Author’s warning: There is a consensual sex scene between a minor and an adult in this chapter. The author does not condone this behavior in real life. The scene will be flagged for individuals wishing to skip said material. The author apologies if lack of this warning offended people earlier.
作者的警告:在这一章中，一个未成年人和一个成年人之间发生了两厢情愿的性行为。作者并不宽恕现实生活中的这种行为。现场将标记的个人希望跳过说的材料。如果没有这个警告更早地冒犯了人们，作者道歉。
Elysium fared little better than Chapel. The country club was a bit sturdier than the wooden church, but not by much. The dozens of defenders faced off against a similar advance of Brood across the golf course. Grace stood on a balcony flanked by two rifleponies who were firing down at the advancing ranks. She’d had the sense to put on a combat helmet and some barding. She stank, her stomach was empty, and she ached from horn to hoof, but she was still standing. Far to the south, she could see a massive green inferno burning where Grimhoof Army Base had stood.
极乐世界比教堂过得好不了多少。乡村俱乐部比木制教堂要坚固一些，但也差不了多少。几十名后卫面对类似的推进布鲁德在高尔夫球场。格雷斯站在一个阳台上，两侧是两支步枪，它们向前进的队伍开火。她已经有了带上作战头盔和一些军礼的意识。她浑身发臭，肚子空空如也，从牛角到蹄子都在疼，但她还是站着。在遥远的南方，她可以看到格里姆霍夫军事基地所在的地方燃烧着一个巨大的绿色地狱。
And at the moment, she was quite cross. “What are you talking about?” she shouted into the broadcaster on her hoof. “I don’t need a surrogacy spell! I need a Raptor, immediately! The skies are clear, so where is our air support?”
此时此刻，她非常生气。"你在说什么?"她朝着播音员喊道。"我不需要代孕咒语！我需要一架猛禽，马上！天空晴朗，我们的空中支援在哪里?"
“The Rampage is giving support to the Arena,” Triage’s voice answered, “while the Cyclone is protecting us here. The Sleet is too damaged to help. They’re going to try and get clear of the valley before their engines burn out completely.”
"狂暴正在为竞技场提供支援,"伤检员的声音回答道,"而飓风正在保护我们。雨夹雪损坏得太厉害，无法帮忙。他们打算在引擎完全烧毁之前离开山谷。"
“Oh, I see how it is. Protecting yourself and the thugs and leaving us to twist in the wind!” Grace retorted. “Then making some asinine pretense of Blackjack needing a surrogacy spell! What kind of idiot to you take me for?”
"哦，我明白了。保护你自己和那些暴徒，让我们自生自灭!"格蕾丝反驳道。"然后愚蠢地假装黑杰克需要一个代孕咒！你把我当成什么白痴了?"
“An overbred one,” Triage snapped back. “Let me fill you in, Princess. This
"一只过度繁殖的,"伤检员回答道。"让我告诉你，公主。这个
comes from Storm Chaser: Megamart is gone. The Skyport is evacuated. Meatlocker is gone. That frigging castle is on fire. And Chapel’s gone too. The refugees there ran into the Core, just like they weren’t supposed to. Goldenblood got taken, so that ghoul is probably a corpse right now. So shut the hell up about your air support. I don’t have it. It’s left guarding a few thousand refugees here and at the Arena who didn’t have the luck to get into a megastable or underground plantations.”
来自《风暴追逐者》:超级艺术已经消失。飞机场已经疏散完毕。肉库不见了。那座该死的城堡着火了。查普尔也不见了。那里的难民跑进了核心区，就像他们不应该那样。金色的血液被带走了，所以那个食尸鬼现在可能已经死了。所以别再提什么空中支援了。我没有。它留下来守卫这里和竞技场的几千名难民，他们没有幸运地进入一个大型稳定或地下种植园。"
“Well, then a surrogacy spell is moot,” Grace replied grimly. “I won’t be alive to receive it.” She paused and glowered at the broadcaster. “How could she possibly know that, anyway? Blackjack is on the moon!”
"那么，代孕的咒语就没有实际意义了,"格蕾丝冷冷地回答。"我活不到收到它的那一天。"她停顿了一下，怒视着播音员。"不管怎么说，她怎么可能知道呢？黑杰克在月球上!"
“Look, when it comes to shit regarding Blackjack, I don’t fucking pretend like any of it makes sense. They could tell me Blackjack was a stallion with a dick ten feet long, and I’d just nod and ask if she broke her legs in the process or not. I’m just passing on her request to you. She says Blackjack is going to need a surrogacy spell and that you’re the best candidate we have. I can do the spell. I just need a new oven for the buns,” Triage said tartly.
"听着，当涉及到黑杰克的时候，我他妈的不会假装任何事情都是有意义的。他们可以告诉我Blackjack是一匹有着10英尺长老二的种马，我只要点点头，问问她是不是在这个过程中摔断了腿。我只是把她的要求转达给你。她说Blackjack需要一个代孕咒语，你是我们最好的候选人。我会念咒语。我只是需要一个新的烤箱来做面包,"分诊医生辛辣地说。
“My oven... is not for... for... oooooh!” She stomped a hoof down on the ground. “If you want to use my oven, you’d better save the bakery from being demolished, understood?”
"我的烤箱......不是......为......哦!"她跺着蹄子踩在地上。"如果你想用我的烤箱，你最好不要把面包房拆了，明白吗?"
“I’ll pass that along to Storm Chaser. In the meantime, you might want to withdraw back here to the University. We’ve got a whole ton of Brood coming down on us. It’s time to circle the wagons, so–” Triage started to say.
"我会把它交给风暴追逐者。与此同时，你最好还是回到这所大学。我们有一大堆孩子要倒霉了。是时候严阵以待了，所以——"分诊医生开始说。
“No,” Grace replied brusquely. “Come and help, or leave us to our defenses. I’d prefer the former. I’ll expect the latter.” Then she smacked the broadcaster with her hoof and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she composed herself. “I need a moment,” she said to the ponies with her.
"不,"格雷斯粗暴地回答。"要么来帮忙，要么让我们自生自灭。我更喜欢前者。我希望是后者。"然后她用蹄子拍了拍播音员，深吸了一口气，闭上眼睛，让自己镇静下来。"我需要一点时间,"她对和她在一起的小马说。
“A moment is all we have, ma’am,” one of the two rifleponies replied evenly. She nodded and started for the door. “Ma’am...” he went on, and she looked back at the unicorn soldier. “We’re not going to be able to hold here longer than half an hour. Once they surround this place, it’s all over.”
"我们只有一会儿时间，夫人,"两个步枪手中的一个平静地回答。她点点头，向门口走去。"夫人......"他继续说道，她回头看了看那个独角兽士兵。"我们在这里坚持不了半个小时。一旦他们包围了这个地方，一切都完了。"
Grace stared at him silently for a few seconds. “Thank you. I will bear that in mind. Please, keep the enemy at bay.”
格蕾丝默默地盯着他看了几秒钟。"谢谢。我会牢记在心的。求你了，别让敌人靠近。"
She walked through the balcony door into a bedroom covered in dust and chips of rock. She moved over to the vanity and levitated a cloth, wiping away the dust. The mare looked as bad as she felt, sweaty and drawn with a bandaged laceration over one eye. She removed the helmet and bowed her head.
她穿过阳台的门，走进一间满是灰尘和碎石的卧室。她走到虚荣心跟前，把一块布悬浮起来，擦去灰尘。那匹母马看上去和她感觉的一样糟糕，一只眼睛被绷带包着的伤口弄得汗流浃背。她摘下头盔，低下了头。
“They’re quite correct, you know,” a stallion said, and she opened her eyes to see Splendid standing there with a purple alicorn behind him. “This place is lost.”
"你知道，他们是相当正确的,"一匹种马说，她睁开眼睛，看到灿烂地站在那里，身后背着一只紫色的橡子。"这个地方已经没有了。"
“This place is our home,” she said as she stood and faced him.
"这个地方就是我们的家,"她站在他面前说。
“It’s a building. Once a relatively nice building, but a building nonetheless.” The white unicorn trotted towards her. “It’s not worth dying for.”
"这是一座建筑。曾经是一座相对不错的建筑，但无论如何也是一座建筑。"白色的独角兽向她小跑过来。"不值得为此送命。"
Her eyes shifted over to the alicorn. “So, am I supposed to be leaving now? Abandoning my responsibilities to these people?”
她的目光转向那只独角兽。""那么，我现在应该走了吗？放弃对这些人的责任?"
He trotted towards her. “These people are lost if they stay here. Give the order to retreat. Let them stand at the Collegiate. And let me take you to Tenpony. Royal Mint here is charging me a leg’s worth of bottle caps to get you clear of the battle.” He paused and gave a smile. “You’ll like it there. It’s even nicer than here at Elysium. I’ve secured adequate quarters for Charm and ourselves. She’s even already begun showing improvement in her therapy with Doctor Helpinghoof, and I’ve made connections with important ponies within the Twilight Society who’ve been keeping a close eye on the east of late and know all about Father and our lineage.” He put a hoof on her shoulder. “It will be a pleasant life. Maybe not as much pageantry as you’d like, but a good life.”
他朝她小跑过去。"如果这些人留在这里，他们就会迷路。下令撤退。让他们站在学院里。让我带你去天波尼。英国皇家薄荷糖公司(RoyalMint)为了让你远离战场，向我收取了相当于一条腿的瓶盖费。"他停顿了一下，微笑了一下。"你会喜欢那里的。这里比极乐世界还要好。我为魅力和我们自己找到了足够的住处。她甚至已经开始在治疗helpinghof医生方面有所改善，我已经和暮光协会的一些重要小马联系上了，它们最近一直密切关注着东方，了解父亲和我们的血统。"他把蹄子放在她的肩上。"这将是一种愉快的生活。也许没有你想象的那么华丽，但是生活很美好。"
She brushed his hoof off her shoulder. “And what of my responsibilities here?”
她拂去了他的蹄子。"我在这里的职责是什么?"
“Soon there will be no ‘here’ here!” he hissed back. “This place is done! It’s unfortunate! It’s regrettable! But it is reality! You need to wake up and accept this. Nothing here is worth your life.”
"很快这里就不会有'这里'了!"他也发出嘶嘶的声音。"这个地方完了！太不幸了！真是令人遗憾！但这就是现实！你需要清醒过来并接受这个事实。这里没有什么能比得上你的生命。"
She stared at him, her eyes narrowing. “Oh? What is my life worth, then? Fancy clothes? Good food? An ancestor I never knew who happened to be related to a Ministry Mare?” She shook her head. “If we are more than just our wealth, now is the time to prove it.”
她盯着他，眼睛眯起来。"哦？那我的命值多少钱？漂亮的衣服？美味的食物？一个我从来不知道的祖先碰巧和一个魔法部的马有亲戚关系?"她摇了摇头。"如果我们不仅仅是我们的财富，现在就是证明这一点的时候了。"
He stared at her for a moment, as if not able to believe her. “Are you serious?”
他盯着她看了一会儿，好像不能相信她。"你是认真的吗?"
“I–” she began, but he grabbed her, turned her towards the door the balcony and jabbed a hoof out over her shoulder.
"我——"她开始说，但是他抓住了她，把她转向阳台的门，一只蹄子从她的肩膀上戳了出来。
“Do you have any clue what’s going to happen here if you don’t leave?” he asked, his voice low and urgent, then motioned to the alicorn. “Royal Mint here took a look before we came in. They’re encircling this place as we speak. You’re going to be cut off any minute. For all we know, you already are. Maybe if you withdrew now, you’d be able to fight yourself clear. Maybe.”
"如果你不离开，你知道这里会发生什么吗?"他问道，声音低沉而急切，然后向阿里克松示意。"皇家铸币厂在我们进来之前看了一眼。我们说话这会儿，他们已经包围了这个地方。你随时都会被切断电话线。据我们所知，你已经是了。也许如果你现在退出，你就能与自己抗争到底。也许吧。"
“Then they’d stop focusing on us and cut their way into the plantations!” she replied, facing him. “They might have been made by Stable-Tec, but they’re not stables; the Brood could get in easily.”
"这样他们就不会把注意力集中在我们身上，而是切开一条通往种植园的路!"她回答，面对着他。"它们可能是Stable-Tec制造的，但它们不是马厩，布鲁德一家可以轻易进去。"
“That’s right. And every single pony in there is probably going to die,” he said grimly as he turned to her again and stared into her eyes. Hard cobalt clashed with sky blue as he went on, “Because that’s what happens to peasants during war.”
"没错。而且那里的每一匹小马都可能会死掉,"他冷酷地说着，又转向她，盯着她的眼睛。硬钴与天蓝发生冲突，他继续说,"因为这是发生在农民在战争期间。"
“Brother...” she half whispered in horror.
"兄弟......"她惊恐地低声说。
“When all this is over, we’ll come back, get some more workers, and restart. The plantations aren’t going anywhere. The Brood aren’t demolishing the Hoof. There’re plenty of ponies all across the Wasteland who’d be glad for the opportunity. They’d be grateful. So there’s no point to throwing your life away, Grace. These people won’t appreciate it anyway.”
"当这一切结束后，我们会回来，雇佣更多的工人，然后重新开始。种植园哪儿也去不了。布鲁德一家不会毁了霍夫。整个大荒地上有很多小马会为这个机会感到高兴的。他们会很感激的。所以没必要放弃自己的生活Grace。反正这些人也不会感激。"
“How can you say that?” she asked, aghast.
"你怎么能这么说呢?"她惊讶地问道。
He leaned towards her, eyes narrowing. “What? Do you think you’re being noble? That they’ll be grateful? They liked you because of the food and money and ease you gave them, but this? Half of them will be glad to see us die, just so they could kill the other half to pick over the remains. They’re not worth your life, Sister.” He rose, his amiable smile returning as he took a deep breath. “Now. Let’s get back to Tenpony. A shower and a change of clothes and you’ll see things better.”
他靠近她，眯起眼睛。"什么？你觉得你很高尚吗？他们会感激你吗？他们喜欢你是因为你给他们的食物、金钱和安逸，但是这个？他们中的一半会很高兴看到我们死去，这样他们就可以杀死另一半来挑选遗骸。他们不值得你牺牲生命，修女。"他站了起来，深深地吸了一口气，露出和蔼可亲的微笑。"现在。让我们回到Tenpony。洗个澡，换件衣服，你就会看得更清楚了。"
“A shower sounds lovely, but not if it’s in the blood of my subjects.” She put her helmet back on her head and trotted towards the doorway. “Goodbye, Brother. I hope you have a good life in Tenpony. I don’t think you should return.”
"淋浴听起来很不错，但如果是在我的拍摄对象的血液里，那就不好了。"她把头盔戴在头上，小跑着向门口走去。"再见，兄弟。我希望你在Tenpony过得愉快。我认为你不应该回来。"
“Grace, you’re being a–” he started to say when she whirled, pulled an elegant .357 revolver from her holster, and pointed it right at him. He looked at the alicorn. “What are you doing standing there? Do something!”
"格蕾丝，你这是——"他开口说道，这时她转过身来，从枪套里拔出一把优雅的.357左轮手枪，正对着他。他看了看橡子。"你站在那里干什么？做点什么!"
“I was paid for transport. You can’t afford my sibling rivalry rates,” the purple alicorn grumbled.
"我的交通费是付给我的。你负担不起我的同胞竞争费用,"紫色的孤果抱怨道。
“You’re being–” he started again when her magic drew back the hammer, silencing him once more.
"你在——"他又说了一遍，这时她的魔法把锤子拉了回来，让他再一次安静下来。
“Goodbye again, Brother. Do give my love to Charm,” she said evenly. “But do give up trying to sway me into cowardice. Go.”
"再见，兄弟。请代我向Charm问好,"她平静地说。"但是请你放弃劝说我走向懦弱的企图。去吧。"
“You’re certain.” He stared at her, then sighed and rubbed his face with a hoof. “Such idiotic idealism...” He shook his head and then looked at the purple alicorn. “Give her the... present.”
"你确定吗?"他盯着她，叹了口气，用蹄子蹭了蹭脸。"如此愚蠢的理想主义......"他摇摇头，然后看着紫色的橡子。"把...礼物给她。"
“You... I know how much it’s worth!” the alicorn gasped. “You can’t–”
"你......我知道它值多少钱!"阿利康倒抽了一口冷气。"你不能——"
“Something I’ve learned is that you can’t tell King Awesome’s children what they can and can’t do,” Splendid told the alicorn with a frown.
"我学到的是，你不能告诉棒极了国王的孩子们他们能做什么，不能做什么,"斯普兰迪皱着眉头告诉阿里康。
“You were lucky enough that that Harbinger contacted you,” she replied, “and luckier still that he was asking so little for it.” Splendid waved his hoof as if was no matter. “You promised it to those Twilight fellows.”
"你很幸运，那个Harbinger联系了你,"她回答,"更幸运的是，他要求的这么少。"灿烂地挥动着他的蹄子，好像没什么大不了的。"你答应过《暮光之城》里的那些家伙的。"
Splendid sighed and gave a wistful sort of smile. “Yes, well, it’s a squandering sort of day.” The alicorn muttered something but took out from under her wing a long package wrapped in burlap and tied with twine. Splendid levitated it towards her and set it on the ground at her hooves. “Perhaps it will be of some use. I had hoped... ah, hope...” He shook his head. His lips pressed into a tired smile as he slowly backed away to the alicorn. “Goodbye, Sister. Do try not to die. I am rather fond of you...” he trailed off. “Let’s go,” he said with a nod to the alicorn.
灿烂地叹了口气，露出渴望的微笑。"是的，今天真是浪费的一天。"阿里克松咕哝了几句，从她的翅膀下拿出一个长包裹，用麻布包着，用麻绳绑着。灿烂地把它悬浮在空中，放在她的蹄子上。"也许它会有一些用处。我曾经希望......啊，希望......"他摇了摇头。当他慢慢地退向橡子时，他的嘴唇挤出疲倦的微笑。"再见，修女。千万不要死。我很喜欢你......"他慢慢地说。"我们走吧,"他向阿里克松点点头说。
With a flash, the pair disappeared, and she lowered the gun. “Goodbye,” she said, cracking open the gun to reveal the empty chambers. She fished some rounds out of a pocket in her armor, filled the cylinder, and then flicked it closed with a satisfying click; a small smile lingered on her lips. Then she lifted the bundle with her magic, a tingle ringing through her horn as she undid the knots
随着一道闪光，这两人消失了，她放下了枪。"再见,"她一边说，一边打开枪，露出了空空的枪膛。她从盔甲的口袋里掏出几发子弹，装满了圆筒，然后啪地一声合上，嘴角挂着一丝微笑。然后她用魔法提起包裹，解开绳结时，她的角发出刺痛的声音
in the twine. The cloth fell away, and the light shone silver off resplendent unicorns etched into a basket hilt and an elegant, slightly curving single-edged blade. She held it aloft, the light catching and sparkling along an edge that shamed any steel that would call itself razor. “Brother...” she breathed, a tear on her cheek as she beheld it. Then she smiled and bowed her head. “Thank you, Splendid.”
缠在一起。布掉了下来，光线从刻在篮柄上的华丽独角兽和一把优雅的、略微弯曲的单刃刀刃上发出银光。她把它举在高处，灯光沿着边缘闪闪发光，让任何自称为剃刀的钢铁都感到羞愧。"兄弟......"她低声说，眼泪流在她的脸颊上。然后她微笑着低下了头。"谢谢，太好了。"
With revolver and sword flanking her, she trotted back out towards the two soldiers. “How are we doing, gentlecolts?”
她拿着左轮手枪和长剑，小跑着回到那两个士兵身边。"我们怎么样，先生们?"
They shared a look. “Ma’am. We’ve Brood in the hills between here and the University,” one of them said. “We can’t pull back, and they’re pressing in on all sides.”
他们看了一眼。"女士。我们在这里和大学之间的山上沉思,"其中一个说。"我们不能撤退，他们正从四面八方逼近。"
Grace stared at them. “How many defenders do we have?”
格蕾丝盯着他们。"我们有多少后卫?"
“A hundred sound fighters. Three hundred, if you include the wounded.”
"一百个战士。300个，如果包括伤员的话。"
She closed her eyes for a long moment. What was the measure of a pony? The blood in her veins? The money in her vault? The power she commanded? The respect she received? Noble. Was Splendid right? Was ‘noble’ simply something a pony was, like ‘tall’ or ‘thin’ or ‘comely’? She opened her eyes and stared out at the Brood advancing across the golf course like a black tide. What is my measure? What is my worth?
她闭上眼睛好一会儿。衡量小马的标准是什么？她血管里的血？她金库里的钱？她所掌握的权力？她受到的尊重？高尚。好极了，对吗？"高贵"仅仅是一匹小马的"高"、"瘦"或"清秀"吗？她睁开眼睛，凝视着布鲁德夫妇像黑色的潮水一样穿过高尔夫球场。我的尺寸是多少？我的价值是什么？
She tapped her PipBuck broadcaster. “Attention to all defenders of the Society. This is your princess. The enemy bears down on us, but we cannot run. The enemy is without mercy or compassion, but we cannot cower and fear. The enemy is powerful and determined to annihilate us, but we cannot be defeated! Beneath us lies the greatest treasure of the Society. Not plantations or talismans. Not crops and fungible goods. People. Stallions. Mares. Foals. Every single of them desperate for us to stand and fight. To protect them. To show our enemy that it is neither guns nor numbers that make us strong. It is neither caps nor gold that is our wealth! It is our common bond. Our unity. Our community. Our Society. We will not run from its defense. We will not cravenly grovel for mercy from an enemy that has none to give. Defenders of Elysium, I implore you. Fight! Fight, and I shall fight with you! Stand, and I shall be beside you! Die...
她轻轻地拍了拍她的PipBuck播音员。"关注本协会的所有捍卫者。这是你的公主。敌人向我们逼近，但我们不能逃跑。敌人是没有怜悯和同情心的，但我们不能畏缩和害怕。敌人是强大的，有消灭我们的决心，但是我们不能被打败！我们脚下是社会最宝贵的财富。不是种植园或护身符。不是农作物和可替代的商品。人们。种马。母马。小马驹。他们每个人都迫切希望我们站出来战斗。为了保护他们。让我们的敌人知道，让我们强大的不是枪支，也不是数字。我们的财富既不是金子也不是帽子！这是我们共同的纽带。我们的团结。我们的社区。我们的社会。我们不会逃避它的防御。我们不会向一个无可施舍的敌人卑躬屈膝乞求怜悯。极乐世界的守护者，我恳求你。战斗！战斗吧，我会和你一起战斗！站起来，我就在你身边！死吧..。
and I will fall next to you.” She paused and swallowed, then finished, “But we shall make our foes pay dearly for every life they dare touch! Society! For
我会倒在你身旁。"她停顿了一下，咽了口唾沫，然后说道:"但是我们要让我们的敌人为他们敢碰的每一条生命付出沉重的代价！社会！为了
Blackjack! For my father! For your princess! Fight!”
黑杰克！为了我的父亲！为了你的公主！战斗!"
She tapped her PipBuck again. “Well... I suppose it’s all in the care of higher powers.”
她又轻轻地敲了敲她的皮布克。"好吧......我想这一切都在更高层的掌控之中。"
One of the two unicorns cleared his throat, and she regarded him. “Ma’am, I overheard your brother... telling you that you should go. I got to say...” he trailed off, flushing. “I got to say, I’m glad you stayed, but I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d gone. I’d go too, if I could have taken the missus with me. You didn’t have to die with us.”
两只独角兽中的一只清了清嗓子，她看了看他。"夫人，我无意中听到你哥哥告诉你，你应该离开。我不得不说......"他慢慢地说，脸红了。"我得说，我很高兴你留下来，但是如果你走了，我也不会怪你。如果我能带上我太太，我也会去的。你没必要和我们一起死。"
Her lips curled in an easy smile. “I die in good company, sir.” She frowned as she looked at the Brood. The black lines of troops had stopped their advance. “They’re... get down!” she shouted, leaping at the stallion and knocking him to the ground.
她的嘴唇微微一笑。"我死得其所，先生。"她看布鲁德一家时皱起了眉头。黑线部队阻止了他们的前进。"他们......趴下!"她大叫着，跳向那匹种马，把它打倒在地。
The Brood fired a barrage of bullets that filled the air with the sweet tang of blood and shattering lead. The other stallion, the one she hadn’t knocked to the floor, was struck a dozen times in barely a few seconds, his body jerking like a puppet on a string as bullets found a half dozen gaps in his barding. Then the strings were cut, and the body collapsed in a bloody, still heap of meat.
布鲁德一家发射了一连串的子弹，空气中弥漫着甜蜜的血腥味和粉碎性的铅块。另一匹种马，那匹她没有撞到地上的种马，在几秒钟之内被打了十几下，他的身体像绳子上的木偶一样抽搐着，因为子弹在他的栏杆上发现了六个空隙。然后，绳子被切断，尸体倒在一堆血淋淋的、静止的肉里。
The moment the gunfire stopped, two unicorn Brood teleported onto the balcony, silver blades raised. With a speed and accuracy that would have done me proud, Grace reacted, her own blade flying up as if seeking the two Brood with a bloodthirsty eagerness. It connected with the sword of the first and spiraled up the blade, knocking the Brood’s weapon aside. As the silver sword curled around past the hilt, it whipped across the Brood’s neck, taking its head clean off. Grace nimbly darted aside as the other Brood switched its attention to her and swept its blade back and forth after the unicorn, cleaving nothing but thin air as she danced away, living up to her name with effortless aplomb. Then the silver sword came in, blocking the Brood’s weapon, and Grace darted her revolver into position and smoothly put a bullet in each of the Brood’s eyes. As the creature collapsed, she pared off its head for good measure.
枪声停止的那一刻，两只独角兽传送到阳台上，银色的刀刃举了起来。格蕾丝的速度和准确性足以让我感到骄傲，她反应过来，她自己的剑飞了起来，仿佛带着嗜血的渴望去寻找布鲁德夫妇。它连接着第一剑，螺旋上升的剑刃，把布鲁德夫妇的武器撞到一边。当这把银剑卷过剑柄的时候，一下子划过了布伦特夫妇的脖子，把他们的头给砍下来了。格蕾丝敏捷地飞奔到一边，其他的布伦特魔龙军团把注意力转移到她身上，在独角兽身后来回扫动它的刀刃，舞动着，毫不费力地达到了自己的名声，只留下稀薄的空气。然后银剑进来了，挡住了布伦特夫妇的武器，格雷斯把左轮手枪投入位置，顺利地朝布伦特夫妇的每个眼睛开了一枪。当那个生物倒下时，为了保险起见，她砍下了它的头。
“I’m going downstairs,” she told the soldier, who was staring at the three corpses on the balcony with wide eyes. “Good hunting.” He just nodded dumbly, then lifted his rifle and began firing.
"我下楼去,"她告诉士兵，士兵睁大眼睛盯着阳台上的三具尸体。"狩猎愉快。"他只是默默地点了点头，然后举起步枪开始射击。
Grace trotted in and down. Who knew fencing lessons would be useful? To think
格蕾丝小跑着进进出出。谁知道击剑课会有用呢？去思考
she’d resented Father for insisting they learn proper swordsmare technique. As she walked into the ballroom, which was packed with wounded soldiers employing what few healing supplies that remained, a ripple seemed to pass through the air. She didn’t pause and regard them, or ask, or implore. She simply passed by, and as she did, others were drawn after her like iron filings to a magnet. Ponies who could barely walk were helped by those who could. Any who could wield guns readied them, and those who couldn’t grabbed whatever bars or sufficiently vicious detritus they could manage in their mouths.
她怨恨父亲坚持让他们学习正确的剑术。当她走进满是伤员的舞厅时，空气中似乎传来一阵涟漪。她没有停下来看他们，没有问他们，也没有恳求他们。她只是路过，当她这样做的时候，其他人像铁屑一样被吸引到她身后。几乎不能走路的小马得到那些能走路的人的帮助。任何会使用枪支的人都准备好了，而那些不会用嘴去抓任何东西或者足够恶毒的碎屑的人也准备好了。
Grace walked right through the front doors and up to the semicircular sandbag barricade raised outside the entrance. One of the defenders turned around to reload and saw her standing there, mussed and exhausted and triumphant. “Princess!” he cried out, and a couple more glanced back. Then the first slammed the fresh magazine in and turned back to the Brood charging the barricade. “For the princess!” The other defenders, those who'd seen her and those who hadn't, echoed the cry and faced the enemy with renewed vigor. Even the wounded fought as she stood there like a bright light they couldn’t...
