Brother vs Brother; Duel Between the Stars

“Hey, wake up sunshine,” came a voice Braeburn somewhat remembered, its sound piercing through the darkness along with pain which had been numbed due to unconsciousness. But now that the wall of sleep had come down, the pain began to course through the teens body as he slowly opened his eyes.

And what he saw caused him to jump…if he could. Braeburn looked around himself, heart racing as he saw that he was in one of those cages he had seen on Animal Planet. A shark cage or something similar! The bars before him were thick, spaced apart just enough for him to get his arm through while the floor was less widely spaced. Looking upward, he saw that he was now in a building of some kind with a chain hanging down from the ceiling and attached to the cage. With a start, Braeburn looked down to see that there was a massive tank of water below him, its contents rippling slightly while the lights from above shined down upon it. As the teen took several deep breaths to calm himself, he looked around to see there were other cages hanging similarly to his own. The one next to him holding that Lightning girl who had spoken.

“’Bout time you woke up,” she said, giving him a half wave as she sat in her cage. On shaky legs, Braeburn moved in what little space he had to look at his fellow captured teen. Like with that green skinned girl, Lightning looked like she had gotten into a fight with a lightsaber with her clothing looking cut and burned at the same time revealing large portions of her skin.

“What happened?” groaned Braeburn, placing a hand to his head. He remembered challenging Chaser to a duel and he knew he lost. But the rest was so foggy. As he spoke, he noticed that the rest of the Canterlot Dueling team were in cages as well. All of its members were in a similar state as Lightning, with their clothing cut and burned. Not that he was immune to this for he could feel the air against his skin as well at the cut material without needing to look down. The only exception that he could see was a woman at the far end of the cage. She wasn’t the coach he had seen that night and she looked like she was nursing a bad headache.

“Well, to be honest, I don’t know,” said Lightning as she crossed her arms across her chest. “One moment I’m getting ready to duel that jackass Chaser after he hurt Pharynx and the next thing I knew I was waking up here. Guess you’re in the same boat.”

“Yeah,” sighed Braeburn as he slumped in his cage. “I…I should have just called the police.”

“Yeah, you should have,” said Lightning with a nod. “I mean, I should have as well but I really wanted to hurt that asshole. Should have skipped the duel and just planted my fist into his face several dozen times before shoving the nearest rusty can up his ass.”

“That…,” began Braeburn, blinking as he mentally digested what the girl had said. “Sounds oddly satisfying. Wish I had thought about it.” Once again he glanced at the other cages, the weight of his decision coming down on him. If he had just called the police he could have saved six people and put that disgusting pile known as Star Chaser away. Heck, he should have done it just to save one person. But instead, he had chosen to duel Chaser and had just ended up giving him another person to hold as a hostage. There was only one bit of solace that he had. Chaser had mentioned ‘Applejugs’ which he assumed that viper was talking about his cousin Applejack. More than likely planning on going after her next. At the very least, he had spared his cousins the pain of losing another immediate family member.

Lightning shrugged. “Heh, don’t go too hard on yourself. I’ve been up here for a while so I’ve had time to think about it.”

Laughter echoed through the room, interrupting whatever Braeburn would have said to that. The teen from Appleloosa looked down at the floor just past the tank along with the rest to see that it was Chaser. The escaped teen was howling with laughter, looking like he was about to start dancing with joy at any moment. His head was thrown back so far that he was almost looking at the ceiling, arms extended widely. And, despite the distance, Braeburn could see in his hand his own cell phone.

“He’s coming, he’s coming!” cried Chaser in demoniac glee. “Everything will soon be set right! That retard will fall to my might and then I will be worshiped like the god that I am! Nothing can stop me now! NOTHING!”

“Yeah, because your track record so far has been just stellar.” Braeburn blinked in shock as he turned over to look at the one who had spoken. It was Lightning Dust. She was looking down at Chaser with a smug look on her face, smirking while her eyes were devoid of any fear of the predicament that they were in. When the larger teen looked back down, he saw that Chaser had stopped in his glee to glare up at the turquoise girl with pure hatred. His body seemed to shake slightly as if he were trying to contain the pure rage he felt by such a small insult.

