Summary:

"That's why I told myself I couldn't die. Not until I could see you and hear you tell me I'm not a fake- that I'm the real me."

A scream burst from Prompto's lips as he listened to what the fake him said, wrenching his useless body away from Ardyn and falling to the ground. He gasped in pain as he landed on the stump of his arm, but he couldn't stop, he needed to do something! He needed to get to them. It was a trick! How could they not see that!?

Or: Prompto never gets rescued from Zegnautus Keep.

Pairings: Prompto/Ardyn, Prompto/Noctis

Warnings/Tags: Amputation, Torture, Loss of Limbs, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark, eventual Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, endgame spoilers, Sensory Deprivation, Emotional Manipulation, Dubious Consent, Isolation, Touch-Starved, not stockholm syndrome just hopeless acceptance, torture and sex scenes are as vague as I could make them, Minor Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Kind of a fix-it, Noctis doesn't die, I break everything else

*Not sure how many people are still using , but if this is someones preferred site, I figured I would put this here just in case, also I adore comments lol*

Prompto couldn't move. That was the first thing he noticed, then came the pain. The all encompassing agony bit into his flesh and left him breathless.

What was going on? Why was he in so much pain? Why couldn't he move!?

The last thing he remembered was saying goodbye to Aranea and driving away. How did he get here and why did everything hurt so much.

Prompto couldn't help the choked sob he made at the realization that he had once again been captured.

Taking in his surroundings made the reality of his situation exponentially worse. He was shackled to some strange contraption that inhibited essentially all movement and locked in a cell that, judging from the table to his left, appeared to be equip with multitudes of sharp painful objects.

Who needed two circle saws!? He thought hysterically, surely one would be sufficient to inflict unthinkable amounts of damage. He would know.

Prompto was startled from his musings by a amused chuckle.
Circle saws were the least of his worries.

"So the prodigal son finally awakens!" Cheered Imperial Chancellor Ardyn Izunia, leaning casually against the bars of the cell.

"I was afraid our last little game had been the last time I got to play with my favorite new toy."

"What are you talking about?" Prompto gasped out in painful breaths.

"Don't remember? I'm hurt. Really dear boy, you would think that a lowly MT such as you would relish the chance to be in the company of such a high ranking individual such as myself." Ardyn teased.

"I'm not a-" Prompto began, only to be cut off by a hand around his throat.

"Yes yes you're not an MT, you're Prompto, you're from Lucius. Blah blah blah. Honestly, we've gone over this again and again, I'm getting rather bored. You're finally home where you belong, the least you could do is show a bit of respect toward your superior. Especially with how much one on one time you're getting." Ardyn said with that amused smirk on his face as he caressed the tender skin of Prompto's neck.

Prompto twisted his neck back and forth in a futile attempt to dislodge the hand.

The fingers around his throat tightened with a put upon sigh from Ardyn. Prompto stilled.

"It's like you're not even listening to me." Ardyn removed his hand and Prompto gasped in air.

"I think we have time for another game or two before your little friends arrive." Ardyn said, walking over to the table, humming as he perused the selection.

"What do you say Prom? Up for a little fun?" Ardyn asked, turning around revealing the circular blade in his hand.

Prompto remembered what happened this time, he remembered the saw cutting into his flesh, into the bone, he remembered screaming and the all consuming agony as the blade tore through him, he remembered falling limply sideways as the thing (thing thing it was just a thing oh god oh god)holding up his left side was severed. He didn't remember much after that.

"Oops." Prompto heard a voice chuckle just before the pain consumed him and he fell to blissful oblivion.

Ardyn stared at his broken doll, strings cut, hanging limply from one arm. He had the sense to admit he may have gone a bit far this time, but the poor dear had been looking at the circular saws with such abject horror, how could he not have a little fun with it.

Still, a marksman with only one arm was hardly very useful, he'd have to get him fitted with a magitek arm at some point. Right now he should probably see to the bleeding. It would be a rather rookie mistake to have his prisoner die of blood loss before the cavalry arrived and the real fun began.

Ardyn poured an elixir over what remained of the runaway MTs arm and watched as the flesh knit itself together. It would need further attention, but it would do for the time being.

Immediate concern seen to, Ardyn went about preparing for the arrival of his dear King Noctis. What a treat this would be.

Someone was calling his name.

His mind was clouded and he couldn't feel his body, but he knew he heard someone calling him.

Noct his scattered brain supplied.

Noct was calling him! Noct was here! Where was here?

Something was wrong.

His vision blurred as he attempted to open his eyes, he felt off center, something happened, he was captured by Ardyn and-

Prompto's eyes shot to the left, the blurriness hadn't faded completely but there was no mistaking what he saw, or didn't see he thought hysterically.

This couldn't be happening! It was just an illusion!

He couldn't breathe, this was wrong, this was a nightmare, that's all it was! Soon he would be shaken awake by Ignis or Gladio, safe in their tent!

