Celestia. All I see is red as I lash out at her. She easily dodges my fist before looking down at me in confusion. Amusement, probably.

"You are quite the fighter, aren't you? Even when the threat of death pursues you, you insist on being incompliant. Before we turn her into one of us, I'll give you one last chance to tell us where your youngest sister is. I have a divine feeling that she is indeed an elemental, but you dodging my questions isn't going to help me or you in the slightest." Celestia sighs, shifting her weight to her right side.

"For the last time, I'm not helping you. Chrysie is long gone, and I'm not about to throw her under the bus." I declare.

"Oh? You'll make for a good soldier when this is all done and through.Tell me where your sister is. It will assist you tremendously, and will save both me and you a lot of misery. Do you want to see your sister Violet, as a dragon? They aren't nice, I assure you." Celestia pokes me teasingly, pacing around the table. "Not nice at all. Especially to your type."

My heart skips a beat. So that's what they're doing. Violet... I can't save both Chrysie AND her. My mouth fumbles for words, for anything. I look up into Celestia's eyes, those stupid starry night sky eyes.

"Fuck. You."

She snorts angrily before slamming her hoof on the table, sending stuff tumbling to the floor.

"So be it, you little jerk. Perish to your sister then. She'll kill you with no remorse." She snarls.

So they're going to kill me with my own weaponised sister.

How sick are these things?

My name is Apollyon. Chrysie's brother.

She's only sixteen. She shouldn't have to live in a world like this. None of us should, really.

Three years ago, we dropped a nuke on these bastards, but some sort of magical barrier kept them safe while thousands upon thousands of our own homes were destroyed. And they weren't very happy about the fact that we tried to kill them.

So obviously, uh... That shit didn't work.

Mom and Dad told us everything would be okay. That the army would figure out something. But only four months in, they gave up on any hope that the military would fix things, and went to find Celestia to plead for our lives. And then they got turned into those things, and were pretty much tasked with hunting their kids down.

Just when I thought they could take nothing else from me, they're turning my sister into a monster to kill me too.

How the hell did they even get here?

Violet had always been sort of just... The nice one. Constantly offering her own possessions to us, making flower bracelets for Chrysie (and I'll be honest, I wore her bracelets too)... And now she won't remember any of it. What did she do to deserve this?

The truth is, she didn't do anything. She's done everything in her power to avoid this.

To avoid becoming one of them.

Personally, I think she'd rather be dead.

A sword lays adjacent to me on a table. I sit in a comfy padded chair, arms crossed. Celestia stares at it, intently waiting for me to pick it up. The light in the room shines off of it's tip, reflecting into a faint ray of light. It has a strange pattern along its base of a circle with three diamonds jutting out of it.

"Well? Are you just going to sit there, dumbfounded I'm even letting you have a weapon to defend yourself, or are you going to go without it?" She barks.

"I'm not killing my sister, even if she's brainwashed. So get that out of my face, you fucking freak." I flinch as she throws it over my shoulder, and watch as she lets out an angry grunt.

"You know what? This is your own fault. You shan't cooperate. You shan't help. Screw you!" I hold back a yelp as she throws a chair at the wall, her horn shining brightly. The chair shatters into teeny weeny little pieces. It's obvious I need to shut the fuck up.

"Looks like Celestia the Cunt is throwing a fit. Just like every other dictator when they don't get their way." I can't help myself. My stupid mouth has a mind of its own.

"Guards! Get this human out of here, I'm sick of trying to reason with this little prick." She spits. Two guards, both unicorn, burst in, and usher me out of the room.

Ponies stop to watch me get escorted out of the room, chattering nervously.

"Is that him?"

"Looks to be."

"I heard he got sentenced to death by some hybrid. It must be his sister."

I tune them out, and focus my attention to the two guards escorting me out the front door.

"Tell me where you're taking me." I demand.

In response, they point to the Bronco stadium. They seem to have turned it into a colloseum of sorts. Lights and music can be heard from blocks away, and the sound of a broadcaster yelling through the speakers can be picked out of the vast array of sounds.

So that's where it's gonna happen. That's where my sister is gonna kill me.

The two guards start chatting excitedly about the event.

"It's actually his sister who is fighting him. Celestia talked with her about an hour ago, got her riled up. Told her something or another to convince her to rip the kid to pieces." He turns around and looks at me intently. "You excited for that? To get ripped to bits?" He asks menacingly.

