Chapter 1
Arriving Winds
Shining and Flash watched a massive dirigible floating down onto a newly made landing pad.
"Man." Shining breathed "Isn't it wonderful to see that Celestia has decided to welcome other foreign ponies again?"
"Affirmative." Came a sharp response from his lieutenant, Flash Sentry. "This was why this temporary airport was built while she and the building company are organising an actual airport. I guess she really wanted to have ponies from other lands visiting the land of Equestria once again after everything had settled down. Why did she close off our borders anyway?"
"It was due to the fight with Princess Luna 1000 years ago when she was Nightmare Moon. She had to work hard to try and maintain control after her sister's banishment."
"Isn't that just raising the sun and the moon on her own?"
"Ok ok, the real reason is becauase she really can't let the fact that she banished her own sister to other lands, it would be bad for reputation. Now after dealing with Tirek, she and Princess Luna decided to open our borders once again."
"And currently, a certain land wants in. Neighpon was it?" Flash asked, checking the list.
"Yep. And that's why she ordered us to construct this makeshift airport. With us and a few other guards as temporary custom officers and border guards." Shining nodded "Neighpon as I'm sure you know, is a land located far to the east of Equestria. They have access to more advanced magic, science and welfare. This dirigible which is able to travel large distances is an example. They also have certain... Special talents around them."
"I've heard. There was this recent foreign convention where I've had a fair share of knowledge of their talents and creatures."
"Looks like the dirigible is opening its doors." Shining alerted "remember, your job is to check every passengers passport, ticket, and their incoming passenger card. Make sure you address their name to me so I can tick them off and... Remember to give them a smile and the utmost kindness and respect to them in order to make them feel welcome."
"How?"
"Like what you do to Twily of course!" Shining joked
"You mean I will show them how honoured and thankful we are for visiting our lands." Flash corrected with a sigh.
"Well, here they come!" Shining jumped and as the other royal guards instructed the Neighponese ponies to form a queue and what to do when they reach the customs booth, Flash did his job swiftly and accurately to make sure nopony had to wait hours before heading to collect their luggage and into the arrival area where they will be able to step onto Equestrian soil once more.
"Now let's see here." Flash addressed as he checked a pony's passport. "Marisa Kirisame, female pegasus, occupation: Magician and fast flyer, reason for coming to Equestria: Vacation from Danmaku. From what I've studied, Danmaku is roughly translated to "bullet hell" in English. Tough job?" He asked with a nod from a white pegasus wearing a black hat with white frills and a purple ribbion and some symbol item called a Hakkero as a cutie mark. "Very well then, you deserve that break." Flash replied as he passed the passport already stamped and approved back to the pegasus and showed her through the exit gate "welcome to Equestria!" He said before coming to the next passenger. However, he saw a small levitating unicorn doll above him holding a passport and handing it to Flash. Flash looked ahead to see a blue pony wearing a colourful and stylish dress with a blond mane held together with a red alice band smiling back at him. With a few confused glances which alternate between the pony, the doll and the passport. Flash gave one last confused look at the passenger before opening her passport and scanning her personal particulars.
"Alice Margatroid, female unicorn... Yōkai? You're an actual supernatural monster?"
"I was once a pony before I became a Yōkai." The unicorn briefly explained
"That's awesome. Occupation: Magician and seamstress and puppeteer, that explains why your dolls are levitating and are able to carry your small items and passport. Reason for coming to Equestria: Vacation from Danmaku... Are you friends with that pegasus before you? Miss Kirasame was it?"
"One of her best friends." Alice agreed
"And is her other best friend Reimu Hakurei?" Flash asked "she was that shrine maiden earth pony before Marisa."
"Yes. We decided to go individually."
"Just before you go join your friends" Flash added as he gave the stamped and approved passport to the same doll, "there is a clothes store in Ponyville called the Carousel Boutique. It is run by an extremely skilled seamstress called Rarity. You may want to drop by."
"Really? How interesting, I'll think about it." Alice replied as she obtained the passport from her doll.
"Welcome to Equestria!" Flash beamed as he showed her the exit gate.
Flash's temporary job as a customs officer was very interesting. Meeting new ponies who seem to have really mysterious identities and characteristics.
"So you 4 mares are friends travelling together... Doremi Harukaze, English name Dorie Goodwyn, female earth pony... Hazuki Fujiwara, English name Reanne Griffith, female unicorn... Aiko Senō, English name Mirabelle Haywood, female pegasus... And Onpu Segawa, English name Ellie Craft, female unicorn... It's great to see that your purpose here is to visit a close friend of yours that lives in Equestria... Momoko Asuka? Yes, her name is on the Equestria citizen databases, I'll make sure that you get your friend's address from the guards in the arrival hall." He signalled to a nearby royal guard who got the message and flew off.
"Thank you for your help!" The pink mare thanked
"One more thing..." Flash asked after giving the 4 mares their stamped and approved passports. "Your occupations... I understand that you are primary school students, but should you leave it at that? Why do all 4 of you feel the need to write... Witchling?"
"It did say occupation." The orange mare answered
"But... It sounds like this type of occupation is meant to be kept secret..."
"Nope!" The blue mare happily shook her head
"So... Nothing bad will happen to you then? Like turning into a frog?"
"That's right. Nothing will happen to us!" The purple one cheerfully nodded.
"Okay then! Stay safe, and welcome to Equestria!" Flash greeted, showing them the exit gate.
"A married couple? Let's see... Akito Tenkawa, male earth pony... Wait... YOU'RE FROM MARS!?!?"
