The first week of school passed without much incident. Apple Bloom tried to keep up in class as best she could, but her main focus continued to be spending time after school and on weekends with her friends, crusading for her Cutie Mark, or avoiding Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

Being the neighbourly sort, Apple Bloom also took it upon herself to try and befriend the new girl, Whiteshadow, but she was having a terrible amount of luck. The new filly never seemed to spend much time paying attention in class - her face always buried in a piece of paper, doodling or writing - yet there had been a few times throughout the week when their eyes had met across the classroom just like the first day, and Apple Bloom could swear that she had seen the white filly smile at her once or twice. It was hard to tell beneath the hair that always seemed to be in her face. When she tried to say hi to her in the hallways, or outside the school house, Apple Bloom couldn't seem to get more than a nod out of her.

One evening, the Apple family were gathered around the supper table, chatting about the day's work as they normally did. Apple Bloom wasn't that hungry this particular night, though, so she was mostly picking at her food or moving utensils around on the table.

"Y'all look like you got sumthin' on your mind, sugarcube. How was your day?" Applejack asked.

Apple Bloom sighed and replied, "Fine, ah 'spose. Ah jus' can't figure out this new filly we got in class. Ah been tryin' to talk t'her for a week now - tryin' to make her feel more welcome like Ms. Cheerilee said - but she don't say much."

Applejack smiled and stroked Apple Bloom's back with her hoof, "Well, ah think that's great, you tryin' to help this new pony. I sure she'll come around; maybe she's just shy. T'aint no reason to put you off your chow, though!"

Apple Bloom sighed again, "I know, big sis. I jus...there's somethin' about this filly. Something...strange. It makes me feel all funny-like that I can't get her to say much."

"I sure she'll come around, AB." said Applejack, comfortingly and then added, "Hey, why don't you see if she wants to come over for supper some night? In ma mind, there ain't nothing more welcoming than a big ole' Apple family supper!"

"Maybe..." said Apple Bloom, with doubt in her voice.

"Save yer analysin' and theorizin' for another time, youngin', and eat yer carrots!" Granny smith chimed in from the other side of the table.

*****

The next day, Apple Bloom sat in class and tried to come up with some way of getting Whiteshadow to come out of her shell. The black-haired pony was sitting at the back of the class, her chair tilted back slightly, reading a comic book and generally appearing to ignore everybody.

"I have to figure this out!" Apple Bloom thought to herself, then added, "But why do I care so much?"

"Apple Bloom, do you know the answer?"

Apple Bloom quickly looked up to see Cheerilee and the rest of the class looking in her direction, silently awaiting her response. Her face turning as red as her hair, Apple Bloom had been so preoccupied with this other pony that she had completely stopped paying attention in class.

"Uh...no, Ms. Cheerilee." she responded sheepishly.

The purple mare walked up to Apple Bloom's desk and smiled at her, "Apple Bloom, I do wish you'd pay attention in class. You've seemed so distracted the last few days."

Apple Bloom looked down at her desk and nodded, "Yes, Ms. Cheerilee; I'm sorry. I'll try to listen better."

She could hear sniggering coming from Diamond Tiara, and barely heard her whisper to Silver Spoon, "Looks like her head is as blank as her flank."

Apple Bloom restrained her comeback, crossed her front legs on her desk and buried her face in frustration.

"Ok then. Does anypony else know the answer?"

"48 bits." came a quiet, unfamiliar voice.

Apple Bloom looked up to see everybody in the class looking behind her, she followed their gaze to Whiteshadow who had laid her book down and was now sitting up in her chair with her black mane still hanging in her face.

"Is the answer 48 bits, M...Miss?" she said again.

"That's correct! Excellent work, Whiteshadow!" was Cheerilee's response.

Whiteshadow gave a half-smile, then looked down, picked up a pencil, and began writing something on a piece of paper.

*****

When class broke for recess a short time later, Apple Bloom saw that Whiteshadow made no effort to get up and remained writing at her desk. Apple Bloom remained at her desk as well, and waited while everypony else went outside to play. She decided that today was going to be the day that she tried making friends with this new filly. As she passed Apple Bloom's desk on the way outside, Scootaloo said to her, "Well, aren't you coming outside? Sweetie Belle wants to go over a great idea for something we can do to get our Cutie Marks."

"In...in a minute, girls." was Apple Bloom's response as she remained focused on the pony behind her.

Scootaloo followed Apple Bloom's gaze, and then looked back at her quizzically, "What is it with you and the new girl? I've caught you looking over at her a bunch of times this week?"

"It's...nothing, Scoots. Just go outside. I'll be out in a bit!" Apple Bloom responded, an annoyed tinge to her drawl.

Scootaloo shrugged and trotted outside.

Seeing her friend leave, Apple Bloom was finally left alone in the classroom with Whiteshadow. Tentatively, she walked over until she was standing beside the filly's desk, watching her reading a comic book with a muscular stallion with a cape on the cover.

The white filly looked up at Apple Bloom and, narrowing her eyes questioningly beneath her mane, she said, "Yes? Did you want something?"

Apple Bloom tapped her front hooves together nervously, and said, "Well...uh...ah was just wonderin'...umm...what you were readin'?"

"A comic book." was the pony's simple, monotone response.

