Brother vs Brother; Duel Between the Stars

The next morning found Hunter alone at the kitchen table, a bowl of cereal turning to mush as he swirled his spoon around and around without paying any real attention to what he was doing. The silence of the apartment was almost deafening, the lone sound being the ticking of the clock on the wall. Near his bowl was his smartphone, the time showing that he had been sitting here for an hour without eating. Since he had gotten up, he had received several messages already. Moondancer as well as her parents asking how he was doing, Autumn Blaze, Wallflower, a couple from Pharynx, Coach Luna, and even one from Lightning. Yet despite the warm glow inside as he read their (mostly) concerns and well wishes, Hunter couldn’t bring himself to think of anything more than a short text saying thanks. All he could really think about was the news he had heard yesterday.

Now, unlike what most people would think, Hunter had not stayed up all night staring at the ceiling replaying the conversation he had had with the police. No, his aunt had the foresight to give him some sleeping pills which took him to a dreamless sleep which prevented him from having the pleasant dream on the hill. Sad since, right now, he felt like he needed that comfort from the land of dreams more than ever. Still the pills had done their job, Hunter sleeping longer than he normally would have even on this weekend morning. Yet now that he was awake, what would keep the memories from coming back.

As he swirled around his cereal some more, Hunter’s mind began to replay the events of the day before once more as if it were on an endless loop in his head. Hunter’s friends and teammates had excused themselves, exiting the room as the two officers were invited into the apartment. The older of the two introduced them as detectives from the Canterlot Precinct, his name being Detective By-The-Books while the younger named Hard Case. By-The-Books seemed like the more…in control of the two. He was an aged man, gentleman-like with lime colored skin while his hair and thick mustache that covered his upper lip were grayed with age. Still, there was something sharp about his eyes as he spoke to the two.

Hard Case, by contrast, seemed more like the impulsive detective that would play second fiddle on a cop show. Beneath his coffee stained shirt, tie, and trench coat the man had light yellow colored skin with orange hair. When he had passed Hunter originally, Hunter could pick up the strong scent of coffee on the man’s breath. That, along with the man’s twitchy hands as well as the circles around his eyes, told the teen that this was a man who had been getting very little rest. This was confirmed as the man went to work looking around the apartment, only holding up a search warrant in passing without so much as a word. But his silence was short lived as he began to check the kitchen, looking in every large cabinet before banging his hand slightly. Hard Case had sworn loudly that this before throwing his hat across the room in a fit of rage.

Thankfully, By-The-Books made up for Hard Case’s behavior as he allowed Hunter’s friends to leave before informing them of what happened.

“Video footage of the event has been distorted, but we have been able to piece together what happened,” he told them in a calm tone, his eyes scanning them as the two listened in. “There was an explosion of some kind near the wall. Me and Hard Case were some of the first officers on the scene and…” At that point, By-The-Books seemed to grow a little pale as he paused in his account of what happened. But he collected himself quickly enough. “It, well, it wasn’t pretty. A good number of prison guards were killed there as well as some inmates. So many were shaken and still in shock by it all. The most we were able to get out of those who were there was that Star Chaser was at the scene, looking like he was waiting for something to happen. I, ah, tend to believe their word since most of them…lost friends in that explosion. We also have an eye witness who survived the explosion, a man by the name of Grogar. He’s in the prison hospital right now and the doctors told me it’s a miracle he survived.”

Hunter had watched his aunt close her eyes for a moment, a small prayer whispered under her breath before she looked at By-The-Books. Her gaze was stony however, her face hardened for what was to happen next. “Thank you for telling this. But, is there a reason why we have a man punching my couch?” Indeed, at that moment, Hard Case was throwing off couch cushions wildly following by punching the couch as if he expected it to attack him.

“Well,” By-The-Books had said, “when we first arrived and realized that your nephew was missing, we checked his cell to see if there were any traces of materials that could have been used to make an explosion. Checked everything and found nothing. So, that leaves us with the very real possibility that he had outside help. We already alerted the state police looking for his parents so we just need to make sure-”

“You think we’re hiding him,” interrupted Hunter, unable to control himself at the time. Yes, he could have seen his parents breaking his brother out of jail very easily. Selling what little left they had, pooling money together all to get their precious son out of jail. Just thinking about it had made Hunter’s stomach do a backflip. Neither of them had given a damn when he left so just thinking that they would go that far for Chaser really hurt. As he had calmed down a little, Hunter had to admit from an outsiders point of view it made sense to think that he and his aunt would be likely suspects in trying to break out Chaser. Unlike his parents, they had the money to potentially do something like.

