“No. You won't. You may have made it impossible for Shining Armor to perform his spell, but now that you have so foolishly revealed your true self, I can protect my subjects from you!”
"没有。你不会的。你可能让闪亮盔甲无法施展他的法术，但既然你如此愚蠢地暴露了你的真实自我，我可以保护我的臣民不受你的伤害!"
The shadow world played with my senses of distance and time. A dozen steps took me halfway to Chapel. A hundred more got me to the village itself. Spectral ponies moved in unnatural jerks and starts like images on a broken projector. With no sun, I had no grasp of any direction other than up once I got away from familiar landmarks. I had tried to teleport back to a room in the Citadel but hit some kind of magical barrier that kept me from reaching my destination; every time I’d attempted it, my horn had sparked and I hadn’t moved. And with no idea where it was or even if I could eventually walk back, I was left alone in the shadows.
影子世界与我的距离感和时间感一起玩耍。我走了十几步才走到教堂的半路。还有一百多人把我送到了村子里。幽灵小马在不自然的抽搐中移动，开始像一个坏掉的投影仪上的图像。没有了太阳，我除了一旦离开熟悉的地标，就再也无法掌握任何方向。我曾试图传送回城堡里的一个房间，但是遇到了某种魔法屏障，使我无法到达目的地;每次我尝试这么做，我的号角就会点燃，我一动不动。我不知道它在哪里，甚至不知道我最终是否能够走回去，只剩下我一个人在阴影里。
I sat beside the dark, empty bed of the Hoofington River and laughed bitterly. I’d died two, maybe three times, and now I was stuck in a shadow world, unable to do anything to stop Cognitum and Amadi, return to the castle, or contact my friends. And most maddening of all: the realization that Goldenblood was alive. That shouldn’t have surprised me. Twilight had survived as part of the Goddess. Rainbow Dash a ghoul. If LittlePip had been right, Fluttershy was a tree. At this point, I could have come across Rarity's brain in a levitating robot, a Pinkie Pie spritebot, or the ghost of Applejack and not been terribly surprised.
我坐在胡芬顿河黑暗、空荡荡的河床边，苦笑着。我死了两次，也许三次，现在我被困在一个阴暗的世界里，无法做任何事情来阻止Cognitum和Amadi，回到城堡，或者联系我的朋友。最令人恼火的是:意识到金血王还活着。这不应该让我感到惊讶。黄昏作为女神的一部分幸存了下来。彩虹破折号是食尸鬼。如果小匹普是对的，那么小蝴蝶就是一棵树。在这一点上，我可能在一个漂浮的机器人身上看到稀有的大脑，一个小手指派喷射机器人，或者苹果杰克的鬼魂，并没有感到特别的惊讶。
Goldenblood. On the one hoof, I desperately wanted to talk to him, and on the other, I wanted to put a magic bullet through his head. He’d been the enabler. Maybe Luna would have ruled the same without him; maybe she’d have done even worse than she had with his help… or maybe, without him behind the scenes, the war would have ended peacefully instead of in fire. I didn’t know. All I knew was that I had to find him. Above all else, the question of why burned
金色血统。一只蹄子上，我拼命地想和他说话，另一只蹄子上，我想用魔法子弹射穿他的头。他一直是推波助澜者。也许没有他，卢娜也能做同样的事情;也许在他的帮助下，她会做得更糟...或者，也许，没有他在幕后，战争会和平结束，而不是在火灾中结束。我不知道。我只知道我必须找到他。最重要的是，问题是为什么燃烧
inside me. Why had he suddenly broken down towards the very end? Had he really gone mad, as Cognitum suggested? A doomsday weapon that killed everyone on the planet? Why did it go off on Cognitum? Was it mad too? I’d had plenty of experience with crazy machines! Madness. It was the simple answer, and that wretched stallion didn't have a simple bone in his body.
在我体内。为什么他在最后一刻突然崩溃了？他真的像认知神经所说的那样疯了吗？一个杀死地球上所有人的世界末日武器？为什么它会在Cognitum上爆炸？它也疯了吗？我对疯狂的机器有丰富的经验！疯狂。答案很简单，那匹可怜的种马身上连一根骨头都没有。
The shadow world had water of a sort; it trickled out of the rocks cold and clear and sterile. It didn’t have life, though. Just shadowy parodies. Ghostly trees shifted and flickered around me as I walked, disappearing when I stopped. Translucent ponies trotted by, froze at a crawl, and then suddenly blurred away in long streaks. Then some zoomed backwards like a rewinding recording. The silence was absolute; there were no echoes, and it didn’t matter how loudly I yelled. This strange place seemed to render every noise I made a whisper.
黑暗的世界有一种水，从冰冷、清澈、贫瘠的岩石中流出来。尽管它没有生命。只是一些模糊的模仿。幽灵般的树木在我周围移动和闪烁，我走着，停下来就消失了。半透明的小马小跑着经过，像爬行一样僵住了，然后突然模糊成长长的条纹。然后有些像倒带一样向后缩放。寂静无声，没有回声，不管我叫得多大声。这个陌生的地方似乎把我发出的每一个声音都变成了耳语。
Sweet Celestia, forget Goldenblood and Cognitum. I was going to go crazy myself if I didn’t get out of here!
甜甜的天青，忘记金血和白兰地。如果我不离开这里，我自己也会发疯的！
“There you are,” Tenebra, clad in dark purple armor, said as she flew out of the blackness with perfect timing. “I thought for sure you’d end up dead out here.”
"你在这儿,"身穿深紫色盔甲的特内布拉一边说着，一边以完美的时机从黑暗中飞了出来。"我以为你肯定会死在这里。"
“There are dangers here?” I asked, skeptically glancing around me. “I haven’t seen any.”
"这里有危险吗?"我问道，带着怀疑的目光环顾四周。"我没有看到。"
“Blackjack, there are pockets here where time flows so fast that a pony will live out their lifespan in ten seconds… or so slow that you'd be frozen permanently like a fly in amber,” the gray batpony said as she landed. “Cracks in space that can split you in half. Distortions that can turn you inside out. Granted, they’re all rare, but you only have to run into one once for it to kill you. And yes, there are... things here. Unique. Deadly. And nothing I want to fight. We should get back to the castle.”
"黑杰克，这里有些地方时间过得很快，一匹小马的寿命只有10秒钟......或者太慢了，你会永远被冻住，就像一只苍蝇在琥珀里一样,"灰色的蝙蝠马在落地时说。"太空中的裂缝可以把你一分为二。扭曲，可以把你从里到外。当然，它们都很罕见，但是你只需要碰到一次它就会杀了你。是的，这里有些东西。独一无二。致命的。没有什么是我想争取的。我们应该回城堡去。"
“So it’s a place that kills me just by existing. Haven’t ever dealt with that before,” I said a touch more sarcastically than I’d intended. I sighed, peering out into the bleak twilight around me. “I’m sorry. I’m just…”
"所以这是一个仅仅因为存在就杀死我的地方。我以前从来没有遇到过这种情况,"我说话的语气比我想象的更有讽刺意味。我叹了口气，凝视着周围凄凉的暮色。"对不起。我只是......"
“Frustrated?” the mare asked innocently. That simple little word made something snap in me.
"沮丧?"母马天真地问。那个简单的小字使我心里发生了突然的变化。
“Frustrated? My whole life has been people telling me what to do,” I said as I started pacing. “And you know what? I was cool with that. I was! Mom. The
""沮丧？我的整个生活就是别人告诉我该做什么,"我边说边开始踱步。""你知道吗？我对此没意见。是的！妈妈。这个
Overmare. Didn’t matter. So long as somepony had a modicum of virtue or a little bit of authority and a direction for me to go in, I went. I did.” I laughed, my voice echoing like a chorus of whispering ghosts in the shadows. “I let a robot send me on a wild mare chase all across the Wasteland. A quest! A Luna-damned quest for secrets and answers, going against the bad ponies who hurt people and trying to justify all the collateral damage I caused by trying to be good! I ran myself into the fucking ground rather than taking my loved ones and getting as far from here as I possibly could. When a bony hallucination started giving me advice, what did I do? Did I ignore it? Did I tell my friends? Did I mention it even in passing to any pony I met with a stethoscope and a theoretical doctorate? No, I gave him a spot as my chief fucking advisor!” I snapped towards her. “And do you know what it’s gotten me? Huh? Do you?”
Overmare.没关系。只要有哪怕一点点的美德，哪怕一点点的权威，哪怕一点点的方向，我都会去的。是的。"我笑了，我的声音就像在阴影里低语的鬼魂的合唱回响。"我让一个机器人把我送到荒原上追逐一匹野马。一个任务！一个月亮该死的探索秘密和答案，反对坏小马谁伤害人，并试图证明所有的间接伤害(电影)我造成的好！我把自己撞到了地上，而不是带着我爱的人离开这里，越远越好。当一个骨瘦如柴的幻觉开始给我建议时，我做了什么？我忽视了吗？我告诉我的朋友了吗？我有没有对任何一个我遇到的有听诊器和理论博士学位的小马提起过这件事？不，我给了他一个他妈的首席顾问的职位!"我朝她厉声说道。"你知道它给我带来了什么吗？什么？是吗?"
“Uhhh…” Tenebra backed away from be a step or two.
"呃......"Tenebra后退了一两步。
“This!” I shouted as loud as I could, spreading my hooves wide as I gestured to the gloomy void all around. “Nothing! I didn’t even get a decent death. Three times!” I said as I paced even faster. “Outside of P-21 and Scotch, everyone I knew prior to six months ago is dead, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. People I didn’t even know died because I was too hasty, or too slow, or too stupid to do the right thing. I lost my body for one made of steel, and then I lost that when my enemy decided she wanted to trade up! I got myself knocked up, and now she has my baby. She has my friends. She has my very special pony and made her cry!” I hissed through my teeth at Tenebra, who stared at me as if I was deranged. “She took my fucking cutie mark,” I said in a murderous mutter, jabbing at my flank with a hoof. “She took my talent.”
"这个!"我尽可能大声地喊着，把我的蹄子张开，同时向四周阴暗的虚空做了个手势。"没什么！我连个体面的死法都没得到。三次!"我说，我走得更快了。"除了P-21和苏格兰威士忌，六个月前我认识的所有人都死了，这只是冰山一角。我甚至不认识的人因为我太草率、太慢或太愚蠢而死去。我失去了我的身体为一个钢铁制成的，然后我失去了，当我的敌人决定她要交易！我把自己肚子搞大了，现在她怀了我的孩子。她有我的朋友。她有一匹非常特别的小马，把她弄哭了!"我用牙齿嘶嘶地看着Tenebra，他盯着我，好像我已经精神错乱了。"她拿走了我可爱的标记,"我用一只蹄子戳着我的侧腹，杀气腾腾地咕哝着说。"她夺走了我的才华。"
I grimaced as I stepped towards her. “And you know what? I’d be okay with THAT too,” I hissed at her, jabbing my hoof at her chest. “I can deal with losing shit. I’m an expert at that. I can try and get it back. Talk to Glory. Talk to P-21. Tell them I fucked up again and see if they can work something out. Only I can’t, because I went from being stuck in a city filled with swarms of pony-eating robots to being stuck in a world of eternal darkness and your father won’t let me out!” I roared at her, making her take another step away. “So yes! I think ‘frustrated’ is one way to put it!”
当我走向她时，我做了个鬼脸。""你知道吗？我也不介意,"我对她嘶嘶地说，用蹄子戳她的胸部。"我可以忍受失败。我是这方面的专家。我可以试着把它找回来。与晨辉对话。与P-21谈话。告诉他们我又搞砸了，看看他们能不能解决问题。只是我不能，因为我从被困在一个到处都是吃小马的机器人的城市，到被困在一个永恒的黑暗世界，而你父亲不让我出去!"我对她吼叫，让她再走开一步。"所以，是的！我认为'沮丧'是一种表达方式!"
And then, because no utterly foalish tantrum is complete without it, I clenched my eyes and screamed as loudly as I could. I put as much of my rage, frustration, and self-disgust as I could into it… and this damnable place bled my outrage
然后，因为没有完全像泡沫一样的发脾气是不完整的，我紧闭双眼，尽可能大声地尖叫。我把我的愤怒、沮丧和自我厌恶尽可能地融入其中......这个该死的地方榨干了我的愤怒
down to an anemic cry. When I finished, my throat ached and my eyes stung with tears as my heart thundered in my chest. I sat down hard on the rock, bowing my head. “I just… I didn’t want to lose it all. I can’t even be a mother here. This body is sterile,” I muttered raggedly, forlornly. I’d blown out all the fury inside me, leaving behind nothing but cold cinders and ash.
只剩下贫血的哭声。当我结束时，我的喉咙疼痛，我的眼睛刺痛与泪水，我的心脏在我的胸部雷鸣。我重重地坐在岩石上，低着头。"我只是......我不想失去一切。我甚至不能在这里做一个母亲。这个身体是无菌的,"我衣衫褴褛，孤独地喃喃自语。我把内心所有的愤怒都吹走了，只留下冰冷的灰烬和灰烬。
I felt a wing tentatively drape itself over my shoulders. “Please, don’t yell,”
我感到一只翅膀试探性地披在我的肩膀上。"请不要大喊大叫"
Tenebra said quietly, quickly. “I’m going to assume at least half of that was true.
坦内布拉平静地、迅速地说。"我认为其中至少有一半是真的。
Are you going to give up? Are you done?”
你打算放弃吗？你说完了吗?"
I took a deep breath of the cool, sterile air. “No,” I said, so low I could barely hear it myself. I glanced at her. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
我深深地吸了一口凉爽、无菌的空气。"不,"我说，声音很低，我自己几乎听不到。我瞥了她一眼。"你为什么对我这么好?"
She gave a small shrug. “I’ve grown up wanting to smack my brother upside the head for his stupid plans. Like gluing all the furniture on the walls. Or trying to do a pantomime of Nightmare Moon’s demise. Or using oral sex to ease into the fact that eventually I was expected to do the deed with him knowing that every biology textbook said it was wrong. Never mind morals. I know what it’s like being trapped, so I can sympathize.” She gestured off into the darkness with a wing. “Shall we go?”
她轻轻地耸了耸肩。"我从小就想因为我哥哥的愚蠢计划，把他的脑袋打个稀巴烂。比如把所有的家具都粘在墙上。或者试图做一个恶梦之月的死亡哑剧。或者用口交来缓解这样一个事实，即最终我要和他一起做这件事，因为我知道每一本生物教科书都说这是错误的。别管什么道德了。我知道被困住是什么感觉，所以我很同情你。"她挥动翅膀向黑暗中走去。"我们走吧?"
I nodded, and we started walking quietly along the dry riverbed. “How’d it get so bad?” I asked with a frown. We walked past an immense, broken black obelisk, now lying on its side by the riverbed, engraved with icons of an alicorn. As we travelled past it, it shimmered and disappeared into a ridge of broken rock, evaporating like a mirage.
我点点头，我们开始沿着干涸的河床静静地走着。"怎么会变得这么糟糕?"我皱着眉头问。我们走过一个巨大的、破损的黑色方尖碑，它现在就躺在河床边，上面雕刻着一个独角兽的图标。当我们经过它的时候，它闪闪发光，消失在破碎的岩石中，就像海市蜃楼一样蒸发了。
She took a while to answer, glancing back at me several times as she struggled to find words. “Stygius and Father aside, most batponies don’t have the ability to travel from here to the world of light. Luna blesses us each in different ways. Most have to use the portal to the Citadel. Since the majority of our kind were in towns and cities, they died along with the rest of Equestria. Those that didn’t were left trapped in the Wasteland. Only a few made it back.”
她花了一会儿时间才回答我的问题，努力想找到合适的词语时，她回头看了我好几次。"除了斯蒂吉乌斯和父亲，大多数蝙蝠侠没有能力从这里旅行到光的世界。卢娜用不同的方式祝福我们每个人。大多数人必须使用通往城堡的入口。因为我们大多数人都生活在城镇里，所以他们和Equestria其他地方的人一起死去了。那些没有这样做的人被困在了荒原。只有少数人回来了。"
“And those that did?” I asked.
"那么那些知道的呢?"我问道。
She gave a wry smile as a forest of ebony trees flickered into existence around us, disappeared, and flickered back again. “You’re a stable pony. We bottled things up and got busy doing nothing. King Ebonstar ruled us, but generation after generation things simply… dwindled. We trained. We studied. We did all
她苦笑了一下，我们周围的乌木树林忽隐忽现，消失不见，又忽隐忽现。"你是一匹稳定的小马。我们把事情憋在心里，忙着无所事事。国王埃邦之星统治着我们，但一代又一代的事物只是......逐渐减少。我们受过训练。我们学习。我们做了所有的事
we could to excel… then we bred with second cousins, then first cousins, then half siblings…” She shook her head. “Genetic death.”
我们可以做得更好......然后我们和第二个堂兄弟，第一个堂兄弟，然后是同父异母的兄弟姐妹交配......"她摇摇头。"遗传性死亡。"
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
"对不起,"我低声说。
Her tufted ears dropped. “Not as much as I am. Stygius is an utter idiot. I’m twice as smart as he is, but he was the one who left our home to try and save our species. I thought he was a randy fool. What he’s done… it may just work.” Then she glanced back at me as the ground beneath her shifted into an obsidian road. “Of course, if you’re right, we may only have bought a few generations.”
她竖起的耳朵垂了下来。""没有我那么喜欢。斯提吉乌斯是个彻头彻尾的白痴。我比他聪明两倍，但是是他离开了我们的家，试图拯救我们的物种。我以为他是个好色的傻瓜。他的所作所为......可能会奏效。"然后她回头看了我一眼，她脚下的土地变成了一条黑曜石路。"当然，如果你是对的，我们可能只买了几代。"
“If I’m right.” I sighed. “Sometimes I don’t think anyone’s right. Not me. Not Cognitum. Not Princess Luna. Not anyone.” I tapped the side of my head. “I have the memories of… at least two dozen ponies in my head. I can’t think of a single one that had it all together.” I closed my eyes. “Does the name ‘Goldenblood’ mean anything to you?”
"如果我是对的。"我叹了口气。"有时候我觉得没有人是对的。不是我。不知觉。不是露娜公主。不是任何人。"我轻轻敲了敲头的一侧。"我脑子里至少有两打小马的记忆。我想不出有哪家公司能做到这一切。"我闭上了眼睛。"'金血王'这个名字对你有什么意义吗?"
“No. Should it?” she asked as the shadowy road flickered back to uneven piles.
"没有。应该这样吗?"她问道，阴暗的道路摇摇晃晃地回到不平坦的山堆上。
I let out a grunt. “I guess not. Tell me, do you think it’s possible for one pony to manipulate an entire country from behind the scenes?”
我咕哝了一声。"我想不会。告诉我，你认为一匹小马能在幕后操纵整个国家吗?"
“Of course,” she answered. I glanced at her in surprise, arching a brow. “Princesses. Caesars. Generals. Everypony always remembers the leaders, but dig down a little more. Commander Ebonstar served Princess Luna’s night guard. Just what did he do under her command? How did he execute orders? Was he loyal? Did he bend rules? What of the ponies under them?” She shook her head again. “Nopony really knows everything. But if a pony was skilled enough, certainly. The thing you’ll never be able to answer, though, is the question of who was manipulating them.”
"当然,"她回答。我惊讶地瞥了她一眼，扬起了眉毛。"公主们。凯撒。将军们。每个小马都记得领头的，但是更深入一点。指挥官埃邦斯塔为卢娜公主的夜间护卫服务。他在她的指挥下做了什么？他是如何执行命令的？他忠诚吗？他违反规定了吗？它们下面的小马怎么办?"她又摇了摇头。"小马真的什么都知道。但是如果一匹小马有足够的技能，当然可以。不过，你永远无法回答的问题是，谁在操纵它们。"
Her words echoed in my head, but again everything came down to that one question: Why? Why did Goldenblood do what he did? Why make Horizons? Why betray Luna? Why did he freak out at the end?
她的话在我的脑海里回荡，但是一切又回到了那个问题:为什么？为什么金血王要这么做？为什么要创造地平线？为什么要背叛露娜？为什么他最后会崩溃？
All about us sprang a shadowy metropolis of buildings. An entire city of black stone. “What is all this?” I asked, whirling at the looming gothic architecture.
我们周围突然出现了一个建筑群组成的朦胧的大都市。整个城市的黑色石头。"这是什么?"我问道，转过身来看着隐约可见的哥特式建筑。
“Princess Luna’s capital,” she said with a wing sweep at the grand structures of flickering, shadowy rock decorated with a moon and star motif. I gaped, then
"卢娜公主的首都,"她说着，用翅膀扫了一下那些闪烁着月亮和星星图案的宏伟建筑。我目瞪口呆
peered at her skeptically. “It was never built,” she said with a wry smile. “This was Princess Luna’s dream, before the Nightmare. Her own city, her Canterlot. But Celestia refused, and it drove Luna to darkness. Lunaria was never to be. But it persists here.”
用怀疑的眼神看着她。她苦笑着说:"它从来没有建成过。"。"这是卢娜公主在噩梦之前的梦想。她自己的城市，她的坎特罗特。但是塞莱斯蒂娅拒绝了，这使得卢娜陷入了黑暗。Lunaria永远不会成为。但它在这里依然存在。"
“So this place is a dream?” I asked. “Or is the dream a place here?”
"所以这个地方是个梦?"我问道。"还是梦想就在这里?"
She gave a silent shrug as we trotted past soaring buildings with flying buttresses decorated with bat wings and pointed arches. Obsidian statuary dedicated to the night was everywhere. I’d seen pieces of Canterlot in memories; this place was dark but no less grand. What if Celestia had let Luna go and found her own kingdom of the night? Would she still have rebelled? Been banished? Returned and been forced to rule a realm that was never her own? Would Twilight and her friends have met, formed their bonds, and then watched those bonds melt in the fires of war? Would I have ever been born?
当我们小跑经过高耸的建筑物时，她无言地耸了耸肩，高耸的建筑物上有装饰着蝙蝠翅膀和尖拱的飞扶壁。献给夜晚的黑曜石雕像随处可见。我曾在回忆中看到过Canterlot的碎片，这个地方虽然黑暗，但依然雄伟壮观。如果塞莱斯蒂亚已经放走了卢娜，并且找到了她自己的夜之王国会怎么样？她还会反抗吗？被放逐了？被遣返并被迫统治一个从来不属于她的王国？暮光之城和她的朋友们会不会相遇，结成他们的纽带，然后眼睁睁地看着这些纽带在战火中融化？我会出生吗？
Everything was connected, whether I wanted to admit it or not. Had I killed Sanguine, or Dawn, or Charm, I wouldn’t be here. When you examined the intricacies of a life, any life, it all seemed so contrived, yet what else was there to do but accept it and move on from there?
不管我愿不愿意承认，每件事都是有联系的。如果我杀了桑吉尼，道恩，或者查蒙，我就不会在这里了。当你审视错综复杂的生活，任何一种生活，它看起来都那么做作，然而除了接受它并从那里继续生活，还有什么可做的呢？
As the city melted away around us, we approached the only thing that seemed real: a looming black fortification rearing up into the eternal dark sky. Then I said words I didn’t expect to say. “I need to talk to your father.”
随着这座城市在我们周围逐渐消失，我们走近了唯一看起来真实的东西:一座隐约可见的黑色防御工事矗立在永恒的黑暗天空中。然后我说了一些我没想到会说的话。"我要和你父亲谈谈。"
She jerked her head, eyes wide. “That is not wise, especially so soon after–” I saw her ear twitch again and she froze. We stood motionless in the Hoofington riverbed, the dry sand and pebbles shifting around us silently as if an invisible current flowed past.
她猛地抬起头，眼睛睁得大大的。"这是不明智的，尤其是不久之后——"我看到她的耳朵又抽搐了一下，她僵住了。我们一动不动地站在Hoofington河床上，干燥的沙子和鹅卵石静静地在我们周围移动，就像一股看不见的水流流过。
Freezing wasn’t good, but it was better than talking and getting killed. My magic lifted the dark purple spear I’d taken from the armory. “What is it?” I whispered.
冷冻并不好，但总比说话和被杀要好。我的魔法把我从军械库拿来的暗紫色长矛举了起来。"这是什么?"我低声说。
“I hear an echo,” Tenebra whispered back, her yellow eyes narrowed in focus as her ears twitched.
"我听到了回声,"Tenebra小声回答，她的黄色眼睛聚焦在她的耳朵抽搐。
“That’s it?” I asked, sounding let down. With all I’d faced, this seemed a little anticlimactic.
"就这样?"我问道，听起来有些失望。面对这一切，我觉得这似乎有点虎头蛇尾。
“Not an echo of sound. An echo.” She paused, and then I heard it too. A wailing
"没有声音的回音。回声。"她停顿了一下，然后我也听到了。一声哀号
noise mixed with sobs. It would have been pitiful if it hadn’t sounded so big. “An echo of a life.”
混合着哭泣的噪音。如果它听起来不是那么大的话，那就太可怜了。"生命的回声。"
“Ghosts? You’re telling me there are actually ghosts here?” I said, both skeptical and freaked out. I talked to the soul of Princess Luna, so my credulity limit was set pretty high. “What do we do?”
"鬼魂？你是说这里真的有鬼吗?"我说，既怀疑又害怕。我和露娜公主的灵魂交谈过，所以我的可信度被设置得很高。"我们该怎么办?"
Suddenly, from the darkness, a shape appeared. Its body seemed to be that of an immense weeping serpent. In its wake, the shadowscape was ripped up as if by a potent current. Dimly through the darkness, I thought I heard the immense creature sobbing over and over, ‘What a world’ and ‘It hurts! It hurts so much!’ “Flee!” Tenebra shouted, turning and racing away from the immense beast.
突然，黑暗中出现了一个形状。它的身体似乎是一条巨大的、正在哭泣的蛇。随之而来的是阴影，仿佛被一股强大的电流撕裂了。在昏暗的黑暗中，我仿佛听到那巨大的生物一遍又一遍地哭泣,"这是个什么样的世界"和"好痛啊!"！疼死我了"快跑!"坦内布拉大声喊道，转身迅速离开这头巨大的野兽。
The floating serpent creature turned towards us, weeping and thrashing through the air. While its smoky quartz body wasn’t actually touching anything as it swam after us, its motions were releasing waves of force that I could feel, even from this distance. I tried to teleport to Tenebra, and my focus popped like a soap bubble. Eyes widening, I fled by manual means after her.
这个漂浮的蛇形生物转向我们，哭泣着，在空中扑腾着。当它在我们后面游动时，它的烟状石英实际上并没有接触到任何东西，它的运动释放出我能感觉到的力量波，即使是从这么远的距离。我试图传送到Tenebra，但我的注意力像肥皂泡一样爆掉了。眼睛睁得大大的，我用手动的方式追她逃走了。
Surprisingly, I caught up with her inside a minute. The batpony had an odd hitch to her gait which made her stumble every dozen or so feet. “Why is it chasing us?”
令人惊讶的是，我在一分钟内赶上了她。那匹蝙蝠小马的步伐有些奇怪，每走十几步就绊倒一次。"它为什么在追我们?"
“It’s an echo of a life. It’s not a real thing! It just wants to be experienced. Live its life again,” she shouted, her flapping wings barely keeping her from faceplanting.
"这是一种生活的回声。这不是一个真实的东西！它只是想体验一下。重新开始它的生活,"她喊道，扇动的翅膀几乎让她无法不去面对。
“What’s so bad about that?” I asked, glancing back at the storm that was ripping up the riverbed behind us. The closer it got, the more clearly I could hear something like screams and the unmistakable ‘Skoom’ of balefire bombs.
"这有什么不好的?"我问道，回头看了看我们身后掀起河床的暴风雨。它离我越近，我就越能清楚地听到尖叫声和无误的爆炸声。
“It died!” she shouted back. “You want that to happen to you?”
"它死了!"她大声回应。"你想让这种事发生在你身上吗?"
Okay. Fair point! “It wouldn’t be my first time,” I retorted, but I wasn’t sure if I’d come back this time if it happened. I tried to get off a teleportation spell again, but the disruptive field around the serpent kept scattering my focus. I gritted my teeth, trying over and over again, and finally my horn flashed and I teleported up to the rim of the river. I turned and saw Tenebra stumbling along. “Okay! You can fly now!” She didn’t. The spectral serpent had ghostly balefire bombs going off above it as it swam through the air. Dear Celestia, what was
好吧。有道理！"这不是我的第一次,"我反驳道，但我不确定这次是否会回来，如果它发生了。我试图再次摆脱一个瞬间移动的咒语，但是这条蛇周围的分裂场一直在分散我的注意力。我咬紧牙关，一次又一次地尝试，终于我的喇叭一闪，我心灵感应到了河边。我转过身，看到Tenebra正蹒跚前行。"好吧！你现在可以飞了!"她没有。幽灵蛇在空中游动的时候，在它的上方发射出可怕的火焰炸弹。亲爱的塞莱斯蒂亚，什么是
wrong with her? “I’m clear! Fly!”
她怎么了？"我安全了！飞吧!"
But she still didn’t fly. Her wings flailed about unevenly and only threw off her stride even more. Then her eyes rolled back and her legs spasmed out from beneath her. She collapsed onto her side, jerking in the throes of a seizure. The ghostly creature zoomed in for the kill.
但她还是没有飞起来。她的翅膀摆动得不均匀，只是使她的步伐更加不协调。然后她的眼睛向后转了转，双腿从下面抽搐着伸了出来。她瘫倒在地，抽搐得剧烈。那个可怕的生物聚集在一起准备杀人。
I didn’t think. I simply acted. I teleported to stand atop Tenebra and let the monster hit me first.
我没想到。我只是表演了一下。我瞬移到了Tenebra山顶，让那个怪物先打中了我。
At the contact, I was jerked in a way that felt similar to the effect of a memory orb or the Perceptitron, but far more intimate. I swam through the Hoofington bay alongside the massive battleship as it prepared for another mission. I didn’t like the pony war, hated it, in fact, but bad things happened to non-ponies who didn’t support the ministries’ war effort. Patrolling the bay for talisman mines was far simpler than resisting, and it wasn’t like I was killing anyone.
在接触过程中，我被抽搐了一下，感觉就像是记忆球或感知器的效果，但要亲密得多。我和这艘巨大的战舰一起游过Hoofington，它正在为下一个任务做准备。我不喜欢小马战争，事实上，我讨厌它，但是坏事发生在那些不支持政府部门战争努力的非小马身上。在海湾巡逻寻找护身符地雷要比抵抗简单得多，而且我也没有杀任何人。
Suddenly alarms went off at the base, and sirens sounded further in. Sailor ponies ran back and forth along the buildings and on the ships. Contrails snaked across the sky; not one or two, or even a dozen, but hundreds. It seemed surreal. Then they started to fall, and instantly the naval base was silhouetted in a garish rainbow glow. I went blind, hearing the screams and then the concussive roar as it rolled across the bay. I dove for the safety of the water, and then… the Luna exploded. The blast was so intense, I felt myself burning even beneath the waves. I swam down, buried myself in the mud, and prayed for the pain to end.
基地的警报突然响了起来，警报声在更远的地方响起。水手小马在建筑物和船上来回奔跑。飞机的尾迹在天空中蜿蜒盘旋，不是一两条，也不是十几条，而是几百条。这似乎有些超现实。然后它们开始掉落，海军基地的轮廓立刻映出耀眼的彩虹光芒。我失明了，听到尖叫声，然后是震荡的咆哮声，因为它滚过了海湾。我为了水的安全跳了下去，然后...月神爆炸了。冲击波是如此强烈，我甚至感到自己在海浪下也在燃烧。我游了下去，把自己埋在泥里，祈祷痛苦结束。
It didn’t. When I emerged, my magnificently coiffed mane began to fall out, and my scales sloughed off. Then my skin. Then the muscles beneath. I was larger than the ponies dying in the green snow; it took me weeks to finally perish. And when I did, I died thrashing and blind on the banks of this river. I hadn’t wanted to die. It hadn’t even been my war…
但事实并非如此。当我出现的时候，我华丽的头发开始脱落，鳞片也脱落了。然后是我的皮肤。然后是下面的肌肉。我比那些在绿色的雪地里奄奄一息的小马还要大;我花了好几个星期才最终死去。当我这样做的时候，我在这条河的岸边猛烈地颠簸和盲目地死去。我不想死。这甚至都不是我的战争..。
I don’t know if it was my blank body, the fact that I had way too much experience dying, or simply that the echo wasn’t fatal after all, but the ghostly serpent whisked through me and continued down the river. The screaming faded away, along with the roar of balefire. Soon, the only sound was Tenebra spasming at my hooves.
我不知道是因为我空白的身体，还是因为我经历过太多死亡的事实，或者仅仅是因为回声毕竟不是致命的，但是那条幽灵般的蛇迅速穿过我，继续沿着河流而下。尖叫声随着巴勒火的轰鸣声渐渐消失了。很快，唯一的声音是Tenebra在我的蹄子上抽搐。
I had exactly enough medical knowledge to put the haft of my spear between her teeth to keep her from biting off her tongue, then wait for the seizure to pass.
我完全有足够的医学知识把我的长矛的一半放在她的牙齿之间，以防止她咬断她的舌头，然后等待癫痫发作过去。
Thirty seconds later, her jerking slowed, then stopped. I pulled out the spear haft and held her as she went from seizing to crying.
三十秒后，她的抽搐减慢了，然后停止了。我拔出长矛的一半，抓住她，她从抽搐到哭泣。
“Well, that was an interesting death,” I commented quietly.
"嗯，这是一个有趣的死亡,"我平静地评论。
She opened a teary, yellow eye and wiped her snotty muzzle on a hoof. “You… you experienced it? And you lived?”
她睁开一只眼泪汪汪的黄眼睛，用蹄子擦拭着鼻涕。"你......你经历过吗？你活下来了?"
“Well, honestly, on a scale of one to ten, it was about a four. I mean, dying of radiation poisoning sucks butt – I mean, I should know; I’ve nearly gone that way twice – but being in a room of screaming, melted flesh and metal is a whole lot worse.” She stared at me for several seconds, her incredulity shifting to shock. “Really,” I said with a small smile. “I’ve had worse.”
"嗯，老实说，从一到十打分，大约是四分。我的意思是，死于辐射中毒很糟糕——我的意思是，我应该知道，我差点就死了两次——但是呆在一个充斥着尖叫、融化的肉体和金属的房间里更糟糕。"她盯着我看了几秒钟，她的怀疑变成了震惊。"真的,"我微笑着说。"我经历过更糟的。"
“I suppose Whisper is less of an exaggerating braggart than I thought,” she murmured as she carefully rose and adjusted her armor. She dripped wounded pride. “I’m sorry I was not able to fly to safety,” she said in a faintly tremulous voice. ‘I wish you hadn’t seen that,’ added her posture.
"我想Whisper并没有我想象的那么夸张,"她一边小心翼翼地站起来调整盔甲，一边喃喃地说。她流下受伤的自尊心。"对不起，我没能飞到安全的地方,"她用微弱而颤抖的声音说。"我希望你没有看到那个,"她的姿势补充说。
“I’m guessing this wasn’t the first time?” I asked softly.
"我猜这不是第一次了吧?"我轻声问道。
“No. It happens quite frequently when I am… apprehensive and stressed. All batponies have physical, social, and educational regimens to keep us fit and sane. I’ve… frequently… failed them. My brother’s… mare,” she said delicately, as if she’d much rather have said something else. “She found them quite amusing at first. Thankfully she found organizing orgies much more diverting.”
"没有。这种情况经常发生在我感到忧虑和紧张的时候。所有的蝙蝠侠都有身体的、社会的和教育的养生法来保持我们的健康和理智。我...经常...让他们失望。我哥哥的......母马,"她小心翼翼地说，好像她宁愿说点别的什么似的。"一开始她觉得这些故事很有趣。谢天谢地，她发现组织狂欢更有趣。"
“Your parents are… um…” Well, this was getting into awkward territory.
"你的父母是......嗯......"好吧，这是进入尴尬的领域。
“Half brother and sister. They share the same father,” she replied. “Mother suffers from acute angina. Father from frequent migraines.”
"同父异母的兄弟姐妹。他们有同一个父亲,"她回答。"母亲患有急性心绞痛。父亲经常偏头痛。"
I stared at her for several seconds. Her parents like that, and she had seizures; if she actually had kids with her brother… I shoved the ugly thought aside. “You guys can’t stay here,” I told her quietly. “If you’re at the point of genetic collapse, bringing in a few dozen ponies isn’t going to save your people. You’ve got to convince him to let me go.”
我盯着她看了几秒钟。她的父母喜欢这样，她有癫痫;如果她真的和她的哥哥有孩子......我把这个丑陋的想法放在一边。"你们不能呆在这儿,"我平静地告诉她。"如果你正处于基因崩溃的边缘，引进几十匹小马并不能拯救你的人民。你得说服他放我走。"
“Even if I told him about your rescue, he would criticize my weakness, not reward your courage,” she said as she pulled herself to her hooves.
"即使我告诉他你获救的事，他也会批评我的软弱，而不是奖励你的勇气,"她一边说，一边全力以赴。
“But her mother would thank you,” a gentle voice said from above us. The pale Persephone landed before us, along with Whisper and Stygius. She trotted towards me and gave me a firm hug, then a second to Tenebra. “Thank you,” she said, looking at me with her pale red eyes.
"但是她的母亲会感谢你的,"一个温柔的声音从我们上面传来。苍白的珀尔塞福涅在我们面前降落，一起降落的还有密语和冥河。她朝我小跑过来，紧紧地拥抱了我一下，然后又跑到了Tenebra。"谢谢你,"她说，用她苍白的红眼睛看着我。
“You’re welcome,” I replied. “But I meant what I said. I can’t stay here in the shadows. Every second, who knows what Cognitum is doing? Can’t you do something?”
"不客气,"我回答。"但是我说的都是认真的。我不能呆在阴影里。每一秒钟，谁知道认知在做什么？你就不能做点什么吗?"
“Perhaps, if we had a month, but according to you and my son, we don’t,” she said, glancing over at Stygius.
"也许，如果我们有一个月的时间，但是根据你和我儿子的说法，我们没有,"她说着，瞥了一眼Stygius。
I turned to face him, and he held up his board. ‘Fighting. Zebra & ponies. Bad’.
我转身面对他，他举起了冲浪板。战斗。斑马和小马。糟糕。
"Oh, isn't he just so eloquent?" Whisper cooed, stroking his cheek with a power hoof. Tenebra made a gagging face behind his back.
"哦，他是不是很能说啊?"低声细语，用一只有力的蹄子抚摸着他的脸颊。Tenebra在他背后做了一个令人作呕的表情。
I groaned, rubbing my temples. “That was the plan. Harbingers and Brood build up. Brood start to attack. Harbingers save everypony in the Hoof. Cognitum takes over.”
我呻吟着，揉着我的太阳穴。"这就是我的计划。预兆和孵化积累。幼雏开始攻击。预言者拯救了霍夫的每一匹小马。认知力接管了一切。"
“Security takes over, actually,” Whisper said. “The heavy metal version of you apparently wasted no time asserting she was the biggest badass in the Hoof. I can only imagine how pissed Big Daddy is.”
"实际上，安全问题占了上风,"Whisper说。"那个重金属版的你显然没有浪费时间就声称她是霍夫最大的坏蛋。我只能想象老爹有多生气。"
I sighed and looked at Persephone. “Queen Persephone, if you can’t help me get home, then can you tell me if the batponies have a prisoner here named Goldenblood?”
我叹了口气，看着珀尔塞福涅。"珀尔塞福涅女王，如果你不能帮我回家，那么你能告诉我这里的战士是否有一个叫金血的囚犯吗?"
Her expression sobered immediately. “You know of him?” I gave a slow nod.
她的表情立刻冷静下来。"你知道他吗?"我慢慢地点了点头。
“Is he still alive?” I asked.
