“They are not slaves, they are our “servants.” We have given them homes, food, clothing, and a purpose. We have given them a life.”
他们不是奴隶，他们是我们的"仆人"我们给了他们家，食物，衣服和一个目标。我们给了他们生命。"
“So, tell me about the lightning rods,” I asked Glory as we rolled northeast away from Grimhoof. We were snaking our way between the skeletal shells of old commercial buildings, their decaying walls sporting layer upon layer of gang graffiti. I wondered who the ‘Neverenders’ had been and how they’d been replaced by the ‘Hells Ponies’. Then the ‘Nightmares’ had spray-painted over that. One wall ahead boldly declared ‘Fuck Big Daddy’, but that message was punctuated by what I suspected was the desiccated body of the author impaled on rebar jutting from the wall beside the declaration. “I need to know exactly how they work.”
"那么，告诉我有关避雷针的事,"当我们从格里霍夫向东北方向驶去的时候，我问晨辉。我们在老式商业建筑的残垣断壁之间蜿蜒前行，它们腐朽的墙壁上一层又一层的帮派涂鸦。我想知道"永恒不变者"是谁，他们是如何被"地狱小马"取代的。然后"噩梦"就在上面喷涂了。前面的一面墙大胆地写着'去他妈的大老爹'，但是我怀疑作者的干尸刺穿了宣言旁边墙上突出的钢筋。"我需要确切知道它们是如何工作的。"
“I don't know the specifics of their operation,” Glory replied, looking at me in concern and chewing on a wingtip. ”All I can give you are generalities.” I gave a small nod. She took a deep breath, then let it out in a huff before going on, “Well, lightning rods were produced at the end of the war. I’m not sure how many are left abroad. Some think that the Neighvarro forces scrapped theirs when they couldn't maintain them. They have a spark generator that builds up a charge and then blasts the nearest target with a bolt of lightning. It actually has about the same power as one of a Raptor’s main guns, as I understand.”
"我不知道他们的具体行动,"晨辉回答，关切地看着我，咀嚼着翼梢我能给你的只是一些笼统的说法。"我轻轻点了点头。她深吸了一口气，然后气呼呼地吐了出来，接着说:"嗯，避雷针是在战争结束时生产的。我不知道还有多少人留在国外。有些人认为当他们无法维护他们的时候，邻居的军队就把他们的废弃了。他们有一个火花发生器，可以产生电荷，然后用闪电击中最近的目标。据我所知，它的威力和猛禽的主炮差不多。"
Which meant that getting shot would likely be an instant kill for any of us, even Lacunae. “How do they find their targets?” I asked as we drove through the desolate district. I magically pulled the macabre remains of the graffiti artist from the rusted metal as we passed, letting the ganger corpse clatter down to the rest of the bones scattered along the sidewalks. Better to be more anonymous bones amidst the rubble than some grisly fetish on a wall.
这意味着对我们任何人来说，被射杀都可能是瞬间的杀戮，即使是空隙。"他们如何找到目标?"当我们驱车穿过这片荒凉的地区时，我问道。我们经过时，我用魔法把涂鸦艺术家令人毛骨悚然的遗骸从锈迹斑斑的金属中拉了出来，让那具尸体的声音传到了散落在人行道上的其他骨头上。与其成为墙上可怕的恋物癖，不如成为瓦砾堆中的无名尸骨。
“Blackjack, are you sure…” Glory began, not certain how to respond to me. I couldn’t blame her; after meeting the Legate, I’d gone through a whole new storm of pondering who he was, what he was, and why he’d let me live. That whole ‘not embraced your destiny’ line was either terrifyingly strong faith in higher powers or a load of contrived bullshit. The whole fight felt like the Legate had done everything he could to not kill me. In fact, the Legate worried me far less than either Lighthooves or Dawn at the moment.
"黑杰克，你确定......"晨辉开始了，不知道该如何回应我。我不能责怪她;在见到特使之后，我经历了一场全新的风暴，思考他是谁，他是什么，为什么他会让我活着。所谓"不接受你的命运"，要么是对更高权力的可怕的强烈信念，要么就是一堆人为的屁话。整场战斗让人感觉特使竭尽全力不杀我。事实上，此时此刻，使节对我的担心远远小于光剑和黎明。
Oh, I was still concerned. He’d beaten me, something that I found infinitely galling. A part of me wanted nothing more than to find him for a sound rematch... but, ultimately, whatever was going on with him wasn’t as immediate as Lighthooves’s biological weapon or Dawn’s actions with the Harbingers. As infuriating as my defeat had been, I had to focus myself elsewhere. He’d put me off for the time being, and I’d do the same with him. So, since we’d left Grimhoof, I was thinking of everything I could to head off Lighthooves’s threat first. Any second, Lighthooves could push a button and start a massacre. And I would be partially to blame for not stopping him sooner.
我还是很担心。他打败了我，我觉得这件事极其难堪。但是，最终，他身上发生的事情并没有像lighthoves的生物武器或者Dawn对先驱者的行动那样立竿见影。尽管我的失败令人愤怒，但我不得不把注意力转移到其他地方。他暂时不理我，我也会这样对他。所以，既然我们离开了格里姆霍夫，我就想尽一切办法先阻止轻骑兵的威胁。任何时候，光剑都可能按下一个按钮，引发一场大屠杀。如果我没有及时阻止他，我将承担部分责任。
Just like with Clink…
就像克林克一样..。
“I’m sure,” I answered, frowning as I looked out at the night. Maybe it was the Twilight figurine in my saddlebag, or perhaps it was the need to win gnawing at me, but I couldn’t just sit back and rest again. I found my thoughts focused sharply upon my goal: getting to Shadowbolt Tower and stopping Lighthooves, and maybe finding the next destination of EC-1101. I had a creepy suspicion that I knew exactly where it was headed next.
"我肯定,"我回答，皱着眉头望着外面的夜晚。也许是因为我背包里的《暮光之城》小雕像，也许是因为想要赢得胜利，但我不能只是坐在那里再次休息。我发现我的思想集中在我的目标上:到达暗影螺栓塔和停止光剑，也许找到EC-1101的下一个目的地。我有一种令人毛骨悚然的怀疑，我确切地知道它的下一个目标是什么。
“Well, Dusk would know more precisely, but as she explained to me, their sensors detect magical energy sources. For the Thunderhead-area rods, that sends an alert to the tower, and somepony then targets the intruder and sends a fire command.” She rubbed her mouth with a wing, her brows furrowed in thought. “I think it used to be completely automated, but there was a friendly fire incident a decade ago and they disabled that.”
"嗯，《黄昏》可能知道得更清楚，但正如她向我解释的那样，它们的传感器可以探测到魔法能量源。对于雷头区域的燃料棒，它向塔楼发出警报，然后有些小马以入侵者为目标并发出火灾指令。"她用翅膀摩擦着嘴，眉毛皱着，陷入沉思。"我认为它过去是完全自动化的，但10年前发生了一起误伤事故，他们把它关闭了。"
“What counts as a magical energy source?” P-21 asked with a frown, holding the slumbering Scotch between his hooves.
"什么算是神奇的能量来源?"P-21皱着眉头问道，用蹄子夹着沉睡的苏格兰威士忌。
“A spark battery? A missile?” Glory suggested. ”Maybe even a charged gem cartridge? Any kind of magical generation device would set off the sensor. Of
"火花电池？导弹?"晨辉建议道。"也许甚至是一个充电的宝石盒？任何一种神奇的发电装置都会触发传感器。的
course, every lightning rod also has a half dozen cameras keeping a constant observation of the ground.”
当然，每根避雷针上都有半打摄像机，对地面进行持续观测。"
“Have you ever heard of surfacers reaching the Enclave?” Rampage asked, looking at Glory with a small frown. She’d been cross ever since the fight with the Legate. He was, as she put it, a ‘big bad freakily familiar fucker’, or BBFFF for short. “Every now and then you hear stories about somepony slapping together a hot air balloon or something.”
"你听说过陆地动物到达飞地吗?"狂暴问道，皱着眉头看着晨辉。自从和特使打架之后，她就一直很生气。用她的话来说，他是一个"大坏蛋，奇怪而又熟悉的混蛋"，简称为BBFFF。"你不时会听到一些关于小马拍打热气球之类的故事。"
Glory turned her face away. ”No. Patrols usually find those.” She glanced back at Rampage with a shameful expression and went on, “It doesn't end well for them, I’m told. Something about giving surfacer ponies ‘flying lessons’.”
晨辉把她的脸转过去了。"没有。巡逻队通常会发现这些。"她带着羞愧的表情回头看了看狂暴，接着说:"我听说他们的结局不好。关于给地面小马上飞行课的事。"
“Of course,” Rampage muttered. “Why are we saving these assholes from eating each other, again?”
"当然,"狂暴低声说。"我们为什么要救这些混蛋，不让他们自相残杀呢?"
Glory flushed. “In any case, Blackjack, it wouldn’t matter what you used to get up there. Your cyberpony body itself counts as a power source.”
晨辉的脸红了。"无论如何，Blackjack，不管你用什么东西去那里。你的赛博马身体本身就是一种能量源。"
I looked away, scowling, and then I thought of something. ”So just unplug me?” I asked with a hopeful grin. Glory gave the ‘Blackjack is not a smart pony’ sigh. “Come on. There had to be some way to turn me off.”
我转过头去，愁眉不展，然后我想到了一些事情。"那就拔掉我的插头?"我带着满怀希望的微笑问道。晨辉归于"黑杰克不是一匹漂亮的小马"的叹息。"来吧。肯定有什么办法能让我闭嘴。"
“Does anything do that for you?” Rampage asked with a smirk, and I rolled my eyes.
"有什么东西能让你这样吗?"狂暴带着傻笑问道，我翻了翻白眼。
“No. I’m pretty sure she--” the pegasus began, then groaned as I flushed. I wasn’t that bad! Glory covered her face with a wing. “Blackjack, we can’t just deactivate you! Those systems control your heartbeat and respiration.”
"没有。我敢肯定她——"飞马开始了，然后在我冲水的时候呻吟起来。我没那么坏！晨辉用翅膀遮住了她的脸。"黑杰克，我们不能就这样让你失效！这些系统控制着你的心跳和呼吸。"
“Okay…” I said slowly as I thought it out. “So... what if you did what you did when I was going to Tenpony to get cyberized? Hook up my veins to Rampage. Completely power me down and make me the Wasteland’s biggest paperweight? Would that work?”
"好吧......"我想了想，慢慢地说。"那么......如果你像我去Tenpony那样做网络化会怎么样？把我的血管和暴怒联系起来。彻底打垮我，让我成为荒原最大的镇纸？这有用吗?"
“Oh, I see how it is,” Rampage muttered. “Make one little crack, and she turns you into life support.” She rolled her eyes, then caught my concern and snorted. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m just pissed at the moment… least I can be of some use.”
"哦，我知道怎么回事了,"狂暴低声说。"只要一个小小的突破她就会把你变成生命维持系统"她转了转眼睛，然后抓住我的关心，哼了一声。"哦，别担心。我只是现在很生气......至少我还有点用处。"
Glory opened her mouth to argue, and then hesitated. ”It... might?” she finished
晨辉张开嘴争论起来，然后犹豫起来。"它......可能?"她说完了
tentatively. Then she shook her head sharply. “But you don't have to do this, Blackjack! Thunderhead's problems aren't yours, and you already have enough problems that are.”
暂时地。然后她猛地摇了摇头。"但是你没必要这么做，Blackjack！Thunderhead的问题不是你的问题，你已经有足够多的问题是你的问题。"
“I’m pretty sure the Enclave can handle it,” P-21 agreed.
"我非常肯定昂科雷能够应付,"P-21表示同意。
“Right. Between Dawn and that striped motherfucker, I’d say your plate is pretty full,” Rampage said, then frowned and wiggled her nose, pinched one nostril shut, and blasted a load of snot out the other. Glory looked on in disgust as Rampage wiggled her muzzle. “Mmm... miss the old claws. Just can’t pick my nose with power hooves.” She met Glory’s nauseated expression with a baffled, “What?” Meeting only silence, Rampage turned back to me and continued, “Maybe you should leave this up to the feather brains?”
"对。在道恩和那个浑身是条纹的混蛋之间，我敢说你的盘子已经装得满满的了,"兰格说，然后皱起眉头，扭动着鼻子，捏住一个鼻孔，又把另一个鼻孔喷出一大堆鼻涕。当狂暴的女人扭动着她的嘴巴时，晨辉厌恶地看着她。"嗯......想念那些老爪子。就是不能用强有力的蹄子挖鼻孔。"她遇到了晨辉令人作呕的表情，困惑地问道:"什么?"会议只有沉默，狂暴转过身来对我继续说,"也许你应该离开这个羽毛脑袋?"
“No,” I replied, glaring up at the clouds. ”The zebras pretty much have their own things going on. I don’t know what the Remnant are up to, but I do know what Lighthooves is. Till I can talk to Sekashi, Xenith, Zodiac, or someone else who knows what they might be doing or how I can stop it, I’ll focus on things I can deal with.”
"不,"我回答，怒视着云层斑马有它们自己的事情要做。我不知道例外人在做什么，但我知道光剑是什么。除非我能和Sekashi、色尼斯、黄道带或者其他知道他们可能在做什么或者我如何阻止他们的人谈话，否则我会专注于我能处理的事情。"
“But are you sure?” P-21 asked with a small frown.
"但你确定吗?"P-21皱着眉头问道。
Of course not, but it was the only step that made sense to me. I saw it as a card game with the stakes being the future of the Enclave. “Maybe Twister will reach help in time. Then Neighvarro will have to go all in. They will attack the tower and Thunderhead. If their attack is successful, then Lighthooves will call, launching his weapon. Maybe one gets through. How many thousands will die from the cannibal plague? Maybe it doesn’t. Then the Neighvarro will crack down hard. Worse, they might capture the disease themselves. Call me cynical, but I don’t have a hard time imagining the Enclave using a rain-delivered bioweapon on the Wasteland.”
当然不是，但这是唯一对我有意义的一步。我把它看作是一个纸牌游戏，赌注就是昂科雷的未来。"也许Twister会及时得到帮助。那么邻居就得全押上了。他们将攻击塔楼和雷头城。如果他们的攻击成功，那么光剑就会召唤，发射他的武器。也许有一个能通过。有多少成千上万的人会死于食人者的瘟疫？也许不是。那么邻居们就会严厉打击。更糟糕的是，他们自己也可能染上这种疾病。你可以说我愤世嫉俗，但我并不难想象这片飞地会在荒原上使用雨水传送的生化武器。"
“But what if Lighthooves is right and the Neighvarro back down?” Glory asked with a hopeful smile.
"但如果Lighthooves是对的，而马里瓦罗兄弟回心转意了，那该怎么办?"晨辉带着满怀希望的微笑问道。
“Then Thunderhead wins. Huzzah. Neighvarro will have to submit and watch as their power crumbles away to the economic and technological might of Thunderhead.” I put a hoof across Glory’s shoulders and asked, “Do you think they'll fold like that?”
"然后雷头赢了。万岁。邻居们将不得不屈服，眼睁睁地看着他们的力量在雷霆万钧的经济和科技力量面前崩溃。"我用蹄子跨过晨辉的肩膀，问道:"你认为他们会像那样屈服吗?"
“They might…” she began. Then she closed her eyes and hung her head a little. Finally, she answered in a tiny voice, “No. You’re right. They’ll fight. Wage one final massive battle.”
"他们可能......"她开始说。然后她闭上眼睛，稍微低了一下头。最后，她用微弱的声音回答说:"不。你说得对。他们会战斗。进行最后一场大战。"
“Lighthooves is betting that the Grand Pegasus Enclave won't risk it. He’s probably counting on some backroom deals being made so the Enclave leaders save face.” Too much Goldenblood made me painfully aware of such arrangements. I stared off at a lone monolithic skyscraper with the Stable-Tec logo on the side, remembering the meeting. “But I saw High General Harbinger in a meeting, and he was ready, actually eager, to attack even with the possibility of the bioweapon.”
"莱特霍夫斯打赌大飞马飞地不会冒这个险。他可能指望达成一些幕后交易，以便昂科雷的领导人保全面子。"太多的金色血液使我痛苦地意识到这样的安排。我凝视着一座孤零零的整体摩天大楼，旁边有Stable-Tec的标志，记得那次会议。"但我在一次会议上看到了高级将军哈宾格尔，他已经准备好了，实际上非常渴望，甚至有可能使用生化武器进行攻击。"
Rampage frowned at me. “Did that bullet knock some extra smarts into your brain, Blackjack?”
狂暴对我皱起了眉头。"那颗子弹是不是让你的大脑变聪明了，黑杰克?"
“Hush,” P-21 said with a small smile. ”So what’s your plan? I assume it will involve running for our lives at some point?”
"嘘,"P-21微笑着说那你的计划是什么？我想在某种程度上，我们会逃命吧?"
“My plan?” I frowned at him a moment. ”Getting to Thunderhead, meeting with Honored Councilor Stargazer, and having her put the brakes on this crazy train.”
"我的计划?"我朝他皱了一下眉头。"到雷霆万钧之地，会见尊敬的观星家议员，让她给这趟疯狂的列车踩刹车。"
“And if she can’t or won’t?” Rampage asked.
"如果她不能还是不愿意呢?"狂暴问道。
“We bust into Shadowbolt Tower and destroy the plague ourselves,” I answered, glossing over the fact that I had no idea how we’d accomplish such a thing. ”We give them Lighthooves as a rogue element and remove the excuse for an attack. And if they attack anyway, we stop them.” Again, just how we’d do that was lost in the nebulous cloud of conviction that somehow I would pull it off.
"我们冲进了暗影螺栓塔，自己摧毁了瘟疫,"我回答，掩盖了一个事实，即我不知道我们是怎么做到这一点的我们给他们光剑作为一个流氓元素，并消除了攻击的借口。如果他们还是攻击，我们就阻止他们。"再一次，我们将如何做到这一点是迷失在模糊的云的信念，不管怎样，我会成功。
Glory stared at me with a small smile, then said, “Only you could say something like that with utter sincerity and still have it actually sound possible.”
晨辉带着一丝微笑盯着我，然后说:"只有你才能真心实意地说出这样的话，而且听起来还真有可能。"
I smiled and rolled my eyes a little. “Oh, I don't know. I’m pretty sure that LittlePip or the Stable Dweller could take on the Enclave and give them a run for their money.”
我微笑着转了转眼珠。"哦，我不知道。我敢肯定，小匹普或者马厩居民们可以和昂科雷一较高下，让他们赚得盆满钵满。"
Funny how that little comment seemed to shake their confidence a bit, and, oddly enough, I imagined a tiny lavender unicorn groaning and covering her face. I had no doubt, though, that if I did fail or fall, somepony else would step up and finish things. Maybe P-21. Maybe Glory. Maybe even Doof, if he truly
有趣的是，这个小小的评论似乎动摇了他们的信心，奇怪的是，我想象着一只小小的薰衣草独角兽呻吟着，覆盖着她的脸。不过，我毫不怀疑，如果我真的失败了或者摔倒了，总会有人站出来把事情做完。也许是P-21。也许是晨辉。也许甚至是杜夫，如果他真的
wanted to change his ways. If I could do it myself, though, I would. I’d already damned and broken myself so many times over that I’d happily spare another if I could. P-21 leaned over and started talking with Glory about ways that they might handle the lightning rods and what they’d need to plug me into Rampage. The striped mare entertained herself by hypothesizing on ways to kill the Legate involving meat pies and balefire eggs.
想要改变他的生活方式。如果我自己能做到，我会的。我已经把自己折腾了这么多次，如果可以的话，我很乐意再折腾一次。P-21探过身子，开始和晨辉讨论他们可以处理避雷针的方法，以及他们需要什么来阻止我进入暴怒。这匹斑马用肉馅饼和香火鸡蛋来假设杀死特使的方法娱乐自己。
That gave me a chance to address something else.
这给了我一个解决其他问题的机会。
“Are you okay?” I thought at Lacunae, glancing at the alicorn flying silently above us.
"你还好吗?"我想到了Lacunae，瞥了一眼在我们头顶上静静飞翔的独角兽。
“Of course. How could I be otherwise?” Lacunae replied in her familiar, soft voice. Yet there was a tension beneath it all that bordered on snippy. I just waited patiently, and after a few moments the mare said, in more familiar, worried tones, “The Black Book is coming.”
"当然。我怎么可能不是呢?"空白用她那熟悉而柔和的声音回答。然而，在这一切之下，有一种近乎傲慢的紧张气氛。我只是耐心地等待着，过了一会儿，母马用更熟悉、更担忧的语调说:"黑皮书来了。"
I thought back to Project Eternity. “Rarity’s Black Book?”
我想到了永恒之柱。"珍贵的黑皮书?"
“Yes,” Lacunae replied, an unfamiliar tremulous edge to her voice. “It is… disturbing...”
"是的,"拉库奈回答，她的声音里带着一种不熟悉的颤抖的尖锐。"这......令人不安......"
“I thought that the Goddess wanted the Black Book. For alicorn stallions or something like that.” Given what the Goddess was, though, who could really tell?
"我以为女神想要黑皮书。用来饲养亚利康种马之类的。"不过，考虑到女神是什么，谁能真正说清楚呢？
“You don’t understand,” Lacunae said in an anguished voice I’d never heard before. “There is… considerable disorder in Unity at the moment. More than ever before, even over the course of centuries. Your… your intrusion and lineage, Red Eye’s inevitable betrayal, LittlePip’s aggravation, and now this. It concerns Unity... this fear that the Goddess cannot hold. The Goddess is forcing our doubts like a river into me. What magics are within? Will they allow us to create male alicorns and become a truly viable race? Will the book affect us? Corrupt us? The Goddess is confident she is beyond its influence, but Unity whispers despite her guidance. Even that is terrifyingly new. We whisper. For centuries, the Goddess has been a constant in all of us. Now… change is coming.”
"你不明白,"拉库尼用一种我以前从未听过的痛苦的声音说。"目前......团结相当混乱。比以往任何时候都多，甚至在几个世纪的过程中也是如此。你...你的入侵和血统，红眼的不可避免的背叛，小皮普的愤怒，现在又是这个。它关系到统一...这种女神无法控制的恐惧。女神像河流一样把我们的疑虑强加给我。里面有什么魔法？他们是否会允许我们创造雄性海龟并成为一个真正可行的种族？这本书会影响我们吗？腐蚀我们？女神自信她超越了它的影响，但是尽管有她的指引，团结还是低语。甚至这也是可怕的新事物。我们窃窃私语。几个世纪以来，女神一直存在于我们所有人心中。现在......改变正在到来。"
“Not all change is bad,” I countered. “Look at what we’re doing here.” Lacunae went quiet for a moment, and her silence gnawed at me. “Lacunae, what is it?
"并不是所有的改变都是坏事,"我反驳道。"看看我们在做什么。"空隙沉默了一会儿，她的沉默折磨着我。"空隙，这是什么？
Something is bothering you.”
你有心事。"
Again, it was a long pause. “Blackjack, you are a good friend. Despite your faults, and they are many, you have always attempted to act in the best interests of others. Your sacrifices are admirable, and your hope that good can ultimately triumph is an inspiration.” Another pause before she added in a mental whisper, “I do not want to wrong you again, Blackjack.”
同样，这是一个长时间的停顿。"黑杰克，你真是个好朋友。尽管你有许多缺点，但你总是试图为他人谋取最大利益。你们的牺牲令人钦佩，你们希望美好的事物最终能够胜利，这是一种鼓舞。"她又停顿了一下，然后在心里低声说道:"我不想再给你添乱了，黑杰克。"
“When have you ever wronged me?” I asked back. “I mean, pulling me out of 99 was rough, but better in the long run. I forgive you for that. Besides, I think that that might have been the Goddess. But other than…”
"你什么时候冤枉过我?"我问道。"我的意思是，把我从99年中拉出来确实不容易，但从长远来看会更好。我原谅你。另外，我想那可能是女神。但除了......"
I froze as I heard the mental sob and looked as surreptitiously as possible at my friend above and the tears on her cheek. “Lacunae, what is wrong?”
当我听到精神上的抽泣声，尽可能地偷偷地看着上面的朋友和她脸颊上的泪水时，我愣住了。"空白，怎么了?"
“You are a dear friend, Blackjack,” Lacunae replied. “Since you joined Unity, I have tried all I could to shield you from her. But the Goddess has plans for you, Blackjack. Plans soon to come to fruition. And I can think of no way to protect you or help you! I can do nothing!” she wailed, and I imagined I could see the Goddess looking on in mirth.
"你真是我的好朋友，黑杰克,"拉库奈回答。"自从你加入了联合会，我已经尽我所能保护你不受她的伤害。但是女神已经为你安排好了，Blackjack。计划很快就会实现。我想不出办法来保护你或者帮助你！我什么也做不了!"她哭了起来，我想象着我可以看到女神在高兴地看着我。
“Lacunae. Stop and talk to me. What is going on?” I asked as she wept.
"空白。停下来和我说话。这是怎么回事?"我边哭边问。
The sensation was like a brush from my mane to my tail, a pressure that reminded me of when I had eardrums to pop. “The Goddess suggests you not worry about this one. This vessel is full to bursting, and the Goddess suspects it will not last much longer.”
这种感觉就像从我的鬃毛到尾巴的刷子，这种压力让我想起了我有耳膜的时候。"女神建议你不要担心这个。这艘船快要爆满了，女神怀疑它撑不了多久了。"
“Stop it!” I mentally snarled futilely, grimacing.
"住手!"我在心里无聊地咆哮着，做着鬼脸。
“Oh… this is well past the point of ‘stop’,” the Goddess purred. “So many treasonous thoughts and feelings. Weakness. Compassion. Guilt. Shame. Pity.”
"哦......这已经过了'停止'的时间了,"女神咕哝着说。"这么多叛逆的思想和感情。软弱。同情心。内疚。真可惜。真可惜。"
“You’re killing her!” I said mentally as I clenched my eyes closed, aware that Glory was talking, but I was focusing entirely on that cold voice within.
"你会害死她的!"当我闭上眼睛，意识到晨辉在说话的时候，我在心里说，但是我的注意力完全集中在内心那冷酷的声音上。
“Killing her? She was never alive. Besides, where will all those horrible weak thoughts go if she dies?” the Goddess sneered. “No. Soon all those nasty, weak memories will drown this little joke of a personality she pretends to have, and she’ll be full to the brim with poisonous thoughts. The Goddess shall lock her up
""杀了她？她从来没有活过。而且，如果她死了，那些可怕而脆弱的思想又会去哪里呢?"女神冷笑着说。"没有。很快，所有那些令人讨厌的、薄弱的记忆就会淹没这个她假装拥有的个性的小玩笑，她会充满了有害的想法。女神会把她锁起来
somewhere with a nice barrel of radiation.” I felt that pressure grow over my entire body. My horn glowed and drew Vigilance.
一个有很好的辐射的地方"我感到压力越来越大。我的号角闪闪发光，引起了警惕。
“Blackjack? What is it? What’s wrong?” Glory asked. P-21 looked from me to the gun and back again. “Are you okay?”
"黑杰克？这是什么？怎么了?"晨辉问道。P-21把视线从我身上移到枪上，然后又移回来。"你还好吗?"
It took every bit of willpower I had to put the gun away. That was all I could manage to do. “I’m fine, Glory. Thought I saw something, that’s all.” I thought a second later at the Goddess, “You cunt.” Given my company, it seemed appropriate.
我费了好大的劲才把枪收起来。这就是我所能做的一切。"我很好，晨辉。我以为我看到了什么，仅此而已。"过了一会儿，我在女神面前想,"你这个婊子。"考虑到我的公司，这似乎是合适的。
“Such language. Such impudence.” The Goddess chuckled. “You should be more respectful. After all, when this Lacunae is broken, the Goddess will need a new cesspit.” The sensation of being gripped became one of being squeezed. “Guess who the Goddess has in mind for the role?”
"这种语言。真是厚颜无耻。"女神轻声笑了起来。"你应该更加尊重他人。毕竟，当这个空隙被打破的时候，女神将需要一个新的粪坑。"被抓住的感觉变成了被挤压的感觉。"猜猜女神想让谁来演这个角色?"
If only my friends could read my mind… could hear me screaming…
如果我的朋友能读懂我的思想...能听到我的尖叫..。
“Oh yes, Blackjack. The Goddess has plans for you. Such plans. And soon,” she said in a tone of supreme satisfaction. “Continue your little quest. The Goddess doesn’t want your friends to interfere before it’s time.” There was a pause. “Oh. And if you behave, I won’t have you crush your little blue lover’s head like a grape.”
"哦，是的，黑杰克。女神已经为你安排好了。这样的计划。很快,"她用极其满意的语气说。"继续你的小任务吧。女神不希望你的朋友们在时间到之前干预。"停顿了一下。"哦。如果你乖乖的，我不会让你像捏葡萄一样捏碎你蓝色的小情人的脑袋。"
“Are you sure you’re okay?” P-21 asked as Glory put her hoof on my shoulder.
"你确定你没事吗?"当晨辉把她的蹄子放在我的肩上时，她问道。
“Yeah,” I said with a happy smile. “I’m just fine. Fine as I’ll ever be.”
"是的,"我笑着说。"我很好。我永远都会很好。"
Overhead, Lacunae shed tears for both of us.
头顶上，空隙为我们两人流泪。
* * *
* * *
“You still haven’t been very clear about this flying machine,” P-21 said as we moved northwest out of the ruins and into a stand of long-dead trees.
