Veil Of Greed: Hunt For The Numbers!

by Fireking492-BlazeWarriorWolf

A era of no big villains has come again. But now, new threats threaten to throw everything into chaos once again. A predatory corporation sets its sites on the hundreds of number cards scattered after A Calamity In Time's final battle. Adam, Blaze, Dominic, and the others will meet all sorts of interesting characters while they risk their lives again.

31. Equestria Under Attack

Veil Of Greed: Hunt For The Numbers!

Chapter 31: Equestria Under Attack

Date: April 1st, 2023

Veil Of Greed: Hunt For The Numbers opening 2: We must fight on

*slow rock music that gradually speeds up*

"We have everything to gain

And everything to lose

We must fight on even if we

Lose it all

The pain, it'll cut into us

Like sharp daggers as we're

All put in serious danger again

Can't you see it? They're coming

They're coming to kill us all

We must fight on and show our resolve

Bring new hope to those who

Have lost the will to carry on

Mind's overwhelmed by sorrow, anger,

Grief, worry, fear, tension, and panic

It's consuming us but we have to stay strong

Let's stick together and fight till the end

It's all we got

If we're going to lose it all,

We might as well not let them

Take it without a fight

We must fight on even as the odds

Are against us and there's no solution

No way of knowing we'll make it out alive

No time to cower, no time for peace anymore

Kill us they try, defend ourselves we must

Together, we can lift ourselves out of this hole

Where our innocent happiness existed

When we were naive to everything

And easily sculpted into obedient pawns

We've broken the mold and now,

We must fight on till our last breaths"

"Adam is right, Rainbow Dash. But more importantly, what in tarnation is that purple popcorn creature?" "That.. is the Popcorn Monster that got close to eating my home universe just over a year ago.. But now they've eaten that cookie y'all had to deal with and are much smaller." "Seriously? A Popcorn Monster? Sounds deliciously scary!" "Not now, Pinkie Pie! Buckle down, ya hear?!" "Okay.." Among those who came with me to this part of Equestria include Bray obviously plus Kaito and Orbital 7. "Master Kaito! Master Kaito!" "Orbital. What is it?" "Master Kaito! The signature for numbers is off the charts in this world!" "There must be many active numbers inside individuals in this world then." "That's right! To my count, there are currently 30 number cards present within 5 individuals! Most of them entered those individuals just a few seconds ago!" "What?! 30 in just 5? It was already a situation when just one number possessed somebody. Yuma and Astral are as aware as we are how that went. All kinds of incidents took place because of the original numbers we hunted." "Damn it. That's so true. And then I saw first hand what just 3 of the over 107 numbers could do to one person with a strong enough obsession. Transformation, berserk state, and extremely exaggerated desire. I'm aware that Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow are loose. That must mean they have numbers inside them. Combine that with their powers and we have trouble. Not to mention Pmurt Nedib's possession of the Dark Sage and his coordinated invasion of this world. This is a crisis." It is then that Alice who I mentioned in another story's chapter several times as saying and doing things speaks up: "Numbers? Hunting? What's going on! You're a knight as well, why haven't I seen you before?" She got close to those of us talking.

"I'll tell you. I'm not from your world or Asuna/Kirito's world. I am from another world but currently live in and fight for a different world entirely. In that different world, I became a knight. In my home world, I still led a life but as a swordsman and artist who is currently focusing on creating things while dealing with a kinda crappy job if I'm being honest. Yes, other worlds have knights. Many worlds do. But enough explanation, we have to deal with a hungry popcorn monster. Last time I faced them, they were so much bigger. On a scale someone like you couldn't imagine, Alice Synthesis 30. Myself and those who fought them that day couldn't do anything that successfully defeated them. Instead, they just kept eating, started to implode, and then just straight up disappeared before exploding. We never could do conventional popcorn consumption or destruction methods that could work. Those would be crushing the popcorn, burning popcorn, or eating popcorn." Carlos shouts: "I'm hungry! I want to eat the Dark Popcorn Monster!" Choji replies: "Save some for me!" By this point, everyone who had to deal with the cookie or the sticks of doom is present in our current location. Except for the Mane 6 who all just left if they hadn't already to help evacuate and calm citizens elsewhere. Benson yells at Mordecai and Rigby: "YOU TWO! IS THIS POPCORN MONSTER YOU'RE DOING OR NOT?" "No way, Benson! You saw what happened!" "Did those 2 mortals seriously say they're going to eat a monster made out of some food called popcorn that just ate that cookie?! What is this? Some sort of Earth comedy fanfiction moment?" I sigh: "Yes and no but I'm not going to explain it. We have this popcorn to get rid of after all. They can pretty much eat anyone and anything, even galaxies whole." "Seriously?!" "Mmmmm! That monster looks tasty!" "Kakarot, don't you eat that monster too!"

Beerus shrugs and joins in on the eating as well as Choji and Carlos start eating at the same time followed by Goku. It also turns out the Roach from the Supernoobs is here too. My The Legend Of Neverland counterpart shouts as Pinkie Pie hungrily joins them: "Don't eat that monster! They're full of miasma! Don't end up like I did.." But we can only watch as the Dark Popcorn Monster gets devoured whole in less than a minute. "Gross! Why in the world would any of you eat a monster?" "Look who's talking, a flying pig. You look rather delicious!" "Grrrr! That's not my point!" Llenn has had it: "Stop bickering! There are enemies out there who are trying to kill people and ponies! Get your heads in the game already! I'm sick of this arguing!" Pito laughs: "Go get 'em, Llenn!" "Oh I will! They didn't call me the Pink Devil for no reason!" "I shall add that we are wasting time bickering over all of this. I cast Corruption Detection! Intriguing. Beerus, Pinkie Pie, Choji, Carlos, Goku, and Roach do not have any signs of corruption from the miasma or other hostile energies that were a part of the monster until just now. Someone who can detect corruption should be near all of them at all times just in case. Baby Frieza was enough of an issue as is." And after that, we just kind of split up into different groups. I would explain further but there's a lot to cover. When we do split up, Herbsalvin shows up in pegasus form and invites me to ride them. I accept and hop onto them. I look behind those of us I knew I ended up splitting up with only to find individuals like Llenn and Alice following us. Barla who has reunited with us also does: "Hahaha! This is kinda amusing! They're just following us!" I reply: "It might have something to do with the gear both of us have on. You're a gunslinger and I'm a knight. What do you expect? It's almost like they think we're best suited to fighting with them. And then there's the fact that we're not far from Ponyville."

