“Nice work, Rainbow Dash!”
"干得好，彩虹小飞!"
Ponies are thoughtful, compassionate, reasonable creatures. We might sometimes be driven to violence, but most ponies most of the time are simply trying to do the best that they can. However, now and then, ponies can go a bit… off. I don’t think that Twilight would have left Discord in that place if she hadn’t been obsessed with finding a final solution to the war. I think that, in better times, she would have demanded that Luna and Goldenblood stop tormenting and using him. Likewise, in certain circumstances, I take defeat particularly hard, far more than my usual screw ups. These sorts of things happen.
小马是深思熟虑的，富有同情心的，理智的动物。我们有时可能会被迫采取暴力行为，但大多数小马大多数时间只是试图做到最好，他们可以。然而，时不时地，小马可以去一点...关闭。我不认为暮光之城会离开不和谐的地方，如果她没有痴迷于寻找一个最终的解决方案的战争。我想，如果情况好一点，她会要求卢娜和金布拉德停止折磨和利用他。同样地，在某些情况下，我对失败的反应尤其强烈，远远超过我平常的失败。这样的事情时有发生。
Like right now.
就像现在。
“Clippers,” Glory muttered, holding out her hoof.
"快船,"晨辉低声说，伸出她的蹄子。
I pulled the electric clippers off the shelf. Apparently this was a heavy-duty model for preparing patients for surgery. “Glory. Are you sure you need to do this now?”
我把架子上的电动剪子拉了下来。显然，这是一个重型模式，为病人准备手术。"晨辉。你确定你现在就要这么做吗?"
“Clippers!”
"快船队!"
I sighed and set them in her hoof. She tapped the button, and the blades started to buzz. Without another word, a shower of rainbow mane cascaded around her shoulders, ending up in a gloopy mess in the dye on the floor as she shaved away with a wide grin on her face. “Heh... you won’t change color, huh? Well then, that means I’m just gonna have to get rid of you!”
我叹了口气，把它们放在她的蹄子里。她轻轻按下按钮，刀片开始发出嗡嗡声。一句话也没说，一阵彩虹般的长发如瀑布般泻落在她的肩膀上，最后落在地板上的染料里，她脸上带着灿烂的笑容刮去了胡子。"嘿......你不会变色吧？那么，这就意味着我只好把你赶走了!"
Okay, this was getting just a little bit scary. I put a hoof on her shoulder. “Glory.”
好吧，这有点吓人。我把蹄子放在她的肩上。"晨辉。"
“Just a minute, Blackjack!” she hissed as she moved the clippers along her
"等一下，黑杰克!"她一边拉着剪刀一边发出嘶嘶的声音
mane. Finally, she set them down and stood, staring at Rainbow Dash’s reflection in the mirror. She pointed her hoof at it. “Ha! Can’t be Rainbow Dash without the rainbow, can you?” the bald blue pony shouted.
鬃毛。最后，她把它们放下，站在那里，凝视着彩虹·达什在镜子里的倒影。她用蹄子指着它。"哈！没有彩虹就不会有彩虹冲刺，对吧?"秃头的蓝色小马大叫。
“Glory…” I groaned, covering what was left of my face with my hoof. I knew that somewhere, if it still existed, there was a little blue weed that was laughing its roots off. “Scotch… my face...?”
"晨辉......"我呻吟着，用蹄子把脸上剩下的东西盖住。我知道，在某个地方，如果它仍然存在的话，那里有一些蓝色的小杂草，它们的根都笑掉了。"苏格兰威士忌...我的脸...?"
But she wasn’t listening. “Let me just get my tail and...” She paused and closed her eyes, rubbing her nostrils. “Ah… ah… chooo!” she sneezed, and at once her entire mane popped back into existence on top of her head. She stared, her pupils pinpricks, then she screamed and threw the clippers with all her strength at the mirror. “Goddesses damn it! Why won’t you go away?” she cried as the clippers broke and the mirror shattered, pieces tumbling into the sink basin. Her forehooves seized one of the larger shards of broken mirror. “I’ll cut you away!”
但是她没有听进去。"让我抓住我的尾巴，然后......"她停顿了一下，闭上眼睛，揉着鼻孔。"啊...啊...chooo!"她打了个喷嚏，马上她的头发又回到了原来的样子。她瞪大了眼睛，瞳孔发出刺痛的声音，然后尖叫起来，用尽全力向镜子扔剪刀。"女神们，该死的！你为什么不走开?"剪子断了，镜子碎了，碎片掉进水槽里，她哭了起来。她的前蹄抓住了一块较大的碎镜片。"我要把你切开!"
That’s it. It was fun while it lasted. My metal hoof smacked the broken shard out of her grasp, and I scooped her away as she started thrashing. “No! No! I can’t look like this. I can’t! Being a Dashite was better than being a Dash!” she screamed, and I had to admit that Rainbow sure was a fighter. But I had cyberlimbs. I tossed her onto her back and pinned her. “I have to get my face back! I have to be me! I could take it as long as I’m me!”
就是这样。当它持续的时候是有趣的。我的金属蹄子拍打着她抓住的碎片，当她开始抽打的时候，我把她抱走了。"不！不！我不能穿成这样。我不能！成为一个大师比成为一个达什更好!"她尖叫着，我不得不承认彩虹确实是个斗士。但我有网络肢体。我把她扔到她背上，然后按住她。"我必须把我的脸找回来！我必须做我自己！只要我还是我，我就能忍受!"
I could relate. I wanted my face back too, and I could imagine what she was feeling right now. It would be like me waking up and finding myself Deus, or P-21 turning into the Overmare. Granted, I didn’t see why being Rainbow Dash was so bad, but clearly it wasn’t a good thing. “You are still you!” I said as I stared down into her tear-streaked face. “All your memories and things are still yours, right? Do you have memories of living in Ponyville?” If the answer was yes… well… hopefully Lacunae could do something!
我能感同身受。我也想要回我的脸，我可以想象她现在的感受。就像我醒来发现自己变成了Deus，或者P-21变成了Overmare。当然，我不明白为什么彩虹冲刺这么糟糕，但显然这不是一件好事。"你还是你!"我低头看着她泪痕累累的脸说。"你所有的记忆和东西都还是你的，对吗？你还记得住在Ponyville的日子吗?"如果答案是肯定的......那么......希望Lacunae能做些什么！
“I…” She sniffed and closed her eyes. “I… last night… I… I dreamed I was in Cloudsdale. I… it was the second time she’d done the sonic rainboom! I dreamed it! I’m turning into Rainbow Dash. I just know it! That damned weed might as well have killed me outright!” She sobbed as she pressed her face into the unmangled side of my neck. Well, it looked like I would need to have a chat with our resident mystic alicorn for some answers.
"我.....。。」她闻了闻，闭上了眼睛。"我.....。.昨晚...我..。.我梦见我在Cloudsdale。我。.这是她第二次使用音爆了！我梦到了！我要变成彩虹冲刺了。我就知道！那该死的大麻简直要了我的命!"她一边抽泣着，一边把脸紧贴在我尚未损伤的脖子上。看来我得和我们的神秘角斗士谈谈才能得到答案。
I sighed and held her tight. Okay… if I started dreaming I was somepony else,
我叹了口气，紧紧地抱住她。好吧如果我开始梦见自己变成了别人
I’d be freaked out too. ...Of course, that had actually already happened to me… but by that point I’d been a lot more used to the whole freaky Wasteland thing. “You’re Morning Glory. Not Rainbow Dash. Morning Glory is a doctor, a smart pony, and the mare I love. Okay?” I said quietly as I looked into her terrified and upset eyes. “Right now, there’re two ponies who need Morning Glory’s help. Not Rainbow Dash’s.”
我也会吓坏的。...当然，事实上那已经发生在我身上了...但那时我已经习惯了整个荒原怪异的事情。"你是牵牛花。不是彩虹破折号。牵牛花是一个医生，一匹聪明的小马，和我爱的母马。好吗?"我看着她那双惊慌失措的眼睛，平静地说。"现在，有两匹小马需要牵牛花的帮助。不是彩虹达什的。"
For some reason, my words didn’t seem to comfort her. “I don’t want to fade away,” she sniffed. “I don’t even know if it’s safe for me to use the auto-doc any more. Not now. Not when I don’t know what’s me and what isn’t.”
出于某种原因，我的话似乎并没有安慰到她。"我不想消失,"她嗤之以鼻。"我甚至不知道现在使用自动文档是否安全。现在不行。我不知道什么是我，什么不是。"
“You have to. Please,” I said softly, stroking her rainbow mane and looking down into a stranger’s eyes. “You need to prove you’re Morning Glory… to yourself. I don’t know what that stupid weed did, but I know that Morning Glory is tough enough to overcome it.”
"你必须这么做。"求你了,"我轻轻地说，抚摸着她彩虹般的鬃毛，低头看着一个陌生人的眼睛。"你需要向自己证明......你是牵牛花。我不知道那该死的大麻有什么作用，但我知道牵牛花足够坚韧，可以战胜它。"
She sniffed, not looking convinced at all as I moved off her. She sat up slowly. “I know… it’s just… it’s waking up and finding you’ve turned into the most hated pony in the skies.” She curled her wings around her. “I haven’t even been able to fly since we got here. I was resigned to being on the ground. Happy, even… as long as I was with you. But now I’m scared to death that if I do fly somewhere, I’ll be more Rainbow Dash and less Morning Glory.”
我走开的时候，她嗅了嗅，看起来一点也不相信。她慢慢地坐起来。"我知道......只是......一觉醒来，发现自己变成了天空中最讨厌的小马。"她用翅膀把自己卷起来。"自从我们来到这里，我甚至还没能飞起来。我听天由命地躺在地上。快乐，甚至...只要我和你在一起。但现在我怕得要死，如果我真的飞到某个地方，我会更像彩虹冲刺，而不是牵牛花。"
“I didn’t think you hated her. I thought pegasi thought she was a hero,” I replied as I sat next to her.
"我以为你不讨厌她。我以为飞马座的人认为她是个英雄,"我坐在她旁边回答。
She shook her head. “It’s much more complicated than that. Yes, Rainbow Dash was one of the greatest pegasi in history. She’s right up there with Commander Hurricane: nigh-mythic status. But pegasi… well… some of us have a way of tearing down our heroes, too. Rainbow Dash might have been awesome, but she also got tens of thousands of pegasi killed. Some Enclave speculate that the first strike at Cloudsdale was an attempt to kill her personally, not just a strike to destroy our capital. Then there was her turning her back on the Enclave to help the surface. As a historical figure, yeah, you can tolerate her. But as a person…” She trembled and sniffed. “Look at me. First thing I did was call her an idiot!”
她摇了摇头。"情况要复杂得多。是的，彩虹飞马是历史上最伟大的飞马之一。她和飓风指挥官在一起:几乎是神话般的状态。但是飞马座......嗯......我们中的一些人也有办法摧毁我们的英雄。彩虹冲击可能很厉害，但她也杀死了成千上万的飞马座。一些昂科雷人推测，对Cloudsdale的第一次打击是企图杀死她本人，而不仅仅是摧毁我们的首都。然后她背对着昂科雷帮助浮出水面。作为一个历史人物，是的，你可以容忍她。但是作为一个人......"她颤抖着闻了闻。"看着我。我做的第一件事就是骂她是白痴!"
I sighed and shook my head. “I’m sorry. I had no idea. At Tenpony, they were just mildly curious if I was related to Twilight or not. I can’t imagine what they might have done if I magically became Twilight Sparkle.”
我叹了口气，摇了摇头。"对不起。我不知道。在Tenpony，他们只是有点好奇我是否与《暮光之城》有关。我无法想象如果我奇迹般地变成了紫悦，他们会怎么做。"
“Thunderhead is a little better than most about her. We were completely tied in with the Ministry of Awesome, and so in a way she made us awesome too. But if Thunderhead found out about me… I don’t know what they’d do.” She shuddered. “And the rest of the Enclave… Neighvarro especially… it would be ugly. They tried Rainbow Dash in absentia a century ago and found her guilty of crimes against the pegasus race. They disintegrated her in effigy.”
"Thunderhead比大多数人都要好一点。我们完全与可怕的部门联系在一起，所以在某种程度上她也让我们变得可怕。但如果雷霆发现了我......我不知道他们会怎么做。"她打了个寒战。"而其他地区......尤其是邻里地区......将会非常丑陋。他们在一个世纪以前缺席审判了彩虹·达什，认定她犯有危害飞马族的罪行。他们把她的肖像分解了。"
“Well, good thing you’re not Rainbow Dash,” I replied firmly, staring into her eyes and daring her to disagree. Maybe not the best way to handle an identity crisis, but she didn’t argue. I smiled. “Now… can you transplant lungs and reconstruct faces, Morning Glory?” I felt a little cheesy trying to channel Mom’s ‘buck up’ speech, but she was head of security and had to be able to get through to people.
"还好你不是彩虹·达什,"我坚定地回答，盯着她的眼睛，看她敢不敢反对。也许这不是处理身份危机的最佳方式，但她没有争辩。我笑了。"现在......你能移植肺部并重建面部吗，牵牛花?"我觉得试图引导妈妈的"振作起来"的演讲有点俗气，但她是安全主管，必须能够与人沟通。
She gave a little smile. “Yeah… I think so. It should be easy with the auto-doc and compatible organs… but where did you get them? Did you have Sanguine grow them for you?” she asked as she shook off bits of rainbow mane that clung to her.
她微微一笑。"是的......我想是的。它应该很容易与自动文档和兼容器官...但你从哪里得到他们？你让桑吉帮你种的吗?"她一边问，一边抖落粘在身上的彩虹鬃毛。
I looked away. “Something like that. Doesn’t matter now, though. It’s gone and buried.”
我转过头去。"差不多吧。不过现在已经不重要了。它消失了，被埋葬了。"
“Too bad,” she sighed. “That kind of technology would have been incredibly useful. A pity it had to be under the control of that monster.”
"太糟糕了,"她叹了口气。"这种技术本来会非常有用。遗憾的是，它必须被那个怪物控制。"
I thought of the Flux being sucked out of Discord. “There were other drawbacks to it, too. Suffice to say that it’s better to not think about it.” Hopefully she’d leave it at that. She looked curiously at Boo, who was curled up on the hospital room bed and watching with her quiet, dull expression. “This is… well, I’m calling her Boo. She was living in the tunnels under Hippocratic Research.”
我想到了弗拉科斯被从不和谐中吸出来的情景。"这种做法还有其它弊端。我只想说，最好不要去想它。"希望她就此打住。她好奇地看着布，布蜷缩在病房的病床上，用她安静而迟钝的表情看着她。"这是......好吧，我叫她Boo。她住在希波克拉底研究所下面的隧道里。"
“She doesn’t have a cutie mark,” Glory said as she peeked at the white pony’s flank. “I’ve heard of late bloomers, but she’s our age, Blackjack. And I thought I took forever getting mine.” Then she glanced at the rainbow lightning bolt and sighed. I wondered if it was an illusion... or a sign that something deeper had changed in Glory.
"她没有一个可爱的标志,"晨辉说，她偷看了白色小马的侧腹。"我听说过大器晚成的人，但她和我们一样大，Blackjack。我以为我花了很长时间才得到我想要的。"然后她瞥了一眼彩虹闪电，叹了口气。我不知道这是不是一种幻觉......或者是一种信号，表明在晨辉中有更深层次的东西发生了改变。
“I don’t think you ever told me how you got yours,” I said as Boo crawled off the bed and shook herself. Together we walked towards the operating room.
"我想你从来没有告诉过我你是怎么得到这些的,"我说，这时布从床上爬起来，摇了摇自己。我们一起走向手术室。
She smiled awkwardly. “It’s silly… I was studying for my graduation finals; I had to get a top score for advanced placement at Thunderhead’s medical program. Everypony expected me to get a perfect grade, but it was just… not happening. I was making mistakes, getting things mixed up in my head. I was tired and exhausted trying to study.”
她尴尬地笑了笑。"这太傻了......我当时正在为毕业期末考试复习;我必须在Thunderhead的医学项目中拿到大学先修课程的最高分。每个小马都希望我能得到一个完美的分数，但是这并没有发生。我犯了错误，把事情弄混了。为了学习，我已经筋疲力尽了。"
“Being a smart pony sounds hard,” I said with a smirk, and she smiled along with me. I was glad to see that some attempt had been made to clean up the blood. As freaky as the neatness was, it belonged in this place. Still, I wouldn’t have minded a little litter… maybe some water-stained tiles… “Maybe, but we also tend to get shot up less, too, so there’s a plus side,” she said with a smile. “I was at the end of my limits, about to just quit and go into the basic courses. It would have meant three, maybe four more years of study before I got into medical school. But then I realized that I didn’t have to memorize three hundred isolated facts. If I started with the heart… I’d memorize the facts of the heart… then the blood vessels it was connected to… what organ systems were connected in which order... It was like a sunrise that drove out all the confusing darkness, and suddenly I could see everything.” She flushed a little, hanging her head. “I guess you’d have to see one to really know.”
"当一匹聪明的小马听起来很难,"我傻笑着说，她和我一起微笑着。我很高兴看到有人试图清理血迹。尽管整洁得令人毛骨悚然，但它却属于这个地方。尽管如此，我还是不介意乱丢垃圾......也许是一些水渍的瓷砖......"也许吧，但是我们也倾向于少被射击，所以也有好的一面,"她微笑着说。"我已经到了极限，马上就要放弃，开始学习基础课程。这意味着在我进入医学院之前，我还要学习三到四年。但是后来我意识到我不需要记住300个孤立的事实。如果我从心脏开始......我会记住心脏的事实......然后记住它连接的血管......什么器官系统以什么顺序连接......就像一个日出，驱散了所有令人困惑的黑暗，突然间我可以看到一切。"她有点脸红，低垂着头。"我想你得去看看才能真正了解。"
“Eh, I’ve seen the sun.” Granted, it was in memories and the like rather than with my own eyes. “But I guess I can understand that. It explains you.”
"哎，我见过太阳。"当然，这只是记忆之类的东西，而不是我自己的亲眼所见。"但我想我可以理解。它解释了你。"
“Better than this thing does…” she muttered, looking at the lightning bolt.
"比这玩意儿好多了......"她看着闪电，喃喃自语道。
“Isn’t it similar, though? I mean, you were confused, and then… BAM! You figured it out.” My shout made Boo jump behind Glory. The blue pegasus smiled sympathetically, and we paused long enough for the pale mare to relax. “So your epiphany came like a bolt out of the blue. And you’re good at connections, so the rainbow color is how that’s all related. I mean, I just shoot things, but you know all about repairing and medicine and energy weapons and stuff.”
"不过，这不是很相似吗？我是说，你很困惑，然后...砰！你想明白了。"我的呼喊声让阿布跳到了晨辉的后面。蓝色的飞马同情地微笑着，我们停了足够长的时间让苍白的母马放松下来。"所以你的顿悟就像晴天霹雳。而且你很擅长联系，所以彩虹的颜色就是它们之间的联系。我的意思是，我只是射击，但是你知道所有关于修理，医学，能量武器和东西。"
“I think you’re stretching it now,” she murmured, but looked a little more at ease. She might not like her body or the cutie mark she was borrowing, but she didn’t have to hate it. “So, tell me everything that happened after Lacunae teleported us away.”
"我想你现在把它拉长了,"她喃喃地说，但看起来稍微放松了一些。她可能不喜欢自己的身材，也不喜欢自己借来的可爱标志，但她没必要讨厌它。"那么，告诉我在Lacunae把我们传送走之后发生的一切。"
I started to talk, but then I closed my mouth again and reconsidered. The Goddess needed to know as well. I owed her. “I’d like Lacunae to hear it too.
我开始说话，但随后我又闭上了嘴，重新考虑。女神也需要知道。我欠她的。"我也想让拉库尼听听。
And Scotch as well. Why don’t you tell me what I missed here?”
还有苏格兰威士忌。你为什么不告诉我我错过了什么?"
“A very frantic five minutes,” Glory replied. “Scotch had stopped breathing, her eyes were terribly damaged, and she was going into shock. We were lucky; when we arrived, Archibald was in the room trying to determine how to get the pods moved to Elysium for his father. They had one all wired up and everything. They started to argue, but Lacunae was very persuasive.”
"非常疯狂的五分钟,"晨辉回答。"苏格兰威士忌停止了呼吸，她的眼睛严重受损，她快要休克了。我们很幸运，当我们到达的时候，阿奇博尔德正在房间里想办法把豆荚搬到极乐空间给他的父亲。他们有一个所有的连线和一切。他们开始争论起来，但是拉库尼非常有说服力。"
“Shouted telepathic insults can have that effect,” came her smooth voice in my mind. Then she asked, in a more formal, imperious tone, “What did you learn at Hippocratic Research? Was Chimera intact?”
"喊叫的心灵感应的侮辱可以有这种效果,"她平静的声音在我的脑海里传来。然后她用一种更正式、更专横的语气问道:"你在希波克拉底研究所学到了什么?"？奇美拉完好无损吗?"
Hello, Goddess. “The facility was a wreck. We got enough of it to work to make some spare parts for myself and Scotch. Unfortunately, the security systems were attacking us. I had to destroy what was left to get away.”
你好，女神。"那里的设施简直是一团糟。我们有足够的钱为自己和苏格兰人制造一些零件。不幸的是，安全系统正在攻击我们。我必须毁掉剩下的东西才能逃走。"
“Hmmmph,” the purple alicorn snorted. “Very well. I expect the other will be in Canterlot soon if she’s finished mucking about with Rangers. Hopefully she’ll have better results.” She started to turn away.
"哼,"紫色的独角兽哼了一声。"很好。我希望另一个能尽快回到Canterlot，如果她不再和流浪者队混在一起的话。希望她会有更好的结果。"她开始转过身去。
“I freed Discord.”
"我解放了不和谐。"
That made her freeze in her tracks. Then she slowly turned to look at me in shock. “You. Did. What?!”
