Chapter 2: Second Chance

Second Chance

Wakey wakey. A voice echoed in my mind.

God dammit. I thought my eyes shooting open, I hefted my body from my makeshift bed. I saw Tess setting a small pile of old wood on fire, a metal pan filled with something on the other side of her. "Where the hell did you get food?" I asked stumbling over to her. She placed the pan on the fire, looking at it I saw it was a pair of k-type ration units. damn..I hate ham. I thought looking at the accursed chunk of swine meat.

"I know you prefer chicken but this was all I could snag us before we left Haven." She said handing me a cigarette and fruit bar. "I checked the VSAT again, it shows a Haven recon vessel has been sent out. It should be here in a few hours, giving us plenty of time to make a clear landing zone." She said, lighting her own cancer stick. The best part of being mutated is normal human illnesses like cancer are actually absorbed by our cells, making us a little stronger.

"Do we have any flares of tracer rounds?" I asked, knowing she would most likely had stolen some.

"Yep!" She cheerfully replied taking her bit of ham. "Now eat up the Colonel himself is coming." She said, I did a spit take dousing the flame with coffee.

"The Col is coming here!? Why!? Also how do you know!?" I panicked, Colonel Peter Hyde also known as "The Brute" is one of the strongest soldiers in the entire Haven military, the only reason he wasn't a General was because he lacked the intelligence required. He was also the only person whom I actually feared. With light speed I wolfed down breakfast and ripped the barricades from the front of the store.

"Chicken." Tess muttered before finishing her own meal.

Both me and Tess hurried to clear the area so the recon ship could land, seeing as how the ion charges had blasted damn near every thing away the job was done in minutes. We then began to place a few flares if the need for them arose.

"Hunter, I know I've asked you this before but you never did answer me. Why does Hyde scare you?" Every time the Col's name came into conversation Tess would ask this, and each time I would talk to someone else trying my best to avoid the topic. Sadly we were alone.

"That's... Well... It's complicated and is a guy thing." I said, with a quick swing Tess cuffs me in the head.

"Well you sexist ass, I am smarter than you and you know it, so don't pull that shit on me, kay." Could have fooled me. "So explain." I tried to stand up but only to have Tess pull me back down and pin me under her. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way." She said her voice changing.

I could easily move her but I didn't want to hurt her. "It's a long term rivalry that's all I'm gonna say!" I said shoving her off. She didn't look to please with that answer but stepped back, I stood and looked towards where Haven was. "Me and him ain't on the best of terms." I climbed onto the trunk of what was left of and old convertible.

"I've never even seen you two talk before, when and how did you two start fighting?" She asked, I tapped a few keys into my wrist PDA and sent her a very old news record.

As soon as Tess opened to article she read aloud. "On a cold December night when no one would have expected it a building in district D-1, an apartment complex was, to this day, mysteriously filled with toxic gas found only from beyond the walls of the city. Almost as soon as authority figures where on site, two soldiers from the Haven Military both daringly plunged into the gas and parasitic mutants that congregated inside set on saving the multiple families trapped inside, while not everyone was able to be saved even fewer would be with us today had it not been for the bravery of these two soldiers." Bellow the text was a picture of me and the Col being thanked by the many families we had saved.

"So you both got awards and praises, how did a fight break out from this?" She asked not looking up from the picture.

"After everything had settled down and both me and the Col were back in the barracks alone, he began yelling about how I disobeyed his orders and undermined him in front of the people. He had told me not to go into the building because it was the quarantine workers job to deal with things like that, but what was I suppose to do, wait until they seal the building and left the people inside to either die or turn. Even after we were both promoted for this he still said I made him look the fool." In anger I punched the car breaking it in half.

"So he got mad, that years ago, why do you still hate each other today?" She asked, I sighed and pointed to the badge on my chest showing my rank as a Captain. "After it all blew over I let it go, but a few weeks later a promotion that was going to be given to me for a later mission was given to him instead. I searched though the archives to find someone had changed the records. Either the Col or one of his subordinates had changed them, I worked my ass of almost literally for that promotion. Next thing I know some asshole meat head gets a promotion he never earned. Apart from the occasional assault and repel missions Hyde has never seen that much action, he kept saying how his strength was wasted stuck here instead of on the front lines fighting against the mutants. And what the hell can I do about it, he has more influence in the entire military than anyone, he could have me killed and get away with it." As I finished my rant I realized I had been punching anything in range leaving a large radius of chaos.

