//------------------------------//
// Poison Oak 
// Story: Poison Oak 
// by Closer-To-The-Sun 
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“Come on, Rarity, hurry up!” the excited unicorn filly called out as she hopped down from the fallen log to the dirty path. The neckerchief around her neck bounced lightly on the landing.


“You don’t have to be in such a rush, Sweetie Belle! I assure you that the entire Everfree Forest isn’t be going anywhere,” the grown unicorn was talking her time walking through the path. She wasn’t sure why she agreed to go with her sister for this hike through the Everfree Forest, but Rarity was just happy to see Sweetie Belle happy. They never got to do things like this all that much, and it was a nice change of pace.


Sweetie Belle seemed to be bouncing off the trees and everywhere else with her energy. This was a mixture of excitement of being out in the forest, but also being with Rarity. It wasn’t Rarity’s cup of tea to go out for trips like this, however due to her constant begging and pleading, Sweetie Belle was able to convince her sister to go. Of course, she only agreed with a few reservations.


“Quit being such a slow poke!” the filly stopped and turned to call out to her sister.


While looking at her, Sweetie Belle really saw just how much stuff that Rarity brought. To start, Rarity was wearing a sun hat to cover face and mane from the elements, a stylish cream-colored silk sweater that Sweetie Belle knew was one of her favorites, and a saddle bag filled with bug spray, a first aid kit, emergency supplies, and of course, their lunch.


“I’m not slow, I’m simply enjoy the scenery,” Rarity corrected as she caught up with her little sister. She paused for a moment to look up at the canopy of the trees where Celestia’s sun pierced through the branches and leaves. A smile appeared on her exhausted face. The critters on the trees seemed to be very busy with their own daily lives and content with their lives. “Simply marvelous, isn’t it?”


Sweetie Belle was also looking up at the same scene, “I guess it is. But I don’t think this is gonna get me my cutie mark.”


Rarity turned to the filly, “Please don’t tell me that’s the only reason why you brought me out here today.” 


“Sorta,” she admitted.


Raising a hoof to her face, Rarity seemed she was about to say something. She stopped herself and took a moment to think before speaking, “Well, can you at least just enjoy the scenery? It is a very lovely day, after all and its not everyday somepony gets a chance to look at all the hidden wonders of Equestria.”


“Okay!” Sweetie Belle beamed as she then turned to look back up at the canopy. “What’s that thing right there?” she pointed to a woodland critter.


“That’s a squirrel, you should know that!” Rarity chuckled lightly.


“But I’ve never seen one like that.”


“Well, it could be a different kind of squirrel that we haven’t seen before. Fluttershy is much better at identifying animals than myself,” Rarity admitted.


The animal realized that it was being observed by the two unicorns. With a glance at them and quickly to the left and right, it took off and climbed higher into the tree and out of sight.


“I guess we startled the little critter,” Sweetie Belle said.


“Don’t worry, there are plenty of more animals throughout the forest.”


“Yay!” the filly shouted with excitement. With a hop in her trot, she took off down the path on her own, leaving Rarity behind.


“Sweetie Belle, wait for me!” she called out.


Her sister didn’t listen. She rushed down the trail, but eventually started to trot off the path and into some green plants that went up to her belly. She stopped to turn and wait for Rarity, “Come on! You’re too slow!”


When Rarity arrived and saw Sweetie Belle standing amongst the plants, her reaction was one of horror. “Sweetie Belle!”


“What?”


“Don’t move, just stay still, I’ll be right there!”


The filly was puzzled, “What’s wrong?”


Rarity drew near but stopped at the edge of the plants. “Don’t be alarmed, but you’re standing in the middle of a patch of poison oak,” her voice was calm, despite that she was shouting only moments ago.


“Don’t you mean poison joke?”


“No, poison oak! There’s a big difference. Poison joke is a blue, flowering plant that plays a joke on those afflicted,” Rarity said, taking her saddle bag off and opening it up to pull out the first aid kit, “This is poison oak, a plant that secretes an oil that causes rashes on the coats of ponies.”


Sweetie Belle raised one of her front hooves and looked at it. The white coat was starting to turn red at a few spots. “It is starting to get itchy….”


“Don’t scratch it!” Rarity barked the order. She dug through the first aid kit and pulled out a bottle of liquid. “Just carefully come over here and out of the brush,” she added calmly.


Sweetie Belle did as she instructed. She took care with each step of her hooves. It took a little longer than she would have liked, but she was out of the poisonous plants. Her legs were covered with red spots from the plant.


“Oh dear, it looks pretty bad,” Rarity commented.


Sweetie Belle started to scratch at her limbs.


“Don’t scratch, it’ll only make it worse!”


“I can’t help it!” Sweetie Belle whined as she continued to scratch at her limbs.


Rarity gave Sweetie Belle the bottle, “Rub this on the affected areas.”


Taking the bottle, the filly did as her sister said, “What is this?”


“Soapy water mixed with some baking soda. It will clean and relieve you of some itching for a while,” Rarity said as she took out a washcloth from the first aid kit, “And I’ll wipe the water off of you, but we will still need to go home to treat you properly.”


Sweetie Belle gave a small smile, “I can feel it working a little.”


The mare gave a sigh of relief, “Good, now let me just wipe the water off of you.” Using her magic, Rarity lightly rubbed the washcloth across her sister’s legs, “That should get some of the oil off of you. Just don’t scratch anymore.”


“It’s still itchy….really itchy!” the filly cried, fighting the urge to scratch at her coat.


Rarity put the washcloth away in her first aid kit and closed it up. She then looked at Sweetie Belle who was obviously hurting, on the verge of crying, and wanting to scratch at her rash. An idea came to mind. She took off the sun hat that rested on her head, and then her sweater.


“What are you doing?” Sweetie Belle asked.


“Here, put my sweater on,” she gave the sweater to her.


“Huh, why?”


“It will protect you if you try to scratch at your rashes. And, since it is made of silk, it will feel good on your coat,” Rarity explained.


Sweetie Belle pulled the sweater over her head. It was a bit big on her, but it fit nonetheless. The fabric felt wondrous on her coat. While she still had the urge to scratch at her rashes, the sweater seemed to act as shield against the irritation.


“Feeling better?”


The filly smiled and nodded, her curly mane bouncing.


Rarity smiled back, “Marvelous, now let’s get you home so we can get you cleaned up completely.”


The two started to trot back to Ponyville, and this time, Sweetie Belle was sure to not wander off the trail. The little pony seemed melancholic on the way back, however. She knew the sweater meant a lot to Rarity, and it made her sad that she might have just made it worthless.


“Hey, Rarity?”


“Yes?”


“I’m sorry for ruining your favorite sweater,” Sweetie Belle hung her head as she trotted.


Rarity placed a hoof on her sister’s mane, lightly roughing her up, “No need to apologize, darling.”


“But it’s, like, your most favoritest sweater in all of Equestria!”


“That’s not something to really worry about.”


Sweetie Belle was confused, “What do you mean?”


“There are far more important things than fashion, Sweetie Belle, like family.”

END