Lyra sat up, groaning loudly as a sharp pain slammed through her mouth as though she’d been hit by a train. Her sleepy haze still having a hold on her, she gripped her jaw, whining quietly like a little girl that lost their mother. She grunted as she slid to the side, a form on the bed next to her shifting a bit under the covers.
“Lyra…” A voice groaned quietly. “It’s too early for this, go back to bed, m’kay?” A voice asked.
Lyra however, continued crazily waving her opposite hand to get a grip on the nearby nightstand, trying to stand, her soft cries of pain only getting louder by the moment. It was only by happenstance however that she also knocked over the alarm clock, which hit the ground hard enough to smash the glass on the front.
“Dammit Lyra, I’m trying to snooze- Lyra?” Bon Bon had managed to sit up this moment, looking at the green mare with an expression of agitation and bewilderment, screwing up her eyes to focus them. Her gaze however softened as she noticed that Lyra must be in some pain. “Hey, you okay?” She asked quickly, throwing the sheets to the side in an attempt to get off the bed faster.
“Mah tewf!” Lyra shouted, tears streaming down her eyes as she attempted to shakily open the bathroom door, intent on looking in the mirror to see what was putting her in such agony. Bon Bon’s hand made it to the door knob first however, and then she ushered Lyra in towards the mirror.
“Your tooth? Like a toothache?” Bon Bon asked, flicking on the light.
Lyra’s pain gave away to momentary anger in the heat of the moment, thinking the situation was plainly obvious. “Dah heck if I know Bern Bern, probableh!”
Had this been any other moment, Bon Bon would have probably giggled at the way she was speaking, but knew that if she was having tooth pains, that was probably why. “Alright, Alright, I’m Sorry Lyra, now lean in and let’s get a look.” She responded reassuringly.
Lyra complied with her Friend’s request, leaning over the sink and opened her mouth wide, trying to get a good look at the problem. Bon Bon was giving her mouth a good look over herself, scratching her head gently.
“I don’t…see anything. Then again, I’m not a dentist either.” Bon Bon admitted afterwards, gripping the sides of Lyra’s head gently, and twisting it so that Lyra faced her, mouth still open. The green mare grunted uncomfortably, but humored her anyways.
“Wewll?” Lyra asked, agitated somewhat with Bon Bon.
Bon Bon sighed, letting her go. “You should probably go see a dentist. Should I call Colgate?”
Lyra felt her cheeks warm up a bit, shaking her head as she muttered something unintelligible in response. Bon Bon raised an eyebrow at this reaction, yet shrugged it off as she stepped over to the phone. “I’ll make your appointment.”
“I-I don’t- Ow!” She gripped her jaw tightly, a quiet whimpers escaping her lips before nodding. “Y-Yeah…fine.”
She was certainly sore about the idea of having to see the town’s only dentist, Colgate, but in the end there wasn’t much she could do about it, so while she waited on the couch on the living room for most of the morning, her tooth throbbing with pain, Bon Bon decided to head out to open the Candy shop.
“I can try to get Pinkie to cover it for me so I can go with you if you’d like.” She said, pausing halfway out the door, giving her roommate a supportive smile.
Lyra however, shook her head. She spoke slowly and conservatively, doing her best not to cause herself further pain. “No no Bonnie. Ah’m fine. Don’t worry ‘bout meh awlright?”
Bon Bon shrugged, but nodded to tell Lyra that she understood. “Alright. Well your appointment’s at ten thirty. And hey if you’re up for it later, maybe I can bring home some soft candy for you alright?”
With that, Bon Bon left, and Lyra was left to ponder quietly for the remaining hours that filed by. Eight O’ clock. Nine O’ clock. Nine thirty. Ten O’ clock. The pain in her mouth hadn’t gotten any better, but after a while if she left it alone, it would recede into the background as a dull ache rather than the previous feeling like someone was jamming a knife into her mouth. She didn’t bother turning her head just for this reason, eyes locking briefly on the clock.
Already it was time to go. As she stepped out of the door, the warm air greeted her from the south, and on any other day, she might have returned it's greeting with an even warmer smile. Was she overreacting? It had been several months now. Plenty of times for things to blow over.