"You're right, you problem really is a guy thing." She said, I shot her a glare. "I mean you boys are so hard headed you care more about you ranks and "size" than you do the people you serve." She spread out on the roof of a car and yawned. "If you just left it alone then he would leave you alone and you can get another promotion later on, it's not like you won't have all the time in the world to work for it again." She said sarcastically.

It's not like I hadn't thought to leave him alone and hope he forgot about me, but he's usually the one who starts most of our arguments, but for both of our jobs I agreed. "Alright I'll lay low for a while but I'm telling you now it ain't gonna end until one of us is dead."

A few hours later and the sound of the recon vessel filled the empty streets. We looked up to see the large craft slowly landing in the area we cleared.

Tess put a hand on my shoulder. "Let's just finish this up and get home." She said standing by my side.

As the bay doors opened a loud hiss followed, and that was followed by a very familiar voice.

"Seems not even brutes or gulas can kill you two, guess a man should leave mutants to do his dirty work." An arrogant voice said from inside the ship. Wait... what did he just say.

They have energy weapons, heads up! Tess spoke into my mind. A man began to walk from the drop ship a Rail Gun in hand.

Colonel Peter Hyde of the Haven Military, douchebag and the most powerful man in Haven. He was a tall tan skinned man with rugged features and massive amounts of muscle that were unnaturally sized. He wore his formal attire armed only with his Rail Gun for him it was all he would ever need.

"What the hell do you mean!?" I demanded, the only advantage I had over him was my speed. His Tesla Shield would protect him from my claws and his mask would cancel Tess' sound manipulation.

"Come now d04 did you really think a group of super soldiers would be sent out on a simple assault mission, you know we could have easily just bombed this area to kill those monsters." He said hefting his weapon. "I thought you would be smarter than that, the sings were pretty obvious. I guess all you fakes can do is follow orders." He chuckled.

When he puts it that way I do feel kinda stupid, and he was right if any superior gave me an order I would carry it out. "I get the picture now, so what's gonna happen from here you gonna kill us." I asked, not like I didn't know I just needed a moment to think.

"Well as my sources tell me you've been making some noise among the troops. What was it 200 successful mission without the loss of a single troop, I must say that's rather impressive. Shame I could have had use for someone like you. It's also an even bigger shame you where unable to complete your mission to kill these brutes and got yourself and your squad killed, only to have me come in deal with these beast and recover you unrecognizable corpse." He charged his weapon, each of the soldiers copied with him armed their weapons as well, as he was about to speak again I interrupted him

Giving a sigh I said. "If your lookin' for a cliche scene where I'm given the choice join you or die you're out of luck, I hate shitty movies like that so don't expect any one liners or deals from me." Maybe it was my dumb mouth that got me into these situations or if it's just my unique nature to disobey his orders either way I wasn't about to get killed by a deformed body builder with an IQ level equal to that of the common potato.

"While having you work for me may have been a good idea you've been a real pain in my ass for too long for me to ask for your loyalty." They raised their weapons. "Goodbye d04."

**NOW!** Tess screamed into my mind.

With speed faster than they could track both me and Tess lunged to in opposite directions, we ran towards the blast zone and plunged into the uncovered tunnels below. As we ran bullets and energy rounds flew past us carving into the stone walls, a few rounds hit my back cracking my carapace in a few places. We came to a cross section in the tunnels each way leading to darker paths.

"Go right!" I called and we both charged to the left. I hoped Hyde would be dumb enough to fall for that. As we ran further into the dark corridors the sounds of the soldiers began to slowly fade. We made it, barely, but hell at least we're still breathing. Finally in a safe location both me and Tess stopped, breathing heavily.

"So...that... worked out pretty well." I panted sarcastically.

Tess couldn't respond so she just kicked my leg causing it to buckle and land me on my ass. "Let's just... move." She heaved before continuing down the hall. I walked to her side giving a quick glance back towards where the soldiers where. It slightly worried me that I couldn't hear their shouts, the halls should have echoed them pretty easily. Shaking my head I continued on with Tess. The hall seemed to stretch for miles, no doors or signs where present.

What the hell is this place? I groaned inwardly.

You're close to your goal. The wispy voice in my mind caused me to slightly flinch.

