Prompto and (Y/n) currently sat in their cabin aboard the train. The two were sitting on one of the bottom bunks, talking each other's ears off. When the cerulean-eyed boy suddenly fell silently with a frown plaguing his freckled face, Famine leaned forward and peered into his face. "What's with the frown?"

Prompto clamped his hands together, fiddling with his thumbs. "It's... It's nothing, (Y/n)."

"I definitely don't need my blade to know that's a lie," she scoffed. Turning her body, she faced him and poked his cheek with her finger. "Where'd that adorable smile go?"

Silence

(Y/n) huffed, throwing her head to the side before pushing herself off the bed. She stood in front of the photographer with a hand on her hip. "You're not gonna tell me, huh? Well then, I guess I better start searching for that goofy smile, then."

The Horseman bent down slightly as she stood in front of him. She placed her hands on his cheeks, staring deeply into his azure eyes. From her simple touch and gaze, she could see Prompto's cheeks were turning red. Humming, she searched his face. "Hmm... Let's see..." She began squishing and kneading his cheeks in different directions. "Nope. That's not it."

She tugged at his cheeks a little more and made sure to not hurt him in the process. She created a crooked grin and shook her head. "That's not right, either." Morphing Prompto's face into a various array of goofy expression brought a kind, gentle smile to said boy's face. When (Y/n) saw him smiling up at her, she stopped squishing his cheeks. "There it is," she whispered with a beautiful and breathtaking smile.

Prompto stared up into her (e/c) eyes, his heart racing a mile a minute. His cheeks were heating up once again, but he didn't try to hide them. He couldn't get his heart under control as he seemingly got lost in her glistening eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat that formed from how nervous he suddenly became from (Y/n)'s touch.

There was only one reason Prompto started acting strangely around the Horseman. His palms would get sweaty, heart racing whenever she touched him or looked his way, and even a faint blush would blossom on his cheeks every time she casted a smile in his direction. He was falling in love with her.

When he first met her in Altissia, he was a nervous wreck because of her beauty and how she wanted to talk to him instead of another guy. Out of all the people she could've chosen to tell her secret and entrust the summoning orb with in Altissia, she chose him. That thought alone was enough for him to fall in love with her.

"Prompto?" (Y/n) called out to the blonde boy.

The sharpshooter blinked a few times once he was yanked from his thoughts. "Uh, w-what's wrong?"

"I'm perfectly fine. It's you that seems to be acting strange. Are you feeling alright? I've never seen you space out like that before." Her smile faltered as the concern made its way across her face.

"I-I feel great!" Prompto's voice faltered as he looked away, showcasing his lie.

"Ah, you really like lying when it comes to your well-being." (Y/n) pried her hands off his cheeks and placed them on her hips in disapproval. "You know you can talk to me about anything. If you think-" Her body suddenly became rigged as her eyes widened in horror.

Prompto, baffled as to why she suddenly became silent, looked up and saw her petrified expression. "(Y/n)?" He called out worriedly. When she didn't budge, he flew to his feet and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, (Y/n), you're freaking me out here. (Y/n)!" He shook her shoulders and managed to snap her out of the petrifaction.

Famine glanced towards the door before redirecting her gaze back to Prompto. "We need to find the others." Without an explanation, she took off out of the cabin.

"W-Wait, (Y/n)! What's wrong?" Prompto yelled after her.

Now the roles were reversed.

He followed her to the adjacent car, but when he stepped inside, she vanished. "(Y/n)?" He searched the car for any sign of her, but all he heard and saw was nothingness. "(Y/n)!" He rushed down the aisle and into the next car.

As the marksman ran, he glanced out the widows to see the snowy mountains shrouded in a strange mist. Continuing to run, he wound up in the dining car. When he sees a familiar person sitting at one of the many tables available, he tries to stop and ends up slipping when he realizes he's passing Noctis. "Whoa!" Prompto recovers from his fall and grabs the edge of the seat his best friend sat in. "There you are, buddy! Did you see this? It's unreal!"

Noctis nodded, eyes still glued to the eerie sight. "Yeah. Never seen anything like it. Doesn't make any sense." Prompto moves out of the way when he suddenly stands up and glances around the dining car. "What's going on?"

Prompto, unaware of what Noctis was seeing and hearing, thought he was referring to the mist. "It's a real mystery. I'm not liking that snow cloud. Kind of gives me the chills. Like, who comes up with this stuff? I couldn't dream something like this if I tried. It's a wondrous world."

