Tell the Tooth

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

Chapter 1

“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.

Author's Note

(Author's note: a special thanks to Gabe Bennett for helping this story come together and his hard work editing it as a beta-reader.)

Chapter 2

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.

Chapter 3

Every muscle in Rainbow Dash's lean body shuddered as she stepped onto the front patio of Dr. Neighnamel's office. Tomorrow morning was way too soon for her liking, but she had stupidly said “yes” when the receptionist offered her the earliest available appointment in Neighnamel's schedule, which Dash had learned was due to the doctor's original client reportedly chickening-out at the last minute.

She cursed her luck. How in Equestria was she supposed to prepare herself to face one of her absolute worst fears in less than 24 hours? She needed more time, but as a pegasus, she lacked the means to stop or turn back time. Even Twilight Sparkle, the most powerful unicorn she knew, could only travel back in time for roughly one minute before being warped back into the present.

Nearby, a mint-green unicorn and a cream-colored earth pony with a purple and pink mane took a few moments to stare at the shivering pegasus. Dash felt their eyes upon her and shot them a glare.

“What are you staring at?!” she snapped. The unicorn and the earth pony shied their eyes away in submission. Scowling, Dash opened her wings, then shot upwards towards the sky.

There was no way she could return to Cloudsdale in her current state, trembling with fear and anxiety. It was bad enough that the ponies of Ponyville had nearly discovered her fears, but the very thought of her fellow Cloudsdaleans finding out was just plain unbearable. What if the Wonderbolts heard about it? They'd never let a pony who was afraid of the dentist join, it would make them a laughing stock!

Ponyville was far beneath Dash now. It looked like nothing more than a scale model replica of the village. A large, soft cloud nearby beckoned for her attention. She performed an aerial loop and placing her hooves on the floating, cotton-like substance, dropped to her haunches to think.

She didn't want to go to the dentist. She wasn't ready. But she also didn't want that horrible toothache to come back, either. Then again, if she went and got it over with, nopony would have to know she was afraid. Dash set her Daring Do book down (thankfully, Twilight had put a spell on it to keep it from falling through) so she could scoop up a pillow-sized blob of cloud and clutch it against her torso. The soft, puffy facets of it gave her something of a sense of comfort. Yes, much as she hated to admit it, just going in and getting it over with seemed like the best idea. She squeezed the cloud harder. Why did it have to be so hard to face one of the few things she was genuinely afraid of? Exhaling wearily, she let her makeshift pillow go, grabbed her book and flew off in the direction of Cloudsdale.

****

Normally, Rainbow Dash welcomed the familiar sights of her home: its majestic waterfalls, the rainbows arching over the city, Cloudsdale's flags dancing proudly in the breeze; the various architectural pillars adorned with stripes and spirals. Any other time, she might have paused for a moment to admire it all. Today, however, she just wanted to get home before somepony saw her and started asking questions. Taking a deep breath to try and steady her nerves, she flew on towards her house at an even pace in an attempt to not draw attention to herself.

She passed the bluish-grey twins, Cloudchaser and Flitter, engaged in an animated conversation with each other. A certain lazy-eyed blonde mare with a grey coat passed above, headed in the opposite direction. One large-bodied white stallion with ridiculously tiny wings perched on a cloud to her right and flexed his massive foreleg muscles, shouting “Yeeeaaah!” to nopony in particular.

Thankfully, not one of them paid any special attention to the rainbow-maned pegasus. She flew on.

Finally, her own house came into view. She flew in through her bedroom window, grateful to be away from the prying eyes of the world outside. But now a new problem presented itself: it was still mid-afternoon. What could she do until morning to take her mind off of that all-consuming fear? As she hovered in place, wings fluttering, her attention drifted back to the book she carried.

Might as well start on another fantastic Daring Do adventure, she thought with a shrug. Landing, she set her flask of Zecora's pain elixir on the nightstand next to her bed. Looking at it made her grateful that the toothache hadn't come back yet.

Pulling her favorite blanket around her, the one adorned with a giant version of her rainbow lightning bolt cutie mark, Dash snuggled into bed and opened up her book.

She read until the last light of dusk had disappeared over the western horizon and stars began to dot the sky, stopping only for a quick supper. This time, as the title suggested, Daring was up against Sh'Danusk, the ancient Emperor of the Night, an evil alicorn who made even her old enemy, Ahuizotl, look like nothing by comparison. A thousand years ago, the Emperor had been nearly unstoppable, his tyrannical reign finally ending only after he was sealed away in an ancient tomb. Unfortunately, the tomb had been accidentally rediscovered in the present day, near the bottom of a recently-excavated mineshaft, allowing him to escape and once again set terror upon the world.

The story had been riveting. How was Daring supposed to stand up to somepony so powerful? Dash couldn't wait to find out, but fighting pain and being wracked with anxiety all day had sapped most of her strength. She let out a sleepy yawn, then set her book on the nightstand, trading it for Zecora's painkiller. Dash dipped her hoof in the flask and applied some of the teal-colored ointment to her tender gum, then shoved the cork stopper back in place. Setting the flask down on top of the book, she blew-out her lamp and nestled-in for some much-needed sleep.

The next morning...

Rainbow Dash stepped into Dr. Neighnamel's office. The waiting room was quiet. The only ponies in there, aside from the receptionist,were a young, blue-maned unicorn filly around Sweetie Belle’s age, and her similarly-colored mother. Gulping, Dash approached the reception desk.

“Um.” Part of her wanted to turn for the door and fly away as fast as she could, but Dash took a deep breath to steel her nerve. “Hi.” Despite her efforts, she couldn't keep her voice from coming out in a note of anxiety.

“Rainbow Dash?” the middle-aged unicorn mare behind the desk asked, looking up from her paperwork. She had a faded, poofy red-orange mane, a tan coat and wore a pair of half-moon spectacles in front of her magenta eyes.

“Yeah. Here for a nine o'clock appointment.”

“Have a seat. The nurse will call your name when the doctor's ready.”

Dash gulped again and took a seat, trying hard not to fidget. The minutes ticked by agonizingly slow, as she waited for the nurse to call her. It took everything she had to ease her nerves; the last thing she wanted was to frighten the filly next to her.

Lacking anything better to do, the pegasus turned slightly in her seat and watched the child for a moment. With her eyes squeezed shut in what seemed to be considerable effort, the filly struggled and then finally succeeded in making her stubby little horn glitter with a dim light; just enough magic to levitate a set of crayons from a box on the coffee table in front of her. Pleased with herself, the filly smiled widely at the sight of the floating sticks of colored wax, then with a little more effort, began to move them across the pages of a coloring book on her lap. If her mother took any notice of the feat, she didn’t show it, being totally engrossed in the novel she was reading, “The Pony of Zenda.”

Which reminded Rainbow…why, oh, why hadn’t she brought her Daring Do book to read? She facehoofed, mentally cursing her oversight.

“Rainbow Dash!” called a somewhat gruff, but feminine voice.