"他还活着吗?"我问道。
“I…” She swallowed, then looked at the Citadel behind her. Then back at us. “When the bombs fell, we followed the Princess’s orders. The Citadel was sealed, and all members of the O.I.A. were kept out. Apparently, this was quite a surprise to them. But there was one we fetched when we realized we could not save Princess Luna. We retrieved this Goldenblood, brought him here. He instructed… demanded, really… that we fortify his cell. He’s been there ever since. I am not sure what he is, but he is alive.”
"我.....。。」她咽了口唾沫，然后看着身后的城堡。然后回到我们身边。"当炸弹落下的时候，我们听从了公主的命令。城堡被封锁了，所有的o.i.a.成员都被拒之门外。显然，这对他们来说是个惊喜。但是当我们意识到我们救不了卢娜公主的时候，我们找到了一个。我们找到了这个金色血液，把他带到了这里。他指示......要求，真的......我们要加强他的牢房。从那以后他就一直在那里。我不知道他是什么人，但他还活着。"
“Please. I have to see him. I need to know why he did what he did,” I said quietly.
"求你了。我必须见他。我需要知道他为什么这么做,"我平静地说。
She seemed to struggle with the choice. Finally, she gazed at Tenebra and answered, “Only my husband is supposed to have any contact with him. His cell is completely automated. But.” She nuzzled her daughter. “You saved my child, and this I can help you with.”
她似乎在为这个选择而挣扎。最后，她凝视着Tenebra回答说:"只有我丈夫才应该和他有任何联系。他的手机是完全自动化的。但是。"她用鼻子蹭女儿。"你救了我的孩子，这个我可以帮你。"
Together, with Stygius and Whisper carrying me, we returned to the Citadel.
我们一起回到了城堡，斯蒂吉乌斯和密语抱着我。
* * *
* * *
We passed by several strange chambers on our way. Libraries that I had no doubt Twilight would have given a few molars to examine. A cold, defunct chemistry laboratory that still held an acrid tang. A huge purple gemstone carved in the shape of a heart that filled me with a sense of numb fear.
我们在路上经过了几个奇怪的房间。毫无疑问，《暮光之城》中的图书馆会有几颗臼齿来检查。一个冷冰冰的、废弃的化学实验室，仍然散发着刺鼻的气味。一块刻成心形的巨大紫色宝石，让我充满了麻木的恐惧感。
When Persephone, Tenebra, and I reached the bottom of a winding staircase, I beheld a massive, round, gear-toothed door with the symbol of the O.I.A. on it set in the wall of dark basalt. A modification had been made, though: the crescent moon in the center had been turned on its side, points upward, with wings drawn up and out from the sides and a star-topped wand rising from the center. Persephone trotted to the control panel set beside it and typed something in. “There’s a stable down here?” By reflex, I checked my hoof for a PipBuck location tag.
当珀尔塞福涅、特内布拉和我来到一个旋转楼梯的底部时，我看到了一扇巨大的圆形齿形门，门上印有o.i.a.的标志，位于深色玄武岩的墙壁上。尽管如此，还是做了一些修改:中央的新月被翻转过来，指向上方，翅膀从两侧卷起又向外伸出，一根星状的魔杖从中央升起。珀尔塞福涅小跑到它旁边的控制面板上，键入了一些东西。"这下面有马厩吗?"通过反射，我检查了我的蹄子是否有PipBuck的位置标签。
“Indeed. Where did you think we got our food and water? While Stygius and my husband enable us to bring in fresh food, there’s no way we could both rely on just that and stay hidden.” The door groaned and hissed, then rumbled slowly away. “It took almost three years to build, using a wide variety of clandestine contractors and secret arrangements with Stable-Tec.”
"的确。你以为我们的食物和水是从哪儿来的？虽然斯蒂吉乌斯和我的丈夫能让我们带来新鲜的食物，但我们不可能仅仅依靠这些食物而躲藏起来。"门发出呻吟和嘶嘶声，然后慢慢地开走了。"利用各种各样的秘密承包商和Stable-Tec的秘密安排，花了近三年时间建造。"
Goldenblood’s arrangement with Scootaloo, looking the other way while she planned her stables and their various social experiments. “But why are you living up there if you have a stable down here?” I asked as the door rolled aside. I half expected there to be a whole crowd of ponies within, but the door opened to a large, empty, and dimly-lit entry chamber. Tables were set in rows beneath banners that read ‘present identification’, ‘military personnel’, ‘government personnel’, and ‘civilian personnel’. “Did something happen to the stable?”
金布拉德和斯库塔卢的安排，在她规划自己的马厩和他们各种各样的社会实验时视而不见。"但如果你在这里有个马厩，为什么还要住在那里呢?"门滚到一边时，我问道。我还以为里面会有一大群小马驹，但是门却打开了一个大大的、空荡荡的、灯光昏暗的入口房间。桌子成排地放在横幅下面，上面写着"现有身份证明"、"军事人员"、"政府人员"和"文职人员"。"马厩发生什么事了吗?"
“Not at all. We’d simply prefer to live in our ancestral home rather than a hole in the ground. We also lacked the technical skills and numbers to run this facility,” Persephone said quietly. “Our ancestors simply put as much on standby and automated maintenance as they could and left it down here. Every year we come down, do what we can to keep things tidy, and raid the food stores and water talismans.”
"一点也不。我们只是宁愿住在我们祖先的家里，而不是住在地上的一个洞里。我们也缺乏管理这个设施的技术能力和人手,"珀尔塞福涅平静地说。"我们的祖先只是尽可能多地进行备用和自动化维护，然后把它留在这里。每年我们都会过来，尽我们所能保持东西整齐，抢劫食品店和水护身符。"
There was something amiss about this stable. We walked from the entry into what I’d assumed was an atrium. Instead, we walked past directories pointing to the left and right. ‘Atrium A’, ‘Atrium B’, and ‘Atrium C’? “How big is this place?” I said as I gaped at the map on the directory. ‘Big Macintosh Megastable Redoubt’ was printed at the bottom.
这个马厩有点不对劲。我们从入口走进一个我以为是中庭的地方。相反，我们走过指向左边和右边的目录。'中庭a','中庭b','中庭c'？"这个地方有多大?"我一边说，一边目瞪口呆地看着地图上的目录。"大Macintosh超级稳定堡垒"打印在底部。
“As large as the castle above, and then some,” she said as we trotted to an elevator. We stepped in, she pushed a button, one of twenty, and the car started to descend. “This place was built with the intention of protecting critical features of the Equestrian government in the event of a catastrophic attack. Being in the shadow world, even the most powerful assaults could be endured. The war, if necessary, could be commanded even if Canterlot were lost.”
"和上面的城堡一样大，甚至更大,"当我们小跑着走向电梯时，她说。我们走了进去，她按了二十个按钮中的一个，车开始下降。「建造这个地方的目的，是要在发生灾难性袭击时，保护马术政府的重要特色。」。在阴暗的世界里，即使是最强大的攻击也可以忍受。如果必要的话，即使坎特洛特失败了，也可以指挥战争。"
“And after Luna learned about Horizons, she made sure nopony used it till she was sure it was safe,” I said, Horse’s memories niggling at me with impressions of him trying to weed out who was loyal, who was useful, and who he could purge to win points with Princess Luna. “The evacuation plans were all messed up. No wonder only the pegasi were able to regroup and organize.” And the Steel Rangers, by commandeering other stables and smaller bunkers.
"在卢娜了解了地平线之后，她确保小马不会使用它，直到她确定它是安全的,"我说，马的记忆在我脑海中浮现，它试图剔除哪些人是忠诚的，哪些人是有用的，哪些人可以通过净化来赢得卢娜公主的点数。"撤离计划全都搞砸了。难怪只有飞马座能够重组和组织。"和钢铁游骑兵，征用其他马厩和更小的掩体。
“Yes. Only a token skeleton crew remained. We took over, but even then we didn’t even have a tenth of the number this place was made to hold.” The doors hissed open, and I immediately shivered. Our breath turned to mist in the frigid air. Persephone started forward, and a minute later I followed. “Without the Redoubt, Equestria was in chaos. Command networks were destroyed, but there were still some agents that continued with the old plan.”
"是的。只剩下象征性的骨干船员。我们接管了这个地方，但即便如此，我们的人数也不及这个地方的十分之一。"门嘶嘶地开了，我立刻打了个哆嗦。我们的呼吸在寒冷的空气中变成了薄雾。珀尔塞福涅向前走去，一分钟后我也跟了上去。"没有了堡垒，小马国陷入了混乱。指挥网络被摧毁，但仍有一些特工继续执行旧计划。"
“Garnet. You shut the door on her,” I said with a small smile, remembering her dying slowly of radiation poisoning. Normally I wouldn’t wish that on anypony, but Garnet had been abnormally vile. I could appreciate the fitness of the batponies’ decision. If Garnet had made it in here, she’d have probably killed everypony who crossed her. “What about Goldenblood?”
"石榴石。你给她关上了门,"我微笑着说，回忆起她因辐射中毒而慢慢死去的情景。通常情况下，我不希望这样的事情发生在任何小马身上，但是石榴石是非常邪恶的。我很欣赏蝙蝠战马队的决定。如果石榴石在这里，她可能已经杀死每一匹穿过她的小马。"金色血统怎么样?"
“I don’t know what he said to my ancestors, but somehow he convinced them not to execute him, or throw him out into the green snow to die. I know not why, but he was entombed, by his own request, within this empty place. Every year we come down and find him still sealed.”
"我不知道他对我的祖先说了什么，但是他说服他们不要处决他，或者把他扔到绿色的雪地里等死。我不知道为什么，但是按照他自己的要求，他被埋葬在这个空荡荡的地方。每年我们来到这里，都会发现他仍然密封着。"
I shivered as we trotted along. Behind glass walls were racks upon racks of boxes. “What is this place?” I muttered, levitating one box off its shelf. My magic brushed off the frost. ‘Seed stock AJ-2011-BM: Wheat’ was printed on its side, along with an expiration date almost three hundred years in the future!
当我们一路小跑时，我打了个寒颤。在玻璃墙后面是架子上的箱子。"这是什么地方?"我喃喃自语，把一个盒子从架子上弄了下来。我的魔法拂去了霜冻。"种子股票AJ-2011-BM:小麦"是印在它的一面，随着一个到期日期将近三百年的未来！
“A storeroom. One of many. Some, like this one, hold seeds and spores. Others hold animal embryos.” I twitched at the word; I’d gotten a D in reproductive education, but I’d answered that one right on the multiple choice test. “Hundreds of different species.” There had to be enough seeds here to cover the Hoof in food. Or more. No telling how much of it might have spoiled, but still.
"储藏室。其中之一。有些，比如这个，含有种子和孢子。其他人则持有动物胚胎。"我一听到这个词就抽搐了一下;我的生殖教育得了d，但是我在多项选择测试中正确地回答了这个问题。"数百种不同的物种。"这里必须有足够的种子来覆盖霍夫的食物。或者更多。不知道有多少会变质，但还是变质了。
Tenebra added, “There’s a surprising amount of material for fabrication. Machine shops. Almost no weapons, though. Curious, given the purpose of this place.”
Tenebra补充说,"制造材料的数量惊人。机械车间。但几乎没有武器。考虑到这个地方的用途，我很好奇。"
We reached the end of the hall. Etched on the door was one word: ‘Nopony’. I glanced at her, then at the door. It hissed open. There was a second door on the far side of the cubic room within, one every bit as heavy as the entrance door above. A desk and a terminal sat in the middle of the room, facing me, with a beam turret in each corner. A trio of memory orbs sat in a sealed glass case beside the terminal, each one radiating that golden yellowish light. I tried to tug the case open, but it remained shut.
我们走到大厅的尽头。门上蚀刻着一个词:"Nopony"。我看了她一眼，然后又看了看门。它嘶嘶地打开了。在这个立方体房间的另一边有第二扇门，每一扇门都和上面的入口门一样重。房间中央放着一张桌子和一个终端机，正对着我，每个角落都有一个梁式塔楼。三个记忆球放置在终端旁边一个密封的玻璃盒子里，每个都放射出金黄色的光芒。我试图用力拉开箱子，但箱子一直关着。
“What the heck is this?” I asked as I pointed a hoof at the four turrets. Was it just me, or did they look like the extra hot beamy death model? Glory’d know for sure. Damn, I wished she was here.
"这是什么鬼东西?"我一边问，一边把蹄子指向四个角楼。是只有我这么觉得，还是她们看起来就像超级性感的死亡模特？晨辉肯定知道。该死，我真希望她在这里。
“They were installed per Goldenblood’s request, to discourage idle attempts to access his prison. My husband has the override to the turrets, but I’m afraid I do not know it. Since a unicorn is needed to use these memory orbs, we’ve never risked opening those doors.” She gestured to the terminal with a snowy wing. “Once you turn it on, the case will open. I can only assume they contain memories to help you open the door.”
"他们是应金血王的要求安装的，目的是阻止进入他的监狱的无用的尝试。我丈夫有通往塔楼的超驰装置，但我恐怕不知道。由于使用这些记忆球需要一只独角兽，我们从未冒险打开这些门。"她用雪白的翅膀指了指候机厅。"一旦你打开它，箱子就会打开。我只能假设它们包含了帮助你打开大门的记忆。"
I looked at the three in their case. “Oh, is that all?” I said sarcastically.
我看了看他们三个的情况。"哦，就这些吗?"我讽刺地说。
“No,” she replied evenly. “There is supposedly an enchantment upon them. If you do not know the password, your heart will stop and you will never wake again.” I gaped at her, and she gave a faint smile. “You asked.”
"不,"她平静地回答。"据说他们被施了魔法。如果你不知道密码，你的心脏就会停止跳动，再也不会醒来。"我目瞪口呆地看着她，她淡淡地笑了笑。"你问的。"
I sighed, then chuckled softly. “Yeah. I did,” I said as I sat before the terminal. “I don’t suppose I could just chat with him without going through all this, could I?” I asked lamely, hoping the answer would be a surprise ‘yes’.
我叹了口气，然后轻轻地笑了。"是的。是的,"我坐在候机厅前说。"我想我不能不经历这一切就和他聊天，不是吗?"我一瘸一拐地问，希望得到的回答会是惊喜的'是'。
Persephone smiled and shook her head sadly. “That is not the way these things are done, Blackjack. Good luck,” she said simply as she leaned in and hugged me. “May the night comfort and bring you rest,” she said solemnly before turning and walking out of the room.
珀尔塞福涅笑了笑，悲伤地摇了摇头。"事情不是这么办的，Blackjack。祝你好运,"她一边俯身拥抱我，一边简单地说道。"愿夜晚给你安慰，让你得到休息,"她庄重地说，然后转身走出房间。
Tenebra averted her eyes, then moved closer and gave me a shoulder nudge. “Thank you for your assistance in the riverbed.” She backed away, glancing over her shoulder at her retreating mother. “I…” She met my gaze again. “You don’t have to do this. Give me a few days. I’m sure between us we can get Father to relent!”
Tenebra移开了她的眼睛，然后靠近我，用肩膀轻推了我一下。"谢谢你在河床上的帮助。"她往后退了一步，回头看了看正在撤退的母亲。"我.....。。」她再次与我的目光相遇。"你没必要这么做。给我几天时间。我相信我们之间一定可以让父亲心软的!"
“In a few days, none of this is going to matter, one way or the other,” I replied with a quiet smile. “Either Cognitum or Amadi will win, or Horizons will obliterate everything I care about. Goldenblood has answers. I need to know…” I trailed off as my eyes returned to the terminal. “You should get out of here. Knowing my luck, I’ll sneeze and seal you up in here with me.”
"再过几天，这一切都不重要了，不管怎样,"我平静地笑着回答。"不是科涅塔姆就是阿马迪会赢，不然地平线会毁掉我所关心的一切。金血王知道答案。我需要知道......"当我的目光回到航站楼时，我慢了下来。"你应该离开这里。知道我的运气，我会打个喷嚏把你和我一起关在这里。"
“Right,” she said with a sheepish smile, then started for the exit. I turned, examining the terminal keys. Okay. Time to do this. I stretched out a hoof and– “Because I just…” Tenebra blurted behind me, and I froze, my hoof inches from the button. I turned, glancing back at her with a hard stare. “I just wanted… I mean… Whisper said how you like mares, and…”
"是的,"她带着羞怯的微笑说，然后向出口走去。我转过身，检查着终端钥匙。好吧。是时候这么做了。我伸出一只蹄子——"因为我刚刚......"天波拉脱口而出，我愣住了，蹄子离纽扣只有几英寸。我转过身，狠狠地瞪了她一眼。"我只是想......我是说......Whisper说你喜欢做母马，还有......"
“I’ll ask Glory,” I said as lightly as I could, then gestured to the door with my horn. “Now excuse me, but I need to set off the room of death for answers to questions.”
"我去问晨辉,"我尽可能轻声地说，然后用喇叭指了指门。"现在，对不起，我要离开死亡之屋去寻找问题的答案。"
“Come, daughter. She’ll return on her own later,” Persephone said in that offering-condolences tone of voice.
"来吧，女儿。她以后会自己回来的,"珀尔塞福涅用表示哀悼的语气说。
“Right. Right,” Tenebra said as I returned my attention to the terminal. I sighed, checked to make sure she was going, then reached out a hoof again to the
"对。是的,"当我把注意力回到终端时，Tenebra说。我叹了口气，看了看她是不是要走了，然后又伸出一只蹄子来
buttons. Time to get this party– A thunderous sneeze detonated behind me, and I jumped in shock, landing with my hooves splayed to either side of the terminal. I glanced back at the blushing batpony mare standing in the doorway as she wiped her muzzle with a wing. “Sorry. All this dry air…”
纽扣。是时候开始这场派对了——一个雷鸣般的喷嚏在我身后爆炸了，我吓得跳了起来，双蹄分开着落在航站楼的两侧。我回头看了一眼站在门口的红扑扑的母马，她用翅膀擦了擦口鼻。"对不起。这干燥的空气......"
Funny how a spike in anger can give you just enough telekinetic force to toss a batpony down a hall like a paper glider. Persephone watched her sail overhead and sighed, gave me a shrug of resignation, then, shaking her head, moved down to assist her offspring. I trotted back to the terminal and smacked the keys with a hoof before the universe conspired some way to somehow accidentally throw her into the chamber and seal her inside with me.
有趣的是，愤怒的尖峰状态可以给你足够的隔空移物的力量，把一匹蝙蝠马像纸滑翔机一样扔下大厅。珀尔塞福涅看着她在头顶上航行，叹了口气，对我无可奈何地耸了耸肩，然后摇摇头，下去帮助她的后代。我小跑着回到终端机，用蹄子敲了敲钥匙，在宇宙阴谋某种方式不小心把她扔进密室，把她和我一起封在里面之前。
As soon as I did, there was a flicker as a magical shield was erected around the room. The turrets hummed, all four orienting on me. Finally, the memory orb case popped open. I saw each orb was conveniently numbered. I stared at the cursor on the terminal.
就在我这样做的时候，房间里立起了一个魔法盾牌，闪烁了一下。炮塔嗡嗡作响，四个都指向我。最后，记忆球盒弹开了。我看到每一个球都被方便地编了号。我盯着终端上的光标。
>WHO DID IT?
谁干的？
Well, that was refreshingly vague. “Rarity, in the atrium, with the candlestick,” I drawled sarcastically as I lifted the orb. I stared into the golden depths. “Okay, Goldenblood, deal the deck and let’s play.” With my courage and bravado running neck and neck, I touched the orb to my horn.
这话说得太含糊了。"稀有，在中庭里，拿着烛台,"我举起球体时带着讽刺的语调慢吞吞地说。我凝视着金色的深处。"好了，金血王，发牌吧，我们开始玩吧。"凭着我的勇气和虚张声势的奔跑，我把球碰到了我的号角上。
As soon as contact was made, I felt a growing pressure building in my head, the world’s strongest migraine. It felt as if my skull was going to explode, and for all I knew, it was! A rasped question thudded in my skull with each throb. ‘What did I teach?’
一接触到，我就感觉到脑袋里的压力越来越大，这是世界上最严重的偏头痛。我感觉我的头骨就要爆炸了，就我所知，它就要爆炸了！随着每一次悸动，一个尖锐的问题在我的脑海里砰砰作响。"我教了什么?"
Betrayal and lying? Secret conspiracies 101? But with each flippant thought, the pain increased. The thudding was starting to grow and grow, yet every muscle in my body was frozen in place. Was it just me, or could I feel blood dripping out my nose? Think. Think! It’d been before Luna… at Littlehorn. Geology? No… arrgh, my head. No, he’d taught something else. Something that’d made Luna pick him. Politics? Government? Nnnnnngggh... things were getting really blurry. History! He’d taught– the world swirled away.
背叛和谎言？秘密阴谋101？但是随着每一次轻率的想法，疼痛增加了。砰的一声开始生长，然而我身上的每一块肌肉都被冻住了。是只有我这么觉得，还是我感觉到血从鼻子里滴出来了？想想。想想！那是在卢娜之前...在Littlehorn。地质学？不...啊，我的头。不，他教的是别的东西。一些让卢娜选择他的东西。政治？政府？嗯嗯......事情变得很模糊。历史！他曾经教过——世界在旋转中消失了。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
I didn’t recognize the body immediately. Goldenblood always felt like a sack of
我没有立刻认出那具尸体。金色的血液总是让人感觉像一袋子
rusty nails in all the memories of his I'd been in thus far. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought that this was Vanity. He lay in a bed in a room filled with books. A hoof rapped on the door over and over again. “Mr. Goldenblood? Mr. Goldenblood?” a colt said to accompany each knock.
生锈的钉子在他所有的记忆中我已经在这里了。如果我不知道，我会认为这是虚荣心。他躺在放满书的房间里的一张床上。一只蹄子一遍又一遍地敲门。"金血先生？金血先生?"据说每次敲门都有一把柯尔特手枪。
Goldenblood sighed and slipped out of bed, his body fatigued. He shook with a yawn and then walked to the door, opening it and staring down at a gray unicorn colt with a small frown. “Icebrand? What’s wrong? It’s two in the morning.”
金色的血叹了口气，从床上滑下来，他的身体疲惫不堪。他打了个哈欠，浑身发抖，然后走到门口，打开门，低头看着一匹灰色的独角兽小马，小马皱着眉头。"Icebrand？怎么了？现在是凌晨两点。"
“There’s a problem with a zebra, sir. The dean wants you to come talk to her and calm her down before something bad happens,” he piped. Goldenblood gave a small nod and immediately stepped out into the amethyst and ebony-lined hallways with decorations depicting silver stars and crescent moons.
"斑马有点问题，先生。院长希望你过来和她谈谈，在出事之前让她冷静下来。"。金布拉德点了点头，立刻走进紫水晶和乌木镶嵌的走廊，走廊里装饰着银色的星星和新月。
“Are you adjusting well, Icebrand?” Goldenblood asked in quiet tones as they walked past doors. Through one that was half open, I saw a half dozen bunk beds. “It must be a big adjustment from the orphanage to here.”
"你适应得怎么样，艾斯布兰德?"当他们走过门口时，金布拉德轻声问道。通过一个半开着的床，我看到了半打的双层床。"从孤儿院到这里一定需要很大的调整。"
“A bit, sir. Mum always wanted me to get an education. She wanted me to be smart enough to avoid stupid fights,” he replied. “I didn’t expect the school to be so big though.”
"有一点，先生。妈妈一直想让我接受教育。她希望我足够聪明，避免愚蠢的争吵,"他回答。"不过，我没想到学校会这么大。"
“Littlehorn has almost two hundred students, and it had been built for a thousand. Unlike Princess Celestia’s school, we accept any pony of merit who yearns to learn,” he gave a little smile. “Not that Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns isn’t a fine institution, of course.”
"利特尔霍恩大学有近200名学生，而建造它的人数已经达到了1000人。不像塞莱斯蒂亚公主的学校，我们接受任何渴望学习的功绩小马。"他微微一笑。"当然，塞莱斯蒂娅公主的天才独角兽学校并不是一所好学校。"
“I’m just glad they took me. My grades haven’t been good since Mum… ahem…” he flushed and dropped his eyes. “I didn’t expect them to, mister.”
"我很高兴他们收留了我。我的成绩一直不好，自从妈妈......咳咳......"他满脸通红，垂下了眼睛。"我没想到他们会这么做，先生。"
“Special accommodations were made for orphans and victims of the war effort.” There was a pause, and then a muttered afterthought, “I didn’t think there’d be so many, though.”
"为孤儿和战争受害者提供了特殊便利。"停顿了一下，然后又想了想,"我没想到会有这么多人。"
As they walked along, I could see through windows that the school was shaped like a giant crescent with a round structure in the middle of the arc. Four stories below us was a cluster of a half dozen wagons. Ponies and zebras could be seen sleeping and keeping watch in the moonlight. At the end of the hall, we stepped into an open-topped cagelike elevator hanging in a vast central shaft. The car dropped silently in the grip of levitation talismans. “Um… sir?” the colt said
他们一边走着，我一边透过窗户可以看到，学校的形状像一个巨大的新月形，在弧形的中间有一个圆形的结构。在我们下面四层楼的地方有六辆四轮马车。在月光下，可以看到小马和斑马在睡觉和放哨。在大厅的尽头，我们走进了一个悬挂在一个巨大的中央电梯井上的敞篷笼状电梯。汽车在飘浮的护身符的控制下静静地掉了下来。"嗯......先生?"柯尔特说
hesitantly.
犹豫地。
“Yes, Icebrand?” he asked, his eyes staring straight ahead at the wall of the shaft as it slowly passed by.
"什么事，爱波兰?"他问道，眼睛直直地盯着前方的竖井壁，竖井正缓缓地通过。
“Is it true you used to live with zebras?”
"你真的和斑马一起生活过吗?"
“When I was your age. Maybe a little younger.” Goldenblood smiled a little. “Mother liked to travel. She went all over the Zebra Empire, and I went with her.”
"我像你这么大的时候。也许更年轻一点。"金布拉德微微一笑。"妈妈喜欢旅行。她走遍了整个斑马帝国，我也跟她一起去了。"
“What’re the zebras like?” he asked, shuffling his hooves.
"斑马长什么样?"他一边问，一边拖着脚步。
“What do you mean?” Goldenblood asked, glancing down at him. “Which zebras?”
"什么意思?"金布拉德低头看了他一眼，问道。"哪些斑马?"
“All of them,” Icebrand said as he shuffled on his hooves. “Thimble said they’re all witchdoctors with spooky masks, but Briar Rose told me they have big cities. And Sweet Grass, he… ah… said they… um… did…” He went bright red, the rest of his words lost in a mumble.
"他们所有人,"艾斯布兰德一边拖着脚走一边说。"Thimble说他们都是带着恐怖面具的巫医，但是BriarRose告诉我他们有大城市。还有香草，他......啊......说他们......嗯......做了......"他的脸变得通红，其余的话语在咕哝中失去了意义。
“Sex stuff?” Goldenblood asked with the arch of a brow. Icebrand let out a faint squeak, and the pale unicorn chuckled. “The Carnilia celebrate life. All life. And the creation of life. For details, see Mrs. Amber Jewel in health class.” He watched the colt squirm in embarrassment for a moment, and then went on, “These zebras were a different tribe, though; you can tell by the feather decorations they wear.”
"性方面的事?"金血王皱起眉头问道。爱布朗发出微弱的吱吱声，苍白的独角兽咯咯地笑了起来。"卡尼利亚颂扬生命。所有的生命。还有生命的创造。详情请咨询生理卫生课上的朱厄尔太太。"他尴尬地看着小马蠕动了一会儿，然后继续说:"不过，这些斑马是不同的部落，从它们身上的羽毛装饰就可以看出来。"
“On their clothes?”
"在他们衣服上?"
“In their ears.” Goldenblood chuckled. “These are Tappahani. Refugees. The Tappahani are jungle hunters and shamans. Excellent cooks too, by the by.”
"在他们耳朵里。"金色的血液咯咯地笑了。"这些是Tappahani。难民。塔帕哈尼人是丛林猎人和萨满。顺便说一句，厨艺也很棒。"
“I thought all zebras were the same,” the colt muttered. “The way they live and fight…”
"我以为所有的斑马都是一样的,"小马咕哝着。"他们生活和战斗的方式......"
“Tappahani? Fight?” He laughed softly, shaking his head. “No, Icebrand. They’re not fighters.” He rubbed his chin with a hoof. “Though, their duels are rather interesting. Some will attempt to cook meals so spicy that their enemy is incapacitated with tears. Or they’ll compete to see which can steal the egg of a
"塔帕哈尼？打架?"他轻轻地笑了，摇了摇头。"不，Icebrand。他们不是战士。"他用蹄子摩擦下巴。"不过，他们的决斗相当有趣。有些人会尝试做辣的饭菜，以至于他们的敌人被眼泪弄得不能动弹。或者它们会竞争，看谁能偷走一个
giant roc. Or shoot the leaf from the tallest tree with a blowgun. They are not Roamani fighters yearning for combat and battle. This war has been harder on them than on us.”
大鹏鸟。或者用吹箭筒从最高的树上把叶子打下来。他们不是渴望战斗和战斗的Roamani战士。这场战争对他们的打击比对我们更大。"
That sounded like my kind of zebra! Make lunch, not war. I wondered how Glory’s cooking would stack up against theirs.
听起来像我喜欢的那种斑马！做午餐，而不是战争。我想知道晨辉的厨艺和他们的比起来怎么样。
The doors chimed and opened, and the pair stepped out into another hallway. The shrieks and cries of a mare could be heard in the distance, echoing off the dark walls. “I can find the way. Get to bed, Icebrand. And remember, you have a test on the Champions of Harmony tomorrow.”
门敲了一下，打开了，两人走到另一条走廊。远处可以听到母马的尖叫和叫声，在黑暗的墙壁上回荡。"我能找到路。去睡觉吧Icebrand。记住，明天你有一个和谐之冠的考试。"
“Still?” the colt whined. “Sir, there’s a camp of zebra refugees in the school courtyard. How can we have a test now?”
"还是吗?"小马呜呜叫着。"先生，学校的院子里有一个斑马难民营。我们现在怎么能考试呢?"
“The Tappahani aren’t going to hurt us. Not unless they plan to cook dinner for us. Now get to bed. I’ll see to the dean.”
"塔帕哈尼人不会伤害我们。除非他们打算给我们做晚饭。现在去睡觉吧。我去找系主任。"
The colt nodded, started to reenter, then paused. “Mister Goldenblood? Can you tell me more about zebra tribes tomorrow?” Goldenblood smiled and nodded once to him. Icebrand beamed. “Thanks!” He pressed a gemstone, the cage doors swung shut, and the lift rose silently out of sight.
小马点点头，开始重新进入，然后停了下来。"金血王子？你明天能告诉我更多关于斑马部落的情况吗?"金布拉德微笑着向他点了点头。伊斯布兰德微笑着。"谢谢!"他按了一下宝石，笼子的门关上了，电梯悄无声息地升了起来，消失在视线之外。
“Such a good kid...” Goldenblood muttered trotted in the direction of the cries.
"真是个好孩子......"金血王朝着哭喊声的方向小跑着。
As he approached an office door, it flung wide, and a sallow yellow unicorn emerged. “There you are! What’s taken you so long? She’s been screaming and babbling for an hour in her savage tongue. I nearly cast a sedation spell on her.” His angry scowl instantly made me want to buck him upside the head.
当他走近一间办公室的门时，门突然大开，一只黄色的独角兽出现了。"你在这儿啊！你怎么这么久才来？她已经用她那野蛮的舌头尖叫和咿呀学语一个小时了。我几乎对她施了镇静的咒语。"他怒容满面的样子立刻使我想把他的头往上一撞。
“I came straight here, Dean Bitterbrew,” Goldenblood said evenly. “Is she okay?”
"我是直接来这儿的，迪恩·比特布鲁,"金布拉德平静地说。"她还好吗?"
“Okay?” The yellow unicorn sneered. “She’s a sneak thief. We caught her away from the others, skulking about. Soon as we caught her, she started babbling and jabbering.” He looked back over his shoulder. “Probably poking around for something to steal. The principal said a whole box of spark batteries, a mana capacitor, and some conductors have gone missing from the student lab. Who knows where she stashed them.”
"好吗?"黄色的独角兽冷笑着说。"她是个小偷。我们发现她躲开其他人，偷偷摸摸的。我们一抓到她，她就开始胡言乱语。"他回头看了看。"可能在附近闲逛想偷点什么东西。校长说学生实验室里有一整箱火花电池，一个法力电容器和一些导体不见了。谁知道她把它们藏在哪儿了。"
“She was likely looking for a bathroom, sir. If things have gone missing, we can take it up with the arcane sciences club. They’re likely working on a project.”
"她可能在找洗手间，先生。如果有东西丢失了，我们可以向神秘科学俱乐部求助。他们很可能在做一个项目。"
“How do you know she didn’t take it?” Bitterbrew asked, narrowing his eyes.
"你怎么知道不是她拿的?"苦啤酒问道，眯起眼睛。
Goldenblood replied coolly, “She’s Tappahani, sir. If she wanted to hide from us, we wouldn’t have spotted her. And she wouldn’t have hidden a belonging. The Tappahani are communal. They share everything.”
金色血统冷淡地回答说:"她是塔帕哈尼，先生。如果她想躲开我们，我们就不会发现她。她也不会把东西藏起来。塔帕哈尼族是公共的。他们分享一切。"
“Savages,” Bitterbrew muttered before opening the door to the office. A young zebra mare sat curled tightly in the corner, crying out in rapid fire speech. Three other unicorns stood to the side, looking tired and uncomfortable. “Go. Get her to shut up. See if you can find out what she did with the things she stole.”
"野蛮人,"比特布鲁在打开办公室门之前喃喃自语。一匹年轻的斑马紧紧地蜷缩在角落里，用连珠炮似的声音大叫。另外三只独角兽站在一旁，看起来疲惫不堪，浑身不自在。"去吧。让她闭嘴。看看她把偷来的东西怎么处理了。"
Goldenblood nodded and approached. He took a seat, cleared his throat, and then flung his hooves wide. “Sastimos, sendrin a Tappahani. Du’ dera o ushalin zhala sar o kam mangela.”
金布拉德点点头，走了过来。他坐了下来，清了清嗓子，然后把蹄子甩得很大。"Sastimos，sendrinaTappahani.(咒语)
She stared at him, falling silent for several seconds. “Rakesa tu Propli natsia?” she asked in bafflement.
她盯着他，沉默了几秒钟。"RakesatuProplinatsia?"她困惑地问道。
“Me shavora xari Propli.” He paused, then laughed. “Ne me ohano kushi tràshful.” The mare relaxed just a little. Her mane and face were speckled with dozens of dots of red and blue dye, and there were bird feathers piercing her ears. She didn’t share the laugh, though, and Goldenblood soon frowned.
"我的夏沃拉·萨里·普罗普利。"他停顿了一下，然后笑了。"别让我失望。"母马稍微放松了一点。她的鬃毛和脸上点缀着几十个红色和蓝色的斑点，还有鸟的羽毛穿过她的耳朵。不过她没有笑，金布拉德很快皱起了眉头。
“What did she say?” one of the unicorns asked.
"她说了什么?"一只独角兽问道。
“I said hello. Made some standard greetings for her tribe. Joked about my horrible pronunciation,” Goldenblood said, trying to smile, but it died on his face. “She didn’t laugh. They always laugh at jokes. Even my jokes.” He glanced over at the yellow stallion. “Something’s very wrong.”
"我向你问好。给她的部落做了一些标准的问候。他拿我糟糕的发音开玩笑,"金布拉德说着，努力想微笑，但笑容在他脸上消失了。"她没有笑。他们总是因为笑话而笑。甚至是我的笑话。"他瞥了一眼那匹黄色的种马。"非常不对劲。"
“No, really?” Bitterbrew said sourly. “Get her to shut up and tell her to give back what she stole!” he demanded. “Damned zebras probably have it in those wagons.”
"不，真的吗?"苦啤酒酸溜溜地说。"让她闭嘴，让她把偷的东西还回来!"他问道。"该死的斑马可能把它放在马车里了。"
“They have their mares and foals in the wagons, sir. They’re not going to hide a hundred bits’ worth of equipment you can buy at any hardware store in them.” Goldenblood rolled his eyes and said, “Me boro ri kam jenesi tu dika fiz? Spark
"他们的母马和小马驹都在马车里，先生。他们不会把你在任何一家五金店都能买到的价值100比特的设备藏起来。"金色的血液转动着他的眼睛说:"我的眼睛是你的眼睛吗?"？火花
kurrimu? Ohano scienzie?”
Kurrimu？还好吗?"
The mare blinked, then shook her head rapidly. "Ni. Niksus kam keda." He frowned at her, and she said in greater earnest, "Te merel muro muri dei, wowa ne kaerawa dowa!" The expression of fear returned.
母马眨了眨眼，然后迅速地摇了摇头。"你好。Niksuskamkeda。"他皱着眉头望着她，她更加认真地说:"Temerelmuromuridei，wowanekaerawadowa!"恐惧的表情又回来了。
“She doesn’t have it,” Goldenblood said flatly.
"她没有,"金布拉德直截了当地说。
“Roadapples!” Bitterbrew growled. “She's lying!”
"路苹果!"苦味啤酒咆哮着。"她在撒谎!"
“Tappahani do not lie. Propoli lie. Zencori lie. Roamani lie if ordered to. Tappahani do not.”
"塔帕哈尼从不撒谎。普罗波利的谎言。真克里谎言。如果命令Roamani撒谎。塔帕哈尼则不然。"
“Me diktom tam lendi-le!” the mare blurted out, trembling.
"我喜欢谭伦迪乐!"母马脱口而出，颤抖着。
“What was that?” Goldenblood asked, then repeated himself in Zebra, “Who?”
"那是什么?"金色血液问道，然后用斑仔重复了一遍:"谁?"
She shook her head. “Me ne kur pen!” she said, near tears. “Kako nashti zhas vorta po drom o bango!”
她摇了摇头。"我的笔!"她说，几乎要哭了。"Kakonashti有好多好多好多好多!"
“She did take it, didn't she?” Bitterbrew said with a triumphant smirk.
"她真的拿走了，不是吗?"比特布鲁带着得意的得意笑容说。
“No,” Goldenblood said. “She doesn't want to tell me who.”
"不,"金布拉德说。"她不想告诉我是谁。"
“Well, of course she has it! Who else could have taken it?” the sallow stallion snapped crossly.
"哦，她当然有！还有谁能拿走它呢?"那匹苍白的种马怒气冲冲地叫了起来。
Goldenblood regarded the zebra mare. “Kai lelled fiz?”
金色血液注视着斑马母马。"凯伊拉菲兹?"
The mare closed her eyes, trembling. “Kako…”
母马闭上眼睛，颤抖着。"卡可......"
“Kai lelled lendi?” Goldenblood repeated in a softer voice as tears ran down her color-speckled cheeks.
"凯伊拉姆了伦迪?"当泪水顺着她满是斑点的脸颊流下时，金色的血液用柔和的声音重复着。
“Starkatteri,” she whispered. “Starkatteri kinshna-wowa lelled lendi. Diktom-ye lendi wi-ye mok vardos. Kako muk-me. Te shordjol muro rat… Kako…”
"斯塔卡特里,"她低声说。"Starkatterikinshna-wowalledlendi.无论何时何地，我们都要做好准备。我是Kakomuk-me。我不知道该怎么办
“What did she say?” the others asked.
"她说了什么?"其他人问道。
“Starkatteri. She said a Starkatteri took it,” Goldenblood murmured. At their baffled expressions, he sighed. “They’re a different tribe from hers. Cursed.
"斯塔卡特里。她说是一个星际卡特里人拿走了它,"金血王喃喃地说。看到他们困惑的表情，他叹了口气。"他们和她的部落不同。被诅咒了。
Dangerous.”
