“Guys… I think the Tooth Fairy may not be real.”
There was a moment of silence while several confused glances shot across the room.
“That’s really - crazy, Sandbar. So … what’s a Tooth Fairy?”
The Young Six were lounging in the main sitting room of the Treehouse of Harmony, their usual hangout spot when they weren’t in class. Sandbar was the last to arrive that day, after a long weekend spent visiting his family in nearby Ponyville.
“What’s a Tooth - Smolder!” Sandbar gasped, standing on his hind legs so he could flail both forelegs around. “The Tooth Fairy! She comes into your room after you’ve lost a tooth, and gives you a bit in exchange for a tooth?!”
“Oh, right. Thaaaat Tooth Fairy.” Smolder lied.
“Isn’t that more like a Home Invasion Fairy?” Silverstream asked suspiciously.
“Yak knows what Sandbar means!” Yona thundered, stomping her hooves in excitement and agitation, making everycreature’s teeth rattle. “Yona no know ‘Tooth Fairy’, but Yona knows about Mouth Miser! Collects all the teeth, because he wants all the teeth in the world! Yak leave teeth outside in mound of snow, and if it is good tooth, you get three bumbleberries! If it is bad tooth… Mouth Miser leaves you stinky mushroom!” Yona laughed, fanning her nose to demonstrate.
“No! That’s not - well, actually, that might be the same thing, Yona.” Sandbar began in a huff, but quickly shifted emotions, rubbing his chin as he considered it.
“So, it’s a fairy who wants to take teeth, but deals in bumbleberries?” Silverstream asked again, even more confused than before. “Does she eat the teeth?”
“No! Well - I mean, maybe there’s a different Tooth Fairy where Yona lives.” Sandbar amended, calming down as Silverstream came closer. “This one’s different.”
“Mouth Miser does not eat the teeth,” Yona whispered to Silverstream excitedly, tapping her front hooves together, “he is harvesting the teeth to create a great hammer to break down the walls of Yakhalla!”
“What’s a Tooth Fairy, then?” Ocellus asked, finally peeking up from where she’d been very nearly buried in a mound of cushions.
“The Tooth Fairy is a pony with magical fairy wings, and she collects teeth for - well, I’m not sure, exactly.” Sandbar frowned after a moment, touching his hoof to his chin again. “I think she collects them, like Headmare Twilight collects books. When you lose a tooth, you put it under your pillow when you go to sleep that night. As you sleep, the Tooth Fairy comes into your room and takes the tooth. In its place, she leaves behind a golden bit, as repayment.”
Smolder blew a dismissive breath between her lips. “Big whoop, one tooth! Dragons lose our teeth all the TIME. They keep growing our whole lives! This Tooth Fairy wouldn’t even have time to sleep in the dragon realms!”
“Maybe that’s why she’s a pony then, Smolder.” Sandbar huffed.
“Gosh, you’re really upset about this, Sandbar!” Silverstream noted, her voice softening with concern. “You’re usually way more chill! What’s the big deal? I’ll give you one of my bits, if you need one!”
“No! It’s not about the bits!” Sandbar stomped one hoof, a little overdramatically. “Look!” Sandbar smacked his hoof on the table, and the group gathered around to peer down at the small, pearly prize sitting there.
“Sandbar, you lost a tooth!” Ocellus gasped, turning to stare at Sandbar.
“Lemme see, is there a big hole in your head now?” Gallus demanded, leaning close to try and peer into Sandbar’s mouth.
“H-Hey! It’s not like I’m the first creature here to lose a tooth!” Sandbar huffed, backing up.
“Dude.” Gallus deadpanned, pointing to his face. “Beak.”
Sandbar had to consider that for half a beat, then blinked. “Oh. Well, you can look. It’s near the back - no, other side.”
Five creatures suddenly crowded around Sandbar’s open mouth, and there was a moment of quiet while they examined him.
“Oh! I see it! Is it still bloody? It’s just a gap!” Silverstream tittered, her wings fluttering in excitement. “Does it hurt? Is it hard to chew? Oh! Can you even chew?”
“It hurt the first day, but it’s not bad now. But I lost it two days ago!” Sandbar finally closed his mouth, as his jaw was starting to get sore. “Two whole days! It’s been under my pillow for two entire nights! I thought, maybe the Tooth Fairy doesn’t work tonight! But two days in a row is too much!”
“Well…” Ocellus began slowly, puzzling it out. “Maybe the Tooth Fairy still thinks you sleep in the dorms at the School of Friendship. Maybe she’s waiting for you to come back!”