Oddly, By-The-Books had given Hunter a small smile. “Sharp kid,” he had said before shaking his head. “Honestly, no. Most of us don’t believe that either of you would help Chaser to escape or harbor him. Given you testified against him and Chaser’s own psych files show how he, well, let’s just say he’s not very fond of Hunter and leave it at that. But, with that said, we still need to search the house just in case.” At that moment, Hard Case had let out another yell before throwing his hat into the cake. By-The-Books took a deep breath, no doubt to keep himself calm. “With that said, what we read as well as talking to the inmates tells us there’s a good chance he’s looking for revenge.”

Star Chart brought a hand to her forehead, slightly shaking it as she sighed. “Yeah, I can see him doing that as well,” she had said softly.

“Right now we’re doing everything possible to find him,” said By-The-Books in a tone meant to reassure them. “Right now, me and my partner are still looking for the people who helped Chaser escape. We’re looking into all of the inmates from the last prison Chaser was in, seeing if he had any friends who might have been released recently while the Hollow Shades Sheriff’s office is looking into the crowd he used to hang around down there. We have State Troopers and their dogs looking for him as we speak. Wanted posters have been sent to every police station in the state. And, as much as I don’t like this, given the nature of his escape a bounty has been put on his head.” As By-The-Books spoke, the older detective pulled out his smartphone and began to type something down. “But in case he does somehow slip by all of that, I’m going to be sending the two of you a link for an emergency response app.”

Aunt Star Chart had blinked at that. “There’s an app for that?”

“There’s an app for everything nowadays,” By-The-Books had said with a small smile on his face. “Nothing too complicated. All you have to do is push the app icon and it will send an emergency alert to the department. From there, we’ll be able to track your location using your phone’s GPS.”

In the present, Hunter sighed as he looked down at his now uneatable food. He could feel the anger rising within him as he looked down at the now completely dissolved cereal. How could this have happened? He thought he was finally done dealing with Chaser directly! He was gone, locked away for at least the next hundred years! Hunter was preparing to get his own life in order to step out of the shadow Chaser and his reputation had cast over him! So who in their right mind would break him out?!?

Perhaps that was what worried Hunter the most. The police were right, someone had to help break him out. Someone who was willing to put up with Chaser, willing to risk their lives and freedom just to set him free. And whoever these people were, they cared about other people’s lives as much as Chaser did. Willing to kill anyone who got in their way. Guilt now washed over Hunter’s soul, slowly realizing that he was more worried about how this affected him than the lives lost. The lives that would be lost should Chaser remain free…

Footsteps echoed through the apartment, Hunter’s head rising up just in time to see his aunt approaching him. He saw that she was wearing a short white jacket over her black dress and a briefcase in one hand. Aunt Star Chart looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable for a moment before she smiled at him.

“I’m heading out for a bit,” she said as she reached out to ruffle Hunter’s hair, much like she used to do when he was younger. “Try to have that bowl finished by the time I get back. On second thought, better dump it. Do you want money for pizza?”

“No, I’m…” As much as Hunter wanted to say he was ‘good’, that single word refused to leave his lips. Instead he sighed as he looked at his aunt for a moment. “Didn’t know you worked the weekends.”

“Normally I don’t,” said Star Chart with a small smile. “But I just got a text from my boss. We’re meeting with a producer who wants to use one of our studios. Guess it can’t wait till Monday.” Hunter tried to mirror his aunt’s smile. Despite being young, she held a powerful position at a nearby studio that helped shoot everything from movies to television shows. And, to be honest, it sounded like she did a lot. Not only did she help oversee the rental agreements for who could use what studio, but she also helped hire the talent behind the camera, make sure they were all safe and fed, and oversaw the screening of the actors. Sure most of them were bit players, but they were still actors. Still, while he knew her job as important, he still wished for her to stay. Maybe just say she’s sick or something.

Perhaps some of that desire showed in his face as Aunt Star Chat set down her briefcase before wrapping her arm around him in a brief hug. “Hey, don’t worry about your brother. Everything will be alright. The police are looking for him right now.”

