//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Tell the Tooth // by The Lord Thunder //------------------------------// The dancing leaves of the Everfree Forest's trees blotted-out much of the afternoon sunlight, veiling the woods in a seemingly-eternal blanket of darkness that Rainbow Dash couldn't get used to, no matter how many times she went there. Yet, even these haunting woods were far better than being strapped into a dentist's chair and forced to endure every form of torture Tartaros could throw at her. Dash welcomed the almost alien creaks, croaks and howls of the forest over the whirring of a drill in her mouth. Even the strange eyes that seemed to peek at her from every shrub and burrow didn't bother her if it meant they weren't the eyes of a dentist shoving sharp metal tools in her mouth. A quick surge of pain in her tooth reminded the pegasus why she was winging her way through the Everfree Forest in the first place. She flew faster, straining her mind to focus on anything but the horrible pain. At last, Zecora's tree-hut came into view. Dash wasted no time in planting her hooves on the ground and knocking on the zebra's door. Eager to rid herself of the pain, Dash danced in place while she waited for what felt like forever for Zecora to answer. Finally, the door opened. Oblivious to her guest's agony, Zecora smiled. “Ah, what a surprise! It is Rainbow Dash before my eyes! Tell me, my dear, what brings you here?” “Hi, Zecora.” Dash's voice was strained from the pain. “I need one of your cure-alls.” Zecora stepped backwards a few paces to invite the pegasus inside. “Then step in, you must. I will have what you seek, I trust.” “Thanks.” Dash stepped inside the ominous-looking tree hut, sighing with relief as the door closed behind her. Even if it wasn't as bad as the dentist's office, the Everfree Forest was still a tad creepy for her liking. “Please, wait here,” Zecora ordered, as she walked towards the archway to a separate room. “I am finishing up another project, I fear.” Dash grimaced, stamping her front hooves to block out the pain. “Uh, sure thing.” Glancing about the room, the pegasus found herself with somewhat of an uneasy feeling, now that she was alone for the moment. Though her doubts about Zecora were tamed a long time ago, something about the strange hut still made Dash's skin crawl. The fact that it was inside the Everfree Forest didn't help matters any. Maybe it was those strange looking mask-like decorations hanging on the wall. Dash knew that they symbolized a friendly welcome in Zecora's homeland, but to a native Equestrian they seemed...odd. Creepy, even. Dash wanted to put sunglasses on them to hide the hollow, piercing eyes that seemed to stare into her soul, laughing at her. Laughing at her fears. There were also the multitude of jars and flasks of various shapes and sizes sitting on the shelves all about the room. They contained Zecora's cure-alls, which she brewed in the large black cauldron hanging above the fire in the middle of the room. Potions everywhere. Potions lined up on shelves against the wall, potions sitting on the floor, potions hanging from the ceiling; potions in every color of the rainbow. It was amazing that anypony, or in this case, any zebra, could make so many single-hoofedly. “Thank you for waiting, Rainbow Dash,” Zecora said, suddenly reappearing from the other room. “What ails you? Have you a cold, or perhaps a rash?” “Um, neither,” Dash replied. “I just have this really bad toothache that won't go away.” The zebra nodded sagely. “Of cures for toothaches, I have a list. The first thing you should do, is see a dentist.” The pegasus reared up and spread forelegs in annoyance. “That's it?” she cried in disbelief. “With all the tonics and remedies you have in here, the best you've got is 'see a dentist?!'” Zecora crossed the room to one of her many shelves against the wall and from it, selected a flask filled with a teal liquid. “I can gladly give you something to help ease your pain. But until you see a dentist, a full cure you will not gain. Until then, rub this ointment on your gum. It will quickly make the pain go numb.” Dash groaned and did a facehoof. ANYTHING but the dentist! Under her breath, she apologized to Celestia for any wrongdoing she'd committed to deserve such a fate. “I completely understand your fear, but you need to see a dentist, my dear.” Dash stiffened in surprise; that Zecora was so easily able to decipher her emotions was unsettling to say the least. “Fear? Who says I'm afraid? I'm not afraid of ANYTHING that starts with a 'D'! Not dungeons, dragons or dentists!” Zecora clicked her tongue and shook her head as Dash snatched the jar from her mouth and zipped out the door in a huff. The pain that poor pegasus was in must have put her in a delusional state. She certainly hadn't made much sense with her last