Hello, guys and I'm back to doing another BATIM fic! Thanks for FOUR reviews guys! Your reviews encouraged me to make more, since I watched a short gameplay, Pink Fox, TheAmazingAuthoress and ArizunoShojo's fanfiction had pulled me further into this inky hole of the BATIM fandom! Thanks you guys!
Also, (shameless self-promoting here) please check out my new forum named Inside The Studio. There's already a Head Artist (Pink Fox), Head Songwriter and Head Author are positions needed to be filled. For more imfo, please check out my welcoming tape :)
(also you can be an artist and a songwriter and an author if you wanted to :)
Once the forum filled to five people, I'll be making a Rules and Regulations page... PM me if you have any questions or if you want to join :)
Also the Bendy and Henry moment in the end is forced. I couldn't make it seem smoother -_- sorry
Disclaimer 'N Warnings: Nope, don't own it, never will. I'm scared of the puppet. *looks to see a puppet holding explosives and an Ink Mahcine behind it* Also, slight cursing in here, angsty feels and maybe something heartbreaking in the end? I dunno if it's heartbreaking,
o1. Sleeping Peacefully
"Hiya Sammy!" The little Devil Darling waved his hand at the grumpy Music Director bent over the table with his records, who only looked at him evilly. "Hiya, Unca Joey! Hiya Boris, " He greeted the duo talking together, looking down at him. "'Ave any of ya seen Henry?" He asked.
Joey laughed merrily. "Ya know him, Bendy," he points a finger towards the art room. "Probably doodling and drawing. Like always."
"Oh. Well thanks, Unca Joey!" Bendy thanked him and walked into the large room where he knew Henry drew before. "Henry!" He called out. "Where are ya?"
He remained silent for a moment, hearing his call bounce back from the now empty room. "Oh, Henry!" He called out one more time, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Henry! Where are ya?" He yelled, looking around for any signs of the animator.
He walked around and bumped into Alice Angel. "Oww," he groaned. "Watch it Alice!"
Alice looked down at him and helped him up. "Oh, sorry Bendy," she apologized. "I was lookin' for Henry since he redrew my halo but I couldn't find him," she explained sadly, stroking her hair.
"Well, why don't we look for 'im together? I've been also lookin' for 'im."
Alice flashed him a smile. "Sure, darlin'," she said. "Why not?" She agreed.
They took each a direction: Bendy to the left and Alice to the right.
Bendy stalked along the corridor, passing a few dozen rows of desks. He finally reached the edge of the room without hearing anybody. He sighed and kicking a stray pencil lying around. Maybe Alice was having some luck. He went back and found that Alice had left.
"Looks like ya gotta find him yourself, Bendy," the little demon told himself and headed off to search again for Henry.
He passed another ordinary row of desks when he heard an almost inaudible snore coming from his went nearer until he found a sleeping Henry, glasses lying on the floor with an ink puddle gathered around it. A jar of ink had been knocked over, and judging from the big stain on Henry's hand, he had spilled it and was now soaking his workclothes and the bundle of papers he had been working on.
On closer notice, he found a pillow barely noticable because the ink had soaked it and that the piles of files and books had been rearranged on the corner of Henry's desk.
The tips of Bendy's mouth almost curved up into a smile. This was almost a daily routine. Boris would always find him first and rearrange the piles as best as he could. Alice would find him next and make him comfortable and give him a pillow. Bendy, whatever he does, he's always last and responsible for cleaning up ink spills and cover him with a blanket.
Bendy gave the sleeping animator a dirty look. "Ya gotta stop workin' yourself to the bone, Henry," he grunted as he looked through the drawers underneath Henry's desk and reached for the blanket that was neatly stowed away in case something like this would happen.
He picked up the fallen glasses and grabbed a chair, clutching the blanket as he climbed to the top of the chair and the top of the desk. He put the glasses beside Henry and coaxed the ink back in a slow trickle to the ink jar, leaving his workclothes, the puddle, the pillow and his glasses clean once more. "Don't keep tirin' yourself, Henry," he chided Henry as he covered Henry with the blanket. "Good night, Henry," he told him once more as he hopped down and went off to wander somewhere else in the studio.
A few moments later, Henry's right eye slowly opened to see the figure of Bendy retreat into the other room. "Sure, buddy," he murmured sleepily. "Good night too, pal," he spoke drowsily, closed his eye and fell back into a deep, dreamless sleep.
o2. Takes Away
"Henry?" The animator looked down at the small figure of Bendy looking up at him. "Hmm, Bud?"
"D'you have to go?" Bendy fiddled with his bow tie as he asked Henry this.
Henry rubbed his eyes as he didn't get much sleep. He and his best pal, Joey Drew, had a big fight last night, that resulted with Joey threatening to fire him and Henry telling him he quit. He looked at his workstation and ran a hand through his hair. Working in a studio had been his dream. Joey had made it come true.
