FINALLY! FINALS ARE OVER! Anyway, thanks to input from a friend of mine I'm going to just skip ahead to after the Tower of Heaven arc and right before the Fighting Festival arc. I'm mostly going to follow the plot of the manga and only add stuff from the anime that actually adds to the experience (not going to do Key of the Starry Heavens, though). I hope you all enjoy!

It was October and some time had passed after Phantom Lord was disbanded. Zale was on his way back to Magnolia from a big job. This would be his last job for the next few days since he had to prepare for Magnolia's Harvest Festival. Every year, Fairy Tail would host the Fantasia parade in which all the guild's wizards would participate. He finally came back to Magnolia and saw the town bustling with commerce thanks to the harvest.

"Magnolia seems lively." Zale said to himself with a smile on his face. "I wonder how the new faces in our guild, like Lucy, are going to participate in the festivities… But for right now, I wonder how the new guild looks."

Due to Phantom Lord's attack, their original guild hall was destroyed and they had to spend the next month or so repairing it. When Zale arrived, he found a building twice the size of their original guild hall with a sign that read 'FAIRY TAIL' stood in its place.

"Wow!"

Upon opening the doors, he saw that the inside was just as spacious as it looked on the outside.

"They really went all out." Zale said to himself.

Actually, on his way he found that they even built in a café and gift shop. On the inside, not only was there more space and tables, there was also a stage. On top of that, there was a pool outside and based on seeing Elfman on the second floor he assumed that everyone was allowed to go up there now.

"Ah, Zale, I see you've finally returned."

Zale turned around to see Master Makarov standing behind him with a cute, pale-skinned woman with short blue hair and a white and blue dress standing next to him.

"I hope you like the new guild hall as well as our newest member, Juvia." Makarov said.

"Juvia?" Zale exclaimed.

She looked so different from before that it was hard for him to tell at first. Actually, she looked a lot cuter than before.

"It's nice to meet you again, Zale." Juvia said.

*Wow, even her personality's changed.* Zale thought. *She seems so much happier than she did before. It's… actually really cute.*

"Welcome back, Zale."

Zale noticed that Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Gray and Erza walked up to him.

"I see you've already met Juvia." Lucy said.

"I know I'm okay with her joining, but what about you guys?" Zale asked.

"She helped us out back when we were at Akane Resort." Gray stated.

"What happened at Akane Resort?" Zale asked.

"It's a long story, but we most certainly trust her." Erza said.

"Well, I'm glad you're in the guild, Juvia." Zale said, holding his hand out to Juvia.

Juvia shook his hand and shot a death glare at Lucy. "Love rival…"

"In addition to Juvia, another member joined our guild." Makarov said.

They heard the sound of crunching metal and the wizards turned to the table to see Gajeel sitting at a table eating scrap metal. He was also bearing the Fairy Tail emblem on his shoulder.

"GAJEEL!" Natsu shouted.

"Master, you actually let the guy who destroyed the guild hall join?!" Zale questioned.

"I agree with Zale." Erza said with an angry look on her face. "I don't mind Juvia, but this is the man that attacked our friends."

"I know you don't agree with my decision." Makarov said. "But as Guild Master it is my duty to help those who are lost. Give it some time and I'm sure you'll warm up to him."

"What's the big idea of you joining our guild?!" Natsu growled as he butt heads with Gajeel.

"Look, I don't like the idea of being in this guild either, but times are tough and a man's gotta eat." Gajeel said.

A couple of hours had passed and Zale and Juvia were walking around the streets of Magnolia.

"How's everyone been treating you since you joined Fairy Tail?" Zale asked.

"Everyone has been treating Juvia well, but the same can't be said for Gajeel." Juvia said.

"Well, he was the one who attack Levy, Jet, Droy and Lucy." Zale said. "Anyway, want to grab some ice cream?"

They both stopped in their tracks when they say Gajeel approaching them. He was limping and looked like he received several beatings and got shocked by lightning. Nobody spoke up and Zale and Juvia just watched Gajeel as he limped off.

"… Those burns…" Zale muttered.

"Is something wrong?" Juvia asked.

*Guess Laxus came back to town.* Zale thought.