格蕾丝径直穿过前门，来到入口外半圆形的沙袋前。其中一个防御者转身重新装弹，看到她站在那里，沉思着，筋疲力尽，得意洋洋。"公主!"他大叫一声，又有几个人回头看了看。然后第一个在年砰地一声关上了新杂志，转身回到布伦特军团控制着街垒。"为了公主!"其他的守卫者，那些见过她的和那些没有见过她的，随声附和，以全新的精力面对敌人。即使是受伤的人也在战斗，因为她站在那里就像一道强光，他们无法.....。
wouldn’t... let be snuffed out. Grace herself snapped off revolver shots at any Brood that reached the sandbags, stopping only to reload or to cut down the would-be assassins that teleported in to assail her.
不会...被杀死的。格蕾丝自己用左轮手枪向任何抵达沙袋的布鲁德发射，只是停下来重新装弹，或者干掉那些传送过来攻击她的潜在刺客。
They were only a few hundred against a thousand or more. One by one, the defenders fell, and the cries of the survivors became more desperate. But not one stallion ran. Not one mare faltered. They fought on, even if the cause was hopeless, to prevent the princess from falling with them. At their posts they lay, proud and unashamed in death or wretched as death tarried to take them. The sheer pressure of so many Brood forced the defenders back from sandbags and up the stairs to the shattered, gold-leafed doors, and yet nopony broke and fled. Even as the enemy pressed them back.
他们只有几百人对付一千人以上的人。守军一个接一个地倒下，幸存者的哭喊声变得更加绝望。但是没有一匹种马跑起来。没有一匹母马动摇。他们继续战斗，即使战斗没有希望，也要阻止公主与他们同归于尽。他们躺在自己的岗位上，在死亡中骄傲而无愧，或者因为死亡耽搁了他们而不幸。这么多布鲁德病人的巨大压力迫使防御者们离开沙袋，爬上楼梯，来到破碎的金色门前，然而没有小马破门而逃。即使敌人把他们逼退。
She spotted a young, pale blue stallion curled up inside the double doors to the country club, weeping, clutching his rifle as he shook, completely overwhelmed by the fate befalling him. For a moment, just a moment, their eyes met. Fear in his. Calm dignity in hers. The latter prevailed, and for an instant, the corner of his lip lifted.
她发现了一匹年轻的、淡蓝色的种马，蜷缩在乡村俱乐部的双层门里，哭泣着，握着他的来复枪，颤抖着，完全被降临在他身上的命运所征服。有那么一会儿，只有那么一会儿，他们的目光相遇了。他内心的恐惧。她保持着冷静的尊严。后者占了上风，有那么一瞬间，他的嘴角扬了起来。
Then the bullet struck her, and she was falling back. The hammer blow, the shock of pain, the sudden weakness as the body lost the ability to act properly because of the abuses its flesh had suffered… I knew them well. A second bullet
然后子弹击中了她，她向后倒去。锤击，疼痛的打击，身体由于肉体遭受的伤害而丧失了正常行动的能力时突然出现的虚弱......我非常了解他们。第二颗子弹
struck her uplifted foreleg as she struggled for balance. A third bit one of her hindlegs, and it gave out beneath her. She fell, rolled onto her back, and lay there, staring at the ceiling.
当她挣扎着保持平衡时，她抬起了前腿。第三只咬了她的一条后腿，在她下面就不行了。她跌倒了，翻了个身，躺在那里，盯着天花板。
“Princess!” he shouted as he rose up and rushed to her, crouched over her, then glared out the doors, raised his rifle in a distinctly zebraish posture, barrel braced against his knee, and fired with the scream, “You bastards won’t touch her!” He roared in defiance to the countless and indifferent enemies. Bullets bit into his barding, but still he fired. Rounds found flesh and spilled his blood, but when his gun ran dry, he just slapped another magazine in with a bloody hoof, refusing to fall and let the Brood finish her off.
"公主!"他站起身来，冲向她，蹲在她身上，然后瞪着门外，以一种明显的西伯利亚式的姿势举起他的步枪，枪管顶在他的膝盖上，开枪时尖叫着,"你们这些混蛋不敢碰她!"他大声反抗数不清的冷漠的敌人。子弹打中了他的身体，但他还是开了枪。但是当他的枪没子弹了，他只是用血淋淋的蹄子把另一个弹夹夹进去，不肯倒下，让布鲁德一家把她干掉。
All to save his princess, for a pony would do anything to save their princess, whether she was one or not. It was the principle of the thing.
所有这一切都是为了救他的公主，因为一匹小马会不惜一切代价去救她们的公主，不管她是不是公主。这是事情的原则。
And as she lay there on her back, struggling to breathe, that soldier’s roar seemed to magnify again and again, only this time the enemy was shaken by it. And from the access ports that led down to the plantations came a ripple as the enemy was pushed back, with the cries of ‘Princess!’ and ‘Princess Grace!’ breaking over the gunfire.
当她仰面躺在那里，挣扎着呼吸的时候，那个士兵的吼声似乎一次又一次地放大，只是这一次，敌人被它震惊了。当敌人被击退时，从通往种植园的入口处传来一阵涟漪，伴随着"公主!"的喊叫还有"格蕾丝王妃!"在枪声中破裂。
Workers... the ponies that her brother, and father if she was honest, called serfs once... poured out of the shafts and into the enemy. Some wielded industrial saws and sledgehammers, others sickles and axes, and some attacked with nothing more than sticks. They were all products of the Wasteland, though, and labor had made each of them hard and tough since she’d increased their rations. They crashed into the Brood and actually pushed them back in hoof to hoof combat and bloody melee.
工人们......她的兄弟和父亲，如果她是诚实的，曾经被称为农奴的小马......从矿井中倾泻而出，落入敌人手中。一些人挥舞着工业锯子和大锤，另一些人挥舞着镰刀和斧子，还有一些人只是用棍子来攻击。他们都是荒地的产品，然而，劳动使他们每个人都艰难和艰苦，因为她增加了他们的配给。他们撞上了魔龙军团，把他们推回到了战场，血腥的混战。
Grace struggled to rise as two mares rushed to her. “Stay still, Your Majesty. We’ll take care of you.”
格蕾丝挣扎着站起来，两匹母马向她冲过来。"别动，陛下。我们会照顾你的。"
“Nonsense!” she spat, feeling something burning in her chest. “Give me a potion and get me back on my hooves!” She would tolerate no argument. Eventually they gave her the potions she needed, and she turned to the young blue stallion. Wounded, but he was still among the living. “Take care of him,” she said, then charged out the door to join the melee.
"胡说!"她吐了口唾沫，感觉有什么东西在她胸口燃烧。"给我一剂药，让我重新站起来!"她不能容忍任何争论。最终他们给了她所需的药剂，她转向了那匹年轻的蓝色种马。虽然受了伤，但他还活着。"照顾好他,"她说，然后冲出门去加入混战。
Her silver sword flashed brightly in the afternoon sun, and the workers flocked to it, crushing any Brood in their path. Still, the Brood regrouped and pressed
她的银色宝剑在午后的阳光下闪闪发光，工人们蜂拥而至，把路上的每一个小巢都压得粉碎。尽管如此，布鲁德夫妇还是重整旗鼓
back against the struggling mob. Grace moved in a bubble of death, and any Brood that entered that bubble was split and split again by the silver sword while her revolver sought out any eye that came too close. But the enemy had guns too, and bit by bit, she was worn down along with her people.
回来对抗挣扎中的暴徒。格蕾丝在死亡的泡泡中移动，任何进入泡泡的布鲁德夫妇都会被银剑劈开再劈开，而她的左轮手枪则会寻找任何靠得太近的眼睛。但是敌人也有枪，一点一点地，她和她的人民一起被消耗殆尽。
Then from the ridge came a horrifyingly familiar boom of cannon. The roof of the country club exploded, showering the battlefield with tiles and ruined masonry. Another damnable tank rolled up behind the Brood, twin cannons ripping apart the upper floors of the structure with blast after blast, rubble crushing pony and Brood alike. How were they to repel such horrible, callous power?
然后从山脊上传来熟悉得可怕的大炮轰鸣声。乡村俱乐部的屋顶爆炸了，战场上到处是瓦片和废墟。另一个该死的坦克出现在布鲁德病房后面，两门大炮一次又一次的爆炸撕裂了建筑的上层，碎石粉碎的小马和布鲁德病房一样。他们怎样才能击退这种可怕的、无情的力量呢？
Something struck her from behind, and her hindlegs gave out. There was a blinding flash of pain, and she screamed as her hooves clutched her forehead, blood rushing down between her eyes. The silver sword fell at her side, the revolver thudding into the grass... her severed horn landing beside it.
有什么东西从后面袭击了她，她的后腿瘫软了。一阵令人目眩的疼痛，她尖叫起来，她的蹄子抓住了前额，血液从两眼间涌了下来。银剑落在她的身旁，左轮手枪砰的一声扎进草丛......她被切断的号角落在旁边。
“Got you,” a Brood unicorn said at her side. Grace turned and stared through eyes half-blinded with blood, refusing to give the enemy the satisfaction of fear and defeat. And the Brood wasn’t waiting either as the glowing blade was raised to cleave her head off.
"抓到你了,"一只布鲁德独角兽在她身边说。格雷斯转过身来，用鲜血半瞎的双眼盯着敌人，拒绝给敌人带来恐惧和失败的满足感。布鲁德夫妇也没有等着，因为闪光的剑刃已经举起，要把她的头劈下来。
Then the ground exploded as a massive claw tore out of the earth and through the torso of the stunned cyborg. Its eyes were round with shock as the gnarled fingers curled around its spine and pulled back into the hole, her body folding in two with a resounding wet snap as she disappeared into the earth. Then the owner of that claw emerged. Gnarled, monstrous hide the color of mud and studded with wiry tufts of fur. Maw overfilled with uneven jagged teeth. Huge oversized beam pistol that would be a rifle in any other hand and in such a state that it appeared to be one misfire away from exploding. The hellhound rose up, and the Brood backed away.
然后地面爆炸了，一个巨大的爪子撕裂了地球和通过躯干的震惊机器人。它的眼睛因为震惊而瞪得圆圆的，粗糙的手指环绕着它的脊椎，把它拉回洞里，当她消失在地面上时，她的身体一下子变成了两半。然后那只爪子的主人出现了。粗糙的，可怕的隐藏泥土的颜色和布满金属丝的皮毛。太多参差不齐的牙齿。巨大的超大射束手枪，将是步枪在任何其他手，并在这样的状态，它似乎是一个失火爆炸。地狱之犬爬了起来，魔龙军团撤退了。
Then he threw back his head and let out a bloody howl.
然后他仰起头，发出一声血淋淋的嚎叫。
And it was answered from the earth itself.
这是大地自己的回答。
Sinkholes erupted, sending Brood by the dozens tumbling to a grisly death. Arcane weaponry fired with heedless abandon into clusters of Brood and hellhounds alike, the latter seeming inured to all but direct hits by the weapons. Massive claws shredded cloned meat to gory tatters, and fanged jaws ripped and
灰岩坑突然爆发，几十个布鲁德一个接一个地摔死了。不加思索地向魔龙军团和地狱犬发射奥术武器，后者似乎已经习惯了所有武器的直接命中。巨大的爪子撕碎的克隆肉变成了血淋淋的碎片，长着獠牙的下巴撕裂了
tore the cyberzebras’ heads from their bodies. And when the hellhounds faced organized resistance, they disappeared into the earth only to reappear directly under their enemies for renewed slaughter.
把斑马的头从身上扯下来。当地狱犬面对有组织的抵抗时，他们消失在地球上，直接重新出现在敌人面前，重新开始屠杀。
The tank gave a mechanical squeal as the ground below its rear collapsed, its treads clawing at the dirt as it struggled to escape the growing pit. It failed. Metal shrieked and the cannons gave one last impotent blast as a half dozen hellhounds stood around the mouth of the pit and sprayed blazing red beams at the trapped vehicle. It exploded, vomiting glaring green flames in a crackling mushroom cloud that didn’t trouble the hellhounds a bit. Elsewhere, hellhound beam guns sliced through two or three Brood, and when the overcharged weapons failed to fire, they doubled as bludgeons and complemented jagged claws well.
坦克尾部下方的地面塌陷，发出一声机械般的尖叫，它的履带在泥土中抓地，挣扎着逃离不断增长的坑洞。它失败了。金属发出尖锐的声音，大炮发出最后一声无力的爆炸，六只地狱犬站在坑口，向被困的车辆喷射炽热的红色光束。它爆炸了，在爆裂的蘑菇云中吐出耀眼的绿色火焰，丝毫没有影响到地狱犬。在其他地方，地狱之犬的光束枪切断了两到三个魔龙军团，当超负荷的武器无法发射时，它们就会变成两倍的棍棒，补充了锯齿状的爪子。
In fifteen minutes, it was over. The ground was pockmarked with sinkholes and carpeted with bodies, Brood, pony, and hellhound alike. The Society survivors clustered around Grace, somepony yelling for healing magic or a potion.
十五分钟后，一切都结束了。地面布满了坑坑洼洼，地上铺满了尸体、布鲁德病、矮种马和地狱犬之类的东西。协会的幸存者们聚集在格蕾丝的周围，有些小马大喊着要治疗魔法或药水。
Another told her to be still, but she couldn’t stand even if she wished. Her hindlegs didn’t appear to be moving as they should. The hellhounds stood there too, coated in gore and bloody foam, panting their rank breath as they loomed over the broken unicorn, as if not sure whether to halt their slaughter here or continue till only their own remained.
另一个人告诉她不要动，但是即使她愿意，她也站不起来。她的后腿似乎没有像正常情况下那样移动。那些地狱犬也站在那里，浑身是血和带血的泡沫，一边喘着气，一边在破裂的独角兽旁边隐隐逼近，仿佛不知道是该停止屠杀，还是继续屠杀，直到只剩下他们自己。
Grace pushed herself as upright as she could, staring up at the one who had saved her. “My apologies, but I’m unable to rise and greet you properly, good sirs.” She made an awkward bow of her head. “Welcome to the Society. I’d have a proper repast prepared for your welcome services here, but I’m afraid that our kitchen is in some disarray. So sorry.”
格蕾丝尽量挺直身子，抬头看着救她的那个人。"对不起，先生们，我不能站起来正式地问候你们了。"她笨拙地低了一下头。"欢迎加入协会。我本想为你们在这里的欢迎服务准备一顿丰盛的就餐，但恐怕我们的厨房有点乱。非常抱歉。"
The hellhound blinked, then knelt. “Your home wrecked too?” he growled, still looking down despite his kneeling. “Our home blew up again. Always getting blown up.” He glared over his shoulder at where the green flame still roared out of the earth to the south.
地狱之犬眨了眨眼，然后跪了下来。"你的家也毁了吗?"他咆哮着，仍然向下看，尽管他跪着。"我们的房子又爆炸了。总是被炸飞。"他回头怒视着那里，绿色的火焰仍在向南咆哮着从地球上升起。
“Indeed. Ours is little better, I’m afraid. It’s quite a mess, as you can see,” she said evenly despite swaying a little. “Still, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. I’ll order refreshments.”
"的确。我们的恐怕也好不了多少。正如你所看到的，这里简直一团糟。"尽管有点摇晃，她还是平静地说。"尽管如此，我们还是欢迎你留在这里，只要你愿意。我去叫点心。"
“You’re... giving us permission... to stay?” the hellhound asked haltingly, his
"你......允许我们......留下来?"地狱之犬犹豫地问
body still oozing blood from numerous punctures in his hide.
尸体还在从他的皮肤上，多处穿孔处渗出血液。
“Yes. After all, it may be a horrible day, but that’s hardly an excuse to be uncivilized,” she replied, managing to maintain her even tone despite feeling distinctly woozy.
"是的。毕竟，这可能是一个可怕的一天，但这绝不是一个不文明的借口,"她回答，尽管感到明显虚弱，仍设法保持平静的语气。
The hellhounds stared in shock for several seconds, claws twitching, weapons ever so slightly raised.
地狱犬惊恐地盯着他们看了几秒钟，爪子抽搐着，武器微微举起。
Then the first hellhound threw back his head and laughed. “Refreshments! Very funny! You’re a very funny pony!” The laughter was contagious among the dozens of hellhounds, and the few Society defenders left armed grew slightly more at ease but appeared vaguely insulted by their mirth.
然后，第一只地狱犬把头往后一仰，大笑起来。"点心！非常有趣！你是一匹非常有趣的小马!"这种笑声在几十个地狱犬之间蔓延开来，少数几个全副武装的协会捍卫者稍微放松了一些，但似乎被他们的欢乐隐约地侮辱了。
Two unicorns came to her side. “Ma’am, we need to get you to the Collegiate. You’re badly injured.”
两只独角兽来到她身边。"女士，我们得把你送到学院去。你伤得很重。"
“Yes, I think that would be best,” Grace replied. “See to the hellhounds and take care of our own. We surely have stores enough to keep them well fed. And if not, there’s no lack of Brood...” She gave a little shudder as the world spun.
"是的，我想那样最好,"格蕾丝回答。"照顾好地狱犬，照顾好我们自己。我们肯定有足够的商店让他们吃饱。如果不是，布鲁德也不缺......"当世界旋转的时候，她有点发抖。
“But... the hellhounds, ma’am. How are we going to be able to make them leave?” one of the unicorns asked as they carefully levitated her without jostling her body much.
"但是......地狱犬，夫人。我们怎么才能让他们离开呢?"其中一只独角兽问道，它们小心翼翼地将她悬浮起来，没有过多地推挤她的身体。
She looked back flatly. “What makes you think we ever will?” As she was borne away, some of the defenders took up the cries of ‘Princess!’, ‘Grace!’, and ‘Victory!’. She didn’t have the heart to correct them; while it had been a victory, it would not be enough just yet. There were still plenty more battles to fight.
她平静地回头看了看。"你凭什么认为我们会这么做?"当她被抬走的时候，一些守卫者高喊着"公主!"格蕾丝，以及「胜利!」.她不忍心去纠正他们;虽然这是一个胜利，但这还不够。还有很多战役要打。
The page that follows is the one flagged in the warning. Please skip to the next break if you do not wish to read such material.
下面的页面是在警告中标记的页面。如果你不想阅读这些材料，请跳到下一节。
 
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
I hoped they’d get Grace to the Collegiate. I wondered what Triage had been talking about, though. Nopony should have known about me being pregnant except for the ponies who’d been present when I’d gotten my wings. And how
我希望他们能把格蕾丝送到学院。不过，我想知道伤检分类法是怎么回事。小马应该知道我怀孕了，除了那些在我获得翅膀时在场的小马。怎么做到的
could they know I’d be returning in my old body? Just one of many things to ask Triage when we finally arrived. But now… I couldn’t put it off any more, could I?
他们会知道我会回到原来的身体吗？当我们最终到达的时候，这只是许多问题中的一个。但是现在...我不能再推迟了，不是吗？
Time to face the music.
是时候面对现实了。
I slipped out of my blank’s mindscape, not wanting to see Grace’s pool disappear ominously. At this rate, everypony I knew and cared about would be at the Collegiate. “Sco–” I started to say when my mind suddenly hit a lurch.
我不想看到格蕾丝的池塘不祥地消失。照这样下去，我所认识和关心的每一匹小马都会在大学里了。"上海合作组织——"当我的思维突然陷入困境时，我开始说道。
There was Scotch Tape on a couch. More accurately, there was Bastard on a couch, with the young mare on top of him doing what plenty of young mares in 99 did to relieve stress and anxiety, his forehooves resting on her hips. As my brain started again, I noted the following: She wasn’t in obvious pain or discomfort. He wasn’t bound, in tears, or unwilling. They both seemed to be getting something out of it. And that part of me that hadn’t been interested in him in the slightest earlier now let off a warm purr at the sight of them together.
沙发上有透明胶带。更准确地说，是巴斯塔德坐在沙发上，年轻的母马骑在他身上，做着99年许多年轻的母马为了减轻压力和焦虑所做的事情，它的前蹄放在母马的屁股上。当我的大脑再次开始工作时，我注意到以下事实:她并没有明显的疼痛或不适。他没有被束缚，没有泪水，也没有不情愿。他们似乎都从中得到了一些东西。早些时候我对他没有丝毫兴趣的那部分，现在看到他们在一起时发出了一声温暖的呼噜声。
“How is he?” I asked from my seat.
"他怎么样?"我坐在座位上问道。
Bastard’s eyes shifted over to me. “Hey, what’s up? Oh, and before you shoot me, this wasn’t my idea.” I wasn’t sure if I should be disgusted or impressed by his lack of panic. “You said do whatever she wanted.”
淘气包的眼睛转向我。"嘿，怎么了？哦，在你开枪打我之前，这不是我的主意。"我不确定我是否应该对他不慌不忙感到厌恶或者印象深刻。"你说过她想干什么就干什么。"
“Yeah, I did say that,” I replied, though I hadn’t expected this. Scotch was adamantly not looking at me, her face composed as she continued to move atop him. “I’m sorry,” I finally said. Bastard just continued doing what he was doing, and to his credit, he wasn’t slamming her. “I didn’t want him to die. I didn’t want anypony to die.”
"是的，我确实说过,"我回答，尽管我没有想到会这样。苏格兰人坚决不看我，她继续在他身上走来走去，脸上显得很镇静。"对不起,"我最后说。淘气包只是继续做他正在做的事情，而且值得赞扬的是，他没有摔她。"我不想让他死。我不希望任何小马死去。"
She gritted her teeth and started to move twice as fast atop him. “Blackjack,” she said between pants, “do you mind saving it till we finish? This is taking a little more focus than I thought.” And she was pissed, and trying to deal with sexy feelings and pissed feelings all at once.
她咬紧牙关，开始以两倍的速度在他身上移动。"黑杰克,"她穿着裤子说,"你介意把它留到我们玩完吗?"？这比我想象的需要更多的关注。"她很生气，试图同时处理性感和愤怒的情绪。
“Wait,” Bastard said with a wry arched brow. “You don’t mind me rutting your underaged... whatever?”
"等等,"淘气包皱着眉头说。"你不介意我抚摸你未成年的......随便啦?"
“Quit treating me like a fucking kid,” Scotch interrupted before I could answer.
我还没来得及回答，苏格兰人就打断我说:"别把我当他妈的小孩子。"。
“I was supposed to be on the queue months ago. I've got my implant. I want this.
"我几个月前就应该排队了。我拿到了植入物。我想要这个。
I need this. It's happening.” Her outburst earned a look of wide-eyed surprise from Bastard. I supposed I really couldn't mind after a retort like that. There was no denying it: she just wasn’t a filly anymore. She'd already been a brave young mare in her own right when we'd left Equus, and while it’d only been a day since then, it felt as if she’d matured further months, even years.
我需要这个。它正在发生。"她的爆发引起了淘气包睁大眼睛的惊讶。听了这样的反驳，我想我真的不会介意的。不可否认，她已经不再是一匹小母马了。当我们离开马科斯的时候，她已经是一匹勇敢的母马了，虽然离那时只有一天的时间，但感觉她好像又长大了几个月，甚至几年。
“I, uh, so no, I don't mind,” I added lamely.
"我，呃，所以不，我不介意,"我一瘸一拐地补充道。
“Okay... Cool, then. ‘Fraid you were going to kill the fun or something,” he said, rapidly regaining his composure. “Now, where were we?”
"好吧......那好吧。"我怕你会把乐子给毁了,"他说，很快就恢复了镇静。"说到哪儿了?"
Having some good feelings, apparently. Though with everything that had been going on... I looked at her and tilted my head. “You're really sure–” I started to ask her.
显然是有些好感觉。尽管发生了这么多事......我看着她，歪着头。"你真的确定——"我开始问她。
“Yes, Blackjack,” Scotch Tape snapped. “Just... come back later.”
"是的，黑杰克,"苏格兰胶带啪地一声说。"只是...晚点再来吧。"
“Yeah. Right. Later.” I watched the two for a minute or so longer, but it really seemed neither was forcing the other. A part of me that I wasn’t sure was me protested my plan to go back into the blank. Really, would it be that bad if I watched a little more? Maybe gave myself a little...
"是的。对。以后再说。"我看了他们两个一分钟左右，但是看起来他们都没有强迫对方。我不确定的一部分是我抗议我回到空白的计划。真的，如果我再多看一会儿，情况会那么糟糕吗？也许给了自己一点..。
Huh... Princess Luna a voyeur... Who knew?
哈...露娜公主是个偷窥狂...谁知道呢？
I considered it a personal triumph to put my mind back into the blank and find another mind pool. Eenie, meenie, miney... that one.
我认为把自己的大脑放回到空白状态，找到另一个大脑池是一种个人的成功。一点点，一点点，一点点...那个。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Oh... well... At least now I knew he wasn’t hurting Scotch, but this wasn’t how I wanted to... okay, out!
哦......好吧......至少现在我知道他没有伤害苏格兰威士忌，但这不是我想要的方式......好了，出去！
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Okay. Really should have looked more closely before going in there. That was a little too close for me. I quickly picked another mental pool...
好吧。真的应该在进去之前仔细看看。这对我来说有点太近了。我很快选择了另一个精神池..。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Oh, come on! Now him?! Could I get labels on these pools? Maybe a ‘Do Not
拜托！现在又是他?！我可以在这些游泳池上贴标签吗？也许是'不要'
Disturb’... huh... that was always an interesting feeling...
打扰...嗯...那总是一种有趣的感觉..。
No! No! No! Out! As much as a part of me wanted to settle in for the ride... no!
不！不！不！出去！就像我内心深处想要安定下来开车一样......不！
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Okay. I mentally painted great big red X’s on both of those pools... and amazingly, an X actually appeared on each. Oh, sure, I figure out I can do that now... I sighed, examining the remaining two dozen or so pools. Which had I been in before?
好吧。我在脑海中在这两个池子上都画了一个大大的红色x......令人惊讶的是，每个池子上都出现了一个x。哦，当然，我想我现在可以这么做了......我叹了口气，检查着剩下的二十几个池塘。我以前去过哪里？
...Or maybe I should stop running and hiding and peering and just... deal with what had happened to P-21 and Glory. But where could I start with that? Just thinking about it made this mental space feel colder and darker than the black void it was. It hurt thinking about what happened to Glory and P-21. It hurt thinking about Rampage and Lacunae, too. I didn’t want to think about it. Think about how it had skewed my relationship with Scotch Tape. I’d saved her life, and honored my promise to her father, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
或者也许我应该停止逃跑，躲藏和窥视，只是...处理发生在P-21和晨辉身上的事。但是我该从哪里开始呢？只要想一想，这个心理空间就会比原来的黑暗空间更冷更黑暗。想想晨辉和P-21发生了什么事，真让人伤心。想到暴怒和空白也会让人伤心。我不想去想它。想想它是如何扭曲了我和透明胶带的关系。我救了她的命，履行了我对她父亲的承诺，但这并没有减轻我的痛苦。
I sighed in that void, then glanced at the two pools I’d marked. Was this me, or was this Blackjack... or was this me, or was it Luna? Luna hadn’t liked to deal with things directly either. She loved dreams and intimacy. Influencing rather than confronting. Great for dealing with others with finesse, but horrible for confronting problems. Blackjack hadn’t been much better, running away from her problems one after the other.
我在空虚中叹了口气，然后瞥了一眼我标记的两个池塘。这是我，还是这个黑杰克......还是这个我，还是卢娜？卢娜也不喜欢直接处理事情。她热爱梦想和亲密关系。影响而不是面对。善于以巧妙的方式与他人打交道，但在面对问题时却表现糟糕。黑杰克也好不到哪里去，一个接一个地逃避自己的问题。
It didn’t surprise me that Scotch was doing what she was doing. After being dragged away from her father, she was asserting herself and trying to project maturity that she didn’t quite have. She wasn’t a filly anymore, but she was a very young mare. I needed to bring a little of that filly back... her optimism and hope above all. I couldn’t let her become dark and jaded.
