Author's Note

Hope this doesn't mean I have to add a certain other tag...

Pharynx's...Revival?

A lone, light green unicorn trots into the Everfree Forest, also known as Fairy Forest to the residents of Wooden Path. It was a fairly normal day before then...it seems odd that Lyra would choose to come back after all this time, especially with wha-

But, then, I realize, I'm telling, not showing again.

...Lets keep in mind something, though

Sometimes, people just trust words more than they trust pictures.

If you want a picture story, I suppose I could post this entire story as pictures-

...But, then, we might be here for everywhere. Plus, I don't even know what the mods would think of that-

But, I'm breaking your immersion, so, lets start over.

A lone, light green unicorn walked into the Everfree Forest slash Fairy Forest, a small ornamental flower wreathe wrapped around her horn. She was also wearing something resembling a toga, but, could have simply been a light, white dress.

Normally, Lyra Heartstrings would have simply merely visited the trees, and offered her prayers to them-

...But, something was different this day. She could feel a sense of anger in the air. Yet, the source of the anger was not obvious to her. ...But, then-

"Pharynx," she said with a sigh, before walking over to a certain patch of trees.

She stopped infront of one of the strange holed roots, ready to question and wonder, before-

"...I'm not mad," the calm, yet potentially furious voice said...Though mostly calm. "Just disappointed..."

"Its the Ruined Cycle, Pharynx," the unicorn noted, Lyra oddly calm, with a strange, bored look on her face.

"...The ruined cycle? How-"

"Its complicated. All I want to know right now is...Are you ready to get out of that tree?"

"...Now thats complicated," the voice murmured. "I actually don't remember how long I've been in here for...But, I actually see change these days...To an extent, anyway." It sounded like the voice was disappointed, almost as if the type of extent, and what was being changed, might or might not have been completely what he intended. "But...I am prepared for the ritual, regardless."

Suddenly, pieces of bark fell on the tree, with strange symbols carved into them.

"...You know, its called 'The Wooden Path' for a reason. Not many ponies can comprehend 'nanashi.exe-'"

"Its an oddity...I know," he admitted. "But, sometimes, you have to bring about the odd, before you can bring about the better. So...Will you finally prepare the ritual, Lyra? ...Well, you know what I was going to say."

The light green unicorn just grinned. "Of course~ Been ready for a long time now." She quickly trotted over to the middle of the clearing, beginning to inscribe various markings, but-

"...Dead Center?", she asked, voice having suspicion in it.

"Of course! We need all the luck we can get, after all..."

She raised an eyebrow, but shrugged, drawing four two-lined triangles in the center, before working on the rest of the symbols. Then-

"no marcachd gu marcachd, leig leis na frithealaichean ceangal... no marcachd gu marcachd, leig leis na frithealaichean ceangal... no marcachd gu marcachd, leig leis na frithealaichean ceangal..." the voices chanted, in a dialect matching that of an old flutter tongue.

As they did so, a unicorn like shape started to rise from the dirt-

...With a broken horn.

Lyra looked horrified. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Why?", Pharynx's voice asked, in a tone that sounded disappointed. "Some part of you that is still sapient, had to have realized that I would not have started with my champion fully whole...I know, you're all disappointed that I would do this, but...sometimes, these things have to be earn-"

"CONNECTION HAS BEGUN...WARNING. RITUAL IS HAVING AN ODD EFFECT ON TARTARUS," A voice high above them said.

"WHAT?!", Pharynx exclaimed in outrage. "WHAT KIND OF EFFECT?!"

"...UNKNOWN. DETECTING BOTH EQUESTRIAN AND EARTH LIFE. ...EFFECT ANALYZED. THE SPACE HAS BEEN ALTERED INTO A MORE MODERN, POST-APOCALYPTIC LANDSCAPE."

"..." He sighed heavily. "Should have known this would happen...He told me this would happen at some point, if I did not simply give in. Fine. For better or worse, this one is our champion."

"...ACCEPTANCE CLARIFIED. PLEASE DEPOSIT THE SOULS OF THE RITUALIST AND THE RITUAL MASTER INTO THE VESSEL."

"! ..." Pharynx started making stammering noises. "I-I don't- I have n-no idea what you-"

"...OVERRIDING ROOTS. REALIZING FLAW IN ASKING 'PHARYNX' TO SUBMIT HIS *Entire* SOUL."

"Now thats much bett- ...Wait, wha-"

Suddenly

One of his roots snatched up Lyra, and pushed her closer to the vessel. She seemed intimidated, and struggled-! ...Before suddenly relaxing in its grasp.

"L-lyra, stop that, you must resis-"

Another root of his...touched the broken horn.

The vessel...started to take life.

"THIS IS WRONG, AND YOU KNOW IT!", the tree screamed.

"Really?" the voice above asked. "PERHAPS YOU WOULD HAVE HAD A LEG TO STAND ON IN THIS ARGUMENT...IF THIS WAS NOT A CONSENSUAL RITUAL. YOU CANNOT ASK FOR A CHAMPION, AND GIVE NOTHING IN RETURN!"

"B-but, Lyra-" Pharynx started to argue.

"I am not your god of moral order, Pharynx...That ship has sailed. Also, you've put poor Lyra through this so many times, but, your unwillingness to commit consciously- ...Unless-"

Wedding bell sounds started to-

"NO! ...I mean-" He sighed. "They're not a child...This is not that," Pharynx told himself. "This is merely a ritual. A magical ritual."

"...Go on. What do you want me to do with the child this time?" the voice above asked, as if knowing something about this ritual.

"...THEY ARE MY CHAMPION, I HAVE ALREADY DECLARED IT!" Pharynx said, angrily.

"...Well, if they're merely just your champion-"

The tree could feel its wood getting tighter around it.

"...NO. YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME, YOU CAN'T! YOU CAN'T HUMILIATE ME AGAIN! I WON'T ALLOW IT! I WON'T-"

"So, you're saying...What are you calling the last one, exactly?" the last one asked pointedly.

"...I give up," Pharynx said, sighing heavily. "You win...This champion is our child."

"...I'm not quite sure I buy it this time. Louder."

"...They're our child," Pharynx said...Gritting his teeth. Or would have, if he had teeth.

"THEY'RE NOT FROM A FOREIGN LAND THIS TIME?! WHY, PHARYNX, I THOUGHT YOUR INCLINATION TO ADOPT JUST ABOUT ANYONE-"

"SHUT UP! WHATEVER THEY ARE, THEY ARE MY CHILD, AND I ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY!"

"...Perfect~"

The vessel- NAY, THE ENTIRE CLEARING LIT UP, WITH A BRIGHT, BRILLIANT LIGHT!

Things were about to get interesting~