This chapter is a bit on the short side, but I wanted to get it out before I go to bed tonight. Here's hoping some melatonin will help me get some half way decent sleep tonight...

"If I break the Logue letter sequence data into component blocks," Levy muttered as she scrawled fiercely on the paper before her. "Pinpoint the terms used to define the rules… I get L, O, S, U… and if I convert that into Geel grammar…"
"You're something else," Gajeel remarked beside her, watching her with sharp eyes. "You might be speaking the same language, but I have no idea what you're saying."

"Wait a minute!" she shouted, startling the Dragon Slayer. She turned and pointed her pen at him. "The L and S are bluffs! The key code is 'Arth'!"

"Uh… Ok…"

"Don't worry, I'm almost there. I promise I'm going to get you out of here."

"It's no big deal," Gajeel muttered.

"It is to me. You have to stop Laxus!" The barrier crackled as another of Natsu's attempts to get through failed. He swore violently and threw his book at the wall, clearly frustrated.

"I hope you're having better luck with this than I am, midget," he called. I only spent a few years on runes. Freed has spent his entire life on them, and I'm sure that this one is specially designed to deal with me. Laxus knows me better than I thought he did.

"We can still win, Laxus," Freed frowned. "We don't need hostages. Stop this."

"What are you still doing here?" Laxus said after a moment, his temper reigned in for now. "Shouldn't you be out there hunting Fairies with Bickslow? I'll take care of Erza, Mystogan too. With Natsu trapped behind the barrier, they're the only ones that can challenge me. In the meantime, you deal with Cana and that Phantom girl. I don't need either of them in my Fairy Tail. Exterminate them." Freed visibly flinched at the words.

"Even if they're our enemies now, they're still our -"

"If I give you an order, you better do what I say!" Laxus roared. Freed bowed his head.

"After coming this far, there is no turning back now," he finally said. "I will follow you, even if it leads me to hell. If you want me to exterminate, then so I shall. But their blood is on your hands." He sounded like he was convincing himself more than anything else at that point. "You'd better not hold remorse once this is all over."

"Excellent, Freed the Dark. Show them your true power, once and for all!"

"Damn! No leads at all!" Cana snarled.

"Is there a place in town that Laxus might have some sentimental attachment to?" Juvia inquired.

"Well, we've known each other for a long time, but he's seemed really preoccupied with someone for a while now."

"Why can't we use the guild loudspeaker?" Happy complained as he walked along the railing of the bridge.

"There's an enchantment on it that only allows the master to use it if he chooses to surrender to Laxus," Lucy said. "They worked really hard to stab their friends in the back, huh? Anyway, we need to get the townspeople away from the Thunder Palace.

"Lucy, I don't think that's a good idea," Happy said as something caught his eye. "There are tons of people here from other towns for the Harvest Festival. The city is packed!"

"Which is why we need to warn them about those things!"

"It'll only cause a panic if we tell them! People might get hurt!"

"Then what should we do?"

"Yeah!" a puppet said from behind her.

"What should we do?" another asked.

"Think, Lucy!" a third encouraged.

"Get out of the way, Lucy!" Happy shouted, flying for her. Lucy screamed as the puppets shot lasers at her. The Exceed grabbed her in time to drag her away.

"What are those things?!" she wailed. Happy dropped her on a rooftop.

"It's Bickslow," he fretted.

"Yo," the aforementioned mage waved as he settled on a pole. "You must be the newbie Natsu's so besotted with."

"'Besotted with'?" Lucy screeched. "What on earth are people saying?!"

"Just that you're a cosplay loving, macho dominatrix with violent mood swings, who clearly has a thing for tall dark and scary!"

"They make me sound like some sort of pervert!" she wailed.

"What are you supposed to be, anyway?" he asked, tapping his chin. "Some sort of cheerleader?"

"Cheerleader! Cheerleader!" his puppets agreed.

"Ok, babies! Get her!" Wait, what. She screamed and frantically ran away. "Sorry I can't go easy on you, since you're new and all," he bowed. "But we are in the middle of an intense game, you see."

"Do you honestly think the master will let you get away with everything you've done?" Lucy demanded.

"We don't care what he thinks," he shrugged. "By the time this game is over, Laxus will be the new master!"

"Those flying things are really annoying. Open, Gate of the Horseman! Sagittarius!"

"Ooh, celestial magic. So your spirits like to cosplay too?"

"It's not like that! Aim for those flying things!"

"My poor babies!" Bickslow wailed as Sagittarius destroyed his puppets. "First you were frozen, now you're blasted to bits! My babies…"

"You want to surrender?" Lucy smirked. "Now's your chance!"

"What am I going to do," he moaned. "My poor babies!" Bickslow looked up and grinned. "Just kidding." A green blast hit the spirit in the chest, forcing him back to the spirit world.

"What the heck?!" Lucy cried.

"Beneath me is a toy shop," Bickslow explained. "In other words, an armory! It doesn't matter how many of them you destroy; I'll just replace them! I really just control their souls."

"Are you kidding me?! Only one thing to do." She started to pull out her keys, but one of the puppets snatched it out of her hand. "Hey! Jerk!" Happy did his best to get them back, but the puppets attacked them both fiercely.

"Too bad for you, cosplay girl. Looks like the game just went into 'sudden death' mode." Glowing green eyes appeared behind his visor. "But don't worry, I'll take extra good care of your soul. Baryon Formation!" Five dolls created a pentagon and began spinning and glowing. Lucy was frozen in horror as a large green beam shot towards her.

Suddenly a pair of arms scooped her up, carrying her away from the blast. For a ridiculous second, she thought it was Natsu, but her rescuer was wearing a suit, not a set of armor. Plus, Natsu was stuck in the guild.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Loke said with a clear smirk in his voice. "But for some reason I have no problem travelling between our worlds without needing you to summon me. Perhaps the wall between humans and spirits is no more… Together, you and I have broken it down, and it's all thanks to the power of our love." He gently set her on her feet.

"Power of love?" she whimpered, blushing. "Oh, come on, don't joke around like that."

"I know you!" Bickslow shouted. "You're Loke!"

"Looks like it's time to fulfill my promise, huh?" he said, clenching a fist.

"Huh, whaddaya know. You were a celestial spirit after all. I kept your secret all this time, and this is the thanks I get?"

"Well, you try to hurt my key holder, and I can't allow that, so sorry, bud."

"Ha! You joining the Battle of Fairy Tail now?" Loke straightened his jacket.

"To be honest, I'm not very interested in any of that. But I won't allow you to hurt my owner, no matter what!" If only I could protect her from Natsu as well…

"'Won't allow'? Haha! That's a riot. You've never beaten me before, and I was pulling my punches!"

"That may be so, but I wasn't operating at full power either. So let's face down once and for all!"

"Ha! I'd like to see you try! Give him hell, babies!"

"Stand back, Lucy," Loke said, waving her away. "I'll handle this."

"Not gonna happen!" Lucy growled, pulling out her whip. "Any decent celestial wizard knows to not use their spirits as shields! Fighting together is more my style!" Loke smiled softly. Maybe… Maybe Lucy is the one Natsu has been searching all these decades. Just maybe...

Uuuuugggghhhhh I'm exhausted, craving deviled eggs, and and really sick of Lucy. *sigh* This is what I get for putting out three chapters in a day... Review please! Remember, reviews inspire me to write more! XD Have a cookie! (: :)