Landing at the port town of Horseshoe Bay, Flash and his friends prepare to continue their trek to Hoof Town, but not before catching a serial thief in the area and encountering an old rival.
- Abusive Parents: This is the first mention we get of Trixie's dad, and she describes him of having no faith in her abilities as a trainer, which is why she doesn't want him to know she had her badges stolen or get replacements for them.
- The Bus Came Back: After being absent for a while, Trixie comes back to restart her rivalry to Twilight before joining the group on their voyage to Hoof Town.
- Cats Are Mean: The thief turns out to be a clowder of Opaline, cat Pokémon like Rarity's.
- Enemy Mine: Flash's group, especially Twilight, aren't fond of helping Trixie identify the thief, but go through with it because they have the same goal.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Trixie joins the group temporarily to travel with them to The Hoof Cup.
- Heel–Face Turn: While still a rival, Trixie does soften her hostility towards Twilight and joins the main group in their journey to Hoof Town.
- Nominal Hero: Trixie first tries painting herself as a hero come to Horseshoe Bay who will find the thief attacking the port town. As soon as the heroes call out that she's only tracking the thief to recover her own possessions, Trixie sheepishly admits they're right.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When their leader gets knocked out, the rest of the Opaline get intimidated and scamper off.
- Took a Level in Badass: Trixie's Wizentice evolves into Magitual, which delivers the final blows to defeat the Opaline.
