“These ponies don’t want a party. These ponies want a PARRR-TAY!”
"这些小马不想开派对。这些小马想要一匹PARRR-TAY!"
“Get the lights,” I hissed, waving my hoof at the switch on the far side of the room. There were few ponies that could induce the same kind of bowel-loosening anxiety as the one with the dragon-killer cannons bolted to the sides of his armor. It wasn’t the weapons that made a terrified little pony in me scream and claw the walls, though; Deus had used guns like that, but he hadn't induced the same kind of terror Steel Rain did. The Seekers and the other Steel Rangers had both firepower and numbers, but I could handle that.
"开灯,"我嘶嘶地说，挥动着我的蹄子，踩着房间另一边的开关。没有几匹小马能引起像龙杀手的大炮固定在盔甲两侧那样的放松肠道的焦虑。然而，并不是武器让我心中的小马惊恐地尖叫和抓墙;天王曾经用过那样的枪，但他并没有制造出钢铁雨那样的恐怖。搜索者和其他钢铁游骑兵都有火力和人数，但我可以应付。
What scared me about Steel Rain was that he was a smart pony. He didn’t just charge after me screaming ‘CUNT’ and blowing holes in the countryside. He was deliberate and cautious and didn’t allow little details to slip by him, and, unlike Deus, he was a plotter and leader in his own right and on a far larger scale. On top of all that, the fact that he had blown my face off once already didn’t help.
钢铁雨让我害怕的是他是一匹聪明的小马。他不仅仅是冲着我大喊"婊子"和在乡下吹洞而来。他深思熟虑，谨慎小心，不让任何细节从他眼皮底下溜走，而且，与天王不同的是，他是一个策划者和领导者，在他自己的权利和更大的范围内。最重要的是，他曾经把我的脸轰掉过一次，这个事实已经帮不上忙了。
So as Stygius turned off the lights, I ducked down and watched nervously as the five spread out. Of course, the dimness wouldn’t do us that much good; one look at his E.F.S. would tell him where we were.
所以，当斯蒂吉乌斯关灯时，我低下头，紧张地看着五个人分散开来。当然，昏暗的光线对我们没什么好处;只要看一眼他的e.f.s就能知道我们在哪里。
Or would it? My E.F.S. was useless with all the spritebots milling around; his couldn’t be much better. We might have a chance here, slim as it was, to avoid a messy end. Okay... how, exactly? I needed options. Hide somewhere upstairs? He’d search it. Try to bolt out a window? They were all sealed and reinforced. Try to blow him up with the moonstone? I’d used up the flake of starmetal. Barring some exceptional shooting, I didn’t have any heavy weapons that would penetrate their armor.
或者是这样？我的e.f.s没有用，因为所有的spritebots到处乱转;他的e.f.s也好不到哪里去。我们在这里可能有一个机会，尽管机会很渺茫，可以避免混乱的结局。好吧...具体怎么做？我需要选择。躲在楼上什么地方？他会搜查它。试图从窗户逃跑？它们都是密封加固的。想用月光石把他炸飞吗？我用完了星星金属的碎片。除了一些特殊的射击，我没有任何重型武器可以穿透他们的装甲。
I needed better options.
我需要更好的选择。
“Dealer,” I said under my breath. “Hey, Dealer! I need to talk to you. Dealer! Please… Come on… you’ve been bouncing in and out of my consciousness for a month now. This time I need to talk to you!” Stygius gave me a worried look, clearly alarmed by this new crazy.
"经销商,"我低声说。"嘿，商人！我要和你谈谈。经销商！拜托...拜托...你已经在我的意识里进进出出一个月了。这次我要和你谈谈!"斯提吉乌斯忧心忡忡地看了我一眼，显然是被这种新的疯狂吓到了。
Outside, one of Steel Rain’s Rangers stepped forward, some kind of heavy-duty flamer on one side and a different-looking, longer-barreled kind of flamer on the other. Wasn’t one variety of fire-spewing weapon enough? Suddenly, sooty orange flames sprayed out in burning plumes that engulfed the spritebots. Dozens crackled and died by the second, their wings disintegrating in a shower of embers and their round bodies popping explosively. More rushed in to attack fruitlessly and met the same fate. The long grass disappeared in immense clouds of smoke, and the vacant birdhouses blazed brightly before tumbling apart. The fire washed over the windows, and I jumped back. The outside of the house wouldn’t catch fire, but that wouldn’t do us much good once the Rangers were inside.
外面，钢雨骑兵队的一个突击队员走上前来，一边是某种重型火焰筒，另一边是外观不同的长筒火焰筒。一种喷火武器还不够吗？突然，乌黑的橙色火焰喷出燃烧的羽毛，吞没了喷气式机器人。它们的翅膀在一阵余烬中瓦解，它们圆圆的身体爆炸性地弹出来。更多的人冲进去进行毫无结果的攻击，结果遭遇了同样的命运。长长的草在浓烟中消失了，空空的鸟舍在翻滚之前闪着明亮的光芒。火冲刷着窗户，我跳了回去。房子的外面不会着火，但是一旦游骑兵队进去了，那对我们就没什么好处了。
“Dealer!” I shouted.
"经销商!"我喊道。
Then I spotted a flicker. At first I thought it might be another vision, but then I saw the ghostly stallion appear. He looked older and more gaunt than usual. He strained and groaned as he looked at me. “Yes, Blackjack? What is it?”
然后我发现了一个闪光。一开始我以为是另一个幻象，但是后来我看到了那个可怕的种马出现了。他看上去比平时更老更憔悴。他看着我，紧张地呻吟着。"什么事，黑杰克？这是什么?"
I stared at him; it had never occurred to me that contact might be difficult for him. I’d always thought he just sat in my PipBuck and emerged whenever he wanted to mess with me. That he didn’t know what was going on also suggested that he wasn’t monitoring me every second. “We’re at Goldenblood’s house. I found it. But we’re about to be attacked by Steel Rangers and I need a back door out of this place.”
我凝视着他;我从来没有想到他可能很难与我联系。我一直以为他只是坐在我的皮普巴克里，每当他想耍我的时候就会出现。他不知道发生了什么，这也说明他没有时刻监视我。"我们在金血王的家里。我找到了。但是我们就要被钢铁游骑兵袭击了，我需要一个后门离开这里。"
“What?” His eyes widened. “How’d they get through the shield? Only designated ministry ponies can pass.”
"什么?"他的眼睛睁大了。"他们是怎么穿过防护罩的？只有部里指定的小马才能通过。"
“Maybe he’s got an Apple relative with him,” I countered. Heck, for all I knew Steel Rain himself could be a member of the family, maybe a descendant of Braeburn. Wouldn’t surprise me. “However they’re here, they’re here, and we need to not be.”
"也许他有一个苹果的亲戚和他在一起,"我反驳道。见鬼，据我所知，钢铁雨本人可能是家族的一员，也许是布雷伯恩的后裔。我一点都不惊讶。"不管他们在这里，他们在这里，我们不需要在这里。"
He closed his eyes a moment. “I really hoped you wouldn’t destroy it. Fluttershy loved that house.”
他闭了一会儿眼睛。"我真的希望你不要毁了它。小弗特希喜欢那所房子。"
He was concerned about the house? “Look, Dealer, I know it’s a nice house, but…”
他担心房子的事？"庄家，我知道这房子不错，但是......"
He gave a small sympathetic smile and nodded. “I know. Your enemies seldom give you a choice.” He flickered a bit; I wanted to ask if he was okay, but I had no idea how long we had till Steel Rain came knocking. “The T-51 armor has a serious spark vulnerability. It was something they were addressing in the T-54 models, but those never reached deployment. If you overload the generator attached to the water wheel, it should discharge a spark pulse. That should give you a chance to get away. There’s an access panel in the kitchen.”
他同情地微笑了一下，点点头。"我知道。你的敌人很少给你选择的机会。"他闪烁了一下;我想问他是否还好，但我不知道我们有多久钢铁雨来敲门。"T-51装甲有严重的火花脆弱性。这是他们正在解决的T-54型号，但那些从未达到部署。如果你超载发电机连接到水轮，它应该放电火花脉冲。这样你就有机会逃跑了。厨房里有一个通道板。"
“Okay! Great. Sounds like a plan.” I turned and took three steps towards the kitchen, then slowed before looking back at him. “And how exactly do I do that?” I asked sheepishly.
"好吧！太好了。听起来像是个计划。"我转过身，向厨房走了三步，然后放慢速度，回头看着他。"我到底该怎么做呢?"我不好意思地问。
The Dealer’s legs were fading from view. “Your friend’s ultrasonic voice should foul the crystals in the generator.” Suddenly he paused and looked at Stygius, then arched a brow at me; funny how he managed to pull off looking parental. “And Blackjack, was that really necessary?”
商人的双腿渐渐从视野中消失了。"你朋友的超声波声音会污染发生器里的晶体。"突然，他停下来看了看Stygius，然后皱了皱眉头看着我。"还有黑杰克，真的有必要吗?"
I flushed bright red; I could have died right there and then. Ugh, he’d been... while he... and I... UGH! And he wanted to discuss my sex life now? “Yes,” I said flatly, fighting the urge to shudder. Celestia, how did he do Mom’s ‘Look’? It was like finding out Mom had caught me fooling around on my shift. And Duct Tape had been so embarrassed too when she’d given a critique...
我的脸涨得通红，我差点就死了。呃他一直...而他...和我..。.啊！他现在还想讨论我的性生活？"是的,"我平静地说，克制着想发抖的冲动。塞莱斯蒂亚，他是怎么做妈妈的'看'的？这就像发现妈妈抓到我在轮班的时候鬼混一样。当她发表评论时，管道胶带也很尴尬。
He chuckled, shaking his head and smirking. “Glory is going to kill you.” I was about to ask why when a patter of spritebot parts against the window reminded us both that this was not the time. “The charge will build up till the crystals explode and let out a spark pulse. Then you run for your life.”
他咯咯地笑着，摇摇头，傻笑着。"晨辉会要了你的命。"我正要问为什么，这时窗户上的spritebot部件提醒我们，现在不是时候。"电荷会累积起来，直到晶体爆炸并产生火花脉冲。然后你逃命去了。"
“Great. Like that never gets old,” I said with a sigh, rolling my eyes a little. I actually got a laugh out of the Dealer.
"太好了。我叹了口气，转了转眼睛。实际上，《庄家》让我大笑了一场。
“Everypony in the Wasteland chases you, Blackjack. It’s your thing.” More of him faded away, curling off in misty tatters.
"荒原上的每匹小马都在追赶你，黑杰克。这是你的事。"更多的他消失了，蜷缩在雾蒙蒙的破布上。
“Are you okay?” I asked in concern.
"你还好吗?"我担心地问。
“It’s just… hard… to make contact when I’m not strong enough.” His voice became more strained as he disappeared from sight. “Please, try to spare the house…”
"只是......当我不够强壮的时候......很难......与人接触。"当他从视线中消失时，他的声音变得更加紧张。"求你了，别把房子弄脏了......"
Stygius was just staring at me with a baffled look. “Okay… something I left out… um…” How best to explain it? “I have a ghost that lives in my PipBuck.” Okay… now bafflement was turning to concern. “A helpful ghost of a pony that knows a lot of stuff…” And is infuriatingly slow to share it. “He says your sonic scream thing can foul the crystals in the generator and make it explode.” He blinked, scratched his chin, and then nodded with a smile. I could have kissed him. Again. It wasn’t just anypony who could take all the weird shit in my life and roll with it.
斯提吉乌斯困惑地盯着我。"好吧...有些事我没说...嗯..."怎么解释最好？"我的皮布克里住着一个鬼魂。"好吧...现在困惑变成担心了。"一个会帮忙的幽灵，一匹懂得很多东西的小马......"而且分享的速度慢得令人气愤。"他说你的声波尖叫装置会污染发电机里的晶体，使它爆炸。"他眨了眨眼，挠了挠下巴，然后微笑着点了点头。我本可以吻他的。再来一次。并不是所有的小马都能忍受我生活中所有的怪事。
We found the little access panel in the kitchen in the back wall, hidden behind the stove, after some frantic searching. The door was so tiny I wondered if Goldenblood employed colts to maintain it. I looked at Stygius. “Can you squeeze through there?” Maybe if he took off his armor… The batpony just snorted and waved his hoof dismissively as he nodded. “Okay. Make it overload and get clear.” And please don’t die.
经过一番疯狂的搜寻，我们发现厨房后墙上的小通道板就藏在炉子后面。门太小了，我怀疑金血王是不是雇了小马来维修。我看了看Stygius。"你能从那儿挤过去吗?"也许如果他脱掉盔甲......蝙蝠马喷着鼻息，轻蔑地摆动着蹄子，点了点头。"好吧。让它超负荷运转，让它变得清晰。"请不要死。
He struck another noble pose, and I gave him a hug before turning to my saddlebags. “Take care of your--” I said, then looked up for a moment. He was gone. “Self?”
他摆出另一个高贵的姿势，我在转向我的鞍囊前拥抱了他一下。"照顾好你的——"我说，然后抬起头来看了一会儿。他走了。"自我?"
I peeked through the open panel and saw him standing on the far side next to some equipment. Wow. I knew he was flexible, but…
我透过开放的面板偷看，看到他站在远处的一些设备旁边。哇。我知道他很灵活但是..。
Focus, Blackjack. I pulled out Vigilance, loaded the magazines with armor piercing rounds, and set the weapon on the kitchen island. Next the sword. The Ranger armor had all kinds of hoses and the like that I could target. Then the shotgun. I fished out every blue spark round I had and alternated them with explosive slugs. Hopefully I’d have a weapon left after this. Finally Duty and Sacrifice; well, they might be better than nothing. I stowed each weapon away. Right now I really wished I still had Taurus’s rifle. Actually, right now I wished I had one of those anti-machine rifles.
专心点，黑杰克。我拿出警惕，在弹夹里装满穿甲弹，然后把武器放在厨房岛上。接下来是剑。护林装甲有各种各样的软管和类似的东西，我可以瞄准。然后是猎枪。我把我身上所有的蓝色火花都掏了出来，然后用爆炸性的鼻涕虫轮流擦拭。希望这之后我还有武器。最后，责任和牺牲;好吧，它们可能比什么都没有要好。我把每件武器都藏了起来。现在我真的希望我还有金牛座的步枪。事实上，现在我希望我有一把反机枪。
Three pistols and a shotgun seemed pitiful compared to even one Ranger’s armament. I popped my E.F.S. on… and saw only five bars remaining. And they
三把手枪和一把猎枪，连一把巡逻兵的武器都比不上。我打开了e.f.s.，只剩下五格了。而他们
were standing right outside the front door. Funny... one of them was blue. I heard the door click and then slowly creak open as I ducked down. Heavy metal hoofsteps entered. All I had was the element of… oh shit. I heard the hollow, staccato rattle of a grenade machine gun going off.
就站在前门外面。有意思...其中一个是蓝色的。我听到门咔嗒一声开了，然后慢慢地嘎吱一声开了门，我低下身子。重金属步踏进来。我所拥有的只是...哦，该死。我听到手榴弹机关枪发出的断断续续的隆隆声。
Oh, this was going to suck!
哦，这下糟了！
The next instant I was racing around the kitchen island as the grenades exploded, the shrapnel ripping the cupboards into splinters, pulverizing the fine plates and sending the pots and pans flying. The Steel Ranger in the doorway traced after me, the stream of explosions tearing the walls apart, leaving shattered wood and spilling insulation in their wake. Smoke, dust, and powdered plaster filled the air as I floated the shotgun overhead and fired wildly at the Steel Ranger at the door. The explosive rounds blackened the metal and nothing else, and the spark rounds crackled over the armor but weren’t enough to shut it down.
手榴弹爆炸的那一瞬间，我正在厨房岛上飞驰，弹片把橱柜撕成了碎片，粉碎了精美的盘子，锅碗瓢盆都飞了出去。门口的钢铁骑兵在我身后追踪，一连串的爆炸声撕裂了墙壁，留下破碎的木头和散落的绝缘材料。烟雾，灰尘和粉状石膏弥漫在空气中，我把猎枪举过头顶，疯狂地向门口的钢铁骑兵开火。爆炸性的炮弹只把金属熏黑了，火花弹在装甲上空噼啪作响，但还不足以关闭它。
It did throw off his aim enough to buy me time, though; I leapt through the door to the library and rolled as two more grenades followed me through. I darted behind the heavy desk as they blew, peppering me with chunks of carpet and shards of metal. The sturdy wood seemed tougher than I expected, sheltering me from the storm of exploding bombs.
不过，他的目标确实偏离了，这为我争取到了时间。我从图书馆的门里跳了进去，又有两枚手榴弹跟在我身后，我滚了过去。他们吹气的时候，我飞快地躲到沉重的桌子后面，用大块的地毯和金属碎片刺激着我。坚固的木头看起来比我想象的要坚硬，它保护我免受炸弹爆炸的风暴。
Just as quickly as it started, the assault stopped. This was the part I dreaded. “Security,” Steel Rain said calmly. “The M.o.M. was notified of a Ministry Mare trespassing on a crime scene. You have no idea how glad I am that it was you. The Prophet was convinced you were hiding in the Mire or at Ironmare.”
就像它开始的那样快，攻击停止了。这是我最害怕的部分。"安全,"SteelRain平静地说。"m.o.m.接到通知说一个魔法部的母马闯入了犯罪现场。你不知道我有多高兴是你。先知相信你躲在沼泽或铁海里。"
“How’d you know?” I asked as I saw two bars moving towards the door.
"你怎么知道的?"我问，因为我看到有两个栅栏正在向门口移动。
“I suspected. You’ve proven remarkably adept at eluding pursuit,” he replied evenly.
"我怀疑。事实证明，你非常擅长躲避追捕,"他平静地回答。
“Gee, thanks,” I muttered. I couldn’t risk poking my head out. A red bar slowly moved around to the side; I could feel the hoofsteps through the floor. “Aren’t you going to ask me for EC-1101?” The bar stopped.
"哎呀，谢谢,"我喃喃自语。我不能冒险把头探出来。一根红棒慢慢地绕到旁边，我能感觉到穿过地板的马蹄声。"你不是要问我要EC-1101吗?"酒吧停了下来。
“I know you won’t surrender it to me.” I had to stall. I had to hope Stygius could do something with the generator. “However, now that I’ve seen this place’s defenses, I know that there must be something worthwhile here.”
"我知道你不会把它交给我。"我不得不拖延时间。我只能希望斯蒂吉乌斯能用发电机做点什么。"不过，现在我看到了这个地方的防御工事，我知道这里一定有值得留恋的东西。"
“How’d you get through the bubble?” I demanded.
"你是怎么通过这个泡沫的?"我问道。
“That hardly matters at the moment, correct? As I’m sure you’re tired of hearing, the Harbingers want that PipBuck. As a matter of fact, their leader wanted it even before you left your stable. I had to convince them to expand and get more organized. Establish combat teams. Use radios. Oh, what I could do with a year, their resources, and unrestricted command!” His voice strained with equal parts ambition and frustration.
"现在这些都不重要了，对吗？我相信你已经听腻了"先驱者"想要那辆PipBuck。事实上，他们的领导甚至在你离开马厩之前就想要了。我必须说服他们扩大规模，更有组织性。建立战斗小组。使用收音机。哦，我用一年的时间，他们的资源和无限制的指挥能做什么呢!"他的声音紧张，既有野心，也有挫败感。
Then he regarded me a moment and continued. “I, however, am willing to cut a deal. It’s rather straightforward and predictable, and I know you’ll decline, but I feel I should at least offer you your life for the device.” My mane was squirming so hard that I could practically feel anti-dragon rounds aimed at the desk. “I’d prefer that it be handed over intact.”
然后他打量了我一会儿，继续说道。"不过，我愿意达成一项协议。这是相当直接和可预见的，我知道你会拒绝，但我觉得我至少应该为你的设备提供你的生活。"我的鬃毛扭动得如此厉害，以至于我几乎可以感觉到反龙子弹瞄准了桌子。"我希望它能完好无损地交出来。"
He probably didn’t know if his artillery would damage it. A saving grace. For now; this was one time when the famed durability of PipBucks was against me. Come on, Stygius, please hurry… “Hmmm, let me think about it…”
他可能不知道他的大炮是否会毁坏它。可取之处。就目前而言，这是PipBucks著名的耐用性与我作对的时候。来吧，斯提格斯，请快点......"嗯，让我考虑一下......"
The red bar suddenly charged around the corner. I had only the soft huff of flame to give me warning that it was Flamers. As he came into view, I slipped into S.A.T.S. and blasted him with three perfectly aimed shots to the head, two explosive and one spark… that still did pretty much nothing against his armor. The explosions and crackling blue right in front of his face fazed him for a second, though, and that was a second I used to dive between his widespread forehooves just as one of the flamers poured fire beneath the desk!
红色的酒吧突然在拐角处冒了出来。我只听到轻轻的火焰声，警告我那是火焰筒。当他进入我的视线时，我溜进s.a.t.s，朝他的头部开了三枪，两枪爆炸，一枪火花......这对他的盔甲几乎没有什么影响。爆炸声和他脸前蓝色的噼啪声让他有一瞬间感到不安，就在那一瞬间，当一个火焰喷射器在桌子下面喷火的时候，我从他的前蹄间扑了过去！
Rolling out behind him, I stood and swapped to Vigilance. The pistol shots dinged the back of the helmet and hopefully made his ears hurt a little, but I’d be lucky if they did that much. That’s it. Next Seeker I came across, I was keeping their anti-machine rifle. This was ridiculous! I kept behind the Ranger with the flamer as he twisted this way and that, trying to line up a shot. At least he couldn’t attack me bac--
我从他身后滚了出来，站在他身后，换成了警惕。手枪的枪声打在头盔的后面，希望能让他的耳朵有点痛，但是如果他们这么做的话，我就很幸运了。就是这样。下一个我遇到的探索者，我留着他们的反机器步枪。这太荒谬了！我与火焰筒保持在游骑兵身后，因为他这样扭曲和那样，试图排列一个镜头。至少他不能再攻击我了
Oh, wow. Ranger power armor can applebuck. And it was an excellent method of travel, sending me flying like a cyber ragdoll across the room and into the bookshelf. The impact sent down a shower of books atop me as I sat in a heap at the bottom. I shook off the little orbiting Stygiuses in time to see the flamer pony wheeling around to face me, one of the weapons already starting to fire.
哇哦。游侠动力装甲可以苹果巴克。这是一种极好的旅行方式，让我像一个网络布娃娃一样飞过房间，飞进书架。当我坐在最下面的时候，这个冲击力把一大堆书冲下了我的头顶。我及时甩开了那些绕轨道飞行的小幽灵们，看到那匹火焰四射的矮种马转过身来面对我，其中一个武器已经开始发射了。
My horn flashed as I pulled every last book on the shelf I could down atop my head while the flamer spewed. The entire wooden cabinet crashed down atop me, burying me alive beneath broken wood and texts. I felt my whole world getting hot as I curled up beneath the books, wondering how many seconds this ‘protection’ would last. Flamers were really working their way up my list of most hated things ever.
当我把书架上的每一本书都拿出来的时候，我的号角在闪烁。整个木制橱柜砸在我身上，把我活埋在破木头和文字下面。当我蜷缩在书下时，我感觉整个世界都变热了，我想知道这种"保护"能持续多少秒。弗拉姆斯真的在我最讨厌的事情清单上排名靠前。
Then the fwoosh of the flamer was replaced by the crackle of burning books and bookcase as the stream was cut off. It was now or never! I exploded out from the heap of burning books and wood. My horn grabbed the flaming debris around me and threw it at the flamer pony in a fiery storm.
接着，当溪流被切断时，喷火器发出的嗖嗖声变成了燃烧书籍和书架的噼啪声。机不可失，时不再来！我从一堆燃烧着的书和木头中跳了出来。我的喇叭抓住我周围燃烧的碎片，在猛烈的暴风雨中向火焰般的小马扔去。
Of course, it didn’t do anything, but the smoking cloud obscured his vision enough that when he painted the wall with a second sheet of flame, his stream went high and wide; I was on my hooves and running, trailing a cloud of embers behind me. I darted for the door as I leapt through the smoke cloud… and skidded to a stop at the sight of the machine grenade pony standing in my way.
当然，这并没有起到什么作用，但是烟雾遮住了他的视线，当他用第二片火焰涂墙的时候，他的溪流越来越高，越来越宽。我穿过烟雾冲向门口......一看到挡在我前面的机器手榴弹小马，我就停了下来。
I backflipped away like a zebra -- and how in Equestria did my body pull that off?! -- just before the floor erupted in a burst of small explosions. I twisted in the air and landed on my hooves on the burning desk. A second jump took me to the only cover I could count on in the room: the back of Flamers. Grenades halted his fire as my fingers came out and grabbed the air hoses running alongside Flamers’s neck. He began to buck and kick wildly, spraying plumes of fire, but I was high enough on his back and metal enough to not cook… yet.
我像斑马一样后空翻----在Equestria我的身体是怎么做到的！——就在地板上爆发出一阵小爆炸之前。我在空中扭动着，四蹄着地，落在燃烧的桌子上。第二次跳跃把我带到了房间里我唯一能指望的掩护处:弗拉马斯的后面。手榴弹阻止了他的射击，我的手指伸了出来，抓住了弗拉马斯脖子旁边的空气管。他开始猛扑猛踢，喷出一缕缕火焰，但是我已经站得够高了，金属也够硬了，还不能做饭。
Grenades stepped back, and then the Ranger armed with miniguns stepped into his place. Suddenly my cover wasn’t as safe as I’d anticipated. Minigun opened fire, spraying Flamers with a rain of small caliber rounds that would do nothing to him and plenty to me. Burning was better than being perforated. I rolled off to the side, keeping Flamers between me and him as fire licked at my belly.
手榴弹退后，然后游骑兵与迷你步入他的地方。突然间，我的掩护身份不像我预期的那样安全了。迷你炮开火了，向弗拉姆斯连续射击小口径子弹，这些子弹对他毫无用处，但对我却足够了。燃烧比穿孔好。我滚到一边，把火焰杯挡在我和他之间，就像火焰舔舐我的肚子一样。
This was getting ugly.
事情越来越糟糕了。
Then Stygius appeared, flashing into view and smacking Minigun with all four hooves. It was about as effective as my shotgun, but it did stagger and distract the Ranger for a second. Then he turned to deal with the flying threat, and the danger the batpony had drawn away from me started threatening him. At least he was good at dodging. The thumping chatter of Grenades’s grenade machinegun
然后斯提吉乌斯出现了，闪进视野，用四只蹄子猛击迷你枪。它的威力和我的猎枪差不多，但它确实摇晃了一下，分散了护林员的注意力。然后他转过身去对付那个飞来的威胁，而那匹蝙蝠马带走的危险开始威胁他。至少他善于躲闪。手榴弹机枪的轰鸣声
reverberated in the far room. I had a few seconds to try and deal with Flamers. He was turning towards me, spraying a constant stream of fire across the back windows. If he couldn’t burn me, he’d simply cook the room.
在远处的房间里回响。我有几秒钟的时间来对付弗拉梅斯。他转向我，不断地向后窗喷射火焰。如果他不能烧死我，他就把房间煮了。
Wait. Where was Steel Rain? I looked around, and a tiny pink pony in my mind held a little felt (...felt?) arrow pointing at a red bar over in the workshop next door.
等等。钢铁雨在哪里？我环顾四周，脑海中浮现出一匹粉红色的小马驹，上面有一块小小的毛毡箭头指向隔壁车间的红色吧台。
Somehow, I didn’t see Steel Rain having the same aversion to causing friendly fire that Grenades had demonstrated.
不知何故，我没有看到钢铁雨有同样的厌恶造成友军火力，手榴弹演示。
I leapt as far across the burning floor as I could; direction didn’t matter. A second later, the wall between the rooms became one of pressure, debris, and noise that snuffed out some of the blaze and tossed me end over end. I didn’t know if Flamers took a direct hit or not, but he was buried under a heap of burning rubble. My body ached in pain from the concussion and burns as I slowly pushed myself to my hooves. I had to press on, a little white pony informed me. Hold on, endure, and be fabulous.
我纵身一跃，越过燃烧的地板;方向并不重要。一秒钟之后，房间之间的墙壁变成了压力、碎片和噪音，扑灭了一些火焰，把我从一头扔到另一头。我不知道弗拉马斯是否被直接击中，但他被埋在一堆燃烧的碎石之下。我的身体因为脑震荡和烧伤而疼痛，我慢慢地把自己推向我的蹄子。一匹白色的小马告诉我，我必须继续前进。坚持下去，忍耐下去，让自己变得美丽。
Steel Rain stepped through the hole he’d just blasted, his cannons ejecting the spent rounds and sending them flying back in great smoking arcs and bouncing into the room behind him. “Incredible. Just incredible. I’ve fought hellhounds less tenacious.” Those immense guns gave an ominously deep ‘thunk’, loading another pair of rounds. Trailing smoke and bits of flaming debris, I charged in the only direction left to me: straight at him.
钢铁雨穿过他刚刚炸开的洞，他的大炮发射出用完的子弹，让它们以冒着烟的巨大弧形飞回他身后的房间。"难以置信。太不可思议了。我和地狱犬战斗过，没那么顽强。"那些巨大的枪发出不祥的深沉"砰"的一声，又装上了一对子弹。尾随着烟雾和燃烧的碎片，我朝着唯一留给我的方向冲了过去:直冲向他。
I leapt at him a split second before he fired, the shockwave slamming into me as I wrapped my forelegs around his neck and grabbed the back of it with my fingers. The shells blew out a huge section of the wall; even the reinforced construction wasn’t enough to keep the house intact. I stared into his glowing eye panels and floated Vigilance up. Point blank, I emptied the remainder of the clip into his head.
在他开枪前的一瞬间，我扑向了他，冲击波击中了我，我用前腿缠住了他的脖子，用手指抓住了他的后背。外壳炸掉了墙壁的一大部分;即使是加固的结构也不足以保持房子的完整。我凝视着他发光的眼板，警戒心浮了上来。我直截了当地把弹夹里剩下的子弹都打进了他的脑袋。
I think I cracked the eye visor for my trouble. What, was his armor even tougher than the standard model?! Steel Rain didn’t banter or make some snide comment, nor was he going to let me reload or stay this close. Instead he turned and charged straight into the wall, smashing me through the layer of plaster, wood, and insulation and onto the stone behind. I heard parts inside me crunch and a pressure burst up my throat. I vomited a bloody foam over his face as I
我想我把眼罩给弄坏了。什么，他的盔甲比标准型号还坚固吗?！钢铁雨既没有开玩笑，也没有冷嘲热讽，他也不会让我重新装弹，或者就这么站在这里。相反，他转过身，径直冲向墙壁，把我从一层灰泥、木头和绝缘材料中撞了出来，撞到了后面的石头上。我听到我体内的零件嘎吱作响，一股压力从我的喉咙里迸发出来。我吐了一块血淋淋的泡沫在他脸上
struggled to push him away, breathe, or something.
挣扎着把他推开，呼吸什么的。
‘Something’ came in the form of the sword. I slashed at his neck, but though the edge was magically sharp and it did cut a line in his metal, it was far too little. Maybe if I had half a minute of him standing still, I could saw through. He wasn’t going to give me that. He reared back and rammed the wall again. I felt my vision start to go black. Then I slashed at the hoses leading towards the muzzle of his armor. The thick rubber, likely resistant to normal damage, parted under the sword’s edge like warm butter. I had no idea what harm I’d done to him, but hopefully it was something. I sliced the other one for good measure.
"某种东西"以剑的形式出现了。我在他的脖子上砍了一刀，但是尽管刀刃奇迹般地锋利，并且在他的金属上划出了一条线，但还是太小了。也许如果我有半分钟他站着不动的时间，我就能看穿他。他不会给我那个的。他后仰，再次撞向墙壁。我觉得我的视线开始变黑。然后我用水龙头猛砍他盔甲的枪口。厚厚的橡胶，可能抵抗正常的损害，下剑的边缘分开像温暖的黄油。我不知道我对他造成了多大的伤害，但是我希望我做了些什么。我把另一只也切成了薄片。
He moved back and charged one more time. I let go, falling beneath him as the Steel Ranger smashed clear through the wall. I fought to breathe; my vision was full of all kinds of damage alerts. I staggered out of the smoky room, needing a breather. Needing help. I found myself in the hazy workshop and collapsed. I had no idea if I could make myself regenerate faster. Probably not…
他后退了一步，再次冲锋。我松开了手，当钢铁骑兵穿过墙壁的时候，我掉到了他的下面。我挣扎着呼吸，我的视野里充满了各种各样的伤害警报。我摇摇晃晃地走出烟雾弥漫的房间，需要喘口气。需要帮助。我发现自己在朦胧的车间里晕倒了。我不知道我是否能让自己再生得更快。可能不会..。
From the living room came more shots and explosions. Tears ran down my sooty cheeks. I looked at my PipBuck. I set it to broadcast, closed my eyes, and then rasped out, “This is Blackjack. I need help. Please. I’m by Black Pony Mountain. Please, I need help now.” I could only pray that the Seekers didn’t know Blackjack was Security. Not that anypony else was likely to be in a position to get here in time, but I was out of ideas.
从起居室传来更多的枪声和爆炸声。泪水顺着我乌黑的脸颊滑落。我看了看我的PipBuck。我把它设置为广播，闭上眼睛，然后发出刺耳的声音,"这是黑杰克。我需要帮助。求你了。我在黑马山。求你了，我现在需要帮助。"我只能祈祷搜索者不知道黑杰克是安全的。并不是说其他人都能及时赶到这里，但是我已经没有办法了。
Stygius was suddenly by my side, so abruptly that it was like he appeared from thin air. He was coated in sweat, smoke and ash were spattered across his hide, and he had more than a few small holes in him. He held a healing potion in his mouth and firmly pressed it to my lips. I knew it wouldn’t do much for me, but I drank it anyway. It might not have instantly fixed crushed internal organs, but I had to admit that I did actually feel a little better.
