Horizon Falls

“The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.”
― Anaïs Nin

«««✧✦✧»»»

“Whoo!” Andromeda cheered as she bounced into the room.

Inside was a large circular room with a high domed ceiling. The floor had a similar array of circles located in the center that extended out to the walls. On each circle rested a glowing orb. Up above on the ceiling was a glowing starscape of unfamiliar constellations and nebula. To the immediate right was an alien console with a deactivated screen while the other side of the room held various other objects from a fridge connected to a small power generator and kitchen space to a hammock hanging from magnetic clamps attached to the wall. A series of paper lanterns floated up above, anchored to a series of lines that ran perpendicular several meters above the floor. Up above them were a spider web of vines and ropes set up by Aphelion. Towards the back of the room was a long hallway that led to another chamber farther down. The hallway had several doorways off shooting from it.

Aphelion followed behind the unicorn as she bounced over to a small desk located in what passed as the left side of the room. Atop it were various stacks of paper with various symbols written all over them as well as some more recognizable languages.

“I thought we were switching jobs,” Aphelion said.

“You know I know nothing about computers,” Andromeda replied as she used her magic to scour through the papers.

Aphelion sighed, “Figured as much.”

He trotted over to console. The console itself was mostly underpowered with only a single icon on it glowing. He raised an arm and tapped it with his finger and watched as the rest of the board burst back to life. The screen itself soon followed and began displaying a series of lines of code. Aphelion stood up and cracked his knuckles before tapping away at the buttons and icons.

“Did you at least bring back the drive?” he asked.

The small metallic case flew through the air. The robot reached back and caught it before placing it into some hidden chamber on his person.

“Didn’t find anything useful on it?” he asked.

“No. Nothing I could use to translate this stuff,” Andromeda replied as she opened up her saddle bag and levitated the books she’d brought on to her desk, “I’m hoping the books I borrowed from Twilight will have SOMETHING I can use. It’d help if I even knew how this language was structured to begin with.”

“For all you know each one of those symbols could represent an entire word,” Aphelion commented as he resumed typing.

Andromeda turned, “What do you mean?”

Aphelion stopped his nearly superluminal typing, “Can I see that journal you brought?”

“Sure.”

The book levitated over to the robot. He plucked it out of the air and began turning to a random page.

“I still find that creepy sometimes,” he said.

“What?” Andromeda asked.

“Here’s a good a page as any,” he said crouching down for the pony to see, “See this phrase right here?”

私が最後に彼女に会ったので、彼女は非常に美しくされます。

“Yeah.”

“That first glyph, instead of being a letter, could really be an entire word. It would make more sense than them being letters and having to draw out these complicated symbols just to make an ‘Ah’ sound.”

Andromeda cocked her head, “So you think they could represent entire words?”

“Maybe. It would make sense. I could easily be wrong but I’m just throwing ideas at you and hoping they’ll stick,” he shrugged, handing the book back.

“Hmm, I’ll give it a shot.”

“Also, you ever consider that maybe one of the other books you found buried in this place has something you’re looking for?”

“I’ve checked a few books and found what I think are three different languages.”

“Three? How can you tell?”

“I said what I think are three different languages. I’m not sure, they could all be entirely one language but I’m not inclined to think so. The symbols in one text that I assume go to one language don’t show up in another. So in other words there’s no cross pollination here. However that doesn’t help me with understanding anything.”

“Hmm, maybe instead of matching one of those unknown languages to the ones you do know, you should try it the other way around. You never know,” Aphelion suggested, "You may find it easier."

“What?” Andromeda blinked.

“Try matching a known language to one of the three unknown languages. You may have better luck than doing it one at a time the other way around.”

“Hmm. Eh, what the hell? I’ll give it a try. It certainly seems more efficient just thinking about it.”

“That’s because you’re not thinking like a programmer,” the robot replied as he resumed his typing.

“Buck off.”

“That wasn’t nice,” Aphelion commented.

“Well you’ll have to learn to deal with it. You only live once,” Andromeda replied as she cracked open one of the language books.

“That statement is generally considered to be used an enabler.”

“The hell are you talking about?”

“An enabler. Something used to encourage negative or self-destructive behavior in individuals.”

“Again,” she replied, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Your statement: You only live once. That statement historically has commonly been associated with enabling negative and self-destructive behavior in others. Everything from the use of controlled substances to unprotected intercourse was justified with the phrase, ‘You only live once.’ Not that it’s a bad dogma but it has become stained by its adoption by stupid people as their motto.”

“Yeah yeah, get off my case on that. It’s just a phrase.”

“I am aware of that.”

“I used it because you do only live once before you die. Better not let stupid trivial things get in the way of enjoying it. It’s a crime really.”

