Noctis

Noctis looks up when he noticed that the world around him had turned grayish white like as if a thick fog entered the train causing stillness around him. He looks around noticing that Prompto had suddenly vanished, he figured that the other went to find Ignis and Gladio. He looks around when he heard a voice mumble something to him though he had stopped listening when he recognized the deep teasing tone.

He lays eyes on the tall mauve haired man before him speaking but Noctis wasn't listening. He summoned his blade and races forward swinging it with the intention to kill yet he only managed to damage his coat. Ardyn turns starting to flee saying something about if this was really happening. Noctis dashes forward with every fiber of his being set on destroying this man, he sprung forward as adrenalin began fueling him.

'Are you seriously trying to kill me?"

What an odd thing for Ardyn to say, but Noctis thought nothing of it for he chalked it up to the crazy man taunting him trying to mess with his mind. Make him think that he wasn't a bad guy so he would drop his guard.

"Why wouldn't I!?"

He was growing infuriated, why was this man who acted like he deserves to have the world bow down at his feet running for his life. He continues to chase Ardyn down to the sleeping quarters when he suddenly lost track of him. Noctis opens one of the many doors in the sleeping car screaming for him to show himself when he feels a tap on the back, it was light with a slight squeeze to his shoulder. It felt familiar but foreign at the same time "Uh Noct..."

Ardyn sounded hesitant unsure but the young prince knew better than to be fooled by this facade. But why did Ardyn think he had the right to call him by his nickname? "You don't have any right to call me that!" He snarls spinning around with his blade slicing the coat arm.

He heard a cry of what sounds like agony from Ardyn as he flees once again this time not getting to far for Noctis was on him in a matter of seconds like a cat on a mouse in the corner. "What are you after, following me around this whole time. It's all YOUR fault!"

Ardyn's response only infuriated Noctis what did he think he was going to achieve by playing dumb. He slammed the older male against the wall and just like before Ardyn confuses Noctis for he saw tears well up in his eyes but this only made him feel disgusted.

"OF COURSE I DO!" Noctis shouts "Can't explain your way out of this one can you!?"

Ardyn tries to defend himself and follows up with another pathetic plea but Noctis knew better than to allow himself fall for this trick. He, Noctis, was about to say something when the train suddenly stopped throwing him to the floor knocking him out.

When he came to he saw Prompto next to him, Noctis explains that Ardyn is on the train when the locomotive is suddenly hit with an explosive and both race into battle with the means of protecting the train. Noctis saw more attacks coming in from the sky and warped up to knock them down knowing that his closest friend had the ground covered. However Noctis was expecting more out of the enemies, just a bit more of a challenge than what he had gotten. He warps back down only to see the photographer held at gunpoint by his own gun at the hand of Ardyn.

"Prompto!" Noctis shouts to young blonde as he races forward with his weapon drawn with every mean to protect the young photographer. He stands between Ardyn and Prompto with his sword trained on the mauve haired man "Get away from him!" Noctis growls.

"Noct...please help me!"

Noctis didn't hesitate to grab Prompto by the arm pulling him from the edge of the train as he grabs Ardyn seconds later and cuts him with the sharp blade as he kicks him of the train, he found it a bit weird that he didn't try to grab him and take him down with him but he didn't think on it to hard.

Though that scream that followed...

Noctis felt his eyes widen in absolute horror when he saw that Ardyn's appearance flicks revealing it to be Prompto. Noctis felt his stomach flip as a wave of nausea washed over him with a heavy pang of guilt for now realizing that he had thrown Prompto off the train and the brief seconds he had to grab his friend were gone instantly as he could barely make out the limp form of Prompto laying in the dirt, grass, and rocks on the side of the tracks as the train speeds away from the scene.

Prompto

Prompto, for the life of him couldn't even began to explain why Noctis had cut him with his sword, began screaming at him, and chasing him with the same intensity a starving lion would have on hunting a baby zebra.

"Dude, are you seriously trying kill me?" He asks shaking he would be lying if he said he wasn't scared right now. He was close to Noctis they saw each other as brothers and they would never do anything to hurt one another, but now Prompto swore he was going to die in that moment.

"Why wouldn't I!?" Noctis roars causing Prompto to run faster and the passengers to look at them worried screaming at Noctis to stop. Yet the young man seemed to have gone deaf.

Wait. Noctis was kidding right? He was joking he was only trying to scare him some more? Prompto prayed it was just some sick joke but the voice of the young man he calls friend only told him that he wasn't joking. But what did he do to warrant such anger or simply death.

Prompto couldn't move fast enough he would slide the doors closed behind him as he left them hoping this would slow Noctis down but it didn't. He pushed pass the passengers earning glares and rude comments thrown at him as he hid in one of the train's dorms one with the door open, hoping this would fool Noctis into looking in one that was closed. It had worked, but Prompto was worried about his friend. He tried to steady his breathing as he approached the other but this triggers another attack, Noctis strikes quickly cutting his left arm at the shoulder causing the blonde to cry out as blood sprays from the wound. The passengers look on at the scene unfolding in horror, some duck and cover under their seats and those close to the dorms lock themselves in just in case Noctis tries to turn on them.

Prompto continues to run down to the last train car where he stumbles and staggers away before he is slammed against a wall with Noctis pinning him there with his arm against his chest. Prompto was shaking as he stares at his friend who was glaring at him with an almost tangible hate.

"What are you after, following me around this whole time. It's all YOUR fault!

Those words hurt but Prompto was at a loss for what he meant, did he mean his dad dying? Or all the trouble they encountered? Perhaps he meant it was his fault for Ignis getting hurt along with what happen to Lunafreya. He didn't know what he did and he didn't know what Noctis meant. It was hard to not keep the tears from forming in his eyes but he refused to let them fall "Do you really mean that, Noct?" Prompto asks his voice threatening to break.

"OF COURSE I DO!"

Prompto felt like crying, did he really just lose his best friend? "Can't explain your way out of this one can you?" Noctis spits angrily. It took everything in Prompto to not break down "You won't even let me!" He wails but Noctis clearly wasn't having any of it. With no warning the train comes to sudden halt throwing Noctis to the ground with such force he was out like a light on impact. Prompto shook placing a hand where Noctis held onto him and lightly rubbed the area trying to soothe the pain as he drops to his knees feeling weak and sick to his stomach. He had never felt this kind of fear before and he didn't like it. It was a feeling that he never ever wanted to experience again in his life.

Prompto swallows nervously as he slowly crawls toward Noctis, it felt weird being afraid of him but Prompto couldn't help it not after the scare he gave him. With much hesitation he lifts a hand towards his friend "Did you see the way he looked at you? It's a piety that he said that about you. You must've really done something bad, either that or he knows something about you that you wish not to tell."

Prompto jumps with a yelp following it up with a grunt as the jerk of his body sent waves of pain from his wounds. When the pain suddenly subsides the blonde looks over his shoulder to see who had spoken. He immediately froze up his eyes widen at the sight of the man before him. "A-Ardyn!?" He squeaks leaping back trying to escape which results in him falling on his back "Relax, I have no interest in hurting you...certainly not after what Noct had done to you." He said walking up to Prompto who had began to inch backwards slowly until his back hits the wall behind him.

"It must've really hurt. Hearing those words, feeling that sense of dread, not knowing if you were going to be killed by the very man you call friend." Ardyn says stepping closer, he watched as Prompto looks away his face flushed as tears escape his eyes and roll down his cheeks. The look on the gunmen's face was that of pure hurt as Ardyn knelt in front of Prompto on one knee. His other arm resting on the knee closest to his chest as he places a hand on the blonde's shoulder "Don't cry..." He said brushing away a tear from Prompto's cheek causing him to pull back from the others touch "Thing is...I know how Noctis really feels about you, he never liked you. He was only pretending because he felt sorry for you." He says causing Prompto to look at Ardyn with distrust "That's not true! Noctis is my friend he would never hurt me."

Ardyn laughs "Is that so. Then what is this?" He said pointing to the cut on his arm "And this?" He asks lifting Prompto's vest and shirt revealing a long slash on his side just above his thigh "He...that is...He wasn't thinking straight!" Prompto says defending his friend. Ardyn smirks as he shakes his head "I doubt that." He says snapping his fingers before Prompto could debate he fell against the wall asleep.

Ardyn notices Noctis groans a bit a clear sign he is starting to wake up so he transforms himself into Prompto and sends the real Prompto up to the roof.

When Noctis wakes fully he sees his friend and relief washes over him knowing that he was safe and not in danger. He begins mentioning that he saw Ardyn to Prompto, but within those very seconds bombs fell down onto the train blowing out a side of the car. Prompto covers his head as he shouts out to Noctis that they should protect the train and passengers. The fight was easy but during the battle the memory of seeing the mauve haired man kept flashing in his mind so Noctis made sure to keep his eye out for Ardyn. Prompto glances up when he hears the roars of engines he looks up and sees more enemies rolling in and screams out warning his friend about the threat from above causing Noctis to wrap up.

With Noctis busy,Prompto smirks as he himself warps off the ground and onto the roof of the train to where he sent the real Prompto. He recalls the spell causing Prompto to wake up groggy. The young blonde he feels himself sway violently to the left as the wind beats his ears and face. The constant chugging of the heavy machine jolted Prompto into reality quickly as he jumps up and stumbles backwards nearly toppling over the edge when he realized he wasn't inside the train anymore. He's quickly grabbed as his rescuer taunts him "Mighty clumsy are we?" they say, the voice all to familiar causing Prompto to do a double take "What?" He says breathlessly at the sight of himself.

It was weird seeing himself and hearing himself speak when he wasn't speaking, he knew only one person who could do this kind of illusion "Ardyn!" The real Prompto says, Ardyn grins "Aren't you a smart boy." He says walking up to Prompto as his illusion fades causing him to look normal. "And here I thought your brain was filled with nothing but videogames and Chocobos." He teases earning a glare from Prompto.

"I have to say, how does someone like you fit in with your friends?" Ardyn says causing Prompto to bite his lip. "Oh I like this. Ain't she a beauty." His words threw Prompto off making him up and gasp when he saw his gun in Ardyn's grasp, Prompto rushes in to grab his weapon but Ardyn holds it over his head and uses a bit of magic to make it go a few inches higher causing Prompto to try and jump for it, like a bully messing with a smaller child Ardyn laughs when Prompto struggled before stopping his face red from the exertion of energy he wasted trying to get his weapon back.

Ardyn lowers the weapon suddenly when he saw Noctis warp down, he clicks the gun causing Prompto to hold his hands up surrendering.

"N-Noct, help me please...I'm scared." Prompto heard his voice say but he didn't utter himself or at least he thinks he didn't say it.

Noctis scream out "Get away from him!" as he runs up to Ardyn, no wait Prompto saw him turn and charge at...him? Why was Noctis... Prompto saw the large greatsword appear and seconds later he felt it cut him down as Noctis lifts his boot and with great force kicks him. Prompto felt a scream rip from his throat as he fell as the look on Noctis's face looked odd. Like he knew something wasn't right but wasn't sure.

Prompto closes his eyes bracing himself for the ground that would surely kill him.

His body was thrown into a tree the collision knocked the air out of his lungs as he drops like a sack of stones onto a incline of a small cliff he rolls down it receiving bumps, scratches, and bruises before coming to a stop in a bed of rocks where he lays crumpled, broken, and out cold.

So naturally the photographer didn't hear the heavy footsteps approach nor did he see the shadow that danced over his limp body.

Ardyn stood over Prompto for a moment as if expecting him to wake. When the smaller male failed to wake Ardyn starts laughing as he used his magic to lift up Prompto and levitate him along side him as he walks to the tower.

"Who's gonna save Prompto today?" Ardyn sang in the same tune as the Chocobo song as he walks away with Prompto as his captive.