//------------------------------//
// 01: Her Majesty's Secret Service 
// Story: An Equestrian Princess in London 
// by Gherkin 
//------------------------------//

Change. 

Yes, that was probably the best word to describe everything. Change. Nopony could ever imagine that life existed from beyond the stars, much less that such life would be fundamental in protecting their leaders. And so, with the revelation of alien life, Equestria, its culture, and the ponies who lived there, were forever changed, for they knew that they were not alone.

After James Bond returned to his homeworld, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna decided that it would be best to come clean to the populace of Equestria just what had transpired. While he had been in their land, they had passed him off as a diplomat from a foreign land, not yet charted on any pony map. It was Celestia's conscience, in the end, that made her come clean to her little ponies. She just could not bear to lie to so many about something so important.

"Yes, things have changed, haven't they?" Princess Twilight Sparkle found herself thinking aloud, gazing out at the night sky from the balcony of her room in Canterlot Castle. "Let's just hope it's for the better."

Now the ponies of Equestria knew the truth, but it was not enough. They wanted to know more. They wanted to learn everything about the strange world that Bond had come from. Almost every day, reporters, nobles, and the like would hound Princess Celestia with questions that she did not know the answer to. Not that she didn't share their curiosity, of course. Heck, that's probably the reason she's sending me on this quest in the first place, Twilight thought to herself. Well, that and my curiosity as well. James may have done his best to describe where he had come from to me, but I think I want to see it with my own eyes.

A knock at the door snapped her out of her deep thinking. Beautiful as it was, she forced herself to look away from the wondrous cityscape of Canterlot and back inside her room. Her dragon assistant, Spike, was happily snoozing on the sofa, oblivious to the disturbance.

"Come in!" she called out, trotting back inside from the balcony while giving her wings a stretch. Not sure if I'm ever getting used to these. The double doors swung open, allowing entry to all five of her friends from Ponyville. "Hey!' she exclaimed, trotting forward and hugging all of them. Spike murmured something and rolled onto his side, but remained asleep. "I'm so glad that you all got my letter. Things have been so hectic recently; I'm happy you're all here."

"Oh, nonsense, Twilight," Rarity cooed, closing the doors behind her with a flash of her horn. "We all came as soon as we could. Though I have to agree with you on one point: we all barely had time to settle in after the Summer Sun Celebration before the letters started magically appearing in our letterboxes."

A brash voice from across the room cut her off. "So is it really true?" Rainbow Dash asked hurriedly, looping around in the air and landing in front of Twilight. "The princess really is sending you to an alien world?"

Twilight looked around at the five of them and nodded. "Yes, it is true. I think all of us are wondering just what it's like where James Bond came from, and, well, now it's time for us to find out."

The five of them glanced at each other, bearing expressions ranging from excitement to mild concern. "Are you going alone?" Fluttershy tentatively asked, walking forward and sitting down on the couch. The rest of them looked over at the princess, waiting for some sort of answer.

"No, I'm not," Twilight told them, eliciting a few sighs of relief. "Princess Celestia thinks that it would be best if I took at least one of you with me. Safety in numbers, and all that." She stretched her wings again before folding them back against her sides and sitting down. "The spell she needs to perform is extremely taxing, though. I think that she may only be able to cast it on one other pony."

Her friends cast looks at each other, all thinking the same thing but not wanting ti be the one to ask. Eventually it was Pinkie Pie who spoke up, presenting the question to their friend.

"So, who are you going to take with you?" She tried to put it delicately, so as to not put undue pressure on her. Despite this, everypony else leaned in closer, desperately waiting for an answer. Twilight looked at each of them and sighed, trotting away with a downtrodden look on her face.

"I... I don't know," she admitted, gazing out of the window. "I'm sure that you all want to go very much. I know just how much of an exciting opportunity it will be." There was a pause for a second, but her friends patiently waited for her to continue. "But I'm not sure how dangerous it will be. Every other human may not be as friendly to us as James was."

Applejack, noticing Twilight's confliction, stepped forward and rested a hoof on her shoulder. "It's okay, sugarcube. I'll admit, it would be amazin' to see wherever it is you're goin', but we ain't all gonna hassle you about it. Remember the last time that kinda thing happened?"

The alicorn snickered. "Yeah, the tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala. Gosh, that seems like a lifetime ago..." She drifted off, staring out of the window once again.

Her friend gave her a quick hug, and continued. "Like I was sayin', sure it would be amazing to go, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if we didn't. Besides, I have a feelin' some of us are more eager than others." She smirked, casting a glance over at Rainbow Dash and raising an eyebrow.

The pegasus chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof. "Heh, well it would be pretty cool, I guess."

Twilight giggled and gave her a knowing smirk. "Oh, well if you think it'd just be 'pretty cool', I guess I should take somepony who is enthusiastic."

"Now, hold your horses a minute," Dash blurted out, flying closer towards her. "Okay, well, I meant that maybe it would extremely awesome if I could go with you." She gave a sheepish grin, floating in front of the rest of her friends.

