A few months after a conspiracy to overthrow the princesses of Equestria was thwarted, with the help of an unlikely ally, Celestia sends the newly crowned Princess Twilight, alongside one of her friends, to the world from which their ally came.
Twilight Sparkle always had a feeling that ponies were not alone in the universe. When he arrived in Equestria, she was proven right.
After he uncovered and subsequently overthrew a plot to kill the two princesses, they sent him back to his world. However, the curiosity of Princess Celestia was still unsatisfied. She had a glimpse of this other world through the mind of this one man, this agent of a service known as 'MI6', but wanted to know more. To this end, she resolved to send her former student there, in an effort to understand more of the human race and, perhaps, meet their mutual friend once again.
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.
"I always knew that you were one for exciting adventures, 007, but, I admit, that sounds a little far fetched."
Bond shot a look towards Q, who shrugged and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Well, obviously it sounds far fetched. I mean, Christ, I thought I had been drugged when it first happened. But just look in front of you." He pointed through the window that looked into the interrogation room beyond. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were alone at the moment. He watched as Dash looked around warily, however Twilight stared through the one-way mirror, somehow locking eyes with him despite the fact that she couldn't see him. At least, he assumed she couldn't.
Q followed his gaze, and inspected the mare. "So, she's the one who helped you?" Bond nodded. "Well, we haven't exactly given her a warm welcome in return, have we?"
"At least none of you shot them or anything." Bond smirked. "And no pens exploded."
"We still don't go in for that," the younger man replied, picking up a mug of tea and taking a sip. "Still, none of this is my area of expertise. I mean, this is extraterrestrial life on Earth we're dealing with, Bond. The Prime Minister will have to know, for starters. And then, well, it probably won't stay a secret for long."
Bond looked over at him and smirked again. "Not exactly your typical little green man, is it?"
Q smiled and shook his head. "Not in the slightest." He looked back through the window, and continued. "Still, I'd say its best if you stay with them both, for as long as you can at least. You're the one who knows them, after all."
"Yes, I think you're right." Bond nodded. "You know Mallory isn't going to be happy. He's got enough on his plate as it is without all of this going on too."
Q chuckled. "Well, when is Mallory ever happy, hmm?"
"That's a good point," James chortled. "He'll be here any minute too. I hope that you're ready to face the music."
"Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat scorned."
"Especially one who spent three months at the hands of the IRA." Bond smirked. "I bet he thinks he's seen everything there is to see."
Q took another swig of his tea. "Well, he's obviously wrong."
"Yes, obviously." The two of them turned to see that the man they had been talking about was now stood in the open doorway, a tired expression on his face. "Bloody hell Bond, you've got some explaining to do."
James stood up to face him, as Q stood behind still sipping his tea. "Let me go in and talk to them, sir. They know me, so I can probably figure out what they're doing here."
Mallory groaned. "Oh, this shit is ridiculous," he muttered under his breath, before addressing him. "Okay, fine, I'll give you a few minutes. Are you armed?"
007 raised an eyebrow, before nodding.
"Good. You never know, just in case. Always be prepared, and all that."
Bond rolled his eyes and walked past him, grabbing the keys to the next room as he went. Just when I thought all of this madness was over, he thought cynically. He stopped at the door to the interrogation room, mentally preparing himself. "Let's see what happens this time," he murmured under his breath, twisting the key and pulling the door open. He stepped inside, letting the door close behind him, and looked Twilight in the eye.
"Wings," he commented, looking at her. "Those are new. You didn't have wings before."
She gave him a glare. "James, I need to know I can trust you. Can I?"
He sighed. "I'm doing my best for you two, believe me."
"You didn't answer my question."
Bond stared at her for a second, before relenting. "Of course you can trust me. I haven't forgotten how you helped me before." He pulled up a chair and sat down in front of them. "You have to understand, though, that you being here will lead to some serious repercussions, perhaps more so than when I showed up in Equestria. Here on Earth, we can't just write you off as some strange creature from an uncharted land."
"We understand that," she told him. "We were just expecting a slightly warmer reception."
"Like not being thrown into a cell the moment we get here," Rainbow Dash cut in.
He glanced over to look at her. "This isn't a cell, and you're not prisoners. It's just that... well, let's just say you caused quite a stir when you arrived right in the middle of a laboratory in Q Branch."
She seemed slightly relieved that they weren't being held captive. "There aren't gonna be any creepy scientists who want to experiment on us, right? Or even dissect us?" Twilight rolled her eyes, and Bond merely smirked.
"You've been reading too many science fiction novels, Dash," the alicorn groaned.
007 shook his head. "No, there won't be. Though I'm sure there will be a few curious scientists who will want to know more about you, maybe some scans or something. Nothing harmful though, believe me."
Dash yawned and took to the air, gliding around the room while stretching her wings. "So, are we going to be kept a big secret, or something? I really don't want to be cooped up in a room like this for too long."
"I'm afraid you will be, for now. Until we know exactly why you're here, at least." He turned his attention back to Twilight. "Which is why, incidentally, I'm here. The best way to find out is to simply ask, after all."
Twilight stood up and began to pace, either stressed out or tired from simply sitting on her flanks. "After you left Equestria, Princess Celestia came clean to everypony. She told us all that you were an alien from another world. Naturally, some ponies, including herself, were curious. Rainbow Dash and I are here to learn, nothing more."
James raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Learn what, exactly? Some may assume you're here to learn things that you're not meant to."
She groaned. "Please, James. We aren't here for that, and you know it. We are here to know and understand more about your people, your culture, your history. Everypony in Equestria knows about this life from beyond the stars, and I'm guessing that pretty soon everyone here will know about us too. This is simply an opportunity for our two civilisations to share our knowledge and culture, for the betterment of both parties."
"Well, that's noble," he commented. "And you're probably right. As much as my superiors will want you to be, you can't stay a secret forever." He turned to the one-way mirror on the wall beside them and smirked, knowing that Mallory was grimacing in the room behind it. "If it means anything, I believe your intentions are nothing but pure."
The alicorn smiled warmly. "Thanks, James. It means a lot, actually."
He nodded and smiled in return. "Don't mention it. So..." He paused for a second. "Do all ponies magically grow wings at some point in their lives?"
She chuckled slightly, a shook her head. "No, surprisingly enough. I... well, I became a princess of Equestria."
He gave her a warm smile as she giggled again. "I'm guessing that took some doing."
"I think it's what Princess Celestia wanted for me all along, actually." She glanced back as she stretched out one of her wings. "Heh, these are taking some getting used to, that's for sure."
"I don't doubt it."
Rainbow Dash stopped gliding around and flew up into Bond's face. "So, when are we gonna get to go and see the sights, huh? Come on, I bet you've got some amazingly cool stuff here on your planet!"
He pushed her away gently, standing up out of his chair. "Not yet, but hopefully soon. If our government announces that we've made contact with an extraterrestrial species, then the eyes of the world will be upon us. Everyone will start asking questions. 'What are they? Where did they come from?'" he told them both, listing a few examples. "So, if all that is going to happen, then I'm sure you'll understand that it will take some preparing." He smirked slightly. "Not to mention there'll a mountain of paperwork for my boss."
"You'll probably have to give them the full story of what happened to you in Equestria, as well," Twilight pointed out.
With a nod, he grimaced and replied, "Yeah, that too." There was a knock on the door, and he excused himself to answer it. The two mares watched as he spoke with someone outside, before he stepped back in again, with another man in tow. This man looked to be older than Bond; he was dwarfed by the taller man beside him, and what little hair he had on his head had turned grey long ago. He took off his glasses and cleaned them on the side of his suit before putting them back on again.
"This is Doctor Moore," Bond introduced him. "He's just here to ask a few questions, none of which you should feel obliged to answer. Nothing invasive though, don't worry. I'll be next door." He turned to leave, then chuckled slightly and turned to the older man. "Just don't give them any word association crap, alright?"
The doctor smiled at the joke. "I wouldn't dream of it, 007."
James nodded. "Good, thank you. Wouldn't want to waste their day now, would we?" He moved past and closed the door behind him, heading into the room next door. He was greeted by a tired look from M, and a nod from Q.
"Well?" he asked, joining them in watching the doctor talk to their two guests. "I've spoken to them, and you know that they're just here to learn. Now what?"
"I've had the Prime Minister on the phone," Mallory told him, still watching. "He thought that I was pulling his leg, of course. I managed to convince him otherwise, though." He looked over at James. "To be honest, he's as stumped as we are. Far as I can tell, he wants to know as much as possible about them before we even think about going public with this."
