Big Boy and Runt

Big Boy and Runt are two gremlins who first appear in as antagonists and later cameo in other IDW comics. They are referred to only as gremlins in their debut issue and as cloud gremlins in the publicity summary of the issue, but their individual names have been mentioned by the issue's writer Ryan K. Lindsay.

Development
Ryan K. Lindsay, the writer of, has stated "I did try to bring a pompous level of evil to my gremlins and I’m really pleased with how they’ve come out. My artist on the issue, Tony Fleecs, has done an amazing job bringing these creatures to terrifying life", and has also stated "The gremlins were especially pompous - I wanted to write them like old Stan Lee villains, almost caricatures of evil pomp. Their lines are all excruciatingly overwrought and that was intentional - it doesn't mean you have to like it, I just wanted you to know my process about it. Also, their names are Big Boy and Runt - you can guess which is which... ;) - it would be my dream to have these characters transport across into th [sic] show, though I'm not holding my breath, and I do know exactly what they sound like, too. I also think Tony's design for them is absolutely THE BEST."

Depiction in the comics
Big Boy and Runt are introduced in. They initially appear as a monstrous thunderstorm, but eventually reveal their true forms to Rainbow Dash. When they generate a magical cloud over Ponyville, it saddens everyone that lives there, feeding Big Boy and Runt and making them stronger. Rainbow Dash attempts to get rid of the cloud, but the cloud gremlins thwart her every attempt. She eventually defeats them and brings sunshine back to Ponyville by pulling off a sonic double rainboom.

On page 13 of 's story, Big Boy and Runt appear in Rainbow Dash's nightmare, as the cause of a flood.

On page 5 of, one of the objects in Fluttershy's Chamber of Extreme Knitting is a knit piece resembling the smaller cloud gremlin.

Human counterparts of Big Boy and Runt appear in IDW's My Little Pony Annual 2013. Here, their sizes are switched.

In, the smaller cloud gremlin appears on page 10, and both Big Boy and Runt appear on page 11.