Torvald's Tricky Tooth Troubles
Torvald.
Torvald, Torvald, Torvald.
What a sweet little racer.
She was the youngest of the Mint sisters, the sweetest, the most playful, the most bouncy of the bunch.
Always smiling she was, always happy, always joyful, always ready to greet everyone she met with a perfect smile.
A perfect smile.
With PERFECT teeth.
Perfect, white, gleaming, TEETH.
"Ow…"
Minty and Sticky looked at their dearest youngest sister as they all sat down for breakfast. Torvald was doing her best to stay happy, to stay perky but the older girls knew something was up. They knew something was wrong.
Torvald took a sip of her milk, putting the cup down and still smiling.
"Mmm, fresh from the dairy?" said Torvald, a huge grin on her face.
"Er, why YES." nodded Sticky, buttering her toast.
"And Minty! Your omelets taste as good as EVER!" chirped the buttery racer.
"Right…I mixed the eggs with my FIST." Minty sniffed, trying to catch her sister off guard.
But Torvald didn't move. She didn't say anything.
She just kept smiling.
Smiling.
With a large, painful looking lump on the side of her face.
"Sister?" Sticky asked nervously "Are you alright?"
"Why do you ask?" Torvald said, as if she had not a clue as to what her sister was going on about "I'm fine, just as ever!"
"Ya sure about that sis?" Minty said, tapping her own cheek "I mean, ya have been acting WEIRD for the last few days!"
Torvald looked at her sisters, her eyes wide and full of shock.
"Weird? What do you mean WEIRD?"
"W-well…." Sticky began, wringing her hands "For one thing, you've stopped eating all your favorite fruits. Apples, pears. You've even refused to test the freshness of the carrots Candlehead wanted to use for her cakes, and you NEVER turn down an opportunity for that!"
Torvald laughed, reaching for another cup of milk "That's just silly! I just wanted to change some things, that's all!"
"But what about all the time you've been looking at your teeth in the mirror?" Minty said "Hours an' HOURS, Tori! An' what for?"
The eldest Mint sister moved closer, her large green eyes drilling and drilling into that of her sister.
"What fooooor?"
Torvald knew that sooner or later it would happen; sooner or later, they would find out. They would discover her TERRIBLE trouble, her TERRIBLE pain.
But she didn't want to worry them! After all, she was the BRIGHT one of the group! She had to remain happy, not just for herself but for her SISTERS! For EVERYONE in Sugar Rush!
Her smile was important to her, what she considered her greatest tool!
She couldn't stop smiling! She couldn't stop grinning! Even with-!
"OOW!"
"Torvald?!"
Even with a painful loose tooth.
"I KNEW somethin' was up!" Minty said as she took Torvald by the shoulders and pulled her close "Whatcha got in there?!"
"Minty, stop rough-housing with her!" Sticky called, pulling the oldest girl away "Can't you see that Torvald is in PAIN?! Shaking her around like that won't help a bit!"
Torvald landed rather roughly on her rump but as she looked up, it seemed that her sisters were a lot more agitated than the pain she felt in her tooth.
"Then how else am I supposed to help her?!" yelled Minty "What, do ya expect me to gain magical powers to see into her mouth? X-Ray vision?!"
"All I'm saying is that it wouldn't hurt if you were just a WEE bit more gentle with people! You could have made her pain WORSE, Minty!" said Sticky.
"Oh, so this is MY fault?! I betcha think I was the one who caused her tooth ache to being with!"
"I did not!"
"GUYS!" shouted Torvald as she stood up, hands out to keep her sisters from ripping each other apart "O-Okay, yeah. My tooth hurts…."
Minty and Sticky looked upon the buttery girl, awaiting to hear more. They just wanted to know all they could to help her.
"But it's no cavity, it's not a broken tooth…."
"Then? THEN?!"
Torvald was so embarrassed. How could she tell her sisters the truth?
