Toothpaste

Romana T. Colgate stood in the waiting room of her dental office, peering through the blinds of her front window. Across the street were several fillies chowing down on an array of sweets as they passed by the store of Quills and Sofas. She wondered where they got the money to get so many sweets.

Probably from their parents, she mused. It was a terrible sight watching somepony destroy their teeth by eating so many delicious candies. With their wide variety of flavors and mouth watering...

No!

She wouldn't be seduced by temptation. Her perfect smile was the most cherished thing she had and the thought of losing it gave her a cold chill. Retracting her hoof away from the blinds, she returned to her office across the waiting room.

Opening the office door, she gazed at her desk and the array of different medical forms chaotically spread across it. She always did her best to tidy up the place, but this past week had been particularly stressful. Foals would flood the dentistry, causing her to stay for longer than the usual ten hour work shift. She couldn't bring herself to walk away with seeing so many ponies in need of dental care.

What was causing this surge of patients was simple really. Nightmare night always had its share of dental casualties from all those candies the children would gobble up. Every year they would pile in the day after Nightmare Night to get their teeth cleaned. It was a stressful day, but she enjoyed every minute of it. Even if she swore the blue stripes in her mane and tail were turning grey.

Sitting down and leaning back in her chair, she scanned through the schedule book. It was filled to the brim with ponies for today's appointments with almost a weeks worth of names inside it. Today's first patient was the unicorn named Twilight sparkle, written in the usual flowing font she used whenever she wrote with magic. The number eight-hundred beside it representing the time the appointment would take place

She remembered several fond moments with Twilight and her other friends back in Canterlot. It sure made the studies easier and school days go by quicker with the extra help from Twilight; she always seemed to know everything about each study subject. One particular moment during a class with advanced telekinesis studies always made her cringe.

Everypony had to bring in an example of what telekinesis could be used for. Twilight, to nopony's surprise, planned to organize a large bookshelf alphabetically in less than a second. Though they were surprised when she actually did it. The way she manipulated so many objects blew everypony's mind.

When it was Colgate's turn, she surprised them by doing a full cleaning of somepony's teeth; with the help of another student of course. It was surprising to the class because everypony, except herself and Twilight, followed their cutie mark for inspiration. When nopony clopped their hooves for doing the dental procedure perfectly, she returned to her seat bashfully like she did something wrong.

Colgate sighed at remembering the bitter memory. To clear her mind of such thoughts and pass the time until Twilight arrived, she casually browsed through the schedule book. A loud knock from the front door snapped her out of the trance she had to let quicken time's passing. Looking at the clock, it was still thirty minutes until eight so it couldn't have been Twilight. She was always punctual when it came to her appointments. Colgate left her office and faced the front door. With a glow of her horn, a magic aura surrounded the door handle and pulled open.

"Hello, Colgate," Twilight greeted in a friendly voice as she tentatively entered Colgate's workplace and home.

"Oh, hello as well Twilight." Colgate tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "Is there a reason you're here so early? You still have half an hour." After saying this, Twilight was sitting on the floor in front of her, wringing her hooves nervously like she got caught doing something wrong.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but my gums have been getting worse. I can barely study as is and I was wondering if you could have my appointment right now?" She let out a small, hopeful smile.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I only open my door at eight because that's when mostly everypony is awake," Colgate explained. "This way please." Motioning with a hoof toward the doorway beside her office, Twilight beamed that her request was accepted and entered the room with Colgate behind her.

"Go ahead and get on the chair," Colgate instructed. She turned away from Twilight and opened one of the nearby drawers to pull out a face mask. Putting it on with a snap, she turned back around. "Now then,” she began, floating a clipboard in front of her from the counter to the left. ”Let’s start with some questions. How long have you been having these gum problems?"

Twilight looked away for a moment, staring at the ceiling for to recollect the memories. "It started two days ago before Nightmare Night. I woke up and felt a tingling sensation in my mouth. I ignored it, but as the day progressed, the tingle turned into a dull pain." Colgate nodded her head and was writing down notes rapidly on a clipboard.

"I see. So out of one to ten, how bad is the pain right now? One being in no pain and ten being the most painful." Twilight answered and Colgate wrote 'eight' on the clipboard. "Have you eaten anything that might have caused this? High-sugar sweets, acidic fruits, etcetera?" Waving a hoof in a circle for emphasis. Twilight flinched as another jolt of pain hit her gums.

"N-not that I know of. I don't eat many sweets unless I'm at one of Pinkie Pie's parties and she hasn't thrown one these past two days." Colgate rubbed her chin thoughtfully upon hearing this.

If it's not from eating habits, what else could cause this? A disease or infection of some sort?

"I'll have to do some procedures to figure out what is causing this, Miss Sparkle. They may cause you some pain. Are you okay with this? I don't want to give any discomfort without your approval."

