After about a month of no real inspiration, I'm back. Story #7, "Friends on the Other Side", is... on hold for the moment. (It doesn't involve any real guro anyway, just sex.) The key plot developments in that story: Sonata's back in the world of CHS, living with Sunset Shimmer (now her girlfriend), and Applejack is about five weeks pregnant with her brother's baby.

(Timeline notes: there was about a week between #6 and #7; conception occurs the night before #7 starts; its outline ends about a month later with Twilight confirming Applejack is pregnant, and this story picks up a week after that.)

***
#8: "Crusaders United"
- Babs Seed learns what's happened to her favorite cousin and her friends, and volunteers to join them in Twilight's Brain Room.
- Tags: Nothing that hasn't been seen in previous installments of this story.

***
Knock knock

Applejack's ears twitched as she heard someone at the door. "Coming!" the tall mare called. Setting her rolling pin aside, she left the kitchen, heading for the front door. And there, she had quite a surprise.

"Babs? When'd you get into town?"

The young teen grinned. "Just this mornin'. I've been sending letters, but they never got answered. An' since Apple Bloom usually writes back right away, I got kinda worried and figured I'd come pay her a visit in person, see what's up. Where is she, anyway?"

Applejack felt her heart wrench. "Babs... why don't you come in an' sit down. There's something I gotta tell you."

A little while later, the two girls were in the living room, where Applejack heaved a sigh. "Babs... have you heard about these fillies who get... harvested, havin' their parts made into clothes and such?"

"Well... yeah." Babs cocked her head. "One of my classmates got volunteered for it. We got to watch 'em skin her alive, then they cut out her brain and cooked the rest of her right in front of us. She was tasty too."

"Er... good. Babs... about Apple Bloom..."

Babs looked at her older cousin. "She got harvested, didn't she?"

"I... yeah. She offered, and since we were havin' such a bad year with the farm, we couldn't exactly say no." Applejack pointed to a bowl on the table. "That's her skull, or at least part of it. Cut the top off her myself, and after her brain came out, we decided to use it for this."

Babs examined it. "Cool. Sorry she's gone, but... she's in a better place now, isn't she?"

Applejack let out a bark of laughter. "Better place? Yeah, you could say that. You know about Princess Twilight and her castle here, right?"

"Yeah... they said she'd get my classmate's brain after they cut it out. Said she had some way of keepin' brains alive." Babs blinked. "You sayin' she's got Apple Bloom's brain too?"

"Eeyup. An' so are Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, and those other fillies you met - Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They're all alive an' well in there, an' they're all good friends now too."

"Really?" Babs blinked, then her face hardened. "I want to see them."

"You sure?"

"Absitively posilutely."

"All right... we'll go this afternoon. Jest let me finish up in the kitchen first."

"Sure thing."

As Applejack headed for the kitchen and the dough she'd been preparing (she was planning a shepherd's pie for dinner, ironically made with cloned Apple Bloom meat that Twilight had recently given the family - she'd managed to save enough of the girl that she could use in the cloning vats for her mare-meat business), she sighed, rubbing her stomach. I've a feeling I know where this is goin', she thought to herself.

~*~

An hour later, Babs stood in Twilight's Brain Room, awed. "So this is where you've been hiding," she told the second brain on the shelf.

If brains could blush, Apple Bloom's would have. "Yeah... sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Babs. I didn't exactly think about writing you before I volunteered."

Babs shrugged. "No biggie. I'm just glad you're all right in there. So, what was it like, bein' harvested?"

"Well..."

As the two cousins talked, Applejack and Twilight watched them with a smile. "I'm glad Babs is taking this well," Twilight told her friend. "Not everypony reacts well when they find out a relative's been harvested."

"No kiddin'. I remember that girl from Canterlot that came down here a while back - what was her name, Toola-Roola? She freaked when she found out you'd harvested her sister."

"Yeah..." Twilight sighed. "But Strawberry Surprise did volunteer, and she was a consenting adult." She gestured toward one shelf. "She was cute, you know."