Familiar faces passed by as she headed to Colgate's office. Among them were Rainbow Dash, who had morning weather duty, Mrs. Cake, who waved a healthy 'hello' to her as she passed by, and Roseluck, tending to her garden. Overall, these were small details to distract her purposefully from the bigger picture. The destination.
Ever have that person that you're embarrassed to be around? Not because of what they do, but because of what you've done? This was certainly the case for Lyra, as she'd had a bit of an argument the last time they'd been together. The subject was certainly something to gossip about, as they'd been inseparable before this, but thankfully no one knew the reason that ignited this breakup.
As the situation played through her head several times, she felt something hit her head, and tumbled back, letting out a loud cry of pain as she gripped her jaw, the initial impact and the fall afterwards jarring her head a bit. Seconds later, she glanced upwards, holding her jaw carefully with her left hand, she noticed that nothing had actually hit her; Instead she'd been so lost in her own thoughts that she'd walked straight into the door to Colgate's office. The door opened, a concerned mare sticking her head outside that Colgate quickly recognized.
“Lyra!” The mare said out loud, screwing up her eyes at the sight of her lying on the ground. “What brings you around here?”
A nervous cough escaped Lyra's lips as she brushed herself off. “H-Hi cawlgayte-Ow!” Her airtight grip on the side of her jaw resumed.
Colgate frowned somewhat, her expression softening into a more professional manner at the sight of Lyra's plight. “You okay?” She asked, as she stepped outside.
“Naht. Realleh.” Lyra grumbled. “Mah mowf's killin' meh.”
Colgate glanced about the area, several onlookers stopping to watch the spectacle. No doubt a few of them were keen for a bit more to gossip about, so Colgate quickly held out her hand. “Come on inside, I'll see what I can do.”
Lyra, though hesitant initially on even going to the appointment, was coaxed into such by the stinging pain in her mouth. At the worst, she was liable to suffer through snide comments and depressing conversation in exchange for her problem being fixed. She hoped.
As she was led through the waiting area, which was packed heavily for the day. Many of them seemed indignant at having been skipped over after having waiting in line, the assistant at the reception desk even offering a raised brow, but Colgate didn't seem to really notice, heading straight for the rooms in the back. Lyra had definitely found this odd in hindsight, but didn't complain afterwards. The sooner her problem was dealt with the better.
“So how long has it been hurting?” Colgate asked swiftly as they entered the first room, where likely most of the action took place. The door was obviously left open though, several ponies passing by occasionally to head to the back, many of them in maintenance clothes.
“Dish moarning.” Lyra replied, trying to put a casual tone into her voice.
“Take a seat then.” She instructed, quickly slipping on a pair of gloves, and a mask.
Lyra gave a nervous grin as she slowly took a seat, watching the dentist. “Ehrm. Colgayte..how're..dings goin' for ya?” she asked, trying to slow down her speech.
“Lyra. It's not that bad..try and actually speak some real English now?” she asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she stepped over.
Lyra felt her ears drop a bit, a deep shade of crimson filling her cheeks. “Y-Yeah...” She started, keeping the pressure off of her jaw. “Sorry.”
“Yeah yeah..” Colgate replied, looking Lyra over her a bit. her gaze began to dropslowly towards her legs, an odd gleam in her eyes. Though it was hard to tell with just the mare's eyes visible, Lyra could have sworn the mare was checking her out. “Just keep your mouth loose and you'll be fine. Now say 'Aaah.'”
"Colgate?" A voice called out. Colgate turned, the assistant leaning inside with a smile. "Granny smith is here for the eleven thirty appointment."
"She's here early. Uhm, hold her there will you, I've got a patient right now." Colgate replied, waving her off politely. The assistant nodded, quickly returning to the general area of the reception desk. Colgate then turned back to Lyra, motioning for her to follow the previous command.
Lyra opened her mouth, Colgate leaning in with one of her instruments. “Which side of your mouth was it?” she asked.
“The left.”
Colgate nodded, and gently began tapping one of her instruments on each of her teeth gently. One tap. Two. Three. Four.
“OW!” Lyra shouted, suddenly jumping straight up.
Colgate however, startled by Lyra's sudden reaction to such, also jumped, her head hitting the light fixture above her. She grunted quietly, before giving somewhat of a sour look at Lyra as she rubbed her head. “Really?”
“Sorry..Er. Is it bad?” Lyra asked.
