don't talk untill you've ridden a trance. come back and talk to me once you have.
but, no, just putting a fox propedal or manitou swinger or 5th element or anything else shock on your bike won't make it pedal like a hardtail, it'll make it pedal better, but not like a hardtail. you need the design for antibob (let it be VPP, maestro, w/e) for it to truely pedal better.
And i still say go with the giant trance for a mountain bike and that giant road bike you mention earlier. I don't care what other people say who don't know shit, Giant makes great bikes that well designed and durable. The trance is a beast of a bike, you'll never break it unless you take huge drops, petals great, and it rails on the downhill. 70% of the bikes we sell at my shop are Giant Trances.