Zale couldn't forget about the last time Laxus was in Magnolia. After refusing to help Fairy Tail when Phantom Lord attacked, there was a huge argument and Laxus insulted everyone, calling them all weak and boasting about how when he would take over the guild he would eliminate them. Everyone knew that whenever Laxus would come back to Fairy Tail, it wouldn't be good news.

"It's nothing." Zale answered. "Don't worry about it, Juvia. Anyway, how about that ice cream?"

"I'd love that." Juvia replied.

Zale and Juvia arrived at the town's ice cream parlor and sat at a small table. Zale got himself a cone with scoops of grape-flavored ice cream while he got Juvia a cone with blue moon ice cream.

"Juvia has never had this flavor of ice cream before." Juvia said.

"Do you like it?" Zale asked.

"Yes." Juvia said as she took another few licks. "By the way, how come you acted so differently during our fight than how you are right now? The 'you' right now seems so nice and cheerful."

Zale stopped eating his ice cream and looked down. "… Based on what I've heard from my guild mates, when it rains… I become an entirely different person. They say when it rains, it's like I feel nothing. I don't feel joy, pain, sorrow, anger… nothing…"

"Do you know why this happens?"

"… I prefer not to talk about it."

"Well, Juvia likes you better as you are now."

Zale looked at Juvia's smiling face and blushed. "I also like you better as you are now."

"Th-thank you." Juvia looked away, blushing.

The two remained in awkward silence for a few seconds.

"… So…" Zale spoke up. "Eager for the Harvest Festival?"

The next day, all the stands for the Harvest Festival were either being set up or were completed. On their way to the guild, Zale, Lucy, Gray and Juvia all watched Natsu walk like a zombie due to him becoming sick from eating Ethernano.

"I always wondered what kind of idiot would eat Ethernano." Zale said. "Now I know."

"Zale, you're a Slayer wizard like Natsu and Gajeel, right?" Lucy asked. "I know you're not a Dragon Slayer, but would eating Ethernano have the same effect on you?"

"I never tried it, but I would imagine so." Zale said.

"This festival is quite a sight." Juvia said.

"Everyone comes from all over the continent for the Harvest Festival." Zale said. "Let's not forget the Fantasia parade."

"I can't wait to see that." Lucy said.

"Lucy, you're in the parade." Gray said.

"Wasn't there something else I was supposed to be in?" Lucy wondered, but dropped her jaw when she remembered. "I forgot all about the Ms. Fairy Tail Contest! My rent money!"

Lucy ran off toward the guild while Juvia just leered at her.

"That would explain the cheerleader outfit." Zale said.

"Contest?" Juvia uttered darkly. "I refuse to be outdone by that blonde bimbo."

"So I guess you'll be entering, too." Gray said.

Back at the guild, most of the male wizards and even some of the female mages were all gathered in front of the stage. Zale, Elfman, Gray, Natsu and Happy were all sitting at one table. Natsu must have still been feeling sick because he was barely even nibbling the bread in his hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ms. Fairy Tail Contest!" The emcee, Fairy Tail's sand wizard Max, announced on a microphone. "Where your favorite fairies fight in a battle of beauty! Now let's meet entry number 1! The lady who will drink you under the table any day of the week: Cana Alberona!"

Cana appeared on the stage and held out a deck of cards. The cards began to swirl around her and there were so many that she could barely be seen through them. When whirlwind of cards calmed down, Cana was now wearing a bikini which made the crows roar with excitement.

"Once Cana puts on the swimsuit, the crowd goes nuts." Zale said to himself. "Do guys really fall for that tactic that easily?"

"On to entry number 2!" Max announced. "She may be new to the guild, but her magic is S-Class! A radiant beauty, rain or shine, Juvia Lockser!"

Zale's attention immediately went to the stage as he saw Juvia standing behind Max. Juvia's body became water and a tidal wave completely enveloped her. When the audience could see her again, she was wearing a bikini, just like Cana.

"Look at me, Zale!" Juvia said. "Do you like what you see?"

Zale couldn't help but stare at Juvia with a furious blush on his face.

"Well-uh-I-" He stammered.

