I had managed to find myself a bench after about fifteen minutes of searching and was now sharing it with a very interesting teal colored mare. She sat almost like a human would, and continually stared at me with fascination. After a time I had to say something just to break the silence.

"Is there something on my face?" She shook herself quickly.

"Oh...no, sorry. It's just...I've always been fascinated with humans but I've never really had an excuse to talk to one." She spoke quickly now, as if she were embarrassed of what she was saying.

"You don't need an excuse, you know. We're just like you, only we just have the two legs." I gestured to my lower half.

"Y-yeah, but..." Something was clearly wrong, but I let her finish. "Well, I've never met a human, honestly. I keep feeling afraid that when I finally do...it won't be what I expected." I understood very clearly what she meant, but I remained silent for a few more seconds while I got my reply in order.

"Well, you're never going to know unless you try." The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them. She looked at me in surprise, clearly not expecting such a calm answer. "Think about it. Humans as a people really haven't changed much in the entire time we've existed, despite what we'd like to think. We still live, we still die, we still wage war and we still make love. Don't get me wrong, we've gotten more efficient at doing it, but as far as our society goes, we're still the same we were when we first learned how to farm. So if you think humans are going to do something from past references, odds are your expectations will hold up pretty well." Her face lit up.

"Do you really think so?" I turned back to the street, chuckling to myself.

"I do. I might have a little insight into the matter." She shook herself again, only now remembering that she wasn't talking to another pony. Just then, another man strolled right in front of us, whistling giddily. It was good to see so many people so happy to be alive. I liked what this place was doing to everyone who came here. "Hey. Go talk to him." She stared at me as if I were crazy.

"W-What? How?" I shrugged.

"Talk about something that fascinates you. Ask him what it's like to have fingers, or where he comes from on Earth, I don't know. But you're never going to get anywhere with humans if you don't start talking to them." She gulped as she slid down from the bench, glancing from me to the man.

"You know, I never did catch your name. Before I go, could you tell me?" I leaned back, closing my eyes and letting the beautiful sunlight wash over my face.

"Terreson. Joseph K. Terreson. And you?" I heard her hooves begin to clop along the pavement as she walked away.

"Lyra Heartstrings. Oh, and thanks." I felt a tiny pair of somethings on my cheek and then the sound of hooves galloping off down the street. I smiled lightly. She smelled like mint, and the fact that I had just been given a peck on the cheek by the most adorable creature I'd ever seen helped the happiness flow just a little faster.

I'm not sure how long I spent leaning back on that bench, but when I finally opened my eyes again I was greeted to the sight of a big pair of off-matched yellow eyes. I leaned back a little farther, trying to get the full view of the face pressed against my own, and was relieved to learn that this was in fact the mailpony that Shining Armor had referred to. She glanced over at the bag she had set next to me and then back to me, hovering backwards a little bit and landing on the ground in front of me. Good grief, she was even shorter than he had been, only coming up to my thighs.

"Are you Mr...Teerson?" I chuckled, leaning the bag across the bench to open it up and check the contents.

"Yes, I'm Joseph Terreson. And you are?" She grinned happily.

"My name's Derpy. Derpy Hooves." I paused at the utter adorableness that was this pegasus. She looked so ridiculously happy that I just wanted to squeeze her into my chest and lay on the bench with her for the rest of the day. But then my focus drifted back to her eyes and I realized a little something. She was the first pony I'd seen with any kind of physical imperfection, even in a huge city like this. In mere seconds, reflections of my own world passed through my head and I was forced to shake them out or else I might have started crying for her. Being such an oddball, even in such a happy place, had to have been a purgatory for her. There were always those willing to put you down, that much I was sure of, and when it came for someone like this in a world like this...I shook the thoughts out again. There was no time for that. Instead of tears, I reached across the bench and placed a hand on each of her shoulders, pulling her in a little closer to me. She gave me an odd look but didn't resist any. I wrapped both arms around her, pulling her in close for a hug and enjoying the perfect warmth and fluff her fur provided.

As I let her out of my grip, she shook herself and cocked her head at me. "That was for delivering my mail." I'm a terrible liar, but she didn't seem to catch it. "And this..." I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a handful of Bits, which were the local currency. Luckily they had a money changer on the way through Earth customs. "This is for snacks on the way back." Her eyes bulged. Admittedly, I wasn't quite sure about the money system yet, but I didn't really care how high the amount I'd given her was. She could keep it.