"I don't mind," Twilight replied simply.

Colgate placed her clipboard on the counter behind her and opened another drawer. She pulled out several small black rectangles from it and floated them toward Twilight. "We'll start with some x-rays. Say 'ah' please."

Twilight followed her instructions and opened her mouth wide, allowing Colgate to carefully float one of the rectangles into her mouth. It rested in the space between her teeth and cheek. She whimpered in pain when she was asked to close her mouth. The cold metal rectangle pressing against and jabbing her gums.

Colgate frowned at seeing Twilight like this and quickened her pace. Using her magic once again, she pulled down a device resembling a large camera hanging above the dentist chair. She placed it on the opposite cheek of where the piece of metal was.

"Now please hold still, else the x-ray will be blurry," Colgate stated firmly. She didn't want to repeat the procedure and cause Twilight any more pain. With the press of a button, the x-ray whirred and a soft click came from it. She asked Twilight to open her mouth and slowly pulled the rectangle out. "Now then, just need to do the other side." Twilight frowned at hearing it, but agreed.

After taking the x-rays without having to redo the procedure, Colgate placed the pieces of metal in a bin full of sanitizer. "The x-ray's should take a minute or two to process." She levitated a metal scrape off a tray beside the dental chair and stood next to Twilight. "This next part, I'm sorry to say, will be very painful. The best I can do is make it quick, alright?" Twilight only nodded slowly and opened her mouth again.

"Oh my," Colgate gasped when she peeked inside. Now that she could get a better look at her gums, she could see they were as red as apples. The first thing that came to mind was gingivitis. Inspecting closer, she carefully scraped along and in-between her teeth to check for any plaque. Twilight croaked in pain when she checked the space between her teeth and gums. To Colgate's relief and dismay, nothing came off. The teeth were as clean as hers.

How odd. It can't be gingivitis if there's no build-up to cause the disease in the first place. What is happening to cause this?

Colgate stepped away to take off her mask. When she did, a sickening smell of lavender assaulted her nose, making her stomach feel queasy. "Where is that smell coming from?" She asked nopony in particular, rousing Twilight who had closed her eyes for a moment to rest. Taking in several more light whiffs to find the source, Colgate stared at the face mask in her hoof. "Twilight, did you recently eat or put anything in your mouth that has the strong smell of lavender?"

"Lavender?" Twilight said to herself as she tried to recall anything. "Well, I used a new toothpaste that a friend of mine suggested. I brushed my teeth this morning with it."

"Really?” Colgate brightened, possibly discovering the problem. “What was the brand called?" Colgate took the clipboard again to jot down her answer. "I'll have to get a tube for myself to find out what's in it."

"Ponyfresh," Twilight stated surely. Colgate's quill hit the clipboard to write it down, but stopped and peered at her curiously.

"I've... never heard of that brand before. Who was it that gave you the toothpaste?"

"The pony who gave it to me was Rainbow... Dash..." Twilight's eyes widened as her voice trailed off. She seemed to have realized something with her brow furrowed in confusion. "No, she would never do something this-" she was stopped as another jolt hit her gums. "Something this... painful," she finished.

Colgate felt a pang of worry in her chest upon seeing her like this. "Is everything alright, Twilight?" She froze when a drop of liquid fell from Twilight's face, creating a small pool on the dentist chair. Several more followed as sniffling could be heard coming from her. "Twilight... " Colgate repeated, softer this time.

Twilight raised a foreleg and wiped away her tear-streaked face as best she could, not lifting her head as she did so. "I-I'm sorry, I need to go." Without another word, she quickly walked out the door, then started to run when she got outside. Colgate watched her go, a mix of sadness and confusion in her eyes.

Colgate felt there was something else going on besides dental hygiene. Maybe if she visited her tomorrow morning...

No, the professional dentist inside her scolded. You’re her dentist, nothing more. it wouldn't be right to invade another pony's life like that. What would other ponies think seeing you taking extra time with one pony?

She looked up at the clock. It was already close to her next appointment. Then again, Twilight has always trusted me in the past and we would always hang out in Canterlot. Is it possible she forgot about me? Does she only trust me as her dentist? The thoughts in her mind disappeared as she noticed another pony had come in, a foal bouncing happily around her. They both must’ve not noticed Twilight as they were in a chipper mood.

"Hi Doctor Colgate. My little muffin is here for a check-up!" Colgate's saddened expression was wiped away quickly and replacing it a forced smile. She was very good at hiding her emotions whenever she need to. It was bad for business to not be in a cheery mood when interacting with patients.

"Oh, hi Dinky. I hope you've been taking good care of your teeth with your brushie!"

"Uh huh," Dinky said simply, looking up at Colgate.

