"My name is Lyra Heartstrings, and you will not remember me. You won't even remember this conversation. Just like with everypony else I've ever met, everything I do or say will be forgotten. Every letter I've written will appear blank; every piece of evidence I've left behind will end up missing. I'm stuck here in Ponyville because of the same curse that has made me so forgettable. Still, that doesn't stop me from doing the one thing that I love: making music. If my melodies find their way into your heart, then there is still hope for me. If I can't prove that I exist, I can at least prove that my love for each and every one of you exists. Please, listen to my story, my symphony, for it is me."

Cover pic by Spotlight: askspotlight.tumblr.com

In a world of peace, magic and harmony, a flawed human presence may not seem necessary. When Simon returns from outer space to find his world inhabited by creatures with an almost innate perfection, he certainly suspects this to be true. As Simon discovers and documents the fate of his species, and learns how Equestria was built on the ruins of man, he fears that he will prove himself irrelevant. But things are not always what they seem, and the life of the last human may still have meaning.

New cover art by jjames10. Much thanks to him for his excellent work. Original cover art here.

Originally intended to be one scene set in one room in which the question, "Why would a human need to be in Equestria?" was answered, my theory to address the question has expanded to the scale of a small epic. I hope it works.

A lot of the concepts and facts introduced here are so vast and academic, they really can't be expressed in dialogue. Instead a number of scenes are in "written document" format to give the reader a thorough information-dump. This is a world-building fic.

I also omit a lot of the Slice-of-life, getting-to-know-you scenes you see a lot in HiE because the focus is on concepts rather than actions.

I wish to achieve the following with this fanfiction:
Create a character whose strengths and weaknesses are clear, or become clear as the story progresses.
Give the human character a compelling reason to be in Equestria based on an interpretation of the themes of the show.
Present a theory about the character of Twilight Sparkle and her intended role in the future of Equestria
Accurately portray existing characters from the show

Sources of Inspiration (This will be very long, some sources will be missed):
"The Stars Will Aid in Her Escape (Cosmic Love)" - PMV by mmmandarinorange
"Rorschach in Equestria" by Ex-Nihilos
"The Planet of the Apes" (1968)
"Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
"World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War" by Max Brooks (Stylistic influence)
"The Stand" by Stephen King
"Pet Sematary" by Stephen King
"Moon" (2009)
"The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway (Stylistic Influence)
"The Wizard of Oz" (1939)
"King and Lionheart", song and music video by Of Monsters and Men
For some inexplicable reason, this song.
My Little Pony : Friendship is Magic, created by Lauren Faust, property of Hasbro, Inc.

Sources that DID NOT inspire this work:
Arrow 18 Mission Logs: Lone Ranger by Admiraltigerclaw

Feel free to take this premise and make it better.

I feel that this story is either going to be my "Citizen Kane" or my "Plan 9 from Outer Space". Either way it's my masterpiece.

This story is dedicated to Abby, my dog of 14 years who passed away on February 26, 2013

For most of Applejack's life, she didn't know what she was. True, she understood who she was well enough.
But ponies don't change shapes, nor do they get strength from love.
Applejack never thought too hard on it... until the events of a certain wedding brought about some harsh realizations.
Now, with Equestria still reeling from the surprise attack, will Applejack manage to come to terms with what she is? Will she even be able to keep her secret safe?
For if the royal guards don't get her first, the conspirators in the shadows just might...

Image provided by Heilos -

Truly, it is strange to imagine a time in-which our beloved Equestria could have ever known the harshness and the brutality of war. But during the rebellion of Nightmare Moon, our land knew little else. During this time, Nightmare Moon created a vast unyielding force, one as such Equestria had never seen before. But after her defeat, the creation that she had made was forgotten and never spoken of again.

But after a thousand years, when Nightmare Moon returns...Who shall be there to answer her call?

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
-Thomas Jefferson

Three hundred years ago, Equestria tried to assimilate Earth.
They failed. They fled, rather than face justice.
We moved on. We conquered the stars, we made a civilization that spans across the infinite void. We built true harmony between species.
We thought we'd seen the last of Celestia, but as a desperate mobile colony on the fringes of known space came to discover, we were wrong.

It is time to finish what was started by our forefathers.

Based on TCB: Not Alone, by Starman Ghost.

EDIT: Following Starman Ghost's deleting of Not Alone, I've replaced the above link with one leading to a PDF file uploaded to mediafire.

EDIT (14/04/2014): The character of Evening Star was originally created by Starman Ghost. I am using her without his permission.

When Twilight is given the opportunity to travel with Princess Celestia on what appears to be a regular dignitary’s trip to see the dragons, she’s ecstatic. After all, nopony has seen the dragon kingdom in over a hundred years.

But they are not alone on the journey; there are rumours being carried on the wind, hushed whispers of something stirring in the east...

Their presence reignites an ancient chain of events that will see Twilight racing for help in the darkest places on earth and the princess struggling to reconcile her role in the world, surrounded on all sides by enemies she thought defeated millennia ago.

The clock is ticking. Time is running out, and the sun has already begun to set...

(Cover art by the amazing xX-Mr-No-Name-Xx)
Featured on EqD!

Pincer is a changeling, a proud soldier of Queen Chrysalis. After the failed invasion of Canterlot, he finds himself trapped and at the mercy of Princess Celestia's Royal Guard. Believing that Celestia sees his species as nothing but soulless monsters, he prepares himself for the worst. The weeks crawl by, marked by an endless series of questions he will not answer for fear of endangering his friends and family at The Hive. As his nerves wear down and his interrogators learn just how ruthless he thinks they are, they have nothing to report but his belief that they will kill and destroy his kind without mercy.

Celestia steps in to prove him wrong, and what Pincer learns leaves him questioning everything he has ever known — but also gives him hope for what he'd never thought possible.

Cover art commissioned from http://www.demonkings.com.

Now with a TVTropes page.

The Canterlot Caverns are a strange and enigmatic place, untouched and forgotten by pony-kind for centuries. So when a strange metal object is unearthed in their depths, it's up to Twilight Sparkle and Lyra Heartstrings to discover the many secrets it holds.

Together, the two of them will have to do their best to understand the remnants of an ancient civilization, and decipher what remains of Those Who Came Before.

The cover-image is a cleverly edited stock image, which was modified by the stupendous Corvo.
Proofreading was performed by the equally fantastical writers:
Timetraveling Pony (Who started as a proofreader when Cloud was writing this. Hats off to him for being dedicated and staying on as a proofreader for me.)
DustyPwny
Tidal
Superluminous
Night Spark
PhiliChez

And a special Thank You goes to The Sentient Cloud for allowing me the honor of continuing this great story after he retired from writing fimfictions.

As it turns out, this story is eerily similar to Lyra Heartstrings and the Hand of Man. Due to their similarity, I feel that it would be appropriate to give said story a mention.

A young man trapped alone in an alien land with only his wits and his faith as company. Can he keep the darkness growing in the crumbling remains of his former home from causing disaster?

And who the heck decided it would be a good idea to throw in talking, pastel, ponies!?

Dark tag added for later chapters.
Light horror/gore

(This fiction is not an attempt to push any religious beliefs.)
(Please do not post comments pertaining to religion, unless it is a question/comment about the story itself.)

I have always been alone in this forest. I have always feasted in this forest. I call this forest home and those ponies that travel through it are my prey. I devour all those who fear me, all who come to face me. They fear me for I am Fear incarnate. But now...I have met one who does not fear...and I am unsure of what do with her...

Image by the very awesome thewraithofwolf