Dash looked up. The nurse standing in the corridor adjacent to the reception desk, a clipboard balanced on one hoof, was a pale-yellow earth pony mare of late middle-age. Her curly, two-tone grey mane was bound-up in a hairnet and beneath upper eyelids smeared heavily with matching grey eye shadow, she peered out at the world with a set of stern, but deceptively gentle green eyes. She looked familiar. Hadn’t she been one of the nurses at the hospital that time she’d broken her wing?

She glanced momentarily at the older mare’s flank. No, it couldn’t be her: the nurse at the hospital had had a white cross with tiny pink hearts in each corner for her cutie mark…this one had a large white tooth and a blue toothbrush for hers. Still…the resemblance between the two was uncanny; twin sisters with similar career choices, perhaps?

“Rainbow Dash!” she called again, a bit more insistently, glancing down at the clipboard.

The pegasus stood up from her seat. “Um, right here!”

“This way, please,” the nurse said, impassively, setting the clipboard aside and then turning and walking down the hallway towards the examination room.

After a moment’s hesitation, Dash slowly trotted after her.

“Have a seat, dearie,” the nurse said, indicating the large, reclining dentist’s chair with her hoof. “The doctor will be with you shortly.”

Without waiting for a reply, the nurse turned and briskly walked away, leaving the pegasus alone again. Swallowing hard once more, Dash regarded the chair and the collection of various hooks, tooth extractors, drills and other tools of the trade in the rack beside it (implements of torture, in her opinion) with disdain, but finally climbed up into it and planted her rump on the seat with a muffled “plop.”

Dash tapped her forehoof against the arm of the chair. Her hind leg spasmed with anxiety. All she wanted was for the dentist to hurry up and get in here so she could get this over with, but what would he actually do? Would he want to drill the tooth, or even worse, pull it out? Would the numbing shot hurt as bad as she remembered?

“Good morning, Miss Dash.” A stallion's voice pulled Dash from her thoughts, causing her leg to spasm even harder. She wasn't ready!

“It's about time!” Dash shouted before she even had time to think about what she was saying.

“It's only been thirty seconds,” the voice informed her.

A middle aged stallion with a wild, unkempt mane that was completely grayed with age stepped in front of the chair. His coat was a ghastly shade of ice blue, even paler than the Great and Powerful Trixie’s, like a pony who had frozen to death. Behind his glasses were a pair of eyes set deep in their sockets and surrounded by dark circles. They were a dull pastel yellow in color and lacked the luster most ponies had in their eyes. To Dash, they looked positively evil.

“You're Dr. Neighnamel?” she asked incredulously.

The creepy-looking stallion pushed his glasses up with a hoof. “Oh, I'm afraid Dr. Neighnamel won't be in today. I will be treating you instead. I'm Dr. Payne, D.D.S.”

Dash scratched the back of her head. Her spine tingled. D.D.S.? Was that “Doctor of Dental Science” or “Doctor of Depraved Sadism”?

A clipboard floated in front of the dentist as his eyes scanned the notes scrawled on it. From the glow surrounding it, Dash could tell that Dr. Payne was holding it in place with magic, but how was that possible? He was clearly an earth pony, not a unicorn. Maybe he'd sold his soul to a demon from the pit of Tartaros in exchange for some of its power; it would be the perfect tradeoff. She shivered at the thought.

“I see here that you have been suffering from an acute and persistent toothache.” The doctor looked up from his clipboard and flashed a menacing smile. “How delightful.”

The doctor's harsh, grating and miserly tone sent an unpleasant tingle crawling its way across the ends of Dash's fur and made the tips of her hooves prickle. Not to mention his ugly, unkempt appearance. Of course, Dash was no Rarity when it came to judging other ponies by their appearance, but Dr. Payne was in his own league of ugly.

Eyes darting, Dash sat up straight. “Um, no offense, Doc, but you're really starting to creep me out, so I think I'm just gonna leave now.”

Before Rainbow could follow up on her statement, the doctor, in a lightning-quick move, shoved her back down onto the chair, then pressed a pedal mounted to the base of it. Instantly, a pair of cuffs extended from the arms of the chair and wrapped around Dash's wrists, while a second pair emerged from the lower edge and pinned her ankles down. She felt herself being thrust backwards and before she even had time to contemplate what was happening, found herself staring up at the ceiling.

Now wearing a pale green facemask, Dr. Payne approached his captive, leering down at her with those dark, eerie eyes.

“No, my dear. I'm afraid you're not going anywhere until we've given the ol’ chompers a look-see. Now, open up and let's see what the issue is, shall we?”

After a gulp, Dash opened her mouth. Dr. Payne creeped her out enough as it was; she didn't want to run the risk of provoking him.

Glittering magic energy surrounded a hook, which lifted into the air and found its way into Dash's mouth. The sharp, pointy tip of it came within millimeters of the cavity on Dash's bad tooth. The pegasus shuddered. That was too close.

“Ah, you're referring to this one, no doubt.”

Dash's body jolted from a shot of agony. Not TOO close. Right on target! Payne had stuck her right in the deep cavity with that hook!

“Hmmm,” Dr. Payne said. He didn't seem to pay any heed to the pain he was inflicting. “Just look at that pit of decay. Indeed, this tooth must really be killing you.”

Dash continued to moan and struggle.

A demonic grin formed across Payne's compassionless features. “Relax, Rainbow Dash. Pain is just your body's way of telling you that I'm having the time of my life.” Payne pulled the hook out of her mouth. Rainbow let out a small sigh of relief. Though... what could he have planned for her next? The thought raked Dash's nerves like a set of claws.

Cold sweat ran down her face. Dash wished she could at least wipe it off, but her hooves were still bound to the chair.

“Now that I know what's bothering you, it's...”

Fast, nervous panting came from Rainbow Dash. She was sure she was hyperventilating. She couldn't even see what Dr. Payne was reaching for next. As fate would have it, she didn't have to wait long. Dr. Payne turned back around. To her utter horror, a small drill hovered in front of him.

“…time for drillin'!”

Dash struggled with all her might. This must have been how Daring Do felt when she was tied to a stone pedestal in a room that was filling with quicksand! She closed her eyes, hoping it would make that drill go away, but it just kept getting closer. When she could take it no more, she shouted.

“WAAAAIIIT!”

The horrible high pitched whirring stopped. Thank Celestia!

Dr. Payne pulled down the mask from his face. “What is it now?”

“Well, I'm not really the biggest fan of needles, but I still think I want to be numbed-up before you start.” Dash couldn't keep from shuddering. Without anesthetic, that would have hurt. A LOT.

“Darn, you figured it out.” Dr. Payne turned back around. Dash sighed in relief at no longer having that drill next to her face when he set it back down on the tray. The strange doctor gave a sigh and continued to speak as he dipped the needle of a syringe into a vial of clear liquid. “You smart patients are so boring.”

He turned back around again, full syringe hovering in front of him. “Ok, if this hurts, just tough it out!”

She supposed the needle wasn't as bad as the drill, but Dash closed her eyes anyway. A sharp prick stung her gums, though it didn't hurt nearly as bad as she'd remembered.

