Thousands of years ago, a large group of ponies found themselves suddenly removed from their homes and relocated in a dangerous and foreign land beneath strange stars. They assumed it one of Discord's evil pranks at first, but quickly realized they missed their time under his rule. Inconsistent and ever-changing, he may have been, but he also offered protection and a bounty of food that this new realm sorely lacked.

Millennia later, ponykind had forgotten their sudden exodus from Equus, and all that remained of that time were myths of a great and benevolent ruler who embodied their ideals of innovation and progress. Their society, while divided, plunged forward into new fields of magic and technology at a startling rate. When an astronomer discovered an abnormality in the orbit of a distant solar system and saw the amount of magic needed to sustain it, the two massive nations controlling Eris began a rapid space-race to find their leader and explore the stars.

This story addresses the events on Eris leading to the launch of the mission to Equus. It's sequel, Beneath Distant Stars, addresses the ponies' arrival in Equestria and the events following.