"你们对这架飞行器还不是很清楚,"P-21在我们离开废墟向西北方向移动，进入一片早已枯死的树林时说。
I might not be able to complete my plans now, but I couldn’t exactly tell my friends that. I sighed. “Okay, to be fair, I don’t actually know someone who has a flying machine.” P-21 frowned, his ears lying flat. “More like, I’ve seen a person who had one. A long time ago.” Glory knitted her brows together with a smile that made me wonder if she was reminding herself that she loved the not-smart
我可能现在不能完成我的计划，但是我不能确切地告诉我的朋友们。我叹了口气。"好吧，说句公道话，我真的不知道谁有飞行器。"P-21皱着眉头，两只耳朵平放着。"更像是，我见过一个人有一个。很久以前的事了。"晨辉皱起眉头，脸上带着微笑，这让我怀疑她是不是在提醒自己，她爱的是那些不聪明的人
pony, “I don’t know if the flying machine still exists, if it can still fly, or if I can get my hooves on it if it does and can.” P-21 sighed and pulled his hat over his face, masking his mutters.
"我不知道飞行器是否还存在，它是否还能飞，或者如果它还能飞，我是否能骑上它。"P-21叹了口气，把帽子蒙在脸上，掩住了嘴里的嘀咕声。
Glory coughed delicately. “I don’t suppose there’s a ‘plan B’?”
晨辉小心翼翼地咳嗽着。"我想不会有什么'b计划'吧?"
“Yes,” I replied sarcastically. “My plan B involves going to the Skyport and trying to smuggle ourselves on a Vertibuck. And if that fails, we could try using EC-1101 and a MASEBS tower to try to talk to Thunderhead’s leaders.” Doubtful I’d get to do either, but I could get Glory home at least.
"是的,"我讽刺地回答。"我的b计划是去空中港口，然后偷偷坐上一辆眩晕鹿。如果失败了，我们可以尝试使用EC-1101和一个MASEBS塔，尝试与Thunderhead的领导人谈话。"我怀疑自己是否能做到这两点，但至少我能让晨辉回家。
I could do that for her.
我可以为她这么做。
The ruins had given way to a cracked driveway snaking back towards the reservoir. Dead trees rose like scattered spears across the landscape, many more lying in heaps and piles where Enervation had kept rot at bay. I noted a great deal of garbage mixed in with the rot, heaps of refuse scattered here and there. Blue bars were scattered here and there too, and once I spotted a scavenger hiding from us as we passed. We drove by a small caravan of three armed guards escorting a dozen wretched-looking ponies, but when the armed trio saw me atop Deus they immediately broke for the woods.
废墟被一条蜿蜒通向水库的裂缝车道所取代。枯死的树木像散落的长矛一样在地面上升起，更多的树木躺在一堆堆的地方，这些地方是Enervation公司用来防止腐烂的。我注意到大量的垃圾和腐烂物混在一起，到处都是成堆的垃圾。蓝色的栅栏到处都是，有一次我看见一个食腐动物在我们经过时躲着我们。我们驱车经过一支由三名武装警卫组成的小型旅行队，护送着十几匹看起来很可怜的小马，但是当武装三人组在天王山顶上看到我时，他们立刻跑到了树林里。
Aside from one or two who fled the opposite way, the captive ponies simply stayed put in the rain.
除了一两匹朝相反方向逃跑的小马，这些被俘虏的小马只是呆在雨中不动。
A stockade of skywagons, wood, and scrap metal rose up before us as we approached the large wrought iron gate rising ahead of us. Two large towers flanked the entrance, and there were others built up along the length of the wall. As we approached the front entrance, someone began beating frantically on a garbage can drum, and sentries rushed into position. Deus’s engine let out an unimpressed snort as he halted in front of the entry. There were still flecks of gold leaf clinging to the metal; I imagined the grandeur that the occupants clung to was just as fragile as those tarnished yellow curls.
当我们走近前面那座巨大的熟铁大门时，一排运货马车、木头和废金属架在我们面前升起。入口两侧有两座大塔，沿着城墙还有一些塔楼。当我们接近前门的时候，有人开始疯狂地敲打垃圾桶的鼓，哨兵们纷纷跑到自己的位置。天王在入口处停下来时，他的引擎发出一种无动于衷的哼哼声。金属上还有一些金叶子的斑点，我想象着房子里的宏伟景象就像那些褪色的黄色卷发一样脆弱。
Elysium Gardens.
Elysium Gardens.
“H… hold,” shouted a stallion through a bullhorn from the far side of the gate. Deus grumbled his engine as Scotch Tape and Boo roused themselves from their naps. “S…state your name and your b… b… business with the Society.” More ponies were moving up onto the top of the barricade, mostly possessing simple
"h.."等一下,"一匹种马从门的另一边用扩音器喊道。当ScotchTape和Boo从小睡中醒来时，Deus抱怨着他的引擎。"是的。.说出你的名字和b。.B..与协会有业务往来。」越来越多的小马跑到街垒的顶上，大多数都很简单
hunting rifles. Not a missile to be seen. It didn’t mean that they weren’t keeping bigger stuff in the rear, though.
猎枪。没有导弹被发现。不过，这并不意味着他们没有把更大的东西放在后面。
“Security. I’ve come to speak with King Awesome,” I replied with a small smile.
「保安。"我是来和棒极了国王谈话的,"我微笑着回答。
“Reapers have no jurisdiction here,” the stallion squeaked nervously. “I must ask you and your… tank… to leave immediately!” P-21 frowned and moved the tired Scotch and Boo further back on Deus’s turret while Glory bit down on Vigilance’s mouth grip. I’d loaned her the gun since her own had been scrapped. Rampage, though, rose to her hooves in one sinister, almost sexy movement.
"收割者在这里没有管辖权,"种马紧张地吱吱叫着。"我必须要求你和你的...坦克...马上离开!"P-21皱起眉头，把疲惫的苏格兰威士忌和布搬回到天王的炮塔上，晨辉咬下了警戒者的嘴。自从她自己的枪报废后，我就借给她了。然而，狂暴以一种险恶的、近乎性感的动作上升到她的蹄子上。
“Oh, that was stupid, wasn’t it, Deus? A real Deus-ee.” Rampage laughed and grinned, then turned her full attention to the gate. “You got three Reapers here, two of the fucking top ten, and Security, and you’re thinking to keep us out?
"哦，那很愚蠢，不是吗，天王？一个真正的上帝。"狂暴大笑着咧嘴一笑，然后把全部注意力转向大门。"这里有三个收割者，十强中的两个，还有保安，你还想把我们挡在外面？
That’s funny. That’s real funny.” She scraped her hooves on Deus’s armor with a screech as she grinned at the pony. “You know what would also be really funny? Us driving this tank right up your ass.” Deus revved his engine in agreement.
真有趣。真有意思。"她对着小马咧嘴一笑，发出刺耳的声音，擦破了戴斯的盔甲。"你知道什么也会很有趣吗？我们把这辆坦克开到你屁股上。"上帝同意地发动了引擎。
“Rampage, that’s enough,” I said as I stood beside her, trying to suppress my smile.
"暴怒，够了,"我站在她身边说，努力抑制住自己的微笑。
“Enough? I hadn’t even started!” Rampage replied with a pout. “At least let me get a barrel up there.”
""够了吗？我还没开始呢!"狂暴板着脸回答道。"至少让我把桶放上去。"
“I just want to speak to King Awesome. A quick question, and I’ll be gone,” I said as reasonably as possible to the stallion.
"我只是想和棒极了国王说话。问个小问题，我就走。"我尽可能理智地对那匹种马说。
“Absolutely not! I have orders! You must leave immediately, or we’ll shoot you all! Really! I mean it!” I sighed; I really did not want to do things this way. “O… one! T… two!” he began in his high-strung voice. I watched the milling blue bars. Red and it’s dead…
"绝对不行！我有命令！你们必须马上离开，否则我们就把你们全杀了！真的！我是认真的!"我叹了口气，我真的不想这样做。"好的。.一！T..二!"他开始用高度紧张的声音说话。我看着那些不断变化的蓝色条纹。红色，它死了..。
“Oh shut up! You’re going to get yourself killed,” a mare snapped from behind the barricade. The guard ponies started in alarm.
"哦，闭嘴！你这是自寻死路,"一匹母马从街垒后面厉声说。警卫的小马开始惊慌起来。
“Your Highnesses! The Reapers are attacking! It’s Security!” the stallion quailed. “We need reinforcements!”
"殿下！收割者开始进攻了！是安全问题!"种马畏缩了。"我们需要增援!"
“You moron!” the mare snapped. “If they were attacking, you’d have been dead two minutes ago! Honestly!” A moment later, a blue glow surrounded the gate. It
"你这个白痴!"母马突然折断了。"如果他们进攻，你两分钟前就已经死了！老实说!"过了一会儿，一道蓝光包围了大门。它
swung wide and a trio of white unicorns stepped forward. A shield protected the three from the misting rain. Clearly, these were not Wastelanders, and one I knew.
三只白色的独角兽走上前来。一个盾牌保护他们三个免受雾雨的侵袭。很明显，这些不是我认识的《荒原漫游者》。
“Blackjack,” Prince Splendid said with a generous smile, wearing absolutely pristine combat armor. “Welcome to my home.” The white, blue-maned stallion who I’d met months ago outside the Fluttershy Medical Center still stirred a base, fundamental part of me. I reminded myself he was head of an organization of slavemongers. That, and his warm, handsome gaze no longer made my mare bits quiver receptively like they once did.
"黑杰克,"斯普兰迪王子笑容可掬地说道，他身穿绝对质朴的战斗盔甲。"欢迎来到我家。"几个月前我在FluttershyMedicalCenter外面遇到的那匹白色、蓝色鬃毛的种马，仍然激起了我内心深处的一种基本的情感。我提醒自己，他是一个奴隶贩子组织的头目。再加上他那温暖、英俊的目光，我的母马再也不像以前那样颤抖了。
To his right approached a cross, younger-looking mare that shared his coloration so closely that I wondered if they might be twins. She wore gold and sapphire jewelry and a delicate tiara. She also wore neither barding nor any weapons but an elegant dress that wouldn’t have lasted ten minutes past this gate. Her firm blue eyes locked with mine without fear or hesitation. “Security,” she said in a cool voice as she eyed me.
他的右边走近一匹十字架，看起来更年轻的母马，它们的颜色和他非常接近，我怀疑它们可能是双胞胎。她戴着金蓝宝石首饰和一个精致的皇冠。她也没有穿军装，也没有带任何武器，只是穿了一件优雅的连衣裙，穿过这扇大门十分钟都撑不下去。她坚定的蓝眼睛和我的一样，没有恐惧和犹豫。"保安,"她用冷静的声音看着我说。
On his left was a unicorn filly Scotch Tape’s age, white in coat but possessing a bubblegum-pink and magenta striped mane. She wasn’t quite as formally dressed as the other two but had a grin that could give Rampage’s a run for its bottlecaps. She eyed the severe, blue-maned mare, who had to be Splendid’s sister. “Do forgive Grace. She’s been given a double dose of bitch pills every day from birth,” she said with a snicker. “Splendid, you know. I’m Princess Charm. Are you here to kill somepony?” the pink-maned filly asked eagerly.
在他的左边是一只与苏格兰胶带年龄相仿的小雌马，白色的外套，但有一条浅粉红色和品红色的条纹鬃毛。她的穿着并不像其他两个人那么正式，但是她的笑容可以让狂暴的饮料公司大吃一惊。她看着那匹严肃的、带着蓝色鬃毛的母马，她一定是斯普兰迪的妹妹。"请原谅格蕾丝。她从出生起就每天服用双倍剂量的碧池药片。"她窃笑着说。"好极了，你知道。我是魅力公主。你是来杀小马的吗?"披着粉红色披肩的小母马急切地问道。
“Oh, I like her,” Rampage chuckled.
"哦，我喜欢她,"狂暴笑着说。
Grace scowled at the younger filly and stepped forward, saying quickly, “We don’t want any trouble, Security. You can come and see my father, but the tank and your weapons stay here. If you try to force the issue, then things will get uncivil.”
格蕾丝怒视着年轻的小姑娘，走上前，迅速说道:"保安，我们不想惹麻烦。你可以来看我父亲，但坦克和你的武器留在这里。如果你试图强行解决这个问题，那么事情就会变得不文明。"
“Celestia forbid that should happen,” Charm quipped with a roll of her magenta eyes. Then she grinned at Rampage. “Make it happen. Please?” The armored mare snickered in reply.
"天堂禁止这种事情发生,"魅力用她洋红色的眼睛打趣地说。然后她咧嘴笑了笑。"让它发生吧。求你了?"装甲母马窃笑着回答。
“Ahem. Sisters,” Prince Splendid said behind a faux cough. Glory gave a little, sympathetic smile to the stallion as he said apologetically, “I’m afraid Grace is right. Abrupt, but correct. We can’t let you in so… overarmed.” Funny, I didn’t
"咳咳。姐妹们,"斯普兰迪王子假装咳嗽一声后说。格洛里给了这匹种马一个同情的微笑，他抱歉地说:"恐怕格蕾丝是对的。很唐突，但是很正确。我们不能让你这么...过度武装。"有意思，我没有
know a pony could be ‘overarmed’ these days.
我知道现在小马可能武装过度了。
Still, that was refreshingly straightforward. “We’re not going in unarmed,” I said with a smile. “You know you can trust me, Splendid.”
尽管如此，这还是让人耳目一新。"我们不能手无寸铁地进去,"我笑着说。"你知道你可以信任我，太好了。"
“I know I can, but there’s fifty other Society ponies who don’t have the best opinion of you, Blackjack,” Splendid said diplomatically.
"我知道我可以，但是社会上还有另外五十匹小马对你没有好感，Blackjack,"斯普兰迪外交辞令地说。
The well-dressed mare seemed to consider all of us, her gaze lingering a little longer on Lacunae than the rest, before declaring firmly, “If you can’t concede to this, you can take your business elsewhere.”
这匹穿着考究的母马似乎在考虑我们所有人，她的目光比其他人多停留了一会儿，然后坚定地宣布:"如果你不能在这件事上让步，你可以到别的地方去做你的事。"
Charm rolled her eyes once again and pointed her hoof at her sibling. “When you start the summary executions, could you begin with her?”
魅力再次转动她的眼睛，把蹄子指向她的兄弟。"当你开始即决处决的时候，你能从她开始吗?"
“Charm!” Splendid rebuked, “That was uncalled for.”
"魅力!"辉煌的责备,"这是不必要的。"
“Tank. Rampage. Security. Hello?” the filly said as she gestured to all of us.
"坦克。横冲直撞。保安。喂?"小母马指着我们说。
Grace considered us and then sighed. “You won’t be helpless, you know. You and your alicorn have magic, you have a broadcaster to call for help, and you have a tank to come to your rescue,” the blue-maned mare said with a toss of her head.
格蕾丝考虑了一下我们，然后叹了口气。"你不会无助的，你知道的。你和你的阿里康有魔法，你有一个播音员来呼救，你有一辆坦克来拯救你,"蓝色鬃毛的母马摇着头说。
Well, that was unsettlingly accurate. I glanced at my friends, who looked equally nonplussed. P-21 frowned at her, “You’re well informed, Princess…”
这话说得太准确了。我瞥了一眼我的朋友们，他们看起来同样茫然。P-21对她皱起眉头,"你消息真灵通，公主......"
“Princess Aquilina Augusta Awesomeness the Graceful,” she said with exaggerated formality. “Grace will do,” she added with a smile, helping suppress a small gnawing sense of annoyance I was feeling towards the princess. There was just something frustratingly familiar about her, but I knew I’d never met her before. “When it comes to ponies like Security, it is wise to be informed.”
"阿奎丽娜公主奥古斯塔·奥多梅内斯的优雅,"她用夸张的正式口吻说道。"格蕾丝就行了,"她微笑着补充道，帮助压制住了我对公主的一丝恼怒。她只是有些令人沮丧的熟悉的东西，但我知道我从来没有见过她。"对于像安保这样的小马，了解情况是明智的。"
I looked back at my friends. Rampage glanced at Deus. “If you don’t mind, Blackjack, I think I’m going to stay with Deus. I’m out of Mint-als, and Society ponies make me want to hurt things. Trust me, you’ll feel the same pretty quick,” she said with a grin.
我回头看着我的朋友们。狂暴扫了一眼天王。"如果你不介意的话，Blackjack，我想我要和Deus呆在一起了。我的薄荷糖用完了，社会上的小马让我想伤害东西。相信我，你很快就会有同样的感觉,"她咧嘴笑着说。
“Well, if you’re sure,” I said as I looked at the rest of my friends. Glory was already unarmed, except for the loaned Vigilance, and she shrugged. P-21 just
"好吧，如果你确定的话,"我看着其他的朋友说。晨辉已经没有带武器，除了借给她的警戒号，她耸了耸肩。P-21刚刚
wore a little smile that said they’d be lucky to find any weapons he’d secreted and gave a little nod.
脸上带着微笑，说他们很幸运能找到他偷偷藏起来的武器，还点了点头。
I hopped off the front of Deus and trotted towards the princess, curious about the mare. “Grace, hmm?” She didn’t seem scared by my clearly metallic components, but there was a canny concern. We were dangerous, a grave threat, but we weren't unreasonable. But well-informed as she was, she couldn't know what business we had here. Meeting with us in person was still a considerable personal risk.
我从天王的前面跳下来，小跑向公主，对那匹母马很好奇。"格蕾丝，嗯?"她似乎并不害怕我的明显的金属元件，但有一个精明的关注。我们是危险的，严重的威胁，但我们并非不讲道理。但是，尽管她消息灵通，她不可能知道我们在这里有什么生意。亲自与我们会面仍然是一个相当大的个人风险。
“Indeed. I believe you’ve met my twin, Prince Splendid?” So I had been right! She nodded to Boo and Scotch Tape. “The rest of your friends are welcome to join you, of course. The Society will extend our hospitality to you, in exchange for civility.”
"的确。我相信你已经见过我的双胞胎兄弟，灿烂王子了吧?"所以我是对的！她向Boo和ScotchTape点点头。"当然，我们欢迎你的其他朋友加入。学会将热情款待您，以换取您的礼貌。"
I looked at my friends and then gave a shrug and turned back to Rampage and Deus. “Listen in on the radio and stay close. If things turn… uncivil…” I glanced back at Princess Grace a moment, spotting a small roll of the unicorn’s eyes. “Show them what Reapers can really do.”
我看了看我的朋友们，然后耸了耸肩，又转向了狂暴和上帝。"听收音机，不要走散。如果事情变得......不文明......"我回头看了一眼格蕾丝公主，发现了一小卷独角兽的眼睛。"让他们看看收割者到底能做什么。"
“All right,” Rampage sighed. “I suppose we can go hunting radroaches or something.”
"好吧,"狂暴叹了口气。"我想我们可以去打旱獭什么的。"
“With a tank?!” Glory said, gaping.
"用坦克?!"晨辉目瞪口呆地说。
The striped mare smirked back at her. “What do you think?”
那匹有斑纹的母马向她报以冷笑。"你觉得怎么样?"
“I… you… they… seriously?!” Glory blurted.
"我.....。.你...他们...真的?!"晨辉脱口而出。
“Don’t blow up anything friendly,” I replied casually as I passed over my guns for storage inside Deus. I lifted the sword and said, “I’m keeping this.” The princess glanced at them, then gave a small, accommodating nod.
"不要炸毁任何友好的东西,"当我递过我的枪放在天王里面的时候，我漫不经心地回答。我举起剑说:"我要留着这个。"公主瞥了他们一眼，然后轻轻地、亲切地点了点头。
“You had impeccable timing, Grace,” P-21 said in a low, untrusting voice once we’d given Deus our weapons. I had no doubt he had some grenades hidden… somewhere…
"你来得正是时候，格蕾丝,"一旦我们把武器给了天王，P-21就用一种低沉、不信任的声音说。我毫不怀疑他在某个地方藏了手榴弹。
The pristine unicorn smiled at once. “Hardly. The moment the report was radioed in, I teleported straight to the gates,” she replied with another little roll of her eyes. “Honestly, trying to deny entry to that kind of firepower… what
原始的独角兽立刻露出了笑容。"几乎没有。报告一经用无线电发出，我就立刻瞬移到了大门口。"她又转了一下眼珠回答道。"老实说，试图阻止那种火力进入.....
were they thinking?” The guards all looked on sheepishly.
他们在想什么?"卫兵们都怯生生地看着。
“Yeah. Who’d have ordered that?” Charm said with a little eye roll of her own – what, were derisive gestures a family trait or something? – as they started back through the gate. I turned to my friends for a moment, and not feeling much better about this at all, followed.
"是的。谁下的命令?"Charm用她自己的小眼珠说——什么，嘲笑的姿态是家族特征还是什么？当他们穿过星门回来的时候。我转向我的朋友们一会儿，并没有感觉好多少，随后。
* * *
* * *
“If I hadn’t seen Tenpony Tower, I’d think this place was ridiculous,” I said as we walked through the marble foyer of the three story ‘country club’ perched on a hillside overlooking the reservoir. Every effort had been made to preserve the building from the ravages of time and decay; it resembled a tiny pearlescent bubble of the old world. The Society ponies were almost exclusively unicorns, with perhaps half a dozen well-dressed earth ponies talking amongst themselves. Overhead, a massive chandelier filled the hall with warm, magical light.
"如果我没有看过TenponyTower，我会觉得这个地方很可笑,"我们穿过大理石门厅时我说，这个三层楼的乡村俱乐部坐落在一个可以俯瞰水库的山坡上。人们竭尽全力保护这座建筑不受火凤燎原和腐烂的侵蚀，它就像旧世界里一个珍珠般闪耀的小泡泡。协会的小马几乎都是独角兽，大约有六匹穿着考究的土地小马在相互交谈。头顶上，一盏巨大的枝形吊灯温暖而神奇地照亮了整个大厅。
It was a far cry from the grubby shacks outside. Clustered on some old clearings for something that Splendid had called a ‘golf course’, they’d been groups of a dozen or so buildings surrounded by fences. I hadn’t seen many ponies, though, only a few elderly and children taking care of chores like tending their own weedy gardens. The barbed-wire-topped fences, I’d been told, were to keep the serfs from fighting with each other in the middle of the night and to protect them from occasional radigators from the lake.
这与外面肮脏的棚屋相距甚远。他们聚集在一些旧的空地上，为的是一些曾被灿烂辉煌称为"高尔夫球场"的东西，他们是一群群的，大约有十几座建筑物，四周围着栅栏。我没有看到很多小马，虽然，只有一些老人和孩子照顾家务，如照顾自己的杂草园。有人告诉我，那些带刺的铁丝网围墙是为了防止农奴们在半夜打架，也是为了防止他们偶尔受到湖水散热器的伤害。
Right. And Stable 99 kept the males locked up so they wouldn’t exhaust themselves.
对。稳定的99号把雄性关起来，这样它们就不会筋疲力尽了。
The problem was, while I felt for the dingy ponies in those hovels, I couldn’t see a way to help them. There were more ponies here than anyplace I’d seen yet. It wasn’t surprising now how poorly armed those guards at the gate had been; the Society must have had a hundred or more ponies keeping watch. The ponies outside the marble building wore Steel Ranger power armor. Apparently, blowing up the Celestia had given some of the Steel Rangers a career change. Fighting the Society would take some heavy firepower… heavy firepower that could be brought to bear without shelling slavers and slaves alike. Deus wasn't exactly a precision weapon, and I did not want another Fallen Arch.
问题是，当我在那些茅舍里摸索着那些肮脏的小马时，却找不到一个方法来帮助它们。这里的小马比我见过的任何地方都多。现在看来，大门口那些守卫的武器装备如此之差也就不足为奇了;协会一定有上百匹或更多的小马在守卫。大理石建筑外面的小马穿着钢骑兵动力盔甲。显然，炸毁天堂给了钢铁骑兵一个职业转变。对抗这个社会需要一些重型火力......重型火力可以在没有炮击奴隶贩子和奴隶的情况下使用。天王不是一个精确的武器，我不想要另一个堕落拱门。
“Nice place,” P-21 muttered. “Bought with slave labor.”
"这地方不错,"P-21喃喃自语。"用奴隶劳动买来的"
“Serfs,” Splendid corrected immediately. “Not slaves.”
"农奴,"立即纠正了。"不是奴隶。"
“Forgive me if I don’t appreciate the distinction,” P-21 replied.
"请原谅我没有意识到其中的区别,"P-21回答道。
“There isn’t one,” Charm said with a shrug and a happy smile.
"没有,"Charm耸了耸肩，笑容可掬地说。
“There is,” Grace countered with a frown. “Stop being obnoxious.” The pink-maned filly simply smirked in response.
"有的,"格蕾丝皱着眉头反驳道。"别再让人讨厌了。"这只披着粉红色披肩的小母马只是傻笑着回答。
Splendid cleared his throat and said in a voice of pure reasonability, “Serfs are not slaves. All our serfs willingly agreed to work for the Society. We provide food and security, and they provide labor. It is an equitable arrangement,” he said with a smile made of reasonableness. The way he kept staring at my tail was making me feel tense.
斯普兰迪清了清嗓子，用纯粹理性的声音说:"农奴不是奴隶。我们所有的农奴都欣然同意为协会工作。我们提供食物和安全，他们提供劳动力。这是一种公平的安排,"他带着理性的微笑说。他一直盯着我尾巴的样子让我感到紧张。
“Right. Like the equitable living conditions,” P-21 said gesturing to the sumptuous quarters.
"对。就像公平的生活条件,"P-21指着豪华的房间说。
“They choose to come to us,” Grace said firmly. “We are not raiders. We don’t go out and capture ponies to work for us. Every serf must sign a contract that clearly outlines their duties to the Society and the Society’s obligations in turn. The contracts are all enchanted so that only a signature that is willingly signed is valid. You can’t just sign a pony’s name for them.”
"他们选择来找我们,"格雷斯坚定地说。"我们不是掠夺者。我们不出去捕捉小马为我们工作。每个农奴必须签署一份合同，清楚地规定他们对协会的责任以及协会的相应义务。所有的合同都被施了魔法，因此只有自愿签署的签字才是有效的。你不能只给小马起个名字。"
“I recall three slavers forcing ponies to sign your damned contract,” I retorted. “They stuck them in a nice patch of Enervation and let it slowly leech the life out of them until they agreed.”
"我记得有三个奴隶贩子强迫小马在你那该死的合同上签字,"我反驳道。"他们把他们困在一个充满能量的环境里，让能量慢慢榨干他们的生命，直到他们同意。"
Grace jerked as if slapped, looking from me to Splendid. The stallion coughed and averted his eyes. “There is some question as to if the contract is valid if signed under duress. After all, the perils of the Wasteland puts us all under duress in some form or another. Is starvation duress? Is sickness duress?”
格蕾丝猛地抽了一下，好像被扇了一巴掌，眼睛从我这里看向灿烂。种马咳嗽了一声，转移了视线。"关于在胁迫下签署的合同是否有效存在一些问题。毕竟，荒原的危险以某种形式把我们所有人都置于胁迫之下。饥饿是胁迫吗？疾病是被胁迫的吗?"
“What?! There is a difference between a pony starving and a pony forced to sign or die!” Grace snapped. “Do you mean you knew about this, Splendid? Does Father?”
"什么?！饥饿的小马和被迫签字或死亡的小马是有区别的!"格蕾丝厉声说道。""你是说你知道这件事，斯普兰迪？父亲呢?"
Splendid screwed up his face and made a vague expression. “Eh, I’m sure there’s somepony investigating it. The point is that the work here is far better and safer than scrounging in the Wasteland.”
富丽堂皇地皱起了眉头，做了个模糊的表情。"嗯，我相信肯定有人在调查这件事。重点是，这里的工作比在荒地里乞讨要好得多，也安全得多。"
“And I’m sure you work right along beside them. Share the same food. Oh, and I bet there’s never a case of abuse?” P-21 said sharply. “Because the ponies with the power are always kind and benevolent.” He looked at me and growled, “Please tell me you’re going to kill all these fucks.”
"我敢肯定你就在他们旁边工作。分享相同的食物。哦，我敢打赌从来没有虐待过?"P-21严厉地表示。"因为有权力的小马总是善良仁慈的。"他看着我咆哮道,"请告诉我你要杀了这些混蛋。"
Charm giggled. “Oh, finally! Something interesting!”
魅力咯咯地笑。"哦，终于来了！有趣的东西!"
“I... uh...” I blinked, at a loss for what to say. Why couldn’t somepony just shoot me or threaten me? The last two times I’d tried to fix communities, it’d blown up in my face. I was definitely seeing the Society due for some kind of reckoning, but I just wasn’t sure if I was the one to deliver it or not.
"我.....。.呃......"我眨了眨眼，不知道说什么好。为什么就不能有人朝我开枪或者威胁我呢？最近两次我试图修复社区，它在我面前爆炸了。我确实看到了这个协会应该受到某种惩罚，但我只是不确定我是否是那个提供它的人。
Splendid coughed and looked equally uncomfortable, while Grace frowned back at the shacks. “Well, somepony has to be in charge, right?” he said after a moment. “Better us than a pony like Red Eye.” He tried his loin melting smile on me once more, baffled that it wasn’t having the effect it once did. If it hadn’t been for Stygius, I would have bucked his head clean off his shoulders.
灿烂的咳嗽和看起来同样不舒服，而格雷斯皱着眉头回到棚屋。"嗯，总得有人负责，对吧?"过了一会儿他说。"我们总比像红眼那样的小马好。"他试图用他那融化的微笑再次对我，困惑的是，它没有起到它曾经起到的作用。如果不是斯提吉乌斯，我早就把他的头从他的肩膀上拧下来了。
“I suppose that if they didn’t like the conditions here they could… take their chances out in the Wasteland?” Glory suggested hesitantly. But I remembered those wretches picking through the trash. That wasn’t much of a future. I supposed serfdom was a tiny step up from slavery… maybe…
"我想，如果他们不喜欢这里的条件，他们可以......到荒地去碰碰运气?"晨辉犹豫地说。但我记得那些可怜的人在翻垃圾。那可不是什么好的未来。我认为农奴制是奴隶制的一小步...也许..。
Still felt wrong, though.