But did he really want to be an animator?
Didn't Joey himself told him to meet up in this place years before and just convinced him to do it?
His hands tightened into fists. Joey had been a manipulative bastard. He had told Henry his plans and his dreams to build an studio that could be even better than what that Walt Disney has made.
But that wasn't enough for the handicapped man. He took Bendy, Henry's own creation and work from him. He took the credit. And he brought Bendy to life.
Bendy had been a blessing. But what Joey was doing had to stop. Joey was slowly going insane. Henry saw it. And he confronted Joey about it.
And well... he looked down at the toon with sad eyes and got down. "I'm afraid I do, buddy."
Henry double-checked his bags and told himself not to look at the toon. One look and your resolve will fall, Henry, he told himself as he grabbed them and walked away from his desk.
Bendy flung himself at his left leg, hanging on tight. "Don't go, Henry!" The toon cried. "Please don't go!"
Henry carefully and gently pried Bendy off. "I'm sorry, pal," he whispered as he stood up, carrying Bendy and continued to walk. "I promise... one day, I'll come back."
At the entrance of the studio, Henry gave him back to Joey. "I'm sorry, Bendy," his voice was pained and strained. "I'm really sorry."
He glanced at his former best friend. "Take care of him, Joey," he said and began hauling his bags to his rusty old car.
"NO! PLEASE! HENRY! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Henry hated the anguish in Bendy's voice as he wailed and squared his shoulders, refusing to acknowledge him. "NOT WITH JOEY!"
When he was finished loading his bags, he looked back and his heart was almost torn. Joey was restraining Bendy, who had black tears streaming down his face.
He got in his car and drove away, far away from Bendy's heartbreaking cries and Joey's comforts.
When he was far away, far enough, he stopped, put his head on his hands and regretted what he had done.
o3. All the Pain
"I'm sorry, Bendy," Joey gasped for air as he fought for his life with Bendy transformed a deformed inky version of himself controlling the ink and attacking him as they both approached the abyss where the Ink Machine was.
"No, you're not," Bendy snarled and swiped upward with his razor sharp claws. "But ya'll be sorry alright when I shove those 'imperfect' ink clones down your throat," he kicked Joey in the chest, who fell inches away from the hole. Bendy then placed a foot on Joey's chest, who was on the floor and gasping for breath as he coughed out blood from his mouth.
Bendy only looked at him. "Please," Joey begged him. "Have mercy on me, Bendy."
Underneath the ink dripping down on his face, Bendy's eye twitched. Mercy. Joey didn't know mercy. He never shown any mercy towards his fellow toons that were imperfect. He turned them all into searchers. He turned other people into monsters.
No. In this inky hell Joey created, Bendy will rule, and in this place... his rule was there would be no mercy for the creators. Only justice for those who suffered under the hands of them both.
He grabbed Joey by the throat and held him high above the abyss. "Mercy? Mercy, ya say Joey?" Bendy tilted his head back and cruelly laughed, his laugh echoing in the large, empty room.
He brought Joey to his eye level. "Where was mercy when ya experimented on Boris? Where was mercy when ya killed Alice 'cos she wasn't good enough? Where was mercy when ya killed all them searchers and put their ink on me to make me perfect?" He snarled. "I'll tell ya where, nowhere! I hear their voices, screamin' for justice an' for revenge! And I'll do it! I'll be their lord! I'll be the one who'll lift 'em out of the darkness ya made!" He roared furiously at Joey.
"B-bendy," Joey stuttered. "I-i did it to make you perfect," he coughed, his hands slowly clawing at the inky hands at his throat.
"Make me perfect, Joey?" Bendy bared his cheshire grin. In the light and in the dripping ink, it looked much more sinister. "I'll tell ya what ya just made, sufferin' an' pain! Because ya lied!" He screeched in Joey's face, bringing him closer. "Y'all creators have lied ta us!"
He held Joey far from him and into the hole. Joey looked down in fright, hearing the voices scream scatter from the bubbling in the machine, the machine rumbling down below.
"An' now, Joey," Bendy whispered, the room going quiet, the voices fading in the background as they excitedly scream out their approval of Joey's imminent death. "You can't make me perfect. Good thing ya let me go. But now... I'll set 'em free." Bendy's grin grew bigger as his claws began to open, slowly releasing Joey to fall down in the bubbling pit.
Joey looked at him in the face, a mixture of fear and grimness settling on it. "Can't let you do this, Bendy," he managed, as he struggled to bring the saltshaker in his sleeve (to keep Bendy in check) to his left hand. "I'm sorry."
Joey brought it out, unscrewed the cap and threw it at the demon, whose smile turned upside down as the salt burned him, making Bendy release Joey into the pit silently.