苏格兰人正在做她正在做的事情，我并不感到惊讶。在被父亲拖走之后，她坚持自己的主张，并试图表现出她还没有的成熟。她不再是一匹小母马，而是一匹非常年轻的母马。我需要把那匹小母马带回来一点点......她的乐观和希望尤其重要。我不能让她变得阴郁和厌倦。
I sighed and considered the remaining pools. I could stay here, in this vasty nothingness that was my old mind. Or maybe this place wasn’t my mind exactly, but someplace else? I really wasn’t educated enough to know or even speculate much.
我叹了口气，想着剩下的那些池塘。我可以留在这里，在这广袤的虚无中，那是我的旧思想。或者也许这个地方并不是我的想法，而是别的地方？我真的没有受过足够的教育去了解甚至推测很多东西。
Ugh... I hated waiting. At least that part was still me.
呃...我讨厌等待。至少那部分还是我。
...I might as well. I poked my mind into an unmarked pool...
我也可以。我把自己的思绪塞进了一个没有标记的池塘。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Beep.
哔。
Oh...
哦..。
Beep.
哔。
Oh, sweet Sister, no.
哦，亲爱的姐姐，不。
Beep.
哔。
Please... somepony help...
求求你...帮帮我..。
Beep.
哔。
Whoever this pony was, no. This pony was a ball of pain soaked in a lake of anesthetics that barely stopped the agony that came with each breath. The darkness was even more absolute than in my blank’s mind. I thought this pony was on their stomach, but I couldn’t tell more than that. The only things I could hear were a distant, intermittent beeping and whispers in the dark. Was this Rampage? Had she been rescued from the vacuum of space to the Astrostable only to be rendered like this? Maybe Horizons going off had done something to her talisman... or the moonstone... or who knew?
不管这匹小马是谁都不行。这匹小马就像一团浸泡在麻醉剂湖里的疼痛，几乎无法阻止每一次呼吸带来的剧痛。黑暗甚至比我空白的头脑还要绝对。我以为这匹小马趴在它们的肚子上，但我也只能说这么多了。我唯一能听到的就是远处时断时续的哔哔声和黑暗中的低语。这是暴怒吗？难道她从真空的太空中被救到天体马厩就是为了变成这个样子？也许地平线号的出发对她的护身符做了什么......或者月光石......或者谁知道呢？
Beep.
哔。
“...need more Med-X...” somepony whispered, far away like from the mouth of whatever well I was in.
"......需要更多的医药......"一匹小马低声说，好像远离了我曾经身处的井口。
“I don’t think there’s any left...”
"我不认为还有什么......"
Beep.
哔。
I could almost place the voice, but a part of me didn’t want to. I didn’t want to know who this pony had been.
我几乎可以辨认出那个声音，但是我内心的一部分不想这么做。我不想知道这匹小马是谁。
Beep.
哔。
“...should pull the plug... lost cause...” the first voice whispered.
"...应该拔掉插头...失败的原因..."第一个声音低声说。
“...told us not to... skies only knows why...”
"...告诉我们不要...只有天知道为什么..."
Beep.
哔。
I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t stay here and do nothing. It’d drive me mad!
我不能留在这里。我不能呆在这里什么都不做。这会让我发疯的！
Beep.
哔。
Beep.
哔。
Beep.
哔。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Okay. Give me ponies fighting to the death or dying any day instead of... whatever that was! I didn’t want to think about it. Being like that... no. That was a living death. That was sadistic!
好吧。给我那些战斗到死或者随时死去的小马，而不是......不管那是什么！我不想去想它。像那样...不。那是一个活死人。那是虐待狂！
I feared going into another pool, but if I didn’t, I’d never get that horrible experience behind me. I could leave and just cover my ears till they finished, but... I stared at the pools. These were ponies I’d known, even if I didn’t precisely know anymore who they were by looking at their shimmering disks of light.
我害怕进入另一个游泳池，但是如果我不这样做，我将永远不会有那种可怕的经历在我身后。我可以离开，捂住耳朵直到他们说完，但是......我盯着游泳池。这些是我认识的小马，即使通过观察它们闪闪发光的光盘，我不能准确地知道它们是谁。
Honestly, I’d probably be better off just taking a nap in the void.
老实说，我最好还是在虚空中打个盹。
Damn it… I put another X over the pool I’d just left and slipped into the one beside it.
该死......我在刚刚离开的游泳池上又放了一个x，然后滑进了旁边的那个。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
This was more like it! This pegasus tore through an industrial network of canyons, whipping around rusting smokestacks and girders as Brood fliers sprayed bullets after her. She spun and banked, racing around corners so closely that her tail and wings flicked out clouds of rust in her wake. Below her, in the streets of the industrial northeast of the Hoof, the Brood were engaged in bloody street fighting with the Burners and Flashers. Blazing barrels were rolled off the tops of buildings, detonating on the Brood below and stalling their push towards the river. Flash Fillies moved from window to window, girder to girder, keeping up a steady rain of fire down and doing whatever they could to prevent a unicor–
这还差不多！这匹飞马撕裂了峡谷的工业网络，在生锈的烟囱和大梁周围飞来飞去，布鲁德的飞行员在她身后扫射子弹。她旋转着，倾斜着，紧紧地绕着角落跑，尾巴和翅膀在她身后弹出了铁锈云。在她的下面，在霍夫东北部工业区的街道上，布鲁德一家正在与燃烧者和闪光者进行血腥的街头战斗。熊熊燃烧的木桶从建筑物顶部滚落下来，引爆了下面的布鲁德一家，阻止了他们向河边推进。闪光的小雌马从一扇窗户移动到另一扇窗户，从一根梁移动到另一根梁，保持着连续不断的火雨下降，并且尽一切可能阻止独角兽-
One flashed into being up ahead, behind a pair of mares crewing a gatling beam gun up on a catwalk that spanned the road. The pegasus I was in did a barrel roll and swooped across right above their heads. Her outstretched power hooves hit the unicorn’s skull with a thunderous clap an instant before the blade fell. She dipped down and came up in front of the gun crew, pointing above her. “Fire! Up there!” Whisper shouted.
其中一只闪在前面，跟在两匹母马后面，在横跨道路的狭窄通道上响起了一把加特林机枪。我所在的飞马号在它们头顶上做了一个滚筒式的翻滚，然后俯冲而过。就在独角兽的刀刃落下之前，她伸出的力量蹄子发出雷鸣般的一声响，击中了它的头骨。她低下身子，走到炮手面前，指着她的上方。"开火！在上面!"小声喊道。
The Flash Fillies swung the gatling beam gun up and strafed the five Brood fliers, forcing them to break up. The pegasus’s eyes narrowed. “Oh no you don’t!” she shouted and darted after one that hadn’t gotten as far away as the other four. All four hooves struck the Brood and rammed the flier right into a brick wall. She didn’t even break stride as she looped around a second time and smashed it again, driving it into the edifice hard enough to leave a crater. She hesitated for one moment, eying the bloody mass plastered against the brick, and then rammed it three more times with her hooves, leaving only a bloody smear and jagged bits of metal.
闪电小雌马挥动加特林机枪，扫射了布鲁德军团的五名飞行员，迫使他们分手。飞马的眼睛眯了起来。"哦，不，你没有!"她大喊大叫，飞快地追赶一个没有跑得像其他四个那么远的人。四只蹄子都撞到了布鲁德一家，把传单撞到了砖墙上。她甚至没有停下脚步，第二次兜圈子，再次猛击它，把它撞进大厦，撞出了一个弹坑。她犹豫了一会儿，眼睛盯着那块粘在砖上的血迹，然后用蹄子又撞了三下，只留下一块血迹和锯齿状的金属碎片。
She turned with a satisfied little smirk only to spot another flier taking aim right at her head.
她满意地得意地笑了一下，转过身去，却发现另一架飞机正瞄准她的头部。
Suddenly a pair of hooves appeared around the Brood flier’s neck, and the rest of the dusky batpony emerged behind the winged Brood. He pressed his mouth to its ear and let out a scream that sent spasms through the cyborg’s body. Then its brains dribbled out its nose and opposite ear canal. Stygius dropped the limp carcass into the chaos below, then smiled at Whisper and lifted his chalkboard with a heart drawn on it.
突然，一对马蹄出现在布鲁德夫妇飞行员的脖子周围，其余的黑色蝙蝠马出现在有翅膀的布鲁德夫妇后面。他把嘴紧贴在它的耳朵上，发出一声尖叫，让电子人的身体发出阵阵痉挛。然后它的脑浆从鼻子里滴出来，对着耳道。斯蒂吉乌斯把这只跛脚的尸体扔进了下面的混乱之中，然后对着Whisper微笑，举起他的黑板，上面画着一颗心。
Whisper flew to him, and the two embraced, twirling in midair as the fighting raged around them. The sun was close to the horizon now, and the sky was turning red in the west.
耳语飞向他，两人拥抱在一起，在空中旋转，战斗在他们周围肆虐。太阳已经接近地平线了，西边的天空开始变红。
“Is now really the time?” Tenebra shouted from the catwalk next to the gun crew, who were busy laying fire on a knot of Brood below. “There’s fighting going on, you know!”
"现在真的是时候吗?"特内布拉在t台上紧挨着正忙着向下面的布鲁德群岛开火的炮手们喊道。"战斗还在继续，你知道的!"
Whisper and Stygius parted before gravity pulled them too far, and both flew back to the catwalk. “Yeah, yeah,” Whisper said. “You’re just mad that I won’t kiss you in the middle of battle.” She pointed at one of the two earth ponies with the gatling beam gun. “You there! You’re Beam Burn, right?” she said, then
在重力把他们拉得太远之前，Whisper和Stygius分手了，两人飞回t台。"是的，是的,"Whisper说。"你只是因为我在战斗中不吻你而生气。"她用加特林机枪指着两匹小马中的一匹。"你！你是比姆博恩，对吗?"她说
gestured to Tenebra. “Kiss her.”
向Tenebra做了个手势。"吻她。"
The red earth pony mare’s eyes shot wide. “Um... I’m straight, Fluttershy.”
红地球小马驹的眼睛瞪得大大的。"嗯......我是异性恋，小萤火虫。"
“Oh yeah? Well I'm straighter, but somepony’s got to kiss her and it’s not going to be me! I got my snogging buddy,” she said as she gripped him tight and mashed lips and tongue and... ugh, why wasn’t this doing anything for me? I got turned on watching two other ponies doing it, but not when I’m one of them? Stupid alicorn soul that only liked to watch! Why couldn’t she be more like that unicorn trollop who screwed every… Wait. That was me! Argh!
"哦，是吗？我比较直，但总有人要吻她，而且不会是我！我找到了我的接吻伙伴,"她一边说，一边紧紧地抓住他，挤压着他的嘴唇和舌头，还有......呃，为什么这对我一点用都没有？我看到其他两匹小马在做爱就兴奋起来了，但是当我是其中之一的时候就不是了？愚蠢的独角兽的灵魂，只喜欢看！为什么她就不能像那个独角兽妓女一样...等等。那是我！啊！
The other, blue earth pony mare raised her hoof as she looked at Tenebra with an eager smile, but then the batpony mare stomped her hoof. “Nopony is kissing me! This is no time to be kissing! There’s fighting going on and... and...” She started to twitch, immediately pulled out a vial filled with some bluish fluid, and choked it down. Her twitching eased. “Ugh...” She wrinkled her nose. “Why does it taste like bubblegum?”
另一匹蓝色的地球母马抬起蹄子，热切地微笑着看着Tenebra，然后那匹白色母马跺了跺蹄子。"小马正在吻我！现在不是接吻的时候！她开始抽搐，立刻抽出一小瓶蓝色液体，把它咽了下去。她的抽搐减轻了。"呃......"她皱起了鼻子。"为什么尝起来像泡泡糖?"
Stygius released Whisper and said something to Tenebra in his inaudibly high-pitched voice.
Stygius放开了Whisper，用他那难以听见的尖锐声音对Tenebra说了些什么。
“Better,” she replied. “Good enough to fight.” She looked at the pair of earth ponies with the gatling beam gun. “Are you out of ammo?” The pair resumed firing, the pretty blue mare displaying a definite pout.
"好多了,"她回答。"足够好去战斗。"她用格林机枪看着那对土地上的小马。"你没子弹了吗?"这对母马继续射击，漂亮的蓝色母马撅着嘴。
“You’ve got to work on your priorities, Twitchy,” Whisper said as they walked along the catwalk, bullets from below zinging off the railings and pinging against the underside of the floor plates.
当他们沿着t台走的时候，Whisper说,"你必须做好你优先考虑的事情，Twitchy。"子弹从下面的栏杆上飞出来，打在地板的下面。
“My priorities!” Tenebra squeaked. “You’re... you’re... kissing! In the middle of battle!” A barrel bomb exploded down the street as if echoing her outrage.
"我的首要任务!"尖叫着。"你在...你在...接吻！在战场上!"一个桶装炸弹在街上爆炸，仿佛回应了她的愤怒。
Stygius spoke to her again, and her eyes went wide. He grinned sheepishly, tapping his wingtips together.
斯蒂吉乌斯再次对她说话，她的眼睛睁得大大的。他不好意思地笑了笑，一边轻轻地拍着翅尖。
Tenebra reddened a bit, sputtering, “I-it doesn’t matter if she’s a good kisser! We’re in the middle of the battle for the Hoof. We need to keep our priorities–”
Tenebra脸红了一点，气喘吁吁地说:"我不在乎她是不是一个接吻高手！我们正在为霍夫而战。我们需要保持我们的优先权——"
Whisper moved so fast that she nearly teleported atop Tenebra’s back. “You know what my priority is, Twitchy? I’m happy. I’m finally... finally... finally
Whisper移动得如此之快，以至于她几乎在Tenebra的背上瞬移。"你知道我的首要任务是什么吗，维奇？我很开心。我终于...终于...终于
happy. I have someone who makes me glad to be alive. I have a future and a family to look forward to. I have a father who, as much as he is a melodramatic ass, is my real father who loved my mother,” she said, stroking Tenebra’s skull with a power hoof as she spoke into her ear. “Shit that you’ve taken for granted all your life. Plus, I’ve got a whole city of fucks to kill however I want. And it’s fucking awesome, and I’m happy. That’s my priority.”
快乐。我有一个人，他让我很高兴还活着。我有一个未来和一个家庭可以期待。我有一个父亲，尽管他是一个夸张的混蛋，但他是我真正的父亲，他爱我的母亲,"她说，一边用一只有力的蹄子轻抚着特内布拉的头骨，一边对着她的耳朵说。"那些你一生都认为理所当然的事情。另外，我还有整个城市的混蛋可以随心所欲地杀掉。这太他妈棒了，我很开心。这是我的首要任务。"
She let Tenebra up and even helped her to her feet again. “Just... people...” the batpony stammered.
她让Tenebra站起来，甚至又扶她站起来。"只是......人......"蝙蝠小马结结巴巴地说。
“They die. Shit happens like that. But I’m not going to let it ruin my happy till it’s someone I care about.” The yellow pegasus paused, her mouth screwing up as if she felt ill, then said, “And I’m sorry for that... thing... that happened. Hope they can do something about it. But don’t tell me my priorities are screwed up. This is the first time my priorities are close to normal.” She took a deep breath and patted Tenebra on the back. “Still... sorry.”
"他们死了。事情就是这样的。但我不会让它毁了我的快乐，除非它是我在乎的人。"黄色的天马停顿了一下，她的嘴扭曲起来，好像她感到不舒服，然后说,"我很抱歉......那件事......发生了。希望他们能做点什么。但是不要告诉我，我的优先权被搞砸了。这是我第一次优先考虑的事情接近正常水平。"她深吸了一口气，拍了拍Tenebra的背。"还是......对不起。"
“Still rusty at the whole ‘nice’ thing, aren’t you?” Tenebra muttered darkly.
"你对所谓的'好'还是不太在行，对吧?"特内布拉暗自嘀咕着。
“Hey, I’m used to breaking spines, not patting backs. Which would you prefer, Twitchy?” Whisper retorted with a grin as they stepped onto the rooftop of an old factory. The industrial center of the city was a crescent of bulky buildings a mile thick and stretching for three miles along the edge of the eastern fork of the Hoofington River. From the rooftop, they could see hundreds of dark plumes rising all around the north, east, and west. The Citadel had largely burned itself out and was now sheathed in thick black and gray veils of smoke. Only the marble buildings of the University to the south and the Arena to the west lacked the telltale sooty columns that came with the Brood’s advance.
"嘿，我习惯于折断脊柱，而不是拍拍背。你更喜欢哪一个，Twitchy?"当他们踏上一座旧工厂的屋顶时，Whisper咧嘴笑着反驳道。这座城市的工业中心是一片一英里厚的庞大建筑群，沿着胡芬顿河东支流延伸三英里。从屋顶上，他们可以看到成百上千的黑色烟柱在北部、东部和西部升起。城堡大部分已经烧毁，现在被浓密的黑色和灰色的烟雾笼罩着。只有南边的大学大理石建筑和西边的竞技场没有布伦特一家前进时留下的那种能说明问题的黑色柱子。
“Not good,” Stygius wrote on his blackboard.
"情况不妙,"斯蒂吉乌斯在黑板上写道。
Whisper sighed and rolled her eyes, then thumped his shoulder with a power hoof. “Come on. If I’m the optimistic one, then there’s something wrong with you. What do you say we get out there, kill a couple thousand more of these cyberbitches, then get a bunch of our friends together and have a good, steamy rut?”
斯密斯叹了口气，转了转眼睛，然后用一只有力的蹄子拍了拍他的肩膀。"来吧。如果我是那个乐观的人，那么你就有问题。我们出去，杀死几千个这样的网络婊子，然后召集我们的一群朋友，开始一段美好的、色情的生活，你觉得怎么样?"
“I don’t think I’m in the mood for those anymore,” Tenebra replied, gazing away to the south.
"我想我没有心情再看这些了,"Tenebra回答道，目光远远地凝视着南方。
Whisper rolled her eyes again. “Ugh, come on, ponies! I cannot be the only happy one at this party.”
耳语又转动着她的眼睛。"啊，快点，小马！我不可能是这次聚会上唯一快乐的人。"
“I happy,” Stygius scribbled on his board with a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes.
"我很高兴,"斯蒂吉乌斯在他的黑板上潦草地写着，脸上带着一种不太符合他眼睛的微笑。
She grinned and kissed him firmly again. “I am so going to make you squeak tonight if the world doesn’t end,” she purred, and he flushed and gazed back into her eyes. He leaned over and gave her one final kiss on the end of her nose, and now she was blushing too. “Let’s go get them.”
她咧嘴一笑，又紧紧地吻了他一下。"如果世界没有毁灭的话，我今晚一定会让你尖叫的,"她咕噜咕噜地说，他满脸通红，目不转睛地盯着她的眼睛。他俯下身，在她的鼻尖上给了她最后一个吻，现在她也脸红了。"我们去找他们吧。"
“Mother and Father are a block that way,” Tenebra said, pointing with a wingtip.
"爸爸和妈妈就在那边,"特内布拉指着翼尖说。
“Your father? He’s fighting?” Whisper said with a grin. Tenebra gave a nod. “He’s got his sight back?”
"你父亲？他在打架?"低语者咧嘴笑着说。特内布拉点了点头。"他的视力恢复了?"
“Ehhhh...” she said weakly.
"呃......"她虚弱地说。
* * *
* * *
“OBLIVION!” King Hades roared, sending a sphere of shadow flying down the street at the mass of enemy Brood. The ten-foot-wide swirling orb of black fire consumed everything in its path. The powerfully-framed batpony gleamed with sweat as he stood with his wife behind a barricade of wagons that blocked a major street between a pair of factory buildings. The trio of fliers dropped down behind them as the stallion wiped the sweat from his brow. “Did I hit anything?”
"遗忘!"哈迪斯国王咆哮着，派出一个球形的影子沿着街道向敌人布鲁德军团飞去。十英尺宽的黑色火焰漩涡吞噬了它所经过的一切。他和妻子站在马车围成的路障后面，马车挡住了两栋工厂大楼之间的一条主要街道。当这匹种马擦去额头上的汗水时，三个飞行员从他们身后落了下来。"我打中什么了吗?"
Persephone critically eyed the channel cut along the front of a row of buildings. “Only a few, but I’m sure the enemy is quite intimidated, dearest,” she replied as she reached up with her wingtips to his bandaged head and turned it a little to the side. “Try that way, my love.”
珀尔塞福涅目不转睛地注视着一排建筑物前面的水道。"只有几个，但我敢肯定敌人是相当吓人的，亲爱的,"她回答说，她伸出她的翼尖到他的头部包扎，并把它稍微侧向一边。"试试那边，亲爱的。"
“OBLITERATE!” he roared again, sending another sphere much more solidly into the mass of soldiers. To his credit, his magic sent the Brood rushing away like nothing else I’d seen. Not even the Legate wanted to charge his troops into a sphere of disintegrating darkness.
"抹去!"他又吼了起来，把另一个球体更加结实地送进了一大群士兵中。值得赞扬的是，他的魔法让布鲁德夫妇像我所见过的任何东西一样飞奔而去。即使使节也不愿意带领他的军队进入一个四分五裂的黑暗领域。
“Much better! Send a few more that way when you can, dear,” she said, then turned to the three. “Ah, there you are, darlings!” She reached into her saddlebags, withdrew a blue vial, and passed it to Tenebra, who accepted it
"好多了！亲爱的，如果可以的话，再送几个过来。"她说着，转向那三个人。"啊，你们在这儿啊，亲爱的!"她把手伸进鞍囊里，取出一个蓝色的小瓶子，递给特内布拉，后者接受了
reluctantly. “Been having a nice flight out?”
不情愿地。"旅途愉快吗?"
“This isn’t a flight, mother!” Tenebra said breathlessly. “This is a battle for our very survival! You and Father should be in the stable where it’s safe!”
"这不是飞机，妈妈!"坦内布拉上气不接下气地说。"这是为了我们的生存而战！你和父亲应该呆在安全的马厩里!"
“And that’s where my darling babies should be,” she said as she smiled placidly at her children, who flushed and squirmed. “And my grandbabies too,” she said, arching a brow at Whisper, who scrunched up her face indignantly. “If my little ones are at terrible risk, how can we do any less?” She paused, seeing Hades had turned his head to listen, and reached up with her wings to aim him up the street again. “That way, dear.”
"那就是我亲爱的孩子们应该呆的地方,"她一边说，一边对她的孩子们平静地笑着，他们脸红、局促不安。"还有我的孙子孙女,"她说，对着Whisper微微拱起眉毛，Whisper愤怒地皱起了她的脸。"如果我的孩子们处于可怕的危险之中，我们怎么能做得更少呢?"她停了下来，看见哈迪斯已经转过头去倾听，便伸出翅膀，要把他再次举到街上。"那边，亲爱的。"
“Oh, yes. Of course.” He took a deep breath and strained, then bellowed, “ANULIATE!” and sent another sphere rocketing down the street. It dipped low, slipping into the roadbed. However, a second later, the street collapsed under the returning Brood with a great crumbling. “Heh. That got them!” He paused. “...Right?"
"哦，是的。当然。"他深吸了一口气，紧张起来，然后大声喊道:"ANULIATE!"又把另一个星球送上了大街。它低低地滑进了路基。然而，一秒钟后，街道崩溃在回归的布鲁德巨大的摇摇欲坠。"呵呵。这下他们倒霉了!"他停顿了一下。"......对吧?"
“Absolutely, dear,” she answered, patting his shoulder. “Now, do be careful and aim the way you’re facing... and do try to use actual words.” She looked back at the three. “Go on and play. Take care that you don’t get hurt.”
"当然，亲爱的,"她拍着他的肩膀回答。"现在，一定要小心，瞄准你面对的方向......尽量使用实际的词汇。"她回头看了看那三个人。"继续玩吧。小心别受伤。"
“Yes, Mom,” Whisper said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"是的，妈妈,"Whisper讽刺地转着眼睛说。
“I mean that, Whisper,” Persephone said, her smile steady but her eyes ardent. “I look forward to your wedding once we’ve cleaned up. It will give all our people something to celebrate.”
"我是认真的，小声说,"珀尔塞福涅说，她的微笑很坚定，但她的眼睛却充满热情。"等我们打扫干净了，我期待着你的婚礼。这将给我们所有人带来值得庆祝的东西。"
“A wedding, seriously?” Whisper tried to keep up the snark as she looked from herself to Stygius. “I mean... he hasn’t proposed...” Stygius gulped and gave his disapproving mother a sheepish grin.
"婚礼，真的吗?"当她从自己身上看向冥河时，Whisper试图保持着这种混乱。"我的意思是......他还没有求婚......"斯蒂吉乌斯咽了一口气，羞怯地笑了笑，表示反对。
“Stygius Lethe Acheron!” she said sharply. He trotted forward, hanging his head slightly. “Why haven’t you proposed to this young mare yet?”
"地狱神斯蒂吉乌斯·莱特!"她厉声说。他小跑着向前，微微低着头。"你为什么还没向这匹年轻的母马求婚呢?"
He eeped and then waved his hooves in the direction of the hundreds of Brood marching towards them, the barrel bombs exploding, the glowing fire of beam rifles cracking and streaking through the air ahead of them, and the general signs of battle as his mother looked on with a tiny smile and a very unamused arch of her brow. He stilled, hooves stretched towards the Brood as his eyes went from
他哼了一声，然后朝着数百名布鲁德军队走来的方向挥舞着他的蹄子，桶装炸弹爆炸了，发光的射线枪在他们前面的空中劈啪作响，战斗的一般征兆，他的母亲带着一丝微笑，眉头上露出一个非常不自然的弧度。他停住了脚步，双蹄朝着布鲁德一家伸去，眼睛离开了
one female to the other. Finally, he slumped and fell to his knees, mouth working on the piece of chalk, and then he used a wing to fish something gold from his saddlebags. When he turned back to Whisper, hanging on his proffered wingtip was a ring-shaped earring set with a large teardrop-shaped moonstone, and in his mouth he held a simple message.
一个女人对另一个女人。最后，他跌倒了，跪在地上，嘴巴对着那支粉笔，然后他用翅膀从鞍囊里捞出了一些金子。当他回到Whisper时，他伸出的翼尖上挂着一个环形的耳环，上面镶着一个大大的泪珠状的月光石，嘴里叼着一条简单的信息。
“Love U. Marry Me, Plz?”
"爱你，嫁给我，求你了?"
She stared at him for a moment, then gave a tiny nod, her eyes wide and glistening. Bullets pinged and zinged off the metal around them as he stretched up and clipped the ring to her left ear. The gem sent out dozens of tiny rainbow sparkles as the evening light reflected off its milky adularescence. She touched it carefully with a wingtip, as if confirming it was actually there. “Yes...” she whispered as tears welled in her eyes. “Yes!” she cried out as she embraced him tightly, making him squeak.
她盯着他看了一会儿，然后微微点了点头，眼睛睁得大大的，闪闪发光。当他拉长身体，把戒指夹在她的左耳上时，子弹砰的一声击中了他们周围的金属。傍晚的阳光反射出乳白色的冰霜，宝石上闪烁着几十道微小的彩虹。她用翼尖小心翼翼地碰了碰它，好像在确认它确实在那里。"是的......"她低声说着，泪水涌上了她的眼眶。"是的!"她紧紧地抱住他，让他尖叫起来。
“Congratulations,” Persephone said brightly once Stygius was released.
"祝贺你,"冥王斯提吉乌斯被释放后，珀尔塞福涅兴高采烈地说。
“Did something happen?” Hades rumbled, turning his head towards the rest of us.
"发生什么事了吗?"哈迪斯咕哝着，把头转向我们其他人。
She reach up, turning his head back. “I’ll fill you in later, dearest. Just keep sending your magic that way.”
她抬起手，把他的头扭了回去。"亲爱的，我一会儿再告诉你。继续用你的魔法吧。"
Tenebra sighed but gave a small smile. “Yeah. Congratulations. You must be very happy.”
特内布拉叹了口气，但露出了一丝微笑。"是的。恭喜你。你一定很高兴。"
“Happy?” Whisper said with a wide smile, and then she launched herself up in the air. Then, to the astonishment of everyone, including me and I think herself, she began...
"高兴吗?"低语者带着灿烂的笑容说，然后她把自己升到了空中。然后，让所有人，包括我和我自己都感到惊讶的是，她开始.....。
...to sing.