“You,” he hissed, the words barely audible due to the distance. Chaser began to move to one of the tank’s sides, his hate filled eyes on Lightning, as he made his way up to the nearby platform. When he got there, Braeburn got a good look at the teen who had defeated him. While they were at least several dozen feet away and with all the numerous smells around, the large Appleloosa teen felt the sting of stench created by Chaser’s dried sweat. Just by glancing at him, he could see that it had dried into the teen’s clothing who probably didn’t have a change on him. Yet the lines around his eyes had slightly lessened from when he last saw him, suggesting that Chaser had gotten some rest making Braeburn wonder just how long he had been out. Yet Chaser’s pupils were dangerously small, shaking a little as he glared at Lightning in a manic-like fashion.

“You dare to insult me you flat chested loser!” he howled, stomping his foot against the platform.

“Ooo,” replied Lightning, squinting her eyes and hunching her shoulders in a pure mocking fashion. Even her tone was that of mockery, pretending to sound hurt. “Y-You insulted my appearance. How will I ever get by after something like that? Oh, why would you do something like that?” Then Lightning shook her head while her body relaxed. “Yeah, sorry you loon, but I happen to think I look mighty fine. You’re going to have to up your game if you want to get under my skin. Me, on the other hand, it’s too easy to do the same to you.”

Braeburn watched wide eyed as Lightning slid both her hands behind her head while Chaser seethed in anger. “You must really be reta-”

“Really, dropping a word like ‘retarded’ again?” asked Lightning with a yawn, closing her eyes as if ready to fall asleep. This got a reaction out of Chaser that Braeburn never expected. The teen who had captured them took a sudden step backwards as if he had been struck. “Honestly, with the way you use that word makes you seem more immature. Like a little kid trying so hard to pretend that he’s a ‘big boy now’. Get with it! At least try to put a little effort into your insults.”

Chaser seemed to stand there, looking utterly dumbfounded for a moment before his teeth clenched tightly. “Why would I waste my time or put any effort into thinking up insults for those beneath me?” he seethed out.

“A.K.A ‘I lack any form of creativity and will hide behind this lame excuse’,” said Lightning. “Seriously, you use the exact same insults all the time. And do you know why? It’s because you’re the real loser.” Braeburn felt his jaw drop as he watched Chaser lose it even more. The guy looked like he was ready at any moment to leap forward and try to cling to the bars of Lightning’s cage just so he could strike her. As his legs jerked up and down, the teen ran his fingers through his hair as Lightning continued to talk to him. “Just look at yourself. You’re afraid to put any real effort into anything, from your excuses all the way to your dueling. That’s why you cheat! Instead of giving it your all and improving, you look for the easy solution and it’s everyone else’s fault when things don’t work out for you. That’s why you cheated in dueling. That’s why you poisoned all those students. And that’s why you are the biggest loser around. Because you gave up before you even started.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut uP, SHUT UP YOU STUPID CUNT!” screamed Chaser as he began to shake his head back and forth. Chaser was now snarling worse than ever with spittle shooting out, making him look all the more deranged. What had been shocking before now became terrifying for Braeburn as he feared that, in Chaser’s rage, he might lower the cages into the water just to get back at Lightning. Braeburn’s finger gripped the bars by his sides, glancing over at Lightning who somehow still looked calm. As if the idea that he could inflict some form of retribution upon her ever occurred to her. Then…

“Why,” began Chaser as he seemed to calm down all of a sudden. “Why am I talking to some worthless, flat chested loser? You’re not worth the air it would take to speak to.” And with that, Chaser turned and began to move down back towards the ground.

“Mighty dangerous what ya did there,” whispered Braeburn. “Might have killed ya, ya know?”

“It’s all part of the game,” replied Lightning, still very calm. “If he kills me, it means I won. And he knows that.” She then got a serious expression on her face. “Besides, I’m not giving that asshole any pleasure of seeing me cowering in fear or any shit like that. I refuse.”

Hunter opened the door to studio 137, duel disk firmly attached to his arm as he entered. The massive building was bathed in darkness, the lights completely turned off. As he walked inside, Hunter slid one of his hands into his pocket, clutching onto its contents. With each step he took Hunter looked around in the darkness, nearly straining his eyes in the process as he sought signs of his brother. That or signs of the people who helped him escape. But there was nothing. Not even his ears seemed to pick up any noises other than his footsteps and the light splashing of water from somewhere.

