Index:

-"Speaking"

-"SHOUTING"

-"Whispering/emphasis"

-Inner Monologue/thoughts (exclusive to Nepgear and ?)

-Others speaking from a distance

-Writings

-"Voice calls"

-[Text] messages

-Skills/Items


PROLOGUE:

~ Purple Regime ~


The sunset painted the sky an orange glow, as if the sun were getting ready to retire into a slumber.

Near the Basilicom lies a forest, just a few minutes walk. A figure of a girl could be seen walking in the distance. The girl had a white D-pad button hairpin on her lilac hair and a white collar on her neck. Her dress resembled that of a sailor. She wore a white jacket dress with yellow neckwear with the letter N on it, long socks with pink stripes, and white shoes that had the letter N on them as well. And lastly, she had a bag strapped to her thigh.

She is the current CPU of Planeptune, or rather, the only CPU that exists in Gamindustri.

She's known as Lilac Heart, or simply Nepgear by her friends, along with a handful of nicknames.

The sound of her feet hitting the dirt echoed through the forest, along with occasional crunches of leaves and snaps of twigs. The wind felt playful as it pushed her long, lilac hair against her. The smell of pine cones and the sounds of wood being pecked filled the forest with life.

She walked for some time until she stopped a few feet away from a tombstone that was well hidden deep inside the forest. The grave was covered with many colorful flowers, and the tombstone looked shiny and well taken care of.

Few know about this secret place hidden in the forest.

It was her and her sister's old secret spot, where they used to hang out when she was little. The writing on the tombstone read:

Neptune

19XX–2012.

A loving sister and a dear friend.

"May there be pudding up there in Celestia."

Neptune...

That name rang in her ears.

She and her sister were forced to take a dark path. The two sisters took every CPU's life in order to power the sword. In the end, her sister decided it was her turn.

I want you to kill me with your sword.

It's been eleven years since then. Her last sister's words still lingered in her mind like a fresh-cut wound.

They all sacrificed themselves to protect Gamindustri, and she was left to pick up the pieces and lead all nations under one nation.

With the deity of sin having long vanished, Gamindustri has been at peace with no crimes, or at least it lasted that way for a while. People weren't happy with the changes, and some even began to retaliate by forming a rebel group that opposes her, and they have been growing in numbers.

The rest of the ASIC members who remained are still loyal to their cause, forming ASIC remnants as a result. They are still set on fulfilling the Deity of Sin's goal and finding a way to revive Arfoire once again.

The two groups have one thing in common: they all want to get rid of her.

This place brought back memories of her sister, both pleasant and unpleasant. This is the place where she and her sister used to hang out when she was still very young. And the same place where she took her own sister's life away before spending their last moment together.

"Hey, sis..." Nepgear kneeled in front of the grave. "It's been awhile. I'm sorry for not paying you a visit for a while. I've been drowning in work lately."

She began rummaging in her bag. "So, to make it up for it, I bought you your favorite: pudding!" She put the cup in front of the grave as an offering. She then opened hers and began eating while sharing about what had been happening in life to keep her updated.

"—And that's pretty much it." After some time passed, she finished telling her stories. Silence hung in the air, with only the sound of the whirling wind. She let out a sigh as she wrapped her hands around her knees. "I wish I could say things were doing well, but... they're not."

"Things have been very stressful lately." She bristed as she clenched her hands. "It seems like whatever I do, it's just not enough. People are not happy, and problems keep growing, especially with the current Leanbox situation."

Nepgear let out a deep breath before her face dropped as she stared deeply at her sister's tombstone.

"It's been lonely, you know..." she whispered as she felt all kinds of emotions stirring up inside her. "When we were together, everything made sense."

"I miss you so much, sis..." Tears began spilling from her eyes, as she couldn't contain them any longer. She let out a sniff. "I wish you could be here so you can tell me that everything is going to be fine and comfort me with your gentle voice."

She regrets not telling her sister that she loved her one last time and holding her one last time in her warm embrace.

Everything happened so fast.