Noctis' tone dropped dangerously low as he glared daggers at him. "The hell are you doing here?!"

He springs forward to punch Prompto in the face, but he dodges. "Whoa, what's going on?! Easy there, buddy. Didn't see that coming. You alright?"

The raven-haired boy conjures a sword and swings it at the blonde, who steps back just out of rang. "Shut up!"

"Be careful there!" Prompto pauses for a bit, unable to believe his best friend was attacking him without holding back. "Wait-is this for real?" Without hesitating, the sharpshooter runs away and tries to get away from Noctis. His heart was racing in disbelief and fear that the prince, his best friend since high school, wanted to kill him.

Back in the passenger car, Prompto dives into one of the cabins to hide from Noctis. He was breathing heavily and shrieked when he collided into someone. Afraid of who it was, he went to open the cabin door but stopped when the person placed a hand on his arm. "It's just me, Prom."

He turned and immediately enveloped (Y/n) in his arms, hugging her tightly. "You're real and not something I'm imagining right now, right?"

"I'm real," she reassures, baffled slightly at why he would think she was a figment of his imagination. "What's going on?"

Prompto breaks the hug but grips (Y/n)'s arms in fear. "Noct's lost it! H-He attacked me in the dining car!"

"What?" Famine gasped. "Why would he-?"

The door to the cabin jerks open. Noctis stood in the doorway, his fiery glare focused solely on Prompto. "There you are, you bastard!" He swings a fist towards him, but (Y/n) took the blow by breaking free of the blonde's hold and placing herself in front of him.

"(Y/n)!" Prompto gasped in utter shock as he watched her body collapse to the floor. He rushed to her side and helped her off the floor. He quickly sat her on the bed before turning to face Noctis. Without a second thought, he swung at the prince and punched him square in the jaw. He fell back and out of the cabin, creating an opening for the two.

Prompto returned to (Y/n) and slung one of her arms across his shoulders, helping her out of the cabin and away from the deranged Noctis.

"Ugh," the Horseman groaned. "What a hit..." Her vision was unstable and felt dizzy from the punch. If Prompto hadn't been supporting her body, she would've toppled over onto the floor.

The boy glanced over and saw the bruise forming on her face and winced. "Why did you-?"

The sound of the train car door opening caused Prompto to turn around. He kept a strong grip on (Y/n) as he stared frighteningly at the approaching Noctis. "C'mon, Noct. You're scaring me! Seriously, man, cut it out!"

"Prom, leave me," Famine whispered to him. "He's after you, not me."

Prompto shook his head. "I don't know what's wrong with Noct, but I'm not leaving you behind. Just hold on, okay?" He scooped her up into his arms and immediately ran to the next car.

Noctis continued to pursue them, earning gasps of fear from fellow passengers as they traveled through the train cars. "It's not safe. Plus, you're causing a scene. Quit playing around, okay?" Prompto tried to talk to Noctis, but it was futile.

The prince catches up to him and conjures a sword once again, which he immediately swings in Prompto's and (Y/n)'s direction. "You think this is funny?!"

Holding her body tightly in his arms, Prompto ducks under the blade then quickly scrambles to his feet and runs toward the next car. "Dude, are you seriously trying to kill me?!" He shouted over his shoulder.

Noctis follows them into the space between the two cars. "Why wouldn't I?! I've got you now."

Out of breath, Prompto places (Y/n) down and tries to reason with his best friend. "Noct, please!"

Noctis ignored the pleading call, eyes burning with a out of control flame. "What're you after, following me around this whole time? It's all YOUR fault-" He puts his elbow against Prompto's neck and shoves him against the door to the next car.

"What are you talking about? Do you really mean that, Noct?" Prompto's innocent and sorrowful tone caused (Y/n)'s heart to ache. She fought through the dizziness and pushed her body off the floor. On slightly unsteady legs, she made her way over to the two friends.

"What-are you saying it's not?" Noctis hissed, eyes flashing between crimson and azure.

"Yes!" Prompto chokes out. "What good would it do me to hurt you?!"

"Who cares?!"

"Noct, please," the sharpshooter begged feebly. "Can't we talk for a sec?"

"Never," the prince snarled.

In that moment, (Y/n) pushed Noctis off Prompto and pinned him to the floor. "W-What the hell?!" The prince shouted.

