To Run Away...

BIOSHOCK TITANIUMWritten by Defcon1234(The Bioshock series belongs to Ken Levine and Irrational games.)(My little pony: Friendship is Magic belongs to Lauren Faust and Hasbro.)(The quote in the summary is from Wolf's rain, which belongs to Keiko Nobumoto and Bones Studio.)

   The song that was playing on the radio was a song about life and love, and it explained it in an odd but unique manner. Fortunately for the song, it was playing freely without being drowned by the occupants' voices.

   The grey overcoat wearing driver listened diligently to the song while simultaneously looking at the road in front of him. The headlights were showing him the way.

   He began to hum to the lyrics in order to pass the time.

   After a while, he stopped once something crossed his mind.

  "Hey!" He called.

   There was no response.

  "Hey!" He began to raise his voice.

  "Wha-huh?" was what he got as a response,

  "How's the ride?" He quickly glanced behind him, to face the tan coated stallion who was wearing a dark bullet proof vest, a contrast to the man's attire.

  "It's alr'aght, ah guess." The pony answered as he used his right fore hoof to scratch his scalp, where a mane as dark as coal lies over it. "Never knew that this this is how you humans get around."

"Yep."

   It was all he could say, creating an awkward silence between them. Quickly, they began to think of something in order to keep the conversation going.

  "So how long will it take bef'er we reach the border?" The pony asked once he came up with that, also realizing that he should've asked that hours ago.

   "I don't know." He replied calmly. "But I know that we're close by."

   The pony looked up and observed the outside, where it was nighttime, where all he could see was brown arid land and the road they were on. The full moon was out, in which he both marveled and questioned.

  "Hey, whah does the moon not have a mare on it?"

  "Excuse me?" He asked, taken aback by the odd question.

  "In Equestria, there's a mare on that moon and she's visible on it. How come ya don't see it?"

  "Huh?" He glanced at the moon to his left, just to find its bright radiance beam down on them. Then he began to remember, "Oh, I heard of that. My Geography teacher taught us about this. That your leader banished her evil sister to the moon, like how god banished angel Lucifer to hell. In my opinion, they both made huge mistakes."

   The pony began to think of that, questioning if he was right about that or not.

  "Now, in the present day, the evil sister, known as Nightmare moon, is now visible on the moon in Equestria. And ONLY in Equestria."

  "Oh, No wonder."

  "Also, rumor has it that she will someday come back to your land for her revenge. But many ponies, as well as us, say that it's just folklore."

  "Huh, ya must've been payin' a lot of attention in that class, haven't ya?' The pony asked, intrigued by what he knew.

  "Guess I have."

   There was a pause in the conversation before it was quickly saved by something else that crossed his mind.

  "Hey, I just realized that you're starting to talk a little more frequent now."

  "Guess 'ah am."

  "Yep, 'cause from back in New York 'til now, you were so down in the dumps. What happened?"

   The stallion placed his chin on his left fore leg and letting his right one dangle as he grew somber. "It's personal."

   There was another pause until the man ended it. "You were depressed that you had to leave some ponies you loved back home, right?"

   The pony was now dumbstruck that he figured it out, briefly widening his eyes to show that. "How... how did you-"

   "That's an obvious reason. It's a sad occasion, but longing to see your relatives is not as important as fighting for them."

   "'Ah guess yer r'aght."

   "Yep. And yes I know why you're here."

    He gazed at the night sky, maintaining his frown. "'Ah guess you do."

   "Just like me, Your family is in debt, and you took this job in order to get rid of it. Am I right or am I right?"

  "Yeah." His heart sank even more.

  "But, it's odd that you took this job."

  "Wh'ah say that?"

  "Well, one reason is that, your cutie mark is a sickle."

   The pony looked behind him to watch it lie on his flank, imagining that it was looking back at him with cold cynical eyes.

   Looking up towards the rear view mirror, the man noticed the stallion's face and decided to say no more while the song finished with a guitar solo.

  "And that was Tears for fears with 'Everybody wants to rule the world'." said a coolheaded DJ on the radio as the song faded. "The time is three .A.M mountain time and the temperature is at seventy five degrees."

  "Wow, have I really been driving for that long?" The man wondered.

  "Our top story at this hour... wait, sorry, it's been the top story since five in the afternoon. Anyways, the US government as well as all of Europe is on high alert after the fall of Rome. Demonstrators have taken the city with brute force, causing similar uprisings across Italy; Including the Vatican."

