Noctis smelled eggs and bacon cooking. He liked those. He sat up and Carbuncle was already awake and doing that grooming thing cats and even some dogs did. His phone buzzed.

Iggy's a really good cook, so you'd better eat up! Noctis nodded.

"You wake up earlier as a kid than you do as an adult," Prompto said from the next bed. His hair was all spiky like a chocobo's head feathers. Noctis shrugged. He hopped off the bed and looked around.

"Oh, right clothes!, here!" Prompto pulled them out of thin air? That can't be right. Oh, it's like the weapons he stored in his dream world. It was a black tee-shirt and shorts and black socks. Noctis took them and went into the bathroom to change. He reached out and placed the PJ's in the same place he'd stored the extra spells from Carbuncle. It worked. He exited and Prompto was looking at him oddly.

"Did you subspace those on your own?" he asked. Noctis nodded. Sub-space. That's what they called it. Ok. Carbuncle yawned. The phone buzzed.

All the spells I gave you as a kid are still in there too, but you didn't believe they were real after you awoke so you never noticed them. Use them if you're in trouble, ok? Noctis blinked and nodded at Carbuncle.

"What'd he say?" Prompto said.

"That I still have some of magic he gave me as a kid," Noctis said.

"When did that happen?" Iggy asked.

"I was in a dream world and Carbuncle helped me find my way out," Noctis said, "I thought it was just a dream but looks like it was real after all." Iggy nodded.

"Breakfast is ready." The small table in the kitchenette was packed with food. Prompto eagerly dug in and Iggy filled a plate for Noctis. It mostly had bacon and eggs on it but there were some mixed veggies too. Noctis looked at Iggy.

"If you want any desert later, you'd better eat those," Iggy said. Noctis wrinkled his nose but ate them any way. They were gross but, bacon got the taste out of his mouth. He barely finished the eggs; he was full.

"Were the vegetables really all that bad?" Iggy asked.

"Yes," Noctis said, "I bet big me eats them but he doesn't like it."

"You're half right," Prompto said, "Big you doesn't eat them at all because you never outgrow your dislike of vegetables and big you is an adult and therefore, we can't make big you eat them."

"But since I'm a kid you can?" Noctis crossed his arms, "Not fair."

"Life's not fair, but it's for your own good," Iggy said.

Noctis was playing with Carbuncle in the courtyard while Ignis and Prompto watched.

"So, how are we going to tell the others our king's been turned into a kid?" Prompto said.

"A phone call would work," Ignis said.

"You do it, I'll keep Kid Noct from running off," Prompto said. Ignis sighed and walked farther away before dialing Monica's number.

"Is everything alright?"

"There's been a complication. We ran afoul of a very dangerous bounty. We succeeded by Noctis ended up cursed."

"How?"

"He's currently in the form of an eight year old version of himself. We're on our way back to Cape Caem. Gladio has gone looking into a possible reversal."

"Keep out of trouble. I'll inform the others of the situation."

"Thank you." Ignis hung up and found that a few other kids were around Noctis and Carbuncle. Noctis looked at a loss. Oh. He wouldn't know how to deal with other kids at this age. Prompto had already stepped in.

Noctis was relieved when Prompto joined him. He'd never really dealt with other kids. Maybe big him could handle it, but he wasn't sure how to do it.

"Hey, you alright?" Prompto said. Noctis shook his head.

"Ok, back up, he's not ok with this," Prompto said. The other kids looked confused but left. Carbuncle did a shake and chirped. Prompto looked down at the text.

Nice thinking! I was worried I needed to do something to get them to back away.

"What does big me look like?" Noctis asked. Prompto blinked at him.

"Well, you but bigger is a stupid way to answer it. Oh! Hold on." Prompto pulled out his camera and began to switch through the digital pictures until he landed on a certain one and showed it to Noctis. It was a guy like out of his games or off those magazines older girls looked at and were all gross about the guy being cute. Guys aren' cute! This also looked a little like his dad. This was what he grew up to look like. He guessed it was cool. What was going on with his hair? He looked like a black chocobo. He still liked black and he was big and strong and that was without veggies. Ha!

"Why is my hair like a chocobo?" Noctis asked.

"You just like it that way," Prompto said, "It was also a way to look different than your dad. Want me to try spiking it up, see if you like it?"

"Ok," Noctis said. Prompto pulled out hair spray, hair gel, a comb and led Noctis over to a table and chair.

"Hop up. You're a bit shorter than you usually are when I help you with this," Prompto said. Noctis rolled his eyes but climbed on the chair. Prompto got to work styling Noctis's hair and it sort of was nice. Was this what having a big brother was like?

