Chapters Prologue: I Am A Tomb Raider
I Am A Tomb Raider
Now, you're probably asking yourself, what is a Tomb Raider? A Tomb Raider is a pony that enjoys finding old tombs in the middle of century old ruins, scavenging for ancient artifacts, and collecting them to study back at home where it's safe. You'd be surprised by just how much you can learn from something as simple as a clay mask or broken pot.
But Tomb Raiding can also be dangerous. Back when I was only a filly, I was just beginning to learn about Tomb Raiding with my father, Compass Needle. We were out on an exploration in the Badlands, I was all dressed up for the adventure. Brown shorts, a loose, blue t-shirt, a straw safari hat, and my lucky amulet. My father was looking over a map, pointing out different path and routes through the rocky outcrops toward a cave, and instead of choosing a path straight up the middle, he pointed out a path that went around it and was at least twice as long. I, still young and ignorant, wanted to know why.
"You never want to take a straight path through a rocky pass," he said. "There are too many dangers in there. Falling rocks, scorpions, and bandits. I hope you never cross the path of a bandit. They're pretty scary."
And, of course, I never listened.
I still have problems with rocks falling or dangerous animals, but the most common problem I have are the bandits. Ponies who either work alone, or who work for a larger corporation looking for the same valuables that I look for. And, sometimes, they come armed. That means that I have to come armed too. Many times, I've had to kill them. I don't like it. At all. But it's what I have to do to make sure they don't kill me first. That's why I try to avoid it as much as I can. I'm very skinny, tall, and agile, so I can usually manage to sneak around bandits instead of killing them. After all, they're usually bloody idiots anyway.
And even though bandits are the most common, they aren't the worst. Sometimes, an artifact is guarded by a curse. If a pony comes in contact with that curse, they can be hunted by ancient guardian spirits. I have never been able to kill one, since they're already dead, but I have escaped every time.
My first encounter with a guardian was back in an old, ruined temple in the Badlands several miles from Appleoosa. I was looking for and old mask from an old Griffon tribe named the Anistriati. I had to navigate my way down at least half a mile into the catacombs, only to find an empty treasure room, looted of any valuables long ago.
And as for the curse, it already knew I was there.
It was a black curse, which is a dark spirit that can be anything from an animal to a pony, but are made entirely of a black mist, and can float through the air at incredible speeds. But this one was just a black spirit. It had no specific form, but it was wearing the mask I was after. I had no idea what it was at the time, but I knew the mask. I scrambled as fast as I could back up through the catacombs, the spirit barely missing me, and I managed to find an old construction site, with several wooden catwalks and equipment held up by ropes. I got the idea to somehow outmaneuver the creature, run up the catwalks, and take cover on top of a suspended crate. The spirit came in shortly after, prowling the ground, looking for me. The crate, in some stroke of bad luck, creaked underneath me, and it looked up right at me. I heard it hiss, and knew now was my chance. I swung one of my climbing axes at the rope, cutting it loose, and the crate fell twenty feet to the ground, and I heard the mask break under the pressure. I'd lost the mask, but I dispersed the creature. When I finally got home, all I said was that the mask was already gone.
I've encountered several other spirits after that, each one centered around a different artifact, and now it's just another day at the office for me.
And my office is a ship. A ship I named, for that matter. I named it, "The Endeavor" . I named it in honor of my father. He used to say that that every mission I went on was an endeavor. And this ship is what gets me to all of my endeavors. And it's a tough old thing, too. Made almost entirely of steel, from bow to stern, except for the wooden deck. It's about twenty years old, which means it was finished when I was born. My dad, being the adventurer that he is, said he didn't want to take it out on the water until my mother said I could come with him. She finally agreed, and all three of us went out on the water. My mother wasn't too thrilled, but my father and I were loving it. Especially me. My father told me I was laughing and giggling the whole time, and I was only a year old. He said adventuring was in my blood. And to this day, it still is, and I love it with a passion. My father died last year, killed for an artifact he owned, which the killer never found. We never found the killer. I was out on an expedition at the time, so I had to come home to the bad news. And his death only ignited my passion even more. No bandits, dangerous animals, risky landscapes, dark spirits, or even death itself can stop me from doing what I love.
My name is Golden Compass. And I am a Tomb Raider.
Bon Voyage!
I almost forgot to wake up this morning. I was up much later than I'd planned to be last night.
Last night was our pack-and-prep night. Me and the crew spent hours loading up the Endeavor with supplies and equipment, since we were going on yet another "endeavor". We were playfully telling each other that all night. My best friend, Aura, was right by my side the whole night. She knew that thinking of our endeavors made me miss my father, but she was there every step of the way to make sure I knew he was watching us to this day. She always knows how to make me smile.
She's a tall unicorn mare, but not as tall as me. She has a pink mane with a light blue coat, green eyes, and the Northern Lights as her cutie mark. She's always wearing an amulet like mine, but hers is a blue gemstone, while mine is green. And for years, she's been like a sister to me, which means she loved my father as much as I did, and he loved her.