He stumbled around in pain as he felt the salt stick to his body and burn him even more.
In his blind stumbling, Bendy felt himself slip as he lost his footing. He felt air slip the ink from him, making his fearsome form smaller as he tumbled down the abyss. For what seemed like eternity, he fell inside the machine, unconscious.
But what he knows that Joey doesn't know that he can't be trapped forever. He will be set free and claim rights as ruler of this inky abyss.
o4. But Someone
Bendy frustratedly stalked the halls. He had finally been set free by his other creator, Henry.
He had promised his followers and searchers he would find the creators and get justice for what they've done. Joey had long since been eliminated. Henry, however, was too clever. He kept avoiding Bendy, he was still alive and he was being hunted by monsters.
Bendy admired his former creator for staying strong and positive in everything that had happened. He was still alive, despite his, The Butcher Gang and Alice Angel's efforts.
Alice Angel, his hands tightened into fists as he let out a growl. He had liked the old Alice, the one that had been good to him and loved him like a brother. Well, until Joey scraped her because she was imperfect. The left side of her face was deformed, but she didn't care about that. She was still kind and charming.
Joey scraped her because of it. It was one of the few things Bendy could've never forgiven.
And now... this new Alice Angel had inherited Joey's stupid obsession with being perfect. She also had the deformed face. At first, Bendy let her do her own thing because he thought the old her was back and let her borrow a few dozen Boris clones, because there were plenty around that the Machine had spat out. But one day, it went too far.
Bendy could remember it too well. She had marched at him when she saw him and confronted him on that Allison Angel, the newest gal in the workshop. She had demanded he kill Allison and steal her ink so that she could be beautiful. Bendy had outright said no. He didn't want to scrap new people the Machine made just so for other's benefits. He didn't want to sink to Joey's level.
Instead, the angel surprized him by grabbing an axe from the side of the room and cut his hand at the wrist.
It had been a war. The angel was surprizingly good at handling weapons. She even busted out a Tommy gun and outright gunned him. But she hadn't counted on him being powerful.
It was as clear as day. Bendy bore a stump of a hand and walked with a limp up to now because of his injuries.
He shook his head. Stop thinkin' 'bout Alice, Bendy, he nagged himself.
Suddenly he felt something tingle at the nape of his neck. He stood up, alert. He had a strange feeling to find Henry now.
He focused his attention to spreading his conscious to all ink puddles in the workshsop and tried to feel where the ink was most disturbed. To his surprize, the ink groaned and bubbled in a tiny location found deep in Bendyland, which was the Projectionist's territory.
So Henry found himself in the Projectionist's territory? Was he at the amusement park of Bertrum Piedmont? What could he possibly want there?
Oh, right. Alice had dropped the lift and took Boris from Henry, who went through the Archives and through the stairway, into the room full of Lost Ones, and through the vents because he wanted to find Boris. Bendy was there when he went through the vents.
But... was he safe?
There was one answer to that. He had to find out.
He teleported through the ink and reappeared at the other side of a double-sided door. He looked through the small hole that the door had, where he found Henry at the other side of the door zip up the stairs and get inside the Little Miracle Station at the last second. He saw the Projectionist's light flicker through the dark hallway and Bendy snarled.
The Projectionist. It was the one monster he couldn't get to make it obey him. It constantly avoided orders, killed three groups of Butcher Gangs Bendy had sent and survived.
And right now, Bendy needed to get to Henry. Henry wasn't going to be killed. Not now, at least.
"C'mon," he muttered, trying to pull the door apart by using his ink. "Move!"
The door did not budge. He heard the room fill with sounds of steps hitting the inky floor, Henry cursing outloud and another inhuman screech.
Bendy growled, his razor sharp claws reappearing and he pulled his fists backs as far as he can and stabbed the door, his claws piercing the door. He slashed upwards, watching as the door was shredded to pieces like tissue paper ripped apart.
He stepped inside, to find Henry cowering in the Little Miracle Station and the Projectionist looming over it as he tried reaching out to get the door off.
Key word being tried. Bendy growled, letting it be a sign of his presence.
The inky figure turned towards the ink demon and stared into each other, sizing each other's power and rank before the Projectionist charged towards him, as he avoided a hit and charged. He was the Lord of this inky hell. This was a mere creature made of the ink he controls. He WILL NOT get hit if he doesn't want to.
Bendy landed the attack first, putting strength in his swing as he hit the projector. He took a protective stance in front of the station. Mine, he growled as the creature stumbled back from the force. This is my prey. Back off.
Apparently, the creature either was just plain stupid or crazy courageous. Bendy didn't expect it to land a blow on his face, knocking his breath out of him. He had no time to ponder on the pain. He shook it off and charged again at the creature, exchanging hard blows, some that even landed on him.