"I think you just found the answer to your question." Gray commented.

Honestly, despite how lovely the other ladies looked Zale didn't pay much attention to them. Well, except for Mirajane who simply transformed her face into that of Happy and Gajeel. It upset the crowd, but it made both Zale and Happy laugh their asses off. Other than that, all he could think about was Juvia in that swimsuit. However, things started to change as Lucy's turn came up.

"Me and my Celestial Spirits are going to do a cheer for you." Lucy said to the crowd.

"Entry number 8." A sultry, feminine voice spoke from behind her.

"Hey, hold on! I haven't even started to do my cheer yet!" Lucy groaned.

"I am the very definition of fairy." The woman said as she walked from behind Lucy. "So by default, the winner must be me!"

"What?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Evergreen?!" Zale gasped.

Everyone in the guild was shocked to say the least, especially Makarov.

"Hey, don't butt in on my cheer!" Lucy growled. "I need to win to pay for my rent!"

"Lucy, don't look at her eyes!" Gray shouted.

"Huh?" Lucy reacted to Gray's words.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Evergreen asked, lightly lowering her glasses with a golden glow in her eyes.

As soon as Lucy looked into her eyes, her entire body became petrified in stone.

"Everybody, run! Get out of here!" Max yelled to everyone in the microphone.

Most of the people in the guild hall ran out the door except for a small group.

"What are you doing, Evergreen?!" Makarov yelled. "You're ruining the festival!"

"Festivals come with entertainment, right?" Evergreen asked.

With a wave of her hand, the curtain behind her caught on fire and fell to the ground, revealing that she had petrified the other contestants of the Ms. Fairy Tail contest. Cana, Juvia, Mirajane, Erza, Levy and Bisca were all turned to stone and this shocked the people who remained.

"Mira!" Elfman shouted.

"They even got Erza!" Happy added.

"Juvia…" Zale muttered under his breath.

"Evergreen, turn them back to normal right now!" Makarov demanded.

A bolt of lightning struck the center of the stage and at the epicenter of the strike appeared Laxus.

"Yo! Idiots of Fairy Tail!" Laxus said as two men joined from behind him. "The real festivities start now!"

"Laxus!" Makarov shouted.

"Freed and Bickslow, too?!" Gray exclaimed.

"It's the Thunder Legion!" Someone in the audience said. "Laxus's personal bodyguards!"

"Now let's play… Old man." Laxus said with a vile smile on his face.

"Stop being a fool!" Makarov yelled. "We still have to prepare for the Fantasia parade! Turn everybody back to normal now!"

"Fantasia's tonight." Laxus said. "I wonder how many of these girls will be alive to be in it."

It appeared that he was about to summon a bolt of lightning to strike the petrified Lucy.

"NOO!" Makarov screamed.

The lightning curved a little to the right and avoided Lucy. Everyone in the audience either breathed a sigh of relief or simply kept gritting their teeth at the sight of the jerk who was now wrapping his arm around Lucy.

"These women are now my hostages." Laxus said. "You break the rules and we break a hostage. You heard what Evergreen said, right? Entertainment!"

"If you think this is a game, Laxus, you're in for a rude awakening!" Makarov said, clenching his fists and teeth with intense rage.

"Oh, this isn't a game, old man." Laxus said.

"This is our chance to see who ranks among Fairy Tail's strongest wizards." Freed said.

"Yeah, my babies and I are totally pumped!" Bickslow said.

"Pumped, pumped!" Bickslow's flying totems said as they hovered around him.

"The rules are simple." Laxus said. "The last man standing wins. It's the Battle of Fairy Tail!"

Out of nowhere, a table was sent flying into the air by a geyser of flames that was caused by the now recovered Natsu.

"I like it!" Natsu shouted. "Easy to understand! I'm fired up!"

"Natsu, you tend to jump on board with ideas like that." Laxus said. "That's what I like about you."

"Natsu." Makarov said.

"It's a festival! Right, gramps?" Natsu asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"Hey, don't you remember what Laxus did to you last time?" Zale asked.

"That was when I was a kid." Natsu replied.

"It was just last year!" Zale exclaimed.

