My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Fan Works/Tear Jerker

If a fanwork has its own page, refer to that main article for its Tear Jerker or YMMV tab.

If you're looking for Ask a Pony examples, they have their own page now.

Fan Art

 * Egophiliac is known for two things in the fandom, her super adorable version of Luna and her depiction of the relationship between the royal sisters. Any time she draws the two it's either heartwarming or a massive tear jerker. Matter of fact, you'll notice a lot of these fanon examples involve Celestia and/or Luna - what they are, and what they've been through, lends itself to this.
 * Doing the right thing is never easy.
 * Celestia through the ages. Third panel will get to you if you stare at it for too long.
 * Its thematic sequel is no less heartwrenching.
 * Endless night...
 * Poor Luna.
 * Sad party.
 * Alone.
 * Celestia remembering.
 * Being a Goddess is hard, so very hard.
 * Being an all-powerful being is just as hard.
 * Celestia tried to save her...she really did...
 * Try reading that while listening to "Luke and Leia" from Return of the Jedi.
 * A young Granny Smith and the origin of "Sweet Apple Acres".
 * The Elements lost their power...because she lost the friend she loved the most...
 * Made even more tragic because it turns out that really is how the Elements Of Harmony can lose their power.
 * This comic tells a saddening tale of Trixie's origin.
 * This picture pretty much sums up "The Return Of Harmony" in pure heartbreaking detail...
 * The end of "The Return Of Harmony Part 1" from Twilight's perspective. Really captures how depressing it is...
 * Nightmare Moon won but with nothing left to hate, Princess Luna is left to ask herself Was It Really Worth It? No, it wasn't.
 * What if Twilight Sparkle finally fell to Discord?
 * (facepalm) Aw, jeez...
 * This will make you feel sorry about making retard jokes about the fandom's favorite background pony.
 * Sending apology muffins to Derpy...
 * If you don't believe the rock farmer story, here's an alternate take on how Pinkie Pie really got her cutie mark. Tears. You will shed them.
 * Another one from PashaPup, this time on Rainbow Dash's childhood.
 * Pinkie Pie remembers.
 * Death leaves a heartache no one can heal...
 * Celestia waited so very, very long...
 * "Then she took off my wings..."
 * "Daddy?"
 * The End.
 * Poor little Luna, irony really bites hard. It'll bite extra hard if you realise how she acheived this particular wish.
 * "You never will, Luna."
 * "I don't really want to talk about the baby right now..."
 * Luna's diary of her exile on the moon. Also serious Nightmare Fuel (pun intended).
 * This illustration for a scene in the Pony POV Series. The picture does a great job of showing how sad it must be for
 * Not every little filly has Celestia on hand to suppress their first bout of Wild Magic...
 * "I know we're strange, but I don't want my family to ever change. Because this is my family, and I love it." You will shed tears, and they will most likely not be manly.
 * Ok, admittingly,, but this fancomic will make you feel sorry for poor Twilight.
 * All she saw was a monster.
 * Part two and part 3 on the otherhand were quite scary.
 * Then part 4 comes and it gets even more depressing.
 * Now, granted, there's a big divide among fans concerning the Mare-Do-Well episode, but hey, at least no one got hurt, right?
 * "Happy Birthday, Twilight..."
 * Discorded Derpy. While most go the Crowning Moment of Funny route with her Discording, this one goes a completely heartbreaking one.
 * It says something when about half the comments say things along the lines of "Discord dies for this"...
 * The following strip can pretty much go under CMoH. And as a CMoA, too.
 * Sniff.
 * This is home.
 * "A Brony's Blue" is about how a man named George Crawford finds meaning in his empty life when he becomes friends with a pony named Neon. But, as the cruel reality of his world sets in and starts bring pain and misery into Neon's life, George sacrifices his happiness and their time together to give her the life she deserves in Equestria.
 * Seeing Derpy crying over an ill, bed-ridden Dinky is upsetting enough. This is even sadder.
 * It's Your Life.
 * All things considered, Rainbow Dash took the Mare Do Well revelation pretty well. What if she hadn't?
 * The otherparts ofthisstoryare pretty sad too, especially the cliffhangers at the end of parts 4, 5, and 6.
 * A battle between Spike and his friends.
 * Just seeing Spike in a monstrous form about to finish off the ponies he considered his friends and family is bad enough. But when you read the description to the comic, you realize that he turned into a beast due to being everyone's personal Butt Monkey. You can only imagine the amount of guilt each of them must have for causing their dear friend to turn into a monster they hardly recognize as their friend.
 * A darker backstory for Derpy and Dinky. Still heartwarming, but in a crushing way.
 * The "Save Derpy" campaign over the controversy of the threat of changing Derpy's canon appearance and mannerisms to appease people who think she's mocking people with disabilities.
 * And when that movement failed and the official iTunes release of her appearance "un-derped" her, it led to some very angry reactions, but led to some very sad artwork.
 * Short but very effective, the story in the comments on this picture
 * He was her #1 assistant.
 * Heart's Desire. Readers who dislike ships were touched. Readers who dislike the particular ship were touched. A few non-fans of the show itself were tearing up..
 * Seeing Fluttershy crying for her mother will cause your soul to shatter.
 * If there's two things this guy can do, it's tell tramatic back stories and work with MS Paint.
 * The part in My Little Pony the Mentally Advanced Series where Twilight mentions what happened to Mrs. Buzzy was a Crowning Moment of Funny. In context, less so.
 * The other Abridged Series isn't devoid of heart(drive)breaking art either. At least the other two Snooty Snark Evaders believe in Sweetie Belle's humanity...
 * This picture may be a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming but think of the Fridge Horror of this picture being one of last memories Big Mac, Applejack and Applebloom had of their parents...
 * Then comes This.
 * Here. Big Mac read a certain fanfic involving him and his sister, doubles as a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming of sorts.
 * On a similar note, Dashie reads a certain fanfic involving her and Scootaloo.
 * But it was her birthday cake.
 * Why Scootaloo wasn't at the Sisterhooves Social
 * What a costume party...
 * Place your bids.
 * Thick scales don't cover the heart...
 * Poor Cadence...
 * Could be funny as well, but what if Discord and Queen Chrysalis had a Freudian Excuse?
 * Despite her Complete Monster status by many fans, there are others who can't help but giving her a sad back story.
 * You may be thankful that the other Derpy Censoring Art isn't so sad as this piece of sh*t!
 * Don't cry Sweetie Belle. You do have a soul.