危险。"
One of the unicorns adjusted her glasses. “Actually, ‘cursed’ is a misnomer. There actually aren’t really curses but instead–”
一只独角兽调整了一下她的眼镜。"实际上,'被诅咒'这个词用得不当。实际上并没有真正的诅咒，而是——"
Goldenblood spoke over her. “Thaumaturgical nomenclature distinctions aside, she wouldn’t have spoken their name unless she was deadly serious. Naming them brings a curse of misfortune down upon you. Normally they’re called the Fallen One, or just the One.” He looked from one to the next. “Did any of you see a zebra with magical markings on their face? Or maybe a zebra that took great pains to cover himself?”
金布拉德为她说话。"撇开礼拜仪式术语的区别不谈，除非她非常认真，否则她是不会提起他们的名字的。说出他们的名字会给你带来不幸的诅咒。通常他们被称为"堕落者"，或者只是"堕落者"。"他看了一个又一个。"你们有人看到过一只斑马脸上有魔法斑纹吗？或者是一只斑马煞费苦心地保护自己?"
“I think there was at least one, but everything was so crazy with the injuries and all,” the unicorn mare said nervously. Then a low, cynical laugh interrupted them both.
"我认为至少有一个，但一切都是如此疯狂的伤害和所有,"独角兽母马紧张地说。然后，一个低沉的，愤世嫉俗的笑声打断了他们俩。
“Oh, please. This is just too much,” Bitterbrew said with a sneer at the trembling mare. “She steals from us and then conveniently says the ‘evil zebra’ took it. She must think we’re foals.”
"哦，拜托。"这实在是太多了,"比特布鲁对那匹颤抖的母马冷笑着说。"她偷了我们的东西，然后故意说'邪恶的斑马'把它拿走了。她一定以为我们是小马驹。"
“She wouldn’t have said that name if she wasn’t serious,” Goldenblood snapped. “It would be like us joking about Nightmare Moon returning.”
"如果她不是认真的，就不会说那个名字,"金布拉德厉声说。"这就像我们拿噩梦之月回归开玩笑一样。"
Doubt began to show on the assembled unicorns, and even Bitterbrew seemed a little less contemptuous and a little more unsettled. “Fine. Take her back to the others. Everyone should go out in pairs and see if they can find this mysterious evil pony. I’ll wake the principal and find out if we can’t get those soldiers from Canterlot here any faster.”
聚集在一起的独角兽们开始产生怀疑，甚至连苦啤酒也显得不那么轻蔑和不安。"好吧。把她带回去给其他人。每个人都应该成双成对地出去，看看能不能找到这匹神秘邪恶的小马。我会叫醒校长，看看我们能不能让Canterlot的士兵更快到这里来。"
The orange mare in glasses who’d tried to talk about why curses didn’t technically exist stepped up to Goldenblood as he talked in low, earnest tones to the zebra mare. She nodded her head, gave a thickly accented ‘thank you’, and walked slowly from the office, followed by the other pair of ponies. “We’ll take the north wing,” the orange mare said, and together she and Goldenblood went out into the quiet school. “Everypony is nervous.”
那匹戴着眼镜的橙色母马试图谈论为什么诅咒在技术上并不存在，他走到Goldenblood，用低沉而诚挚的语调对着斑马母马说话。她点点头，带着浓重的"谢谢"口音，慢慢地走出办公室，后面跟着另外两匹小马。"我们去北翼,"橙色的母马说，然后她和金色的血液一起走进了安静的学校。"每匹小马都很紧张。"
“They’ll get the refugees out in the morning, and the children can have an early break,” Goldenblood replied evenly as they walked along the hall, unlocking, checking, and securing each classroom in turn. Their horns cast beams of light into still, quiet chambers loaded with even rows of desks for the dozens and
"他们会在早上把难民送出去，孩子们可以早点休息,"金布拉德一边沿着大厅走一边平静地回答，他们一边开锁，一边检查，一边依次把每间教室固定好。它们的喇叭向静止、安静的房间投射出一束束光线，房间里甚至摆满了成排的办公桌
dozens of students above. “If there’s a Starkatteri here, though, we need to find him.”
上面有几十个学生。"不过，如果这里有一个斯塔卡特里，我们必须找到他。"
“Why? I mean, we can’t have any of them running around the school, but are these zebras so bad?” she asked as she peeked through the window of an office. Inside there were more than two dozen wounded zebras in an improvised hospital, cared for by a half dozen ponies and a harried looking school nurse. The attack must have happened only a few hours ago.
"为什么？我的意思是，我们不能让它们在学校里到处乱跑，但是这些斑马真的这么坏吗?"她一边问，一边从办公室的窗户往外看。里面临时搭建的医院里有二十多匹受伤的斑马，由六匹小马和一个看起来焦急的学校护士照顾。袭击一定是几小时前发生的。
“They’re… complicated. Millennia ago, they tried to enslave the other tribes. They were marked with magic so that all that were born into the tribe would be noticed. Most zebras think of them… well… the way Bitterbrew thinks of zebras in general,” he said as he swept his eyes across another classroom. A foalish scribble of Princess Luna. Paper pegasi dangling from a mobile. A graded paper left on a table top, B-.
"它们......很复杂。几千年前，他们试图奴役其他部落。他们被用魔法标记，这样所有出生在部落的人都会被注意到。大多数斑马认为他们......嗯......就像比特布鲁人认为一般的斑马一样,"他扫视着另一间教室说。卢娜公主的草稿。飞马座纸悬挂在手机上。一份留在桌面上的评分过的论文，b-。
“Why didn’t they just kill them if they were so bad?” she asked.
"如果他们真的那么坏，为什么不直接杀了他们?"她问道。
“Because they’re still zebras. They’re hated, but tolerated. That’s part of their punishment. They know serious dark magic though. Powerful zebra curses, and the calling of malevolent spirits to harm their enemies.”
"因为他们仍然是斑马。他们被憎恨，但是被容忍。这是对他们惩罚的一部分。不过他们知道严肃的黑魔法。强大的斑马诅咒，邪恶的灵魂召唤来伤害他们的敌人。"
“Ugh. Why does everypony make that mistake? They’re not curses! They’re--” she began to lecture again when he silenced her with a hoof over her mouth.
"呃。为什么每个小马都会犯这样的错误？他们不是诅咒！他们——"当他用蹄子捂住她的嘴让她安静下来时，她又开始说教了。
Very softly, he heard the click of a door closing. “Everypony is either asleep, patrolling the other wing, or watching the zebras, right?” Her eyes wide, she nodded, and he trotted down the hall, checking doors. The one to stairwell wasn’t locked.
他轻轻地听到门关上的咔嗒声。"每匹小马要么睡着了，要么在另一只翅膀上巡逻，要么在看斑马，对吧?"她睁大了眼睛，点点头，他小跑着穿过大厅，检查门。楼梯间的门没锁。
“Oh no... The children...” she said as together they made their way up.
"哦，不......孩子们......"她一边说，一边一起向前走去。
“Try and stay silent. We don’t want a panic,” Goldenblood said. “If you see him, be careful. He could be up to no good, or he might have been thrown out of the wagons for his marks. I don’t want to provoke a Starkatteri if we can help it.”
"试着保持沉默。我们不想引起恐慌,"Goldenblood说。"如果你看见他，小心点。他可能不怀好意，或者为了得到他的标记，他可能会被赶出马车。如果可以的话，我不想激怒一个星卡特里人。"
Hoofbeats echoed distantly down the hall, and together they made their way back towards the stairs in the middle of the dormitory wings. There was a soft thump from a closet marked ‘linens’, and Goldenblood glanced at her, and then opened it slowly with his magic. “Haja nanka–” Goldenblood began to say, then
马蹄声远远地回荡在大厅里，他们一起朝宿舍楼中间的楼梯走去。壁橱里传来一声轻轻的撞击声，上面写着"床单"，金布拉德瞥了她一眼，然后用魔法慢慢地打开了柜子。"哈哈南卡——"金血王开始说
froze at the sight of two colts in an embrace, blushing furiously as they sat amid rumpled sheets. “Really?”
一看到两匹小马拥抱在一起就吓呆了，当它们坐在皱巴巴的被单上时，脸涨得通红。"真的吗?"
“Sorry, Mister Goldenblood. Miss Silverspire,” one of the two said ruefully.
"对不起，金血王先生。"西尔弗斯皮尔小姐,"其中一个人悲伤地说。
“We just wanna to say goodbye in case we got sent home,” the other explained as he flushed.
"我们只是想说再见，以防我们被送回家,"另一个脸红了解释说。
“Will you get them back to bed?” Goldenblood asked with a groan as he rubbed his temple.
"你能让他们回到床上去吗?"金伯拉德一边擦着太阳穴，一边呻吟着问道。
“Of course. Come on, you two,” she said as she nudged them back down the hall the way they’d come. Goldenblood sighed, looking around at the closed doors. Then, across the large central rotunda, he spotted a doorway ajar. He made his way slowly around towards the doorway, a filly’s bathroom. From within came a wan glow of light and a soft thump. Carefully, he pushed the door wide enough to peek through.
"当然。"来吧，你们两个,"她一边说，一边用胳膊肘把他们推回到走廊里来的路上。金布拉德叹了口气，环顾着紧闭的大门。然后，穿过中央巨大的圆形大厅，他看到一个门口半开着。他慢慢地绕到门口，那是一个小母马的浴室。从里面传来一阵苍白的灯光和轻轻的撞击声。他小心翼翼地把门推得足够宽，可以从里面偷看一眼。
Within, a cloaked figured worked furiously, attaching wires and cables to a hoofball-sized slab of pink quartz with a dark purple talisman glyph within. The zebra was in the process of duct taping the spark batteries to other equipment. “What are you doing? Keena-te sa ru?” Goldenblood asked, and the zebra in the ragged cloak turned to peer at him, breathing hoarsely. “Kasana–”
里面有一件斗篷，拼命地工作着，把电线和电缆连接到一块有蹄球大小的粉红色石英板上，上面有一个深紫色的护身符符号。斑马正在用胶带把火花电池接到其他设备上。"你在干什么？你知道吗?"金布拉德问道，穿着破烂斗篷的斑马转过身来看着他，嘶哑地呼吸着。"Kasana-"
“Don’t profane my language with your foul tongue,” the zebra snapped back.
"不要用你肮脏的舌头亵渎我的语言,"斑马厉声回答。
“What are you doing?” Goldenblood asked as he stared at the talisman. “Stop. This is a school.” Then he turned his head and snapped, “Silverspire! Bitterbrew! Anypony!”
"你在干什么?"金色的血液凝视着这个护身符问道。"别说了。这是一所学校。"然后他转过头，厉声说道:"银塔！苦啤酒！Anypony!"
The zebra finished taping the wires to the talisman. Goldenblood’s horn glowed, and he yanked it into the air. “I don’t know what you think you’re going to do with this, but–”
斑马把电线绑到护身符上。金色血液的角闪闪发光，他猛地把它拉到空中。"我不知道你打算怎么处理这个，但是..."
In a flash, the zebra closed the distance, spinning in the air and slamming his outstretched hoof across Goldenblood’s neck, snapping his focus. Smoothly, he caught the wired talisman on his flank and ran over Goldenblood, out into the hall. Silverspire, who’d been running back, let out a shriek. “Who are you? Stay back!”
一瞬间，斑马拉近了距离，在空中旋转，伸出的蹄子撞在金色血液的脖子上，折断了他的注意力。他顺利地抓住了身侧的有线护身符，从金血王身上跑了过去，跑进了大厅。一直往后跑的西尔弗斯皮尔尖叫了一声。"你是谁？退后!"
Goldenblood groaned as he rolled to his hooves. More teachers were appearing, some thundering up the stairs and others coming out of their quarters. The zebra backed away as the talisman began to glow. “What is that, Silverspire? Is it a bomb?” Goldenblood asked tensely.
金色的血液在滚动到蹄子时呻吟着。更多的老师出现了，有的从楼梯上呼啸而上，有的从他们的房间里走出来。当护身符开始发光时，斑马后退了。"那是什么，银塔？是炸弹吗?"金色血液紧张地问道。
“No! I think… I think it’s some kind of industrial strength lye generator. For manufacturing. But he’s modified it and wired it to those capacitors…” she trailed off, then her eyes shot wide. “Grab it! Quickly! He’s overcharging it!”
"不！我想...我想是某种工业强碱发生器。制造业。但是他改装了它，并把它连接到那些电容器上......"她说完，眼睛瞪得大大的。"抓住它！快点！他要价太高了!"
Three teachers lunged for him, their horns glowing as they tried to grab the wired talisman from the zebra. He spun, dodged, and flipped away from his attackers with grace and swiftness. He just wouldn’t let them get a grip on the device, and when a unicorn did, the zebra struck out, smashing horns, throats, and eyes with lightning kicks and punches. The pink talisman began to glow.
三个老师冲向他，他们的角闪闪发光，试图从斑马身上抢走有线的护身符。他优雅而迅速地转身躲开攻击他的人。他只是不让他们抓住那个装置，当一只独角兽抓住它的时候，斑马就冲了出来，用闪电般的脚和拳头猛击角、喉咙和眼睛。粉红色的护身符开始发光。
Goldenblood charged in and tackled him, hooves wide. The zebra tried to spin out of the way, but Goldenblood powered both of them towards the edge of the rotunda, looking down at the ground floor fifty feet below. The zebra clasped the talisman in his hooves as they both went over, the onlookers screaming in terror.
金色血液冲了进来，抓住了他，四脚朝天。斑马试图让开，但是金血王朝朝着圆形大厅的边缘，俯视着五十英尺以下的一层。当他们一起冲过去的时候，斑马用蹄子紧紧抓住这个护身符，旁观者惊恐地尖叫着。
Goldenblood tumbled through the air and landed with a crash in one of the hovering elevator cages ten feet down, making it sway and bob wildly in the air. His whole body ached as he rose and crawled to the edge of the elevator, looking down at the prone form of the zebra. Goldenblood hit the control talisman with his magic, and the lift lowered itself quickly to the floor.
金色血液在空中翻滚，坠落在十英尺以下的一个悬浮升降机笼子里，使它在空中摇摆和疯狂地摆动。他站起来，爬到电梯边缘，俯视着斑马的俯卧姿势，全身疼痛难忍。金色血液用他的魔法击中了控制护身符，电梯迅速降到了地板上。
The achy white unicorn approached the prone zebra. The fall was at least forty feet onto hard black marble. Blood spread outwards from the zebra’s head as he curled around the pink talisman. It was humming and throbbing, and a sharp tang filled the air. Goldenblood peered down at the body.
一只白色的独角兽走近那只俯卧的斑马。从至少四十英尺高的地方掉到坚硬的黑色大理石上。当斑马蜷缩在粉红色的护身符周围时，鲜血从它的头部向外蔓延。它嗡嗡作响，悸动不已，空气中弥漫着刺耳的气味。金色的血液凝视着尸体。
“Get back! Get back!” Bitterbrew shouted as he approached, then stopped short of the corpse. “Is he dead..?”
"退后！退后!"苦啤酒在他走近的时候叫了起来，然后在离尸体不远的地方停了下来。"他死了吗。.?"
“I think that’s some of his brain by your hoof,” Goldenblood said, gesturing to a marble-sized glob.
"我想那是你的蹄子挡住了他的脑子,"金布拉德指着一团大理石大小的球体说。
“Ah good,” Bitterbrew said before the unicorn levitated out a pair of wire cutters, reached down, and held it to the wire. Goldenblood took several steps back. “Now, is it the red wire or the blue wire?” he mused.
"啊，好极了,"比特布鲁在独角兽悬浮出一把钢丝钳之前说。金血王后退了几步。"现在，是红线还是蓝线?"他沉思着。
“Dear Luna, don’t cut it if you’re not sure!” Goldenblood cried out. There were more hoofbeats as an older unicorn mare and a half dozen others trotted up to the fallen body.
"亲爱的露娜，如果你不确定，就不要剪它!"金血王大叫起来。随着更多的蹄声，一匹年长的独角兽母马和其他六只独角兽小跑着来到倒下的尸体旁。
“Hello, Principal Dew Blossom. I was just about to deactivate it.” Bitterbrew smirked. “And don’t be so fearful, Goldenblood. It’s always the red…”
"你好，露珠校长。我正准备关闭它。"苦啤酒得意地笑了。"别这么害怕，金色血统。总是红色的......"
The corpse reached up and grabbed Bitterbrew’s head, yanking him down towards the nightmarish ruin of his face. “Yur firsh!” he cried out, and then he flicked the talisman with the tip of his tail. From the end of the device, a twenty-foot-high plume of pink vapor blasted out. Bitterbrew’s head disappeared in the spray, and when his spasming body fell back, a dripping stub was all that remained. The jet of vapor started to die, but then a white mote was pulled into a silver ring around the pink talisman, and it surged and vomited forth an even more intense stream.
尸体伸手抓住了比特布鲁的头，把他猛拉下来，朝着他噩梦般的脸庞倒去。"尤尔·弗什!"他大声喊道，然后用尾巴尖弹了弹这个护身符。从设备的末端，一个二十英尺高的粉红色蒸汽烟爆炸出来。苦啤酒的脑袋在浪花中消失了，当他痉挛的身体向后倒去的时候，只剩下一根滴着水的残渣。喷出的水汽开始消失，但随后一团白色的尘埃被拉进粉色护身符周围的一个银色环状物中，喷涌而出，喷出一股更为强烈的水流。
“It works! It works!” the zebra cackled as he turned the plume of pink gas on the adults around him. Every second, the jet grew more intense and thicker. As Goldenblood watched, the cloak’s blood-matted hood fell away, and he saw the zebra clearly for the first time. The black stripes ran like ink, but every second his horrible injuries were restored. The stripes on his face didn’t look like natural zebra patterns but the glyphs of some horrible arcane spell. And as Goldenblood fell back into the lift, the zebra turned and looked back as the last of his skull popped back into place. With cold, terrifying certainty, I put a name to the face.
"成功了！它起作用了!"当斑马把粉红色的气体喷向周围的成年动物时，它咯咯地笑了起来。每一秒钟，喷流都变得越来越强烈，越来越厚。金血王注视着，斗篷的血色遮光罩掉了下来，他第一次清楚地看见了斑马。黑色的条纹像墨水一样流淌，但是他那可怕的伤口每一秒都在恢复。他脸上的条纹看起来不像是自然的斑马图案，而是一些可怕的奥术符号。当金布拉德回到电梯时，斑马转过身来，看着最后一块头骨突然回到原位。带着冷酷、可怕的确定性，我在那张脸上写下了一个名字。
Amadi.
女名女子名。
Goldenblood desperately hammered the elevator control and winced as a little patch of the pad remained behind. The lift jerked up into the air as the Pink Cloud spread, billowing in every direction and rising higher and higher. Screams of terror from far too many children and teachers alike began to echo as the pink vapors thickened and rose. The Cloud spread like a rising tide, the zebra whirling this way and that.
金色血液拼命地敲打着电梯的控制器，当垫子后面还有一小块地方留下来时，他畏缩了。随着粉红云的扩散，电梯升到了空中，向四面八方翻滚，越升越高。来自太多太多的孩子和老师的恐怖尖叫声开始回响，粉红色的水汽越来越浓，越来越高。云彩像涨潮一样伸展开来，斑马在这里那里旋转。
I’d been in Pink Cloud before, so the terrible burning sensation felt familiar. Everything inside and out burned horribly as he rose up to the dormitory floor. Vapors were already curling upwards as the lift continued to rise, and he slumped against the bars in a desperate bid to stay upright. “Stop the lift! Stop the lift!” Silverspire screamed, levitating up a foal as the lift continued upwards
我以前来过粉红云，所以那种可怕的灼热感觉很熟悉。当他起身来到宿舍的地板上时，里里外外都被可怕地烧焦了。随着升力的继续上升，蒸汽已经向上卷曲，他靠在栏杆上，拼命地想保持直立。"停下电梯！停下电梯!"当升降机继续向上飞行时，一只小马驹悬浮在空中，西尔维斯皮尔尖叫着
toward the observation tower.
向瞭望塔走去。
Goldenblood tried to hit the controls to stop the lift, but his body was stuck to the bars of the elevator. He stared down at the sight of his hide melting against the pink coated metal and cried out, then broke into hacks and coughs. With that much pain, I couldn’t blame him for not being able to stop the lift. Still, he gave a herculean heave, and fire exploded along his side as he pulled free, leaving a dozen strips of his hide attached to the metal. The movement made the lift lurch, and he slammed against the bars on the opposite side. He screamed, but his scream was one of dozens filling the central shaft.
金布拉德试图打开控制器来停止电梯，但是他的身体被电梯的栏杆卡住了。他低头看着自己的皮被涂成粉红色的金属熔化的情景，大叫起来，然后突然停下来，咳嗽起来。带着那么大的痛苦，我不能责怪他没能让电梯停下来。尽管如此，他还是发出了巨大的一击，当他挣脱绳索时，火沿着他的身边爆炸了，留下了十几条他的皮带连接在那块金属上。这个动作使电梯突然倾斜，他砰地一声撞在对面的栏杆上。他尖叫着，但是他的尖叫只是中央竖井里几十个人中的一个。
He watched as the teachers and students fell back from the edge of the balcony as Pink Cloud began to curl up over the edge and outwards. The panicked ponies tramped each other as they fell back from the stinging vapors. The other lift rose, but it was filled with a squirming mass of a half dozen ponies, and from how they moved, it was hard to tell where one ended and another began. Tiny white flashes could be seen in the depths as the Cloud spread more and more.
他看着老师和学生们从阳台边缘往后退，粉红色的云开始从阳台边缘向外卷起。惊慌失措的小马从刺人的水汽中往后退，互相践踏着。另一个电梯升了起来，但里面挤满了六只扭动着的小马，从它们移动的方式来看，很难分辨一个电梯在哪里结束，另一个电梯在哪里开始。随着云层越来越多地扩散，可以在深处看到微小的白色闪光。
The third lift dropped with two adult ponies coming down. Goldenblood tried to call for them to stop, but all that came out were rasping, gasping coughs. The two disappeared into the swirling pink without a clue as to how dangerous it was. He heaved once again, his Pink-Cloud-softened hide tearing, but this time he adamantly remained standing in the center of the lift.
第三部电梯下降，两匹成年小马也下来了。金色的血液试图让他们停下来，但是出来的都是粗糙的、喘息的咳嗽声。两个人消失在旋转的粉红色中，完全不知道这有多危险。他又起来了，他那粉红云软化的皮撕裂了，但这一次他坚定地站在电梯的中央。
When it reached the top of the tower, he slowly stepped out, every footstep burning. His whole world was pain. Two more unicorns rushed over. “What’s going on? What’s that screaming?” Along the far wall, large bulky electrical equipment pinged and crackled. “Mister Goldenblood? Is that you?”
当它到达塔顶时，他慢慢地走了出来，每一个脚步都在燃烧。他的整个世界都是痛苦的。又有两只独角兽冲了过来。"怎么回事？那是什么声音?"沿着远处的墙，庞大的电器设备发出劈啪的声音。"金血王子？是你吗?"
“Dugghh tusshhhhh mehhhh!” he grasped and then started coughing and rasping, bloody drops fanning out from his mouth with every breath. “Pinghh… posson…”
"Dugghhtusshhhhhmehhhh!"他紧紧抓住，然后开始咳嗽和刺耳的声音，每一次呼吸，血滴都从他的嘴里喷涌而出。"平......波森......"
“Poison?” the mare asked. Both of them stared in horror, and then she continued, “Hold still, Gold. I got you.” She shot a bolt of magic up at the roof.
"毒药?"母马问道。他们俩都惊恐地瞪着眼睛，然后她继续说:"别动，戈尔德。有我在。"她在屋顶上施了一道魔法。
“No!” the other shouted. The bolt struck a talisman in the ceiling, and suddenly water began to rain down on Goldenblood… and the equipment. It sizzled, crackled, and finally popped with a great cloud of gray smoke coming out the back. The machine fell silent as the second unicorn rushed to it. “No no no… the
"不!"另一个喊道。闪电击中了天花板上的护身符，突然，水开始倾泻到Goldenblood和设备上。它嘶嘶作响，噼啪作响，最后从后面冒出一股巨大的灰色烟雾。当第二只独角兽冲向机器时，机器陷入了沉默。"不，不，不.....
radio…”
收音机..."
The pain abated a little. The mare saw to him, casting healing spells that mended his hide, but they did little for his chest. The stallion fussed over the radio. Out the tower window, far below, a pink fog bank rolled across the wagons and camps. Zebras fled towards the forests, but the school gates barred their path. Some began to scramble up, hooking their hooves around the bars and scrambling over with a haste I’d never imagined before… but they weren’t fast enough. The Pink Cloud blasted past them, and their screams reached the tower before being cut short. Most hadn’t even made it that far. In the courtyard, more jets exploded here and there. There were still yells and cries for help from the levels below.
疼痛减轻了一些。母马看到了他，发出治疗咒语，修补他的皮，但他们没有为他的胸部。那匹种马大惊小怪地打开收音机。透过塔楼的窗户，下面很远的地方，粉红色的雾团滚过马车和营地。斑马逃向森林，但学校的大门挡住了他们的去路。有些人开始爬起来，用蹄子钩住栏杆，以我以前从未想象过的速度爬过去......但是他们还不够快。粉红云从他们身边疾驰而过，他们的尖叫声在被切断之前传到了塔上。大多数人甚至还没走到那一步。在院子里，更多的喷气式飞机到处爆炸。下面的楼层仍然有喊叫和求救的声音。
“Why? Who did this? How?” the mare asked as tears streaked down her cheek.
"为什么？谁干的？怎么做?"母马问道，泪水顺着脸颊流了下来。
“Zeee… bra…” Goldenblood gasped weakly as he collapsed on his side. “Sta… sta…” but then he broke off, coughing and hacking.
"咦......胸罩......"金血王虚弱地倒在地上喘着气。"停......停......"但是他突然停了下来，咳嗽着。
“A zebra did this?” the stallion asked, looking up from the equipment. “No. How could they? This is a school! Why?”
"是斑马干的?"种马问，从设备上抬起头来。"没有。他们怎么能这样？这是一所学校！为什么?"
“Do you think they need a reason?! They’re monsters! They used their own refugees to get into the school and then killed us all after we helped them!” the mare snapped through her tears.
"你认为他们需要理由吗！他们是怪物！他们利用自己的难民进入学校，然后在我们帮助他们之后把我们都杀了!"母马忍住了眼泪。
“No…” Goldenblood murmured as things started going dim, his chest feeling as if it were full of molten rock. “Sta…aaaaah…”
"不......"金血嘟囔着，眼前的一切开始变得模糊起来，他的胸膛仿佛充满了融化的岩石。"斯塔......啊......"
“Don’t worry, Goldenblood. We’ll get you help. Just hold on,” the stallion said as the pain abated with another healing potion. “We’re going to survive. We’re going to make damned sure everypony knows what happened here tonight!”
"别担心，Goldenblood。我们会帮你的。坚持住,"当疼痛随着另一种治疗药水减轻时，种马说道。"我们要生存下去。我们要让每个人都知道今晚发生了什么!"
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
I came out of the memory orb, swayed, then straightened. Amadi. He’d been there. Two centuries ago… he’d been there! No wonder, when Goldenblood had seen him in the Image archives, he’d freaked out. The zebra who’d started it all had been there!
我从记忆球里出来，摇摆着，然后直起身子。女名女子名。他去过那里。两个世纪以前......他去过那里！难怪，当金布拉德在图片档案里看到他时，他吓坏了。开始这一切的斑马已经在那里了！
“But why couldn’t he tell them after he recovered?” I asked myself as I stared at
"但为什么他康复后不能告诉他们呢?"我盯着他看，问自己
the screen.
屏幕。
Suddenly, the terminal flickered, and the grainy image of a mare appeared. At the bottom of the screen read a tagline: zebras responsible for school attack. “… multiple eyewitnesses to the massacre say the zebra were responsible for the attack…”
突然，终端闪烁起来，一个颗粒状的母马的图像出现了。在屏幕的底部有一条标语:斑马为校园袭击负责。"...大屠杀的多名目击者说，斑马是袭击事件的主谋..."
The image changed to a picture of a bandaged-covered Goldenblood as a stallion voice said, “…teacher saw with his own eyes the zebra commando responsible for this attack…”
图像变成了一张包着绷带的金色血的照片，一个种马的声音说,"...老师亲眼看到了对这次袭击负责的斑马突击队员..."
A new image. The mare from the memory orb appeared on the screen. “It was horrible! We could hear them screaming, trapped in their dorm rooms, as the poison gas got stronger and stronger! I can still hear them screaming!” she said, sobbing brokenly.
一个新的形象。来自记忆球的母马出现在屏幕上。"太可怕了！我们可以听到他们被困在宿舍里的尖叫声，毒气越来越强！我现在还能听到他们的尖叫声!"她断断续续地啜泣着。
Another picture of several formally adorned zebras surrounded by reporters. Behind them was an angry mob. ‘Zebra officials deny Littlehorn Massacre’, read the tagline. ‘Denounce Equestria for the murder of ‘refugees’. Suggest Littlehorn School front for chemical weapons lab. Hoofington burns. Follow-up terrorist attack?’
另一张照片上，几只斑马正式装饰在记者的环绕下。他们身后是一群愤怒的暴徒。"斑马官员否认利特霍恩大屠杀"，标语这样写道。谴责小马国谋杀难民。建议利特霍恩学校作为化学武器实验室的前台。胡芬顿烧伤了。后续恐怖袭击
Finally, an image of Celestia with Luna standing beside her. I’d never seen her look so… old. Even with the grainy picture, I could see the prominent shadows around her eyes and the heartbroken stare. “…national period of mourning. I regret to inform you all that I am stepping down for an extended leave of absence effective immediately. The events of this war have become… more than I ever imagined. Not since ancient times has Equestria suffered as it does now, and I fear there is no way for harmony to be restored. Fear not, though. I am passing control of the kingdom to my dearest sister. As she has sheltered us all through the night, so shall she protect us all through these dark times. She has my absolute confidence.” The camera then focused right on Princess Luna as dozens of flashbulbs went off. I’d never seen a mare so terrified in my life.
最后，一张塞莱斯蒂亚和露娜站在她身边的照片。我从没见过她这么...老。即使是模糊的照片，我还是能看到她眼睛周围突出的阴影和伤心的凝视。"...全国哀悼日。我很遗憾地通知大家，我将立即请长假。这场战争发生的事情...比我想象的要多得多。自古以来，小马国从来没有像现在这样遭受苦难，恐怕也没有办法恢复和谐。但是不要害怕。我要把王国的控制权交给我最亲爱的妹妹。正如她保护了我们整个夜晚，她也会保护我们度过这些黑暗时期。我对她绝对有信心。"随后，随着几十个闪光灯的熄灭，相机对准了卢娜公主。我这辈子从没见过这么害怕的母马。
“I… I want to… um…” Luna began as her eyes darted from one reporter to the next as a long, tense silence went on.
"我.....。.我想......嗯......"随着长时间紧张的沉默，卢娜开始从一个记者转向另一个记者。
“How will you retaliate for the attack on Littlehorn, Princess Luna?” one reporter finally said. Princess Luna’s mouth worked silently for a second, a shadow of pain flickering across her face as she struggled to answer.
"卢娜公主，你将如何报复对Littlehorn的袭击?"一个记者最后说。卢娜公主的嘴默默地动了一秒钟，她挣扎着想回答的时候，痛苦的阴影掠过她的脸庞。
However, before she could express the feelings, another reporter waved a hoof at her. “Can you respond to Prince Blueblood’s comments about peace with the zebras being impossible?” shouted another.
然而，她还没来得及表达自己的感受，另一个记者就朝她挥了挥蹄子。"你能回应一下蓝血王子关于不可能与斑马和平相处的评论吗?"另一个人喊道。
“Princess Luna! Princess Luna! What about the burning of Hoofington and the rumors that a zebra was responsible? Can you comment?” hollered another.
"露娜公主！露娜公主！那么Hoofington的火灾以及有关斑马的谣言又该如何解释呢？你能对此发表评论吗?"又喊了一声。
Luna’s mouth moved silently as she looked from one to the next. “I… well… I just wanted to say…” But whatever she wanted to say was trampled by more questions.
卢娜从一个地方看到另一个地方时，嘴巴默默地动着。"我.....。.嗯......我只是想说......"但是无论她想说什么，都被更多的问题所困扰。
Then Princess Celestia cleared her throat, and the questions stopped immediately. “Naturally, you have many questions and concerns. Princess Luna will undoubtedly answer them all in time, later. Excuse us.” Together they turned, but I caught the momentary downcast eyes, the worried expression… and the furrowed brow.
然后塞莱斯蒂娅公主清了清嗓子，问题立即停止了。"自然，你们有许多问题和担忧。卢娜公主无疑会及时回答所有问题。失陪一下。"他们一起转过身来，但我看到了那转瞬即逝的低垂眼神，忧虑的表情......还有紧皱的眉头。
The screen returned to the first question.
屏幕回到了第一个问题。
>WHO DID IT?
谁干的？
I typed in ‘AMADI’, then stopped. That was the right answer, but was it the right answer for him? No one could blame him for the rage that was unleashed after Littlehorn. Amadi was the killer. Goldenblood had been near death. If he’d died, the two up in the tower could have come to the exact same conclusion, regardless of what Goldenblood had said. Everypony could have died, and nothing might have changed.
我输入'AMADI'，然后停了下来。这是正确的答案，但对他来说，这是正确的答案吗？没有人会因为利特霍恩事件引发的愤怒而责怪他。阿马迪是凶手。金色的血液已经濒临死亡。如果他死了，塔上的两个人可能会得出完全相同的结论，不管金布拉德说了什么。每一匹小马都可能死去，一切都不会改变。
But I imaged how Goldenblood must have felt… watching the world die… his Equestria die… I knew what it was like to survive things like that. How I blamed myself for things that hadn’t been entirely my fault. How it’d torn me up inside. Slowly, I typed the answer.
但是我想象着金血王看着这个世界死去，他的小马国死去，我知道生存下来是什么感觉。我是如何责怪自己做了那些不完全是我的错的事情。它是如何撕裂我的内心。慢慢地，我输入了答案。
>GOLDENBLOOD.
黄金血统。
The terminal went blank, and my breath caught in my throat as the beam guns hummed.
航站楼一片空白，光束发出嗡嗡的声音，我的呼吸卡在喉咙里。
Then:
然后:
>WHAT DID HE DO WRONG?
他做错了什么？
I glanced down at the remaining two memory orbs. “Gee, where to start?” I carefully levitated the next orb and eyed it. “Why can’t you ever make anything easy, Goldenblood? Even now?” I sighed as I glared at the orb. “Okay. Round two.” I touched the orb to my horn and made the connection.
我瞥了一眼剩下的两个记忆球。"哎呀，从哪里开始呢?"我小心翼翼地把下一个球体悬浮起来，看着它。"你为什么就不能把事情简单化呢，金色血统？即使是现在?"我看着球体，叹了口气。"好吧。第二轮。"我把球碰到我的号角上，建立了联系。
‘My only friend’ came the rasp. Friend? Goldenblood didn’t have friends, he had accomplices. He had minions. He had…
我唯一的朋友来了。朋友？金血王没有朋友，他有同伙。他有仆人。他有..。
Okay, why wasn’t I breathing? I sat down hard trying to perform the simple motion of pulling air into my lungs and not quite remembering how. Luna? Sadly no. Psalm. No. She might have been closer than that. Twilight Sparkle? Fluttershy! No… starting to get light headed. Rainbow Dash? Applejack? Pinkie Pie? Rarity? No no no no. Princess Luna? Damn, I was repeating myself! Why were there all those black spots in my vision? Somepony he regarded a friend… Spike… Horse… no… not Horse. Garnet? No… somepony else… Somepony who actually gave a shit about him. Fluttershy? No… Lacunae… no… think… Somepony… Some…
好吧，为什么我没有呼吸？我努力地坐下来，试图做一个简单的动作，把空气吸进肺里，但不太记得是怎么做的。露娜？很遗憾，没有。诗篇。没有。她可能更亲密一些。紫悦？胆小鬼！不...开始有点头晕了。彩虹冲刺？苹果白兰地？小手指派？稀有？不不不不。卢娜公主？该死，我一直在重复我自己！为什么我的视线里有那么多黑点？有人把他当朋友......钉子......马......不......不是马。石榴石？不...是其他人...某个真正在乎他的人。萤火虫？不......空隙......不......想想......有些......有些.....。
Trottenheimer…
特罗滕海默。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Okay. Once again I was reminded why Pink Cloud wasn’t your friend. Having fire erupt with every shallow breath sure was distracting. Still, the sensation of breathing was quite welcome after trying to get into this damn orb. Memory orbs that shut down your breathing? That was fucked up. Knowing my luck, the last one would stop my heart. How long could a pony go without their heart beating?
好吧。我再一次意识到为什么粉红云不是你的朋友。火灾伴随着每一次浅浅的呼吸爆发肯定是令人分心的。尽管如此，在试图进入这个该死的球体之后，呼吸的感觉还是很受欢迎的。记忆球会让你停止呼吸？真是糟透了。知道我的运气，最后一个会停止我的心脏。一匹小马没有心跳能坚持多久？
Worry about that when you get to it. Pay attention now. Goldenblood was walking down a very seedy back street in Canterlot. In the distance I could see the ministry buildings, their colorful spires hung with black banners. A layer of wet slush covered everything, and it dripped and drizzled into the alley. A gaunt cat hissed at him as he trotted past, but he paid it no mind.
到时候再担心这个问题吧。现在请注意。金色血色走在Canterlot一条破旧的小街上。远处我可以看到政府部门的建筑，它们五颜六色的尖顶上挂着黑色的横幅。一层湿漉漉的雪水覆盖了所有的东西，滴滴答答地流进了小巷。当他小跑经过时，一只憔悴的猫向他发出嘶嘶声，但他并不在意。
A scar-covered brown pony quivered between two boxes, one forehoof ending in a truncated stump. “Spare a bit for a vet? I fought with Big Macintosh,” he pleaded as he held out his remaining hoof.
一匹布满疤痕的褐色小马在两个箱子之间颤抖，一个前蹄以截短的树桩结束。"给点钱给兽医吧？我和大麦金托什打过仗,"他一边恳求，一边伸出他剩下的蹄子。
Goldenblood stopped, peering down at him with tired eyes. At the pony’s hooves, barely covered by the rags, was a red pamphlet with a large green apple half upon it. “No. You didn’t,” he replied in cold, hard tones. The crippled stallion flinched back and pulled his rags over him more. Then Goldenblood levitated three bits from his bag. “Go stay at the Ministry of Peace shelter tonight. It’s going to be cold.”
金布拉德停了下来，用疲惫的眼睛凝视着他。小马的蹄子几乎没有被破布遮住，上面有一本红色的小册子，上面有一个大大的青苹果。"没有。你没有,"他冷冷地、硬邦邦地回答。那匹瘸腿的种马畏缩了一下，又用破布把自己裹得更紧了。然后，金色的血液从他的袋子里飘起了三块。"今晚去和平部的庇护所吧。天气会很冷。"
He left the stallion behind and walked down an even narrower, dimmer side street. I wondered what sort of horrible things he would be meeting in a place like this. Zebra infiltrators? Equestria death squads? Mad scientists?
他把那匹种马留在身后，走在一条更窄、更暗的小街上。我不知道他会在这种地方遇到什么可怕的事情。"斑马"渗透者？小马骑士敢死队？疯狂的科学家？
Outside a doorway, a batpony mare guard stood at attention. “Is she still inside?” Goldenblood asked.
在门口，一个骑着马的警卫立正站着。"她还在里面吗?"金血王问道。
“Yes sir,” the guard replied with a salute of her wing. Then concern crossed her dusky blue face. “She’s… in a bad way, sir.”
"是的，先生,"卫兵回答说，并向她的翅膀敬礼。这时，忧虑掠过她那暗蓝色的脸。"她...情况不妙，先生。"
“They’re all taking Big Macintosh’s death hard. It’s been a rough week. I expected this of Applejack, but not her.” He frowned, looking over towards the immense tree that, from LittlePip’s descriptions, was the Ministry of Peace. “I wish I knew what they talked about the other day.” What, something that Goldenblood didn’t know? Be still my… strike that. “I’ll see if I can help her. Are the premises secure?” he asked as he looked at the door. Sad music played through it.