Our navigator and captain, Coral, always said we were inseparable. And we always tell him that he is inseparable with his maps. Coral is a pegasus stallion, who is about three-fourths the size of me, with a dark brown coat and a cream-colored mane, with pale brown eyes, and a map as a cutie mark. Ever since he was young, he'd loved mapping things out. He even has a sheet of paper on his cork board in the navigation room with an old drawing of a map of his house that he drew in crayon. He carried it everywhere he went, and had it memorized for as long as I can remember. Now, it's hung up with several other maps that he's made. Every new endeavor, he makes a new map of the location after we get back to the ship. He doesn't have to draw it as he goes along. He can just memorize an area, take a few notes, and map it out exactly as it was. And his number one rule is to "never touch his maps" . So Aura and I rearranged his maps once, and he flipped out. We still laugh about it to this day.
Our technician is an Earth pony stallion named Hard Wire, Wire for short. He's a little taller than Coral, almost as tall as Aura. He has a black coat with an orange mane, orange eyes, round bifocal glasses (that he's constantly adjusting), and a computer chip for a cutie mark. He loves technology like Coral loves maps. If it's powered by electricity, he knows what it does and how to fix it. Sometimes, the rest of us have a hard time understanding what he's saying, but he's the kind of pony you want to have around when something malfunctions. He can be a bit twitchy at times, but he's definitely the brains on board the Endeavor.
And our last crew member, our cook, is Crawfish. We call him Craw. He's a burly Earth pony stallion, standing almost as tall as me, with a thick frame and plenty of muscle to go with it. He has an orange coat with a red mane, but soft pink eyes, and two crossed cutlery knives for a cutie mark. He can be a big softie on the inside, but he's definitely a pony who can hold his own. That, and make at least thirteen different dishes with nothing but daisies and his spice cabinet. And without him, Coral would probably have starved to death from refusing to eat while he was working, which was always. Craw can be very convincing.
Yes, there's only five of us, but that's all we need. My father taught all of us how everything works, when it should work, and what to do if it doesn't. What usually takes a crew of twenty is done by only five. And yet, everything runs smoothly.
And, as I said, I nearly forgot to wake up this morning from how late we'd been loading it up. Our next endeavor was a two week journey across the ocean from the port of Baltimare to an area of unexplored Badlands where bandits are supposedly looking for an ancient artifact from way back when Celestia and Luna were just being fit for their crowns.
And if Bandits wanted to get their hooves on it, then so did I.
We were up with the birds that morning, when there was just enough light to see. When I got there, late, Aura was waiting for me, a teasing smile on her face.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, returning the smile.
Aura gave me a gentle shove on my chest. "You're late, Goldy!" She giggled. "I almost had to send Craw to come drag you outta bed!"
"Oh, come on, now," I replied. "You know Craw likes me the best."
Aura rolled her eyes. "Just because he gives you the biggest portions at mealtime doesn't mean he likes you."
I put on my best innocent look, and said, "What wrong with that? I'm a gwowing fiwwy!"
Aura giggled. She couldn't help herself. I knew how to push her buttons, but she never got angry with me. I was too smart for her.
"Well, if you're done acting like a foal, Coral's waiting for us up top." Aura turned around toward the gangplank.
"Oh, please," I said as I followed. "I've known you since we were foals, and I was always the more mature one!"
She shot a sideways glance at me, said, "Don't lose your balance!", and tried to kick my leg out from under me.
I didn't move an inch. She never could manage to get the best of me. I knew her too well.
"You're really not helping your point," I giggled as I swept her leg out from under her. She squeaked, falling off her hooves, and almost hit the ground before I grabbed her hoof to keep her up. "Swift and agile," I said. "Can you say the same?"
She pulled herself back onto her hooves, and playfully pushed my hoof away. "One of these days, I'm gonna catch you off guard, and you'll never hear the end of it."
I smiled. "Good luck, Aura. You'll need it."
"Move it along, you two!" Coral called down at us from the gangplank. "You're late as it is!" He turned away and trotted back onto the deck, and Aura and I followed, giggling like we were foals again.
About ten minutes later, the crew and I all met at the cockpit to set sail. Coral and Wire were at the controls, while Aura, Craw, and I kept a safe distance.
"You two do not have to keep away from the controls," Wire said. "I can assure you, it's perfectly safe with us."
"It's just you being at the controls that rubs us the wrong way," Craw chuckled.
Wire rolled his eyes, adjusting his glasses. "Oh, and I'm sure you feel so much safer around hot ovens and boiling water."
"Better to cook with heat than to be cooked with electricity!" Craw chuckled again, giving me a nudge with his leg.
I decided to break it up. "Alright, you two. You both know we wouldn't survive without either one of you. Coral, on the other hoof..."
Coral raised a hoof, not looking up from the controls. "Ap, ap, ap! Don't even start with me, young lady." The rest of us all laughed, and I was pretty sure I saw him smile sarcastically.
"Alright, let's get this bucket of bolts moving!" Aura said eagerly.
"We're not ready yet," Coral said.
Aura gave me a nudge with her hoof, smiling cleverly. "How about now?"
"No."
I smiled, understanding the joke. "How about now?" I said.
"No, Compass," Coral replied.
I nudged Craw with my hoof, passing on the joke. He smiled. "How 'bout now?"
