ONE YEAR LATER...
It had been one year and two months since Storm King snapped his finger, the world seemed like it was finally at peace.
Equestria... once a crowded place, now it was just gone. With half of the population wiped out, the only ponies and creatures in charge of it were the mane 6, young 6, spike, Discord, and Sunset.
Twilight is at her castle, talking to Spike. While the others have their business: After a year of mental healing, both Discord and Silverstream were back to themselves again. Which was both a relief for Fluttershy and Gallus. However, there's something wrong; obviously, loneness.
Many populated cities in the world had became ghost towns, and it seemed like the tree of harmony was affected by the energy when Storm King snapped his fingers, too. The Everfree Forest began to grow, later out of control. Twilight have to use her magic to create a force field around the castle so vines and plants won't get in.
"Silver, I know you're still thinking about what happened before..." said Gallus, trying to snap his girlfriend out of the darkness, "Gone.... He just.... wiped everyone out...." Silverstream said in sadness, "I know, but we need to get a future, a better one." Gallus said, but later he felt funny about what he'd said, A better future, he laughed at himself, as if there's one... "Look, we gotta move on." he said, hugging his sad girlfriend, "Gotta move on. The world is in our claws. It's left to us, hon. Otherwise... Storm King would've killed all of us..."
The words seemed to echo in their tiny room...
(~)
The warehouse was filthy. For a year, this particular Canterlot warehouse had sat, collecting dusts, dirt, rodents, insects, and who knows what else. For a long time, ponies' stuff had sat unclaimed, and the managers haven't done a thing about it. No one's left, wiped out.
The warehouse was comprised of fenced-in pens, each belongs to a different ranter. But only one pen had rat that crawled across the dusty table.
And that rat was the one that stepped on the control panel for the Quantum Tunnel resting on the other side of the table. At once, the Quantum Tunnel came back to life, its internal mechanisms spinning. Then there was a bright flash of light, and then the table cracked and broke down by a lone figure that came flew out of the the machine---- it seemed impossibly tiny at first, like a size of an ant.
Then it grew, revealing the blue and red-emerald eyed form of Ember, the dragon lord.
Ember crashed into some boxes inside the storage pan, and a large stack of boxes crushed on her. She pushed the boxes away. Panting, she sat up, looking at her surroundings, trying to het her bearings.
"What the hay?" Ember exclaimed, she took a deep breath of the stale, warehouse air. "Spike?"
(~)
Outside the storage, Ember was glad to breathe some actual fresh air. Though it seemed to quiet around her. She felt disoriented, strangely alone. What happened to Spike? Here's everybody else? And why is she in Canterlot? Ember clearly remembered last time she's at the dragon land. The most important of all, why did her people and friends abandoned her inside the Quantum Realm?
No, not abandoned. She thought, something must have happened.
But she had no idea what.
She walked outside the storage, shocked to found that this once crowded city became a ghost town. "HELLO?! ANY PONY?!" she cried. No responds. "Where did. everyone go?" she muttered.
She checked every single buildings in Canterlot, even the castle, but she was surprised to found that both Celestia and Luna were not there.
She thought about who she'd ask to find out what happened.She thought of Twilight. Ember then lifted into the air, and flew towards Twilight's castle. But on the way there, she spotted a hologram that shown faces... faces of her FRIENDS! She immediately flew down and ran towards the hologram. She was shocked to found that under each of their names were a single uncomfortable word: MISSING.
When she saw her photo that also marked with MISSING, she knew immediately that something terrible had happened, she then flew toward Twilight's castle quick as possible.
(~)
Twilight was drinking when Spike came running in, gasping for air.
"What's wrong Spike?" she asked.
"You...you won't.... believe this..." the little dragon panted.
"What?" Twilight was confused.
"Remember the hologram of creatures that were missing?" Spiked exclaimed, "Well one of them just came back."
A few minutes later, the mane six and the young six, including Discord and Sunset cam crushing at the door. But before they can open it, the door flew opened and pushed everyone onto the ground.
"Twilight?! Is Twilight Sparkle here?!" a familiar voice asked in concern.
Spike couldn't believe his ears, this voice, this tone, he'd never forget.
"Em...Ember?" he asked hesitantly.
"Spike?!" the figure also gasped.
"Ember! You're... you're back?!" Spike exclaimed.
The little dragon then tackled the dragon lord onto the ground, hugging her, "Ember! So glad to see you again!" Spike begin to tear up, happy tears.
"Uh... thanks?" Ember said, sounding confused as stood up and patted Spike's head. "Uh...You can let go of me now." But the purple little dragon just ignored her, kept hugging her.
"Spike?"
No answer.
"SPIKE!"
"Huh?!" the little dragon woke up from his excitement.
"What are you doing?!" Ember asked, "I was only out for a day!"
She then realized everyone is staring at her. "What?"
""I think we'll have to talk." Twilight said, while others were just staring at Ember as she walked into the main room with Twilight. An uneasy feeling shot her.
(~)
"WHAT?!" Ember exclaimed, "YOU SAID I WAS GONE FOR A YEAR?!?!"
"Yes, didn't you know that Storm King snapped his fingers and wiped out almost everyone?" Twilight asked.
"No, wait Storm King did WHAT?"
Twilight then explained everything to her.
"I still couldn't believe it," She lowered her head, "I thought I was gone into the Quantum Realm for a day only... so much happened...."
"Ember, don't blame yourself, it was the Storm King." Twilight comforted her, but Ember seemed to just sank into her thoughts. Then she looked up. "You said the Storm King destroyed the Elements right?"
Twilight nodded.
"Well we can still get it back," Ember said, "Quantum Realm has a very different time and space from our normal world. For example, one minute in there is like an hour in the physical realm. Since the elements were destroyed, how bout going back to the time when it's still there?" She suggested.
"Wait, you mean time traveling?" Twilight asked. Ember nodded.
"I don't think..." Twilight begin, but was cut short by Ember. "Look, I time traveled for a year," she said, "Think about this, if we can sent a team through the Quantum Realm and return to the past, then get all the elements, when they come back all we have to do is to build a gauntlet, snatch the elements in, and snap again. Poof! Everyone's back!" Ember said as she used a paper and a pen to draw her plan.
"So what do you think?" She asked.
"A bit risky," Twilight said, "If the team went back to the past and did anything wrong, then it'll affect the future."
"Okay. Do you rather have your friends back, or just do nothing?" Ember asked.
Twilight thought about it.
"Okay."
"Sunset'll go to the mirror world and get supplies to build the time machine." Ember started, but was cut when she thought about a problem, "What about the team? You guys can't just go back and let the younger version of you all to see you."
"Don't worry," Twilight smiled, "I know just the team."