10: Viva Las Pegasus
"I think you're so blinded by inconsolable rage that you don't care who you hurt."
***
The bright, shining lights of Las Pegasus were unsurprisingly familiar to the ones Bond had seen in Las Vegas, back on Earth. Seriously, is everything here some sort of pun or pop culture reference? he thought, stepping off the train and onto the platform now that it had arrived in the bustling, colourful city in the middle of the San Palomino desert. This entire place makes no sense, even without the talking ponies and magical princesses.
The city was definitely a far cry from the likes of Canterlot and Ponyville. It definitely didn’t share the pseudo-medieval style and architecture, for a start. The sun was setting and the night was beginning, so a multitude of ponies, locals and tourists alike, were setting out for a long night of fun, to try their luck on the tables and probably get drunk in the process. These definitely the snobby kind of ponies Bond had become accustomed to, or the cheerful and happy, if somewhat suspicious, inhabitants of Ponyville. As happy and idyllic as Equestria seemed, it was obvious here that it had it’s fair share of vices too.
The Gates of Tartarus, Celestia called it, Bond mused, stepping out of the station and onto the street. Brute Force has made his casino sound very inviting, that’s for sure. He knew the type. Sleazy places, filled with strippers, cheap liquor, and games that were rigged to rob you of every cent. Or bit, in this case. James also realised that Brute Force was going to be expecting him, and, if not, he would at least have told his guards to keep a lookout. If he managed to make it inside the casino peacefully and quietly, Bond knew that it most certainly wouldn't last. Whether they tried to kill him on sight or had something else planned entirely, James knew that he had to go in prepared for anything.
The Las Pegasus strip was certainly a sight to behold. Flashing neon lights assaulted the senses, and James found himself swamped by ponies gawking at the sights. Carriages carrying groups of ponies rolled down the street past him, its inhabitants chatting or gaping up at the bright lights of Equestria’s sin city, enthralled by the immense variety of sights and sounds. 007 found himself staring at some of the attractions himself as he started to make his way down the street.
“Celestia’s Palace,” he murmured to himself, noting one casino in particular off to his right, seemingly designed to replicate the princess’ castle in Canterlot. It seemed to hold itself in a higher regard than most of the other casinos he could see, as most of the ponies entering and leaving held themselves more formally and wore smarter attire, as opposed to the more casual outfits James had noticed. “Now I wonder why that sounds familiar.” He chuckled and shook his head. I wonder how Twilight’s doing, he thought, pressing onward. She’s probably searching through every single book in that damn library, I bet.
As he made his way further down the Strip, he began to make out what could only be The Gates of Tartarus. The casino sported some sort of gothic architecture, featuring statues of many hideous looking creatures, including a prominent one sporting the likeness of Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound. God, I wouldn’t be surprised if that thing is actually real here. The place looked as sleazy as it sounded; many drunken ponies surrounded its entrance, rambling loudly or vomiting across the pavement. A billboard even advertised “the best dancers this side of Manehattan.” Bond briefly wondered how ponies could even perform erotic dances, before banishing the thought from his mind.
The wasted ponies gave him looks as he approached. One drunken stallion decided to stumble towards him, a bottle of liquor still in hoof. He laughed loudly and held the bottle towards him, but James simply shoved him out of the way and kept on walking, throwing open the door to the casino and stepping inside.
The inside of the casino was dimly lit, with only a few flickering lanterns providing light. Blaring jazz music and assorted screaming and hollering drowned out almost all other noise. Passing through the foyer, and eyed by a few suspicious looking guards, Bond entered the main casino floor. The room was dominated by a stage on the far side, upon which a group of burlesque style dancers were performing a routine. Poker, roulette and blackjack tables lined the floor, alongside a number of slot machines and a bar off to the side. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the guards whisper something into the ear of one of his friends. Well, they know I’m here. Let’s see where this goes.
Deciding to just blend in for the mean time, he made his way over to the cashier’s desk, pulling a bag of bits from his pocket. A small sign beside the desk proclaimed the exchange rate: one bit equals five chips. The pony behind the counter, a bored looking pegasus mare, raised an eyebrow as he approached, but otherwise didn’t object when he dropped the bag in front of her.