Coral threw up his hooves. "No! We are not ready to take off! Now please let me work!"
The room fell silent, but Craw, Aura and I all had huge grins on our faces.
Wire glanced to his left at Coral, his eyes sparkling in humor. "How about now?" he said.
We all had to stop laughing while we pried Coral from Wire's neck.
Finally, when the crew had all calmed down and stopped laughing, we were ready to set sail.
After Coral punched in the coordinates for the autopilot, we all made our way to the top deck. The skies were clear, seagulls flew over the bay, and several ponies had gathered on shore to see us off. We all stood on the stern, waving at them as the ship pulled away from the dock and into the sea.
While we were all still waving, I said, "Well, we're off. On to our next endeavor, huh?"
"And let's make this one the best we'll ever have!" Aura replied.
"They're all the best," Craw said. "Just matters how much better it is than the last, eh?"
"And if everything keeps running smoothly," Coral said.
Wire chimed in last. "And as long as you don't forget your precious maps!" Coral shot him a glance, but he was smiling.
"Or that you don't forget your mechanical marefriend," Coral shot back humorously.
And with that, we left port, laughing our troubles away, as our next endeavor was in sight.
Day One
Everything has gone as well as we could hope for. The crew's happy, the ship's running smoothly, and we have everything we need. What more can we ask for? But we can't let our troubles leave our minds yet. We still have challenges ahead, but we'll barrel through them like we always have. We're a team, and we get the job done, and bring home a souvenir every time. I'm very proud of my friends. I wouldn't be here without them. Best of luck, and I hope you're watching, Daddy.
~ Golden Compass
Chapter 3: Welcome To The Jungle
Welcome To The Jungle
What I did was completely stupid.
Being the adventurer that I am, I couldn't just lay there knowing that there was something in that jungle that I wanted. I didn't care about the danger, the bandits, or that I would be going alone since my friends would be staying behind. Usually, we'd find where the artifact would be, and set up a small command center just outside or nearby. That wouldn't happen this time.
This time, I would be going in alone, with all of them a few miles from where I was going. None of them took that very well. Especially Aura. She had a chance to talk to me while I was packing up.
"I don't wanna let you go it alone, Goldy," she said as I was packing my bag with medical supplies. "It's too dangerous. What do I do if you don't come back?"
"Oh, don't think like that," I told her as I packed my binoculars. "Of course I'm coming back. I've survived much worse than bandits before.You're not gonna have to leave the island without me."
"I know..." She looked down, then back to me, her eyes filled with tears. "Just... Promise me you won't get hurt, okay? R-remember last time?"
"Yeah, I do." I put a hoof on her shoulder. "That won't happen again."
What happened last time was that we were on an endeavor into an old tomb, and they had to stay behind while I climbed up into a cavern three stories off the ground. While I was climbing, my hoof slipped, and I fell all three stories to the ground. I broke my back right leg, and had a concussion. When I finally woke up, I tried to tell her I was okay, but she stayed beside me every second until I could walk again, and she couldn't stop crying. She blamed herself, saying she could have caught me with her magic. So, while I had a broken leg and a headache, I also had to comfort her while she cried. I didn't mind it, actually. In fact, she was the one pony I was glad was by my side the whole time. If she wasn't, I'd be worried about her a lot more than she was worried about me. After that, she found me some climbing axes, so I could use those and not worry about my hooves slipping again. I haven't fallen since.
I took the time to hook them onto my pack, just so she'd know that wouldn't be a problem.
"See?" I said. "I have my axes right here. I'm not gonna fall."
"B-but what if you get shot?" Her eyes dilated, and she started speaking a mile a minute. "Or burned, or... Or cut? Or sprain your ankle, or-"
I put a hoof on her mouth to quiet her. She stopped immediately, but her scared eyes didn't change. I felt so bad for her, but I smiled. "What kind of mare do you think I am, Aura?" She didn't respond, she just whimpered a bit. I took my hoof off of her mouth, which had shrunk to a small, quivering shape. "I'm a Tomb Raider, Aura." I picked up my oak bow, strung it, and strapped it to me with the string across my chest. "I'm too agile to get hurt like that. And don't worry, if I twist my ankle, I'll let you cradle it until it's all better, okay?"
She whimpered again, and whispered, "Okay..."
I smiled again. "There's the big strong mare I remember. Now-"
I was cut off as she jumped forward, and hugged me. I didn't know what else to say, so I just hugged back. She quietly sobbed, shaking as we held each other. She was a strong mare, but if there was anything that could get to her, it was the idea that I wouldn't come back.
If there was any reason why I'd fight through fire and fury to make it back, it was for her.
---
Since Aura and I weren't ready to part ways just yet, I decided to wait until the next morning to leave. She stayed beside me the entire night. Craw had to wake me up the next morning. He didn't have to wake Aura, since she was awake the whole night. And then, she told me she'd made a decision.
"Golden, I'm coming with you."
I stopped dead when I heard that. I wasn't sure how to respond. I knew she was terrified of just me going, but I never thought she'd volunteer to go with me on such a dangerous endeavor. I couldn't let her.
"Aura, you know I can't let you do that."