Ah, Auspicio, so great to hear from you again. I said, Auspicio is the name I had given the voice in my head. He was a very random character, he would only talk when he wanted to and never spoke clearly only in either riddles or psychotic ramblings.

The path lies paved in the blood of the tortured only to be traversed by those who can see the world for what it is not. Once again I had no idea as to what the hell he was talking about but it didn't give me a positive vibe. For some strange reason Tess never was able to talk or even sense another presence in my mind not even a split personality, I had no idea as to what Picio was. But he never seemed to be hostile so we left him be. As we continued I began to finally make sense of what Picio was talking about, first it began as small patches of blood and slowly began to become pools of blood on the ground limbs hung from the ceiling arms reached out from the walls frozen in place looking as if they where grabbing at something that wasn't there. Both me and Tess simply stared in fear at the nightmarish sight before us.

Tess keeled over and began to mix the blood with puke, I looked at one of the heads hanging from the roof.

It was a little girl, her eyeless face showed pain and unknowable fear. I felt my blood boil and my anger reach it's peak, I would tear the limbs from whatever had done this. I helped Tess to her feat, she was shaking and had to lean against me just to stay on her own two feet. She wiped the puke from her mouth before she spoke.

"Hunter, w-what's going on." She cried leaning against me trying to keep as far from the walls as possible .

"I don't know, but when I find who did this. They will pay." I felt my mutations taking hold, with practiced meditation I took a few deep breaths, and continued.

The path lies paved in the blood of the tortured only to be traversed by those who can see the world for what it is not. Spoke Picio once more, it was uncommon for him to repeat something unless I had done something wrong. Problem is, I don't know what I had done wrong.

"Only to be traversed by those who see the world for what it is not." I whisper to myself a few times, Tess simply moved forward unaware. Wait, to see the world as it is not. Taking a leap of faith, I let my mutations grow a bit and focused the change to act on my eyes.

Upon opening them I saw the world in a thermal point of few. I felt a weight lift from my shoulders, upon seeing the hall way as it was I saw there where no body parts or blood. I could see a cold rectangular object a few meters ahead. It was a door! Thank god for that, my body felt as it was about to give any moment.

"Tess I want you to close your eyes and only open you when I tell you okay?" I asked, she simply nodded. Leaning over I picked Tess' small frame up and jogged through the hall towards the door. Without wasting time I ripped to door open dashed inside and slammed it shut again. I forced my mutations to recede, upon opening them I look around the room we had entered. It was a bunker, cots hung along side the wall lockers and desks scattered her and there, and all of it had not been affected by the fallout of the past the bunkers air purifiers had preserved the room.

"Tess, Tess open your eyes!" I said in a lighter voice

Tess slowly opened her eyes, but as soon as she saw the room we had entered she squealed like a school girl. With inhuman speed she lept from my arms and into one of the cots. I chuckled as she ducked under the covers.

Poking her head from the covers she looked at me. "I don't really care too much but, what is this place?" She asked once more hiding from sight.

I took a bottle of what looked like vodka from a mini fridge. "Well, before the war, apparently people had been paranoid and afraid therefore they would make personal bunkers keeping them hidden and impenetrable." I said taking a sip of the drink.

"But why make one under New York, when the city crumbled the bunker could have collapsed under the weight of the buildings?" I thought about her question.

"Well I can think of a few reasons. From what my thermal vision could tell there were a few heat signatures past that door." I said pointing towards a door on the opposite side of us. "One could be that this bunker has something of value to either the city or someone who lived here before. Either way keeping whatever's inside so close and secure means it's of value.Or two some paranoid nut job built the bunker so close to home for a quick get away." I kept glancing towards the door.

"You're gonna take what's inside aren't you?" She said, she didn't need to read my mind to know that's what would  happen.

"Yep, I'll be right back." I said feeling my right arm become solid and razor sharp. I put a hole clean through the door and tossed it aside. "Tess," I called back. "I think I was right about it being valuable." I could hear her grumble annoyed at being called from bed. As she entered she was about to yell to me but stopped upon seeing the large metal vault door in front of us. "Alright step back I don't wanna hit you." Tess stetted a couple feet back.

I raised my talon to the center of the vault door and tapped it. "Titanium and something else alloy, whoever built this doesn't want anybody inside." I said getting to work and slid my talon into the door.

