Ch.4

The day was here. Lucy fiddled with her keys at the kitchen table while Natsu wolfed down the breakfast she had made. She couldn't help thinking about Gajeel's warning. Why was Juvia going nuts? She was already crazy, but to bring illegal magic into it? It made her nervous.

"Don't be nervous, Lucy! We're going to win!" Natsu's ability to be confident at all times made her smile.

"You're right! Let's go and show them who the best team is!" Lucy smiled and grabbed a piece of toast. She couldn't help the feeling in the pit of her stomach.

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"Juvia, we will be unable to portal them away. The portal leads to blackness. It won't open a door anywhere." Freid broke the news to Juvia.

"Juvia doesn't care! Freid will open the portal! Juvia will have her date with Gray-Sama!" Juvia looked extremely unstable. "Juvia will do the spell herself if she must!"

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"Alec. Alec! Alec, wake up!" Magnus shook his sleeping boyfriend awake, "Alec, get up! I've figured It out! I've figured the spell out!" Alec slowly opened his eyes to Magnus's smiling face.

"Wake up! We're going to try it this afternoon! I need you to buy candles!" Magnus searched through his drawers, pulling out every piece of charcoal he could find.

Alec sighed and pulled a sweater over his head. This was the problem with dating a warlock. They went through a lot of candles. Alec was pretty sure he should buy shares in candle making and make it all back.

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It was a few hours later and Lucy and Natsu were at the guild. There was excitement in the air. Gray had been taken to a secret location earlier that morning, so he was the only one missing out on the pre-challenge fun.

"SHUT UP!" Makarov yelled from the upper level, "Today, we begin the Mister In Distress Challenge! Competitors, step forward!" Lucy and Natsu stepped forward, as did Juvia and Freid and Cana and Bickslow.

"What?" She said, "I can finally pay off part of my bar tab with the money!" Cana defended her choice to join.

"Oh, great." Lucy muttered.

"Throughout this challenge, you will fight one of three S-Class Mages. Mira Jane! Erza Scarlett! And Laxus Dreyer!" Makarov shouted above the noise of the cheering. He pointed to each S-Class mage in turn. "You will also face magic in ways you have never experienced before! Take one wrong step and you'll be teleported right back to the guild!" The three teams nodded, "The rules for this challenge are as follows! You will fight each other if you meet during the challenge. You are to stay focused on the goal at hand and not get side tracked. This challenge is for experience. Any attempt to seriously injure or cause fatality will result in disqualification! Now, get ready teams! And go!" Makarov raised his hand in a backwards L. A sign of support among the Fairy Tail guild.

The teams took off. Juvia and Freid had followed Lucy and Natsu. They made it to city square before Natsu realized they were being followed.

"So, you're ready to get taken out this early in the game?" He smirked. Lucy took a stance beside him.

"Let's do this!"

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"Okay, Magnus. I got all the candles, where do you need them?" Alec asked, dumping several shopping bags on the kitchen table.

"Set them up to outline this pentagram." Magnus wiped his brow. If he timed this just right, then they should open a portal.

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"WATER SLICER!" Juvia yelled, throwing blades of water in Lucy's direction.

"FIRE DRAGON WING ATTACK!"

"LOKE! TAKE THEM DOWN!"

"PAIN!" This was a fight to behold. Between Juvia and Lucy, it was indeed quite the cat fight. This was personal. Between Natsu and Freid, It was a fight of muscle against intelligence.

"Argh!" Lucy had summoned a second spirit, Virgo, and Juvia had been trapped in a hole.

"Ha! GOTCHA! NATSU, LET'S GO!" Lucy waved. They took off down the street.

Juvia pulled herself from the hole. She held her hand out, and the water around formed the shape of a pentagram.

"Juvia, what are you doing?!" Freid saw the look in her eyes, "You can't Juvia!"

"Juvia will have her Gray-Sama!" She yelled arranging the water among the fires caused by Natsu.

She began chanting the ancient spell that would open the portal.

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Magnus stood up and grabbed the book of the white. He opened it to the correct page and began chanting. The portals in both worlds began glow bright white.

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"JUVIA! This is madness! You must stop!" Freid tried to reason with her, but she was only focused on Gray. Her dear, beloved Gray. Natsu and Lucy had sensed the magic behind them, and had returned to make sure their comrades were okay. They weren't sure if Cana was still able to use Fairy Glitter, but they needed to make sure Juvia and Freid wouldn't be in the way of it if Cana was the one causing all this power.

"NATSU! LUCY! RUN!" Freid called out. Juvia looked wild. Natsu grabbed Lucy's arm to pull her back, but missed. Lucy had run straight into the center of the pentagram. Natsu's eyes widened.

"Good-bye, love rival!" Juvia laughed as the ground opened beneath Lucy's feet. Natsu ran as fast as he could, and barely managed to catch her hand. The portal was sucking them both in. It wasn't long before Natsu's strength gave out and they fell.

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The portal shone brightly in Magnus's living room as he chanted. He could see a land inside of it. A blue haired girl with a wild look. A blonde hair girl and a pink haired boy falling. And then the portal closed without a trace. If not for the receipt for candles in Alec's pocket, you wouldn't have even know it was there.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Alec hesitantly asked with a sideways glance at Magnus.

Magnus slammed the book shut and shook his head, "No. We opened the portal which is great, but why it disappeared, I don't know."

Alec gave Magnus a reassuring hug, "It's okay. I'll buy as many candles as we need to get it right." He promised.