斯提吉乌斯突然出现在我身边，出现得如此突然，就像从空气中凭空出现一样。他浑身是汗，烟雾和灰烬飞溅到他的皮肤上，身上还有几个小洞。他嘴里含着一剂药水，紧紧地按在我的嘴唇上。我知道它对我没什么用，但我还是喝了。它可能不会立即修复内部器官，但我不得不承认，我确实感觉好一点了。
“Thanks,” I coughed as I glanced around. Steel Rain had us cornered. Two Rangers were by the door and one was by the hole he’d blasted. “Any clue when that generator is going to overload?” The batpony shook his head. Then my eyes moved up and looked at the underside of the workbench. There was a little button there. Now why would Goldenblood have a hidden button on the underside of his workbench? It’d probably be the last question I’d get to ask, but it was one I could answer. I reached up with my hoof and smacked it.
"谢谢,"我一边咳嗽一边环顾四周。钢铁雨把我们逼到了绝路。两个游骑兵站在门边，一个站在他炸开的洞边。"知道发电机什么时候会超载吗?"蝙蝠马摇了摇头。然后我抬起眼睛，看着工作台的下面。那里有一个小按钮。为什么金血王的工作台下面会有一个隐藏的按钮？这可能是我问的最后一个问题，但这是我能回答的问题。我抬起我的蹄子拍了一下。
The floor fell out beneath me and suddenly I was tumbling down a flight of stairs. I finally reached the bottom, looking up at a smoky rectangle as Stygius darted through. I lay there a moment, my ribs aching and my lungs fighting for a few good breaths. On the wall beside me was another button, and I tapped it with my magic. The rectangle closed. Instantly the three bars upstairs began to mill about. Stygius helped me to my hooves.
我脚下的地板塌了下来，突然我从一段楼梯上摔了下来。我终于到达了底部，抬头看着一个烟雾缭绕的长方形。我在那儿躺了一会儿，肋骨疼痛，肺部挣扎着呼吸。在我旁边的墙上还有一个按钮，我用魔法轻轻地按了一下。矩形关闭。楼上的三个酒吧立刻开始转来转去。斯提吉乌斯帮助我恢复了蹄力。
Well now… wasn’t this interesting?
现在...这不是很有趣吗？
I groaned as I staggered forward into a large basement. There were chalkboards on the walls covered with lists, schematics, and numbers. Most were written in code. As my body repaired itself from being cooked and battered, I picked out a few. Zebra relocation and protection program. Infiltration of Dawn Bay base.
我摇摇晃晃地走进一个大地下室，呻吟着。墙上有黑板，上面贴满了清单、图表和数字。大多数是用代码编写的。当我的身体从被烹调和磨损中自我修复的时候，我挑选了一些。斑马搬迁及保护计划。晨曦湾基地渗透。
Tokomare resource allotment. Robronco resource acquisition. M.W.T. mergers. Blueblood’s social calendar. How were any of these important?
烟草资源分配。罗布朗科资源获取。合并。蓝血贵族的社交日历。这些有什么重要的？
Goldenblood had kept track of a great deal of Equestria; I wondered when he ever got around to sleeping…
金血王记录了许多Equestria的情况，我不知道他什么时候有时间睡觉.....。
In the corner were a number of terminals. When I approached, a little light flashed over one, and then swept over me in a shimmery wave. It passed over my leg, and then locked on my PipBuck. Then the screens began to flash to life one after the next. Four of them just displayed the O.I.A. logo: six circles with a ministry symbol inside each arranged in a ring surrounding an encircled moon. I noticed now how each ministry was cut off from the others, and from the central circle, linked only by the twisting lines. As if the O.I.A. wasn’t to bring the ministries together at all...
角落里有许多终端机。当我走近的时候，一盏灯在其中一盏灯上闪过，然后以微微发光的光波掠过我的身体。它越过我的腿，然后锁住了我的皮布克。然后屏幕开始一个接一个地闪现出来。其中四个只展示了o.i.a.的标志:六个圆圈，每个圆圈内都有一个部委标志，围绕着一个环绕的月亮排列成一个环。我现在注意到，每个部门都与其他部门和中心圈子隔绝开来，只有扭曲的线条连接在一起。好像战略情报局根本就不是要把各部门聚集在一起。
Then the middle screen went dark, and a few lines of text appeared.
然后中间的屏幕变暗了，出现了几行文字。
>EC-1101 status: Standby.
Ec-1101状态:待命。
>Ministry Credentials Established.
建立部级全权证书。
>Equestria Defense Status: Unknown Critical.
马术国防状况:未知危急。
>Palace Status: Complete.
宫殿状态:完整。
>Redoubt Status: Complete.
堡垒状态:完成。
>Tom: Complete. Charge 100%.
汤姆:完整。充电100%。
>Warning: Spark Flux Capacitors charge at 0%. Recharge Pending Activation.
警告:火花磁通电容器充电在0%。重新充电等待激活。
>Project Horizons Status: Standby.
项目视野状态:待命。
>Activate Project Horizons: Y/N?
激活项目视野:y/n？
I stared at the screen for almost a minute. I swallowed as I stared at the Y button. Wow... all I needed was to push one little button, and I’d know exactly what Goldenblood had planned. Just... just push the button... I almost did. I even moved my hoof over it... and a few weeks ago, I would have. But... I knew better. As much as I wanted to know what Horizons was, I didn’t want to find out the reckless way, just in case Sanguine was right and it blew up half the Hoof. I typed ‘N’ and hit enter. A moment later the text disappeared and I sighed. Must be getting old. I watched new words appear on the terminal screen.
我盯着屏幕看了将近一分钟。我盯着y型按钮，咽了一口唾沫。哇......我所需要做的就是按下一个小按钮，我就能准确地知道金血王的计划。只要...只要按下按钮...我差点就按了。我甚至用蹄子踩过它......几个星期前，我会这么做的。但是...我更清楚。虽然我很想知道地平线是什么，但我不想用这种鲁莽的方式去了解它，以防万一桑吉尼是对的，它炸掉了半个霍夫。我输入'n'然后按回车键。过了一会儿，文字消失了，我叹了口气。一定是老了。我看到新单词出现在终端屏幕上。
>Confirmed. Project Horizons Status: Standby.
确认。项目视野状态:待命。
>Warning: Project auto-activation in effect pending critical failure of EC-1101. Please update EDS as soon as possible. Auto-activation cannot be terminated if EDS is unknown.
警告:项目自动激活有效等待EC-1101的关键故障。请尽快更新EDS。如果未知EDS，则无法终止自动激活。
I tapped several keys that weren’t ‘Y’, but nothing happened aside from going back to the first prompt. I wanted to scream! What was the Palace? What was the Redoubt? Who the hay was Tom? What’s a Spark Flux whatchamacallit? What the hell was Project Horizons supposed to do?! I reconsidered my choice of not hitting yes just to see what would happen!
我敲击了几个不是y的键，但除了回到第一个提示之外什么也没有发生。我想尖叫！宫殿是什么？什么是堡垒？汤姆是谁？什么是火花助熔剂？地平线计划到底要做什么?！我重新考虑了我的选择，没有击中是，只是想看看会发生什么！
Fortunately, sanity prevailed, and I stepped back. When I moved away, the beam hitting my PipBuck winked out and the screen went dark.
幸运的是，理智占了上风，我后退了一步。当我离开的时候，打在我PipBuck上的光束突然消失了，屏幕也变黑了。
I sighed as I closed my eyes, hanging my head. Were there any answers? Or just more questions that lead to more questions that lead to still more questions? “Damn it…” I whispered to myself. Then Stygius tapped my shoulder, and I looked up in time to see more text appearing on the central terminal.
我闭上眼睛，低垂着头，叹了口气。有什么答案吗？或者只是更多的问题，导致更多的问题，导致更多的问题？"该死......"我低声对自己说。然后斯蒂金斯拍了拍我的肩膀，我及时抬起头，看到中央终端上出现了更多的文本。
> I KNOW YOU’RE IN A BAD WAY RIGHT NOW, BLACKJACK.
我知道你现在状态不好BLACKJACK。
I stared at the screen as a shocked stillness spread through me, raised a hoof
我盯着屏幕，一种震惊的寂静在我身上蔓延开来，抬起一只蹄子
toward the keys, and then slowly pulled it away.
然后慢慢地把它拉开。
I KNOW YOU’RE HURT, FRUSTRATED, AND TIRED. YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH. MORE THAN ANYPONY HAS A RIGHT TO. THEN YOU STAND UP ON YOUR HOOVES AND MARCH ON. BECAUSE YOU CAN. BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO.
我知道你很受伤，很沮丧，很累。你经历了那么多。比任何小马都有权利。然后你用蹄子站起来继续前进。因为你可以。因为你必须这么做。
I sat back, and for a moment there was no Steel Rain. No impending panic or terror or frustration.
我往后靠了靠，有一会儿没有下钢铁雨。没有即将到来的恐慌、恐惧或沮丧。
I PRAY THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE WHAT THE MINISTRIES FAILED TO DO TWO CENTURIES AGO. I HOPE THAT YOU CAN, BECAUSE SOMEPONY MUST. THE SINS OF THE PAST MUST BE ACCOUNTED FOR. THE MISTAKES MUST BE CORRECTED. ATONEMENT MUST BE PAID. EQUESTRIA NEEDS A SECOND CHANCE. RIGHT NOW, YOU AND OTHERS ARE CREATING THAT SECOND CHANCE. DON’T GIVE UP. I BELIEVE IN YOU, AND I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT.
我祈祷你能完成两个世纪前牧师们没有完成的事。我希望你可以，因为一些小马必须。过去的罪孽必须得到解释。错误必须改正。赎罪必须付出代价。小马国需要第二次机会。现在，你和其他人正在创造第二次机会。不要放弃。我相信你，我知道你能做到。
>SPIKE
长钉
I stared at the screen for almost a minute, fully numb. Then the text disappeared, only to be replaced by:
我盯着屏幕几乎一分钟，完全麻木了。然后文本消失了，取而代之的是:
>HIDE.
隐藏。
There was a resounding detonation, and for a moment I was certain that the generator had blown. Then it sounded again. The third time, the doors from the workshop blew inwards. Still, Spike didn’t understand you couldn’t hide from E.F.S.! No matter where we were in the room, they’d see our…
爆炸声很响，有那么一会儿，我确信发电机已经爆炸了。然后又响了起来。第三次，车间的门被风吹向里面。但是，斯派克不明白你躲不过E.F.S.！不管我们在房间的哪个角落，他们都会看到我们的..。
Wait. In the dark room, there were now suddenly a whole lot of blue bars. If they were blue to me, maybe they’d be red to the Rangers! The terminals stopped showing the logo and started showing scrolling technical data. Weird formulas. Things that looked like weapon schematics. So… that’s the plan. I tugged Stygius’s wing, and we scrambled behind some chalkboards in the corner as heavy hoofsteps descended the stairs. The first one down was Grenades, turning this way and that as he pointed at hostiles that weren’t firing yet.
等等。在黑暗的房间里，突然出现了许多蓝色的栅栏。如果他们对我来说是蓝色的，也许他们对游骑兵来说是红色的！终端不再显示徽标，开始显示滚动的技术数据。奇怪的公式。看起来像是武器结构图。这就是我们的计划。我拽了拽冥河的翅膀，我们爬到角落里的黑板后面，沉重的马蹄踏下楼梯。第一个倒下的是手榴弹，转向这边和那边，因为他指向的敌人还没有开火。
Then he looked over at the terminals. “Sir! You’re going to want to see this!” a mare shouted. Okay, so it was a little hard to tell genders in those suits.
然后他看了看终端。"先生！你一定想看看这个!"一匹母马大叫。好吧，所以穿着这些衣服很难分辨性别。
Steel Rain trotted down, his eyes immediately drawn to the chalkboards and then to the terminals. “What is this?” He breathed… heavily. With those hoses cut, I bet he wasn’t getting quite as much air as he would have liked. Slowly he walked over to the other Ranger next to the terminals. With their backs to us, we started inching towards the stairs.
钢铁雨小跑下来，他的眼睛立即吸引到黑板，然后终端。"这是什么?"他呼吸...沉重。由于水管被切断，我敢打赌他得不到他想要的那么多空气。慢慢地，他走向终端旁边的另一个游骑兵。他们背对着我们，我们开始向楼梯缓慢移动。
“Wait… this is a trap!” As he shouted, the schematics disappeared, replaced by the picture of a very ugly mule presenting his posterior, grinning as he looked back over his shoulder. There was a hiss and a pop as four turrets dropped from the ceiling, another four shot up from the ground, and all eight proceeded to pummel the pair with heavy machinegun fire!
"等等......这是个陷阱!"随着他的喊叫，电路图消失了，取而代之的是一头丑陋的骡子站在他身后的照片，当他回头看时，它咧着嘴笑着。四个炮塔从天花板上掉下来，四个炮塔从地面上升起，发出嘶嘶声和砰的一声，所有八个炮塔开始用重型机关枪猛击这两个人！
I ran for the stairs; as much as I’d have liked to stay and finish him off, even one hit from those cannons would paste both of us. And in the hidden room, those cannons were going off in a roaring cloud of slate and shrapnel. I sure hoped Stygius’s ears would be okay as we were blasted by the shockwave. Seriously, Rain. Get a minigun or something for indoor work.
我跑向楼梯，尽管我很想留下来干掉他，但只要被那些大炮打中一下，我们两个都会被打死。在密室里，那些大炮在石板和弹片组成的轰鸣云中爆炸。我当然希望斯提吉乌斯的耳朵没事，因为我们被冲击波击中了。说真的，小雨。买一把迷你枪或者其他适合室内工作的东西。
Together we burst out into the workshop. Minigun was kneeling next to Flamers in the blasted-out library. The orange mare had her helmet off, blood dripping from her ears and nose as she struggled to breathe. As soon as we emerged, Minigun swiveled to face us, standing between me and the injured Ranger. As much as I’d have liked to leap out the giant hole Rain had blown in the wall, the purring minigun motor dissuaded me. Besides, if she was in the library, that meant that the front door was open! Grinning, I raced into the living room.
我们一起冲进车间。在被炸毁的图书馆里，迷你枪跪在弗拉马斯旁边。橙色的母马摘下了她的头盔，血从她的耳朵和鼻子滴下来，她挣扎着呼吸。我们一出来，米尼冈就转向我们，挡在我和受伤的游骑兵之间。虽然我很想从雨水打在墙上的那个大洞里跳出来，但是发出咕噜咕噜声的迷你枪发动机劝阻了我。而且，如果她在图书馆，那就意味着前门是开着的！我咧着嘴笑着跑进了客厅。
Unless Steel Rain had been smart enough to bring reinforcements.
除非钢铁雨聪明地带来了增援。
Two more Rangers stood at the front door. One had a missile launcher and a grenade machinegun setup. The other had anti-machine rifles strapped to his sides. Already alerted by Minigun’s fire, the pair were bringing their weapons to bear as we charged out of the workshop.
又有两个游骑兵站在前门。其中一个有导弹发射器和榴弹机枪装置。另一个人身上绑着反机枪。在我们冲出车间的时候，这两个人已经收到了米尼冈火力的警报。
I changed course at once and darted for the first thing in front of me: the stairs. I doubted I’d outrun a missile’s blast radius, but there weren’t really many options besides running in the closest direction that was ‘away’. Then suddenly Stygius wasn’t above me anymore. The armored batpony disappeared, reappearing over Missile’s head. What was that?! Had he just teleported? Kicks rained down, and while he didn’t do much noticeable damage, it was hard to aim a rocket with
我立刻改变了方向，冲向我面前的第一样东西:楼梯。我怀疑自己是否能够超过导弹的爆炸半径，但除了朝最近的"远方"跑去之外，实在没有多少选择。突然之间，冥河不再凌驾于我之上。装甲战马消失了，再次出现在导弹的头顶上。那是什么?！他刚刚是不是瞬移了？脚踢雨点般落下，虽然他没有造成明显的伤害，但很难用它来瞄准火箭
somepony tapdancing on your head! The shot went low, exploding beneath the balcony and knocking me on my face.
在你头上跳踢踏舞！枪声很低，在阳台下爆炸，打在我的脸上。
I groaned as I lay there, sprawled out. “Really… I just want to check out of this funhouse…” I had a few seconds to compose myself, then the balcony jerked with a sharp crack. “Oh fuck no...” I groaned.
我躺在那里，四肢伸开，呻吟着。"真的......我只是想离开这个欢乐屋......"我有几秒钟的时间来平静自己，然后阳台猛地一声裂开。"哦，他妈的不......"我呻吟着。
The balcony walkway collapsed with a shredding of wood. I heard a scream beneath me, followed by a crunch, and I rolled several times to get clear of the flying debris, coming with my face towards the ceiling. I spotted Minigun lying there wearing the walkway like a mantle.
阳台上的走道被碎木片压塌了。我听到脚下传来一声尖叫，紧接着是嘎吱一声，为了躲开飞来的碎片，我翻了好几个身，脸朝着天花板。我看到米尼冈躺在那里，穿着像斗篷一样的走道。
“Kill her!” Steel Rain shouted from the workshop. Oh ponyfeathers, he did not sound happy at all. Stygius was keeping Missile occupied, swooping around his head and planting kicks and bucks. Anti-Machine, however, was free and clear to shoot at the mare lying on her back in front of him. Steel Rain came stomping out, and I was fairly certain he’d happily blast all four of us to finish me off.
"杀了她!"钢铁雨在车间里喊道。哦，马尾辫，他听起来一点也不高兴。斯提吉乌斯一直在拖住导弹，在他的头上盘旋，踢他一脚，踢他一脚。反机器，但是，是自由和清楚的射击母马躺在她的背部在他面前。钢铁雨跺着脚走了出来，我相当肯定他会很高兴地轰掉我们四个，把我干掉。
I needed more gun. ...And I had it right in front of me! I reached out and grabbed AM’s hoses with my fingers. Had he lowered his head, I would have been screwed. However, he pulled back, and that yanked me towards him. Kicking and scrambling, I spun around on my back beneath him, putting my hands where his forelegs met his body and my rear hooves to the sides of his pelvis. Setting myself, I grit my teeth and heaved AM completely off the ground!
我需要更多的枪。就在我面前！我伸出手，用手指抓住了AM的水管。如果他低下头，我就完蛋了。然而，他后退了一步，把我拉向了他。我又踢又爬地转过身来，背对着他，把我的手放在他的前腿和身体相接的地方，后蹄放在他的骨盆两侧。我咬紧牙关，把AM完全抛离地面！
His legs kicked wildly as I turned him to face directly towards the pony with the cannons and the shot-up armor. I grinned from ear to ear, looking at Steel Rain from upside down. My horn glowed as I reached up to the trigger mechanisms and fired the elevated Ranger’s weapons as fast as I could. Even Steel Rain’s armor couldn’t take that. AM’s guns were loaded with armor piercing and incendiary rounds; just right for your local cyberpony. My aim was shit, but my luck wasn’t; two shots hit home, biting deep into his chest and neck, and even Steel Rain was forced to take cover as I finally saw blood! Damn, he was a tough son of a mule, though; multiple anti-machine rifle hits and he hadn’t dropped? Still, if he could bleed, he could be beaten! He could be killed... if only he didn’t have a bunch of other ponies trying to kill me first!
他的腿疯狂地踢，因为我把他转向面对着小马与大炮和射击装甲直接。我咧开嘴笑了起来，头朝下看着钢铁雨。我的号角发光，因为我达到了触发机制，并开火提高游骑兵的武器以我可以尽快。就连钢铁雨的盔甲也承受不了。Am的枪上装满了穿甲弹和燃烧弹，正适合你当地的赛博马。我的瞄准很糟糕，但我的运气并不好;两枪击中了他的家，深深地刺穿了他的胸部和颈部，就连钢铁雨也不得不躲起来，因为我终于看到了血迹！该死，他是一个顽固的骡子的儿子，虽然，多次反机器步枪击中，他没有下降？但是，如果他能流血，他就能被打败！他可能会被杀死...如果他没有一群其他的小马要先杀死我的话！
“Stygius! The door!” I shouted. I couldn’t turn AM the full ninety degrees to shoot Missile as well. So instead I ejected his ammo magazines, lowered my
"斯提吉乌斯！门!"我喊道。我不能把AM调整到九十度来发射导弹。所以我打开了他的弹药杂志，降低了我的
hind legs, and gave his nethers a sharp kick to occupy his time before I heaved him off to the side. I really had no clue if I did any harm, or even if AM had anything there to harm in the first place, but it was better than nothing. Just trying to buy myself time. The dusky batpony blinked over to the door in a flash of blackish-purply light and yanked it open, and I rolled and half jumped, half fell outside. I just had to find out how he did that trick! Later... when I wasn’t running for my life.
在我把它举到一边之前，它的下部猛烈地踢了一脚来打发时间。我真的不知道自己是否做了什么坏事，甚至不知道当初我是否做了什么坏事，但总比什么都没做好。只是想给自己争取点时间。那匹黑色的蝙蝠马在一道暗紫色的闪光中向门口眨着眼睛，猛地把门打开，我翻了个身，一半跳了起来，一半摔在了门外。我只是想知道他是怎么做到的！后来...当我不再逃命的时候。
A missile blasted the door closed behind me, and I slowly rose on wobbly legs. Okay, I was outside. Now if that generator would just overload… I could hear some kind of electrical crackle and an ominous hum rising from the water wheel. If I could just get out of here, I’d be one happy pony.
一枚导弹炸开了我身后关上的门，我摇摇晃晃地慢慢站起来。好吧我当时在外面。现在，如果发电机超负荷的话......我可以听到某种电子的爆裂声和从水轮中发出的不祥的嗡嗡声。如果我能离开这里，我会是一匹快乐的小马。
And of course there was another Ranger outside.
当然，外面还有一个游侠。
“Oh come on!” I shouted as I pointed my shotgun at her and unloaded four rounds before I realized something was wrong. She wasn’t defending herself. Hell, she wasn’t even armed; what sort of Steel Ranger wasn’t armed? She just stood there. Was there anypony actually inside this thing? The armor moved, tracking me… so there did have to be somepony in there. But wh--
"哦，得了吧!"我大声喊道，用我的猎枪指着她，在我意识到不对劲之前，我已经开了四枪。她不是在自卫。见鬼，她甚至没有武器;什么样的钢铁骑兵没有武器？她只是站在那里。这东西里面真的有小马吗？盔甲在移动，跟踪着我......所以里面一定有小马。但是..
Unfortunately, the Ranger outside did have one potent weapon after all: she’d delayed me. The front of the house blew out in a great wave of reinforced debris that landed on me and the unarmed Ranger alike with a heavy crunch. Steel Rain stepped out through the dust cloud, his once magnificent armor now quite shot to hell but already slowly repairing itself, pink light smoothing the holes punched in his chest. “You’ve caused everypony quite enough trouble, Security.” He ejected the spent cannon rounds as he stepped out. Stygius landed next to me, shifting the rubble so I could crawl free.
不幸的是，外面的护林员毕竟有一个强有力的武器:她拖延了我的行程。房子的正面被一大片加固过的碎片炸毁，伴随着嘎吱一声，落在我和手无寸铁的游骑兵身上。钢铁雨穿过尘雾走出来，他曾经辉煌的盔甲现在已经完全被射向地狱，但已经在慢慢地修复自己，粉红色的光线抚平了在他胸口打出的洞。"你给每个小马都惹了不少麻烦，保安。"他走出去的时候把用完的炮弹弹出去了。冥河降落在我身边，移动着碎石，这样我就可以自由地爬行。
“You’re just forgetting one thing,” I said as I saw the blue glow coming through the broken wood paneling around the water wheel.
"你只是忘了一件事,"我说，因为我看到蓝色的辉光透过破碎的木镶板周围的水轮。
Steel Rain loaded two shells as Missile and Grenades stepped out with him.
钢雨装载了两个炮弹作为导弹和手榴弹步出与他。
Their weapons trained on me. None of them were biting...
他们的武器瞄准了我。没有一个是咬人的。
“The T-51 armor has a nasty vulnerability to spark discharges,” I said with a grin. Then I glanced at the corner of the house, where things were glowing and crackling, and then back to him. Standing on the porch, the three glanced at each other. “A discharge… like the one that needs to happen… right now!” Still
"T-51装甲有一个令人讨厌的弱点，以火花放电,"我说，与微笑。然后我瞥了一眼房子的角落，那里的东西在发光和噼啪作响，然后回到他身边。三个人站在门廊上，相互瞥了一眼。"开除......就像需要马上开除一样......就现在!"不过
nothing. The three looked right at me, weapons trained. I sighed and sat, throwing my hooves wide. “I give up. You win,” I said in disgust at whatever higher power had missed the perfect chance to blow the generator. “You may now proceed with the gloating and the explanation of your nefarious plot.” Maybe humor would buy me the time I needed?
没什么。他们三个看着我，武器训练有素。我叹了口气，坐了下来，把蹄子伸得很宽。"我放弃了。你赢了,"我厌恶地说，因为上级错过了引爆发电机的绝佳机会。"你现在可以继续幸灾乐祸地解释你的邪恶阴谋了。"也许幽默能为我争取到足够的时间？
But Steel Rain wasn’t in a particularly expository mood. All three pointed their weapons at me. “Try not to scrap the leg.”
但是《钢铁雨》并没有处于一种特别的解释性的情绪中。三个人都用枪指着我。"尽量不要弄断腿。"
“Death from above!” came a scream. The Steel Rangers looked up in time to receive a faceful of Rampage. The striped mare smashed into the trio like a wrecking ball. She’d replaced her armor with a suit of reinforced steel and battered, sharpened spikes. She set her hoofclaws into the decking and slammed Steel Rain with a clawed applebuck upside his face that dented his armor. “That’s for Mallet.”
"从天而降的死亡!"尖叫声响起。钢铁游骑兵及时抬起头来，脸上堆满了暴怒。那匹有斑纹的母马像破碎球一样猛烈地撞向三人组。她把盔甲换成了一套加固的钢铁和磨损的锋利的钉子。她把蹄爪伸进甲板，用一只有爪子的苹果鹿砸向他的脸，砸中了他的盔甲。"这是为了Mallet。"
Then there was the resounding crack of an anti-machine rifle above me, and Grenades reeled back as the side of her helmet nearly came off. I looked up at the shining horn of Lacunae. A PipBuck gleamed on her hoof as she dropped down beside me. “Sorry we are late.”
接着，我头顶上方传来一支反机枪响亮的爆裂声，她头盔的侧面几乎脱落，手榴弹也跟着向后退去。我抬头看着那闪闪发光的裂隙之角。一只小公鹿倒在我身边，蹄子上闪着微光。"对不起，我们迟到了。"
“But how… the shield…” I muttered weakly.
"但是怎么......那个盾牌......"我微弱地咕哝着。
“Damn it. I should let you die, Blackjack! I bet Rampage you’d be crying for help inside a day!” Psychoshy yelled as she darted down and smashed her hooves against Missile. The power hooves on the ends of her legs flashed, knocking the Ranger back through the door. “Now I got to pay this cunt a thousand caps that I don’t have! You owe me a thousand caps, Blackjack!”
"该死。我应该让你死，黑杰克！我敢打赌，不出一天，你就会哭着求救了!""心理害羞"一边大叫一边冲下去，用蹄子猛撞导弹。她双腿两端的马蹄闪烁着光芒，把护林员推回门外。"现在我得给这个混蛋一千顶帽子，而我没有！你欠我一千个帽子，黑杰克!"
“Gotta love Psychie’s logic,” Rampage laughed as she continued to slam against Steel Rain, keeping his cannons off me. “I gave you your power hooves back, didn’t I?” she said as she shoved his barrels away from Lacunae and me. He responded by smashing her face with a swing of his armored head. She grinned even wider as the two struggled against each other.
"我喜欢心理学家的逻辑,"狂暴笑着说，她继续猛击钢铁雨，让他的大炮远离我。"我把你的马蹄还给你了，不是吗?"她一边说，一边把他的木桶从我和拉库尼面前推开。他的反应是用他那装甲似的脑袋猛击她的脸。她笑得更开心了，因为两个人正在互相争斗。
“Only ‘cause I called in a favor with Hammersmith. Honestly, Rampage, how you blow up metal armor is beyond--” The mare swooped into the air in preparation for another dive and suddenly found herself face to face with the dusky Stygius. She froze hovering there as she stared into his eyes. “…me?”
"只是因为我找了哈默史密斯帮忙。老实说，狂暴，你怎样炸毁金属盔甲是超越了——"母马俯冲到空中准备下一次俯冲，突然发现自己面对着阴暗的冥河。她凝视着他的眼睛，呆若木鸡地徘徊在那里。"...我?"
Stygius blinked and then gave a small smile. I stared up at the two through the hazy, smoky air as the yellow pegasus actually blushed. She was fidgeting! Right now in the middle of a battle. “Um… hi,” she said as she looked at him. “I’m… ah…” and then she muttered something.
斯蒂吉乌斯眨了眨眼，然后露出了一丝微笑。我透过朦胧的、烟雾弥漫的空气凝视着他们俩，黄色的飞马脸红了。她坐立不安！现在正在打仗。"嗯......嗨,"她看着他说。"我......啊......"然后她咕哝了几句。
“She does this now?” Lacunae asked in my mind. She carefully aimed another shot at Grenades, who took cover inside the house. I got to my hooves, my whole body numb.
"她现在这么做了?"空隙在我的脑海里问道。她小心翼翼地瞄准手榴弹，手榴弹躲进了房子里。我的蹄子都麻了，全身都麻木了。
Missile seemed to feel the same way as she began to fire her grenade machinegun up at the two. They darted away, the yellow mare glaring down at the Ranger. “Hey!” Psychoshy’s wings snapped her into a dive that she pulled up from just in time to streak a foot above the ground. “I’m talking…” she screamed as she swooped up in an uppercut. “…to a really…” she continued as she rose up and smashed her rear hooves into Missile’s face. “…hot guy here!” The pegasus pirouetted in the air and brought her front hooves down on top of his head. “So piss off!” she finished as the Ranger collapsed in a heap. Then she darted back up to the stunned Stygius and said shyly, “So… ah… um… What’s your name?”
导弹似乎也有同样的感觉，因为她开始发射她的手榴弹机枪向两个。他们飞奔而去，那匹黄色的母马怒视着游骑兵。"嘿!""疯婆子"的翅膀啪的一声使她俯冲起来，刚好飞到离地面一英尺的高空。"我在说话......"她尖叫着猛扑上钩拳。"......真的......"她继续说着，站起身来，用后蹄猛击导弹的脸。"...这里的热家伙!"飞马在空中以脚尖旋转，前蹄落在他的头顶上。"滚开!"她说完了，突击队员倒在地上。然后她飞快地跑回被打晕的冥河，害羞地说,"那么......啊......嗯......你叫什么名字?"
I doubted Stygius would have been able to answer, even if he could talk. But when Anti-Machine stepped out the gaping hole in the front and leveled his barrels at the mare, the batpony darted down as a shadowy blur and tagged all four hooves against his head, staggering the Ranger. From the shades of red the pair were turning as he flew up again, I was pretty sure there wasn’t going to be another chance of fun with him for me.
我怀疑即使斯蒂吉乌斯能说话，他也不会回答。但是当反机器人从前面张开的洞口走出来，把枪口对准母马时，蝙蝠马突然变成一个模糊的影子冲了下来，用四只蹄子顶着他的头，摇晃着游侠。当他再次飞起来的时候，从红色的阴影里，这对搭档转过身来，我非常肯定，再也不会有机会和他一起玩了。
“We need to get out of here,” I said as I saw Minigun joining the fight. The instant one of them distracted Rampage, we were going to get hit by Rain’s cannons. For a moment, I took in the scorched grass and blackened, blasted-out front of the house. It didn’t look all that different from the rest of the Wasteland now. There were fires licking the upper stories. I imagined the unused nursery burning up, and my gut clenched. Nothing stayed good in Hoofington. Nothing beautiful.
"我们需要离开这里,"我说，我看到迷你枪加入战斗。他们一转移狂暴的注意力，我们就要被雷恩的大炮击中了。有那么一会儿，我看到了枯萎的草地，房子前面已经被熏黑了。它看起来和现在的废墟没有什么不同。火势蔓延到了楼上。我想象着闲置的婴儿房被烧毁，我的肠子紧紧地攥在一起。在Hoofington没有什么是好的。没什么好看的。
The battle was a lot more even now but still precarious. The Rangers had both firepower and resilience on their side, but now instead of running me into the ground, they had to pay some care towards their own defense. Lacunae and I kept up a rain of fire, Rampage struggled with Steel Rain, and Psychoshy and
这场战斗现在更加激烈了，但仍然岌岌可危。流浪者队拥有强大的火力和顽强的韧性，但是现在他们不但没有把我压倒在地，反而更加注重自己的防守。空隙和我持续着火雨，狂暴与钢铁雨搏斗，心理害羞和
Stygius darted above them and rained down lightning kicks when their guards were down. Lacunae’s anti-machine rifle and S.A.T.S.-enhanced marksponyship proved devastating as she stood magnificently within her shield. She and I blasted anypony that poked their heads out at us. They started getting smarter, though, moving in unison and firing at us in pairs so we couldn’t keep them pinned.
斯蒂吉乌斯飞身越过他们，在他们的后卫倒下时，连珠炮似地踢了他们一脚。Lacunae的反机器步枪和s.a.t.s增强的市场赞助证明了毁灭性，因为她辉煌地站在她的盾牌。她和我轰掉所有探出头来看我们的小马。他们开始变得越来越聪明，尽管，移动的步调一致，并射击我们成对，所以我们不能保持他们被牵制。
Then Flamers came around the side of the house and hosed both Rampage and Steel Rain in a sheet of flame. The former’s grip slipped a moment, and Steel Rain gave a great heave, smashing her to the ground. Then he turned towards us. “Teleport us out. Now!” I said in a rush.
