Line #47 Woobie/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic


1	[[quoteright:311:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/poorfluttershycrying_792.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:311:[[TearJerker Rated D for depression.]]]]
3	Don't get us wrong, this cartoon is generally a happy one and does a great job of being positive. However, the show also does an excellent job of making us really feel for these candy-colored ponies. You really need the sad bits to make the happy bits richer after all.
4	----
5
6	[[foldercontrol]]
7
8	[[folder: The Mane Cast]]
9	!! The Mane Six
10	! [--Regular Woobies--]
11	* [[TheBeastmaster Fluttershy]] is the weakest physically of the mane six. She was heavily bullied in both past and present by flight camp, and the townsfolk of Ponyville besides the mane six, giving her severe PTSD having the only pony to ever defend her, Rainbow Dash, suddenly forgets about her after she falls off a cloud during a race. She is assertive, but kind, and often lets herself be a doormat on multiple occasions including the episode Putting Your Hoof Down. Due to the aforementioned PTSD, she prefers the company of her animals to her friends or other equines. While very few ponies prank her (and when Rainbow Dash did the one time, she was harshly chewed out) or even be the least bit mean to her due to her pure heart, she only admitted her weaknesses and not strengths, when cornered by a God of Chaos, and regretted acting mean when she was turned evil, she even redeems the aforementioned [[MixAndMatchCritters draconequuis]] God of Chaos and becomes his only friend for a while. She cares so much for animals that when she was herding ducks, the poor girl got roared at by a Gilda, who at the time was a JerkJock. When her new friend Discord ends up joining Tirek, he immediately regrets it as poor Fluttershy is beside herself thinking he had changed for the better. Compared to the other ponies who are better at holding it in, Fluttershy was labeled "The Misfit" by Discovery Family, and cries often whenever she has to relive her time at flight camp.
12	! [--[[IronWoobie Iron-Types]]--]
13	* Despite being the main protagonist, Twilight Sparkle has plenty of issues herself. Most obvious are her fears about having to be the model student for Celestia, causing her to create problems like enchanting her prized doll to cause an entire town (besides her friends) to go insane. She has an extreme fear of failure as shown in "Lesson Zero" and "The Crystal Empire Part 1". She begs her friend not to hate her, and has ObsessivelyOrganized tendencies. Come "A Canterlot Wedding" Queen Chrysalis evilly gets her friends and even brother and mentor to turn on her. She was also worried about Celestia dying despite it being a flashback.
14	* [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/12/lauren-fausts-animation-faq.html When asked about Applejack's parents]], Lauren Faust said that she did consider the idea of them being deceased. Of course, it was deemed too sad and other suggestions were made - ranging from them being salesponies to explorers. But since the subject has never been brought up in the show, it remains a mystery until the writers choose to define it. Until that day comes, fanon continues to run with the tragic stories in particular.
15	** Applejack's hat is commonly believed to have been passed down from her late father, hence why she seems almost inseparable from it.
16	*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uWcxeBCOst4 Jossed, she won the hat on a fair.]] Even so, that hasn't stopped people from coming up with theories that make both origin stories true, [[http://joeywaggoner.deviantart.com/art/Bobbing-for-Apples-403197186 like so.]] Though, even that got Jossed by "Somepony to Watch Over Me," showing she has a closet full of identical hats.
17	** Her stubbornness in ''Applebuck Season'', where Applejack tried to harvest all of the apples alone without any help, is seen by some fans as her trying to live up to some standard she set herself between her parents passing away, and her taking on most of the responsibilities of the family business.
18	** In ''Apple Family Reunion'', it was confirmed by Senior Storyboard Artist Sibsy that the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXTmuhzc2BM two shooting stars]] that appeared a couple of times in the episode were a nod to Applejack's parents. As it was said in-episode that the whole family was coming to the re-union, but we didn't see her parents at all, they could well be deceased, although it still isn't certain.
19	** ''The Perfect Pair'' all but writes "THEY ARE DEAD" on a stick and hits you over the head with it. To make matters worse, Applejack's dad is shown wearing the exact same hat as her, rekindling the TragicKeepsake aspect of it: it might not be the same hat but she was still likely inspired to wear it by Bright Mac.
20	* Ironically, if you think about it, Pinkie Pie may actually qualify as a Woobie just as much as Fluttershy; she just doesn't ''act'' it. Think about it: On the surface, Pinkie is a fun-loving GenkiGirl who loves to throw parties. But as [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E25PartyOfOne some]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E1TheReturnOfHarmonyPart1 episodes]] show us, she actually comes off as something of a StepfordSmiler and she throws parties as a way of validation- and she thinks that if nobody likes her parties, then nobody likes her. This alone caused her to famously and completely '''[[SanitySlippage lose it]]''' for a short while during "Party of One". Not to mention, grew up on a '''Rock farm'''. In her own words, "There was no talking. There was no smiling. There were only rocks." And then there's how viciously [[BigBad Discord]] [[CircleofShame dealt with her]]. And her breaking down in BerserkerTears in 'Baby Cakes' because of the twins antics and how desperately she wanted to prove she could handle the responsibility of looking after them. (Look at her hurt and offended reaction when Twilight tells her ''to her face'' she didn't think Pinkie could handle it.) Her desperation to get [[GrumpyOldMan Cranky]] to accept her friendship also called into question ''why'' Pinkie Pie wants so many friends. And then in "Too Many Pinkie Pies", she's so desperate to make her friends happy and spend time with them, she clones herself and it all blows up in her face. And in "Wonderbolt Academy", she's convinced Rainbow Dash will have forgotten about her and the others, to the point where she has to go see Dash in Cloudsdale, although she seems resigned to the possibility that it's too late. Poor Pinkie Pie...
