Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 22

 HachimaJin floated high in the air. The creatures massive body turned until it spotted Neptune and Nepgear standing next to the Fairy Tower. “They released us, right?” It said, with a strangely feminine voice.

“Yeah! They had no idea what they were doing!” Said HachimaJin, now sounding  masculine.

“Should we destroy them now?” HachimaJin asked.

“Nah! We’ll show them a little consideration.” And with those words, HachimaJin vanished from sight.

Neptune’s lower jaw dropped in awe. “That was the freakiest monster we’ve seen so far.” She muttered.

Nepgear turned to Histoire who wore a panicked look on her face. “Histoire? What was that thing? What do you mean we made a terrible mistake?” She asked.

“Yeah! Isn’t this your mistake? Were the victims here.” Said Neptune.

“Not the point Neptune.” Nepgear said, sighing deeply. “Also how did we end up here?”

Histoire took a deep breath. “Please give me a moment to explain everything. First off. The Fairy Towers have the power to teleport it’s users. However, there are certain guidelines one must follow. First off you must activate all the Fairy Towers in that region and you must visit the Fairy Tower you wish to teleport to.”

“That’s neat.” Nepgear said, wishing she could take apart the Fairy Tower even more. “Alright. So what about that mistake you mentioned?”

“That one is a bit more complicated. Tell me Nepgear and Neptune. Have you been remembering things lately? Things you can’t explain?” Asked Histoire.

Neptune and Nepgear nodded. “Yeah. We started remembering things when we activated the Fairy Towers for the first time. We’ve also been feeling headaches and dizziness too.” Nepgear explained.

“I thought so.” Said Histoire. “The reason’s you’ve been remembering so many things lately is simple. Your memories seem to be tied to the Fairy Towers. I’m not entirely sure how or why it ended up like that, but from what information I’ve gathered, it seems as though everyone is suffering from this phenomenon.”

“I see…” Neptune said. “No wait! I don’t see! Why are we getting headaches and stuff? That didn’t happen before!”

“That’s simple.” Said Histoire. “It’s because the Fairy Towers have been healing you as you activate them. That’s why you’re suddenly remembering the names of monsters and events that took place in the past.”

“Weird.” Neptune said. “I suddenly feel dizzy again.”

“That’s not all.” Histoire said, shaking her head. “It seems that the monsters themselves are also tied to the Fairy Towers.”

“Seriously?” Asked Nepgear.

“Yes. I don’t know why, but it seems as though monsters were seals alongside the original Histoire. Every time you activate a new Fairy Tower, a group of monsters are unleashed onto the world.” Said Histoire. “I can only assume that this isn’t happening on Planeptune.”

“This is so weird. How is that even possible?” Asked Nepgear.

“The only way something like this could happen, is if the original Histoire did it.” Said Histoire.

“HUH!?” Neptune and Nepgear shouted at the same time.

“You better start explaining Histoire, or I’m going to turn you into pudding!” Neptune said, pointing at Histoire angrily. “I don’t know how, but I’ll figure it out! Or Nepgear will! Yeah!”

“Wait Neptune!” Nepgear cried, placing her hands on Neptune’s shoulders.  

“Now please calm down!” Histoire said, holding up her hands. “I’m apart of the original Histoire and I know for a fact that she would never use her powers in such a manner. She would only use her powers to restore something that was altered or changed.” The small fairy like girl explained.

“What do you mean?” Nepgear asked.

“The original Histoire does have access to a lot of power, however someone could use their own power to force changes upon the world through her.” Histoire explained. “That’s the only way something like this could have happened.”

“Okay, okay.” Said Neptune. “So where did that Hachimachi thing come from?” She asked.

“HachimaJin.” Histoire corrected her. “Remember when you told me that you felt strange while standing in one of the rooms in the underground facility below that house?” Histoire asked.

“Yeah?” Said Nepgear.

“I believe you were sensing HachimaJin’s presences at the time. HachimaJin is an incredibly powerful monster so it doesn’t surprise me that you’d still be able to sense it even sealed away.” Histoire explained.

Nepgear crossed her arms in front of her chest and thought for a moment. “I guess that makes some kind of sense, but I’m still curious. Why would anyone set it up like this? Why seal away our memories and those monsters like this? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“It makes sense to me!” Said Neptune.

“What do you mean?” Asked Histoire.

“Well if I were a bad guy, I would seal away people’s memories so they forgot stuff. Also I would make it harder to activate more Fairy Towers.” Said Neptune. “Just think about it Nepgear. Before we were fighting dogoo’s. Now were fighting dragons and giant Hachimajerks! Yep! Makes sense to me!”

“What do you think?” Nepgear asked Histoire.

“Yes. Considering everything we know, it does make logical sense.” Said Histoire. “Oh and I should probably mention. While you two were away, I managed to hack into the underground facilities security system. It took some doing, but I managed to locate and tag each monster that was down there. I calculated that the moment you activated the third Fairy Tower, HachimaJin appeared.”

“That settles it.” Said Neptune, slapping her hands together. “So what do we do now?”

Nepgear didn’t answer right away. Instead she turned her eyes towards the sky where HachimaJin had appeared. “I think we need to go back to Planeptune for right now and let Purple Heart know what happened.”

“Ooh! Good idea! I want to see IF, Compa and Purple Sister! I’m sure Falcom’s already at Planeptune living it up!” Said Neptune.

“Yeah.” Nepgear said, smiling. “Histoire? Could you teleport us to the first Fairy Tower we activated?”

“Sure!” Histoire said.

***
Compa took a deep breath and dabbed her forehead with the back of her hand. “This is exhausting.” She breathed. IF was standing several feet away battling a large group of dogoo that had surrounded her.

IF twirled on her heels and lashed out with a flurry of attacks. With a bright flash all the dogoo were killed. “That should do it. Want to take a break?” IF asked, turning to Compa who was already collapsed next to the Fairy Tower. IF couldn’t help, but giggle. “It looks like you’re already taking a break.”

“Sorry Iffy. I’m just so tired.” Compa said, her giant syringe was lying on the ground next to her.

“That’s alright. Monster hunting isn’t really your thing, huh?” IF asked, making her way over to her friend. IF took a seat next to Compa and turned her attention towards the sky. “This place is pretty peaceful, despite all the monsters, huh?” She asked.

“Yeah.” Said Compa.

“I hope you don’t mind doing this with me.” Said IF.

“Of course not Iffy. I love spending time with you.” Said Compa.

IF blushed a little. “Oh yeah?” She said.

“Of course! Also we have to get stronger, remember what Purple Heart told us?” Said Compa.

IF nodded. She did receive a phone call a few days ago from Purple Heart asking her and Compa to start using the Fairy Tower in order to improve their stats. “I actually didn’t think we’d be able to use this thing, but apparently adventurers have been using it for years.”

“Yeah.” Said Compa. Compa smile slowly faded. “I wonder how Nep-Nep and Ge-Ge are doing. I really miss them.”

“Me too. Who knows when we’ll see them again?” Said IF.

A bright flash took Compa and IF by surprise, suddenly Neptune and Nepgear appeared in front of the girls. “Howdy! I’m back!” Neptune said, saluting.

Compa and IF jumped to their feet. “Neppu!” Compa cried, as she threw her arms around Neptune and Nepgear and hugged them tightly.

“Uh-oh! Leaky pipe alert!” Neptune said.

IF fought back her own tears. “Hey Nep! Gear! How long were you planning on keeping us?” IF asked.

“Sorry about that.” Nepgear said, as Compa hugged her even tighter.

“We have some big news to tell everyone.” Said Neptune.

***
Neptune, Nepgear, IF and Compa made their way back to Planeptune and to the Basilicom. Once there they were led to a large room. The room had several couches, a table and a large window that looked out over the city. “This room could use some pudding.” Neptune said, as she took off her backpack and pulled a pudding pack out. “Anyone want to join me?” She asked.

Before Neptune could open her pudding, the door to the room opened and Purple Heart, Purple Sister and Falcom entered the room.

“Neptune! Nepgear!” Purple Sister said, as she moved quickly over to the two girls. “How are you two?” She asked, smiling brightly.

“Great!” Neptune said.

“Were good. How are you?” Nepgear asked.

Compa smiled brightly. “You two look so alike!” She muttered.

“I’m glad you two are alright.” Said Purple Heart. “I heard you have some news for us?”

Neptune and Nepgear relayed all the information they had gathered. After they finished explaining everything, Purple Heart didn’t seem all that surprised. “I see. I’m glad you two are back safe.”

“Uh… No offense Purple Heart.” Neptune began. “But we laid down some heavy stuff, but you’re not having a problem picking it up, are you?”

“No.” Purple Heart said, shaking her head. “Actually I heard much the same from Histoire before. She told me that the original Histoire is the only one who could have removed my sisters memories.”

“What?!” Nepgear said, shocked.

“Yes. I almost dismantled the Fairy Tower after she told me that, but she did tell me that only someone exerting their own power of Histoire could force her to change anything.” Said Purple Heart. “Still. I’m glad you told me about HachimaJin. I’ll inform my patrols about this monster.”

“You’re welcome.” Neptune said, placing her hands behind her head.

“Now that you two are back. What’s the plan?” Asked IF. “I don’t want to sound skeptical, but I’m not sure you two actually need to activate the rest of the Fairy Towers yourselves. It seems like anyone could do it really.”

“True.” Said Nepgear.

“I would love to sit at home. Put up my feet and eat more pudding and play videogames. I’ve earned a five year vacation, but I want to keep going!” Neptune said. The girl’s words took everyone by surprise. “Nepgear. We’ve accomplished a lot so far and I want to see this thing through until the end!”

Nepgear didn’t say anything. Instead she shifted her weight from her left foot, to her right. The girl seemed to be lost for words.

“Of course I won’t force you. If you don’t want to keep going, just let me know. Okay?” Said Purple Heart.

“Yeah! I’m going to leave the decision up to my favorite baby sister!” Neptune said, throwing her arms around Nepgear.

Purple Sister turned her head slightly towards Purple Heart. “Am I your favorite baby sister?” She asked.

Purple Heart giggled. “Of course you are Purple Sister!” She said, hugging her sister as well.

“This is so sweet!” Compa said, close to tears.

“Do you mind if I think about it for a bit?” Nepgear asked.

Neptune nodded. “Of course! I wanted to spend a few days at home anyways. I have so many video games and puddings to catch up on. Oh and I want to show our house off to Falcom and Purple Sister!”

“I’d like to see it.” Said Falcom.

“Me too.” Said Purple sister, raising her right hand.

“Oh and we’d like for you to meet a friend of ours.” Said IF.

