Rockhoof and Troubleshoes

One is as tall as Celestia, could never really find his place, and accidentally breaks everything he comes across until a group of kids show him his life’s calling.

The other is Troubleshoes.

While I certainly wouldn’t continue to call Rockhoof’s story telling his “life’s calling”, or “life’s purpose”, etc., the similarities are still there (but I still had you, right?). Most importantly, in A Rockhoof and a Hard Place, and Appleloosa’s Most Wanted.

In fact, I’m rather surprised there isn’t much (if any at all), of these two together, romantic or otherwise.

While I can’t necessarily see a romance between the two, they’re definitely an ultimate BroTP of mine. If you ship them in that way after this, go for it, I personally just don't see it. They’re more along the lines of could-be-BFFs, if anything.

But, let’s discuss the similarities between the two. There are definitely some there, at least in my opinion.

In fact, because of this, I’m still a little surprised that they didn’t give Troubleshoes a return in A Rockhoof and a Hard Place, and instead only gave him a silent cameo in Parental Glida-- no, The Last Crusade (yes, I did leave that incorrection in because that was how my mind worked as I wrote it, until I Googled it because I was unsure. Seriously though, Scootaloo’s parents’ episode should have been called Parental Glidance, the more that I think of it, because they’re trying to give Glidance, but it's the bad type of Glidance, and the irony is there and alsobecauseScootaloocan’t-- that’s a different topic for another day).

While Troubleshoes’ cameo showed a “Hey, I’m here because I’m happier now because these three kids helped me, and hey-oh-my-darn-gosh look at me smiling” perspective, it was also a little taxing to watch everyone (including him) not talk about how the CMC helped them.

Troubleshoes could have been called to help Rockhoof (or stumbled across him by the power of coincidence), and helped him, like: “You break stuff on accident, too? Well, that’s okay. So do I. Don’ mean ya have t’ give up. Ah’ did, an’ it got me in to a whole lotta more trouble than what it was worth.”.

While I’m not exactly going to go into the whole why “Troubleshoes appearance > one extra similarity between the two” mechanics, I am going to list the primary similarities - said above or not - between the two characters.

1. They’re big. Yes, while this is obvious, it’s still a similarity. As far as I know, the two of them are the only characters to have their body type. It also helps segue into similarity number two.
2. They break everything they come across. Because of their size, maybe? It can’t be a coincidence. My brain just won’t let it. The same as it won’t with the whole Cosmos-Eris-Discord fiasco. Of course, Rockhoof was doing so through over-enthusiasm and blind-conquest, and Troubleshoes through sheer four-left-hoovedness, but the point still stands tall.
3. They gave up. Granted, Troubleshoes had done so much sooner than Rockhoof, but they both still did it. Troubleshoes was prepared to stay in jail as opposed to watching the rodeo, and Rockhoof was prepared to turn into stone.
4. They were both really unlucky. It goes without saying that Troubleshoes was the unluckiest, but they were both pretty unlucky in their own right. Rockhoof just had it slightly better, but just as consistent. With every job he tried, everything went wrong. He couldn’t find his calling. Neither could Troubleshoes (but for a different reason). From infesting Zecora’s home to soaking Rarity’s friendship blankets, Rockhoof’s misfortune wasn’t as blatant as Troubleshoes’ dozen concussions, but just as point number two, the case still holds up.
5. They were ‘saved’ by kids. Rockhoof was shown his new purpose by Yona (and by extension the rest of the Young Six, but mostly Yona), and Troubleshoes had the CMC, which later amounted to the three earning their cutie marks in Cutie Mark Finding, or whatever it’s called.