not the last time we will see Trixie again :3. All in all great episode.

[Discovery Dream 592]

I did, and I almost forgot to comment it. Love Lyra <3  So cuuuute with this fruit shake (maybe apple shake from Apple Jack's farm)

 

Yes indeedy! Gotta love Lyra and Bon-Bon~ Love how Lyra's just casually sipping, lol.

 

Now I wonder what an actual hay smoothie would taste like. Probably not very good without any sugar.

Edited December 3, 2012 by Bluebell

[BlueFlame 28]

I absolutely loved this episode, whenever I saw trixie in the shop (even if it didn't show that it was her) I knew it was going to be bad for Twilight and I loved the whole age spell and when she supposedly changed applejack into a stallion, that was hilarious!

[Emerald Glow 40]

Has anyone else noticed the lack of friendship letters in the last 2 episodes? I mean in One Bad Apple we at least got a moral, but Magic Duel didn't seem to have any clear moral at all. To me it seems they might be moving away from it, but I suppose the upcoming episodes seem like they could be moral focused to make up for it.

 

hmm...I think that Magic Duel had morals for Twi and Trixie. Twilight's was that there are other ways to beat evil than raw power, namely faith in one's friends (done to death) and sneakiness. the sneakiness/tricking trixie bit was fun, because we rarely get to see a situation  where Twilight's NOT the biggest horn in town, and normally she gets extricated from those situations by Teh Friendship and/or Magical McGuffin* #12. Yes, she used friendship, but she used it in a very clever and sneaky way that seems a bit different than in the past.

 

Trixie's moral (aside from not purchasing eeeevil Magical McGuffins) was essentially that pride goeth before a fall? I guess? It'd be a little OOC to see her turn into little miss humility, but she was still VERY proud to be humble. I hope that this is a beginning of a new leaf for trixie, and we begin to see her in more episodes where she's still vain, but essentially on the side of the angels. Some sort of situation where Twi has to go to trixie to bail her out of some sort of jam (sort of like what happened with Zacora this week, come to think of it) could be highly interesting--Twi could learn how to become friends with (or at least respect/trust) someone she doesn't entirely like.

 

*(Hmm, we need a pony named Magical McGuffin...)

 

I felt sort of bad for Fluttershy the whole episode. First her animals are thrown several feet in the air doing figure 8's to her horror just to entertain horses from a foreign land (their view of "entertainment" in their country is beyond my mental compacity), and no one took her seriously when she found the book with the ancient Alicorn text no matter what she said. AND THEN they made her, out of all of them present, to go out and warn Twilight of the Alicorn's powers. It's like she's now the Luigi of the MLP show: a timid soft spoken character that's forced into doing tasks way out of their league, but everyone loves because they feel sorry for her/him and love the character's expressions whenever he/she has to take the helm for once. Hopefully a Fluttershy spotlight episode is in the horizon, because I can't wait to see the results.

Oh good! this wasn't just me. I really felt Fluttershy's character took a step back this week, which was really my only quibble with what was a very strong episode overall. At the end of the day, only Rainbow Dash (!) remembered the growth she's had over the last 2 seasons by volunteering her for the spy mission (a month after using her as a jousting target, no less!)That said, it may be that they were setting the table for some sort of episode where Fluttershy is ignored and/or discounted by the rest of the Mane 6, and saves the day in some fashion, sort of her version of Pinkie with the Parasprites. she really is good with negotiation and soft power now that you think of it, maybe settling some sort of feud? I think it would have to be something that put her animals at risk though for her to find the guts.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

I'm viewing that this episode had (at least) two morals, the first was that it isn't about how much power you have, it's how and why you use it. Corrupted Trixie dwarfed Twilight in power, but used it to please herself and to make others miserable, but Twilight learned that she could make the most of what she had by applying it intelligently, and she was morivated to save Trixie and the town from the amulet's power.

The second moral relates to holding grudges. Trixie blamed Twilight for her life going downhill and wanted to show her up to get back on top. The corrupting aspect of the amulet can serve as an apt metaphor for someone who is consumed with hatred and gradually loses control of themself. The message is further reinforced when Twilight forgave the repentant Trixie at the end.

[Emerald Glow 40]

I'm viewing that this episode had (at least) two morals, the first was that it isn't about how much power you have, it's how and why you use it. Corrupted Trixie dwarfed Twilight in power, but used it to please herself and to make others miserable, but Twilight learned that she could make the most of what she had by applying it intelligently, and she was morivated to save Trixie and the town from the amulet's power.

The second moral relates to holding grudges. Trixie blamed Twilight for her life going downhill and wanted to show her up to get back on top. The corrupting aspect of the amulet can serve as an apt metaphor for someone who is consumed with hatred and gradually loses control of themself. The message is further reinforced when Twilight forgave the repentant Trixie at the end.

 

Good point about the grudge-holding, and the amulet as metaphor. Perhaps it's a situation where the Allicorn Amulet magnifies the darkness inside of you and crowds the rest out? (sort of like the Locket Horcrux come to think of it) Given how much ambition/jealousy Trixie was holding on to, the amulet had plenty to work with, hence her level of badassery by the end of the ep.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Good point about the grudge-holding, and the amulet as metaphor. Perhaps it's a situation where the Allicorn Amulet magnifies the darkness inside of you and crowds the rest out? (sort of like the Locket Horcrux come to think of it) Given how much ambition/jealousy Trixie was holding on to, the amulet had plenty to work with, hence her level of badassery by the end of the ep.