Colgate’s smile slowly turned into a more natural one as she stared at the adorable foal "Why don’t you both go ahead, I'll be with you shortly." Derpy and Dinky walked past Colgate as she stared at the open front door. With a sigh she closed the door with a glow of her horn.

I'll do it. I'll visit Twilight tomorrow. The worst that could happen is she says we're no longer... friends. As she came up with that frightening conclusion, the x-ray’s had finally developed. Looking at each one and not seeing anything wrong, she sighed and tossed them in the trash.

Colgate felt warmth fall over her eyelids. Letting out a yawn, she slowly opened her eyes. She found herself laying down on the couch inside the waiting room. Sunlight that was coming from the partially opened blinds, blinded her momentarily. She quickly blocked it by raising a foreleg.

Ugh, how long have I been asleep?

Looking up at the clock above the front door, it read four-fifty A.M. She concluded sleep must have taken over when her head hit the couch comforter after yesterday’s chaos. To her dismay, her groomed mane was sticking sideways for laying on the couch. Even worse she had a funny taste in her mouth and a sudden pang of guilt hit her.

She forget to brush her teeth last night.

Rubbing a hoof in her eyes to get rid of the sleep, she lazily climbed off the couch. She felt dizzy for a moment form rising so quickly, but continued her way toward her bedroom. With a bit of magic, she easily unlocked the door to her living quarters.

“Home sweet home.” Colgate turns left to enter her bathroom, shutting both doors behind her. “Mmm... Morning Mr. Brushie," she mumbled.

She eyed a blue toothbrush that rested in a small clear glass resting on her sink. Lifting it with magic, she opened the cabinet above the sink and pulled out a tube of toothpaste. She carefully squeezed a pea size amount on 'Mr. Brushie' and started to clean her teeth. Starting off from the left in small circles, she moved across the front of her teeth then started on the tips of her molars. Last, but not least, she floated the toothbrush all the way in back and brushed the hard to reach spots. Having magic did have its advantages.

Spitting in the sink, she filled the small glass with water and swished out any remains of the toothpasts. With a spit and inhale, her mouth felt cool from the aftertaste of mint, but not overpoweringly so. It always reminded her of those little mint candies you get after a meal in restaurants. After flossing and swishing a small amount of mouthwash, she spat a third time before jumping in the shower. She fussed with the faucet until she had the right temperature and began singing a small tune.

Hey, hey, hey better brush your teeth
make those white pearls shine
brighten them up cause today may make you smile

Gotta take your time, there is no rush
got all day to use that brush
never gonna know when you'll meet your crush

So there’s One thing left if life gets you down
Something that will help you lose that frown

You gotta smile, gotta grin, gotta face a new day
Gotta smirk, gotta beam in a brand new way

So hey, hey, hey better brush your teeth,
make those white pearls shine,
brighten them up cause tomorrow may make you smile

Drying off her mane and brushing it, which was her favorite part, she hung up the towels. She trotted back into the waiting room with an invigorated feeling from such a thorough cleaning. The office awaited her as she grinned at nothing in particular.

Colgate already knew her schedule was filled to the brim once again. She was glad she awoke so early, otherwise she probably couldn’t visit Twilight today. It was only ten minutes after six and her dentistry didn’t open until nine today since it was the weekend.

She grabbed her satchel bags and levitated her pouch of bits and dentist tools inside. Just in case, she assured herself. Trotting out the front door, she locked it by doing several pushes to the lock mechanism inside with her magic. Satisfied nopony would be able to enter, she walked down the dirt street toward the market.

The cool autumn air and slight dampness after a shower gave her a small shiver. Few ponies could be seen out this early, but the ones she spotted were busy in the market. Most of them were shopkeepers, setting up their stalls and carts for business. Walking past a couple of empty carts, a large pile of apples on one of them caught her attention. She looked at them with a slight hunger in her eyes.

You know what they say about an apple a day... She trotted over to the apple stand, her gaze focusing on one particularly delicious looking apple. The morning sunlight reflecting off its red skin. She quickly met the pony running the stand who noticed her staring.

“Well howdy, Romana,” Applejack greeted. “I know a hungry pony when I see one. Want to buy an apple?”

Colgate’s stomach rumbled in response and she blushed a bit. “Morning Miss Applejack. Yes, I’ll gladly take that red delicious, please.” Floating out several bits from her pack, she traded them for the same red apple that had been gleaming perfectly in the sunlight.

“Thank ya kindly.” Applejack slid the bits into a chest behind the wooden counter and quickly shut it.

She levitated the apple up to her mouth, but when she was about to take a bite, she saw a faint reflection of her perfect teeth. Pausing, she momentarily didn't feel so hungry anymore. Especially when thoughts about Twilight's predicament followed. With a sigh she levitated the apple below her chin. “Applejack, can I tell you something?”

“Sure ya can sugarcube. What’s on your mind?” Applejack tilted her head at Colgate’s sudden change of mood.