不过我还是觉得不对劲。
“Well, we’ll have to see about this, right Blackjack?” P-21 asked as he looked at me with a sure smile. I stared back at him in shock. “Right?”
"好吧，我们得看看这个，对吧，黑杰克?"P-21面带肯定的微笑看着我问道。我震惊地盯着他看。"对吧?"
I looked around at the others and rubbed my mane with a hoof. “Um, I don’t know, P-21. I really just want to talk to King Awesome.” And avoid another war with another group of ponies when I didn’t know all the details of this place.
我看了看周围的其他人，用蹄子摩擦我的鬃毛。"嗯，我不知道，P-21。我真的只想和牛叉王谈谈。"当我不知道这个地方的所有细节的时候，避免和另一群小马的另一场战争。
“Excuse me?” he said flatly.
"你说什么?"他直截了当地说。
“Well, the ship’s all we need from him. If he doesn’t have it, then I don’t see the good that picking a fight with yet another group of ponies will do,” I said, and his stormy blue eyes narrowed.
""好吧，我们只需要他的船。如果他没有钱，那么我看不出和另一群小马打架有什么好处,"我说着，眯起了他那暴风雨般的蓝眼睛。
He looked at me a moment, glanced around, and then moved behind me. “Oh, look. A bathroom. Move it, Blackjack,” he said, giving my armored flanks a
他看了我一会儿，环顾四周，然后移到我身后。"哦，看。浴室。走吧，黑杰克,"他说着，给了我的装甲侧翼一个
shove. I was so shocked, I moved ahead while everypony just stared after us. As we entered the little filly’s room, I just stared at him in bafflement as he ducked down, checked the stalls, then whirled on me. “What in Equestria is wrong with you, Blackjack?”
推。我非常震惊，当所有的小马都盯着我们的时候，我继续前进。当我们走进小姑娘的房间时，我困惑地看着他，他低下头，检查了一下隔间，然后转过身来对着我。"你在Equestria怎么了，黑杰克?"
“With me? You’re the one who pushed me into the filly’s room!” I retorted.
""和我？是你把我推进小母马的房间的!"我反驳道。
“How can you blow holes in slavers and then treat this as if it’s no big deal?” he said with a wave of his hoof. “Look at this place! It was made possible by those slavers.”
"你怎么能在奴隶贩子身上打洞，然后把它当作没什么大不了的?"他挥动着他的蹄子说。"看看这个地方！是那些奴隶贩子让这一切成为可能。"
“You heard them. They’re serfs, not slaves.” But I didn’t feel much conviction, remembering again the captive ponies a few days go near the Skyport and how they were being pressured to sign.
"你听到他们说的了。他们是农奴，不是奴隶。"但我没有多少信心，再次想起几天前那些被圈养的小马走近飞机场，以及它们是如何被迫签约的。
“Right, and I was ‘reproductive equipment’. The word ‘slave’ may not have been used, but that’s exactly what I was,” he countered. “You saw their homes! Do you seriously believe that that is any kind of a life? And we haven’t even seen their working conditions!”
"是的，我是'生殖设备'。'奴隶'这个词可能没有被使用过，但我就是这样的人,"他反驳道。"你看到他们的家了！你真的相信那是一种生活吗？我们甚至还没有看到他们的工作条件!"
“P-21, there’re seven of us. Eight if you consider Boo.”
"P-21，我们有七个人。如果你考虑Boo的话，就是8个。"
His blue eyes blazed, mane bristling before my eyes as he spat, “We have a fucking tank! One that’d be happy to kill these fucks!”
他蓝色的眼睛闪闪发光，鬃毛在我眼前竖起，他吐了口唾沫,"我们他妈的有坦克！一个乐于杀死这些混蛋的人!"
I threw my hooves up. “What do you want me to do, kill the Society ponies and their guards and set everypony free, or at least those that weren’t collateral damage? Let them scatter out and be food for every raider and monster out there? Drop everything and try to... to... what? Create a fair government where somepony isn’t fucked? Have you forgotten me trying to fix Flank? Have you forgotten 99?”
我把蹄子扔了起来。"你想让我怎么做，杀死协会的小马和它们的守卫，放走每一匹小马，或者至少放走那些不是间接伤害(电影)的小马？让他们四散开来，成为外面所有袭击者和怪物的食物？放下一切，试着......去......什么？建立一个公平的政府，不让某些小马被操？你忘了我正在修理弗兰克吗？你忘了99吗?"
He seemed to vibrate before my eyes. “I can never forget, Blackjack. Have you?”
他似乎在我眼前颤抖。"我永远不会忘记，Blackjack。是吗?"
“I remember killing everypony there because I fucked up and didn’t make sure that Rivets knew about the virus!” I roared back at him. “Do not ask me to radically change societies! I am not qualified!” I paused and took a deep breath. “All we’re here for is the airship.”
"我记得我杀了那里的每一匹小马，因为我搞砸了，没有确保铆钉知道病毒的存在!"我对他吼回去。"不要要求我从根本上改变社会！我不够格!"我停顿了一下，深吸了一口气。"我们来这里只是为了飞艇。"
He grit his teeth as he glared at me. “So you’re the only one who gets to have a set of priorities, Blackjack? This place is wrong! Damned wrong and you know it. I don’t care if they call them slaves, serfs, servants, workers, employees, or bosom buddies! If they’re living and working in those conditions, they’re being used just like I was.” He stared back at me with a chilling fire in his eyes that I hadn’t seen in a long time. “But, oh, so long as they get you what you want for your next step, it’s fine.”
他目不转睛地盯着我，咬紧牙关。"所以你是唯一一个有优先权的人吗，Blackjack？这地方不对劲！你知道这是大错特错的。我不在乎他们是否称他们为奴隶、农奴、仆人、工人、雇员或知己！如果他们在那样的条件下生活和工作，他们就会像我一样被利用。"他用一种我很久没有见过的冷酷的眼神盯着我。"但是，哦，只要他们能为你的下一步提供你想要的东西，就没问题。"
I gestured at the door with a hoof. “I already have half the Hoof against me, P-21!” And any day the Goddess might take me over for good. “I’d like to not add another group after my head. You’re assuming everything is bad just from where they live. For all you know, they’re happy to be here. They may even be grateful.”
我用蹄子指了指门。"我已经有一半的霍夫对付我了，P-21!"任何时候女神都可能永远接管我。"我不想在我的脑袋后面再加一组。你假设他们住的地方一切都很糟糕。就你所知，他们很高兴来到这里。他们甚至可能心存感激。"
He closed his eyes tight, flinching back as though I’d struck him. “I’m sure some of them are,” he muttered quietly. “There were males in 99 who were. Grateful for the shots… how lucky we were to get shots. And slop to eat. So very grateful to not be dead.” He grimaced, fighting the liquid shame creeping down his cheeks. “I know I’m not being objective here, Blackjack, but I need to do something. And I need to know that you will do something too.”
他紧闭着眼睛，退缩着，好像我打了他似的。"我肯定他们中有些人是的,"他低声咕哝着。"99%的男性。谢天谢地我们拍到了这些照片，我们真是太幸运了。还有吃的流质。所以我很庆幸自己没有死。"他做了个鬼脸，不让羞愧从脸上流下来。"我知道我在这里不够客观，Blackjack，但我需要做点什么。我需要知道你也会做些什么。"
“Why?” I demanded, wanting my heart to thunder and my breath to snort. Wanting to show my agitation and frustration. This mechanical stillness inside me was infuriating. “Why me?”
"为什么?"我问道，希望我的心像打雷一样，我的呼吸像打鼾一样。想要表现出我的焦虑和沮丧。我内心的这种机械般的沉默令人愤怒。"为什么是我?"
“Because you can and I can’t!” he shouted in my face, tears running down his cheeks in frustration. “Because you have the power to do this and I don’t! You do the audacious and the impossible every single day and I know that if you wanted to change all this, you could!” He closed his eyes, shaking as if on the verge of breaking. “You do so much... do this...”
"因为你能，我不能!"他在我面前大喊大叫，沮丧的泪水顺着脸颊流了下来。"因为你有这个能力，而我没有！你每天都在做大胆而不可能的事情，我知道如果你想改变这一切，你是可以做到的!"他闭上眼睛，浑身发抖，好像要崩溃似的。"你做了这么多......这么做......"
What the fuck was wrong with me? Why was I trying to rationalize this? I should just get a bottle or ten of whiskey, gulp it down, and kick the whole rotten mess down. But as much as I wanted to, I also knew that things weren’t that simple in the Hoof. I could end up getting everypony killed if I did this wrong.
我他妈到底怎么了？我为什么要为这种行为找借口呢？我应该买一瓶或十瓶威士忌，一饮而尽，把整个烂摊子踢翻在地。但是尽管我很想，我也知道在霍夫里事情并不是那么简单。如果我做错了，我可能会害死所有的小马。
But I also knew that P-21 needed this, just as much as I needed to find Horizons. It didn’t matter what I was here for; he needed something else from this place. A chance to make up for 99.
但是我也知道P-21需要这个，就像我需要找到地平线一样。我来这里干什么并不重要;他需要从这个地方得到别的东西。一个弥补99的机会。
I looked at him and then closed my eyes. It’s not always about you, Blackjack. “Okay,” I said quietly, then saw the shock spreading across his face. “Let’s try to not do anything drastic right away, though. We need information, and you need to get it. First chance you can, slip away and get a good look at this place. See if you can find where the serfs are working and their conditions and give me an honest appraisal. If it’s as bad as you think it is… we’ll think of something we can do without getting everypony killed. Alright?”
我看着他，然后闭上了眼睛。不是所有的事都和你有关黑杰克。"好吧,"我平静地说，然后看到震惊蔓延到他的脸上。"尽管如此，我们还是尽量不要马上做过激的事情。我们需要信息，你也需要。一有机会你就溜走，好好看看这个地方。看看你能不能找到农奴在哪里工作和他们的条件，给我一个诚实的评价。如果事情真的像你想的那么糟糕......我们会想办法的，而不是让每个人都送命。好吗?"
“I… yes… sure…” he murmured as if he’d woken from a bad dream and he was trying to make sure that things were real. “I… thank you for trusting me with this, Blackjack. When I saw this place and that chandelier,” he made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. “At least the Tenpony Tower bunch didn’t have this serfdom bullshit going on.”
"我.....。."是的......当然......"他喃喃地说，好像他刚从噩梦中醒来，他试图确认一切都是真的。"我.....。.谢谢你相信我黑杰克。当我看到这个地方和那盏枝形吊灯的时候,"他的喉咙发出恶心的声音。"至少腾波尼塔的那帮人没有这种狗屁农奴制。"
I patted his shoulder. “Don’t thank me just yet. I’ll help how I can, but I mean it when I say that I don’t want to slaughter the ponies in charge and trot on. I don’t have the best track record with fixing settlements, good intentions or no. So if you think we have to do it, then we’ll do it smart and right. Okay? And it might take us a while, given that I’ve got Lighthooves, Cognitum, the Legate, and who knows who else to deal with right now.” And the Goddess, an enemy that I couldn’t even tell any of them about!
我拍了拍他的肩膀。"先别谢我。我会尽我所能帮忙，但我说我不想宰了那些负责的小马，然后跑开的时候是认真的。无论是好意还是不好意，我在解决和解问题上都没有最好的记录。因此，如果你认为我们必须这样做，那么我们将聪明而正确地做这件事。好吗？这可能需要一段时间，因为我已经有了光剑、认识神、使者，谁知道现在还能和谁打交道呢。"还有女神，一个我甚至不能告诉他们的敌人！
“Right. Just… right…” he said and took a deep breath, scrubbing at his face with the back of his fetlock. “Okay. Thank you.”
"对。只是......对......"他说着深深地吸了一口气，用脚镣的背部擦洗他的脸。"好吧。谢谢。"
“Just don’t get caught, and talk to us before you do anything,” I said at I patted him carefully. He didn’t flinch away; I supposed maybe we were past that for good. “Okay. Stay safe. I’ll pass things on to Scotch and the others.”
"只是不要被抓住，在你做任何事之前和我们谈谈,"我说，我小心翼翼地拍了拍他。他没有退缩，我想也许我们已经永远地超越了这个界限。"好吧。注意安全。我会把东西交给苏格兰人和其他人。"
He nodded, and I trotted out of the bathroom. Grace, Splendid, and Charm gaped in bafflement, Scotch Tape and Glory in concern. “Nice… ah… toilets. Very shiny.”
他点点头，我小跑着走出浴室。优雅，辉煌，魅力在困惑中张大了嘴巴，透明胶带和关心中的晨辉。"不错......啊......厕所。非常闪亮。"
Glory looked on speculatively, but Scotch Tape simply grinned at the baffled noble unicorns. “Yup, this is the mare you’re all terrified of. Fear for your commodes!”
光荣在一旁观望，而ScotchTape只是对着困惑的高贵独角兽咧嘴一笑。"是的，这就是你们都害怕的母马。担心你的马桶吧!"
“Quite,” Prince Splendid murmured, then finally closed his mouth in a smile. “I’m afraid that I have something to attend to. Do see that she gets to Father, dear sisters.” And he turned and quickly trotted away.
"很安静,"灿烂的王子低声说，最后微笑着闭上了嘴。"恐怕我有些事情要处理。亲爱的姐妹们，务必把她送到父亲那儿去。"他转过身，飞快地跑开了。
“Not it!” Charm laughed. “Gotta get the rumors started!” she said as she scampered off.
"不是它!"魅力笑了。"得让谣言传开!"她边说边跑开了。
Grace stood there, her mouth weakly working for a moment, and then she covered her face with her hoof and growled, “Ugh… fine! Somepony has to!” Turning, she muttered, “This way.”
格蕾丝站在那里，她的嘴虚弱地工作了一会儿，然后她用蹄子捂住脸，咆哮道,"呃......好吧！有些人必须这么做!"她转过身，喃喃自语道:"这边走。"
“Did I miss something?” Glory asked.
"我错过了什么吗?"晨辉问道。
“Splendid is going to talk to the Du Trots, the Steeples, and the Oranges about your arrival, probably going to say he single-hornedly stopped you from blowing the guards to bloody flecks. And Charm is going to be a little pain in my nethers,” Grace said with a sigh, then straightened. She took a deep breath, holding a forehoof to her chest, and let it all out at once and regarded me. “Well then. Let’s get you to Father’s study. Then I’ll take your friends somewhere they can freshen up while you’re our guests.”
"灿烂会告诉杜特罗夫特一家、尖塔一家和桔子一家关于你的到来，可能会说他单刀直入地阻止你把守卫吹得血肉模糊。魅力将是我下面的一点痛苦,"格蕾丝叹了口气，然后伸直了腰。她深深地吸了一口气，用前掌捂住胸口，一下子全吐了出来，注视着我。""好吧。我带你去爸爸的书房。然后我会带你的朋友去一个地方，你作为我们的客人时，他们可以梳洗一下。"
“You take your responsibilities seriously,” Glory observed as the princess led us away from the well-dressed ponies.
"你把你的责任看得很重,"格洛里说，公主带我们离开了那些穿着考究的小马。
“Somepony has to. Being a princess is more than simply getting what you want,” Grace replied primly. “Contrary to what my siblings believe.”
"有些小马必须这么做。做一个公主不仅仅是得到你想要的东西,"格蕾丝拘谨地回答。"与我的兄弟姐妹们的想法相反。"
She trotted down a hall and up some stairs to the third floor, then stopped outside a door. “Father’s study. He seemed to think you’d like to wait for him in here to talk alone. He’ll be coming in a short while.” She turned towards my friends. “Now, for the rest of you. Would you like meal, a bath, a nap, or a tour?”
她小跑着穿过一个大厅，上了一些楼梯到了三楼，然后在一扇门外停了下来。"父亲的书房。他似乎认为你愿意在这里等他单独谈谈。他很快就会来的。"她转向我的朋友们。"现在，为了你们其余的人。你要吃饭、洗澡、午睡还是参观?"
“Food,” Scotch Tape said with a raise of her hoof.
"食物,"苏格兰磁带抬起蹄子说。
“A bath would be lovely,” Glory said, brightening up at once.
"洗个澡就好了,"格洛里说，脸上立刻亮了起来。
Boo let out a body shaking yawn.
布发出一个身体颤抖的哈欠。
P-21 backed down the hall. “Sure. I’d love to be shown around.” Lacunae said nothing. She stood as still as stone.
P-21在大厅后退。"当然。我希望有人带我参观。"空隙什么也没说。她一动不动地站着。
“Of course…” Grace muttered with a sigh, and then gave a small smile to me. “Well, I’ll take care of your friends and then come back for you when you’re finished with Father. Be brief and to the point. His health is fragile, and he tires
"当然......"格蕾丝叹了口气，然后对我微微一笑。"好吧，我会照顾好你的朋友们，等你和父亲谈完了再回来接你。言简意赅。他的健康很脆弱，而且他很疲倦
easily.”
很容易。"
I watched her lead my friends down the hall and then opened the door. Really… I just had a simple little questi--
我看着她领着我的朋友们穿过大厅，然后打开了门。真的...我只是有一个简单的小问题
‘Office of Interministry Affairs’. The banner was hung across the far wall in understated black and white. I stared at photographs of Ministry Mares, Garnet, Onyx, and even Goldenblood. I walked slowly around the desk, checking out the terminal, then looking at a grainy photograph of Goldenblood shaking hooves with Princess Luna. ‘Goldenblood assumes minor role in Princess’s new government,’ read the caption. A much clearer picture showed a metal stand and a large purple and green dragon blasting a black pony silhouette with green flames. ‘Traitor executed for crimes against Equestria.’
"部际事务办公室"。横幅以低调的黑白色横幅挂在远处的墙上。我盯着马里斯，石榴石，玛瑙，甚至黄金血的照片。我慢慢地绕着桌子走，检查着终端，然后看着一张模糊不清的照片，照片上Goldenblood和卢娜公主一起摇晃着蹄子。"金血王子在王妃的新政府中扮演了次要角色,"标题这样写道。一张清晰得多的照片显示了一个金属架和一条紫绿相间的巨龙，它喷射出绿色火焰的黑色小马的轮廓。叛徒因危害小马国被处死
There were maps of the Hoofington valley and the whole of Equestria on the wall with colored pins all across them. A large newspaper article in a frame asked, ‘Just what is the O.I.A., and who is in charge of it? Answers not forthcoming from Princess or the ministries.’ I saw a rank of golden memory orbs in a glass case that nearly had my horn twitching. Unfortunately, I knew a lock that was out of my league... maybe P-21 could come in here and borrow them for me?
墙上贴满了胡芬顿山谷和整个Equestria的地图，上面还有彩色的图钉。一篇大型报纸文章在一个框架中问道，什么是o.i.a.，谁在负责它？答案不是来自公主或政府部门我在一个玻璃盒子里看到一排金色的记忆球，几乎让我的角抽动。不幸的是，我知道有一把锁超出了我的能力范围...也许P-21可以进来帮我借用一下？
The terminal on the desk was logged in. There had to be dozens of audio files on it. It’d take me days to listen to them all, but I couldn’t help myself and picked one at random.
桌子上的终端已经登录。上面肯定有很多音频文件。我得花好几天才能听完，但我忍不住随便挑了一个。
The file started to play, filling the air with familiar rasping breaths. “--have to make sure that Clovertail remains on the ‘exclusion’ list at the M.o.M. If Pinkie Pie arrests one more vital member of the M.W.T…” the stallion grumbled.
文件开始播放，空气中充满了熟悉的沙哑的呼吸声。"——必须确保Clovertail仍然在m.o.m的'排除'名单上。如果鹏奇派再逮捕一名重要的反恐特警。。」那匹种马咕哝着。
“Goldenblood?” a stallion said in a brighter, healthier voice that was naggingly familiar. “You’re late. Garnet’s already started the meeting.” There was a long pause. “You look terrible.”
"金色血统?"一匹种马用一种更加明亮，更加健康的声音说道，那声音听起来非常熟悉。"你迟到了。加内特已经开始开会了。"沉默了很长时间。"你看起来糟透了。"
“Pinkie Pie arrested Clovertail again, Trottenheimer,” Goldenblood rasped, then thumped his hoof. “Doesn’t she understand that Clovertail’s company makes the arcane spell matrices for Steel Ranger power armor? If Clovertail is removed, the company will shut down till they can elect a new CEO. Clover’s set up a legal nightmare to protect himself. It’d take them a month, two if Applejack decides to try and play Ministry Mare. That could be more than five hundred
"小指头派又抓住了立体尾巴，Trottenheimer,"金血王粗声粗气地说，然后跺了跺他的蹄子。"难道她不知道苜蓿尾的公司为钢铁骑兵力量护甲制造奥术拼写矩阵吗？如果立体尾巴被删除，公司将关闭，直到他们可以选出新的首席执行官。克洛弗制造了一场法律上的噩梦来保护自己。这需要他们一个月，两个如果苹果白兰地决定尝试和发挥部母驴。可能超过500
units delayed.” He let out a long-suffering sigh. “Why can’t Pinkie Pie keep her ‘law enforcement’ to annoying the aristocracy and stop interfering in the running of the country?”
单位延迟他发出一声长长的叹息。"为什么PinkiePie不能让她的'执法部门'继续惹恼贵族，停止干涉国家的运行?"
“I doubt she sees it that way. Clovertail is scum. You know what he’s done,” Trottenheimer said in a harsh voice.
"我怀疑她是这么想的。三叶草是人渣。你知道他做了什么,"特罗滕海默用刺耳的声音说。
Goldenblood let out a hissing sigh and said, “Scum we need for a few more years. A few months, at least. Then the Princess can round up Clovertail and me along with all the others when she cleans out the garbage.” There was a pause, and then Goldenblood said in a mutter of shameful resignation, “He’s a lesser evil.”
金血王发出嘶嘶的叹息，说:"这些人渣我们还需要几年时间。至少几个月吧。这样，公主清理垃圾的时候，就可以把我和苜蓿尾巴以及其他人包围起来。"停顿了一下，然后金布拉德羞愧地无可奈何地低声说:"他是个较小的恶魔。"
“There’re a lot of those in Equestria these days,” Trottenheimer remarked. “Is that why you look like hell?”
"如今Equestria有很多这样的人,"特罗滕海默评论道。"这就是为什么你看起来糟透了?"
There was no answer for a long minute, and then Goldenblood replied, “I haven’t been eating much. Sleeping less. I’ve been trying to keep Luna out of my dreams.”
有很长一分钟没有回答，然后金色血液回答说:"我吃得不多。睡眠不足。我一直在努力让卢娜远离我的梦境。"
“Oh, well, that’s brilliant. Hunger and sleep deprivation are wonderful assets for any leader looking for complete burnout. Are you drinking as well, Goldie?”
"哦，那真是太棒了。饥饿和睡眠剥夺对于任何想要彻底精疲力竭的领导者来说都是极好的资产。你也喝酒吗，戈尔迪?"
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Goldenblood snapped, and then his voice softened. “I’ll be fine. We’re so close. Just a few more things to wrap up… and then…”
"别开玩笑了,"金布拉德厉声说，然后他的声音变得柔和了。"我会没事的。我们就快成功了。还有几件事要处理......然后......"
“I’m worried about you, Goldie. Everypony at the office is,” Trottenheimer replied. “If they knew your plan…”
"我很担心你，戈尔迪。办公室里的每个小马都是,"特罗滕海默回答。"如果他们知道你的计划......"
“Their concerns are misplaced. Better to worry about the Princess and Equestria,” Goldenblood said, then let out a long, tired groan. “Just a few more months. Perhaps even just a few weeks. Twilight Sparkle will have her damned alicorns if she keeps poking around Hippocratic Research as she has. I’m half tempted to simply tell her what it will cost. Maybe that will change her mind.”
"他们的担忧是多余的。最好还是担心一下公主和Equestria,"金布拉德说，然后发出一声长长的、疲惫的呻吟。"再过几个月。甚至可能只有几个星期。如果紫悦继续像现在这样四处打听希波克拉底研究公司的话，她会得到她那该死的橡子公司。我有点想告诉她这要花多少钱。也许这会让她改变主意。"
“And after Twilight mass produces alicorns, what then?”
"在暮光之城大规模生产出橡子之后，接下来怎么办?"
“That will probably be the point when the plan can finally be finished. Luna will have a government that will last a thousand years. Equestria can finally return to normal. And Twilight will be executed for crimes against equinity and
"这可能是该计划最终能够完成的时刻。卢娜将拥有一个能持续一千年的政府。Equestria终于可以恢复正常。而《暮光之城》将以违反平等和
undermining the regime. Goddesses, if only she stopped…” There was a tired longing in his voice. As if he would give anything, even his life, especially his life, to have that.
破坏政权。女神们，要是她停下来就好了......"他的声音里有一种疲倦的渴望。好像他愿意付出任何东西，甚至是他的生命，特别是他的生命，去拥有那样的东西。
“Bully for her. What about you?” Trottenheimer asked. There was a ping, and for several seconds a long low tone rang out. It sounded... familiar... but it couldn't be that. “Put that thing away, Goldie. I hate that sound.”
"她真是个好人。你呢?"特罗滕海默问道。有一个乒乓声，几秒钟后，一个长长的低音响了起来。听起来......很熟悉......但不可能是这样。"把那东西拿开，戈尔迪。我讨厌那种声音。"
The note faded away. A few seconds later, Goldenblood answered grimly, “Likely summary execution. Hopefully it’ll be quick. But banishment to the sun would be quite a spectacle.”
那张便条消失了。几秒钟后，金血王冷酷地回答:"可能是即决处决。希望会很快。但是放逐到太阳上将会是一个非常壮观的景象。"
“That’s not funny. I wish you wouldn’t joke like that,” Trottenheimer muttered.
"这一点都不好笑。我希望你不要开这样的玩笑,"特罗滕海默喃喃自语。
“Somepony will have to pay for all we’ve done here. Likely many ponies. Hopefully fewer than I originally planned.” He coughed and wheezed. “Ironic. I fully expected to die ten years ago. Ten years… now I wish I had.”
"一些小公司将不得不为我们在这里所做的一切付出代价。很可能是很多小马。希望比我原先计划的要少。"他咳嗽、喘息。"真讽刺。我十年前就完全预料到自己会死。十年了......现在我希望我做到了。"
“Before Fluttershy?” Trottenheimer asked sharply.
"在萤火虫出现之前?"特罗滕海默尖锐地问道。
“I was a broken bird to be mended by her. A pet she foolishly fell in love with, and who foolishly loved her back. Too bad I ended up hurting her too grievously to ever forgive myself or her,” he muttered wetly. “She deserved somepony far finer than I.”
"我是一只需要她修补的破鸟。一个她愚蠢地爱上的宠物，一个她愚蠢地爱着她的宠物。太糟糕了，我最终伤害了她，伤心到永远无法原谅我自己或她,"他湿漉漉地咕哝着。"她应该得到一个比我好得多的女人。"
“Oh please. If this gets descends any further into a self-loathing pity party, I may be sick. There is no reason for this, Goldenblood. Talk to Luna. Do something really radical and talk to Twilight or Fluttershy. You’re not alone.” There was a ping, and another long tone filled the air. “And throw that thing away!”
"哦，拜托。如果这种情况进一步恶化成一个自我厌恶的可怜派对，我可能会生病。没有理由这样做，金血王。和露娜谈谈。做一些真正激进的事情，和暮光或者Fluttershy谈谈。你并不孤单。"一阵砰的一声，又是一个长音弥漫在空气中。"把那东西扔掉!"
“It helps me concentrate,” Goldenblood retorted.
"它帮助我集中注意力,"金色血液反驳道。
“I don’t care if I gives you wings, that stuff is no good. I work with it as little as possible.” The tone trailed off. “Maybe it’s time to admit that the plan isn’t working.”
"我不在乎给不给你翅膀，那东西不好。我尽可能少地使用它。"声音渐渐消失了。"也许是时候承认这个计划行不通了。"
“It’s working fine. I just have to hold on for a little longer. Just… just a few more things… if we can get a second or third Celestia One built so we can target the interior, their front lines, and their launch islands. Or finally get the Tokomare online and connected to the Hoofington megaspell facility. Or perhaps
"它工作得很好。我只需要再坚持一会儿。只是...还有几件事...如果我们能建造第二个或第三个天堂一号，这样我们就能瞄准内部，他们的前线，和他们的发射岛。或者最终让Tokomare上线，连接到Hoofingtonmegaspell设施。或者也许
see if I can work out a deal in the back channels…” There was another ping and long screaming note.
看看我能不能通过非正规渠道达成协议......"又传来一阵长长的尖叫声。
“Goldenblood, enough. Just, stop. This plan you came up a decade ago has gone too far. Go talk to Luna. Tell her everything and resign.”
"金色血统，够了。别说了。你十年前提出的这个计划走得太远了。去和露娜谈谈。告诉她一切，然后辞职。"
“And who will take my place? Horse? Oh, he’d love that. Garnet? You?” He snorted and blurted, “Celestia?” He let out a long, tired sigh. “No. I’m already quite thoroughly damned. I won’t condemn another to my position. I’ve done enough to deserve all that’s happened to me. All that will happen. All that matters is Equestria. That when I’m finally removed, everything can return to those better days. We’ll have a Princess who can rule the kingdom as she needs to rule it, and there won’t be a need for war or the Ministry Mares anymore. And things will be… better. I just have to hold on a few more months.” Trottenheimer didn’t say a word.