然后弗拉姆斯来到房子的一边，用一片火焰冲洗暴怒和钢铁雨。前者的手滑了一下，钢铁雨猛地一举，把她摔在了地上。然后他转向我们。"把我们传送出去。现在!"我急急忙忙地说。
“If I could do that, I would have before now. I can’t teleport through that field,” Lacunae said as she turned her rifle on Steel Rain. The Rangers, however, as if aware their leader’s guns were about to be brought to bear, came out and fired as one. Lacunae focused, her shield flickering wildly at the firepower pouring down upon it. Anti-Machine and Minigun sent up a barrage at Stygius and Psychoshy; the pair of fliers darted about crazily. Despite their efforts, though, a line of minigun bullets stitched from Psychoshy’s shoulder to her flank, amazingly not killing her but still sending her tumbling wildly and screaming as she tried desperately to get away before the weapon pulped her completely.
"如果我能做到这一点，我早就做到了。我无法通过那片空地瞬移,"拉库娜一边说着，一边把步枪对准了钢铁雨。然而，游骑兵队，似乎意识到他们的领导人的大炮即将投入使用，一起出来开火了。空隙聚焦着，她的盾牌疯狂地闪烁着倾泻而下的火力。"反机关枪"和"迷你枪"向Stygius和"心理害羞"发起了猛烈的攻击，两架飞机疯狂地四处乱窜。尽管他们尽了最大的努力，但还是有一排迷你枪子弹从她的肩膀射向了她的侧腹，令人惊讶的是，这些子弹并没有杀死她，但仍然让她疯狂地翻滚和尖叫，因为她试图在武器完全击中她之前逃脱。
Stygius jumped through the air, blinking short distances in flickers of shadow to move beneath her and catch her in his hooves. The tough mare turned even redder; fortunately, her embarrassment wasn’t going to last longer than a few more second--
斯提吉乌斯在空中跳跃，闪烁着短距离的影子，在她身下移动，用蹄子抓住她。坚强的母马变得更红了;幸运的是，她的尴尬不会持续超过几秒钟
Wait… what was that buzzing noise?
等等...那个嗡嗡声是什么？
From the waterwheel area and the holes in the house’s walls came a blue glow and an increasingly sharp, crackling buzz. Even Steel Rain paused, looking towards the source of the sound. Then everything went white.
从水车区和房子墙上的洞里传来蓝色的光芒和越来越强烈的噼啪作响的嗡嗡声。就连钢铁雨也停了下来，看着声音的来源。然后一切都变白了。
~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~
I knelt in the middle of a hotel room in a Manehattan skyscraper, wearing a maintenance uniform. “Serve Princess Luna well, and she will forgive your sins. Serve Princess Luna well, and she will forgive your sins,” I repeated over and over again in a frantic whisper. The desperation in my voice bordered on madness as I rocked slowly back and forth. Then the clock chimed ten, and I
我穿着维修工的制服，跪在曼哈顿一幢摩天大楼的旅馆房间中央。"好好侍奉卢娜公主，她会原谅你的罪过。好好伺候卢娜公主，她会原谅你的罪过。"我一遍又一遍地疯狂地低声说。当我慢慢地来回摇摆时，我声音中的绝望接近疯狂。然后时钟敲了十下
rose to my hooves. I turned and looked out the window towards the mountains of Canterlot and the rising sun beyond. “Please forgive me.”
升到我的蹄子。我转过身，望着窗外的坎特罗特山和远处冉冉升起的太阳。"请原谅我。"
I walked to the telephone. My horn glowed, and I lifted the receiver, spun the dial, and closed my eyes. A second or two later, a mare answered in a tense voice that suggested she’d been crying. “Hello? Pumpkin Cake.”
我走向电话机。我的喇叭闪闪发光，我拿起话筒，转了转盘，闭上了眼睛。过了一两秒钟，一匹母马用紧张的声音回答，好像她刚才在哭。"喂？南瓜蛋糕。"
“Hi, Pumpkin. It’s me,” I said in a low, rushed voice. “Listen. I can’t talk now, but it’s important that you and Pound get out of there now. Get someplace safe, like a stable, right now.”
"嗨，小南瓜。是我,"我用低沉而急促的声音说。"听着。我现在不方便说话，但是你和庞德必须马上离开那里。马上找个安全的地方，比如马厩。"
“What?” the mare gasped. “I can’t. Things are crazy over here right now. I think Pinkie has finally snapped. She’s been ranting about arresting ponies right and left! And they’re taking down Four Stars as we speak! Pinkie’s trying to purge the M.o.M. now that Teacher’s in prison, and we’re just trying to hold everything together!” I looked out the window at the great big Pinkie Pie balloons floating above the streets; huge, decapitated heads of the Ministry Mare.
"什么?"母马倒抽了一口气。"我不能。现在这里一片混乱。我想平奇终于崩溃了。她一直嚷嚷着到处抓小马！就在我们说话的时候，他们正在拿下四星！现在老师进了监狱，平奇正在努力清除作案手法，而我们正在努力把一切团结在一起!"我向窗外望去，看到巨大的粉红派气球飘浮在街道上空;巨大的、被斩首的海洋牧师的头颅。
“Listen to me, Pumpkin. Please… listen. You can’t worry about Pinkie or Teacher now. You can’t worry about anything except getting yourselves to safety. Do you understand? Get out of there in the next half an hour if you want to live,” I said with terrible evenness as I looked out at the pink hub building.
"听我说，小南瓜。拜托...听我说。你现在不用担心平奇或老师了。除了保证自己的安全，你什么都不用担心。你明白吗？如果你想活命的话，就在半小时内离开那里。"当我看着外面粉红色的中心大楼时，我说道，语气极其平衡。
There was a tight silence on the other end. “What’s going on? Is this an O.I.A. thing? Does this have anything to do with the sabotage in our hub last night? What’s happening?” There was a mirror over the desk that I peeked at. I looked into my own sad blue eyes and closed them again. Then, calmly and deliberately, I hung up the phone.
电话那头鸦雀无声。"怎么回事？这是o.i.a.的问题吗？这和昨晚我们中心的破坏活动有关吗？发生了什么事?"桌子上方有一面镜子，我偷看了一下。我凝视着自己忧伤的蓝眼睛，再次闭上。然后，我冷静而有意地挂断了电话。
Five seconds later it rang again. I stood there for a half dozen rings, then picked it up. Garnet, her voice edged with malice, said immediately, “You’re lucky we’re in the endgame and they’re not a priority, idiot, or I’d have you kill both of them yourself. Partypooper is activated. Your alpha target was Twilight Sparkle, but our sources say she’s in Maripony. So alpha is now Pinkie Pie. After that, confirm that everypony on the list is removed. You’ve taken steps with the M.o.M. hub?”
五秒钟后，电话又响了。我在那儿站了半打响指，然后捡起来。加内特的声音带着恶意，立刻说,"你很幸运，我们在最后阶段，他们不是优先考虑的，白痴，否则我会让你亲手杀了他们两个。派对舞会开始了。你的首要目标是紫悦但我们的线人说她在Maripony。所以阿尔法现在是小指派了。之后，确认列表中的每个pony都被删除了。你已经采取行动了?"
“Yes, but--”
"是的，但是——"
“Good. Now do your duty, Agent.”
"很好。现在履行你的职责吧，探员。"
I shuddered. “And then Luna will forgive me?”
我打了个寒战。"那么卢娜会原谅我吗?"
“Sure. Whatever. We’ve received confirmation that the ministries are colluding with the zebras. If we’re quick, we can wrap this up without a slaughter. Now get to it and start eliminating those traitors.” And then the mare hung up.
"当然。随便了。我们已经得到证实，这些部门正在与斑马勾结。如果我们动作够快，我们可以不用杀戮就把这件事了结了。现在行动起来，开始消灭那些叛徒。"然后母马挂了起来。
What was a few more deaths to a soul stained black with sin? But Luna would forgive me. She was my only hope.
对于一个被罪恶玷污的灵魂来说，多死几次算得了什么？但卢娜会原谅我的。她是我唯一的希望。
I sighed and stood, trotting to the door. I walked down the hall, through a door, and into a maintenance hallway. When I reached a cargo elevator, I rode it upward. It pinged, and two more ponies trotted in. Both wore uniforms similar to my own.
我叹了口气，站在那里，小跑向门口。我穿过大厅，穿过一扇门，来到一个维修走廊。当我到达一个货物升降机，我乘坐它向上。它砰的一声响了，又有两匹小马跑了进来。他们都穿着和我一样的制服。
“I tell you, something is going on. I heard Stable-Tec put out a priority alert!” the green stallion said cautiously. “You have to admit it, Pokey. This last week has been weird.”
"我告诉你，肯定发生了什么事。我听说Stable-Tec发出了优先级警报!"绿色的种马小心翼翼地说。"你必须承认，波基。上周的情况很奇怪。"
“Don’t give me more of your conspiracy theories, Evergreen. If you tell me one more story of secret O.I.A. plots, space aliens abducting ponies, or zebra death curses, I swear I’m going to scream,” the blue stallion said with a roll of his eyes.
"别再跟我说你的阴谋论了，常青树。如果你再告诉我一个关于o.i.a.密谋、外星人绑架小马或者斑马死亡咒语的故事，我发誓我会尖叫的,"这匹蓝色种马转着眼睛说。
“Look, this is different. I mean, a priority alert? That means get to the stables now,” the green stallion with a pine tree on his flank said, trotting nervously in place. “And Twilight’s in Maripony doing something big. How do we know it’s not related to the alert?”
"看，这是不一样的。我是说，优先警报？这意味着现在去马厩,"身旁有一棵松树的绿色种马说，紧张地小跑着。"《暮光之城》在马里波尼做了一件大事。我们怎么知道它与警报无关呢?"
The blue unicorn with a safety pin on his flank snorted and shook his head. “Yeah yeah, Evergreen. Just like last month. Just another one of their drills.” The unicorn looked back at me, and I froze. “Hey, what do you think? Is something going on, or not?”
那只蓝色的独角兽身上夹着一个安全别针，哼了一声，摇了摇头。"是的，是的，常青树。就像上个月一样。这只是他们的又一次演习。"独角兽回头看着我，我愣住了。"嘿，你觉得怎么样？到底发生了什么，还是没有?"
I didn’t answer. Shouldn’t answer. “If you have any loved ones, call them. Tell them to get to safety. Now,” I whispered as my horn glowed faintly; barely a shimmer.
我没有回答。不应该回答。"如果你有心爱的人，打电话给他们。告诉他们去安全的地方。"现在,"我低声说，我的号角微微发亮，几乎没有一丝微光。
They looked at each other. “Hey, I don’t know you. You new?” the green stallion asked with a worried frown. “I thought they froze all transfers.”
他们面面相觑。"嘿，我不认识你。你是新来的?"绿色的种马愁眉苦脸地问。"我以为他们冻结了所有转账。"
“Please. Tell them to get into the stables, underground, or to the M.A.S. hub,” I murmured, my voice straining. “Please…”
"求你了。"告诉他们到马厩里去，地下的，或者去m.a.s.中心,"我低声说，我的声音很紧张。"请......"
“I think we need to contact secur--” was as far as the blue stallion got before the knives left their sheathes on the inside of my forelegs. A blade struck with inerring precision into his left eye. The blue stallion jerked as if electrified as the other knife pressed against Evergreen’s throat. The first blade twisted in the socket, and the blue unicorn collapsed in a heap. I left the blade in his eye socket for now to keep most of the mess inside as I contemplated the other stallion.
"我认为我们需要联系secur——"这是那匹蓝色种马在刀子留下它们的护套在我前腿内侧之前所能得到的最远距离。一把刀刃慢慢精确地刺进了他的左眼。当另一把刀抵住常青树的喉咙时，那匹蓝色的种马猛地抽搐起来，好像通了电似的。第一把刀在插座里扭曲了，蓝色的独角兽倒在一堆东西里。我暂时把刀片留在他的眼窝里，以便在我凝视着另一匹种马的时候，把大部分乱七八糟的东西留在里面。
“Oh Celestia… oh Luna… oh please…” Evergreen begged as he lost control of his bladder and wet his coveralls. “I have a son… please… I have a son…”
"哦，天堂......哦，露娜......哦，拜托......"长青失去了控制，尿湿了他的工作服，乞求道。"我有一个儿子......请......我有一个儿子......"
I hesitated. Kill him, training said. Kill him, and Luna will forgive. Kill him so he can’t give alarm. Kill him because, in the long run, what does he matter? What’s another life? Pokey’s was over, cut short by me and my inability to compose myself, knowing what I knew, and trying to give warning. Everything I was told me to kill Evergreen. Everything but one small part.
我犹豫了一下。杀了他，训练师说。杀了他，卢娜就会原谅你。杀了他，这样他就不会报警了。杀了他，因为从长远来看，他有什么意义？什么是另一种生活？波基酒吧结束了，被我打断了，我无法镇静下来，知道我所知道的一切，并试图发出警告。他们让我干掉常青树的一切。除了一小部分。
“Get to your son and get to safety. That’s all that matters now. Understand?” I said softly. He sobbed and nodded so fast he looked as if he were going to snap his head clear off. I pulled a mirror from my pocket and used it to peek down the hall at a sensor camera. A second later, several wires were unplugged from the back.
"去找你的儿子，到安全的地方去。现在这才是最重要的。明白吗?"我轻轻地说。他抽泣着，快速地点着头，看起来好像要把脑袋拧下来似的。我从口袋里拿出一面镜子，用它向大厅里的传感器摄像头瞄了一眼。过了一会儿，几根电线从后面拔了出来。
“What’s happening… what…” begged the stallion.
"发生什么事了......什么......"种马央求道。
“Something bad,” was all I said. I bit the back of Pokey’s collar and pulled him into the short hall. Maybe he’d warn somepony rather than getting his son. Maybe I’d just killed both of them. Serve Princess Luna well, and you will be forgiven. It was my only chance. My only hope.
"不好的事情,"我只说了这么一句。我咬住波基的领子，把他拉进矮厅。也许他宁愿警告某个小马也不愿带走他的儿子。也许我把他们俩都杀了。好好伺候卢娜公主，你就会得到宽恕。这是我唯一的机会。我唯一的希望。
I pulled Pokey’s body to the door leading out to the roof, making sure the blood oozing from the hole in his face soaked into his barding. Once on the roof, I plugged the wires back into the camera. No need to send a maintenance pony if it wasn’t broken. Leaving the corpse on the roof, tucked in a corner out of view, I trotted over towards a stack of crates beside the broadcast dish. One was slightly off from the rest. I fished out a key and opened the crate.
我把波基的尸体拖到通往屋顶的门口，确保从他脸上的洞里渗出的血渗进他的帐篷里。一上屋顶，我就把电线插回相机里。如果它没有坏，就没有必要送一匹维修小马。把尸体留在屋顶上，藏在一个看不见的角落里，我小跑着走向广播天线旁边的一堆板条箱。其中一个与其他人稍有不同。我掏出钥匙打开了板条箱。
Inside was a suit of black riot armor and a rifle case. I flipped it open and looked
里面是一套黑色防暴装甲和一个步枪箱。我把它打开看了看
at the gleaming, finely-machined pieces. The morning light shone off the scope’s lens. I levitated out the pieces and with care and finesse slowly screwed them together into a rifle longer than my body. My magical grip didn’t waver in the slightest as I trotted to the edge and knelt down. I saw the distant pink tower of the Ministry of Morale hub and opened the breech. The butt had lines carefully cut into it, one for each sin I’d committed. The once-smooth surface was rough and jagged.
那些闪闪发光的精密机械零件。晨光从显微镜的镜头上射了出来。我小心翼翼地将这些碎片悬浮起来，然后慢慢地将它们拧成一支比我身体还长的步枪。当我小跑到边缘并跪下时，我的魔力抓地力丝毫没有动摇。我看到了远处士气部枢纽的粉红色塔楼，打开了后膛。屁股上小心翼翼地刻着线条，一条代表我犯下的每一项罪行。曾经光滑的表面是粗糙和锯齿状的。
The bullets were large, familiar, hateful things. I lifted one and examined the runes that would allow it to bypass normal materials and armor. I slid it home. Magical talismans in the weapon would assist its propulsion and path through the air. My StealthBuck activated, and both I and the gun disappeared. With practiced ease, I lowered the scope to my eye and peered through.
子弹是大的，熟悉的，可恨的东西。我举起一个，并检查了符文，将允许它绕过正常的材料和装甲。我把它推回了家。武器中的魔法护身符可以帮助它在空中推进和移动。我的隐形巴克启动了，我和那把枪都不见了。我熟练地把瞄准镜放到眼前，仔细地观察着。
The magical scope peeled away the facade of the building, and I looked through the walls to the ponies within. Their images were so clear, I could almost pick out conversations from the movements of their lips. Panic, worry, and alarm consumed the M.o.M. hub. I swept through the familiar architecture; I’d studied every inch of it. Been inside several times.
神奇的视野揭开了建筑的正面，我透过墙看到了里面的小马。他们的形象是如此清晰，我几乎可以从他们嘴唇的动作中分辨出对话。恐慌、担忧和警报吞噬了m.o.m中心。我扫视了这座熟悉的建筑;我仔细研究了它的每一寸。我进去过好几次。
Then I found the office I’d wanted. The mare inside, a pink mare with a messy pink-and-gray-striped mane, paced back and forth. She swung her head wildly, her lips working as she talked to herself. I slipped into practiced calm, pushing it all away. She was plotting a coup; Twilight and all her friends were. Their elimination was a sad necessity to secure Luna’s rule.
然后我找到了我想要的办公室。里面的母马是一匹粉红色的母马，鬃毛是粉灰色的，乱糟糟的，来回踱步。她疯狂地摇晃着脑袋，嘴唇在自言自语。我悄悄地进入练习的平静，把一切都推开。她在密谋政变;暮光和她所有的朋友都在密谋政变。为了确保卢娜的统治，消灭他们是可悲的必要之举。
Serve Luna well, and you will one day be forgiven.
好好伺候卢娜，总有一天你会被原谅的。
I followed her pacing. Back and forth. Back and forth. I timed it. It was something I was always good at; I never had much in the way of magic, but I had the faith to take the shot and the knack of knowing exactly when and where the bullet would be. Back and forth. Back and forth. The familiar stillness passed through me as I put the crosshairs where she would turn. It’d be a second and a half for the complete turn. I licked my lips.
我跟着她踱步。来来回回。来来回回。我计时了。这是我一直擅长的事情;我在魔术方面从来没有太多的经验，但是我有信心开枪，并且知道子弹准确的时间和地点。来来回回。来来回回。当我瞄准她转身的地方时，熟悉的寂静穿过我的身体。完全转弯需要一秒半。我舔了舔嘴唇。
Pinkie Pie suddenly stopped, her eyes wide and staring as she looked around. I’d been warned about this: no doubt she was sensing something. A wobbly leg, a twitchy ear, or a creepy flank… something warning her of her impending demise. I kept the crosshairs on her head as she stared straight ahead, tears
小手指派突然停了下来，她的眼睛睁得大大的，盯着四周看。有人警告过我这一点:毫无疑问，她感觉到了什么。一条摇摇晃晃的腿，一只颤抖的耳朵，或者一个令人毛骨悚然的侧腹......这些东西警告她即将死亡。当她泪流满面地直视前方时，我把瞄准器对准了她的头
running down her cheeks. There was a look of horror on her face I’d never seen before. I had to wonder what it was like to know you were about to die. Would she call for help? She had to die before she could warn Twilight and the others that Luna was moving against them.
顺着她的脸颊流下。她脸上有一种我从未见过的恐惧表情。我不得不想知道知道自己即将死去是什么感觉。她会呼救吗？她必须先死，然后才能警告暮光和其他人卢娜正在向他们逼近。
As soon as the Ministry Mares were taken out, government forces would take over the M.o.M., M.A.S., and M.o.A. Ponies loyal to the Princess would be installed. Then the zebra forces would be annihilated in an overwhelming preemptive strike. So much had to happen, and in such a short time. If it was true that the Ministry Mares were actually conspiring with the enemy to depose the Princess and surrender to the zebras, there was no telling what might happen. One Ministry Mare had already given the enemy the means to make megaspells. The M.A.S. hub would be secured rather easily; Maripony would be far more challenging, but the M.A.S. wasn’t an army. Even the M.o.A. and Shadowbolt Tower wouldn’t stand long on their own.
一旦魔法部的母马被拿下，政府军将接管m.o.m，m.a.s，和m.o.a忠于公主的小马将被安置。然后斑马部队将被消灭在压倒性的先发制人的打击。在这么短的时间里，发生了这么多事情。如果这是真的，部长马里斯实际上是阴谋与敌人罢免公主和投降斑马，有没有告诉什么可能会发生。一个魔法部的母马已经给了敌人制造巨盾的手段。M.a.s.中心很容易获得保护;马里波尼则更具挑战性，但m.a.s.不是一支军队。即使是m.o.a.和暗影螺栓塔也无法独自屹立太久。
Pinkie Pie was no longer frantic. She wasn’t springing for the phone. In fact, she wore an expression that was almost… happy. She’d taken a figurine from her desk and hugged it to her chest as she looked at me. Right at me! I was so shocked that I pulled my eye from the scope. Then I looked back. She smiled so terribly sadly, her blue eyes shimmering with tears and regret, but happiness too. Her mouth moved silently. For a moment, I almost aborted. I should contact command and confirm.
小手指派不再慌乱了。她不是冲着电话来的。事实上，她的表情几乎是......快乐的。她从办公桌上拿了一个小雕像，看着我，把它抱在胸前。正对着我！我震惊得把眼睛从显微镜里拉了出来。然后我回头看。她悲伤地笑了，蓝色的眼睛闪烁着泪水和悔恨，但也幸福。她的嘴巴静静地动着。有那么一会儿，我几乎流产了。我应该联系指挥部确认一下。
Then I looked again at the old mare with the candy-cane-striped mane. ‘Please.’ Her mouth moved as she hugged the little statue tightly, slumped in the corner. ‘Please. I don’t want to burn.’
然后我又看了看那匹有着甘蔗条纹鬃毛的老母马。求你了当她紧紧地拥抱那座坐落在角落里的小雕像时，她的嘴动了起来。""求你了。我不想被烧死
I stared for a second longer, looking Pinkie Pie in the eyes. I’d never looked in the eyes of my target and seen into their heart. It would be simple. I’d take a breath, let it out, and pull the trigger. The gun was precisely engineered, enchanted to be completely silent, and accelerated the bullet even more than the explosive inside the shell.
我盯着小指派的眼睛又看了一秒钟。我从来没有看过我的目标的眼睛，也没有看过他们的心。这很简单。我会深吸一口气，释放出来，然后扣动扳机。这种枪经过精心设计，施了魔法使其完全无声，并且比弹壳内的炸药更能加快子弹的速度。
Still I hesitated as I stared at the weeping, pleading mare. How many had I killed, and I hesitated now? But I had my orders! Partypooper was active and the list of ponies that had to die was out. I had to kill her! I watched the stricken mare, and in my nervousness, said quietly. “Forgive me, Luna, for I have taken the life of anoth--”
我看着那匹哭泣、哀求的母马，仍然犹豫不决。我杀了多少人，现在我犹豫了？但是我有我的命令！派对舞会很活跃，需要死亡的小马的名单被删除了。我不得不杀了她！我紧张地看着受惊的母马，平静地说。"原谅我，卢娜，因为我夺走了别人的生命——"
A horrible warmth bloomed on my features and I stared -- a second sun lit up the sky, expanding outwards from the direction of Cloudsdale. A crackle of magical static fouled the precise calibrations of the scope. All I could do was watch Pinkie weep, or laugh, it was impossible to tell which anymore.
一股可怕的温暖在我的脸上绽放，我凝视着——第二轮太阳照亮了天空，从Cloudsdale的方向向外扩展。一阵不可思议的静电干扰了瞄准镜的精确校准。我所能做的就是看着小指头哭泣，或者大笑----再也分辨不出是哪一个了。
No. We were too late. We were all too late. The ministries had made their move.
没有。我们来晚了。我们都来晚了。各部已经采取了行动。
I raced to my gear and threw it on. The M.A.S. shield rose up to full emergency strength around me as I put on the headset already piggybacked into the EBS network. “Control. Control! Come in please. We have a Celestia-level event in Cloudsdale! I repeat, a Celestia level event... in…”
我赶紧穿上我的装备。当我戴上已经搭载进EBS网络的耳机时，m.a.s.防护罩在我周围全速升起。"控制。控制！请进。我们在Cloudsdale有一个天堂级别的活动！我重复一遍，天堂级别的活动......在......"
There was a second sunrise today in Manehattan. A great roiling ball of green and red fire that seemed to seek out the buildings and their inhabitants. It spread in all directions, like burning water gushing through the canyons of the city. The flames swept up to the flickering shield around the tower. Don’t look… a tiny voice warned me. Don’t look…
今天在Manehattan又出现了第二次日出。一团红绿相间的巨大火球似乎在寻找建筑物和它们的居民。它向四面八方蔓延，就像燃烧的水流过城市的峡谷。火焰蔓延到塔周围闪烁的盾牌上。别看......一个微弱的声音警告我。别看..。
But I brought the scope up and looked. And that tiny voice… that vital little voice… died inside me. The scope filtered out the dazzling glare of the flames so that I saw everything in perfect clarity. I watched ponies burning alive in the streets as they tried to scramble for safety. I watched a mare with mane and tail aflame streaking down the street as her coat burned away. I saw a family cower together in a bathroom as the fire seemed to sniff them out, flooding the buildings and roasting them alive. I swept my scope to the M.o.M. building. The weakened shields had failed at the base, and the fire was pouring in. The shield acted like a chimney, drawing the flame upwards and incinerating everypony inside.
但是我拿起望远镜看了看。那个微弱的声音...那个充满活力的声音...在我体内死去。望远镜过滤掉了耀眼的火焰，所以我看到的一切都非常清晰。我看到小马在街上被活活烧死，它们试图寻找安全的地方。我看见一匹有鬃毛和尾巴的母马在街上飞奔，她的外套烧掉了。我看到一家人蜷缩在浴室里，火似乎嗅出了他们的气味，淹没了建筑，活活烧死了他们。我把望远镜扫到了m.o.m.大楼。减弱的护盾在基地失效了，火势正在蔓延。盾牌就像烟囱一样，把火焰往上吸，把里面的小马都烧成灰。
Pinkie had known. She’d known. And now she was burning...
平奇早就知道。她早就知道。现在她正在燃烧..。
There was no reply from Control. Cut off? Destroyed? It didn’t matter. I had a mission to do; I’d sworn to serve the Princess. Partypooper was active, and it was my duty to make sure that everypony on my list was eliminated. I’d go to Hoofington first. There were at least two targets there. Then Maripony, if it was still standing.
总管没有回复。切断？被毁了？没关系。我有一个任务要完成，我发誓要为公主服务。派对狂欢者很活跃，我的职责就是确保我名单上的每一匹小马都被淘汰。我会先去Hoofington。那里至少有两个目标。然后是马里波尼，如果它还在的话。
I disassembled the weapon and packed it away. I had a long way to go before I earned my forgiveness and a lot more ponies to kill in the meantime. I rode the cargo elevator to the basement, ignoring the shouts and screams of the residents
我拆开了武器，把它装起来。在我赢得原谅之前，我还有很长的路要走，同时还有很多小马要宰。我乘坐货运电梯到了地下室，对居民们的叫喊置之不理
and workers echoing through the tower. I reached the bottom, a room full of straining generators, and my radiation meter began to crackle. I chewed down a tablet of Rad-X.
工人们的声音在塔里回荡。我到了楼下，一个装满了过滤发电机的房间，我的辐射测量仪开始劈啪作响。我咀嚼了一片Rad-X。
“You there! Halt! Who--” a mare in a maintenance suit shouted. Without hesitating, without even thinking about it, I drew my IF-44 submachine gun and put a three round burst in her chest. A curious hollowness filled me as I trotted over her body and walked to the door, entering a security bypass password that opened to a tunnel filled with magical radiation, reeking smoke, and screams. It was a promise of what was to come if I did not serve and receive absolution for my sins.
"你！站住！"谁——"一匹穿着维修服的母马喊道。我毫不犹豫，毫不犹豫地拔出我的IF-44冲锋枪，向她的胸口连开了三枪。当我小跑过她的身体，走向门口时，一种好奇的空虚感充斥着我，我输入了一个安全密码，这个密码通向一个充满魔法辐射、烟雾和尖叫声的隧道。这是一个承诺，如果我不为我的罪行服务并得到赦免，那么将会发生什么。
~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~
I felt the dream fade away and simply lay there, sprawled on my side. I could hear a distant klaxon blaring annoyingly over the hiss of the Hoofington rain and picked up a mare’s voice talking in low tones.
我感到梦想渐渐远去，只是躺在那里，四肢伸开地躺在我身边。我可以听到远处的喇叭声刺耳而恼人地盖过了胡芬顿雨的嘶嘶声，还听到一匹母马低声说话。
“…just lying there. What if she’s, like, dead?” Psychoshy asked.
"...就躺在那里。如果她死了怎么办?"心理害羞问道。
“For the hundredth time, she’s fine, Psycho. You were closer to death than she was. You’re lucky Lacunae got to you before you were, like, dead,” Rampage said. “She’s half machine, and that spark discharge did to her what it did to the Rangers. Lacunae’s confirmed she’s dreaming. Her systems will repair themselves. If she’s not awake in an hour, we’ll head over to the Collegiate. Maybe they can do something for her.”
"我说了一百遍了，她没事，神经病。你比她更接近死亡。你很幸运，在你死之前，拉古内找到了你,"狂暴说。"她是半机器人，那火花对她的影响就像对流浪者队一样。Lacunae确认她在做梦。她的系统会自我修复。如果她一个小时内没醒过来，我们就去Collegiate。也许他们能为她做点什么。"
I cracked my eye open. We were in another Robronco dealership; the smashed robot displays were everywhere. A campfire crackled merrily in one corner, and Rampage was roasting radroaches over the flames. Water poured in ribbons through holes in the roof and snaked over the filthy tiles between rusting piles of scrap. A strange blue-purple luminescence glowed through the grimy front windows. I looked around at other signs of habitation; ancient graffiti spray-painted on the wall read ‘Fuck the Gearheads.’ Bullet holes decorated the walls, and ancient Stable-Tec mattresses lay around the fire.
我睁大了眼睛。我们在另一家Robronco汽车经销店，到处都是被砸坏的机器人显示器。在一个角落里，一堆篝火愉快地噼啪作响，狂暴的人正在火焰上烤着草耙。水从屋顶上的洞里流进缎带，蜿蜒流过生锈的废料堆之间肮脏的瓦片。一束奇怪的蓝紫色光线透过脏兮兮的前窗照射进来。我环顾四周，看到了其他居住的迹象:墙上喷着古老的涂鸦，上面写着"去他妈的汽车迷"墙上装饰着弹孔，火堆周围放着古老的Stable-Tec床垫。
I closed my eyes and tried to think a moment though the staticy, scratchy feeling in my head. Another dream of the black mare. A mare who by now I had a sneaking suspicion was Psalm. Between that dream I had in the canyon, the vision of her in the war room, and what I’d seen just now... it was too much to be
我闭上眼睛，试着想一想我头脑中那种静止的、发痒的感觉。又一个关于黑色母马的梦。这时我暗暗怀疑的一匹母马是诗篇。我在峡谷里做的那个梦，她在作战室里的幻象，还有我刚才看到的一切......这一切太难以承受了
a coincidence. The thing was, I had no idea why I would have a Marauder in my dreams. The one back in Goldenblood’s house had been a lot more abstract and...
一个巧合。问题是，我不知道为什么我的梦里会有一个掠夺者。Goldenblood房子里的那个要抽象得多..。
dream-ish than this one, as if my brain was trying to do... something! It was like Psalm herself been put inside me; more than just a memory orb. Unicorn magic could extract memories from other ponies; could it also put memories into another pony? Triage had warned me that mucking around with memories was dangerous...
比这个更像做梦，好像我的大脑正在做...什么事情！这就像诗篇本身被放在我体内，而不仅仅是一个记忆宝球。独角兽魔法可以从其他小马身上提取记忆，也可以把记忆放到另一匹小马身上吗？伤检分类法曾警告过我，乱搞记忆是危险的.....。
Ugh... I really needed to talk to a smart pony about this. And take some Med... er... hope the headache passed quick. I opened my eyes again and slowly sat up. “Sweet Celestia… that discharge packed a punch.” I shook my head and then looked at my friends. “Did we win? Tell me you splatted Steel Rain.” I knew I couldn’t kill a helpless enemy, but I doubted that Psychoshy or Rampage would hesitate to finish off the rogue leader.
呃...我真的需要和一匹聪明的小马谈谈这件事。吃点药...呃...希望头痛快点好。我再次睁开眼睛，慢慢地坐起来。"甜甜的天堂......那发出了一记重拳。"我摇了摇头，然后看着我的朋友们。"我们赢了吗？告诉我你溅上了钢铁雨。"我知道我不能杀死一个无助的敌人，但是我怀疑精神病或者狂暴会犹豫要不要干掉那个流氓头领。
Rampage finished chewing a mouthful of radroach and swallowed. “Hey Blackjack,” she said. Then, a moment later, she admitted with a sheepish smile, “It was a draw. We were all set to play can opener when the Seekers arrived. Like… all of them. We flew the heck out of there. Then the rain picked up, so we holed up in here,” she said as she trotted closer. “So… how are you, Blackjack?” she asked in concern. “When you left, we were afraid you were about to spit your bit.”