Herbsalvin is walking instead of flying. It's for the best. Alice gets in earshot: "That is correct. I can see the fighting spirits in your eyes and the pain you carry. It must be a great burden to carry." "That's not even the half of it. Let me show you just how bad we have it in Miitopia." I take off my chestplate to reveal my still bloody robes which are also torn due to so many battles. Alice gasps: "What has happened?! Are you hurt?" "Not right now. This is blood so old that it's technically been well over a year since it's been washed. *puts chestplate back on* We haven't had much time for anything but fighting. And even when we do have downtime, I can never make time to do something about my robes. Instead, I've had to wave off concerns about it. Blood isn't easy to magically remove from robes. Dried blood especially. Oh and look, we're at Ponyville and everything is on fire or covered in bullets." Currently, Big Mac and other members of the Equestrian resistance that exists are the only ones fighting the Nazis and apparently, Nightmare Moon too. "Ahahahaha! Surrender, my subjects! It will be much easier for you to give up and recognize me as the true ruler of Equestria! When I finally succeed, I will cast the world into eternal night just as I've promised to!" She's already berserk. Damn, Big Mac and the other resistance members are good at using guns and physical strength mixed with Earth pony magic. Though some unicorns and pegasi are also helping them. Those of us who use swords draw our swords at the same time. Herbsalvin even transforms into a knight after I get off them. Ni No Kuni Swiftdrawer jumps into the air to perform an attack on some Nazis. Lord Knight Swiftdrawer goes after one Nazi and uses Smite, Provoke, Bash, and Joint Beat repeatedly on them until they die. And you can get the gist from that. "Damn it! Forget those bastards, Nightmare Moon is our primary concern! I thought the androids came here too but I guess not!"

The Nazis end up being pushovers. They all die quickly and brutally from mostly the efforts of Saiyans and Integrity Knights. Oh and Barla's crazy firing. I didn't even get the chance to kill any myself. But now, we're all facing Nightmare Moon. She tries to lift all of us up with her magic: "You fools! You cannot hope to defeat me! Even if most of you aren't ponies, it doesn't change a thing! I will rule Equestria and cast it into eternal night! I could let you try to defeat me with your feeble powers but none of you are the ponies I want my revenge on so I'll just destroy all you to make an example out of you when I find those 6 little ponies who were so scared to face me the first time they did! Ahahahaha!" Now she's amplifying her magic to fling us into the air while trying to crush us. She really is going berserk. She's just intensifying how much magic she's applying to kill us more and more. But then, Bray counters despite struggling against all that: "I shall not let you kill us! I shall use a move I learned from Takius. Spell Breaker!" And now, we're free falling. The song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers plays for absolutely no reason. "How did you break my spells? What are those strange sounds that are too happy for my liking?" "Nap causation! You forgot that the acceleration for gravity here in Equestria is the same as in Mii World and Earth, Bray! I have a migraine! Not only that but you forgot that we're now falling to our dooms! But don't worry! I have this because I really want a damn nap already! Fight now, nap later! Air Resistance Increase! I will bend the physics of this area to increase air resistance to make our falls have slow and soft landings!" He concentrates and hacks into the fabric of reality with a virtual keyboard. Once done, our falls slow to a creep and the music stops. "What kind of magic is this?!" "It's not magic, it's a power that can bend reality and interfere with physics and quantum mechanics alike!" Nightmare Moon tries the same thing on us again but all of us attack as we continue slowly falling.

Due to this, we stop her from using those spells. "Give up already! All of you! You fools are so irritating! I will destroy you all!" "Wicked being of the night, we will slay you on this day! Release Recollection! Go, my flowers! Envelop this enemy with your power!" "No! I won't allow you to interfere in my plans! OBJECTIVE DESTROY ENEMIES INITIALIZED! DIE!" Nightmare Moon knocks all of us off our feet. Bray and Barla are the first to get up: "Bray! Cast that damn spell already! I'll try something that would be normally 100% lethal on her once you do!" "So be it! I was going to regardless of what you said if anything at all. I shall cast it now. *wordlessly does it* Everyone, we shall fight with all our might now. Don't hold anything back. I won't allow anyone to die here! Adam already did today and I will not stand for letting anyone else die in my presence! I cast Ultimate Tower Of Flame!" "You annoying mortals! Give it up now! Nothing you do will overpower me! Not even close!" "We'll see about that! We intend on defeating you and restoring you to the pony you really are! We'll talk after this, Equestrian Resistance. For now, we must fight together not for ourselves but for the well being and safety of virtually everyone on this planet! Haaaaaaaa! Take this, Nightmare Moon! Great Infernal Tornado Slash x200! Let's see what you're made of!" "Final Flash!" "Kamehameha!" "Go again, my flowers!" "Supernova Big Bang!" "NIGHTMARE MOON, YOU'RE IN OUR WAY! FEEL MY RAGE! ULTIMATE RIGHTEOUS ANGER!" The others with us also used signature moves and as they collided with Nightmare Moon's counter, the clash of energy revealed the truly dire state of Equestria and all that's beyond it on this planet. So much energy was felt that we all could sense the other battles throughout Miitopia. The Mane 6 along with the Royal Guard, Neighsay, Trixie, Starlight, Thorax, and a lot of other individuals are fighting.. Daybreaker.. Most of those from Twisted Land and the Lost Academia are dealing with Cozy Glow along with the New Lumos rebels and Darker Lord Brayden.