She used to have everything, but now she has nothing. You never appreciate the value of something until you lose it, which she came to learn after losing her sister.

She noticed that the sun had already set and the sky had turned a deep shade of blue with stars. Nepgear wiped the tears from her face before taking a moment to regain her composure. "It's getting late... I should probably head back before Histoire gets worried. Goodbye, sis. I'll visit you again, I promise."

She snuck one last glance behind her before she walked away.


(N) is for Neptunia!


Nepgear decided to take a quick stroll in the city's downtown to clear her mind before returning to the Basilicom.

Planeptune, the land of purple progress.

The city was known to be the most futuristic and was located on the west side of the world.

The sounds of traffic and bustling streets filled the city. She smelled freshly baked goods when she passed a local bakery. People would pass by her while minding their own business like usual. The sight of their CPU walking on the street wasn't uncommon for the citizens here. A few would pass a simple greeting and move on. Planeptune was the only nation that fully accepted her as the CPU of Gamindustri. Compared to Lastation, who was indifferent, Lowee was unfriendly, and Leanbox was hostile.

Out of all the oracles, Kei was the only one who was willing to associate with her. She didn't make it personal and continued working with her, helping with managing Lastation and becoming her personal PR. Not only that, but she helped with advancing their weapons and technology and training intelligence agents. She is still the same old Kei who doesn't let her feelings get in her way of work.

She's grateful to have someone like her as an ally rather than an enemy, especially in these hard times their facing.

"-It's been three days and counting since the rebel group launched a coordinated assault on the city center, causing widespread panic and destruction. Witnesses reported heavy gunfire and explosions as rebel forces known as the Elite Resistance Group stormed several key points, including the Leanbox's Basilicom."

Nepgear's head turned to one of the TVs inside a store that she passed by.

"Leanbox civilians are terrified as they scramble to safety. Many have been forced to leave their homes, seeking shelter in nearby neighborhoods or public buildings."

The footage then cuts to a chaotic street scene, with smoke rising from buildings and people fleeing for their lives. Nepgear's stomach dropped at the horrifying scene.

"Security forces responded swiftly, engaging in intense clashes with the attackers. While the exact number of casualties remains unclear at this time, there are reports of civilian injuries and fatalities. Emergency services are working tirelessly to provide aid to those affected."

"Lady Lilac Heart released an official statement condoning the attack and has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. As the situation remains volatile, residents are urged to remain indoors and follow the instructions of local authorities. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available."

The program then cuts to a commercial break. Even though the news hit the city of the ongoing attack in Leanbox, most people carried on with their lives. Nepgear let out a deep sigh and continued walking. The situation was bad and caused her a lot of sleepless nights. Those rebel group along with ASIC Remnants have been a thorn in her side ever since she became the new CPU.

We don't need CPUs to rule over us! We humans are capable of running things on our own.

A woman's voice broke Nepgear's train of thought. She turned to see a woman giving a speech to a crowd of people. She watched from afar. The lady was admirably tall with long cyan hair. She was wearing a black suit with a tie and glasses. She had an odd skull on her belt and hands.

Her appearance may scream villain, but if she learned anything, it would be that looks can be deceiving.

She is actually rather kind and gentle.

The lady's name was Rei. Ryghts, spelled with a period, the leader of the so-called 'Citizen Group Movement'. A peaceful movement that she started ten years ago, a year after her ruling. When she started, the woman was known to be less confident and was easily intimidated. But now that the woman stood with confidence and delivered her speech, many considered her to be charismatic.

It's time that we start implementing proper laws, not worshipping CPUs.

At first, she was skeptical about her motives and wondered if she had some kind of hidden agenda, but that all changed after meeting the lady and getting to know her better. Back then, she was so nervous and terrified at the sight of her, and she was shuddering a lot. However, after many years of forming the group and gaining a lot of followers, it seems that she also gained a bit of confidence and charisma along the way.

All they did was occasionally protest peacefully in the city plaza and pass around flyers, urging people to join their cause.