唱歌。
No one’s happier than I
没有人比我更开心了
I feel like reaching up to touch the sky
我想要伸手去触摸天空
I’m soaring through the clouds
我在云端翱翔
I could sing out loud
我可以大声唱出来
I’m aglow and I know the reason why
我发红了，我知道为什么
Everypony stared at her in astonishment, even, guided through hearing alone, King Hades, as the sweet, steady notes slipped out of her mouth and somehow carried out over the battle. Of course, she didn’t just hang there singing. No, she fought as she sang, as if it were as natural to her as flying. She looped and whirled, and Stygius followed with her, the pair coiling and curling around each other, breaking apart to smash a flyer that moved to finish them off but seemed unable to hit them. And where was that music coming from? It seemed to follow her song, cutting through the rattle of gunshots and the boom of barrel bombs.
每个矮种马都惊讶地盯着她看，甚至在哈迪斯国王的引导下，听着甜美而稳定的音符从她嘴里滑出，不知怎么的在战斗中完成了。当然，她不只是在那里唱歌。不，她一边唱一边战斗，仿佛这对她来说就像飞行一样自然。她一圈一圈地旋转着，斯蒂吉乌斯紧随其后，两人盘旋着，互相扭曲着，分开来击打一个飞行员，飞行员移动着想要将他们击倒，但似乎无法击中他们。那音乐是从哪里来的？它仿佛跟随着她的歌声，穿过了枪声和桶装炸弹的轰鸣声。
No one’s luckier than I
没人比我幸运
My happy heart inside is riding high
我快乐的心在里面骑得很高
I’ll tell the sun and moon
我要告诉太阳和月亮
That the world is in tune
这个世界是和谐的
And my friends can all sing and laugh and cry
我的朋友们可以唱歌，欢笑，哭泣
Her song seemed to reach out to the ponies fighting, unifying them. A few Flash Fillies broke out in an accompanying melody, coordinating their beam blasts into sheets of fire that actually seemed to stymie the Brood assault through the industrial canyons. Now the pair almost seemed to ignore the Brood desperate to kill them as they whirled and danced through the smoking ruins. The bullets seemed to fade to the barest buzzing of bees as they passed by the pair.
她的歌声似乎触动了战斗中的小马，使它们团结起来。一些闪光的小雌马在伴随的旋律中爆发出来，协调着它们的光束冲击成一片片的火焰，实际上似乎阻止了布鲁德军在工业峡谷中的进攻。现在，当布伦特夫妇在冒着烟的废墟中旋转跳舞时，他们似乎忽略了他们不顾一切想要杀死他们的念头。子弹从他们身边飞过，似乎渐渐消失在蜜蜂最微弱的嗡嗡声中。
For I’m in love, and I know I’m loved in turn
因为我恋爱了，我知道我依次被爱着
My friends below can see how I yearn
下面的朋友可以看到我多么渴望
She held him close as they whirled higher and higher, her song reaching out, cutting through the cracks of bullets and the booming of bombs to reach every friendly ear in the area. As they rose past the top of a smokestack, she glimpsed a white flash on the catwalk around its brick rim, but the couple’s spin quickly carried it out of view.
当他们旋转得越来越高的时候，她紧紧地抱着他，她的歌声穿透了子弹的裂缝和轰鸣的炸弹声，传到了这个地区每一个友好的听众耳中。当他们从一个烟囱上升起时，她瞥见一道白色的闪光出现在砖边的t型台上，但是这对夫妇的旋转很快就把它带出了视野。
For the day he takes me in his wings
因为有一天他会用翅膀带着我
Where I will laugh with the gift love brings
在那里我将欢笑与爱带来的礼物
I don’t mind telling you
我不介意告诉你
That I know that it’s true
我知道这是真的
There is no one who’s happier than I.
没有人比我更快乐了。
Then time seemed to slow as Stygius’s handsome smile faded and his gentle eyes widened. There was a dark flash, and he disappeared only for his legs to wrap around her from behind. She turned her head in bafflement, but suddenly he slammed into her, knocking her into a sharp spin as a line of pain bloomed on her side. When she stabilized, a bloody graze marring her coat, Stygius was in front of her, facing her. His wings struggled to keep him aloft, and she gripped his blood-slick legs with hers. A tiny smile rose on his lips. They formed the shape of three little words, and then he was falling, blood glimmering like rain in a crimson halo around him. There was no music. No sound at all as he fell from her outstretched hooves, his yellow bar gone from her E.F.S.
随着斯蒂吉乌斯帅气的笑容褪去，温柔的眼睛睁大，时间似乎变得缓慢了。一道黑光闪过，他消失了，只有他的腿从后面包住了她。她困惑地转过头，但是突然他猛地撞上了她，使她猛地旋转起来，一阵疼痛在她的身体两侧爆发出来。当她的情况稳定下来后，一个血淋淋的擦伤弄脏了她的外套，斯蒂吉乌斯就站在她面前，面对着她。他的翅膀挣扎着把他留在空中，她用自己的双腿紧紧抓住他那血液般光滑的双腿。他的嘴角露出一丝微笑。他们组成了三个小字的形状，然后他就倒下了，血液像雨水一样闪闪发光，在他周围形成一个深红色的光环。没有音乐。当他从她伸出的蹄子上摔下来时，一点声音都没有，他的黄色横杆也从她的e.f.s上消失了。
Her eyes turned to the catwalk, and she saw three figures. Only one was armed.
她的目光转向t台，看到了三个人影。只有一个人有武器。
Only one was needed.
只需要一个。
The Legate.
使节。
Flanked by two Brood unicorns, he pointed a zebra rifle at her with a calm, steady smile. Hanging from his back like some grotesque talisman was Goldenblood’s grisly torso, his eyes staring sadly at her. “Silence,” he said. There was a flash, a single bang, and a numbness spread through her body. She fell down into the fire and smoke and chattering gunfire.
在两只布鲁德独角兽的簇拥下，他用一把斑马步枪指着她，脸上露出平静而坚定的微笑。金色血液那可怕的躯干像某种奇形怪状的护身符一样悬挂在他的背上，他的眼睛悲伤地盯着她。"安静,"他说。一瞬间，一声巨响，麻木感蔓延全身。她掉进了火堆里，冒着烟，枪声不断。
Her limp wings dragged through the smoke, slowing her fall as she tumbled down, blood flowing from her own wounds and the stunned sensation flowing through her. She stared up at the blue sky, the two unicorns, the mutilated Goldenblood, golden feathers and drops of blood falling around her, and the smiling zebra...
她柔软的翅膀在烟雾中拖曳着，跌倒时减慢了速度，血从她的伤口中流出，令人震惊的感觉流过她的身体。她凝视着蔚蓝的天空，两只独角兽，残缺不全的金色鲜血，金色的羽毛和滴滴鲜血，还有微笑的斑马.....。
Then she struck a bank of old cables strung across the road, the thick, rubber-coated strands slowing her fall even more before they snapped and yanked right out of the wall. Her wings crackled like kindling under her. Then she landed in a heap in the middle of an empty street. It felt like an eternity that she lay there
然后她撞上了路上的一排旧电缆，那些厚厚的橡胶包裹的电缆使她的下落更加缓慢，直到电缆折断，从墙上猛地拉了出来。她的翅膀在她身下劈啪作响，像火柴一样燃烧着。然后她落在一条空荡荡的街道中间的一堆东西上。她躺在那里，感觉像是一辈子
bleeding, thinking nothing... feeling nothing.
流着血，什么都不想，什么都没有感觉。
“Stygius,” she whispered.
"斯提吉乌斯,"她低声说。
Slowly she turned, and now pain blossomed... but it was a distant pain. An abstract pain she felt only due to petty, fleshy trauma and broken bones. She stared up the street... down the street...
她慢慢地转过身来，现在痛苦开始了......但那是一种遥远的痛苦。一种抽象的疼痛，她只感到由于小的，肉质的创伤和骨折。她凝视着街道...街道的尽头..。
There, a gleam of purple and gray. She struggled to her hooves, blood dripping down her front and back, then staggered, step by step, towards her batpony. As she walked, coughing up red bubbles, Brood emerged. They didn’t impede her passage, smiling as she closed the distance to Stygius. He lay on his side, curled slightly, a pool of dark crimson spreading out from him. She fell to her knees in the cooling blood, staring down at his faintly smiling face. She stroked his cheek with a bloody hoof, but he did not stir.
在那里，一道紫色和灰色的微光。她挣扎着用蹄子走，血从前面和后面滴下来，然后一步一步地蹒跚着走向她的蝙蝠马。布鲁德一边走，一边咳出红色的气泡。他们并没有妨碍她通过，当她向冥河靠近时，他们微笑着。他侧身躺着，身体微微弯曲，一滩深红色的血从他身上流了出来。她跪在冰凉的血泊中，低头看着他微笑的脸。她用一只血淋淋的蹄子抚摸他的脸颊，但他一动也不动。
The Brood surrounded her. Softly, barely above a whisper, she began to sing again.
布伦特一家围着她。她轻轻地，几乎不超过一声耳语，又开始唱了起来。
No one’s happier than I...
没有人比我更开心了。.
Because I’m going to die...
因为我就要死了..。
Now the evening’s drawing nigh...
现在夜幕降临..。
This happiness has bid me good-bye...
这份幸福已经向我告别..。
I’m all alone... my heart is overthrown...
我独自一人...我的心被推翻..。
There’s nothing to do but...
没什么可做的，但是..。
A barrel pressed against her forehead, and she looked up, hot tears on her cheeks. “Shhh,” the Brood said as one... except for a few who wore strange, confused frowns as they watched the scene. “No more pony battle hymns.” She closed her eyes and smiled.
一只木桶压在她的额头上，她抬起头来，热泪盈眶。"嘘,"布鲁德一个人说......除了少数几个人在看到这一幕时皱起了奇怪而困惑的眉头。"再也没有小马战歌了。"她闭上眼睛，微笑着。
A crack split the air. Hot dust swirled around her.
一条裂缝把空气劈开了。热尘在她周围旋转。
She opened her eyes as she saw the glowing red pile of embers settle down before her. A half dozen more fell, collapsing into piles of dust as Flash Fillies
她睁开眼睛，看到一堆发着红光的余烬在她面前安顿下来。又有六个人掉了下来，像闪电小雌马一样倒在尘土中
and a few Burners riding batponies descended down into the street. Persephone rode Hades, calling out, “Left, no, your other left, dear!” while others swooped down towards Whisper. Tenebra landed, her wings shaking as she withdrew purple vials from her saddlebags. Whisper stared past them up at the Legate, glowering down at all of them from his perch above. But she didn’t linger on his eyes or the rifle pointing down at her. She looked past him at her father, his face solemn and mournful, his lips moving as he tried to say a word over and over again.
还有几个骑着蝙蝠车的燃烧者下到了街上。珀尔塞福涅骑着哈迪斯，喊道:"左边，不，你的左边，亲爱的!"而其他人则向Whisper俯冲。特内布拉着陆了，她从鞍囊中取出紫色小瓶时，翅膀颤抖着。Whisper从他们身后凝视着Legate，从他的栖木上怒视着他们所有人。但是她并没有在他的眼睛上逗留，也没有在指向她的步枪上逗留。她越过他看着她的父亲，他的脸严肃而悲伤，他的嘴唇在动，因为他试图说一句话一遍又一遍。
A bullet struck her thigh, auguring straight through. A second punched through her wing, taking a bloody clump of feathers and meat. A third slammed into her hip. She felt the blossoms of pain as her eyes remained locked on her father’s lips, trying to make out the word he said over and over again while she waited to be reunited and happy once more.
一颗子弹击中了她的大腿，预示着直接穿过。第二拳击穿了她的翅膀，带走了一团血淋淋的羽毛和肉。第三个击中了她的臀部。当她的眼睛紧紧地盯着父亲的嘴唇时，她感觉到了痛苦的花朵，在她等待着再次团聚和幸福的时候，她试图一遍又一遍地理解父亲说的话。
Sing.
唱歌。
A pearly shield formed around Whisper and Stygius, the batponies, the Flashers, and the Burners. The Legate bore an expression of profound frustration.
在Whisper和Stygius、蝙蝠战士、Flashers和Burners四周形成了珍珠般的盾牌。特使表达了深深的沮丧。
“Oh no,” Tenebra gasped, bent over Stygius.
"哦，不,"特内布拉喘息着，弯下腰来对着冥河。
“Which way is our foe, love?” Hades demanded, but the pale batpony was silent as she slid off him, her face streaked with tears as she fell over Stygius’s body and started to sob. “What is it? What’s going on! Love! Speak to me!” the king said with a hint of desperation.
"哪条路是我们的敌人，亲爱的?"哈迪斯问道，但是当她从他身上滑下来的时候，苍白的蝙蝠马一声不响，她的脸上布满了泪水，她倒在了冥河的身上，开始抽泣。"这是什么？怎么回事！爱！跟我说话!"国王带着一丝绝望的语气说。
The moonlight shield didn’t block the bullets perfectly, but it deflected them and slowed their progress, and the magical energy weapons of the Flashers and Burners were unimpeded as they struggled to keep the enemy at bay.
月光盾牌并没有完美地挡住子弹，但是它使子弹偏转并减慢了他们的前进速度，闪光者和燃烧者的魔法能量武器在他们努力阻挡敌人的时候是畅通无阻的。
Tenebra knelt next to her father. “He’s dead, Father,” she sobbed. “Stygius is dead!”
特内布拉跪在她父亲旁边。"他死了，父亲,"她抽泣着说。"斯提吉乌斯死了!"
The large dark batpony knelt, sweeping his wing across the ground until it brushed Stygius’s still face. “No. My son...” he whispered hoarsely. His wing dipped into the cooling pool of blood. “My boy!” he cried, and then he jerked his face towards the gunshots, roaring at the shooters, “You motherless bastards, you killed my son!” Tears soaked his blindfold as he summoned up a black nimbus around himself, the air suddenly growing chill. “DIE!” he roared.
这匹黑色的大蝙蝠马跪下来，用翅膀扫过地面，直到翅膀擦过冥河静止的脸庞。"没有。我的儿子......"他嘶哑地低声说。他的翅膀浸入冷却的血泊中。"我的孩子!"他叫了起来，然后把脸转向枪声，冲着枪手咆哮道:"你们这些狗娘养的，你们杀了我的儿子!"眼泪浸透了他的眼罩，他召唤了一只黑色的光轮围绕着自己，空气突然变得寒冷起来。"去死吧!"他吼道。
The nimbus exploded up away from him, fountaining out the top of the moonlight dome before sweeping down like an inferno of black fire. It carried with it all the pain of a grieving father and mother, seeking out the Brood as if it had a life of its own. Wherever it touched, flesh failed, metal corroded, and brick crumbled. The cloud of black flame broke into great roaring snakes that sought out every single Brood, and then, as if sensing his presence, the serpents all seemed to orient on the Legate. His eyes widened in surprise before he winked away along with the two unicorns. As if sensing they’d been robbed of their vengeance, the tendrils of black flame assaulted the smokestack he’d occupied. The brick and rebar disintegrated under the ebony onslaught, tumbling down towards the street and continuing to decay as they fell. Not a single pebble or stone reached the clustered ponies below.
雨云从他身边爆发出来，从月光的顶端喷涌而出，然后像地狱般的黑色火焰一样扫落下来。它带着悲伤的父亲和母亲的所有痛苦，寻找着布鲁德一家，仿佛它有自己的生活。只要接触到它，肉就会破裂，金属就会腐蚀，砖就会碎裂。黑色火焰的乌云变成了咆哮的巨蛇，它们寻找着每一个巢穴，然后，仿佛感觉到了他的存在，所有的蛇似乎都定位在特使身上。他惊讶地睁大了眼睛，然后眨着眼睛和两只独角兽一起走了。仿佛感觉到他们的复仇被剥夺了，黑色火焰的卷须袭击了他占据的烟囱。砖块和钢筋在黑檀木的冲击下分解了，滚落到街上，在倒下的同时继续腐烂。下面簇拥着的小马，没有一块鹅卵石或石头抵达。
The burst of dark magic, or Stygius’s death, or both, seemed to wither the stallion. The tips of his mane turned gray, and his powerful frame weakened. “Husband, no! I’ve just lost a son! I’ll not lose a husband as well,” Persephone cried out, holding him tightly around the neck. The storm of black flame seeking out the remaining Brood guttered as if starved for air, and died. Hades slumped against Persephone, his legs shaking as he sat down hard. “My love. My love...” she murmured as she held him.
黑魔法的爆发，或者冥河的死亡，或者两者兼而有之，似乎使这匹种马枯萎了。他的鬃毛尖端变成了灰色，他强有力的身体变弱了。"丈夫，不！我刚失去了一个儿子！我不会再失去一个丈夫了,"珀尔塞福涅紧紧地搂着他的脖子喊道。黑色火焰的风暴正在寻找剩下的布鲁德病菌，它像是饿死了一样，渐渐地熄灭了。哈迪斯重重地靠在珀尔塞福涅身上，双腿颤抖着，艰难地坐了下来。"我的爱人。我的爱......"她抱着他喃喃地说。
Tenebra held a potion bottle to Whisper’s lips, and she drank by reflex rather than any wish for the pain to ebb. “What happened to him?” she murmured as she stared at the king.
泰内布拉把一瓶药水放在Whisper的嘴边，她本能地喝了下去，而不是希望痛苦消退。"他怎么了?"她看着国王喃喃自语。
“The price for using dark magic in excess,” Tenebra replied, reaching down to stroke Stygius’s mane. “Poor Brother. You always had to be so damned noble.”
"过度使用黑魔法的代价,"Tenebra回答道，低下头抚摸着Stygius的鬃毛。"可怜的哥哥。你总是那么该死的高尚。"
Whisper gazed at Stygius. “I was going to be married. I was going to have a family. A real family...” She reached up to the earring with a trembling hoof, but the shaking was so great that the moonstone earring popped from her ear and fell, landing in the pool of blood. Whisper shook even more, staring at him. “Damn it. Damn it! I’m supposed to be... I want... why...” she stammered, her voice getting higher and tighter as her eyes burned. “What is the fucking deal?!” she screamed out to the sky. “Why couldn’t he just live? Why the fuck does everyone keep dying on me? Why the fuck can’t I get a damned break? Just once?”
低语凝视着Stygius。"我就要结婚了。我将要有一个家庭。一个真正的家庭......"她用颤抖的蹄子把手伸向耳环，但是抖动太厉害了，月光石耳环从她的耳朵上弹了下来，落在血泊中。低语者更加颤抖，盯着他。"该死。该死！我应该......我想......为什么......"她结结巴巴地说，她的声音越来越高，越来越紧，她的眼睛烧伤。"这他妈是怎么回事?!"她对着天空尖叫。"他为什么不能活下去呢？为什么每个人都他妈的死在我面前？为什么他妈的我就不能休息一下？就一次?"
“I don’t know,” Persephone answered softly, stroking Hades gently with one of
"我不知道,"珀尔塞福涅轻轻地回答，轻轻地抚摸着哈迪斯
her wings. Tenebra extended another potion to her, but she turned away.
她的翅膀。特内布拉又给了她一剂药，但她转过身去。
There was still fighting going on, and close. More bullets and explosions to the south. She rubbed her face with a bloody hoof. “Fuck. Fuck fuck fucking fuck! How... why... what the fuck am I supposed to do? All I wanted was to be fucking happy! Why can’t I just have that! Just... have it?” She slumped. “Fuck... I don’t even want to fight anymore. I just... fuck.”
战斗还在继续，而且越来越近了。更多的子弹和爆炸发生在南方。她用沾血的蹄子蹭脸。"操。操，操，操，操！怎么...为什么...我他妈该怎么办？我只想要他妈的快乐！为什么我就不能拥有它呢！只是......拥有它?"她垂头丧气。"操......我甚至不想再吵架了。我只是...操。"
Persephone put her wingtip under Whisper’s chin and lifted her face until their eyes met. “There’s no need for... for dramatics dear,” she said in a voice as brittle as glass. “The time for weeping will come later. You haven’t lost everything. You still have us.”
珀尔塞福涅把她的翼尖放在斯维尔的下巴下面，抬起她的脸，直到他们的眼睛相遇。"没有必要......做戏，亲爱的,"她用玻璃一样脆弱的声音说。"哭泣的时刻迟早会到来。你并没有失去一切。你还有我们。"
“But...” She stared at the batponies. “But... I... he’s gone… I’m not. I mean...”
"但是......"她盯着那些蝙蝠战马。"但是......我.....。.他走了...我没有。我是说......"
“You are still a part of us, no matter what’s happened.” Persephone brushed some of the blood from her face. “You might have a long way to go, my child, and your language desperately needs some refinement, but we will not forsake you. You’re a part of our family.”
"无论发生了什么，你仍然是我们的一部分。"珀尔塞福涅擦掉了她脸上的一些血迹。"我的孩子，你可能还有很长的路要走，你的语言急需改进，但我们不会抛弃你。你是我们家的一份子。"
Whisper looked from one to the next. “You... you mean it?”
耳语从一个传到另一个。"你...你是认真的吗?"
Tenebra sighed, rolling her tired eyes. “I guess if I’m going to have a sister, it’s appropriate that she’s a bitch.” But she wore a small joyless smile as she said it.
特内布拉叹了口气，转动着她疲倦的眼睛。"我想如果我要有个妹妹，那么她是个婊子也是合情合理的。"但她说这话的时候，脸上带着一丝无趣的微笑。
“Tenebra,” her mother admonished in a weary voice.
"Tenebra,"她的母亲用疲惫的声音告诫她。
“What? She just said a dozen obscenities in a row! I’m not allowed to call her a bitch?” Her voice hitched. “That’s– that’s hardly fair!” Tenebra protested, tears on her cheeks, the exchange drawing a tiny twitch to the corner of Whisper’s lips.
"什么？她刚刚一口气说了一打下流话！我就不能叫她婊子吗?"她的声音颤抖起来。"这...这太不公平了!"特内布拉抗议着，泪水在她的脸颊上流淌，这种交流使得低语者的嘴角微微抽搐了一下。
“Ah, family,” Hades rumbled softly.
"啊，一家人,"哈迪斯轻轻地咕哝着。
Whisper reached over and took the potion Tenebra had offered earlier, holding it between her hooves, then drank it down. She tossed the empty aside and looked to the pale batpony. “But... how do I... after all that’s happened?”
低语者伸手拿起特内布拉之前提供的药水，用蹄子夹住，喝了下去。她把空瓶子扔到一边，看着那匹苍白的蝙蝠马。"但是......我怎么能.....。.在发生了那么多事之后?"
“I was told it’s not what happens to us but how we rise to meet it. How will you?” she asked Whisper quietly.
"有人告诉我，问题不在于我们身上发生了什么，而在于我们如何奋起应对。你会怎么做?"她轻声问道。
Whisper sat there, staring at the little white stone gleaming in the pool of darkening red. Tenebra raised her hoof and tapped her PipBuck. “This is Bat Two. Is there anypony on that can give me a situation report?”
低语者坐在那里，凝视着在暗红色的水池中闪闪发光的小白石。特内布拉抬起蹄子轻轻敲了敲皮布克。"这是蝙蝠二号。有没有可以给我情况报告的小马?"
There was a pause, and then, “This is Homage. The Brood are pushing into the northeast from the north. It looks like they’re trying to push everypony south towards Fallen Arch. Another group tried to push the Society and Collegiate north and west as well, but the former was halted. We’ve got some refugees in the Core. Nothing’s happening, yet.”
有一个停顿，然后,"这是致敬。布伦特一家正从北方向东北方向推进。看起来他们想把每一匹小马都往南推向堕落拱门。另一个组织也试图将学会和学院推向北部和西部，但前者被阻止了。我们在核心区有一些难民。目前还没有任何进展。"
“Hades is out of action, and we’ve lost... my brother. We’re clear of the Brood for the moment. What does Storm Chaser want us to do?” Tenebra said as she looked to the north.
"哈迪斯已经不行动了，我们失去了......我的兄弟。我们暂时离开了魔龙军团。风暴追逐者想让我们做什么?"特内布拉望着北方说。
“Withdraw back to Fallen Arch. Try and stop the refugees from getting into the Core. The Cyclone’s giving as much cover as it can spare. We’re bringing help right away, but... damn it!” Homage swore. “Refugees are starting to go into the Core from the Arena too!”
"撤退到坠落拱门。试着阻止难民进入核心区域。飓风已经尽可能多地提供掩护了。我们正在马上寻求帮助，但是......该死!"敬意宣誓。"难民也开始从竞技场进入核心区!"
“Maybe Blackjack was wrong. Maybe refuge in the Core is our only hope?” Tenebra asked.
"也许Blackjack错了。也许在核心区避难是我们唯一的希望?"特内布拉问道。
“Blackjack’s never wrong. Not about stuff like that,” Whisper murmured as she carefully fished out the moonstone earring. The white opaline surface had become stained a dark red. She gazed at it. “If she says it’s bad, then it’s bad.”
"黑杰克从来不会出错。不是关于那样的事情,"Whisper一边小心翼翼地掏出月光石耳环，一边喃喃地说。白色乳白色的表面染成了深红色。她凝视着它。"如果她说是坏事，那就是坏事。"
“Well,” Homage answered, “unless she shows up in the next five minutes, there’s going to be a whole lot of people in the Core. The defenders are barely holding the lines as is. I have help coming, but it’ll be a few hours before they get here.”
"嗯,""敬意"回答说,"除非她在接下来的五分钟内出现，否则核心区将会有很多人。防守队员几乎没有守住防线。有人来帮忙了，不过他们还要几个小时才能到。"
The stone turned over, balanced on the ends of her pinions. “He came for me himself,” Whisper murmured. “Why? I’m nopony... He doesn’t care about Fluttershy... he has my father... why come and kill me?” She closed her eyes, but the image of her father saying that word over and over again rose inside her.
那块石头翻了个身，顶在她的羽翼的两端。"他是自己来找我的,"呢喃喃道。"为什么？我不是小马......他根本不在乎弗特什......他抓了我爸爸......为什么要来杀我?"她闭上了眼睛，但是父亲一遍又一遍地说那个词的画面在她的脑海中浮现。
Sing.
唱歌。
How could she sing? The joy she’d felt inside her that moment was gone. Everything that remained had collapsed in on itself, filling her heart with jagged
她怎么能唱歌呢？那一刻她内心的喜悦消失了。剩下的一切都崩溃了，把她的心填得参差不齐
shards of rage. She opened her eyes, looking at Stygius’s limp body. The ghost of a smile still resting on his lips. She closed her eyes, seeing the Legate with her father there, smirking, killing them as if he were a colt playing a prank. Anger began to burn anew, fed by a purer fuel than she’d stoked it with before.
愤怒的碎片。她睁开眼睛，看着斯蒂吉乌斯软弱无力的身体。幽灵般的微笑仍然停留在他的嘴唇上。她闭上眼睛，看着莱盖特和她的父亲在一起，傻笑着，杀了他们，仿佛他是一匹小马驹在恶作剧。愤怒开始重新燃烧，燃料比她以前加的燃料更加纯净。
You could sing with more than just love...
你可以唱的不仅仅是爱..。
Homage was saying something about the zebras and Velvet Remedy when Whisper touched her own PipBuck. “Homage. Can you connect me to as many ponies across the Hoof as you can?”
当Whisper触摸她自己的PipBuck时，她说了一些关于斑马和天鹅绒药物的话。"致敬。你能帮我接通霍夫街尽可能多的小马吗?"
“I think so. We’ve got enough control for that,” Homage replied. “Why?”
"我想是的。我们已经掌握了足够的控制权。"。"为什么?"
But Whisper didn’t answer immediately. They carefully put Stygius across her back, and she held him without struggle. Then, she clipped the red stone back to her ear, the gem glowing in the sunlight, and started to walk to the south. As she did, every footfall made a percussive beat. One-one two three... One-one two three... Then, as before, music began to play along with each step. Was it coming from her PipBuck or simply because she was in that moment where there was a song she needed to sing?
但是Whisper没有立即回答。他们小心翼翼地把斯蒂吉乌斯放在她的背上，她毫不挣扎地抓住他。然后，她把那块在阳光下闪闪发光的红宝石夹在耳朵上，向南走去。当她这样做的时候，每一个脚步声都发出一种敲击的节奏。一，一，二，三......一，一，二，三......然后，像以前一样，音乐开始伴随着每一个步骤演奏。是来自她的PipBuck还是仅仅是因为她正处在一个需要唱歌的时刻？
When all feels lost...