"Isn't that what we're doing right now?" he asked, pointing at the room on the other side of the mirror.
Mallory raised an eyebrow. "When he said everything, I think he meant it quite literally, Bond."
He got a glare in reply. "Don't even think about trying to get the labcoats to perform some dodgy experiments on these two." Bond looked in, watching Twilight answer one of the doctor's questions happily. "They may not look like much, but believe me when they possess skills far beyond our comprehension."
His superior gave him an inquisitive look. "And what do you mean by that, 007?"
"Well, let's just say it wasn't their technology that allowed them to appear right in the middle of Q Branch," he explained. "Their natural talents are powerful, especially Twilight's."
"Which one's that again?"
He sighed. "The purple one. Look, all I'm saying is that we shouldn't take advantage of their peaceful nature. Antagonizing them would be a very, very bad idea. Trust me, I'm the one with first-hand experience."
"Alright, Bond. I'm going to trust you on this one," Mallory told him. "However, seeing as you are indeed the only one with first-hand experience, I think it would be best if you were the one to, well, look after them, for lack of a better term."
He nodded. "Alright. So, what's the first thing we do?"
Mallory nodded towards the two of them in the interrogation room. "Once they're done in there, I think we should set them up with some decent accommodation. We have a few furnished cells in the basement that haven't been used in a while. For those we needed to interrogate, of course. They have everything they could need; a couple of beds, bathroom, hell, even a television. It should be adequate."
James smiled. "That sounds a bit better. Okay then, I'll get that sorted out."
***
With a slight chuckle, James pushed open the door to the ponies' new accommodation, leading the two of them inside. "Uh, do you remember what I said earlier, about you being kept in a cell?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Oh, ha ha, very funny, James." She looked around the room alongside Dash. Two medium sized beds were pushed up against a wall, with a bedside table slotted in between them. On the opposite wall was a strange looking device that Bond had called a 'television', while to the side of the room was a door that led to an en-suite bathroom. "Well, it certainly beats where we were before," she commented optimistically.
Rainbow Dash seemed satisfied too, even if she was annoyed at still being caged in. She flopped down on one of the beds. "Hey, at least these are kinda comfy. Didn't realize you guys treated your prisoners so well. Bad guys in Equestria just get tossed into the dungeons."
"Yeah, we used to have those," Bond told her. "Fairly sure they're a couple hundred years out of date by now, though."
Twilight noticed a pile of newspapers and magazines on the bedside table, and picked one up with her magic to read. "This is remarkable," she murmured to herself. "Both of our languages are near identical, James. What did you say yours was called again?"
"English," he answered.
"It's almost indistinguishable from Equestrian," she said to them both, looking up from the newspaper. "Is that a coincidence, or could it be something else?"
Rainbow Dash giggled and rolled her eyes. "I don't think you should think too hard about it, Twi."
James smiled. "I think you should listen to Rainbow Dash. Be glad that you didn't have to overcome any kind of language barrier."
"Yes, you have a point." Her horn lit up and the page flipped over to the next. "Still, this is an excellent way to learn about what's going on around Earth right now."
"Well, you're not wrong," he told her, before checking his watch. "Even better, it's six o'clock, which means..." He picked up the remote to the television and pressed a button, pointing it at the screen. "It's time for the news."
The screen lit up, displaying the logo of the television's manufacturer for a few seconds. This caught the attention of the two ponies, who sat up and watched intently. Bond pressed a few buttons on the remote, flicking between channels until he caught the right one. A familiar tune came through the speakers, and he set the remote down.
"This is exciting," Twilight said to them both. "What better way to learn about current culture than a news broadcast?"
"Quite," he agreed. "I'll see if I can find some history books for you too, or if I can set up an internet connection down here."
Dash titled her head. "Internet?"
"Ah, I'll explain later," he told her, shaking his head before settling down to watch. The title segment faded away to reveal the presenter, who began to speak.
"Good evening, I'm Fiona Bruce." James noticed Twilight bursting with excitement beside him, and simply chuckled to himself. "In breaking news, an anonymous secret service agent has made claims that MI6 made contact with extraterrestrial beings inside their headquarters." A blurry photo, depicting Twilight and Rainbow Dash lying in a heap in the middle of Q Branch, appeared on screen as she continued. "The agent, who asked not to be named for personal reasons, claimed that the two beings mysteriously appeared in the middle of MI6 offices with a flash of light, and is adamant that the photo you are seeing is not doctored in any way, shape, or form. The BBC is currently attempting to contact the head of MI6 for comment."
James' smile faded instantly. Looking to the two mares beside him, he found them wearing similar expressions. Dash looked dumbfounded, while Twilight had raised a hoof to her mouth in shock, her ears folded back against her head. He simply sighed in frustration as the news program droned on in the background.
Subtlety. Secrecy. I thought that's what secret agents, especially those in MI6, were all about.
Obviously not.
If there was one thing that the BBC six o'clock news was known for, it was most certainly not showing leaked footage of potential first contact with an extraterrestrial race. While he doubted that anybody would take it seriously, Bond knew that the unexpected and sudden reveal could be disastrous both right now, and later down the line.
"You guys aren't too great at keeping secrets, are you?" came the voice of Rainbow Dash beside him. He shot a glare towards her and saw her with her hooves crossed across her chest, and with an eyebrow raised in his direction.
"Oh, make no mistakes. We're terrible." He sighed and switched off the television as the news program started to report on a different story. "I mean, it's almost as if the fact that every agent has to sign an official, legal document and swear to complete and utter secrecy means nothing whatsoever."
The revelation hadn't seemed to phase Dash too much, though she did look slightly annoyed. "Guess someone couldn't help themselves, huh?"
"It was obviously somebody down in Q branch," Bond deduced. "It must have been before I got there, too. I made sure nobody was recording." He stopped, and the room fell into silence once again. "This doesn't really matter too much, to be honest. We can easily say that the video was fabricated; deny all evidence as false."
Twilight didn't seem convinced by the idea. "Maybe that's not such a great plan, James," she told him.
"How so?" He sat up and looked in her direction, now curious.
"We're going to announce our existence to your world at some point, James." The way she said this made it clear to him that it was a statement of fact, not a suggestion. "Better to do it now, right when it looks like the cat has been let out of the bag, than later. If you deny our existence to the public today, then you'll look like fools when you go back on yourself a few days, weeks, or months down the line."
She's got a good point. Whether Mallory will think the same way is a different story altogether, though. "Okay, Twilight," he replied, humouring her. "Say we were to announce your existence. How would you propose that we do it?"
She thought on this for a few seconds. "Say that the video is true." He raised an eyebrow. "Well, obviously punish whoever leaked it, of course, but don't tell everyone that it's fake. Then, we should announce our presence publicly, and in person."
"What, with a press conference or something?"
The alicorn glanced towards her friend, who shrugged. "Sure. I mean, why not, right? We're not going to be able to learn much about human culture holed up in your headquarters, now, are we? And your people won't learn anything about us if they don't even know we exist."
Bond stared at her for a moment, mulling over her idea. He could see where she was coming from, but he had his doubts about convincing everyone else. "If that's how you really want to play it, then you've got my support every step of the way," he explained. "But others might not be so sympathetic. Especially my boss. It's his neck on the line, after all."
"I guess we'll have to go and convince him otherwise, then." The determination in her voice was clear.
Convince Mallory? Good luck with that. "He's a man who's very hard to sway, once he's set his mind on something," he warned them both. Rainbow didn't seem interested, but Twilight listened to him intently. "Once he's decided on something, it takes some doing to change his mind."
A confident smirk appeared across her lips. "He hasn't met me yet. Not properly, at least. We'll get him to see things our way."
Somehow he didn't doubt that. He also knew just how determined the mare in front of him could be. "Well, I'm sure he's aware of the leak now as well, so-" He was interrupted by a buzzing, and a small jingle tone, coming from his pocket. What a surprise, right on time.
"What was that?" Rainbow Dash asked, her ears perking up at the unknown noise.
"Phone," he answered offhandedly, pulling it out and reading the message he had been sent. My office. Now. He smirked, likening the order to that of a school teacher to an unruly student. "Speak of the devil, he wants to see me."
Twilight hopped off the bed, giving her wings a stretch. "See you alone? Or can we come?" Dash looked up at him as well, with the same inquisitive look.
"It doesn't matter what answer I give you. You'll be coming anyway, won't you?" He raised his eyebrow towards her, smiling slightly.
She giggled and smirked. "Oh, you know me so well, James."
He smirked back. "Even with your wings I knew you hadn't changed, really." He stretched his arms and got off the bed, getting to his feet. "Come on, let's go."
