//------------------------------// // Prologue: Summoned // Story: Twilight's Think Tank // by HiddenMac //------------------------------// "THERE you are!" Spike announced as he entered the library of Twilight's castle. "Should have known you'd be here". "Of course," greeted Princess Twilight. "Were else would I be?" "Well, seeing how it's the middle of the night I'd assume you'd be in bed," her dragon assistant struggled to keep his eyes open. "Not tonight, Spike. I came here to observe the gorgeous meteor shower. The Equids should be at their peak tonight!" Twilight seemed genuinely enthused, standing with her telescope facing the window. The Equid meteor shower was the brightest and most numerous of all, and the clear winter nights made it perfect for viewing. "Besides, it gives me an opportunity to catch up on my astronomy," Twilight clapped her hooves in anticipation of the evening she had planned. Spike let out a yawn, "Well, I'm going back to bed. I just wanted to know where you were". "Sweet dreams!" The lavender Alicorn melodized. "I'll most likely stay up all ni-" Twilight was interrupted when her Cutie Mark began to glow. Looking down at it, she instantly proceeded to bounce up and down. "Ohhh YAY!" she exclaimed, "as if this night couldn't get any better! A friendship problem!" Spike groaned as he knew that meant the end of his chance for slumber. Twilight raced to pick him up and set him on her back as she sprinted to the map room to learn where she was to be sent. Upon arriving she noticed the only Cutie Mark illuminated was her own. "Aww, that's disappointing, I won't be able to travel with any of my friends!" The icon of her Cutie Mark soon started to move across the map until it quickly stopped on Canterlot. "Well a least you won't have to go very far," commented Spike, still hoping to get back to sleep. "No," Twilight's previous enthusiasm soon returned, "and Rarity is already in Canterlot visiting her store! She even managed to drag Applejack along to try to teach her about culture and sophistication! I will be with my friends after all! This is wonderful!" She now felt like she could wrap this problem up quickly so she could spend some quality time in her hometown with some of her best friends. Maybe she could even visit her parents or the Princesses. "I don't think the map called you so you could hang out wi-" Spike started to gag. "What's wrong, Spike?" The dragon let out a belch as a paper materialized from his mouth. "Haven't gotten one of those in while," Twilight remarked. Now that she was a Princess and no longer a student, her assignments came from the map and not Princess Celestia. Twilight caught the letter with her magical aura as Spike inquired as to what it said. She proceeded to read the letter verbatim. "Dear Princess Twilight, Your presence is requested in Canterlot as soon as you are able. A potential problem has arisen and we need the best minds to convene in order to find a solution if deemed necessary. I would like you to chair the summit as I believe you may have the most expertise in combining science and magic. We shall await your arrival, Princess Celestia"