Before you stands a shack, in the middle of a field, surrounded by barbed wires. Making your way to the shack you notice the door had a padlock on it that was smashed to pieces from the other side of the door. Ignoring that and all fears and doubts, you press into the shack. The sack was empty save for a panel on the wall and they gray floor. Opening the panel and inspecting it you conclude it just needs a jump start. Using your Flim-Flam All-In-One Flashlight you cram the device’s exposed battery into the mess of wires and hear a sound.
The floor you were standing on starts lowering deeper into the ground. After dropping slowly for what seems like a half hour you see out the elevator’s shaft to a massive empty space. The space looked like it could house anything from the entire Canterlot populace to the broods of 20 dragons. As you descend further you notice a mass of large cubes connected to each other by walkways lit by a massive florescent light rigging on the ceiling serving as an artifical sun. You elevator enters a cube and the room’s lights come on. The room appears to be a lobby of some kind.
The deserted lobby was bathed in its own florescent lights. Despite the dust this room was quite new in furnishings, the poster on the walls are all current. Stepping off the platform you approach the desk once held by the secretary of this abandon facility. Examine the desk you find the usual sort of junk one finds, but something catches your eye. Held in your hooves was a photo consisting of ponies and a few griffons of various ages and genders, the sign by their hooves read “Staff of ‘The ÜnderLabs ’”. Putting the photo in your saddle bag you continue to rummage. After looting the desk of whatever seemed usefull you pull out an ID card. “Dr.maredel” The name echos thoughts of the disgraced scientist arrested for crimes against the sate a few years back, photos of her brandishing a sword while naked and covered in an (As of yet) unknown substance of unknown origins swept all of the newspapers from Canterlot to the Zebra wastelands. Noticing another locked door you use the ID card. A path lights up as green arrows on the path twords one of the cubes.
After following the arrows for multiple layers of cat walks and forks in said path you reach a cube labeled “Master Archive”. Using “your” ID card you open the door and approach an odd machine. The device looked like a Griffon Empire computer form 100 years ahead hooked into a very larger crystal ball from Canterlot 100 years ago. Placing the card on the ball the machine stirs to life, emitting a mighty roar of computer noises the make the dust in this cube shake off of everything.
“Master archive of project: BLURED LINES activated. Authorization code Maredel’s Genetics recognized. Post-disbandment protocol loaded. Loading intro program”
Then the whole room went black. Once all light faded a hologram appeared, the image looked like it was created by both magic spell and Griffon projection. The hologram was of a stallion in a lab coat. His caramel coat was clean and his brown mane was well groomed. His demeanor appeared cheerful and almost psychotic.
“My name is Dr.Stable MD, director and chief of research here in our little slice of Tartarus known the the Ünderlabs. I was charged by Celestia’s Royal Science Academy to take up a small project known as ‘BLURED LINES’ our goal was simple. We were tasked with the creation, stabilization, and weaponization of a dragon/pony hybrid. Assisting me is Dr.Maredel, a well know geneticist who will manage the DNA bonding aspect of the project and Dr.Gearshift on loan to us from The Griffon Empire who will service the tech aspect of the project. We start this atrocity off with 1 million bits funding, which I imagine was mostly used to buy us this abandoned flint mine and refit it to use as our base of operation. After hiring the expendable interns and wrapping up construction of the facilities we began the initial phase of the project”
After that the hologram cut out and the lights came back on. The crystal ball hooked into the machine was hooked up to displayed a list of files and programs of various kinds. While pondering which one of the 1200 files to read first you began sketching what you could of the archive machine, noting how seamlessly the magical and electrical components were interwoven in the ancient machine. With the machine added to your log you begin browsing the program list and then one caught your eye. “Gene Splicing Attempt 1. Archiver: Dr.Maredel”. Pressing your hoof to the file the room goes dark. One the light returns the room looks like a research lab, your keen eye tells you this is an illusion.
The lab was alive with various scientist manning computer stations centered in a circle around a dragon egg and a lot of complicated machinery. Above all this action was a dark gray-coated Pegasus mare with a yellow mane standing on a platform overlooking the whole scene. A double-helix with a pair of scissors in the background on her flank and stitched into her sleeve. In the center of the room was a device you have never seen before. What ever it the machine was, it’s certainly too complicated to sketch even with your skill. The device was being tended by three ponies in Haz-Mat suits. Other pieces of various tech lined the rows of tables surrounding the device on its own pedestal
“Beginning embryonic extraction!” She shouted with vigor as the machine inserted a tiny metal rod into the green dragon egg. Dr.Maredel grinned as the readings she was getting on her platform’s screen showed all goods signs.
A goggled intern looked up from his monitor “All relevant genetic material extracted from egg!” he shouted back then quickly resumed starting at his monitor.
Maredel was giving her reading a final glance over before she began imputing data. “Lets not get cocky here, start the boding process with Pegasus sample M-117“. With that order various fluids filled the chamber in the middle of the device.
“Ready to inject samples into hormone/protein/nutrient batch on your orders” Says an intern directly interfacing with the device. The machine hummed awaiting its own orders. You can sense even after all this time has passed that a lot of tension was in this room during this experiment.
The scientist leading the experiment stomped her hoof to call for attention. “This is the moment we have been toiling for, all of time in prep is all for this, DONT BUCK THIS UP! Load the sample for splicing and bonding!” She commanded her underlings with vigor to proceed. The samples were loaded and the machine set to work. Spinning and spinning, constalt adjusting the chemicals heald within it. All was looking well and Dr.Maredel was beaming, until an intern dared to speak.
“Chemical energy rates dropping below normal parameters, I say we bail out and salvage whats left” Said another intern directly using the device, his worried face shielded by his suit’s vizor but still visible to the scientist who disregarded it. This simple suggestion enraged Maredel.
“Fire up the laser! If the reaction can’t fuel themselves than we provided supplementary energy. Begin firing at 50% power!” Maredel road out commands to the interns who scrambled to follow them. A high powered laser began firing at the machine, the purple liquid with began to stir violently.
“Energy levels far beyond normals! Kill the laser!” Shouted the intern manning his station.
Maredel was furious. “Belay that order!”. As soon as she said that the machine detonated. A loud explosion was heard throughout the Ünderlabs, even the recording damaged your ears. Once the smoke (literally) settled the room was in ruins. The blast knocked everypony around, the machine in the center was scrapped beyond repairs. Amazingly one of the interns managed to stand. Panic settled in as the intern called for medical personal and many of the workers in the room noticed they were missing limbs. The hologram faded as The Master Archive began to speak in its booming voice
“End results: Samples destroyed. All testing equipment is beyond repairs. High valued dragon egg is smashed to pieces. 18 interns injured. 2 dead. Dr.Maredel injured. Damages rated in the thousands. Time-table setbacks measured in weeks”
Putting your mind back together you look back at the archive and notice a few documents lined up. Many of these documents were damage reports and few obituaries. Determined to know more about that first experiment you try accessing the dive only to hear a loud buzz followed by another message.
“Reserve power dwindling. Additional energy conduits must be brought back online. Engaging walkway lighting to next conduit”
Looking out of the door behind you multiple floodlights illuminate in yellow to guide you to your new destination. By the looks of it you will need to dive deeper into the lab both literally and metaphoricly