   When the DJ mentioned the city, the pony was distraught, for he knew about Equestria's strong relations with the small religious nation.

   "... Equestria's leader, Princess Celestia, has sent her deepest regards to the Pope, praying that someday, the city will return to the Vatican people..."

  "Right on, y'er majesty." the pony mumbled, as he felt happy that the princess is doing something to help their ally.

   The man rolled his eyes since he thought that Celestia's actions were futile.

    "... Meanwhile, all that NATO, the white house, and the EU can do, is guard each other, and themselves as the threat of revolt now hits closer to home. Speaking of which, prices at the pump continue to increase as the Royalists continue their fight against President Salman's Arabian regime. Today, Fighting continues in the city of Mecca where Royalists are doing their best to take the city.

   "Back home, lines at the gas station continue to grow because of this with prices climbing up to ten-fifty per gallon..."

    The pony decided to speak since he did not want to speak any more of this. "Hey, was there a second reason ta whah it's off for me to take this job?"

    The man was bewildered on why he would ask that. "You know why I didn't tell you my second reason?"

    The pony was quick to know that. "Oh, r'aght, but can ya tell me anyways?"

   "Ugh, fine. The second reason is because with that cutie mark, I don't think your job is in hunting at all. So I have to ask, are you a farmer?"

   "Well, yes, bailin' hay and pickin' wheat. 'Cuz that's what ah do."

   "Huh, so can you tell me how did you notice that, thus earning your mark?" the man asked, curious as he glanced at the stallion's blue eyes on the rear view mirror.

    However, the pony grew ashamed again. "'Ah don't want to talk 'bout it."

   "Oh, sorry." He apologized in regret.

   "... These are dire times, but we need to move forward. Let's just hope that someday, Capital hill will come up with a solution to this national crisis. Now, back to the music."

   The next song began to play, was a reggae song about a man who relies on something that would make him forget about his broken heart.

   The song made the pony's stomach churn just by listening to the first line. He couldn't take it once the first stanza was sung.

  "Hey, can you turn off the song, please?" He asked politely.

  "Whaddaya mean? As in change the channel, or turn off the radio?"

  "Ugh, whatever you dec'ahde." He was starting to grow irritated.

  "Good, because I need my dosage of music." The man changed the channel with a simple push of a button.

   On the next channel, was a mellow song about the changing times.

"Oh good." He said with gratitude. "I love this song."

   But he forgot to ask. "Oh, uh, is this song okay with you?"

   The pony nodded to the man, for he was looking at him through the rear view mirror again. "Thank you."

  "You're welcome." He took that as a yes as he replied happily.

   They let the song replace their conversation for a few seconds until the man had to ask. "Hey, why don't you like Bob-"

  "Huh?"

   He forgot about how music was dealt with in Equestria. "I mean, why don't you like 'Red red wine'? It's a good song.

   The pony let out a sigh of sadness, "Again, personal."

"Alright." The man replied without emotion.

"Turn right." A female voice directed.

  He did as he was told and steered to the right. That's when he and the pony began to see dust.

"Uh sir?" The pony asked nervously.

  "Yeah?"

  "Shouldn't the machine tell ya ta stay on the road?"

  "Nope, because our destination isn't the border itself."

   The pony began to abandon his nervousness in exchange for suspicion. "So where are we goin' then?"

  "You'll see."

   The pony didn't say anything after that. All he did, was wait.

  "You'll be approaching your destination in one mile." The voice said

   The man let out a sigh of relief before mumbling. "Oh thank god."

   Once that mile was driven over, he let go of the gas pedal, making the car slow down.

   When the speedometer reached 20 miles per hour, he hit the break. The SUV would then make an abrupt halt as if it was preventing a fender bender. He then placed the lever on park and twisted the key in order to cut the engine off.

  "Now remember, I don't know what lies over there." The man slid the car key from the ignition. "And I don't know what they think of Equestrian ponies."

   The two were quick to exit the vehicle, since the pony was able to put his hoof on the handle. It made Ivan appreciate that he doesn't have to help him all the time.

  "So are you sure that you're up to this." the man asked worryingly as they stood face to face.

  "Yes sir." The pony replied as he stared at the man's dark eyes. "Ah'm not goin' anywhere."

