@sargesprinkles  
Which always struck me more as wanting to ingratiate themselves with someone who turned out to be a lot cooler than they could ever hope to be than a genuine heel-face turn; I find it hard to believe that a trio of bullies would have a complete change of heart instantaneously just because one of the targets of their abuse turned out to actually be really awesome.
 
Though that still doesn’t justify this panel, as one would think they’d want to avoid insulting RD’s friend in front of RD’s face if they wanted to curry favor with her.

@Evowizard25  
I wasn’t bothered by that episode, or gag, but I can see why some didn’t like it. (Still, I felt some overly-protective Fluttershy-fans kinda overreacted.) Plus, I guess it could be argued Pinkie just got to caught up in the excitement to realize she was upsetting Fluttershy. She is kinda naive, and childish.
 
I agree, just the way Dashie is. Plus, some eps show she does have a heart, and does care alot about others. She even became a bit more patient with Fluttershy in “Hurricane Fluttershy.”
 
Yeah, I don’t know why so many people forget that fact that “Spike is a kid.” I think the deal with him is, if he tries to hard, gets to nervous, and such then he gets a li’l clumsy. Some felt he was OOC in “Spike at your Service,” (another rather hated/controversial episode, but I liked it I hate to admit) but half the time in previous episodes he’s falling off bookshelves, and such. So he always was kinda a klutz, but sometimes he can be more competent if he doesn’t try to hard to please others, or gets to carried away. Even at the end of “Spike at your Service,” he does kinda win it out at the end, and at times had his “compatent” moments.
 
As for the CMC, like Spike, they’re kids, and can be a bit stubborn, or easily forget their lessons sometimes. Still, they aren’t totally “stupid,” and have their “smart” moments where they act more grown-up, or take responsability for their mistakes, and fix them. Like Spike, it’s when they get to excited, or try to hard is when they screw everything up.

@Ranch  
I don’t know, I kinda like the art style frankly. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual semi-“Lauren Faust” style we usually see in the comic. (And show.)  
I think Jay Fosgitt is my favorite artist on the comic now.
 
Heck, I’ve seen some old-school MLP fans who don’t like the G4 show’s art style, ‘cause it’s to chibi/cartoony/anime-ish, and such. (One girl on DA remarked they look like mice, and not ponies now.) Even I felt the G4/FiM show’s art style was kinda odd at first, until I grew to enjoy it.

@Beau Skunky  
Filly Vanilli was a really odd case for me. In pretty much ‘every’ episode that had the two interact in any significant way, Pinkie seemed to treat Fluttershy like a sister even. That episode….Hmm, I just don’t know why they forced that mean spirited joke. It’s especially jarring because Amy has written some of the best Pinkie episodes and such to date.
 
Rainbow Dash grew up with that attitude. It’s not going to leave her any time soon, even if she’s matured and isn’t so brattish. {I honeslty didn’t like her in season 1 and going into season 2. She’s gotten better in my book.}
 
Spike’s a kid and a lot of people happen to forget that when they go over development. They tend to forget lessons or ignore them. For Spike, I actually don’t see him regressing that much. If he does, it’s more because of his nature as a dragon than anything. If you want kid characters that don’t seem to learn and are too stupid sometimes, I point to the CMC. Heck, after Apple Bloom got rid of the Cutie Pox and wrote the letter, before the episode ended, she was right at it again. While the CMC have learned stuff individually. As a group, they’re still on square one.
 
Honestly, the CMC always seem smarter in general when they’re alone and not together, sad to say.

@Beau Skunky
 
 
The bully ponies are only in 1 episode. 1. Technically 3 but I’m not counting flashbacks. I mean physical appearances in the present.
 
The writers for this comic couldn’t watch that one episode? Not only that but it’s Sonic Rainboom! It’s not an episode people don’t like or don’t remember.

This is really really odd art style. I mean its kinda cute. But everyone is so super smooshed. Even for ponies. Dumbbell’s neck is horribly deformed. Like a truck ran over it.

@Evowizard25  
It’s arguable, some felt Pinkie was kinda OOC in “Filly Vanilli,” sense she kept bugging Fluttershy, despite in a previous episode, “Griffon the Brush-off” she was more aware of how overly-sensative Fluttershy could be sometimes. Also, Rainbow Dash still acts cocky, and such despite learning she shouldn’t be in “Mare Do-Well,” and such episodes. Some also felt Spike kinda goes back and fourth from being a calm well-adjusted boy, to a total bumbler the next moment, regardless of the lessons he learned.  
(Regardless, I’m not to bothered by those things to much.)
 
But yeah, it could be due to different writers, and such who don’t research the whole show, or every episode. (It’s kinda hard now with over 100 episodes now.)

@sargesprinkles
 
 
Nobody remembers the show’s on canon. Even fans still like to shit on these characters because “lol bullies are easy to write”

@Beau Skunky  
Hmm? I don’t think they’d go out of their way to make a ‘status quo’ for characters and a situation like this. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an FIM episode that ‘reset’ a lesson or such before. {With only minor cases of characters acting strange, mostly due to a different writer taking over.}

@sargesprinkles  
Perhaps, plus depite having some continuity the show/comic both tend to have that “status quo’” thing going on. So some minor things tend to “reset,” or get ignored.

@Beau Skunky  
if you’ll remember the episode, they not only congratulated Dash, but said they were sorry, told her the rainboom was awesome and asked if she wanted to hang out.  
of course the writers may not remember that because it was 5 years ago and any other time they’ve be used was in flashbacks of them still jerks.

@Background Pony #83AF  
Hmm, well I believed there was a bit more, but my memory can be a bit hazy. Anyways, at least wasn’t mean spirited or anything. {I think Rainbow wouldn’t let the nickname get to her anyways.}

Having had a look at the book the only line concerning Hoops I noticed was:
 
“If you’re so good, Rainbow Crash, why don’t you help out the rest of us?” a big stallion named Hoops shouted back. His cutie mark was three basketballs.

@Background Pony #83AF
 
@Beau Skunky  
Crystal Heart book and yeah, frienemies or something like that is pretty much what they are.

@Evowizard25  
Which of the books was that again? I don’t quite remember that coming up.

@Evowizard25  
Yeah, you might have a point. They could be like “frienemies,” or something. Not completely friends, nor enemies.

@Beau Skunky  
It stills feels a little lazy to keep them as jerks instead of not. I mean, at least one of the books at RD and Hoops on friendly terms even.

@sargesprinkles  
@Evowizard25  
I don’t know, the show hasn’t really done anything to really say one way, or the other.
 
And just ‘cause they were impressed with R.D. doesn’t mean they completely respect Fluttershy, or Dashie, and aren’t jerks still anymore.

@sargesprinkles  
I remember it too. I was really hoping to see more of these guys on better terms.
 
The only other time they ever appeared was in one of the small books. Can’t remember the name, but Hoops and RD were actually on friendly terms there so this makes even less sense than before. It could be because the writer of this comic is being lazy and just drawing up past bullies instead of making new ones to fill this roll.

didn’t the end of the Rainboom episode sorta redeem these guys when they showed respect for Dash and acted friendly?  
the show has never gone back on that, other than a flashback to before that.  
am i the only one who remembers that?

They’re looks like their kid versions.

@soundtea  
Dumbbell (the one insulting Fluttershy) definitely looks wonky, but otherwise I’m OK with his art here.

I gotta be honest, even by Fosgitt’s usual art, these ponies look pretty deformed and hella young.