Fan Videos

 * This PMV (Twilight's Lonely Day) will be sure to make you weep in sorrow for the poor filly.
 * followed with Applejack's Grief.
 * Try watching this video without being moved to tears. This video will move even the strongest people, especially the ending.
 * "When She Loved Me.", made by the aforementioned Egophiliac using one of the most Tear Jerky songs from Toy Story 2.
 * Somehow, this video, however upbeat. Especially 3:00.
 * Another alternate ending to "Party Of One" manages to combine the tearjerking of that episode with another...
 * The Girl Who Lost the Stars, using The Girl Who Stole the Stars and flashbacks to make in The Return of Harmony Part 2 even more heartbreaking.
 * Turns into Crowning Moment of Heartwarming territory near the end. Maybe even a little awesome.
 * Luna's Lament, while also containing a great deal of Crowning Moment of Heartwarming, also contains some truly sad moments as it explores how difficult it must be for Luna to return after 1000 years.
 * This "All This Time" video had this troper tearing up. It just worked on so many levels.
 * Even if you don't like Titanic, if this video of Lyra and Bon Bon doesn't make you cry, then you are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.
 * A Silly Filly Like Me. Derpy/Ditzy just seems to be a magnet for heartwrenching fanworks. Although, this one also combines it with an uplifting CMoH.
 * The first episode of an audio adaptation of the Pony POV Series manages to make Applejack's Discording (from her perspective) even more of a Tear Jerker thanks to the music and just how absolutely broken the voice actress makes her sound!
 * The Eventual Goodbye. Basically in a nutshell, Twilight believes that all will last forever with Spike and then she thinks on it some more as Spike starts to grow into an adult dragon and in turn, Twilight has to say goodbye to him forever. Sure it's all sketches, but it's nicely done that will leave many manly tears behind at the sentimental value of what could possibly happen in the end. And the music that's played the entire time doesn't help matters either. Very sad indeed.
 * This flash video starring a down on her luck Trixie who has essentially hit rock bottom. The music goes perfectly with the video as well.
 * Carnations and Forget-me-nots.
 * "Doctor? I got a question..." It's not canon for the Doctor Whooves and Assistant series, and thank the heavens for that.
 * Thankfully,
 * I'll Be Waiting. A song about Derpy and her simple wish to be needed by someone...
 * Twilight is Ronrey
 * True Friendship. A flash video based on the comic when Spike grows up, from Ask Twilight Sparkle.
 * Derpy's Censored. Part of it is the actress' very real sorrow, and part of it is thanks to a spot-on Meaningful Echo: "I just don't know what went wrong..." Added to how it's performed by who is considered to be the de facto Fanon!Derpy voice actress!
 * It's funny how peple considered the character so very insulting and upsetting because of how her name could be interpreted, yet none of these people seem to notice how a lot of her fans were choosing to interpret it. Say what you like about the reactions to the changes (like all fandoms, we have our own bucket full of crazy who went over the top about it), but the fans weren't using the word 'Derp' as an insult. Balddumborat's pain is as real as any of the insulted parties. Not only did we have a chance to portray a disabled character in the media instead of locking them away like disability is shameful, but we had a chance to completely change the meaning of a word amongst a huge circle of people, and make it so that when people heard the word 'derp' they thought of something cute and friendly and kind rather than something hurtful. There's another Tear Jerker right there.
 * Now is animated to be even more gut wrenching!
 * This video, too. *Sniff*
 * This Shining Armor/Princess Cadance PMV, set to "Far Longer Than Forever".
 * The Sisters Despair A PMV that shows the heartache and pain the fight with Nightmare Moon caused Celestia, all with just music and images, not a single spoken word.

