The Yellow Hourglass Chapter 1

It is a world filled to the brim with magic. Fueled by mystical Ethernano particles in the air, the people of Earth Land are, through a great deal of practice, able to preform a variety of feats, from mundane acts such as lighting up a darkened room to seemingly impossible ones like a creating and firing a cannon capable of destroying an entire nation.

Although magic has largely become an everyday aspect of life for most, many see it as much, much more. Choosing to reject the reality of having a typical 9 to 5 job like a shopkeeper, government employee, etc., these individuals devote their time to honing their magical craft, learning all that they can about it, and they use their knowledge and abilities to complete odd jobs in a mercenary-like fashion. Eventually, these people came together to magical guilds, and that too became an everyday part of life in Earth Land.

In one country of this magical world, there is an especially high number of these guilds. It is the nation of Fiore, a large nation located on the Ishgar Continent. And in this country, there is a certain guild in a certain town that makes great strides in magic previously unheard of, although it does have a tendency to cause trouble for the bureaucratic side of the magical world.

This guild, known as Fairy Tail, had just recently regained their status as the number 1 guild in Fiore after 7 years out of the spotlight. However, with such renown often comes unwanted attention. How will the Fairies handle the trials that are to come?

The Magic Council (location unknown)

4 days. He had only been away for 4 days. That was the only thing Lahar could think about as he stared at the mountain of paperwork on his desk. He had enjoyed himself at the Grand Magic games so much (before the attack, of course) that it was almost a shame to be back at the old grind. After witnessing Fairy Tail's stunning return to fame, thins like paperwork felt so droll.

"That much shouldn't be too difficult for such a hardworking employee like you, Lahar," a frogman commented, letting himself into the office. Such creatures filled a large portion of the onsite positions of the Magic Council, the ruling body for magic on the Ishgar Continent. "After all, if was your work ethic and dedication to justice that helped you climb the ladder to become head of the 4th Custody Enforcement Division."

Straightening his glasses, Lahar regarded the intruder. He wore the long blue jacket of a high ranking magic council member complete with white gloves, pants, and cape, and his hair was tied back with 2 bangs framed his face. "Enough about me, why have you barged into my office?"

"My apologies, sir" the frogman returned bowing deeply. "I brought the documents you requested about Raven Tail." Raven Tail, the dark guild that had gone to great lengthes to enter the Grand Magic games only to antagonize the Fairy Tail guild. Lahar simply could not understand why they would go to such effort, but it must be something to do with Makarov Dreyar, guildmaster of Fairy Tail, being the father of the other guild's master, Ivan Dreyar.

Taking the documentation from the amphibious employee, Lahar perused the detailed reports on the guild's history. "What disciplinary action has been taken against the guild?"

"The Raven Tail Guild's status as a legal guild has been revoked temporarily pending the results of an investigation, " the frogman replied blankly, "Depending on what comes back, the guild may be dissolved with the guild master and major members facing potential fines and imprisonment."

"I see," Lahar responded contemplatively, setting the reports somewhere in the stack on his desk. "Speaking of which, has Fairy Tail caused any trouble since their victory?"

"Not yet, " it answered, "but the general consensus is that it's only a matter of time."

"Agreed."

The Fairy Tail Guild Hall

The Fairy Tail Guild Hall, the pride of Magnolia. It's interior is quite simplistic, consisting of a large number of dining tables, a fully stocked bar, and an upstairs area, but it is also where many legends were born. Even after it's reconstruction, following the invasion by Phantomhive (a story for another day), the rich history, has been preserved.

"You wanna say that again, fireball? I didn't quite catch it the first time." Gray Fullbuster, the man issuing the challenge, stood shirtless in the middle of the guild hall. His partial nakedness exposed a wall of lean muscle covering his whole body, as well as a guild mark on his right pectoral. The clothing he was wearing was a pair of black slacks with a chain on the left side and a pair of combat boots. Additionally, a necklace with a silver cross on it was around his neck. His face, young and unmarred except by a scar above his left eye was still handsome even as he glared at the mage opposite him.

"Well then, let me clean out yer ears for ya, snowflake," Gray's rival challenged boldly. "I said ya couldn't beat me, even if ya trained for a million years."

The brash young wizard was Natsu Dragneel, another member of the Fairy Tail guild. He was adorned in a black zipped overcoat with orange trim. With the right sleeve missing, the red guild mark below his shoulder was on full display. He wore white trunks and black sandals, which matched the scale patterned scarf he wore around his neck, which was a gift from his father, the fire dragon Igneel. A light shade of pink, his hair was as wild as he was. At present, Natsu was giving his compatriot the evil eye, a fiery aura coming off of him all the while.

"Well, Natsu, why don't we put your theory to the test," Grey said as he placed his right fist into his left hand. As he did so, a light blue magic circle enveloped his hands.

"Guys, stop fighting!" Coming from across the Guild Hall, a buxom blonde 'bounced' toward the pair. Her medium length hair was kept in pigtails as she wore a revealing, nearly backless blue outfit with yellow highlights. "You guys are always going at it."

"Oh, chill out Lucy." Raising her head from the book she was reading, Levy McGarder glanced around. He wavy blue hair bounced around, barely held back by her yellow hairband. She wore a matching yellow dress adorned white ribbons and brown sandals. Her guild mark was visible on her back, around her left shoulder blade. "You know as well as I do that they don't mean anything by it."

"I'm gonna break you friggin' arm, Natsu." Sighing, Levy waved her arm in the air, a magic circle appearing above her head. The word IRON appeared in the air above Gray's head. It had a metallic glint, suggesting it was actually made of iron, and in support of this theory, it made a loud thunk as it landed on Gray's head. With him not expecting the sneaky attack, it was very effective.

"What's the matter Gray?" Natsu asked with a chuckle. "Get yer ass kicked by a girl?"

As if in response, a small fist came down and bashed him in the top of his head. "As some of the top wizards of Fairy Tail, you two should be setting a good example for the others. Natsu;s eyes rolled into the back of his head as consciousness left him.

The fist belonged to Erza Scarlett, S-class mage and the strongest female wizard in Fairy Tail. She wire a sleeveless white collared shirt with frills in then center and a blue ribbon was tied around her neck. A navy skirt the same color as the guild mark on her left bicep completed the ensemble, in utter contrast to long, bright red hair.

"It was probably a good thing that you intervened instead of me, Erza." Makarov Dreyar, Guild Master of Fairy Tail observed from the railing of the second floor while toying with his thick white mustache. He wore a crimson undershirt with a pale cloak over it. Given his miniscule size, he didn't seem like much, but he was extremely capable, even being name a member of the 10 most powerful wizards on the continent, the Ten Wizard Saints. "I'm afraid I would have put them out of commission for a few weeks."

A wave of laughter ran through the Guild Hall at the master's comment, and the merriment redoubled. As the sounds of the belligerent guild leaked out into Magnolia, a stranger in a black hooded cloak approached. On the back of his cloak was a bright yellow emblem – an hourglass.

Authors Note: A new story. Feels good to continue writing again. I just graduated, so if/when I am able to get a decent job, I have no way of knowing how that will impact my time, but up until then, I will make an effort to allocate some time to writing.

How was the first chapter of the new story? I attempted to recreate that feel that I got from the first scene in the guild hall in episode 2, but I have little confidence in my ability to pull off my "creative vision". I would love to hear your thought's, please leave a review or pm me. Until next time.
-Piercer_of_Shadows