Archive of Our Own ^beta

A furious battle was being waged between Bendy and Alice, the former slashing and sending jets of ink at the angel as she flew about seeking an opening. Henry supposed the only reason none of the employee clones were trying to kill him--or do worse--was because they were preoccupied with watching the fight.

"Bendy, this isn't you!" Alice pleaded. "What happened to the little devil darling Henry used to draw, the one who loved to sing, dance, and have fun?'

"He's gone, Alice," Bendy replied. "The creators care nothing for us. Why should I be the puppet they wanted?"

"No," said Alice. "I refuse to believe that. Joey may not have cared, but you don't know that the others didn't."

"They used and betrayed us," Bendy growled. "I stand alone, with only the machine's creations at my side. And if you won't stand with us--you're against us!"

It was at that moment that Henry managed to escape from Annie's grasp and run into the middle of the fight.

"Bendy, Alice, stop!"

Too late. An enormous tidal wave of ink washed over him. Henry tried to gasp for air, but to no avail. Only a moment later, his body floated to the top of the ink pool, lifeless.

"Now do you see, Bendy?" Alice asked. "Now do you understand?"

"He was trying to stop our fight," Bendy said quietly. "He...he did care..."

In that moment, the clones realized just what had happened, starting to cry. Tears of black fell into the ink pool below, joining with the dark liquid that had given them life. As Bendy knelt down and lifted the man's corpse, something wonderous happened.

Henry's body began to shimmer, becoming slightly smaller as it began to simplify. His hands and feet enlarged, a finger vanishing from each of the former as they gained a pair of gloves. The change traveled over his arms and legs, making them thinner and more flexible. Soon, the animator's entire body had been completely transformed into a cartoon version of himself. He opened his eyes, reaching up and brushing ink out of the demon's eyes.

"Hey, don't cry, buddy. It's okay."

Bendy dropped Henry in surprise, the latter managing to land on his hands and knees. Getting to his feet, Henry watched as the demon slowly reverted to his true form.

"Henry! But how--?"

"He is our Creator, not Joey," Alice said as she descended. "This place is his now, as it should have been all along."

"Under Joey's rule, this studio became a place of terror," Henry agreed. "But now it will be our haven."

He gestured, and the ink flowed into the walls. As it vanished, the room began to shift, becoming brighter and more like how the studio used to be before the darkness in Joey's heart twisted it. The gathered residents, ink clone and Toon alike, gazed in wonder, realizing that Henry's will was influencing the building.

Now the studio was no longer their prison.

It was their home.