"And since then I've become a man!" Natsu shouted as he charged toward Laxus and jumped into the air.

"However, I don't like your lack of respect." Laxus said.

Right before Natsu could reach Laxus, a lightning bolt was summoned and burned him to a crisp.

"Yep, had to happen…" Zale said as he face-palmed himself.

"And he was just starting to feel better, too." Happy said.

"If you want the girls to return to normal, you'll have to defeat us." Evergreen said.

"There're four of us and about a hundred of you!" Bickslow said. "You clearly outnumber us!"

"Outnumber us!" Bickslow's totems said.

"There's a three hour time limit." Evergreen said. "If you don't take us all down within that time, these girls will be reduced to dust."

Various people in the guild began to clamor.

"What?!"

"Are you serious?!"

Makarov stared at the four rebels in shock. "Laxus…"

"The battlefield is all of Magnolia." Laxus said. "Once you find us, the battle begins!"

"Don't toy with me, Laxus!" Makarov shouted as he started to transform into a giant.

"I told you not to fly off the handle." Laxus smirked. "Just enjoy the show."

In a blinding flash of light, Laxus and the Thunder Legion disappeared.

"Let the Battle of Fairy Tail begin!" Laxus's voice echoed throughout the guild hall.

"That fool…" Makarov muttered.

"Come on!" Elfman shouted. "We've got to save our girls!"

A majority of the remaining guild members all ran out of the guild hall. Zale simply remained in his seat, looking down at the table with a shocked expression.

*Juvia…* Zale thought. *I never wanted you to be involved in Laxus's personal issues… I should have seen this coming, but I never thought he'd go this far!*

(Begin Flashback)

"Well, Juvia likes you better as you are now."

(End Flashback)

Zale clenched his fists. *I have to save her!*

"What are doing, Gramps?!" Gray's voice brought Zale out of his thoughts.

Zale turned around to see Makarov trying to push a nonexistent wall since everyone else was able to get through just fine. Gray tried to pull Makarov through it, but it was no use. Then strange purple letters appeared right above their heads in the doorway.

"It's one of Freed's Enchantments." Makarov said.

Zale walked over to where Makarov and Gray were.

"Enchantment?" Gray asked.

"It's a type of magic ward." Zale answered. "It's a preplaced magic that applies rules to wherever and whoever it's placed on. My guess is that he placed Enchantments like this one all around the guild hall to ensure the Master doesn't escape. Anyone who walks into one of these Enchantments must follow its rules."

Makarov read the Enchantment above them. "'Anyone over 80 or made of stone cannot pass."

"That's really cheap!" Gray said.

"Enchantments like this one take a long time to draw, so something like this isn't practical in sudden combat, but they're the perfect tools for setting up traps." Zale said.

"So this thing won't let you leave, huh?" Gray asked, turning to Makarov.

"It's quite a strategy." Zale said. "They knew Makarov is the only person who can stop Laxus since Gildarts has yet to return."

"If that's the case, then we're just going to have to take them on ourselves!" Gray said as he ran off.

"Gray!" Makarov shouted.

"Gray, what if they're taking this into account?" Zale asked.

"We don't have time for that!" Gray said. "Gramps, I know he's your grandson, but I can't show any mercy."

As Gray continued running into town, Zale took a seat at a nearby table and placed his fingers on his forehead.

*I doubt that the enchantment around the guild hall is the only one that was placed.* Zale thought. *For all we know, they could be getting themselves trapped in them as we speak. But there's something I don't understand. Laxus and the Thunder Legion are tough, but we clearly outnumber them. It'd still be a rough battle, but we'd barely scrape by with a victory. If they wanted to ensure their victory, they could have just set the enchantment so that anyone who bears the mark of Fairy Tail except for themselves couldn't pass through. Yes, they could just set up enchantments all over Magnolia with those rules, but that wouldn't be as efficient as corralling us all in the guild hall. If I can just understand the mindset, I can get a better grasp of how to take them on.*

"GWAAAAAAH!"

Zale lost his train of thought when Natsu yelled out as he regained consciousness. Apparently Reedus stayed behind, too.

"Huh? Where's Laxus?" Natsu asked.