"It's now a Neighponese colony." The earth pony replied
"Oh okay, technology, technology... The furthest we can go to space is the moon and that's via Celestia's banishment. It's not nice at all... Now occupation: Cook and part-time pilot of the Nadesico... Is it some kind of ship?"
"Yep."
"Okay then... Yurika Misumaru-Tenkawa, female earth pony, occupation: Captain of the Nadesico."
"V!" The earth pony held her hoof as if making a victory sign.
"I guess ship duty is pretty rough, you've come to the right place for a vacation. Hope you enjoy it, and welcome to Equestria!!!" Flash greeted as he has stamped and approved the couple's passports and sent them through the exit gate."
"A family? How lovely!!! Here for a family vacation?... I see, passports and passenger cards please." He asked as a stallion, mare and filly handed their passports to the lieutenant.
"Mamoru Chiba, English name Darien Shields, male earth pony. Occupation: high school student... Hang on, aren't you a little young for marriage?"
"I didn't say we were married, I just said we're a family" The stallion replied
"Wait... WHAT!?" Flash bellowed with surprise.
"Just continue reading. You'll understand" The earth pony advised
"Okay then... Reincarnation of Prince Endymion? Is he some prince in Neighpon?"
"During the Silver Millennium, yes." The stallion nodded "and like other princes, not alicorns."
"Indeed." Flash nodded "the current prince in Equestria is just a unicorn. What is this reincarnation thing? Were you originally a prince?"
"Yep, then I died. After being reincarnated, I realise that I was a prince later on. For now, I'm still a high school student."
"Okay then, it's an honour to meet a prince in advance." Flash chuckled as he finished the stallion's details and proceeded to the mare.
"Usagi Tsukino, English name Serena Tsukino. Female alicorn... ALICORN!?!?" Flash gasped "are you a princess?"
"Well um..." The mare started
"Hang on a sec." Flash interrupted as he checked her occupation. "Okay then, high school student and reincarnation of Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, all good. I guess you also died and got reincarnated."
"Yeah." The mare chuckled.
"Wait... The Moon Kingdom? THE MOON!? YOU LIVE IN THE MOON!?"
"During the Silver Millennium, yes."
"I thought the moon was just barren and empty. A 1000 year prison for Princess Luna when she was Nightmare Moon, but there was actually a castle there?"
"Oh my, the moon is barren? I'm afraid not."
"Princess of the Moon huh... Are you related to Princess Luna?" Flash asked "she's the princess of the night."
"No... Not that I can remember."
"Oh well. I can talk to the princess, maybe she knows you." Flash assured. After stamping and approving her passport, Flash looked at the filly's passport.
"Chibiusa." Flash read and looked down at the filly smiling innocently back at him. "English name Rini. It says here you're the daughter... Of Usagi and Mamoru... Ok, what the hay is going on? You guys aren't even married and you have a daughter!?"
"Oh, I forgot to write it down." The filly chuckled. "I'm their... Future daughter."
"Oh Celestia... Time Travel!? Well, one of the princesses did travel back 1000 years to when Nightmare Moon and Discord." Flash replied and continued reading the filly's personal particulars.
"Female Alicorn... No surprise there. Your occupation is a primary school student and Neo-Princess Serenity. A bit young to be an alicorn don't you think?" Flash chuckled as he stamped and approved the filly's passport.
"You know, you three are really strange and interesting, two of you being reincarnation of royalty and having a daughter from the future. But everypony is always welcome to Equestria so enjoy yourself to your heart's content!" Flash happily replied as he returned the family's passports and showed them through the exit gate.
"A group of eight friends huh?" Flash asked as a new set of ponies approached the booth "well then, may I see your passports and arrival cards please?... Yu Narukami, male earth pony, high school student, part-time tutor, caretaker and etc, vacation... Yosuke Hanamura, male pegasus, high school student and part-time mall worker, vacation... Chie Satonaka, female earth pony, high school student, vacation... Yukiko Amagi, female unicorn, high school student part-time innkeeper, vacation... Kanji Tatsumi, male earth pony, high school student and part-time textile worker, vacation... Rise Kujikawa, female unicorn, high school student and mega-idol, vacation... Naoto Shirogane, female earth pony, high school student and detective, vacation... And Teddie, male earth pony, vacant occupation, vacation... Apparently Mr Teddie, your recent X-ray tests had been attached to your passport."
"Wha? Who did that!?" Teddie yelled at his friends.
"And from the results, it showed... Absolutely nothing..."
"Uh... I can explain--"
"Don't worry about it." Flash stopped "what matters is that you came to Equestria for a reason and it's for a well-earned vacation." And with that, he stamped and approved Teddie's passport and passed the 8 passports back "welcome to Equestria!" Flash greeted as he showed them the exit gate.
"Thanks Mr guard!!!" Teddie called back.
Flash continued his usual temporary job until a certain group approached the booth. A light blue pegasus stepped forward and got Flash's attention.
"Um, hi..." The pegasus said "I'm--"
"Hang on." Flash interrupted "I've seen you before..." And checked the pegasus' passport.
"Y-You do?"
"Oh wow! It really is you!!! I've seen you before in a convention held here! You and the others behind you!"
"But I haven't been to Equestria before..."
"I know, there was a poster about you. Merchants who find other means of travelling lands had been bringing them here all the way from Neighpon to Equestria. Tell me, I know you're here for vacation, but are you also here... To play hoofball?"
"You bet!!!" The pegasus exclaimed