//------------------------------//
// A New Beginning 
// Story: Invictus and the Bishop of Sin 
// by CommanderInvictus 
//------------------------------//

The train rolled into Ponyville Station and Invictus trotted off, inhaling the cool morning air and smiling. “I was never one for rural life, but I could get used to the quiet.” Invictus trotted off the platform and into town, looking around in curiosity at his new environment. He eventually walked into an alley and sat down. “This place is nice and all, but it isn’t Canterlot.” He sighs, and a dark purple pony walks into the alley, frowning. The dark pony says,

“Get up, Invictus. You can’t sit around doing nothing all the rest of your life.” He spoke softly, “Who are you?”

The stranger smiled evilly, their horn glowing a deep blue. “Invictus, who I am is not important right now. What is important is that you settle into your new life here. We can’t have you dying, now can we?”

The unicorn vanished as Invictus shot up to his hooves and trotted away. “Now, that was strange…..who was that?” He trotted into the Everfree Forest, unaware of the dark blue brand on his chest that was applied by that strange purple unicorn. As Invictus observed the forest, a small green vine started to wrap around one of his hind legs tightly. The vine pulls him straight up, and he yelps in pain, his horn glowing a deep grey and drawing his weathered sword to try and hack at the vine. The vine tightened around his hoof, causing huge pain and forcing Invictus to drop his sword. The sword clattered on the ground as another vine wrapped around Invictus' neck and squeezes. His face slowly turns blue as he begins to black out, his last thought being Oh no..... before he blacked out. The vines squeeze tighter before rapidly releasing him as a unicorn stumbles upon Invictus' blacked out form, and gasps, picking up Invictus. "Hey, are you OK? What happened?" The unicorn, their green coat glistening as the galloped back to Ponyville, their light blue mane flapping in the wind as they ran.