"I'm not letting you get hurt," Aura said, sheer determination in her eyes. "I'm gonna be there for you this time."
"That's not what I'm worried about, Aura," I said. "I'm worried that I can't be there for you. I can't guarantee you'll be safe."
"I can take care of myself." She wouldn't budge.
"Aura, leaving you hurts me just as much as it hurts you," I replied. "But the idea of you getting hurt or worse just isn't worth it."
Aura just sat there for a moment, thinking. Then, she started to tear up again. "Goldy... I'm sorry..."
"Don't be, Aura," I took her hoof in mine. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine for taking an extreme risk. I'm better now. I won't let that happen again."
"Can you at least promise me something?" Of course, I couldn't say no.
"It depends. What is it?"
Aura sniffled. "If you even so much as scrape your knee, I want you to come right back here, okay?"
I giggled. As much as I hate to say it, Aura's adorable when she's scared. "Well, I can't promise that, but if there's anything that there's a chance I can't keep going alone, I'll come right back. No big risks for me. I promise."
She seemed to lighten up a little at that, but the tears never left her eyes. She hugged me one more time, but she stopped sobbing.
Finally, after I had packed all of my things, all four of my friends followed me to the edge of the forest to see me off. Aura still looked worried, but the others looked determined.
Coral stepped up to me with a small holster belt holding two pistols. "May I?" I nodded. He wrapped the belt around the waist of my faded brown shorts. "Even though I'm the one giving you these, I just want you to know, I really hope you don't need them." He tightened the belt, and stepped back, placing a hoof on my neck. "Be safe, okay?" I nodded once. He nodded back, stepping back with the others.
Wire stepped up to me next. "Here." He held out a small leg brace with a screen implanted in it. "It's got a GPS and virtual map. Our camp is marked with a blue dot, along with the distance from us, and a blue line representing the easiest path back. Just didn't want you to get lost." He strapped it around my front left leg, and powered it up. A green picture of our current location came up, and a blue dot appeared with a number that said it was about 30 yards away from me.
"Thanks, Wire," I replied. "I'll need this." Wire nodded and stepped back.
Craw stepped up next, He held out a small silver box lighter with a compass engraved in the side. "This's my lucky lighter. Saved my flank more than a few times in the past. Hope it'll work for you too. Keep it close." He chuckled. "And for Celestia's sake, don't lose it."
I smiled back. "I won't. I promise." I slid it into the pocket of my shorts, patting it with a hoof. "See? Safe and sound."
Craw chuckled, and held out one leg. "C'mere, you." I jumped into him, hugging his neck, and he wrapped a leg around my back. "It ain't just Aura that's scared of losing you. I'm not ready for you to check out yet, either."
"No pressure huh?" We both laughed quietly. "Don't worry, I'm not ready either. And I can be very stubborn."
"Yeah," Craw agreed. "You got that right." He let go, and stepped back.
Aura stepped up last. She held up a rugged, leather-cover notebook. "Can't forget this," she said. "I wanna know everything that happens when you get back."
"Thanks, Aura," I took the notebook from her, placing it in my pack. "I'll make sure I don't miss a beat." I held out my leg, and we hugged one more time. Soon, Craw, Wire, and Coral joined, and we were all linked together. And in that moment, I made myself a mental note.
I'm not done with these ponies yet. If I'm gonna die, then it won't be today.
---
Now, you're probably asking yourself, why was this stupid?
It was stupid because reality decided to slap me right in the face.
In reality, it doesn't matter what promises you make, how much you care about somepony, or how strong your will is, you can still die. And that didn't hit me until I was already long gone.
I had gone a short ways into the jungle, taking shelter under a large tree. It was getting dark, and I decided to rest. And then, when I took a moment to really sit down and think, it hit me.
I might not come back out from this one.
I was terrified of the promises I made. To Coral, to Craw, to Wire.
To Aura.
What would they do if I didn't come back?
No, I couldn't think like that. I couldn't let myself think I was gonna die.
I am a Tomb Raider. I didn't come here to die.
And then, reality hit me like a hoof to the face.
I slumped down under the tree, and sighed. I'd made it this far without dying, but it didn't help my outlook.
Don't look at this the wrong way, I go into every endeavor worrying about dying. But this one was the one that willpower just barely outdid. Barely. I wanted to turn back, but I wanted to keep pushing even more. Keep pushing until I found what I was looking for.
Looking for some kind of comfort, I turned on Wire's map. The map was a dark blue, with lighter blue lines outlining the landscape. A light blue line lead to my right, going off screen to a dot that said, "0.8 mi". I wasn't even a mile from camp, and I already wanted to turn back. And, somehow, that gave me hope.
Knowing that my friends were still back there made me want to push on even more. I couldn't just come this far and turn back around now. They were worried about me, but they were counting on me even more. More than they ever have been. Even Aura.
Finally, I made up my mind.
"I'm going to keep pushing," I said aloud.
I took shelter under the roots of the tree, pulling a small blanket out of my pack, and curled up for the night. Tomorrow was another day, and I wasn't gonna face it tired.
