Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks or Labyrinth.

Chapter 12: Passing the Gate

"Don't worry! I gotcha!"

Aerrow's eyes widened as he was yanked out of the abyss. That voice! He had recognized it to belong to his friend, Junko. Getting back up onto the familiar terrain of the garbage dump, he staggered for a bit before turning to him. "Junko! I'm glad to see yo-!"

His greeting was then cut short when he finally saw him. He definitely had the same friendly demeanor. But he was bigger and had some animalistic features. Aerrow's elation waned, now shocked to see Junko as a hulking bipedal rhino.

Junko's ears drooped slightly as he took notice of his expression. "Hey, Aerrow, you alright?"

"… Yea," Aerrow answered as he started to regain his senses. "Just… A bit surprised to see you like… Well…"

"Oh yea! I was pretty surprised too. But this Cyclonis person kinda explained it." Junko gave a timid smile. "She said that you two were playing a game and you needed to find us and a bunch of other stuff." He then rubbed the back of his head, his ears sheepishly twitching.

Though a bit relieved, Aerrow still had some remorse on his face. It was bad enough that he had made that wish in the first place. But now knowing the full extent of what Snipe had said before made him feel even more guilty. He didn't know how things would be if they ever got back home. The thought of it left an unsavory taste in his mouth.

Seeing his distress, Junko quickly went to a different topic. "B-but it's not so bad. I've been doing okay. Cyclonis placed me with these pretty neat guys. They do construction work around the Labyrinth, and they're really cool."

"HEY! Newbie!" shouted a shrilled voice, causing the two to jolt upward. They then turned their attention to another rhino man like Junko, except he had orange hair under a hard hat. "Break time's over! Get back to moving that trash!"

"Yes, sir! Right away, sir!" Junko immediately stood at attention before heading back to his duty. Aerrow watched as he started to gather the junk and set it off to the side. He soon noticed that there were a lot more rhino men around, working on other maintenance tasks. As he observed their aggressive behavior, he questioned if Junko would be okay with them. At least until he felt something jump onto him.

He glanced upon his shoulder to see Radarr, giving him a smile. It was nice to see one of his new friends again. Then, he heard a couple of voices some distance away.

"You zhink we're close?"

"I'm sure we are. He's probably just beyond this trash heap."

"Did you say zhat at zee last trash 'eap?"

"… Well, I'm sure we're close now."

Aerrow whipped his head around to find Dove and Scabulous as they rounded one of the corners of a junk pile. He waved his arm, calling out to them, "Guys! Over here!"

"Sir Aerrow!" Dove immediately turned her attention to him and rushed over. "Are you alright?! What 'appen?"

Rubbing the back of his head, he answered, "I got caught in some illusions. But I managed to escape them… With a little help." With that said, he then led the two over to where Junko was clearing junk. "Guys, this is Junko. He's one of my friends I've been trying to find."

"Oh! Hello!" Junko immediately looked over at the two and waved. Both Dove and Scabulous didn't look too shocked by his appearance, even if he didn't look human like Aerrow. Then again, they probably knew about the whole Changeling thing. After a while of them chatting, Aerrow's eyes widened as he took notice of something else.

"Junko, what's happening to your body?" he asked while Junko and the others observed his now-translucent form. Slowly, he was fading away from their sight much to Aerrow's distress. Even both Dove and Scabulous were astonished as he was.

Junko looked a bit confused about his predicament before his ears shot up. "O-Oh! The Queen said that if you find any of us, we get to go back home. I guess that's good though. I was worried that I wouldn't see my family again."

The others murmured in understanding except for Aerrow. Though eased, he didn't think that his friend would be gone so soon after he had found him. He at least wanted him to stay until they found everyone else. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind amid Junko's dissipation. "Wait, Junko-!"

But before he could say anything else, Junko was already gone.

Aerrow stared at the spot where his friend once was, shame swelling up inside him. Then, he felt a pat on his back with Scabulous saying, "Don't fret, lad. If the Queen sent him back as he said, then he's back home."