His smile flipped upside down and he felt his anger and rage take over as he grabbed it by the throat and lifted it up.
It let out another inhuman screech and clawed at the demon's hands before his light flickered and faded to darkness. Just like Joey, beggin' ya for mercy, he though and a surge of anger flowed through him, making him drop it forcefully down and ripping it's projector off it's shoulders. Mercy, he snarled. Has no place in this studio.
He looked at Henry, who was still cowering inside the Little Miracle Station, obviously terrified by him.
He should be.
He grabbed a leg of the Projectionist and hauled him away. He'll get Henry some other time.
o5. Can Still Heal It Again
"What now, Henry," Bendy taunted him as he held Henry up by the ankle. "Whatcha gonna do now?" He sneered, jerking his head towards the two freedom fighters fighting to get rid of the waves of Butcher Gang enemies. "Your friends are strugglin' to even save their own lives!"
Henry, why did you agree to Allison to stopping the Ink Machine? He thought as he groaned, feeling his vision flip over. Oh right. Because you have the axe and you're the creator, who obviously has to destroy his work.
Henry grabbed for his axe that had fallen on the floor when Bendy held him up and slashed at his leg. Bendy let out a yell of pain and let go of Henry, who rolled to the floor groaning. "So that's how ya want ta play, huh?" Bendy growled as he shook it off. "Then let's play."
Bendy bared his razor-sharp claws and charged at Henry, who dodged and striked him in the knee and rolled away. Bendy ignored the stabbing pain and continued to pursue him as Henry stood up. And did the most stupidest thing.
He ran.
He ran, feeling his feet hit the inky puddles and hearing his own heartbeat pump furiously as the Ink Demon's roar seemed near behind him. He kept pushing things for Bendy to trip over as he zipped in between hallways, desperate to lose him. Before he knew, he had climbed up the balcony that oversaw the large Ink Machine room with Bendy hot on his feet.
Henry gasped for air as he emerged from the closed hallways and immediately went for the control panel. He followed his gut instinct and ducked, as Bendy's claws tore apart the shelf holding the dry cell batteries.
He used his axe to destroy and hack apart the machinery controlling the chains of the ink machine as he dodged Bendy's attacks.
Henry knew there wasn't enough time. He was an old man against a being with infinite life and patience. He couldn't keep dodging forever-
Before he knew it, Bendy had body-slammed him, the axe sliding away from him, towards the railing and into the abyss.
Oh no, Henry thought grimly, analyzing his environment for potential weapons. However, none was in reach with the demon in front of him. I'm officially screwed.
Henry only survived this far because Bendy was only playing with him. Now, he was furious and mad.
"It's over for ya now, Henry," he said lightly, taking another step closer, brandishing his sharp claws dripping with ink.
Henry took a step backwards to the railing, clutching at it to avoid falling.
"Henry!" A familiar voice called from what seemed two floors below. He turned his head at the sound of his name, looking down and gulping. The possiblity of his chance to survive while falling down at his age was nil. He was lucky the first time he fell down from the first main floor, his fall supported by the ink. But now? One fall, and he'll die.
"Henry!" Allison Angel yelled from below as Henry faced Bendy, watching him for any sudden moves in case Bendy had the bright idea to pounce on him. "I'm coming!"
Bendy only smirked. "Not this time, angel," he chuckled, snapping his fingers, the inky puddles around Allison bubbling and churning before spitting out more deformed clones of the Butcher Gang. "I'm still coming for your head, demon!" Allison huffed, and the familiar sound of her sword being unsheathed echoed through the room. "Tom!" She yelled at the wolf, who was finishing off a reborn clone of a Projectionist.
The older wolf tried to open his mouth and struggled to formulate words clearly. "Hang on, Henry! I'm comin'!" He grunted out loud, using his mechanical arm to pierce through the projector. Tom then proceeded to bolt for the hallway when Henry yelled, not turning and still facing Bendy, at Tom. "No, Tom!" He shouted. "This is my fight," His words echoed clearly throughout the room.
He could visualize the old wolf furrying his eyebrows, his wolfish lips curving down in a frown. "Ya'll get killed, 'Enry!" He protested.
He eyed the Ink Demon's moves carefully. "Just go and help Ally! I'll handle Bendh, it's my fault we're in this!" He yelled back, as Bendy only leaned on the wall and chuckled. "Oh, go on, ol' man," he laughed. "Handle me? How? Take your time thinkin' Henry. You're old, you're too senile ta say things like tha'," he crooned, racing his claws on the walls, testing it's sharpness. "But I gotta give ya some credit. 'Least ya admit it's yer fault," the sketchy smile on his face becoming sinister as he took a step closer, taking satisfaction in Henry's fear and how he flinched.