---
Day Three
I've taken my first steps toward my goal. I haven't been shot at yet, so I count that as a plus. The bandits have moved on, and I haven't heard any gunfire for some time. I'm safe, for now. And if I'm alive in the morning, then that'll be just another step. My endeavor's only just started, so I can't breathe easy yet. Now, I'm not just exploring anymore, I'm surviving. I hope you're reading this, Aura. I'm not dead yet.
~ Golden Compass
Chapter 4: Journey Of A Thousand Miles
Journey Of A Thousand Miles
Dawn.
My first full day of my endeavor. Sure, yesterday was a full day, but I was still in the safety of our camp. That, and I was unconscious for about half of it. So today is the first full day that I'm conscious, alert, and nearly cut off from any civilized life. Today was the first day I was alone, and in danger. And I felt something that I haven't felt in a long time: Isolation.
It wasn't a good feeling. That feeling where you become paranoid, thinking that there's not a pony for miles, and yet you still feel like you'd be shot at any moment. It makes no sense, but you can't shake it. It's awful.
But I had a way to remedy that. I pulled the blanket from off my body, rolled it up, and turned on the virtual map that Wire gave me. The blue landscape was now green. Apparently, it changed from night to day. But the blue line and dot were the same as they were the night before. And I felt better thinking that the dot was my friends. They might not have known where I was, but I knew where they were, and that gave me comfort.
Feeling slightly rejuvenated, I stood up, picked up my bag, and flung it over my shoulder. Then, my stomach growled. I forgot.
I didn't pack any food.
"Well," I said aloud. "Survival instincts, don't fail me now." I thought for a moment. "What is there to eat around here..." Saying that made me wish I had Craw with me. He'd know what to do. In fact, he still did.
"Remember, Golden. When you're in the middle of nature, and you're hungry, you'd think just about anything's edible. Well, that ain't true. One weird berry or one pretty flower, and you'll drop dead before you can swallow. You gotta think before you eat. The easiest thing to find is a daisy patch. You just gotta know where to find it. They can grow practically anywhere, but usually in open fields or clearings. Find a patch of those, and you'll eat good for a day!"
Of course, while Craw was smart, he wasn't always helpful.
The problem was that I was in the middle of the jungle. There was barely a clearing to be found. So, I decided to look for the next best thing. The bottom of a cliff.
I knew that at the base of a cliff, there's always a small open patch, since trees can't grow in the shade. There had to be a daisy patch there. I was only a few minutes' walk from the base of the giant rock in the middle of the island. If I moved quickly, I'd be there in time for breakfast.
I packed up my things, stuffed my blanket back into my bag, and checked my map again before I left. Nothing changed, but it still let me know that I wasn't alone out here. I smiled, and threw my bag over my back. Time to go. I was starving.
In front of me, there was a small gap in the trees that led onward toward the rocks. I'd have to be careful, though. There could be danger under any bush. Watching everywhere I put my hoof, I ventured into the forest.
I'd made it about ten minutes into the jungle without a problem, which is a new record for me.
But then, there was a problem.
Bandits.
I managed to make my way through the forest, until I'd reached a fallen boulder about thirty yards from the mountain. When I approached it, I heard something quietly cracking behind it, and dim light leaked into the shadows around it. There was a campfire on the other side. I heard ponies talking, all stallions, laughing. I sneaked up to the boulder, and carefully craned my neck around the side.
Three stallions dressed in cargo pants, sleeveless shirts, and survival packs. One of them, a brown stallion with a pair of goggles over his brown mane, had an automatic rifle strapped across his chest. I got a closer look, only to see that another, a white stallion with an orange mane, had a shotgun, and a third, much smaller stallion, blue with a red mane, had two pistols strapped to his flanks. The stallion in the goggles was telling a story about how he'd run into a wild Timber Wolf in the jungle a while back. Being a "resourceful badflank", he sent a hail of bullets through it's head, tearing it to splinters, and used it's remaining corpse as firewood.
"Kept me warm all night!" he said. "The bucker never stood'a chance." The other two just laughed.
"Too lazy to chop down a tree, eh?" the stallion with the shotgun asked.
"Nah, bro!" the stallion with the pistols spoke up. "You kill a Timber Wolf in it's own territory, you ain't just gonna leave it! Sent a little message to it's friends! 'Cross us, and we'll burn your flank too'!" All three of them laughed.
I sneered in disgust. Bandits never cared about who heard them. If they found somepony snooping around, they'd just shoot them. I decided not to take that chance. I slipped away from the boulder into the surrounding vegetation, and made my way back toward the rock, But, when I stepped into the forest, out of sheer bad luck, I stepped on a rat. A bloody rat! In the middle of a Celestia forsaken jungle! The rat squeaked, and scampered off into the vegetation. Which, of course, got the attention of the bandits.
All three of them drew their guns, pointing them straight at the tree I was hiding behind. One of them, it sounded like the one with the goggles, shouted, "Who's back there? Come out quietly, and we won't hafta waste bullets on ya!"
I froze where I stood, back to the tree, standing on my hind legs. I tried to stand up a little taller to thin myself behind the tree, but as I moved, my stomach decided to growl. Loudly.
