Summer was slipping away. Everyone could feel it. Summer didn't have the cache it used to when the girls were younger. Sunset, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack all had summer jobs and while Rainbow and Rarity didn't work, Rainbow had her summer camp and Rarity had her fashions she devoted herself to. But still, summer continued to hold a special place in the girls' life if for nothing else it was a break from the grind of school.

So now it was August and school was about to start again. Once again, they would say good-bye to extra spending cash and free time; and say hello to learning (yet once again) what an adjective, adverb, electron, and WW1 were. So much of school was relearning what you forgot over the summer months that it added to the tedium of learning exponentially. There were only so many new things they learned every year; the rest was just rehashing what had come before.

There was one new thing Applejack would be learning that sent a chill down her spine - GEOMETRY! Math was never one of her strong suits. No, that's not true. She had been good all the way to pre-algebra. Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing, even word problems that gave most other students headaches; she had done well at. Once letters were added however; that's when she started to struggle. She was a straight forward person. Vague concepts and abstract thinking conflicted with her inner most workings. She went from B's to C's to even D's. She barely got out of having to take summer school for Algebra 2.

Now geometry was hanging above her like the sword of Damocles. As each day gave way to the next and the start of her torment grew ever closer; she began to worry even more. She had never failed at anything in her life but was sure this could be the first. She had too much expectations in herself to let that happen. But what was she going to do? Eventually she decided she would have to find a tutor. That would be the only way she would ever make it through this year without failing (hopefully).

But now the question was who. Who could she get that she trusted, was willing to do it for little (and hopefully no) money, and who really knew what they were talking about? She wanted to ask one of her friends. Slowly in her head she went through all of them. After careful consideration she narrowed it down to two: Rarity and Sunset Shimmer. Rarity dealt with shapes and patterns all the time in her fashion and Sunset was just really smart. After considering things a little bit longer; she decided on Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset was slowly changing. Long gone was the self obsessed mean girl who tried to enslave everyone to conquer Equestria. Also gone was the girl full of self doubt and regret. After the battle with The Sirens, she had morphed into a mature, almost motherly figure to the girls. Which considering the fact she was technically (if she gave birth at a hyper young age), old enough to be their mother, made sense. She would have the ability to explain things to her in a way that would not frustrate and anger either one of them.

And, truth be told, there was only so much Rarity she could stand. Out of all of them, hers' and Rarity's friendship was the weakest of all. It wasn't that they weren't friends. They were. And there were parts to Rarity that Apple looked up and respected deeply; BUT, Rarity got on her nerves like none of the other girls ever did or even could. She and Applejack were just too different. And even before Sunset had come and started messing with everyone's friendship, they would get in to some doozies of a fight. A few times they got so bad they almost came to blows. But whatever magic brought them together, after a little time apart, they would always apologize and make up.

But Apple didn't have time for any of that nonsense now. She needed someone who she wasn't going to get in a screaming match with. Someone steady, patient, understanding, someone like Sunset. So, after there one band practice, Apple went up to Sunset and asked for her help.

"Oh wow, thanks Applejack; but I can't." Sunset was surprised and honored that Apple would ask her for her help. And it made her feel bad to turn her down. But Sunset had planned on keep working once school started again. After pretending to be a teenager for so long; having a job made her feel like the adult she was. In fact she was starting to feel homesick and thought of returning to Equestria. It was only what Princess Luna told her about needing to stay to face a major challenge that kept her here. And she couldn't imagine helping Applejack with geometry was the challenge she spoke of.

"What? Well why not?" Applejack asked confused. She had never expected Sunset to refuse. Now what would she do? Could she really ask Rarity for help? She was feeling scared and desperate now.

Sunset explained why she couldn't to Apple. She did so in a very gentle, loving manner. The same manner which would have made her a great teacher (well, tutor at least). Then Sunset offered a solution. "I know someone who could help you out. He's a nice guy, super smart. I met him while working at Target. I was in the electronics area and he was a customer. He knew more about the stuff than I did. Best yet, he goes to our school. I could set you up if you want?"

"Sunset, are trying to find me a tutor or a date? Cause it's really soundin' like your tryin' to set me up on a date here."

Sunset laughed. She didn't mean to, but she knew exactly what made Applejacks' concern so funny. "No, no, no. I promise you I'm not. While I can't say for sure; I'm ninety-nine percent sure he's not your type. This is strictly for tutorial purposes only. So, how about?"

Applejack grumbled. This is not what she wanted. This would a stranger, lord knows how much he would charge, and what if he turned out to be a creep? But she had no other options, time was running out, and it was Sunset who was suggesting him, so he couldn't be that bad. "Fine. Tell `im I'll meet him at Starbucks in Target Tuesday around one o' clock. That good."

"I'll see if he's free. I'll call as soon as I get off work and let you know ok?"

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Applejack was in her bedroom Monday night, practicing her bass when she saw heard her phone ringing. She picked it up from the night stand and answered. It was Sunset letting her know that everything was a go for tomorrow. Apple thanked Sunset, put the phone down, and looked at her dog.

"Well, Wynona," she said to the dog, "looks like I have a study date tomorrow."

Author's Note

While this makes references to my other stories; this contains no rewrites. Also since the references are so slight, you could read this story just as a stand alone (but reading the others would give it a deeper context). I have to admit, Applejack is one of my least favorite characters. So getting a handle on her has always been a bit difficult. Hopefully I do right by her since I still care about the character. And once again, this is a bridge story.