As he walked further in, the door behind him closed its shutting echoing throughout the studio. But Hunter just kept walking forward with a hardened expression until a light shined downward, acting light a spotlight to illuminate Chaser. Upon seeing his brother, Hunter came to a complete halt while being unable to hide the shock from his face. He had never seen his brother look so…messy. Chaser’s hair was uncombed and unstyled with bits of it sticking up while others bits looked matted from sweat. His clothing looked second or even third hand, something that he would normally never have allowed to touch his body without endlessly gripping. The only advanced thing he had on him was a duel disk, deck at the ready.

What startled Hunter the most was the look in Chaser’s eyes. He had seen Chaser’s bad side far too often in his life…and he had plenty of them. Looks that had far too often been ignored by his parents as well as many of the adults back in Hollow Shades. The sickening look he gave women when he was undressing them with his eyes, the joy in them when he was watching them be humiliated before him in one way or another. The look of utter superiority he gave others when they lost, the Grinch like curling of the lips as he further insulted them. But this look sent a chill down Hunter’s spine. It was…different but it reminded him of so many things. The manic look of rage he held when he lost to Applejack. The look he had whenever he was about to open up a present, knowing exactly what it was and only barely pretending to be surprised. And…something else.

“Hello…Hunter,” said Chaser, straining himself to say Hunter’s name. “How the tables have turned, hmm?”

“I guess,” replied Hunter stiffly, wondering where this was going while his eyes looked around for signs of other people. Still, there was only darkness around him.

“It’s taken me a long time to say this without vomiting…but I have to admit defeat,” continued Chaser, surprising Hunter enough to get him to stare at Chaser. His younger brother continued to talk, even though he did look a little sick just by saying that. “I had a lot of time in prison to think about how I would get my revenge upon you. All the ways I would make you suffer like the little bitch you are…but, in the end, I had to realize that even if I did it wouldn’t accomplish anything. Sooner or later those morons would catch me and I’d be back in jail. Nothing would really change. And believe me, I’ve looked for any loophole that might let me regain just a fraction of what I once had. Just a tiny taste of the life I used to have. But the dueling league has made it crystal clear that I will never enter a tournament, nor will I be able to become a pro. As for all my other amazing talents, they will sadly have to go to waste. What team, pro or minor league, would ever knowingly sign on someone who poisoned others? I don’t even have a home to go to now with those worthless sacks of shit having left town. Yeah, even those two believe this is the end for me. And this breakout…isn’t helping me any, is it?”

“No,” said Hunter honestly as he looked at his brother. It seemed so alien to hear him talk like this. Sure he was being as rude and insulting, but even that seemed to be toned down as he seemed to realize the position he was in. Like the gravity of his situation was finally coming down on him.

“Then there’s you,” Chaser continued as he gestured with one hand to Hunter. “You, brother, you’ve got it made. A nice place to live, a one of a kind deck. Hell, I bet if you wanted, you could even get into Crystal Prep just by asking. Sky’s the limit, isn’t it? Your life is looking great while mine just gets crappier.”

“Chaser,” began Hunter.

However, before Hunter could say anything more, Chaser threw back his head while spreading his arms in a maniac fashion. “That’s when I came to the most obvious conclusion: I’ll just trade lives with you!”

“…And there it is,” muttered Hunter with a deadpan expression while his brother laughed insanely.

“You see, my time in prison showed me just how special, how great I truly am compared to the rest of humanity!” cried Chaser. “How do you think I escaped? Don’t know? Magic! Within me is the power to command the Shadow Games, allowing me all sorts of abilities that makes me on par with a god! I have tested and honed this great power so that I can live again! Behold!” With that, the lights of the studio turned on all at once, revealing to Hunter the large tank along with all of his friends and aunt trapped in cages. “We, my pathetic brother, will play a Shadow Game. Every time you lose life points, the cages will be lowered deeper into the water and when you hit 0 the cages will be completely submerged! Their deaths will be on your hands! But that’s not all! No, no. The ultimate penalty for this game will be our souls will switch bodies when I win! You will be carted off to jail where you belong, sitting in a cell as you weep for those losers you couldn’t save while I live the rest of my life out in YOUR body!”