这使她一动不动。然后她慢慢地转过身来，震惊地看着我。"你。是的。什么?!"
“I freed him,” I replied firmly as I trotted up towards her. “It was the least I could do after Twilight left him there, trapped in that starmetal coffin.” Her shock gave way to anger, but I didn’t let up. “You knew what was being done to him. You knew! But all you cared about was figuring out how to make alicorns.”
"我把他放了,"我一边坚定地回答，一边朝她小跑过去。"在暮光之城把他留在那里，困在那个星形金属棺材里之后，这是我能做的最起码的事了。"她的震惊让位于愤怒，但我没有停下来。""你知道他受了什么罪。你早就知道！但你所关心的只是弄清楚如何生产橡子。"
“Don’t you presume to lecture me; you don’t know what he did to me, my friends, and the kingdom!” I looked right into the eyes of Twilight Sparkle.
"你别想教训我，你不知道他对我，对我的朋友们，对整个王国都做了什么!"我直视着紫悦的眼睛。
“Really? Did he turn any of you into stone? Did he drill holes in your body? Did he torture any of you? Suck out your blood for his magic?” I asked as I advanced. I pointed a hoof at her. “Two hundred years in agony. I don’t care what he did, Twilight, no one deserves that!”
"真的吗？他有没有把你们变成石头？他在你身上钻洞了吗？他折磨过你们吗？为了他的魔法吸干你的血?"我边走边问。我用蹄子指着她。"两百年的痛苦。我不在乎他做了什么，暮光之城，没有人应该得到那样的待遇!"
“Discord was a monster that fed on misery and strife!” Lacunae shouted.
"不和谐是一个怪物，以痛苦和冲突为食!"空隙喊道。
“And how was what ponies did to him any less monstrous?” I said, not giving an inch. “What if it’d been done to another pony? The fact that it was Discord doesn’t change how wrong it was!”
"小马对他做的事怎么就不那么可怕了呢?"我说，一点也不让步。"如果是另一匹小马呢？不和的事实并不能改变它错得有多离谱!"
“That… I… that was… I meant to speak to Luna. I forced a recall of the Flux, once I knew how dangerous it was. Discord… it was a very busy time, Blackjack!” she stammered, then shuddered. The alicorn swayed, then whimpered as she curled up. “I’m sorry…”
"那......我.....。.那是...我想和露娜说话。一旦我知道它有多危险，我就强迫召回了弗莱克斯号。不和......这是一个非常繁忙的时间，Blackjack!"她结结巴巴地说，然后打了个寒颤。海角摇摆着，蜷缩着，呜咽着。"对不起......"
“Twilight?” I asked as I knelt. She looked up at me with teary eyes, and I hissed softly, “I’m sorry, Lacunae.”
"暮光之城?"我跪下来问道。她泪眼婆娑地看着我，我轻轻地嘶嘶地说:"对不起，拉库娜。"
“So is Twilight… please… understand she is sorry. She just… forgot…” She closed her purple eyes once more and shivered, and I reached down to stroke her mane. “The Goddess put her shame in me. Her guilt. She was ashamed of so much… so sorry for what she had done. Please, believe that. Please…” She pressed her face into my chest and whimpered softly, “Pinkie…”
"《暮光之城》也是如此......请理解她的歉意。她只是......忘了......"她再次闭上紫色的眼睛，颤抖着，我伸手去抚摸她的鬃毛。"女神羞辱了我。她的罪恶感。她为自己的所作所为感到羞愧。请相信我。求你了......"她把脸贴在我的胸口，轻轻地呜咽着,"小手指......"
“I… I do. I do, Lacunae,” I said quietly. “I’m sorry. I just… that place was really messed up. You know what happened there. Copies. Fusion. Flux. Discord.”
"我.....。.我知道。"是的，拉库奈,"我平静地说。"对不起。我只是...那地方真的很乱。你知道那里发生了什么。复印件。核聚变。通量。不和谐。"
“You know that you doomed us all by setting him loose,” Lacunae sniffed. “His power is… immeasurable.”
"你知道你放了他，把我们都害死了,"拉库奈嗅了嗅说。"他的力量是...不可估量的。"
I sighed. “Yeah. And if I have to, I’ll deal with him later. But he’s chaos, right?” The purple alicorn looked at me with a troubled frown, then nodded once. “So if everypony expects him to act one way… then the chaotic thing is if he does the opposite. Right?” I asked with a hopeful smile.
我叹了口气。"是的。如果有必要，我以后再处理他。但他很混乱，不是吗?"紫玉簪苦恼地皱着眉头看着我，然后点了点头。"因此，如果每匹马都希望他按照自己的方式行事......那么，如果他按照自己的方式行事，就会出现混乱。对吧?"我带着满怀希望的微笑问道。
“Unless doing what is unexpected is expected so he does the expected to be unexpected,” Glory offered. “Or he might unexpectedly be unexpected by doing the expected… I’m not exactly sure how the math works out. Do two unexpecteds become expected?”
"除非做出乎意料的事情是意料之外的，所以他做出了意料之外的事情,"晨辉说。"或者他可能出乎意料地按照预期行事......我不太确定这是怎么计算出来的。两个意想不到的事情会发生吗?"
“No, I’m pretty sure they’re squared,” Lacunae replied. She wiped her eyes and even gave a thankful little smile to my rainbow-maned love.
"不，我非常肯定他们是正方形的,"拉库奈回答。她擦了擦眼睛，甚至对我那长满彩虹的爱人露出一丝感激的微笑。
I clapped my hooves over my ears. “Ahhh! Stop! All this egghead talk is starting to educate me!”
我用蹄子拍了拍耳朵。"啊！住手！所有这些书呆子的言论开始教育我了!"
The pair just looked at each other, then launched into a discussion of theoretical Discord unexpectosity states. I felt a migraine coming on. Evil ponies… Evil smart ponies…
两人只是看着对方，然后展开了一场理论不和谐的讨论，意外状态。我觉得有点偏头痛。邪恶的小马...邪恶的聪明的小马..。
But at least I gave them both a reason to smile.
但至少我给了他们一个微笑的理由。
* * *
* * *
I filled them in on what had occurred at the complex, glossing over the specifics of the source of the organs. Thankfully, Lacunae didn’t get into those specifics either. The mare seemed to be trying to deal with the emotions shoved into her by the Goddess. It seemed to physically weaken her; how much mental anguish and trauma could a pony take before they just… couldn’t anymore? If something happened to the Goddess, would Lacunae be affected? Would she be free, or would she crumble, or explode?
我告诉他们在这个复合体里发生了什么，掩盖了器官来源的细节。值得庆幸的是，Lacunae也没有涉及这些细节。这匹母马似乎在试图控制女神强加给她的情绪。这似乎在身体上削弱了她的力量;一匹小马能承受多少精神上的痛苦和创伤，在它们...再也承受不了之前？如果女神发生了什么事，空隙会受到影响吗？她是自由的，还是崩溃的，还是爆炸的？
I really didn’t like these unknowns. I was also glad I didn’t know whatever LittlePip was up to. As we walked along, Glory remarked on Boo several times. She seemed unconvinced that the white pony following me around didn’t know how to talk. I suppose the idea of fully grown ponies popping from nowhere was a little hard to swallow. It wasn’t until Boo relieved herself right in front of us that Glory concluded that... yes... she wasn’t quite right. And guess who it was they looked at to clean up after her?
我真的不喜欢这些未知的东西。我也很高兴我不知道小皮普在做什么。当我们一起走的时候，晨辉好几次提到了布。她似乎不相信跟在我后面的那匹白色小马不知道怎么说话。我想，不知道从哪里冒出来一匹长大成人的小马的想法有点难以接受。直到布在我们面前解手，晨辉才得出结论......是的......她并不完全正确。猜猜他们找谁来帮她收拾残局？
Ah well; I was the one who brought her up here. And it wasn’t the dirtiest job I’d had. I tossed the mess and the rag down the garbage chute at the nurse’s station.
是我把她带到这儿来的。这也不是我做过的最肮脏的工作。我把垃圾和抹布扔进了护士站的垃圾槽里。
As we approached the doors to the operating room, I balked. How could I set hoof into the room where I’d decided the fate of forty foals?
当我们走近手术室的门时，我犹豫了一下。我怎么能走进那个我已经决定了四十匹小马驹命运的房间？
“Wait, what is that?” I asked as my ear picked up a noise from within. A sharp ‘Beee… dooo… beee… dooo…’ playing over and over.
"等等，那是什么?"我问道，因为我的耳朵听到了里面传来的声音。一个尖锐的'Beee......嘟......Beee......嘟......'反复播放。
Glory went pale, jumped into the air, and streaked down the rest of the hall, slamming through the double doors so hard one was knocked off its hinges. “Lacunae!” came her scream, and a second later, the world disappeared in a purple flash. When the world returned I was back in the middle of the operating room beside the very table where my insides became my outside. The robotic arms looked particularly sharp at this moment. “Power fault! The stasis is unstable. We have to transplant her lungs now! I don’t know if we’ll be able to
格洛里的脸色变得苍白，跳到空中，飞快地穿过大厅的其他部分，砰地一声撞开双扇门，一扇门的铰链被撞掉了。"空白!"接着她尖叫起来，一秒钟后，整个世界消失在一道紫色的闪光中。当这个世界回来的时候，我回到了手术室的中央，就在那张桌子旁边，我的内心变成了我的外在。机械臂在这一刻看起来特别锋利。"电力故障！停滞期是不稳定的。我们必须马上移植她的肺！我不知道我们能不能
stabilize the pod!”
稳定分离舱
Fortunately, the crates Sanguine had filled were right beside the operating table. “Where is P-21?” I asked as Glory rushed to the terminal podium in the middle of the room. Boo hung back at the smashed-open door, blinking with fright and confusion.
幸运的是，桑吉装满的板条箱就在手术台旁边。"P-21在哪里?"当晨辉冲向房间中央的终端讲台时，我问道。布在那扇被砸开的门前缩了回去，又害怕又困惑地眨着眼睛。
“I don’t know. I also don’t know how long the pod’s been malfunctioning!” Glory said as she tapped the keys with her hooves. “There’s a reason you don’t fiddle with these things. Once something is in stasis, you leave it alone! I have no idea what parts of her body might have undergone cell death if the field strength was uneven.”
"我不知道。我也不知道这个分离舱故障多久了!"晨辉边说边用蹄子敲击着琴键。"你不摆弄这些东西是有原因的。一旦某些东西处于停滞状态，你就不要去管它！如果磁场强度不均衡，我不知道她身体的哪些部位可能经历了细胞死亡。"
The mechanical arms lifted. “Lacunae. Teleport her onto the table, then get all the healing potions you prepared. This is going to be a messy transplant at best. She’s going to need an IV feed as soon as we replace her lungs and eyes.” Glory swallowed, her hooves tapping. “I have no idea if this system is a hundred percent either. I was hoping P-21 would spend few hours helping me check for bugs.” She licked her lips nervously as there was a flash in the beeping pod, and suddenly Scotch appeared on the table. “Why didn’t I focus on that rather than changing my mane?!”
机械手臂举起来了。"空白。把她传送到手术台上，然后准备好所有的治疗药剂。这充其量只是一场混乱的移植手术。我们一替换她的肺和眼睛，她就需要静脉注射。"晨辉吞噬着，她的蹄子轻敲着。"我不知道这个系统是否也是百分之百。我希望P-21能花几个小时帮我检查bug。"当哔哔作响的豆荚里有一道闪光时，她紧张地舔了舔嘴唇，突然，桌上出现了苏格兰威士忌。"我为什么不把注意力放在这上面，而不是改变我的鬃毛?!"
“You thought you had the time. You didn’t know the pod would malfunction,” I replied.
"你以为你有时间。你不知道吊舱会出故障,"我回答。
Scotch looked… dead. She reeked of chlorine, and her eyes were swollen shut. Patches of her hide were raw and discolored, as if she’d been burned. That smell hit me like a hammer. Only the tiny rise and fall of her side gave any hint that she was alive at all. She whimpered, starting to shake.
苏格兰威士忌看起来...死气沉沉。她身上散发着氯气的臭味，眼睛肿得闭不上了。她的皮毛上有一块块生的，并且褪色了，好像她被烧伤了一样。那气味像锤子一样击中了我。只有她身体一侧微小的起伏，才暗示出她还活着。她呜咽着，开始颤抖。
“Black…” she said weakly. “Hurts.”
"布莱克......"她虚弱地说。"很疼。"
I rushed to her side. “It’s okay. We’re going to fix you up, Scotch.”
我冲到她身边。"没关系。我们会给你治疗的，苏格兰人。"
“He didn’t… talk…” was all she said before I was being brushed aside.
"他没有......说话......"在我被推开之前，她只说了这么一句。
“Roll her onto her back, Lacunae,” Glory instructed. “I’m breaking about thirty or forty rules for hygiene and postoperative infection prevention,” the mare muttered as the arms began to whirr and hum. Glory then rushed to a cart beside the operating table and opened a bottle. “Dribble this along her chest,” the mare
"把她翻到背上去，空隙,"晨辉指示道。"我违反了三十四十条卫生和预防术后感染的规定,"母马咕哝着，胳膊开始嗡嗡作响。然后，晨辉冲到手术台旁边的推车上，打开了一个瓶子。"沿着她的胸口滴这个,"母马
instructed as she grabbed a hoofful of gauze. I smelled the sharp tang of alcohol. Glory then wiped down the filly’s chest. “Okay. Med-X will have to do. I--”
当她抓起纱布的时候。我闻到了刺鼻的酒味。晨辉然后擦了一下小母马的胸膛。"好吧。Med-x就可以了。我——"
She froze as she stared into the drawer. “Where’s the Med-X? There were three doses here ready!” She looked around the cart. “I can’t crack a chest without some kind of anesthetic!” She looked at me, her eyes frantic. “Do you have some?”
她凝视着抽屉，愣住了。"Med-X在哪儿？这里已经准备好三剂了!"她环顾四周。"没有麻醉剂我无法打开胸腔!"她看着我，眼睛里充满了狂乱。"你有吗?"
My inventory function said no.
我的库存功能说没有。
“The Society and Eggheads cleared out the storeroom. Lacunae, maybe there’s some more at the nurse’s station?”
"学会和理论家们清理了储藏室。空隙，也许护士站还有更多的空隙?"
“That’s where I found those three,” Lacunae replied.
"我就是在那里找到那三个人的,"拉库奈回答道。
I took my saddlebags and upended them, dumping every bit of trash and salvage I’d trotted across. I had to have something! The metal crown thingy I’d found in Miramare bounced twice on the tile floor and rolled away. Guns and bullets were useless here. I was useless here!
我拿起我的鞍囊，把它们翻了个底朝天，倒掉了我小跑过去的所有垃圾和打捞物。我总得吃点什么吧！我在米拉马雷找到的那个金属齿冠在瓷砖地板上弹了两下就滚开了。枪支和子弹在这里毫无用处。我在这里毫无用处！
Then Lacunae swept up the crown with her magic. “A recollector! Perfect! Blackjack, give me a memory orb,” the alicorn instructed. I looked at the scattered orbs. Well… eenie… meenie… that one! I picked it up with my mouth and trotted it over to the table; I didn’t want to risk getting sucked in, what with my wonky horn and all. The alicorn put the crown on Scotch’s head and then slotted the orb into the spot where the black opal had been; it must have fallen out somewhere. At once the filly went limp.
然后，拉库尼用她的魔法扫除了王冠上的障碍。"一个回忆者！好极了！黑杰克，给我一个记忆球。我看着那些散落的球体。那个......点......点......那个！我用嘴把它捡起来，小跑着走到桌子边;我不想冒险被吸进去，因为我那摇摇晃晃的喇叭什么的。阿里克纳把王冠戴在苏格兰人的头上，然后把王冠塞进了原来那块蛋白石所在的地方;它一定是从什么地方掉出来的。小母马立刻变得软弱无力。
“I hope that’s the Gala…” I murmured… wait, did I even have that orb? Ugh, I needed to catalogue and label these damned things!
"我希望那是个盛会......"我低声说......等等，我到底有没有拿到那个球？啊，我需要把这些该死的东西分类并标记出来！
“Okay. Get clear,” Glory said as pink talisman lit up over the operating table. “That should stabilize her long enough to get finished now that she’s under.” I heard the purr of electric clippers, then saw a familiar vibrating blade move down towards the filly. I swept up my things with hooves and magic and dumped them into the bags, letting the inventory spell take care of the packing. “Good… it’s cutting nicely… all her internal organs seem to be functioning as well as can be expected… heartbeat is weak… we need to get this done fast.”
"好吧。晨辉说着，手术台上的粉色护身符亮了起来。"这应该能让她稳定下来，现在她已经昏迷了。"我听到电动剪刀的咕噜声，然后看到一把熟悉的振动刀片向小母马移动。我用蹄子和魔法把我的东西清理干净，然后把它们倒进袋子里，让存货魔法来解决包装问题。"很好......伤口切得很漂亮......她所有的内脏器官似乎都运转正常......心跳微弱......我们需要尽快完成手术。"
I heard a wet noise fill the air and looked away. I did not like operating rooms…
我听到空气中弥漫着湿漉漉的声音，转过头去。我不喜欢手术室..。
no thank you! I looked over at the malfunctioning pod and trotted closer. A pink pony in my head put on a brown cap and lifted a magnifying glass; there was dirt smudged on the control panel next to the pod.
不了，谢谢！我看了看发生故障的分离舱，然后小跑着靠近它。我头上的一匹粉红色的小马戴上了一顶棕色的帽子，举起了一只放大镜;吊舱旁边的控制面板上沾满了灰尘。
“I need to find P-21…” I said sharply as I turned and ran for the hall, Boo scrambling out of my way. I needed to find him. Now!
"我需要找到P-21......"我厉声说道，转身朝大厅跑去，布从我面前爬开了。我需要找到他。现在！
Missing Med-X, and he’d done something to the pod. He could hide from my eyes, but not my Eyes Forward Sparkle! I spotted a blue bar all by itself and homed in. I found him lying in a bathtub nearby, Dusty’s hat pulled over his face. The three empty syringes were on the lip of the sink beside him. I felt a rage and fear like I hadn’t felt in a long time.
找不到Med-X，他对分离舱做了什么。他可以躲开我的眼睛，但是我的眼睛向前闪烁！我发现了一个蓝色的酒吧，就在那里。我发现他躺在附近的一个浴缸里，达斯蒂的帽子遮住了他的脸。三个空注射器在他旁边的水池边上。我感到一种很久没有的愤怒和恐惧。
“Interesting place for a nap,” I said sharply.
"有趣的小憩场所,"我厉声说道。
“G’way…” he muttered thickly.
"上帝啊......"他咕哝着。
“Scotch is in surgery now. She might be dying. Somepony messed with her stasis pod,” I said as I looked at the dirt on his hooves. He just lay there, twitching a little.
"苏格兰人正在做手术。她可能快死了。有个小马把她的停滞舱搞得乱七八糟,"我看着它蹄子上的泥土说。他只是躺在那里，抽搐了一下。
“Go away,” he repeated, putting a little more effort into it. I pulled the hat away and stared down at his contracted pupils as he looked up at me. His spasming limbs were relaxing bit by bit as he closed his eyes.
"走开,"他又重复了一遍，使了点劲。我把帽子拉开，低头看着他那收缩的瞳孔，他抬头看着我。当他闭上眼睛时，他痉挛的四肢一点一点地放松。
“You took the chems for your daughter’s operation to use yourself. How could you? And what did you do to her pod? Did you try and open it?” I said lowly, and my eyes threw up a targeting reticule on his head. For once, I wasn’t disturbed by that. I was way too angry. “Did you try and kill her?”
"你拿你女儿手术的药是为了利用你自己。你怎么能这样？你对她的豆荚做了什么？你试过打开它吗?"我低声说，我的眼睛在他的头上投掷了一个目标网状物。这一次，我没有因此而感到不安。我太生气了。"你是不是想杀了她?"
He just lay there. “I’m sick of hurting…”
他只是躺在那里。"我受够了伤害......"
“Your leg is fine!” I yelled at him, feeling sick myself. “It’s been fine for more than a week! What the hell is wrong with you?”
"你的腿没事!"我对他大喊大叫，自己也觉得恶心。"已经一个多星期没事了！你到底有什么毛病?"
He covered his face with his hooves. “Hurts. I don’t want to hurt any more.”
他用蹄子盖住脸。"很疼。我不想再受到伤害了。"
“What do you mean?” I asked with a frown. “What hurts?” Maybe there was something actually wrong with him.
"什么意思?"我皱着眉头问。"哪里疼?"也许他真的有什么问题。
“Everything,” he muttered. “Everything always hurts. And when you’re hurt, if you’re a good pony, you get a shot. And then it doesn’t hurt any more. Or if you struggle and fight, you get a shot, and then it doesn’t hurt, either.” He closed his eyes again. “Go away, Blackjack. I tried to tell her, but I couldn’t say a word. I just… I just leaned against it and couldn’t say a thing. I needed a shot so bad. Everything hurts.”
"一切,"他喃喃自语。"所有的事情都很痛苦。当你受伤的时候，如果你是一匹好马，你就有机会。这样就不会再痛了。或者，如果你挣扎和反抗，你打了一针，然后它也不疼了。"他又闭上了眼睛。"走开，黑杰克。我试着告诉她，但我一句话也说不出来。我只是...我只是靠在上面什么也说不出来。我太需要打针了。一切都很痛苦。"
Okay... don’t think about that just now... If you were a bad pony, medical would give you a shot to help you perform. “Are you saying… do you mean that back in medical… in 99… they kept you dosed up on Med-X?”
好吧......现在不要想那个......如果你是一匹糟糕的小马，医生会给你一个机会来帮助你表现。"你是说......你是说在99年的医疗中心......他们让你服药?"