Tirek is being faced off against the Lancers, the Knights Of Hanoi, most Heartland and Astral World duelists, lots of duel monsters, Team 5Ds, Aporia, Z-One, Judai and friends, Roan and Yufa's party, Playmaker's faction, members of Kohnanix BRAINS, Zecora, and the Pillars Of Equestria. Chrysalis is in confrontation with the Time Space Investigation Group, Bonnie, Varmundt, Orbis Sha, most Akatsuki members, Seyren, Baphomet(I don't know how anyone convinced him to help us today), Lone Starr, Princess Vespa, Barf, Dot Matrix, Doofensmirtz, Phineas and Ferb and friends, and the Tai Chi Chasers. Everyone else who isn't fighting a villain with number cards in them is off throughout the entire world fighting other problems. Pmurt Nedib is being taken on by the Crystal Gems, Major/Minor characters, RCT3 inhabitants, Robloxians, Fluffy Afro and his distracting friends, The Wacky Clowns, Ninjago residents, leftover Soltis from AI's thing, most of the Z Fighters and Time Patrol, and every Kai and God Of Destruction. The Justice League, MHA heroes, and whoever we could get from the Marvel multiverse on short notice are helping Appleloosa and the Buffalo tribe. For more coastal areas, Pirate Blaster and other pirates are blasting a new Freedom Front navy out of the water with the help of Johnny Test characters, sea dwelling Ninjago characters, a lot of water duel monsters, some Miitopians, most of the Tomapieians, the Artists such as Regnes and Jammer, and some Minecraftians. As for the Changeling Kingdom, it seems that the Moonlanders, individuals from some various Earths, and B Shots are helping out there. Seaquestria and the mountains above are being defended by a lot of ninja. In the former empire of the Storm King, a lot of clones are fighting to keep everyone there safe. Abstractoa is protecting some the Griffin settlement and around it all by themselves. The Everfree Forest is literally defending itself with the help of the Treehouse Of Harmony's magic and remains of the chaotic plants Discord planted long ago. Now we know. And then the attacks finish colliding. Ours break through Nightmare Moon's but she takes no damage. Asuna exclaims: "No! This is like SAO all over again!"

"SAO? You survived SAO?! Tell me everything! Was it fun? Did you enjoy being in life or death situations?" "Pito! Now's not the time!" "I know. I was just playing. M, that pony is about to attack again. Did you get your shield back already or not?" "Yes I did." "Good! Then use it already! Damn it!" M gets out a identical shield to the one he had before it was destroyed. Just like that one, it is made of material from a spaceship in GGO. M gets behind it after placing it down. Even with the help of the Integrity Knights, Human Empire's army, and a lot of Alfheim Online players, we just haven't been able to do any damage against Nightmare Moon. "Damn it! She's definitely about to attack again! I just want to blow her head off already!" "You do know that that's Luna, right? I don't think the ponies would appreciate it if we killed her. That and it would be a waste of magic to have to revive her in the middle of all this fighting. Some of us haven't used their full powers yet. Now would be the time to start doing so. We're going to need everything we can possibly get from everyone, us included. Haaaaaaaaaaa! If attacking isn't going to work that well, then I'm just going to block as much damage from her next attack as I can from a position where I won't accidentally get shot by you gunslingers. Also, I hope that the recently finished Mining Mayhem roller coaster has provided a seriously strong spirit to boot. 9 minutes of duration is a lot of track. Anyway, it's go time! I'll use both my sword and shield for this! It's time to make up for my insanity earlier! Proud Protector!" "DESTROY FOOLS, TERMINATE THEM! I WILL!" Using her magic and the power of the numbers inside of her along with a lot of rage, Nightmare Moon generates a pure black ball of energy above her horn. And she keeps adding magic to let it grow. It just gets bigger and bigger until after about 10 seconds she releases it onto all of us. It expands outward from the impact area where it forms a crater. I did my best to block is back as much as I could but that didn't really help. Instead, I almost died but Bray's healing spell saved me as the others were forced to use different skills to counter, neutralize, or block the attack she summoned to try to kill all of us in one huge sweeping motion of pure black energy. By some miracle, all of that saved us all.

But that just led us back to the main issue: Nightmare Moon's insane defenses. How are we even supposed to counter that. Before I could even finish my pondering as we all countered wild magical attacks coming from the villain, Mel speaks loud enough for all to hear: "I believe I have an answer to our problem, being unable to get anywhere with trying to defeat Nightmare Moon. We must use the power of Polymerization to fuse ourselves with Nightmarr Moon and fight her and the numbers for control over the fused body. If we do so, we might be able to save Luna that way and retrieve the numbers at the same time. With 30 numbers in this world, there aren't many numbers left to find out there. Who's with me on this plan?" Those of us who are indicate such through various methods. I raise my sword. Bray raises her staff even though she doesn't even need it to cast magic. And so forth. My duel disk is still activated. "I activate a new part of my skill Artist's Eye! Let me explain how it works. I can banish a spell card from my graveyard to add another spell card in my graveyard or deck to my hand. I remove Defusion from play for what I'm adding to my hand: Polymerization!" Others with us who are duelists too also add Polymerization to their hands through various means. With them all in place, we all dodge attacks from Nightmare Moon. "STAY STILL, SURRENDER! I HEARD ALL! YOU FAIL NOW! STAY THERE OR ELSE DIE!" Her attacks are getting fiercer, bigger, and more powerful. This is getting really bad. So very bad. I don't think even Bray's spell will be able to keep all of us safe for much longer. So we must act quickly. I put my sword back in its scabbard again before moving my hand if cards to my right hand and equipping my shield again with my left. I hold out the shield in front of me as I dodge as many attacks as I can. When things are clear enough in terms of number of attacks coming at us at once, myself and the other duelists activate Polymerization at once: "*unison* We activate Polymerization! And with it, we will fuse ourselves and our comrades with you, Nightmare Moon!"

