"Good morning, dear." The Inspector's eyes fluttered open as the voice of his wife floated through the darkness. She was still curled up beside him, a smile on her face. "You need to wake up, you little sleepyhead. You don't want to be late for work." The Inspector glanced at his clock, it was 5:00 AM. He sat up.
"Thank you so much, honey." the Inspector beamed as he got out of bed. He yawned and stretched his arms as he shook off the chains of sleep and fatigue. He moved to his closet to put on his uniform. "I need to get changed."
"Okay then." His wife nodded. "While you do that, I will make you breakfast today. How does that sound?"
"I would appreciate that very much, thank you." the Inspector replied. With a giggle, his wife slipped through the door to the kitchen. The Inspector opened his closet and put on his uniform. He was already starting to get used to the pants. The Inspector, now fully dressed save for his hat, was ready to go. He entered the kitchen and sat down at the table, placing his hat beside him. His wife placed a plate of eggs and two slices of toast, all warm and ready to eat.
"Here you are, darling!" His wife said cheerily. "Oh, and I also made you a lunch bag to take to work today." she placed a brown paper bag next to the plate. The Inspector sighed. How did he land the perfect wife who loved every bit of him, and one who was a good cook to boot.
"How on Equis did a perfect girl like you fall in love with a lowly laborer like me." The Inspector implored.
"Well, I guess you just got that rural charm." The mare joked. "That, and in Arstrotzka, all of us are laborers in one way or another."
"It's true. Yes, it's certainly true." the Inspector conceded as he began to eat his breakfast. He ate slowly, to savor the meal and get the most nutrients out of it, but not too slowly. After all, he did have a schedule to keep up with.
The sound of little hoofsteps echoed across the wooden floor. The Inspector's son had entered the room.
"Good morning, Papa." The voice of the colt soothed the Inspector slightly. The Inspector stood up and knelt down to his son.
"What are you doing up so early?" The Inspector asked. "You don't need to be awake for two more hours."
"I wanted to say goodbye before you went to work, Papa."
"Okay then. Goodbye my sweet little foal."
"Papa, I'm six, I'm not a foal anymore!"
"I know, I know, but you will always be my sweet little foal even when you are fifty years old."
"Hee hee. Okay Papa. Goodbye." The Inspector kissed the colt on his little forehead. He rose from his chair. It was time to go. His wife gave him a kiss on the cheek as he placed his lunch in his saddle bag, and the three ponies went together to the door. After a final goodbye, the Inspector donned his hat and exited the small apartment to begin the long walk to his booth.
Twenty minutes later, the Inspector arrived at the booth. On his desk lay a cylindrical black device. The Inspector wrinkled his eyebrows and frowned at the device. He pulled out a new bulletin from the slot. It must have been placed there last night. He unfolded the bulletin. A smaller note fell out of the pamphlet. The Inspector placed his lunch in a drawer and read the bulletin first.
Dear Inspector,
Today, your job will be a bit more complicated, but it still shouldn't be much of a problem. Princess Celestia has decided that Arstrotzka is ready to be open to everypony. As such, ponies from all regions will be welcome today.
The Ministry of Admissions has informed me that there may be some ponies with expired or invalid passports. I've had to pull a few strings, but I've managed to give you a Discrepancy Detector. That's the cylinder that has been left on your desk for you. Look through it and switch it on to highlight possible discrepancies. It will be a big help to you, no doubt.
All in all, deny any ponies with expired documents. Any and all documents must be up to date. This has been added to your rulebook. It's in the right most slot under the desk in case you have not noticed. Be vigilant, as always, and make no exceptions for any reason.
For the Glory of Arstrotzka and Equestria,
Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Temporary Governor of Arstrotzka.
The Inspector grabbed up his rulebook and flipped to the Basic Rules section. There were two new rules. One that said all entrants must have a passport, and the other said that all documents must be current. The Inspector replaced the book and then turned his attention to the note. He picked it up off of the floor and unfolded it. It was hoofwritten, unlike the bulletin, which had been typed out. The hoofwriting was in a fine and showy cursive, making the note rather difficult to read. The Inspector squinted as he tried to read the note. He stumbled on a few words, but he managed to read the entire thing.
Dear Inspector.