"他们都很难接受大麦金托什的死亡。这周过得很艰难。这是我对苹果白兰地的期待，但不是她。"他皱着眉头，望着那棵巨大的树，根据小匹普的描述，那是和平部。"我希望我知道他们那天谈了些什么。"什么，金血王不知道的事？还是我的...不要说了。"我看看能不能帮她。楼宇是否安全?」他看着门问道。悲伤的音乐贯穿其中。
“No one’s going to touch her, but… I can’t be sure they won’t talk,” the batpony said with a frown. “Should we detain them?”
"没有人会碰她，但是......我不能确定他们不会说话,"蝙蝠马皱着眉头说。"我们应该拘留他们吗?"
“No. Clear them out discreetly. I don’t want her upset any more than she already is. Image will keep it from getting further than this. Make use of the slush account to compensate them for their inconvenience. If they want more, they won’t like the more they get. I’m in no mood for blackmail attempts these days,” he muttered as he walked through the doorway and into a kitchen. He glanced at the kitchen staff and nodded to the door. Then he stepped through.
"没有。小心地把他们清出去。我不想让她再难过了。图像将阻止它走得更远。利用行贿账户来补偿他们带来的不便。如果他们想要更多，他们不会喜欢他们得到的更多。这些天我没心情接受敲诈,"他一边走过门道，一边走进厨房，喃喃自语道。他瞥了一眼厨房的工作人员，向门点了点头。然后他走了过去。
The bar was dingy, smelly, and dim. Dingy in the fact that whoever owned it didn’t seem inclined to fix the carved table tops, the dented flatware, or the chipped mugs. Smelly in that ‘sour hops and faintly spoiled wine with just a tang of sharper whiskey’ scent kind of way. Only the dimness seemed intentional, as if the owner had tried for cozy and intimate and landed squarely in creepy and
酒吧又脏又臭又暗。昏暗的事实是，不管谁拥有它，似乎都不愿意修理雕花的桌面，凹陷的餐具，或者缺口的杯子。这种"酸啤酒花"和淡淡变质的葡萄酒带有一种更烈的威士忌的气味，味道很难闻。只有那些昏暗的灯光看起来是有意为之，就好像主人试图营造一种舒适亲密的氛围，结果落在了一个令人毛骨悚然的地方
sinister territory. Actually, I kind of liked it. In the corner, a jukebox played a sad Sweetie Belle tune. ‘When is my stallion coming home?’ seemed to be the refrain. A dozen or so patrons waited tensely in one corner watched by two larger, bulkier batpony stallions. The mare followed Goldenblood in and walked over to them. A few quiet words were exchanged, and then, single file, the ponies vacated the bar. One started to give a drunken protest, but the stronger stallion incapacitated him, wrapping leathery wings around the inebriate’s head and then hauling him across his back.
邪恶的领地。事实上，我还挺喜欢的。在角落里，一个自动点唱机播放着忧伤的甜心贝儿的曲子。"我的种马什么时候回家?"似乎是一种重复。十几个顾客紧张地在一个角落里等着，旁边站着两匹更大、更笨重的小马驹。那匹母马跟着金血王进来，向他们走去。他们安静地交谈了几句，然后，小马们排成一列，离开了酒吧。其中一个开始醉醺醺地抗议，但是更强壮的种马使他丧失了行动能力，用坚韧的翅膀裹住醉汉的头，然后拖着他从背后走过。
“Thanks, Lionheart,” the mare said with a little nod as the stallions trotted out. “All yours, Goldenblood.”
"谢谢，狮心王。"母马点了点头，公马一溜烟地跑了出来。"交给你了，金色血统。"
He nodded as he stared at the lone figure at the bar. This was the last place I’d have expected to see Twilight Sparkle. Her mane was a rat’s nest of tangles; her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. On her head perched a tiara with a six pointed star atop it. In front of her was a mug of something smelling strongly of apples.
他盯着酒吧里那个孤零零的身影点了点头。这是我最没想到会看到紫悦的地方。她的鬃毛是一个乱糟糟的老鼠窝;她的眼睛肿胀充血。她头上戴着一顶头饰，上面有一颗六角星。她面前摆着一大杯有浓烈苹果气味的东西。
Only the bartender remained, the scruffy brown unicorn tilting his head towards the scarred pony as he approached the bar. “You’re ruining the party,” Twilight Sparkle slurred, “Go away.”
只有酒保留了下来，当他走近酒吧的时候，那只脏兮兮的棕色独角兽把头斜向那只伤痕累累的小马。"你毁了这个聚会,"紫悦含糊不清地说,"走开。"
“Thanks for contacting me, Scruffy,” Goldenblood said to the unicorn behind the bar. The brown unicorn nodded to Goldenblood. “The usual.”
"谢谢你联系我，邋遢鬼,"金布拉德对吧台后面的独角兽说。棕色的独角兽对着Goldenblood点点头。"还是老样子。"
“Of course you know each other,” Twilight grunted in disgust, levitating her mug and trotting towards the jukebox.
"你们当然认识,"暮光厌恶地咕哝了一声，把她的脸托起来，朝点唱机跑去。
Goldenblood remained at the bar, watching Twilight. “How many of those has she had?”
金色血色仍然留在酒吧里，看着暮光之城。"她有过几次这样的经历?"
“She hasn’t even had that one,” the brown stallion replied with a grunt. “I don’t think she’s figured out she needs ta drink the damned thing first.” He paused. “You think she’s spit her bit or something? She’s played that song a dozen times already.”
"她连那只都没有,"那匹棕色的种马咕哝着回答。"我觉得她还没意识到她需要先喝这该死的东西。"他停顿了一下。"你觉得她是吐口水了还是怎么了？她已经把这首歌放了十几遍了。"
“Something. I don’t know why this is hitting her so hard. Applejack, yes, but Twilight? It makes no sense. If she has…” then he shook his head and glanced at the pony. “How’re the wife and kids?”
"什么东西。我不知道为什么这对她打击这么大。苹果白兰地，是的，但是暮光之城？这毫无意义。如果她有......"然后他摇摇头，瞥了一眼小马。"老婆孩子怎么样?"
“Wife’s in Zebratown now. Took your advice. The kids...” He shook his head.
"妻子现在在Zebratown。接受了你的建议。孩子们......"他摇了摇头。
“Dunno if they should stay here with me or go stay with her. Nobody wants zonies anymore.” He set a glass of something sharp down on the tabletop. “She’s got another packet ready. Her aunt with the Propoli got it to her.”
"我不知道他们是应该和我呆在一起还是和她呆在一起。没有人再想要小车了。"他在桌面上放了一杯锐利的东西。"她又准备了一包。她那拿着Propoli的姨妈给她的。"
“I’ll send somepony for it. Thanks for being discreet,” Goldenblood replied, then paused and added, “I’d send them to be with their mother, Scruff. Zebras might resent them, but their stripes might get them hurt.” He then took the glass and trotted towards the jukebox as Twilight selected the same sad song again.
"我会派人去取的。"谢谢你的谨慎,"金布拉德回答道，然后停顿了一下，补充道,"我要把他们送到他们的母亲斯克拉夫那里去。"。斑马可能会憎恨它们，但它们身上的条纹可能会让它们受伤。"然后他拿起酒杯，小跑向点唱机，《暮光之城》再次选择了同样悲伤的歌曲。
“Go away, Goldenblood. I don’t want to talk to you right now,” she said as she stared into the jukebox.
"滚开，金色血统。我现在不想和你说话,"她盯着点唱机说。
“Fair enough. I’m just here for a drink,” he said as he slipped into the booth nearest to the jukebox.
"有道理。我只是来喝一杯的,"他边说边溜进离点唱机最近的电话亭。
Twilight snorted and stared into the machine as Goldenblood waited, sipping his drink. When the song ended, Goldenblood asked, “Can you pick ‘Away, away my heart’ next? Just for a little variety?” Twilight Sparkle grimaced, then glanced over at him, and her horn glowed. The tune changed, still just as sad.
黄昏喷着鼻息，凝视着机器，金色血液等待着，啜饮着他的饮料。歌曲结束时，金血王问道:"你能接下来选择'离开，离开我的心'吗?"？就为了换换口味?"紫悦做了个鬼脸，然后看了他一眼，她的角在发光。调子变了，还是那么悲伤。
Twilight stared into the jukebox’s glowing, shining talismans as they whirred and played the record. “I’m leaving the ministry.”
暮色凝视着点唱机里闪闪发光的护身符，他们旋转着播放着唱片。"我要离开魔法部了。"
“Mmmm…” Goldenblood replied, gazing out at nothing in the dim interior.
"嗯......"金血王回答道，凝视着昏暗的内部。
“I’ve had it with this war. This killing. This… everything…” she said as tears ran down her cheek. “I keep trying to come up with something that’ll end it. Some spell or trick or enchantment or… something!” She thudded the jukebox in frustration. “I can’t do this anymore!”
"我受够了这场战争。这场谋杀。这......一切......"她说，泪水顺着脸颊流了下来。"我一直在想办法结束这一切。一些咒语、诡计、魔法或者......什么的!"她沮丧地重重地敲着点唱机。"我不能再这样下去了!"
“Mmmm…” Goldenblood said again.
"嗯......"金血王又说。
“Is that all you’re going to say?” she snapped waspishly.
"你就打算说这些吗?"她怒气冲冲地说。
“No,” he answered. “I’ll start processing the paperwork this afternoon. Speak to Princess Luna. We’ll frame it as ‘extended leave’ and next week work in the retirement. Mosaic and Gestalt will take over the Ministry of Arcane Sciences. I imagine Princess Celestia will be glad to have you as a teacher at her school.” He glanced at her, and his lips curled in a small smile. “I think you’ll like it, Twilight. Teaching can be… surprisingly rewarding. Just don’t fall behind on the
"没有,"他回答。"我今天下午就开始处理文书工作。跟卢娜公主说话。我们将其定义为"延长假期"，并在下周进行退休工作。马赛克和格式塔将接管奥术科学部。我想塞莱斯蒂亚公主会很高兴你在她的学校当老师。"他瞥了她一眼，嘴唇微微一笑。"我想你会喜欢的，暮光之城。教学可以是......令人惊讶的回报。只是不要落在后面
grading. It can be a killer.”
分级。它可能是一个杀手。"
Twilight stared at him, appearing shocked. “That’s it?” He gave a little nod and sipped his drink. “You’re not going to try and talk me out of it?”
暮色盯着他，显得很震惊。"就这样?"他点了点头，喝了口酒。"你不打算劝我放弃吗?"
Goldenblood gave a little shrug, then broke off coughing for several seconds as the magma in his lungs erupted for several seconds. He levitated over a napkin and spat a pinkish red blob into it. “If it’s what you really want, I won’t stop you. I imagine that Princess Luna will want to know why, but I’m sure that, as long as your friends know why you’re quitting, that’s all that matters.”
金布拉德耸了耸肩，然后在肺部的岩浆喷发了几秒钟后停止了咳嗽。他在一张餐巾纸上飘浮起来，吐出一团粉红色的东西。"如果这是你真正想要的，我不会阻止你。我想卢娜公主会想知道为什么，但我相信，只要你的朋友知道你为什么要退出，这就足够了。"
Twilight Sparkle winced at the word ‘quit’. “I’m just sick of it all. At my ministry there’re ponies who don’t seem to know that there’s a war on at all. Even I feel that way sometimes. It’s all projects, puzzles, checklists, and reports. But now Big Macintosh’s dead, and… it hurts, Goldenblood. It hurts so damned much and I can’t figure out why!”
一听到辞职这个词，紫悦就退缩了。"我已经厌倦了这一切。在我的部里，有些小马似乎根本不知道战争正在进行。即使是我，有时也会有这种感觉。这是所有的项目，谜题，清单和报告。但是现在大麦金托什死了，而且...很痛苦，金血王。真他妈的疼，我不知道为什么!"
“You saw Fluttershy. Did she…” he began, but she shook her head.
"你看到小萤火虫了。她......"他开始说，但她摇了摇头。
“She prescribed some drugs and therapy. Drugs.” She rubbed her face with a hoof. “Sweet Celestia, hasn’t she seen what they’re doing to Pinkie Pie? I can’t take them.”
"她开了一些药和治疗方法。毒品。"她用蹄子蹭脸。"亲爱的塞莱斯蒂亚，难道她没看到他们对平基做了什么吗？我受不了了。"
“Not all drugs are the same, Twilight. There’s a big leap between Mint-als and aspirin. And you know that too,” Goldenblood answered. Twilight sniffed and arched her back a little. He watched her passively as she shook her head. “What’s the matter?”
"不是所有的毒品都是一样的，暮光。薄荷糖和阿司匹林之间有很大的区别。你也知道的,"金血王回答。暮光闻了闻她的鼻子，稍稍拱了拱她的背。他被动地看着她摇摇头。"怎么了?"
“I don’t know!” Twilight cried out, flinging the mug away from her, the dark contents splashing across the floor. “I just feel… I hurt! And I don’t know why! I see pictures of Big Macintosh and think that he was my friend’s brother and he’s gone and that’s bad… but I don’t feel that way. And every time I try and figure out why it… it hurts even more!” She bowed her head, eyes shut, tears falling on the glass cover of the jukebox. “We can’t even talk to each other about it. Rainbow Dash just says soldiers die but… but we knew him. Fluttershy just cries. Rarity…” She shook her head. “We knew him, Goldenblood. We knew him.”
"我不知道!"暮色呼喊着，把杯子从她身边扔开，黑色的东西溅落在地板上。"我只是觉得......我受伤了！我不知道为什么！我看到大麦金托什的照片，我想他是我朋友的哥哥，他走了，这很糟糕......但我不这么想。每次我试图弄明白为什么会这样......就会更加痛苦!"她低下头，闭上眼睛，泪水滴落在点唱机的玻璃盖上。"我们甚至不能和对方谈论这件事。彩虹·达什只是说士兵会死但是...但是我们认识他。萤火虫只是哭泣。稀有......"她摇了摇头。"我们认识他，金血王。我们认识他。"
“And now he’s gone,” he said softly. “You’ve never lost someone close to you before, have you, Twilight?”
"现在他走了,"他轻声说。"你从来没有失去过亲近的人，是吗，暮光?"
She sniffed and shook her head. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve read books and asked Celestia and… and… I just don’t know how to make this hurt stop.”
她抽了抽鼻子，摇了摇头。"我不知道该怎么办。我读过书，问过塞莱斯蒂亚，而且......而且......我只是不知道如何让这种伤害停止。"
“It doesn’t stop, Twilight. What you’re feeling… millions have felt. It’s normal,” he said in his rusty, wet voice.
"它不会停止，暮光之城。你的感受...数百万人的感受。这很正常,"他用生锈的湿漉漉的声音说。
“It is?” Twilight asked. “But when… how does it stop?”
"是吗?"暮光问道。"但什么时候......怎么才能停下来呢?"
He didn’t answer for a moment. “It doesn’t, if you’re lucky. It fades with time, bit by bit, but it never completely goes away.” He levitated a napkin to her and dabbed at her tears. “It’s like a scar that lingers and aches when the weather is cold and wet. It reminds us of those who have gone so that we keep on living. The most important thing is that we don’t miss them so badly we go and join them.”
他一时没有回答。"如果你幸运的话，它不会。它会随着时间一点一点地消失，但它永远不会完全消失。"他把一张餐巾纸悬浮起来给她擦眼泪。"这就像一道伤疤，当天气寒冷潮湿的时候，它就会留下并疼痛不已。它让我们想起那些为了我们继续生活而离去的人们。最重要的是，我们不会太想念他们，我们会去加入他们。"
She sniffed and peered up at him, then lowered her eyes back to the dirty floor. “You feel this way a lot?”
她闻了闻，抬头看了看他，然后把眼睛低回到脏兮兮的地板上。"你经常有这种感觉吗?"
“I’ve had a lot of practice,” he replied in his rusty, wet voice. He helped her over to the booth and waved a hoof at the bartender. Twilight breathed a little more steadily now. “You’re not going to quit, Twilight. You don’t know how.”
"我已经练习过很多次了,"他用生疏而湿润的声音回答。他扶她走到隔间，朝酒保挥了挥蹄子。暮色的呼吸更加平稳了。"你不会放弃的，暮光之城。你不知道怎么做。"
Twilight frowned at him. “You don’t know that. I can too quit,” she said, almost petulantly.
暮色向他皱起了眉头。"你不知道。我也可以退出,"她几乎是气急败坏地说。
“No. You can’t. You’ll stick it out, because that’s what you do. Your whole family is incredibly tenacious,” he said calmly as he folded his hooves on the table before his face. “You’ll get over this, Twilight. People are counting on you. You won’t let them down. We have to win this war.”
"没有。你不能。你会坚持到底，因为这就是你要做的。你们全家都非常顽强,"他平静地说，把蹄子放在桌子上，面前放着。"你会挺过去的，暮光之城。人们都指望着你。你不会让他们失望的。我们必须赢得这场战争。"
Twilight sat back in her seat. “Win this war? For what?”
暮色坐在她的座位上。"赢得这场战争？为什么?"
Now he frowned. “For what?”
现在他皱起了眉头。"为什么?"
“That’s what I’m asking you. What are we fighting this war for? You know better than anypony. You’ve been in the government since before the ministries. So what is all this for?” Twilight asked.
"这就是我要问你的。我们打这场仗是为了什么？你比任何人都清楚。你在政府部门工作很久了。那么，这一切是为了什么呢?"暮光问道。
Goldenblood didn’t answer right away. “Well… to protect ourselves from our enemy.”
金色血统没有马上回答。"嗯......为了保护自己不受敌人伤害。"
“And they attack us to protect themselves from us. Seems like the better protection would be if everyone stayed home,” Twilight countered.
"他们攻击我们是为了保护自己不受我们的伤害。似乎最好的保护措施是大家都呆在家里。"暮光反驳道。
“It’s not that simple. There’s economics to be considered too. Our energy requirements–” Goldenblood began before Twilight cut him off.
"事情没那么简单。还要考虑经济因素。我们的能量需求——"金血王在暮光之城切断他的后路之前就开始了。
“Aren’t what they were fifteen years ago. We’ve got the Hoofington dams for example. We’re researching gem energy reactors that don’t require coal. I know the M.W.T. is looking at solar energy. Heck, the zebras aren’t any different. They’re less and less dependent on gems than they were at the start of the war.” Twilight sniffed and rubbed her eyes as she drilled her gaze into his.
"和十五年前不一样了。比如胡芬顿水坝。我们正在研究不需要煤炭的宝石能源反应堆。我知道m.w.t.正在研究太阳能。见鬼，斑马也没什么不同。与战争开始时相比，他们对宝石的依赖程度越来越低。"暮光嗅着她的眼睛，揉揉她的眼睛，她钻进她的目光进入他的。
He took a moment, fighting for breath before he murmured, “It’s not… that simple. Twilight… what you’re feeling for Big Macintosh, everypony is feeling. We’ve all lost friends and loved ones to this war. They want revenge and payback for all we’ve lost. We can’t just stop after we’ve given so much to–” he began when she cut through his words again.
他想了一会儿，挣扎着喘口气，然后低声说道:"事情没那么简单。暮光之城......你对大麦金托什的感觉，每匹小马的感觉。在这场战争中，我们都失去了朋友和亲人。他们想为我们所失去的一切报仇雪恨。我们已经付出了这么多，我们不能就这样停下来——"当她再次切断他的话时，他开始说道。
“That’s a sunk cost fallacy, Goldenblood. We can’t stop fighting now because we didn’t stop fighting in the past because we won’t stop fighting in the future. We have to spend more lives for lives spent. No. I refuse to accept that,” Twilight said firmly.
"这是沉没成本谬论，金血王。我们现在不能停止战斗，因为我们没有停止过去的战斗，因为我们不会停止未来的战斗。我们必须花费更多的生命去生活。没有。我拒绝接受这一点,"暮光坚定地说。
“It’s not just that. The zebras… they have a religious fear of Princess Luna. A superstition. They attack us because they feel they have to. Especially now with the peace talk blown to pieces.”
"不仅如此。那些斑马...他们对卢娜公主有宗教上的恐惧。迷信。他们攻击我们是因为他们觉得必须这么做。特别是现在和平谈判破裂了。"
“And do you really think that in a choice between superstition and peace, they’d choose superstition?” Twilight asked sharply. Goldenblood almost physically wilted under her glare.
"你真的认为在迷信和和平之间选择，他们会选择迷信吗?"暮色尖锐地问道。金色的血液在她的目光下几乎在身体上枯萎了。
“We’re fighting… because we have to. That’s all there is to it,” he finished lamely, dropping his eyes to the table. He sighed, shaking his head a moment, and then said, “You’re right. There isn’t any good reason to fight. But that won’t stop this war, Twilight. You know that. And we need you. You know that too. In a few more years, the zebras might be open to another round of peace talks. Maybe we can work out an armistice then. But in the meantime, we have to keep fighting.”
"我们在战斗......因为我们不得不这样做。就是这么回事,"他一瘸一拐地说完，眼睛直勾勾地盯着桌子。他叹了口气，摇了摇头，然后说:"你说得对。没有任何理由去战斗。但这并不能阻止这场战争，暮光之城。你知道的。我们需要你。你也知道的。再过几年，斑马可能会愿意接受新一轮的和谈。也许那时我们可以达成一个停战协议。但与此同时，我们必须继续战斗。"
Twilight leaned back in the booth with a sigh. “Sometimes I think Princess Luna
暮色在亭子里向后靠了靠，叹了口气。"有时候我觉得卢娜公主
really doesn’t want peace. I can’t imagine why, but it just feels… wrong.” Goldenblood said nothing as she looked at her hooves. Twilight was silent too, then sighed. “At this rate, there’s not going to be an Equestria left worth fighting over.”
真的不想要和平。我无法想象为什么，但感觉就是......不对劲。"金布拉德看着自己的蹄子，什么也没说。暮色也静了下来，然后叹了口气。"以目前的速度，没有一个Equestria值得争夺。"
“What do you mean?” Goldenblood asked with a little frown as he peered at the wistful purple unicorn. His rough rasp had grown more rough and wet. He coughed something foul and oily into the handkerchief.
"什么意思?"金布拉德皱着眉头问道，目光凝视着这只渴望的紫色独角兽。他的粗锉刀变得更粗糙和潮湿了。他往手帕里塞了一些又脏又油的东西。
“I mean that at the rate we’re going, all that’s going to be left is a poisoned, polluted wasteland. I know you’ve seen the reports. Do you even know how much alchemical waste we’re producing, Goldenblood? Or chemical waste? And don’t get me started on that Flux junk that Flim and Flam got their hooves on. This stuff is dangerous and reactive, and we’re making a whole lot of it.”
"我的意思是，按照我们的发展速度，剩下的将只是一片有毒、受污染的荒原。我知道你看过报告了。你知道我们产生了多少炼金废料吗，金血王？或化学废物？还有，别让我开始讨论弗利姆和弗拉姆用他们的蹄子踩过的那些磁通垃圾。这种东西是危险和反应性的，我们正在制造大量这种东西。"
“That’s why the M.A.S. facility was set up in Splendid Valley. To store and protect–” Goldenblood began.
"这就是为什么m.a.s.设施设在灿烂谷的原因。为了储存和保护——"金血王开始了。
“It’s not enough,” Twilight interrupted.
"这还不够,"暮光打断了他。
“There’s more than twenty miles of tunnel under Maripony,” Goldenblood said with a faintly pained expression.
"在马里波尼下面有超过二十英里的隧道,"戈登布拉德略带痛苦地说。
“And I’m telling you it’s not enough,” Twilight replied. “Our alchemical waste is so toxic and reactive that we can’t even put it all in the same caves. There’s already been a serious incident. Thank Celestia nopony died, but the product was so corrosive it was eating through our suits. And that doesn’t start to address the industrial waste being made. Everypony is churning out all kinds of stuff for the war, and in the process they’re making stuff so toxic we can’t do more than bury it. But it’s not going to stay buried forever. Even our most corrosion-resistant drums are going to leak eventually.”
"我告诉你，这还不够,"暮光之城回答道。"我们的炼金废料毒性大、活性强，我们甚至不能把它们全部放在同一个洞穴里。已经发生了一起严重的事故。谢天堂小马死了，但是这个产品的腐蚀性太强了，以至于腐蚀了我们的防护服。这还不足以解决工业废弃物的问题。每个小马都在为战争生产各种各样的东西，在这个过程中，他们生产的东西毒性太大，我们只能把它埋起来。但它不会永远被埋葬。即使是我们最耐腐蚀的鼓最终也会泄漏。"
“Something Princess Luna can deal with after the war,” Goldenblood said with a small frown.
"一些战后卢娜公主可以处理的事情,"金布拉德皱着眉头说。
“And by then it’ll be too late, Goldenblood. You don’t seem to get how much stuff is sitting around. There’s tens of millions of gallons of it all across Equestria. And if you talk about it, a pony in a uniform says ‘war effort’, and the debate gets shut down. And bad as magical waste is, this ‘Flux’ seems to go out of its way to mess things up,” Twilight said with a scowl, then sighed.
"到那时就太晚了，金色血统。你似乎不知道周围有多少东西。整个Equestria有数千万加仑的水。如果你谈论这个话题，一匹穿制服的小马就会说"战争努力"，然后争论就停止了。《暮光之城》皱着眉头说道，然后叹了口气。
“We have to keep on fighting. Equestria is worth it,” he said as he looked away from her, staring off into the gloom.
"我们必须继续战斗。骑马的人是值得的。"他说着把目光从她身上移开，凝视着黑暗。
“You really mean that?” Twilight said skeptically.
"你是认真的吗?"暮光半信半疑地说。
“I spent most of my colthood travelling around the world. To me, it was an adventure, but Mother travelled to keep me safe from Father. Celestia finally forced him to acknowledge me, and he never forgave that. Scruffy over there was one of our retainers, helping to keep the baggage from getting lost or a wayward colt from wandering into a poppy den.”
"我大部分的牧师生涯都在环游世界。对我来说，这是一次冒险，但是母亲旅行是为了让我远离父亲的危险。塞莱斯蒂亚最终强迫他承认了我，他永远不会原谅这一点。那边那个邋遢鬼是我们的一个随从，帮助我们保护行李，不让它迷路，也不让一匹任性的小马跑进罂粟花窝里。"
“Keepin’ ya from those Carnilia fillies was more a chore,” Scruffy chuckled.
"让你远离那些卡尼利亚小姑娘更像是一件苦差事,"斯克拉菲笑着说。
Goldenblood actually blushed as he went on, “Yes, well, I always had stories of Equestria. I dreamed of this place. When Mother died and I came here, it was the first time I felt like I was home. Certainly, Father didn’t make things easy for me, but I woke up each morning glad to be here. I hiked all over it, collecting rocks, minerals, and gems. I’ve always been in love with Equestria.” He spoke like… I didn’t know what. As if he was looking at some distant dream.
金色血统在继续说下去的时候脸都红了,"是的，我一直有关于Equestria的故事。我梦到了这个地方。母亲去世后，我来到这里，这是我第一次觉得像在家里一样。当然，父亲并没有让我过得很轻松，但是每天早上醒来我都很高兴来到这里。我徒步旅行，收集岩石、矿物和宝石。我一直爱着小马国。"他说起话来就像...我不知道是什么。他仿佛在看着某个遥远的梦境。
“Well, enjoy it while it lasts,” Twilight said quietly. “You heard what Rainbow Dash discovered?”
"好吧，趁它还在的时候好好享受吧,"《暮光之城》平静地说。"你听说彩虹·达什发现了什么吗?"
His smile vanished, and his eyes fell. “Yes. The zebras have megaspells.” There was the sound of a bottle smashing, and both looked over at the horrified bartender.
他的笑容消失了，他的眼睛垂下来。"是的。斑马有巨盾。"有一个瓶子摔碎的声音，两个人都看着那个吓坏了的酒保。
“M’sorry,” the pony muttered as he levitated over a broom and dustpan.
"对不起,"小马在扫帚和簸箕上飘起来的时候喃喃自语。
Twilight sighed, “I don’t know how they got the framework. Pinkie Pie must have been taking more of those damned drugs and missed it while she was bouncing off the walls. Or worse. What if someone at the M.o.P. gave it to them?”
暮光叹了口气,"我不知道他们是怎么得到框架的。小派一定是又服用了那些该死的药物，她在墙上蹦蹦跳跳的时候没注意到。或者更糟。如果是m.o.p.的人给他们的呢?"
“They didn’t. I’m completely certain that neither Fluttershy nor anyone in her employ was responsible,” Goldenblood said firmly.
"他们没有。我完全肯定，无论是Fluttershy还是她手下的任何人都没有责任。"。
Twilight arched a skeptical brow. “Regardless, you know what this means. They’re using the megaspell matrix to supercharge weapons grade talismans. It’ll be Littlehorn all over Equestria.”
暮色升起了怀疑的额头。"不管怎样，你知道这意味着什么。他们正在使用巨磁矩阵来增强武器级的护身符。小角号将席卷整个小马国。"
“Not if we have megaspells of our own to counter them,” Goldenblood said.
"除非我们有自己的巨型细胞来对抗它们,"戈登布拉德说。
“Yeah. Funny how fast that research went. Research I didn’t even want my ministry to do. Suddenly I turn around and there’s all kinds of megaspell weapon theories practically lying around in the hallways,” Twilight said sourly. “If it all goes off, will there be an Equestria left?”
"是的。有趣的是，这项研究进行得有多快。我甚至不希望我的牧师去做的研究。突然我转过身，看到各种各样的巨型武器理论几乎就躺在走廊里。"暮光之城酸溜溜地说。"如果这一切都结束了，还会剩下一个Equestria吗?"
Goldenblood said nothing for several long seconds. “There’s nothing we can do about that,” he said quietly, once again looking away.
金血王沉默了好几秒钟。"我们对此无能为力,"他平静地说，再次把目光移开。
“Maybe there is,” Twilight said as she took the tiara off her head and stared at it. “It’s something I thought up this morning. Megaspells… they operate like the Elements of Harmony. What if we combine the two? A megaspell array powered by the magic of the Elements to cleanse and restore Equestria if the worst should happen?”
"也许有,"暮光一边说，一边摘下头饰，盯着它看。"这是我今天早上想出来的。他们就像和谐元素一样运作。如果我们把两者结合起来呢？如果最糟糕的事情发生了，一个巨型的、由元素的魔力驱动的数组来清理和恢复Equestria?"
“The Elements?” He frowned at the tiara. “I thought you couldn’t get them to work.”
"元素?"他对皇冠皱起眉头。"我还以为你不能让它们工作呢。"
“True. I couldn’t, but that doesn’t mean somepony else couldn’t be a bearer. I don’t think that the six of us were meant to be the bearers forever anyway,” she said as she looked away. “I have to do something, Goldenblood. If I don’t… I just have to do this.”
"没错。我不能，但这并不意味着其他的小马不能成为承载者。我不认为我们六个人注定要永远做搬运工,"她一边说，一边把目光移开。"我必须做点什么，金血王。如果我不这么做......我只能这么做。"
“Luna won’t allow it, Twilight. I’m sorry. She doesn’t want to risk the Elements falling into the wrong hooves. Besides, she won’t tolerate any talk about losing the war. Building something like this is just that. Especially if she thinks it could be repurposed into a weapon,” Goldenblood said, giving the mare a long frown.
"露娜不会同意的，暮光。对不起。她不想让自然元素落入错误的马蹄之中。此外，她不会容忍任何关于战争失败的言论。建造这样的东西只是为了。尤其是如果她认为它可以用来制造武器的话。"金血王说，长长地皱了皱眉。
“You honestly think that I would make a weapon with the Elements to use against Luna?” Twilight asked with a laugh. Goldenblood didn’t share it, and it sickened and died. “Goldenblood, are you saying Luna doesn’t trust us?”
"你真的认为我会用元素制造一种武器来对付卢娜?"暮色笑着问道。金色血液没有分享它，它生病死了。"金色血统，你是说卢娜不信任我们?"
“Luna respects the six of you greatly and values your contributions, but you used the Elements against her once,” he said levelly. “She won’t risk you using them again.”
"卢娜非常尊重你们六个人，也非常重视你们的贡献，但是你曾经用元素对付过她,"他平静地说。"她不会冒险让你再次使用它们。"
“She was Nightmare Moon at the time!” Twilight said with a wave of her hoof.
"她当时就是噩梦之月!"暮色挥动着她的蹄子说。
“I’m sorry, Twilight. I don’t even have to ask her. She’ll say no,” Goldenblood
"对不起，暮光之城。我都不用问她。她会拒绝的,"金血王
said. Twilight stared at him, and something inside her crumpled. She slowly collapsed back in the booth seat. “Have faith, Twilight. Soon, this will be over, and Equestria can get back to normal.”
说。暮色凝视着他，她心里的某个东西皱了起来。她慢慢地倒在座位上。"要有信心，黄昏。很快，这一切就会结束，Equestria可以恢复正常。"
“Normal?” Twilight said without looking at him for a second. Then she raised her head, her mane covering half her face with one eye glaring at him. “You think Equestria will return to normal? Before the death? Before the corporations and the guns and the poison? Do you think Equestria will ever be a land of sunshine again?” She suddenly levitated the table up and flipped it away, pointing a hoof at Goldenblood. “You told us these ministries would help Equestria. Well, I don’t see anything in this war that’s close to normal! It’s just getting worse and worse. And you had a hoof in that. Do you love Equestria or Princess Luna, Goldenblood?”
"正常?"暮光没有看他一眼，说道。然后她抬起头，鬃毛遮住了半张脸，一只眼睛怒视着他。"你认为小马国会恢复正常吗？在死亡之前？在公司，枪支和毒药之前？你认为小马国还会是一片阳光灿烂的土地吗?"她突然把桌子悬浮起来，然后把它翻过来，把蹄子指向Goldenblood。"你告诉我们这些部门会帮助小马国。在这场战争中我看不到任何接近正常的东西！情况越来越糟。你的蹄子在里面。金血女，你爱小马国还是卢娜公主?"
His mouth worked a moment as he stared up at her. “I don’t understand… I love both…”
他抬起头来看着她，嘴张开了一会儿。"我不明白......我两者都爱......"
“No,” she contradicted. “You can’t. Either you love the Equestria you used to dream about, or you love the ruler who’s changing it to suit her own vision. I respect Princess Luna too, but this is wrong. So which is it? Equestria or Luna?”
"不,"她反驳道。"你不能。要么你喜欢曾经梦寐以求的小马国，要么你喜欢正在改变它以适应自己愿景的统治者。我也尊重卢娜公主，但这是不对的。那么到底是哪一个呢？小马国还是卢娜?"
He didn’t answer. He just closed his eyes for the longest time. “I love Luna, Twilight. I do.” He opened his eyes and looked at the unicorn as she slumped and seemed to age before his eyes. “But I love Equestria even more. And you’re right. If we lose this war, we’re going to need something like what you’re proposing. And if we win…” He trailed off. “If we win…” he repeated, and once again went quiet.
他没有回答。他只是闭上眼睛很长时间。"我爱露娜，暮光。我愿意。"他睁开眼睛，看着那只倒下的独角兽，仿佛在他眼前变老。"但我更爱小马国。你是对的。如果我们输了这场战争，我们就需要像你提议的那样的东西。如果我们赢了......"。"如果我们赢了......"他重复道，然后又一次安静了下来。
“If we win? What?” Twilight asked with a frown.
"如果我们赢了？什么?"暮色皱着眉头问道。
He opened and closed his mouth before stammering, “N-Nothing. Just… I had a thought.” He closed his eyes and nodded once. “Make me a list. Tell me what you need. I’ll get it however I can. I know ponies who are experts at fudging requisition orders and misfiling papers. They could make a battleship disappear if they needed to.”
他张开嘴又合上嘴，然后结结巴巴地说:"没有。只是......我有个想法。"他闭上眼睛，点了一下头。"给我列个单子。告诉我你需要什么。我会尽我所能得到它的。我认识一些小马，它们擅长伪造请购单和乱填文件。如果需要，他们可以让一艘战舰消失。"
“Are you serious? Goldenblood, this could take months. Maybe years. I’d have to research specific spells to place in the megaspell matrix. I can’t begin to imagine where we’ll get the processing power to make it work.”
"你是认真的吗？金色血液，这可能需要几个月的时间。也许几年。我必须研究特定的咒语放置在megaspell矩阵。我无法想象我们将从哪里获得处理能力来使其工作。"
He stepped towards her and took his hoof between hers. “Just tell me what you need as you need it. Spike is a trustworthy intermediary. He can be our point of contact. Stay at the M.A.S. Do what you need to. And I’ll make this work.
他走向她，用蹄子夹住她的蹄子。"告诉我你需要什么。斯派克是一个值得信赖的中间人。他可以成为我们的联系人。留在m.a.s.做你需要做的。我会搞定的。
You’re right. We do need something to take care of things if we lose the war.” And then he added, softer and almost to himself, “And if we win it…”
你说得对。如果我们输了这场战争，我们确实需要一些东西来解决问题。"然后他温和地补充道,"如果我们赢了......"
Twilight nodded. “I… thank you. I didn’t expect… I don’t know what I expected. But still. Thank you.”
暮色点点头。"我.....。.谢谢你。我没想到...我不知道我想到了什么。但还是。谢谢。"
“I do love Equestria, Twilight. Anything worthwhile is done for love,” he said with a small smile.
"我确实喜欢Equestria，《暮光之城》。任何有价值的事情都是为了爱,"他微笑着说。
She nodded and flushed, then turned back to him. “I feel… better. Thank you. I… goodbye.” And with that, Twilight trotted away, still hurt but moving once more. Goldenblood’s small smile melted away as he walked to the middle of the bar.
她点点头，脸涨得通红，然后转过身来看着他。"我感觉...好多了。谢谢你。我。.再见。"就这样，暮光小跑着离开了，仍然很痛，但是又一次移动了。当他走到酒吧中间时，金色血液的微笑消失了。
“I have to say, that was some smooth work. I’d heard you had a silver tongue, but I think it’s pure gold,” the batpony mare said as she trotted in from the kitchen. “She was ready to quit, but after a liberal application of bovine fecal matter, you had her back on the job.”
"我不得不说，这工作做得很顺利。我听说你能说会道，但我觉得你说的是真话。"马驹说着从厨房小跑进来。"她本来打算辞职的，但是在大量使用了牛粪便之后，你又让她回来工作了。"
“I meant every word,” Goldenblood said calmly as he sat, then broke into coughing.
"我说的每一句话都是认真的,"金血王坐着平静地说，然后突然咳嗽起来。
“Yeah, right. ‘Love Equestria’? Really? I didn’t think anyone older than a blank flank could fall for that,” the mare said with a grin. “Let me guess: you’re going to let Twilight build it and then hand over the keys to Princess Luna?”
"是的，没错。'爱小马国'？真的吗？我认为年龄超过岁的人都不会上当的。"母马咧嘴笑着说。"让我猜猜:你打算让暮光之城建造它，然后把钥匙交给卢娜公主?"
“Something like that,” Goldenblood said quietly. “Where’s the others?”
"差不多吧,"金血王平静地说。"其他人呢?"
“Escorted everyone away from here. Standard BS about security and a gas leak,” she said with a sharper grin at Scruffy. “Want me to take care of the loose ends?” The brown stallion fell back, his eyes wide.
"护送所有人离开这里。关于安全和煤气泄漏的标准废话,"她对Scruffy露出尖锐的笑容说。"要我来处理这些事情吗?"那匹棕色的种马向后倒去，眼睛睁得大大的。
“No. I’ll take care of it,” he said as he levitated from his saddlebags a small, compact pistol and calmly screwed a silencer on to the end.