“Listen to you. Whining and moaning, just to get a quick shot of neigh-vocaine.”

Dash opened her eyes again after she felt the needle being pulled out of her gums. To her surprise, Payne had already grabbed the drill again with his magic. She was sure she wasn't numb yet!

“Oh, what am I thinking? How silly of me. This just won't do, will it?”

For what she felt must have been the hundredth time that morning, Dash sighed in relief as Dr. Payne set the drill back down and left the room. Before she had much time to wonder where he'd gone, he came back in, this time, carrying an industrial carpenter's drill the size of a small filly.

“There we go!” His face twisted with a look of insane glee as the huge drill bit began to spiral, its motor emitting a menacing growl. “Now, open wide!”

Chapter 4

Rainbow Dash instinctively raised her forelegs, swatting furiously at the insane doctor's face in a desperate attempt at escape. Strangely, even though Payne was only inches away, she didn't feel her hooves hit anything, but the loud growl of that motor stopped.

Wait a second... how did her legs get free? Just a second ago, they’d been securely bound with steel cuffs! Something wasn’t right here (which, given her current situation, was saying a lot). She looked at her hooves for a second, then back at Dr. Payne. Abruptly, as if somepony had lit a candle, the insane dentist and the examination room vanished. Dash clenched her eyes shut in disbelief. When she opened them, she realized she was was safe in bed. Thank Celestia! It was just a dream!

Sunlight flooded in through her window, creating two warm rectangles on her blanket. She looked at the alarm clock on her nightstand. Her appointment was in the next hour and as much as she hated the dentist, she couldn't wait to get this episode of her life over with.

Dash yawned and stretched, then let out a groan. Her left molar was throbbing again, worse than ever. Time for more of Zecora's pain ointment. She reached for the flask on her nightstand and applied some to her hoof. As she spread the ointment on, something made her freeze.

“Whoa. What the…?” Dash checked her gums below the tooth with her tongue. Some sort of lump had formed there! She ran for her bathroom mirror in a panic and gasped at her reflection. There was a golf ball-sized bulge on the bottom of her cheek!

“Holy Luna, what IS that?” she shouted to herself as she rubbed it. Curious, she dared to press it harder and instantly regretted it. “Ow!”

Her hoof went to her lips in dread, pondering what that thing could be, particularly if it was permanent or life-threatening.

“I can't believe I'm saying this,” she told the pony in the mirror, still rubbing the bump, “but now I can't wait to get to the dentist. Hopefully he can tell me what the hay this thing is.”

Exiting the bathroom, Dash took a deep breath to summon her courage and beat her wings, flying out the window and making the descent to Ponyville. She hadn't even bothered with breakfast; with the nauseating worry growing in her stomach she doubted she could have kept it down, anyway.

Dash's hooves touched the soft dirt of Ponyville's main road. The village of ponies was quiet at this early hour, so at least she wouldn't have to suppress grim look of visible dread of the appointment to come written on her face. Her legs quivered as she walked the short distance to dentist’s office a couple of blocks away. As she got closer, each progressive step became difficult than the last, almost like she was marching towards her own funeral.

Come on, Rainbow Dash. You can do this, she told herself. It's not like you to be such a scaredy-pony. Remember, dentists are here to help ponies with bad teeth…

A growing lump in her throat distracted Dash from her own thoughts as she neared the curb just across from the office. She paused to gulp it down and gathered her resolve, then crossed the street.

…Or torture them.

Dash stepped onto the patio of the office and stopped again, regarding the front door with trepidation. As far as she was concerned, it might as well have been the gate to Tartarus itself! Nonetheless, Dash took a deep breath and pushed the door open with a hoof. The chiming of the bells above the door prompted the receptionist to look up at the new victim...er, patient. The sight of the receptionist made Dash's blood freeze. She looked just like the one from her nightmare last night! It has to be a coincidence Dash told herself halfheartedly; I probably saw her the last time I was here.

“Rainbow Dash?” the mare asked, taking a guess from the new arrival's prismatic mane.

“Yeah. Here to see Dr. Neighnamel.”

The receptionist tilted her head, eying the lump on Dash's cheek with an expression of great concern.

“Oh my, that looks awful!”

“Eh, it's really not so bad,” Dash lied.

“'Not so bad?' I might not be a licensed dental practitioner, but I've worked in dentists' offices long enough to know a potentially serious tooth infection when I see it! Have a seat and the nurse will call you when the doctor is ready.”

Cheeks puffing, Dash let out a burst of nervous air and took a seat next to a young unicorn filly and her mother.

Wait a second... Dash looked at the ponies next to her again, her eyes widening slightly. The filly was brushing a crayon across the page of a coloring book with her telekinesis while her mother's attention was absorbed in a book. Just like the nightmare!

Hoo boy. Better get ready to dash in case Dr. Payne shows up. Dash shook her head to clear her thoughts. No. come on, Rainbow Dash! You're making less sense than Pinkie Pie! It's ridiculous to think this place is anything like the one from the dream. Nopony would come here. They'd go out of business in no time!

“...Dash?”

No, I can't dash now! I have to be brave. Be brave-

“Rainbow Dash!”

Dash lifted her head to look at the source of this new voice. A nurse was standing in the doorway leading to the examination areas. Unlike the one from her nightmare, this one was a little younger and instead of an earth pony with a pale yellow coat and two-tone gray mane, she was a pink-furred unicorn, with a light blue mane. The only similarity was her cutie mark, which featured a large toothbrush and a dollop of toothpaste.

Dash stood up. “Right here.”

“The doctor will see you now. Please come with me.”

Standing up, Dash followed the nurse through the door into a narrow corridor to various examination and treatment rooms. The whirring of a drill coming from one of them forced Dash to cringe, but she kept her focus on the nurse until she was lead to an unoccupied room at the end of the corridor.

“Have a seat,” the nurse said, indicating the pedestal chair in the center of the room. “I'll go let the doctor know you're here.”

Dash took a seat on the chair and rested her back against it, closing her eyes to force herself to relax. As she tapped her hoof on the arm of the chair, she reminded herself over and over again that she was here to get herself out of pain. This did little to suppress her desire to pick herself out of that chair and dash out the door as fast as she could. Desire finally gave way to action and she sat up from her reclined position.

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash!” said pleasant male voice from the doorway.

Darn! Too late! Dash pressed her back against the chair once more and closed her eyes as tight as she could. This was it. Her finest hour had come.

“Are you... Dr. Neighnamel?” she asked, her voice warped with a quiver.

“Yes, that would be me. Were you expecting somepony else?”

“N-no.”

“Relax, Rainbow Dash.”

“What makes you think I'm nervous?”

“You're shivering, your leg is twitching uncontrollably and you're squeezing your eyes shut. All signs of somepony who's nervous. I've been working with ponies who have dental fear long enough to tell.”

“I'm not scared!” Dash protested, eyes still clamped shut. “Not!”

“Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Plenty of ponies get nervous about going to the dentist. Why don't you open your eyes? I'm not even going to do anything at the moment, I just want to talk to you.”

“O-okay.”

