Seatbelts. When Ironhide first came to this planet he had thought the silly things ridiculous. Then not so much as he saw how well they protected these little squishy creatures that was the dominating species. Now he was wishing Omega Supreme had some as he was thrown against the wall and had the pleasure of the terror twins slamming into him.

Omega was trying to fly through the reinforcements being sent to the planet now far below them. Reinforcements that would have come in greater numbers if Omega himself didn't take out quite a few of them. And more were even being shot down if the last communication they had received from the various ground bases was any good indicator. Unicron was now very well close enough to be spotted easily, and the appropriate action was being taken on all parts. Even those idiotic turtles were holding their own in their task.

Didn't mean that it was all smooth sailing up here though.

Once again Omega turned into a sharp roll to evade the incoming fire and at least Hide took some satisfaction that he slammed into the twins this time.

"Watch the paint!"

"If you don't shut up I'll personally strip it all off!" A very annoyed Ironhide barked back at the bristling Sunstreaker.

Even in this situation Sideswipe thought that was hilariously funny, breaking out into laughter. Laughter that only grew louder as his twin beat the scrap out of him while still being pinned under the weapons specialist.

"If this keeps up we'll never even get there! Will you two quit!" Ironide was quickly losing what little patience he had.

"Me Grimlock not like ride! Me Grimlock want off!"

Well, that made two of them. And did he just agree with the Dinobot? Primus...

"Ahm workin' on it!" Jazz snapped back, his own usually calm demeanor now obviously strained as he and Mirage struggled to come up with something that would cover their approach. "Jus' need more time!"

"Which is something we are rapidly running out of!"

"You wanna do this?!"

Ironhide was about to show him what he wanted to do, which involved inserting numerous grenades in various ports, when suddenly the attacks stopped on their own. There was a stunned silence as Omega Supreme balanced his flight path back out again.

Bumblebee looked out one of the windows and turned back to his comrades, his optics opened wide as he chattered excitedly and motioned for them all to come and look.

Ironhide pushed the twins out of his way, sending them both tumbling across the floor, and did what the younger bot requested. He looked out. And he wasn't quite sure what he was seeing. They were surrounded in a soft white glow and the numerous minions out there couldn't seem to target them as they easily flew onward.

"You have to be fragging kidding me..." He murmured. "Jazz!"

"Ah didna do it Hide." Came the just as stunned response.

"Neither one of us did." Mirage added.

"Then who did?"

None of them seemed to have the answer to that as they all looked baffled around.

"Hurry Disciple of Primus.' Echoed quietly then in the cabin. 'Your approach has been shielded, but I do not know how long it will hold against him. And he grows dangerously close."

"Understood." Prime nodded his agreement. "Omega Supreme, take us all the way in."

"Omega Supreme acknowledges. Will initiate ramming procedures."

"Ramming procedures..." Ironhide really didn't like the sound of that. "Now you wait a fraggin-" He was thrown around the cabin again as their ride gained a sudden burst of speed. "Who said anything about ramming!"

"Apparently he did!" Mirage was trying to hold onto Jazz, who was trying to hold onto the console he had been working on. Then they both weren't holding onto anything as they crashed into Hide. That bumpy ride continued until it came to a jolting stop, sending them all flying the other direction.

"Frag it all! If I wanted to fly I'd have Ratchet reformat me into a seeker!" Hide was furious by the time everything settled down.

"Ah think we made it..." Jazz looked up, his visor lopsided before he slammed a servo against the side of his head to straighten it back out again.

"Surprisingly." Hide grumbled back.

Any other banter was quickly cut off as the hatch opened and Prime stepped out of Omega, and found himself inside of Unicron himself. The others quickly gathered themselves and followed their leader, looking around carefully in the unfamiliar surroundings.

"This way." Prime started to lead them, but was interrupted.

"Me Grimlock tired of this! Me Grimlock find Unicron's spark and destroy it!" He transformed, roared and started stomping off...in the wrong direction.

Hide rolled his optics and blasted the big stupid thing in the aft. "Wrong way you glitch!"

Grimlock stopped and looked at him with confusion and anger until he noticed that Prime was heading in another direction. Then he turned, roared again, and stomped off behind Prime.

"Primus help us." Hide shook his head and followed. If they survived this it would be a miracle.

.

.

Ty crashed hard into a tree, but still managed to hold onto Cindy. He couldn't let them get separated, it was bad enough that they already lost sight of the others. He clenched his eyes shut a moment to fight off the pain, but the slight groan that came from him clued Cindy into the fact that he was taking another beating.

"Ty..."

"I'm fine." He brushed her concern off as his eyes opened.

"Are you now?" Jeff taunted as he came closer. "It seems that I didn't hit you hard enough then."

Ty glared at him, breathing heavy from the numerous hits he had already received. Somehow he managed to get back to his feet, once again shielding Cindy from the monster in front of them.

"Still you have some fight in you." Jeff's head tilted in amusement. "Now I bet you wish you had chosen me instead Cindy, seeing how weak he really is against true power."

Her glare was just as hard as Ty's.

"No? I'm sure you will see soon enough when you join me in the pits of hell. I'm going to have an eternity to beat that knowledge into you."