  "Good." The man's faith in him began to increase as he reached his right hand out towards him. "You know, we've been in this car for quite awhile and I never got a chance to tell you what my name is. The name's Ivan, Ivan Bentley, by the way."

   The pony began to grow confident. "N'ahce to meet ya Ah'van. Ma name's Haystack."

   He placed his left hoof on Ivan's hand, making him grab onto it. They then shook hands with pride before letting go.

   Then, standing side by side, they walked past the SUV's hood and into the unknown.

   "So, where are we goin'? Haystack asked after a couple of minutes of walking a flashlight showing the way.

   Ivan didn't say anything for about two seconds before saying. "Over there."

   He pointed at a lighted opening on the ground. "It's a better way past the border than actually heading towards it."

  "Whaddaya mean, 'A better way'?" asked Haystack. "Wh'ah can't we just head towards the border?"

  "You'll know once we get there."

   Haystack asked nothing after that until they reached the opening.

  "It's just a cellar." He said as he noticed the stairs in front of them.

  "Ugh." Ivan rolled his eyes. "Just follow me."

   And so he did, as Ivan walked down the stairs. Once at the bottom, a hallway would behold them.

  "It's not a cellar, Haystack. It's a gateway." Ivan said to an enthralled earth pony such as Haystack.

   They began to walk down the hall, the lights showing them the way.

   A couple seconds later, they began to hear music. The kind of music that makes you feel melancholy with lyrics that add insult to the injury. The song had almost similar plot to the previous one, only it was told with a grimmer mood.

   The lyrics made Ivan's stomach churn a little. But he had to put that aside since they were now running.

   After a few seconds of doing so, they were able to find the source of the music. It was a radio the size of a toolbox; playing with good quality sound, letting the music flow like water down a water fall.

  Next to the radio was a middle aged man, with blond hair, and blue eyes looking at them in a serious manner. He was wearing a tuxedo, and had a silver platter in his hands, just like a butler.

  "Good morning, Mister Bentley." He saluted in a deep casual voice with complete disregards towards Haystack.

  "And good morning to you, sir." Ivan replied in a polite manner.

  "Thank you. Now, what is displayed on this platter, is what you'll need for the mission."

   The duo looked at the platter, to find a rectangular prism shaped box in front of them. There was a note attached to it as well, so Ivan decided to grab the note and read it. The note read.

Ivan,

                                                         Deliver the package to SILVER FOX

                                                         in order to wipe away your debt. Same

                                                          thing goes for your Equine comrade.

                                                                                      -Your boss

   After reading it to Haystack, they were clear on what their objective was, but not on further details. So Ivan had to ask. "Hey, do you know where does 'Silver fox' live?"

  "I'm sorry Mister Bentley, but your boss hasn't offered any information on who Silver fox is, or on where she lives."

  "Oh." Ivan replied in disappointment.

   The revelation was to Haystack's dismay.

  "Also, your boss has ordered me to tell you that you're not allowed to open the package. This is classified material for Silver fox to view."

  "Got it."

   The two were still thinking about how difficult this mission will be.

  'Good, when both of you are ready, you may proceed."

   Ivan grabbed the light weight package before they left. But that's when the man remembered something and grabbed Ivan by the arm to ask him.

  "Hey, how did you two get here?" He asked.

  "Uh, by SUV?"

  "Can I have the keys to it?"

  "Sure, it's all yours." Ivan tossed him the keys.

  "Ah'van!' Haystack shouted in disbelief.

  "Oh thank you sir." He said ecstatically before running off with the keys, radio, and platter.

  "Wh'ah the hell did ya do that for?" asked Haystack, still shocked by Ivan's decision.

  "Haystack, that guy was in the middle of nowhere for god knows when. He deserves a ride home."

   Haystack had no choice but to agree. "'Ah guess y'er r'aght."

  "That's what I thought. Now come on, let's go."

   They proceeded down the hall once more, package in hand.

   Then, in a just a few steps, they wound up, at a dead end, where a bronze metal door was waiting for them.

  "Well, there it is." Ivan said as they gazed at the door. "The entrance."

  "Good. So how in the hay are we goin' to get in if there's no doorknob?'

  "Simple."

   He walked up to the door and stood still. That's when a green light illuminated above them to Haystack's surprise. Then the door slid open, revealing what appeared to be a small red lighted room.

   Haystack would whistle in amusement. "You don't see that in Equestria."