A few seconds passed.

“Your eyes are still shut.”

Swallowing hard, Dash reluctantly opened them a crack, one after the other, half-expecting to see Dr. Payne leering at her, and then opened them a little more. The middle-aged unicorn stallion in front of her appeared to be the complete opposite of the fiendish dentist of her nightmares in every way.

He wore a clean white lab coat and, rather than soulless and evil-looking, his brown eyes were warm and full of compassion, neatly matching the gentle smile on his face. Instead of a ghastly, corpse-like ice-blue, his well-maintained coat was a pleasing dark beige color. Finally, unlike Dr. Payne’s wild, unkempt gray locks, his azure mane was well-groomed and neatly parted to one side, with only a small streak of gray in one place.

Dash allowed herself to relax a bit.

“That’s better. Now, what seems to be the problem?” he asked.

“I have this really bad toothache that won't go away,” she answered, pointing to the side of her jaw with the lump.

“I see, I see. On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the pain you've been in, with ten being the worst pain you've ever felt?”

“I'd probably give it a nine.”

“Ah, that's no fun, is it? Well, we'll do our best to get you out of pain as quickly and comfortably as possible.”

Dash let out a relaxed sigh. Finally, things were starting to seem normal.

“Now, while I wait for my assistant to come in, why don't you tell me what's got you so nervous?” Doctor Neighnamel continued, assuring Rainbow Dash of his compassion with a gentle smile.

“Bad past experiences,” Dash replied. “Let's just say the dentist I had when I was a filly was a total plothole.”

The doctor nodded. “Ah yes, I get that a lot. It's unfortunate that a small number of dentists can give all of us a bad reputation. Let me just assure you that you're in gentle hooves, and dental science has come a long way since you were a filly. We'll make sure you're as comfortable as possible. I'm going to set you back now.”

As the chair tilted backwards, Rainbow Dash shivered in dread. The sensation was all too familiar as she slowly found herself staring up at the ceiling, at the bright light, in a position where she couldn't tell what the dentist was reaching for. A position that made some of her worst memories come crawling back.

Dr. Neighnamel's nurse, a pink unicorn, appeared beside Dash. She made a small, flat, square-shaped plastic...thing float in front of Rainbow with magic. “Here, open your mouth and hold this against your bad tooth.”

Dash raised a questioning eyebrow. After swallowing a nervous lump, she opened her mouth wide. The flat object slid in and rested on her bad tooth.

“Bite down now, please,” the nurse gently ordered.

Doing as told, Rainbow cringed from a slight pressure against the tender tooth.

“Perfect. Now, just hold it there while we take the x-ray.”

A menacing machine that Rainbow could only describe as a cannon attached to a thin, long, three-segmented arm stretched out from a storage closet to her left, the barrel of it now aiming down at her, a vision that made the pain in her bad tooth irrelevant. Dash pointed a shaky hoof at the unfamiliar object. “What is that?!”

“Relax,” Neighnamel said with emphasis on the last syllable. “This is the x-ray machine.” He gently patted Dash on the shoulder to reassure her everything would be fine. “Just hold still, okay? I have another patient to check on while the photos develop, but I'll be back.”

“Uh-huh” Dash mumbled, though she still expected the monstrous device to shoot something at her.

The nurse had vanished, leaving Dash to wonder if the circular opening staring down on her would be the last thing she ever saw. A loud, distinctively metallic click sounded, and the nurse stepped back in front of her to maneuver the giant lens so it faced her left side. Once again the nurse stepped away, followed by another metallic click.

“Ok, I think that's good. I'll set you back up and let you relax for a moment while the x-rays develop.”

With the ceiling vanishing and the wall coming back into view, Dash sighed through her nostrils and forced those bad memories to escape.

“How was it, sweetie?” Dash heard a motherly voice ask.

Rainbow looked over her shoulder into the hallway, where there was a smiling unicorn colt and the same mare she saw in the waiting room. Strangely, the colt was smiling.

“It wasn't bad at all!” the colt trumpeted. If only he knew how much those words cut Dash's pride. “I didn't feel a thing!”

“What did you do to this child?” the mother asked. “He was so terrified, I had to literally haul him here!”

“Well, I understand how frightening dental work can be, especially to young foals,” Dash heard Dr. Neighnamel say, “so I'm always as gentle as possible. We dentists have a bad enough reputation as it is. Honestly, some ponies make us out to be sadists or something!”

Yeah, some ponies like me, Dash thought to herself with a pinch of guilt.

“Thank you, doctor,” the mother said.

“My pleasure.” The dentist looked down at his young patient. “You'll remember to brush twice a day, right?”

“You bet!”

“Atta boy. Well, I've got other patients to attend to. The receptionist will check you out.”

As the mother and child walked off down the hall, Neighnamel stepped back into the room. Pretending she hadn't been eavesdropping, Dash stared back at the wall.

“Ok, Rainbow Dash, let's have a look at your x-rays,” he said, his nurse reappearing and handing him the pictures. “Hmmmm, I see. Yes, just as I thought.”

“What's the matter?” Dash asked.

Dr. Neighnamel stepped back in front of the chair and eyed his patient gently. “I won't be able to do any work on that tooth today. It's badly infected and an abscess has formed.”

“A-abcess? What's that?!”

Neighnamel indicated the swelling on the left side of Dash's mouth. “That would be this boil you have in your cheek.”

He turned his attention to a stack of pre-signed sticky notes and scribbled something on it with a pen. “I'm going to write you a prescription for some antibiotics. You'll take one a day for the next week. In a couple of days, the pain and abscess should start to go away. I'll also schedule you to come back in one week from today so I can fix that tooth. Now, it's critical you don't miss that appointment because if I don't treat that tooth, the infection will just come back, although I'm afraid a root canal will be necessary.”

“Root canal?” Dash asked, puzzling over what that portended. She wasn't sure she WANTED to know. “Can't you just pull the thing?”

Neighnamel shook his head negatively. “I won't pull a tooth I can save. Don't worry, with modern dental science I assure you it's virtually painless, and it's certainly far less painful than an abscess.”

“Sure doc,” Dash said, hardly paying any heed to the doctor's words as she snatched the prescription. She was more interested in getting out of there as quickly as possible. “One week, right?”

“Yes. The quicker I can get you out of pain, the better. If you have no more questions, you're free to go.”

Dash scrambled out of the chair at the words she'd been aching to hear. “Ok, great. One week. I'll see you then!”

Chapter 5

Rainbow Dash was greeted by warm sunlight as she stepped out onto the patio of the dentist's office, running through the instructions on the sheet of paper the receptionist had given her as she headed for Ponyville Pharmacy. Avoid sweets and avoid putting pressure on the bad tooth. Take one pill daily until the bottle is empty. Brush three times a day. If undue symptoms occur, please notify the office.

A strong sense of relief washed over Rainbow. How she got off so easily she'd never know. She was spared. Well, for another week at least. Dash had nearly passed Sugarcube Corner when that thought crossed her mind, reminding her that she forgot to ask Dr. Neighnamel about this “root canal” business.