21	* Rarity is kinda a woobie as well when you think about it. She puts so much effort on her work in the boutique and gets little appreciation most of the time. Suited For Success, and Sweet Elite definitely proved it. While she may seem prissy and a bit prim, she has the element of generosity for a reason. Not only that but despite her [[LargeHam overdramatic]] breakdowns and difficult to understand at times, it's fairly easy to relate to many people whom work hard.
22	** Rarity's woobie status is cranked up in the Nightmare arc of the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW comics]]. [[spoiler: She has bad self-esteem issues, and is afraid that her friends will abandon and forget about her once they find somepony kinder or more talented than her. The Nightmare Forces end up taking advantage of these fears in order to [[DemonicPossession take over Rarity's body]] and make her the new Nightmare Moon. Needless to say, the real Rarity doesn't enjoy being the arc's main villain.]]
23	---> '''Rarity''': [[spoiler:[[BreakTheCutie Please, no! I don't want to go back! It was so cold and lonely - and I wasn't helping anypony! I was hurting them. Help!]]]]
24	** Rarity gets woobiefied again in ''Rarity Takes Manehatten'' being [[InnocentlyInsensitive insensitive]] of her friends feelings, and yet being extremely generous to everypony. Her generosity ends up almost being her downfall in Manehatten when resident AlphaBitch, Suri Polomare copies her design and tells her she didn't win. After realizing what she put her friends through, causing them to miss the play they all wanted to see (yes even Rainbow Dash) it becomes too much for her to bear and she runs to the street in tears only to be confronted by her friends who say that it doesn't matter that she didn't win. Then it's revealed by Coco Pomell that she ''did'' win. Feeling better, Rarity takes her friends to a private showing of the play they wanted to see.
25	** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E20ForWhomTheSweetieBelleToils "For Whom the Sweetie Bell Toils"]] doesn't just Woobify Sweetie Belle but Rarity as well. If Sweetie hadn't have fixed her dress, Rarity would have gone into seclusion bawling her eyes out at the loss of her job. What's worse is that she worked hard to keep the kids at her sister's party receiving no thanks from anypony and unwittingly caused her sister to feel inadequate.
26	** The Season 7 episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E14FameAndMisfortune "Fame and Misfortune"]] where Twilight publish the old Friendship Journal that become a sell-out sensation across Equestria. While all of the Mane Six suffer from the harassment of the Journal's fans, Rarity got it the worst gaining an {{Hatedom}} because some snobbish pony didn't like her lessons. Not only does Rarity get chewed out by them, but her business suffers because of her haters' success in getting her boycotted. She spends nearly the entire episode in a crying mess.
27
28	* Rainbow Dash is one of the central focus characters of Friendship is Magic, and a BullyHunter who defended Fluttershy when no one else would. Despite her seemingly [[HiddenHeartOfGold arrogant and grumpy exterior, she is really a big softie who cares for all of her friends]], especially [[MoralityPet Fluttershy]] and her pet tortoise Tank. Despite brushing him off, Rainbow soon got to loving Tank as he was the only one of her potential pets to remain with her, and cross the finish line as she was injured, to the point of wanting to stop winter if it meant he wouldn't "die", due to not understanding hibernation and hating to be alone. She also acts as a good adopted big sister to Scootaloo, and something of a hero to the ponies of Ponyville. But she also has major PTSD from Flight Camp, just like fellow pegasus Fluttershy. She has a temporary HeroicBSOD in "The Mysterious Mare Do-Well" when Mare Do well does everything she does better, she's worried about her friends mocking her for something she likes in "Read it and Weep" and breaks a few bones while she's at it. But given that she's Made of Iron, she perseveres and is able to heal fast. She tries to break the record to impress Spitfire, and is even willing to not force Fluttershy to participate in the tornado if she doesn't want to, and stays amazingly patient of her, and immediately cedes all credit to Fluttershy, when her idol compliments her leadership skills.
29	** Rainbow even gets scared occasionally, like her friends, showing she is just as prone to fear. Dash even tried to impress the Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire again in "Wonderbolts Academy" where she is chosen as the careless, borderline sociopathic Lightning Dust's wingpony. Later on, she proved she was a hero, and Lightning Dust was kicked out. In a later episode, Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 we learn she is not one of the four traditional learners, but a passive-learner implying she has ADD.
30	** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E5TanksForTheMemories Tanks for the Memories]]" gets her woobiefied again, although her plans to sabotage winter were selfish and irresponsible and seriously damaged the Cloudsdale weather factory, Dash realizing that Tank, who has quickly become one of her best friends in addition to being her pet, is going to have to hibernate and her spending most of the episode trying to stop it is just heartbreaking. In the end, Rainbow gives up entirely and finally breaks down crying, causing Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie to cry as well.
31
32	!! Spike
33	* [[HyperCompetentSidekick Spike]] is this to a lot of fans. Especially when he and Twilight Sparkle are like family to other each other. The reason fof his woobie status is that one of his worst fears is no longer being Twilight's assistant and he often tries to help out whenever he can. Episodes like [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell Owls Well That Ends Well]] and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 The Crystal Empire Part 2]] proves that Spike cares about Twilight Sparkle very much.