“Maybe she just forgot you, dude,” said Gallus, then added “Ow!” when Silverstream smacked his shoulder.
“How does the Tooth Fairy usually know how to come find a tooth?” Smolder asked, lifting one brow.
“Tooth magic!” Silverstream trilled, already excited.
“Mouth Miser can smell teeth when they fall out; if yak does not put it outside in three days, he will come for the other teeth!” Yona cackled gleefully, then paused, considering her unamused and horrified companions.
“I think I like the Tooth Fairy more than the Mouth Miser.” Gallus said flatly.
“Well maybe it doesn’t matter, because maybe neither of them are even real!” Sandbar burst out, his words more heartsick than he’d intended them to be.
“That can’t be true, Sandbar - we just have to track down the Tooth Fairy!” Ocellus said boldly, then quickly retreated when all eyes landed on her. “… don’t we?”
“Yeah!” Silverstream agreed heartily, jutting her foreleg out between the group. “We’ll form the greatest Tooth Fairy hunting party that ever lived! Who’s with me?!”
“I’m in!” Ocellus agreed, but softer this time, as she placed her hoof on Silverstream’s claws.
“Alright, let’s see what the fuss is about.” Smolder agreed, with only a minor roll of her eyes.
“Just so long as I don’t have to hear any more about that creepy Mouth Miser.” Gallus added as he planted his paw on top of the pile.
“Did you know Mouth Miser used to be a yak too, until he refused to brush his teeth and they all rotted away?”
“EW, YONA!”
-
The plan was simple enough; plant the tooth, lay in wait, and jump out to capture the Tooth Fairy when she arrived late that night. Sandbar went to bed in his dorm as usual, and the others took up positions around Sandbar’s room. Yona wedged herself into the closet, while Ocellus changed her form to look like a lamp. Gallus curled up in a pile of laundry, Silverstream hid under the bed, and Smolder sat in the hallway. If she came in through the door, Smolder would catch her; if she came in through the window, she’d have to go directly over the laundry, and the hidden Gallus. Every exit was covered; this plan was foolproof!
The only problem was that by morning, all six friends were snoozing peacefully.
“GAH!” Silverstream screeched as Sandbar’s alarm went off, startling her from where she’d been curled under the bed.
“We fell asleep!” said the lamp, before it returned to Ocellus’ form.
The entire bedframe rattled as SIlverstream tried to stand up, and while Sandbar tried to pull himself upright, Silverstream slid out from under the bed, rubbing her head.
“Guys, we fell asleep!” Smolder echoed as she pushed open Sandbar’s bedroom door, scowling. “We missed her!”
“We didn’t miss anything.” Sandbar said softly, lifting the pillow and revealing the tooth, untouched.
“Oh… Sandbar, Yona sorry.” Yona offered gently, as she finally heaved herself out from the closet where she’d been wedged tightly.
“No! This is good, guys!” Silverstream chirped, already bubbly and bouncing, despite the bump on her head.
“Right, it’s awesome that the Tooth Fairy is a lie.” Gallus replied flatly, shaking a sock off of his beak.
“It means we have another chance to catch her!” Silverstream insisted, a new gleam of determination in her eyes. “And this time, we’ll get her for sure!”
-
This time, Sandbar thought determinedly, I won’t fall asleep. I refuse!
Sandbar was curled up in his bed, forelegs curled up to his chin, holding the blanket tightly in place as he kept his eyes squinched closed. The Tooth Fairy wouldn’t come unless he was asleep; he knew that. But if he could just look asleep, he knew he could convince her! He fought to keep himself awake, and he shifted positions as often as he dared, trying not to get too comfortable. He counted up to one hundred, and then back down to zero; he silently worked through the alphabet, and then backwards again. He tried to list the capitals of Equestria in alphabetical order; he was so bored he thought he might die!
Sandbar heard the door creak open about an hour after he climbed into bed; his heart thudded so loudly in his ears, he feared that he would alert her!
“Sandbar? Are you asleep?” Came a soft voice at the door. Smolder! Sandbar stayed quiet, and after a moment, he heard the door close again. If he could convince her, Sandbar figured, he could convince the Tooth Fairy!
Sandbar’s heart eventually slowed down, and he started thinking, maybe just a quick nap won’t hurt…
Click! Clunk! The sound of his window opening from the outside! The window that Sandbar was certain he had locked! Sandbar held his breath, then forced himself to take slow, shallow breaths through his nose. This was it! It was happening!