Despite what many people might think, she and Rei.. were on good terms.

Rei. even offered her assistance with the Leanbox situation as she used her movement to raise money from charity to help and aid the civilians who were caught in the crossfire. This made her okay in her book and showed how much she is a competent leader and a sincere person.

The CPUs rely on their people's faith. In fact, they are born from people's wishes. They require our faith to sustain themselves, just like we need them to provide protection. We don't need to create more CPUs just to look after us; we can adapt.

Ask yourselves: If the CPUs are really all that worthy of worship, they wouldn't need people's faith to survive. It should be the other way around. The fact that CPUs are not strong enough to survive on their own shows me that something is not quite right.

But we can prove that we don't need them to survive. We had in the past, so why can't we now?

We will keep spreading our cause, no matter how long it takes... Thank you and goodnight.

The crowd gave a round of applause and cheered before they slowly started leaving one by one. Nepgear waited until the crowd cleared out.

Those people don't know how much I sacrificed for the sake of Gamindustri, yet they want to get rid of me.

Nepgear shook her head before she was about to depart but stopped as her foot stepped on a flyer. She bent down and picked up the piece of paper before she snuck a quick glance at the headline.

Gamindustri New Future! Abide by laws, not CPUs!

"I thought I had seen you." A voice called Nepgear out from behind. Nepgear already recognized the voice of the woman. Nepgear mentally groaned, as she wasn't in the mood for socializing right now. She forced a smile before she turned around.

"Ah, hello, Miss Rei. Ryghts."

"Please, none of that. Rei. is fine. We've known each other for so long." She offered her a kind smile. "Speaking of which, it's rather a surprise to see you here, Lady Nepgear. Do what I owe this pleasure, or is it a social call?"

"Nothing of the sort. I was just taking a stroll in the city to make sure everything was in order. I just happened to stumble on your speech." She simply shrugged.

"I see..." She hummed before nodding. "Forgive me for saying this, but you look like you are on the verge of collapsing."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Nepgear rubbed her eyes, and she could feel the bags under her eyes.

"Yes, well, listen. I know that the two of us don't exactly see eye to eye, but ultimately, I want what's best for Gamindustri." Rei.'s eyes stared at the city she calls home before putting her hand behind her back.

"I know. You don't have to explain yourself." Nepgear stood next to her as she followed the woman's gaze. "You have your own views, and frankly, you're not the only one who shares them. Many people want me to resign as the CPU or simply want me dead."

"That is true. It's a shame about what happened to Leanbox..."

"Yeah... me too."

Both stood there in silence until Rei. broke it. "It's a bit funny, you know."

"Hm?" She gave her a side-eye.

"When I first met you, I was so utterly terrified. I grew up thinking CPUs were those scary and different beings. But when I met you, I realized that humans and CPUs are not all that different."

"Well, minus the whole divine power and immortality." Nepgear let out a breathless chuckle as she crossed her arms.

"That's only the defining factor. I mean, you CPUs do most of the things that humans do and live like we do as well. And CPUs aren't exactly immortal like you mentioned. Otherwise, the previous CPUs wouldn't have died with all due respect."

"Your point being?" The CPU raised her eyebrow.

"My point being, even humans can reach somewhat near to a CPU power once they have a lot of experience. Your human friends fought alongside you, yes? They handled themselves pretty well, if I'm not misremembering. Which defeats the purpose of people needing CPUs to protect them when they are capable of defending themselves."

"Well, it's also in human's nature to have some sort of faith in something or someone. Even if CPUs didn't exist, they would find something to believe in, like ASIC. It's simply coded in them."

"I'm fully aware of that, though I hope you don't mind me speaking my mind out for a second."

"It's fine, Rei.. You can speak freely with me. It's not like I'm going to smite you or anything." Nepgear playfully rolled her eyes.