"Aww, they're hungry!" the stallion with the shotgun yelled. "C'mon out, and we'll feed ya!" He chuckled. After a long pause, he called out again. "Not comin' out? Then I'll just come on back there, and hold yer hoof for ya! Walk ya out on a nice red carpet, eh?" The other two stallions chuckled again, and I heard the stallion with the shotgun begin to trot toward me, cautiously.
That was my chance.
I pulled one of my climbing axes from my back, and hid it in front of me. The stallion got closer.
"Last chance, buddy!" he yelled.
The barrel of his shotgun came into view to my left. I took that as an opportunity.
I pushed the barrel of the shotgun up with my open hoof, and he fired it into the air in surprise. I dodged out from behind the tree, and swung my climbing axe around, stabbing the stallion through the throat. Hot blood sprayed across my leg, and the stallion's orange eyes went wide with shock. The other two cursed behind me.
"I got 'em!" The stallion with the rifle yelled.
"Oh, no, you don't!" I yelled back.
"You're a buckin' mare !?" he yelled.
I didn't respond. I grabbed up the shotgun, twisted half of my body around the tree, and fired once. The shrapnel hit the stallion in the area of his right shoulder. His shoulder and neck were torn up by the buckshot, and the stallion screamed in pain. I fired another shot straight at his chest, silencing him.
It was bad enough that I killed him. Worse that he had to suffer. I hated having to kill, but I had no choice.
I tried to find the last one, to tell him to put his pistols down so that I didn't have to kill him, but he was gone. Something barreled into me from the other side of the tree, knocking me to the ground, and I felt something stab into my hind leg, and I screamed out in pain. The third stallion had circled around me, his blue eyes laced with rage. He had stabbed me in the leg, and tried to aim a pistol at my face, but I stopped it with my hoof, holding it back with all my strength. I pushed back, trying to push it away, and with one final shove, I did just that.
Right back into the stallion's neck, causing him to pull the trigger.
The bullet blasted through his skull, leaving a small hole just under his jaw, but left a large hole next to his right ear where his skull had been. His face was splattered with his blood, as was mine. I gagged and choked, and shoved the body off. I rolled over, coughing and sobbing, trying to rub the blood from my face.
I killed him. I didn't want to, but I killed him.
I spent the next minute sobbing and wiping blood from my body. I looked down at my leg. The skin was badly cut, and the bone felt like it had a small cut into it. It hurt, bad. And I was bleeding, alot. Then, I decided to start thinking tactically.
I was in the middle of the jungle, bleeding, and there was bound to be dozens of other bandits in the jungle. First, I pulled the med-kit out of my bag, pulled out some anesthetic, some disinfectant, and some bandages. I opened the anesthetic with my mouth, poured it onto a piece of bandage, and patted it onto the wound. It stung, but then the pain faded away, and I sighed in relief. I tried to gently lean the bottle against a rock, but my hooves were still shaking, and I somehow managed to drop the bloody, spilling the medicine into the dirt. I cursed, and tried to grab it back up, but it was nearly gone, and there wasn't nearly enough to stop any pain. I threw the bottle away in frustration, and went back to my wound. I put some disinfectant on another piece of bandage, and patted it onto my wound. It stung a lot more, but not nearly as bad as it would have without antiseptic. I winced, and wrapped the cotton bandage around it. Blood had already started to seep through, but it would hold.
Next, I'd needed to be armed. I already had the pistols that Coral gave me, but I'd need a little more than that. I grabbed the brown stallion's rifle, slung it over my back, and took all the ammo he had on him, about five mags, and stuffed them into my pack next to my pistol ammo. I looked over the rifle. It was worn, with a wooden stock and grip, and cloth taped to the stock for padding. There were a few scratches in the grip, probably from how many ponies the stallion killed. There were about seven.
Finally having everything I need, I scavenged the camp, found some extra food rations and firewood, and packed them up.
I trotted away from the camp, but I never had anything to eat. I wasn't hungry anymore.
Finally, after several hours of trotting, and doing everything in my power to avoid the bandits, I reached the base of the rock in the middle of the island. I searched the side of the mountain, and found a small cave in the base. I trotted inside, set down my bag, and looked back at the exit of the cave. Sadness spread across my face. I was alone in the woods, forced to be armed, and already injured. Aura would be so terrified if she saw me now. I was worried about her more than I was about me.
I sighed, set up some of the firewood I scavenged, and started a fire. I put one blanket down on the floor as a bed, and wrapped the other around me. Night was falling, and I was very tired. I decided I'd write a journal entry for the day, but I'd leave out the bad details for Aura. I didn't want her to know how bad it'd gotten.
Day Four
Been a great first day. Found a nice patch of daisies for breakfast, and had plenty more for the rest of the day. I did find a small bandit camp, but I did manage to sneak around them. I knew Aura would be upset if I got myself into trouble, especially so soon. I knew if I just left them be, then they wouldn't bother me. I trotted on for several hours until I reached the base of the enormous rock. If you can still see it Aura, just think, that's where I am, and I'm still thinking about you. And I'm alive, safe and sound.
Safe and sound.