"Yeah, let's," Dash piped up, flexing her wings and hopping into the air. "That is, if you two are done flirting with each other." She put her hoof in her mouth in a mocking gag gesture. James simply rolled his eyes, tapping her across the head and moving towards the door. Dash rubbed the back of her head with annoyance and followed the both of them. "Ape." She stuck out her tongue towards him.
James snickered slightly. "Glad to see you brought your most mature, level headed friend along, Twilight," he announced, smirking as he tried to rile her up. Dash opened her mouth to say something in return, but closed her it instead, choosing instead to glare at him with a toss of her mane. James opened the door and let them exit first, before following them close behind. "Speaking of which, where is everyb- everypony else? Didn't the rest of your friends want to come?"
Twilight seemed to look solemn as he brought the subject up. "Of course they did. But even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna aren't powerful enough to cast the spell that brought us here on all seven of us, Spike included. Besides, all of our friends have important duties that they can't just up and abandon." The three of them made their way away from the cells in the basement and upstairs, heading for an elevator.
Bond looked towards the pegasus beside him as he pressed the button to go up. "Don't you have weather duties back in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash?" He put his hand in his pockets as he waited for the elevator to reach their floor.
"There's nothing to worry about." She waved her hoof away dismissively. "I left it all in the hooves of a professional. Thunderlane's a loyal and smart stallion; he knows exactly what he's doing. The weather team will get on just fine." She seemed confident in the pegasus stallion's abilities, so he didn't question her decision. He looked over at Twilight, whose gaze was firmly fixated upon the number counting down above the elevator doors.
"You don't have lifts in Equestria, right?" Bond said to her, providing an awkward attempt at cross-cultural small talk. "Or elevators, whatever."
"A few, but they're mostly used for lifting materials. We only use a simple pulley system." She smiled up at him. "I'd love to see how one of these works."
The doors opened and he led them inside. "It's pretty simple, but I can't remember the exact specifics. I'll Google it later."
"Google?"
He paused and chuckled to himself. "I'll also explain what Google is later. So, do you actually know exactly how you'll return to Equestria once you're done with this little holiday?" he asked, leaning against the wall of the elevator as it began to rise. A smirk reappeared on his face as Rainbow Dash wobbled a bit on her hooves.
Twilight seemed to puff her chest out proudly. "Becoming a princess didn't just give me a pair of wings, James. It also greatly increased my capacity for magic." She beamed happily at him, and he motioned for her to continue. "Before we traveled her I kept reading up on, and practicing, the spell that the princesses used. The books on them are in my saddlebags, back in my room."
"Cell," Dash piped up.
Her friend ignored her. "I think I should be able to teleport Rainbow Dash and myself back to Equestria. When we're ready to leave, of course."
He seemed impressed. "So let me get this straight. Now you're even more proficient with your magic?" She nodded and he grimaced. "Jesus Christ. Good luck to whoever gets on your bad side. I have a feeling that they'll need it."
"If everything goes as we'd like it to, there shouldn't be anyone on our bad side at all. Or vice versa," she pointed out, waiting politely for him to exit the elevator first as it reached the floor they were headed to. He beckoned for them to fall in behind him and walked out into the neatly furnished corridor beyond, heading towards a lone door at the very end.
After stopping at it, he turned to both of them. "Well, we probably shouldn't keep him waiting too much longer. Are you both ready for this?" Rainbow Dash didn't seem to care, and if she did, she did not show it. Twilight, however, nodded eagerly. "Alright then. Here goes nothing." The door creaked slightly as he pushed it open, leading them inside.
The woman inside looked up from her computer as they entered. "Ah, Bond, good to see you. I hope you're ready for him in there." She noticed the two ponies follow him in, her eyes widening dramatically as she gasped. "So these are the aliens that found their way into Q Branch? They're... well, adorable, for lack of a better word."
Dash raised a questioning eyebrow at the description, while Twilight simply blushed slightly and giggled. "Careful there, Moneypenny," Bond warned teasingly. "You're talking to Equestrian royalty." He stood between the two parties, introducing them both. "Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash, meet Eve Moneypenny."
She stood up and walked around from behind her desk, holding out her hand towards the alicorn as she trotted forward happily. "It's a pleasure, your highness." A smile spread across her lips as the mare took it and shook. She offered it to Dash as well, who took it and shook indifferently. Twilight blushed and the title, and chuckled as they stepped back towards Bond.
"I haven't been a princess for very long. My coronation was just over a month ago." She smiled nervously. "It's all a bit overwhelming, to be quite honest. Still, being here is a great opportunity for everypony back in Equestria."
Eve smiled intently and nodded. "Hmm, I can imagine. Let's just hope M feels the same way." She looked up at James, leaning back on her desk. "He's ready to see you, by the way. I'm not sure about you two, though."
"If he doesn't want to see us, he'll have to put up with us," Rainbow Dash adamantly stated, flapping her wings excitedly. "We need to have a talk."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "What Rainbow means is that we'd like to discuss a few things with Mr. Mallory, concerning what I assume you saw on the news program this evening." Her eyes narrowed and a smirk appeared across her face as she looked up at James. "Funny, I thought you worked for a secret service, James."
He sighed and tapped her gently on the back of the head. "Oh, knock it off, princess. Anyway, how's everything been since this morning?" He looked back up at Eve once again.
She crossed her arms and chuckled. "Oh, you don't even want to know the half of it. Everyone's been freaking out. The head of pretty much every department has been trying to get to see Mallory." Her flustered expression was soon replaced with a grimace. "Naturally, he hasn't been taking this too well either. I think I've heard more shouting and expletives coming from that room today than I have anywhere else in my entire life." Her hand reached for a mug sitting next to her computer, and she took a generous swig.
"I'm sorry that our arrival caused everypony- excuse me, everybody so much stress," the princess apologised politely, silently chastising herself for the slip up. Now I know how he felt, don't I? she mused to herself as Eve returned behind her desk. James nodded to her then walked towards the door on the other side of the room, calling out for both of them to follow. Twilight took a few deep breaths as Rainbow Dash smirked either confidently or arrogantly.
The door to M's office creaked slightly as well as they entered. Do all of the door hinges in this place need oiling or something? Rainbow found herself thinking offhandedly. She also found herself gazing around the lavishly furnished office; at old paintings of ships on the walls and the view of the city from the windows to the side of the desk in the middle of the room. London, right? she thought, getting a glimpse of a large, antique looking clocktower poking above the roof of the adjacent building. Twilight, on the other hand, eyed the man sitting behind the desk. He looked tired and frazzled, with his tie loosened and his slicked back hair messed up slightly. His attention turned to her and her friend as he acknowledged Bond, but his expression only hardened.
"Good evening, M," Bond greeted, nodding towards him.
"Yes, hello 007. I see you brought your... friends along as well." A tired sigh escaped his lungs. "No doubt you all saw the leak on the six o'clock news?" The very mention of the incident made him grimace.
Twilight nodded. "Yes, sir, we did. It's actually why we wanted to see you as well. I trust that you were going to discuss it with James."
M raised an eyebrow. "Well, you'd be correct. I was going to discuss just how we were going to explain or cover up this monumental cock-up. The Prime Minister, for a start, is furious, naturally. God knows what the bloody Queen will have to say about it."
"That's just the thing," she replied. "We don't want to cover it up or try and find some convoluted way to explain what everyone saw. We want to come out and announce it as the truth." She stepped forward, a pleading look on her face. "You see, that's the whole reason my friend and I are here. We want to announce our existence, we want to share our knowledge and culture with yours and vice versa."
He didn't look convinced. In fact, he looked at her as if she had gone mad. "Do you realise what it will mean if you do? If your existence became public knowledge because of the confirmation that MI6, a service that deals in secrecy, let it leak. We'll be a laughing stock."
"That's beside the point!" she snapped, stomping her hoof on the ground. She blushed and shrunk slightly, smiling sheepishly at her little outburst as Bond stepped forward.
"We'll look even more like fools if we cover this up now only to go back on ourselves later," he advised, sitting down in a chair opposite his boss. "She said as much to me just now. And trust me: no matter how opposed to it you may be, Twilight will reveal her species' existence, even if it means bolting out into the street and saying hello to someone passing by." He looked at her and saw her blushing still. "The both of them are only curious, M. They just want to learn, and for us to learn as well. Why not let them?"
James studied Mallory's face as he mulled over what had been said. He looked from 007, to the two mares beside him, and thought hard. "If it were to happen - and let me be very clear, that is a very big 'if' - how would you go about it?" The question was directed towards Twilight and Rainbow. The pegasus simply nodded towards her friend, giving a shrug.