Do I even WANT to know? Dash asked herself, having stopped walking. She beat her wings and turned back to the direction of his office. I better ask anyway. I want to be as prepared as I can for this. Though the stone building was about as inviting as a hungry hydra, Dash stepped back in nonetheless.

In an instant, Dash shuddered. The smell, oh that distinctive but indescribable smell that only a dentist's office held. That stench alone brought back bad memories. Dash held her breath and fought through it, reasoning that she wasn't there to get any treatment done, just to find Dr. Neighnamel and learn what a root canal was. The receptionist was busy checking out, or perhaps in, another patient, which allowed Dash to sneak into the hallway leading to the examination rooms undetected.

“Good morning, Diamond Mint.”

Neighnamel's voice prompted Dash to press herself against the wall just outside the doorway to the treatment room closest to her. She HAD stay hidden. No telling what dentists did to intruders.

“Are you ready for your root canal?”

“N-n-not really,” Diamond Mint's voice answered. “If only I hadn't chipped a tooth on one of my own mints.”

Diamond Mint, huh? Dash thought to herself. They must treat primarily unicorns here.

“I know the procedure sounds terrible, but try to relax.”

“Hard to stay relaxed when you know sompeony's about to dig out your nerve tissue.”

“Understandable, but I need you to realize that this is extremely precise work. It's imperative that you remain still and calm for the duration. It will make things go much quicker and smoother for the both of us. I'll make sure you're good and numb before I begin.”

Dash's hoof went to her mouth in a fit of pure dread. N-n-nerve tissue?! Now Dr. Frankentooth wants to dig around in my nerve tissue! He IS a maniac! I KNEW this was too good to be true!

In an instant, Dash shot off down the hall in a blur of colors, knocking over a wooden table and an elderly stallion making his way to one of the examination rooms. She streaked out the door and into the open sky, looking down at that evil place.

“Hmm-mmm!” Dash yelled out loud to herself, covering her mouth with both hooves. “No way! I'd rather clip my wings than let somepony do that to me!” A sudden, sharp pain in the bottom of her mouth reminded her that Zecora's pain killer wouldn't last forever. “What am I going to do?”

A crafty smile spread its way across Dash's face as an idea slowly began to form in her rainbow-colored head. She'd much rather get that tooth out of her mouth than have a root canal done, and if Dr. Neighnamel wouldn't pull the stupid thing out, she'd just have to figure a way to remove it herself! She burst into the air, surging with confidence. After all, she was the pony who could do sonic rainbooms. Getting a tooth out couldn't be THAT hard!

Figuring that Twilight Sparkle would have a book on the subject, Dash flew off towards Golden Oaks Library. She'd have to find a way to sneak in; she couldn't afford to risk Twilight finding out about her fear of the dentist, or her inability to tolerate the pain of a toothache.

Rainbow Dash was in luck. Just as she passed over the library, Twilight Sparkle emerged from the door and started walking down the dirt road, possibly on some errand or another for Princess Celestia. After Twilight vanished down the road, Dash climbed in through an open window and began scanning the vast shelves for a book on dentistry.

What's this? Dash asked herself as she came upon a rather interesting series of books by the same author, mentally reading the titles: Ninja Golf, Ninja Salad Chef, Ninja Melee Toads? Ninja Dentist!? Ouch! She imagined a dentist, complete in ninja garb, cutting off his hapless patient's teeth with a katana in one clean slice.

“What's up, Rainbow Dash?”

Dash snapped around at the sudden voice, flinging a couple of books across the room in her surprise, to find Spike standing behind her. Shoot! I forgot about him!

“Oh, uh,” Dash rubbed the back of her neck. “Hey, Spike.”

“Looking for a book?” Spike asked. “Twilight already loaned you the latest Daring Do novel, didn't she?”

“Uh, yeah, she did. I was just looking for a... book on dentistry.” Inwardly, Dash cursed her inability to keep her mouth shut.

Spike clenched his stomach in laughter with one hand, and pointed at Dash with the other. “A book on dentistry? YOU?! That's a good one, Dash! You almost had me there!”

“Actually, I'm not kidding. It's for,” Dash's eyes darted for the ceiling as she paused to think of an excuse, “my cousin!”

Spike folded his arms quizzically. “Your cousin?”

“Yup. She's training to be a... dentist.”

“Why doesn't she just come here and pick the book up herself?”

Rainbow scratched nervously at the back of her neck. “Well, she's really busy. You know, dental college, studying, that sort of thing. I told her I know somepony with a lot of books and I'd pick one up for her."

“Where does your cousin live?”

Stop asking questions! “Uh, she lives in Las Pegasus.”

Spike tilted his head questioningly.“I didn't know you have a cousin in Las Pegasus.”

“What? Is that so strange?”

“Nah, I guess not.” Almost as if he could pinpoint the book blindfolded, Spike walked over to one of the shelves, selected a book and handed it to Rainbow. “Here, how about this one?”

Dash read the title out loud. “'Know the 'Drill': A Practical Guide to Dentistry.' Yeah, this should work. Thanks, Spike!” Before the little dragon could ask anymore questions, Dash zipped out the window from whence she came.

Next she paid a quick visit the pharmacy to pick up the antibiotics Dr. Neighnamel prescribed. Plain-looking orange bottle in tow, Dash headed for her home in the clouds. With all due haste she twisted the cap off and washed one pill down with a tall glass of apple cider. Now all that was left was to wait for the infection to go down. The doctor said it would take a couple of days

Dash shut herself in her room and snuggled underneath her blanket. Randomly, she chose one page of Twilight's dentistry book and began reading.

In the case of most ponies, Simple extractions are usually performed under local anesthetic, and require only the use of instruments to elevate and/or grasp the visible portion of the tooth. Typically the tooth is lifted using an elevator, and using dental forceps, rocked back and forth until the periodontal ligament has been sufficiently broken and the supporting alveolar bone has been adequately widened to make the tooth loose enough to remove Because Pegasi teeth are double-rooted, a surgical or trans alveolar approach may be required.

"What the hay?" Dash shouted. "This is all in egghead language, I can't read this!" With a scowl of disgust, she tossed the book onto the floor and crossed her front legs against her chest, wondering why she even bothered with the book in the first place. After applying some more of Zecora's painkiller, Dash went back to reading Daring Do and the Emperor of the Night.

The wee, dark hours of the morning brought Rainbow a rare, all-consuming agony that Zecora's ointment did little to stave. It felt like parasprites were eating her tooth from the inside, like a construction worker taking swings at it with his sledge as hard as he could. She tossed and turned and moaned into the light of dawn. The rest of the day would fare no better and see no end to her anguish. She couldn't sleep, couldn't concentrate on her reading and could eat nothing but the softest foods when she wasn't hugging her Wonderbolts blanket in a fear she'd rarely felt before.

"Nothing any dentist did to me was THIS bad," Rainbow said to her Wonderbolts plushie which she normally kept hidden in her bedroom closet. She'd been in enough pain and fear to hug it for comfort like she used to when she was a filly. Tears now ran down the cheeks of one of Ponyville's toughest ponies. "For the love of Celestia, make it stop."

