Chapter Text
Prologue
“Boys, it’s starting!” Their mother’s voice called from the living room.
“Newt! Hurry up!” Barley whined, “Hurry!”
“Coming!” His brother said. He had been digging around in the presents they had both gotten for their fourth birthday, and had finally collected a figurine of a famous rider, one who had been the Chaos Cup winner for three years in a row.
The two hurried downstairs, where their mother was setting up snacks in the living room.
“There you are! Come here.” She called them over to sit on her lap as she turned on the TV.
“Where’s dad?” Newt asked, looking around.
“He’s busy.” She sighed, then muttered under her breath, “As per usual. Missing their first Chaos Cup…”
Newt pretended not to hear her.
The TV crackled on to show a reporter interviewing the favourite for this year, and the previous three year winner.
“-how do you think you’ll do this year?” The reporter asked.
“Well, me and Firebird are hoping to win again, but we’re up against some good competition this year. It’ll be a good race, I know that for sure.” Jennifer Williams said.
Newt gasped as he saw her eyes, which were literally made of fire, the whites and everything. “What is that?” He yelped.
“Shh, I’ll tell you later.” Their mother said.
The unicorn under her bellowed. It must have been twice the size of a regular horse, with a sharp, jagged horn that was just as ablaze as it’s rider’s eyes.
“Woah… is that what unicorns actually look like? They look way different in the books.” Newt awed.
Barley could only watch as the interview ended and the riders took their place at the start of the race.
“One… two… aaand three!” A dramatic commentator spoke and, the minute the last word left his mouth, the unicorns bolted.
They ran the first hundred metres before finally lifting into the air.
The noise they made was like no other the boys had heard before. Bellows, screeches and roars that, in certain cases, sounded so intensely human it scared them. The sound filled the air so absolutely to the point you couldn’t even hear the crowd.
Then they started battling.
“And there goes Jennifer, this year’s favourite, already in second! Oh, and she’s just took out first place! What a beautiful Marauder that was!” The commentator boomed.
Another rider, closer to the back, sent a huge blast of lightning toward a competitor, knocking them out of the sky completely. Said rider started to close in on Jennifer, and the two flew side-by-side for a long while, battling and meeting eachother in attacks until, eventually, Jennifer hesitated for an attack, instead glancing down at her unicorn, as if she were unable to summon anything.
The competitor’s hand glowed white.
“Bastard!” Jennifer half yelled, half screamed as the rider struck her unicorn with an arrow made of ice right in the wing, sending her reeling to the right as her unicorn screamed and bellowed and bucked.
“Ava Heavens takes over Jennifer Williams and knocks her out the race? What a surprise from the underdog of the racers today!”
The races went on and on for the next ten minutes, until it was down to the final hundred metres.
Ava was still in first, her unicorn’s wings beating faster and faster with every second, but someone was gaining on her from behind, their hand glowing red with a malicious smile on their face.
Ava’s hand began to turn white, but it was too late. A wall of fire lurched for her unicorn’s wings.
At the very last second, she managed to dodge it, spurring her unicorn faster until it was the last 50 metres, then 30, then ten. And then Ava had won.
She ripped off her helmet, her curly brunette hair falling down her back as she waved at the crowd, a smile so genuine plastered across her face.
She met with Jennifer and shook her hand, and then with the man who was in second and then the girl in third.
After a few speeches and words from the winner, the Chaos Cup shut off.
Barley looked over at his brother, who’s eyes were wide with wonder, awe and something else Barley didn’t yet have the words to describe, he just knew it scared him.
Newt turned around to their mother, “I’m going to be just like them when I’m older.”
“I’m sure you will be, Newt.” Their mother pressed a kiss to his forehead, “Now, go eat your food.”
As the two grew, that look that scared Barley never left Newt’s eyes, and it got stronger with every Chaos Cup the two watched, until, eventually, it was time for their own Hatchery Exam.