"Well, yea." Aerrow looked down away from him. "But I'm still worried if he would be alright and if he's still a Changeling…"

"I'm sure your friend would be fine, whether 'e's 'uman or Changeling." Dove strolled over to him, putting her own hand on his shoulder. "But zhere's still a challenge and we must best it if we are to set zhings right."

Aerrow glanced between both of them and then to Radarr who gave a small whine in agreement. His heart, though still heavy with guilt, felt a bit lighter with their present support. He soon straightened up and turned to them with a big grin.

"Alright, let's head to the Crystal City and find the rest of my friends," he proclaimed, voice filled with pride. The others nodded, their faces brimming with the same determination. Afterward, they started back on their way unaware that they were being watched.

Hidden behind a nearby junk pile, Snipe had noticed the group and began observing them. His mouth quivered, seeing his friends, well former friends, make their way to the city. A small part of him wanted to join them. But he had remembered what he had done, and he slunk back behind the pile. How could he ever be able to travel with them after what had happened? Still, he felt torn on whether to follow them, especially with the dangers that lie yet ahead.

It wasn't long until Aerrow, Dove, Scabulous, and Radarr had made it out of the trash heap. With the Crystal City in sight, they continued onward at a brisk pace. They soon came upon the wall surrounding it as well as an entrance leading inside. But there was a guard sitting near it. He was fortunately asleep to at least sneak by if quiet. Well, that was until Dove marched up to the door and started to fiddle with it.

"Damn zhis door," she cursed before knocking on it very loudly. "Open up! We wish to enter zee Crystal City!"

"Dove, shush." Aerrow put a finger to his lips as he tiptoed. She didn't hear him though, now turning her attention to the sleepy guard.

She grabbed him and started to shake him. "Guard, surrender your key immediately, or else we shall be permitted to use force!"

"Dove!" he shouted before pulling her away from the guard. "Please be quiet. You'll wake them up."

"Zhen, we shall wake zhem all up!"

Seeing how rowdy she was becoming, he held onto her firmer in his grip. "Dove! Please! At least for my sake, be quiet."

Dove then stopped when hearing his words. "Oh, sorry…" She turned her head away, looking sheepish about her earlier actions. "You don't zhink of me as a coward, zhen?"

"Of course not."

"And my blade is as sharp as ever?" She looked at him with wide eyes.

Aerrow nodded his head while letting go of her. "Most definitely."

"ZHEN I SHALL FIGHT ANYONE, ANYWHERE AT ANYPLACE AND ANY TIME!" she shouted as she took out her sword and started heading towards the door. Luckily, Aerrow managed to get a hold of her again though he struggled with keeping her still.

"Dove! Take it easy! Please!" He tried to get her calm again while she flailed her sword around. It took some time, but Dove soon restrained herself from any more rumbustious acts. She stared at him, looking flustered from her outbursts. After a short second, the two then heard a cough and looked over at Scabulous.

Standing by the unconscious guard while holding the key, he said, "Now if you two are done, can we get going then?"

In an instant, Aerrow and Dove separated from one another, both red in the face. The two then waited until Scabulous unlocked the door and opened it. They walked inside with Radarr and Scabulous following behind. The next area was surrounded by a high circular wall plus the gate to the city which was wide open. So far, it looked clear, much to Aerrow's relief. But then, the city gates started to close.

Now, the gates closing was bad enough as it was. But as they fully shut, they formed a metal giant which stepped out with a clank. Buzzing, a speaker from the giant announced, "*Bzzt* Is this thing on? Oh, hello, this is the gatekeeper speaking. If you're planning on going into the Crystal City, then I warn you that pain and misery are inevitable."

The four of them stared up at the giant automaton, shocked yet a bit skeptical of his threat. Still, they backed away from it. They were about to turn around only to stop when blades pointing towards them popped up from the ground. Much to their surprise, the same voice that came from it spoke up, "Still here? Too bad, then. It's your funeral."

