"The name's Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle."
James Bond: Well, it’s certainly been a strange day.
For Queen and Country by Gherkin
is a James Bond / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic crossover spanning 13 chapters and 40,774 words in length. An unfinished (as of this writing) sequel, "An Equestrian Princess in London" has been posted. As of this writing (January 12th, 2024), this story remains incomplete.
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Commander James Bond was one of MI6's top operatives. But after a disastrous mission in Istanbul, he wakes up to find himself in an unfamiliar land and soon becomes entangled in a tale of international espionage.
Only one man can protect Equestria and its princesses in this new time of crisis, and his name's Bond.
James Bond.
Tropes in this story include:
- Actual Pacifist: Due to being Pacifists, most ponies have trouble accepting the fact that Bond sees killing as an option for getting out of situations. Anypony that does see Bond kill is almost always disturbed with his callousness with regards to life.
- Book Ends: The story begins during the prologue of Skyfall and ends with Bond washing up on the beach. Out-of-universe, the first and last pre-chapter quotes are also from the film.
- Call-Back: Rarity quotes Vesper almost directly when she takes it upon herself to tailor Bond's suit.Rarity: Please, darling. There are business suits, and business suits. You’re wearing the former, I specialize in making the latter.
- Cardboard Prison: Ponies, only having to build things that account for their body weight, use weaker forms of materials from the human world. Due to this, Bond is easily able to escape his cell by just ripping the door off the hinges.
- Continuity Nod: Various for Bond and the Mane Six, both scattered throughout the story.
- The title is partially lifted from Vesper’s cold reading of Bond.
Vesper: MI6 looks for maladjusted young men that give little thought to sacrificing others in order to protect Queen and Country.- The title for the seventh chapter (A Game of Chance) also alludes to Vesper's quote concerning the poker game:
Vesper: So you're telling me it's a matter of probability and odds? I was worried there was some chance involved.- Every chapter of the story opens with a quote from either Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, or Skyfall.
- The first chapter begins with Bond recalling the time he told M that double-ohs have a short life expectancy.
- In "A Game of Chance", James orders a Vesper Martini, complete with nearly the same Overcomplicated Menu Order from the film and book. When Twilight makes note of this, James explains that the drink is called a Vesper, but declines to elaborate any further.
- Deadpan Snarker: This is pretty much par for the course with James, as the page quote indicates.
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: Lavender Quill appears as a “hostage” in the opening chapter, but is later revealed to have masterminded the whole plot.
- Just Between You and Me: Exploited. In the first chapter, Bond escapes his cell by baiting an Earth Pony Mook into coming near the bars. Once the Mook has finished revealing that at least part of the plan involves Las Pegasus, this happens:"Really?" the spy deadpanned, before quickly thrusting both hands through the metal bars and slamming the stallion's head into them. The pony collapsed, knocked out cold. "I'm happy for you."
- Mythology Gag:
- Three chapter titles are named after previous Bond films: "From Ponyville With Love" "The Mare Who Saved Me, and "Live and Let Die". Two are named after Bond songs, with the aforementioned "Live and Let Die" serving as one and "Another Way to Die" being the other.
- The scene where Bond kills Lavender nods to the Brosnan era by directly quoting The World Is Not Enough:
- Sequel Hook: Celestia offers Twilight a mission to scout the human world, with Twilight readily accepting.
- Shoot the Hostage: Subverted. Bond makes like he's going to do this with Lavender Quill (Twilight being the hostage), but he actually ends up shooting the wall behind them, startling Quill into letting go of their hostage, whereupon Bond shoots them in the head, point-blank.
- Shout-Out: The fourth chapter is named after "Every Girl's Crazy 'Bout a Sharp Dressed Man".
