1 The Fallen Throne - 1

You had to admit, as the horse carriage drew into Magnolia, that it was a lovely city.

But it was also true, that it had lost some of its splendour since you had last been here. You'd seen it a few times, your family frequently checked out the train station they owned here a lot when you were younger.

You'd been in the crowds during the last Fantasia Parade. And recorded many of the dancing Fairy Tail mages, though the one most prominent that night had been Erza Scarlet.

You'd been disappointed Mirajane Strauss hadn't made a big appearance like the redheaded Requip mage, but even still, the image of the woman on her float going down the street was a precious momento of yours.

It was actually worth quite a bit of cash these days. Not a lot of footage from the Tenrou Team existed, and even less of the prominent women that many had been disappointed by.

And you could readily see, that the city wasn't quite as boisterous, and it didn't quite have the same sheen to it that it once did. That was what happened when the strongest, and one of the richest guilds that used to draw attraction from all around went under so quickly you supposed.

You shook your head, focusing on the important things for now, "What to do, what to do?" you hummed to yourself, looking out the window of the carriage you were in and watching in the streets going by.

You had just over a hundred thousand jewels left over. You tended to need to splurge a bit because of all the gear you broke as a knight and property you damaged with how destructive your magic was.

You could probably get a decent apartment rented out for the month with that, but not much on the furniture besides the basics. Would probably take a few hours to find a place like that though and get things squared away. By then it would be nearing night.

You could do that, or you could head straight for the Fairy Tail Guild and get signed up. Maybe even get a mission for the first day. Maybe show off a bit.

...Not to much though, you might destroy a heap of stuff and end up in debt, again.

You decided in the end, to head for Fairy Tail and join up. You had waited years to join, you couldn't be bothered waiting any longer.

So you directed the carriage driver towards the 'new' Fairy Tail guild hall, just next to what was once their old main base, and near enough a literal cast.

Behind it, in the woods, was their new base of operations. And it was so very difference in stature that it was almost shocking.

It was nearer a shack or a barn in stature than anything else. Even their first guild hall before the move into the castle like one was much larger before it was destroyed by Phantom.

"It's homey looking at least." you chuckled.

Shaking your head, you made your way across the cobbled path, and pushed open the rickety main doors. Stepping in, you took in the room even as the mere five occupants of it turned to look at you.

Even inside it was small you ntoed as your eyes traced the insides of the building. There was a bar area over by the back wall, with a door opening that led somewhere deeper inside. There were no upstairs by the looks of it. By the bar, there was a small ledge that might have been a stage, and littering the room were various small wooden tables and chairs.

Not the glamorous guild it once was for sure. But, you were here to change that!

While you nodded to yourself, one of the five occupants, the closest to you got up from where he was leaning against the wall and made his way over to you, "Hey buddy," the sandy haired man, dressed in a black shirt and brown overcoat greeted, "Anything we can help you with?"

You think his name was Max. You met him once, seven years ago. When you bought a bunch of action figures and dolls made in the likeness of the guild members at their grand new guild hall opening. Including a Lucy Heartfilia doll that could be stripped to its underwear.

Surprisingly not worth a lot despite how vintage it was and how little had actually been sold in the end. You'd bought it in the first place because the girl had seemed so very familiar to you at the time, and had been very happy that you did.

Once you hit your teens, the amazing proportions and likeness the doll had was fun to give a look over during some private time to yourself. A beauty easily on par with Erza Scarlet? Who you could strip the clothes off of, you'd been drooling over it for a time.

"Actually," you replied, "I'm looking to join up with the guild."

Max blinked, "Wait, what?" he asked in confusion.

There was a crash over at the bar, and you looked over to the tall, blue haired, slightly balding man in the white coat, who's elbow had slipped off of the bar top he was leaning against at your words.

Macao Conbolt is his name, you think. As a Rune Knight you'd generally known the names of most important guild members, granted, he wasn't considered important at all these days.

You knew most of the girl members due to buying all their dolls as a kid, and had a few of the action figures of the more popular males like Natsu Dragneel.

"Really?" a female voice asked from the side, and you turned to her, a name coming to mind as you took in her spectackled face

You easily recognized Laki, you think her name was. A pretty, bodacious purple haired woman with a purple ponytail, wearing navy blue dress.

"Yeah." you replied simply with a shrug,

"Kinda suspicious though innit?" the last man in guild hall spoke up, who was also sitting at the bar. An older man in a brown fur lined coat with a pipe in his mouth, "We ain't had anybody want to join in seven years, we're the weakest guild in Fiore."

You didn't recognize him at all, nor did you recognize the pretty blue haired barmaid who smacked him on the arm, "Be nice Wakaba." she scolded him.

Instead of giving a straight answer, you looked around at all of the occupants of the guild hall, taking in their defeated expressions, "Do fairies have tails?..Do they even exist?" you asked, remembering the words that resonated within you so long ago when your freedom had been stifled by your family, and the words that gave you the strength to seek strength and take it back from them, "Like them, this place is an eternal mystery, a never ending adventure."

You watched as one by one their faces drew up, sorrow and shame, and you even saw the guild master clench his fists tightly, tears budding at the corner of his eyes.

"You might have fallen from grace, and might be the weakest now, but you're still Fairy Tail right?" you asked.

"YES!" Macao suddenly shouted and you blinked. He coughed before continuing at a lower tone, "You're right, we're still Fairy Tail."

"And Fairy Tail is the guild I've wanted to join since before seven years ago," you replied. You clenched your fist and raised it up in front of you, looking Macao in the eye, "I wanted to join right away years ago, but I figured it'd be better if I was stronger first."

"..What do you mean?" Max asked, "You're a kid, and back then you wouldn't have been much older than little Romeo."

Well, a good time to introduce yourself as any you supposed, "My name is Cobalt Ray, former head of the 1st divison Mage Counter Enforcement Unit of the Rune Knights," you revealed, and then allowed some of your power to slip free, black sea water forming from just your magic energy and compressing into a solid, three pronged black trident that rippled with a black gleam in the light, as if it was sucking it inside, "And the Sea God Slayer."

They were all silent. "Huh," except Wakaba, "Well, how'd ya like that?" he mused, before tumbling back in a dead faint.