Stacey and Hoggle trudged through the Fiery Forest, with Daedalus flying a little ways ahead of them and Theseus nestled happily in Stacey's arms.

"Tell me again," Stacey requested. "Why exactly aren't we looking for the others? It just seems like the sensible thing to do. Safety in numbers, after all."

"Normally, that would be a wise idea," Hoggle replied. "But it's quite easy to get lost in the Fiery Forest. Our best option is to continue makin' our way to the castle. Since we were headin' there to begin with, it's a good chance that we'll meet up with Sarah and the others along the way. Besides, I don't recommend wanderin' around in this part of the Labyrinth, anyway. There's too great a risk of runnin' into the Fireys."

"And exactly who, or what, are they?" Stacey asked, looking down at Hoggle.

"Not the type of creatures you'd want to come across if you're lost. Absolutely can't be trusted to take anythin' seriously. Overall, you'd be hard pressed to find bigger pains than the Fireys."

"Oh, trust me, Hoggle," Stacey rolled her eyes. "There are no bigger pains than Phoebe and her harpies." Upon hearing this, Hoggle glanced over at her in cautious interest. Was Stacey going to further build on that statement? However, Stacey continued to walk along in silence, acting as if she hadn't said anything.

Before Hoggle could get the chance to try and encourage her to continue with her statement, Theseus suddenly jerked his head up, his large rabbit-like ears twitching as he sniffed the air. Without much warning, he leapt out of Stacy's arms and scampered off.

"Where's he goin'?" Hoggle asked as he and Stacey started hurrying after Theseus.

"Perhaps he caught a scent of the rest of our group?" Daedalus suggested. When they caught up to Theseus, however, it became clear that it hadn't been the scent of the others he had found. Instead, Theseus was crouching next to and sniffing at an unconscious Firey, The creature was lying at the base of a tree, his body covered with considerable injuries. A series of gashes lined his beak and limbs, his tail was bent at an unnatural angle, and his reddish orange fur was caked with dried blood. Even part of his ear was missing.

"Hoggle, what is that?" Stacey asked, unable to look away from the wounded creature.

"It's a Firey," Hoggle explained, also visibly stunned by the state of the injuries.

"So that's a Firey?" Stacey muttered. "It looks like a cross between a flamingo and a spider monkey." After a brief pause, she slowly stepped forward and knelt down next to the Firey in order to get a closer look at his injuries.

"Stacey, wait!" Hoggle exclaimed in alarm, reaching out to grab her arm. "I wouldn't get too close to 'im. You can never be too careful around Fireys."

"You might be right, Hoggle, but that doesn't change the fact that he'll probably die if we do nothing to help him now," Stacey pointed out. "And if we just leave him in this state, tell me, how does that make us any better than Jarath?" Hoggle was momentarily frozen, unable to come up with a good argument to that.

"She has a point, Hoggle," Daedalus spoke up. "And besides, while I admit I haven't lived here in years, the last time I was in the Underground, there was only one rule, and that was everything within the Labyrinth should be viewed as part of a great puzzle. If one piece is lost, the picture cannot be completed."

"I think we'll need to make a temporary splint for his tail," Stacey thought out loud, examining the Firey's wounds. "Also, Sarah mentioned that you care for the garden around the Labyrinth's gates, Hoggle. So you should know quite a bit about the plants that grow in the Underground. Is there anything you can think of that we can use to make a dressing for these gashes, or something to keep them from getting infected?"

"Yes, I do know somethin' that could help," Hoggle agreed. "But what about Theseus? His touch helped you when you were hurt by that Tarasque, so wouldn't it help in this situation?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Daedalus replied. "The touch of a gremlin can only purify poisonous substances, which is why it helped when Stacey was poisoned by the Tarasque. However, it cannot help with healing ordinary physical wounds, no matter how grievous."

"In that case, we'll just have to treat the Firey's wounds the old fashioned way," Stacey decided. "Hoggle, I realize you have issues with these creatures, but could you please find some things to help treat his injuries?"

"Of course," Hoggle agreed after a brief pause. "I won't be long."

As Hoggle headed off to find some antiseptic plants, with Theseus scampering along after him, he paused to glance back at Stacey, who was continuing to check the Firey for more injuries. Was this really the same person who had been so closed off and disinterested in helping them free the Labryinth yesterday?