34	** Even if he isn't considered a woobie at the moment, he definitely has woobie in his future as due to his elongated lifespan, he will in all likelyhood outlive Twilight and all of her friends (including one [[MayflyDecemberRomance he has a crush on]]) by a long way, excluding the apparently immortal alicorns.
35	** However, since [[spoiler:Twilight ''is'' an alicorn now]], one potential source of angst may now have been eliminated.
36	*** [[http://www.equestriadaily.com/2013/04/twilight-sparkle-wont-outlive-her.html Jossed.]]
37	*** Although that's kinda a vague description to go on. Some believe that they were playing with the words, considering that Celestia Luna and Spike are her friends too, Twilight won't outlive them. Think about it, why would an alicorn die? She holds an element that is too important to Equestria. Or the others (including Spike) will become immortal too.
38	** Spike generally de-evolving from ButtMonkey to ChewToy to NoRespectGuy and possibly even CosmicPlaything ''definitely'' puts him on this list. Considering that he actually had to put a picture of himself on top of another photograph of the Mane Six to make himself feel included in the picture, and the fact that he wasn't able to come to Twilight's birthday in "Sweet And Elite", became a monster that almost destroyed Ponyville on his ''own'' birthday in "Secret Of My Excess", and also was the only one who ''wasn't'' invited back to the Crystal Empire [[spoiler: after he basically saved it from King Sombra]] (although it's soon made evident that there were understandable reasons as to why he wasn't invited) and he essentially rivals ''Fluttershy'' for top woobie in the show.
39	** Here's a thing to consider: Spike is pretty much an outsider in a lot of respects. Not only is he the only male character in a group of females (not that unusual), but he's the ''only'' dragon in a society of mostly ponies. A society that barely knows just what is considered normal for a dragon. At best he's probably treated as a page boy or servant and at worst he's an exotic pet. It also doesn't help that it is in his nature as a dragon to become a greedy destructive monster. This is made worse when he actually meets other dragons and has a bad experience with them due to his upbringing, making him an outsider to his own kind as well. This gives the implication that while ponies appear to be inherently good by just being themselves, in order to "fit in" with what he knows, he has to fight against his natural instincts to get to the same level of "good". So it's very easy to feel bad for him when he's left out of things.
40	** ''Power Ponies'' takes his ButtMonkey treatment and [[PlayedForDrama reveals he has serious self-worth issues as a result]]. When the ponies tell him they don't need his help, Spike feels left out and starts reading his comic book. When the ponies enter the comic and become the Power Ponies, Spike becomes Humdrum, the sidekick of the Power Ponies who can't do anything right and only gets in the way. Everyone gets captured and he blames himself for it. However, Spike is able to help Fluttershy save the day and [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments the mane six tell him that he ''is'' needed]], even if it's not all the time.
41	** In ''Simple Ways'', the mare he's liked since the beginning has a major crush on somepony else. And yet he still helps her, because [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy he wants her to be happy.]]
42	** In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames Equestria Games]]'' his cringe-worthy rendition of the Cloudsdale anthem brings him down even further. At least everyone else was embarrassed for him and not laughing at or booing him.
43	[[/folder]]
44
45	[[folder: The Cutie Mark Crusaders]]
46
47	* Apple Bloom also qualifies as a woobie. To elaborate, before she made friends with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, she was led to believe that she was the only one without a cutie mark, right after Twist got hers. It's also implied that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon just love bullying ''her'' rather than bullying ponies with "blank flanks." Plus, in the episode "The Cutie Pox," [[spoiler: she ''desperately'' wanted to earn her cutie mark so badly, she steals the "Heart's Desire" plant from Zecora to get one, without thinking of the possible consequences. All goes well until she ends up having the cutie pox and she is unable to stop performing her talents. She then confesses to what she did to Zecora and ends up as a blank flank again.]] Poor, poor Apple Bloom....
48	** Look at the above woobie section for Applejack. These also apply for Apple Bloom as well, only she may have been too young to really know her parents.
49	** Apple Bloom is also the woobie in ''Somepony to Watch Over Me''. She desperately wants Applejack to accept her as responsible, but Applejack just doesn’t take her seriously and over-cares for her to the point where she’s almost harassing her. No wonder Apple Bloom felt the need to put herself into danger in order to escape that.
50	* In some ways, Scootaloo can be seen as this, even without fan-interpretations. Within the show, Scootaloo has never been seen legitimately flying, and can only manage to hover above the ground while dragging her hooves at best. Some fans have speculated that this is why she has a crazy obsession with Rainbow Dash, who is arguably the best flier in Equestria, to the point that she'd be her personal servant if it meant spending time with her.
51	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UztWnWOdAyc&feature=player_embedded This video]] claims that during the 2012 Brony Con, Lauren Faust said that Scootaloo was originally planned to be a character with a disabilty, and that an idea for an episode centered around Scootaloo involved the pony learning to accept that she cannot fly. Though while the show was actually airing, she claimed in response to a fan's question that Scootaloo "hadn't figured it out yet". The episode "Flight to the Finish" used her for a roughly similar Aesop, but its dialogue ("''What if'' I never fly?") actively avoided answering the question of whether she had an actual disability or was just having trouble learning to fly. Her situation there was left largely ambiguous for most of the series, but it has served as further fuel to the fan-theories that place Scootaloo in Woobie territory.