“After what the Overmare did to my ass on a regular basis, what do you think?” he said with a grumble, glaring up at me before staring away into the side of the tub. “I was so glad Daisy busted my leg. It was an excuse to have a shot whenever I wanted. When we were in Flank, I stocked up. I could just… not hurt... but then I ran out…”
"经过Overmare经常对我的屁股做的事，你怎么想?"他嘟嘟囔囔地说，眼睛瞪着我，然后盯着浴缸的一边。"我很高兴黛西打断了我的腿。这是我随时想喝一杯的借口。我们在弗兰克的时候，我储备了。我可以......不受伤......但后来我跑了出去......"
“When?” I asked softly.
"什么时候?"我轻声问道。
“The arena. Reapers aren’t big on painkillers, I guess. And Megamart had run out. I was only able to get one shot from Bonesaw. And… I kept thinking about 99… and how we’d failed… and it hurt so damn much. Everything hurt so damn much. I just wanted it all to stop.”
"竞技场。我猜索命者对止痛药不感兴趣。而超级市场已经用完了。我只能从Bonesaw那里得到一次机会。而且......我一直在想99......我们是如何失败的......那真是太他妈的痛苦了。每件事都让我痛不欲生。我只是希望这一切都停止。"
“But then I saved you,” I murmured. “Why didn’t you tell me you hurt so much?”
"但是后来我救了你,"我低声说。"你为什么不告诉我你伤得这么重?"
“Because you don’t. You get shot, stabbed, blown up, and raped, and I never once hear you say ‘Oh, it hurts too much. We have to stop.’” He let out a little sob. “I just want everything to stop hurting! I thought the arena would be perfect… but then you stopped me… so I’d just stay close to you till something… something… killed me. But I just kept on living, and now even one shot isn’t enough. Now it takes two or three. And they were just lying there and I hurt so damn bad but I’m not dead yet!”
"因为你不知道。你被枪击，被刺伤，被炸飞，被强奸，我从来没有听到过你说'哦，太疼了。我们必须停下来。"'他抽泣了一声。"我只是希望一切都停止伤害！我以为竞技场会很完美......但是你阻止了我......所以我会一直呆在你身边，直到有什么......什么东西......杀了我。但是我还是继续活着，现在连一针都不够。现在需要两个或三个。他们就躺在那里，我伤得很重，但我还没有死!"
I touched his shoulder, but he jerked away. I sighed. “And Priest… made you hurt less…”
我碰了碰他的肩膀，但他猛地一扭。我叹了口气。"还有牧师......让你少受点伤......"
“Yes… but he’s gone.” He screwed up his eyes and hissed softly in pain. “I thought… I don’t know what I thought. I thought for a while, maybe I could do
"是的......但他已经走了。"他眯起眼睛，痛苦地发出轻轻的嘶嘶声。"我想......我不知道自己在想什么。我想了一会儿，也许我可以
some good. Get through it… be like you.” He turned his face away. “When we went to Hippocratic… I wanted revenge. But… I also wanted to stop hurting.”
一些好的。挺过去......就像你一样。"他转过脸去。"当我们去希波克拉底医学院的时候......我想要复仇。但是......我也想停止伤害。"
“You were staying with me because you thought I’d get you killed?” I murmured softly, feeling cold and hollow once more. I hadn’t felt like this in a long time.
"你和我在一起是因为你觉得我会害死你?"我轻轻地喃喃地说，感觉又冷又空虚。我很久没有这种感觉了。
He sniffed and nodded. “With all the shit you attract? I figured something would get us sooner or later. But you kept on throwing yourself into the meat grinder over and over… they nailed your legs to the floor and we cut them off and still you… Goddess, Blackjack, how do you keep going?!” he asked as he looked up at me in anguish. “And then you died and… and I was alive… and all I wanted was to swap places with you!” He laughed brokenly. “You know what I thought when I saw Dusty die? Damn… lucky mare…”
他嗅了嗅，点了点头。"你吸引了那么多东西？我想迟早会有东西来抓我们。但是你一次又一次地把自己扔进绞肉机......他们把你的腿钉在地板上，我们把它们截断了，你还是......女神啊，黑杰克，你是怎么坚持下去的?"他抬头痛苦地看着我问道。"然后你死了......而我还活着......我只想和你交换位置!"他断断续续地笑了。"你知道当我看到达斯蒂死的时候我在想什么吗？该死的...幸运的母马..."
I sighed, leaning down and stroking his mane gently. “Everything hurts, Blackjack. Everything. I was so sure that the hurting would stop in that damned laboratory. A shot. A turret. That goop. I just wanted something to kill me so that you could go on and save everypony. Something. But… somehow you saved us all. Again… because that is what you do…”
我叹了口气，俯下身子，轻轻地抚摸着他的鬃毛。"一切都很痛，黑杰克。一切。我非常确信伤害会在那该死的实验室里停止。一个镜头。塔楼。那黏糊糊的东西。我只是想找个东西杀了我，这样你就可以继续拯救每一匹小马。一些东西。但是...你救了我们所有人。再说一遍......因为这就是你要做的......"
He closed his eyes again. “Please don’t save me. Please just leave me here. I’m so sick of hurting. So damned sick of everything.” I looked down at my friend and stroked his mane. I had no idea what to do. No idea at all… except…
他又闭上了眼睛。"请不要救我。请把我留在这里。我受够了伤害。对一切都厌烦透了。"我低头看着我的朋友，抚摸着他的鬃毛。我不知道该怎么办。完全不知道...除了..。
Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head…
现在安静，现在安静，是时候躺下你困倦的脑袋..。
No! I save ponies. I don’t kill them.
不！我拯救小马。我没有杀他们。
But… how do I save P-21?
但是...我要怎么救P-21？
“I’m sorry, P-21. I don’t know how I can take the pain away,” I said quietly. “I… don’t hurt. I’m not exactly sure if I’m a pony anymore. Maybe… maybe somewhere back in Tenpony, whatever part of me was a pony got cut away and replaced by a talisman or a pump or something. I don’t know how a pony is supposed to feel anymore. I get shot and it… it doesn’t feel the same anymore. I remember the first time I got shot. Now, nothing feels right,” I murmured quietly. “I eat metal and rocks now. I have little bars telling me how much energy I have left.” I closed my eyes. “Maybe… maybe the reason I’m not affected by Enervation is because I’m really a robot… just one with more fleshy bits than your average Ultra-Sentinel.”
"对不起，P-21。我不知道怎样才能消除这种痛苦,"我平静地说。"我.....。.别受伤。我不确定我是否还是一匹小马。也许...也许在Tenpony的某个地方，我身体的某个部分被割掉了，取而代之的是一个护身符或者一个水泵之类的东西。我不知道一匹小马还能有什么感觉。我中枪了，感觉就不一样了。我还记得我第一次中枪的情景。现在，一切都不对劲了,"我低声说。"我现在吃金属和石头。我有一些小信号告诉我还剩多少能量。"我闭上了眼睛。"也许......也许我没有受到衰弱的影响是因为我实际上是一个机器人......只是一个比一般的超级哨兵有更多肉质部位的机器人。"
He shifted to look up at me. “But right now… Glory is doing the transplant to try and save Scotch Tape’s life. And even with the organs, she might not pull through.” I sighed, stroking his mane. “I know what it’s like to hate yourself. I know what it’s like to want to end the pain. I do… I know how it feels to be violated and to just want it over. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.” I’d been on the mattress before, the very place he was now.
他转过头来看着我。"但是现在......晨辉正在进行移植手术，试图挽救ScotchTape的生命。即使有器官，她也可能撑不过去。"我叹了口气，抚摸着他的鬃毛。"我知道恨自己是什么感觉。我知道想要结束痛苦是什么感觉。我知道...我知道被侵犯的感觉，只是想结束这一切。对不起，我帮不了你。"我以前也睡过床垫，就是他现在睡的那个地方。
I took a deep breath. “If you lie here like this, and don’t go to her, and she lives then… she isn’t your daughter. One way or another, she’ll get past this. Maybe you won’t. But I guarantee that if you stay here like this right now, and she dies, then you’ll be just as dead as if I had left you back at the Arena. There are some things you never forgive yourself for.” I closed my eyes. “Either way, I’m not going to leave you here just waiting for the pain to come back. Because it will… lying here causes the pain.”
我深吸了一口气。"如果你像这样躺在这里，不去找她，那么她就活着......她不是你的女儿。无论如何，她会挺过去的。也许你不会。但是我保证，如果你现在这样呆在这里，而她死了，那么你就会像我把你留在竞技场一样死去。有些事情你永远无法原谅自己。"我闭上了眼睛。"不管怎样，我都不会把你留在这里，等着痛苦再次袭来。因为它会......躺在这里引起疼痛。"
He lay there with his eyes closed for the longest time. I knew the chems and his own self-loathing were keeping him there. I could have dragged him out easily… but it didn’t matter. The mattress he was stuck on would have been any place I took him. Only he could get off it… and I didn’t know what we’d do if he didn’t.
他躺在那里，闭着眼睛很长时间。我知道是药物和他自己的自我厌恶让他留在那里。我本可以轻易地把他拖出来......但是没关系。我带他去的任何地方，他都会被卡在床垫上。只有他可以摆脱它...我不知道我们会做什么，如果他不这样做。
Then he shifted a little, rolling over to put his hooves beneath him. Slowly he rose, and I put a hoof out to steady him. I sniffed as he took one step out of tub, then another, then stepped free. “Why do I keep on following you, Blackjack?” he murmured as he slumped against me. “Why do you think I can be a better pony? More than just a trick pony?”
然后他稍稍移动了一下身子，转过身来把蹄子放在身子下面。他慢慢地站起来，我用蹄子把他扶稳。我闻了闻他从浴缸里走出来一步，然后又走出来一步，然后就自由了。"为什么我一直跟着你，黑杰克?"他靠着我低声说。"为什么你认为我能成为一匹更好的小马？不仅仅是一匹会变戏法的小马?"
“Because you can. I can see it. Duct Tape could, too,” I replied with a small smile. “Now, I think there’s a waiting room thingy near the operating room. We can go there and… um… wait.” He missed the obvious opportunity to point out my obviosity, just ducking his head and focusing on walking without falling down.
"因为你可以。我看得出来。胶带也可以,"我微笑着回答。"现在，我想在手术室附近有一个等候室。我们可以去那里......嗯......等等。"他错过了一个显而易见的机会来指出我的明显特点，只是低着头，专注于走路而不摔倒。
When we reached the waiting room, he took a seat and closed his eyes. I dug out my magic primer and stretched out on the couch. Concentrating on turning the page took my mind off Scotch… but not off P-21. I didn’t know anything about drug addiction! Glory had tried to talk to me about it, but to me it was more a ‘chems do damage to your body so they’re bad’ type deal. I never thought of them changing the way a pony thought and acted. They were supposed to be…
当我们到达候诊室时，他坐了下来，闭上了眼睛。我拿出我的魔法底漆，躺在沙发上。把注意力集中在翻页上使我忘记了苏格兰威士忌......但是没有忘记P-21。我对毒瘾一无所知！晨辉曾试图和我谈论这个问题，但对我来说，这更像是'药物对你的身体有害，所以它们是坏的'类型的交易。我从来没有想到他们会改变一匹小马的思想和行为方式。他们应该是..。
pop some Fixer, and you were good.
找个修理工，你干得不错。
Had P-21 really been in pain for so long? Was it real pain like from an injury, or something in his head? This sounded a whole lot too serious for just a Fixer or two.
P-21真的痛苦了这么久吗？是真正的疼痛，像是受伤了，还是脑袋里有什么东西？对于一两个修理工来说，这听起来太严肃了。
Boo slowly crept into view. I smiled and talked softly till she came over to get a mane rub. I fished out a slightly smooshed Fancy Buck Cake, and she ate it happily.
布慢慢地进入了视野。我微笑着，轻声地和她说话，直到她过来给我按摩鬃毛。我掏出一块略微平滑的花式巴克蛋糕，她高高兴兴地吃了起来。
I tried to keep my mind off the question I couldn’t answer by flipping through the primer. I was getting through the basic telekinesis practice spells. I practiced lifting and lowering Duty and Sacrifice. The revolvers were heavier than Vigilance. Theoretically, I should have been able to use a half dozen pistols with my magic, but in reality it was far easier to float an object than to aim and fire. Your brain literally had to juggle from one weapon to the next to use them all if you were going to do more than simply fire blindly. Duty and Sacrifice were different, though. I lifted and aimed them both with little difficulty. The intricate scrollwork on the five-shot cylinders depicted magical flames. I practiced working them in unison, pulling the triggers simultaneously at an imaginary target.
我试着不去想那些无法回答的问题，只是翻了翻底漆。我正在练习基本的心灵遥感法术。我练习提升和降低责任和牺牲。左轮手枪比警戒枪重。理论上讲，我应该可以用我的魔法使用六支手枪，但实际上，让物体漂浮起来比瞄准和射击要容易得多。如果你要做比盲目开火更多的事情，你的大脑就必须从一件武器变换到另一件武器来使用它们。尽管责任和牺牲是不同的。我轻而易举地举起它们，瞄准它们。五个圆柱上错综复杂的滚动工艺描绘了神奇的火焰。我一起练习，在想象中的目标上同时扣动扳机。
Then I practiced my little light spell… because for the first time in my life, I could actually do magic. Boo watched the little floating mote warily, then when it came near, tried to eat it. I smiled as she made an icky face. Before, magic was something other unicorns did. Other unicorns were better than me, and I always assumed that that was that. I was a screwup unable to perform the most basic magic spell beyond simple telekinesis. My magic bullet spell had been the first time I’d done more, and even that was sort of still telekinesis. But now a light spell… it made me wonder what other magic I was capable of.
然后我开始练习我的小小的轻咒语......因为这是我人生中第一次真正能够施展魔法。布小心翼翼地看着漂浮着的小尘埃，当它靠近时，就想把它吃掉。我笑了，她做了一个讨厌的表情。以前，魔法是其他独角兽所做的事情。其他的独角兽都比我强，我一直认为这就是原因。我是一个失败者，除了简单的心灵遥感，我无法施展最基本的魔法咒语。我的魔法子弹咒语是我第一次做了更多的事情，即使是这样也有点像是心灵遥感。但是现在一个轻咒语......它让我想知道我还会什么其他的魔法。
I thought of Lacunae’s shield spell. Wouldn’t that be useful, given the amount of fire I saw regularly? Or healing spell… okay, maybe that was a bit much. I wasn’t sure if a healing spell would even work on me. Maybe I needed a repair spell… or both?
我想到了拉库尼的盾牌咒语。考虑到我经常看到的火灾量，这难道不是很有用吗？或者治疗咒语...好吧，也许有点过了。我甚至不确定治疗咒语是否对我有效。也许我需要一个修复咒...或者两者都需要？
“Hey, P-21… wanna throw some books at me?” He blinked, frowning a little in confusion. “Come on! I want to see if I can figure out how to do Lacunae’s barrier thingy.” I grinned and gestured right at the end of my snout. “Come on.
"嘿，P-21...想朝我扔几本书吗?"他眨了眨眼，因为困惑而皱了一下眉。"来吧！我想看看我能不能搞清楚怎么做Lacunae的屏障什么的。"我咧嘴笑了笑，在鼻子的尽头做了个手势。"来吧。
You can’t make my face any worse than it already is. So give it your best shot.”
你不能把我的脸弄得更难看了。所以，尽你所能吧。"
You know, for having three doses of Med-X in him, he could throw the waiting room magazines and books really hard!
你知道，因为他体内有三剂量的Med-X，他可以把候诊室的杂志和书扔得很用力！
After two dozen, I had a bloody nose and a ringing headache and wasn’t any closer to making a magic barrier. Maybe I could talk to Lacunae about it. Before, though, I just would have given up. ‘Blackjack is screwup; Blackjack can’t learn, durr…’ But now I knew magic was more than just my inability. Of course I had to get pummeled with a half dozen more books before I finally got P-21 to stop throwing them.
二十几次之后，我的鼻子流血了，头痛欲裂，根本无法制造出一道神奇的屏障。也许我可以和Lacunae谈谈。然而，在此之前，我只想放弃。但是现在我知道，魔法不仅仅是我的无能。当然，在我最终让P-21停止扔书之前，我还得再接受六本书的打击。
“Okay, clearly the whole ‘magic shield’ thing is a little more complicated than just… imagining a wall or something,” I said as I rubbed my horn.
"好吧，显然整个'魔法盾牌'的事情有点复杂，不仅仅是......想象一堵墙或其他什么东西,"我一边搓着喇叭一边说。
“Well, if you ever need more books thrown at your head, I’m sure you won’t have any lack of volunteers,” he replied with a small smile.
"好吧，如果你需要更多的书扔到你的头上，我肯定你不会缺少志愿者,"他微笑着回答。
“You know… I’ve got to wonder, how do you make those shots with your grenade launcher?” I asked as I looked at Persuasion on his hip. “I mean, I know a lot of it is skill.”
"你知道......我想知道，你是怎么用你的榴弹发射器投篮的?"我边问边看着他屁股上的《劝导》。"我的意思是，我知道这很大程度上是技巧。"
“I don’t know. I suppose it’s an earth pony thing,” he replied with a shrug, looking at the door to the operating room. “I can’t do magic or fly, but say I need to get something somewhere, I know just how and how hard I need to kick it to get it where it needs to go.”
"我不知道。我想是地球上的矮种马吧,"他耸耸肩回答，看着手术室的门。"我不会变魔术，也不会飞行，但是我知道我需要把某样东西带到某个地方，我知道我需要如何以及用多大的力气把它踢到该去的地方。"
“Oh yeah? Prove it. Put a magazine on each of those three seats there,” I said as I pointed across the waiting room. He looked at me flatly and reached over, bit three magazines, and tossed one after the next onto all three seats. I frowned sourly. “Okay… do it again.” And so he did. “With bo--” And three prewar books landed on each stack. “Yeah, well, I can do magic.”
"哦，是吗？证明给我看。在那三个座位上各放一本杂志,"我指着候诊室的另一边说。他直截了当地看着我，伸出手，咬了三本杂志，然后一本接着一本地扔到三个座位上。我愤怒地皱起了眉头。"好吧......再来一次。"于是他就这样做了。"和bo--"每一叠上都有三本战前的书。"是啊，我会变魔术。"
He stood, walked slowly towards a garbage can in the corner, and pulled out a tin can. Then he looked at me and kicked the can hard. It bounced off the wall, and I ducked as it whizzed by my head. “Ha!” I laughed, pointing a hoof at him. Then I heard a ping behind me and a ting above me... and felt the odd sensation of the can landing squarely on my horn. I looked at him and his sad little smile, levitated it off my horn, pulled it to my mouth, and started to chew without taking my eyes off him.
他站起来，慢慢地走向角落里的一个垃圾桶，拿出一个锡罐。然后他看着我，狠狠地踢了一脚罐子。它从墙上弹了回来，当它从我头上呼啸而过时，我低下了头。"哈!"我笑了，用蹄子指着他。然后我听到身后传来一声乒乒乓乓的声音，头顶上传来一声乒乒乓乓的声音......我感到一种奇怪的感觉，罐子正好落在我的喇叭上。我看着他和他那忧伤的微笑，把它从我的角上飘起来，拉到我的嘴边，开始咀嚼，眼睛一刻也没有离开他。
“Touché,” he replied as he took a seat. He closed his eyes for a moment. “How do you do it, Blackjack? How do you… how do you keep on being you?”
"好极了,"他一边回答一边坐了下来。他闭了一会儿眼睛。"你是怎么做到的，黑杰克？你怎么......你怎么继续做你自己?"
“Nopony else is dumb enough to take the job,” I replied with a chuckle and a shrug. “I mean, really, the uniform is nice, don’t get me wrong, but I think I have something explode on me or near me on a daily basis. Anypony with two brain cells knows that that’s not worth it.” I grinned at him. “I expect I’ll figure it out in a month or two.” If I was still alive, that is.
"没有其他小马会傻到接受这份工作,"我笑着回答，耸了耸肩。"我的意思是，真的，制服很好，不要误会我的意思，但是我觉得我身上或者身边每天都有一些爆炸性的东西。任何有两个脑细胞的小马都知道这不值得。"我冲他咧嘴笑了笑。"我想我会在一两个月内弄清楚的。"如果我还活着的话。
“That’s what I mean.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “You… helped Sanguine. Even after everything he did, you helped him.” I opened my mouth, but he quickly added, “I’m not saying you were wrong… even if I think you were. It’s just… you do things that are amazing. You laugh and joke and you just keep coming back for more.”
"我就是这个意思。"他闭上眼睛，摇了摇头。"你......帮了桑吉尼。即使他做了那么多事，你还是帮了他。"我张开嘴，但他很快补充道:"我并不是说你错了......即使我认为你错了。只是...你做的事情很了不起。你大笑，开玩笑，然后不断地回来要更多的钱。"
“Not always,” I said, feeling myself… wait, was I blushing?
"不总是,"我说，感觉自己......等等，我脸红了吗？
“Thank goodness,” he replied as he closed his eyes. “You know… after Priest… when you were on your bed like that… I have to admit, a part of me was relieved.”
"谢天谢地,"他闭上眼睛回答。"你知道......在牧师之后......当你那样躺在床上的时候......我不得不承认，一部分的我是如释重负的。"
“Relieved I screwed up?” I asked with a frown.
"因为我搞砸了而松了一口气?"我皱着眉头问。
“Relieved you could mess up. …Following you hasn’t been easy at all, but it’s been a heck of a show. You’re so… good. You are. You try so hard to be good that...”
"你可以把事情搞砸了，我就放心了。跟踪你一点都不容易，但这真是一场精彩的表演。你真是...太棒了。你就是。你那么努力地想做个好人......"
“I’m not a good pony,” I replied firmly, looking away. Wow… maybe my face was too cooked to blush. “I want to be… I try…”
"我不是一匹好马,"我坚定地回答，目光移开。哇...也许我的脸被煮得不好看了。"我想......我努力......"
“And that’s what makes you good.” He laughed softly, mirthlessly. He looked at me long and low. “Sometimes, I can’t believe the things you do. I mean… I really can’t. You keep going when other ponies would break. You try and give everypony a second chance… a third chance… a fourth chance.”