statement. After a shrug, Zecora walked over to a wooden end table and reaching down, bounced a small bag full of bits on her hoof. “Plus, I frankly must admit, a kickback from the dentist I do get,” she said to herself with a chuckle. **** The next stop on Rainbow Dash's list was Twilight Sparkle's Golden Oaks Library. But before the pegasus did anything else, she wanted that throbbing, persistent ache to go away. She plucked the cork from the stopper of the jar and sniffed its bluish-green contents. It didn't really have a smell. With nothing to lose, Dash upended the flask to her hoof. She didn't want to risk applying too little, so she waited until a good sized glob had built up, and then rubbed it on her gum below the tender tooth. A surge of ecstasy forced Rainbow to wilt and sigh in relief. The pain faded away in a matter of seconds. It had never felt this good to be out of pain, not even when she'd recovered from a broken wing! Dash shoved the cork back into the neck of the flask and held the container in her mouth with an eyes-closed smile, confident that she'd just found herself a new best friend. Just to celebrate the good riddance of that terrible pain, Dash burst above the treetops with newfound vigor and soared towards Twilight's library as fast as she could. Only a few minutes passed before she was back in Ponyville and hovering above Twilight's library. Now that her toothache was gone, she'd be able to concentrate on reading again, something she hadn't been able to do otherwise, and word of the horse's mouth was that this new Daring Do book was one of the best in the series. Descending gracefully, Rainbow Dash pressed her hooves to the ground and invited herself into the library. As usual, Twilight Sparkle was sitting in her favorite chair, reading. The bells above the door chimed, grabbing the lavender unicorn's attention. “Oh, hi, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight set her book down and trotted over to her guest. “Ready for 'Daring Do and the Emperor of the Night?' This one's supposed to be a doozie!” Dash craned her neck and set the flask on the floor for a moment. “I keep hearing that,” she replied. “I hope it was worth the wait.” “I'm sure it will be, I’m anxious to read it, myself. Wait right here and I'll grab it for you.” As Twilight sauntered through the bookshelves, Dash smiled and picked the flask up again with her teeth. Twilight wouldn't have to know about her toothache and fear of the dentist after all! Her reputation was saved! "Ah, here it is!" Twilight's voice rang. Her horn glittered with magical energy as she reached out with a telekinesis spell and pulled the book from the shelf. It continued to hover in front of her she while guided it to Rainbow Dash. As Dash prepared to open her mouth to accept the book from Twilight, she realized she still had that flask between her teeth. Dash glanced around nervously, hoping that Twilight wouldn't ask any questions. The pegasus held out her right hoof instead. Twilight raised an eyebrow for a few seconds, then placed the book in Dash's hoof. Before she could make a retreat, Twilight's voice stopped her. “Hold on a second, Rainbow Dash.” Shoot! Dash thought to herself. Against her better judgment, she turned back around. “What's up?” Twilight inched closer to study Rainbow's face more closely. “What's with that flask you have there?” she asked suspiciously. “And why are your eyes bloodshot? You must have gone to Zecora's. You're not sick, are you?” A few nervous seconds ticked by as Dash fought an inward battle for the right thing to say. Her eyes must have been bloodshot from fighting against the pain all day! “Um... yup.” Dash pretended to check her forehead for fever. “You know what, now that you mention it, I think I am coming down with something.” She turned her head to deliver a pathetic-sounding fake cough. “I, uh... better get home and get some rest. Thanks for the book, Twilight!” Rainbow shot off in the air before the unicorn could inquire any further. So far so good; her reputation was still safe. Still… Zecora's words echoed in the back of her mind: I can gladly give you something to help ease your pain. But until you see a dentist, a full cure you will not gain. Zecora wasn't the type to lie, a thought that made Dash shiver in dread. The very idea of that horrible toothache coming back was almost as frightening to her as a trip to the dentist. In that moment, Dash decided that whatever the dentist would do to her couldn't be much worse. Gathering every ounce of her courage, she nodded to herself. Rarity had mentioned something about a pony named Dr. Neighnamel being a very gentle practitioner… maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as she thought. The next thing on her to do list was get an appointment with him, before the pain came back or, Celestia forbid, got even worse.