Apple Bloom smiled, her eyes looking around while she searched for another way to start a conversation with this filly.

"Consarn it, Apple Bloom! Get ahold of yerself! You're more nervous than a rattlesnake in a watermelon patch!" she thought to herself, chastisingly.

"So...um...how are you likin' Ponyville?" Apple Bloom tried.

The filly's response was a shrug and, "S'okay. Ponies here seem nice, but I miss my friends back home."

Apple Bloom slowly sat down next to the pony and nodded, "Yeh...it must be hard bein' the new pony in town."

The two ponies sat in silence for a few minutes, tapping their hooves together. Finally, Whiteshadow picked up her comic book and put it away.

"So...um...how long have you lived in Ponyville?" she asked Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom smiled, "I've lived here all ma life. The Apple family actually helped found Ponyville."

"Oh." was the filly's response, followed by a sigh.

"But...um...": Apple Bloom added, "well...I know what it's like to not fit in. See...ah don't have my Cutie Mark yet, and most of the other fillies and colts in Ponyville do, so...ah get made fun of sometimes. I get...called things like 'blank flank' and such."

"Oh...," the white filly responded and, brushing the black mane from her face, she stood up and showed her flank to Apple Bloom. It was bare.

"Well...I guess I'm a 'blank flank' too, then. Most of my friends back home have theirs, but my dad always told me that I'd get mine when it was the right time."

Apple Bloom nodded, understandingly. "My big sister, Applejack, and Granny Smith say the same thing to me. But ah get real impatient sometimes. So...me and mah friends have a club, and we go around tryin' to find ways to get ours."

"Sounds...fun." she responded, sitting back down.

At that moment, Sweetie Belle popped her head through the doorway and said, "Hey, AB! You comin' out to play or what?"

Apple Bloom stood up and, turning first to look at Whiteshadow, she turned back to Sweetie Belle and said, "I'll be out in two secs."

She turned back to look at Whiteshadow who was idly digging at a loose piece of wood on her desk, and said, "So...um...I was thinking...if you weren't doing nothin' sometime..."

"Apple Bloom, shake a hoof! We're going to have no time for planning if you don't come out now!" said Scootaloo, sticking her head in the doorway.

Apple Bloom cast a quick glance over at Whiteshadow and, after briefly pausing to bite her lower lip in thought, yelled, "Coming!" and trotted out the door after her friends.

*****

When school broke that day, Apple Bloom felt in much better spirits. She had managed to get through to the new girl, and she had some amazing plans for the weekend with her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"So, it's settled!" said Sweetie Belle, walking out of the school doors beside Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, "We meet Friday after school at the clubhouse. I just know we can come up with three or four really good ideas to get our Cutie Marks."

"It's settled!" both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said in unison.

"Hey! Why don't you look where you're going, 'blank flank'!"

The three fillies turned around to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon confronting Whiteshadow.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about." Whiteshadow stammered, trying to get around them.

The two bullies laughed evilly, as they moved to block her way.

"I've had about enough of those two!" Apple Bloom grumbled, then, before Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle could say anything, she took off back toward the school.

When Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon saw the red-headed filly running toward them they took off in the opposite direction, looking genuinely frightened by the expression on Apple Bloom's face.

"Yeah, you better run, you two lily-livered varmits!" she shouted after them. Turning toward the white pony next to her, she said, "Sorry about those two. They're just a couple of bullies."

Whiteshadow shrugged, "I've seen worse than them in Califoalia. But...thanks, I guess."

Apple Bloom smiled, but couldn't think of anything else to say. She found herself staring at the white filly - her black mane, her barely-visible blue eyes...that empty flank - and felt a hot flush come over her face.

"What in tarnation is wrong with me!" she thought to herself. "I'm acting more nervous than Fluttershy!"

After a few more moments of silence, Whiteshadow cleared her throat and said, "Well...I guess I better head home for supper." then turned tail and started walking away.

Supper...

"Wait a sec!" Apple Bloom called after her, "Um...didja maybe...wanna come over for supper...?"

Whiteshadow turned her head toward Apple Bloom and blew several black strands out of her face, "Supper? You mean, at your place? Tonight?"

Apple Bloom nodded, willing the persistent redness of her cheeks away, and added, "I mean...if y'all wanted to, that is."

Whiteshadow looked pensive for a moment, then said softly, "Uh...I guess. I mean...I'd have to ask my dad, but...okay. Thanks...Apple Bloom."

She then turned back and started walking away again.

"I'm over at Sweet Apple Acres!" she hollered after her.

"I know." came the response.

Apple Bloom watched the filly walk away, trying to think of something else to add.

"AB, why are you staring at the new girl's hindquarters?" said Scootaloo, walking up to stand next to Apple Bloom along with Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom turned toward her quickly and exclaimed, "Ahm not, dummy! Ah mean...ah was just...we were talkin' and..." she let out a sigh, shaking her head, she closed her eyes tightly.

"What's the matter with you lately, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked, appearing concerned.

Opening her eyes again, she looked pleadingly at Sweetie Belle and said, genuinely upset, "I don't know!"

Author's Note

Another chapter done!

I'm getting a few downvotes, I've noticed, and I think maybe it's because of how slowly this story is moving along. I promise you things will be picking up soon, and those of you who are looking for parts that are more...racy won't have too much longer!

As always, comments are appreciated!