Tear Jerker / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - Season 1

Mare in the Moon

• Twilight, as she sees the prediction of Nightmare Moon's return unfolding before her, knowing exactly what is going to happen and being powerless to do anything to stop it. Just how scared and nervous she looks makes it hard not to feel sorry for her.

Elements of Harmony

• From the viewpoints of the five ponies that Twilight had met that day. Their Princess has disappeared, Nightmare Moon has returned, Eternal Night is upon them — and the new pony that they had reached out to for their friendship knew exactly what was going to happen.
  • Rainbow Dash briefly accuses Twilight of being a spy. It's especially heartbreaking when you remember that during their last encounter, Rainbow looked forward to hanging out again. What's worse is that all of the accusations against Twilight are completely justified because she knew what was going on.
  • Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie are quiet, but they're clearly having trouble deciding whether or not to trust Twilight.
  • Applejack fortunately lets Twilight explain her side of the story, (and all of the suspicions are dropped quickly afterwards) but you can tell from her face that even the farmpony wasn't going to leave without answers.
  • When the camera switches to Twilight's POV, we see how scared and confused everyone is. It's actually the first time in the series that we see Pinkie Pie look legitimately upset.
• Rarity tries to reassure herself that short tails are the "fashionable thing" at the moment to Twilight after she chops off her own tail. The hesitance in her voice is what sells it.
• What happened after Nightmare Moon shatters the Elements Of Harmony, the only thing capable of stopping her, right in front of Twilight Sparkle then gives her a Breaking Speech. The look on Twilight's face makes it clear that, until she realizes that her friends are what she needs, she's crossed the Despair Event Horizon. Thank goodness her friends showed up.
• Luna. Nightmare Moon looked like Celestia, only dark and evil. Then we see that she was in fact this small Alicorn (she doesn't seem to be bigger than Twilight). It's just for a second, but seeing her almost cowering when Celestia gets close and then crying "I'm so sorry! I missed you so much!" makes you start to think that she stayed in the Moon for a thousand years. All by herself.
  • This part:
  Luna: I'm so sorry! *nuzzles up to Celestia, crying Tears of Joy* I missed you so much big sister!
  Celestia: *returns the gesture, also crying* I missed you too..
  • Fridge Tearjerker: Luna's aforementioned line, in stark contrast to Nightmare Moon seeking vengeance and presumably imprisoning Celestia, suggests that, during her thousand years on the moon, she was thinking independently of her Nightmare Moon persona and trapped inside her (supported by both Lauren Faust and Jim Miller), and likely feeling immense regret for creating/turning into her, especially once you see just how evil Nightmare Moon was during the "Princess Twilight Sparkle" flashbacks, and just how remorseful Luna is revealed to be in "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep".

The Ticket Master

• Applejack being the first one to realise how upset Twilight is and offering to take her name out of the running for the ticket. Remember, she was the only one who wanted the ticket for purely altruistic reasons, yet she's willing to give it all up to provide even the slightest bit of relief to her friend.
• The Running Gag of Twilight not getting to eat anything throughout the episode may seem humorous and all, but imagine going through a whole day eating nothing. The audience does feel sorry for Twilight.

Griffon the Brush-Off

• Fluttershy's reaction while Gilda picks on, and then roars at her for accidentally backing into her while helping a family of ducks cross.
• Rainbow Dash in the end when Gilda loses it. All she wanted was for her old friend and her new friends to get along, and look what happened.

Boast Busters

• Though a subtle example, when Snips and Snails talk about the most powerful pony in all Equestria, Twilight Sparkle is visibly bummed out, having been commended by Spike so much about her evolving magic, she seems disappointed to realize she isn't special.
• Twilight's first sentence after "whooping" the Ursa Minor at the end of the episode:
  Twilight: I'm sorry. Please, please don't hate me!

Look Before You Sleep

• It's kind of subtle, but Twilight Sparkle, who is effectively an adult pony, has never had a sleepover in her entire life. It really underscores how lonely her childhood must have been. No wonder she almost loses it when the sleepover comes close to being ruined by her friends' squabbling.
  • Word of God states that the Mane Six are intended to be roughly between 12-18 at the start of the series... but it's still rather sad. You can only imagine how she probably struggled with making many friends as a filly due to her being both a bookworm and Obsessively Organized, among other things. It makes her initial attitude in the two-part opener look sadder — she's been so used to not having friends that she can't even understand how wonderful a feeling it is. All those people who grew up as loners (generally a combination of intended and not) can certainly relate — even if you claim you don't want to socialize, chances are you crave some measure of connection with others...

Swarm of the Century

• It's a minor background gag but look at the face Lyra makes when she starts crying◊ after her cake gets eaten right in front of her. You just want to give her a hug.
• A minor one: while everything kind of turns out okay, seeing Twilight giving up after the Parasite invades Ponyville is kind of depressing, although thankfully afterwards Pinkie Pie clears them out.