Well it's certainly possible that the amulet magnifies the darkness inside of you, and you could read it that way. It could just be that the corruption comes from an external evil though, like the Orichalcos from Yugioh that some other people mentioned. It can be whatever you think is more interesting

Edited December 3, 2012 by DashForever

[Crystal Sparkle 344]

OMG I just saw this and it was ama-za-zing!!! So many things I have to note:

 

1. I have to admit, I adored when Fluttershy got overprotective with her animals and how she threatened Twilight.

2. Soooo glad to see Trixie again

3. It was weird not having Pinkie talk for most of the episode.

4. I somehow like Trixie more than I originally did.

5. I did not expected Twi to "trick her"

[Zygen 6,066]

I think the episode was quite good. I wasn't exactly a Trixie fan before the episode, but the episode has kinda made me like her more in a way. The ending where she becomes "good" is a bit confusing to be fair. I dunno if it is because its so sudden feeling, or idk.

Other then that I think it was a pretty sweet episode, It left me wanting more(which is good).

 

All the 4th wall breaking madness was cool to . As always.

 

I am a bit disappointed also that the necklace had no connection to sombre, but oh well. To be honest actually I didn't see the resemblance to king sombre when I saw the necklace, so I'm a bit confused on how that was started.

 

And new magic is always cool to see .

 

I guess thats about it, its a good episode as always! I've liked S3 so far! So I hope Hasbro keeps up the good work and keeps all the good episodes coming

[roptiriolg 49]

That there is a hay smoothie, the same type that Trixie got from Snips and Snails in Boast Busters. How you can mistake the picture on the cup for an apple is beyond me.

 

Oh I didn't notice there is a picture on this cup but hey good catch there! So it's wheat maybe, not exactly hay. Smoothies rock! Hehe

[Sunny Fox 5,952]

Oh I didn't notice there is a picture on this cup but hey good catch there! So it's wheat maybe, not exactly hay. Smoothies rock! Hehe

 

Thanks, but I watched that part of Boast Busters again, and it turns out I was wrong. It's actually an oat smoothie (with extra hay) so that's what the picture on the cup is: oats.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Full Spectrum

[My Little Mandy 838]

The episode was fun and all but I felt bad for Pinkie Pie. Not being able to talk a lot in in this episode

and then finally getting her mouth back in the end? MEAN MUCH?

[Emerald Glow 40]

The episode was fun and all but I felt bad for Pinkie Pie. Not being able to talk a lot in in this episode

and then finally getting her mouth back in the end? MEAN MUCH?

I dunno, after 28,000 Pinkies running around the other week, it was actually kind of nice to have some peace and quiet this time

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

I dunno, after 28,000 Pinkies running around the other week, it was actually kind of nice to have some peace and quiet this time

Because Trixie causing chaos and mayhem with her dark amulet was so peaceful and quiet right?

 

I'm curious whether the amulet could ever return, since there is certainly potential to reintroduce it and there are quite a few unresolved plot points surrounding it.

[Emerald Glow 40]

Because Trixie causing chaos and mayhem with her dark amulet was so peaceful and quiet right?

I'm curious whether the amulet could ever return, since there is certainly potential to reintroduce it and there are quite a few unresolved plot points surrounding it.

As am I actually. Last year I would have written it off as a one shot, but they seem to be embracing continuity more and more as the show rolls on. What is it? Where's it from? Fan service aside, why's it called the ALLICORN Amulet? What else am I not thinking of?

[My Little Mandy 838]

@, I wouldn't have put that amulet in the box. If I was in the series, I would've smashed that

evil amulet to pieces. Then that way NO ON would be able to use it again

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

@, I wouldn't have put that amulet in the box. If I was in the series, I would've smashed that

evil amulet to pieces. Then that way NO ON would be able to use it again

That would probably be best, although it might be indestructible, considering how no one has destroyed it up until now. It seems that rather than tricking someone into taking it off, the easiest thing to do would be just to smash it. Since no one has done that it's probably pretty sturdy. Maybe you have to throw it into a volcano, like in Lord of the Rings. Who knows ?

[My Little Mandy 838]

@, Or drop it in the deepest trench in the ocean too would. I know the ponies live on earth and Equestria, but what are the names of the other countries in that dimension? (has tons of questions) 

[Emerald Glow 40]

@, Or drop it in the deepest trench in the ocean too would. I know the ponies live on earth and Equestria, but what are the names of the other countries in that dimension? (has tons of questions) 

Sudden Plotbunny <rarity> I-DEEE-AAAA!!!</rarity>: IIRC when we last saw Zacora, the amulet was placed in a box, and Zacora was going to take the evil trinket of evil off to somewhere safe. While she's not a Unicorn, she IS, so we learned, a magic user. What if the amulet somehow corrupts Zacora on the way?

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Sudden Plotbunny <rarity> I-DEEE-AAAA!!!</rarity>: IIRC when we last saw Zacora, the amulet was placed in a box, and Zacora was going to take the evil trinket of evil off to somewhere safe. While she's not a Unicorn, she IS, so we learned, a magic user. What if the amulet somehow corrupts Zacora on the way?

I'm pretty sure you have to actually put the amulet on, which Zecora, unlike Trixie, is smart enough not to do. And in any case, if she put it on it would be fairly obvious and Twi could just send for Celestia and Luna to smack Zecora down.