//------------------------------// // It's Just a Blanket! // Story: It's Just Anatomy! // by eLLen //------------------------------// “Oh, come on!” Rainbow cried as a hand was planted over her eyes. Even without her vision, she could feel Twilight glaring into her soul. The lavender haired girl only let out a sigh before saying, “Shiny? Please head to your room.” “Sure mom,” a boyish voice said, dripping playful sarcasm. At hearing the sound of the couch creaking as Shining was presumably getting up, Rainbow dared to sneak a peek. With a smirk, she slowly drifted her head toward the side, only for the blinder of a hand to snap to position. “Rainbow…” Twilight warned. “I don’t care if she sees me, you know,” Shining commented, his footsteps getting fainter as he walked away. “Heh! See Twi? You’re only making this awkward for all of us,” Rainbow laughed. “Oh, I’m not the one making this awkward,” she shot back, “But it’s not for your sake, Shiny. It’s for hers.” “…Am I really that handsome?” he teased. “Haha—ow! Twi! Don’t flick me!” Twilight let out a sigh. “Don’t you join in with this sports-head, Shiny. You know what I meant.” “Mmhm,” he agreed, shifting into a more serious tone. In a few moments, Twilight’s hand removed itself from Rainbow’s eyes, causing her to blink a few times as her vision came back into focus. With a tinge of evil giggling, she found her friend’s brother already out of sight. Glancing at Twilight, it jumped into full laughter. Twilight facepalmed. “Ugh. That could have gone so much smoother, Rainbow.” “Hey now,” the girl replied, slapping Twilight on the back, “As your brother said. I’m cool with it. He’s cool with it.” “The reason you’re cool with it is not nearly as modest,” she deadpanned. Rainbow shrugged in a not-so-innocent way. “Well, Twi, there’s no need to be…” Her faced scrunched up as she tried to hold back her laughter. “…Em-bare-assed about it.” Twilight took one long look at her before shaking her head. “I am this close to kicking you out.” The sound of laughter kicking into overdrive echoed throughout the house. “Alright. I’m done,” Rainbow said, stepping back inside the house as the remnants of her unbridled cackling finally died down. She paused for a moment as she noticed Twilight nowhere in sight, but shrugged it off. Probably in her room or something, the girl figured. Glancing around the living room, she saw it was about as modest as Fluttershy in front of a crowd. Although decorated, it preached function over fashion. However, Rainbow didn’t mind. She couldn’t say her space was any better. As she walked across the room, not really sure if she should seek out her friend or not, she paused as she passed by a bookshelf holding a number of picture frames. She cocked her head as she picked one up, a family photograph, for closer inspection. “Huh…” “Oh, there you are.” Rainbow glanced to her right as Twilight came down the hall, still in her robe and a few books tucked under her arm. Her face morphed into confusion as she saw Rainbow holding a picture. “Something up?” “Uh, no. Just surprised.” “Oh? Why’s that?” she replied, walking to Rainbow’s side to see the picture she held. “You and your family’s all dressed in this picture.” Twilight’s brow furrowed for a moment before it hit her. “You’re wondering why that is when we’re usually disrobed?” she questioned. Rainbow nodded as she handed the photo off to Twilight. “Well, we can’t just have those kind of photos lying around all willy-nilly in case someone decides to drop by. Like you for instance,” she said, setting the photo back in its place, “It would be a pain to have to rush and take them all down.” “That makes sense…” the athlete replied, thinking for a moment. “Hey, I just realized something. Where are your parents?” “Oh, they’re out to the grocery store right now. I tried to warn them about the storm but…” She rolled her eyes. “So yes, they’re not here.” “Whew,” she said, wiping her brow. Twilight opened her mouth to reply but promptly shut it. “So… trigonometry?” Rainbow stared at her blankly for a moment. “…Oh! Oh, right! That’s why I came here. Yeah, I’ll get my bag.” “Sounds splendid. I’ve already got everything set up in my room.” In