狂暴咀嚼完一口雨伞，咽了下去。"嘿，黑杰克,"她说。过了一会儿，她羞怯地笑着承认:"打平了。当搜索者到达的时候，我们都准备玩开罐器。比如...他们所有人。我们飞离了那里。然后雨开始下起来了，所以我们就躲在这里,"她一边说一边小跑着走近。"那么......你好吗，黑杰克?"她关切地问道。"当你离开的时候，我们担心你会泄露你的秘密。"
I sighed, stood, and shook myself. My combat armor reeked of smoke. I was going through armor something crazy; this had to be my sixth or seventh set. I rubbed my face… good, at least that hadn’t burned away. Then I saw that my tail was singed short. I sighed again and shook my head. “You were right to be worried. I… I wasn’t in a good way, Rampage. At all. I had a lot of junk I was trying to run away from.” I sighed and looked at her with a sheepish smile. “Stuff that… well… you were trying to get me to deal with.” Psychoshy scowled at me, then muttered to herself as she glared out the glowing windows.
我叹了口气，站起来，摇了摇自己。我的战斗装甲散发着烟味。我穿着盔甲，有点疯狂，这一定是我的第六或第七局。我擦了擦我的脸...很好，至少没有烧掉。然后我看到我的尾巴被烧焦了。我又叹了口气，摇了摇头。"你担心是对的。我。.我当时情况不太好，狂暴。完全没有。我有很多垃圾想要逃避。"我叹了口气，带着羞怯的微笑看着她。"那些......嗯......你想让我处理的事情。"心理恐惧症患者瞪着发光的窗户，对我皱起眉头，然后喃喃自语。
“So... I have to ask... how’d you find me?” I asked, sitting down next to Rampage. “I mean, I really needed help, but I didn’t expect anypony to just appear from nowhere. Particularly any of you.”
"那么......我不得不问......你是怎么找到我的?"我坐在暴怒旁边问道。"我的意思是，我真的需要帮助，但我没想到会有小马凭空出现。尤其是你们中的任何一个。"
“Well, we had it worked out. Scotch put Glory’s PipBuck on Lacunae, and she scooped up a drum of radioactive waste to dump on herself. Your tag thingy was already loaded.” Rampage chuckled. “Scotch Tape’s been listening for you... for
"嗯，我们已经计划好了。苏格兰人把晨辉的皮伯克放在拉古尼身上，然后她铲起一桶放射性废料往自己身上倒。你的标签已经上膛了。"狂暴轻声笑了起来。"苏格兰录音带一直在等你.....
anypony, really, since you left us at the medical center. DJ Pon3 is off the air for some weird reason, so she did something to her PipBuck to make it scan for transmissions. Soon as you started talking, she rushed downstairs crying that you were dying.”
Anypony，真的，自从你把我们丢在医疗中心。由于某种奇怪的原因，DJPon3停播了，所以她对她的PipBuck做了一些改动，使它能够扫描传输信息。你一开口，她就跑下楼哭着说你快死了。"
“Yeah, but how’d she teleport here?” I asked in confusion.
"是的，但她是怎么瞬移到这里的?"我困惑地问。
“Oh, that’s simple. You mentioned Black Pony Mountain in your message, and we could see that your tag was nearby. I’ve been to the area before, so she magicked the location right out of my skull. Then she rolled around in that waste for five minutes, grabbed me and Psychoshy here, and poofed to the other side of Hoofington.”
"哦，这很简单。你在信息中提到了黑马山，我们可以看到你的标签就在附近。我以前去过那个地方，所以她用魔法把那个地方从我的头骨里取出来了。然后她在垃圾堆里转了五分钟，抓住我和这个神经病，然后飞快地跑到胡芬顿的另一边。"
“Yeah. ‘Cause I really wanted to help you,” Psychoshy muttered, rolling her eyes.
"是的。"因为我真的很想帮你,"心理害羞嘟囔着，翻着白眼。
Rampage snorted in annoyance. “Anyway. After that, it was just following your tag to the big pink bubble... and watching all the Seekers swarming in from the north. Lacunae was beside herself when she couldn’t get through, but Psycho crossed the barrier no problem.”
横冲直撞的人不耐烦地哼了一声。"不管怎么说。在那之后，它只是跟着你的标签到那个粉红色的大泡泡......看着所有的搜索者从北方蜂拥而至。当她无法通过的时候，拉库尼已经失控了，但是《惊魂记》毫无问题地越过了障碍。"
“It’s because her mom was Fluttershy,” I said, looking over at her. The yellow mare flushed, turning away in embarrassment. “How’s everypony else?”
"那是因为她的妈妈是个胆小鬼,"我看着她说。黄色的母马脸红了，尴尬地转身走开了。"其他人怎么样?"
“Well, we’ve been worried since you took off. Glory, P-21, Scotch, and Boo made it back to Chapel safe and sound, and since then we’ve been just waiting for something to happen so we could come running. The Harbingers made only one or two little skirmishes around the air base. P-21 is having it rough. Scotch isn’t much better.” The striped mare flushed. “It’s probably for the best we came. I was feeling nervous around her. I mean, she wasn’t sad, but still… better safe than sorry, right?”
"嗯，自从你离开后，我们一直很担心。晨辉、P-21、苏格兰人和布安然无恙地回到了教堂，从那时起，我们就一直在等待发生什么事情，这样我们就可以赶来了。"先驱者"只在空军基地周围发生了一两次小规模的冲突。P-21处境艰难。苏格兰威士忌也好不到哪儿去。"那匹有斑纹的母马脸红了。"这可能是我们来的最好结果。我在她身边感到紧张。我的意思是，她并不难过，但还是...安全第一，不是吗?"
Safer than me with Boing. “And Glory? How is she?” I asked at once.
比我和Boing在一起更安全。"那么晨辉呢？她怎么样?"我立刻问道。
“Exhausted. Tired. Frustrated she couldn’t help you. Scared to death you were angry with her,” Rampage said in quiet but firm tones. “She’s worried you blame her for bringing you back like this.” I didn’t reply, and she asked evenly, “Do you?”
"精疲力竭。累了。她很沮丧，帮不了你。你怕得要死，生她的气,"狂暴平静而坚定地说。"她担心你责怪她把你这样带回来。"我没有回答，她平静地问:"你呢?"
I sighed. “A little. I mean, yeah… death would have been worse. But… yeah. A
我叹了口气。"有一点。我是说，是的...死亡会更糟糕。但是...是的。答:
little stupid part of me is mad that I didn’t get a choice in it. In any of it.” I rolled upright, looking at the flames. “But… that’s life, isn’t it? It’s not what happens to you. It’s how you deal with it. And I’ve been dealing by shoving my head up my ass, looking for things to shoot or run away from.” Then I looked around. “Speaking of… where’re Stygius and Lacunae?”
我有一点愚蠢的地方在生气，因为我没有选择。在任何一个领域。"我翻了个身，看着火焰。"但是......这就是生活，不是吗？不是发生在你身上的。而是你如何处理它。我一直把头埋在屁股里，寻找可以射击或逃离的东西。"然后我环顾四周。"说到......斯蒂吉乌斯和拉库尼在哪里?"
“On the roof. Your… he…” Psychoshy gave a little snarl.
"在屋顶上。你的......他......"精神病学家发出了一声咆哮。
“So, is Stygius your new stallionfriend?” Rampage asked. “Because from the smell when we checked you out for injuries, you two were awfully close.”
"那么，斯蒂吉乌斯是你的新伙伴吗?"狂暴问道。"因为当我们检查你是否受伤时，从气味来看，你们俩非常亲密。"
I flushed at once. What, was everypony sniffing me while I was out? “What? No! He’s just a nice guy I had sex with. That’s all,” I said as I stood. There were streams of data in the corners of my vision; I assumed that was my EFS rebooting. For some reason, both of them were staring in shock. “What?”
我马上脸红了。怎么，我不在的时候每匹小马都在闻我？"什么？不！他只是个和我上过床的好男人。就这样,"我站起来说。在我的视野角落里有数据流;我假设那是我的EFS重启。出于某种原因，他们两个都惊呆了。"什么?"
“Just a nice guy you had sex with?” Psychoshy drawled incredulously.
"只是一个和你上床的好男人?"精神病医生慢吞吞地说。
“Um… yeah?” I asked in confusion as Rampage covered her face with her hoof. “What?”
"嗯......怎么了?"当狂暴用蹄子挡住她的脸时，我困惑地问道。"什么?"
“Security… slut of the Wasteland. Who woulda thought?” Psychoshy said in her usual snide tones. Oh, she better not pretend like she’d never had a roll in the hay or two for the fun of it!
"保安...荒原的荡妇。谁会想到呢?"神经病用她惯用的冷嘲热讽的语气说。哦，她最好不要为了好玩而假装她从来没有在干草堆里滚过一两次床单！
Rampage paused, as if trying to figure out how to break something terrible to me. “Blackjack… Glory is your special somepony, right?” I nodded. “How could you do this to her?” Rampage asked, looking concerned.
狂暴停顿了一下，好像在试图弄明白如何打破对我来说很可怕的东西。"黑杰克......晨辉是你最特别的东西，对吧?"我点点头。"你怎么能这样对她?"狂暴问道，看起来很担心。
“How could I do what to her?” I asked as I looked from one to the other. “I had sex with him. And... I was able to do it without killing him. I mean… Rampage… I kept myself under control the whole time!” I gave a crooked smile to the striped mare who just stared in shock. My smile became a little more uncertain. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
"我怎么能这样对她呢?"我边问边从一个地方看另一个地方。"我和他上床了。而且...我能在不杀他的情况下做到。我的意思是......暴怒......我一直控制着自己!"我给了那匹惊呆了的条纹母马一个歪歪扭扭的微笑。我的笑容变得有点不确定了。"这难道不是件好事吗?"
“I… but… You…” she stammered in agitation, her hooves waving in the air... and then suddenly she smiled. “You know what… I’m just going to step out of this sticky little detail, ‘kay? This is something that is between you and Glory, and I’ll just be watching on the sidelines… with popcorn.” Psychoshy gave a scornful snort and looked away.
"我.....。.但是......你......"她激动地结结巴巴地说，她的蹄子在空中挥舞着......然后突然她笑了。"你知道吗......我要从这个棘手的小细节中抽身出来，好吗？这是你和晨辉之间的事情，我只能在一旁看着......吃着爆米花。""精神病"轻蔑地哼了一声，转过脸去。
I never imagined that me getting laid would be a subject of such drama.
我从来没有想到我的性生活会成为如此戏剧化的主题。
I sighed and stood. “I need to talk to somepony real quick. It won’t take long.” Rampage nodded, and I trotted into the back corner and turned on my broadcaster. I slumped down and thought for a bit about what I needed to say.
我叹了口气，站了起来。"我需要和某个小马谈谈，很快的。不会花很长时间的。"狂暴点点头，我小跑到后面的角落，转向我的播音员。我瘫倒在地，想了一会儿该说些什么。
“Hey. Scotch Tape. I don’t know if you can hear me right now, but if you’re picking this up, could you please go get the others?” I sat there a moment, looking over at Psychoshy getting harassed by Rampage. “Hey everypony. It’s me. Blackjack. I hope that you’re actually getting this. Knowing my luck, I’m sending it straight to the Seekers. So I’ll be quick.”
"嘿。透明胶带。我不知道你现在能不能听到我说话，但如果你能听到这个声音，你能不能去叫其他人来?"我在那儿坐了一会儿，看着被狂暴骚扰的Psychoshy。"嘿，大家好。是我。黑杰克。我希望你真的明白这一点。考虑到我的运气，我直接把它送给搜索者。所以我会很快的。"
“I wanted to tell you that you were right, Glory. I shouldn’t have left. I shouldn’t have run away. I should have been strong enough to face my fears with you rather than tearing halfway across the valley. I know that letting me go off on my own couldn’t have been easy, but I want you to know that I’m better now. I have friends helping me and... and I’ve started to try and deal with my problems. I know... sounds like an impossible task. Shooting things is easier. Running is easier. But in the end, I hurt people who didn’t deserve it. New things to atone for... like Scoodle.”
"我想告诉你，你是对的，晨辉。我不该离开的。我不该逃跑的。我应该有足够的勇气和你一起面对我的恐惧，而不是跑过半个山谷。我知道让我一个人离开不是件容易的事，但是我想让你知道我现在好多了。我有朋友帮助我...我开始尝试解决我的问题。我知道...听起来是个不可能完成的任务。射击比较容易。跑步更容易。但最终，我伤害了那些不该受到伤害的人。新的东西来弥补......比如史酷德。"
My comments cut off Rampage mid-stride, and she stared at me from across the room. I just looked back at her, and her eyes narrowed. Something I’d have to deal with later. I closed my eyes, resting my head against the cool, moist cinder block. “P-21... I want to tell you something. I want to tell you how goddamned brave and awesome you are. You actually had the guts to do something I couldn’t. You’re doing the right thing. And I hope that you get to have something none of the stallions ever got to have... a family. I guess that makes you unique in two ways.” I chuckled with a small smile. “I know you’re hurting right now. But I know... I just know... you’re tough enough to stick it out. Anypony who follows me around for a month without going crazy can do anything.”
我的话打断了她的大步，她隔着房间看着我。我只是回头看了看她，她的眼睛眯了起来。有些事我以后要处理。我闭上眼睛，把头靠在凉爽潮湿的煤渣砖上。"P-21...我想告诉你一些事情。我想告诉你，你是多么的勇敢和可怕。你竟然有勇气做我做不到的事。你这么做是对的。我希望你能拥有一些种马所没有的东西...一个家庭。我想，这让你在两个方面与众不同。"我笑了笑。"我知道你现在很痛苦。但是我知道...我只是知道...你足够坚强坚持到底。任何跟着我一个月不发疯的小马都可以做任何事。"
I looked down at my PipBuck. Was I even doing this right? Fuck it. At least I’d get it said, even if they didn’t hear it. “Scotch Tape, I hope you’re helping Glory and keeping an eye on P-21. I know he’s not the most talkative pony. I know he’s probably frowning right now. But he loves you. I’m sure of it. But please be patient. I know you’ve waited a long time for him... but it’ll still take him a while to open up.” Then I smiled. “And yes, Boo. I’m here. I’m fine. You be a
我低头看着我的PipBuck。我这样做对吗？去他的。即使他们没有听到，至少我会说出来。"透明胶带，我希望你是在帮晨辉，并且密切关注P-21。我知道他不是最健谈的小马。我知道他现在可能正皱着眉头。但他爱你。我很确定。但请耐心等待。我知道你已经等了他很长时间了......但他还是需要一段时间才能敞开心扉。"然后我笑了。"是的，阿布。我在这里。我没事。你是一个
good pony too. Don’t make a mess for Glory.” I sighed and shook my head with a smile. “I know you’re a real pony, Boo. You’ll show us all sooner or later.”
也是匹好马。不要为了晨辉而制造混乱。"我叹了口气，微笑着摇了摇头。"我知道你是一匹真正的小马，波。你迟早会让我们看到的。"
I looked over at Rampage and Psychoshy; they were staring coldly at me. “Glory... I want you to know that I love you. I don’t care who you look like. I love you. I always will. And I hope when I see you again I can show you just how much I do.” I chuckled again. “I met a guy. He’s pretty quiet, but he’s nice. He helped me get through what happened on the boat. Real champion in bed. Something about fliers... I know you’re not into guys, but I hope the two of you can be friends.” I trailed off, then thought a moment and couldn’t think of anything else to say. Psychoshy stared at me, mouthing ‘champion’ soundlessly.
我看了看狂暴和心理恐惧，他们冷冷地盯着我。"晨辉......我想让你知道我爱你。我不在乎你长什么样。今夜月色很美。我一直都是。我希望当我再次见到你的时候，我能让你知道我有多爱你。"我又咯咯地笑了。"我遇到了一个男人。他很安静，但人很好。他帮助我渡过了船上发生的事。床上功夫真正的冠军。关于传单......我知道你不喜欢男人，但我希望你们能成为朋友。"我慢下来，想了一会儿，想不出还有什么可说的。心理害羞的人盯着我，无声地说着冠军。
“Well, I should probably get going. I’ll talk again soon. Hopefully... everything will work out and I’ll be back right away. Take care.” And then I turned off my PipBuck’s broadcaster and sat back.
"好了，我该走了。我很快会再联系你的。希望...一切都能解决，我马上就回来。保重。"然后我关掉了PipBuck的播音器，靠在椅背上。
“Another Scoodle?” Rampage asked in a sharp tone.
"又一辆史酷德?"狂暴用尖锐的声音问道。
“Yeah. It was an accident, but I’m still to blame.” I kept my voice even as I looked at the glowering earth pony. “It’s something I’ll have to deal with myself. Sorry, though,” I said, unable to meet her eyes.
"是的。这是个意外，但我还是有责任。"我一边看着那只怒目而视的小马，一边保持着我的声音。"这是我必须自己解决的问题。不过还是很抱歉,"我说，无法直视她的眼睛。
“Sorry?” she growled as she reared up and shoved me back into the wall. “You kill a kid and all you say is sorry? Fucking sorry?!” she yelled down at me. I wanted to fight back, but there wasn’t any anger left in me.
"对不起?"她一边咆哮一边用后腿站起来，把我推回到墙上。"你杀了一个孩子，却只说声对不起？他妈的对不起?!"她朝我大喊大叫。我想反击，但是我心里已经没有任何愤怒了。
“What else can I say, Rampage? It was an accident, just like you and Thorn. I know that doesn’t make it okay... but it happened because I was out of it. The fatigue... everything that’s going on... I killed her.” I lifted my metallic fingers to my face. “I almost lost my mind that night, after it happened. I deserved to. But some ponies at Happyhorn gave me the help I needed.” Rampage paced back and forth in front of me, as if deciding whether or not to stomp me into scrap metal. I wasn’t sure if I would stop her if she did. “So... yes. Sorry. If I’d been stronger and faced my problems sooner...” But there was nothing left I could say.
"我还能说什么呢，暴怒？这是个意外，就像你和索恩一样。我知道这并不代表一切都没问题......但这一切发生是因为我昏了头。疲劳......发生的一切......我杀了她。"我把金属手指举到脸上。"那天晚上，事情发生后，我几乎失去了理智。这是我应得的。但Happyhorn的一些小马给了我所需要的帮助。"狂暴在我面前来回踱步，好像在考虑是否要把我踩成一堆废铁。我不知道如果她这么做了我是否会阻止她。"所以......是的。对不起。如果我能更坚强，更早面对我的问题......"但是我已经无话可说了。
Rampage hissed to herself as she finally looked away. “Then you better get better, Blackjack. Quick. You’re supposed to be one of the good ponies. But running off... killing a kid... fucking a guy behind Glory’s back? Fuck, it hasn’t even been a day and you do all that?”
当她最终把目光移开时，狂暴对自己发出嘶嘶声。"那你最好好起来，黑杰克。快点。你应该是一匹好马。但是逃跑...杀死一个孩子...背着晨辉和一个家伙做爱？操，还不到一天，你就做了这些?"
“Girl moves quick. Nothing wrong with that,” Psychoshy smirked, getting a flat look from both of us. “What?”
"女孩动作很快。那没什么不对的,"变态狂得意地笑着，我们俩都看得很平淡。"什么?"
“Sorry, Rampage. I messed up,” I said as I met her eyes. There was a look of betrayal about them. “I’m not as good as I should be... but I’m trying to do better. And I can if you’ll give me a chance and your help.”
"对不起，狂暴。我搞砸了,"当我看到她的眼睛时，我说。他们脸上有一种被背叛的表情。"我没有达到应有的水平......但我在努力做得更好。如果你给我一个机会和你的帮助，我就可以。"
“I... you... but... ARRRGH...” She ground her teeth together, then finally slumped. “Okay. One chance. Not like... Not like I haven’t done messed up things too. But Blackjack... not again. Got it? I’ll help you, but Celestia save me, you kill another kid, even by fucking accident, and your chances are done. You hear me?” What else could I do besides nod? She sighed. “Fuck...”
"我.....。.你......但是......啊......"她咬紧牙关，最后摔倒在地。"好吧。一次机会。不是说...不是说我没有把事情搞砸。但是黑杰克...不会再发生了。明白了吗？我会帮助你，但是塞莱斯蒂亚救了我，如果你再杀一个孩子，即使是他妈的意外，你的机会就没有了。你听到了吗?"除了点头，我还能做什么？她叹了口气。"操......"
I sighed as I picked myself up, getting back on my hooves. Now wasn’t the best time but... “In any case, Rampage… I know I have no right to ask you this, but I need your help now.” The striped mare glowered in anger as I gave a worried little smile. There wasn’t any good way to ask this. “Rather… I need the help of one of the people inside you. I need to talk to Twist.”
我叹了口气，重新站起来，用我的蹄子。现在不是最好的时机，但是..."无论如何，狂暴...我知道我没有权利问你这个，但是我现在需要你的帮助。"当我露出一丝担忧的微笑时，那匹有条纹的母马怒目而视。问这个问题没有什么好的方法。"相反......我需要你体内某个人的帮助。我要和特威斯特谈谈。"
Rampage took a step back at once, her eyes widening in alarm. “Blackjack…you just told me you... and now you want me to...? Are you crazy?” I could only nod and gave her a sympathetic smile. This wasn’t easy for her. “You know I don’t like that. I mean… what if she’s crazy or something?”
狂暴立刻后退了一步，惊恐地睁大了眼睛。"黑杰克......你刚刚告诉我你......现在你想让我......？你疯了吗?"我只能点点头，给她一个同情的微笑。这对她来说并不容易。"你知道我不喜欢这样。我的意思是......如果她是个疯子或什么的怎么办?"
“She’ll be in good company?” Psychoshy suggested.
"她会有个好伙伴吗?"心理害羞建议道。
“I’ve talked to her once before, Rampage. She was fine. Upset, but fine. I need to ask her some questions that will help me... and maybe you too. Can I see if I can draw her out?” I asked as I gave her a concerned smile. “I won’t try if you don’t want me to. It’s not vital.”
"我以前和她谈过一次，狂暴。她很好。心烦意乱，但没关系。我需要问她一些对我有帮助的问题......也许还有你。我能看看能不能把她引出来吗?"我问道，同时给了她一个关切的微笑。"如果你不想让我试，我就不试。这并不重要。"
Rampage groaned and slumped. “You had to play that card didn’t you?” She took a deep breath. “Okay… I’ll give you a shot. Just… make sure I come back? Please?” The fear was clear in her eyes.
暴怒呻吟着，情绪低落。"你非得打这张牌，不是吗?"她深吸了一口气。"好吧......我给你打一针。只是...确保我能回来？求你了?"她的眼睛里充满了恐惧。
“I will,” I said as I looked her in the eyes, trying to remember what I’d seen in memories of Twist. “Sergeant Twist, report for duty!” I snapped with as much authority as I could muster. Rampage gave a little half smile and shook her head. “Twist, Big Macintosh would like to have a word.” Psychoshy scowled in confusion as Rampage sighed with a patient smile.
"我会的,"我看着她的眼睛说，试图回忆起我在扭曲的记忆中看到的东西。"特威斯特中士，报到!"我竭尽所能地厉声说道。狂暴微微一笑，摇了摇头。"扭扭，大麦金托什想说句话。"狂暴的心理学家困惑地皱起眉头，带着耐心的微笑叹息着。
I’d have to do something else. I closed my eyes and remembered the projection in the workshop. “You had a candy store in Hoofington with an apartment above it. You’d go down every morning to make candies. You had a roommate, a quiet black unicorn named Psalm…” I said in a low, soft voice, watching as her eyes gradually lost focus and grew round. “It was burned when the city was attacked after Littlehorn. And the name of your store was…”
我得做点别的。我闭上眼睛，想起了工作室里的投影。"你在Hoofington有一家糖果店，上面还有一套公寓。你每天早上下楼去做糖果。你有一个室友，一只安静的黑独角兽，名叫《诗篇》......"我用低沉柔和的声音说，看着她的眼睛逐渐失去焦点，变圆。"在利特霍恩之后，城市遭到攻击时，它被烧毁了。你的店名是......"
“Peppermint Parlor,” Rampage whispered, her eyes locking with mine. “Please… I don’t want to be here. Please…” she begged, shaking her head slowly.
"胡椒薄荷客厅,"横冲直撞的小声说，她的眼睛紧盯着我的眼睛。"求你了......我不想待在这里。求你了......"她恳求着，慢慢地摇着头。
“It’s okay, Twist. I won’t keep you long. But I need to ask you a question about Psalm. Your friend?” I said in low, careful tones.
"没关系，托斯特。我不会耽误你太久的。但我需要问你一个关于诗篇的问题。你的朋友?"我低声细语地说。
“Psalm…” She closed her eyes, her smile vanishing. “She wasn’t my friend. Not after Shattered Hoof and Big Macintosh.” Now there was clear anger in her pink eyes, but she just sighed. “What do you want to know about her?”
"诗篇......"她闭上眼睛，微笑消失了。"她不是我的朋友。在《粉碎的蹄子》(ShatteredHoof)和《大麦金托什》(BigMacintosh)出版之后，就不是了。"现在她那粉红色的眼睛里有明显的愤怒，但她只是叹了口气。"你想了解她什么?"
“I think I’ve been seeing her in my dreams. Not just seeing her. It’s like she’s inside me. Like I am her. Do you have any idea if that’s possible?” I asked as I put a hoof on her shoulder.
"我想我一直在梦里见到她。不仅仅是看到她。就好像她在我身体里。就像我是她一样。你知道这是否可能吗?"我把蹄子放在她的肩上问道。
“Blackjack… I died… and I’m talking to you now. Right now, I think anything is possible. Besides, you’re the one with the horn; you tell me?” She had a ghost of a smile on her face for a moment, then looked around and lost it. “She was my first marefriend. I worked in the Parlor with Doof while she worked off at that school. It was… nice. A sweetheart in bed too, but it didn’t work out. We were better as friends.” She sighed, closing her eyes. “All three of us enlisted together after they razed old Hoofington. I barely escaped with some photographs.”
"黑杰克......我死了......现在我在和你说话。现在，我认为一切皆有可能。而且，你是那个拿着号角的人，你告诉我了吗?"她的脸上有一丝幽灵般的微笑，然后环顾四周，不见了。"她是我的第一个女朋友。我和杜夫在客厅工作，而她在那所学校工作。感觉...不错。还有一个情人在床上，但是没有成功。我们最好还是做朋友。"她叹了口气，闭上了眼睛。"老胡芬顿被夷为平地后，我们三个人一起入伍了。我带着几张照片勉强逃脱。"
“What happened at Shattered Hoof? And afterwards? The mare I’ve seen in my dreams… she’s a killing machine.” My comment made Rampage flinch.
"在粉碎的蹄子发生了什么？然后呢？我在梦里见过的那匹母马......她是个杀人机器。"我的评论让狂暴退缩了。
“Psalm… It was my fault. At the enlistment, she shot a perfect score at her trials. She was a natural markspony. I told her she needed to accept a combat role with me and Doof. It wasn’t enough to be support. But… it was different for her.
"诗篇......是我的错。入伍时，她在考试中取得了满分。她是个天生的标志性人物。我告诉她，她需要接受我和杜夫的战斗角色。仅仅是支持是不够的。但是...对她来说不一样。
Me… I was fighting for my life. Doof, he’d spray thousands of bullets for fun. But for Psalm, it was personal. She wasn’t just fighting the enemy; she was murdering them. They were nearly helpless against her. But Celestia damn me, I told her to keep it up. Even when she had nightmares. Even when she wanted to
我...我在为我的生命而战。笨蛋，他会为了好玩而射出上千颗子弹。但是对于诗篇来说，这是个人的。她不仅仅是在和敌人作战，她还在谋杀他们。他们对她几乎无能为力。但是塞莱斯蒂娅诅咒我，我告诉她要坚持下去。甚至在她做恶梦的时候。甚至在她想要的时候
put a bullet through her own head. I tried to make her toughen up.” She shook her head. “Instead… I think I killed something inside her.”
让子弹穿过她的脑袋。我试着让她坚强起来。"她摇了摇头。"相反......我觉得我杀死了她体内的某种东西。"
“Twist… what happened at Shattered Hoof?” I asked gently.
"扭扭...在粉碎蹄发生了什么?"我温和地问道。
“Everything. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. Applesnack and Big Macintosh had been fighting about everything. Big Macintosh refusing to reenlist for a sixth tour. Applesnack’s zebra bigotry bullshit. The weather was crap, and Jetstream was doing more cloud management than keeping an eye out for trouble. Celestia was there. The zebra envoys were there. They had three times as many guards as we’d agreed. Goldenblood warned us to be on high alert for the zebras attempting to kill Celestia; everything was a mess in the 'backchannels', and he had no idea what they were thinking. But the negotiations started. I was out in the field with the Proditors; they could sniff out a mistcloak like nopony could.”
"一切。所有可能出错的地方都出错了。苹果零件和大麦金塔电脑一直在为所有的事情争吵。大麦金托什拒绝延长第六次服役。苹果黑的斑马偏执胡说。天气糟透了，Jetstream做的云管理工作比留意麻烦更多。塞莱斯蒂娅在那里。斑马使节在那里。他们的警卫人数是我们商定的三倍。戈登布拉德警告我们要对斑马试图杀死塞勒斯蒂亚保持高度警惕;反向通道里一团糟，他不知道斑马在想什么。但是谈判开始了。我和牧人们在田野里，他们能像小马驹那样嗅出雾气。"
She rose on her hooves and turned to face the grimy, flickering windows. “The talks seemed to be going well at first, but pretty soon there was a sticking point. Something about reparations… I don’t know what. Then suddenly some sort of gas bomb went off in the diplomatic tent, and a bunch of zebra soldiers came out of a hidden tunnel right next to it. Everything went nuts after that.” She closed her eyes, lifting her head. “Applesnack was screaming. Chaos. Big Macintosh stood over Celestia, fending off wave after wave of attacks. Goldenblood was yelling for Celestia to get out of there, but we were all busy fighting. Zebras all over the place. Third Battalion, supposed to be guarding the southeast, wasn't responding; we found out later that a bunch of them were traitors. Finally the Shadowbolts blasted in, the zebras got routed… and Big Macintosh was dead. Bullet through the heart, right at the end.” She hung her head and sniffed, tears rolling down her cheeks. “There wasn’t anything anypony could do. And Psalm… I never saw her after that day except for one time when she was packing up her gear at Miramare. Didn’t say a word. Just… left.”
她用蹄子站起身来，转过身来，面对着肮脏、闪烁的窗户。"谈判一开始似乎进展顺利，但很快就出现了一个症结。关于赔款...我不知道是什么。突然，外交帐篷里发生了某种毒气弹爆炸，一群斑马士兵从旁边的一条隐蔽的隧道里走了出来。从那以后，一切都乱套了。"她闭上眼睛，抬起头。"苹果包在尖叫。混乱。大麦金塔站在天堂之上，抵挡着一波又一波的攻击。戈登布拉德大声呼喊着让塞勒斯蒂娅离开那里，但是我们都忙于战斗。到处都是斑马。应该守卫东南方向的第三营没有回应，后来我们发现他们中有一伙是卖国贼。最后，暗影闪电冲了进来，斑马被击溃了......大麦金托什也死了。子弹穿过心脏，就在最后。"她低下头嗅了嗅，泪水顺着脸颊滚落下来。"任何小马都无能为力。还有诗篇...那天之后我再也没见过她，除了有一次她在米拉马雷收拾行李。一句话也没说。就...离开了。"
I walked up beside her. “She was obsessed with Luna forgiving her,” I replied as I brushed her mane out of her face. Stygius and Lacunae trotted in, and the batpony looked at Rampage in concern. Lacunae simply stared out the window.
我走到她身边。"她痴迷于卢娜原谅她,"我一边回答，一边拂去她脸上的鬃毛。斯蒂吉乌斯和拉库奈小跑进来，蝙蝠马关切地看着暴怒。空隙只是盯着窗外。
She looked back at me with eyes filled with regret. “She was convinced she was damned for the lives she took.” She made a disgusted noise in her throat. “It was silly; we all killed. It was war. But she never shook it off. She turned her back on
她回头看着我，眼里充满了悔恨。"她确信自己因为杀人而受到诅咒。"她喉咙里发出恶心的声音。"这太愚蠢了，我们都杀了人。那是一场战争。但是她从来没有放弃过。她转过身去
all the other Marauders.” Twist shook her head hard, then sighed. “Afterwards, we all just drifted apart. Applesnack was sent to Zebratown… that was ironic. Jetstream… they tried to give her Big Macintosh’s position, but she cracked.
所有其他掠夺者。"扭了一下头，叹了口气。"后来，我们都疏远了。苹果包被送到斑马镇...真是讽刺。Jetstream...他们试图给她BigMacintosh的职位，但她崩溃了。
Refused to withdraw from one nasty fight and ordered ponies to search for Stonewing and Macintosh. Vanity just quit. Became some sort of noble liaison or something. Doof… yeah… He rotted in Hightower, where he belonged. For a while it was me and Echo, but he was offered a transfer. Then it was just me. I was the last Marauder. Master Sergeant Twist.”
拒绝从一场恶战中撤退，并命令小马寻找斯通温和麦金托什。虚荣心刚刚退出了。变成了某种高贵的联络人之类的。笨蛋...是的...他在海托华腐烂了那才是他的归属。有一段时间，只有我和Echo，但他得到了转会的机会。然后就只剩下我了。我是最后一个掠夺者。特威斯特军士长。"
Then she hung her head again. “I’m sorry I can’t help you, Blackjack. I wish I knew what became of my friend. I wish I’d been a better friend for her. She was always so quiet that I just assumed she was okay with everything… I should have listened. I should have… should have…” Her voice dropped to a whimper. “I’m sorry…”
然后她又低下了头。"对不起，我帮不了你，Blackjack。我希望我知道我的朋友后来怎么样了。我希望我能成为她更好的朋友。她总是那么安静，以至于我以为她对一切都没问题......我应该听她的。我应该......应该......"她的声音变成了呜咽。"对不起......"
Then she shuddered, and Rampage said quietly, “Oh, I hate that feeling…” She sniffed and wiped her eyes as she looked at me. “She’s gone, Blackjack. Or she’s gone back in. Ugh… I feel like I want to cry for a week, and it’s all for junk that happened to somepony else.” She looked at Psychoshy and said sharply, “Not a word from you or it’s your turn.”
