Although she is ashamed to admit it, Rainbow Dash sleeps with a Spitfire plush. But that gets her thinking...what would it feel like to cuddle with another pony instead of a doll? Now she is determined to seek out her friends and find out.

Rainbow Dash walks through the deserted, snowed streets of Ponyville, looking for a place to get warm and finds herself at the door of the local library. Even in the coldest of winter days, warmth can be found, and, as she soon figures out, there are many ways to share your warmth with another.

Some more special and meaningful than others.

A heartwarming story during the cold winter months. Contains feel-good TwiDash shipping

Credit for the picture goes to NyuuChanDiannePie on DeviantART

Edited by: Inumaniac & Shumiry

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

Derpy Hooves is secretly a changeling.

Nopony particularly notices, or cares.

(New 9/15/19: Spanish translation by Spaniard Kiwi! Thank you!)

She was once a great mare, the pride of Equestria's rulers.
The sole wielder of the element of magic...
Now but a shell of her former self after just one tragic night... and the long months that followed.

Because what would it be like to have your closest friend violently taken away from you?
Even after a full year with no sign of him, would it ever seem possible that he would ever be seen again, or that he was even alive?

Twilight Sparkle, with the help of her friends, attempts to rebuild her life from the ground up after a full year of dwelling in the past, and trying to find any trace of her former assistant.
Spike's gone, but does Twilight have what it takes to bring herself back from the same void?

After GLaDOS is uploaded into a potato battery, Wheatley humiliates the AI even further by uploading her into a project that was abandoned by Aperture a long time ago. In the blink of an eye, she finds herself in a deformed body of flesh and bone that resembles an equine, and is just as powerless as one too. It comes with all of its needs and bodily functions as well. To make matters worse, she's trapped in a land full of insufferable creatures that just want to make 'friends.' Will GLaDOS' cold, sadistic sense of humor and morals get the better of the ponies? Or will they peel away the once artificial being's metallic shell and find that there's a softer side? Probably not, but it's worth a try.

Story Theme: Tyler Bates - I Love You (Watchmen OST)

Thanks to Meeester, MrJoshy, and funkyferret for proofreading/reviewing.

Cover by Fedte16.

Twilight Sparkle thinks that Cheerilee would provide a very interesting partner... to talk to... about literature. Nothing else. Right?

Spike has been rejected by Rarity after helping her for a very important client and a fashion show. He disappears shortly afterwards, leaving Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of the gang saddened by his absence.

It has been three years since that incident, and the girls have gotten past the sadness, but still get together to remember the purple dragon every year. On this day, a new pony comes to Ponyville, and although he knows nothing of what his life was like, helps the group have more fun and fills part of the hole left in their hearts from Spike.

Idea for the fashion show goes to LordPlagus777's story Heart of Scales.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, trying to think about anything but the straps that bound her to the wooden board. She cracked one eye open just enough to see Applejack, smiling mouth full of the knives that would soon be racing though the air towards her. The things some ponies will do for love...

There was only one explanation. For all of it. All of the strange, erratic behavior. Her irrational fear of the sun. Her nocturnal habits of locking herself in in the dark and closing all the blinds. Wearing her sunglasses everywhere, even inside! It was time to invest in some silver, garlic, and a wooden stake.