Before this year, it was required to use Super Polymerization to pull this off but not anymore. Now, even basic Polymerization can do the exact same thing as it. A lot of magic is cast by our side the same time as the copies of the famous spell activate at once. This creates a huge area of magic, allowing us "to fuse with Nightmare Moon without any trouble. The fusion is basically a darker and bigger version of Nightmare Moon. "FOOLS! YOU MAKE STRONGER ME! I MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER! I WAS GOING TO KILL YOU ALL BUT THIS WILL DO NICELY TOO! NOW EQUESTRIA IS SOON TO BE MINE!" As she's about to go to Canterlot to face Twilight and friends, something happens. Her magic fails and her body doesn't want to move anywhere: "Why can't I move? What's happening?! I can't control my magic anymore! This is impossible! What have those fools done to me!" Her right hand punches her in the gut: "I didn't do that! Someone must be controlling my hand right now but who?! I'm the only one who should be in control of everything! Arrrrrg! This hurts! This hurts so much!" I then suddenly find myself in Nightmare Moon's mind with pretty much everyone else. Alice says: "Where are we? This place.. It's so strange. What did you mean by this fusion you spoke of?" Dominic replies: "Fusion is a little difficult to explain to someone like you. That can wait until later when I'm able to take a nap for once this season. We are inside the mind of Nightmare Moon aka Princess Luna who is retired from her duties as princess with her sister Celestia. Nightmare Moon is a personification created due to a feud between the sisters. But that was eventually resolved. Anyway, we should come face to face with Nightmare Moon and the numbers separately in this mindspace, making it easier to stop all of them. I calculate that we won't be here for longer than 30 minutes if my evaluations are correct. We just have to look for our enemies and defeat them."

"Her mind?! We're inside her mind?! But that's what the Pontifex did, get into people's minds!" "The Pontifex is not a threat any longe but she might become one again if everything that's been going on outside of your world is any indication." "Impossible! You can't bring someone back to life!" "Dominic, no need for you to keep talking as we look for our foes and they look for us. I'll take it from here. *he nods* You can bring someone back to life but don't get any ideas. After all, those of us who can bring back the dead only do so when it doesn't mess up the timeline or is vital to the timeline not turning into a doomed one." Asuna takes the time to get Alice to understand everything by explaining it in a way she can understand. Just after that, we find ourselves face to face with Nightmare Moon and the 6 numbers. I smirk: "Now we can win. Even in here, I can sense their power levels because they do in fact have KI. Outside, they have a power level far greater than they have combined and that's not just because of the fusion. That's just the fact even if we never fused with her. Since we're here, it's now time to take her down and free Luna and take those number cards before Pmurt Nedib can. Haaaaaaa! Even better! We can use our imaginations in ways that wouldn't be possible outside of here! This wasn't the intended effect we wanted of the fusion but it's close enough." And so, I imagine myself as more powerful than ever before even up to today. My ease of Imagination use shocks a lot of individuals. It also sets an example for others to follow. Due to that we easily defeat all 7 enemies in seconds. I simply say as the consciousness of Luna appears before us: "That was easy. When you've lived in your head logically and creatively as long as I have, imagining yourself as far stronger than you physically are is a trivial matter compared to imagining entire storylines. This fusion was already unstable but with the defeats of those 7, the fusion is going to be undone at any moment. Let's leave now."

And so, we get ourselves to exit the mind and find ourselves looking at things from the fusion's eyes. When Nightmare Moon still had control as her fought her and the numbers inside of the mind, she did a lot of damage but was unable to kill anyone. That was very fortunate for us. A few seconds later, we're all on the ground because the fusion split. Instead of Nightmare Moon angry, we find Luna in a daze with the 6 number cards that were inside of her out of her body. Barla picks them up and pockets them before I could get first dibs on taking them in. Luna gets up and stares at all of us extremely confused: "What happened? Where am I? Is Celestia alright? Have we defeated those strange stick creatures?" "You were possessed by Nightmare Moon. You're in Ponyville. No, she's possessed. Those sticks are all gone. No need to worry." "..I see. Let's go. I wish to help my sister break free of this possession you speak of. Where is she now?" "Canterlot castle, fighting against Twilight and a lot of other individuals such as Thorax and her best friends." "I sense her. It's not good. We must hurry. Can any of you get us there instantly." Discord appears out of nowhere and opens a door by messing with some fabrics of reality: "There we go, that leads straight to the battle. Last I was there, Celestia or should I say Daybreaker was the one winning the battle. I hope you aren't too late. I'm staying out of this. I have had more than enough danger and excitement for one day." "Discord! Don't you do that! You're coming with us!" Barla trains her equipped weapons on him. Llenn adds: "Yeah you are! I know about you, Discord because Fukaziroh told me about you!" She and the other GGO players with us do the same as Barla. Dominic forms a Supermassive Black Holw attack and aims it at Discord. I point at him with my sword and firmly stare at him. He sighs in resignation.

"Alright, fine. I'll help. But if I die, you only have yourselves to hold as responsible!" "Do you really think that's a concern for us? We know that already. Come on, let's not waste any more time. Needless pain is being inflicted and we just have to stop it." And so, we all go through the apparently big doorway Discord made to enter straight into the castle's throne room where the battle is taking place. Daybreaker doesn't notice us at first: "Ahahahaha! I will make Equestria a burning place where I rule over all!" What we didn't expect was the reason why she hasn't noticed us yet. Midnight Sparkle. "That's what you think! I'm going to have all the magic and finally have no more problems to panic about! That includes your magic! And with all these artifacts I have with me, there's no hope for you ever beating me! Thanks for awakening me but it will do your undoing! Twilight is no more. Now, there is only Midnight! Now surrender and let me take your magic!" "Never! I will burn you right where you stand because I am the better Celestia!" As they start attacking each other while trading remarks, Asuna asks: "Should we intervene yet?" Dominic yawns: "Let's let them try to destroy each other for a while. I'm sure the others can keep the rest of this world free from Pmurt's conquest and control for even longer than that. I'm not too concerned. Oh and I just got word that the medical ninja and other healing specialists are using hospitals throughout Equestria as places to treat the wounded and store the dead for now. They have enough help there so Bray and I will be staying here to watch and then fight for the time being. It's a nap causation but we'll have to get everyone who was fighting here away to those hospitals. Any and/or all of them will do just fine. Might as well teleport them all away to hospitals for treatment since healers like Bray need all the mana they can get when we start fighting here. And let's just do it now. It will be easy and no big deal to pull off. I can't wait to get a nap when all of this is over."