a minute, the duo entered Twilight’s room, study material in tow. Like the rest of the house, it was simple yet effective, though with a splash of egghead purple everywhere. Taking a seat on the floor near the door, Rainbow couldn’t help but gawk at the towers of papers and books closing in on her. Twilight had to have had more material than Miss Cheerilee! “Alright Rainbow,” the egghead herself said, sitting down on the other side of a shorter pile of text books, “Shall we begin?” Rainbow’s thoughts, however, were elsewhere. “You’re going to stay in your robe?” Twilight glanced down at her covered form before replying, “I was planning to. Would you rather have me be nude?” The athlete smirked. “I’d be cool with that.” “Allow me to reiterate,” Twilight said, shaking her head. Leaning closer to Rainbow and fingering the hem of her robe, she put on a smug tone as she said, “Do you really want to have me be nude? I’m perfectly comfortable getting more comfortable.” Rainbow clammed herself up before her mouth could run again. A bitter battle raged in her mind on what to say next. On one hand, she wanted to call her friend’s bluff; on the other hand, she may end up seeing her friend in the buff. “Uh, I’m fine, thanks,” Rainbow said, trying to laugh it off, “You really got me.” “Wasn’t a joke,” Twilight commented, “But let’s get back to business. Can I see your notes?” “…Sure,” she replied, her mind reeling as she handed her backpack over. “Thanks. I think—” Twilight paused. Taking her hand off the bag’s handle, she glanced at Rainbow. “Something up?” Twilight nodded. “Your bag is dripping wet… You’re dripping wet!” “…I would make a sex joke, but that was way too easy.” Ignoring her comment, Twilight pushed herself onto her feet. “Where are my manners? You must be freezing under those clothes.” What she was getting at finally dawning on Rainbow, she just shrugged. “Eh, I’m fine. It’s nice and toasty in here.” Twilight shook her head. “Don’t try to tell me you aren’t the least bit uncomfortable. You take that jacket off, and I’ll get you a blanket.” Rainbow smirked. “Whoa Twi, trying to strip me down already?” The lavender girl rolled her eyes, maneuvering her way through the jungle of paper and opening her closet door. Rainbow’s smile, however, dropped within moments. “No really, Twi. I’m fine.” “Nonsense,” came the reply as she ruffled through folds of sheets stacked on top of each other. She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off as Twilight pulled out a brown, cottony blanket. Smiling in success, she turned toward her friend expectantly. “Uh… no?” Twilight let out a breath of air. “I’m not going to force you, but I don’t see why you’re so resistant. You could catch a cold!” Rainbow was silent for a moment as she stared back at Twilight. Ugh… she thought, Not getting out of this without looking weird… not that I don’t already. An unhelpful blush appearing on her cheeks, she forced a grin. “My shirt underneath the jacket is also soaked.” Twilight cocked her head. “All the more reason to bundle up.” The athlete shook her head. “My shirt… is soaked. Think about it.” “…Oh, I see,” she said after a pause. Darning a simple smile, she said, “Well, it’s not like you aren’t wearing a bra, right?” “…” “…My goddesses, Rainbow! Can you ever act like a girl?” She only got a few weak chuckles in return. Twilight shook her head. “In any case, it’s not a big deal to me. We’re both girls… unless there’s anything else you aren’t wanting to show me.” “Heh, no...” she replied, “But doesn’t both of us being girls make it worse?” “I… I don’t know. I guess that depends…” She shrugged. “Anyway, you can just wrap yourself up. I won’t look.” “Yeah but… I’m going to be writing and going through books and just moving around… What if it slips?” “Then…” Twilight trailed off, a sudden look of realization appearing across her features. It was not a happy face. Bending down on her knees to get on Rainbow’s eye level, she said, “You’re telling me… that after all those lewd jokes, language, and awkwardness… that you get this embarrassed and flustered at the smallest chance of exposing yourself?” Rainbow gulped as she put on a weak grin. “Aheh…Maybe?” Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “Congratulations Rainbow. You’ve left me speechless…” “Uh, cool?” “Here, why don’t I give you a blanket with sleeves? That will stay in place.” Sensing a chance to shift the conversation, Rainbow jumped at it. “Wait, wait, wait,” she said, holding her hands out in front of her, “You have a blanket with sleeves?” “Yes?” “Wow, Twilight. Just wow.” “What’s wrong with that?” she defended, holding her arms out in a “seriously?” kind of fashion. “I find it quite convenient.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Ugh, just give it here.” Heading back into the closet, Twilight exchanged the woolen blanket for a sleeved one and tossed it to Rainbow, who glanced at the fabric for a moment before looking back up at her friend again. Rolling her eyes, Twilight turned away. With her privacy restored and her disgust at the blanket cast aside, Rainbow glanced down at herself, hesitating, before grasping the zipper and pulling it down. Her shirt was still drenched, as being under an even more drenched jacket would cause, but she expected as much. Hastily stripping off her jacket, she pulled at the bottom of her shirt to straighten out a few spots that had ridden up. She reached for the blanket, but hesitated again as a thought occurred to her. My skirt’s no better than my jacket… she thought. A part of her wanted to shut down the train of thought, but it spoke too softly. It’s not like there’s not another layer underneath, she continued, thinking of the shorts she was wearing. … “They’re black anyway,” she muttered with a sudden burst of confidence, pulling the purple and white fabric over her hips and down her legs. “What was that?” Twilight piped up, still looking away. “Nothing.” A hint of a blush on her cheeks, Rainbow slipped the skirt around her bare feet and clumped it into a wrinkled ball with the jacket. Exhaling, she reached for the sleeved blanket and— “Hey Twily, just wanna let you know—oh!” a familiar boyish suddenly said from the doorway. If Rainbow’s eyes could have shot wider, they’d have fallen out. “Hey!” she cried in a mixture of shock and embarrassment, desperately throwing the blanket over herself. With a full, unadulterated blush blazing across her face, she threw a helpless glare at Twilight’s brother; though, a hint of surprise blended in at seeing him averting his gaze. “Sorry about that,” Shining said, “I wasn’t expecting you to be…” He shook his head. “What? What’s going on?” Twilight exclaimed, whipping around. “…Bad timing, Shining. Bad timing.” “Yeah, I know. Again, sorry. In any case, I was going to tell you that Cadence is coming over soon. We just got done texting.” Twilight let a grin pass by. “Great. Thanks for letting me know.” “Mmhm,” he said before walking away and down the hall. “…Sorry about that, Rainbow,” Twilight said after a moment. Rainbow, who’d been watching in wide eyed trepidation, heaved out a breath she’d been holding. “Ergh… It’s alright…” she replied, still sounding distant. Twilight nodded. “At least he was wearing pants, right? Though, knowing you, you’d probably be disappointed,” she joked. At getting no committal response other than a shrug, she added, “You okay? I didn’t realize it was that traumatizing.” The rainbow haired girl shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said, though lacking her usual bravado, “Just… I’ve never let anyone see me like this before, even by accident. Never.” “Oh… well… I’m sorry to say I can’t relate.” “Don’t worry about it. But I guess I’m just kind of surprised.” “Oh?” Rainbow nodded, looking up at Twilight. “Like, this actually just happened. But what’s really getting at me is that he was so casual about it. He was already looking away before I could look at him.” “Um, true?” Twilight responded unsurely, “He’s been raised that way so…” She shook her head once more. “Nevermind.” Adjusting her blanket with sleeves and tossing her damp clothes aside, she gestured to her bag. “Let’s say we finally get started on studying, eh?” Twilight cocked her head, shooting her an odd glance, but she dismissed it soon enough. If Rainbow was alright, then why shouldn’t she be? “Sure thing,” she agreed.