//------------------------------// // Day 4: Concience and Cobrastan // Story: Arstrotzka Welcomes You: A Papers, Please Crossover. // by Herr Director //------------------------------// The Inspector's eyes flew open, the deep emerald irises and pitch black pupils shrunken in surprise and fear. He shot up suddenly in his bed, disturbing his wife. She rose slowly and glared at him angrily. "Why are you thrashing about?" "What time is it?" The Inspector looked around frantically for his clock. His eyes darted around the room. Where is it, where is it? His eyes finally rested on his clock, which was on his bedside table, as it always had been. Idiot. The display read 5:35 AM "Dammit." The Inspector swung out of bed. He sped to his small chest of drawers where he pulled out his uniform, putting it on quickly, but rather carelessly. He would straighten out the textiles when he arrived at the gate. "Honey, this is my fault." The Inspector's wife called from the bed. "I shouldn't have kept you up." She now got out of bed and hurried over to the door. "I'll make you something to grab on the go." The Inspector simply nodded. That was all she needed from him. The Inspector struggled with the pants, trying to fish his tail through the small hole in the back. The Inspector darted into the kitchen. A small, but hot bowl of oatmeal was steaming on the table. The Inspector gulped down the oatmeal, cringing in pain as the hot meal burned his throat. You just can't think today, can you? Note to self, no sexy business the night before work. The Inspector took a glass of water from the tap and downed the entire thing in two gulps. The Inspector reached back to his tail, trying to get it through the hole. He struggled for a few seconds before he felt a tingling in his rump. The Inspector's tail was pulled through the hole, an amber aura surrounding it. He looked at his wife. "Thanks, honey." She trotted over to him, giving him a kiss as she pushed his lunch bag into his saddle bag. "You're welcome. Now go!" The Inspector nodded and exited the small apartment. He galloped down the street, not daring to be late for his work. Arstrotzka was very strict when it came to labor, and tardiness, especially for an important job such as his, would surely not be tolerated. The Inspector shut the door to the booth a bit harder than he had intended to. He leaned over the counter, panting. When he had regained his composure, he straightened his hat and pulled out his new bulletin that had been placed in the booth. No special note from Twilight today. The Inspector opened the bulletin and began to read. Dear Inspector, The Ministry of Admissions has presented its new system for admissions. Foreign entrants must present a valid entry pass in order to access Arstrotzka. This entry pass contains the name, passport number, purpose of entry, and duration of stay of the Entrant. Make sure you ask the entrant about their purpose and duration of stay, just to be sure that it adds up to what they have on their permit. On the slip dispenser, we've added a hoof print slip in case you need to take a pony's hoof prints. You may take hoof prints if the names of a pony doesn't match, or they don't look like what their photo on their passport suggests. Press the button marked with a "P" to dispense a hoof print slip and to activate the passport scanner. Scanning a passport will provide you with the Ministry of Admissions' file on that pony. It will include their hoof prints on file and any other names they have gone by (if any) There is an ink pad in one of the drawers in your desk. Give the slip and the ink pad to the entrant. If their hoof prints do not match, of if they have no known aliases when they say otherwise, then deny them entry. Arstrotzkan citizens do not need an entry permit, but must have a valid ID card containing their district, date of birth, height (in centimeters) and weight (in kilograms). You are not required to ask them their purpose and duration of stay. Make sure you still compare details like height and appearance still. A list of Arstrotzkan districts is in the rule book if you need a reference for them Only a couple more things. Entry TICKETS are no longer valid, make sure that the entry passes are up to date, and you can check the audio transcript if you need to look back on what a pony has said. The audio transcript can be used with the Discrepancy Detector to find discrepancies in duration of stay and purpose of