

Twilight's friends are none too pleased with her tyranny and search Twilight's library for answers. Trixie proves to be not only stronger, but meaner and nastier than ever as she takes over Ponyville. Because Twilight cannot lift Trixie's age spell, Trixie declares herself the winner, literally throws Twilight out of Ponyville, and conjures a magic dome around the town to keep her out and everypony else in. But the real challenge comes when Trixie casts an age spell that turns Snips into a foal and Snails into an old pony, which only the most powerful of unicorns can do. Their spell-casting duel starts out straightforwardly enough-Trixie attacks Twilight with her spells, and Twilight uses her own to defend herself. Winner stays, loser leaves Ponyville forever! Now she's out for Twilight's blood, and she won't stop attacking the town until Twilight agrees to her terms: It turns out Trixie's still bitter with Twilight for (unintentionally) humiliating her and ruining her magic career after the whole "Ursa Minor" incident. In Ponyville, Twilight is getting ready for a magic show for Princess Celestia and some delegates from Saddle Arabia when Rainbow Dash crashes into her with some shocking news-the "Great and Powerful" Trixie, the cloaked figure from before, has returned to Ponyville and is tormenting the townsponies with greater and more powerful magic than before.

The shopkeeper recognizes it as the Alicorn Amulet, "one of the most mysterious and powerful of all the known magical charms", but is reluctant to sell it until the cloaked figure deposits a large bag of bits on his counter. One dark and stormy night in Canterlot, a figure dressed in a black cloak enters a curio shop and requests to buy a red-and-black amulet shaped like a winged unicorn.