The iron automaton approached them as its arm rose up high. Once it was within range, it thrust it down at the group which caused them to scatter before impact. Both Aerrow and Dove took out their swords when they landed while Scabulous readied his gun. Pulling its arm out, it turned its attention to Aerrow and Dove as it lumbered over toward them.

The two took the immediate opportunity to rush at it and strike its legs. Unfortunately, their swords only scrape the surface plating. Aerrow and Dove were about to try again. But a missile launched from its back, causing them to scatter again from the impact. Gritting his teeth, Aerrow looked over at Scabulous and yelled, "We could use a little help here!"

"I'm trying, lad! I really am!" He shot at the automaton's head before reloading his gun. "The damn thing's unbeatable with that plating. Our weapons are pretty much toys to it."

"So what?! We turn our tails and run?" Dove asked as she dodged another punch.

"I never said that, lassie." Scabulous glanced over at her. "Even the most invulnerable things have some sort of weakness. Perhaps we should go for its joints or even try tripping it. Make it so it doesn't move."

Aerrow listened to his suggestions as he continued to dodge the attacks. Maybe he had a point in trying to find a weakness at least. Then, his eyes took notice of the unusual casing on its back. It looked loose and sparks appeared to fly from it. With the gears turning in his head, an idea popped up as his mouth slowly formed a cocky grin.

"Guys!" he yelled, getting the attention of Scabulous and Dove, "I think there's a way to stop it! I need to get to its back!"

Dove raised an eyebrow, almost losing her momentum in the battle. "Its back?! Aerrow, zhat zhing is nigh invulnerable. You cannot zhink your sword can pierce it."

"I know. But I may have found a kink in its armor." He dodged another missile before turning his attention back to her. "Just distract it while I go for its blind spot!"

Despite his assurance, she remained unconvinced of his plan. The automaton was still a weaponized giant even if it had an unseen flaw. Still, she had trusted Aerrow on this journey and she wasn't going to doubt him now. Turning to Scabulous, she shouted, "You 'eard 'im! Let's addle zhis monstrosity."

"Got it!" He smirked as he now took out his sword and let out a hearty laugh. The two then started to rush the automaton with a barrage of attacks on it. Dove moved to strike at its joints while Scabulous fought with his sword and gunfire. Even Radarr, who had been hiding, scurried around blowing raspberries at it. As all three distracted it, Aerrow headed to the wall and started to circle around with a stark focus on its back.

While trying to find the spot, his heart skipped a beat when he heard the voice say, "Oh, you think I don't know what you are doing?" The automaton's head turned in his direction. "You're trying to get me from behind! Well, I got a little surprise for you!"

Then, a hatch from its back opened and another arm shot out right toward Aerrow. His eyes went wide from the sudden attack, though he managed to dodge it at the last second. He was about to rush at it again. But then, he got sideswiped by one of its arms and hurtled into one of the walls.

Being slammed into the side like a pebble, Aerrow let out a yelp before falling onto the ground. He struggled to get back up as the pain lingered through his entire body. He managed to lift up his upper half slightly and cast a glance over to his companions. Seeing their faces filled with horror, he turned to where they were looking. He then gazed upon the giant automaton swinging one of its arms at him.

As its hand drew nearer, time seemed to have slowed down. He wanted to move, but his body felt stiff and heavy. It couldn't end like this. He had already come this far not to fail now. But deep down in him, there was a sense of dread and anguish for the inevitable. He could only look on as the fist was about to crush him.

"YAAARGH!"

A sudden yell echoing in the arena made him snap out of his despair. Aerrow then watched as a large blur jumped in front of him and blocked the attacking hand. The dust from the impact clouded his vision. Though once it cleared, he gasped when he saw that it was Snipe struggling to hold back the arm with all his might. He looked stupefied by his sudden appearance. But snapped of it when he heard him shout, "What are you waiting for? MOVE!"