But if she wanted help….she would have to say it.
"It's….it's…."
"C'mon, Tori!" said Minty.
"Please, tell us sister…." Said Sticky.
"It's a stupid baby tooth!" Torvald growled "A STUPID BABY TOOTH!"
Minty and Sticky stopped, their eyes looking upon each other as the confession sank in. After all this worry, after all this hiding, the reason Torvald had been shying away from her favorite things…
Was because of a baby tooth?
"Sis, are ya serious?" Minty snickered "What's so bad about that?"
"What's so bad? WHAT'S SO BAD?!" Torvald pouted "Not only does this thing HURT, but…I can't let anyone know that I still have BABY TEETH! That's….that's for BABIES!"
Again, the two older sisters looked upon themselves.
It seemed that Torvald was in the need a lesson.
"Torvald…" Sticky said with a smile "Just because one HAS baby teeth doesn't mean that one is a baby. It means that one is growing up in fact."
Torvald didn't seem to listen, sitting back in her chair, her cheeks puffed "S'not what Gloyd said…."
Sticky's brows furrowed "I beg your pardon?"
"Gloyd told me that everyone else here has NORMAL teeth and only the biggest babies of babies have BABY teeth!" the butter racer "An' even WORSE?!"
"Yes, YES?" both elder sisters said as they looked upon the youngest.
"Once THIS tooth comes out, ANOTHER BABY TOOTH WILL COME IN!"
"Gah, Torvald!" Minty grumbled, her face in her hands "Ya do realize that Gloyd was bein' a butt ta ya again, RIGHT?"
Torvald blinked, not sure WHO to believe about the matter "But he said-!"
"Look, EVERYONE has baby teeth an' everyone loses 'em!" Minty said "An' yeah, NEW teeth DO grow in but it won't be baby teeth!"
Torvald thought about her loose tooth before considering what Minty had told her. She had much more trust in Minty than she did for Gloyd so perhaps….
"A-are you sure?" Torvald said, her voice coming out in a little squeak.
"Yes, we are certain…." Sticky nodded "But more important than whatever Gloyd has told you, I think it would be best for us to remove that tooth from your mouth, sister. If it causing you that much pain, it must be taken out!"
"But how?" Torvald shrugged.
"Easy!" Minty beamed, cracking her knuckles "We just PULL it out!"
One word was all it took. Just one, SIMPLE word.
"PULL?"
And with that, Torvald BOLTED from the cottage, breezing past the Peppermint Fields and disappearing from sight. Sticky glared at Minty, the look on her face speaking VOLUMES for what she wanted to say.
"Too much?"
It didn't take long for the sisters to find Torvald attempting to hide in a flock of cotton-candy sheep and once the youngest had been collected, there was a mission to go upon.
The Adventure of the Terrible Loose Tooth!
"Should we go to the dentist?" asked Sticky, dragging Torvald through town.
"Nah, it's not that much of a deal!" laughed Minty "A simple, home remedy should do her just fine!"
"I swear, if you suggest ramming your hand into her mouth again-!"
"No, no, no! I know not to go THAT far now!" Minty chuckled, ignoring the weak whimper of Torvald behind her "Let's just ask one of the guys! They should know what to do!"
First they stopped at Taffyta, the girl practicing her stretches on the lawn.
"Ah, it's nice to see you!" Taffyta smiled, bending backwards to touch her toes….in the OPPOSITE direction "What brings you here, guys?"
The three sisters just looked; maybe Taffyta WAS the person to go to. From the looks of things, she knew a thing or two about the human body.
"Is it normal for people to bend back THAT far?" asked Sticky, watching the girl bend and twist.
"I don't know…." Whispered Minty "But just act impressed an' don't give any clues your kinda freaked out!"
The three then went inside, explaining to the strawberry racer their dilemma.
"A loose tooth?" Taffyta said, her brain already putting together a solution "Try a bit of TAFFY!"
