Chapter 1

Matilda and Pearl JULIE SYKES. illustråted by LUCY

玛蒂尔达和珍珠朱莉·赛克斯。 露西插图

CHAPTER ONE "Pearl, you moved!" Matilda was trying to draw Pearl, her unicorn, but it wasn't going too well. "Your leg is all wrong in my picture now. Pleeeease stand still." "Sorry Matilda. I just can't stop thinking about magic. When do you think I'll get mine and what do you think it will be?" Pearl tossed her pink and yellow mane. "I don't know," said Matilda, re-sketching Pearl's leg. Pearl began to pirouette in circles. "Maybe I'll be able to make a snow twister, like

第一章“珠儿，你动了！”玛蒂尔达想画她的独角兽珠儿，但画得不太顺利。 “你的腿现在在我的照片上完全错了。 请站着别动。”“对不起玛蒂尔达。 我就是忍不住想魔法。 你觉得我什么时候能拿到我的？你觉得会是什么？”珠儿甩了甩她粉红和黄色的鬃毛。 “我不知道，”玛蒂尔达说着，重新画了珠儿的腿。 珠儿开始旋转起来。 “也许我可以做一个雪龙卷风，就像

Crystal!" She spun faster until she almost tripped over her hooves. Slowing down, she tilted her head and affected a dreamy look. "Or I might get soothing magic like Whisper. Or what about freezing magic?" Pearl held the pose like a statue until finally she wobbled. "Nah. Freezing magic is boring! I wouldn't mind getting wind magic, though, like Golden Briar. Wouldn't it be fun to have wind magic, Matilda?" Pearl blew out through her nostrils with a loud trumpeting sound. She crossed her eyes and blew so hard it made her cheeks wobble. "Or flying magic! Imagine if I had wings!" She leapt into the air with her hooves pointed. "Pearl! Stop goofing around so I can finish this picture!" Matilda tried to look stern but Pearl looked so funny she started to giggle. Her pencil skittered across her sketchbook as she tried to capture the dancing unicorn. Pearl began prancing around the field,

水晶!”她转得更快了，差点被蹄子绊倒。 她慢了下来，歪着头，装出一副若有所思的样子。 “或者我可能会得到像Whisper那样的舒缓魔法。 或者冷冻魔法呢？”珠儿像雕像一样保持着这个姿势，直到最后她摇摇晃晃。 “不。冰冻魔法太无聊了！不过我不介意得到风魔法，比如金荆棘。 拥有风魔法不是很有趣吗，玛蒂尔达？”珠儿从鼻孔里吹出一声响亮的喇叭声。 她交叉着眼睛，使劲地吹气，弄得她的脸颊都在颤抖。 “或是会飞的魔法！”想象一下如果我有翅膀该有多好！”她翘着蹄子跳到空中。 “珠儿!别胡闹了，我好把这幅画画完！”玛蒂尔达竭力装出严肃的样子，但珠儿却显得那么滑稽，她开始咯咯地笑起来。 当她试图捕捉这只跳舞的独角兽时，她的铅笔在速写本上飞快地掠过。 珠儿开始在田野里蹦蹦跳跳，

tapping flowers with a hoof then making a popping, crackling noise. "Guess what magic now, Matilda?" "Fire magic," said Matilda. "And now?" Pearl walked very slowly, lifting each hoof in an exaggerated tiptoe. "Stop!" Matilda chuckled and dropped her pencil. "How can I draw anything when you keep making me laugh? What sort of magic is that supposed to be? Whatever it is, I hope you don't get it. You look like a circus pony!" Pearl trotted over and leaned over Matilda's shoulder, nuzzling her dark-red hair. "I don't mind what magic I have. I just wish I could find it," she said, blinking her long eyelashes. "It's summer already. We're halfway through our time at Unicorn Academy. What if I don't find out before the graduation ball in December? And we haven't bonded, either." All the unicorns at Unicorn Academy were trying to discover their magic power and bond

用蹄子敲花，然后发出噼里啪啦的声音。 “猜猜现在是什么魔法，玛蒂尔达？”“火焰魔法。”玛蒂尔达说。 “现在呢?”珠儿走得很慢，两只蹄子都踮起脚尖，显得很夸张。 “住手!”玛蒂尔达吃吃地笑了，把铅笔掉在地上。 “你一直逗我笑，我怎么能画东西呢？” 这是什么魔法啊？ 不管是什么，我希望你别收到。 你看起来像马戏团的小马！”珠儿小跑过来，靠在玛蒂尔达的肩上，用鼻子蹭着她深红色的头发。 “我不在乎我有什么魔法。 我真希望我能找到它，”她眨着长睫毛说。 “已经是夏天了。我们在独角兽学院的时间已经过去了一半。 如果我在12月的毕业舞会前找不到答案怎么办？ 我们也没有建立关系。” 独角兽学院的所有独角兽都在试图发现它们的魔力和联系

with their rider. When a rider and unicorn bonded, a strand of the rider's hair turned the same colour as their unicorn's mane. Matilda couldn't wait for a pink and yellow streak to appear in her long, red hair. She was sure it would soon. She and Pearl had been best friends ever since their first day at the academy when Ms Nettles, the headteacher, had paired them up. At first, Ms Nettles had seemed a little uncertain about it.

和他们的骑手。当骑手和独角兽结合时，骑手的一缕头发会变成和独角兽鬃毛一样的颜色。 玛蒂尔达迫不及待地想在她长长的红头发上出现一条粉黄相间的条纹。 她相信很快就会的。 她和珀尔在学校的第一天就是最好的朋友，当时校长内特尔斯女士把她们配对。 起初，内特尔斯女士对此似乎有些不确定。

"I hope you're not going to be a bad influence on each other," she'd said, frowning behind her glasses. "Since you're both quite disorganised, maybe I should put you with someone else?" Matilda remembered how she'd crossed her fingers tightly behind her back, hoping that Ms Nettles would let her and Pearl go together. She'd loved Pearl from first sight.

“我希望你们不会对彼此产生不好的影响。”她说着，从眼镜后面皱起了眉头。 “既然你们两个都很没有条理，也许我应该把你们安排给别人？”玛蒂尔达记得她是如何在背后紧紧地交叉着手指，希望荨麻女士能让她和珠儿一起去的。 她对珠儿一见钟情。