The hero himself.
"My name is Echo. I am a Diamond Dog."
— Echo
''The Ballad of Echo the Diamond Dog''
is a My Little Pony fanfic written by Rust.
It's a self-insert fanfic, but instead of being a nice, pretty, technicolor pony, he's turned into one of the carnivorous, brutish Diamond Dogs, because he made a deal with Discord... who was disguised as a man in a tracksuit.
Within five minutes of him appearing in Equestria, he's fought Ahuizotl, met Daring Do, and gotten his throat torn out. Things just get weirder from there.
Also has a sequel.
Part of the The Chess Game of the Gods series of My Little Pony fanfics, if not the original story in the collaboration, although is self contained and does not cross over with any of the other fanfics like the others.
This fanfiction contains examples of:
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Disarray, aka "The Almighty Referencer" loves doing this by throwing in popular references. Done to a much smaller extent by Echo, who is the only one of the group who gets said references.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Disarray.
- Deconstruction Fic: Of the MLP "Human In Equestria/Self Insert" subgenre. Instead of a pony, able to get along, he's a Diamond Dog, who are regarded about as well as... well, Orcs. Instead of things going his way, he's rendered mute within minutes of his arrival. Discord openly states that his presence there is guaranteed to cause chaos wherever he goes. He faces out-and-out racism because of his species. Darker elements of the show are explored.
- Fantastic Racism: When Echo arrives at Wethoof to get medical treatment for an injured Daring, Ginger refuses to open the gates, even when Echo offers to wait outside, and deliberately left out the fact that Echo had an injured pony with him when she informed her superiors. Thankfully said superiors are much more open minded and promptly call her out on this.
- Fiery Redhead: Ginger. Literally and emotionally.
- Flashback: Chapter 13 of the death of Ginger Snaps mother
- Happy Rain: Echo loves the rain.
- Heroic Mime: Played straight within the first chapter of the story. Later subverted when Echo gains the ability to write in the air.
- Humans Are Special: According to Discord, at least, we're more talented in causing chaos than even creatures of pure chaotic energy. It's part of why he sent Echo to Equestria, because he feels that no matter how chaotic he gets, he's nothing but a pale imitation to what humans can do.
- Interspecies Romance: Disarray is the result of one between Discord and Celestia.
- Echo and Daring Do.
- Oh, My Gods!: At one point, when utterly panicking, Echo calls upon "Jesus, God, Allah, Zeus, Odin, Vishnu, Buddha, Ra, Princess Luna, and Stephen Colbert." In one sentence. ...In That Order.
- Shout-Out: Anything Disarray does ever, though Echo, being from our world, gets in on it too.
- Sugar Bowl: Equestria isn't.
