MLP:FiM S3 Episode 5 - "Magic Duel"

[Amaris]

Episode Title: "Magic Duel"
Episode Air Date: 12/1/2012, 10:30 AM EST

SUMMARY: When Trixie makes her way back to Ponyville, as "Great and Powerful" as ever, she decides to prove her might once and for all by challenging and defeating Twilight Sparkle in a duel of magic, causing the latter pony to be exiled from the town.

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So here we are, the return of Trixie! It's about time! I got tired of reading all those Trixie and Twilight clop fanfictions. Now we get to see what happens with a magic duel! I've been waiting to see this! You've been waiting to see this! All of Celestia's children have been waiting to see this come to light, and here it is!

Grade and Discuss, and remember, no spoilers until 3 PM. Any spoiler must be in tags!

 

[Gepard]

So you've taken over official grading thread duties, I gather? What happened to–

I got tired of reading all those Trixie and Twilight clop fanfictions.

Woah, woah, woah. Wait, what? Jesus Christ, dude.

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You know there can't be enough clopfic. You're going soft on me, man. Christ.



Anyway, without getting too spoilery, I've watched all the preview clips and I'm very curious to see if they can make this work. Between the three clips, they've released basically the entire teaser and there's definitely some stuff in there that's worth an eyebrow raise or two. Especially that one joke that uses a piece of tech that – well, you'll know it when you see it.

I wonder if this is the episode Tara teased would make the bronies "go nuts?"

 

[Amaris]

So you've taken over official grading thread duties, I gather? What happened to–

I got tired of reading all those Trixie and Twilight clop fanfictions.

Woah, woah, woah. Wait, what? Jesus Christ, dude.

.
.
.
.

You know there can't be enough clopfic. You're going soft on me, man. Christ.

Oh thank Celestia somebody got that joke. I was worried there for a minute.
See, because over at BK, the word 'clop' is struckout, unlike here, where I have now realized that there is no strikeout option.

Anyway, without getting too spoilery, I've watched all the preview clips and I'm very curious to see if they can make this work. Between the three clips, they've released basically the entire teaser and there's definitely some stuff in there that's worth an eyebrow raise or two. Especially that one joke that uses a piece of tech that – well, you'll know it when you see it.

I wonder if this is the episode Tara teased would make the bronies "go nuts?"

I hope so. It looks interesting, and I'm glad to see Trixie's return. Now I have to wait, and I don't like that.

 

[Kemaiku]

"Alicorn amulet"

Hah, canon.

 

[Gepard]

Woah, that was a he'll of a teaser. The word alicorn is canon now!

 

[Kemaiku]

Side profile of an alicorn ala all the other depictions of them on the show, with wings and horn, so yup, it's canon. The kind old chinese magician shop shout out too, that's off to some start.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Watching now. Trixie messed with Spike; that is... unwise. And the bit with Pinkie Pie...

 

[Kemaiku]

Yeah, more shout outs.

The animation for her magic blasts are the same as Luna's from Luna Eclipsed tinted red.

 

[DarkHorizon]

Wow, this is really good.

 

[Gepard]

Wow, this is really good.

Yeah, they're not messing around on this one.

And man that was full of season 1 callbacks. Swarm of the Century, Winter Wrap-Up and Boast Busters at least. I think there was more.

 

[DarkHorizon]

Derpy?

And Zecora is Yoda!

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Wow... Zecora is Yoda!

 

[Kemaiku]

Really loving the episode itself, but really, Trixie deserves being turned into sandwich filler by a dragon more than ever.

 

[DarkHorizon]

There are a lot of really good Fluttershy bits in this as well.

EDIT: Flutterspy!

 

[Kemaiku]

Corrupt the user? really? how can it corrupt a completely moralless soul anyway?

 

[Gepard]

Derpy?

And Zecora is Yoda!

Derpy? Where?

And they seem to be using the original intent for Zecora, that she'd be a local mentor for Twilight. That's kinda nice. And the refraction in the water balls duringthe training sequence -- that's some nice animation.

Corrupt the user? really? how can it corrupt a completely moralless soul anyway?

And why would an amulet based on our beloved princesses be evil, anyway?

 

[Peach Wookiee]

I think it's because, even at her worst without the amulet, there was a possibility that Trixie could eventually see the error of her ways. With the Alicorn Amulet, however, the very worst of her personality came to fruition.
ETA to Gep: I like Zecora as a Yoda figure.

 

[Gepard]

Oh, hey, rule 63 Applejack.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

^Big Applejack! I love it!

ETA: I'm glad to be able to watch with you guys!

 

[Kemaiku]

Yeah the R63 thing was....weird.

Well we know those horses are the Saddle Arabian ponies now.

The amulet wouldn't be needed by Alicorns as they already have that power. So whoever made it was obviously not one, or maybe a cult worked to death to imbue the amulet with the power of many unicorns, it's red glow is all too similar to Sombra to ignore.

He was just a unicorn, what are the odds he sacrificed crystal ponies to make it, only to lose it when he was defeated? his spirit if not destroyed in the premiere could be out to get it.