And so as Midnight Sparkle(who has reversed colors of her mane, inverted cutie mark colors when compared to Twilight, and green energy around her eyes and horn) and Daybreaker go at each other, we work towards teleporting everyone else who was fighting away to be treated at the hospitals for their injuries. "Stand still so I can destroy you!" "Now! Stand still so I can engulf you in my fiery rage and superiority! I will win!" When that was done, all of us got ready to fight when the time was right. "You persistent little! As my former student, you should know better and be able to take me on much better, Twilight!" "I'm not Twilight! I told you! I'm Midnight Sparkle! And now that I am, there's nothing you can do to stop my plans! I will surpass you more than ever before, teacher!" The plan became to wait it out until one of them was basically defeated or at least serious drained. They didn't even notice us because they were so engaged in trying to destroy each other without any mercy. "Daybreaker, you won't win here! I will take your magic and rule over all Equestria and take all other magic from all creatures! I will be unstoppable!" "Don't be so confident just yet! You are far from besting me! But I am not far from besting you!" The throne room was already damaged enough before they started fighting. Now, the throne of Equestria has been completely and utterly shattered into pieces from all of the magical attacks. And while Daybreaker seems to be very slowly getting weaker, Midnight Sparkle is only getting stronger from all of the magic she is absorbing. She isn't even empowered by numbers and yet is holding out so long against Daybreaker who has 6 inside of her. But then, Daybreaker destroys the artifacts Midnight Sparkle has on her. "I've had enough fighting with you and dealing with your resistance! This isn't fun anymore so I have destroyed your artifacts!" This is Midnight's downfall. "Nooooo! This cannot be happening! I had everything planned out perfectly and even secretly and quickly left to get the artifacts before coming back! This can't be!"

Without the artifacts, she quickly runs out of magic and collapses to the ground, defeated. In all of that, Daybreaker was barely hurt or drained at all. The villainous version of Celestia finally notices us and spots Luna among us: "Well well, sister! So you've finally shown up again but this time as your weak and pitiful kind self! You could have been a much bigger challenge for me to defeat if you hadn't turned back to being good once again!" "Sister! This isn't you! Return to being the sister I love so much!" "Ha! Return to being kind and weak? Don't be ridiculous! I'm the better Celestia, I won't let her be in control of this body ever again!" "Sister! How could you say that? If that's how it's going to be, I have no choice but to stop you with everyone who has come here with me! They helped me so it's time for me to help you and for you to then help everycreature!" "What a laugh! None of you stands a chance against me! But if you insist on being destroyed, be my guest. I'll trap all of you in the Moon once this is all over!" And with that, our battle against Daybreaker begins. Our first waves of attacks don't even get to be finished being executed before they could get released to attack our foe. Instead, Daybreaker breaks them with her own attacks in rapid and ruthless succession. "Damn it! At this pace, we won't be able to hit her even once! And that leaves us sitting ducks. Crap. If that's the case, then I'm just going to use defensive stuff and hope for the best. I'll protect as many of you all as I can. I'll try to bare all the pain I can. I have a lot to make up for if I'm being honest but I improve slowly every single day. I let my psychotic side become dominant earlier and the results of that led to my sacrifice and death. Haaaaaaaaa!" I equip my shield again and hold my sword in a blocking way. I then add: "Everyone who can hear me, I might as well just say it already. I have a fear. A huge fear that has been burdening me. It's grim because I have imagined the scenario that I have come to fear. In my world, my reason for imagining it was that I needed to have a OC I care about die to tell a better story. That was before I understood the full scope of imagination."

Bray replies as I block and stand my ground against some solar magic attacks: "Adam, what is it? You're really going to reveal it to others besides me as you originally considered to?" "Yes. I don't think I have much choice with how this battle with Daybreaker is going. *sighs* Is everyone listening?" I get enough indicators of listening to continue. "Okay, that's good enough for what I'm about to say. I have imagined multiple times the death of you, Bray at the hands of an enemy here in Equestria.. And my witnessing of it and rushing you to a hospital and have medical ninja try to save you after failing to save you myself. I didn't foresee my not learning any chakra techniques before this day, however. But still, I don't want you to die, Bray. I just don't. I didn't simply foresee a reversible death. I foresaw a death that will be difficult to undo. If this fills you with despair like it does me, you need to use that despair as motivation to fight. Just like I have to. The future is frightening. I have imagined up to a billion years into the future but mostly within the next several years. If Im right, the future isn't ever going to truly be sunshine and rainbows for a very long time.." My words hit deep and this changes the level of fighting spirit within many of us, intensifying it actually. "Like hell I'll let Bray die on my watch! Let's defeat Daybreaker and restore her back to Celestia, everyone! For Equestria and Miitopia!" "*unison* Yeah!" "Barla. Now that we have the drive, we now need some kind of plan. As we saw, Daybreaker was extremely focused so distractions are off the table. I can't believe we're talking like this while trying not to get hurt. It's so cliche. Anyway, we also know that any lethal methods are out of the question because we're trying to save Celestia, not kill her because her villainous side has emerged. No to my daggers and the BRAIN Blasters." And so as we all try to attack, dodge, and defend ourselves, many of us try to come up with solutions that might actually allow us to beat Celestia. Someone suggested the fusion thing again but Mel shot it down.

"As well meaning of a suggestion that is, it's not going to work. The matter with it is that Daybreaker is even stronger than Nightmare Moon. At least we could hit her with our first attacks." Dominic adds: "This is probably because there's about 1000 years of difference in experience using magic between Celestia and Luna due to what happened when they lived in the now in ruins Castle Of The Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest. Luna became Nightmare Moon and was banished to the Moon by Celestia's use of I believe the Elements Of Harmony. That was for that 1000 years. *gets some shocked looks* I read about this on wiki on Earth internet. No big deal. It didn't take that long. I think we have to take more violent approaches to fight Daybreaker. So many of us are fighting without the intention to harm her." "You're right. I'm holding back! We must accept that we'll have to hurt her since no one can break through to her. We just have to deal enough damage to either knock her out or break her mentally enough to allow say, Luna to get through to her at last. Damn it! It's so hard to stay in one place and have to shout over all of this stuff going on!" "What a nap causation. Oh well. We have a okay plan now. But it's not enough. There mist be more added onto it. Like how are we supposed to damage Daybreaker when she won't let us even carry out any attacks?" "Hey all! Listen the hell up! Dominic, you don't have to keep talking! Same with you, Adam! I have one hell of a plan so listen up even if you think it's a terrible plan! We use attacks that don't have casting time or attacks that begin in areas other than our hands or hooves or whatever we have! We don't have as many of those but that should do it! I got one myself! Since my job was a Tank and now it's advanced straight to Battle Fortress, I have some abilities I have yet to show in combat! Hell yeah! This is going to be good!"