""那么谁来代替我呢？马？他会喜欢的。石榴石？你呢?"他哼了一声，脱口而出,"塞莱斯蒂亚?"他发出一声疲惫的长叹。"没有。我已经完全被诅咒了。我不会让别人站在我的立场上。我已经做得够多了，这一切都是我应得的。所有这些都会发生。重要的是小马国。当我最终离开的时候，一切都可以回到那些美好的日子。我们将有一个公主谁可以统治王国，因为她需要统治它，将不会有战争的需要或部长母马了。一切都会好起来的。我只需再坚持几个月。"特罗滕海默一句话也没说。
Goldenblood suddenly emitted his rusty chuckle. “You know, it’s funny. I was born in the zebra lands. Learned their tribes and language. Tutored by zebras. I was more striped than any pony before the war, and when Mother died, I didn’t want to come back. But when I stepped off the boat and saw this green and bright place, I knew that there was something special about it. That there was a goodness here that I’d never known or imagined. A promise that, if you were good and tried hard, everything would turn out okay. Goddesses, I loved Equestria. With its strange and silly and delightful inhabitants and their odd and baffling ways. And yet, no matter how I tried, I was always apart from that goodness. Terrified of it. I’d watch Equestria from afar with longing, see the ponies and their friendships and day to day concerns, and I’d stare in wonder and terror. It was like a precious bauble of spun glass, and if I dared touch it, it would shatter from my careless pretension. I wasn’t worthy of Equestria.”
金伯拉德突然发出生疏的笑声。"你知道，这很有趣。我出生在斑马地。学习他们的部落和语言。由斑马辅导。我比战前任何一匹小马都要有条纹，母亲去世后，我就再也不想回来了。但是当我走下船，看到这个绿色明亮的地方，我知道它有一些特别的东西。这里有一种我从未知道或想象过的美好。一个承诺，如果你是好的，努力尝试，一切都会好起来。女神们，我爱小马国。那里有奇怪的、愚蠢的、令人愉快的居民和他们古怪的、令人费解的生活方式。然而，不管我怎么努力，我总是与善良隔绝。对它的恐惧。我渴望着远远地看着小马驹，看着小马驹和它们的友谊，看着日复一日的烦恼，我惊奇而恐惧地盯着它们。它就像一个珍贵的玻璃小玩意儿，如果我敢碰它，它就会因为我的随意自命不凡而粉碎。我配不上小马国。"
“That’s quite a monologue. I remember when you couldn’t say four words without gasping.”
"这真是一段独白。我记得你说不出四个字就喘不过气来的时候。"
“I’ve been practicing what I’ll say for my last trial. Or right before my execution.” Goldenblood gave a hollow, grim little laugh. It soon died, and Trottenheimer didn’t share it. Finally, Goldenblood said with quiet conviction, “It will get better, when it’s all over.”
"我一直在练习我最后一次庭审时要说的话。或者就在我行刑之前。"金色的血液发出一阵空洞而冷酷的微笑。它很快就死了，而Trottenheimer并没有分享它。最后，金布拉德平静地坚定地说:"等一切都结束了，一切都会好起来的。"
“And if it doesn’t?” Trottenheimer murmured, barely audible in the recording.
"如果不是呢?"特罗滕海默低声说，在录音中几乎听不见。
Goldenblood didn’t answer him, but I could imagine him gazing off. “Well… if everypony loses, Twilight has a contingency for that. And if Equestria is lost… I do.”
金色的血液没有回答他，但是我可以想象他凝视着远方。"好吧......如果每匹小马都输了，《暮光之城》有一个应急方案。如果Equestria失败了......我愿意。"
There was a long pause, and then a knock followed by a mare saying, “Director. Flim and Flam are on the line for you. Twilight is being persistent again.”
沉默了很长时间，然后是一声敲门声，接着是一匹母马说:"主任。Flim和Flam正在线上等你。暮光之城再次变得执着起来。"
“Thank you, Emerald. Give your sisters my regards and thanks.” There was a long sigh after the door closed. “Thank you for stopping by, Trotty. I appreciate your concern, but I started this nightmare. I’ll finish it.”
"谢谢你，艾米拉德。代我向你的姐妹们问好，并表示感谢。"门关上后长长地叹了一口气。"谢谢你过来看我，特罗蒂。我很感激你的关心，但是是我开始了这场噩梦。我会完成它的。"
“You don’t finish nightmares, Goldie. You wake up from them.”
"你不会做完噩梦的，戈尔迪。你从他们那里醒来。"
The recording came to an end, and I sat there, thinking about what I’d heard. It hadn’t been anything… important. Nothing about Horizons at all, really. But to hear him talk about his own execution so casually... and that talk about loving Equestria. It had to be an act. It simply had to be. Goldenblood was a villain and a murderer who’d done unspeakable things. I looked over at the front page of the Canterlot Times and the silhouette of Goldenblood being consumed by green flame.
录音结束了，我坐在那里，思考着我所听到的。没什么...重要的事。事实上，根本没有什么关于地平线的东西。但是听到他如此漫不经心地谈论自己的死刑，谈论对小马国的爱。这肯定是演戏。只能这样了。金血王是一个恶棍，一个杀人犯，他做了不可告人的事情。我看了看《坎特洛时报》(CanterlotTimes)的头版，看到了Goldenblood被绿色火焰吞噬的轮廓。
“I thought you might appreciate this,” a stallion said behind me, making me whirl towards the door. The speaker, an elderly unicorn with a mane like guttering blue fire and a coat the color of spoiled milk, sat in a wheelchair with a blanket covering his hind legs. Unwholesome blots of blue and purple hovered beneath his papery skin, and one eye the color of fog peered at me. The other, however, was a piercing azure, and I was struck, despite his clear infirmity, by a strange vitality that hovered around him. Elderly though he might be, a charisma and life clung to this old stallion like a royal cloak that no ravages of time or ill health could strip away. And from the keen glint in his eye and the way it roved over my body, I felt a sudden annoying flush of embarrassment. He looked like he was barely able to stand, but I wasn’t so sure that that would keep me safe.
"我想你可能会喜欢这个,"一匹种马在我身后说，让我旋转向门口。演讲者是一只上了年纪的独角兽，鬃毛像排水沟里的蓝色火焰，外套是变质牛奶的颜色。他坐在轮椅上，后腿上盖着毯子。他那苍白的皮肤下面，有一团团不健康的蓝紫色的斑点盘旋着，有一只像雾一样的眼睛凝视着我。然而，另一个却是一片刺耳的蔚蓝，尽管他显然有点虚弱，但他周围却弥漫着一种奇怪的活力，这让我感到震惊。尽管他可能已经老了，但他的魅力和生命就像皇家斗篷一样紧紧地缠绕在这匹老种马身上，任何时间的破坏和疾病的侵袭都无法抹去他的魅力和生命。从他眼中锐利的光芒以及它掠过我全身的方式，我突然感到一阵恼人的尴尬的红晕。他看起来几乎站不起来，但我不确定这样做是否能保证我的安全。
“King Awesome, I presume?” I asked, forcing as polite a smile as I could.
"我猜你就是酷毙了的国王吧?"我问道，勉强挤出一个礼貌的微笑。
“Naturally. Could that apply to any other?” He gestured to the pictures, news clippings, and memory orbs. “What do you think of my collection?”
"当然。这能适用于任何其他情况吗?"他指了指那些图片、新闻剪报和记忆球。"你觉得我的收藏怎么样?"
“It’s… astonishing,” I admitted as I examined a bland pamphlet that read, ‘Office of Interministry Affairs: Career Opportunities’. It looked as if the
"这真是......令人吃惊,"我一边看着一本平淡无奇的小册子，一边承认，这本小册子上写着:《部际事务办公室:职业机会》。看起来好像是
designer’d gone out of their way to make the available positions seem as boring as possible. “I never imagined I’d see so much… stuff… associated with it.”
设计师想尽办法让空缺的职位看起来尽可能无聊。"我从来没有想到我会看到这么多......与之相关的东西。"
“Stuff?” Awesome asked as he raised a bushy blue brow.
"东西?"阿牛抬起浓密的蓝色眉毛问道。
“Um… nice stuff?” I amended, but then he chuckled, and I suspected he was teasing me.
"嗯...好东西?"我修改了一下，但他笑了，我怀疑他是在戏弄我。
“Well, better than ‘garbage’ or ‘shit Father collects’, I suppose,” Awesome said with another chuckle, looking at the collection as his horn glowed and pushed the wheels of his chair. “I’ve always been taken by the O.I.A. Such a curious, little, unobtrusive part of the Equestrian government. Most of the Wasteland doesn’t even know it once existed, and the few who do couldn’t care less that it did. It’s like the ministries themselves, a relic. Unimportant now.”
"嗯，总比'垃圾'或'爸爸收集的垃圾'好吧，我想,"牛叉又咯咯地笑着说，看着这些收集品，他的喇叭发着光，推着椅子的轮子。"我一直被o.i.a.抓走。马术政府中这样一个奇怪的、微不足道的、不引人注目的部分。大部分的荒原甚至不知道它曾经存在过，少数知道的人根本不在乎它曾经存在过。这就像政府部门本身，一个遗留物。现在不重要了。"
“I don’t believe that,” I said. “In fact, since I learned about it, I keep finding the things Goldenblood did to be more and more relevant.” I raised a hoof, turning it over and looking at it. “Their secret projects are still around… still causing problems.”
"我不相信,"我说。"事实上，自从我知道了这件事，我就不断发现金血王做的事情越来越有意义。"我抬起一只蹄子，把它翻过来，看着它。"他们的秘密项目仍在进行......仍在制造问题。"
“Oh, you know about the Projects?” He seemed impressed. “But of course, you should. Zodiac told me about two of them. The secrecy. The conspiracies. But who cares about what a bunch of dead ponies did two centuries ago? Better to hunt down raiders and hoard bottlecaps and bullets.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Most ponies believe my interest is just a sign that my wits are slipping. Wastelanders concern themselves with the here and now, not the once was.”
"哦，你知道那个项目?"他似乎印象深刻。"但是，当然，你应该这样做。十二宫杀手告诉我他们中的两个。秘密。阴谋论。但谁会在乎两个世纪前一群死去的小马干了什么呢？最好是猎杀掠夺者，囤积瓶装水和子弹。"他叹了口气，摇了摇头。"大多数小马认为，我的兴趣只是一个迹象，表明我的智力正在下降。《荒原漫游者》关心的是此时此地，而不是过去。"
I had to admit, if I didn’t have the mystery of what Goldenblood had done, I probably wouldn’t have lasted long in the Wasteland. First I kept going to keep EC-1101 away from Deus. Then it was the puzzle of Horizons and what he’d really done. Now I was driven by a strange urge pulling me to find the answer and stop whatever he’d set in motion. Otherwise, I probably would have ended up a Reaper, or perhaps working security at Megamart. I wouldn’t have been pushed to further and further extremes and hazards.
我不得不承认，如果我没有金血王做过的那些神秘事情，我可能不会在这片荒原呆很久。首先，我一直让EC-1101远离Deus。然后就是地平线的谜题，以及他到底做了什么。现在我被一种奇怪的冲动驱使着去寻找答案，阻止他所做的任何事情。否则，我可能会成为一个收割者，或者在Megamart做安全工作。我不会被推向越来越极端和危险的境地。
“I care,” I replied, looking at the collection. “But I have to admit, I don’t understand why he did all of it. The ministries. The Projects. It just seems so stupid.”
"我在乎,"我回答，看着这些藏品。"但我不得不承认，我不明白他为什么要这么做。政府部门。项目。这看起来太愚蠢了。"
He rubbed the snowy stubble on his chin with a hoof. “Have you ever done
他用蹄子摩擦下巴上白雪覆盖的胡茬。"你有没有做过
anything behind a friend’s back?”
朋友背后有什么秘密吗"
“Ohh… just a lot,” I muttered, flushing as I looked away.
"哦......只是很多,"我喃喃自语，脸红了，我把目光移开了。
“And did you know it was wrong?” he asked, and I frowned but nodded. “So then why did you do it without telling them?”
"你知道这是不对的吗?"他问道，我皱了皱眉，但还是点了点头。"那你为什么不告诉他们?"
I thought back to Scotch Tape. While she’d forgiven me for removing her memories, it still bothered her. It also made me wonder, for the first time, if there were other things she’d seen or heard that she wished she didn’t remember. “I did it because I thought it needed to be done. And I didn’t tell because… because I knew that the truth would upset them.”
我想到了透明胶带。虽然她原谅了我移除了她的记忆，但这仍然困扰着她。这也让我第一次怀疑，她是否还看到或听到了什么她希望自己不记得的事情。"我这么做是因为我认为这是必须的。我没有告诉他们是因为......因为我知道真相会让他们难过。"
King Awesome nodded once. “I suspect it’s not much different than Goldenblood and the O.I.A. Most of the things he did were things that he believed were needed not only for Equestria to win the war but to put Luna in a position of power where she could rule much like her sister had. He fostered secrets not to protect himself from the law but because he didn’t want to see Equestria upset by his necessary action.”
国王点了点头。"我怀疑这和金血王和o.i.a.没什么不同。他做的大多数事情都是他认为不仅仅是为了帮助小马国赢得战争，而且也是为了让卢娜能够像她姐姐那样统治国家。他保守秘密不是为了保护自己不受法律的伤害，而是因为他不想看到小马国因为自己的必要行动而感到不安。"
“You think he wasn’t just hiding so folks wouldn’t stop him?” I countered, skeptically.
"你认为他藏起来不是为了不让人们阻止他?"我以怀疑的态度反驳道。
“He planned to be stopped. You heard that recording. Everything he’d done was planned to eventually be exposed. I think, instead, it was that he knew how shocking it would be for ponykind to contemplate that anypony could do the things he’d done.” He shook his head with a sigh. “I think he bloodied his hooves so that other ponies didn’t have to.”
"他计划被阻止。你听到那段录音了。他所做的一切最终都会被曝光。相反，我认为，他知道，如果庞尼金想到任何一匹小马都可以做他做过的事情，那将是多么令人震惊。"他叹了口气，摇了摇头。"我认为他给自己的蹄子上了血，这样其他的小马就不用受伤了。"
I thought of Psalm and shivered. It made a horrible kind of sense. “Still fucked up,” I muttered.
我想起了诗篇，浑身颤抖。这是一种可怕的感觉。"还是一团糟,"我喃喃自语。
“Evil is when we rationalize the wrongs we do to others. And Equestria was full of little evils during the war. The war. Politics. Business. National pride. Racial pride. Victims. There were so many little excuses for so many horrible things ponies visited on each other. Even today,” he said with a chuckle. “Somehow the wicked always seem to find ways to justify their actions.”
"邪恶就是我们为自己对他人的错误找借口。战争期间，小马国充满了小罪恶。战争。政治。商业。民族自豪感。种族自豪感。受害者。对于那么多可怕的小马在彼此身上造成的伤害，总是有那么多的小借口。直到今天,"他咯咯地笑着说。"不知怎么的，邪恶的人似乎总能找到方法来证明他们的行为是正当的。"
I thought about the Legate and his grand talk about destiny and how full of shit it was. “And the Society? Does it do the same?”
我想到了特使和他关于命运的伟大演说，那是多么的狗屎。""那社团呢？它也是这样做的吗?"
He was silent a long moment, his blue eye locked with mine. “I suppose that that depends on which member you ask, but personally, yes. I suppose we do.” He sighed and shook his head, his gaze turning far more calculating. I glanced around at the O.I.A. paraphernalia and the back at King Awesome. “So, I suppose it would be fair to ask the question most pressing on the minds of my followers: have you come as a bloody conqueror seeking to liberate the unwashed masses and put the heads of their over-cultured oppressors on pikes before giving the whole operation to Big Daddy and the Twilight Society?”
他沉默了很长一段时间，他的蓝眼睛和我的锁在一起。"我想这取决于你问的是哪位成员，但就个人而言，是的。我想是的。"他叹了口气，摇了摇头，目光转向更加精明的方向。我环顾了一下o.i.a.的随身物品，然后看了看KingAwesome的背面。"所以，我想问一个我的追随者们最迫切的问题是公平的:你是以一个血腥的征服者的身份来寻求解放下层民众，把那些过度文明的压迫者的头颅放在长矛上，然后把整个行动交给老爹和暮光社会?"
I stared at him for several seconds, processing all that before summarizing my response in a nonplussed, “Huh?” Shaking my head, I frowned at him. “Look, I could have saved all of you the pain and aggravation. I’m here for an airship for my friend. That’s it.” Well... my priorities might change depending on what P-21 discovered, but I’d gas that stable when I had to.
我盯着他看了几秒钟，仔细想了想这一切，然后用一个不解的问题总结了我的回答:"啊?"我摇摇头，皱皱眉头看着他。"听着，我本可以让你们所有人免于痛苦和愤怒。我是来给我朋友买飞艇的。就是这样。"嗯...我的优先级可能会随着P-21的发现而改变，但是必要的时候我会给它加气。
He blinked at me for one moment, then threw back his head and cackled. “You’re here for that? The Fleur? Oh my, the gossipmongers will be so disappointed. They were absolutely certain you’d come to liberate the serfs.” He wiped his eyes with one leg as he said with a smile. “Take it.”
他对我眨了眨眼，然后仰起头，咯咯地笑了起来。"你来这儿就是为了这个？那个花儿？哦，天哪，那些说闲话的人会非常失望的。他们绝对相信你是来解放农奴的。"他微笑着用一条腿擦了擦眼睛。"拿去吧。"
I frowned. “Wait… just like that?”
我皱起了眉头。"等等......就这样?"
“Just like that.” He replied with a smile, narrowing his eyes. “If it will get you on your way elsewhere, I’ll happily give you a piece of antiquated machinery if it will avoid other unpleasantness.” He waved a hoof errantly. “It will take a little time to get skyworthy, and the Society will quite happily show you the utmost hospitality until you leave. You’re actually in time for the Society’s Grand Galloping Gala tomorrow night.” He suddenly frowned. “Though getting a proper ensemble together will be tricky.”
"就是这样。"他微笑着回答，眯起眼睛。"如果它能带你去别的地方，我很乐意送你一台老旧的机器，只要它能避免其它不愉快的事情。"他不小心挥动了一下蹄子。"这需要一点时间来适应空中飞行，学会将非常高兴地给予你最大的热情，直到你离开。实际上，你正好赶上明天晚上的社团大飞奔节(GrandGallopinggalla)。"他突然皱起了眉头。"不过要找到一个合适的合唱团可不是件容易的事。"
I was so ready to barter, threaten, argue, or beg for the airship that simply being given it was making my head spin. “Well, thank you.”
我是如此准备去交换，威胁，争论，或乞求飞艇，以至于仅仅是得到它就让我头晕目眩。"嗯，谢谢你。"
“You can show that thanks by not trying any drastic changes to the status quo. The Society has gotten very comfortable of late and they are extremely nervous that you are here to end that comfort,” King Awesome replied with a chilly smile. “So… Security’s really not here for more than the airship?”
"你可以通过不去尝试对现状做出任何重大改变来表示感谢。这个协会最近变得非常舒适，他们非常紧张，因为你要在这里结束这种舒适。"国王带着冷淡的微笑回答。"那么......保安来这儿真的不是为了飞艇?"
“Maybe…” I frowned, and he arched the brow over his brilliant blue eye. I felt a surge of P-21’s righteousness well up inside me. “Well, maybe I am. I don’t see
"也许......"我皱起眉头，他用眉毛遮住他那明亮的蓝眼睛。我感到一股P-21的正义感涌上心头。"好吧，也许我是。我不明白
much difference between serfs and slaves, and some of my friends aren’t happy with what you’re doing here.” He just smiled, clasping his forehooves together as he regarded me thoughtfully.
农奴和奴隶的区别很大，我的一些朋友不满意你在这里的所作所为"他只是微笑着，前蹄紧扣在一起，若有所思地看着我。
“Believe me, it could be much worse.” He leaned back in the chair, narrowing his bright blue eye. “When I met them, the Society were a gang of thugs with slightly better than average manners and elocution. There were slaves then, toiling to grow food in the Enervation-weakened soil of the old golf course. I had to teach the gang the concept of nobility. Of being superior not only competitively but in breeding, conduct, and spirit. If they were truly nobility, then they had obligations to fulfill. The distinction between slave and serf may not seem like much to you, but it’s the difference between raiding settlements, slapping bomb collars on prisoners, and working them to death and accepting volunteers, giving them safety and food, and working them for half the day.”
"相信我，情况可能会更糟。"他向后靠在椅子上，眯起他明亮的蓝眼睛。"当我见到他们的时候，这个协会是一群暴徒，他们的举止和演讲能力略高于平均水平。那时还有奴隶，在老高尔夫球场衰弱的土地上辛辛苦苦地种植粮食。我不得不教给他们贵族的概念。不仅在竞争方面，而且在教养、行为和精神方面具有优越性。如果他们是真正的贵族，那么他们就有义务去履行。在你看来，奴隶和农奴之间的区别可能并不大，但这就是洗劫定居点、给犯人戴上炸弹项圈、把他们活活累死、接受志愿者、给他们提供安全和食物、让他们工作半天的区别。"
I scowled at that, then shook my head. “I really don’t know about that either way. Slavery is wrong, but I don’t know if what you’re talking about is a form of slavery or not.”
我皱起眉头，然后摇了摇头。"不管怎样，我真的不知道。奴隶制是错误的，但我不知道你所说的是不是一种奴隶制。"
He considered me shrewdly for a long moment. “It’s a semantic question, Blackjack,” he said as he folded his hooves before him. “Do we keep our serfs here when they wish to leave? Yes. It prevents infiltrators. Do we require them to sign an agreement to become serfs rather than slap a bomb collar on every able-bodied pony we can? Yes. And are there some that use coercion to circumvent that rule? Yes,” he finished, his face solemn and stern. “Ultimately, the Society is not perfect. No more than the Reapers or the Collegiate.”
他很长一段时间都很机灵地看着我。"这是个语义问题，Blackjack,"他一边说，一边把蹄子叠在面前。"当农奴们想要离开的时候，我们把他们留在这里吗？是的。它能防止渗透者。我们是否要求他们签署协议成为农奴，而不是给每一匹健全的小马戴上炸弹项圈？是的。是否有人使用强制手段来规避这一规则？是的,"他说，他的脸严肃而严厉。"归根结底，该协会并不完美。就像收割者和大学生一样。"
“It’s not semantics to me. Wrong is wrong, and the Society has a lot of wrong going on as far as I can see. Keeping intelligent seaponies in some kind of zoo for your amusement? Using a minotaur to force ponies to sign your agreements so that you can pretend to be better than common gangers? It reeks of a whole lot of brahmin shit,” I said with more severity than I originally intended.
"对我来说，这不是语义学。错误就是错误，在我看来，这个协会有很多错误。在某种动物园里保存智能海港供你消遣？用牛头怪强迫小马在你的协议上签字，这样你就可以假装自己比普通的分身好了？这是一大堆婆罗门狗屎,"我比原先打算的更严厉地说。
But to my surprise, King Awesome looked more amused than offended. “Of course it does. But what you keep failing to understand is that the Society was, and can be, far worse. The distinction between serf and slave may not be much, but it is a distinction. Far better than the terms given by Red Eye. Should we force them to labor in irradiated pits for their freedom? Work them for five years in conditions few will survive? Make them fight to death for our amusement?
但令我惊讶的是，牛叉王看起来更像是被逗乐了而不是被冒犯了。"当然有关系。但是你一直不明白的是，这个协会过去是，现在也可能是更糟糕的。农奴和奴隶之间的区别可能不大，但却是一种区别。比红眼提供的条件好多了。我们应该为了他们的自由而强迫他们在辐射坑里劳动吗？在很少有人能生存的条件下工作五年？让他们为了我们的娱乐而战斗到死？
That used to happen before I became king,” he said severely, his blue eye intensely boring into me before he gave a sigh and a shrug, “As for the other accoutrements... well... the Society is always desperate to set itself apart as sophisticated and special. Which is why they’re so terrified of somepony like you coming along and challenging their complacency.”
在我成为国王之前，这种情况经常发生,"他严肃地说，蓝色的眼睛盯着我，然后他叹了口气，耸了耸肩,"至于其他装备......嗯......协会总是不顾一切地想把自己打造成一个成熟而特别的组织。这就是为什么他们如此害怕像你这样的小马驹出现并挑战他们的自满。"
I felt a little unsure now, even embarrassed. Was he agreeing with me? “So... you think this serfdom thing is wrong too?”
我现在感到有点不确定，甚至有点尴尬。他同意我的观点吗？"那么......你也认为农奴制是错误的?"
“I think that I’ve been King of the Society long enough to appreciate what little distinctions we can have. But perhaps a better pony might improve things. Who can say?” he said with a little chuckle, making me question just what was going on.
"我认为，我已经当了很长时间的社会之王，足以体会到我们之间可以有多么微小的差别。但也许一匹更好的小马可能会改善情况。谁知道呢?"他笑着说，让我开始怀疑到底发生了什么。
I rubbed the back of my head as I looked away. My uncertainty had robbed me of my former righteous indignation. “Well… It just seems like you’re getting a better deal,” I muttered lamely, no longer certain of what to do. Accept a lesser evil? Overthrow it, and invite a greater evil? ...Or stop, listen, and learn more about what was going on?
当我把目光移开的时候，我抚摸着我的后脑勺。我的犹豫不决使我失去了以前的义愤。"嗯......看起来你得到了一个更好的交易,"我一瘸一拐地咕哝着，不知道该怎么办。接受较小的罪恶？推翻它，就会招来更大的罪恶？或者停下来，听着，多了解一下发生了什么？
“Aristoponies always do,” he replied with a smile and a shrug. A wistful look filled his eye as he gazed at his collection. “A fact my old friends failed to accept. But that’s ancient history. Few care about such things. History is an irrelevancy, even to the Society. Nopony cares about the past.” He spoke with quiet bitterness and heartbreaking resignation.
"反乌托邦的人总是这样,"他微笑着回答，耸了耸肩。当他凝视着自己的收藏品时，眼中充满了渴望的神情。"这是我的老朋友们无法接受的事实。但那已经是很久以前的事了。很少有人关心这些事情。历史是无关紧要的，即使对社会来说也是如此。没有小马关心过去。"他说话时带着平静的苦涩和令人心碎的顺从。
I frowned and glanced around at the room again, and then back at King Awesome. Finally, I smiled at the old stallion. “I do.”
我皱了皱眉头，再次环视了一下房间，然后回头看了看超棒的国王。最后，我对那匹老种马笑了笑。"我愿意。"
* * *
* * *
We talked for nearly two hours about everything. The Society. The O.I.A. Goldenblood. His companions. Dawn. His recently departed wife. There were some parts that kept me riveted, like hearing about the final breakup and a paternal King Awesome protecting Dawn from a lecherous, uncouth Big Daddy. Other parts, like him claiming to be the great grandson of Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle’s brother and the entitled heir to the Crystal Empire, seemed too farfetched even for the Wasteland. But then, as he told me, “If you’re going to be anything in the Wasteland, why not be a king? And if you’re going to be a king, you better be a fucking awesome king.” Hence the name.
我们谈了将近两个小时。协会。金色血液。他的同伴们。黎明。他最近去世的妻子。有些部分让我非常着迷，比如听到最后分手的消息，还有一个父亲级的超棒国王在保护黎明不受一个好色、粗俗的大老爹的伤害。其他部分，比如他自称是闪亮盔甲的曾孙，紫悦的兄弟和水晶帝国的合法继承人，对于荒原来说似乎太牵强了。但是后来，就像他告诉我的那样,"如果你要在荒原做任何事情，为什么不做一个国王呢？如果你想成为一个国王，你最好是一个他妈的了不起的国王。"所以才有这个名字。
It was just crazy enough to be true.
这真是太疯狂了。
Grace peeked in on us a half dozen times before her father told her to knock it off. In that time, I’d learned that he’d approved of Sky Striker’s marriage to Dawn, as any stallion who would ride a flaming dragon from on high had to be a decent protector, but had wanted them to stay in Elysium. I found out that Keeper had a weakness for strawberries and that Big Daddy’s hooves were ticklish. I returned the favor by sharing a few secrets I’d learned, like the details of how Goldenblood’s affair with Fluttershy had ended and how her baby had survived to become the Reaper Psychoshy. That alone seemed to astonish the old stallion.
格蕾丝偷看了我们好几次，然后她父亲叫她别闹了。在那段时间里，我了解到他已经同意天空射手与道恩的婚姻，就像任何一匹从高处骑着火龙的种马必须是一个体面的保护者，但是他希望他们留在极乐世界。我发现"守护者"对草莓有偏好，而"大爸爸"的蹄子又怕痒。作为回报，我分享了自己学到的一些秘密，比如金血王和小红花的风流韵事是如何结束的，以及她的宝宝是如何从死神变成心理害羞的。仅仅这一点似乎就使这匹老种马大吃一惊。
More surprising was how good it felt to be able to talk about Goldenblood, Horizons, EC-1101, and all the trouble they’d brought to my life. None of my friends had viewed the memory orbs I had, or heard the recordings or… or anything. None of them cared. They cared about me, sure, but not what moved me. We discussed various theories about what Horizons might be; he preferred a megaspell while I was tantalized by the idea of a massive moonstone/starmetal reaction. We both agreed how very odd it was that he could have gotten away with so much at the O.I.A. Had Luna maintained plausible deniability, letting Goldenblood blackmail and leverage others into silence? Had she been fooled? Complicit? I didn’t know which scared me more.
更令人惊讶的是能够谈论金色血液、地平线、EC-1101以及它们给我的生活带来的所有麻烦的感觉是多么的好。我的朋友们没有一个人看过我的记忆球，也没有一个人听过我的录音或者其他任何东西。他们都不在乎。他们关心我，当然，但不是什么感动了我。我们讨论了各种各样关于地平线可能是什么的理论;他更喜欢一个巨型星体，而我则被一个巨大的月长石/星际金属反应的想法迷住了。我们都同意这是多么奇怪，他可以逃脱这么多在o.i.a.卢纳维持似是而非的否认，让Goldenblood勒索和杠杆其他沉默？她被愚弄了吗？共谋？我不知道哪个更让我害怕。
“My word. I don’t think that I’ve talked this much in years,” he finally said with a yawn, arching a brow again. “Do you really care about all of this? Or are you simply trying to butter me up?”