   Ivan didn't want to start a discussion about this, so he said. "Let's just get in. No time for observation."

   The stallion nodded in agreement before following Ivan inside the small room. The inside (Other than the red lights) proved to be nothing more than a small transport, with metal walls surrounding all four sides along with two black leather folding seats to the two's right.

  "Looks like we have to sit there, don't we?" asked Ivan.

  "'Ah don't know. Back in Equestria-"

  "It was meant to be rhetorical question."

  "Oh, r'aght." Haystack quickly remembered about how human chairs worked, but he wasn't familiar with those. "So how do those work?"

  "Ugh, easy."

   To demonstrate, he unfolded the chair to his left before sitting on it, as he held onto it.

  "Again, so easy." He said as he placed the package on his lap.

  "Ok." said Haystack, who was now certain on how to use it.

   He walked up to the chair before using his teeth to grab onto the bottom and pulling it down. He then let go, only to have it snap back into place like an alligator's mouth

   Ivan rolled his eyes again, realizing that there are some things that the pony needs help on. He leaned over and used his hand to pull it down.

  "Now sit." He ordered.

   Haystack did just that as Ivan held the seat down. Once his haunches were inches away from his hand, he quickly released it from the surface. The chair began to creak as Haystack's weight made it struggle to support him.

   Meanwhile, Ivan looked over to his right to find a three point seat belt that was mentally ordering him to put it on. And so he did, and told Haystack to do the same.

  "Haystack, put your seatbelt on." He already had the sash in front of him as he slid the fastener into the buckle to his left.

   Haystack would have trouble doing that. "Ya mean that thing?"

  "Yes. it's to your left."

   Haystack managed to find it. Before Ivan knew it, he was already grabbing onto the sash with his teeth before pulling it towards the buckle... until his mouth couldn't reach it of course, so he used his hooves to finish the task at hand.

Click!

   Ivan was impressed.

CLANG!

  "Whoa!" Ivan shouted in reaction to the loud noise.

   They turned to the source of the sound to find out that the door had slid shut.

  "Well, guess that means that it's-"

   Haystack's sentence would be interrupted when a chirpy feminine voice loomed him, causing him to jolt and breathing heavily from the shock.

  "Congratulations! You have located our secret entrance into paradise. Please wait, for we are preparing for departure, now."

   Haystack however, continued to breath heavily as he stuck with his scared expression.

  "Just calm down." Ivan  requested sympathetically, for he noticed that this was something new to the pony.

  "Ah'm trah'n'!" Haystack was clearly stressed. "It's that that voice scared me."

  "It's just-"

  "We will be departing in T-minus thirty seconds."

  "It's just a woman in a speaker telling us this. Nothing out of the ordinary." Ivan comforted as Haystack's heavy breathing faded. However, once he was being normally, he just looked straight forward as if nothing happened. Ivan took that as if he understood what he just said.

  "Five, four, three, two, one."

   Their heads would knock back slightly as they began to feel the room move through their feet and chest. They remained quiet for awhile, letting the sound of a moving train flow right through his ears.

   Meanwhile, Ivan decided to use this time to think, by visualizing himself on a certain day of his past.

*  *  *

  *  *  *

... He was looking out the window of a school bus, watching the rain fall onto the lake beside the road the bus was on. That moment always made him sad...

   But he wasn't the only one taking that time for thought. Haystack was doing the same.

*  *  *

  *  *  *

... The pony was sitting on a hill in a forest, with luscious trees, and a vast blue sky. The cold breeze was brushing against his coat and mane, giving him the chills. He felt depressed, and it made him want to get out of that memory, but he decided to stay for awhile...

   "And now..."

   The sudden announcement made them come out of their tranquility like soldiers evading a grenade.

   "... A message from the dear leader himself."

   "Huh, looks like we're going to get a presentation." Ivan rolled his eyes as he and Haystack watched a flat metal surface rise up in front of them, "This ought to be good."

  Then, the surface would be illuminated by movie projector above them. The first thing that appeared was this,

A Message from our

DEAR LEADER

(Brought to you by the state production team and the DEAR LEADER himself.)

    It was presented in a black and white format, and with the song, "Sh-boom" accompanying it. The swell song continued to play as the slide changed to one featuring a middle aged man in a tuxedo, glasses, brown hair, and a casual smile while standing next to a state seal consisting of a black hawk with a grey star in the middle. Then, another voice jumped in.