"Taffy?" Sticky said "No offense, but wouldn't such a sugary treat be BAD in a situation like this?"
"Not in the way we're gonna use it…" Taffyta smiled, leading the group into her kitchen "See, all you need a special batch of my failed, I mean, WONDER Taffy and it will pull that tooth right out!"
"I heard FAILED. You said FAILED, Taffyta."
"Just chew on this." Taffyta said as she shoved a large wad of taffy into Torvald's mouth before she had a second to protest "Put it on the trouble tooth, give it a one-two-chew and POP! Painless and easy, not to mention tasty as well!"
The huge wad of candy was indeed strong. Torvald chewed and chewed and chewed but it had no effect on the tooth.
So she chewed….
And chewed….
And chewed…
And…
"Torvald?" Minty asked, noticing the look on his sister's face "Ya okay there?"
Torvald wanted to tell her sisters that she was alright, she wanted to tell her sisters that the tooth hadn't come out.
But she couldn't.
Because her mouth was GLUED shut.
"C'mon, Tori. Spit it out…." Minty moaned, rolling her eyes but Torvald could only mumble, shaking her head and waving her hands.
"Does she need more taffy?" Taffyta asked, Torvald looking on in horror.
"Um, I think we have other problems on our hands right now…" Sticky said, going in for a closer look.
The amount of effort it took to open Torvald's mouth was great….
And the tooth STILL hadn't come out.
"AAAAUGH! I'll be tastin' strawberries for YEARS!" Torvald moaned, her hands on her sore jaws "An' even then, my tooth still didn't come out!"
"In that case, we need to try again." Sticky said "And who comes up with the brightest ideas in the land?"
"Duh!" laughed Minty as she took her sisters' hands "We should have gone to that EGGHEAD in the first place!"
"Who?! WHO!?"
"Who else?" Minty winked "Who else but-!"
MALARKEY
"So a loose tooth is your problem?" Swizz said, a sparkle in his eye "Then I have just what ya need, Torvald!"
"It's not gonna glue my mouth together, IS IT? Because I've had QUITE enough of that for one day…."
"Nope, nope, nope!" the boy smiled "If anything, this is gonna knock, er BLAST that tooth right outta your mouth!"
"NO HITTING!" Torvald screamed, reaching for a ruler to smack Swizzle upside his head "Minty is bad enough! I know ya guys hang out all tha time but don't tag-team me!"
"TORVALD."
"Ya gotta trust me on this one, Tori. It won't be bad at all!"
Swizzle then ran into the depths of his workshop only to come out a few moments later, a large device being dragged in a wagon. The three sisters looked up in awe, the massive creation looming over their heads, like some mighty mechanical beast.
"What…is THAT?" pointed Minty.
"It's my brand-new, fully operational tooth extractor!" Swizz said in pride, his arms out.
"And what made you create it?" Sticky asked, slowly pulling Torvald away.
"This? Oh, I came up with the idea when I got bored! Funny how things work, eh?"
Minty gave Swizz a thump on his head "Ya REALLY need ta get out more, ya know that?"
As Torvald looked up at the device, metallic wrapper claws, glistening peppermint bolts, shiny and sharp sugar pincers, she knew she was in for a much worse experience than she had had with the taffy.
But she had to get this over. She HAD to get her tooth taken out.
"W-where do I sit?" Torvald said, trying to be as brave as she could.
"You're really gonna go through with this?" Minty gasped, surprised that ANYONE would want to be a test subject to one of Swizz's crazy contraptions. Torvald stood tall and strong, pulling up a chair and planting herself on the seat.
"I hafta! An-an' maybe if I get this tooth out, I'll get a golden coin! That's how it works, right?"
"Yeah, if you're head doesn't get blown off first."
"MINTY!"
"Okay, just let it warm up…." Swizz said with a smile "An' remember to open wide!"