"我的天哪。我想我好多年没说过这么多话了,"最后他打了个哈欠，又扬起了一下眉毛。"你真的关心这一切吗？还是你只是想拍我马屁?"
“I do care, Awesome. The past keeps coming back to bite me, and I’m scared of some of the futures I’ve imagined. I don’t want this world to be a terrible place. I want to make it better,” I replied simply.
"我当然在乎，太棒了。过去总是回来咬我，我害怕我想象中的未来。我不想让这个世界变成一个可怕的地方。我想让它变得更好,"我简单地回答。
He took a deep breath. “You’re a fool, Blackjack. But a good fool, and that’s better than all the other kinds in this world.” He yawned and slumped back in his chair. “Thank you, Blackjack. It was… quite nice to speak to another like this. I’ve got quite a few dozen memory orbs from the O.I.A. regarding the various Projects that I think you should see.” He separated one and floated it to me. “Certainly some of them should come in useful. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll inform Grace that the Fleur is to be made ready for flight again. We’ll have to check the bag and patch any holes. Little things like that.”
他深吸了一口气。"你是个傻瓜，黑杰克。但是一个好傻瓜，这比世界上任何其他种类的傻瓜都要好。"他打了个呵欠，靠在椅子上。"谢谢你，黑杰克。能和另一个人这样说话真是太好了。我从o.i.a.那里得到了相当多的关于各种项目的记忆球体，我认为你应该看看。"他把一只分开，拿到我面前。"当然，其中一些应该是有用的。现在，如果你不介意的话，我要通知格雷斯，芙蓉号准备再次起飞。我们得检查一下这个包，把洞补上。诸如此类的小事。"
“You’re sure that it can still fly after all this time?” I asked with a little skepticism. I would be sure to have P-21 and Scotch Tape check it as well before we went anywhere.
"过了这么久，你确定它还能飞吗?"我带着一点怀疑的心情问道。在我们去任何地方之前，我一定要让P-21和透明胶带检查一下。
“Of course,” he said with a canny chuckle. “The Society weren’t stupid. If they ever had to flee this place, there were few methods better than by air. It will take some time to prepare, though, and I think that I should stress that this is a loan.
"当然,"他咯咯地笑着说。"协会并不愚蠢。如果他们不得不逃离这个地方，没有什么比乘飞机更好的方法了。这需要一些时间来准备，虽然，我认为我应该强调，这是一个贷款。
The Society will definitely want her returned, for sentimental reasons if nothing else.” He tapped his hooves together. “You’ll come to the Grand Galloping Gala as my personal guests, of course. Though there is the question of what you’ll wear.”
协会一定会希望她回来的，即使没有别的原因，也是出于感情上的原因。"他用蹄子轻轻地敲打着。"当然，你们是作为我的私人客人来参加大奔节的。不过还有一个问题，就是你要穿什么。"
“You let me worry about that. I know a filly who owes me a fancy dress or two,” I replied, not having a clue as to what I’d actually do at a party. Drink and stand in the corner? Probably safest. At least I wouldn’t look like a complete embarrassment, though. “In the meantime, I need to investigate a plantation somewhere east of here.”
"你让我来担心这个。我认识一匹小母马，她欠我一两件漂亮衣服,"我回答，完全不知道自己在聚会上究竟会干什么。喝酒站在角落里？也许最安全。不过，至少我不会看起来像一个完全的尴尬。"与此同时，我需要调查这里以东的一个种植园。"
But he’d fallen asleep in his chair. I rose to my hooves, took one look at the collection around me and what answers it might have, and started to leave. Then I stopped and regarded the slumbering, elderly unicorn. I’d never really had a ‘father’ or ‘grandfather’ before. Whatever pony had sired me in 99 hadn’t filled any kind of mentoring role. I hadn’t even understood the word before leaving Stable 99, but as I saw him lying there, I got an odd feeling that I’d never had before and wasn’t sure what to do with. Finally, I trotted to his side, made sure he was actually asleep, and then gave a polite kiss to his cheek.
但是他在椅子上睡着了。我站起身来，看了一眼周围的藏品，想知道它们会给我什么样的答案，然后开始离开。然后我停下来，看着那只熟睡的老独角兽。我以前从来没有一个真正的父亲或祖父。不管99年是哪匹小马给我配种，它都没有担任过任何指导的角色。在离开Stable99之前，我甚至不知道这个词是什么意思，但当我看到他躺在那里时，我有一种奇怪的感觉，这种感觉我以前从未有过，也不知道该拿它怎么办。最后，我小跑到他身边，确定他真的睡着了，然后礼貌地吻了他的脸颊。
It seemed the civilized thing to do.
这似乎是文明的做法。
* * *
* * *
“Glory, why are you turning their kitchen into an abattoir?” I asked as I looked at the bloody meat in one heap, the pile of bloody cybernetic components in the second pile, and the spread of cleaned cyberpony parts. Boo and Scotch Tape sat in front of the pantry, building a small wall of provisions. The kitchen staff worked as well as they could, watching the blue pegasus with poorly hidden expressions of horror. “What are you even doing with the zebra body parts?”
"晨辉，你为什么要把他们的厨房变成屠宰场?"我一边问，一边看着一堆血淋淋的肉，第二堆血淋淋的控制论元件，还有清洗过的控制马零件。Boo和ScotchTape坐在食品储藏室的前面，用食物建了一堵小墙。厨房的工作人员竭尽全力地工作着，看着蓝色的飞马，脸上带着难以掩饰的恐惧表情。"你对斑马的身体部位做了什么?"
Glory was a fright, blood smearing her hooves and spotting the cloth tied over her mouth. “I needed to remove these components from the Brood,” she said,
晨辉是一种恐惧，鲜血弄脏了她的蹄子，弄脏了她嘴上系着的布。"我需要把这些东西从布鲁德病房里拿走"她说
gesturing to the pile of gory machinery. “This place had the best equipment. Knives. Scrub brushes. Alcohol. Lots of water. Perfect for removing and cleaning these parts for study. The eyes might be identical, but I want to see if there are other similarities and differences.”
指着一堆血淋淋的机器。"这个地方有最好的设备。刀。刷子。酒精。大量的水。完美的去除和清洗这些部分的研究。眼睛可能是一样的，但我想看看是否还有其他的相似点和不同点。"
“Okay. Why?” I asked as I levitated over a bottle of whiskey. Really… cleaning cyberzebra parts with this. I disapproved. The kitchen staff seemed to be waiting for somepony with the courage to come and tell us to leave, but for the moment I couldn’t blame them for keeping their distance. Boo and Scotch Tape, their fortifications built up, proceeded to bombard each other with grapes, berries, and Fancy Buck Cakes. I wasn’t exactly sure Boo knew what she was doing, but I had to admit that her mouth was formidable protection from Scotch’s snack cake barrage.
"好吧。为什么?"我问道，我飘浮在一瓶威士忌酒上。真的...用这个清洗网络斑马的零件。我不同意。厨房的工作人员似乎在等一匹有勇气的小马来告诉我们离开，但是现在我不能责怪他们保持距离。布和苏格兰胶带，他们的防御工事建立起来，开始轰炸对方的葡萄，浆果，和花式雄鹿蛋糕。我不确定Boo是否知道自己在做什么，但我不得不承认，她的嘴巴在苏格兰小吃蛋糕的攻击下是强大的保护。
“For one, you need to know what they’re capable of if you have to fight them. Are they strong like Deus, fast like your recon legs, or agile like your Shadowbolt upgrade?” She scooped up a round piece of equipment. “This motor’s exactly like the ones installed by Rover a few days ago, but its placement wasn’t nearly as precise. There was abrasion on the bone at the joint. Would hurt like hell. But this…” She reached over to the bloody pile and lifted a smaller piece covered with gobs of blood and chunks of brain. “This is different from your own neural interfaces. It’s a newer design. It completely replaces their pain centers. I don’t think that the Brood can feel pain. And from this abrasion, I’m skeptical as to whether they have a healing talisman like yours.”
"首先，如果你不得不与他们作战，你需要知道他们的能力。他们是像上帝一样强壮，像你的侦察机一样快，还是像你的影螺栓升级一样敏捷?"她舀起一个圆形的设备。"这个发动机和几天前由罗孚安装的发动机完全一样，但它的位置远远不够精确。关节处的骨头有磨损。会痛得要命。但是这个......"她把手伸向血迹斑斑的那堆东西，拿起一小块，上面沾满了血迹和大块的脑浆。"这与你自己的神经界面不同。这是一个新的设计。它完全取代了他们的疼痛中枢。我不认为布伦特一家能感觉到痛苦。从这个擦伤来看，我很怀疑他们是否有像你这样的治疗性护身符。"
Two very good things to know. “Okay. Just try not to scare these folks. No animating the dead for your army of cyberghouls,” I teased, noticing the horrified looks on the faces of the servants listening in.
两件非常好的事情要知道。"好吧。尽量不要吓到他们。不要为你的虚拟盗尸者大军赋予死者生命,"我开玩笑地说，注意到偷听的仆人们脸上惊恐的表情。
Glory blinked at me in confusion and gestured to the bloody heap. “But there’s not enough materials here for even one cyberghoul.” It took every last bit of restraint I had not to burst into laughter at the shock on the servants’ faces. She set down the component. “I haven’t seen P-21.”
晨辉困惑地眨着眼睛，指着那堆血迹斑斑的东西。"但这里没有足够的材料，哪怕只有一个网络盗尸者。"我竭尽全力克制自己，才没有因仆人们脸上的震惊而大笑起来。她放下了那个零件。"我没见过P-21。"
“He’s… around,” I murmured.
"他......在附近,"我低声说。
Glory caught my eye. “We’re not going to do anything rash, are we?”
晨辉吸引了我的眼球。"我们不会鲁莽行事，对吧?"
“I’m not sure yet,” I replied, looking at the cooks on the other side of the kitchen. They watched with wary eyes. I had to think of how odd we must seem
"我还不确定,"我回答，看着厨房另一边的厨师。他们小心翼翼地看着。我不得不想想我们看起来有多奇怪
to all of them, like we were crude and not-quite-invited houseguests and they just hadn't quite decided whether it would be more trouble to put up with us or throw us out on our rumps.
对他们所有人来说，就像我们是粗鲁的，不太受欢迎的客人，他们只是不太确定，是应该容忍我们，还是应该把我们扔出去。
“I’m not opposed to the idea, but please be careful. I’d hate for us to repeat what happened at Flank, or Fallen Arch,” Glory said, then reached over and bit a wire scrub brush, took up a piece of metal in her hooves, and began scrubbing away chunks of clinging flesh.
"我不反对这个主意，但请小心。我不希望我们重复在弗兰克或者堕落拱门发生的事情,"晨辉说，然后伸手过去，咬了一下铁丝刷子，在她的蹄子里拿起一块金属，开始擦洗大块的肉。
“I’m going to find Lacunae, Rampage, and Deus and take care of that errand for the Collegiate,” I said casually. “Should be back quick. Come with me?”
"我要去找拉古奈、狂暴和上帝，替大学生们办这件事,"我漫不经心地说。"应该很快就会回来。跟我一起去吗?"
She seemed surprised, looked down at the messy business before her, then raised her bloody hooves. “I’m up to my withers in zebra here. But you go. And do come back quick.”
她似乎很吃惊，低头看着眼前凌乱的一切，然后抬起血淋淋的蹄子。"我在斑马线上忙得不可开交。但是你去。一定要快点回来。"
“I’ll be good.” She looked at me skeptically, and I added, “I will. I promise I’ll stay out of trouble.” I errantly rubbed my collar.
"我会乖乖的。"她怀疑地看着我，我补充说:"我会的。我保证不惹麻烦。"我不小心擦了擦衣领。
She pulled off the mask, wiped her forehooves on a wet rag, and just sighed with a gentle smile as she trotted towards me. She hugged me and nuzzled my ear. “Blackjack, you are utterly incapable of staying out of trouble. If trouble doesn’t find you, somepony sends trouble to you, and if that doesn’t happen you’ll stir up some trouble simply by trotting along. Sometimes I think that you need trouble to survive.” She pulled me close and gave me a little smooch. “Stay safe. Don’t get hurt. Come back soon. I can live with that.”
她摘下面具，用一块湿抹布擦了擦前蹄，然后微笑着向我小跑过来，叹了口气。她拥抱我，用鼻子蹭我的耳朵。"黑杰克，你完全不可能不惹麻烦。如果麻烦找不到你，有些小马就会给你带来麻烦，如果麻烦没有找到你，你就会轻而易举地挑起一些麻烦。有时候我觉得你需要麻烦才能生存。"她把我拉近，给了我一个小小的吻。"注意安全。不要受伤。快点回来。我可以接受。"
I smiled and kissed her back. Scotch Tape gave a little ‘awwww’. “That’s so sweet. A little disgusting,” she added as she looked at the bloody specks on Glory’s mane and coat, “but sweet.” Then her inattention was rewarded with an orange bouncing off the side of her head. “Ambushed!” Scotch Tape snapped, then lobbed a Fancy Buck Cake that exploded orange filling across Boo’s face. “Direct hit!” the filly crowed.
我微笑着回吻了她。透明胶带发出了一点"awwww"的声音。"真是太贴心了。"有点恶心,"她一边看着格洛里鬃毛和外套上血淋淋的斑点，一边补充道,"但是很甜。"然后她的漫不经心得到了回报，一个橘子从她的头的一侧弹了下来。"伏击!"苏格兰胶带啪的一声断了，然后扔出一块花俏的大钱蛋糕，里面的橙色馅料炸开了布的脸。"直接命中!"小母马叫道。
Boo’s pale eyes appeared amid the dripping orange filling. Then her tongue swept up and collected all the dripping confection in one long circular pass and swallowed it with a gulp. Scotch Tape blinked in shock and flopped over. “No effect…” she whimpered. As I started to walk away, Boo scrambled to her hooves and trotted after me. “Hey! Come back!” Scotch Tape sulked as Boo stayed beside me. “What am I going to do now?”
布苍白的眼睛出现在滴水的橙色馅料中。然后她的舌头卷起来，在一个长长的圆形通道里收集了所有滴水的糖果，一口吞下去。透明胶带震惊地眨了眨眼，然后掉了下来。"没有效果......"她呜咽着说。当我准备离开的时候，布拼命地跑向她的蹄子，跟在我后面。"嘿！回来!"当布站在我身边时，透明胶带生气了。"我现在该怎么办?"
“To the defeated goes the chore cleaning up the mess,” I replied, giving a nod to the cooks as we passed out of the kitchen. Scotch Tape gaped at us and then collapsed on her back in a powdery heap.
"失败的人去做家务，收拾残局,"我回答道，在我们走出厨房的时候，我向厨师们点了点头。透明胶带在我们面前裂开，然后倒在她的背上，成了一堆粉末。
* * *
* * *
“Thirty-one!” Rampage crowed as we wound our way northeast towards the navigation tag Triage had given me. “Might have been more, but you know, after you feel the blast, you lose track of things.”
"三十一个!"横冲直撞的人群中，我们朝着东北方向，朝着分类伤员给我的导航标签前进。"可能更多，但你知道，当你感受到爆炸后，你会忘记一些事情。"
“You make it sound like sex,” I muttered as we rolled along. While most of the terrain was tangled, dead woods, there were a few odd buildings mixed in with rusted, bold plaques like ‘Carrotech’ and ‘Radish Fabrication Research’ on them. ‘Technology parks’, I supposed they were, once. Really, what did you fabricate with radishes? I saw the large Stable-Tec R&D building and wondered if I might make a side trip to my side trip.
"你说得好像在做爱一样,"我们一边走一边喃喃自语。虽然大部分地形都是乱糟糟的，死气沉沉的树林，但还是有一些奇怪的建筑混杂着生锈的、醒目的牌匾，上面写着"Carrotech"和"装配研究"。科技园区，我猜，曾经是。说真的，你用萝卜做了什么？我看到了大型Stable-Tec研发中心，想知道我是否可以顺便去一趟。
“Bang bang,” Rampage said with a shrug. Boo blinked, cocking her head, and I reached up and scratched her ears. She gave a happy little murr as Rampage looked on. “I really don’t get her. She doesn’t talk, but she seems a lot smarter than just some critter.”
"砰，砰,"朗格耸耸肩说。布眨了眨眼，点了点头，我伸手抓了抓她的耳朵。当狂暴看着她的时候，她发出了一声快乐的低语。"我真搞不懂她。她不说话，但是她看起来比一些小动物聪明多了。"
“She’s different, is all,” I said, sighing as I peered out at the crawling landscape. “Ugh, I hate waiting.”
"她与众不同，就是这样,"我说，叹了口气，凝视着外面爬行的风景。"啊，我讨厌等待。"
“Yeah. Deus does kinda take most of the fun out of the Wasteland. All the random, deadly shit just doesn’t compare,” Rampage said as gestured to her left. “Feral ghoul?” She swept her power hoof to the right. “Tank.” Then she repeated, gesturing left then right with each group, “Pissed off Steel Ranger? Tank. Ornery radigator? Tank. Zebra army? Tank. I can see why Dawn was so confident. Tank beats everything.”
"是的。天王确实把大部分的乐趣带出了荒原。所有随机的、致命的东西根本无法与之相比。"。"凶猛的食尸鬼?"她把她的马蹄向右一扫。"坦克。"然后她又重复了一遍，一边向左一边向右摆手势,"气坏了的钢铁骑兵?"？坦克。放射工艺品？坦克。斑马军？坦克。我明白道恩为什么那么自信了。坦克战胜了一切。"
“Except a chance at being a better pony,” I said, and Rampage smiled and snorted scornfully.
"除非有机会成为一匹更好的小马,"我说，然后狂暴笑了笑，嗤之以鼻。
“If you can’t beat ‘em.” She looked down at the turret. “Hey, Deus! We need to paint you bright pink to lure in more things to kill. This auto travel is boring!” Deus revved his engine in a very negative tone. “Hey, it was a suggestion!”
"如果你不能打败他们。"她低头看着塔楼。"嘿，上帝！我们需要把你涂成亮粉色来吸引更多的猎物。这种汽车旅行太无聊了!"天王以一种非常消极的语气发动他的引擎。"嘿，这只是个建议!"
I gazed up at Lacunae flying silently overhead, and Rampage followed my gaze.
我凝视着头顶上静静飞过的空隙，狂暴跟随着我的目光。
“Is she alright?” Rampage asked softly.
"她没事吧?"狂暴轻声问道。
“Huh?” How could Rampage possibly know?
"啊?"狂暴怎么可能知道？
“Her purplecorniness. She’s acting a lot stranger than normal. She doesn’t talk. She doesn’t eat. She just stands there looking like she’s going to cry,” Rampage said with a small frown. “I mean, she’s always weird, but is she okay?”
"她的紫色。她表现得比平时奇怪多了。她不说话。她不吃东西。她只是站在那里，看起来好像要哭了。"。"我是说，她总是很奇怪，但她还好吗?"
I glanced up at Lacunae, but she gave no indication that she’d heard or acknowledged Rampage’s concern. I felt the giant metaphorical hoof hovering over my brain. “No. She’s really not.” Rampage arched a brow as I felt the Goddess start to press down. I closed my eyes, struggling to get even the simplest explanation out. “She’s dealing with some alicorn stuff.” And so was I. I struggled to move my jaw and spit out something… anything… that could be a hint for what the Goddess was doing to me!
我抬头看了一眼Lacunae，但她没有表示听到或感受到了狂暴的关注。我感觉到一个巨大的隐喻性的蹄子盘旋在我的脑海里。"没有。她真的不是。"当我感觉到女神开始向下压时，狂暴的女神皱起了眉头。我闭上眼睛，努力想得到哪怕是最简单的解释。"她在处理一些亚利康的事情。"我也是，我挣扎着移动我的下巴，吐出一些东西......任何东西......这可能是女神对我做了什么的暗示！
“Uh-huh… anything I can do to help?” Rampage asked casually. I could have hugged her! I wanted to! But the Goddess slowly crushed my will beneath her hoof. My mouth moved silently, my face screwing up as I struggled to spit out two words. But the pressure became a physical pain. “Blackjack?” Rampage asked, frowning in concern.
"嗯......有什么我能帮忙的吗?"狂暴随意地问道。我本可以拥抱她的！我想要的！但是女神的蹄子慢慢地踩碎了我的意志。我的嘴巴静静地动着，我努力吐出两个字的时候，我的脸扭曲起来。但是压力变成了生理上的痛苦。"黑杰克?"狂暴问道，皱着眉头表示担忧。
“N… no,” I stammered on, feeling a will besides my own carefully manipulating my mouth to go on, “She’s fine. I’m fine. Nothing wrong at all, Rampage. Brain damage!” My lips pulled back in a rictus grin as Rampage stared at me in concern and bafflement. “Just wanting some booze and to get laid! And to shoot some shit because that’s what I do!” I was grinning like an idiot, and Rampage just gaped at me. I felt the Goddess’s strings quiver in frustration. “How are you?” I added, and finally Rampage relaxed a little.
"n.."没有,"我结结巴巴地说，除了我自己小心翼翼地操纵嘴唇之外，我还感觉到有一种意志在支撑着我继续说下去,"她很好。我没事。没什么大不了的，狂暴。脑损伤!"当狂暴关切和困惑地盯着我的时候，我咧开嘴笑了。"只是想喝点酒，做做爱！我就是干这个的。"我像个傻瓜一样咧着嘴笑，狂暴的目光直瞪瞪地盯着我。我感到女神的琴弦在无奈中颤动。"你好吗?"我补充了一句，最后狂暴放松了一点。
“Just… trying not to think about it. Running around with you is a lot easier. Doing anything is easier,” she replied. “If you squish a bunch of souls together, does that make a pony? Do I have a soul of my own? Or am I just a freak?” She sighed and gave a little shrug. “Finding out more about Shujaa and the other memories you snagged helped, but I still don’t have those answers.”
"只是......尽量不去想它。和你一起跑步容易多了。做任何事情都比较容易,"她回答。"如果你把一群灵魂挤在一起，那会成为一匹小马吗？我有自己的灵魂吗？或者我只是个怪胎?"她叹了口气，耸了耸肩。"找到更多关于Shujaa的信息，以及你获得的其他记忆都有所帮助，但我仍然没有找到答案。"
I felt the strings quiver as the Goddess plumbed my mind for what I should say. I replied with the most colorful insults I could; oddly, she didn’t seem impressed. “You are what you say you are,” the Goddess answered for me. “Never think otherwise. It doesn’t matter if you have a soul of your own.”
当女神探测我的心思准备我该说什么的时候，我感到琴弦在颤抖。我用我能想到的最生动的侮辱回答了她;奇怪的是，她似乎并没有被打动。"你说你是什么就是什么,"女神替我回答。"千万别这么想。你有没有自己的灵魂并不重要。"
She cocked her head at me, and I felt the awkwardness rolling off the connection. I wondered how often the Goddess had truly interacted with a pony outside of Unity. Red Eye, at least, but what others? I had vague impressions of awed missionaries spreading the promise of Unity to an uncaring Wasteland, and seeing the subtle manipulation of their hopes to be transformed into alicorns themselves. Rampage looked doubtful.
她抬起头看着我，我感到这种尴尬从连接中消失了。我想知道女神多久才真正与团结之外的小马交流一次。至少是红眼病，但是其他的呢？我模糊地印象到敬畏的传教士将团结的承诺传播到一个冷漠的荒原，看到他们对希望的微妙操纵变成了他们自己的海角。狂暴看起来很可疑。
“R…r…” I stammered, trying to get a word to her. Rampage was immortal; the Goddess couldn’t kill her. And there was Deus too. I had to tell her. “G…She… Co… I…” I blathered like an idiot. My lips twisted as I struggled to spit out a few simple words. The pressure built till I was sure my brains were going to explode out my eye sockets. Then a memory orb floated out of my saddlebags. I looked up at the blank face of Lacunae above as the orb touched my horn. A flicker of magic, and the world swirled away.
"r..R.。」我结结巴巴地说，想跟她说句话。狂暴是不朽的，女神无法杀死她。还有天王。我不得不告诉她。"g..她...公司..。.我。。」我像个白痴一样喋喋不休。当我挣扎着吐出几个简单的字时，我的嘴唇扭曲了。压力越来越大，直到我确信我的脑袋要爆炸了。然后一个记忆球从我的鞍囊中浮出来。我抬头看着空隙的空白面孔，那球体碰到了我的号角。一个魔法的闪烁，世界旋转着消失。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Damn fucking Goddess! I wanted to shove a string of balefire eggs up her huge mutant ass and light them all up! Worse, even in the memory orb I could still feel her. It was like body heat radiating behind me, a telepathic breath in my ear. She’d given me a time out, and I could still feel all the little twinges and tweaks going on within me.
该死的女神！我真想把一串火鸡蛋塞进她那变种人的大屁股里，然后把它们都点燃！更糟糕的是，即使在记忆球里，我仍然能感觉到她。就像身体的热量在我身后辐射，耳朵里传来心灵感应的呼吸。她给了我一段时间的休息，我仍然能感觉到我体内的所有小小的刺痛和扭曲。
What was she doing while I was stuck in here?
我被困在这里的时候她在干什么？
First things first. Where was ‘here’? At first glance it appeared to be some sort of indoor junk heap. Mounds of multifarious parts were piled high up the walls of the room I found myself in, and a mountainous heap of haphazardly connected electrical components sat in the middle. A dozen massive screens mounted on the central technological mishmash glowed with static. I knew the body I was in quite well. The slow burn with every breath. The painful scars that tugged with each step. The ache deep in his bones that made every step a punishment. Goldenblood stood in some kind of strange laboratory with a dozen other ponies. He floated a clipboard before him, idly drawing houses in the margins of some banal-looking form.
要事第一。"这里"在哪里？乍一看，它似乎是某种室内垃圾堆。房间的墙上堆满了各种各样的零件，中间是一堆杂乱无章的电子元件。十几块巨大的屏幕安装在核心技术的混合物上，静电闪烁。我对自己的身体了如指掌。每一次呼吸都在慢慢燃烧。每走一步都带着痛苦的伤疤。他骨头深处的疼痛使他每走一步都受到惩罚。金血王和其他十几匹小马站在某种奇怪的实验室里。他拿着一个写字板在面前晃来晃去，随意地在某个看上去平庸无奇的东西的边上画着房子。
“You aren’t supposed to be doing that,” a dark pegasus muttered beside him. He glanced at her, then looked around at the assembled ponies. I noticed the unicorn zony Silver Stripe examining the hulking piece of machinery with rapt attention
"你不应该这样做,"一个黑暗的飞马在他身边喃喃自语。他瞥了她一眼，然后看了看周围聚集的小马。我注意到独角兽zony银条纹检查笨重的机器与全神贯注的注意
while Psalm stood quietly at the rear. The black unicorn wore the ominous riot armor, sans helmet, as she watched with hollow, haunted eyes.
诗篇静静地站在后面。黑独角兽戴着不祥的防暴盔甲，没有头盔，她用空洞的眼睛注视着。
He gave a small snort. “Oh please, Eclipse. The Princess isn’t going to need this report.”
他轻轻地哼了一声。"哦，拜托，日食。公主不需要这份报告。"
“You never know. She might,” the pegasus said with a mysterious little smirk.
"你永远不会知道。她可能会的。"飞马神秘地傻笑着说。
Then the mustard-yellow Horse trotted out in front of us with an easy grin. “Fillies and gentlecolts of the O.I.A., I just know how much you love these little demonstrations. So, with no further ado, may I present the Crusader, 1.2! A marked improvement over the original Stable-Tec design in terms of processing power and capabilities,” he said, turning towards Goldenblood and giving a small bow. “Thanks to your painstaking work of looting Equestria’s patent office, I’ve been able to extend to Equestria as a whole a maneframe superior to anything produced by Stable-Tec.”
接着，那匹芥末黄色的马悠闲地咧着嘴笑着，在我们面前小跑起来。"o.i.a.的姑娘们和绅士们，我知道你们有多喜欢这些小小的示威游行。所以，废话不多说，请允许我介绍十字军，1.2！就处理能力和性能而言，这是Stable-Tec最初设计的显著改进。"他转向Goldenblood，微微鞠了一躬。"多亏了你们辛勤地抢夺了Equestria的专利办公室，我才得以在整个Equestria市场推出一款比Stable-Tec生产的任何产品都要好的马鞭草。"
“One would think he’d be a little more humble about copying Apple Bloom’s work,” Eclipse murmured.
"有人可能会认为，他在复制苹果布鲁姆的作品时会更谦虚一些,"Eclipse喃喃地说。
“Horse is allergic to humility,” Goldenblood replied in his gurgling rasp. “I’ve seen the real thing. That device is twice the size and power draw of a real Crusader. I’ll be impressed if it has half the processing power of the original.”
"马对谦卑过敏,"金血王用咯咯作响的锉刀答道。"我看到了真实的东西。这个装置的体积和功率是真正的十字军战士的两倍。如果它的处理能力只有原版的一半，我会印象深刻的。"
“If only Stable-Tec was willing to sell them to us directly…” Eclipse muttered with a frown.
"要是Stable-Tec愿意直接卖给我们就好了......"Eclipse皱眉咕哝道。
“Stable-Tec opposes the war. We should be glad they’re only wasting their resources building bunkers. They could be a much larger problem if they decided to really assert themselves,” Goldenblood muttered. “We’ll have to make do with Horse’s contraption.”