"No kiddin'. I thought you two were on a date when I saw you together that night."

"Technically, we were. She wanted to have one last night of fun before getting harvested. I wish I'd had more than one night to really get to know her, if you know what I mean."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "The same way you got to know me the night... this happened?" She glanced at her stomach.

"Exactly." Twilight smiled. "You're going to make a great mom, Applejack."

"I hope you're right, Twilight."

Just then, Babs came up to them. "Hey, cousin AJ? Princess Twilight?"

Twilight looked at her. "Yes, Babs?"

"Can you... er... harvest me?"

The two women exchanged looks. "We can..." Twilight said slowly. "But with your age, you'd need your parents' permission."

"Not a problem. I'd been thinkin' about volunteerin' for a couple of months anyway, an' finally asked 'em. They said yes. Part of why I came here was to let my favorite cousin know, so we could say goodbye." Babs shrugged. "Ironic the way that worked out, isn't it?"

"Yes. Yes, it is." Twilight looked at Applejack, then back at Babs. "Tell you what. Come over tomorrow morning, and Applejack and I will harvest you. That sound good?"

"Works for me." Babs looked at her cousin. "So, since I've got one night left, what's for dinner?"

Applejack smiled. "Oh, just a little Apple family surprise."

"Sounds tasty." Babs grinned.

"You have no idea, little cuz."

~*~

The next morning, a naked Babs sat on the table in Twilight's lab, looking interested as Twilight checked over her tray of surgical instruments one more time. "So, that's what youse going to cut me up with?"

Twilight nodded. "I've got the process down to a science, you know. Just ask your friends in the other room. I personally worked on three of them, and that's not even counting the adult ponies I've harvested for breaking the law or because they volunteered like you did."

Babs grinned. "Sounds like fun. Let's do it. An' since you're taking my skin first, you want me on my front or back?"

"Face down, please," Twilight told her. As the filly did as directed, Twilight glanced at Applejack and gestured. "Scalpel."

Applejack handed her the tool, and watched as Twilight cut into the girl's skin (casting the anti-bleeding and paralysis spells as she did - she'd already cast the brain preservation spell when Babs first came in). Expertly slicing down the spine, then making a cut around the edge of Babs' neck, she began peeling the flesh away from the muscle.

As her friend worked, Applejack glanced around. "Say, Twi? Where's Liza, anyway? She's normally here for this kind of thing."

"Over at Sugarcube Corner," Twilight replied as she made another slice. "Somepony's having a big to-do, and ordered a fancy cake centerpiece and a lot of sheet cakes to be served. Pinkie needed an assistant to help her with them, and Liza was happy to lend a hand."

"Ah." Applejack nodded, and looked down as Twilight finished the last slice around Babs' upper leg, and began peeling the skin away from the girl's rear. "So, what're you going to do with my little cousin, anyway?"

"Well, Pinkie asked me a while back if she could have a pillow like the one we made from Scootaloo. I think Babs would do nicely for that, wouldn't you?"

"She sure would," Applejack nodded approvingly. "An' I suppose you'll be adding her eyes and ovaries to your collection."

"Absolutely. Plus her DNA for the meat vats. Filthy Rich is going to be thrilled."

"I'll bet he is. How many of those do you have running now?"

"With Babs, at least two dozen now. All six of us have donated, you know. Plus Sunset, Sonata... your sister and her friends too, and some of the ponies I've harvested. Plus a few I haven't. Did you know Maud came by last week to lend a sample?"

"I never knew she was in town then, actually," Applejack told her as she moved to help Twilight flip Babs back over so she could finish skinning the girl. Seeing the happy expression on her little cousin's face, she smiled, and stood back to watch as Twilight finished the job, setting the skin aside and beginning work on Babs' head.

"Oh, she was," Twilight told her as she worked. "Apparently, Pinkie told her about everything going on here and decided that if her favorite sister was going to sell her meat, she would too."