Henry took a deep breath. "Well, it is my fault," he admitted, looking at Bendy. "Joey... was going insane and mentally unstable. I-i should've been there for you, Bendy. For Alice. For Boris. I-I'm sorry. If I had known, I would've never left, never quit and left you alone-"
Bendy grabbed him by his collar, lifted him and slammed him hard on the wall, his smile seeming hard and forced. "Well, ya shoulda haven't left us alone then! Maybe if ya just carried on and kept tryin' like ya always do, non'a this would 'ave happened!" Bendy forced his words through gritted teeth as he used his anger and kept slamming Henry hard on the wall over and over again. "But ya didn't give a damn 'bout us after, did ya, Henry?" Bendy asked him mercilessly let go of Henry, who slid to the ground in fits of coughing up blood. "Did ya, Henry?" He kicked the old man in the chest, making him fall on the floor. "Answer me, Henry!"
Henry groaned as he slowly made himself sit against the wall. "L-look, Bendy," he managed in between bloody coughs. "I-I'm sorry."
Bendy yanked him up again by his collar. "Ya better be," he snarled. "Any last words, Henry?" He asked, letting him dangle in the air. Henry only muttered a few inaudible words Bendy couldn't get. Bendy frustratedly slammed him again on the wall, releasing him and letting him slide to the floor. "Come again?" He softly asked as he knelt down to Henry's eye level.
Henry closed his eyes and softly smiled. "You've grown, Bendy. Remember when you used to look up on me? Look at us now, I'm the one looking up at you," he chuckled.
(A/N: warning: deep speech made by Henry and a heartbreaking moment after. Also sorry for making him chatty; i know he's a man of a few words and this doesn't fit him but ehhhhh... he's sixty and he's bound to admit everything... right? Also crappy work since I wrote this at 3 am and I forgot to post it early)
"I'm an old man now. Not like before, young and burning with ambition," he opened his eyes, which were glinting with a sad sparkle. "But I'm tired now. I was young, bold and fearless. Now? I regret all those reckless things I've done. At least I did something right before," his face broke into a small grin, gazing into the distance and confusing Bendy with his rambling.
"I created you, Bendy. Before, you were just a forgotten sketch in the back of my notebooks or a piece of artwork that always got the best mark in Art class. Joey Drew, my best pal, however evil or however sadistic he may seem, he's still right about one thing: Dreams do always come true. And you're my greatest dream, standing in front of me, living," he gently murmured.
"Where were we? Oh yes, my last words. Tell them all - the Borises, the Alices, all the lost ones and all the searcher - tell them I'm sorry for what Joey did, okay? I'm sorry I broke my promise. You were right. I shouldn't have left. Tell them all sorry from me," he said. "I'm tired now, Bendy. I used to run away from my problems. But, I did come back and face them. With so much pain. So much suffering. Yes, kill me, Bendy. It would be best for me and for this studio." Henry stopped and chuckled. "Oh, look. I'm rambling. Go ahead and do it, Bendy." He looked at the demon, who stared at him silently.
Stared? Henry mused. How would I know? His eyes were hidden under that waterfall of ink. How would he know?
For a silent count of three, Henry suddenly reached out with his injured arm and wiped the ink out of Bendy's face, finally seeing his eyes and a faint scar beside his right eye had appeared. But nothing else changed. "You really have grown, haven't you, Bendy?" He said softly as the thick ink felt strange and uncomfortable between his fingers and on his hands.
Bendy went out of his silent trance, the ink dripping down his face again, keeping his eyes away from Henry's sight. "What kinda mind games are ya playin' at?" He snapped.
Henry chuckled. "No mind games, Bendy. Did you listen to me? I'm tired. I'm old. I'm senile. What does a sixty year old like me know how to play a mind game?" He reached out again and tried to wipe more ink off.
Bendy only sat there, not stopping him as Henry carefully wiped all ink from his face. Bendy just sat there, deep in thought, reveling in the past memories he had with Henry... being a better father even more than what Joey could ever be.
But Henry also left him. In doing so, he also broke a promise to him on his first day of his life. He lied.
"I-I can see your face," Henry softly whispered. "D-do you remember?"
"O'course I do remember!" Bendy suddenly burst out. "What d'ya think was what I clung to durin' those times Joey still lived? M-my memories with you... were all I had when I faced Joey," he looked Henry straight in the eye. "I-I'm tired an' weary too, Henry," he admitted and felt the tears form on the corner of his eyes. "I'm tired o' this all! A-all I wanted was 'ta have a family," he sobbed into Henry's shoulder.
The older animator put his arms around Bendy, whose every defense, every wall and every strenght fell down.
"I was upset when ya left," he continued, clutching Henry tighter.
"Well, I'm back. I'm here now, buddy." Henry told him. "I'm back."
