Phoenix. Fuwa. Fight!The Beijing Olympics came to a dramatic close with an unexpected aerial battle over the National Stadium just prior to the closing ceremonies.

The carefully prepared finale was nearly ruined by the appearance of a giant flaming bird of prey circling the Olympic venue around 4 p.m. local time.

Ornithologists later speculated that the mythological monstrosity may have misconstrued the oddly-shaped arena as a nesting spot. Spectators had little time for conjecture however as the piercing cries and searing heat from the bird sent them fleeing from the stadium area.

To the relief of all, help soon arrived from a most unexpected source. Eyewitnesses reported seeing five cuddly cartoon creatures do battle with the enormous fiery bird.

The benefactors have been identified as the official Olympic mascots for the Beijing Games, known as Fuwa. Formerly assumed to be innocuous anthropomorphic emblems, the Fuwa proved otherwise as they drew upon the power of their animal inspirations to force the phoenix from the skies of Beijing after eight minutes of intense animated combat.

In the aftermath, critics are questioning the wisdom of constructing 'The Bird's Nest' (as the National Stadium is also known), calling it a dangerous architectural invitation in a region of the world known to regularly spawn rampaging monsters on collision courses with urban centers.

There are even some who question the authenticity of the footage of this event provided by the Chinese news service. However, as the Chinese organizers were already caught during the opening ceremonies digitally enhancing the fireworks and lip-syncing one of the songs, the editors of Brainsnap do not believe they would dare risk such embarrassment again.