~Golden Compass
Author's Note
Not coming along too bad, huh? Well, before this chapter was written, I decided to play the original Tomb Raider game, and lemme tell ya, I've never had such a bad case of nostalgia in my life. I can't even look at Lara Croft without thinking she's Golden Compass! But, I also realized that if I based this story completely on the story line of the game, this would be one of the most depressing stories I've written. But I still need some kinda feels-induced aspect here and there, right? And yet, it makes me think that Sam is like Aura, since they're practically best friends, but unlike Sam and Lara, Aura and Golden Compass are so adorable together! Well, beggars can't be choosers, but I'm glad that I can at least enjoy what gave me the idea! I'll be playing it often to get more ideas on what to do next, but I'll make sure that playing the game doesn't spoil anything!
Hard Landing
Remember how I said being a Tomb Raider wasn't easy? Well, it's not only because it's dangerous, but because just getting there isn't easy. Just because we have a large, steel boat doesn't mean it's always capable of smooth sailing. In fact, I think all the extra weight just makes it toss around more. Coral does the best he can to keep it steady, but it's still not much of a joy ride. And especially on this endeavor.
We were sailing in unexplored seas, and we didn't know what the weather would be like. As it turns out, it was like Cloudsdale decided to move every storm cloud right to where we were. The seas were more violent than we'd ever seen before. For the first time in years, we had to start improvising ways to strap down important equipment so it wouldn't fall over. Craw had the hardest time with this, since he was in charge of a fully loaded kitchen. He was "beaten half to death with his own belongings". Of course, I'm paraphrasing, since he said something a lot more... Inappropriate. He never liked it when people told him not to curse.
Wire was more worried about sensitive equipment being broken. I tried to tell him that most of the things that he was worried about were bolted to something and even Craw couldn't pry them from where they were. But he didn't listen. Like I said: twitchy. And I'd bet all of my bits that half of the things he was worried about we didn't even need.
And then there was Aura. She hates being on rough water. Just bloody hates it. She spends most of her time in her living quarters with a wet cloth and a bucket. And I, being the loving pony that I am, spend most of my time right with her, fetching her a glass of water, a new cloth, or, worst of all, another bucket. I keep telling her she doesn't have to come on the oversea endeavors if she doesn't want to, but she always insists.
"A little sea sickness isn't going to make me miss the adventure of a lifetime!" she always says.
That mare's gonna drown in her own nausea one of these days.
And me? Well, I never minded rough waters. I don't enjoy losing my balance every three seconds, but I have long legs, so I can handle it. The one thing I mind is how much longer our trip is because of how long it takes to get out of the rough waters. I'm a Tomb Raider. I enjoy adventure. And I can't adventure stuck on board a ship. So, I spend most of my time with Aura, Craw, or my bed. They're the most interesting things on that entire boat. Especially my bed.
One night, at about two in the morning, I was lying in bed across from Aura, and I couldn't sleep. Whenever that happens, I usually go find out if anypony is awake and start a conversation for a while. Aura was out cold, and I didn't want to wake her. So, I got out of bed, slipped on my climbing shorts, a blue v-cut shirt, and my lucky green amulet, and trotted out into the hallway of the ship.
Just down the hall, I saw that the kitchen light was on. Craw was still awake. And I heard him singing in there.
He was singing to himself as he was organizing cooking ware on a counter top. "Scale the mountains! Sail the seas! We hunt history-"
I smiled and leaned against the door frame, finishing the lyric. "And we live free."
Craw jumped in surprise, slamming his head against a hanging pot, knocking it from the rack and landing right on his head.
"Ow..." Craw's voice echoed from inside the pot. "Golden! I didn't see you there!" He paused. "Well, I can't see you there now, either."
I giggled as I trotted to him, pulling the pot from his head, and setting it on the counter. He rubbed the side of his head. "Aww, I didn't know a big strong stallion like you was just a little scaredy cat!"
"Scaredy cat, huh?" Craw grabbed me around my back, picking me up off the ground in his enormous front legs. I squeaked and started giggling like a filly.
"Put me down, Craw!" I tried to push my way out of his bear hug.
"What's the matter, scaredy cat?" He said teasingly. "Afraid of heights?"
"Alright, alright!" I finally stopped giggling, but my smile never faded. "You've made your point!"
"I can't let go," Craw said. "You'll fall!"
"Then put me down gently!" I replied. "And I mean gently, Craw!"
Craw smiled, and set me back down on my hooves. I slipped out of his grasp, and gave him a playful shove with my hoof. "Everypony on this whole bloomin' ship probably heard that!"
"Coral's wrapped up in his maps, Wire's probably babysitting a calculator, and Aura's out like a rock." Craw smiled at his own words. "I'm pretty sure we're fine. Question is, why did you come here? Couldn't sleep?"
"No," I replied. "Something's bothering me."
"Well, lucky for you," Craw trotted over to the dining table and pulled out a couple of chairs, "I'm a good listener." He took a seat in one of the chairs, and patted the other. I trotted over, and took a seat in the opposite chair. "Now tell ol' Crawfish what's givin' you trouble."
"Well, that's the thing, Craw." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I'm not sure what it is. I just don't feel right."
"Oh, I get that feeling all the time," Craw replied. "Usually means the stew's burning." He chuckled.