“You’re really going to like her!” Said Compa.

Neptune took Nepgear’s hands into her own. “Did you hear that Nepgear? They replaced us since we were gone! How horrible!”

“Oh please. Like we could replace Nepgear with anyone.” Said IF, smirking.

“What about me?” Neptune asked.

“Did you hear me Nep? We could never replace Nepgear.” IF said, turning to leave.

“HEY!” Neptune cried out, annoyed. “What about me!?”

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 21

 Nepgear felt guilty as she and Neptune cleaned out Falcom’s refrigerator. The refrigerator was small and it didn’t have a lot of items in it. As Neptune and Nepgear stuffed their backpacks with the items, Neptune couldn’t help, but squeal with delight every time they pulled out a new pack of pudding.

“Ooh! Nepgear? I have a fun idea! Let’s find a bucket and dump all the pudding in it and eat it out of the bucket! How awesome would that be?” Asked Neptune.

Nepgear didn’t respond. Instead she focused on emptying the refrigerator instead. “Neptune. I don’t think were going to be able to take all of this. Maybe we should leave some of the water bottles behind?”

“I’ll take one of those.” Said Neptune, as she opened one of the bottles and tilted it up to her lips. “I wish this was milk tea though.” Neptune said, licking her lips.

“Don’t drink too many of those! There aren’t any toilets between here and the next Fairy Tower.” Nepgear said.

Neptune giggled as she patted Nepgear on the shoulder. “Silly Nepgear! The world is our toilet!”

“That’s gross Neptune…” Said Nepgear, in disgust. After the girls took everything they could, they got to their feet and glanced around the small cabin. “Falcom was really nice to let us use this place.” Said Nepgear, grabbing the straps of her backpack.

“Yeah. I really hope that Purple Sister and Falcom are doing well.” Said Neptune. “I have to admit. As a big sister I was worried about Purple Sister. Which is weird considering were not related.”

“Maybe its because we look so much alike.” Said Nepgear.

“That might be it, but at the same time. She seemed really familiar too. It’s weird.” Neptune said. The girl started to feel a tinge of pain in her head, but it vanished soon afterwards. “Anyways baby sister of mine. Shall we go?”

“Yeah. I’m ready.” Said Nepgear, following after her sister.

Once the two girls were outside, Neptune waited while her sister pulled out her N-Gear and started looking over the map. “I feel kind of weird not locking the door. I know Falcom told us not to, but still. I feel bad.” Neptune said, in a small voice.

Nepgear scanned the map on her N-Gear for several moments. “I did manage to speak to Falcom. She said that she’s been at the Fairy Tower‘s location several times before, but she’s never actually seen the Fairy Tower.”

“Maybe it only appears to people who are pure of heart?” Neptune suggested.

“I don’t know of anyone more pure than Falcom, do you?” Nepgear asked.

“Yeah I do! Me!” Said Neptune.

“Yeah, anyways Falcom suggested that we look underground in the caves. She said that miners used to excavate in the surrounding mines and there’s a good chance we’ll find the Fairy Tower underground.”

“I noticed you didn’t agree with me Nepgear.” Neptune said, narrowing her eyes at her sister.  

“She said that there’s enough light in the caves so we don’t have to worry about seeing, but we should still be careful.” Said Nepgear.

“You’re ignoring your sweet big sister now? Fine. Whatever.” Said Neptune.

Nepgear pointed towards the north west. “Let’s head that way.” She said.

Neptune nodded as both girls started walking. It took them an entire day, but soon the girls reached the cliffs where the Fairy Tower was supposed to be kept. Both Nep’s noticed several metallic bridges that led from one cliff top to the next, but they also noticed a trail leading to the ground far below.

“This is it.” Said Nepgear, gesturing towards the trial.

Neptune followed the trail with her eyes until she spotted a large cavern far below. “Looks rough. Do we know what’s living in that cave?” Asked Neptune.

“Falcom told me it was filled with Dragons.” Said Nepgear.

“Just dragons, huh?” Neptune said, taking a jagged breath. “Sounds fun. Ready to give up and go back to Falcom’s place? I assume no one will come looking for us there.”

“You know we can’t stop.” Said Nepgear.

“Yeah yeah. Nepgear you’re such an honest girl scout. Alright!” Neptune began, slapping her hands together. “Let’s do this thing!” And with that, Neptune summoned her katana. Grabbing the hilt with both her hands she aimed the tip of her sword at the cavern far below. “CHARGE!” She ordered.

“We shouldn’t run.” Said Nepgear, summoning her energy sword as well.

“Absolutely not. I don’t want you to trip and get hurt.” Said Neptune, taking Nepgear by the hand. “Here, to help keep you balanced.”

Nepgear giggled. “Thanks sis.” Nepgear allowed her sister to help her down the long trail to the cavern. As they walked, Nepgear couldn’t help but wonder if Neptune was acting this way because of Purple Sister. “Maybe Purple Sister reminded Neptune of me after all. We did look strangely alike.”

When the girls finally reached the bottom of the trail, they both peered inside. To Nepgear’s surprise, the rocks that were embedded into the wall of the cavern were shining brightly. “Wow. I thought this cavern was being lit up with manmade lights, but the rocks are shining.”

“That’s neat and all, but don’t geek out yet. We still have to worry about those dragons.” Said Neptune.

Neptune and Nepgear made their way into the cavern and followed the lights until they reached an underground lake. The water stretched out in all directors, but the lake itself was only a few inches deep. Located in the middle of this lake was the Fairy Tower and walking around the Fairy Tower, were dozens of dragons.

“Oh goodness.” Nepgear said, in a weak voice. “There’s so many dragons.”

“Yeah. I wonder how many we can kill before they eat us. My guess is zero.” Said Neptune.

“Don’t say that Neptune. Chances are were going to have to use these dragons to get stronger.” Said Nepgear, nervously.

One of the large dragons suddenly halted and turned it’s eyes towards the girls. Neptune and Nepgear quickly ducked behind a nearby boulder. “Do you think it saw us?” Nepgear asked.

“No way.” Said Neptune, as a large figure suddenly pounced on the boulder.

Neptune and Nepgear leapt away as a large dragon slammed into the boulder, obliterating it. “Whoa!” Nepgear cried out, as she was engulfed in smoke. Nepgear held up her hands to block anything that might hit her in the face.

A loud roar caused Nepgear to gasp. A chill ran down her spine. Looking up, Nepgear saw the dragon was baring down on her. The creature was swinging it’s right hand at her.

“HEY!” Neptune cried, as she suddenly appeared in front of Nepgear. The girl blocked the creatures hand using her sword. “Keep your hands to yourself!” Neptune screamed, as she pushed the dragon’s hand away and sliced at the creatures chest. The dragon roared as the tip of Neptune’s sword sliced through the dragon’s chest. “It’s your fault buddy.”

Nepgear clenched her left hand into a tight fists and hit her thigh. “Stop being afraid Nepgear!” Nepgear thought to herself. “Go over there and back your sister up!” Nepgear closed her eyes tightly, clenched her jaw and opened her eyes. After that, Nepgear leapt high into the air and screamed.

The dragon looked up in time to see Nepgear swing her sword down. With a single slash, the dragon’s head was completely cut free from its body and in a flash, the dragon vanished.

“I did it!” Nepgear said, breathlessly.

“You sure did Nepgear.” Neptune said, pointing forwards.

Nepgear sighed deeply. Her scream had caught the attention of the other dragons and now the creatures were charging towards the two girls. “Oh goodness.” Said Nepgear, sadly.

“Any good ideas?” Asked Neptune.

Nepgear thought for a moment. “I have one. Hide!”

“Hide?” Neptune said.

“Yes! You hide, I’ll distract the dragons. After that you can activate the Fairy Tower and once its setup we can use it to heal ourselves if we get too badly injured.” Said Nepgear.

“That’s a great idea Nepgear, but you should do it.” Neptune said, holding out the memory stick that Histoire had given them.

“No sis. You do it!” Nepgear cried, as she waved her sword wildly over her head and shouted. “COME AND GET ME!”

Neptune fought the urge to chase after Nepgear. Instead she ducked behind a nearby boulder and watched as her sister grabbed the attention of all the dragons in the massive cavern.

Once most of the dragons were chasing after Nepgear, Neptune slipped out from her hiding spot and started running as fast as she could towards the Fairy Tower. The only sounds Neptune could hear was Nepgear screaming at the dragons and attacking them when they got too close to her.

“Come on Neptune! You have to move faster!” Neptune screamed at herself.

Before Neptune knew it, she was standing at the Fairy Tower’s terminal. Sliding the memory stick into the USB port, Neptune turned to Nepgear. “NEPGEAR! THIS WAY!” Neptune cried.

Nepgear leapt over a dragon’s attack and started running as fast as she could towards the Fairy Tower, but Neptune could tell that Nepgear was in trouble. Rushing forwards Neptune ran to her sister as fast as she could. “NEPGEAR!” Neptune cried.

“NEPTUNE!” Nepgear cried.

“Like an anime!” Neptune thought to herself. Once Neptune had passed Nepgear, she leapt at the first dragon that was closer to her and swung her sword. In a single slash of her blade, she managed to kill the dragon.

The other dragons were caught off guard by this and halted in their tracks. Neptune eyed the creatures angrily. “This is the power of a big sister! You shouldn’t have scared my precious Nepgear!”

The dragons took a few steps away from Neptune, before they turned and fled from the girl. “Don’t go too far! We need to grind share energy later!” Neptune called after them. Neptune started jogging back over to where Nepgear was waiting for her.

“Oh wow big sis! You were amazing!” Nepgear said, her eyes were sparkling with joy.

“Really? Thank you Nepgear!” Neptune said, scratching the back of her head with embarrassment.

“Neptune? Nepgear?” Came the voice of Histoire. “You both did very well getting here.”

“Thanks!” Nepgear said, turning to Histoire. “So we finally did it, right? We finally activated all the Fairy Towers!”

“Yep. Some might call us heroes. I would agree with them.” Said Neptune, smiling proudly.

“You two are indeed heroes. You managed to activate all the Fairy Towers on Planeptune and you managed to do it rather quickly. Now please, use the share energy to increase your stats.” Said Histoire.

“Good idea. I think- WAIT!” Neptune cried.

“Whoa! Neptune! Please don’t shout like that.” Nepgear said, her hands were now covering her ears.

“Nepgear? Did you hear what Histoire just said?” Said Neptune. “We activated all the Fairy Towers on Planeptune.”

“Yeah, so?” Nepgear asked, furrowing her brow. Suddenly the girl realized what her sister was saying. “Are there more Fairy Towers?” Nepgear asked, turning to Histoire.

“Unfortunately yes.” Said Histoire. “Thanks to the activation of this third Fairy Tower, I can see that there are at least three more.”

“Three more?” Neptune said, her shoulders sagged. “Oh shoot. Did ya hear that Nepgear? Three!”

“Yes, but I have a feeling that it’s not just three.” Said Histoire.

“What makes you say that?” Asked Nepgear.

“Well. You see the three Fairy Towers are located in Lastation, Leanbox and Lowee, but considering the size of those nations, I know there has to be more than one setup to monitor those nations.”

“I’m going to lay down and die now.” Neptune said.

“Wait big sister.” Nepgear said, grabbing Neptune’s arm. “So we need to activate all the Fairy Tower’s to release the original Histoire, right? We can do that.”

“We can?” Asked Neptune.

“Yes we can.” Said Nepgear. “It’s better than giving up and we can still get stronger.” Said Nepgear, as she pulled Neptune over to the Fairy Tower’s monitor. “Come on. Let’s use our share energy.”

Neptune and Nepgear were surprised. They managed to increase their share energy by quite a bit, but it wasn’t enough to max out their stats completely. Once the girls were finished, they felt stronger.

“Alright! This is great!” Said Nepgear.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, but…” Histoire began. “I have some terrible new!”

“What terrible news?” Asked Nepgear.

“I’m sorry. I’ll explain in a moment. Or more accurately, another Histoire from a different Fairy Tower will.” Histoire began. “The other me will also explain what I’m going to do now!”

“Huh?” Neptune said, confused.

Neptune and Nepgear’s eyes were suddenly flooded with light and the ground beneath their feet felt as though it disappeared. The girls didn’t feel like they were falling though, instead it felt as though they were being pulled forwards.

When the ground suddenly reappeared beneath them, the light vanished from their eyes and the girls found themselves standing in the forest. “Huh? Where are we?” Nepgear said.

“I think…” Neptune turned and spotted Histoire from the Fairy Tower they saw in the forest. “Histoire? What the heck are-”

“Watch out!” Histoire cried.

A loud explosion caused both Neptune and Nepgear to whirl around. At first they had no idea what had caused the explosion, but soon the cause became apparent. An enormous monster appeared in the sky. The creature had a monstrous face, but half of that face looked pale white while the other half was bright pink. “What the goodness is that?!” Nepgear cried.

“That thing is HachimaJin.” Said Histoire. “I’m sorry but I fear we made a terrible mistake!”

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 20

 It took Falcom and Purple sister a few hours to reach the city that Red lived in. As the girls made their way down the various streets, they saw just how empty the city was. “I can’t believe Red didn’t tell us about this. I feel bad that she had to deal with all those monsters by herself.”

Purple Sister didn’t say anything at first. Instead she walked very close to Falcom and nervously glanced around the various buildings. “Maybe she didn’t want to put us in danger.”

“Yeah. That sounds like her.” Falcom said. When the two girls reached the train station, they weren’t surprised to see that the train wasn’t there. “I guess it’s like the Nep’s said. The train isn’t here.”

“What should we do now?” Asked Purple Sister.

“It’s alright. There’s a nearby town that actually has an airship. We can ride it all the way to Planeptune.” Said Falcom.

“Oh? That sounds exciting.” Purple Sister said, perking up a little bit. “I’ve heard about the airships before. I always wanted to know how they worked.” Said the girl, excitedly.

Falcom giggled. “You always liked learning about technical stuff like that, huh?” Falcom asked, patting Purple Sister on the shoulder. “Alright. Let’s get going then!”

Purple Sister and Falcom started walking to the next town. As they walked, the girls kept their eyes open for any signs of monsters. Even though Purple Sister was timid, she did have the power to summon a sword that also doubled as a gun. Falcom was surprised the first time Purple Sister summoned her weapon and killed several monsters without even trying.

Falcom giggled when she remembered how Purple Sister started crying afterwards, worried that she scared Falcom off.

“What’s so funny?” Purple Sister asked, a smile appeared on her face.

“Oh! I was just remembering how strong you are! Knowing you’re with me, means I don’t have to worry about monsters.” Said Falcom.

“Oh!” Purple Sister said, blushing. “I’ll keep you safe, but I don’t really like killing monsters.”

Falcom and Purple Sister finally made it to the next town over. By the time they reached the next town, the sun had started sinking over the horizon and a cool breeze blew through the girls hair. Falcom led the way down the many streets passing dozens of people.

Everyone the girls passed turned to look at Purple Sister, but Falcom didn’t seem to notice. “I think I remember where that airship is being kept.” The girl said, as they continued to travel down the long street.

Purple Heart quickly moved close to Falcom and took her right hand into both of hers. After a few more moments of searching, the two girls finally reached the sky harbor where the airships were kept. The sky harbor was incredibly large, but it only had two airships.

Falcom led Purple Sister into the building and bought two tickets for themselves. After that, the girls climbed onboard the airship. “This is awesome!” Purple Sister said, perking up.

“I thought you’d like it. I don’t think they’d let us check out the engine, or navigational computer or anything like that.” Said Falcom.

“Aw… No fair.” Purple Sister said, pouting a little.

“Do you want to look around or find our cabin?” Asked Falcom.

Purple Sister wanted to suggest walking around, but quickly noticed other passengers were watching her. “Why do they keep looking at me? I don’t like it.” Purple Sister thought. “Could we please go to our cabin?”

“Of course. I think it’s over here.” It didn’t take Falcom very long to find their cabin. Once inside their room, Purple Sister collapsed onto the bed and took a deep breath. “Tired?”

“A little.” Purple Sister said. “I don’t like it when people keep staring at me. I feel like there’s something wrong with me.”

“Oh… That.” Falcom said, mentally kicking herself for not remembering. “I’m sorry about that Purple Sister. I should have remembered that people had a habit of doing that. Though, I don’t think they stare because there’s something wrong with you.”

“No?” Purple Sister asked, tilting her head slightly to the right.

“Nope! To be honest with you. You have a glow about you. I think that’s what catches peoples attention.” Said Falcom.

“I do?” Purple Sister said, glancing down at her body.

Falcom giggled. “A little bit. Anyways, I think there’s something else that’s catching everyone’s attention. It’s the fact that you look a little bit like lady Purple Heart.”

“Oh…” Purple Sister said.

“What’s wrong?” Falcom asked, even though she had a good idea what was bothering her friend.

“Well. What’s going to happen if I’m not related to Purple Heart?” Purple Sister asked.

“Well I wanted to do some traveling, so we’ll probably just do that.” Said Falcom. “Remember how Nepgear told us that we should visit a Fairy Tower? Well I’m really curious about that, so I’d like to check one out.”

“You don’t mind me coming along?” Asked Purple Sister.

“No way! I love your company!” Said Falcom. “Hey. Why don’t we order some food? I bet you’re hungry.”

“Sure!” Said Purple Sister. Thanks to Falcom she was feeling a bit better.

***
The following day, early in the morning, Falcom and Purple Sister stepped off the airship. They were now in Planeptune. “Alright. This is nice!” Said Falcom, looking around.

“Have you ever been to Planeptune before?” Asked Purple Sister.

“Yeah a…” Before Falcom could finish speaking, she felt a sharp pain in her brain and she started to feel dizzy. “Yeah…” Falcom said, trying to hide her pain.

“Are you alright?” Asked Purple Sister, concerned.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Said Falcom, taking Purple Sister by the hand. “Let’s find the Basilicom. I’m sure Purple Heart’s going to be eager to meet you.” The pain and dizziness soon faded. “That was weird. The same thing happened to Neptune and Nepgear before.” Falcom thought.

The two girls started moving down the long streets. As they walked, they passed by dozens of people. All of which halted in their tracks and watched as the two passed by. “It’s okay.” Falcom whispered to Purple Sister. “You’re a gorgeous girl. They can’t help, but stare.”

“Oh?” Purple Sister said. The girl knew her friend was just trying to make her feel better. “Thanks.”

It didn’t take Falcom and Purple Sister long to find the Basilicom. The Basilicom was the largest and grandest looking building in Planeptune. “Here it is.” Falcom said. Falcom turned to Purple Sister and looked the girl over. “You look lovely Purple Sister.”

“Thanks Falcom.” Said Purple Sister.

“Try not to be nervous either. If you are Purple Heart’s sister. I know she misses you.” Said Falcom.

“Yeah.” Said Purple Sister.

“And no matter what happens. I promise I won’t leave until I know you’re situated.” Said Falcom.

“Huh?” Purple Sister said.

Falcom turned and started leading Purple Sister into the Basilicom. Once inside they were greeted by several guards. “Do you have an appointment?” Asked one of the guards, holding up their hands to stop Falcom and Purple Sister from getting any further inside the Basilicom.

“No.” Falcom began, as Purple Sister got even closer to her. “Could you please let lady Purple Heart know that were here? I think this girl is her sister.”

The guard’s eyes went wide and they exchanged quizzical looks. “Sister?” One of them said.

“I think I heard lady Purple Heart mention having one.” Said another guard.

“We should just ask.” Said the last one. “Please wait here.” The guard turned on his heels and headed deeper into the Basilicom. A few moments passed when the guard quickly returned. The guard opened his mouth to say something, but a beautiful woman quickly walked passed him.

“Purple Sister?” Purple Heart said.

A smile appeared on Falcom’s face. She carefully moved away from Purple Sister, who had tears brimming in her eyes. “Lady Purple Heart?” Her voice shook in her throat.

Purple Heart’s eyes grew large. In a flash Purple Heart was upon Purple Sister. The girl threw her arms around her and hugged Purple Sister close to her chest. “Sister!” Purple Heart cried.

The guards all beamed with joy, tears trickled down their cheeks. Falcom too, felt her eyes start to burn. A lump formed in her throat and her hands started to shake by her sides. “I’m so happy for you Purple Sister.” Falcom thought.

“Am I really your sister?” Purple Sister asked.

“What are you talking about? Of course you are! You’re my beloved baby sister! I missed you so much!” Purple Heart cried. “I’m sorry Purple Sister. I don’t know what happened, but I swear I tried to find you. I honestly thought the entire world forgot you existed, but I knew!”

“Sister?” Purple Sister began. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you.”

Purple Heart blinked her eyes several times. She looked deep into Purple Sister’s eyes. “What do you mean?” She asked.

“L-Lady Purple Heart?” Falcom began, her voice shook as she spoke. “I can explain everything.”

Purple Heart led Purple Sister and Falcom into a private room where they could all talk. Falcom explained everything that had happened. “So you met Neptune and Nepgear and they told you about Purple Sister?” Asked Purple Heart. “How are they doing by the way?”

“Great!” Falcom said. “They’re heading towards the third Fairy Tower.”

“Wow.” Purple Sister began. “Not only did you find and take care of Purple Sister, but you also helped Neptune and Nepgear out as well? I really appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

“It’s was my pleasure. We adventurers have to help each other out!” Said Falcom.

“I have a question.” Purple Sister began. “Do all sisters sit like this?”

Purple Sister was sitting next to Purple Heart who had her arms wrapped tightly around her. “We do for the next couple of months.” Said Purple Heart.  

“Oh. Okay.” Said Purple Sister.

Falcom smiled warmly at Purple Sister. “Hey. I’m glad you found your sister.” Falcom began. “I don’t want to get in the way of your sisterly bonding time. I know you both have a lot to talk about.”

“Wait!” Purple Sister cried.

“It’s okay.” Falcom said, shaking her head. “I can tell that your sister really loves you and she’ll give you the care you need. Okay?”

“Please don’t leave!” Purple Sister burst into tears. “You said you wouldn’t leave until I was settled and I’m not settled!”

“Oh no!” Purple Sister said, nuzzling closer to her sister.

Falcom got to her feet. “I did say that didn’t I?” Falcom said. “Alright. I’ll stay in Planeptune until you feel settled, okay? I’m sure there’s a hotel around here.”

“Nonsense.” Said Purple Heart. “Anyone who takes that much care of my sister stays here in the Basilicom.”

“No. I couldn’t do that!” Falcom said, surprised.

“Of course you can.” Said Purple Heart. “That way Purple Sister will feel better and we can travel to the Fairy Tower together.”

Falcom took a deep breath. “Alright. That sounds nice. Thanks!”

***

Falcom was surprised. The room she had been given in the Basilicom was enormous. “Wow. I think my entire cabin could easily fit inside this room.” Falcom said, as she stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips.

“I’m glad you like it.” Purple Sister said. The goddess was still hugging her sister close to her. “I hope you don’t mind if Purple Sister drops by to say hi. I’d also like to visit with you. Do you play video games? What about pudding?”

“Uh… No I don’t mind any visitors and yes video games and pudding.” Said Falcom.

“Great!” Said Purple Sister. “With that said, I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to travel to the Fairy Tower now. Would you like to come?”

“Yes please!” Falcom said.

“Great! Purple Sister? Do you remember how to fly?” Asked Purple Heart.

“Fly?” Said Purple Sister.

“Yes. Those wings on your back give you the power to fly.” Said Purple Heart. “Don’t worry. Once you get into the air, you’ll get used to it again.”

Once outside Purple Heart took both of Purple Sister’s hands into her own. “Just follow me and trust me.” Said Purple Heart, as she lifted off into the air and pulled Purple Sister up with her.

Falcom watched from the roof of the Basilicom as both sisters lifted off into the air. She watched as they floated all around and then zoomed off. Moments later both girls returned. Purple Sister looked a bit frightful, but she wasn’t as scared as Falcom thought she would be.

“Alright. Are you ready to go?” Purple Heart asked.

Falcom nodded. “I am.” She said.

“Purple Sister? Remember what I taught you?” Purple Heart asked.

“I do.” Purple Sister said. Both Purple Heart and Purple Sister took Falcom by her hands. Soon the were lifting off into the air and flying through the sky.

“Whoa!” Falcom said, squinting her eyes as they sailed through the air. Falcom was amazed that she was able to fly again, but this time without an airship.

It didn’t take the girls very long to reach the Fairy Tower. “Whoa… This place is amazing.” Said Falcom, taking several steps back and looking the large tower over. “I wasn’t expecting it to look like this.”

“It’s kind of scary.” Said Purple Sister.

“Nothing to be afraid of.” Said Histoire, from the computer terminal. “Purple Heart, Falcom! It’s a pleasure to see you.”

“You know who I am?” Asked Falcom.

“Yes. Though incomplete, I do have a list of all Planeptune citizens.” Said Histoire.

“Histoire. I don’t know if this will work, but could you heal Purple Sister?” Asked Purple Heart.

“Heal her? What’s wrong?” Asked Histoire, a look of concern was on her face.

“She’s missing her memories.” Said Purple Heart.

Histoire didn’t say anything at first. Instead she closed her eyes. When they popped open, Histoire smiled. “If your sister is suffering from some kind of brain damage, which is causing memory loss, the Fairy Tower could indeed cure it.”

“Really?” Purple Sister said, happily. Purple Sister made her way to the terminal and placed her hand on it. “Do I need to do anything else?” She asked.

“No.” Histoire said. “If you were injured, all of them should have been healed.”

“Do you remember anything?” Asked Falcom.

Purple Sister thought for a moment. “No. I don’t remember anything.”

“How very odd.” Histoire said, looking Purple Sister over. “If brain damage isn’t the culprit than the only thing that I could think of is, but that’s impossible.”

“What?” Asked Purple Heart.

Histoire swallowed hard. “The only thing that could cause this kind of memory loss is if Purple Sister’s memories were removed and the only one who could do that is the original Histoire.”

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 19

 Neptune and Nepgear stayed in Falcom’s cabin. Normally Neptune would have explored the entire building, opening each door, looking under the beds and going through each drawer. Instead she sat on Falcom’s bed looking down at her feet. “This feels a little awkward, huh Nepgear?”

“It really is.” Said Nepgear. Nepgear was sitting at the table. Her hands were folded together.

Outside the cabin the two Nep’s could hear Falcom and Purple Sister talking. Every once in a while they could hear Purple Sister start to cry and Falcom try to comfort her. A few hours later, the door opened and Falcom stepped inside. Falcom looked exhausted. “I’m really sorry about this.” Falcom said, as she made her way over to the refrigerator and opened the door.

“What’s wrong?” Nepgear asked. “I know I shouldn’t put my nose into your business, but I’m worried about Purple Sister.”

Falcom took out a bottle of water. “I don’t really know.” She admitted. “I thought Purple Sister would be happy that we found some clue about her past, but she doesn’t seem happy about it at all.” Falcom pulled off the cap of her water and took several big drinks. “Don’t get me wrong. Purple Sister is a dear friend of mine and she’s welcome to stay here forever, but I don’t want her to miss out on meeting her family.”

“Sisters can be complicated.” Neptune said. “I have an idea! Why don’t we send a message to Planeptune and see if Purple Heart can come here instead?”

Falcom tilted her head slightly to the right. “That’s an idea. I’d just feel guilty going behind Purple Sister’s back like that.”

“That’s a good point.” Nepgear said. Nepgear couldn’t help, but look at her sister. Neptune was leaning back against Falcom’s bed now and was gently kicking her feet. “You know what? I think if it were me, I’d be afraid to go back.”

“Huh? How could you be afraid to come back to me?” Neptune asked. “If you disappeared Nepgear and suddenly came back, I’d hug you for a gazillion years!”

Nepgear giggled. “I know sis, but I’m thinking about Purple Sister’s situation. The only thing she remembers is her name and that’s it. She feels like something is missing and that’s why she cries so much.”

“That’s true.” Said Falcom.

“We’ve all had our hearts broken before. It’s a terrible feeling and to make it worse, Purple Sister is feeling that everyday.” Nepgear slowly got to her feet. “Falcom? Do you mind if I talk to her instead?”

“Sure!” Falcom said, happily. “Oh, have you ever fished before?”

Nepgear shook her head. “I haven’t.”

“Well in that case, ask Purple Sister to help you out, okay? Trust me. Fishing can help!” Said Falcom.

Nepgear smiled. “Thanks!” She said, and with those words Nepgear headed outside. Nepgear spotted Purple Sister standing on the dock. The girl held a fishing pole out in front of her. Lying on the ground was the tackle box, a small circular container and another fishing pole.

Nepgear took a deep breath. “I hope I’m right about this.” Nepgear thought, as she made her way over to Purple Sister. “Hi Purple Sister!” Nepgear said.

“Oh… Hello.” Purple Sister said. Nepgear could tell that Purple Sister was trying not to look at her. “I’m sorry about before. I’m sure you don’t want to be friends with a mean crybaby like me, right?”

Nepgear shook her head. “I don’t think you’re a mean crybaby and of course were still friends!” Nepgear said.

“Really?” Purple Sister asked, finally looking at Nepgear out of the corners of her eyes.

“Really!” Nepgear said. “I actually wanted to ask you a small favor if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind, but…” Purple Sister said, but stopped speaking.

“Do you mind if I tried fishing with you?” Nepgear asked, picking up the spare fishing pole.

“I would love that.” Purple Sister said, a small smile appeared on her lips.

“The only problem is. I don’t know anything about fishing. Could you teach me?” Asked Nepgear.

Purple Sister nodded her head, before she turned her attention completely towards the fishing pole that Nepgear held. Purple Sister spent several minutes explaining the different parts of the fishing pole and then showed Nepgear how to put bait on the hook. After that she showed Nepgear how to cast her line into the water and what to look for before pulling on her fishing pole.

“And that’s everything.” Purple Sister said.

“Wow! You’re really good at explaining things.” Said Nepgear.

“Thanks.” Purple Sister said, blushing a little. “What are friends for?”

Nepgear and Purple Sister stood on the dock in silence watching their bobbers in the water. Every once in a while the girls would pull on their lines, causing their bait to move.

“So… You and your sister are traveling together?” Purple Sister asked. “That must be nice.”

Nepgear nodded. “It has been, but there have been some scary moments as well.”

“Really?” Asked Purple Sister.

“Yeah. For instance, several days ago Neptune actually got seriously injured. I was worried that she would die.” Nepgear admitted. “Thankfully that didn’t happen, but it terrified me.”

“That must have been terrible.” Purple Sister said.

“Have you and Falcom gone on any journeys?” Asked Nepgear.

“Just to town a few times.” Said Purple Sister. “It was kind of scary. There were so many people watching us, but Falcom held my hand the entire time. She’s really nice. Almost like a big sister.”

“I bet Falcom would make a great big sister. She seems like the kind of person who enjoys taking care of others. I mean she’s letting me and Neptune spend the night and she doesn’t even know us.”

“She’s nice.” Said Purple Sister.

Silence fell between the two girls once more. They focused on their bobbers, pulled on their fishing poles and even reeled them in a bit. So far, however, they hadn’t managed to catch any fish.

“Purple Sister? Can I ask you a question?” Nepgear asked.

“Sure.” Said Purple Sister.

“Are you afraid to meet Purple Heart?” Nepgear asked. Purple Sister cleared her throat, but didn’t say anything. Instead she took a few steps away from Nepgear. “I was thinking about your situation before. If I had lost my memory and ended up lost somewhere. I wouldn’t know what to do. If someone suddenly appeared and said, ‘hey you have a big sister’. I think I would be terrified to meet them.”

“Really?” Purple Sister asked.

Nepgear nodded. “Really. The first thing I would think is. Did my big sister leave me behind on purpose?”

Purple Sister took a step closer to Nepgear. “Yeah?” She asked.

“Yeah.” Said Nepgear. “I would also wonder if they were mad at me for disappearing.”

Purple Heart took another step closer to Nepgear.

“I would wonder if we ever got along in the first place. I would wonder if my sister even looked for me after I disappeared. Was she worried about me?” Nepgear stopped talking when she felt Purple Sister’s shoulder touch her own. “I would be terrified to meet my big sister, but I would want to meet her anyway.”

“Really?” Purple Sister said, her eyes fell to the water. “Why?” She asked, in a voice so soft that Nepgear wasn’t sure if she heard her correctly.

“I guess not knowing would scare me more.” Said Nepgear.

Purple Sister turned her eyes towards her bobber. For a minute she thought about everything Nepgear had told her. “You’re right.” She said. After that Nepgear started reeling in her line as fast as she could, but suddenly slowed down. “I need to respect my equipment otherwise it won’t respect me.”

“Did Falcom teach you that?” Nepgear asked.

“Yep.” Said Purple Sister.

Nepgear reeled in her line as well and soon the two girls were stepping into Falcom’s home. “Falcom?” Nepgear began. “Purple Sister would like to ask you something.”

Purple Sister’s cheeks grew bright red. “W-Will you please… Take me to Planeptune?” The girl stammered.

Falcom smiled and nodded. “It would be my pleasure.” She said.

“I knew you could do it Nepgear!” Neptune said. The girl was now sitting at the table, she was surrounded by several empty pudding cups.

“Big sister! You shouldn’t eat that many puddings! You’re just taking advantage of Falcom.”

“Nope! Falcom said I could have as many puddings as I want. Are you calling Falcom a liar?” Neptune asked.

“Of course not big sister, but Falcom is just being nice! I’m sure she didn’t mean for you to literally eat them all!” Nepgear said.

“I didn’t eat them all. I ate a few.” Neptune said.

Purple Sister took a deep breath as she carefully made her way over to the table. “P-Please don’t fight.” She said.

Neptune and Nepgear turned their eyes towards Purple Sister. “Oh were not fighting!” Neptune said, giggling.

“That’s right. This is just how we talk sometimes.” Said Nepgear.

“If you want to see a real fight, just try messing with Nepgear’s N-Gear. She’ll tear your head off!” Neptune said, hugging herself tightly, a look of dread appeared on her face. “OW!” Neptune cried out, as she grabbed her head.

“What’s wrong?” Nepgear asked, running around the table.

Falcom made her way over to the girls as well. “Are you alright? I have some medicine if you need it.” Falcom said.

Neptune didn’t say anything at first. The pain in her head only lasted a moment, but it was bad enough to make her dizzy. “I’m alright. I just felt this weird pain in my head.” Neptune explained. “Also… Nepgear? Do you remember me taking your N-Gear before and trying to install some apps on it?”

“Yeah of course.” Nepgear said. The girl’s eyes went wide when she suddenly grabbed her head as well and started swaying side-to-side. “Oh my head!” Nepgear cried out. Falcom took Nepgear by her shoulders and guided her to a chair. After Nepgear was sitting, Falcom went to retrieve some medicine.

“That’s so weird.” Said Neptune. “For some reason that memory popped into my head and I guess my head didn’t like it, cause it bit me!”

“I remembered it too.” Said Nepgear. “It’s weird though. I remember you downloading some apps on my N-Gear and those apps turned out to be viruses, but where did that happen?”

Neptune thought about this for a moment, but she couldn’t remember. “Don’t know. You see Purple Sister? Nepgear’s so scary that she gave us both headaches!”

“I see…” Purple Heart said, moving closer to Falcom.

“Neptune! I’m not scary!” Nepgear said, annoyed.

“Scary!” Neptune said, pretending to recoil in fear.

Falcom and Purple Sister gathered some supplies and headed for the front door of the cabin. “Are you sure you two want to leave this moment?” Asked Nepgear. “It’s going to be dark soon.”

“That’s alright.” Said Falcom. “By the time it gets dark we should arrive at the city Red lives in. I’m curious about that train you mentioned.”

“Yeah, but that train left already.” Said Neptune.

“True, but it’s not the only way to get to Planeptune.” Said Falcom. “Also I’ll be with Purple Sister, so I’ll be fine. Right?”

“Right.” Purple Sister said, nodding.

“Oh! Before we leave. Nepgear? I know you’re very responsible so could you do me a few favors while were gone?” Falcom asked.

“Of course.” Said Nepgear.

“First off. Could you clean out my refrigerator? I don’t know when we’ll be back and I’m sure the food we’ll go bad before then. It’d be a waste, so please take everything with you two, okay?”

“Sure.” Nepgear said, a weak smile appeared on her face.

“Last thing. Don’t lock the door.” Falcom said. “This place does belong to me, but I like to keep it open so anyone can rest if they need to.”

“Okay. Are you sure there’s nothing here you wouldn’t want to keep safe? What about the fishing poles and tackle box?” Asked Nepgear.

“Those things can be replaced. If someone takes them, then they must really need them.” Said Falcom. “Anyways. It was great meeting you two!”

“I’m glad I met you two as well.” Purple Sister said.

“Same here!” Nepgear said.

“Yep!” Said Neptune, saluting.

“Alright Purple Sister.” Falcom said, holding her hand out to the girl. “Are you ready to go?”

Purple Sister didn’t hesitate this time. She took Falcom by the hand. “I’m ready.”

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 18

 Neptune and Nepgear made their way to the spot that Red pointed out on the map. When they finally arrived, the girls were surprised to find a small cabin located near a large pond. The cabin looked cute and quaint and a dock was located next to the pond. “This is pretty nice.” Nepgear said, glancing around. “Do you really think the people living here are going to help us?”

“Who knows.” Neptune said, shrugging her shoulders. “I feel pretty good right now. We don’t really have to stop if you don’t want to.”

Nepgear’s lower jaw dropped in awe. “Neptune? Are you really okay?” She asked.

“Geesh! The first time I’m willing to keep going and you give me that look!” Neptune said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and puffing out her cheeks. “Sometimes I don’t know what I’m going to do with you little sister.”

Nepgear giggled. “Sorry Neptune. You just caught me off guard.”

“Uh-huh…” Neptune said, playfully bumping her shoulder into Nepgear. “Come on. Let’s say hi.” And with that, Neptune led Nepgear to the front door of the cabin. Before the girls could know though, they heard someone talking near the dock.

“Okay… I think I got everything.” The voice said.

“Oooh! I think our new friend is around back.” Neptune said. Nepgear nodded in agreement and followed her sister around back. Standing on the dock was a beautiful red haired girl who had her back to them. Neptune’s eyes instantly fell on the sheath sword on the girls’ back. “Hello?” Neptune said, in a small voice.

The girl turned quickly, her hand reached for her sword, but stopped when she spotted who was talking to her. “Oh? Who are you?” The girl asked.

“Neptune and Nepgear.” Neptune said, pointing at herself and her sister. “Your wifey Red sent us. Said you could help us out?”

The girl giggled. “My wifey, huh? How’s Red doing anyways?”

“She’s fine now. We helped her get rid of the monsters that attacked her city.” Nepgear said.

The girl’s smile instantly vanished. “Monsters? Are you serious? Is everyone okay?” The girl asked, taking several steps towards Neptune and Nepgear.

“She’s fine! Honest!” Neptune said. “As for everyone else. Red told us they fled to get help. They must have forgotten where they lived though, cause that was weeks ago.”

The red haired girl placed her hands on her hips and sighed deeply. “Oh man… I feel bad. I should have known something was up when Red hadn’t visited in a while. To be honest though.” The girl blushed a little. “I thought she found a new ‘wifey’ to get involved with.”

“Were you two serious?” Neptune asked, smiling mischievously. “Sorry, but were her wifeys now.”

The red haired girl laughed. “It’s fine.” The red haired girl took a deep breath, after she let it out she said, “by the way. My names Falcom. It’s nice to meet you both!”

“Nice to meet you too.” Said Nepgear.

“Yo!” Said Neptune, saluting.

Neptune and Nepgear made their way over to Falcom. Falcom’s eyes instantly turned to Nepgear. Falcom furrowed her eyes and slowly shook her head. “Hey. I know she’s a looker, but I’m not really ready to marry my little sister off.” Neptune said, taking Nepgear by the hand.

“No. It’s not that.” Falcom said. “It’s weird, but your sister looks a lot like my friend.”

Just as the words left Falcom’s lips, the girls heard the sound of a door opening and closing, followed by the sounds of footsteps. “Falcom? I have the tackle box.” Said a familiar voice.

Neptune and Nepgear turned and spotted a beautiful girl who looked a lot like Nepgear. “Hi Purple Sister!” Falcom said.

“Oh…” Purple Sister said, halting in her tracks. Purple Sister looked from Falcom, to Neptune to Nepgear. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes and the girl collapsed to her knees. Purple Sister hugged a blue tackle box close to her chest. “I’m… So sorry…” Purple Sister sobbed.

“Whoa! Leaky pipes!” Neptune said, surprised.

“Sorry about this.” Falcom said, walking briskly past the Nep’s and going to her knees next to Purple Sister. “She’s really depressed. This happens sometimes.” Falcom began rubbing Purple Sister’s back gently.

“It’s okay.” Nepgear said, looking Purple Sister over. “Um… Neptune? Doesn’t the name Purple Sister sound familiar to you?” Asked Nepgear, trying to remember where she had heard the name before.

“Now that you mention it. No.” Neptune said, shaking her head. “Oh wait! Purple Heart!”

“That’s right!” Nepgear said.

“Purple Heart? The CPU of Planeptune?” Asked Falcom.

“Yeah! She said that her sister is missing.” Neptune said, trying to remember everything Purple Heart had told them.

Falcom’s eyes went wide and a large smile appeared on her face. “Did you hear that Purple Sister? We might know something about you!” Falcom siad.

“Yes… But…” Purple Heart said, as more tears trickled down her cheeks.

Neptune shifted uncomfortably where she stood. Normally she would crack a few jokes in order to lighten the mood, but something about Purple Heart’s tears kept her from doing that. Instead she laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. “You know Nepgear. We should probably go and wait somewhere while Purple Sister calms down.”

“Yeah.” Nepgear said.

“Oh! Please don’t go too far.” Falcom said.

“We won’t.” Nepgear said.

“Thanks!” Falcom said. “You two can wait inside if you want. We’ll be there in a moment.”

Neptune and Nepgear did as they were asked and headed into Falcom’s cabin. The cabin was rather small. Two beds were located near the far side of the room, a table was located in the middle of the room and a small kitchen was located on the right side of the room. “This is cozy.” Nepgear said, taking a seat at the table. “It kind of reminds me of our home.”

“Yeah.” Neptune said. “You’re not feeling too homesick are you?”

Nepgear shrugged her shoulders. “I would be lying if I said no. I do miss our home and our friends, but I know this is important.”

Neptune took a seat at the table. “Yeah, but I’m with you sister. I miss our house, pudding, friends, pudding and pudding.”

Nepgear giggled. “You always know how to cheer me up.”

The door of the cabin opened and Purple Sister, closely followed by Falcom, stepped inside. “I’m sorry about before.” Purple Sister said, the girl was still holding the tackle box.

“It’s alright.” Nepgear said, quickly standing.

“So you two are Red’s wifeys, huh?” Neptune asked.

Purple Sister blushed a little and nodded. “When Red told me I was her wifey. It made me really happy.” She said.

“Oh?” Nepgear said, blushing a little herself.

Falcom giggled. “Purple Sister loves it when people are nice to her.” She said.

“Cool! We’ll be nice Purple Sister.” Neptune said. “But you have to tell us what’s going on.”

Purple Sister nodded. “I… I don’t remember anything. It feels like I’m missing something, but I can’t remember what it is and sometimes I feel like my heart is breaking for no reason at all.” She began. “I do remember waking up in the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t remember how I got there, who I was, or why I was even there. All I could remember was my name.”

“Amnesia? That’s completely original.” Neptune said, in a small voice.

“I actually found Purple Sister a little while after that.” Falcom said. “We’ve been living together ever since.” Falcom explained. “I’ve been trying to help Purple Sister remember anything, but it’s like the memories just aren’t there anymore.”

“That’s horrible.” Nepgear said.

“Yes.” Purple Sister said, as tears started trickling down her cheeks. “It’s like… I’m supposed to remember something very important… but I can’t…”

Falcom began rubbing Purple Sister’s back once more. “That’s why she’s so depressed.” Falcom said.

Neptune and Nepgear exchanged glances. “Sorry if were making you cry.” Neptune said. “As a big sister I hate seeing Nepgear cry and I also hate it when girls that look like Nepgear cry as well. Big sister fail if I can’t make you smile.”

“No…” Purple Sister said, shaking her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know!” Nepgear said, a bright smile appeared on her face. “How would you like to be friends with us?”

“Yeah! I’d love to be friends with a  cutie like you!” Neptune said. “Of course I want to be friends with Falcom as well.”

Falcom laughed. “That sounds nice.” She said. “What do you think Purple Sister?”

Purple Sister took a jagged breath. “That sounds nice.” She said, smiling herself.

Falcom and Purple Sister took a seat at the table. “So what about you two?” Falcom asked. “What’s your story?”

Neptune and Nepgear spent nearly an hour telling their new friends everything they had been through. They told them about Histoire and the Fairy Towers. About how Neptune had been tasked with activating each of the Fairy Towers in Planeptune. They even talked about the strange house and dead looking monsters that lived in the basement.

“Wow.” Falcom said, surprised. “You two have been through a lot lately, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s been a trip alright.” Said Neptune, pretending to collapse on the table. “Now were just looking for a place to rest for a while. Preferably a place that has some ice cold pudding.”

Purple Sister suddenly perked up. “Falcom? Is it okay?” She asked.

“Of course!” Falcom said.

Purple Sister excitedly got to her feet and made her way over to a nearby refrigerator. After pulling the door open she reached inside and removed several pudding cups. After that, Purple Sister hesitated before she finally worked up the courage to hand the pudding cups over. “Enjoy!” She said.

“Thanks!” Neptune said, happily taking the pudding cup from Purple Sister.

“Thank you!” Said Nepgear, taking one herself.

“Thanks!” Said Falcom, taking a pudding cup for herself.

After that, the girls opened their puddings and started feasting on the gooey dessert. “This is what I’m talking about!” Neptune said, happily. “Anyone who gives me pudding has to be a good person.”

“You set the bar pretty low sis.” Said Nepgear.

Falcom giggled. “Well Purple Sister loves giving them to people.”

“Yes.” Purple Sister said, nodding.

“Anyways.” Falcom began, after she finished her pudding cup. “Neptune? Nepgear? You’re both welcome to stay in my cabin as long as you want, but I think Purple Sister and I need to take a trip to Planeptune.” She said.

Purple Sister’s eyes started to water. “W-Why?” Purple Sister asked.

“Well chances are your big sister is lady Purple Heart. If that’s true, I’m sure she’s worried about you. You should see her.” Said Falcom.

Purple Sister didn’t say anything at first. Instead she looked down at her half-eaten pudding cup. Suddenly tears started trickling down her cheeks once more. “I can’t.” She breathed. “I don’t want to.”

“Why not?” Falcom asked.

“Your sister is really worried about you. No lie.” Said Neptune.

Purple Sister didn’t answer her. Instead she shook her head several times more. “I’m going outside.” And with that, Purple Sister stood and headed outside leaving Neptune, Nepgear and Falcom alone.

“Great…” Falcom said, sighing deeply. “I didn’t think she’d react like that.”

“I’m sorry. This is all our faults.” Nepgear said.

“I only take half the blame.” Neptune chimed in.

Falcom sighed once more. “It’s no ones fault. Purple Sister is just afraid. I need to talk to her.”

“I’m wondering why she doesn’t want to see Purple Heart.” Nepgear began. “If it were me. I would be dying to see my big sister again.”

“Yeah, but you have to remember she doesn’t remember nothing.” Said Neptune. “Maybe she’s afraid or something. I don’t know how I’d be if I lost all my memories. Not like that would ever happen to me or anything!” Neptune said, giggling.

Falcom finished her pudding and stood. After taking up Purple Sister’s unfinished pudding, she headed for the front door. “I’m going to talk to Purple Sister for a minute. You two can make yourselves at home. If you want any more pudding please help yourselves. If you need a nap, go ahead and take my bed. It’s the one closer to the wall.”

“Thank you for letting us impose.” Nepgear said, standing once more and bowing.

“Thanks Falcom!” Neptune said. “You’re my new best friend!”

Falcom smiled once more before heading outside. Now that Neptune and Nepgear were alone, the girls didn’t know what to do or say. “I hate doing this.” Nepgear began. “I mean we just found Purple Heart’s long lost sister and she’s completely depressed and doesn’t want to see her big sister. Also we can’t stick around forever to help out. I just hate this.”

“Me too little sister.” Neptune said, tiptoeing over to the refrigerator. “I think we should just leave this to Falcom.”

“Yeah.” Nepgear said. “Oh sis? No more pudding, okay?”

Neptune sighed deeply. “Nepgear… You’re such a meanie!”

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 17

 A high-pitched whistle started Neptune and Nepgear awake. Nepgear groaned loudly, as she rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up. Neptune on the other hand continued to lie perfectly still. Her eyes were partially open. For a moment, Neptune forgot where she was.

“Aw… Nepgear?” Neptune began, looking at her sister who’s eyes were partially opened as well. “Did you crawl into bed with me? It’s been a while since you’ve done that.” Neptune said.

“Huh? No. We shared a bed last night, remember?” Said Nepgear, half asleep.

“Oh! That’s right!” Neptune said, taking a deep breath. “Sorry about that favorite little sister of mine. I completely forgot about that.” Neptune said up in bed. Neptune suddenly yawned and stretched her hands high over her head. “I don’t know about you, but I had a dream that we were back in Planeptune. We were hanging out with IF and Compa, then something bad happened.”

“Something bad?” Nepgear asked. “Let me guess. They outlawed pudding or something?”

Neptune rubbed the side of her head. “Did they? No. I don’t think that was it.” Said Neptune. “It was something else, but I can’t remember. Weird dream.” Neptune sleepily looked at Nepgear who was now sitting on the bed opposite of hers and was pulling on her shoes. “How did you sleep Nepgear?”

“Pretty good. I slept all night.” Nepgear said, sighing deeply. “Now there’s no time to check out the train.”

“Why not?” Asked Neptune.

Neptune’s question was quickly answered when she noticed someone was looking through the window of their train car. “Crackers!” Neptune said, pulling the covers up past her chest even though she was fully clothed. “Get out of here you cootie bag!” Neptune cried.

“I don’t think they can see inside or hear us.” Nepgear said.

“Still. It’s the thought that counts and my thoughts are creeping me out right now!” Neptune declared, as she threw off her blankets and grabbed her shoes. Neptune slid a cover over the window before she slid her feet into her shoes.

Nepgear stood and stretched her hands over her head. “Are you ready to go big sis?” Nepgear asked.

“One second.” Neptune said, as she made her way over to the refrigerator and grabbed a couple bottles of water. “For the road, okay?”

Nepgear wanted to argue, but changed her mind. “Alright. Thanks!” She said, taking a bottle from her sister. After that Neptune and Nepgear stepped out of the train and into the morning air. “Hello everyone!” Neptune cheered. Neptune’s smile vanished almost immediately. The town looked completely empty.

“Hey… Where is everyone?” Asked Nepgear.

“Why there was a weirdo right over… there?” Neptune pointed to their car’s window was, but they were now gone. The entire platform the girls stood on was empty of life except for them. “Hey Nepgear? Do you believe in ghosts?”

“Th-that wasn’t a ghost Neptune.” Nepgear said, her voice shook in her throat a little.

“Uh-huh. You sure?” Neptune said, tilting her head slightly to the right.

Nepgear ignored her sisters question before she turned her eyes back to the town. The town was much larger than the last one they were in. However, this town looked completely empty. “Where is everyone?” Nepgear wondered, aloud.

“HELLO!?” Neptune shouted, as she cupped her hands around her mouth. “IS ANYONE OUT HERE?!”

Neptune’s voice echoed through the town, but no one returned her call. “This is so weird!” Neptune said, placing her hands high on her hips. “Well… That stinks. I guess we should just keep on going.”

“I guess so.” Nepgear said. “Still. If this town was abandoned, who was looking into the train car just a moment ago?”

Neptune felt a shiver run down her spine. “Forget it, forgot it, let’s go!” Neptune said, leading the charge off the train platform. Nepgear followed closely behind her sister. Once they reached the bottom step of the platform, they heard the train doors behind them close, a loud whistle and then the train started moving back down the tracks. Soon the train had disappeared somewhere in the distance.

“Well were stuck here.” Nepgear said.

“Yep.” Neptune said, nervously. “I don’t know about you Nepgear, but I suddenly feel like running!”

“Me too!” Nepgear said.

Neptune and Nepgear were about to start running, but stopped when they spotted a figure appear in the road ahead of them. Even though the girls were certain they had never seen monsters like them before, they knew exactly what kinds of creatures stood in front of them. High Lizard and Promise Ring. Dozens of them.

Neptune and Nepgear summoned their weapons. “I think I can guess where the towns people went.” Neptune said, aiming the tip of her katana at the creatures.

“I hope you’re wrong.” Nepgear said, in a small voice.

The High Lizards’ and Promise Rings’ started charging at the two girls with incredible speeds. Neptune and Nepgear prepared themselves for a fight, but before they could do anything they heard the sound of footfalls behind them.

“Watch out!” Came a voice.

Neptune and Nepgear turned in time to see a small figure leap over them. Suddenly the figure summoned a large hammer that looked like an enormous toy. The figure smashed through the high lizards’ and promise rings’, sending them flying back. The creatures slammed into the ground and against the surrounding buildings.

The figure landed gracefully in front of Neptune and Nepgear. The figure smiled brightly and saluted. “I see the train dropped off two wifeys for me!”

“Wifeys?” Nepgear said, shocked.

“Uh… I’m not ready to tie the knot just yet.” Neptune said, scratching the back of her head.

The figure that stood before them was a red haired girl. The girl ran up to Neptune and Nepgear. “Sorry ladies, no time to chat. Do you mind following me?” She asked.

“Who are you?” Neptune asked, confused by everything that was going on.

“My name is Red!” The girl said, saluting once more. “I’ll explain everything later, but we have to start running now!”

Neptune and Nepgear wanted to grill the girl for more information, but soon realized that would be impossible. Dozens more high lizards’ and promise rings’ had appeared and were now flying after them.

“We better run Neptune!” Nepgear said.

“Lead the way Red.” Said Neptune.

Neptune and Nepgear followed Red as the girl led them down several long alleyways and even through several buildings. Soon the girls ran into a forth building and closed the door behind them.

“There. I think we lost them.” Said Red. Red’s eyes got wide as she started looking Neptune and Nepgear over. “Wow! I picked up some hot wifeys today!”

“I’m no ones wifey.” Neptune said.

“Sorry, but I’m going to have to decline as well.” Nepgear said, laughing nervously.

“You… Don’t want to be my wifey?” Red asked, her eyes moistened with tears.

“That’s right. You’re going to have to put a ring on-” Neptune began, but Nepgear interrupted her.

“Never min that Red. Could you tell us what’s going on here?” Asked Nepgear.

“Oh yeah! Sure!” Said Red, perking up almost immediately. “A while ago several strong looking monsters appeared in our town. The towns people ran for the hills and I’ve been left behind to kill the monsters.”

“That’s it?” Nepgear asked.

“It’s weird, right? Monsters like these usually hangout in ruins, but these were driven right into town.” Said Red.

“That is weird.” Said Nepgear, scratching her chin thoughtfully. “What should we do Neptune?”

“I guess beat some monsters up?” Neptune offered.

“I appreciate that, but these monsters are pretty strong.” Said Red.

“Interesting…” Nepgear said, glancing up at the ceiling. “Red… Have you ever heard of something called a Fairy Tower?”

“Fairy Tower? I don’t think so.” Said Red, shaking her head.

“There’s a Fairy Tower really close by. You can actually increase your strength if you use it.” Said Nepgear.

“Uh… Nepgear?” Neptune began. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You know? Telling people about the Fairy Tower?”

“I do.” Said Nepgear. “Remember what MAGES. Told us? We need to tell more people about the Fairy Tower.”

“Yeah… She did say that didn’t she?” Neptune asked. “Anyways Red. Like my brainy little sister said. You can get stronger by using the Fairy Tower, but only if you kill monsters and take the share energy you get from killing them.”

“I played a game like that. It was called Dark-” Red began, but Neptune cut her off.

“Nope! It’s an original idea!” Neptune said, giggling nervously. “Anyways, we’ll deal with the monsters in this town. Maybe you’ll earn some share energy by helping us?”

“That could work.” Said Nepgear.

“I’ll help!” Red said, holding up her giant toy hammer.

“You ready Nepgear?” Neptune asked.

Nepgear nodded. “Yep! I’m all rested up and ready to go!”

“Great!” Neptune said, happily. “Let’s go brutally murder some monsters!”

Neptune, Nepgear and Red stepped outside. Their smiled vanished instantly when they saw that the house they were hiding in had been completely surrounded by high lizards’ and promise rings’. The high lizards’ licked their maws hungrily while the promise rings’ hovered above the ground and giggled like imps.

“I think they heard us.” Nepgear said.

Neptune sighed deeply. “Nothing else to do!” Neptune turned to Red. “Red? I want you to hit and run. Let Nepgear and I take care of the rest, okay?”

“Right!” Red said, holding up her hammer.

“Nepgear? Follow me!” Neptune said, as she led the charge at the monsters.

One of the high lizards’ rushed forwards and lifted it’s axe high over its head before bringing it down fast. Neptune held up her sword just in time to block the first attack. While Neptune and the high lizard faced off, Nepgear leapt high into the air and brought her energy sword down on the creatures head. With a bright flash the monster vanished.

“That’s my little sister! You kill monsters better than the rest!” Neptune said.

Nepgear blushed heavily.

Red watched in amazement as Neptune and Nepgear started taking out monster after monster effortlessly. Their teamwork almost brought a tear to Red’s eye.

Red leaned her hammer against her body, slapped her cheeks and then started fighting the monsters herself. Considering how weak Red was, the only thing the girl could do was swing her toy hammer around wildly. Her hammer smacked into the monsters causing them to fall backwards.

“Too bad I can’t actually kill any of these monsters.” Red thought, sadly.

One of the high lizards’ lifted its shield and blocked Red’s attack. After that, two more high lizards’ flew at Red and swung their axes. Red’s eyes went wide with terror, but before the creatures could cut her down, Neptune and Nepgear leapt in front of her and kicked the creatures hard in the chest, sending them reeling backwards.

“Thanks!” Said Red, welling with joy. “I knew I spotted some quality wifeys!”

“Ugh!” Neptune grunted, before she leapt at another swatch of monsters and cut them down.

Nepgear merely giggled as she sliced through a promise ring, killing it with a single strike.

As the fight waged on, the amount of monsters that attacked the girls lessened and lessened, until no more remained.

“I think that’s it.” Nepgear said, lowering her energy sword.

“We did it Nepgear!” Neptune said, holding out her hand.

“Yep!” Nepgear said, giving her sister a high-five.

“Come on Red!” Neptune said, holding out her hand for Red to slap it next.

“Thanks.” Red said, her enthusiasm had vanished. “But I didn’t really do anything.”

Neptune shook her head. “Oh please! Give me a high-five!”

Red sighed a little, but happily returned Neptune’s gesture. “Seriously Red. You didn’t give up even though you couldn’t kill any of the monsters. I admire that.” Nepgear said. “Besides, you’ve been trying to take back this town for a while, right?”

“Weeks.” Said Red.

“That’s admirable!” Nepgear said.  

“But you need to get stronger.” Neptune said.

“Neptune!” Nepgear said, angrily at her sister.

“You’re right!” Said Red. “Could you tell me more about these Fairy Towers?”

Nepgear looked from Neptune, to Red and back to Neptune. Neptune wore a large smile on her face. “I guess my sister wasn’t trying to be mean after all.” Thought Nepgear. Nepgear took a deep breath, when she exhaled it she pulled out her N-Gear. “Sure. Let me tell you about the one near Planeptune.”

Nepgear told Red everything she needed to know about the Fairy Towers. She told her about how she can use them to get stronger, about share energy and about Histoire. “Histoire will help you if you have any questions. Just ask her.”

“Thanks!” Said Red.

“I’m glad we could take care of all this, but what about the people who lived in this village? Also why did they leave you behind?” Nepgear asked.

“Well…” Red began. “They probably spread out to the surrounding towns in hopes of finding help. Also they didn’t necessarily leave me behind. I stayed behind because I wanted to get rid of the monsters.”

“Oh… Cool.” Said Neptune.

“Thanks! I knew staying behind would impress any potential wifeys.” Red said, giggling. “Anyways, I’m going to Planeptune now!”

“Yeah, but how are you going to get there?” Neptune asked. “MAGES. Magic pudding train just left the station, remember?”

“That’s true…” Said Nepgear.

“Don’t worry! I remember how the train works. I’ll just follow the railroad tracks and hop on when it stops for me!” Said Red.

“Wait… The train stops for people?” Nepgear asked. “And this is all automatic?”

“Yeah! Cool, huh?” Asked Red.

“Cool indeed! Aw… Now I really wish I got up early and looked it over!” Nepgear said, as she started to pout.

“That’s my tech savvy sister for you.” Neptune said. “Anyways Red. We’ll see you later, okay?”

“Right!” Said Red. “Oh wait!” Red lightly smacked the side of her head. “I just remembered something! Can I see your map again?”

Nepgear held out her N-Gear for Red to look over. “You see this spot right here?” Red asked, pointing to a spot on the map. Nepgear looked the spot over, but it didn’t look very special. “Well if you go here, you’ll find a house where two of my other wifeys are living! If you tell them I sent you, they’ll help you out!”  

“Thanks!” Nepgear said.

“You’re welcome!” Said Red, happily. “Well then! I’ll see you two later!” Neptune and Nepgear turned to leave. “Oh yeah!” Red shouted at them. The Nep’s looked back at Red who was waving her hands wildly over her head. “The next time we meet, I’m seriously going to make you two my wifeys as well!”

Neptune narrowed her eyes at Red. “RING FIRST!” She shouted back.

Red giggled as she started making her way to the train station. “Well. We wrapped that up faster than I thought we would.” Nepgear admitted.

“Yeah. Good point.” Neptune said. “So do you want to meet Red’s wifeys next or not?”

Nepgear giggled. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Their home is really close to the last Fairy Tower.”

Neptunia Heart Souls- CHAPTER 16

 MAGES. Led Neptune and Nepgear outside. The Nep’s were surprised to see that all the Clyde and Ms. Clyde monsters were gone. “Where did the monsters go?” Neptune asked, as she looked around for any signs of them.

“They like to hide and surprise people.” Said MAGES. “Trust me. They’ll be back out as soon as we start walking towards the first spawner.”

“Great…” Nepgear said, as she glanced down at the energy sword she was holding. Thanks to the last few purchases Nepgear made before they left Planeptune, Nepgear was able to put the final touches on her weapon. Now the energy was consistent and her energy sword was far more reliable. Still, she couldn’t help but worry about it sometimes.

“Is everything alright small one?” Asked MAGES.

Nepgear forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

Neptune giggled. “Nepgear’s a worrier. She’ll be fine.”

MAGES. Nodded. “Very well then. Shall we go?”

Neptune and Nepgear ran around MAGES. And led the charge to the first spawner. The girls managed to run five feet away from the building when the Clyde and Ms. Clyde monsters suddenly appeared. Their ghost like bodies zoomed through the air until they were close enough to attack.

Neptune leapt out of the way as several Clyde and Ms. Clyde monsters attacked. As Neptune flew through the air, she twirled around and brought her katana down fast and swift. Her blade sliced through the monsters and with a bright flash, the creatures had vanished.

Nepgear swung her sword as well. She managed to slice through five of the creatures, before turning on her heels and killed three more.

MAGES on the other hand didn’t launch any attacks of her own. Instead she confidently strolled behind Neptune and Nepgear as they continued to kill the onslaught of monsters. A confident smile was on her face the entire time.

After ten minutes of this has passed, the girls managed to find the first spawner. The device had indeed been exposed thanks to the amount of Clyde and Ms. Clyde monsters it had created. The device was long and cylindrical in shape. It was silver in color and the base of the device had dozens of blinking lights.

“There it is.” MAGES. Said, as she aimed her staff at the device. Fire fell from the sky and slammed into the device. With a loud boom, the device was completely destroyed. “One down. Three more to go.”

“Were getting there!” Neptune said, excitedly.

“Yeah. Let’s keep it up.” Said Nepgear, swallowing hard.

And with that, the three girls made their way to the next spawner and then the next and finally they reached the fourth one. After the forth spawner had been destroyed, MAGES. Turned her attention to the remaining Clyde and Ms. Clyde monsters. “The Clyde and Ms. Clyde monsters aren’t native to this region. So don’t worry about wiping them out.”

Neptune, Nepgear and MAGES. Launched themselves at the remaining monsters. Because Clyde and Ms. Clyde monsters weren’t that powerful, the girls were easily able to defeat the rest of them.

Finally after several long moments, the monsters were gone. Neptune fell back and landed hard on her butt. “Oh man… That was a lot of work!”

“I agree.” Said Nepgear, as she fell to her knees.

MAGES. Tried to look fine, but she too was breathing rather hard. “It was but a trifle.” She said.

“Uh-huh… So you can handle those monsters over there.” Neptune asked, gesturing behind MAGES.

MAGES. Quickly spun around. “Actually I…” But stopped speaking when she noticed that nothing was behind her and Neptune was now wearing a large, mischievous smile. “I knew it was a trick.” She said. “Anyways, you two really helped me out. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.” Nepgear said, forcing a smile. “So… Will you…?” Nepgear began.

MAGES. Took a deep breath. “It would be my honor to give you both a ride to the next town using my train.”

Neptune got to her feet and held a hand out to her sister. “Come on Nepgear. Let’s get going.” She said, smiling warmly at her sister.

Nepgear happily took Neptune’s hand. “Right.” She said.

Several moments later the girls were standing in the train station. MAGES. Pressed a few buttons on a nearby control panel. The wall located beside the train station split into two sections before it popped open. After that, the mechanical arms holding the train off the ground and onto its side started to move.

Nepgear noticed the roof located outside the building and spotted a track. “So that’s why there was a roof out there.” Nepgear though to herself.

The mechanical arms moved over the track before it gently placed the trains wheels down on the track.

“There we are.” MAGES. Said, before she pressed another button. Several doors in the train opened. “I need to have my drones restock the train. Give me about twenty minutes.” Said MAGES.

“No problem.” Said Neptune.

“Thank you!” Nepgear said.

“My pleasure. We’ll settle your tab afterwards.” Said MAGES.

“Huh? Tab?” Neptune said, surprised.

“You want us to pay?” Nepgear asked.

MAGES. Turned to Neptune. “It was a joke.” She said, plainly.

Neptune and Nepgear exchanged glances. “Are you sure?” Neptune asked, but MAGES. Didn’t answer. The drones that MAGES. Mentioned flew down from the ceiling carrying large metallic boxes and they disappeared somewhere into the train.

Neptune and Nepgear headed upstairs and waited until the train was ready to go. Once it was loaded up, MAGES. Made her way up to where the girls were sitting. “The train is ready.” MAGES. Said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I wanted to thank you both again for everything, but I also wanted to mention one other thing.”

“Is it about money?” Neptune asked.

“No.” MAGES. Said, dropping her arms by her sides. Neptune and Nepgear noticed how serious MAGES. Suddenly was.

“What’s going on?” Nepgear asked.

“Well… Even though I can’t divulge everything to you, I can say this. You need to tell others about the Fairy Towers.” Said MAGES..

“Really?” Nepgear asked.

“Yes. The Fairy Towers are critical and you need to make sure there are other people who know about them. I have a feeling that it’s going to pay off in the long run.” Said MAGES..

“We need to tell others, but you can’t tell us why?” Nepgear asked.

“I do apologize. All I can do is hope that you’ll take me seriously.” Said MAGES.. “And that’s all I’ll say on the matter.”

“Thanks MAGES..” Nepgear said, getting to her feet.

“Yeah. Thanks for the ride and all that.” Neptune said, giggling.

“You’re welcome.” Said MAGES..

Neptune, Nepgear and MAGES. Headed downstairs. Neptune and Nepgear stepped onto the train and turned back to say goodbye to their friend. “The train is completely automated, so you don’t have to worry about doing anything. I doubt I have to tell you this, but don’t get out of the train until it’s come to a complete stop.” Said MAGES..

“Thanks MAGES.!” Nepgear said, waving goodbye.

“We’ll see you later!” Said Neptune.

“Yes you will.” Said MAGES..

Neptune was about to ask MAGES. What she meant by that, but before she could utter a word the door closed and the train started to move. Neptune couldn’t help, but sigh deeply. “MAGES. Can be difficult, huh?” She asked.

“Yeah.” Nepgear said, taking a deep breath. “Anyways, let’s find a place where we can relax.”

“I won’t argue with that plan!” Neptune said.

Neptune and Nepgear made their way from the main train and into a car where they found a lavish room for themselves. The room had two beds located on the left and right sides of the room. A refrigerator located near the door and even a small bathroom located near the back.

“Whoa!” Neptune said, her eyes were filled with delight. “Look at this place?” Neptune opened the refrigerator and gasped. “It’s full of drinks and pudding! I love MAGES. Magic train!”

“It’s not magic big sis.” Nepgear said.

“So… How long are we going to be on this train anyways?” Asked Neptune.

Nepgear thought for a moment. “To be honest with you sis. I think were going to be here for at least until tomorrow morning. The Fairy Tower was moved quite a long distance.”

“Ah. I see…” Neptune said, as she reached into the refrigerator and removed two puddings. “Well we’ll just have to make the best of it.” She said, handing one of the puddings over to Nepgear.

Nepgear looked down at the pudding cup with a guilty look on her face. “I don’t know if we should eat any of this big sis.” Said Nepgear. “MAGES. Was nice enough to give this to us, but we shouldn’t take advantage of her.”

“Take advantage of what now?” Neptune asked.

Nepgear saw that Neptune had already torn off the lid of her pudding cup and was already digging into it with a spoon. “You’re terrible big sis!” Nepgear said, before she tore off the lid of he own pudding cup and started eating as well.

The two sisters sat side-by-side and devoured the pudding. “That was yummy.” Neptune said, falling back against the bed behind her. She still held the empty cup in her right hand and the spoon in her left. A look of satisfaction was on her face.

“We shouldn’t eat anymore though. MAGES. Was nice enough to give us a free ride.” Said Nepgear.

“Yeah, but we helped her with those monsters, remember?” Said Neptune.

“Yeah, but…” Nepgear began.

“GEESH!” Neptune sat up and narrowed her eyes at her sister. “Nepgear, you need to loosen up! If MAGES. Didn’t want to do this for us, she wouldn’t have, right?”

“That is true.” Nepgear said.

“See? Sometimes it’s best to just sit back and enjoy the gifts we were given! Now give me your spoon and pudding cup. I’ll throw them away.” Said Neptune, holding out her hands.

Nepgear smiled and handed them over to Neptune. “Thanks big sis.” She said.

“Of course! I’ll always look out for your sanitary needs.” And with that, Neptune leapt to her feet and made her way over to the door where she spotted a trashcan tucked between the refrigerator and wall. After tossing them inside, Neptune collapsed onto the bed. “My legs are starting to feel sore again.”

“Yeah.” Nepgear said. “I think it’s about time we take a nap.”

“Heh. My nap’s have a habit of going into over time Nepgear.” Neptune said.

“That’s true.” Said Nepgear, as she began kicking her feet. “Hey Neptune… Do you mind if we share a bed?”

Neptune giggled. “Sure! I don’t mind, but I’m going to sleep next to the wall. Okay?”

“Huh? Why?” Nepgear asked.

“Like I don’t know my brainy baby sister! At some point you’re going to wake up and think, ‘goodness how does this train work’? And you’re going to go investigate, right?” Neptune asked.

Nepgear’s eyes went wide and her cheeks grew bright red. “Well… Yeah.” She said.

“See? I know you like the back of my head. So I’ll take the spot near the wall. That way you don’t have to crawl over me to get out.” Said Neptune, as she pulled off her shoes.

“Thanks Neptune.” Nepgear said, smiling warmly at her sister.

Even though the girls were planning on sleeping, all they ended up doing was lie side-by-side staring up at the roof of the train car. Each girl’s mind was occupied by different thoughts, but they did share one thought. They really missed their home and their friends. “I wonder what IF and Compa are doing right now.” Nepgear said, breaking the silence.

“Knowing them, they’re probably working. IF’s a real workaholic.” Said Neptune. “I think after this quest I’m going to be worksober for a while.”  

“You’re always worksober Neptune.” Nepgear said.

Neptune took a deep breath, before she cuddled up with Nepgear. “Just for that I’m going to make it a bit harder for you to slip away and check out the train.”

“Oh… no…” Nepgear said, dreamily. Soon the two girls fell into a deep sleep.