"稳定技术党反对战争。我们应该感到高兴的是，他们只是在浪费资源建造掩体。如果他们决定真正坚持自己的主张，问题可能会大得多。"。"我们只能凑合着用小马的装置了。"
Horse grinned enthusiastically to the crowd as the robotic Sweetie Belle trotted out to join him. “Now I know what you’re thinking. Yes, that is a Sweetie Bot. But the other thing you’re thinking is ‘what is the big deal, Horse? What makes your Crusader better than the original?’” Horse chuckled and pulled out from the side of the central machine a strange mesh of gold wire studded with tiny talismans. “Well, I’ll show you. By now you’re all familiar with the mind transference system that Stable-Tec perfected. But really, what good does a permanent transfer do? With the new and improved Crusader 1.2, you can
当机器人甜心贝尔跑出来加入他的行列时，马对着人群咧嘴大笑。"现在我知道你在想什么了。是的，那是一个甜心机器人。但是你想的另一件事是'这有什么大不了的，小马？是什么让你的十字军比原版更好？"马咯咯地笑了起来，然后从中央机器的一侧拉出一个奇怪的金丝网，上面镶嵌着小小的护身符。"好吧，我带你去看看。现在你们都熟悉Stable-Tec完善的思想转移系统。但说真的，永久转会有什么好处呢？有了新的和改进的十字军1.2，你可以
upload as many minds as you need to. Swap between them. Scan for information you need and simply use a part of it.” He jammed the golden spider web onto his head, and the dozens of tiny talismans began to flicker and blink. On the massive terminal screens, symbols began to stream and dance, showing flashing lines of data scrolling by.
需要上传多少人的思想就上传多少。在他们之间交换。扫描你需要的信息，只需使用其中的一部分。"他把金色的蜘蛛网塞到自己的头上，几十个小小的护身符开始闪烁。在巨大的终端屏幕上，符号开始流和舞蹈，显示闪烁的行数据滚动通过。
Suddenly, a massive digital head of Horse appeared on the screen. “Voila!” The audience gave appreciate ‘ooohs’, and the digital head split in a massive grin. “Of course, that’s not all!” he crowed, and then he looked down at the Sweetie Bot. Her eyes flashed and scrolled green lines of data. Then the robot adopted a grin exactly the same as the one upon the screen.
突然，一个巨大的数字头马出现在屏幕上。"瞧!"观众们发出了"ooohs"的感谢声，数字脑袋裂成了一个大大的笑容。"当然，还不止这些!"他欢呼着，然后低头看着甜心机器人。她的眼睛闪烁着滚动的绿色数据线。然后机器人开始咧嘴笑，和屏幕上的一模一样。
“Once connected to the Crusader 1.2,” the robot said, a faint synthetic warble the only thing marring an uncannily accurate emulation of the real Sweetie Belle's voice, “you will be able to remotely access and control any properly modified robot connected to its system.” The robot then adopted a sympathetic look right along with the immense face on the screen. “We’re already adapting this for smaller, dedicated systems for poor colts and fillies crippled or suffering from illnesses too severe to be treated with our current technology.”
"一旦连接到十字军1.2,"机器人说,"你就可以远程访问和控制任何连接到它的系统的经过适当修改的机器人。"这是唯一一个模仿甜心贝尔声音的异常精确的东西然后机器人采取了同情的眼神权利与巨大的面孔在屏幕上。"我们已经将这种技术应用于小型专用系统，用于治疗因我们现有技术而无法治愈的贫穷小马和雌马的残疾或疾病。"
I really wished I could feel my blood run cold as I imagined the bloody word ‘PLAY’ painted on hospital walls.
我真的希望我能感觉到我的血在流冷，因为我想象着医院墙壁上涂着血腥的"玩"这个词。
Horse removed the delicate golden netting, and the attendees moved closer. “And with a push of a button!” He pushed a large red button on the side of the machine. For a moment, the Horse on the screen looked alarmed, but then it was replaced by a field of static as the pony Horse proclaimed, “The upload is purged and can be replaced by any other mind you may wish. Come on up and try it.”
马儿移开了精致的金色网，与会者靠得更近了。"只要按一下按钮!"他按了一下机器侧面的一个大的红色按钮。有那么一瞬间，屏幕上的马看起来有些警觉，但是后来它被一个静态场所取代，就像小马马宣称的那样,"上传被清除，可以被任何你希望的其他心灵所取代。"。上来试试吧。"
Silver Stripe was first to place the golden mesh on her head. Sweetie Bot trotted around and spoke to the other attendees in Zebra. The button was pushed, and the next tried it. And the next. And the next. With each push, the machine let out more ominous buzzes and crackles. Technicians emerged and began to check the machine’s panels and displays with nervous looks. As the demonstration went on, with each pony giving the computer and Sweetie Bot a trial trot, Horse kept giving glances over at the scarred stallion.
银条纹是第一个把金色网格在她的头上。甜心机器人跑来跑去，和斑马博物馆的其他参加者交谈。按下按钮后，第二个人试了一下。第二天也是。第二天也是。每推一下，机器就会发出更多不祥的嗡嗡声和噼啪声。技术人员出现了，开始检查机器的面板和显示器，神情紧张。随着演示的进行，每匹小马都试着让电脑和甜心机器人小跑，马儿不停地看着这匹伤痕累累的种马。
“What about you, Goldie? Care to try it out?” Horse taunted as he waved the net at Goldenblood.
"你呢，戈尔迪？想试试吗?"马儿向Goldenblood挥动渔网时，遭到嘲弄。
“No thank you,” Goldenblood rasped, his eyes cool and contemptuous. “Your machine looks a little unstable. I don’t recall Apple Bloom’s Crusader buzzing like that.”
"不用了，谢谢,"金血王怒气冲冲地说，眼神冷漠而轻蔑。"你的机器看起来有点不稳定。我不记得苹果布鲁姆(AppleBloom)的《十字军战士》(Crusader)里有这样的嗡嗡声。"
“It’s buzzing from sheer awesomeness,” Horse said, the veins in his temple throbbing as he grimaced in annoyance.
"这声音太棒了，嗡嗡作响,"马说，他的太阳穴上的静脉在抽搐，他苦笑着表示不满。
“Thank you. We shall consider it,” Goldenblood said dismissively as he turned his back on Horse. Suddenly there was a shout and a shove, and for a moment, something metal touched his mane. Then Psalm was there, darting in, and there came a muffled shout as Goldenblood was shoved to the floor.
"谢谢。"我们会考虑的,"金布拉德一边背对着马，一边轻蔑地说。突然，有人大叫，有人推了他一把，一会儿，有什么金属碰到了他的鬃毛。然后诗篇就在那里，突然冲了进来，听到一声闷响，金布拉德被推到了地板上。
“Are you okay?” Eclipse asked as she knelt beside him. He glanced up in time to see the glittering mesh descend down and land firmly atop her inky head.
"你还好吗?"当她跪在他身边时，日蚀问道。他抬起头来，看到闪闪发光的网状物缓缓下降，稳稳地落在她漆黑的头顶上。
Suddenly, the machine let out a massive mechanical shriek, and the screens went wild. One exploded in a shower of sparks as the reek of burning electronics filled the air. The gold glow of Goldenblood’s magic yanked the mesh from her brow. In an instant, Psalm was on Horse, kicking his legs out from under him and following it up by magically pressing a pistol to his temple as she pinned him. The Crusader finally let out an immense pop, and a cloud of rolling black smoke erupted from the top as the machine let out an anemic whine.
突然，机器发出一声巨大的机械尖叫，屏幕失控了。空气中弥漫着燃烧的电子设备散发出的恶臭，一枚炸弹在一阵火花中爆炸。金色血液魔法的金色光芒把她额头上的丝网扯了下来。突然，诗人骑上了马，把他的腿从脚下踢了出来，然后神奇地用手枪顶住他的太阳穴，把他按了下去。十字军终于发出一声巨响，机器发出贫血的哀鸣，顶部冒出滚滚黑烟。
“Hey! It was a joke!” Horse said as he squirmed beneath Psalm, his brown eyes staring at the gun she pressed against his temple. Everypony suddenly seemed intent on either looking elsewhere or walking away.
"嘿！这只是个玩笑!"马儿在诗篇下面蠕动着说，他棕色的眼睛盯着她按在他太阳穴上的枪。每一匹小马似乎突然决定要么看别的地方，要么走开。
Goldenblood ignored him as he helped Eclipse to her hooves. “Are you alright?”
金血王不理睬他，一边扶着月蚀走路。"你没事吧?"
“I’m fine. I’m just fine,” Eclipse said as she rubbed her temple. She turned her eyes down and stared at Horse with a calculating gaze that chilled me. Psalm looked to Eclipse, and the dusky lavender pegasus gave Goldenblood a long glance, then a small shake of her head. Goldenblood let out a long, low sigh, then locked eyes with Horse. I felt his brows furrow and his teeth grind.
"我很好。我很好,"月食一边搓着太阳穴一边说。她低下头，用一种精明的目光盯着马，这使我感到寒心。诗篇看着日蚀，暗淡的薰衣草色的天马长久地看了金王血一眼，然后轻轻地摇了摇头。金色的血液发出一声长长的低沉的叹息，然后与马锁住了眼睛。我感觉到他的眉毛在皱，牙齿在磨。
“Do not play jokes on government officials,” Goldenblood said firmly, gesturing with his hoof for Psalm to let him up. Horse slowly rose as Psalm backed off, the humiliated stallion glaring at Goldenblood with unabashed loathing. “Now. You seem to have a computer to fix. Do so, and maybe then we’ll talk,” he said as he turned on his hooves and walked out of the lab with Eclipse and Psalm. I heard
"不要拿政府官员开玩笑,"戈登布拉德坚定地说，用他的蹄子做了个手势，让诗篇让他起来。当诗篇退后时，马慢慢地站起来，这匹受了羞辱的种马毫不掩饰地厌恶地怒视着Goldenblood。"现在。你好像有台电脑要修。他一边说，一边打开马蹄，拿着《月蚀》和《诗篇》走出实验室。我听说了
Horse shout about fixing his Sweetie Bot first. Wonderful priorities there, given that it had only suffered a small scratch to its flank...
马儿喊着要先修好他的甜心机器人。考虑到它的侧翼只有轻微的擦伤，那里的优先权真是太棒了.....。
Once they were out in the hall, Goldenblood muttered, “He was probably hoping to have a peek in my mind.” He scowled as he walked, the other O.I.A. officials avoiding his gaze. He looked at Eclipse. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can have him removed in fifteen seconds and Robronco taken over in half an hour.”
当他们走进大厅的时候，金布拉德喃喃自语道:"他可能希望看一眼我的脑海。"他一边走，一边皱着眉头，另外几个o.i.a.官员避开了他的目光。他看着日蚀。"你确定你没事吗？我可以在十五秒内把他赶走，半个小时内让罗布朗科接手。"
Eclipse fluttered her wings and tossed her head. “I’m fine. Just a little disoriented. If he wasn’t already involved tangentially, I would. We’ll just use it as a reason for him to behave. I’m more interested in his discovery. See what we can commandeer and sneak out from him. I doubt his security is as tight as Apple Bloom’s.”
日蚀拍打着翅膀，摇了摇头。"我很好。只是有点分不清方向。如果他还没有被牵扯进来的话，我会的。我们只是用它作为他行为举止的理由。我对他的发现更感兴趣。看看我们能从他那里偷到什么。我怀疑他的安全措施是否像苹果布鲁姆那样严密。"
“Espionage on her own subjects. What would Her Majesty think?” Goldenblood said in an almost teasing voice.
"对自己臣民的间谍活动。女王陛下会怎么想?"金布拉德用一种近乎挑逗的声音说。
“Princess Luna knows nothing about it whatsoever. Princess Luna sits on her throne and makes impressive speeches while the ministries do all their acts behind her back. Poor Princess Luna,” Eclipse giggled as the world began to blur away.
"卢娜公主对此一无所知。卢娜公主坐在王座上，发表令人印象深刻的演讲，而各部门都在她背后做事。可怜的卢娜公主,"当世界开始变得模糊时，日蚀咯咯地笑了起来。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Normally when I come out of a memory orb, I’m in a heap somewhere reflecting on what I’d seen. This time, I came out and found myself standing beside Deus and looking down at a large factory-style building. ‘Roseluck Agrifarms’ was written across the third story in fancy red cursive script. The next second, his main guns roared, and I flopped back on my side; thank Luna for reinforced hearing or I’d be deaf right now. Below, a sentry bot exploded in a shower of steel. Two more followed it, mindlessly firing missiles and gatling guns at the war machine before the cannons fired twice more and eliminated them.
通常当我从一个记忆球出来时，我会在某个地方沉浸在对我所见所闻的回忆中。这一次，我走出来，发现自己站在天王旁边，俯视着一座大型工厂式建筑。'RoseluckAgrifarms'是用花哨的红色草书书写的。接下来的一秒钟，他的主炮轰鸣着，我倒在地上;感谢卢娜增强了我的听力，否则我现在就聋了。下面，一个哨兵机器人在一阵钢铁雨中爆炸。又有两门炮紧随其后，毫无目的地向战争机器发射导弹和加特林机枪，然后加农炮又发射了两次并消灭了它们。
Rampage trotted out from behind Deus with Boo crawling along after her, looking quite spooked by the noise. “Nice job, Blackjack. Go get some more.” Lacunae watched from a distance.
狂暴从天王身后小跑出来，布在她身后爬行，看起来被噪音吓坏了。"干得好，黑杰克。再去买点吧。"空隙在远处注视着。
“More... wha... huh?” I rubbed my ears; even though I wasn’t deaf, the noise had given me ringing feedback in one ear. “What’s going on?”
"更多......什......啊?"我揉了揉耳朵，虽然我没有聋，但是噪音在一只耳朵里给了我响亮的反馈。"怎么回事?"
Lacunae spoke quietly in my mind. “You’ve been controlled by the Goddess. She has had you running in, shooting the sentries, and rushing out again on auto pilot. Apparently, she finds it quite... entertaining as she waits for LittlePip to arrive.”
空隙悄悄地在我的脑海里说话。"你被女神控制了。她让你跑进去，射杀哨兵，然后自动驾驶再次冲出去。显然，当她等着小皮普到来的时候，她觉得很有趣。"
Great. I was a toy. Worse, I felt chains in my mind. While I’d been out, the Goddess had been busy. She had enough control over me to use me when I was unconscious. How long till she could control me like any other alicorn? What would she do once she could?
太好了。我只是个玩具。更糟糕的是，我在脑海中感觉到了枷锁。我出去的时候，女神正忙着。当我失去意识的时候，她有足够的控制力来利用我。她要多久才能像控制其他阿里康那样控制我？一旦她能做什么，她会做什么？
I heard a snide little chuckle in my mind as I pondered that.
当我思考这个问题的时候，我听到我脑子里有一个小小的嘲笑声。
“Right... so... where are we going?” I asked, shaking my head. “That last shot rattled me a bit.”
"好吧......那么......我们要去哪儿?"我摇着头问道。"最后一击让我有点不安。"
“You’re the one going in, remember? On account of all the Enervation? Find out what’s causing it and see if the Collegiate can use it?” Rampage frowned at me. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been acting strange all day. I swear, refer to yourself as ‘The Blackjack’... Is this a getting shot in the head thing? I never said ‘The Rampage’ when I was shot in the head.” I tried to will her to put it together, but then she chuckled and said, “Heh... The Rampage likes...” Damn it... I should have brought P-21...
"是你要进去的，记得吗？因为所有的衰弱？找出原因，看看大学是否可以使用它?"狂暴对我皱起了眉头。"你确定你没事吗？你今天一整天都很奇怪。我发誓，你可以把自己叫做"黑杰克"......这是不是脑袋中枪了？当我头部中弹时，我从未说过'暴怒'。"我试图用意志力把它们组合在一起，但是她笑着说,"嘿......狂暴喜欢......"该死......我应该把P-21带来.....。
“No. No. I got it,” I said as I stood and dusted myself off with a hoof. “I’m going.” I trotted down towards the building, looking for red bars. From the dozen or so smoking sentries arranged in front of the building, I’d been busy. The Enervation scream began to cry out in my mind as I approached the blown-in loading dock door. “Are you coming?” I asked, as I glanced back at Rampage.
"没有。没有。我明白了,"我边说边站起来，用蹄子掸去身上的灰尘。"我要走了。"我小跑着朝大楼走去，寻找红色的栅栏。大楼前排着十几个冒烟的哨兵，我忙得不可开交。当我走近爆裂的装货码头门时，我脑海中开始出现"受宠若惊"的尖叫。"你来吗?"我问道，同时回头看了一眼暴怒。
“Uh... remember?” Rampage said as she trotted towards me with a look of irritation. As she walked, her flesh began to sag. Bloody rivulets began to trickle between the gaps in her armor. I stared in horror as one eye popped in a slurry of pink foam, only to regenerate a second later. “I mean, I can go down there if you want, but it’s really gross.”
"呃......记得吗?""狂暴"带着愤怒的表情朝我小跑过来。走路时，她的肌肉开始下垂。血淋淋的小溪开始从她盔甲的缝隙中涓涓流出。我惊恐地看着一只眼睛在一团粉红色的泡沫中突然睁开，一秒钟后又再次睁开。"我的意思是，如果你愿意，我可以去那里，但那里真的很恶心。"
“No! No. Stay here and keep Deus company. I’ll bring more sentries if I find them,” I said, turning away. I couldn’t feel sick, but oh how I wanted to throw up. I walked alone into the factory, hearing the distant Enervation scream struggling against a cool, soft note that radiated from inside me. It sounded so... familiar. Ugh. Stupid Goddess brain damage was making it hard to think.
"不！没有。留在这里陪着天王。"如果我找到他们，我会带更多的哨兵来,"我转身说道。我不会觉得不舒服，但是我多么想吐啊。我独自走进工厂，听到远处的凝视尖叫声与从我体内发出的清凉柔和的音符相对抗。听起来很...熟悉。呃。愚蠢的女神大脑损伤让人难以思考。
The interior of the factory was largely a warehouse stacked high with heaps of wooden crates. Corrosion streaked the metal walls and girders, and water sloshed coldly around my hooves. Some of the crates were open, holding rusty equipment which I guessed was for farming. Others were full of plastic barrels filled with pulpy mush with ‘seed stock: corn 21A’ printed on the side. I saw labels for sacks of fertilizer that had split open, the contents forming white crystalline structures creeping in cascades of niter down the side of the sacks. There were still a dozen red bars on my E.F.S., and so I maintained constant vigilance.
工厂的内部大部分是一个高高堆放着成堆的木箱的仓库。金属墙壁和大梁被腐蚀得斑斑点点，水冷冷地流过我的蹄子。有些板条箱是开着的，里面装着生锈的设备，我猜是用来种田的。其他的装满了塑料桶，里面装满了果肉状的糊状物，桶的一侧印有"种子股票:玉米21A"。我看到一袋袋的肥料标签裂开了，里面的肥料沿着肥料袋的一边，形成了白色的晶体结构，沿着硝化物的瀑布爬行。我的e.f.s上还有十几个红条，所以我时刻保持警惕。
“Lacunae? Can you hear me?” I thought at her, but it didn’t pierce the Enervation scream. How had the Goddess used me? Had she programmed me like a robot? Could I be programed like a robot? I had a horrifying image of myself like Sweetie Bot, the Goddess copying herself into my brain. The thought made me shiver. And worse, I couldn’t think of any way to tell somepony!
"缺口？你能听见我吗?"我想了想她，但这并没有刺穿她的无力的尖叫。女神是怎样利用我的？她把我当机器人一样编程了吗？我能像机器人一样被编程吗？我对自己有一个可怕的印象，就像甜心机器人，女神把她自己复制到我的大脑里。这个想法使我发抖。更糟糕的是，我想不出任何方法来告诉某人！
As I moved deeper into the factory, leaving the warehouse area and moving into some offices, the floor creaked and the saturated carpet gushed with every step I took. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, exactly. Something that would definitively let me tell Triage that I’d checked out the building. There were labs filled with pulpy seed that had soaked but couldn’t rot. Water dripped from sprinkler pipes over planter trays that had long ago corroded away. Debris shifted underhoof with every step, grinding softly.
当我离开仓库进入一些办公室时，地板吱吱作响，我每走一步，饱和的地毯就喷涌而出。我不确定我到底在找什么。一些能让我明确告诉伤检分类组我已经检查过这栋楼的信息。实验室里堆满了浸过水但不会腐烂的果肉状的种子。水从喷水器的管道滴到早已腐蚀的花盆上。碎片随着每一步移动着脚下，轻轻地磨着。
I ran into two still-functioning turrets. The machines strafed me with machinegun fire, but with S.A.T.S. and the markspony carbine I managed to shred them without taking too much damage. Still, even with my resistance to Enervation, I noticed that I was barely healing from the shots. Even I had my limits.
我遇到了两个仍然在运转的炮塔。机器人用机枪扫射我，但是我用s.a.t.s和马克斯宾卡宾枪把它们打碎了，没有受到太多伤害。尽管如此，尽管我抵抗着衰弱，我还是注意到自己几乎没有痊愈。甚至我也有自己的极限。
Wow. When was the last time I’d actually needed bandages? As I dug through my saddlebags for something I could use, I spotted a rusty safe set into the wall of an office. Heh... speaking of ‘last times’... I had some bandages wedged way down deep next to some old, crumbly Stable 99 grass chips. Once I’d staunched my wound, I dug out my bobby pins. Then I took a long look at the rusty lock, pursed my lips, and simply hit the door as hard as I could with my hoof. It let out a brittle snap and swung open. P-21 would not have approved.
哇。我上次真正需要绷带是什么时候？当我从鞍囊里翻出一些可以用的东西时，我发现办公室的墙上有一个锈迹斑斑的保险箱。说到"最后一次"，我把绷带深深插在一些破旧易碎的99号草皮上。止住伤口后，我把发夹拿了出来。然后我看了看锈迹斑斑的门锁，噘起嘴唇，用我的蹄子尽可能用力地敲门。它发出一声脆响，打开了。P-21本来不会批准。
Inside were some gold bits in a box marked ‘petty cash’ and a few healing potion
里面有一个标有"零用现金"的盒子里的一些金片和一些治疗药水
bottles filled with black tar. I also saw some file folders. Most of them were spoiled by water, but I saw a note that had survived. ‘Geez, Rose. Where is Hippocratic getting these sales figures for our pest solutions?’
装满黑焦油的瓶子。我还看到了一些文件夹。大多数都被水冲坏了，但我看到一张纸条留了下来。"天哪，罗斯。希波克拉底是从哪里得到这些销售数字，为我们的害虫解决方案
A mouthwritten reply read, ‘You know Flim and Flam. They can sell fire to a phoenix. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re marketing to the enemy to make these figures.’ Right, because during a war, selling anything to the enemy was a good idea.
一个用嘴写的回复是:你知道Flim和Flam。他们可以把火卖给凤凰。如果他们向敌人推销这些数字，我也不会感到惊讶对，因为在战争期间，向敌人出售任何东西都是个好主意。
Nothing else of use in the office. Then I spotted a door with faded paint barely legible through the rust. ‘Pest solutions’. Below it was another sign. ‘Designated emergency shelter’.
办公室里没有别的用处。然后我发现了一扇锈迹斑斑、油漆已经褪色的门。害虫防治方案。下面是另一个标志。指定临时房屋。
Slowly, I shoved the door open, the rust screeching and setting my teeth on edge. These walls were solid concrete. Even with the metal decay, this chamber still seemed quite sturdy. There weren’t even leaking pipes. It was dark in here; everything was in shades of gray in my augmented vision. The floor was ankle deep in viscous fluid as I walked along tables stacked with long-still fabrication machinery. I could taste metal in the air. Coppery.
慢慢地，我推开门，铁锈发出刺耳的声音，使我的牙齿紧张起来。这些墙壁是坚固的混凝土。尽管金属已经腐烂，这个房间看起来还是很坚固。那里甚至没有漏水的管道。这里一片漆黑，在我扩大的视野里，一切都是灰色的。我沿着桌子走着，桌子上堆满了长时间制作的机器，地板深深浸在粘稠的液体中。我能在空气中闻到金属的味道。铜的。
Across the room, a lone terminal beckoned with its flickering screen. I slowly picked my way to it, feeling the thick water concealing uncertain impediments that shifted underhoof when trod upon. At the green glow of the terminal, I saw that the screen said ‘Roseluck Agrifarms: Emergency Protocols’.
穿过房间，一个孤独的终端用它闪烁的屏幕向我招手。我慢慢地朝它走去，感觉到厚厚的水面隐藏着不确定的障碍物，当它们被踩踏时，它们的脚底就会发生变化。在终端的绿色光芒下，我看到屏幕上写着'罗塞卢克农场:紧急协议'。
Step one: Evacuate all personnel to designated emergency shelters.
第一步:疏散所有人员到指定的紧急避难所。
Step two A: Wait for the all clear to be given by emergency personnel and management.
步骤二a:等待紧急救援人员和管理人员给出解除警报的通知。
Step two B: If evacuation warning is sounded, proceed to the north parking lot.
步骤二乙:如果发出疏散警告，请前往北面的停车场。
Remain calm. Walk. Do not run.
保持冷静。步行。不要跑。
Step three: When the all clear is sounded, contact your division manager for damage and risk assessment. Do not simply leave the premises.
第三步:当警报解除后，联系部门经理进行损坏和风险评估。不要简单地离开处所。
I carefully began to explore the information on the terminal. There were a lot of banal, uninteresting reports about meeting quarterly goals. Then I spotted three letters that perked my interest: O.I.A.
我小心翼翼地开始查看终端上的信息。有很多关于实现季度目标的陈腐乏味的报告。然后我发现了三封让我感兴趣的信件:o.i.a。
>Are you sure the O.I.A. is involved? We don’t have anything to do with the other ministries.
你确定o.i.a.也参与了吗？我们和其他部门没有任何关系。
>I’m sure, Lily. That freaky metal in pest solutions? They provided it.
我确定，莉莉。那种害虫解决方案里的奇怪金属？是他们提供的。
>I thought it came from Hippocratic. Flim and Flam wanted to see what we could do with it.
我以为是希波克拉底说的。弗兰姆和弗兰姆想看看我们能用它做什么。
>Oh, like that’s suppose to make me feel better, Lily!
哦，好像这能让我感觉好点似的，莉莉！
After that, I started to look for anything to do with pest solutions, O.I.A., or Hippocratic. It took me a while before I found something that jumped out at me.
在那之后，我开始寻找任何与害虫解决方案有关的东西，o.i.a，或者希波克拉底。过了一段时间，我才发现有什么东西跳了出来。
I got another nastygram from our legal department. >Something serious?
我又从我们的法律部门拿到了一张丑照严重吗？
>Treason count? >What?! What’s going on?
叛国罪什么?！怎么回事？
>Intel found the zebras using an ‘arcane device’ identical to our pest solutions.
英特尔发现斑马使用了与我们的害虫解决方案相同的"奥术设备"。
Ring and all.
戒指什么的。
>WHAT?! How! They can’t produce those without unicorns, and, even if they had unicorns, we’re the only ones with the designs.
什么?！怎么会！没有独角兽，他们就不能生产这些，而且，即使他们有独角兽，我们也是唯一有设计的人。
>Hence the nastygram.
因此有了这个污点图。
I peered around the cavernous, reinforced space. The Enervation was setting my teeth on edge. Starmetal was being used here to create... pest control stuff? I examined a cardboard box beside the terminal. ‘Roseluck Pest Solutions. No chemicals. No talismans. 100% safe sonic technology.’ On the back were diagrams of a pony installing a box next to a garden, then wavy rings spreading out from the box and driving away rabbits, birds, and little round bug things with wings that looked a bit like colorful spritebots. ‘Ministry of Peace Approved’ was written, along with a picture of Fluttershy hugging the box. I opened it up and stared at the metal case. I could feel it humming in my hooves. After biting off and eating the lock, I popped the casing open and checked out the hoof-sized metal ring. A shimmer of green light flickered along its edge.
我环顾着洞穴般坚固的空间。这种疲惫让我的牙齿紧张不安。星际金属公司被用来制造...害虫防治工具？我检查了候机楼旁边的一个纸板箱。RoseluckPestSolutions.没有化学物质。没有护身符。100%安全的声波技术背面是一只小马在花园旁边安装一个箱子的图表，然后波浪形的圆环从箱子里伸出来，赶走了兔子、鸟和小圆虫，它们的翅膀看起来有点像五颜六色的弹射机器人。上面写着"和平部批准"，旁边还有一张小蝴蝶抱着盒子的照片。我打开它，盯着那个金属盒子。我能感觉到它在我的蹄子里嗡嗡作响。在咬掉锁并吃掉它之后，我打开了外壳，检查了一下蹄子大小的金属环。一道绿光沿着它的边缘闪烁着。
I found another short exchange in the terminal records.
我在终端记录中发现了另一个简短的对话。
>Roseluck, are you sure about keeping Pest Solutions open? That’s the 8th incident this quarter!
Roseluck，你确定要让PestSolutions继续营业吗？这已经是这个季度的第8次事故了！
>It’s just Wartime Stress Disorder that made Brownbuck snap. We’re all feeling it. The MoP will set him right.
战时应激障碍让布朗巴克崩溃了。我们都有这种感觉。拖把会纠正他的错误。
>But there’s something wrong in that whole division, Roseluck. The metal used in those rings must be toxic. A three hundred percent increase in health problems isn’t normal!
但是整个部门都有问题，罗塞卢克。那些环中使用的金属一定是有毒的。健康问题增加百分之三百是不正常的！
>All our tests show that it’s safe and neutral. The MoP confirmed it. Besides, we got the metal from Hippocratic. If there was really anything wrong with it, don’t you think that they would have noticed?
我们所有的测试都表明它是安全和中性的。拖把确认了这一点。另外，我们从希波克拉底那里得到了金属。如果真的有什么问题，你不认为他们会注意到吗？
>Rose! What about the ponies getting sick? We have to tell somepony.