Sarah, Ludo, and Sir Didymus continued their journey to the castle, with everyone keeping a watchful eye out for Stacey and Hoggle. Suddenly, Sarah stopped in her tracks, her hand flying to her nose.

"Oh, please tell me that's not what I think I smell," she begged, hoping she was wrong about where they were. Unfortunately, her fears proved to be well realized when the three friends turned the corner, and the Bog of Eternal Stench came into view.

"Ah, my old home," Sir Didymus beamed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Sarah and Ludo were trying to block out the horrible stench. "How wonderful to return to the place where I met my brother and Lady Sarah for the first time."

"Cu-Chu!" Theseus said, seemingly appearing out of the blue at Sarah's feet.

"Theseus!" Sarah looked down at the gremlin in surprise. "Where'd you come from? And where's Hoggle and Stacey?" As if on cue, Stacey's voice could be heard nearby.

"I don't believe this! What part of 'don't wander off' doesn't that gremlin understand? This is the second time! Daedalus, I thought you said gremlins were supposed to be good luck." Seconds later, Hoggle stepped into view, coming from the opposite direction Sarah, Ludo, and Sir Didymus had come from.

"I'm starting to think he is, Stacey," he announced, smiling as he noticed Sarah and the others. In a moment, Stacey also appeared, carrying the still-unconscious Firey on her back.

"Yeah, I see your point," she agreed, also seeing the rest of their group. Before anyone could say anything more, the smell emanating from the bog hit Stacey and Hoggle, and the two of them quickly reacted to it. "Oh, now where are we?"

"No, not the Bog of Eternal Stench," Hoggle moaned, holding his nose. The entire group continued to try and block out the awful smell, with the exception of Sir Didymus, Daedalus, and Theseus.

"Why are ye all making such a fuss?" Sir Didymus asked, looking at everyone as if they had lost their minds. "I've already told you there is no stench here. The air around this place is the most sweetly fragrant in all the Labyrinth."

"Cu-Chu!" Theseus added, as if agreeing with the fox.

"Oh, not this again," Hoggle complained, while Sarah and Ludo gave moans of exasperation. Stacey, however, was looking between Sir Didymus and Theseus in contemplation.

"Daedalus?" she finally spoke, glancing over at the owl. "What about you? Do you smell it, too?"

"I have to say, I don't," Daedalus answered.

"How can he not notice the smell, either?" Sarah cried in disbelief.

"Smell bad!" Ludo bellowed.

"Maybe not," Stacey mused, now crouching at the edge of the bog, staring out at it intently.

"Stacey? What is it?" Sarah asked, watching the auburn-haired girl in confusion.

"When I was little," Stacey began, "Wayne used to say that human senses, like sight and smell, aren't always completely reliable, and they can fool you. It's like how you might be watching a movie and think you smell popcorn when no popcorn has been made. Now, most of us can smell the horrible stench around this place, but not Sir Didymus, Theseus, and Daedalus. That gets me thinking. Why can we smell it, when they can't?"

With that question hanging in the air, Stacey closed her eyes, taking long, deep breaths, almost as if she was meditating. After about a minute, with everyone else exchanging confused glances, Stacey sniffed at the air, and a smile formed on her face.

"I knew it," she chuckled. "Oh, yeah. That's really clever."

"What's clever?" Hoggle asked.

"Sir Didymus is right!" Stacey announced. "The air here really does smell wonderful! In fact, I can't ever remember air ever smelling this nice."

"What are you talking about?" Sarah stared. "You smelled the stench, too."

"I know, and that's just it," Stacey continued, still smiling widely. "Sarah, what did you say was the most important thing to remember about the Labyrinth?"

"That….things aren't always what they seem to be," Sarah replied.

"Exactly!" Stacey exclaimed in triumph. "That rule applies here, too! The horrible smell is just an illusion meant to fool us. Daedalus, Theseus, and Sir Didymus are all essentially animals. The rest of us are human, or somewhat-human. That's why they can't smell the horrible stench like the rest of us do. Animal senses are usually sharper, and therefore more accurate, than the senses of humans. So, because of that, they're all immune to the illusionary smell around the bog. If you don't believe me, try clearing your minds. Forget about the smell. Just keep telling yourself that it's not really there. It's kind of like…mind-over-matter. Once I stopped thinking that the stench was real, it disappeared completely. Come on, just try it."