“Yesterday morning Miss Sparkle came into my office with a horrible case of swollen gums. After talking about it with her, we found out what might be causing it."

Applejack nodded her head in understanding. “I can say this year's Nightmare Night has been driving Applebloom plum crazy. Come to think of it, her appointment is today. Five in the afternoon, right?"

“Wha-huh?” Colgate said intelligently, her brow furrowed a bit in confusion. She quickly wiped it away with a hoof to her face. “Oh, right. The candy,” she said in embarrassment for forgetting. “Yes, her appointment is today at five.”

“Alright,” Applejack replied. “Anyway, what’s this about Twilight?”

“I spoke to her yesterday and I think Rainbow Dash may have hurt her without knowing it." Applejack gazed at Colgate like she just insulted her apples.

"Rainbow Dash did what? Why of all the- I bet it was one of her pranks!" Colgate blinked several times in confusion and repeated the word "pranks" like a parrot. "Yeah, Rainbow Dash is always pranking everypony. I'm surprised you don't know about it, Colgate."

Colgate rubbed her foreleg nervously. "Well I've never been pranked by her before. Is it usually this bad? Twilight was in a lot of pain when she visited me." Applejack leaned against her cart, face full of worry.

“I'm sure Rainbow didn't mean it. She's a good pony, but her antics does get on everypony's nerves once and awhile. I wish I could come with you, but I have to watch the cart." She leaned in to whisper one last thing. "To be honest, I'm hoping somepony gets back at her with a prank of their own."

"I see," Colgate said slowly, not sure what to do with that last bit of information. "I should get going. Goodbye Applejack, And Thanks again for the apple." Picking up her delicious fruit, she took a bite as she trotted toward the library.

“Miss Sparkle, are you awake?” Colgate had knocked three times already on the front door to the library. Each passing minute was starting to make her worry grow. The sign hanging on the door showed the library was supposed to be open fifteen minutes ago.

What am I doing? If she doesn't want to answer the door, I should just leave her be. Colgate began walking away from the door to head back to her office. Soon as she did, the sound of a door swinging open was heard behind her. Followed by a voice that wasn't Twilight's.

"Romana, wait." Colgate spun around upon hearing the baby dragon's voice. "I'm sorry I didn't get to the door earlier. Twilight hasn't been herself ever since yesterday, and I haven’t been getting much sleep." He proved his point by letting out a long yawn.

"It's quite alright, Colgate comforted. Twilight’s actually the reason I came over. I hope she's not busy."

"She's still asleep at the moment." Spike said with a hint of jealousy while pointing upstairs. "Come on in. I was just about to brew some tea to hopefully urge her out of bed." He walked toward the kitchen and when out of sight he added, "do you like sugar in your tea?"

Colgate cringed, but quickly chuckled to herself for being so uptight at just the mention of the word. "No thank you," she replied. Taking a look around the library, Colgate noticed on a nearby table a white tube that looked like toothpaste. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she walked over and picked it up with magic.

The word ‘Ponyfresh’ was in bold with the picture of a small white pony smiling on one side. The label would've looked very legitimate if it wasn't peeled halfway off the tube container. Underneath it was a tube of cheap-brand lavender scented mane gel. She flipped over to read the contents and went wide-eyed. In bold letters on the back of the tube it read: 'Do not ingest'.

Oh bother.

Colgate read through the ingredients, doing her best to figure out what could cause Twilight's gums to react in such a way. Most of them were gibberish she had never heard of.

Coliponydentine? Parasprite extract? Oh, here's one I know, she thought sarcastically. Lavender.

With no more information to get from the tube, Colgate set it back on the table. Just as she did, Spike came out with two cups of tea. "Here you go Colgate," he offered the small cup.

"Ah, thank you." Floating the cup to her lips, she coughed when it burned her throat. Spike asked if she was okay, which she waved a hoof dismissively. "I'm quite alright. The tea is hotter than I usually brew it."

"That would probably be my fault," spike admitted with a frown. "The stove stop has been acting weird and I've been having to use my breath to light it. I have to be careful though since it would be awkward to send an oven to Celestia." He chuckled nervously at the idea and went upstairs to coax Twilight out of bed. Colgate took this moment to collect her thoughts.

So Rainbow Dash pranked Twilight into thinking that mane gel was her toothpaste. While an interesting joke, she probably didn't know Twilight's gums would react so negatively to it. She took a sip of her tea, its burning sensation not catching her off-guard this time. While the solution to solve Twilight's dental problem is simple, I don't think she's going to forgive and forget this anytime soon. I sure as hay wouldn't.

Colgate gazed into the cup of tea, noticing her faint reflection. She could barely see her groomed mane and sapphire-blue eyes in the brown liquid. She saw a pony who didn’t follow her cutie mark. A pony who chose being a dentist because she enjoyed cleaning teeth, even if others found it odd.