52	** "Growing Up is Hard to Do" and "The Last Problem" show Scootaloo's adult body with child-size wings. Shortly thereafter, [[DiagnosisOfGod one of the staff]] [[https://www.derpibooru.org/images/2157535 confirmed via twitter]] that that was indeed meant to indicate an actual disability, but included the line "But fans are welcome to interpret things how they like" (given that Bulk Biceps can fly despite having even smaller wings, Scootaloo's situation still is technically open to interpretation).[[note]]That line could just as easily be interpreted to mean "We're trying to have it both ways" -- that is, satisfy both the fans who wanted to see Scootaloo eventually fly and those who had held her up as a quality specimen of disability representation.[[/note]]
53	** Multiple episodes have Scootaloo implicitly wishing that she could fly. She is able to fly in dream scenes in "Bloom & Gloom" and "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?". When she is turned into a sea pony in "Surf and/or Turf" and dives underwater, she greatly enjoys it, imagining that that must be what it's like to fly (which accounts for a large part of her bias towards Seaquestria over Mount Aris).
54	** Another thing that makes her a target for easy Woobie-dom is the fact that unlike Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, she isn't related to any of the Mane 6, nor does she have any known relatives or seem to live anywhere in particular. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy don't have any known relatives either, but Scootaloo is only a child. Naturally, fans have come to the conclusion that she's an orphan, homeless or both. To add insult to injury, there was a time when the trend of "Scootabuse" (fanart or fanfiction of Scootaloo being abused in some way, most often by Rainbow Dash) was popular. This plus the inability to fly gave rise to "Scootalove" (Fanart or fanfiction of Scootaloo being loved by somepony, most often Rainbow Dash).
55	** "Sleepless In Ponyville" ups Scootaloo's woobieness. It turns out, all she wants to do is [[WellDoneSonGuy gain Rainbow Dash's approval]]. You certainly want to cheer when [[spoiler:Rainbow Dash herself [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments takes Scootaloo under her wing]].]]
56	** In "Flight to the Finish", [[KickTheDog Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon mock her for her flightlessness]], so she wants to impress Rainbow Dash by flying in her performance. As expected, she doesn't fly, and ends up changing the entire routine till its all about her flying, which causes Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to get annoyed with her and end up leaving her at the train station. Scootaloo, with tears in her eyes, tears down the posters of her idol and other ponies she admires and throws them (along with her scooter) in the trash. Then [[spoiler:Rainbow Dash comes in and reminds her to Be Herself and not focus on what Rainbow Dash can do. This results in Rainbow Dash affectionately [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments rubbing Scootaloo's head]].]]
57	** In "Parental Glideance", when Rainbow Dash complains about her parents' constant and insanely overenthusiastic praise, Scootaloo responds by saying that she had never received any of that kind of support. Combined with her seeing no problem with what should have been major red flags (the parents' memorabilia display included a used diaper, and they were shooting fireworks in the middle of an airshow), it [[UnfortunateImplications paints a rather bleak picture]] of Scootaloo's home life.
58	** In "The Washouts", Scootaloo accepts an offer to join the titular stunt team, to Rainbow Dash's disapproval (at the time, mostly disapproving of Scootaloo idolizing someone other than herself). After Spitfire lectures her on the potential dangers of such stunts, Scootaloo reveals that she wants some opportunity to do something great with her life despite being unable to fly - so desperately that she is willing to join a stunt team with a devil-may-care attitude towards safety. Plus, Rainbow Dash's behavior strongly implied that she was expecting Scootaloo to follow her into the Wonderbolts despite the whole "can't fly" thing, which was making her feel inadequate.
59	** "The Last Crusade" finally explored Scootaloo's actual home life. It turned out [[ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated her parents are very much alive]], but their line of work takes them to far-off and dangerous places, such that they could not bring Scootaloo along. She was being taken care of by her aunts (who were first introduced in the "Ponyville Mysteries" comic), but even they did not actually live in Ponyville, leaving Scootaloo to be raised mostly by whatever local adults weren't busy. Which would readily explain her comment of not getting the support she needed back in "Parental Glideance"; Rainbow Dash was likely the only adult who spent enough time with her to get meaningfully involved in her life. And when her parents arrive, it turns out they plan to bring Scootaloo along to their next assignment (fearing for her safety after the events of "The Beginning of the End"), taking her away from the ponies who had ''actually'' served as her family. [[spoiler:Fortunately, they change their minds after seeing what the Cutie Mark Crusaders had done for Ponyville. Her aunts also move to Ponyville, letting them be with her full-time.]]
60	* Sweetie Belle, especially in "Sisterhooves Social". All she wanted was to help her sister out...
61	** Her drawing in that episode has brought some fans to tears. And there's [[{{Tearjerker}} her and the other CMC's reaction]] to Babs Seed's bullying in "One Bad Apple." Her [[OcularGushers big cry and wails]] is one of the most {{tear jerk\| er}}ing moment in this series so far.
62	** In ''For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls'', it's revealed that on her fifth birthday, she thought that Rarity was taking attention away from her and learned that she shouldn't try to shine when Rarity is around. It was all a misunderstanding, but that must mean that for at least a few years, Sweetie Belle thought that she would always be stuck in Rarity's shadow.