“Ah, no,” said Hunter simply as he pulled out his phone, having had enough of his brother’s crazy rant. Magic? Was Chaser that delusional that he believed he could do all that with magic? Ok, he did think that he was God’s gift to the universe, but this…this was pushing it even for him.

“You…You can’t…What are you doing?” Chaser demanded, Hunter’s actions snapping him back to reality.

“I’m calling the police,” replied Hunter simply.

At that, Chaser gritted his teeth. “If you were going to do that anyways then why show up here?” he demanded, his words causing Hunter to pause. Slowly he looked up at his brother, his face no doubt angering Chaser even more by the looks of it. Not that Hunter cared anymore.

“I guess because there was some small part of me that thought maybe, just maybe, you were sorry for what you had done,” admitted Hunter. “That you were calling out to me asking for help. I guess I really am a fool for even thinking that.” Hunter then let out a tired sigh. “But in the more likely event that this was a trap, I wanted to make sure you were here and no one was in any danger.”

“Uh, hello?!?” screamed Chaser as he pointed to his prisoners, Hunter spotting Autumn waving a little from her cage. “With my magic, I can have them lowered into the water and drown!”

“Chaser, you could never manage to work the DVD player,” said Hunter, his expression still deadpanned. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that you could do all this? More than likely, you just chained them up there with some help. There’s no magic involved.”

“Wait, WHAT?” came a roaring laughter from Lightning. Hunter didn’t look up, instead keeping his eyes locked on Chaser who looked fuming mad. “Is that true? The ‘Great and Powerful and Yadda Yadda Star Chaser’ can’t work a simple DVD player.”

“It’s true,” said Star Chart. “Every time I came over he needed his parents to change the disc.” A slight smile appeared on Hunter’s face as he watched veins appearing on Chaser’s face while all of the people he captured broke into thunderous laughter.

“DO YOU REALLY WANT TO TAKE THE CHANCE OF ME DROWNING THEM AND ENDING THEIR WORtHLESS LIVES RIGHT NOW?!” screamed Chaser at the top of his lungs. At that, the building became deafly quiet once more as all eyes fell onto Hunter. For a moment he regarded his panting, deranged brother as he considered his options. Then, after a moment’s consideration, pocketed his phone. But not before pressing the app button that would alert the police.

“Fine Chaser,” said Hunter, deciding to play along for now. Just long enough for the police to get here. “But, if you’re making the stakes that high, then I think I should get something out of this. And all I want is for you to stop.”

This seemed to oddly calm Chaser down. “Hey, you’re pushing a miracle by even thinking that you’ll win,” said the younger brother smugly as he wiped away some spit from his lower lip. “But I suppose I should agree so you can stop wasting my time. Shall we?”

With that, Chaser gestured to the platforms up above the tank with a sickening grin on his face while his eyes seemed to flash. Yet Hunter ignored that as the two silently made their way to the stairs leading upwards. Hunter had chosen the platform closest to both him and the doorway, keeping an eye on the door for the police to arrive. I have to keep Chaser busy until then, thought Hunter as he made his way up before glancing up at the ceiling. I don’t see anyone up there, but that doesn’t mean they’re not around. Probably hiding in a corner or something, watching us so that whenever I lose life points they’ll lower everyone into the water so it seems like Chaser has magic. But…what’s the point of this show? Is it an attempt to mess with me psychologically? And what do the people who are helping Chaser get out of all this?

Soon enough, Hunter stood at the end of the platform with the water directly below him. But his eyes were focused on his brother and nothing else. I don’t know if Chaser did this himself or if he just joined up with a bunch of psychopaths who get off on shit like this. But right now it doesn’t matter. I just need to worry about keeping everyone alive for the time being. I don’t think he’s rebuilt his old Red-Eyes Burn deck since he pretty much destroyed it after losing to Applejack, so I don’t have to worry about getting OTKed right out of the starting gate. But, I shouldn’t let my guard down.

“Well brother, I’ll let you go first,” said Chaser, leaning his head back a little while never losing sight of Hunter. “I want to see what my new deck can do before I demolish you completely!”

“Fine,” said Hunter.

Then, together at the same time, both brothers shouted “Let’s Duel!”