She pondered this for a second. "Well, I suggested to James that we hold some sort of public event, or press conference." She looked up at Bond. "Is there anything else we can do? Do you have any ideas?"
"We could record a video of you two, with a statement proving the truth," he suggested. "Q must have a decent camera around somewhere. If we do it right we can get it onto the internet, or onto the news at ten."
Silence fell once again as Mallory thought. His gaze kept shifting from Bond, to Rainbow and Twilight, to wandering aimlessly across his desk. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was in reality only a couple of minutes, he spoke up again. "Let me get the PM on the phone. See what he makes of this." Before they could respond he had picked up the receiver and jammed a quick dial button on the phone itself. They could hear the phone ring through the receiver before another voice spoke from the other end.
Twilight didn't know how long the conversation between the two went on for, but what she did know was that it involved quite a bit of raised voices and annoyed, flustered expressions from the man in front of her. Bond seemed to watch on with dry amusement, as though he had seen this type of exchange more than a few times. Dash seemed to be entertained as well, snickering slightly every time M cursed under his breath or made an annoyed face. Finally, he put down the phone and put his head in his hands for a few seconds, yawning.
"Bloody prick," he muttered under his breath, looking up at them once again. "I'm sorry that you both had to hear that. The Prime Minister is a good man. We just don't see eye to eye most of the time." Another yawn escaped him, making him realise that he was a lot more tired than he wanted to believe. "In any case, he's given you the green light. He's been in touch with the White House, the Kremlin, places like that, since you've arrived." Neither of them understood what those were, but Twilight assumed that they were places of importance. Perhaps like the castle in Canterlot? She ignored the tangent she was on for now and continued to listen.
"Naturally, they didn't have a bloody clue what to do either. But, I think that you're right. We'll just look like idiots if we put this off," he explained to them. "So go ahead with your plan. Write up a statement and get it recorded, and I'll see about sending it to our allies and to the local news networks. Then we can think about doing something in public, okay?" He groaned and rubbed his eyes.
"Thank you, sir." Bond nodded alongside his friends before standing up and leaving the room, giving M some peace.
"We gonna go see your friend Q then?" Dash piped up as they quickly greeted Moneypenny on the way out.
He chuckled. "Yep. It should be easy to get him to set up somewhere to record while you two work on a statement."
Twilight smiled in response and thought to herself, trying to think of the best way to introduce both herself and her species, as well as their intentions on an alien planet, then how to put that into words. It was no easy feat, of that she was certain. But hey, when was writing an essay ever a challenge for me?
"In a shocking twist of events, MI6 have not denounced the supposed footage of extraterrestrial contact, and have instead confirmed that it is genuine and not a hoax..."
"...these aliens, calling themselves 'ponies', have released a recorded statement to news outlets and onto video sharing websites on the internet..."
"...it remains to be seen what the intentions of these supposedly equine visitors are, however they have stated that they are here purely for research purposes..."
"...the leader, calling herself 'Princess Twilight Sparkle', has stated that she wishes to learn from human history and culture..."
"Well, let's see where things go from here, shall we?" Bond pushed a button on the remote, turning off the television in his friends' room after swapping through the many news channels available. With a stretch, he sat up and glanced over towards the two of them. "Now we just have to wait and see how everybody reacts to your existence. Like it or not, you are both celebrities now."
Rainbow Dash smirked and puffed her chest out. "And rightfully so!" With a flap of her wings, she took to the air and did a small back flip. "Now everyone here will know how awesome we are!"
Bond rolled his eyes as she flew in circles around the room, and turned his attention to the alicorn across from him. Twilight was engrossed in the screen of his laptop, using her magic to operate the keyboard and track pad. "So, how goes your research? Have you learned anything interesting?"
It took her a second to pull herself away from the screen and look up at him. When she did, her excited, giddy expression became apparent. "'Have I learned anything interesting'? Are you kidding? This 'internet' is absolutely amazing!" He leaned over and saw that she was currently on the Wikipedia page of the Renaissance. "It's like a massive, never-ending library! And you say you can use it almost anywhere?"
"So long as you've got something that can connect to it, then sure." He pulled out his smartphone and, after a few seconds of tapping, showed her the screen. It displayed the same Wikipedia page, which she realised after looking back and forth between it and the laptop a few times. "Impressed?" he asked, chuckling slightly to himself.
She nodded earnestly. "Oh, definitely. It's wonderful! And your history is so fascinating!" She scanned through a few pages again, glancing up at him from time to time. "Your species and culture has undoubtedly advanced dramatically in the last few thousand years. It's amazing, really." There was a pause before she looked back over to him, now with a sly grin across her face. "Of course, libraries are all well and good, but they don't really compare to actually going out and seeing everything with your own eyes."
A laugh escaped his lips as he looked back at her. "Oh, you want to go on a tour of the planet? I'm not against it, but I doubt you'd want to fly yourself. Wings can only get you so far."
Dash scoffed but Twilight ignored her. "Then what do you propose we do?"
"Well, I guess you count as foreign ambassadors or something. Hell, you're aliens." He smirked. "I'm fairly sure the PM can spare no expense when it comes to making you both comfortable. Getting you both flights to another part of the world shouldn't be too hard, assuming the countries you want to visit will have you."
"Why wouldn't they?" Dash inquired, receiving a shrug in response. She did a few more laps of the room, humming to herself, before continuing. "Ah, it doesn't matter. It'll be fine! One thing though, James."
He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow, noticing Twilight's attention turn back to the laptop out of the corner of his eye. "Go on. What is it?"
"Now that everyone knows about us, why the heck are we still stuck cooped up in here?" She groaned in frustration. "I mean, you said that your 'PM' could spare no expense, right? We could have anything we wanted!" Her eyes lit up as she imagined the endless possibilities. "I mean, we could have the fanciest hotel room in the city! Or our own personal home in the clouds!"
Clouds? Oh yeah, I must have forgotten. Pegasi and their magical abilities, and all that. He laughed and leaned back. "I doubt you can manipulate clouds or the weather here, Rainbow Dash. I know we can't."
The excited look on her face turned to one of confusion. "Wait, you can't? But that makes no sense!" She turned back to look at the laptop in front of her friend, and pointed at it. "I swear I saw what the upcoming weather would be on one of these website things. How can you tell if you're not controlling it somehow?"
"Technology," he answered flatly, though surprised to hear Twilight say it at the exact same time. Both he and the pegasus looked over to her with surprised expressions.
She looked up from the screen and to them both. "What? I'd say it's pretty obvious, Dash. I mean, the human race has made so many technological advancements in the past few hundred years. Do you not think they could have invented a machine that predicts weather patterns?"
The mare shrugged but still seemed uneasy. "It's just so... wrong. The weather happening by itself, I mean. And you tell me the sun and the moon move by themselves too? It's crazy!"
"Technically the sun doesn't move; rather, we move around it." He decided not to continue any further on the topic, thanks to the shocked look on her face. "Look, when we go out to give your first public experience, you can try and see whether you can manipulate the weather here, okay? God knows London could use a sunny day."
That seemed to appease her, as she nodded. "Yeah, okay. That sounds pretty good, I guess. When's that gonna be though? And what are we supposed to say or do?"
Bond chuckled to himself. "I expect you won't have to do that much at all. Just look good for all the cameras and they'll lap up anything you do. I hear Mallory is trying to set some sort of official event night up with the PM. I think, what from I've heard, it'll be a dinner with some of the world's leaders, then a public speech, or press conference."
"And how long will that take to set up?" Twilight asked him, finally closing the laptop screen and rubbing her tired eyes.
She received a shrug in response. "A week or two, I suppose. In the meantime we'll see if we can't get you some better accommodation that this... cell." He glanced over at Rainbow Dash, who snickered slightly. "Anyway, it's getting late, so I should probably leave you to it. Keep the laptop, I'm sure you'll want to find out as much as you can."
The two of them smiled up at him as he went to leave, each giving him a friendly 'goodnight' as he opened the door and left. After he had gone, Dash slumped over on one of the beds, then turned on her side to face her friend. "So, is this all you were hoping for, Twi?"
"Not exactly." She smiled, using her magic to pick up the laptop and set it on the bedside table. "But, it's getting there. Hopefully once we are able to get out there and explore a little, maybe even interact with some other humans, it will be everything that I dreamed of."
Dash nodded and rolled onto her back, putting her hooves behind her head. After a few seconds of absently staring at the ceiling, she spoke up again. "Y'know, humans are pretty weird."
