Getting Back on Your Hooves

Trixie doesn't look so great and powerful anymore, does she?

"Twilight finds Trixie homeless on the streets in Canterlot. Can Twilight help her get back on her hooves? And will Trixie even LET her?"

Getting Back On Your Hooves is a My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic fanfiction by Kendell2 and Shadow Raikou with cover art by Paraderpy, available on DeviantArt, FIMFiction.net, and Fanfiction.net.

During a trip to Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle and Spike encounter a familiar face: Trixie, who is now an unkempt, miserable hobo. Feeling somewhat responsible for Trixie's condition, Twilight sets out to help the fallen entertainer her get back on her hooves, starting by letting her live in the library. But will the haughty, prideful Trixie even let her? How will Twilight's friends handle Trixie's presence in Ponyville? And what does Checker Monarch, a cold and quietly terrifying unicorn mare, have to do with it?

Kendell2 also made a short fic set in the same universe called Perfect Companions which deals with how the Mane Cast got their pets.

Tropes used in Getting Back on Your Hooves include:

• An Alicorn I Am: Checker Monarch's worldview has shades of this, even if she doesn't outright say it, though hers is a more realistic depiction of a god complex than most.
• Abusive Parents: Trixie's father appears to have been of the emotional variety though Checker may have been making it seem worse than it was.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Twilight does this to Prince Blueblood during a "The Reason You Suck" Speech. After explaining how Celestia and Luna seek such a close relationship with their subjects, a stark contrast to the self obsessed, high and mighty Blueblood, she asks him a question that, for once, actually makes him think about his actions:

Twilight Sparkle: If they're the highest royalty in the land, Blueblood, what does that say about how you behave when you're so much lower than they are?

• Bad Dreams: Twilight's been having recurring nightmares about Discord's brief reign, and the effect he had on her friends. Trixie helps her find a way to cope with them, as an early sign of her Character Development.
• Berserk Button: Losing is one for Checker Monarch.
• Big Bad: Checker Monarch, Trixie's sinister sister.
• Big Sister Bully: Checker Monarch was this to Trixie.
• Brick Joke: When Trixie faints in a dramatic fashion, Sweetie Belle comments that she does so in the same manner as Rarity. When Rarity herself does faint likewise a couple of chapters later, Trixie comments that Sweetie Belle was right.
• Broken Bird: Trixie.
• Break the Haughty: Trixie begins the fic like this, having lost everything she owned as well as having had something truamatic happen to her since then.
• Burning with Anger: Rapidash!Twilight Sparkle shows up again when Prince Blueblood insults Rarity by calling her selfish. Prince Blueblood doesn't seem all that surprised.
• Cain and Abel: Trixie and Checker, Trixie being Abel and Checker Cain.
• The Chessmaster: Checker Monarch, natch.
• Dark Reprise: It's hard to tell without any actual music to listen to, but going by title and lyrics, Checker's "Through My Eyes" is this to Trixie's "Through New Eyes".
• Deadpan Snarker: Trixie quite often. Spike also has his moments.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: As Trixie lives with Twilight, she gradually opens up and becomes a much nicer mare to everypony.
  • Rainbow Dash gives Trixie the cold shoulder throughout the story, but eventually eases up when she realizes she's been acting like the bully she accused Trixie of being, and warms up some more when she realizes they have stuff in common.
• The Dreaded: Checker Monarch. Trixie just seeing her name causes her to freeze up in fear and Rarity is actively terrified of her, simply due to her menacing and cold personality. The Diamond Dogs are also deeply unnerved by her, even though they just met her once.
• Even Evil Has Standards: The Diamond Dogs may be willing to do a lot of things, and work for Checker to ruin the life of a mare they don't know for gems, but even they are horrified when Checker Mind Raped Rainbow Dash with a dream infiltration spell. They still work for her, but after this they're actively terrified of her.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Checker Monarch has shades of this, especially when Rainbow Dash goes against her expectations and forgives Trixie, rather than running her out of town.
  • Justified Trope, as Checker Monarch is confirmed by Word of God to be based off a Sociopath, who, by definition, are incapable of truly understanding empathy and compassion.
• Evil Is Petty: Checker, oh so much.
• Face Hoof: Happens rather often.
• Fatal Flaw: Checker Monarch's inability to anticipate empathy. Her otherwise good plan to have Trixie run out of town and rob her of what little self-confidence she has left hinged on Rainbow Dash kicking her out...then Dash saw her in a Corner of Woe.
• For the Evulz: Essentially why Checker Monarch decided to start picking on Trixie again.
• Fountain of Youth: What Poison Joke does to Trixie.
• Fragile Flower: Trixie, once she's age-regressed by Poison Joke. Justified in that not only does she have the emotional maturity and control of a child, but she had a rather traumatic childhood, and being physically and emotionally regressed made all those old wounds become fresh.
• Freudian Excuse: Trixie is implied to have one involving her family.
  • It's heavily implied that Rainbow Dash's treatment of Trixie is due to having been bullied as a filly, thus meaning Trixie's humiliating her in public was far more painful for her than it otherwise would be.
• Hobos: Trixie, until Twilight takes her in.
• Ice Queen: Checker Monarch.
• "I Am Becoming" Song: The first song of the fic "Through New Eyes" is about Trixie coping with how her world view has been changed and the conflict that's causing her. Twilight joins in and sings about how she was changed by her first visit to Ponyville to reassure her. After she leave, Trixie finishes the song with her realization she's got a True Companions to help her through her uncertainity.
• "I Am" Song: The second song, Checker Monarch's "Through My Eyes", gives us an insight into her cruel, manipulative persona.
• Inexplicably Awesome: Pinkie Pie, as always:

Trixie: How did she…when did she…where did she g…What just happened?!
Fluttershy: Um…Pinkie does things like that… Sorry, I can't explain it any better than that, but even Twilight can't figure out how Pinkie does a lot of the things she does…She's tried…

• Intergenerational Friendship: Trixie forms one with the Cutie Mark Crusaders after she saves them from a Ropen in the Everfree Forest (though Sweetie Belle already liked her before then).
• Jaw Drop: Trixie, repeatedly, upon learning of the Mane Cast's heroics.
  • And several from the Mane Cast when certain parts of Trixie's Character Development assert themselves.
• Knight of Cerebus: While it has some dark points, the story is pretty lighthearted... then Checker Monarch shows up.
• Lack of Empathy: Checker, being The Sociopath, has this, but it's also clear that it also blinds her to certain flaws in her plans.
  • Trixie's words imply she forced herself to have this due to her childhood though mainly Checker's lies, but is regaining her sense of empathy now that she sees it was stupid to suppress it in the first place.

Trixie: Of all the days for me to start actually caring about somepony else's well being…

• Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Trixie's reaction after her encounter with Fluttershy's "ninja chicken".
  • This also appears to be Twilight's attitude towards the events of "Lesson Zero".
• Manipulative Bitch: Checker Monarch. Manipulation is her Cutie Mark!
• Mind Rape: Checker Monarch subjects Rainbow Dash to this via a dream infiltration spell, giving her horrible nightmares involving Trixie to turn her against her. And it almost works. This act even horrifies the Diamond Dogs.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Applejack, upon realizing she just blew up at Filly!Trixie over an accident and left the poor girl in tears. Later, Rainbow Dash comes across Trixie and is about to finally give her a piece of her mind (as she's been wanting to do all story), then sees Trixie sobbing and realizes that she's becoming just like the bullies she faced in Flight School. That snaps her out of her anger at Trixie quickly, and she finally lets go of her grudge against her.
• Narcissist: Checker Monarch.
• Noodle Incident: Apparently, during one of their attempts to get their Cutie Marks, the CMC ended up in a wrecking ball crane and set it off.
• No Sense of Direction: While trying to find a camp spot in the Everfree Forest, the Cutie Mark Crusaders get so lost they somehow end up in the middle of a cave.

Applebloom: How'd we even get in here?

• Oh Crap: Trixie upon realizing the three ponies she publically humiliated are three of the heroines who saved Equestria twice.
  • She has one earlier, when she realizes that Twilight is the Princess' personal student.
  • She has another one, this one played for drama, when she merely sees Checker Monarch's name written down on the tag of an article of clothing, causing her to freeze up in catatonic terror.
• Only In It For The Gems: The Diamond Dogs have nothing against Trixie, and are actively horrified by some of Checker Monarch's actions, they're only working for her because she is paying them with large amounts of gems.
• Original Flavor: Specifically stated by Word of God to be one of their main goals with the fic. According to many readers, they've succeeded.
• Rant-Inducing Slight: Invoked Trope by Checker Monarch, who manipulated events to get Applejack and Rainbow Dash so frustrated that they'd explode on Trixie at the moment Checker desired.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Twilight gives one to Blueblood after he calls Rarity selfish.
• Running Gag: Trixie and Twilight messing up the Pinkie Pie Swear.
  • A guilty Trixie pointing out that she humiliated the girls, with someone pointing out that she also bragged about it, and her quickly admitting to it.
• Shout-Out: During an argument with Rarity, Applejack comments that "Ah ain't got no accent!" In fact, the entire subplot going on there appears to be based on that fic.
  • Trixie is apparently a big fan of the Harry Trotter novels.
  • Several Shout Outs to the Pony POV Series were included due to the author being friends with Alexwarlorn.
• Smelly Skunk: Trixie ends up getting sprayed by one, named Sally, while working for Fluttershy.
• Smug Snake: Checker Monarch is a pretty big one.
• The Sociopath: Checker Monarch, who was modeled after one - and it shows.
• Sore Loser: Checker Monarch, and she has been since she and Trixie were kids.
• Third Person Person: Trixie, though when she gets emotional, she slips out of it.
• Title Drop: Checker Monarch has dropped the title once or twice.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Averted. Trixie becomes significantly nicer to the Mane Six after being allowed to lodge.
• Unwitting Pawn: According to Checker Monarch's worldview, everypony is this for her.
• Villain Song: Checker Monarch gets one in chapter 7, called "Through My Eyes".
• Villain Team-Up: Checker Monarch and the Diamond Dogs.