Babs Seed

Babs Seed is a female school-age Earth pony and Apple Bloom's cousin from Manehattan. She is a former member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, having gotten a cutie mark of a pair of scissors with apple-shaped handles, as revealed in Bloom & Gloom, and the founder of the Crusaders' Manehattan branch. She speaks with a heavy Bronx accent. She is called Sweetie Babs in some merchandise.

Development
Her name is a play on words of the idiom "bad seed", which denotes an individual who behaves rudely and often brings misfortune to others.

On November 27, 2012, Cindy Morrow, the writer of the episodes One Bad Apple and Apple Family Reunion, was asked, "Please tell me we will see Babs seed again in a future episode/season I mean she's the 4th CMC for ponys [sic] sake! & adorable" and replied, "We will see Babs seed again in a future episode/season I mean she's the 4th CMC for ponys [sic] sake! & adorable. Good enough?"

On November 29, 2012, Cindy Morrow was asked if Babs is Aunt and Uncle Orange's daughter and replied, "not that I know of?"

Season three
Babs Seed is introduced in the episode One Bad Apple. She arrives at the Ponyville train station, where Apple Bloom introduces her to the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, who then show her their clubhouse and their giant pumpkin float for the Summer Harvest Parade. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon arrive shortly after and berate Babs for not having a cutie mark, which she seems self-conscious about. Babs often covers her blank flank with her short tail at the mention of a cutie mark. Ultimately, Babs starts to make fun of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, destroys their float, and joins Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara commends Babs' "big city attitude".

Babs then spends much of her time tormenting the Crusaders, who are scared of being "snitches" if they tell Applejack. In the song "Babs Seed", Babs chases and bullies the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who are doing their best to avoid her. Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Babs sleeps in Apple Bloom's bed, forcing her cousin to sleep on a bed of hay with a newspaper blanket. She later kicks the Cutie Mark Crusaders out of their clubhouse, turning it into a hangout for Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The Crusaders resolve to get revenge, and secretly rebuild the float the night before the Summer Harvest Parade.

On the day of the parade, Babs is successfully lured onto the booby-trapped float and begins to ride it down the street. The Crusaders are horrified to find out from Applejack that Babs was bullied in Manehattan for not having her cutie mark, which is why Babs herself turned to bullying to avoid becoming a victim again. After Babs is rescued from the sabotaged float, the four make amends, and Babs joins the Cutie Mark Crusaders, becoming the official fourth member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. At the train station, she tells Applejack that she will talk to her older sister about the bullying when she gets back to Manehattan. Babs also promises to start the Manehattan branch of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Before boarding the train, she stands up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon when they start teasing the Crusaders again and manages to effectively subdue them, which Sweetie Belle says makes her a true "Bad Seed" (in a good way).

Babs makes her second appearance in Apple Family Reunion. Apple Bloom is overjoyed that she RSVP'd for the reunion, and the two greet each other warmly upon her arrival, calling each other their "favorite cousin". The two start up a conversation about Babs' new school, but Applejack interrupts by having them compete in an obstacle course of her own design. They try during each leg of the course to talk (during which it's learned that Babs has followed through on her initiative to try and recruit foals for the Manehattan branch of the Crusaders) but the effort to keep up in the activities leaves them unable to get many words in edgewise.

After the race, they try to talk in private only for Applejack to lead them to the hay ride, during which Babs expresses admiration at seeing real fruit bats for the first time. After the barn gets wrecked from the bat fiasco, Babs helps with raising the new one and, like the whole family, takes part in the picture. As the relatives start to depart back home, she and Apple Bloom both express excitement about the next family reunion, though both agree that they ought to meet up way before then, and the two bid each other a warm farewell.

Season five
In Bloom & Gloom, Babs Seed writes a letter to Apple Bloom stating she received her cutie mark - a pair of scissors, her special talent having been foreshadowed at the end of Friends Forever Issue 13. Sweetie Belle says that Babs "was always fussing with her bangs and tail!" As a result of getting her cutie mark, Scootaloo states that Babs is no longer a member of the Crusaders. Babs also appears on the modified photos from the Apple Family Reunion during Apple Bloom's third nightmare.