然后她颤抖了一下，然后狂暴平静地说:"哦，我讨厌那种感觉......"当她看着我的时候，她吸了吸鼻子，擦了擦眼睛。"她走了，黑杰克。或者她又回去了。呃......我觉得我想哭一个星期，而这一切都是为了那些发生在别人身上的垃圾。"她看着Psychoshy，厉声说道:"你一句话也别说，否则就轮到你了。"
I’d expected more from the yellow pegasus, but she gave a dismissive shrug. “Hey. Your crazy? Your problem.” Psychoshy glanced at Stygius and started to chew on the end of her mane as he trotted over to the fire. There were definitely some conflicting emotions of her own there. When she saw me looking, she immediately spat the hair from her mouth and pointedly looked out the windows again.
我对黄色飞马的期望更高，但她轻蔑地耸了耸肩。"嘿。你疯了吗？你的问题。""疯子"瞥了一眼Stygius，一边小跑着走向火堆，一边开始啃她的鬃毛。她自己肯定也有一些矛盾的情绪。当她看到我在看的时候，她立刻把嘴里的头发吐了出来，然后再一次朝窗外看去。
Stygius gave me a hug as soon as he reached me. Was it just me, or could I hear teeth grinding? He wrote ‘U ok?’ on his slate, holding it up as his amber eyes looked at me in concern, head cocked slightly to the side.
斯蒂吉乌斯一靠近我就给了我一个拥抱。是我的错觉，还是我听到了磨牙的声音？他写了'你好吗?'在他的石板上，举着它，他琥珀色的眼睛关切地看着我，头微微偏向一边。
“Yeah. Sure. Just more crazy dreams that don’t make any sense. How about you?” I asked, and he pointed at a few holes punched in his armor. Then he pointed at Lacunae with a wing and then waved his hooves in circles before him. He patted where he’d been shot and grinned. “So, you were shot, but Lacunae healed you up?” He nodded enthusiastically. I supposed batponies didn’t have much in the way of healing magic. Speaking of which, though...
"是的。当然。只是更多没有任何意义的疯狂梦想。你呢?"我问，他指着他盔甲上的几个洞。然后他用翅膀指着Lacunae，在他面前摆动着他的蹄子。他拍了拍自己中枪的地方，咧嘴笑了。"所以，你中枪了，但是腔隙治好了你?"他热情地点了点头。我想蝙蝠战马在治疗魔法方面并没有多少作用。说到这个..。
“So... I got to ask. Can you... um...” I looked at Lacunae and then back at him. “Teleport?”
"所以......我不得不问。你能不能......嗯......"我看了看拉库尼，然后又看了看他。"瞬移?"
He blinked then grinned. Then he was gone, and there was a shadowy flicker behind me. A hoof tapped my flank, and I looked back. There was another dark flash and he vanished. A second later he touched my shoulder, standing in front of me again.
他眨了眨眼，然后咧嘴笑了。然后他就走了，我身后出现了一个影子。一只蹄子敲了敲我的侧腹，我回头看了看。又是一道黑暗的闪光，他消失了。过了一会儿，他又碰了碰我的肩膀，站在我面前。
“Impressive!” Lacunae breathed. He flushed and kicked a pebble bashfully. “What is that ability called? What is your range? How often can you do it? Can you take others with you?” He blinked at her, seemingly at a loss. “I can touch your mind directly if that would make explanations easier.” That comment made him look positively alarmed, and he waved his hooves in front of him.
"真了不起!"呼吸的空隙。他脸红了，害羞地踢了一脚鹅卵石。"那种能力叫什么？你的音域是多少？你多久能做一次？你能带上其他人吗?"他眨了眨眼睛，似乎茫然不知所措。"我可以直接触摸你的大脑，如果这样解释起来容易些的话。"这番话使他看起来非常惊慌，他在前面挥舞着他的蹄子。
He got his slate out of his armor and wrote ‘“flying between shadows”. few yards. Lots. No, sorry.’
他卸下盔甲上的石板，写下了"在阴影之间飞行"。几码。很多。没有，对不起
Lacunae nodded, “Interesting. We always knew Luna’s guards possessed mysterious powers, but we never knew if they were bestowed by the Princess or came from some other source. Luna forbade us from investigating what her guards could do.” The alicorn rolled her eyes a little. “I must admit that I disliked dealing with them anyway. It is rather difficult to speak with somepony who’s always using the Royal Canterlot Voice.”
拉库奈点点头,"有意思。我们一直都知道卢娜的侍卫拥有神秘的力量，但是我们不知道这些力量是公主赐予的还是其他来源的。卢娜禁止我们调查她的守卫能做什么。"阿里克纳小小地转了转眼睛。"我必须承认，无论如何我都不喜欢和他们打交道。和一个总是使用皇家坎特罗语音的小马说话是相当困难的。"
Stygius laughed silently, erased the board, and wrote, ‘Uncle’s armor has that. Stupid loud.’
斯蒂吉乌斯默默地笑着，擦掉黑板，然后写道:"叔叔的盔甲就有这个。"。吵死人了
“Absolutely fascinating. The things we could learn from you if you joined us in Unity,” she said in a musing tone that was getting more and more Goddess-y by the second.
"绝对迷人。如果你加入我们的团结，我们可以从你那里学到很多东西,"她沉思着说，语气越来越像女神了。
“You don’t have to talk about him like he’s some sort of specimen,” Psychoshy said sharply. I found that odd, given that Sanguine would have definitely treated him as such!
"你不必把他当作什么样的标本来谈论,"精神病患者尖锐地说。我觉得这很奇怪，因为桑吉尼绝对会这样对待他！
“The Goddess thought his kind extinct,” Lacunae said in that haughty, annoying manner. “The Goddess is sur-- impressed that they persist, even today.”
"女神认为他的同类已经灭绝了,"拉库尼用那种傲慢而恼人的口气说。"即使到了今天，他们依然坚持着，这给我留下了深刻的印象。"
I groaned and rolled my eyes. “And how is the Goddess today?” I asked as I looked at Lacunae, trying to change the subject given the wariness spreading on
我呻吟着，翻着白眼。"女神今天怎么样?"我一边看着Lacunae，一边问道，由于警惕情绪正在蔓延，我试图转移话题
Stygius’s face.
冥河的脸。
She glared flatly back at me. “Do not patronize the Goddess, Blackjack. The Goddess knows that we will never truly be allies, as you failed to deliver Chimera to the Goddess as promised.” She gave a rather bitchy little smirk. “However, the Goddess finds your troubles and travails quite a welcome distraction from the Goddess’s grand designs and so permits this one to continue to accompany you. The Goddess looks forward with great anticipation to your reunion with Morning Glory.”
她直截了当地瞪着我。"不要光顾女神，Blackjack。女神知道我们永远不会成为真正的盟友，因为你没有按照承诺将奇美拉交给女神。"她给了我一个相当恶毒的傻笑。"然而，女神发现你们的烦恼和痛苦是非常受欢迎的，分散了女神伟大设计的注意力，因此允许这一个继续陪伴你们。女神期待着你与牵牛花的重逢。"
So… now I was entertainment to the Goddess? I had an image of a great big alicorn beast in a fuzzy pink robe and hoofslippers sitting on a couch with a huge tub of popcorn, watching a terminal of me getting shot up on a daily basis.
那么...现在我是女神的娱乐对象了？我脑海中浮现出这样一幅画面:一头巨大的亚里康怪兽，穿着粉色绒毛长袍和有蹄拖鞋，坐在沙发上，旁边放着一大桶爆米花，看着我每天被注射毒品的画面。
...Okay, I supposed that would be pretty entertaining. Lacunae continued in a smug tone, “The Goddess awaits the success or failure of the Stable Dweller and her friends in Canterlot. Until then, the Goddess will take her satisfaction in watching your struggles.”
好吧，我想那会很有趣的。"女神等待着稳定居民和她在Canterlot的朋友们的成功或失败。在那之前，女神会满足于观察你们的挣扎。"
“Well, in the meantime, I need to chat with Lacunae, so if you could please put her back at the controls, I’d appreciate it,” I replied. Maybe LittlePip and the Stable Dweller were teaming up? I really wished I’d known what Homage had tried to tell me… was it really just yesterday? “Or we can throw around a few more threats about you annihilating me.”
"好吧，与此同时，我需要和Lacunae聊聊，所以如果你能让她回到控制台，我会很感激的,"我回答道。也许小匹普和马厩居民联手了？我真的希望我知道霍华德想告诉我什么......难道真的只是昨天吗？"或者我们可以再威胁几句，说你要消灭我。"
“One day, you shall be chastised for your arrogance and disrespect. Oh yes, and we look forward to that day with great anticipation!” Oh sweet Celestia, she was actually rubbing her hooves together.
"总有一天，你会因为你的傲慢和不尊重而受到惩罚。哦，是的，我们满怀期待地期待着那一天的到来!"哦，亲爱的塞莱斯蒂亚，她实际上是在摩擦她的蹄子。
I grinned back at her. “Ah, but if you do that, you won’t get to watch me getting my rear blown off, now will you?”
我对她咧嘴笑了笑。"啊，但是如果你那样做了，你就不会看到我的屁股被炸掉了，是吗?"
She snorted sullenly, and then her sneer vanished. You know, I think I was starting to grow on the Goddess. She’d stopped bellowing at me; that was progress. Right? Lacunae drew a deep breath. “Must you antagonize her, Blackjack?”
她闷闷不乐地哼了一声，然后冷笑消失了。你知道，我想我已经开始喜欢上女神了。她已经不再对我大吼大叫了，这就是进步。对吧？缺口深深地吸了一口气。"你一定要和她作对吗，黑杰克?"
I nodded primly and said with a smile, “Yes. Yes I must. I figure, if I’m the butt of some higher power’s amusement, every jab I can get in on her is me balancing the scales a little bit more.” I relaxed my grin and nudged her shoulder. “So how are you, Lacunae?”
我一本正经地点点头，微笑着说:"是的。是的，我必须去。我想，如果我成了某些更高权力者的笑柄，那么我对她的每一次刺拳，都是在稍微平衡一下天平。"我放松了笑容，轻轻地推了推她的肩膀。"你好吗，拉库奈?"
The purple alicorn seemed amused by the question. “I am as I always will and can only be. But thank you for asking,” Lacunae replied. “What of you, Blackjack?”
紫玉兰似乎被这个问题逗乐了。"我一如既往，只能如此。但是谢谢你的关心,"拉库尼回答。"你呢，黑杰克?"
I looked around the ruined Robronco store as I sighed. “I’m having weird dreams of a pony who I think was the Marauder Psalm.” I shook my head as I glanced up at the alicorn, who wore an inscrutable expression. “This is way more than just a memory orb. It’s more than just her experiences. It’s like I am her. But I can’t figure out how or why. Twist doesn’t know what happened to her, and from my dreams she must have died two centuries ago.” Then I paused and snorted in disgruntlement. “Then again, between Twist, Doof, and Brass, I guess I shouldn’t count anything out.”
我叹了口气，环顾了一下被毁坏的Robronco商店。"我做了一个奇怪的梦，梦见一匹小马，我想那就是掠夺者的诗篇。"我摇了摇头，抬头看了看那个神秘莫测的角斗士。"这不仅仅是一个记忆球。这不仅仅是她的经历。就好像我就是她。但是我不知道是怎么回事，为什么。特威斯特不知道她发生了什么事，从我的梦里她一定是两个世纪前就死了。"然后我停了下来，不满地哼了一声。"话又说回来，在扭扭、杜夫和布拉斯之间，我想我不应该数出什么来。"
The alicorn just stared off for a minute before answering, “I am sure you will find out eventually, Blackjack. As for your dreams, they do not seem to be undermining your sense of self. It is merely unusual.” I frowned, knitting my brows together, but she continued. “Has Rampage told you about Glory, P-21, and Scotch Tape?”
阿里克刚刚凝视了一分钟才回答:"我相信你最终会知道的，Blackjack。至于你的梦想，它们似乎并没有破坏你的自我意识。这只是不同寻常。"我皱起眉头，皱起眉头，但她继续说。"狂暴有没有告诉你关于晨辉、P-21和透明胶带的事?"
Well, that took my attention. Really, I’d meant to ask sooner. “Not much. She said they reached Chapel safely, though. They’re all okay, right?”
这引起了我的注意。真的，我本来想早点问的。"不多。不过她说他们安全抵达了查普尔。他们都没事，对吧?"
“Yes. Unfortunately, Glory had to remain behind and is seeing to both with the aid of Sekashi. The zebra’s healing tonics and stories are quite a balm to all three. Glory shows no signs of reverting to her normal appearance, though, and P-21 is in the midst of terrible pain from withdrawal.” She paused and then added, “Scotch Tape is feeling better, however. She wants to install flushing toilets, but she’s terrified of getting one as a cutie mark.”
"是的。不幸的是，晨辉不得不留下来，在Sekashi的帮助下照顾两者。斑马的养生补药和故事对这三种动物来说都是安慰剂。不过，晨辉没有恢复正常外表的迹象，P-21正处于戒断带来的可怕痛苦之中。"她停顿了一下，然后补充道:"不过，透明胶带感觉好多了。她想安装冲水马桶，但她害怕得到一个可爱的标志。"
“And Boo? She’s okay, right?” I asked with a concerned smile.
"那么Boo呢？她没事吧?"我带着关切的微笑问道。
Lacunae sighed. “I am not sure. I tried reading her mind, but it is... simple. She misses you greatly. She keeps searching Star House and Chapel as if she’s trying to find you.” I’d have to get back soon. Glory and the others could understand why I left, but Boo couldn’t.
空白叹了口气。"我不确定。我试着读懂她的想法，但是......很简单。她非常想念你。她一直在星宫和小教堂里搜寻，好像在找你似的。"我得尽快回去。晨辉和其他人能够理解我为什么离开，但是布不能。
“So, what are you doing all the way out here, Blackjack?” Psychoshy asked in irritation from over by the windows.
"那么，你大老远跑到这儿来干什么，黑杰克?""心理害羞"从窗户边怒气冲冲地问道。
“Well… aside from getting my butt shot a lot, I need to get to Hightower and
"嗯......除了经常被人打屁股，我还需要去海托华
find a way inside.” I trotted to join her by the flickering blue windows. “Where the hay are we anyway?” I asked, using my scorched tail to wipe some of the grime off the glass. Then the answer became clear.
想办法进去"我沿着闪烁的蓝色窗户小跑着加入她的行列。"我们到底在哪儿呢?"我问道，用我烧焦的尾巴擦去玻璃上的一些污垢。然后答案变得清晰起来。
Oh. Hightower.
哦。Hightower.
The imposing edifice was only a block away; from the sight of the mountains behind it, I guessed we were just to the west of the massive building. Before, it had seemed a stern monolith of gray stone. Now, up close, that looming structure was cracked and broken along the southern face, fractures radiating along the surface. A glaring inferno roared within, and flames of blueish-purple erupted out of the side in bizarre loops and whirls. An unwholesome corona surrounded the broken building. About halfway up the south face gaped a massive hole; metal fins jutted out towards the sky. Surrounding the prison was a decayed concrete curtain wall with towers every hundred feet. Spikes and loops of razor wire adorned the wall, and I spotted strange glowing pony shapes tangled in the wire, wiggling and fighting as they burned with magical flame.
宏伟的大厦离这里只有一个街区的距离，从它后面的山脉的景色来看，我猜我们就在这座宏伟建筑的西边。以前，它看起来像是一块由灰色石头组成的坚固的巨石。现在，靠近看，这个隐约可见的构造沿着南面破裂，裂缝沿着表面呈辐射状分布。一个耀眼的地狱般的火焰在里面咆哮，蓝紫色的火焰从侧面喷发出来，形成奇怪的环形和旋转。破败的建筑物周围环绕着一层不洁净的日冕。大约在南面的中间有一个大洞，金属鳍向天空伸出。监狱周围是一面腐烂的水泥幕墙，每隔一百英尺就有一座塔楼。一圈又一圈的铁丝网装饰着墙壁，我发现奇怪的发光的小马形状缠绕在铁丝网中，它们在魔法火焰中燃烧时摆动和搏斗。
“You want to go in there?” Psychoshy asked with a tilt of her head. “Have fun!”
"你想进去吗?"精神病医生歪着头问道。"玩得开心!"
“What… what happened?” I murmured weakly as I stared at the sight. At least when I’d seen the woods surrounding Hippocratic Research, I hadn’t known just how dangerous it would be. Everything about the prison screamed ‘death trap’.
"发...发生什么事了?"我凝视着这一景象，有气无力地低声说。至少当我看到希波克拉底研究所周围的树林时，我不知道这有多危险。监狱里的一切都惊叫着"死亡陷阱"。
Rampage answered me. “Direct hit by a giant zebra missile, only the balefire bombs in the warhead didn’t detonate properly. There should just be a crater there. Instead, the bombs have been cooking the inside of that prison for the last two centuries or so.” I groaned and hid my face in my hooves. “Look at it this way, Blackjack: now you’ll get to be an undead cyber unicorn pony.”
狂暴回答了我。"直接被巨大的斑马导弹击中，只有弹头中的火焰炸弹没有正常引爆。那里应该只有一个弹坑。相反，过去两个世纪左右，这些炸弹一直在把监狱的内部烧成灰烬。"我呻吟着，把脸藏在蹄子里。"这么想吧，黑杰克，现在你将成为一只不死的赛博独角兽小马。"
I sighed. It would have been safer and smarter to walk away. Deal with the problem some other way. Just forget EC-1101…
我叹了口气。离开会更安全，也更明智。用别的方法处理这个问题。忘了EC-1101吧..。
“So... how do I get inside?” I asked with a grimace.
"那么......我该怎么进去呢?"我做了个鬼脸问。
* * *
* * *
One could make the argument that I was learning and trying to take things carefully. One could also make the argument that I wasn’t learning enough since I still planned to go inside. Both arguments were made by Rampage and
有人可能会说，我正在学习，并试图小心翼翼地处理事情。也有人会说我学得还不够，因为我还打算进去。这两个观点都是由《狂暴》和《暴怒》提出的
Psychoshy as we trotted closer. We were still a hundred feet from the curtain wall when I started to get steady clicks from my PipBuck. I glanced over at Lacunae hovering above us. “Well, at least you won’t have much of a problem here, right?”
我们慢慢走近，心理变态。我们离幕墙还有100英尺的时候，我的PipBuck开始不断地发出咔嗒声。我瞥了一眼在我们头顶盘旋的空隙。"好吧，至少你在这里不会遇到什么麻烦，对吧?"
But the purple alicorn shivered in the rain. It was afternoon, and things were starting to get darker. “I am sorry, Blackjack. While the radiation is quite lovely, the Enervation nearby is extremely potent.” I thought of the silver ring in Tenpony and how the Enervation effect strengthened with deaths. I looked up at the prison that had housed thousands of prisoners and imagined dozens of green glowing rings scattered throughout. Hopefully the two would cancel each other out for her... but it looked doubly bad for Stygius and Psychoshy.
但紫色的独角兽在雨中瑟瑟发抖。已经是下午了，天色开始变暗了。"对不起，黑杰克。虽然辐射相当可爱，但附近的能量供应却极其强烈。"我想到了Tenpony的银戒指，想到了死亡是如何加强了衰弱效应。我抬头看着关押着成千上万囚犯的监狱，想象着散落在各处的几十个绿色光环。希望这两个人能够互相抵消......但是对于斯蒂吉乌斯和精神病而言，情况更加糟糕。
The concrete wall was twenty feet high, but the blast and exposure damage had chewed through the top yard or so, exposing jagged metal supports draped with rolls of hooked wire. Glowing undead ponies were tangled up in it, screaming and thrashing as they struggled. Even after two centuries and a direct balefire hit, Hightower was still functioning as a prison, even if it was a prison of the damned. The klaxons inside sounded on and on, endlessly warning folks of a disaster that nopony was going to respond to.
混凝土墙有二十英尺高，但爆炸和暴露造成的破坏已经咬穿了顶部院子，露出了被卷起的铁丝缠绕着的锯齿状金属支架。发光的不死小马纠缠在一起，一边挣扎，一边尖叫，一边抽打。即使经历了两个世纪的直接巴勒火灾袭击，海托华仍然作为一个监狱运作，即使它是一个被诅咒者的监狱。里面的喇叭一直响个不停，没完没了地警告人们，没有小马驹会对灾难做出反应。
The tangled, feral ghouls fired some sort of balefire magic at us when we drew too close, and we immediately backed out of range. Well... undead ponies flinging radioactive fire was one hazard, but that was nothing compared to the turrets atop each watchtower. Their size made the energy turrets that Glory had set up in Flank look like beam pistols on tripods. If even one was working, it could probably vaporize any flier.
当我们靠得太近的时候，那些纠结的、凶猛的食尸鬼向我们发射了某种弹火魔法，我们立刻退出了射程。嗯......不死的小马扔出放射性的火焰是一个危险，但是这与每个瞭望塔顶上的塔楼相比算不了什么。他们的大小使晨辉在弗兰克建立的能量塔看起来像三脚架上的光束手枪。即使只有一个有效，它也可能蒸发掉任何一个飞行员。
“Any chance you could just teleport me to the top?” I asked hopefully, grinning at Lacunae.
"你有没有可能把我传送到山顶?"我满怀希望地问道，对着空隙咧着嘴笑。
“Better not, Pink,” Rampage sneered behind me. We all looked at her scowling leer and she snorted, “The fucking tower’s got nasty spells for any fucker that tries to teleport in and out of there. Oh, you’d port in... right into an interrogation cell. And teleport out into a disciplinary cell.”
"最好不要，平克,"狂暴在我身后讥笑道。我们都看着她那愁眉苦脸的眼神，她哼了一声,"这该死的塔对任何试图瞬移进出那里的混蛋都有着肮脏的咒语。你可以直接进入审讯室。然后传送到一个训练有素的牢房里。"
“Razorwire,” I murmured as I slowly turned around to face her. I really didn’t know about this. The Angel was bona fide evil, but Razor was a criminal too. “How do I get into the prison, then?”
"Razorwire,"我低声说，慢慢地转过身面对着她。我真的不知道这件事。天使是真正的恶魔，但是剃刀也是个罪犯。"那我怎么进监狱呢?"
“Oh, spray-paint ‘Princess Luna is a mule fucker’ on a wall in Canterlot. That should do it,” the striped mare said with her disdainful leer as she stepped past me and looked up at the edifice. “You don’t break into the tower. You dream about getting out. Even if the only way out is a bullet in the head.”
"哦，在Canterlot的一面墙上喷涂'卢娜公主是个操骡子的人'。这样应该可以了。"那匹斑马从我身边走过，抬头看着大厦，用不屑的眼光看着我说。"你不能破门而入。你梦想着出去。即使唯一的出路就是一枪爆头。"
“Right. But how did you physically get into the prison? Is there a gate or what?” I asked as I looked up and down the block the prison occupied.
"对。但你是怎么进入监狱的呢？有大门吗?"我边问边沿着监狱所在的街区上下打量着。
“What? You want me to give you the fucking tour for dumbasses, Pink?” The striped mare pointed at a smaller, uglier gray building on the opposite side of the street to the west of the prison. “Processing, admin, and visitation. Not that I got any,” she added with a scowl as we walked along towards it, careful not to attract the attention of the thrashing, glowing ghouls. “Once they finished putting a hoof inside every orifice, you got your uniform and your soap on a rope and they’d extend a bridge over the street.”
"什么？你想让我带你参观一下那些蠢货吗，平克?"那匹斑马指着监狱西边街道对面一座更小更丑的灰色建筑。"处理、管理和探视。当我们朝它走去的时候，她皱着眉头补充道，小心翼翼地避免引起那些暴跳如雷、发光的食尸鬼的注意。"一旦他们把蹄子插进每个洞里，你就可以把制服和肥皂用绳子拴起来，然后他们就可以在街上架起一座桥。"
It was as good a place as any to start. Processing looked like a miniature prison itself, but the rusty chainlink fence was easy enough to push through, and I stomped down on the razor wire that was set out around the base. A rusted metal mesh netting was strung out over the parking lot; for pegasi, I presumed. The heavy metal doors were intact, but Stygius found a window adjacent to it and peered inside. A second later he disappeared in a flash of black light.
这是一个很好的起点。加工过程本身看起来就像一个微型监狱，但是生锈的铁丝网很容易穿过去，我踩在基地周围的铁丝网上。停车场上挂着一个生锈的金属网;我猜，对于飞马座来说，是这样的。沉重的金属门完好无损，但斯蒂吉乌斯在门旁找到了一扇窗户，向里面张望。过了一会儿，他在一道黑光中消失了。
“That is so cool,” Psychoshy murmured. “He is so cool...”
"这太酷了,"精神病医生喃喃地说。"他太酷了......"
“Does he make you all wet and juicy?” Rampage smirked. Psychoshy flushed and scowled back as the striped mare nickered. “He sure makes me want to ride his pony stick.”
"他是不是把你弄得又湿又多汁?"暴怒得意地笑了。当有斑纹的母马嘶叫时，心理变态的脸红了，并且皱起了眉头。"他肯定让我想骑他的小马鞭。"
“Back of the line--” Psychoshy started to say. Then Rampage hugged her arms around the pegasus’s neck and gave an immense heave, swinging her in an arc and slamming her flat on her back on the crumbling asphalt. Rampage put her hooves on her splayed-out wings, pinning them to the earth.
"退到队伍后面去——"精神病医生开始说。然后，狂暴用她的胳膊搂住飞马的脖子，猛地一举，把她甩成弧形，然后把她摔倒在摇摇欲坠的柏油马路上。狂暴把她的蹄子放在张开的翅膀上，把它们钉在地上。
“I set the fucking line! You think you’re a badass, don’t you, Psychoshy?” Rampage shouted in her face. “You’re nothing. You are fucking nothing but a scared little feathercunt! In the Tower, I knew mares that’d carve off your wings and make you their earth pony bitch! You think Wasteland ponies are fucking mean? You think rape and murder is bad? I was locked up with fucking mares that had nothing else to do but think of ways to hurt each other. Killing was for
"我他妈的设定了底线！你以为你是个坏蛋，是不是，神经病?"狂暴对着她的脸喊道。"你什么都不是。你他妈什么都不是，只是个吓坏了的小贱货！在伦敦塔里，我知道有些母马会切下你的翅膀，让你成为他们的地球小马的婊子！你觉得荒原的小马很卑鄙吗？你认为强奸和谋杀是坏事？我和那些该死的母马关在一起，除了想办法伤害彼此之外没有别的事可做。杀戮是为了
when they got bored or annoyed. You are fucking nothing compared to them! A scared little yellow fuckpony!” she screamed into Psychoshy’s wide eyes.
当他们觉得无聊或者烦躁的时候。跟他们比起来你什么都不是！一匹吓坏了的小黄马!"她冲着心理害羞的大眼睛尖叫起来。
That was about as far as I let Rampage get before I pressed Vigilance into her ear canal and blasted a round into her head. The armored mare jerked atop Psychoshy, and as she collapsed, I shoved her off. Psychoshy started to shake, then scrambled to her hooves. She hung her head, her mane covering her face.
在我把警惕塞进她的耳道并向她的头部开了一枪之前，我已经让狂暴暴走到了这个地步。装甲母马在Psychoshy上抽搐，当她倒下的时候，我把她推开。精神病患者开始颤抖，然后拼命地奔跑。她低下头，鬃毛遮住了脸。
“Hey, it’s alright...” I said gently to her, reaching out a hoof as she trembled.
"嘿，没关系......"我轻轻地对她说，当她颤抖时，我伸出一只蹄子。
“No, Blackjack. It’s not fucking alright!” she said as she whirled at me, tears in her eyes. “I used to never be afraid of anything! I could kick anypony’s ass whenever I wanted. I beat you! I was never afraid. Never! Now... now I’m scared of everything! And I’ve got you pitying me! Don’t you get it?” She sobbed, grimacing. “I would have rather have died than... than that!”
"不，黑杰克。一点都不好!"她转过身来对我说，眼里含着泪水。"我以前什么都不怕！我想什么时候踢谁的屁股就踢谁的屁股。我赢了！我从不害怕。永远不会！现在...现在我什么都怕了！你还在可怜我！你还不明白吗?"她抽泣着，做着鬼脸。"我宁愿死也不要......"
“I’m sorry,” I murmured as I said next to her. Rampage groaned.
"对不起,"我在她旁边喃喃地说。暴怒呻吟着。
Psychoshy tilted her head back and snorted angrily. “Oh, just rub it in, why don’t you? I can smash a skull in a flash, and it doesn’t matter because I think about tomorrow and it scares me to death. And you know what scares me most of all?” I shook my head and she finished in a near whisper, “That it’s never going to stop.”
心理变态把头往后仰，愤怒地哼了一声。"哦，你就说吧，为什么不呢？我可以在一瞬间打碎一个头骨，但这并不重要，因为我想到了明天，这让我害怕得要死。你知道我最害怕什么吗?"我摇了摇头，她用近乎耳语的声音说:"这事永远不会停止。"
Rampage groaned again and sat up, then rubbed her left ear vigorously. “Ugh, what’s with this ringing in my ear?” She blinked, then spat out a mouthful of bloody bullet fragments. “Blackjack, we’ve got to find a better way to snap me out of it. This is just getting ridiculous...” Then she caught Psychoshy’s sniff and looked over at the yellow pegasus hanging her head in shame. “Um... ‘kay...”
狂暴又呻吟了一声，坐了起来，然后用力地揉着左耳。"啊，我耳朵里怎么有这个铃声?"她眨了眨眼，然后吐出一口血淋淋的子弹碎片。"黑杰克，我们得想个更好的办法把我拉出来。这真是太荒谬了......"然后她接住了精神病害羞的鼻子，羞愧地看着悬挂在她头上的黄色飞马。"嗯......好吧......"
It wasn’t always about me. Hoofington didn’t just suck for me. It sucked for everypony. Sanguine had watched his family die before his eyes. Psychoshy’d lost everypony that she’d believed cared about her. “I found out some things, Psychoshy. About you. Your mom and dad. I know... I know it probably doesn’t matter, but they loved you very much. When they thought you were lost, it nearly broke both of them. They were going to name you Whisper.”
这并不总是关于我。胡芬顿对我来说不仅仅是糟糕。这对每个人来说都很糟糕。桑吉眼睁睁地看着他的家人在他眼前死去。精神病害羞已经失去了所有她认为关心她的人。"我发现了一些事情，神经病。关于你。你爸爸妈妈。我知道...我知道这可能无关紧要，但是他们非常爱你。当他们以为你迷路了，他们两个几乎都崩溃了。他们打算给你起名叫Whisper。"
She lifted her head and looked at me with a teary eye and gave a little hiccup and sniff. Finally she muttered thickly, “That’s a fucking horrible name.”
她抬起头，眼泪汪汪地看着我，轻轻地打了个嗝，嗅了嗅。最后，她低声咕哝着,"这名字真他妈的可怕。"
“Better than Go Fish,” I replied. That actually got a smile out of her.
"比钓鱼好,"我回答。这真的让她笑了。
She sniffed and rubbed her eyes. “Fuck... I can’t believe you actually made me cry. Badasses aren’t supposed to cry. You never cry,” she muttered.
她嗅了嗅，揉了揉眼睛。"妈的......真不敢相信你居然把我弄哭了。坏蛋不应该哭的。你从来不哭,"她喃喃自语道。
“I sob my eyes out every other day, it feels like. You should have seen me after Priest and Scoodle... and Boing.” That drew a questioning look from my friends, and a dark glare from Rampage, but there’d be a time for that later. “Crying is the soul dealing with pain. Otherwise you keep it all inside and it drives you crazy.”
"我每隔一天就会哭得眼泪汪汪，感觉就像。你真该看看我在《牧师》、《史酷德》和《波音》之后的样子。"这招致了我的朋友们的质疑的目光，也招来了暴怒的黑暗光芒，但是以后会有时间的。"哭泣是灵魂对付痛苦的方式。否则，你会把一切都憋在心里，让自己发疯。"
Rampage muttered something about me playing therapist and being doomed. At least Lacunae’s nod let me pretend I’d said something profound.
狂暴低声抱怨我扮演治疗师的角色注定要失败。至少拉库尼的点头让我假装我说了一些深刻的东西。
Psychoshy sat a moment and sniffed. “I’m sorry about that. Priest, I mean.” I sighed; late but sincere was better than never offered at all. She stood and pushed back her mane. “Psychoshy’s a stupid name, too... and calling myself Fluttershy. I just... everypony loved her. I just wanted that.” She looked at her flank. “Stupid cutie mark. Who wants to like a mare with that on her flank...”
神经病坐了一会儿，嗅了嗅。"我很抱歉。我是说，牧师。"我叹了口气，虽然迟了，但是真诚总比没有诚意要好。她站起来，把鬃毛往后推。"心理害羞也是个愚蠢的名字......我叫自己小弗特希。我只是...每个小马都喜欢她。我只是希望如此。"她看着自己的侧腹。"愚蠢的可爱标记。谁愿意喜欢母马的侧腹......"
I had to admit, it wasn’t a mark that suggested good interpersonal skills. “We are what we choose to be,” Lacunae said softly as the doors to processing began to bang and thump.
我不得不承认，这并不意味着良好的人际交往能力。"我们就是我们选择成为的那个人,"拉库纳轻声说道，此时通往办公室的大门开始砰砰作响。
I smiled and sighed as I saw her staring at where Stygius had disappeared. “We’re not in a relationship, Psychoshy. If you like him... well... do something about it.” She looked back at me flatly, and I added, “He’s a good guy. I mean really good. I don’t think you’d find one like him out in the wasteland. A little bit impulsive, but he means well. Just try and be nice.”