entry. For the Glory of Arstrotzka and Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Temporary Governor of Arstrotzka The Inspector shrugged. This was more complicated, but it didn't seem so bad. He just had to be careful and vigilant. He opened the shutter and leaned over to the microphone. "The checkpoint is now open. Please enter the booth." he called. A blue stallion with a purple mane entered the booth stepped in front of the booth. "Papers, please." The stallion handed the Inspector an Arstrtozkan passport and a purple ID card. His height, weight, and appearance matched. The Inspector checked the rulebook for the district. It was correct. The Inspector stamped the passport green. "Glory to Arstrotzka." the Inspector said as the stallion took back his papers and exited the booth. "Next." A fuchsia pegasus mare entered the booth. "Papers, please. She gave the Inspector a purple Gryphonia passport and a light brown form. "What is the purpose of your trip?" "Just passing through." "Duration of stay?" "Two weeks." The Inspector looked over her documents. Everything seemed to be fine- oh? What was this? The duration on the passport was two day, not two weeks. "Your duration of stay is different." The Inspector pointed out. "Oh, I'm sorry." The mare blushed. "I misspoke. I'll only be here for two days." The Inspector nodded. That made everything okay. KA-CHUNK. "Cause no trouble." The Inspector called after the mare as she exited the booth. "Next." Another pegasus mare entered the booth. "Papers, please." She handed him a yellow Saddle Arabia passport and a small piece of paper. It was an entry ticket. "Where is your entry permit?" The Inspector asked. "Entry permit?" The mare looked confused. "I have an entry ticket right there. Let me through!" "Entry tickets are not enough anymore." the Inspector explained. He stamped the passport with the red stamp. "You need an entry permit to pass." "Horsefeathers!" the mare exclaimed. "I paid good money for that ticket!" She stormed back out of the booth. "Next." An older mare with a brown shawl entered the booth. "Papers, please." She passed him a San Palomino passport and her entry permit. "What is the purpose of your trip?" "I'm so happy that the border is open. I will visit my son. I have not seen him in six years." "Duration of stay?" "Six months." The Inspector looked to her entry permit, those statements were correct. However, a brief double check revealed that the passport and the entry permit were both expired. "Ma'am, these documents are both expired." The Inspector explained. "Oh, please let me through!" The mare begged. "I may never see him again!" The Inspector closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He would be inconsolable if he was so close to seeing his family, but denied with a single stamp. He made up his mind. KA-CHUNK "Speak of this to nopony." The Inspector handed back the documents. The mare opened the passport. Inside the visa space was a green stamp. "What? Approved?" The mare choked, looking up at the Inspector. "Cause no trouble." "I can never repay you enough. Take this, please." The mare passed him a round silvery object. She left the booth. The Inspector looked at the object. It was a medal of sorts. The Inspector placed the medal in his bag. He would study it further at a later time. He was still on duty. A clicking sound came from under his desk. The Inspector bent down to investigate the noise. It was the printer. It ejected a pinkish slip. The Inspector ripped the slip from the printer and read it. M.O.A. CITATION Passport: Invalid Date Entry Permit: Invalid Date FIRST WARNING: NO PENALTY GIVEN The Inspector groaned. His first citation. However, he did feel a little relieved. He was glad that there was no penalty yet. Still though, he thought. I shouldn't make any more mistakes. He set the citation aside and called the next entrant. "Next." An Arstrotzkan citizen entered the booth. "Papers, please." He presented his Arstrotzkan passport and ID. The Inspector noticed right away that the picture on the ID did not match the stallion, or the picture on his passport. "This photo does not look like you." "What can I say?" The stallion remarked. "The times have been hard for me." The Inspector pressed the "P" button on the dispenser. A piece of paper with two large boxes on it shot out of the dispenser. A small door opened in the side of the dispenser, revealing a slot. The words "SCAN PASSPORT HERE" appeared