A/N: Yeah, so remember what I said at the end of the last snippet? Well, disregard that... ^^;

Snyderverse Neptunia Snippets

by Derald Snyder

Snippet 44- More Fairies

Timeline- Directly after Snippet 43.

*Ultradimension- Planeptune Basilicom*

"I see..." Histoire said as she processed what Plutia had told her about Barry the Fairy. "So this Barry uses a sword and chains in battle, and can also conjure flames..."

"Uh-huh," Plutia nodded. "But she didn't use the fire too much, because she didn't wanna burn down the forest..."

"She doesn't do that with me! Barry and I just fight with our fists!" Peashy jumped in.

"She likes to fight fair, is what she said..." Plutia added.

"Hmm..." Mini-Histy had her eyes closed in thought. "A large fairy that uses fire... named Barry... I wonder... it seems familiar, somehow, but it will take at least three hours for me to come up with what I'm trying to recall..."

"Pea doesn't wanna wait that long!" Peashy protested.

"Maybe we should just take a nap while we wait..." Plutia suggested.

"NO! No napping! You've got paperwork to get finished, and it needs to be done NOW!"

"Wahhh!" Plutia's eye shrank to white circles. "I'm sorry! I completely forgot! I'm going, I'm going!" She promptly ran off to the office.

*Meanwhile...*

Barry the Fairy, still in her 'large' form, was somewhat painfully making her way to a castle that was invisible to human perception, briefly resting on the wall before making her way inside... As she walked through the hall, a loud 'SNAP!' was heard, causing her to fall to a knee! "Dammit, I broke a heel again...! Tristan's going to mock me mercilessly when she hears about this..."

"Hears about what?" a haughty voice spoke up, a young woman with long red hair and pale skin walking into view. She wore a modest yet elaborate red dress with white trim, the skirt wide and open to show off her legs, adorned with thigh-high red boots that had high platform heels. "Oh, no, you did it again, Barghest you klutz... that's how many heels you've broken now? I rather tire of repairing them for you, you know that? Even if Mother dearest requests it... otherwise I wouldn't even bother."

"Can we put that to one side for now?" Barry, or rather Barghest grunted as she stood back up. "I'm actually glad I bumped into you for once. I need an audience with Her Majesty right away..."

"Huh?! You want to talk to Mother?" Tristan gasped. "Shouldn't you have your armor on, at least? It's not like you to ignore protocol... Or perhaps you got a concussion from getting beaten up so bad~?" She accentuated that last statement with a sinister giggle.

"...What if I told you that I just came off an engagement with the evil CPU of Planeptune herself?"

"HUH?!" Tristan took a step back in utter shock. "Y-you mean to say... y-you fought against the dreaded Iris Heart and lived to tell the tale?!"

"Now do you see why I want an audience with Her Majesty?" Barghest said rhetorically.

"...Well, that changes things. Okay! I will go and summon Her Majesty right away! You can go sit your big butt in the throne room in the meantime," Tristan said with a wink.

"Thank you, Tristan. I owe you one," Barghest managed a small smile.

"You owe me six. And you better believe I'll collect on that debt, in full~!" Tristan taunted, before trotting off...

*And so, a short time later...*

"Fairy Knight Gawain. Tristan tells me you requested an audience with me personally," stated the woman standing before the throne. She had long, pale blonde hair held in place with a black bow, a small nose and icy blue eyes, bearing more than a passing resemblance to Artoria Pendragon. She wore a black dress with loose white sleeves and blue highlights, cut to show her cleavage, along with matching black boots, carrying an elaborate black magic staff in her right hand, though her grip was somewhat loose.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Barghest said on bended knee with her head bowed, Tristan standing off to her right. On the her other side stood a short platinum-blonde girl in light blue armor with pointed shoulders, wielding two gauntlets with blades attached. Said girl was a bit unsteady on her feet, her orange-yellow eyes only half-open.

"Hey, Lancelot, if you're going to join us, at least have the decency to stay focused on Her Majesty!" Tristan chastised threateningly.

"Sorry," the girl, Lancelot, grunted. "I only just woke up... I didn't know there was a meeting of the Fairy Knights today..."

"It's fine, Lancelot. Gawain requested this meeting on short notice," the queen clarified. "You did not have to attend, though I appreciate your coming here nonetheless." She then returned her attention to Barghest. "Now then, Fairy Night Gawain, Tristan tells me that you were just in a battle with the dreaded Planeptune CPU herself, Iris Heart. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Barghest replied. "Though it was not a battle to the death- she simply wished to take her measure of me."

"You fought with Iris Heart?!" Lancelot gasped, her eyes opening fully. "Okay, I'm awake now. This sounds very intriguing..."

"I must agree," the queen nodded. "Very well, Gawain. Please recount how your battle with the CPU played out. Do not omit even the smallest detail..."

"Understood, Your Majesty," Barghest assented, telling the queen and her fellow knights everything that had transpired...