"He's awake!" Happy said.

"Where is everyone?" Natsu asked.

*Even with Natsu in the fight, it'd still be tough to take Laxus out.* Zale thought.

"Listen up, Natsu!" Makarov said. "Laxus has set up a tournament and he's hiding somewhere in town! Go out there and take him down!"

"All riiiiiight!" Natsu yelled in excitement. "Just you wait, Laxus!"

Natsu made a mad dash out toward the doors, but he crashed into the invisible wall that Makarov bumped into earlier.

"What is this?" Natsu asked, pressing his face against the wall.

The other four, including Happy, just blankly stared at him.

"… Whaaaaaaaat?!" Zale screamed.

"How is this even possible, Natsu?" Makarov asked. "You're definitely not made of stone. Are you over 80 or something?"

"How should I know?!" Natsu questioned.

"I'm pretty sure knowing about your age is really important." Zale commented.

More letters started to appear on the enchanted wall.

"'Battle of Fairy Tail: Progress Report.'" Makarov read the letters.

"'Jet vs Droy vs Alzack'." Zale read aloud.

"Wh-what's that supposed to be?!" Makarov shouted.

"Why would they be fighting each other?" Natsu asked.

More letters appeared that seemed to indicate that the winner of the fight was Alzack and only 81 members remained.

"Is this some kind of joke?!" Makarov shouted.

Reedus had left to find Porlyusica to have her cure the girls of their petrification and as more battles occurred throughout Magnolia, more status updates appeared on the enchantment wall.

"Stop it!" Makarov shouted. "Stop fighting this instant!"

"There are Enchantments set all throughout the town." Happy said. "And everybody who falls into them has to battle to get out. Is this what Laxus meant when he said 'Battle of Fairy Tail'?"

"Dammit!" Natsu growled, still trying to break through the enchantment. "I wanna fight, too! Somebody get rid of this invisible wall thingy!"

"If you did get out, then what, you fool?" Makarov asked, judo-chopping Natsu on the head.

"It's a tournament to see who's the strongest, right?" Natsu asked.

"When did anyone say anything about a tournament?" Zale questioned. "These are fights of desperation among friends, nothing like our usual everyday bar fights. The lives of the girls are on the line and everyone's willing to do whatever it takes to save them, even fight each other."

"If things go as they are, those who were turned to stone will die." Makarov said, looking down at the ground.

"Laxus may be a jerk, but he would never do that." Natsu said with a big, reassuring grin on his face. "He's still a member of our guild after all. He's just bluffing."

"Natsu…" Makarov muttered.

While Natsu continued to try and push through the enchantment to no avail, Zale tried to see if he could pass through and stepped out of the guild hall, which he succeeded.

"Huh? Looks like I can pass through just fine." Zale said.

"No fair!" Natsu shouted. "Does that mean I'm 80 years old, then?"

*Natsu has a point.* Zale thought. *He should be able to pass through the enchantment, but why can't he?* He examined the enchantment once more. *It doesn't even say anything about dragons or Dragon Slayers. Besides, Laxus doesn't consider Natsu much of a threat to him so I don't think this was intentional.*

The letters in front of them changed to reveal the latest updates on the battles. It said 'Remaining time: 2 hours, 18 minutes; Remaining members: 43'.

"Within less than an hour, more than half the guild has wiped itself out?" Makarov gasped.

"Crap!" Zale said. "It seems like Reedus ran into Freed!"

"Look!" Happy said. "Gray is fighting Bickslow and Elfman's fighting Evergreen!"

*Looks like the Thunder Legion's finally making their move.* Zale thought.

After a few more minutes, a new update came up and the number of remaining members dropped to 42.

"'Elfman vs Evergreen'." Happy read the letters. "'The winner is Evergreen'. I never thought Elfman would be taken out."

The 42 then became 41.

"Seems like Freed beat Reedus." Zale said.

"Freed's pretty good." Natsu said.

Makarov looked at the updates, trembling in rage.

"This is no time to talk about battle strength!" Happy said. "Reedus was supposed to get the petrification medicine from Porlyusica!"

"Why would they need medicine?" Natsu asked. "Laxus is just bluffing, right?"

