Control

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The group stood at the top of the hill, looking down at what appeared to be a black carpet of people approaching them. From this distance, it was clear that they were so heavily outnumbered that each one of them would have to take on hundreds alone. While there were seven of them together, Leese knew she would only be a burden in battle so she decided to leave the role of the fighting Exceed to Lily.

The Strauss siblings stood close together, their bodies shaking from the cold and the nerves they were facing.

"They're marching right at us," Levy commented. "What should we do?" Gajeel glanced down at his bluenette companion.

"Do I really have to say it? We start kicking some ass!"

Mira gulped. Her heart felt heavy at the enormous group of enemies before her.

"Their numbers are overwhelming..."

"We can do this," Elfman reassured her. "Saber should be nearby after all."

Gajeel stepped forward, taking charge of the group.

"We're going to keep them in check here. We won't let 'em get any closer to the guild!" Pantherlily transformed, Levy tossed her bag down, and the Strauss siblings prepared to shapeshift. "All members, prepare for battle!"

As adrenaline started to finally course through the veins, the sight before them made them want to scream.

"What the..." Up ahead were their companions, Sabertooth and Pegasus, hung up on wooden posts as if they were trophies in a parade. "Yukino...?!" Mira's eyes watered at the state of her friends.

"Sting... Rogue...!" They watched as the troops of Alvarez destroyed their friends' pride. One man snickered with his friends around him. He lifted up the last bit of fabric of Jenny's dress and hollered. Other men around him whistled as they defiled her body with their eyes.

"Now that's a nice ass!" Soldiers yipped in agreement. It was disgusting.

"Even Jenny and everyone else..." The atmosphere around the Fairy Tail team had fallen and they had lost all willpower they had mustered before. Their courage vanished and their hearts broke.

"Despicable..."

Gajeel was in utter shock. He knew since the Grand Magic Games that Sabertooth and Pegasus were far from weak. They were by far their strongest allies. So how did some puny soldiers manage to knock them out?

"Saber and Pegasus were completely annihilated...?!" Then it occurred to him that he never took into consideration that this was Rin and the other Shields they were dealing with. Of course, the strongest mages would have the strongest armies.

Gajeel suddenly jumped into a sprint toward the army, the rest of his group not far behind. The Iron Dragon Slayer's fist made contact with its first victim. It was clear that all they wanted was to reach the Sabertooth and Pegasus victims, but there were too many soldiers standing in their way. They desperately needed help.

Suddenly, everything stopped as a new presence brought unbelievable pressure on the battlefield. It felt like a heavy weight on all of their shoulders; as if one was pushing them down so they could barely stand up. It had come from behind Fairy Tail in the exact spot they had been standing moments before the fight began. A woman stood tall and proud, her skirt flowing behind her perfectly in the soft breeze. Her eyes were narrowed as she stared down at the scene.

She was disappointed in herself for letting it come as far as it did. She should've cut the act earlier instead of destroying her own mate's heart. It could've saved the Fairies a hell of a lot of trouble. No hostages would mean no need for saving them. No soldiers would mean no fight. She should've eradicated them sooner. "Rin..."