“What is?”

“That we can only live once.”

“Why is living once a crime?” Aphelion stopped his typing and turned.

“Because once isn’t enough. One life is only enough for you to get just a taste of what life has to offer. And it’s a crime that you can experience such beauty, such pleasure and pain, such majesty and light and then be limited to a sixty year expiration date. It’s like taste testing the greatest ice cream in the world and being told that you can never have another. That’s what death is.”

“Death is an apathetic ice cream man?” Aphelion cocked his head.

“Death is an asshole. Life is the greatest party in the universe and Death is the bouncer that taps you and tells you that you have to leave the party and never come back. But not only that, Death is the asshole who tells you that the party will go on without you. Buck that.”

“Some would argue that Death is the thing that gives life meaning, that without it we would all just waste life away without ever doing anything significant. A project without deadlines will never be completed.”

“So buck the guys that live like that. I don’t. And I’m inclined to think that the majority of ponies aren’t procrastinators either. I’d get the project done then read a book, learn to play an instrument, study a dead language, learn higher mathematics, do whatever I wanted. You shouldn’t need a deadline to teach you that life needs to be lived to the point of tears.”

“So what exactly are you saying?”

“Buck the ponies who need deadlines to get them to move their flanks.”

“Are you saying that you want to be immortal?”

Andromeda laughed, “I certainly wouldn’t turn it down if it was offered.”

“Well considering I don’t have an effective limit placed on my existence I would say that it’s not all as advertised,” Aphelion blinked.

“Well you clearly haven’t put as much thought into as I have,” Andromeda said shaking her head.

“Oh? Enlighten me then.”

“The world is too big for only one life. I can never live enough. Buck all the people who say that if lived correctly one life is enough.”

“You do have to admit that there is something to that phrase.”

“There is something to it. But that’s it, just something. There isn’t enough to it. One life will never be enough. I want as many as I want!”

“I am beginning to wonder if you have an unhealthy obsession with immortality.”

“I am not obsessed with it! I just happen to find death a waste. I want to run through forests well past Everfree! I want to fly higher than any pegasus ever could dream of! I want to swim deeper than any fish in the ocean. I want to see cities others have only dreamed of. I want to experience things that I can’t even conceive of right now!”

“That merely expresses a desire to explore and achieve.”

“How about this? I want to live a thousand different lives. No, a million different lives! I can never learn enough, I can never experience enough. Do you understand now? One life will never be enough! Just as youth is wasted on the young, life is wasted on the lazy and stupid.”

“I suppose I can agree with that last part,” Aphelion said cocking his head.

“There’s too much in the world to know, to experience, to live, for only one life to be enough. Even if you live life to the point of tears you will never experience everything, never learn everything, never live everything you can.”

“I doubt one would be able to accomplish a feat such as that with an indefinite life span.”

“That’s the point. Set an impossible goal so you’ll never have any excuse to stop. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for stopping to smell the roses but if that’s all you’re doing then step out of the way for the rest of us who are going somewhere.”

“Even if your mythical destination is impossible?”

Andromeda grinned, “Especially if it’s impossible.”

“Like what we’re doing here?”

“Just like what we’re doing here. We may never understand whatever the hell we’ve discovered here. But I’ll be damned if I don’t try.”

Aphelion shook his head, “That attitude is going to get you killed.”

“So what? If I can’t live forever at least I’ll go out doing something.”

“With a bang rather than a whimper?”

“With the biggest bang possible,” she grinned.

Outside the structure a loud crack broke through the din of their conversation. Andromeda and Aphelion turned. The clouds that had gathered outside were finally preparing for their main event. Another crack of thunder followed that was accompanied by a flash of lightning. Soon the pitter patter of rain could be heard. The air grew thick with humidity.

“Ah, the weather has arrived,” Aphelion blinked.

He returned to the console and pulled up a window that displayed diagrams of the entrance way. He tapped an icon unknown to Andromeda and watched as the doorway glowed with a blue light. Soon the humidity level in the room dropped.

“There we are. Keep us nice and dry without having to close the door,” Aphelion said.

“You mean without having to sacrifice the view.”

“Well… that too.”

“Shall we resume our work?”

“Sure thing, robot boy.”

«««✧✦✧»»»

The glow of the open chamber was not lost to the rainy night. If one listened closely the rattling of leaves would have given away a concealed presence, hiding further along the cliff. Hushed voices as well as the sharpening of weapons accompanied by the rustling of leather were masked by the hiss of the rain and the roar of the thunder.

The binoculars were lowered accompanied by the movement of feathers. Even at this distance the glow from the room was still plenty visible to any creature at the right height.

“Four hours, we go in four hours.”