“I,” began Hunter, but he stopped himself as he looked away from his aunt. Was there any point in lying and saying he wasn’t worried? That he would be alright? Maybe he might sound like a little kid if he started complaining, but wasn’t lying just as bad? God, he just couldn’t win. “I think you should stay home. Just for a couple of days. I mean Chaser…he…what if the people who helped him escape…”

“Hunter,” said Aunt Star Chart, hugging him a little tighter for a moment. “I can’t stay locked up here forever, that’s no way to live. I’ll go crazy jumping at every shadow!”

“But-”

“Listen,” said Aunt Star Chat, releasing Hunter as she took a step back and holding up a single finger in the process. “We are not going to let Chaser ruin our lives. The police are out there right now, hunting him down. So I am going to go out there and live my life! Besides, whoever these friends of his are, they were willing to blow open the wall of a prison. Do you really think they would be squeamish about blowing up our apartment building just to get to us? At least this way, we’re on the move.”

Hunter made several sounds, trying to say something to the reasoning of his aunt. Something that would make her see his reason. But, in the end, all he could do was slump in his chair. “I…just don’t understand this,” was all he could mumble in the end.

“Just call it the price of freewill,” said Aunt Star Chart, a hand lightly touching her cross. For a moment the two just remained where they were, saying nothing until his aunt picked up her briefcase. “Well, I’m off. Be sure to get something that won’t make you sick, ok? And don’t worry about Chaser. Either his vices will catch up with him or the cops will.”

About an hour later, Star Chart pulled her car in front of studio 137. It was a large, long rectangular building at the edge of the property where she worked colored white with large bay doors that looked like an airplane could pass through. As she set her car into park, she glanced around and was unsurprised to see that there was no one around. No one from costumes were pulling large racks of colorful outfits, the props people were nowhere to be seen, and not even a trace of people riding their carts from one place to the next. The only other thing out here was a lone, parked golf cart belonging to Star Chart’s boss, informing her that she was indeed in the correct location. Not surprising since, while most of their studios were in use right now, the ones surrounding studio 137 were empty.

Briefly, as she unbuckled her safety belt, Star Chart wondered why this studio was requested. Why not one closer to the hustle and bustle? All of them were soundproof so noise couldn’t be a factor. If the issue was with the foot traffic, they didn’t need to go so far. But, there had to be a reason. Even if she didn’t understand it. She had once met a producer who wanted studio 69, and only 69, for a movie he was going to shoot and was willing to wait until it became available.

Exiting the car, Star Chart headed towards a smaller door inside the large bay ones, holding her briefcase in one hand and her phone in the other to check if there were any other messages for her. She didn’t see any other cars around so maybe she was early? With skill born from doing this plenty of times, she opened the door without dropping or putting away either item to see that the lights were already lit inside. There before her was a massive glass (or at the very least made of a transparent material) water tank, large and deep enough for a small whale to swim in comfortably. Glancing up, she saw there were two platforms on either side each with its own color. The one closest to her was blue while the opposite one was red. Easily she recalled that this was originally supposed to be part of a game show to add a bit more excitement for televised duels. The idea was that two duelists would have a game, standing at either platform as the dueled and the loser would be dropped into the water.

The game had its appeal but there was one small problem the creators somehow forgot to consider: the loser’s cards would be ruined! Yeah. The big hook for the show was also the game’s biggest weakness. No one was willing to risk an expensive deck for this! Heck, there was even a chance that the winners platform might drop them in the water as well if there was a malfunction! The creators of the show tried to salvage it as best they could, throwing out ideas like dropping them in jello instead or building several different ‘arenas’ for the duelists with some form of penalty should they lose. Sadly for them, they had spent most of their budget on the tank and were unable to get anymore. With their main feature useless, half finished alternative areas, and bills piling up, the idea was eventually scrapped and their unfinished labors left here to rot.

As Star Chart walked in, the only sound being the clicking of her shoes against the ground, a sense of worry growing inside her. Something seemed very wrong here. Where was her boss? He should have been waiting at the door for her. Did he spill his coffee again and was trying to dry himself off before the renters arrived? No, she didn’t see a trace of coffee on the ground or a large-

A moan caught her attention, causing Chart to freeze where she stood. For several long moments, she remained where she was straining her ears to hear the sound again. When it came again, Star Chart’s eyes widened in fear for now she could make out that it sounded like the noise was coming from a man. She turned to look where the sound was coming from and, when she looked at the audience stands, she saw her boss. He was there, lying on the ground in front of the seats with a small pool of blood forming around his head. Without thinking, Star Chart dropped everything as she rushed towards him. When she was close enough, Chart slid on her knees and coming to a halt beside the older man not caring about the blood getting on either her or her clothing. Instead her focus was on checking the man’s pulse.

