Unicorn Academy - Honorary Siblings

Chapter 16 - Talulah's Funatics

Valentina grabs Talulah's hand and pulls her out of the cafeteria, letting her aunt know they'd be taking a walk outside. Out in the gardens, Talulah looks around anxiously for any potential prank, while her friend watches her with concern. Without thinking, Valentina puts a hand on Talulah's shoulder, who jumps in fear before putting on her fake smile.

Valentina - "Are you alright, Talulah?"

Talulah - "Yeah...Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Valentina - "You've been jumpy all day, and I assume it has something to do with Rory's pranking?"

Talulah - "Oh! Well, I don't mind his pranks. They're funny, at least for him. And jokes make Rory happy!"

Valentina - "Do they make you happy?"

Talulah - "...It doesn't matter what I want. Besides, I love watching Rory do what he loves. It feels good to see him so happy."

Valentina - "Yeah, but it shouldn't come at your own expense!"

Talulah - "...Why don't we head to the stables and say hi to our unicorns before we head back for lunch?"

Valentina - "...Yeah, let's—LOOK OUT!"

Talulah - "Huh?! WOAH!"

Storm jumps out from the stables and makes thunder clouds appear in the sky, before sending down a lightning strike next to her for dramatic effect. Without realizing it, Talulah falls to the ground and covers her ears, trying to keep her tears from falling. Valentina drops to her knees and pulls her into a hug, before Cinder comes out and jumps in between the girls and Storm. From the cafeteria, everyone hears the thunder, and Rory immediately cringes as he remembers which prank that came from. Sophia leads the group to the stables, where they see Talulah having a panic attack in front of the barn, and the unicorns keeping Storm away from the girls. Storm, still scared from Talulah's reaction to the prank, has trouble stopping her lightning powers.

Talulah - "Val! I—I can't breathe!"

Valentina - "I'm here, Talulah! Just breathe with me! Guys! Get over here!"

Rory - "Talulah! Are you okay?! Storm, stop it!"

Ava - "I don't think she can!"

Sophia - "Wildstar, make a light bridge!"

Running across the light bridge, Sophia and Rory grab Talulah from the ground and get her to the other side of the bridge, while the rest of the girls get the unicorns settled down. Cinder and Feather, despite their differences, are both standing on defense against Storm, who backs away and is stuck between a mix of guilt and fear. It takes a few minutes, but Talulah leans against Sophia and gets her breathing back to normal, while Rory tries to pull her into a hug.

Talulah - "NO! Don't touch me, Rory!"

Rory - "What, why?! What did I—"

Valentina - "Rory! Just back off!"

Talulah - "I—I want Feather! Where is Feather?!"

Feather pushes himself past the other students and leans down enough for Talulah to grab onto the saddle, before the two make a shaky takeoff towards the woods. From the stables, everyone watched with concern as Feather made an angry gesture at Storm, who attempted to make amends for scaring Talulah. Rory, having calmed down Storm, started running for Talulah and Feather, despite the rest of the group's protests.

Rory - "Talulah?! Where are you?! Talulah!"

Rory looked around and let out a shout of frustration as he realized he didn't know where to look. Seeing a tree he could climb, Rory grabbed the branches and pushed himself towards the top of the tree, looking around for any sign of Talulah or Feather. Towards a clearing in the middle of the woods, Rory saw Feather making a landing, and Talulah hanging onto the reins with shaking hands. In the woods, Feather stopped in a clearing to catch his breath, while Talulah jumped down from the saddle and leaned herself against Feather. Rory jumps down from the tree and runs in the direction of Talulah and Feather, where he finds Talulah sitting on the ground and holding her chest, leaning against her anxious unicorn.