"这就是你的优点。"他轻轻地、愉快地笑了。他又长又低地看着我。"有时候，我不能相信你所做的事情。我是说...我真的不能。当其他小马都要断的时候，你还是继续前进。你试着给每匹小马第二次机会...第三次机会...第四次机会。"
“Stop,” I said firmly, frowning. “I’m not perfect. I fucked up… I fucked up big, remember?”
"住手,"我皱着眉头坚定地说。"我并不完美。我搞砸了...我搞砸了，记得吗?"
“I do. But in spite of that, you keep on going. You keep on being good.” For some reason, his praise was starting to annoy me. “You never give up, even
"我知道。但尽管如此，你还是继续前进。你继续做好人。"出于某种原因，他的赞美开始让我感到厌烦。"你甚至从不放弃
when anypony else would. I sometimes wonder what it would take to stop yo--”
而其他的小马都会。有时候我想知道怎样才能阻止你——"
I rose to my hooves, and Boo raised her head in alarm. “Damn it… do you want to know why I keep going? It’s because, if I actually stop for two seconds to think about things, I want to blow my head off. I’m not a good pony. I’m a pony trying to make up for all the fucked-up things I’ve done! What I did in and to 99. What I did to those foals. What I did to you. The fact I’m probably going to need an oil change before I have my period. That I have a crazy ghost pony living in my PipBuck who comes and goes as he pleases. I only keep going because I’ll die if I don’t. Not because I’m good.” I sighed and looked away. “I’ll drag myself forward into a meat grinder because it’s less painful than thinking about what I’ve done. I can give second chances… because after my mistakes… I’d want a few hundred myself.”
我猛地站起来，布惊恐地抬起头来。"该死......你想知道我为什么还要继续吗？这是因为，如果我真的停下来两秒钟去思考一些事情，我真想把自己的脑袋轰掉。我不是一匹好马。我是一匹小马，想要弥补我做过的所有该死的事！我在99年和99年所做的事。我对那些小马驹做了什么。我对你做了什么。事实上，月经来之前我可能需要换一次油。我有一匹疯狂的幽灵小马住在我的皮伯克里，它想来就来，想走就走。我继续前进是因为如果我不这么做我会死的。不是因为我很优秀。"我叹了口气，转过头去。"我会把自己拖进绞肉机，因为这比思考自己的所作所为要轻松得多。我可以给第二次机会......因为在我犯了错误之后......我自己也想要几百次。"
“Maybe… but you haven’t quit yet. Not on anypony,” he said quietly as he stared away. He took a slow breath. “I keep thinking about good ponies… you… Priest… even Glory. And no matter how I try… I don’t fit in. I’m not as good as the rest of you.”
"也许吧......但是你还没有放弃。不在任何小马身上,"他轻声说着，眼睛移开了。他慢慢地吸了一口气。"我一直在想好马......你......牧师......甚至晨辉。不管我怎么努力，我都不能融入其中。我不如你们其他人好。"
“You’re fine,” I said as I trotted over to him and put my leg around his shoulders. “It’s not about being good. It’s about trying to do better. If you quit trying, then you’ll just get torn down bit by bit till there’s nothing left.” I sat and stroked Boo’s ears till she lowered her head and started to snooze.
"你没事的,"我边说边小跑过去，把腿搭在他的肩膀上。"这与做好人无关。而是努力做得更好。如果你放弃尝试，那么你只会一点一点地被摧毁，直到一无所有。"我坐在那里抚摸着阿布的耳朵，直到她低下头开始打盹。
He watched me, then sighed. “You make being a good pony look so easy.”
他看着我，然后叹了口气。"你让做一匹好马看起来那么容易。"
“No, LittlePip, Fluttershy, and Homage make it look easy,” I snorted. “And don’t get me started on the Stable Dweller. I mean, she can at least save her stable… in which she dwells, I assume.” From whence she plotted her eventual salvation of all the Wasteland. ...You know, I didn’t exactly know what the Stable Dweller did to help ponies. LittlePip faced down mind reading monsters and slaver armies.
"不，小pip，Fluttershy，还有Homage让它看起来很简单,"我哼了一声。"还有，不要让我开始谈论马厩居民。我的意思是，她至少可以保住她的马厩......我想，她就住在那里。"她从那里谋划着最终拯救整个大荒地的计划。...你知道，我并不完全知道马厩定居者是怎么帮助小马的。小皮普面对读心怪物和奴隶军队。
Ah well, she had to do something. Otherwise, why would Homage talk about her like that?
她总得做点什么吧。否则，为什么霍梅会那样谈论她？
Then the door pushed open, and we both rose to our hooves. Lacunae looked at the pair of us.
然后门被推开了，我们都站了起来。拉库尼看着我们两个。
She wasn’t smiling. “You should come.” He suddenly staggered against me, and
她没有笑。"你应该来。"他突然摇摇晃晃地靠在我身上
I was barely able to keep us both upright.
我几乎无法保持我们两人直立。
“Scotch… is she…? She’s alright? Right?” I asked as I held P-21.
"苏格兰威士忌......她......？她没事吧？对吧?"我问，因为我举行P-21。
“You should come,” Lacunae said in our minds, and then pulled back. We stared at the swinging door in shocked silence. I’d been so sure… he’d… had it been because… no. Don’t think that. Don’t let him think it. Just… “Come on. Let’s go,” I said as I nudged him towards the door.
"你应该来,"拉库纳在我们的脑海里说，然后退了回去。我们惊愕地一声不响地盯着那扇转动的门。我很肯定...他...是因为...不是。别这么想。别让他这么想。只是..."来吧。"我们走吧,"我一边说，一边把他推向门口。
* * *
* * *
The oxygen talisman sent up a slow stream of bubbles from its bottle, the tubes running to a mask covering Scotch’s face. Gauze covered her eyes and several patches of her hide, and bandages ran from her throat down to disappear under the sheets. A monitor beeped slowly as it magically read her vitals. Glory adjusted the machine, her lips pressed together and her eyes angry.
氧气护身符慢慢地从瓶子里冒出一串气泡，这些气泡跑到一个遮住苏格兰人脸的面具上。纱布遮住了她的眼睛和几块皮，绷带从她的喉咙一直到消失在床单下。一台显示器魔术般地读出她的生命体征，并发出嘟嘟声。晨辉调整了机器，她的嘴唇紧闭着，眼睛里充满了愤怒。
P-21 took one look at her lying there. “Is she… is…”
P-21看了一眼躺在那里的她。"她......她......"
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Glory said as P-21’s hind legs gave out. She glared at him. “Somepony hit delicate equipment. Somepony took drugs I’d prepared for the procedure. Everything was rushed transplanting the lungs. We could have kept her stabilized through the prep. The robot could have swapped the lungs in three minutes if everything had been perfect. This was far from perfect. So really… I don’t know.” She closed her eyes. “The eyes went smoothly enough… and the skin grafts. But really, I can’t tell you if she’s going to live or not.”
"老实说，我不知道,"格洛里说，P-21的后腿已经不行了。她怒视着他。"一些小马撞到了精密的设备。有人服用了我为手术准备的药物。移植肺的手术一切都很匆忙。我们可以让她在准备期间保持稳定。如果一切顺利的话，机器人可以在三分钟内交换肺部。这远非完美。所以真的......我不知道。"她闭上了眼睛。"眼睛进行得很顺利......皮肤移植也很顺利。但说真的，我不能告诉你她是否会活下去。"
“Glory…” was all I could say. She just shook her mane and stepped past us as she headed for the door.
"晨辉..."是我所能说的。她只是甩甩鬃毛，从我们身边走过，朝门口走去。
“It’s night now. If she pulls through till morning, it’ll be a miracle,” she said in cold anger as she stepped out. “Come on, Blackjack. I need to get you prepped. Make sure he doesn’t cough on her monitor or something,” she said to Lacunae. The purple alicorn simply nodded.
"现在是晚上了。如果她能撑到明天早上，那就是个奇迹了。"她走出去的时候冷冷地生气地说。"来吧，黑杰克。我得给你准备一下。确保他不会在她的显示器上咳嗽什么的,"她对Lacunae说。紫玉簪只是点了点头。
P-21 didn’t look like he was going to cough. He looked like Sanguine sitting there before the four copies. In a way, I suppose he was.
P-21看起来不像要咳嗽。他看上去就像桑吉那样坐在那四本书面前。在某种程度上，我想他是的。
“Is it that…” I muttered in shock as I followed her into the hall.
"是不是......"当我跟着她走进大厅时，我震惊地喃喃自语。
“I’ve never operated that fast or sloppily before. If it wasn’t for Lacunae, she’d be dead right now!” Glory said sharply. “What was he doing with her stasis pod? Why did he take the Med-X?”
"我以前从来没有这么快或这么马虎过。要不是拉库奈，她现在早就死了!"晨辉尖锐地说。"他拿她的休眠舱做什么？他为什么要服用Med-X?"
“He’s… got a problem. A…” I hung my head. “I’m sorry, Glory. I’m sorry I gave those Mint-als to Scotch. I…”
"他...有麻烦了。答:。。」我低下了头。"对不起，晨辉。对不起，我把薄荷糖给苏格兰人了。我。。」
She looked confused for only a few seconds before her glare softened a little. “He’s addicted, isn’t he?” I closed my eyes and nodded. She sighed and reached out to pat my shoulder. “It’s not your fault.”
她看上去很困惑，只有几秒钟的时间，然后她的目光就变得柔和了一些。"他上瘾了，不是吗?"我闭上眼睛，点了点头。她叹了口气，伸手拍了拍我的肩膀。"这不是你的错。"
“Isn’t it? You tried to say something. Heck, Rampage tried to tell me!” I stood and started pacing. “I just… he’s always been so strong. I never thought of him…” I shook my head. “He’d needed it since before we left Stable 99.”
"不是吗？你想说点什么。见鬼，狂暴想告诉我!"我站起来开始踱步。"我只是......他一直都很坚强。我从来没有想过他......"我摇了摇头。"在我们离开Stable99之前，他就需要它了。"
“You mean for his leg?” She frowned as we started to walk towards the operating room.
"你是说他的腿?"当我们走向手术室时，她皱起了眉头。
“No. I mean the medical ponies gave it to the males, either to calm them down or deal with the aftereffects of… rough sex.” I shook my head; I’d never thought of it. A shot to put them to sleep. A shot to calm them down when they were hysterical. Shots to help them perform. It wasn’t just his leg; his whole life he’d been under the influence. “So… you have to… you know… do the medicine thing. Make him not addicted anymore. You can do that, right?”
"没有。我的意思是，医用小马把它交给雄马，要么是为了让它们平静下来，要么是为了消除......粗暴性行为的后遗症。"我摇了摇头，我从来没有想到过这一点。打一针让他们睡着。当他们歇斯底里的时候，给他们打一针镇静剂。帮助他们表演的注射。不仅仅是他的腿，他的整个人生都受到了影响。"所以......你必须......你知道......做医学方面的事情。让他不再上瘾。你能做到的，对吧?"
“Theoretically, but the fact is that addiction isn’t as simple as that. Addiction is more than just chemical. It’s psychological as well. He might not be able to control himself.”
"从理论上讲，但事实是，上瘾并不是那么简单。上瘾不仅仅是一种化学物质。这也是心理上的。他可能无法控制自己。"
I answered at once, “Well then, I’ll control him and…” Oh… yeah, that might not work so well.
我马上回答说:"那么，我来控制他，然后......"哦......是的，这可能不太管用。
“Are you prepared to give up your hunt for a few months while you do? Med-X addiction is a doozy. Going cold turkey could easily kill him without the proper medical help.” Wait? Did she actually mean that stopping taking the drug that was messing him up could kill him? My mane went all clammy. “Well, I’ll keep him… I’ll…” The thought of Scotch Tape dying… of P-21 dying… “Damn it, Glory, there must be something I can do! I know he’s got the problem now. I’ll watch him close. I won’t let him get messed up again.”
"你准备好放弃几个月的狩猎了吗？X药物成瘾是一个很大的问题。如果没有适当的医疗帮助，一下子戒掉毒瘾很可能会要了他的命。"等等？她真的是说停止服用那些让他精神错乱的药物会杀了他吗？我的鬃毛湿漉漉的。"好吧，我会留下他......我会......"一想到苏格兰胶带的死亡......P-21的死亡......"该死的，晨辉，我一定能做些什么！我知道他现在有麻烦了。我会盯着他的。我不会再让他搞砸了。"
“Blackjack… there are some things you can’t do,” she said in a low voice as we walked.
"黑杰克......有些事情是你不能做的,"我们走着的时候，她低声说。
“I just dealt with a ghoul who wanted to kill me and got out of a deathtrap alive. There’s nothing I can’t do,” I insisted stubbornly. Hadn’t he followed me into that deathtrap for the whole ‘death’ thing, though? “We’ll just have to keep an eye on him.” I looked at her hanging her head and nudged her. “How about you? How are you doing?”
"我刚刚对付了一个想杀我的食尸鬼，然后活着从一个危险的地方逃了出来。没有什么是我不能做的,"我固执地坚持道。难道他没有跟着我进入那个死亡陷阱吗？"我们只要盯着他就行了。"我看着她垂着头，用肘轻轻推了她一下。"你呢？你怎么样?"
She sighed. “I’m trying to compartmentalize what happened. She was critically ill; I had to cut as quickly as possible. She might have been braindead even before we got her out of the pod. Death happens.” She glanced at me and my startled expression. “One of the first things they teach you in medical school. Death happens; you can’t save all of them.” She sighed. “I just hope I didn’t make a mistake. Rainbow Dash was no surgeon.”
她叹了口气。"我试图把发生的事情划分开来。她病得很重，我不得不尽快切除。她可能在我们把她救出舱之前就已经脑死亡了。死亡时有发生。"她瞥了我一眼，我的脸上露出吃惊的表情。"在医学院里，他们教给你的第一件事就是。死亡发生了，你不可能拯救所有的人。"她叹了口气。"我只是希望我没有犯错。彩虹·达什不是外科医生。"
“Sanguine said the surgery was simple,” I said with a frown. He’d lied to me... I should have dragged him along… wait, no, there was a fusion spell we hadn’t had time for and his panicking half crazy family had been freaking out and… “I’m sure that, for a two-century-old doctor, it is. For somepony who’s only read about the procedure and witnessed a few transplants, it’s a lot more tricky. Essentially, it’s ‘activate the stabilization field, get the patient unconscious, crack them open, remove the bad organ, put in the transplant, sew and anchor it in place, and flood everything with healing potion. Close up and hope for the best.’” She closed her eyes.
"桑吉尼说这个手术很简单,"我皱着眉头说。他骗了我......我应该拖着他一起去......等等，不，有一个融合咒语我们没有时间，他那惊慌失措的半疯狂的家庭已经崩溃了......"我相信，对于一个两个世纪的医生来说，是的。对于一些只读过手术过程和目睹过几次移植手术的小马来说，这就要棘手得多了。基本上，它是'激活稳定场，使病人失去知觉，打开他们，移除坏器官，移植，缝合和固定它，并且用治疗药水淹没一切。闭上眼睛，期待最好的结果。"她闭上了眼睛。
“What are her odds?” I asked with a gulp. Boo bumped my flank with her head, making me jump. My jump made her jump as well, and she ducked behind the counter, peeking at me.
"她的胜算有多大?"我一口气问道。布的头撞到了我的侧腹，吓得我跳了起来。我的跳跃也让她跳了起来，她躲到柜台后面偷看我。
“I still can’t believe there were dozens of ponies like her in that place,” Glory said softly, shaking her head. “Anyway, I don’t do odds, Blackjack. You’re the one who knows gambling. We’ll know by morning if she’s going to pull through or not. There’s no chance of organ rejection, but infection… having something rupture… internal bleeding…” She hissed softly in frustration. “If he’d just not touched the pod or taken those chems… if I could have had more time!”
"我还是不敢相信在那个地方有那么多像她一样的小马,"晨辉轻轻地摇着头说。"无论如何，我不做赔率，Blackjack。你才是懂得赌博的人。明天早上我们就能知道她是否能挺过来。没有器官排斥的可能，但是感染......有什么东西破裂......内出血......"她沮丧地轻声嘶嘶着。"如果他当时没有碰那个吊舱或者拿那些药......如果我能有更多的时间!"
“You did the best with what you had,” I said as I bumped my head against her.
"你已经尽力了,"我一边说一边用头撞她。
Aha! Now I knew where Boo had picked it up.
啊哈！现在我知道阿布是从哪里学来的了。
She gave a wan smile. “I know… it’s just, at this point, I feel helpless.”
她脸上露出苍白的微笑。"我知道......只是，此时此刻，我感到无助。"
“We all do,” I murmured softly. We walked along together with our heads held a little bit lower.
"我们都是,"我轻声地说。我们一起走着，低着头。
Glory got over it first. “Well! Before morning arrives and my confidence is shattered forever, let’s see if I can’t get you free from that hazmat suit!” she said brightly.
光荣先战胜了它。"好吧！在天亮之前，我的信心永远被打破，让我们看看我是否能让你从防护服中解脱出来!"她明快地说。
Fifteen minutes later, I was discovering just what Glory could do with a scalpel. I doubted I would ever feel the same way about her as she held the razor sharp blade in her lips and sliced away the yellow rubber and the barding beneath. No sooner was the yellow rubber cut than a reeking pong of pony sweat, blood, and leather struck my nostrils. Glory backed away, coughing and gagging as the blue pegasus turned decidedly green.
十五分钟后，我发现晨辉用手术刀能做什么。我怀疑我是否会对她有同样的感觉，因为她把剃刀般锋利的刀片放在嘴唇上，切掉了黄色的橡胶和下面的护甲。黄色的橡胶伤口刚一出现，我的鼻孔就闻到了小马汗、鲜血和皮革散发出的恶臭味。晨辉退后，咳嗽和呕吐作为蓝色飞马决然变成绿色。
Okay… that couldn’t be healthy.
好吧...这可不健康。
“You’re lucky. With that healing talisman inside you, you’ll regenerate all of this relatively quickly,” she said matter-of-factly as she freed my tail from its rubbery sack. I swished it a few times, letting it air out. Oh, I could really do with a good brushing. “He included a few ounces of muscle tissue and fat so I can build you up.”
"你很幸运。有了这个具有治疗作用的护身符，你就能相对较快地重生这一切。"她一边说着，一边把我的尾巴从橡胶袋里解了出来。我拍了几下，让它透透气。哦，我真的需要好好刷一刷。"他加入了几盎司的肌肉组织和脂肪，这样我就可以让你变得更强壮。"
“That’s good, but... Glory, I look like a robot. How much…” Was there a pony left in me?
"那很好，但是......晨辉，我看起来像个机器人。多少钱......"我心里还有一匹小马吗？
“You are not a robot,” Glory replied as she tossed the sack away. “Yes, we had to replace a lot of compromised bone and reinforce your epidermis. The alternative was something like Deus, with external supports poking out of your hide.” That still didn’t make me feel much better. She sighed and stroked my mane. “Look at it this way. Would you feel better if you saw only bone sticking out of those injuries?”
"你不是一个机器人,"格洛里回答说，她扔掉了麻袋。"是的，我们不得不更换大量受损的骨头，加固你的表皮。另一种选择是类似于Deus的东西，外部支持从你的皮肤中伸出来。"这并没有让我感觉好多少。她叹了口气，抚摸着我的鬃毛。"这么看吧。如果你只看到骨头从伤口中突出来，你会感觉好些吗?"
“Gah, no!” I said with a shiver.
"啊，不!"我颤抖着说。
“Then you shouldn’t feel bad about the metal,” Glory replied. “You’re injured, not damaged. And we’re going to heal you, not repair you,” she said firmly. Then she took up the scalpel and finished cutting away as many scraps as she could. The only pieces that remained were rings where bullet holes had allowed
"那么你不应该为这块金属感到难过,"晨辉回答。"你只是受伤了，没有受伤。我们要治愈你，而不是修复你,"她坚定地说。然后她拿起手术刀，尽可能多地切掉一些碎片。唯一留下的碎片是弹孔留下的戒指
the barding and hazardous materials suit to bond with my hide. It didn’t hurt… but it didn’t feel natural, either.
防护和危险材料适合粘在我的皮上。这并不疼......但是感觉也不自然。
‘Natural’. Was that a term that could be legally applied to me anymore?
自然。这个术语在法律上还适用于我吗？
“Okay. Now the fun time. I’m out of Med-X, so we’re going to have to use a memory orb. Hopefully it won’t wear off till I’m finished. Do you have a preference?” Glory asked with a small smile. Given how jumbled up they were… I really needed a case or something that let me label them. I sighed. Really, most of my orbs weren’t all that pleasant to begin with. I really didn’t want to relive Stonewing getting a cockatrice squished into him.
"好吧。现在是娱乐时间。我没有Med-X了，所以我们得用记忆球。希望它不会消失，直到我完成。你有什么偏好吗?"晨辉带着微笑问道。考虑到它们是如此的杂乱无章......我真的需要一个案例或者一些东西来给它们贴上标签。我叹了口气。真的，我的大多数球体开始时并不那么令人愉快。我真的不想让斯通温再次经历一次被鸡尾酒压扁的经历。
Besides… now that I was out of the suit… I had something else to take care of.
除此之外......现在我脱掉了防护服......我还有别的事情要处理。
“Um… give me a second, okay?” I said with a flush.
"嗯...等我一下，好吗?"我冲了一下说。
“Why? Is something the matter?”
"为什么？有什么问题吗?"
“Um…” How to put this delicately? “I need to use the little filly’s room.”
"嗯..."怎么说呢？"我要用一下小母马的房间。"
* * *
* * *
As I trotted out of the bathroom, I really hoped that I hadn’t just ruined the toilet. They were something precious in the Wasteland, and what I’d tried to flush… well… let’s just say I wasn’t sure it could handle what I’d just put into it. I made my way back towards the operating room, but then paused. There was Doctor Tenderheart’s office. I smiled as I stepped inside, looking at the terminal P-21 had hacked and at the safe he’d left open. He’d been so brave going on his own to try and find some way to stop the mad children. I’d thought Glory had died.