"I know, but I still have the need to ask regardless. Back then, I viewed CPUs as divine beings, one where they couldn't be compared to humans. But the more I got to know you, the more I realized it wasn't the case. CPUs can bleed and die like we humans. They are made by people's wishes and require people's faith to sustain themselves. To me, this just doesn't speak divinely at all. They should be uncompare to humans and exede them in every possible realm."

"So what I understand is that you want me to grow myself a pair of wings and ascend to Celestia above and simply answer the people's prayers and give them my blessing?" Nepgear threw her arms up while delivering her line of sarcasm. "Is that it?"

"No... Not exactly. I have nothing but respect for you, as you know. But I only see you as a girl who is merely gifted with powers, nothing more." Rei. let out a sigh. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm just a silly woman with different ideologies."

"Heh, you don't say."

"Of course I won't say with full confidence that humans can do a better job than a CPU. Granted, we humans make mistakes, but so do CPUs. We humans can learn from our mistakes and evolve."

"You sure do have a way with words, you know." Nepgear chuckled as she couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Rei. returned the smile. "Even though I wasn't born in Planeptune, I considered it my home, and I'll do anything to protect it."

"That's very admirable." Nepgear hummed before she felt her smartphone vibrate. "Oh, I should really head back now."

"Very well then. Forgive me for interrupting your night, Lady Nepgear."

"It's okay. It was nice chatting with you, Rei.. Do enjoy the rest of your night. I'll excuse myself now."

"The same goes to you. Oh, tell Histoire I said hello!"

"Will do." Nepgear waved as she departed. She then took out her phone and checked the messages.

Oh, it's from Kei. Hope nothing serious.

[Kei] Nepgear. Are you there?

[You] Yes. What's up, Kei?

[Kei] Something came up regarding ASIC Remnants. We are not sure if it is yet, but we might have discovered a secret base that belongs to them. I'm sending one of the special agents to scout it.

[You] I see. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[Kei] Of course. I'll contact you when I find something. Be prepared until then.

She put the device back in her pocket and made her way back to the Basilicom.


(N)


She arrived at the Basilicom, the largest tower that's on Planeptune. Once she was inside, she was immediately greeted by the staff and acknowledged by the security. She took the elevator up to the top floor and waited until the door opened. There, a fairy-sized girl sitting on a floating book was waiting for her in the lounge room, like she always does.

"Good evening, Histoire."

Histoire smiled as she saw her. She had blond hair and blue eyes. She wore a purple dress with a green tie, and she had butterfly-shaped wings. She is a tome created by the true goddess, who tasked her with recording the whole history of Gamindustri since the very beginning. She also serves as the oracle of Planeptune and is also the closest thing she had as a family.

"Welcome back, Nepgear." She floated towards the purple-haired girl. "You came late today. I was starting to get worried."

"I didn't mean to get you worried. I kinda lost track of time while I was out. I met Rei. on my way, and we talked for a bit. Oh, and she says hi to you."

"Really? That's so nice of her. Anyway, I must apologize. I've been feeling stressed lately, which led me to assume the worst."

"You're not the only one." Nepgear let out a heavy sigh. "From the economic crisis we're facing to ASIC Remnants, and now the situation with Leanbox? We all got our hands full."

"Anyway, I'll head back and continue with the paperwork that is left." Nepgear excused herself. After the attack that broke out in Leanbox, the pile of paper just kept piling up more and more.

"Nepgear. Don't you think that you've been working excessively these last few days? Why don't you rest for today?" The fairy wasn't lying; she hadn't slept for days. She almost looked like an animated corpse.

"Histoire, I can't rest now, not with the Elite Resistance Group situation that's happening. We're talking about innocent lives that are on the line." She tried her hardest to hold back, but her tone still came out a bit harsher than she intended, probably from not having gotten proper sleep for so long.

"I am fully aware, but you won't be any good if you continue exhausting yourself like that, dear."

"I said—"

"Please, Nepgear." Histoire interjected firmly yet softly before she could finish. "I implore you. Just take this day to rest. Just one day, it's all I ask."

Nepgear wanted to argue but couldn't bring herself to, not when Histoire was like this. She sighed and nodded. "Okay... just one day."