Torvald was shaking in her shoes as she readied herself for the 'operation' but as she felt the painful sting from the tooth inside…
"OW!"
It had to be done.
Minty and Sticky were on their toes, unsure to simply let Swizz continue or to bolt off in fright with Torvald in hand but she seemed to want to go through.
What powers did they have to stop her?
"Almoooooost there…." Swizz said, the machine charging more and more.
It hummed.
It beeped.
It buzzed.
It-!
"Huh?"
IT-!
"Is somethin' wrong, Swizz?"
Torvald opened her eyes, the machine still looking down at her but it stood so still, so quiet.
What had happened?
"Aaah, darn wires…" Swizz grumped, opening up a side hatch "That's what I get for trying those new wire-coating! It betcha is burnt right through!"
Torvald let out a deep sigh as she rolled from the chair and fell onto the floor. Perhaps it would be best to try a SIMPLER way to get her tooth out but before she could even stand-
"AH-HA!"
Luck seemed to turn on her once again.
"Okay, Tori! NOW we can-!"
Swizz didn't even touch a button, he pressed no commands but his machine began anyway…
*KA-BUZZ!*
"WHOA!"
Torvald screamed as she felt the hot blast of a candy ray miss her by mere inches where she lay. She rolled over quick, looking up to see the machine jerking and jolting everywhere as blast fired from its core!
"WHAT THE HO-HA IS HAPPENING?!" screamed Sticky, diving on top of Torvald to protect her.
Swizz followed suit with the others, ducking and dodging as the machine continued to fire!
"Er, I guess we could consider this a miscalculation?"
Minty SMACKED Swizz on the back of his head "A MISCALCULATION!? You could have blown Torvald's FACE OFF!"
*KA-BUUUUUZZT!*
The racers screamed as another blast came dangerously close to them! If this were not the time to escape-!
"Swizz, of all the things you could have done, WHY THIS?!" Sticky growled as she ran alongside the others, the crazed machine now following EVERYONE out of the shop!
"I was just tryin' ta help, ya know that!" Swizz puffed, running as fast as his legs could carry him.
"CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY THAT THING IS STILL SHOOTIN' AT US?!"
"I guess it still wants tha TOOTH!" Swizz cried, refusing to look back.
Indeed, the machine had a mission and it was not stopping until it was complete!
Even if that meant that four racers were now running for their lives all across Sugar Rush, their exhausting trek only stopping when they managed to lead it into a pit of molten fudge.
"Never. AGAIN." Sticky panted, much too tired to do anything BUT fall on the ground.
After a moment of rest, and a bit of scolding from Minty, the sisters continued on their way but as Minty and Sticky began to notice, poor Torvald was not looking so well. Perhaps all the time that had been taken to help her was proving to do more harm than good for her. The two sisters knew they had to do ANYTHING to help Torvald, anything to get her smile back!
They missed her smile, the smile that made everyone in Sugar Rush happy.
The smile that made Torvald happy.
They went to Snowanna for help but again, the tooth did not come out though the group did end up covered in rainbow-colored syrup.
They went to Vanellope and once more, the tooth did not come out. What did come out was an enormous spray of sprinkles from the candy cannon that had delightfully exploded on them.
Candlehead?
They ended up in cake-batter.
Adorabeezle and Nougetsia?
They ended up slathered in sorbet.
Jubileena and Citrusella?
Jam and jelly was the only then they could see.
They ended chased out of Gloyd's pumpkin patch by crows, got peanut butter from Rancis stuck in their hair.
They were dusted in flour when they went to visit Sakura and covered in caramel from Crumbellina.
And why?
All because they wanted to help Torvald with her tooth.
By nightfall, all of the racers were gathered about, completely covered in a never ending mess and arguing amongst themselves on how to help Torvald.
"She needs to put a string on the tooth and PULL!" yelled Gloyd.
"That's why those crows were after you, dumb-butt!" growled Candlehead.
