In 2089, the International Colonization Initiative established Delta Base, an outpost on an asteroid in the outer rim of the solar system. From here, mankind planned to launch their most ambitious mission yet: a research mission to establish the race's first extrasolar colony. The first probes manufactured at the midway point were launched in 2091 and traveled to the nearby Alpha Centauri star system. While the data they beamed back was optimal and showed reasonably terraformable planets, it also revealed something that would change human history forever. After catching the attention of a Galactic Council scout ship, humanity was introduced to an organization comprised of ancient beings that were millennia more advanced than humanity. Ousted as primitives, mankind was protected under only a treaty with the Council that merely encouraged the more advanced species not interfere with humanity's path to what the Council considers adequately mature.
However, those suggestions went largely unheeded by the ancients. what began as an innocent outpost on Pluto by the Ofshin, a race of feathered bird-like creatures, that was hesitantly tolerated by the United Nations out of fear. However, this minor violations opened the floodgates for the other member species to begin encroaching on human territory. After all, man was viewed as an animal, practically. In the face of this obvious threat, humankind reorganized itself into the United Terran Empire. Now, they only had one thing on their mind: preserving man's rightful place amongst the stars. Subsequently, this meant gaining the attention of the Galactic Council, and the only way to do that was to "mature." Research and development of science and mathematics became the forefront of society and a tier-based caste system was adopted to increase social efficiency.
Now, it has been 500 years since the adoption of this new form of government. The progress that has been made is astounding, to say the least. Not only has mankind devised the basics of at least every technology the ancients have developed, but humans were also able to leverage this impressive display of ingenuity to earn themselves a seat on the Council, becoming the youngest race to join. However, they still have far to go. Right now, humanity is looked down upon, not as primitives but rather as delinquents. The galaxy feels as though man does not deserve such a quick pass into the Council when the others had to earn their place through thousands of years of tedious and thorough scientific advancement.
How was humanity to climb this now insurmountable ladder of galactic respect? Equestria may hold the answer as magic is unraveled to reveal the true history of human and ponykind in the universe.