Twilight smiled and trotted past her, sitting down on the couch and inviting the rest of them to do the same. "Heh, that's what I thought." She looked at each and every one of her friends as they sat down. "Rainbow Dash seems the most enthusiastic, I'd say. Does anypony else really want to go?"

All of her friends told her similar stories to Applejack, saying that, while it would be a wonderful experience, they have things to tend to in Equestria. Pinkie Pie looked uncertain, but eventually relented when it was pointed out that the Cakes might not be able to stay on top of their heavy workload without her. "Good point," she said. "With Pound and Pumpkin, they've got a lot of work on their hooves."

"Then it's settled!" Dash exclaimed, taking to the air once again exuberantly. "I'll send a letter to Thunderlane telling him that he's acting captain for the weather team in Ponyville, and we'll be ready to go!"

Twilight smirked and rolled her eyes as the pegasus did a backflip in the air before setting back down on her hooves. "Okay, okay, Rainbow Dash, calm down. It'll still be a few days 'till we're ready to go, at least. There are a lot of things that will need sorting out."

She let out a small squeal of excitement before forcing herself to calm down. "Alright, Twi, I'll make sure everything is in order before we go. Don't you worry about it." 

"Well, if that's all, I'll think the rest of us will hit the hay," Applejack announced, and the rest of them nodded. "Princess Celestia set us up with a few guest rooms nearby, and we'll be sticking around in Canterlot to see you go."

Twilight gave them all a warm smile, before yawning. "Thank you all so much. I mean it, truly. You really are the best of friends." She gave each of them a hug and wished them goodnight as they did the same. Eventually, the room was practically empty once again, with Spike still snoring away nearby on the sofa. She looked over towards him, smiling as he continued to sleep, oblivious to what had been going on around him. As much as I'd love Spike by my side, I think it might be too dangerous for him, she thought to herself, yawning and moving towards the bedroom. He is a baby dragon, after all. I'm sure he won't mind a vacation in Canterlot for a while.

The moment she entered her luxurious bedroom, she found herself overcome with tiredness. The bed itself was particularly inviting. Ugh, it's been a rough couple of days, hasn't it? she thought, climbing into bed, pulling the sheets over her, and using her magic to dim the lights. Still, there's so much left to know. This trip can't come soon enough.


***


Alright, this is it. Today is judgement day. Heh, let's hope everything goes alright.

Twilight kept herself preoccupied by pacing around the room, the sound of her hooves clopping against the marble floor echoing around the room. Her friends looked on, mostly with bemusement, as she did so, mumbling to herself to calm her nerves. Chuckling and shaking her head, Rainbow Dash got to her hooves and trotted over to the doors to the princess' throne room, putting her ear to it and listening in.

"Do you think they're almost ready in there?" she wondered aloud, looking over at Twilight as she stopped pacing.

"Don't be impatient, Dash," Twilight warned. "It's a very complicated procedure. I've spent the last few weeks trying to practice it myself, so we'll be able to return. It takes a great deal of focus and effort, which is why both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are sharing the burden by casting it together."

Dash nodded in understanding, but the revelation did little to quell her excitable manner. "So, what do you think it'll be like when we're there, huh? A whole world full of aliens, and we'll be the first ponies ever to see them!"

"Get a hold of yourself, RD," Applejack called from across the room. "This here trip is extremely important. It ain't gonna be some relaxin' vacation, you get me?" She waited for confirmation. Rainbow nodded, and she continued. "Ya gonna have to keep calm, and act professional. I doubt anyone there will think much of ya if you're goin' on about how 'awesome' everything is."

"Okay, I got it, AJ," the pegasus assured. "I'll be on my best behaviour." She paused, thinking for a second. "Wait just a minute. Where exactly will we end up when we arrive anyway, Twilight?"

"I asked Princess Celestia about this," Twilight told her. "She said to me that she's going to try her best to get us as close to James as possible."

"I'd be ready for anything though, if I were you," Rarity advised, looking towards the both of them.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Wait, let me get this straight. Princess Celestia is just going to dump us on Bond? I don't think he'll take that too well."

"She informed me that she had found a way to message James with a warning," Twilight explained. "She didn't tell me how she did it, though."

Dash turned around to listen in through the door again, muttering to herself. "Well, that's reassuring."

The double doors were suddenly enveloped by a golden glow of magic and pushed open, knocking Rainbow Dash off of her hooves and onto the floor. Pinkie giggled cheerily and bounded over to her, offering to help her up.

"Ugh, it's fine, thanks," the pegasus groaned, rolling onto her stomach and pushing herself up. In doing so, she almost bumped face first into Princess Celestia's legs. The alicorn looked down and smiled mischievously as Dash yelped and backed away suddenly.

The smile on her face changing from mischievous to warm and gentle, Celestia started to address them. "Good morning, everypony. I trust you all had a good night's sleep?"