around the slot. The Inspector rummaged through his desk drawers until he found the ink pad described in the bulletin. There were also some paper towels in the drawer. He presented the slip and the ink pad to the stallion. "Provide your hoof prints onto the slip please." The stallion dipped his hooves into the ink and pressed them onto the slip. While he did so, the Inspector scanned the passport. The printer clicked to life. It printed a blue slip. The Inspector ripped off the paper. The stallion's name, aliases, and hoof prints were listed on the paper. "Here you are." The stallion handed back the hoof print form he had filled out. The Inspector handed him a paper towel to get the ink off of his hooves. The Inspector held up the two slips. These prints did not match either. "I cannot verify your identity." "I don't know what to say." The Inspector stamped the passport with a denial stamp. "Better luck tomorrow." The stallion looked downcast as he took his documents and backed out of the booth. "Next." A grey pegasus with a blonde mane was the next to enter. The first thing the Inspector noticed about her was her unusual, almost hypnotic eyes. One looked up and the other looked down. The Inspector blinked and shook his head. "Excuse me, miss. Papers, please." "Okey dokey!" The mare handed him an Equestrian passport. She made to give him the entry permit as well, but she dropped it. "Oopsies." she giggled. She picked up the paper with her mouth and dropped it on the Inspector's desk. "What is the purpose of your trip?" "I'm gonna be the new mail mare at the Arzt... Arrstot... well, post office. Hee hee hee." "Duration of stay." "Uhh... a year, I think." He looked over the documents. They seemed to check out, except, was her name Derpy Hooves or Ditzy Doo? There were two different names on the papers. "These names do not match." "What?" Derpy leaned over the counter to look at the papers. "Oh, sorry mister. I have two different names." The Inspector gave her a hoof print slip and the ink pad. "Provide your hoof prints onto the slip please." "Okay, mister inspector." Derpy pressed her inky hooves into the slip. The Inspector scanned Derpy's passport. The printer ejected her file. Under known aliases, it read "Derpy Hooves, Ditzy Doo." The Inspector compared the two hoof prints to be sure. The Inspector stamped her passport with the approval stamp while she wiped off her hooves with a paper towel. "Cause no trouble." The Inspector cautioned the sweet mare. "Thanks, mister." The mare smiled as she left the booth. "Next." A familiar gryphon entered the booth. "I trust you have your documents today?" The Inspector asked. "You betcha." The gryphon presented a red passport with a snake emblazoned on the front. "I've got a passport. Sure it's from another place, but Arstrotzka is still the best country for sure!" The Inspector had not seen this type of passport before. He picked it up and opened it. He had to use every fiber of his being to not burst out laughing. Inside, the passport had been crudely drawn with what looked like crayon. Apparently, this "passport" was issued from some city called "Bestburg" in "Cobrastan". At least the gryphon's photo was valid. He looked at the name of the gryphon. He showed her the passport. "Is your name really Gilda 'Meanie-pants' Swiftfeather?" The gryphon's, Gilda's, eyes bulged. She snatched the passport. "WHAT!?!" Gilda's eyes darted over the foraged document. "GRAH! I HATE HER! I HATE THAT LITTLE PINK PONY. HER AND HER STUPID COBRASTAN AND JORJI COSTOVA, AND WHATEVER THE HELL ELSE SHE RANTS ABOUT!" The gryphon flew into a tirade. The Inspector stealthily took her passport and stamped it with the denial stamp. "Cobrastan is not a real country." the Inspector passed back the passport. He did his best to keep his cool. He knwe how violent gryphons could get. "STUPID PINKIE PIE!" Gilda shouted. "I'LL KILL THAT LITTLE WHELP!" She took a few deep breaths. The Inspector waited for her to cool down before he spoke. "If you do that, you'll never get past this border." The Inspector said. "Keep a cool head, and I'm sure you'll get it right." "Yeah." Gilda hung her head. "I'm really sorry for blowing up like that and holding up your line. I It's a bad habit of mine I suppose." She tossed the passport through the booth window and into the trash can. "I'll get a better passport next time, okay?" "Okay. Be safe, miss Swiftfeather." "Yeah, yeah. You too, I guess." "Next..."