Natsu, Lucy, and Erza continued on their journey through the labyrinth. But during the whole time poor Natsu couldn't stop worrying about Juvia. Ever since they were children he had always seen himself as Juvia's personal protector. Always there to keep her safe from bullies and anything else that threatened her. But knowing that she was in some strange place with who knows what and him not there to keep her safe made him so very worried.

"She'll be alright." Lucy said.

"Huh?" Natsu asked.

"You're worrying about your sister aren't you?"

"How did you know that?"

"Because that's the same look I make on my face whenever I worry about my brother. Even though I haven't seen him in such a long time, I still worry about him."

"If you feel that way why didn't you ever try to go back for him?"

"It's complicated."

"How?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Not this."

"Speaking of your brother, I've been meaning to ask he wouldn't hurt my sister would he?"

"Hmm...Define hurt."

"Oh God."

"Let me put it to you this way. He would send her to the bog of eternal stench if she annoyed him enough."

"That's not exactly what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

"Would he...You know." He made a throat slitting gesture with his finger.

"Kill her? No. My brother's twisted but he's not that twisted. Believe me, banishment to that bog is the worst he'll ever do."

"That's a huge relief. At least she's not in any danger but what do you think he'll do to her?"

"He'll probably just mess with her. See if there's anything about her that he finds amusing. That sort of thing."

"So basically he'll just tease her?"

"What can I say? My brother's a child. He's rude, self-centered, short-tempered, petty, and annoying but relatively harmless."

Soon they entered the underground passageways and came upon a corridor of stone faces which proceeded to spout warnings a them.

"Don't go on!" One spoke.

"Go back while you still can." Another said.

"This is not the way."

"Take heed and go no further!"

"Beware! Beware!"

"Soon it will be too late!"

"Um I don't like what these guys are saying." Natsu said.

"Don't pay any attention to them." Erza said. "They're just false alarms. You get a lot of them in the labyrinth."

"Especially when you're on the right track." Lucy added.

"Oh no you're not." One stone head said.

"Oh shut up!" Erza said in annoyance.

"Sorry I'm just doing my job."

"Well you don't have to do it to us."

"Beware for-" Another stone head started.

"Just forget it!"

"Oh please! I haven't said it in such a long time."

"Oh...Alright but don't expect a big reaction."

"No, no, no of course not. For the path you take leads to certain destruction."

"Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, no one cares."

"Man this place is weird." Natsu said. "Do all the rocks around here talk?"

"Technically they're not rocks they're stones." Lucy said. "And no not all the stones here talk, just the ones with faces carved into them."

"Oh that's...Interesting. Again this place is weird."

"Well what's the place where you come from like?"

"For one thing it doesn't have stones with faces that talk or fairies or whatever you are."

"I'm a goblin."

"Right there's no goblins where I'm from. Everybody there is human and I am really starting to wish I was back home. How much further til we reach the castle?"

"We still have a long way to go. First we have to get through the underground passageways, the hedge maze, the fiery forest, the bog of eternal stench-"

"Hold on we have to go through that stink hole?" Erza asked.

"I'm afraid so."

"Oh no. I hate that place."

"What's the bog of eternal stench?" Natsu asked.

"It's a vile, foul smelling lake of scum and grime and God knows what else." Erza explained.

"My brother typically has insubordinates sent there as a punishment." Lucy said. "Cruel but more merciful than what my father would do."

"Oh yeah? What would he do?" Natsu asked.

"Trust me. You don't want to know."

They continued down the dark, dimly lit passageways. Natsu couldn't help but feel nervous as they went further down. The passageways were just so creepy and ominous looking, in some ways it reminded him of the horror movies he would watch back home.

"Quick question does this place ever give you guys the creeps?" Natsu asked.

"Nope." Erza said.

"Not really." Lucy said. "Why? Are you scared?"

"No I'm not scared. A little creeped out but not scared and you can't really blame me. This place is just so creepy and it might be my imagination but I feel like something bad is about to happen."

Suddenly the heard a loud clanking noise.

"What was that?" Natsu said.

"Uh-oh." Erza said recognizing the familiar noise.

"Uh-oh? Why uh-oh?!"

They looked in the direction of the noise and they saw that the source of it was a large, mechanical device of spinning blades.

"Oh no! The cleaners!" Lucy cried.

"The what?!" Natsu shouted.

"Run!" Erza told them.

The machine was headed straight for them so they ran for the lives. Well actually Natsu and Lucy ran, Erza flew. The three of them fled from the machine as fast as they could, not stopping once until they reached a dead end.

"We're trapped!" Lucy gasped.

"Crap! Now what?!" Natsu said.

"This place has weak walls!" Erza said. "Start pushing on them until one falls over!"

"You actually think that'll work?"

"You got a better idea?!"

They started to desperately to push and shove on the walls around them but it didn't seem to be doing them any good.

"Nothing's working!" Natsu shouted.

"They won't budge!" Lucy screamed.

"Oh man! This is it! We're going to die!"

"Keep pushing!" Erza cried. "Don't stop! It's our only chance!"

As the cleaners came closer and closer, they're desperation to get away grew until at long last they managed to push one very weak wall into falling over which allowed them to escape. As fast as the wind they darted through the opening caused by the fallen wall and didn't stop running until they were absolutely sure that they were safe.

"Is...Is...Is everyone ok?" Natsu panted fearfully.

"I...I...I think so." Lucy panted with fear as well.

"I'm good." Erza said.

"That was way too close for comfort." Lucy said trying to keep her breathing under control. "One second later and we would have been done for."

"What the heck kind of cleaners are those?!" Natsu asked angrily. "We could've been killed!"

"My father believes that the best way to keep the labyrinth clean is to get rid of all the vermin inside."

"Hasn't he ever heard of bug spray or mouse traps?!"

"He doesn't consider bugs and mice to be vermin. In his mind anyone who he doesn't like is vermin."

"No offense but you're dad sounds like a total pyscho."

"None taken, I know he's insane." Lucy said. "But the good news is we've made out of the underground passageways. Next stop is the hedge maze."

"Is there anything there that will try to kill us?"

"No. We should be safe there."

Looking around they found a narrow ladder leading upward. Erza flew up to the top while Natsu and Lucy climbed up the ladder, ready to enter the next structure of the labyrinth.