Talk:Cutie Mark Crusaders/@comment-10390252-20140321085324

For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils is the fourth episode this season that has shown the CMCs in a somewhat-unfavorable light, one each for the characters individually and one as a group. Specifically:

Scootaloo: Obsessive; melencholic (Flight to the Finish)

Group: External validation issues; tend to 'follow my leader' without thinking (Twilight Time)

Apple Bloom: Pride & dangerous overconfidence (Somepony to Watch Over Me)

Sweetie Belle: Self-obsession; jealousy (Twilight Time and For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils)

These aren't bad things. Well-written characters have some negative qualities, after all. The whole point of character development is to show characters overcoming such issues. I'll go a little bit further and suggest that the outworking of the long-term CMC arc - getting their Cutie Marks as a symbol of their own maturity - will be tied up in their overcoming their own flaws as well as identifying their special talents.