Wake up wake up wake up

So focused on denying what he saw, and near hyperventilating, Prompto failed to take in his surroundings. So when Ardyn whispered "your king is here" in his ear, Prompto screamed in fear and attempted to fling himself away from the man.

He could barely move, he felt distanced from his body, muscles sluggish to follow his command, and he was being held securely, with arms around his chest and waist, by Ardyn in some facsimile of an embrace. The man hooked his chin over Prompto's shoulder and stared into Prompto's terror filled eyes with a grin on his face.

"We really must stop meeting like this. Apologies about the arm by the way, I got a bit carried away I'm afraid. But to make it up to you I got you some of the best narcotics the empire has to offer. I'm told it can completely numb the body, fabulous for pain, even better for subduing an uncooperative captive."

Prompto shook in terror, or at least he assumed he did given Ardyn's laughter. He couldn't feel anything, he couldn't move, his arm was gone, and Ardyn was holding him up like a child with a doll. How was he supposed to help Noct like this!? How was he supposed to help anyone like this!

A movement in his periphery pulled Prompto out of his internal panic and he glanced down. It didn't register at first that it was his shirt that was lifted, and his body that was being lightly caressed as Ardyn moved his hand up Prompto's chest. He couldn't feel any of it!

"You know, if you keep zoning out on me, I might start to take offense." Ardyn hummed, removing his hand from under Prompto's shirt, he grabbed his chin in order to turn the boy's face toward him.

"The show is about to start, how about a kiss for good luck." Ardyn laughed at the revulsion in the blue eyes looking up at him and leaned in to lick at the boy's lips.

A distressed cry escaped Prompto's lips as he attempted to get away from the chancellor and finding he still couldn't move. Ardyn bit at Prompto's bottom lip, breaking the skin and tasting the blood before backing away with a sigh.

"Another time then I suppose. It's time to take our seats anyway."

Prompto hung limply from Ardyn's arms as he was carried across the room. There was a chair by the wall and when Ardyn sat down, arranging Prompto in his lap, they could see the whole room. The bars of the cell, the table of pain, the blood congealing on the floor, the contraption he had initially woken in, and, Prompto could see the body shackled into it. He squeezed his eyes closed, refusing to believe what he saw in front of him.

"Now now, that's no way to react towards your brother, I put in a lot of work getting him to look just right. Why you can hardly tell that's not you strapped up there! I might have trouble myself, if not for the obvious. He still has both his arms of course. Can't imagine how dear Noctis would react to seeing his best friend missing a limb."

Prompto looked at Ardyn in wide eyed horror before finally turning his gaze to the person in the contraption. Ardyn was right, he thought faintly. The MT, the clone, it looked just like him, from the hair to the clothes to the freckles and cuts scattered across his pale face. It was like looking at one of his photographs. But that wasn't him! He was the real Prompto, he was, Noct would know, he would be able to tell it was just another trick! He would figure it out and he would save him!

The sound of feet hitting the floor as they ran down the hall, were the only warning Prompto had before his friends burst into the cell and rushed to release the fake.

Prompto could only watch in horror as the scene played out in front of him.

"Hey you alright?" Gladio asked leaning over the clone.

"Are you hurt? Do you need help?" Ignis questioned, sounding concerned as Noctis reached out to comfort Prompto.

That's not ME

"I'm fine. Thank you Noct" It spoke with his voice.

No

"No sweat." he heard Noct say as he struggled to move.

NO

"Tell me. Were you worried about me?" It asked quietly. Prompto couldn't breathe.

Please stop!

"Of course I was! What kind of question is that?"

They don't realize it's not me

"Of course. That's why you came, like I believed you would."

How can they not know!?

"Prompto"

NO Noct! That's not me!

"That's why I told myself I couldn't die. Not until I could see you and hear you tell me I'm not a fake- that I'm the real me."

A scream burst from Prompto's lips as he listened to what the fake him said, wrenching his useless body away from Ardyn and falling to the ground. He gasped in pain as he landed on the stump of his arm, but he couldn't stop, he needed to do something! He needed to get to them. It was a trick! How could they not see that!?

A fiery pain raced through his body, pushing its way past the numbing effects of the drugs, as he crawled his way across the floor with uncooperative limbs.

"I'm sorry" Noctis said sadly.

Prompto was so close. They should see him! They should hear him! His fingers hit against something and he glanced up at the empty space. Something was stopping him from getting any closer, but there was nothing there! He struggled to sit up and frantically pushed against the invisible wall. Ignoring Ardyn's amused laughter behind him, he pounded his fist against the barrier.

"Don't be. Everything's alright now."

"NOCT!" Prompto screamed, slamming his body into the barrier as his friends started to make their way out of the room with the fake.