Sarah, Ludo, and Hoggle all looked at each other unsurely, but soon took Stacey's advice, willing themselves to believe that the stench really was an illusion. It was Sarah who experienced it first. Ever so slowly, the horrible smell died away, and was replaced with the most wonderful smell she'd ever experienced. It was almost like walking into a gigantic flower garden, when everything was in full bloom. Smiling, Sarah glanced over at her friends, seeing by their faces that they were starting to experience the new smell, too.

"Cor," Hoggle gaped, his eyes widening. "To think I used to be scared of this place."

"Stacey clever," Ludo complemented.

"Please," Stacey waved away the praise. "You don't spend seventeen years under Wayne's care without coming away with something, you know. Wayne always was a good teacher, always encouraging you to think differently, and approach situations from every angle possible. Come to think about it….if I didn't know any better, I'd think he knew this world existed, and was teaching me all of the Labyrinth's lessons." Stacey instantly laughed at the absurdity of that thought. "Nah, I think if Wayne had known about this place, he would have told me about it straight out. Keeping something like this a secret from me isn't like him at all."

Soon afterwards, the group continued on their way to the castle, with all thoughts about Wayne possibly knowing about the Labyrinth quickly forgotten.


When the afternoon arrived, the group took the time to rest in a sun dappled area of the Fiery Forest, next to a small, glassy pond. Ludo had located some ripe fruits for the group to eat, which Theseus had immediately helped himself to. Meanwhile, Stacey was busy with changing the bandages on the still unconscious Firey, using long broad leaves as makeshift dressing, while Sarah and Sir Didymus were filling Hoggle and Daedalus in on the hut they had come across after the temporary separation.

"I don't understand," Hoggle began once he and Daedalus were brought up to speed. "I do believe you, Sarah, but why couldn't Ludo and Sir Didymus hear the sounds you could at that abandoned hut?"

"I know," Sarah agreed. "I don't get it either." Before she could continue, Sarah suddenly noticed that Daedalus was avoiding eye contact with her, the way someone would do when they were feeling uneasy about something. "Daedalus, do you know something we don't?"

"I'm sorry, Sarah," Daedalus clicked his beak. "But I'm afraid that there are some things about this world that you are not ready to know."

"Like what?" Sir Didymus argued. "Ye are not talking to some small child. This is Lady Sarah. She has every right to know what ye know."

"As true as that may be, Didymus," Daedalus replied, "I still believe that she's not ready to know about this. That's the problem with foxes like you. You don't know the value of patience. You rush into everything without thinking, even knowledge."

"All right, you two," Stacey interrupted, looking up from the Firey's injuries. "That's enough fighting. Save it for Jareth and the goblins." As Daedalus and Sir Didymus glared off in opposite directions, Sarah directed her attention at Stacey and the Firey.

"Stacey, why'd you bring that thing along, anyway?" she asked. "I met them the last time I was here, and they tried to pull my head off."

"I know. Hoggle explained all of that. But he might have died if I left him," Stacey pointed out. "If you had been the one to find him, Sarah, what would you have done?" Sarah took a moment to think, eyeing the Firey.

"I suppose I would have done the same," she finally admitted. Satisfied with that answer, Stacey finished her task in placing fresh bandages on the Firey's wounds. The moment she was done, the Firey began to move, slowly opening his eyes and looking around at the group. After about a minute, the Firey started to get up, but Stacey pulled him back down, holding him back.

"Oh, no you don't," she instructed. "You need to take it easy. You're not strong enough to go off on your own." Instead of replying, the Firey glanced down at the makeshift bandages that had been applied to his injuries before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Why didn't you just leave me where I was?" the Firey asked miserably. "What's the point of helping me now?"

"Ye could show a little gratitude to Lady Stacey," Sir Didymus scolded. "She went through a lot of trouble to help you."

"I didn't want to be helped," the Firey groaned.

"Somethin's up with him," Hoggle frowned. "Fireys never act like this. Usually, they don't have a care in the world."

"Hey, come on now," Sarah asked gently, crouching next to Firey. "Tell us what's wrong, okay?"

"My…my friends," the Firey replied in sorrow. "They're gone. All of them."

"Do you mean they're dead?" Stacey questioned.

"N…no," the Firey clarified. "The goblins from the city. They come every day. All my friends, they…."