There was a soft whoosh as his window opened, and a blast of cold night air flooded in. Sandbar heard the creak, creak of the floorboards moving as someone approached his bed; he held his breath, every nerve on high alert, surprised that he wasn’t vibrating out of the bed with his anxious anticipation. He felt something move his pillow …
“A-HA!” Sandbar yelled as he jerked upright, and someone gasped as they fell backwards onto the floor. “Ocellus?!”
“Don’t yell at me!” Ocellus wailed, covering her head with her forelegs.
“I’m n- what are you doing here, Ocellus?” Sandbar asked.
“I just thought - what if the Tooth Fairy doesn’t show up?” Ocellus sniffled, clearly still rattled. “And you said the Tooth Fairy had fluttery wings, and I realized, I have fluttery wings! So I thought it would be easy to sneak in, until you started yelling at me!”
“I’m sorry, Ocellus. I didn’t know it was you!” Sandbar apologized, and scooted a little to the side to pat the mattress encouragingly. Ocellus clambered up, and smoothed down her fluttery neck ridge with one hoof, gathering herself. “What were you going to do?”
“I was going to give you a bit! Then you’d be sure the Tooth Fairy came.” Ocellus returned softly, revealing the small coin in her hoof. “And if she did come, well, maybe you’d get two bits.”
Sandbar considered the timid Ocellus, who had waited in the darkness outside of his window for him to fall asleep, and felt something warm take hold of his middle. “That was awfully nice of you, Ocellus. Thank you.”
“You were just so sad. I didn’t like seeing you sad.” Ocellus said softly, and reached out to cover his hoof with her own, patting gently. “I know you’d do the same for me.”
“I would, Ocellus.” Sandbar smiled, and considered her for a moment, backlit by the moonlight streaming in the window. “I -” But Sandbar stopped suddenly, as something creaked outside his door. “Hide!” Sandbar hissed, and Ocellus darted off of the bed as Sandbar flung himself back beneath the blankets.
“The Tooth Fairy!” Ocellus whispered, wild with excitement.
Creak, creak, went the floorboards; rattle, rattle, went the doorknob. A shadowy figure stepped into the room, and swiftly darted around the door, closing it with a careful clunk. They stepped across the floor, paws light and hardly making a sound, and Sandbar felt something begin to lift the corner of his pillow -
“GOTCHA!” Sandbar yelled as he jerked upright, and accidentally banged his head into the intruder’s head.
“Ow!” yelled the Tooth Fairy.
“Silverstream?!” Ocellus gasped, jumping up from where she’d been hiding on the other side of the bed, watching as Silverstream stumbled backwards.
“You’ve got a hard head!” Sandbar moaned, rubbing his forehead.
“You’re a light sleeper!” Silverstream accused, then gasped, rubbing her own matching bump as she caught sight of Ocellus. “Not fair, you had a Tooth Fairy sleepover without me?”
“Not a sleepover - Ocellus had the same idea as you.” Sandbar was chuckling by the end of his sentence, smiling at Silverstream. “Right?”
Silverstream had enough good manners to look embarrassed. “I just wanted to make sure the Tooth Fairy came!”
“So did I!” Ocellus giggled, and the trio shared a laugh.
“Well, at least the others didn’t have the same -” But Silverstream couldn’t even finish before the doorknob was rattling again, and Ocellus grabbed her, dragging her behind the bed just in time to avoid the next intruder.
The third Tooth Fairy was careful, so careful that Sandbar didn’t even hear the door close, or the sound of fairy hooves on the floor; he was starting to wonder if it actually might be the Tooth Fairy herself, when he caught a whiff of something familiar.
“Is that Dr. Featherby’s Feather Tonic?”
“GAH! You’re - you’re supposed to be asleep!” Gallus huffed, trying to mask how surprised he was.
“Did we all have the same idea?” Silverstream giggled as she and Ocellus popped up from the other side of the bed. “What’s a feather tonic?”
“It helps with split - nevermind what it does!” Gallus growled as his cheeks warmed. “I have a bedtime routine, I can’t get off schedule!”
“What kind of routine?” Silverstream asked, already deeply invested, as Ocellus suddenly went still.
“Guys, ssh, I think I hear something!”
BOOM, BOOM, went the large footsteps from three rooms away.
“Uh oh.” said Sandbar.
THUNK, CLANK, went the doorknob as someone jostled it heavily.
“Is that who I think it is?” Gallus hissed as he hunkered down beside the girls.