"Not really. I'm just thankful that I can just get this done and over with. Now shut up and take me to her." I mumble, anxiously trying to think of a way out of the predicament. I can't die. Chrysie can still be saved, she's looking for me. I can't abandon her now, when she needs me to keep her safe.

"Don't talk to me like that. You're the one in chains, anyways. I expect a good fight from you." The guard threatens.

"I'm not here to entertain you, you little prick. I'm here to face the monster that you made."

The guards looks me down for a moment before groaning, and prodding me to walk faster.

As we walk, I notice something on the side of a brick apartment. My eyes scan the wall, and I happen to see something that looks interesting enough for me to stop and stare.

To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart. —Eleanor Roosevelt

I think about it for a minute, before getting pushed by the guard in the back.

"Keep moving, human. Your sister is waiting. Waiting to eat you alive, if you catch my drift."

I think about the poem some more, before following the guards request and marching past a crowd of ponies and griffons yelling in my direction teasingly whilst throwing garbage.

It's very quiet when I shuffle to the center of the coliseum, supplied with only my clothes and bare fists. It seems that the spectators were shushed upon my arrival.

Just talk with her. Calm her down. She's probably scared right now, and needs you to calm her. Deep breaths. Deep... breaths....

The two guards from earlier both run over to me at full speed with the sword from earlier, before setting it down at my feet.

"Hey, it wouldn't be entertainment if you didn't stand even the smallest of chances. Good luck, from Princess... Huh. It's from Princess Cadence." The guard raises an eyebrow at the note it came with, before having me pick the sword up. He hands me the note with his magic; the note reads:

Dear Human,
You may not know me, and I may not know you. But I believe there's good in everybody. No matter how much you love your sister, she can't be what she was before. It simply can't be allowed under our dearest princess Celestia's orders. So instead, I present you this sword to defend yourself from the firey anger your sister is sure to have when she sees you. I don't agree with this punishment, nor the fact that it's being used as a medium of entertainment, but my place in the Equine kingdom does not allow me to dictate what is right and what is wrong. I'm simply here to spread love among beings, and to ensure that us ponies can have healthy sex relationships. Anyways, I wish you the best in your fight, and my heart sympathizes with yours.
~Love,
Princess Cadence <3

"Yeah. Thanks." I reply mockingly, already getting ready to discard the sword. Before I can though, I feel my fingers tighten around the blade's handle, and my fingers instinctively find a comfortable spot for when I decide to swing the sword. I notice the emblem on the blade's base glow faintly, and I can't help but feel comfortable holding the thing. I decide to hold onto it for, uh... Safe keeping.

"You should be thanking Princess Cadence. She saw something in you. Too bad you won't be able to thank her yourself though. Y'know. Cause you'll be a puddle of blood." They both bow, before wishing me good luck. And then they're off, kicking up a plume of dust.

I furrow my eyebrows, before taking the blade out one more time with my right hand, and gently swinging it to the left and right to get a feel for it's weight.

"Good afternoon everypony!" A pegasus flies overhead, a megaphone held to his lips. "I hope everyone is super excited for the show. Please, sit back and enjoy. Please welcome Violet into our family with loving arms. She really needs it right now~".

I jump as a loud thud from behind me sends a ripple of rock my way from the floor, only some odd 100 feet away from me. It must be Violet, it has to be. Her entry leaves a cloud of smoke, obscuring my vision. I cock my head towards the dust, as it sprays into my face, and I instinctively sheath the sword and shield my eyes with my left arm.

"Violet? Violet, It's me. It's Apollyon, your brother." I call. I choke on some dust, but push forward through the cloud in her general direction.

"You fucking bastard. How dare you? How could you bring yourself to commit such an awful thing?" Violet calls out woefully.

I didn't think it would hurt this bad to hear her voice again. Sure, it's only been a couple of hours, but I still can't help but feel pain in my heart.

"Violet, what are you talking about? I didn't do anything to you." I plead, walking towards the dust cloud to reach out to her. She needs me. At a time when everything is falling apart around us, she needs me. She finally comes into view as I step out of the cloud.

She's big. Like, really big.

She's (ironically) a dark shade of violet, with short horns and some jagged teeth. My eyes can't help but avoid the fact that she has some sharp claws, too.