"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT THE STRING I FOUND WAS HOLDIN' UP THEIR NEST?!"
"Blueberry jelly was the key! Blueberries cure everything!" shouted Citrusella.
"Nuh-uh! Cherries! CHERRIES!" screeched Jubileena.
Torvald, sitting high on the stairs of the candy castle, looked down upon her friends, upset that they were fighting nail and TOOTH just for her.
She didn't want this; she didn't want them to fight and bicker! She just wanted them to be happy! She just wanted them to be nice!
She wanted them to-
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"
The fighting froze as everyone looked up, a VERY unhappy Torvald glaring down at the racers.
Uh-Oh.
Torvald frowned, she sniffed. Seeing her friends fight was much more painful than ANY tooth ache she could ever have.
"G-Guys, I know ya wanna help…." The girl whimpered "B-But this isn't helpin' at all!"
"But what about your tooth?" asked Minty.
"How can we get it out?" asked Sticky.
Torvald shook her head, some flour and sprinkles going about "W-well think of somethin' guys but please? Stop fightin', okay?"
The others looked at each other, seeing just how silly they all looked. To think, they were just trying to help a friend but in the midst of everything they had all lost focus and things got messier.
And messier.
And MESSIER.
There they were, covering in all sorts of junk and Torvald hadn't been helped in the slightest.
But then they looked up again.
Torvald was smiling.
Even with her tooth, even being upset to see her friends fight, she was still smiling.
Why? Why was she so happy?
"Thanks guys…." The butter racer said "I'm sorry if I caused so much trouble. I never thought a lil tooth could lead to all of this."
"It's okay…" Minty said sheepishly "I-I guess we just got carried away."
"Yes, indeed…" sighed Sticky "We'll try something again, AFTER we clean up."
"Clean up?" asked Torvald as she inspected the mess that lay before her "Where should we start?"
"Is it cleanin' ya need help with?" Swizz smiled "I have the PERFECT gadget for it!"
"NO!" cried the others, jumping atop the boy but in doing so, they managed to shake up a great cloud of flour and sprinkles into the air.
A cloud that went RIGHT into Torvalds's face.
"AH-!"
"Sis?" asked Minty.
"AAAAH-!"
"Are you alright?" asked Sticky.
"CHOOOOOOOOOO!"
No sneeze had been greater than the one that came from Torvald's nose. For not only were the races knocked back…
*POP!*
But out came the tooth as well.
No pain, no problem.
Torvald looked down at the perfect white tooth that lay at her feet, its surface twinkling in the light. The others were silent as they awaited for a reaction.
What was Torvald going to do?
What was she going to say?
She reached down, picked up the tooth….
"T-Torvald?"
And with a smile bigger than Sugar Rush itself…..
"EEEE-YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Well, SOMEONE was happy.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Torvald bounced about, hugging each and every one of her friends "THANK YOU SO MUCH!"
"Heh, that wasn't too hard…" said Rancis, smiling even with the jam in his hair.
"I KNEW we'd get the tooth out!" smiled Gloyd.
"Um, EXCUSE me." Snapped Taffyta "If ANYONE here should take credit for helping Torvald, it's ME! Everyone knows that my TAFFYTA was the starting point! All of this was just last minute!"
"No, it was OUR sorbet!" said Nougetsia, Adorabeezle nodding in agreement.
"No, MY sprinkle cannon!" said Vanellope!
"MY CAKE BATTER!"
"It was ME!" Swizzle yelled "It was the very mention of my inventions that saved the day!"
Before another word could be said, the racers were once more neck-deep in a brawl.
All except for the mint triplets.
"SO what are ya gonna do with tha tooth?" asked Minty.
"Are you going to put it under your pillow for a golden coin?" asked Sticky.
"No." smiled Torvald, showing forth a large gap in a maw but one she was glad she had "I think I'm gonna keep this one! To remind me of how much fun we had!"