Her parents tried to get her into the hourglass business in Canterlot, but she declined. Even if she had a knack at knowing how many grains of sand are in each hourglass, she didn’t enjoy the job. Instead she moved to Ponyville and started her own life as a dentist. And for once, she was happy.

Her thoughts were startled when Spike’s voice came from above. The baby dragon appeared shortly afterwards.

"Twilight's up if you want to speak with her." Spike said, not noticing the deep, thoughtful expression on her face while descending the stairs. Colgate gave a small smile and thanked him for waking her. She made her way up the stairs and spotted Twilight sitting up in bed, slowly sipping a cup of tea. Her mane was a complete mess and different kinds of reading material was strewn across the floor.

Colgate felt the same feeling of uncertainty in her chest to even be here. They only met whenever she had an appointment. Colgate would ask how her day is going and she’d say something about saving the world... again. Their talks were very awkward, usually with long pauses and only the occasional wince of pain. Nevertheless, Colgate enjoyed their time together.

Twilight noticed Colgate mid-sip and waved with a hoof. Colgate hesitated, but slowly walked up to the bed and sat down at the edge of it. After Twilight quickly downed her cup of hot tea, which surprised Colgate, she began to speak.

"I would like to apologize for running away like that, Miss Romana." She set the teacup on the bed stand as she continued. "I needed to sort things out in my mind when I suspected this was Rainbow dash's doing. I Can't believe I fell for it too," she finished with a mutter.

Colgate was surprised Twilight was talking to her so openly about her friend and felt a pressure slowly being lifted off her chest. "I'm sure she didn't do it on purpose." She replied, trying to comfort Twilight.

"I know," Twilight said with a sigh. "But it doesn't make it easier to forgive her when my gums are in constant pain." She scrunched her face as another sting tortured her gums. "It’s nice of you to visit though. Was there something you needed?" She asked, her mood brightening a bit.

Colgate nervously scratched the back of her head. Come on Colgate you can do this. It's a simple question. If she says no, just laugh it off and continue with your life. She took a deep breath to further calm her nerves. "Do you consider me a friend, Twilight?" She frowned when Twilight started giggling at her question.

"Of course you’re my friend, Colgate. Don’t you remember our friendship? Every time at Canterlot we’d talk about almost everything. How about when we forgot what time it was after a long study session, causing us to be late for Miss Rose's Botany class?"

Colgate remembered that moment clearly. Ms. Rose was very strict when it came to her class. Mostly because nopony took it seriously. When she found out the Twilight and herself were tardy because they were studying her class subject, she let them off scott-free. She chuckled at the memory and nodded her head. Though she frowned with what Twilight said next.

"Why? Did somepony make you think otherwise?"

"No, nothing like that. I’ve just been having thoughts that we weren’t friends." Colgate hung her head in shame. She had to come clean and express her doubts. “What if others believe you only want to be my friend for dental benefits? What better way for clean teeth than be best friends with your dentist!” Colgate felt frustrated enough to ruffle her mane. “I’m sorry for dropping this on you at such short notice, Twilight. I’m a terrible friend.”

“Colgate, it’s alright. So you had to get something get off your chest. I don’t think you’re a terrible friend because of it.” Twilight nudged Colgate with magic so she would sit up and look at her. “As for your fear of what others think, I definitely know how you feel.”

“What do you mean?” Colgate questioned with a tilt of her head.

“I used to feel the same way when I was with Princess Celestia. I feared others would believe I only liked her because she’s royalty. That I only used her for my own goals. What goals they thought I had in mind, I had no idea. I was a foal back then so endless amounts of toys and sweets?” Twilight guessed in humor. “Anyway, when I brought this up with Celestia, she told me something that opened my mind. She said, ‘If you spend all your life wondering what others think about you, you’ll never enjoy it at its fullest’.

Colgate's eyes brightened. “I... think I understand, but I still feel uncomfortable about all of this,” Colgate admitted.

Twilight shook her head. "Listen. The point is, you can’t please everypony. All you need to do is be yourself, and you’ll be surrounded by ponies who like you for who you are.”

She’s right. Colgate finally realized how silly she was acting. If somepony wants to have those kinds of thoughts, that’s their own business. I shouldn’t be holding back on my life because some ponies might disagree with my actions.

“You’re right, Twilight. I’m glad to have a friend like you.” She smiled brightly and Twilight turned it with a small smile of her own.

“Glad to be of help. Now, was there anything else you need? Maybe you’d like to check-out a book?” She coughed lightly as she pointed out several of the books around her bed, most of them focused on dental subjects.

“Maybe later, I actually want to talk about Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight tilted her head in interest. “What about her?”

“Have you planned on forgiving her yet for pranking you?” Colgate asked.