It wasn't until dawn approached again, another sleepless night, that her antibiotics began to clear up the infection and ease her pain. At long last she fell into a deep, quiet slumber.

Chapter 6

"Thank Celestia, it's finally over," Rainbow Dash muttered to herself the following morning when the majority of the pain had at last faded. "I never want to go through that again." She pressed against her tooth with her tongue. There was still a hint of tender soreness, but it was nothing compared to the unending agony she'd been in the last couple of days.

Ready to seize the day after her last forty-eight hours of inactivity, Rainbow soared out her window after having her breakfast of hay and buttered toast. How good it felt to soar through the air and scan Ponyville from the sky again! She zipped this way and that, streaking through the sky, savoring her freedom from that awful pain.

Side-by-side were two familiar figures on the ground, one orange, the other white. Rainbow Dash's attention swiftly averted to them. Hey, there's AJ and Rarity. Wonder what they're up to? Dash looped around and descended to greet her friends.

"Hey AJ, Rarity, what's happenin'?" she asked once she'd landed in front of them.

Applejack gave Rainbow a friendly smile, tilting her head questioningly. "Where ya been, R.D.? Nopony's seen you for a couple days."

"Yeah, I've been," Rainbow Dash averted her eyes, hesitating to come up with a good excuse. "Sick. Feather flu."

Applejack gave Rainbow a stiff but well-meaning pat on the back. "Well, glad ta see ya up and at 'em again!"

"Indeed," Rarity chipped in. She was wearing a saddlebag lined with silver studs, or at least Dash thought they were silver. "In fact, your timing is impeccable."

Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"We was just about to go lookin' for ya," Applejack explained, indicating her ivory partner. "Rarity here says she's got somethin' for us."

This new news made Rainbow forget all about her recent pain and fear as she widened her eyes in excitement. "Really? What is it?"

"Feast your eyes, girls." From her saddlebag, Rarity produced two small slips of paper. “Tada!” she exclaimed through clenched teeth.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack moved in for a closer look and examined the slips, both giving a gasp as they realized what those papers were.

"Those are-" Applejack started.

"Tickets to the "Iron" Mane Neighson vs. Hoofander "Crunch Punch" Grazingfield II fight in Manehatten!" Dash finished.

"Yes. I won them in a raffle,” Rarity replied. “They're yours now. I do not intend to go, so I have no use for the silly things. I was hoping I'd win the flower bouquet made of pure diamonds."

"Why wouldn't you want to go?" Dash practically spat the question out. "This is the match of the decade!"

Rarity turned up her nose indignantly and waved the idea off. "Two brutes punching each other and daring to call it a sport? It's nothing more than glorified violence if you ask me.” Her look of disgust turned to a smile as she looked back at Rainbow Dash and AJ. She placed the tickets in her front hoof, extending it to the two of them. “However, I could think of nopony who would enjoy this event more than you two."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other in silent disbelief for a few seconds before AJ turned her attention back to the unicorn. "Rarity, do ya have any idea how much some ponies would pay for these tickets? The fight's just three days away and it's been sold out for months!"

"Applejack!” Insistently, Rarity stretched her hoof out farther. “Knowing that two of my closest friends get to attend something like this means more to me than money."

With a negative shake of her head, Applejack pushed Rarity's hoof away. "Ah can't accept it, Rarity. You could get a thousand bits for each ticket if ya sold 'em."

"Now, Applejack, it's rude to refuse a gift. Take them and say nothing, I insist."

Rainbow Dash stretched out her neck and quickly grabbed one of the tickets with her teeth, corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. "Nothing, I insist!"

After shooting a glare that could only be one of disbelief at Rainbow, Applejack turned back to Rarity and accepted the other ticket. "Thank ya kindly, Rarity. I'm sure this is gonna be one of the most memorable fights in the history of boxing."

"You bet it is!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Thanks, Rarity! This is gonna be so awesome!"

"You're both quite welcome.” Rarity bowed politely. “Oh! If you'll excuse me, girls, I need to get back home for another engagement. Enjoy your little boxing show!"

"I can't believe we're gonna see it live!" Rainbow trumpeted as Rarity walked off down the dirt road. Perhaps this was the payoff for her recent suffering! "It'll be even better than the first Neighson-Grazingfield fight! The rematch of the century! Only this time, Neighson's gonna win!"

"Ah think Grazingfield's gonna mow him down, just like the first fight."

Rainbow clicked her tongue and scoffed. "Oh please. The only reason Neighson lost was because Grazingfield kept headbutting him."

"That was just Neighson makin' excuses."

"Wanna bet on it?" Rainbow Dash stopped walking, allowing AJ to move ahead a few feet so she could look her in the eye.

Applejack turned around and matched Rainbow's glare. Neither pony so much as blinked. "How much?"

"Fifty bits."

"Yer on, Rainbow!"

Both ponies spat on their front hoof and bumped them together. Without a word, Applejack started ahead. Once she realized Dash hadn't taken the initiative to follow, Applejack looked over her shoulder and waved her hoof, motioning for Rainbow to come along.

"Come on, Rainbow. This calls for some apple pie!"

Rainbow Dash licked her lips and rubbed her belly. "Boy, that does sound good." A sudden though ruined her elation, however: I don't know how my tooth will take it, though. It's still a little tender. Nonetheless, she knew she had to act natural. Applejack, like any good friend, would notice her pain and goad her to get it taken care of. Nopony could know she was afraid of the dentist.

“I can't believe you were going to refuse that ticket!” Rainbow said, changing the subject as she followed Applejack to Sweet Apple Acres.

“It's called bein' MODEST. Ya should try it sometime!” Applejack fought back with sarcasm.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dash retorted and chose to end the discussion there. After all, Applejack DID have a valid point. Rainbow Dash had a tendency to let her ego get the better of her at times. Still, she hadn't built her reputation on being modest.

Sweet Apple Acre's barn came into view, and as luck would have it, a piping hot pie was sitting on a window sill of the old farmhouse to cool. Rainbow's mouth watered at the sight of it.

“Wouldja look at that?” Applejack said as she pointed at the steaming pastry. “Looks like Granny Smith's already got one ready!”

Granny Smith's old, wrinkled mug peeked out the window, giving a smile as she saw Rainbow and AJ approaching.

“Howdy there, yung'uns!” she called out. As if she knew what they'd come for, she clenched the pie tin in her teeth and carried the dessert outside to one of the picnic tables that dotted the farmyard. “Come and get it while it's hot!”

“Granny Smith, you make the best pies in Equestria!” the little red-haired filly following beside her said. She looked longingly up at the pie, eager for a slice herself. Then she pulled herself up to a seat on the picnic table. Applejack and Rainbow sat on the other side.

Granny Smith passed each pony a plate. “Well, shucks, Apple Bloom! That's 'cause yer old Granny Smith was taught by the best!” The old mare pulled out a pie cutter and sliced a cross into the pie, then cut the cross into ten more slices. “Why, MY Granny...”

