A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter!

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, I only own my OC.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: THUNDER PALACE

"Only 4 left?!" Master Makarov's shocked with the results.

"Why can't you get out, either?! Stop copyin' me!" Natsu shouted.

"How should I know?!" Aira shouted back.

"Now I'm hungry, you bastard!" Natsu furiously waves his arms up and down.

"I really don't know!" Aira gets irritated with Natsu. Gajeel and Satsuki just watch Natsu and Aira argue.

"Four?" Master Makarov looks at the four Dragon Slayers. "Just you four?!"

"And I wasn't even counted?!" Happy commented.

"Calm down." Cain told him.

"I have no more wizards left to fight." Master Makarov said.

"I guess that's it... Oh, well. Guess I better revive Erza." Natsu sighed.

"What?!" Happy and Master Makarov exclaimed.

"And I thought I could finally show up Erza..." Natsu heads to the stage where the stoned girls are.

"Hold it!" Master Makarov called out. "What are you gonna do?"

"Won't she melt if I heat her?" Natsu asks in curiosity. "You know, the stone she'll..."

"Don't!" Master Makarov argued.

"Erza and the others have turned to stone completely!" Happy stated.

Erza is laid on the ground. "We won't know 'till we try, right?!"

"Stop it! You want to kill Erza?!" Master Makarov asked.

"Boil her nice and good..." Natsu lights both of his hands on fire.

"Are you going to rub her with flames?!" The Master asked with his hair sticking up.

"Hey, buddy. Not so frisky." Gajeel commented.

The stoned Erza starts to crack. They scream and panic when they see the crack on her forehead. "Crap, she broke! Glue, glue! Happy, get the glue!" Natsu holds Erza as he tells Happy to look for supplies.

"Aye, sir!" Happy flies away.

"You idiot! You think that'll fix her up?!" Aira argued, angry that Natsu broke Erza.

"Use your flames on my iron and we'll weld her back together!" Gajeel turns his hand into an iron pillar. The crack turns worse.

Natsu starts praying. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Soon, the stone cracks away and Erza seems fine.

"It's hot..." Erza angrily glares at Natsu with a scary face. "Was it you, Natsu?!" She punches him along with Aira. "What were you trying to do?!"

"Erza's back!" Happy excitedly said.

"Thank goodness. But, how?" The Master asked.

"I don't really know. Perhaps it's because of my right eye." Erza touches the right side of her face.

"I see! The artifical eye must have lowered the effect of magic." Master Makarov thinks about the Magic effect.

"Erza, do you know what's going on?" Happy asked.

"Yes. Even though I was turned to stone, I could hear you." Erza replied.

"Go! It's time for a counter attack!" Master Makarov said.

"5 remaining." Happy reads the runes.

"With me restored, the number remaining changed appropriately. How elaborate." Erza said.

"Those five are Natsu, Aira, Gajeel, Satsuki, and Erza, right?" Happy said. The number on the runes changes into a 6. "Six remaining?"

"It increased?" Gajeel questioned.

"Who?" Natsu turns around to see who else is participating.

"Everyone is still stone... Then who?" Master Makarov wondered.

Erza smiles to herself. "There's one more out there remember? Outside of the city."

"You don't mean..." Natsu gasped.

"...him?!" Aira exclaimed, knowing who they are referring to.

"No way!" Happy knows who they are talking about.

"Does this mean he's back?!" The Master asked, hoping it's him.

"Looks like the real war is about to begin. This is getting interesting." Erza stated.

"Who are you talking about?!" Gajeel asked in annoyance.

"Yeah, I wanna know who too." Satsuki agreed.

"Another possible candidate for the strongest in Fairy Tail..." Erza replied. "Mystogan!"

Laxus notices that there are now five participants, but Mystogan arrives, bringing the total to six.

Departing to take place in the battle, Erza leaves the contest hall first and is the one who runs into Evergreen.

No one seems to gain the upper hand, since Evergreen cannot petrify Erza because of her artificial eye, and Erza cannot reach Evergreen, who keeps flying away. Evergreen continues her attack, and since Erza is always able to evade them, she doubles the number of needles. Erza is scratched by some of the needles, and summons swords on her feet. Evergreen is flabbergasted by this, and is soon driven into a corner.

