@Great And Powerful Trixie  
Actually, the real trick to the zig-zag is obvious, but it isn’t shown here. For anybody that wants to know, check the spoiler.
 
The boxes are never pushed fully apart. Moreover, notice how the blades are narrower than the box. That’s because the assistant moves her body to her right while keeping her head, hands and foot in place to make it look like she’s split in three. In reality, she’s just doing a rather uncomfortable pose.

And in the same vein as the Masked Magician, I will now explain ALL the tricks seen here tonight.
 
Trick 1: when the card was chosen, Trixie put a spell on it to make it appear above the panel border, making it real easy to find when thrown in the air.
 
Trick 2: The daggers know what the assistant has under ‘her’ skirt, and simply refuse to hit that.
 
Trick 3: The bears are tame, as will all bears and really any non-magical carnivores in the show. How Trixie managed to stuff a bunch of bears into her performance stage will remain a mystery, however.
 
Trick 4: The assistant isn’t moving. She is clearly dead.

@Beau Skunky  
The difference of course is that she was never good enough to be a personal protégé of Celestia.

Fun fact to those who don’t know: Trixie is left-handed.

@Background Pony #FA94  
Trixie likes bears.
 
When they aren’t giant and starry.

What is it with her and bears?

@Background Pony #C589  
Given how wide a range of abilities she shows off in just one page, I doubt she could learn all that in just one year. Unless she’s Twilight-grade good at studying.
 
@Beau Skunky  
Trixie was written to be a “shadow archetype” for Twilight; basically, she’s Twilight, but without Twilight’s more restraining traits, such as modesty and humility. She’s “what Twilight could have been” (in terms of personality at least). Which is why they have a strong personal chemistry. Incidentally, this is also for good and bad; Twilight’s restraint also made her shy and retreating, but after Boast Busters she learned to embrace her pride.

@Yukimazan  
Kinda funny you mention video game characters there, (and their “dopplegangers”) instead of other cartoon ones. (Admittedly, I’m a fan of Mario, and the hedgehog.)  
And yeah, sense Trixie’s a li’l more vague, fans can interpritate her many ways, but it’s nice to have some fleshing out for her. She’s neither a complete villain, or a saint, and I think that grey area is one of the reasons she’s popular.  
Plus, it’s kinda funny how her egotistical personality clashes with her adorable pony design.
 
Yeah, I have to admit they had alot of clever ways to preform their illusions.

@Beau Skunky  
It’s pretty much like Mario/Wario and Sonic/Shadow. Character interactions like these tend to expand more of the traits of an individual which the expressions interest the audiences. For Trixie, she’s a great antangonist/side character for most fans to take note in which is why she’s got popularity. You can’t have a stew without fire or water.
 
And boy, didn’t know the masked magician had those threats LOL. But tricks are just for entertainment. It’s better to know about them than locking away in a box.

@Yukimazan  
Yeah, it’s nice to see a “bit” character like Trixie get some love. I know some will call it “pandering” to Trixie-fans/bronies, but surprisingly the bit/side characters are quite popular with kids to. (The writer of the comic says she sees kids in “Derpy” and “Doctor” shirts, and such at conventions.)
 
Y’know, I heard the “masked magician” actually got death threats, and such for revealing magic tricks.  
He later explained, (when he finally unmasked himself) he didn’t do it to “ruin” magic, he did it to get people interested in magic/illusions, and to get magicians more interested in creating more clever illusions, and such. (Rather then rely on the old ones they often repeated.) So his intentions were actually good.

With 2 episodes and a FF comic of her, I just like how her arc is showing her some character development. A great characterization from the beginning to the future.
 
Now, about those tricks…  

@Background Pony #C589  
According to Lauren Faust part of Trixie’s original backstory was, like Twilight & Sunset she was also in Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns. So she might actually be smarter, and better at magic then she usually seems.

@Mooncalf
 
Alternatively, after her epiphany in Magic Duel she decided to finally swallow her pride and start studying legitimate performance art.
 
That’s a lot to learn in just a year or two, though. (Unless she was a genius all along and never realized it, like the guy in Catch Me If You Can.) I guess it’s still down to headcanon for now.

@Background Pony #382F  
Yeah, just look at Applejack’s “hater” face here. :P (Hold a grudge much, AJ?)

@Background Pony #382F  
wat

The Simple Ways Dress!

@The Twelfth Doctor Whoof  
AJ, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash as villains of “Boast Busters” confirmed.

@Background Pony #382F  
I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about (actually I do, but I’m ignoring that).
 
You call it “Woobification”, I call it “characterization”. In this case, I’m right.
 
I’d call it more “The IDW writers are confirming what much of the fandom already thought about these characters”. Also, the show itself made Trixie far more of a Woobie than the comics ever could… or did you forget that little montage of what happened to Trixie after Twilight unintentionally humiliated her and even more unintentionally ran her out of town? Which itself confirmed a major fan theory about the Great & Powerful One.
 
And just to remind you, the MLP comic writers/artists don’t read any fan theories or fanfic.

@Masem  
So, basically, the comics are confirming the woobification that the fandom has been begging for going on 3.5 years now?

@Mooncalf  
This also is consistent with the RD/Trixie micro - there she got in trouble due to props for a “coal to gems” trick, and that she does like the spotlight but at least knows not to hog it too much.

I like that she puts on an actual show with actual magician’s acts, thus debunking the idea that the ‘Anything you can do, I can do better’ thing was supposed to be the whole of her original performance. I enjoy the idea that Trixie is genuinely talented at performing.

@Beau Skunky
 
@Kerion  
Rarity had it worse. Trixie turned her mane GREEN!

@Kerion
 
@Beau Skunky
 
Scoffed at both your comments, then turned to the next page of the preview…

@Kerion  
And tied up by her to…  
…Trixie has weird fetishes.

@Beau Skunky  
After getting tickled tortured by Trixie for her amusement, can you blame her?