“I haven’t put much thought into it. I know she enjoys pranking and didn’t mean it, but this time it’s gone too far.” An idea must’ve came to mind as her eyes brightened. “I think I know how to forgive her... but I’ll need your help.”

Colgate didn't like where this was going. “What are you planning, Twilight?” She raised an eyebrow when Twilight smiled.

“When’s the last time Rainbow had a check-up?”

“The last time she did was... “ Colgate trailed off as she tried to remember. Her memory for this sort of thing was perfection. She knew the exact date of everypony's latest check-ups, but every time she thought of Rainbow Dash, it came up blank. She then realized Rainbow Dash hasn’t even visited at all. “Never,” she replied with a hint of surprise.

Twilight was surprised as well. “Really? Wow, this should make it that much more interesting.”

“You’re leaving me in the dark, Twilight. What are you thinking about?”

“Easy. We’re going to have Rainbow get a dental check-up!”

Colgate had agreed with joining in on this idea. Not like there were any other dentists in Ponyville. The idea was interesting to say the least and it involved the help of several other ponies. For it to work though, she had to finish today’s appointments quickly before Fluttershy arrived. While she worried about getting her office ready, Twilight gladly chose to lead Rainbow to her..

By some miracle, patients had cancelled their appointments. The ones who did come in just needed check-up’s and general cleaning, making the work-day go by quickly. By the time the clock’s hour hand hit five, Colgate was done. She didn’t have anything to do until Fluttershy arrived to prepare the trap, so she cleaned her office desk. By the time her task was complete, a knock came from the front door. “Come in,” she shouted. Loud enough for anypony outside the front door to hear.

The door opened slowly and a pink maned pony quietly let herself in. Hi Colgate,” she greeted quietly.

“Hello Fluttershy. Did you bring the rope?”

“Oh yes. Applejack let me borrow her lasso.” She pulled out a bundle of rope from a pack on her side and tossed it to Colgate. She caught it in her mouth and motioned for Fluttershy to follow her into the operating room.

“Go ahead and sit in the chair, Fluttershy.” The timid pegasus hopped in the chair and sat down.

“Please be careful.”

“Not to worry, Fluttershy. I know what I'm doing.” Using her magic, Colgate wrapped it around Fluttershy and the chair. After several loops around, she pulled both sides to tighten, electing a small squeak from Fluttershy. “Oops, sorry.” She let it slack a bit and tied it off. “There we go, all done. You remember what to do when Rainbow Dash releases you, right?”

“I think so, I put that funny smelling cloth over her so she sleeps, right?”

“Precisely. I’ll be hiding behind the door if something goes wrong and she tries to bolt.” She looked at Fluttershy who was starting to tremble. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yes, I’m fine. Just frightened what you’re going to do to Rainbow Dash when she gets here.”

“I’m just going to clean her teeth and make sure she doesn’t have any dental problems, that’s all. I promise I won’t hurt her. Alright?” She gave her a comforting smile and Fluttershy relaxed in the chair, a smile on her face as well. “Why don’t you take a nap, we still have awhile until Twilight begins her part.”

“That sounds lovely,” Fluttershy let out a yawn and shifted slightly in the bindings. “You’re dentist chair was always so... comfortable...” Soft snoring came from her as she fell asleep. Colgate took this as her queue to hide behind the door and wait it out.

Rainbow Dash was busy relaxing comfortably on a cloud above Ponyville’s market. She had just returned from Cloudsdale to report today’s afternoon weather over Ponyville was done and accepted the rest of the day off.

The past few days were probably the best she’s ever had. Managing to prank Twilight without her knowing? Pretty brilliant in her book. It was all in good fun though and she was sure Twilight would forgive and forget.

A scream pierced the serene air, causing Rainbow Dash to jump off her cloud. She looked around in a panic, switching glances rapidly around the town to figure out where the scream came from. Below her she saw Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie running down a street, most likely toward the scream. Rainbow Dash jump off the cloud to join her friends, starling them with her sudden appearance. “Hey, what’s going on? Is somepony in trouble?”

Twilight spoke up quickly in a urgent manner. “Fluttershy is missing, we looked for her everywhere when we spotted something drag her and run inside Colgate’s office!”

“What?” Rainbow yelled, anger growing in her eyes. “Nopony treats my friends like that!” Rainbow Dash zipped ahead of her friends and stopped outside of the Dentistry. Checking the doorknob, it was locked. “Guess I’ll have to do this the hard way!” Turning around, she bucked the door and broke the mechanism inside. The door swung inward as Rainbow Dash entered the waiting room. “Fluttershy? Are you in here?” The room was dark, but the sunlight coming from the busted doorway allowed her to see Fluttershy inside a smaller room ahead of her.

