******This fanfic is based on National Geographic’s Seconds from Disaster TV show and contains facts mixed with speculation******
"The Equestria Games. Home to the Crystal Empire's most athletic ponies from around the world. Suddenly, as preparations take place, the equipment is destroyed, leaving nothing to prepare the athletes for the games and the pony they thought is not the Games Inspector. Disasters don't just happen, they're triggered by a chain of critical events. Unlock the clues and countdown those final Seconds from Disaster.
Equestria ------> The Crystal Empire ------> The Equestria Games. 7:10 AM. The ponies leave Spike in charge of pet sitting while the group embark on a journey to the Crystal Empire. 7:25 AM. The ponies reach the platform and board the train. While on board, the group practice their welcome routine for the Games Inspector, the pony to be in charge of the town hosting the games. 7:42 AM. The train arrives at the Crystal Empire station and the group depart inside the castle. 8:15 AM. Everyone inside learns that the normal hair stylist for Princess Cadance's mane is ill and Rarity agrees to help. Worse still, the Games Inspector is arriving sooner than anticipated, leaving little room to figure out the procedure for the hairstyle. 8:30 AM. The Games Inspector arrives and is treated to both the welcome routine and a tour of the castle. 8:42 AM. Rarity struggles to obtain the proper hairdo and needs more time. 9:06 AM. The group find the race track and the Games Inspector decides to take part, trashing everything in and around her. 9:25 AM. The true Games Inspector is making her way around after being left on the platform with no one around to help. 9:32 AM. She arrives at the Spa to learn of what's been going on."
"Now by rewinding the events of that day and going deep into the investigation, we can reveal what happened during the Equestria Games preparations. First on Investigators' minds is to figure out how the ponies identified the wrong pony as the Games Inspector ." *Twilight comes on screen*
"It turns out, there was more than one pony whose luggage had flowers on it. Of course, we also didn't think to ask what her name was."
"Investigators now understand the mix-up but can't figure out why the ponies didn't think to ask if they were speaking to the Games Inspector. The footage they view offers no clues but they come up with a theory. Perhaps they were too caught up in the importance of their task at hand and the importance of the pony they were interacting with. *Applejack comes on screen*
"Golly, we did have a lot of pressure on our hooves, given what Rainbow Dash had said. She told us that the Games Inspector had been trying to keep us pressured on purpose and we had no idea whether any of it was true and whom we thought was the Games Inspector didn't show any signs of this at all."
"With the possible explanation as to why such a simple question wasn't asked about the pony they thought was the Games Inspector answered, Investigators turn to the pony the group had thought was the Games Inspector. Why didn't she introduce herself and what is it about her that drives her to undergo such uncontrolled behavior?" *Ms Harshwhinny comes on screen*
"Well the journey over here was a lengthy one let me tell you that. Second, there was also waiting while I was inside the castle so I didn't get any chance to really run around until we got outside. I guess I didn't think to follow the obstacles properly and then got my head stuck in a vase but that was the best run I've had in a while."
"At last, we can reveal what went wrong at the Equestria Game preparations. 2 hours and 30 minutes to disaster. Twilight Sparkle and her main friends head out for the Crystal Empire. 1 hour and 10 minutes to go. They arrive and learn of both a complicated hairstyle design and a Games Inspector arriving earlier than planned. 21 minutes left. A pony named Ms Harshwhinny departs from the train but because of identical luggage design and Rainbow Dash's words of warning, the ponies leave out a simple question to find out who she is and instead mistake her as the Games Inspector and take her inside. Disaster strikes. The stored energy from her trip and the standing around inside the castle is unleashed, leaving her to run the track and leave the area a mess and the real Games Inspector is identified. "
"Despite the destruction of the equipment, the Games Inspector agrees to make The Crystal Empire be the host of the Equestria Games. The main ponies have learned to better understand the pony they are being asked to see while Rarity herself is studying the entire procedure of the special hairstyle so that in the event of another ill hairstylist, she will be able to plan ahead to ensure the hairstyle is completed correctly the first time.