"没有。我会处理的,"他一边说着，一边从他的鞍包里拿出一把小巧的手枪，平静地把消音器拧到底。
“M… Master Goldenblood! I’ve known you since you were a colt! You can’t!” he stammered as he fell back against the wall.
"m..金色血统大师！你还是小马的时候我就认识你了！你不能!"他退到墙边，结结巴巴地说。
“I’m sorry,” he replied, as he stood beside the batpony. Then his horn sparked, and she collapsed. The pistol was turned aside, and he bent over her, focusing intently for a few moments as Scruffy gazed on in confusion and fear. Without meeting his eyes, Goldenblood coughed and added softly, “The less memory I have to modify, the better.”
"对不起,"他站在蝙蝠马旁边回答。然后他的号角闪着火花，她瘫倒在地。手枪转向一边，他俯身看着她，专注地盯着她看了一会儿，而斯克拉菲则困惑而恐惧地盯着她。金色血液没有看到他的眼睛，只是轻轻地咳嗽了一声，补充道:"我需要修改的记忆越少越好。"
Scruffy didn’t take his eyes off the gun. Given it hadn’t been put away yet, I couldn’t blame him. “Okay...”
斯库菲的眼睛一直盯着那把枪。考虑到它还没有被收起来，我不能责怪他。"好吧......"
“We need to make this quick," Goldenblood said calmly as he looked towards the doors and then down at the still mare. "Do you still have that secret trap door in the cellar?”
"我们得赶快了结这件事,"金血王平静地说，他朝门口望去，然后朝下面那头安静的母马望去。"你地窖里还有那个暗门吗?"
Scruffy stared at the mare, then at the scarred stallion as if he’d never met him before. Then he gave a jerky nod of his head, “A…aye.”
斯克拉菲盯着那匹母马，然后又盯着那匹伤痕累累的种马，好像以前从没见过它似的。然后他猛地点了点头,"a。.赞成。"
“I’m afraid you and your family are going to have to go much further than Zebratown,” he said as he began to levitate the bottles, spilling them all over the bar. “Get to Applewood. Talk to Greasy Rag in the O.I.A. motor pool. He’ll get your family to the Crystal Empire. Tell him it’ll come off his bill. He’ll understand.” The brown unicorn glanced down at the batpony again. "Scruffy? She'll be fine,” Goldenblood said, calm and cool, and even I'd have shivered at the soft menace in his voice if I'd had my own body.
"恐怕你和你的家人不得不走得比斑马镇远得多,"他一边说着，一边开始将瓶子悬浮起来，洒得整个酒吧都是。"去阿普尔伍德。和o.i.a.车辆调配场里的油腻抹布谈谈。他会把你的家人带到水晶帝国。告诉他钱会从他的账单上扣除。他会理解的。"棕色的独角兽又一次低头看了看蝙蝠马。"脏兮兮的？她会没事的,"金布拉德冷静而冷静地说，如果我有自己的身体，连我都会被他温和的威胁语气吓得发抖。
Scruffy’s eyes went wide as he met the firm gaze of Goldenblood, the pistol still levitating in his magic. Then something in the brown stallion firmed up, and he gave a little nod. “A…aye. I can do that. But… you really are going to help Miss Sparkle against the Princess?”
斯克拉菲的眼睛睁得大大的，因为他遇到了Goldenblood坚定的目光，手枪仍然悬浮在他的魔力之中。这时，那匹棕色种马身上的什么东西硬了起来，他轻轻地点了点头。"答:。.赞成。我能做到。但是...你真的要帮火花小姐对抗公主吗?"
“Everything Twilight said was true. If we lose this war, the damage to Equestria will be phenomenal. And I was right that Princess Luna would never authorize this project; she’ll see it as a sign of no confidence. So it must be this way. But that I can handle. What I’m really worried about is… something else,” he said as he put the gun away, pouring more spirits around the bar. I wished I could lick my lips at the perfectly good eighty proof Wild Pegasus going to waste!
"暮光之城说的一切都是真的。如果我们输了这场战争，对Equestria的破坏将是显著的。我是对的，卢娜公主绝不会批准这个项目，她会把这看作是不信任的表现。所以一定是这样。但我能应付。我真正担心的是......其他的东西,"他一边说，一边把枪收起来，在酒吧里灌了更多的烈酒。我希望我能舔舔我的嘴唇在完美的八十度的野生飞马将要浪费！
“What’s that?” Scruffy asked with a frown, rescuing a bottle and taking a long pull from it.
"那是什么?"斯库拉菲皱着眉头问道，从瓶子里拿出一瓶酒，拉了很长时间。
“Twilight is worried about saving Equestria if we lose the war, but I’ve had an
"暮光之城担心如果我们输掉战争会拯救Equestria
epiphany: what if we win? What will happen to Equestria then?” Goldenblood asked.
如果我们赢了呢？到那时，Equestria会发生什么?"金血王问道。
“But… isn’t winning the war the point?”
"但是......赢得战争难道不是重点吗?"
“Yes, but I’d never thought about what was best for Equestria, only what was best for Princess Luna. She wanted a government that would stand for a thousand years. That’s exactly what I helped her create. But when the war is over… what then? Luna could easily be a worse tyrant than Equestria has ever known. It's been five years and we're already taking ponies away and brainwashing them for thinking the wrong thoughts. Erasing ponies' memories to keep secrets, or just killing them outright. What about in five more years? Or ten? Or twenty?” He sighed and closed his eyes. “Luna may turn out to be a good and kindly ruler, but a contingency should be in place for what happens if she turns tyrant. Something that will sweep all of this away and give Equestria and the world a second chance.”
"是的，但是我从来没有想过什么是对小马国最好的，只有对卢娜公主最好的。她想要一个能屹立千年的政府。这正是我帮她创造的。但是当战争结束后......会怎么样呢？卢娜很可能是一个前所未有的暴君，比马术国还要糟糕。五年过去了，我们已经开始把小马赶走，给它们洗脑，让它们去想错误的想法。清除小马的记忆来保守秘密，或者直接杀死它们。再过五年呢？或者10个？或者二十个?"他叹了口气，闭上了眼睛。"卢娜可能是一个善良和蔼的统治者，但如果她变成暴君，应该有一个应急措施。某种东西将席卷这一切，给予马术国和世界第二次机会。"
“That’s treason,” Scruffy said as he pulled open a trap door behind the bar. “Yer talking treason.”
"这是叛国,"斯克鲁菲一边说一边拉开吧台后面的活板门。"你说的是叛国罪"
“No. Not treason. Responsibility. I created a government where she has absolute power with almost no accountability. Even Celestia could be held responsible for her actions. Luna will rule as an apparent figurehead, shielded by layer upon layer of bureaucracy and obfuscation. No. Something must be put in place. A plan. A contingency. Otherwise, we may win the war, but Equestria may lose its very soul… if it hasn’t already.”
"没有。不是叛国。责任。我创造了一个她拥有绝对权力却几乎没有任何责任的政府。即使是塞莱斯蒂亚也要为她的行为负责。卢纳将作为一个表面上的傀儡统治国家，被一层又一层的官僚主义和混乱所掩盖。没有。必须采取一些措施。一个计划。一个偶然事件。否则，我们可能会赢得这场战争，但Equestria可能会失去它的灵魂......如果它还没有的话。"
“The games yer playing are going to cost you yer life, boyo,” Scruffy said as he started down the stairs.
"你玩的这些游戏会让你付出生命的代价，孩子,"斯克鲁菲一边说一边走下楼梯。
“The games I play may cost everypony far more than my life,” he replied, giving a fond smile. “Take care of yourself, Scruffy. Get out of Equestria as soon as you can. When you get to the Empire, keep your head down. Hopefully, Cadance will prove wiser and keep out of the war,” he said as he levitated up a lantern and walked back into the kitchen. There was a thump of the door closing. He set the lantern on the bar with his magic, then hooked the gas pipe by the stove with a broom handle and, with a shaky grunt of effort, pried a pipe joint open. A hiss filled the air, and he quickly stepped out into the alley, levitating the unconscious batpony mare with him.
"我玩的游戏可能会让每个小马付出比我的生命更多的代价,"他回答，露出甜蜜的微笑。"照顾好自己，邋遢鬼。尽快离开Equestria。当你到帝国酒店的时候，低下你的头。希望卡登斯能够变得更加明智，远离战争。"他一边说着，一边提起一盏灯笼，走回厨房。门砰的一声关上了。他用魔法把灯笼放在吧台上，然后用扫帚柄把煤气管接到炉子上，用力发抖地咕哝了一声，撬开了一个煤气管接头。空气中充满了嘶嘶声，他很快地走到小巷里，把那匹不省人事的蝙蝠马和他一起悬浮起来。
A minute later came a curiously muffled ‘fwoosh’, and fire billowed out the kitchen door. Smoke rose into the sky as he calmly walked back the way he came, fire in his wake.
一分钟后，传来一声奇怪而低沉的"嗖嗖"声，火焰从厨房门口滚滚而出。烟升上天空，他平静地走回他来的方向，火在他的身后。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
I pulled myself out of the memory orb fugue, swaying on my hooves. Gardens of Equestria, and I was guessing Project Horizons, born from the same fear. One that we would lose the war and the world would be uninhabitable, and the other that we would win it. Equestria under the control of a pony with absolute power and no responsibility for that power... it was a chilling prospect.
我把自己从记忆之球的神游中拉出来，用我的蹄子摇摆着。Equestria的花园，我猜地平线计划也是出于同样的恐惧。一个是我们会输掉这场战争，这个世界将无法居住，另一个是我们会赢得这场战争。这是一个令人不寒而栗的景象，一匹小马掌握着绝对的权力，却对权力毫无责任感。
And of course, he couldn’t just quit. He’d been like Twilight. He couldn’t have simply stopped or confronted Luna about it. He had to be there, in the thick of it. He couldn’t stop playing the game any more than I could stop rushing to ponies’ aid when they needed it. He also couldn’t have sabotaged Luna by that point. Everything had escalated; I doubted the zebras would have let Luna go for any peace project.
当然，他不能就这样放弃。他就像是暮光之城。他不可能简单地阻止或质问卢娜这件事。他必须在那里，在最危险的时候。他无法停止玩这个游戏，就像我无法停止在小马需要帮助的时候去帮助它们一样。他也不可能在那个时候破坏露娜。一切都升级了，我怀疑斑马会让卢娜去做任何和平项目。
>WHAT DID HE DO WRONG? So many answers. That was the point, I supposed. Goldenblood hadn’t been perfect. For all his ability to structure, manipulate, and arrange, he hadn’t been perfect. Getting caught? Betraying Luna? Helping Luna in the first place? I sighed as I stared at the screen. I had one chance at this.
他做错了什么？答案太多了。我想这就是问题的关键。金色血统并不完美。尽管他有组织、操纵和安排的能力，但他并不完美。被抓？背叛卢娜？一开始就帮助卢娜？我盯着屏幕叹了口气。我只有一次机会。
It had to be like before. What did Goldenblood think he’d done wrong? Trusted Luna? Maybe, but he hadn’t made it sound like he’d been terribly wronged by her. More the opposite. “He loved Luna,” I murmured. “Not sexually... but he’d loved her. And he’d loved Fluttershy. And Equestria.” I stared at the screen. Would Goldenblood think falling in love had been a mistake? After Littlehorn, he’d been sure he’d die. A relationship with Fluttershy... Seeing that his plan had been too effective... Love had changed everything.
它必须像以前一样。金布拉德认为他做错了什么？信任的卢娜？也许吧，但是他没有说得好像他被她冤枉了一样。恰恰相反。"他爱卢娜,"我低声说。"不是性方面的......但他爱过她。他很喜欢Fluttershy。还有Equestria。"我盯着屏幕。Goldenblood会认为坠入爱河是一个错误吗？在利特霍恩之后，他确信自己会死去。和小弗的关系......看到他的计划太有效了......爱改变了一切。
If it hadn’t been for love, would anything have stopped Luna, or the zebras?
如果不是为了爱，还有什么能阻止卢娜或者斑马吗？
I swallowed and hoped there was a little wiggle room in an answer like this. Maybe one or two critical words to prevent me from being zapped? But what if entering one wrong word took me out? Oh, what I wouldn’t give for P-21 to be here, get at the guts of the program, and pick from a dozen or so possible passwords. Or just Glory, so I could bounce my ideas off her. I swallowed hard,
我咽了一口唾沫，希望这样的回答还有一点回旋的余地。也许一两个关键词可以防止我被攻击？但是如果输入一个错误的单词就会把我带出去怎么办？哦，如果P-21能来这里，我愿意付出任何代价，了解这个项目的核心，从一打左右的可能密码中挑出一个来。或者只是晨辉，这样我就可以向她讨教我的想法。我艰难地咽了口唾沫
typed >LOVE, and clenched my eyes closed again as I hit the key.
键入LOVE，敲击键盘时我又闭上了眼睛。
Five seconds later, I opened them again. “It worked,” I muttered as I read the third prompt. >WHAT DID SHE KNOW?
五秒钟后，我又打开了它们。"成功了,"我一边看第三个提示符，一边喃喃自语她知道什么？
She? Which she? Goldenblood had a whole lot of ‘she’s complicating his life. Luna? Fluttershy? Twilight? I levitated up the third orb. “Okay. One to go. Just one.” I tapped my horn to the tip.
她？哪个她？金血王有很多"她使他的生活复杂化了"的想法。露娜？萤火虫？暮光之城？我把第三个圆球悬浮起来。"好吧。还有一个。只有一个。"我用喇叭轻轻敲打喇叭的尖端。
Huh. Nothing. Then the phrase rasped like a rusty file across my brain: ‘Who did I betray?’ And then I felt a very familiar stillness in my chest as my heart stopped. Instantly the edges of my vision darkened and I felt myself start to collapse. One second. ‘Luna!’ Two seconds. ‘Fluttershy!’ Three seconds. ‘Twilight’. My face hit the terminal keys. Four seconds. ‘Yourself!’ Everything went black as my brain gave one last feeble thought: ‘Everypony!’ Then it all went to black.
哈。没什么。然后，这句话像一个生锈的文件在我脑海中掠过:'我背叛了谁然后，当我的心脏停止跳动时，我感到胸腔里有一种非常熟悉的寂静。我的视线立刻变暗，我感觉自己开始崩溃。等一下。露娜两秒钟。'Fluttershy!'三秒钟。暮光之城。我的脸碰到了终端键盘。四秒钟。"你自己!"当我的大脑做出最后一个微弱的想法:"每一匹小马!"时，一切都变得黑暗起来然后一切都变黑了。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Goldenblood sat behind a garish pink desk, the starmetal tuning fork beside his head as he stared out the window at a rainy Manehattan day. His basaltic lungs crackled slowly as he pinged the tuning fork against the edge of the desk. From the view, the kitchen in the corner, the safes set in the wall, and the gaudy balloon wallpaper, I guessed this was Pinkie’s office.
在曼哈顿一个下着雨的日子里，金伯兰坐在一张花哨的粉红色桌子后面，脑袋旁边放着一把星型金属音叉，他盯着窗外。他用音叉敲打桌边，玄武岩般的肺部慢慢发出噼啪声。从视野、角落里的厨房、墙上的保险箱和俗气的气球墙纸来看，我猜这是平奇的办公室。
His eyes slowly panned along the walls. The scribbles and doodles of her friends on the desk. A mirror half-covered by a cloth, sitting in the corner with the tag ‘Move to fun house ASAP!’ He pulled open a drawer and looked down at a dozen tins of Party Time Mint-als.
他的眼睛沿着墙壁慢慢地扫视。她的朋友们在桌子上乱涂乱画。一面镜子半盖着一块布，放在角落里，上面写着"尽快搬到游乐场去!"他拉开一个抽屉，低头看了看一打聚会时间薄荷糖罐头。
The calendar on the desk had a number of entries written down for the next week: Arrest Badpony List F. Cake testing. Interrogate. Get confessions. Arrest Goldenblood, Garnet, Onyx, and Quartz. Play time with Gummy. Interrogate Goldenblood. Arrest Badpony List G. Interrogate. Review party procedures for
桌子上的日历上写着下周的许多条目:逮捕小马名单f蛋糕测试。审问。让他们招供。逮捕黄金血、石榴石、缟玛瑙和石英。橡皮糖游戏时间。审问金色血液。逮捕小马列表g。检讨委员会的程序
And on the week after that: Raid 4stars. Arrest Badpony Lists H, I, and J. Arrest Princess Luna. Throw retirement party.
接下来的一周:Raid4stars。逮捕Badpony列出了h，i和j逮捕公主Luna。举办退休派对。
Goldenblood’s eyes lingered on the second to last, the tiny screaming note resonating in his ear when the door opened and Pinkie Pie trotted in. I hadn’t seen her like this before. Her normally curly mane was flat and dull. Dark
金布拉德的眼睛停留在倒数第二个上，当门打开，小指头派小跑进来时，小小的尖叫声在他的耳朵里回响。我以前从没见过她这个样子。她通常卷曲的鬃毛是平坦和暗淡的。黑暗
shadows lay under her blue eyes, giving them a haunted, hollow appearance. She didn’t seem to realize he was there as she trotted over to a filing cabinet and pulled out a file marked ‘Badpony List F’. When she turned back to the desk, the pink mare jumped and dropped the file on the floor.
影子躺在她蓝色的眼睛下面，给人一种阴森、空洞的感觉。她似乎没有意识到他在那里，她小跑到一个文件柜，拿出一个文件标记为'坏小马名单f'。当她转身回到书桌前时，粉红色的母马跳了起来，把文件掉在了地板上。
“Goldenblood? What... how... who... huh?” She shook her head hard and glowered at him. “What do you think you’re doing here? You’re not director of the O.I.A. anymore!”
"金色血统？什么......怎么......谁......啊?"她狠狠地摇了摇头，怒视着他。"你以为你在这儿干什么？你不再是o.i.a.的主管了!"
He levitated out a tin and set it on the desktop. “Have a Mint-al, Pinkie.” His ghoulish voice was barely a whisper as he opened the tin with his magic and levitated out one of the pills, setting it on the desk before him.
他把一个罐子悬浮起来，放在桌面上。"吃颗薄荷糖吧，平奇。"他用魔法打开罐头，把一粒药丸悬浮出来，放在面前的桌子上，他那令人毛骨悚然的声音几乎听不见。
Her glower deepened. “I could have you arrested. I’m going to have you arrested. I know all about you. You’re a bad pony! All of you. Bad ponies.” She stormed to the door and yelled, “Pumpkin! Pound! Stardust! Gambol! Get in here!” A few seconds later, a light gray mare and light green stallion, both earth ponies, stormed in, followed by a yellow unicorn mare and pegasus stallion. Pinkie grinned at the scarred pony. “Goldie here was so nice to come here to save us some time! Take him down to Room Fun oh One.”
她的怒火加深了。"我可以把你抓起来。我要逮捕你。我知道你的一切。你是一匹坏小马！你们所有人。坏小马。"她冲到门口大喊:"小南瓜！砰！星尘！甘博尔！快进来!"几秒钟后，一匹浅灰色的母马和一匹淡绿色的种马冲了进来，后面跟着一匹黄色的独角兽母马和一匹飞马。平奇对着那匹伤痕累累的小马咧嘴一笑。"戈尔迪能来这里帮我们节省时间，真是太好了！把他带到一号房间去。"
“Director?” the gray mare said in bafflement. “What are you doing here?”
"导演?"灰色的母马困惑地说。"你在这儿干什么?"
Pinkie gaped at her and pointed a hoof at Goldenblood, hissing, “He’s not the director of the O.I.A. anymore! Take him out of my office! Now!” But the four hesitated. Goldenblood just sat there, not moving a muscle as he stared at them. Pinkie’s glare slowly changed to one of bafflement. “What are you doing? He’s nopony now but a criminal! Luna fired him. Get him.” But none of them moved.
小指头瞪着她，用蹄子指着Goldenblood，嘶嘶地说,"他不再是o.i.a.的主管了！把他带出我的办公室！现在!"但是这四个人犹豫了。金色的血液只是坐在那里，凝视着他们，一动也不动。小手指的目光慢慢地变成了困惑。"你在干什么？他现在不是小马，而是个罪犯！卢娜炒了他。抓住他。"但是他们没有一个人动。
“Have a Mint-al, Pinkie,” he repeated softly.
"吃颗薄荷糖吧，小手指,"他轻轻地重复道。
“Pinkie,” Pumpkin Cake said as she trotted up to the mare. Pinkie started, almost jumping away as their shoulders brushed. “We can’t.”
"小手指,"南瓜蛋糕说，她小跑到母马。小手指开始动了，当他们的肩膀擦过时，几乎跳开了。"我们不能。"
“What do you mean you can’t? He’s right there. I’m your boss. Arrest him!” Pinkie said, thrusting a hoof at the scarred stallion.
"你不能是什么意思？他就在那儿。我是你的老板。逮捕他!"平奇一边说，一边用蹄子猛踢那匹伤痕累累的种马。
“But Princess Luna is your boss, Pinkie. And... we’re not allowed to arrest him without her order,” Pound said. “There was a memo.” Pinkie’s eyes grew rounder as she stared at the four and then back at the scarred stallion.
"但是卢娜公主是你的老板啊，平奇。而且......没有她的命令，我们不能逮捕他,"庞德说。"有一份备忘录。"当她盯着这四个人，然后又盯着那匹伤痕累累的种马时，平奇的眼睛变得圆圆的。
“But I. You... he...” she stammered.
"但是我......你......他......"她结结巴巴地说。
Goldenblood continued his refrain. “Have a Mint-al, Pinkie.”
金色的血液继续着他的重复。"吃颗薄荷糖吧，平奇。"
“We’ll be outside when you’re done, sir,” the green stallion said, trotting from the room.
"等你弄完了，我们就在外面，先生,"绿色的种马说，从房间里小跑出来。
The gray mare trotted from the room after him, touching an earbloom. “Stand down. It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie again,” she mumbled as she left.
灰色的母马跟着他跑出房间，抚摸着一朵耳朵花。"解除戒备。只是小手指又变回小手指了,"她离开时喃喃自语道。
Pinkie stared at the unicorn and pegasus. “Pumpkin Cake? Pound Cake?”
平奇盯着独角兽和飞马。"南瓜蛋糕？磅蛋糕?"
“Sorry, Auntie Pinkie. We’ll be outside,” the slim orange unicorn said, followed by the guilty-looking buff pegasus. “Don’t hurt her, sir,” Pumpkin warned with a frown. Then, fighting tears, the unicorn and pegasus stepped out of the office. Pinkie stared at the doors as they closed behind her, eye twitching.
"对不起，萍琪阿姨。我们就在外面,"细长的橙色独角兽说，后面跟着一匹看上去心虚的浅黄色飞马。"别伤害她，先生。"南瓜皱着眉头警告道。然后，强忍着眼泪，独角兽和飞马走出办公室。当他们在她身后关上的时候，平奇盯着门，眼睛在抽搐。
Goldenblood tapped the tuning fork, making her jump. She pointed a hoof at him, the older mare’s limb shaking slightly. “You... what did you do to them? What... a spell... blackmail... what?”
金布拉德敲了敲音叉，使她跳了起来。她用蹄子指着他，那匹年长的母马的腿微微颤抖着。"你......你对他们做了什么？什么...咒语...勒索...什么?"
“Have a Mint-al, Pinkie,” he repeated as he levitated the pill off the desk towards her. Her eyes focused on the little round tablet, pupils constricting as she trembled, and then she smacked the pill aside. That made him smile a little, and he set the tuning fork on the desk before him. “To answer your question, few law enforcement officers respect a commander that is routinely drugged to the tip of their tails and who blatantly, flippantly flouts the law she is supposed to uphold. Princess Luna and I have made certain they know where the real orders are supposed to be coming from.”
"吃颗薄荷糖吧，平奇,"他一边重复着，一边把药丸从桌子上飘到她面前。她的眼睛盯着那个小圆药片，瞳孔因为颤抖而收缩，然后她把药片拍到一边。这使他微笑了一下，他把音叉放在面前的桌子上。"回答你的问题，很少有执法人员会尊重一个经常被麻醉到尾巴尖的指挥官，以及一个公然轻率地藐视她应该维护的法律的指挥官。卢娜公主和我已经确保他们知道真正的命令是从哪里来的。"
“But Pumpkin... Pound...” Pinkie said weakly.
"但是南瓜......庞德......"平奇虚弱地说。
“Don’t respect you either. They love you. That’s not the same thing. They want to help you. Like the others. Like Twilight.” The name made Pinkie Pie twitch. He levitated up another pill. “Have a Mint-al, Pinkie,” he rasped as he floated it towards her once more.
"也不要尊重你。他们爱你。这不是一回事。他们想帮你。和其他人一样。比如《暮光之城》。"这个名字让平奇·派抽搐起来。他又把一粒药丸悬浮起来。"吃颗薄荷糖吧，平奇,"他一边粗声粗气地说，一边又把它拿到她面前。
“Stop it!” she snapped, swatting it away as well. “You’re a bad pony, Goldenblood. I’ve known it for years.”
"住手!"她崩溃了，也把它拍走了。"你是一匹坏小马，金色的血。我早就知道了。"
“Right. Because your rump twitched or your ear flopped or your hoof itched,” Goldenblood said low and skeptically. “I don’t think that’s admissible in court.”
"对。因为你的臀部抽搐，你的耳朵耷拉着，或者你的蹄子发痒,"金布拉德低声怀疑地说。"我认为这在法庭上是不可接受的。"
“You’re the reason why the ponies I arrest keep ending up back on the street,” she hissed.
"就是因为你，我逮捕的那些小马才一直流落街头,"她嘶嘶地说。
“Correct. You were useful when you were scaring the aristocracy. You have no idea how much money they paid me to keep you off their backs. Business ponies, too.” He rose to his hooves. “You don’t get that those minor crimes and offenses don’t matter. The war needs certain ponies running things and keeping things going smoothly. So long as they don’t go too far, they get their autonomy. In return, Princess Luna gets her war materiel.”
"正确。你吓唬贵族的时候很有用。你根本不知道他们付了我多少钱，让你别再烦他们。还有商务用的小马。"他站起身来。"你不明白，那些轻微的犯罪行为并不重要。战争需要一些小马来维持事情的顺利进行。只要他们不走得太远，他们就能得到自主权。作为回报，卢娜公主得到了她的战争物资。"
“It’s wrong. Everywhere I look, I can feel bad things happening.” Her mane curled a little. “Only the little ponies aren’t bad. They’re the only good ones. Everypony else... everypony...”
"这是错误的。无论我走到哪里，都能感觉到糟糕的事情正在发生。"她的鬃毛稍微卷曲了一些。"只有那些小马还不错。他们是唯一的好人。其他的小马......小马......"
Slowly he approached her, levitating the tin of Mint-als. “Have a Mint-al, Pinkie,” he said as he levitated out another tablet and floated it towards her mouth. For a second her mouth opened, watering, before she stiffened and it bounced off her nose. “What’s the matter? You’re normally so fond of them. They make your body twitch and itch and you use that to justify arresting ponies that I need. That Princess Luna needs.” He levitated up another pill. “You have no idea how infuriating it is,” he said casually, tossing the pill at the older mare.
他慢慢地走近她，把薄荷糖罐子悬浮起来。"来一片薄荷糖吧，小指头,"他说着，把另一片药片悬浮起来，飘到她的嘴边。有那么一瞬间，她的嘴张开了，流着口水，然后她僵直了，嘴从她的鼻子上弹了回来。"怎么了？你通常都很喜欢他们的。他们让你的身体抽搐和发痒，你用这来证明逮捕小马，我需要。卢娜公主需要的。"他又把一粒药丸悬浮起来。"你不知道这是多么令人恼火,"他随意地说，把药丸扔向年长的母马。
“I might,” Pinkie growled back. “You’re dirty. So’s Princess Luna. So’re Twilight and Rarity and everypony!”
"也许吧,"平奇咆哮着回答。"你很脏。卢娜公主也是。还有《暮光之城》、《稀世珍宝》和《每一匹小马》!"
“So are you,” Goldenblood said, and Pinkie jerked as she glanced over at the half-covered mirror, then glared at him.
"你也是,"戈登布拉德说，小手指猛地一动，瞥了一眼半遮半掩的镜子，然后瞪着他。
“You think I don’t know that?!” she snapped. “I know I’m not a good pony. But I... I haven’t done half of the things you have,” she said. “You’re a sneak and a liar and a manipulator and–”
"你以为我不知道吗?!"她厉声说道。"我知道我不是一匹好马。但是我。.我做的事情比你少一半,"她说。"你是个鬼鬼祟祟的骗子操纵者..."
“None of which are crimes,” Goldenblood rasped, his rear hoof tapping upon the floor.
"这些都不是罪行,"金血王厉声说道，他的后蹄在地板上敲打着。
Pinkie glared at him for several seconds, her face going from pink to red. “You just admitted to taking bribes from criminals!”
平奇盯着他看了几秒钟，她的脸从粉红色变成了红色。"你刚刚承认收受了罪犯的贿赂!"
“Oh behalf of Princess Luna,” he answered, tapping faster beneath the desk.
"哦，我代表卢娜公主,"他回答，在桌子下面更快地敲着。
Pinkie narrowed her eyes at him. “Did you murder for her too?” His hoof froze.
小手指眯起眼睛看着他。"你也为她杀人了吗?"他的蹄子冻僵了。
He didn’t respond for several seconds. “Did you know that I didn’t want any of this to happen? When Luna came to me, I was quite ready and happy to die. But Equestria was at war and needed her. She needed me. I needed Equestria. So I helped make her a government she could control... and she’s done so brilliantly. There are some ponies now who actually don’t know a Princess rules them. It’s all ministry, ministry, ministry. And when we finished organizing the ministries, I was ready to step aside and let the whole bloody plan commence. But I was connected. From my travels as a foal, I knew zebras in the Empire who were sympathetic to us. My lineage gave me access to the aristocracy. My work with Luna gave me access to the bureaucracy. And if I didn’t have access, I knew a pony who could help me get it. And suddenly I had my hooves deep in the greatest sociopolitical piece of performance art in history!”
他有几秒钟没有回答。"你知道我不希望这一切发生吗？当卢娜来到我身边的时候，我已经做好了死去的准备，而且很高兴。但是小马国正处于战争中，需要她。她需要我。我需要Equestria。所以我帮助她建立了一个她可以控制的政府......她做得非常出色。现在有些小马其实并不知道公主是它们的主人。都是事奉，事奉，事奉。当我们完成了组织各部的工作，我准备退到一边，让整个血腥的计划开始。但我是有联系的。从我小时候的旅行中，我认识了帝国里同情我们的斑马。我的血统使我有机会接近贵族阶级。我和卢娜的工作让我有机会接触官僚机构。如果我没有办法，我知道有一匹小马可以帮我弄到它。突然之间，我深深地陷入了历史上最伟大的行为艺术的社会政治话题中!"
He paused, then narrowed his eyes, jabbing a hoof at her. “But don’t think that it was easy, Pinkie Pie. Don’t you dare think that. None of it. Keeping you six apart and focused on the ministries was a constant battle. You in particular. I had to keep you distracted, because if you dropped out, then one by one, the others would have followed. That was why I told Luna to indulge your ‘law enforcement’ farce! I’ve struggled for ten years to keep everything together for Equestria so that when this war ends we can all go back to normal. So that it will be good again.” He slapped a hoof on her desk. “But you are insisting on making it difficult!”
他停顿了一下，然后眯起眼睛，用蹄子戳了戳她。"但是不要以为这很容易，平奇派。你怎么敢这么想。什么都没有。把你们六个分开，把精力集中在政府部门是一场持续不断的战斗。尤其是你。我必须分散你的注意力，因为如果你一个接一个地退出，其他人就会跟着你。这就是为什么我让卢娜纵容你的"执法"闹剧！我奋斗了十年，为了让小马国的一切恢复正常，以便战争结束后我们都能恢复正常。这样它就会再次变好。"他用蹄子拍打她的桌子。"但是你坚持要让事情变得困难!"
Pinkie Pie’s mane curled a little as she giggled. “Have a Mint-al, Goldenblood. No, really! You could really use an orange one. My achy butt says so.” And then she stuck her tongue out at him.
平奇·派咯咯地笑着，她的鬃毛微微卷曲。"吃一颗薄荷糖吧，金色的血。不，真的！你真的可以用橙色的。我屁股疼就是这么说的。"然后她向他伸出舌头。
Goldenblood started at her for a moment, and then there was a click as the doors to the office locked. “Achy butt, is it?” he said as he levitated out a dozen mint tins, emptying them out so that a cloud of pills hovered beside him. “Tell me...” he said as he advanced, and Pinkie’s smile slowly evaporated as her eyes went even wider. “What’s itching now, Pinkie?” he yelled as he jumped upon the older mare. “Have a Mint-al Pinkie! Have all the fucking Mint-als!”
金布拉德先朝她看了一会儿，然后发出咔嗒一声，办公室的门锁上了。"屁股疼，是吗?"他一边说，一边把一打薄荷罐子悬浮起来，把它们倒空，好让一团药丸在他身边飘荡。"告诉我......"他边走边说，平奇的微笑随着她的眼睛越来越大而慢慢消失了。"现在有什么痒的，平奇?"他一边跳到老母马身上，一边大叫。"来一根薄荷小手指吧！把他妈的薄荷糖都吃了!"
She opened her mouth to scream, and he shoved a dozen tablets into her mouth.
她张开嘴尖叫，他把一打药片塞进她的嘴里。
“Chew them up! Swallow! What’s itching now? What’s twitching? What’s your Pinkie Sense saying! What!” The door thudded and pounded. Pinkie swallowed if only to keep from choking to death, but the second that she opened her mouth, he shoved more in. “Have another Mint-al! Aren’t you having fun yet? Isn’t it fun, Pinkie?!” he yelled, dumping the Mint-als on her face. She struggled, flopped, gasped, and choked as he climbed off her. “You are done. Stay in your office and binge to your heart’s content, but you will not interfere any longer.”
"把他们嚼碎！吞下去！现在有什么痒的？什么是抽搐？你的小手指感觉在说什么！什么!"门砰砰地响着，砰砰地响着。平奇吞咽了一下，好让自己不至于窒息而死，但她一张开嘴，他就把更多的东西塞进去。"再吃一块薄荷糖吧！你还不开心吗？这不是很有趣吗，平奇?"他喊道，把薄荷糖倒在她脸上。当他从她身上爬下来的时候，她挣扎着，扑通着，喘着粗气，哽咽着。"你完蛋了。呆在办公室里，尽情狂欢，但你不会再干涉了。"
Pinkie retched, bringing up a slurry of pills in a reeking heap, coughing and gasping as she lay on the floor. He levitated over his tuning fork, struck it, and listened to its tone. His whole body relaxed as he turned his back and started towards the office doors.
小手指干呕起来，带上一堆臭气熏天的药片，一边咳嗽一边倒在地板上喘着粗气。他悬浮在音叉上，敲击音叉，聆听音叉的声音。他转身向办公室门口走去，整个身体放松了下来。
“You serve the Eater of Souls,” Pinkie rasped, and he froze. “That’s what my Pinkie Sense is telling me.”
"你为灵魂食者服务,"平奇粗声粗气地说，他愣住了。"这就是我的小指感觉告诉我的。"
Slowly, he turned and looked at her. “What?” he murmured. “How do you know that name?”
慢慢地，他转过身来看着她。"什么?"他低声说。"你怎么知道这个名字的?"
But Pinkie didn’t answer. She started eating from the scattered Mint-als like a mare obsessed. He jumped on the older mare again. “How do you know that name?”
但是平奇没有回答。她开始吃零星的薄荷糖，就像一头痴迷的母马。他又跳到那匹年长的母马身上。"你怎么知道这个名字的?"
“I can feel it. It’s dripping off you like razor blades. It screams all around you!” she said, her pupils mismatched, wide and staring. “You serve it! It sings inside you!” She laughed madly before grabbing more pills and forcing them into her mouth.
"我能感觉到。它像剃须刀片一样从你身上滴下来。它在你周围尖叫!"她说，她的瞳孔不对称，眼睛瞪得大大的。"你上菜！它在你体内歌唱!"她疯狂地大笑起来，然后又抓起更多的药片，把它们塞进了嘴里。
“That’s a myth. A story. It’s a zebra legend!” Goldenblood retorted.
"那是一个神话。一个故事。这是一个关于斑马的传说!"金色的血液反驳道。
“Look in the mirror!” Pinkie sobbed and laughed all at once. “Look in the damned mirror. It’ll show you! It’ll show you my Pinkie Sense is true! Look if you don’t believe me!”
"照照镜子!"小手指一下子抽泣起来，一下子笑了起来。"看看那该死的镜子。它会告诉你的！它会告诉你我的小指感觉是真实的！如果你不相信我，你就看吧!"
Goldenblood rose off her, staring at the mirror in the corner. He trotted towards it and then brushed the cloth away with a forehoof. The single cold pane shimmered, framing a reflection perfectly. That reflection, though, didn’t appear to be him at all. It was an unscarred stallion covered in blood. He stood on a field of salt and ashes, the air above him black and rolling. And in the background, something horrible was breaking out of the barren land, clawing
金色的血从她身上站起来，盯着角落里的镜子。他小跑过去，然后用前蹄把布擦掉。单层冰冷的玻璃闪闪发光，完美地映衬出一个倒影。然而，那个倒影看起来根本不像是他。那是一匹没有伤痕的种马，浑身是血。他站在满是盐和灰烬的田野上，头顶的空气是黑色的，翻滚着。在背景里，一个可怕的东西正从这片贫瘠的土地上破土而出，用爪子抓着
from the earth like a colossal ghoul. Its head broke the surface, and it let out a scream, and the blood-drenched stallion let out a small smile. A star fell into its wide jaws and world split in two as something horrible was reborn.
就像一个巨大的食尸鬼。它的头露出水面，发出一声尖叫，那匹血淋淋的种马露出一丝微笑。一颗恒星掉进了它的巨颚，世界一分为二，一些可怕的东西重生了。
“No! No, it’s a trick! It can’t be true!” the stallion on this side of the glass shouted.
"不！不，这是个骗局！不可能是真的!"玻璃这边的种马叫道。
His reflection smiled as more and more of the monstrosity pulled itself free. “Of course it’s true,” it said. “In trying to save Princess Luna, you have slain her. In trying to preserve Equestria, you have ushered in its annihilation. You destroy all you hold most dear.”
当越来越多的怪物挣脱出来时，他的倒影露出了微笑。"当然是真的,"它说。"为了救卢娜公主，你杀了她。为了保护小马国，你们毁灭了它。你毁掉了你所珍视的一切。"
“No!” he said as he threw the sheet over the mirror. He looked over at Pinkie, stretched out prone, her body twitching. “No...” he murmured, rushing back to Pinkie, and his horn glowed as he undid the lock on the doors. He held the mare as she jerked and shuddered in his hooves. “I’m not that thing, Pinkie. I’m not!”
"不!"他边说边把床单扔到镜子上。他看着小手指，四肢伸展着，身体抽搐着。"不......"他喃喃地说，赶紧跑回平奇身边，当他打开门锁时，他的角闪着光。当母马在他的蹄子里抽搐和颤抖时，他抓着母马。"我不是那种东西，平奇。我没有!"
Pumpkin and Pound Cake rushed in. “What happened?” cried the former as the latter shoved Goldenblood away from Pinkie.
南瓜蛋糕和磅蛋糕蜂拥而至。"发生了什么事?"前者喊道，后者把金色血统从平奇身边推开。
“She kept on eating them,” Goldenblood murmured. “She knew. She always knew… and I didn’t believe her.” He looked at the covered mirror and sobbed. “Oh Luna, she knew...”
"她一直在吃,"金色血液低声说。"她知道。她一直都知道......我不相信她。"他看着镜子，抽泣起来。"哦，露娜，她知道......"
Pinkie spasmed, foam on her lips, eyes wide and her pupils pinpricks as she stared at Goldenblood. “I’m so sorry, Blackjack!”