"There we go!" Noctis hopped down and looked at Prompto who had his camera at the ready. "Smile!" Noctis smiled and there was a flash and click. Prompto nodded and showed Noctis the picture. He looked kind of cool with his hair spiked. No wonder big him wore his hair like that.

"We must be on the road now if we want to make it to Cape Caem before sunset," Iggy said.

"Sure, but a guy's 'doo is important," Prompto said placing a hand on Noctis's head. He batted the hand away. Noctis saw Carbuncle was asleep near the table.

"We're going," he said. Carbuncle stirred and stretched like a cat before trotting after Noctis as they reached the Regalia.

"What is that creature, young man?" Noctis turned to see it was a guy next to one of the kids from earlier.

"A carbuncle," Noctis said.

"Where did you get one?"

"I'm not sure. Carbuncle found me," Noctis said. He opened the door and climbed in with Carbuncle jumping in after him. He shut the door behind him and buckled up. Prompto slid into the front seat while Iggy climbed in the driver's seat. That was still the one of the weirdest parts of this: Big Iggy. The car rolled away from the town and the motion lulled Noctis to sleep.

"Out like a light," Prompto said looking back at Noctis.

"I've heard stories that King Regis could only get His Highness to sleep as a baby by going for a drive in the Regalia," Ignis said.

"I bet that's true. I wonder if King Regis drove or had a driver do it?" Prompto said.

"The stories often led me to believe it was His Majesty who was doing the driving," Ignis said, "But the other case is likely too."

"What are we really going to do about this? Most spells from monsters would have worn off by now," Prompto said.

"I'm not sure. But if we are beset by magitek troopers, we are running," Ignis said, "Being down by half our fighting force is no way to fight and worse, we have a child with us who we cannot endanger."

"What do we do if they try to block the road?" Prompto said.

"We fight to burst through and no more," Ignis said, "Oh. I see, you weren't being hypothetical." There was a medium sized force of MT's blocking their way forwards. When they were a band of four, this was nothing, and Noctis usually did all the heavy lifting, so to speak. Ignis stopped the car. He stepped out after putting the roof up and locking it behind him. Prompto was already in position. This would get messy.

Noctis woke up to the sounds of fighting. He looked around frightened but then his eyes locked on the fighting ahead of him. Iggy and Prompto were fighting robot men! There were so many and a shadow passed over the Regalia causing Noctis to look behind the car and a floating airship was dropping more robot men behind them!

I'll protect you! Noctis was scared but nodded hugging Carbuncle close. Wait. He had magic spells that worked on monsters! He reached for Meteor Rain and found the ball in his hands. He could help. Noctis unlocked the door and stepped out. The robot men charged at him, but he threw the spell ball. The orbs of light rained down buffeting the monster men until they were flattened on the ground.

"Ouch! What was that!" Oops. Noctis looked back to see Iggy and Prompto were soothing welts from also getting hit by Meteor Rain.

"Noct! Get back in the car!" Iggy said as he ran back. He fumbled with a set of keys and unlocked the driver's door and unlocked the other doors too. Noctis joined them.

"What was that, though? Some new failed tactic?" Prompto said.

"That was me," Noctis said, "It's a spell called "Meteor Rain.""

"What kind of dreamworld were you in?" Prompto said.

"Nevertheless, it's not safe for you to fight," Iggy said.

"Though, he did totally save our butts this time," Prompto said.

"That's not the point. Right now, you're only a fraction as powerful as you are full grown," Iggy said.

"I'm stronger than even that?" Noctis said with wide eyes.

"Currently, your armiger is larger than your father's ever was," Iggy said. Noctis couldn't bellevue it. He was stronger than his dad at something? But that was big him. They were driving again and Noctis kept an eye out at the sky for more of those floating airships. None appeared for another hour and he was getting sleepy again. Noctis's eyes fluttered shut.

"I thought by kid magic, it'd be fireworks and sparkles, not monster killing balls of death!" Prompto said after he crushed a potion to undo the welts that had formed. He passed Ignis one too.

"I was unaware any such spell existed and yet, it did far more damage to those MT's than us. Almost as if it was a purer light than most of Noct's spells," Ignis said.

"If only all of Noct's spells did more damage to the baddies," Prompto said. He'd been hit by the aftershock of too many Thundara spells. The one time Noctis concocted a Thundaga, he was glad he was no where near that blast radius when it was used.

"What are we even going to do if we can't fix him before we head out to Altissia?" Prompto said.

"Then we consult with the Oracle, if we can. If anyone has a chance of fixing this, it is Lady Lunafreya," Ignis said.

"Hope she works fast, as cute as kid Noct is, I miss the bigger surlier version if only because he's handier in a fight," Prompto said. Another blockade of MT's and this time there was a mecca armor. Great.

MP: Gladio will be back for chapter 4 :)