Erza demands for the hostages to be freed, but Evergreen states that her stone eyes have another power: remote control, meaning she is able to turn the hostages to dust from where she stands, and tells Erza that if she doesn't kneel before her, she will turn the contestants to dust. Erza then requips into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, and calmly threatens Evergreen, stating that if her friends are indeed turned into dust, she will avenge their souls by killing her. Evergreen, terrified by the threat, turns the girls back to normal, as Erza punches her in the face and tells her: "That's how you do a real bluff." Revealing that she not only knew Evergreen was bluffing about the remote control, but that she too, was bluffing about killing Evergreen.

All of the contestants of the Miss Fairy Tail contest then return to normal.

"What happened to Juvia?" She asks herself.

The guys run up to the girls. "You're back to normal!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Lucy!" Happy flies into her for a hug.

"Erza vs. Evergreen: Erza wins." Master Makarov reads the results on the runes. "Well done! The hostages have been freed! What will you do now, Laxus?"

Laxus learns of this, he appears behind them, and tells him that Evergreen's defeat was not unpredictable, as for Erza to be defeated, Bickslow or himself should have been Erza's opponent. Laxus then asks him why he has returned, to which Freed replies that the game was over, since there were no hostages. Laxus retaliates by shooting a thunderstrike in his direction, and by saying that the game is not over. But if he wants to leave, he should do so, as he was not needed in his Fairy Tail.

"Battle of Fairy Tail?!" Lucy asked.

"Laxus did all that?!" Cana added.

"But it's all over now." Master Makarov replied. "With you back to normal, there's no need to play Laxus' stupid game anymore."

"But what about everyone who was hurt in Freed's traps?" Mira asked, concerned about the injured Mages.

"Yeah! Laxus will never learn unless we teach him a lesson!" Bisca stated.

"I realize that! I will personally give him punishment of the highest grade letter!" Master Makarov agreed. "Curse you, Laxus! This time you will not get off easily!"

"Hold on." Natsu puts his hand in front of him. "I can't help but agree with Laxus' idea of finding out who the strongest person in Fairy Tail is."

"Huh?" The girls look at him in confusion.

"So don't be too hard on him, Gramps!" Natsu smiles at him.

"Natsu... You're such a..." The Master thinks about Natsu's feelings.

Natsu laughs, grinning at everyone. "So... Let the second Battle of Fairy Tail begin! Bring it on, all of you!"

"Wha...?!" Lucy, Levy, and Bisca are surprised about his idea.

"Stop!" Master Makarov yelled.

"We didn't get to do anything, you know?!" Natsu punches his fist for a warm up. "C'mon! Let's battle!"

"Stop it. It doesn't sound like a joke, coming from you." Lucy commented.

"If you really insist, then I'm not against taking you on." Cana agrees with Natsu.

"Cana. Don't encourage him." Bisca said.

"Natsu. I don't think fighting a girl would count as a battle." Happy claimed.

"Guy, girl... Makes no difference to me." Natsu sighed.

"Ugh! That look really ticks me off!" Happy scowled.

"Fight me instead, slanty eyes!" Aira crashes his forehead into Natsu.

"Bring it on, bluey!" Natsu pushes his forehead against him. In a split second, they start fighting again.

"What's the matter, Gajeel-kun?" Juvia asked.

"Nothing." Gajeel replied.

"It's a fun guild, isn't it?" Juvia said.

"It's a screwed up one." Gajeel confessed.

"I have to agree." Satsuki added.

The runes start to react differently. "Huh? What is that?" Mira asked.

"Is he up to something else now?" Cana asked.

"This time you're dealing with us!" Bisca said. Freed's runes fly in to make the shape of a skull.

"Can you hear me, old man?" Laxus speaks through the skull. "And all you other guild people... One of the rules has gone out the window, so I'm adding a new one now. I've activated Thunder Palace in order to keep the Battle of Fairy Tail underway."

"The Thunder Palace?!" The Master asked.

"You have one hour and ten minutes." Laxus mentioned. "Do you have what it takes to beat us? Or will you give up instead, Master?" As the skull disappears, Laxus laughs out loud, fading away.

"What are you thinking, Laxus?! Are you trying to drag innocent bystanders into this too?!" Master Makarov feels a sharp pain in his heart. He collapses to the ground.

"Oh no! His usual medicine!" Mira mentioned.

Bisca rushes to his side. "Talk about bad timing...!"