Aerrow gave a slight nod before managing to get himself back up. He then ran off leaving Snipe to hold off the automaton's punch. Even with his troll strength, it was difficult for him to restrain it. He gritted his teeth as he tried pushing it back, his feet digging deep into the dirt.

"I see you can hold off one arm," the voice from the automaton taunted, "Want to go for two?" It then swung another arm at him which he barely managed to block as well. He now felt the strain from stopping two. "Now… How 'bout THREE?!"

Like before, the arm from its back shot out and slammed into Snipe. He managed to survive, but the blow from the attack left him face down in the dirt. The automaton approached his motionless body, all three of its arms out. "Well, will you and your friends like to surrender now?"

Snipe slowly lifted his head up, glaring daggers at it. "Not really into surrendering to a hunk of junk… Besides, I don't think that kid would want to either."

"Eh?!" The automaton looked behind, now noticing Aerrow taking a leap and readying an attack. It was about to defend itself, but it was too late. He slashed at the faulty plating and cut through into its main gears. It then sparked wildly, flailing around. Until finally, it collapsed into a pile of crumbled parts. In the rising smoke of its broken form, Aerrow emerged from the debris. He was battered and bruised but wore a triumphant smile on his face.

"Aerrow!" He heard his name and turned to see Dove and Scabulous rush over. In an instant, they embraced him with strong sentiment. Though he felt it in his aching body, he was still glad to see them. His attention was then drawn somewhere else. Breaking from them, he approached the slouching body of Snipe.

Aerrow was about to say something until he interrupted, "Don't. Just…" He then looked over at him with the most repentant look he could muster. "I knew that peach was enchanted. I knew it but I still gave it to you. All 'cause I was scared of what she would do to me."

He listened, somewhat shocked. But that didn't bother him at the moment. "Snipe, it's oka-!"

"No, it's not!" Snipe slammed his fist into the ground. "I… I know I'm not a good person. I'm selfish and cruel and all those other terrible things. But you accepted me anyway." He then looked down and sighed. "I've done something bad and I'm not gonna ask for forgiveness. If there's anything I deserve now, it's for you to hit me."

"That's… Not necessary." Aerrow raised his hands up, trying to assure him.

It did not seem to work as he protested, "Look! I'm trying to be heartfelt here and the only way to make this right is for you to hit me. So, hit me!"

"Well…" He sighed. "If you say so." He raised his hand reluctantly, forming it into a fist. Then in one fell swoop, he gave Snipe the hardest punch he could. He faltered from the impact, lying on the ground with a stunned expression. While he still thought it was unnecessary, he had to admit that it felt good.

After a while, he snapped back up and shot him with a sharp glare. "You didn't have to make that hard, you-!" He stopped mid-rant as Aerrow wrapped his arms around him.

"Still…" He glanced up at him with a smile. "I'm glad that you came back."

Snipe turned a bit red in the cheeks before pushing him away. "Y-yea. Glad to hear that."

For a while, the two remained like that until a loud crash disrupted their sentimental moment. A groan was then heard from the wreckage of the automaton. Aerrow headed towards it, leaving Snipe behind. He looked on, still a bit bewildered by the whole thing. He then heard a cough and turning around, he saw Dove with a stern look that made him shiver.

She took a deep breath before saying, "You know, zhat was pretty noble of you. Coming back despite zee terrible zhing you did. Makes me zhink you're not so bad."

"Yea, well…" Snipe glanced away with a red tint on his face. "Don't get used to it. I still have a rep to keep."

Dove just smiled, knowing well that their alliance was still a temporary one. But she at least considered him to be not as vile as she thought. Their tender moment was soon interrupted when Scabulous called out, "Come on, you two! We should check on what the lad's looking at!"

Both she and Snipe snapped back to reality, and they hurried over to what was left of the automaton. They, with Radarr and Scabulous, watched as Aerrow went through the wreckage. It wasn't long until he noticed a hand sticking out from a pile of rubble. He ran over and grabbed it, yanking it and whoever attached out in one pull.

