Noctis woke up to someone shaking him.
"Hey, it's dinner time." He opened his eyes, it was Prompto leaning over him. How did he get on a bed? He sat up and yawned. He noticed a basket of clothes also was sitting by the door, nicely folded. His clothes. He slipped off the bed and grabbed a black shirt and shorts before shuffling into the bathroom to change. He exited still groggy but more alert. Prompto was already downstairs. He saw that there were still a few stragglers. Gladio was absent for one. Cor for another, though if Cor stayed for dinner, Noctis would be surprised. He sat next to Prompto.
"Brush your hair much?" Prompto said. Noctis knew his hair was a mess.
"Forgot to let it dry before sleeping," Noctis said. Gladio arrived in his casual outfit and sat next to Noctis, a large hand messing up his hair further. Noctis batted at his hand but the damage was done and his hair was pretty much a lost cause.
"Cor had to go attend to some matters, so it's just us," Monica said once she set the pot of stew on the table. Iris walked over with a basket of rolls. She was wearing sweats and a tee-shirt because of Gladio's earlier retaliation.
"Once we reach Altissia, our first matter of business is securing an audience with Lady Lunafreya," Ignis said, "In hopes of resolving this current complication."
"How are we going to do that?" Noctis said.
"By any means necessary," Ignis said.
"What do you mean by that?" Prompto said.
"He's suggesting we break into the mansion," Gladio said.
"Should we really be pissing off the Accordo Protectorate like that?" Prompto said. Ignis and Gladio looked at him. "I paid attention in Geography!"
"He did, actually," Noctis said reaching for a roll.
"Noct is the one who'd doze off in class," Prompto said, "Yet managed to ace every test anyway."
"To be fair, part of Noct's other lessons was knowing geography and political alliances of countries in the world," Gladio said.
"They wouldn't let me test out," Noctis said with a shrug.
"You suck," Prompto said, "Did you have to learn the other stuff as a kid too?"
"No, those I was just good at," Noctis said.
"So who are the Accordo Protectorate?" Talcott asked.
"They're a small group of countries who are untied by a central council ruled by the First Secretary. They're not technically controlled by the empire, but it doesn't matter. They're still subservient to the Empire," Ignis said.
"Oh," Talcott said.
"If they hadn't shut down Gauldin Quay, I think a lot of Lucians would have fled there," Gladio said.
"Enough, let's just eat and not talk about heavy stuff," Iris said, "Make any progress training today?"
"Some. Without magic, it's not ideal. With magic, it's good enough to get away and run," Ignis said.
"I'm not running," Noctis grumbled.
"You are as long as you're in the physical form of a child," Ignis said.
"We'd say as long as you acted like one, but that's all the time," Gladio said. Noctis rolled his eyes.
It was Pryna. He was back in his adult form and driving but it was Pryna! He tried to stop, but he lost control of the Regalia and it wrecked. He climbed out and followed her into a desert. There was a boat, no. It was a portal. He was in a subway filled with MT's, but he had to follow Pryna. He could see Luna's reflection in the glass. The MT's attacked so he defended himself. He was suddenly on a train platform. He took a few steps forwards only to have the floor give out beneath him. He fell into darkness and the slats of the flooring seemingly were suspended in the air above him. He was suddenly on a bridge filled with MT's. He summoned one kukri and fought his way through the waves of MT's, a strange shift and he was face a behemoth. He was back to the bridge with the MT's and once he reached the end he had a spear at the ready, Then it fizzled out, his powers were gone. He had to improvise. He attacked an MT and stole their gun shooting them and dodging attacks. His shirt was getting destroyed and he managed to rip off the pieces and wrapped his hands in them before he hauled on a chain and used it to help take down an air carrier. There was Luna being loomed over by something holding her trident. Wait. It was him. He was the one who'd impaled Luna! His hands were covered in her blood—
Noctis woke up with a startled yelp. He was drenched in sweat.
"Noct! Are you alright?" Prompto was by his side in an instant.
"Just a bad dream," Noctis wiped at his eyes. Tears.
"Iggy, Gladio, and Iris went to get vegetables from a farm an hour away to stock up the house," Prompto said, "Cindy and Cid are working on the boat still. Monica is off doing something for Cor, so it's just you, me, Talcott and Dustin here right now." Carbuncle chirped from the couch. "Carbuncle too."
Noctis stepped out of the bathroom with his PJ's in hand and placed them in the laundry hamper. His hair was still too wet to spike but he had other pressing issues, like breakfast. He saw Prompto was eating a bowl of cereal and shrugged before he found there was a bowl waiting for him too.
"Thanks."
"No prob!" Noctis finished his cereal first and slipped over to the sink to place the bowl inside.
"There are imperial troops around us, but they're not doing anything!" Talcott was panting inside the house. Dustin arrived after him.
"Carbuncle hid the whole place with magic," Noctis said. "Stay here."
"But you're—."
"Just going to take a look," Noctis said cutting Dustin off. He was well aware of his current limits. "If it looks like they're getting through the magic, get to the lighthouse and hide in the hanger bay." Carbuncle trotted over and nodded at Noctis.
Prompto, Noctis, and Carbuncle walked to the edge of the enchantments and looked at the imperials. There were a couple of humans mixed in with the MT's. They were hauling in bits of wreckage. The blown up air carrier. Prompto squirmed a little at that, but Noctis ignored it.
"Any signs of what destroyed it?"
"Some traces indicate massive beasts had a hand in it, but some recovered glass from the cockpit shows a bullet hole," another officer said.
"They were under fire. There appears to be no traces of the assailants or why there was a battle engaged here. Also, Lucis doesn't use fire arms."
"There's rumors of a marksman in the Prince's retinue."
