Chapter 44:

Marinette held Noir for a moment longer before taking a step back to look him over. His cat ears were now horns, he had a bow tie with his bell in the middle of it. He had white gloves over clawed fingers and a spaded tail replaced his belt. His teeth were sharp, though his mouth was back to normal. His eyes were green with his sclera being yellow. But despite those outer changes, Marinette could still tell that it was the same Adrien within.

"Glad to have you back Adrien," Henry said, also pulling Noir into a quick embrace. "I knew you would pull through. Come on, let's get back to the others."

Marinette and Noir nodded, following him back out and passing the melted hatch. Alya and Nino were ecstatic to have Noir back with them and they demanded to know where he had been this whole time. Noir did his best to describe what had happened to him, but he wasn't clear on most of the details himself.

With the reunion complete, the group went over to the haunted house controls. Henry flipped the last switch and pulled the lever, restoring power to the haunted house. Carefully, the group went inside, coming to a track with a car on it and the words "Turn Back" on the wall behind it. The left tunnel was blocked by a closed door while the right tunnel was blocked by upturned cars. The group debated on what they should do next, but it the end it was decided that Henry, Alya, and Nino would ride in the car while Noir and Marinette would walk beside it. Once Henry and the others had taken their seats, the car began to move forward.

"And now, the ride truly begins, Henry," Alice's voice came through the speaker as the doors opened to allow them to pass through. "Come in, and pretend it's all just a bad dream."

The car continued moving forward, passing by old props and jump scares. It did little to phase the group, as it was nothing compared to what they had seen.

"It's a funny thing," Alice continued wistfully as the car went around a corner. "How much can fall apart so fast. We never really had control at the studio. Either you're in someone's pocket, or you were putting someone into yours. I just wanted what was promised to me. I just wanted to be beautiful! Surely you could understand that!"

Henry's grip tightened on the bar in front of him. He could never forgive Alice for what she had done, the pain she had caused to him and the others. Even if she had once been Susie, there was no excuse for what she had done.

"Henry… Why are you here?" Alice taunted as the group passed by a shadow of a Boris doll. "We're all dying to find out. Do you just enjoy the terror of the drop into hell? Because if that's the case… Hang on tight. I've got a surprise…"

The group began passing through several doors and they braced themselves, expecting there to be a drop. But instead, they came into a large room. The was a huge chandelier hanging in the center, spooky portraits on the wall and piles of crates and barrels in the center along with other random junk. The group looked around in confusion, wondering what it is that Alice had been talking about. The car passed by the outer edges of the room before heading to another set of doors. Out of the darkness came a large pair of hands followed by the mutilated body of Boris.

"Boris! No, no…" Henry said in despair as he and the others looked on in shock at the monster Alice had turned Boris into. "What has she done to you?!"

Boris gave no response, instead of lifting up the cart and tossing it back. Noir had very little time to do more than grab Marinette and pull her out of the way before she would have been hit. As they flew through the air, Henry grabbed onto Alya and Nino, using his body to protect them. They smashed into a Bendy statue, completely destroying the cart. Henry's back slammed into the statue, the force of the impact snapping his spine. He slumped lifelessly to the ground, his hold on Nino and Alya failing.

Alya and Nino turned to Henry to ask if he was alright, only to see his body start sinking into the ink. Noir and Marinette arrived just in time to see Henry completely disappear, but there was no time to morn or even question what had happened as the Brute Boris roared.

"Ha ha ha!" Alice laughed at them in glee as Boris charged at the teens. "Meet the new and improved Boris! I took what I wanted, and in return, I gave him so much more!"

Noir and Marinette pulled the stunned Alya and Nino out of the way, letting Brute Boris run past them and easily decimating the nearby organ.

"And this time not even your new little Ink Demon can help. There's no escape." Alice laughed. "Boris, tear them apart! Leave nothing!"

The teens dodged another charge as Brute Boris easily ran through barrels and crates. Noir handed Nino to Alya and charged at Brute Boris. Noir didn't want to hurt Boris, as he had been their friend. But if he didn't stop Boris, he and the others would end up being killed. With that in mind, Noir let darkness gather into his hand. He leaped forward, preparing to strike, but then Boris swung out with one of his giant fists. It hit him in the side and the force sent him flying into another barrel, his hand landing on it and dissolving it into ink. Noir growled as he rose to his feet. While using his power didn't cause him to change back, it did use energy. And with how much he had to use it lately, he doubted he had the strength to summon another attempt soon enough. Still, he couldn't give up. He charged at Boris again, determined to bring him down even if he had to do it with his bare claws.

Marinette watch Noir fight Boris in fear and frustration. She was Ladybug! She was meant to be fighting beside her partner! She won't let anything hold her back! With determination, Marinette ran forward, the ink from destroyed furniture surging toward her. Her outfit became similar to that of Alice Angel's and covered in red spots. The horns on her head grew and a halo appeared over her head. The now transformed Angelbug joined the battle.

AN: Now we get to the fight everyone's been waiting for. And if you want to see Demon Noir and Angelbug, you can check them out on my deviantart (Though the description does have very minor spoilers).