******This fanfic is based on National Geographic’s Seconds from Disaster TV show and contains facts mixed with speculation******
"Canterlot Castle. Home of the Summer Sun Celebration, the very first sunrise of the year. Suddenly, Celestia is nowhere to be found and a new pony has taken her place. Where did Celestia go and who is this new pony? Disasters don't just happen. They're triggered by a chain of critical events. Unlock the clues in those final Seconds from Disaster.
Equestria ------> Ponyville ---------> The Summer Sun Celebration
"The Summer Sun Celebration is a time when ponies across town gather to watch the very first sunrise done by Princess Celestia, one of two sisters that reside in Canterlot. 12:15 PM. Twilight Sparkle is reading up on an old legend in her book. It's a book all about six jewels known as the Elements of Harmony. 1:18 PM. Twilight Sparkle heads home to read more on the topic and is referred to a legend of the Mare in the Moon. 1:40 PM. Twilight writes a letter to Princess Celestia about Nightmare Moon's return but is not believed. 2:00 PM. Twilight Sparkle heads to Ponyville to make some friends. 2:21 PM. Twilight Sparkle returns home to a party that lasts into the evening. 7:55 PM. At the Summer Sun Celebration, the mayor of Ponyville comes out for a brief intro but there's no Princess Celestia, only a pony named Nightmare Moon that wants to bring eternal night.
"Now by rewinding the events of that day and going deep into the investigation, we can reveal what went wrong at the Summer Sun Celebration. Investigators must first discover how Nightmare Moon was so easily able to capture Princess Celestia. The footage offers no clues. *Princess Celestia comes on screen*
"I had been so distracted by the Summer Sun Celebration events that I wasn't paying attention to anything else," explained Celestia.
"Now that they know how Celestia was easily overpowered, the next question to answers is how did Nightmare Moon get this way? The footage reveals that Nightmare Moon was born out of Princess Luna's resentment to raising the moon at night. Investigators wonder why she had she resented raising the moon? *Princess Luna comes on screen*
"It became tiresome to be up at night when I could've been sleeping. Plus only Princess Celestia was there to see any of my hard work. Each night I hated the idea a bit more," stated Luna.
"Investigators now need to understand why no action was taken to stop Nightmare Moon's arrival. *Twilight Sparkle comes on screen*
"Most likely, everypony either didn't know about the legend or either knew about it and didn't believe it or knew about it and feared what Nightmare Moon was capable of," replied Twilight.
"Only one question remains. Twilight Sparkle knew about the impending danger ahead. Why didn't she warn anyone?" *Spike comes on screen*
"That's easy. Princess Celestia had specifically told Twilight to make some friends and that's partially what she set off to do but she also had to research it more to find the big picture," said Spike.
"At last, we can now reveal what left the Summer Sun Celebration Seconds from Disaster. 7 hours and 40 minutes to disaster. Twilight reads up on a legend but without much to go on, she's stuck trying to find information and making friends as told instead of warning everyone of the danger. 3 hours and 30 minutes left. Since it's only a legend, any sense of mentioning the danger is quickly dismissed. 45 minutes to go. Since Princess Celestia is preoccupied with the Summer Sun Celebration, she does not see Nightmare Moon approach and capture her. Disaster strikes. Nightmare Moon appears and declares eternal night for all."
"After the disaster, announcements have been made so that other ponies can be there when Luna raises the moon. Princess Celestia has hired guards to keep watch for any intruders during times of big events. Those in Ponyville now are more willing to accept danger if it comes from a trustworthy pony. These safety measures will ensure that the Summer Sun Celebration will never be ruined again.