(Part 1 of the Grimdark Trilogy) Echo the changeling, after the loss in Canterlot, decides that he's sick of being one of the Queen's expendable soldiers, so he leaves his old life behind and ends up back in Canterlot, desperate to live a normal life amongst ponies. However, he soon meets a stunning white and pink mare and their fates intertwine, thrusting them both into a mission to save Equestria from a familiar (and much more powerful) evil.