罗丝！小马生病了怎么办？我们必须告诉一些人。
>Fine. Notify Garnet. She can tell the MoP there might be something off about this stuff. Meanwhile, keep production going till we have to shut it down. Hire a second shift and rotate them out more frequently. Maybe that’ll help with the health problems.
好吧。通知Garnet。她可以告诉拖把，这东西可能有问题。与此同时，继续生产，直到我们不得不关闭它。雇佣第二个轮班，并且更频繁地轮换他们。也许这会有助于解决健康问题。
>But the investigations...
但是调查..。
>It’s not our fault if some damned sympathizers are buying our pest solutions in bulk and sending the rings to the stripes. That’s the MoM’s job. Or the military’s if they just want to bomb their fields.
这不是我们的错，如果一些该死的同情者大批购买我们的害虫解决方案，并把戒指送上条纹。那是妈妈的工作。或者军队，如果他们只是想轰炸他们的土地。
Profits over ponies. There were more files, but a lot of them were corrupted. I found an audio log that crackled to life, though, speaking out into the still, metallic gloom around me.
利润高于小马。还有更多的文件，但是大部分都损坏了。不过，我找到了一段音频日志，它在我周围静止的、金属般的阴暗中响起，噼里啪啦地响起来。
“Lily? It’s Apple Tart over at Horizon Labs. I want you to know we put this metal through every test we could and found no contamination or hazard. It’s completely neutral. We’re seeing a lot of it lately, though. Twilight just sent us a bullet made of the damned stuff! We’re going to try cutting it open next week. I can tell you this... I don’t like it either. Something about it just feels bad. I did a little ‘non-scientific’ research. Took me forever to contact a researcher in ‘esoteric energy’, and she hypothesized that this metal somehow draws and
"莉莉？地平线实验室的苹果馅饼。我想让你知道，我们对这种金属进行了所有可能的测试，没有发现任何污染或危险。它是完全中性的。不过，我们最近经常看到这种情况。暮光刚刚给我们送来了一颗该死的子弹！我们打算下周试着把它切开。我可以告诉你...我也不喜欢。有些事情让我感觉很糟糕。我做了一些"非科学"的研究。我花了很长时间才联系到一位研究"深奥能量"的研究人员，她假设这种金属以某种方式吸引了
manipulates souls. She said that if ponies died around the stuff, it would pull their soul right out and send it... somewhere. Worse, the more souls that pass through it, the stronger the pull would become. Lily, just how much of this stuff have you used?”
操纵灵魂。她说如果小马死在这些东西周围，它们的灵魂就会被拉出来，送到某个地方。更糟糕的是，通过它的灵魂越多，吸引力就会变得越强。莉莉，你到底用了多少这种东西?"
I looked at row after row of work tables. These starmetal rings had gone all over Equestria... no... all over the world. Each one a tiny, self-contained, indestructible siphon pulling souls through them to their ultimate destination. I knew this... some fundamental part of myself just knew it was so. How many raiders had killed with one of these quietly soaking up the soul of their victims? And if they grew more powerful with every death, it explained why Enervation was so damned strong in the Hoof! This place was one giant basket of death and destruction. It was so strong that, here, the soul-stealing field was actually palpable. But they were everywhere. Tenpony! The zebra lands! I wondered if they could be found in Enclave Raptors. The only place they hadn’t been used was apparently Stable-Tec, which explained why we’d never experienced Enervation in 99.
我看着一排又一排的工作台。这些星际金属环已经遍布Equestria...不...遍布全世界。每个人都像一根微小的、自给自足的、坚不可摧的虹吸管，把灵魂从他们身体中吸出，送到他们的最终目的地。我知道这一点......我自己的某些基本部分就是知道这一点。有多少袭击者用这种东西杀死了他们的受害者？如果它们随着每一次死亡而变得更加强大，这就解释了为什么在霍夫的衰弱是如此该死的强大！这个地方是一个充满死亡和破坏的巨大篮子。它是如此强大，以至于在这里，灵魂窃取的领域实际上是显而易见的。但是他们无处不在。天波尼！斑马落地了！我想知道他们是否能在飞地猛禽号上找到。唯一没有使用它们的地方显然是Stable-Tec，这就解释了为什么我们在99年没有经历过Enervation。
Then the rusty door behind me let out a shriek as it banged closed! I whirled, markspony carbine raised as the monitor cast out its feeble glow in a dim green cone across the murky fluid under my hooves. My augmented vision helped, but there were dark corners that even that couldn’t penetrate. “Who’s there?” I shouted. Nine or ten red bars filled my vision, and not all of them were still.
我身后那扇生锈的门砰地一声关上了，发出一声尖叫！我旋转着，马克斯伯尼卡宾枪升了起来，显示器在我蹄子下面浑浊的液体中发出微弱的绿色圆锥光芒。我的增强视力有所帮助，但有些黑暗的角落甚至无法穿透。"谁在那儿?"我喊道。九条或十条红条充满了我的视线，并不是所有的红条都是静止的。
A low laugh filled the air, setting my mane on edge as I began to move sideways along the rows of worktables. Robots didn’t laugh like that... Something moved overhead, the laugh echoing again in the cavernous space. I fired up in its direction, the bright muzzle flashes blooming in the darkness, but my bullets found nothing but concrete.
一阵低沉的笑声弥漫在空气中，当我开始沿着一排排的工作台移动时，我的鬃毛都竖起来了。机器人不会那样笑......头顶上有东西在移动，笑声再次回荡在空洞的空间里。我朝它的方向开了枪，枪口上的火光在黑暗中闪耀，但我的子弹除了混凝土什么也没有发现。
“You’re wasting time,” a mare whispered, her voice quiet but permeating the copper-reeking room. “No... you’re wasting lives...” she hissed maliciously. “Murderer...”
"你在浪费时间,"一匹母马低声说，她的声音很轻，但弥漫在铜臭的房间里。"不......你在浪费生命......"她恶毒地嘶嘶地说。"凶手......"
My blood ran cold as I looked around the gloom. “Dawn...?”
当我环顾黑暗的四周时，我感到浑身冰凉。"道恩...?"
“It took me so long watching and waiting. When you came here... I knew you would be alone,” Dawn hissed softly.
"我花了很长时间观察和等待。当你来到这里的时候......我就知道你会是一个人,"道恩轻轻地嘶嘶地说。
Don’t stop moving. The fluid sloshed around my knees as I kept in frantic
不要停下来。液体在我的膝盖上滚来滚去，我一直抓狂着
motion, looking in all directions I could as I made a slow circuit around the room towards the door. Then I found it: the rusted door bucked shut. I shoved hard against it, but it didn’t budge. The thick metal hinges and frame were bent. “I had to wait. Had to have my doubt removed. You made me doubt her, Blackjack. You really did. Your selfish words. Selfish,” the darkness whispered. I pointed the gun upwards just in time to see something streak away through the shadows. “She fixed me. Made me stronger. Removed my doubt. My weakness.”
我慢慢地绕着房间转了一圈，朝着门口走去。然后我发现了它:生锈的门猛地关上了。我用力推它，但它纹丝不动。这些厚的金属铰链和门框都弯曲了。"我必须等待。必须消除我的疑虑。你让我开始怀疑她了Blackjack。你真的做到了。你自私的话。自私,"黑暗低声说。我把枪指向上方，刚好看到阴影中有什么东西飞快地消失了。"她治好了我。让我更坚强。消除了我的疑虑。我的弱点。"
That certainly raised her a few points on the crazyometer. “I don’t want to kill you, Dawn. I want to help,” I said as I made my way further along with slow, deliberate steps.
这无疑使她在疯狂程度上提高了几个点。"我不想杀你，道恩。我想帮忙,"我一边说，一边慢慢地、从容地向前走着。
“You want to help?” Dawn asked in a barely audible murmur. Like a mechanical angel of death, she swept down from the rafters, swooped in low over the viscous slime, and slammed me against the concrete wall. Griffin-like talons popped wide and seized my reflexively-raised forelegs. Baleful green eyes stared into my red ones as her razor-sharp wings spread wide above me. She screamed in a mad cry that matched the machine scream I’d heard in the depths twice before, “GIVE IT TO ME!” The green glow of the Core illuminated her maw.
"你想帮忙吗?"道恩用几乎听不见的低语问道。她像一个死亡的机械天使一样，从椽子上飞下来，俯冲在粘稠的粘液上，把我猛地撞在水泥墙上。狮鹫一样的爪子突然张开，抓住了我条件反射般抬起的前腿。当她锋利的翅膀在我头顶上展开时，邪恶的绿眼睛盯着我的红眼睛。她疯狂地尖叫起来，跟我以前在深海里听到过两次的机器尖叫声一样,"把它给我!"核心的绿光照亮了她的胃。
Fortunately, I was a unicorn. S.A.T.S., four magic bullets to the head. Four point blank blasts rammed into her and ripped her synthetic, dark gray hexagon-patterned hide to expose the wire-like muscles beneath it. I’d hoped that, if I had to kill her, it would be quick and clean. Weird fluid, hydraulic or coolant, sprayed my face as she reared back. The left side of her face was a tattered and torn nightmare. Her metal talons ripped lines in my armored forelegs as her wings slashed wildly, gouging a two inch deep slash in the concrete right beside my head.
幸运的是，我是一只独角兽。S.a.t.s，四颗魔法子弹打中头部。四道近距离射击冲进她的身体，撕裂了她合成的、深灰色六边形图案的皮肤，露出了皮肤下面像铁丝一样的肌肉。我希望，如果我不得不杀了她，我会干净利落地杀了她。奇怪的液体，液压或者冷却剂，在她后仰的时候喷射到我的脸上。她的左脸是一个破烂不堪的噩梦。她的金属爪子划破了我盔甲般的前腿，她的翅膀被疯狂地划破，在我头旁边的混凝土上划出了一道两英寸深的口子。
She landed, covering her ripped face with a hoof; no matter how much of her body was machine, she’d been a mare once. I knew what it was like to have half your face torn off. Still, no time to let up. I raised the carbine and fired as fast as my horn could pull the trigger, at the same time dropping back to all four hooves. Her bladed wings snapped up, the bullets sparking as they deflected off the metallic vanes.
她落地了，用蹄子遮住了撕裂的脸;不管她的身体有多像机器，她曾经是匹母马。我知道被撕掉一半脸是什么感觉。不过，还是没有时间放松。我举起卡宾枪，以我的号角最快的速度扣动扳机，同时回落到四只蹄子。她锋利的翅膀啪的一声折断了，子弹从金属叶片上弹开时发出火花。
When she started to move, I threw myself aside, rolling in the muck as she flashed through the air and slashed where I’d been standing an instant before. The razor edges of her wings caught the carbine trailing behind me, tearing it out
当她开始移动时，我把自己扔到一边，在淤泥中打滚，她在空中一闪而过，在我刚才站的地方划了一道口子。她翅膀的刀片抓住了我身后的卡宾枪，把它扯了下来
of my grip and slicing through the barrel, then tore through the concrete wall and flung out chunks of debris. I slammed a magazine of shock rounds into Vigilance as I rolled up to my hooves, the dark fluid covering the floor dripping off me as I crouched and fired. Letting out an inequine cry, she launched herself back into the air, avoiding my next shots as I tried to follow her.
然后切开木桶，撕开水泥墙，扔出碎片。当我卷到我的蹄子的时候，我猛地向警惕扔了一个弹匣，当我蹲下开枪时，覆盖在地板上的黑色液体从我身上滴了下来。发出一声不一样的哭声，她重新站了起来，避开了我接下来的镜头，因为我试图跟着她。
Damn it, I needed light. The wan glow of the terminal and her eyes simply wasn’t bright enough!
该死，我需要光。终端机那苍白的灯光和她的眼睛根本就不够亮！
I could hear the whoosh of her wings as she powered through out of sight above me, and I kept moving, following the edge of the room. I tried to pick her red bar out from the others; it certainly had to be the one moving the most. Still, it was difficult to-- I felt a little pink pony and tiny blue Glory thump my brain and sent me diving forward as Dawn divebombed where I’d been standing just moment before. Green energy crackled as the muck fountained around her. I twisted, flailing as I brought up Vigilance and used S.A.T.S. to plant a single electrical shot in her tattered face. The blessedly blue blast made her eyes flare.
我可以听到她翅膀的嗖嗖声，她飞过我的视线，我继续移动，沿着房间的边缘。我试着把她的红棒从其他的棒子中挑出来，它肯定是动作最多的那根。尽管如此，这还是很难----我感觉到一只粉红色的小马驹和蓝色的小晨辉在我的脑海里砰砰跳动，让我一头扎进了刚才我站过的地方。她周围的淤泥倾泻而出，绿色的能量噼啪作响。我扭动着，挥舞着手臂，提起了警惕，用s.a.t.s在她破烂的脸上植入了一个电子弹。幸福的蓝色爆炸使她的眼睛发亮。
“Stop!” Dawn shrieked as she gave a little hop, and I half scrambled, half backstroked away from her as her wings tore into were I’d come to rest. “Shooting!” she snapped as I continued flailing in the general direction of away as she pounced again. “My!” I turned, kicked off of the wall, and slid across the floor as she leapt once more. “Face!”
"住手!"黎明尖叫着，她给了一个小小的单脚跳，我半爬，半背抚离她，她的翅膀撕裂进入我来休息。"射击!"她厉声说道，我继续朝着大致的方向挥舞着，她再次扑向我。"天哪!"我转过身，踢开墙壁，滑过地板，她又跳了一次。"脸!"
I came to a rest under one of the metal tables, rolled onto my side, and shot her once again with another glowing blue bullet, the shining blue mixing spectacularly with arcing green. A clean hit to her chest this time, but she didn't seem to care at all; she jumped up onto one of the tables. Don’t stop moving was all I could think as I used the legs of the tables to pull myself out of the way as her wings swept out and ripped right through the steel. Floating out Duty and Sacrifice, I blasted up wildly. I wasn’t sure if the heavy rounds would penetrate the tabletop -- heck, I wasn’t even sure where I was aiming -- but it’d be better than nothing.
我在一张金属桌子下面休息了一会儿，翻过身来，用另一颗闪闪发光的蓝色子弹再次击中了她，那颗闪闪发光的蓝色子弹与绿色的弧光交织在一起，令人叹为观止。这一次，她的胸部中了一枪，但她似乎一点也不在乎;她跳上了其中一张桌子。当我用桌子的腿把自己拉开的时候，我能想到的就是不要停止移动，她的翅膀掠过，正好穿过钢铁。责任和牺牲浮出水面，我狂轰滥炸。我不确定沉重的子弹是否会穿透桌面----见鬼，我甚至不确定我瞄准的是哪里----但总比什么都没有好。
I suddenly ran out of table, kicking off of the last legs to slide out and using my fully recharged S.A.T.S. to ram a barrage of eight rounds into her armored torso. The heavy dueling pistols punched deep into her mechanical chest, and more of that dark fluid leaked from her body as she fell back. “Mistress!” she cried out as I came to rest, reclining in the coppery ooze.
我突然跑出了桌子，踢掉最后几条腿滑出去，用我充满能量的s.a.t.s向她身上的装甲躯干猛击了八发子弹。沉重的决斗手枪深深地打进了她的机械胸膛，当她倒下时，更多的黑色液体从她的身体里漏出来。"女主人!"我躺在铜质软泥里休息时，她大声喊道。
Suddenly there was an electric crackle and buzz as, one by one, the rows of lights came to life. Dawn flew back, landing on the far side as power was restored to the room.
突然，一阵电子的爆裂声和嗡嗡声，一排排的灯光一个接一个地亮了起来。电力恢复后，黎明飞回来，降落在房间的另一边。
And to the silver rings.
还有银戒指。
They were everywhere. They dangled from partly constructed cases. They were hanging on dozens of racks overhead, wired up for testing. And as the equipment glowed to life, the Enervation scream suddenly became much clearer and distinct. That counterpoint inside me wasn’t enough to keep it at bay. As I lay there, I felt something inside me spasm. A burst of sour blood poured out of my mouth as I felt the scream grow.
他们无处不在。它们悬挂在半成品的盒子上。它们挂在头顶上的几十个架子上，用电线连接起来进行测试。随着设备发出生命的光芒，能量的呐喊突然变得更加清晰和清晰。我内心的那个对应点不足以阻止它。当我躺在那里的时候，我感觉到我体内的某种东西在痉挛。当我感到尖叫声越来越大时，一股酸涩的血液从我的嘴里涌了出来。
“Weakness of flesh...” Dawn replied as I rose to my hooves... and realized I stood in a field of gore. Red fluid, not water but the liquefied remains of the ponies who had sheltered here, coated me. They’d come into this solid, reinforced room expecting shelter from bombs and bullets. With the death of the bombs falling, the rings’ Enervation fields had spiked and transformed them into this oasis of gore. They’d never rot. They could only liquefy.
"肉体的弱点......"当我站起来走向我的蹄子时，道恩回答道......然后意识到我站在一片血泊之中。我身上覆盖着红色的液体，不是水，而是曾经在这里避难的小马的液化残骸。他们来到这个坚固的加固房间，期待着躲避炸弹和子弹。随着炸弹的坠落，土星环的能量场达到顶峰，变成了一片血泊的绿洲。它们永远不会腐烂。他们只能液化。
“Fucking Hoofington!” I screamed as I scrambled to my feet and blasted at her with my pistol and revolvers. Now Dawn was the one flying for cover as I staggered, fighting against the starmetal rings that threatened to liquefy me. I stomped after her, not sure what was my blood and what was the blood of all those unfairly slain as I fired again and again.
"他妈的胡芬顿!"我一边尖叫着，一边爬起来，用手枪和左轮手枪向她狂轰滥炸。当我蹒跚而行的时候，黎明号正在飞行寻找掩护，与那些有可能将我融化的星际星环作战。我在她身后跺着脚，不知道我的血是什么，也不知道我一次又一次地开枪打死的那些不公平的人的血是什么。
Then a purple mare smacked me hard upside the head. I needed to get out and get to my friends. If I killed Dawn and was liquefied anyway... There were other doors, larger powered doors likely for moving inventory to and from the warehouse. I raced to the access, firing behind me at random as I slammed a hoof against the ‘up’ button.
然后一匹紫色的母马重重地打在我的头上。我需要出去找我的朋友们。如果我杀了道恩并且液化了...还有其他的门，更大的动力门可能用来搬运库存进出仓库。我冲向通道，在我身后随意开枪，我的蹄子猛地撞上了"上行"按钮。
Two talons grabbed my shoulders as the door slowly ground up, and Dawn slammed me against the wall. “Oh no. You’re not leaving now. You’ve kept the Goddess Cognitum waiting long enough!”
门慢慢地关上的时候，两只爪子抓住了我的肩膀，道恩把我摔在了墙上。"哦，不。你现在不能走。你已经让女神认知等得够久了!"
I didn’t talk. I pressed all three of my guns to her steel body with my magic and pulled the triggers. Three explosions sounded around me as she screamed and slammed my face into the wall. Focus. Endure. If a little white pony inside me could handle her soul being ripped to pieces, I could handle a little pain. Sparks
我没说话。我用我的魔法把我的三把枪都压在她钢铁般的身体上，然后扣动扳机。当她尖叫着把我的脸撞向墙壁的时候，三个爆炸声在我周围响起。专注。忍耐。如果我体内的一匹小白马能够承受她的灵魂被撕成碎片，我也能够承受一点点痛苦。火花
shot down my horn as it was rammed into the concrete wall again, but I fought every instant to keep it together and pull the triggers again.
当我的喇叭再次撞到水泥墙上的时候，我把它击落了，但是我每时每刻都在努力使它保持在一起，再次扣动扳机。
She shoved, but I was stronger. A little orange mare gave a whoop in my mind. I pushed hard off the wall and rammed her spine into the table behind us. Her talons tore free of my shoulders as I twisted around to face her. “I! Am! Sick! Of! Goddesses!” I roared as I reared and slammed my hooves into her over and over again. Every impact rammed her further and further into the twisted table. Her razor wings shredded the metal as I slammed her back. The bloody wings became tangled in the metal. Her body was rent and wrecked, dripping machine fluids into the gore. I pushed the guns to her head as I stared into her glowing eyes...
她推了我一把，但我更坚强了。一匹橙色的小母马在我的脑海里大叫起来。我用力推开墙壁，把她的脊椎撞到我们身后的桌子上。当我扭过身去面对她时，她的爪子从我的肩膀上撕开了。"我！阿姆！真恶心！当然！女神们!"我一边用后腿直立，一边咆哮，一次又一次地用蹄子猛撞她。每一次撞击都使她越来越撞到扭曲的桌子上。我猛击她的背部时，她的剃刀翅膀划破了金属。血淋淋的翅膀被金属缠住了。她的身体支离破碎，机器的液体滴进了血泊中。我用枪指着她的头，盯着她发光的眼睛。
And saw myself...
看到我自己..。
I was a mix of machine and meat. She was a synthesis of synthetics and steel. Both of us wanted the Wasteland saved. Both of us had ponies we’d loved. We’d suffered. We’d fought. We’d killed. Two sides of the same coin. Were it not for my friends, what would have stopped me from becoming just like her? She was mad, corrupted... violated... my enemy... a pony who nopony, not even her daughter, would blame me for killing.
我是机器和肉的混合体。她是合成纤维和钢铁的综合体。我们都希望荒原得到拯救。我们俩都有自己喜欢的小马驹。我们吃尽了苦头。我们吵架了。我们杀了人。同一枚硬币的两面。如果不是因为我的朋友们，是什么阻止了我变得像她一样？她疯了，堕落了......被侵犯了......我的敌人......一匹小马，甚至她的女儿都不会怪我杀人。
Be kind, a tiny yellow pony inside me begged.
善良点，我肚子里的一匹小黄马哀求道。
Fierce red eyes stared into blazing green for a minute longer, and then I pulled away as she shrieked in rage and frustration. My magic hit the ‘down’ button on the door as I passed out into the warehouse. The door dropped behind me as I staggered away from the room. Razor wings ripped into the door as I staggered for the exit. I saw Deus, Lacunae, and Boo on the hillside above me. Rampage, her body falling apart and regenerating even as mine was, came beside me and helped me out of the Enervation field. We collapsed together before the massive machine.
凶猛的红眼睛盯着炽热的绿色又看了一分钟，然后当她在愤怒和沮丧中尖叫时，我把车开走了。当我昏迷进入仓库时，我的魔法按下了门上的"向下"按钮。我摇摇晃晃地离开房间时，门在我身后掉了下来。我摇摇晃晃地走出去时，剃刀的翅膀划破了门。我看见上面的山坡上有戴厄斯、拉库奈和布。狂暴，她的身体支离破碎，再生，就像我的一样，来到我身边，帮助我走出衰弱能量场。我们一起在巨大的机器面前崩溃了。
“Triage... is going to be... disappointed...” I muttered as I struggled to regenerate my injuries. Despite it all, I smiled. I hadn’t killed her, and that might come to bite me in the ass later... but lying there in the Hoofington rain, the blood being washed from me... I suspected that Twilight and her friends would say I’d won. Heh... I could have hopped on my broadcaster and... wait...
"伤员分类法......将会......令人失望......"我喃喃自语，同时努力恢复自己的伤势。尽管如此，我还是笑了。我没有杀死她，那可能会在以后咬我的屁股......但是躺在Hoofington的雨中，血从我身上被冲走......我怀疑《暮光之城》和她的朋友们会说我赢了。嘿...我可以跳上我的播音员...等等..。
I sat up with a groan, staring straight ahead. My broadcaster! Why hadn’t I
我坐了起来，呻吟着，目不转睛地盯着前方。我的播音员！为什么我没有
thought of it while I was inside? I could have told everypony about--
我在里面的时候想到的？我可以告诉每一个小马关于--
The Goddess’s smugness enveloped me, and I imagined a condescending pat on my head. Of course, we were going away now. And she wasn’t going to let me go back into the Enervation field now that she’d let me think of that. Oooh...
女神的沾沾自喜笼罩着我，我想象着有人居高临下地拍拍我的头。当然，我们现在要离开了。现在她不会让我回到能量场，因为她会让我想起那件事。哦..。
‘I hate you...’ I thought viciously at the consciousness in the back of my mind.
"我恨你......"我恶毒地想着脑海深处的意识。
‘Lesser beings usually do,’ she replied grandly. I muttered to myself as we returned.
"小人物通常会这样,"她郑重地回答。我们回来的时候，我自言自语道。
* * *
* * *
“I certainly hope that your expedition was fruitful,” King Awesome murmured over a cup of tea when I returned. I hadn’t yet met up with P-21 to decide what had to be done; presumably, he was somewhere out discovering the inequities of the Society. If he was in trouble, it would simplify matters considerably.
"我当然希望你的探险取得了丰硕的成果,"当我回来时，可怕的国王边喝茶边喃喃地说。我还没有与P-21会面来决定应该做些什么;大概，他正在某个地方发现协会的不平等现象。如果他遇到麻烦，事情就简单多了。
“I met Dawn,” I said as I looked into my cup of boiled weeds, having no interest whatsoever in drinking it. He sipped delicately from his glowing cup. “She’s a robot now. And crazy.” He set the cup back on the saucer. “I didn’t kill her,” I added as he stared at me with his deep blue eye. “I think I could have, but I didn’t.”
"我遇见了道恩,"我一边说，一边看着我那杯煮野草，对喝它毫无兴趣。他小心翼翼地从发光的杯子里啜饮。"她现在是个机器人了。而且疯狂。"他把杯子放回碟子上。"我没有杀她,"我补充说，他用他深蓝色的眼睛盯着我。"我想我可以，但我没有。"
“I see...” he replied calmly. “Might I ask why?”
"我明白了......"他平静地回答。"我能问问为什么吗?"
“Kindness,” I replied lamely, gazing back into my cup. I set it down on the table. “I looked into her and saw myself. Just as stubborn. Just as committed. Just as monstrous and...” I’d be going to say ‘manipulated’, but one of the Goddess’s chains yanked tight and stopped me. “Should I have killed her? Would it have been kinder to just finish her off?”
"仁慈,"我一瘸一拐地回答，回头凝视着我的杯子。我把它放在桌子上。"我看着她，看到了我自己。还是那么固执。同样忠心耿耿。就像可怕的和......"我想说'被操纵的'，但是女神的一条锁链拉紧了，阻止了我。"我应该杀了她吗？干掉她会不会更仁慈些?"
“You say you saw yourself?” King Awesome asked politely. I nodded and he asked, “Would you want to be spared, or slain in her position?”
"你说你看到了你自己?"国王礼貌地问道。我点点头，他问道:"你是想被饶恕，还是想在她的位置上被杀死?"
“I’d...” I closed my mouth. Pushing past my nasty self-destruction habit, would I want to be saved or destroyed? The idea of simply being done, of my life ending, was terrifyingly seductive. And if I’d been answering a few weeks ago, I’d have happily suggested it. But now... now I hoped that I was a better pony. Somewhat. “I’d want my friends to save me,” I admitted softly.
"我......"我闭上了嘴。抛开我讨厌的自我毁灭的习惯，我是想被拯救还是被毁灭？简单的完成，我的生命结束的想法，是可怕的诱惑。如果我几个星期前回答了这个问题，我会很高兴地提出这个建议。但是现在...现在我希望我是一匹更好的小马。某种程度上。"我希望我的朋友来救我,"我轻声承认。
“Then you made the right choice,” King Awesome said tiredly. “If you can be true to your own ethics, you can be a better pony.”
"那么你做了正确的选择,"牛叉王疲惫地说。"如果你能忠于自己的道德规范，你就能成为一匹更好的小马。"
“What about raiders and slavers?” I asked archly.
"那袭击者和奴隶贩子呢?"我狡黠地问道。
“The former have no ethics, just survival of the fittest. The latter is the application of economic acumen to the former.” He gestured to the marbled walls. “When my friends and I came to the Hoof, we found dozens of different tribes of raiders. Varying kinds of scum who’d carved out their own little niches. Kill one band, and another would pop up. With the exception of Meatlocker, there weren’t real settlements. But when we encountered the ponies living here in Elysium Gardens, I knew that they could be more. Because they wanted to be more. They pretended and imagined that they were descended from blue-blooded aristocracy. Doubtless a hoofful were, but most were of no different stock than raiders you’d find anywhere else.”
"前者没有道德，只有适者生存。后者是经济智慧对前者的应用。"他指了指大理石花纹的墙壁。"当我和我的朋友来到霍夫时，我们发现了几十个不同部落的袭击者。各种各样的人渣都有自己的小圈子。杀死一个乐队，另一个就会弹出来。除了Meatlocker，没有真正的定居点。但是当我们遇到住在ElysiumGardens的小马时，我知道它们可能更多。因为他们想更进一步。他们假装和想象自己是贵族的后裔。毫无疑问，他们都是游击队员，但大多数人和其他地方的入侵者没有什么不同。"
“So what changed?” I asked with a frown.
"那么，是什么改变了呢?"我皱着眉头问。
“Ethics.” He took a sip of his tea and then looked at me. “They had pretenses of grandeur. I used those pretenses as an excuse to improve their behavior. By getting them to adopt ethics, the idea that they had to hold themselves to a better standard, I was able to curb the backstabbing inclinations they possessed. You ask about the difference between serfs and slaves? Well, one is that I stressed that the serf was to be protected. Slaves were disposable, both in labor and in war; just go out and take more to replace any losses. Instead, the idea became that serfs were lesser ponies requiring the Society’s help.”