“Chart,” wheezed the older man. “Get…”

“I know, I know,” gasped Star Chart, feeling her eyes stinging as she felt his pulse weakening. “I’ll get an ambulance on the double. Just stay with me, ok?”

“Out,” gasped the man. “T-Trap.” Star Chart stared at her boss for a moment, her thoughts jumbled as she tried to understand what he was saying. Was it the concussion talking? Her answer soon came when she heard a noise behind her.

“Hello Aunt Bitch,” came the cold, familiar voice of her nephew. But before she could turn around, she felt something strike her back and her world went dark.

Star Chaser breathed heavily as he watched his aunt crumble to the ground like the sack of shit that she was next to the pathetic old man who would soon die. Looking down he saw that her face was near the blood while her cross had landed right into the pool. That was good since Chaser didn’t want to get anymore filth on his body than what was necessary. For there his eyes went to look at the old fart whose very appearance offended Chaser’s eyes. The man’s eyes were no longer in focus, looking glossy, while his lips trembled like how a loser’s would while he made annoying sounds. What made him even more pathetic was that he looked like he was going to cry. Honestly, he had finally done something useful with his life by being the pawn of someone amazing like Chaser and all he could do was cry!

“Here,” said Chaser as he tossed a phone onto the man’s chest. It bounced off of him and onto the floor, sliding a bit before it stopped under one of the audience’s seats. “There’s your phone back.” The old man let out another annoying noise, but Chaser was no longer paying any attention to it. Instead, his eyes shifted back to the woman he had just knocked out.

Chaser’s grip on the wooden club he held tightened as he looked at her, a feeling of utter rage and revulsion taking hold of him. This woman, his aunt, offended him. Her existence was an affront to him and it sickened him to know that they were related by blood! She always did ever since he was a child.

A young Chaser, around the age of five, moved quietly through the halls of the house as silently as a vampire. Shadows danced on the walls every time a car passed by, creating figures that made Chaser’s eyes dart away quickly. A part of Chaser wanted to speed things along, to hurry and get to the kitchen so he could get something to drink before going back to bed. But he knew he had to be careful as he knew he wasn’t supposed to be up this late at night. Hunter had done the same thing a couple of nights ago and was punished by not being allowed to watch cartoons.

So Chaser moved through the halls, doing his best not to get caught. Yet, something felt wrong. He knew that his mom and dad were usually up this late, watching boring and stupid people on something called the news. So why was it so quiet? Were they hiding in the shadows, behind the chairs and sofa like they did when they played hide and seek with him?

As Chaser turned a corner, he saw that light was coming out the kitchen door and he could hear voices. For a moment, Chaser wanted to turn back and head for his bed before anyone saw him. Or make a break for the bathroom so he could get his drink like that. But curiosity got the better of him as Chaser wanted to know what was going as it sounded like there were more than just his mom and dad. Did they have a late night guest or something? So taking extra care to be light on his feet, Chaser made his way towards the kitchen with his back pressed against the wall like those old people did in those shows Hunter liked to watch. Bit by bit, he made his way over until he was at the doorway before finally peeking in.

The first thing Chaser saw was the back of a woman, sitting at the table facing his parents. It took Chaser a moment or two before he realized that this was his Aunt Star Chart. He should have known it was her since she was visiting from college. What college was, Chaser really didn’t know or care to know. Pulling his head back, Chaser was about to head back down the hall when he heard something. Something to do with him.

“I just think that you might be overdoing it a bit with Chaser,” said his Aunt. Her voice sounded tired, like she wanted to take a nap or something.

His dad let out a laugh. “Are you kidding me?” he asked. “Have you seen what that boy can do? He picks up sports faster than any other kid on the block! Already he’s throwing the ball the right way, not that underhand crap. Smart too, figuring out puzzles and questions better than other kids his age. Heck, he’s even dueling better than Hunter! My son, he’s destined for greatness. I can feel it.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen what he can do,” said Chart with something in her voice that Chaser didn’t like at all. “But don’t you think you’re spoiling him? You get him whatever he wants when he wants it. You should have seen the look he gave me when I said he couldn’t have another cookie! And the way you let him treat other people, it’s just so wrong!”

“Come on,” laughed Chaser’s father. “You’re blowing things a little out of proportion.”