Winter Wrap Up

• The ending to the song. Twilight sings the last line while standing by herself in the spotlight while the rest of the ponies have already had jobs assigned to them. Then, the other groups disappear into black one by one, leaving Twilight by herself. It's strong Foreshadowing for what happens later on.
  • Just the premise of the episode where, until the end, Twilight is unable to find her place in the Winter Wrap Up, and often Spike being a jerk to her. It all seems to have more sad tones than being played for laughs.
• Twilight's heartbroken reaction when Applejack reprimands her for using magic and messing everything up. Considering how Twilight was so eager to help, that was just wrong! And if you look closely enough as Twilight runs off in tears, you'll see Applejack looking concerned, clearly regretting it.
  • The mere fact that Spike keeps encouraging her to use her magic, only to have no guts to stand up for her when she takes his advice and everything goes south. As soon as Applejack starts chewing Twilight out for it, he acts like she was the only one to think of using magic right in front of the latter. No wonder Twilight runs off after...
• Ironically Applejack (along with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy) end up giving a similar 'hurt puppy' look afterwards when the Mayor chews them out for slowing down the Wrap Up with their arguing. It's revealed at this point every single Wrap Up (a supposedly blessed tradition) is a complete disaster because almost every pony is disorganized and in conflict with the other's work.

Call of the Cutie

• Apple Bloom being teased for being a "blank flank". Anyone who has been bullied for being different than the rest of the crowd can easily relate.

Suited for Success

• Rarity's excitement at the first dresses she made in Suited For Success. It would be adorable and heartwarming, but her friends are just too disappointed by them to make it go how it should.
• In the reprise of "Art of the Dress", she's running around after her friends getting ever more stressed over their incessant demands. Eventually, she faints from the extra work and
• On the other hand, while Rarity's breakdown is considered to be one of her funniest moments, to some fans her breakdown is heartbreaking.
  • Hell, it hits home for many creatives who suffered from Executive Meddling that resulted in garbage artwork that they then took the blame for. The general public would assume of course the designer is to blame because she made the dresses - not knowing the hell she was put through in all the interference.
• The other ponies try to get her out of the house, and her funk. Rarity refuses while lounging in a bathrobe and crying because she's a laughingstock — and Rainbow Dash doesn't help by agreeing— she may as stay in her room forever or go into exile, and her Twitchy Eye appears, hinting at Sanity Slippage. Either way, she's done making dresses. The Mane Five discuss what to do, with Rainbow Dash telling Fluttershy that panicking isn't a viable solution, while Applejack says they can't leave Rarity to wallow. Pinkie expresses concern that Rarity will become a Crazy Cat Lady with time if they don't do something. It's implied that if the Mane Five hadn't intervened, Rarity would have become a recluse.
• Rarity points out that it doesn't matter whether or not she forgives her friends, though she does because she knows they didn't mean to tarnish her reputation. Her career is still ruined. The Mane Five get a Mass "Oh, Crap!", until Twilight convinces the fashion designer Hoity Toity to give Rarity another chance and explain it was their fault the first show was a disaster. Fortunately, it works and he orders five dozen copies of the actual dresses.
• While they do kind of deserve it, being ridiculed by the town and a famous celebrity as well as slowly realizing what you've been wearing isn't as great as you thought it was and that you inadvertantly took advantage of your friend's kindess and are the reason her career will fail has got to hurt. Divivise opinion maybe, but you have feel a little bad for the other girls.

Feeling Pinkie Keen

• Twilight is a bit of a Butt-Monkey in this episode: she gets three The Door Slams You moments, gets a wagon of hay, a flowerpot, an anvil and a piano fall on her, gets stung by bees and breaks her forelegs. At least she gets better in the next scene.

Sonic Rainboom

• In a bit of Laser-Guided Karma given Rainbow's Brutal Honesty about Rarity's breakdown, Twilight casts a spell on Rarity to give her butterfly wings. Rarity
• Poor Dash. Despite trying to toot her own horn in front of the others, it doesn't sound like her usual arrogance. It sounds fake, like she doesn't actually believe it. This is unfortunately proven correct thoughout the rest of the episode.

A Bird in the Hoof

• Fluttershy's little whimper as she starts to cry and the face she makes◊ when Philomena bursts into flames, with her ashes slipping through Fluttershy's hooves. That scene had to be traumatic for some kids initially. They don't explicitly say it, but Philomena died.
  • It's not only traumatizing, it's also very depressing, both for the viewer as for Fluttershy herself. She had done everything to cure the phoenix, and it just combusts in mid-air. For Fluttershy, all her work would be for non. Plus, she's afraid since this is Celestia's bird, so for Fluttershy, she would think that she would be executed or something like that. Twilight's fear for the princess hadn't helped a thing in here, it only made it worse!
• The reason why Celestia is angrier at Philomena than Fluttershy; she knows the pony was doing her best to help a sick bird even if her actions were extreme. She calls out Philomena for being a Troll rather than explaining that phoenixes undergo a death and rebirth cycle.