"Did you ever think that the doors that big so it could hold something in?" She said scolding my hasted attitude.

"You may be right." I said my whole talon was in the door so my face pressed against it. "I can't feel the other side." I said pulling back,

"Exactly so lets find another way out!" She yelled, I looked back to the door.

"Okay how about I put a hole in it so we can see what's inside, eh?" I said, I knew she was curious to. With hesitation she motioned me to carry on. With surgeon like accuracy I made a small hole through the door so single gap was made. As I peered inside I saw the light where on, I could smell a type of preservation chemical filling the air. "What ever's in there it isn't anything living, I can't hear any robots inside so I think it' clear to go in." I said, Tess still looked unsure but nodded.

Within minutes I had the door open, as we stepped in head held high, it fell right back down. Another smaller door stood in front of us. "Really, what the fuck." I didn't wait for Tess to say anything I charged the door and took most of the wall with it into the next room.

"Fuck doors." I said getting up from the floor and dusted my self off, the room was dark and the smell of chemicals was heavy in the air it made me feel dizzy.

"Identify-User." I jumped at the sound of the robotic voice, looking around I saw a single light flick on above a small screen in the center of the room.

"What is that?" Tess asked walking next to me.

"Don't know, it asked for a user." I looked around the room to see one way windows surrounded us on all sides.

Slowly we approached the monitor. On it the face of what looked like a butler looked back at us head floating in the white back ground.

"Identify-User." It asked again, me and Tess looked at each other and shrugged.

"Uh, User-d04." I said, the screen switched to a loading bar for a few seconds before a small ID card slid from it.

"Armory key card dispensed, a maximum of two guests are allowed to accompany the user. For any questions you may have contact you closest Admin." The screen went back to the butler but stayed silent. The quite lasted a few seconds before the lights came on and a hissing sounded from the windows on either side of us. As they rose the rest of the room was reviled to us, I could have died then and their.

"Now that's a lot of firepower." Tess said, on the walls, shelves, counters, and racks that filled the room where guns, ammo, armor, explosives, med-gear, and everything else.

"It's fuckin' Christmas!" I squealed in joy rushing over to the nearest weapon rack. "X-9 Rail Gun, MK-2 Heavy Rivet Gun, this place has got it all." I said, I was basically a kid in a candy shop.

"Calm down Hunter you know we can't bring all these-" Tess said, but stopped when she saw me shoving as many heavy machine guns as I could into my SD. "Hunter!" She barked, I stopped and looked at her a Pulse Rifle in my hand. She rubbed her temple again and sighed. "Hunter you can't fit every gun here into your one SD, only take what you need." She said, I gave her a deadpan look and pointed to larger locker. "What about those SD's?" I said, her face went blank. She slowly walked over to the locker and pulled it open. Dozens of military grade SD's were stacked in neat piles.

"I call the SMG's." She said, taking a couple of the devices.

--30 Minutes later--

I sat on top of an empty counter and looked at our work. In half an hour we had every gun sorted by class in some SD's, medicine in some, ammo filled have a dozen of the SD's, explosives and armor filled the rest leaving only a single SD empty. It would be filled with food if we found any. Me and Tess looked proud of our work.

"Think we can take Hyde?" Tess asked her head on my lap.

"We could take him an the rest of Haven if we really wanted to." I said looking at the pile of weaponry.

"How are we gonna carry all these?" I asked, while there may not be many SD's there was still too many to carry effectively. I thought about it for a moment before an idea hit me, Tess must have had the same idea as we both looked at the lone, empty, SD.

--5 Minutes later--

"We're geniuses." I said, looking at the one man army SD. "Why has nobody done this before?" I asked myself placing the device on my belt.

"Well it's better we thought of it now than later." Tess said securing two of them to her belt one filled with SMG's the other with ammo.

"So where do we go from here?" I asked looking around.

"All specified personnel are to report to Project: Second Chance after armament is secured." The virtual butler answered. I looked at Tess, she shrugged and the two of us walked to the screen.

I looked at the AI as it stared back. "Repeat that." I ordered.

"All specified personnel are to report to Project: Second Chance after armament is secured." It repeated, I sat in the chair and tapped a few keys. The screen changed to the user home screen, both me and Tess read the label displayed.