当所有人都感到迷失..。
what remains... is most precious to us.
剩下的...对我们来说是最珍贵的。
Hold. Hold on to love...
等一下。紧紧抓住爱..。
Hold on to life… Hold on to tomorrow...
紧紧抓住生活...紧紧抓住明天..。
Maybe it was whatever magic she channeled in this moment, or maybe my blank body was throwing one last curveball at me, but I suddenly had images of ponies all across the Hoof fighting and struggling against the onslaught of the Brood. Of exhausted mares and stallions wanting the fighting to be done. Of terrified people seeking any shelter they could. Of soldiers crying out for bullets, bandages, or help. Of fighters struggling against exhaustion. And as she sang, the words reached them through radios and PipBucks, her hard notes cutting through the panic and mayhem.
也许是她在这一刻释放出的魔力，也许是我空白的身体向我扔出了最后一个弧线球，但是我突然想起了马蹄上所有的小马在与魔龙军团的攻击搏斗的画面。疲惫的母马和种马想要战斗结束。害怕的人们寻找任何他们能找到的避难所。士兵们哭喊着要子弹、绷带或者帮助。战士们在疲惫中挣扎。当她唱歌的时候，歌词通过收音机和PipBucks传达给了他们，她的硬音切断了恐慌和混乱。
Rise. Hoofington Rise.
起来。胡芬顿高地。
Don’t let the fear crush you down now.
现在不要让恐惧压垮你。
Rise. Hoofington Rise!
起来。胡芬顿起立！
Stand for the light. Don’t let it die!
代表光明。不要让它死去！
Amidst all the images, one of Velvet Remedy stood out. I couldn’t guess why she was surrounded by zebras, but the black unicorn mare joined in, her voice low and smooth as she ignored the zebras watching her in bafflement.
在所有的画面中，有一幅《天鹅绒补救》脱颖而出。我猜不出为什么她被斑马围绕着，但是那匹黑独角兽母马也加入了进来，她的声音低沉而流畅，因为她困惑地忽略了斑马们的注视。
When hate burns on for too long
当仇恨持续太久
Everything’s cast away now.
现在一切都被抛弃了。
But, with friends near, loved ones so dear,
但是，亲爱的朋友在身边,
We can carry the day so
我们可以顺利度过这一天
Then, in unison, the pair cried out in harmony, Velvet with dozens of zebras and Whisper surrounded by ever more batponies, Burners, Flashers, and every other exhausted fighter tired of this day.
然后，两人齐声喊道:天鹅绒和几十匹斑马，Whisper被更多的蝙蝠战马、燃烧者、闪光者和其他每一个厌倦了这一天的疲惫战士包围着。
Stand! Hoofington stand!
站起来！胡芬顿站起来！
Face our foe. Drive back the darkness raging!
面对我们的敌人。驱逐黑暗的肆虐！
Stand! Hoofington Stand!
站起来！胡芬顿站！
Don’t give up now!
现在不要放弃！
Stand! Hoofington Stand!
站起来！胡芬顿站！
Sing together to beat back this darkness!
一起歌唱，击退这黑暗！
Stand! Hoofington Stand!
站起来！胡芬顿站！
Vict’ry’s near, hold your loved ones closer!
快来吧，把你所爱的人紧紧抱在怀里！
As they sang, ponies who were running for their lives stopped and stiffened as if an invisible wind blew through them. They turned back towards the fighting. A purple batpony colt started back towards the fighting. Then another pony.
正当他们歌唱时，奔跑求生的小马停了下来，变得僵硬，好像有一股看不见的风吹过它们。他们转向战斗。一匹紫色的小马驹开始返回战场。然后是另一匹小马。
Another. Solo ponies looked to each other. Pairs formed groups. Gangers and traders, the wounded and frightened, started back from the protection of the Core. Only the greediest and bitterest scavengers stayed behind, determined to loot whatever they could however they could. The music softened, and I was astonished that Whisper could sing so sweetly even when carrying Stygius’s body across her shoulders.
另一个。独自一人的小马互相看着。成对的人组成了群体。分身和商人，受伤和害怕，从保护核心返回。只有最贪婪和最凶恶的食腐动物留了下来，决心不择手段地掠夺一切。音乐变得柔和了，我惊讶于Whisper竟然能唱得如此甜美，甚至当她把Stygius的身体放在肩膀上的时候。
You might feel lost and
你可能会感到迷茫
wandering alone…
独自徘徊..。
But others are here
但是还有其他人在这里
to lend an ear
倾听
to make this place feel like home
让这里有家的感觉
So look! Look to the living, look to the loving,
所以，看吧！看着活着的人，看着慈爱的人,
laughing, praying, fighting!
大笑，祈祷，战斗！
The battered defenders around the Arena, fighting behind barricades and in the skies, turned at the sight of an army of reinforcements rushing in to help as the pair sang out, joined by dozens of others filling in however and wherever they could. Together.
球场周围被打得支离破碎的防守者在路障后面和空中战斗，看到援军冲进来帮助他们时，他们高声喊叫，几十个其他人加入进来，无论如何，只要他们可以。一起。
Fight! Hoofington Fight!
战斗！胡芬顿战斗！
Don’t give up to fear and sorrow.
不要放弃恐惧和悲伤。
Fight! Hoofington Fight!
战斗！胡芬顿战斗！
Don’t give up hope...
不要放弃希望..。
for a bright tomorrow!
为了美好的明天！
Rise! Hoofington Rise!
起来！胡芬顿起立！
The time is now to raise your voices
现在是你们大声疾呼的时候了
Rise! Hoofington Rise!
起来！胡芬顿起立！
Rise! Hoofington Rise!
起来！胡芬顿起立！
And face tomorrow!
面对明天！
The song ended and the music faded away, but the sentiment raged on as my awareness returned to Whisper, bearing her slain love across her back, the red moonstone gleaming beside her left eye. “Homage. I need you to tell me where the Legate is. Now. He took my love from me. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him hold on to my father as well,” she said as–
这首歌结束了，音乐渐渐消失了，但是当我的意识回到耳语时，情感又燃烧了起来，带着她被杀死的爱穿过她的后背，红色的月光石在她的左眼边闪烁着。"致敬。我需要你告诉我特使在哪里。现在。他夺走了我的爱。如果我也让他抓着我父亲不放，我就完了,"她说着，仿佛-
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Suddenly I was back in the rocket... most of me. I made a number of undignified noises as I flailed my limbs and wings, trying to get my eyes to focus on Bastard in front of me, holding my blank body in his hooves. Eye control was re-established first, followed by motor function, and finally linguistics as I made a disjointed ‘huh?’ noise.
突然间，我又回到了火箭里......大部分的我。当我挥舞着我的四肢和翅膀时，我发出了一些有损尊严的噪音，试图让我的眼睛聚焦在我面前的淘气包上，用他的蹄子托着我空白的身体。首先是重新建立眼睛控制，然后是运动功能，最后是语言学，我说了一个脱节的"啊?"噪音。
He peered at me from over the top of his sunglasses. “Oh. Look who’s awake. Princess Not-Zoning-Out-Anymore-Till-She-Deals-With-Shit. It’s a miracle.” He levitated my blank body to a couch on the other side of the cabin, glowering at me, then pointed a hoof at Scotch Tape. The young mare was curled up on her couch again, staring at her hooves. “You two need to fucking talk. She’s mastered the art of risky sex with complete strangers, and I’m pretty sure the second we touch down, she’s going to graduate to booze, chems, and self-mutilation.”
他从太阳镜上方凝视着我。"哦。看看谁醒了。公主不再分区，直到她处理狗屎。这是一个奇迹。"他把我空白的身体悬浮在客舱另一边的沙发上，怒视着我，然后用蹄子踢了踢透明胶带。那匹年轻的母马又蜷缩在沙发上，盯着她的蹄子看。"你们两个需要好好谈谈。她已经掌握了与完全陌生的人进行危险性行为的艺术，而且我非常确定我们一着陆，她就会变成酗酒、药物和自残。"
I looked at her sitting there all alone, then tore my eyes back to him. “I don’t know what to say,” I muttered lamely. “I’m not good with words.” I put my magic around the blank body, ready to levitate it back to me.
我看着她独自一人坐在那里，然后把目光转回到他身上。"我不知道该说什么,"我喃喃自语。"我不善言辞。"我把我的魔法放在空白的身体周围，准备悬浮它回到我身边。
He drew a pistol and pointed it unerringly at my blank’s head.
他拔出手枪，准确无误地指着我的脑袋。
“I’m good at causing fucking misery, but you’re the master, Blackjack. ‘I’m not good with words.’ What the fuck is wrong with you? She’s lost her father and her friends, and you’re as distant as the fucking moon right now. She’s so desperate for somepony that she’s screwing me to make herself feel better. Now get your ass over there and deal with it, or I’ll fulfill my fucking contract and kill a Blackjack.” And I knew, staring into his eyes, that he meant every word. I could stop him, or even kill him, but there was just one problem...
"我擅长制造他妈的痛苦，但你是老大，Blackjack。我不善言辞你他妈的怎么了？她失去了父亲和朋友，而你现在就像他妈的月亮一样遥远。她是如此渴望得到一匹小马，为了让自己感觉好一点，她和我做爱。现在给我滚过去处理这事，不然我就履行我的合同杀了一个黑杰克。"我盯着他的眼睛，知道他说的每一个字都是认真的。我可以阻止他，甚至杀了他，但只有一个问题..。
He was right.
他是对的。
A part of me was incensed that this churl was forcing the issue. How dare he? I could help Scotch after this was finished. There were all kinds of dreams that I could craft to address her loss. Talking... that was messier. If I could adopt a guise or persona, I could address this indirectly. Work around to helping her, and she wouldn’t even be aware I was doing it. That way, if it blew up, I wouldn’t be hurt. Blamed. Punished.
我的一部分被激怒了，因为这个粗人在强行解决这个问题。他怎么敢？完事后我可以帮苏格兰威士忌。有各种各样的梦想，我可以编造来弥补她的损失。谈话...更混乱了。如果我可以采取伪装或角色，我可以间接地谈到这一点。努力帮助她，她甚至不会意识到我在做这件事。这样，如果它爆炸了，我就不会受到伤害。被责备。被惩罚。
“Damn it,” I muttered. Slowly, I shifted over to where Scotch sat curled up, her mane obscuring her face. As I sat beside her, she gave a tiny sniff, but nothing else. What was I supposed to say? ‘So, how was he? Scale of one to ten?’ or ‘How are you doing?’ or...
"该死,"我喃喃自语道。慢慢地，我转移到苏格兰人蜷缩着坐着的地方，她的鬃毛遮住了她的脸。我坐在她旁边，她轻轻地嗅了一下，没有别的动作。我还能说什么？""那么，他怎么样？1到10的等级或者'你好吗或者..。
“Sorry,” I said dumbly. I swallowed hard. “Sorry about your father. Sorry about Rampage. Sorry about... everything.”
"对不起,"我默默地说。我艰难地咽了口唾沫。"你父亲的事我很遗憾。对于横冲直撞我很抱歉。所有的一切，我都很抱歉。"
She didn’t respond for a long while. Luna would have trotted off. Come back when she fell asleep and work some magic with her dreams. Explain herself. Work the situation till she came around. I had to wait, no matter how much I hated it. No matter how I saw P-21 lying there, impaled, and heard Scotch Tape screaming for him. “I wish I were a real Princess. I don’t think I am. Not really. A real Princess would have saved them both. Somehow.” I lifted my hooves, looking at the precision clockwork turning inside the intricate housing. “I couldn’t do anything.”
她很长一段时间没有回应。卢娜会小跑着离开的。等她睡着了再回来，在她的梦里施展魔法。解释一下。在她恢复意识之前一直处理这个问题。我不得不等待，不管我有多讨厌它。不管我如何看到P-21躺在那里，被刺穿，并听到苏格兰磁带为他尖叫。"我希望我是一个真正的公主。我不这么认为。也不尽然。一个真正的公主会救他们两个的。不知怎么的。"我抬起我的蹄子，看着精密的钟表装置在错综复杂的外壳内转动。"我什么也做不了。"
“Did you try?” Scotch Tape asked.
"你试过了吗?"透明胶带问道。
I closed my eyes, feeling tears on my cheeks. “I could have tried harder. Found some way to cut through the bars. Found some way to keep Horizons from going off. Something. Gotten him back to the Astrostable.” I rubbed the cool metal across my eyes. “I’m sorry.”
我闭上眼睛，感觉到脸颊上的泪水。"我本可以更努力的。找到了切断栅栏的方法。找到了阻止视野号离开的方法。一些东西。把他送回天文台。"我用冰凉的金属擦了擦眼睛。"对不起。"
“Sorry doesn’t make it better, Blackjack!” Scotch Tape snapped at me, giving me a glare so like his that I almost saw dark blue eyes instead of her teal. “You’re...
"对不起并不能让事情变好，Blackjack!"透明胶带啪地一声折断了我，给了我一道和他一样的强光，我几乎看到了她的眼睛是深蓝色的，而不是蓝绿色的。"你是.....。
you! You blow up huge towers and survive balefire bombs! You do the craziest shit like it’s nothing! Why couldn’t you have done it this time? Some trick or some... something! Why didn’t you?”
你！你炸毁了巨大的塔楼，幸免于火焰炸弹！你做了最疯狂的事，好像什么都没发生一样！这次你为什么不能做到呢？一些诡计或一些...东西！你为什么没有呢?"
“Because I couldn’t!” I shouted back at her. “What do you want from me?”
"因为我做不到!"我也对她大喊大叫。"你想从我这里得到什么?"
“A miracle!” she yelled. “What else are Princesses for? What else is a goddess for?” she asked as she wept, hot, angry tears dripping down her cheeks like molten angst. “You could have... you should have... why... why?” Now her voice choked to a whimpering pleading. “Why didn’t you save him?”
"奇迹!"她喊道。"公主还有什么用？女神还有什么意义呢?"她边哭边问，热泪滚滚，愤怒的泪水顺着脸颊流下，就像融化了的焦虑。"你可以...你应该...为什么...为什么?"现在她的声音哽咽成了哀求。"你为什么不救他?"
“Because...” But I couldn’t say more. How could I tell her that I’d promised him to keep her alive? Bastard was right. She was hurt. Damned hurt. Not in body, but in the heart. Anything I said could twist back and make her blame herself for his death, if she wasn’t already. “He promised me that... that if anything should happen... I... I...” I licked my lips, then held my stomach. “I had to save my babies. His babies. After going through so much to get them back, I had to.”
"因为......"但我不能再多说了。我怎么能告诉她我答应过他让她活着？淘气包说得对。她很受伤。该死的疼。不是在身体上，而是在心里。我说的任何话都会让她为他的死而自责，如果她还没有这样做的话。"他向我保证......如果发生什么事......我.....。.我。。」我舔了舔嘴唇，然后捂住肚子。"我必须拯救我的孩子。他的孩子们。在经历了这么多之后，我不得不把它们找回来。"
The lie worked. Some of the pain and anger dripped from her. Suspicion remained, but there was doubt there, too. She said in a breaking voice, “He told me... he told me not to let you... get down. That I’d have to keep you off the mattress... whatever that means. Keep you happy and focused. And I tried to pretend, but you... you didn’t seem like you cared. Like it wasn’t your fault.”
这个谎言奏效了。一些痛苦和愤怒从她身上滴下来。怀疑依然存在，但也存在疑问。她声音嘶哑地说:"他告诉我......他告诉我不要让你......下来。我必须让你远离床垫...不管那是什么意思。让你保持快乐和专注。我试着假装，但是你...你看起来并不在乎。好像这不是你的错似的。"
I turned to the window, my voice faint as I felt my throat choke up. “I... I care... Please... believe me. I care...” It wasn’t my fault, though. Not really. Between Horizons and his injuries... maybe if I’d insisted on bringing Velvet Remedy and her friends, she might have done something. Keeping the Hoof intact was more important, though. “I wish things had been better,” I said, then gritted my teeth, trying to keep the panic from overwhelming me. “I wish... so many things...”
我转向窗户，感到喉咙哽住，声音微弱。"我.....。.我在乎...请...相信我。我在乎......"但这不是我的错。也不尽然。在地平线和他的伤害之间...也许如果我坚持带天鹅绒补救和她的朋友，她可能已经做了一些事情。然而，保持霍夫的完整性更为重要。"我希望事情能变得更好,"我说，然后咬紧牙关，努力不让恐慌压倒我。"我希望......有很多事情......"
“I wish I just... aside from Daddy... that everything inside me was okay. That’s why I did... you know... with him,” she said, glancing over at where Bastard was adamantly not looking in our direction. “You’ve said how sex is your reset button. I hoped it’d reset me too.”
"我希望我只是......除了爸爸......我身体里的一切都很好。这就是我为什么......你知道......和他在一起的原因,"她说，瞥了一眼淘气包坚决不看我们的方向。"你说过性是你的重置按钮。我也希望它能重置我。"
“Did it work?” I asked with a tiny, envious half smile.
"成功了吗?"我带着羡慕的微笑问道。
The young mare pressed her knees together. “It was okay while I was doing it, but I still couldn’t forget. Now I’m sticky and sore, and that’s about it. I’m not getting off this seat till I get a wet towel on my nethers.” She closed her eyes.
那匹年轻的母马双膝并拢。"我做的时候还好，但我还是忘不了。现在我又粘又痛，就是这样。除非把湿毛巾放在下面，否则我是不会离开这个座位的。"她闭上了眼睛。
“I’m half amazed he did it at all, but he just asked me if I was sure. He let me set the pace.”
"我有点吃惊他竟然这么做了，但他只是问我是否确定。他让我定下了节奏。"
“Because I didn’t want the crazy moon Princess to pop my head like a zit if I’d done you bloody and raw,” Bastard answered from across the rocket. “If you’re
"因为我不想让那个疯狂的月球公主像青春痘一样爆掉我的头，如果我伤害了你的话。"淘气包在火箭对面回答道。"如果你是
old enough to seriously want it, you’re old enough to seriously do it. Though that was in the top ten list of most messed up things I’ve done.”
到了想要的年龄，你就可以认真去做了。尽管这是我做过的最糟糕的十件事之一。"
“I wasn’t bad, was I?” Scotch asked with a frown.
"我不坏，是吗?"苏格兰人皱着眉头问。
He turned towards us, pointed his cigarette like an accusing finger, opened his mouth silently, and froze. He popped the cigarette back in his mouth and reclined back in the chair. “Nope. Not going to talk about it. Just going to file it under things I’m going to forget about today,” he mumbled around the cigarette.
他转向我们，像指责的手指一样指着他的香烟，默默地张开嘴，僵住了。他把香烟放回嘴里，向后靠在椅子上。"没有。我不想谈这个。只是把它归在我今天要忘记的东西下面,"他边抽烟边喃喃自语。
Scotch Tape drooped her ears. “I guess I was...”
透明胶带使她的耳朵耷拉下来。"我想我是......"
“You were fine! Great! Fantastic, even! You’re just a few years younger than I’d like, okay? I don’t want to know where you learned how– You know what? This is us, not talking about it. Ever.” He glared menacingly at both of us, but I simply smirked back, and Scotch Tape snorted. He levitated my blank body back to me. “Okay! Here you go. You talked. She’s no longer looking like she wants to die. You can go back to doing whatever you were doing cuddling with this thing.”
"你很好！太好了！甚至可以说非常棒！你只是比我想象的年轻几岁，好吗？我不想知道你是怎么知道的你知道吗？这就是我们，不是在谈论它。永远不会。"他凶狠地瞪了我们两个一眼，但我只是傻笑回去，透明胶带哼了一声。他把我空白的身体悬浮起来还给我。"好吧！给你。你说话了。她看起来不想死了。你可以继续做你抱着这个东西做的任何事情。"
“I’m looking at what’s happening in Equestria,” I answered, taking the body in my embrace. “There’s a lingering magical connection between this body and the ponies I’ve met.” And the reality of what was happening in the Hoof came rushing back in on me like a tsunami. My smile disappeared. “It’s not good.”
"我在观察Equestria正在发生的事情,"我回答，把身体放在我的怀抱里。"这个身体和我遇到的小马之间有一种挥之不去的神奇联系。"霍夫所发生的一切就像海啸一样冲回我的脑海。我的笑容消失了。"情况不妙。"
“Tell me,” Scotch Tape said.
"告诉我,"苏格兰胶带说。
So I did.
所以我就这么做了。
Ten minutes later I’d filled them in on everything from the razing of Chapel to the fate of Stygius and Whisper. The latter upset Scotch far more than the former. Toilets and towns could be rebuilt so long as the people survived.
十分钟后，我把所有的事情都告诉了他们，从小教堂被夷为平地到斯蒂吉乌斯和密语的命运。后者比前者更让苏格兰人感到不安。只要人们活下来，厕所和城镇就可以重建。
“I can’t believe that he proposed, only to get killed,” Scotch Tape said as she wiped her tears. “That has to be the worst timing ever.”
"我不敢相信他向我求婚，结果却被杀了,"苏格兰胶带擦干眼泪说。"这肯定是有史以来最糟糕的时机。"
“If he hadn’t proposed, she wouldn’t have started singing, and if she hadn’t sung, I don’t think the Legate would have shown up himself to stop her. He was trying to kill Whisper. I think he was afraid of her,” I replied as I looked down at the planet looming closer and closer. We were over the zebra lands again. I could
"如果他没有求婚，她就不会开始唱歌，如果她没有唱歌，我不认为大使会出现阻止她。他想杀了Whisper。我想他是害怕她,"我一边回答，一边低头看着那个越来越近的星球。我们又越过了斑马地。我可以
make out the megaspells still raging and flickering in the midst of their Wasteland. I was responsible for this. They’d been my enemy and I’d wanted them defeated, but I’d never imagined that the weapons we’d wrought would continue to slay centuries later.
看清楚仍在荒原中狂怒摇曳的巨人们。我对此负有责任。他们曾经是我的敌人，我希望打败他们，但是我从来没有想到我们制造的武器会在几个世纪后继续杀戮。
“Afraid? Of a little singing?” Scotch Tape said skeptically
"害怕吗？唱一会儿歌吗?"透明胶带怀疑地说
“Don’t knock ponies singing together,” Bastard replied. “I don’t understand it myself, but I knew folks who said there’s a magic there beyond just casting spells. Think about it. People together just deciding to sing together, everypony knowing the words, everypony in unison, sometimes with music from who knows where... it’s magic. And when it’s done, earth ponies might have rebuilt an entire house in a few hours, or a unicorn in Canterlot's made connections with damn near everyone in the city. I don’t understand it, but even I don’t scoff at it.” He paused and pursed his lips. “If I ever do burst into some silly song, though, shoot me, please. Especially if there’s dancing involved.”
"不要敲一起唱歌的小马,"淘气包回答。"我自己也不明白，但我知道有些人说，魔法不仅仅是施法。想想吧。人们聚在一起决定一起唱歌，每匹小马都知道歌词，每匹小马都步调一致，有时还伴随着来自不知何处的音乐......这太神奇了。当它完成的时候，地球上的小马可能会在几个小时内重建一个完整的房子，或者在Canterlot的一只独角兽可以和这个城市的几乎每个人建立联系。我不明白，但即使是我也不会嘲笑它。"他停顿了一下，噘起了嘴唇。"不过，如果我突然唱起一些愚蠢的歌，请向我开枪吧。特别是如果有舞蹈的话。"
We both regarded him quietly a second. “One day, you’re going to tell your story, Bastard.”
我们都静静地看了他一眼。"总有一天，你会说出你的故事，混蛋。"
“Only with a gun to my head, Blackjack,” he replied. “Actually, even then, I’d probably just tell you to pull the trigger.”
"只是有人用枪指着我的头，Blackjack,"他回答。"实际上，即使那样，我可能也会告诉你扣动扳机。"
I shook my head and looked out the window at Equus again, then asked, “How long do you think it’ll be till we arrive?”
我摇了摇头，又看了看窗外的马，然后问道:"你觉得我们还要多久才能到?"
“Not long now. Within the hour, I think,” Scotch Tape said as she examined the computer running the ship. “Are you going to go back in?”
""不久了。不到一个小时，我想,"苏格兰磁带说，她检查计算机运行的船。"你要回去吗?"
“One more time, I think. I want to see what the Legate and the others are doing. We’ll probably have to regroup at the University. So many are injured...” And so many gone, I didn’t add. With one last look at the young mare, I added, “Are we good now? No more hating me?”
"再来一次，我想。我想看看特使和其他人在做什么。我们可能得在大学里重新部署。这么多人受伤......"还有这么多人死去，我没有加上。看了小母马最后一眼，我补充道:"我们现在和好了吗？不再恨我了?"
“I hate that Princess powers don’t include breaking the rules so ponies we love can live. Otherwise, what’s the point?” Scotch Tape asked with a frown as she fiddled with the machine, sitting quite uncomfortably next to it. “Go fast. When we’re five minutes away from reentry, we’ll pull you out again.”
"我讨厌公主的力量不包括打破规则，这样我们爱的小马就可以生存。否则，还有什么意义呢?"苏格兰胶布皱着眉头问道，她摆弄着那台机器，很不舒服地坐在它旁边。"走快点。等我们再过五分钟就要返回时，我们再把你拉出来。"
I nodded and pressed my horn to the blank’s brow. It was harder, this time.
我点点头，把喇叭按在空白的额头上。这次更难了。
Maybe the first break had weakened the magical connection, or maybe it was our distance from the moon. Either way, it took me almost a minute to push myself into that dark space, and a minute more to find the last pool I needed.
也许第一次分手削弱了这种神奇的联系，也许是因为我们与月球的距离。不管怎样，我花了将近一分钟的时间把自己推进那个黑暗的空间，又花了一分钟的时间找到我需要的最后一个泳池。
Goldenblood.
金色血统。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
“You seem tense,” Goldenblood rasped from a table atop a building in the middle of the Core. Dozens of gem-studded monitor screens showing camera feeds from around the Hoof sat on other tables around some terminals next to Goldenblood. The Legate paced along the sheer edge, his face a mask of frustration. His unicorns waited in silent subservience, twenty or so Brood cyberzebras arranged in rings around the top of the tower. “Are things not turning out how the Eater told you they would?”
"你看起来很紧张,"戈登布拉德在核心区中央一座建筑物顶上的桌子上粗声粗气地说。几十个镶嵌宝石的显示屏上显示着霍夫饭店周围的摄像头画面，它们就放在靠近Goldenblood的一些终端机周围的其他桌子上。特使沿着陡峭的边缘走来走去，脸上带着沮丧的表情。他的独角兽在安静的服从中等待着，二十只斑马围绕着塔顶排成一圈。"事情不是像食人者告诉你的那样吗?"
“I’ve taken your legs. Your jaw isn’t as difficult to remove,” the red-striped zebra said as he walked back and forth along the precipice. The looping orbitals on his face looked like deep ravines carved into his flesh. “Things just aren’t progressing as smoothly as I’d like. That damned song. What is it with ponies and singing?! Everything was going wonderfully, and then they had to start caterwauling!” He jabbed a hoof down at the Core, and Goldenblood saw a few scavengers picking through the remains of the last ponies to try sheltering there. “There should be thousands down there! So much effort to draw so many of you wretched ponies to the Hoof so that I could herd them in here. Thousands! Stallions, mares, and foals. Especially foals! Instead, they fight on.”
"我拿走了你的腿。你的下巴不是很难切除,"红条纹的斑马一边沿着悬崖来回走一边说。他脸上的环状轨道看起来像深深的沟壑刻在他的肉体上。"事情并没有像我希望的那样进展顺利。那首该死的歌。小马和唱歌有什么关系?！一切都进行得很顺利，然后他们不得不开始大叫起来!"他用蹄子戳了戳地心，金血王看见几个拾荒者在最后几匹小马的残骸中寻找庇护所。"下面应该有几千人！我费了那么大劲把你们这些可怜的小马拉到霍夫这儿来，好让我把它们赶到这儿来。成千上万！种马，母马和小马驹。尤其是小马驹！相反，他们继续战斗。"
“So sorry our desire to survive doesn’t align with your elaborate master plan for our complete annihilation,” Goldenblood rasped. “I thought your victory was inevitable.”
