Magic Duel

• The episode contains references to previous episodes:
  • Spike mentions being crushed by a snowball in Winter Wrap Up.
  • Trixie plays clips from Boast Busters on a magic screen.
  • Twilight summons a parasprite, seen in Swarm of the Century.
  • When Trixie makes Pinkie dance, one move she makes is her "Evil Enchantress" dance from Bridle Gossip. Another is from the wedding reception of A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2.
  • Zecora drinks tea, as mentioned in Stare Master by Twilight.
  • Pinkie using 10 instruments at once is a reference to Swarm of the Century.
  • Pinkie's father from The Cutie Mark Chronicles is shown.
• Twilight's training with Zecora references Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Twilight, much like Luke Skywalker, seeks a mentor to defeat a corrupt enemy. Zecora directly quotes Luke's mentor, Yoda, as she instructs Twilight to "unlearn what you have learned." Also within this scene, Twilight loses focus with her magic as she remembers Trixie's control of Ponyville, much like how Luke loses focus during training as he has a vision about his friends.
• Though it may just be a coincidence, Trixie in this episode is played as a spoof on a Sith Lord from Star Wars. This is suggested by the fact that she wears a black cloak and hood in the episode and her magic aura is changed to red when wearing the amulet (the color of sith lord's Lightsabers). Twilight's training also casts her in a Darth Vader role.
• The pawn shop owner in the beginning is modeled after the bookkeeper from King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.
• When Trixie summons the fishbowl to cover Ponyville, a musical score closely resembling 'Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium' by the classical composer Camille Saint-Saëns can be heard.
• The show at the end, where Twilight is levitating the critters in the shape of an infinity symbol, matches "The Magician" tarot card, where the magician in question has an identical symbol above his head.
• Under the Dome (stephen king)