"I can't wait for this illusionist to visit Ponyville." Twilight said, looking at a poster.

"Tch. I'm sure you'd do better magic Twi." Rainbow Dash stated.

"Actually, illusion magic is one field of magic I have no expertise in. It's totally different type of magic from the spells I'm able to pull off. Because Illusion Magic not only incorporates actual magic into the spell, but it also relies on what's known as the sleight of hoof trick." Twilight said.

"What's is the sleight of hoof trick?" Smolder asked.

"It's something that's boggled the minds of magic experts everywhere. It's why I'm hoping to use tonight's performance to get some insight into the whole thing." Twilight said. "I really want to learn how to do Illusion Magic." She added.

"Are you sure you want to know how to do this field of magic?" Applejack asked.

"Who knows? It might come in handy at some point down the line." Twilight said.

"...Admittedly, that's true. We don't know what's going to happen down the road." Fluttershy said.

"If you think Illusion Magic could help us down the road Twilight, you've got my vote on it." Rainbow Dash admitted.

That night, everyone was treated to a unicorn mare.

"Hello Ponyville! I am the Great and Mysterious Trixie. I am here to dazzle you with tricks and magic galore! Now, I would like a volunteer. Is there anyone daring enough." Trixie said.

"I'm doing it." Smolder said.

"Ooooo. We got a dragon here folks." Trixie said. "And now...nothing up my sleeve..." She suddenly flashed her cape to the crowd and when she pulled back, Smolder was suddenly replaced with Spike.

"What the..." Spike said. Twilight noticed now Smolder was next to her.

"What the....how did she..." Smolder said.

"Tu-dah! Wait..." Trixie suddenly blinked. "Err...y-yeah, I meant to do that." Trixie said, playing it off. Funny...I didn't think there were two dragons in Ponyville... "You may return to your originals seats now..." Trixie said.

"Whoa. That really was something else. Switching the two dragons with each other. Guess I should've had more faith in this whole thing." Rainbow Dash said, her speech disguised by the cheers from Ponyville.

"Next, I would like to see a stallion come up on stage." Trixie said. Big Mac volunteered. "Now, then...you seem like one whose been working very hard. Very, very hard. I'm sure you can take this moment to just relax...drop down...drop deep." Trixie said. Suddenly Big Mac fell asleep. "And there you go, one big stallion fallen asleep on stage!" Trixie said.

"H-how did she put my brother to sleep? It has to be that Illusion Magic of hers." Applejack said.

"Um...can I get some help to remove this stallion from the stage now? Let's not disturb his slumber, shall we?" Trixie asked. Some mares helped Big Mac off the stage. "And now, for my final act, I would like for a Pegasus to come forth." Trixie said.

"Show me what you got." Rainbow Dash said, volunteering.

"Oh, you're certainly a fun one. Now..." Trixie said before flashing her cape again. Before anyone could react, when Trixie pulled her cape back, Rainbow Dash's entire body had swapped colors with her mane and tail color.

"What the..." Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll fix that right now~" Trixie said before flashing her cape and turning Rainbow Dash back to normal.

"Wh-whoa...THAT IS JUST AMAZING!" Twilight said.

The crowd cheered as Trixie took a bow and the show ended.

As Trixie was in her cabin, a knock happened at her door.

"Hmm?" Trixie answered the door.

"Hello. I'm from the audience." Twilight said.

"Huh. Didn't expect anyone to want my autograph." Trixie said.

"Oh, I'm not here for that. I was hoping you could perhaps teach me a bit of your Illusion Magic." Twilight said.

"The Great and Mysterious Trixie's magic is not something she gives out for free, nor does she give out at all." Trixie said. Suddenly a roar happened before Twilight's eyes went wide and the purple unicorn pulled the blue one out of the trailer before an Ursa Minor smashed it to bits. "What in Equestria is an Ursa Major doing here?!" Trixie exclaimed.

"Um...that's not an Ursa Major. That's an Ursa Minor. It must've been woken up by someone." Twilight said. Suddenly Snips and Snails; two colts; ran past. "...And I think I know by whom. But for now..." Twilight said. And using a series of spells, she was able to put the Ursa Minor to sleep.

"Wh-whoa..." Trixie said.

"Sorry about that." Twilight said. "Now, I know I have quite the grip on magic, but Illusion Magic is the one field I'm no good in. I was hoping you'd teach me a bit of it...if that's okay." She added.

"You...just saved my life..." Trixie said. "But...I...still can't teach you any new magic..." She added.

"Huh? Why not? Illusion magic is something I wish to learn about." Twilight said.

"I can't teach you any magic, because that whole thing about magic being involved in Illusion Magic is a fabrication; in other words, it's a lie." Trixie said. "Every bit of it is sleight of hoof, a fool the audience kind of deal." She added.

"But...then how did you manage to get Spike and Smolder to switch places with each other?" Twilight asked.

"To be honest, I don't know! I was aiming to simply turn her purple and green; not have her trade places with another dragon." Trixie said. "...Even I sometimes flub my own sleight of hoof from time to time." She added.

"Even still, I would like to learn a bit of this illusion stuff. It could really come in handy someday. You never know. In exchange, maybe I can help you add some actual magic to your future acts." Twilight said.

"...Huh...not a bad thought. I have been feeling like my routine has been growing stale. Okay then, you have a deal. By what name do you go by." Trixie said.

"Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said.

Outside nearby, Spike and Smolder had both heard everything.

"So, everything was just some big illusion? Wow. Even Twilight got fooled by it." Spike said.

"All the same, it could still come in handy. You never know. I still can't help but wonder how we switched places." Smolder said.

"Does it even matter? The show still was a smash hit either way." Spike said. "We should consider that the better option then trying to figure out who hijacked Trixie's show." Spike added.

"I suppose you've got a point. Besides, it obviously failed." Smolder said, before hugging Spike who passed out in a collection of hearts. "...You're still very much a doofus." Smolder added.

Author's Note

I really don't know why the show wanted Trixie to go complete asshole on the cast and be an antagonist for several episodes just so she could connect with Starlight. But if you ask me, there's a huge, missed opportunity with what Trixie was trying to be in the first place, which is an illusionist.