The moment The Bear Spirit left Swiftshadow found herself tumbling down once again. Below her Julien screamed. Tucking in her wings she dove towards him. She snagged him with her talons. She stretched out her wing hoping to catch some wisp of air. She found none.

The ground below was fast approaching. Thinking quickly she wrapped herself around Julien. Thick rough stone walls formed around them. A rocky floor came into view. Thinking Quickly Swiftshadow flipped Julien on her back. Borrow a page from the feline book she stretched out feet as she hit the floor. The impact traversed up her legs and into her chest. She landed uninjured.

"You alright back there?" She addressed her passenger.

"I'll live," he groaned as he slid off her back. "What horror do you think the demon has cooked up for us this time?"

"I don't know," A cavern surrounded them large enough to house a parking garage. It stretched out ahead into darkness. An ominous glow emanated from its distant end. The pair shrugged at each other and followed the path.

For a while the only sound was footsteps and the clacking of talons on stone. The glow steadily grew brighter with every step. eventually they reached the source. A shimmering arch stood before them. Born of pure crimson light it concealed all that lay beyond in a glittering veil. The spirit vision showed no ember in the arch.

"i'm guessing we are to go through?" Questioned Julien.

"I don't see any other way," Swiftshadow stepped forward into the veil. Julien was close behind. Her vision was developed in red as she pressed through. A tingling static sensation wormed its way into her scales. For a moment she was blind.

A new scene came into view as she blinked away the stars and specks from her vision. Her muscles stiffened when she realized where she was. It was one she could only recall from fragmented memory. A place that was full of nothing but pain and suffering. A place she barely manage to escape from.

Shockwaves lab.

Two rows of cylindrical cloning chambers stood on either side of the cavern. Predacon protoforms slumbered peacefully inside. Cubes of energon were stacked in a corner. At the far end was a workspace with a computer. Everything was as how she remembered.

The only thing missing was shockwave himself.

She looked for the exit only to find it missing. She was trapped. She suddenly found it hard to breath.

"Is this a place you know?" Julien cut through her panic.

"This is where I- Where he-" The end of the sentence locked itself inside her throat. A warm hand placed itself on her shoulder. Swiftshadow regained control of her lungs.

"Let's go find that ember." He said.

Inflating her chest Swiftshadow stepped forward. Glimpsing through silver eyes she could not see any glowing ember. Julien remained a couple steady measured steps behind her. The protoforms stared back with soulless eyes. She felt scales crawl. She gave the spirit vision a rest as a head ache crept in.

"I don't see any ember,"

"Astute observation," A deep monotonous voice spoke. The sound of sent shivers of fear down her spine. She had heard it many time in her nightmares. Whirling around eyes reaching skyward. A single crimson optic stared back. "Unfortunately you wont find it in time,"

Shockwave aimed his arm cannon at the pair. Scarlet light filled the whirring barrel.

"Move!" Swiftshadow shoved Julien out of the line of fire. A blast of light scorched the stone they once stood on black. The world shook with every step the Decepticon took. Swiftshadow And Julien scurried around the chamber as the titan hunted them down.

Scarlet blasts tore into the cave walls and floor. A concussive blast sent Swiftshadow flying across the lab into the workstation. Julien skidded into the base of one of the cloning tubes. The beasts inside began to stir. Their anguished cries echoed throughout the cave.

What really sent a bolt of terror through her heart was the tubular container before her. Big enough to fit a human comfortably and all too familiar. She had been inside of them only a few times before. Each time was a nightmare.

"I see you found your home," Said Shockwave. "I hope you find it comfortable as you wont ever be leaving,"

Swiftshadow snarled. "I wont be going in quietly,"

"I do enjoy it when my specimens put up a fight," His voice was cold and even. His optic glowed unblinking. He aimed his cannon right at her. A mechanical whirring accompanied the building scarlet.

With dawning horror Swiftshadow realized that she was cornered. To the left and back was a massive desk. The container was to the right. Shockwaves blaster was barely five feet away. She'd no time to take flight.

Instinctively she reached for her magic. An illusion would be of no help and Spirit vision was of no use. Soul fire wasn't going to cut it either. There was only one option left. Do something entirely new.

Silver energy stretched out around her, solidifying, strengthening. A spherical barrier wrapped around her as the cannon fired. Scarlet battled against the silver. Her magic strained under the blaster fire threatening to crack.

But it held.

The shield dissipated in shimmering silver. Swiftshadow's heart pounded as Shockwave kept his cannon raised. She bunched her muscles ready to spring to the air.

"Intriguing ability. Perhaps vivisection will reveal its cause." He spoke calmly. Swiftshadow felt the blood leave her face. This was her every nightmare come true.

A rock twanged off the cannon. Shockwaves optic landed on Julien who stood with another rock in hand. "I apologize, but you see I do need her to get out of here,"

Seizing the moment Swiftshadow flicked on the generator. Electricity arced and tingled inside her scales. Building in strength letting the soul fire mix in. She knew exactly where to land the thing. She let the bolt loose right into Shockwaves single dreadful optic.