I would like to apologize for the behavior of my friend, Rainbow Dash yesterday. She can be hard to work with sometimes, but trust me, she's a really good friend when you get to know her. I'd also like to thank you for standing up to her, it's a lot harder than it sounds. She will be returning in the early hours of the day, and her passport should be up to date, so please let her in. Again, thank you for sticking to the rules.
Twilight Sparkle
The Inspector smiled. At least he would not have to worry about Rainbow Dash causing too much trouble. He leaned over to the microphone. "The Checkpoint is now open. Please enter the booth." A brown mare entered the booth. "Papers, please." the Inspector requested. She gave him a lime green passport. He looked over the information. It was a Crystal Empire passport. Everything seemed to be in order. The Inspector reached for the green stamp, but he paused. Something was off, he could feel it.
The Inspector looked at the passport again. I think this passport might be expired, he thought. I better check it out with the Discrepancy Detector. He held up the black cylinder to his eye. The readout said that the document was indeed expired.
"Ma'am, this passport has expired." the Inspector said as he stamped the passport with the red denial stamp. He handed back the passport and the mare exited to the left.
"Next." the Inspector called. He was greeted by the familiar figure of a certain cyan pegasus.
"You again?" she remarked. "Don't they have anyone else to run this checkpoint other than the same jerk who sits here all day?"
"Papers, please." the Inspector growled through gritted teeth. Rainbow slid him her blue Equestrian passport. He flicked through it, and after seeing that it was up to date, he stamped it with the green stamp. "Cause no trouble." the Inspector said as he handed back the passport.
"I bet Twilight gave you a good talking to, didn't she?" Rainbow stayed in the booth, insulting the Inspector. "What did she do to you, huh? Docked pay? Hard labor?"
"Cause. No. Trouble." The Inspector could feel the steam spouting from his ears.
"Oh no, I'm not done with you yet, pal." Rainbow began to yell at the Inspector. Before she could begin her tirade, the Inspector leaned over to the microphone.
"Next!" he nearly shouted into the device. Rainbow muttered obscenities as she exited to the right. Thank the heavens she is finally gone, the Inspector thought. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
"Ahem!" A gruff voice brought the Inspector back to reality. A green stallion was in the booth now.
"Oh, yes, excuse me." The Inspector got himself in order once more. "Papers please." he said. The stallion passed him a red Germane passport.
"Sounds like you had some trouble with that last mare." The stallion remarked as the Inspector looked over his passport.
"Indeed. Appartently, she was one of the Elements of Harmony." the Inspector remarked.
"Ah, I see. Don;t worry about it then. Those six think they're so great. They're just so full of themselves." The Inspector chuckled as he checked over the passport. It was up to date. He stamped it green. "Cause no trouble." The Inspector warned as the stallion exited the booth.
The next three entrants all had valid passports, the last one was an Arstotzkan Gryphon who had tried to rush him to catch a public transport carriage. The Inspector took bites of the lunch his wife packed for him. Even with the little food they were given, she still managed to make a filling and enjoyable meal of it. The Inspector swallowed a bite of daisy sandwich and spoke into the microphone.
"Next." he called. A blue mare with a pink mane entered the booth. She handed him an Arstrotzkan passport.
"Hey there, handsome." the mare cooed as the Inspector looked over her passport. He tried to ignore her, but it was becoming difficult. "You look bored. Come see us for a good time." She slid a purple and pink card under the grate.
The Inspector stamped the passport green, seeing as it was up to date. "Glory to Arstrotzka." he said, giving the mare her passport back.
"I will be around for a couple of months." the mare said with a flick of her tail. "Don't forget to visit." She exited the booth. The Inspector looked at the card that the mare had given him.
PLOTHOLES
1-603-4
East Manetin
For all your fantasies
The Inspector felt his face grow hot. He ripped the card in half and threw it into the trash. He leaned to the microphone. "Next." he called. A gryphon entered the booth. "Papers, please." The gryphon slid him a purple Gryphonian passport. After a quick examination, the Inspector saw that it was expired. He stamped it red and gave it back to the gryphon. "This is out of date." he said. The gryphon growled and exited the booth.
"Next." The next entrant stepped into the booth. "Papers, please." The entrant was a yellow stallion with a curly red mane. He gave the Inspector his Crystal Empire passport. It seemed to be up to date and in order. As the Inspector prepared to stamp the passport an alarm sounded. The grate over the window slid down with a crash.