Other

 * A real Tear Jerker is from the fanfic adaptation of the "After the Gala" comics. Not only are the reactions of some of the Mane Cast this, the one that really takes the case is The writer even admitted to crying while writing that part! Though of course this just makes the rest of the fic that much more of a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming in the end.
 * Mommy Nearest will make you cringe and cry at how much agony Rainbow Dash is suffering. It has a happy ending, but Mare, that's just sadistic.
 * Be warned; it's not just a Tear Jerker, it also contains Body Horror and Nausea Fuel.
 * Yet another Tear Jerker of a Fanfic, My Little Dashie is based on a comic from Equestria Daily in which someone finds a baby Rainbow Dash in our world. He raises his 'daughter' and they have happy lives together for fifteen years. And then he gets a knock at the door, opens it to find Celestia and the other Mane Six members, all there to take Rainbow Dash home. And he knew they'd be coming the entire time.
 * And there's one sequel in which Dashie returns to her human father after spending three weeks in Equestria, only to discover that 20+ years have passed on Earth, he married and had a daughter (giving Dashie a sister she never knew she had), and
 * Azekahh readthis fanfic out, and even he was moved to tears by the story of a Rainbow Dash who was adopted into a loving home. Somehow, having the story read out makes it even more heartwarming and heartrending at once. In particular, the way he goes from being skeptical of the heartwarming/rending content to barely holding in his tears will move you. Near the end, he spends at least a minute sobbing uncontrollably in sympathy towards the main character for his loss. He doesn't just read the story at this point, he almost becomes it.
 * The Bad Future segment of the Pony POV series.
 * And now here's a sequel to it that ends with all the girls, now Discord's immortal slaves, remembering themselves just long enough to die. There will be tears.
 * Though of course and Discord is finally overthrown. Still, it doesn't change how some parts are legitimently sad.
 * Even the Lighter and Softer second half of the series has one in
 * From said Lighter and Softer second half, Applejack's story.
 * Trixie's story, especially when Trixie explains why she is so concerned of what the audience thinks of her.
 * Speaking of Trixie, her two breakdowns in Kindness's Reward where she starts thinking she deserved what happened to her.
 * Someone took Singing Telegram and put the BGM from Shenkai Summit. In the original song, Pinkie Pie is getting tired as she sings to each of her friends, but in this it makes it seem like she's slowly breaking down and crying.
 * Both of the stories here. For an extra kick, read the second story while listening to this. You're going to need some alone time. It's quite possibly one of the most beautiful combinations of text and audio you'll ever be honored to witness. Your soul will be cleansed.
 * Today, Tomorrow, and Forever. Derpy Hooves mysteriously takes a day off for the first time anyone can remember, to celebrate Dinky's birthday, despite it being four months away. What at first seems to be just part of her usual weirdness turns out to be that
 * She is mentally stable -- hard-working, accomplished, and attentive to her daughter. And that's the worst part of it all.
 * To Forgive Is Equine has a few, but one that takes the cake is
 * Of Mares and Magic Is BRIMMING with these.
 * Can somepony explain the story in layman's terms? Not everypony has time to read all 12 chapters.
 * What's Eating Rainbow Dash? does a very good job of giving Rainbow Dash a What the Hell, Hero? moment about the "Mysterious Mare Do Well" as well as a depressing backstory. Her popularity with the ponies went to shit (with the exception of the construction worker she saved) and . Then she points out her friends left her out of pet day until she got a pet. The ending is happy though.
 * This short fic about Luna.
 * The last-minute derail of Cupcakes: Consequences. Long story short, after being saved by Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, it's revealed  and cure her,   to rehabilitate the traumatized Pinkie back into the community. But, it gets even more heart-rending: In the end, she begs Celestia (After several attempts to take her own life, no less.) to be punished as Discord was punished, and is, and remains in statue form in the garden forever, endlessly alone with her torment.
 * The story behind this picture. *sniff*
 * The stark, existential horror of Bad End. Could... Could someone else describe it? It's making my heart hurt, giving me heart palpitations, chest pains.
 * Students of Celestia opens with a scene where Celestia visits a funeral for her student Manalight.
 * Bubbles, the fanfic origin behind Derpy's cutie mark. . Mother of god, this made me tear up and I was like a rock during Up and Toy Story 3. There's an alternate ending that can be considered Earn Your Happy Ending material.
 * Circus Days focuses on Spike, and how he feels about being left behind by the mane 6 all the time, to do work while they go on exciting adventures. It's especially sad,  And if that wasn't bad enough,  This story is just full of Break the Cutie and tear jerking moments, that if you don't shed at least one tear, you're not human.
 * Scootaloo's Mistake Is a very sorrowful story... how sorrowful you ask?
 * Depending on which story you're reading, The Fluffy Ponies phenomenon can count as this.
 * This troper in particular cried his eyes out at the Family & Friends fanfic by Raefire. Made especially more effective if you've ever lost a pet.
 * This troper in particular cried his eyes out at the Family & Friends fanfic by Raefire. Made especially more effective if you've ever lost a pet.