HEE, HEE, went the overexcited yak as she tiptoed into Sandbar’s room.
“Yona!” Sandbar called, trying to keep the laugh from his voice.
“What! How did yak know it was Yona?!” Yona gasped, visibly startling and dropping her bit into the carpet. “Oh, fumblehooves!” Yona huffed, bending down to search for it in the darkness.
“You’re a little late to the Tooth Fairy Impersonators party,” Gallus huffed out a little laugh, and the two girls beside him giggled.
“All of you came, too!?” Yona gasped, and gave up on the bit, trotting over to the bed to peer down at the others. “Wow! So many Mouth Misers…”
“Not that again! I’ll never get to sleep!” Gallus muttered, covering his ears.
“Everyone wanted to make sure that Sandbar’s Tooth Fairy showed up! You guys are the best!” Silverstream beamed, reaching out to drag Ocellus and Gallus into a hug, ignoring Gallus’ groan.
“Yona just wanted to help out Yona’s friend!” Yona beamed, and wound her forelegs around Sandbar in a sudden, crushing hug. “Sandbar is Yona’s good, good friend!”
“And Yona is - urk - Sandbar’s friend, too!” Sandbar gurgled, his vision tunneling.
“Well, I guess we could all wait for…” But the group fell silent as one as something came closer to the door. Whispering voices! “Hide!” Gallus hissed, and the group dove to the other side of Sandbar’s bed.
“Who isn’t in my room already?!” Sandbar muttered, pulling the blanket over his head.
“Make room for Yona!” Yona hissed as the door opened, and muted light from the hallway spilled in.
The whispering quieted as the door opened, but it soon returned; a hushed argument was taking place between the Tooth Fairies, despite their paltry efforts to remain quiet.
“This is a historical artifact, from the third pre-Celestian era!” hissed one very familiar voice. “It’s where the earliest writings about ‘die Tute Fae’ appear! It’s thematically, historically and geographically appropriate!”
“But mine is washed smooth by the flowing water in the river; that takes years and years!”
“Yeah, well, good luck trying to get it in before mine, because mine’s the coolest!” hissed another voice, and there was a sudden jostling as the Tooth Fairies wrestled their way towards the pillow.
“Hey! I didn’t know the Tooth Fairy was so aggressive!” Sandbar exclaimed, and slapped at his lamp until it turned on, gasping as the intruders were illuminated. “What are the Elements of Harmony doing in my room?”
Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Spike, and Rarity (in curlers and a mud mask) all exchanged guilty glances.
“Well…” Twilight Sparkle began, slowly, “I overheard your friends discussing the Tooth Fairy hunt today at lunch.”
“And you didn’t think we would catch her.” Sandbar replied, softly.
“Not so much could, since you can’t catch something that isn’t real…” Rainbow Dash muttered, and Applejack quickly elbowed her.
“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy hissed reproachfully.
“No, it’s what I’ve been afraid of this whole time.” Sandbar replied, and his voice was heavier, sadder. “I hoped tonight would be different, but … well, it’s pretty clear that no one else expected her to come, either.”
“I hoped she would come!” Silverstream interjected, and Yona nodded emphatically in agreement.
“Yeah, me too! I just thought, in case she didn’t, I’d help her out this time.” Ocellus agreed, winding her hooves together anxiously. “I was afraid she would be scared off, from yesterday.”
“I knew she wasn’t real.” Gallus said flatly, and every eye turned to him. “I didn’t want to say anything. Griffons have the First Feather, but it’s sort of like the Tooth Fairy stuff. And no one ever visited me to take my First Feather, because usually your parents do that.”
“Oh, Gallus.” Silverstream murmured, and leaned a little closer to him, winding a wing around him.
“Ugh, I’m not upset about it or anything! First Feather stuff is dumb, it’s for babies.” Gallus huffed, but Twilight Sparkle noted that he didn’t push his friend’s wing off of him.
“Is Tooth Fairy stuff for babies?” Sandbar asked, and his voice was soft with hurt.
“Well - I mean, you’re not a baby, I meant - other griffons -” Gallus backtracked clumsily, his feathers ruffling up in agitation.
“I think what Gallus means,” Twilight Sparkle interrupted gently, “is that when many ponies are around your ages, they start to learn about the difference between fairy tales and the truth.”
“So the Tooth Fairy … she’s definitely not real?” Sandbar asked, his voice small.