I point my sword to the ground: "If that's a possible solution, I will take it. It is so here we go." Without saying anything more, I instantly use Continuous Extremely Risky Spin Slash: 200 with so much effort as Daybreaker charges up a powerful spell, likely one meant to kill us all in one go. My attack succeeds but does absolutely nothing for us. Nothing at all. I watch as others wordlessly launch instant or near instant attacks or even attacks that don't start at conventional places. Those include eye lasers and the blinding Solar Flare attack. Once all of those attacks are done, we see that we have done no damage. Goku powers up to Ultra Instinct: "I was hoping to save this for when we really needed my full strength but I guess this is a good enough time." Vegeta scoffs: "Kakarot! Why didn't you just use that damn form to start with?!" "Oh yeah, I guess I could have. Oops." "You Saiyans never cease to amaze me. Whis, when this is over, we're going to Bulma's and demanding she give us the greatest feast the people of Earth could ever create by working together. I'm starving and getting tired of this annoying situation that's going on. I might as well just erase this threat from existence and be done with it." "I advise you don't do that, Lord Beerus. No one's here to kill her. The goal is to save her from this version of herself, not to kill her." "Mortals can be so annoying. Sometimes I wish they'd just erase every problem they have from existence and that they'd stop playing with time already. It's irritating when they break a sacred rule like don't mess with time. Unbelievable. I tell them to not do something and yet they do it anyway." "Beerus, I don't care that you're a God. Please just stop. Your words aren't helping." And then, in the middle of the battle, Twilight wakes up. "What a nap causation! We forgot she was here completely!" Twilight sighs before yelling at the top of her lungs: "I can't fight Daybreaker without my best friends. Where are they? I'm going to find and get the Elements Of Harmony. I believe that's the only way to free Celestia from her possession!"

"Damn it! Hell no, you ain't going anywhere without taking someone else! Your friends are in Ponyvile's hospital now that the fighting in it is over. Go there but take one of us with you." "In that case, I'll take Mel the knight with me if it's okay with her." "Yes, it is okay, Twilight Sparkle. I see you know of me and my name. That's good. I don't see the same greed in your eyes I did in the eyes of Luis, the former king of Greenhorne who is currently being reformed at the moment. Or at least, that's what we're hoping is happening." So with that, Bray erects a barrier to allow Twilight and Mel to leave the battle area. It shatters right after they leave. The fight goes on fruitlessly for a while. Bray's healing spell remained in effect because she kept eating MP candies to replenish her mana. Due to this, none of us have died or been seriously injured yet. But we haven't done any damage to Daybreaker in all this time either. The rest of the world is in danger too and here we are, stuck trying to beat Daybreaker. This is a serious problem that needs to be dealt with already somehow. And then, when it looks like some of us are just ready to quit, Mel and Twilight return with the other Mane 6 ponies and the Elements Of Harmony. Mel steps forward to stand with those in the front, closest to Daybreaker. She draws her sword: "We must give them time to unite their hearts, allowing them to use the full powers of the Elements Of Harmony! Keep Daybreaker busy! That's what we must do!" "I'll go with it! This is the only viable solution left at the moment that doesn't involve killing! Let's do this! Haaaaa!" And for a solid 2 minutes, we all keep Daybreaker busy. "Hahaha! So now you really want to try to resist me for real! I'll gladly burn you all to ash! Let me show you why I'm the better Celestia by finally riding myself of all of you at last!" "Just you try to do that! We say hell no to that! I'm not going to blow your head off but I am going to do everything I can to defeat you! My walking bomb trick shocked you earlier! Thanks to a healing spell, I can do it again without fear of death!,

"That was you?! Now you're an interesting opponent. However, that won't matter in the end because all of you will fall by my flames right before me!" "Is that a bet?! Barla, I'm not going to let you be the only one retorting against Daybreaker! In fact, it's time to go wild! Great Infernal Tornado Slash x650! That's all I can do before I damage my body too fast for the spell to heal me! Our enemies get tougher and tougher all the damn time but so do we! We won't give up even with all the fears and painful memories that we are forced to carry around in our hearts! This is our response to Daybreaker's threat. Let's fight hard and succeed or epically fail while trying our very best to win, to save Celestia from this alter ego of hers and the numbers that brought her out!" We fight on with all that we have. Even though our attacks do no damage to Daybreaker, that's not our concern. Our concern is simply keeping her occupied until the Mane 6 are ready. And when they're ready, a rainbow light signifies it. We see behind us as the Mane 6 float into the air thanks to magic as their eyes all glow white. They each speak the element they represent: "Kindness!" "Honesty!" "Generosity!" "Laughter!" "Loyalty!" "Magic!" We watched as they called forth the power of the elements to unleash the magic of friendship onto Daybreaker. Twilight yells: "Princess Celestia! Remember who you are!" "I am Daybreaker, not her! I'm her better! This won't work on me because there is nothing to fix about me! But I'll still stop it!" Daybreaker gathers a lot of magic and uses it to try to counter and pushback the magic of friendship. However, we don't let her do that. "You shall not do that which you wish to what those ponies are trying to accomplish! I speak for all of us when I say that your will will be denied, Daybreaker! Grand Sage Art: Ancient Shield of Miitopia!" "Don't forget we can stop you too! Haaaaaaaaaaa! Ultimate Proud Protector! I'll block your destructive magic from reaching their magic as much as I can!" "Intercept her magic! Go, my flowers!" "It's time to use my 6 strike sword skill! Get ready! This is for Yuuki!" "Hahaha! Let's go crazy, Llenn, M, Fukaziroh!"