"Secret Service!" On the screen was the old logo for the US government. That came as a shocker to me and Tess, what the heck was a secret service base doing in a hidden tunnel bellow a New York street. I looked at two icons that were present on the screen. The first was labeled journal nothing shocking there, the other on the other hand was labeled, Second Chance. I clicked on the SC icon, a small alert popped up.

"Read previous journal entries before proceeding to their Second Chance."

I closed the alert and opened the journal folder, inside there were only three entries. I looked to Tess she said nothing and motioned for me to continue. I clicked on the first one and a video opened, immediately a single scientist came into focus. His hair was black and his skin was light, he wore a white lab coat, he cleared his throat and spoke.

Journal Entry 1

It's been four weeks since project SC has been made operational. While it was only two days ago we sent in the first squad of soldier, scientist, and politicians we have already obtained some very unique data. It seems as though the new world we had discovered has a different biosphere than ours but it completely able to sustain us with breathable air. This may be the chance humanity needs. I'm only worried about what the higher ups may do when they find out a banned project was made under their noses. But if all turns out well humanity might just be able to save it's self.

Professor Kevin Klein signing off.

The recording stopped, my jaw was in my lap Tess had swayed as if about to fall. I opened the next video with haste wanting to know more.

J-Journal Entry t-two

G-god... I thought this would fix our problems, this isn't what I wanted. *sniff* I finally decided to see this new world for myself, I wanted to know what my work had lead us to. At first it was fantastic, crystal clear water that sparkled in the sun's glow, the air was clean and fresh, the plants where like nothing I had ever seen. To many it would seem like paradise, but you'd be wrong... dead wrong. It was my second night over there when it all went to hell. at what we assumed to be midnight our soldiers near the lake where our base is set next to reported seeing things moving along the waters edge but nothing was ever there. It was two hours if I remember that same night when the noises stared, each night I always air locked my trailer using filters to keep clean air inside and everything else out it was this that saved my life. After few minutes the sounds had stopped, at first I was thankful at what I had thought to be the others. The next morning was the day I would remember forever. F-fuck, I still remember that damn smell most of all, I had left my trailer t-to find bodies. Everyone was dead, the soldiers must have been taken by surprise because none of their weapons had been used. The corpses where mutilated beyond recognition, some missing limbs and organs. Whatever had done this didn't kill them to eat, for all of the organs had been... removed, but where there. Whatever did this knew what it was doing, I regret not giving them a proper funeral but I couldn't handle it. I had run straight to the Rift Gate and lept back to our world without another thought...

Professor Klein signing off.

Tess sat on the ground her face puzzled and contemplating what she had hear. I held my head in my hands thinking about what this meant.

New worlds, aliens, secret underground illegal portal labs. What the hell is happening. My mind could barely keep up, I left the terminal chair and sat next to Tess on the floor. She leaned her head on my shoulder.

"A whole other world?" She said.

"Yep." I replied.

"One where we may have a better chance to live in that here."

"Yep."

"You're just gonna keep sayin that aren't you?"

"Yep." Tess punched me in the shoulder and walked back to the terminal I followed behind.

"Might as well see the last one." She said and proceeded to open the last recording. This time we where greeted by a horrid sight. Klein was on screen caked in blood and bits of flesh, he bullet wounds in his shoulder more specifically his heart. A crooked smile spread across his face.

*giggle* This is Klein's Journal *giggle* Number 3

He he, this new world, it's marvelous. AHAHAHAHA!.. Turns out I was wrong, this new world is so much more than another chance. Hehe, it's our salvation. It can effect our minds... make us feel good. I was sleeping like a baby in my bed *giggle* when I had a dream, a lady walked over to me told me things that made me feel good. I spoke with her her beauty unmatched. She told me she wanted, No! She needed friends, friends who she could be with always. She gave me a knife and a chore, so when I woke up I killed... wait for it... EVERYONE! AHAHAHAHAHA! It's wonderful! This boring place finally has some color to it, I was gettin' sick of that boring white... Ooh she's back, hehehehehe, got to go don't want to make her wait for her friends!  Ta ta!

The recording stopped there, I stared at the screen unable to move. My mind was racing a mile a minute it gave me a headache, I tried my best to piece together everything that had happened in the last few hours.

Alright first Hyde tries to kill me big surprise, second me and Tess find and underground tunnel system that is messing with our heads due to energy that could be from another world where a mad scientist has taken the bodies of everyone in this facility to to keep some dream bitch company... What the hell happened in my life to make this happen? I looked up to see Tess sitting by my feet her head in her hands shaking her head. I pushed the chair away and sat with her trying to keep her calm. I kissed her head and put my arm around her.