“Hardly. Your tooth is pretty loose. Didn't you even bother to check?” Colgate asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.
“Just loose?” Lyra asked in disbelief as she gently grabbed the tooth responsible for her troubles, wincing in the process. “Ow- You mean to tell me I've been getting all this trouble from a loose tooth?” She asked.
“It's probably just connected to a large root. Probably why it hurts so much..Baby tooth I'm guessing?” She remarks, stepping over to a drawer.
“Well. Yeah..now that I think of it..yeah.” Lyra trailed off at this, while Colgate pulled out a long piece of twine, before shrugging and putting it back, instead pulling out a tool similar to a pair of pliers.
“Listen. I can have it in a few minutes, but It'll probably hurt a bit. I might have to sedate you, okay?” She asks, gently resting them on a tray nearby.
“Wait, you mean knock me out?” Lyra asks, suddenly a bit nervous about the idea of being asleep around Colgate. Colgate however, pulled down her mask a bit with a rare grin. Colgate glanced at the open door, waiting until two more workers passed by before offering the mare a smile.
“You may get a bit drowsy, but if you're going to fall asleep around me..” She replied, chuckling quietly. “I'll need to keep my gloves sterile, so don't worry. No need to get my hands dirty. Yet."
Lyra's cheeks were now a deeper crimson than they had ever been before, as she slumped in her chair somewhat, exasperated at the possibility. Instead of being scorned by an ex, she was being flirted with.
“Colgate-”
Colgate quickly cut the mare off, waving her hoof. “Lyra. Before you speak, just. Just listen okay? I'll just put you under really quick, and then you owe me. Got it?” She replied sternly.
Lyra sat up for a moment, letting out a sight before nodding. “Yeah..you're..right. I'm sorry Colgate. I'm being a bit immature.”
“Nice to hear you admit something for once.” Colgate added, before offering the mare a smile in return to show her little bit of jokery.
“Yeah yeah. So... I guess the sedative doesn't sound too bad.” Lyra told her, finally able to relax somewhat in her chair. Things were going smoothly for once, almost dreamlike considering the situation. As a smile slid on her lips, Colgate wheeled over a cart with a small container on it, connected to a tube and an oxygen mask. Colgate stepped over, lifting Lyra's head, before strapping the mask on gently over her mouth, then turning a nearby valve.
“I'm going to leave that on for a minute or two. It'll make you a bit drowsy, and numb you up a bit so that I can actually pull it out with no complications.” Colgate told her, lifting up the instrument of the tray gently. “You know..I've actually been wanting to talk to you for a while Lyra..Do you mind afterwards if we could-”
These were the last words Lyra could hear before the drugs kicked in, her eyes beginning to droop as though weights were tugging them down, begging for release. Lyra attempted to fight it, though it proved difficult. The last thing she saw before she went out was Colgate beginning to loom over her. All was black.
Later on, something woke her. A gentle shake on her shoulder was what had seemingly brought her around, though she she began to blink her eyes open, the bright light that hung over the patient's chair flickered to life, blinding her temporarily.
“Hey! Cut that out will you?” She muttered drowsily, attempting to sit up. However she couldn't sit up. In fact, she couldn't really move at all. As her eyes began to readjust, she noticed something. Noticed something that immediately shifted the her perspective on things. She was strapped down, Colgate next to her with a smirk on her face. “Colgate, what are you doing?” she asked awkwardly.
“Oh come on, I did say that you owed me for this right?” She asked, a seductive undertone apparent in her voice.
“Oh.” Lyra replied quietly, her breathing quickening.
“Oh is right..and I think I deserve a little fun, don't you..?” She asks, shifting over to Lyra's feet slowly.
“Oh no. No no. No, no, and no.” Lyra quickly rambled, shaking her head, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips. “Colgate, you know I'm sensitive there, please don't.”
However, Colgate began gently sliding Lyra's shoes off, tossing them to the side. “Oh, I know you like this. Don't lie to me.” replied teasingly, leaning forward gently as she slid off the lyrist's socks next.
"Oh no, not this I don't!" She replies, a faltering smile on her face as she tried to get her feet loose, to no avail.
Whatever last minute begging Lyra was going to offer next, Colgate never even gave her half a chance, running her fingers across the mare's feet delicately, sending her into loud bouts of laughter.