She ran towards the room. As as she got closer, she saw her friend was tied with rope to a dentist chair. “Hang on Fluttershy, I’ll get you out of here.” Tugging hard on the ropes, they managed to loosen enough for Fluttershy to slip out of them.

“T-thank you, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy hugged her friend and started crying, but no tears streamed down her face. She looked up and winked at a form hiding in the corner.

“Hey, no problem Fluttershy. I always watch out for my friends. Now let’s get out of here before whatever got you comes back.”

“All right, but can you smell this first before we leave? If you don’t mind.” She held out a handkerchief. ‘I-if that’s alright with you.”

“What? Why would I want to—” Shuffling could be heard behind her as a hoof grabbed the handkerchief from Fluttershy and pushed it in front of Rainbow Dash’s muzzle. “Hey! what’s the big idea? I’m gonna... kick... “ She fell to the floor with a soft thud, knocked out from the dampened cloth.

“Oh dear, oh dear.” Fluttershy panicked as she trotted back and forth. “Is Rainbow Dash going to be okay?”

Colgate flicked on the lights. She was in her dentist coat and everything, ready to clean teeth at a moments notice. “Don’t worry Miss Fluttershy, she’ll be just fine.”

“A-all right. I guess I’ll be waiting outside then.” Fluttershy quietly left Colgate with an unconscious Rainbow Dash on the floor.

Colgate picked Rainbow Dash up with her magic and placed her gently on the dentist chair. As she did so, Applejack came in and tipped her hat in greeting. “Howdy, Colgate.” She looked at the unconscious pony on the chair, who was drooling, and couldn’t help but laugh. “Whoo wee, that there is the funniest thing I have ever seen. Gimme just a second while I tie down your patient, Miss Romana.”

Applejack tied Rainbow down to the chair with the same rope Fluttershy used. After going around three times, she made the knot and examined her handiwork. “Yep, she won’t be getting out of there anytime soon. Have fun now, ya hear?” She gave Colgate a coy wink before stepping out.

Several minutes passed before Rainbow Dash began stirring in the chair. Her eyes shot open and was momentarily blinded by the single light that shone from above. She tried to get up, but was held down by rope. “What the hay is going on? Untie me now!”

Colgate stepped out from behind the chair and sat down next to her. “Oh, I don’t think that’s going to happen, Rainbow Dash.”

“Colgate? What the hay is going on? Don’t you know there’s a monster on the loose?” Rainbow struggled in her bindings again, but to no effect.

“There is no monster on the loose, Rainbow. Your friends and I have something planned for you.” Her horn starting to glow and the door swung open. Twilight Sparkle entered and sat on the other side of Rainbow Dash.

“Twilight! You’re in on this too?” Her anger starting to show.

“I’m afraid so, Rainbow. You started this, since it was you who gave me the fake toothpaste!” Twilight pointed a hoof accusingly.

Rainbow’s anger disappeared as her eyes widened. “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about!” She looked away, trying to avoid both of their gazes.

“Rainbow, you told me about the toothpaste yourself and recommended it. I’m pretty sure that makes you the obvious suspect.” Twilight stated matter-of-factly.

“Oh... right.” She laughed that she forgot about that part. “Alright you got me, now untie me from this chair.” She stopped her struggling when Twilight stomped her hoof.

“Don’t you get it, Rainbow? This is serious! Your prank caused my gums to react to an allergy. I didn’t know I was allergic to something until now and I”m sure you didn’t either, but that doesn’t help the fact you are still pranking.”

Rainbow Dash’s mouth slightly hung in shock. “I-I’m so sorry, twilight. You know I only prank out of fun. I never intend to hurt anypony.”

“That’s not the point. I don’t want you pranking anymore. No, more, pranking.” Twilight put extra emphasis on the last three words to get the point across.

“Alright, alright. I won’t prank anypony anymore. Happy?” Seeing Twilight have an accepting smile, her hopes brightened to getting untied. “Now please untie me. My wings are starting to get ruffled.”

“Oh, we’re not done yet.” Colgate said, cutting off Rainbow’s last strand of hope. “My friend here reminded me that you’ve never had a dental appointment.” The tied up pegasus’ eyes boggled as she knew where this was going. “So congratulations on getting a check-up. On the house!”

Rainbow Dash took this opportunity to struggle some more, but whoever tied the rope sure knew what they were doing. “Y-You can’t do this! This isn’t right!”

Colgate suddenly had a brilliant idea. “Twilight, how would you like to be my assistant for this operation? Maybe you could take notes and learn something about dentistry.” Upon hearing the chance to learn something, Twilight’s eyes immediately widened.

“That would be fantastic! I never truly studied dental work. If you don’t mind, could I use this clipboard on your counter? I don’t have my notebook with me.” Colgate nodded her head and she let out a small squee of delight.