“Today I watched as Chaser flung mud in Hunter’s face,” said Aunt Star Chart, her voice firm. “Over and over again, he just kept pelting Hunter until there was nothing left while laughing the entire time. I…I couldn’t believe you actually praised him for those throws and then told Hunter to clean himself off! You can’t possibly tell me-”

“Chart, when you have children of your own, then you can voice your opinions on how we raise our children,” said Chaser’s mother, using the same tone as when she scolded Hunter or sent him to his room. “The last thing we want to do is hamper Chaser’s potential. At this early age, his gifts need to be nurtured to their fullest.”

“By treating him like a king or some golden idol?” argued Aunt Star Chart, her voice getting on Chaser’s nerves. “Look, I love Chaser too. He’s my nephew. But I’m worried about him as well. Can’t you see the danger in what you’re doing to him? Letting him think he’s above everyone else, that he can just treat people however he wants? There are rules out there in the real world and he’s going to be in for a rude awakening when they come down hard on him!”

For a moment, there was silence in the room as Chaser felt his anger towards his aunt stew. Then, his mother spoke. “You’re being an idiot, you know that. Chaser will be fine. Better than fine. Because he is that special. If you can’t see that then, well, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”

“I’m sorry, Chart,” continued Chaser’s father. “Everyone else in town can see it.”

“Then what about Hunter?” said that stupid woman. “What about your other son? How is he supposed to feel when you shower one with praise and he gets the leftovers?”

“We…well Hunter he’s…you see,” bumbled Chaser’s father, making Chaser’s eyes roll. Who cared about Hunter? Thankfully, his father managed to find the right words. “We love both our boys. But Hunter, he just doesn’t have the same talent or skills that Chaser has. To be honest, I don’t think he has any to begin with. And, as much as I hate to say it, I can’t see him doing anything amazing in the future. He might be able to go to college, become an office drone for the rest of his life, and then he’ll die. That’s…it. But Chaser, he’s capable of doing so much more.”

“Hunter is a good son,” said Chaser’s mother. “But Chaser, he’s just superior in every way. So he needs superior treatment so that he will shine over everyone else.”

A grin appeared on Chaser’s face as he heard that. Superior. He knew what that word meant. It meant that something was better than everything else. Something above good, above better. Above everything else. And that was him! Chaser stood there as a warmth filled him as he processed this new reality. Something had always told him, deep inside, that this was the case. He had heard that he had picked up reading faster than his brother, could run faster and longer than the other kids around here, and could play sports better. He was superior to everyone else, his parents said so! Everyone else, their wants, needs, and everything were beneath his own. His parents knew this!

No, not just them. So many people around him told him how talented he was, and could see how special he was. The kids around the block knew he was better than anyone else, that’s why he was always the first one they picked to be a part of a team! The adults praised him all the time, admiring what came so easy for him. And now he could see whole new worlds to explore. People do things for him because he was better than they were.

“Not in every way,” said Aunt Star Chart, the warm glow vanishing from Chaser as he became angry again. “Not in the things that really matter.” Narrowing his eyes, Chaser walked away from the doorway. Whatever that woman had to say, it was nothing but garbage as far as he was concerned. His mother was right, she had to be an idiot if she couldn’t see just how amazing and superior he was. So why should he even listen to her?

Chaser’s hand trembled as he looked down at the stupid woman before him. The idiot, the bitch who could not comprehend how superior he was. No matter how much time went by, no matter what amazing feats he accomplished, she refused to shower him with praises that were rightfully reserved for him. Instead, she treated him the same way she treated that moron Hunter! Gave them the gifts that were the same prices on their birthdays and scolded BOTH of them when she was watching over them whenever they did something ‘wrong’. How DARE she!! But that wasn’t the worst of it; she had to praise his retarded brother who had to struggle just to get by. As if he deserved any of it! Then she took that useless sack of crap away from their house to live with her, denying him of beating the ever living shit out of Hunter who caused him to go to jail! The more he looked at her, the more Chaser wanted to bring his club down on her head over and over while screaming at her until she was as dead as that old guy!

Yet, Chaser had to hold himself back. She would die for her sins, but not right now. He would let her live just long enough to see the end of Hunter, to see him as the pitiful loser that Chaser knew him as. It would be something he would forever cherish seeing the look of hope in her eyes fade as Hunter fell to Chaser’s superior skills as well as Hunter’s tears as he realized he failed every loser who were dumb enough to believe in him.

Then, they would all die.