"Huh. Guess that makes sense."

Twilight nodded. "And speaking of Pinkie, she's going to be so happy with you," she told Babs as she finished stripping the skin off her skull, exposing the muscle tissue underneath. "Time to take your eyes. Applejack, I need the mirror."

Applejack held it up to Babs' face as Twilight carefully cut the optical nerves and popped the eyes out of the girls' head, then whispered her spell and set the now enchanted orbs into their jar. Mirror set aside, Applejack glanced back at the girls' face, and was surprised. "She's still smiling, you know."

Twilight smiled. "That's a good sign. Are you ready to help me with the brain?"

Applejack nodded. Working together, the two girls removed the flesh from the top of the skull, then carefully cut through the exposed bone. Extracting the brain, they set it in the jar, and Twilight, after making sure all the connections were set, pressed a button. "How are you doing in there, Babs?"

"Youse really know what you're doing," Babs' voice replied. "My old classmate, she was scared an' freakin' out when they did this to her. I barely felt a thing. That's the way it's supposed to be, right?"

"It is," Twilight told her. "You were willing, which really makes a difference. I guess your classmate wasn't?"

"Not entirely," Babs admitted. "Me, I wanted it. Ivy Drop had a choice: she could get skinned and cooked at school, or her parents would have her done for some party they were throwin'. She picked school, because at least then she wouldn't wind up on display for a bunch of people afterward."

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "I see." She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. "Well. We still need to harvest the rest of your organs, then we'll take you to the Brain Room, all right?"

"Youse gots it." Babs' jar fell silent as Twilight turned back to her body, and finished skinning the arms and legs, then turned to Applejack. "Can you get the organs out? I need to contact somepony."

"Will do." Applejack set to work as Twilight left the room, and shook her head. She had a feeling the Brain Room was going to get a few more residents soon, and that they wouldn't be happy about it.

~*~

Several hours later, six ponies sat around the table in Twilight's dining room, contentedly munching on the steaks Twilight had cut from Babs' body and grilled.

"So, you'll get your pillow in about a week," Twilight told Pinkie. "She'll have all the same spells on her as Scootaloo."

Pinkie grinned. "Thanks, Twilight! I can't wait to try her out!"

"And the bones will all go to your family," Twilight told Granny Smith. "Applejack already turned her skull into a bowl to go with the one she made from Apple Bloom, as you can see." She gestured to the skull sitting on the table, which had been filled with fruit to serve as a centerpiece. "I'm sure she and Mac will find uses for the rest of her skeleton."

"Ah appreciate that," Granny replied. "An' we get the other pieces of her skin too, the ones you don't need for yer little stuffed pillow-doll?"

"Absolutely," Twilight told her. "The leather will be ready in just a day or so, then you can do whatever you want with it."

"Well, if'n Applejack don't mind, I'll turn it into somethin' for the youngin to use when they come along."

Applejack blushed. "Aww, Granny..."

"Mind you, I'm still not entirely happy with you gettin' knocked up like that," the older pony-woman told her. "But family sticks together, even in cases like this. Besides, how can I get mad at you an' Mac for makin' sure I get to see at least one of my great-grandchildren?"

The two siblings blushed, and Twilight smiled, then turned back to her dinner, tucking a forkful of Babs into her cheek. Next to her, she could tell Liza was enjoying the other girl's meat just as much.

Yum, Twilight thought to herself. I'll have to sent Babs' parents a thank-you letter for letting me be the one to harvest her.

***
I have the feeling this could probably be improved, but I'm not entirely sure how.

Trivia: Toola-Roola and Strawberry Surprise, the two I name-dropped above, were a couple of G3 ponies sold in a promo two-pack.

Tweaks on this story (if anyone has any suggestions for improvements) will be next, and #9, "Meating Out Justice", is all but ready. After that, the next ones planned are "Sugar in Your Castle" and "Gift of the Moondancer".