"Then I guess I have a stew burning somewhere." I giggled, then thought for a second. "You don't think it's something wrong with Aura, do you?"
Craw waved the question off with his hoof. "Aw, c'mon, now. You know she's a tough mare. If something were wrong with her, she woulda told ya by now."
"I don't know if that's entirely true." I looked back toward the door. "There could be a lot of things I can see her not telling me."
"I'm pretty sure she's not interested in mares, Golden." I stared at Craw with shock, and he shrugged.
"That's not funny, Craw."
"I ain't laughin'." He rested his front leg on the table. "I know the thought's come to your mind once or twice. Aura can read you like a book, but she wasn't comfortable with asking you to your face. So, she came and told me about it. By the way, don't bring it up to her. It's a very sensitive topic to her."
"I had no idea..." I shook my head. "But I don't feel like it's that bad. It's just kind of an itch in the back of my skull. It's driving me up a bloody wall."
"Well, there's gotta be something that-" Craw was cut off as the ship shook to one side, nearly knocking us out of our chairs. "Well, what the bloody hoof was that?"
"Probably just a bad wave," I replied, then immediately perked up. "I hope Aura's okay!"
"Yeah, good thought. You should go check on-" Craw was cut off again as the ship flung to one side again, this time much more forcefully.
I flew out of my chair, fell away from the table, and felt my head hit something hard. I figured it was one of the ovens. My mind went numb, as did my entire body, and all I could do was lay there. My vision was fading in and out of black, and my ears were ringing. I'd lost sight of Craw, but all I could see was his kitchen being thrown in on itself. Pots were falling off of shelves, the dining table fell over not inches from my hooves, and a whole bloody oven slid across the room, and tipped over.
The ship had hit something. And I didn't have time to worry about it before I blacked out.
---
After I finally woke up, I thought I was in a dream, or a coma, or that I'd drowned. Somehow I was on a beach. In the daytime. On a cushioned mattress with a pillow and a blanket. All I could see was sand, and a huge rocky outcrop in front of me that was dotted with vines and vegetation, and surrounded by a dense jungle. I thought I'd dreamed up my own endeavor in my mind, and somehow, I was there, sleeping on the beach.
And then, I realized why I was really there.
The beach was littered with supplies. Large crates, a few set-up tables, and several pieces of electric power supplies, floodlights, and equipment. But what I noticed the most was our ship. Docked on the beach with an enormous gash in the hull.
I immediately tried to sit up, but flinched when my headache came flooding back. I grunted, and put a hoof on my forehead. It was wrapped in a bandage. I felt a hoof on my shoulder.
"Easy now, Goldy," I heard Craw's voice. "You were pretty banged up. You need to rest. You hungry?"
"No..." I groaned as I slowly sat up, ignoring Craw's advice to rest. "Just extremely thirsty..."
"Yeah, I figured," Craw grabbed a canteen from a supply bag that he had next to him. "You've been lying in the sun for a few hours. Been sweatin' so much, I had to change your bandage." He unscrewed the cap from the canteen, and hoofed it to me. I took it from him, and downed at least half of the water inside. The cold reinvigorated me a bit. I ran my other foreleg across my muzzle and hoofed it back to him.
"Thanks, Craw." I looked back at the ship, and placed a hoof on my bandage again. "What happened?"
"Coral said he was trying to land the ship on the island, but he hit a rock on the way in," Craw replied. "A really big rock, by the looks of it. Says the ship's gonna take days to patch up. You took a pretty bad spill last night. Hit your head pretty hard, and knocked you out for hours. I got you outta there, and put you here to rest up."
I thought for a moment, then turned back to look at him in alarm. "Aura! Is she okay!?"
"Calm down, calm down, you'll open your cut," Craw said. "She's fine. Pukin' her guts out, but fine."
I sighed in relief, pulling the blanket off of my body. "So what should we do until the boat's fixed?"
"You aren't doing anything," Coral trotted over to Craw and I with Wire and Aura just behind him. Wire was a nervous wreck, and Aura was shaking like a leaf, her face pale from sickness. "You need to rest, Compass. You're hurt badly. This endeavor's cancelled. We're fixing up the ship and we're going home."
I opened my mouth to protest, but then there was a gunshot from the nearby jungle. Several birds flew from the trees, scattering up into the mountain.
I looked back at my friends. Craw had a stern look, Coral was staring in shock, and Aura and Wire looked ready to head for the hills.
But me, I was ready to get in there and find what we all knew they were looking for.
I sighed. "Alright, Coral," I said. "You can stay here if you want. But if there's bandits here, then that means that whatever we're looking for is probably in there."
---
Day Two
I spoke too soon about wishing for luck. I took a hard hit to the head when the ship hit a rock. Now we're stuck on an island with a damaged ship, and armed bandits not a rock's throw from us. But if there's bandits, and even more likely since they're armed, then that means that the artifact we're looking for is definitely here. A headache isn't going to stop me from finding it. I'm doing what my father would do. As soon as I'm able to walk again, I'm going in to look for it. I didn't come this far just to turn back now. Watch out, bandits, the Tomb Raider's coming for your treasure.
~ Golden Compass
