Trixie has been down on her luck since "the incident" in Ponyville about half a year ago. After being shown up by the upstart Twilight Sparkle, who stopped the Ursa Minor attack on Ponyville instead of her, she has become the laughingstock of magicians, and her shows have suffered for it. She has barely made ends meet, and it has not been helped by recent events with her family. Now, on Hearth's Warming Eve, she is back in the blasted village and awaiting when she can strike at the most-hated Twilight Sparkle to exact some petty amount of vengeance.

That is if another societal outcast didn't come along and spoil her plans.