Silence filled the air, as the sounds of Allison's sword cleanly cutting a clone into two or Tom's constant banging of his mechanical hand on the clones echoed. They felt peace and serenity for a short time, but for the two of them, it was all the time they needed to fix each other's holes in each other's hearts.
o6. (even in the afterlife)
(don't read if you don't want a sad ending; skip to author's note in the end)
(also they teleported down the balcony because I didn't want to ruin their moment by saying they went down; sorry for the long notes)
Then the room rumbled as the Ink Machine spat out inky beings, now fully awaken and fully functioning.
Henry, Bendy, Tom and Allison were fighting for their lives as the deformed clones surrounded them. "What do we do now?" Henry watched with wide eyes as the machine suddenly spat out sparks and emitted smoke, smacking a Piper clone with a borrowed wrench from Tom, who struggled to yell the words out correctly.
"What ya freedom fighters always do: find a way," Bendy grunted as he wiped out three groups of Butcher Gang clones and corrupted Boris clones.
"That 'find a way' plan of yours takes time for us to do," Allison muttered as she stabbed another deformed Alice Angel clone. "And we got no time," she added, leaping over a Fisher clone, cut his fishing rod and striking his head, exploding into ink on contact.
Henry pointed for the balcony. "Over there!" He yelled.
Bendy grabbed them all. "Stay still, angel," he pointedly shot the said angel a look, as she struggled in his inky hold. "I'm teleportin' us up there."
They disappeared in the ink puddle below them and emerged in the balcony, with Tom heading straight for the controls and Allison using her rope to keep the balcony from tilting. "What did you guys did when you fought?" She complained, yanking the rope.
"Stupid Joey," Tom grumbled from his spot as he fiddled and kicked the controls. "Damn him for these complex an' complex machines!"
"We got to drop it down the abyss!" Henry yelled over the commotion.
"What?" The three toons yelled back.
"I said we got to drop it down the abyss!" He said it out loud again.
"Are ya crazy, Henry?" Bendy demanded as he shouted back. "The thing's alive an' function'! How are we gonna drop it down the abyss? Ya ruined the controls earlier, right?"
Tom shot Henry a dirty look as Allison passed Henry a Gent Pipe. "Then we cut the chains," she decided. "Bendy, can you keep the clones at bay? Great. Henry and I cut the chains. Tom'll... Tom?" She frowned the wolf sticking his head in the controls. "I'm 'aight," Tom grunted. "Just fixing that giant cut Henry's axe made." He held his hand out for Henry to give him back his wrench. "I'll stabilize an' keep the machine together, 'kay?"
~o~
Henry inched away from the group of Strikers stalking past, clutching his Gent Pipe tightly as he stepped closer to the left chain supporting the machine.
Henry froze, having second thoughts as a group of another Butcher Gang clones pass him.
He watched the Ink Machine squish down a very deformed Boris clone and suck it in for another form to be created. He shivered at the death of the Boris clone. It had just been created, probably took it's first breath, to be only killed and recycled.
Death.
He suddenly pondered on the topic of death.
Was this how he was supposed to die? In a abandoned workshop fighting ink monsters his crazy best pal created? At the hands of mutilated toons his hands drawn and created?
Looking around at this hellish inky landscape, Henry could imagine more less heroic and less painful ways to die. Like falling down the steps. Or dying peacefully in his sleep at the age of eighty after a peaceful and auiet life with his wife, Linda. Yes. That sounded good.
Focus, Henry, he reminded himself as he sneaked past another group of Fishers.
He eyed the chain and was surprized. Sure, Henry knew it was thick but it was thicker than expected up close. It was as thick as his hand. And even more durable than his hand.
His Gent pipe would only dent it. He needed something sharper, like Allison's sword or his axe... his axe...
Henry spotted it a few feet away and in the center of a large group of clones so deformed he couldn't recognize the faces. He could call for Bendy to wipe them out but he would attract attention to him and clones would swarm him in seconds.
He needed to charge in, and as Allison always did, eliminate as many of them as possible while grabbing his axe, then cutting the chain and escaping.
It was a plan Henry knew so good.
Or he could distract them so that he could get less or no injuries. That was better.
Without a second thought, Henry threw his Gent pipe as far away from his as possible, making a loud thud on the floor. The clones fell for the old trick and came closer to it to investigate. Henry took it as his sign and dived for the axe, getting up quickly and cutting the chain cleanly. The machine sagged and creaked, groaning as it lost one of it's support cables.
Unfortunately for Henry, the machine's groans were more interesting than the Gent pipe. They turned toward him as one massive group and froze for a moment.
And that moment, all Henry knew was that he screwed up.
"Allison!" He called out, swinging his axe and decapitating several Pipers and Strikers as the massive group charged at him. He kept hacking and swinging, but even with his natural affinity with axes, he couldn't bring all of these down. Suddnely, someone was also helping him, attacking the clones, every hit with a metallic clang!
