//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Tell the Tooth // by The Lord Thunder //------------------------------// “Ohhhhh! Mmmmm! Owwwwwwww!” Rainbow Dash rolled across her bed and grimaced, tightening all her muscles against the agony in her mouth. She’d tried all the homemade cures: gargling salt water, chopped cloves, even the bitter natural pain killer that was pure chocolate. Nothing helped to alleviate this sort of pain, which now had her biting down on her hoof with the good side of her mouth in a futile attempt to cram the torment down. Rainbow Dash had a terrible toothache. The worst one she'd ever had, in fact. By far. The pain was tolerable the night before, but turned to excrutiating by that morning. There was only one thing worse than the pain of her throbbing tooth, and that was the images it conjured: a napkin draped around her chest, the bright light in her eyes; a strange pony sticking his hooves in her mouth. Horrible memories from foalhood. Dash cringed as she remembered how awful that hook felt scraping against her teeth, not to mention the foul taste of rubber gloves and the sting of that needle they used to numb her mouth. However, none of those things where even close to being the worst part of the experience. The worst part was definitely the drill. That awful, noisy drill. Just remembering how terrible it felt against her tooth sent a chill up the pegasus’ spine. The mere thought of it brought the taste of burnt enamel into her aching mouth and pierced her ears with that loud, high pitched whirring. Dash tossed and turned in her bed under the throes of agony. Thinking about the dentist only made the pain worse! Of course, Rainbow Dash was too proud to admit she was completely horrified by the idea of going to the dentist. There had to be some way to get rid of that toothache, and soon. She was supposed to meet Twilight Sparkle to borrow the next Daring Doo book that afternoon. Knowing how concerned and sappy Twilight could be, there was no doubt in Dash’s mind that the lavender unicorn would notice her friend in excruciating pain, ask her about the toothache and why she didn’t see a dentist about it. Then she’d have to tell her that she was scared of the dentist. Dash gasped in horror at an even more startling thought. Twilight would tell Pinkie Pie! The bubbly pink earth pony couldn’t keep her mouth shut for more than a second. All of Ponyville would know about her dentist-phobia. She’d be the laughing stock of Ponyville. No, all of Equestria! Even Princess Celestia would laugh! Dash repeatedly slammed her face down into her pillow in frustration, half from being unable to rid herself of the pain and half from the thought of her friends discovering her fears. What did a pegasus have to do to cure a toothache? The most obvious answer was to see the dentist, but Dash wasn’t about to pay that sadist a visit. She could ask Twilight to get rid of the pain with her magic, but that would only be temporary and the unicorn was bound to ask questions. Asking Colgate for help would only prompt her to give a long lecture on how important good dental hygiene is. There was only one answer Dash saw no harm in when she thought about it: asking Zecora for some sort of remedy. That old zebra had cures for every ailment Dash had ever heard of, and probably some she hadn't. She HAD to have SOMETHING. Nothing to lose but a toothache, Dash figured. Dash flew out into the afternoon sun from her home in Cloudsdale and headed in the direction of Zecora’s hut in the Everfree Forest. Ponyville’s buildings looked like toys from that high up, and the ponies looked like ants crawling about their business. Dash only hoped one of them wouldn't recognize her and want to stop for a chat. “Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash!” a familiar, elegant voice called from below. “Would you mind terribly stopping for a chat?” Dash looked down to spot Rarity smiling up at her. The pegasus pressed her hoof against her face, half in irritation and half from the pain. Nervously, Dash pushed against the back of her tooth with her tongue, an action she regretted the instant it sent a jolt of agony surging deep into the tooth. Dash had to hold her breath to keep from yelling as she descended towards the dirt road. When her hooves hit the ground, Rarity was still beaming widely. “Oh hey, Rarity," Dash said, inwardly fighting tears of pain, "what are you so smiley for?” “I just got my teeth whitened, why shouldn’t I show them off? Aren’t they spectacular?” Rarity proclaimed with pride. She parted her lips to show off her best smile. A lump formed in Dash's throat. THIS little priss went to that tooth-yanking wacko? WILLINGLY?! “You went to the…" The pegasus paused to gulp down that ever-growing lump. "DENTIST?” “Oh, but of course. I go twice a year. You know what they say: a pony is only as beautiful as her smile!” Rarity’s lips parted even wider to show off her dazzling white teeth. “And you’re not afraid?” Rarity lifted her forehoof to wave off Rainbow's question. “Of course not, darling! Dr. Neighnamel is gentle as a lamb.” How could this tussied-up creampuff not be scared of the dentist? It was humiliating! Dash did a facehoof in disbelief. If it was HER stuck in that dentist's chair, she could guarantee she'd tell him everything he wanted to know. Rarity's smile transformed into a look of concern for her friend. “Are you alright, Rainbow Dash? You seem upset.” She stiffened her muscles, doing her best to ignore the pounding pain in her tooth. “Who, me? I’m fine! Why shouldn’t I be fine? There’s no reason to be afraid of going to the dentist when you feel like somepony’s using a jackhammer on your tooth, right?” “What are you-?” Dash groaned. She’d said too much and wasted no time in bolting back into the air. “Gotta go!” Rainbow Dash flew off towards the Everfree Forest as fast as her pain-wracked world would allow her to. At least her conversation with Rarity hadn't attracted a crowd, but the blue pegasus couldn’t afford to be stopped by anypony else. Every ounce of her pride was at stake! But this was no ordinary toothache. Dash had toothaches in the past, all of which she could make go away with pain medicine or just waiting it out. Not this toothache. This was the toothache from the Gates of Tartaros. She couldn't concentrate, eat or sleep with this sort of pain. Whatever the underlying cause might have been, one thought made her shiver in dread. It could be something that only be fixed by a dental specialist, not painkillers. Needles, sharp hooks, pliers, drills... She'd sooner DIE than go back to the dentist who'd terrorized her since she was a filly.