She was met with a multitude of nods from everyone in the room, apart from one. She looked over to Twilight, who wore a sheepish grin upon her face.

"Twilight," she said in a motherly tone, smirking and raising an eyebrow. "Did you keep yourself awake all night?"

Twilight rubbed the back of her head and looked away, coughing. "Not all night, princess," she explained. "I just didn't sleep as well as I would have hoped." She tried to stifle a yawn, but it was too late; the very action had already betrayed her.

Despite the fact that her former student may not have been entirely truthful, Celestia continued, looking down to address Rainbow Dash. "You've got a lot of work to do. Twilight tells me that you're to accompany her, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow nodded and gave a military salute. "Yes, princess. Don't you worry, me and Twilight have got this!"

"I have no doubt, in either of you," the princess assured, smiling towards them both warmly. "I apologise that I cannot let you all go, but the spell is extremely taxing, even when I perform it with my sister. I hope you understand."

Rarity stepped forward, and bowed. "There is no need to apologise, princess."

"Thank you," Celestia replied. "Now, if there's nothing else, I think we'd best get to it. There's a lot to do."


***


Dear Mr. Bond,

Two of your old friends are coming to visit very soon. I advise that you prepare for their arrival as soon as possible. No doubt it will cause quite a stir. Still, I have faith that you will keep things under control.

-C

James Bond read and re-read the strange text message on his phone over and over again, trying to make heads or tails of it. He had no idea who had sent it, as the number was private. And the mysterious "C" didn't mean anything to him. How did they even get this number, anyway? After a while of debating, he decided to send a reply. 

It is a criminal offence to contact this number.

Simple, but threatening enough to deter any teenage wannabe hacker who might have got a hold of his details. Satisfied, Bond clicked send and slipped the phone back into his pocket. If this continued, he'd report to someone higher up, but, for now, he was going to let it slide and get on with his day. 

Straightening his tie, he walked at a brisk pace down the furnished hallway, heading for the door at the far end. Checking that he was neat and tidy for a final time, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

"Good morning, 007," the woman behind the desk greeted him cheerfully, looking up from her computer.

James flashed her a smile and nodded. "And to you, Miss Moneypenny." He closed the door behind him and stepped forward. "Is he busy?"

She shook her head. "No, he's not. Head right in, he's been waiting to see you all morning."

"Thank you." Giving her another smile, Bond stepped past her and knocked on the polished wooden door, waiting for a response.

"Come in," came the drawl from within. Smirking, Bond pushed it open and stepped inside.

"Ah, good morning, Bond," the man inside said as James walked towards him.

"Good morning, M." Bond's tone became more formal than before, and he took the opportunity to sit down. "How is everything?"

M, or Mallory, sighed, running his hand through his slicked back hair. "Oh, same old, same old, you know. I trust you enjoyed you time off?"

"Immensely, sir." James' tone remained flat and dry.

M chuckled slightly. "Well, I won't even ask what you got up to. Nothing important has come up recently, though Q sent a message earlier. He wants you to help test out some of his latest projects."

"A glorified guinea pig, or something," James commented, smirking.

"Something like that. I may have something for you later, but, for now, you may as well go and see what he wants." He stood up, holding his hand out for James to shake. "Let's hope most days aren't as dull and boring as today, hmm?"

Bond stood up and took his hand, shaking it firmly. "Of course, sir." He went to turn and leave when the phone on Mallory's desk rang. The head of MI6 picked it up quickly. "It's from Q Branch, speak of the devil," he whispered to Bond.

There was a brief silence as he listened to whatever the person on the other end had to say. Judging from M's rapidly changing expression, however, Bond deduced that it was not good news. After a few brief moments, he replied. "Okay, I'll send people down." He slammed the phone down and looked up at Bond. "So much for a boring day. Get down to Q Branch, something's going on."

"What is it?" James asked.

"Buggered if I know," he replied, flustered. "He kept banging on about some sort of white light in the middle of the room. You better go take a look."

James nodded and left the room quickly, setting off at a brisk pace. MI6's new offices were a myriads of corridors and hallways, and it wasn't hard at all for one to get lost. Thankfully, due to all the times he had visited Q down in his labs, James knew the route down there off by heart. He began to jog, puzzled as to just what was going on down there.

He soon reached the basement, as was about to enter Q Branch's labs when there was a bright flash of light, enough to nearly blind him. What was that? he wondered. A flashbang grenade? Not wanting to take chances, he drew his handgun and ran towards Q's lab. He heard confused shouting, and picked up the pace.

He rounded the corner into the main lab, where the call had come from, and raised his weapon, expecting some sort of hostile force. However, upon scanning the room, and seeing what lay in the center of the floor, he realised it was something else entirely.

Is that? No, it can't be...

"Twilight?"


***



DANIEL CRAIG
AS IAN FLEMING'S JAMES BOND 007
IN



AN EQUESTRIAN PRINCESS IN LONDON