Twilight raised an eyebrow and looked over at her, settling into a comfortable position on her front. "How do you figure? I mean, they're obviously different to us, but that doesn't make them weird, per se."
"I guess. I just don't understand how they live if they don't control the sun and the moon, or the weather."
She nodded. "Uh huh." A thought popped into her mind that made her perk up. "Hey, do you think that some humans will make their own fan club based around me, like back in Ponyville?"
Twilight laughed for a moment, then turned her head towards her. "You know what? If they do, I owe you fifty bits."
***
One week later...
"Come on. Even you have to admit, this has to count!"
Twilight ignored Dash's smug face, and peered closer to the screen of James' phone as he held in front of her. As fascinating as the human race's internet was, it was also exceptionally strange. Especially this 'face book', as Bond had called it. She looked at the title of the page once last time, before sighing in defeat. She used her magic to open the saddlebags on her back, and tossed a small bag full of coins over to her friend.
"Ha ha, I knew it!" she chortled, punching the air with her hoof then slipping the bag into her own saddlebags. "Even the human race knows how awesome I am!"
James rolled his eyes, looking at the page himself. "Indeed they do. All sixteen thousand of the people who liked this page, anyway." With a soft chuckle, he slipped the phone back inside of his pocket and adjusted the bow tie around his neck. He cast a glance towards the both of them, both dressed in similarly formal attire. Rainbow Dash is being well behaved for such an important event, he thought to himself, allowing a small smirk to cross his lips. He stuck by them both as Twilight was properly greeted by a number of different world leaders, having shared dinner with them just before. He kept a smile on his face as she shook hands with the likes of the Prime Minister, the Queen, the President of the United States, and many more.
To the other side of Earth's equine guests stood Mallory, also smiling formally towards those the princess greeted. Bond could feel his eyes darting towards him every once in a while, though, judging his actions. It was now his formal assignment to act as a personal bodyguard to the both of them, after all, and his superior wanted to make sure that he would do the best job he could. They both knew that the past week had been a busy one. They had worked tirelessly to set up this event, as well as provide them with accommodation at one of the city's top hotels, at Rainbow Dash's request of course. He had been put in charge of their own personal security team, the members of which he could notice patrolling around the area around them, making sure to keep an eye out for any trouble.
Thing have been going smoothly, for the most part, he thought to himself, scanning the crowd around them as they moved towards where Twilight and Rainbow would be answering questions at a press conference. In the week since they had been revealed to the world, the public had been eager to see more of the ponies visiting their planet. Social media websites and outlets were constantly buzzing with talk and speculation about the both of them, as had news channels and talk shows around the world. He had even stumbled across some knock-off merchandise featuring their likenesses. Stuffed toys and the like, he reminisced. Bloody things looked nothing like them at all. Of course, not everyone had welcomed them with open arms, but that was to be expected. There were skeptics, the distrusting, and the paranoid crying foul over their reveal. An extreme case come with a right-wing talk show in the states claimed the two of them were masquerading demons, signalling the start of the end times. Nutcases. I doubt Twilight or Rainbow Dash have anything to worry about.
"Everything seems to be going quite well, doesn't it?" Mallory's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
He looked over at him and nodded, squinting his eyes against the flashing of cameras all around them. "Indeed it does." He noticed a few members of his security team holding back somebody who had jumped the fence. "Well, for the most part."
He chuckled and nodded. "Hopefully it should stay that way. Anyway, do you know exactly what the two of them want to do now that they're out for the public to see?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Twilight mentioned something about wanting to see the world, to travel. That shouldn't be too hard, should it?"
M shook his head. "No, it really shouldn't be a problem. I suppose they're both quite curious, aren't they?"
James nodded as the four of them entered the building in which the press conference would take place. They made their way backstage, pushing through or barging past wandering reporters or eager paparazzi in the place's hallways. Once they had finally gotten backstage, he glanced backwards and saw them both preparing themselves for the upcoming event. Bond poked his head out from behind the stage curtain, and saw the seats were packed full of eager reporters, with journals, laptops, or tablet devices in hand and ready to write down every word that left his friends' mouths. Grimacing, he turned back and headed towards them once again. "Right, are you lot ready?" he asked, looking down at the two of them as a few members of the security team stood nearby.
"I think that we are. At least, I think so. I hope so," Twilight told him rather nervously, taking deep breaths and hopping back and forth on the tips of her hooves. "It's just that..." She paused and bit her tongue. "I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say, or what I should say. I'm barely used to being a princess in Equestria, let alone giving a live speech to an entire alien race. I mean, this is going to be broadcast across the world, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, it is." He tried his best to smile warmly, kneeling down to her eye level. "But don't worry about anything, okay? Just be yourself, answer any questions you want to answer. You're not obliged to give someone a response if you feel like their question was too personal, or private, or if they want you to divulge information that you'd rather keep to yourself."
"Yeah, yeah, that's great and all," Dash spoke up, hovering up towards him. "But, before we go out there... is there a filly's room anywhere around here?" She blushed slightly. "I kinda need to go."
James smirked, recalling her new found taste for Coca-Cola at their dinner just before. Everyone else was drinking fine wine, and there she was gulping down soft drink. Guess everyone else thought it was some kind of cultural norm. "Yeah, there's one nearby. Come on, I'll escort you there."
He went to step forward when one of the men on his security detail stepped forward. "Don't worry about it sir, I'll handle it. I need to check the perimeter anyway."
James eyed the guard for a second, before giving a shrug. "Alright then, Webb, keep on your guard. Just don't take too long, alright Rainbow? You've got less than five minutes."
She nodded and set off behind the guard, soon disappearing around a corner. After watching her go, he looked down at Twilight once again. "Seriously, don't worry about anything. You're going to be fine."
The alicorn gave him a sincere smile as she looked back up at him. "Yeah, I know James. Thank you."
The two of them chatted and prepared for her appearance over the course of the next five minutes, however there was no sign of Rainbow Dash returning. Bond's concern only grew as one of the backstage managers called that they were going to be going live in thirty seconds. "Where the hell is she?" he muttered to himself. "Hold on, I'll go get her," he said to Twilight and Mallory, before setting off to the toilets.
When he arrived at the door to the women's toilets he found it, unsurprisingly, closed. What was surprising, however, was that the guard, Webb, was nowhere to be seen. Confused and concerned, Bond tapped into the security team's radio channel. "Webb, where the hell are you? Report, over." He waited, but no response came. Frustrated, he repeated, "Report."
The radio stayed silent, which made him worry. He leaned up against the door to the toilets, but couldn't hear anything. "Rainbow?" he called out, listening for any signs of life from within. "Rainbow Dash, are you in there?" No response came either. Oh, this can't be good. He glanced around, before drawing his gun and trying to push the door open. It wouldn't budge, so he stepped back and kicked it forcefully. After a few kicks, it swung inward, and he stepped inside quickly.
He noticed a broken mop on the ground beside the door, as well as an open door leading to the janitor's closet that it had been moved from. Someone tried to bar the door? he thought, worried. He checked every corner and stall in the room, but there was no sign of his guard or Rainbow Dash. However, he did noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There was a small, fresh patch of blood on the edge of one of the sinks. His eyes widened as he saw it. Oh shit... I just can't catch a damn break...
He turned to leave the room swiftly, switching his radio communications to broadcast to all of his security detail. "This is 007. One of the VIPs has gone missing. Repeat, the VIP Rainbow Dash is missing. Suspected kidnapping. Agent Webb is to be captured or killed on sight." He growled as he started looking around for him. "Somebody find that bastard."
"James? James!" Confused and bewildered, Twilight called out to her friend as he walked past her, with fire and determination in his eyes. She looked up and around at the men in her security detail, who, about a minute ago, had heard something in their earpieces and gone into high alert. They had all drawn their weapons and crowded around her, waiting for instruction from their superior. "Just what in the world is going on?" she exclaimed, to no one in particular.
Bond turned to address one of the security guards. "Get her out of here, right now. We still haven't found that bastard."
Her eyes widened as she heard his command. "What?! James, what's happened?"
"We have a mole; a traitor," he told her, pulling out his own gun. "And he's kidnapped Rainbow Dash." She gasped in shock, and he held up his hand. "And before you ask: no, I don't know why. My only concern right now is getting you safe, and finding her."
She looked up at him with a pleading look in her eyes. "Please, James, let me help you! If my friend is in trouble, I want to try and find her!"
"No." He ordered, earning a glare from her. "It's too dangerous. You need to stay safe, and right now putting yourself in the line of fire isn't going to do that."
