A/N: And now we find out WHY the previous snippet isn't canon... ;-)

Snyderverse Neptunia Snippets

by Derald Snyder

Snippet 34- Nightmares and Reality

Timeline- After Snippets 03 and 33.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Artoria Pendragon shot up from her bed, a cold sweat on her face, panting heavily. Not long after, her lover Shirou Emiya had awakened as well.

"Arty? What happened?!" Shirou wrapped Artoria in a reassuring embrace. "Breathe, just breathe. I'm here. You're okay..."

"Shirou... oh, thank goodness..." Saber returned the hug, leaning her head on Shirou's shoulder. "It was horrible... we and the Guild were fighting off these evil faeries in Ultradimension, being led by Mother's counterpart from over there... but then we confronted her, and... sh-she had MY face...! She said she was MY counterpart...!"

"Hey, hey, easy! Breathe!" Shirou hugged her a little tighter. "Arty, that was a nightmare. It did not happen. Say it to yourself."

"I-it didn't happen..."

"Say it again."

"It didn't happen."

"One more time."

"It did not happen." Saber felt significantly calmer. "Ah, thank you, Shirou..."

"That's why I'm here," her lover smirked. "Seriously, though, I don't think that your counterpart, if she exists, could ever be evil... at least, not evil like Morgan was. At worst, maybe a well-intentioned extremist..."

"You really think so...?" Artoria looked Shirou in the eye.

"I know so. Because I know you," Shirou replied firmly. "Remember, Morgan had to forcibly corrupt you with dark magic to turn you before... and the moment we kissed, you started to snap out of it."

"That's something I would rather forget..." Saber sighed forlornly.

"Yeah... Anyway, I think I know why you might've had that dream to begin with..."

"Really?!" Artoria gasped, nonplussed.

"Yeah. It's because Rider's cousin from Ultradimension turned out to be none other than the sadistic dominatrix Iris Heart," Shirou pointed out. "We were all a bit shaken up by that revelation... and then Nero said something along the lines of 'I hope none of our counterparts have turned out like that'..."

"...Oh, now that you mention it, she did say that, didn't she," Saber looked aside. "You're probably right... I feel so bad for Sharon, her family was messed up enough as it is..."

"She reconciled with her sisters, though," Shirou reminded her.

"Right... well, as long as that CPU doesn't show up in Guild headquarters..."

*The next day...*

"Why why why did I say that..." Saber groaned with her head in her hands.

"Wowww... so this is where you and Iffy work, Sharon?" Plutia looked around in awe. "My Iffy's work place is a lot simpler than this place..."

"Well, I hear things are a bit more primitive over there," Rider muttered, standing next to her cousin. "No offense."

"None taken~" Plutia said with a smile. "Oh, is that a, um, kitsune over there?"

"Yeah, that's Tamamo, codename Caster," Rider nodded. "And the blonde with her is her best friend Nero."

"A pleasure to meet you in person, Lady Plutia," Nero Claudius gave a proper curtsy.

"Just Plutia is fine~" the CPU corrected.

"Yes, well, I must say, you're completely different from what I hear- Mmmmph!" Nero's mouth was suddenly covered by Tamamo's hand!

"Ixnay on the upid-stay!" Tamamo hissed into her friend's ear. "Ah, I'm sorry about her, she tends to shoot off her mouth sometimes, mikon..."

"Nero's not the ripest banana in the bunch, if you know what I mean," Rider piled on.

"Okay, if you say so," Plutia shrugged. "But, um, Tamamo, was it? Your tails are so fluffy! Can I pet them~?"

"-No, you may not!" Nero pulled the hand away from her mouth. "Tamamo is quite sensitive about her tails! The last person who tried to pet her tail ended up in the hospital!"

"He was a pervert, mikon," Tamamo sighed. "Look, you can touch, just don't pull or ruffle, okay?"

"Okaaaaay~!" Plutia agreed, walking over to the kitsune and reaching out her hand... "...Wow, it's so soft! I bet they're really comfy to cuddle with at night~!"

"Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I have found myself hugging her tail sometimes when we shared a bed," Nero elaborated. "Usually when it was a cold night..."

"Yes, and it was always a hassle to pry you off when I woke up first, mikon," Tamamo deadpanned, drawing giggles from Plutia.

"...Well, seems this wasn't as bad as we feared," Archer observed. "See, Saber? This is the difference between nightmares and reality."

"I suppose you are right," Saber nodded in mild relief. "I still do not wish to make any excursions into Ultradimension anytime soon, however."

"Right, just don't let Lady Plutia hear you say that..." Archer whispered back.

*Snippet 34- End*