小指抽搐了一下，嘴唇上有泡沫，眼睛睁得大大的，瞳孔刺痛，盯着Goldenblood。"对不起，黑杰克!"
“What?” Goldenblood said as he backed away, but Pinkie Pie kept babbling and sputtering over herself as she struggled to string words together.
"什么?"金布拉德一边往后退一边说，但是萍琪一边喋喋不休、喋喋不休地说个不停，一边挣扎着把字串起来。
“The Cakes! Spike! Twilight... Goddess! Murky... how...”
"蛋糕！斯派克！黄昏......女神！阴暗......怎么......"
“Call an ambulance, Pumpkin!” Pound shouted, and the unicorn rushed to the phone. Goldenblood knelt beside the jerking pink mare. “You should get out of here, Director,” Pound growled, hugging Pinkie close. “Before I do something you regret.”
"快叫救护车，小南瓜!"庞德喊道，独角兽冲向电话。金色的血液跪在那匹抽搐的粉红色母马旁。"你应该离开这里，主任,"庞德咆哮着，紧紧地抱着小手指。"在我做出让你后悔的事之前。"
“One moment. Please,” Goldenblood replied. “What do I have to do?” he said to Pinkie. “What can I possibly do to prevent... to... to change what I saw in that mirror?” Pinkie was foaming out the corner of her mouth, and Pound cake turned
"等一下。求你了,"金血王回答。"我该怎么办?"他对平奇说。"我能做些什么来阻止......改变......我在那面镜子里看到的东西呢?"小手指从嘴角冒出白沫，磅蛋糕翻了个个儿
her on her side. The pink mare pulled more white tablets to herself and ate them before either could stop her.
她在她那边。粉红色的母马拉更多的白色药片给她自己和吃了他们之前，任何一个都可以阻止她。
“No!” Pound swept them all away with a swish of his wings, glaring angrily at Goldenblood. “Get out of here, teacher. I mean it!”
"不!"庞德扇动翅膀，愤怒地怒视着Goldenblood，一扫而光。"出去，老师。我是认真的!"
“What can I do? Please. Please!” Goldenblood begged, tears running down his cheek.
"我能做什么？求你了。求你了!"金色的血液乞求着，泪水顺着他的脸颊流了下来。
“Tell Twilight...” Pinkie gasped, going still a moment. “Tell Twilight what she wants to know. Show her how... Show... Be what you are...” And then she stretched out a hoof towards the sodden heap of pills and finally passed out.
"告诉《暮光之城》......"平奇喘着气，停了一会儿。"告诉暮光之城她想知道的事。向她展示......展示......做你自己......"然后她把一只蹄子伸向那堆浸透了的药片，最后晕过去了。
Medical ponies rushed in, and Goldenblood was shoved away. He stood there, watching them levitate Pinkie onto a stretcher. Pound and Pumpkin Cake glared at him, frowning in worry and confusion as she was carried out.
医用小马冲了进来，金色的血液被推开了。他站在那里，看着他们把平奇抬到担架上。庞德和南瓜蛋糕瞪着他，因为担心和困惑而皱着眉头。
“What happened, Director?” Pumpkin Cake asked. “We heard you shouting.”
"发生了什么事，主任?"南瓜蛋糕问。"我们听到你大喊大叫。"
“Tell us, or orders from the Princess or not, I’ll bust your legs and arrest you,” Pound threatened as he glared and held Pinkie tighter.
"告诉我们，不管是不是公主的命令，我都要打断你的腿，逮捕你。"庞德瞪着眼睛，紧紧地抓住小手指，威胁道。
“Pinkie kept eating them. You saw her...” he murmured weakly. “I have to go,” he said, then looked at them. “Go with her. Get her friends, if they’ll come. Stay close to her. I have... I need...” he glanced at the covered mirror and shook. “I need to... to make some decisions...”
"平奇一直在吃。"你看见她了......"他有气无力地低声说。"我得走了,"他说，然后看着他们。""跟她去吧。叫上她的朋友，如果他们来的话。跟紧她。我有......我需要......"他看了一眼遮住的镜子，颤抖了一下。"我需要......做一些决定......"
Pound lunged at him, but Pumpkin stopped him. “No. We need to be with Pinkie Pie now. Hurry.” The stallion snorted, and together they rushed out of the office.
庞德扑向他，但是南瓜阻止了他。"没有。我们现在需要和平奇·派在一起。快点。"种马哼了一声，他们一起冲出了办公室。
Goldenblood staggered out of the office and down the hall, around the corner, and out of sight, then grabbed a waste bin and vomited violently into the receptacle. When his guts were empty, he sank to the ground. “It’s not true. She’s crazy. Just like Mother...” he whispered, rubbing his face with his hoof. Then he glanced over at the starmetal tuning fork, floating next to him as if it had his own magic. “Is it possible...? The legend? Have I really been serving the...” He shook, swaying slightly back and forth. “Oh Luna... somepony... anypony...
金布拉德摇摇晃晃地走出办公室，来到大厅的拐角处，消失在人们的视线之外，然后抓起一个垃圾箱，猛烈地呕吐到垃圾箱里。当他的肠子空了，他就倒在地上。"这不是真的。她疯了。就像妈妈一样......"他低声说，用蹄子摩擦着脸。然后他瞥了一眼那个漂浮在他身边的星状金属音叉，仿佛它有他自己的魔力。"这可能吗......？那个传说？我真的一直在服务......"他摇了摇头，微微前后摇晃着。"哦，露娜......某种小马......任何小马.....。
please... help me!” he whimpered to the empty air, the silver fork gleaming at his hooves.
请...救救我!"他对着空荡荡的空气呜咽着，银色的叉子在他的蹄子上闪闪发光。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
I came out of the memory orb with my face mashed against the keys. Goldenblood finally snapping. It was like me at Yellow River... horrifying and yet making perfect sense. I didn’t know if I should cry or not. I felt as if I’d seen something obscene, and I couldn’t stop it. I wanted to beat Goldenblood on Pound Cake’s behalf and then some. Still, I needed to stay focused. I deleted the ‘>HRRGGGGGGGGGG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG’ my face had entered on the terminal and sat back.
我走出记忆球时，我的脸撞在了钥匙上。金色血液终于爆发了。这就像我在黄河边一样......令人毛骨悚然，却又有着完美的意义。我不知道该不该哭。我觉得好像看到了什么下流的东西，我无法阻止它。我想代表磅蛋糕击败金色血液，然后一些。尽管如此，我还是需要保持专注。我删除了'hrrgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg'，我的脸已经进入终端，坐回去。
What had she known? Well, Pinkie Pie had known many things. She’d outright said that Goldenblood served the Eater. That he was a no good badpony… It was almost quaint, considering other badponies I’d met. I closed my eyes. These passwords were written by Goldenblood. They weren’t the kinds of things you could just guess by watching the memory orbs. Goldenblood had wanted whoever reached him to know him, and I probably knew him better than most. What could she have known?
她知道些什么？平奇·派知道很多事情。她直截了当地说金布拉德是为食者服务的。他是一匹不怎么样的坏小马......考虑到我遇到过的其他坏小马，这几乎是奇怪的。我闭上了眼睛。这些密码是金血王写的。它们不是那种你只能通过观察记忆球来猜测的东西。金布拉德想让任何接近他的人都知道他，我可能比大多数人都更了解他。她能知道什么？
No. Don’t think about Pinkie Pie. Goldenblood was a lot like me, now. He may have had me beat in spades where intelligence was concerned, but he had the same self-destructive streak. He’d wanted to die for years, and when he’d screwed things up with Fluttershy, Big Macintosh, and Luna, he’d probably felt like he’d deserve to die regardless. Goldenblood wasn’t just a bastard. “That’s it,” I murmured as I stared at the keys.
没有。不要想小指派。金血王现在很像我了。在智力方面，他可能让我输得很惨，但他也有同样的自我毁灭倾向。他多年来一直想死，当他搞砸了Fluttershy，BigMacintosh和Luna的事情，他可能会觉得不管怎样他都该死。金血王不仅仅是个私生子。"就是这样,"我盯着钥匙低声说。
>HE WAS A PUPPET. Hoping it wasn’t some other word like peon or slave, I hit the button.
他是个傀儡。希望不是其他的词，比如苦工或奴隶，我按下了按钮。
For several seconds, nothing happened. Then two lines popped up.
有那么几秒钟，什么都没发生。然后突然冒出两行。
>ANSWERS ACCEPTABLE.
答案可接受。
>ACCESS GRANTED. WELCOME, EXECUTIONER.
允许访问。欢迎刽子手。
Wait. What? I stared at the words as field dropped, then tore my eyes away as the door ahead opened. Beyond was a room not much bigger than this one but packed with strange equipment that beeped and clicked, cool mist creeping around the devices. In the center of it was a pod just like the ones in the Fluttershy Medical Center. Within lay the reposed stallion, and upon his head a mesh just like the one Cognitum had used to transfer my memory. Beside the
等等。什么？我盯着那些字眼，看着田野落下，随着前面的门打开，我的眼睛又转开了。远处是一个比这个房间大不了多少的房间，里面挤满了发出嘟嘟声和咔哒声的奇怪设备，清凉的雾气在这些设备周围蔓延。在它的中心是一个豆荚就像在FluttershyMedicalCenter的那些。里面躺着一匹休息的种马，头上有一个网，就像科涅土用来唤起我记忆的那个网一样。旁边的
pod was a machine identical to the ones I’d been hooked up to in Happyhorn. A dozen monitors were arranged facing the door; when I stepped in, they flickered to life with a dozen green images of Goldenblood.
Pod是一台和我在Happyhorn搭上的机器一模一样的机器。一打显示器对着门摆放着，当我走进去时，它们闪烁着一打Goldenblood的绿色图像，栩栩如生。
“Welcome, Executioner. If you’ve gotten this far, you are clearly familiar enough with the accused to render final judgment. This subject has been interrogated one hundred thousand four hundred and twelve times since being interred here, and I believe that every crime this individual has committed has been accounted for,” the green Goldenbloods said. One monitor changed to a list of crimes, starting with Conspiring against the Throne: 2 counts and First Degree Murder: 1 count and ending with Jaywalking: 12 counts.
"欢迎，刽子手。如果你已经走到这一步，你显然对被告非常熟悉，足以做出最终判决。自从被埋葬在这里以来，这个人已经被审问了10万412次，我相信这个人犯下的每一个罪行都已经得到了解释。一个监视器变成了一个罪行清单，从阴谋颠覆王位罪:2项罪名和一级谋杀罪:1项罪名到乱穿马路罪:12项罪名。
“You’re a machine,” I said warily. “Like Happyhorn.”
"你是台机器,"我小心翼翼地说。"就像海皮霍恩。"
“Indeed. Repurposed by the M.o.M. and M.o.P. to extract every last detail of the accused’s life. Any memory can be used against the accused in a court of law. If you have accessed this room, it means that you are qualified to pass judgment.
"的确。作案手法和作案手法的改变，以提取被告生活中的每一个细节。任何记忆都可以在法庭上用来指控被告。如果你进入了这个房间，这意味着你有资格做出判决。
Please list whatever execution you deem appropriate from the list.” A different screen began to scroll with words like ‘Burning Alive’, ‘Defenestration from Shadowbolt Tower’, and ‘Drawing and Quartering’.
请从清单中列出你认为合适的执行情况。"另一个屏幕开始滚动，上面写着"活活烧死"、"来自影螺栓塔的抛出窗"、"画图和四分五裂"。
I stared at the list in horror. “You want me to kill him?”
我惊恐地盯着那张清单。"你要我杀了他?"
The green ponies in the monitors all looked thoughtful. “Well, you could, I suppose, but why get your hooves dirty? I can increase his neural sensitivity to the point that the shock will eventually kill him. To him, it will be real. In fact, you may wish to choose several different choices to queue to save yourself the inconvenience.”
显示器上的绿色小马看起来都很体贴。""好吧，我想你可以，但是为什么要弄脏你的蹄子呢？我可以提高他的神经敏感度，以至于电击最终会杀死他。对他来说，这将是真实的。事实上，你可能希望选择几种不同的排队方式，以免给自己带来不便。"
I shook my head. “I want to talk to him. Let him go.”
我摇了摇头。"我想和他谈谈。让他走吧。"
The computer froze a moment. “I’m sorry. That’s not on my list of executions. If I may recommend, any execution involving Fluttershy is high on the psychological stress level.”
计算机暂停了一会儿。"对不起。这不在我的处决名单上。如果我可以推荐的话，任何涉及Fluttershy的处决都会带来很大的心理压力。"
Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. “I want you to let him go. I’m not his executioner,” I said flatly. Clearly, this computer was on the crazier side of programs. Just my luck.
是啊，那是不可能的。"我要你放他走。我不是他的刽子手,"我平静地说。显然，这台计算机是程序中更疯狂的一面。真倒霉。
Instantly, the four turrets in the room behind me all whirled to aim at my back
立刻，我身后房间里的四个炮塔都旋转着瞄准我的背部
while two more dropped from the ceiling of this room and immediately pointed right at me. “I’m sorry, but there must be some mistake. Only a pony who would want to kill Goldenblood would want to come here. A lackey wouldn’t have made the appropriate responses. No, I’m afraid only an executioner will do. Please make your selection, or you will have to be disintegrated.”
还有两个从天花板上掉下来，立刻指着我。"对不起，一定是弄错了。只有想杀金血王的小马才会来这里。一个仆人不会做出适当的反应。不，恐怕只有刽子手才行。请做出你的选择，否则你将不得不被分解。"
“What?” I shouted. Seriously, I couldn’t win with robots! “Why?”
"什么?"我喊道。说真的，我不能靠机器人赢得比赛！"为什么?"
“Password security. Can’t have you writing the answers on the door. Then just anyone could get in,” the computer said as if it were perfectly reasonable rather than perfectly insane. “What do you believe would be a fitting death for Goldenblood? Thanks to accelerated neural perception, even slow, lingering deaths are possible. Colon cancer? Certainly possible. Venereal disease. Easily done.”
"密码保安。不能让你把答案写在门上。然后任何人都可以进去,"电脑说，仿佛这是完全合理的，而不是完全疯狂的。""你认为金血王死得合适吗？由于神经知觉的加速，即使是缓慢而迟滞的死亡也是可能的。结肠癌？当然有可能。性传播疾病。轻而易举。"
I rubbed my face with my hooves. “I want to talk to him. Is that possible?”
我用蹄子擦脸。"我想和他谈谈。这可能吗?"
The computer frowned. “He’s currently queued in a round of interrogation simulations. Forty-eight hours until completion. He might have a brief window to interact with you at the end of each simulation, if you wish.”
电脑皱起了眉头。"他现在正在排队进行一轮模拟审讯。离完工还有48小时。如果你愿意，在每次模拟结束时，他可能会有一个简短的窗口与你交流。"
“I’m not waiting forty-eight hours. I need to talk to him now,” I insisted, scowling at the computer. I needed to do something truly radical here... I needed to outthink an obstacle. The computer wanted me to kill him and torture Goldenblood. “If I can taunt him, I’ll be able to select the perfect death.”
"我不会等四十八个小时。"我现在就要和他谈谈,"我坚持着，对着电脑怒目而视。我需要在这里做一些真正激进的事情...我需要超越一个障碍。电脑想让我杀了他，折磨金血王。"如果我能嘲弄他，我就能选择完美的死亡。"
The computer monitors flickered and flashed. “Mmmm. Very well. There is an observation helmet for an observing interrogator. When this interrogation session ends, you should have a brief window for your questions.” A small door opened at the base of the machine, revealing a second golden net. I carefully levitated it over and set it atop my head.
电脑显示器闪烁不定。"嗯。很好。有一个观察讯问人员的观察头盔。当这次审讯结束时，你应该有一个简短的时间回答你的问题。"机器底部的一扇小门打开了，露出了第二张金网。我小心翼翼地把它悬浮起来，放在头顶上。
“Whenever you’re ready,” I said as I stared at the scarred pony in the pod. Time to call. The machine beeped and flashed, and once more, everything swirled away.
"只要你准备好了,"我盯着分离舱里那匹伤痕累累的小马说。该打电话了。机器嗡嗡作响，闪闪发光，再一次，所有东西都旋转着消失了。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Goldenblood sat in a cell, his body aching and a sick sensation in his stomach. A foul taste lingered in his mouth as he slumped, surrounded by a dozen pegasus,
金色的血液坐在一个细胞里，他的身体疼痛，胃里有一种恶心的感觉。当他倒下的时候，一股恶心的味道萦绕在他的嘴里，周围环绕着十几匹飞马,
unicorn, and batpony guards. On a table to the side were a half dozen bottles. His mouth moved slowly, his words, the few he spoke, slurred. A frowning and powerfully built batpony officer trotted up, glaring down at Goldenblood, then spoke with grim authority. “Is he prepared?”
独角兽，还有蝙蝠马守卫。在旁边的桌子上放着六个瓶子。他的嘴动得很慢，说话含糊不清。一个眉头紧锁、体格强壮的矮种马军官小跑过来，怒视着Goldenblood，然后冷酷地说道。"他准备好了吗?"
A unicorn glanced at the scarred stallion, then said in a low voice, “Yes, Officer Lionheart. He’s drugged to the tip of his horn, sir. He keeps on trying to rant and rail, but he shouldn’t cause a fuss.”
一只独角兽瞥了一眼这匹伤痕累累的种马，然后低声说道:"是的，狮心警官。他被麻醉了，长官。他不停地咆哮和抱怨，但他不应该引起大惊小怪。"
The other guards fidgeted and muttered softly to each other. Lionheart eyed each with a scowl. “What is it?”
其他卫兵坐立不安，轻声交头接耳。狮心看着每一个人，皱着眉头。"这是什么?"
A pegasus fluttered his feathers, shifted on his hooves, glanced at each of the other guards, and mustered his courage. “Permission to speak freely, sir?” Lionheart pursed his lips, then nodded his head. The pegasus took a deep breath. “Execution, sir? Is the Princess serious about this? A public execution? Like this?”
一匹飞马抖动着它的羽毛，换了换蹄子，看了看其他的卫兵，鼓起了勇气。"请允许我畅所欲言，先生?"狮心噘起嘴唇，点了点头。飞马深吸了一口气。"处决，先生？公主是认真的吗？公开处决？像这样?"
“Princess Luna has made her decree. We will carry out her orders,” he said simply as he looked around the room. “This pony has betrayed Her Majesty, and all of us. He will be punished accordingly.”
"露娜公主已经下了命令。我们将执行她的命令,"他一边环顾房间一边简单地说。"这匹小马背叛了女王陛下还有我们所有人。他将受到相应的惩罚。"
The pegasus stiffened. “Nopony is questioning that, sir. But public execution? That’s never been done before. That’s something the enemy would do. If we refuse–”
飞马变硬了。"Nopony对此表示怀疑，先生。但是公开处决呢？这是前所未有的。这是敌人会做的事情。如果我们拒绝——"
“You are relieved,” Lionheart said firmly. The white pegasus jerked as if he’d been struck, then saluted with his wing and marched from the room. Lionheart’s yellow eyes swept across the rest of the guards. “Now hear this. This is going to happen. If any of you have moral or professional objections, so be it. They will be noted in your record. But we do not decide for Her Majesty. We execute Her Majesty’s decisions. This will be done. Is that understood?”
"你可以放心了,"狮心王坚定地说。那匹白色的飞马猛地一扭，好像被击中了一样，然后用翅膀敬礼，走出了房间。狮心王黄色的眼睛扫视着其余的守卫。"现在听我说。这将会发生。如果你们中的任何人有道德或职业上的反对意见，那就这样吧。他们将被记录在你的记录中。但我们不能为女王陛下做决定。我们执行女王陛下的决定。我们会这么做的。明白了吗?"
He stared around the room, meeting the eyes of each pony. Some dropped their gazes, shamed, and trotted out. Others stared back defiantly, then left as well. In a minute, only three guards remained, all of them batponies. Lionheart sighed, slumping. “So be it.”
他盯着房间四周，看着每匹小马的眼睛。一些人放下目光，羞愧地小跑出去。其他人则挑衅地瞪着眼睛，然后也离开了。一分钟之内，只剩下三个守卫，他们都是蝙蝠战士。狮心叹了口气，垂头丧气。"那就这样吧。"
Lionheart himself ducked his head and scooped Goldenblood up across his shoulders. The scarred stallion hung limply, his lips continuing to move numbly
狮心王自己低下头，把金色血液舀到肩膀上。那匹伤痕累累的种马软绵绵地垂着，嘴唇麻木地不停地动着
as he was borne through the hallway. The sound of a crowd grew like the rumbling of a waterfall. Eventually he was carried out into the bright sunlight of a large plaza in the middle of Canterlot, his yellow eyes blinking blearily at the rows upon rows of ponies. Some shouted, but others looked on with worry and pity.
当他被抬过走廊时。人群的声音越来越大，像瀑布的隆隆声。最后，他被抬到Canterlot中央一个大广场明亮的阳光下，黄色的眼睛在一排排的小马上眨巴着。一些人大声喊叫，但是其他人带着担忧和怜悯看着。
A platform stretched along one end of the plaza. At its center sat the ruler of Equestria, looking tall and cool, beautiful and terrible. To her left sat a number of dignitaries and officials, among them Trueblood and Prince Blueblood. On her right, however, sat six seats adorned with the ministry icons. Only one was occupied; Rarity sat stiff as a board, her eyes fixed on her hooves. The seat for Princess Celestia was also vacant.
一个平台沿着广场的一端延伸。在它的中心坐着Equestria的统治者，看起来高大而冷静，美丽而可怕。在她的左边坐着一些政要和官员，其中有特鲁布拉德和王子。然而，在她的右边，坐着六个装饰着牧师图标的座位。只有一个人在坐着，芮芮僵直地坐着，眼睛盯着自己的蹄子。塞莱斯蒂亚公主的席位也是空的。
“Mistake…” Goldenblood murmured.
"错误......"金色血液喃喃地说。
“Yes, you made a mistake. But it’s too late to–”
"是的，你犯了一个错误。但已经太晚了
“No. Princess Luna,” Goldenblood muttered. “She shouldn’t have empty seats. Makes her look weak.” The batpony stared at him incredulously, and the corner of the scarred unicorn’s mouth curled. “Should have filled them with representatives.”
"没有。"露娜公主,"金色的血液咕哝着。"她不应该有空座位。让她看起来很虚弱。"那匹蝙蝠小马难以置信地盯着他，伤痕累累的独角兽的嘴角弯曲着。"应该让他们充满代表。"
Lionheart’s eyes showed doubt, but he set Goldenblood down in the middle of the plaza, then trotted off to the side. Goldenblood struggled to remain upright as he faced the stage. Luna gazed down, cold and impartial, then said in a thunderous voice, “People of Equestria! It is Our solemn duty to present to you the greatest traitor in our land’s history. For years, Goldenblood has conspired to undermine the authority of the ministries, the government, and the people. He has maintained clandestine contacts with Our striped enemies, extorted money from the aristocracy, misappropriated materials for his own ends, and allowed wanton profiteering by dozens of enemies of the state. Many more crimes of his are more disturbing still and unfit for the ears of you good ponies.
狮心王的眼睛里流露出疑惑，但他把金色血液放在广场中央，然后小跑到一边。金色血液面向舞台，努力保持直立。卢娜冷冷地、不偏不倚地凝视着下面，然后用雷鸣般的声音说:"马术国的人民！把我们国家历史上最伟大的叛徒介绍给你们是我们庄严的职责。多年来，金血王密谋破坏政府部门、政府和人民的权威。他与我们的敌人保持着秘密联系，向贵族勒索钱财，为自己的目的挪用物资，并允许国家的几十个敌人肆意牟取暴利。他还有更多的罪行更令人不安，不适合你们这些好马的耳朵。
“These are grave and disturbing revelations that shake us all to the core. And for crimes so grave and so audacious, what penalty is sufficient? Shall We throw him in a cell to reflect on his crimes?” she asked, and some in the crowd began to shout ‘no’ and booed. “Shall We exile him from our land and run the risk of him returning to our striped enemies?” Louder shouts now. Luna sighed and shook her head. “Were that the times allowed Us to banish him for a thousand
"这些严重和令人不安的启示震撼了我们所有人的核心。对于如此严重和大胆的罪行，什么样的惩罚才是足够的呢？我们要不要把他关起来，反省一下他的罪行?"她问道，人群中有些人开始大喊"不"，并发出嘘声。"难道我们要把他从我们的土地上放逐出去，冒着他回到我们有斑纹的敌人身边的危险吗?"现在大声叫喊。卢娜叹了口气，摇了摇头。"如果那个时代允许我们流放他一千年
years, but even that would be insufficient for his deeds and conspiracies. He has plotted the overthrow of Our crown and the death of Our beloved sister. There is no imprisonment, exile, or banishment sufficient for one of his evil.”
但即使这样也不足以证明他的行为和阴谋。他密谋推翻我们的王位，害死我们亲爱的姐妹。任何监禁、流放或放逐都不足以成为他的一个罪恶。"
The shouts were mixed now. Some were roaring for blood, but there was also worried muttering. Luna glanced at the crowd, then down at Goldenblood. “The only response for such crimes against Our subjects is the same penalty given to our enemies on the battlefield: death.” There were shouts and whoops and stomping of hooves, but far too few for the crowd assembled. “The condemned has prepared a statement,” Luna thundered, her voice a little waspish.
喊声此刻混杂在一起。有些人怒吼着要杀人，但也有人担心地咕哝着。卢娜扫了一眼人群，然后低头看了看Goldenblood。"对于这种针对我们臣民的罪行，唯一的回应就是在战场上对我们的敌人施以同样的惩罚:死刑。"人群中响起了喊叫声、呐喊声和跺脚声，但对于聚集的人群来说，这些声音太少了。"死刑犯准备了一份声明,"卢娜怒吼道，她的声音有点尖锐。
Speakers turned on. Goldenblood’s harsh breathing filled the plaza, a touch of deep reverb with every breath, and then there came a deep and angry tirade, full of insults and rage, started against the weak, ineffectual, pathetic people of Equestria. The Goldenblood present in person sat quietly, a small smile on his face. His eyes were locked on Rarity, but the mare didn’t meet his gaze. When the recording ended, Luna said solemnly, “As you can see, his contempt is absolute, his loathing for our people unflinching. Thus, it is Our solemn and unwelcome duty to condemn Goldenblood to death.”
扬声器打开了。金色血液刺耳的呼吸充满了广场，每一次呼吸都伴随着深深的混响，然后是一场深刻而愤怒的长篇大论，充满了侮辱和愤怒，开始攻击Equestria那些软弱、无能、可怜的人们。在场的金色血液静静地坐着，脸上带着一丝微笑。他的目光锁定在罕有，但母马没有迎合他的目光。录音结束后，卢纳严肃地说:"你可以看到，他的蔑视是绝对的，他对我们人民的厌恶是坚定不移的。因此，我们庄严而不受欢迎的责任就是判处金血王死刑。"
The crowd was so solemn that the ones trying to cheer and whoop were shamed into silence. From the edge of the city, a green and purple behemoth swooped up into the air, looped around, and an enormous dragon landed on the other end of the plaza. Goldenblood could barely look up at the beast above him. His eyes fell and met Luna’s. His mouth worked weakly, and he rasped, “Luna…”
人群是如此严肃，以至于那些试图欢呼和呐喊的人都羞愧地陷入了沉默。从城市的边缘，一个绿色和紫色的庞然大物俯冲到空中，环绕着，一个巨大的龙降落在广场的另一端。金色血液几乎不能抬头看他上面的野兽。他的目光落在卢娜身上。他的嘴微弱地动了一下，粗声粗气地说:"露娜......"
She stared down at him, cold and imperious, then her head gave a little jerk.
她低头看着他，冷漠而专横，然后她的头有点抽搐。
The dragon made a noise eerily similar to the noise made in Goldenblood’s lungs when he breathed in, but when the noise ended, an all-consuming green glow filled his entire world. Then darkness…
这条龙呼吸时发出的声音和Goldenblood肺部发出的声音惊人的相似，但是当声音结束时，一股强烈的绿色光芒充满了他的整个世界。然后是黑暗..。
…and he reappeared in a cage, every nerve of him burning inside and out. He lay weakly, gasping as his heart thundered in his chest. Above him, Princess Celestia stared down at him contemptuously. The alicorn appeared… old. Tired. His eyes rolled, and he gaped at the heaps of golden coins lying all around them. Then, without a word, she turned away and strode towards a tunnel.
他在笼子里重新出现了他的每一根神经都在里里外外燃烧。他虚弱地躺着，心脏在胸腔里轰鸣，喘着粗气。在他的上方，塞莱斯蒂亚公主轻蔑地盯着他。阿里克角看起来...老了。累了。他翻了翻眼睛，目瞪口呆地看着周围成堆的金币。然后，她一言不发地转过身，大步走向一条隧道。
“Wait,” Goldenblood rasped. Celestia stopped but didn’t face him. He struggled to sit up in the cage. He swayed, staring at her back. “I’m sorry,” he choked.
"等等,"金血王粗声粗气地说。塞莱斯蒂亚停了下来，但没有面对他。他在笼子里挣扎着坐起来。他摇晃着身子，盯着她的背影。"对不起,"他哽咽了。
“And what, exactly, are you sorry for, Goldenblood?” she replied.
"那么，你到底为什么感到抱歉呢，金血王?"她回答道。
He stared at her silently for a minute. Then he slumped against the bars. “Everything.”
他静静地盯着她看了一分钟。然后他靠在栏杆上。"一切。"
“You should be,” she said in solemn finality, walking out and leaving him to collapse into a heap in the bottom of the cage.
"你应该害怕,"她郑重其事地说，走了出去，留下他在笼子底下瘫成一堆。
He lay on his side for a long time before the ground rumbled. A green and purple dragoness strode in and stretched like a cat, shaking her body as she strained every muscle. “Well, that was overdramatic,” she said in a rumbling voice as she scooped up a massive heap of gold coins and flopped down upon it with a sigh. “I don’t know why she went through all the trouble. If she wants to kill you, she should just kill you.”
他侧着身子躺了很长时间，地面才隆隆作响。一只绿色和紫色的雌性蜻蜓大步走进来，像猫一样伸展着身体，扭动着身体的每一块肌肉。"好吧，那是过于戏剧化了,"她用低沉的声音说，一边舀起一大堆金币，叹息着扑通一声落在上面。"我不知道她为什么要费这么大劲。如果她想杀你，她应该直接杀了你。"
“She wants to interrogate me first,” Goldenblood rasped weakly. “Something more substantial than just digging through my head.” He closed his eyes, resting his cheek on the cage’s cool metal bottom. “She’ll dispose of me then.” He opened one, looking over at her as she flipped open a chest loaded with gemstones. “Maybe she’ll have me eaten.”
"她想先审问我,"金布拉德有气无力地说。"比挖我的脑袋更有价值的东西。"他闭上眼睛，把脸颊贴在笼子冰凉的金属底部。"到时候她会把我处理掉的。"他打开其中一个，看着她翻开一个装满宝石的箱子。"也许她会把我吃了。"
“Pass,” the dragoness said, sticking out her tongue. “Pony wreaks havoc on my waistline. Plus, I have no idea just how many potions they crammed in you to make you survive my flame. You’d probably turn my scales blue.” She tossed a dozen of the gems into the air and caught them with her mouth. “Give me gemstones any day.” She chewed a moment, then observed dryly, “You seem rather composed, all things considered.”
"算了吧,"龙女伸出舌头说。"小马大肆破坏我的腰围。另外，我不知道他们为了让你在我的火焰中幸存，在你体内塞了多少药水。你可能会把我的鳞片变成蓝色。"她把一打宝石抛向空中，用嘴接住了它们。"随时给我宝石。"她嚼了一会儿，然后冷冷地说:"考虑到所有的事情，你看起来相当镇静。"
“I have things to tell Princess Luna. Important things. Mistakes I’ve made.” He closed his eyes and shook his head, rocking his cheek against the floor. “She doesn’t trust me now, but when she rips the secrets from me, she’ll know. Then, maybe, she’ll do the right thing.”
"我有事要告诉卢娜公主。重要的事情。我犯过的错误。"他闭上眼睛，摇摇头，脸颊在地板上晃来晃去。"她现在不信任我，但是当她把我的秘密说出来的时候，她会知道的。然后，也许她会做出正确的选择。"
“And not kill you?” the dragoness said wryly, toying with a handful of gems.
"而且不会杀了你?"龙女苦笑着说，手里拿着一把宝石。
He chuckled. “No. I deserve to die,” he answered, struggling to make himself heard. “I’ve done things you can’t imagine. Overseen nightmares that I didn’t realize were nightmares until it was too late. Far too late.”
他咯咯地笑了。"没有。我该死,"他回答，努力让别人听到他的声音。"我做了一些你无法想象的事。直到为时已晚，我才意识到那只是噩梦。太晚了。"
“Such melodrama,” the dragoness said with a roll of her eyes. “You ponies thrive
"这样的闹剧,"龙女转了转眼珠说。"你们这些小马真是活蹦乱跳
on spectacles. It’s not healthy. If you were a dragon, you’d just do things, and if someone killed you for it, so be it. ‘Might makes right’ may not be the fairest world view, but it’s far less hysterical.” She scooped up another handful of gems. In the midst of the heap was a large hoof-sized chunk of bubblegum-pink quartz. It seemed to have a silver ring set about it, and a talisman glyph glowed in the middle.
戴着眼镜。这是不健康的。如果你是一条龙，你只会做一些事情，如果有人因此杀了你，那就这样吧。'强权即公理'可能不是最公平的世界观，但它远没有那么歇斯底里。"她又挖出了一把宝石。石堆中间是一大块蹄子大小的粉红色泡泡糖石英。它似乎有一个银戒指套在上面，中间有一个闪闪发光的护身符。
“Wait!” Goldenblood rasped, but he was too weak. Too slow. Too late. The gemstones tumbled into her maw, and she smacked her lips. Goldenblood struggled to his hooves. “Where did you get those gemstones?”
"等等!"金色的血液发出刺耳的声音，但他太虚弱了。太慢了。太晚了。宝石掉进了她的胃里，她咂了咂嘴。金色的血液挣扎着用蹄子。"你从哪儿弄到这些宝石的?"
“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “Wherever you ponies get them from, I suppose.”
"我不知道,"她耸耸肩说。"我想，你的小马是从哪儿弄来的吧。"
“You need to vomit! I think there was something in there!” Goldenblood rasped weakly.
"你需要呕吐！我觉得里面有东西!"金色的血脉无力地颤动着。
The dragon rolled her green eyes. “Ponies. Always with the drama,” she said as she lay back down on her bed of coins.
那条龙转动着她绿色的眼睛。"小马。总是那么戏剧化,"她躺回硬币床上说。
“I think there was a talisman in there!” Goldenblood said in alarm.
"我想里面有个护身符!"金布拉德惊恐地说。
The dragoness rolled her eyes. “Sure was. Those are extra tasty.” She smirked at him. “Relax. In a day or two, it’ll pass like all the rest.”
那只龙转了转眼珠。"当然是。这些东西特别好吃。"她朝他傻笑。"放松。再过一两天，它就会像其他事情一样过去。"
“Please, tell somepony–” Goldenblood began, but the dragon thumped her tail down beside the cage.
"请告诉一些小马——"金色的血液开始说话，但是那条龙在笼子旁边重重地甩着尾巴。
“Hush up and go to sleep. I’m sure they’ll come and get you soon enough,” she said with a snort.
"安静下来，去睡觉吧。我相信他们很快就会来接你的,"她哼了一声说。
Goldenblood tried repeating his warning again and again, but the dragon squeezed two handfuls of gold into her ears, curled up, and resumed sleeping. Finally, his throat throbbing, he fell silent. The dragoness occasionally gave a soft groan in her sleep. Goldenblood finally sank to the floor of the cage, dropping into unconsciousness.
金色的血液一遍又一遍地重复他的警告，但是巨龙把两把金子塞进她的耳朵里，蜷缩起来，继续睡觉。最后，他的喉咙抽痛，他沉默了。那只龙在睡梦中偶尔发出一声柔和的呻吟。金色的血液最终沉入笼底，陷入昏迷。
He was awoken by an especially loud groan from the dragoness. From somewhere high above came a soft ‘whump’ noise again and again. He opened his eyes, seeing her on her back. “What’s going on?” Goldenblood asked as he
他被来自龙的特别响亮的呻吟声吵醒了。从高空的某个地方传来一阵轻微的"嗖"的声音。他睁开眼睛，看到她仰面躺着。"怎么回事?"金色的血液问道
looked at the dragon. Pink foam flecked off her jaws.
看着那条龙。粉红色的泡沫从她的嘴里冒了出来。
“Some sort of attack. I’d be out there swatting down those missiles except all of a sudden... I feel... sick!” She rolled back and forth on her bed of gold coins. “I never feel sick.” And then she was interrupted by an enormous belch, and a cloud of pink roiled in the air above her. She stared at it with pained eyes. “That’s... not right...”
"某种攻击。如果不是突然之间......我感觉......不舒服，我早就出去打那些导弹了!"她在装满金币的床上来回翻滚。"我从来不觉得恶心。"突然，她打了一个大嗝，打断了她的话，一团粉红色的云彩在她头顶上翻腾。她用痛苦的眼神盯着它。"这......不对......"
Goldenblood’s eyes went wide. “Guards! Guards!” he screamed, rising to his hooves, his rusty, harsh voice echoing in the gold filled cavern. She gasped, her belly becoming distended, eyes bulging. Another thunderous burp erupted, but this time it was accompanied by a larger blast of pink vapor. He froze, staring in horror as she let out a horrible retching sort of noise and thick, pink gas blasted out across her hoard like burning napalm. The gold bubbled and began to run like wax as she rolled in agony.
金色血液的眼睛睁得大大的。"卫兵！卫兵!"他尖叫着，提高到他的蹄子，他生锈的，刺耳的声音在充满金子的洞穴里回响。她倒抽了一口冷气，肚子开始鼓起来，眼睛也鼓了起来。另一个雷鸣般的打嗝爆发了，但这一次伴随着一个更大的粉红色蒸汽爆炸。他呆住了，惊恐地盯着她，她吐出一种令人作呕的可怕的噪音，以及像燃烧的凝固汽油一样从她的储藏物中喷出的浓厚的粉红色气体。她痛苦地翻滚着，金子冒着泡，开始像蜡一样奔跑起来。
“AHHH!” she screamed. “What’s wrong with–” and whatever else she might have said was stolen by a continuous, flaming, pink torrent erupting from her mouth. Fortunately, it was pointed away from Goldenblood, splashing across more of the hoard as she thrashed. The pink fluid seemed to dissolve her lips so she couldn’t keep it within, but her thick hide contained it for the moment. Her tail slashed back and forth as she writhed in agony. A squad of soldiers rushed in and immediately collapsed, screaming, as the bank of pink mist rolled over them.
"啊!"她尖叫着。"-有什么问题吗?"以及她可能说过的其他话，都被从她嘴里喷出的持续的、燃烧的、粉红色的激流给偷走了。幸运的是，它被指向远离Goldenblood的地方，溅过了更多的宝藏。粉红色的液体似乎溶解了她的嘴唇，所以她无法把它留在嘴里，但是她厚厚的皮肤暂时包住了它。她痛苦地扭动着，尾巴前后抽动着。一队士兵冲了进来，立刻倒在地上，尖叫着，粉红色的薄雾在他们身上翻滚。
The same mist covered Goldenblood, but at most all it caused was the faintest irritation. He hammered his hooves against the bars, but it availed him nothing. Then the dragon’s tail, dripping both globs of gold and purple scales the size of his hoof, smashed the cage. It bounced away over the mounds and slammed up against the wall. The lock snapped open, and Goldenblood staggered out and followed the wall through the thickening mists. The dragon’s body was ballooning out grotesquely as her tough hide stretched. Liquid Pink Cloud dripped from her mouth as she fought to contain it. He reached the door beside the half dozen guards groaning and twitching as their skin fused to their armor and the floor.