"很遗憾，我们对生存的渴望与你们精心制定的毁灭我们的总体计划不一致,"金血王愤怒地说。"我以为你的胜利是不可避免的。"
The Legate glared. “If the trajectory hadn’t been changed, Horizons would have impacted through the crust and possibly reacted with the Eater before it could be devoured. Changing the trajectory was supposed to bring it straight down!” He grabbed Goldenblood by the neck and held him over the edge. Below was the pit leading straight down to the Eater. “The starmetal netting and magical fields would have easily captured it! But instead, it’s taking the scenic route. The sensible thing would have been a straight shot!”
特使怒目而视。"如果轨道没有改变，地平线号可能会撞穿地壳，并在食人者被吞噬之前与它发生反应。改变轨道应该会让它直线下降!"他抓住金布拉德的脖子，把他拉到悬崖边上。下面是一个直通食者的坑。"海星金属网和魔法原野很容易就能抓住它！但相反，它选择了风景优美的路线。明智的做法应该是直走!"
“Oh, so that little detail’s still tripping you up?” Goldenblood asked with a
"哦，那么这个小细节还是让你困惑吗?"金布拉德问道
chuckle, then started laughing.
咯咯笑，然后开始大笑。
“What’s so funny?” the Legate demanded.
"有什么好笑的?"使节问道。
“Us,” Goldenblood laughed. “The two of us with our ridiculously convoluted plans to kill everypony... me to save the world, and you to end it. It’s hilarious!” The raw laughter prompted the Legate to slam him into the ground at the edge of the white building that I now identified as the M.o.I. hub.
"我们,"金血王笑着说。"我们两个打算杀掉所有人......我来拯救世界，你来结束这一切。太搞笑了!"原始的笑声促使使节把他摔倒在白色建筑边缘的地上，我现在确定这是m.o.i中心。
“Your plans?! You were used! My master used you! I serve willingly. I will help it devour every last spark of life in the universe!” he shouted.
"你的计划?！你被利用了！我的主人利用了你！我乐意效劳。我将帮助它吞噬宇宙中生命的最后一点火花!"他喊道。
“Yeah. Brilliant life, that. You might have been better just having a family. I know I would have,” Goldenblood quipped.
"是的。精彩的人生。如果你有一个家庭，你可能会更好。我知道我会的,"金血王打趣道。
Then the Legate swept him up and shouted in his face, “Do you think I haven’t loved?!”
然后使者把他抱起来，当着他的面大喊:"你以为我没有爱过吗?!"
Goldenblood stared as the Legate seethed. “I’ve lived for thousands of years. Thousands! Even as a Starkatteri and Proditor, I’ve found love. Passion. Joy, even! All it does is rot! One death after another. I’ve had wives turn into decrepit bags of bone and sinew. Lovers turn old and dull and fat. I’ve watched children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren die over and over. Violence! Disease! Despair! Again and again. I’ve endured centuries alone because it numbed the pain of one parting after the next! Life is a curse! It is punishment! It is a joke! We live for fleeting years and then perish just so our offspring can do the same as well. Madness!”
金血王目瞪口呆，特使激动不已。"我活了几千年。成千上万！即使作为一个斯塔卡特里和普罗迪托，我也找到了爱情。激情。甚至是喜悦！它所做的一切就是腐烂！一个接一个的死亡。我的妻子们变成了一袋袋破烂的骨头和肌肉。恋人们变得又老又无趣又肥胖。我一次又一次地看着自己的孩子、孙子、曾孙死去。暴力！疾病！绝望！一次又一次。我独自忍受了几个世纪，因为它麻木了一次又一次分离的痛苦！生活是一个诅咒！这是惩罚！这是个玩笑！我们活了短暂的几年，然后死亡，这样我们的后代也可以做同样的事情。疯狂!"
He threw Goldenblood back to the ground with a snapping of more bone, then glowered down into the pit. “Life is a lot like you, Goldenblood. A rancid, festering corpse that, by some cruel joke of the universe, keeps struggling on, spreading pain and suffering. And I will crush it and you, you rotten little worm, under my hooves. I will end the joke and take my war to the stars so that they, too, can find the peace of nonexistence. I will destroy everything. I am the great cleanser, and this world is merely the first tiny baby step of my grand campaign. Do you understand? Are you even capable of grasping the scope of my plans? This is nothing. You are nothing. You pathetic little mortals just don’t realize it yet!”
他又啪地一声把金色血液扔回地上，然后怒气冲冲地跌进坑里。"生活和你很像，金血王。一具腐烂、腐烂的尸体，被宇宙的一些残酷玩笑所毁灭，继续挣扎，散播痛苦和苦难。我要碾碎它和你，你这腐烂的小虫子，踩在我的蹄子下面。我要结束这个笑话，把我的战争带到星球上，这样他们也能找到不存在的和平。我会毁了一切。我是伟大的清洁剂，这个世界仅仅是我宏大运动的第一小步。你明白吗？你有能力理解我的计划吗？这没什么。你什么都不是。你们这些可悲的小凡人还没有意识到这一点!"
Goldenblood simply lay there staring up at him monologuing. I tried to kill
金色的血液只是躺在那里，凝视着他，一字一句地说着。我试图杀人
everyone out of a misguided duty to Equestria. Destruction the only redemption I could conceive. How shameful. How petty. How foolish. But all this hate... this malice... Millennia of life, and this is what you desire? “This is what you do with immortality,” he said with disgust. “Pathetic.”
每个人都是为了逃避对Equestria的错误责任。毁灭是我唯一能想到的救赎。真丢脸。真小气。多么愚蠢。但是所有这些仇恨...这些怨恨...几千年的生命，这就是你所渴望的？"这就是你对待不朽的方式,"他厌恶地说。"可悲。"
“This is what every immortal does, eventually,” he answered, then stared at the setting sun. “Every immortal craves an ending. If we don’t get it, we’ll create it.” He then looked back down into the streets. “There’s nothing for it. Hopefully there’s enough. Pity. I really wanted more foals for this.” He raised his head and closed his eyes. A moment later the building started to tremble. “Now,” he breathed.
"这是每个不朽者最终都会做的,"他回答，然后盯着落日。"每个不朽者都渴望一个结局。如果我们得不到它，我们就会创造它。"然后他回头看了看街道。"这没什么用。希望够用。真可惜。我真的很想要更多的小马驹。"他抬起头，闭上眼睛。过了一会儿，大楼开始颤抖。"现在,"他低声说。
“What are you doing?” Goldenblood asked as the shaking grew. “You’re turning the Enervation back on, aren’t you?” he shouted in alarm.
"你在干什么?"随着颤抖的加剧，金血王问道。"你又恢复了你的能量供应，不是吗?"他惊恐地喊道。
“Don’t be silly. What a waste that would be.” He opened his eyes and pointed a hoof at a building across the pit as the shaking grew. A shriek filled the air from countless throats. Then the building erupted in a great fountaining of red gore.
"别傻了。那将是多大的浪费啊。"随着地震的加剧，他睁开眼睛，用蹄子指了指对面的一座建筑物。空气中充满了无数喉咙的尖叫声。然后建筑突然喷出一大堆红色的血块。
The viscous material poured out of the broken top, assembling into all manner of crawling, pinching, stinging monstrosities. Another building erupted. And another. Torrents of thick red goo surged out windows and through cracks and up grates. They turned into swarms of flying things with stingers and pincers. Collected into great spiders. Lumped into enormous, monstrous shapes that lumbered down the streets.
粘稠的物质从破碎的顶部倾泻而出，聚集成各种爬行、挤压、带刺的怪物。另一座建筑爆发了。再来一杯。厚厚的红色粘稠物从窗户涌出，穿过裂缝和栅栏。他们变成了一群带着刺和钳子的飞行物。收集成巨大的蜘蛛。巨大的、畸形的东西在街道上隆隆地走着。
At the same time, swarms of mechasprites swept in and with their wings and lasers cut off those trying to flee. Those caught by the great oozing mass seemed to be assimilated by it, swelling grotesquely as they screamed in agony on the screens. The Legate watched the scenes with a look of profound frustration as the mechasprites seemed to jam augments into hemmed-in ponies almost at random, creating horrors that tried to totter or limp away before the red mass snared and consumed them.
与此同时，成群的机甲兵利用翅膀和激光切断了那些试图逃跑的人。那些被巨大渗出的群众抓住的人们似乎被它同化了，怪异地膨胀着，在屏幕上痛苦地尖叫着。特使带着极度沮丧的眼神看着这一幕，机甲兵似乎几乎是随意地把装备塞进被围起来的小马里，制造出恐怖的景象，在红色的陷阱将它们吞噬之前，它们试图蹒跚或跛行。
“Come on,” he muttered at the screens. “Come on! Your time is almost up! Here I am! Look at what’s coming! You’re great and powerful and afraid! Give in to your terror! Use it! Use your great and overwhelming power before it’s too late! Use it!”
"来吧,"他对着屏幕喃喃自语。"来吧！你的时间快到了！我在这里！看看接下来会发生什么！你是伟大的，强大的，害怕的！向你的恐惧屈服吧！使用它！在为时已晚之前，使用你强大的压倒性的力量吧！使用它!"
“What are you talking about? What are you...” Goldenblood trailed off. “Oh
"你在说什么？"你在干什么......"金色的血色渐渐消失了。"哦
no… Celestia One...” And his eyes turned to the skies.
不......塞勒斯泰拉一世......"他的眼睛转向天空。
The clear and open air above Hoofington west of the Core seemed to shimmer, and golden lines of light began to coalesce into rings. Rings with their centers angled towards the setting sun. The golden rings began to spin. “Yes...” the Legate breathed as he stared at the light. “Yes. Yes! Do it! Do it!”
核心区以西的Hoofington上空清澈开阔的空气似乎闪闪发光，金色的光线开始汇聚成环状。中心朝向夕阳的光环。金戒指开始转动。"是的......"特使盯着灯光呼吸着。"是的。太好了！动手吧！动手吧!"
“No!” Goldenblood shouted... and then was blinded by an immense, blazing glow as the light of the setting sun focused like the beam of a magnifying glass, only to be interrupted by a field of magic surrounding the M.O.I. hub. The Legate laughed in glee as the energy poured into the shield with abandon, and the shaking suddenly increased.
"不!"金色的血液大声呼喊着......然后被一道巨大的炽热的光芒刺瞎了双眼，夕阳的光芒就像放大镜的光束一样聚焦，只是被围绕在m.o.i中心周围的一片魔法场所打断。当能量肆无忌惮地涌入盾牌时，使者高兴地笑了起来，晃动突然加剧了。
“Yes!” he cried out, forehooves thrust to the heavens, his shadow stark and absolute as it fell across Goldenblood.
"是的!"他喊道，前蹄冲上天空，他的影子赤裸裸地落在Goldenblood上空。
And it wasn’t the only one. These weren’t thin javelin-like beams of energy but rivers of fire in the sky. More beams blasted down from those rings, sweeping across the monstrosities pouring out of the skyscrapers. These weren’t protected by shields, and the flesh incinerated with a horrible sweet stench of burning meat and glass. One by one, the beams of scorching light crawled through the Core and lit one building after another alight. Some disintegrated instantly, but others were reinforced enough that a casual brushing of the megaspell was only sufficient to turn them into blazing torches. Often, inexplicably, the beams struck magical fields that seemed to suck in the energy briefly before sweeping away to hit other areas of the Core, some with their own shields, some without.
这不是唯一的一个。这些不是像标枪一样的薄能量束，而是天空中火焰的河流。更多的光束从这些圆环上射下，扫过倾泻而出的摩天大楼上的怪物。这些肉没有盾牌的保护，肉被燃烧的肉和玻璃发出的可怕而甜美的恶臭焚化。灼热的光束一道道地穿过核心，照亮了一座又一座建筑。其中一些瞬间瓦解，但另外一些则得到了足够的强化，以至于偶尔刷一下巨石柱，就足以把它们变成熊熊燃烧的火把。通常，令人费解的是，这些光束会击中魔法场，这些魔法场似乎短暂地吸收了能量，然后扫过去击中核心的其他区域，有些有自己的盾牌，有些没有。
And the Legate laughed in triumph, tears of joy streaking his cheeks.
特使得意洋洋地笑了起来，喜极而泣的眼泪在他的脸颊上留下了痕迹。
The sun slipped down below the horizon, and the megaspell continued to pour on power for another minute or two before it winked out as well. The Core burned, but still it stood. Five minutes hadn’t been enough to melt the city to its bedrock. Great heaps of meat sizzled like overcooked steaks while the mechasprite swarms had been rendered into bubbling puddles of slag. Half the monitor screens showed only static. All was still. All silent.
太阳滑落到地平线以下，巨大的天空继续倾泻着力量，一两分钟后也熄灭了。核心燃烧着，但仍然屹立不倒。五分钟还不足以融化这座城市的基石。成堆的肉像煮过头的牛排一样发出咝咝声，而机甲虫群则变成了冒泡的矿渣坑。一半的显示器屏幕显示只有静电。一切都静止了。一片寂静。
Then the lights came on. One by one, the towers that weren’t aflame lit up. Green lines outlined and illuminated the streets below. Countless televisions and radios began to play old prewar tunes. The rotted remains of the lives that had lived here before lay naked and exposed and ugly for all to see. Along the wall
然后灯亮了。没有燃烧的塔楼一个接一个地亮了起来。绿色线条勾勒出下面的街道，照亮了街道。无数的电视和收音机开始播放战前的老歌。以前在这里生活过的生命的腐烂残骸裸露着，暴露着，丑陋地展现在所有人面前。沿着墙
and tower tops, talismans flashed and winked.
塔顶，护身符闪烁闪烁。
Nopony spoke. Then, “What did you do?”
Nopony说。然后,"你做了什么?"
“Harvested more energy in five minutes than I could have in five hundred years,” the Legate said as he smiled out at the illuminated ghost that was the Core.
"五分钟收获的能量比我五百年收获的还要多,"特使一边说着，一边微笑着看着被照亮的幽灵，那就是核心。
“For what?”
"为什么?"
“This,” the Legate said with a smile, and the towers began to shake once more.
"这个,"使节微笑着说，双子塔开始再次摇晃起来。
Only this time there was no relenting, the trembling growing louder and louder.
只是这一次没有丝毫松懈，颤抖声越来越大。
Suddenly, the side of a nearby tower exploded. A long, gleaming silver shaft erupted sideways from the obsidian monolith, sending immense black panels tumbling down into the street below. A matching shaft burst forth from the building on the other side of the street, and the two shafts met above the road. The fingers on the ends of each shaft enmeshed perfectly, and, with a hiss of gas, hundreds of bolts slammed into place to lock them together. This happened again with another pair of buildings. And again, and again, throughout the Core.
突然，附近一座塔的侧面爆炸了。一条长长的闪闪发光的银色竖井从黑曜石巨石上突然向一侧伸出，巨大的黑色镶板滚落到下面的街道上。一个相配的竖井从街道另一边的建筑物中突然冒出来，两个竖井在路的上方相遇。每根轴两端的手指完美地啮合在一起，伴随着气体的嘶嘶声，数以百计的螺栓猛烈地撞击到位，将它们锁在一起。这种情况在另一对建筑物中再次发生。一次又一次，贯穿整个核心。
Then the shafts began to turn.
然后车轴开始转动。
The skyscrapers began to move.
摩天大楼开始移动。
With a noise louder than I could have imagined, immense buildings were being shifted about. The unbreakable starmetal that was woven around the girders and through the beams and motors kept them intact as rotating shafts slowly screwed them towards each other, the Core compressing together and away from the pit in the center of Hoofington.
随着比我能想象到的更响亮的声音，巨大的建筑物被移动着。围绕在梁上、穿过梁和电机的坚不可摧的星状金属保持了它们的完好无损，旋转的轴慢慢地将它们互相拧紧，核心被压缩在一起，远离Hoofington中心的坑洞。
“F.A.D.E. shields take energy to block energy. You reversed it,” Goldenblood said as the screeching died down, many of the buildings now flush against one another. Portions of their foundations were crumbling away, revealing a circular-patterned silver grid, wide holes between the thin wires, beneath them and the crushed streets.
"f.a.d.e.防护罩需要能量来阻挡能量。你把它倒过来了,"金布拉德说，尖叫声渐渐平息下来，许多建筑物现在互相冲撞。它们的部分地基正在崩塌，露出一个圆形图案的银色网格，细电线之间的宽洞，在它们下面和压碎的街道。
“An ingenious application your M.A.S. was developing. I liberated a copy of the theory from the hub here half a century ago. Really, it was a pity you never involved Twilight in the Tokomare project. I just relish imaging what I could
"你们的m.a.s正在开发一个巧妙的应用程序。半个世纪前，我从这里的中心取出了一份这个理论的副本。真的，很遗憾你没有把暮光之城加入到Tokomare项目中。我只是喜欢想象我能想到的
have accomplished with her curiosity and ambition.”
完成了她的好奇心和野心
He picked up the ghoul with one hoof and stood, looking out as the city slowly rearranged itself around them, the M.O.I. hub an increasingly isolated spire in the midst of all this transformation. “Nopony can stop me. Nopony can face me. I will end this world. I will save it from its misery. And I will do so to the next world, and the next, and the...” He paused as a green light appeared, streaking between the towers as they moved. “Wait... what is...”
他一只蹄子捡起食尸鬼站了起来，看着城市慢慢地在他们周围重新排列，在这一切变化的过程中，m.o.i.枢纽变成了一个越来越孤立的尖顶。"没有小马能阻止我。没有小马可以面对我。我要毁灭这个世界。我将把它从痛苦中拯救出来。我会这样对待下一个世界，下一个世界，还有......"他停顿了一下，一道绿光出现了，在双子塔移动的时候在它们之间划过。"等等...这是..."
That streak launched itself towards the M.O.I. tower, dropping down and following the crumbling remains of the streets, weaving around the lampposts that still jutted up alongside the crushed wagons like a blazing ball of fire. It reached the base of the tower and disappeared. A second later, a blazing green bird popped into view in front of the Legate and Goldenblood, the ghoul immediately feeling his broken body strengthen as the Legate gaped at it in bafflement.
那条痕迹朝着摩托罗拉的摩托罗拉大厦展开，随着街道的残垣断壁掉落下来，绕过路灯柱，这些路灯柱依然耸立在被撞毁的马车旁边，就像一个燃烧的火球。它到达了塔的底部，消失了。一秒钟之后，一只绿色的火鸟突然出现在特使和金色血液面前，食尸鬼立刻感觉到他破碎的身体变得强壮，特使迷惑地张大了嘴巴。
Then the bird opened its mouth wide and sprayed a tight beam of flame right into the Legate’s face. His meat immediately charred and blasted away, leaving a blackened skull atop his neck. He dropped Goldenblood at once, raising his hooves to block the flame as the Brood around him began to writhe, some firing at random and others collapsing. The torrent of flame ended, leaving a dark line of soot painted across the top of the tower. Black flecks of bone and meat immediately began to sweep back into his charred face and limbs, reassembling his head. In seconds, he’d be back together.
然后，这只鸟张大了嘴，向特使的脸上喷射出一束紧密的火焰。他的肉立刻被烧焦，烧得干干净净，脖子上只剩下一个发黑的头盖骨。他立刻放下金色的血，抬起蹄子挡住火焰，周围的魔龙军团开始扭动，有的乱射，有的倒下。火焰的洪流结束了，在塔顶留下了一条黑色的烟灰线。黑色的骨头和肉粒立刻又回到他烧焦的脸上和四肢上，重新组合起他的头。几秒钟之内，他们就会重归于好。
That was a few seconds too late.
晚了几秒钟。
From the air around the tower, shimmery fields dropped to unleash a platoon of bat-winged zebras. At the same time, a dozen alicorns, four of each color, appeared around the tower. Velvet Remedy rode one of the purples as she gazed down sadly at the Brood, then gave a little nod. At once the alicorns began to blast at the staggered enemy, even as she averted her eyes.
从塔周围的空中，闪闪发光的田野放出一排长着蝙蝠翅膀的斑马。与此同时，塔周围出现了十几个橡子，每种颜色各有四个。天鹅绒补救骑着其中一个紫色，她悲伤地向下凝视着布鲁德病房，然后点了点头。就在她转移目光的时候，海角马上向交错的敌人开火了。
Lancer landed in a crouch, his wings folding behind him, as he fired three-round bursts into the heads of the unicorns. Majina, landing on the opposite corner of the rooftop, fired blowdarts so quickly that it was almost too fast to see her reload. Sekashi landed with her stick and expertly knocked out the legs of the Brood, leaving them for other fighters to finish off. All the while, the tower
枪骑兵蹲伏着落在地面上，他的翅膀在身后折叠，他向独角兽的头部发射了三发子弹。马吉娜降落在屋顶的另一个角落，她发射的飞镖速度太快，几乎快到看不到她重新装弹。Sekashi用她的棍子着陆，熟练地击倒了布伦特病毒的腿，留给其他战士去解决。与此同时，塔楼
shook as more and more of the Core transformed around them.
随着越来越多的核心围绕着他们转变而震动。
A field of magic lifted Goldenblood, but before he could be pulled away, the half-reformed Legate grabbed him and yanked him back down with a guttural cry of “No!” As his eyes reformed in their sockets, he tied Goldenblood to the terminals with monitor cables. “You’re mine!” His head restored, the Brood came to life and began returning fire at the shielded alicorns. Their healing talismans were already hard at work restoring their bodies as the zebra Brood faced their striped counterparts while the Brood unicorns countered the alicorn magic.
一片魔法场提升了金血王，但是在他被拉开之前，半改过自新的使者抓住了他，用喉咙发出"不!"的叫声把他拉了回来当他的眼睛重新嵌入眼窝时，他用监视器电缆把金色血液系在终端上。"你是我的!"他的头恢复了，布伦特一家苏醒过来，开始向有护盾的橡子们还击。他们的治疗护身符已经在努力恢复他们的身体，因为斑马幼仔面对他们的条纹对手，而幼仔独角兽反击了有角魔术。
A few zebras unloaded barrages of spark grenades and some of the alicorns blasted with lightning, but the eruptions of energy were sucked away through the air and into golden metal rods set in the corners of the hub’s roof.
几只斑马卸下了一桶桶的火花手榴弹，还有一些被闪电击中的橡子，但是能量的喷发被空气吸走了，并进入了设置在枢纽屋顶角落里的金属棒中。
The Legate charged straight at Lancer as the latter sent a pair of sniper rounds into the head of another unicorn. Then a stick jutted out, tripping the Starkatteri. To his credit, he recovered in a somersault and launched himself right at Sekashi. “The wife that got away,” the Legate sneered as he punched right at her face. She just barely evaded what could have easily been a killer blow by deftly deflecting it with her staff. “Pity you found out about me.”
特使径直冲向兰瑟，兰瑟向另一只独角兽的头部发射了一对狙击子弹。然后一根棍子突出来，绊倒了斯塔卡特里号。值得赞扬的是，他翻了个跟头，正好出发前往Sekashi。"那个逃跑的妻子,"特使一边嘲笑一边对着她的脸打了一拳。她只是巧妙地用手下的工作人员转移话题，勉强避开了本来很容易成为致命一击的东西。"可惜你发现了我的事。"
“That reminds me... of a very funny story...” Sekashi grunted as she gave constant ground around where Goldenblood was tied up. “About a husband...
"这让我想起了......一个非常有趣的故事......"Sekashi咕哝着，一边不停地绕着绑着金血王的地方让路。"关于丈夫.....。
who thought he was still married...” He hooked his forehooves around her staff, and his head lunged in, smashing against Sekashi’s face. Taking her staff, he shattered it in his grasp and tossed it aside.
他的前蹄钩住了她的手杖，他的头猛地撞上了Sekashi的脸。他拿起她的拐杖，把它打碎在手里，扔到一边。
“I always loved your stories,” he said as he advanced at her on two legs as casually as walking. Then there was a drawn out ‘ptptptptptptptpt’, and he paused, then craned his neck to see a dozen darts imbedded in his posterior.
"我一直很喜欢你的故事,"他一边说，一边用两条腿像走路一样漫不经心地向她走过来。他停了一下，然后伸长脖子，看到一打飞镖嵌在他的屁股里。
“You’re a bad daddy,” the zebra filly said, eyes narrowed as she loaded another dart.
"你是个坏爸爸,"斑马小姑娘说着，眯起眼睛又往另一支飞镖里装了子弹。
He kicked out, tagging a monitor and sending it rocketing into Majina’s face with such force that the filly was sent skidding towards the edge. Lancer scrambled to catch her before she careened off, but the little zebra went tumbling out of sight. Lancer cried out as he reached for her, only for the bloody and barely sensate filly to be safely lifted in a magical field.
他一脚踢了出去，给一只监视器贴上标签，然后用力猛击马吉纳的脸，这匹小母马被打得向边缘滑去。兰瑟争先恐后地想在她倾斜掉下去之前抓住她，但是小斑马却跌跌撞撞地从视线中消失了。兰瑟一边伸手去抓她，一边大声喊道，结果这只血淋淋的、几乎没有感觉的小雌马被安全地抬到了一片魔法田里。
Sekashi lunged at the Legate’s back. “You–”
sekashi扑向大使的后背。"你..."
But he whirled around, and his rear hoof came up. It impacted with her temple with a sickening crunch. She tumbled to the ground, blood leaking from her ears and her head twisted almost completely around. “No more stories, Love,” the Legate said as he brushed the darts out of his rump.
他转过身来，后蹄抬了起来。它发出令人作呕的嘎吱声，撞击着她的太阳穴。她跌倒在地，血从耳朵里漏出来，头几乎完全扭曲了。"别再讲故事了，亲爱的,"使者边说边从屁股上掸去飞镖。
The side of his head exploded, his body jerking and the Brood spasming along with him. Brain and skull pulled back in before his head burst apart again. “Murdering... monstrous... damned...” Lancer hissed in rage as he advanced on his hindlegs, forelegs firing the rifle again and again. “Die!” Blam. “Die already!” Blam! “Die, you miserable excuse for a–” Click.
他的头的一侧爆炸了，他的身体抽搐，布伦德病房随着他一起痉挛。在他的脑袋再次爆裂之前，大脑和头骨被拉了回来。"谋杀......可怕的......该死的......"枪骑兵怒气冲冲地嘶嘶地走上前去，前腿一次又一次地开枪。"去死吧!"女名女子名。"去死吧!"砰！"去死吧，你这个可悲的借口——"咔嚓。
In a moment, the Legate was there. In the next moment, the impact of his hooves sent Lancer flying across the roof. He slammed into one of the four lightning rods, his body nearly wrapping around it as his bones cracked and splintered. The Legate kicked the sniper rifle over the edge as he approached his wounded son. “Always so ungrateful...” the Legate muttered.
不一会儿，特使就来了。接下来，他的蹄子的冲击力使枪骑兵飞过屋顶。他猛地撞上了四根避雷针中的一根，当他的骨头碎裂的时候，他的身体几乎要把避雷针缠住了。当莱盖特接近他受伤的儿子时，他把狙击步枪踢出了枪口。"总是这么忘恩负义......"使者喃喃自语。
Then the air above him shimmered, and a zebra mare landed between the two. She had striped bat wings, and a number of fetishes dangled from around her neck. On her back was another filly in a cloak, who jumped off and piped, “Remember, you can’t beat him. He’ll kill you if you try.”
然后他上方的空气闪闪发光，一匹斑马落在两者之间。她有条纹的蝙蝠翅膀，脖子上挂着许多恋物癖。她的背上是另一匹披着斗篷的小母马，它跳下来吹着笛子说:"记住，你打不过他的。如果你敢，他会杀了你的。"
Adama stood between Lancer and the Legate as the filly ran to where Majina lay, pulling out a healing potion for her. “I can take him,” Adama said as she glowered at him. Majina weakly drank the potion. “He’s just a zebra.”
阿达玛站在兰瑟和使节之间，这匹小母马跑到马吉娜躺着的地方，给她拿出了一瓶治疗药水。"我能搞定他,"阿达玛怒视着他说。玛吉娜虚弱地喝下了药水。"他只是一只斑马。"
“Sure. Just a zebra.” The filly pulled out a roll of paper and studied it a moment. “Well, it’s your funeral,” Pythia said as she pulled back her hood. “Betelgeuse gives you fifteen thousand to one odds, but none of the other stars are taking him up on his offer. Well, except Sirius, but he’s nuts.”
