"Ugh." Twilight said, as she began to regain consciousness, "Did anypony see the owner of that wagon?" she thought aloud. Looking around to get her bearings, it turned out that she was in what appeared to be a dark room. Sparking her horn, preparing a quick light spell. she found...
That she was in the literal middle of nowhere.
Blackness extended from one end of the space to the other, no end in sight. Tapping one hoof on what would otherwise be the floor, Twilight heard a muffled click, almost like she was walking on a carpet. Looking ahead of her, she thought, "Well, nowhere to go but forward."
And so she started stepping forward, only to stop when a voice greeted her. "Ah! King Arthur!"
Twilight gave the direction the voice came from an odd look. "I'm pret-ty sure you got both of those wrong. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. May I ask who you are? Or for that matter, where you are?"
A wizened man appeared as if from the ether. "My name is Merlin, my lady. And I meant no offense. You see, the kingdom I come from is in peril, currently. An evil sorceress by the name of Morgana is poised to take the throne. The king of the land, King Arthur, has gone missing, along with his knights. I called out to any nearby universe that would be able to render aid." he smirked. "Guess who got the lucky number." he added.
Twilight said, "I take it that I can't go back home until the problem is solved and the kingdom returned to peace?"
"This is a time of desperate need, princess."
Twilight sighed. "If this is to become a war, I'll need an army. Or a really strong team. Preferably both."
Merlin nodded. "Allow me." With a clap of his hands, an array of statues was summoned. Each one had a knight with a different set of armour and shields bearing different symbols. Each had a sword and a weapon unique to them.
The first one showed a knight who stood beside what seemed to be a cart filled with herbs and the like, a sword on his back. "This," Merlin said, "Is sir Lancelot. Arthur's closest friend and a master with potions as he was with blades and lances." Considering carefully, Twilight placed a hoof on the statue and intoned, "From the land of Equestria, the forest of the Everfree, Zecora, zebra shaman, I dost summon thee. Reliability.."
Appearing before the statue was a smaller one that looked like Zecora. Twilight thought to herself, "Yeah. I got this." before moving on to the next statue. This one appeared to be of a light framed man with glasses on. His shield bore a picture of a sphinx.
Merlin explained, "This is sir Breeze, the mechanically inclined of the knights."
Thinking again, Twilight intoned, "From the land of Equestria, the town of Ponyville, musician Vinyl Scratch, this role I command that ye shall fill. Rhythm!" Sure enough, a statue of the penned DJ appeared next to the statue.
Moving on, Twilight came to a statue of another light framed man standing beside a few small towers. His shield bore the image of a bat. Merlin said, "This is Sir Brick, who is a master of stationary defenses."
Choosing carefully, Twilight again intoned, "From the land of Equestria, Sweet Apple Acres farm, Applejack, noble farmer, help me protect this world from harm. Honesty!"
The next statue was of a man wielding a crossbow and standing beside a cart bearing a ballista. His emblem was of an eagle. Merlin said, "And this is Sir Darren, our ranged specialist."
Twilight intoned, "From Equestria's lands, Cloudsdale's skies, Rainbow Dash, element of Loyalty, to this challenge I request you rise. Loyalty!" Sure enough, a statue of her pegasus friend appeared.
The next was of one wielding a mace with a shield bearing the image of a Cerberus. ""This is Sir Gallop, one among the fastest of the team."
"From the land of Equestria, Wonderbolt training camp. Spitfire, Wonderbolt captain, fill this land with light, as light may pour from a lamp. Responsibility!"
Next up was a heavyset man bearing a large axe and a shield with the image of a panther. Merlin smirked. "And this would be Sir Phil, or Percival, if you prefer. I think you can guess what his main occupation is." he chuckled.
"From the land of Equestria, Ponyville's Sugarcube Corner, Party pony Pinkie Pie, I call upon thee to fulfill this order. Laughter!"
Next was a man wearing grayish-white armour. His emblem was of a musical note.
"And this is Sir Tone, our expert musician."
"From the land of Equestria, Let music fill the air. Octavia of Ponyville, become this knight's heir. Melody!!"
The next was of another light framed man with a spear. His shield bore the image of a hydra. "And here is Sir Zeke. One of the smartest among the team."
"From Canterlot, Equestria, old friend of mine, Moondancer, fellow student, may this prove an easy climb. Curiosity!"
Finally was another heavyset -yet very strong looking- man. He stood beside a cart and bore a shield with an octopus emblazoned on it.
"And this would be Sir Lug. Possibly the strongest and most peace-loving among the group! Also something of an animal lover."
"From Equestria's lands, Ponyville's Fluttershy, from Our home to protect this one, by and by. Kindness!"
And with the appearance of Fluttershy's statue, the small army was complete.
"Very well!" Merlin said. "This shall be your vanguard. There's one last thing to do." Clapping his hands again, with a wisp of magic, a stretch of light led from the circle of knights to one last statue. This, clearly, was the statue of King Arthur, judging by the crowned helmet.
Taking her place beside that statue, the crown levitated from the head of the statue and onto hers. where it promptly re-molded into a more equine design. Words filled her mind and she almost instinctively said, "And with this, the knights of Harmony are made whole. I summon the lot of you, help me to achieve this goal!"
With a flash of light, the pony statues came to life. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak, eyes glowing white, "We answer your summons, Twilight. Together we shall help you protect this land from evil to the best of our ability." Then she seemed to awaken. "Huh? What? What's going on?"
Rainbow's query was echoed by the rest of the newly formed vanguard.
Twilight smiled and said, "Everypony, we have been called upon to protect this land from evil. Let us do our level best to send these villains back to whatever part of Tartarus spawned them!"
A cheer filled the room, showing that the team was feeling inspired. Their journey, however, had only begun.