The Cutie Mark Chronicles

• The homesick Applejack's sad little "cock-a-doodle-doo" at the sunrise before shedding a Single Tear.
• When Big Macintosh cried when Applejack left. It was so unexpected, but it underscored the fact that he's Applejack's big brother.
• Twilight's slumped posture and defeated tone when she says "I'm sorry I wasted your time" to the examiners.

• Fluttershy being bullied by a pair of jocks who, while they appear younger, are bigger and stronger than her. Especially since she's only at Summer Flight Camp to get stronger, but she can't. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash comes to Fluttershy's aid and defends her from the bullies.

Owl's Well That Ends Well

• Spike crying as he gets it into his head that Twilight doesn't love him anymore.
  • His whole self-imposed exile afterward, when he stays alone in a treasure cave and then almost gets eaten by another dragon, who was living alone in that treasure cave.
  • What about his state of envy leading up to that? He'd been going out of his way helping set things up for Twilight and her friends beforehand, and his obvious enjoyment of the attention he gets from said girls at get-togethers made clear that he felt it was worth it. Then some owl comes along to do the same thing and most of that attention, for a while, seems to be going to the owl. Spike even sees Rarity give the owl the same gift she gave him. As wrong as it was to react the way he did, it's difficult not to pity him.
• And of course it becomes even worse after seeing "The Crystal Empire."

Party of One

• Pinkie's reaction when Spike tells her exactly what she wants to hear: that her friends are all lying to her and avoiding her because they don't like her parties and don't want to be her friends anymore. She's at first elated from being "right", but then the implications sink in. Pinkie Pie doesn't just get sad. She practically shatters. Just looking at Pinkie really sad for the first time is soul crushing.◊
  • Then, someone made this, to really drive the feelings home.
• It's subtle, but this moment implies that Pinkie Pie hates being left all alone after one of her parties is over. The fact that she immediately tries to get another party going the next morning can easily be interpreted as her being desperate for companionship.

The Best Night Ever

• The ponies finding the Grand Galloping Gala to fall far short of their hopeful expectations. What really sells the scene is that slow, sad music that creeps up during the montage. The musical number just before also adds to the weight of this whole scene, showing how much all six ponies have banked so many of their hopes and dreams on this one night.
  • Seeing Pinkie Pie, of all ponies, sitting alone and miserable, singing to herself, with her voice uncharacteristically flat.
    Pinkie Pie: I'm at the Grand Galloping Gala... and it's not what I dreamed.
  • Rainbow Dash is finally invited to hang out with her idols, Soarin' and Spitfire, who despite being genuinely interested in her, end up getting snatched away by Canterlot's elite because of their fame. All the poor mare wanted was to spend time with her heroes and yet they were just pulled away from her because of a bunch of stuck-up aristocrats, leaving poor Dash heartbroken and out of the scene.
  • Applejack really wanted to sell out her apple desserts. But, needless to say, no one thinks to even look at them — or try them.
    • Also remember, the reason she wanted to sell her wares was because she wanted to pass the money on to her family. Not only is she disappointed, her family will be losing out as well.
  • Fluttershy. She came across so many magnificent animals in the Gala's gardens. But, whenever she tries to interact with them, they always seem to avoid her.
  • Rarity. From her portion of the "At The Gala" song, you can tell she's absolutely overjoyed at the possibility of finding herself a classy coltfriend, only to have reality buck her in the face when she finds out the one she has her eye on is a total prick. She just wanted to be treated like a lady. Of course, he's under no delusions that he isn't a gentlecolt.
    • She worked extremely hard on making the dresses for the gala, and her friends helped finish her gown. Prince Blue Blood makes her use it as a towel!
  • Judging by how excited he was to go in the "The Ticket Master", because he wanted to spend time with his friends, Spike spending most of the night alone at the bar makes you want to hug the little guy. It's made even worse when the Mane Six leave him upon entering the Gala.
  • Twilight's story is also very sad. Watching the full episode, then going back and hearing Twilight happily singing, "It is going to be so special, as she takes time just for me!" She just wanted to spend time with her mentor.
• A bit of Fridge Sadness considering Celestia's situation. She finds the whole night a dull affair and spent two hours greeting every guest rather than enjoying the gala. While it's implied she spends time with the Mane Six at the end, the fact that she invited them hoping they'd liven up the night suggests she has no friends of her own. Season 7's "A Royal Problem" seems to confirm it - showing that she's so busy trying to run her kingdom that she barely has time for anything else. And since Luna is only recently restored, just think about how lonely the princess has been.