Falling back, Aerrow looked at whoever he helped out of the wreckage. The being seemed to be almost amphibious in appearance, with a thin straggly body and green skin. His long pointy ears popped out on top of his slick hair as one of them twitched. It was only a second until he let out a big gasp and sat up straight, letting out a loud, "EEEEEK!"

The sudden jolt made Aerrow a bit startled, but he soon tried calming him down. "Hey, hey. It's okay. We're not gonna hurt you."

"Ooooh, do you think I'd fall for that?" the lanky creature said as he skittered away from him. "Just because you look like Aerrow and sound like Aerrow doesn't mean you are him. If anything, you're a mind flayer!"

"… Excuse me?" He raised an eyebrow, more confused at how he knew his name.

"Oh yes! You're a mind flayer in disguise of my friend and you're trying to suck my brains out! Well, unfortunately for you, I know a million ways to carve out vital organs with my bare hands!" With some frantic hand swipes, he tried to make himself as intimidating as possible. But for the most part, he looked just plain silly.

Aerrow, as well as the others, watched while he did some more kung fu poses. During the demonstration, Snipe said, "Here's an idea. Snipe walks up and smashes him."

Though it was tantalizing, he responded with a head shake. He then glanced back at the semi-flailing person. He didn't know why, but there was something familiar about the way he acted. It was almost like he had the same tendencies one of his friends had, especially the paranoia. Suddenly, he had an epiphany and in a surprised tone, he yelled, "Stork?!"

He stopped his posing and glanced over at him. "Ummm… How do you know my name, mind flayer?"

"Stork! It's me, Aerrow!" He approached with his arms open and a smile. Unfortunately, the being known as Stork shuffled away from him.

"… Yea, I don't buy it."

Aerrow stopped in his tracks, looking a bit stunned. Dove, who had walked up to his side, placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Don't not zhink of zhis too badly. It is said zhat zee transformation into a Changeling can leave one irrational at times."

"Actually… He's always been like this." He looked at her with an embarrassed look before turning his attention back to Stork. "Look, even if you don't believe it's me, I'm still your friend. And I know I have a lot to explain. But right now, all I want to say is that I'm sorry for taking you and the others for granted lately. I promise once this is all over, I'll make it up to you guys."

Stork remained silent, his eyes narrowing at him. Then after a while, his wary demeanor seemed to lower a bit. "Okay, you really are Aerrow."

His statement made Aerrow's eyes glisten before he grasped him into a big hug. "Ah, Stork! I'm glad to see you-!"

"Let go! Let go! For your sake and mine, LET GO!" Stork immediately pulled away from him, causing him to chuckle a little. He had forgotten that he didn't do well with close contact.

Of course, he then saw his body fading away just like Junko. He noticed it too but seemed very calm about it. "Well, I guess that's it for me. I'm not sure if you have found Junko yet, but both Finn and Piper are in the Queen's castle. If you want them back, you'll have to face her."

"Yea…" Aerrow said while nodding, "I will."

With that, Stork managed a genuine smile before disappearing completely. He watched as he stood there, his eyes examining the spot where his friend once was. After some time, he turned back to Snipe, Dove, and Scabulous with a blazing determination in his eyes.

"Alright, guys! Let's get going then! Into the Crystal City and to the Queen's castle!" All three cheered with Radarr on his shoulders letting out a chirp. He smiled as his heart felt lighter from their support. Then, he turned around and entered through the gates with the rest following behind him.

Once they were all through, the doors slowly shut behind them in an ominous slam.

Author's Notes:

At least Aerrow found two of his friends. Now he just needs to get to the other two.

Actually, I kinda debated whether I wanted to keep Junko and Stork for the rest of the story or not. They are Aerrow's friends, and I felt like they had to help him succeed. I ultimately decided against it as it would've made the group more cluttered. Don't worry, they're okay and will be back.

Next up is the infiltration and I can assure you that it's going to be fun.

Please Read and Review!