Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE Branches and vines snatched at Olivia's clothes and hair, almost dragging her from Snowflake as they pounded through the Tropical Garden. The air rang with the sound of magical explosions. Olivia urged Snowflake on. When she saw the bamboo gate ahead, her heart skipped. Surely Ms Primrose would stop chasing them once they were out in the open! BANG! In a flash of crimson the gate exploded, throwing poles of bamboo into the air like javelins. The remains came crashing down in a pile, blocking the way out.

第九章树枝和藤蔓抓住了奥利维亚的衣服和头发，几乎把她从“雪花”身边拖了出来。 空中回荡着神奇的爆炸声。 奥利维亚催促雪花继续前进。 当她看到前面的竹门时，她的心跳了起来。 当然，一旦他们走到户外，樱草花女士就不会再追他们了！砰!一道深红色的闪光把大门炸开了，竹竿像标枪一样抛向空中。 尸体堆成了一堆，挡住了出去的路。

"Stand back!" Sophia and Rainbow pulled up beside them. Rainbow stamped his hoof, filling the air with glittery magic. A rainbow sprang from his hoof, arching over the fallen gate. Cloud and Dancer galloped over the rainbow bridge followed by Star, Blaze, Snowflake and Rainbow. As Rainbow's hooves touched the ground, the bridge dissolved. Ms Primrose's screech of fury rang in Olivia's ears as she and her friends continued across the grasslands towards the lake. Ms Primrose was some way behind. It was almost as though she was letting them escape– but why?

“退后!”索菲亚和彩虹停在他们旁边。 彩虹跺着他的蹄子，空气中充满了闪闪发光的魔法。 一道彩虹从他的蹄子里跃出，拱起在倒下的大门上。 云和舞者在彩虹桥上疾驰，接着是星星、火焰、雪花和彩虹。 彩虹的蹄子一触地，桥就融化了。 迎春花女士愤怒的尖叫声在奥利维亚的耳边回荡，奥利维亚和她的朋友们继续穿过草原向湖边走去。 樱草花女士有点落后。 她几乎是在让他们逃跑——可是为什么呢？

"To Sparkle Lake!" cried Isabel. "We have to protect it!" The unicorns increased their speed. There was no one else anywhere to be seen– they would all be inside getting ready for the ball. Reaching the banks of the lake they turned to see Ms Primrose and Sage directly behind them. "Got you!" crowed Ms Primrose. The loudest clap of magic yet thundered around them. Six bolts of magic arched overhead, burning with a trail of fire and landing in a perfect ring around the lake and the girls. An explosion followed, lighting the lake up with an orange glow as the surrounding trees caught fire. Thick smoke billowed into the air. "We're trapped!" gasped Olivia. The trees crackled and spat as the fire gobbled them up. Flames leapt from the burning branches, running across Sparkle Lake to the fountain, which ignited in a rainbow of colour. Blaze stamped her hoof and attempted to

“去火花湖！”伊莎贝尔叫道。 “我们必须保护它！”独角兽们加快了速度。 那里没有其他人——他们都在屋里准备舞会了。 到了湖边，他们转过身来，看到迎春花女士和塞奇就在他们身后。 “抓到你了！”樱草花女士得意地说。 最响亮的魔法掌声在他们周围雷鸣般地响起。 六道魔法箭在头顶盘旋，燃烧着一道火焰，在湖边和女孩们周围形成了一个完美的圆环。 随后发生了爆炸，湖面被橙色的光芒照亮，周围的树木也着了火。 浓烟向空中滚滚而来。 “我们被困住了！”奥利维亚喘着气说。 树木被大火吞噬时发出噼啪声和吐痰声。 火焰从燃烧的树枝上跃出，穿过火花湖，到达喷泉，喷泉燃烧起来，形成了彩虹般的色彩。 烈焰跺着她的蹄子试图