"What is happening?!?" the stallion cried, covering his head with his hooves.
"Stay in the booth and remain calm, please." the Inspector instructed. With a shaking hoof, he slid open a view slot on the door that led into the booth. The gryphon he had just denied had jumped over the wall separating East and West Manetin. The guard at the end of the boulevard was shooting at the gryphon with a tranquilizer crossbow. The gryphon lobbed a small object at the guard as he was shot down. An explosion shook the checkpoint as the object exploded, killing the guard. The Inspector stumbled due to the force of the explosion. He could hear screaming on the other side of the wall. The stallion was curled up on the floor of the booth, sobbing.
"Get up!" The Inspector instructed. The stallion stood up slowly. The Inspector thrust the passport to him. "Run, go home, get out of here." he said.
The stallion muttered a small "thank you" and ran out of the booth.
The Inspector proceeded to lock down the booth. His orders were to stay inside until the area was secured. He straightened his hat and uniform, which had been knocked askew by the commotion. Outside on the East Manetin side, he could hear boots marching and soldiers yelling. The Inspector took out the rest of his lunch. He nervously took a bite of the daisy sandwich and drank from the thermos bottle of soup. His wife's cooking always made him feel comfortable. When he was done with his lunch, he threw away the bag. He breathed deeply and drummed his hooves on his desk.
A sharp rap came from the door "Open up!" A rough voice with a thick Arstrotzkan accent sounded through the door. "The all-clear has been given. You may leave now." The Inspector opened the slot on the door. There was an Arstrotzkan soldier standing in front of the door.
"Yes, sir, I'm coming out." The Inspector opened the door and stepped outside.
"Go home." The soldier ordered. "There will be no more entry today. Work will continue as normal tomorrow. Expect new directions from the Ministry of Admission." The soldier saluted. "Glory to Arstrotzka!"
"Glory to Arstrotzka." the Inspector replied. He hurried down the road.
The cold Arstrotzkan weather nipped at the Inspector's face as he ran home. He had to tell his family he was all right. He rounded the corner. His apartment building was in sight. In the distance, two ponies could be seen walking down the road. One of them began to run toward him. He squinted at the figure. It was his wife. The Inspector broke into a full gallop. He embraced his wife.
"Thank Celestia you are alive!" His wife sobbed into his shoulder, her tears staining his uniform. Her eyes were red, meaning that she had been crying for a while. "I was worried that you had been killed, or hurt, or something horrible."
"No, no, I am okay." The Inspector replied. He took out a handkerchief from his saddlebag and dabbed at her eyes. Behind his wife, his uncle was huffing and puffing his way over.
"Christ, boyo!" he panted. "What in the name of Luna happened down there.
"Wait until we get home," the Inspector said. "Then I will tell you everything." The three entered the apartment bloc and climbed up to the Inspector's apartment. They sat at the dinner table. The Inspector's wife still clutched him tightly, as if he would leave and not come back. His uncle was sitting next to him, leaning in closely. The Inspector let out a long sigh, and then he proceeded to tell them what had happened at the checkpoint that day.
"...And then the guard knocked on the door and let me out." Five minutes later, the Inspector had finished his tale on what had happened at the checkpoint that day. By now, the Inspector's mother-in-law had joined the group at the table.
"I'm just so thankful, so so thankful, that you weren't hurt at all." his wife sniffed. Her tears no longer flowed.
"We all are," the Inspector's uncle added. "Well, maybe not her mum so much."
"Shut up." The mother in law snapped. "I'm grateful too. You know how long my daughter would be crying if her husband had died today? Probably longer than you've been alive so far."
"Okay, okay." The uncle looked at the clock. "I should go and get my grandnephew from school now."
"Please do," the Inspector implored. "I want him to know that I am okay, if he does indeed know what has happened at the checkpoint by now." The uncle put on his coat and went to the door. The door opened. The uncle was heard speaking with another voice. Something about it struck the Inspector as very familiar. He stood up from the table.
"What is it, honey?" his wife asked, placing a hoof on his side. "Should we be worried?"
"I don't think so, just let me listen." The Inspector moved toward the door. He could hear the conversation more clearly now.
