Chapter One.
The soft chirping of the crickets hiding amongst the grass echoed through the still and peaceful night of Zion. Overhead the stars of the eve glimmered like fairy lights, the moon in its quarter. Through the insects night song the rustling of grass sounded, and parting, revealed the muzzle of a yaogai, the mutated predators second only to death claws. Huffing out , the bear sniffed as he cautiously stepped out from the brush, the scent of the tribes of Zion still... wait, some prey nearby?
"Evening."
Before the bear could turn to the voice, the boom of a pistol sounded, a muffled splat sounding a moment later as the bear jerked to the right, the top of its head sent off in a spray of gore which splashed across the flora and fauna not quick enough to dodge, its one good eye conveying complete shock at its sudden demise. Arm slumping back to the ground, Joshua glanced down at himself, eyes grim as he regarded the numerous bullet wounds the courier had graced him him. Judging by his difficulty breathing, he may have nick his lung. Giving a small smile behind his bandages, Graham looked up at the sky.
"Well... fuck. Guess I couldn't ask for a better time, huh?"
Slowly closing his eyes, Joshua drew a deep breath, then gently placed his .45 on the ground next to him. Opening his eyes again, he watched as a star streaked across the expanse.
"Guess we're meeting sooner then I thought huh? I guess you really wanted this child home again. Would have liked to go in my sleep of course..."
"And whom dare I ask are you speaking too?"
Looking straight ahead, Joshua's eyes widened, then clenching them shut again, he groaned.
"Great... must be the lack of oxygen."
Opening his eyes again, Joshua regarded the sight before him. Before him appeared a rectangle floating in space, the scenery of Zion seemingly made into a door which swung inward to reveal a black void. But what drew a chuckle was its occupent: wide baby blue eyes, blonde mane, a spiraling horn, and an bemused expression all wrapped up as a...
"A horse. God has had stranger angels in his service one supposes..."
Raising a brow, the mare snorted.
"Pony, if you please. More specifically a unicorn. And you are Joshua Graham, correct?"
Coughing into his hand, Joshua nearly passed out as pain lanced through his lower rib, and pulling his hand away, regarded the pony a moment before nodding.
Smiling brightly, the mare hopped down from the door onto the desert floor, and whistled appreciatively as she looked around a moment.
"A beautiful planet you humans have. A pity not all of it has been so lucky..."
Pressing his hand to his side, Joshua winced as he replied "Its God's actually. We're just borrowing it for now."
Turning back to the human, the unicorn snorted again, saying haughtily "Surely you creatures have found that such things are merely myths."
Deadpanning, Joshua replied smoothly "Yeah... and so are unicorns my child."
"Touche..." The mares face grew stern a moment "And I am noponie's child human. Least of all yours. And should I have been born so, I'd rather have been raised by raiders."
"Pony, compared to me your a fetus. I assume you've been sent to take me Home then?"
The mare tilted her head slightly, the bemused expression back.
"No. Actually, we had other plans for you Joshua Graham."
Looking up again to the sky, Joshua pointed a finger up.
"Your a real prick, you know that?"
Facehooving, the mare sighed.
"Who are you talking to, again?"
Standing slowly, wincing as his wounds bit, Joshua waved a dismissive hand.
"Just an old friend little sister. So, where are we going?"
The unicorn lowered her hoof, looking both pleased and surprised.
"You seem oddly... calm."
Limping to the pony, Joshua said "And though I wander through the valley in the shadow of darkness, I shall fear no evil. God has already set a place for me, but clearly my duties as his hands and voice in his Creation are not yet done."
And again, hoof met face, and a groan accompanied the movement.
"Oh Celestia... they stuck me with a bucking Preacher."
"Missionary, actually."
...........................................................................
The ground under the prostrate form of Ulysses rumbled ominously as the missiles rumbled in their housing, the rockets under them firing up to deliver the ordinance across the wastes. Over the human the flag of the Old World had been tossed in disgust, the blood of the man under beginning to seep through and pool. Slowly though, the noises of the silo began to lower, as though being turned of by a knob. The flames of the rockets stilled in the launchers, the dust being let loose stilled in mid air, and before the temples exit, the Courier paused mid stride, eyelids half closed in blink.
Before Ulysses the dark outline of a door was traced, and with a slight squeek, the door to the Between opened. From the void, a grey slated earth pony stepped from the door, and looked around. Paunching out his lip in a pout, he pulled a watch from the purple vest he had brought, and regarded the object a moment.
"Blast... thats another bet lost. Why in Tarturus are these stallions so hard to pin down... the others didn't cause us such grief..."
Putting the watch away, the stallion frowned deeply, his bushy brows knitting together in thought.
"And of course you get yourself in this state, don't you?"
Sighing, the stallion pulled the flag away, then taking the duster collar into his mouth, pulled the human back towards the door, mumbling "'ell, ets et you atchep u'"
Ulysses eyes fluttered open a moment, and looked up at the pony, and grinning behind his mask, the human slowly patted the equine, muttering "Whose a silly pony, you is..."
Rolling his eyes, the stallion heaved the human through the door, and with a long squeek of protest, the door slid shut, then faded.