"Hehehe! Let me reveal a new move I learned when I changed my job to a ninja when I actually had time to go to the ninja guild to! This is why I am now Carlos the Shadow Ninja! Stealth Surprise Strike!" That's far from all the attacks and things said but I didn't hear it all, you know. After all, I was focused on pulling up the most defense I possibly could considering all variables in the current ongoing situation. My base strength, my sword skills, my gear, the healing spell, all of it. We stopped all of the magic from going towards the Mane 6. In fact, we forced Daybreaker to start charging up another aggressive barrage of magical attacks. However, she never got the chance to finish charging it all up. Instead, the magic from the elements hits her as a fast moving rainbow. If it were just the Mane 6 who believed in saving Celestia here, it was certain that their harmony wouldn't have been enough to restore her to normal. However, nearly all of us who came here through Discord's door also had the belief for one reason or another. All of our bonds strengthened their magic, allowing it to miraculously overpower the hold the 6 number cards had on Celestia and even Daybreaker as well. Celestia was back to normal and knocked out when the magic vanished and the Mane 6 returned to the ground. The 6 numbers of course were now around Celestia on the floor of the throne room. Mel was the one to pick them up and hold onto them. Celestia soon opened her eyes to the smile of her most prized former pupil: Twilight: "Twilight, what happened? Is this Canterlot castle? What's going on?" Twilight explains in summed up detail what she knew and others filled in the rest. Celestia experienced a happy moment with the Mane 6 and Luna after that. However, once it ended, Big Mac stepped forward: "Princesses. We have to talk about the future of Equestria after all that has and is happening." Applejack replies: "Big Mac, what in tarnation are you wearing? Is that the symbol for the Equestrian Resistance? Why Big Mac? Why?" "It is. I'm kind of a leader of it. I'll explain that later. But listen. All of you."

"Big Mac, what are you?" "It's okay, Applejack. I don't want anymore conflict. It's time for all of you to see more of what's going on in Equestria. The reality the Knights Of Miitopia were confronted with some time ago. Equestria is unequal. There is a gap between most ponies and the wealthiest ponies. Flim and Flam were a prime example of what's going on. Until they one day disappeared. We've been shared the results of the various investigations into Equestria. While Rarity's stores are managed with honest and non exploitative means, that isn't the case with all stores in Equestria." Beerus cuts in: "What the hell kind of food did those restaurants that looked the same have? It was the most tiny food I have ever seen! How could any mortal live on that?" I cut in his cutting in: "That's not all. There's enough evidence to show that the system you have in place for Miitopia isn't the most ideal system. Why are some ponies being allowed to get rich? Some ponies have very little to their name besides the farms they run. While that's not necessarily a bad thing and you do a good job at not having society completely corrupt and exploitative, it goes to show something. The most pressing of all is the dispute that Appleloosa and the Buffalo Tribe had. The Appleloosans planted apple trees where they used to run around for many generations. The ponies settled there and didn't acknowledge the claims the tribe had on the land first when they planted the trees. As you know, I was one of the ones who helped modify the agreement that was reached some time ago. But attitudes against different groups still exist to an extent and some levels of inequality persist. Something must change. We propose the Friendship Council stay in place but be accompanied by a democratic government and the end of Equestria as a kingdom. You aren't ready for a stateless and classless society so that's what we propose to you."

But then, I sense Pmurt Nedib. "Has someone recorded all of this?" Carlos raises his hand: "Good because we have a unwelcome guest here who wants me as one of his least favorite individuals dead. We'll settle this stuff after he's dealt with and we save the rest of the world. Might as well." Pmurt Nedib appears to all of us in the Dark Sage's body. "Why thank you, wokeist freak for changing your plans to recognize my presence! As you can see, some of your freakish friends managed to beat me! And now, I'm here to take something precious away from you as compensation for what they've done to me! And then, I'll leave this world and let my pawns do all the rest of the work for conquering it for me since I'm not welcome here at all!" "The hell is that supposed to mean? I'll blow your head right off, you bastard!" "I'm afraid that it's already too late for you to stop me from taking that precious something away! Just look at you! You don't even realize it yet! You're all as useless as my previous pawns and worthless employees!" The irony smell of blood has filled the air. We all look around in shock. And that's when Nathan, the Ex-Dark Curse who has been reborn(yes, he's fought with us this entire time here in Equestria) exclaims: "No! It can't be!" I look in the direction of his voice. "Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! No! No! No!" I run to Bray's side. Pmurt Nedib laughs: "As much as I enjoy watching you cry out for your friend who is so disgusting btw, I have a meeting in 5 minutes anyway and I can't be late. I do have to hide this skin suit before going there. And I don't want my world to find out what I'm hiding from it after all!" He then vanishes. Dominic is the next to run to Bray's side. He slams a file of data that was on his person onto the ground(picked back up later) before he does so. Bray has a hole where her heart should be. A big hole. So much blood. I break down in tears: "Bray.." Barla comes next. Her voice trembles as she speaks: "H-he just.. used.. magic.. quietly.. to rip through her heart and everything above and below it.."

"No. Not again. Not again! My mom's gone and.. now, Bray is so close to dying." "All of you.. I'm still.. awake. I shall tell you something important. You must listen because I must tell you before it's too late.." "Damn it! I'm going to kill that bastard for this!" "Barla, don't speak right now. I can't talk much or loud. Listen. Nathan, you shall be the next Great Sage of Miitopia. Do me and everyone proud." "Bray! But we don't want to lose you! Noooo! We need you! I can't be the Great Sage if you die like this!" "You have no choice, Nathan. Stay strong, all of you." Bray falls silent and her eyes close. "Bray! Damn it! No! Don't die! Don't die! Aaaaaaaaaa! Make all this pain stop! Why must we suffer as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer in so many places!" "She's just unconscious but she doesn't have long! Adam! You're among the best suited to getting her medical attention! Go! Go to the Canterlot Hospital! None of us here can heal this serious injury! I've seen enough to know this! Forget the naps! She's losing way too much blood to last much longer! Quickly! We'll be right behind you! Those of you who aren't close to Bray must fight elsewhere in this world. We don't need everyone to witness this any further!" "Okay, I will! Please don't die, Bray! No, please don't!" I pick up our dying friend and teleport us to the ER of the Canterlot Hospital. I knew where it was from a previous BRAINS inspection of Equestria. Luckily, Tsunade happens to be helping run this particular hospital: "Tsunade! Help! Bray is dying! Can you save her?" Tsunade was just finishing treat a severely injured young colt. She looks over: "What the hell happened to her? Put her on a damn bed! Any open bed is fine!" I place her on the closest empty bed to me. Tsunade comes right over. "Dominic said that she doesn't have very long and has lost a lot of blood." "That makes things a little faster. I'm going to use my Thousand Healings Jutsu. It's the only way to save her. I have studied a lot about magic since I agreed to join the BRAINS Collective. She has a lot of hostile magic in there but I can dispel it."