"当然。只是一只斑马。"小母马拿出一卷纸，仔细端详了一会儿。"好吧，这是你的葬礼,"皮提亚一边说一边拉开她的头巾。"Betelgeuse给你1万5千分之一的赔率，但没有其他明星愿意接受他的提议。嗯，除了小天狼星，但他是个疯子。"
“Pythia! You betray me?” the Legate said in shock.
"皮提亚！你背叛了我?"使节震惊地说。
“The others are running for their lives, but I just wanted to see how this would play out with my own eyes,” the filly said as she held the dazed Majina close in one hoof and the starmap in the other. “You forgot the first rule, Amadi. We use the stars. We don’t serve them. You’re a bug playing with balefire bombs.” The Legate whirled and kicked a monitor at the filly, who ducked a moment before it
"其他人都在逃命，但我只是想亲眼看看结果如何,"小母马一边说，一边用一只蹄子紧紧抓住迷茫的马吉娜，另一只蹄子紧紧抓住星图。"你忘了第一条规矩，阿玛迪。我们使用星星。我们不招待他们。你是一只玩火弹的虫子。"使节旋转着，用脚踢着小母马的监视器，小母马在它前面躲了一会儿
took her head off. “Okay. A really deadly bug, but my point stands!”
把她的头砍下来。"好吧。一种真正致命的病毒，但我的观点站得住脚!"
As his back was turned, Adama made her move. She seized the Legate around his neck, jerking backwards as she attempted to choke him. He kicked off the ground, flipping over her and bending her over backwards as she struggled to maintain the grip. His forehooves punched out to either side of her torso, and her ribs cracked under the onslaught. When she released him, he kicked her over by Lancer with a pleased smirk on his lips.
当他转身时，阿达玛开始行动。她抓住莱盖特的脖子，猛地向后一扭，企图掐死他。他一脚踢开地面，在她身上翻转，并在她挣扎着保持抓地力时向后弯曲她。他的前蹄猛击她的躯干两侧，她的肋骨在猛攻下断裂。当她放开他的时候，他被枪骑兵踢了过去，嘴上带着满意的傻笑。
“Why do they never listen?” Pythia lamented, then put her hooves to her mouth and whistled – hey, how'd she do that?! – sharply to a nearby green alicorn who was trying to blast only cyber-augmented zebras. “Hey! You want to get his gun? Should be two floors down on the left side of the building caught on some fancy decorations. That’d be great!” The alicorn gaped at her, and Pythia waved a hoof at her in irritation. “Don’t give me that ‘freaky zebra filly’ look! Just go get his gun! We’re going to need it!” When the green flew down, she rubbed her temples. “Honestly...”
"为什么他们从来不听呢?"皮提亚叹息着，然后把蹄子放到嘴边吹口哨——嘿，她是怎么做到的?！-对附近一只试图炸死网络增强斑马的绿斑角羚大声呵斥。"嘿！你想要他的枪？大楼左下两层应该有一些花哨的装饰。那太好了!"阿里克松瞪着她，皮提亚恼怒地朝她挥动着蹄子。"别给我那种'奇怪的斑马小雌马'的表情！去拿他的枪！我们需要它!"当绿色飞下来时，她揉了揉太阳穴。"老实说......"
The Legate surveyed the carnage around him and laughed, a broad grin on his face. “Fools. You’re all fools! I’ve won, and you don’t even know it! But I thank you for the entertainment!”
特使调查了他周围的大屠杀，笑了，他的脸上大大的笑容。"傻瓜。你们都是傻瓜！我赢了，你却不知道！但我还是要感谢你的款待!"
“Momma,” Majina said as she struggled to rise.
"妈妈,"马吉纳说，她挣扎着站起来。
Pythia held her close. “Shh. Just stay here. A few minutes more, and it’ll all be over. Or, you know... he’ll kill us. Either way, should be interesting.”
皮提亚紧紧地抱着她。"嘘。待在这儿。再过几分钟，一切就都结束了。或者他会杀了我们。无论哪种方式，都会很有趣。"
The combined buildings of the Core were rising up now, lifting into ever higher spires. Gears and cables all worked as the city seemed to heft up around the mile-wide space they’d cleared, the M.o.I. building still a lone tombstone amid the ruins. Thousands of shiny cables snaked down into the pit beneath the grid. Any buildings not in the process of movement lay smashed like broken toy chests spilling out their contents to the wind.
核心的联合建筑物正在拔地而起，形成更高的尖顶。齿轮和电缆都在工作，因为城市似乎分量周围一英里宽的空间，他们已经清除，建筑管理局大楼仍然是一个孤独的墓碑在废墟中。成千上万条闪闪发光的电缆蜿蜒伸入电网下面的深坑。任何没有移动的建筑物都像破碎的玩具箱一样散落在地上，随风飘荡。
Wounded zebras were being withdrawn onto alicorns who now devoted all their magical power to their shields as the Brood organized and concentrated their fire. Pyrelight streaked around the rooftop, blasting little gouts of fire and sweeping past any Brood she could engage without burning others around her. The Legate practically pranced around the monitors, smashing any zebra who challenged him. “Soon. Soon,” he repeated over and over again.
受伤的斑马被召回到长角兽身上，这些长角兽现在把它们所有的魔力都用在了盾牌上，同时魔龙军团组织并集中了他们的火力。发热的光线在屋顶周围划过，喷出一点点火焰，扫过任何一个她可以接触到的巢穴，而不会烧伤周围的其他巢穴。特使实际上在监视器周围蹦蹦跳跳，粉碎了任何向他挑战的斑马。"很快。很快,"他一遍又一遍地重复着。
“Yeah, soon,” Pythia said, and started counting down from ten.
"是的，很快,"皮提亚说，然后从十开始倒数。
The Legate paused as he looked at the two fillies. “What? What have you seen?”
使节看着这两匹小母马，停了下来。"什么？你看到了什么?"
“Seven. Six.”
"七个。六个。"
“Tell me!” the Legate demanded as he stormed over to the edge to face the pair of young ponies.
"告诉我!"特使冲到边上，面对着那两匹小马，问道。
“Four... three... two... behind you,” Pythia finished with a smirk.
"四......三......二......在你后面,"皮提亚冷笑着说。
The Legate turned just in time to see a flash of yellow that streaked across the roof.
特使及时转过身来，看到一道黄色的闪光划过屋顶。
Then his head disappeared. It tore completely off at the shoulders, broke into clumps, and went flying off over the edge. The Brood attack faltered, the cyberbeings staggering. Then his head pulled itself back together again. “What...” A second flash, a second obliterating kick that not only pulped his skull but knocked him rolling across the roof. Again, his head pulled itself back together long enough for him to mutter, “...was...” A third flash, this one sending his entire body flying into one of the lightning rods with such force the rod almost cut him in two. His head, still attached to the mutilated body, muttered, “...that?” Then his body reversed the injuries and pushed him off the golden metal rod.
然后他的头消失了。它在肩部完全撕裂，结成块状，从边缘飞了出去。布鲁德病毒的攻击犹豫不决，网络生物们步履蹒跚。然后他的头又恢复了正常。"什么......"第二道闪光，第二次踢得他脑袋开花，还把他打翻在屋顶上。又一次，他的脑袋被拉了回来，足够长的时间让他喃喃自语,"......是......"第三次闪光，这次闪光使他的整个身体飞向一根避雷针，力度如此之大，那根避雷针几乎把他一劈为二。他的脑袋还挂在残缺不全的尸体上，喃喃自语道:"......那个?"然后他的身体扭转了伤口，把他推离了金色的金属棒。
Whisper hovered before him. “Me. You took my husband. You won’t take anything else.”
耳语在他面前盘旋。"我。你带走了我的丈夫。你不会再拿别的东西了。"
“Oh. The songbird. You’re the one who convinced all my poor, despairing sacrifices to keep fighting instead of hiding in here.” He rose to his hooves. “That was annoying. I’d put a lot of work into that!”
"哦。那只会唱歌的鸟。是你说服我所有可怜的、绝望的牺牲者继续战斗，而不是躲在这里。"他站起身来。"真烦人。我可是下了不少功夫的!"
“Your face is annoying!” Whisper replied as she flashed forward again, but this time the Legate spun. She passed around his body, but instead of receiving his devastating kick, she was able to sweep clear before it landed. She streaked back in, her hooves a blur as they came in for his face, and the Legate attempted another of his spinning dodges. This time, she adjusted, ramming her hooves in the opposite direction. His body rotated clockwise, his head, counterclockwise. She was still struck by his outstretched hook, being knocked back, but she furiously beat her wings to keep from bouncing and skidding across the rooftop.
"你的脸真烦人!"当她再次闪回的时候，低语回答了，但是这一次使者旋转了。她绕过他的身体，但没有收到他的致命一踢，而是在球落地前横扫过去。她飞快地跑回去，她的蹄子一片模糊，他们冲着他的脸来了，使者试图再次躲避他的旋转。这一次，她调整了一下姿势，把蹄子朝相反的方向撞了一下。他的身体顺时针旋转，他的头，逆时针方向。她仍然被他伸出的钩子击中，被击退，但她拼命地拍打着翅膀，以防止在屋顶上弹跳和打滑。
His head pulled itself back around, and he set himself, legs spread wide, and grinned at Whisper. “Finally. Someone worthwhile. Why don’t you sing at me a little while we wait?”
他的头往后一靠，双腿张开，对着Whisper咧嘴一笑。"终于。一个有价值的人。我们等的时候，你为什么不对着我唱一会儿呢?"
Whisper charged back at him, the pair blending together in a frenzy of motion. Meanwhile, Pythia and Majina rushed to where Goldenblood was bound. Majina kept looking over at the prone form of her mother, but Pythia looped her tail around Majina’s neck and gave a little tug. “Not now. We have to get him free. The yellow one’s good. Betelgeuse gives twenty to one odds, but she can’t do it alone. Hopefully the other will get here before he takes her apart.”
耳语回击了他，两人在疯狂的动作中融合在一起。与此同时，Pythia和马吉纳冲向金血王国的目的地。马吉娜一直看着她母亲俯卧的样子，但是皮提亚把尾巴绕在Majina的脖子上，轻轻地拉了拉。"现在不行。我们得把他弄出来。黄色的那个不错。Betelgeuse给出二十比1的赔率但她一个人做不到。希望另一个能在他把她拆开之前赶到这里。"
“What other? What are you talking about?” Majina asked, her cheeks streaked with tears as she looked at her dead mother. “We... can’t you help her?” She sniffed, “Please.”
""什么别的？你在说什么?"马吉纳问道，看着死去的母亲，她的脸颊上布满了泪痕。"我们......你不能帮帮她吗?"她嗅了嗅,"求你了。"
Pythia pursed her lips a moment, then sighed. “You wouldn’t like if I did. Sorry, but when your head is backwards, it’s a little too late.” She rolled out the map, studying the little marks and scribbled notes on it, then took out her pendant and gave it a tap. The pendant cast little moving spots of light on the map. “Okay. Certain doom. United in strength. Blah blah blah. Come on stars, give me something juicy,” she muttered, then pointed a hoof at Goldenblood and glanced at Majina briefly. “Get him free at least. It’ll distract the stripes off Amadi.”
皮提亚抿了一下嘴，然后叹了口气。"你不会喜欢我这么做的。对不起，但是当你的头向后时，就有点太迟了。"她打开地图，研究着上面的小标记和潦草的笔记，然后拿出她的吊坠轻轻地拍了一下。吊坠在地图上投射出移动的小光点。"好吧。必然的厄运。团结一致。等等等等。"来吧，给我点有趣的东西,"她咕哝着，然后用蹄子望了望Goldenblood，瞥了一眼Majina。"至少让他自由吧。这会分散阿马迪的注意力。"
Majina hesitantly started picking at the knots in the cables looped around Goldenblood.
马吉纳犹豫地开始挑选围绕Goldenblood的缆绳上的结。
“You’re Starkatteri,” Goldenblood rasped at Pythia. “Why...”
"你是星卡特里,"金血红在Pythia大声说道。"为什么......"
“Long story short, because I’m not a tool,” the filly answered. “Now. Do you have a clue what all this is for?” she asked as she swept a hoof at the looming towers, now half as tall as Shadowbolt Tower had been. They were mostly girders now, shed of the black panels that had hidden the machinery within.
"长话短说，因为我不是一个工具,"小母马回答。"现在。你知道这些是干什么用的吗?"她一边问，一边用蹄子踢着那些若隐若现的塔楼，这些塔楼现在只有影螺塔的一半高了。他们现在大多是大梁，摆脱了隐藏在机器内部的黑色面板。
And then suddenly there was a resounding ‘zing’ as all those hundreds and hundreds of cables dropping down through that foundation grate drew taut. Despite the lingering fiery hues that lit the evening, the wires that stretched from the tops of the towers down to the pit still managed to shine with a singular icy malevolence.
然后突然传来一声巨响，数以百计的电缆从地基格栅上掉下来，拉得很紧。尽管晚上灯火辉煌，从塔顶一直延伸到坑底的电线依然闪耀着一种奇异的邪恶的冰光。
Goldenblood’s eyes widened. “I do now,” he rasped. “We have to go.
金血王的眼睛睁大了。"我现在知道了,"他粗声粗气地说。"我们得走了。
Everyone–”
每个人——"
But whatever else he was going to say was lost in the shaking. It was so strong that only the Legate remained on his hooves. The M.o.I. tower itself wobbled ominously like a massive domino but, oddly, remained intact. Perhaps the presence of so many souls had fortified it somehow. The ground was collapsing around the pit, tumbling into the growing gulf with only the starmetal grid on the ground remaining behind. The ministry hub shifted with a booming thud as it came to rest slightly askew towards the pit, part of its foundation falling into one of the holes in the grid. A few Brood slid off into the void, but the zebra fighters saved each other from tumbling off the edge. The knotted cables kept Goldenblood from sliding off, and the two fillies clung to him. He would have held them if he could.
但是不管他要说什么，都被晃动弄丢了。它是如此强壮，以至于只有特使留在他的蹄子上。信号塔本身摇摇晃晃，就像一块巨大的多米诺骨牌，但奇怪的是，它却完好无损。也许这么多灵魂的存在在某种程度上加强了它。矿坑周围的地面开始塌陷，跌进不断扩大的海湾，只剩下地面上的星铁栅栏。铁道部的枢纽在砰的一声巨响中移动，它稍稍向坑方向倾斜，部分地基掉进了电网中的一个洞里。一些布鲁德病毒滑入虚空，但斑马战士挽救了彼此从边缘翻滚下来。打结的电缆防止金色血液滑落，两匹小母马紧紧抓住他。如果可以的话，他会抓住他们的。
While everyone else was trying desperately to hang on, the Legate and Whisper continued their fight, barely acknowledging the shifting battlefield. “You’re fast,” the Legate said as he parried and instantly counterattacked with a whirling hit. “But I can feel you’re getting tired. I can keep this up forever.” His eyes narrowed as he blocked a blow of one of her power hooves, the stroke blasting his foreleg clean off only to have it return a half second later. “Why don’t you sing a lovely little requiem for this world? I know I’d love to hear it!” he called out over the growing rumble.
当其他人都在拼命坚持的时候，特使和耳语继续他们的战斗，几乎没有意识到战场的变化。"你动作真快,"使者一边回避，一边立即用一记回旋球反击。"但我能感觉到你已经厌倦了。我可以一直这样下去。"他眯起眼睛，挡住了她的一只强有力的蹄子，一拳把他的前腿打断了，半秒钟后它又回来了。"你为什么不为这个世界唱一首可爱的小安魂曲呢？我知道我会很乐意听的!"他在越来越大的隆隆声中大叫。
“You’re a requiem!” Whisper screeched as she laid into him with renewed vigor.
"你是一首安魂曲!"她用全新的精力狠狠地揍了他一顿，发出刺耳的耳语声。
“Come on, you old ghoul…” Pythia said to Goldenblood. “What’s he doing? The future is one big tangled knot of shadow right now. I know she’s a way out. And there’s another. But I don’t get what he’s doing!” she shouted. “Right now, the Eater of Souls should die, along with the rest of us, but everything’s shifting around worse than this city is!”
"来吧，你这个老食尸鬼......"皮提亚对Goldenblood说。"他在干什么？未来现在是一个巨大纠结的阴影之结。我知道她是一条出路。还有一个。但我不明白他在做什么!"她喊道。"现在，灵魂食者应该和我们一起死，但是一切都变得比这个城市还要糟糕!"
“He’s bringing it up...” Goldenblood rasped.
"他提起来了......"金血王粗声粗气地说。
“Bringing what up?” Pythia shouted.
"提起什么?"皮提亚喊道。
Goldenblood just stared at her a moment, and her eyes went wide. “No, he isn’t! He can’t! Something that big... there’s no way!”
金色的血液只是盯着她看了一会儿，她的眼睛睁得大大的。"不，他不是！他不能！那么大的东西......不可能!"
“He’s been at this for years. Who knows what he was doing in Hoofington during the war? The designs for the city were always odd. Strange additions and
"他干这行已经很多年了。谁知道战争期间他在Hoofington做什么？这座城市的设计总是很奇怪。奇怪的附加物和
requests. Plans changing in the middle of the night. Everything was built so quickly, nopony put it all together. The Core was likely shut down, building up power for this. Celestia One gave him the energy he needed. Now he’ll bring it up, and be able to align it perfectly to catch and devour Tom when it impacts.”
请求。计划在半夜改变。一切都建立得如此之快，没有一个小马把它们放在一起。核心可能已经关闭，为此建立了能量。天使之一给了他所需要的能量。现在他会把它抬起来，并且能够使它完美地排列起来，以便在它撞击汤姆时抓住它并吞噬它。"
A purple alicorn flashed in and landed near the high edge of the roof. Velvet Remedy and a zebra in a hooded cloak slipped off. “What’s going on?” the mare asked in astonishment.
一只紫色的橡子闪过来，落在屋顶的高边上。天鹅绒疗法和一只穿着连帽斗篷的斑马脱下了衣服。"怎么回事?"母马吃惊地问。
“No time,” Goldenblood rasped. “Get everyone off this roof now. Once the Eater’s on the surface, the Enervation will kill everyone. It might already be returning.”
"没时间了,"金血王怒气冲冲地说。"马上让所有人离开这个屋顶。一旦食死徒回到地面，能量将会杀死所有人。它可能已经开始回归。"
“No!” Pythia shouted as she consulted her map. “Amadi has to be beaten. Now. It’s the only way.”
"不!"皮提亚一边查看地图，一边喊道。"必须打败阿马迪。现在。这是唯一的办法。"
“He can’t be,” Goldenblood objected.
"他不可能是,"金血王反对道。
“He has to be. If he isn’t, it won’t matter when the Maiden returns. Everyone she needs will be dead. He has to be stopped now,” she said as she looked up at the cloaked zebra. “Are you her? Please be her!”
"他必须如此。如果他不是，那么少女什么时候回来就不重要了。所有她需要的人都会死。现在必须阻止他,"她抬头看着那只隐形斑马说。"你是她吗？那就是她吧!"
“If this must be done, then I suppose I am,” the zebra said quietly. “Get the roof clear.”
"如果一定要这样做，那么我想我是的,"斑马平静地说。"把屋顶清空。"
“No!” Lancer said as he limped over, hugging his rifle to his chest. “I need to see this finished. Please.”
"不!"兰瑟一瘸一拐地走过去，把步枪抵在胸前说。"我需要看到这一切结束。求你了。"
“The healing potions aren’t working anymore,” Adama said, leaning on Lancer and struggling to breathe. “We must go.”
"治疗药水已经不起作用了,"阿达玛靠在兰瑟身上，挣扎着呼吸。"我们必须走了。"
“I must see this to the end. I must!” he protested.
"我必须坚持到底。我必须这么做!"他抗议道。
“Yeah. He needs to stay,” Pythia said. “And that yellow pegasus, too. Hopefully the other two get here before it’s too late.” She looked over at Majina, who sat forlornly next to her. The younger filly continued staring at the still form of her mother sprawled awkwardly where it had caught on a cable. “She should stay with me, too.”
"是的。他需要留下来,"皮提亚说。"还有那匹黄色的飞马。希望其他两个人能及时赶到。"她看了看Majina，她孤独地坐在她旁边。年轻的小母马继续盯着静止的母亲，笨拙地伸开四肢，看着它被电缆缠住的地方。"她也应该和我在一起。"
“The stars showed you that?” Goldenblood asked.
"星星告诉你的?"金血王问道。
“No, the fact she hurts did. Not everything is frigging stars,” Pythia answered as she put a hoof around the filly.
"不，事实上是她受伤了。不是所有的东西都是该死的星星,"皮提亚一边用蹄子围住小母马一边回答。
Velvet Remedy turned to the purple alicorn. “Flash evacuation. Everyone except me, her, the fillies, him, and that yellow pegasus. That...” She froze as she seemed to take in Whisper for a moment. Then she shook her head hard. “I mean... Come back for us when they’re all clear, and I mean everyone.” She gestured to the Brood.
天鹅绒药方变成了紫色的角果。"闪电撤离。除了我，她，小雌马，他，还有那个黄色的飞马。那个......"她愣住了，似乎听进了Whisper的话。然后她使劲摇了摇头。"我的意思是......等他们安全了再回来找我们，我是说所有人。"她向布鲁德一家示意。
“You’re trying to save the Brood?” Pythia objected. “They’re just meat puppets!” Velvet sent a stern glare down at her, and the filly relented. “Okay. Fine. Save the puppets. Whatever makes your stars shine.” Then she gasped, “But leave me till the end, too! I want to see this. It’s gonna be good!”
"你想拯救魔龙军团?"皮提亚反对。"他们只是木偶!"维尔韦特狠狠地瞪了她一眼，小母马就心软了。"好吧。好吧。拯救木偶。不管是什么让你的星星闪闪发光。"然后她气喘吁吁地说,"但也把我留到最后吧！我想看看这个。一定会很棒的!"
Purples and greens began teleporting in and teleporting away with clusters of zebras and Brood, clearing the roof. Velvet and Majina kept trying to extract Goldenblood from the cables lashing him to the roof. Meanwhile, the cloaked zebra walked towards where the Legate and Whisper battled. The pegasus had been grounded during the course of the fight. Her wing was bent at a painful angle where she’d been shot earlier, and her hindleg now bled freely again. Still, she stayed on the offensive, doggedly refusing to back down.
紫色和绿色开始隐形传送进来，和一群斑马和思潮一起隐形传送走，清理屋顶。维尔韦和马吉纳不停地试图把金色血液从捆绑他到屋顶的电缆中救出来。与此同时，披着斗篷的斑马朝莱盖特和窃窃私语交战的地方走去。飞马号在战斗过程中被迫停飞。她的翅膀弯曲到一个痛苦的角度，这个角度是她之前中弹的地方，现在她的后腿又开始流血了。尽管如此，她还是坚持进攻，顽强地拒绝让步。
The Legate turned to the advancing zebra. “Oh joy. Another,” he said flatly. “You know this is futile, right?”
特使转向前进的斑马。"哦，太好了。再来一杯,"他直截了当地说。"你知道这是徒劳的，对吧?"
“So you say,” the mare replied evenly.
"你是这么说的,"母马平静地回答。
“I’m immortal, invulnerable, and invincible. No matter how skilled you think you are, you’ll tire and fail, just like this one,” he said with a gesture at Whisper.
"我是不朽的，刀枪不入的，无敌的。无论你认为自己有多么熟练，你都会感到疲惫，最终失败，就像这次一样,"他在Whisper上做了个手势说。
“Shut up,” Whisper countered. “You’re the failure. You haven’t killed me yet. And I’m still going to kill you.”
"闭嘴,"Whisper反驳道。"你才是失败者。你还没有杀了我。我还是会杀了你。"
The Legate sighed as the breeze snapped at the zebra’s cloak. “Well then, let’s get it over with. I’m sure it’ll be bracing before I win,” he said sarcastically, and then frowned. “Who are you, anyway?”
当微风吹在斑马的斗篷上时，使节叹了口气。""那么，让我们把它做完吧。我相信在我赢得比赛之前，它一定会令人振奋,"他讽刺地说，然后皱起了眉头。"你到底是谁?"
The hood was pulled back, and Xenith shook out her long mane. The scarred zebra mare leveled her green eyes at the Legate and said softly, “No one.”
兜帽被拉了回来，色尼斯甩出了她长长的鬃毛。伤痕累累的斑马把她绿色的眼睛对着Legate轻轻地说:"没有人。"
“Heh,” the Legate said as he stretched and cracked his neck. “Finally, an honest opponent.”
"嘿,"使节一边伸长脖子一边说。"最后，一个诚实的对手。"
In a flash, he was on her, his leg swinging around in a kick identical to the one that had slain Sekashi. Her forelegs lifted, and she blocked the blow with her own forehooves, her body trembling with the force for a moment and then going still. The Legate stood there, precariously balanced on one hindhoof while she held his other hindleg. “Heh,” she replied softly, and then flung her own body around and slammed his into the rooftop. She didn’t stop, however, continuing the roll over him, getting her feet under herself, and slamming him again like a rag doll.
一瞬间，他扑到了她身上，他的腿摆来摆去，跟杀死Sekashi的那个一模一样。她抬起前腿，用自己的前蹄挡住了那一击，她的身体在力量的作用下颤抖了一会儿，然后静止了下来。使节站在那里，摇摇晃晃地一只后蹄平衡着，而她则扶着他的另一只后腿。"嘿,"她轻轻地回答，然后把自己的身体转过来，把他摔到屋顶上。然而，她并没有停下来，继续从他身上滚过去，把脚放在自己身下，然后像个布娃娃一样再次狠狠地撞击他。
Xenith continued the onslaught like a force of nature. She made no battle cries, nor did she give him a chance to set himself up for a counterattack. As fast as his body tried to repair the damage, she simply inflicted it faster. She whirled and smashed him into the ground, twisted his spine like a rag, and beat him like a drum. Never once did she release him. She simply kept breaking him over and over again.
克尼斯像大自然的力量一样继续进行猛攻。她没有发出战斗的叫喊，也没有给他机会准备反击。他的身体试图尽快修复损伤，她只是造成它的速度更快。她旋转着把他摔在地上，像抹布一样扭曲着他的脊椎，像鼓一样打他。她从来没有放过他。她只是一次又一次地折磨他。
However, he wasn’t dying. He was laughing.
然而，他并没有死。他笑了。
Xenith paused for a moment. Just a moment.
克尼斯停顿了一会儿。等一下。
The Legate struck; as his body restored itself, he was twisted like a spring, and all the pent up energy released at once. His body untwisted almost like a propeller, smashing Xenith’s skull a half dozen times as he unwound and knocked her away. His body pulled itself back together as Xenith braced herself and refocused. “Was that Fallen Caesar? It was, wasn’t it?” he said, grinning like an eager colt. “I thought that style was lost. It actually hurt!”
使者震惊了，当他的身体恢复正常的时候，他像一根弹簧一样扭曲着，所有被压抑的能量立刻释放出来。他的身体几乎像螺旋桨一样松开，在他解开绷带并把她撞飞的时候，把齐尼斯的头骨打碎了六七次。随着齐尼斯自我支撑和重新聚焦，他的身体又重新振作起来。"那是倒下的凯撒吗？是的，不是吗?"他笑得像一匹饥渴的小马驹。"我以为那种风格已经消失了。真的很疼!"
Xenith didn’t reply. She launched herself at him, landed halfway, twisted, and blasted him in the face with both hindlegs. He continued back, planting his forelegs as they landed and flipping one of his own hindlegs up at her. The limb impacted with hers hard enough to make her grimace in pain. He continued the backflip and returned to his hooves facing her.
克尼斯没有回答。她向他猛扑过去，中途着陆，扭转身体，用两条后腿猛击他的脸。他继续往后退，前腿着地时，他把自己的一条后腿向她竖了起来。她的四肢撞击得很厉害，使她痛苦地做了个鬼脸。他继续后空翻，回到他面对她的蹄子。
“And you’re using Archimedes’s Lever technique,” Xenith replied levelly. “Control and conservation of force, returning it at your attacker. That is a lost style.”
"你在使用阿基米德的杠杆技术,"齐尼斯平静地回答。"控制和保持力量，将力量还给攻击者。这是一种已经过时的风格。"
Now he looked impressed. “Are you Achu? Tell me you’re Achu!” he said with a grin. “Ah, if only I weren’t about to end the world. I’d take you as one of my wives in an instant. I have quite a few openings in my harem.”