"Tom?" Henry found his voice as Tom loomed over him, assuming a protective stance and punched all clones that dared come close with his mechanical hand. "It's me, alright," he grunted, pulling Henry up. "Bendy needs ya up there."
"Wait, if you're down here, who's keeping the machine together?"
"Bendy's usin' his inky magic to keep the machine from explodin'," he explained, pointing at a bubbling puddle. "Step in there; it'll teleport ya back to Bendy."
"Tom?"
"Yeah, 'Enry?"
"Thanks for having my back."
"Anytime, 'enry. Now go an' help Bendy!"
Henry stepped into the puddle and dissolved into darkness, glimpsing Tom one last time fending off himself once more... and alone.
~o~
Henry didn't expect Bendy to stumble in his arms when he reappeared out of the ink. "I... I'm fightin' a losin' battle," he wheezed as ink poured slowly down his forehead. "Machine's holdin' me back an' after all that magic I've done... I can't fight back anymore."
Henry gently set him upright, steadying him. "Yes, you can," he quietly said. "You're just holding back your strength and power, aren't you?"
Bendy took a deep breath. "Yes, I am. But if I use it all up, all living toons who depend on lil' ol' me for survival'll die."
Henry pondered on the choices. "Then choose which one, Bendy."
"That's the problem! I. Can't."
Henry was silent for a moment, thinking of other options. "Is there any other choice?"
Bendy looked down. "Yeah. A sacrifice. Back then, when I fought Joey, he mentioned sacrificing other people to the Machine to make it work magic. And I threw him in the ink pool to reverse it. The Ink Machine was stopped." He explained, his voice suddenly faltering from exhaustion at everything he did. And all that magic put a toll on him.
"Sacrifice," Henry murmured. It had to be him. "Bendy," he started. "Can you get the other two up here?"
Bendy looked at him. "Yeah, probably," he said. "Why?"
Henry waved his hand. "They have to be here."
Bendy hesitantly agreed. "Whatever ya say, Henry," he said in a strained tone and spread out his hands. Suddenly, beside him, Allison and Tom in a fighting stance appeared beside him. In their confusion, Allison almost took off Bendy's head.
"Watch it, angel!" He snarled, holding the blade with his hand. Allison blinked for a moment. "Oh. My bad, Bendy," she apologized, sheathing her sword.
"What d'ya want?" Tom asked Henry gruffly.
"I want to ask you something. Bendy said something about a sacrifice. Do you think I could-" he started to say when Allison cut him. "No. That's not an option!" She said firmly. "Right, Tom?" She looked at the wolf, whose un-amused eyebrows started to grow closer together. "Tom?"
"Henry's hypothesis can be correct. He could," he said, avoiding the looks Bendy and Allison sent him. "Hey, don't look an' stare at me like tha," he put his hands up. "I'm just sayin' Henry could. I ain't encouragin' him 'ta sign his death contract!" He grumbled.
"I'm the other creator." Henry stepped in. "Joey started this; he's the first creator. I'm going to end it." He said defiantly. "It makes sense," Tom agreed with Henry, only to be smacked by Allison, who's scowling at him. "What now, Ally?"
"Henry's explanation doesn't make any sense. Why not sacrifice an inky being instead? I could do it if needed," Allison said only to be interrupted by Bendy.
"Sorry, angel, but the machine doesn't want perfectly good ink going back. It ain't a sacrifice. It'd be recyclin' ink. No. Henry needs to be the sacrifice but I'm not letting him do it." Bendy said.
"Stop calling me angel."
"When ya stop lookin' at me like I'm some kinda disease."
"Okay, you two, stop it," Henry chided them both. "You all have to make a choice. Either I go or the machine implodes from under pressure."
Tom put a hand on Henry. "'Enry," he started. "Yer courageous as hell and 'ave bin a heaven-sent for me and Ally. I'm proud 'ta be wit' ya. Go an' do yer thing before Ally kicks my ass for tellin' ya this."
Behind him, Allison didn't fume like Tom had expected. "Tom's right," she finally decided, looking at Bendy, who glared at her. "Bendy? Are you with us?"
Bendy scowled and focused his hands, spreading them wide as he steadied the machine. "No," he managed. "Henry's not goin' anywhere but here."
Henry approached him. "Look, buddy. I came back, didn't I? I'll do it again. I'll come back again."
Bendy put his hands over where he assumed it was his ears. "Not again, Henry!" He snarled. "Don't break your promise again 'ta me!"
Henry backed away with one step. "I'm not. I said I'd come back, didn't I?" He slowly took a step towards the railing, facing Bendy.