The crimson circle explodes into shards of glass and smoke. Shockwaves leaned back with a metallic groan. He held there for an ominous moment before hitting the ground in a thunderous bang. His head twisted to the side and a small scarlet sphere rolled out of his socket.

Julien strode over and picked up the ember. "I think you know what to do with this."

"That was some quick thinking back there," Swiftshadow plucked the ember from Julien's hand.

"Don't look too deep into it," Julien huffed. "You're my only ticket out of here,"

"Noted." Swiftshadow inhaled and breathed silver flame over the ember.

A tiger sailed by Carmen tackling a stampeding moose. A sun bear wrestled with a great green anaconda. ACME agents held the line in the street. The police joined in holding off the horde. The bodies of hundreds of tranquillized animals rested on the road. She hoped that Malic Korvoth's defeat would come before they all awoke.

Then again if a certain trend continues, they could be great allies. That tiger had saved her many times since it turned on its fellow beasts. Soon after the bears followed suit. Together they fought against the darkling horde. Carmen was certain that somewhere, somehow Swiftshadow was behind these changing tides.

Zack and Ivy where back to back fending off an elk and a jackal. Shadow-san tossed a flash bang into the darkling horde. Julia gassed a pit viper. Flocks of corvids swarmed the sky sloping down to peck at anyone alone in the streets. That left Carmen to deal with an enraged bighorn sheep. Somehow with all the chaos of a world under attack Chase managed to get himself cursed. Again.

She knew the man was thick headed but this was almost getting ridiculous. Chase stamped his hoof and snorted furiously. His horns were aimed right at her as he charged. She jumped and flipped herself into a somersault over the ram. She had no tranquilizer gas gun on hand and no bright bombs. Had barely any options left.

The ram swung around. His horns were once more aimed right at her. Carmen readied for his charge. His moves chatted on the pavement. She could imagine a dozen different ways those horns and hooves could gore and maul.

Chase skidded to a halt mere inches away from her. His sides heaved with exhaustion. He like all the other sheep and goats remained still for a few moment before turning their heads in unison. Like the Bear and cats before they turned their horns upon the darkling horde.

Chase charged, ramming himself into a darkling. The darkling reeled at the impact. Chase snorted as he continued bludgeoning the darkling.

Picking up a dropped police baton she stared down the oncoming darkness. Regardless of what Swiftshadow was doing to turn the tide, she had the duty to fight for as long and hard as she could. The lives of all depended on it.

Todd worried. The only sign that his sister was still alive was the great magical beasts that would burst from the black pillar. Her backpack hung snugly on his shoulders. She had told him to trust that she would come back. He had to force himself to trust that. He couldn't afford not to.

He forced himself to ignore that nagging doubt and focus on the battle at had. If he lent it an ear he would fall apart and be of no use to anyone. Probably end up as one of those beasts as well.

Years of veterinary school not only taught him how to heal but also subdue most animals. A skill that came in handy as a rattle snake coiled near his feet. Its emerald eyes stared unblinkingly into his soul. He gripped Jacks discarded crowbar tightly. While not a snake hook it still would perform the job adequately enough.

He carefully aimed the crowbar. The snake hiss as it bared its this needle like teeth. Each filled enough venom to end him several times over. The snake struck but missed. Todd hooked the crowbar under the snake and held it in the air. Grabbing a sack he dropped the snake inside. He tied the sack and placed it underneath the stairs to the catwalk.

A bellowing trumpet shook him. A scarlet eyed eyed mountain goat glowered down on him. Sharp horns were pointed right at him. Todd froze. Those horns were going to hurt. The impact never came. The goat went still.

The pillar twisted and warped. A shining scarlet ram broke from the shadows. It charged across the battlefield crushing dozens of darklings with it hooves. The Panther and The Bear greeted their brother as he raced to freedom.

A motion caught his eye. A jaguar staggered into the heart of the hanger and fell next to him. A long gruesome gash started at its shoulder and ended at its paw. Todd grabbed a first aid kit off the wall. He knelt by the injured feline.

It was hard to imagine that there was a human behind these glowing golden eyes. He was careful as he tended the jaguars injury. They were known to have one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom. Powerful enough to crush a caimans skull. He hoped that Jack had told the cat not harm him.

A red light surrounded him as he tended the feline. A warm presence drew his attention up where a ruby red eyes stared back.

Your faith stands strong

The Ram Spirits voice rumbled through him like distant thunder over the prairies. A scarlet symbol appeared before him.

Do you wish to end this suffering?

Todd hesitated. The dreadful shrieks of darklings and the pained yowls of animals filled the air. The reason he became a vet was to help the ones who could not help themselves. He was just a single man trapped a world struggling to survive a monstrous onslaught. Here before him was an opportunity to help. But did he dare?

"Alright, Lets do this," He reach out to grab the crest. Immense power flooded his system. It took all his strength to not buckle underneath its weight. Yet he stood firm. He suddenly felt the minds and hearts of all the sheep and goats all over the world. He only gave them one command.

Help the people of this world.