"But I-"
"I said no!" he barked, before looking at the other guards. "Now come on, get her out of here!" With that, he turned and started to make his way towards the exit, moving at a brisk pace. He glanced left and right, hoping to spot the traitor, but to no avail. Nobody other than official security seemed to realise that anything was wrong, which James decided was a good thing. He guessed that somebody had come up with some sort of excuse for the delay and their lack of appearance. Still, they didn't have much time. Webb was getting away. Even as he made his way out of the building and into the street outside, the crowds of reporters, paparazzi, and curious onlookers meant that he could not spot anyone.
At just that moment the radio in his earpiece buzzed to life. "Be advised, I may have a positive ID on him," one of the agents announced. "He's pretty far away, but he fits the description, and seems to be carrying a sports bag over his shoulder."
"Where?" Bond asked, looking around frantically.
"On the edge of Trafalgar Square, sir. Looks like he's heading up towards the West End, maybe Piccadilly Circus. I'm following him now, waiting for a chance to intercept."
That's a few blocks away, he thought to himself, already running in that direction. Where the hell is he going? Not going to be taking her to see a West End show, that's for sure. He steadied his breathing and ran faster, ignoring the blaring of car horns and the shouts of confused and annoyed drivers behind him as he sprinted across the street. Trafalgar Square came into sight as he turned onto Whitehall, the unmistakeable sight of Nelson's Column dominating the square itself.
His earpiece came to life once again. "I can confirm a positive ID. He just glanced back at me, it's definitely Webb. I'm moving in."
As he ran into the square itself, James could make out the figures of both Webb and the other agent. He couldn't hear them properly from this distance, especially not with the huge crowd, but everything was transmitted through his earpiece. He saw the agent approach Webb from behind and grab him, throwing a hard punch. He could hear the grunts and other sounds of the two men scuffling through the earpiece well enough as he tried to push his way through the London crowds. From what he could see, the people around them were moving away and trying to ignore them, probably assuming they were just two drunks fighting. Two uniformed police officers nearby, however, had taken notice as well, and were moving to break it up.
There was one sound, though, that he did not need an earpiece to hear properly. He was about halfway towards the both of them when a gunshot echoed across the square, quickly followed up by another. The tourists and other civilians in the crowd went into a frenzied panic almost immediately. Despite the hysterical crowd all pushing and clambering to get away, Bond could make out the sight of his agent falling to the ground, clutching at his chest, as Webb turned and started to run.
Goddamn it! he thought to himself, pulling his own gun out and hurriedly shoving through the people blocking his path. A few more shots rang out, and he saw one of the police officers from before shot dead on the ground as his partner dived behind cover. Growling with anger, he shoved more people aside as he shouted into his earpiece. "Agent down! I repeat, agent down! He's heading south west on Pall Mall."
By the time he was free from the terrified crowds of the square, his target was already much further down the street. Not deterred in the slightest, he pulled himself together and sprinted after him. Where the hell are you going, Webb? he wondered, as he chased him past numerous bars, theatres, nightclubs, and restaurants. The bag over his shoulder, no doubt containing an unconscious (or worse, though he prayed that was not the case) Rainbow Dash, was thankfully slowing him down somewhat, allowing Bond to close the gap between the two of them.
Webb, however, had noticed his new pursuer, and had made an effort to pick up his pace. The crowds didn't seem to be slowing him down too much, since he shoved through them with ease. What the hell is he even thinking anyway? James wondered to himself, shoving an oblivious tourist out of his way. What reason does he have to be doing this? With a frustrated growl, he picked up the pace and shouted out, "Webb! Stop!"
Unsurprisingly, he ignored his command. However, to James' surprise, he quickly ducked into a nearby nightclub, shoving past the bouncer as he did so. It was an obvious attempt to try and lose his pursuer in the densely packed crowds inside, but Bond was not going to have any of it. "He's trying to lose me in the Tasteful Nightclub," he said over the radio, looking up at the name of the club. "Head in through the back, try to cut him off." By the time he had reached the entrance, the bouncer had recovered and now stood in his way. I don't have time for this, James thought, driving his foot into the man's knee. There was a sickening crunch as the bone snapped, and he howled in pain, only to be cut off as Bond punched him hard across the face. The people waiting in line to get it gasped in shock as he fell to the ground, and his attacker dashed inside.
Where the hell are you, you bastard? The loud, overwhelming din of the crowd in the nightclub combined with the electronic music blasting from oversized speakers around the room formed a deafening noise, distracting James from finding the traitor. He had disappeared into the tightly packed crowds inside the small room. "I'll have to try and avoid starting a panic in here," he muttered to himself, scanning the people on the dance floor. "I don't want to start a stampede and get even more people hurt."
Unfortunately for Bond, almost everyone in the club was about as well dressed as he and his quarry were, making finding him in the midst of the crowd quite a challenge. Look for the bag, he reminded himself, narrowing his eyes. The bag over his shoulder. That should make him easier to spot. Even with that advice in mind, he still found it difficult to find him in the huge mass of people. He groaned and frowned as the pounding music started to get on his nerves. Where the hell have you gone?
He let out a sigh of relief that he did not even know he had been holding when his agents reported in through his earpiece. "We've got all exits covered, sir. He's not going to be leaving that club without one of us knowing about it." With a determined frown, he jogged up a flight of stairs to a balcony overlooking the rest of club, in the hopes that higher ground would aid him in his search. Minutes passed, and still no sign of him. After what seemed like forever, James suddenly spotted him, leaning against the bar uncomfortably with a phone to his ear. Calling for backup? There are more in on this? He gave the rest of the MI6 agents outside a warning to keep their eyes open and set off back downstairs.
The huge crowd did have a positive side after all, as it helped to hide James from Webb's paranoid eyes as he approached. He managed to reach the bar himself, a bit further down from his target. He kept on eye on him while blending in, but Webb hadn't decided to try and move. A few moments passed, and Bond decided it was time to move. As he did so, however, something caught his eye. He noticed Webb look down at the bag over his shoulder with alarm. He followed his gaze, and saw that the bag itself was squirming. Oh shit, she woke up.
Webb had caught on to that fact as well, and made a move towards the exit. Now within arms reach, James lunged forward and grabbed the back of his jacket, pulling him back. He seemed to realise what was going on, though, and lashed out with a wild punch that he failed to dodge. Stunned, he staggered backwards, allowing him to escape his grip and push forward through the crowd. James noticed him draw his gun. With no other option immediately available, he turned around, and desperately dove over the bar and into cover just as the first shot ricocheted past him. Well, so much for subtlety.
Naturally, everyone nearby panicked and scrambled out of the way. Cursing to himself, Bond pulled out his gun and returned fire, taking great care to place his shots on target. Webb was having trouble firing back, on account of the squirming bag over his shoulder. Eventually, Dash kicked out hard, catching him in the side of the ribs and making him drop her to the ground. Winded, he crawled behind a table as James fired off a few shots. Still keeping his gun trained on where Webb had hidden, he moved forward and grabbed the bag with Dash inside, dragging it behind cover and opening it quickly.
"Argh, what in the world?" Rainbow gasped for breath and scrambled out of the bag. She went to leap into the air, but James kept her down and told her to hold still. While still keeping an eye out for the traitor, he inspected the wound on her head. It didn't look like it would cause any permanent damage, thankfully. "What just happened?" she wondered, hissing in pain as she became aware of the injury on her head.
He hunkered down behind the bar with her and checked how many bullets he had left. Satisfied with the amount, he slotted the magazine back inside and peeked above quickly. "Seems like you've got another kind of fan club," he quipped. "Though this one has less than noble intentions for you, I'm sure." He flinched as more bullets flew past overhead. With a grimace, he looked over at her. "Case in point."
She covered her ears with her hooves as the shots flew by, before frowning. "Well then, let me at 'em!" She spread her wings and tensed her legs, ready to leap into the sky. "I'm ain't gonna take this sitting down!"
He held her down again. "No! It's too dangerous!" Three more gunshots echoed from across the other side of the room, prompting him to pop up and return fire. "Just stay down!" he barked after ducking down. "Backup should be on the way."
As if on cue, the sound of more gunshots echoed from near the entrance. James peeked his head over the bar to witness his fellow agents exchanging fire with Webb, who soon ducked back down behind his table to reload. Ah, finally. The cavalry is here. He propped himself up, keeping his gun trained on the table. "Just give yourself up, Webb!" he bellowed out. "We have you surrounded, it's over!"