It only now occours to me that she's a dragon now. Only now does all of what I was told have any weight or meaning.

"I can't remember anything because of you. I lost everything, even my brother. The brother that you killed." She sobs, obviously distressed. She then begins to stretch out her claws, showing them off to me in a more menacing fashion. I step back in surprise. They can't be forcing her to believe that some dragon is her brother. "See these? I use them to get people who hurt me. Celestia told me you killed my brother. It's time to avenge him." She screams in anguish, before throwing herself directly at me.

"Wait!" She slams into me, and we roll in the dirt and dead grass, and a laceration on my arm almost instantly flares up and begins to spray blood. It's evident her claw got me in my bicep, and I try to think of what exactly it is I should do. I decide to run.

The sword on my back begins to make a strange hissing sound, which I ignore for the moment, instead focusing on running away.

"Run, coward!" She screeches, before taking to the air once more. I collapse in the dirt, sprawled out in pain. The crowd is yelling like crazy, my head is spinning... I hear a sharp screech from above me, and roll to the side, narrowly dodging her claws.

"Violet, listen to me! They brainwashed you into believing their-!" I yelp, as she swipes at me angrily.

"You are so desperate to live! You murderer!" Instinct kicks in and I throw a fist at her snout. I throw another at her eye. Both connect pretty dead center. She screams in agony, and a wave of regret hits me.

"I-i'm sorry!" I choke out. She howls, and lashes out at me again.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" She pounces atop me, trying to bite into my neck. Her eyes glisten with tears, and I can't help but feel hurt as I watch her. I shove her off, gasping for air.

We both scramble to our feet (or claws), staring one another down like animals. Slowly circling each other, like orbiting planets.

"I love you Violet. So much." She breathes in heavily. Angrily. "A-and, I love you for what you are now, too. You have to remember this morning, Violet." I let in a deep breath, as she loosens up, staring at me as if I'm speaking more lies. "Were you afraid sis? I don't blame you." I plead.

She stares at me for a few seconds, and I watch as she grimaces in disbelief.

Suddenly, the sword on my back stops hissing. And then the light. It juts out of the emblem, cascading down onto Violet, who tries to shield her eyes in time to avoid the sudden attack.

The light blankets her in it's warmth, shining a beautiful white.

A soft howl from the blade and a murmur is heard, and it's over.

Suddenly, she snaps out of her trance. Baffled, she looks down at her claws, then up at me. Her eyes begin to water, as she collapses onto the floor in a mess. Her entire body is caked with dirt.

"Apollyon... Oh my god..." She turns her head to the crowd. "Why are they doing this to us?" She whimpers.

I look over the crowd, who is simply watching in awe as my sword dwindles it's light into a faint glow. I try to make sense of what happened, but can't seem to stumble onto a conclusion. For the moment, I shove it to the back of my mind.

I then run up to Violet and check on her. The crowd simultaneously gasps, while I look her over, making sure she isn't hurt.

"Apollyon... What's happened to me?" She asks, looking over herself, devestated.

"Violet, that doesn't matter right now. Me and you, we have to get out of here. We can talk about it later." I proclaim, unsheathing the sword. She jumps back in fear. I notice her distrust to the sword, so I slide it back into it's leather holster. She instantly relaxes.

"... They got me didn't they? I'm a dragon now..." She does a 360, taking it all in. Her tail, wings...

"Violet, you're fine... We need to get out of here now, and we'll talk about it later. I'm just happy you're okay." I promise, before hopping onto her back.

"Hey! What do you think your doing?" She yelps.

"Violet, we need to fly. Now. They all seem to know what's going on now, so we have to get somewhere safe." I order.

"F-fly?" She asks.

"Yeah! Your a dragon, flap your wings and get us outta here!" I yelp worriedly. The crowd is beginning to get out of control. The guards are coming as we speak.

Panicking, she begins running and frantically flapping her wings. With all her effort, we manage to get off the ground.

"Get ready for a fight, Violet." I mutter, watching as Pegasi and Griffin's take flight after us. "Just keep flying, I'll take them."

She simply nods, visibly shaking as she flies ahead.

Author's Note

Pre-Reader Acknowledgement;
N/A

hybrids are actually just otherkin true story

weird but true