Bendy's eyes lit up with realization and at the same time, Tom and Allison lunged forward, keeping him at bay. "Go!" Allison yelled at Henry as Bendy reached for him and the duo held him back. "No, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO! HENRY!" he cried.
"Take it easy pal," Henry spoke in a calm tone. "To stop this all, it has to be something equal to your magic. Now, I realize... real magic isn't about just offering something. It has to be given willingly and with courage, knowing you won't get it back," he spoke as the ink around them churned, reacting to Bendy's desperation.
"DON'T DO IT!" Bendy yelled, ink dripping from his face as he lunged forward, only to be pulled back by Allison and Tom's flickering forms. "DON'T PROVE THA' YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS JOEY!"
Henry stepped toward the railing. "Another thing," he said softly, his words barely heard over the creaking and groaning of the heavy machinery demanding a sacrifice. "Thanks. Thanks for making my life bearable and worthwhile."
Henry lept down the railing, with Bendy almost successfully pulling free when Allison bust out her sword the last moment. Henry follwed his instinct, and rolled, landing on the floor roughly on his back. He wasted no time on pondering on the pain of his back, only standing up and running towards the machinery.
"Ink Machine," he gasped for air as he approached it quickly. "I'm coming for you."
Henry lept down the abyss and it felt like time slowed down. He saw Bendy pull out of the duo's grip and jump down the railing. He felt his self tumble down in absolute darkness, the wind whistling in his ears as he felt the scorching hot heat radiate from the machine, now trapped down below in the boiling ink pool hundreds of feet below. He had a few seconds to himself when he felt his feet brush against the hot ink. He closed his eyes and waited for the dark and scorching ink to take his life.
He feels the ink sear, burn, melt and settle on his body, probably revenge of the machine for it's fall but he knows he's already gone.
o7. Sleeping peacefully takes away all the pain but someone can still heal it again (even in the after life)
(Happy ending for the sad ending)
A voice in the darkness laughs cruelly, taking pleasure in the pain because the voice knows its coming to him because he deserves this punishment while a voice screams and begs for mercy on the other side for the pain to stop.
Henry's somewhere in between the sides of Hell and Heaven, deep in unconsciousness as random memories of ink, a small toon devil, a machine, an angel and a wolf with a mechical arm flicker through his thoughts. He is not aware of the weighing of his deeds on the Scale of Justice, or the Judging of His Soul by the council of the Three Fates.
The spirit and the seeker of death, Atropos claims his death to be heroic and not on purpose.
The spirit and spinner of destiny, Clotho agrees with her sister's decision, saying that Henry's death was already predicted and set in stone.
The spirit and determiner of the length of life itself, Lachesis takes her sister's opinions and decided to spare Henry from his suffering, cutting the last thread left in the normally thick yarn of life that clung on.
Then he opens his eyes, to see a landscape of Heaven and Hell, being somewhere in between.
He looks at the piece of paper in his hand. An inscription said: blood blessed purely with heaven's holy water with another inscription underneath that said: proceed to the narrow gates of heaven.
He notices a small drawing at the side. It was the cartoon devil he saw in his unconscious. Somehow, it makes him smile as it looks up at him from the page. He looks at the narrow gates of heaven and sees a bright... and happy future.
But what most authors don't mention is that the road to redemption, to happiness, to a bright future, to Heaven is that they have to suffer so much more pain and learn how to sacrifice through the hardships. It's all set in stoen; nobody can change it once Fate decides on it. But Henry already knows the pain, knows how to sacrifice, and he knows how to stay strong during suffering.
What they don't say is that these characters work hard for a good ending.
Because in reality, there's no instant happy ending.
There are NO happy endings.
And this tale... is not a myth.
OH MY GOSHHHHH!
If you lived through that very, very, very long one-shot (well, long compared to my usual 3000-4000 word length ome-shot.)
I'M FREAKING OUT THIS IS LIKE 3000 MORE WORDS THAN MASKS! I'M SO HAPPYYY!
Also, you get your cutesy drabble at the start. I'm sorry it's short compared to o4, o5 and o6. Also, I'm sorry for the excessive author notes! Hope ya forgive me!
If you're still interested in checking out my forum "Inside the Studios", go to my profile. Don't worry, I've shortened it and you'll immediately see the link to it. We're in need of staff (especially for someone to fill the position of Head Author and Head Songwriter.) Thanks for checking it out if ya did!
If you wanted more of those cutesy or in-depth or Henry and Bendy family moments, feel free to ask me for a request or going to my forum (since I'm making a request page) to ask our authors for request (if someone signs up to be an author)
Review please! I want to see your comments. I understand if you say it's crappy, I did make this at 12 am, fell asleep and woke up at 3 am and fell asleep. I polished it and made a o7 and posted it in the evening -_-'
Well, thanks for surviving this author's note too!
~Marrione and Louise