当我跑出浴室的时候，我真的希望我没有把马桶弄坏。它们是荒原上珍贵的东西，我试图冲走的东西......好吧......这么说吧，我不确定它能否承受我刚刚放进去的东西。我朝着手术室走去，然后停了下来。那是温德哈特医生的办公室。我微笑着走进去，看着P-21航站楼的黑客和他打开的保险箱。他非常勇敢地独自前往，试图找到一些方法来阻止这些疯狂的孩子。我以为晨辉已经死了。
I closed my eyes. I really couldn’t say if I’d made progress since then.
我闭上了眼睛。我真的不能说从那以后我是否取得了进步。
I looked at Marigold’s file on the desktop and slowly turned it over, looking at obscure medical wordings. Then the stack of files slipped and fell to the floor in a clatter, sliding in a fan of papers and folders. Great, Blackjack, just great. I knelt down and started to gather them up with my hooves and horn. I knew it was irrational. This wasn’t my office; heck, the pony who had worked in here had been gone for two centuries. Still. It was her space.
我看了看桌面上的玛丽戈尔德的文件，慢慢地把它翻过来，看着晦涩的医学术语。然后那堆文件一滑，哗啦一声掉在地上，滑进了一堆文件和文件夹里。太棒了，黑杰克，太棒了。我跪下来，开始用我的蹄子和角把它们聚集起来。我知道这是不理智的。这不是我的办公室，见鬼，在这里工作的小马已经消失了两个世纪。不过。这是她的空间。
As I picked up the last, I spotted a faint golden glow from the open safe. Slowly,
当我拿起最后一个的时候，我发现开着的保险箱里有一丝微弱的金色光芒。慢慢地
I pushed it open and looked down at the little yellow glass orb. I hesitated, then stretched out my hoof and carefully rolled it out. My fingers extended as I stared down at it. “You’re not supposed to be in there.”
我把它推开，低头看着那个小小的黄色玻璃球。我犹豫了一下，然后伸出我的蹄子，小心翼翼地把它卷了起来。我低头看着它，手指伸了出来。"你不应该在那里。"
“Interesting,” rasped the Dealer’s voice, making me jump, and I looked aside with a scowl to see him staring out the window.
"有意思,"商人的声音刺耳地响着，吓得我跳了起来。我皱着眉头向一边看，看到他正盯着窗外。
“Oh, that just about sums up my entire life,” I said with a little frown. “What are you doing here?”
"哦，这就是我的整个人生,"我皱着眉头说。"你在这儿干什么?"
“I just thought I’d comment on the vagaries of life and the oddities of luck. Random chance. All that,” he said as he spread out five cards showing a royal flush. “One second you get exactly what you need… the next…” He tapped one card, and it went from an ace of spades to a two of clubs. “Nothing. How do you think that memory orb came to be there? Something you missed first time through? What are the odds that you’d find that?”
"我只是觉得我应该评论一下生活的变幻莫测和运气的古怪。随机机会。他一边说，一边摊开五张同花大顺的牌。"前一秒你刚好得到你想要的......下一秒......"他敲了一张牌，黑桃a变成梅花2。"没什么。你觉得那个记忆球是怎么来的？你第一次看的时候错过了什么？你找到它的几率有多大?"
“No idea. I’m still waiting to find the memory orb that explains who the hell you are,” I replied sharply as I stood on my hind legs and approached him. He smiled up at me, his hooves working the cards better than I could with magic.
"不知道。我还在等着找到那个记忆球来解释你到底是谁,"我用后腿站起来走近他，厉声回答道。他朝我微笑着，他的蹄子比我用魔法玩牌还要好。
“I told you. I’m nopony special. Just along for the ride.”
"我告诉过你。我不是小马专家。只是为了搭顺风车。"
“Horseapples. Who are you? What are you?” I asked as I looked him over.
"马苹果。你是谁？你是什么?"我打量着他，问道。
“Nopony special at all,” he murmured softly. “Is it so hard to believe?”
"小马一点都不特别,"他轻轻地喃喃自语。"难以置信吗?"
“Yes,” I replied flatly. “My life is too interesting just to allow a random ghost pony to be living in my PipBuck along with a key to Equestria’s darkest secrets. I mean, I’m used to some pretty odd shit, but that’s just a little much. Call me crazy.”
"是的,"我直截了当地回答。"我的生活太有趣了，不能让一匹幽灵小马随便住在我的皮普克里，还有一把开启小马国最黑暗秘密的钥匙。我的意思是，我已经习惯了一些非常奇怪的东西，但那只是一点点。就当我疯了吧。"
“No. You’re not crazy…” he said in a dangerous, low voice loaded with rage as he stared out the window at the distant green glow of the city. I saw his jaw work, his muscles flexing under the coat. He sighed. “How did it come to this?”
"没有。你没疯......"他盯着窗外远处城市的绿色光芒，用一种充满愤怒的危险低沉的声音说道。我看到他的下巴在动，他的肌肉在外套下面收缩。他叹了口气。"事情怎么会变成这样?"
“You tell me, Goldenblood,” I said as I crossed my hooves, sitting on the desk all upright; oddly, my body had no problem balancing, so long as I actually didn’t try and balance.
"你告诉我，金色的血液,"我说，我交叉我的蹄子，坐在桌子上，全身笔直;奇怪的是，我的身体没有任何问题平衡，只要我实际上没有尝试和平衡。
“I’m not Goldenblood,” he said quietly.
"我不是金色血统,"他平静地说。
I doubted that, but there was no point is lapsing into the whole cycle of accusing and denying. “But you knew him,” I challenged.
我对此表示怀疑，但是陷入指责和否认的整个循环是毫无意义的。"但是你认识他,"我质疑道。
He didn’t answer for several seconds. “Nopony knew him. None of us. We all thought we had him figured out. Luna thought he was her loyal evil chancellor working behind the scenes. Fluttershy thought he was a helpless little lamb, till he showed his fangs. Horse thought he was an idiot. Twilight thought he was a friend… then an enemy… then a friend… then an enemy… Then who knew? And Spike thought he was a father…”
他有几秒钟没有回答。"小马认识他。我们都不是。我们都以为我们已经把他看透了。卢娜以为他是她忠诚的幕后大臣。小鸭子以为自己是一只无助的小羊羔，直到它露出了尖牙。小马觉得自己是个白痴。暮色以为他是朋友......然后是敌人......然后是朋友......然后是敌人......那么谁知道呢？斯派克以为自己是个父亲......"
“And who did you think he was?” I asked. If I had to play games to get answers, I’d play and hope he slipped and revealed something.
"你以为他是谁?"我问道。如果我必须玩游戏才能得到答案，我会玩游戏，希望他能说漏嘴，透露点什么。
“Me?” He arched a brow and then looked out the window again. “He was the pony who blew up the world.” He shoved himself away from the window, turning towards me with a scowl. “Oh, he didn’t do it by himself. Don’t get the idea that he twirled his mustache one day, gave an evil laugh, and set out to kill everypony. No, the Ministry Mares, Celestia, Luna… everypony was guilty. Everypony facilitated it. Everypony gleefully raced towards the edge, and anypony who didn’t like it and thought it was wrong… stayed silent. Goldenblood was just the architect who set it all up. If he’d just shut his mouth and died and let Luna fail, the world would have been a better place.”
"我?"他挑起眉毛，然后再次向窗外望去。"他是一匹把世界炸飞的小马。"他把自己从窗口推开，皱着眉头转向我。"哦，他不是一个人干的。不要以为有一天他捻了捻胡子，恶狠狠地笑了一声，然后开始杀每一匹小马。不，魔法部的母马，塞莱斯蒂亚，卢娜...每匹小马都有罪。每匹小马都为此提供了便利。每匹小马都兴高采烈地冲向边缘，任何不喜欢它并认为它错了的小马......都保持沉默。金布拉德只是设计这一切的建筑师。如果他闭上嘴巴，死了，让卢娜失败，世界会变得更好。"
“So why’d he do it?” I asked. The fury returned on his face as he glared at me a moment, but then he cast his eyes away.
"那他为什么要这么做?"我问道。愤怒又回到了他的脸上，他盯着我看了一会儿，然后把目光移开了。
“Don’t know. Fluttershy? Twilight? Luna? He always did have a weak spot for assertive mares. Or maybe it was something else. Maybe the power and the secrets and lies wormed their way inside him till he snapped. Till one day he was so sick of it that he stopped playing the game,” he said as he leaned towards me and clopped his hooves together in front of my face, making me jump. “And then he found out you don’t stop playing this game. You can’t just change the rules. You can’t suddenly make things right again.” He snorted softly as I picked myself up. “He would have loved you. Probably have killed you about the time you found out what EC-1101 did, but loved you.”
"不知道。萤火虫？暮光之城？露娜？对于那些自信的母马来说，他总是有弱点。或者是别的什么原因。也许权力、秘密和谎言在他体内蠕动，直到他崩溃。直到有一天，他厌倦了这个游戏，不再玩这个游戏了。"他一边说，一边向我靠过来，用蹄子挡住了我的脸，吓得我跳了起来。"然后他发现你一直在玩这个游戏。你不能随便改变规则。你不可能突然让一切恢复正常。"我站起来的时候，他轻轻地哼了一声。"他会爱上你的。可能在你发现EC-1101所做的事情的时候就已经杀了你，但是我爱你。"
I sighed and shook my head. “So… why not spill?”
我叹了口气，摇了摇头。"那么......为什么不洒出来呢?"
“Not my job and not my place,” he sniffed.
"这不是我的工作，也不是我的地盘,"他嗤之以鼻。
I grunted and rolled my eyes. “Oh, come on. Just disclose the details already, Dealer or whoever you are! Why do you insist on all this mystery crap?”
我咕哝了一声，翻了个白眼。"哦，得了吧。不管你是"交易商"还是"其他人"，只要把细节说出来就行了！你为什么坚持要搞这些神秘的鬼东西?"
“Because I’m not playing the game anymore. Not like Sanguine was, or like you are. DJ Pon3. That stable dweller.” He laughed, long and thin. “What, you think this is all a coincidence? I don’t believe in coincidence. All of you start wiggling around like a kicked-over anthill all at once? You start discovering the O.I.A.’s secrets? Wars and death and chaos? It’s two hundred years ago all over again. The same fucking game’s still being played.”
"因为我不再玩这个游戏了。不像桑吉那样，也不像你那样。DjPon3.那个马厩里的居民。"他又瘦又长地笑了起来。"什么，你认为这一切都是巧合吗？我不相信巧合。你们所有人都像被踢翻的蚁丘一样乱动吗？你开始发现o.i.a.的秘密了？战争、死亡和混乱？两百年前的事又重演了。同样的操蛋游戏还在继续。"
“What game? What are you talking about?” I asked, backing away a little. Maybe I wasn’t the crazy one. “I’m not playing a fucking game here!”
"什么游戏？你在说什么?"我问道，退后了一点。也许我不是那个疯子。"我他妈的不是在玩游戏!"
“No? Why are you trying to find out about the projects?” he asked as he licked his lips. “Why are you trying to find where EC-1101 is getting to? Because you think it’ll lead you to the answers, don’t you? Why do you care about this shithole of a city? Why do you keep on fighting, day after day?” He pulled out a card and threw it in my face. Its surface was a mirror and I stared at my tattered reflection. “Look at you! You’re half metal, Blackjack!” Another card of me nailed over a crate landed in my hooves, my hide painted white and red. “Look at the shit you go through.” Another card showing the atrium full of still ponies. One of a mine’s bloody rock crusher. One of forty stasis pods. “Look at the shit you cause!”
""不是吗？你为什么要试图了解这些项目?"他舔着嘴唇问道。"你为什么要试图找到EC-1101的去向？因为你认为它会引导你找到答案，不是吗？你为什么关心这个狗屁城市？你们为什么日复一日地战斗下去?"他抽出一张卡片扔到我脸上。它的表面是一面镜子，我凝视着自己破破烂烂的倒影。"看看你！你是半个金属，黑杰克!"另一张我钉在板条箱上的卡片落在了我的蹄子上，我的皮肤涂成了白色和红色。"看看你所经历的一切。"另一张卡片显示中庭里全是静止的小马。一个该死的矿井碎石机。四十个休眠舱中的一个。"看看你惹的麻烦!"
“Shut up,” I screamed, the cards fluttering away like dead insects as I backed away into the corner. “What do you want from me?”
"闭嘴,"我尖叫着，扑克牌像死昆虫一样飞舞着，我退回到角落里。"你想从我这里得到什么?"
“I want you to stop playing the game. The same stupid game everypony’s been playing for years. Stop pretending it’s all for something. Stop imagining you can fix it. You can’t save the Wasteland. You can’t save ponies. You can’t save your friends. You can’t even save yourself,” he said as he took his cards and tossed them into his cowboy hat. “Don’t be like Twilight and her friends. You’ll just get everypony killed if you do,” he said as he put it back on top of his head. He pointed to the memory orb in my mechanical grip. “Put that orb back where you found it, get the help you need, take your friends, and go. Leave this damned place and find some peaceful patch. Forget about Goldenblood and Equestria. They’re dead and gone.”
"我要你停止玩这个游戏。这个愚蠢的游戏每个小马已经玩了很多年了。别再假装这一切都是为了什么。停止幻想你可以修复它。你不能拯救荒原。你救不了小马。你救不了你的朋友。你甚至救不了你自己,"他一边说，一边把他的卡片扔进他的牛仔帽里。"不要像《暮光之城》和她的朋友那样。你这样做只会害死每一匹小马,"他一边说，一边把它放回头上。他指着我机械地握着的记忆球。"把那个球放回你找到它的地方，得到你需要的帮助，带上你的朋友，然后离开。离开这该死的地方，找个安静的地方。忘掉金血王和Equestria吧。他们已经死了。"
“I don’t… I can’t…” I said as I clenched my eyes shut. “He did something. Caused something. And I have to stop it. I can’t give up.” Yet I could still see him there, looking down at me in disgust and judgment. Then nothing. Slowly, I cracked my eyes open and looked at the empty room.
"我不...我不能..."我一边说一边紧闭双眼。"他做了一些事。引起了一些事情。我必须阻止这一切。我不能放弃。"然而，我仍然可以看到他在那里，看着我厌恶和判断。然后就什么都没了。慢慢地，我睁开眼睛，看着空荡荡的房间。
Nothing. Just an empty room.
没什么。只有一个空房间。
* * *
* * *
“Are you okay?” Glory asked with a little frown as I returned to the operating room.
"你还好吗?"当我回到手术室时，格洛里皱着眉头问道。
“I’m pretty sure I couldn’t see okay with a set of binoculars. But I’m ready to let you get to work,” I said hoarsely as I tried not to look at the glass trays full of wet fleshy tissue.
"我非常肯定，用望远镜我看不清楚。但我已经准备好让你开始工作了,"我用嘶哑的声音说道，尽量不去看那些装满了潮湿的肉质组织的玻璃托盘。
“Do you have a memory orb you want to look at?” Glory asked as she turned towards the podium that controlled the surgical robot.
"你有想看的记忆球吗?"晨辉转向控制着手术机器人的讲台问道。
I carefully lifted the golden orb that had mysteriously appeared in the office safe. “Yeah. I guess so.”
我小心翼翼地举起那个神秘地出现在办公室保险柜里的金球。"是的。我想是的。"
She frowned. “Without Lacunae, it should take an hour or two. So if you wake up in the middle, try to go back in.” I hopped up onto the operating table. Oh, I really didn’t want to be here. Lying here brought forth all kinds of memories of snip snip snip. In fact, I could see those little scissors on the end of a steel shaft.
她皱起了眉头。"没有空隙，应该需要一两个小时。所以，如果你在中途醒来，试着回去。"我跳上手术台。我真的不想待在这里。躺在这里带来了各种各样的剪剪剪记忆。事实上，我可以看到那些小剪刀在一个钢轴的末端。
“Okay… okay. Just… work quick.” I bit my lip as I tapped the orb against my horn, trying to make the connection happen. “Come on… come on…” There was a tiny spark from my horn, and I looked over at the Dealer watching me coldly. Then the world spun away.
"好吧......好吧。动作要快。"我咬着嘴唇，轻轻地把球放在喇叭上，试图建立联系。"来吧......来吧......"我的喇叭里冒出一个小小的火花，我冷冷地看着庄家。然后世界旋转而去。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
There was only one pony that felt like this. My chest burned and bubbled with every breath. My legs ached and my head throbbed. This body was utterly exhausted. Yet Goldenblood walked across a plaza. Great black buildings loomed from every direction around us. The ponies scurrying around them seemed almost like afterthoughts. What had Hoofington looked like before it was burned to the ground? I couldn’t imagine this as an improvement.
只有一匹小马有这种感觉。我的胸膛随着每一次呼吸都在燃烧起泡。我的双腿疼痛，头也在颤抖。这个身体已经筋疲力尽了。然而，金血王走过一个广场。巨大的黑色建筑从四面八方隐约出现在我们周围。在他们周围疾跑的小马似乎是后来才想到的。胡芬顿在被烧为平地之前是什么样子？我无法想象这是一种进步。
It was night, but lights on the black facades lit up everything in garish colors. Two other ponies flanked him, but he paid them no mind. Really, feeling like this, I expected him to be looking for some bed to curl up in. If I’d felt like he did, I’d want to sleep for a couple of years. He walked slowly ahead, weaving slightly on unsteady hooves. He kept his eyes low, save for occasional glances around him or over his shoulder. The cold, wet air felt good on his burning lungs.
当时是晚上，但是黑色立面上的灯光把一切都照得五颜六色。另外两匹小马站在他两侧，但他没有理睬它们。真的，感觉就像这样，我以为他会找张床蜷缩起来。如果我像他一样，我会想睡上几年。他慢慢地走在前面，摇摇晃晃地走着。他的眼睛一直低着，除了偶尔看看周围或者肩膀以外。寒冷潮湿的空气对他灼热的肺部感觉良好。
“Mister Goldenblood…? Are you sure he’ll be available at this hour?” one of the stallions following him asked.
"金血先生......？你确定他这个时候有空吗?"一匹跟在他后面的种马问。
“Ponies like him don’t keep normal hours,” Goldenblood replied. He looked up at the blue neon sign over the front door. ‘Robronco’.
"像他这样的小马驹不能保持正常的工作时间,"金血王回答说。他抬头看着前门上方的蓝色霓虹灯招牌。"Robronco".
The three walked into the large foyer… and right into the sights of an immense Ultra-Sentinel. Its guns pointed right down at us as it boomed, “Prepare to be destroyed!” And then a stallion’s voice followed it up with, “That’s the last thing our striped nemesis will hear when they face off against the Robronco Ultra-Sentinel! Robronco, putting technology to the test for a better and brighter tomorrow.” More sentinel robots stood on podiums around the massive rainbow machine. Protectaponies just stomped their hooves weakly on the fringes.
他们三个走进了大厅......正好进入了一个巨大的"奥特森提诺"的视野。它隆隆作响的时候，枪口正对着我们,"准备被摧毁吧!"然后一匹种马的声音紧接着说,"这是我们的条纹复仇者面对罗布朗科超级哨兵时听到的最后一句话！罗布朗科，用科技来检验一个更美好更光明的明天。"更多的哨兵机器人站在巨大的彩虹机器周围的台子上。保护主义者只是把他们的蹄子踩到了边缘。
Clearly, Goldenblood wasn’t a pony who startled easy. “That’s a hell of a demonstration model,” one of his escorts muttered.
显然，金血王不是一匹容易受惊的小马。"这是一个地狱般的示范模型,"其中一名陪同人员喃喃自语。
Goldenblood pressed the elevator button with his horn before he asked exactly what I was thinking: “What makes you think it’s for demonstrations?” He smiled just a little as the two stallions shuffled nervously behind him. In the polished steel doors, I saw the Ultra-Sentinel watching the three of us.
金布拉德先用喇叭按下电梯按钮，然后问我到底在想什么:"你怎么会认为这是为了演示?"当两匹种马在他身后紧张地拖着步子走时，他微微一笑。在光亮的铁门里，我看到Ultra-Sentinel在看着我们三个。
What indeed?
到底是什么？
Going up, Sweetie Belle crooned a tune softly through a speaker. Goldenblood hummed along in his rusty way. The stallions following him coughed once the entire trip. Not exactly the friendliest bunch. Were they protecting him or guarding him?
上楼后，甜心贝儿对着扬声器轻声哼着一支曲子。金色的血液用他生锈的方式哼唱着。跟在他后面的种马在整个旅途中咳嗽了一次。可不是什么友好的家伙。他们是在保护他还是在看守他？
The door chimed and opened wide, and I heard a mare say, “How about Neighponese? I could really go with some Kung Pow Yeow Dum.” Three mares trotted into view: an orange pegasus, a familiar-looking earth pony wearing a
门开了，我听见一匹母马说:"邻居怎么样?"？我真想来点宫保紫当。"三匹母马小跑进入视野:一匹橙色的飞马，一匹看起来很眼熟的地球小马
bow, and a unicorn with a poofy lilac mane.
蝴蝶结，还有一只长着淡紫色鬃毛的独角兽。
“Oooh! Or there’s a Fancee restaurant down by the river!” squeaked the white unicorn mare. Funny, but I could have sworn I’d heard that voice before.
"哦！或者在河边有一家Fancee餐厅!"白色独角兽母马的叫声。有意思，但我发誓我以前听到过这个声音。
“I really should get back to Fillydelphia. We’re behind on almost a dozen stable inspections, and if I hear about one more delay in the Everfree, I’m gonna spit my bit,” the crème earth pony drawled.