"What are we doing?" She choked out, her voice quivering.

"Where trying to stay alive inside a haunted secret service base." I answered and immediately regretted it, I knew she was close to crying and I knew what would happen if she did.

"What's the p-p-point!?" She sobbed into my chest. I held her closer trying everything to calm her down.

"The point is so we can keep going get out of here, do what we can for this place and kick ass. The world is fucked, I know that. So what, does that mean we just have to give up and turn into one of those mutated zombies? Or, does it mean we can at least try and make somethin' out of this hellhole with whatever time we got." I tilted her head up so she looked at me face to face. "After everything we have gone through over the centuries we've been alive don't you dare give up on me because of some nut job scientist and a computer recording!" I began to yell but she didn't give and just looked away.

"So we do what we can to have it all forgotten within a few years and then die, ooh fuckin rah." She mopped, I was surprised once more today that she would cave so easily to this shit. We had both been face to face with death and won every damn time. If this shit was getting to her I wasn't going to let it continue.

I pulled my hand back. *WHAM* Tess slumped to the floor her hand on her cheek a red mark of where my fist had hit. "Tess! Pull your shit together! I've had my ass kicked for you on more than a dozen occasions so we could both make it back home! If you're gonna cry every time we get put in a situation we've never faced before, the the girl I met all those years ago is long dead." Tess just stared at me as I stood over her, she wasn't crying anymore, she tried to wipe the tears from her face. "Now, are you gonna sit there or are we gonna take a peak at this "new world" together?" I put my hand out, she took it and got to her feat.

"I'm sorry." She said, I sighed and hugged her.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, we both have been through more than the average person should ever have to." I said, she chuckled.

"Guess it's a good thing we are you average pair." She said, I grinned and broke the hug.

"That's better, come on we got a world to see." I walked back to the terminal and clicked the SC icon, the alert popped up but I continued. A window opened with some long lengthy parts and a safety form, I skipped most of it until it brought me to the last page. It read

"All personnel are to wear protective gear upon entering project: SC"

I pressed the confirmation button, the screen went black for a moment. A moment later numbers began to scroll across the screen and another window opened. I read it aloud.

"Please step away from the Rift Gate while it is charging." I was about to ask Tess if she saw any such device, but that question was answered as a section of the floor began parting. I watched as a square structure rose from the floor, each of it's four sides were about 6 inches thick and the machine stood 8 ft high. Blue sparks of electricity raced across it's frame, the sparks began to grow more intense until the center gap of the gate was nothing but a wall of lightning the crackling of energy made my ears ring.

"Any second thoughts?" I asked Tess, she wasn't as hurt by the sound being a siren.

"It's either there or we try our luck in finding a sky city." She stated, she armed her ion SMG and walked towards the gate. We both stood before the portal arcs of lightning connected to us as if trying to take us in.

"Well here goes nothing." I took a breath and dove into the gate. FYI jumping into a portal made from pure lighting hurts.

--Equis Hidden Location.--

"Professor! A spike has appeared in the data readings! Something just entered our world from the one we spotted!" The desk mare looked at the terminal screen her hands flying across the keyboard trying to organize the mess of data.

"What!? Find where it entered quickly! Whatever has come through must be secured with haste!" The Professor ordered rushing to his own terminal. Another scientist a stallion came to him next a small roll of paper in his arms.

"Sir! Whatever came through is incredibly powerful, our systems couldn't keep up with it!" He panicked.

The professor rubbed his head, he turned back to those working at the terminals. "Have any of you found where the anomaly has occurred?" A single mare stood, everypony else looked troubled.

"Y-yes sir we have located the site... but, well it hasn't landed in Equestria." The stallion hesitated at the last part. "The landing site is in... the Changeling Badlands more specifically ten miles from the queen's hive."

The professor fell into his chair his breathing was slow and his face blank. "Contact the princess now!" He barked before leaving into his private office. The scientist quickly began writing.

Inside his office the professor looked at a map, it showed all the explored lands. He glared at the eastern most area of Equestria where a massive desert lay. He glared as if trying to erase that area from the map.

I won't let my life's work be for nothing. He though to himself and sat at his desk and began to write.