现在他看起来印象深刻。"你是阿楚吗？告诉我你是阿楚!"他笑着说。"啊，要是我不是要毁灭世界就好了。我会立刻把你当成我的妻子。我的后宫里有不少空缺。"
“No. I’ve had a bad husband, but at least he didn’t talk as much as you,” she answered evenly.
"没有。我有一个不称职的丈夫，但至少他没有你说得多,"她平静地回答。
“Pity.” And again he was on her, whirling and kicking and reversing and striking, his movement nearly a blur. Xenith blocked and counter struck, yet nothing stuck. The moment he was away, his injuries disappeared while hers remained. Again and again, they clashed and withdrew and clashed again. One time she tore his foreleg completely off, and she showed frustration for the first time as he pulled his body back together again. For him, though, the exhilaration seemed to be almost pleasurable.
"真可惜。"他又一次向她扑过去，旋转着，踢着，倒着，打着拳头，他的动作几乎是一片模糊。克尼斯阻挡并反击，然而一无所获。他离开的那一刻，他的伤痕消失了，而她的伤痕依然存在。他们一次又一次地发生冲突，一次又一次地发生冲突。有一次她把他的前腿完全扯断了，当他把身体拉回来时，她第一次表现出沮丧。然而，对他来说，这种兴奋似乎是令人愉快的。
Meanwhile, the rumbling grew more cacophonous. Plumes of dust blasted up out of the depths as a shrieking, scraping noise filled the valley like the screams of the damned.
与此同时，轰隆声变得更加刺耳。一缕缕灰尘从深处喷涌而出，山谷里充满了刺耳的尖叫声，就像被诅咒者的尖叫声。
“How can she beat him?” Lancer breathed as he cradled his gun. “I’ve never seen fighting like that, but he’s still alive!”
"她怎么能打败他呢?"枪骑兵一边抱着枪一边喘着气。"我从来没有见过这样的战斗，但他还活着!"
“She can’t beat him,” Pythia said with a smile. “No zebra can.”
"她打不过他,"皮提亚笑着说。"没有斑马可以。"
“Whew. I think I’m almost breaking a sweat,” the Legate said to the panting Xenith. “Time to end this, though. I want to thank you for a most enjoyable evening, how--”
"哎呀。我想我几乎要流汗了,"特使对气喘吁吁的齐尼斯说。"不过，是时候结束这一切了。我想感谢你们给了我一个愉快的夜晚，你们——"
Two power hooves smashed his head in, squeezing his brains from his face like pus from a burst pustule. “She’s right. You talk too much,” Whisper said as she shoved him towards Xenith. The zebra seized him in a hooflock, twisting him so his chest faced Whisper. “You’ve got a magical heart, right?” she said as his head pulled back together. “Let’s see it.”
两只强有力的蹄子猛击他的头部，把他的脑浆从脸上挤出来，就像脓包里的脓汁一样。"她说得对。你话太多了,"Whisper说着把他推向了齐尼斯。斑马用蹄子抓住他，把他扭成胸部朝向耳语。"你有一颗神奇的心，对吧?"她说，他的头往后一靠。"让我们看看。"
Then she went to work on his torso, beating it like he was a punching bag. Back and forth, back and forth, her hooves worked on him, the power hooves blasting and snapping as she shattered his ribs and began to smash her way into his chest cavity. Xenith gripped him tight, his body spasming and writhing as he struggled to get free, shouting in pain as gobbits went flying every which way faster than they returned.
然后她开始对他的躯干进行治疗，把他当成一个出气筒一样打。她的蹄子在他身上前前后后地运动着，力量的蹄子劈啪作响，她打碎了他的肋骨，开始撞击他的胸腔。色尼斯紧紧地抓住他，他的身体在挣扎挣脱时痉挛扭动，痛苦地叫喊着，而那些杯状物飞得比他们回来的还快。
“Yes! Yes!” Pythia said with a grin. “No pony can defeat him. No zebra can defeat him!”
"是的！是的!"皮提亚咧嘴笑着说。"没有一匹小马能打败他。没有斑马能打败他!"
“But together...” Velvet breathed.
"但是在一起......"维尔韦特轻轻地说。
Whisper gave a final blow, and the last bits of his sternum flew away, revealing the dark lump of rock with the starmetal controller screwed into its side. “Switch!” she shouted, whirling him around as his bits and pieces came flying back in.
Whisper给了他最后一击，他胸骨的最后一部分飞走了，露出了一块黑色的石头，石头的一侧被星铁控制器固定住了。"开关!"她喊道，他的碎片飞回来时，她把他旋转起来。
Xenith didn’t hesitate for an instant. She rammed her forehooves into his chest as Whisper held him tight. His eyes bulged as his flesh sealed fast around her hooves. The look on his face was one of dazed shock as Xenith and Whisper braced themselves. The two gave a nod to each other.
西尼斯一刻也没有犹豫。当Whisper紧紧抱住他的时候，她用前蹄撞向他的胸部。他的眼睛鼓了起来，因为他的肉紧紧地粘在她的蹄子上。当齐尼斯和耳语振作起来的时候，他脸上的表情是一种茫然的震惊。两人相互点了点头。
The zebra mare’s powerful frame began to twist, her muscles, normally as slim as any zebra’s, bulging as she applied all her strength. Whisper strained as she struggled to hold the screaming Legate in place. Then the air was split by a grotesque, wet tearing noise as the stone was ripped from his living chest. His eyes were wide as he stared up at it in her upraised hooves.
斑马的有力的身体开始扭曲，她的肌肉，正常情况下像任何斑马一样纤细，鼓起来，因为她用尽了她所有的力量。紧张地低语着，她挣扎着把尖叫的使节固定在原地。然后空气被一种奇怪的撕裂声撕裂开来，石头从他活生生的胸膛里被扯出来。他的眼睛睁得大大的，抬起双蹄盯着它。
“Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!” Pythia shouted at Lancer, beating at him with a hoof. “The control!”
"开枪！开枪！开枪!"皮提亚冲着兰瑟大叫，用蹄子打他。"控制!"
He lifted his gun, sighted in but a moment, and fired a round that sparked off the starmetal box. A second. A third. Then the box went flying off and skidded along the rooftop and over the edge. An inky fluid began to spurt from the holes it had left in the heart. A moment later, a bandaged purple alicorn rose up, holding the box in her magical field. She soared over and landed next to the others, a white mare on her back.
他举起枪，不一会儿就瞄准了，开了一枪，子弹从星铁盒子上发出火花。一秒钟。第三个。然后盒子飞了出去，沿着屋顶滑了下去。一种墨水状的液体开始从它在心脏上留下的洞里喷涌而出。过了一会儿，一只包着绷带的紫色橡子站了起来，手里拿着盒子，躺在她的魔法田野里。她飞过去，紧挨着其他人着陆，背上骑着一匹白色的母马。
“Nick of time now, right?” Boo asked as she scrambled off Psalm’s back. Psalm passed the starmetal control box to Velvet Remedy. Boo carried something. Something long and thin and wrapped in a loose cloth. “Uncle told me all about needing to cut things close and stuff.” She carefully removed the object and let the cloth fall. “I brought this icky thing.”
"现在是尼克的时间，对吗?"布问道，她从诗篇的背上爬了下来。Psalm将星铁控制盒传递给VelvetRemedy。布带了点东西。又长又薄的东西，用一块松布包着。"叔叔告诉我所有关于需要把事情缩短和东西。"她小心翼翼地把东西拿开，让布掉下来。"我把这个讨厌的东西带来了。"
The silver sword gleamed in her hooves.
银剑在她的蹄子里闪闪发光。
“Yes! Supernova!” Pythia said, then nudged Velvet Remedy. “Quick. Take it!”
"是的！超新星!"皮提亚说，然后推了推天鹅绒药方。"快点。拿着!"
Velvet eyed the sword as she would a snake. “I’m not going to take that! I’m a healer!”
天鹅绒像盯着蛇一样盯着剑。"我不会接受的！我是个医生!"
“Think of it as a super-oversized scalpel, and that heart is a malignant tumor! Quick!” Indeed, the heart and the Legate seemed to be trying to reunite. Tendrils of flesh from the jagged wound in his chest stretched towards the dripping black rock. The pair strained to keep them apart.
"把它想象成一把超大号的手术刀，那颗心脏就是一个恶性肿瘤！快点!"事实上，心和使节似乎正在试图重聚。他胸口参差不齐的伤口上的肉蔓延到滴水的黑岩石上。两人竭力把他们分开。
“That’s not the same thing, and you know it!” Velvet objected.
"这不是一回事，你知道的!"天鹅绒反对。
“No one else can risk getting that close with that thing. One wrong slice and you can take your own hooves off with it!” Pythia said loudly. The building gave another lurch, leaning over even more. Psalm levitated Majina and Pythia onto her back.
"没有其他人能冒险接近那个东西。只要吃错一片，你就可以把自己的蹄子拿下来!"皮提亚大声说。大楼又一次倾斜，倾斜得更厉害了。诗篇把马吉娜和皮提亚悬浮在她的背上。
“I’m not going to kill somepony just because I can. We can lock him up somewhere!” Velvet protested.
"我不会因为自己有能力就去杀一匹小马。我们可以把他关起来!"维尔韦特抗议道。
“He’s not a normal zebra, Velvet,” Goldenblood croaked. “He’s sick. He is a sickness, lingering for centuries. Killing him would be a kindness to not only his victims, but himself too.”
"它不是一只普通的斑马，天鹅绒,"金血王呱呱地说。"他病了。他是一种病，缠绕了几个世纪。杀了他不仅对受害者是一种仁慈，对他自己也是一种仁慈。"
The heart began to connect, string by string, with his body.
那颗心开始和他的身体一根一根地连接起来。
“Besides, he won’t die if you break that heart,” Pythia said with a shrug as the shaking and shrieking increased, the building tilting a little more.
"此外，如果你伤了他的心，他也不会死,"皮提亚耸耸肩说，随着震动和尖叫声的增加，建筑物倾斜了一点。
“Excuse me?” Velvet Remedy said with flat skepticism.
"你说什么?"VelvetRemedy对此持怀疑态度。
“Only the Maiden is able to kill him, even if she- you know what, trust me. Breaking the heart will just get rid of his restoration. He’ll be perfectly mortal after that, and it’ll be in the Maiden’s hooves.” Pythia stared down at the skeptical unicorn. “Honest! Swear on my stripes and the stars in the sky,” the filly added, pressing a hoof to her chest.
"只有少女才能杀死他，即使她——你知道吗，相信我。伤心只会让他无法复原。在那之后他就完全是凡人了，而且是在少女的蹄子里。"皮提亚低头看着怀疑的独角兽。"老实说！以我的条纹和天空中的星星起誓,"小母马补充说，一只蹄子踩在她的胸前。
“I do not like this city,” Velvet said sourly as she made her way to where the three strained. “Not one little bit.”
"我不喜欢这个城市,"维尔韦一边走到三个人关系紧张的地方，一边酸溜溜地说。"一点也不。"
The Legate’s eyes followed that silver blade. “No... damn you... meddler... chaos... It wasn’t supposed to be like this!” he gasped as he reached out for the
使节的眼睛紧紧盯着那把银色的刀刃。"不......该死的......爱管闲事的......混乱......不应该是这样的!"他一边喘着粗气，一边伸手去拿
heart. Velvet raised the blade high.
心脏。天鹅绒把刀刃举得高高的。
“Do it!” Xenith grunted as the black ooze flowed down her forelegs.
"动手吧!"当黑色的液体顺着她的前腿流下来时，克尼斯哼了一声。
“Finish this shithead,” Whisper agreed.
"干掉这个混蛋,"Whisper同意了。
Velvet carefully aligned the sword so as to not slice through Xenith’s limbs.
剑身由天鹅绒精心排列，以免刺穿氙气的四肢。
Lifted it once... twice... three times... then...
一次...两次...三次...然后..。
“Are you sure this won’t kill him?” she asked plaintively.
"你确定这不会要了他的命?"她哀怨地问道。
Everyone stared back at her, and all except the other purple alicorn and Majina shouted in unison, “Yes! Do it!”
每个人都回头看着她，除了另一只紫色橡子，马吉纳异口同声地喊道:"是的！动手吧!"
“Look, I’m a pacifist, okay?!” she shouted back. “I’m not Littlepip!”
"听着，我是个和平主义者，好吗?!"她大声回应。"我不是小匹普!"
“We know! Hurry up and pacify the fuck out of him!” Whisper grunted, her limbs straining as the Legate started to pull free.
"我们知道！快点把他安抚下来!"随着特使开始挣脱，她的四肢绷紧，低语着咕哝着。
She flushed and brought the blade down in one blow. The black rock immediately cracked, the sword letting out a ringing note as the Legate screamed in agony. She struck a second time, the cracks spreading, black ichor spraying out of the widening gaps. Tendrils of flesh began to curl around the stony heart, his muscles starting to bulge as the black fluid suddenly ignored gravity and started to flow into the jagged rent in his chest. Finally, the sword dropped one last time.
她满脸通红，一下子就把刀刃砍了下来。黑色的岩石立刻裂开了，剑发出了一个响亮的音符，使者痛苦地尖叫起来。她又撞了一下，裂缝扩大了，黑色的水珠从不断扩大的缝隙中喷出来。肌肉的卷须开始卷曲在石质的心脏周围，他的肌肉开始膨胀，因为黑色液体突然忽视重力，开始流入他胸部的锯齿状裂口。最后，剑最后一次落了下来。
There was a ring of metal on stone as the heart was yanked back into his chest cavity. Instantly, the wound closed. With a great spasm, he yanked himself free of the injured Whisper’s lock, throwing her into Xenith. But he didn’t talk now. His eyes bulged and rolled in their sockets as he stared at his straining limbs. He opened his mouth and vomited a slurry of blood and black gore as his body trembled.
当心脏被拉回他的胸腔时，石头上有一个金属环。立刻，伤口愈合了。随着一阵剧烈的痉挛，他挣脱了受伤的Whisper的锁，把她扔进了氙气中。但是他现在不说话了。他的眼睛睁得大大的，在眼眶里翻滚，盯着他绷紧的四肢。他张开嘴，全身颤抖着，吐出了血浆和黑色的血块。
“I thought you said it wasn’t going to kill him!” Velvet shouted as she backed away.
"我记得你说过它不会杀死他的!"维尔韦特一边后退一边喊道。
“It’s not,” Pythia said with a gleeful smile. “This is much worse. Good job, by the way.”
"不是这样的,"皮提亚兴高采烈地笑着说。"情况要糟糕得多。顺便说一句，干得好。"
The Legate was bulging, swelling, growing. He fell to all fours, his skin splitting, regrowing, and splitting again. “What’s happening to him?!” Whisper asked as she and Xenith backed away towards the others. “I thought you said this would stop his regeneration.”
大使正在鼓胀，肿胀，生长。他四肢着地，皮肤裂开，再生，再裂开。"他怎么了?!"当她和色尼斯向其他人退去时，密语问道。"我记得你说过这会阻止他的再生。"
“That heart didn’t regenerate him. It restored him. Kept his body locked in one state. Time was effectively stopped for his body,” the Starkatteri filly said, grinning wickedly. “Now it’s not. Now it’s catching up on him. A thousand years of growth and injury and all the pains of the flesh, at once. Plus all the nastiness that comes with having a cursed lump of rock in your chest for a couple millennia.” Understanding settled on Whisper’s face, and she looked on in silent, cold satisfaction.
"那颗心脏并没有使他再生。这让他恢复了知觉。让他的身体保持一种状态。时间为他的身体停止了,"斯塔卡特里小姑娘邪恶地笑着说。"现在不是了。现在这个问题正在困扰着他。一千年的生长和伤害，以及肉体的一切痛苦，同时发生。再加上胸口有一块被诅咒了几千年的石头所带来的所有恶劣后果。"理解的目光落在了Whisper的脸上，她沉默而冷漠地满意地看着。
The Legate now reminded me of the enormous blue pony I’d once seen named Goliath. Only Goliath hadn’t had extra little legs poking out of his normal ones. He hadn’t had extra eyes in extra sockets. The Legate’s body was growing all at once, with no order or control. His hindlegs slipped over the edge of the roof while his forelegs scrambled to hold on. He opened his mouth wide and screamed out, “Son!” Lancer didn’t reply. “Daughter!” Majina hid her face. “Someone... help me!”
使节现在让我想起了我曾经见过的那匹名叫歌利亚的巨大的蓝色小马。只有歌利亚没有从正常的腿上伸出多余的小腿。他没有多余的眼窝。使节的身体一下子全部长大了，没有任何命令和控制。他的后腿滑过屋顶的边缘，而他的前腿挣扎着抓住。他张大嘴喊道:"儿子!"兰瑟没有回答。"女儿!"马吉娜把脸藏了起来。"来人啊......救救我!"
“I’m sorry,” Velvet Remedy said in horror. Her horn glowed. “That should help your pain.”
"我很抱歉,"维尔韦·雷姆惊恐地说。她的号角闪闪发光。"这应该能减轻你的痛苦。"
The Legate’s maw twisted in a horrible grin, and suddenly his foreleg reached out, the little sublegs wiggling and trying to grab anyone they could reach. Velvet cried out, swinging her blade wildly. The weapon seemed to seek out the Legate’s flesh, lopping off the legs as she was levitated, with Xenith, onto the alicorn’s back. Whisper climbed onto Psalm. “Get my dad!” she shouted as she pointed at Goldenblood. Psalm’s magic tugged the wires taut, and the floating sword sliced the wires in two. The ghoul began to lift toward the alicorn.
特使的胃扭曲着，露出可怕的笑容，突然他的前腿伸了出来，小亚腿扭动着，试图抓住任何他们能够到的人。维尔韦特叫了起来，疯狂地挥舞着她的刀刃。武器似乎在寻找特使的肉体，当她和克尼斯一起悬浮在空中时，砍掉了她的双腿，落在了阿里克松的背上。悄悄爬上诗篇。"去找我爸爸!"她指着Goldenblood喊道。诗篇》的魔法拉紧了电线，漂浮的剑把电线切成了两半。食尸鬼开始向角兽爬去。
Then the enormous, bloody hoof of the Legate curled around Goldenblood and stopped him short. “No!” Lancer shouted as he and Boo were picked up by the alicorns. He started to fire into the ankle of that limb as it seemed to grow around the ghoul, but it was as effective as shooting a tree trunk. Psalm flew above Goldenblood as the building listed more and more, tilting over towards the middle of that immense pit.
然后，莱格特号巨大而血淋淋的蹄子蜷缩在Goldenblood周围，突然制止了他。"不!"兰瑟喊道，他和布被长角兽接走了。他开始向那只树枝的脚踝开火，因为它似乎围绕着食尸鬼生长，但这就像射击一棵树干一样有效。当建筑物倾斜得越来越厉害时，诗篇在Goldenblood上空飞过，向那个巨大的坑的中央倾斜。
Goldenblood, though, wasn’t struggling. “Go,” he said as he smiled up at his daughter. “Tell Blackjack I did better.” Even if he didn’t think he had.
尽管如此，金色血统并没有挣扎。"去吧,"他对女儿笑着说。"告诉Blackjack我做得更好。"即使他认为自己没有。
The M.o.I. hub tumbled over into the pit, leaving the two alicorns hovering over the void that had been the heart of the Core.
中心掉进了坑里，两个海角悬停在曾经是核心的虚空上。
The tower didn’t fall far.
这座塔没有倒下多远。
With the building lying on its side and pinning his legs, the Legate clutched Goldenblood as the tower rose back up in a great cloud of smoke and dust. Higher and higher towards the surface it lifted till it reached the level of the starmetal grate that had supported the city. Now, that metal grate yielded like soft butter to the thing beneath the fallen tower. The two alicorns backed away as the building continued to rise higher and higher on a nest of wires. An avalanche of mud and dust poured down into the vast pit below, water and unliving gore cascading into the depths. The gleam of silver and the glow of green started to peek through the muck sliding off in great sloughs. It was shaped vaguely like a ring, a massive storm of soul motes swirling around.
大楼侧躺着，两腿别在地上，特使紧紧抓住金色血液，大楼在一片烟尘中升起。它向着地面越升越高，直到达到支撑着城市的星形铁栅栏的高度。现在，那个金属炉子在倒下的塔下面的东西面前就像软软的黄油一样脆了。随着大楼在一堆电线上越升越高，两只橡子后退了。大量的泥土和灰尘倾泻到下面巨大的坑里，水和没有生命的淤血像瀑布一样倾泻到深处。银色的微光和绿色的光芒开始透过大片泥泞中滑落的淤泥向外窥视。它的形状隐约像一个环，一个巨大的灵魂尘埃风暴旋转周围。
Then an eye opened.
然后一只眼睛睁开了。
An eye the size of a Raptor.
一只猛禽大小的眼睛。
The immense mass shifted, and two enormous silver fingers reached over, grabbed the M.o.I. hub, and flicked it away like an offending speck of dirt. The white building arced out of sight as the immense towers of the Core slowly bent outward, their bases slipping underneath the dripping mass as they spread open like the petals of a horrible steel flower. Their outstretched tips glowed a brilliant green as a cloud of white motes began to swirl faster and faster in the center of the ring. With a great creaking and grinding, that eye lifted. Something like a mouth opened wide.
巨大的物体移动了一下，两个巨大的银色手指伸了过来，抓住了m.o.i.的枢纽，把它像一粒讨厌的灰尘一样弹开了。当巨大的核心塔慢慢向外弯曲时，白色的建筑物呈弧形消失在视线之外，它们的基座在滴水的物体下面滑动，像一朵可怕的钢花的花瓣一样张开。当一团白色的尘埃开始在圆环中心快速旋转时，它们伸展出来的尖端闪耀着亮绿色的光芒。随着巨大的吱吱声和摩擦声，那只眼睛抬起来了。像是张大了嘴的东西。
Goldenblood stared at that maw, that abomination that he had unwittingly served. I was such a fool. I should have trusted more in Glory. If she could hold on after the space--
金色的血液凝视着那张无意中为之服务的无底洞，那张可憎的脸。我真是个傻瓜。我应该更相信晨辉。如果她能坚持到空格之后--
And it let out a scream of Enervation that could be heard around the world.
它发出了一声全世界都能听到的充满能量的尖叫。
oooOOOooo
噢噢噢
Like a candle in a tornado, Goldenblood’s pool disappeared. I floated in that void, thinking of his final thoughts. The remaining pools had grown hard as rock, and I couldn’t push into them anymore. Right now, I couldn’t care about that. I had only one thought, and a tiny ghost of a smile on my lips.
就像龙卷风中的蜡烛一样，金血王的游泳池消失了。我漂浮在那片虚空中，想着他最后的想法。剩下的水池变得像岩石一样坚硬，我再也不能往里面推了。现在，我不在乎这些。我只有一个念头，嘴角挂着一丝微笑。
Morning Glory was alive!
牵牛花还活着！
 
Author's Notes:
作者笔记:
(Edited note: Scotch Tape’s age would be roughly 14-15 years old. I don’t know how that translates in pony years, but it’s younger than Bastard would like. EQG had the CMC’s in a high school after all so, you tell me.) (Author’s notes: And that’s the end of the chapter. Sorry it was so long, but that goes for Horizons in general. I’d like to thank my editors who have worked so incredibly hard to help finish this enormous monster of a chapter. The stage is set. The final act is up. Blackjack will be back in the Hoof with the final face off with the Eater to save the world. But at what price?
(编辑注释:透明胶带的年龄大约在14-15岁之间。我不知道怎么翻译成小马年，但它比淘气包喜欢的年轻。Eqg毕竟在高中就有CMC，所以，你告诉我。)(作者的笔记:这就是本章的结尾。对不起，这么长的时间，但总的来说，视野号也是如此。我要感谢我的编辑们，他们为了完成这个巨大的章节而付出了难以置信的努力。舞台已经就绪。最后一幕结束了。黑杰克将会回到霍夫，与食者决一死战，拯救世界。但代价是什么呢？
I’d like to thank Kkat for Fallout Equestria in the first place, and all the readers of all the fics and all the writers who keep this story and fandom going. Huge thanks to Erin and the Wasteland Wailers for taking a peek at the songs and making sure they were okay. I hope they’re okay... okay...
首先，我要感谢Kkat公司的FalloutEquestria，以及所有小说的读者和所有让这个故事和影迷们继续下去的作家。非常感谢Erin和《荒原》哭泣者们偷看了这些歌曲，并确保它们没有问题。希望他们没事...没事..。
they suck, but maybe someone with musical talent can make them not suck quite so much. I just wanted her to sing...
他们很烂，但也许有音乐天赋的人，可以让他们不那么烂。我只是想让她唱..。
Also, a reminder that in two weeks I’ll be at EFNW. They’re even going to let me be on a panel. I’m be the ugly mess of a person at the very end picking their nose with all the zits.(Heartshine: Why would you mention zits!? EEWWW swicked: Because he doesn’t care about your feelings, clearly.) Still, I hope I’ll be able to meet people. It’ll be nice to meet and talk with folks. In light of the upcoming trip, and me moving up to Oregon for job opportunities, tips are hugely appreciated through paypal at David13ushey@gmail.com , or, if you’d like to support me long term, I now have a horrible Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/Somber
另外，还要提醒一下，两周后我就要去EFNW了。他们甚至会让我加入陪审团。我是一个丑陋的混乱的人在最后挖鼻孔与所有的青春痘。(心灵闪耀:你为什么要提到青春痘!？因为他显然不在乎你的感受尽管如此，我还是希望能够认识一些人。很高兴能和大家见面聊天。考虑到即将到来的旅行，以及我要去俄勒冈州寻找工作机会，我非常欣赏通过贝宝在david13ushey@gmail.com，或者，如果你想长期支持我，我现在有一个可怕的Patreon在
Also... the things I have to put up with from my editors in the comments....
还有......我不得不忍受我的编辑在评论中的那些话.....。
Edit: Also, FoE radioshow! Listen and enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcEa5s6cd6A)
编辑:同时，也是敌人的无线电秀！聆听并享受!)
Heartshine: This chapter. So much violence. Is there a talky, peaceful solution? Or is this the wrong crowd? I don’t even. I need Somber hugs.
心灵闪耀:这一章。这么多暴力。是否有一个健谈的、和平的解决方案？还是这群人不对？我甚至不知道。我需要沉重的拥抱。
swicked: That song (excuse me, battle hymn) was weird, right? Really,
那首歌(对不起，是战歌)很奇怪，对吗？真的
really weird. I mean here:
真的很奇怪。我的意思是:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVLlUoR-rvk#t=26m25s
So yeah, weird. I just... yeah.
所以是的，很奇怪。我只是...是的。
Weird.
真奇怪。
I... won't even comment on the second "song". Guh.
我。.连第二首歌都不评论。女名女子名。
...IGNORE ME!
别理我！
Heartshine: I rewrote the 2nd song to its present incarnation, and put it to guitar chords. :P Maybe if swicked is nice to me at Everfree I’ll sing it for him.
心灵闪耀:我重写了第二首歌曲，它的现在的化身，并把它的吉他和弦。P也许在Everfree我会唱给他听。
swicked: I probably won’t be nice to her at Everfree :D
我可能不会在Everfree:d对她好
Heartshine: Q.Q if only Hinds would bring swicked his 4.4 grams of candy.
心灵闪耀:qq如果只有Hinds会带来swized他的4.4克糖果。
Bronode: What’s the going exchange rate between candy and sexual favours?
布罗诺德:糖果和性爱之间的现行兑换率是多少？
Heartshine: Depends on the favour and the person asking for them?
心灵闪耀:取决于帮助和请求他们的人？
swicked: I’ll take the candy thankyouverymuch.
例如:非常感谢你给我糖果。
Bronode: Why do I ask these questions? I always regret it.
布罗诺德:我为什么要问这些问题？我一直很后悔。
Heartshine: Solis rather likes gummy candy, Bronode. And she lives with me. You could test this theory. She seems to be rather fond of you. Maybe that’d help the exchange rate.
心灵闪耀:索利斯相当喜欢橡皮糖，Bronode。她和我住在一起。你可以验证这个理论。她似乎很喜欢你。也许这会有助于汇率。
Hinds: I was again told to type something here and that this again counted.
我再次被告知在这里输入一些东西，这次也算。