同样的薄雾覆盖着金色的血液，但它最多只是引起极微弱的刺激。他用蹄子猛敲铁条，但毫无效果。然后，那条龙的尾巴，从蹄子大小的金色和紫色鳞片上滴落下来，砸碎了笼子。它反弹过土墩，砰地一声撞在墙上。锁啪的一声打开了，金色的鲜血摇摇晃晃地走了出来，在浓雾中顺着墙走了出去。龙的身体奇异地膨胀起来，因为它粗糙的皮被拉长了。粉红色的液体云从她的嘴里滴下来，她试图控制它。他走到门口，旁边是六个守卫，他们的皮肤紧贴着盔甲和地板，身子抽搐着呻吟着。
Goldenblood galloped along the hallway as fast as he could. He reached an empty guard post, hit the intercom, and starting calling furiously, but nopony answered. He tried again and again for several minutes... and then Pink Cloud
金色的血液以最快的速度沿着走廊飞驰而过。他走到一个空哨所，打开对讲机，开始疯狂地呼叫，但没有人接。他一次又一次地试了几分钟......然后是粉红云
rolled down the hallway and through the guard station. He stared as it began to flow down numerous side tunnels.
滚过走廊，穿过警卫室。他凝视着车子开始沿着无数的隧道向下流动。
He tore down a hallway, galloping as fast as he could until he found a staircase that led him out of the pink mist. He stormed up to another security station that was similarly abandoned save for one baffled-looking stallion guard. “Hey. You’re not supposed to come up that way!”
他飞快地跑过一条走廊，直到找到一座楼梯，把他从粉红色的薄雾中拉了出来。他怒气冲冲地来到另一个保安站，那里也同样被遗弃了，除了一个看起来很困惑的种马保安。"嘿。你不应该从那条路上来!"
Goldenblood advanced on the reedy blue stallion. “What’s going on? Where is everypony?”
金色的血液向芦苇般的蓝色种马前进。"怎么回事？大家都到哪儿去了?"
“We’re under attack! The zebras are launching attacks all across Equestria! It’s nuts. How–” but Goldenblood raced out the doors and gaped up at the sunny Canterlot sky. A massive blue dome extended overhead like the inside of a bubble. Every few seconds, there was a detonation that made it flicker.
"我们受到攻击了！斑马正在向整个Equestria发起攻击！这太疯狂了。金色的血液冲出门外，在阳光明媚的坎特罗特天空中目瞪口呆。一个巨大的蓝色圆顶像气泡一样在头顶延伸。每隔几秒钟，就会有一次爆炸使其闪烁。
“How long has this been going on?” Goldenblood asked.
"这种情况持续多久了?"金血王问道。
“The bombardment started a while ago. The Princesses themselves are holding that shield up. Had to extend it underneath the city, too, after some stripes smuggled mortars into the woods around Zebratown.” Then he froze as he stared at Goldenblood. “Wait. I know you! You’re that traitor we executed yesterday!” His eyes widened. “You’re supposed to be dead!”
"轰炸是很久以前开始的。公主们自己拿着盾牌。在斑马镇附近的树林里走私了一些条纹迫击炮后，也不得不把它延伸到城市的地下。"然后，当他凝视着Goldenblood时，他愣住了。"等等。我认识你！你就是我们昨天处决的那个叛徒!"他的眼睛睁大了。"你应该已经死了!"
“You need to get on a working intercom. Contact the palace! Let them know there’s a gas weapon that’s been activated under the city. She has to order an evacuation immediately!” he said.
"你需要一个可用的对讲机。联系皇宫！告诉他们城市地下有一个毒气武器被激活了。她必须立即下令疏散!"他说。
“All I’m doing is taking you back to a cell! I don’t know how you got yourself undeaded, but I’m not about to let you trot all over the city right now, trai–” He froze as a pink mist crept out to the stairwell and started spreading along the ground.
"我要做的就是把你带回牢房！我不知道你是怎么活下来的，但是我不会让你现在在城里到处跑的，小路——"他愣住了，一股粉红色的雾气从楼梯间里爬出来，开始沿着地面蔓延。
“Stay away! It’s poisonous!” Goldenblood warned. “It’s making its way through the larger passages first, but it won’t be long before it has enough pressure to spray up every drain pipe in the city!”
"离我远点！它是有毒的!"金血王警告说。"它正在先通过较大的通道，但不久它就会有足够的压力，把城市里的每一根排水管都喷上水!"
But the blue stallion glared at Goldenblood. “Poison, eh? Then how come you’re not dead, eh? How come–” The mist rolled past their hooves, much warmer than it had been in the hoard below, and the guard jerked. “I... I... I don’t feel so
但是那匹蓝色的种马怒视着Goldenblood。"毒药，嗯？那你怎么还没死？雾气从他们的马蹄前掠过，比下面的马蹄温暖多了，卫兵猛地一抽。"我.....。.我。.我不这么认为
good.”
很好。"
Goldenblood backed away, but the guard stood in place, trying to tug his hooves from the floor. “I... I can’t move... Why...” he said as he stared down in helplessness.
金布拉德往后退了退，但是卫兵站在原地，试图把他的蹄子从地板上拽下来。"我.....。.我动不了......为什么......"他无助地低下头说。
Goldenblood turned and ran, galloping towards the towers of the ministries and the palace. All around, guardponies were telling ponies not to worry, to get inside and wait for further instructions. And there were many ponies who didn’t seem even that concerned. They trotted along in clear urgency, but they obviously weren’t panicking.
金色的血液转身就跑，飞奔向政府部门和宫殿的塔楼。四周的警卫都在告诉小马们不要担心，进去等待进一步的指示。还有很多小马看起来根本不在乎。他们急急忙忙地小跑着，但显然没有惊慌失措。
“I’m not missing this hooficure appointment,” one mare said sharply as she waved her PipBuck at a guard. “They have to be scheduled months in advance!”
"我可不想错过这次驯马的约会,"一匹母马向警卫挥舞着她的皮伯克时厉声说道。"它们必须提前几个月安排!"
A mare carefully herded her three colts along the sidewalk. “Let’s get home. Don’t be scared. Princess Luna will keep us safe.”
一匹母马小心翼翼地把她的三匹小马赶在人行道上。"我们回家吧。不要害怕。卢娜公主会保护我们的安全。"
Goldenblood whirled from one pony the next. A fruit vendor set up on the corner. A soldier helping an elderly pony up some steps. A small cluster of children laughing that the zebras got them out of school early. He finally froze, tears streaming down his face as he sat down hard before a fountain. It lay right beside the plaza where he’d been burned just the other day. “No...” he whispered.
金色的血液从一匹小马身上旋转而下。一个水果小贩在街角摆摊。一个士兵扶着一个老人上了台阶。一小群孩子笑着说斑马让他们提前放学了。他终于僵住了，眼泪顺着脸颊流了下来，他在喷泉前艰难地坐下。它就在他前几天被烧死的广场旁边。"不......"他低声说。
Then the ground shook. From the storm drains came a sharp whistling as a pressurized front of gas displaced the air. The fountain suddenly sprayed twice as high, then twice again, the drains bubbling furiously in the basin. Everypony froze, staring in shock as the world seemed to scream around them, and then the whistle dropped to nothing. The world was quiet and still. Even the barrage seemed to have paused as everypony looked around in bewilderment. Down the street, a pink fog drifted from the doors of the guard station, looking as if somepony had set off a smoke bomb within.
然后大地震动了起来。由于加压的气体前锋取代了空气，从下水道里传来了尖锐的呼啸声。喷泉突然喷了两倍高的水，然后又喷了两次，排水沟在水池里激烈地冒泡。每匹小马都僵住了，惊恐地盯着周围的世界似乎在尖叫，接着哨声消失了。这个世界是安静的。当每匹小马都困惑地四处张望时，连密集的炮火似乎也暂停了。沿着街道，一团粉红色的雾从警卫站的门口飘出，看起来好像有小马在里面引爆了烟雾弹。
Then another pulse shot through the tunnels, and from the two storm drains at the end of the street blasted plumes of roiling pink gas, then the next closer two, then the next, erupting down the street in quick succession. Metal utility covers were thrown into the air to rain down with clangs and clatters. The fountain sprayed a jet of Pink Cloud, the ever-expanding gas swirling into the sky.
然后另一个脉冲穿过隧道，从街道尽头的两个排水沟喷出滚滚的粉红色气体，然后是接下来的两个，然后是接下来的两个，迅速连续爆发下来的街道。金属保护罩被抛向空中，发出叮当和叮当的声音。喷泉喷射出一股粉红云，不断膨胀的气体旋转着冲向天空。
The thuds of the missiles hitting the shield resumed, but they were drowned out by the horrified screams of Canterlot dying.
导弹击中防护罩的砰砰声恢复了，但是被坎特洛特死去的惊恐尖叫声淹没了。
Goldenblood sprinted along the road, dodging past and around the terrified, milling ponies. The Cloud swirled in banks and eddies, and where it drifted, ponies died. Not all at once. The tiny pink droplets seemed to take longer to kill some than others. Where they touched, cloth dissolved, hide oozed, and even metal seemed to visibly corrode. The horrible chemical ravaged all it came across. Mares, stallions, foals. They ran. Screamed. Died.
金色的血液在马路上奔跑，在惊慌失措的小马周围穿梭。云层在河岸和漩涡中旋转，漂流的地方，小马死了。不是一下子。这些微小的粉红色飞沫似乎比其他的要花更长的时间才能杀死一些人。他们接触的地方，布溶解了，隐藏渗出，甚至金属似乎明显腐蚀。这种可怕的化学物质毁掉了所有它遇到的东西。母马，种马，小马驹。他们跑了。尖叫着。死了。
A modern-looking apartment building’s facade shattered with an eruption of the gas, a great billowing plume of pink rushing out in a shower of broken glass. Ponies threw themselves from windows, trailing streamers of the deadly toxin and smashing into the ground with horrifying wet noises. Foals curled up in corners, screaming and sobbing for parents as the mist thickened around them. They didn’t scream for long. Goldenblood, however, barely felt the burn of the Cloud. His lungs crackled with every inhalation, but nothing more. The droplets stung with mild discomfort, but they just rolled off his scars.
一座看起来很现代的公寓大楼的正面随着气体的喷发而粉碎，一股巨大的粉红色羽毛从碎玻璃雨中冲出。小马从窗户跳下，拖着这种致命毒素的飘带，伴随着可怕的潮湿噪音摔在地上。小马驹蜷缩在角落里，尖叫着，哭泣着为它们的父母哭泣，因为雾气越来越浓。他们没有叫多久。金色的血液，然而，几乎感觉不到云的燃烧。他的肺每吸一口都会发出噼啪声，但仅此而已。水滴轻微地刺痛了他，但它们刚刚从他的伤疤上滚落下来。
Others weren’t so lucky. Pegasi and batponies struggled to find clear air, fanning their wings to blow the mist away, but the magical bubble keeping the missiles out kept the Cloud in. No matter how hard they flapped, eventually the air curled above, beneath, and behind them, slipped around their frantically flying forms, and sent their screams to join the others. As Goldenblood ran, ponies fell through the fog, sounding like wet fruit being dropped on the sidewalk. Not everypony seemed to be dying fast. Some lay in agony, gasping at the toxic air, their lives bleeding away with every inhalation. Others staggered around, eyes and lips melted shut.
其他人就没那么幸运了。飞马座和蝙蝠战马努力寻找清新的空气，扇动翅膀吹走雾气，但是挡住导弹的魔力气泡把"云"挡在了外面。不管它们扇动得多么用力，最终，上面、下面和后面的空气都卷起来，绕过它们疯狂飞行的身体，发出尖叫，加入其他人的行列。金色的血液在奔跑，小马在迷雾中跌落，听起来就像湿水果掉在人行道上。不是每匹小马看起来都死得很快。有些人痛苦地躺在那里，在有毒的空气中大口喘气，他们的生命因吸入每一口气而流血不止。其他人则摇摇晃晃地走来走去，眼睛和嘴唇都融化了。
The city began to fall silent... horribly silent. But not completely. Broadcasters on the hooves of some ponies crackled, the gas apparently reacting with the magical components, many of them issuing an Enervation-like scream that made Goldenblood’s ears bleed when he passed too close. Too many times, he had to double back and make his way through an alley. All the while, the Cloud thickened and the quiet grew. Eventually, even the missile detonations ceased.
整个城市开始陷入沉默......恐怖的沉默。但并非完全如此。一些小马蹄上的播音员劈啪作响，气体显然与神奇的成分发生了反应，其中许多发出一种衰弱的尖叫，当金布拉德走得太近时，他的耳朵会流血。很多次，他不得不折回去，穿过一条小巷。与此同时，云层越来越厚，寂静也越来越浓。最终，甚至导弹爆炸也停止了。
Goldenblood raced past the front of the M.W.T. hub, a limp crowd of ponies slowly oozing their way into the pavement. His hoofbeats were terribly loud, echoing off the silent edifices surrounding him. He passed a mare sitting oddly
金色的血液从反恐中心前面跑过，一群疲软的小马慢慢地挤到人行道上。他的蹄声响得可怕，在他周围寂静的大厦里回荡。他经过一匹奇怪地坐着的母马
upright on one bench, her hoof stretched out towards him as she softly whimpered for help. The bench had fused with her back. “I’m sorry,” he told the aquamarine unicorn.
她站在一条长凳上，她的蹄子伸向他，轻轻地呜咽着寻求帮助。长凳和她的后背融为一体了。"对不起,"他对海蓝色的独角兽说。
And then he raced towards a giant tree. The doors were open, and pink mist curled through the halls indolently. “Fluttershy!” Goldenblood croaked. “Fluttershy!” he screamed, making his way past all the bodies. He poked his head into an amphitheatre, then heard a noise behind some double doors. He trotted to them, hesitated, and then pushed them slowly open.
然后他冲向一棵巨大的树。门开着，粉红色的薄雾懒洋洋地卷曲着穿过大厅。"小萤火虫!"金血王呱呱地叫了起来。"小萤火虫!"他尖叫着，穿过所有的尸体。他把头伸进一个圆形剧场，然后听到两扇门后面有声音。他向他们小跑过去，犹豫了一下，然后慢慢地把他们推开。
The office was in disarray, but the mist was thinner here. Thin enough that Goldenblood could see, albeit indistinctly, the mare by the window. “Fluttershy?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
办公室里一片混乱，但这里的雾气比较稀薄。瘦到金色血液可以看见，尽管模糊不清，靠窗的母马。"萤火虫?"他问道，声音几乎不能超过耳语。
There was no answer for a second, and then a mare said quietly, “I’m afraid she’s not here, darling. Terribly sorry.” Goldenblood slowly approached the unicorn. Her coat seemed to be running like a beautiful painting splashed with turpentine. Her magnificent mane had a plastic appearance, the individual strands glued together in a purple mass that had fused with her hide. Her hoof pressed to the glass panes on the window, the end smeared like a blob of glue to the cracked class. Her eyes streaked her cheeks like running make up.
有一秒钟没有回答，然后一匹母马平静地说:"恐怕她不在这里，亲爱的。非常抱歉。"金色的血液慢慢地向独角兽靠近。她的外套像一幅被松节油泼洒的美丽的油画一样流动着。她华丽的鬃毛有一个塑料的外观，单独的股粘在一起，成为一个紫色的团块，融合了她的皮。她的蹄子踩在窗户上的玻璃上，末端弄得像胶水一样粘在破裂的玻璃上。她的眼睛在脸颊上留下了条纹，就像在跑步一样。
“Rarity,” Goldenblood murmured.
"稀有,"金色血液低声说。
“I’m sorry, darling. This mist has gotten so accursedly dark,” she said as she tugged her hoof. “And I fear that I am stuck,” she added quietly. “Who is it? You sound like...” She stilled. “No. It’s impossible... unless... I’m dead?”
"对不起，亲爱的。雾气变得越来越黑了。"她一边说，一边拉着蹄子。"我担心我被卡住了,"她平静地补充道。""是谁？你听起来就像......"她平静地说。"没有。这是不可能的...除非...我死了?"
“No, Rarity. No. It was a show,” Goldenblood said quietly as he moved closer to her. “I think she just wanted a few months to interrogate me properly.”
"不，罕见。没有。这是一场表演,"金布拉德一边走近她，一边平静地说道。"我想她只是想要几个月的时间好好审问我。"
“Ah,” the mare breathed softly. “So bothersome not to be forwarded the memo.”
"啊,"母马轻轻地呼吸着。"如此麻烦，不能转发这份备忘录。"
“Rarity, where is Fluttershy? Is she... is she here?” Goldenblood asked, his voice tight with dread.
"稀有，Fluttershy在哪儿？她...她在这儿吗?"金布拉德问道，他的声音因恐惧而紧绷。
“No. I sent her away. Used every bit of my magic to send her and Angel Bunny to safety,” she murmured. “It was the most I could do for my friend,” she whispered.
"没有。我把她送走了。用尽我所有的魔法把她和小天使送到安全的地方。"她低声说。"这是我能为我的朋友做的最多的事了,"她低声说。
“Where, Rarity? Please. I need to find her,” Goldenblood begged. He reached out to touch her mane, and it stuck to his hoof like chewed gum, making the mare quiver with a gasp of pain.
"在哪儿，稀世？求你了。我必须找到她,"金血王恳求道。他伸手去摸她的鬃毛，鬃毛像嚼过的口香糖一样粘在他的蹄子上，使得母马因为疼痛而颤抖。
“Why should I tell you?” Rarity whispered.
"我为什么要告诉你?"雷诺低声说。
Goldenblood sat beside her. “I want to make sure she’s safe,” Goldenblood said softly. “I... I love her, Rarity. I always have, even if I hurt her.”
金布拉德坐在她旁边。"我想确保她的安全,"金布拉德轻声说。"我.....。.我爱她，稀世。我总是这样，即使我伤害了她。"
“We tend to hurt the ones we love,” she murmured, then shuddered again. “Then again, loving nopony is its own kind of hurt.” They were both silent, and then she whispered, “Zecora’s cottage, near Ponyville. She’s at Zecora’s cottage in the Everfree. It was the safest place I could think of. She wouldn’t be happy in some metal tomb in the earth.”
"我们往往会伤害我们所爱的人,"她喃喃地说，然后又战栗起来。"不过话说回来，爱上小马也是一种伤害。"他们都沉默了，然后她低声说,"泽科拉的小屋，在Ponyville附近。她在Zecora在Everfree的别墅里。这是我能想到的最安全的地方。她不会喜欢呆在地下的金属坟墓里的。"
“No, she wouldn’t.”
"不，她不会的。"
The mare made a soft choking noise, her body shaking, and a whimper escaped her lips. “Tell me. Do I look dreadful?” she said with a sniff.
母马发出一声柔和的哽咽声，她的身体颤抖着，嘴里还发出一声呜咽。"告诉我。我看起来糟透了吗?"她闻了闻说。
“You’re always beautiful, Rarity,” Goldenblood said. “Nothing could ever change that.”
"你总是那么漂亮，稀有,"金血王说。"没有什么可以改变这一点。"
She sniffed again, the corner of her mouth curling. “Liar. You always were such a liar. But thank you...”
她又吸了一口气，嘴角翘了起来。"骗子。你一直都是个骗子。但还是谢谢你......"
“Thank you, Rarity,” Goldenblood murmured. “For saving her, and for telling me.”
"谢谢你，稀有,"金色血液低声说。"谢谢你救了她，还告诉了我。"
Rarity quivered again, then took a deeper breath. “I always was... too generous... for my own good...” Rarity murmured. Then the breath left her, and she sagged. Her body started to fall, but Goldenblood’s magic caught her and steadied her so that when he released it, Rarity almost appeared to still stare out at the city with her hoof pressed to the window.
珍妮又颤抖了一下，然后深深地吸了一口气。"我总是......太慷慨了......为了我自己好......"雷诺喃喃地说。然后呼吸停止了，她下垂了。她的身体开始下降，但金色血液的魔法抓住了她，使她平静下来，所以当他释放它时，稀少似乎仍然盯着外面的城市，她的蹄子压在窗户上。
“Goodbye, Rarity,” Goldenblood murmured, and then he turned and trotted quickly from the office. He continued along through the thickening mist towards the vague shape of the royal palace. He passed a few ponies in emergency hazmat equipment, but the concentrated pink gas had liquefied them as well. Goldenblood picked his way across the steps with their slain guards and trotted
"再见，稀有,"金色血液喃喃地说，然后他转身快速离开了办公室。他继续穿过浓雾朝着模糊不清的王宫走去。他让几匹小马穿过紧急危险品处理设备，但浓缩的粉红色气体也使它们液化了。金血王带着他们被杀死的卫兵小跑着穿过台阶
through the foyer. The Pink Cloud was dissolving the elaborate tapestries, making them drip in clumps of reeking fibrous matter. Even the marble seemed to pit and hiss at the pink vapors.
穿过门厅。粉红云正在溶解这些精心制作的挂毯，使它们成丛地散发着恶臭的纤维物质。甚至连大理石似乎也对粉红色的蒸汽发出凹陷和嘶嘶声。
And then he came to the throne room.
然后他来到王座室。
Princess Luna stood before the throne in a nimbus of cool purple light, but as Goldenblood stepped closer, he could see the burns covering her dusky frame. The chemical wasn’t liquefying her just yet, but the agony on her face was clear. From her horn, a blue beam projected towards the roof.
公主露娜站在王座前，周围充满了紫色的光晕，但是当金色的血液走近时，他可以看到覆盖在她昏暗身体上的烧伤。这种化学物质还没有把她溶化，但是她脸上的痛苦是显而易见的。一根蓝色的梁从她的角上伸向屋顶。
Slowly, Goldenblood approached. “Your Majesty,” he rasped softly as he approached the dais and bowed before her.
慢慢地，金色血统走近了。"陛下,"当他走近讲台，在她面前鞠躬时，他轻声地说。
“You!” Luna hissed through her teeth, the blue beam wavering. She gasped and then grunted, restoring the beam. “Of all those who should die, you live! By what treachery do you persist?”
"你!"露娜的牙齿发出嘶嘶的声音，蓝色的光束摇曳着。她喘了口气，然后咕哝了一声，恢复了光束。"在所有该死的人中，你还活着！你为什么要背信弃义呢?"
“I don’t know, Your Majesty. I suppose my partial exposure at Littlehorn made me immune to the chemical. It doesn’t matter,” he said, keeping his head bowed. “You must flee this place, Your Majesty.”
"我不知道，陛下。我想我在Littlehorn的部分接触使我对这种化学物质免疫了。没关系,"他低着头说。"你必须逃离这里，陛下。"
“Flee? To where? Manehattan is lost. Cloudsdale is gone. Fillydelphia is annihilated. Hoofington is dead.”
""逃跑了？去哪儿？曼哈顿迷路了。克劳斯代尔已经不在了。填充的吗啡被消灭了。胡芬顿死了。"
“To the Redoubt. Equestria must have a ruler,” Goldenblood said. A horrid choking noise, half sob and half laughter, ripped from her throat. “You can drop the shield. The city is lost.”
""去堡垒。小马国必须有一个统治者。一种可怕的令人窒息的声音，一半抽泣一半笑声，从她的喉咙里传出来。"你可以放下盾牌了。这座城市已经沦陷了。"
“But the countryside is not. I may at least grant my subjects a few hours more to flee,” she gasped.
"但农村不是。我至少可以再给我的臣民几个小时逃跑,"她喘着气说。
“Equestria needs its ruler, Your Majesty,” he said. “There must be emergency plans enacted. Orders given. Evacuations organized.”
他说:"陛下，小马国需要它的统治者。"。"必须制定应急计划。发出的命令。疏散工作组织完毕。"
“Another pony shall do so,” she said, swaying. “I have released EC-1101.”
"另一匹小马也可以这样做,"她摇着身子说。"我发布了EC-1101。"
Goldenblood slumped. “Your Majesty.”
金色的血液猛跌下来。"陛下。"
“It is only fitting. May it find somepony more worthy.” She closed her eyes,
"只有这样才合适。希望它能找到一匹更有价值的马。"她闭上眼睛,
tears running down her cheeks. “I wished to rule for a thousand years. To prove to my people that I was kind and loving, that I would care for them and protect them from the things they feared. That I was not Nightmare Moon. My reign was a mere hundredth of that, and I protected them from naught!” She spasmed in pain. “At the very least, I can do this. Protect the people of my land for a while longer.”
泪水顺着她的脸颊流下。"我希望统治一千年。为了向我的人民证明我是善良和有爱心的，证明我会关心他们，保护他们不受他们所害怕的东西的伤害。我不是梦魇之月。我的统治仅仅是百分之一，我保护他们免于一无所有!"她疼得痉挛起来。"至少，我能做到这一点。保护我的土地上的人民一段时间。"
“Princess... I wish to confess,” Goldenblood said solemnly. “I have conspired against you. I feared that, with victory, that you would become a tyrant. I lost faith in you. I tampered with EC-1101 so that, if it was ever deleted by you or the enemy or found an unworthy pony who tried to use its power for harm, it would unleash a weapon to destroy any victors. But I was manipulated, Your Majesty. It is a poor excuse, but it is the only explanation I have.” For some reason, that made her smile sadly. He bowed his head. “If you wish it of me, I will conduct my own execution.”
"公主......我想坦白,"金布拉德严肃地说。"我背叛了你。我担心胜利之后你会成为一个暴君。我对你失去了信心。我篡改了EC-1101，因此，如果它被你或者敌人删除，或者发现一匹不值得的小马试图用它的力量造成伤害，它就会释放一件武器来摧毁任何胜利者。但是我被操纵了，陛下。这是一个糟糕的借口，但这是我唯一的解释。"出于某种原因，这让她伤心地笑了。他低下了头。"如果你希望我这么做，我会亲自处决你。"
Luna stared at him, trembling. “Frankly, Goldenblood, I don’t really care anymore. Go die if you wish. I will remain here until I can no longer.”
卢娜凝视着他，浑身发抖。"说实话，金色血统，我真的不在乎了。去死吧，如果你愿意。我会一直呆在这里，直到我再也不能为止。"
“Princess Luna, I don’t want you to die,” Goldenblood rasped. “I betrayed you, but I never wished you... this...” he said, sweeping his hoof at the blackening tapestries. “I don’t want you to have to die here, alone.”
"卢娜公主，我不希望你死,"金血王粗声粗气地说。"我背叛了你，但我从来没有希望你......这个......"他说着，用蹄子扫了扫黑色的挂毯。"我不想让你孤独地死在这里。"
“She will not,” Celestia said from behind Goldenblood.
"她不会,"塞莱斯蒂亚在Goldenblood后面说。
“No!” Luna cried out. “Sister! Why aren’t you in Stable One?”
"不!"卢娜喊道。"姐姐！你为什么不在StableOne?"
“Why aren’t you?” Celestia said with a gentle smile. Her horn flared, and a second beam, thicker and golden yellow, lanced up towards the heavens. “Rest a moment, Sister. I will hold it for now.”
"你为什么不呢?"塞莱斯蒂亚带着温柔的微笑说。她的号角响了起来，第二根粗大的金黄色的横梁冲向天空。"休息一会儿，修女。我暂时拿着它。"
“Princesses, please... you must not... you should not... you...” he faltered as Luna stopped casting the spell, panting as they both looked at him.
"公主们，求你们了......你们不能......你们不能......你们......"卢娜停止了咒语，他气喘吁吁地看着卢娜。
“Still trying to advise me, traitor?” Luna asked, and Goldenblood jerked his head away as if he’d been struck. “We are past the points of mustn'ts and shouldn’ts, Goldenblood. We will do what we think is right. My reign is done. I will use the last of it as I see fit. I will hold the shield as long as possible.”
"还想给我出主意吗，叛徒?"卢娜问道，金血王猛地把头扭开，好像被人打了一样。"我们已经过了'不可以'和'不可以'的界限了，金血王。我们会做我们认为正确的事情。我的统治结束了。我会在我认为合适的时候使用它的最后一个。我会尽可能长时间地保持盾牌。"
“But your people...” Goldenblood protested.
"但是你的人民......"金血王抗议道。
“Were you not the one who worried I was a tyrant, Goldenblood?” Luna retorted, and once more Goldenblood jerked. Both were silent a moment, and then the dusky Princess continued in softer tones. “I’m glad you took steps, Goldenblood. I thank you for putting Equestria above me. I wish they’d been more moderate ones, but still. You tried to do what was right.” Slowly, Goldenblood looked up into the burned face of his Princess as she smiled at him.
"难道不是你担心我是个暴君吗，金血王?"卢娜反驳道，金血王又一次抽搐起来。两个人都沉默了一会儿，然后公主继续用柔和的声调说话。"我很高兴你采取了行动，金色血液。谢谢你把小马国放在我之上。我希望他们能够更温和一些，但是他们还是这么做了。你试图做正确的事。"慢慢地，金色血液抬头看着他的公主烧伤的脸，她向他微笑。
“I know I have no right, but... please forgive me,” he begged.
"我知道我没有权利，但是......请原谅我,"他恳求道。
“Forgive me. I wish I’d been a wiser Princess,” Luna replied, then glanced at her sister. “I know what it means to betray another. And I know what it means to be forgiven, and to feel remorse.” She turned to Celestia, adding to Goldenblood as she did, “Now, my final order is to go. I release you from my service. I wish to speak to my sister alone.”
"原谅我。我希望我是一个更明智的公主,"卢娜回答，然后瞥了一眼她的妹妹。"我知道背叛别人意味着什么。我知道被原谅和感到懊悔意味着什么。"她转向Celestia，一边对金血王说,"现在，我的最后命令是离开。我解除你的职务。我想和我姐姐单独谈谈。"
Goldenblood bowed his head. “I know I have less right than any to ask anything of you, Princess Luna, but could you please send me to Ponyville? I... I have one last apology to make.”
金布拉德低下了头。"卢娜公主，我知道我没有权利向你要求任何东西，但是你能送我去Ponyville吗？我。.我还有最后一个道歉。"
Luna seemed to consider it, then gave a small smile. “Fluttershy?” He gave a short little nod. “I thought... nevermind. She is in Ponyville?”
卢娜似乎考虑了一下，然后露出了一丝微笑。"萤火虫?"他轻轻地点了点头。"我想......算了。她在Ponyville?"
He swallowed and gave another little nod. “I don’t know if she’ll hear it, but I owe it to her to try.”
他咽了口唾沫，又点了点头。"我不知道她是否会听到，但是我欠她一个尝试的机会。"
“Sister,” Celestia said in a warning tone. “Are you certain?”
"姐妹,"塞莱斯蒂亚用警告的语气说。"你确定吗?"
“No, but I suppose that, in a small way, it is due.” She slumped against Celestia and began coughing. “Could you help me please, dearest Sister?” Luna said as her horn glowed.
"不，但我想，从某种程度上说，这是应该的。"她靠在塞莱斯蒂亚身上，开始咳嗽。"亲爱的姐姐，你能帮帮我吗?"卢娜说着，她的号角发出了光芒。
The white alicorn sat and hugged her close, their horns touching. “Always, Luna.”
白色的橡子坐下来，紧紧地拥抱着她，它们的角碰在一起。"永远，卢娜。"
A white glow formed around Goldenblood. “Goodbye, Goldie,” Luna said quietly.
一道白光在Goldenblood周围形成。"再见，戈尔迪,"卢娜平静地说。
And Goldenblood gazed at the pair, embracing, dying, tears running down his cheeks as time seemed to slow. “Goodbye, Your Majesties.”
金色的血液凝视着这对夫妇，他们拥抱在一起，奄奄一息，随着时间的流逝，泪水顺着脸颊流下。"再见，陛下。"
The castle disappeared, and so did the gas. He found himself in a dusty cottage decorated with flowers and butterflies. For several seconds, he simply stared, sitting in the middle of the living room, and then he began to shake. He clutched his head in his forehooves and started to sob, rocking back and forth as he choked and wept.
城堡消失了，毒气也消失了。他发现自己身处一间布满灰尘的小屋里，小屋里摆满了鲜花和蝴蝶。有那么几秒钟，他只是坐在起居室的中间盯着看，然后开始发抖。他用前蹄紧紧抓住自己的头，开始抽泣，哽咽而哭泣，前后摇晃着。
“No time,” he rasped after a few moments, pulling himself together and to his hooves. “I have to find her... tell her... get her somewhere safe. The Redoubt. Stable Two. 101. Somewhere.” He rose to his hooves and staggered out of the cottage. Far off in the distance, he could see the solid pink sphere obscuring Canterlot. Beyond that, radiant mushroom clouds rose on the horizon. Dozens. Cloudsdale was nothing but glowing mist. Ponyville lay in the distance, the village oddly silent, as if a bomb had fallen and the remaining buildings were just a memory.
"没时间了,"过了一会儿，他粗声粗气地说，振作起来，使劲蹬着蹄子。"我必须找到她...告诉她...把她带到安全的地方。堡垒。稳定2号。101.某个地方。"他站起身来，摇摇晃晃地走出小屋。在遥远的地方，他可以看到粉红色的固体球模糊坎特罗特。在那之外，地平线上升起了辐射状的蘑菇云。几十个。克劳斯代尔只不过是一团发光的薄雾。波尼维尔就躺在远处，整个村庄出奇地寂静，仿佛一枚炸弹落下，剩下的建筑物只是一段记忆。
Slowly, he turned towards the forest. The dark trees loomed above him as he walked, hooves tripping over vines as he wandered along the trails. It was more than an hour before he spotted the tree hut decorated with colored bottles and masks. Instantly, his heartbeat quickened, and he rushed in. “Fluttershy! Fluttershy!” No answer. His eyes darted around the forest, and then atop a nearby hill he saw a flash of yellow and pink.
慢慢地，他转向森林。他走路的时候，漆黑的树木隐约出现在他的头顶，他在小径上漫步时，蹄子绊在藤蔓上。一个多小时后，他发现了装饰着彩色瓶子和面具的树屋。立刻，他的心跳加快了，他冲了进去。"胆小鬼！小鸭子!"没有回答。他的眼睛扫视了一下森林，然后在附近的一座小山顶上，他看到了一道黄色和粉红色的闪光。
He tore up the hillside. There, at its peak, sat Fluttershy. Her teal eyes were old as they stared out at the roofs of Ponyville, tears dripping slowly down her cheeks. Yellow feathers drifted slowly in the breeze towards him, her gray-tipped mane waving in the ghosts of distant blast waves as she watched her world die.
他翻山越岭。那里，在它的顶峰，坐着小萤火虫。她蓝绿色的眼睛凝视着Ponyville的屋顶，眼泪从她的脸颊上缓缓流下。黄色的羽毛在微风中缓缓飘向他，她灰色的鬃毛在远处的冲击波中挥舞着，她看着自己的世界死去。
“Fluttershy...” Goldenblood said as he stopped short. She didn’t turn. Didn’t acknowledge him at all. And then he took another step closer. “We need to–”
"萤火虫......"金血王突然停下来说。她没有转身。完全不认识他。然后他又向前迈进了一步。"我们需要——"
That was all he got out. A white missile flashed out of the grass, smashing into him like a bullet. He staggered back, and the white blur rammed him again and again. He slid halfway down the hill before he came to a stop.
这就是他逃出来的全部。一枚白色的导弹从草地上一闪而过，像子弹一样砸向他。他摇摇晃晃地往回走，白色的模糊影子一次又一次地撞击着他。他滑到半山腰才停下来。
Atop a rock sat a white rabbit, glaring at him flatly. Without taking his eyes off Goldenblood, he reached behind him and from seemingly nowhere pulled a tablet of Buck, which he proceeded to chow down on. His free paw pointed back the way Goldenblood had come.
在一块石头上坐着一只白兔子，直勾勾地盯着他。他的眼睛没有离开金布拉德，他把手伸到身后，似乎不知从哪里拉出了一片巴克，他开始狼吞虎咽起来。它另一只爪子指向金色血液来的方向。
“Please, Angel, I need to speak to her. She can’t–” Goldenblood began, trying again to climb towards her, but a fuzzy foot hammered his face and knocked him back down the hill once more. Goldenblood sat up, horn glowing. “Damn it! Let me talk to her one last time.”
"求你了，安吉尔，我得和她谈谈。她不能——"金布拉德开始说，他再次试图爬向她，但一只毛茸茸的脚把他的脸打得稀巴烂，又一次把他撞下了山。金色的血液坐了起来，角在发光。"该死！让我跟她说最后一次话。"
The white bunny reached behind again, plucked out an inhaler, shook it three times, and drew in the contents in one long pull. Goldenblood charged up the hill, and the white bunny kicked him back down again. Up. Down. Up Down. A half dozen times Goldenblood tried to storm past Angel, and a half dozen times he was knocked back. “Damn you! I need to speak to her! She–” And then the rabbit stopped holding back. In a series of kicks so swift that the beast could barely be seen, Goldenblood was flipped backwards into the air, slammed back down into the hillside, and struck so hard that all he could do was curl up. Every time his horn glowed, a white furry foot struck the spire, shattering his focus.
白兔子又把手伸到后面，掏出一个吸入器，摇了三下，用力一拉就把里面的东西吸进去了。金色的血液向山上冲去，白兔子又把他踢了回来。起来。下来。向上向下。金色血统有六次试图从安吉尔身边冲过，但是有六次他都被击退了。"去你的！我要和她谈谈！她——"然后兔子就不再退缩了。一连串的猛踢几乎看不见那只野兽，金布拉德向后弹到空中，重重地摔回到山坡上，猛烈地撞击，他只能蜷缩起来。每当它的角发出光芒时，一只白色的毛茸茸的脚就会碰到它的尖顶，使它的注意力分散。
The rabbit knocked Goldenblood out of his curl and left him face down in the dirt, twisted one forehoof behind his back, stomped hard on the back of his head, and wrenched it up and pointed back toward Ponyville. Fluttershy still hadn’t moved. She stared ahead, eyes sad and broken. Goldenblood heaved as if to move one last time, and Angel Bunny brought a foot down on Goldenblood’s spine with a resounding crack. Goldenblood cried out in pain, but his hindquarters instantly went numb.
兔子把金色的血从它蜷缩的身体里打了出来，把它的脸扔在泥土里，把它的前蹄在背后扭了一下，重重地跺了一下它的后脑勺，然后把它扭了起来，指向Ponyville。小弗特希还是没有动。她目不转睛地盯着前方，眼睛里充满了悲伤和伤心。金血王好像要再动一下似的，一只脚踩在金血王的脊椎上，发出一声响亮的劈啪声。金血王疼得大叫起来，但他的后腿立刻麻木了。
His cry died in his throat as the shield covering Canterlot began to flicker. Then it popped like a soap bubble, and the air around the city became filled with pink: pink gas exploding into the sky and pink water cascading down in an annihilating sheet of poison. Angel Bunny hopped off the crippled stallion and raced back up to hug the weeping mare. Goldenblood lay sprawled on the grass. Slowly, he tried pulling himself up the side of the hill, dragging his limp hindlegs. Even with the bubble gone and the gas dispersing, a hazy cloud clung to the spires, as if it would always linger. For the longest time, he stared at the rolling vapors as they filled the sky and plunged along the mountainside. Almost five minutes later, a roaring boom echoed like thunder across the land.
当覆盖着坎特洛特的盾牌开始闪动时，他的哭声在喉咙里消失了。然后它像肥皂泡一样爆炸了，城市周围的空气变成了粉红色:粉红色的气体在天空中爆炸，粉红色的水像瀑布一样倾泻而下，形成一片正在消失的毒物。天使兔跳下瘸腿的种马，跑回来拥抱哭泣的母马。金色的血蔓延地躺在草地上。慢慢地，他试着爬上山坡，拖着他软弱无力的后腿。即使气泡消失了，气体散去了，塔尖上还是有一片朦胧的云，仿佛永远不散去。在很长一段时间里，他盯着那翻滚的蒸汽，它们充满了天空，沿着山腰一直向下坠落。差不多五分钟后，一声隆隆的隆隆声像雷声一样回荡在大地上。
A few minutes after that, Ponyville was backlit by three immense balefire blasts tearing through a forest. “Whitetail woods... why?” Goldenblood murmured weakly, his vision now filled with blurs and spots. Slowly, he continued up. Inch by inch. “I just... have to tell her. Angel can kill me then, if he wants... but she has to know...”