control the flames but the magic fire was too strong for her to put out. "I can't do anything," she cried. Cloud made a rain cloud but as the droplets fell they just sizzled away and the flames burned on fiercely. "What do we do now?" squeaked Sophia. "Rainbow's too exhausted to make another rainbow bridge." "Dancer and I could fly and get help but it would mean leaving you all behind," said Layla. "Go!" urged Sophia. "Get help!" Dancer spread his wings but before he could take off a section of the circle of fire extinguished for a moment and Ms Primrose came cantering through on Sage, firing another spell straight at them as she did so. Before any of them could move, a blazing thorny cage grew up around them all. Ms Primrose's eyes were wild as she circled them. "There'll be no more meddling from

控制火焰，但魔法之火太强烈了，她无法扑灭。 “我什么也做不了，”她哭着说。 云变成了雨云，但水滴落下时，它们只是嘶嘶作响，火焰猛烈地燃烧着。 “我们现在该怎么办？”索菲亚尖声问道。 “彩虹太累了，不能再做一座彩虹桥了。” 蕾拉说：“丹瑟和我可以飞起来寻求帮助，但这意味着要把你们都抛在后面。” “走！”索菲娅催促道。“获得帮助!”丹瑟展开了翅膀，但还没来得及起飞，火圈的一部分就熄灭了，樱草花女士跑过来朝塞奇扑来，同时又朝他们发射了一个咒语。 他们还没来得及动，一个火辣辣的荆棘笼子就在他们周围围了起来。 樱草花女士在他们周围转着圈，眼睛里充满了狂野。 “不会再有干涉了。

Sapphire dorm now!" she spat. "There is nothing you can do to stop me! This time you're too late to save the lake. I've put a spell on the locks of the school so the teachers and students are stuck inside. The lake will burn, the school will shut down, and the unicorns will be so weakened that with a few powerful spells my accomplice and I can take over!" Ms Primrose sent more magic spinning at the bushes and trees. The flames grew higher and hotter around the girls. "One last shot!" she shouted, raising her hands. "One final direct hit and then it is all over for you!" "No!" whinnied Snowflake, stamping her front hooves in anger. Olivia saw a gold spark fly up and smelled the familiar smell of burnt sugar. "I won't let you hurt everyone!" "How will you stop me?" laughed Ms Primrose. "You haven't even found your magic."

现在去蓝宝石宿舍！”她啐了一口。 “你阻止不了我！”这次你来不及拯救这个湖了。 我在学校的门锁上施了咒，老师和学生都被困在里面了。 湖会烧起来，学校会关闭，独角兽会被削弱，我和我的同伙用几个强大的咒语就能接管！”樱草花女士用更多的魔法旋转着灌木和树木。 女孩们周围的火焰越来越高，越来越热。 “最后一枪！”她举起双手喊道。 “最后一击，你就完了！”“不！”雪花尖声说，愤怒地跺着前蹄。 奥利维亚看到一个金色的火花飞了起来，闻到了熟悉的烧焦糖的味道。 “我不会让你伤害所有人的！”“你怎么能阻止我？”樱草花女士笑着说。 “你还没找到你的魔法呢。”

Olivia gasped. "Stamp again, Snowflake!" As Snowflake banged her front hooves on the floor Ms Primrose and Sage suddenly froze. "Snowflake!" squealed Olivia, throwing her arms around her. "You've found your magic!" "But what magic is it?" said Snowflake, staring at the icy blue figures of Ms Primrose and Sage. "It's freezing magic," Cloud exclaimed. "My

奥利维亚气喘吁吁地说。“再跺一跺脚，雪花！”当雪花用前蹄猛踩地板时，樱草花女士和塞吉突然僵住了。 “雪花！”奥利维亚尖叫着，伸出双臂搂住了她。 “你找到了你的魔法！”“但这是什么魔法？”雪花盯着樱草花女士和塞奇冰冷的蓝色身影说。 “这是一种冰冷的魔法。” “我的