“How many chips would you like, sir?” the mare asked in a dreary tone, obviously having had to repeat the same question as part of her job for quite a long time.
“Not many,” Bond answered simply. “I don’t expect to be playing for very long. Give me five hundred.”
“Very well sir,” she replied in the same bored tone. James noticed her eyes drift to the side to glance at one of the security guards as she counted out his coins, before she looked up back at him again, holding his chips up. “Have fun, and remember to gamble responsibly.”
Like they actually mean that, James thought, walking away with chips in hand. As he made his way towards some of the roulette tables near the stage, he noticed the guard from earlier walking through a door marked “employees only.” No doubt on his way to inform his boss of my arrival. James knew Brute Force wouldn’t want to kill him. He probably thought he could still convince the agent to work with him, involuntarily if need be. He didn’t seem like the smartest pony, that’s for sure. Still, James needed to keep his guard up, just in case.
The musical number was still going in full swing as he arrived at the table. A few ponies gambling looked up at him cautiously, but shrugged and continued with their games. The croupier gave him a sleazy looking smile as he placed his chips on the table.
“Evening sir,” the croupier said in a gruff voice. “You don’t look like you’re from around here. Well, you’re in luck. You’ve stumbled across what is indisputably the best casino in Las Pegasus! Ready to place your bets?”
James’ eyes scanned the room, keeping an eye out for any approaching security guards or any kind of threat, before looking back at the stallion in front of him. “Well, if I’m quite honest, I don’t think I’m going to have the best of luck tonight.” He pushed half of his chips forward. “Put them on first dozen.”
“Very well, sir.” The stallion nodded and took the bets from the other players, before reaching forward and spinning the roulette wheel. He bent down and picked up a small ball in his teeth, before dropping into onto the outside of the wheel, and watched it spin. It kept spinning for a few moments, eyed tentatively by everyone surrounding the table, before it began to lose its momentum, edging closer towards the pockets in the centre of the wheel. Finally, it landed inside the pocket marked seven.
“Congratulations,” the croupier said to Bond, pushing his winnings towards him. “Will you be playing again?”
Bond took a quick glance behind him, and saw three security guards approaching him. “No, I don’t think I will be. Shame, really, isn’t it?” He sighed and turned around to face the stallions walking towards him. “Good evening, gentlemen. Or, gentlecolts, as it were.”
“Sir, you need to come with us,” a unicorn told him, in a surprisingly refined accent.
“And we’d much prefer if there wasn’t any fuss about it, either,” another added, his voice carrying a decidedly rougher tone as he glared up at 007.
James eyed them for a moment, before shrugging. “Very well. Take me to your leader, gents.”
The rougher one scoffed, before turning around and leading him towards an employees-only door. Glancing behind him, he saw that the unicorn’s horn was aglow. Guess they aren’t playing around this time. A few patrons gave them curious stares, but soon went back to their games. The guard in front pushed open the door, and glared back at James as he walked through into the corridor beyond.
The corridor was decorated similarly to the rest of the casino. The two guards forced him to keep moving, twisting and turning through the maze of hallways before ending up at a pair of double doors, no doubt leading to Brute Force’s office.
“Time for your meeting with the boss,” one of the guards grunted, before shoving him through the door, and following close behind. The office inside was lavishly decorated, with a large wooden desk on the far side behind which the earth pony that had been causing all of Bond’s troubles sat.
“You’ve been proving yourself to be more trouble than you’re worth,” Brute Force told him, sipping a glass of liquor. “You’ve killed dozens of my best stallions, blew my plan at the casino in Canterlot, but now you’ve brought yourself here, right into the hornet’s nest.”
“I aim to please,” James replied, stepping forward. The two guards behind him stiffened, but didn’t react.
“You’re armed as well, no doubt,” Brute commented. As if on cue, the unicorn behind James cast a spell, and he felt his handgun float from his holster. It floated in front of him for a second, before moving towards the desk and landing in front of the earth pony.