No response came, even as the rest of the MI6 operatives kept their guns trained on the table he had hidden behind. What is he doing? Bond wondered, casting a quick look down at Rainbow. Curiously, she peeked her head over too, to see what was going on. His patience now wearing thin, he shouted out again. "I said, give yourself up!"
There was a crashing sound from behind him, catching him off guard. He quickly ducked down and looked behind to see the door to the kitchen area being kicked in, allowing four more submachine gun-toting thugs to storm inside. Well, they aren't friendly, he thought, throwing himself over Dash as they all opened fire at the bar. The assortment of liquor bottles stacked on the shelves above them were torn to pieces by gunfire, showering them both with shards of broken glass. How the hell did they get in here? he thought angrily. They must have come in after my agents did. Two of the newcomers turned their attention to the other MI6 agents, but one was shot and killed before he managed to fire upon them. The other took cover and started to suppress them, no doubt allowing Webb to move to safety.
With a grunt James pulled out a shard of glass lodged into the back of his hand and pressed himself up against the bar again. Attempting to ward off his attackers, he pointed his gun over the counter and blindly fired a few bullets, though it seemed to have little effect. He could hear one of the thugs shout at another to 'take care of Bond', and readied himself. A few seconds passed, and he stood up, surprising the man on the other side of the bar. He pulled the gun out of his hands and tossed it aside for the time being, before dragging the man himself across and behind the bar. The thug yelled out in pain as he was thrown down onto the shards of glass, before quickly going quiet as James stomped on his face.
"Here, catch!" 007 looked towards Rainbow and caught the submachine gun she threw towards him. He quickly checked the magazine - about half of it left - and stood up. Taking in a deep breath, he aimed towards the other two thugs. They had not noticed the loss of their comrade, and as such were busy firing at the other MI6 agents, along with Webb. That makes things easy, then. He squeezed the trigger, letting out controlled bursts that felled the both of them.
There was silence for a few moments, before he caught Webb popping his head up again. Another few seconds passed, before he slowly raised his hands and stood. James kept his gun trained firmly on him, but began to approach. "Like I said, it's over, Webb." He saw that he had a wound in his right shoulder, no doubt inflicted by one of the others. "Get on your knees, hands behind your head."
He complied, slowly, but was knocked over to the ground when Rainbow Dash lunged forward and hit him with a heavy right hook across the face. He yelped out in pain as she was held back from giving him further punishment. "That's for trying to kidnap me!" she yelled.
"Calm down, Rainbow," he told her, holding her gently as the other MI6 agents apprehended him. "You're okay now. How are you feeling?"
She groaned and looked over at her kidnapper with an angry look in her eyes. "I'm... I'm really annoyed! How dare he!" With another groan she cradled her head in her hooves. "And my head really hurts. Wait, where's Twilight? Is she okay?" She quickly looked up at him with worry.
He held up a finger and spoke through his earpiece. "Report. What's the status of the princess, over?" He waited a few seconds, before speaking again. "Understood. Yes, she is secure. The perpetrator is in custody, over." He looked down at her with a faint smile. "She's fine. Shaken up by this whole ordeal, obviously, but fine. She's being taken back to your hotel as we speak. We should probably get you back there too."
"What about this guy?" She tilted her head towards the now handcuffed Webb, who was being dragged out of the club.
James glared towards him for a second, before looking back at her. "We'll find out why he did this, or who for, soon enough. For now, though, you need to get properly looked at, and get some rest."
"Yeah... Yeah, you're right." She managed to smile up at him. "Come on, let's get the heck out of this place."
"With pleasure." He hauled himself to his feet and helped her up onto her hooves, before moving towards the exit of the club. Of course someone wants the two of them for their own agenda, he thought bitterly. Things can never just be simple, can they?
"Well, that didn't go quite as smoothly as we'd hoped."
Bond looked over towards Princess Twilight, raising an eyebrow. "Well, bugger me if that wasn't the understatement of the year," he quipped, leaning back in the seat of the limousine that he and the two ponies were being transported in. "That was a bloody mess. I suppose we should be thankful that it didn't get any worse."
"I guess so," the alicorn replied, resting a hoof on her friend's back as she gazed out of the window at the London skyline. Dash flinched ever so slightly, as if she was trying to hide the fact. Twilight sighed and looked back at him. "What reason would anyone have to even think of doing something like this, let alone go through with it?"
"Some misguided bullshit, I'm sure," he muttered, groaning quietly. It had been a long day. "Are you sure you're okay, Rainbow?" he asked, turning his head towards the pegasus.
A few seconds passed before she pulled herself out of her own thoughts. "Yeah, James, yeah." She turned around and smiled, albeit a bit weakly. "Just shook up is all. I'll be okay once we're back at the hotel." She paused as she thought of something. "Hey, can we order room service?"
Despite everything, that managed to make her friends crack a smile. "I don't see why not," Bond said. "After all, no expense is spared when it comes to alien royalty."
"Yeah, I bet we're not exactly the kind of aliens humanity was expecting, huh?" Dash chuckled, managing to take her mind off the night's events.
Bond smirked and shook his head. "Well, you can say that again. You're not little green men in flying saucers."
The two mares snickered slightly as the car pulled up to the front of the hotel, feeling a little more at ease than they had an hour or so ago. "Looks like we're here," James muttered, opening the door and holding it for them. As he did, he scanned his surroundings, taking in every single minute detail. His hand even hovered towards his chest, ready to grab the gun holstered there beneath his suit at a moment's notice.
Twilight stepped out swiftly, while Rainbow Dash lazily glided up a few feet in the air. He rolled his eyes, and quickly took them inside. A few curious people inside turned their heads towards the unusual newcomers, but the presence of an intimidating secret service agent next to them dissuaded any from getting too close. Today has been too bloody long, he thought grimly, pressing the elevator button in a vain attempt to get it to reach the ground floor faster.
"Are you okay, James?" He looked down to meet the princess' gaze. She had a tired, yet concerned look on her face. "I know today has been a bit of a mess."
"It's been a huge fucking mess," he groaned, yawning as the elevator doors finally opened. "Nothing ever goes smoothly, does it?" The three of them walked inside, leaning against the walls of the elevator as the doors slid shut again. "There's always some sort of goddamn conspiracy. Now I don't know how safe you two are, no matter where you are." He chuckled slightly. "I mean, for God's sake, I've worked with Webb for years. To think he could just betray us, as easy as that..."
Twilight tried her best to comfort him, smiling softly and reassuringly. "Come on, James, we'll be okay," she told him with an air of confidence. "We should be able to get to the bottom of all of this relatively quickly, now that MI6 has taken that guy in for questioning."
"Yeah, well, something tells me that it won't be that simple," he scoffed cynically. "It never bloody is."
The elevator doors slid open as they finally reached their floor, near the top of the hotel. James took the lead, poking his head out and checking to see if anyone else was around, before nodding for the both of them to follow. Naturally, they had been given the most luxurious suite the hotel had to offer: a large bedroom, living room, and even their own fully stocked bar. He pulled the doors to their suite open and stood aside, letting them walk past. Dash glided inside lazily and landed on the couch, evidently tired from the day's events. Not that Bond could blame her, of course. She was trying to hide it, but he could tell that her attempted kidnapping had really had an effect on her. He had a feeling that she would play up her cocky, arrogant attitude in order to mask any insecurities caused by what his former colleague had done.
He groaned again as the traitor came back to the forefront of his mind. That twat, he thought, grabbing a laptop from the dining table and sitting next to Twilight on the couch. It wasn't even the first time such a thing had happened, either; it wasn't the first time that one of his close allies had turned rogue. He cast his mind back to the events in Siena, Italy, almost a decade prior. Is there anyone who isn't a bloody turncoat?
He looked up from the screen and saw the two of them inspecting the television remote. Managing to smirk slightly despite everything, he picked it up and pressed a button, making sure to show them which one. "Let's see what's on, hm?" he murmured, as the television lit up. The news at ten had just come on, and there were no prizes for guessing what the top news story would be.
"We're now going live to the aftermath of a shocking gun battle that took place earlier this evening at a popular West End nightclub near Trafalgar Square," The presenter announced, before cutting to a reporter live at the scene. Twilight gasped as she saw the scene of shocked patrons, lit up by a multitude of flashing blue lights.
They all watched intently as the reporter began to speak. "That's right, I'm here at the Tasteful Club, just off of Pall Mall, where at approximately eight thirty this evening a horrifying shootout erupted between government agents and a number of unknown assailants. The battle left many involved dead or injured. No civilians were killed in the crossfire, although six were injured in the panic, at least one seriously."
"Oh my gosh," Twilight whispered, covering her mouth with a hoof. "Did they really think all of this chaos would be worth it?"
