CHAPTER 5: THE GREAT ERUPTION
The Bright Circle was slowly beginning to set in the wide open wasteland that was the Mysterious Beyond,the sky was bright orange while yellow clouds gently flew across the horizon,unfortunately the Fire Breathers in their underground prison were unable to see the current state of the surface and all its beauty.
Marie was laying down on her belly in an empty space that made up the underground caverns with only the light of a few lit up crystals to keep her company. She was quietly sobbing to herself as tears poured down from her eyes,she couldn't believe all those things her father said about her,that no other herd would want anything to do with her,their hatchlings wouldn't want to be her friend and that she would essentially grow up to be a ruthless killing machine as per mandated by her father. It was cruel,it was sick,it was painful to even think about.
Marie continued to weep for just a little while longer until a familiar voice softly called out from behind "Marie sweetie?" to which the young Fire Breather perked up and turned around to see her mother gently landing on the dirt with a sympathetic look on her face before timidly asking "What do you want? Did Dad send you to say more stuff about me?" only for her mother to calmly reassure with a gentle smile "Oh no honey,you don't have to hear any of those things anymore."
Marie couldn't even bring herself to give a response as she just went back to sobbing,much more intensely than before as her mother gently wrapped her right wing over her and brought her in for a hug.
"Why did things have to be this way?" asked Marie admits her own tears only for her mother to stay silent briefly,for even she couldn't think of an answer before meekly replying "Sometimes the great Circle Of Life has strange plans for us. Although I sometimes wish things were different too honey. You know your father wasn't always like this,back before the flaming rock came he was perhaps the kindest dinosaur I've ever known. But something changed in him when….well we did,me and many more of our herd wanted to use our new forms to protect our fellow herds."
"But then Dad had to get us thrown down here huh?" scoffed Marie with an almost resentful sneer to which Crystal regretfully sighed in response "Yeah he did,but he was the leader and everything he says goes. He just had a certain way to him that kept all of us in check and had us become the way we did. We hated every moment of it but he would just make excuses,it's like the kind and gentle dinosaur I first knew had been completely lost."
Crystal was so caught up on her feelings towards Maul that she completely forgot that her daughter was even present as she perked up and cleared her throat "But what I'm trying to say is that….well I didn't wanna say this in front of your father but you don't have to be what he wants you to be." before gently lifting up her daughter's jaw with her tail "You can be whoever you want to and I will always be there for you as your mother. And I promise you that one day we will make it back to the surface,and you will be able to see the world you never got to see."
Marie after hearing those words couldn't help but smile as she and her mother both rubbed their heads together,however this moment of happiness wouldn't last very long at all as a look of worry suddenly started to form on Crystal's face before she quickly stated "Wait Marie,stand still and be quiet." to which the now confused Fire Breather did so while she questioned "W-what is it mother?" only for her mother to not answer while she seemingly focused. She was using all of her senses to focus on this seemingly abrupt disturbance and it didn't take long for her to notice something that almost felt like very faint rumbling beneath her feet.
Meanwhile back in the Great Valley,Littlefoot and the gang had since split up and were on their back to their nests for the day. The children didn't have too much farther to go until they reached their parents or in Ruby and Chomper's case just their place to sleep,but it was one more step that they took where they immediately realized something was wrong,in fact the entire valley seemed to feel it all at once.
"EARTHSHAKE!!" screamed out the children in unison as the ground beneath them started to violently shake and buckle,leaves were beginning to fall out of trees and their branches were swinging all over the place. The shaking was very powerful compared to other earthquakes that had come to the valley as Littlefoot, Spike, Ducky, Ruby and Chomper couldn't even stand up straight while Cera stubbornly tried to push through it all and Petrie tried to fly to his nest in a panic.
It also seemed that the earthquake was affecting the underground world of the Fire Breathers as Crystal fiercely grunted "It's exactly as I thought,it's a blasted earthquake!" before Marie timidly whimpered in fear "Earthquake?! Here?!" to which her mother sternly commanded as she started to spread out her wings and fly away "Come on Marie! We have to get to shelter!"
"O-okay!" agreed Marie in response as she proceeded to follow after her mother,all while rocks began to fall from above,the ground started to give way and it was making flying a little harder for the two of them as they tried to dodge the falling rocks as best as they could.
Maul on the other hand was already taking action as he loudly announced while the herd seemed to be panicking "EVERYONE GET TO SHELTER! GET YOUR CHILDREN AND ELDERS TO SAFETY AT ONCE!!" before observing the destruction going on around him and being left in awe. This wasn't just an average tremor or anything like that,this was something worse and the sight of rapidly rising magma and the smell of ash didn't make that any less clear.
Things in the Great Valley didn't seem to be any better as it seemed like the entire valley was being tossed around and beaten all to hell. The ground seemed to be splitting open everywhere and all the lakes and ponds appeared to be being pulled inland like tidal waves. Littlefoot at this point was able to muster up the strength to push through the chaos as he helplessly called out for his grandparents. Petrie had finally made it to his nest only for him and his family to have to leave shortly after due to the ceiling above falling and nearly crushing them. Chomper and Ruby were forced to take shelter near a cave and lastly Spike and Ducky's mother managed to save them just before the ground beneath them gave way.
As Marie and Crystal frantically flew through the rapidly collapsing caverns,the former was getting increasingly more frightened as she fearfully cried out "Mother what's happening?!" to which her mother sharply answered as she got a quick glimpse at the increasing amount of rising lava and forming ash "I don't know sweetie! I think we've been right under a smoking mountain this whole time and it's just now blowing its top off!"
Marie was about to give a terrified response but was quickly caught off when a sudden explosion of lava shot up from below and knocked them both into off course. The lava itself didn't seem to hurt them due to their skin and scales supposedly protecting them but the force of the impact ended up causing them to fall down onto a cliff.
Once the two of them regained their posture and recovered from their fall,Crystal looked over the edge of the cliff and was shocked to see an entire ocean of lava quickly rising,it was clear that whatever mountain they were under was about to erupt big time and they had to get out fast. It was at this very moment that Crystal realized that it was looking less and less likely that they were gonna make it out alive unless they could find a way to the surface,and the newfound knowledge that they were under a mountain gave her an idea.
"Mom what are we gonna do?!" cried out Marie in terror as she too got a glimpse at the rising sea of lava before her mother looked down at her and sternly replied "Marie I need you to listen to me very carefully. I'm gonna clear a path for you and as soon as I tell you to,you have to fly straight up and keep going until you reach the surface."
"Wait the surface? A-and are you not coming!?" questioned a terrified and confused Marie only for her mother to sharply retort "There's no time for you to argue with me! Look,there's a big,bright and beautiful world up there waiting for you and this may be the only chance you got." to which her daughter started to choke up while tears began to form in her eyes "But mom I can't leave you! What about-"
"Shh shhh it's okay." interrupted Crystal in a strangely calm and loving voice before continuing "I know you're scared and all this is new to you,but I need you to be strong and brave like I know you can be. When you get to the surface,find the Great Valley,you'll be safe there. Let your heart guide you and I promise that me and your grandmother will find you. Promise me you'll find the Great Valley."
"I promise." replied Marie with a slight nod of her head to which her mother looked up and shot a large ball of fire from her mouth that went straight through the ceiling before sternly commanding "Go now and don't look back!" to which her daughter reluctantly did so as fast as she could,leaving her mother alone while she flew off to other parts of the underground world.