“How astute,” James said dryly. “Any other observations?”
“A few,” the stallion answered. “I know that, for all the trouble you’ve caused us, the setbacks are relatively minor. I know you’ve handed yourself over on a silver platter to me.” He smirked, and took another sip from his glass. “Oh, and another thing. I happen to know that your curious little unicorn friend happens to be staying at this very casino, on an all expense paid trip, courtesy of yours truly.”
“Let her go,” Bond demanded, clenching his fists and taking another step forward. “She’s not involved with any of this.”
Brute Force stood up and stared 007 down. “That’s where you’re wrong. She became involved the very moment she stood up for you amidst that mob of ponies; the very moment she knocked on your hotel door!” He smirked again, before sitting down. “And make no mistake, I have no problems with killing her if you don’t do exactly what I say.”
“Why are you even doing this, anyway?” Bond asked. “What could you possibly stand to gain by murdering the princesses?”
“Everything!” he snapped. “If the princesses fall, then the ponies will rise, don’t you see? No gods, no masters!” The stallion stopped and sighed. “My father had the same idea, back when he was a noble in Canterlot. They cast him out at the mere notion!”
“With good reason! There would be anarchy. Rules and leaders exist for a reason.”
“Spare me the lecture,” Brute growled. He turned away from Bond, and there were a few seconds of silence.
“You know Twilight’s more capable than she looks,” Bond pointed out through gritted teeth.
The stallion chuckled. “Oh, please,” he scoffed. “How much trouble can one girl be?”
“You’d be surprised.”
Brute eyed him for a moment, before laughing again. “If that’s so, then I am very much looking forward to it.” He paused for a second, before looking up at James. “You’re not going to agree to work with me, are you?”
James shook his head. “No.”
“Even if it means the death of your friend?” 007 didn’t answer, and the stallion sighed. “What a shame. You know, I had really hoped that it wouldn’t come to this. I suppose that you’ve already figured out that we can force you to work for me either way, haven’t you?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “Shame, really. Nothing is ever quite as effective when you have to control it remotely.” The stallion turned to address the guards behind Bond. “Take him upstairs, then go and take care of our unicorn friend. I think she’s overstayed her welcome.”
Both of the guards nodded, and the unicorn’s horn lit up once again. The other pushed open the door and motioned for James to walk through. Seeing no other option, at least for the time being, 007 complied, exiting the room through the double doors.
Forcing him onwards, the guards led him to a staircase, and gestured for him to go up. All the while, James looked around for any means that could help him escape. As he made his way up the staircase, the earth pony guard trotted in front of him, before leading him into another hallway. Further down, James noticed a janitor’s trolley, full of cleaning supplies, left unattended. Perfect, he thought.
He took a quick glance behind him as they walked past the trolley, before lashing out with his leg, kicking it back into the unicorn behind him. Before the guard in front could turn around to react, Bond grabbed a mop that had fallen from the trolley and swung it across the stallion’s head, knocking him out completely. Winded, the unicorn tried to stand up, coughing, before suffering a similar fate at his hands.
Satisfied that his escort and been dealt with, Bond turned around and started to jog back towards where he came from, making sure to keep an eye out for any enemy patrols. No more games, Brute, he thought. I’m coming for you.
***
How in the world did I not see this coming?
Twilight sighed and frowned, staring at the locked door across the room from her. So, what, am I some sort of hostage now? Well, that’s just great. At least they had the decency to give me a hotel room instead of tying me up in some basement somewhere. The mare groaned and hopped off of the bed, trotting over to the window. The lights of Las Pegasus shone for miles, but there was no way she would be doing any sightseeing. No, the room she was in was magic-proofed, to an extent. Her attempt to simply teleport out had failed, unsurprisingly, and she couldn’t just unlock the door or open the window with her magic. However, she could manipulate things inside the room.
Out of ideas, Twilight turned around and levitated a glass of water towards her, taking a large gulp. “James is probably here already,” she thought aloud. “I mean, these are obviously the ponies that want something from him.” I can’t rely on him though, she thought, scanning the room for anything that could help. I need to get out of here, right now.