"The General must have heard of a lead on the Prince's whereabouts and the fugitives killed him for it and tried to use monsters to cover it up." Noctis and Prompto exchanged looks. That wasn't entirely untrue.
"Take a look what a pair of MT's uncovered!" It was a massive glass sculpture of sorts that looked like a skinny spiny tree.
"Lightning glass. That would mean the Prince was here. He is likely long gone. He will pay for what he's done."
"Sir, how are we going to present this to the press?"
"We will report it as a band of Royalist Terrorists being responsible for this act." Noctis let out a sigh of relief once the imperials were farther away from the border. An MT trooper stopped and charged right at him causing the others to charge. Damn it!
"Run! I'll take care of them!" Prompto summoned one of his magitek weapons: the bioblaster. Noctis warped a few times to get the house.
"To the hanger bay!" Noctis yelled. Talcott and Dustin ran up the hill to the light house as the shimmering barrier fell.
"Sorry Carbuncle," Noctis said.
It's ok. It would have fallen if they'd crossed it. Noctis summoned the short sword and aimed at an MT next to Prompto and threw the blade as hard as he could and warp-struck the MT, obliterating it.
"Dude, get out of here!" Prompto said.
"Not a chance! Iggy and Gladio aren't here and I'm not going to let you die because I screwed up!" Noctis said.
I have an idea but it'll hurt and it might make you think you're eight again!
"What is it?" Noctis asked as he dodged and blocked.
I can try to break through that curse but it'll only be for about five minutes. I didn't mention it before because it's not a permanent fix.
"Do it!" Noctis said as they were being pushed back. Carbuncle nodded. Fur bristling from power Carbuncle glowed bright red and Noctis yelled in pain but a fully dressed adult form took his child form's place in a flash of ruby light.
"Thanks," Noctis said.
I have to go now. That was too much magic to use and stay here. I'll be only a summons away! Carbuncle faded out into sparkles. Noctis summoned the armiger. He needed to make this quick.
Whatever Gladio, Iris, and Ignis expected when they pulled up with a bushel of veggies, it certainly wasn't Noctis back to his adult form massacring MT's with Prompto. The last one was finished off and Noctis flopped down. With a flash of light he was back to being a kid. An air carrier had taken off in a hurry as they'd pulled up. Obviously it contained the human officers.
"Carbuncle was right. This does hurt," Noctis moaned. Prompto flopped down next to him.
"What happened here?" Ignis asked.
"Long story short, Noctis is an MT magnet and they broke through and we had to fight. Carbuncle could break the curse for only a short time, had to go back to wherever summons go, and we kicked ass," Prompto said.
"What he said," Noctis said weakly lifting an arm and gesturing at Prompto.
"Where are the others?" Gladio asked.
"Lighthouse." Prompto said. Gladio nodded went off in that direction.
"Can you get up, Noct?" Ignis had crouched next to Noctis.
"No." Ignis picked him up and he saw Noctis bite his lip a little. Oh well, there was little he could do for Noctis at this point.
Noctis could move without extreme pain after a short nap, but he was still pretty sore all over. Like he'd pulled every muscle. He sort of had, though: Growing like that and shrinking again.
"Cid says the boat's ready," Prompto said entering the house.
"You're leaving then?" Talcott said.
"Tomorrow, when it's dawn," Ignis looked up from the recipe book he was reading.
"That soon?" Talcott said.
"We were already delayed as it was," Ignis said, "Now with Noctis's condition, the need to get to Altissia is more pressing than ever."
"Oh," Talcott said, "You'll come back someday, won't you?"
"Of course we will," Noctis said. He reflexively reached for Carbuncle, but the summons wasn't there. Noctis decided just merely missing the fox creature did not constitute a need for summons.
"If you're leaving tomorrow morning, then we need to do a special dinner!" Iris said.
"I insist on helping," Ignis said.
"Alright," Iris said.
Noctis tried to hide a grin at Iris's face whenever Ignis took over meal prep. "Helping to cook" in Iggy speak meant he was cooking.
"If you're so eager, why don't you chop vegetables, Noct?" Damn. Noctis got up from his seat at the table setting his cellphone down. The counter was too high.
"Is there a problem?" Ignis asked.
"I can't reach," Noctis said. Ignis used a foot to point to a step stool near the sink. Noctis washed up and carefully used his feet to scoot the stool over to the cutting board.
"Are you sure you can do this?" Iris asked. Noctis rolled his eyes.
"I'll be fine," he said. He'd just have to go slower if his kid hands started having trouble with blades. Ignis placed the vegetables in front of Noctis and he got to work carefully.
"So, when did you learn to do this?" Iris asked, "I thought you, Gladio, and Prompto were useless in the kitchen except for boiling the water for noodles."
"I did work as a short order cook in high school," Noctis said, "The restaurant thought it best to keep me in the kitchen to try to keep the weirdos away. They'd still show up but most people would do a double take and just shake their heads thinking it wasn't me." Noctis finished up the vegetables just as Ignis buzzed over to grab them. Iris shrugged as she tended to her part of dinner while Noctis cleaned up the board and moved the stool back over to the sink so he could wash the knife off. Dinner was ready shortly after. Cid and Cindy even showed up at the table.
"Now give me the keys to the Old Girl so we can load her up and you can take her with you to the empire," Cindy said once the dishes had been cleared up by Prompto and Gladio. They were helping Iris wash up.
"It might be best if we didn't," Ignis said, "It is an easily recognizable car—."
"It's also one of the only cars that can run at night," Cid said.
"He has a point," Noctis said. Not that it mattered to him. Until he no longer looked eight, he wasn't driving anyway. Ignis handed Cindy the keys
MP: With this, both postings of this fic are at the same place in the story. I also wrote a one-shot that adds more to my own version of Prompto's back story called Rescuing Innocence.