看到她盯着冥河消失的地方，我微笑着叹了口气。"我们没有在谈恋爱，神经病。如果你喜欢他......那么......做点什么吧。"她直截了当地看着我，我补充道:"他是个好人。我是说真的很好。我不认为你会在荒地上找到像他这样的人。有点冲动，但他是好意。试着友好一点。"
“Blackjack, don’t. Please don’t.” Psychoshy said as she shook her head. “I’m not a nice pony. I don’t know how to be nice. He’s not going to like me. First cute guy with wings... ever...” I found the fact that I was talking about relationships with a mare who hated my guts outside a prison that was engulfed in magical fire a touch surreal.
"黑杰克，不要。请不要这样。"精神病医生摇摇头说。"我不是一匹漂亮的小马。我不知道该怎么做才好。他不会喜欢我的。第一个长着翅膀的可爱男人......有史以来......"我发现我正在谈论的事实是，在一个被魔法火焰吞没的监狱外，我与一个恨我入骨的母马的关系是超现实的。
“Like the alicorn said,” I replied as Stygius shoved the doors open a crack, just enough for Rampage to trot up and force open a gap wide enough for everypony. We entered, Psychoshy last. Stygius gave the yellow mare a concerned look as she walked past with her eyes downcast. He looked at me in worry, but I
"就像阿里克纳说的那样,"我回答道。斯蒂吉乌斯猛地推开门，开了一条缝，刚好够狂暴跳起来，强行开出一条足以容纳每匹小马的缝隙。我们进去了，最后是精神病人。当这匹黄色的母马低垂着眼睛走过时，斯蒂吉乌斯关切地看了她一眼。他忧心忡忡地看着我
couldn’t think of what to do other than smile in encouragement. I wondered if LittlePip had to deal with interpersonal problems as well as massive world shaping ones. Seemed like I just collected problems all over the place.
除了微笑以示鼓励，我想不出别的办法。我想知道小皮普是否不仅要处理人际关系问题，还要处理塑造世界的大量问题。看起来我只是到处收集问题。
We made our way through Processing. Between my lockpicking, Stygius’s flicker teleportation, and Lacunae’s cheating alicorn magic, we were able to bypass most problems. We came to a back office that had been turned into a camp of sorts, a half-dozen ancient bodies clustered around an impromptu fire in a waste bin. I supposed they’d been the staff that hadn’t tried to run. Every skull had a bullet hole.
我们通过了处理程序。在我开锁，斯蒂吉乌斯的闪光瞬移，以及拉库纳的欺骗魔法之间，我们能够绕过大多数问题。我们来到一个后台办公室，那里已经变成了一个类似营地的地方，六具古人的尸体聚集在一个垃圾箱的临时起火的地方。我猜想他们是那些没有试图逃跑的员工。每个头骨上都有一个弹孔。
One had left a note. ‘We’re sick and running out of food. We can still hear screams and alarms from the prison. The warden has it all on lockdown. They’re going to die. We’re all going to die. Luna and Celestia are dead. It’s the end of the world. The fat one asked to be let back inside but it’s too late. I don’t even know how he got out. Even if we could extend the bridge, the systems would kill him before he reached the prison building. I’m so sorry, Russet. I hope you and Daddy are safe in Hoofington. Mommy won’t be coming home from work, but she loves you.’
有一个人留下了一张纸条。我们生病了，食物也快吃完了。我们还能听到监狱里传来的尖叫声和警报声。典狱长把所有东西都锁起来了。他们会死的。我们都会死。露娜和塞莱斯蒂亚死了。这是世界末日。那个胖子要求让他进去，但是已经太晚了。我都不知道他是怎么出来的。即使我们可以延长桥梁，系统也会在他到达监狱大楼之前杀了他。我很抱歉Russet。我希望你和爸爸在Hoofington一切安好。妈妈不会下班回家，但是她爱你
I sighed and folded it back up. I’d seen so many, but they still got to me. I supposed that was a sign I was still a pony. I returned the note to the bones of the unicorn and carefully stowed away the revolver they’d used. A .32 caliber; hardly impressive but better than nothing. There was also a twenty gauge pump action shotgun and a box of ammo. I took it apart, replaced the riot gun’s firing pin and spring, and ate the barrel. Psychoshy found fifty caps in a drawer, and Stygius located a stash of drugs. The healing potions looked black and acidic in their bottles, but the rest of the chems were good.
我叹了口气，把它折了起来。我见过很多，但他们还是吸引了我。我想这是我还是一匹小马的信号。我把纸条放回到独角兽的骨头上，小心翼翼地把他们用过的左轮手枪藏了起来。点32口径的，虽然不怎么样，但总比什么都没有强。还有一支二十口径的泵动式和一箱子弹。我把它拆开，更换了防暴枪的撞针和弹簧，把枪管吃了。在一个抽屉里发现了五十个帽子，Stygius找到了一个藏毒点。治疗药水在瓶子里看起来是黑色和酸性的，但是其他的药水都很好。
The note confirmed my worst fears, though. I trotted up to the drawbridge and took my first peek over the wall. The gap between the prison building and the wall had dozens of ghouls, perhaps more than a hundred, roaming around the concrete space or tangled in the razor wire. One long road completely covered in chainlink led through it to the main doors several hundred feet distant. I couldn’t see any way we could get inside.
不过，这封信证实了我最担心的事情。我小跑到吊桥上，第一次看到了墙上的东西。监狱大楼和围墙之间的空隙里有几十个食尸鬼，也许超过一百个，在混凝土空间里游荡，或者缠在铁丝网里。一条完全被链条覆盖的长路通向几百英尺外的主门。我看不出有什么办法可以进去。
Damn it... I sat down hard at the edge of the bridge, looking across as my PipBuck clicked. Thanks to my cybernetics I was resistant to the radiation, but I wasn’t immune and none of that would protect me from the balefire of those
该死......我在桥边坐下，看着对面我的PipBuck咔嗒一声。多亏了我的控制论，我对辐射有抵抗力，但是我没有免疫力，没有任何一种能保护我免受那些火焰的伤害
glowing ghouls. Maybe it was time to throw in the towel?
发光的食尸鬼。也许是时候认输了？
“We could always go to Meatlocker,” Psychoshy suggested.
"我们随时都可以去Meatlocker,"Psychoshy建议道。
“Don’t think you noticed, but none of us are ghouls,” Rampage retorted.
"别以为你注意到了，我们都不是食尸鬼,"狂暴反驳道。
The yellow mare stood. “You don’t have to be a ghoul to get in. I went there a couple of times with Sanguine, and they were fine with me. You just have to not be a jerk. That’s all.” She tilted her head. “Granted, the smell took a lot of getting used to, but it’s not really dangerous.”
那匹黄色的母马站着。"你不必成为一个食尸鬼才能进去。我和桑吉尼去过几次，他们对我很好。你只要不是个混蛋就行了。仅此而已。"她歪着头。"诚然，这种气味需要很长时间才能适应，但并不真的危险。"
“Right. Till they start eating your liver,” Rampage retorted, holding her stomach.
"对。直到他们开始吃你的肝脏,"狂暴控制着她的胃反驳道。
“They don’t allow ferals!” Psychoshy retorted, then turned to me. “As long as you’ve got business, they’ll deal with you. And they’re not far from here. In fact, you can see the hospital right over there,” she said as she pointed at a large, low-built building that I’d almost taken for a granite hill rather than a structure. Like everything in the east part of the city, it was built like a bunker.
"他们不允许有野兽!"精神病反驳道，然后转向我。"只要你还有生意，他们就会和你打交道。他们离这儿不远。事实上，你可以看到医院就在那边,"她指着一座低矮的大楼说，我几乎以为那是一座花岗岩山丘，而不是建筑物。就像城市东部的所有东西一样，它被建造得像一个地堡。
I glanced over at Lacunae and Stygius. The latter simply shrugged. It was too close not to check out. “Okay. Well... let’s go visit some undead ponies.”
我瞥了一眼拉库尼和斯蒂吉乌斯。后者只是耸耸肩。太接近了，不能不检查。"好吧。嗯......我们去看看那些不死的小马吧。"
* * *
* * *
Hoofington Memorial Hospital was a lot larger and more imposing up close. Unlike the prison a block away, it had been built recessed into the ground and resembled a tortoise shell. I wondered if the hospital had been the intended target for the balefire bomb embedded in the wall of the prison. South of the jail, the magical flames cast the ruins in flickering, ghostly images. Even a block away, I was still getting radiation pings on my PipBuck.
胡芬顿纪念医院要大得多，近距离观察更加壮观。与一个街区之外的监狱不同的是，这座监狱被建造成凹进地面的形状，就像一个龟壳。我不知道医院是否是埋在监狱墙上的弹药炸弹的预定目标。在监狱的南面，魔法的火焰以摇曳的、鬼魅般的影像投射出废墟。即使在一个街区之外，我的PipBuck仍然收到辐射信号。
We approached the front entrance of the hospital, and immediately I spotted the sandbag barricades in front of the doors and ponies in combat armor standing guard. “Oy! Willow! Breathers!” one shouted as he swiveled a machine gun towards us. Given the ruins around us and the fortified building, it’d be quite a trick to assault this place directly. Two others in battle saddles ran up to give him support.
我们走近医院的前门，立刻我发现了门前的沙袋路障和在战斗装甲站岗的小马。"哎呀！薇洛！呼吸!"其中一个用机关枪对着我们喊道。考虑到我们周围的废墟和戒备森严的建筑，直接攻击这个地方是相当困难的。另外两个骑着战斗马鞍的人跑上前来支援他。
“Are they wearing red or green or look like they’ll annoy the fuck out of me?” a mare called from inside the doors. The ghouls pointing the guns looked at each
"他们穿的是红色的还是绿色的，或者看起来像是要把我烦死了?"一匹母马从门内呼叫。指着枪的食尸鬼看着每个人
other, and a moment later the mare blurted, “Oh for fuck’s sake. You guys are useless.” A mottled green unicorn ghoul trotted out, her filmy eyes narrowing before she scowled in confusion. “Great. Fucking tourists.” She pointed to the east. “If you’re hurt and got a pulse, head that way. Those Enclave fucks just love helping tourists.”
过了一会儿，母马脱口而出:"哦，他妈的。你们这些家伙真没用。"一只斑驳的绿色独角兽食尸鬼跑了出来，她眯起朦胧的眼睛，脸上露出困惑的表情。"太好了。该死的游客。"她指向东方。"如果你受伤了，还有脉搏，朝那边看。那些飞地的混蛋就是喜欢帮助游客。"
Wow. Unfriendly much? “We’re not tourists,” I said at once.
哇。很不友好？"我们不是游客,"我立刻说。
“Don’t be a cunt, Willow,” Psychoshy said as she trotted to the front. “It’s me.”
"别像个婊子一样，薇洛,"精神病害羞一边小跑一边说。"是我。"
The mare rolled her milky orbs. “Yeah. I know. Honestly, I was a hair away from having them open fire on you on general principle.” She sighed and nodded to the stallions with the guns. “Stand down,” she said with a wave of her hoof before trotting out from behind the sandbags and walking towards us. She eyed Lacunae suspiciously. “Wait. Are you with those assholes?”
母马转动着乳白色的球体。"是的。我知道。老实说，根据一般原则，我差一点就让他们向你开火了。"她叹了口气，向那些拿着枪的种马点点头。"退下,"她挥动着蹄子说，然后从沙袋后面小跑出来，朝我们走来。她怀疑地打量着缺口。"等等。你和那些混蛋在一起吗?"
“You mean the Harbingers?” I asked with a frown.
"你是说先驱者?"我皱着眉头问。
“No. Those other assholes,” she said as she pointed to the south with her hoof. “Those Red Eye fucks.”
"没有。那些混蛋,"她边说边用蹄子指着南方。"那些红眼的混蛋。"
“We are not affiliated with Red Eye, no,” Lacunae said at once.
"我们和红眼没有任何关系，没有,"拉库纳立刻说。
“Right. Fine then,” the boiled green mare said, and then she rolled her eyes and stated in a bored, rehearsed monotone, “Welcome to the Meatlocker. We are thrilled to receive guests from all across the Wasteland. Feel free to shop at Meatlocker Merchandise down in the ER. Enjoy yourself at the Afterlife Club found in the cafeteria. If you actually need medical care or supplies, see Dr. Wheelbarrow in Examination Room B. Beds can be rented in the ICU Inn. If you have any questions, please ask any helpful Meatlocker security ponies who aren’t me or see our mayor, Windclop. Is there anything else I can help you with?” From her scornful expression, I was pretty certain that it’d be more effective to ask a radroach.
"对。"那好吧,"煮熟的绿色母马说，然后她转了转眼睛，用一种无聊的、事先排练过的单调语调说,"欢迎来到肉库。"。我们很高兴能接待来自荒原各地的客人。请随意在急诊室的肉库商品店购物。享受在自助餐厅找到的来世俱乐部吧。如果你确实需要医疗护理或用品，请到b检查室找独轮车医生。床位可以在ICU旅馆租用。如果你有任何问题，请问问除了我和我们的市长Windclop以外的任何有帮助的Meatlocker安全小马。还有什么需要我帮忙的吗?"从她轻蔑的表情来看，我敢肯定，去问问雨伞会更有效。
“No, I think we’re good. Thanks,” I said, and she at once rolled her eyes and trotted over to examine the machine gun on the barricade. We made our way inside, and I glanced back. “She’s friendly.”
"不，我想我们很好。"谢谢,"我说，她立刻翻了翻眼睛，小跑过去检查街垒上的机关枪。我们走了进去，我回头看了一眼。"她很友好。"
“Actually, that’s pretty civil for Willow,” Psychoshy replied.
"实际上，这对薇洛来说是相当礼貌的,"精神病回答说。
“I wonder why she didn’t comment on Stygius, though?” I looked at the baffled stallion, who blinked and shrugged his dusky shoulders.
"不过，我想知道她为什么不评论斯蒂吉乌斯?"我看着这匹困惑的种马，它眨了眨眼，耸了耸昏暗的肩膀。
Psychoshy snorted and said to me, “Yeah, he might seem weird to a breather. But when you’ve been around for a couple centuries, there’s not a lot of things that jump out at you.” Then, with a smile, “I’m going to head to Afterlife.” She started to trot away, then paused and turned around. She looked at me, then at Stygius. “Um... you wanna come with me?”
"精神病"哼了一声，对我说:"是啊，对于一个喘气的人来说，他可能看起来很奇怪。但是，如果你已经在这个领域工作了几个世纪，就不会有太多事情让你感到意外。"然后，带着微笑,"我要去往生世了。"她开始小跑着离开，然后停下来转过身来。她看着我，然后看着Stygius。"嗯...你想和我一起去吗?"
He blinked at her, then looked at me, then back and her and pointed a leathery wingtip at himself.
他眨眨眼睛看着她，然后看着我，然后转过身来看着她，用一个坚韧的翼尖指着自己。
“Yes, you. Come on. Afterlife’s not bad. Just stay away from the Rainboom and you’ll be fine.” Her smile became a little strained, fraying with nervousness. I nudged his hip with my own and he jumped, and then trotted up beside her. She relaxed as they walked into the gloomy hospital together.
"是的，就是你。来吧。死后的生活并不坏。只要远离Rainboom，你就会没事的。"她的微笑变得有点紧张，因为紧张而有些磨损。我用自己的手轻轻推了一下他的臀部，他跳了起来，然后在她身边小跑起来。当他们一起走进阴暗的医院时，她放松了下来。
And it really was gloomy; unlike the Fluttershy Medical Center or even Happyhorn, there was virtually no decoration or attempt to make the interior woodsy or cute. Only a few emergency lights lit the atrium, and there were more sandbag barricades inside, clearly fallback positions in the event of a siege. A few more ghouls with guns looked on warily.
这里真的很阴郁，不像Fluttershy医疗中心甚至Happyhorn，这里几乎没有任何装饰，也没有试图把室内弄得像树林一样可爱。只有几盏应急灯照亮了中庭，里面还有更多的沙袋路障，在被围攻时显然是后退的位置。还有几个持枪的食尸鬼警惕地看着。
“You’ve sure been nice to Psychoshy,” Rampage observed as she trotted along at my side. “Any reason?”
"你肯定对心理害羞很好,"狂暴看着她在我身边小跑。"什么原因?"
“Can’t I be nice to be nice?” I countered as I looked for a sign or some clue of where to go.
"我就不能友好一点吗?"我一边反驳，一边寻找一个标志或者一些去哪里的线索。
“Ordinarily I’d say no, but you’re weird like that,” Rampage admitted, and then asked with a little more concern, “You’re not doing it out of pity, are you?”
"通常我会说不，但你这样很奇怪,"狂暴承认道，然后带着更多的关切问道,"你这么做不是出于同情，是吗?"
“What if I am? She’s miserable,” I said with a little frown.
"如果我是呢？她很可怜,"我皱着眉头说。
“She deserves to be. Look, I know you forgive at the drop of a hat, but Psycho isn’t a good pony. She’s vain and selfish and she’s so full of hate right now. She hates you for killing Sanguine. She hates Sanguine for using her. She hates herself for being used. You need to be careful with her,” Rampage warned as she walked beside me. “She’s getting awfully attached to Stygius.”
"这是她应得的。听着，我知道你很快就会原谅我，但是《惊魂记》可不是什么好东西。她自负又自私，现在充满了仇恨。她恨你杀了桑吉娜。她讨厌桑吉尼利用她。她讨厌自己被利用。你要小心对待她,"当她走在我身边时，狂暴警告说。"她对斯提吉乌斯越来越依赖了。"
“So what’s wrong with that? He’s a good guy. He helped me in the way I needed to be helped.” Which was apparently a problem for my friend given how she rolled her eyes. “He’ll help her too if he can.”
"那么，这有什么问题呢？他是个好人。他以我需要帮助的方式帮助了我。"这对我朋友来说显然是个问题，因为她翻了个白眼。"如果可以的话，他也会帮她的。"
“Because now you’re done with him?” she said sharply, then groaned and shook her head. “Ugh, never mind. I said I’d drop it. Look, I’m going to go keep an eye on those two. If you’re going to ask about Hightower, find out from the mayor or somepony.” And then she was gone.
"因为现在你和他玩完了?"她厉声说，然后呻吟着摇了摇头。"呃，算了。我说了我会放弃的。听着，我去看着他们两个。如果你要问海托华的事，就去问问市长或某个小马公司吧。"然后她就走了。
“Ugh... what is with her?” I said as I glanced up at Lacunae.
"呃......她怎么了?"我抬头看了一眼空隙，说道。
“Perhaps she feels you’ve had an inappropriate relationship with Stygius, given your affection for Glory. Or perhaps she feels you are using him in a way that is going to hurt his feelings. Or maybe Rampage respects you a great deal and is having difficulty accepting that you are not as perfect as she’s perceived.”
"也许她觉得你和冥河之间有不正当的关系，因为你喜欢晨辉。或者她觉得你在用一种伤害他感情的方式利用他。或者，也许狂暴非常尊重你，难以接受你并不像她所认为的那样完美。"
“Perfect? Me?” I tapped my metal leg against a pillar. “Has she seen me lately? I’m the biggest fuckup in the Wasteland!”
"完美？我?"我用我的金属腿敲击一根柱子。""她最近见过我吗？我是荒原上最大的败类!"
“Yet you endure. You persist. You overcome. Even now, you’re here looking for a way into a place most ponies would simply give up at the first sight of. And you’ve yet to sacrifice your virtue for it. You suffer instead.” She smiled as she shook her head. “Believe me, the Goddess is far happier that you are out here running around Hoofington than in Canterlot.”
""可是你还在忍受。你坚持着。你克服了。即使是现在，你在这里寻找一种方式进入一个地方，大多数小马会简单地放弃一见钟情。而你还没有为此牺牲你的美德。相反，你遭受痛苦。"她微笑着摇了摇头。"相信我，比起在坎特洛特，女神更喜欢你在Hoofington跑来跑去。"
“Is that why she’s letting you stay with me?” I asked with a smile, spotting a flickering arrow-shaped light on the wall pointing towards ‘ER’.
"这就是她让你和我住在一起的原因?"我笑着问道，发现墙上有一盏箭形的灯指向"急诊室"。
“That, and I’ve asked her to let me,” she said in a gentle murmur. I flushed a bit, then looked back at her and smiled, giving her shoulder a thankful nudge. The light picked up quite a bit as we reached a pair of double doors marked ‘Emergency’. The ER itself was a horseshoe-shaped chamber with alcoves along the outside wall. The exit doors were choked with rubble, making the chamber a cozy space, and several ghouls mingled around the old nurses’ station. A lively tune was being played over the PA system that made me smile despite myself.
"那个，我已经请求她让我去了,"她轻轻地低声说。我稍微脸红了一下，然后回头看着她，微笑着，感激地轻轻推了一下她的肩膀。当我们走到一对标有"紧急情况"的双开门前时，灯光明亮了许多。急诊室本身是一个马蹄形的房间，外墙有一个凹室。出口的门塞满了碎石，使房间成为一个舒适的空间，几个食尸鬼混在老护士站周围。扩音系统里正在播放一首生动的曲子，使我不由自主地微笑起来。
The nearest alcove had a counter built across it with ‘Tulip’s’ painted on the front. Behind it were a number of pieces of barding hanging from old IV stands and a petite unicorn ghoul who might once have been a roseish color. When our eyes met, the young mare gave a hopeful smile. “H-hello. Welcome to T-Tulip’s.
最近的壁龛上有一个柜台，柜台正面画着"郁金香"。在它的后面是一些挂在古老的IV架上的铠甲和一个可能曾经是玫瑰色的小独角兽食尸鬼。当我们的目光相遇时，年轻的母马充满希望地笑了。"你好。欢迎来到郁金香餐厅。
My armor is g-guaranteed to keep you safe. If any of my equipment f-fails to save your life, I’ll give you a full r-r-refund!” She tried for an enthusiastic grin but only pulled off a shy, self-conscious smile. I wasn’t sure if she was blushing or not as she stared at my barding. “What happened? Did you r-run afoul a flamer or a dr-dr-dragon?”
我的盔甲可以保证你的安全。如果我的任何设备救不了你的命，我就给你全额退款!"她试着露出热情洋溢的笑容，但只是摆出一副害羞、难为情的微笑。我不确定她是不是脸红了，因为她盯着我的帽子看。"发生了什么事？你是遇到了火龙还是龙医生?"
“Flamer,” I said with a small smile as I glanced down at the scorched green armor. “Can you fix it?”
"火焰,"当我低头看着烧焦的绿色盔甲时，我微笑着说。"你能修好它吗?"
“S-sure... but it’s s-stupid expensive,” she stammered as she trotted underneath the counter and walked around me. “Ch-cheaper to buy a n-new suit and r-reinforce it.”
"当然可以......不过这......太贵了,"她结结巴巴地走到柜台下面，绕着我走来走去。"买一套新西装，然后加固它，成本会更低。"
A ghoul repairing some firearms -- mostly low-caliber pistols and bolt-action hunting rifles -- that were laid out on a gurney next door rolled his filmy eyes. “And that’s why Tulip’s always broke.” The small unicorn lowered her head a little.
一个食尸鬼正在修理隔壁轮床上摆放的一些火器——大部分是小口径手枪和螺栓式猎枪——他翻了翻白眼。"这就是为什么郁金香总是破产。"小独角兽低了一下头。
“Oh, don’t worry about him, Hun,” a grayish ghoul mare said to her from browsing the next stall over. She wore a gentle smile, and I was surprised by how well dressed she was and how much of her pink mane was still intact. “Tulip knows her barding better than I know how to work a needle and thread.” And given how the gray ghoul’s mottled cutie mark was exactly that, I supposed she was quite good indeed.
"哦，不用担心他，匈奴人,"一匹灰色的食尸鬼母马在旁边的货摊上看了看，对她说。她脸上带着温柔的微笑，我惊讶于她的衣着，惊讶于她那粉红色的鬃毛竟然完好无损。"郁金香比我更懂得如何缝制针线。"考虑到那个灰色食尸鬼斑驳的小可爱就是这个样子，我觉得她确实相当不错。
“Th-thanks, V...” Tulip murmured.
"谢谢，v。。」郁金香喃喃地说。
“All right.” I checked my PipBuck and then took out some of the gold and silver I’d looted from Goldenblood’s house, my PipBuck calculating their value in caps. How it did so, I couldn’t begin to imagine. I held up the spool of gold. “How about this for some quality armor?”
"好吧。"我检查了一下我的PipBuck，然后拿出一些我从Goldenblood家里抢来的金银，我的PipBuck用帽子计算它们的价值。我无法想象它是怎么做到的。我举起那卷金子。"这个怎么样，做一些高质量的盔甲?"
“Sure. I c-can get you something r-right away for that. L-let me use your old a-armor to make sure it f-f-fits. G-g-give me an hour?” Tulip stammered as she scrambled under the counter again. I removed my armor and floated it over.
"当然。我可以马上给你买点东西。让我用你的旧盔甲确保它合适。给我一个小时?"郁金香结结巴巴地又爬到柜台下面。我脱下我的盔甲，把它漂过来。
The gray unicorn ghoul smiled as I trotted away, Tulip digging through boxes in the back of her stall. “You just made Tulip’s day. Poor dear knows her trade, but she’s not terribly confident,” she said as she led me across the ER to another stall. This one, however, mostly held prewar clothing. “There’s no reason to trot
灰色的独角兽食尸鬼微笑着，我小跑着离开，郁金香在她的马厩后面挖箱子。"你真是郁金香的好日子。可怜的亲爱的知道她的行业，但她不是非常自信,"她说，她带我穿过急诊室到另一个摊位。然而，这件大部分是战前的衣服。"没有理由小跑
around in just your hide like that,” she said as she dug through the racks.
"像这样藏在你的身体里"她一边说，一边挖着架子。
I gave a slightly confused little smile as I looked at the salvaged sign in the back of the stall; a bundle of wheat. “No offense, but ponies usually don’t wear clothes.” Heck, even in 99 we didn’t usually wear them if we were off duty. The only mare that had really cared about them had been the Overmare’s mother.
我看着摊位后面那个被抢救出来的标牌，一捆小麦，略带困惑地笑了笑。"无意冒犯，但小马通常不穿衣服。"见鬼，即使是在99年，我们下班的时候也不会穿。唯一真正关心他们的母马是欧弗马尔的母亲。
“True. But that’s no reason to not wear them,” she said brightly, selecting a plaid green pleated skirt, matching blazer, white blouse, and lacy undergarment. And now that I looked around, it struck me that just about every ghoul was wearing some article of clothing or another. “Here. A gratuity for being so understanding to Tulip.” I felt too self-conscious to refuse the gifts and put them on, surprised at how well they fit.
"没错。但这不是不穿它们的理由,"她轻快地说，选择了一条格子绿色百褶裙，搭配上衣，白色衬衫和蕾丝内衣。现在我环顾四周，我突然发现几乎每一个食尸鬼都穿着衣服之类的东西。"这儿。谢谢你这么理解郁金香。"我觉得太自我意识拒绝礼物，并把他们穿上，惊讶于他们是多么适合。
I flushed a little, looking at myself in a cracked mirror. “Well, don’t you look like a perfect student for Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns?” the gun ghoul teased. I harrumphed and refused to let the jackass get to me. From the look on V’s face, I’d done her a favor.
我有点脸红，看着破裂的镜子里的自己。"你看起来像不像塞莱斯蒂亚公主天赋独角兽学校的完美学生?"食尸鬼取笑的枪。我哼了一声，拒绝让那个混蛋接近我。从v的表情来看，我帮了她一个忙。
“If I may ask,” she said as she carefully adjusted the skirt to cover my posterior, “what brings you to Meatlocker? You don’t seem to be bothered by us, but you’re not a regular.”
"如果我可以问的话,"她一边说，一边小心地调整裙子，遮住我的臀部,"什么风把你吹到肉库来了?"？你似乎并不为我们所困扰，但你不是常客。"
What should I be bothered by? Okay, there was a slightly off-putting meaty smell about the place, and some of the ghouls looked even more ragged than others, but given what I’d seen so far, they weren’t anything bad. “Looking for a way into Hightower,” I answered, and got a gasp and stare from more than a few ponies.
我应该为什么烦恼呢？好吧，这个地方有一股让人不舒服的肉味，有些食尸鬼看起来比其他人更邋遢，但就我目前所见，他们并不坏。"我在找一条通往海托华的路,"我回答，几匹小马倒吸了一口气，盯着我看。
She adopted a concerned expression. “If you’re looking for salvage, there’s plenty of other places to find it. Even we stay away from that place.”
她表现出关切的神情。"如果你在寻找打捞物，还有很多其它地方可以找到。即使我们远离那个地方。"
“There’s something I need to find inside there,” I said firmly. The ghouls around us shared significant looks, some rolling their eyes and others frowning in concern. I didn’t want an argument, so I changed the topic. “I’m curious. Why do so many of you wear clothes?”
"我需要在那里面找到一些东西,"我坚定地说。我们周围的食尸鬼们面面相觑，有的翻着白眼，有的皱着眉头表示关切。我不想吵架，所以我改变了话题。"我很好奇。为什么你们这么多人穿衣服?"
“What? You want to stare at my jerky stick?” cackled the obnoxious stallion that had jeered Tulip.
"什么？你想盯着我的牛肉干看吗?"那只曾嘲笑过郁金香的讨厌的种马咯咯地笑着。
The gray mare, V, glowered at him till he got the hint and trotted out of the ER.
灰色的母马v怒视着他，直到他得到暗示，小跑出了急诊室。
Then she looked at me kindly. “You have to understand that to stay... well... ourselves, we have to do everything we can to hold on to our identity before we died. So we act civilly... dress civilly... do what we love and try to keep ourselves from slipping away. It doesn’t take much for one of us to go from a normal, albeit dead, pony to a monster.”
然后她慈祥地看着我。"你必须明白，为了保持......嗯......我们自己，我们必须在死前尽一切努力保持我们的身份。所以我们行为文明，穿着文明，做我们热爱的事情，努力不让自己溜走。对于我们中的一个人来说，从一个普通的(尽管已经死了)小马变成一个怪物并不难。"
“It doesn’t help that so many ponies around the Hoof simply assume we’re brain-eating fiends,” piped up another mare behind a tray of Dash inhalers.
"这没有帮助，这么多小马周围的蹄子只是假定我们是吃脑袋的恶魔,"另一匹母马尖声说，背后的托盘冲冲吸入器。
I thought of Harpica and Ditzy and Sanguine. “I suppose a bored ghoul is feral ghoul?”
我想到了Harpica、迪兹和桑吉尼。"我想一个无聊的食尸鬼就是凶残的食尸鬼?"
“Well said,” V commented in approval. “I’ve been here since the bombs fell. It’s been a challenge. Dying, and then... this.” She gestured around the hospital. “Getting material, finding clients. That silly little prejudice against our kind makes much of that quite difficult.” She glanced at a picture in an old, battered brass frame showing a stallion in a black hood grinning cheekily. Her cloudy eyes settled on the image. “And there are some days we just feel... very tired.”
"说得好,"v赞同地评论道。"自从炸弹落下后，我就一直在这里。这是一个挑战。死亡，然后......这个。"她指了指医院。"获取材料，寻找客户。这种对我们种族的愚蠢的小偏见使得这一切变得非常困难。"她瞥了一眼一个破旧的黄铜相框里的一张照片，照片上是一匹戴着黑色兜帽的种马，嬉皮笑脸。她那双朦胧的眼睛注视着那个影像。"有些日子，我们只是觉得......非常疲惫。"
“It’s not easy living for so long, is it?” I said as I sat. V nodded and she and I shared a sympathetic smile as I lifted my forehoof and extended my mechanical fingers. “It’s something I’m going to have to deal with too. Provided I don’t die in Hightower, that is.”
"活这么久不容易，不是吗?"我边说边坐下。点点头，她和我同情地微笑着，我抬起前蹄，伸出机械手指。"这也是我不得不面对的事情。前提是我不会死在海托华。"
Lacunae nodded. “It is an adjustment for us as well, though for us the change is far more profound. In Unity, there is often no sense of time at all. A year can feel like a day, and so the changes are far more jarring.”
拉库奈点点头。"对我们来说，这也是一种调整，尽管对我们来说，这种变化要深远得多。在Unity中，常常根本没有时间概念。一年就像一天，所以变化更加不和谐。"
V looked at the alicorn curiously and nodded her agreement. “You have to keep busy. You can’t just stop and let time slip by. You can lose everything that way.”
V好奇地看着独角兽，点头表示同意。"你必须保持忙碌。你不能停下来让时间溜走。这样你可能会失去一切。"
“Well... I definitely have something that needs doing. Is there somepony else that might be able to help?” I asked, and the mare slumped, clearly bothered that she couldn’t help me. Then a tan stallion with a stunningly well-groomed white mane approached. Really, I knew living ponies with worse hair.
"嗯......我确实有些事情需要做。有没有别的小马可以帮忙?"我问，母马垂头丧气，显然很烦恼她不能帮助我。这时，一匹棕褐色的种马走了过来，它的白色鬃毛令人惊叹地梳得整整齐齐。真的，我知道活着的小马的头发更糟糕。
“Help? My dear, help has arrived! You have no idea how long I’ve waited for a pony with a decent mane to trot across my path!” he announced grandly. He grinned at the pink-maned V. “No offense meant, Velvet my dear.”
"帮忙？亲爱的，救援来了！你不知道我等了多久，才等到一匹鬃毛像样的小马从我的小路上小跑过来!"他隆重地宣布。他对着粉红色头发的v咧嘴一笑:"亲爱的，我没有冒犯的意思。"
“None taken, Snowflake. Celestia knows you’ve worked your magic on me more than once,” she replied graciously, then turned and grinned up at Lacunae. Her horn glowed as she lifted a tape measure. “Now, why don’t you work your magic on her mane while I see to dressing her friend here?” Velvet said with an almost evil smile, pulling the tape measure tight with a snap.