In Made in Manehattan, Babs makes a brief cameo walking through Manehattan with Aunt Orange.

Depiction in the comics
In the IDW comics' series, Babs Seed appears on page 12 of  fighting against the Nightmare Forces in Ponyville. In the Manehattan Mysteries story arc that spans and, Babs helps in clearing Trixie's name when she is falsely accused of jewel theft. She befriends Trixie and eventually solves the mystery of the real thief's identity. In, Babs appears on page 10.

In the, Babs appears on cover A of.

In the series, Babs appears on page 2 of  booing Apple Bloom's attempt at stand-up comedy and on page 3 of  as an attendee of AppleCon 45. In, Babs spends the day in Manehattan with Rarity, but the two don't share any common interests. Rarity eventually learns to accept her and Babs' differences, and the two go to see a roller derby match. Babs expresses interest in "cool" haircuts, foreshadowing her later cutie mark.

In My Little Pony Annual 2013, Babs' human counterpart appears as a student at Canterlot High School. Though pony Babs is a filly about the same age as Apple Bloom, human Babs appears to be about the same age as Applejack.

The Elements of Harmony guidebook
BABS SEED is a tough-talkin' Apple cousin from Manehattan and the newest member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

HubNetwork.com description
''This big-city pony starts out as a bully, teasing cousin Apple Bloom and her friends for not having their Cutie Marks. But when they realize Babs was bullied in Manehattan for not having her own Cutie Mark, they forgive her and extend the hoof of friendship. Now Babs is the fourth official Cutie Mark Crusader.''

My Little Pony (mobile game)
Babs Seed is an available character in Gameloft's mobile game. She was added to the iOS version of the game on June 4, 2014 and to the Android version of the game on June 10, 2014. A loading screen of the game's and a Gameloft promotional image each use fanart of her.

In-game description
A cousin of Apple Bloom's, Babs Seed has learned a valuable lesson about friendship and is thinking about setting up a Manehattan branch of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Merchandise
On November 21, 2012, GetGlue released a sticker depicting Babs Seed with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, which was available for a limited time.

Babs Seed appears on WeLoveFine's fan-designed art print "Apple Family Portrait" and is shown on Acidfree's first art print.

A mini-figure toy of Sweetie Babs is packaged in one of four Story Packs with accessories as part of the Friendship is Magic Collection.

Personality
When first introduced, Babs is very shy and meek. However, to avoid being bullied, she acts mean and aggressively to Apple Bloom and her friends. After being saved by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who abort their chance at retaliation, she reverts back to her kind ways and is forgiven. She even protects them from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's bullying. She has a habit of blowing her mane out of her eyes, and previously had a habit of covering her flank with her tail when reminded of her lack of a cutie mark.

In, Babs is shown to be smart enough to solve a mystery and figure out the identity of the jewel thief Rough Diamond. She is also particularly friendly and sympathetic toward Trixie, a fellow reformed antagonist.

Quotes
"Looks like somepony's pumpkin just got squashed!"

- One Bad Apple

"See ya later, Cutie Mark Crybabies!"

- One Bad Apple

"Hey! That's not how you talk to my friends!"

- One Bad Apple

"What am I, gonna miss out on spendin' time with my favorite cousin? Forget about it!"

- Apple Family Reunion

"How are Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle?"

- Apple Family Reunion


 * Apple Bloom: I can't wait for the next reunion!
 * Babs Seed: Me neither!
 * Apple Bloom: I mean, obviously we have to get together before then!
 * Babs Seed: [chuckles] Obviously.
 * — Apple Family Reunion

"Heya, cuz! How y'been? Sunny an' me have been lookin' forward to meetin' you."

- My Little Pony Annual 2013