"道德。"他喝了一口茶，然后看着我。"他们装模作样。我用这些借口来改善他们的行为。通过让他们接受道德规范，他们必须把自己提升到一个更好的标准，我能够遏制他们背后中伤别人的倾向。你问农奴和奴隶的区别？一个是我强调农奴应该受到保护。无论是在劳动还是在战争中，奴隶都是可以任意处置的;只要走出去，拿走更多的奴隶就可以弥补损失。相反，人们开始认为农奴只是需要协会帮助的小马驹。"
“How is that more ethical? You’re saying that you’re better than the serfs!” I retorted.
"这怎么会更合乎道德？你是说你比那些农奴强!"我反驳道。
“As opposed to raiders who merely kill whomever they wish?” He shrugged. “I never said it was perfect. But Equestria, in ancient times, used a form of serfdom that created the aristocracy of Canterlot. Eventually we grew out of it, and the aristocracy became a superfluous holdover from older days. Eventually, the Society will follow the same path.” He looked at me evenly. “That is why I agreed to meet with you, Blackjack. Too many would see what we’ve done and dismiss it as simple slavery. It’s not. It may not be much better, but it is better and will become much better still. I hope that you can recognize what my friends could not.” A shadow of tired sadness crossed his face.
"而不是那些只杀自己想杀的人的入侵者?"他耸耸肩。"我从没说过它完美无缺。但是，在古代，马术国使用一种农奴制度，创造了坎特洛特的贵族统治。最终我们摆脱了它，贵族阶级成了旧时代多余的残留物。最终，学会将走上同样的道路。"他平静地看着我。"这就是我同意与你见面的原因，Blackjack。太多的人会看到我们的所作所为，并将其视为简单的奴隶制而不屑一顾。并非如此。它可能不会好多少，但是它会更好，并且会变得更好。我希望你能认出我的朋友们所不能认出的东西。"他的脸上掠过一丝疲倦的悲伤。
“They didn’t understand?” I guessed.
"他们不明白吗?"我猜的。
He shook his head. “To them, I was just another slaver. Worse, a sellout. The Society fed thousands with our plantations, and that increased the demand for slaves.” He rubbed his brow with a hoof. “Big Daddy, with his gang of thugs.
他摇了摇头。"对他们来说，我只是另一个奴隶贩子。更糟糕的是，一个背叛者。社会用我们的种植园养活了成千上万的人，这增加了对奴隶的需求。"他用蹄子擦了擦额头。"大老爹，和他的一帮暴徒。
Crunchy with her weapons. Keeper with his bottlecaps. Zodiac with her books. All of us certain that we knew the best way to fix everything.”
她的武器发出嘎吱嘎吱的响声。管理员拿着他的瓶子。十二宫和她的书。我们所有人都确信，我们知道解决一切问题的最佳方法。"
“And Dawn, looking for her one solution,” I murmured.
"而道恩，正在寻找她唯一的解决办法,"我低声说。
“So you do understand her,” he chuckled. “Yes. She was always so certain that if we just found or did that one magical thing, everything would be better. The Enclave. Or the Core. Or something.” He sighed and shook his head again. “Well, she was the youngest of us.”
"看来你真的了解她,"他咯咯地笑着说。"是的。她总是那么确定，如果我们只是发现或做了一件神奇的事情，一切都会变得更好。昂科雷。或者是核心。或者别的什么。"他叹了口气，又摇了摇头。"嗯，她是我们当中最年轻的。"
“She’s a lot like me...” I murmured, dropping my eyes. He studied me for a long moment, then smiled.
"她很像我......"我低下眼睛喃喃地说。他打量了我好一会儿，然后笑了。
“She is. But you’re a bit more. After all, you still have your friends.” He sighed again and leaned back in the wheelchair. “Excuse me, Blackjack. But I’m feeling very tired again. Perhaps we can continue this later?”
"是的。但是你比我想象的要好一点。毕竟，你还有你的朋友。"他又叹了口气，靠在轮椅上。"打扰一下，黑杰克。但是我又觉得很累了。也许我们可以以后再继续?"
“Sure,” I said as I rose to my hooves and slipped out of his room of pre-war curiosities. As he began to softly doze, I closed the door quietly behind me.
"当然,"我一边说，一边站起身来，从他那堆战前珍品的房间里溜了出来。当他开始轻轻地打盹时，我悄悄地关上了身后的门。
“Blackjack!” Grace shouted down the hall as she stormed up in a furious huff. Two power-armored ponies followed, another unicorn behind levitating a fifth pony. “What is the meaning of this?”
"黑杰克!"格蕾丝怒气冲冲地冲着大厅里的人喊道。两匹装甲强悍的小马跟在后面，另一只独角兽悬浮在第五匹小马后面。"这是什么意思?"
“Huh?” I said as I sat down on the floor.
"啊?"我坐在地板上说。
She waved her hoof at the two armored ponies. Slowly, they moved aside to reveal that the levitated pony was a battered P-21, his hooves tied and his mouth gagged. “You sent this pony to spy on us! We caught him in the plantations, interfering with an overseer.” I felt a dangerous calm overtake me as I began to think about how best to neutralize the two former Rangers.
她朝那两匹披着盔甲的小马挥了挥蹄子。慢慢地，他们移到一边，揭示了悬浮的小马是一个破旧的P-21，他的蹄绑，他的嘴堵住了。"你派这匹小马来监视我们！我们在种植园抓住了他，因为他妨碍了监工的工作。"当我开始思考如何最好地压制这两名前流浪者时，我感到一种危险的平静压倒了我。
“Of course I did,” I replied calmly. “And I want him back, and healed,” I added firmly.
"当然,"我平静地回答。"我希望他回来，痊愈,"我坚定地补充道。
“Don’t bother trying to deny--” Grace began, then blinked at me absently.
"别费心去否认——"格蕾丝开始说，然后心不在焉地眨了眨眼睛。
“You... I... I see...” She pondered a moment, then turned to the unicorn levitating P-21. “Don’t just stand there. Let him down, untie him, and get him healed at once.” The pink unicorn mare blinked in shock, and then bowed her head and began to remove P-21’s bonds. Grace took a deep breath and turned to face be once more. “Okay... why...?”
"你......我.....。.我明白了......"她沉思了一会儿，然后转向那只漂浮在空中的独角兽P-21。"别光站在那儿。求你放他下来、解开他、立刻治好他粉红色的独角兽震惊地眨了眨眼，然后低下头，开始解除P-21的束缚。格蕾丝深吸了一口气，又转过脸来。"好吧......为什么......?"
“I wanted to see how you really are. How you treat your serfs, and if I needed to do something about it,” I replied evenly, relaxing a bit as P-21 was freed.
"我想看看你到底怎么样。你是如何对待你的农奴的，如果我需要为此做些什么,"我平静地回答，当P-21被释放时，我稍微放松了一点。
“Do you know what you’ve done?” Grace said as she started to pace back and forth. “Half the society believes that you came here intending to do that in the first place! Now they’ll think you sent your stallion here to make contact with the serfs to foment rebellion.”
"你知道你做了什么吗?"格蕾丝边说边开始来回踱步。"社会上有一半的人认为你来这里一开始就是为了这个目的！现在他们会认为你派你的种马来这里和农奴接触，煽动叛乱。"
“He was molesting her,” P-21 spat with venom as he glared at Grace. The pink- maned unicorn cast a spell, mending some of his contusions, but he pushed her away and snarled at the white aristocrat. “That was why I stomped his head in!”
"他在猥亵她,"P-21怒视着格蕾丝，吐出一口恶毒的唾沫。那只披着粉红色鬃毛的独角兽施了一个咒语，治愈了他身上的一些挫伤，但是他把她推开，冲着那个白人贵族咆哮起来。"这就是为什么我把他的头踩进去!"
Grace flushed. “I heard it was consensual, not forced...” Grace muttered.
格蕾丝脸红了。"我听说是双方自愿的，不是强迫的......"格蕾丝喃喃自语。
“Consensual! When you control every part of a pony’s life, where precisely does consent come into it?” he spat at her, making her back up as he trotted over to me.
"两厢情愿！当你控制了小马驹生活的方方面面，同意到底是从哪里来的呢?"他朝她吐口水，让她后退，然后跑向我。
Grace turned even redder before she looked me boldly in the eye. “If that’s the case, he’ll be stripped of his authority. But understand that things are very tense right now, Blackjack. Every member of the society has armed themselves, and they’re bringing in more bodyguards for your inevitable coup. There are suggestions that we should take hostages. Invite the Harbingers to deal with you. Poison you. Make some other attack before you act. I beg you to please consider this! I’m trying to keep everypony from getting killed!”
格蕾丝在大胆地看着我的眼睛之前变得更红了。"如果是这样的话，他将被剥夺权力。但你要知道现在局势很紧张，Blackjack。社会上的每个成员都武装好了自己，他们为你不可避免的政变带来了更多的保镖。有人建议我们应该扣押人质。邀请先驱者来对付你。给你下毒。在你采取行动之前先进行其他攻击。我请求你考虑一下这个！我只是不想让每一匹小马都被杀死!"
She looked on the verge of tears in her frustration. I sighed. “I don’t want anypony to die either. Please believe that and pass that on. But I also can’t do nothing.”
她沮丧得几乎要哭了。我叹了口气。"我也不希望任何小马死去。请相信这一点并把它传递下去。但我也无能为力。"
Grace sighed and slumped. “I see.” She then straightened and said sharply, “You understand that every minute I try to convince others not to act, I put my own wellbeing on the line. Try to conduct yourself more discreetly.” She then turned
格蕾丝叹了口气，垂头丧气。"我明白了。"然后她直起腰来，厉声说道:"你要明白，每一分钟我都在试图说服别人不要行动，我是在拿自己的幸福冒险。尽量谨慎行事。"然后她转过身来
and nodded for the trio to follow her back the way they’d come.
点头示意他们三个跟着她回去。
* * *
* * *
We all found a safe little corner on the roof where nopony could overhear us. Lacunae wasn’t able to summon her shield spell to protect us from the rain due to her treatment by the Goddess... Worse, I couldn’t explain why to the others. I couldn’t even show my frustration! However, though it took me a dozen tries, I was finally able to get the umbrella-like rain shield spell from Twilight’s book to go off and protect us from the drizzle... mostly. Well, wet manes were still better than being completely soaked through by the roaring downpour.
我们都在屋顶上找了一个安全的小角落，没有小马能偷听到我们的谈话。空隙无法召唤她的盾牌咒语来保护我们免受雨水的侵袭，因为她受到了女神的虐待......更糟糕的是，我无法向其他人解释原因。我甚至不能表现出我的沮丧！然而，尽管我尝试了很多次，我最终还是从《暮光之城》的书中得到了雨伞一样的防雨盾咒语，用来保护我们免受蒙蒙细雨的侵袭。好吧，湿漉漉的鬃毛总比被咆哮的倾盆大雨完全浸透要好。
“So... what did you find?” I asked P-21, trying to copy Mom’s ‘no exaggerating’ look.
"那么......你发现了什么?"我问P-21，试图模仿妈妈"不夸张"的表情。
He took a deep breath and let it all out in a huff. “It’s not good. Not as bad as Fallen Arch, but still pretty bad.” He pushed his hat back. “There’s probably two or three hundred serfs. They’re fed decently enough, I suppose... better than out in the Wasteland. But there’s no doubt that they’re getting the short end of the stick here. They can’t leave, have no say in the work they do, and if they refuse to work then the overseers can whip them, lock them up in steel crates, starve them... anything to get them to do their job.”
他深吸了一口气，气呼呼地说出了一切。"情况不妙。虽然没有"倒下的拱门"那么糟糕，但还是相当糟糕。"他把帽子往后一推。"大概有两三百个农奴。他们吃得很好，我想......比在荒原要好。但毫无疑问，他们在这方面处于劣势。他们不能离开，对自己的工作没有发言权，如果他们拒绝工作，监工就可以鞭打他们，把他们锁在钢铁箱子里，让他们挨饿......任何能让他们做自己工作的事情。"
“How long do they work?” Glory asked with a small frown.
"它们能工作多久?"晨辉皱着眉头问道。
“More than half the day. They get a small break for meals and sleep. Then it’s back to work.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Once a week they get a break. That’s when most of the maintenance is done down in the plantations.”
"超过半天。他们有一个小休息，吃饭和睡觉。然后就回去工作。"他揉了揉脖子后面。"他们每周休息一次。那时，大部分的维护工作都在种植园里进行。"
“Seems pretty civilized for the surface,” Glory replied. “It’s not really all that different from sky farm settlements in the Enclave. Not a pleasant life, but safe.”
"表面上看起来很文明,"晨辉回答。"这与昂科雷的空中农场定居点并没有什么不同。这不是愉快的生活，而是安全的生活。"
“Oh yeah? Do your supervisors force workers to fuck them?” P-21 asked as he rounded on her.
"哦，是吗？你的上司是否强迫员工去干他们?"P-21一边围着她一边问。
“Some do, yes. And when they’re caught, they’re punished,” Glory answered him plainly. “Is that the case here?”
"是的，有些人是这样做的。当他们被抓住的时候，他们就会受到惩罚。"晨辉明白地回答他。"是这样吗?"
P-21 sighed and looked away. “That’s not the point. Most of them do it, no matter what the rules say.”
P-21叹了口气，把目光移开。"这不是重点。不管规则怎么说，他们中的大多数人都会这么做。"
“Are the overseers nobles or serfs?” Glory asked.
"监工是贵族还是农奴?"晨辉问道。
“What does that have to do with anything?” P-21 countered.
"这有什么关系吗?"P-21反击。
“My point is that you seem utterly determined to condemn this place because of your own personal experience. I understand why,” Glory said evenly as she gestured towards the golf courses and the shacks spread out across them. “But I look at what these ponies are doing, and while I think it’s not perfect, it’s absolutely a step in the right direction.”
"我的意思是，由于你自己的亲身经历，你似乎完全决定要谴责这个地方。"我知道为什么,"晨辉一边指着高尔夫球场，一边平静地说道，球场上的棚屋分布开来。"但我看看这些小马在做什么，虽然我认为它们并不完美，但这绝对是朝着正确方向迈出的一步。"
“They work until they’re dead. Colts and fillies prepare food. Old ponies do what little chores are left over. How is that a step in the right direction?” P-21 growled.
"他们一直工作到死。小马和小雌马准备食物。老小马做剩下的零星杂务。这怎么会是朝着正确方向迈出的一步呢?"P-21咆哮着。
“They’re not killing and they’re not getting killed. That seems like an improvement to me,” Glory said before looking at me. “I had a very long and very interesting talk with Prince Splendid while you were out. It seems that he is of the opinion that the Society can do more, far more, for the Wasteland. Right now, a great deal of their wealth is being squandered on pointless celebrations. Like this ‘Grand Gallumping Gala’ or whatever it’s called. He thinks that, with a little effort, the Society could expand as they did in the Fluttershy Medical Center. Provide security and safety to the Hoof.”
"他们不杀人，也不会被杀。在我看来，这似乎是一种进步,"晨辉在看着我之前说。"你不在的时候，我和斯普兰迪王子进行了一次非常有趣的长谈。他似乎认为社会可以为荒原做更多更多的事情。现在，他们的大量财富正被浪费在毫无意义的庆祝活动上。比如这个"大画廊之夜"或者随便它叫什么。他认为，只要稍加努力，协会就可以像在Fluttershy医疗中心那样扩大规模。为霍夫提供安全保障。"
“On the backs of slaves!” P-21 snapped.
"骑在奴隶的背上!"P-21突然崩溃。
“Serfs. I think the distinction is quite clear,” Glory countered. “And I think that a Society that is actually working to stop real killers and raiders is doing far more good.”
"农奴。我认为两者的区别很明显,"晨辉反驳道。"我认为，一个真正致力于阻止真正的杀手和袭击者的社会正在做得更好。"
“Well, I’m with blue boy,” Rampage replied, then grinned. “Not because I care about the serfs or slaves or whatever. The Society are a bunch of asses. I want to kill them on general principle. So freeing the slaves or serfs... eh...” she gave a little shrug. “Whatever. Most of them are probably fucks anyway.”
"嗯，我和蓝色的男孩在一起,"狂暴回答道，然后咧嘴一笑。""不是因为我关心农奴或奴隶什么的。这个协会就是一群混蛋。我想根据一般原则杀了他们。所以解放奴隶或农奴......呃......"她耸了耸肩。"随便啦。不管怎么说，她们中的大多数可能都是混蛋。"
“Thank you for the barbarian perspective,” Glory replied primly.
"谢谢你的野蛮观点,"晨辉拘谨地回答。
“Oh, trust me. It gets better.” Rampage grinned. “I have it on good authority that if we put the right ponies in charge, we will make a fortune. Caps. Weapons. And, not that it matters to me, but memory orbs about a certain ‘Project Horizons’? Thought you might like that.”
"哦，相信我。还有更好的。"狂暴的人咧嘴一笑。"我有可靠的依据，如果我们让合适的小马来负责，我们会发大财。帽子。武器。而且，这对我来说并不重要，重要的是关于某个'地平线计划'的记忆球？我想你会喜欢的。"
I felt an electric jolt pass through me. “What?”
我感到一阵电流穿过我的身体。"什么?"
“Yeah. Apparently the Ministry of Morale had a field day with a guy named ‘Goldenblood’ and yanked out all kinds of cool memories. They’re yours if you’re interested,” Rampage said with a little shrug.
"是的。很显然，士气部和一个叫"金色血统"的家伙度过了一个愉快的日子，并且唤起了各种各样的美好回忆。如果你感兴趣，它们就是你的了。"。
Scotch Tape scowled thoughtfully. “Is there any way we can do all three? Like...
透明胶带若有所思地皱起眉头。"我们有没有办法做到这三点呢？就像..。
make things better for the worker ponies, help the Wasteland, and get the memory orbs?”
让工人小马的生活变得更好，帮助荒原，得到记忆球?"
“Kid, you pull that off and I’m nominating you to be in charge,” Rampage replied. She then looked at me. “So, what’s your call?”
"孩子，你成功了，我提名你来负责,"狂暴回答道。然后她看着我。"那么，你打算怎么办?"
I had no idea. In fact, I was started to feel a little panicked. It was like Mom throwing a pop quiz at me! “I... don’t know. I just came here for an airship! I didn’t...” I stammered as I stared at P-21, then at Glory, then at the others. “Why is everypony looking at me to decide this? Remember Flank and 99?”
我不知道。事实上，我开始感到有点恐慌。这就像妈妈给我做突击测验一样！"我.....。.不知道。我来这里只是为了一艘飞艇！我没有......"我结结巴巴地盯着P-21，然后是晨辉，然后是其他人。"为什么每个小马都要看着我做决定？还记得弗兰克和99吗?"
“I also remember Riverside and what you created there,” Glory replied with a small smile.
"我还记得河滨市和你在那里创造的一切,"晨辉微笑着回答。
“And you helped in Chapel,” Scotch Tape added immediately.
"你在教堂里也帮了忙,"苏格兰磁带立即补充道。
Rampage shrugged. “While it was pretty decent already, you didn’t do Meatlocker any harm either.”
狂暴耸了耸肩。"虽然已经相当不错了，但你也没有对Meatlocker造成任何伤害。"
I sat back hard, looking from P-21 to Glory and back again. I had no idea which would be the better choice. P-21 had a valid point, but then, so did Glory. Maybe Rampage was right and I should simply take what I could get and leave somepony else to pick up the pieces? “Can we... um... can we see which option shoots at me first? That’s usually how I determine if something is good or bad.” Glory and P-21 groaned almost in unison. “What! It’s a perfectly fair indication!”
我努力往后靠，从P-21看到晨辉，然后又看回来。我不知道哪个选择更好。P-21说得有道理，不过，Glory也说得有道理。也许狂暴是对的，我应该简单地拿走我能得到的东西，然后让别人来收拾残局？"我们能不能......嗯......我们能不能看看哪个选项先向我开枪？这通常是我判断事物好坏的方法。"晨辉和P-21几乎是齐声呻吟。"什么！这是一个非常公平的迹象!"
“You could choose none of the above?” Scotch Tape offered.
"你可以选择以上任何一种吗?"提供透明胶带。
P-21 shook his head. “Blackjack won’t do that.”
P-21摇了摇头。"Blackjack不会这么做的。"
“Of course not. She’s going to help protect the Wasteland,” Glory replied firmly.
"当然不是。她要去帮助保护荒原,"晨辉坚定地回答。
“No, she’s going to help the serfs!” P-21 snapped back.
"不，她是去帮农奴的!"P-21迅速反击。
“Serving the Wasteland is much more practical and the greater good!” Glory retorted, not backing down.
"为荒地服务更实际，也更好!"格洛里反驳道，并没有让步。
“Why you stuck-up little Enclave...” P-21 began. I felt the sense of panic rising inside me, seeing my friends fight like this. I really didn’t know which one I should support. They were both right!
"为什么你这个傲慢的小飞地......"P-21开头说。看到我的朋友们这样打架，我感到一阵恐慌。我真的不知道该支持哪一个。他们都是对的！
Rampage let out a scornful, “Oh, will you two just shut up and fuck already? I’m sure Blackjack would love that too!”
狂暴发出轻蔑的声音,"哦，你们两个能不能闭嘴，干他妈的？我相信Blackjack也会喜欢的!"
Glory and P-21 gaped at each other, at her, and then at me all in perfect unison. “With her?!” blurted P-21 as Glory gave a scandalized, “With him?!” They concluded with a simultaneously disgusted, “Gross!” The utter similarities between the two had me burst into laughter, and I reached out, grabbed them both in a headlock, and pulled them into a huge hug.
晨辉和P-21都目瞪口呆地看着对方，看着她，然后又完全一致地看着我。"和她?!"不假思索地脱口而出的P-21表示晨辉感到震惊,"和他?!"他们以一种同时表示厌恶的口吻说:"真恶心!"这两个人完全相似的地方让我哈哈大笑，我伸出手，紧紧地抓住他们的头，把他们紧紧地拥抱在一起。
“I love you guys,” I said, laughing and crying at the same time. I was sure P-21 would angrily shake me off and grump and groan, but to my surprise, I felt the tension in his muscles draining as I held him close. Scotch Tape and Boo, not wanting to be left out, immediately jumped in as well.
"我爱你们,"我边哭边笑地说。我本以为P-21会生气地把我甩开，发牢骚和呻吟，但令我惊讶的是，当我紧紧地抱住他时，我感到他的肌肉开始松弛。和Boo，不想被遗漏，也立刻跳了进来。
Rampage pouted. “Oh sure... No hugs for...” she started to mutter. Then she stopped in alarm as we all looked at her. “Oh no... no no no... Don’t you... ack!” she shouted as all of us, even P-21, piled atop her in a massive heap. The sheer ridiculousness of it all had us all laughing together.
横冲直撞。"哦，当然......不要拥抱......"她开始喃喃自语。我们都看着她，她惊慌地停了下来。"哦，不，不，不，不，你不要......啊!"她喊道，我们所有人，甚至包括P-21，都堆在她身上，形成一个巨大的堆。这一切的荒谬之处使我们大家都笑了起来。
At that moment, perhaps completely by luck or perhaps by a bit of divine providence, I glanced up at Lacunae. The massive purple alicorn watched us all. Her face was not blank or anguished; her expression was of simple, heartfelt happiness. For an instant, I was reminded of that memory orb I’d seen so long ago and the image of Celestia and Luna in that tent. For an instant, I wasn’t looking at some freaky mutant lackey of a snide and vicious ‘Goddess’ but at a true alicorn. One loving and accepting and nurturing of us all.
那一刻，也许完全是因为运气，也许是因为一点神圣眷顾，我抬头看了一眼Lacunae。巨大的紫色独角兽看着我们所有人。她的脸上没有茫然或痛苦的表情，她的表情是简单的、发自内心的幸福。有那么一瞬间，我想起了很久以前看到的那个记忆球，还有塞勒斯蒂亚和露娜在帐篷里的影像。有那么一瞬间，我看到的不是一个邪恶的女神，而是一个真正的亚利克角。一个对我们所有人的爱、接受和培养。
Finally, the moment passed, and we let the striped mare up. I smiled and wiped my eyes. “Well... in any case... I think that King Awesome has everything in hoof here. I’m not going to do anything until he...”
终于，时间过去了，我们放了那匹斑马。我微笑着擦了擦眼睛。"嗯......无论如何......我认为牛叉王在这里什么都有。我不会做任何事，除非他......"
But my voice trailed off as I saw a strange earth pony approach. Behind him were dozens more ponies trotting up onto the roof. None of them were armed, but all of them looked quite unhappy at the moment. He was a ghoul, which was impressive enough; I hadn’t thought that the Society would allow a ghoul in their company. The gray undead stallion had one of the most intricate and stunning manestyles I’d seen on anypony, ghoul or not. A pair of violet glasses completely obscured his eyes as he approached with a velvet wrapped parcel on his back.
但当我看到一匹奇怪的地球小马走近时，我的声音变小了。在他身后，还有几十匹小马小跑着上了屋顶。他们都没有武器，但是他们看起来都很不高兴。他是一个食尸鬼，令人印象深刻;我没有想到协会会允许他们公司有一个食尸鬼。这匹不死的灰色种马拥有我在任何小马身上见过的最错综复杂、最令人惊叹的雄狮之一，不管是不是食尸鬼。当他背着一个天鹅绒包裹走近时，一副紫罗兰色的眼镜完全挡住了他的眼睛。
“Blackjack, I presume?” he said in a voice just oozing sophistication, despite the undead rasp. He nudged down the glasses enough to look at me with filmy purplish eyes.
"我猜你是玩黑杰克吧?"他说话的声音很复杂，尽管有不死的锉刀。他轻轻地放下眼镜，用一双朦胧的紫色眼睛看着我。
I frowned as I slowly approached him. Grace, Splendid, and Charm all struggled to push themselves to the front of the crowd, each wearing expressions of outrage and shock. “Yes?” I asked as he pulled the velvet parcel from his back and started unwrapping it.
我慢慢地走近他，皱起了眉头。优雅、华丽和迷人都努力把自己推到人群前面，每个人都带着愤怒和震惊的表情。"什么事?"我问道，他一边从背后拿出天鹅绒包裹，一边开始打开包裹。
“King Awesome has passed away,” he said as he revealed a golden crown decorated with diamonds and rubies. I gaped, unable to think as he jammed the crown atop my head. “All hail Queen Blackjack, new leader of the Society! Long live the Queen!”
"令人敬畏的国王已经去世,"他说，他透露了一个金色的王冠装饰的钻石和红宝石。我目瞪口呆，无法思考，因为他把皇冠顶在我的头上。"向黑杰克女王致敬，这个协会的新领袖！女王万岁!"
“Long live the Queen,” shouted the crowd, minus the contributions of Splendid, Grace, and Charm. “Long live the Queen!” My friends stared in amazement.
"女王万岁,"人群高喊着，减去了辉煌、优雅和魅力的贡献。"女王万岁!"我的朋友们惊讶地看着我。
I sat there, my shield dropping in shock and the rain dumping down on me. I said the only words that I could think of at a time like this: “Oh, fuck me...”
我坐在那里，我的盾牌震惊地掉在地上，雨水倾泻在我身上。在这样的时刻，我只能说出我能想到的一句话:"哦，操我......"
Footnote: Maximum Level Reached.
脚注:已达到的最高水平。
 
Author's Notes:
作者笔记:
(Author’s notes: I’d like to apologize to everyone for the long delay in getting this to you. We had to fix up 54 and unfortunately real life has made things difficult. I’d like to thanks Kkat for creating FoE, Hinds and Bro for making it worth reading, and for all the folks who catch all the problems
(作者的笔记:我想向大家道歉，因为这封信迟迟没有寄给你们。我们不得不修复54和不幸的现实生活使事情变得困难。我要感谢Kkat创造了FoE，Hinds和Bro，让它值得一读，感谢所有抓住所有问题的人们
that we miss. I’d also like to thank a lot of folks who helped out by donating this month. Unfortunately, quite a few got lost in my E-mail. Sorry.
我们错过了。我还要感谢许多这个月帮助我捐款的人。不幸的是，有不少人在我的电子邮件中迷路了。对不起。
Next one will probably be in a month as well. Unfortunately things have gotten way off track and real life is making things difficult. I’ll be looking for work as I lost my job (long story. Best to sum it up as being a ‘failteacher’) and the others have other issues too. I’m still determined to end this as it needs to be ended and to give you all the ending you deserve. I’m sorry if it’s slow. I’m hoping things will pick up soon....
下一次可能也是一个月之后。不幸的是，事情已经偏离了轨道，现实生活使事情变得困难。我失业了，正在找工作(说来话长)。最好把它归结为"失败教师")，其他人也有其他问题。我仍然决心结束这一切，因为它需要结束，给你所有你应得的结局。如果太慢了，我很抱歉。我希望事情能尽快好转..。
Anyway, thanks again for reading, giving feedback, and helping out. I really appreciate it.)
无论如何，再次感谢你的阅读、反馈和帮助。我真的很感激。)
(Note from Hinds: Somber is above using ‘failteacher’ to mean ‘teacher who failed students who neither turned in their work nor showed up to class but who had connections in the school administration’.) (Re note from Somber: Actually it had to do with my honors class, not their
(来自Hinds的注释:Somber不会用"failteacher"来指那些不及格的学生，他们既没有交作业也没有出现在课堂上，但是他们在学校管理部门有关系。)(来自Somber的回复:事实上，这和我的荣誉班有关，而不是他们的
work or attendance.)
工作或出勤。)
(Hinds: Oh, sorry.)
哦，对不起
(Bronode, AKA Niphl: Actually, I think I had a fair part to play with the real life stuff. Don’t worry, folks, the self-flagellation has already begun in earnest.)
(Bronode，AKANiphl:事实上，我认为我在现实生活中扮演了一个公平的角色。不要担心，朋友们，自我鞭笞已经开始认真。)
(Additional note: The chapter quote is from First Citizen Lynette in Fallout 2.)
(附加说明:这一章引自《辐射2》中的第一公民Lynette。)