"没关系，小雪花。塞莱斯蒂娅知道你不止一次对我施展了你的魔法,"她和蔼地回答，然后转过身对着Lacunae咧嘴一笑。当她举起卷尺时，她的喇叭闪闪发光。"现在，你为什么不在她的鬃毛上施展你的魔法，让我来给她的朋友穿衣服呢?"维尔韦特带着近乎邪恶的微笑说，啪地一声把卷尺拉紧。
* * *
* * *
It can be said that there are times in my life when things take a turn towards the surreal. Getting kissed by a spirit of chaos, dying, encountering a screaming room, and meeting an odd batpony out of the blue all qualify. I had to admit, though, that I’d never imagined that I would be subject to a complete makeover for the amusement and delight of a roomful of ghoul ponies. The only time I’d gotten this level of attention was at my cutie mark party, and even then the dress had been borrowed.
可以说，在我的生活中，有时事情会朝着超现实的方向发展。被混乱的灵魂亲吻，死亡，遭遇尖叫的房间，突然遇到一匹奇怪的蝙蝠马，这些都符合条件。不过，我必须承认，我从来没有想到自己会被彻底改头换面，以取悦一屋子盗尸的小马。我唯一一次得到这种程度的关注是在我的可爱的标志派对上，即使那时裙子也是借来的。
The entire time I kept my eyes closed, focusing on not killing Snowflake. He’s doing me a favor. Don’t kill him. He’s helping me. Don’t kill him. After what I’d been through with Stygius, I was able to take some deep breaths and fight the urge to react while Snowflake trimmed my tail. With deftness and care I would have expected from a unicorn, the white-maned earth pony snipped and brushed my mane and coat with finesse and ease. It felt like probably the most feminine moment of my life when Snowflake presented a mirror and I looked at my own reflection.
这段时间我一直闭着眼睛，专注于不要杀死雪花。他是在帮我。别杀他。他在帮我。别杀他。在我和斯蒂吉乌斯一起经历了这一切之后，我能够深呼吸，在雪花修剪尾巴的时候克制住反抗的冲动。这只地球上白色鬃毛的矮种马，以我对独角兽的熟练和细心的期待，用巧妙和轻松的方式剪下并刷洗了我的鬃毛和大衣。当雪花拿出一面镜子，我看着镜中的自己时，那感觉像是我生命中最女性化的时刻。
“Unfortunately I couldn’t do anything with your augments, but I think that the smooth transition works quite well, don’t you?” the ghoul said brightly as I turned back and forth. He hadn’t changed much, but he’d definitely made me look... better. Lots better. I looked almost as cute as Glory now! “Normally a ghoul with a barbershop makes about as much sense as a screen door on a submarine. With the exception of Miss Velvet and myself, most ghouls simply don’t have the manes for it.”
"不幸的是，我不能做任何与你的增加，但我认为平稳过渡工作相当不错，你不觉得吗?"当我来回转动时，食尸鬼明亮地说。他并没有改变太多，但他确实让我看起来......更好。好多了。我现在看起来几乎和晨辉一样可爱了！"通常，理发店里的食尸鬼就像潜水艇上的纱门一样有意义。除了维尔维特小姐和我之外，大多数食尸鬼根本没有这个胆量。"
“Are you certain this is... appropriate?” Lacunae asked in a subdued voice.
"你确定这样做......合适吗?"空隙用低沉的声音问。
I turned, and that feeling of surreality jumped up even more; my jaw simply dropped. The gray ghoul mare had dressed the alicorn in lacy white lingerie from horn to hoof. I wasn’t quite sure if the outfit was meant for... one of those wedding things or a honeymoon, but the stockings and the garters and the...
我转过身，那种超现实的感觉越来越强烈，我的下巴都掉下来了。灰色的食尸鬼母马从牛角到蹄子都穿着花边的白色内衣。我不太确定这套衣服是否适合......婚礼用品还是蜜月用品，但是这些长筒袜、吊袜带和.....。
wow. The purple alicorn’s cheeks blazed as she looked around in worry. I didn’t think bridles came in lace! Unless that was some magic underwear, it wouldn’t last five minutes in the Wasteland. Still...
哇。当她忧心忡忡地环顾四周时，紫玉簪的脸颊闪闪发光。我不认为bridles是蕾丝的！除非那是什么神奇的内衣，否则在荒地里连五分钟都坚持不了。不过..。
Damn...
该死..。
Velvet narrowed her eyes speculatively. “Mmmm, I suppose not. Still, I’ve been dying for a century to see this outfit I made for Luna on somepony.” I gaped anew. Luna wore something... anything... like that? Ever?
维尔韦特不知不觉地眯起眼睛。"嗯，我想是的。不过，一个世纪以来，我一直渴望能看到我为露娜做的这件衣服，穿在一匹小马身上。"我再次目瞪口呆。露娜穿了什么......任何......像那样的东西？从来没有？
And I was wondering if Velvet had another suit like it in my size. I was really really wondering that. I cleared my throat. “I’m sure Stronghoof will adore it,” I said delicately. Oh my, I had no idea an alicorn could turn that shade of red. Was she actually glowing? I was sure the Goddess was just loving this. Velvet’s horn glowed as she removed the lacy apparel; Lacunae flushed and squirmed in embarrassment.
我想知道Velvet是否还有一套和我的尺码一样的衣服。我真的很想知道。我清了清嗓子。"我肯定斯特朗霍夫会喜欢它的,"我婉转地说。哦，我的天，我不知道一个橡子可以变成红色的阴影。她真的容光焕发吗？我相信女神一定很喜欢这个。天鹅绒的角在她脱下花边衣服时闪闪发光;陷阱因为尴尬而羞红扭动。
“Well... maybe...” the alicorn murmured with a small smile.
"好吧......也许......"亚利康小声地笑着说。
Velvet looked up at her with a cheeky grin. “Go ahead and take it. I doubt I’ll ever have another client in your size. I’d just ruin the garment if I tried to take it in. Go on. I hope your Stronghoof likes it.” Lacunae made a little ‘meep’ and if possible, her blush deepened even further. Yup; she was glowing. The gray ghoul looked over her racks of clothes. “Mmmm... maybe something in red? Lilac? No... ah! Gold!”
维尔韦特抬头看着她，厚颜无耻地笑了笑。"拿去吧。我怀疑我再也找不到像你这样身材的客户了。如果我想把衣服穿进去的话，我会把它弄坏的。继续。我希望你的剧本能够喜欢。"空隙发出一声"喵喵"的叫声，如果可能的话，她的红晕更加深了。是的，她容光焕发。那个灰色的食尸鬼看着她的衣架。"嗯......要不要来点红色的？丁香花？不...啊！黄金!"
“Well... I’m going to go find that mayor now,” I said as I stood. “Have fun!”
"好吧......我现在要去找那个市长了,"我站在那里说。"玩得开心!"
“Wait... Blackjack! Don’t leave me like this!” Lacunae called out as I trotted for the exit. “Blackjack!”
"等等......黑杰克！不要这样离开我!"当我快步走向出口时，空隙大声叫道。"黑杰克!"
“Don’t move! This’ll just take a minute!” Velvet said, working her tape measure.
"不许动！这只需要一分钟!"维尔韦特一边说，一边用卷尺测量着。
I gave a grateful smile to Tulip on my way out; the small ghoul mare was working on a suit of gray combat barding. I heard Snowflake call out, “I call dibs on her next, Velvet! The things I could do with her mane!”
在出去的路上，我对郁金香报以感激的微笑;那匹小食尸鬼母马正在做一套灰色的战斗服。我听到雪花喊道:"下一个我要了，天鹅绒!"！我能用她的鬃毛做的事情!"
Moving back into the hospital, I was glad my eyes could amplify what little light there was from the few emergency lamps. A few ghouls watched me warily from the shadows, and moved away when I approached them for directions to the
回到医院后，我很高兴自己的眼睛能够放大那几盏紧急照明灯发出的微弱光线。几个食尸鬼在阴影中警惕地看着我，当我走近他们问路的时候，他们离开了
cafeteria or the mayor. “What’s wrong with them?” I asked, more to myself than anything.
自助餐厅或者市长。"他们怎么了?"我问道，这比什么都重要。
A snide, rasping voice said from the shadows, “Oh just the shock of death and centuries of intolerance, abuse, and hatred from the living. Little things like that.” From the darkness stepped a charred-looking earth pony in a black funeral director’s suit. His filmy eyes still had a sharp color of red as he smirked at me. “Of course, you wouldn’t understand.”
阴影中传来一个尖锐刺耳的声音:"哦，只是死亡的冲击和几个世纪以来来自生者的不宽容、虐待和仇恨。诸如此类的小事。"黑暗中走出一匹烧焦了的矮种马，它看上去像是一匹穿着黑色葬礼承办人服装的土马。当他向我傻笑时，他那双朦胧的眼睛仍然有一种锐利的红色。"当然，你不会明白的。"
“I’ve put up with plenty of abuse and hatred myself. Who are you?” I asked with a scowl.
"我自己也忍受了大量的辱骂和仇恨。你是谁?"我皱着眉头问道。
“Ahuizotl,” he said with a nod of his head. “I run the Mortuary.” At my baffled look, he let out a hiss of annoyance. “The bar? The original bar before that damnable club opened up?” I shook my head slowly, and he glowered. “So, Willow isn’t even bothering to tell esteemed guests about my business? I should have known.” He tilted an ear in the direction of the cheery music and sighed, muttering darkly to himself.
"阿胡伊佐特,"他点了点头说。"我管理殡仪馆。"看到我困惑的表情，他发出一声恼怒的嘶嘶声。"酒吧？那个该死的俱乐部开张之前的酒吧?"我慢慢地摇了摇头，他怒目而视。"那么，薇洛甚至懒得告诉尊敬的客人们我的生意？我早该知道的。"他把耳朵斜向悦耳的音乐的方向，叹了口气，暗自嘀咕着。
“Hey, take it up with her. I’m just the tourist,” I replied with a frown. “You have a problem with the living?”
"嘿，跟她说去吧。"我只是个游客,"我皱着眉头回答。"你对活人有意见吗?"
He sniffed disdainfully. “Living. Dead. I don’t care. You both pay caps the same. But the ambiance of Meatlocker today... well... hardly appropriate.” He waved his hoof dismissively. “So take your pretty mane and go... elsewhere. I don’t have time to bother with you, Miss…”
他轻蔑地嗤之以鼻。「生活。死了。我不在乎。你们支付的上限是一样的。但如今Meatlocker的环境......嗯......很不合适。"他不屑地挥动着他的蹄子。"所以，带着你漂亮的鬃毛去......别的地方吧。我没有时间来烦你，小姐..。。」
“Security,” I finished bluntly. “Well if you can point me in the direction of the mayor...”
"安全,"我直截了当地说。"如果你能告诉我市长在哪儿......"
But the name had an unexpected effect. His red eyes fixed on me, and he licked his charcoal lips with a tongue of boiled leather. “Oh... is that so?” He straightened a little. “Well... if you’re looking for our illustrious leader, I believe he was cleaning a toilet in the ICU Inn. Right down that hall there. Make a left.”
但是这个名字却产生了意想不到的效果。他红红的眼睛盯着我，用煮熟的皮革舌头舔着炭色的嘴唇。"哦......是这样吗?"他稍稍直起身子。"嗯......如果你在找我们杰出的领导人，我相信他当时正在清理ICU旅馆的厕所。就在大厅那边。左转。"
“I... um... thanks?” I said as I backed a few steps away. My mane crawled as he smiled at me.
"我.....。.谢谢我一边说，一边后退了几步。他对我微笑时，我的鬃毛爬了起来。
“Oh no no no. Thank you.” With that, he turned away and trotted back into the darkness.
""哦，不，不，不。谢谢。"说完，他转身小跑回到黑暗中。
Why did I have a real bad feeling about that ghoul?
为什么我对那个食尸鬼有不祥的预感？
I turned and went down the hall he’d indicated, wondering if there was some kind of trap. However, to my relief, the door on the left did indeed lead to the intensive care unit. Like the ER, the ICU was divided into stalls, but in this case each one had been converted into a sleeping cell. I saw four non-ghoul ponies sleeping but none I recognized. Holiday music played from a radio on the nurse’s desk. I trotted up to the ghoul mare behind the counter. “Can I help you, Dearie?” the mare asked.
我转过身来，沿着他指示的大厅走下去，心想这里是不是有什么陷阱。然而，让我松了一口气的是，左边的那扇门确实通向重症监护室。和急诊室一样，重症监护室也被分成了几个部分，但在这个病例中，每个部分都被转换成了一个沉睡的牢房。我看见四匹不是食尸鬼的小马在睡觉，但是没有一匹是我认识的。护士桌上的收音机播放着节日音乐。我小跑到柜台后面的食尸母马跟前。"我能帮你吗，亲爱的?"母马问道。
“I’m looking for the mayor. Something about a toilet?” I asked with a slightly baffled look.
"我在找市长。关于厕所的事?"我带着有点困惑的表情问道。
“Oh, yes. He’s right over here.” She guided me over to the ICU restrooms. “Gotta keep these working for our guests. If you need a place to stay, we have many wonderful beds for rent.”
"哦，是的。他就在那边。"她带我去了重症监护室。"我们必须让这些为我们的客人工作。如果你需要住的地方，我们有很多很棒的床可以出租。"
“Thanks,” I said with a far easier smile than I’d had with Achoiewhatsisname. There was a sound of splashing from inside the mares’ toilet, and I dared to peek inside. A ghoul pegasus stallion crouched over the toilet with a plunger clenched in his jaws that he worked furiously inside the bowl. His wings were almost entirely skeletal, held together by brown sinew, but they moved as if they were still alive. I just stood at the doorway and watched him work with a vigor I’d only seen in an olive filly. Finally, he pulled the plunger free and flushed the toilet. It gurgled and drained and the stallion gave a satisfied nod.
"谢谢,"我微笑着说道，这比我和那个叫什么名字的人在一起时容易多了。从母马的马桶里传来一阵溅水的声音，我不敢往里面看。一匹食尸鬼种马蹲在马桶上，嘴里咬着一个活塞，在马桶里拼命地工作。他的翅膀几乎完全是骨骼，由褐色的肌腱固定在一起，但是它们动起来就好像它们还活着。我只是站在门口，看着他以一种我只在一匹橄榄小母马身上看到的活力工作着。最后，他把活塞拔了出来，冲了马桶。它咕噜咕噜地流着水，种马满意地点了点头。
“Mayor?” I asked, and he turned towards me, water dripping from the red rubber plunger head. He spat it out and jumped to his hooves with a grin. He wore a suit of Stable-Tec utility barding marked with a 1 on the flank. Stable One? Where was that?
"市长?"我问，他转向我，水从红色橡胶柱塞头上滴下来。他把它吐了出来，然后咧嘴笑着跳起来。他穿着一套Stable-Tec公用事业公司的西装，侧面标有1。稳定的一号？那是在哪儿？
“That’s me. Mayor Windclop. Engineer, political leader... and occasional janitor. So nice to meet you,” he said as he grabbed my hoof and shook it enthusiastically. “Meatlocker is glad to attract as many smoothcoat visitors as possible to our fine community.”
"那就是我。Windclop市长。工程师，政治领袖...偶尔还有看门人。很高兴见到你,"他边说边抓住我的蹄子，热情地摇了摇。"Meatlocker很高兴能吸引尽可能多的穿着柔顺外套的游客来到我们这个美好的社区。"
Um... maybe he could wash his hooves? “Thank you. You’re too kind. I’m Blackjack,” I said, then added with a slightly concerned look. “Smoothcoat?”
嗯...也许他可以洗他的蹄子？"谢谢。你太客气了。我是Blackjack,"我说，然后带着一丝担忧的表情补充道。"沙冰?"
“Right! Because your coat is so smooth... and tasty...” he added, almost to
"对！因为你的外套是如此的光滑......和美味......"他补充道，几乎是
himself, then he blinked and grinned nervously. “And smooth! It’s a better term than ‘breather’ in my opinion. And we want Meatlocker to be a friendly and open community in the Wasteland. We hope that if we give smoothcoats like yourself a chance, then you’ll give us a chance.” He pulled a towel from his belt and wiped off his hooves and face and then the toilet bowl. He flushed it a few more times, and I heard a few clicks from my PipBuck. Visiting Meatlocker might be okay, but living here sure wasn’t an option. “So, what can I do you for?” he asked as his bony wing stretched out and scooped up a top hat that had been sitting on the sink. It had a gray ribbon tied around the bottom of the hat and a shiny brass button that read ‘Vote Mayor Mare without a care!’.
然后他眨了眨眼睛，紧张地笑了笑。"而且很顺利！在我看来，这是一个比"呼吸者"更好的词。我们希望Meatlocker成为一个友好开放的荒原社区。我们希望，如果我们给像你这样的人一个机会，那么你也会给我们一个机会。"他从腰带上抽出一条毛巾，擦了擦蹄子和脸，又擦了擦马桶。他又冲了几下，我听到我的PipBuck发出了几声滴答声。参观肉库可能没问题，但住在这里肯定不是一个选择。"那么，我能为你做什么呢?"他一边问，一边伸出瘦骨嶙峋的翅膀，捡起一顶一直放在水槽上的大礼帽。帽子底部系着一条灰色的缎带，还有一个闪亮的黄铜纽扣，上面写着"无忧无虑地为市长投上一票".
“Well... I need to get into Hightower. I’m hoping somepony here can tell me how,” I said with a smile.
"嗯......我需要进入海托华。我希望这里的某个人能告诉我怎么做,"我微笑着说。
He laughed, grinned, smiled, and then realized I was serious. “Break into Hightower? Into? Um... no offense, ma’am, but that’s crazy. Just crazy. Nopony wants to break into that place.”
他笑了，笑了，然后意识到我是认真的。"闯进海托华？进入？无意冒犯女士但这太疯狂了。太疯狂了。没有小马想闯进那个地方。"
“Well, I do. And I am. But if the ghouls of Meatlocker can help me, I’ll be plenty grateful.” The pegasus ghoul fidgeted a little, his wing bones clattering together.
"嗯，我知道。我也是。但如果Meatlocker的食尸鬼能够帮助我，我会非常感激。"飞马食尸鬼坐立不安，翅膀的骨头撞击在一起。
“I see. Well, it’s highly unusual. Nigh unheard of, really. Nopony who goes in there comes out again. But... naturally, Meatlocker would be happy to help.” He furrowed his brows in thought. “You could talk to Nurse Graves. She used to work there.”
"我明白了。这很不寻常。几乎闻所未闻，真的。进去的小马不会再出来。但是......当然，Meatlocker会很乐意帮忙的。"他皱起眉头思考。"你可以和格雷夫斯护士谈谈。她曾在那里工作过。"
“That’d be nice. Perhaps you could show me the way?”
"那太好了。也许你可以给我带路?"
“I’d be happy to, but do you have a light? Some of the halls are pretty tough to navigate for a smoothcoat.”
""我很乐意，但是你有火吗？有些大厅很难穿得光鲜亮丽。"
“My vision is augmented,” I replied matter-of-factly.
"我的视力增强了,"我平淡地回答。
“Oh. Well... wonderful!” he said after a momentary falter. “Well, I’ll show you the way. All the twists and turns can make navigation a problem.”
"哦。嗯......太好了!"他犹豫了一会儿说。"好吧，我给你带路。所有的迂回曲折都会使导航成为一个问题。"
“And the lack of illumination doesn’t help either.”
"缺乏照明也无济于事。"
“Yes, it’s a situation we really should fix for our smoothcoat guests. Unfortunately, lightbulbs are in short supply, and don’t get me started on
"是的，这种情况我们真的应该为我们的冰沙客人解决。不幸的是，电灯泡供不应求，让我无法开始
illumination talismans. For a while we tried to use lit fires, but the smoke was intolerable. I’m hoping that when we get more guests I can convince the residents to spring for some more light sources. Darkness doesn’t bother our eyesight very much, but it’s a definite turnoff for smoothcoats. Right?” He looked at the mare behind the counter. “I’m heading to see Wheelbarrow and Graves, Carol.”
照明护身符。有一段时间，我们试图用点燃的火，但烟雾是难以忍受的。我希望当我们有更多的客人时，我可以说服居民们为我们提供更多的光源。黑暗对我们的视力影响不大，但是我们绝对不想看到光滑的外套。对吧?"他看着柜台后面的母马。"我要去看《独轮手推车与坟墓》，卡罗尔。"
She gave an errant wave of her hoof, not raising her head from an old magazine on the front counter. We trotted out, Windclop rambling on as we walked. “When I got here thirty years ago, Meatlocker was just rife with poor ferals and a handful of folks wanting to make a home for themselves. It took twenty years to shoo the ferals into the subway and make something of this place. Now we’re really trying to reach out to the different factions around the Hoof.”
她晃了晃蹄子，没有从柜台上的旧杂志上抬起头来。我们小跑着出去，风之锤一边走一边散步。"三十年前我来到这里的时候，Meatlocker充斥着可怜的野兽，还有一些人想要为自己建立一个家。人们花了二十年的时间才把这些野兽赶进地铁，让这个地方有所作为。现在我们真的在努力接触霍夫周围的不同派系。"
“It doesn’t sound like everypony is happy with the changes. I met a ghoul... Yowie... something or other. He seemed damned put out by things,” I said as we trotted through the dim hallways.
"听起来并不是每匹小马都对这些变化感到满意。我遇到了一个食尸鬼...叫尤伊什么的。他似乎被一些事情弄得很烦躁,"我们一边说着，一边小跑着穿过昏暗的走廊。
“Oh yeah. Him. Ahuizotl showed up twenty years or so ago. His morbid little bar ran on misery and bitterness. The more depressed folks there were, the more they’d drink and do chems to forget about their problems and the more caps he made. With the club and everything, Meatlocker’s a much better place. I’m hoping to change the name to ‘Memorial’ rather than Meatlocker. Just more positive.” He rattled on as he walked. I didn’t think I’d ever met a ghoul who was so animated.
"哦，是的。他。大约二十年前，Ahuizotl出现了。他那病态的小酒吧里充满了痛苦和苦涩。那里的人越是沮丧，他们就会喝越多的酒，做越多的药来忘记他们的问题，他做的帽子也就越多。有了俱乐部和其他一切，Meatlocker是个更好的地方。我希望把名字改成'纪念'而不是'肉柜'。只是更积极而已。"他一边走一边喋喋不休地说。我从来没有见过这么活泼的食尸鬼。
“So, you’re from a stable originally?”
"那么，你原来是从马厩里来的?"
“Mmhmm. Stable One. Originally it was supposed to be for all the government bigwigs and muckity mucks. Was designed even for the Princesses. But... it was a trap. Locked up tight and wouldn’t unlock till everypony inside was dead. Of course, Canterlot got soaked in toxic Pink Cloud, and it eventually killed everypony inside anyway. Or maybe it was radiation... dunno,” the stallion said brightly with a shrug. “Anyway, about thirty years back I had a... ah...
"嗯哼。稳定的一号。最初它应该是为所有的政府大人物和肮脏的人准备的。甚至是为公主设计的。但是...这是个陷阱。锁得紧紧的，直到里面的小马都死了才能开门。当然，Canterlot被有毒的粉红云浸透了，最终害死了里面所有的小马。或者可能是辐射......不知道,"这匹种马耸了耸肩，高兴地说。"不管怎样，大约三十年前，我有一个.....。.啊..。
embarrassing incident involving the origins of some protein I was fond of and so I sought my fortunes out here.” He coughed nervously. “You have to understand, there’s just some things a pony doesn’t do in polite society and I’d never, ever, have done it if I’d known.”
这个尴尬的事件涉及到我喜欢的某种蛋白质的起源，所以我在这里寻找我的财富。"他紧张地咳嗽着。"你必须明白，在上流社会，有些事情小马是不会做的，如果我知道的话，我永远也不会这么做。"
I chuckled and shook my head. “Quite understandable,” I said, then tripped over a metal slab thing that somepony had left in the middle of the hallway. “Okay. This is getting ridiculous. My vision’s not that augmented,” I muttered, then concentrated. My light spell burst to life above me, driving away the shadows and gloom. Really, why hadn’t I done this soone--
我咯咯地笑着，摇了摇头。"完全可以理解,"我说，然后被一个小马留在走廊中间的金属板东西绊倒了。"好吧。越来越荒谬了。我的视力没有增强到那种程度,"我咕哝着，然后集中精神。我的光咒在我头上爆发出生命的力量，驱走了阴影和黑暗。说真的，我为什么不早点做这件事呢
That’s Stonewing.
那是斯通温。
I stared straight ahead at the sight of the pegasus stallion cast in bronze, one wing outspread and the other snapped off for me to trip over, standing protectively over the prone forms of Jetstream and Applesnack. Behind him were abstract pony figures. The statue was perched atop a low pedestal off to the side with a plaque that read: ‘Stonewing Memorial’.
我目不转睛地盯着前方，看着那青铜铸成的飞马，一只翅膀展开，另一只折断了，让我绊倒，保护性地站在倾斜的捷流和Applesnack上。他身后是抽象的小马形象。自由女神像坐落在一个低矮的底座上，底座的一侧有一块牌匾，上面写着:"石翼纪念碑"。
I walked close to it and read the inscription.
我走近它，读着上面的题字。
‘This memorial is dedicated to those ponies who have given their lives and blood for the wellbeing of us all. It was here, during the reconstruction, that the soldier Stonewing valiantly held his position against overwhelming zebra attackers to protect not just fallen comrades but countless helpless patients and injured victims in the hospital. Though forever struck mute by a sniper’s bullet, Stonewing’s actions speak volumes of the courage and valor of Hoofington’s finest soldiers.’
这个纪念碑是献给那些为了我们所有人的幸福而献出生命和鲜血的小马。正是在这里，在重建期间，士兵斯通文勇敢地坚守阵地，对抗压倒一切的斑马袭击者，保护的不仅仅是倒下的战友，还有医院里无数无助的病人和受伤的受害者。虽然永远被狙击手的子弹击中哑巴，但斯通温的行动充分体现了胡芬顿最优秀士兵的勇气和英勇
I stared at the statue for a long moment, something niggling in the back of my mind. A note in a Miramare locker. ‘Left it in the place where he did that thing that time.’ “Is something wrong?” Windclop asked as I slowly circled the statue and the alcove it occupied.
我盯着这座雕像看了很长时间，脑海里浮现出一些细微的东西。米拉马雷柜子里的一张便条。把它放在他上次做那事的地方"出什么事了吗?"当我慢慢地绕着雕像和它占据的凹室转圈时，温德克洛普问道。
“Just... wondering,” I said lightly as I looked around the statue, not exactly sure what I was after. Then I spotted a small vent in the base of the pedestal. “Hey, got a crowbar I can borrow?”
"只是......想知道,"我轻轻地说，同时环顾四周的雕像，不太确定我在寻找什么。然后我发现底座上有一个小通风口。"嘿，能借我根撬棍吗?"
“I can honestly say that that’s the first time anypony has asked me that,” he said as he trotted up beside me. He pulled out a small, flat prybar and passed it to me, then took out a flat-headed screwdriver and helped me remove the vent cover. It took a bit of work, but it finally popped free. Inside the dusty hole was a canvas bag. I pulled it out, and his eyes grew wide. “What is it?”
"我可以诚实地说，这是第一次有小马问我这个问题,"他边说边在我身边小跑。他拿出一根扁平的小棒递给我，然后拿出一把扁平头的螺丝刀，帮我拆卸通风口盖。虽然花了点功夫，但最终它还是自由了。在这个满是灰尘的洞里面有一个帆布包。我把它拔了出来，他的眼睛睁得大大的。"这是什么?"
“I don’t know...” But I guessed it belonged to the Marauder. Slowly my magic
"我不知道......"但我猜它是掠夺者号的。慢慢地我的魔法
plucked the drawstring, and I tugged it open wide with my hooves. Inside was something burgundy and leathery. I carefully tugged out a leather jacket. Despite two centuries, it was still supple. The inside was lined with fleece, and it had numerous snaps and buckles. Two holes were slit in the back for wings. ‘Equestrian Skyguard’ was printed on the back. Beneath it was a leather cap with goggles attached.
我拉了拉绳，用蹄子把它拉开。里面有些勃艮第和皮革的东西。我小心翼翼地拉出一件皮夹克。尽管经历了两个世纪，它仍然是柔软的。里面衬着羊毛，有许多扣子和带扣。后面有两个小孔，用来插翅膀。背面印着"骑马的空中护卫"。帽子下面是一顶皮帽，上面戴着护目镜。
“Amazing...” he breathed as I stood and put it on. There had to be some magic in it, as it fit me almost perfectly. “I don’t suppose that you know of any other priceless treasures hidden around Meatlocker that could be put to the benefit of our fair community?” Windclop asked with a grin.
"太神奇了......"当我站起来穿上它时，他呼吸着。它一定有某种魔力，因为它几乎完全适合我。"我想你不知道Meatlocker周围还有什么其它无价之宝可以用来造福我们这个公平的社区吧?"温德克洛普笑着问道。
“Sorry, Mister Mayor. I wish I did.” I felt in the pockets, and found a small stack of photographs. A signed autograph of Rainbow Dash. Then one of Jetstream as a filly, perched on the edge of a cloud in terror. Another one of her on the beach. One of all the Marauders in uniform, saluting as one. I sighed and tucked them back into the pocket. There was also another pocket loaded with golden bits. I looked at him and then passed over half. “Here. For the wellbeing of Meatlocker.”
"对不起，市长先生。我希望我知道。"我摸了摸口袋，发现了一小叠照片。彩虹·达什的签名照。然后，Jetstream中的一只小母马，恐惧地栖息在一片云彩的边缘。海滩上又一张她的照片。一个穿制服的劫掠者，作为一个整体行礼。我叹了口气，把它们塞回口袋里。还有另外一个装满金片的口袋。我看了他一眼，然后超过了一半。"这儿。为了肉类储藏室的健康。"
That sure made his day! He put the money away; I could only hope he’d actually follow through rather than keep it for himself, but he seemed the honest sort. “Still, an Equestrian Skyguard jacket. That’s... amazing. I think that’s genuine dragonhide!” he said.
这真是他的好日子！他把钱收起来了;我只能希望他真的把钱花完了，而不是把它留给自己，但他看起来是那种诚实的人。"尽管如此，一件马术空中护卫队的夹克。真是...太神奇了。我认为那是真正的龙皮!"他说。
“No shooting me to find out!” I said quickly as we continued on our way. I glanced back at the grinning memorial statue and smiled in return.
"不要开枪打我!"我们继续赶路的时候，我快速地说。我回头看了一眼露齿而笑的纪念雕像，回以微笑。
We reached the examination room, but Doctor Wheelbarrow informed us that the nurse had gone to Afterlife. He made an effort to convince me to allow him some in-depth ‘examinations’, but something about his tone set off even more alarms than usual and I declined. The doctor looked quite put out.
我们到达了检查室，但是独轮车医生告诉我们护士已经去了来世。他试图说服我允许他进行一些深入的"检查"，但他的语气中有些东西引起了比平时更大的恐慌，我拒绝了。医生看起来很不舒服。
We made our way to the club and chatted about whatever came up on the way. He’d been fascinated by technology before the bombs fell and had dreamed about working on immense cloud warships called Raptors before landing a job with Stable-Tec. From his description of them, I imagined smaller versions of the Celestia with hulls of cloud streaking through the air and zapping dragons to bits. Apparently being a pegasus in a stable had a somewhat disheartening effect
我们一路走到俱乐部，聊着路上发生的一切。在炸弹落下之前，他一直对科技着迷，梦想着在获得Stable-Tec公司的一份工作之前，在名为猛禽号的巨大云战舰上工作。根据他对他们的描述，我想象着天堂的更小版本，云的外壳在空中划过，把龙撕成碎片。显然，作为一匹在马厩里的飞马有一些令人沮丧的效果
due to the lack of space to fly. That topic led to the revelation that he could actually still fly, despite the fact his wings were bones, and this led to a demonstration followed by a discussion of innate pegasus magic. I was so wrapped up in our conversation that I missed the change in music coming from the double doors ahead.
因为飞行空间不足。这个话题让我们意识到，尽管他的翅膀是骨头，但他实际上仍然可以飞行，这引发了一场关于天马天赋魔法的演示。我太专注于我们的谈话，以至于我错过了前面双开门传来的音乐变化。
I’ve heard a wide variety of music in my travels, but this was different. This music was making my hips start to move! I pushed through the double doors and was struck by the sight of a stage built against one wall with almost a dozen ghouls playing, two ghoul mares on backup, and an earth pony stallion with an almost comically wide-brimmed hat singing about the everafter. There were plenty more ghouls dancing around the stage in glee, despite the morbid lyrics.
在我的旅途中，我听到过各种各样的音乐。这音乐让我的臀部开始动起来！我推开双扇门，看到一个靠着一面墙建造的舞台，上面有十几个食尸鬼在演奏，两匹食尸鬼母马在伴奏，还有一匹大地上的种马，戴着一顶几乎滑稽的宽边帽子，在唱着everafter。尽管有着病态的歌词，还是有很多食尸鬼在舞台上欢快地跳舞。
And I really wanted to join in.
我真的很想加入进来。
Above the crowd Psychoshy swooped and spun around a slightly bemused Stygius, who was just trying to keep up with her. I wondered how proud Fluttershy would have been to see how strong a flier her daughter had become as she writhed and swayed and twirled around the gray batpony. I sighed; dancing would have to wait.
"心理害羞"从人群上方俯冲过来，绕着有点困惑的冥河转了一圈，冥河只是想跟上她的节奏。我想知道，当小萤火虫看到她的女儿在灰色的蝙蝠马身上扭动、摇摆、旋转时，变成了一个多么坚强的飞行员，她会有多么自豪。我叹了口气，跳舞得等等了。
The ghoul Windclop pointed out as Nurse Graves nodded her head in time with the music and smiled as we approached. The brown earth pony had only a few wisps of green mane and tail but had kept her nurse’s uniform pristine. “Nurse Graves, this is Blackjack. Blackjack, Nurse Graves. Miss Graves, Blackjack wants to get into Hightower. I hope you can talk her out of it.” Then he straightened and looked up at a hovering robot behind the bar; it looked like a Mr. Handy, but painted in pinstripes and with a wide-brimmed floppy hat on its dome. “Hey, Cerberus. Can you make me a Monsoon?”