63	* All three get their woobie moments in ''Bloom and Gloom'' when they suffer from nightmares about getting their cutie marks. Applebloom getting exiled from the Apple family and Crusaders Clubhouse (on her own land no less!), Scootaloo almost getting killed by a dangerous stunt presumably in front of her idol, and Sweetie Belle failing at a talent show
64	** They also get a huge moment in "Ponyvile Confidential" where, after they attempt to stop writing gossip about the citizens of the town, Diamond Tiara blackmails them to keep doing it. They get rained on by Rainbow Dash, yelled at by Big Mac, and aren't even able to go to Twilight for help because she put a shield up around the library (with Spike also yelling at them to go away).
65	[[/folder]]
66
67	[[folder: Other Characters]]
68	[[AC: Starlight Glimmer]]
69	* [[WellIntentionedExtremist Starlight Glimmer]] becomes very pitiable in [[spoiler:[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E26TheCutieRemarkPart2 the season five finale]] after her FreudianExcuse revealed that her childhood friend abandoned her after getting his cutie mark. Her VillainousBreakdown reveals her for who she really is. Not an evil villain, but a scared, emotionally unstable pony, who is so afraid of being abandoned again that she isolated herself from the world and spent years dwelling on her own bitterness. Later episodes depict her as not only cripplingly insecure, but also anxious and prone to having emotional meltdowns. Thankfully she seems to be working through those problems fairly well. ]]
70	** [[spoiler:Even before her backstory was revealed, you couldn't help but feel a little bad for her when Twilight forces her to confront the future she had unintentionally wrought. It's clear she never wanted to go that far and she was visibly affected by the destruction she witnessed.]]
71	** In "The Crystalling" [[spoiler:the mere thought of reuniting with her old friend Sunburst almost causes her to have a disturbingly realistic panic attack. Whatever you may think of her backstory, the fact is that for her, it was a very traumatic experience that had shaped her entire worldview, and led her to become a bitter and twisted individual. And now, she's being asked to face the friend who had pretty much caused her StartOfDarkness. Her fear about the situation is totally understandable.]]
72	** And then again in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E6NoSecondPrances No Second Prances]] where she feels as though Twilight doesn't trust her to make her own friends. It gets worse when it turns out that Trixie had just been using Starlight to get back at Twilight, resulting in Starlight crying and running away.
73	** In "To Where And Back Again", [[spoiler:we see that she still has a LOT of pent-up guilt over what she did to the citizens of her town, so much so that she is absolutely TERRIFIED of the possibility of being put in any kind of leadership role again. She even has a full-blown meltdown when the townspeople ask her to help them oversee the festivities.]]
74	** In "All Bottled Up", Starlight spends the episode frustrated with Trixie, but for fear that Trixie might decide to break off their friendship if she were to yell at her, Starlight magically seals all her anger away in a glass bottle. As the episode goes on Starlight seals away more and more of her anger, leading to her becoming visibly emotionally drained and exhausted.
75	** Downplayed compared to the rest of the entries here, but you can't help but feel a little bad for Starlight in "Rock Solid Friendship" when she finds out that Maud left Ponyville in the middle of the night without telling her, especially since they had spent the entire day before bonding and becoming friends. Doubly so when you remember that she's had [[StartOfDarkness a history of friends abandoning her.]] Thankfully, Maud returns and they continue right where they left off.
76	** In "A Royal Problem", her anxiety and fear over switching the princesses' cutie marks is enough to give her nightmares. Seeing Starlight sobbing and beating herself up over her mistakes as her imaginary world devolves into chaos around her can be really hard to watch. [[spoiler:If Celestia and Luna hadn't stepped in, there was no telling what damage that could have done to her already fragile mental health.]]
77	** Starlight just can't seem to catch a break when it comes to her DarkAndTroubledPast. She's helped to save Equestria on at least one occasion, but people just can't resist reminding her of her less than stellar beginnings. Even when she meets a seemingly random, unconnected pony (Maud), it still ties into her past. She's even forced to reference it herself in "Fame and Misfortune", albeit subtly, when she mentions that she learned to duplicate books to mass produce her "manifesto".
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79	[[AC: Antagonists]]
80	* Babs Seed. Just look at her face when her blank flank is brought up and how she pathetically covers it with her tail, and it's easy to see why she chose to hang with the bullies.
81	* [[spoiler:Discord]] of all characters becomes a JerkassWoobie in the episode ''Keep Calm And Flutter On''. He's both genuinely suprised when Fluttershy admits that she says that they're friends and then is hurt when she gets angry and denies that same friendship later after she was tricked. Just his saddened reaction alone is enough to make you want to hug him (And this is the same character that did absolutely ''horrible'' things to the Mane Cast).
82	** Despite [[ManipulativeBastard the]] [[BreakThemByTalking numerous]] [[WorldGoneMad atrocities]] he committed in his first appearance, the revelation that [[spoiler: he's never had a single friend prior to Fluttershy]], makes it pretty hard not feel sympathy for him, especially considering that he's likely gone [[FriendlessBackground more than a few centuries without one.]] It makes you wonder if his lack of companionship took a toll on his sanity and lead him to becoming the being we saw prior to Fluttershy reaching out to him.
83	** Throughout Season 4, most of the characters treat him badly, and take every opportunity they have to take jabs at him or let him know he's a nuisance to them. Only Fluttershy treated him like he had any feelings [[spoiler: before Tirek persuades him to come to his side. It's even implied that he switched sides because he wanted real friends, not friends who treated him like garbage.]]