"我真的应该回Fillydelphia了。我们已经落后了将近一打的稳定检查，如果我再听到在Everfree有任何延误，我就要做出我的贡献了,"地球上的小马慢吞吞地说。
Then the three noticed Goldenblood and stopped short. The earth pony looked vaguely curious and the unicorn confused, but there was a deep loathing in the purple eyes of the pegasus. And there was fear, too. “Goldenblood,” the pegasus murmured.
然后三个人注意到了金血王，停了下来。大地上的小马看上去有点好奇，而独角兽则很困惑，但是飞马的紫色眼睛里却流露出深深的厌恶。还有恐惧。"金色血统,"飞马低声说。
“Scootaloo,” he replied in a rusty purr.
"斯库塔鲁,"他用生锈的咕噜声回答。
The earth pony blinked in surprise. “Oh, you’re Director Goldenblood? Nice to meetcha.” There was some hesitance on that last part. I could understand; Goldenblood was hardly a pony you applied ‘nice’ to easily. “Scoots tried to forward me the O.I.A. gobbledygook, but I’d rather design a tripod with two legs than understand all that fancy legalese.”
大地上的小马吃惊地眨着眼睛。"哦，你是金血主任？很高兴见到你。"最后那部分有些犹豫。我可以理解;金色血统可不是一匹你可以随便用'好'来形容的小马。"Scoots试图把o.i.a.的官样文章发给我，但我宁愿设计一个有两条腿的三脚架，也不愿理解那些花哨的法律术语。"
“Quite understandable, Apple Bloom. Wise ponies let others handle those trivialities while they focus on getting important things done. I must commend you on Stable One. Very… impressive. I’m sure Canterlot’s finest were quite taken with it.”
"这完全可以理解，苹果布鲁姆。聪明的小马让别人处理那些琐事，而他们专注于完成重要的事情。我必须称赞你的稳定一号。非常...令人印象深刻。我敢肯定，坎特罗特最好的人一定很喜欢它。"
“Well, now that Hoofington’s not hoggin’ all the good steel, we’re getting the stables done lickity split.” She gave a serious little smile. “I mean, not that Hoofington’s not a nice city. Just… not exactly what I’d design.”
"好吧，既然胡芬顿没有把所有的好钢都拿走，我们就把马厩搞得乱七八糟。"她严肃地微笑了一下。"我的意思是，胡芬顿不是一个好城市。只是...不完全是我想设计的。"
“Yes, well. Certain considerations had to be taken into account. Still, Scootaloo’s been able to work wonders with your financing. One has to wonder where she finds all the bits.” Scootaloo wasn’t taking her eyes off the scarred stallion. “After all, Stable-Tec is a fully private company. If this were owned and controlled by the M.W.T., I might be able to understand where the money comes from.”
"是的，好吧。必须考虑到某些因素。尽管如此，斯库塔卢还是能够在你的融资方面创造奇迹。人们不得不好奇她是从哪里找到这些零碎的东西的。"斯库塔卢的眼睛一直盯着那匹伤痕累累的种马。"毕竟，Stable-Tec是一家完全私有的公司。如果这家公司由m.w.t.拥有和控制，我或许能够理解这些钱从哪里来。"
“And Luna’d close us down,” Apple Bloom said with a frown. “I swear, Her Majesty can get her feathers in a bunch when you start talkin’ about the dangers
苹果公司的布鲁姆皱着眉头说:"卢娜会让我们关门大吉。"。"我发誓，当你开始谈论危险的时候，女王陛下一定会兴奋不已
of balefire bombs targeting cities.”
以城市为目标的火焰炸弹"
“It would rather be like somepony suggesting selling hydraulic lifts on the possibility that your stables might collapse,” Goldenblood rasped in his low, hissing whisper.
"这就像是一匹小马在建议卖液压升降机，以防你的马厩可能坍塌一样,"金布拉德用低沉嘶嘶的声音说。
Apple Bloom frowned. “Are you suggestin’ my stables aren’t built up to snuff?”
苹果布鲁姆皱起了眉头。"你是说我的马厩建得不够好吗?"
“I don’t know. Are you suggesting that Princess Luna will somehow fail to preserve Equestria from the zebra megaweapon threat?” Goldenblood countered.
"我不知道。你是说卢娜公主会不知怎么地无法保护小马国免受斑马巨大武器的威胁?"金布拉德反驳道。
“Reckon not,” the red-maned mare muttered, then sighed. “Can’t see the harm in taking a few precautions, though. Just in case.”
"估计不会,"红色的母马咕哝着，然后叹了口气。"不过，采取一些预防措施也没什么坏处。以防万一。"
“Yes. In this day and age, precautions are wise,” Goldenblood murmured as he looked away.
"是的。在这个时代，谨慎是明智的。"金血王一边看着别处，一边喃喃地说。
“Speaking of precautions, Goldie. I’ve made sure there’s a spot reserved for you in Stable One, right alongside Their Majesties,” Scootaloo said with a little smirk. “You’ll have your own room and everything.”
"说到预防措施，戈尔迪。"我已经确保在稳定一号为你们保留了一个位置，就在国王和王后陛下旁边,"斯库塔卢傻笑着说。"你会有自己的房间和一切。"
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind,” Goldenblood rasped. Then he turned his eyes to the unicorn and smiled. “Sweetie Belle. Please, let me say what an honor it is to meet you. I’m quite the fan of your songs.”
"谢谢。我会记住的,"金血王粗声粗气地说。然后他把目光转向那只独角兽，笑了。"甜心。请允许我说，见到你是我的荣幸。我非常喜欢你的歌。"
The unicorn smiled back warmly. “Oh, why thank you,” she said as she blinked in confusion. “But… ah… you’re not what I expected at all. From the way Rarity and Scootaloo talk about you, I thought you were some kind of blood-drinking monster.”
独角兽温柔地笑了笑。"哦，为什么要谢谢你呢?"她困惑地眨着眼说。"但是......啊......你完全出乎我的意料。从奥尼尔和史酷塔罗谈论你的方式来看，我还以为你是某种嗜血的怪物呢。"
Goldenblood looked at the flushing pegasus for a moment. “Oh no, Miss Belle. I’m afraid I’m quite an ordinary monster.” The three mares looked at each other with weak smiles, and he shook his head. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have business with the great and powerful Mr. Horse. Ladies.” He gave a slight bow and walked down the hall.
金血王看了一会儿飞马。"哦，不，贝尔小姐。恐怕我是个很普通的怪物。"三匹母马微笑着看着对方，他摇了摇头。"好吧，如果你不介意的话，我要和伟大而强大的马先生谈生意。女士们。"他轻轻地鞠了一躬，沿着大厅走了下去。
“Well, he was nice… in a creepy, doesn’t-ever-blink kind of way,” Sweetie Belle said behind them.
他们身后的甜心贝儿说:"嗯，他人很好......有点吓人，从不眨眼。"。
“So, you wanted to get some Neighponese, Scoots?” Apple Bloom asked.
"那么，你想要一些邻居，斯古特?"苹果布鲁姆问道。
The pegasus grumbled, “I’ve lost my appetite.” Then the elevator doors slid closed.
飞马抱怨道:"我没胃口了。"然后电梯门关上了。
Goldenblood chuckled to himself as he entered an elaborate waiting room. Tiny ponies frolicked on the table, and only the faint clicking gave hints that they were robots. In the corner was a primitive Protectapony with a placard reading ‘Model #0’. Paintings of deserts and fanciful moons rising hung on the walls, magically enchanted to twinkle softly. A brown earth pony wearing a large, elaborate PipBuck trotted over to a little table where there were fresh apples, various berries, and a golden drink dispenser of some sort.
当金布拉德走进一间精心设计的候诊室时，他暗自发笑。小马在桌子上嬉戏，只有微弱的滴答声表明它们是机器人。角落里摆着一个原始的Protectapony牌子，上面写着'Model#0'。墙上挂着沙漠和月亮升起的油画，魔法般地闪烁着柔和的光芒。一匹棕色土地上的小马，穿着一件大大的，精心制作的矮脚马，跑到一张小桌前，桌上摆着新鲜的苹果，各种各样的浆果，还有一个金色的饮料机。
Clearly, Robronco wasn’t hurting for bits either.
显然，Robronco也没有受到比特的伤害。
The receptionist behind the table was a pretty young thing about my age. After assuring Goldenblood that Mr. Horse would be with him momentarily, she said into her headset, “No, I love you more. Mmmm… no… I love you more.”
桌子后面的接待员和我的年龄差不多。在向金布拉德保证马先生很快就会和他在一起之后，她对着耳机说:"不，我更爱你。嗯...不...我更爱你。"
Ah, love.
啊，亲爱的。
Goldenblood just sat quietly, not glancing at the clock on the wall nor at his companions. He simply sat there. I was nearly crawling up the mental walls as he waited. Then Goldenblood started counting down from ten. “Three… two… one…”
金血王只是静静地坐着，没有看墙上的钟，也没有看他的同伴。他只是坐在那里。在他等待的时候，我几乎要爬上精神的高墙。然后金血王开始从十开始倒数。"三...二...一..."
The receptionist looked up. “Mister Horse is ready to see you now.” He just rose and trotted around the desk and down the hall. “He’s in room… um…” the mare called after him, but Goldenblood kept going without looking back. “Freak,” muttered the mare, before going back to gushing, “No, not you! I love you more!”
接待员抬起头。"马先生现在可以见你了。"他只是站起来，绕着桌子小跑，穿过大厅。"他在房间......嗯......"母马在他后面喊道，但金血王不回头地继续走着。"怪胎,"母马咕哝着，然后又滔滔不绝地说,"不，不是你！我更爱你!"
Goldenblood seemed to know his way around well as he walked straight past several offices to a conference room. The yellow stallion waiting inside looked at Goldenblood with a cheeky grin. “Hey, it’s moldy Goldie. How’s it going?” he asked as he sat upright on the edge of the table, without the help of robotic legs. He slid a bowl of orange squares towards him. “Cheese squares?”
金布拉德似乎对周围的路很熟悉，他径直走过几间办公室，来到一间会议室。等在里面的那匹黄色的种马看着Goldenblood，脸上带着厚颜无耻的笑容。"嘿，我是发霉的戈尔迪。最近怎么样?"他没有借助机械腿，直挺挺地坐在桌子边上问道。他把一碗橙色方块滑向他。"奶酪方块?"
Goldenblood didn’t say anything for a moment, and then he trotted around towards the brown-maned stallion. “So, meeting with Stable-Tec go well?”
金色血统沉默了一会儿，然后他朝那匹褐色的种马小跑过去。"那么，与Stable-Tec的会面进展顺利吗?"
The yellow stallion shook his head with a suffering sigh. “Eh. It’s not fair. I
那匹黄色的种马摇摇头，痛苦地叹了口气。"嗯。这不公平。一
mean, throw a fat Stinkin’ Rich at me, and I’ll have him eating out of my hoof by the end of the meeting. But what am I supposed to do with three hotties like those? And Sweetie Belle! Sweet Celestia, it just ain’t fair to bring flanks like hers to a business meeting.”
我的意思是，向我扔一个又肥又臭的有钱人，我会在会议结束前让他吃掉我的蹄子。但我该拿这三个辣妹怎么办？还有甜心贝儿！可爱的塞勒斯泰拉，把她这样的人带到商务会议上是不公平的。"
“Well, I think it’s a calculated move by Scootaloo to counteract your urge to digress on tech ideas with Apple Bloom by exploiting your penchant for lechery,” Goldenblood replied. “Or she’s planning on Rarity killing you when she finds out you’re drooling over her little sister.”
戈登布拉德回答说:"嗯，我认为这是斯库塔卢的一个精心策划的举动，目的是利用你对好色的嗜好来抵消你对苹果布鲁(AppleBloom)科技创意偏离主题的冲动。"。"或者当她发现你对她的小妹妹流口水时，她打算杀了你。"
“You think?” Horse mused, scratching his chin. “Yeah. I could see that. A highly elaborate plot to make Rarity snap my head off… Scoots is clever like that.” He sighed and shrugged. “Eh, well, if you gotta go, I can think of worse ways.” He lifted the bowl and tapped the bottom, knocking three of the bite-sized chunks into the air, and twisted his head to catch them in his mouth. Chewing loudly, he looked at Goldenblood. “So, where have you been? I’ve been trying to touch hooves with you for months.”
"你觉得呢?"马若有所思地挠着下巴。"是的。我看得出来。一个非常精心策划的阴谋使得稀有变得不可理喻......斯古特就是这么聪明。"他叹了口气，耸了耸肩。"呃，好吧，如果你要走的话，我可以想到更糟糕的办法。"他举起碗，敲了敲碗底，把三个一口大小的大块敲到空中，然后扭着头把它们放进嘴里。他大声地咀嚼着，看着Goldenblood。""那么，你去哪儿了？几个月来，我一直想和你亲热。"
“Occupied,” he said quietly.
"有人,"他平静地说。
“Yeah yeah. Super secret stuff,” he snorted, rocking off the table. “So… I got it.”
"是的，是的。超级秘密的东西,"他哼了一声，在桌子上摇来摇去。"所以......我明白了。"
Goldenblood lifted a cheese square and popped it into his mouth. It tasted like bitter paste as he chewed slowly. “Show me what you’ve discovered.”
金色血液拿起一块奶酪方块塞进嘴里。他慢慢地咀嚼着，尝起来像苦酱。"让我看看你的发现。"
The yellow stallion grinned as he nodded his head and walked towards the wall. He reached out with a hoof to press against the beige padding, and then there was a click accompanied by the wall panel sliding up. “Really? Secret passages, Horse?” Goldenblood said with a sigh as he followed him inside.
那匹黄色的种马咧嘴笑着，点了点头，朝着墙走去。他伸出一只蹄子抵住米黄色的填充物，然后墙板滑了起来，发出咔嗒一声。"真的吗？秘密通道，马?"金布拉德跟着他进去，叹了口气说。
“Hey, what’s the point of designing an entire city and not having fun secret passages and the like?” He grinned as he led Goldenblood through some metal hallways. “It’s come in handy a few times when the M.o.M.’s come to call.”
"嘿，设计整个城市而没有有趣的秘密通道之类的东西有什么意义呢?"他带着金血王穿过一些金属走廊时咧嘴笑了笑。"有几次当作案手法来电时，它就派上用场了。"
“Pinkie Pie’s targeted you?” Goldenblood asked with a frown.
"鹏奇派盯上你了?"金色血统皱着眉头问道。
“I’m a bad bad pony,” Horse laughed. “Well, not me personally, as far as they know, but I do business with them so, by extension, I must be bad. But somehow, when the Pinks come to call, I’m always miraculously out of the office.” He gave Goldenblood a wink, and I felt the scarred stallion actually
"我是一匹坏坏的小马,"马笑着说。""嗯，据他们所知，不是我本人，但是我和他们做生意，所以推而广之，我一定是个坏人。但不知为什么，当粉红人来拜访时，我总是奇迹般地不在办公室里。"他向金布拉德眨了眨眼睛，我真的感觉到了那匹伤痕累累的种马
smile. They trotted into a large lab space of some type with a number of tools laid out on a table. Robotic horses were arranged along the walls or hanging half-finished from hooks. Now Goldenblood was looking around… not simply at random, either. His head panned across the room as if he were scanning everything in sight.
微笑。他们快步走进一个大型实验室，里面摆放着一些工具。机器马沿着墙壁排列，或者用钩子挂半成品。现在金血王四处张望......也不是随意的。他的头在房间里晃来晃去，好像在扫视视线范围内的一切。
“I see your work on the next generation of Protectaponies is coming along nicely. I’m glad to see you haven’t given up on them in favor of bigger, better, and more expensive glorified tanks,” Goldenblood said as he looked at a magical hologram of the city. The Core of Hoofington was arranged in three vague circles stacked one atop the other and running north and south. The green bars representing buildings occasionally flickered and flashed.
"我看到你在下一代Protectaponies方面的工作进展顺利。我很高兴看到你们没有放弃他们，而选择更大、更好、更昂贵的美化坦克,"金布拉德一边看着这座城市神奇的全息图一边说。Hoofington的核心是由三个模糊的圆圈组成的，一个叠着一个，南北相连。代表建筑物的绿色条纹间或闪烁不定。
“Hey, what can I say. Someday there’ll be a big demand for robots that are more than killing machines. Apple Bloom got a kick out my microponies. Think I’ll send her a holopony just for her to tinker with,” he grinned.
"嘿，我能说什么呢。总有一天，对机器人的需求会比杀人机器更大。苹果布鲁姆得到了一个踢我的微型马。"我想我会送她一匹大号矮种马，只是让她修修补补,"他咧嘴笑着说。
“Helping a competitor?” I arched a brow.
"帮助竞争对手?"我挑起眉毛。
“Pffft. Stable-Tec isn’t a competitor. We both have visions of the future. Hippocampus… now they’re competitors. ‘More coal-fired plants, now.’ Bleugh. They treat anything that doesn’t involve burning rocks as a joke. A hoofful of dams and biomass plants, a few solar projects, and a bajillion coal plants.” He snorted scornfully. “Once the Tokomare is working, Equestria won’t need coal anymore.” He rubbed his hooves together as he chuckled. “Ohhh, I can imagine their wailing and gnashing teeth when we get the system online and suddenly their entire business model becomes as obsolete as pony-pulled trains.”
"噗。Stable-tec不是竞争对手。我们都有对未来的憧憬。海马体...现在他们是竞争对手了。"现在需要更多的燃煤发电厂"布勒。他们把任何不涉及烧石头的事情都当作玩笑。大量的水坝和生物质能发电厂，一些太阳能项目，以及无数的煤电厂。"他轻蔑地哼了一声。"一旦德国烟草公司投入运营，Equestria就不再需要煤炭了。"他一边咯咯地笑，一边搓着蹄子。"哦，我可以想象，当我们把这个系统联网后，他们的整个商业模式突然变得像小马拉的火车一样过时，他们会痛哭流涕。"
Goldenblood nodded. “If you can get it to work.” He cocked a brow. “Is that why I’m here?”
金布拉德点点头。"如果你能让它工作的话。"他扬起眉毛。"这就是我来这里的原因吗?"
“Maybe.” Horse grinned, then walked to the table. “Care to stroll with me down concept avenue?” He clapped his hooves together. “Sweetie Bot!”
"也许吧。"马咧嘴一笑，然后走向桌子。"愿意和我一起在概念大道上漫步吗?"他把蹄子拍在一起。"甜心机器人!"
A copy of the mare I’d met at the elevator strolled into the lab... only Sweetie Belle hadn’t been wearing a frilly black lace uniform. She floated a tray holding two mugs of steaming beverage beside her. Smiling demurely, she put the tray down and fluttered her eyes at the pair. Goldenblood covered his face with a hoof. “Really, Horse?”
一匹我在电梯里遇到的母马的复制品散步进入实验室...只有甜心贝儿没有穿着镶褶边的黑色蕾丝制服。她把一个托盘放在身边，托盘上放着两杯热气腾腾的饮料。她端庄地微笑着，放下托盘，眼睛扫了一眼。他的脸上沾满了金色的血。"真的吗，小马?"
“What? A guy has needs. And once I can convince Sweetie Belle to sign off on using her likeness… Whooo… these are going to sell like hotcakes!” The yellow stallion nickered, raised the mug in his hooves and took a drink, leaving chocolaty foam dripping off his mustache. “I could get you one. I’m thinking of running a whole line based on the Ministry Mares, as well as some more generic versions.”
"什么？男人是有需求的。一旦我能说服甜心贝儿签字同意使用她的肖像......哇......这些就会像烤饼一样畅销!"这匹黄色的种马嘶嘶地叫着，用蹄子抬起马克杯，喝了一口水，留下了胡子上的巧克力泡沫。"我可以给你弄一个。我正在考虑运行一个完整的基于部母马，以及一些更通用的版本。"
“I’d question the wisdom of that, long term,” Goldenblood muttered before taking a drink. The beverage tasted like rancid piss. He set the cup aside and focused on Horse.
"从长远来看，我会质疑这种做法是否明智,"金布拉德在喝酒前喃喃自语道。这饮料尝起来像腐臭的尿。他把杯子放在一边，把注意力集中在马身上。
“Okay! To business.” Horse sat upright on the table next to the tools, then picked up a rock that had been tied to a stick and held it between his hooves. “What is this and how does it work?”
"好吧！敬生意。"马直挺挺地坐在工具旁边的桌子上，然后捡起一块绑在棍子上的石头，用蹄子夹住。"这是什么，它是如何工作的?"
Goldenblood looked at it flatly. “A hammer. You swing it.”
金布拉德直截了当地看着它。"一把锤子。你摆动它。"
“More accurately, it’s a lever that multiplies the force applied to swinging it,” Horse said as he set down the primitive tool and picked up a ball peen hammer. “And this?”
"更准确地说，这是一个杠杆，可以增加摆动杠杆的力量,"马一边说，一边放下原始工具，拿起一把圆头锤。"这个呢?"
“Same thing,” Goldenblood said, now with a tone suggesting that this had better be going somewhere.
"还是老样子,"金布拉德说，他的语气似乎在暗示，这事最好有个结果。
“But, I think you’ll agree, more efficient, yes? Easier to swing. Smaller, but focuses more force with its smaller striking area. Better control than that?” He gestured to the rock on a stick, and Goldenblood nodded with a frown.
""但是，我想你会同意，更有效率，是吗？更容易摆动。较小，但更集中的力量与其较小的打击面积。更好的控制?"他指了指一根棍子上的石头，金布拉德点了点头，皱了皱眉头。
Horse set it down and picked up a small hammer. It was made of some kind of shiny metal. “This is a titanium-magnesium alloy hammer.” He gestured to the tapered head that came to a flat little striking surface. “Perfectly balanced to maximize the force applied. You can tap a needle into a plank or drive a tenpenny nail through a two-by-four in two hits with it. I can bang robots all day.” He snickered at Goldenblood. “After all, it’s not the size that counts, but how you use it.”