"That's good but please! Help her, it's urgent!" "Calm down, your feelings aren't making this easy." "I can't calm down but I'll step back and let you work." "Why don't you wait outside of this room? I'll get you and whoever else comes when the procedure is done. Attention all nurses, I need a stretcher immediately to transport this patient to the operating room!" I nod and step out of the ER and into a connected waiting room where a lot of individuals are waiting. Most are waiting on the condition of others seriously hurt today. But some are Dominic, Barla, Nathan, and the others who have chosen to not fight again elsewhere yet. Dominic asks me: "How is Bray?" "I got Tsunade to treat her. She didn't tell me anything new. Bray's going to be taken to the operating room. I may sound calm but I'm just keeping my composure enough to communicate. My emotions are consuming me! I think Bray already looks significantly worse compared to when you urged me to get her here." "Okay! We can't interfere in this. We must let them do what they can for her." And then, a nurse pony comes to us: "Is one of you Dr. Dominic Duns?" Dominic nods, trying to stay calm: "I am!" "Okay. We need your help with your friend in the operating room. Come with me. I'll lead the way." An hour passes and emotions are dulled down because too much stress is unhealthy. When Dominic walks back to us with a stoic expression, my emotions are renewed with worry and fear. "Dominic! Why are you-" "..I have news. Please sit down. Your legs need to rest. Same with everyone else." We all sit in the chairs behind us. He also sits down and takes a deep breath before struggling to speak. "The.. operation.. It.. failed even.. with all the examinations I've done of Bray in the past. Tsunade and I tried to save her and dispel the harmful magic hurting her. But even though we did get rid of it, it's best if you follow me to the room she's in now.." We all follow him. Between his stoic expression just now and his last sentence, I was terrified. We all were.

When we entered the room and approached the bed Bray was in, she weakly spoke: "Dominic, Swiftdrawer, Carlos, Barla, Mel, Julia, Dad, Mom, Austin, Kelly, Jayden, Madeline, Lucy, Easton my youngest sibling, thank you for coming to see me in my last moments." "That bastard! This is his doing! I'll shoot his head off for real! Don't you die on us!" "Bray! No! You brought me back again! I owe you so much! Please don't go!" "It's too late for me. As you can see by my heart monitor, I barely have a pulse left. Thanks for everything, all of you. Tell everyone I've ever fought with besides you thank you as well. Thank you Dominic for trying your best to save me but no healing technique was enough to save me. I have lived for such a long time and died a few times. But this is the real end for me. Again, thank you for everything, all of you. My life has been nothing sort of a marvel. All of you played a part in that. My original family is gone but all of you are here. I wish more people could have come but this is more than enough. Before I die, I'm going to entrust some of you and some others with most of my magic. I shall keep some for when I reach the other side. Swiftdrawer, I give you the magic related to swords that I have stored within myself. The magical mastery of the Warrior job shall now be yours again. To my dad, I give the magic of all job mastery." She gives more magic to nearly all of us and then adds: "I shall also grant all of you the healing abilities I possess. This I also grant to everyone close to me but isn't present here today. And to them, I give these powers."

In short, she gives specific powers to specific people and then says: "Some of you haven't gotten anything from me besides the healing abilities but as I speak, that is changing. You now have all gotten significantly stronger. I shall watch all of you as you keep up the good fight. Thank you for this last day of battles. I shall remember it and watch over all of you forever. This is it. The end of my life. I can feel the last of my heartbeats beat. My heart is stopping and my brain is shutting down along with all of my other organs. One more time, thank you all. My body can't be revived by any means we know of. I'm so sorry to leave you this soon but I hope I left enough behind for all of you. You'll get letters soon regarding me and my life. There are things I never got to share that those letters will lead you to. I also hope to see my own mentor, the Great Sage before me when I crossover. Goodbye, everyone." The heart monitor beeps a long and loud sound. My fear has come true.. Bray is dead, murdered by Pmurt Nedib.. To be continued..

Outro: And so, we reach the end of the 31st chapter of Veil Of Greed: Hunt For The Numbers! and Great Sage Bray's life. Nathan is now Miitopia's Great Sage. This unprecedented event will shake all existence where the Akatsuki and BRAINS dwell. This is exactly what has happened and will continue to happen in our world. Those who dare to be different from the norm getting killed brutally, leaving those they cared about in grief and pain. Should a full blown Holocaust style genocide and/or people's violent revolution take place, we will lose a lot of good people. Scratch that, no matter what happens, we'll lose a lot of good people to horrific premature ends. I might be one of those lost to a horrific premature end because I choose to be myself and speak out against this twisted society I live in. And the friends and family of those we have and will lose don't often get a chance to see who they love one more time before they die. One more time even though they know their loved one is going to die. Eden Knight, George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, just 3 of the countless victims of state sponsored oppression, hatred, pandemic recklessness, and violence that also includes young elementary school children, teachers, healthcare workers, content creators, activists, and so many more. Say their names. Do not forget 2020. Do not forget Stonewall. Do not forget the Civil Rights Movement. Do not forget media sensationalism of furries, gamers, metalheads, queer people, and pretty much any group that's been used as a scapegoat for problems, both real and false. Thank you for reading.