"Thank you." She felt her tiny hands tighten around her. "You have a lot put on you and I just... I worry about you, Nepgear. I can't bear to lose you as well. Don't forget: I will be on your side no matter what."

"I know..." She leaned in until their foreheads gently connected.

"Please... Don't lose yourself out there." She pecked her forehead before giving her a pleading look. "Please, promise me that."

"I... I promise that I won't." The tomb slowly nodded and let go of her hand before she departed.

"Good night, Nepgear."

"Good night, Histoire."

Nepgear then made her way to her room. As she entered, she took a quick glance around. A wave of nostalgia washed over her.

The room was spotless. It was mostly painted in purple. There was a bunk bed and a wide window on the left with a city view. There was a tiny table in the center and two desks on the right. However, one of them was cleared out, and it was clear why.

The room felt empty, void of life and joy.

She has yet to accept the depressing reality that her sister has left forever, as if her character's data was completely wiped out of the game without a trace.

She rarely slept in their room. She'd sleep in her office or lab most of the time due to her developing a habit of pulling all-nighters, and she barely had a good night's sleep for ages ever since that fateful day.

Nepgear wasn't feeling sleepy at the moment and decided to do her favorite hobby in the meantime.

She heads to her lab to continue working on one of the projects that she has been working on for a while.

She sat down on her table. There was a portrait of her and her sister, Neptune, when she was still young. She picked it up and looked at it. The photo was taken during the summer when her sister took her to Leggo Island. She was wearing a summer dress with popsicle ice cream in her hand. She had a big smile on her face with an ice cream stain on her face while her sister was doing a V-pose beside her with the beautiful blue ocean behind them.

She had the time of her life on that resort. How she wishes to go back to those simpler and happier times. Back when she was still young and innocent and she didn't know any better.

She eventually set it aside before she went back to her project and examined the blueprint to see where she left off.

There was an illustration of a notebook labeled 'NEP-NOTE'.

Not the most original name she came up with, she knows. Like her N-Watch, she had thought of naming it N-NOTE, but then she settled on NEP-NOTE since it's got a nice ring to it and rolls off the tongue easily.

Plus, putting the word 'Nep' in the name gives the invention its unique signature.

The main function of it, aside from being able to write obviously, is the ability to store living things and items. It was basically a glorified version of the N-Watch that could store items, like her old-fashioned N-Gear. She also made it so the user could gain access to the abilities of the captive.

However, it's still in the prototype phase. She has no way of knowing if it could work before performing many tests on it.

She remembers when she watched those shows that had cars that could transform into robots. She was fascinated by them and thus she discovered her passion when she was young, which resulted in her taking apart and disassembling a lot of things around the Basilicom, which resulted in her getting scolded many times.

Good times.

Nepgear put on her safety gadgets before she grabbed and opened her toolbox. She began working on the project. After a while, she felt herself getting drowsy, until slowly darkness began taking over her vision as she unconsciously drifted to sleep on her desk after she was finished with adding the final adjustment to her invention.


AUTHOR'S NOTES


Thanks for checking out my story! The stories "The First Change" and "Memories" made by Charlotte Eraviel on Fanfiction served as inspiration for this story; check them out if you haven't. Anyway, this is my take on the post-conquest ending. I've had this idea for so long since I started reading Neptunia fanfiction a while back.

Fun fact: I never played any of the Neptunia games. Crazy, huh? Most of my knowledge comes from the stories on the site and wiki. Since I'm writing this story, I decided to buy the original second and third games on my PS3 and play them. I should also note that the story takes place in MK2 and not Rebirth 2, which means that characters such as Red wouldn't make an appearance, sadly.

*Disclaimer: I don't own this franchise or the characters. All rights go to Ideal Factory, Compile Heart, and the others who worked on it. But you already know that, don't you?


Next Chapter: Spacing Out?

Kei assigns Nepgear the task of assisting a special agent in clearing a hidden base that belongs to ASIC Remnants and gathering information.