84	** Taken even further in [[spoiler:"Twilight's Kingdom". Drained of his power, he comes crawling back and begs for the ponies' forgiveness. They eventually make up for it, and Discord officially becomes the main ponies' new friend.]]
85	* After the events of [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E6BoastBusters "Boast Busters"]], Trixie's career and life were ruined due to her becoming a laughingstock throughout Equestria. She turns into a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds due to becoming bitter as a result and obtaining an ArtifactOfDoom that corrupts her mind to try and carry out her revenge.
86	** And again, when she returns in ''No Second Prances'' Trixie has genuinely reformed and makes a friend in Starlight Glimmer which is revealed to be her first friend. That's right, the reason Trixie was so arrogant and conceited in her first two appearances wasn't just because of Boast Busters, but because nobody would be her friend. It's pretty sad when Trixie loses her assistant and chooses to do a dangerous stunt to get some adoration. [[FridgeHorror Imagine]] what would happen if Starlight didn't step in to help with the manticore stunt and Trixie ended up being devoured by a [[MixAndMatchCritters manticore]]...
87	* Sunset Shimmer in Rainbow Rocks. Her only friends in Canterlot High seem to be the Humane six, who have forgiven her for what she did. Everyone else gives her dirty looks, ignores her, or outright verbally abuses her. Like Discord, it's implied she has no friends. Despite the fact she nearly caused a ZombieApocalypse, you can't help but feel for her when everyone abuses her. As the movie progresses it also becomes obvious that Sunset and the Humane five aren't comfortable around each other, and that Sunset is unsure of her position with them. The humane five are friendly with her for sure, but once Twilight shows up it becomes pretty obvious that there is still a wall between Sunset and the five.
88	* [[AlternateSelf Human Twilight]] (aka Sci-Twi) in Friendship Games is an unwilling example. She's bullied by the Crystal Preps students because they are jealous of her intelligence and blackmailed by Principal Cinch to participate the titular event for her own gain. Her only loved ones in her life are her family, Dean Cadance and her dog Spike. After accidentally stealing magic thanks to one of her invention, she ends up harshly called out by [[JerkassHasAPoint Sunset, for messing with something beyond her understanding that could hurt herself or everyone around her]]. Then she is peer-pressured by her school to "unleash the magic" to win the game, only for the stolen magic to corrupt her and turn her into [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Midnight Sparkle]], a raging she-demon even worse than Sunset in the first movie, as she wants to understand magic at cost of destroying her own world through RealityBleed. Luckly, thanks to Sunset's GoldenSuperMode, Daydream Shimmer and Spike, she snaps out of it and performs an HeelFaceTurn.
89	* Gilda the griffon, yes [[TheBully that]] [[JerkJock Gilda]], becomes a JerkassWoobie in "The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone" when it's revealed she was bullied when she was younger as well, just like Dashie and Fluttershy. Then it turns out the reason she acts so cruel was because Griffonstone, her home, was ruined and every griffon she would talk to was a jerk to her. Even people who hated Gilda in "Griffon the Brush off" were touched by Pinkie Pie helping Gilda make friends and reconciling with Rainbow and Pinkie. This episode cements her HeelFaceTurn and it's revealed she had a hidden heart of gold after all.
90	* Diamond Tiara of all ponies becomes this as of "Crusaders of the Lost Mark", which reveals that [[FreudianExcuse a lot of her actions were fueled by]] [[AbusiveParents her mother's emotional abuse]], and that she legitimately wanted to be a better pony but doesn't know how. It's hard to avoid cheering when [[spoiler:she pulls a HeelFaceTurn at the end of the episode.]]
91	* In season 7 finale, "Shadow Play" - pts. 1 & 2, we have the Pony of Shadows, who is actually a unicorn named Stygian who was corrupted by darkness and banished to Limbo for 1000 years by the Pillars of Olde Equestria for his apparent theft of their artifacts. It turns out that all Stygian wanted was to fight alongside the Pillars and collected their artifacts so that he could replicate their magic, but instead of letting Stygian explain his motives, the Pillars (especially Star Swirl) labeled him as a villain and shunned him. Imagine being driven away by your heroes and then being banished for 1000 years...all because of a [[PoorCommunicationKills misunderstanding]]. Sure, it all worked out in the end and the Pillars realized their mistake, but still...
92	* Tempest Shadow is essentially a crueler version of Sunset and Starlight being the right hand mare for the Storm King in the movie, but being envious of Twilight's carefree lifestyle and happiness when the ponies in her village made her into a pariah after her horn broke. While she starts out cruel and uncaring, her villain song reveals she's secretly holding back a lot of grief and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends just wants friends]].
93
94	[[AC: Princesses]]
95	* Princess Mi Amore Cadenza aka Cadance from the two-parter episode "A Canterlot Wedding". Imagine [[spoiler:being taken prisoner on your wedding day by someone who you see taking your own form]].
96	** Worse than simply that: [[spoiler: she was kidnapped in imprisoned alone in [[AbandonedMine some forgotten mines]] without food or water while a shape-shifter takes her form and intends to marry her beloved so she can [[EmotionEater drain all his love for her.]] Even ''after'' being rescued, she has to find her way to the surface in despair (albeit with Twilight's help), witness her husband-to-be brainwashed, her aunt defeated in combat, and her home city invaded. She really has to go through a lot before she has her happy day.]]