"Apparently so," Bond replied, frowning and returning his attention to the laptop screen. "We need to focus on why they did it in the first place." He managed to stifle a yawn, and looked over at them. "You might want to get some sleep, you two. I might be up all night sorting this crap out."
Dash nodded. "Yeah, I'm beat. Might as well turn in, I guess." A few bones cracked into place as she hopped off the couch and lazily flew up into the bedroom, swinging the door shut behind her. A few moments of silence ensued, broken only by the tapping of keys on Bond's laptop, until Twilight looked back up at him yet again.
"So, I imagine an entire reworking of the security detail is in order?"
He grimaced at the thought. "That's not even the start of it. They'll be checking almost everyone back at MI6, for anything that could be considered even remotely connected to whatever we get from that bastard Webb. Hell, I'm probably included on that list, just to be sure."
She frowned at that, not liking the idea at all. "Then who will be guarding us? What will we do?"
"Hopefully Mallory trusts me enough to give me a pass," he suggested. "For now though, your plans of a tour around the globe may be put on hold."
As he had expected, she looked crestfallen at that. He tried his best to smile reassuringly despite his exhaustion, and said to her, "I know, but for now it's just too dangerous. If someone who wants you two for God knows what could be a part of MI6 itself, then they could be anywhere else as well."
The two of them were interrupted as something popped up on the screen of the laptop; an incoming call from Q Branch back at MI6. "Here's hoping it's good news," he muttered to himself, scrolling the cursor and answering the call. Q's face popped up on the screen, obviously tired and overworked. "Hello, Q. You're a bit of a mess," Bond greeted bluntly.
"Ah, you noticed," he replied, straightening his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Bond's description had been somewhat of a understatement. The young man's hair was dishevelled, there were obvious bags under his eyes; his entire appearance practically screamed 'long day'. James mused that by tomorrow morning it would be more akin to something like 'lack of sleep'. Holding back a yawn, he took a sip from his mug of tea and noted, "This is my fourth today. I think I might have to move onto something a little stronger."
"Tell me you've got something," he insisted, though not without a hint of a smirk as Q put his mug back to the side.
He cleared his throat and held up a mobile phone to the camera. "Well, I've been going through his mobile for anything suspicious. Lots of calls made to the same number, but that number belonged to a prepaid, throwaway phone, so that lead ran dry."
"Even the call he made while he was in the club?" Bond asked, leaning forward slightly as Twilight used her magic to turn on the kettle in the kitchen.
He shook his head. "Different number, but still the same problem. More likely than not, though, it belonged to one of the men that you put in the morgue tonight, 007."
Twilight could not help but shudder at the grim description as she got up off the sofa. "Would you like a cup of coffee, James?" she asked in an effort to take her mind off it.
"Sure. White, two sugars." He rubbed his eyes and looked back at Q. "Any clue how the interrogation is going?"
He shrugged. "Not at all, unfortunately."
"Maybe I should come down and have a word with him myself."
Q gave him a shake of his head. "While I've no doubt your techniques can be… persuasive, 007, that's probably not the best idea. You need to stay with the Equestrians. I reckon you're the only one that they trust right now, and, honestly, I can't blame them."
One glance towards Twilight was all he needed in order to confirm that Q's suspicions were correct. He could tell, by the look in her eyes. She and Rainbow Dash were scared, probably more than they would care to admit. He was honestly surprised that they weren't setting up to teleport straight back home to Equestria. He wouldn't blame them if they did. Earth hadn't exactly been very inviting. Still, if they were staying, they needed someone they could trust standing by their side, and right now, the only person who fit that criteria was him.
"I suppose you have a point," he replied, relenting. He took the cup of coffee out of Twilight's magical grasp as it floated towards him and took a sip, closing his eyes for a moment. "What do you propose we do, then?"
Q shrugged. "Unfortunately, it seems that there's not much that you can do. I'm going to be up all night sifting through data, so, God willing, I'll have found something useful by the time morning rolls around. Maybe you should get some sleep, I have a feeling that you need it."
Sleep was not high on James' list of priorities right now, but even he could not deny the effect that the day's events had taken on his already weary body. He found himself yawning yet again, and shrugged indifferently. "Maybe. Might be a bit hard to get some sleep at all though, since I can't even trust my own bloody men."
"Well, I think you should try, at the very least," he suggested, after another sip of tea. "Anyway, I have a lot of work to be doing."
James nodded. "I'm sure you do. Goodnight, Q."
"Goodnight, 007."
With that, the call cut out, and, after a few seconds, he closed the screen of his laptop. He looked across to Twilight, then at the cup of coffee in his hands, and smirked ever so slightly. "Well, I doubt I'll be getting any sleep with all of this caffeine running through my veins, either."
She looked at her own mug guiltily. "Heh, that is true. Sorry about that." There was a pause as she bit her lip and thought. "Well, I'm sure that there are some other things that we could do instead. I'm just not exactly sure what."
A thought crossed his mind that made him smile slyly. He picked up his laptop and slid it across the sofa towards her. "Maybe you'd like to read some more about history, or culture, or, well, whatever you like."
Her face lit up at that, as he expected it would. In no time at all she had scooped the device up in her magic, quickly opening up a web browser as he had showed he before. James smiled as he watched her before closing his eyes, the events of the day finally catching up to him despite the coffee he had just drank. I just hope that tomorrow will be a little quieter, he thought optimistically, settling down into the sofa and crossing his arms. God knows the two of them deserve it, and I could use a bloody break as well.
***
Bond hadn't seen the entirety of MI6 in such a state of disarray in a very long time. Well, discounting the day Twilight and Rainbow Dash arrived, anyway. Discarded coffee cups were strewn about the place, dirty mugs sat on desks laden with paperwork, newspaper snippets, and other such clutter. He was suddenly thankful that he had been afforded the luxury of a half-decent night's sleep, for it was quite obvious that nobody here had. And while many of the people working in Q Branch had now gone home for some well needed rest, Q himself was still sat at his desk, hunched over his computer.
"How much tea have you gone through to keep yourself going all night, Q?" he wondered aloud, as he and the ponies approached. "That must be, what, your tenth mug, I reckon."
The younger man groaned and rubbed his eyes, lazily looking over at the half-finished mug beside him. "I don't even want to think about it, 007. Without a doubt, last night was a long one." A coy smile crossed his lips as he spun around in his office chair. "But it wasn't for nothing. I found a lead in the phones I was looking through, and it matches up with some information that our boys managed to squeeze out of Webb."
"Perfect," James said with a relieved smile, before continuing with a chuckle, "I knew I could count on you, Q."
"Well, I couldn't have done it without your reassuring support 007, that's for sure."
The playful sarcasm was not lost on him, however he decided to press on with the matter at hand. "So, what did you get out of that bastard? Associates? Location?"
Another yawn interrupted him before he could answer. "The latter, 007. Numerous calls made to a phone in the same location, an address that Webb also happened to give up under interrogation."
"Well, where is it?" Dash insisted. "We gotta go and get those guys!"
James turned around to face the both of them. "No, that's out of the question. You two are staying at the hotel, after what happened last night." She went to say something in objection, as he had expected, but he stopped her. "I said no. Going out into the front lines, as it were, is too dangerous."
Twilight's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked up at him. "Didn't you say yourself that you weren't sure if you could trust even your own personal security team?"
He grimaced. It was out of annoyance, more than anything, because he knew she had a point. No matter what he decided, they would be at risk. Still, he was adamant that the decision he had already made was the lesser of two evils. "I know what I said, but I stand by what I said. It'll be much too dangerous for you to go along. It's you they're after."
"But we might be able to help you!"
"I said no." He insisted sternly. "I'm sorry, but I have to go and look into this myself." Turning back to Q, he asked. "Where is this place?"
He tapped a few keys on his computer, bringing up a satellite image on screen. "A dockyard down on the Thames, near Rainham. No information on what you might be going up against, mind you," he added regretfully.
Sighing, he nodded and turned to the two Equestrians. "Come on, you two. I'll get you back to your room first. Send the address to my phone, Q."
"Already done."
"Thank you." With that, he turned and began to lead the two of them out. I bloody hope this lead gets us somewhere. As he walked, he looked down and inspected the images that had been sent to his phone. The place looked utterly inconspicuous; just a simple waterfront warehouse, barely kept tidy at all. He supposed that worked in their favour, since it wouldn't usually arouse suspicion. Still, they more than likely knew that their double agent had been captured, so he knew they were probably expecting trouble. Oh, they'll get it, alright.
