While looking for herbs in an alien part of the Everfree, Zecora comes upon the home of another pony denizen of the dangerous forest. She discovered a lonely young stallion named Elmwood Birch. She befriends the him and helps him get to know some of the ponies of Ponyville. Along the way he discovers a young mare who also ponders her own existence. Together they must discover what it means to be alive and what secrets lie between the shadow and the soul.