当格雷夫斯护士随着音乐点头时，食尸鬼温德克洛普指着我们说，当我们走近时，她微笑着。褐色土地上的小马只有几缕绿色的鬃毛和尾巴，但保持着护士制服的原样。"格雷夫斯护士，我是黑杰克。黑杰克，格雷夫斯护士。格雷夫斯小姐，黑杰克想进海托华。我希望你能说服她不要这么做。"然后他直起身子，抬头看着吧台后面一个盘旋的机器人，它看起来像是汉迪先生，只不过画着细条纹，圆顶上戴着一顶宽边软帽。"嘿，地狱犬。你能给我做一杯季风吗?"
“Right away, Mr. Windclop! I might as well since I can’t make you a greasy smear on the ground. Damn this combat inhibitor!” the robot said as it began to mix up the drink for the pegasus ghoul.
"马上，温德克洛普先生！既然我不能把你弄成地上的油污，我还不如把你弄死算了。该死的战斗抑制剂!"机器人一边说，一边给帕伽索斯的食尸鬼调酒。
Nurse Graves touched my shoulder, making me jump. I looked at her and then at the robot. “Is that thing... safe?” I asked the undead mare.
格雷夫斯护士碰了碰我的肩膀，吓得我跳了起来。我看着她，然后又看着机器人。"那东西...安全吗?"我问不死的母马。
“Oh, Cerberus is safe as houses. He’s been programmed not to target any friendly visitor or resident,” she replied as she looked at the robot. “Aren’t you, Cerbie?”
"哦，地狱犬就像房子一样安全。他的程序不会针对任何友好的访客或居民,"她看着机器人回答。"不是吗，Cerbie?"
The robot stretched out one of its camera eyes towards me and said in a stage whisper everypony could hear, “Personally, I think they’re all a bunch of rotting pony maggot farms and I’d disintegrate them into piles of ash if I could. But I can’t, thanks to this damned combat inhibitor! So since I can’t dispense fiery carnage to this collection of morbid, wiggling corpses, would you like a martini, you zebra-loving ghoul hugger?”
机器人向我伸出一只摄像机的眼睛，在舞台上低声说:"就我个人而言，我认为他们都是一群腐烂的小马蛆农场，如果可以的话，我会把他们分解成一堆灰烬。但是我不能，多亏了这该死的战斗抑制剂！所以既然我不能对这些病态的、扭动的尸体进行残忍的屠杀，你想来杯马提尼吗，你这个喜欢斑马线的食尸鬼?"
“Yeah,” I said slowly. “Sure.”
"是的,"我慢慢地说。"当然。"
I couldn’t help but smile and bob my head a little to the music while we waited. “If you don’t mind me asking,” I said after a moment, “why... this?” I gestured vaguely at the club with my hoof. “I mean, I’ve been to Mixers in Flank, but all this seems a bit... well... much.”
在等待的时候，我忍不住微笑，随着音乐摇了摇头。"如果你不介意我问的话,"过了一会儿我说,"为什么......这个?"我用蹄子含糊地指了指俱乐部。"我的意思是，我去过弗兰克的混合器，但这一切似乎有点......嗯......太多了。"
Windclop shared a long look with Nurse Graves before he looked back at me with a patent smile. “Well, you must understand, being a ghoul is much different from being a smoothcoat. It’s more than just the being dead thing. Our eyesight is a little less sharp, though much better in darkness. Though, to be honest, when most of the ponies you live with look like corpses, that’s not always a bad thing; there’s just a limit on how much prettifying you can do. Our sense of touch is diminished, and our bodies make simple things like eating, drinking, and even intoxication difficult. And the less that can be said about our senses of smell and taste, the better.”
温德克洛普和格雷夫斯护士一起看了很长时间，然后带着明显的微笑回头看我。"好吧，你必须明白，做一个食尸鬼和做一个衣冠楚楚的人有很大的不同。这不仅仅是死亡的问题。我们的视力稍微差一点，不过在黑暗中要好得多。不过，说实话，当你身边的大多数小马看起来都像尸体时，这并不总是一件坏事;只是美化你的能力是有限度的。我们的触觉减弱了，我们的身体让吃喝甚至醉酒这样简单的事情变得困难。关于我们的嗅觉和味觉，可以说的越少越好。"
“The one thing that remains consistent is our hearing, Dearie,” the nurse said. “And one of the things that many of us loved most when we were alive was music. Oh, sure, few of us can sing anything you’d want to hear, but we can all listen. Remember good times...” She looked toward the stage and the band. “And forget bad ones...”
"唯一不变的就是我们的听力，亲爱的,"护士说。"我们活着的时候最喜欢的东西之一就是音乐。当然，我们中很少有人能唱出你想听的歌，但是我们都能听。记住美好的时光......"她看着舞台和乐队。"忘掉那些不好的......"
Windclop received his drink, something blue and white that swirled around in the glass, and looked over at the far side of the bar as he pinched the stem of the glass between fragile-looking wingbones. “If you ladies will excuse me, I need to talk to Patchwork about his vote.” He tilted his top hat to us and trotted off towards a battered-looking ghoul nursing a Buckweiser.
温德克洛普接过酒杯，杯子里有一种蓝白相间的东西在打旋。他一边捏着玻璃杯的杯柄，一边看着酒吧的另一边，杯柄夹在看上去很脆弱的翼骨之间。"如果各位女士不介意的话，我要和帕尔修谈谈他的投票。"他把大礼帽向我们斜过来，小跑着走向一个戴着鹿皮帽、看上去很憔悴的食尸鬼。
“Always worried about reelection,” the nurse mused. “But I suppose that’s better than not giving a damn,” she said as she looked at me smiled. “Now... you want to get inside the prison. I used to work there, and I can tell you that there’s
"总是担心连任,"护士若有所思地说。"但我想这总比什么都不管要好,"她看着我笑着说。"现在......你想进入监狱。我以前在那里工作过，我可以告诉你，那里有很多工作
nothing inside worth your life.”
里面没有值得你牺牲的东西"
“Normally I’d agree,” I replied as I folded my forelegs on the bartop in front of me. The band began to play another song that had my rear hoof tapping. “But there is something in there I need.” Her skeptical look clearly showed she didn’t believe me. I opened up the panel in my leg, showing her the black PipBuck. “This PipBuck has a program that’s following an old routing path. The next stop is in Hightower.”
"通常我会同意的,"我一边回答，一边把前腿放在前面的吧台上。乐队开始演奏另一首让我后蹄轻拍的曲子。"但那里面有我需要的东西。"她怀疑的表情清楚地表明她不相信我。我打开腿上的面板，给她看黑色的PipBuck。"这个PipBuck有一个遵循旧路由路径的程序。下一站是海托华。"
The ghoul frowned as she looked at me in concern. “Hightower does have a lot of old communication equipment on the top floors... but there’s no way to get to it, Dearie. Just getting inside the prison is next to impossible. Once you’re inside, the radiation and Enervation will kill you in minutes.”
食尸鬼关切地看着我，皱起了眉头。"高塔的顶层确实有很多旧的通讯设备......但是没有办法到达那里，亲爱的。进入监狱几乎是不可能的。一旦你进入室内，辐射和能量将在几分钟内杀死你。"
“My body is resistant to Enervation,” I replied. “Radiation, not so much, but... well, I guess I’ll have to take plenty of Rad-X and RadAway before I go in.” Rampage was indestructible; hopefully Lacunae would be okay, too. But that left Stygius and Psychoshy at risk.
"我的身体抵抗不了衰弱,"我回答。"辐射，不是那么多，但是......好吧，我想在我进去之前，我必须大量使用Rad-X和RadAway。"狂暴是坚不可摧的;希望空白也会好起来。但这使得斯蒂吉乌斯和心理害羞处于危险之中。
“Even if you avoid those, there’s the ghoul population. The radiation and Enervation have made them terrible, immortal monsters. Every now and then one escapes and wreaks havoc before it’s finally put down. Most are mindless, but a few are mad. That they’ll kill you on sight is the best you can hope for.”
"即使你避开这些，还有食尸鬼的数量。辐射和衰弱使他们成为可怕的、不朽的怪物。每时每刻都有一个人在最终被放下之前逃跑并大肆破坏。大多数人没有思想，但也有少数人是疯子。他们一见到你就会杀了你，这是你所能期望的最好结果。"
“I’ll just have to kill them first,” I replied, shrugging. “Maybe decapitation would work? I have a wicked sharp sword,” I suggested with a grin. The mare just looked at me pityingly.
"我只好先杀了他们,"我耸耸肩回答。"也许斩首有用？我有一把邪恶的利剑,"我咧嘴笑着说。母马只是可怜巴巴地看着我。
“Even if you could, there are other threats, too. The prison is filled with turrets, robots, and defensive talismans.” She looked around and then lowered her voice. “And ghosts.”
"即使你能做到，还有其它威胁。监狱里到处都是塔楼、机器人和防御性的护身符。"她环顾四周，然后压低了声音。"还有鬼魂。"
“Ghosts?” I said a little skeptically.
"鬼魂?"我有点怀疑地说。
She nodded. “They walk the wards as empty suits of armor, uniforms, or clothing. You can’t hurt them or damage them.”
她点点头。"他们穿着盔甲、制服或者衣服在病房里走来走去。你不能伤害他们，也不能损害他们。"
Well, great. Ghosts. Robots. Turrets. Ghouls. Radiation. Enervation. When all this was done, I was going to the Core for a vacation! Or maybe Thunderhead! Someplace I could relax! “Maybe if you can tell me how you got out?”
太好了。鬼魂。机器人。炮塔。食尸鬼。辐射。衰弱。当这一切都完成后，我正要去核心地带度假！或者也可能是霹雳头！一个我可以放松的地方！"也许你可以告诉我你是怎么出来的?"
She shivered and shook her head. Cerberus floated over and set down a cocktail glass. “For you, you corpse-loving zebra-humper. If it wasn’t for my inhibitor, I’d show you a glorious day in this pony’s army!” He then turned to Nurse Graves. “Anything for you, you miserable lump of writhing undead meat?”
她颤抖着摇了摇头。地狱犬浮过来，放下一个鸡尾酒杯。"给你的，你这只喜欢尸体的斑马。如果不是我的抑制剂，我会让你在这匹小马的军队里度过美好的一天!"然后他转向格雷夫斯护士。"有什么可以为你效劳的吗，你这个可怜的不死的肉块?"
“Thank you, Cerberus. I’m fine,” Graves replied. The robot returned to the bar, grumbling to itself. I took a sip and grimaced; I wasn’t sure if I had a glass of alcohol or turpentine in front of me. “I’m afraid I can’t quite tell you. It’s all quite muddled up. I was down in the infirmary when the lockdown order came from the warden’s office. The prison was in a near riot when the sirens began and the prisoner population went into a frenzy. Then there was an incredible crash as a missile ploughed straight through the south wall! I curled up in a supply closet, and then I heard the most horrible scream imaginable.” She shivered as she pressed her forehooves to her chest.
"谢谢你，地狱犬。我很好,"格雷夫斯回答。机器人回到酒吧，自言自语。我抿了一口，做了个鬼脸;我不确定我面前是否有一杯酒精或松节油。"恐怕我不能完全告诉你。一切都乱七八糟的。监狱长办公室下达封锁令的时候我正在医务室。警报响起时，监狱几乎处于暴乱状态，囚犯们陷入了疯狂。然后，一枚导弹直接穿过南墙，发生了令人难以置信的撞击！我蜷缩在一个储藏室里，然后我听到了可以想象到的最恐怖的尖叫声。"当她把前蹄压在胸前时，她打了个哆嗦。
“I think I died then,” she murmured, and I barely heard her over the music. “And I felt... a pull. Like something was trying to pull me out of my own body. All I could do was struggle to hold on to myself and keep myself together.” She rubbed her face. “I... I stocked the shelves. I organized and reorganized the infirmary constantly. It was something to do... something that was me. Every second I was fighting that pull... that horrible scream. Eventually, I couldn’t take it. I had to either escape, or I’d lose myself like all the others.
"我想那时我已经死了,"她喃喃地说，我几乎没有听到她的声音。"我感觉到了......一股力量。好像有什么东西想把我从自己的身体里拉出来。我所能做的就是努力坚持下去，让自己振作起来。"她揉了揉脸。"我.....。.我把货架上的东西都塞满了。我不断地对医务室进行组织和重组。这是一件可以做的事情...一件属于我的事情。我每分每秒都在挣扎那种拉力...那种可怕的尖叫。最终，我受不了了。我必须要么逃跑，要么像其他人一样迷失自我。
“I managed to get out into the yard where the rocket was poking through and crawled out the hole. The fall broke every bone in my body…” The mare gave a little shudder at the recollection. “After that I was able to crawl to the fence and found a small gap I could climb up. I had enough wits left that I pushed under the razor wire rather than getting tangled up in it. Then I was free. The further I got from there, the quieter the scream was and the weaker that pull became. I came here since my home was long gone. I felt... more me... in a medical setting. I dedicated my unlife to helping Dr. Wheelbarrow cure ghoulification these last twenty years.”
"我设法走到院子里，火箭从那个洞里钻了出来。摔断了我全身的骨头......"母马想起这件事就不寒而栗。"在那之后，我能够爬到篱笆那里，找到一个可以爬上去的小缝隙。我有足够的智慧，我推下铁丝网，而不是纠缠在它。然后我就自由了。我走得越远，尖叫声就越安静，拉力就越弱。我来这里是因为我的家早已不在了。我感觉......更像我......在医疗环境中。在过去的二十年里，我致力于帮助独轮车医生治疗盗尸症。"
I sighed, covering my face. She was right; nothing she told me helped me get in.
我叹了口气，捂住脸。她是对的，她告诉我的一切都不能帮我进去。
If Lacunae somehow could fly up to the hole without getting zapped... ugh...
如果裂隙星不知何故能飞到洞里而不被击中...呃..。
“Is that EC-1101?” the nurse asked.
"那是EC-1101吗?"护士问。
I dropped my hooves and looked at her in confusion. She was staring at my hoof.
我放下蹄子，困惑地看着她。她盯着我的蹄子。
“Excuse me?”
"你说什么?"
“The program you’re following. Is it called EC-1101?” she asked, then chewed her lower lip in concern.
"你正在遵循的程序。它叫EC-1101吗?"她问道，然后关切地咬着下嘴唇。
“Yeah...” I said with a touch of apprehension. “Why?”
"是啊......"我略带忧虑地说。"为什么?"
She closed her eyes, seeming to be contemplating something. Finally she looked at me and said in a nervous voice, “You need to talk to Mr. Shears.”
她闭上眼睛，好像在打量什么东西。最后，她看着我，用一种紧张的声音说:"你需要和舍尔斯先生谈谈。"
* * *
* * *
The Mortuary was as different from Afterlife as night from day, and it was clear that it’d fallen on hard times to boot. Just finding the damn place had taken me an hour of winding hallways, rooms turned into flophouses, and dead ends.
太平间与来世的区别就像黑夜与白昼的区别一样，而且很明显，太平间是在艰难时期建立起来的。光是找到这个鬼地方就花了我一个小时的时间，走过曲折的走廊，房间变成了廉价旅馆，又走进了死胡同。
Located in the hospital’s basement, the former autopsy room and morgue now had mostly empty tables. Ahuizotl sneered at me as I walked in, and the other few patrons gave me significant looks. Most prominent was an emaciated-looking griffin in power armor who had the bony, rumpled wings of a ghoul. He stared at me from the moment I entered. No music played here; the Mortuary was silent as a tomb.
位于医院的地下室，以前的解剖室和停尸房现在大部分是空的桌子。当我走进去的时候，Ahuizotl冷笑了我一下，其他的几个顾客也给了我一个意味深长的眼神。其中最引人注目的是一个看起来瘦弱的狮身鹰首兽，身穿强力盔甲，拥有僵硬、皱巴巴的食尸鬼翅膀。我一进门他就盯着我看。这里没有音乐，太平间像坟墓一样安静。
Surprisingly, Rampage was here. The striped mare looked up from a table bearing half a dozen bottles of alcohol and a box of Abronco laundry detergent. She was mixing the alcohol with the soap. “Hey Blackyjack. What brings you down here?”
令人惊讶的是，狂暴就在这里。条纹母马从桌子上抬起头来，桌上摆着半打酒精和一盒洗衣粉。她正在把酒精和肥皂混在一起。"嘿，黑杰克。什么风把你吹来了?"
“Looking for somepony.”
"在找一匹小马。"
She snorted and grinned. “Of course. You always are. You lookie. You find. And then you lookie for something else. That’s your thing. And you never ever ever ever give up. Ever.”
她哼了一声，咧嘴笑了。"当然。你一直都是。你看起来真美。你会发现。然后你去找别的东西。那是你的事。你永远不会放弃。永远不会。"
“What about you? Are you okay?” I asked in concern.
"你呢？你还好吗?"我担心地问。
“I am good and fuckered up.” She tapped the side of her head. “I’ve got ponies crawling around in my head. Razorwire. Twist. I’m trying to wash them out, but they keep muttering.” She stared at me, her pupils two different sizes. “You see, if I just drink the alcohol, I’ll piss it out before I feel it. Gotta give the body some other shit to deal with so the alcohol can work. Gotta remember that.” She
"我很好，而且搞砸了。"她轻轻地敲了敲头的一侧。"我的脑子里到处都是小马驹。Razorwire.扭转。我想把它们洗掉，但它们一直在咕哝。"她盯着我，她的瞳孔大小不一。"你看，如果我只是喝了酒，我会在感觉到之前就把它尿出来。得给身体一些其他的事情去处理，这样酒精才能起作用。我得记住这一点。"她
frowned at my clothes. “You’re all prettified. What’s the occasion?”
对着我的衣服皱眉头。"你们都打扮得很漂亮。今天是什么日子?"
“No occasion,” I said as sat beside her. “Why are you in this place? Weren’t you going to keep an eye on Psychoshy and Stygius? And wouldn’t Afterlife be more fun anyway?” Rampage blew out a snort of annoyance.
"没什么大不了的,"我坐在她旁边说。"你为什么在这个地方？难道你不打算留意一下"心理害羞"和"冥河"？死后的生活不是更有趣吗?"狂暴爆发出一阵恼怒的鼻息声。
“Couldn’t watch them a second longer. Too much noise. Wanted quiet. Now all I hear is Razorwire bitching and Twist crying. A few more bottles and I won’t even hear that anymore.” She swayed and then frowned. “You need me sober?”
"我一秒钟也看不下去了。太吵了。想要安静。现在我听到的只有剃须刀架子的牢骚和扭曲的哭声。再来几瓶，我就再也听不到这种话了。"她摇摆着，然后皱起了眉头。"你需要我清醒吗?"
“Not right away. Psychoshy and Stygius are in Afterlife. Lacunae’s still in the market, and I haven’t gotten the information I need yet. Take your time if you need this.”
"不是现在。心理害羞与冥河在来世。空白还在市场上，我还没有得到我需要的信息。如果你需要的话，慢慢来。"
“Bitchyshy and Hot Flanks... lucky... why does she get all the luck? Didn’t kill her in Chapel. Let her come along. Kept her alive. Now she gets to dance with a nice guy. Not fair she has all the luck,” she slurred as her hoof wrapped around a bottle and pulled it to her mouth. She took a long pull off the bottle, draining it entirely. “And how’s my luck? Had a kid... dead now. Had a special pony. Dead now too. Reapers got stomped. Now there’s just you.” She snorted again and shook her head. “Sometime I wonder if I’m like Lacaloonie. Maybe I’m not really a mare. Maybe I’m just a whole bunch of fucked up ponies with no luck squished together. So all my bad luck is like... super concentrated, you know?”
"Bitchyshy和HotFlanks...幸运...为什么她总是那么幸运？不是在礼拜堂杀了她。让她一起来吧。让她活了下来。现在她可以和一个好男人跳舞了。不公平，她有所有的运气,"她咕噜咕噜地说，她的蹄子围着一个瓶子，把它拉到嘴边。她用力拉了一下瓶子，把它全部吸干。"我的运气怎么样？有个孩子...现在死了。有一匹特别的小马。现在也死了。收割者被踩扁了。现在只剩下你了。"她又哼了一声，摇了摇头。"有时候我会怀疑自己是不是像Lacaloonie一样。也许我不是真正的母马。也许我只是一群倒霉的小马，没有运气挤在一起。所以我所有的坏运气就像......超浓缩的，你知道吗?"
“I know that’s not it, Rampage,” I said as I patted her shoulder.
"我知道不是这样的，狂暴,"我拍着她的肩膀说。
She scowled at me. “Oh, you know? That’s nice. ‘Cause I don’t frigging know. I don’t know my name. I don’t know who I am or who I’m supposed to be. How come you get to know, but I fucking don’t, huh? Fuck... you had a soober dooober ubergun and didn’t use it on me. Fucking hurt, Blackjack. Fucking hurt.”
她怒视着我。"哦，你知道吗？很好。因为我他妈的不知道。我不知道我的名字。我不知道我是谁，也不知道我应该是谁。你怎么会知道，而我他妈的不知道？操...你有把乌伯枪却没用在我身上。真他妈疼黑杰克。真他妈疼。"
“I want to help you. Not kill you,” I said with my own frown as she buried her muzzle in the box of laundry detergent.
"我想帮你。不会杀了你，我皱着眉头说，她把枪口塞进了洗衣粉盒子里。
“One and the same, Blackjack. One and the same. Next time, fucking vaporize me. That’s all I fucking want,” she said, her muzzle caked with powdery foam.
"一模一样，黑杰克。一模一样。下次，他妈的干掉我。"这就是我他妈的想要的,"她说，嘴上粘满了粉末状的泡沫。
I sighed and stood. “Try not to overdo it, Rampage.”
我叹了口气，站了起来。"别太过火了，狂暴。"
Ahuizotl trotted up to Rampage’s table with three more bottles of booze balanced on his flank. “Don’t you look absolutely miserable. Here. Have another bottle. Maybe tell old Uncle Ahuizotl all about it?” he said to the striped mare, giving a little buck that sent one of the bottles hopping off his rump and neatly onto the table.
阿胡伊佐特小跑着来到狂暴的桌子旁，侧面又摆了三瓶酒。"难道你看起来不是很痛苦吗。给你。再来一瓶。也许可以把这件事告诉阿胡伊佐特老伯伯?"他对那匹有斑纹的母马说，给了一只小公鹿，让其中一只瓶子从它的臀部跳了起来，整整齐齐地放在桌子上。
“She’s fine. She doesn’t want to talk to you,” I said as I scooped out some bits and set them on the table. “That’s for her peace of mind. Don’t bother her.” He snorted but swept them into his coat pocket anyway.
"她很好。她不想和你说话,"我一边说，一边舀出一些零碎东西放在桌子上。"这是为了让她安心。不要打扰她。"他哼了一声，但还是把它们放进了大衣口袋里。
“They’re not caps, but they’ll do.” He looked at me coolly and then smirked. “Perhaps you have some woes that need drowning, Security?”
"它们不是大写字母，但也可以。"他冷静地看着我，然后傻笑起来。"也许你有一些困难需要淹没，安全?"
“No, but I do have some questions that need answering.” Okay, I would have liked a bottle or two of Wild Pegasus, but not from this snake. I glanced over at the staring griffin. “Starting with... what the hell is that guy’s deal?” Ahuizotl tapped the pocket he’d swept the bits into. I scowled and put a few more coins on the table.
"没有，但我确实有一些问题需要回答。"好吧，我想要一瓶或两瓶野飞马，但不是从这条蛇。我瞥了一眼那头狮身鹰首兽。"首先......那家伙到底在搞什么鬼?"阿胡伊佐特轻轻敲了敲他把零碎东西放进去的口袋。我皱起眉头，又在桌子上放了几枚硬币。
He swept them up as well before answering. “Who? Carrion? Why, he’s just my muscle. That’s all. It’s his job to turn troublemakers into bloody messes for the ferals. I own his contract.” Ahuizotl chuckled to himself with a sly grin.
他回答之前也把它们扫了一遍。"谁？腐尸？为什么，他只是我的打手。仅此而已。他的工作就是把麻烦制造者变成凶残的混乱。我拥有他的合同。"阿胡伊佐特奸笑着对自己说。
I stared back at the griffin ghoul. “So he does whatever you say?”
我回头看着那个狮鹫食尸鬼。"这么说他对你言听计从了?"
“Pretty much,” the ghoul replied with a smile and shrug. “I point at something and Carrion hurts it. He’s the best thug a corrupt bartender could ever hope for.” His smile disappeared as he said in a lower, more menacing voice, “He never bothers me with his own annoying sense of morality.”
"差不多吧,"食尸鬼微笑着回答，耸了耸肩。"我指着什么东西，小腐腐会伤到它。他是一个腐败的酒保所能指望的最好的恶棍。"他的微笑消失了，他用一种更低沉、更有威胁性的声音说:"他从来不用他自己恼人的道德感来烦我。"
Well, as interesting as that was, it wasn’t why I was here. “I’m looking for somepony who’s supposed to be a regular here. Goes by the name of Mr. Shears.” Ahuizotl pressed his lips together as he smiled. A few more bits landed on the table; I was almost out. He swept them into a different pocket. “Mr. Shears is right over there.” He pointed at a lump of rags on a chair in the corner.
虽然这很有趣，但这不是我来这里的原因。"我在找一匹经常来这里的小马。名叫舍尔斯先生。"阿胡伊佐特微笑着把嘴唇贴在一起。又有几块掉在桌子上了，我快吃完了。他把它们扫进另一个口袋。"舍尔斯先生就在那边。"他指着角落里一把椅子上的一块破布。
Then the charred-looking stallion trotted to the entrance and said sourly, “I’ll be back in a bit. I need to get these tips in the safe.” Carrion just nodded his head once and kept watching me. I sighed, hoped that Rampage could sober up in seconds if need be, and approached the heap.
然后那匹看起来烧焦了的种马小跑到门口，酸溜溜地说:"我一会儿就回来。"。我需要把这些提示放在保险箱里。"小腐尸只是点了点头，然后一直看着我。我叹了口气，希望如果需要的话，狂暴能在几秒钟内清醒过来，走近那堆垃圾。
The tattered mass shifted as I moved closer, and I stopped short. “Mr. Shears?”
当我靠近时，破烂的物体移动了一下，我停了下来。"舍尔斯先生?"
“Who wants to know?” a stallion replied with a slurred voice from within the filthy rags.
"谁想知道?"一匹种马从肮脏的破布里发出模糊的声音回答。
“I’m Security. I was told you know a way into Hightower.” There was no reply from the pile, so I elaborated, “Nurse Graves said so.”
"我是保安。我听说你知道怎么去海托华。"文件堆里没有回音，所以我解释说,"格雷夫斯护士是这么说的。"
“Nurse Graves needs to watch her mouth,” the stallion muttered.
"格雷夫斯护士需要注意她的嘴,"种马咕哝着。
I sighed, feeling my annoyance building. “She said you knew about EC-1101. She said you said it could get you inside.”
我叹了口气，感觉自己的烦恼越积越多。"她说你知道EC-1101。她说你说这能让你进去。"
The name made the heap lean forward towards me at once. “Do you have it? Can it be possible?”
这个名字立刻使那堆石头向我倾斜过来。"你有吗？这可能吗?"
I flipped open the panel on my leg and showed the PipBuck screen, then brought the file up. The heap shuddered once more. “It’s true. It’s true... after so long... finally.”
我弹开腿上的面板，显示PipBuck屏幕，然后打开文件。那堆石头又抖动了一下。"这是真的。这是真的......过了这么久......终于。"
“So you can use this to get me inside?” I asked with a small frown.
"所以你可以用这个把我弄进去?"我皱着眉头问道。
“Oh yes. There is a way. A secret way closed when the projects were sealed. Oh yes,” the rags slurred softly. “However, there is a price. I’m not going to tell you out of the kindness of my heart. Oh no.” Two rag-wrapped legs rubbed together. “No no no. My price is simple. Take me with you.”
"哦，是的。有一个办法。当工程项目被封闭时，一条秘密通道被关闭了。哦，是的,"破布轻轻地发出含糊的声音。"不过，这是有代价的。我不是出于好心才告诉你的。哦，不。"两条用破布包裹的腿摩擦在一起。""不，不，不。我的价格很简单。带上我吧。"
“Take you with me?” I blinked, scowling in confusion. “What do you want to go to Hightower for?”
"带你一起去?"我眨着眼睛，困惑地皱着眉头。"你为什么要去海托华?"
“That is my business!” the heap hissed sharply. “Mine, and no pony else’s! Do we have a deal or not?”
"那是我的事!"那堆东西发出阵阵嘶嘶声。"这是我的，不是别人的！我们到底成不成交?"
I was tempted to turn him down till I got some more answers, but maybe if I agreed he might share a little more information. I sighed and extended my hoof. “Deal.” The rag-covered limb reached out to bump against mine.
我很想拒绝他，直到我得到更多的答案，但也许如果我同意，他可能会分享更多的信息。我叹了口气，伸出我的蹄子。"成交。"破布覆盖的树枝伸出来撞我的树枝。
“Get ready. Even if we get inside, you’ll be hard pressed to last long. I’ll be waiting right here till you’re ready.” The heap leaned back in the chair, rubbing his boiled-looking blue hooves together. “Finally... oh yes... finally...”
"准备好。即使我们进去了，你也很难坚持很久。我就在这儿等你准备好。"那堆东西向后靠在椅子上，摩擦着他那煮沸的蓝色蹄子。"终于......哦，是的......终于......"
“So...?” I prompted, hoping for more information, but he just waved his hoof dismissively. I snorted, not liking this, but also not wanting to alienate the only pony who said he could get me inside. There wasn’t much else to do besides tell my friends and make some decisions. I gave Rampage a parting pat, then trotted past Carrion and into the hallway towards the stairs leading back up towards the ER. I’d have to load up on bullets, pick up my barding, and convert as much salvage into caps and ammo as I could.
"那么......?"我提示着，希望能得到更多的信息，但他只是不屑地摆摆他的蹄子。我哼了一声，不喜欢这样，但也不想疏远唯一一个说能带我进去的小马。除了告诉我的朋友和做一些决定之外，没有别的事情可做。我轻轻拍了拍狂暴，然后小跑经过小腐尸，跑到走廊，朝回急诊室的楼梯走去。我必须装上子弹，拿起武器，尽可能多地把抢来的东西装进子弹和弹药。
Then I froze as I stared at the concrete steps that led up to the main floor. A line of dirty red crept slowly down them. My eyes were slowly drawn up to the top and I drew Vigilance from my saddlebags. Cautiously, I made my way up.
然后，当我凝视着通向主楼层的水泥台阶时，我愣住了。一条脏兮兮的红线慢慢地从他们身上爬下来。我的眼睛慢慢地向上看，我把警惕从我的鞍袋里拉出来。我小心翼翼地向上爬。
There, lying in a spreading pool of fetid maroon blood, was Tulip. Her head was crushed, a bloody mess that was utterly destroyed. I stepped in the pool as I moved beside her to check for evidence. The blood was cool... but that didn’t mean much for a ghoul. How long had she been lying here? A blood-smeared canvas bag sat beside her and I nudged it open, revealing the reinforced armor she’d made for me.
在那里，郁金香躺在一滩散发着恶臭的栗色血泊中。她的头被压碎了，血淋淋的一团糟，被彻底摧毁了。我走到池子里，在她旁边检查证据。血很凉爽......但对食尸鬼来说没什么意义。她躺在这里多久了？她身边放着一个血迹斑斑的帆布包，我轻轻地把它推开，露出了她为我做的加固盔甲。
“Well now,” Willow said from the shadows, stepping into the pool of light with the assault carbines in her battle saddle pointed right at me. “This is why I fucking hate tourists.”
"现在好了,"薇洛站在阴影里说，她走进光亮的池子里，她的战斗马鞍上的卡宾枪正对着我。"这就是我讨厌游客的原因。"
 
Footnote: Level Eleven Reached.
脚注:达到十一级。
New Perk Added: Finesse: +5% Critical Chance.
新补充:技巧:+5%致命几率。
 
Author's Notes:
作者笔记:
(Author’s notes: First, I’d like to give thanks to Snipehamster, Bronode, and Hinds for the enormous work they put in to this chapter. Really. They volunteer huge amounts of their time and this story wouldn’t be legible without their help. Next, thanks to Kkat, of course, for creating FoE in the first place. Lastly, thank you everypony for putting in the time and effort to read this story and to follow along... I’m sorry it’s taking so long to get through it, but we will. Promise. Any tips to help out the author can be put in the tip jar at paypal to David13ushey@gmail.com. Also, Velvet belongs
(作者注:首先，我要感谢Snipehamster、Bronode和海因兹为这一章所做的大量工作。真的。他们贡献了大量的时间，如果没有他们的帮助，这个故事是不可能被读懂的。接下来，当然要感谢Kkat首先创建了地球之友。最后，感谢各位投入时间和精力阅读这个故事并跟进......我很抱歉花了这么长时间才读完它，但我们会的。我保证。任何帮助作者的建议都可以放在小费罐里，通过贝宝到david13ushey@gmail.com。而且，天鹅绒属于
to Siansaar. The music belongs to Squirrel Nut Zipper, Cherry Popping Daddy, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.)
去Siansaar。音乐属于松鼠坚果拉链，樱桃爆裂爸爸，和大坏巫毒爸爸。)
New note: You might also notice a change. Hopefully it won't cause ripples down the line. At the time I wrote it, I felt very strongly about it. Now, three years later, I'm a little more weathered and I took it out. If you know what it is, hopefully its for the better. If you don't, you're not missing anything.
新提示:你可能也注意到了一个变化。希望它不会引起连锁反应。在我写这本书的时候，我对它的感觉非常强烈。现在，三年过去了，我有点饱经风霜，于是我把它拿了出来。如果你知道它是什么，希望它是更好的。如果你不这样做，你不会错过任何东西。