A/N: This has been a collective daydream of mine for the past few years, I have just now felt the urge to write it down. I'm a sucker for Gray, so I can't help but self insert some. To Lucy fans: I'm sorry! I love her, even more so now that I have wayyy more astrological knowledge than I did when I first started the show at 13. Even in 9 years, I have this series on the brain. While I have technically replaced Lucy with a self insert, she is such a unique character that I had to incorporate a lot of her character into my OC. With that, please enjoy! Reviews are highly appreciated so I can tweak things, doing it in my head is not the most streamlined process. :)

May

Rosalie bit back a sigh as she gazed out the window of the train, the scenery moving in a blur as she got closer to her destination. She had been planning this trip secretly for months, but actually doing it put her on edge. Not knowing what exactly awaited her did not help her trip jitters.

Rosalie Estraun was freshly 17 years old, her birthday celebration only a week in the past. She snorted at the thought. The only celebration she had was purchasing this one way train ticket back to her childhood town and getting herself ready to restart her life.

As much as she wanted to rest on the train ride, her jade green eyes would not stay shut, so she decided to do the next best thing: people watch. Granted, there wasn't much bustling activity on this train, but there were still some interesting figures to be seen. A woman, holding her adorable baby, arguing with the attendant about something out of his control. Lovers holding hands and stealing kisses. A man in a fine suit, one her father would have laughed at.

Her father.

Rosalie leaned forward and let her long dark hair cover her suddenly sour expression. He would not be thrilled to learn of her sudden departure, especially if he knew the destination. He won't be home for a few days, so I don't have to worry. But she was certain that he would never find her, since he refused to acknowledge their hometown, stating it was "a cesspool of crooked mages and death." Of course, this wasn't entirely true; the mages in the town's guild were known for the heart and morals, even if they were a bit rough. Plus if anyone was a crooked mage, it was in fact Walter Estraun, who used his Mind Magic to get his way. Death however…

It was the town her mother died in.

Logically, it wasn't the town's fault her mother died when she was 11. Rosalie knew this. Walter did not. Laila Estraun had always been frail, and had slowly grown weaker after Rosalie had been born. Walter worked diligently in the mage guild to afford treatment for his wife, but as her condition worsened, he went further into debt, but told no one. When he could no longer afford treatment, he convinced the doctors with his Mind Magic to perform placebo treatments on his dying wife, anything to make her think she was getting better, to hold on a little longer.

Crooked mage indeed.

Ultimately, his plan backfired, and Laila passed clutching her daughter's hand, instructing her to carry on with her Celestial Spirit keys and becoming the strong mage she never was able to be. Rosalie solemnly accepted, as the Spirits would be a lifelong connection to her mother that she adored. Walter, in his grief, went mad. He blamed the doctors for being useless, the guild for not helping, the town for allowing such utter scum to work in it, and in his darkest hours, Rosalie for being born and attributing to her worse state. As soon as he was able, he packed up young Rosalie and headed far into the countryside to be free of the cursed town.

Thinking of her mother, Rosalie clutched the keys hanging from her belt, hoping for some comfort. The keys felt light and cool in her hand, just as her mother's did in her dying moments. Stroking the tips, she felt her silver keys Plue, Lyra, Crux, and Holorgium, as well as her three precious gold keys, Aquarius, Cancer, Taurus, and Capricorn. All of these Spirits had loved her mother, and her mother loved each of them like they were humans. "Rosalie, you must never treat Spirits like shields. While they cannot easily die in our world, they still feel pain and should be treated like precious friends." Laila's words came to mind as she touched the keys, a reminder that she was here. While Rosalie did occasionally struggle to keep open the Zodiac's gates for any extended period of time, they all still loved her and supported her in training to get stronger. except for aquarius, who wanted as much time in the Spirit World as possible to spend with her beloved Scorpio.

A voice rang out, distracting Rosalie from her thoughts. "Now arriving in Magnolia. Please exit to your left."

Shit, already? Rosalie felt a lump growing in her throat. She hadn't realized so much time had passed on her trip.

Mama, I'm scared. What if no one remembers me? What if it's too weird having me back? What if they don't want me back? Rosalie could not help the fears rising in her mind. Stiffly, she grabbed her few bags from their compartment and made her way off the train. The rest of her few belongings had been shipped ahead of time to the small apartment she rented before leaving. Anything to be fully prepared...and have a place to go if...She shook her head. There was no use worrying. Besides, it would be helpful to have a place to rest before gathering the courage she needed for her purpose here, and she would need a place to live anyway.

Walking off the train, she was taken aback by how so much had changed, but it was still the Magnolia she knew. The river had new bridges, many new buildings had been built, and the sound of the town had changed. But the trees and colors were the same, she could still walk along the edge of the river, and she could see the large cathedral style building in the distance, unwavering.

She was truly in Magnolia, home of Fairy Tail, the most boisterous guild in Fiore.

The guild her father turned his back on.

Chapter 1 is done! I've always played around with the concept of a young mage having to leave FT and come back later (similar to Lisanna except without being presumed dead). You'll see in the next few chapters why I went with an OC as this will be a Gray pairing!