Applebloom had now lost any semblance of excitement as she propped her elbow up on the table and rested her cheek on her hoof. “Oh no,” she moaned, “not this story again.”

“Eh?” Granny placed a slice of pie into Applebloom's plate, then rubbed her chin in thought. “Did ah tell ya'll 'bout mah Granny?”

“Only about eight dozen times, Granny Smith!” Applejack said with a good-hearted chuckle as Granny plopped a slice of pie into her plate.

“Well, dagnabbit,” the wobbly old pony went on as she gave Rainbow Dash a slice, “mah memory ain't what it used to be! Ah won't be a burden on ya young folks. If'n ya need me, Ah'll be inside!”

Slowly, the old mare walked back for the farmhouse. Rainbow Dash could almost hear her hips squeak like rusty old hinges!

“Heh, that Granny Smith's a hoot,” Applejack commented with a chuckle.

“Yeah,” Applebloom answered, the tone in her voice very much one of sarcasm. “Remind me ta never get old.”

The sweet smell of apples and cinnamon turned Rainbow's attention back to her pie. After licking her lips, she scooped the slice up in her hooves and took a voracious bite. She jolted, grimacing and doing her best to stifle a yelp as a wave of pain shot through her broken tooth all the way down to her hooves.

"Ya okay, Rainbow?" Applejack asked, crumbs flying from her mouthful of pie.

"Mm-hm!" It's that sugary pie filling. I knew it!

“Well, eat up! There's plenty ta go around!”

For a few seconds, Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack and Applebloom, both of whom were smiling expectantly at her. Inwardly, the pegasus groaned. Despite what her attitude would sometimes suggest, she had no intention of hurting her friends' feelings by not eating the rest of her slice. Not finishing your food, especially something as delicious as pie, was something the Apple Family took as an insult.

Rainbow Dash gulped, and took another bite. Immediately she squeezed her eyes shut and stamped her front hooves in pain.

“Lookit that, Applebloom!” Applejack said. “It's so good she can hardly stand it!”

For a few moments, the pain was blinding, but Rainbow Dash steeled herself enough to come to her senses. “Wow!” she yelled to block the pain. “That is... some GOOD pie! I'm stuffed!”

“But ya only took two bites.” Applejack raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“I ate a big breakfast,” Rainbow Dash lied. “Come on, let's have a race!”

The apple farmer just kept staring at her with that raised eyebrow.

“Horseshoes?” Rainbow asked, her effort to get out of finishing her pie. “Hoofball?”

Applejack's gazed turned questioningly to Applebloom, who only shrugged at her sister. AJ looked back at Rainbow. “Are ya sure you're okay? Maybe you still got a bit of that Feather Flu hangin' on.”

“I'm fine! Perfectly fine!” Rainbow yelled. “Race ya!”

With that, she shot into the sky, leaving Applejack to watch her departure in mass confusion. “What in Equestria is up with that pony today?”

Chapter 7

Rainbow Dash allowed her nerves to relax a bit. Zecora's painkiller really hit the spot after that apple pie. She held the flask between her teeth, trying to think of some excuse she could give Applejack for her hasty departure.

The sight of the Wonderbolts streaking through the sky made Rainbow Dash gape in awe for only a second as she crossed the road in front of Sugarcube Corner. That was all the time needed for the flask to slide out from between her teeth and fall victim to gravity. Dash heard the sound of glass shattering at her hooves and froze. Somepony please tell me that wasn't what I think it is...

An ever-growing puddle escaped from the pile of broken glass, creating several oddly-shaped fingers that oozed down the sidewalk. Yup, it's what I thought it was.

“Gee, that's too bad, Rainbow Dash,” came a voice from above. A blond, wall-eyed pony was hovering just over her head, observing the accident. “You should learn to be more careful, like me!”

She flew backwards, ramming flank-first into a tree and cracking it completely loose from its trunk, threatening to squash a stallion pulling a wooden cart full of bowling balls. He sped up and the falling lumber missed him, but smashed his cart into splinters, scattering bowling balls everywhere. As the cart driver toppled over from the momentum, a ball knocked a pony's door off its hinges followed by a mare's scream, one crushed a cherry vendor's cart and sent the fruit sailing through the air, one swept a mare's hooves out from under her, and down the road, another rolled under the hitch of a stallion's cart, forcing it into a wide arc that swept away more food stands.

Derpy watched the chain of destruction for a few moments before letting out an embarrassed “oops! My bad!”

An angry, intangible chorus ensued as each of the ponies affected by the carnage gathered in an enraged mob, hooves pointing to one another in blame. One mare's eyes burned with fury, for she had crushed cherries all over her face. Derpy, sensing their justified rage, used this distraction to sneak away inconspicuously.

Rainbow Dash dropped to her haunches, still staring at the mess of broken glass and spilled medicine. Now what was she supposed to do? The only thing that had been keeping her sane the last few days was that painkiller. Now it was shattered, possibly to reflect her hopes of ever getting rid of that toothache.

No, there was still one option left. She'd have to find a way to remove the tooth herself, and soon. For a few seconds, she rubbed her chin with hoof in thought. Then her eyes lit up as an idea came to mind.

Rainbow stood up and headed to Tool Chest, the hardware store. Staple Hardware, the store's owner, looked up at his customer when the bells above the door chimed. He was an old stallion with graying hair in the familiar shape of colt-pattern baldness. He grumbled something Rainbow couldn't understand as she pressed on past the hammers and tacks and into the rope and wire aisle. The problem was finding wire thin enough to fit between her teeth.

She tugged on one spool of wire. It wouldn't do, it was way too thick. I want to pull out a tooth, not my entire jaw! Rainbow Dash moved on to the spool beside it and instantly shivered, since this spool was wrapped with barbed wire. A sign on the wheel of the spool said, “caution! Please ask for assistance!”

Ya think? Rainbow said to herself. She walked towards the next spool and smiled. It was wrapped with thin threads of metal wire, but were they thin enough? Only one way to find out. The spool creaked as Rainbow Dash tugged on the leading thread and pressed the wire between her teeth.

“Hey, young lady!” a gravelly voice yelled from across the store.

Wire still in her mouth, Rainbow Dash turned around to see that Staple Hardware was glaring at her from behind the pay counter. “What?”

“I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to pay for that, seeing as you put it in your mouth.” Staple's voice was hard as rock.

“Oh, thure.” Rainbow pulled the wire from her teeth so she could speak normal. “Give me about ten yards of this stuff.”

Grumbling again, Staple stood up and walked over to Rainbow Dash with a pair of wire cutters. He nearly knocked her aside as he grabbed the spool and yanked off a good distance, then snipped the metal.

“You didn't even measure it,” Rainbow Dash said as the old stallion thrust the length of wire into her waiting hooves.

“Look, kid, I've been doin' this all my life. Don't tell me how to do my job. If you don't like it, go someplace else.”

Rainbow hesitated, unsure what to make of Staple's grumpy outburst. “No, this should be fine.” She took the metal thread in her teeth and followed Staple up to the counter. He punched some numbers in on his cash register.