Famine peered into his eyes and saw the confusion. Putting two and two together, she grimaced. "He can't see me. What nonsense is this...?"

Prompto coughed and caught his breath when he was finally free of Noctis' hold. He wrapped his arms around the Horseman's waist and peeled her off Noctis. "We've gotta go!" (Y/n) nodded and followed Prompto into the next car.

The train's brakes suddenly activated and sent them to the floor, knocking both individuals unconscious from the harsh impact.

<-----------<<<<<<<<<<<

When (Y/n) came to, she realized she was inside another cabin. Looking around, she saw Prompto peering out the small window located on the door. He scanned the hall for any signs of Noctis and was relieved to see he was nowhere around.

"Prompto?" She mumbled loud enough for him to hear.

The boy spun around and rushed to her side. "A-Are you okay?" He asked, rummaging his eyes across her bodies for any injuries.

"I'm immortal, remember?" She pushed herself off the bed and swung her legs over the side. "My wounds will heal."

"I know. It's just... I don't like seeing you get hurt. Why did you stand in the way when Noctis tried to punch me?" Prompto unconsciously reached out and touched her cheek, trailing his fingers across the area where the bruise once was.

"First, you don't deserve to be punched in the face. I don't know what's wrong with the prince, but there's something or someone else in play here. Second, I knew whatever damage the punch would've done would vanish soon if I were to take the hit. What if the punch would've broken your jaw? We're not exactly in a place where we have access to a proper doctor, and curative don't heal broken bones."

"But-!"

"Ah!" (Y/n) screamed loudly to silence him. "No "buts"!" Prompto's jaw clamped shut at her declaration.

The sound of battling at the roar of engines tore the two from their conversation. They left the cabin and saw imperial forces targeting the train. Among the skirmish, they saw Noctis fighting alongside Ardyn. The golden-haired girl's eyes narrowed with a glare while Prompto's widened in bewilderment. "W-Why is Noct...?"

"I think we've found our "something else" that's in play. You said his name is "Ardyn," right?"

Prompto nodded. "H-He's the one behind the attack on Altissia."

(Y/n) watched as Noctis took out another tank before warping back to the train with Ardyn. "Whatever this man is, he's the reason behind Noctis' strange behavior. C'mon, Prompto."

They follow the chancellor up to top of the train, where they spot Noctis taking down the drop ships above. With the prince occupied, Prompto and (Y/n) approached the man. The sharpshooter conjured his pistol and aimed it at Ardyn, who held his hands up in surrender.

"Prompto!" They hear Noctis bellow as he warped to the train. With his blade, he takes a swing at the gun Prompto is holding and knocks it out of his hand. The prince took another swing at Prompto, causing him to fall backwards off the train.

Fortunately, (Y/n) grabbed his wrist before he fell out of reach. She felt the strain of his weight in her arm and didn't have the strength to pull him to safety. Gritting her teeth, she felt useless in her current position.

Noctis' vision clears and he immediately sees (Y/n) trying to pull Prompto back onto the roof of the train. Before he could aid her, he was knocked unconscious by Ardyn. The chancellor stepped over the prince's unconscious form, staring at Famine as he did so. "I never suspected another pawn to come into play so soon."

(Y/n) refused to look at the man as she kept her eyes solely focused on Prompto. "You're not human," she grunted. "That is all too clear."

"My, my," Ardyn twirled the handgun in his hand as he squatted next to her. He glanced down at Prompto, who was terrified of the situation. "How long can your fair maiden hold on, hmm?"

The chancellor aimed the pistol at the arm (Y/n) was using to keep ahold of Prompto and preventing him from falling. "Let's raise the stakes, shall we?" Pulling the trigger, a bullet fired from the chamber and lodged into the Horseman's arm. She cried out in pain, but she refused to let go. "Tenacious, indeed."

Blood trickled down (Y/n)'s arm, seeping through her sleeve and cascading through her fingers. Prompto watched in pure horror as he saw the crimson liquid. "(Y/n), let me go!"

"No!" She wailed. Prompto fell silent, eyes widening when he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. "I won't let go!"

Before he could respond, Ardyn spoke up. "Such a shame your declaration will shatter, my dear."

He aimed the pistol at the back of her head and Prompto shook his head frantically. "No! Stop!"

The chancellor pulled the trigger and shot her in the head.