"Yes, he lives here. Why do you ask?" He heard his uncle say.
"I need to talk to him. It's kind of important. Is he here?"
"Yes, I will bring him to the door- oh never mind, he's already here!" In the doorway, behind his uncle stood a cyan blue pegasus with a rainbow mane.
"You!" the Inspector exclaimed. "Why won't you just leave me alone?" I knew I should have detained her!
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow Dash began to hover above the ground, her wings flapping furiously. She waved her hooves in the air. "I don't want to start anything. I just want to talk, okay?"
"Make it quick," the Inspector snapped, forgetting his professional demeanor. "I've had a very, very long day so far."
"Look, I- I- well, I..." Rainbow's eyes darted around the hall, as if searching for a way out. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I guess I just want to apologize, okay?" The Inspector raised an eyebrow, but said nothing and let her continue. "I was the jerk in this one. That isn't what my Element is about. So... do you forgive me?" She opened her eyes, and a tear began to form in one. She shook her head. "And I was totally not about to cry, in case you were wondering."
The Inspector smiled. He was touched to hear that this mare had come all the way to apologize. He suspected the Governor of having a hoof in this affair, but it didn't matter that much. "I see no discrepancy in that statement."
"So are we friends then, pal?
"Eh, more like acquaintances I think, but at least we don't hate each other. It's better than before." the Inspector reasoned.
"Cool. I'll get out of your way." Rainbow turned to go downstairs. "And if ya need me, ask Twilight, she knows me." She almost ran into another mare who was placing mail into the mail slots of the apartments."
"Now that that's settled, I'm gonna go get my grandnephew." The uncle followed Rainbow Dash down the stairs. The mail mare trotted up to the Inspector.
"Are you the owner of apartment C8-52?" she asked. The Inspector nodded. She handed him a few envelopes and a package from the Ministry of Admission.
"Thank you." The Inspector took the packages and withdrew to his apartment.
"What was that all about?" The Inspector sat back down at the table. His wife was curious about his surprise visitor.
"Just some crazy mare I met today." he replied simply. A minute of silence passed, then his wife stood up and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. The Inspector felt his eyes grow heavy. It had been a long, long day...
"Papa, Papa! Wake up!" Something was poking the Inspector in the side. He shook his head and sat up. A small puddle of drool had formed by his mouth, but he wiped it away quickly with a hoof. His son was by his side, the perpetrator of the poking sensation.
"You naughty colt! You know better than to wake your father like that!" The Inspector's wife called from the kitchen.
"Hello there, son." The Inspector paused to let out a yawn. "How was school?"
"I heard about the bad guy at the checkpoint. Did you get to fight him?" The son looked at his father, his eyes bright with innocence.
The Inspector ruffled the colt's yellowish hair. "No, I didn't need to, the guards did."
"Aww, you would have totally kicked his plot!" Memories of the mare from the brothel swam back to the Inspector's mind, but he banished them immediately. He didn't need a place like that. Being a good cook wasn't his wife's only attribute...
"All right boys, dinner's almost ready." The mare's voice sounded from the kitchen again. The smell of fresh baked bread could be discerned. "You two better wash up."
"Okay Mama." The colt climbed onto the Inspector's back and they headed for the bathroom to get prepared for dinner.
After dinner, the Inspector sat at the table with the bills.With all of this terrorism going on, there would surely be new counter terrorism actions taken, and that meant more work for him. The Inspector sliced open the M.O.A package and was disappointed to find that he had been paid only thirty bits, since the day was cut short. One would think he would get paid more, with constantly having his life in danger and all that. He still had plenty of money to cover his bills, though. He went over to the safe and took out twenty bits. Those bits were sealed in the envelopes for the required payments.
"Papa, do you have to go to work tomorrow?" The Inspector was startled. He did not notice his son approach him. He turned around and looked at his son. Green eyes met blue as the Inspector spoke
"Yes, I will. If I don't come to work, I will get fired, and if I get fired, then we won't have a home anymore."
"But Papa, I don't want you to get hurt. I mean, stopping bad guys it really cool, but I want my papa to be safe."
"Don't worry. I am not leaving you behind on this world. I have to go to work, but I will be careful for you." The Inspector stood up. "Let's go tuck you in, now."
"Okay. Good night Papa."