马儿放下枪，拿起一把小锤子。它是由某种发光的金属制成的。这是一把钛镁合金锤子他指了指那个锥形的头部，这个头部已经变成了一个平坦而小巧的打击面。"完美的平衡使力量最大化。你可以用它轻敲一根针进入木板，或者用十便士的钉子穿过一个二乘四的木板。我可以整天操机器人。"他对Goldenblood窃笑起来。"毕竟，重要的不是规模，而是你如何使用它。"
“I’m fairly sure that you didn’t call me here to make innuendo about your hammer,” Goldenblood replied with a larger hint of annoyance.
"我相当肯定你叫我来不是为了影射你的锤子,"金布拉德带着更大的烦恼回答道。
Horse chuckled. “Nope, my good sir. Not without a few mugs of cider in me, at
马咯咯地笑了。"不，我的好先生。没有几杯苹果酒我是不会走的
least.” He picked up the next tool in his mouth and tossed it to Goldenblood. It was a tiny crystalline hammer the size of my hoof. “That is a force talisman used by my horned assistants. It can apply up to ten kilomacs of force in an area ranging from a decimeter in diameter down to one millimeter.”
至少。"他嘴里叼起下一个工具，扔到了Goldenblood。那是一个小小的水晶锤子，有我的蹄子那么大。"那是我那些长角的助手们使用的力量护身符。它可以在直径从分米到一毫米的范围内施加高达十千米的力。"
“Why do you insist on using Fancee units?” he groaned. “What’s wrong with the Equestrian Standard?”
"你为什么坚持使用幻想单位?"他呻吟着。"《马术标准》有什么问题?"
“You tell me why we have twelve inches in a foot instead of thirteen and why there are sixteen ounces in a pound instead of fifteen and I’ll get back to you on that,” Horse replied. Goldenblood set the talisman down in the row. “You can see the pattern?” Horse asked as he gestured at the tools.
"你告诉我为什么一英尺有十二英寸而不是十三英寸，为什么一磅有十六盎司而不是十五英寸，我会给你答复的。"。金血王把护身符放在一排。"你能看出规律吗?"马指着那些工具问。
“Yes. Each one is more efficient than the last. More power, greater ease, less mass…” Goldenblood replied.
"是的。每一个都比上一个更有效率。更多的力量，更多的轻松，更少的质量......"金血王回答。
“Bingo. I love working with smart ponies,” he laughed, then grinned as he tapped the empty table next to the talisman. “So, Goldenblood. What do you imagine belongs here?”
"找到了。我喜欢和聪明的小马一起工作,"他笑着说，然后他轻轻地敲了敲护身符旁边的空桌子。"那么，金色血统。你认为这里有什么?"
Goldenblood stared at the empty table, then looked at the grinning stallion. “Whatever you’re about to show me.”
金布拉德盯着那张空桌子，然后看着那匹咧着嘴笑的种马。"不管你要给我看什么。"
“Goldie, you know me too well,” Horse chuckled as he reached under the table and lifted a tiny silver cube in his mouth. He set it on the table at the place where he’d gestured. “Ta-da.”
"戈尔迪，你太了解我了,"马笑着伸手到桌子底下，嘴里叼着一个小小的银色方块。他把它放在他指过的地方的桌子上。"嗒哒。"
“That’s a hammer?”
"那是一把锤子?"
“Indeedily it is,” he said as he took out a spark battery and a weird device with light bulb thingies attached. “You know how this starmetal stuff only reacts to one specific frequency? Well, watch what it does when we apply just a little bit of magic power at that frequency, but modify the amplitude…” He turned a few knobs.
"的确如此,"他一边说，一边拿出一个火花电池和一个连着灯泡的奇怪装置。"你知道星金属材料是如何只对一个特定频率起反应的吗？好吧，当我们在这个频率上施加一点魔力，但是调整振幅时，看看它会做什么......"他转动了几个旋钮。
Goldenblood winced. “I hate that noise.” Funny, I wasn’t hearing anything at all.
金色的血液抽搐着。"我讨厌那种噪音。"有意思，我什么都没听到。
Then there was a ping, and the quarter inch thick metal plate next to the cube indented. Then it indented again. Then again. And then it struck so hard it knocked out a perfectly round chunk of the quarter-inch steel. Horse grinned like
然后传来一声砰的一声，四分之一英寸厚的金属板挨着凹进去的立方体。然后它再次缩进。然后又一次。然后它猛烈地撞击，撞出了一块完美的四分之一英寸厚的钢板。马咧嘴一笑
a kid with a toy. “See? Hammer.” Then he looked at the dials. “Or saw. Drill. Cutting torch. Really, it’s a lot of hit and miss trying to find out the precise amplitude patterns to get the metal to react… but it does. Energy in, amplitude to decide what effect you want, and energy out.”
一个拿着玩具的孩子。""看见了吗？锤子。"然后他看了看刻度盘。""或者锯子。演习。割炬。实际上，要找出让金属发生反应的精确振幅模式需要大量的碰撞和失败...但它确实做到了。能量输入，幅度决定你想要什么效果，能量输出。"
“Interesting,” Goldenblood breathed softly. “Most interesting. And how do you explain this phenomenon? Any theories about where it came from?”
"有意思,"金色的血轻轻地呼吸着。"非常有趣。你如何解释这种现象？有没有关于它来自哪里的理论?"
“This metal isn’t precisely a metal.” He lifted it with a grin. “It’s a solid state tool that can do whatever you want it to do, if you know how to interact with the stuff. We’re just figuring that part out. As for where it came from... ancient zebrakind might have somehow developed this level of wonder technology… but personally I doubt it. This kind of tech would have left some kind of record or something. Nope. I posit that it had to come from somewhere else.” He grinned broadly. “Have you ever heard of the zebra myth of the Eater of the Stars?”
"这种金属并不完全是金属。"他咧嘴笑着把它举起来。"这是一个固态工具，如果你知道如何与物体互动，它可以做任何你想让它做的事情。我们正在研究这部分。至于它是从哪里来的......古代的斑马可能以某种方式发展了这种级别的神奇技术......但我个人对此表示怀疑。这种技术应该会留下一些记录什么的。没有。我认为它肯定来自其它地方。"他咧嘴大笑。"你有没有听说过'星星吃人者'的斑马神话?"
“Eater of Souls,” Goldenblood corrected. “And yes, I have. As the myth goes--”
"灵魂的食客,"金血纠正道。"是的，我做到了。正如神话所说的那样——"
Horse chuckled as he started to juggle the ball peen hammer, the titanium hammer, and the little silver cube. “Yeah, yeah... big nasty creatures from the stars… blah blah blah… death warning gloom and doom… blah blah blah… stars are bad, evil, wicked things… blah blah blah. Only I think that in at least one of those cases, what hit the ground wasn’t just some rock from the heavens but a device from an unknown world. A device from a race thousands, no, millions of years more advanced than us.”
马咯咯地笑着，开始杂耍球头锤、钛锤和小银立方体。"是的，是的......来自星星的大的讨厌的生物......诸如此类......死亡警告、阴郁和厄运......诸如此类......星星是邪恶、邪恶、邪恶的东西......诸如此类。只是我认为，至少在其中一个案例中，撞击地面的不仅仅是来自天空的岩石，而是来自未知世界的装置。一个比我们先进几千年，不，几百万年的种族设备。"
“Corroboration?” Goldenblood asked. The yellow earth pony grinned immediately. Then he reached under the table and pulled out a strange sleek metal weapon. I wondered if the tingling mane sensation was mine or his. “A star blaster! How on Equestria did you get your hooves on a star blaster? I couldn’t get Luna or Rainbow Dash to turn one over to me! The one used for Starfall has been under the M.o.A.’s strict control.”
"确证?"金血王问道。黄土地上的小马马上咧嘴一笑。然后他把手伸到桌子底下，掏出一把奇怪的光滑的金属武器。我想知道这种刺痛的感觉是我的还是他的。"一个星形爆破器！你在小马国是怎么把你的蹄子弄到星型爆能枪上的？我不能让露娜或者彩虹冲刺把一个交给我！《星落》中使用的那个已经受到了m.o.a的严格控制。"
“I know a pony who knows a pony…” Horse said, rubbing his nose. “You’ll note the similarities in the metal. The way they both feel… of course, the star blaster is a lot more primitive in function. Pull the trigger and watch it go. But the similarities are astounding. The starmetal seems to be able to create magical fields of power and then use magic and natural energy to do… whatever it does.”
"我认识一匹小马，它认识一匹小马......"马边说边擦着鼻子。"你会注意到这种金属的相似之处。它们的感觉......当然，星形爆能枪在功能上要原始得多。扣动扳机，看着它离开。但两者的相似之处令人震惊。星金属似乎能够创造魔法力场，然后利用魔法和自然能量做任何事情。"
He tapped the weapon. “Clearly, both of these devices are non-terrestrial in origin. The zebra myth just explains the impact of the original device.”
他敲了敲武器。"很明显，这两种装置都是非地球原产的。斑马神话只是解释了最初设备的影响。"
“It may explain more than that,” Goldenblood frowned as he rose. “Well. Clearly this was quite a breakthrough. You have my thanks.”
"这也许可以解释更多的东西,"金布拉德站起来皱起了眉头。"好吧。显然，这是一个很大的突破。我谢谢你。"
“Thanks? Goldie, Goldie, Goldie... Thanks is nice… really. You’re a great pony to get thanks from. But as much as I love thanks… and I do… I really do… I need something more… substantial. I mean, I invested a great deal of personal time, effort, and resources into this silvery beauty. I can’t do little off-the-books side projects if there’s not going to be at least a cookie out of it for me.”
"谢谢？戈尔迪，戈尔迪，戈尔迪......谢谢你......真的。你是一匹值得感谢的好马。但是尽管我很喜欢感谢...我真的...我真的...我需要更多的东西...实质性的东西。我的意思是，我投入了大量的个人时间、精力和资源在这个银色的美丽上。如果我连一块饼干都得不到，我就不能做一些非正式的小项目。"
“You want money?”
"你想要钱?"
“Money. Pbbbbt! You sound like those Hippocratic jerkoffs. Fuck money. I have money. I have all the toys the money can buy. I have a Sweetie Bot! I have a piece of very very naughty weaponry from the stars. Money’s nice, but I really don’t care about it. Nope.” He grinned. “What I want is what you want. I want a backstage pass to the concert. I want to play the game and see just how well I can play it. I want you to deal me in.”
"钱。噗！你听起来就像那些希波克拉底式的蠢货。去他妈的钱。我有钱。我有钱能买到的所有玩具。我有一个甜心机器人！我有一件来自星星的非常非常顽皮的武器。钱是不错，但我真的不在乎。没有。"他咧嘴一笑。"我想要的就是你想要的。我想要音乐会的后台通行证。我想玩这个游戏，看看我能玩得有多好。我要你把我算进去。"
Goldenblood smiled slowly. “I’ll see what I can do.”
金色血液缓缓地笑了笑。"我尽力而为。"
“Ooooh,” Horse shivered. “I can just imagine what you can do.” Then he grinned. “Oh. And don’t worry. If some nasty zebra baddie whacks me, or something major happens to me, like I fall down an elevator shaft, I’ve made sure all my findings go straight to the ministries.” His grin widened even more as Goldenblood stared at him. Horse trotted over and tapped some keys on a terminal. A grainy video appeared showing Goldenblood slowly backing a pony towards the shaft. The railing swung wide, and the mare staggered over the edge as Goldenblood stood there. A moment later, her hooves disappeared. “Really? An elevator shaft? What… were you struck by the urge to become a Daring Do villain?”
"哦,"小马颤抖着说。"我可以想象你能做什么。"然后他咧嘴一笑。"哦。别担心。如果有恶心的斑马坏蛋殴打我，或者发生了什么重大的事情，比如我从电梯井里摔了下来，我会确保我所有的发现都直接送到政府部门。"金色的血液凝视着他，他的笑容更加灿烂了。马儿小跑过来，在终端机上敲击了几个键。一段模糊的视频显示，金色的血液慢慢地倒向一匹小马的阴茎。栏杆转得很宽，母马摇摇晃晃地越过边缘，金血王站在那里。过了一会儿，她的蹄子消失了。"真的吗？电梯井？你有没有想过要成为一个大胆的反派角色?"
Goldenblood stared at him for almost a minute. Finally, the scarred pony smiled. “Like I said, I’ll see what I can do.”
金布拉德盯着他看了将近一分钟。最后，伤痕累累的小马笑了。"就像我说的，我会看看我能做什么。"
Suddenly, Sweetie Bot perked up. “Oh great and wonderful master, the stallions accompanying Director Goldenblood have received an urgent message for him. They are quite insistent.”
突然，甜心机器人活跃起来。"哦，伟大而伟大的主人，陪伴主任金布拉德的种马已经收到了他的紧急消息。他们非常坚持。"
Horse frowned and pushed a button, showing the foyer and the two stallions yelling at the flustered receptionist. “Huh… looks like you are the stud in demand, Goldie.”
马儿皱了皱眉头，按了一个按钮，显示门厅和两匹种马对着慌乱的接待员大喊大叫。"嗯......看来你很抢手啊，戈尔迪。"
Together they trotted out, Goldenblood giving the star blaster a wistful look as they left the hidden lab and emerged in the conference room. Quickly, Goldenblood headed in the direction of the shouting. A yellow stallion held his earbloom and nodded his head as the brown stallion traded glares with the receptionist. As they spotted the director, the two sat up. “Sir, there’s been an incident in Manehattan. Applejack is dead.” The receptionist gasped. Goldenblood looked at her, there was a flare from his horn, and she suddenly went glassy eyed and slumped out of sight behind the desk.
他们一起小跑出来，金血王在他们离开隐蔽的实验室出现在会议室时给了明星爆能枪一个充满渴望的眼神。很快，金血王朝着喊叫声的方向走去。一匹黄色的种马握着他的耳朵，点了点头，而这匹棕色的种马则对接待员怒目而视。当他们发现导演时，两个人坐了起来。"先生，Manehattan发生了一起事故。苹果白兰地已经死了。"接待员喘着气说。金布拉德看着她，他的喇叭发出一道闪光，她突然目光呆滞，瘫坐在桌子后面，看不见了。
“What?” Horse gasped. “That is… oh… so not cool…” Goldenblood stared at him, and for a moment I was certain he was next.
"什么?"马喘着粗气。"这真是......哦......太不酷了......"金血王盯着他，有那么一会儿，我确信他就是下一个。
“Stop standing there and get that confirmed,” Goldenblood snapped at the brown stallion. Then he looked at the yellow escort. “Luna’s been informed?”
"别站在那儿了，去确认一下。"金布拉德对着那匹棕色的种马厉声说道。然后他看了看黄色的护卫队。"卢娜知道了吗?"
The stallion nodded. “She’s asking for a temporary replacement until Applejack’s status is confirmed.”
那匹种马点点头。"她要求在苹果白兰地的身份得到确认之前找一个临时替代者。"
“There is no replacement for Applejack! I need all six of them,” Goldenblood said sharply… then he turned and looked back at the stunned stallion. He seemed to be making a decision. “You want in on the game, Horse?”
"苹果白兰地没有替代品！我需要这六匹马,"金血王厉声说道......然后他转过身来，看着这匹惊呆了的种马。他似乎正在做决定。"你想加入这场游戏吗，小马?"
“I… wha… me? Ministry Mare… er… Stallion?” he stammered.
"我.....。.什么...我？母马部...呃...种马?"他结结巴巴地说。
“On a temporary basis. If Applejack really is dead, then there will have to be… adjustments,” he said as he looked away.
"只是暂时的。如果苹果白兰地真的死了，那么将不得不进行调整,"他边说边把目光移开。
Horse just grinned. “Alright, Goldie. You got yourself a deal.”
马儿只是咧嘴一笑。"好吧，戈尔迪。成交。"
Goldenblood looked back at Horse. “Oh, I certainly did. And if you’re so keen on playing, Horse, I’d clean out your records when you get back.” He turned for the doors and snapped at the yellow escort, “I need a skywagon. Now. We need to get in place before news gets out. The ministries are going to be shaken and the O.I.A. needs to be ready. Come on, Horse. We’re going to Canterlot.”
金色的血液回头看着马。"哦，我当然知道。如果你这么喜欢玩，小马，等你回来我就把你的唱片清理干净。"他转身去开门，对着黄色的护卫人员厉声说:"我需要一辆运货马车。现在。我们必须在消息传出去之前就到位。政府部门将受到重创，o.i.a.需要做好准备。来吧小马。我们要去坎特罗特。"
“Cool,” Horse grinned as they stepped into the elevator together. “Hope
"酷,"当他们一起走进电梯时，马笑着说。"希望
Applejack is okay, though. She is one cool mare.”
苹果白兰地倒是不错。她是一匹很酷的母马。"
“You better hope so as well. If she really is dead, I’ll have to find out who is responsible and remove them just to be safe. Odds are I’ll have to include you as well,” he said grimly. Horse’s smile disappeared. The world swirled away.
"你最好也这么希望。如果她真的死了，为了安全起见，我必须找出是谁干的并把他们带走。很可能我也得把你算进去,"他冷冷地说。马的笑容消失了。世界旋转着消失了。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
I came out of the memory feeling all… oogly. A Goldenblood memory, planted in a safe where I would probably come across it. And if I hadn’t, odds were that one of my friends would. I lay there on the bed, trying to ignore the burny, itchy sensation on my face. It made me feel like I had radroaches wiggling under my skin. I felt the pull of gauze and listened to the beeping of the monitors.
我走出了记忆，感觉一切......乌龟。一个金色的记忆，种植在一个保险箱里，我可能会遇到它。如果我没有，很可能我的一个朋友会这么做。我躺在床上，尽量不去理会脸上那种烧灼发痒的感觉。这让我觉得我的头发在皮肤下晃来晃去。我感觉到纱布的拉力，听着监视器的哔哔声。
Dealer freaks out just as I find it and tells me to stop and quit, as if that were even an option anymore. Horse talks about the starmetal as some sort of uber technology from aliens or something. I didn’t believe in coincidence anymore. Somepony had wanted me to see that. Dealer hadn’t. How had he known… Really, how how did Dealer know anything? The golden color of the memory orb, maybe? Maybe.
当我发现它并告诉我停止并退出的时候，毒贩们就会抓狂，好像这已经不再是一个选择了。马说星金属是某种来自外星人的超级技术。我不再相信巧合了。一些小马想让我看到这一点。毒贩没有。他是怎么知道的...说真的，庄家是怎么知道的？也许是记忆之球的金色？也许吧。
Unfortunately, since I couldn’t buck the Dealer while lying all woogly on a bed, I did my best to look around. Funny, my E.F.S. was doing freaky things. There were scrolling lines of data, as if it was doing the technopokie. I wished, yet again, that I had Midnight nearby to explain just what my PipBuck was doing. It flashed through the data. Then a prompt appeared.
不幸的是，因为我不能反对经销商，而躺在一张床上所有的树木，我尽我最大的努力看看周围。有意思，我的e.f.s在做奇怪的事情。还有滚动的数据行，就好像它正在做的技术泡客。我再一次希望，午夜就在附近，可以解释一下我的PipBuck在做什么。它在数据中闪过。然后一个提示出现了。
>EC-1101 navigational data updated.
更新EC-1101导航数据。
>Next waypoint: Hightower Transmitter: Hoofington.
下一站:高塔发射机:胡芬顿。
I’d been put in a hospital bed; one with musty smelling sheets. Next to the bed was a table loaded with heavy books. ‘Equestrian Legal Statutes’, ‘History of the Law’, and a dozen files sat in stacks. This had to have been Chief Justice Fairheart’s room. I glanced around and spotted a security camera in the corner of the room, up against the ceiling.
我躺在医院的病床上，床单散发着霉味。床边有一张桌子，上面放满了厚厚的书。《马术法律法规》、《法律史》以及十几份文件堆放在一起。这应该是首席大法官费尔哈特的房间。我环顾四周，发现房间角落里靠着天花板的一个安全摄像头。
Had EC-1101 found the camera, checked the footage, and determined he was dead? Could it do that? Had Dealer been involved? I groaned and clenched my eyes shut. “Too many fucking questions!” I snarled into my pillow.
难道EC-1101找到了相机，检查了录像，然后确定他已经死了吗？它能做到吗？"庄家"参与了吗？我呻吟着，紧闭着双眼。"他妈的问题太多了!"我对着枕头咆哮着。
I leaned over and levitated the top file, wondering what the Chief Justice of Equestria was up to right before the bombs made everything moot. My eyes scanned the front page, and then I looked at the title.
我俯身悬浮起最上面的文件，想知道在炸弹使一切都变得毫无意义之前，Equestria的首席大法官在做什么。我的眼睛扫视了一下头版，然后看了看标题。
Legal review for the removal of the Ministry Mares from power for crimes against Equestria.
关于取消马骑士权力的法律审查。
What… the… fuck…
什么...他妈的..。
I couldn’t understand more than the basics. It might have been talking about law, or it might have been giving me directions on PipBuck applications. The core of the report seemed to be listing crimes the Ministry Mares had committed in the last ten years in the name of ending the war and the prosecution of these crimes when the war was concluded. I looked at the second file: articles of treason brought up against Goldenblood. The third one was investigating the legal option of forcing Luna from the throne and restoring Celestia to power. There was a file asking the question of whether the power and authority of the Princesses ought to be absolute. The potential legality of pegasus secession. Accusations of cronyism and nepotism against Applejack. Abuses of power against Twilight Sparkle. The charges against Pinkie Pie were practically a book!
除了基本知识，我一无所知。它可能在谈论法律，也可能在PipBuck应用程序上给我指明方向。报告的核心似乎是列出马里斯部在过去十年中以结束战争和在战争结束时起诉这些罪行的名义犯下的罪行。我看了第二份文件:反对金血王的叛国条款。第三个是调查迫使卢娜下台并恢复塞莱斯蒂亚权力的合法选择。有一份文件质疑公主们的权力和权威是否应该是绝对的。珀加索斯脱离联邦的潜在合法性。对苹果杰克任人唯亲和裙带关系的指控。滥用权力对抗紫悦组织。对平奇·派的指控简直就是一本书！
If the bombs hadn’t fallen… if Equestria had won the war… what would have happened afterwards? Would Luna have remained in power? Would the Ministry Mares? I thought of the things Twilight had done… Fluttershy… Rarity… would I have wanted them punished for what they did to win the war?