“Three bits a yard, that'll be thirty bits.”

Rainbow Dash tossed thirty coins onto the counter, which Staples scooped up and deposited into his drawer. Wire in tow, she headed for the door as Staples grumbled out loud. “Young ponies these days, I tell ya.”

An irritated sigh burst from Rainbow Dash's nostrils. Staple really HAD earned his reputation as a crotchety old grouch. Sheesh. I'd hate to have HIM as my dentist. If I didn't need this wire so bad I would have told him off big-time.

Now she needed a place where she wouldn't be seen. Rainbow took to the sky and flew into a meadow dotted with trees that afforded her some privacy. She tied one end of the wire to the trunk of a elm tree, and the other end to her tooth. With a deep breath to brace herself, she shot forward as fast as her wings could carry her. The twine tensed for a split second before it snapped in two with no resistance whatsoever.

“Oh, come on!” Rainbow Dash slowed down and lifted the end of the wire still tied to her tooth, eying it with disgust. “Ugh. What did I expect for three bits a yard? I'm gonna need something stronger.”

The only question was, what would be both thin enough to fit between her teeth AND strong enough to endure her weight? She pounded her hooves together at the formation of an idea. “I got it! Rarity! She works with all kinds of thread. I'll bet she has something I could use.”

After pulling the wire from her teeth, Rainbow turned around midair and headed for Carousel Boutique. Upon reaching the fancy house, Rainbow dropped onto the yard and invited herself in.

Rarity looked up from stocking newly made dresses onto her display racks and smiled at the new arrival. “Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash. How can I help you?” She approached Rainbow, abandoning her work for the moment.

“Hey, Rarity. I need about ten yards of the strongest thread you've got.”

“Strongest, you say?” Rarity rubbed her chin. “Well, I do enchant a lot of my thread to be resistant to all forms of wear and tear. A dragon's bite couldn't rip it!”

Something didn't quite make sense, Rainbow realized. “Wait, if it doesn't tear no matter what, then how do you cut it so you can make stuff with it?”

“I use specially enchanted scissors. It's the only thing that'll snip this thread.”

Ah, silly magic. I should have known. “Do you have any?”

“Of course, darling. I keep plenty of it in stock. May I ask what you need it for?”

Rainbow's eyes darted. “I need to... pull something. Something really heavy. I tried that cheapo wire from the hardware store, but it just snapped in half on me.”

“Yes, I would never rely on hardware store wire,” Rarity replied. She paused, seeming to want to ask more, then she gasped. “Oh dear, I forgot all about my appointment at the spa! I'm nearly late. The thread you want is in my sewing cabinet, second drawer to the right. You'll need to use the specialized scissors in that drawer to cut it.” In a blur she ran outside, leaving Rainbow Dash to collect her thread.

Second drawer to the right. Rainbow Dash recalled those instructions and pulled the cabinet open. There were countless spools of thread inside, with more colors than were in Rainbow's mane! Color didn't matter for this job, though, so Rainbow selected a random spool, drew several yards from it and cut the thread with the special scissors.

Okay, let's try this again Rainbow thought when she returned to her tree. She tied her new thread around the bark and to her tooth.

Confident that this new ploy would see an end to her suffering, Rainbow Dash beat her wings and took off as fast as she could. She braced herself for the pain only to be snapped back to reality when the thread tensed and held tight. Rainbow jolted and felt herself being twisted around in midair, and the thread cutting into her gum. She smacked the ground back first with a grunt. However, that tooth was still firmly rooted in her jaw.

“Oh for the love of Celestia!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Now her molar AND her gum was aching. She shook off the pain and stood up. “Stupid tooth! You think I'm giving up that easy?”

For good distance, Rainbow Dash galloped farther behind the tree and launched herself forward. The thread held taut and Rainbow snapped backward. Growling, she beat her wings with all her might and desperation, but snapped back again. Her tooth hadn't budged in the slightest.

Beaten, Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches and hung her head in pain and despair. “What's it gonna take?!”

“Silly Dashie!” a familiar voice called, “that's a funny way to try and take down a tree!”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her cheek and turned her head to face the unseen spectator. “Pinkie? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I just came by to see if you wanted to try some of my new quadruple-chocolicious ice cream!”

Rainbow stood up and drew back from Pinkie, who was carrying a carton of ice cream. Rainbow did an equation in her head: bad tooth + cold = pain. First the apple pie and now THIS? Were her friends TRYING to get her to reveal her embarrassing secret through torture? “Uh, not now. I've got to--to get rid of this tree! See, it's not in the right place and it's making shade where it shouldn't.”

“Well then you should DEFINITELY have some of my quadruple-chocolicious ice cream! It'll give you lots of sugary chocolatey energy so you can pull that tree out super-duper easy!”

Pinkie Pie held dug a spoon deep into the carton and pulled out a whopping heap of the delectable dessert. Any other time, Rainbow Dash would've gladly dove in, but now her eyes reflected the utter terror at the idea of sampling the sugary, icy sweet. “Oh no, can't do that now. No sweets on the job. Thanks for offering, though. Uh, you'd better run along. The sun'll melt that ice cream pretty fast.”

“Are you suuuuure? It's chocolate ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup, topped with chocolate cake and chocolate chunks throw in for four layers of super chocolatey goodness!”

“Sorry, gotta dash!”

Rainbow Dash zoomed up into the sky. The wire held firm as it sliced through the tree, cutting it in half. Rainbow Dash's world twisted and turned as she vaulted through the air, the wire still in her teeth. She landed on a slight hill some distance away. For the moment, she sighed. At least she was safe from Pinkie Pie. There's no way she would find Rainbow way out--

“Ok, you cut the tree down! Now will you try some?” Somehow, someway, the pink pony popped out from behind a nearby boulder, still holding the box of ice cream.

By this time, Dash knew that trying to hide from an insistent Pinkie was futile. She indicated her cheek with a hoof. “Look, it's my tooth okay? It hurts so I can't eat cold stuff like ice cream.” The words fell on deaf ears, as Pinkie Pie unceremoniously shoved a spoonful of the icy treat into Rainbow's open mouth. More specifically, right on top of her infected tooth.

Rainbow threw her head backwards and screamed at the sky. “AAARGH! The PAIN!!!!” She writhed around as she struggled to swallow the ice cream, trembling, waiting for the shockwave of agony to subside

"Are you happy now?!" Rainbow spat, rubbing her mouth.

“I don't understand.” Pinkie Pie tilted her head confusedly. “Was the ice cream too cold? Was it past its due date?”

“I told you have a bad tooth! Don't you know that bad teeth and cold don't mix?” Dash reared up on her hind hooves and spread her forelegs wide in irritation. “If you're TRYING to torture me, then mission accomplished!” With an angry growl, Rainbow Dash shot into the sky, leaving a blur of colors behind her.

“Oh, I didn't think the ice cream was that cold. Maybe it's too much fudge in the recipe. Hang on, I'll be back later!” Seemingly thinking nothing of the pain she'd inflicted, Pinkie bounced away humming a merry tune.