“Now then, let's begin.” Colgate opened a drawer and pulled out a dental pick. “Say ‘ah’ please.” She frowned when Rainbow kept her mouth closed and just glared at her. “Please, Rainbow. Don’t make this difficult. I promise I’ll do my best to not cause you any pain.”

“Mmm mmm” Rainbow replied with a head shake.

“Very well.” Colgate sighed and turned her head at her assistant. ”Could you bring me the laughing gas? This one isn’t going down without a fight.”

Fluttershy paced back and forth in front of Colgate’s dentisty. “Oh dear, oh dear. They’ve been in there for almost an hour.” Rarity stopped her by placing a hoof to her shoulder.

“Fluttershy, Darling, please calm down. I’m sure Miss Colgate and Twilight has it under control.

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie said while bouncing. “I bet Dashie gets a lollipop for her trouble. I wonder what flavor it would be. Some ponies say blueberry, but everypony knows strawberry is the best flavor. Although one pony once said they tried a pe-pfff.” She was cut short by Applejack’s hoof stuffed in her mouth.

“Calm down, sugarcube," Applejack told Pinkie. She then returned to hefting the front door back in place. "Rarity is right, she's in good hooves. Ah... a little help here Rarity?"

The unicorn looked over at Applejack and saw her standing inside the building near the doorway. "Oh, of course dear." She picked up the door and fit it inside the empty frame. A minute and the sound of a hoof hitting the doorway later, Applejack opened the door and closed it behind her with a smile on her face.

"There we go. Fixed up quicker than you could say Appleoosa." She gave a 'don't even think about it' look at Pinkie Pie, who returned the look with a wide grin. The front door, which applejack had repaired to kill time, swung open. The four ponies stared as they waited to see who came out.

Instead, they were greeted by wild laughing that made Pinkie Pie seem normal. In fact, the laughing was causing her to giggle as well. The source of the laughing was none other that Rainbow Dash as she stumbled out of the dentistry, barely able to stand from laughing so much.

"Oh... my..." fluttershy quietly said as she hid behind her mane.

"What in tarnation is so funny? My handiwork wasn't that bad." Applejack said with a perplexed expression.

Rarity was the first to step forward and put a reassuring hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. It seemed to calm her down since she wasn't wiggling on the ground as much. "Dear, are you alright?" She asked.

"Hay yeah! I've never felt so good in all my life." Rainbow Dash let out a happy sigh and several more chuckles escaped her throat. "I don't know why I was so scared to go to the dentist. I didn't feel a thing!"

"Maybe because Twilight accidental gave you too much laughing gas, hmm?" Colgate appeared through the doorway with Twilight following behind. A giggle of her own escaped her lips upon seeing Rainbow Dash laying comfortably on the ground.

"I-I'm sorry Colgate! I didn't mean to bump into the valve with my horn. Is Rainbow Dash going to be alright?"

"Yes, she'll be fine. The only side effects are embarrassment, and that's only due to the patient doing stuff they normally wouldn't while in their state of euphoria."

"Oh," Twilight simply said, greatly relieved to hear that. "How long is she going to be like... this." She watched rainbow Dash bounce around with Pinkie Pie, who was having the time of her life as well.

"About an hour due to the overdose. I suggest you get her to a bed as most patients pass out after it wears off."

"I'll Take her home, if that's alright with everypony," Fluttershy said with her timid voice. Twilight clapped her forehooves in approval.

"Great! It's getting late anyway and I need to write a letter to the Princess about this."

Colgate looked at the sky and sure enough, the sun was already beginning to set. Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack agreed with Twilight and said their good nights. Fluttershy managed to get Rainbow Dash in the air and escorted back to her cloud house, leaving Colgate and Twilight alone.

"Hey, Twilight. If it's not too much trouble, could I join you in writing that letter?"

"Of Course!" Twilight exclaimed. "I'm sure the Princess would love to hear one of my friend's thought on the subject." Colgate felt her heart swell with happiness upon hearing Twilight say that. With a swift nod of her head, they both trotted down Ponyville's street; towards the Library.

END

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Brotato

Brotato #1 · Feb 14th, 2012 · · ·

Now 3x longer! :D

Bloodyfeather23

Bloodyfeather23 #2 · Feb 14th, 2012 · 1 · ·

I'd give you some stars but I can't for some reason, but this is very interesting and I can't wait for more!

Celestia

Celestia #3 · Feb 14th, 2012 · · ·

Oooh, very nice ending to this (updated) chapter. Cliffhanger!

Master Specter

Master Specter #4 · Feb 27th, 2012 · 1 · ·

Congratulations, Brotato! You are one of the eight authors that decided to put Colgate in your story (on FiMFiction). You're part of the .12%! Not only that, but the fic is exclusively about Colgate! Applause all around. Seriously though, she needs more love.

Frozenpyro