"I'm bluffing, am I?"

The four of them turned around to see a thought projection of Laxus right behind them.

"Laxus!" Makarov shouted.

"A thought projection!" Happy said.

"Natsu, Zale, what are you two still doing there?" Laxus asked.

"I'd leave if I could!" Natsu shouted.

*So he didn't intend for Natsu to be stuck here.* Zale thought before speaking. "I'm still here because I'm not as foolhardy as you think." *Though to be honest, if I wasn't aware of the enchantments, I'd probably be down for the count like everyone else.*

"I'd expect this from Zale, but I'm surprised Natsu's just standing around while the others wail on each other." Laxus said. "Well, with Natsu and Erza stuck on the sidelines, there's nobody left who can stand up to the Thunder Legion."

Makarov simply glared at the projection of his grandson.

"Want to surrender?" Laxus asked.

"Gray's still out there!" Happy said. "He's just as strong as Natsu!"

"You saying he and I are equal?!" Natsu shouted at Happy.

"It's true, right?" Happy asked.

"Looks like I'll have to join the fray as well." Zale said as he started walking out of the guild hall. *There's no way I can fight all of them at once. Hell, I can't even fight the Thunder Legion at once. Although, all I have to do is take out Evergreen and make her change everyone back. That should free the hostages and put an end to this insanity… And I think I have a plan.*

As Zale ran through town avoiding the enchantments, he saw the unconscious bodies of his fellow guild mates.

*This is awful…* Zale thought. *I don't know what Laxus wants, but I don't care! Someone needs to put him in his place!*

He saw another battle update appear right in front of him.

"… Gray lost?" Zale muttered. "And only 29 of us are left. I better hurry and put my plan into motion."

Zale kept running forward until he came across a clearing where countless unconscious bodies were spread across the ground. On the top of a nearby building, he saw Evergreen standing on top of it.

*Perfect!* Zale thought. "Hey, Evergreen!"

Evergreen turned her attention toward Zale.

"Erza's much prettier than you!" Zale shouted.

That comment clearly ticked her off and she started to fire rapid bullets of light at Zale. He quickly ran off and kept running.

*She took the bait!* He thought.

Zale kept running with Evergreen flying after him until he went into an alley.

"Water God… Kraken!"

A magic circle appeared below Evergreen and numerous tentacles made of black water came bursting out of it. Evergreen tried to move away, but the tentacles were too fast and they wrapped her up and brought her to the ground.

"You fell for it!" Zale said.

"No fair!" Evergreen shouted.

"Oh, and setting up enchantments so that you could win is fair?" Zale sarcastically asked, keeping his eyes closed the entire time. "Turn the girls back to normal right now!"

"Don't you know that my Stone Eyes have another power?" Evergreen asked. "Remote control. Set me free and surrender or else I'll reduce those stone statues to dust!"

Zale's expression was unamused and he formed a blade of black water in his hands.

"Eh?" Evergreen blankly looked at the blade. "W-wait, aren't you only like this when it rains?"

Zale raised his blade and brought it down.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Evergreen screamed.

The blade barely missed her nose and only pierced through the pavement.

"THAT is a real bluff." Zale said. "Now reverse your spell."

"O-okay…" Evergreen stuttered before fainting.

Another update appeared in front of him, showing that the number of remaining members, excluding Freed, Bickslow and Laxus, was now at 10.

"At least six of those must be the girls I just set free." Zale said to himself. "Including Natsu and I, that makes two for a total of eight. Come to think of it, I never saw Gajeel's name in any of the fights, so that makes one more…but who's the tenth? With Erza, Juvia and the other girls back in action, maybe we can turn the tables. I should head back to the guild hall and tell them the good news."

A/N: Of course we know it's not really over. The next chapter will be the activation of Thunder Palace, the other fights and the Fantasia parade. Once I get to the point where the Oración Seis arc begins, that's where I'll add original stuff since Juvia doesn't take part in it. Also, as for how quickly Zale took out Evergreen, I did mention he was a brilliant tactician (nowhere near as brilliant as Mavis, though) and she is the weakest of the Thunder Legion. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for next time!