   "My name is Roger Doofenshmirtz. In January of Two thousand three the opening line of a tv show said 'There is no such place as paradise. Even if you search to the ends of the Earth, there's nothing there.'." The slide then changed to one of an army of question marks while the man said passionately. "So, I decided to ask myself, if we can't find it, then can't we create it? Well, here's what the leaders of the world have to say according to my observations... The congressmen and president of the United States says, 'No'. Why?..."

   The next slide was of George Washington crossing the Delaware with his comrades; while Columbia and Uncle sam were in the background looking up towards the sky in the same direction, feeling the same way as Washington was.

   "... Because you're already living in it..."

   The next slide consisted of all the current European leaders standing tall and firm with the flag of the European Union behind them.

   "... The leaders of Europe said, 'No Why? Well, I resort to America's answer."

   The next slide was of Saint Peters Basilica to the left, the kaaba in the middle, and the dome of the rock to the right. All with the sun above them, stretching its rays down.

   "... The pope of the Vatican, the Prime Minister of Israel, the Dalai llama of Tibet, and the King of Saudi Arabia said 'No'. Why? It's because only 'God' can..."

   The following was of Vladimir Lenin looking towards the sky with pride, while in front of the Soviet flag and with the Kremlin underneath him.

   "... However, the Premier of the Soviet union, said, 'Yes, Because paradise is through excessive labor and equality in wealth'.."

   The next slide was of Princess Celestia looking down with a smirk on her face as her flowing mane flowed behind her like a flag, with the capital city of Canterlot standing in front of it. It got Haystack to bring up in his mind of what the people in "Paradise" might think of ponies like him.

  "... And finally, the 'Princess' of Equestria said yes too; because It is through friendship and love that we achieve it. Well, as you can see, the answers are pretty mixed. And you know what I say to those answers? I reject them all! You know Why? Because they are mediocre and Pathetic..."

   Haystack was now certain about their opinion on Equestria. And it didn't look pretty.

   The slide then changed to one of the state seal in the middle of a grey background as the music came to an abrupt halt.

"... So I thought, What if you take those pity answers and perfect them? Well, that's where I come in. Every man, has a choice, so I chose something different. I chose to secede from these mediocre ideals in search of fixing them. I chose the righteous path..."

   The projector turned off as the flat surface slid back down into its hiding spot. That's when the metal wall in front of them began to slide downwards as well, revealing a fraction of the outside.

  "... I chose to defy the opening line from that show and create paradise; and I call it, the Tri state republic of Danville."

   The outside revealed a vast city of flourishing lights from left to right with the night sky above it.

  "A new nation where freedom's hand reaches towards unlike what Congress says in the US. Where the poor and the rich are treated equally unlike what Europe's 'Union' says. Where the religious don't dare interfere with law and justice like in the Vatican, Israel, or in the arab nations. Where the state doesn't dominate the country's lifestyle, which is something the USSR can say. And where even the independent can live a prosperous lifestyle unlike in Equestria. And if you desire all of this, liberty, harmony, and prosperity, then this is the place for you."

   Then, there was silence, making them imply that the speech was over.

   Due to this, Ivan made a slight whistle, as he marveled at the city in front of them.

  "Wow, that's one nice city." He said.

  "Huh, Rem'ahnds me of Hoof city. The most metropolitan city in all of Equestria."

  "To me it reminds me of New York city. Only there's no arid land dividing us from it."

   They sat quietly for awhile since they had nothing else to say. So they waited for any further information, but then Ivan decided not to wait any longer.

  "Well..." Ivan began to unbuckle his seatbelt. "I'm gonna go-"

  "We will be launching into the air in thirty seconds." The woman advised.

  "Or maybe not." Ivan said before fastening his seatbelt again.

  "What were ya trah'n to do?" asked Haystack.

  "Open the..."

   Suddenly, they heard a noise which sounded like a snake hissing. Then, they began to feel drowsy.

  "What... the... hell?" Ivan grunted.

  "Due to our strict policy, we're not allowed to show you where will this pod be landing on. So you and your partner should embark into dreamland for awhile, have fun!"

  "Now... ya... tell... us." Haystack said before being put into a deep sleep.

   Then Ivan did the same thing as well.

("Phineas and Ferb" belongs to Dan Povenmire, Jeff Marsh, and Disney.)