A human wakes up to find that not only has he been altered in species and gender, but that he has also landed halfway across the world from Equestria, in an unfamiliar land.

This is not that story. Not yet, anyway.

A decade in passing and Kaz has gained a reputation as a member of a well-known group of explorers traveling the world. Not once have they set foot on Equestrian soil, and she was content to keep it that way, for her appearance would bring about unwanted attention from a few certain ponies and one certain baby dragon. So what happens when the rest of the group hears of unbelievable tales of Equestria, and decide that it's time they paid a visit?

An impending disaster, that's what.

In a last act of defiance, King Sombra not only dragged the Crystal Empire with him to his thousand-year imprisonment, but the Elements of Harmony as well. And so, with the rise of Nightmare Moon, the course of history was forever altered.

A thousand years later, on the Eve of Hearth's Warming, a certain young dragon is tasked with overseeing some of the preparations for the upcoming celebration, with a strange addition to the list; make a few friends. He can't imagine why; it's not as though the fate of Equestria depends on it.

But neither could he imagine the return of the dark king on that very night, and never would it cross his mind that he would soon embark on a journey to the north to stop him, with a group of strangers by his side.