几分钟之后，Ponyville被三个巨大的巴勒火焰撕裂成一片森林的背光照亮。"白尾林......为什么?"金色的血液有气无力地喃喃自语，他的视线现在布满了模糊和斑点。慢慢地，他继续往上走。一英寸一英寸。"我只是......必须告诉她。安吉尔可以杀了我，如果他想的话......但是她必须知道......"
“Traitor Goldenblood?” a stallion asked, and Goldenblood turned his head to look up at a batpony guard standing above him. Three more hovered above “Please...” Goldenblood begged, then stretched a hoof towards Fluttershy. “Please...”
"叛徒金血?"一匹种马问道，金布拉德转过头来，看到一匹蝙蝠马守卫站在他头上。还有三只在"请......"的上方盘旋，金色的血液乞求着，然后向小萤火虫伸出了一只蹄子。"请......"
“We have orders to take you into custody for interrogation,” the stallion said. “I don’t know how you escaped to here, but I can’t wait to make you tell us.”
"我们接到命令要拘留你进行审讯,"这匹种马说。"我不知道你是怎么逃到这里来的，但我迫不及待地想让你告诉我们。"
“No... I need... please...” Goldenblood said.
"不......我需要......求你了......"金血王说。
One of the batpony mares landed next to Fluttershy, keeping a bit of distance between herself and the bunny. “Ministry Mare Fluttershy? Do you need... anything?”
其中一匹巴特马的母马停在Fluttershy旁边，她和小兔子保持着一定的距离。"马蹄铁部？你需要...什么吗?"
Fluttershy didn’t answer. She only shook her head slowly back and forth.
弗特希没有回答。她只是前后慢慢地摇了摇头。
“She’s not a part of our orders,” the stallion said, scooping up Goldenblood and draping him across his back. “We need to hurry back to the Citadel.”
"她不是我们命令的一部分,"种马说，铲起金色的血，披在他的背上。"我们需要赶紧回到'城堡'。"
“No...” Goldenblood begged. “Please...”
"不......"金布拉德恳求道。"请......"
The batpony mare looked from unicorn to pegasus. “Um, ma’am? Mister Goldenblood would like to speak to you? Would that be okay?”
那匹战马从独角兽看到飞马。"嗯，夫人？金布拉德先生想和你谈谈？这样可以吗?"
Fluttershy didn’t say a word. Didn’t look at him. She closed her eyes, hung her head, and let her pale pink mane shield him from her view. Then she gave the tiniest shake of her head. Goldenblood stared at her, tears of anguish rolling down his face. “Let’s go!” the stallion said, and together they lifted into the air.
Fluttershy一句话也没说。没有看他。她闭上眼睛，低下头，淡粉色的鬃毛挡住了他的视线。然后她微微摇了摇头。金色的血液凝视着她，痛苦的泪水从他的脸上滚落下来。"我们走!"种马说，他们一起举到空中。
“No! No! Fluttershy!” Goldenblood screamed as he was borne up into the air, his eyes locked on a yellow mare who grew ever smaller. “Fluttershy!” he screamed as she became just a tiny yellow dot atop the hill. “Fluttershy!” he raggedly screamed one last time, and then he sagged on the batpony’s back, weeping once more as everything faded to black.
"不！不！小鸭子!"金色的血液被抬到空中时尖叫起来，他的目光锁定在一匹越来越小的黄色母马身上。"小萤火虫!"当她变成山顶上的一个小黄点时，他尖叫起来。"小萤火虫!"他固执地发出最后一声尖叫，然后瘫倒在蝙蝠马的背上，随着一切渐渐变黑，他又哭了起来。
~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~
I felt my body shift. I was sitting on something, on that firm plasticy smooth nothingness that existed in places like this. A beam of white light illuminated me
我感觉到我的身体在移动。我坐在什么东西上，在这样的地方存在的，坚固的塑料光滑的虚无。一束白光照亮了我
in the void. “So, you’ve finally come,” Goldenblood said softly from behind me.
在虚空中。"那么，你终于来了,"金布拉德从我身后轻声说。
I turned to see him sitting in another beam of light. He looked as I remembered: middle aged, scarred, and tired. His yellow eyes locked with mine, and his lips curled up a tiny bit. “Blackjack.”
我转过身来，看到他坐在另一束光中。他看起来和我记忆中的一样:中年，伤痕累累，疲惫不堪。他黄色的眼睛紧紧地盯着我，嘴唇微微翘起。"黑杰克。"
“Goldenblood,” I replied as I turned to face him. “It is you, isn’t it? No... hologram? Or computer simulation?”
"金色血统,"我回答，转身面对他。""是你，对吗？没有...全息图？还是计算机模拟?"
“It is,” he said calmly. “I’m glad it’s you. I knew that only you or Cognitum would have any chance of finding me. And I knew only you would be able to appreciate what I’ve done.”
"是的,"他平静地说。"我很高兴是你。我知道只有你或者科涅土才有机会找到我。我知道只有你才能感激我所做的一切。"
“What you’ve done?” I said with a small frown.
"你做了什么?"我皱着眉头说。
“The crimes I’ve committed,” he amended. “You’ve finally come to judge me for all that I’ve done.”
"我所犯下的罪行,"他修正道。"你终于开始对我所做的一切进行评判了。"
I rolled my eyes a little. “Yeah... no. Actually, I’m here to ask you some questions, and then I’ll be on my way. You can go on experiencing horribleness as long as you want.”
我转了转眼珠。"是的......不。事实上，我是来问你几个问题的，然后我就走了。只要你愿意，你可以继续经历可怕的事情。"
Goldenblood’s mouth opened and closed a few times as he seemed to struggle with what I’d just said. “Blackjack, you know what I’ve done. You know who I am better than probably any pony who has ever lived. Between sessions, I’ve used this machine’s connection with Hoofington’s system to keep tabs on you. Watched what you’ve done. How could you not do anything about my crimes?”
金布拉德的嘴张开又合上了几次，似乎在和我刚才说的话作斗争。"黑杰克，你知道我做了什么。你知道我是谁，可能比任何一匹活着的小马都要好。在会议间隙，我使用这台机器与胡芬顿的系统的连接来监视你。看看你做了什么。你怎么能对我的罪行袖手旁观呢?"
Oh brother. I rubbed my face with a hoof. “Goldenblood, I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t about you. I agree, you fucked up big time. I have to admit, I’m pretty good at doing that myself, but you beat me hooves down.
哦，兄弟。我用蹄子蹭脸。"金色血统，我不想打击你，但这不是你的问题。我同意，你把事情搞砸了。我不得不承认，我自己也很擅长这个，但是你把我打得落花流水。
Congratulations.” I clopped my hooves together weakly. “Now, what I want is for you to tell me about Horizons.”
祝贺你。"我虚弱地把蹄子合拢在一起。"现在，我想让你告诉我关于地平线的事情。"
Goldenblood turned his back on me. “Get out.”
金色血统背弃了我。"滚出去。"
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
我眨了眨眼。"你说什么?"
“You heard me. If you’re not here to kill me, then clearly you haven’t been paying attention. Good day.” He turned and started to trot out of the circle of
"你听到我说的了。如果你不是来杀我的那显然你没注意到。再见。"他转过身，开始小跑着走出那个圆圈
light.
光。
“Right. So you’re just going to wait another two hundred years for somepony to come down here with the answers to your little riddles so they can give you an appropriately horrible death? I don’t think so,” I said as scornfully as possible, making him pause. “You going to go back into memories and spying on the Wasteland, leaving it to rot? Fine. Maybe I can give the king a really good blowjob to get him to let me go. I’ll do what I have to do. But you know things, Goldenblood. You could help me, if you just pulled your head out of your masochistic, egotistical, self-loathing ass long enough to!”
"对。所以你打算再等200年，等着一匹小马过来解开你的小谜团，然后给你一个合适的可怕的死法？我不这么认为,"我尽可能轻蔑地说，使他停顿了一下。"你打算回到记忆中去监视荒原，任由它腐烂？好吧。也许我可以给国王口交让他放我走。我会做我该做的。但你知道一些事情，金色血液。你可以帮助我，只要你把你的头从你那受虐的、自我中心的、自我厌恶的屁股里抽出足够长的时间来!"
My words seemed to have broken through. He turned and regarded me coolly. “I deserve to die. I deserve to be punished.”
我的话好像说漏了嘴。他转过身来，冷静地看着我。"我罪有应得。我应该受到惩罚。"
“Oh for the love of...” I muttered. “Yes. You did bad things. Really bad things. So have I. In some ways, worse things than you. No pony’s perfect. The difference is, I haven’t shoved myself into a computer waiting for somepony else to come along and put me down.” And construct ridiculously elaborate death traps to test their worthiness to execute me. I pointed a hoof off to the side. “I’m out there, trying to do better.”
"哦，看在上帝的份上......"我咕哝着。"是的。你做了坏事。非常糟糕的事。我也是。在某些方面，比你更糟糕。没有小马是完美的。不同的是，我没有把自己塞进电脑里，等着别人来把我放倒。"建造可笑的精心设计的死亡陷阱来测试他们是否可以处决我。我把一只蹄子指向一边。"我在那里，努力做得更好。"
“Better,” he muttered. “Blackjack, have you ever thought that maybe you should have given up? That by trying to help, you’ve caused nearly as much pain and misery as there would have been if you’d done nothing at all?” He walked slowly towards me, the shaft of light moving with him. “I saw you at Yellow River. I saw what you did to that foal.”
"好多了,"他喃喃自语。"黑杰克，你有没有想过也许你应该放弃？如果你什么都不做，你会造成多大的痛苦和不幸?"他慢慢地向我走来，光柱也跟着向前移动。"我在黄河上见过你。我看到你对小马驹做了什么。"
I stared at him for several long seconds. “You plugged me into Happyhorn,” I said.
我盯着他看了好几秒钟。"你把我塞进了乐角,"我说。
He gave a small nod. “I directed this system to access the robotic orderlies and put you into a therapeutic mindscape, yes. I rather didn’t expect you to come out of it. Quite surprising, actually,” he rasped softly. “After that, I occasionally peeked in on you from time to time, like Watcher. You were... interesting.”
他微微点了点头。"是的，我指示这个系统接近机器人护理员，让你进入一个有治疗效果的心理世界。我真没想到你会醒过来。事实上，相当令人惊讶,"他轻声地说。"从那以后，我时不时地偷看你一下，就像看守人一样。你......很有意思。"
“I get that a lot,” I said as I stared at him. “That wasn’t the first time, though, was it?” He smiled a little, looking a touch impressed.
"我经常听人这么说,"我盯着他说。"不过，这不是第一次了，对吧?"他微笑了一下，看起来有点感动。
“No. Not the first time. The first time was when you managed to fire Trottenheimer’s Folly. Then when EC-1101 was connected to a broadcaster. I
"没有。不是第一次了。第一次是你成功解雇了Trottenheimer的Folly。然后，EC-1101连接到广播机。一
worked with Echo on EC-1101’s development. I knew the backdoors to follow it.”
与Echo合作研发EC-1101。我知道有后门可以追踪它。"
“Which is why Dealer could do things with it without setting the damned thing off,” I said. I seemed to have his attention. “Dealer... Echo... his soul was bound to the program.”
"这就是为什么《庄家》可以用它来做事情，而不用把那该死的东西引爆,"我说。我似乎引起了他的注意。"毒贩子......Echo.........他的灵魂与这个节目紧密相连。"
Goldenblood let out a soft ‘Ah’ of comprehension. “I’d wondered about that. I couldn’t understand why you kept on going.”
金色的血液发出一声柔和的"啊"的理解。"我对此很好奇。我不明白你为什么还要继续下去。"
“He’d needle me and keep giving me vague answers. I wouldn’t give up, but I also never stopped and really questioned things.” I sat back, crossing my forelegs and tapping my cheek. “And in the labs under Hippocratic. You were the other source cutting off Cognitum, keeping the robots from storming the place.”
"他针对我，一直含糊其辞地回答我。我不会放弃，但我也从未停下来真正质疑过事情。"我背靠着椅背，交叉着前腿，轻拍着脸颊。"在希波克拉底的实验室里。你是切断认知的另一个来源，防止机器人攻击这个地方。"
“I merely ran what interference I could,” he said lightly. “You had EC-1101, and you were taking it to Cognitum. Am I correct in thinking that Echo was helping her?”
"我只是尽我所能地进行干预,"他轻轻地说。"你拿着EC-1101，把它带到了科涅塔姆。我认为Echo在帮助她，这种想法对吗?"
“She had his body. It was the only way he could survive,” I replied.
"她拥有他的身体。这是他能活下来的唯一方法,"我回答。
“I hadn’t realized that. I thought he’d died in Canterlot, and the Dealer was just some variant of Wasteland psychosis. Clearly, I should have observed you much more closely.” He sighed and shook his head. “A mistake I’ve made all too often.”
"我没有意识到这一点。我以为他死在了Canterlot，而《商人》只是荒原精神病的变种。显然，我应该更仔细地观察你。"他叹了口气，摇了摇头。"我经常犯这样的错误。"
"One of many," I replied.
"还有很多,"我回答。
“Oh, so many. In this place, I’ve had ample time to review my life,” he said as he trotted in a circle around me. “Where to begin?” A glowing square appeared in which I saw him talking with the Tappahani zebra in Littlehorn. “I could have sounded the alarm the moment she mentioned a Starkatteri was here. Evacuated the entire school.” Then an image of him in the hospital bed, covered in bandages. “I could have simply declined Luna’s request for help.” Then an image of him with Fluttershy. “I could have put Fluttershy first, and not neglected her when she needed my love and affection most.” Another window of Fluttershy in the rain. “I could have simply arrested her. She’d have been disgraced and fired, but the megaspells would have been secured.” Horse appeared, grinning and looking suave and confident, then Garnet, then
"哦，这么多。在这个地方，我有足够的时间来回顾我的生活,"他一边绕着我小跑一边说。"从哪里开始呢?"一个发光的正方形出现在我面前，我看到他正在和Littlehorn的Tappahani斑马说话。"当她提到一个星卡特里人在这里的时候，我本可以拉响警报的。疏散了整个学校。"然后是他躺在医院病床上的画面，身上缠满了绷带。"我完全可以拒绝卢娜的求助。"然后是他和Fluttershy的合影。"我本可以把小萤火虫放在第一位，在她最需要我的爱和关怀的时候，我也不会忽视她。"雨中Fluttershy的另一扇窗户。"我本可以直接逮捕她的。她会蒙受耻辱，被解雇，但是巨人们会被保护起来。"马出现了，咧嘴笑着，看起来温文尔雅，自信满满，然后是石榴石
Trueblood. “I could have put somepony less ambitious in charge of the M.W.T., removed ponies I knew were corrupt and dangerous, and considered the actual harm other ponies did.” A picture of Goldenblood in Scruffy’s bar. “I could have had faith in my Princess and never conceived of Horizons.” He finally came to a stop, and the last gap around me was filled with an exhausted Goldenblood being arrested. “I could have told them about Amadi sooner.” Dozens of smaller windows appeared around him. “There’re plenty of other mistakes, too. Over twenty thousand various things I did wrong. I haven’t even hit all the highlights.”
Trueblood."我本可以让一些野心不那么大的小马来负责m.w.t.，把我知道腐败和危险的小马赶走，并考虑到其他小马所造成的实际伤害。"斯克鲁菲酒吧里的Goldenblood。"我本来可以相信我的公主，从来没有想过地平线。"他终于停了下来，我周围的最后一个空隙被一个筋疲力尽的金色血统的人逮捕了。"我本可以早点告诉他们阿马迪的事。"他周围出现了几十个小窗户。"还有很多其它错误。我做错了两万多件事。我甚至还没有看完所有的精彩部分。"
“Pretty impressive. I can do it too,” I replied, then launched into the list, punctuating each item with a jab of a forehoof in his direction. “Scoodle. Fluttershy Medical Center. Brimstone’s Fall. My home. Almost killing myself. P-21. Going underground. Fallen Arch. Using Folly on the Celestia. Not dying. Neglecting my friends. Endless self-loathing. Yellow River. Boing.” I hesitated, tilting my head. “Stygius... eh...” Then I glared at him again and resumed jabbing. “Tulip. Hightower. Lying to Silver Spoon. Dawn. Lacunae and the damned Goddess. Lighthooves Lighthooves Lighthooves! Councilor Stargazer. Thunderhead. Shadowbolt Tower. Dealer. Rampage. Cognitum!”
"非常令人印象深刻。我也可以做到,"我回答，然后开始在名单上，每一个项目的标点符号用前蹄在他的方向戳。"史酷德。福特斯医疗中心。地狱之火。我的家。差点害死自己。P-21.转入地下。坠落拱门。在天堂上使用Folly。不死。忽视我的朋友。无尽的自我厌恶。黄河。Boing。"我犹豫了一下，歪了歪头。"斯提吉乌斯......嗯......"然后我又瞪了他一眼，继续戳他。"郁金香。Hightower.对银汤匙撒谎。黎明。空隙和该死的女神。轻舟轻舟！观星家议员。霹雳头。暗影螺栓塔。经销商。横冲直撞。认识!"
I became aware of a great glow behind me and glanced back at around two dozen windows of shame. Some computer was being cocky. I returned my attention to Goldenblood. “Do I deserve to be punished for those screw ups? Abso-friggin-lutely! And I’m pretty sure that half the shit in my life is punishment for those screw ups. But do I let them stop me? No! Because the second I did, I’d be you. Maybe not plugged into a machine, but being curled up on a mattress somewhere, positive that I deserved to die, is just as bad! And what good would that do? None.” I spat the word with as much contempt as I possibly could.
我意识到身后有一道巨大的光芒，回头看了看大约二十几扇羞愧的窗户。有些电脑太自大了。我把注意力转回到了Goldenblood。"我应该为这些错误受到惩罚吗？当然了！我很确定我生命中的一半都是对那些错误的惩罚。但是我会让他们阻止我吗？不！因为一旦我这么做了，我就会变成你。也许没有连接到机器上，但是蜷缩在某个地方的床垫上，积极地认为我该死，这也是一样糟糕的！这有什么好处呢？没有。"我尽可能轻蔑地吐出了这个词。
Goldenblood didn’t answer. He just stared at me as if I were a painting or some piece of performance art. “You can’t begin to compare... the consequences of my actions were...” he finally muttered.
金血王没有回答。他只是盯着我，好像我是一幅画或者是一件行为艺术品。"你不能开始比较......我的行为的后果是......"他终于喃喃自语。
I jumped on him, smacking him upside the head with a hoof. “It! Is! Not! About! You!” I grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “What about Luna’s fuck ups? What about Celestia’s? What about Twilight and her friends’? Do you seriously believe you were to blame for them and their fuck ups? That if you’d never existed, the war wouldn’t have happened? Everypony’s got blood on their
我跳到他身上，用蹄子打他的头。"它！伊丝！不！关于！你!"我抓住他的肩膀，摇了摇他。"露娜的烂摊子怎么办？塞莱斯蒂亚的呢？那暮光之城和她的朋友们呢？你真的认为你应该为他们和他们的失败负责吗？如果你不存在，战争就不会发生？每匹小马身上都沾着血
hooves!”
蹄子!"
“But without my actio–” Goldenblood started to stammer, but I slapped him silent.
"但是没有我的行动——"金血王开始结结巴巴地说，但我打了他一巴掌，让他安静下来。
“Maybe it would have been different. Maybe it would have been better. Or maybe it would have even been worse. That’s the problem with ‘what if’s and regrets. There’s nothing you can do about them, and you’ll never know for sure. Even with all this.” I waved my hoof at the countless floating windows. “None of it will change what has happened. And neither will killing you.”
"也许会有所不同。也许这样会更好。或者情况会更糟。这就是如果和遗憾的问题。你对此无能为力，你也永远无法确定。即使有这一切。"我对着无数漂浮的窗户挥动着我的蹄子。"这些都不会改变已经发生的事情。杀了你也不会。"
He just sat there in horrified silence for a long while. Then he closed his eyes. “How can I go on after what I’ve done, Blackjack? To Equestria? To Luna? To Fluttershy? How do you move on after you’ve hurt so many?”
他只是坐在那里惊恐地沉默了很长一段时间。然后他闭上了眼睛。"我做了这么多事，还怎么继续下去，黑杰克？去小马国？给露娜？为了小萤火虫？在你伤害了这么多人之后，你该如何继续前进?"
I sighed. “You try and do better. You make each day count. You don’t punish yourself eternally for your mistakes; you try and learn from them. And you never, ever, give up,” I said as I put a leg around his shoulder. “And there is one particular way you can do better, right now, and that to tell me what you did. Tell me about Horizons.”
我叹了口气。"你试着做得更好。你让每一天都有意义。你不会因为自己的错误而永远惩罚自己;你会努力从中吸取教训。你永远，永远，不要放弃,"我一边说，一边把一条腿搭在他的肩膀上。"现在有一个特别的方法可以让你做得更好，那就是告诉我你做了什么。跟我说说地平线吧。"
He sighed and held out his hoof, looking up at the window of him talking with Princess Luna about the ministries. Then, as if he was shifting away an enormous weight, he waved the hoof to the side, and all the windows faded away.
他叹了口气，伸出蹄子，抬头看着窗外，正在和卢娜公主谈论牧师的事情。然后，好像他在转移一个巨大的重量，他挥动着蹄子到一边，所有的窗户都消失了。
“What do you want to know?” he asked.
"你想知道什么?"他问道。
I took a deep breath. “Cognitum thinks she can use Tom and the Tokomare to restore the Core. Is she right?”
我深吸了一口气。"Cognitum认为她可以利用Tom和Tokomare来恢复核心。她说的对吗?"
He didn’t reply at once. “She is correct that, if she catches the stone and holds it at the Enervation threshold, she could use the power to restore the Core, yes. And a great deal more besides. With that much raw magical energy, she could rebuild all of Equestria. And then some.”
他没有马上回答。"她是正确的，如果她抓住石头并把它放在衰弱阈值上，她可以使用这种力量来恢复核心，是的。除此之外还有很多。有了那么多原始的魔法能量，她可以重建整个Equestria。还有一些。"
That made me shudder. “And that would be bad. But Amadi seems to think something different, something even worse, would happen,” I said, and Goldenblood closed his eyes. “Is he right?”
这让我不寒而栗。"那就糟糕了。但阿玛迪似乎认为会发生一些不同的事情，甚至更糟糕的事情。"我说着，金布拉德闭上了眼睛。"他说得对吗?"
“Very likely, depending on what you believe,” Goldenblood whispered.
"很有可能，这取决于你相信什么,"金布拉德低声说。
“Excuse me?” I asked.
"你说什么?"我问道。
“Is it a machine, or a monster? Cognitum believes one. Amadi the other. Whichever one is right will be victorious if Horizons fires.”
"它是机器，还是怪物？认为只有一个。另一个阿玛迪。如果"地平线"号着火了，哪个是对的，哪个就是胜利的。"
“So which is it?” I asked.
"那么，到底是哪一个呢?"我问道。
“I don’t know. Ancient legendary abominations seldom have warnings such as ‘may resemble impossibly advanced technology’, and most alien technology fails to point out features like ‘unholy souls may be present’. Regardless, both outcomes are undesirable and frequently inevitable,” Goldenblood said simply.
"我不知道。古代传说中的怪物很少有诸如"可能类似于不可思议的先进技术"这样的警告，而且大多数外星人的技术都没有指出诸如"可能存在邪恶的灵魂"这样的特征。无论如何，这两种结果都是不受欢迎的，而且往往是不可避免的。"。
“So how do I stop it from firing?” I asked. He did another hoofwave. A sphere appeared, orbited by two smaller spheres, the larger of the two further away and the other closer in. “The sun and moon?” I asked. He nodded. Then I jabbed a hoof at a red icon on the moon. “And that’s the Lunar Palace?”
"那么我怎么才能阻止它开火呢?"我问道。他又做了一个蹄波动作。一个球体出现了，被两个较小的球体环绕着，两个较大的球体在更远的地方，另一个在更近的地方。"太阳和月亮?"我问道。他点点头。然后我用蹄子戳了戳月亮上的一个红色图标。"那是月宫吗?"
“Correct. Because it was placed on the richest deposits of moonstone, it never points directly at Hoofington. Thus, it has to wait for a perfect alignment of sun and moon to hit.” A dotted line rose out of the palace, then started to curve. It looped around the planet, then around the sun, then back around the planet, back to the moon, and finally down right on Hoofington.
"正确。因为它被放置在月光石最丰富的地方，所以它从未直接指向Hoofington。因此，它必须等待太阳和月亮完美地排成一条直线。"一条虚线从宫殿中升起，然后开始弯曲。它环绕地球，然后环绕太阳，然后回到地球，回到月球，最后到达胡芬顿。
Buh? “Why does it zip and loop around like that? Shouldn’t it go straight there?” I asked.
嗯？"为什么它会像那样拉链和转圈？它不应该直接开到那里吗?"我问道。
“I once asked Trottenheimer the same question. He just sighed, patted my head, and called me a ‘poor Euclopian pony’,” Goldenblood said with a ghost of a smile. “Suffice it to say that it does. If you can tamper with the firing timer, the odds of it hitting Hoofington are miniscule. The impact would be terrible but hardly world-threatening. Indeed, it might not hit Equus at all.” Seemed simple enough.
"我曾经问过特罗滕海默同样的问题。他只是叹了口气，拍了拍我的头，说我是'可怜的欧几罗匹马',"金布拉德带着幽灵般的微笑说。"可以这么说。如果你能调整发射计时器，它击中Hoofington的几率微乎其微。这种影响将是可怕的，但几乎不会威胁到世界。实际上，它可能根本不会打击马科斯。"看起来很简单。
I stared at him. There was something missing. Something he wasn’t telling me. “Why’d you build Horizons at all?”
我盯着他。有些东西不见了。有些事他没有告诉我。"你到底为什么要建造地平线?"
He jabbed a hoof at the blackness, and a diagram appeared of a building that seemed to be built underground. “Project Horizons was my reset button. If the
他用蹄子戳了戳黑暗的地方，一个看起来像是建在地下的建筑物的图表出现了。"地平线计划就是我的重启按钮。如果
Caesar won, or Luna won and became a tyrant, the potential for atrocity was unimaginable. There were plans in the Zebra Empire on those last days. Factions that wanted complete genocide of the pony race. The hatred in those twenty years was absolute at the end. But the zebras knew that they were losing. Eventually, Equestria would have enough megaspells that, with a word, the Empire would be annihilated with no chance of striking back. And Luna had so much power that she would have been unstoppable. A figurehead controlling her own puppet government. Mind magic. Drugs. Power-armored soldiers. Alicorn troopers. Cybernetic mind control. She could have been invincible. If my worst fears came to pass, the world would need to be reset.”
凯撒赢了，或者卢娜赢了，变成了暴君，暴行的可能性是不可想象的。在那最后的日子里，斑马帝国里有许多计划。希望对小马种族进行彻底种族灭绝的派系。那二十年的仇恨到最后是绝对的。但是斑马知道他们输了。最终，马术国将拥有足够的巨型食物，一言以蔽之，帝国将被彻底消灭，没有任何反击的机会。卢娜拥有如此强大的力量，她本来是不可阻挡的。一个傀儡政府的傀儡。心灵魔法。药物。强力装甲士兵。阿里克松士兵。控制论的精神控制。她可能是不可战胜的。如果我最担心的事情发生了，这个世界将需要重新设定。"
Killing all the innocents in the process. Nice. I didn’t say that aloud, though, given that he was finally talking. “Horizons is in two parts. The weapon and the Redoubt. The weapon was built on the moon with Robronco’s mechasprites and, later on, computer-controlled Flux clones from a supply of Flux shipped up in one of the rockets. The Lunar Palace.”
在这个过程中杀死所有无辜的人。很好。不过我没有大声说出来，因为他终于开口说话了。"地平线分为两部分。武器和堡垒。这种武器是用Robronco公司的机械炸弹在月球上制造的，后来又用计算机控制Flux公司的克隆产品，这些克隆产品是由一枚火箭运上来的Flux公司供应的。月宫。"
“It looks kinda like a stable,” I said, thinking back to Stable-Tec R&D, and then I glared at him flatly. “You ripped this off from Apple Bloom too, didn’t you?” He smiled, and I sighed. “Why did I even ask?”
"它看起来有点像马厩,"我说，回想Stable-Tec的研发，然后我直视着他。"你也是从苹果布鲁姆(AppleBloom)那里剽窃来的，对吧?"他笑了，我叹了口气。"我为什么要问呢?"
“I like to call it appropriation. Given what Scootaloo was up to with the stable program, it was an easy arrangement. I keep the M.o.M. from poking into Stable-Tec, she let me pick out the tastiest of Apple Bloom’s designs. Then, later on, I used that leverage to get materials for Gardens and the Redoubt completely off the record. I had more than sufficient dirt on multiple executives to get cut rates,” he said casually.
"我喜欢称之为拨款。考虑到斯库塔卢的稳定计划，这是一个简单的安排。我不让m.o.m插入Stable-Tec，她让我挑选出苹果布鲁姆设计中最美味的。然后，后来，我利用这个杠杆作用，为花园和堡垒取得了完全非正式的材料。我掌握了很多高管的丑闻，足以让他们降息,"他漫不经心地说道。
“So the Lunar Palace shoots a big wad of moonstone at Hoofington. It hits a big wad of starmetal. World goes boom. Everypony dies,” I said dryly. “Let me guess: the Redoubt was to add an ‘almost’ to that last part.”
"所以月球宫在Hoofington射出了一大团月光石。它击中了一大块星金属。世界变得繁荣。每匹小马都会死,"我干巴巴地说。"让我猜猜:堡垒是要在最后一部分加上'差不多'。"
“Yes. It would be the ultimate stable,” he said as a second stable diagram appeared. The Big Macintosh Megastable was even bigger than I could have imagined. “Built under the premise of being exclusively for Equestria’s elite and government agents, at least those who could reach it instead of having to shelter in Stable One, it wasn’t hard to get permission and materials. Few realized that it was shifted into the shadow world, where the power of the detonation would miss it entirely. The idea was simple. If EC-1101 was ever deleted, say by a
"是的。这将是最终的稳定,"当第二个稳定图出现时，他说。大Macintosh超级稳定器甚至比我想象的还要大。"建造该设施的前提是专门为小马国的精英和政府特工服务，至少是那些能够到达设施的人，而不是必须在StableOne避难，因此获得许可和材料并不困难。很少有人意识到它被转移到了阴影世界，在那里爆炸的威力会完全忽略它。这个想法很简单。如果EC-1101曾经被删除过，比如说
tyrant who had had an interest in there being no way to transfer her power, or if it could not find a successor, say because the zebras killed us all, then Horizons would be activated.”
一个暴君对无法移交权力感兴趣，或者如果它找不到继任者，比如说因为斑马把我们都杀了，那么地平线就会被激活。"
“And an alert would go out for everypony to get to the stable,” I said as he brought up a window with a list of hundreds of names.
"每匹小马到马厩时都会发出警报,"我说着，他打开了一扇窗户，里面有上百个名字的列表。
“Of course not,” he replied quietly. “Nopony would come at all. How could they, if Equestria were under martial law or occupied, or if they were all dead?” He looked quietly at me. “You forget, I had Projects Chimera, Steelpony, and Eternity as well.”
"当然没有,"他平静地回答。"小马根本不会来。如果Equestria处于戒严状态或被占领，或者他们都已经死了，他们怎么能这么做呢?"他静静地看着我。"你忘了，我还有奇美拉计划、小钢马计划和永恒计划。"
I stared at him. “You weren’t going to save ponies. You were going to make them,” I muttered.
我盯着他。"你不会去拯救小马的。"你本来要做的,"我咕哝着说。
“Flux for the raw material. Thousands of blood samples. Thousands of memory engrams. And the soul binding rituals, courtesy of Rarity.” He said it all matter-of-factly. “The first generation would act as incubators for the embryos in storage. And so the world would be saved.” He glanced at me. “You know the flaw in the plan, don’t you?”
"原材料熔剂。成千上万的血液样本。成千上万的记忆印记。还有那些束缚灵魂的仪式，都是拜"稀有"所赐。"他说的都是实话。"第一代胚胎将充当胚胎的孵化器。这样世界就会得到拯救。"他瞥了我一眼。"你知道这个计划的缺陷，是吗?"
Where to begin? “Cognitum said that Flux clones can’t carry fetuses to term,” I answered.
从哪里开始呢？"认识说弗拉克斯的克隆体不能把胎儿带到足月,"我回答。
“Correct. I don’t understand the biology, but apparently blanks lack the ability to form the placental support system. Regardless, a critical flaw. One of many,” he muttered as he looked at the diagrams. “And not the worst.”
"正确。我不了解生物学原理，但是很明显，空白卵缺乏形成胎盘支持系统的能力。无论如何，一个关键的缺陷。他一边看着那些图表，一边喃喃自语。"还不是最糟糕的。"
“Still. Even if the Redoubt wouldn’t have worked at the end of the war, we could use it to save a lot of people now, if Horizons goes off. Thousands, at least.” Though that would still mean losing millions...
"还是那样。即使堡垒在战争结束时不起作用，如果地平线号离开的话，我们现在可以用它来拯救很多人。至少有几千人。"虽然那仍然意味着损失数百万..。
“The Redoubt will never save a single soul,” Goldenblood nearly whispered.
"堡垒救不了一个人,"金布拉德几乎低声说。
“What?” I asked. He turned his head away, and I stepped closer to him. “What did you do?”
"什么?"我问道。他转过头去，我走近他。"你做了什么?"
“Blackjack... please... I just wanted what was best for Equestria,” he murmured.
"黑杰克......求你了......我只是想为小马国争取最好的结果,"他喃喃地说。
“What did you do, Goldenblood?” I asked, trying to keep my temper even.
"你做了什么，金血王?"我问，尽量控制住自己的脾气。
You’re not an executioner, Blackjack...
你不是刽子手Blackjack..。
“I knew that, even with the Redoubt, it would take decades, even centuries for life to be restored to Equestria. That perhaps the Redoubt would fail. But I had an... epiphany,” he said as he looked sorrowfully into my eyes. “The first star impact was terrible, but the spiritual life energy released was immense. I theorized that if Tom was infused with that same amount of spiritual energy, the world might recover far faster. Perhaps in as little as a generation...”
"我知道，即使有了堡垒，Equestria也需要几十年、甚至几个世纪的时间才能恢复生机。也许堡垒会失败。但是我有一种......顿悟,"他悲伤地看着我的眼睛说。"第一次星球撞击是可怕的，但是释放的灵性生命能量是巨大的。我的理论是，如果汤姆被注入同样数量的精神能量，世界可能恢复得更快。也许在短短一代人的时间里......"
I stared at him. “Are you saying...”
我盯着他。"你是说......"
“Yes,” he answered solemnly. “There’s a star spirit bound within the moonstone.”
"是的,"他严肃地回答。"月光石里有一颗星星的灵魂。"
 
Footnote: Loading, please wait...
脚注:正在加载，请稍候..。
 
Author's Notes:
作者笔记:
 
(Author’s notes: Sorry for the long wait. Things got busy the last few weekends and we weren’t able to get finished till now. I’d like to thank everyone who’s followed along up to this point. It’s been a long haul. I hope that we can finish this year… I really... really want to finish this year. As always, huge thanks to Kkat and my editors. It can be a little crazy at times, but Hinds, Bronode, swicked, and Heartshine have carried me through.
(作者的笔记:抱歉让你等了这么久。最近几个周末事情很忙，直到现在我们才能完成。我要感谢每一个跟进到这一步的人。这是一个漫长的过程。我希望我们能完成今年...我真的...真的想完成今年。像往常一样，非常感谢Kkat和我的编辑们。有时候这可能有点疯狂，但是Hinds，Bronode，swsied和Heartshine让我挺过来了。
I’m also done with sub work until I can pick up some temp work. I have no idea what I’ll get, but hopefully I’ll pick up something. Folks who want to help me out with bits can do so through paypal at David13ushey@gmail.com. Also, some folks want me to go to Bronycon. I have no idea how to make this happen, but some folks are trying to put together a musical collection as a fundraiser to get me there. I don’t know if it’ll happen, but it’d be nice to meet some folks face to face.
除非我能找到一些临时工作，否则我不会再做兼职工作了。我不知道我会得到什么，但希望我会得到一些东西。想要帮我解决这个问题的人可以通过贝宝，地址是david13ushey@gmail.com。还有，有些人想让我去Bronycon。我不知道如何做到这一点，但有些人正试图组织一个音乐收藏，作为筹款人，让我到那里。我不知道这会不会发生，但是能和一些人面对面会很好。
Next chapter, reuniting with friends, new and old. Hope it finishes well.
下一章，与新老朋友重逢。希望能顺利完成。
Thank you again for reading.)
再次感谢你的阅读
(editorial wisecracks:
(编辑的俏皮话:
swicked: DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!!!
转头:敦敦敦敦敦！
Bronode: Still loading. Lolbethesda. Also, OH GOD MY MOUTH.
还在加载中。女名女子名。还有，哦，上帝，我的嘴。
Heartshine: I hope we finish this year, too. Otherwise I’ll probably end up under Somber’s desk as he tries to write. For ‘motivation.’ (Somber: :D ) Bronode says he wants motivation. I’m too flirty for my own good. Hinds was confused. Swicked said I would regret this for the rest of my life. He may be right.
我希望我们也能完成今年的比赛。否则我可能会在Somber试图写作的时候死在他的桌子下面。为了"激励"布罗诺德说他需要动力。为了自己好，我太轻浮了。海因兹很困惑。说我会后悔一辈子。他可能是对的。
Hinds: I was told that I had to put a wisecrack here and that this would count. :)
我被告知我必须在这里放一个俏皮话，这个可以算数。:)
Oh, and apparently math has a very low LD50 among Heartshines.
哦，显然数学在万人迷中的LD50很低。
swicked: IT’S A MATHACRE!
这是一个MATHACRE！
Somber: I love my editors…
我爱我的编辑.....。
Bronode: I like how we’ve kicked you off your own footer section.
布罗诺德:我喜欢我们把你踢出自己的页脚区域。
Hinds: We do seem to be getting a bit silly…
我们看起来确实有点傻..。
Bronode: No, we’re ‘MERRY WITH TIREDNESS’.)
布罗诺德:不，我们是"疲惫而快乐"。)
(Hinds on 2014-6-15: Just so you know, Blackjack was mistaken about the proper procedure for handling someone having a seizure. From Silver136, who's the closest readily quotable source on this I have to hand at the moment: "When someone is having a seizure, you're supposed to turn their head on their side so they can't choke, try to cushion their head, and prevent them from hurting themselves as the thrash." My apologies for not thinking of doing this earlier, and my thanks to Icy Shake for suggesting it. And to Silver136 for being nearby, quotable, and, as far as I know, correct. Oh and to clarify: we were aware of this during production of the chapter. Blackjack is quite correct that she knows just enough to know to do this, as her knowledge stops just short of adding the “don’t” to the beginning. :))
(Hindson2014-6-15:正如你所知道的，Blackjack在处理癫痫病人的正确程序上犯了错误。Silver136是最容易被引用的资料来源，我现在不得不承认:"当有人癫痫发作时，你应该把他们的头侧向一边，这样他们就不会窒息，尽量缓和他们的头部，并防止他们因为抽搐而伤害自己。"我为没有早点想到这么做而道歉，并感谢"冰冻奶昔"提出这个建议。为Silver136干杯，因为它就在附近，值得引用，而且，据我所知，是正确的。哦，澄清一下:我们在制作这一章的过程中意识到了这一点。黑杰克是相当正确的，她知道刚刚足够知道这样做，因为她的知识停止只是添加到开始的"不"。:))