Her eyes fell upon the small bathroom, separated from the rest of the room, and an idea struck. Would that work? By Celestia, I hope so. Testing her theory, she ignited her magic, and spoke softly.
“Hello.”
The sound of the word did not escape her lips. Rather, her voice seemed to emanate from the other side of the room. Yes! she thought, trying her best not to jump up and down in excitement. “Okay, time to put this plan in motion.” Her horn lighting up once again, she climbed underneath the bed and hid.
“Hello? I know you can hear me. I need help!”
There was a few seconds of silence, and no response. Undeterred, she tried again. “Hello? I know there’s someone out there. Please, I need some help!”
Silence fell for a few moments once again, before the solitary guard outside her room spoke up. “Shut up in there!”
“Please, I need help with something in the bathroom!” Twilight tried once again. “You wouldn’t want your boss to find out that you neglected his guest of honour, would you?”
“Guest of honour? Ha! Kiss my flank!”
Twilight groaned. “Please? Pretty please?”
There was silence again, before a muffled groan came through. “Fine, if it’ll shut you up.”
Thank you! The unicorn peeked out from under the bed as the guard unlocked the door and entered the room. The moment he turned to enter the bathroom, she crept out from her hiding place.
“Alright, what’s the problem?” the guard said, very clearly annoyed. Twilight didn’t answer, instead kicking the bathroom door shut behind him and quickly floating the bed across the room to block it.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Twilight giggled slightly as the guard knocked angrily on the door. “You little bitch! Open this door!”
Oh, this is way funnier than it should be. “Nope, you didn’t say the magic word!” she taunted, giggling again.
“Gah, fuck you!” the stallion shouted angrily.
“My my, such language!” She put a hoof to her forehead in mock shock. “Just for that, you can stay in there, thank you very much!” With that, she turned around, and trotted out of the door, making sure to close it behind her. Nopony needs to hear him and his vulgarity. Taking a deep breath, she set off down the hallway.
It didn’t take her long before she figured out a way to the stairs, so she made haste. A helpful sign indicated that they were down a hallway to the right, so she followed the directions. However, after turning into the hallway, she yelped as she came face to face with another pony.
“Whoa!” the other pony, a mare, exclaimed. She took a quick look at Twilight, before a pleading look appeared on her face. “Oh, thank Celestia, you’re not one of the guards. Please, they kidnapped me too, you’ve got to help.”
“Really? What do they want with you?” Twilight asked.
“I don’t know,” the unicorn mare answered, glancing around. “I’m just a professor in Canterlot. I’m guessing they needed me for something.” She looked back at Twilight. “You’re Twilight Sparkle, right? Please help. I know the way out, but I don’t like my chances if I run into one of the guards. But you’re one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria!”
Twilight blushed. “Well, I don’t know about that. But if you know the way out, then we should go.”
The mare nodded. “Come on, it’s this way!” She turned and galloped towards the stairs, with Twilight following close behind. They reached the stairwell and bounded down, two at a time.
These guys obviously aren’t the smartest bunch, Twilight thought. There aren’t even any guards around! I’m surprised James hasn’t made short work of them already. She kept following the mare downstairs, before nearly tripping and falling as she came to an abrupt halt.
What the? Before Twilight could react, she felt the mare dart behind her and put her hoof around her neck. “Hey, what gives?” she complained as she felt the mare’s horn press into the base of her neck. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a burly earth stallion sprint down the corridor and around a corner, out of sight. Confused, she looked up to see the source of the mare’s worry.
“Let her go, Quill,” Bond demanded, in a calm tone, keeping his weapon trained on the both of them.
“Not happening!” Quill shouted back. “Make one move, and I’ll kill her!”
“Why are you doing this?” he asked, remaining calm.
“What can I say? Money talks. And dear old Brute can be very talkative.”
They remained silent for a few seconds. Bond, his weapon still trained on the two of them, spoke once again. “Last chance. Let her go.”