97	* Princess Celestia herself is now seen to be a woobie as she [[ShootTheDog had to banish]] ''her own dear sister'' for a thousand years... one wonders if [[StepfordSmiler she's been laughing to keep from crying all these centuries.]] [[TearJerker Poor princess.....]]
98	** If you look closely during the scene when she banishes Luna to the moon-a sad, heart-breaking scene in itself thanks to the voice acting-she's actually crying.
99	** Then there's the whole ''Reflections'' storyline in the IDW comics where [[spoiler:Celestia meets an alternate universe version of King Sombra. The two of them fall in love, but their responsibilities to their kingdoms prevent them from being together aside from whenever Celestia can find the time to sneak away through the magic mirror that links their two worlds, only to later find that her crossing over so often is creating a dimensional paradox that is threatening the stability of both their worlds. Later, during the climatic battle with the story's [[BigBad big bad]] (an evil alternate version of Celestia no less), the alternate Sombra sacrifices himself to save both Celestia and their respective worlds but winds up consumed by evil while the mirror gets shattered, separating them forever.]]
100	*** There are [[FridgeHorror worse implications]] on this, that just twists the knife deeper. Her love story with King Sombra (the good one) ended tragically, as said above. However, given her extremely long lifespan, she probably had more than one love story that ended this way, or worse. And the ones that '''do''' end happily take on a turn for the worse as she outlives all of them. Her smile suddenly takes on a new, unsettlingly tragic turn considering all of this.
101	* There's also Princess Luna, who, alongside Derpy Hooves, is one of the most popular characters despite appearing ''for only a few seconds in one episode of the entire first season''. Fans jumped on the fact that the reason she went crazy and turned into Nightmare Moon was because she just wanted friends due to the fact that everyone was asleep at nighttime and she felt unappreciated. Until season two rolled around, one of the [[OCStandIn most popular interpretations of her]] was a traumatized filly who needed lots and lots of hugs and forgiveness. When she finally returned in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed "Luna Eclipsed"]], she ''was'' desperately trying to [[TheAtoner make up for her previous actions]] and convince everypony that she really wasn't evil anymore, but she was still [[LargeHam a far cry]] from the sad little ShrinkingViolet {{Fanon}} had thought she was.
102	** Still needs hugs, though. Her delivery may have serve to hide it a bit from modern viewers during that episode, but when she simply tried to address the other ponies in what is (to her) a perfectly normal, friendly fashion, consider what the other ponies' reactions to her must have looked like from ''[[FishOutOfTemporalWater Luna's]]'' perspective.
103	** And ''Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?'' reveals that [[spoiler:she sees ''her own actions as Nightmare Moon'' as completely unpardonable, and is convinced that she has to make herself suffer]].
104
105	[[AC: Supporting & Other Characters]]
106	* Cranky Doodle Donkey is this in retrospect. Having spent most of his life wandering in search of his love, whose fate he never knew, he eventually gives up in his old age to live out the rest of his days with his distant memories. The moment he arrives in town, he gets harassed by an unwanted Pinkie Pie, briefly blinded, loses his wig, gets publicly embarrassed for his baldness, and then loses the most precious book he has to the pony who inflicted all this on him. And then he gets relentlessly chased all over Equestria and driven to paranoia by the same pony after he thought he'd thrown her out, to the point where he boards up his house and yells at her to go away. If it hadn't been for the contrived happy ending, that episode would have been incredibly sour.
107	* Tank the tortoise. He just wanted to be loved...
108	** Admit it, you cheered loudly when [[spoiler: Rainbow Dash picked him!]]
109	** Tank could also qualify just as much as his owner in Tanks for the Memories just wanting sleep so badly, promising to return to Rainbow Dash in spring, and being dragged along in Rainbow's selfish scheme to stop winter. Thankfully he's very loved by the events of said episode having Rainbow fuss over him the entire episode. D'aww.
110	* [[WoobieSpecies The Crystal Ponies in general]]. This is one those cases where an ''entire kingdom'' can be considered to be made out of Woobies. Their memories from before Sombra ruled are gone, leaving them with only memories of being his SlaveRace under such awful conditions they're absolutely ''terrified'' of him. On top of that, they spend most of the episodes in a state of complete and utter depression due to what he did to them. [[spoiler:Is it any wonder they didn't hesitate one second to [[TheDogBitesBack blow him to kingdom-come?]]]] Oh, and they're now a thousand years behind the rest of Equestria.
111	** It's also noted that, whatever Sombra may have done to them, they still have some form of a post traumatic anxiety disorder that, when reminded of TheDarkTimes, incites a [[HeroicBSOD BSOD.]] It wouldn't surprise anyone if Celestia had sent psychiatrists as well as the Mane Six.
112	* Coco Pommel gets very little screentime in Rarity Takes Manehatten, but almost all of it consists of [[AlphaBitch Suri Polomare]] yelling at her or offhandedly insulting her for "finally" getting the dresses done (bearing in mind that she got them done in ''less than a day'' using fabric Suri [[ItMakesSenseInContext basically stole from Rarity]]). It's heavily implied that Coco does all Suri's work while Suri takes all the credit and yells at her to get coffee. [[spoiler: [[ThrowTheDogABone Fortunately, in the end, Coco quits working for Suri and Rarity gives her a much better designing job.]]]]
113	* Soarin, as of Rainbow Falls, the [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan favourite]] lovable adorkable goofball of the Wonderbolts becomes this after he [[spoiler: injures his wing while flying. None of the other Wonderbolts go to check on the guy. They even lie about his injuries! It's because of him that Rainbow Dash makes the decision to stay with the Ponyville team.]]