如果炸弹没有落下...如果小马国赢得了战争...之后会发生什么？卢娜还会继续掌权吗？马利斯部长会吗？我想起了《暮光之城》所做的事情......害羞......稀有......我会希望他们为了赢得战争而受到惩罚吗？
As much as I hated myself thinking it… yes. At least out on their rumps… but I’d want a whole slew of them punished as well. Yes, they were at war, but some of the things that had been done were simply evil.
虽然我很讨厌自己这么想......是的。至少在他们的屁股上......但是我希望他们中的一大批人也受到惩罚。是的，他们处于战争状态，但是他们所做的一些事情简直就是邪恶的。
Twenty years of war… over… but peace? That was a long ways off.
二十年的战争......结束了......但是和平？那还有很长的路要走。
Glory probably wanted me to stay in bed, but honestly I didn’t hurt enough for that. I slipped out and looked at myself in the mirror. I didn’t touch my face; that would probably take the longest to heal. Instead, I used my horn to magically peel away the gauze from my neck where I could get a good view. The hide beneath was… well… white. It had a strange diamond pattern dotted all across it, and I could see the red mark where it bonded with my dingy hide.
晨辉可能希望我躺在床上，但说实话，我伤得还不够重。我溜了出来，看着镜子里的自己。我没有碰我的脸，那可能需要最长的时间才能痊愈。相反，我用我的角从我的脖子上神奇地剥去纱布，我可以得到一个好的视野。下面的皮肤......很......白。它身上点缀着奇怪的钻石图案，我可以看到它和我那肮脏的皮肤粘在一起的红色印记。
“How are you feeling?” Lacunae asked from the doorway. She looked at my
"你感觉怎么样?"空隙在门口问道。她看着我
shoulder and sighed. “Blackjack. Glory didn’t wrap you up in gauze simply for the fun of it.”
然后叹了口气。"黑杰克。晨辉并不是为了好玩才用纱布把你裹起来的。"
“It itches,” I said, reaching up to scratch it. A glow around my hoof halted me. Okay. I was the big bad Security pony. I could handle a little itching. “Listen, Lacunae. About what I said…”
"它痒,"我说，伸手去抓它。我的蹄子周围的光辉使我停住了脚步。好吧。我是那个保安的大坏蛋。我可以忍受一点痒。"听着，拉库尼。关于我说的话......"
“You didn’t say anything that wasn’t the truth,” she replied calmly. “Twilight Sparkle has had two centuries to think about her mistakes. To dwell on them, in fact. Many of the memories in me come from her regret. The sad fact is… as good a pony as she was… she was not perfect. As good as her intentions were, they did not always have the results she intended. She did things that were wrong because she believed that, in the big picture, they would be vindicated.”
"你说的都是真的,"她平静地回答。"两个世纪以来，紫悦一直在反思自己的错误。事实上，仔细想想它们。我内心的许多回忆都来自于她的悔恨。令人伤心的事实是......虽然她是一匹好马......但她并不完美。尽管她的意图是好的，但他们并不总是得到她想要的结果。她做了一些错误的事情，因为她相信，从大局来看，这些事情都是正确的。"
“The ends justify the means?” I asked, looking at the folders.
"结果证明手段是正当的?"我看着文件夹问道。
“There was a war to win,” she said quietly, looking at her hooves. “Sorry…”
"这是一场必胜的战争,"她看着自己的蹄子，平静地说。"对不起......"
I sighed and closed my eyes. “I’m nopony to judge, Lacunae. Even if I do… I shouldn’t.” I’d felt that urge to win at any cost. Even if it was wrong, it was something I couldn’t escape. “If the Goddess is listening to you… tell Twilight that I’m sorry.”
我叹了口气，闭上了眼睛。"我不是评判的小马，Lacunae。即使我知道，我也不应该知道。"我感受到了不惜一切代价赢得比赛的冲动。即使是错的，我也无法逃避。"如果女神在听你说话......告诉暮光我很抱歉。"
“Discord was still a mistake,” Lacunae said firmly, but then looked away. “But you are right. He should not have been used like that, or left in that condition. We should have done better, but we wanted to give Luna her war-winning potion so terribly badly.”
"不和仍然是一个错误,"拉库尼坚定地说，但随后又把目光移开。"但你是对的。他不应该被那样利用，或者被置于那样的境地。我们本来应该做得更好，但是我们太想给露娜一剂致胜的魔药了。"
“Is Glory with Scotch and P-21?” I asked, trying to scratch at the gauze. She smacked my hoof away with her own.
"晨辉是苏格兰威士忌和P-21吗?"我问，试着去抓那块纱布。她用自己的蹄子拍打我的蹄子。
“She is. She feels it best not to leave him alone after what he did.”
"是的。在他做了那些事之后，她觉得最好不要留下他一个人。"
I sighed. “He’s got problems. Big problems. But that’s okay. We can keep an eye out and help him work through them.” I looked at the big alicorn. “And he’s not the only one. Did Glory tell you about her dreaming she’s Rainbow Dash?”
我叹了口气。"他有问题。大问题。不过没关系。我们可以密切关注，帮助他解决这些问题。"我看着大角羊。"而且他不是唯一一个。晨辉有没有告诉你她梦见自己是"彩虹冲刺"?"
“Yes. She was quite distraught. Given her appearance, it was understandable,” Lacunae replied. “Don’t worry about it.”
"是的。她心烦意乱。考虑到她的外表，这是可以理解的。"别担心。"
“Hello. Have you seen our group? The only pony I don’t worry about is... Boo. I don’t worry about Boo.” Then I blinked. “Wait, yes, I do. Do you really think she doesn’t have a soul? That’s she’s just a pony animal?”
"你好。你看到我们的队伍了吗？我唯一不担心的就是...嘘。我不担心波。"然后我眨了眨眼。"等等，是的，我知道。你真的认为她没有灵魂吗？她只是一匹小马?"
“I don’t know. The evidence is against it, and Twilight never had the opportunity to explore the potential of the blanks any further. In the Chimera files, some blanks were observed for more than a year and never manifested personality or cutie marks. They could be trained to respond to stimuli, but were never more than that. The results confirmed what we wanted to believe; Blanks were a perfect source for needed organs. Otherwise, Scotch’s life and your vanity were purchased at the cost of innocent lives.”
"我不知道。证据是反对的，暮光之城从来没有机会探索空白的潜力任何进一步。在奇美拉文件，一些空白被观察了一年多，从来没有表现出个性或可爱的标志。他们可以接受训练来对刺激做出反应，但不会超过这个水平。结果证实了我们想要相信的:空白是需要器官的完美来源。否则，苏格兰人的生命和你的虚荣心都是以无辜的生命为代价换来的。"
Okay… that was enough thinking about that. I turned off the monitor… actually, I mashed buttons till it stopped beeping. “What about Glory? Do you think… she isn’t really turning into Rainbow Dash, is she?” Speaking of her, I really wanted to check in on Scotch… and scratch. I really really wanted to scratch. And find out where Rampage had gotten to. And figure out how to get to Hightower from here. And... how to treat Med-X addiction.
好了，想得够多了。我关掉了显示器...事实上，我按了按钮直到它停止哔哔响。"晨辉怎么办？你认为......她不会真的变成了彩虹冲刺吧?"说到她，我真的很想去看看苏格兰威士忌......然后刮刮胡子。我真的很想参加比赛。然后找出狂暴到哪里去了。然后想办法从这里去海托华。还有...如何治疗Med-X成瘾。
“I suspect not,” Lacunae replied as we walked out into the hall. When I looked at her in confusion, she elaborated. “Her behavior hasn’t really changed, and while she may have been dreamed about being Rainbow Dash… her Sonic Rainboom was well established and is probably well known in pegasus history. If she begins having memories of private things… inconsequential things… that would be a time to worry.”
"我怀疑没有,"当我们走进大厅时，拉库纳回答道。当我困惑地看着她时，她解释道。"她的行为并没有真正改变，虽然她可能梦想成为彩虹冲刺......她的音速雨爆已经建立，并可能是众所周知的飞马的历史。如果她开始有私人事情的记忆......无关紧要的事情......那就该担心了。"
“So then, am I being possessed by a mysterious unicorn in black who’s been invading my dreams?” I asked with a cheeky grin. Lacunae just looked at me sadly, and my grin slackened a little. Okay. Not something to joke about anymore.
"那么，我是不是被一只穿黑衣服的神秘独角兽附身了，它一直在侵入我的梦境?"我咧嘴笑着问道。拉库奈只是伤心地看着我，我的笑容有点放松。好吧。不再是开玩笑的事情了。
We came around a corner and spotted Glory slumped against the wall, wearing a blood-splattered doctor’s coat. Inside, Scotch lay in a bed almost identical to the one I’d awoken in. Boo was curled up at the foot. P-21 just sat there with that empty, forsaken look. I looked at the bandages wrapped around her eyes, the machine beeping softly. I knelt beside Glory, but she just gave a little snore and curled up.
我们转过一个角落，看到晨辉靠在墙上，身上穿着一件溅满鲜血的医生大衣。里面，苏格兰人躺在一张几乎和我醒来时一模一样的床上。布蜷缩在脚边。P-21只是坐在那里，一脸空虚凄凉的表情。我看着包裹在她眼睛周围的绷带，机器轻轻地响着。我跪在晨辉身边，但她只是打了一下呼噜，蜷缩了起来。
I smiled and brushed her pretty prismatic mane. A bit short for my taste, but
我微笑着，抚摸着她那漂亮棱角分明的鬃毛。对我来说有点短，但是
nice. “Can you find her a bed? Then maybe find out where Rampage got to?” I whispered as I looked up at Lacunae. She nodded once, and a glow lifted Glory into the air. Cradling her in her magic, Lacunae walked across the hall to a separate hospital bed. I sighed as I smiled, thankful for the kind, quiet, meek alicorn’s assistance, then walked in and over.
不错。"你能给她找张床吗？然后也许能找出狂暴到哪里去了?"我低声说着，抬头看着空隙。她点了一下头，一阵热气把晨辉带到了空中。拉库尼用她的魔法支撑着她，穿过大厅走向另一张病床。我叹了口气，微笑着，感谢善良、安静、温顺的朋友的帮助，然后走了进来。
“Hey…” I murmured softly as I tapped his shoulder. He didn’t move.
"嘿......"我轻轻地说，同时拍了拍他的肩膀。他没有动。
“I should have told her,” he said quietly.
"我应该告诉她的,"他平静地说。
Yes. You should have. “Tell her now.”
是的。你应该知道的。"现在就告诉她。"
“It doesn’t matter now,” he replied softly, reaching up to stroke her blue mane. Just like her daddy’s. “I thought… when I saw her in the pod… if I just touched her… maybe I’d be able to say it. Instead, I killed her.”
"现在没关系了,"他轻轻地回答，伸手抚摸着她的蓝色鬃毛。就像她爸爸一样。"我想......当我在分离舱里看到她的时候......如果我碰她一下......也许我就能说出来了。相反，我杀了她。"
“Her heart is still beating,” I said just as delicately, as if the volume of my voice might finish her off. “It still matters. And in case you missed the chain of events, I’m the one who let her come. I’m the one who got her killed.” Call me greedy, but I’d take the blame and damnation on this one. I’d hoped it would give him peace, but instead he gave a low choking sob. “Tell her. Before she goes into the everafter.”
"她的心脏还在跳动,"我小心翼翼地说，仿佛我的声音可能会让她完蛋。"这仍然很重要。如果你错过了一连串的事情，是我让她来的。是我害死了她。"你可以说我贪婪，但我愿意为此承担责任和诅咒。我希望这能让他平静下来，但他却发出一声哽咽的低泣。"告诉她。在她进入永恒之前。"
“I don’t know how any more.”
"我再也不知道该怎么办了。"
“Do it however you can,” I said as I stroked his tangled blue mane. Then I patted his shoulder and stepped back. “Come on, Boo. Let’s give them some space.” The pale mare sat up, blinked, looked flatly at me, and lowered her head again. “Snack cake…” I said as I reached… okay, nevermind. Where’d Glory put my gear? Back in the operating room.
"尽你所能,"我边说边抚摸着他纠结的蓝色鬃毛。然后我拍了拍他的肩膀，往后退了几步。"来吧，阿布。让我们给他们一些空间。"苍白的母马坐了起来，眨着眼睛，平静地看着我，然后又低下了头。"点心蛋糕......"我边说边走到......好吧，算了。晨辉把我的装备放哪儿了？回到手术室。
“She’s fine here,” P-21 said hoarsely. “Thank you, Blackjack.”
"她在这里很好,"P-21嘶哑地说。"谢谢你，黑杰克。"
I smiled sadly and patted his shoulder one more time, then stepped out. As I started to close the door, I heard him take a deep breath. Maybe it was rude of me and wrong of me, but I didn’t shut the door all the way and didn’t leave. “I’m sorry. I know I don’t have any right to talk to you like this. I know… I know that you knew. I’m your father… Goddesses know I don’t deserve to be. I didn’t deserve your mother’s kindness; I was petty enough to resent it, actually. I never wanted to think of my time in 99 as having any consequence or meaning. That it
我伤心地笑了笑，又拍了拍他的肩膀，然后走了出去。当我开始关门时，我听到他深吸了一口气。也许是我的粗鲁和错误，但是我没有关上门，没有离开。"对不起。我知道我没有权利这样跟你说话。我知道...我知道你知道。我是你的父亲...女神知道我不配。我不配得到你母亲的仁慈;事实上，我心胸狭窄，对此感到厌恶。我从未想过我在99年的生活会有什么结果或意义。就是这样
was all horrible. That it was all better left behind and destroyed.”
太可怕了。最好把这一切都抛在脑后，销毁掉。"
He sighed quietly. “But that’s not true. There were good things. Things I never appreciated. Things worthwhile and… and good. There was good in 99. Your mother… was good. And so were you. Blackjack. Probably lots of mares. It was always easier just to pretend like you were all Overmares. But it was a lie… and it hurts to keep lying to myself that it was otherwise.
他轻轻地叹了口气。"但事实并非如此。也有好的方面。我从未感激过的事情。有价值的东西，还有好东西。99年是好的。你妈妈...很好。你也是。黑杰克。可能有很多母马。假装自己是Overmares总是比较容易。但这是一个谎言......而且一直对自己撒谎说事实并非如此，这很伤人。
“Then you joined us and… and you were such a good girl. Braver than I was when I came outside. You followed us all over the place… even into places no filly was meant to go. And when BJ told you who I was… I couldn’t face it. Not because you were a lousy daughter, but because I didn’t deserve to be your father. I’m a coward, Scotch Tape. And you deserved better than a worthless pony like me.”
"然后你加入了我们......你真是个好女孩。比我出来的时候更勇敢。你跟着我们到处跑...甚至到了小母马不该去的地方。当BJ告诉你我是谁的时候...我无法面对。不是因为你是个糟糕的女儿，而是因为我不配做你的父亲。我是个懦夫，透明胶带。你应该得到比我这样一匹没用的小马更好的。"
I sniffed as I poked my head in and saw him standing beside the bed, stroking her mane. Then he began to sing in soft, low tones.
我嗅了嗅，探进头，看见他站在床边，抚摸着她的鬃毛。然后他开始用柔和低沉的声音唱歌。
Together forever...
With each other…
彼此之间..。
That is the way… I think it should be…
就是这样...我觉得应该这样..。
One.. with another…
一个。.和另一个..。
A friend… just like a daughter…
朋友就像女儿一样。
That is the way… I think it should be…
就是这样...我觉得应该这样..。
I looked behind me as a sleepy and confused Glory approached, rubbing her tired eyes. I lifted a hoof to my lips, and she looked past me as her eyes widened.
我看着身后，一个昏昏欲睡、困惑不解的晨辉走近了，揉着她疲倦的眼睛。我抬起一只蹄子放在嘴唇上，她的眼睛睁得大大的，从我身边望过去。
And if along the way, we find ourselves apart
如果一路走来，我们发现自己分开了
Know that it’s not so… you’re here in my heart…
知道它不是那么...你在我的心里..。
And if as time passes, you find yourself alone and scared…
如果随着时间的推移，你发现自己孤独和害怕..。
Remember my feelings and memories of home…
记住我对家的感觉和回忆..。
A place called home…
一个叫做家的地方。
Any home...
任何一个家..。
His voice quavered and failed. I swallowed hard then stepped in. I couldn’t sing… not really… but I could try for him.
他的声音颤抖了一下，然后停止了。我使劲咽了口唾沫，然后走了进去。我不会唱歌......至少不会......但我可以试着唱给他听。
Together… forever…
永远在一起。
With each other…
彼此之间..。
That is the way… I hope it will be…
就是这样...我希望是这样..。
One… with another…
一个...和另一个..。
A friend… just like a brother…
一个朋友...就像一个兄弟..。
That is the way… I think it should be…
就是这样...我觉得应该这样..。
He looked at me, tears shimmering and threatening to spill as his eyes met mine. Somehow, our words aligned as we felt the same things and put them together. Behind me I heard Lacunae approaching with Psychoshy and an adolescent Rampage. If that yellow featherbrain so much as snickered, I’d buck her into next week.
他看着我，眼泪闪闪发光，威胁着要流出来，他的眼睛和我的眼睛相遇了。不知怎么的，我们的话就像我们感受到同样的东西，并把它们放在一起。在我身后，我听到空隙正在靠近，带着心理恐惧和青春期的狂暴。如果那个黄毛脑袋敢偷笑一下，我就把她推到下个星期。
And if along the way we come across some troubles
如果一路上我们遇到了一些麻烦
I know I’ll be able to face them with you beside me
我知道有你在我身边，我能够面对他们
And if as time passes, you find life painful and hard
如果随着时间的推移，你会发现生活是痛苦和艰难的
Remember my friendship and know that I’m here with you.
记住我的友谊，知道我在这里和你在一起。
Right beside you…
就在你旁边..。
Always with you…
永远和你在一起..。
We looked down at her still form and sang the phrase over and over again, Glory and Lacunae joining in; even Rampage. Together Forever… With Each Other… as our voices grew softer and softer. And then silence save for the slow beeping of the monitor.
我们低头看着她静止的身体，一遍又一遍地唱着这样的歌词:晨辉和空白加入进来，甚至是暴怒。永远在一起......彼此在一起......我们的声音变得越来越柔和。然后，除了显示器缓慢的哔哔声外，一片寂静。
Then I saw a tear creeping down Scotch’s cheek. P-21 stared as tears of his own flowed freely. Slowly he reached out with a hoof and wiped it away. The little filly sniffed and whispered softly, “Daddy…”
然后我看见一滴眼泪从苏格兰人的脸颊上流下来。P-21凝视着他自己的眼泪自由地流淌。他慢慢地用蹄子把手伸出去擦了擦。小母马闻了闻，轻轻地低声说:"爸爸......"
With a sob he leaned over her and held her carefully in his hooves as he began to shake. The green filly pressed her face to his neck, crying beneath the bandages as she hugged him back. I sniffed, feeling tears spilling down my cheeks and feeling like a pony… a whole and intact pony for the first time in a very long time. And since there wasn’t any more room to hug Scotch, I hugged Glory and the very perplexed looking Boo instead.
他呜咽着俯在她身上，小心翼翼地把她捏在蹄子里，开始发抖。绿色的小母马把脸贴在他的脖子上，在绷带下哭泣着，抱住了他。我抽了抽鼻子，感觉眼泪顺着脸颊流了下来，感觉自己就像一匹小马驹......一匹完好无损的小马驹，这是很长时间以来的第一次。由于没有更多的空间去拥抱苏格兰威士忌，我拥抱了晨辉和看起来非常困惑的布。
I looked at Psychoshy, expecting disdain and disgust. Instead, there were tears in her eyes too, and I was shocked to see Rampage embrace her fellow Reaper.
我看着Psychoshy，期待着鄙视和厌恶。相反，她的眼睛里也有泪水，我震惊地看到狂暴拥抱她的死神同伴。
Together forever... with each other…
永远在一起...在一起..。
 
Footnote: Level 7 Reached.
脚注:达到第7级。
New Perk added: Toughness (rank 1): +3 DT permanently.
新帕金斯补充:韧性(等级1):+3DT永久。
 
Author's Notes:
作者笔记:
(Author’s note: First credit as always goes to the amazing and wonderful Kkat for creating Fo:E. Then to my super amazing assistant Hinds, the engineering obsessed zebra. Next to Bronode... don’t mind him, he has way too many apple ciders... and finally Snipe. If you want a straight pony to talk to... look at him. Oh... and I should probably thank Manehattan Steamroller for the music ‘Traditions of Christmas.’ Thank you everypony who leaves feedback to help make this story even better. And if anypony wants to help finance this expedition, tips and spare bits can be sent to David13ushey@gmail.com through Paypal. Thank you for reading. I hope it was enjoyable.) (New Note: Also, I have a . All bits help.)
(作者注:第一个荣誉总是归功于神奇的Kkat创造了Fo:e。然后是我超级神奇的助手Hinds，一个痴迷于工程学的斑马。紧挨着布罗诺德......别理他，他有太多苹果汁了......最后是沙锥鸟。如果你想要一匹直的小马跟你说话...看看他。哦...我应该感谢曼哈顿蒸汽压路机乐队的音乐"圣诞传统"感谢每一位留下反馈意见的人，让这个故事更加精彩。如果有任何小马愿意为这次探险提供资金，可以通过Paypal将提示和备用信息发送到david13ushey@gmail.com。谢谢你的阅读。我希望它是令人愉快的。)(新注:此外，我有一个。所有的部分都有帮助。)
Music for the song:
这首歌的音乐:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTjLZLR67X8