"Your friends were taken away and placed in the dungeons, too, weren't they?" Stacey guessed, remembering what Hoggle had told her and Sarah yesterday.

"That does make sense," Daedalus confirmed. "Fireys are known for being laid back creatures intent on only having fun, but even they need to be around others of their kind to maintain their carousing nature." Daedalus' words seemed to trigger the Firey into action, for he took that moment to scramble to his feet and dive for the nearby pool. Before anyone could catch on to what he was doing, the Firey had started holding his head under the water. In an instant, Stacey had leapt forward in an attempt to stop the Firey.

"You dumb featherbrain," Stacey hissed, dragging him out of the water. "What do you think you're doing? Someone, help me, please!" Without hesitation, Hoggle had stepped forward and helped Stacey hold the Firey back, with Sarah soon joining their effort. However, this only upset the creature even more.

"Just let me go!" the Firey begged, now clawing at the ground in his attempt to squirm out of their hold. "My friends are gone. I can't handle anything without them."

"So you're just giving up like that?" Stacey challenged. "Sure, your friends are locked away in Jareth's dungeons, but they're still alive, aren't they? That means there's still a chance to free them, and that's a chance we're going to take." Instantly, the Firey stopped struggling completely and began staring at Stacey in amazement.

"You'll help free my friends?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, we all will," Stacey promised. "That's what we're doing. We're all heading to the castle to stop Jareth and free everyone in the dungeons. That includes your friends. So there's no point to you giving up now, is there?" For a moment, the Firey was motionless, but then, without warning, he launched himself at Stacey, wrapping her in a staggering hug, thanking her repeatedly. However, the Firey's hug knocked Stacey off balance, sending them both tumbling back into the pool, drenching them both.

"Stacey, are you okay?" Sarah asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Stacey assured, finally extracting herself from the Firey's clinging embrace and making her way out of the pool, with the Firey following her moments later. "Luckily, that pool's not too deep." Sitting down onto a nearby rock, Stacey proceeded to wring out her hair, which had been soaked in the pool.

"Not to interrupt," Daedalus spoke up, glancing up at the sun, "but it might be time for us to continue on. If we leave now, we'll be able to reach the gates to the Goblin City by nightfall."

"Stacey!" Ludo suddenly exclaimed. "Hair changed!" Wondering what the yeti was talking about, everyone else glanced back at Stacey and were amazed by what they saw.

"What? What is it?" Stacey asked, not understanding why the others were now staring at her.

"Your hair," Sarah gaped. "It changed color." Taking hold of a lock of her hair, Stacey moved it into her line of vision, allowing her to see that it had indeed changed from auburn to blonde.

"No way," Stacey blinked, looking back at the pool. "What kind of pool is that, anyway?"

"Ah. I believe that this is the fabled Pool of Depiction, Lady Stacey" Sir Didymus explained. "Legend decrees that anyone who bathes in these waters will be stripped of any disguise they've taken up. I have heard stories of this pool, but I never realized it actually existed within the Labyrinth."

"Well, that makes sense," Stacey mused with a nod. "I suppose the disguise thing includes hair dye."

"Hair dye?" Sarah repeated.

"Yeah, this is my natural color," Stacey stated. "But if you had to listen to Phoebe and her harpies calling you names like Goldilocks for over six years, you'd probably end up dying your hair, too, just to get them to stop."

"So ye are a natural blonde," Sir Didymus noted.

"Yes, but it doesn't really matter," Stacey shrugged. "I'll probably end up scheduling another appointment at the hairdresser to color it again after Sarah and I return to our world."

"Why'd you want to do that?" Hoggle asked. "I know what I think about it doesn't matter, but I think you should leave it like that."

"What makes you say that?" Stacey arched an eyebrow at the dwarf.

"Nothin', I just think that…your hair looks better like that." For a brief moment, Stacey looked at Hoggle with an unreadable expression, but then shrugged and turned away.

"Moving on," she spoke to the others. "Daedalus does have a point. We really should continue on to the Goblin City."

Within moments, the group had headed off, with the new addition of the Firey, who had cheered up considerably in the hopes of reuniting with his friends. However, when no one was looking, Stacey spared one last glance at her reflection in the Pool of Depiction, studying her blonde hair.

"Hmm," Stacey mused to herself. "So, it looks better this way, does it?"