"Fuck you!" Ty snarled, his fist speeding towards the face that grinned at them. This hit actually connected, but did nothing more than turn Jeff's head slightly.

"Better, but still not good enough." Jeff punched back and Ty hit the ground and rolled quite a distance away, this time his grip on Cindy lost. He laid there, groaning in pain as he struggled to focus.

"Let me go!" Cindy screamed, those words allowing Ty to gain the focal point he needed to see through the pain.

He fought his way to his feet to see her arm in Jeff's hand. That caused a growl to come out of the young turtle's throat. Anger and fear filled him, and he somehow closed the distance between them. His katana came out and sliced across the fingers holding her and she stumbled to the ground, crawling backwards out of the way. Ty ran to her as soon as she was free, knowing to try and fight this thing was no good. Even now Jeff laughed at them as those fingers crackled with the dark energy that now flowed in him and they quickly reattached themselves to the wraith before he calmly followed.

"There is nowhere you can hide from me Titian! Nowhere! I'll follow you to the ends of this earth!"

Ty was starting to wonder if there was anything that could stop this thing. Lord knows he couldn't.

'Come to me.'

He paused a moment, eyes wide. Ty didn't recognize the voice he clearly heard in his head. Then shook that head, wondering now if he was going crazy. He had to be going crazy. Hell...who wouldn't be going crazy with all this crap going on?

'Come child.'

This time it was accompanied with a soft inner pull, and a feeling of reassurance. Ty stood still a moment, then made the split second decision to follow that soft call. He strengthened his grip on Cindy's arm and led her off in a completely different direction.

Cindy was confused as he was. "Ty? Where are we going? The others went north."

Ty just shook his head, not sure how to answer her. He just followed the pull that grew stronger as he went. He struggled his way through the thick forest, trying to find the strength to keep going, but he was rapidly growing weary. He still hadn't fully healed from the last beating and these new wounds that covered him were beginning to wear him down.

'Not much farther now.' Came that calm voice again.

It was a clearing that he was led too. An unremarkable, but very large open space. Nothing different than what was seen in countless other forested areas, except what was in this one. Ty and Cindy both stopped their eyes wide at what they found. Cindy even began to shake as she held onto her lover.

'Come closer. There is nothing to fear, just as there is nothing to fear from your father.'

Ty found his feet moving before it even finished speaking, pulling Cindy with him. Towards what they had found. At the far side of the clearing, resting quietly and calmly on it's stomach, was a white dragon larger even than the dragons who still fought not far away. It's body seemed to glow in the darkness of night around them, golden eyes watched them with a gentle gaze as they made their way closer, it's just as golden wings folded over it's body. It even lowered it's head as they approached, gently lifting them up and placing them in the protective nook of it's crossed forelimbs. Then that head raised again, it's eyes narrowing as the dragon intently watched the area they had just came from.

The young turtle felt safe enough, still not fully understanding why, to let himself collapse against the dragon. His hand pressing his side as he forced his breathing to stay calm.

"Oh Ty..." Cindy looked up at the dragon. "It's so beautiful..." Her wondrous mood quickly broken as she heard a now very familiar and hated voice.

"Where are you going turtle boy? Don't want to play anymore? Too bad...because I do." Came the taunts now. "Then I'll rip your pathetic sister apart, then your cousins. Then your turtle whore moms!"

"You fucking bastard..." Ty growled as he tried to get back up, and was gently pushed back down by an insistent snout.

"Here turtle, turtle! Here boy! I just want to rip your head off and show it to your mother! It'd make a nice present...right before I rip her throat out!" That was followed with laughter right before Jeff came out into the open. Laughter that blinded him to what was in the clearing as he walked farther in.

When Jeff did finally see his target, cradled protectively by the large creature, it was too late for him. His eyes grew wide when that large head swung in his direction. He even had time to sprout his demon wings in an attempt to flee. But that was it.

Ty and Cindy watched with awe as that dragon mouth came open and a pure white beam of light erupted from it. The aim was true as it slammed into the creature from hell, and pain registered on that undead face when it hit. Jeff's scream rang out into the night as his body literally burned under the onslaught. Cracks started to appear on his pale skin and the light shone through as it burned him from both the inside and out. Even brighter the light flared as the onslaught continued and the glow from within brightened until, finally, the dragon stopped. What was left of Jeff fell to the ground, now a small pile of ash.

The couple shook now at what they had just witnessed, their eyes going from what was left of their tormentor to the dragon head that just calmly looked back at them. 'No more will he haunt you.'

Ty could only give it a nod of appreciation. His mind and mouth couldn't seem to form the words for a proper thank you.

He was shook out of his stupor when more voices rang out through the woods. "Ty! Cindy!" Thane called out for them. Moments before his sister and mother broke through the underbrush from another direction, followed by the others. And all of them stopped and stared. Aunt Cait's hand even went to her mouth in awe.

The only two who didn't stare were Tony and Emily who both came rushing towards the now very battered turtle. Ty was pulled from the dragon and carefully laid down as Ratchet joined them and all three of them began to fuss over him. But he didn't notice it, those large gentle eyes held his. 'Rest now Titian. I will watch over you and your family. Just as I have always watched over them.'

Those were the last words he heard before he succumbed to that quiet command and let his weariness overtake him. Secure in the knowledge that this dragon would do just that.