"Master! Please hang in there!" Levy's worried for the Master.

"What's this "Thunder Palace"?!" Natsu asked. Master Makarov grunts as the pain gets worse.

"Everyone! Look outside!" Mira runs down the stairs to inform them.

They go outside and see lacrimas floating in the sky.

"Lightning lacrimas...?" Levy assumed.

"What are they doing up there?" Cana asked.

Outside, the townspeople also notice the Lacrimas, but do not understand the gravity of the situation.

"They're floating all over the city!" Lucy pointed out.

"An incredible amount of powerful lightning magic is stored inside each of those lacrimas." Cana stated. "Could these be what he means?"

"Is this what 'Thunder Palace' refers to?" Juvia asked.

"He's making Magnolia resemble one..." Cana said.

"Wait, what happens if those things discharge?!" Lucy asks, pointing to the lacrimas.

"Countlessw lightning bolts will rain down on the city..." Cana replied. They think about the lacrimas striking lightning at Magnolia, destroying buildings and injuring people.

"I won't let that happen! Sniper rifle requip!" Bisca has her sniper rifle, ready to shoot. She aims at one of the lacrimas. "Target locked on! Stinger Shot!" She manages to destroy the lacrima.

"All right!" Lucy is relieved to see the lacrima destroyed.

"Way to go, Bisca!" Cana complimented.

"I'll take care of all these-" Out of nowhere, lightning strikes at Bisca. They cry out for her as she is being electrocuted. Bisca is knocked down as Levy rushes to her side.

"Hey! Say something, Bisca!" Aira said, worried about her.

"Bisca! Stay with us!" Levy holds her carefully, trying to wake her up.

"What the...?! What's going on?!" Lucy wonders why the lacrima counter attacked.

"Body link magic! There's a spell on those lacrimas that links the damage they receive to whoever causes the damage!" Cana explained. "In short, if you attack them, the same amount of damage will be directed back at you."

"Oh no! If we don't do something, all the citizens will be...!" Levy gasped.

"We have to take down Laxus! Let's go!"

"I'll try to evacuate as many townspeople as I can!" Lucy volunteered. Happy flies after her to help her evacuate the citizens.

"Cain... Go with them." Aira said. His partner nodded as he flies out to follow Lucy and Happy.

"There are still two Thunder Legion members out there! Be careful!" Cana runs after her along with Juvia. The Dragon Slayers are left behind at the guild.

"What is that bastard thinking?!" Natsu jumps over the railing, but he runs into the runes again. Natsu bangs his head against it. "You've gone too far! If you wanna be master so bad, then just fight Gramps!" He continues to hit his head against the runes. "I've had enough of your crap, Laxus!"

Levy thinks that Natsu's going too far. "Natsu! Calm down!"

"I can't!" Natsu punches the ruins.

"Just listen!" Levy walks up to the railing.

"Damn! There's an invisible wall here too!" Natsu kicks it.

"It's an enchantment." Levy said.

"We already knew." Gajeel said.

"It's a type of script magic. I might be able to do something!" Levy stated.

"What?!" Aira now puts his faith into Levy.

"Really, Levy?!" Natsu asked.

"I have faith that you guys can stop Laxus!" Levy said.

Master Makarov and Bisca are resting in another room. Levy goes through her books to figure out how to break the spell. Gajeel sits beside her, watching her work. "If I break the Logue letter sequence data in component blocks and pinpoint the terms to devise the rules... I get L, O, S, U... And if I convert that into Geel grammar..."

"You're really something... I don't understand a thing you're saying." Gajeel's impressed on how she works.

"No! The L and S are bluffs! The key-code is 'Arth'!" Levy exclaimed. Gajeel agrees with everything she says. "Don't worry! I will get you guys out of here!"

"It's no big deal to me..." Gajeel looks away.

"Please... stop Laxus!" Levy said. They look at Natsu who's still banging his head against the runes.

"Stop it, Natsu." Aira just stands there with his arms crossed, not bothering to stop Natsu.

"I'm itchin' to fight...!" Natsu growled.

Freed looks intimidated and absolutely against Laxus' ways, but concords with his decision and leaves. He decides to follow him even to pits of hell, while Laxus boasts that he will take out Erza and Mystogan.

Erza goes to a place where Laxus is located, according to Evergreen. Erza is tricked by Evergreen into entering a public bath to look for Laxus. All she finds are men and boys taking a shower.