“O-OHOHOH, COLGATE NOHOHO!” She shouted, struggling l against her bonds to no avail. “This isn't F-FAAIR, AHAHAHAHAH!” Tears streaked her eyes quickly as she tried to speak through the almost torturous tickling she was having to put up with.
“I want an apology dear~!” Colgate called out over the noise, doubling her efforts until Lyra's struggled grew even more unpredictable.
“F-FOR WHAT?! AHAHOHOH, OH CELESTIA!”
“I know you've been watching me from afar Lyra, even since then, so don't play dumb with me. I want an apology now. And dinner later.” She stated matter-of-factually, keeping up the quick, soft strokes across Lyra's soles, a confident swagger in her voice and expression.
Lyra's thoughts raced almost impossibly fast, and though many questions raced through her mind, she couldn't calm down enough to come up with any possible answers. How could Colgate possible know that? Ever since their first, and last fight she'd regretted it everyday, but lacked the courage to go up and apologize. Had she been that obvious? However, now was not the time to justify her actions. She was going to crack, and fast. So why bother fighting it?
“Y-YES I'M SORRY!” She practically screamed between strong giggles, her head flailing around as she attempted to focus long enough to get the words out. “I SHOULD- AHAH- SHOULD HAVE COME CLEAN! F-FORGIVE ME COLGATE!” After this, Lyra was practically shouting out incoherent babble between laughs, tears streaming her cheeks.
“Lyra, you're getting a bit loud..~" She told the mare quickly. "You don't want us to be spotted like this do you~? The door is still open you know. "She coaxed, laying off somewhat for a few seconds to allow Lyra to answer.
Colgate was obviously using this as a tool, as down the hallway shadows seemed to loom closer to the door. Frantically, Colgate tried to fight through the laughter, though made little progress. "Y-You left the door open?!" She hissed quietly; however she was unable to keep the animosity in her tone due to her current situation. A few moments later, Lyra instead nodded, quickly quieting down a bit before she spoke once more, deciding rather to give in than be caught by people who had obviously heard them. “D-Dinner, your choice, I promise, j-just please stop!” She begged, snickering heartily as her chest heaved with effort to breathe.
Colgate finally stopped, before leaning in slowly and kissing Lyra's left foot gently. “Good girl~” She told the mare with a grin. “You know, I missed playing with these you know. Did you think I forgot about your little weak spot?”
Lyra was taking in big gulps of air, shaking her head swiftly at that statement. “N-No..I..” She paused for several moments to breathe. “Just never thought you'd actually be able to do it, heheh.” She replied. “Can...can you unstrap me now?” She asked.
Colgate gave her toe one more soft kiss before giggling quietly. “So it is a date then?”
“Dinner, date, anything for you. Just..please don't do that again.” Lyra replied with a hearty chuckle. “I'm really sorry though. I wish I could have plucked up the courage sooner.” She added.
“Oh don't worry. I'm just happy you finally came to your senses finally!” Colgate told her, standing up and heading over to the head of the seat, where she began unstrapping the mare. “With a little bit of help.” She tossed in afterwards, sticking her tongue out playfully.
“You call that help?” Lyra asked sitting up with a smirk. “I call it a cheap tactic; not that I mind.”
“Watch it now dear.” Colgate warned, shaking her finger. “I could just your arms back in and keep going~” She replied, grinning devilishly at the lyrist.
“That and many other things Colgate.” Lyra whispered quietly, as though to tempt the dentist. “Many. Other things.”
The door then opened, the assistant from before offering the two an awkward smile as she glanced between the two. She coughed quietly, as if in an attempt to air out the odd characteristics of the situation, before speaking. "Colgate? Your next appointment is in."
Colgate then turned to Lyra, having undone the straps already. "Sorry dear. Later maybe?"
"Definitely Colgate. Definitely."
As Lyra quickly stepped out into the lobby, she'd noticed that everyone was staring at her. Once she looked down, she'd noticed that she'd left her shoes back in the room, and in the nearby mirror, she looked a mess.
Granny Smith leaned forward, eyeing her carefully before speaking. "What was so funny in there girl?" She asked curiously. "Sounded a lot more different than most experiences I've heard with the dentist."
That was definitely not a story that Lyra wanted to hash out in public.