"Please don't leave me here! That's NOT ME! Gladio! Ignis! Noct! Please!" Blood splattered against an invisible wall as the skin of his hand broke with every pound of his fist. Tears streamed down his face.

The door shut. They were gone.

His body gave up as his listened to the footsteps getting farther and farther away. The wall blinked out of existence and Prompto fell listlessly to the ground.

They really left him. They thought that fake was him. Did that mean he was fake? No! Prompto was real. He was!

Wasn't he?

Ardyn watched in amusement as the boy fell to the ground in tears and with quiet sobs. He certainly hadn't underestimated the entertainment value of keeping the boy captive instead of returning him to his king. Ardyn had lived a dreadfully long life, boredom went hand in hand with immortality, so he always tried to find entertainment in the little things.

Soon Noctis would be sucked into the crystal and the world would be plunged into darkness for an unforeseeable amount of time. Prompto was really just something to keep him occupied in the likely long years ahead.

An almost fond look appeared on his face as he bent down to pick up his broken doll. The show must go on.

"You know I really didn't think it would work." Ardyn mused to the boy in his arms. Prompto looked at him, startled from his internal despair.

"No really," Ardyn said seeing the boys attention had focused on him, "I put a lot of effort into getting the clone just right, telling it how to act, what to say, to be just like you. But even I was surprised how easily they accepted the replacement. It's almost like they don't know you at all." He hummed, aware that every word cut like a knife in his captive's mind.

"I'm real!" Prompto cried in distress.

"I'm sure you are, but you would think if anyone could tell it would be your best friend, wouldn't it?" Ardyn smiled at him.

Prompto remained silent, there was nothing to say to that. If he was real they should have known.

Ardyn carried Prompto through the halls of the base, eventually stopping in front of a wall and opening the secret entrance to the security room. He still had a part to play but it would be a real shame if the boy missed out on all the fun.

Ardyn dropped the boy in the chair facing all the monitors and chose not to bind him in place. He wouldn't be able to move much with the drugs still in his system, especially after that burst of fear filled adrenaline that allowed him to make such a scene in the cellblock. And how delightful would it be to see the despair in Prompto's eyes when he realized he had essentially been freed, but could do nothing to save himself or his friends.

Together they watched as the fake Prompto played its part, revealing the truth of Prompto's origins and his friends accepting his darkest secret without a second thought. Prompto cried silently, he wanted to be happy that they didn't care but they were accepting everything way to easily. They didn't ask any important questions, they didn't ask what happened to him, or about Ardyn. It wasn't him they were talking to but maybe if they had been a bit less ready to accept everything at face value, or spent a bit more time making sure he was okay, they would have noticed that that thing wearing his face wasn't him!

Prompto held on to the hope that someone would notice until he watched as Noct talked one on one with the fake and didn't bat an eye.

Ardyn laughed as Noctis apologized for falling for Ardyn's trap and the fake jokingly responded, "I know, right? How could you possibly do such a horrible thing- after everything we've been through!?"

Any hope Prompto held onto shattered as the fake's words cut into him mockingly. He was trapped here with the enemy and his best friend didn't even notice he was being made fun of by a monster wearing Prompto's face. Was he so easy to dismiss? Was he so worthless to them that all it took was a cheap knockoff for them to abandon him?

He shut his eyes when Noct left the others to get to the crystal and Ardyn got to his feet.

"I'll be back soon my dear." Ardyn whispered in his ear, Prompto flinched.

This would be it, the end of all of this. Noct would get the crystal, banish the daemons, kill Ardyn and save the world. Maybe that thing would die as well and they would finally realize and save him, or maybe they never would and Prompto would die here alone and unwanted without anyone ever knowing the truth.

Maybe that was okay. They had a Prompto, maybe it didn't matter that it wasn't him, the others didn't seem to care, so why should he fight it. At least he wouldn't have to deal with Ardyn anymore.

Then Noct started screaming as he was dragged into the crystal.

"Come back soon. I shall keep your friends company until you are ready." Ardyn laughed, waving at Noctis before turning to look at the security camera and winking.

Prompto watched in horror as Noctis disappeared into the crystal. Gladio, Ignis, and the fake showed up not long after, attacking Ardyn unaware of how truly pointless it was. Ardyn got to his feet, revealing the scourge dripping from his face and swaggered out of the room.

With no other option Ignis and Gladio decided it was best to retreat, taking the fake with them.

Prompto watched them helplessly until they vanished from every monitor. They were really gone. The left him.

"Enjoy the show?" Ardyn asked walking over to Prompto.

Prompto watched the scourge slide down the monster's face as Ardyn moved closer. He could smell the decay as he was pulled into a rough embrace. The taste made him gag as Ardyn claimed him mouth in a violent kiss. It burned his skin everywhere it touched, but he could do nothing to stop it. Help wasn't coming, there was no hope, the king was gone, and the world now had bigger problems than the life of one insignificant person.

The true nightmare had begun.