“Well, based on my research, there likely was a figure we would call the Tooth Fairy, who did gather the teeth of young children as they came of age!” Twilight Sparkle began, and Sandbar could hear her teacher voice starting to creep in. “The term Tooth Fairy actually comes from Old Ponish, Die Tut -”
“Ahem,” said Rarity.
“Ah, right.” Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat lightly. “The point is, just because we might not have a Tooth Fairy around today, doesn’t mean that she’s not important. She’s a mythical figure now, and we keep her traditions alive as we pass them down through our families. It’s another way for parents to show their children that they love them, and to keep the magic of childhood alive. So in a way, when our parents swap out our teeth for shiny trinkets, like books, we’re keeping the story alive, and the myth lives on.”
“Your Tooth Fairy gave books?” Rainbow Dash snorted under her breath.
“Books are very good gifts!!” Twilight Sparkle hissed in a sharp undertone.
“So…” Sandbar reached back and picked up his missing tooth, cradling it in the curve of his hoof as he examined it. “My parents are the Tooth Fairy.”
“Statistically, yes, that’s most likely.” Twilight Sparkle agreed.
Sandbar stared down at his hoof for a long few moments, his expression sad, and heaved a small sigh. “Okay.”
“Well, hey, that’s okay!” Silverstream said at last, climbing up to sit beside Sandbar on the bed. “It’s okay, because - look! You still get a bit. And it’s from your favorite Tooth Fairy, Silverstream! Erm - Silverbeam, the Tooth Hippogriff!”
“And you get a bit from the Tooth Changeling, Ocel - uh - Toothcellus!” Ocellus agreed, clambering up after Silverstream hastily, depositing her bit beside Silverstream’s on the bed in front of Sandbar.
“And from Gallus, who isn’t choosing a Tooth Griffon name.” Gallus added, but he was gentle when he added his bit to the pile.
“And Yona, the Mouth Miser! Nyar nyar!” Yona clacked her teeth together with a playfully evil laugh, and dropped her bumbleberries into the pile.
“Please not that.” Gallus grumbled.
“And we’ve brought you treasures, too!” Twilight Sparkle agreed, glad to see a small smile beginning to curl Sandbar’s mouth. “I’ve got the most historically accurate, a money chit possibly used back in early -”
“And mine’s the AWESOMEST!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, slamming a piece of cardboard into the pile aggressively. “It’s called a POG!”
“Mine’s, um, the smoothest coin I could find at the bottom of the riverbed - but it’s okay if you don’t like it, though.” Fluttershy said shyly as she carefully pushed her smooth-edged coin into the growing pile. “It’s technically an environmental contaminant, but a pretty contaminant!”
“Mine’s a lucky bit that Granny Smith flattened on the railroad when she was a youngin’!” Applejack smiled, adding a flat bit on top. “Don’t try that yourselves.”
“Mine’s the brightest diamond in my favorite headpiece - it’s absolutely incandescently flawless, Sandbar darling!” Rarity purred, gently making a space in the center of the pile for her diamond. “What? Money is dirty!” She huffed when Applejack stared at her.
“Mine’s the first bit I ever earned from my very very very very VERY FIRST cupcake sale!” Pinkie Pie giggled, and tossed her bit into the pile. “Ooh! Three points! It’s all net, Pinkie!”
“And mine’s a bit! It’s from Canterlot, where me and Twilight used to live!” Spike added his to the pile, although his eyes rested on the diamond a little longer than strictly necessary.
“Guys …” Sandbar said at length, slowly gathering his hooves around the small mound of treasures that sat before him on his bed. “I don’t … know if I’ve ever had a b-better Tooth Fairy. Thank you all.” he sniffled, trying to hide the sudden overbright shine in his eyes.
“Aww, Sandbar!” Silverstream cooed, and wound both forelegs around him in a tight hug. “We’re your friends! We love you!”
“Yeah, definitely!” Ocellus agreed, and soon Sandbar was buried in warm agreements and hugs. Even Gallus gave him an affectionate pat-pat on his shoulder, although he quickly retracted it when Sandbar looked at him.
“Thanks, guys. That means so much to me.” Sandbar sniffled, and finally pulled away, rubbing his damp eyes.
Creak, rattle, went the footsteps at the door, and everyone turned in unison to see the doorknob turn.
“The real Tooth Fairy?!” Silverstream gasped.
The door opened to reveal Smolder in her princess dress, a pair of translucent fairy wings tacked on the back, a bit in her claws.
“Uh,” Smolder began, her eyes travelling around the room, “what’d I miss?”