“What are you going to do? Shoot through her to kill me?” Quill taunted, poking her head out from behind her hostage slightly, but not enough to get a clear shot. “We both know you wouldn’t do that.” She tightened her grip, and Twilight gasped slightly. “The poor, innocent girl; the damsel in distress who never deserved to get caught up in this. Please. You’d miss her.”
Bond stared her down, adjusting his aim slightly. “I never miss,” he replied, and pulled the trigger twice.
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A cliffhanger?!
y u do dis?!
nice
Great chapter again.
Twilight forgot what happened last time somepony asked for her help... I hope she'll remember the lesson from now on, and that Bond will quickly kill Quill.
I am eager to read the next part.
Somebody's been watching the World is Not Enough.
3442889 Dat Rarity profile pic....
EVIL Cliffhanger!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, it updated!
3544978
Grammar, please sir.
YES! UPDATE! I
this story. Keep up the good work!
grrr, that cliffhanger
Well Quill is dead then. Unless she has a force field or teleport spell that she can cast faster than a bullet.
...And then two bodies lay on the floor with a bullet though their heads, a princess of Equestria and a protector of the Queen.
This isn't how I thought the story would end.
Not at all.
Honk!
Just kidding. 
Anyway, I have these as well:
Its (no apostrophe)
meantime is one word.
Thers an awful lot of uncovered person if you are willing to take chances, and if bullets riccocetd correctly. Lasers are easier. Look for the reflection in the surroundings and aim for that. Reflection equals line of sight. Equals deflection.
Coming next week, Strawberry Fields Forever.
3454636
I find this comment funny...
Okay, let's be honest here. This isn't a cliffhanger, really. We all know what's going to happen.
I mean, he's James Freaking Bond! Of course he's going to get Twi out of that easily.
Didn't they take his pistol when Brute force was talking to him?
3546426
what kind of spy had one gun
3546539 Fair enough
That is gonna be a chandeleer on Quill her head, for sure.
I've said this so many times that it just tastes like wood these days.
Fucking cliffhangers...
Cliffhangers!
*shakes fist in the air*
"I never miss" world is not enough reference there? Heh, Bond has the best shot in the service. Still, nonetheless nice cliffy. Looking forward to the next chapter!
Gonna hit an unknown object and knock her out.
That, or richochette.
3547760 They were surprised earlier in the story. By now, news would have probably circulated around Equestria, wouldn't you say? And Brute would obviously know that Bond's gun is a weapon, seeing as he's used it to kill countless numbers of his employees.
And that's an interesting theory, as are the rest, but only time will tell if they are correct.
>>>“Everything!” he snapped. “If the princesses fall, then the ponies will rise, don’t you see? >>>
Oh god, another one of these idiots. They show up in so many stories.
And in the human world too. I've had to eliminate so many of them, simply because they annoy me with their stupidity. Clearly, they have no idea how futile it is to threaten gods like us.
"What do you expect me to do?"
"I expect you to have a cliffhanger, Mr. Bond."
3545250
this is the interwebs grammars never exists
3549436
Worth a try, I guess...
MORE PLEASE!
Thank god 007 isn't a storm trooper,Twilight's body would have been a bloody mess.
I'm quite interested in this.
Damn cliffhanger XD
I really hope quill is dead. I mean James has killed plenty of ponies, with this one threatening to kill Twilight, I'd be kinda peeved to see her spared for something as stupid as being a mare.
Cliffhangers...
I like that you used Mel Young's "The Killer", which is now popularly known as "The Archer end theme".
Nice touch there doing a light reference to a Bond/Cold War era spy parody.
3619202 Thank you! Glad someone picked up on it.
3554999
No it wouldn't. There'd just be a few damaged walls.
...and here comes the ensuing panic as ponies run away from the exploding casino.
Yess! The Bond one liners!
Only nitpicking is Bond doesn't seem to have much of a poker face... given his gambling that doesn't make sense. I would assume when talking to the Princesses initially or Brute Force, he would remain apparently calm throughout the whole thing.
Oh yeah and I guess he did gamble but he's supposed to clean out the house before the bad guys pull him out!
OH SHIT! THIS IS GOING SOMEWHERE EPIC!
Yeah, and neither are you, cupcake