114	* Cheese Sandwich (yep, the character who is literally a pony version of Music/WeirdAl and happens to also be voiced by him) counts as one after his backstory is revealed. [[spoiler: He was painfully shy and presumably teased much like Fluttershy as a colt, and as a kid, he probably suffered from depression. It was only until Pinkie threw a party in Ponyville that he started to become the energetic pony he is today.]] He's also a traveller and his only companion is a rubber chicken, meaning he hasn't made many friends until the Mane Six.
115	* Troubleshoes Clyde. His Cutie Mark is an upside-down horseshoe, which he believed burdened him with bad luck. Because of his misfortune and clumsiness, he was branded as an outlaw in Appaloosa.
116	* The new ponies introduced in The Cutie Map could definitely qualify. They're living under the totalitarian rule of Starlight Glimmer being unable to focus on their talents and being forced to fake smiling all the time when they pretty much lost their reasons for living. When they finally got their cutie marks back, you'll want to cheer. The mane six also get woobie moments in this episode upon losing their cutie marks.
117	* In "Slice of Life", it's hard not to feel sorry for Derpy when she laments that she screwed up big time.
118	** She becomes an even bigger one when it's revealed she used to be an elite level flyer who could've had a successful career, only for an eye condition to ruin her prospects forcing her to settle for an average life. [[IronWoobie It's really admirable she doesn't seem the least bit resentful of this]].
119	* Moondancer in "Amending Fences". While one could say that ''all'' of Twilight's old friends in Canterlot were affected, Moondancer was hit the worse. She was essentially a shut in who saw Twilight as the closest thing to a friend. Remember the scene in the very first episode where Twilight snubs her friends' invite to a part to focus more on Nightmare Moon's imminent arrival? Yeah, that was Moondancer's party and Twilight snubbing the party (and worse, staying in Ponyville and gaining the Mane Five as her friends there) broke her, turning her to a recluse shut-in, focusing on nothing more than studying. Worse, that party was the first time she willingly put herself out there, and she became convinced she had no value or true friends.
120	* Shining Armor himself could qualify in a few episodes. He is getting married to the love of his life who was not only kind to him, but also to his beloved sister, Twilight. But then, Twilight viciously insults Cadence out of (seeming) petty jealousy. And since he was brainwashed, he was not only unable to defend Cadence, [[WhatTheHellHero he lashes out at Twilight for upsetting the bride, not realizing he she was only trying to protect him]], and ends up causing both to be trapped by the imposter. [[FridgeHorror Imagine]] if he ended up killed because of Chrysalis and could never see his beloved real bride nor his sister again and realizing what a [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone horrible mistake he made]]. There's also the comics where he's just as (if not moreso) {{Adorkable}} as Twilight being a D&D nerd who lives in his parents basement desperately trying to get the attention of bombshell princess Cadence, who was his sister's foalsitter. It even exists in the show. Just look at how he complete geeks out in ''The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows''. Shining Armor is probably a case of a HollywoodHomely though, as he is far from ugly. But still, you can't help but feel for the guy when you know his backstory and considering what happened at his wedding, you can understand why he'd cry at weddings. And in ''The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows'' it's revealed he and his wife earned their happy ending and are having a foal of their own.
121	* As of "Brotherhooves Social", Big Macintosh and [[IJustWantToBeSpecial it's not hard to see why.]] The fact that he's willing to disguise himself in drag if it means spending time with his sister and making her happy, even if she will likely [[InnocentlyInsensitive ignore him]] in favor of Applejack when she returns is pretty heartwrenching. Plus he feels like he was her hero and now that Applejack has become a hero, he's no longer his sister's hero. He even almost cries near the end. It's especially sad in hindsight when you watch Do Princesses Dream Of Magic Sheep where he's cuddling the toy he used to play with Apple Bloom with (Apple Bloom thought he could use magic) and he tries to play with her again only to have her forget about it. Poor guy...
122	* Sunburst. He turns out to have a case of [[DreamCrushingHandicap Sorry, Billy but You Just Don't Have Legs]] regarding his magical ability — and worse, his immense magical knowledge makes him fully aware of it — so he ended up becoming overwhelmed and now lives an insecure, reclusive life. Fortunately, he's able to not only fix his social standing, but also put said knowledge to good use after all in the end.
123	* Thorax, a changeling who knew that feed off of love was wrong ever since birth. [[spoiler: Being forced to be part of Chrysalis' army during the Wedding attack, he saw the true friendship of the Mane 6 and wanted to be part of that, only to be blown away with the other changelings. He managed to make a friend in Spike, who tried to shown everyone in the Crystal Empire, only for Spike to betray him while under peer pressure, leaving him [[ThenLetMeBeEvil heartbroken and bitter]]. In the season 6 finale, he is forced to go back to the Changeling hive and is almost drained of love by Chrysalis. Even after he becomes the Changelings' new king, there are still a band of changelings who refuse to reform and stay loyal to Chrysalis, including [[BigBrotherBully his older brother]].]] [[spoiler:Fortunately Thorax was able to change all their minds offscreen.]]
124	* Gallus is a griffon who doesn't have a family. When the school is closed for Hearth's Warming vacation, he creates a mess in the common room in order to delay having to leave the only people who care about him.
125	[[/folder]]

Context Woobie / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic