Noctis felt a little like he was floating.

He cannot bear this burden as he is now.

It is his alone to bear no matter what.

Unless this curse is broken, his body will shatter

Then it will be fate.

Noctis sat up panting. They were….on the train?

"Noctis!" Luna hugged him tightly. He smiled and swung his legs over the edge of the seat in order to look at the others.

"What happened?" Noctis asked.

"After you took the Katana you reverted to your child form and collapsed. We weren't able to rouse you, so Gladio carried you up out of the quarry," Ignis said.

"We're headed towards Tenebrae," Prompto said.

"We can't afford to stop off there," Gladio said.

"It's alright, Prompto, I can visit my home another time. After we've reached our goal," Luna said.

"I'm not hot on the idea of taking a couple kids into Gralea, either," Gladio said.

"What would you have us do? It's not like we can break this curse without the Crystal's power," Noctis said.

"It's also not as if there's anywhere we can leave them. I can see it now "Please, sir, could you watch over these random children for us while we go into the heart of the Empire and steal back the Crystal of Lucis and if you could not turn them over to the troops, that'd be nice." Sure, that'd end well." Prompto took a breath to calm down a little. Gladio's eye twitched.

"Enough. Gladio, you and I should take a walk, perhaps get a drink to cool off with," Ignis said.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Gladio said. Noctis watched him leave before he sighed, slumping into the seat on the train

"What are we going to do?" Noctis asked.

"I'm not sure. This…doesn't fit with anything I was ever taught would happen with the coming of providence," Luna replied.

"If taking a royal arm does that to me, what could the Crystal do if it can't overcome this curse?" Noctis asked.

"Hold up, you're saying there's a chance that the Crystal won't fix what's currently got you all miniaturized?" Prompto asked.

"This is an enchantment of the likes never seen before," Luna said, "My powers before were only barely able to break it by brute force, and now even that is not enough."

"Think maybe it has to do with why it was cast?" Prompto asked. Noctis snapped his head up to look Prompto in the eyes.

"When Iggy was giving me an almost literal crash-course in magic that one time you up and handed me a spell orb-thing in a battle, and he, practically ran into me in an effort to get to me before I threw it, he mentioned how in magic sometimes will can affect the outcome. That monster that did this the first time didn't do it because she wanted to hurt you—."

"She did it because she thought she could protect me if I was a child," Noctis finished, "Which means…"

"Because Ardyn placed this magic on us with ill intentions, it's worse than one that was placed on Noctis from a desire to save him, albeit in a twisted way," Luna finished.

"Great, so some creepy old guy's spite is going to keep us kids," Noctis grumbled.

"Could be like it was before you remembered being all of you, you know," Prompto said.

"Don't say that! With our luck, it could happen!" Noctis replied.

"Oh, shit. You're right!" Prompto said. He slapped his head a little.

"Aren't you supposed to be setting a good example for us?" Luna asked a bit too innocently.

"Hey!"

"The other passengers will get mad at his foul language," Noctis replied.

"Yeah, whatever!" Prompto grumbled before he stalked off. Noctis and Luna exchanged looks before they giggled a little.

"Even though it might be our current…states, I'm finding it hard to not be bored," Luna said.

"Yeah. Try having to deal with everything but have a grade schooler's emotional depth and don't say I was already there," Noctis replied, "It's all I can do not to let my anger and grief run me." Luna nodded and placed a hand on his on the seat. His embarrassment showed far too easily in this form, but he laced his fingers through hers and they just sat in silence for a little while.

"It's well past time for us to eat." Noctis and Luna all but jumped off the seat. Ignis merely grinned a little, "I think it best we all adjourn to the dining car. Gladio and Prompto already have a booth for us."

"Th-thanks, Iggy," Noctis said. His voice only squeaked a little, and if asked it he'd deny it squeaked at all. Though if it had, what would anyone expect after he'd been scared half to death. If he'd been scared at all! Which he wasn't. Because it hadn't happened. Nope.

Noctis barely cleared the table of the dining car's booths but the same could be said to Luna who was next to him and staring out the window with an unreadable look on her face. They'd eaten quickly before Prompto had wandered off for something to shoot pictures of and Gladio had gone after a whispered conversation with Ignis.

"Gladio's back. Where'd he go anyway?"

"On a brief reconnaissance. Something caught my ear," Ignis replied.

"Hey, Captain, Mission complete," Gladio reported once he drew even with the table.

"So, what caught your ear?" Noctis asked. Luna had turned back from the window and looked interested.

"Rumors of longer nights," Ignis explained.

"It's because the Darkness is coming," Luna said, "My powers cannot hold it back as I am now, so Light is weakening. Soon the Light will be overcome by the day and we will not see the sunrise."

"The empire's slain half the Six. No wonder the world's in disarm," Gladio remarked.

"That is part of it, but mostly this is Providence," Luna said, "There is little we can do to stop it."

"Longer nights mean more daemons," Ignis said.

"Seen that with our own eyes," Gladio said. Luna nodded sadly.

"Perhaps I should go with Galdio to see if others have observed this phenomenon," Ignis said.

"Go ahead. We'll be here," Noctis said. Ignis got up and left with Gladio. Luna looked out the window at the strange sight of the snows encroaching upon the sands, her expression almost…sad. Noctis looked at it too, because it sure was weird. It was then that Prompto came stumbling into view.

"Whoa! Did you see this! It's unreal!" Prompto said.

"Yeah." Noctis replied.

"It's because they killed the Glacian," Luna said.

"What? That's because they killed Shiva?" Prompto gasped.

"Yes," Luna said before she returned to looking out the window. Noctis looked around but then the light changed to be…less natural. He also got a sense of "wrong" from the train. He slipped out of the seat to see everyone around him, including Luna was frozen in place.

"I don't like the look of that snow cloud. It's giving me chills." Noctis's blood ran cold at that voice. Ardyn. He turned and saw the Chancellor and curse prolonger himself in person in all his glory. Noctis did the only thing he could do when faced in a time freeze with Ardyn as a child. He bolted, reasonalby sure the psycho would chase him.

"What are you doing!" Ardyn yelled as he gave chase.

"Seriously, man you're freaking me out with this!" Noctis was too scared to stop and look back as he darted down the train dodging past frozen people and even using a warp strike to get ahead of the adults strides.

Noctis wasn't sure how far down the train he was whenever his luck ran out and Ardyn grabbed him by the wrist.

"Let me go!"

"Not until you tell me why you're running from me," Ardyn said.

"Why should I explain anything to you! You did this, and for what? To see the empire win because I'm too weak to fight!"

"Surely you don't mean that, Noct?" Ardyn's fingers let him go, "Have you….forgotten me again?"

"What do you mean again?" Noctis snapped. The train lurched throwing Noctis to the ground. He'd barely braced his arms in front of his face. Though that mean, for a few moments, he didn't have eyes on Ardyn.

"Noct, are you ok?" Noctis uncurled and saw Prompto leaning over him. Except, Noctis still didn't feel safe.

"Where's Ardyn?" Noctis asked.

"He's here? That would explain all the weird stuff that's been happening," Prompto replied offering Noctis a hand up.

"I bet he's behind the train stopping. Ignis and Gladio went to check out the engine room. I say the two of us go check out the rear." Noctis frowned. His fears were still up and he was barely keeping from trembling. This is Prompto, why am I still so freaked out?

"I need to go check on Luna. I'll catch up with you when I can," Noctis said.

"Alright then," Prompto replied before he took off ahead of Noctis. Noctis followed suit only just now realizing he'd covered a whole lot of the train in his panicked flight. He heard a man yelling,

"What the hell was that." while he ran past. If only I knew. He was part way down a second car whenever there was a thud and the glass burst out of the windows and he could hear screams.

"Did they…bomb us?" Prompto asked. Noctis nodded grimly. His heart was thudding in his ears, and the adrenaline was pumping…but his transformation hadn't happened. He was still a child. The curse must have gotten stronger. This…isn't good.

"Noct, we have to protect the people!" Prompto yelled. Noctis nodded and summoned his last Power VX and smashed it shaking his head out once the shift was over and the child fear of everything subsided. It was still present but now he could focus on the fight, and an MT axeman had just arrived, asking for it.

"We need to get the train moving again," Noctis said.

"I'm sure Ignis and Gladio will come up with something," Prompto said. Noctis nodded. He made it to the dining car and Luna was gone!

"Luna?"

"We have to keep moving," Prompto said, "I'm sure she took shelter, maybe we'll find her as we keep going down the train," Prompto said.

"I hope she's safe," Noctis said. Prompto nodded after a few moments before he pushed ahed of Noctis towards the rear of the train.

One self-destructing MT later and Noctis was faced with a hole in the side of the train and a whole host of more MT "goodness."

"Crap. The Mt's can self-destruct."

"I noticed," Noctis replied. He hoped he didn't revert to kid-state because of the blow, "We can't let them inside."

"Well then, we'll take the fight to them."

Noctis warped away from the second of two MT troop carriers he'd taken out from the air onto the now moving train. That had been insane. Especially since he'd been able to use their own weapons against them in a sort of nice bit of revenge. It might have been petty but they blew up his city and their troops stole his Crystal, so he'd take what vengeance he could get. He looked up and saw Prompto being held at gun point by Ardyn who had a hand on Luna's shoulder.

"Prompto! Luna!" He slashed forwards sending Ardyn's gun down before it turned out to be Prompto being sent off the train.

"No!"

"How long were you in the dark?" Ardyn asked. Noctis stumbled a little as he lost his adult shift before Ardyn threw black magic at him sending him to his knees before he blacked out.

MP: I'm Back!
After a long struggle to get this next chapter written (and debating on whether or not to include Episode Ignis Info in the fic) I was finally able to get past whatever was stopping me from writing chapter 20.
I have everything outlined through the end (chapter 25) so I decided I would not be changing things all that much to reflect Ep Ignis's awesomeness because I can barely get this one out as it is.
My KH/FF XV fic, on the other hand, I probably will have to adjust for Ep Ignis. So that will be delayed a bit longer. Sorry.