"Mister, I can't take all this! Muffins are only three bits, and you need some to get your own." At this point I could hardly stand it any longer. I'd finally been able to pinpoint what this experience was like. It was like talking to a kid who doesn't understand that what they give you won't help, but they're willing to give everything they've got anyway. It's the most tearjerking thing you'll ever see, and yet I couldn't take it back. I lifted my hand up, placing it on her head and rubbing my fingers through her mane. Her grin widened out a little bit, making her look like a puppy getting a belly rub.

"Keep it. I won't need it where I'm going. You just make sure that you see me again, alright?" She nodded enthusiastically, lifting into the air again. As she sped off, I looked back down at my bag and began working on the latches.

After about a minute I had it opened and was greeted to the sight of my full weapons stash. There was my 30/30, my '22 long rifle, five boxes of ammunition for both, and underneath it all, my personal favorite. It may not have been the strongest of the lot, and maybe not the most accurate either, but it was my favorite. Making sure to keep my hands inside the bag, I lifted my Colt Peacemaker up and examined it. I'd cleaned it just before I left, mostly for something to pass the time while I waited for my paperwork to go through, and it was still just as beautiful as ever. Beneath all of these was a Kevlar vest and a few bits and bobs of identification and paperwork, but everything important was here. I stretched and lifted myself off of the bench, grabbing my kit and setting off for Canterlot Castle.

The sun was almost down by the time I got there, but I was right on time. As I approached the front door, the two slightly overbuffed guards stepped in front of me, crossing their spears in an attempt to be intimidating. "Sorry, buddy. No entry this time of day."

"I'm expected." They glanced at one another.

"You sure about that?" I nodded, grinning confidently. Suddenly the door began to creak open from the inside and light spilled from within. Both of the guards spun around, falling to their knees. I knelt as well, having a pretty decent idea of who was behind that door.

"Gentlemen, if you would be so kind as to allow our guest in." They straightened up immediately and stepped aside, allowing me passage through the door. I looked up and was greeted to the sight of a beautiful white mare, a mare who could be none other than Princess Celestia. I stood before her, realizing that she came up to my chest when I stood. "And you must be Mr. Terreson." She sighed, causing me to raise an eyebrow in concern. "Come with me, please." I followed her through the huge door, glancing back and forth at both sides of the huge room. It was like the Taj Mahal, but indescribably more grand. I couldn't have told you in words what it was, but this place seemed like the only area suitable for someone of her grandeur. Of course, thinking such a thing brought me back to the past, when she'd seemed disappointed to see me.

"Milady, may I ask you a question?"

"I believe you just did." She seemed lighthearted enough, but I could tell there was a lot of weight on her shoulders.

"Why did you look disappointed earlier? When you first saw me?" She slowed, allowing me to come up beside her.

"For a few reasons, none of them having to do with you personally. I know you're here to take the post of mine and Luna's bodyguard, but I personally don't want anypony to feel obligated to protect me. It's always been the other way around, if you understand my meaning." I did indeed understand, but that didn't lessen my confusion any when she continued speaking. "Why do you believe I would need a bodyguard, Mr. Terreson?" I thought for a moment, not used to people asking that particular question.

"Because there are other people like me out there. People who are so good at destroying they can't be touched. Only they exercise their ability, and not on bags. They destroy people, and they have fun doing it." Celestia raised an eyebrow at me.

"You believe that there are no ponies with that mindset and ability? Have you not heard of King Sombra?" I had, and it took me another few moments of silence to come up with a suitable reply that got my point across.

"Princess, while Sombra was evil and incredibly powerful, what I'm referring to isn't evil by definition. You and Luna have been taking technology courses alternating weeks, correct?" She nodded, grinning slightly.

"Yes, I find them rather fascinating. Not so much as Luna, though. She is rapidly becoming what you might refer to as a 'gamer'." I smirked, but continued my statement.

"If you've learned anything about computers, then you know that all hard drives have a single line of basic code that cannot be changed or deleted." She nodded. "Well, humans are much like that. We have a single instinct, ingrained deeper in our minds than anything else, and it can't be taken out. It can be covered up, and you can put in things that counter it, but you can't get rid of it. It's usually referred to as the Prime Directive, a single action that we preform to maintain our identity as a species. It's commonly believed that the Prime Directive is simply survival, but I can't believe that after studying history. I genuinely believe that the Prime Directive of all humanity is to destroy whatever is caught in our path. We didn't rise to the top of Earth's food chain because we were the smartest or the strongest. We rose to the top because we, as a species, are more willing to kill than anything else we've ever met, and now we've released that Directive on this new world, completely unrestricted by the fears that hold it back on Earth." She gazed at me in shock, just now understanding where I had been going with all of this. "That, milady, is why you need a bodyguard."