"...Wait, so you mean to tell us that Iris Heart is a sleepyhead when she's not transformed?!" Tristan gasped in disbelief.

"So it seems, though she could have been tired out from our battle as well," Barghest pointed out. "The only reason I was able to make my way back here was because Peashy persuaded her fellow CPU to heal me after I surrendered..."

"Well, it's good that you have managed to to form such a rapport with her," the queen gave a small nod.

"But that bodes well for us, doesn't it?" Lancelot spoke up. "If Gawain was able to hold her own against Iris Heart, that means she would be no match for me. Or you, for that matter, Queen Morgan."

"We do not know that for certain," Morgan said sternly. "Even if what you say is true, she would not be the only goddess we would have to deal with. And I don't just mean Peashy, either."

"Huh? But Planeptune is the only one that threatens our land, right?" Lancelot said quizzically. "Why would the other CPUs get involved?"

"For one, Lastation's CPU is old friends with Iris Heart. Perhaps even more than friends, if the rumors are true," Morgan pointed out. "Also, Iris Heart seems willing to go and assist the CPUs of the other two nations on occasion as well. And if they were to all team up, we would be very quickly overwhelmed. That's not a risk we can afford to take. The survival of the Fairy Kingdom is paramount."

"Indeed, once they all got together, the Seven Sages didn't stand a chance," Tristan noted. "We might have gotten a reprieve when they created the nation of Eden, but after that... well, that's why Mother gave that Bamo and Regu some 'courage' to act on their own plans~"

"Yes, but once that CPU from the other dimension showed up, their machinations swiftly fell apart," Morgan noted. "Indeed, had it not been for Neptune, the Seven Sages may have very well succeeded. Thus, if we wish to preserve the Fairy Kingdom from Planeptune's continued expansion, that one needs to be taken out of the picture somehow. Ideally, in her own dimension, so it would not be traced back to us..."

"But how would we do that?" Tristan fretted. "What if we got lost or something...?"

"Yes, and there are likely more CPUs in that other dimension as well," Barghest said, standing straight. "If we were to attempt an assassination, it would have to be somebody who doesn't draw attention..."

"Yes, well, you certainly would fail that right away, wouldn't you~?" Tristan taunted. "And Lancelot wouldn't work, either, seeing as subtlety isn't exactly her style..."

"Don't worry. I already have someone else in mind. But we need more information before we make our move," Morgan stated. "Fairy Knight Gawain. Perhaps once you have healed your injuries, when you go to meet Peashy next, ask her if she could take you the other dimension in your small form."

"So you want me to perform reconnaissance?" Barghest summarized. "Very well, if Her Majesty orders it, than it shall be done. But for now... Ooh!" She grimaced as a hand went to her back. "Yes, I really need to go home and recuperate..."

"Yes, please do so," Morgan nodded. "And Tristan, perhaps you could fix her broken heel in the meantime..."

"What?! I, I mean, y-yes, of course, Mother..." Tristan stammered, averting her gaze. (Ugh, I was hoping she wouldn't notice that...)

*Back at Planeptune Basilicom...*

Plutia was panting heavily as she stood before Histoire. "Okaaaaay... it's all done... that must have taken hours..."

"That's what happens when you get a backlog built up," Mini-Histy sighed. "But at least you got it done. Anyway, I finally recalled what was concerning me about that fairy that Peashy made friends with... her powers and abilities seem similar to the old legend of the hellhound known as the Black Dog Barghest..."

"Black Dog...? You mean like a boss monster?" Plutia guessed.

"Yes, but there hasn't been a sighting of such a monster in quite a long time. That's part of the reason why it took me so long to recall," Histoire explained. "But perhaps, if the Black Dog somehow took on a more human form instead... the fire, her size, her chains... those are all similar to Barghest. The only thing that doesn't fit is the sword."

"Maybe she taught herself how to fight like a human instead of a dog?" Plutia mused.

"I suppose that's possible, but from what you told me, it seems she's quite skilled with the blade... which means she learned it from somewhere. Perhaps Barghest took her current form with the help of other fairies..." Histoire muttered, her eyes closed in thought.

"So there might be other fairies out there?!" Plutia gasped.

"It's certainly possible, though we have no proof of that, one way or the other," Mini-Histy pointed out. "Maybe next time Peashy goes out to play with her friend she could ask her about her fellow fairies, if any..."

"But what would we do if there were?" Plutia inquired. "I mean, as long as they aren't causing trouble... I already made Barry promise not to try anything here..."

"Well, I would prefer to leave well enough alone, but what if Barry has ulterior motives for befriending little Peashy?" Histoire suggested. "At the very least we need to keep a close eye on Peashy and her new friend, just in case..."

"Okay," Plutia nodded. "And if that Barry forgets what she promised... I'll squish her like the bug she is..." Her eyes became shadowed as she gave a sinister smile.

"J-just as long as you d-don't make Peashy sad..." Histoire said with a sweat-drop.

*Snippet 44- End*