Hey everyone, it's Magicstra here. So I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while now and finally decided to get it down on paper. This story will have multiple main characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, to my dismay

Warning: Rated T for some profanity

"Take that, ice bastard", Natsu Dragneel mumbled under his breath, clicking the same button over and over again. He smirked in satisfaction as he noticed how much damage Gray was taking.

A small notice popped up on the screen of his laptop.

Congratulations, SALAMANDER180! You have won the duel against IceDevilSlayer!

Natsu let out a whoop of victory and pumped his fist, before quickly turning around to make sure no one had heard him. No one had, of course. His father, Igneel, was a much sought after supervisor for pyrotechnics. He travelled with bands to make sure the pyrotechnics in their shows weren't dangerous, but would be exciting enough. Natsu was proud of his dad, and had wanted to follow in his footsteps for as long as he could remember. He had agreed to be the pyrotechnician at the local theatre guild, even though he didn't have a degree in fire science. Yet, that is.

As much as he admired Igneel, he couldn't deny that the apartment could feel very empty at times. Although Romeo, the boy next door, had been coming over ever since he could walk. Natsu liked his father, Macao, but couldn't help but resent him for being- well, for being a drunken pervert at times. Macao loved his son, but didn't put much effort into parenting.

Maybe that was why he had started looking for ways to distract himself. Natsu prepared most of his own meals, so he had taught himself to cook. It was something he both did well and enjoyed. Exercise and training in martial arts also helped him fill empty hours, as well as experimenting with fire. But then Gray had introduced him to a lesser known computer game called Kingdom of Fiore. You could join guilds, battle monsters and dark guilds, and so on.

His theatre guild had decided to play as well, and they decided to form a guild together. Natsu grinned. Their guild was pretty infamous for having talented players that were near unbeatable in a duel. Being with his friends, even in a virtual world, made him feel a little less alone in their spacious apartment. Though, Natsu thought to himself, you couldn't really tell it was spacious with the way they half-assed the cleaning. Scratch that, they never bothered to really clean.

A loud ping brought his attention back to the screen. Gray had sent him a message, which he opened curiously.

IceDevilSlayer: Not bad, flamebrain, even though you just got lucky. My computer was probably slow or something.

Natsu grinned. Despite their constant bickering, they were actually good friends. Though Natsu would sooner burn down his entire apartment complex than admit it.

Or preferably, Gray's entire apartment complex.

Salamander180: Fire always beats ice, snow cone. And I don't need luck as long as I'm fighting you.

IceDevilSlayer: rematch?

Salamander180: I'm all fired up!

IceDevilSlayer: Dude, you need a better catchphrase

Salamander180: Go to hell, you stripper

Natsu stretched and yawned loudly, before settling down in front of the computer again and smirking. He would pound the health out of that ice bastard.

Lucy Heartfilia was restless. It was hot day, and her school uniform was sticking to her back. Across the room, Lucy's friend Yukino caught her eye and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"So you can see, Claudette Colvin was arrested for the same offense as Rosa Parks, but her case was far less publicized." Ms. Law, a chubby woman in her twenties explained. Ms. Law was a good teacher, who made an effort to be kind to all her students and occasionally went off on long rants that, while irrelevant, were very entertaining and informative. She was easily the youngest teacher in all of Magnolia Academy.

Magnolia Academy was easily one of the most prestigious, yet old-fashioned schools in the state. Only the very wealthy could afford to come here. Lucy Heartfilia had been sent here only last year, in order to learn skills a tutor couldn't teach her.

It had been difficult at first to adjust to this new lifestyle. The school bell rang at six each morning, and the students were served an excellent breakfast in the dining hall. Three hours of lessons preceded lunch, which was followed by five hours more of lessons. Students then were free to do other activities and homework.

Despite the very precise schedule, Lucy felt almost free here. Her father lived in a city an hour away, so he couldn't try to engage her to a wealthy man of his choosing. Arranged marriages weren't exactly commonplace, so it was never referred to as one. Rather, it was her father helping her find someone suitable that she would marry when she was eighteen. That's how she was supposed to think of it, anyway.

Lucy glanced at the girl beside her who, she noticed, was sweating more than she was. Lucy smiled in amusement. It was like the girl was made of water.

Juvia Lockser was the only scholarship student in the entire academy, and had felt to be as much of an outcast as Lucy did. Their mutual despair had formed an unbreakable bond between the two girls.

Yukino Aguria, who seemed as impervious to the heat as always, was the opposite. With her sweet personality, she was loved by the majority of the school. When Lucy had accidentally found out about her problems at home, she had quickly become a good friend of both Lucy and Juvia. Lucy bit her lip and looked down, thinking about how scared Yukino had been. It wasn't something she liked to remember.

"Miss Heartfilia? Are you feeling alright?" Ms. Law asked, pausing the lesson. Lucy's head shot up quickly.

"Yes, sorry." She said guiltily, feeling bad about dozing off. Ms. Law frowned slightly.

"Are you sure? You look a little flushed."

That's because of this damned heat.

"I'm fine, thank you. There's no cause for concern." Lucy reassured her. Ms. Law frowned for a moment more, before returning to her lesson.

"All right, then. Now, Claudette Clovin and Rosa Parks were not the only two arrested for this." Ms. Law continued her lecture, turning to write on the whiteboard.

Lucy pushed some of her sweat soaked blonde hair behind her ear, where it hadn't been able to stay pinned back. She glanced over at Juvia and Yukino, who were both immersed with their note taking. With the constant threat of marriage, her increasing schoolwork, and constant pressure from society in general, her friends were often what got her through each day.

Lucy began copying off of the board without really paying attention to what she was writing. It was going to be a long, stressful day. And the heat wouldn't make it any better. She couldn't take this anymore.

The loud buzz of a school bell cut into Ms. Law's lecture, making the students that had been dozing off sit up straight. Lucy was one of the first out of her seat, grabbing her school bag and slinging it over one shoulder.

She waited for Juvia and Yukino in the hallway, stopping quickly to check her phone. A notification on her lockscreen informs her she has an email from someone not in her contacts.

Frowning, she clicked on it.

You've been invited to join Kingdom of Fiore by LeotheLion! Kingdom of Fiore is a computer game set in the fictional country Fiore, where mages, merchants, treasure hunters, and so much more come together. Create an avatar and start your free trial today!

Lucy smiled. LeotheLion was her bodyguard back home, Loke. He was also her friend, and knew her better than almost everyone she knew. If he thought she would enjoy it, she probably would.

A tap on her shoulder startled her, and she spun around. Juvia and Yukino stood behind her, waiting to go to their next class.

"Lucy? What do you have there?" Yukino asked curiously. Lucy showed the invitation to the two girls.

"Loke sent this to me. You think I should join?" Lucy asked them, waiting them to finish reading it.

"Oh, well if Loke invited you…" Yukino teased her. "How could you say no?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "For God's sake, Yukino, it's not like that!"

Still, it sounded interesting. What was there to lose?

I expect the chapters will be longer after this. It's been awhile since I've written a multichapter story, so I'm pretty excited for this. Mind leaving a review with your thoughts? Thanks for reading!

Also, Ms. Law is Risley Law from Mermaid Heel.

Magicstra