Cana and Juvia head out to look for Laxus while Lucy leaves with Happy and Cain to evacuate townspeople.

Afterwards, Lucy is found by Bickslow and they begin their battle. Lucy, with the help of Loke, defeats Bickslow. Loke gives Lucy her keys (once more), but not before showing her an "I love Lucy" sign. Seconds later Happy rolls his tongue to say He liiiiikes you, much to Lucy's annoyance.

"Oh! Lucy won!" Natsu reads the results on the runes.

"Are you serious?! That cheerleader can fight?!" Gajeel asked in surprise.

"Lucy's pretty tough!" Aira replied.

"You gotta be kidding me! She's a cheerleader!" Gajeel said.

"Cheerleaders are tough, man!" Natsu stated.

"Way to go, Lu-chan!" Levy cheers for her best friend. "I won't let them outshine me, either!"

"Haven't you heard the race between the cheerleader and the tortoise?" Natsu shows him a puppet of a green tortoise.

"You mean hare, not cheerleader! And the hare lost in that story!" Gajeel shows him a puppet of a pink rabbit. Aira just watches them argue.

"If I can just reword this part... to rewrite the enchantment..." Levy gets irritated when she can't concentrate "But this is the toughest part..." Something finally clicks in her mind. "That's it!"

"What's what?!" The Dragon Slayers exclaimed.

"Yes! You're supposed to decipher the two grammars at separate rates!" Levy quickly writes everything down. "You take the integral number of synchronized letters in a single pass, transform them into Geel grammar, and then translate that into Logue!" The Dragon Slayers listen to her. "I got it!"

"Oh!" The Dragon Slayers cheer for her.

"Hang on! I'll rewrite the enchantment!" Levy said. The Dragon Slayers wait patiently for her. "Natsu... Aira... Gajeel... Satsuki... Are you all set? You're about to join the Battle of Fairy Tail!"

Natsu lights his fist on fire. "I'm all fired up!"

"Bring it on!" Aira agrees as water covers his hand.

"I'm gonna go to town on 'em!" Gajeel grinned.

"We'll show him!" Satsuki added, smirking.

Elsewhere, Mira finds a wounded Elfman on the ground. She apologizes to him, feeling that during Fairy Tail's crises she was unable to help, and is reduced to tears. Elfman tries to calm her down by telling her to smile at everyone when the battle is over, but is ineffective and Mira sobs, feeling guilt-ridden.

Meanwhile, Cana and Juvia are looking for Laxus, when they encounter Freed. He traps them inside his Jutsu Shiki, and forces them to fight each other, if they want to leave. Juvia sacrifices herself by attacking one of the Lacrimas in the air, releasing the Jutsu Shiki. In her last conscious words, she expresses that she just wanted people to accept her as a member of Fairy Tail, but Cana says they already have. She cries that she is her friend and an amazing Fairy Tail Mage, which makes Juvia happy, as she faints, and makes Cana furious and attacks Freed.

Meanwhile, Natsu, Aira, Gajeel, and Satsuki have split up and are looking for Laxus.

Natsu looks above town, sitting on top of a chimney. "Damn! There's too many people! I can't pick up Laxus' scent!"

Aira runs around town, trying to look for Laxus. "That bastard is tough to find."

Past...

"Listen, Natsu, Aira, Gajeel, Satsuki. It's all over if all of you get caught in one of Freed's enchantments. You'll need to go separate ways once you leave." Levy explained.

Present...

Gajeel talks through a Shikigami to Master Ivan, and he responds that for the time being his mission is to gain the Fairy Tail members' trust, and to not be discovered. He orders him and Satsuki to act as full fledged Fairy Tail members, and adds that Fairy Tail's punishment will soon come.

Freed, after fighting Cana, fights and tortures Elfman in front of Mira's eyes. With her brother facing death, Mira unleashes her dormant Magic Power and with it, she fights Freed. When she approaches to deliver the final blow, Lisanna's face and last smile flash through her mind, and Mira deactivates Satan Soul. She loses the will to fight, and reminds Freed of their relationship as nakama and that they are from the same Guild, meaning that they are family. Freed, realizing that he dearly treasured the bonds his Guild has given him, begins to cry, admitting that he never wanted to take part in Laxus' plan.

A/N: There we go!

Hope you enjoyed!

~Kyle